An Omnipotent Mind, A Rude Fur-Wearer, Lucky Guy and Courtney B Vance - A Day in New York City

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I'm still feeling blue about the passing of Roger Ebert (see my blog post "Goodbye and Thank You Roger Ebert" here).  I was very fortunate to spend my Thursday, April 4, 2013 evening at the Broadhurst Theatre seeing Tom Hanks in the very first week of his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's "Lucky Guy."  But thinking about the loss of great writers Nora Ephron, Mike McAlary and now Roger Ebert, it's just a sad day.

I am in New York to see my Broadway shows, shop and as my pal Miss Brandy would say "eat my way through the city."  I go to NYC at least twice a year and when I was in management consulting, I was in NYC up to 12 times a year.  But until February 2012, I had never ventured off the island of Manhattan to truly see Brooklyn.  

(A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge where I then turned around doesn't count.  Neither does the time "Little Jen" and I got on the wrong train, ended up in Brooklyn and jumped on the first train headed back to Manhattan.)  

In February 2012, the magnetic pull of actor Kevin Spacey got me to cross over and see Brooklyn.  (Read about it here in:  "A Space in My Heart for Kevin Spacey and Charo - Part One" and "A Space in My Heart for Kevin Spacey and Charo - Part Two."

Now in April 2013, another magnetic force was pulling me back to Brooklyn - Williamsburg, to be exact.  The magnetic attraction of Southern cuisine.  I have had "Eat at Pies 'N Thighs" on my "Must Do" list for quite some time now.  But for this trip, I was ready to make it a reality!

I'll be writing about my lunch experience at Pies 'N Thighs in a future blog post, so stay tuned!  Before and after lunch, I window shopped around Williamsburg.  Seeing that it was 88 degrees when I left Tampa Bay for New York City, I had no idea what to pack.  I ditched my flip-flops for new boots I bought just for the NYC trip.  I had ordered them online and hadn't even tried them on.  I knew it was a risk, but I was willing to gamble with my feet.  (Do you hear my toes screaming "Say what now??") 

These boots were NOT made for walking!

After four miles of walking around Williamsburg (yes, I was wearing my Fitbit pedometer so that is an accurate measurement!), my right pinky toe was in horrific pain and I hadn't seen any taxis at all during my entire shopping afternoon.  Seriously, are there no cabs in Williamsburg?  Someone needs to warn a girl! 

Seeing that I am staying in Midtown East, there was no way I could walk all the way back without doing a battlefield amputation of several toes.  I started praying to Jesus to send me a taxi cab.  But Jesus wasn't amused.  I could distinctly heard a "Get your arse to church more often and then let's talk" whispered in the wind.  Sorry Jesus!

I kept hobbling down the sidewalks with my huge parka coat slowly roasting me as the sun beat down harder.  When I was in Portland, Maine in September 2012, I went to a psychic named Jackie Major (@MajorMeditation on Twitter).  Jackie told me something along the lines of we can use our minds to bend energy (or something like that) and make things happen.  She used the example of thinking really hard about wanting a parking spot close to the mall and then arriving at the mall and finding the first parking spot open. 

 (Hey Jackie, I'd do a better job of remembering what you said if you had sent me that recorded CD of our session that you were supposed to send me!  Not that I'm bitter or anything ...)

My aching right foot needed some energy bending, pronto.  I stopped walking, stood up straight and focused my brain on one thought "I will get a taxi - it will arrive very soon and it will not be occupied.  I will get a taxi NOW."  I started walking and less than 30 seconds later, a taxi appeared.  

HOLY COW!  Jackie Major's mind-bending energy thang really works!  My toes screamed "THANK YOU!" as I literally crawled into the SUV taxi.  I mentally patted myself on my back.  

Evidently, I am all powerful.  

Said with all humility, I am pretty much the Wizard of Oz. 

Just don't look behind the curtain.         

I went back to my hotel, rested my toes and before going out for the evening I changed into much more comfortable ballerina flats.  I had a third row ticket to "Lucky Guy" and I could not wait!  

I am a huge Nora Ephron fan and a huge Tom Hanks fan.  However, I didn't know that Peter Scolari was also in the play.  I kept hoping that at the end curtain, Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari would run out in their cross-dressing Buffy and Hildegard from TV show "Bosom Buddies" costumes.   

Spoiler alert - it did not happen.  I should have used my mind-bending energy thang to make it happen.  Sigh ... hindsight is 20/20.

