"Needle Through Brick"

My brother, a rather fascinating individual (and I think the sort of protagonist Nick Hornby would love to write about), is an archaeologist and currently professor at the National Univerity of Singapore. A doctor of philosophy (from Oxford, no less. I even got to go to commencement. Which, after a brief address, was delivered entirely IN LATIN), he has traveled the world extensively and hasn’t resided in the US since 1997.

Prior to his position in Singapore, he spent a year working in Kuching, Malaysia, along with our two other brothers (apparently I would have been included had I not been in college at the time; well, at least I got to go over for a visit). It was during his stay here he worked on Needle Through Brick, a piece that examines “the struggle for survival of traditional art and culture in the face of a rapidly changing and modernizing world. The documentary is told from the perspective of time-honored Chinese Kung Fu masters living in Borneo, East Malaysia.”

My brother has been working endlessly on this film since it wrapped shooting several years ago. He’s made many trips to Brooklyn to work on post-production with his producing partners. Well, the hard work appears to have finally paid off. The film is currently in contention among with several other films, all of which are competing as part of MyFestival @ the Seattle International Film Festival. Voted by viewers on the website, the film with the most votes will be screened on the final night of the actual festival.

Playlist shuffle….

Many that know me are aware of my rather gargantuan 160GB ipod with its shuffled playlists. Anyway, I’m bored, cursed with an irritating post-nasal drip whose cause remains uncertain. (I’m still not sure if I’m sick or it’s just another “Bad Allergy Day”) so I’m going to just jot down thoughts as I listen..

“Climb Ev’ry Mountain” – The Sound of Music, 1981 London Revival Cast Recording. June Bronhill is probably the first Mother Abbess to look at this aria and tell the powers that be that it’s too low… She sings the entire song up a step and a half, ending it on a high B natural after the key change.

“Overture – Irma la Douce, 1960 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Has any other show made such ample use of the xylophone in its orchestration? How rare for a musical about life in the Pigalle of Paris to feature one actress and all men as support; the reverse Nine. Did you know? …this was Fred Gwynne’s first Broadway musical appearance? Yep, Herman Munster did the musicals. This and Here’s Love.

“Let’s See What Happens” – Darling of the Day, 1968 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Why is this gentle Jule Styne ballad, with its lilting waltz refrain and subdued lyrics not a standard? And wow the string and harp based orchestration of the song is among the best I’ve ever heard. Oh Pat Routledge, how you charm with that lush soprano…

“Two Little Words” – Steel Pier, 1997 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Oh Kristin Chenoweth. Remember the days when this routine of yours was fresh, and not considered your usual bag of shtick tricks? Why does this still work and your glazed ham rendition of “Glitter and Be Gay” come off like yesterday’s gardenias?

“Sunshine Girl” – New Girl in Town, 1957 Original Broadway Cast Recording. A fantastic number from Bob Merrill. An early 1900s period number with honky-tonk piano and several part harmony – that also comments on the action. (Girl jilted by guy. Girl sad. Girl becomes hooker. You know the drill… Hey that’s what happens when you turn O’Neill into a musical comedy).
Favorite lyric:
“You hear the fallin’, the pitter and pat
She wears a raincloud instead of a hat
She still remembers the day that they met
She may forgive him but never forget
An angel’s heart became the devil’s prize
The sunshine girl has raindrop in her eyes…”

“My White Knight” – The Music Man, 1957 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Thank God for Barbara Cook. One of the only major problems I have with the film adaptation of this show is the use of “Being in Love” in its place, which just shows us that Marian’s pretty much hot to trot for any man she’s ever met, as opposed to this gentler song which expresses her yearning for the ideal suitor, someone she doesn’t want to settle for, and someone whom she’d wish to respect and share her life. It’s extraordinary… Oh and that high Ab. I remember vividly the night I saw the revival: Rebecca Luker stopped the show cold with this. But, my goodness, we’re blessed to have had Barbara in our lives.

“Home Sweet Heaven” – High Spirits, 1964 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Tammy Grimes sings Elvira!! One of my favorite songs from this score, with its brassy bluesy feel. The lyrics are so witty, one can only imagine how she brought down the house with this eleven o’clock number. Apparently she wasn’t big on performing the song and had to be pushed out onstage and delivered it with a pouty demeanor that brought the show to a complete halt, much to her surprise. She performed it the same wistful way every night to similar applause.
Favorite lyric:
“After I’ve lunched with Keats and Shelley
Posed for Boticelli
Martin Luther asks me out to dine
And it would really bowl you over
Watching Casanova
Try to flirt with Gertrude Stein
(she’s a gas is a gas is a gas is a gas is a…)”

Tammy’s delivery is definitive. And it’s got a spectacular rideout.

