RIP Farrah & The King of Pop

This week was pretty bad in the World of Hollyweird. I was at work on Thursday when the news of Farrah Fawcett's passing came down through Twitter-world. That saddened me. Then just a few hours later word of MJ being rushed to hospital started making it's way around the interweb. I didn't take it super seriously and will own up to making a few "Karma is a b*tch" quips to those around me - and on Facebook. But then when TMZ announced he was gone. Holy Mother. Now, I have fairly strong opinions about MJ and his past, but I do not wish death on anyone. And for TMZ to now be the "news agency" to break this story? My brain can't compute that. Someone on Twitter made a great comment that they wished that MJ had tweeted to announce the death of TMZ instead of the other way around. It was awesome. And true I guess. I feel so much for his children. Their father was their world. their mother was not involved in their lives as far as I know and to be there when it happened. Poor munchkins.

Farrah - Charlie's Brightest Angel

Farrah Fawcett lost a long battle with Anal Cancer on Thursday, surrounded by many of her loved ones including Ryan O'Neal who had become her rock during this very public battle with a rare form of cancer. They reunited when she was diagnosed in 2006, and had planned to remarry when Farrah was able. Sadly it was not to be so. I do not believe their son Redmond was there when she passed.

Farrah rose to stardom in the 70's as one third of Charlies Angels, and shocked Hollyweird when she left the top-rated show after one season to pursue a movie career. Sadly fame and fortune on the big Screen never materialised, but she did garner critical acclaim for her roles in a number of made for TV movies such as 1984's The Burning Bed, 1986's Extremities and 1992's Small Sacrifices.

After her diagnosis, Farrah vowed to fight with everything she had to not let this rare form of Cancer beat her. Fiercely private she documented her struggles and treatments in a documentary that aired on NBC.

I am a little young to be one of the Charlies Angels generation - have caught up in reruns thankfully - but I do remember Farrah in her miniseries hey-day. The Burning Bed and Small Sacrifices in particular. She played the ultimate victim who took control of her life from an abusive husband in The Burning Bed and completely turned it around as a mother who callously discards her children for the love of a a man in Small Sacrifices.

She was bright and beautiful and her smile seemed to be able to light up all those around her. She fought hard & brought this rare form of cancer to the forefront of peoples minds. Come on, tell me you didn't snicker just a little when you hears that she had "butt-cancer" - we all did. But she fought so hard and for so long. Rest Sweet angel. Wherever you are, I hope it is a good place.

The King of Pop

I tried explaining to my Aunt on Thursday night that MJ was my generations Elvis. We will all remember where we were when we heard the news. Much like 9-11 or Princess Diana, I will always remember who was there when it happened (sorry LP, you are stuck with being in my head forever). She didn't get it. She doesn't have kids, so I guess that is why. But MJ was totally our Elvis. He changed the face of music forever and broke down so many barriers for black artists. He was so amazingly talented as a singer, songwriter, performer, visionary.

If I remember only this part of him, I can grieve for MJ. As long as I don't think about the rest of it - the court battles, the "wacko jacko" stuff, the surgeries, the all around crazy - I can truly grieve for this extraordinary man. And I truly hope that this is what he is remembered for. Cause in this respect he was amazing. In spite of all of his faults and eccentricities, he was one of the greatest performers ever.

I loved Thriller - who didn't. I was about 10 or 11 when it came out and I have a story about it. I lived in a culdescac and there were 4 of us girls all around the same age living in the same street - weird enough on its own right. So as most girls are, we were little b*tches and would basically rotate who was on the outs with us. That girl on the outs was studiously ignored by the others, wasn't allowed to climb "our" tree and was basically as ostracised as a child can be. One particular instance I remember vividly was taping my own voice using the words at the end of Thriller - you know the "Darkness falls across the land......." bit and putting it in Hayley's mailbox to scare her. Srsly. That is what I did to another human being. Ugh. Kids are so stupid and mean. In today's world though, there would be nekkid photos texted, emailed, posted on facebook or tweeted to everyone we knew. But it was a horrible thing to do and if Hayley ever reads this, I am sorry for being such an insecure little b*tch that I felt the need to tear you down to hide my own issues.

