Inquiring minds want to know

Whenever I check my statcounter to see which Google queries have brought readers to my blog I often find that I've answered about 90 percent of their question. Close, but no cigar. I wish I could run after those people and say, "Wait, give me another chance!"

So as one of my blogging resolutions for 2009, I'm going to try to answer questions from readers on a more regular basis to supply that missing 10 percent. Naturally, I get a lot of questions about theatre and Broadway shows, which I can usually answer; a lot about violins, which I can't; and some random ones about movies, books or tv shows. (Apparently, the movie Ice Castles has a pretty big fan base.)

In the meantime, here are a few recent ones:

1.) Does Daniel Radcliffe come out after shows to sign autographs? I get a lot of queries about whether actors come to the stage door to sign Playbills after a Broadway show. Usually, they will, although matinees can be dicey. And this year, I've had some notable disappointments. But yes, I did get Daniel Radcliffe's autograph after an evening performance of Equus. You can read about it here. And to the person who asked, Leah Michele is DEFINITELY NOT mean at the stage door! Why would you think that? She was very nice to everyone when I met her after a matinee of Spring Awakening in the summer of 2007.

2.) Is the aisle seat good at a Broadway theatre? Well, for me, there's nothing like being smack dab in the middle of the orchestra, in the first few rows. But yes, I think aisle seats are generally good, especially if you think you'll need to make a quick exit. Although there's been a disturbing trend of shows charging more to sit on the aisle. Unless you have a medical reason or you want to reach out and touch the elephant during the parade of animals that opens The Lion King, (And who doesn't!) I'm not sure it's worth the extra money.

3.) Can Spring Awakening be saved from closing? January is going to be a very dark month for Broadway. A handful of long-running musicals are closing and other shows are finishing up their limited runs. At this point, I don't think any of them can be saved, including Spring Awakening. The last performance for the 2007 Tony winning Best Musical will take place on Jan. 18. But don't lose hope. You can still catch it, along with many other terrific Broadway shows, on tour. It's probably coming somewhere near you. Go here for more information.

4.) Can you take pictures at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular? Sadly, yes. At least at the performance I attended. While it clearly states on the show's Web site that photography is forbidden, (as it is in all Broadway theatres and probably all theatres everywhere) people were snapping away at will throughout the performance and no one appeared to be stopping them. But I did attend a 10 a.m. show and Radio City Music Hall wasn't very crowded. Maybe the ushers are more diligent later in the day.

5.) What does Johnna symbolize in August: Osage County? Good question. Johnna, originally played on Broadway by Kimberly Guerrero, is the Native American housekeeper hired by family patriarch Beverly Weston to look after his sick, pill-popping wife. The play takes place in Oklahoma and Johnna is a representative of the original occupants of the land. I think she also symbolizes the importance of family. Playwright Tracy Letts describes her role in an interview with The Times of London.

6.) Where did Carrie Bradshaw go to college? Did she have any family? Where did she grow up? Michael Patrick King, the executive producer of Sex and the City always kept the origins of Carrie and her pals a little mysterious, as if their lives didn't really begin until they moved to Manhattan. Carrie apparently mentioned in one episode that her father left her mother when she was 5 years old and she may have grown up close to New York and gone to college in the city. I'm guessing New York University, but that's just a guess. Here are some more hints.

7.) What's the town in Massachusetts in the Seinfeld finale? This is one of those questions where I smack my forehead (figuratively, not literally). I wrote about watching the final episode of the long-running NBC comedy for the first time this summer, 10 years after it aired. But I never mentioned the specific town in Massachusetts where it takes place. Duh! The NBC corporate jet that Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer are taking to Paris makes an emergency landing in the fictional town of Latham, Massachusetts in the final episode. Here's a rundown on the whole sad incident.

Carrie Bradshaw - the early years

After I finished my Sex and the City marathon, one of the things that struck me as a little odd was, we learn very little about the lives of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha before they came to New York City. Their childhoods and families have always been a bit of a cipher.

I remember reading somewhere that series executive producer Michael Patrick King made the details vague on purpose, almost as if he didn't want the women to have had separate, earlier lives. It was like their lives only began once they got to New York City and met each other.

Sure, there are a few hints here and there if you listen closely. Miranda is from Philadelphia and went to Harvard; Charlotte had a blue-blood Connecticut upbringing and graduated from Smith; Samantha is from a working-class background.

But I was especially curious about Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie. Where did she grow up? Where did she go to college? Why didn't any of her family ever come for a visit? I checked Carrie's Wikipedia entry and she did mention that her father left her mother when she was 5 years old. I guess I wasn't listening closely enough.

