Monthly Archives: August 2006

Birthday

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Just got back from seeing The Devil Wears Prada which I was fairly ambivalent about seeing. Bill had wanted to see it at an acting coach’s suggestion so we went. It was better than I expected and Meryl Streep ruled. Actually laughed out loud at several scenes. And it was more crowded than I expected it to be. Some audience members thought that this was the perfect film to take a newborn infant to see and I can easily see how they’d think that. The movie is based on a novel written by a former assistant to Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue magazine.

It was a funny film and I remember reading about some backlash regarding the movie. Mainly about how the desks are so neat and orderly. I can’t say that was the case at People magazine when I worked there. Most of the time, you’d be lucky if you saw a desk, they were usually covered in newspapers, magazines, and whatever department the desk was in. Also that there is now way an assistant would be able to get away with wearing couture that had been sent in for fashion shoots. But other than that I recommend it. Four thumbs up. Mine and Bill’s.

Bill and I met in Bryant Park and that didn’t go well at all. Just a communication problem but it worked out after awhile. At one point Bill didn’t want to see the movie, and I would’ve been ok with it, but we were right in front of the bloody theater and I had given up a few things to be able to see it with Bill, and to further prove my commitment to seeing this movie, right then and there, I threw out a very good not even half smoked cigar into the street. So there!

Today is my sister’s birthday. Two years ago Bill and I flew out to San Francisco for a few days, to see a friend of mine get married and also to surprise Annemarie on what was a milestone birthday. For her integrity I won’t say how many years she’s been on the planet, but it was a major event. She’s eight years older than me and I was born in 1962. Technically I didn’t say anything about her youthful age, did I? Any lawyers out there, please advise. Not that Annemarie would sue me or anything, more like smack me upside the head next time she sees me. And that won’t even happen since she’s not a violent person.

Cut me down to size? Well she is my sister after all. This year, with me having a new job, and Annemarie having a new job it just wouldn’t be possible. When I drunk dialed her last week, while hanging out with El Rey, I told her about my plan to fly out there between Christmas and New Years. She agreed that it was a good idea, possibly a fine idea, but with one flaw. They were going to be in Orlando at that time. So eff that idea.

I will see her next year when our niece Meghan marries the wonderful Rob. The date isn’t set yet and after speaking to her mother, Elaine a few weeks ago I was told that to have a wedding in June is mucho bucks. And they are the bride’s parents, so that tradition thing rears it head once again. The bride’s parents pay for the wedding. I’m sure it’s written down somewhere. Somewhere in a cave.

Anyway I would like to take this opportunity to wish my sister a Happy Birthday and to thank her for being such a good friend (BFF!) and a wonderful sister. To my sister, Annemarie! The richest woman in town!

Love,
John

Shabby Doll

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Monday. Back to work, relative normalcy. Slept ok, woke up ok. It was an average morning. After a weekend of inactivity, actually having something to do didn’t sound so bad. I woke up a little later than usual, but there was no hurry to get to work on time. I knew it wasn’t going to be too busy, most everything has been slow in the McMann and Tate world. My appetite has been ravenous lately and after eating breakfast at home, when I got to the city I got some bagels for myself. A healthy appetite for sure. No complaints, just always hungry. Always finding time for second breakfast.

Right now, Elvis Costello and Fiona Apple are singing a duet on one of the MTV channels. Stumbled onto it. Bill has been hankering to get a DVD-R for cable so he can watch his Law and Orders as well as commercials that he might be in or have to study. He’s been taking acting classes and they seem to be serving him well. Or at least he’s acting like they’re serving him well which is more or less the same thing. Elvis Costello is now singing a Fiona Apple song.

What the hell happened to Elvis? I used to love him, then he released ‘Goodbye Cruel World’ and it was basically goodbye blind adoration of Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I’ll never forget when Elvis and the Attractions were touring for the Punch the Clock album. Not a bad album but totally flaccid when compared to ImPeRiAl BeDrOoM, or Imperial Bedroom for those who think my fonts have a mind of their own. I was in Chelsea hanging out with my friends, Rita and Loren. We all had tickets to the upcoming NY show a few days later and were psyched for it.

Rita mentioned that she read an interview with Elvis Costello that took place at the Parker Meridian hotel on 57th street and suggested that we should go up to the hotel and see if they were hanging about the hotel. Having nothing better to do, we all agreed and hopped in a taxi from Chelsea to 57th street. In the hotel, being somewhat posh, we stood out like sore thumbs. We sat in the lounge and had some very pricey cocktails. I believe after two rounds, our funds were depleted. We took to wandering around the lobby when we saw Bruce Thomas, bass player for the Attractions get into an elevator. We jumped in with him, nervously trying not to giggle.

It was all very ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ a movie made in the seventies about a group of teenagers trying to get into the Plaza hotel and meet the Beatles. Bruce Thomas got off at the 10th floor and we got off at the 11th, taking an elevator back down to ten. We expected to hear a party but it was very quiet as we walked down the hallway with our ears pressed to the doors. I guess we made some sort of disturbance, because Bruce Thomas opened his door asking if he could help us.

The three of us gushed, telling him we were fans and how we loved Elvis and the Attractions. He was kind enough to invite us into his humble room. He apologized for only having water to offer, not really a rock and roll scene. We just gushed some more and told him how excited we were to be seeing him and the band soon. He asked where we were from and we told him New Jersey. He asked if we were going to see the Asbury Park show and we said no.

Bruce offered to put us on the guest list if we cared to go. We definitely did care to go. He also mentioned that the Asbury Park show was on his birthday, and he’d make a point to put us on the list. We thanked him profusely and Rita, Loren and I made plans to buy Bruce some gifts for his birthday. Time flew and suddenly it was Sunday and we were in Asbury Park. A few Hoboken people were at the show and we couldn’t help but show them our backstage passes. They in turn showed us theirs. So much for being smug.

The show was great but I couldn’t remember much having spent most of the night staring at the backstage pass on my clothes and making sure no one would run up to me and swipe it. After the show we ran backstage gushing like Wendy Jo Sperber and finally cornering Bruce Thomas and giving him his gifts. I don’t know what Rita and Loren gave him, but I was working for a book company and swiped a few best sellers of the intellectual sort to give him. He thanked us and got on the bus headed towards the next gig. We didn’t really talk to Elvis or the others, it was Bruce who got us in, and Elvis was surrounded by press and hangers on.

We all drove home and that’s about all I can remember. Now Elvis is duetting with Billie Joe Armstrong. WTF? Bruce Thomas was later kicked out of the Attractions after a row with Elvis. He wrote a book called ‘The Big Wheel’ a thinly disguised roman a clef about life with an egocentric singer on the road. I think Bruce Thomas being kicked out of the Attractions soured me somewhat on what Elvis Costello is doing now. I saw him and Diana Krall on the street a few years ago and I just kept walking. He saw that I recognized him, but being in New York City, I just let him be.