Summer Gone Wild (Book Review: Perfect Summer, Kailin Gow.

Maybe my first mistake was picking up this book, and then realizing later on that this was the second part of the "Loving Summer" series. Yes, folks, I never read the first part. So I was kind of a loss while reading the book. But most of these books stand alone, right? My second mistake was thinking that. Meanwhile, I read about Summer and her dilemma about choosing between brothers Nat and Drew. She loves them both, it seems, but she keeps on making the same stupid mistakes  - and she is a promiscuous who teases and sleeps with both brothers. Tacky. I am no prude, but the sex scenes here are more gratuitous than normal. And that would have been no problem except for the fact that this book is probably marketed for teenage girls Or am I just getting older? I cannot appreciate this book at all, and felt it was a waste of my time reading it.

BC = 40

Full Of Grace (Television Review: Graceland, Thursdays on USA Network)

Let's not kid each other.  I watched the pilot episode of "Graceland" for one and one reason only: Aaron Tveit. He is a cutie, he is a hottie, he is a stud muffin - I will run out of cliche descriptions to describe him. I have seen him on Broadway a couple of times, and he has a wonderful stage presence. On stage, he can sing, he can act, he projects. I wanted to see if his charms translates to the small screen (I know he had a recurring role in Gossip Girl, but I never followed that show religiously) This series was developed by Jeff Eastin, who also created "White Collar," so I know he has a history of featuring handsome men in television shows (see Matt Bomer) Well, after watching the pilot, I am a bit underwhelmed. I wish there was more here - Tveit brought his A game but I felt there's something missing somewhere. His character is a bit underdeveloped, even as he is featured prominently in the show. Mike Warren, the character he plays, (and can they choose a more boring name?) graduated at the top of his class in Quantico and he gets assigned in Graceland, a beachfront property where undercover agents from different agencies live. Theoretically, he is intelligent, but is that enough for him to be assigned here? We find out at the end of the pilot - there's an interesting twist - but aside from that, Mike Warren is a blank. I hope we get to know more about him in succeeding episodes because there's not much here for me to keep interested. 

Where Is The Devil? (Book Review: Revenge Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger)

Halfway through "Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns," by Lauren Weisberger, I thought to myself, what a disappointment. I was a big fan of the prequel novel, and also the novel, and what fun, I thought to revisit the characters. I also already had Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt ensconced in their respective roles, so I felt ready for the ride. But about a quarter in, I thought to myself: this isn't what I was expecting. Andy Sachs seems to be embroiled in a classic entitled girl storyline: she's getting married, she's not getting along with her two-dimensional mother-in-law, she is pregnant. It's an okay story - pure sap and soap - but at that point Miranda Priestley was still nowhere to be found. As a matter of fact, Miranda is barely in the novel, so the title seemed more an empty come on. I tried to go along, but more often that not, found Andy unlikeable: spoiled and whiny. By the time I am supposed to feel sorry for her, I hardly cared. The last tenth of the book is more accessible for me, but it seemed to come a little too late. This could have been a wonderful, dishy inside story of how a company is marred by a corporate takeover, especially in the publishing world, but it ended being a soap opera tale. Truly a wasted opportunity, in my opinion. 

BC-39

Heartbreak In Israel (Movie Review: Yossi)

Sometimes a movie just gets to you unexpectedly. Such was the case of "Yossi," a film from Israeli director Eytan Fox. It's the sequel to his 2002 film "Yossi and Jagger." (Though you don't really need to have seen that movie to appreciate this film) Yossi lost his lover in the Israeli army, and now is living as a doctor doing his residency. He lives a quiet, and melancholy life. He is still grieving, after all these years, and is anti-social. Fox vividly presents his sadness, and it is heartbreaking. he works, and has not taken a vacation in ages. One day, he sees Jagger's mother in the hospital, and this gives him the chance to move forward: he tells her and her husband about her relationship with their son, who they had no idea was gay. It's an intense, and never overbearing scene. This prompts him to take a road trip to Sinai, but along the way he picks up a group of young Israeli soldiers. One of them is Tom, (Oz Zehabi, a handsome young Jude Law and Ryan Raz lookalike) an openly-gay military man. Yossi is amazed at how free he is. (Israel was one of the first countries to have openly gay people serve in the military) They have a connection, and he forsakes his Sinai trip to stay with them at the seaside resort of Eliat. The one thing I loved about this film is that I never knew where the story would turn. I am sometimes too jaded and cynical but the story here kept me guessing and hoping, and rooting. This is a gentle, sad, but ultimately uplifting movie, filled with a heartbreaking performance by Ohad Knoller as Yossi. I bet it breaks your heart, too.

