This side of the pond may know Daniel Craig as 007, but our British cousins have had the good fortune of seeing him in a variety of great roles that show a softer/more vulnerable/much more ironic side of the actor.
I'd read some fairly great reviews of his 2004 movie Layer Cake, so I decided to check it out. It did not disappoint. Craig plays a bean-counting cocaine middleman who wants to retire from the dirty biz, but gets suckered into doing one last "favor" for the drug kingpin running him.
Lots of plot twists: not everyone is whom they portend to be. Great cinematography, too, and a superlative sound track. The bad guys are complex characters. If it reminds one of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, that's because the movies share the same producers.
'Flix it. You won't be disappointed. Daniel Craig is more than eye candy. He's just desserts, too.
-- Josie
THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN'S HANDBOOK
Murder. Suspense. Sex. And some handy household tips.
I was (as we say there) born and raised in Atlanta. I grew up in the Atlanta of the 1960s. Back then, the mayor, a progressive-minded man named William Hartsfield (and back then, "progressive" wasn't a dirty word) made our slogan, "The city too busy to hate."
I was a child of the sixties. I remember segregation and integration, which happened while I was in elementary school. I also remember Dr. King's assassination, in Memphis. At my school in DeKalb County, as we watched the funeral on television, I remember our teacher's prediction: "You will always remember this day."
She was right, although we were too young to understand what it meant.
At one time, it had also been the home of the Klu Klux Klan. In fact, it once stood on what is now the grounds of one of the three elegant churches that grace Peachtree Street at the southern apex of Buckhead known as "Christ Curve." The biggest irony is that the church is a Catholic congregation: a religion that the KKK hated. That the priests decided to invited the Klan's Imperial Wizard to the dedication is proof positive that any piece of land can be sanctified.
First, does it vilify its Caucasian characters? And secondly, does it correctly represent the African-American dialects of the time? And finally, do the African-American experiences ring true?
My own opinion: I loved the book. And my personal take on the first is that Ms. Stockett has been true to the South we both grew up in (albeit a few years, and miles, apart).
Before integration, there was a difinitive separation of classes. Whereas some of it was based on "breeding." (Who was your daddy's daddy, and your mama's people?).
Certainly religion played into it. But mostly, it was based on color.
Integration was resented by most of the Caucasian population. No one who lived through it can deny that.
In many ways Hartfield's Atlanta was a bubble of positive race relations, but no one who lived there during those tulmultious times cannot deny that it had its fair share of racial violence. The 1958 bombing of the Jewish Temple on Peachtree Street in Atlanta's Brookwood neighborhood was one very sad example.
My parents had moved to Atlanta in the mid-fifties, from Manhattan, because of a transfer that my father had agreed to. My maiden name is Martinez, and both my parents had been born in Puerto Rico, albeit raised stateside. Like them--and unlike my older sister--I had thick, curly dark hair and an olive complexion, but also light eyes. I remember a little boy in my class asking me, "What are you?" The question stumped me. I didn't know how to answer! I mean, I was a girl, of course. Wasn't that obvious?
His next question shamed me, because I interpreted it as a slur: "Are you a nigger?"
That was a word we never used in my house. Ever. I had no right to feel ashamed.
I wonder if there was a time, even later in life, where he grew to regret his own use of it.
Had I grown up in the North, I'm sure I'd have heard another taunt: "Spic." But since we weren't the predominant minority in Atlanta, that word wasn't as well known back then. I guess we skirted by. Sure, our name was inevitably mispronounced ("Mart-TEEN-ez" became "Martin-EZZ"). That is a small price to pay for the privilege of being allowed to "pass."
To answer the second question: yes, the South has many dialects, for both the predominant races. When I lived there, I could tell if the person speaking to me was from Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina or Texas by his or her "twang." Then again, I could also tell an Aussie from a Kiwi. I guess I have an ear for dialects. It got me into radio. (The need for sanity got me out of it.)
I moved from the South after marriage, to the San Francisco Bay Area. I married a Yankee: a nice Jewish boy from the Bronx, who had moved to Atlanta after college. As much as I loved Atlanta and had grown up around Southerners, I never got over the presumption that I might be too exotic for any man who drank rum and Cokes, had gone to UGA (University of Georgia, but pronounced "ugga," like the infamous mutt mascot for that grand institution school) and aspired to a partnership at King & Spalding.
