Tracking Tracey

Tracey attends "Decades of Denim" on November 2nd in Beverly Hills

2010-11-19T10:48:00.000-05:00

Blast from the past: Tracey Ullman in "Monster in the Mirror" from Sesame Street

2010-09-09T21:19:00.000-04:00

Examiner.com exclusive: Actress Tracey Ullman reflects on citizenship and equality at Monticello

2010-07-04T21:46:00.002-04:00

Tracey on the John DeBella Show Today

2010-06-24T13:59:00.003-04:00

A great listen.

2010-06-10T12:32:00.002-04:00

Comedienne Tracey Ullman to address new citizens at Monticello

2010-06-01T09:49:00.004-04:00

Monticello has announced that comedienne Tracey Ullman will be the featured speaker at its annual naturalization ceremony on July 4. Those hoping for her dead-on impersonation of Arianna Huffington, David Beckham or Rachel Maddow, will likely have to wait. Ullman became a naturalized citizen in 2006, in order to be able to vote, after 25 years of living in the United States. Expect in her speech something lively, affectionate, and comparatively straightforward.

As Monticello’s speaker, on a day that will see scores of new Americans take the oath of citizenship, Ullman joins a long list of naturalization ceremony speakers from the arts and politics. They include Madeleine Albright, Andrew Young, I.M. Pei, and, two years ago to mild protest, President George W. Bush.

Since 1963, more than 3,000 people from all over the world have been sworn in as new American citizens at Monticello. The morning event is free and open to the public.

New Photos!

2010-05-18T10:12:00.000-04:00

Tracey Ullman poses for a photograph Monday, May 17, 2010, in Los Angeles.

Tracey Ullman in a French Ad

2010-05-13T12:22:00.002-04:00

I am loving the shoes. What a beautiful photo!!

Tracey Takes On...Cousin Itt

2010-05-12T10:32:00.000-04:00

It seems that we should add Cousin itt to Tracey's Impression list. The resemblance is uncanny.

Help Tracey Host SNL!!

2010-04-02T13:01:00.000-04:00

I created this Facebook group, and it would be GREAT if you supported Tracey!! Come on, We can do it!! Let's get her on SNL!!

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=109485599080979&ref=nf

Tracey Attends "Red" on Broadway

2010-03-26T09:51:00.001-04:00

Tracey was spotted last night in New York, among other stars, at the Red on Broadway performance. Also spotted: Meryl Streep and Frank Rich.

Red on Broadway

George Gives Tracy Ullman a Plethora of Panties

2010-03-03T19:50:00.003-05:00

George Gives Tracy Ullman a Plethora of Panties

The "State of the Union" star talks about smoking pot for the second time in her life, and does a spot-on impression of Snooki from "Jersey Shore." And because her son is obsessed with Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso, George have her the "kiss my tiara" panties made by Julia herself.

American Idol Look-a-like

2010-03-02T10:15:00.001-05:00

I have been wondering why a certain American Idol Contestant resembles a Tracey Ullman Character, or even Tracey herself. When I first saw Lilly Scott, I immediately thought of Hope Finch or Chris. Even some people on Twitter thought the same thing. Quite a resemblance, Eh?

BUST TV Episode #1: Casting on with Tracey Ullman

2010-02-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

In the first episode of our new series for BUST TV, we get to hang out and chat with the brilliant Tracey Ullman over some knitting. Liz Armstrong talks to Tracey about some of the characters she's developed for the new season of her Showtime series, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union. While Laura Bush, Arianna Huffington, Rachel Maddow, Christiane Amanpour, and Ruth Madoff all in one room together would already make for fun viewing, Tracey manages to contain them all within a single person -- herself! Here she discusses how she develops her characters, what she would like to see for women in the future, and, most importantly, how to cast on.

Tracey on set of "Plenty" with Meryl Streep

2010-02-14T21:05:00.000-05:00

Tracey's House is up for Sale

2010-02-03T15:38:00.004-05:00

SELLERS: Tracey Ullman and Allan McKeown

LOCATION: Pacific Palisades, CA

PRICE: $5,350,000

SIZE: 5,574 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms

First Source

More Info Here

Stills from Tracey's Rachel Maddow Appearance

2010-02-02T14:12:00.001-05:00

Tracey Arriving to tape Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2010-02-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

Blast from the Past: Tracey on David Letterman

2010-02-01T12:49:00.001-05:00

Tracey talks about her Season 2 Premiere of "Tracey Takes On..."

VIDEO: Tracey on Rachel Maddow

2010-01-29T13:23:00.001-05:00

Yet another entertaining interview!

New Promo for Season 3!!

2010-01-27T11:27:00.002-05:00

Here is the latest promo for Season 3, that includes some new clips!!

Preview of Episode 2

2010-01-27T11:24:00.002-05:00

Ullman Unveils Maddow Impression

2010-01-27T11:19:00.002-05:00

By Julie Bolcer

Comedian Tracey Ullman debuted her impression of MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Monday.

Ullman impersonated the lesbian anchor in her latest installment of Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, which premiered on Showtime Monday, just in time for the real thing to be delivered by President Barack Obama on Wednesday.

In the segment below Ullman portrays Maddow about to sit for the makeup artist, which she calls “the least favorite thing about having my own TV show.”

Arianna Huffington, also portrayed by Ullman, is seated next to her.

Viewers will no doubt have opinions on which liberal media icon Ullman impersonates more deftly. The comedian is scheduled to appear on The Rachel Maddow Show on Thursday.

Tracey on the Rachel Maddow Show

2010-01-27T11:18:00.000-05:00

Tracey will be on her show This Thursday to talk about her new show. Also, a video clip of Maddow talking about Tracey's impression of her!

Tracey on the Joy Behar Show

2010-01-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

In case you missed Tracey's interview last night, here is the entire interview.

Part 1

Part 2

Tracey on Jimmy Fallon

2010-01-23T11:45:00.001-05:00

If you've missed Tracey's Appearance last night, The whole interview can be viewed here in parts:

Tracey's Interview

Live with Regis & Kelly

2010-01-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Tracey will be appearing on Regis & Kelly on the 25th. Make sure to watch!! Also, it is the same day when Season 3 of State of the Union starts!

Tracey on The Tonight show with Johnny Carson 1983

2010-01-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

Tracey on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2010-01-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

Tracey will be on Jimmy Fallon on January 22nd to promote her third season of State of the Union. Make sure to tune in!

Scenes from the first Episode of Season 3!!

2010-01-12T13:27:00.001-05:00

Downsized

Ruth Madoff has downsized to a 700-square-foot apartment on the edge of Harlem.

Behind the Scenes: Season 3

2010-01-07T09:50:00.001-05:00

Tracey Ullman's State of the Union 'Edgier' Than Ever

2010-01-04T09:27:00.000-05:00

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Jan 3, 2010

"Tracey Ullman's State of the Union" returns to Showtime Jan. 25, and look out! Fans of the multiple-Emmy-winning comedienne can expect plenty of bite in her humor along with the laughs. As one critic put it, she's been moving away from Carol Burnett territory and more toward Lenny Bruce. Ullman agrees that she has more edge.

Tracey Ullman's State of the Union 'Edgier' Than Ever (Image: WENN)

She tells us, "I'm older and I'm an American citizen now. I think that, psychologically, that allows me to say a little bit more about society and politics -- without being afraid they're going to take my green card away." However, the southeast-England-born star adds, "I'm never mean-spirited. I love this country and I love these people and what goes on."

She also gives credit to her latest collaborator, Bruce Wagner, for making a change in what she does. Says Ullman, "He's a brilliantly funny, interesting person -- and a very good novelist. I think I owe him a lot."

Expect her to continue to take swipes at such social ills as the over-prescribing of medication. (Yes, her hilarious Padma, the Indian pharmacist who gives drug warnings in Bollywood-style production numbers, is coming back.) She'll also endeavor to make fun of today's financial problems. She claims, "It's not all gloom and doom. I'm trying to look at it in a positive way. It's certainly what's going on this year."

Ullman won't be doing an imitation of either President Obama or first lady Michelle. Though her dead-on Laura Bush imitation had jaws dropping a year ago, she hasn't added either Obama to her list of famous characters. She couldn't find any way to make either one "organic," as she puts it.

So, what are her latest favorite celebrities to impersonate at the moment? CNN's Christiane Amanpour and MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow. Because she has a goofy laugh," says Ullman, mimicking the liberal commentator perfectly. She adds, ala Maddow, "I just really admire her. I love her show, and I think she's an intelligent, fabulous woman. My whole family has a crush on her."

First Photo from Season 3!!

2010-01-02T16:51:00.001-05:00

Tracey as a McCain member!!

Well friends we were just sent this picture yesterday. Tracey Ullman will be wearing our very own Abe "the babe" Lincoln necklace on her upcoming Showtime series "State of the Union" Check out our Abe line at

http://www.schmutzerland.etsy.com/

What Lights Tracey's Fire??

2009-12-28T17:53:00.001-05:00

Tracey Ullman, Actor and Comedienne
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/omag_200111_parks/4

I love documentaries, I like observing real people. The thing that got me going when I was a child was there's a film director called Ken Loach and he does sort of documentaries, improvised type films. And there was a film called Cathy Come Home starring the actress Carol White. It was very, very fly-on-the-wall and realistic looking. And I watched as a child and really believed it was true. I saw this scene where she was a woman on welfare whose husband was in prison who was having her children taken away from her because she couldn't support them. I really believed it was happening. And when I heard that it was acting, I just couldn't believe it.

I would sit in front of my mirror for hours just pretending I was being interviewed for a documentary and I was living on welfare and my husband's in jail and—and I'd smoke a cigarette and—well, you know, it's really hard with the kids and I'm tired some days, you know. I just want to have a nice time and go to the pub and have a drink and—I would just do it for hours and hours. And my mother would knock on the door and go, "Shut up and go to bed. Stop thinking you're a welfare woman who's getting beaten by her husband!"

