Beatrice "Bea" Arthur ~ May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009

Adieu..




Bea Arthur and Zero Mostel Rooftop Theater 1958

Bea Arthur (born Bernice Frankel) was born on May 13, 1922 in New York City

Jiva

A TRIBUTE TO EARTHA MAE KITT (January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008)

I saw Eartha Kitt in New Faces of 1952 in Chicago... she sang that fabulous
song "Monotonous" in a style that was unique and so sexy. I have been a fan
of hers ever since.


Earthy Eartha, The Diva


There never has been and never will be anyone like her.


Eartha at The Churchill Club 1951


Eartha in Anna Lucasta


Eartha with her daughter Kitt


Eartha with Julius LaRosa and Ed Sullivan


Eartha with Nat King Cole


Eartha with Kristin Chenoweth 2004


Eartha with daughter Kitt McDonald Shapiro


Eartha sings "I'm Still Here" from FOLLIES

She may be gone, but she will live on in our memories...

Here is a website for her fans from her daughter Kitt:
Eartha Kitt The Official Site

Jiva

SHALL WE DANCE??

I HOPE I LOOK LIKE THIS AT 94 !!


Patricia Morrison looking good at 94



Patricia Morrison in 1939



King Yul Brynner a legend




I don't know why, but this clip always gives me goosebumps!

Jiva

APRIL FOOL'S DAY ~

SPRING IS HERE...




I don't know about you, but I feel pretty foolish today.
The government is going to send me a check with money
borrowed from China. The government is going to send
every working person a check, and some that are not
working also.

Today, I wish President Obama would surprise us all.
Stand up at his pulpit and announce on TV "APRIL FOOL!"
Meaning, it's all a big joke, and he isn't really going
to spend three trillion dollars of money we don't have.

FAREWELL NATASHA MUCH TOO SOON...

She won the coveted Tony Award for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in CABARET, 1998.

With her husband, actor Liam Neesom.

With her mother, Vanessa Redgrave.

Here is Mom Vanessa with Natasha and Joely in 1965.

With her sons, Michael and Daniel.

Natasha's sister Joely Richardson and her daughter, Daisy Bevan.


Her Grandfather Michael Redgrave and Grandmother Rachel Kempson.


Her mother Vanessa Redgrave and aunt Lynn Redgrave.

Natasha and her sister Joely.





45 Year old Natasha Richardson, of the Redgrave Family Acting Dynasty, has died today after being taken off life support in New York City. How tragic and sad for her family, her husband Liam Neeson and their two sons, Michael and Daniel. Natasha was one of the younger members of the Redgrave family, her mother being Vanessa Redgrave, daughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, shown above. Natasha's aunt, Lynn Redgrave, uncle Corin Redgrave, and Natasha's sister Joely Richardson, are all famous in their own right theatrically.

As Mary Schmich said in her famous article fantasizing about a good commencement address, that was falsely attributed to Kurt Vonnegut,

"The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday."

So may this be the reason behind Natasha's premature death, something that never crossed anyone's mind as being possible, on any day of the week.
It is always a shock to learn of an improbable passing. To her family, her husband, her sons, her mother, sister, aunt and uncle, our deepest sympathies and comfort.
The Broadway community will no doubt dim its lights in her honor tomorrow night.

For the complete story of her ski accident, her transport to New York, and subsequent death, click on this link from the Daily Mail.

Jiva

ESCAPING TO BROADWAY !

LIVE THEATER ~ AMERICAN MUSICAL COMEDY,
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!


If this doesn't make you laugh and blank out your brain, you're dead!

This Economy has me in the dumps.

Typical Busby Berkeley Number from 1930's films.
A depression era treat for the masses.

I'm choosing Broadway Musicals for MY escape!

CRAZY FOR YOU is my absolute FAVORITE MUSICAL!
I am IN LOVE with HARRY GROENER, and have been since I saw the show
ON BROADWAY in 1993.
I even sent him my photo, fool that I am!

Isn't he just adorable???? :-)

The "Merm" belts it out...

