BEA ARTHUR, born BEATRICE FRANKEL, died over the weekend, at her home in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer at the age of 86.  Although she lives forever, even today, on Lifetime, We, Oxygen, HALLMARK and lord knows what other outlets today and into the future, BEA, VERA, MAUDE and DOROTHY will be missed.

She broke into television after a quarter century on Broadway, a phase of her career that earned her a Tony for her role as Vera Charles in the classic MAME.  There, she must have honed the impeccable comic timing and wicked sarcastic delivery that epitomized BEA ARTHUR’S as a classic comedienne, whether onstage or in front of a television camera.

ALL IN THE FAMILY was the number 1 show in the country, when BEA ARTHUR was scripted in as EDITH BUNKER’S cousin, a plumber, who came to take care of the ailing EDITH and her notorious husband.  ARCHIE, as the nation knew him, was a miserable, chauvinistic, opinionated, domineering son-of-a-bitch, that ran roughshod upon everyone in his life.  He was the poster boy for political incorrect, and he was a megastar in TV land.

MAUDE, ARTHUR’S character was the antithesis to all that, a strong woman, a woman’s libber, someone who not only wasn’t going to be pushed around by ARCHIE BUNKER, but who could, and did stand up to him, battling him toe-to-toe.

The pairing worked, earning BEA her own show, MAUDE, which went on to immortalize BEA ARTHUR as the champion for liberalism, women’s rights, the politically under-represented, and all those who loved good comedy.  The show paired BEA with RUE McCLANAHAN, with whom she would further solidify her legacy in her next television series. 

MAUDE broke ground in the ‘70’s, dealing with all kinds of social issues, usually turning them upside down, and turning the establishment types on their heads.  In one episode, MAUDE, after much consternation, and screaming, and crying, and laughing, has an abortion at the age of 47.  ROE v WADE would be decided 2 months later.

The show ran for 6 years, and it won BEA ARTHUR her first Emmy.  Funny thing, BEA ARTHUR wasn’t really the activist and bullhorn her characters so vibrantly represented.  She was actually shy and demur, and retreated from the spotlight.

After a 7-year hiatus from television, recall that BEA ARTHUR is now 54 years old, she lands another sitcom, THE GOLDEN GIRLS.  The rest is history.  BEA, RUE, BETTY WHITE and ESTELLE GETTY will be forever remembered as DOROTHY, BLANCH, ROSE and SOPHIA.  BEA’S wit and comic sense were perfectly suited for DOROTHY, the gangly, divorced, awkward, yet hysterically funny ringleader of the group. 

She was nominated for an Emmy as Best Actress in a Comedy in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989, winning in 1988.  RUE McCLANAHAN won in 1987.  BETTY WHITE won in 1986.  The show, currently aired several times a day on more than 1 network, is still not dated, despite being more than 20 years old.  BEA ARTHUR is a big part of that.

In one memorable episode, BEA, after tagging along with BLANCHE to her favorite bar, takes over, and for 1 episode, becomes the darling of the men there, wooing them with her vocal stylings.  She could deliver a song as well as a joke, and did so with great aplomb in this episode, singing IRVING BERLIN’S “What’ll I Do?”

“What’ll I do
with only dreams of you
that won’t come true
what’ll I do?”

It was performed with such emotion and power; it brings tears to my eyes, just writing the words.

Thank God for BEA ARTHUR, champion of liberalism and comic genius.  And that God we have more than dreams to remember her by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxJsl4e0Xmg

On a day that President OBAMA allocated some tickets for the annual Easter Egg Hunt on the White House lawn for gay and lesbian families, Amazon somehow reclassified its gay and lesbian subject matter books as pornographic.  Go figure.

The White House, in an effort to reach out to diverse communities, allotted some of the tickets for the annual event geared for kids, specifically for gay and lesbian families.  The move was an historic, and meaningful gesture in the ongoing battle for equal civil rights for same sex couples, and their children.

But even as this was happening under a mild day in the nation’s capitol, Amazon was engaged in a mysterious drama in cyberspace, as books and other materials relating to gay and lesbian issues were no longer searchable on its website, as their sales rankings dwindled or disappeared.  The anomaly began Sunday, and gathered some attention on Twitter, causing Amazon officials to issue an email explanation late Monday evening,

"This is an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error for a company that prides itself on offering complete selection. It has been misreported that the issue was limited to Gay & Lesbian themed titles -- in fact, it impacted 57,310 books in a number of broad categories such as Health, Mind & Body, Reproductive & Sexual Medicine, and Erotica. This problem impacted books not just in the United States but globally. It affected not just sales rank but also had the effect of removing the books from Amazon's main product search. Many books have now been fixed and we're in the process of fixing the remainder as quickly as possible, and we intend to implement new measures to make this kind of accident less likely to occur in the future."