I have opinions about the private stuff - I think his behaviour with children was inappropriate, but criminal? I don't know. I think he must have been hiding some intense personal baggage to want to undergo that much surgery to hide who he really was, and I still don't know if I believe that he had that Vitilgo skin thing. I think he was an incredibly screwed up man, who was intensely shy and eccentric. But whose fault was that? His father? The press? Us? I don't know. This story is far from over.

The one thing I do hope is that his kids will be given some privacy and respect during this time.

I will be remembering this Michael Jackson - The King of Pop - And I hope that he is finally able to Rest in Peace

XO

Bard On The Beach - A Comedy of Errors

I haven't forgotten or ignored what happened yesterday. I am just not at a point where I can write about it yet. Maybe tomorrow. RIP to 2 great talents. Farrah and The King of Pop. I am at a loss for words.

But, the show goes on and one of the perks of my job is the opportunity to see quite a few of the many productions that are put on by Vancouver's amazing Arts & Culture community.

Last night I was extremely fortunate to see Bard of the Beach's production of A Comedy of Errors. Directed by David Mackay who has a long history with Bard, and featuring a cast that I had seen in the much more sombre (but nonetheless outstanding) Othello a few weeks ago, I have to say that I had not laughed that had in quite a while.

First though, dinner was at Kibune in Kits. Fabulous. A sushi restaurant actually owned and won by Japanese people in Vancity? Something you rarely see! Even though it was in pretentious Kits, I could suck it up and enjoy the sushi. I have recently expanded my sushi horizons to include actual sashimi which is a good thing! All I can say is yummo and check it out. http://www.kibune.com/

We then made our way to the Red Tents at Vanier Park for Comedy. My date knew seasons ticket holders who were able to snag us some decent seats. For those unaware 2-3 rows from the top in the middle section is the best. I agree that there are no bad seats at Bard on the beach, but their are better seats! It was nice to not have to line up an few hours before the show with the rest of the masses.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse & his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Epheus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-incestuous seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, & demonic possession.

It was 2 hours of wacky and riotous fun, starting with the incomparable Christopher Gaze, Artisitic Direcotr of Bard, appearing as the Virgin Queen in his role as the Duke of Epheus. The show descended into a farcical romp that included a quick cameo from the author himself as well as the entire cast breaking into a jig at the pronouncement the "This is Shakespeare"

The cast was fantastic as always. My secret love Bob Frazer was genius as a dim-witted monk during the start of the play, but came back as Antipholus of Epheus. Both Shawn MacDonald & Ryan Beil were outstanding as the hapless servants Dromio - I was more partial to Ryan Beil's performance, but both were great. And as always, Alan Zinyk was stellar in a number of small, but important roles.

I would be remiss if I didn't mentioned the fantastic use of music in this play. Ranging from Gregorian Chants to The Doors. What killed me was a totally unexpected insertion of War's "Low Rider" - that I think about 5 people in the audience recognised - announcing the entrance of Michale Blake's Angelo. I died. Srsly. It was beyond fabulous.

I cannot recommend this play enough. If you are not a fan of Shakespeare, this is a good one to pop your cherry to. It is easy to follow and is not at all dark and twisty like so many of his other works (trust me, I like the dark & twisty, but this one is pure silly fluffy goodness)

A few more Bard on the Beach tips from an aficionado: find a blanket, grab some food (& a bottle of vino perhaps), get their early (mostly no assigned seating, so earlier = those better seats I spoke of) 2-3 rows from the top in the centre are great seats. And remember to dress warm! The tent has an open back and the wind can whip through (as it did a little last nite). Finally, another fave dinner suggestion is Rocky Mountain Flatbread which you can get to-go. BEST PIZZA EVER. HANDS DOWN. http://www.rockymountainflatbread.ca/

To be perfectly frank, I do have one teeny tiny little gripe against the fabulous folks at Bard on the Beach. What the what is up with the Rogers Icecreams? Bring back the Hagen Daz yo! Okay rant over (doesn't really qualify as a rant does it? - more like a rantlet).

Peace and love to all on this most odd of days. Yesterday shows you that life is short and that even those who seem to have it all can be gone in an instant.

XO