I also didn't realize that the uber-talented Courtney B. Vance, Maura Tierney and Christopher McDonald were also in the cast!  Wow, this show was going to be amazing!

I dropped my coat off at the downstairs coat check (hallelujah, my parka is too huge for those little Broadway seats).  I stood in line at a bottleneck while people waited for the ushers to give them Playbills and escort them to their chairs.  There was a 50-something, skinny, redheaded woman in a big fur-collared coat who reminded me of Danny DeVito's character's mistress in the movie "Ruthless People" (see clip of the actress here).  The fur-laden woman reached out toward my waist with long, bony fingers.  I was holding a small black sequined clutch purse in front of my waist.   

My brain was thinking "What the hell is this bony, pasty woman doing?"  She looked at me as her hands were reaching at me and asked "Do you have any Playbills?"  My head snapped to attention.  

"WTF?"  

I looked at her and said "No ... because I - DON'T - WORK - HERE."  She just blinked at me as if she couldn't understand why I would be at the theater if it were not to wait on her.  Evidently there was no way I could be a patron of the theater.  

The woman's husband, who was wearing a track jacket; started chuckling.  He may have been amused, but I was not.

I looked at all the ushers - they were generally older, Caucasian, wore tuxedo-style shirts with bow ties and wore big red buttons saying "no cell phones."  I was in a black shirt and skirt and was holding a sequined clutch and no Playbill - but evidently in this hare-brained, fur-wearing lady's mind, I looked like "The Help."  

I grew up in the Midwest and have had more than my share of people confusing me with "The Help" because I'm not 100% Caucasian.  Although I am 1/2 Asian and 1/2 Caucasian, some crack-smokers think I look Latina.  I've had people loudly enunciate "Por Favor" or "Muchos Gracias" when trying to ask me to go fetch them something in a store.  "Um, queso caliente Motherfrickers, I don't work here.  Dos caminos!"  

I walked down to my third row stage left seat, second in from the center aisle.  The fur-wearer was also in my row, but the furthest seat practically sitting in the exit.  Sorry hare-brained lady, this "theater help" apparently has a better seat than you for the play.  

Normally I would attribute an interaction like this to subtle (or not so subtle racism) but seeing that all the ushers I saw were white, does this count as racism to my 1/2 Caucasian side?  Regardless which half the woman was consciously or subconsciously attacking, I was 100% annoyed and offended.  I know it may sound thin-skinned, but when it happens over and over again it can be difficult not to get a bit of bitterness over it.

However the show must go on!  I set aside my prickly annoyance once the play "Lucky Guy" started.  The first scene has all the major actors, except for Tom Hanks.  I was excited to see Courtney B. Vance.  I think he is absolutely the unsung talent of his generation.  He is under-utilized.  I would love to see him in more roles as a serious dramatic lead.  He has such gravitas and yet such subtle, smooth transitions between joy, anger, sadness and happiness.  He is a consummate actor. 

When my sister was twelve years old, I took her on her first trip to New York City and to four Broadway shows.  I let her in on a game I have been playing for years.  Whenever I go to a Broadway show, I search the Playbill to see if anyone in the cast has starred in one of the "Law and Order" television series.  I guarantee you that as long as it's an ensemble piece (no one-person shows), there will be at least one actor who has been on "Law and Order."

"Lucky Guy" was no exception - Courtney B. Vance actually starred in "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" as well as appeared in the original "Law and Order."  Cast members Brian Dykstra, Michael Gaston and Danny Mastrogiorgio as well as three of the understudies had all been on "Law and Order" as well.  Lily's Theater Game wins again!

I knew Tom Hanks would be good in "Lucky Guy."  He's a two-time Oscar winner, for heaven's sake.  Even though this was his first week of performances, I knew he would wow the audience.  Just like in his movies, he took me on an emotional rollercoaster with Nora Ephron's dialogue.  

But it was Courtney B. Vance, who was like a conductor on a train or to stick with the analogy, the calming older brother who sat next to us on the emotional rollercoaster.  He wove the seams of the play and pulled it all together.  Like the Narrator in the play "Old Town," Courtney B. Vance was the nurturing presence and the heartbeat of the play. 

Plus the scene where Tom Hanks and Courtney B. Vance's characters are on a morphine high together brings down the house.  Courtney B. Vance brought as many emotional highs and lows to the party, as Tom Hanks did.  If you're in New York City, I strongly urge you to see "Lucky Guy." 

