Kim Cattrall is GLAMOROUS

 I am a sincere Kim Cattrall fan. I have been ever since I sat in a movie theater and saw her in the 1981 comedy, PORKY'S, and the fun 1986 action/adventure, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. I just happened to check out Netflix this weekend and discovered she's starring in a new Netflix series called GLAMOROUS. I watched the first episode and, I must say, my love for Kim Cattrall continues. She's a knock-out in it.

Today, Cattrall is known for having played sexy Samantha on HBO's SEX AND THE CITY series. There's been a reboot of that series, with three members of the quartet as they are today. Reportedly, Cattrall wasn't interested in doing the reboot.

When I lived in the Chelsea section of New York City, then Manhattan's gay epicenter, SEX AND THE CITY was hugely popular. I almost had my gay card revoked when I mentioned that I got bored with the series. Why? Well..Carrie wrote a column. I knew several women who were print journalists in the City and we'd grab a bite or otherwise partake in some entertainment. There was always a time when one of them would call  and say, "I need to reschedule. I'm on deadline." Or they had to do a last-minute revision. Carrie never seemed to have a deadline. She never seemed to do any real research. She never seemed to do a rewrite. She plopped down on her bed in a cute little designer outfit and write something about the ups and downs of her Manhattan white girl love life. Next -- the four women did not seen to have any relatives. We never saw their parents or siblings, if they had any. Last, but not least, I'd watch the show and kept saying to myself, "Do the producers realize there are smart, sophisticated, stylish Black and Latino women in New York City -- with upscale jobs?" SEX AND THE CITY was quite Caucasian. Years later, when I read news that there would be a reboot, I knew that the reboot -- just like the WILL & GRACE reboot -- would be peppered with people of color in speaking roles. Unlike the original productions.

As for Cattrall, she went on to star in a series for HBO Canada called SENSITIVE SKIN that ran from 2014 to 2016. It should've run longer. It was terrific and displayed Cattrall doing some of her best acting in years in a more mature show. She played a former model, a wife and mother in her AARP years, who is dealing with middle age, her loving but complicated marriage and her grown son. One of her closest friends is Black. The former model has a sister with whom she bickers. The sister was wonderfully played by Joanna Gleason. When I watched this series and Cattrall's sensational work in a more dimensional role, I felt that she was not interested in a SEX AND THE CITY reboot because she had outgrown that character, as was evident in her SENSITIVE SKIN shows. Why HBO U.S.A. didn't air the show, I have no idea. I watched every single episode.

Now Kim Cattrall is starring as former supermodel Madelyn Addison on GLAMOROUS. The former supermodel now has a handsome but vapid grown gay son and her own big city cosmetics business. She's an idol of a 22-year old, gay social media "influencer" who posts cosmetics tips videos. He says "I need freedom...I need to feel like anything is possible." He wants to be "a star" and "a diva" -- however, he doesn't really want to do the work. He wants microwave fame. He just wants to be on a red carpet as soon as possible and then attend a fabulous party.

His single, working Latina mother reminds him that he's 22, still living with her and has a part-time cosmetics counter job at the mall. He needs to get a real job. She can hook him up with a clerical job at a law firm. His name is Marco. Marco and Madolyn meet. She likes his quick mind and hires him as an assistant. This will begin his process of really growing up. And Marco has better ideas for the company than Madolyn's handsome son with the fab abs does.

I'm going back to watch more episodes. The first one was very entertaining and well-acted. Besides..as I wrote earlier...my love affair with Kim Cattrall continues.

I Loved Astrud Gilberto

 We had records by her in our home when I was a kid in Los Angeles. To me, the voice of Astrud Gilberto was the voice of Bossa Nova -- the voice of foreign spots I wanted one day to visit. That lilting voice of hers was the perfect companion to a sweet summer day. Her voice was like a tender embrace.

News came from her son that Gilberto passed away this week at age 83. Today's younger audience may be unfamiliar with her vocal stylings and some older audience members may have forgotten it.  So, in her memory, I'm posting a couple of what became her signature tunes. Here's her gender switch rendition of the song titled "The Girl From Ipanema."

I love her rendition of "My Foolish Heart."

And now.... "Corcovado."

Thank you for taking time to treat your ears to the wonderful Astrud Gilberto.

I Love TED LASSO

 I went back to Twitter and found a few more critics weighing in on this current season of TED LASSO. I still do not understand why they wrote that this season -- probably its last -- was a mess and unfocused. Personally, I felt a definite core of forgiveness running through the season, a core that touched me deeply. 

I watched the final episode. I was surprised. I laughed. I cried. I watched it twice. If you get Apple+, if you're able to see it but haven't seen it yet...see it over the weekend.

Ted -- the ultimate fish out of water across the pond. A divorced dad from Kansas, a football coach, now eoaching a team in England. His unflappable, often laughable, optimism was brave and sincere. His sunny outward optimism worked to eclipse the lingering gray clouds in his heart.

I 💗 TED LASSO. Thanks for including us. 🌈 This season with rich with wit, inclusion, tenderness and humanity. What a terrific cast TED LASSO had and what a gift this show was from its lead actor/creator Jason Sudeikis.