Now, Voyager and Other Tidbits

I haven’t gotten out of my pajamas in 20 hours. Just so ya know. Life is GOOD. We all watched Now, Voyager last night (well, Chrisanne went to bed).

Bette Davis has true pain, true sadness, she’s an ugly duckling, trembling on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It’s always good to see Claude Rains. There’s much more to say: the famous two-cigarette scene … Paul Henreid puts two cigarettes in his mouth, lights both, and hands one to Bette. It becomes a “bit”, a thing that they do. It’s done really subtly, it’s very sexy … it’s not like a big sweeping moment, it’s very casual … and YUMMY. Thwarted love and all that.

I guess I should get dressed now and … er … go outside or something. Take my glasses off. Put on some dern shoes. But it’s just so cozy here.

Alex picked up her new CD yesterday and we had a ceremonial listening of it in the living room. Which was terrific. She sings “It Goes Like It Goes” which has to be one of my favorite songs ever written. Lovely. She also sings many raucous standards – and as a couple of us sat there listening, Mitchell burst into the living room, wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt, holding a ballpoint pen as a microphone, and he lip synched his way into legendary status. He was DOING Alex singing, right TO Alex. And he appeared from out of nowhere, sweeping in to the center of the room….

We all compared notes about our own lip synching moments in childhood – which we all had. “Okay – so did you use a hairbrush as a microphone or …?” “I liked to use my curling iron as the mike because of the cord … it seemed more real …” Alex made the shocking statement that she NEVER used a pretend mike … because she wanted to do dramatic diva-esque hand gestures. So apparently she was looking forward in time to the Britney Spears or Madonna head-set mike. Mitchell made the good point that if a cabaret singer (which Alex is) comes out with a CD and it does NOT make you feel like picking up a ballpoint pen and joining in … it’s not a good album. That is what singing the standards is really FOR.

Chrisanne cooked an unbelievable feast. We chowed.

This has been a lovely respite for me. The wedding itself was phenomenal – joyful, so much fun, emotional … I saw a lot of people I haven’t seen in years. I met a lot of new people. It was awesome.

But since then it’s been all about cups of coffee, pjs, watching ER every morning at 10 am on TNT, lazing about on the back porch with Mitchell, or Alex, or Eric … and erupting into howls of laughter randomly.

I did my imitation one night for Alex of when Liza Minnelli (a drugged-out bedheaded Liza) came and did a master class with one of my voice classes. The story is a great story all on its own … but you really have to get the visual of how Liza walked down the aisle of the auditorium to start class … Without the visual, you can’t get the full horror. So I staggered about on the back porch, in my pajamas, showing the Liza walk to Alex, as she screamed with laughter. At one point, Alex was laughing so hard she stood up and said, “I think I’ve had a stroke … No, I’m serious … something is WRONG.” heh heh heh The story has to be acted out to be believed. I still can barely believe that it actually happened!

Okay, gotta run now. I’ve got some serious relaxing to do and I am way behind schedule.