Congrats!

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Mariska Hargitay has a new bundle of joy in her life!
According to People, the "Law & Order: SVU" star and husband Peter Hermann have adopted a baby girl.


The couple's baby, Amaya Josephine, was reportedly born outside the United States approximately a week ago.
"I'm deliriously happy," the 47-year-old actress told the mag. "From the minute she was born, she was just surprisingly alert and so full of love.


"We were considering both international and domestic adoption and we're thrilled that this is the way our prayers were answered," she adds.
"We talked a lot about mixed-race adoptions, and we are very excited that we are now a multi-racial family. We're just so happy she's here."
The actress said their 4-year-old son August is thrilled to be a big brother to baby Amaya.


"He is over the moon," she explained. "He calls her his baby because he says the whole thing was his idea. He always talks about how he's going to protect her. He's going to be a great big brother.

Coming Soon: 'Midnight in Paris'

anything with marion cotillard is on my must see list

'The Borgias' Tonight on Showtime

i'm really looking forward to this

Tonight on HBO: 'Mildred Pierce'

The Making of 'Mildred Pierce'

Making Of

Guilty Pleasure: 'Pretty Little Liars' Spring Finale

'pretty little liars' had it's spring finale this week. this show has come a long way...meaning from very good to even better. the twists and turns don't stop. nor do the lies. the characters have developed nicely as four young actresses, two young actors and a few adults have grown into their roles. this show is like watching a juggler or a plate spinner and wondering when the balls will fall or the plates crash. but here they don't. they stay in mid air. we hold our breathes. the mystery of it all goes on. it returns in june. too too long.

the liars

ashley benson (hanna), lucy hale (aria), shay mitchell (emily) and troian bellisario (spencer)

these four actresses are given equal time on the show but spencer's (bellisario) character developement has been amazing. she has gone from the quiet brainy one to scene stealer. ms. bellisario is the one to watch.

spencer's relationship with town pariah toby (keegan allen) developed gradually and blossomed much to their surprise and ours. they work well off each other and appear meant to be. is spencer's faith in him justified? i hope so but a momentary glimpse of him in the crowd in the final seconds of the finale raises doubt. for spencer's sake i hope her faith in him is indeed justified. for dramatic purposes maybe not so. either way they need to keep them together on screen. their work together is so natural, so believable.

aria

aria (lucy hale) and ezra (ian harding) were for me an abcfamily network surprise. teacher and student? must be a new kind of family watching this. definitely not for the palin's i think.


but finally they are no longer student and teacher. good. it was wearing a bit thin. they've uped it. his ex is back. menage anyone? spinning dishes you see.

hannah


ashley benson is terrific. the four friends are all vulnerable to the mysterious "a". but hannah is the most vulnerable period. it's her history. her relationship with caleb (tyler blackburn) seems so real. they have good chemistry. where that relationship is in the finale though is another of those rotating dishes.

emily

emily (shay mitchell) is out and proud. her struggling with people around her trying to push her back in the closet is real. been there! the amazing thing though is the acceptance by her closest friends. high school somewhere has become an easier place for a gay teen. why is it only on tv. since this show is aimed for a younger crowd maybe they can learn from this. i can only hope. ms. mitchell goes through the ups and downs of 'gay youth' beautifully. i hope GLADD recognizes her portrayal when next they gather to award good and healthy gay portrayals on film and tv.

and then there is poor dead alison. portrayed well by sasha pieterse she is the mean girl anyone would want to see dead.but who is channeling her from the great beyond is another jugglers ball in the air.
(pictured here with ms. mitchell and ms. hale)

till next time

Musical Interlude

ms. stritch singing 'it's today' from 'mame'

A Brief History of Title Art

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor

'Big Love': Farewell to the Hendricksons

the series finale was fulfilling. it ended somewhat as i expected. it went out not with a whimper but a bang. well two bangs actually. did patriarch bill hendrickson become the latter day jesus christ of latter day saints? well yes he actually did and not subtly. after 5 seasons the polygamist clan is gone. (i am amazed this series never won an emmy. or the audience it deserved.) this season made up for the rather disappointing fourth season in a big way. it was dark as the winter it was titled. the ending assured us that  the 'sister wives' and their clan would survive and thrive. it was always foremost about the wives and each in her own way will live as they hoped for within their hearts. i will miss this show. it was mostly intelligent (darn that 4th season), entertaining, generally well scripted and superbly acted. bill paxton, jeanne tripplehorn, gennifer goodwin and chloe sevigny shined. and it was nice that amanda seyfried 'guested' on the finale on the show that made her a star. this is a rarity in the biz seeing an actor go back to their 'roots' to pay homage and say 'thanks'.