So you too may while away a few minutes of your time, escaping to Broadway.
If I were there, I'd see every single show playing.
That's my answer to these troubling times...
it's called "Looking the other way." :-)

And you have to admit, "Anything Goes"
is certainly the Theme Song of
This Economy!

Jiva

HOW I SEE THE ECONOMY IN 2009 ~

My Analogy in Video: ~
The man driving the watercraft is OBAMA.
The watercraft is OBAMA'S PLAN TO BAILOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
The surfer represents THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
The surfboard represents our ECONOMY.
The TSUNAMI represents REALITY.

Notice at the end of the ride, it's difficult to see what happened...
(The American people are TOUGH)!!!!

But you can bet it's going to be a hell of a ride.

ANY QUESTIONS?

Jiva

THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY ...

Here we are, almost into spring, getting ready to leave the cold winter behind us.
I said to my friend, "Nothing is going to be the same anymore..."
and he said, "Yes it is, the elk will still migrate, the geese will still be honking,
nothing will change." And I thought he was right, the basics will still be there,
we can make the most of them, as we wait for the great insurrection
these troubled times may bring upon us.

Some people have begun to call our new government the Bush/Obama government,
meaning that it appears to be much the same, wasteful spending, continuation of war,
empty promises. The inability to understand a free economy.

I tend to live in a bubble of my own making, hanging with friends who do the same.
Living in a dream of beauty and intelligence, yet going to the meetings, just in
case there is work that might help bring us back to a freer, independant America.
Sometimes it only takes a moment of will and perseverance to wrought change.
Not change we can believe in, but change that actually happens.

I don't wish to be owned by my government, I yearn to breathe free,
like it says at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

God bless America, may freedom be her song.


Jiva

LAST NIGHT AT THE OSCAR'S ~ KATE WINS !!

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE OSCAR'S, THERE WERE NO JOKES, NO LAUGHS, BUT A LOT
OF SERIOUS MOMENTS OF LAUDING ACTORS AND THEIR TALENTS BY FORMER ACTORS.
THIS HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, AND YOU COULD SEE IT BROUGHT EXCITEMENT
AND THRILLS TO THE NOMINEES TO BE SO COMPLIMENTED BY ICONS OF FILM.

For each category of actors, best, and supporting, a group of famous
winners from the past stepped forward, and each one personally addressed
one of the nominees, as a one on one so to speak, and told them of how
impressed they were with their work. You could see the thrill of
the words on the nominees faces. It was a brilliant stroke by the
director of the awards. It is something that each actor will carry
with them for the rest of their lives, to be personally complimented
by someone famous as Shirley MacLaine, or Robert DeNiro, a different
star for each nominee and seen by the millions of viewers.






































Because of the lack of a comedic host, song and dance man Hugh Jackman did his best
to entertain the audience of celebrities and their families, but a little humor might
have gone a long way to quicken the pacing of the show, and keep the excitement going.
As it was, I found myself drifting off, changing channels, watching scenes from a film
playing on TCM, watching bits of Oliver Twist on PBS, and then coming back to the
awards. Not my usual habits at all! But that's how it was for me. For you, it may
have been more to your liking. I was very happy to see Kate win her Oscar, god
knows she deserves one, and I had to laugh when she told Meryl Streep she'd just have
to "suck it up," commenting that godesses like herself couldn't believe they were in
the same company with Meryl.

Slumdog Millionaire and it's director Danny Boyle won the prize.
Kate Winslet and Sean Penn won best actor.
Penelope Cruz and Heath Ledger won best supporting actor.
Steve Martin and Tina Fey had a nice little performance,
and Heath Ledger's family accepted the award on his behalf.
Beyonce` and Hugh Jackman did a musical number with dancers.

The best part of all for me, was that towards the end of
the show, for the first time EVER as far as I can remember,
there was plenty of time for each performer to thank all the
people they wanted to thank, without any music or "hurry up"
people waving them off. Which proved that it CAN be done!

Jiva