What's the matter

So Tom Cruise saw fit to criticize Brooke Shields for taking Paxil for her post-partum depression. It's true the U.S. is an over-medicated nation, but if popping a reuptake inhibitor prevented Brooke from pulling a Suddenly Susan Smith and possibly harming her child, I'd put that as a checkmark in the "good thing" column.

To Brooke's credit, she had a snappy comeback after Cruise implied her career had suffered as a result. She mentioned to the press that Tom was officially invited to see her musical in London. She promised to leave two tickets at the box office, "One adult, one child."

If the writing on her sitcom had been that witty, I might've watched it.

***

My friend S-girl recently encouraged me to watch HBO's production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America (now on DVD), so thank you to her. I remember all the Broadway fuss, but I had no idea what I was missing. It's been so long since I've seen "good theater," I doubted the hype was right. Well, it was.

The bracing drama examines "America" in the abstract against the burgeoning specter of AIDS in the 1980s. Remarkably thought-provoking and breath-taking. I'd heard how terrific Mel Streep and Al Pacino were in it, but the most impressive performance is that of Justin Kirk as Pryor Walter. Holy toledo, the boy can act.

On a related topic, a beautifully written piece by Tony Valenzuela in the L.A. Weekly on how crystal meth has seduced the gay community. As troubling as the topic is, his writing carried me along like a skipping stone on a glassy lake. Bravo.