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The Miracle Worker/The Miracle Worker on Broadway

The Inside Scoop: The Miracle Worker on Broadway

Posted 03/09/10 6:00 am EST | Just For Fun

Topicsabigail breslin, allison pill, matthew modine

There's something about seeing a Broadway play that is transformational. You get to escape your monster to-do list, shut yourself off from technology and escape with characters who can make you laugh out loud in one moment, then move you to tears, the next. I recently attended a preview for "The Miracle Worker" on Broadway starring Allison Pill, Abigail Breslin, Matthew Modine and Jennifer Morrison, and to say I was transformed, was an understatement.

Based on the real life story of Helen Keller, the show is performed at the Circle in the Square theater in New York City and it is truly one of the most intimate and unique theatrical productions you will ever experience. Over 800 attendees fill the theater and surround the stage which magically suspends many of its props from the ceiling. That means, when it is time to change scenes, the dining room table will literally be lowered to the ground as the actors take their places for an emotional dinner exchange and then, once they move to another part of the stage, the table will miraculously disappear.

What sets "The Miracle Worker" apart from many of the current non-musical productions on Broadway is that it is ideal for parents of tweens and teens. Based on the true story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, "The Miracle Worker" takes you inside the lives of the Keller family - where you first discover how Helen lost her sight and hearing and watching as her family continually refused to send her to an asylum despite the fact they couldn't control her dangerous outbursts.

At 13 years old, Abigail Breslin is brilliant in her role as Helen. Watching her in action, you truly believe she is blind and deaf and is desperately trying to connect with those around her. And Allison Pill is awe inspiring in her role as Annie Sullivan, exhuding the perfect blend of tenacity, humor and empathy that eventually leads Helen to a major breakthrough with her family. Plus, feature film star Matthew Modine makes his Broadway debut in "The Miracle Worker" and is phenomenal as Helen's father, Captain Keller. And mothers will instantly connect with Jennifer Morrison, who portrays Helen's devoted mom Kate Keller, who never gave up on her daughter, despite the painful effects Helen's condition had on her family.

I recently spoke with one of the show's producers, Lynn Shaw, who joined me for a lively chat on Blog Talk Radio where she shared the inside story of how the current stage version of "The Miracle Worker" came to fruition. Plus, Lynn reveals some amazing behind the scenes stories from the show's rehearsals and tells us how she got her start as a theatrical producer.

If you're interested in taking your family to see The Miracle Worker on Broadway, visit the show's website today for show times and tickets. Plus, if you happen to attend a Tuesday show, you'll get the chance to participate in "Talk Back Tuesdays" where the cast answers questions from audience members. I'm also told that Abigail Breslin poses for photos and signs autographs for all fans who would like to meet her after the show. Hope you get to see it and enjoy the show as much as I did!

Nick Hornby's "An Education"

2010 Oscar Picks Adapted from Books

byLindsay Maines

Posted 03/05/10 12:37 pm EST | Just For Fun

Topics2010, award, awards, books, oscar, picks, red carpet, story

As a writer, I sometimes fear seeing the movie of a book I love- you just never know if it will match your mental vision. But apparently, these filmmakers did a good job, as these babies grew from books to movies in a way seamless enough to win Oscar Nominations.

Themes that seem to strike a chord when making the transition from page to screen: coming through difficulties to become the person you always wanted. Witness historical Oscar favorites, such as "The Color Purple"- we all love it when an underdog triumphs.

Here are the 2010 Oscar Picks that came from books! I’ll be at the 2010 Oscars Kodak Red Carpet Bleachers -- check back on Monday for a recap!

"Precious" by Sapphire

I have yet to read this book, although it looks stellar- it also looks a bit emotionally harrowing, as it’s the tale of a girl who was impregnated by her father but ultimately triumphs against adversity.

"Up In The Air" by Walter Kirn

The tale of a downsized corporate traveler- who couldn’t relate? I may watch this one on the plane to LA.

"The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis

Another story of triumph through hardship- this one told in the language of football. A true story, shared by Michael Lewis.

"An Education" by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby has been cranking out witty, irrepressible, and observant novels for years- from “High Fidelity” to “About a Boy”, his movie adaptations have been consistently raising the Hollywood bar. This novel about a middle-class English girl and her transition into womanhood is subtle genius.

Grandpa Fix-It/Beth Feldman

Presenting Grandpa Fix-It

byBeth Feldman

Posted 03/02/10 6:00 am EST | Just For Fun

Topicsbirthday gift, bobbi brown, children's book by grandparents, grandpa fix-it

About two months ago, I had the great fortune of interviewing make-up artist extraordinaire Bobbi Brown and her father Joe who had recently published a children's book. What struck me about our interview was how it hit so close to home. You see, Bobbi shared the story of how her dad used to tell her family a story that was passed on from generation to generation. On her dad's 70th birthday, Bobbi gave him the ultimate surprise. She took him into a Scholastic book store and presented him with a copy of his own book.

