Everything Happens For A Reason

There is a saying that goes, "Things happen for a reason." But do they, really? I think things do happen, but we push them to go certain ways, and I do believe the Universe helps us for and against where things may go, should go, end up. That was the thought on my mind when I was reading Laura Dave's "The First Husband," which I think is a great book. It's one of those simple stories: girl loses boy, girl meets another guy, first guy tries to get her back. But Ms. Dave gives us a relatable narrator, and the story moves so quickly that it got me reading the whole thing in less than  a day. I started reading this as sort of a diversion from another book that was boring me, and was hooked instantly. The most interesting plot point for me was whenever Annie would watch "Roman Holiday," something bad happens to her. It's cute, and kind of scary at the same time, and I am crazy and superstitious enough to believe at something like that. All in all, this was a great read, and it makes me want to discover her other work. 

BC-38

I Should Be So Lucky

"The Lucky One' is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.  So you know what that means, right? Leave all logic and common sense at the door and just surrender to the movie. You will have to rely on good acting, convincing visuals...and chemistry. That last one is very important, because if you don't believe it, then the film won't be a success for you. Sadly, this just didn't work for me. Since this is a love story, I have to be convinced that the two people falling in love appear to be. Logan (played by Zac Efron) and Beth (played by Taylor Schilling) never, for once, looked in love with each other. Their story is quite extraordinary. Logan is a Marine, and in a combat zone, picks up a picture of Beth in the rubble, and because of that split-second decision, gets his life saved. He makes it a quest to find the girl, and the credits have not even finished rolling and he has already found her. (He walked from Colorado to Louisiana!)  Of course, you don't have to be a genius to see where this is going, and to sense all the circumstances that will keep them apart. I think my main problem is that Efron is not really convincing as a rough and tumble drifter. When you see him dress in flannel and jeans, he looks more like a hipster - those are three hundred dollar designer jeans, for example. And Schilling reads older, making it seem like she is more sister than girlfriend to him. Playing her mother, Blythe Danner is a welcome relief, she is acting like she is not taking this whole thing seriously, and who can really blame her? I really thought I would like this movie - I think Efron is a naturally gifted actor. I just think he is miscast here, appearing like a boy playing dress-up. 

Smelled For The Very First Time

Katie Puckrick interviewed Stephen Nilsen,   who is the nose behind Madonna's scent "Truth Or Dare," and it gave great insight on how Madonna created her first perfume. I had heard that Madonna was a scent lover, and that may be one of the reasons why she will be forever close to my heart. I also know that she loves white florals, and she has been vocal about her adoration of Fracas, that big bold tuberose monster. (In her brother's memoir, he writes that she also douses herself with Anick Goutal's gardenia Passion) Alas, I expected her perfume to be something, mostly tuberose, and, well, it is. A lot of people are saying that it is a Frasca knockoff, but I don't think it is. It's much lighter, and less in-your-face. Truth or Dare is also more commercial, more accessible. The top is a tuberose-gardenia-jasmine mixture, and to me pretty well blended that not one note stands out. Then that "addiction" accord comes out - a mixture of caramel, benzoine, musk - and here is where it makes or breaks for you. It reminded me a bit of Prada Candy, and also Burberry Sport. On me, it ventured into the synthetic, but I kind of like it. It reminded me of the plastic balloons I used to play with when I was younger. I have worn Truth Or Dare a couple of times since I bought a bottle, and each time, there is a layer I discover about it. There was a time where the jasmine was more prominent (it was a rainy day) and a couple of days ago, the tuberose/musk combo came out, and it was kind of lovely. Maybe I am just projecting as I am a Madonna fan, but as far as celebuscents go, this one, for me, is a winner. I hear it call my name and it feels like home. 

  Anyway, love this queeny review of it: 

Just Can't Get Enough

"Diary Of A Sex Addict" by Scott Alexander Hess is indeed full of sex, but it is not erotica. Just like the movie Shame, the sex is not titillating. On the other hand, it is kind of sad. This novel takes you inside a mind of a sex addict, but I think it's more a peek into someone who uses sex to fill a void in his life. There is an underlying sadness in the narrator's story that you will feel so sorry for him, although he does trudge on in the end. My main problem with the book, though is that it does not have any arc. Set a couple of days before Christmas, we do not see anything happening to him as the book ends. I want to look at this as a "slice of life" kind of thing, but I had hoped there was some kind of something there - resolution, retribution, reformation. It's a compulsive read, but all empty calories.