So I was pretty intrigued to read this week that it looks as though some of my questions will be answered. HarperCollins announced that Candace Bushnell, whose columns for the New York Observer inspired the television series, is writing two novels about Carrie's teenage years, called The Carrie Diaries, and geared toward teenage readers. The first book will be published in the fall of 2010.

According to the publisher, "The books will take readers back to Carrie Bradshaw's formative years in high school, giving an inside look at Carrie's friendships, romances and how she realized her dream of becoming a writer."

This will be Bushnell's first novel for young adults. "I've always been interested in exploring Carrie's teenage years," she said in a statement. "Carrie in high school did not follow the crowd - she led it. It was there that she began observing and commenting on the social scene."

Bushnell's editor, Alessandra Balzer, tells London's Independent newspaper that she hopes to sidestep such potentially controversial topics as, well, sex. "The kids will be doing what teenagers realistically do, but it's not going to be provocative for the sake of that," she said. "I would never put something in just to put it in. But if it was organic to the story, and if it was something that felt real, then it would need to be in there."

And apparently, Carrie grew up close to New York. A HarperCollins spokesman says while all the details haven't been decided, "I think she'll come [to New York] the way Candace did, with her friends, to hang out in the city on the weekend, and have a lot of social interaction there, and then eventually she'll come to college here, as Candace did."

The HBO series, of course, was geared toward adults. And this summer's movie carried an R rating. (Although an edited version of the series is now shown in syndication.) So it's interesting that the novels will be geared toward teenagers. Bushnell could write them for an adults, after all, and they still would have found an audience - with adults and teenagers.

But maybe this is a genius marketing move. I'm sure the series has lots of fans among teenage girls who love Carrie's sense of style and they'll gobble up the books - along with their mothers and older sisters. And of course, that will help ensure new generations of fans for Sex and the City. Who knows, maybe someday Carrie's early years will become a tv series, too.

TV to movies - Yes, No, Maybe

Just as surely as summer follows spring, once a television series ends the inevitable rumors immediately begin about a big-screen version. And until the movie gets made, they never quite die down. With the television critics gathering in California last week for their annual summer confab, there's been an uptick in the chatter. In case you're keeping score at home, here's where we stand with some television-to-movie projects:

Arrested Development - Maybe: In an interview with Parade, Jason Bateman, who played Michael Bluth in the short-lived Fox comedy, was asked about the prospects for an Arrested Development movie. “I think it might happen. I’ve got my fingers crossed. It’s a question of timing. When is it too early? When is it too late? I hope it happens because we all miss each other.” Costar Jeffrey Tambor, who played his father, family patriarch George Bluth, added more grist to the rumor mill last month with an interview at EW.com. "After months of speculation, I think we have finally figured out for sure that we are indeed doing an Arrested Development movie." However, the Hollywood Reporter says "Fox's official comment remains the same: no project."

Deadwood - No: It's pretty certain there won't be a Deadwood movie. Richard Pepler, the co-president of HBO, said last week: "I think it's safe to report that the likelihood of a Deadwood movie happening is slim to none." I guess that's not surprising, considering that the series, set in a South Dakota frontier town in the 1870s, only lasted for three seasons. It wasn't exactly a megahit on par with other HBO programs, like The Sopranos or Sex and the City. And it hasn't quite attracted the cult following of a series like Arrested Development.

Friends - No: Apparently, after the success of Sex and the City, rumors were flying that another group of fun and attractive New York City pals would be heading to the big screen. Friends, which aired on NBC between 1994 and 2004, has a strong following, so it would make sense. But Jayne Trotman, Warner Bros. U.K. director of publicity, says there is "no truth in the story."

The Sopranos - Fuggedaboutit: Don't expect a movie of The Sopranos, according to Peter Bogdanovich, who played Dr. Elliot Kupferberg in the HBO series, which ended its six-season run in 2007. "I spoke to [creator] David Chase about it a month ago, and he said no. He said he thought about it, and he can't figure out a way to do it. So I don't think it will ever happen. I don't think you can ever say never, but my hunch is it won't happen."

Sex and the City sequel - Highly likely: In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable magazine, HBO executive Michael Lombardo says that a sequel to this spring's Sex and the City movie is a definite possibility. “There is enormous interest by Warner Bros. and New Line to do another Sex and the City,” Lombardo said Thursday. “When that happens, how long away, I can’t say. There is absolutely interest.”

