Post by Ace on Sept 24, 2006 4:46:34 GMT -5
St Paul Pioneer Press: STEPHANIE ZIMBALIST'S FAVORITE THINGS
BY ALLISON KAPLAN
SHOPPING WITH: STEPHANIE ZIMBALIST
Gifts and books — otherwise she's not interested
Warning: This article contains no juicy tidbits about Pierce Brosnan.
His "Remington Steele" co-star, Stephanie Zimbalist, is really bored with being asked about the dashing actor and maybe just a wee bit bent out of shape that her picture was left off the cover of the first-season DVD. Zimbalist and Brosnan aren't pals. Why would people think otherwise? It was just a TV show. And the curtain dropped nearly 20 years ago.
Got it?
Zimbalist is starring in the one-woman show about Katherine Hepburn, "Tea at Five," at the Ordway. Since playing Laura Holt on "Remington," she has worked on stage and television, including made-for-TV movies, voice-overs and a number of guest spots on shows like "Touched by an Angel."
But Zimbalist isn't interested in watching herself — or anyone else — on TV. Unless she's in a hotel room. Then she peeks. "I saw James Spader do a fabulous scene on 'Boston Court.' " (She means "Boston Legal.") "But I don't care enough to tune in again."
She prefers to read. She keeps a list of books to buy on her Palm Treo. It's a long, varied list. "The American Revolution." "Joys of Yiddish." "Confederacy of Dunces."
When presented with the invitation to go shopping on her first day in the Twin Cities, Zimbalist made clear she is not interested in iPods or new shoes. She is perfectly content in her Aerosoles. The only thing Zimbalist likes to shop for is "books, books, Bibles and books."
We met at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Uptown. Zimbalist is not the Barnes & Noble type.
No matter what city she's in, Zimbalist has a bookstore routine. She heads straight for the out-of-print literature to look for titles by her aunt, the novelist and historian Marcia Davenport. Zimbalist comes from a long line of successful artists: Her dad is the actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr., grandpa Efrem Zimbalist was a concert violinist and grandma Alma Gluck was a leading soprano.
Nothing under "D." But an employee did some digging and found a Davenport novel, "The Constant Image," in back.
Zimbalist took it and began to browse. She spotted "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" by Edgar Allan Poe. "Oh! Let me tell you a story." It seems the book inspired a painting around which Zimbalist decorated her entire living room. She didn't want to read it for fear of spoiling her interpretation of the painting. But then she read "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex," about the sunken ship that inspired "Moby Dick," and that brought her back to "Pym," which is also about a 19th century shipwreck.
"I realized the connection and burst into tears," Zimbalist said, arms waving dramatically.
Zimbalist has since given copies of "In the Heart of the Sea" to 20 or 30 friends. She loves to give gifts. She has a gift closet at home and keeps a list of "prezzies" to buy.
Other than gifts and books, Zimbalist sees no reason to shop. "I have so many things." The coat she brought to Minnesota — chosen because it reminds her of Katherine Hepburn — was purchased for $10 at the Pasadena swap meet. "I don't throw anything away."
When pressed, Zimbalist admits she does love Armani, but "You'd have to be an idiot to pay top price." Zimbalist picks up new clothes on sets. Actors are often offered the clothes they wear on screen for half price, she says.
She carries her scripts — which double as scrap paper, since Zimbalist "hates waste" — in a 20-year-old no-name black tote purchased for $20. Her prized accessory is a spray bottle filled with cool water. "I'm of the age of hot flashes," Zimbalist says, an admission akin to career suicide in Hollywood. But other than her resume, there's nothing very Hollywood about Zimbalist.
Allison Kaplan can be reached at akaplan@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5116. For more on shopping from Allison Kaplan, visit the Savvy Shopper page at www.twincities.com/living.
STEPHANIE ZIMBALIST'S FAVORITE THINGS
Author: Ann Tyler
Daily read: Wall Street Journal
Gadget: Palm Treo
Sunglasses: Serengeti (gift from an old boyfriend)
Makeup: Maybelline, or whatever. "It's all the same."
