Lately I've Been Considering Things That Begin With The Letter "M".

As a diehard Carrollian (one who studies the works of Lewis Carroll) I thought I'd get in on the "Alice" mania in my own way for these first couple of posts. So let's consider...the letter M.

WAIT NO- WHAT IS THIS? NO! DO NOT CLICK THE LINK- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K-foKERvHc

Ok, now that I got your attention with that Lovecraftian-level nightmare (Thanks a lot, roomie. She mentioned that Hatter from the Tim Burton's movie would sing that song. I laughed. Then I cried. ) Let's get back to some of my favorite things that start with "M".

Michael Cerveris: Only the best actor to play Sweeney Todd ever. Equally poised whether encumbered onstage or screen by being totally naked, playing the guitar, pretending to kill people, pretending to be blind, deaf and dumb, wearing a fat suit, having no eyebrows, or being stalked by Patti "STOPTAKINGPICTURESRIGHTNOW" LuPone, Michael is a true artist and a rather nice gent to boot. Some of this best acting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7UOTuntLMk
Something he would probably rather have us forget about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9cLYtKq_tQ
Michael has also done straight plays, including a brilliant one called In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl, which a family friend of mine was also in. It's not on Broadway any more, but if you ever get a chance to see it or read it, go for it. It is a very funny and deeply moving play with a lot of interesting points about sexuality.

Miss Marple: In literary form she's wonderful. But Julia McKenzie makes a cracking Miss Marple, if I may say so.

Muffins: Delicious puffs of freshly baked joy, and worth a listen when their praises are sung by Mr. Frank Zappa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcm7uJ74XFI

Misanthropic, Meandering Mayors: Why is it that usually when "The Mayor of (insert town here)" is a character in something, he's always evil or an ineffectual idiot or both? Usually a he, too. This trope seems to crop up in a lot of works I happen to be a fan of: Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Edgar and Ellen, Action League Now ("His dishonor...THE MAYOR"). Even friggin' Lazy Town has this issue.

May, Brian : Lead guitarist of Queen, one of my favorite bands! Brian is perhaps the world's only Rock Star/Astrophysicist and a damn great songwriter: he wrote "We Will Rock You", but also "Too Much Love Will Kill You", "Save Me", "All Dead, All Dead", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "'39" and about a million other awesome songs. His unique sound comes from using a coin as a pick and playing on a guitar he made himself, "The Red Special". Plus, Brian has mantained an extremely impressive head of hair. I could have listed Mercury, Freddie, but you guys know all about him, I'm sure. If you don't you should!

Monk: Tv series starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, the Obsessive-Compulsive detective. This show is pretty damn addicting, reminds me of the way I used to tear through Encyclopedia Brown books when I was little. Monk is a truly compelling character- you love him, you sympathize with him, you identify with him. I recently met Mr. Shalhoub after seeing him perform on Broadway and he is as sweet as they come. So what if his show's over? This thing will be in reruns til Doomsday, so check it out.

MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art in New York City! Think you don't like modern art? You're bound to find at least one thing you like here. (You like Van Gogh, right? C'mon, everybody does!) Some things on display may be a bit avant-garde for you, but the sheer volume and variety of art on display will knock you out. They have a lot of my favorite artists here: Klimt, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Chagall, Dali. Be sure to stop in at the cafe and sample an Asian Noodle salad (with peanut and cilantro, quite delicious) and a cup of their hot chocolate, which is like drinking a melted Godiva bar. They serve it with home made marshmallows and a tiny brownie square and it is pure heaven. And anytime from now until April 26th, be sure to stop in (I reccommend during the week) and seeing the excellent Tim Burton exhibit. If you are a fan of the director, it is a MUST!

More Museums: I love museums in general so I'll name a few more: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Favorite room: sculpture garden) ; The Museum of Natural History (favorite thing: The whale) The Museum of the City of New York (Check out the Charles Addams Exhibit) The Museum of Television and Radio (may be becoming obsolete thanks to Youtube- help keep it alive!)

Malcolm McDowell: What's not to love about the poster boy for Ultra-Violence? This guy needs more and better movie roles, people. Some performances of his to check out: Time After Time, Cat People, Tank Girl; O Lucky Man; Royal Flash; If; Tales From the Crypt: "The Reluctant Vampire". Also relevant to this post's title is his work on "Metalocalypse" and as Teen Titans villain Mad Mod!

Monty Python: Selected sketches to check out for those of you who want to move beyond "Python 101" will be coming up in a later post

Maxwell, Jan: Theater actress often found trodding the boards in NYC. Just met her after I saw the show she's currently in, Lend Me a Tenor. What a sweet woman, considering she plays some wacked characters! Jan has done a lot of stage work and was nominated for a Tony for her role as The Baroness in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Jan's performance is brilliantly insane and must be seen to be believed. I also saw her earlier this season in The Royal Family and in a cast full of pros like Rosemary Harris, John Glover and Ana Gasteyer, Jan held her own!

Mystery Science Theater 3000: A list of essentials for this show will be dealt with in a future post!

Max Raabe: German singer/bandleader who does an authentic 30's style big band act. His songs of the era are great but when he covers a modern pop song, it's an experience you won't soon forget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH49M86Nb98

Mystery Men: So help me, I love this film. Why is everyone in it brilliant but Ben Stiller....oh yeah, it's BEN STILLER. Whoops.

Matt Berry: British actor/comedian musician. You may know him from The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, or Snuff Box. You may not know that he is a damn epic singer/songwriter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X71eB65EObk

Well, that's all for now, my lambs. If I think of anything more I will post it in a follow up.
Love from
Ruby