Brendan Gill, a legendary staffer at The New Yorker for four of its first five decades, recalled poet and novelist Robert Graves in his memoir, Here at The New Yorker (Random House, 1975). “Graves, a devoted gardener, has long been in the habit of naming compost heaps after friends. During my visit he honored me … Read more
Eighties night: The young actors currently touring in Rent must be tutored in the culture of the period, a time when most of them were still in elementary school (a few weren’t even born yet!) When the musical Rent first opened in 1996, it – according to press boasts – “single-handedly reinvigorated Broadway.” The show … Read more
“There’s only one salient detail I recall from the wedding of the first of my friends to be married: The centerpieces were made of balloons,” writer Jennifer Mendelsohn revealed in a 2003 issue of Baltimore Bride. “Though I might not have been able to articulate it at the time, I sensed on some gut level … Read more
You, the over-30 brides, have different tastes, ideas and bank accounts than the early-20s set. Maybe you’re already a world traveler, and by now, staying in an all-inclusive resort sounds ho-hum. Or maybe your folks aren’t shouldering the bill for your honeymoon, and you need to plan a thrifty getaway. Then again, maybe you’ve been … Read more
In 2005, unable to find a spouse for herself, 38-year-old Pamela Anderson held a matrimonial ceremony for her dogs. Happily, it was crashed by Ali G. star Sacha Baron Cohen. But there are other celebs getting married in stylish and memorable ways, proving that the over-30 bride has it going on. (The ages noted, by … Read more
All the matrimonial factoids you’ll never need … but hey, it beats talking about the weather or dredging up embarrassing stories about the best man. The following info was culled from Hallmark.com: The nitty-gritty • Weddings are a $25.3 billion industry. • For the past 20 years, 2.25 million to 2.40 million weddings have taken … Read more
From a distance, the State of Matrimony looks a little different to each person who heads there. For some it is a romantic destination, a place of long sunsets, shameless cooing and perpetual snuggling. To others it is a place full of things of a more practical weight — doubled incomes, for instance, or tax … Read more
Through the grapevine: The Purple Onion Cafe and Coffeehouse is going down under on Wednesday, Feb. 22, with a wine-tasting featuring eight Aussie vinos and a smorgasbord of hors d’oeuvres. Tryon Distributing’s Richard McKinney will be on hand to provide commentary on the wines. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $28 per person. … Read more
At my childhood library, the librarians – perhaps in a kind acknowledgment of their patrons’ only recently acquired literacy – painstakingly pasted thumb-sized hieroglyphic labels to the spine of each young-adult novel, indicating the book’s basic subject matter. A rough approximation of a horse’s head promised an equine adventure. Romances were marked with plump hearts, … Read more
