Fab article with Angela Lansbury, 86 and still being awesome!

Hello, gorgeous fans. It's such a relief to know that one of Broadway and televisions's my loved stars is, first of all, still ALIVE, and secondly, she is still acting and being amazing. Angela Lansbury is truly and living legend. From her early days at MGM doing movies like Gaslight, Harvey Girls, Portrait of Dorian Gray, and then to her stage triumphs on Broadway in shows like Mame, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy and Dear World (all of which she won Tony's for), and then to her years as Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, Angela has done it all and continues to do it marvelously. I was sent this article that was recently done with her at her NYC home. She's currently in Gor Vidal's, The Best Man, and when asked if she was tired, she replied, "I'm the bionic woman."

In the interview with Lansbury, she reflects on her rise to success, getting out of England during the war and moving to Los Angeles where she got a contract with MGM. She talks about her first husband who ended up being gay and left her. And her second and last husband, who she was with for 54 years, who also became her manager and father of her two children. Also, she briefly talks about how her two children developed DRUG problems, which prompted them to move to Ireland to escape the pressure of Los Angeles life.

I had the pleasure of meeting La Lansbury while I was sitting in a rehearsal studio common area. It was right before the opening of A Little Night Music, and I was sitting at a table alone. Then this beautiful, vaguely familiar woman came and sat with me at my table, and I thought, "Is that Catherine Zeta Jones?" Then, five minutes later, when Angela came and sat at the same table, I was almost CERTAIN it was her, but of course, I was WAY more excited about seeing Angela, who I had discreetly understudied YEARS ago in the ill fated revival of Mame. She was so kind to me when I gushed over her and I will never forget it. She is a true legend. OH, and Catherine Zeta Jones was a total doll as well.

Happy 104th Bette Davis!

Hello, my gorgeous fans! Today is a momentous occasion: The 104th Birthday of Bette Davis! I was thinking about this recently, and the people who run showbiz these days just don't have the imagination and genius that they once did. Look at the women of the past that we still talk about: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, etc. Most of the women I just listed did not possess typical beauty, but what they did possess was talent, presence, and just raw electricity. And not just the leading ladies were like this. Look at supporting players like Eve Arden, Angela Lansbury (in her early days she was always second fiddle), Thelma Ritter, etc. They are so memorable in all the films they're in. These days we have...who? Keira Knightly?

So, Bette Davis. I just want to wish her an enormous happy birthday, wherever she may be. She has inspired me more than she, or anyone will ever know. From legendary performances in movies like Jezebel, Now Voyager (which is just the best), Dark Victory, The Letter, All About Eve, etc, to her less well known, but fabulous, performances in All This and Heaven Too, Watch on the Rhine, and The Sisters, to her often parodied late career in movies like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Nanny, Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, and A Catered Affair, I LOVE IT ALL! My one regret is that Bette Davis, unlike actresses like Meryl Steep, or Diane Keaton, or even Katharine Hepburn, was not allowed to age gracefully in film. Back then they didn't know what to do with women of a certain age in film, when I believe that's when women can became their most complex and delicious. I always wish Bette had been allowed to age with grace in film, BUT, that doesn't take away from the fact that she was still fabulous in those later movies. She paved the way for so many great actresses. Happy Birthday Bette!!!

Veronica Garland: Living Legend?

Veronica Garland has been described as “full-throated ,” “a full figured Julianne Moore,” “frightening,” “loud,” and “frighteningly loud” by both her peers and the press. Miss Garland had her first taste of the musical theatre spotlight when she briefly understudied Patti LuPone in the Australian Production of Evita. She went on for an ailing Ms. LuPone one night and so wowed those in attendance that La LuPone demanded she be immediately removed from the production. While still in the blush of youth, she also secretly understudied other great leading ladies of the Broadway Stage, including Betty Buckley in the ill-fated Carrie, Judy Kuhn in the flop Broadway Production of Chess, Angela Lansbury in the short-lived revival of Mame, and both Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner in cult musical, Side Show. There was never a show in which Ms. Garland did not add a full throated, belted interpolation. Ms. Garland soon felt the glare of the spotlight was too much for her delicate complexion and all but retired from the musical stage. She has been residing in solitude in Los Angeles where her hobbies include painting her face, wishing her eye lashes were longer and YouTubing herself. A few years ago, she was tepidly approached by Zachary Altman (www.highbelting.com) to come out of retirement to do a concert version of Sweeney Todd. She reluctantly accepted and came to define the role of Mrs. Lovett. Never has a comeback been so intensely anticipated and never has an ovation been so richly deserved.

In 2010, Heyer- Anchel Productions mounted a production of Into The Woods specifically for her. Her interpretation of The Witch was acclaimed for its depth, pathos and interpolated belted “F.” Veronica continued to “wow” audiences in the Holiday Revue, The Private Life of Veronica Garland, which was an enormous success. She then scared everyone into hysterics making them think she was REALLY leaving the stage in As If We Never Said Goodbye: Veronica’s Farewell Tour of 2011. Following her farewell tour, La Garland starred in a staged concert performance of Carrie: The Musical as Margaret White, opposite Morgan Anderson as the title role. Veronica’s performance of “Eve Was Weak,” which has thousands of views, can be found here.

Recently, Christiana Little, a New York based singer, actress, songwriter and playwright, approached Veronica about starring in an original musical tailored to her special talents, and so this summer, Veronica will star in Bombshell Baby!