Season 3 Poster!!!

2009-12-21T09:10:00.002-05:00

Tracey sings for Corpse Bride

2009-12-19T18:06:00.001-05:00

Tracey Likes her cars!!

2009-12-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

TRACEY ULLMAN AND HER PORSCHE IN BEVERLY HILLS, CA..2002

Tracey's Show is ready!

2009-12-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

via http://www.allanmckeownpresents.com/

Tracey put the finishing touches late last night to the new series of her State of the Union series, at Point 360 post production in Santa Monica. The new series was produced by Melanie Patterson and directed by Tracey Ullman.

This new series is the most ambitious to date with Tracey appearing in one sketch as 5 different people all set in the make up room at MSNBC. A Micheal Jackson tribute choreographed by Joe Malone a dancer on the original Beat It video

The series will be delivered to Showtime for airing January 25th 2010. World wide distribution will be via Portman DRG , dvd released again by Eagle Rock . The series is copyright to Allan McKeown presents who financed and produced the series.

Tracey's SOTU set for january airing., Oct. 29, 2009

Tracey isn't ready...

2009-12-01T15:02:00.003-05:00

She's such a tease...LOL

Trailer Tales HBO Promo Pic!

2009-11-27T11:36:00.002-05:00

Big Lot's is selling Tracey Takes On...

2009-10-29T14:25:00.002-04:00

We're being told that the store, Big Lots in America is selling (at least) Season 1 of Tracey Takes On... DVD released by HBO back in 2005 for $3. So, if you're a new fan and want to see what all the fuss is about, or you didn't get it the first time, OR you simply want another copy, head over to their store!

The Tracey Ullman Show- Rock Bottom

2009-10-04T14:02:00.003-04:00

This is one Hilarious sketch!

"Keith? Keith Nookum? is that you, or am I having an acid flashback?"

Tracey makes noises in the Studio

2009-09-30T17:09:00.001-04:00

The Tale of Despereaux | Movie Trailers

Tracey gets offered a job for "The Early Show"

2009-09-30T13:12:00.003-04:00

Tracey Ullman joins Dave, Russ, and Maggie on the plaza where they offer her a job on "The Early Show."

http://www.imdb.com/video/cbs/vi1035862809/

Tracey should Host SNL

2009-09-29T10:21:00.004-04:00

I have contacted NBC about Tracey Hosting SNL. She is very funny and creative, and it would be so amazing to see her Host! I'm sure people would tune in to watch. I think it would be great. I don't know why they haven't asked her yet. I've always thought that she would make a great host! We'd be able to see her perform in sketches, being the happy schizoprhrenic that she is. Hopefully they take my email into consideration. Fingers crossed!

Thank you Tracey (Part 2)

2009-09-24T14:14:00.001-04:00

Thank you for being true to yourself, and for doing something you enjoy.

Thank you for always putting a smile on my face when I needed it.

Thank you for being able to take risks, and not worrying about how it would turn out. It turned out great.

Thank you for giving me the strength to carry on with my performing, and giving me inspiration.

Thank you for not sucking bits of your ass and injecting into your top lip, or altering your appearance. You don’t need it.

Thank you for making me laugh. It always makes me feel better, and laughter is the best medicine.

Thank you for keeping up with State of the Union. It’s a great show, and I hope you keep making more seasons.

Thank you for not falling into the pressures of Hollywood.

Thank you for being unique. You have a great personality.

Thank you for not giving up on yourself. You have a lot of creativity. Don’t let that go to waste.

Thank you Tracey. Thank you for everything you’ve done.

Keep up the great work. I don’t know what my life would be like without you. I do know that it would be extremely boring!

Jazz singer celebrates quirky characters

2009-09-24T13:47:00.001-04:00

She tries to Channel Tracey, but doesn't go as planned.

Jazz singer celebrates quirky characters

Spider Saloff's 'Entertaining Guests' debuts at Acorn
By JEREMY D. BONFIGLIO - H-P Features Writer
Published: Thursday, September 24, 2009 1:11 PM EDT

THREE OAKS - Spider Saloff's first attempt at channeling Tracey Ullman didn't go quite as planned.

The acclaimed jazz singer was performing at Davenport's, the Chicago piano bar, in 2001 when she decided to interpret a series of standards through the voices of the characters in her life.

"It was done in more of a workshop format," Saloff says about her one-woman show "Entertaining Guests." "It didn't have original music at all. I just performed standards. When I realized it was going to take a lot more work, I put it on the back burner until about a year and a half ago."

Using a selection of original songs and the singer's ever-present comedic wit, Saloff's current incarnation of "Entertaining Guests," which she'll perform tonight and Friday at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, turns the autobiographical musical theater piece into a celebration of life's quirky characters.

"There's an Italian hairdresser from South Philly and a very strict German woman," Saloff says. "The whole premise of the title is that there are these people who just show up in your life. They are like guests who show up to your party, make an impression and then leave. The show is bizarre, and all of it is true. There's stuff that's so weird you couldn't make it up."

Saloff, who is originally from the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia, lived in New York City before making Chicago her adopted home in 1994.

Since then, her scats and improvisations have made her a fixture in Chicago's jazz scene, performing at the Gold Star Sardine Bar, The Green Mill and the Fairmont Hotel, and teaching at the Bloom School of Jazz.

Saloff is the co-star and co-creator of the internationally syndicated public radio series "Words and Music," but is most widely recognized for her extensive knowledge of classic Broadway theater music of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. Her concert series, "Spider Saloff Sings Gershwin," which toured the United States and headlined the St. Petersburg Gershwin Festival in Russia, featured a few rare Gershwin melodies given to her by members of the composer's family.

Saloff recently performed a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and released her seventh studio recording, "Cole Porter Live at Maxim's," on Kopaesthetics Records in the summer of 2008.

In "Entertaining Guests," however, Saloff turned to her own story for inspiration, penning a series of original songs that are, at times, more personal than even she anticipated.

"There are things in my life that I didn't ever think I would tell publicly," Saloff says. "There's the issue about abuse that comes up in the play, and I'll leave it at that. Somehow putting these stories together felt brave, it felt right."

The play is set at a memorial service for an Asian drag queen. Saloff portrays herself and a series of characters who pop up in her memory as she's telling stories. Only one song, "Like Glass," has been previously recorded. The rest Saloff wrote specifically for the piece.

"Once I got into these characters it kept coming out," Saloff says.

"Some of the music is written for me as myself, and some are written for these characters. It was a really fun process even though at times it could be like sitting on an egg and waiting for it to hatch."

Saloff, who has performed the current show just once - last spring in Chicago - is planning a longer run in both Chicago and New York after the two Acorn performances.

"My passion for this piece from the very beginning comes from wanting to use my broader talents," Saloff says. "A lot of people don't know that I was an actor before I was a jazz singer. I wanted to express my character work. Until now, I just wasn't sure how it was going to happen."

jbonfiglio@TheH-P.com

Tracey's Topsynergy Report

2009-09-23T10:28:00.004-04:00

This was very interesting to read. You should take a look as well.

http://famousrelationships.topsynergy.com/Tracey_Ullman/AstroData.asp

Today's the Day!

2009-09-14T16:23:00.003-04:00

Filming of Season 3 officially starts today! Have fun Tracey!! Not only will Tracey be acting, but also directing. It's going to take alot of work, but we know Tracey will have no problem with that because a) She has great energy, b) She's a "Happy Schizophrenic" which will help her breeze through her characters, c) She's a hard worker, and d) She's Tracey Ullman.

More New Photos from the CFDA's

2009-09-14T16:21:00.001-04:00

I am loving those Pink Shoes.

Australia gets "State of the Union" Seasons 1&2 together

2009-09-14T16:17:00.002-04:00

Sure look likes it.

State of the Union (Tracey Ullman's) - The Complete Series 1 & 2 (2 Disc Set) (808110)
Coming Soon! Pre-Order Now - Available Thursday, 01 October 2009
AU$29.97 Currency Converter International Price (inc GST)

Please Note: As a franchise organisation, titles and prices may vary between the physical stores and this website.

This DVD is formatted for playback on PAL enabled systems (Australian Standard).

Pre-order this item and we'll include Free Delivery via Australia Post Surface Mail (Australia Only) We do not charge your card until your order is ready to ship.

One nation. Impersonated.

Tracey Ullman stars in the new hit comedy State of the Union. Tracey pokes fun at America's favourite celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Renee Zellwegger, Helen Mirren and David Beckham and many more. This comedic send up takes a satirical look at a day in the life of America.

Special Features:

Blooper and Outtake Reels
Character Screen Tests with commentary from Tracey
Making of the Opening sequence with commentary from Tracey
Extra Material
Deleted Scenes

Tracey's at it again!

2009-09-12T16:16:00.001-04:00

Shooting starts on SOTU, Sept. 11, 2009

Tracey Ullmans STATE of the UNION starts shooting on Monday September 14th at CBS Radford Studios in Studio City Hollywood Ca. The 7 part EMMY nominated series will be produced by Melanie Patterson and directed by Tracey Ullman. Rob Sweeney will be the DP

Allan McKeown, Tracey Ullman and Bruce Wagner are Executive Producers.

Andy Defoe is the asssociate producer, and Eric Fors the co-ordinator. The third season has been pre bought in a number of territories around the world.

Darn, I missed it!

2009-09-11T14:09:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately I have missed the Auditions for the third season of Tracey's Show. I am really bummed, but I may have another chance in the future. I'll stay positive! I am looking forward to seeing a whole new batch of Characters this season!

9 to 5 and Odd Hosts Part 1C: That's Kentertainment!

2009-09-07T21:32:00.000-04:00

Tracey appears at 0:16

Photos from inside the 2009 CFDA Awards

2009-08-21T15:09:00.004-04:00

from Zimbio.com

"Yeah, that's the blog I'm talking about! Isn't it sweet?"

