Brody and Butler - Birds of a Feather...

...seeking like minded entertainment?

If you've seen the Stella Artois commercial of Adrien singing "cabaret style" to a roomful of women  and Butler's L'Oreal skincare spot, then you'll know what I mean.   Both nurture a reputation for having a way with and a weakness for the ladies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1uuqB-M4F0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dikfEwOUrMU

Are the reputations warranted or just part of their schtick?

Gerard Butler and Adrien Brody at Mont Blanc Party
February 26, 2011

Whichever it is, perhaps they feel there is force in numbers?


Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

Gerry and Hilary Have Good Chemistry...

P.S. I Love You co-stars at  Spirit Awards After Party

...on screen and off.  These are two people who genuinely like each other and it shows.

What do you think?

"Me?  A bad boy?"

"I'm on good behavior tonight!'

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

The Right Casting for The Field?

Now we know that Jessica Biel will be the one playing the role of Gerard Butler's ex-wife in the soon to be filming Playing the Field.  This casting choice makes more sense to me, although perhaps not as quirky as Uma Thurman, who was rumored to be playing that role on an Italian website.

Biel looks great on screen and if she plays it a little less for laughs and more of the straight role as the wife, I think it will be a good match.   Hopefully she and Butler have a quiet chemistry and not some more of the snarking between them that we saw in The Ugly Truth or The Bounty Hunter.  It may have served for those two movies (and not very well for the latter), but it gets tiring and one dimensional as a staple for Butler's comedic characters.  I think he has more in him.  I hope I'm right.

My advice to him... Be a sweet, but charming rascal.  It will play so much better.  Remember Beatty in Shampoo?  His character could get away with so much (and be forgiven) because he was sweet and charming (if flawed) and the women couldn't get enough of that then...and perhaps still not now.  In the age of  the Internet, we already get saturated with nastiness and snark and,  since women seem to be having more clout at the box office this year,  don't go for too much cutesy (as in smart aleck) either.   Everybody does that! A little sweetness, romance, and intelligent (even if angry)  dialogue between the two exes and the other characters, might really make this one worth watching.

Having said that,  I think the juicy role will belong to Uma as the soccer mom.  She will get to camp it up in the scenes with Butler and she is good at that.   I hope the rumors of Paltrow as another soccer mom are true and  that she signs on to the project (even as in a cameo)   Like her or not (I do),  she can act and her name will give the movie a little more weight.

I like the cast they have chosen, so far.  I hope the story and a steady and imaginative hand from the director, Gabriele Muccino, as well as some natural warmth and subtlety from Butler,  will make it the winner he needs as a follow up to the well reviewed Coriolanus and the still unknown quantity of Machine Gun Preacher.

I would like to see this muse prove some of the critics wrong.   I'm sure he would too.

As always, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.



Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

The Outlandisher - Chap. 16 A Fine Chelsea Morning

"And the light poured in like butterscotch

  Stuck to all my senses..."  

                                 Joni Mitchell

Spotting the "Grace Your Place with Magic - Interiors" emblazoned on the door of Rusty Elvaino's  large white pick up, Gerremy McButler signals his partner in crime,  Jamie McFraser,  to be ready to load the  17th century antique mirror and other items into the back as soon as Rusty stopped in front.  He had asked Elvaino to drive around the block a few times while he and McFraser went upstairs to retrieve the things the dragoon captain had stolen from his apartment.

Jamie had picked the lock and after ascertaining there was no one within, they had easily carried the items down the narrow stairs without incident. The trick now was to get them back up to his own apartment without  any paparazzi or fans recognizing him.

Although his top floor loft had appeared in a national architectural magazine, he still had a modicum of privacy because of its location.   He was very careful coming and going  and never did anything to attract attention so that, unlike his home in L.A.,  there were no paparazzi  (the bane of his existence) , standing around waiting for him to make a move.  He wanted to keep it that way.  

To this end, Gerremy and Jamie wore sunglaasses and a couple of the McFraser derided hats to try to blend with the crowd.   McButler wore a baseball cap pulled low over his face and McFrasers long locks were clubbed back in a low pony tail.   He wore a gray newsboy cap.   Even with these measures, the two tall figures were far from inconspicuous to the discerning eye.

