The Flip Side

Absolutey Fabulous - and I mean that!

Oh how I miss AbFab.  When it first aired in the U.S. you could only see it on Public Television (at least in my area) and I never missed an episode.  Now you can occassionally catch an episode on cable (BBC TV) and a few other channels.  The two stars (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley pictured above) have the best chemistry and comedic timing and the writing was amazing.  I found myself wondering what these two might be up to today.

Jennifer Saunders has been a very busy lady.  We, in the U.S. probably only caught her as the voice of the Fairy Godmother in “Shrek 2″ (where she did her own singing I might add).  But she is currently working another season of her drama/comedy “Jam and Jerusalem”.  Sadly, we yanks will be lucky to ever see this one.  She still partners occassionally with her pal Dawn French (quite the comedy team back in the day) and Jennifer married another Brit-com favorite Adrian Edmondson (Vyvyan Basterd from “The Young Ones”).  Be sure to visit one of her favorite charities: 

Amnesty International

Cheers, Eddie.

Joanna Lumley isn’t slacking either.  She has 70 or so tv and movie credits and a whopping 40 credits on talk shows and specials.  Oh how I miss her.  Most of her work is in the U.K. so we poor poor yanks will just have to suck it up and deal.  A few interesting factoids:  she is an avid animal rights activist and a vegetarian (kind of goes with the territory).  One of Joanna’s fave charities is: 

ActionAid

Cheers, Patsy!

And then there was “Bubble”.  Jane Horrocks’ character was so lovably moronic.  I just loved her.  But AbFab was packed with talent and Jane is no exception.  I saw her in a movie called “Little Voice”.  Her character spends a lot of time in her room listening to her father’s old records and imitating the voices of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and others.  The fascinating thing about the movie is that Jane actually did the most uncanny impersonations of these singers and, in fact, the original play was written specifically for her.

Yup, I sure do miss AbFab.  Here’s crossing my fingers for more U.S. releases from these truly talented ladies.

Vote here:  http://www.kerrangawards.com/kerrangawards/

Christopher Walken as “The Continental“

 So last week, a blogger (who I won’t name…ass) said Christopher Walken looked old and homeless.  Oh really, people.  Let’s give it a rest.  Now we’re picking on people because they get older?  Newsflash!  You’re heading that way too.  The dude is 64 years old and still manages to keep us glued to movie screens.  I have yet to see him in a  film and not love every second of that appearance.  And let’s be reasonable.  If you’ve seen…

a)      The Continental on SNL

b)      The Cowbell loving producer with Blue Oyster Cult on SNL

c)      The video for “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim

d)      Captain Koons in “Pulp Fiction” (which apparently makes even Mr. Walken laugh)

…you love him and you know you do.  So for some jackass of a blogger to say he’s old and looks homeless is shallow beyond words.  He’s done over 100 roles, what do you want from him?  Lay off Christopher Walken!  You know who you are.

“People think that my favorite roles to do are villains, but I find comedy to be the most challenging and rewarding.” – Christopher Walken (amen, I find your comedy most rewarding too).

Sarah Michelle Gellar

In this era of DUIs, crotch shots, addiction, and general “sluttery” it’s so refreshing to find a celeb who has some class.  I know there are a lot of stars with class out there, but SMG was never one of those poor tabloid fodder starlets (though she was a child star).  If you see pics of her at all, it’s generally red carpet and almost always in the company of her husband, Freddie Prinze, Jr.  She just oozes sophistication and style reminiscent of old Hollywood when there was some glamour and intrigue.  Yet, when you get a gander of that smile, you get the impression that she is friendly and approachable.  (I wouldn’t know as I have never attempted such a thing…with any famous person…ever.)  SMG began her career as a mere tot and yet we didn’t suffer as she grew up with masses of angst and drama.  Now, I could be wrong but it seems to me that she has been steadily employed forever.  Check out her IMDB page which list over 40 film and tv credits and a slew of appearances.  She is an award winning actress with a Golden Globe for one of her most beloved characters, Buffy.  Sorry SMG, I just loved Buffy (and I’m far too old to have loved that show).  So, here’s to a career defined by hard work and smart choices.  I wish her many more years of success.  Skohl!

