Give it Up for Rhode Islander, Viola Davis & The Help

Kathryn Stockett, Emma Stone, Viola Davis

Browsing my Entertainment Weekly and having just seen an advanced screening of the movie, The Help I read that actress, Viola Davis is from Central Falls, Rhode Island.

Really?! She grew up in Narragansett and Central Falls? She went to RIC!

I wonder if she longs for clamcakes like I do and thinks of crisp, clean lemony Del's drinks on long summer days. Does she crave Newport Creamery grilled cheese sandwiches? Does she actually know what Jai Alai is and doesn't just think it is some now defunct client from Mad Men? I bet she calls her turn signals directionals too.

I already loved this woman for her roles in Doubt, Syriana, Without a Trace, Traveler, and State of Play. Now, I like her even more. Her portrayal of Abileen was spot on in The Help.

I'm pleased to say that the movie follows the book rather closely too. That doesn't happen very often in films. You will laugh out loud. You will sit in a theater full of sniffling, tears falling and nose blowing and probably applaud at the end. It is a truly heartfelt, lovely film that I would gladly see again.

Summer, Summer, Summertime....

Summer is officially upon us! It's time to hit the beach, neighborhood pool or fire hydrant. It's also a time that is loaded with Nostalgia. Yes, I am talking about it with a capital 'N'.

As I type this I'm coincidentally wearing a t-shirt from my home state of Rhode Island. Nothing says summer to me quite like the shores of Rhode Island. Land of the oldest carousel, clam cakes, Del's Lemonade and salt ponds with the scent of beach plums in the air. The beaches there are simple. There are not a lot of snack bars or distractions. It is just stretches of soft, golden sand, cold Atlantic ocean and views that put the movie Jaws never far from your mind. It's one of the reasons why I watch that masterful movie at the start of every summer. It completely gets me in the mood for these warmer months.

Just a short ferry ride away was East Hampton, a place that E and I spent a magical summer. We danced on the beach at dawn, drove through winding roads all night long and had more freedom than either of us ever knew before. We saw couples having Hollywood kisses on sidewalks and dined on pasta primavera for the first time. We felt quite continental.


And of course, there is always the music. After food, music is what evokes memories of summer unlike anything else.







What music and food remind you of summertime?

Reasons to Celebrate Earth Day

Sure, I could tell you to recycle and use cloth bags when shopping.  I could extol the virtues of 'green' cleaners and other household products and how I adore farmer's markets and buying local.  To me there is no other reason to help sustain our planet than places like these-

Pictures from my home state of Rhode Island.  Happy Earth Day y'all.  Now go hug a tree and crunch some granola or what have you.