It's one of the biggest American holidays this weekend: Thanksgiving. And what has evolved into a long weekend of travel nightmares, sporting events and gluttony is ironically based upon a tradition of giving thanks for life's blessings. In Tinseltown, that's marked annually by the "Hollywood Christmas Parade" which sees Santa Claus and an assortment of D-List stars cruising down Hollywood Boulevard, not to mention the observance of "Black Friday" when the only thing bigger than the cashier lines in department stores is the indigestion from all the gastronomic overloads.
Team Brangelina is scheduled to celebrate at Granny Pitt's place with turkey, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings. Brad will be in his element playing Poppa and, if you believe the gossip reports, Angie will be in the kitchen trying to make nice with her pseudo-mother in law who reportedly still misses the familial presence of Jennifer Aniston. I hope if there's any family dysfunction served up at the table, Angie will opt to drown it all in homemade gravy. I'd like to see her put on a few pounds.
I can't imagine a gathering I'd want to avoid more than the Lohan Family Dinner in New York (although being a fly on the wall for a few minutes would certainly be interesting). Lilo, Dina and the rest of the gang will all be guzzling their Smart Water and vying for who gets to break the wishbone.
Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen are positively beaming and looking forward to their first year with precious little daughter, Olive. 2007 has been a year of tabloid traumas...from rehab ruckus to jail stints to car wrecks. But when the harsh realities of life make themselves as evident as they have in the last week (The unexpected deaths of the mothers of Jonathan Rhys-Myers and Kanye West...the horrific drug overdose administered to the newborn twins of Dennis Quaid), it's more important than ever to remember to take stock of the good things.
So when you're surfing the net for showbiz stories, or flipping through the pages of the latest glossies at the newsstand, remember to send some spiritual well wishes to expectant parents like J-Lo & Marc, Christina & Jordan, Nicole & Joel. Thank your lucky stars for the charitable deeds of Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Elton John. Go see a movie that stars a philanthropic, well adjusted, non-scene star like Cate Blanchett, George Clooney or Jodie Foster. And, most importantly, look around your own dinner table and take time to give thanks for the blessings in YOUR life.
Happy Thanksgiving! Please share some of YOUR biggest blessings with your Yahoo!7 comrades...