series: B+
final season: A

series finale: A+

Keira Knightley's New Chanel Ad

Run Boy, Run

'Les Miserables': The 25th Anniversary Concert Part 7

one of my favorite moments in 'les miz' occurs just before the battle at the barricade. the student rebels meet one last time and want one last time that they 'drink with me'

'bring him home' is not just another show stopper. alfie boe takes it and makes it his own.  at the very least he equals the original jean valjean, tony and olivier awards winner, colm wilkinson. i actually prefer mr. boe's interpretation. it's all a matter of opinion and taste.

'a heart full of love' reprise

epilogue: the death of jean valjean and finale

encore: four jean valjean's 'bring him home'

(including colm wilkinson the original jean valjean)

the grand encore with the original 1985 cast, including michael ball, frances ruffelle, colm wilkinson joining the current cast. talk of passing the torch...amazing.

over the past week i have given you a sample of this amazing 25th anniversary concert. it's now up to you to get your hands on the disc.

that's a wrap!

Sneak Peak

andrew garfield as spider man

'Les Miserables': The 25th Anniversary Concert Part 6

nick jonas works well as marius. there is and will continue to be comparisons to michael ball, the original marius, who was excellent. however, nick brings a new and more youthful marius to us. marius was a student and mr. jonas appears more the student than most of his predecessors. his 'empty chairs and empty tables' is a pleasure well sung and dramatically inspired.

'Big Love', Chloe Sevigny and Lizzie Borden

'big love' ends sunday on hbo. except for last season it was a good show. this season was exceptional and made up for last year. in a good move hbo has picked up chloe sevigny's 'lizzie borden' as a two parter. chloe has always stood out on 'big love' but this year, especially last week, went to the darkest sides of her character nicki. i am going to miss this series but am grateful hbo gave it a chance.

'Les Miserables': The 25th Anniversary Concert Part 5

there are magical moments in the theater. there is a hush in the audience as a performer goes for the gold. when i first saw les miz the moment was when frances ruffelle began singing 'on my own' the audience was silent as a stone. it seemed even breathing had stopped. the only sound was the amazing sounds coming from ms. ruffelle. a pause in the song carried the echo of her last note. then she quietly finished her piece and the next sound was deafening applause as the audience spontaneously rose to it's feet. these moments are few and far between but when they occur i am thrilled for the performer and that i am a musical theater nut. ms. ruffelle won the tony and olivier awards for her performance. deservedly so.

i wish i had been at this concert of the show. samantha barks delivers the same song with the same intensity and vocal adrenalin as ms. ruffelle. she seemingly seamlessly stopped the show. the magic is seen on the disc. the magic in the theater must have been enthralling. i am jealous i was not there.

ms. barks is a natural. she is a beauty with a voice. and damn what a voice. her emotional attachment to the character and the song is visible and so natural. ms. barks i bow to you and your talent.

samantha barks delivers

the following sequence, 'javert at the baricade', 'little people', 'the first attack', ends with the ms. barks and nick jonas duet 'a little fall of rain'. they both deliver without missing a beat. eponine's demise is so natural and so understated. brilliant!

(to be continued)

'Les Miserables': The 25th Anniversary Concert Part 4

the role of enjolras has always overshadowed that of marius when awards were handed out. ramin karimloo in this concert adaptation does not disappoint. he is quite a winner actually. as part of 'one day more' and 'red and black' he shines. but as always with this role it his 'do you hear the people sing' that he makes his everlasting mark in musical history. going out on a limb here i think he is the best enjolras i've ever seen or heard. trust me i've seen and heard many.

'one day more'

 'red and black' and 'do you hear the people sing'

Song of the Day: 'Don't Give Up'

a musical moment with petula clark

'don't give up' the extended version 

Remembering Gordon Macrae on His Birthday

i've never given gordon macrae his due. truth be told it was mr macrae  in both 'oklahoma' and 'carousel' that started me on my musical path. i honestly don't know much of his work other than these two films. i just never got into post 1950 musicals. i found them 'light'. it was curly and laurey williams, julie jordon and billy bigelow who introduced me to, at that time, the 'modern' musical or the 'book musical'. in so far as his costar in both these films, shirley jones, celebrates her birthday at the end of this month i'm splitting the treasure they gave us along with the team who changed the musical forever collaborators richard rodgers and oscar hammerstein.

 'oklahoma'

'soliloguy' from 'carousel'