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January 27, 2010
 "A sed-a-give?" Anne Horak, Joanna Glushak, Cory English, Roger Bart and Shuler Hensley. Credit Photo: Paul Kolnik ©2009 Some things from the 70s stand the test of time. Not polyester print shirts. Or shag haircuts for boys, or streaking. I mean really, who wants to see most people running naked. Unless they are jogging towards me with a strawberry daiquiri, a plate of shrimp scampi and tickets to Cabo, in which case I’ll overlook the wardrobe infraction.
But one thing that still makes me laugh is “Young Frankenstein,” the production now playing at the Fox Theatre based on the Mel Brooks movie that came out in 1974. Despite the fact that my friend Melissa, whose friendship also dates back to the 70s, and I knew just about all the gags, we still laughed out loud at the non-stop silliness.
During intermission, Melissa recalled that her first date was to see “Young Frankenstein” and that way back then, some of the jokes were rather embarrassing. I mean, who wants to hear about an enormous schwanzschtücker when you’re all flustered already wondering if he’ll try to hold your hand?
The risqué factor has increased more than Alex Baldwin’s waist size since then, with occasional four-letter words and an explicit roll in the hay with Inga and Frederick but that was okay. Melissa and I are a little more mature now. Notice I said “A little.” Let’s face it, a certain amount of immaturity is quite helpful in enjoying the work of Mel Brooks.
I was curious about the movie’s transition to a musical, but I really enjoyed the songs, especially Frau Blucher’s (neigh, neigh) rendition of “He Vas My Boyfriend” along with her chair dance worthy of a strip club dancer.
As we were chatting before the performance, I hadn’t read the program and kept thinking I recognized the actor playing Frederick Frankenstein. Sure enough, it was George, one of Bree’s many husbands on “Desperate Housewives.” (He was the one who killed her first husband Rex, then killed himself by taking pills.) Roger Bart originated the role in the Broadway production.
Tony-award winner Shuler Hensley, who plays the Monster, is from Marietta and went to our high school. But he is younger than we are and was lucky to have missed the polyester shirt phase.
Get some tickets and go laugh yourself silly. For some of us, that’s a fairly short journey.
Young Frankenstein is at the Fox Theatre through January 31. Click here for ticket information.
January 25, 2010
 Chuck (Jeremy Cohen), Pasquale (Nick Spangler) and Ubazz (Steve French) sing backup harmony as Barbara (Rebecca Blouin) declares her womanhood in the a cappella musical Avenue X, Jan. 13 – Feb. 7, 2010 on the Alliance Stage. It’s doo-wop all over again. This vocal-based rhythm and blues music genre takes center stage at Avenue X, the current production at the Alliance Theatre. You won’t find any instruments here, other than the strong voices of the eight characters, who portray residents of Brooklyn in the 1960s, where efforts to unite differing cultures have unintended consequences.
Let’s just say there aren’t always happy endings, and their voices harmonize better than members of a family and neighborhood kids from different backgrounds. I especially enjoyed the teased-up hairdos and girlish laments of Rebecca Blouin. This former Miss America pageant contestant now teaches vocal lessons and yoga in addition to her theater roles. Fans of last season’s Jesus Christ Superstar will enjoy hearing Lawrence Clayton and J.D. Webster again.
I loved the music and the harmonies, and yes, the reminder that the good old days weren’t always so great.
The play runs through February 7.
January 8, 2010
 A plate of yumminess from Serpas - voted one of America's best new restaurants. I’m sitting here in the cold, cold days of January, trying to be good and all about eating and drinking. I’ve gone three days with no alcohol and was thinking of applying for sainthood but doing any sort of paperwork goes better with a glass of wine, so that’s going on the back burner.
Anyway, as I was reviewing my 2009 calendar trying to figure out the last time I had my hair cut, I was heartened to see all the new restaurants I had visited last year. 2009 wasn’t only about closings, chefs leaving town or an Atlanta chef not winning “Top Chef.” (We still love you all Kevin, Eli and Hector!)
Here’s a rundown of the new places I was lucky enough to visit, along with a great big thank-you to the people who didn’t let a little thing like a major economic meltdown prevent them from following their passion. Lots of people in Atlanta still have jobs. And we all still love to try new places. (more…)
December 28, 2009
 My new bff dance partner Cyndi Lauper Hey y’all – it’s been a few weeks.
So I could use the excuse about it being the holidays and all for not posting to my blog. And I have been busy gnawing on Godivas, lounging in my new soft robe and trying to master the dance moves to “Cotton-Eyed Joe” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” on the Wii Just Dance. Hmm – wonder if I put on my red cowboy boots and sequin tube top I could increase my score?
Anyway, the truth is I’ve been feeling the need to focus my blog a bit – the random bits and pieces of discarded blog posts littering my desktop made it become obvious that it was time. So on our car ride today to Tennessee I’ll give it more thought, that is in between listening to podcasts of “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me,” and trying to keep warm in the arctic temperatures that my husband favors. (Note to self – buy Snuggie for the car ride.)
Happy New Year to all of you – and see you back in 2010.
December 7, 2009
 My new BFF I’ve jumped on the Kindle bandwagon and my husband is a happy man.
I’ve always been a book person. Even as a child, my friend Lelia and I were the nerds in the lunchroom with our noses in a book, while the other kids were squishing Jell-O through their teeth and squirting chocolate milk through their noses.
Now I also write and publish books, and still can’t take even the shortest trip without carrying along several books. I have a fear of being bookless that borders on a phobia and totally identified with the story of a woman who left a child at the gate in the Orly Airport in Paris to run back and buy a book, coming within seconds of missing her flight.
