Expedition Africa

May 31, 2009

History Channel
Sundays at 10 p.m.
Begins May 31

Facing unforgiving terrain, unexplored areas, dangerous wildlife, and a limited supply of water, four explorers, armed with basic maps and simple compasses, follow the famous 19th century 900+ mile journey of Dr. David Livingstone and reporter Morton Stanley through Tanzania. The foursome face crocodiles, potential water shortages, dangerous mountain terrain, swamps, deserts, fierce weather, 29 types of poisonous snakes and most of all strong egos.

The Expedition: Africa team consists of:

The Navigator: Pasquale Scaturro. He’s an older man who has led three expeditions to Everest, including The National Federation of the Blind 2001 where blind climber Erik Weihenmayer reached the summit. He also organized and led the Nile descent, a 114 day descent of the Nile River from Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea, a distance of 3260 miles.

He immediately lets everyone know of his accomplishments and experience right from the start which sets him apart as the defacto leader. He sees himself as the leader and thinks that everything should be done his way. So far, it’s his way or his own way. When others are taking time to looks at the stunning scenery around them, he makes it known that they are wasting valuable time getting to their final destination. For him, it is about the end.

The Wildlife Expert: Mireya Mayor, PhD. A Fulbright Scholar, National Science Foundation Fellow, she became the first female correspondent for Ultimate Explorer on National Geographic television. Besides working on the show for National Geographic, she teaches and studies in the rain forests of Madagascar. In 2000, Mayor discovered a new species of mouse lemur.

She is tougher than she appears. She gets pretty up close and personal with a spitting Cobra because it is “beautiful” to her. She also takes offense when Pasquale dismisses her right off for pacing out a mile when he says: “I know how many paces and she doesn’t so I’ll do it.” He didn’t ever ask her, which really insults her though she takes it in stride. It does live a bitter taste in her mouth for the way he sees her as a girl among the boys out there instead of one of the group of explorers and that does not sit well with someone of her background.

The Survivalist: Benedict Allen. He has written 10 books based on his adventures and six have been turned into BBC series.

An easy going and likeable guy. He analyzes situations and is very at ease in his surroundings. He’s a problem solver and is not quick to judge like Pasquale. Right off, you can tell that the two of them are going to butt heads about a lot of issues. For Benedict it is all about the journey. He wants to see Africa as he travels through not just get to the end point.

The Journalist: Kevin Sites. Sites has worked for CNN covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a masters in journalism from Northwestern University.

He may be the weak link. He’s scared and not as prepared for outdoor adventure as the others, although he’s trained as an EMT which is quite handy. He has few survival skills. But his drive to experience this as a journalist may see him through to the end.

The first two episodes of Expedition: Africa leave you wondering what will happen next. We learn a bit about the personalities of the four explorers but want to know much more about them. Some clashes have already occurred and they have only traveled nine miles. There have been challenges with water shortages, a guide collapsing, a grueling climb over a mountain range, and some tough weather while at camp. There have also been some wonderful moments with amazing mountain scenery and the rare, natural one-of-a-kind beauty of Africa that not many people will ever get to travel through. This show allows a glimpse into it.

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He’s Just Not That Into You: DVD Review

May 31, 2009

First off, I hated the book and couldn’t believe that Oprah found it so “fascinating” that she had to have Greg Behrendt on her show to discuss it and that women had all these “AHA!” moments over it. The film version is exactly what I expected. I saw it originally at a theatre of mostly women, who I could just tell “loved it.” It was there big outing. Why, I have no idea because it portrayed women as being clingy and clueless when it comes to men. A one night stand or kissing a guy just to kiss him and not have it turn in to a relationship, forget it. Women just don’t do those things [right!]. Perhaps in small town Alabama where everyone knows everyone else. Also, ALL women want to be married.