“Nobody Steps on Kafritz” – Henry, Sweet Henry, 1967 Original Broadway Cast Recording. The show was an unfortunate failure, but left behind an amusing score. I guess this doesn’t really fit into the story too well, but Alice Playten managed to walk away with the entire show with this raucous paean to adolescent evil. (She left the opening audience wanting more by denying them an encore when they refused to let the show continue. Besides, she had another showstopper in the second act, anyhow). Every time I hear this song, I always think of Natie Nudelman from How I Paid for College. Seriously, with their shameless personalities and monetary schemes, the two are soul mates. I think Alice needs to perform this one for us at the Theatre World awards, don’t you agree?

“I Can Cook Too” – On the Town, 1960 Studio Cast Recording. If you pay enough attention to the lyrics, you will discover that they are RAUNCHY. But that’s the glory of the double entendre, you can get away with practically any sexual euphemism as long as it’s cute. Nancy Walker is marvelous, I can’t begin to imagine how this brilliant comedienne must have been in the original 1944 company. For obvious reasons, this showstopper was excluded from the sunnier MGM musical adaptation (along with most of Bernstein’s score, which execs felt would seem too sophisticated for film audiences). Who’s Hildy in the Encores! production?

“What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” – On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, 1965 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Forget that movie with ol’ what’s-her-name. Barbara Harris is the perfect combination of quirky and charming on the cast album (and at bluegobo, in televised clips from the show). If there was one thing that Ms. Harris did in her two big Broadway musicals (this and The Apple Tree) was show a penchant for great comedy, but also with a heartbreaking vulnerability that made audiences fall in love with her. Another problem I have with the film rendition of this song is how Streisand decides to reprise a verse a la “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” to paraphrase from the stage show, don’t tamper with perfection. The cast album is where you want to go (especially with John Cullum in glorious voice as her co-star). This is one of those cases where I wish the original performer had made the transfer to the screen version. Harris lives in reclusivity somewhere in Arizona, having given up performing without regret.

“The Money Rings Out Like Freedom” – Coco, 1969 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Say what you will about the musical, about Hepburn attempting to sing or the material itself. There is something fascinating in the score that I can’t quite put my finger on. Hepburn gives it the ol’ college try, even if she is Katharine Hepburn and no where near being Coco Chanel. (Word has it Chanel was thrilled about Hepburn as Coco, because she thought they meant Audrey. She was disheartened when she learned it was Kate and decided to have nothing to do with the show). The show is also important for its emergence of Michael Bennett as a director; Michael Benthall was pretty much useless and Bennett took over for him. This number is Chanel recalling her history (in part of a 16 minute musical monologue, during which we get a choreographed fashion parade of actual Chanel designs). What can I say, it’s a fun guilty pleasure. And in spite of her limitations in the part, Hepburn gave a star turn. (She regularly received standing ovations on her entrance; and at her closing this number received a showstopping hand that lasted almost two minutes). (I keep writing because this is a really long song…) Hopefully, if Encores ever gets around to it, they’ll cast Harriet Harris in the part; for all its flaws, the book has some spectacular lines for Chanel. Andre Previn’s music is fascinating too. Lerner’s lyrics not so much…

“Duet for One” – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, 1976 Original Broadway Cast. Oh hell, I’ve written enough about this already. I’ll take this opportunity to make myself a snack.

“I Had a Ball” – I Had a Ball, 1964 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Karen Morrow, another great voice cursed by a series of Broadway flops belts out the title song here accompanied by the ensemble. There is an extensive dance break, as can be seen on the bluegobo clip, but for the album (with Quincy Jones as a co-producer I might add), they chose a belly dance section that has a spectacularly orgasmic brass transition back into the final chorus. It’s really one of those sock it to the back row kind of numbers that is so good you wonder why the rest of the score and show didn’t hold up. “She’ll sing the hell out of it.”- Jerry Herman. He ain’t kidding.