After Bobbi shared that anecdote with me, it completely struck a chord because my dad loves to write children's stories as well and a few years back, he shared them with me in the hopes I'd find a way to get them published. But the road to becoming a published children's author is not that easy - especially if you can't illustrate your own stories. And so, I let the stories sit on my laptop until Bobbi and her father shared their story with me. Since my own dad was going to be celebrating his 70th birthday this year, I took our conversation as a sign that it was time to get moving. And so, I reached out to Ann Pilicer, an incredibly talented illustrator who I had met after reconnecting with her husband on Facebook who attended junior high school with me more than two decades ago.

After sending Ann my dad's stories along with tons of photos of my father, mom and kids, she got to work. Every day, Ann would send me another incredible image that she had created and within a matter of two weeks, all the photos were completed. Next, I reached out to the publisher of my book, Julie Trelstad at Plain White Press who received the images from Ann and positioned them graphically within the story. Next, since I was publishing my father's story on my own, I created a Role Mommy imprint and assigned the book two ISBN codes so that it could available at libraries and book stores!

Within a matter of one week, we managed to publish two hard cover copies of the book which Julie sent to my parents via Fed-ex and we instructed my dad not to open the package under any circumstances. Once we arrived in Florida, my mom invited our relatives and friends over for a mini birthday celebration and we were all thrilled to see dad's reaction when we presented him with his very own copy of Grandpa Fix-It. Take a look and see for yourself!

All in all, I have to say, thanks to Bobbi Brown and her dad, I was able to create a birthday gift for my father that he and our family will cherish for decades to come!

Atria Books

"The Opposite of Me"- A Mom's Dream Comes True

byLindsay Maines

Posted 02/24/10 1:37 am EST | Just For Fun

Topicsauthor, book, interview, novel, review, sarah pekkanen, The Opposite Of Me

Mom Sarah Pekkanen’s just like every other suburban DC mom in a Honda Odyssey- except for the double life.

While she’s shuttling her three sons from school to soccer, a piece of her is marching through the publication process, getting ever closer to landing on the shelves March 9^th.

That’s the day her debut novel, “The Opposite of Me”, will take its place alongside the Emily Giffin and Sophie Kinsella novels currently holding court.

And from the early press, it’ll be stepping out in style. It’s a March book pick by Redbook Magazine, which says, “"With her smart, soulful novel, author Pekkanen explores the place where self and sisterhood intersect."

I read the book, which is the story of fraternal twins- “the smart one and the pretty one”- and what happens when they realize neither is who they thought they were. By turns insightful and milk out the nose funny, Pekkanen’s story is a smart romp through the gray area of identity.

We caught up with Sarah to see exactly what one does the two weeks before her first book is born.

What does it feel like to have your first book coming out?

It's so incredibly exciting! People say it's a lot like childbirth, and it's true. I've got this plan for the day "The Opposite of Me" comes out: I'm going to walk into my neighborhood bookstore and find it on the display table and just stare at it. Knowing me, I'll probably burst into tears and accidentally drive away any potential customers!

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Ever since I was a kid. I used to write books on three-ring binder paper and tie them with red yarn and send them confidently off to publishers. One of my most cherished possessions is a letter I wrote on Raggedy Ann stationery to a New York publisher, asking when my book "Miscellaneous Tales and Poems" was going to be published (hey, all the poems rhymed!). I carry that old, faded letter with me every time I have meetings in New York, as a reminder that dreams really do come true. Well, at least some dreams come true. Brad Pitt has yet to show up on my doorstep wearing nothing but a toolbelt and a knowing smile and asking me if there's anything I need fixed. So apparently it's only G-rated dreams that come true.

How aware are your kids of your book and are they excited?

I've got a bunch of quotes on my website from serious reviewers, like Booklist, and smack in the middle of those is my kids' verdict: "We like SpongeBob Squarepants better." But they do think it's pretty cool that one day soon we'll walk into a bookstore and see my novel, and the best part is, they love writing stories, too. We're all going to Europe this summer to meet some of my foreign publishers, and my kids are pretty excited about EuroDisney, by the way!

What advice do you have for other Mom/writers?

I've got three young boys, so I understand how difficult it is to juggle motherhood and writing. I'd suggest bringing either a laptop or a pad of paper and pen with you everywhere you go. I actually wrote part of my novel at Chuck E. Cheese; I have this trick where I keep all the tokens on my table, so my kids check in with me every minute or so when they need a token. In the meantime, I'm pecking away on my laptop. I think it's important to learn to write in little snatches of time as well as big spaces. There are so many demands on our time when our kids are young, but even writing a few paragraphs a day adds up fast.

What has been your biggest 'Oh my God!' moment?

When my agent told me that Jennifer Weiner's editor wanted to buy my book because it reminded her of "In Her Shoes" (which is one of my favorite books of all-time!) I made my agent repeat those words until she had laryngitis.

Who would play you in the movie?