Beth [Jennifer Aniston] certainly has gotten fed up with seven years of Neil [Ben Affleck] who seems to be charming, devoted, easy going and sweet. So what is the problem. Oh yeah, where’s that ring to make it all “official-like.” You know what Beth, why ruin what’s already so perfect. The guy clearly adores you. I would love to be in that type of relationship. Look at your friend Janine [Jennifer Connelly-- who let's face it could have any guy she wanted] who has a cheating and lying college sweetheart husband Ben [Bradley Cooper]. But to make matters worse, she’s going crazy over the situation and becoming that woman who sniffs he’s clothes and waits up for him and asks where he’s been at night. UGH UGH UGH. No! Do not do it.

Scarlett Johansson’s character [Anna] knowingly befriends, flirts with and sleeps with that married man [Cooper]. And yet, she’s the most independent, strongest woman character because she acts like a guy. She does the best job of anyone. When she’s with a guy friend with benefits [Kevin Connolly] who she no longer sleeps with, she leaves him when she wants with him wanting way more. When she finally gives in to him and there’s a shot of him cuddling up to her, the dread on her face is priceless and when he shows her an apartment he wants to buy and hopes she might someday want to live with her, those blue eyes portray immense panic and she just says, “I can’t do this. Any of this.” THAT is realism. It is also brilliant acting for a flimsy “chick flick.”

But Boston University graduate Ginnifer Goodwin’s character, Gigi, who is the heart of the film, just wants a boyfriend so bad and is making every “mistake” possible. She’s too eager. You know what? Some guys like girls who are eager. Some guys are the caretakers in the relationships. Okay, she’s young and she needs to calm down a bit but dating is nerve-wracking and who doesn’t over-analyze every aspect of a date every now and again. She calls too much. She frets by the phone. Granted, that isn’t good for anyone. But she’s cute and educated and sweet. That’s certainly enough for some guy out there.

To be fair, in the end when all-knowing Alex [Justin Long] finds himself liking a girl, he keeps checking his email and voicemail so perhaps these rules actually go both ways. If someone isn’t into you, male or female, you should know it. The person will not show enough interest. The person will not call. The person will not want to go out with you on another date. I’ve had plenty of first dates. Plenty of second dates and I’m working on those third and fourth and long-term relationships.

Grade: C

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Easy Virtue: Film Review

May 29, 2009


Easy Virtue is a biting British comedy from start to finish. It is sharp-witted, sassy, unpredictable, humorous and tinged with bitterness, sadness and regret. Everything one might expect from the British.

“It’s a dark melodrama,” explained director/ co-writer (with Sheridan Jobbins) Stephan Elliott [The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert] by phone from London. “[The play] was so vicious and cruel to English. [It was] the second play for [Noel] Coward and in his biographies we found some misgivings he had and within that found license to go with it.”

It is the late 1920s and John Whittaker [Ben Barnes] surprises his family by marrying a glamorous, platinum blonde American motorcar racer from Detroit named Larita [Jessica Biel]. This is much to the horror of his proper British family. While it appears that everything is perfect at the country estate, it really isn’t. The mother, Mrs. Whittaker [Kristin Scott Thomas] is uptight and overbearing and the father, Mr. Whittaker [Colin Firth] spends the majority of his time “fixing” a motorcycle that may never work. John most likely married the free-spirited Larita [Biel] on a lark in an act of rebellion. She’s independent, easy- going, athletic, charming, and smart. The complete opposite of his mother. Suddenly it is the elder Mrs. Whittaker vs. the new Mrs. Whittaker.

“It’s a culture clash and collision of women of different eras,” said Elliott. “Great Depression. Veronica Lake. Screwball element. Likeable yet screwball.”

Larita is a city girl. John is a country boy. The sooner the two realize this, the better. Mrs. Whittaker says: “Have you had as many lovers as they say?” Larita: “No. Hardly any of them loved me.”

Firth is scruffy, downtrodden and sad. It’s not the typical role for him. He’s not the usual brooding guy. “Colin is laconic,” Elliot explains. “His character is a dead-man walking. “He’s stopped fixing himself a long time ago. He’s really the arc of the film. Larita brings him back to life.”

Biel steps out of the pretty girl role to play a woman with greater depth and character. She’s truly impressive and memorable. A pure delight to watch. If you liked her in The Illusionist, you will like her even more in Easy Virtue. “Jessica was the big surprise, the big revelation,” Elliot agreed. “Something fresh and different. We didn’t expect it.”

