TEMPT NOT

So, Erin had her birthday party last night at Planet Rose on Avenue A (can I say 'Alphabet City'? Ooh, it just makes me fee so OVER THE MOON)...a karaoke place with a strange mixture of passive-aggressive screechy girls, Really Serious Karaoke Dudes, bros with baseball caps, and our gang.

Anyway, I've never done karaoke before, and put a lot of thought into what I would sing when the moment finally came. I decided on '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?' by Elvis Costello and The Attractions partially as a homage to Bill Murray's karaoke in Lost in Translation, and partially because I of course love Elvis. Now, as it happens, I wound up only singing a duet with the birthday gal on 'Paradise By the Dashboard Light' which was more that fine, considering that it was the realization of long-time dreams for both of us. Good.

Now, the point of this post is not to talk Meatloaf-- the point is that my eyes were opened to the amazing possibilities of karaoke in my life last night.

They. Had. Showtunes.

They had 'The Ladies Who Lunch.'

I was like "I could ruin EVERYONE'S night right now and have the time of my life doing it!" I think that kind of thing is only hilarious in indie movies, not when you're doing them yourself, but, man....'Delilah' by Tom Jones? 'One Bad Apple' by the Osmonds? 'Que Sera Sera', in the style of Doris Day? AMAZING. I was giddy with the temptation to do a really, really weird song. How many times can you hear 'Since U Been Gone,' anyway? You know?

But I resisted. Next time? I might not be so strong. Especially if I make it to cheap drinks/sing free happy hour, some rainy afternoon, by myself, with a hankering for some oldies.

also, two silly things and one nice thing:

1) Why is Martin McDonagh so FUCKING HOT?! Here he is at Monday night's NY premiere of In Bruges (which I might get to see tomorrow, hope hope hope):


It brings to mind Emily's famous quote from a few years ago: "He looks like he'd be really good at....having sex."


2) Hilarious antics from Randy and Evi Quaid CONTINUE! He just got banned FOR LIFE from Equity thanks to his shenanigans during the catastrophe that is and has been "Lone Star Love." Basically, the producers (and everyone else) point the finger at these clowns when it comes to the reason the show closed, so now Randy's getting fined the total of two weeks' salary for the whole cast....and various charges are being made against both him and his wife. Check it out (from that most reputable of sources, the NY Post):

A source close to the Quaids said they will appeal Equity's decision. "These are ludicrous charges and this is a kangaroo court," the source said.

Randy didn't show up for the hearing, which was held in Los Angeles. But his wife did and, according to a report on TMZ last week, berated several Equity staff members, including a 76-year-old receptionist whom she allegedly kicked in the shins, "drawing blood."

Equity reportedly took out a restraining order against her.

Evi, in turn, says staffers broke her finger, and she has requested a restraining order against them.

During the 61/2-hour hearing, Evi repeatedly screamed that the allegations against her husband were part of a "Nazi plot," according to a source who attended the meeting.

When Randy resigned from the union, he told some of the actors they were part of a "pinko-commie organization" that was out to get him, sources say.

A week before the hearing, Evi e-mailed several actors, threatening to sue them unless they dropped the charges against her husband.

"You have one last chance to stop this onerous campaign or else you will be drawn into a legal quagmire," she wrote.

The "War and Peace"-size complaint was assembled by the entire cast of "Lone Star Love" and included the following allegations:

* Quaid hit an actor on the back of the head four times during performances. When the stage manager told him to stop, he smacked the actor again.

* Another actor was warned that if he made direct eye contact with Quaid onstage, he'd be fired.

* Quaid made "sexually inappropriate" comments onstage, repeatedly referring to an actress' musical instruments as her "gynecological instruments."

* The couple tried to rewrite the script, to eliminate characters.

* Randy "felt free" to change blocking, lyrics and lines during performances, and repeatedly failed to show up for note sessions and rehearsals.

I love it.

3) My cousin has a cute baby!