More photos from Mel Brooks Tribute

2009-08-21T14:56:00.002-04:00

Photos from www.altfg.com

More Amazing Vintage for Tracey

2009-08-21T12:30:00.005-04:00

These would totally suit Tracey as well! Especially the Gold!

Taken from www.katykane.com

You will definitely be the golden girl in this lustrous changeable silk evening gown from the 1950's made by the Fashion Workroom, New York. The intricate construction has a scoop neckline with a V shaped opening and a criss-cross panel above a wide fitted cummerbund style waistline. The full skirt is flat at the center front with wide inverted pleats starting over the hips and continuing around the back to the metal center back zipper. The petticoat has horsehair panels over the hips for shaping as well as several ruffles at the back for fullness.

Norman Norell was an American master of design, sophisticated and elegant, never overdone or over embellished, always chic and flattering.

This elegant sleeveless black wool dress is a perfect example of his classic style. Vintage dresses that don't look dated, his designs are just as relevant today as they were in the 1960's. This dress has a bateau neckline, it is sleeveless with a dropped waistline and a belt at the natural waist. This appears to be a decorative element with two large black buttons, but in fact the belt "disappears" inside the dress, where it closes with hooks and eyes at the center back, just under the zipper.

Spare and simple lines, uncluttered design, gorgeous color in a substantial silk, with just three flat bows for ornamentation, Marc Bohan for Christian Dior Couture proves without a doubt that less really is more in this stunning evening turnout from 1973. The two piece dress is beautiful in its simplicity. The boned bodice is fitted with two darts, and the shoulder straps are accented by flat bows. There is a metal center back zipper and a lining of silk organza. The gently gathered skirt has a wide cummerbund style waistband enhanced by a narrow belt with a flat bow at the center front. The skirt has a center back zipper as well, and it is also lined in red silk organza. Comes with a Cape

Sleeveless dresses are all the rage right now thanks in part to Michele Obama, a true fashion original. Pauline Trigere, another iconic fashion original designed this sleeveless wool crepe dress in the 1960's. Perfect for drinks or dinner, this sleeveless dress has a high collar with V shaped seaming mimicking the V shaped seams at the bustline. The armholes are cut square, the skirt is a full A-line with pockets concealed in the side seams. The only ornamentation is a fabric covered belt held in place by four belt loops covered with prong set rhinestones. The belt buckles in the center back. There are two buttons and loops on the collar and a zipper which starts just above the belt, allowing for a glimpse of skin at the center back.

If I were Tracey's Personal Stylist( I wish!)

2009-08-20T21:54:00.027-04:00

I have been going back to this AMAZING site where the owner showcases vintage clothing. She had sold a black Claire McCardell dress to Tracey when she contacted the owner Angie a while back when she needed a dress for the CFDA Awards.

Thanks to Angie for allowing me to use her photos!

Here is the site: http://www.dorotheasclosetvintage.com

I have been looking at many dresses, because I like vintage clothing and have pictured Tracey in them. I think that they would really suit her, because Tracey loves Vintage, especially Claire McCardell!

Here are some dresses that I really like, and think Tracey would look amazing in. I know I keep saying amazing, but the site is, and the dresses!

New old stock 60s dress of red chiffon with shadow rose print. Over red acetate, neckline drapes over bare skin. Lower in back. Piped at waist with tiny bows atop hips. Original store tags, by JONATHAN LOGAN. Flawless, never worn! Full skirt can be worn as shown or over a small crinoline. The perfect party dress!!

a stunning black taffeta bias cut 30s gown with wide ruffled collar and demure pink bows on sleeves.

Smashing black crepe 40s cocktail dress with swirling golden beaded details. Top has angled piece wrapping across to left shoulder, mimicked in a sarong wrap effect on skirt.

Violet pink and grey flecked rayon 50s dress with ruching at side bust and angled V neckline. Full skirt. Side metal zip, no label, no flaws.

Black crepe backed, matte silk satin 60s dress with button front bodice and off set waist bow. Snaps behind waist seam and slit to mid hips. No label, expertly made and flawless!

Hollyberry red taffeta 50s gown with bustle back and rhinestone studded insert at neckline. Pleats and folds envelop inset at neckline accented with various shapes of rhinestones, wide straps, nipped waist. Back has dramatic bustled effect at top of skirt. Side metal zipper, no labels. A handful of storage spots around hemline too faint to photograph, dress could be worn as is or made ballet length.

Lemon yellow 60s cress in crepe rayon with wide sash and rhinestone button detail. Military inspired angled placket on bodice accented with rhinestone buttons. Wide sash at waist, back metal zipper. One small spot toward end of sash, very faint.

Two piece 60s dress of chiffon and lace. Nearly sleeveless shell style blouse makes the top half of this dress with sheer chiffon shoulders, black lace to waist, buttons at back of neck and down lace panel. Full skirt of black chiffon over acetate taffeta. Wear together as a dress or use separately as parts of other ensembles....the black chiffon skirt alone is a fantastic basic to work with! No flaws.

50's silk chiffon dress in bold stripes of red, pink, black and purple. A hot color combo for summer! Fully lined, metal zip up back, by Sa 'Bett. No flaws.

A bronze taffeta 50s party dress with velvet ribbon and soutache detail, by MINX MODES. Velvet ribbon underbust and down to hemline....vertical band accents a button down closure. Scoop neckline, angled sleeves. Beautiful color sets off black details perfectly! My Favorite!!

Sweet candy pink cotton 50s summer dress with piped "shelf bust" bodice. Full skirt. Back metal zipper, no label. Small darker pink dot towards hemline, no other issues.

70s channels 30s in this dreamy sundrop yellow chiffon gown with sheer overjacket bringing to mind the ethereal dancing gowns of Ginger Rogers. By "Lillie Rubin". Deep V neckline front and back, back metal zipper. Skirt is full and has rolled hemline to create a structured, floating-above-the-floor effect. Sheer jacket has hook and eye at throat and wide scarves to tie in a bow, leave open or in a loose knot. Cuffs have gold and rhinestone buttons. The jacket would look great worn over a cami and leggings! A fantastic, flawless set.

DVD Review: Tracey Ullman - Tracey Takes On...

2009-08-11T17:20:00.002-04:00

Author: Richard Marcus — Published: Jul 21, 2009 at 4:58 pm

Something that's always mystified me about movies is how the term "character actor" signifies a lower class of performer. You see I was always under the impression it is an actor's job to re-create the character that either the playwright or script writer had created. Silly me; people don't want to pay money to see Tom Cruise trying to be someone else, they want to see Tom Cruise fighting Martians War Of The Worlds or being a brave German army officer trying to kill Hitler Valkyrie. In fact, if the character's name isn't in the title of a film, I'd bet most audiences would only know his character as "the guy Tom Cruise played".

Nothing personal against Tom Cruise, you could replace his name in the previous paragraph with that of almost any other current or former movie star and it would be that same story. I say almost because there are some actors out there today who do create characters to play on screen, and aren't content to only play a variation of themselves. However, even when you do get someone creating a character for a movie, you often get more of a caricature than a real person. Most of the time what you'll see is a something along the lines of a few emotions passed off as a person: this is my character angry, sad, happy, and horny. Or even worse, what you see on screen is a mish-mash of stereotypes that identify a type but bear little or no relationship to a human being.

It's been years since I've seen any of Tracey Ullman's television work, so I had forgotten her skill at creating characters and bringing them to life. However, after watching the new release from Eagle Rock Entertainment, Tracey Takes On, her talent is indelibly etched into my brain. The release is a triple-disc DVD set of the third and fourth seasons of her HBO show of the same name, What makes her work so memorable is the fact her characters are multi-dimensional, and the more you see and get to know them, the more human they become.

Each segment of Tracey Takes On features Ullman's characters acting out what everything from "Obsession" to "Hollywood" means to them. Ullman introduces each collection of vignettes by citing an example or two of her own experiences and then we immediately segue to the first of her characters with something to say on the subject. Now I haven't seen any episodes from the first two seasons, but I have to assume that the collection of characters we meet over the course of these three DVDs have appeared throughout the history of the show, so some of you might already be familiar with names like Ruby Romaine the make-up artist; "Chic" Middle Eastern taxi driver; Trevor the gay airline steward; Sydney Cross the loud mouthed attorney; Chris and her lover Midge, a pro on the LPGA tour; Fern Rosenthal a Jewish retiree from Long Island living in Florida; Linda Granger ex star of the television show VIP Lounge; and the rest of Ullman's.

While her characters cross all boundaries of sex, race, religion, and age not once do they come across like stereotypes. Of course in some people's minds Ullman wearing black face in order to play an African American airport security officer named Sheneesha Turner, or her portrayal of Mrs. Non Nang Ning, the ancient Asian donut shop owner, is probably horribly politically incorrect. However as she's not holding back from skewering anyone or anything, I think these characters have to be taken within the context they are presented, some of the best social satire you'll ever see on television.

It's not just the way in which she tackles each of the subjects being "taken on" in each segment, it's the fact that the opinions being expressed are by characters, who border on being stereotypes, make each scene's sharp edges even keener. For as we watch the characters over the course of the three discs we get to know them far better than we would normally know any character on television. Ullman tricks us on occasion by sliding in something that's not funny, or is very gentle in its humour, which creates a bond between the audience and the particular character by showing them to be more then we had previously thought them to be.

Of course there are some characters for whom you're not going to feel any affection like Birdie Godsen, who has annual book barbecues in her gated community for her fellow Devout Christians living on Dan Quail Drive, or Erin McColl the earthy folk singer who you end up wanting to plant under six feet of earth for being so annoying. However, for the most part something of what can only be described as the characters' humanity shines through, allowing us to identify with their situation. It also turns the tables on us as it changes them from being objects of ridicule whom we've been laughing at into people whose feelings we can identify with, leaving you feeling just a little wrong-footed.