Ooh, I love this question! It would have to be a Mom, someone who's a normal size, and someone who occasionally feels guilty about giving her kids junk food and letting them watch TV! She'd have to love having a glass of wine with her girlfriends, and getting footrubs from her husband while they watch American Idol. Hmm... how about having an open casting call and discovering a new star? I like the idea of giving an unknown Mom/actress a chance!

Love books and Godiva chocolates? Visit Sarah's website at www.sarahpekkanen.com and sign up for her monthly newsletter to win! And, “The Opposite of Me” comes out on March 9^th, but if you pre-order on Amazon.com March 2^nd, you could win fabulous prizes!

Cruising in the Caribbean/Beth Feldman

My High Seas Adventure

byBeth Feldman

Posted 02/23/10 7:02 pm EST | Just For Fun

You may not know this about me yet, but one of my favorite things to do with my family is take a cruise and this past week, I traveled with my family to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday and we all decided to hop onboard the Emerald Princess cruising to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. Waking up every morning in a new destination is like being a kid in a candy store. Except the stores I hit when I’m on vacation usually offer the sparkly kind of eye candy you can wear on your ears. But this time around, since I was traveling with my husband and kids who pretty much whine incessantly until I exit a jewelry store, I was on my own on the shopping front.

The Princess Cruise line offers great entertainment - from comedy shows, to bands performing in their side bars to a karaoke experience where you can sing with a band; and a piano bar called Crooners featuring a piano man who sounds like a cross between James Taylor and Billy Joel. Okay - not quite, but he is pretty awesome. What I absolutely love are the Movies under the Stars option. You get to sit on a lounge chair and cuddle up with a blanket and popcorn as you watch movies that have recently been released on DVD (This is It, Night at the Museum II, Harry Potter, Mamma Mia and many more).

There are also art shows, trivia contests, golf lessons, dance lessons, bingo, tons of shops, wine tastings and food, glorious food! Everywhere you turn there’s a dining room, cafe, 24 hour buffet, ice cream bar and pizza for the kids. Plus, in case you want to mix things up, you can make reservations at two restaurants on board that are not part of the meal plan.

One thing that is missing from our cruise experience - the midnight buffet. While food is plentiful, there are no ice sculptures or masterpieces in the pool area featuring mouthwatering creations. I mean seriously folks, how could there not be a chocolate fountain on board? There was a big island party though where everyone did the electric slide and macarena which is pretty much mandatory on cruise ships since the mid nineties. Plus, my son got the chance to play and win Guitar Hero by showing off his musical Wii prowess by the pool. I guess I could live without a chocolate covered marshmallow in lieu of watching my son play “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” on a gargantuan movie screen.

If you want to steal some time away for yourself at the spa, you can send your kids to the camp onboard. Princess Cruises offers camp options for kids ages 3-7 and 8-12 and a teen center with a disco called Skywalkers that offers stunning panoramic views of the ocean. Plus, there’s a state of the art gym with more than a dozen treadmills, elliptical machines, weights, bicycles for spinning and aerobics and yoga classes. And the spa offers everything from facials to hair cuts, manicures, detox, acupuncture, you name it, they probably have it.

The staterooms are also quite nice. The kids couldn't get enough of their bunk beds and I loved the cozy bed linens. Plus, the chocolates and cookies left in the room by the steward each night weren’t too shabby either. And since my parents have been on a few Princess Cruises, they were upgraded to a room with a balcony and our kids keep sneaking over there each night before we hit dinner.

As far as destinations, our Princess Cruise stopped in some of my favorite caribbean destinations including St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. All three of these places before offers something for everyone from shopping, to historical tours, snorkeling, catamaran sailing adventures and plenty of views (some of them the nudist kind so cover your kids eyes if you happen to take the optional excursion to the beach in St. Maarten).

In St. Thomas, my husband and daughter got the chance to snorkel and swim through a shipwreck guided by an amazing tour operator from a Catamaran called Castaway Girl 2. Meanwhile, my son, who wanted to have nothing to do with snorkeling, got the chance to do some Caribbean fishing. Want to know what that is? Simple, you pour a little rum in the water, throw in Chex mix and a fishing line with a hook and the snappers in the water will pretty much leap into the boat. Our captain caught five snappers in a row with my son's help and then pointed out a four foot long barracuda in right below us as we waited for my husband and daughter to return from their deep sea adventure.

In Grand Turk, my son and I hit the beach which seems to have eroded due to hurricanes and my husband and daughter set off on another snorkeling tour - this time they were getting the chance to swim with stingrays. And while I didn't get a chance to witness that experience, my daughter did inform me that she even kissed one before she climbed back on the boat (yuk!)

Back on the ship, we played scrabble, ate as if we had never seen a meal in our lives - my son gained 3 pounds and my daughter gained 5 and I have yet to set foot on a scale but something tells me it will not be pretty. Despite the tire that has now settled around my mid-section, we did have a fun time with our family but I think we're going to lay off cruising for awhile. Time to work off all the calories I consumed in seven days. Hello, Weight Watchers - it's you know who calling.

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