The Wire - No: Creator David Simon tells iF magazine that there are no plans for a movie version of the acclaimed HBO urban drama The Wire. "[There's] no Wire move. Unless somebody came along with the greatest standalone idea, it would be like dragging a flag through the mud. We planned an ending, it's our ending."

I finished watching all three seasons of Arrested Development a couple of months ago, and I thought it was hilarious in a bizarre kind of way, although I can see why it never really caught on with most of the viewing public. It's definitely off the wall, with a dysfunctional family that truly has to be seen to be believed. I'd love to see its extremely quirky cast reunited on the big screen. And as a big fan of The Sopranos, well, that's a no-brainer, too. But unless someone makes David Chase an offer he can't refuse, it doesn't sound very likely.

On the other hand, I've never been a fan of Friends. I guess that's a little surprising, considering how much I love that other New York City show, Seinfeld. But the few times I saw Friends, the writing wasn't very clever and the characters seemed pretty pedestrian. It was like a cookie-cutter sitcom. I tried watching a few episodes of Deadwood and The Wire, but I never felt engaged by the characters or the plot in either one of them.

As for a Sex and the City sequel, I'll be there.

Sex and the City

This post contains Sex and the City spoilers!

I saw the Sex and the City movie yesterday. It was pretty exciting hearing the theme song and seeing Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall back as Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. As usual, Michael Patrick King's script had a lot of witty one-liners. New York City looked wonderful on the big screen. In the end, I enjoyed it but didn't absolutely love it. At nearly 2 1/2 hours, the movie felt a little bloated, especially after the first 90 minutes.

For one thing, we spent way too much time in Los Angeles with Samantha and her boyfriend Smith, played by Jason Lewis. I've always found them to be two of the least interesting characters in the series. The part where Samantha covers her body in sushi as she waits for Smith to return home from work on Valentine's Day wasn't all that funny. On the other hand, there were some lovely shots of the Pacific, and some very nice next-door neighbor eye candy.

Some characters I wanted to see more of, like Evan Handler's Harry and Willie Garson's Stanford, didn't have a lot to say. I don't think Garson had more than a half-dozen lines. Harry and Charlotte's story didn't have much drama, other than the drama of waiting for Charlotte's baby. Maybe because they were so happy, the movie seemed to spend less time on them.

One of the most haunting images of the HBO series was seeing Charlotte after her miscarriage. I'll never forget how she looked, curled up on a couch, no makeup, looking absolutely exhausted and defeated. This pregnancy is obviously a big deal, but her fears are basically dealt with in a couple lines and then we move on.

Jennifer Hudson's role as Carrie's assistant didn't really do anything for me either. Plus, her character supposedly has a degree in computer science, so don't you think she could have found a better-paying job? I mean, how much could Carrie possibly be paying an assistant?

But like I said, I did enjoy the movie. It was great seeing the four good friends reunited. My favorite scenes were just watching them with each other. I loved Carrie's fashion shoot for Vogue, dressed up in all of those gorgeous wedding gowns. I was really choked up at the New Year's Eve montage, accompanied by a slow, mournful rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

My big problem was what happens in the end between Carrie and Chris Noth's Big. (Wasn't it weird hearing him called by his actual name - John James Preston?)

When they finally decide to get married, Carrie planned an elaborate wedding at the New York Public Library, and a lavish reception for 200 people. Big wanted a simple ceremony at City Hall. So what happens? He gets cold feet and leaves Carrie at the altar. (Actually, before she even makes it to the altar).

She's utterly humiliated, and I cannot believe that she'd ever give him another chance. The guy's been married twice before. He pulls something like this and well, a girl's gotta wonder. Would you trust him? But what happens in the end? Carrie goes back to him. I understand this is a big-budget Hollywood movie, and it's practically against the law to have an unhappy ending. I understand that despite everything, she loves him. Still, it was just a little hard to take.

If Big really was having serious second thoughts on the morning of their wedding, I certainly wouldn't have wanted him to go through with it, just because Carrie was waiting for him. It's just that the way it happened seemed so cruel. She was devastated.

And when they finally do get married, it's the small affair at City Hall that Big wanted in the first place. What Big did was reprehensible. He absolutely ruined the day that she wanted. I imagine that Carrie has dreamed her whole life about having a fairytale wedding. Carrie forgives him, and they tie the knot - but on his terms. I don't know if that portents good or ill for the start of their married life.

I could understand Miranda forgiving David Eigenberg's Steve for his sexual indiscretion. Maybe that doesn't make much sense, given how I feel about Big. Maybe it's just because I think Steve is basically a nice, decent person, but I was glad that they got back together.