After the play, once again I was left thinking that Courtney B. Vance needs to star in many, many more roles.  More people need to see the depth and expanse of his creative range.  It is a moral imperative!  I need to do some mind-bending, energy-bending mojo mantra magic on that task.  

Nora Ephron's last play reminded me not only of what a true talent she was, but what a great void we have in her passing.   

After the show, I tweeted: 
 

Loved seeing #LuckyGuy tonight -Tom Hanks was superb and it's always a great delight to see true talent @CourtneyBVance in action! #broadway

     
Well, the Twitter account of Courtney B. Vance (appropriately titled @CourtneyBVance on Twitter.com) favorited my Tweet and re-Tweeted it!  Now I am sure Courtney B. Vance has some social media intern who runs his Twitter account, but in my energy-bending mind I like to think that Courtney B. Vance was kicking back in his chauffeur-driven car checking his Tweets.  I also like to think that he thought "Well damn, that LilyOnTheLam (@SouthTampaLily) is one smart Tweeter!" and promptly favorited and reTweeted my Tweet.  

And if that scenario didn't happen, I like to think that Courtney B. Vance's also uber-talented spouse, the gorgeous Angela Bassett was at home with their twins and retweeting on her husband's behalf.  I see her in my mind's eye spotting my Tweet and knowing that LilyOnTheLam needs to be retweeted to the universe!  

 I suddenly have the urge to watch a double feature of "What's Love Got To Do With It?" and "Waiting to Exhale."

(Side Note:  Angela Bassett, Morgan Freeman and the one sole shot of Gerard Butler's chest were the only reason to see the movie "Olympus Has Fallen.")

I think Courtney B. Vance's Twitter account re-Tweeting my Tweet basically makes me a Broadway star too, right?  Right?  (Just agree with me!)

So what have I learned today as I pranced around Brooklyn and New York City?  

I learned that I should have gone with unfashionable athletic shoes instead of sassy boots.  

I learned that when your toes are about to drop off, my mind can bend energy to make taxis appear out of thin air.

I learned that even though I have a law degree, a good job and a sexy BMW convertible, ignorant people are still going to mistake me for "the help" - and that that is their issue not mine.  

I learned that while some of our great writing talents have been silenced recently, that their voices can still be heard through the talents of others.  Their contributions have immortalized them and they will not be forgotten.

I re-learned that Courtney B. Vance is amazing.

And I re-learned that New York City never fails to disappoint. 

Thanks for reading!

 

    


  

Goodbye and Thank You, Roger Ebert

Dear LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

The other day I read that Chicago Sun-Times Movie Critic and Writer Extraordinaire Roger Ebert had written a blog post ("A Leave of Presence") saying that he had a recurrence of his cancer.  I was very sad to hear this, but after all the adversary Roger Ebert had faced in his life I had no doubt that he could rise to the occasion and continue.

So it was with great sorrow that I heard that Roger Ebert passed away today, at age 70.

While we can take solace that in Roger Ebert's 70 years on this Earth, 46 years with the Chicago Sun-Times; I show Veruca Salt-like impertinence that I wanted more.  Despite losing part of his lower jaw in 2006 and no longer being able to eat or speak, Roger Ebert's voice was heard louder than ever through Twitter (@ebertchicago), his blogs and his movie reviews.  Instead of retreating from the spotlight and wallowing in self-pity over the drastic changes with his body and face, Roger Ebert stood strong and positive with a "I'm still here!" admirable attitude.  When I read Roger Ebert's writings I was constantly reminded that no change, no drama and no tragedy should ever stop you from being the most and the best you could be.  His voice was the megaphone for personal motivation and esteem.  And hey, he wrote the screenplay for Russ Meyers' "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" too.   

On Facebook, Tampa Tribune Food Writer and Columnist of "The Stew" Jeff Houck (Twitter @JeffHouck) said goodbye to Roger Ebert with a recommendation of Roger Ebert's cook book.  Who knew Roger Ebert wrote a cookbook?  If this was a game show and the question was "Which prominent movie critic wrote a cookbook on ways to effectively use your rice cooker?"  I would be the slack-jawed contestant who would not be winning any Showcase Showdown or set of steak knives.  Yes indeed, Roger Ebert has published a book in 2010 titled "The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Slow Cooker."

I had to give a chuckle and a smile heavenward.  Even after death, Roger Ebert was still surprising the world (or at least me) with his versatility - from Russ Meyer movies to rice cookers and everything inbetween, Roger Ebert's voice extended far and wide with sage regard and a delightful insouciance. 

