I never knew she was an alcoholic.

It's weird how that article is about Eliza at first and then suddenly it's about Siegfried and Roy. Perhaps they will guest star on Dollhouse?

Storyteller | February 16, 19:58 CET

Eliza was raised Mormon? I didn't know that. Nifty! I wonder if my grandparents knew her grandparents...

And yeah, the transition-free jump to Siegfried and Roy was deeply random.

Taaroko | February 16, 20:02 CET

@Taaroko: I wonder if your grandparents were her grandparents...

;-)

Storyteller | February 16, 20:04 CET

Well, I do have about fifty first cousins on my dad's side (he has ten siblings), but unless we missed her in the headcount at the last reunion, Eliza is not one of them. ;-P

Taaroko | February 16, 20:10 CET

Ok, that article was a bit...weird the way it mashed a whole bunch of other minterviews into one. We jump from Eliza to Siegfried & Roy to a bull rider & Jewel to...huh!?

I could so hear Faith saying that "Where there's a will there's a way" line. It sounds like her attitude.

ShadowQuest | February 16, 20:12 CET

"Hot Buddha pizza" may be my favorite typo ever.

ETA Eliza's neat. (I read the article after admiring the typo.)

[ edited by Pointy on 2009-02-16 20:19 ]

Pointy | February 16, 20:15 CET

Boy, I had no idea Eliza was raised Mormon. Huh. Did some Googling and it turns out her mom, who I'd always known was an academic, is also a well-known "feminist Mormon" who had a famous (in the church) falling out with Mitt Romney over his counseling a woman to carry a pregnancy to term despite warnings from doctors that it would probably cost her her life. Apparently Mitt Romney stays in touch with Eliza. Ain't life weird?

snot monster from outer space | February 16, 20:20 CET

"Hot Buddha pizza" may be my favorite typo ever.

Is that definitely a typo? Googling "buddha pizza" turns up quite a few hits--including places that call their vegetarian pizza by that name (understandably). Maybe that "gouda pizza" thing was the typo?

snot monster from outer space | February 16, 20:23 CET

I knew she was a Mormon. I did not know she drank nor that her mother is a feminist. Interesting.

What was it supposed to be instead of Buddha?

marmoset | February 16, 20:25 CET

Gouda (cheese) pizza. Thats why the typo made me laugh because I've had Buddha pizza before.

edcsLover9 | February 16, 20:26 CET

Hot Buddha pizza is not canon!

*Heh heh heh.*

Pointy | February 16, 20:34 CET

Wow, great find, edcsLover9! I had read/heard Eliza speak out about being a bit of a partier, but I didn't know she went through a 12-step program. Very interesting.

I, however, thought the most interesting thing about the interview was this bit at the end:

"I'm terrible at cooking. I'm not a good woman in some ways. I don't really know how to take care of a household."

As someone who has called herself a feminist in the past, who was raised by a feminist mother, who idolizes proclaimed feminist Joss Whedon, that whole dialogue left a sour taste in my mouth. She seems to be implying that she thinks what makes a good woman is her skills in the kitchen, in the home? In this day and age?

Anybody else feel the same?

kasadilla | February 16, 20:44 CET

kasadilla, I think she may have just been playing off of what society usually looks at what a "good woman" should be, not what she thinks a "good woman" should be. I can definitely understand how that left a sour taste in your mouth though.

As for the article as a whole, I didn't get the impression that she was an alcoholic, I just got the impression that she probably liked to go out and party often. I know there is a fine line between those two things but in the interview she made it seem like it wasn't a huge problem, she just feels a lot better now that she doesn't drink. I could definitely be wrong though.

Oh, and I love the line about the "big scary G word". Funny and revealing all at the same time. I definitely have way more respect for her after reading this.

TOASTERslayer | February 16, 20:53 CET

Not really, because I don't know how she said it. She could have said it laughingly, to mean "I'm not a good woman in some ways... those old weird stereotyping ways". Who knows.

The One True b!X | February 16, 20:53 CET

I knew about Eliza being raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints/LDS Church (I personally don't like the moniker 'Mormon' because it can be and has been used very negatively in the past), but it's interesting to find out that she's sort of started going back to the values that she was raised with.