And after seeing Kristin Scott Thomas in the heartbreakingly poignant I’ve Loved You So Long, she must have relished her role as an eccentric, overprotective mother-in-law. [“We were chasing Kristin and Colin for years. We wouldn’t deliver something they had done.]

I don’t want to give too much away but it’s a divine war of words and gestures. “This is a very subversive, naughty piece of work,” Elliot concluded. “You have expectations and you go into the film and have those expectations crushed majorly and you can go on that ride.”

Easy Virtue is the must-see indie of the summer. It does not disappoint.

STEELE SAYS: SEE IT IN THE THEATRE

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Royal Pains: TV Review/ Preview

May 28, 2009

starring Mark Feuerstein
Premiere: June 4 on USA
10 p.m. EST

Royal Pains focuses on an ED/trauma surgeon, Hank Lawson [Mark Feuerstein] who gets wrongly blamed for a wealthy patient’s death [the patient is a “friend” to the hospital] and subsequently finds himself blacklisted from every ED in Manhattan. In that initial scene, Hank is playing hoops with friends and his friend goes down with s/p cardiac arrest. Hank wants to focus on his friend’s more serious medical condition once at the hospital but the Hospital Administrator reminds him, “Mr. Gardner is a friend. We don’t keep friends waiting Dr. Lawson.” Once he feels that Mr. Gardner is stable, he leaves him in the hands of another physician and goes back to help with his friend. He tells the administrator [a bit dramatically], “Mr. Gardner is stable. How about today we save two for the price of one.”

“I think we knew from the beginning we needed a guy who could bring the competency of a physician, so we could see that credibly both in terms of the humanity of it, the drama of it, and then the comedy that I think was needed to bounce him back from that rock bottom that he hit when his brother came and scooped him up and took him out to the Hamptons,” said Andrew Lenchewski, writer/co-executive producer, during a conference call. “I think as soon as Mark came in and auditioned for the role, we gave him a few of those critical scenes. The moment of that difficult decision in the yard, the moment of depression in his apartment, and then that first moment out in the Hamptons, and he hit all of those colors brilliantly.”

The next day Hank gets a call to face the hospital’s Board of Directors where he gets fired. Fast forward to the typical scene where he’s watching movies, eating take-out and watching Jerry Spring re-runs, clothes strewn throughout his apartment. His fiancée shows up. This is the woman who told him, “I always wanted to marry a doctor. Everything seems to be falling into place for me. For us.” Ugh. What a loser.” I didn’t like her from the moment I saw her. She’s disgusted with him and complains to him and Hank says he’ll make it easy: Game OVER.

His overeager, persuasive younger brother Evan [Paulo Costanzo] shows up and tries to convince him to go to the Hamptons. Hank balks until his brother says: “You’re out of booze and you’re Netflix account got canceled.” Off the duo go to the playground of the rich and the weekend escape for City dwellers. At a ritzy party, Hank ends up saving a young woman [Reshma Shetty] when the older concierge doctor makes a near fatal call. He refuses any compensation from a mysterious and wealthy man [Campbell Scott]. This man also offers his guest house to Hank for the summer. The next day, Hank receives a phone call from a teen who says it is an emergency and Hank is called to action again. Again, he saves the kid’s life. Even though the kid had actually called about his girlfriend [a cyberchondriac] People really want to pull him into the business of becoming a concierge doctor for the Hamptons and he’s very cautious about the entire business. Rubbing elbows with the wealthy and privileged just is not for him.

“I think we’re finding that [concierge doctors are] increasingly common,” Lenchewski explained. “The trend actually was born in Seattle and it’s extremely prominent in Florida, and they’ve obviously popped up in all the centers of wealth around the country, LA, New York, etc., so it’s interesting; it seems to be a pretty hot button topic and a lot of people seem to know about it, but at the same time it seems like it still has a growth ahead.”