It would have been nice if there had been some liner notes with the package, breaking down who appears in which episode alongside Tracy Ullman, or something supplying a little bit more information about the show aside from the blurb on the back cover. True, there is a link to the show's web site where you can find detailed information about each episode, but that's not the same thing as having something you can refer to while watching the show. The special features on the other hand are great as they feature in-depth looks at two Ullman characters we met in this package and one we didn't meet at all. While one skit is a repeat, the rest is all new material and as funny and pointed as anything else in the collection.

It's rare for film and television actors these days who are willing to subordinate themselves to the character they're playing and even rarer to find one capable of creating a character with more depth than a cartoon cut out. Not only has Tracey Ullman created a very pointed, and sometimes poignant, look at modern life with her series Tracey Ullman Takes On, she does so by creating characters who are both funny and very real. As this was a cable television show originally, it comes with the requisite warnings about drug use, nudity, and some language. However it fails to give you two very important warnings that you'd be wise to heed before watching any of the material on this three disc set: Do not attempt to drink while watching this show because of the danger of choking and spitting, and ensure that you have emptied your bladder in advance in order to minimize the risks of pissing yourself laughing.

Kate Takes On...Tracey Ullman Characters

2009-08-11T16:06:00.000-04:00

Tracey Arrives At The Showtime Summer Press Tour!

2009-08-05T12:57:00.002-04:00

Actress Tracey Ullman arrives looking lovely in Gold at the CBS CW Showtime Summer press tour party in San Marino, Calif. on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009.

Tracey's TimesTalks Interview

2009-07-31T14:39:00.007-04:00

this was originally an audio clip, but I have found the actual video!(yay me) You can change the zoom to 125% if you want to see it in better quality.

http://www.nytimes.whsites.net/talk/clips.php

Tracey Ullman uses Dr. Mary Lee Amerian products

2009-07-31T00:55:00.000-04:00

http://maryleeamerian.tumblr.com

Dr. Mary Lee Amerian’s skin care line is fabulous. Recently I finished filming a show and found my skin to be tired and dull looking. After two days of using Mary Lee Amerian’s skin are products, I felt the glow return. The products made my skin feel clean and firm. Now Dr. Amerian can reach out to others with her new skin care line, which I highly recommend.”—Tracey Ullman

Tracey Ullman Attends "Julie&Julia" Premiere

2009-07-28T20:57:00.001-04:00

Today 6:00 AM PDT by Marc Malkin

Last night's red carpet screening of Julie & Julia attracted a bevy of celebs, including the movie's costars Meryl Streep, Amy Adams (who, by the way, looked fetching in a white Roland Mouret dress and Tiffany jewels) and Chris Messina, T.R. Knight, Tracey Ullman, Ashley Greene, Kate Flannery, Giada De Laurentiis, and also from the film Jane Lynch and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Streep stars as the late world-famous chef, Julia Child, while Adams plays a New York City government worker who decides to spend a year making every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Childs' book first published in 1961.

With the movie centered so much around food, we gotta admit we were famished by the time the end credits started rolling. Thankfully, we found an In-N-Out burger just steps away from the theater.

More photos of Tracey at Mel Brooks Tribute

2009-07-26T11:42:00.001-04:00

State of the Union: A Very Funny Show

2009-07-25T12:13:00.000-04:00

by GRACE ALEXANDER
JULY 24, 2009

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Women don’t watch The Simpson’s .....

or at least, we don’t admit to it. We sigh and roll our eyes at the crassness of animation, and shake our heads at the men and children parked in front of the set. Come late night TV, however, we grab that pint of mint chocolate chip and sneak off to the guest bedroom to laugh our heads off at the person behind it all. Tracey Ullman was FOX Network’s first real star. She could act, sing and dance – and her impersonations would bring the house down. Ullman rocked the house with the Tracey Ullman Show for years, inspiring the the Simpson family and spawning a series of Ullman shows. She made it big as Britain’s most wealthy comedienne – then became an American citizen and shifted gears. She appeared in the wildly popular Ally McBeal as the self absorbed lawyer’s therapist, made plenty of Ullman specials on HBO, and most recently made the move to Showtime. Tracey is everything women have to secretly admire in another woman. She made it in the old boys club – comedy 25 years ago wasn’t kind to the fairer sex, but Ullman blasted her way in. In her State of the Union (which has been received with thunderous acclaim) Tracey takes full advantage of her citizenship to poke fun at her chosen country – and we can’t help but laugh along. Quietly. So as not to wake our husbands. She was the inspiration for the Simpson’s, after all! Blush!!! Check out Tracey Ullman and catch up on State of the Union.

Tracey Interviewed at Mel Brooks Tribute

2009-07-25T12:11:00.001-04:00

Actress and comedian Tracey Ullman is interviewed at an Academy Tribute to Mel Brooks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California July 24, 2009.

REUTERS/Phil McCarten (UNITED STATES ENTERTAINMENT)

Fingers Crossed!

2009-07-23T19:35:00.002-04:00

2 Monday's ago I dropped my letter to Tracey into the mailbox extremely excited because I had finally sent her one after all this time. It took me many attempts to get the letter under 3 pages, and finally wrote the perfect one. I even put a star above her name on the envelope, to represent the star above her head, and made sure to explain it by doing this: "-> the star above your head".

I'm really hoping that the letter has reached her, and hopeful that she sends one back! I know that I'll have a long time to wait, but oh boy will it be worth it!!

Extremely Happy!

2009-07-21T20:56:00.002-04:00

So, I have been doing these Lipsyncs for youtube, and have been posting them on my blog, my facebook page and the Tracey Ullman Fanclub group on Yahoo. I have been messaging a friend over facebook, who has been so incredibly kind to me, and is a fellow Tracey fan. Not as much anymore, but that doesn't really matter anyways. I want to share with you some really nice things he's told me. I'll keep his name anonymous.

i just watched it..it really makes me laugh..you clearly can act and it's such a compliment to Tracey that you're doing this. There was this old comedian, Jerry Van Dyke and he made his whole act out of lip syncing to old Lone Ranger episodes..he would switch back and forth between characters...the scenes weren't funny on their own but when he performed them with his lypsyncing, they had people on the floor in hysterics...i think it's something like that, that you're keying into..keep going..you're really good.

when i see you get one of her mannerisms, it really makes me laugh

just remember Alan and Tracey really need you...you're really good for their business particularly being so young.. and what you do is such a compliment to her...take what she gives you, learn and make a career out of it for yourself...you have such promise.

Your making Tracey cool again. She owes you.

How nice is that?? this makes me feel so incredibly good! Thank you. You know who you are.

Behind the Scenes of "Tracey Takes On..."

2009-07-18T12:04:00.001-04:00

Classic Sesame Street Episode- "My Unfair Lady"

2009-07-17T15:41:00.000-04:00

Tracey wins "Wow Moment Award"

2009-07-15T14:45:00.005-04:00

The Wow Moment Award
Comedian Tracey Ullman really shocked me when I saw her in this glorious red Doo.Ri gown with an asymmetrical neckline.

I don’t think I have ever seen her look so fabulous.

TRACEY TAKES ON...SEASON 3&4 OUT ON DVD!

2009-07-15T14:32:00.001-04:00

This 4-DVD set contains the final two seasons of the HBO comedy series "Tracey Takes On..." based on characters created and performed by Tracey Ullman. Each episode focuses on a particular subject (Sports, Love, Agents, Loss, etc.) in a sequence of hilarious scenes involving a number of Ullman-created characters.

BONUS FEATURES Includes 72 Minutes of Never- Before-Seen Shows!

Special Guests include: Hugh Laurie (House) Julie Kavner (The Simpsons) Cheech Marin (Cars, Cheech & Chong) Michael McKean (Spinal Tap, Best In Show) Billy Connolly (Boondock Saints, The Aristocrats) Jennifer Jason Leigh (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) Corbin Bernsen (Psych, Major League)

Get Your Copy Today!

Possible Short Comedy Skit for Tracey

2009-07-15T12:34:00.011-04:00

I'm sorry if some of you don't understand some bits, Most of this has been based on "Tracey Takes On" and "State of The Union", mixed together, with some phrases added in that she used in books and interviews. Also, I am not doing this to be mean.. AT ALL...whatever I've written is all in good fun, and for a good laugh!

Ruthy Rogaine= Ruby Romaine, Bobby=Buddy

"Wrinkly Work"

Imagine Tracey Ullman 30 years from now. She's still doing her impressions and big make-ups that she did on State of The Union. She's on the set of a movie playing Judi Dench, Who's fed up of playing the Mother roles. It is early Morning, around 5 AM

(Int.) Sally(Make-Up/Special Effects Make-Up): Good Morning Tracey! Ready for Make-Up?

Tracey: Oh yes Dear. Ready as I'll ever be. I've been in the chair for three hours before getting Make-Up done.

(Sally leads Tracey to the Make-Up Trailer to start on Tracey's transformation. Show Tracey going in, sitting down and then fade, and put " 2 1/2 hours later" on the black screen )

(Int.) ( Fade up)

(Sally has been called on her cellphone, and Tracey's Transformation is complete)

Sally: (On the phone) Yeah. Really?? OH MY GOD! I'll be there ASAP! (Hangs up) Tracey. I'm so sorry but I've just been told my Sister has gone into Labour! I have to go.

Tracey: ( Cheerfully) All right then off you go...(confused) But who's going to do my Make-Up?

Sally: ( Grabbing her Sweater and Bag) Um...Someone who's been in the business for a while. Her name is Ruthy I think.

Tracey: Alright. You'd better be going. Don't want to keep you waiting. See you around! ( Sally leaves, closing the door behind her)

( Tracey is thinking to herself when Ruthy comes in )

Ruthy: ( in a very Ruby Romaine voice) Hey There Honey!