(Side Note: One Roger Ebert factoid I did know but bears repeating - Roger Ebert went on a date with Oprah Winfrey before she was "THE Oprah Winfrey."  Evidently, Roger Ebert has always had a good eye for strong, vivacious women as seen with his subsequent marriage to Chaz Hammelsmith as well as rice cookers.)

I hope Roger Ebert is in heaven filling fellow movie critic Gene Siskel in on the last Star Wars trilogy and the blood-splattered scenes of Django Unchained.  I hope his last moments on Earth were painless and filled with joy and love to last him to his next great journey.

While Roger Ebert is no longer with us, I hope that others will continue to live Roger Ebert's message - that no matter what life throws you, continue striving for excellence and never let anything or anyone silence you.  Keep positive, keep growing and keep moving forward.

Rest in Peace Roger Ebert, thank you not only for the movie reviews but the life reviews as well.  You will be missed.

Upping the Ante on Super-Cuteness - The Ballad of Misa Minnie

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

As a biased pet owner, I believe that my hoard of black cats (a.k.a. Tiny Ninjas) are the cutest things ever.  However on Facebook, I have discovered a video of the smartest Yorkie puppy ever.  (I studied Yorkie Puppy history in college, so you can trust my assessment of this particular puppy.*)

This Yorkie Puppy is named "Misa Minnie" - which has to be the cutest puppy name ever.  (I slept through the Famous Yorkie Puppy Names section of my Yorkie Puppy History college class, so I cannot verify that it is the cutest Yorkie puppy name ever but I'm pretty darn sure.*)

I usually do not use LilyOnTheLam.Com to promote cute animal videos.  (On the contrary, just cute pictures of my own pets.)  But unless your heart is made of cold marble, you should watch this video.  Actually you should watch this video twice if your heart is made of cold marble.  (I also took cold dead marble heart-melting in college.  It was a very liberal, liberal arts education.)  

This video has made me look at my own pets and wonder why they aren't more active in the tricks department.  Oshi Cat's big trick this morning was acting really surprised when I pulled a roller duffel bag out from under my bed - a roller duffel that Oshi had been sleeping on.  His first "trick" was  surprise and then a "How rude!" look when he realized I was behind his sudden wake up call.

Check out the talents of Miss Misa Minnie below and check out her Facebook page if one video has you addicted to the sheer cuteness!

And if Yorkie Puppies are not your thing, feel free to stay tuned to LilyOnTheLam.com for more pictures of the cutest, tiny bathroom ninja, Chibby Kitten.

P.S.  Yorkie Mina Minnie asks for your help to donate to Yorkie Haven Rescue either through straight donations or purchasing items on their website - 100% of purchases from their website go to veterinary care for Yorkies at the Haven.  Please support this worthwhile cause by clicking here.

P.P.S. It's no wonder I like this puppy, she has Hello Kitty Pajamas!  Check out video of her in them here.


* If you think I studied Yorkie Puppy History in college, I have some swampland to sell you. ;-)

Same Love, Self Love and The Search for Esteem in the Cold, Dark Night

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

If you read my last blog post ("Born Straight, Refuse To Hate"), you'll know that it included my recommendations for pro-marriage equality slogans.  My friend, the radiant Miss LM was making glitter glue poster board signs for a Tampa Bay rally.  Miss LM, myself and several friends would be attending the rally to show support for our local LBGT community as well as the entire the marriage equality movement.  

Miss LM has many talents and man, can that lady make one snazzy poster.  Miss LM has been my partner in crime at many a rally.  We stood in a claustrophobic crowd for 6 hours to hear President Obama and former President Bill Clinton speak in 2008.  (Oh and Jimmy Smits spoke too - which led me to believe that maybe Obama would be ditching Biden and going with a hot Latino VP ... but no.  Sigh.)

Perhaps it was this rally experience that drew the local news media to us.  When the local news affiliate came by and asked if they could interview me, I practically Irish Riverdanced right in front of the camera.  I mentally kicked myself because I knew I should have brought my diamond-encrusted microphone!  

It was an incredibly unseasonably cold evening in Tampa Bay and by the end of the rally, I had wrapped myself in a giant furry blanket to stay warm.  I looked like a boxer's manager who wears a full-length fur and speaks in all motivational slogan sound bites.  ("You're a winner, kid - a real winner!")  

At the end of the evening, my friends and I scanned the news and internet media to see how many times we popped up.  I had a sound bite on Fox, my smiling, award-winning, more gorgeous than a supermodel face was on ABC and my picture was on a couple internet news sites as well as on Facebook pictures from people who attended the rally.  I should have been wearing a t-shirt (or a faux fur coat) that said "LilyOnTheLam.com."  