The endearing and attractive quality of Hank’s character is that he is easy-going and devoted to medicine and helping people. He’s not into the bottom line that many surgeons and doctors can get caught up in along the way. So far, the medical authenticity of the show seems accurate and not terribly far fetched despite the one perhaps mis-placed MacGyver reference– “Get me ice, a ball point pen, duct tape… Who are you, MacGyver?” [what 17-year-old girl today knows MacGyver?].

“We have a tremendous medical advisor, his name is Dr. Irv Danesh, and he is an ER physician outside of Boston,” Lenchewski adds. “He spends time with us out here in LA, he spends time on the set anytime we’re shooting medical scenes, and he spends a lot of time with the writers by phone and e-mail; and everything that we do medically either comes from him or filters through him.”

When a third call takes Hank to the ED room of the Hampton Hospital, he meets Jill Casey [Jill Flint], the no-nonsense Head of ED, who seems more than happy for Hank to take away her “demanding” Hamptons patients. As he is more than aware, they tae up valuable time in an emergency department. They later go on a spontaneous date and she explains to Hank that she does not see that many wealthy patients at her hospital but more of the worker-types: the landscapers; house cleaners; gardeners; and wait staff. This interests Hank. She also seems to convince Hank that he could do more good than he initially believed by staying in the Hamptons at least for the summer.

“Hank, as both a character and also in terms of the storytelling of the show, is going to treat both the wealthy and also the people in the Hamptons who are not as wealthy, who are really the people who help make the Hamptons run, and they’re the kind of heart and soul of the Hamptons,” explained Michael Rauch, co-executive producer, Royal Pains. “Healthcare is such a dominant issue right now in our country, and we want to hit it without hitting it too hard, and part of what we’re doing in every episode is having Hank and his company, HankMed, treat both the wealthy and also the less privileged, and oftentimes the story lines that revolve around the less privileged deal with the type of healthcare they’ve been getting, the type of healthcare they’ve been shut out of, so trying to handle it in a way that remains within the tone of the show and the network, but at the same time hoping to deal with it in a way that treats it honestly and with the way that it deserves.”

Royal Pains has a lot of promise in its premise, its characters, the setting and the potential storylines. It is definitely a show to watch this summer!

About Royal Pains:

Andrew Lenchewski (UC: Undercover) wrote the pilot and serves as co-executive productive. The show is executive produced by Rich Frank (Comanche Moon), Paul Frank (Comanche Moon) and Jeff Kwatinetz (Big Momma’s House) from Prospect Park, and Michael Rauch (Love Monkey). John Rogers (Hide & Seek) also serves as co-executive producer. Jace Alexander (BURN NOTICE, Warehouse 13) directed the pilot and will serve as co-executive producer on the series. ROYAL PAINS films entirely in New York (Long Island and Brooklyn) and at locations around The Hamptons.

ROYAL PAINS stars Mark Feuerstein (What Women Want, In Her Shoes, Good Morning, Miami), Paulo Costanzo (Road Trip), Jill Flint (Gossip Girl) and Reshma Shetty (30 Rock). The pilot features guest appearances by Campbell Scott (Six Degrees) and Christine Ebersole (Saturday Night Live).

ROYAL PAINS is the first original series from Universal Cable Productions for USA.

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Roberto Benigni Does Dante

May 27, 2009

North American Tour of Benigni’s One Man Show– TuttoDante–
Begins May 26 in San Francisco and Ends June 12 in Chicago

For the past three years, two-time Academy Award winner Roberto Benigni [for 1999’s Life is Beautiful] has been touring in his native Italy with his one man show. TuttoDante is a celebration of the work of acclaimed Italian poet Dante. Benigni takes current events and interprets them and blends them through his own reading, study and love of the epic poem The Divine Comedy by Dante. During the final act, he recites the Fifth Canto in its original medieval Italian. The Fifth Canto recalls the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca who are condemned to Hell for eternity for the sin of lust. His performances have now expanded to other countries such as Paris, London, Switzerland, and Greece.

I spoke with him by phone, from Rome, recently. His infectious spirit traveled through the phone and made me smile and feel energized. This theatrical project sounds like a remarkable work of love and generosity. Benigni is bringing Dante to people so that they will enjoy it as much as he does.