“The Revolutionary Costume for Today” – Grey Gardens, Original Broadway Cast Recording. Hands down, the best list song heard on Broadway since “A Little Priest.” The song, which beautifully encapsulates our introduction to Little Edie and her sense of fashion (which reveals so much about Edie as a colorful and amusing character). Frankel and Korie perfectly adapted her monologue to the Maysles brothers about her clothing philosophy to act as exposition, with sharp imagery, topical references (“those Nixon-Agnew voters”) and brilliantly sophisticated syntax, telling the audience everything you need to know about where Little Edie is at the top of the second act. One of the best new musical numbers of the past decade. The hook is also insanely catchy. I dare you to listen and not go around humming “da da da DA dum.” This is the best musical theatre composition we’ve had on Broadway in years. And how it lost Best Musical, Book and Score is still beyond me.

“Overture” – High Spirits. Original Broadway Cast Recording. A favorite overture of mine. Full out 1960s Broadway brass. Framed by a blast of the lead-in for “Home Sweet Heaven,” it switches into an uptempo version of “Forever and a Day.” goes for another “HSH” blast, before it softens to the strings of “If I Gave You,” the charming act two opener. Then back to the brass for a very early 60s Broadway sound with “I Know Your Heart,” “You Better Love Me.” This all builds with such energy into the coup d’grace: “Home Sweet Heaven.” They pull it back a bit and let it burlesque out. But oh no, they’re not done yet. They pull back even further with every instrument going full-out.

And… I’m done. Time for bed!

"At these prices, I’m an ecdysiast!"

Just a shout-out to the students from my alma mater, SUNY New Paltz who are presenting an encore presentation of their semester-ending “Alpha Psi Ecdysia: Touched for the Very First Time,” in which the theatre students of New Paltz took a workshop in burlesque performance and had their own evening of entertainment. They’ll be at the Rififi Club in the Village in a couple of weeks. My only complaint: they didn’t offer anything this cool when I was in college.

From their release:

Saucy coeds, funky themes, uncomfortable parents, and academic tomfoolery with a side of nudity! One of only two burlesque troupes on an American college campus, SUNY New Paltz’s Alpha Psi Ecdysia offers comedy, live music, circus, and the sexiest girls (and boys) to ever pursue a useless degree. See New York State taxpayer dollars put to good use as “America’s Hottest Small State School” takes its title literally. Tip ’em well! College ain’t cheap.

Alpha Psi Ecdysia remounts (ooh!) its debut show at burlesque favorite Rififi in Manhattan’s East Village. Similar (but not identical) to the recent Toscani’s show. Support the guys and dolls of APE in their New York debut!

Hosted by Lucida Sans and Anton Jackov, the Rififi show features performances by…
Coco Corset
Izebel Vivant
Lady Legs
Equa Fellashio
Spartacus Rising
Gigi Ozon
Elixir
Gemma Stone
Ophelia Dipthong
Virago Sadine
live music by Anton Jackov and The Threesomestersand more!

http://www.myspace.com/AlphaPsiEcdysia
21+
$10 tickets
by subway: L – 1st ave
N R Q W 4 5 6 – union squareF V – lower east side 2nd ave

For what it’s worth, Ophelia Dipthong may be the greatest stripper (or for that matter stage) name I’ve ever seen.

The Longest Feud in Hollywood History Continues…

Sisters Olivia de Havilland (the last surviving star of Gone With the Wind) and Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) are both Oscar-winning actresses, legends of the golden era of Hollywood. However, they have been feuding since either can remember. But even now, with both in their 90s, they will not reconcile; apparently they haven’t spoken to each other since 1975. Sounds like a Hatfield-McCoy situation. Here’s an interesting article that shows that time doesn’t heal all wounds…

Sibling Rivalry: Hollywood’s Oldest Feud

For what it’s worth, I’ve always enjoyed de Havilland more than Fontaine.

Discuss.

So What’s All the Fuss?

That was the name of a reply thread to Terry019’s enthusiastic post about beloved PR in 1600.

Here’s my reply:

Though “Take Care of This House” was the breakaway song from the short-lived “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” the “Duet for One (The First Lady of the Land)” creates what is arguably the most memorable onstage moment in the piece.

