I’m a New York dame with a touch of Old Hollywood glam.  You know me.  I’m that woman of a certain age – the Senator • the Judge • the cosmetic firm CEO.  I’m the long-time wise-cracking assistant to the geriatric billionaire • the hip grandmother • the wry mother-in-law. I’m the affluent matriarch with renegade offspring.  I’m the corrupt politician’s wife.  Heck, I’m the corrupt politician!

I know I’m out of sync and out of this time.  I’m most comfortable in the reverie of classic Hollywood films.  I’m happiest knowing that there I awaken every morning perfectly made up, coiffed and swathed in a lovely peignoir.  I’m the authoress • the congresswoman • the entrepreneur.  There I’m that woman who’s never at a loss for words, never without a man with white tie and tails, and most definitely never without a good foundation garment.  Ah, what bliss!  And so, I act.

I’m Eve Arden’s Ida to Joan Crawford’s “Mildred Pierce.”  I do what I do best:  mix large parts wry humor with below-the-surface seething vitriol, add gentle compassionate warmth, and drizzle in some coolness on a par with chilled champagne.  I shake (never stir) and deliver a character uniquely my own.

Cue the MGM lion!