Stars: Just like us?

I'm back Ya'll. More on the vacay later. This little thing could not wait.

Miserable day here in Vancity. I walk to and from work and on rainy days I cut through some underground buildings and pathways, through the skytrain station and avoid the outside as much as I can.

As I was walking through the skytrain station this guy walked past me to one of the ticket machines. Red plaid lumberjack shirt, grotty jeans and Blundstone boots. Firmly attached to his cell phone. Kinda scruffy looking, but cute as hell. He looked exactly like Joshua Jackson, but there was no way right? Joshua Jackson, star of Fox TV's Fringe, riding the skytrain like a regular person? No chance!

But my not at all sneaky double-take confirmed that yes, it was him. So dreamy and rugged. And so like a normal person. No car and driver for him. No fancy ostentatious car (although he prolly has one). Just a guy fumbling for change while buying a ticket for the skytrain.

This makes my crush on him get even bigger! Do you think Ryan Reynolds would ride the skytrain? Pfft! No way.

Joshua Jackson, big ups to you!

XO

Real Life Interrupted

Greetings and salutations to the 2 or so people that read this regularly......

I am heading off on vacation tomorrow sans computer.....eek!

No updates until I return.

Follow on Twitter to hear how the vacay is going @canaussiegirl

Boston and New York..... so excited!

XO

Nekkid or Fully-Clothed: Marge > Tara

Tara Reid is set to be outshone by a cartoon Character. Tara - who would attend the opening of a letter if someone paid her enough - is set to show us what years of partying and crappy plastic surgery can do to a 33 year old former starlet's body, by posing nekkid in an upcoming issue of Playboy.

I am not sure who exactly wants to see photos of Tara Reid naked, but I am sure that there are some fans out there right? I am going to say more power to her. If she is comfortable enough with her body to withstand the scrutiny and probable ridicule that these pictures will generate - more good for her. I am a woman. I will not judge another woman for this choice - even if I think it is a bad idea. All I will say is praise the godesses for airbrushing. Cause while I believe that Tara actually looks like the picture on the left, I think she will end up looking more like the picture on the right.

Sadly for Tara's self esteem, word on the interwebs is that more people would rather see whether cartoon character Marge Simpson's carpet matches the behive (not my joke - it was all over twitter) than if she is a fan of Brazilians (I am going with yes on this)

Marge Simpson, wife of Homer, mother to Bart, Lisa and Maggie is gracing the cover of November's Playboy. This is the first time in the magazines 56 year history that a cartoon character has been featured in a pictorial. Apparently Marge will be nekkid for these shots.

I think this is awesome. An outstanding marketing ploy for both Playboy and The Simpson's. Not that I have that much interest in seeing a fictional blue-haired yellow skinned cartoon character in the buff. And it is generating a ton of buzz for a magazine that has been slipping recently - remember the whole Heidi Montag bullsh*it. I also have zero interest in seeing Heidi... But, she totally implied that the spread she did a few months ago would be of the nekkid kind. But in the end, we saw nothing that we hadn't already seen in one of the thousand "candid" bikini shots over the last few years.

I do want to see the nekkid photos of Marge Simpson. And yes, I realise how completely creepy that sounds. I don't care. Nekkid Marge! Bring it on.

XO

Miley's done with Twitter Ya'll

How will the tween tweeters and celebrity bloggers of the world cope? Miley Cyrus has deleted her twitter account.

It all started on Thursday with this cryptic tweet coming from the 17 year old superstar: "FYI Liam doesn't have a Twitter and he wants ME to delete mine with good reason." Liam is Miley's costar in her latest film project and her rumoured boyfriend. Miley's account then disappeared and the outcry began. Fans were shocked, outraged and disappointed - #mileycomeback became the number one trending topic on Twitter.

Miley's father - Billy Ray - then got in on the action and tweeted his own impassioned plea to his meal-ticket/daughter to return to the twitterverse. "Miley. You are a light in a world of darkness. You were born "Destiny Hope Cyrus" for a reason. You can't leave everyone now.We r countin on u". Seriously? This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. Were Miley's tweets solving world hunger? Discovering a cure for cancer? Ending the war in Afghanistan? Ridding the world of inequality?