But many, including authors and publishers whose works were affected by the supposed glitch, did not agree, attributing a more nefarious explanation to the phenomenon.  The brief statement, and abject silence since then would seem to suggest there is more to the story.

Could Amazon be homophobic?

On that topic, MEL GIBSON, finds himself in a suit for divorce from his wife of 28 years, Robyn.  Citing irreconcilable differences, Mrs. GIBSON seeks custody of their 10-year old son; jewelry, earnings and assets accrued since their separation, as well as a share of the substantial worth the A-list actor has accrued since their marriage in 1980.

GIBSON first hit the scene in MAD MAX in 1979, and the couple was married in 1980.  They separated 1 month after MEL’S scandalous arrest for drunk driving in Malibu in 2006.

Karma is son of a bitch.   Amazon beware.

4.8.09 - KUMAR GOES TO WASHINGTON-Actor KAL PENN will be joining the White House Office of Public Liason, as a liason to the Asian-American, Pacific Islander and the artistic communities. PENN became aquainted with the President and his staff while campaigning for OBAMA last year.

PENN, shown here at President OBAMA'S recent townhall session in Los Angeles, had a recurring role on HOUSE, but his character committed suicide to free him up for his big move to the nation's capitol.  PENN has had appearances in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH, SPIN CITY, ER, NYPD BLUE and 24 among other television series, but is probably best known for his role, as KUMAR, in adventures looking for
White Castle, going to Amsterdam and escaping from Guantanamo.

Other film roles include VAN WILDER, MALIBU'S MOST WANTED, SUPERMAN RETURNS, and EPIC MOVIE, with movies UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT and BHOPAL:

Ten minutes down Ramon Road from the heart of Palm Springs, and right off the 10 Freeway, Agua Caliente Casino, Resort, Spa hosted MELISSA ETHERIDGE LIVE AND ALONE at their new, state of the art theater, THE SHOW.

Melissa Etheridge, kicking off Dinah Shore Weekend, gave a tour de force solo performance using only her voice, her witty banter, a series of guitars (one actually used as a drum to accompany her) and a piano.  With the kind of stage presence that belongs to greats like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Liza Minelli, she held the audience in the palm of her hand for more than two hours. 

The capacity crowd of two thousand welcomed the singer onto the stage and she immediately created a feeling of easy intimacy by engaging the audience in casual, funny conversation.  When she began singing, her fans sang with her, although her strong, clear, joyful voice was always the loudest.  Ms. Etheridge’s enjoyment of the evening was apparent by the smile in her eyes and the abandon in her body while playing her guitar, and that enjoyment was most definitely share by her audience.

The set list included her hits (“Come to My Window”, “I Need to Wake Up” for which she won an Oscar) her lesser-known songs (“When You Find the One”), and one Joan Armatrading song (“The Weakness in Me”) at the piano.  She closed the amazing night with her big hit, “ I’m the Only One” but the crowd would not let her go home until she came back for an encore.

By opening THE SHOW, Agua Caliente has added a jewel in it’s already luxurious, top-of-the-line casino/resort.  It’s no wonder that stars are lining up to perform there, while audience members are buying tickets as fast as they can, and showing up for dinner prior to the performances at the various gourmet restaurants housed at the hotel.  It’s a great getaway!

Melissa Etheridge is booked to perform at THE SHOW again next year on April 1, 2010.  Tickets go on sale in November.

Before taking the stage at The Show in her only Southern California appearance, Grammy®-winning artist Melissa Etheridge autographecd a guitar to be donated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to the AIDS Assistance Program of Palm Springs .

Etheridge, who is a champion of charitable causes, signed an Ovation 6-string guitar in a private ceremony held April 2nd at The Show, the tribe’s new multi-million dollar entertainment venue in Rancho Mirage, California. The Tribe’s 5-member council and representatives from AIDS Assistance Program were in attendance.

Since its founding in 1991, the AIDS Assistance Program of Palm Springs remains dedicated to providing comfort and support to improve the quality of the lives of those surviving HIV/AIDS. Initiated by a small group of concerned citizens, led by the late Gloria Greene and Jeannette Rockefeller, AAP provided meals to members of the community with low incomes and suffering with HIV/AIDS. Since then, the AIDS Assistance Program's client roster has grown from approximately 20 to more than 500 people.

The AAP will auction the autographed guitar at its annual “Evening Under the Stars” fundraiser April 25

For more information on THE SHOW, or on AGUA CALIENTE CASINO, RESORT, SPA go to:
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