BY ALLISON KAPLAN
SHOPPING WITH: STEPHANIE ZIMBALIST
Gifts and books — otherwise she's not interested
Warning: This article contains no juicy tidbits about Pierce Brosnan.
His "Remington Steele" co-star, Stephanie Zimbalist, is really bored with being asked about the dashing actor and maybe just a wee bit bent out of shape that her picture was left off the cover of the first-season DVD. Zimbalist and Brosnan aren't pals. Why would people think otherwise? It was just a TV show. And the curtain dropped nearly 20 years ago.
Got it?
Zimbalist is starring in the one-woman show about Katherine Hepburn, "Tea at Five," at the Ordway. Since playing Laura Holt on "Remington," she has worked on stage and television, including made-for-TV movies, voice-overs and a number of guest spots on shows like "Touched by an Angel."
But Zimbalist isn't interested in watching herself — or anyone else — on TV. Unless she's in a hotel room. Then she peeks. "I saw James Spader do a fabulous scene on 'Boston Court.' " (She means "Boston Legal.") "But I don't care enough to tune in again."
She prefers to read. She keeps a list of books to buy on her Palm Treo. It's a long, varied list. "The American Revolution." "Joys of Yiddish." "Confederacy of Dunces."
When presented with the invitation to go shopping on her first day in the Twin Cities, Zimbalist made clear she is not interested in iPods or new shoes. She is perfectly content in her Aerosoles. The only thing Zimbalist likes to shop for is "books, books, Bibles and books."
We met at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Uptown. Zimbalist is not the Barnes & Noble type.
No matter what city she's in, Zimbalist has a bookstore routine. She heads straight for the out-of-print literature to look for titles by her aunt, the novelist and historian Marcia Davenport. Zimbalist comes from a long line of successful artists: Her dad is the actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr., grandpa Efrem Zimbalist was a concert violinist and grandma Alma Gluck was a leading soprano.
Nothing under "D." But an employee did some digging and found a Davenport novel, "The Constant Image," in back.
Zimbalist took it and began to browse. She spotted "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" by Edgar Allan Poe. "Oh! Let me tell you a story." It seems the book inspired a painting around which Zimbalist decorated her entire living room. She didn't want to read it for fear of spoiling her interpretation of the painting. But then she read "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex," about the sunken ship that inspired "Moby Dick," and that brought her back to "Pym," which is also about a 19th century shipwreck.
"I realized the connection and burst into tears," Zimbalist said, arms waving dramatically.
Zimbalist has since given copies of "In the Heart of the Sea" to 20 or 30 friends. She loves to give gifts. She has a gift closet at home and keeps a list of "prezzies" to buy.
Other than gifts and books, Zimbalist sees no reason to shop. "I have so many things." The coat she brought to Minnesota — chosen because it reminds her of Katherine Hepburn — was purchased for $10 at the Pasadena swap meet. "I don't throw anything away."
When pressed, Zimbalist admits she does love Armani, but "You'd have to be an idiot to pay top price." Zimbalist picks up new clothes on sets. Actors are often offered the clothes they wear on screen for half price, she says.
She carries her scripts — which double as scrap paper, since Zimbalist "hates waste" — in a 20-year-old no-name black tote purchased for $20. Her prized accessory is a spray bottle filled with cool water. "I'm of the age of hot flashes," Zimbalist says, an admission akin to career suicide in Hollywood. But other than her resume, there's nothing very Hollywood about Zimbalist.
Allison Kaplan can be reached at akaplan@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5116. For more on shopping from Allison Kaplan, visit the Savvy Shopper page at www.twincities.com/living.
STEPHANIE ZIMBALIST'S FAVORITE THINGS
Author: Ann Tyler
Daily read: Wall Street Journal
Gadget: Palm Treo
Sunglasses: Serengeti (gift from an old boyfriend)
Makeup: Maybelline, or whatever. "It's all the same."