So, yep, I can certainly relate to The Help's heroine, Skeeter. The world is a very big place. That's a good thing for those of us who must question the local customs, or who refuse to conform to society's current norm.
I take it as a good sign that some people who have seen the movie or have read the book are truly appalled at the class divisiveness portrayed in The Help, and the cluelessness of the cruelty demonstrated by some of its Caucasian characters.
They should be. That goes for all of us. Especially those of us who lived through it.
When my daughter was in the fourth grade and studying the Civil War, she chided me for my Southern roots. "Mom, how could you have lived in a place where Eva and I could not have been friends?" Eva, her BFF, is African-American.
After reminding her that I was born more than a century after the Civil War, I had to agree with her, and break the news to her that some people still judge others by their skin color.
I will always consider Atlanta my home. I am very proud of my hometown, as I am sure Ms. Stockett is of hers, Jackson, Mississippi. The reality is that neither of us can change its history. Our memories, our perceptions and our interpretations of the places we grew up -- as well as those of others who also grew up in that time and those places -- are ours own.If they don't reflect that of others, so be it. The South can be charming. It can also be provencial and cruel.
Dontcha just love it when a book trailer hits it out of the park?
I fell in love with this trailer from Chronicle Books, for Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop, by Meg Ray, who is also the shop's owner.
In voiceover, Meg talks about how she fell in love with pastries (you could say she saw the light....of sweetness) and how she approaches the recipes for the cakes and other sweets that have been a big hit in her shop.
This personable approach, along with a whimsical soundtrack and some warm cinematography, are an enticing way to introduce readers to a really sweet book.
I can talk non-stop about my book The Baby Planner. I so enjoyed writing about my heroine, Katie Johnson. We all excel in at least one way, but we also have our weak spots. Katie's leaves her vulnerable in the one area she thinks she will always be blessed: family.
Little does she know....
But hey, I don't want to give it way. Listen to what I have to say about it here,
They auctioned off Marilyn Monroe's iconic white halter dress from The Seven Year Itch. You remember the one: as she stood over a subway grate in front of the Trans-Lux Theater, it billowed up around her thighs. The way it was written into the movie, the object was to keep her cool--
Or was it to make every guy watching her get hot under the collar?
That was the case with her husband at the time: Joe DiMaggio. Afterward they had a shouting match in the theater lobby. She filed for divorce soon afterward.
The dress went for $4.5 million. It was sold by actress Debbie Reynolds, who, besides starring in several Hollywood classics herself (Tammy and the Bachelor, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) has a true appreciation for Hollywood lore. For years, much of her collection was kept at her hotel in Las Vegas, where she performed. A bad real estate investment forced her to sell off various pieces. This time around she also sold Monroe's red sequined dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (it went for $1.2 million, albeit it was projected to bring $200,000 - $300,000), and another of my favorites, Audrey Hepburn's Ascot dress from My Fair Lady, which sold for $3.7 million.
Other pieces sold by the auction house, Profiles in History included:
- Grace Kelly's rose crepe outfit from To Catch a Thief: $450,000 (estimate: $30,000-$50,000);
- Marlon Brando's elaborate coronation costume from Napoleon Bonaparte: $60,000 (estimate: $60,000-$80,000);
- Claude Rains' ivory military suit from Casablanca: $55,000 (estimate: $12,000-$15,000);
- ElizabethTaylor's brown period dress from Raintree County: $10,000 (estimate: $10,000-$15,000);
- Madonna's black evening gown and shoes from Evita: $22,500 (estimate: $4,000-$6,000);
- Mike Myers' swinging '60s suit from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: $11,000 (estimate: $6,000-$8,000); and
- A high-school graduation dress of Natalie Wood's: $4,250 (estimate: $2,000-$3,000).
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Reynolds a few years back. In fact, it was my very first celebrity interview. I remember her as gracious, witty, and vulnerable: she is every inch a star, but a sweet human being as well. I could have hung with her all weekend, if she'd have let me. Seriously, she is that much fun.
And so candid. She answered all my questions, even the sticky ones. If I find that interview, I'll be sure to post it here.
As I was leaving I mentioned that my favorite of all movies was one of hers: Singin' in the Rain. "I'll sign the DVD, if you have it," she offered.
Stupid, stupid me! Why didn't I think to bring it? I never made that mistake again!