Given its capacity for holding several books in one lightweight device, rather than the 87 pounds of books I generally drag along, the Kindle seems like it would have instantly been my best friend. (more…)
November 20, 2009
 Bocado, just opened on the Westside. My stove may be suffering from abandonment issues.
Once used on a close-to-Julia-Child basis, now it sits cold and forsaken, while I’ve been taking full advantage of my empty-nester status to enjoy flitting from restaurant to restaurant. Here are a few that I’ve visited in the past few weeks.
Bocado just opened on Howell Mill Road. This Westside area, where Bacchanalia first ventured and was considered a pioneer for locating there, is now burgeoning with new restaurants. And I couldn’t be happier. I live five minutes away. Todd Ginsberg, previously with the Concentrics folks, is the executive chef. Brian Lewis, who previously owned TABLE in Birmingham, is the owner.
The menu, like the décor, is simple, with 11 shared selections and 7 entrees for dinner. I loved my choice of Chesapeake flounder, and my husband became somewhat delirious with his choice of the burger stack. Made with three cuts of beef and served on buns from H&F, it was a mile-high stack of yummy. (www.bocadoatlanta.com, 887 Howell Mill Road.) (more…)
November 14, 2009
 (l-r) Randall Harr, Amber Nash, Anthony Irons, Amy Roeder and Steven Westdahl in a sketch from the The Second City: Peach Drop, Stop and Roll. Photo by Greg Mooney. When you live in a city known for being number one for toxicity, the longest commutes and a reputation for botching the Olympics, well – you just gotta laugh.
Which is exactly what we did for two hours as the talented ensemble from The Second City skewered my beloved hometown in “Peach, Drop Stop and Roll” at the Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage.
Loosely centered around the “mildly popular” Peach Drop held each year on New Year’s Eve in Underground Atlanta, this series of sketches is primarily Atlanta-focused, with jabs at locals such as Matt Ryan, Tom Sullivan, Clark Howard and Shirley Franklin’s flower. References abound to institutions ranging from Rich’s to the Ping Pig and the Clermont Lounge, which warranted its own skit of a dancer using her assets to crush beer cans. (more…)
November 2, 2009
 This is the place to find the real stuff in Santa Fe. Just be prepared to squat to get a closer look. What a bummer. As many as 90% of pieces that are said to be made by Native American craftsmen are fake, says the New Mexico attorney general’s consumer protection division, as reported today in the Wall Street Journal.
This story caught my eye as I just returned from Santa Fe last week, and spent a large portion of my free time looking at the gorgeous jewelry there. Well, primarily I was involved in a massive temptation fest, trying to come up with some plausible justification for buying the most gorgeous turquoise and coral necklace. But despite harnassing all my creative abilities, I was unable to manufacture a reasonable excuse to spend $225 on myself. It’s the same thing about getting a keratin treatment for my hair, although I’d be much happier leaving the frizz-fighting efforts behind for a while. But I digress.
Unlike many other endeavors where it’s sometimes hard to distinguish the fake from the real (see my upcoming post on my new purse consignment business), it’s easy to buy the real stuff in Santa Fe.
Just go to the Santa Fe Plaza and in front of the Palace of the Governors you will see a whole row of American Indian artists selling their authentic pieces of jewelry. I loved strolling along the rows, and bending down to examine the pieces on the rolled-out blankets. Although I didn’t spring for the necklace (sigh) I did find a few others that were just $18 and $20. In addition to the usual jewelry pieces, you can often find items such as silver guitar picks, which a woman next to me was buying for members of her band. (more…)
October 23, 2009
 Eric Miller, Sharon Litzky, Jennifer Levison, Richard Blais and Merrideth Zeisse got into the spirit of the Underground Supper Club When Jenny Levison, Souper Jenny as she is known to her legions of fans, turned on her video camera and asked me to describe the evening in one word, I said, “unprecedented.”
What else can you say about a night when you ate Black Crow and Black Bass with Gruel and Tobacco, and Sacrificial Lamb with Brain Ravioli cooked by a purple rimmed-eye celebrity chef, with the aid of a cotton candy machine, a smoker and a legion of black-clad, black-lipsticked waitstaff?
And oh yeah, we were dining outside. In 40 degree weather. In a cemetery.
It was all part of the multi-talented Jenny’s Underground Supper Club. It works like this – you sign up for the event and explain why you’d make a good supper club guest. Once accepted, you know only the date and that you’ll be enjoying a five-course meal cooked by one of Atlanta’s top chefs. A few days before the event you get an email with location and the chef’s name. (more…)
October 16, 2009
 The latest title from Schroder Media, to be released in November. Publishing a book yourself has never been easier or more affordable. That is what I do with clients with my book publishing company Schroder Media. Let’s say you are just an average person – you haven’t had sex with Brad Pitt, you haven’t had an alien abduct your chihuahua, you’re not married to your own grandpa, and you’re not a “housewife” of Atlanta. You just have a story you want to tell.
If you have decided the traditional route of book proposals, agent searches, rejections and trying to decipher the mysterious process of royalty payments isn’t for you, then a company like mine could be your answer.
I help people through the mechanics of getting a book published. You do the writing and I handle design, editing, proofing, indexing if needed, getting your ISBN number and handling everything with the printer.
If you need a writer, I can do that too. I wrote Murphy’s: 25 Years of Recipes and Memories and ghostwrote another book.
If you don’t need all those services, I can work with you on what you do need. When Jenny Levison approached me about her cookbook Souper Jenny Cooks she already had the design and writing done. I was able to help her with editing, getting the index done and found her a printer that was thousands of dollars cheaper than the quotes she had been getting. Within a few months she had her book in her hand, and is getting ready for a third printing. (more…)
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