( Tracey looks at Ruthy in the mirror, wide-eyed and thinks "Now that's Freaky...". She also thinks that Ruthy looks exactly like her character Ruby Romaine, only Ruthy's breasts are drastically smaller )

Ruthy: I'm Ruthy...Ruthy Rogaine. I know my last name is the name for a hair growth formula, but I Married a feller who was the Son and Co-Founder of the company. (Pause) He tried givin' me a hickie once...left his teeth on my neck. Anywhoo!

Tracey: (V.O thought) This keeps getting weirder

Tracey: Nice to meet you Ruthy

Ruthy: Yeah Honey, You too! Okay.. let's get started shall we. I gotta go grab my kit from the Buick. Be back in a flash!(Ruthy leaves and Tracey smoothes her long hair, then places it behind one ear )

( Various crashing noises come from outside the Trailer, followed by "Jeesus!" and "Goddam thing!" etc. from Ruthy, Ruthy comes back into the Trailer huffing and puffing.)

Ruthy: (Puts the kit down with a bang on the table) Jesus. I shouldn't have smoked for all those years you know Tracey. Now that's a habit with staying power! ( Laughs)

( Ruthy brings the kit over to where Tracey is sitting, and stops) Hold on Honey. I gotta do my morning stretch. (Ruthy rolls her ankles) (Says while rolling them) And in a circle and in a circle, and around we go, and around we go...

( Ruthy's stretch seems to be getting weirder, and Tracey can't help but smile, and tries to hold in a laugh)

Ruthy: Okay! I'm finito. Let's get started. (Ruthy starts applying Tracey's Make-up)
(While Applying) So, Where are you from? Scandanavia?

( Tracey looks puzzled and thinks "What??" but then remembers that she may be Scandanavian because of her Ancestry)

Tracey: No Actually. I'm originally from England, but have been living in California.

Ruthy: LA huh? The big LA ( Pronounced 'Lay') Whoops...only kidding (Awkward pause)

Ruthy: I remember when L.A used to be nicer. Now it has all these hookers runnin' amuck trying to get their daily dose..in more ways than one! (laughs)

Tracey: I hear ya!

Tracey: So Ruthy, Where are you from? ( Tracey is betting that She'll say Wisconsin, because Ruby was from Wisconsin)

Ruthy: Me? I'm from Wisconsin, dont'cha know? (Tracey thinks "Oh yeah" and smiles to herself)

Tracey: Any Children?

Ruthy: Yeah. I had one Rugrat. His name is Bobby.

( Before Tracey can get another question out that she'd probably know the answer to or would be the complete oposite, yet so similar, like Bobby=Buddy, Ruthy is more than half done her Make-Up )

Ruthy: Almost Done!

( Tracey sits in silence reminiscing of her 'Tracey Ullman Show' days, Her 'Tracey Takes On..' days and Her 'State of The Union' days )

Ruthy: ( adds some finishing touches to the make-up) Make-Up is done! Phase 1 complete! ( Chuckles)

Ruthy: (Continued) What style did they want you to have? You know, the Head Honchos?

Tracey: Just a simple bun. It's going to be pulled out anyways. I am doing a fight scene today with a younger Actress. She pulls my hair out and says, "You Filthy Cow!"

Ruthy: I see...( Starts to brush Tracey's long hair) Jesus girl, your hair is like a horses maine! It goes on for miles! (Laughs)

Tracey: (laughs) I like it long. (Jokingly) Plus, If I cut it, it may take away from my worth. Apparently I'm worth 75 million pounds. I said to myself, "No I'm not...I'm worth much more than that!!" (beat) And I still can't believe that my hair still looks so good..It's so shinnnyy...

Ruthy: Okay there Ms. Fairyland. Wake-up and smell the Chemicals.

( Ruthy is now getting ready to put it back in a bun, but gets side-tracked)

Ruthy: JEEAAZZUUSS! ( Her outburst startles Tracey because It came out of the blue)

Tracey: What?? what is it? is everything alright??

Ruthy: (While putting Tracey's hair in a bun) I forgot to turn the oven on for Bobby. Oh Shoot! now when he turns it on he'll blow up the house!

Tracey: (Jokingly) Let's hope it's still in one piece when you get home!

Ruthy: Yeah. Me too (Sprays Tracey's hair) Cover your mouth. Don't wanna inhale this kinda stuff.

Tracey: Why's that? I don't mind if a bit gets into my mouth. It happens all the time. It doesn't taste that bad...

Ruthy: It's bad for you 'cause it doesn't get you high! The only kinda high it gives you is the high I got when I was with my lover...Nothin'! ( laughs)

Ruthy: Wow Honey! You look good so far! (Clicking noise with the tongue)

Ruthy: (Cont.) and you look good with your hair down.

Tracey: I look like a Troll.

Ruthy: Like those toys they had years ago?

Tracey: Exactly.

Ruthy: So, did you hear about Meryl Streep's new movie that's out? it's really doing well. Of Course it is. It's Meryl Streep for goodness sake.

Tracey: No. I don't think I have. I'm sure it's a bloody masterpiece. Gosh, How old is she now?? 83?

Ruthy: Yep, and she's still making movies! Good for her.

Tracey: That's Meryl for ya.

(Fade Out)

( Fade-up,Inside Ruthy's Trailer)

( Ruthy is finishing Tracey's Hair )

Ruthy: Well there ya go! Your all set!

Tracey: Thank you so much Ruby (quickly corrects herself) I mean Ruthy.

(Tracey is called to set. She hears it through the speaker in Ruthy's Trailer. Tracey leaves the Trailer, and walks a short distance to the set)

Director: Okay Tracey. We're setting up over there. (Points to the corner where the set is decorated as a livingroom, and the younger Actress is already there)

( As Tracey is walking over, she overhears the Assistant Director talking to the Camera Operator, and listens in)

Assistant Director: Looks like we'll have to use the Fuzzy Focus lense this time...Try and make her look more youthful...

Camera Operator: But I thought She said that She wasn't afraid to look ugly on TV...

Assistant Director: Well, that doesn't really matter does it? She was much prettier back in the day.

Camera Operator: She still is. At least she doesn't have the botox and collagen in her face like all the other Actresses you see.

( Tracey smiles to herself and walks over to the set. She'll a little miffed that they said they had to make her look younger)

Tracey: ( V.O thought) If they hired me to play an older part, and I call it 'Wrinkly Work', then why the hell are they going to make me look like a baby? (sigh) Oh well...it is Hollywood afterall...

End

2009

Tracey Ullman : Canadian TV Interview 1985

2009-07-14T14:11:00.001-04:00

I've never seen her on a Canadian Station before! She talks about being in the movie "Plenty" with Meryl Streep.

Interview with Ruby Romaine

2009-07-10T16:35:00.003-04:00

Me and My Friend Kevin made this phone interview, and posted it on facebook, and youtube! Enjoy! And yes, this really is me..

it's better if you listen to it with headphones..it's just a suggestion..

Blog Updates now on Twitter!

2009-07-10T11:32:00.001-04:00

http://www.twitter.com/TrackingTracey

Ullman is a Comic(and Mimic) Genius

2009-07-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

By Scott D. Pierce

Deseret News

Tracey Ullman is the most talented woman in show business.
Not to put too much pressure on her or anything. And, hopefully, not to raise expectations for her new TV show too high — although it's great.

Ullman gives a whole new meaning to the term "one-woman show." An astonishing mimic, she plays pretty much all the parts in her new Showtime series "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union," which premieres Sunday at 11 p.m.

It's a faux documentary, narrated by Peter Strauss, that's sort of a day-in-the-life of people across the United States. One minute, Ullman is an immigrant woman heading off before dawn to make donuts. The next she's a Jamaican caretaker to an elderly Jewish woman. The next, she's former Los Angeles anchorwoman Linda Alvarez (who has fictionally moved to Buffalo).

Ullman isn't not shy about poking fun at TV news. Alvarez's idea of "international news" is that "Paris Hilton has miscarried in Dubai." Former MSNBC newswoman Rita Cosby thinks she's got a big scoop by crawling around the gurney that's about to be used for an execution. NBC newswoman Campbell Brown gives viewers "their daily dose of fear."

It's funny because it's so, um, sort of true.

Ullman also takes aim at celebrities ranging from environmental activist Lori David (ex-wife of Larry David); political pundit Arianna Huffington, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; actor Tony Scirrico; soccer star David Beckham; and Lindsay Lohan's mother, Dina.

And she creates lots of "regular folks" characters, including the woman with restless leg syndrome; the wife (of three weeks) of a death-row inmate about to be executed; and an executive secretary about to have an affair with her boss.

That's all in the first episode. Which runs 25 minutes. Including the credits.

Some of Ullman's past TV efforts — like her HBO series, "Tracey Takes On ... " — have been good but not great. She's done a fantastic job of creating (or impersonating) dozens of characters, but the shows have been more clever than funny.

No such problem with "State of the Union," which is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Like when Ullman's Arianna Huffington comments on former presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani.

"You know, it was very smart of Giuliani's campaign manager to make him shave his head. He was having a hard time campaigning in the windier states with his little comb-over flapping and flapping," says the faux Huffington in the faux Hungarian accent.

And there's a wildly entertaining sequence in which Padmah, a pharmacist in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is being robbed by a drug addict — and suddenly she's headlining a Bollywood-esque musical production number.

There's always something unexpected and funny on "State of the Union." Including some footage of Park City in Episode 3 — faux Dame Judy Dench is interviewed about her film at the Sundance Film Festival.

The show airs on pay-cable channel Showtime, so it should come as no surprise that "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union" is not intended for children. There's R-rated language — including multiple uses of the f-word — and sexual references.

Tracey's Tavis Smiley Appearance Repeat

2009-07-07T18:58:00.002-04:00

In case you missed Tracey's most recent appearance on the Tavis Smiley
show in April, it's being repeated a week from this Friday, or July 17.