Oh, well. In hindsight, I should have asked her if I could try on Marilyn's dress, just once!
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Just watch the video clip below...
This year, when Natalie Portman gets her shot at Oscar gold, her very visible baby bump will be there, front and center--
And swathed in some sumptious designer couture.
That ain't no OshKosh B'Gosh.
As it should be.
Portman won the Golden Globe for her terrifying performance in THE BLACK SWAN, and she's considered the frontrunner for the Best Performace by an Actress Academy Award as well.
Even if she doesn't win, what a memorable experience she'll have, sharing this wonderful accomplishment with your soon-to-be-born child! The paparrazi will capture her pregnancy glow. The gown she chooses will have been perfectly cut to enhance her beauty (if not her bounty). She'll be able to show her child the pictures from that magical night and say, "See, honey? You were there with me, too!"
I wasn't fond of him as a man, but I appreciated him as a performer.
If you haven't yet seen the documentary created about his rehearsals for his last tour, THIS IS IT, you're missing something spectacular. Definitely go rent it.
It's odd, though that one of the theories being floated at the hearing regarding his death was that it was a suicide. Yeah, any drug overdose can be considered a slow path to quick death, but come on already. This documentary proves he was a hard worker, a creative genius, and a consumate performer.
"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading." --Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives
Here is a clip from the documentary on how they created this scene in the show:
Omigod! Who'd have thunk it? Pop tart Katy Perry and comedian Russell Brand went out and got married!
I guess my invitation got lost in the mail.
That's okay. I probably would have gotten lost on the way there, anyway. My cell phone is too old for any GPA app, let alone one that shows some Aman-i-khas resort on the edge of the Rajasthani nature reserve.
Besides, I thoroughly understand it was a small, intimate affair: just those two crazy kids, 85 of their closest friends and family, a Hindu guru,a Christian minister, two elephants named Laxmi and Mala ("Mala is a bit skittish and hates crowds but she managed to behave herself," a source told PEOPLE), a fortune-telling parrot--
Oh yeah: and a tiger that, supposedly, has already killed three people.
I still have a wedding gift for them: a few ground rules for ensuring that their union will be one that lasts forever. Usually I'd give it to them face-to-face (you know, these things are personal) but since I wasn't invited on the honeymoon either, they'll have to read it here:
1. Never go to bed angry. Talk things out first. Then do go to bed. Together. And without the parrot.
2. Don't flirt with others. For Katy, that means no more kissing girls. For Russell, that means no more kissing every other girl, as he learned in sex addiction rehab. For both of them, that means no more kissing the mirror.
3. Don't let your differences get in the way of a good thing. You came from such dissimilar backgrounds. With that comes some heavy baggage. Don't empty it on your spouse when you get scared that things aren't as perfect as you had hoped they'd be.
4. Don't buy into the gossip. Professionally, you are both on top now. That says something about your strength of fortitude, and your ability to achieve your goals. Well, a happy marriage is a goal, too. Don't let the crap you read in the tabloids put it in a tailspin. Just keep trusting and talking.
5. Don't let others get between you. This means fans, publicists, agents, managers and anyone else who wants you to believe that what you have together isn't anything more than a publicity stunt. Prove them all wrong. If not for yourselves, then for the rest of us.
I've got a premonition about these things: this one's gonna last.
But if it doesn't, I presume I'll be invited to Katy's divorce party. If so, my gift to her will be a little more expansive, and, I'm sure, much appreciated: a copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right.
To use Russell's parlance, it's my very own booky wook.
"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading." --Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives
After being away for a few weeks, it's great to be reminded of why I call the San Francisco Bay Area home. This video, by Simon Christen, does just that.
"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading." --Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives
Despite the fact that I was nervous as all get-out I had a blast at Peg Alford Pursell's WHY THERE ARE WORDS salon.
I made new friends, and saw the faces of many pals (authors Wendy Tokanuga and Kate Perry, to name a few). It's always cool to be in a room where 80+ literati are hanging on your every word (albeit those words come out shaken and stirred -- and not necessarily because of the glass of wine you've gulped down ahead of time, for some liquid courage).*
For the most part, writers aren't natural readers (except for Joshilyn Jackson -- who is also an actress. She is AWESOME, so if you get a chance to hear her read, take it). Through the years, I've grimaced through readings that sounded worse than a fifth grade book reports. The authors read too fast, too low, too embarrassed about their words.