P.S.  For all you fans out there (yeah, me too) she’s got a movie called “Addicted” slated for this year and another called “Alice” slated for next year.  That’s the one I’m waiting for.  It’s a horror version of “Alice in Wonderland” based on the computer game.  SMG and horror are a combination too good to pass up.

Debbie Harry

So Debbie Harry’s new album “Necessary Evil” is released on September 25, 2007 (her 6th solo album).  This lady is really an American icon.  Her band “Blondie” was so hot in the 80’s and she, herself, was the epitomy of fashion and all things cool.  She is considered a leader in the punk/new wave movement and has dozens of film credits.  But the thing I like about her is that she has rolled with the times.  She looks wonderful and seems to have the same moxy she has always had.  At the height of their career, her band had to part ways.  Her bandmate and s.o. Chris Stein was suffering from a life threatening illness and the two took several years off to handle that situation.  You have to respect that personal fortitude and selflessness.

I’m very excited to hear the new album which can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Evil-Debbie-Harry/dp/B000SM7QVQ

More info here: http://www.deborahharry.com/

Shannon Leto

Jared Leto

There’s nothing like a tattoo.  I love ‘em all.  I love the realistic portraits, the cartoons, the symbols, the text, band tats, religious tats, and even the cheesy cliche tats.  I have one and plan on more.  I like the henna tats and have a great recipe for the paste, but, again, I digress…

Today, I wanted to list a few celebs who have tats that you may or may not know.  I chose these particular people because I had no idea they had them.  A lot of famous people are sporting ink and we’ve seen them…alot.  But some people were a surprise for me.

Gillian Anderson (turtle shell on ankle, Sanskrit symbol for “every day” on right wrist)

Halle Berry (sunflower on her ass)

(Sorry, watch “Swordfish” for more info.)

David Bowie (lizard tattooed on ankle, Kanji surrounding nude woman on back on left calf)

David Duchovny (Actor has compass design on one ankle with N, S, E, WEST (his daughter’s name) spelled out)

Whoopi Goldberg (Actress has a tattoo of the bird Woodstock from Peanuts on left upper chest, floral design on right side)

Lucy Liu (tiger on the small of her back)

(Again, so sorry)

Rob Lowe (small heart tattoo on left shoulder)

(Ladies, I apologize…unreservedly)

Mary Kate Olsen (small tattoo on her ass)

(See the last movie)

Dolly Parton (Country singer has an angel tattoo on her upper left arm, a butterfly tattoo on her chest, possibly one on her ankle)

(Check out pics with sheer sleeves)

Jaime Pressly (Leo symbol on her lower back)

Kyra Sedgwick (large design on the small of her back)

Rod Stewart (Singer has tattooed right arm with a Scottish thistle, his left arm has a Scottish lion tattoo)

(Check Rod at the beach)

Carrie Underwood (American Idol winner had the outline of a black cat tattooed on the back of her left hip to celebrate her win)

(Sorry guys, she ain’t showin’ it).

This information came from:

http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/celebrity_tattoos.htm

http://www.tattoos-by-design.co.uk/celebrities

Jeffrey Donovan and Bruce Campbell with Sharon Gless and Gabrielle Anwar

I love sarcasm.  I am, myself, very sarcastic.  This makes me a big Bruce Campbell fan.  I’ve purchased and read his books (which are filled with that lovely sarcastic wit) “If Chins Could Kill:  Confessions of a B-Movie Actor” and “Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way”.  I even stay in the room when his Old Spice commercial is on.  He’s playing lounge lizard while singing Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf”.  See it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg6bZSM48vU.  Obviously, I love those B-movies where we all first met Bruce;  the Evil Dead series and “Army of Darkness” (technically part of the series).  And we all “shop smart, shop S-Mart” and keep it “groovy” while wasting “she-bitches”. 