Oh and Billy-Ray.... In your creepy soul patch stroking state I guess you forgot that that Miley deleted her f*cking account. Which means she is not going to read the f*cking drivel you are spouting in an effort to get her back on board. And I also guess you forgot that she is more than just your meal ticket. That she is your daughter.... pretty sure that you have her cell phone number. Use it. Douche.

Miley has since released a fantastic rap video explaining to her fans why she deleted her account. Yes, a rap video.

Some are saying this is all a big publicity stunt. Perhaps Miley (and her publicist) is bummed that Taylor Swift has been getting all the press over the last month or so with the whole Kanye is a douche situation. So has Miley very publicly deleted her account and will we see her in a few weeks make an even more public return to Twitterverse? Possibly. For now, I am just happy that the world of Twitter will not be subjected to her misspelled rambling or photos of her sexing on her random guys who are old enough to be her father.

XO

I Should Be So Lucky

When I was in 6th Grade, my friends and I would regularly race the four blocks from our school as soon as the bell rang in the hopes of being able to watch filming of what was then our favourite television show - Neighbours. Actually, it was pretty much everyone's favourite show. Most of the time we would show up and there would be nothing going on. But on a lucky few occasions, there would be barricades up and we would be able to watch them film scenes on world famous Ramsey Street.

Even though it was around 20 years ago - eek! - I have a perfect memory of showing up one day to find the Scott & Charlene in the middle of a major fight. OMFG!! I almost peed my pants - Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, in the flesh. So exciting. I couldn't find the scene n the interwebs...... so this is them remembering their first meeting. Lordie! They were both so young then right? The hair, the clothes, the accents! Oh the memories of my Aussie childhood.

During the years since Charlene left Ramsey Street forever and Kylie became Stock, Aiken and Waterman's premier pop princess - I have loved her and I have hated her. The hate stemmed from the undeniable fact that pretty much every Aussie soap star in the late 80's to early 90's tried to sing..... whether they were from Neighbours, Home & Away or the oft forgotten E-Street - if you were the hot young thing on the show - you had a recording contract. Most had a hit or two and then realised that just because they could "act" didn't necessarily mean they had a future as a singer.

Kylie was different however. And for me, since "Confide in Me" it has been pretty much love. In the years since this song came out in 1994, I have even developed a new appreciation for the songs that I originally despised - such as Locomotion, Lucky Star and the always enjoyable Especially For You (fabulous duet with Jason Donovan). I have never seen Kylie in concert - which for an Australian is something akin to treason.

This month, 41 year old Kylie Minogue embarked on her first North American tour. It is shocking to me that she has never toured here. It is also shocking that she is not a bigger star here. In Australia and the UK, she is on the same level as Beyonce and Madonna - but here - people know who she is, but .........

I am not going to see her while she is in North America. Her only Canadian date is Toronto and the closest she came to Vancouver is Los Angeles. Considering I fly out to Boston and New York next week, I couldn't really justify flying down to California for a concert. I am super bummed I am not going. All reports and reviews I have read have been glowing. Much smaller venues than she would normally play - which would have made it even more awesome. This saddens me even more.

Maybe next time.

XO

Sweeps = California Lesbians & Upper East Side Threeways

Looky here. What is this? Ms Claire Bennett - the girl with miraculous powers of regeneration - appears to be going through her totally cliched "experimental phase" in college. Everyone's fave cheerleader from the former-hit show Heroes - is going to lock lips with a girl in next week's episode. And the powers that be at NBC have been flashing this photo around to whoever will post it on the interwebs. All in the hopes of luring some viewers back. I am sorry - even a fleeting lesbian storyline isn't gonna bring me back.

I am more interested with who Claire (aka Haydn Panetierre) is making out with ......Do you recognise her? That is none other than Madeleine Zima - originally from the The Nanny - but more recently as the underage girl who punched David Duchovny in the face while f*cking him (in Californication.... probably not in real life).

Can you say cheap stunt? You ain't seen nothing yet friends. The CW has just blown that little faux-lesbian stunt out of the water...

On the Upper East Side, Gossip Girl has some shocking! Scandalous! Titillating! news to share. According to EW.com, the November 9th episode will feature a little menage a trois action. No definitive word on who the lucky threesome will be..... but apparently it is 3 "major" characters.

There are a list potential threesomes on the EW.com site.....