If you write and get the opportunity to read out loud, you shouldn't be. You worked hard on your book, so read it loud, read it proud.
Your audience will be listening with bated breath.
"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading."--Joan Collins, Hollywood Wives
Women behaving wildly is the theme at Women Who Write, the monthly book salon thrown by memoirist and club promoter Vicki Abelson in Montrose, CA.
In June, I was lucky to be invited as one of the guest readers, along with comedians Marc Maron and Paul Provenza, and musician James Lee Stanley (who entertained us with several of his many hits), and of course Vicki, who reads one more chapter of her work in progress from her fabulous memoir (I got to read a first draft, and I predict best-seller: lots of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll!)
Vicki tapes every reading. My portion of it can be seen here, below. However, be duly warned: realizing that my co-readers are seasoned performers who knew how to keep their audiences rolling in the aisles in laughter, I chose a funny and somewhat naughty read myself: not exactly R-rated, but a bit more than PG-13.
So yeah, I'm blushing....and wishing my arms were better toned. ( I'm workin' on that!)
"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading."--Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives
Forget the cabbage patch. I'm sure I was born between the stacks of the Decatur (GA) Public Library. It was a great place for a prodigious reader such as myself to read, dream and learn.
I still make my home in my in my local library system -- Marin County. It's where I conduct the research for my books. My children know its various branches by heart: the tall leaded windows in the soft mauve Sausalito branch, where the playground outside beckons; the Mill Valley branch, located deep in the redwoods, with its large hearth fireplace; the Corte Madera branch, with its fabulous reference department; tony Tiburon-Belvedere, with its welcoming wingback chairs and lots of quiet alcoves; the Larkspur branch, cozy and friendly, as is the San Anselmo branch, in its classic town hall. Marin City branch librarians always have welcoming smiles for their patron, and the Civic Center branch is stately and always fascinating. Fairfax reflects its community: funky, friendly and full of joy.
All libraries need a financial lift.
In fact,I've helped organize an event, happening in on September 16, 2010, 7:30pm, in Seattle: Between the Pages will benefit the Kitsap Regional Libary Foundation, which serves the islands in Seattle Bay. It takes place on Bainbridge Island (Bainbridge Performing Arts Center, 200 Madison Ave, N).
I hope you can join me, along with Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley, and New York Times bestselling authors Eileen Goudge, Joshilyn Jackson, and Tatjana Soli for this wonderful event. We'll be reading from our books, and answering your questions.
In order to garner attention, libraries have to get creative, too. I like the way Brigham Young University students have taken matters into their own hands and created a great video ad that is catching on virally with us webheads. It's a spoof on the new Old Spice commercial currently on the air. Whereas it's message is why the school's library is a great place to study, the message I get is....
"Hollywood's got nothing on
the cast of characters living in
the
bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money
and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled
observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly
entertaining reading."
I saw TOY STORY 3 -- and yes, I cried like a baby, even before the good-bye scene at the end.
Martin and I went together to see it. Our kids wouldn't go with us. At this stage of their lives, they'd rather see GROWN-UPS.
Some day they'll grow up, for real. That day happens when they realize that the best movies make you laugh (for all the right reasons -- and those reasons aren't potty jokes) and cry.
I love Pixar. They get it right every time. That is the one studio -- animation or live action -- that understands that the best movies are story-driven. Sure, you're wow'ed by the great animation, which is both colorful and realistic. But what you remember are the characters, and their wonderful dialogue. (Hamm the Pig: "Come on, let's see how much we're going for, on eBay!")
The first TOY STORY movie came out 15 years ago. Hard to believe, isn't it? I remember taking our kids to see it -- and being awed by it. Again, by colorful characters who were well-drawn -- and by that, I don't just mean by the way in which they lit up the screen, but how they stayed in our hearts. Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen, the pompous hero with a heart of gold; the always hysterical Mrs. Potato Head (yes, that's George's mom in SEINFELD, Estelle Harris) and her gruff hubby, Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles, who, frankly, is toned down: for the kiddies, if not for the adults in the audience).
And then there's Tom Hank's Woody. Director John Lasseter got that one so right from the very first film in this trilogy, since Hanks will always be this generation's voice of an American hero.
And aren't our toys our heroes?