BC-37

Smash Ep 12: Hurray For Bollywood

First things, first, I love the Bollywood musical scene, "One Thousand And One Nights,"  on this week's episode. It's one of those big grand expensive musical numbers, dreamed by Karen as she sits in an Indian restaurant while her new BFF and her boyfriend fight over her. It kind of doesn't make sense - Julia's husband and son are in it when she has never met them - but we won't be sticklers for that kind of thing. And it is really nice to see Raza Jeffrey (Dev) in musical numbers, as people probably don't realize he is an accomplished West End musical performer. This episode was seemingly all about Karen - she gets to song a pop song, and the new musical number for the show is being framed for her. But of course, nothing goes as planned in soaps. Even though Ivy does some questionable tricks to get where she ends up, she sings "Second Hand White Baby Grand," so beautifully - she sings it with intelligent phrasing and nuanced voice shadings that I thought to myself, Ivy: do what you need to do, you deserve the spotlight. Technically, McPhee is a great singer, but Hilty's theater chops prove that she understands the music more. As for Julia's domestic drama storyline, I was prepared to get snarky about it, then I realized that yes, it wasn't too bad, and I loved that scene where Deb Messing spies incognito outside Leo's school to threaten and talk to Leo's best friend. Is a composer really supposed to be powerful? But she was good in that scene, and maybe I have been too harsh with her. One thing, though: Tom crying about Leo running away seems a little too drama queen, no? I am so happy that Anjelica Houston gets to have a cougar love angle, and like everyone else has said, that hair style she has at BAM was gorgeous. And lastly, the least said about Ellis the better. 

You Must Haunt Me

There are two big questions people ask you when you say that you just saw the new revival of EVITA:  How is Ricky Martin, the pop star, who plays Che (Very Good) and then they ask, Is Elena Roger, who plays Eva Peron, really that bad (No, she is actually very good as well) I was so looking forward to seeing this production for a couple of things: EVITA is probably one of my favorite scores of all time, and one first ones I memorized in its entirety. Plus, I had never seen a production of it, because I was still on the other side of the world when it was playing on Broadway. Bottom line: this production does not disappoint at all, and may even be the Best Musical Revival this season. (Maybe. I change my answer to "Follies" every couple of hours) It is lavishly directed by Michael Grandase in a churascurio tone, and it soars when it needs to be. Surely, Sir Andrew's score has a lot of deficiencies, but it's still, in my opinion, his best. Rob Ashford's choreography is beautiful to look at but it sometimes crosses to overkill. This is a dancey Evita, for sure. Ricky Martin, as I said earlier, is very good, but his performance is saddled by the blankness of his character. While he moves well, and sings well, we do not really understand his character because, essentially he has none. As for Elena Roger, I admit I have been a bit harsh on her.  Her first act was disappointing for me, there were a lot of high notes she just screeches, but something really magical happens as she sings "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" to open the second act: her singing and acting became nuanced, she brings so much theatricality to her singing that it took me by surprise. I was literally stunned by its beauty. Even on the throwaway song "You Must Love Me," there is an shading, a layer in that song that I never saw in Madonna's rendition when she introduced it in the film. By the end of the show, I was in tears for her and with her. Her Evita isn't big, it isn't campy, it's real. And as I think about it now, it still haunts me.

Give Me Scotch

They say you can't judge a book from its cover, but can you judge it from its title? This one is called "Scot On The Rocks: How I Survived My Ex-Boyfriend's Wedding With My Dignity Ever-So-Slightly Intact," and yes it's a mouthful. It also tells the story, leaving out any element of surprise. That's fine in itself if the characters have a distinct voice that it keeps you interested. Unfortunately, this one doesn't. About sixty percent in, I mentally checked out of the book even as I kept on reading. I basically gave up on the characters: they were uninteresting, unlikeable, and I didn't care one way or another about what happened to them. Thankfully, it's a short read, as I think I will reward myself with some scotch to ease off my disappointment. 