Chuck/Blair/Nate

Chuck/Blair/Josh

Chuck/Blair/Dorota

Nate/Bree/Carter

Serena/Carter/Georgina

Serena/Dan/Blair

Vanessa/Dan/Olivia

Georgina/Dan/Olivia

Rufus/Lily/Serena's daddy

Okay..... so Olivia (Hilary Duff) is not gonna happen. And I really can't see bland Dan getting wild in any way shape or form. And Serena & Georgina = mortal enemies (which would make it super hot, but Michelle Trachtenberg is on another show so would she just f*ck and run?)

My money is on Chuck Bass. Probably Chuck-Blair-Josh. Chase Crawford (Nate) is be too scared his raging hard on for ex-roommate Ed Westwick would be seen by everyone to allow the writers to put him in a bed with Chuck and Blair. I actually wish it was a Little J/Chuck/Blair situation.... but considering there was that whole mauling of innocent, vulnerable Jenny Humphrey by the big bad Chuck Bass in the pilot.... I don't think that is gonna happen.

Oh did I mentions sweeps is coming up? Ugh. Cheap tricks and lame stunts do not make a show good.

XO

Two Shows - Part 2

As I said a few weeks ago I generally only allow myself to start watching 2 new shows each season as I would otherwise be literally parked on my couch for the next 6 months. I also explained that this year I am pretty much f*cked as there are a ton of new shows that look both interesting and promising.

Glee is most definitely in the watch column, and seems to be the first bonafide hit of the new season. With the announcement this week that the original "Very Special Guest Star" of the 90's is finally reprising her role as uber-bitch Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place, the lukewarm reception I had towards this show is slowly heating up a little. It is in the likely column for now.

Vampire Diaries: you should know by now, I am a big big fan of vampires and vamp mythology (see my obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and even Twilight which completely destroyed the known mythology). Vampire Diaries had a ton of hype surrounding it. Totally capitalising off of the success of the Twilight Saga, this CW series is also based on popular teen novels. I should preface this by stating that I have not read this series of novels and am pretty sure I never will. Mostly because I already feel so much shame for reading the Twilight novels that adding in another book about vampires geared at teenagers would make me wanna stab myself with something very sharp and pointy

Vampire Diaries tells the story of Elena (Degrassi's Nina Dobrev), a small town every girl, who is torn between two brothers, both of whom happen to vampires. Oh, and one is good (Paul Wesley) and one is evil (Ian Somerhalder). 2 episodes in, I am somewhat undecided. The story has not completely engaged me yet. I think it is Ian Somerhalder's portrayal as the evil Damon. He is just so over the top, with a smarmy grin that makes me want to punch something. I liked him as Boone on Lost. Not sure if I like him in this role. He (or the director) needs to learn the art of subtlety.

This is still in the undecided column for me. I want to like it. I want something to fill the void left by the end of True Blood. But so far, this show does not quite cut it for me. It is good, not great. I know that they are different shows on different networks, with different demographics. But I want what I want and I do not know if this is gonna give me what I want.

The best thing so far about this show is the arrest in August of the four female stars, one random female extra and a photographer for disorderly conduct. Motorists apparently called the police after the women were allegedly flashing passing motorists and dangling off the Rumble Road Bridge in Georgia, near where the show is filmed.

Check out starlet's first mug shots! Awww. Aren't they adorable? None of them (except the photographer) seem at all concerned. He was probably calculating his credit card balance as he had to fork out the $500 each for their bail - which was forfeited when none of them showed up to court. Not surprisingly, the charges were dismissed last week. No word yet on whether the CW will actually use the photos they were arrested for taking. I kinda hope they do.

XO

Canada Corner Unveiled....

I was wondering the streets of my fair city on the weekend, enjoying the beautiful fall weather and the fact that the purple slip I bought years ago can still double as a skirt and looked fabulous with my amazing new grey boots...... sorry so completely off topic I know. But important no?

Anyway, I was strolling along debating a little side-trip to HMV on they way home, when a little something on the corner of Georgia and Howe caught my eye. Or should I say, the largest Canadian Flag ever made caught my eye.

Hidden behind this 32 metres high and 64 metres wide Canadian flag is the iconic Hotel Georgia which is currently under renovations, and will be completed by the end of next year. The president of the development company - Bruce Langereis - is a former Canadian champion freestyle skier from the 1970's. Apparently one of his staff suggested the Maple-leaf.

