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BUDDY BABYLON

Name: BUDDY BABYLON
Author: Scott Thompson
ISBN: 0-440-50828-2

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BUDDY COLE

by Scott Thompson with Paul Bellini ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1998

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The purported autobiography of a favorite character of the influential (and now defunct) Canadian comedy troupe the Kids in the Hall, by the actor who portrayed him and the troupe’s head writer. Charles Butterick “Buddy” Cole is a half-Scottish, half-Quebecois gay man raised in northern Quebec, who discovers his sexual identity and how to use it to his advantage at a very young age. His ability to seduce men at will, plus his innate theatrical talents, take him first to Toronto, where he immerses himself in the hardcore gay lifestyle, and then to Los Angeles, where he marries a lesbian named Tandy Cole (he takes her name, thus becoming Buddy Cole-Porter) and helps launch a television show. While there is much in Buddy Babylon to make gay readers and fans of the Kids in the Hall show laugh out loud, there is just as much that will go flying over the heads of those not familiar with the character of Buddy Cole. And members of the politically correct contingent of the gay community are likely to find much of what Thompson writes to be stereotype-affirming. They will have missed the point—Buddy Cole is meant to be a stereotype of the “extreme” gay lifestyle and, most probably, a character that typifies a certain aspect of the personality of the author, who is openly gay. Thompson does cross the line between funny and just plain silly at times, but this, again, is in keeping with the somewhat eccentric, audacious comedy style of the Kids troupe. (Dave Foley, a member of the group, has gone on to national success with the hit TV series News Radio.) Because of his openly gay stance, Thompson may have to wait to achieve Foley’s success, but Buddy Babylon should keep Kids fans smiling, and impatiently awaiting his next move. (Author tour)

Pub Date: May 15, 1998

ISBN: 0-440-50828-2

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Dell

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1998

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.