I texted a friend that with all this media exposure, I was most certainly now to be considered the Angelina Jolie of my island neighborhood community.  She whole-heartedly agreed.  (Probably because she feared I had suffered a psychotic break and she was too young to be butchered in the streets, but I digress ...)

My eloquent interview on the 14th amendment, equal protection under the law, the constitution, how my parents' inter-racial marriage would have been illegal as recently as around 60 years ago and how this is not a gay issue but a human rights issue was boiled down into a 2 second sound bite at the end of a story but I can now add "television star" to my resume.  

(Side Note:  I have previously also appeared on the local CBS affiliate in a restaurant review.  I wore a kicky black and white hat that I bought on a whim in Vancouver, British Columbia.  In my mind, I looked like a combination of sexy flapper and bohemian hipster.  In my mind, I look like a lot of things.  When it comes to local news, I have now graced all the major networks except NBC.  As my friend Nicky G pointed out, if NBC didn't care about Ann Curry how could I possibly expect NBC to broadcast my half-Asian face?  Obviously NBC doesn't realize I am a STAR!  Get with the program NBC, I have faith in you - now go knock out your competition in the 3rd round so we can go drink some raw eggs.)

I do hope the United States Supreme Court will rule on the side of equal rights under the law for all citizens when their decision is announced in June.  Until then, I can only hope.  As part of the Marriage Equality fervor, I have been listening to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' song "Same Love."  Given that the rap world still tends to have a homophobic gloss, I applaud Ben Haggerty (a.k.a. Macklemore)'s bravery in releasing this song.  It is honest, pure and with the amazing, ethereal Seattle Singer/Songwriter Mary Lambert's vocals in the chorus; it is a wonderful, heart-embracing song.

It was in repeated listenings of "Same Love" that I decided I needed to hear more of Mary Lambert's music.  I downloaded some of her songs from iTunes, but didn't listen to them until I was sitting in the car at a car wash today.  

Whenever I am in a car wash with the shimmering soapy brushless rollers gliding over the car, I think of the movie "Corinna, Corinna" and I stop and wonder where my own personal Whoopi Goldberg is hiding.  

(Side Note:  I looked on YouTube to see if I could find a clip of the car wash scene from "Corinna, Corinna", but a search for car wash just gave me a bunch of soapy, chicks in bikinis videos - um, no thank you.)

It was amidst the quiet, solitary whir of the car wash, enveloped in suds and chemical potions that Mary Lambert's song "I Know Girls (Body Love)" started playing.  

And suddenly I didn't have to ask where my own personal Whoopi Goldberg was ... because I was getting an eye-opening smack of girl power reality wrapped in beautiful, clever lyrics through my Harman Kardon speakers.  Mary Lambert had me hooked the moment I heard the verse about girls "fleeing bombs from the mosques of their skin." 

The weather in Tampa is finally catching up to the season's average temperatures.  I feel like I am slowly defrosting from a cold, dark place and stepping into the light.  I am not surprised that the video for Mary Lambert's song is filmed in a sunny field.  Her words beam truth with a light so bright that you can't help but stop and feel the heat sear the soul.  

It's funny how a song about civil rights equality (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Same Love) led me to a song about loving yourself and having a positive body image and high self-esteem.  But maybe it's not a coincidence.  In the same way we should not ostracize the LGBT community from basic civil rights, we should not ostracize ourselves and our esteem from basic human kindness.  We often treat others around us much better than we treat ourselves.  

I want to send Mary Lambert's video to everyone I know.  It is so pure of heart and strong of message.  So I am starting here with you, LilyOnTheLam.com readers.  Watch the video, hear the message and pass it along.  Because we are all worthy and worthwhile.  However sometimes, we need to be reminded of it.  I hope you enjoy the song.

P.S.  And a picture from the Tampa Marriage Equality Rally too ...

P.P.S.  Mary Lambert's Twitter account (@MaryLambertSing) favorited my Tweet announcing this blog post.  In my mind, Mary Lambert was hanging out checking her Twitter on her Smartphone, saw my Tweet and exclaimed melodically "LilyOnTheLam.Com is the best blog ever!" and then favorited my Tweet.  The reality may be that Mary Lambert has an army of unpaid interns who monitor her social media.  So whether it was Mary herself or some interns hopped up on Starbucks, I thank you for the social media love. 
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