Vis a vis her 'good woman' comment, she was raised LDS, and so I think that has more to do with this perception amongst some in the LDS community of what a woman's role ultimately is in this life, and a recognition that she hasn't really lived up to those ideals. It is both a testament, IMO, to how grounded she is as a person and a sad comment on how stifling some aspects of the LDS faith and belief system can seem at times.

BTW, in case anyone is wondering, yes I'm LDS.

[ edited by DigificWriter on 2009-02-16 21:07 ]

DigificWriter | February 16, 21:06 CET

*high fives DigificWriter*

Taaroko | February 16, 21:11 CET

That's definitely an interesting perspective, DigificWriter. I hadn't thought about that comment from an LDS point of view. I grew up with a few LDS families, and while individually they were very liberal, the church certainly stifled some of these views.

kasadilla | February 16, 21:16 CET

kasadilla, yeah I'm with you. That's definitely the comment that stuck out for me. However, I do think there are other possible ways of interpreting it.

For instance, when I think of myself, I do not generally define myself in my head as a generic "person." My gender definitely is always there as a matter of course. It is just possible that if she were a man she could have said the same thing but then said: "I'm not a good man in some ways."

I probably would have used the term "adult" instead, indicating the state of being self-sufficient and being capable of taking care of myself and others. (Or in this case a lack there of. : ) )

Of course, we do pick up our ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman from our closest caretakers. She sounds like she was really close to her grandmother who was bound to be a traditional woman. It's hard to run against those imprints and not have them making little judging noises in sotto voce.

And to be fair, even if cooking and housekeeping ARE on her personal list of "How to be a Good Woman"... we don't know what else is on there. It could also include things like: How to Change a Tire and How to Manage Your Personal Finances.

None of this of course even addresses the fact that we also don't know HOW she said it. Bare bones text sure leaves a lot to be desired.

BreathesStory | February 16, 21:23 CET

Very true, BreathesStory. While that comment certainly caught my attention, I feel a little better about it after a couple re-reads and with some other perspectives on it. Thanks!

kasadilla | February 16, 21:27 CET

This is one of those many cases wherein audio could save the day... :-)

OzLady | February 16, 21:28 CET

Indeed. :)

kasadilla | February 16, 21:30 CET

If I cared more I'd call them and ask. What I assume to be the number is easily found by Google-ing the name of the restaurant.

zeitgeist | February 16, 21:39 CET

Oh, gouda. Funny. Heh.

marmoset | February 16, 22:56 CET

Good for Eliza for giving up alcohol. I'm always inspired by people who make a commitment to stop using - whether it be alcohol or drugs or another destructive behavior. Makes me like her a lot more, makes me want Dollhouse to live on and succeed even more!

5X5B | February 16, 23:19 CET

kasadilla BreathesStory; She, in her defense, did say "in some ways." That's actually a reasonable way to look at one's shortcomings

I get frustrated when I hear about people ahving a problem handlign a chemical, it seems to be all over the place, but I also am glad she's dealing with it and doing so before it caused any specific problems. My problems aren't substance-linked or gambling but I still haven't even found the handles let alone grabbed 'em.Go ED!

Taaroko: I know you were joking but I think (I don't know at all) Eliza's grandparents were fairly recent converts, maybe both joined as adults. Her mother is regarded as ethnically Danish and I'd imagine that probably wouldn't be the case if they'd been members for generations.

DaddyCatALSO | February 17, 02:36 CET

I dunno. I've got some Danish ancestors (as in, 19th century) who converted before they hopped the pond. (So maybe I am related to Eliza! Hah! ^_^)

Taaroko | February 17, 03:19 CET

Taaroko; Like I said, just guessing here :-).

[ edited by DaddyCatALSO on 2009-02-17 14:27 ]

DaddyCatALSO | February 17, 14:27 CET

Henceforth when Eliza speaks of life, I shall think of her as furnishing Hot Buddha Pizza.

Pointy | February 17, 17:17 CET

It appears to be Gouda, if Maxim is to be believed:

I knew that if I went back to TV, I absolutely wanted it to be with him, so I invited him to lunch. He picked this fancy-schmancy restaurant, and we threw around ideas. Four hours later he came out of the bathroom and said, “The show’s going to be called Dollhouse.” That Gouda pizza I bought him was the best investment I ever made.

Tobu | February 18, 01:37 CET