Back on the road, Gerremy was discussing the best way to achieve his goal.  As McButler talked,  Jamie McFraser was taking in the fast moving world around him and, at the same time, learning the mechanics of driving a car by observing Rusty.  He had memorized the traffic patterns and workings of the stop signals earlier, and now McButler's voice drifted in and out of his consciousness.

So engrossed in his surroundings was he that it seemed like it was no time before they were parking near McButler's building again.    Unloading the bulky mirror first, Gerremy and Jamie suddenly spy one of three middle aged women who had been walking by,  approaching them with determination.

GMcB:  (turning away and lowering his face)  Shit!

Woman #1:   Say, aren't you Gerremy McButler?

The sudden urge to bolt is almost too much and Gerremy starts shaking the mirror they're holding.

JMcF:  (whispering)  Keep still man!  (calmly turning to the woman)  Ye're mistaken madam!  My mate's name is Gespard De Bourbonaise and being as he's both French and deaf,  he doesna' understand nor hear ye?  (tipping his hat)  If ye'll excuse us, we'll be gettin'  on wi' our work.

He  quickly goes around her.

Unconvinced, the woman joins her friends, all of them watching the two men suspiciously.

GMcB: (under his breath) Fuck!  (decisively)  Follow me!

Instead of entering McButler's building, they hurry down the block.

GMcB:   In here!

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

COSMETIC SURGERY

Keeping his eyes on the women, McButler pushes the door open and backs in, pulling McFraser along.

The receptionist behind the counter eyes the two men and their cargo suspiciously.

Receptionist:  May I help you?

GMcB:  (looking around, hat still pulled down low)   We have a delivery for...er, er... Dr. Avatar.

Receptionist:  (surprised)  Funny he didn't mention expecting any deliveries.  Wait here while I check with his nurse.

Jamie is peering through the window.

JMcF:  They're still there mate.  Is there a back way out o' this place?

GMcB:   Yeah, but ....

JMcF:   They're no'  giving up.  Here they come.

GMcB:  Shit!

Without waiting for the receptionist to return, they pick up the mirror again and move around the counter , pushing their way back into the labyrinth of stations and enclosed areas of the medical practice.

Seeing the receptionist walking back towards the front, they open a door and quickly duck into one of the small rooms...where a woman is laying back in a chair with pads over her eyes.

Woman:  Well that was quick.  When can I take these off?

Watching the receptionist go by through the blinds of the glass enclosure,  McButler opens the door and then playfully turns and whispers in the woman's ear  just before pulling McFraser and the mirror back into the hall...

GMcB:  (laying on the accent)  No' until I get ma trousers off, darlin' !

Alarmed, the  lady sits up, the pads falling into her lap...but by then the door is closing.

Heading toward the back of the building,  they encounter a male in surgical garb with a syringe in his hand coming out of one of the cubbyhole rooms.  Surprised, he gapes at the two.

Physician:  What the hell?

McButler: (nodding to the man)   Just passin' through.   Sorry we can't stay to visit!

Hurrying along, they reach the back entrance and push open the door, noticing the physician scratching his head in puzzlement.

Meanwhile, the three woman have entered the building and are speaking to the bewildered receptionist.

Receptionist:  Gerremy who?

McBUTLER'S APT BLDG.  - Minutes Later

As they hustle the mirror into the elevator, McButler calls Rusty on the cell.

GMcB:  We're going to plan B.   See ye in a few!

Rusty Elvaino:  Yeah, I saw them.  Gotcha!

Elvaino drives away, as the three women exit the medical practice and look after the departing pick up truck suspiciously.

Rusty Elvaino:  (laughing)  Eat your heart out girls!

Still in the elevator, Jamie turns to Gerremy.

JMcF:  (innocently)  That is what  "fans" looks like?

GMcB:  Just one of many variations!   But ye're catchin' on fast.

JMcF:   Are ye that famous then?   Just fer acting?

GMcB:  Just?   (laughing)  Observe an'  lairn, highlander!

Entering McButler's roomy loft, they set the mirror down in the foyer.   Going to the bank of windows and seeing what he's looking for,  McButler smiles and nods at Jamie.

GMcB:  Come on.   Let's get the rest.   It will be more difficult,  but it's the only way.

As they make their way through the labyrinth and toward the parked truck in the distance,  Jamie turns to Gerremy?

JMcF:  Mind if I ask ye something?