Hopefully the good folks at VANOC will have no problem with this patriotic little (huge) tribute to our fair land. Oh Canada indeed! Even makes my cold black heart feel a little patriotic about the Olympics. Which, if you know me, is saying something.

XO

Lilo a Designer Ya'll

Lilo pretty much invited anyone on Twitter to see her first show as the creative director for Emanuel Ungaro's RTW Spring 2010 line. I really have no idea what a "creative director" for a design house does. But in this case, a Creative Director apparently sends poorly constructed, tacky and cliched crap down the runway. I am not a fashion expert, I just know what I like and what I do not like...... in this case there are a few pieces that are all right. Sadly for the most part I have to concur with the early reviews which have labelled the collection "an embarrassment", as well as "cheesy and dated".

Apparently there was boob popping out more than once, at least one of the dresses was so short that if you went commando you would be flashing the entire world your biz-ness, and the heart shaped theme (on pasties covering nipples, head pieces and material) looked like a concept a five year old from the 1980's came up with. The colours are garish and not used effectively.

Of the collaboration with designer Estrella Archs, Lilo said “We both kind of mixed our (ideas) together, and that’s why it came out so well. I really appreciate everything that goes into, like, any article of clothing. I think it’s fantastic and I think it’s so expressive in so many ways.” Already after the show Archs seems to be covering her ass stating the the collection was designed "very quickly"

This completely reminds me of the episode of Project Runway that just aired in Canada where one of the guest judges (Celebrity stylist Jen Rade) said of the model who liked a boring design, that it was a good thing the model wasn't a designer. She didn't say it anywhere near as nice as I wrote it, it was actually kinda mean. Just because someone likes clothes, and/or can wear designer clothes doesn't mean that said person should be a designer. Do you think Lilo woke up from a drug-induced stupor and thought, I wanna be a designer? Probably..... so sad.

Oh and as to which of Lilo's many celebrity friends showed up to support her and applaud her success..... her 16 year old sister Ali was there - instead of in school - and that's about it. I think the rest of her friends were too scared to go..... terrified that her weird, cranked out lips would engulf them.

XO

Girls Who Kill, Women Who Skate & A Women In Love

I have been on a bit of a movie rampage over the last little while. Haven't had the time to review everyone I have seen. On this lazy Saturday night, while on a hot date with my PVR, I thought I would try and rattle off a few reviews. Three very different movies - all with Women as the leads - although not necessarily Chick Flicks per se.

I saw Jennifer's Body a few weeks ago. Although it was pretty much panned by critics and had a relatively disastrous opening weekend, I thought it wasn't that bad. Megan Fox didn't even mention it last weekend when she was hosting SNL, ostensibly to promote the movie she seems to be doing everything to distance herself from. Way for her to be supportive of her own work!

Jennifer's Body is about a girl (Amanda Seyfried) - with the unfortunate nickname of Needy - whose best friend Jennifer (Megan Fox) gets possessed by a demon and goes on a killing spree. Written by Diablo Cody who won an Academy Award for Juno, there are a lot of smart one-liners and witty puns in this film. So much so that it makes you wish you had a 30-something year old writing all of your dialogue for you in high school. The whole movie felt like a smart one-liner and witty pun explosion - that was pretty much all their was to it.

I went into the movie expecting to judge Megan Fox and her acting ability or lack thereof.. I am still pretty much undecided. She is super hot - in a cheap, trailer park kinda way. I get why the boys all wanna f*ck her. But as to whether she can act.....I don't know yet. I am a fan of Amanda Seyfried - and as always she did a great job in the film. There was an episode of Big Love this year that she was the focal point of - when she miscarries - OMG - it killed me, I get tingles thinking about it - A-mazing.

For me, the best part of the movie was Adam Brody's character. He played the lead singer of the band who are the reason that Jennifer became possessed (basically, they kidnap her and try to sacrifice her to some God as an offering to help them become rich and famous. Problem is the sacrifice needs to be a virgin and Jennifer is not - hence becoming possessed and killing people). What I loved was his explanation for what they did - that there are so many indie bands out there that this was the only option they had left - unless they were lucky enough to get on a soundtrack or Letterman. This was genius! It's funny cause it's true!

Jennifer's Body was fun and silly. It made me laugh. Didn't really make me squirm as a horror film should. And it most definitely was not Juno. But I was entertained for 2 hours, which is what a movie should do right?

