Monday, April 28, 2008
Censorship rearing its ugly head on daytime TV...
Luke and Noah on "As The World Turns"
I don’t watch the daytime soap opera “As The World Turns” but I have heard the internet rumbling about the Luke and Noah storyline and the fact that they haven’t kissed since last September. Apparently they did get a couple of kisses on screen recently and it has caused the radicals to start a campaign against Proctor and Gamble, the sponsors of the show.
You can read about the American Family Association campaign here. They were kind enough to include the YouTube video of the kiss scene in their email with the warning "Content is repulsive."
Procter and Gamble is conducting an alarming poll about continuing the Luke and Noah storyline.
Even if you don't watch but want to defeat homophobia and unnecessary censorship, please call:
1-800-331-3774
Press 2 for the Luke and Noah poll, and then 1 to vote to continue the storyline.
Then post this in your blog so that more people will see it.
Countess Bedelia 4/28/2008 10:09:00 PM
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Sunday, April 27, 2008
Circle of Friends....
The Countess just returned from a fun trip to New York City with my 8 year old granddaughter. It is a wonderful thing to look at the world from the eyes of a child. Everything is brand new, shiny, and exciting!
One of our adventures took us to the American Girl Place on 5th Avenue. The store has a beautiful theater and puts on a wonderful live musical production, "Circle of Friends". This production features eight young girls between the ages of 10 to 13. They sang, danced, acted, and never missed a cue! What talent! And so young!
Young people who have talent and an interest in theater should be encouraged and their talent should be nurtured. That is why the Berkshire Theatre Festival started the Richie Dupont Fund to help youngsters who want to learn about theater arts and need assistance to attend their summer acting camp "BTF PLAYS! ".
Grand Army Arrows will play at BTF's 3rd annual Richie duPont Award Benefit on Saturday, May 3 from 8pm to 11pm at Firefly (71 Church St.) in Lenox. Three of the band's four members are BTF acting alumni: Josh Tussin, Joe Therrien, and James Barry (who will return to the Unicorn this summer in The Caretaker).
This is how the band members describe their music: "Imagine, if you will, some punks in 1977 find a time machine that looks like a 1957 Chevy and take it back to 1967. They wake up one jingle jangle morning in 1997 and go back to sleep until 2007. We are guided by a Gerry Goffin-Carole King heart beat."
The Richie duPont Award is named in memory of a young actor who made his way from a Berkshire elementary to the BTF Main Stage. The benefit party at Firefly will raise scholarship funds for local children to attend BTF PLAYS! summer acting camps.
There will be door prizes and a silent auction featuring fabulous items donated by Berkshire Bike & Board, Chocolate Springs, IS183, Karen Allen Fiber Arts, Kripalu, Pine Cone Hill, The Red Lion Inn, Rhythms, Route 7 Grill, and Shooz.
The event's generous sponsors are Firefly, the Countess Bedelia, Studio Two, and Your Color Connection. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 413-298-5536 ext. 13.
I hope to see all my Berkshire friends there.....and if you aren't in the Berkshires next weekend.....you should be!!
Countess Bedelia 4/27/2008 08:19:00 PM
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
It's was either laugh or cry at the gas station today....
Since I am off to New York City for a couple of days, I will leave you with some cartoons to make you laugh....I hope. Everyone is crying when they go to fill up their car these days. Gas at my local station was $3.499 a gallon.
I remember when gas was 20 cents a gallon. 5 teenagers in a Ford coupe driving into the gas station and getting 5 gallons of gas=$1; then down to the Mario's Pizza...1 large pizza = $1 and 5 cokes = $1. We were living large!!!
Bye for now.
Countess Bedelia 4/24/2008 07:32:00 AM
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thank you, Mr. B .....
When the phone rang in the late afternoon and Mr. B suggested going to the Gauchos Churrascaria Brazilian Steak House in Manchester, NH for dinner, both Peter Barry and I were still recovering from the dinner party the night before. Our first inclination was to pass on the invitation, but then...what the heck!!! Let's go!