GMcB:  Can't stop ye, can I?

JMcF:  Wi'  all the attention ye say ye get from women...I mean... ye're no' a bad looking bloke... fer yer age...  

GMcB:  Some compliment!

JMcF:   Seeriously... Why do ye turn to someone like Elisa fer yer pleasure?  I  mean, she's a fine lookin' lass and all... but...ye said she's...

GMcB:   ...a working girl?   (thinking it over)   Well, since you're a Scot and a fine leukin' lad yerself, perhaps I'll explain it to ye in a way yer  23 year old mind can digest it...

He raises his hand to return Rusty's signal then turns back to Jamie.

GMcB:  As much as I hate tae admit it tae anyone...

JMcF:  Aye?

GMcB:   See... although ye canna tell by looking at me,  theoretically speaking... and theoretically only, I am almost old enough tae be yer faither.... depressing though that thought might be...

JMcF:  (not skipping a beat)  And?

GMcB:   (frowning)  Ye bastard!

JMcF:   (laughing)   I've been called worse.

GMcB:  (grinning)  Ye and me both.   

JMcF:   (not letting up)  And ye were saying...?  

GMcB:  Elisa?   Yeah, well ye see.....when I was yer age I was a pretty daft fellow who couldn't handle drink...

JMcF:  (interrupting)  Drink...?

GMcB:  (sarcastically)  Yeah.   Ye know...like in whiskey?  Alcohol?

JMcF:   And that makes ye different?   How?

After skirting a few hurdles they arrive at the truck.

GMcB:   Hold the thought mate! (patting him on the back)  I'll tell ye later, if ye're a good boy...

JMcF:   Hah!  From what I've seen so far,  it's debatable as to who is the boy here...but all right.  I'll remind ye cause I'm curious.

GMcB:  (grinning)  Good word, curious...   Besides sometimes killin' the cat,  it's what drives me a lot o' the time.

Putting his arm on Rusty's shoulder. 

GMcB:  Good work, bro!

Rusty Elvino:  Piece of cake!

GMcB:  (to Jamie)  Here....Help me with this chest  o' drawers before anyone else comes along!

With that,  Gerremy McButler started whistling an old, familiar tune, to celebrate their narrow escape.  Now if they could just find the Captain and deal with him, this whole fiasco might not end so badly.  He hated to admit it, but he was starting to enjoy the highlander's company.

Disclaimer:
This is a work of pure fiction that only exists in the twilight zone of the writer's mind.   Any and all resemblance to anyone, living or dead, is purely coincidental.


Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate 

Another Coriolanus Moment - The Look

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

A Coriolanus Moment

Some great reviews and photographs coming from the Berlin Film Festival regarding Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus.  The buzz has been building and it will be interesting to see how it does in the competition.  I am looking forward to seeing this baby, both for all the actors involved in the project, and to witness the talented Fiennes directorial debut.

My favorite photo so far is this playful one of Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler, which is open to interpretation. 

I've come up with three speculative scenarios...the first one having to do with a friendly reprise of the homosexual tension between Coriolanus and his adversary Tullus Aufidius between the respective actors in the roles... the second,  perhaps a fond director ruffling the hair of his young (in actions)  co-star as in  "Kid,  you did good in helping me sell this movie!" fashion,  or third  (this one gets my vote),  the follically challenged, but still handsome Fiennes saying to Butler:   "Lucky bastard!  I wish you could give me some of this mop!"

The Butler does have some great hair!  No doubt about it.

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

The Outlandisher - Chap. 15 Puppet Strings?

Sitting in his favorite chair in his Manhattan loft, Gerremy McButler was going through his mail.   He was also marking time while waiting for Jamie McFraser to get over his fascination with the multiple shower heads and liquid soap and shampoo dispensers in his bathroom.   He had been in there for well over an hour and last time he had checked on him,  he was producing enough steam to power a scene in a gangster movie bath house.

As if on cue, the Highlander, wrapped in one of Gerremy's  thick cotton towels and looking red as a lobster, strolled in with a big grin on his face.

JMcF:   How often dae ye use those marvelous squirtin' things that moves all o'er ye?  No' even wi'  all the wonders o' the French court ha' I ever seen anything like it.

GMcB: (dryly)  Believe it or not, bathin' is a daily ritual in modern culture.