BC-36

SMash Episode 11: The Enemy

I love this scene (above) from last night's episode of SMASH. It's Karen and Ivy getting a drink, and Ivy says to Karen,"Why don't you hate her? She stole our role. She is the enemy." And the show is desperately trying to make Uma Thurman's character, Rebecca Duvall the villain. But guess what? I am not buying it. Her character may be difficult, she may be a pain in the ass, but she did not get by being nice. And yes, Rebecca Duvall was a horrible singer in the beginning, but she works hard, as evidenced by the final musical scene, where she is no better or worse than any movie-star turned Broadway-star on the boards right now. But yes, I know, she is still all kinds of wrong for the part: too leggy, too old, too Uma and not enough Marilyn. Cut to another boring domestic subplot for Julia, and zzzzz - but at least we get to see Brian D'Arcy James eat Deb Messing in any scene they are both in. I am kind of loving the Elaine-bartender story line, mostly because of Anjelica Houston's very light touch - she knows this is a trashy soap, and she just has fun with it. But the best part of last night's episode: a start to Ellis' unraveling, when he gets caught playing Rebecca's agent.  And "the Frogs" is Tom's favorites Sondheim? Really? Really?

Sweet Like Chocolate

There are alcoholics, and sexaholics, and there are emotionaholics. These are people who get very emotional at the slightest provocation, and in this delightful little French gem of a movie, the character of Angelique, played by Isabelle Carre, attends meetings because she just can't handle everything that triggers any kind of emotionality in her life. She is a master chocolatier, and when she applies for a job at The Chococlate Mill, she mistakenly gets a sales representative job. And she falls in love with the owner, Jean Rene, played by the Belgian actor benoit Poelvedore. This is a movie about sweets, and it is sweet, but since this is a French movie, it never gets cloying, or saccharine. Just like the best chocolates, the hint of darkness and bitterness balances the taste out. Clocking at just over an hour, this love story packs just as much of a wallop as a three hour epic movie about a sinking ship. (I figured since everyone is talking about that movie this weekend, I would use it as an example) And the love story isn't cutesy, too. You do believe these two people fallin in love, not test-marketed or chemistry-formulated. You know, like real life. Though the tone may be a bit slow for ADD-addled Americans, one just has to stick with it to see the payoff. Just like life, you ask, why hurry?

Rurality

Sometimes we think that we have come far, but we really haven't. In some parts of the deep south, there is still rampant racism, and that is a sad fact. Kristin Gore touches upon that in "Sweet Jiminy," and it's quite disturbing.  Ms Gore's first two books were set in modern Washington DC, a setting i would think she would be familiar with, so I was still surprised to find that the setting of her third novel is in rural Mississippi. But she sounds like she knows this place just as well, for her descriptions of the place and its characters ring true as well. This story is part mystery, part love story, part morality tale - and it's all good. The mystery part isn't as rich - you can see the resolution a mile away - but for me it's more symbolic than anything else, a metaphor of how things have not changed. The love story part was cute and believable - you like these characters and root for them to stay together. The overall message is pretty clear, and is kind of sad. I sometimes cannot believe how intolerance still permeates in some parts of the United States. This is more than a nice summer read, it's a story with a heart and soul. Oh, and full disclosure: I voted for her father for President. In my heart, he won. 

BC-35

Woods Lovely Dark And Deep

I am a little late to the Chanel Les Exclusifs line. It's because when they first came out, they were only available in those huge 6.8 oz bottles, and they were awfully expensive that I did not want to try them for fear I would fall in love with one and be obsessed with buying it. But a year or so ago they started coming out with 2.7 oz "Travel Size" bottles and those were just good enough for me. For Chanel, their scents' stories are as interesting than the scents themselves, and Bois Des iles is no exception. Created in 1926 by Ernest Beaux, it was supposed to have been inspired by Tchaikovsky's opera "Queen Of Spades," as that was set in the Island Forests, which id the translation of the name. You know Bois Des Iles is Chanel from first sniff - aldehydes welcome you, then the floral heart (iris, peachy rose, violets, ylang ylang) comes in, and there is a smoky, resinous base of dusty vanilla and some oak. This is supposed to be a sandalwood scent, but it isn't as big a sandalwood as Chanel Sycamore. A lot of people compare this to Chanel No 5, but I think this is more appealing, as it is less aldehyde-y and more floral. (I am not No. 5's biggest fan, for the record) I think this is a great perfume, in the perfume sense. It blooms like a perfume, stays on like one, and lingers with you like a perfume should. It's a classic. 