Academy To Pay Tribute To Mel Brooks

2009-07-01T13:10:00.001-04:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a tribute to comic legend Mel Brooks on Friday, July 24, at 8 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Hosted by film historian Leonard Maltin, the evening will feature Brooks in person, along with numerous film clips and stories from his artistic collaborators and friends. Special guests will include Richard Benjamin, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Carl Reiner, Tracey Ullman and Lesley Ann Warren (schedules permitting).

Some Random Fun

2009-06-30T17:22:00.003-04:00

I have made a youtube video of myself lipsyncing along to one of Tracey's Characters Gretchen Pincus!! Andrew Mitchell loved it. This is the comment he left:

"that was freaking hilarious..i didn't laugh when tracey did it but when you did it, I was in fits of laughter..you must have watched that a hundred times because you got the mannerisms down perfectly...more Kate more! Post a link to this video in the Tracey Yahoo group."

The Original

Wow.

2009-06-19T21:39:00.004-04:00

I just finished talking to my good friend Roger Reini over facebook about Tracey Ullman...Who else?? :P She always comes up in conversation. I can't help it. Anywho, He shared with me a couple emails that he had recieved from Tracey herself. As I was reading them, I had goosebumps. Even though they were not for me, I was very happy for him. One day it might happen to me, so I can share them with him! Thanks Roger! It made my evening!

I am oh-so tempted to send an email to that address...but I will restrain myself..where's the rope...

7 More Episodes of State of The Union!! Whoo!!

2009-06-18T22:01:00.001-04:00

Showtime picks up Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union for a third season

LOS ANGELES, CA – (June 18, 2009) – Seven-time-Emmy®-winner Tracey Ullman will return for a third hilarious season in her critically-acclaimed sketch comedy series TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION. Seven new episodes will start production this summer and air on SHOWTIME in 2010. Ullman will once again serve as executive producer with her husband Allan McKeown, and she will also write the episodes.

TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION features a kaleidoscope of original characters and impersonations in a wide collection of irreverent and hilarious skits that range from sardonic parody and social satire to Bollywood musicals. Over the last two seasons, Ullman has tackled the country’s celebrity-obsessed, 24-hour news culture by portraying a variety of characters from celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Renée Zellweger, Dina Lohan, Tony Sirico and David Beckham to politicians and pundits like Laura Bush, Nancy Pelosi and Arianna Huffington. Additionally, Ullman has created a new line-up of original characters that reflect a cross-section of American society from an Indian pharmacist to a homeless woman without health insurance to a soldier on temporary leave from Iraq.

More Photos!

2009-06-16T15:27:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my friend Di on Facebook, she has sent me some more photos from the Fashion Awards! My God..She's absolutely radiant.

Images from the CFDA Fashion Awards

2009-06-16T09:56:00.005-04:00

New Tracey Article In Sunday Express

2009-06-15T12:00:00.001-04:00

Who's That Girl?

Sunday June 14,2009

COMEDIENNE Tracey Ullman wears many disguises in her new smash-hit US TV show. British-born Tracey speaks to SANDRO MONETTI about how she’s become a big star in America but can’t sell her series in the UK.

She’s Britain’s most successful comedy export but Tracey Ullman risks becoming a forgotten figure back home.

For no UK channel has bought her latest smash-hit US series, State Of The Union, and the snub has wiped the smile off the comedienne’s face.

Stateside success has brought Ullman a personal fortune of £75million, making her our wealthiest comic, but it seemingly can’t buy her respect in Britain.

“We’re struggling to sell the show to the BBC,” admits Tracey, 49.

“Maybe it’s just not sexy enough for the current TV climate there now.”

The series – in which she hilariously impersonates stars like Renée Zellweger, Helen Mirren and even David Beckham, as well as a series of American stereotypes – seems perfect for the YouTube generation with its fast-paced, fun sketches but it hasn’t sufficiently impressed bosses at the BBC who gave Ullman her start in Eighties shows like Three Of A Kind.

Yet the Beeb has been badly wrong about her comedic instincts before – most notably when they screened her first US series, The Tracey Ullman Show, in 1987.

That one featured the TV debut of animation sensations The Simpsons, who appeared in short films between the sketches.

Ullman recalled: “The BBC said the only thing they didn’t like about the show was those weird little animated characters and suggested maybe they could get rid of them because they would never catch on.”

Tracey won that battle and The Simpsons spun off into their own show which, 20 series later, has become the longest-running series in US television history.

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Having been there at the beginning, Tracey also gets an annual share of the show’s profits and that’s what is largely responsible for her huge wealth.

Like The Simpsons, she has been a constant fixture on US screens for the past two decades, in her own shows and specials, in TV guest roles ranging from playing Ally McBeal’s therapist to a dog trainer on The Simpsons, and also in movies including Small Time Crooks and Plenty, but she is getting the best reviews of her career for State Of The Union, a comedic look at her adopted country’s obsession with celebrities, which is now in its second series.

Tracey, who has lived in America for 25 years, recently became a US citizen and feels that fact has freed her up to be funnier. She explains: “I feel I can say a little bit more about the country now that I feel a part of it and can do so without the fear of being carted off to Guantanamo Bay.”

Although she mocks America on screen, she has a great deal of affection for the country in which her show business dreams have come true.

“It’s a very ‘can do’ society. In Britain you hear a lot of ‘that’ll never work’ but here people are willing to take risks.”

She is the only foreign comedienne to have success on US TV and, as such, Ullman is something of a standard bearer for aspirational Brits in Hollywood.

Tracey was an inspirational figure for Nigel Lythgoe, the British choreographer, TV producer and Popstars judge who in this decade became a major figure in US TV as producer of American Idol and judge on So You Think You Can Dance.

He says: “I choreographed Tracey on Three Of A Kind back in England and I believe that her success in America inspired so many of us Brits to believe we could also make a career for ourselves in that wonderful country.”

Last month Lythgoe, along with the likes of Cat Deeley, Russell Brand, Peter Kay and Sharon Osbourne, was in the audience when Tracey received the Charlie Chaplin Career Achievement Award at the British Comedy Festival in Los Angeles.

Humbled and thrilled by the honour, Ullman said: “It’s a lovely thing and a nice achievement that makes me think about all I’ve done and how far I’ve come.”

The Slough-born star enjoys triumphs now but it was a tragedy that first made her a performer.

When she was six-year-old her father, Antony, suffered a heart attack while reading her a bedtime story and died.

To cheer up her distraught mother, Dorin, Tracey would put on shows in her mother’s bedroom. She would draw the curtains, use the windowsill as a stage and Dorin would sit on the bed laughing.

At 12, Tracey enrolled at the Italia Conti stage school where she developed her singing, dancing, acting and comedic talents.

Soon after leaving she joined the Second Generation dance troupe, graduated into West End musical roles and then moved into comedy and was spotted by the BBC.

They cast her in sketch shows A Kick Up The Eighties, with Rik Mayall, and then the hugely popular Three Of A Kind, alongside Lenny Henry and David Copperfield.

She followed that with ITV sitcom Girls On Top, co-starring Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

Tracey also launched a successful pop career despite having a voice that Melody Maker described as “Minnie Mouse mixed with the Supremes”.

She had three top 10 hits in 1983 with Breakaway, They Don’t Know and Move Over Darling.

Her records were popular in America too and the fun videos had lots of play on MTV, which brought her to the attention of talent-spotting Hollywood producers. A

mong them was James L Brooks, who created The Tracey Ullman Show for her and saw it become an instant hit.

Ullman had moved to LA with her British husband – Auf Wiedersehen Pet producer Allan McKeown – to make the show and they are still there now, and still happy after 25 years of marriage.

Tracey says of her husband: “He’s the funny one in our house. He can’t sing, he can’t dance, he can’t act but he’s hilarious.”

The couple have two children, Mabel, 23, and Jon, 17.

She worked with Allan on a string of other acclaimed shows, including Tracey Takes On and A Class Act, which made her a beloved figure in US comedy.

Ullman has won America’s most coveted TV award, the Emmy, seven times and been inducted into the country’s Museum of Television.

Yet her greatest triumph could be her latest one. US critics reviewing State Of The Union have compared her work in it to the likes of Lenny Bruce and Robin Williams at their best.

If the show doesn’t get seen in Britain, Tracey won’t have a Susan Boyle-style meltdown over it.

She says: “I’m not some sad psychological case. I’m a pretty sensible person. I like to sit and watch documentaries on TV and knit. I’m quite happy to be me.”

The star of State Of The Union is also happy about the state of her career.

She smiles: “I’ve come a long way from my mother’s windowsill.”

Tracey attends 'A Good Smoke' Starring Meryl Streep

2009-06-15T09:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, June 14th, Meryl Streep read "A Good Smoke" by Don Cummings in New York at the Public Theatre, and Tracey was in the audience. Some people tweeted about it.

Rnoodge: I attended a reading this evening starring meryl streep and debra monk. Alec baldwin, diane keaton, and tracey ullman were in the audience.

Most of you already know that Meryl and Tracey are very good friends, and they were in two movies together. "Plenty" and "Death Becomes Her". It would've been incredibly cool if I could've been there, especially if I could see Tracey. I'd be fidgiting in my seat all night. I'd be in heaven if I were in the same room with the both of them.. Gaahh!!

State of the Union is OFFICIALLY Re-Commissioned!

2009-06-12T10:44:00.002-04:00

Ullman show wins third run

Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, produced by Allan McKeown Presents… has been commissioned for a third series by US cable channel Showtime.

Written by and starring Ullman (above, as Renée Zellweger), the sketch show was reordered by Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt.

C21Media also confirms.

Ullman's Fashion Closet... Luella's Latest Moves... Vodianova to Design...