JMcF:  Well I can see why.... though I'm no' sure aboot all the smelly stuff ye use.  Doesna seem verra manly tae me.

GMcB:  Are ye kiddin' me?   Wimmin love that shit!  

JMcF:  (surprised)  They do?  I must tell Sassyhack.  She's got the best sense o' smell I've ever run across.  She seems tae be especially fond o' sweat and woodsmoke....(thoughtfully)  although she did show me how tae keep ma teeth from fallin' out an'  tae keep ma breath sweet by chewin' on mint and parsley greens.

GMcB:  Yeah, well girls arna so fond o' honest sweat anymore.  Ye gotta smell nice or they say lots o' icky things about ye.   That goes fer yer breath too.    An' as for teeth,  some people arna so good at keepin' em, even in this time.   It's a good thing ye can get new ones pretty quick.   In my profession,  ye not only have tae keep yer teeth, but ye have tae keep em  looking good.

JMcF:  New ones?   I noticed ye show them a lot on the cover o' that moving  picture of yers ye showed me last night.  Will those be all yer own, then?

GMcB:  (sarcastically)   O' course they are!  Well, mostly, anyway. There's stuff they use to make em look white

JMcF:  Ye get them like that by usin' that little rotating brush in yer privy?

GMcB:  Not quite.... But it works.   Did ye use the head I gave ye?

JMcF:   That whirly thing scares me.   Could twist up yer tongue in no time.   I used the plain one wi'  the gooey, sweet stuff ye said was toothpaste?  What dae ye think?

McFraser smiles, pulling his lips away to display his almost perfect teeth.

GMcB:  (dryly)  Lucky bastard!  Ye probably don't even have cavities!

JMcF:   What?

GMcB:   Never mind.   Did ye get any sleep last night?

JMcF:  Slept like a log.

GMcB:   Figures.  Amazing what a "real" bed can do, isn't it?

JMcF:   I found it kind o' firm,  but then I'm used to the goose feather mattresses Sassyhack whips up.

Checking out Jamie's physique, Gerremy was trying to figure out which pieces of his clothing might fit the tall Scot.

GMcB:   I guess we have to find ye something tae wear if we're going tae try an' find that crazy Captain Randall.  Breakfast is on the table over there. I already ate.

Looking around again, marveling at the size and splendor of the actor's apartment,  McFraser ambled to the table and sat down to tackle the ham and eggs and toast and butter with jam that McButler's servant (or hired helper, as Butler called him) had carefully laid out.  Savoring the steaming mug of coffee, he looked over at Gerremy.

JMcF:  This is quite a place ye got here.   I naiver saw anything like it?  Does everyone in the 21st century live like this?

GMcB:  Hardly.   There are some as do, but I make a lot o' money bein' an actor.   I didna have anything near this grand before I got lucky.

One of McButler's many cell phones jangles and startles Jamie.

JMcF:  (chewing on the toast)  I canna get used tae the idea o' people being able to talk tae each other through the air....on that little gadget.

Gerremy shrugs as he picks it up.

GMcB:  We couldn't live without them.

Allaine S.:  (O/S)  Without what?

GMcB:  Cell phones.

Allaine:  (O/S) You mean your sixth appendage?

GMcB:  Very funny.    When are you coming back here?  I gotta find this creep.  He must be spending my money all over town!

Allain:  (O/S)  Let's hope he doesn't do more damage.

GMcB:   Where's my new P/A?   Did she cancel my credit cards?  What I can't figure out is how the devil did he learn about this stuff so fast?

Allaine: (O/S)  Everyone thought he was a friend of yours and was very helpful in showing him the ropes. Who woulda figured anything as bizarre as the tale you're asking me to swallow.

GMcB:  Fuck you!  I'm tellin' ye the truth!

Allaine:  Come on Gerry!   You been smoking dope?    Besides, how was I supposed to know he was a con man?  He said ye were shacking up with some married broad.   I figured ye wanted to fly under the radar for a while and no paps had picked it up...sooo no news became good news!

GMcB:  Ye imbecil!  In all the years ye known me, when have ye eiiiiver  known me to be out o' contact wi'  ye fer any length o' time?

Allaine:  (O/S)  You're kidding me, right?  You want specifics?

GMcB:   (controlling his temper) Look, I'm sorry!   Just fucking get here Allaine!