So off we went up Rte 93 to Manchester. And weren't we very glad we did! This was a dining experience not to be missed.
First you are issued a disc that is red (stop) on one side and green (go) on the other. The gauchos come to your table with skewers of meat if you have the green side up. If you need a little break, turn over to the red. There is an extensive salad bar and also a platter is set upon your table with plantains, baby potatoes, and yucca fries.
This is a sample of the skewers of meat that are offered to you...
Here is our personal gaucho, Mario, serving Peter..
And then Mr. B gets his portion...
After being served all these various meats, we were a little stuffed and waddled out to the car for the ride home.
Thank you again, Mr. B, for treating us to a special dining experience; but most of all, for another time for good friends to get together.
Countess Bedelia 4/22/2008 07:36:00 PM
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Monday, April 21, 2008
The Dinner Party...
Chef Peter Barry cooked up a feast for the dinner party at the Castle Bedelia.
Mr. B arrives with a fine wine!
After the rest of the guests arrived, Chef Peter presented the Antipasto....a masterpiece!!
Then the pork roast with mango stuffing....
Chef Peter was a little tired after all this cooking AND doing the dishes too!!
but Mr. B. cheered him up....
This is the pork roast after the guests dug in...
And for the finale, Mr. B. waves to all his admirers...
Thank you Peter for a wonderful feast. The Glenlivet was poured, the wine decanted, and the martinis were made with a flair. Everyone had a great time; in fact, I thought several were going to stay over to make sure they got some leftovers the next day!!
Countess Bedelia 4/21/2008 01:01:00 PM
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Menu....
Peter Barry’s Dinner Party
Sunday, April 20th, at The Castle Bedelia
Hors d'oeuvres
Shrimp with cocktail sauce
Scallops wrapped in bacon
Appetizer
Antipasto platter
Main Course
Mango stuffed pork loin
Pineapple garlic smashed potato
Stuffed tomato with Asparagus
Dessert
Strawberry and mascapone stuffed crepes
Then we all lay down and pass out!!!
Can't wait!!
Countess Bedelia 4/17/2008 09:06:00 PM
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
You are invited....
The invitation arrived by courier...
You are cordially invited to attend a dinner party
Hosted by Peter Barry
This Sunday
At the Castle Bedelia
Only fabulous attire will be granted admittance
RSVP by carrier pigeon to the frozen tundra
Of course I sent my fastest pigeon off immediately with my acceptance. When Peter Barry invites you to a dinner party (even one in your own castle), you had better RSVP as requested. Just ask Mr. Brian about that little faux pax.
We look forward to all manner of culinary delights like this lemon sorbet frozen inside a real lemon.
Can't wait!!!
Countess Bedelia 4/16/2008 09:58:00 PM
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
New York streets are always interesting...
One thing you can usually count on in Times Square is seeing the Naked Cowboy...
And beautiful blue fish...
Here he is serenading New York's finest...
Elmo was just standing on the corner....
And this duck dressed up like a pirate for some strange reason...
The Countess hung out with Hello Kitty for awhile...
The Countess hung out with Hello Kitty for awhile...
Ripley's Believe It or Not always looks kind of freaky... Well, it is an "Odditorium"...
Store windows can be fascinating. This one had glass seahorses...
Store windows can be fascinating. This one had glass seahorses...
And beautiful blue fish...This was the morning view of the Empire State Building looking down 34th Street...
For some reason the Sheraton Towers Hotel was all decked out like a castle to promote the Showtime series "The Tudors"...
I love New York!
Countess Bedelia 4/15/2008 09:04:00 PM
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Monday, April 14, 2008
New York! New York! How I love that town...
The Countess just returned from a whirlwind two days in the city. Where should I begin?
Let's start with the bar....because there is always a bar, isn't there? This time it was the Ritz Bar on W.46th Street. On my last trip to NYC, Bryce introduced me to the Ritz and so I thought it would make a great meeting place for afternoon cocktails.
The very handsome and friendly Giovanni was behind the bar...
And I met a new friend, Bill from Pennsylvania. Bill and his partner have been together for 11 years! Congratulations guys!
