chit chat 2023

Hey everyone, time to start a new chitchat thread for 2023. Er, only a month and a bit late.

How's everyone?  Is everyone still here?

I know I've been awol for ages and sorry about that.  Life just got in the way, as per usual.  Started a new job back in 2021, boyfriend break up and so on and so forth, plus, to be very honest, I'm just not as interested in George as I used to be.  

I'm not going to promise to spend more time on this site because I say that every year and don't really stick to it, but I do think of you all often and will try to pop in more than once a year!

Katie

ps: it's now all your turns to update me on what you've all been up to

It's good to hear from you. I think there was some sort of glitch with the system I couldn't log in  so I had to register again. 
But now i  am in on my old password.

Glad you're back - even if it's only once in a while. Sorry to hear about the boyfriend. Hope the job situation is more rewarding. Things here are slowly getting back to normal (except politically, but that's another story).

 I'm with you where George is concerned, but I think it's because a lot of what he's doing doesn't get much press - at least here in the US. We get more from the DM than our own press. Also, he seems to be working a lot more behind the scenes, so we don't often see him in the media. Still, he's doing some interesting work that I'm looking forward to seeing.

I'm glad you still want to keep COH going. I'd miss it and all my friends here.

Katie, I appreciate you keeping this fan site going. My old site just had news and pics but it wasn't interactive like this one is. I really enjoy reading the news and seeing the comments.

In my 30 years of Clooney Fandom, I've had spells where my adoration has waned. I got busy going back to school at one point and had little time to keep track.

He's ticked me off two or three times with some of his political commentary as well.

However, I still think he's a good guy and I respect his humanitarian work so I keep coming back. Lol.

So I'm sorry to hear you're having a rough go of it right now but hopefully things will get better. I just had to put my old diabetic kitty to sleep so hubby & I are sad about that. My job is sucking right now. I've got a little over 2 more years until I turn 65 and I can retire.

Ida I'm sorry to hear about your cat that is very hard I've been there.

Ida - Me, too. A few times. It always hurts, but it does get better eventually.

Hope the job gets better so your last couple of years aren't so bad. I retired from a job I once loved because it became so unpleasant that I hated going to work every day. I really hope that doesn't happen to you. Just remember that it won't last forever.

Find a new puss, from an adoption place when you're ready, Ida. They are so rewarding. And all the animals in our house from the year dot have always been from animal rescue homes. All the children had them too

Katie - have you managed to see 'Ticket to Paradise' yet?

Ida wrote:  I just had to put my old diabetic kitty to  sleep so hubby & I are sad about that. My job is sucking right now. I've got a little over 2 more years until I turn 65 and I can retire.

Hi Ida, so sorry about your cat.  They're so much a part of the family and it really hurts to have to let them go.  Sending virtual hugs to you.  And also hope that the job perks up a bit.

party animal - not! wrote:Katie - have you managed to see 'Ticket to Paradise' yet?

 Indeed I have - made all my family go to the cinema on Friday night and then it got cancelled (can't remember why - was that when the Queen died?) so we ended up seeing something else instead and I had to see TTP by myself the following week.  If I remember, I'll open a new thread in the forum for it (or reply to an existing thread where other posters talk about it).

Where is everybody???

Just incase time gets away from me....

To our COH familiy who will be celebrating Passover, or Holy Week/Easter--
I wish you blessings and peace.

XXX
PP

Many thanks, PP. Time really is flying. How can we be getting ready for Easter and Passover and (ugh!) tax time? Seems too soon. Anyway, since it really is time,     Happy Easter and Passover to our whole COH family.

Condolences to any of our UK friends who are Paul O'Grady fans. He was so funny and such a passionate advocate for animals and for the LGBTQ+ community. He is truly gone too soon. 

Harry Belafonte has passed away he was 96 years old.

Annemarie, I remember seeing Harry Belafonte in concert when I was a kid. My mom took me to see him - I think at Carnegie Hall - and even as a kid I thought he was great. We bought the concert album & played it a lot.

