Joyous wishes to Jason (my birthday twin) and Essia, who celebrated their … hmmm … fourth(?) wedding anniversary on Friday.

And felicitations to John, who celebrated his 32nd birthday today (Saturday).

Jason and John played major roles in the drama of my college days, and I’m lucky to have them both still in my life. And I’m happy that Jason married such a fantastic woman and has such lovely children for whom I can play aunty.

May the celebrations go long and the happiness last the year through.

Thanks to a lucky entry into Entertainment Weekly‘s contest, Rudi and I headed up to Mazza Gallery last night for a sneak preview of HBO’s Warm Springs, a new biopic focusing on the time between FDR’s polio infection and his return to politics at the Democratic National Convention in 1928.

Everyone knows FDR was afflicted later in life with polio and went on to become president anyway. What is less known is how he took his self-absorption with his illness (his own physical therapy in Warm Springs, Ga., was unsuccessful at improving his lower body strength) and turned it into compassion for others similarly afflicted. After people flocked to the dilapidated resort upon hearing news that he had made some progress towards recovery, he eventually bought the resort and turned it into a physical therapy center for paraplegics.

I like FDR and Eleanor, which was the reason I entered the contest. Neither Kenneth Branaugh nor Cynthia Nixon bowl me over generally, so I was more interested in the story than their depictions of the storied couple.

Pleasantly, I was impressed with both portrayals. Branaugh was understated as the most potent Democrat in history and played his character as a combination of pampered rich boy, adept politician, and self-absorbed patient. Nixon was incredible as Eleanor. When you first looked at her, you saw the Sex in the City beauty, but quickly that faded into a general impression of a woman who was coming into her own — and you just saw Eleanor. I would not be surprised if this earns Nixon an Emmy nomination.

The supporting cast really brought the movie together. Character actor David Paymer played real-life political mover and shaker Louis Howe. Kathy Bates took her turn as a physical therapist. Other lesser-known or first-time actors shone as patients and staff at Warm Springs.

My one complaint was I thought they glossed over Missy LeHand’s role in FDR’s life. She appears in one brief scene in Warm Springs, but I believe she remained there with FDR during his whole stay. I appreciate that their relationship — whatever it might have been — complicates the story, but in the interest of suggesting this is history, I think she might have appeared more often in the movie’s background without overshadowing the narrative.

The movie airs on HBO on April 30.

Just discovered this site via the Webby Awards voting: The four word film review

The members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on the District of Columbia are:

Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO)
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), chair
Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), ranking member

I hadn’t seen today’s paper, so thanks to Erik who brought it to my attention: “District Warned On Gay Marriage.”

Home rule is one of the things that drives DC residents batty. We may not agree on the way to legitimize DC’s legal standing, but we do agree that it needs to be achieved. Because until it is, we legitimately are vulnerable to these sorts of threats made by people who have no reason being in our business.

Now you can have Dave Barry seven days a week…