Library Love (Book Review: The Librarian And the Porn Star, CC Bridges)

I know there exists a sub-genre in gay fiction for librarian fan fiction. (I think there's a millionaire one as well)  Well, I guess now is a good time as any to start reading one, and that title went to CC Bridges' "The Librarian And The Porn Star." i was bracing myself - I thought this was one of those erotic fiction deals, but it was a very sweet short story, bordering on syrupy romantic. It was a wonderful distraction. A librarian in a college is startled to see his favorite porn star enter as a student and needing help. They click, but he doesn't tell him that he knows of his oeuvre. Will it tear them apart? It was predictable, a bit silly, but it never pretends to be otherwise. 

BC_38

Matthew In A Tuxedo (Album Review: Matthew Morrison: Where It All Began)

A lot of people probably do not realize that before Matthew Morrison was Will Schuster on the hit television show "Glee," he was a Broadway leading man. And in interviews he has mentioned that growing up his parents listened to standards and theater songs. So essentially, these songs are "Where It All Began" for him. About two years ago, he released an album of pop originals, and I loved that record. Now, on his second outing, he has decided to go back to his roots. And from the first song on, you can see that he is in his elements here: he knows and loves these songs inside and out. More, he has respect for these songs, treating them with delicacy. There's good and bad there. You can sense his soul as he croons through familiar standards like "Younger Than Springtime," and "Hey There." Backed by an orchestra, you can feel the love shining through his interpretations. But, the arrangements, while lush and beautiful, seem familiar, and you kind of ask yourself if there is a point to the whole exercise. There's a West Side Story medley that seems ill-conceived - the songs aren't strung in a very cohesive way. And "Send In The Clown" is done pop style (a la Streisand's version) when he could have gone with the original theater orchestrations. Still, Morrison has a more than competent instrument that is displayed in full-force here, and you get the sense that he showed up all dressed up and ready to go for the gusto for these songs. I just prefer the jean clad laid back Matthew (Like a tuxedoed Matthew is chopped liver, by the way)

Before The Prince Passed (Book Review, Fairy Tale Interrupted, Rosemarie Terenzio)

I bet you knew exactly where you were when you found out that John Kennedy Jr's plane crashed.  I remembered where I was vividly. My friends and I were in Boston, and we were on our way to spend a week in our vacation house in Provincetown, Massachusetts. I remember we ere leaving the house and saw the news on television, and knew we wanted to follow the story so as soon as we were in the beach house, we tuned into what the update us. I was veru curious to read "Fairy Tale Interrupted,' by Rosemarie Terenzio because I wanted to get a glimpse on JFK Jr,. the man. Terenzio worked as his personal assistant for five years. It was a love/hate thing, and they came from different worlds, which was probably the main reason for the success of their relationship. The book is immensely readable - Terrenzio has a great distinct voice - and you can really feel that you are right there with them. However, I can say that I did not really learn much more about John. Not that I was expecting a warts-and-all bio, but I thought it was just lacking enough depth. Still, you cannot feel but sympathize and empathize with her, and I was dreading the chapters of the inevitable. This was a page-tuenr, but the pages were pretty light.

BC-37

Fizz Orange Pop (Perfume Review: Diptyque Oyedo)

There are few notes that I do not like, and one of them is orange. That fizzy orange soda smell kind of turns my stomach. But some time ago, I ended up with Diptyque's Oyedo, and I cannot for the life of me remember how I procured a bottle of this. I think this is possibly because Diptyque is one of my favorite houses, and at the time I was completing all their releases. Since the weather has been spiking up recently, I decided to wear this today. Well, after all these years, I still am not a big fan of the orange note, but the orange here is very elegant: it is mixed with grapefruit and yuzu, so it's not sticky-sweet - there's a tartness to it that I like. Plus, on me, the mint note becomes prevalent after a while, giving it heat. I get a "mint halo" feeling after I spray it, like my skin is stinging, like the fizz on soda. Since this is Diptyque, the scent is well-behaved - it doesn't scream, but you know it's definitely there. I guess if I had to choose an orange scent, this would my favorite. I am somewhere with dry heat, so the note is tolerable, but I know if I were somewhere more humid, I would despise this scent.