Allaine:  (O/S)  Yeah.  Sure.  After my nephew's Bar Mitzva.

Temper flaring again,  G throws the cell phone across the room, hitting a wall.

JMcF:  (calmly eating)   I think ye broke it!   Lucky ye have a few more.

As if on cue, another one of the phones ring.   G picks it up.

Allaine:  (O/S)  By the way, the Bank is sending you a new ATM card by messenger today.  This Randall fellow withdrew $25,000  from your cash account just recently, so he has funds on hand.  The credit cards will take longer.   See you in a few days and try to stay out of trouble.

GMcB: (still shouting)  How much longer is a few days?    (softer)  Allaine?

Looking up at Jamie.

GMcB:   The little shit hung up on me!

JMcF:  (calmly sopping up the last of the egg yolk)  What can ye expect wi' ye yelling like a banshee?   Dae ye treat all o' yer friends like that ye must be a very unpopular fellow.

GMcB:  (suddenly confused)  Whaaa?

JMcF:  Only person I let yell at me like that is Sassyhack and that's only because her carrying on an' such usually leads  tae some interestin'  frolicking o' the carnal nature....?

GMcB:  (sarcastically)   Yeah.  I get it.  Ye get laid!    But Allaine is used to me.  He knows I got a big mouth and a short fuse an'  don't mean anythin' by it.  I'm really a nice guy... most of the time.

JMcF:   Well ye couldn't tell by me.  Suck it up man!   How bad can it be?  We just got tae find the Captain and we'll worry aboot the rest later.

GMcB:  (chuckling)  Ye have no idea exactly how bad it can get.  But then why should you?

Shaking his head, he picks up the shattered cell and lays it next to the rest.

GMcB: (surprised)   Shit!  My chick phone is missing!

JMcF:  Chick phone?

GMcB:  (embarrassed)   Never mind.  I guess we'd better find ye something tae wear if we're ever going to track down this nut cake.   A friend of mine is going tae drive us back tae the scene of the crime.

JMcF:  The scene o' the crime?

GMcB:  (thoughtfully)  Yeah.   I gotta get that crazy mirror and the rest of my stuff back.    Allaine says I should keep this quiet or Loopy Lohan's  rehab is going tae look like a walk in the park compared to the looney bin they're going tae lock me up in.

JMcF:  I sympathize wi' ye McButler.  Being married tae Sassyhack is no walk in the woods either and ye're way more strange than her.

GMcB:  Ye think I'm strange?

JMcF:  Well,  ye do ha'  separate names fer all those things ye call cell phones...  There's a naked guy on yer ceiling.... an' ye also have a lot o' funny lookin' hats hangin' around.  How many can a fellow wear?

GMcB:   They come in handy when ye're tryin' to hide in a crowd.

JMcF:   Take it from a fellow who sticks out like a sore thumb.  Those hats arna going tae do the job.

GMcB:   Maybe not, but I like em and that's a good enough reason!

Gerremy gets up.

GMcB:  Listen....I'm expecting someone, but I need to take a shower before they get here.  Can you entertain yerself fer a few minutes?

JMcF:   Shuire thing.  All right if I look through yer books?

GMcG:  Help yerself!


Still clad in only a towel around his waist, Jamie is pulling down random books from the bookshelves in Gerremy's office, when there is a loud knock on the front door.   Opening it,  he finds a tall, leggy brunette with a pretty face on the other side.

The brunette looks him up and down with admiration just as Gerremy, wearing a bathrobe with slicked back, wet hair and smelling like a cross between a wood mill and a flower garden,   comes out.

The brunette goes up to McButler and plants a soft kiss on his mouth.

*Elisa might look like this.

Brunette:  Hello love!   Long time no see.

GMcB:   I've been busy, baby.  Thanks fer comin'  over on such short notice.

Brunett:   Don't I always?   (looking at Jamie appreciatively)   Is your friend joining us today, I hope?

Gerramy puts his arm around her shoulder.

GMcB:  Not a chance darlin!  He's married!    It's just ye an' me, as usual.   This is Jamie, by the way, and Jamie has got a female pulling his puppet strings, so I doubt he's allowed to venture too far into foreign territory.

Brunette:  (still looking at Jamie, who is now blushing)  That's a shame.   He doesn't look like anybody's puppet.

