Curio: Totes, Totes

Alexa here. Lately I've been stress eating and stocking up on tote bags, which probably means I am turning into Liz Lemon, but really it's just that I am very busy and preparing for outdoor concert season. I can never own enough tote bags any time of year, but during the summer they become indispensable.  Here are some especially great ones I've spotted recently that cleverly celebrate some beloved film icons.

Handmade Bette tote, available here.

A tote for the Truffaut lover, available here.

Psychedelic Mia tote, available here.Click for more, including Woody and E.T....

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Beauty Break: Tom Hiddleston

Splish splash Loki taking a bath...

Tom Hiddleston called this shoot for 1883 magazine his favorite photoshoot ever on Twitter just yesterday. Haven't seen the final product but he does look like he's having fun, splashing about, jumping around, posing and even dancing in this behind the scenes video.

Stage Door: Tony Award Nominations

They're here. The 2012 Tony Award nominations. For your perusal and discussion the nominee list. Unfortunately this year I saw relatively few shows: Follies (genius), Porgy & Bess (strong), Bonnie & Clyde (errrr). The stage adaptation of the film musical Once (2007) led the nominations with 11. I still haven't seen it (sniffle) but I love the film. Porgy & Bess is close behind with 10 nominations including a possible record-tying fifth win from the one and only Audra McDonald.

Audra McDonald & Norm Lewis (sensational) in Porgy & Bess

Best Play

• Clybourne Park
• Other Desert Cities
• Peter and the Starcatcher
• Venus in Fur

 Best Musical

• Leap of Faith
• Newsies
• Nice Work If You Can Get It
• Once

Yes, three movie adaptations out of four. 75% which is about right given what gets produced these days.

Best Revival of a Play

• Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
• Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
• Master Class
• Wit

Best Revival of a Musical

•  Evita
• Follies
• The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
• Jesus Christ Superstar

 Bernadette Peters Loses Her Mind -- she's the only lead Follies player without a nomination

Three of the four have had movie adaptations made of them.

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"You're So Vain" Redux w/ Johnny Depp

Did you hear that Johnny Depp is guesting on Marilyn Manson's new album? They've done a cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" which is one of the first two songs (along with Toto's "Rosanna") that I ever understood were actually about screen stars. (I almost typed "actresses" on accident because Warren Beatty is one of the few actors that I respond to in the same heightened way I usually reserve for actresses). For me as a kid that was really exciting to realize, that people wrote songs about stars.. That's probably why one of my favorite Old Hollywood stories as a baby movie buff was how Judy Garland boosted her own nascent fame by reworking the popular song "You Made Me Love You" for Clark Gable at a Hollywood party. It went over so well they put it right into a movie. 

Anyway, here's that cover.

You can't really hear Johnny Depp which is just as well I suppose. Sweeney Todd anyone?

It's not the first time the two have worked together of course. Here's a performance of the very best Marilyn Manson song "Beautiful People" with Depp on guitar. Marilyn can't resist that ol' 'guitar's are penises and I love fellating my band bit.'

April. It's a Wrap

So.... we stayed very dry this month. So sorry about the annual April Showers event which just didn't happen. April's other traditional event (New Oscar Predictions) did finally happen and the conversation continues. But more than any month in recent memory this one felt like it dragged me behind it mercilessly while it sped through a series of stressful events. Offline. We'll see how May treats us. But it'll have to be better.

Here are ten highlights of this scattershot month in case you missed them...

Hello Gorgeous Barbra Streisand's filmography. It's like butta.
The Evil Queen's Library Someone give her a library card.
April Showers: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo well at least I started the series off well. My stamina failed me. 
Mirror Mirror what an odd mix of fairy tale, visual indulgence, and hit and miss performances.
Take Three: Anne Heche Anne Heche Craig's series hits one of my favorite actresses. She's probably #1 on my list of "does not even remotely have the career she should have. 
"The Nineties" a nostalgia addled moment
Yes No Maybe So Magic Mike not what many people were expecting as a trailer for a male stripper movie
Time Out's 100 Best Horror Movies how many have you seen? 

Most Comments: Five Nicole Kidman Confessions
Most Popular:  Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Serenity

Coming in May: Oh dear. I best not promise anything at this rate. But we'll try to follow Cannes hype, assemble with The Avengers (2012), and screen Pariah (2011), The Exorcist (1973), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Dark Shadows (2012), and About a Boy (2002) for its 10th anniversary.

Also: Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Michelle Pfeiffer and whichever other actresses we jones for as summer movie season kicks off.