Princess Seeking a Bogsnart?

Princess - (noun) every girl. And if you don't think so, please watch the scene in Little Princess were she screams:

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics.

Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses.

All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he?"

Bogsnart- (noun) a man wandering the streets disguised as a perfectly companionable prince, his facial hair impeccably manscaped, his metrosexual manners as charming as Paddington Bear. But beneath the gym built shirt-stuffing and pseudo-intellectual patter, an unsalvageable bogsnart lurks, and at nightfall he is driven by instinct to skulk like a bedbug toward the nearest warm-blooded host. (pg. 174)

Thank you Ms. Kristin Chenoweth for your bedtime story about the Princess and the Bogsnart. What Cheno was trying to convey on page 174 of her autobiography, A Little Bit Wicked, was that not girl should fall in love with this man and the word struck my fancy. So now aside from calling people Schnookles, after a friend breaks up I might suggest the male was a Bogsnart!

As that new vocabulary word might suggest I just finished reading A Little Bit Wicked (Life, Love, and Faith in Stages) by Kristin Chenoweth with Joni Rodgers. Before getting into the details of this particular story, I want to point out that I have carried around this book for a few days now and it's bright pink (without the dust covers, because I don't believe in dust covers) and actually had people seen me reading it. I am not a pink person, I don't even buy a toothbrush in pink because of some deep ingrained problem with the girlie factor of the color. So this alone states something about the power of this little book that I got over my pink-ahobia and carried it around.

Cheno (apparently her nickname in the press world) presents the audience with her little pink book of wit and wisdom. Honestly it was like having a conversation with Kristin over coffee, I could hear her voice as I read her words. The entire novel is written like she speaks, a open dialogue of storytelling. A novel in its primitive form of oral narration that makes it a gem of true open friendship and shared experience. My read was something unexpected, it was like ordering a regular non-fat latte and getting a extra foam cappuccino instead by surprise. From page one to the end there were moments of giggles and smiles after a particular antidote or a side remark that came out of left field. She shared stories of youth from her days as a baby bunny to her high school sweetheart. She shared her excitement that practically bubbled off the page over meeting some of her kindred spirits in life: teachers, lovers, friends, and co-workers. It was enthralling to read about her inside experiences on the West Wing and her tumultuous relationship with Aaron Sorkin (whom she humorously refers to as Mr. insert adjectives or state of being here, Writer, Makes me beat my head against the wall). I might have found these parts of more interest because of my love affair with the show West Wing, and all creative endeavors of Mr. Sorkin but it was a great insight into a monster of a show. She gives taste bites of being a titan of a show Kristin (I hadn't heard of it either, the titan how she tended to describe it) and being on another great show Pushing Daisies.

Also all her stories of being on stage, her journey to getting into her business of being Cheno were engaging. It was a light hearted read that makes you smile when you are done. Being a lover of arts and media, it was the first time I got to hear about some of these shows on Broadway or even off Broadway that might be worth checking out. I found myself looking up music that she mentioned loving to sing for one show or the other. Another fun factor is that occasionally she had guests pop in during her conversation with her audience, her best friend Denny would come into her story telling and start telling his details of the story right there on the page. Making it even more artfully a conversation with the audience instead of a lecture and it was a refreshing way to bring together scenes of her life. There is an half chapter that is basically written from Aaron Sorkin's point of view and it was like adding flavored cream to my already great cup of coffee. Being able to experience their creative relationship through her novel was something I was delighted by! There was some great insight into Aaron Sorkin and his experience on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip which was sadly cancelled after one season (and I just finished watching and devouring every word of wisdom and witty acting that it had). It was so very kind of Kristin to include some of their conversations, and I particularly took this one out for aspiring story tellers and writers alike:

"I made storytelling mistakes. I wrote angry. And angry is good fuel for the tank when you're writing but not over the course of 22 episodes." -Aaron Sorkin. And though we're not all writing 22 episodes of anything it's good advice and Kristin followed up with more good advice. She suggested balanced. And though passion is great for stories, a balance is also needed.

Though Miss Chenoweth did not help with my current writer's block, she did provide me with some much needed smiling and laughing. As a muse she was truly blessed in the department of Thalia, bringing strength to other story tellers with her spirit and humor. Brave the little pink book people, it's worth the energy!