Even Geeks Need Love, Too

"Attachments," by Rainbow Rowell, is a charming novel. It's innocent, and old-fashioned, and it's not cynical or sarcastic, just perfectly sweet. It's 1999, and we are introduced to Lincoln, who works at an IT Department of a local newspaper. he considers himself a geek, and spends his weekends playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. Part of his job is monitoring emails that get filtered because they are personal. So he starts reading an exchange of email between two employees, Beth and Jennifer, and something happens: he falls in love with Beth. He hasn't seen met her yet, he doesn't even know what she looks like, but he feels an instant connection to her. He falls in love with her soul. But he has been hurt in the past, so he has his guards up. Will he find space in his heart to fall in love again? I don't think there were any big surprises in the story, but its low-key unaffected tone is so adorable that you can't help but just relax as it unspools before your eyes. I liked it a lot, and read the last two-thirds of the book in one sitting. 

BC-34

Audra's Turn

Is there anything Audra cannot do? She is a mother, she is married to Will Swenson, and she owns the stage every evening at The Richard Rodgers Theater, and she is amazing with a capital A.  She is one of those actors who has such a magnetic presence on stage. I found myself staring at her permanently. And that voice - quite possibly the most wonderful voice on Broadway right now - a soprano that doesn't overwhelm, and you can relate with it. And the show? This "scaled-down" version of the opera is great, and I understand what Diane Paulus is trying to do to make this opera palatable to modern ADD affected audiences. And I think she succeeds. Sure, seeing the whole opera is probably a more fully-realized experience, but I honestly don't think they have hurt the piece with their cuts. It's still a very emotional piece of theater, in my opinion. It's less gritty, and the rough edges have been softened, but it still works. I remember sitting breathless, feeling that I cannot take this anymore, what's onstage. Porgy's goat cart is replaced by a cane here, but you don't care, I wish I could say a lot more about Norm Lewis' performance other than it was good, for I found myself always staring at Audra. 

All Twang Long

They say the best songs are the ones that can be translated from one genre to another. I have always liked Lionel Richie's songs, in R & B mode, and now he has released an album of country songs. But the catch? One, he has done country arrangements for them, and two, he sings them as duets with country singers. And nothing is lost in translation. These songs soar just as greatly, and at times they become even more honest without all the 80s rhythmic bells and whistles. You can't replace soul by putting twang in them. At times, it even enhances the real soul in these songs. I don't really dislike country music, actually I have quite a few country artists in my music collection, and of course I am a big fan of Dolly Parton. (She is sorely missing in his duet partners, by the by) Some of these artists I have a problem with (Blake Shelton is a homophobe, for example) but I guess for the sake of music, I can try to get past their Fundamentalist Christian insanity, and yes, Blake Shelton was fantastic in "You Are," and Kenny Chesney is great in "My Life."  One of my favorite tracks is a stripped down bare-your-everything take of "Hello with Jennifer Neetles, who I have never heard before, and will always remember now. And a lilting arrangement of "Endless Love" actually improves on the original, making it less sappy, and in a weird sense, making it more current. And Shania Twain duetting with him in it doesn't hurt, of course. Actually, I cannot think of a track that doesn't work, perhaps the "Dancing On The Ceiling" with Rascal Flatts was too busy? And where is my all-time favorite Lionel Richie song, "Truly?"  Lionel Richie proves that you can come back to the top of the charts just as strong by creating still wonderful music that still sounds like music. 

Smash Ep 10: Waiting For A Star To Fall

Where is the star? The producers of "Bombshell," the Marilyn Monroe musical, have cast a star, played by Uma Thurman, but she is in Cuba. How very now, because I am truly hearing that it is the next great vacation destination (seriously) so they added a musical number without her, and for David Zanuck, which, in this scene, is played by Christian Borle. And he, and the scene, and the song, is fantastic. It actually almost makes me want to see Borle on "Peter And The Starcatcher," but kiddie musicals is just not my thing. And I am glad we get to see Borle on a musical number. Sometimes even I forget that he plays leading man on Broadway. And they are really setting up his character's love triangle front and center now, and I am thinking, meh, they need to speed this up because it's all just so predictable. And Deb Messing's Julia is still weepy and crying, and I am also thinking they need to speed up her storyline, but I guess her catharsis is needed for morality's sake. Ivy is trying to be good, but obviously they are operating on the notion of making her villain-y, but i really do think that she is more suited for Marilyn than Karen. Watch that scene with McPhee as Marilyn, I just think she is all wrong for the part., and her singing is too "pop" for Broadway anyway.  I have now almost given up with McPhee. I don't know if it's her direction, or she just doesn't have the acting chops, but she now comes across so flat and dull that I hope she does something - and quick - to spike up her presence. Of course, Uma shows up towards the end, with a diva entrance, of course. I thought last night's episode - except for the Borle number - was a bore. Next week's hopefully will be more interesting.