JMcF:   Aren't ye going tae present me tae yer lady friend, ye clod!

GMcB:   This is Elisa...(grinning) an'  she's no lady, thank God.   Elisa here is a damned fine working girl who attends to my needs on occasion.   (looking at her)  Right sweet cheeks?

Brunette:  (laughing)   I'm on exclusive retainer whenever he's in town.

GMcB:   (patting the girl on her bum)   Elisa knows I can't function fer very long without some attention (clearing his throat suggestively) o' a pairsonal nature.

He pulls her along to the bedroom and gently pushes her in before looking back at Jamie.

GMcB:  Sorry mate, but I'm going to be tied up for an hour or so.   If I wasna afraid yer wife would try to geld me again, I woulda asked Elisa tae bring along a friend.

Slipping off his robe, he throws it at Jamie.

GMcB:  Here.  Ye'd better put that on before ye catch a cold.  I won't be needin' it!

Still pink in the face,  Jamie catches the robe as Gerremy disappears behind the bedroom door.

JMcF:  (to himself)  Cheeky bastard!  Just what the devil did he mean by puppet strings?


Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction that exists only in the twilight zone of the writer's mind. Any and all resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. 



* I pictured the purely fictional  Elisa looking a little like this nice looking print model. 


Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

Weinstein Will Distribute Coriolanus/Butler to Ride the Wave

Congratulations to Ralph Fiennes on his Coriolanus being picked up for distribution by the Weinstein Brothers.  It was formally announced today, although the rumor has been around for a week or so.  By extension, this congratulations goes to all the actors and others involved in this ambitious production.

Fiennes directing Butler.

Knowing how zealous Harvey Weinstein is in backing projects he believes in, I know it will get the promotion that it deserves if the movie is indeed worthy.  This is one I am looking forward to seeing.

The good news for Coriolanus' distribution deal is not the only wave Coriolanus co-star  Gerard Butler will be riding today,  as it was announced  that he will be starring in and co-producing "Mavericks,"  a movie that all serious surfers will know refers to that piece of Ocean in Northern California that provides them with some of the most challenging waves on the continent.   Coming from an area where surfing was a passion for many, no one escaped the legend of Mavericks' waves.

Riding Mavericks

The movie Mavericks will focus on the story of Jay Moriarty, the young surfer who trained with older surfer Rick "Frosty" Hesson for a year to tackle the challenging waves of the legendary area and the friendship that developed between the two.  Butler will be playing the role of Hesson and his recent surf riding sessions in Hawaii were perhaps instrumental in proving that he could tackle this role with some authenticity or,  perhaps  a little bit of good publicity timed to coincide with the announcement.  Either way, Butler seemed to be enjoying himself.

 More surfing lessons for Butler.

Mavericks will be helmed  by Curtis Hansen,  who directed the marvelous  L.A. Confidential   This alone makes me have high hopes for this current endeavor by Gerard Butler as actor and as co producer (along with producing partner, Alan Siegel).

As an interesting aside, the area was named Mavericks after a dog.  According to Wikipedia:

In early March 1961, three surfers, Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson, and Dick Knottmeyer, decided to try the distant waves off Pillar Point. With them was a white-haired German Shepherd named Maverick, owned by a roommate of Matienzo. Maverick was used to swimming out with his owner, or with Matienzo, while they were out surfing.The trio left Maverick on shore but he swam out and caught up with them. Finding the conditions too unsafe for the dog, Matienzo paddled back and tied Maverick to the car bumper before rejoining the others. The riders had limited success that day, surfing overhead peaks about 1/4 mile from shore, just along the rocks that are visible from shore. They deemed conditions for surfing the bigger outside waves too dangerous.

They decided to name the point after Maverick, who seemed to have gotten the most out of the experience. It became known as "Maverick's Point", and later simply "Maverick's".

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

Butler surfing photo courtesy of GBGALS.

The Getaway and another fine day in LA LA Land

These are the times I absolutely love this particular muse.  Whenever I see photographs or situations like this played out in front of the paparazzi cameras,  I can't help thinking how human and unintentionally amusing Gerard Butler  can sometimes be.   In this Keystone Cop kind of moment, G and his  friend seem to be making what looks like a hurried (and harried) exit from a local nightclub and each freeze frame has been caught by the cameras.  Without knowing the particulars,  a million scenarios came to mind and my immediate thought was to exploit a few of them for this blog.