Amy Steele [AS]: How are you doing?

Roberto Benigni [RB]: Hi. We have to talk a little. Where are you right now?

AS: I’m in Boston, Massachusetts.

RB: Oh Boston. I envy you. I’ve never been there. I can’t wait to be there.

AS: You haven’t been here?

RB: No never. Never. But I know Boston is a marvelous, magnificent city.

AS: Well I haven’t been to Italy, so. . .

RB: No, really? Never?

AS: No. Only France.

RB: So we wait for you.

AS: So in Italy does everybody read The Divine Comedy very early as children or when do you first read it?

RB: Oh no, my goodness no. They start about age 15. They teach it in school this wonderful book and people don’t like it and they are forced to learn this book and they teach The Divine Comedy in a very particular way. Although it is so a popular book and full of mystery. Sometimes it is incomprehensible but we need sometimes to talk about incomprehensible things. It’s very healthy. It’s very healthy to talk about what is death, what is destiny, what is the Other World.

AS: What do you like about it?

RB: Oh what? Everything. There is not a single word in it that I don’t like. It is so perfect a poem that every single word, you know Amy, is perfect. Fleeing from The Divine Comedy is impossible. It is like fleeing from our own conscious. How can I say? There is no other human creation that places human conscious and human suffering at such a high point. And it is also the reach of The Divine Comedy’s beauty. Because it is beautiful. When you start to read Dante, you stop reading every other thing because it is the most glorious imagination.

AS: I haven’t read it yet. I know I need to read it.

RB: Yes it is really great. When I come to Boston I would really like to see you, because it is very rare in book. The flavor of happiness. It’s really something very special. In my opinion Dante is maybe the greatest poet of modern poetry.

AS: My boyfriend has read the whole thing and he’s an engineer and he doesn’t read that much. On his own time, he read it. We did go to a visual interpretation at a museum.

RB: Right it is a very visual poetry The Divine Comedy. You can touch The Divine Comedy it is a book that is alive. It comes to life from the nervous system. Something that appeals to the mind and the nervous system. It’s in the eyes of a woman and we will never forget this. Beatrice: So written you are eternal. He promised to write something for her that nobody did before. And he kept his promise. It is really unbelievable what he did this man.

AS: So why did you want to write a show from this?

RB: No it is a show, Amy. I am not a professor and I am not an intellectual and I am not a critic. The show is separated into two parts. The first part of the show is about our time. The second part is Dante’s Fifth Canto about lust and sex and passions and loves and they are related. We can see how the sentiments are related. This is one of the most popular Cantos. It is the story of Paolo and Francesca and why they are in Hell. We would like to understand why two people in love are in Hell. This passion that can guide us and is concerning us very deeply and profoundly. The beauty of the language, the sound of his Italian is a symphony. The old sounds like Beethoven, Bach and Jimmy Hendrix. It’s really something beautiful and unforgettable. It’s very beautiful in my mind.

I decided to make my show about Dante and thought I would lose some people. But you know what happened, Amy. I am doing what I really love. To present Dante is like a gift. To present the most luminous poem of Italian culture. So I try, and really I was so surprised because I thought I would make this about Dante for some months and now it’s been three years and I’m continuing to make the tour about Dante. Incredible. So beautiful, really moving.

AS: How do you keep it fresh?

RB: What I present is always different. I couldn’t say no because I’m changing the show. It is never the same. I cannot write because we cannot use subtitles. What I am saying is always different. I try to continue. Although I would like to make a movie now: a comedy. Without The Divine [Comedy] in it. The first part of the show is a moment of lightheartedness. It is carefree. I do some research. But little about the town where I am doing the show.

AS: So the main subjects are covered in Dante’s work that you are weaving through the whole thing?

RB: It is related and we can immediately feel that because Dante is a great poet. Everything you read about Dante is something that is concerning you deeply and you can feel that it is something that moves into your soul into your bone. He found words for sentiments we can hardly feel because we don’t have words for them.

AS: What should U.S. Audiences expect?

