Just tango on

June 13/11

What a wild and trying day. Just when I really NEEDED energy, wouldn't you know, for the first time in weeks, Intensity Entity was suddenly nowhere to be found! (Actually, "I.E." WAS there for a while, - enough to keep me buzzing and unable to sleep most of the night or morning, but completely cacked out later, leaving me exhausted).

Bought a cute pink butteryfly shirt on the Danforth over the weekend, so that lifted my energy level and kept me standing for a while!
Spent the later part of the morning with Carrie, dealing with house issues and offers, but have been kept on tenterhooks in that regard late into the evening. Meanwhile, my beautiful cousin, Sacha, has been in labour for well over 30 hours. A very anxious day, waiting for news (on all fronts), and worrying about her and the Staples clan, who are with her at the hospital. She spent her entire pregnancy preparing for the arrival, working out in the gym, staying in condition to "help the baby out," - but so far, no go. Thinking of you every minute Sacha and waiting for the good news!

(Note: This pic was taken long before the baby news. Sacha never had alcohol throughout the pregnancy. Hopefully, we can have a Gingerale toast soon!)

What else can I tell you? In between everything else, my mind wandered to Al Pacino! (naturally!) I often find my life plays out in my brain in movie dialogue. (Guess that's what comes from a lifelong obsession with films and movie stars). How lucky was I to have a career that allowed me to indulge those obsessions?

For whatever reason, Intensity Entity decided (when he or she WAS around) to declare this Al Pacino Day! (and apparently, I couldn't say no). He's one star I never did get to meet but always wanted to. This whole thing likely got started because Max was watching Dog Day Afternoon on the weekend for the umpteenth time. I'm happy, because I introduced him to that film a couple of years ago, in the hopes he'd find it as exciting (and, ya, ya,- intense) as I did. And remarkably, he did! He loves it! We often watch together. "Attica! Attica!"


The Attica moment happens at 1:50
It truly is a spectacular movie with unforgettable performances and fabulous, tight editing.

Al-Pacino-Day-in-my-brain turned out to be a triple feature! Next up? Scent of A Woman. In my current state, I was relating to one of my favourite lines in that great tango scene where Lt. Colonel Frank Slade asks a young woman, Donna (Gabrielle Anwar) to dance at the Oak Room in New York's Plaza Hotel. She expresses fear that she can't do it because she might make a mistake. (at this point in time, I seem to feel there's a lot of potential for trouble and mistakes in my own life). That's why I like Pacino's response. He tells her, "No mistakes in the tango, not like life. Simple. That’s what makes the tango so great. You make a mistake, get all tangled up, - just tango on!"



That's what I think I'll do too. Just tango on.

Last in the triple feature - Sea of Love. Right up there in my top Pacino flicks. Hot film. One time, I interviewed Ellen Barkin about her role as Helen, sexy manager of a shoe store, who falls hard for Frank, a cop. There's this scene, where they're about to have sex for the first time. She takes over and runs the whole show - right up against a wall.

Frank is shocked, even frightened by her aggressiveness, but ends up in ecstacy. At one point, he tells her, "You're killing me."

I asked Ellen Barkin about that scene. She laughed, that fabulous laugh of hers and told me, "I LOVE that women come up to me all the time and feel so comfortable telling me how much they adored that take-charge scene! Makes my day!"

My favourite lines happen after the passionate all-nighter, in the morning. Frank, still in bed, looks up to see Helen across the room, squints and asks, "Is that the sun? Are we still alive?"

Helen: "I thought you were an insomniac."

Frank: "I am. I must have fainted! I'll have to be airlifted to a standing position."

Love it.

Well, THAT was one interesting day!
Thanks Al, for getting me through it.

"Anytime Lain. Just call me."