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Next up is the luminous Drew Barrymore's directorial debut - Whip it! Now I kinda went into this thinking I wouldn't like it - it was one of those expect the worst, but hope for the best situations. You know how it is with actors who try and direct - often they suck. Whip it! was not a perfect movie - it was a little disjointed in parts and there was a lot of stuff going on, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Whip it! tells the story of yet another unfortunately named highschooler - Bliss Cavendish (Ellen Page) - a small town girl who transforms her life and herself when she becomes Babe Ruthless in a roller derby league. Along the way she fights & reconciles with her best friend (Alia Shawkat), loves and loses a dreamy boy (Landon Pigg), alienates both parents Marcia Gay Harden & Daniel Stern), but by the end makes them super proud.....you see where I am going with this. The movie is pretty much one big cliche, complete with an epic battle at the end between Bliss' Team and that of their nemeses - The Holy Rollers, led by Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis).

The supporting cast - led by the always amazing Kristen Wiig - were great - Zoe Bell, Eve, Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon - all good. The cast apparently did all their own stunts which is commendable, cause really - outside of roller derby - who rollerskates anymore? Landon Pigg as "indie rock band guy" - Oliver - did pretty good for his first role. I have had a few of his songs on my I-pod for a few years - he is a decent singer.

Page as always was phenomenal and pretty much carries the movie. However, that breathy voice she used in some scenes was a tad annoying - especially as it came and went depending on the scene..... I don't get it? Small thing though. Her scenes with the always flawless Harden are great. I also really enjoyed the scenes with Daniel Stern as Bliss' long-suffering father - I didn't recognise him as the robber who wasn't Joe Pesci in Home Alone until the credits rolled at the end. And for those critics who are worried about the young star being typecast as the indie misfit should check out the preview for Inception due out next year. Drew's directorial debut was impressive. She elicited great performances from her cast and it is clear that they had a strong camaraderie that appears to have carried beyond the film.

Huge props go to Drew for her musical selections for this film - From the opening scene with Kings of Leon's "Knocked Up' (a sly homage to Juno perhaps?), to MGMT's "Kids" - the music in this film was great and helped the movie flow. Overall, I was impressed with Ms Barrymore's directorial debut. I suspect that Drew is not as sweet and kooky as her public persona portrays her, and she has demonstrated her skill as a director in making a smart, funny, sweet coming of age film. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

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Jane Campion's latest film Bright Star was next. This is the relatively simple yet ultimately doomed story of acclaimed British poet John Keats (Ben Wishaw) and his love for the girl next door Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) in early 1800's London.

This is a beautifully shot film, there are some scenes that are framed so perfectly, it is quite breathtaking. The costumes are spectacular - especially Cornish's whose character was renowned as a fashion maven in her time. The language in the entire film is poetic - both with the actual poetry and the remainder of the dialogue.

A revelation for me was Paul Schneider who plays Keats friend and benefactor Charles Armitage Brown. I have never seen him in a dramatic role before ( he is currently in NBC's Parks & Recreation) and he was fantastic as the boorish and interfering Brown. Abbie Cornish is proving that she is much more than the Aussie girl who supposedly came between Reece Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe. The camera loves her and her simple understated performance is already being touted as award worthy. In a year that does not yet have a ton of strong female performances yet, I would not be surprised to see her nominated as Best Actress.

This is ultimately a tragic story. Keats dies at the age of 25 and the film documents that last few years of his life, when his health deteriorates, but he was also his most creative and prolific in his writing. In this day and age, the possibility of receiving an actual handwritten love letter is so small. Everything is done through email, twitter, facebook and text messaging. This movie kinda makes me wish that I lived in a time when the only way to communicate with someone far away was to put pen to paper..... I have a friend who gets actual postcards from people, and he is always excited by this. But then I remember how much I love the interweb, my I-Phone, twitter and writing this wee blog. Although a love letter would still be nice.....

Bright Star is a beautiful film. It is lush and warm. The performances by the cast - particularly Abbie Cornish - are strong. Jane Campion has made a masterful film about one of the most respected and renowned poets of the period. But at it's heart, Bright Star is a simple love story - and is a deeply moving and tragic testament to Jane Campion's skill as a filmmaker.

