Like it or not, here comes Santa

   I suppose it's officially Christmas season now. Yesterday I bought my only major Christmas gift. I took my son and his wife to lunch and then we went to Home Depot and purchased a Toro snowblower. Angy drives a bakery truck and heads out in the middle of the night so I wanted to give her a little help with clearing the long driveway at their house.

    Then last night I reviewed "White Christmas" at DeVos Performance Hall. I remember watching the old Bing Crosby movie at Christmas time. And who wouldn't love all that addictive tap dancing? But it reminded me how much more sophisticated my entertainment taste has become over the years. Songs and dancing are fun, but I expect a fully satisfying theater experience now, with characters as rich as the costumes and dialogue and sparkling as the glitter splashed sets.
    My Christmas celebration has changed so much in recent years.No more mountains of Christmas cookies. No more shopping, and wrapping and shipping. Gift cards and charitable donations are better anyway. The annual Christmas letter has been replaced with a blog and for the second year in a row I will forgo Christmas with the family at Mom's house in favor of a quiet, no-present get-away with Steve in Florida. I can honestly say I don't long for a white Christmas anymore. Snow comes with too many strings attached.

White Christmas

Well, it doesn't look like snow right now,  but I'll be humming White Christmas tonight I'm sure when I cover the tour coming to DeVos Performance Hall.

And we're off!

Today's the first event of my Traverse City Trifecta Book Tour. I'll be signing books from 2-4 p.m. at Horizon Books which has been doing well selling my books this month. Then Monday morning, Ron Jolly will interview me on WTCM radio. The big finale is Live at the Library Tuesday evening where I'll get a chance to read from the books, which was such a hit at Schuler's last summer. It's Laughing for a Living, up close and personal!

Thanks, Lou!

Today's tough assignment was to interview Ed Asner who will bring his one-man show, FDR, to Van Singel Fine Arts Center Oct. 20. What a delight he was to talk with. I told him his Emmy-winning character, Lou Grant, epitomizes every city editor I've ever worked for. They didn't all look like him, especially the women, but they all seem to have that same dog-with-a-bone determination. "I feel like I've been working for you all my life," I told him. We talked about the challenges newspapers face today and he asked about my career. I told him I took the buy out two years ago. "You can always write books," he said. I told him I'd been doing just that on a small scale. He compared my books to his one-man show. "You're on the stage alone but at least you are out there." Thanks, Lou.

What a hoot!

Kent District Library has invited some local authors to set up tables at their 75th anniversary celebration from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 18. It will be the first time somebody has paid $75 for a ticket to see ME. But I guess there are plenty of other attractions.  Check it out.

Gaga for Greek God

OMG. Yesterday I interviewed Martin Harvey who was in Detroit with the tour of "Come Fly Away," which is coming to Grand Rapids in October. It's a shame the audience will never hear his lovely British accent, since the dancers in "Come Fly Away" don't speak, but from what I've read, this sexy dancer can say it all with his moves. He starred in the London production of "Dirty Dancing."

       "I started out as an actor and became a ballet dancer against my type," he told me. " I always felt like an imposter. But years of ballet training made me aware of every muscle in my body. It's a wonderful tool in my bag."

       Dare I point out his bag is bulging already with rugged good looks? You can see why he is cast as a Greek God in an upcoming television movie pilot, "Siren." Oh, yeah, and he recently married Grand Rapids native Maria Kowroski, a ballerina with the New York City Ballet. Congratulations, Maria and Martin.

One never knows, do one?

Ken Tepper and the Circle Theatre cast have done a great job with "Ain't Misbehavin'," the Fats Waller musical revue that's really the first of all the "juke box" musicals.  It never ceases to amaze me that I can see a show several times and always see something different. This one was a lot smoother, sexier than I remember. It almost sneaks up on you. With a racially diverse cast it's not as much of a political statement. It's just the music and this cast does a great job with singing and dancing. Read the review