Candles Burning, Glasses Are Chilled (Television Movie Review: Behind The Candelabra, HBO)

Thank God for HBO.  Steven Soderbergh, in interviews, have said that they shopped Richard LaGravenese's screenplay of "Behind The Candelabra" everywhere, but no one wanted to touch it, saying it was too gay. Everyone said that they did not know how to market a movie like this. The cable channel, bit, and reportedly this movie got huge ratings over Memorial Day weekend.  So, was it all worth it? I'll start by saying that I am glad that this movie exists. It's certainly not as mainstream, and it doesn't skimp on the camp, the sex, and the salaciousness. And I am more glad that it starred two of the biggest stars: Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. I mean, their names and sheen do not get any brighter. They both give fantastic performances, and I would bet that Douglas comes away with an Emmy for this. I thought Damon was better, mining more depth in his character. But that was easier to do, as the story is told from his character's point of view. And I think both of them gave brave performances, as they were certainly game for all of it. I wish I understood Liberace more, but this movie focuses more on their relationship. I wish there were more to the movie, but it has enough. I think this is partly because I have seen a lot of similar stories like theirs: a lot of it seems familiar. I chuck that because of my life experience and people I have known, though. The movie was intelligent enough to still make me ponder. For example, what is it about Liberace that made him appeal to a lot of people? As a piano player, he is good, but his selling point was his flamboyance. So why then would his fan base not accept that he might be/is gay? Lee's denial also fascinates me, and it may be because of his strict Catholic upbringing. I mean, he had instructions to hide his cause of death in the end, claiming they were complications from a "watermelon diet."  The supporting cast was also commendable, by the by, starting with an almost unrecognizable Debbie Reynolds as his mother, and Rob Lowe as the cooky plastic surgeon who botched operations for Lee and Scott. This is a first class production, and I am happy a lot of people will get to see it.

Sandy Hook (Book Review: Susane Colasanti, All I Need)

Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of the Summer season, so why not read a summer-themed love story ? Susane Colasanti's "All I Need" has the summer book cover perfectly placed, and this is one of those frothy young adult romances. I didn't really expect anything more from it, so I wasn't truly disappointed. But it's pretty thin, plot wise. There's nothing truly wrong with that, though. Seth and Skye meet at the beach one summer night - make that one end-of-summer night, and they realize they are soul mates. But Seth is going home the next day si they plan on meeting one last time. Things happen and he doesn't show up. So they spend the next months trying to find each other, and of course they do. And then they have to deal with a long-distance love affair, complicated by the fact tha Skye is still in high school, while Seth is a Freshman in college. This is a sweet story, and mindless enough to read by the beach. The only thing I disliked was that I wasn't at the beach while reading it.

BC-36

I'd Like To Thank You Strouse And Charnin (Music Review: Annie - The New 2012 Broadway Cast Recording)

I have expressed here my thoughts on the current revival of Annie on Broadway, and suffice it to say, I really wasn't that happy with the production. So I approached listening to "The New 2012 Broadway Cast Recording" with a little trepidation. I wanted to be fair in my assessment of it. And I have to admit - my first go-round wasn't really positive. Maybe it's because I know every click and hiss of the Original Cast Recording, it's one of those scores that's very dear to me, and of course, the original production was my very fist Broadway experience. At first listen, the orchestrations sound a lot thinner, and I miss the energy of Andrea McArdle. But I gave myself a challenge and listen tot he recording again. And again. And again. And I started to love it. The beauty of the music shone through - it really is a great Charles Strouse score, and even though Martin Charnin's lyrics could be corny and uneven, it has charm in spades, which is something I rarely find in today's musicals. Lilla Crawford, in all her Brooklyn awkcent glory may be a little too much of a spitfire for the role thereby losing some of the vulnerability, has the voice for the iconic songs. She gives justice to "Tomorrow," and "Maybe," and that's difficult to pull off. Anthony Warlow, who was superb in the production, was successful in translating that performance in the recording, and even Katie Finneran, who I thought was weak in the production, is great here. Perhaps without the trappings of the staging, they are able to essay their roles. I am glad I dis not dismiss this recording - it's a wonderful representation of the score, and is better than the flawed thing at The Palace. And just think of the hundreds and thousands of little Broadway divas who will be using this as a benchmark for their Broadway careers - may their light shine bright tomorrow! (It's only a day away!)

