Beowulf!!! ( with a brief sidetrack into Macbeth...)

I saw two movies this week, the first with my friend Jen, at home. I acquired it quite by accident, darn late nights and Amazon, but I now feel, well , my life would not be complete without it. It was a 2006 version of Macbeth, my personal favourite of Shakespeare's plays. This version was, well, Catastrophically Wonderful.

Only way to describe it. Think Macbeth as an Australian drug war against kung fu Asians, with the three Witches as young red haired school girls , all with the purest of Shakespearean language done with Australian accents, and the occasional tits ( in case you get bored, )

It must be seen to be believed. And we will not, CAN not go into the clothes. Again, must be seen to be believed. Just goes to show what you can ( or can't ) do with 4 weeks and 4 million dollars. See it. But don't do it alone.





At the other end of the film experience, we have last nights movie, on the big screen, in digital 3D. Beowulf. Magic. Wonderful. Amazing. Funny. Scary. You have heroes, maidens, drunkards, villains, monsters, and Grendel's Mother ( my personal new idol)

I loved it. Every minute of it. Sure, there were one or two things one could get picky about, but who the heck cares? This is a new Hero. Or an Old Hero. The best Hero. This was brilliant storytelling. Storytelling at it's best.

I think it is something to take a story like this, the earliest known example of English Poetry, something most of us have read, or at least known the story of, and bring it to life, as it never could have been brought to life before, or perhaps, that HASN'T been brought to life this way since, oh , say the 7th or 8th century.

How many people did it take to bring this together, and how long??? I don't know exactly, a LOT is a good guess. And it took a long time to do it, I know this as it has been kicking around my work days for some years. I was, to say the least, impressed. And I thought I knew what was coming.

It is an amazing thing to see a movie you have long known about in the abstract come to life on the big screen, and in SUCH a new, never before done way. ( it is even a more amazing feeling to see ones name at the credits at the end. Stay for them. Cheer loudly. My friends and I did. In front of all the people left. Which, uh, was the guy cleaning up. He was impressed, I am sure of it. I acted quite the Diva for at LEAST ten minutes. )



Beowulf is a Hero. No doubt about it. But are Hero's all good? Or Demons all Bad? ( I am not so sure Grendel's Mother didn't have a point. ) And like all great stories, it asks questions that no one can exactly answer.

This movie will be in my head for a long time. In the very best part of my head, where all the dreams are. And all the stories live.

To quote one of my favourite lines:

" Give him a silver piece and let him go home. He has a Story to tell. "

Love and Heroes,
Lorraine

Fat vs. Ugly

At the movie the other night (it was about global peace and environmental awareness) I heard two old ladies RAILING on fat people. Of course, if I wasn't at a peace promoting movie, I would have let them have it. They went on and on about how disgusting fat people were and how they just couldn't understand how people could "let themselves look like that." Ohhhhh my blood was boiling and so was the big guy two seats down. Did they NOT notice him I wondered? Didn't they realise how rude and judgemental they were being?

Hm! I wanted to say so many things. One of which was, SOME PEOPLE AREN'T BORN WITH A DANCER BODY and that's OK you miserable old hags!! Thank goodness the peacemaker (Miles) was with me. He saved the lives of these old bittys from the wrath of MALENA's big mouth. There is NO reason to insult someone's size, creed or color. PERIOD, the end.

Let's look at this issue for a moment. People come in all shapes and sizes and they are beautiful. Example:

Would John Goodman, John Candy, Chris Farley, Sam Kinison, Rosie O'Donnell and Rosanne be as funny if they were skinny as a rail? NO! Part of their charm as actors is they are round, outspoken and cuddly. I for one, wouldn't like Dom DeLuise is he wasn't "fat". The same goes for natually thin people like Calista Flockhart who took enormous slack for being "anorexic", which she is NOT. Don't people have better things to do than rip on other people's size?

My goodness!

Some idiot chic at a party came up to me and said on how "heavy" I was and how bad it must make me feel to be such a " big girl" and how it must affect my acting career. (A size 7, at 5'10" is big in LA) America Ferrera is doing JUST FINE! I just laughed, REALLY LOUD AND HARD and said,

"Not as bad as it would feel to be a talentless, brainless bimbo like you!"

Everyone laughed and she didn't say a THING to me all night. Sometimes, MALENA just can't be stopped.

GIRL POWER! Can I get a woah woah!

Another party? Who ME?

Last night I went off with Miles to another Movie Event, complete story over at my blog . Sometimes I feel like such a DORK!!!! Ah, Hollywood.....

I am so excited about the plans for the new Lorraine a' Malena CD! Of course, Adam Stemple and John " Big Sexy " Sjogren will be on board for some knock down drag out, full on blues meets , hmmm... something sexy music. (Notice WHO is being the ham this time!)

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I love to sing better than anything else, and if I had my way, we would be in the studio TOMORROW! ( yes, I know, Fablo, you are shaking your head and saying, Malena, these things take time...)I am all for the RIGHT NOW though, and would be there today if we could!!!!!

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Tonight is karaoke at The Drawing Room, with my manager, Steve. Never a dull moment here in Lala land. I can't wait to get up and sing my heart out! Oh, for some 80's tunes...And, no, not the Eagles! You can't do the Eagles better than the Eagles did. Kid of like covering a Beatles song. (the "Who sings that song? Let them sing it!" rule applies here!)

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Love and sexy dirty Greg Brown Music,

Malena

Happy Birthday to My Boss

I want to send out a Happy Birthday to my Boss, as it is his Birthday today. Ok, so technically it was yesterday, but things got busy ( a not un-commen thing for a Personal Assistant ) and then I had a gig tonight , so I am only now getting around to writing this. Post gig, so it will be a sleepy post...

Went into work today to find mountains of mail, and a Dog who told me he had been horridly neglected, fed nothing and NO ONE had taken him for a walk the entire time I had been away.

Hmmm.....

As the dog sitter is a lovely women who adores him and likes nothing better than taking long walks and runs in the woods, I suspect he was just trying to make me feel guilty.

Or perhaps he is covering the fact that he didn't get my Boss anything for his Birthday...I did, but as Boss will not be home for some days, I can't tell you what.

I wish I had words to say the perfect Birthday Wish for my Boss, and say how very much I do love being his assistant, and how very much I do admire him, both as an artist and a person but tonight the words aren't there. And it would be hard anyway. And he is far away.

( just got a text from Malena who says " if you are going to blog a B'day for yr Boss, send him my B'day greetings ", is this women psychic or WHAT ??? )

I will say this, strike or no strike, HE will be getting tea.

Anytime , anywhere.

Happy Birthday Neil!

Love and Birthdays,
Lorraine