"Your extra keys are where?"

My first response,  after a big smile, was that they were making a quick getaway with someone in hot pursuit.    My speculative mind immediately went to "a jealous boyfriend. "  From there, in quick secession it went to:  a) some overzealous fans intent on following him,  b) a planned rendezvous with someone they had met inside and not wanting the paps along for the ride,  c) trying to elude pursuing paparazzi, only to be greeted by another one, or more nefarious even...like  d) trying to purchase something slightly illegal from someone,  then later suspecting the source to be a legal sort.

"It's somewhere on the steering wheel."

The latter is my writer's imagination working overtime and most highly unlikely, considering the upright standing of the source.  (grins)

Stepping back from it, it could also have been the result of  e)  dinner having gone wrong and the resulting upheaval of the gastric juices at work on the stomach causing a major disturbance to the subject's plumbing, making a very quick getaway quite necessary.   Perhaps someone felt  dizzy and needed to get out of the crowd?  

"Oh Gude, are they still back there?"

Of course Butler's fans would be making the usual remarks and there would be plenty of derisive ones.   We have the predictable ones such as "He needs to grow up!"  "He's too old to be clubbing" (or dancing or singing or whatever he does)....because no matter what it is "he will always be too old" to be doing it in their eyes.  I guess since they are probably too old... and if by decree  they make him "too old"  he will be closer to them in "some" respect.  

To these people I say that one is NEVER too old to dance and anyone who makes such a silly statement must be a bit of a sad sack and very insulated from the rest of humanity.  In just about every culture on the planet dancing is an expression of joy and celebration...just as music is.  Any poor soul that doesn't know or hasn't experienced it....well they are truly worthy of pity.

I am sure there were plenty of other comments,  funny or nasty, but for some the litany of  negativity is always the same.  It's a free country and they are welcome to it.  I just don't read it.

The truth is that we don't know what these two were thinking or doing and it really doesn't matter.  The photographs were humorous,  two big kids caught by the flashbulbs and trying to figure out how to get out of there with Murphy's law very much in play.  Oh that darned Murphy!   It was oh so reminiscent of something that's happened to most of us somewhere in our past.   

Friend:   "Don't you gas this thing up before you go out?"   "Where is the security override for this thing?"  "My license has expired.  I really shouldn't be driving."   "I can't believe that guy was mad enough to trash your motorcycle!"  "Did you really say that to his girl?"

G:   "Are they still back there?"   "Fuck,  where did I leave my phone?"   "Damn, if anyone finds out about this,  I'm toast."  "What the hell did I do that was so bad?"   "Are they still following us?"   "Fuck if I remember where the keys to my motorcycle went...!"

All of the above is totally speculative,  of course,  and probably far from the real and simple truth.  But when the photos are this delicious....  

Obviously, if either one of these two handsome denizens of La La land were ill,  I am sure they are fully recovered from their adventure and looking back on their night (perhaps through these photos)  with a hearty laugh.  Being the small world that it is,  ONE of the two fellows photographed walked into the restaurant where I was having lunch with friends this weekend.  He looked fit and dined with several friends at the next table.

My friends and I were discussing politics, the crisis in the Middle East, travel to Shanghai, local restaurants  and their decor,  and the occasional bout of road rage caused by freeway driving in Southern California.  Perhaps  he and his friends were discussing similar subjects.  That's what people do.  Normal things....

After taking leave of my friends,  I drove to Joan's on Third and Magnolias (respectively) and picked up a few goodies to bring home to my daughter,  who was working and still waiting for the storms to blow over before heading  back home to the east coast. 

As I skipped over the puddles left by the early drizzle, I  was thinking how pleasant life is to be able to enjoy brunch and laugh with your friends on a fine Sunday afternoon when there is so much strife going on in so many places around the  the globe.  Most of the rain was gone and the sun was shining and people were out walking and eating outdoors.   I was reminded again how blessed I am to be living in LA LA Land.   

I was also wondering if  both of the fellows caught in the headlights of the freeze frames above were equally as thankful and enjoying the rest of the beautiful Southern California day...wherever it took each of them.

Zoni

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

*Photographs courtesy of Just Jared.