Routledge, who was playing all successive first ladies in the show, is given the task of portraying both the outgoing Julia Grant and incoming Lucy Hayes in the same scene, each soliloquizing during the Hayes inauguration; sharing their thoughts on the election results and insulting the other. Routledge accomplished this with a trick wig that she would literally flip; with an immediate change in voice and character to delineate between the two. Routledge started off the number as Mrs. Grant, introduced us to Mrs. Hayes, then in a fit of schizophrenic delight, juxtaposed between the earthier beltier Grant and the haughtier treacly-sweet soprano of Hayes. Again, all with the flip of a wig.

The musical number is the most challenging soprano showcase Bernstein had written since “Glitter and Be Gay”, a ten minute mini-opera in which Routledge utilized three octaves of her vocal range, which builds to a coloratura climax capped with a D above C. The audience response was overwhelming, as evidenced by Terry and many, many others fortunate enough to be in attendance. (Ken Mandelbaum in ‘Not Since Carrie’ calls it “one of the most brilliant and least known showstoppers in musical-theatre history”). Routledge, with her impeccable comic timing and glorious voice created an unforgettable tour de force that completely drove the audience wild.

As I wrote below, the individual attending “A White House Cantata” a few weeks ago commented on the “Duet for One” during the talkback. He said, and Routledge’s understudy Beth Fowler agreed, that the ovation for the number was unlike any they had ever seen before; the audience would not let the show continue until Routledge gave them an encore. And she did.Unfortunately, there was no official cast album recorded (the endlessly troubled show has enough of a fascinating history it could use its own book), but Judy Kaye performed the song on John McGlinn’s “Broadway Showstoppers” CD and June Anderson recorded it for “A White House Cantata.”

While I understand that there are many numbers on the boards today which one would consider a showstopper, the sort of ovation that “Duet for One” received (and still receives from those who remember fondly the thrill of that number) is one of considerable uniqueness and rarity, that just doesn’t come around too often.

Best,
~Kev

Hell, I figure I give this lecture so much, I should take it on the road like Hal Holbrook on Mark Twain.

Some Random Movies I Love

I have a touch of the OCD (and don’t we all?) and was going through my DVD collection, which at this writing is I think 809 and counting. Yes. That’s a lot. But my brother, who is a filmmaker and he should know, always insisted that a good film library is key to any true cinema aficionado. Okay, he didn’t say it quite like that, it’s my spin. But you get the gist.

Anyway, getting things in order I realize I always want people to see the movies I have and to enjoy them. So I figured why not recommend some here. It’s not my “greatest movies of all time” AFI pretentious bullshit sort of list. I kinda went randomly through and just jotted them down.

The Third Man (1949) – Okay, I had to put this one first to get it out of the way, because when I am pegged to name my favorite movie of all time, this is it. I’ve loved it and admired it since the first time I saw it. Joseph Cotten was never better. Carol Reed’s direction is among the best in film history, as well as his use of post-war Vienna as something noirish and sinister. And as always there’s the cuckoo clock monologue. And the jaunty and bizarre zither score.

Don’t Look Now (1973) – Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland are parents in Venice mourning the accidental drowning of their daughter. Directed by Nicolas Roeg, it’s symbolism is fierce and its suspenseful build starts out deliberately paced, but by the last twenty minutes of the shocking climax, it’s overwhelming. Detailed, nuanced and with one of the most famous love scenes in film history (which, really folks, is more beautiful and heart-breaking than ironic). Add a bizarre priest, a blind psychic and her sister, a series of murders and a Venice that is frighteningly sinister and unwelcoming and you’ve got one of the most impressionable horror films of the ’70s.

His Girl Friday (1940) – Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell star in the fast-paced, rapid fire remake of The Front Page (only with a gender-bend that improves upon the original) about a snake-oil salesman of an editor who is trying to keep his ex-wife and former star-reporter from getting remarried (but all the while landing the story of a convict being executed for political motivations). Satiric, screwball and brisk, its one of the most rewatchable comedies of the screwball era. I can never not watch it if it is on TV and will pop it in when I need a pick-me-up.

The Lion in Winter (1968) – I love Katharine Hepburn. I love Peter O’Toole. And together, they create one of the most riveting period dramas of all time in this adaptation of James Goldman’s play about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine’s war over who will inherit the throne of England. Hepburn tied for the Oscar, in what I think is my second favorite performance of hers (trumped only by her spellbinding work in The Lion in Winter). Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton and John Castle provide ample support.