2009-06-11T09:23:00.002-04:00

by WWD Staff

Posted Thursday June 11, 2009

From WWD Issue 06/11/2009

CLOTHES HORSE: Tracey Ullman, who will host the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards on Monday, clearly seems to know it always helps to play the field when faced with a tough fashion crowd. She will have two outfit changes that night, going for three generations of female American designers. In the course of the evening, which will take place at Alice Tully Hall, Ullman will don a vintage Claire McCardell dress, as well as dresses by Doo.Ri and Donna Karan, whom the comedienne recently lampooned on her Showtime series “State of the Union.” Doo-Ri Chung’s red dress is actually inspired by McCardell, whom Chung has admired since her days at Parsons The New School for Design, where she wrote her thesis on the American fashion icon. The dress will be accessorized with a belt studded with crystals from Swarovski, which is underwriting the awards.

Tracey Ullman to replace War On Everything

2009-06-10T13:03:00.000-04:00

The Chaser's War On Everything will return to the ABC on June 24 as planned after two weeks in the sin bin, the national broadcaster says.

However, it's still unclear whether the current 10-part series of the satirical television comedy program will be reduced to eight episodes.

Stars of the program apologised last week for a skit depicting dying children making deathbed wishes, which was subsequently cut from online broadcasts.

Public outrage led ABC management to pull the series for a fortnight while it conducted a review of its editorial approval processes.

A corporate affairs spokeswoman for the broadcaster was unable to confirm whether ABC management had met with the Chaser team to discuss the remaining episodes.

"They are back on air after two weeks and that was confirmed in the statement we put out last week,'' she said.

"So they will be back on Wednesday the 24th.

"I'm not quite sure of any subsequent meetings that have happened since or if there is anything else to report out of it at this stage.''

The program's slot tonight and next week will be replaced with Tracey Ullman's State Of The Union, an American satirical comedy series.

A Chaser team spokesman said an internal review was being carried out and the show would be back on air in two weeks.

Debate is raging about the show on social networking site Facebook, with more than 750 people joining a group calling on the ABC to scrap the program and another group with more than 500 members saying the show shouldn't be censored.

Some Tweeters aren't too happy about this one...

Tracey Ullman to Wear Claire McCardell to CFDA

2009-06-08T09:41:00.008-04:00

Diane Von Furstenburg has asked Tracey Ullman to be the host of the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards on June 15. It's no wonder DVF chose her. The insanely funny Ullman is often spoofing fashion players as an obvious for of adoration for fashion. The New York Times states" She is a big collector of Claire McCardell, one of the originators of the American fashion industry, and can casually drop into a conversation references to Christian Lacroix's financial troubles, Iris Apfel's eccentric style and the insistence of fashion magazines to churn out issues about how to dress for your age."

Ullman is such a huge Claire McCardell fan and collector, that she might be wearing Claire McCardell to the awards. My esteemed colleague and fellow fellow fashion dealer, Angela of Dorthea's Closet Vintage, recently sold Ms. Ullman a gorgeous Claire McCardell dress in black with bow details.

The weird thing is, I was looking at that site on the weekend and this exact dress caught my eye and I thought "Tracey would really like this" and now, she's going to be wearing it! Maybe I could be her personal shopper...haha

10 Things You Don’t Know About Women: Tracey Ullman

2009-06-05T16:55:00.004-04:00

The State of the Union comedian on the Hitachi Magic Wand, and nine other things you don’t know about women.

February 6, 2008, 5:35 AM
www.esquire.com

1. On being asked to write a piece like this, our thoughts immediately become lewd. Hence . . .

2. The Hitachi Magic Wand is rarely used on the shoulder muscle while gazing wistfully into the distance like the model on the box.

3. We don’t envy the woman in the Cialis ad. What’s in it for her over the next thirty-six hours? Cystitis, probably.

4. Thongs hurt, and your bum digests them.

5. Equality will be achieved when we see David Duchovny’s knob on Californication.

6. We hate the smell of Axe.

7. We really don’t find farting funny.

8. We’d rather you fart than wear Axe.

9. We know that, in the main, men are funnier than women.

10. And we can pee standing up.

What The...?

2009-06-05T15:54:00.006-04:00

http://www.uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Tracey_Ullman
(Copy+Paste into your browser)

Tracey 'Sybil' Ullman (AKA Osama bin Ullman) was born on December 30, 1987. She was born and raised in Afghanistan, where she would be trained as an enemy combatant. It was during this time that she would master the fine art of terrorizing the American public, including poor innocent celebrities. At some point she moved to Britain and picked up enough English to get by.

Stint in Guantanamo

In 2005, Tracey was stopped at LAX, and arrested for impersonating a black Asian Airport Security woman.

Three years went by, and Tracey went back to her roots, reading the Quaran, and growing a beard. Suddenly, she got the idea of telling the CIA that she was actually a Jew and could not possibly be a dirty Muslim terrorist. Ullman broke into a bunch of gibberish Yiddish, and they granted her release.

Scared to death of being sent back to Afghanistan, or even worse, Britain, Tracey decided to start the process of getting American citizenship. She was sworn in, and decided to go back to television, to seek revenge on the country that threw her into a concentration camp. She was after blood.

I found some of this to be funny, but with some other things, I was afraid that Sydney Kross would sue them. "You name it, I'll sue it!"

The Queen of Comedy

2009-06-05T10:22:00.005-04:00

The Title says it all...

Tracey Ullman to Host CFDA Awards

2009-06-04T21:30:00.005-04:00

http://www.thefashionspot.com

Not only have her imitations made it clear that she is gifted when it comes to comedy, but also that she has a love and appreciation for fashion. In fact, in a recent New York Times article, it was revealed that Ullman is very well versed in fashion – both in terms of its history and the latest news and buzz.
“She is a big collector of Claire McCardell, one of the originators of the American fashion industry, and can casually drop into a conversation references to Christian Lacroix’s financial troubles, Iris Apfel’s eccentric style and the insistence of fashion magazines to churn out issues about how to dress for your age,” noted Eric Wilson, the author of the New York Times article on Ullman which ran in the paper’s style section on June 4th.

Ullman’s uncanny imitations, spot-on humor, and love and respect for the fashion industry are what led Diane Von Furstenberg (president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America) to ask her to host this year’s annual CFDA Awards.

The prestigious award ceremony will take place on June 15th. Interestingly, the comedian told Eric Wilson that she is not sure she will be poking fun at the designers up for nominations. She said that she is more interested in “exploring how those designers familiar with the fading era of New York society are adapting to the modern world of invented celebrities.

In my opinion, they couldn't have made a better choice. Tracey is perfect for this. It's going to be a great night I tell you.

That's more like it...

2009-06-04T18:34:00.000-04:00

FateHere@TyddVicious Tracy is funny and she can be downright blunt about things, which makes her even more hilarious

TobsonHelsinki: Tracey Ullman is a genius - so witty, such great scripts. Awfully funny, and always with that touch of seriousness at the bottom. She rocks!

samcab: Tracey Ullman as Donna Karan http://bit.ly/Viv4M Dead on!

Tracey Ullman: Just Being Herselves

2009-06-04T11:07:00.001-04:00

Thursday, November 8th, 2007

by Bart Bull
(published in Vogue)

To get to Tracey Ullman's closet, you need to go through the bathroom. You don't really need to go through there, but she wants you to; it makes for a more colorful tour. The color is purplish, in fact, or lilac, sort of, or actually a turbo-charged neon mauve. "The man who lived here before was a Czechoslovakian plastic surgeon," she says, delivering the next line in the cigar-chewing gurgle of an elderly Las Vegas lounge comic, complete with perfectly-timed pause for the drummer's rim shot: "And if he does this to his house, what does he do to your body?" Ullman plans to have his remarkable upholstered toilet seat enshrined in a clear Lucite case and mounted on the wall.

She has fewer shoes than Imelda Marcos but they make a far more interesting mess at the bottom of her closet. She's down there now, flinging out Tony Lama cowboy boots and alarming French wedgies with rock star photo patches sewn to the heels and then this . . . this fairly restrained bustier. "Every girl has one of these Madonna bodice-type tops, these slaggy Stevie Nicks-type things. Though they look terribly sad on someone like me, who breast-fed a nine pound infant." She sweeps an unmatched pair of her daughter Mabel's Barbie dolls off the dressing table to clear more room and discovers a complicated sweater by her idol, her all-time absolute favorite, Jean Paul Gaultier. "My friend last night said it falls into every cardigan category. He said, 'You like it because you're not wearing one cardigan, you're wearing every cardigan.' But I do love it, because you wear it and people get frightened."

When it comes to Gaultier, it's impossible for her to keep from rhapsodizing, and she readily admits it. "He's the king for me. I just think he's brilliant, I really do. He still has an element of street about him as well. I went to his shop in Paris last summer — I'd never done any shopping in Paris until last year. I told my husband, 'Go bog off — I'm going shopping in Paris.' First time I'd ever had the money, I'm in Paris, and it was a truly debilitating experience. They were so rude to me. [Smarmy French accent, wreathed in Gauloise smoke]: 'What do you want, stupid British girl?'

"They were so rude — the only people who were nice were a couple of Japanese people who had just opened a shop and were desperate to sell gear. It was horrible. At one boutique, they practically spat at me. Until I got my Platinum American Express card out and said, 'Look! Look!'" She laughs uproariously at the sheer folly of it. "They didn't give a damn.

"It wasn't good fun at all shopping there. Then again, in Beverly Hills, the people who work for the top places are all like [pursed lips, dysfunctional adenoids]: 'Millie, seventy-two, I've worked in sales a long, long time . . . Oh, this is just beau-ti-ful! The colors this season are so gwargeous!'"

"Here's a bit of Christian Lacroix," and she yanks free a finely detailed glass-beaded top. "Had a skirt that went with it — it's here somewhere. I wore this to an awards show and the zipper burst as I went onstage.

