Love HBO

In case we forget how truly gorgeous both these women are after viewing Grey Gardens on the weekend.......I thought you might enjoy these beautiful Vanity Fair photos of Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. I was out Saturday night, so pre-taped what I thought was the new HBO movie of Grey Gardens and realised at midnight that I had taped the original 1976 version........panic, absolute panic...... then found that HBO (at least here in Canada) was running it again through the early morning hours. Whew...and what a delicious way to spend a Sunday morning! My only complaint was that it was about three hours short, I could have watched their story and the exquisite set interiors of Grey Gardens in it's pre-crumbling heyday for hours. Sunday night was reserved for viewing the Maysles brothers classic documentary version that originally brought the sad plight of these destitute eccentrics to the attention of their famous relative Jackie Onassis (who promptly ponied-up the funds to make the East Hampton home livable for the most part). The new HBO version adds in a glimpse of their previous life of privilege and wealth and (somewhat) helps answers the question of why the Beale women ignored their pauper status for years while still thinking they were society princesses.

New make-up techniques were used on both actresses to maintain realistic facial movement . The East Hampton 28-room mansion was painstakingly recreated for the film in a field east of Toronto, Ontario. I suspect both women will be award nominated several times over and deservingly so. Visit HBO {click here} to see a short preview, background, and I'm watching for the DVD release date.

Drew Barrymore had to cajole the director to consider her for the part of Edie Bouvier Beale. After seeing her in this movie and then seeing the original Little Edie in the documentary, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Little Edie. She captured this lovable, but odd (some would say deluded) personality of this truly fascinating character. The sad part....that Little Edie isn't here to see the fame that she so desperately thought she had lost in staying with her lonely (some would say controlling) mother at Grey Gardens, though she did have her "moment" at the original documentary screening. A totally random and shallow thought when looking at this photo of Drew Barrymore......isn't this big hair gorgeous and when is it coming back?

Don't you just love HBO? Just in case you've missed it, HBO has another series running right now on Sunday and Monday nights and in it's second season (first season available on DVD and itunes download) that is on my can't-miss basis - In Treatment with Gabriel Bryne . I am addicted to this story line, but mind you.... if " Paul Weston" was a psychoanalyst of choice, you wouldn't believe the head problems I could make up.

1st and 3rd photo from Vanity Fair/ 2nd and fourth photo from HBO