Howards End (1992) – I’m a stickler for period films. Especially British costume period films. Merchant-Ivory’s adaptation of Forster’s novel is one of the most superb adaptations of a literary work to screen. Emma Thompson, one of my favorite actresses, won the Best Actress Oscar heading the cast which includes a headstrong Helena Bonham Carter, a staid Anthony Hopkins and a resplendent Vanessa Redgrave. Such attention is paid to detail and nuance in every facet.

The Remains of the Day (1993) – Consider it a double-bill. I love both movies so much, I’ve never been able to decide if I prefer one over the other. Made immediately following Howards End and it’s enormous success, Merchant-Ivory teamed once again with Emma and Anthony, this time taking us to the rural manse of a nobleman who is a Nazi-sympathizer working towards appeasement with the Germans prior to WWII. However, the heart of the story is the repressed and unspoken love between the housekeeper and butler (the latter being so good at his job, he fails to convey his feelings); with quietly devastating results. Damn, I love these two.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – A chilling satire on American politics and the Cold War scare (suggesting that the extreme of both the left and right become the same thing). Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh star in this tale of brainwashing, Communist intrigue and assassination. The film becomes legendary as a result of Angela Lansbury’s scene-stealing supporting turn as Mrs. Iselin, one of the most memorable characters ever presented on film and a marvel of screen-acting from Lansbury, who should have won the Oscar for her performance, the best of her career. Forget the bland, insipid and totally unnecessary remake with Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington.

All About Eve (1950) – The greatest movie ever made about the theater. Even now, the dialogue crackles with caustic wit and the story remains timely. Bette Davis as Margo Channing. That’s about as iconic as you can get. Such perfect support from Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm, an Oscar-winning George Sanders and the always-dependable Thelma Ritter in one of her no-nonsense, down-to-earth roles. Davis has one of the best exit lines I’ve ever seen in a movie. I just picked up the recently released 2-disc special edition with a newly restored print. I’ll be writing about that when I get the chance to take a look.

Has anyone ever seen a real showstopper?

Terry019 opened up this thread on All That Chat today and I had to share:

“Has anyone ever seen a real literal show-stopper? The only one I’ve seen in many years of going to the theater was the very short-lived “1600 Pennsylvania Ave”. It followed a number performed by Patricia Rutledge where she sung at once as both Lucy Hayes and Julia Grant. She then exited (her scene finished)and the actors assembled for the next scene. The audience however would not stop screaming and applauding. They tried to continue the show but the audience would have none of it. Finally, Ms. Rutledge returned, in a robe since she had obviously changed out of their costume and received the audience’s adulation. It was only then that the show continued. That was a REAL show-stopper. Anyone else have an experience like that?”

As much as I love hearing about my favorite show-stopper, alas I wasn’t alive to see it. In my theatre-going experiences, I have seen numbers stop the show, in varying ways, sometimes that extra burst of applause that keeps the praise going just a little longer than usual to the audience out of their seats going nuts sort of deal. Or sometimes, a great star appears onstage and that in itself is cause for the audience to erupt in an overwhelming display of vocal affection. The first memorable experience with a showstopping moment was the day my life changed forever. That was May 30, 2004 at the Shubert Theatre, where Bernadette Peters was playing her final performance in the Gypsy revival. Sondheim got entrance applause during the overture as he ducked into his seat. The overture got a standing ovation – and that itself should have warned for the Vesuvius to come minutes later. People were anticipating the moment. And there she was, in the back of the house shouting out “Sing out…” I didn’t hear the Louise. I don’t think anyone did. People rose as she walked down the aisle of the theatre, with the same reverence one would give at a commencement or wedding. Except we were loud, and there was no stopping us. They finished the scene and Bernadette had to wait until we were ready to let her go on. And that boys and girls was the first time I saw a show legitimately stopped. There were several other moments that very day, especially the “Turn.” Now, the theatregoing experience remains ranked high on my list of events, but it was because of that show I met Noah, and indirectly how I met Sarah, two of the great theatregoers whom I admire and respect greatly. Let’s face it, if it weren’t for BP, I wouldn’t be typing this blog at this very minute, because Sarah and Noah would never have convinced me to do it. So for that, one must be grateful to the kewpie-diva supreme.

