Some shots of the spooky graveyard that I created in the front yard this year. The fog machine will be on full tilt tonight, and we have some awesome candy for the roaming ghouls!

From Apple's "Hot News" page: "Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8." Makes me glad I have given them so much of my money over the years!

One of my favorite things to do in L.A. is attending Dennis Hensley's "MisMatch Game," a filthy parody of the classic '70s game show held now and again at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. This week, the cast of crazies is putting on a benefit performance for the "No on 8" campaign:

Hilarity always ensues - here's a NSFW clip from a previous show:

Humorist David Sedaris writes about undecided voters in the current issue of "The New Yorker:"

"Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.

I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

I get this catalog in the mail every now and again from a high-end leisure clothing retailer called J.L. Powell, and it's filled with pics of this uber-masculine model. He's got a scruffy face and is pictured doing lots of manly-type things like wading in rivers and flying in cargo planes. Not sure it makes me want to buy a $200 plaid shirt or a $600 pair of waders, but it sure is fun to look at...

The new Mrs. Paul? Yes, that's right - unbelievably, David Beckham has some fish sticks to sell you. It's unclear whether or not they come with little packets of tartar sauce mix (mmm...frozen pickle relish).

A Halloween cocktail suggestion for your consideration: The Brain Hemorrhage. Looks cool, supposedly tastes like Peaches and Cream. The recipe:

Take 1/2 - 3/4 oz. Peach Schnapps Float 1-2 Tbl. of Baileys on top Drop 1 tsp of grenadine through the Baileys

Can I just say that it is incredible to me that someone would sit in a public bathroom stall and carry on a conversation on their cell phone. How exactly do you explain the flushes and other noises to the party on the other end of the conversation? And how am I supposed to relax enough to do my business when you are chatting up Grandma in the next stall? Do us all a favor, don't answer until you get off the pot, thanks.

A terrific PSA that lays it on the line about Prop 8. Hope this gets played a zillion times between now and November 4.

When I was 15 years old, the man who lived across the street asked me if I could do him a favor. I was a little dubious, because my family really didn't know him very well...but I was a trusting kid, so I said, "Sure, what do you need?" Turned out that his request was an innocent one: could I use a ladder to climb atop his roof and turn his television antenna? (Yes, these were the days before cable or satellite dishes). The task seemed simple enough, so up I went. I climbed the ladder, scrabbled onto the sloped roof, went to the antenna and turned it in the direction he specified. "Hold on," he called to me from below, "Let me check out the reception." He went inside and I waited patiently atop the hot roof in the Florida sun. "That's much better!," he called to me from below, "You can come down now." I made my way down the slope, positioned myself above the ladder and lowered my foot down. Although my foot made contact with the top of the ladder, that was the last time the ladder and I actually had any kind of cooperative working arrangement. It began to wobble and I lost my footing, toppling off the side of the roof. I fell quickly - it was all a blur - and I landed directly on top of the nice neighbor man below. I don't think he was hurt - at least I can't remember him screaming or anything. I know I was okay, since he pretty much broke my fall with his body. After laying there in stunned silence for a moment, I scrambled off of him in embarrassment. He asked if I was okay and I nodded yes, then I slunk back across the street. It was the last time he ever asked a favor of anyone in my household.

Who's more cantankerous? In Column A, there's humorless Mark Wahlberg, who got pissy over a recent "Saturday Night Live" skit in which he was portrayed talking to barnyard animals. In Column B we have Ringo Starr, who rejects any further attention from fans in an irritable video in which he repeats "Peace and Love" in an expressionless monotone. Cast your vote by dialing "Irascible Idols" and pressing 1 or 2.

Fun apocalyptic image via laist.com.

Fun apocalyptic image via Better Homes and Gardens.com.

This afternoon Philip and I attended a matinee of "9 to 5," the new Broadway-bound musical created by Dolly Parton and the film's original screenwriter, Patricia Resnick. It's a fun show and I did laugh a lot, but, as Dolly might say in her Tennessee twang, "Well, it ain't the greatest thing I've ever seen." The cast is strong, with great performances from Megan Hilty and Stephanie J. Block (doing a spot-on homage to Dolly's Doralee character), but I was initially put off by Allison Janney's inability to hold a musical note. After a while though, I gave in to her acting charms - hell, if Lauren Bacall could sing in a musical, why not Allison Janney? The sets and direction are technically gorgeous and the staging of the fantasy sequence where the gals dream of killing Mr. Hart in various ways is adapted from the film in very clever ways. Choreography is a bit clunky, though, and some of the country cornpone could be toned down a notch. Additionally, the show seems out of balance - the first act is REALLY LONG, and the second act is REALLY SHORT, so the wrap-up feels very rushed and a bit unsatisfying. With a bit of retooling, this could be a huge hit on Broadway - the masses will adore it.

