Elizabeth

London-born actress Elizabeth Taylor, who hated the nickname "Liz", passed away yesterday at age 79. She grew up on screen when she came to fame at age 12 in National Velvet and went on to star in over 60 films and win two Academy Awards. She was also an AIDS activist, inspired by the death of her close friend Rock Hudson. Beyond her charity work and glamorous screen persona, she had a stormy life, which included eight marriages and a lifetime of health problems - skin cancer, seizures, stroke, brain tumors, diabetes, hip replacements, back operations, but somehow managed to bounce back with force and resilience from all these physical and relationship set backs. Co-star Paul Newman said "her life has not been an easy or a private one, but a series of tribulations, serious illnesses, senseless tragedy and lost love. One thing for sure: She is not afraid to take chances in front of people. I find a lot of actors who reach the top, they become very protective of themselves, and self-indulgent, but not Elizabeth. I was always staggered by her ferocity."

“I don’t entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I’m me. God knows, I’m me.” - Elizabeth Taylor

1932 - 2011

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Have a Quality Weekend

photo:danny lyon 1964. highway 49 jackson to yazoo city. Friday's here again. The week goes by so fast. We hope you can take some slow time to enjoy and appreciate life.

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Beauty and the Brains

We at Grant's like our females with a bit more substance. Because well, good looks nowadays are more than a dime a dozen, and of course with a credit card, it can be bought, altered, and airbrushed in an instant. Which is why I was impressed when I read this NY Times article that Hedy Lamarr, who was called the most beautiful woman in Europe in her day, was also a rocket scientist on the side. So who is this lady?

She was born Hedwig Kiesler in Austria-Hungary, the only child to Jewish parents, studied ballet and played piano before age 10, and starred in dozens of films opposite the likes of Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. Her escape from Vienna to Hollywood is almost right out of a film  - she supposedly drugged her maid then disguised herself as the maid to escape her husband who had ties to the Nazi. But of course countless Hollywood leading ladies have seen their share of drama off-screen. What set Hedy apart from the rest of the glamour set, was her brains and extracurricular activities. Together with composer George Antheil, Lamarr came up with an early version of frequency hopping intended to make radio-guided torpedoes harder for enemies to detect. Their frequency-hopping idea serves as a basis for modern wireless technologies. So with the exception of an arrest for a Winona-like shopping spree accusation, this lady had some skills.

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a slice of life

Di Fara Pizza is not fast food. It's been called the BEST pizza in New York by pizza connoisseurs, Zagat, the Village Voice, New York Magazine, New York Times, chefs like Anthony Bourdain, and your average New Yorker that loves pizza. People from all over New York and around the world make the journey to this hole in the wall pizza joint in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Midwood, Brooklyn. The average cost and wait time for a pizza is $25.00 for a basic pie that takes 2.5 hours or if you want a slice to go it will cost you $5.00 (the most expensive slice in NYC).

*note the painting of mr. demarco behind mr. demarco. look familiar ?

Di Fara has been owned and operated by Domenico DeMarco since 1964 after DeMarco moved to New York from Caserta, Italy in 1959. DeMarco is the only person that makes each pizza pie (not even his children are allowed to make it). When he's not available to make the pizza, Di Fara shuts its doors. Mr. DeMarco insists on using only fresh dough, on importing his tomatos from Salerno and his Mozzarella from Caserta, and bringing in his fresh basil from Israel. He alone makes the pizza. He works hard. He looks proud of what he does. And it shows.

Di Fara is a New York Pizza Instituion and Domencio DeMarco is a pizza legend in his own right. The trek takes 30 minutes on the Q line from Union Square. And yes it sucks to have to wait almost three hours for pizza, it's almost absurd in any other instance, but it's worth it. The time you spend waiting and watching is a pizza event.

A few things we recommend: eat before you step foot into Di Fara (you're not going to get your lunch or dinner during lunch or dinner time), order the regular pie (you don't need the extras like pepperoni or mushrooms), and eat it when it's hot. There's some great articles on Di Fara that you should read: A great 2004 New York Times article on the hard work that goes into making a Di Fara pizza, New York Time's article on the $5 price, and a Di Fara tutorial on Slice Pizza blog. Heaven!

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Lady Luck Monday

Here's to a lucky, positive work week.

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Have a Quality Weekend

The weekend's here again. Hopefully you can turn the TV OFF, and go do something, anything else but getting brain drained by prescription medication commercials and reality shows about rich folks with too much time on their hands.

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Monday Circus

Piccadilly Circus 1949 by Chalmers Butterfield Another work week. Back to the circus. "Stay Up & Stay Golden"

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Weekend Arts

When was the last time you used a pay phone? Exactly. With mobile technology, a phone booth has quickly become something of vintage novelty. Well, lighting designer Benoit Deseille and artist Benedetto Bufalino transformed this phone booth into an aquarium in celebration of the annual Festival of Light in Lyon, France. These photos demonstrate how artists can transform unused, forgotten or wasted objects into things that make people stop and enjoy. From PopTech.

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old school apple

back in the day. macintosh computers complete with floppy disk drive.

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Disappearing Manganaro Grosseria

Anthony Bourdain's Disappearing Manhattan was one of our favorite episodes of No Reservations, not only because he took us around one of our favorite cities, but because we are supporters of restaurants that might look a little rough around the edges but come with history and compelling stories, that are family owned and operated, that have charm and character and grit, that are trying to hold on to their place in the middle of an absurdly increasing, bullying New York real estate market.

We're sad to report on this windy Monday that one of the restuarants on that list will be disappearing: Manganaro's. When Bourdain filmed the Disappearing episode, he wrote "Manganaro's is a bit of vintage Italian-America that people raised on a more al dente, post-Batali, Northern-inflected, lightly sauced, meatball-free, Italian might not appreciate. But it's a vital step back in time, another world, and an essential one to remember and cherish." We couldn't agree more. Mangaro's is an iconic New York dining spot that helped pioneer the hero sandwich, with roots going back to the 1890s, and its mere presence in a city of expensive businesses that keep coming and going without making much of a mark is irreplaceable. We just wish the brothers, whose feud is the stuff of legend and who haven't spoken in 30-something years, could have put their differences aside. That, and maybe they could have treated their customers nicer - as we found out first hand, not everyone gets the Bourdain red carpet treatment.

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