Now, thanks to Bruce Campbell, I have become aware of yet another sarcastic talent that is quickly moving up in my book of totally watchable people.  The star of “Burn Notice” is Jeffrey Donovan and while one has to stay on one’s toes to keep up with Bruce Campbell in the dry wit department, Jeffrey is a master.  The narration he provides for the show is good enough that you could enjoy the show just fine without actually seeing it (which comes in handy when the your blind dog has found his way into the bathroom but can’t seem to find his way out causing mass hysteria among all household pets).  You truly have to appreciate the style of this show, but if you’re like me, you don’t ever want to miss an episode.  The show also features Sharon Gless and Gabrielle Anwar, both of whom do a stellar job playing against these two “hard to follow” acts.

Here’s a synopsis of the show:  When a spy gets fired, he doesn’t get a call from human resources and a gold watch.  In Michael’s case, they jeopardize his life, freeze his bank accounts, dump him in Miami, and flag him on every government list known to man.  They can’t take away his skills or what’s in his head, so they take away his assets and his resources to make sure he can never work again.  They burn him.  http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/

Yup.  That about sums it up.

Lauryn Hill

Once again, a very talented woman is getting press only because of a bad show.  I don’t know what happened, I wasn’t there.  The thing I’d like to point out is that this lady has pipes!  I don’t care what she does in her personal life since I don’t have a clue what her life is really like.  I do know that when she sings, I get the crazy chills.  I know many of you probably did not see “Sister Act 2” where Lauren Hill plays Rita Watson, but her scenes in the choir were amazing.  Everyone loved her when “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” came out around 1998 and won 5 Grammies for her efforts.  Now they seem to concentrate only on other things.  I, too, would love for her to do another solo album, but if she doesn’t, I’ll just content myself with her work to date.

(Featured in the song “All the Same” by “Sick Puppies”)

It’s time we take a moment to salute an inspirational human being.  This article on http://worldpeace.org.au/freehugs.asp explains the concept.

“Juan Mann” (pronounced one man) and fellow huggers have been spreading the love in Pitt St Mall, Sydney Australia for a while now. The hit video came about after Juan Mann hugged Shimon Moore (lead singer of Sydney Band the Sick Puppies). The video was shot by Shimon Moore and the song is called All The Same. Although the Free Hugs campaign started years ago, it has recently received a huge boost with the publishing of the video. Visit Juan Mann’s blogspace for updates on the campaign: http://www.myspace.com/freehugscampaign You can also watch a video interview with Juan Mann on the SMH website. 

The campaign is an example of a random act of kindness, a selfless act performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better.  Initial distrust of Juan’s motives eventually gave way to a gradual increase of people willing to be hugged, with other huggers (male and female) helping distribute them. After some time, security guards, then police told them they must stop, as Mann had not obtained public liability insurance worth $25 million for his actions. Mann and his companions used a petition to attempt to convince authorities that his campaign should be allowed to continue without the insurance. His petition reached 10,000 signatures, and he submitted it and was allowed to continue giving free hugs.

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Hugs_Campaign

His free hugs movement has since spread around the world and is yet another testament to the power of

One Man.

Now I find slapstick as amusing as the next person.  In fact, watching someone trip makes me laugh on and off for days.  My family chose seating in a favorite restaurant based on the fact that the table was next to a slightly raised bit of the walkway and always tripped those new to the place.  Ah, those were the days.  My own beloved father missed a booth seat in a restaurant and ending up sitting on the floor.  Oh, how we laughed and laughed.  However, I think it’s just so wrong to cackle with such glee just because a celebrity “has been brought down to size”.  They trip, they fall.  So do you, so do I.  If you are the kind of person who wants to amuse the world with your own particular brand of spastic flailing, be my guest. I applaud your courage and I’ll be the first person at YouTube tuning in.  But have a little compassion.  Don’t post videos of other people face-planting without their permission.  It’s embarrassing (not for the celebrity, but for the vindictive person who can’t wait to humiliate them).  Have a little class, people.  If your brother bites the ground, get him to O.K. it and post it all over the web.  I know I will.

P.S.  I do not include stunt people (amateur or professional).  They’re just asking for it.