Goodbye to "House"...

No, the house has not sold yet. An offer from a builder who wants to tear it down, and some interest expressed by a buyer who would want to remodel. Right now, it's a waiting game.

No, this "House" is the one that has been a prime-time tv series for 8 seasons - the one whose producers, including the star (who is also a producer), announced this week that they had decided that it is time to end the story. I think they are all very smart people. Contracts are ending, and these creative people are ready to move on. They have given this project their all for a very, very long time, in tv production terms, and they deserve to choose to move on .

The truth is, though, that I will definitely miss the show. Though there has been a certain amount of predictability to the formula as the years have gone by, the loyal part of the show's following has always been given plenty of philosophical fodder for disection, interpretation and argument. And they have been given intriguing characters who kept us continually guessing about their outcomes. And adeptly chosen passages of music to heighten and add poignancy to every kind of moment. Lighting, scoring, direction, set dressing, and costuming all very meticulously orchestrated to create as much of the story as the script did.

And then, there has been the portrayal of the title character, an interminably detailed work of actor Hugh Laurie. The description of the day-in-and-day-out demands put on his talent and stamina seem to be somewhat legend at this point, and there is really no doubt that he has put on the mantle of his "counterpart" with an unspeakable amount of patience and understanding, all while living apart from his family in a celebrity crazed atmosphere where privacy is a rare commodity.

Oddly enough, I'm not sure I would ever have been drawn into the craziness of the series had it not been for the music that threaded its way through the first few seasons - those moments when House played the piano, and especially, when he played with guest star, Dave Matthews. Nothing like that to hook another musician! So, if when he says goodbye to "House", Hugh Laurie decides to continue on his recently begun musical journey, I say, "Go for it."

Life is too short. If we give our best to what we promised to do, then we should be allowed the lee-way to follow our other dreams, and be able to be with our families and spend time in a place that we love, wherever that is.

Best wishes, "House" staff. Job done well.

"Lotsa, lotsa, lotsa, lotsa.....".

...love." Well, that's the way the line goes in the British series, "Fortysomething." It's often spoken by a younger-something female in response to saying goodbye to most any older-something male character. One of those things that really just sticks in one's mind, especially when confronted with "lotsa" just about anything. (Funny, crazy little series, by the way - especially if you are a fan of dry wit, British perspective, fridges, stacks of traffic cones, young adults, Hugh Laurie...)

This morning, that "lotsa" would be rain...and thunder...and lightning. And on the other side of the room, our ancient dog is trying desperately to dig her way to China through the hardwood floor - hoping to escape the dreaded storming outside.

I woke to bare rumblings from the heavens way too early on a Saturday morning, prepared a simple breakfast/coffee, and propped by feet up in my corner chair/sanctuary to check my email, and there was that gentle rattle of sprinkling on the roof and trickles running out the gutters. I thought, "I love that sweet sound". Fifteen minutes later, I'm startle-jumping at a near lightning hit.

Lotsa rain. Lotsa stuff to do inside the house. Lotsa stuff to do in the garage. Lotsa decisions to make when one puts a "For Sale" sign of the house where one has lived for 30 years. Lotsa, lotsa, lotsa, lotsa....

Privacy...

One of my very favorite private spots, that is before Hurricane Ike rearranged the landscape and ripped out the trees. Today was my day to contemplate privacy - especially in the artist's life.

There was a time many, many years ago when I went to an open audition held by a record label somewhat based in Dallas. All comers were recorded in an enormous studio, I did one of my original songs, and all went quite well. Not too long after that, I received a letter inviting me to come talk business with them.

For several reasons that really had to do more with where I was in life, my naivete, and my knowledge of what the music business might be like, I ended up declining the invitation. So "What if?", right? In hindsight, I'm sure I madethe right decision for me, though I know there were some who wondered, still do, why I didn't follow through on the offer.

All this past history took a little revisit today as I was reading an interview with Hugh Laurie, the actor/musician of note from England who has become so insanely popular across the globe for his portrayal of House, M.D. He was discussing, among other things, the paranoia which stems from being hounded by all manner of people with cell phone cameras ready to send any picture, comment, out of context remark or expression out over the internet for the world to make its own. I thought, "Yes, the loss of privacy, for yourself and those you love - that, I didn't think I could do." Privacy, totally ripped from one's control as with the onslaught of hurricane-force winds.

It has been said that in any art, the moment you finish your creation, it is no longer yours, but becomes the property of the audience and subject to their interpretation. What a complicated thing for an actor or singer in a world where people often forget, or refuse, to separate the creator from the creation. Where people often try to "take ownership" of that artist's life in addition to the art...

For this particular artist, I do wish him well. His heart seems to be in the right place.