RB: [To see me on stage] conveying my passion for Dante. And also if only one person starts to read The Divine Comedy, this is wonderful. It is a big thing.

AS: I have an online Israeli friend who asked me to ask you a question that is not related to this but is related to Life is Beautiful. How do you respond to critics who state there’s nothing good that can emerge from the Holocaust?

RB: Life is Beautiful was a real tragedy and sometimes they were confused because I am a comedian. They said, “It’s a comedy about Holocaust, my God.” I never thought about comedy about Holocaust. Impossible. The movie was a real tragedy but was starting in a happy way and the ending was tragic. In making this movie I put all my love and respect. I couldn’t hold back the beauty of the idea. I had to say something about the Holocaust and this is my way. It was a comedy body in a tragedy.

AS: I look forward to coming to your show.

RB: Come visit me in my dressing room. I would like to know you Amy.

AS: Thank you for speaking to me. It has been a real pleasure.

North American Tour Dates:

Tues. May 26–San Francisco–Davies Symphony Hall

Sat. May 30–New York City–Hammerstein Ballroom

Tues. June 2&
Weds. June 3–Montreal, Quebec, Canada–St. Denise Theatre

Sat. June 6–Boston–Berklee Performance Center

Sun. June 7–Toronto, ONT, Canada–Casino Rama

Wed. June 1–Quebec City, Canada–Gran Theatre de Quebec

Fri. June 12–Chicago–Harris Theatre

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20 Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler: Book Review

May 25, 2009

One year after the tragic death of Frankie’s older brother, Matt, to a rare heart condition, Frankie and her parents plan to return to the California town they have annually visited. This time, Anna, Frankie’s best friend will join them on the trip. Anna also was Matt’s best friend. In addition, Anna and Matt had secretly been more than friends for more than a month before his death. Matt had promised Anna that he would tell Frankie when they were in California but he never got the chance. As time has passed, Anna has never found the right moment.

The thought of keeping something so important, so intense, so unbelievable from my best friend for even one more day almost killed me. Never before in our shared history did I hide so much as a passing crush—she knew everything.

This trip may be a chance to mend the hurt and provide an opportunity for Anna to open up to Frankie about Matt. Anna has been carrying around this guilt about loving Matt for all this time. She feels that she should keep it a secret because Matt wanted it a secret but she also wants to tell Frankie because Frankie is her friend and is here. Anna and Frankie no longer are as tight as they had been before Matt’s death. Frankie only wants to have fun. Her grades have gotten worse and she’s known at school as the “fun, party girl.” She proposes a “20 Boy Summer” to Anna. On their trip, they will meet one boy each day or 20 boys total. Anna looks toward Frankie as the more experienced one in the way she dresses and puts on make-up even.

Within days, Frankie and Anna meet Jake and Sam and start to lie to Frankie’s parents and to sneak out at night to meet the boys. Anna develops a crush on Sam and worries about forgetting all about Matt. Frankie acts out and betrays Anna in the worst way possible. The beginning of the trip is bumpy for the parents but by the end everything is looking up. Ockler doesn’t ignore the parents in her book. There are very genuine moments with Frankie and her mother: where they reminisce about Matt and where they fight just like teens and their moms do, out of that love/hate relationship all young women have with their moms.

The guilt of not telling Frankie about Matt and me is overwhelming, but it’s a pale second to the violation I feel that she read my most private, raw thoughts and destroyed them. She broke into my carefully guarded heart, stole the only memories of Matt I had to myself, and turned them into a monstrosity.

20 Boy Summer deals with the grief process in a realistic way. Frankie lost the big brother who meant the world to her. He doted on his little sister and she became the literal little girl lost by experimenting with drugs and boys and a new identity, so to speak. His girlfriend Anna cannot let go, she cannot move on. She is waiting for some sign that may never come. She holds onto a secret she cannot share and this is destroying her from within. When she develops the crush on Sam in California, she says: The truth is the one thing I can’t say – that if I can be interested in Sam, I’m forgetting about Matt. Poor Anna is stuck in the past. In limbo with Matt’s death. She’s a young girl and does not understand that she will always remember Matt and it is okay to make new friends and new memories.