"I love clothes," she declares from deep inside the closet, where the hangers are all clumped together. "I love fashion. I used to work in shops on the King's Road when I was sixteen. I was always one who saved up weeks for a decent skirt." Her head is buried deep in the closet again. "And always somewhere I have a leather miniskirt. I just bought another one, and I know it will be the last one of my life, 'cause I know I'm getting too ridiculously old to wear leather miniskirts. I put it on and I do look a bit tragic.

"I mean, I don't even keep my clothes in a very nice state or anything. I'm like a magpie; I'll wear anything unusual or bright. But when yousee these Beverly Hills women who pay twelve thousand dollars and they're sitting at one of those functions with their big freckly armpits hanging over the edge of their bustier— I'd like to bring Christian Lacroix to a Beverly Hills function. 'Don't look now, Christian, but there's a fat tart in one of your frocks.' 'Merde! '

"The Japanese gear, I haven't really gotten into that — the black, baggy, shapeless trousers with the big sort of platform shoes. I mean, some people spend like four thousand dollars they look like a bag of spanners. So they have to keep reminding you who designed it. [Voice of a schlumpf]: 'Djya like the jacket? It's by, uh, Matsudo, ya know?'"

She's back in the closet. "This is the first piece of Gaultier I ever bought," she says, cradling a charcoal shirt in both hands. [Elaborate stage whisper] "Cost me three hundred pounds. I couldn't believe i had a Gaultier shirt. It was like a dream. Always looked a bit strange on me, though.

"Here's my Tracey Ullman Show jacket." It's a perfect example of what fashionable Hollywood cameramen can be seen wearing in supermarkets. "Can you imagine if I wore that? [Dopey TV star]: 'Hey, that's ME! It's MY SHOW!'"

Her own closets revealed, Ullman can't resist invading her husband's. "these are the suits he buys now he's got a bit of money. These over here are the ones he used to buy off the back of the lorry. All men in England have to buy stolen suits. They can't bear to pay the retail price. And these" — she laughs even as she touches them — are his trendy shirts."

Mabel's closets are next. Ullman sweeps up a blue wool coat with wooden toggle buttons down the front. "I love this, her little Paddington Bear coat — so very British. She wore it once and threw up all down the front. You can still smell the vomit on it." She acquires a thoughtful, puzzled look. "So hard to remove the smell from designer wear, you know."

Character References by Tracey

2009-06-04T10:07:00.002-04:00

By ERIC WILSON
Published: June 3, 2009

THE voice on Tracey Ullman’s answering machine was unmistakable.

“Hello, it’s D.V.F. You have no excuse this year, Tracey. Call me back.”

Repeating this message the other day, Ms. Ullman, the actress and comedian, put on an impersonation of Diane Von Furstenberg’s distinctive honey-dipped-frog drawl that was so pitch perfect it was hard to tell for certain that she hadn’t just hit the play button. It was uncanny, really, but this will not surprise followers of “Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union” series on Showtime.

On an episode this season, Ms. Ullman appeared in one skit as Donna Karan, designing new robes for the Supreme Court justices, and in another as Miuccia Prada, showing a collection inspired by the pastel prairie dresses worn by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (“Viva polygamy,” she says at the end of the show.)

Ms. Ullman’s proclivity for spoofing the designer community and its oddball characters is largely rooted in her admiration for fashion. She is a big collector of Claire McCardell, one of the originators of the American fashion industry, and can casually drop into a conversation references to Christian Lacroix’s financial troubles, Iris Apfel’s eccentric style and the insistence of fashion magazines to churn out issues about how to dress for your age.

“I love the idea of how to look good in your 30s and your 40s,” she said. “And when you get to your 70s, they all just give you this beautiful big hood to wear, a silk bag with a grosgrain ribbon from Jil Sander.”

Her interest in style, and her irreverent wit, led Ms. Von Furstenberg to ask her to host the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards on June 15. The crowd can be tough, as Simon Doonan of Barneys New York can attest after insulting André Leon Talley’s turban last year. But Ms. Ullman was not yet sure if she would be taking aim at designers who might be in the room. She was more tempted, she said, by exploring how those designers familiar with the fading era of New York society are adapting to the modern world of invented celebrities.

“You can imagine,” Ms. Ullman said, “Oscar de la Renta being shown a picture of Lauren Conrad, and saying, ‘Oh, if only we can get her to hold our purse!’ ”

The Many Funny States of Tracey Ullman

2009-05-29T19:42:00.002-04:00

By Ruben V. Nepales
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:48:00 05/30/2009

Filed Under: Television, Celebrities

LOS ANGELES—A recent interview with Tracey Ullman about “State of the Union,” her latest hit TV series in which she impersonates famous people and regular folks as she parodies life in America, was like watching a private show. The British comedienne, who lives in the US, launched into samples of her hysterical portrayals of such celebrities as actress Renée Zellweger, political pundit Arianna Huffington and former First Lady Laura Bush.

With her husband, producer Allan McKeown sitting in the room, the mother of two offered a glimpse of the private Tracey as she acknowledged her hubby’s presence. Excerpts of our interview:

What kind of feedback do you get from people you impersonate, like Renée Zellweger and Mrs. Laura Bush?

I hear that Renée Zellweger was on David Letterman’s show, where she said that I looked like her twin brother in drag (laughter). So I took that to mean she found it funny and seemed to take it in a very good spirit. I haven’t heard from Mrs. Bush. I’d love to (laughter). Arianna Huffington loves it. I just pepper my show with impersonations of famous folks so I get to do real people too.

Character

Is there anybody you wouldn’t touch?

No, there’s nobody I wouldn’t attempt if I thought I had a good take on that person. Sometimes, we’ll suggest a character, then I’ll just say, “But, that person is in such distress, or what would the joke be?” You don’t want to just hammer it home and be incredibly cruel. You want to find some hope in things. There isn’t a mean-spirited quality to the comedy I do—there has never been. I really love people—and I like impersonating them. Sometimes, it has gotten a bit cruel or gone across the line, but I’ve never had any major complaints.

Who did you start impersonating when you were a child?

Mireille Mathieu (a French singer) used to make me laugh. I couldn’t speak French, but I used to be fascinated by her hair clinging to her lip gloss. I would pretend to be her as I wore my mother’s nightdress on the windowsill. I also did Julie Andrews: “But Captain, they’re just children. Doe a deer a female deer.”

I also used to impersonate a dear lady who lived opposite us, Annie Cox, who lost her fiancé in the First World War. She always had something just hanging on her nose. This little English spinster was always cold and she would take our dogs for a walk. She broke my heart.”

Can you say something about the JK Rowling episode? You even had Laura Bush talking about getting George W. to read the “Harry Potter” books.
He’s on the third one now, “The Goblet of Fire.” He’s just having trouble with the words (laughter) and I’m walking him through them. I noticed there was a lot of litigation about the “Harry Potter” image within America, so we decided to put on a five-city litigation tour. JK Rowling is a bit of a bitch in it, but I liked her look—and there’s a sadness to her. When she talks, she’s obviously someone who didn’t think she’d ever be famous—like when she accepted this thing at Harvard. I like the way she has come up.

Legacy

I looked like her at some point—the sad eyes. I put that in the show, that she wrote in a coffee shop, and that she was a single mom. It just seemed right that someone like Renée Zellweger would want to be this inspirational, wizard woman in a movie. We’d be watching someone making a movie of JK Rowling, like she’d be going to the middle of the country and finding people doing Quidditch rides. She’d be saying, “That’s interfering with my legacy.”

Was there a time in your life when you stopped in your tracks and forgot about being funny?

I didn’t think much was funny right after 9/11. That was a tough time.

How have your children benefited or adjusted from growing up in England and the States? And, how is your own experience shuttling between the two countries?

You’re never satisfied with one place anymore. It’s weird—I love England and I love the States. When I’m here, it’s just so easy. Imagine Europe now, they’re getting out the umbrellas and sweaters. There’s all that history—and the churches to visit. When I’m there, they don’t gift wrap so, I think, ‘I’ve got to get back to the States!’ “You don’t gift wrap? What’s the matter with you?” (Laughter) You’re never happy.

My daughter is very pro-British. She went to university there. She works for the General Secretary of the Labor Party in England. We’re very proud of her. It is her dream job. Mabel wants to rule the world. But she has an American identity, too. I also have a European and American sensibility. But, sometimes I feel 75 percent more American. Our son, Johnny was born here. He’s now in high school here, but he still has an incredible English accent. It’s amazing!

Your husband is in the room, but can you talk about him anyway?

My husband Allan and I have been together for 25 years. My life didn’t begin until I met him. I love him so much. He let me do what I wanted to do. He made me come to America. He’s brave, curious and bold. He was always looking to do something bigger. I didn’t work with my husband initially on a production level when I first came here, but I’m so glad I do now. It’s like shorthand between us. He’s the funniest person in our family. He may look a bit shy now.

Allan: You have to be careful when you work with this woman.

You’re turning 50 this year. What are your thoughts on aging?

Dignity

There’s real fear of aging in this country, which I don’t share. It seems to be an American nightmare, especially for women. There’s nothing worse than a woman trying to look like she did when she was 32 when she is 58. It’s like, “Have some dignity, guys—just go with it!” Yes, I do have a big birthday coming this year.

I based my career from the very beginning on people like Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Margaret Rutherford. I keep thinking Maggie and Judi are going to eventually not want those parts and I’m going to move up and take them (laughter). So, hopefully, I’ll be working in my 70s and 80s. You know, character actresses. I never had looks to lose. I could keep going—Meryl Streep and me.

As a kid, how did you celebrate your birthday, which was in the middle of winter?

I have the sh*ttest birthday—the 30th of December! Can you imagine what that was like when I was a kid in England? It was the day before New Year’s Eve. It was horrific! My sister’s birthday is on the fourth of July. It was all about strawberries and dancing in the garden in summer dresses. Mine was like, “Don’t talk about it. It’s her birthday.” It was pitch-dark (laughter). Every one wrapped presents for me that they didn’t want from Christmas. It was a terrible time to have a birthday (laughter)!