Big, on the other hand, has always struck me as a bit self-absorbed. Well, maybe he's changed in the end, because he does tell Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda about the wedding, and everyone - spouses and kids in tow, assembles for a celebratory lunch afterward. So maybe he has turned over a new leaf. I'll take that as a hopeful sign.

Ok, end of rant.

And for the curious: The cute, redheaded Joseph Pupo, apparently making his movie debut as Miranda and Steve's son, is listed in the credits as Brady Hobbes. So apparently, he didn't take Steve's last name and has been spared getting saddled with the unfortunate Brady Brady.

Getting into that New York state of mind

A week from today I'll be back in New York City, and as if they knew, I got an e-mail from HBO this morning telling me about an interactive map of Manhattan that features 50 locations from Sex and the City.

You can see where Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda lived, shopped, ate, partied, enjoyed some romantic evenings and had some rather awkward moments that they'd probably rather forget.

If you want to see where Carrie made her unfortunate debut as a runway model, for example, you click on a photo from Episode 50, "The Real Me," and the spot where it was filmed is highlighted on the map.

Remember, the movie opens May 30, so it's time to brush up.

Sex and the City marathon

I finished my Sex and the City marathon about a month ago, in plenty of time for this summer's movie, which I'm now eagerly anticipating.

The first time I tried to watch the series, I couldn't get past the first couple of episodes. I just didn't care very much about Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie, Kristin Davis' Charotte, Kim Cattrall's Samantha and Cynthia Nixon's Miranda. They were attractive, successful women who sat around in trendy restaurants talking about their inability to find Mr. Right and except for that, didn't seem to have any problems - financial, career or otherwise.

But this time, I stuck with it until the end - all six seasons, 94 episodes. And I really enjoyed it. I think part of it was, I'd spent more time in New York City, so that alone made the show more fun to watch. It was great spotting cameos from actors I'd seen on stage, like the legendary Marian Seldes. Plus, the more I watched, the more I saw that the dialogue was actually smarter and more witty than I realized and the women, far from being annoying, began to grow on me.

Sure, some things still bewilder me.

Why didn't we ever meet any of Carrie, Miranda, Samantha or Charlotte's family members? Didn't they ever come visit? We knew that Miranda was from Pennsylvania and Charlotte grew up in Connecticut. But where was Carrie from? Did she have any siblings? Were her parents still living? Maybe I missed it, but I don't remember anything about her background ever being mentioned.

Also, now that Miranda and David Eigenberg's Steve are married, will their son take Steve's last name? Will he be Brady Brady? Am I the only one who's concerned about that?

And why didn't Carrie marry John Corbett's sweet, cute Aidan? (I'm a big fan of Corbett's from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.) Whatever did she see in Mikhail Baryshnikov's Petrovsky? He was a completely self-absorbed, selfish jerk who treated her shabbily and let her know that his life was more important than hers. I mean he basically had no redeeming qualities. Why did she ever agree to go to Paris with him? I knew it was going to end badly. I just knew it.

On a serious note, I was also uncomfortable that the gay characters, Willie Garson's Stanford and Mario Cantone's Anthony, were such stereotypes. Sure, the women were stereotypes, too, shallow and catty. But at least we get to know them as individuals. Stanford and Anthony, unfortunately, pretty much remained stereotypes instead of fully realized characters.

I actually found Sex and the City more appealing in the later seasons, when the women faced more real-life problems: infertility, cancer, aging parents, whether to commit to a relationship, being a single mother. I'll never forget the sight of Charlotte curled up on the couch an looking bedraggled after her miscarriage. It was so unlike the perfectly dressed, perfectly made up woman we'd seen in every other episode and it was just an unbelievably sad, haunting image.

There were many funny moments, too. Charlotte prepares her first Sabbath meal after she converts to Judaism with a zeal that only a convert could possibly have. I mean, the woman baked her own challah. I know some pretty religious people and I don't know anyone who bakes their own challah. And this is New York City. We're not exactly talking about an item that's difficult to find.

Also, I wish Kristen Johnston's Lexi had made her appearance long before her entrance and untimely exit in "Splat," near the end of Season 6. It was the best cameo in the whole series. And Carrie's misadventure on the runway as fashion roadkill in "The Real Me" was hilarious.

But my favorite episode is probably "A Woman's Right to Shoes." It contained so many of the themes that we've seen throughout the show: Carrie's obsession with Manolo Blahniks, singles versus marrieds, kids versus no kids. The way Carrie gets a friend to pay for a replacement pair of shoes is pretty inspired.