As an adult I had enormous respect for him as an activist, as well as a singer and actor. It seems strange to think of him gone.

I had forgotten that he did a lot of activist work.

He was very close to MLK and spent most of his later life focusing on activism more than on his entertainment career. He really was an exceptional human being.

To anyone in the UK: I'm curious to know how you feel about the coronation and about Charles as King. Any fans? Any not-so-much- fans? Any thoughts on the family dynamics? The press here can't seem to make up its mind if its pro-Harry or pro-family.

God save the King!   Don't ask what I think of  Harry and what's her name!!

Yes!!! Should be absolutely brilliant! And the concert too. Really looking forward to it!!
    Harry? Oh dear. Obviously not prepared to put in the work and therefore not worth talking about....
..

PAN - Do you think there's any truth to the claims of racism in the family towards Meghan, or is it more a rivalry between Harry and William or between the three wives? Seems to me it must be a really difficult line to walk when your family life is also your job and every move is lived in the public eye.

change of topic for a moment- though I love all the excitement surrounding the coronation....

Anything new going on with Casamigos?? ( yeh, I know I spelled it wrong).
Seems to be a big campaign- NY Post has been running full page color ads every week-end and while strolling through Boston recently there is a large billboard ad.

Back to the coronation.... all was lovely (imo), but they really do need to work on the royal wave (LOL).
Of course, Harry- or rather Meagan will complain, moan and groan about the way Harry was treated.  Well--- what the hell did they expect?????? Throw everyone under the bus with the Oprah interview then write Spare and expect hugs and kisses when you arrive?
BTW-- was George and Amal's invitation lost in the mail???

PP - Never even occurred to me that G&A might be invited. I don't think they have ties to the older royals and the last royal they were associated with is on the outs with the King, so it's unlikely they'd be asked. Besides, isn't it mostly other royals and heads of state and such that get invites?

I've enjoyed watching the coronation on TV.

But by the way:
Happy birthday, George!
I'm sure you're enjoying your special day!

  Good grief!!!!!!!!! How could we all forget? Shame on us!

      HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harry looked very happy at the event. It was the crazy obsessed press who complained how dare Harry be happy and condifent when he entered the church. Why shouldn/t he , he has no reason not to. He came to do his duty and did. Of cousre milla looked happy wow mistress home wrecker to Queen she hung in there long enough and got her prize.
Harry telling his true story is a problem but all the lieing press writing books is a problem oh that's right they can cause
lies sell and they should make money off of his back. 

For those who didn't know Charles wrote an biography in which he called lizzie a cold horrible mother and phillip abusive . So what did  Harry do wrong in telling his truth.

Happy birthday to George and Prince Archie . I'm sure Harry got back in time to celebrate with him and his family.

LizzyNY wrote:PP - Never even occurred to me that G&A might be invited. I don't think they have ties to the older royals and the last royal they were associated with is on the outs with the King, so it's unlikely they'd be asked. Besides, isn't it mostly other royals and heads of state and such that get invites?

Amal is on the board of one of Charles III committees., when he was Prince of Wales   I know there are photos on this site of her and her hubby at Buckingham palace, and she was at an event with the then Prince of Wales.  But to be honest- got Spring fever and to lazy to go looking for the photos!!!

https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/royals/amal-clooney-prince-charles-award-a4094711.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince%27s_Trust


King Charles has  mentored over 60,000 young people a year to get jobs, further education and specialised training since 1976


Amal is now an ambassador for the trust and presented an award last year

PAN - I knew about the Prince's Trust, but either didn't know - or forgot - that Amal was involved. Would you have expected G&A to be invited to the coronation? Seemed to me that the celebrities that were there were the ones who were going to perform at the Coronation Concert. Obviously, watching from across the pond, I could be wrong.

Yes, Lizzy. The Prince's Trust is a HUGE charity and the work that they do is amazing just in terms of education and skills and picking up the pieces of shattered childens lives too.