Others that followed, Hugh Jackman’s “Once Before I Go” in The Boy From Oz, “La Cage Aux Folles” and “I Am What I Am” in the revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Brian Stokes Mitchell’s “This Nearly Was Mine” at the Carnegie Hall South Pacific (what you’ve seen on TV and heard on record is cut down considerably from the lengthy ovation he received that night). At the closing performance o The Light in the Piazza, several numbers got extended applause including “Statues and Stories,” “Il Mondo Era Vuoto,” and “Dividing Day” (with an emphasis on the latter). Christine Ebersole’s entrance as Little Edie at the top of Act Two in Grey Gardens brought about an immediate standing ovation until Ebersole’s hands-on-hips pose broke and she covered her mouth from the emotional response she had. When it died down, someone shouted out “We love you” and completely as Little Edie, she countered with heartfelt “Oh – and I love all of you too.” and immediately continued into “The Revolutionary Costume for Today.” Audra’s “Raunchy” at a Saturday matinee of 110 in the Shade brought the proceedings to a screeching halt; “Totally Fucked” at Spring Awakening; and it goes without saying Patti LuPone as Rose last summer at the City Center and on her opening night at the St. James had a couple of showstopping moments, including the “Turn.” Paulo Szot’s “This Nearly Was Mine” on the opening night of South Pacific. Juan Diego Florez’s “Pour mon ame” from La Fille du Regiment; Emily Pulley’s “Duet for One (The First Lady of the Land)” at A White House Cantata. And most recently, Beth Leavel’s “Where-Has-My-Hubby-Gone Blues” at Encores! No, No, Nanette.
The only time I’ve seen that sort of reaction at a play was the opening night of August: Osage County after the second act button. The roaring of approval from the audience continued after the house lights had come up after intermission. I’ve never had that experience at a drama before, and doubt there are many plays that offer a moment of such adrenalized electricity.

What are yours, folks?

"Little Boxes"

I finished watching the third season of Weeds on demand tonight and damn that was some season finale. I picked up the first season of the show on DVD when it, as many of my television ventures are, ridiculously discounted in some retail chain around town. I think it $15. Not bad for a Showtime series. Anyway, I’ll never forget: I was just going to pop in and watch the pilot. I ended up watching the entire first disc, as it would turn out, was also half the season. I was immediately engrossed with  Nancy Botwin in her conflicting roles as widowed suburban soccer mom and drug dealer. I was also immediately taken by the brilliant Elizabeth Perkins as her frenemy Celia Hodes, in one of the most captivating characterizations I’ve ever seen on any television show, period. (Someone give this woman an Emmy, dammit!) Add to that Kevin Nealon as a pothead accountant, Justin Kirk as Nancy’s ne’er-do-well brother-in-law, Romany Malco as Conrad, Nancy’s supplier and you’ve got a top-notch cast. And no, I haven’t forgotten Mary Louise Parker, who shoulders the series as Nancy, endlessly naive in the world of drug-dealing, constantly getting in and out of scrapes, shuffling between motherly duties, grieving the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband, all the while setting up shop in town in an attempt to maintain her extravagant lifestyle in suburban Agrestic, CA. Parker, who is one of my favorite actresses on the planet, is a total MILF. There. It’s been established. She just is. An incredible hot, flirtatious mom, constantly appeasing her caffeine addiction, slurping through a straw with those seemingly innocent eyes. And that works entirely to her advantage on the series, which shows her barely hanging on by a thread in her ever-uncertain world. Chaos is the norm. The satire is potent, especially as established through the opening credit montage and the use of the great Malvina Reynolds‘ classic “Little Boxes” as the show’s theme song. And never once does it seem to cross Nancy Botwin’s mind to downgrade to a more affordable lifestyle. Oh we class-conscious Americans with our pre-fabricated homes and committees and lattes and hybrids.

This was prior to the DVD release of the second season, so I took to youtube to catch up on season 2, which took less than a week. And now, with the arrival of Showtime in my house, I can finally catch up on what I missed of the third season. And oh boy, was it something else. I cannot wait until June 16 when the fourth season starts up. I caught a preview in passing and it looks to be something good, particularly with all the questions that have been raised in the most recent episode (which in many ways plays like a series finale). The writing is as sharp and incisive as ever, the acting stellar. The show remains one of the best currently offered on TV today.

I still have a couple seasons of Six Feet Under to go. Plus Lost and I have yet to catch up on the season finale of The Office. So much viewing. So little time in which to view.

“And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same…”