20 Boy Summer is a wonderful YA novel for all teens to learn about loss in a genuine, understandable and sweet way.

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When You Lie About Your Age The Terrorists Win: Book Review

May 19, 2009

I believe that a vehicle is for getting from point A to point B, not for making point A and point B.

Let’s face it, feminism just isn’t cool anymore. My friend has a daughter who currently goes to Vassar, and in a women’s studies class the professor asked how many students in the room would call themselves feminists—and—three students raised their hands. At Vassar. (And one of them was a guy. At Vassar.)

[writer’s note: I went to Simmons College, Class of 1991, and certainly considered myself a feminist and hardly anyone ‘dared’ called themselves a feminist for fear of the connotations the word provoked. Very sad that things have not changed in nearly twenty years.]

When comedian/writer Carole Leifer [Seinfeld] turned 50, she decided to write down her thoughts and share them in a book. I’m a good 15 years younger than her, so I could relate to some things and other things I’m not quite there yet. I don’t have children. I’m not gay but I have gay friends. I’m not Jewish but spend a lot of time in Brookline, Mass. [I'm sarcastic and from the East Coast] I’m a vegetarian. I’m a feminist and an animal rights activist. I’m liberal. My point is that a good writer will bring you into her world. Leifer succeeds at times and at other times, I just thought she was treading water or re-visiting familiar territory i.e. “I think you can stop. I’ve heard this one before.”

Leifer addresses: hiding your age; cars as “statements”; how she found out she was gay at 40; her love of animals; body changes as one ages; her breast cancer scare; feminism; things men should know; fake breasts; Judaism; her father; New York; being comfortable; doctors; therapists; class reunions; and numerous other age-related and non- age-related topics.

She delves deepest into her relationship with her father. Although he worked as an optometrist, she explains that her father had always wanted to be a comedian. Leifer had been taking adult b’nai mitzvah classes when he died. She still carries around a list of jokes he carried in his wallet. At another point, she addresses when her doctor thought a lump in her breast might be cancerous. She had just started dating her partner Lori and the panic merely strengthened the fledgling relationship. Finally there are the normal trials and tribulations of being part of a couple. Leifer became a vegan, yet Lori continues to eat meat. Leifer wants to be buried in New York, while Lori envisions eternity in her California family crypt. Leifer adds some comedic moments to these serious elements of her life and there are some hits and some misses as with any comedy routine.

I knew Leifer did stand-up and wrote for Seinfeld , dated Jerry Seinfeld back in the day etal. Other than that I didn’t know much about her. I’ve learned a few things from this book but still do not have a strong grasp of her persona. I’m disappointed. I wanted to laugh more I guess and while I got a few chuckles out of it here and there, When you Lie about your Age, the Terrorists Win is not particularly momentous. It is a fast-paced, light read. Much more effort could have gone into this book. The brief chapters read like monologues for, well, a stand-up comedian.

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TV: My Boys, Samantha Who?

May 19, 2009

I’m digging My Boys on TBS but am not sure if anyone really watches it. First, it focuses on PJ [the extremely versatile and sparkling Jordan Spiro] a writer/ now columnist in Chicago, who hangs out with mostly guys, thus the title. She does have one close female friend, Stephanie [Kellee Stewart]. PJ covers sports, is laid back, and is pretty much “one of the guys.” The humor in the show revolves around the usual things: work, dating, and day-to-day events. My Boys remains topical but not trendy or inside, easy to relate to and well-written. The show does not angle to be like any other show. My Boys does not try to make cutesy couples or catch phrases or have quirky characters.

Samantha Who? got canceled and I truly enjoyed the show. Christina Applegate has great comedic appeal and her character and the premise of the show is really delightful. A stuck up, snobby girl gets amnesia and now is sweet and extremely likable, charitable even? It figures. Jean Smart [Designing Women], perfectly cast as her mom, tears up the small screen, as often selfish and always hysterical.