One of the shows that I took in was "In the Heights". This wonderful show made me laugh and cry AND give a standing ovation (which I don't do very often). Go and see it if you are in town.
Christopher Jackson played Benny in the show. He was fabulous!
I met up with several girlfriends and went to a matinee performance of Antony and Cleopatra at the Duke on 42nd Street Theater.
It was an interesting production of this Shakespeare drama with a setting in the late 19th century and costumes reflecting that period. If you like Shakespeare, check this out.
Harvey Fierstein has staged a production of "A Catered Affair". You can read a New York Times article on the star, Faith Prince, here. She was fantastic in the role of Aggie, a poor housewife who just wants her daughter to have a great wedding.
Let's start with the bar....because there is always a bar, isn't there? This time it was the Ritz Bar on W.46th Street. On my last trip to NYC, Bryce introduced me to the Ritz and so I thought it would make a great meeting place for afternoon cocktails.
The very handsome and friendly Giovanni was behind the bar...
And I met a new friend, Bill from Pennsylvania. Bill and his partner have been together for 11 years! Congratulations guys!
One of the shows that I took in was "In the Heights". This wonderful show made me laugh and cry AND give a standing ovation (which I don't do very often). Go and see it if you are in town.
Christopher Jackson played Benny in the show. He was fabulous!
I met up with several girlfriends and went to a matinee performance of Antony and Cleopatra at the Duke on 42nd Street Theater.
It was an interesting production of this Shakespeare drama with a setting in the late 19th century and costumes reflecting that period. If you like Shakespeare, check this out.
Harvey Fierstein has staged a production of "A Catered Affair". You can read a New York Times article on the star, Faith Prince, here. She was fantastic in the role of Aggie, a poor housewife who just wants her daughter to have a great wedding.
The Countess was all excited because Angela Lansbury came in and sat right in front of me! I had a chance to talk to her for a moment after the play and she was so gracious. A beautiful lady.
Like all my NYC visits, there just isn't enough time to do everything I'd like to do. Usually I manage a visit to MOMA or the Met (both the opera and the museum...LOL). It was great to have a chance to visit with some friends though. One from near Toronto, Canada, one from Philadelphia, one from Connecticut, and several from NYC. See you all again....soon, I hope!!
Countess Bedelia 4/14/2008 10:20:00 AM
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Monday, April 07, 2008
Berkshire Buzz....
The Countess found a new bar in Lenox...Flavours on Rte 7. It was a rockin' time there the other night.
Now first order of business, as always, is to order the Glenlivet....."What, no Glenlivet?", I pouted. What is up with all these bars that don't have Glenlivet? I just don't understand! But you will be happy to know that I got a MySpace message the next day from Chin, the bartender, who told me that he ordered a supply just for me so that it will be there when I return.
One of the reasons I stopped in was because the Berkshire Theatre Festival is hosting their annual benefit for the Richie Dupont Fund and they wanted a particular band to be the entertainment.....Tony Lee Thomas Band. Check out his MySpace page to hear his music and see him on video. He is ROCKING!!!!
Tony Lee was playing up a storm with his band that night and I was dancing my little heart out. Joining me on the dance floor was Stew, Erin, Stephanie, and Tim...all from BTF. They were there to check out the band and the more Tony played, the more they wanted him to perform at the benefit. Here is Tony up on the stage. He can really play that guitar!
The Countess struck up a conversation with Tony and asked if he would be able to play at the benefit and he said he would!! Now you all have to come and support the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Richie Dupont Award Benefit which raises funds for scholarships for creative and talented students to attend BTF PLAYS! summer acting camps that might otherwise not be able to. The Benefit will be on Saturday, May 3rd, at Firefly in Lenox. Click on the link to get the details.
Tony Lee, The Countess, and Chin sharing a laugh at Flavours.
Earlier in the evening I stopped in at Michael's in Stockbridge to say hello to the gals behind the bar, Susan and Melissa. A-Rod snapped this picture of me at the bar.
Just another quiet night in the quiet Berkshires!
Countess Bedelia 4/07/2008 10:25:00 PM
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