I think it was unlikely that they would have been invited given the few 'celebrities' that were invited. They are obliged to invite many people to such things for diplomacy i e representatives from around the world, all the mtajor services both armed and nor, services and charities from around the world and of course extended family from all around the world too. Those who are personalities who did get invited were very long standing and and had done huge amounts of charity work over many years.

Wonderful service at the Abbey and an amazing concert last night. Katy Perry was brilliant (and she helps the work of the Princes Trust too. Who knew??!

PAN - The whole event was spectacular from beginning to end.The amount of planning that went into coordinating everything is mind-boggling, but you Brits do things like this so well.

 The concert was brilliant, too. I'm not a huge Katie Perry fan (at least not her live performances. Her studio recordings are ok.) but the rest of the performances were stellar. I especially liked Lionel Richie, who I can't believe is still going strong, and Take That really surprised me once they got warmed up. They were great!

Have things got back to normal yet? I have a friend who's going to London Friday to see Aspects of Love, and she's a bit concerned that some of the other things she wants to see might be too crowded because people might have stayed over after the coronation. I'm thinking tourist season hasn't really started yet so she shouldn't have much trouble. What do you think?

Lizzy - It's Friday and I just checked availability at the Lyric - for one Michael Ball!

A fair amount of seats available. People may have probably started returning home by now. And yes, all was pretty amazing. 

The concert was presented by the BBC again - stunning to see Nicole Scherzhinger accompanied by Lang lang amongst other things - and no doubt you'll be very impressed to learn that the Coronation co-ordination had several Police commanders in charge - all women! We're pretty good at this stuff you know...

Ouch! Sorry to hear there are still so many seats available for opening night of Aspects (At least I think it's opening night. It might be the start of previews & not the official opening.) I know they cancelled the Friday performance about a month ago due to "technical problems", so that might have something to do with it. Whatever, I'm sure Beth & her party will have a great time.

You guys always impress me with these kinds of events, but I'm thrilled to know women were in charge of much of it. Of course they were. Who could do it better?

Quick PS: My friend just tweeted me from JFK where she's waiting for her connecting flight to London. She'll get in @6:30 AM your time & my guess is that she'll probably sleep most of the day & then grab dinner before going to the theater. I really hope she has a great time. She's wanted to see MB perform live for years.

PAN -     Senior moment here!!!! It just dawned on me that it's Thursday here and Beth will arrive in London on Friday! She'll have a whole day in the city before she goes to see Aspects!   My brain is mush! 

Calling all fabulous COH family members in the UK..... has anyone had or made coronation chicken???   Thinking of making it for a gathering, but having read the recipe and list of ingredients, I admit to being a bit gun shy.

It's a doddle - and if I can do it, you can probably do it better!!

   Cook the chicken breasts and chop up. Allow to cool. Pot of Hellman's mayonnaise, and some curry powder to your taste . Mix it up (however much of both tastes okay, add mixed herbs or dill or something you fancy - or not) and slosh it on chicken and mix it up. Shove in bowl and serve!

PAN - Really?         That's the easiest recipe I've ever seen: Take whatever you want and throw it together with some chicken & mayo? I wonder why PP needed to ask for help!  
Seriously, is it no more complicated than that? I've seen a couple of recipes for it that have tons of ingredients.

Well, I'm not really a fan of let's cook in the kitchen all day and then do all the washing up - so I tend to go for - 'this is a doddle, but I'd like a glass of wine now' type stuff. You can add anything you like of course - like the odd pea - or baby spuds on the side with mint and butter....

PAN - That's honestly how I cook every day.  Whatever's to hand that might go together ends up in the pot! Even when "following" a recipe I'm likely to swap things around a bit (unless it's something absolutely needed). As long as it tastes fairly good and doesn't kill anybody I'm happy!