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Posted by Amy Steele

Valkyrie: DVD Review

May 18, 2009


“Operation Valkyrie” was the code name for a plan to deal with possible anarchy in Germany as WW II was entering its final phase in Europe. The film Valkyrie provides a credible account of the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life and the events leading up to it. It provides an excellent example of why regicide is such a dangerous game. Those not familiar with the story and the main characters will find this to be a fast-paced [and thoroughly entertaining] action/ thriller directed by Bryan Singer [X-Men] and starring Tom Cruise. Those who are already students of this part of recent history would be well-advised to print out a cast listing before starting the movie. The characters come into play so quickly that it is not easy to identify each new general coming into the story. Further complicating this effort is Kenneth Branagh’s early role as Major General Tresckow. Those who remember his excellent performance as Reinhard Heydrich in the 2001 HBO film Conspiracy will have difficulty seeing him as a Wehrmacht general headed for the Eastern front, instead of Himmler’s most trusted SS deputy. In Valkyrie, Cruise provides a historically accurate portrayal of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. It is doubtful that the assassination attempt could have been made without his leadership.

The dramatic suspense in Valkyrie is enhanced by the actions or inactions of certain generals attempting to extend their cloaks of “plausible deniability” until the outcome of the assassination attempt has been determined. The delay in getting the plan into operation may well have changed the outcome of the operation from success to failure. There are many other “what if” questions, but this film covers that issue perfectly. Given the importance of the last-minute moving of the briefcase containing the bomb to a position behind a table leg, that event should have been covered more accurately and in greater detail. I nearly missed it and had to re-watch the scene. The table leg shown did not appear to have sufficient substance to function as the shield which allowed Hitler to survive.

The genius of the plan was that operational details of an existing plan dealt with an insurrection in Berlin, and amended a plan that received all of the highest-level endorsements needed for it to be implemented upon the occurrence of a certain event, such as the death of Adolf Hitler, with no serious scrutiny. The motivation for implementing the plan was the understanding by Wehrmacht senior staff of what might follow from the unimpeded advance of the Russians from the east. Their hope was that, upon Hitler’s death, a quick surrender to the Allies would limit the Russian advance from the east. Had the outcome of the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt been successful, we might be living in a totally different world today.

Valkyrie is well worth seeing. It is two pictures in one: a thriller and a historical film. So it should have wide appeal as it provides a glimpse into a little-known historical event. Cruise puts forth a determined performance as von Stauffenberg in Valkyrie even if he’s not particularly remarkable. It does make one wonder why as Executive Producer, Cruise chose to surround himself with an entirely British cast including Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander and Eddie Izzard.

DVD Extras include: Commentary by a chipper Tom Cruise and dir. Bryan Singer; featurettes “The Journey to Valkyrie” and “The Valkyrie Legacy”

GRADE: B

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Jo Koy: Don’t Make Him Angry: DVD Review

May 17, 2009


DVD Available May 19

Comedy Central

I really had only been familiar with Jo Koy as a panelist on Chelsea Lately where the easy going comedian chimes in with other round table guests about the latest pop culture gossip. Being half-Asian (Filipino) always gives Chelsea something to tease him about. His sense of humor and quick-witted quips makes him a welcome and repeated contributor to the show. Jo Koy always brings a huge smile to the show.

In this Comedy Central special, Don’t Make Him Angry, Jo Koy zips through a bunch of topics from being on the road in Alabama (he’s the only Asian in the state–a rare sighting) to visiting France (“F—the Eiffel Towel. We got one in Vegas. Does yours have a buffet?”) to Michael Phelps (“He’s a Superhero with the wet cap. But when he takes it off he’s Forrest Gump.”) to his son’s fascination with his “Ting Ting” (aka penis– which he colored with a green Sharpie) to his competitive bouts of bowling and tennis on Wii with his Filipino mom, who’s addicted to the game (they both got “into character” to play tennis).

Good-guy Koy exudes charm and energy. His comedy act has plenty of spot-on impressions and keen observations. He’s cute, endearing and comes across as someone you want as a friend.

Bonus footage includes: extra comedy material from an earlier gig, Koy hanging out with another comedy buddy, video of his adorable son Jo Jr. (“Look at me. Do you want a Hot Wheel?”)

Grade: B+

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