Here's Brini!

The other day, the adorable Eric3000 had an adorable post about his adorable apartment complete with, yes, adorable pictures. When we posted that we felt like we were watching the Brini Maxwell show and he told us he'd never heard of her before ... kittens, we fell out. Can it be that the world hasn't yet learned of this singularly fabulous creature? We decided to take it upon ourselves to help spread the word.

We first encountered Brini years ago on cable access in Manhattan. Darlings, we were enthralled. Here was someone who obviously watched the same avocado and pumpkin-colored cooking and domestic tips shows that we watched as kids surreptitiously at our mothers' feet before the afternoon cartoons came on.

You can't swing a beaded clutch without hitting a drag queen in Manhattan, but Brini is in a class all her own. Always impeccably attired in either vintage or vintage-inspired clothing, her persona - a melange of Tippi Hedren, Donna Reed, Dina Merrill, Mary Tyler Moore and Marlo Thomas - straddles the line between high camp and almost eerie female impersonation. In short, she's a hoot and a half.

A couple years ago, we were thrilled when she landed her own show on the Style network. With what appears to be an only slightly higher budget than her cable access show, girl still managed to put together a funny, stylish, wholly original and even informative show which consisted of nothing more than her modeling her fabulous clothing and giving domestic tips that in most cases are quite useful. She's the un-Martha, the alternate-universe Martha. She has a penis, a personality, and you can actually follow her instructions on things like how to host a surprise party, pack for a trip, make Swedish meatballs or organize a room. We made her almond chicken for dinner last night. Unfortunately, Style is the most ironically named network on cable television, since it's almost completely devoid of any style at all and her show lasted only one season.

But fret not, she published Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living , maintains the usual whirlwind of live performances and personal appearances expected of a diva of her stature and she's done some pieces for NPR. Plus, she still does webcasts of new episodes on her site and they're actually more fun than the old show. We dug up a couple previews but you really need to head on over to her place and get the full Brini experience. If, like us, you feel life isn't worth living until someone teaches you Dina Merrill's pancake recipe or meatloaf just the way Janet Leigh likes it, then check it out. It's dragalicious!