Tonight's Feature

The play came to my attention in 2006 when Cynthia Nixon won a Tony for the role of Becca. I read the play shortly thereafter and immediately fell in love with it. I wish I could say the same about this movie.

I'm baffled over why John Cameron Mitchell chose to set particularly intimate scenes in public venues. A bowling alley? A cold, dank basement? A public park? I mean, really??? Mallorie also felt those scenes lost their power in the wide open spaces.

I'm still trying to decide if I liked Nicole Kidman's portrayal. I did like Aaron Eckhart as Howie and I thought Miles Teller was spot-on as Jason. I thought it was unfortunate that Nat's (Dianne Wiest) and Izzy's (Tammy Blanchard) roles were so watered down in the movie. Maggie Gallagher and Laurel Ullman, who played these wonderful roles in Theatre Alliance's staged reading were soooo much better.

My Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day. Cade made a colorful card for me, as well as a decorative cup. Mallorie gave me some much needed Bath and Body Works lotion in one of my favorite fragrances. And all chipped in for an absolutely stunning Pandora bracelet.



I also received a FB message yesterday that really made my heart smile.

So, yes, I had a very nice Mother's Day.

For My Mom

It has not always been a smooth road that you and I traveled.

I'm pretty sure you will agree that my teenage years were the worse years of your life. I knowingly chose the opposing side; purposely fighting against you. As I battled for independence and my own identity you became the unwitting target for my frustrations.

During my 20's you supported me without judgement, watching me grow into my role as a single parent. During my 30's I became someone neither one of us recognized as I struggled with marital expectations and postpartum depression. These failures and disappointments lead to shifts to my priorities and searches for moments I missed in my 20's. You were conflicted; torn between reaching out to salve and slapping needed sense into my head. You tried both and I purposely lost you.

Now in my 40's I am surprised to find that in many ways I am turning into you. Even more astonishing, I am absolutely relishing this transformation. My own parenting mirrors the philosophy you quietly instilled in me all my life.

While never once did I make it easy on you, you held on to the wisdom that one day we'd come out, together, and on the same side. And as always, you were right.

Simply, thank you, Mom. I love you too.

Last Night's Feature

As soon as Mallorie got home from spotlighting WSTA's Alice In Wonderland we popped in the DVD. We both knew it was a twist on the traditional vampire story, however neither of us were expecting it to be so gory. Aside from the CG scenes, the FX were disgustingly good.

It really was a sweet coming-of-age love story, and both child actors were remarkable. Richard Jenkins was absolutely amazing. A particular moment between him and Abby had me initially reeling from inappropriateness, but then had me pining from such tenderness.

Date Night

Phoenix was beautiful and I had a great time, but I really did miss my little man. When Allan asked him why I was coming home last night instead of today, Cade smugly replied, "Because Mommy missed me."

When Cade got home from school I asked him if he wanted to go on a date tonight and we decided to attend his school's Carnival. $5.00 got him 20 tickets to exchange for various fair activities. He met up with one of his BFFs, Colton, and I soon became a third wheel. No matter, I was content to watch him race around and have fun.

Here's one of the "booths" Cade was most excited about. The car came compliments of the Winston Cup Museum.

An Evening At The Theatre

When I discovered that Billy Elliot The Musical was going to be playing at the ASU Gammage while I was in Tempe I made immediate plans to attend.

Right after class I walked from CHQ to the Gammage Auditorium. I had decided to purchase my ticket at the Box Office instead of messing with an online purchase. For $50.50 I got a first row, first tier balcony seat (68). I grabbed a chicken pesto salad at the Portico Café, and reviewed the Playbill.

Unfortunately we did not get to see Faith Prince as Mrs. Wilkinson. Beverly Ward played the role well enough. Our Billy was Giuseppe Bausilio, 13, who hails from Bern, Switzerland and enjoys cooking, skiing, swimming, reading, speaks 5 languages, studies kung fu, cello and piano. And oh, he's a trained ballet, modern, jazz, flamenco, hop-hop, and tap dancer. Of course.

Overall the show did not reach the levels of excitement I had expected. The "Angry Dance" which was performed with gusto at the Tonys, was only ho-hum. While certainly capable, Giuseppe lacked, well, the anger of the piece. His "Dear Billy" (Mum's Letter) duet with Mum (Jennifer Evans) and Mrs. Wilkinson brought tears to my eyes. Heartwrenchingly beautiful. "Dear Billy" (Billy's Reply) was equally so.

My absolute favorite scene was the Billy and Older Billy ballet/aerial dance. Maximilien A. Baud, who played Older Billy, was wonderfully mesmerizing. Again, the simplistic beauty of their performance brought tears to my eyes.

Jacob Zelonky played Michael, Billy's BFF. He is one talented kid with perfect comic timing. His performance and personality during "Expressing Yourself" filled the stage as much as the come-to-life dresses did.

Because Betsey wouldn't have been caught dead hosting annual SETC conventions in high school/college budget hotels, I got very used to staying in the lap of luxury. My week long stay at the Courtyard by Marriott in Tempe will be no different.

Last Night's Feature

After delivery of an all-better laptop, last minute laundry, pre-packing, a mad dash to Kohl's to get an electronic tag removed, Chris, Mallorie and I finally sat down to watch the DVD.

The storyline is one you've seen a million and one times before, and the story itself is fairly ho-hum. What really made this movie highly enjoyable were:

1.| Jake Gyllenhaal - NAKED. Man, oh man! The boy has a rockin body to equal his rugged good looks. Like a kid in a candy store I couldn't help but drool and squeal with delight during each of his fleshy scenes. Mmm hmm.

2.| Anne Hathaway. She is absolutely beautiful. Expressive eyes, pouty lips, and gorgeous hair.

3.| Josh Gad. Hi.LAR.i.ous

The Journal Article About Cade's Blog

The item appeared in today's MOTHER'S DAY 2011, a special advertising section of the Winston-Salem Journal.

You can read the article here on Cade's blog.