The other thing that episode has going for it is a subplot where Charlotte tells Evan Handler's Harry she wants him to feel more at home in the Park Avenue apartment she got in her divorce settlement. He does just that - by walking around in his birthday suit. The way they hide his private parts, using some fancy camera work, plus a carefully-placed newspaper and plant, is one of the funniest scenes in the entire series.

The Sex and the City movie opens May 30, and I hope to be there during the first weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing the original cast and finding where life has taken them since the series ended in 2004. I'm also looking forward to some great shots of New York City.

I guess the big question is whether Carrie and Chris Noth's Mr. Big will get hitched. Somehow, I think they will. Doesn't everybody love a happy ending? After all she's been through, Carrie deserves one.

Sex and the City on the big screen

Fans of "Sex and the City" have a holiday treat. A very short trailer has been released for the movie, scheduled to open May 30.

The first shot we see is a beautiful bird's-eye view of Manhattan at night, all lit up, and then we hear Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw: "They say nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style."

Filming recently wrapped in New York City with the cast from the HBO television series reprising their roles. One welcome addition is Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie's assistant. I loved Hudson in "Dreamgirls," and I'm really looking forward to seeing her again.

"Sex and the City's" Web site is up and running with photos, a blog and interviews. A synopsis says that the movie will follow the continuing adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda as they live their lives in Manhattan four years after the end of the television series.

The trailer shows a kiss between Carrie and Big. According to an interview with Parker on the Web site, "As to whether or not Carrie and Big (Chris Noth) are actually getting married, or whether all the photos that were snapped of Carrie in a wedding dress on the streets of Manhattan were for a dream sequence, Sarah takes the Fifth."

I have to admit, I'm getting pretty excited about the movie. I'm halfway through watching Season 4 of the tv series, which ended its six-year run in 2004. And I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Parker and costars Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall are kind of growing on me. The characters they've created are just fun to watch.

I don't normally have a lot of willpower, but I'm going to try my best to stay away from more trailers and stories that have spoilers about the movie. Sometimes, you watch the trailers and by the time you get the theater, you feel like you've already seen all the good parts. I want to save some surprises for the big screen.

Me and the girls

I'm in the middle of Season 2 in my "Sex and the City" marathon. This is my second go-around with the HBO series. The first time, I quit midway through the first disc. I just couldn't get into the lives of these attractive, accomplished women with their designer clothes, handbags and shoes, whose days and nights seemed to revolve around shopping, partying and the search for Mr. Right.

But I have to admit, this time it's different. Part of the difference, obviously, is that I've spent more time in New York City. I really enjoy seeing the sights and sounds of Manhattan in the background. Maybe sometime I'll even take in the "Sex and the City" tour of Manhattan to see for myself where Carrie and company partied, lived, shopped worked and ate.

And I'm really looking forward to the "Sex and the City" movie scheduled to be released in May. Luckily, they'll all be there - Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie, Kim Cattrall as Samantha, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda, Kristin Davis as Charlotte, and Chris Noth as Mr. Big. I'm also eagerly anticipating Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson's first post-Dreamgirls role as Carrie's assistant.

I've realized that the writing in the series is actually pretty clever, with some great one-liners, like when the group takes in a Yankees game, and Carrie observes: "Miranda was a huge fan of the Yankees. I was a huge fan of being anywhere you could smoke and drink at two in the afternoon without judgment."

Sometimes, the situations the women find themselves in are pretty absurd, like Charlotte falling for a man she meets at a funeral, only to discover that she's not the only one comforting the bereaved, or Miranda being horrified by a man who says with pride that he hasn't left Manhattan in a decade, or Samantha finding herself exiled from the social scene for trying to seduce a "celebutante's" husband, or Carrie ruining a relationship when the guy discovers her prying open a locked box she found in his closet, which was filled with his Boy Scout merit badges.

I like spending time with these women. And somehow, the misadventures just make them seem more human. We've all had moments in our lives that seem absurd, that make us wonder how we got ourselves in the middle of them, and how we will ever get out. And "Sex and the City" doesn't take itself too seriously, at least not yet. Some of the situations are pretty hilarious and the show seems to realize that. It's like the writers are winking at the audience, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Luckily, I have many more witty moments to go, many more scenes of Manhattan, before I get to to the end. I'm just hoping that when I get there, it's not a pat Hollywood ending, with everything neatly packed in a box and tied up with a pretty, pink bow.