The Show Is Over, Say Goodbye (Television Review: Smash: The Nominations, and The Tonys: Series Finale)

 

SMASH is done. It's gone. It aired its final episode this evening, and it ended with a bang. Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee performed a number called "The Big Finish," and it was so meta that it was their goodbye to the loyal viewers of the show. I know there are probably not too many, like myself, who stayed with it through thick and thin, but the ending felt good. All the loose ends were tied up, and it was a great farewell. You got a sense that they knew it was the last episode, and it was bittersweet, yes, but mostly a celebration. But first, let me just say that I was so happy that Ivy Lynn won over Karen Cartwright. I know I have been bashing Karen this season, but I really do like Kat McPhee. I have her two pop albums even before this show started, and I listened to them. I thought she was one of the better Idol alumns in its history. She just wasn't a fit for Karen Cartwright. I will follow and support wherever she ends up after this. This show made a star of Megan Hilty. I am now a fan of hers, and I know she has a lot in store for her.  Actually, the whole core cast was great:  Anjelica Houston, Christian Boerle, Jack Davenport.  Yes, I had issues with the characters of Jeremy Jordan and Krysta Rodriguez, but only because the characters themselves weren't served well by the writers. I read that the forthcoming DVD will have all the extras: scenes cut, fell scenes of musical numbers, so in a way, this isn't a last goodbye. I'll see you again, SMASH.

Too Shy To Say (Book Review: So Hard To Say, Alex Sanchez)

I have been reading a book that is very "literary," and wanted a break from it, so I started Alex Sanchez' "So Hard To Say." I thought it  would be light-hearted, and kind of dumb. I was wrong - this is a great gay YA novel, and I just thought again, kids nowadays are so lucky for these precious gems of novels: they give them such affirmations that anyone who is unsure about how they feel would get a sense that yes, it is ok to be yourself, no matte what. This is not just another coming-of-age novel. Frederick moves to California, and befriends Xia, a Mexican classmate. She falls for him instantly, but he is confused. The boo is narrated from their alternating points of view, and I cannot help but empathize with Xia as well. First love can be both ecstasy and agony at the same time - we have all been there. This is a great book, a fantastic breather. 

BC- 35

Peace Musk (Perfume Review: Kenzo Vintage Edition/Kenzo PEace)

I don't know why I call this scent Kenzo Peace. I guess because there is a very big peace sign on the bottle? I also initially associated this as a sort-of hippy scent: the packaging of the box I guess kind of evokes it, and again, because of the peace sign. But Kenzo Vintage Edition (its official name) is essentially a heliotrope and musk scent. I am just thinking I should recommend this to my friend Therese because heliotrope is her favorite note. I always wore this scent during wintertime, but I thought why not wear it today, on a 80 degree day. It works just as fine. This is a white musk, so it is more an internal musk, and it blooms a little bit more with the warm temperature. Kenzo Vintage Edition is pretty much a skin scent - it is very intimate, and quite sexy, It doesn't scream. It sizzles only when you sniff it closer. The clean musk is inviting, and heliotrope gives it a nutty and almond-y projection. The woody/creamy base is a little off-putting during warmer weather, but if you are in an air-conditioned environment, you should be fine.

Sometimes The Snow Comes Down In June (Book Review: The Snow Ball Effect, Holly Nicole Hoxter)

After reading the first chapter of Holly Nicole Hoxter's "The Snow Ball Effect," I told myself, this is going to be a depressing read. The narrator, Lainey Pike, loses her stepfather in a freak accident, and then her mother commits suicide all in one chapter. But as I read more, I find out this is a more uplifting read. It deals with how she copes with the tragedy, and her reunion with her elder sister, Vallery (i can't stand the cutesie spellings of their names, by the by) as they raise their adopted brother, Collin. Even though Lainey has an almost-perfect boyfriend, Riley, another guy catches her eye, and she has to deal with that as well. It was interesting how she deals with relationships as a result of what happened in her childhood, and recent tragic experience. The middle part sort of slouches, but the last third of the book is satisfying. This is a worthwhile read, the narrator's voice is concise and interesting, and the arc was fully realized.

BC-34.