Mine were Chatty Cathy, my bubble-hair-do'ed Barbie, and a purple stuffed bunny who went by the name of (you guessed it) Bunny. Not a day goes by that I don't miss Chatty. She was my BFF, my confidante, the gal pal I went to when I needed a pity party. But when her voice box quit working, she went to the Doll Hospital--
And never came back.
I'd like to think it's just the attic of my mom's house, but, alas, I'm guessing that Doll Hospital looks something like the odious incinerator in TS3.
Bunny is still with me, snuggled with the stuffed animals the kids have discarded. I'm holding all of them for some future generation of grand kids.
As for Bubble Hair-Do'ed Barbie.....gee I wonder how much she'd fetch on eBay?
I feel sorry for the classically pretty. Seems that people only admire them for their looks, not their souls.
And if TOY STORY has taught us just one thing, it's that our toys do have souls.
"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading."
I'm late to the party, but that doesn't mean I can't wear the biggest lampshade in the room when it comes to THE BLIND SIDE, Sandra Bullock's new movie.
I don't think there is a parent who's heart won't heave at this story: "Big Mike," Michael Oher, is a homeless kid who is given an opportunity to get out of a Memphis, Tennessee ghetto on a scholarship to private prep school, and rises to prominence as a left tackle for the Ole Miss football team before becoming the current left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.
The story revolves around his life as a homeless student: his teachers and the faculty don't know is that he has no place to live. His potential, seen by one teacher, is obscured to everyone else because he has never learned the skills to study.
A couple with children at the school -- Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy -- take Micheal under their wing, moving him into their home and raising him. Bullock's character, the glossy brittle Leigh Anne, is a Steel Magnolia with a Moonpie-marshmallow middle: she takes no guff from anyone, be it Michael's football coach or the gangstas in Micheal's former 'hood.
I grew up in the South and know women many like Leigh Anne. They are colorblind, and they embody the term "right makes might." Social dictates don't stand a chance against what they know to be their Christian duty . . .
And we are all the better because if it.
One of the final scenes in the movie is a voice over in which Leigh Anne talks about those headlines we've all see: about other boys, just as talented as Michael, whose lives have been cut short by a bullet...
Because they weren't as lucky.
No one was there to help them out of their ghetto.
Sound familiar?
If only we all had Leigh Anne's gumption: to take just one lonely, lost child into our care, and help them flourish.
I'll admit it: I hate bastardizing classics. Especially those of dead authors who can't defend themselves and their labors of love and hard work.
Lately Jane Austen has gotten the brunt of these types of sequels, mashups, whatever. Some of the authors take wonderful care to get it right: the voice, the cadence, the mannerisms the stories. Yes, alright, the sense and the sensibility of Miss Austen's books. Sharon Lathan is a perfect example of this.
Yes, it is a SEINFELD reunion. And YES, it is SPECTACULAR.
Hey, don't take my word for it. I've got a sneak peek of Jerry, George, Elane, Kramer -- and of course, Larry David -- talking about it, below.
And guess what? Newman shows up, too. and George's mom.
I'm beside myself.
My family and I were lucky enough to be at one of the last tapings of the show (SWARM! SWARM! Those of you who recognize that phrase can email me @ mail@josiebrown.com as to what episode it was. All the right answers will be put in a hat for a drawing of one of my books...) My daughter, then only 11, answered practically every trivia question asked by the audience warm-up dude. I didn't know whether to be embarrassed that she'd memorized every episode, or proud.
(She'd also memorized every episode of THE SIMPSONS...but I digress.)
Our one regret: we didn't bring cameras, because we thought they'd be taken from us. So while everyone else was clicking away -- and walking onto the set, sitting on Jerry's couch or in one of the booths at Monk's Diner -- I was mentally kicking myself.
Oh well, live and learn.
At least one of those sets is in the Smithsonian, so I guess my daughter is a genius after all. (At least, that's what I tell her.)
No, I can't curb my enthusiasm until Sunday night,
Okay, so I've been waiting for a Vince Vaughn movie that rivals WEDDING CRASHERS in both jokes, cast, and great Vince Vaughnability.
Well, I think I've found it. COUPLES RETREAT allows Vinny to grow up out of the manboy he usually portrays, into a hubby and dad — with some of the same issues that a married manboy is due to have.
Sublimely, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell and Jason Bateman round out the cast.
Damn! You mean we have to wait until October 9, 2009 to see?
