day 8, August 14, New York

Today it was sunny.

So I walked down to Central Park, wandered round for a bit, read my new book. Wandered back to the hotel, arranged show tickets.

Then I went to see the latest Julia Roberts movie, Eat Pray Love. It's about a middle-aged woman who can't really decide what she wants. Marries a guy, divorces him, gets into another relationship with another guy, breaks that off. Goes on a trip round the world - to Rome, to eat, to India, to meditate, and then to Bali where she has a gap-toothed guru. Along the way she meets other blokes but can't commit. Eventually the guru tells her love conquers all so she goes off into the sunset with her Brazilian beau.

To me it didn't work. It's hard to get a film to work that is really entirely about the most basic questions - what life's about? what is true happiness? I found it all a bit awful. Julia Roberts herself is as gorgeous as she was 20 years ago in Pretty Woman. But after that the movie sucked. Everyone in the film kept telling her that love was the answer - she even complains at one point "I'm sick of people telling me to find a man" - but she only believes it when gap-toothed guru tells her this in the penultimate scene. I wishe he'd saved us some time and told her that in the first scene. And yes I know that Roberts is an Emmy Award winner - but really she just wasn't a good enough actress to pull off the part. And most of the supporting cast seemed disinterested. She didn't seem conflicted enough. No it just didn't work, I'm afraid.

Made up for though by my first Broadway show. Kelsey Grammer (of Cheers and Frasier) in La Cage Aux Folles. You'll remember the mid 90s film with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, The Birdcage - this is the show it was based on. Well it really was terrific and the entire cast brilliant. Unlike the film this was a musical. Lots of great songs and wonderful comedic performances.

I continue to be amazed by the aggression on the streets. Witnessed a fistfight tonight as I came out of the theatre, but I'm surprised I haven't seen more as people always seem to be arguing here.

The big news continues to be this altercation between the flight attendant and the passenger. The news shows are all debating this like it raised great meaningful issues. It is mid-summer I suppose, but still - two tired people had an argument and one got very silly. That's about all you can say about it. Perhaps this proves my poor news judgement that I can't egt at all interested in this.