RIP Angela Lansbury

There are some performers whose career is so indelible that we believe that they are immortal. The truth is that no one lives forever and we all go at some point.

The legendary actress Angela Lansbury passed away on Tuesday. This star of stage and screen (big and small) has been in our collective cultural lives for as long as many of us can remember.

Most notably, she played Jessica Fletcher in the iconic 1980s television show Murder, She Wrote and was the voice of Mrs. Potts in the 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast. I remember watching both as a child and feeling as if she was just a natural who spoke to the audience, regardless of the role she played.

She was 96. May her memory be a blessing. Z”L

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Throwback Thursday: Toy Story 2 (1999)

In a film series, the second is the most important. It is a litmus test of two important questions: 1. Is there an audience appetite for the sequel? and 2. Is there enough of a narrative to warrant a second movie?

Toy Story 2 (1999) is the second tale within the Toy Story franchise. After Woody (Tom Hanks) is stolen by a toy collector, it is up to his friends to save him. While Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) works on the outside to free Woody, Woody makes friends on the inside. Jessie (Joan Cusack) is a cowgirl and a part of the wild west line of playthings.

I enjoyed Toy Story 2. It has everything that made its predecessor great and then some. It is funny, entertaining, and suspenseful, and the addition of the new characters provides enough stretch to make the story plausible.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

I Attended the Women’s March on Saturday

The ability to publicly demonstrate and tell our elected leaders what is on our minds is baked into the very concept of democracy.

Last Saturday was the Women’s March in New York City. Held at Foley Square in lower Manhattan, attendees were there to make sure that our voices were heard.

Though the main topic was abortion, it was about the fact that in the United States, women and girls are still second-class citizens.

Before the speakers began, there was a recognition of Mahsa Amini and the figurehead that she has become. Not just in Iran, but all over the world.

The fact is that this has been an ongoing struggle for a very long time. While I was there, I could feel my foremothers standing behind me. Those of us who are alive today both stand on their giant shoulders and walk on the path they started.