XO

Vij's & Theatre = A Perfect Friday Night

Vikram Vij is considered one of the foremost Indian Restauranteurs in the world. His restaurant - Vij's on South Granville rise - has a line-up from 5.00pm every night - and it doesn't even open until 5.30pm. They don't take reservations, so if you don't get a table in the first seating you are looking at at least an hour wait. We didn't get there until 5.30 so we ended up in the lounge for over an hour, relaxing with a glass of wine and enjoying some of the delicious complimentary snackies they bring around for all those waiting. Sadly, I have no idea what these pieces of goodness were, but they were all very fantastic.

Depending on how you look at it, the one bad thing about the snackies would be that they fill you up just enough that an appie and a main would be far to much. We decided to split some appies with another glass of wine. Along with the unlimited Naam and basmati rice we started with the Samosa's which were spicy and delicious. The Garam Marsala sauteed portobello mushrooms in porcini creamy curry sauce were amazingly fantastic - the sauce was rich & creamy and ample - conveniently there was both rice and naam to sop up any excess sauce. We capped off the meal with the flavourful mutton kebabs with bengali style curry capped off an outstanding meal. I wish I had the balls to try the cricket parenta - and by cricket I am not talking the sport loved by Aussies and Indians alike.... I am talking free range organic crickets ground into a flour and made into a type of bread.

Vij's is worth the wait. I know there are people who think it is arrogant to not take reservations. To these people I say, go somewhere else. The service is impeccable, the staff clearly seem proud of their jobs, the restaurant has a very intimate feel to it. Sadly though, we were not able to meet Vikram Vij himself. According to all reports, he personally goes to each table asking how everyone's meals are and often serves as host, greeter and waiter all rolled into one.

We then continued onto The Stanley Theatre to see Black Comedy, the season opener for The Arts Club. Before the start I was subjected to hearing about how my Aunt used to make out with boys at the Theatre when she was a teenager. There are just some things you never want to hear. Thankfully we only had a few minutes until the play started......

The curtain warmer is Chekov's little known comedic work - The Marriage Proposal. Yes, Chekov wrote a comedy. And it was hi-larious. This Russian farce about a man seeking approval of a father to marry his daughter is clownish and physical and fantastic. The backdrop of the set seemed to be an homage to Kandinsky for some reason (I have Kandinsky on the brain as I will be seeing an exhibit at the Guggenheim in NYC in about 3 weeks).

It was a great 15 minute warmup to the main event. It was funny and outlandish and brilliantly acted. I think the reason they chose this as a curtain warmer was the obvious parallels to the actual play.

The main event is Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy - which literally and imaginatively uses light and dark to create an extremely entertaining 90 minute romp in 1960's London. When the lights are "on" in the apartment, the theatre is in darkness, when the lights suddenly go out - the stage is lit - although the actors play it like it is pitch black.

Brindsley (Charlie Gallant) is an aspiring artist who along with his debutant fiance Carol (Julie McIsaac), have "borrowed" furniture from his vacationing neighbour's (Jeff Meadows - who was the young man in The Marriage Proposal) apartment in order to impress both Carol's father (Simon Bradbury - again doing double duty as the father from The Marriage Proposal) and a visiting German billionaire (Simon Webb) who may be interested in purchasing some of his artwork. When the main breaker blows in the building, darkness descends and hilarity ensues. An elderly neighbour (Nicole Lipman) takes refuge with them, the vacationing neighbour returns, an ex-girlfriend (Sasa Brown - also in the opener) shows up unexpectedly. All of this occurs under the watchful and disapproving eye of of Carol's ex-military father.

It was non-stop laughs during this one act play. I very much enjoyed Lipman's portrayal of the puritanical elderly neighbour getting drunk for the first time and completely mixing up her metaphors - my personal fave was her saying "It is easier for a rich man to get into heaven than to thread the eye of a needle with a camel" instead of the reverse.....and attributing all the quotes to her preacher father. Meadow's returning from vacation neighbour was every gay stereotype that existed in the late 1960's, which 40 years later may be a little hard for some to take.

There was a ton of physical comedy as the cast maneuver in the "darkness" especially Charlie Gallent's Brindsley as attempts to switch out his own furniture with his own. I also loved Meadow's goose-stepping around the apartment in the "dark" - it completely and totally reminded me of John Clees as Basil Fawlty in the fantastic British Comedy Fawlty Towers. In fact, this is what the entire play reminded me of - a classic British Comedy ala Fawlty Towers, Some Mothers Do Have'm, with a dash of Benny Hill thrown in for good measure.