The Connecticut Supreme Court gave gay and lesbian couples the right to marry today, ruling that civil unions relegate them to a "separate" and "inferior status" that falls short of full equality. Wow, only 47 more to go!

Wow wee! A map of all the disasters happening all over the world right now, in real time.

Sarah Palin sure likes to talk a lot about her constituents, Hockey Moms and Joe Sixpack. So what do these "average Americans" actually look like? Some possibilities:

via BuzzFeed.

One of our favorite places to eat, Michelangelo Ristorante in Silver Lake, just moved to a bigger location and got a great review in the LA Times. So happy for these guys - we've been customers since they opened in 1997 and know what a roller-coaster-ride it has been for them recently.

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Neighborhood Favorite Packs the House After a Big Move
By Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2008

SINCE opening in modest Silver Lake digs more than a decade ago, Michelangelo RistoranteMichelangelo Ristorante has been one of the neighborhood's best-kept secrets. Now that it has moved to a larger location on Rowena Avenue, the cannoli is out of the bag. It isn't uncommon to see a line out front, and prime-time weekend reservations are harder to come by.

This may not please its regulars, but it's a welcome development for the genial Italian brothers who own the place and run it with the help of several family members.

"It was very hard for us" when Michelangelo opened in 1997, says Antonio Stifano, who handles the business side of things while his brother Giuseppe cooks with the help, and recipes, of their mother, Domenica Simone. "We were just happy to have food and a job. We were dragging people in saying, 'Try our pizza.' "

The brothers were born to Italian immigrant parents in Caracas, Venezuela, where their aunt and uncle ran an Italian restaurant that employed their mother. "She was always feeding us with the dishes that people are craving now," says Antonio Stifano, who speaks Italian, Spanish and English fluently. His linguistic skills serve him well. Part of Michelangelo's allure is the brothers' penchant for chatting with the customers. "This is where we live," he says. "This dining room is where people come to visit us."

The new Michelangelo is indeed a homey destination. It occupies the spot that once housed Flor Morena, and Antonio Stifano designed and decorated it himself. An exposed concrete ceiling and pillars complement elaborate glass-crystal chandeliers; slender rectangular windows with wooden shutters look out on a bustling patio; polished nut-brown wood tables sit astride plush banquettes; and thoughtful flourishes -- a gilded mirror here, a vase of flowers there -- are everywhere.

However, the food -- traditional, made-from-scratch Italian cuisine -- is the draw. Start off your meal with the creamy homemade burrata mozzarella on toasted bread with roasted red peppers or the crisp bresaola salad made with fresh dark greens and salty, thin slices of cured beef.

Pappardelle alla Domenica, a rich mixture of Italian sausage sautéed with garlic, fresh tomato, spinach and olive oil tossed with fettuccine, is one such dish, as is the light linguini vongole, with sautéed Manila clams in a tangy garlic and white wine sauce; and the flaky filet of sole. For meat you'll find filling portions of buttery, grilled rib-eye steak, pounded veal Florentina with lemon and caper and pollo alla carciofi, which pairs chicken breast with a white wine and artichoke-heart sauce.

The brothers are already planning weekend brunch and have started serving lunch.

"Before we used to have days off," says Antonio Stifano. "Now we're going all the time, but I can't wait to do more."

from Californians Against Hate. The links in the image don't actually work - go to the website for more details on all of these scalawags.

Yay, it's back! Boo, I didn't like the first episode of this second season quite as much as I wanted to. Writing was just okay, snappy but somehow not as fun as it should be - and the mystery was pretty straightforward without any real surprises. Did not like that Olive was banished to a nunnery, no sir! Still, WAY better than most of the slop on TV these days (THREE nights of "Dancing With the Stars?" "Survivor" number 206? Really? We need that?)

Our amazingly talented wedding photographer, Caroline Tran, has posted some pics of our event on her Facebook page...so I thought I would share them as well - they are fantastic!