Little Tokyo; characters in a boring play; "Love and Death on Long Island"; "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss"; "Now Voyager depart..."; Sean P. Hayes

I was actually able to get out and do a few things today. Went to lunch around 11:15 to Little Tokyo which was not as crowded today. As usual the food was superb. This has to be one of the best Japanese restaurants around. Almost every time I'm there, I hear someone speak of how they have been elsewhere, Atlanta, New Orleans, Las Vegas, etc., and it was not as good. Great PR for a tiny place.

As I've indicated before, the one problem is the noise level. If you're eating alone, you frequently find yourself unintentionally overhearing various conversations around you. Today's conversants were a pair I call Tweedledee and Tweedledum for their remarkable resemblance to Louis Carroll's characters. Rotund, plump, walrus-like. I've seen them there on Saturday's many times before, and their conversations always "carry." I almost am left with the impression I'm listening to characters in a very boring play. As though they want to be overheard. But the conversations are always so trivial. At least after about ten minutes, their voices were diminished by other conversations.

I saw parts of two movies within the last 24 hours with similiar themes. Last night, I caught part of "Love and Death on Long Island"; and this afternoon, the last part of "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss." Both deal with the infatuation of a gay character with a straight friend.

"Death and Love" has John Hurt in love with Jason Priesley of "Beverly Hills 90201" fame. Hurt has always been one of my favorites, and Jason is certainly adorable.

I only recognized one actor in "Billy's" and that was Richard Ganoung. (Richard played Michael in "Parting Glances," which is another special movie for me. And I've loved all the characters in PG, but especially Michael. I'd often wondered what had happened to Richard. My fault for not consulting IMDB.) Here the link is between a gay photographer and a "straight" waiter.

In typical cinema fashion, both romances are unfulfilled. But both movies do offer some hope for the future. "Death" has a splendid quote, which I was not familiar with, from Walt Whitman. "Now Voyager depart! (much, much for thee is yet in store)" I rather like that!

Anytime I see movies like this, I'm filled with a sense of melancholy. As I'm sure many others are also. Oh, Gawd! How many of us have gone through this, only to be thwarted by a simple twist of fate.

Bugger! I've just been darting round in IMDB and realized that the actor who played Billy, Sean P. Hayes, is the actor who plays Jack McFarland in "Will and Grace." Good heavens, how could I have missed that! I feel like someone should come out from stage left and hit me over the head with a large nerf baseball bat. Duuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

PAX!