It was a great play. Extremely funny, superbly acted, brilliantly staged. The one criticism i would have is that the physical comedy aspects may have distracted from what could have been some great lines. There was a lot going on on stage at once at times and one wonders if perhaps some fantastic lines may have been missed?

A great Friday night. Great food, great theatre and catching up with my favourite Aunt! Well my favourite Aunt that lives in Vancouver that is :)

XO

Look out Jason Morgan! Here comes James Franco?!?!

Most actors use Soap Operas as a jumping point for their careers. In fact, some of the most well known celebrities on the planet got their starts on Soaps: Meg Ryan (As The World Turns), Demi Moore (General Hospital), Ricky Martin (General Hospital), Kathleen Turner (The Doctors), David Hasselhoff (The Young & The Restless), Robin Wright Penn (?)(Santa Barbara), Teri Hatcher (Capital), Christopher Reeve (Love of Life), Kevin Bacon (Search for Tomorrow & Guiding Light), Ray Liotta (Another World), Kelsey Grammer (Another World), Marissa Tomei (As The World Turns), Tommy Lee Jones (One Life To Live), James Earl Jones (As The World Turns & Guiding Light), Cicely Tyson (Guiding Light), Larry Hagman (Search For Tomorrow), Susan Sarandon (A World Apart & Search for Tomorrow) to name a few.

News broke to day that Golden Globe Winner James Franco will be joining my favourite soap - General Hospital - for a two month arc starting in November (conveniently just in time for sweeps). There is no official word yet on the character he will be playing, but rumour is he will will be playing yet another nemesis for mobster with a heart of gold Jason Morgan (played by Steve Burton). I kinda hoped he would have scenes with the awesome Luke Spencer (played by Emmy Award winner Tony Geary. Especially 'cause Luke was just hit over the head by a mysterious stranger after being informed by the evil Helena Cassadine that there was danger in store for both the Spencer and Cassadine families....Yes, I have too much time on my hands.

There has been no official statement from Franco as to why he is returning to the small screen. He got his start on the underrated Judd Apatow show "Freaks & Geeks", but gained fame from his roles in the Spiderman movies, Pineapple Express and last years amazing Milk . There is quite a bit of shock and awe amongst the interweb folks, and I can't say Ii am surprised. I am sure that they threw gobs of money at him, but does he really need the cash? He has at least 4 films coming out next year so I am assuming he is not broke?

I guess this is not that different than Marcia Gay Harden on Damages right? Or John Lithgow on Damages? Or Heather Locklear on Melrose Place? Am I grasping here? Or does this sound at all possible? I know there is a total stigma associated with Soaps. But they are no different from shows like Desperate Housewives or 90210 right? Oh who am kidding, I don't get it. I have no problem with it, I am just finding it a little perplexing. Puzzling even. Maybe even a tad peculiar.

Maybe he has a secret love for Port Charles and General Hospital? That would be awesome and completely make me feel like less of a loser for watching it also.... he he he. What I am really hoping for is a Steve Burton - James Franco hawt off. Shirtless. Steve has the impressive muscles, but James Franco is quite the stud muffin. Decisions decisions. I wonder if there will be a little Jason - Sam - mystery James Franco character triangle action? Has there ever been a threesome on a soap? This would be quite the trio to break that story line in.......

On a related and equally awesome General Hospital note, Jonathan Jackson is returning as Lucky Spencer a role he originated 16 years ago. Sadly that means that the hawt Greg Vaughn is leaving. Now, I understand that recasting sometimes has to happen. But when they recast Lucky, I was honestly a little pissed. He was such an important part of the show and his relationship and chemistry with Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) was amazing and impossible to recreate with any other actor. He also won no less than 3 Daytime Emmy's for this role over the years.

Here is a clip of the original Lucky and Elizabeth. I am not sure how the Powers at GH are going to deal with the whole Elizabeth is sleeping with Lucky's half-brother situation..... While "Elizabeth" may no longer be in love (but still loves) Greg Vaughn as Lucky, how in the hell are they gonna keep the original Lucky and Liz apart?

November is gonna be a very good month in Port Charles!!


XO