LizzyNY wrote: PAN - Really?         That's the easiest recipe I've ever seen: Take whatever you want and throw it together with some chicken & mayo? I wonder why PP needed to ask for help!  
Seriously, is it no more complicated than that? I've seen a couple of recipes for it that have tons of ingredients.

https://www.food.com/recipe/the-classic-1953-coronation-chicken-salad-recipe-245746

This is the recipe I'd planned to use.

PP - That's much like the recipes I've seen & I wouldn't even attempt it - too many ingredients I don't usually keep in the house ., so it could get expensive.  I like PAN's interpretation a lot better! If you decide to give that recipe a try, let us know how it turns out.

Just for you, Lizzy:

       Seen on the BBC News website just now

        https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-65670484

PAN -  Thanks for the link. It's a lovely story & typical Michael Ball. Seems he's always happy to give attention to people like this young man and lend them a hand if needed. Nice man!

A Twitter pal just saw "Aspects Of Love" & said it's really, really good and well worth the cost (and she traveled from the US to see it!). Just a thought if you've considered seeing it. I think the critics' viewing is on 25th May, so we'll get the reviews after that. I hope they're great.

My sister and I were trying to figure out a way to get to London for the St. Louis Cardinals/Chicago Cubs (baseball) game next month. But, work and family obligations won't allow it to happen. London isn't high on my list of travel destinations unless there's a special event involved.

How is everyone?

Hey, Way! Been thinking about you. What's happening? Still writing? How are the kids? Sorry about the London trip. I'd love to go. I like the city & I'd like to see "Aspects" before it closes, but I need to renew my passport & it seems like it will take months, so I guess I'm not going anywhere.  

Nothing really new here. Gorgeous weather the last few days, so out in the sun. Spring has finally sprung! Hope all is well.

I think about you guys often. Sometimes I'll just read without logging in, and lately there's been a lot about just Amal...

Yes, still writing. More than ever, in fact. I probably work more consistently than most WGA writers, but I get paid a lot less. I've also done a good part of the research and writing for a podcast I'm going to launch (nope, I won't be hosting) and doing the legwork to get attachments for a feature I'm determined to get to the screen.

One of the "kids" is off to college this fall (!) The younger one is... let's say a handful, and leave it at that. But smart as a whip. My daughter now has her own personal training business, in addition to being a veterinarian. Life is kind of non-stop.

The podcast development might bring me to NYC late this summer...

What is goingon with these old men having babies Robert Deniro just t had one with his girlfriend of course younger than him. And now Al pacino is haviang one with his girfriend he is 82 she is 29. Both these men have children some are grown. I don't get it , I know this is petty but Al Pacino has not aged well.

More to the point how long will these children have two parents?

    Male ego blinding them?

Maybe I'm too cynical, but I doubt either of these men planned on having more kids - but maybe their "girlfriends" did. Neither of these men will be with us much longer, and whatever they leave to their new child should provide a nice retirement package for mama. (And don't tell me it's true love. 29 & 82?!! Really?? C'mon!)

Way2 - Glad to hear the writing is going well, though I wish you were getting more money (and recognition!) Let us know about the podcast. I, for one, would like to check it out.

Can't believe she's headed for college already! WOW! Time really passes so fast. I'm sure the "little" one will settle down eventually. She's got such great role models in you and your daughter!I don't want to jinx you so I won't say what I'm thinking, but things sound !

Have you noticed how we ( and I put myself in this group) have jumbled topic forum postings ...ie- we start off talking about George's whatever, then talk about weather, etc etc.

If and when Katie gets around to logging in-  she is either
1.  going to pull her hair out
2.  throw her hands up un the air and log off
3.  get rip roaring drunk
4.  threaten to kill us
5.  all of the above

Hey USA East coast people, everyone surviving the rain season??    We just  missed a tornado by the skin of our teeth .

Keeping Vermont in thoughts and prayers.

Maryland is getting an unusual amount of rain as well. I hope we don't get any tornadoes because I don't have a basement!! Glad it missed you!!