The Great March 25 Birthday Dinner Party

They say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
-Lennon and McCartney

I have always been intrigued by the famous (and sometimes infamous) people who share my birthday of March 25th. Sir Elton John, rock royalty. Gloria Steinem, feminist icon. Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul. Anita Bryant, right winger and anti-gay activist. Howard Cosell, legendary sportscaster. Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex in the City. Marcia Cross and Brenda Strong, Desperate Housewives.

An eclectic bunch, to be sure, but they’re not as dissimilar as they might initially seem. They are all people with strong personalities who like to express themselves. They march to the beat of a different drummer. They are originals who do things that millions of others have done- e.g. singing and acting- in a completely unique way. They are extreme and loud, and often controversial. They evoke strong, and not always positive, reactions. But, like them or not, it is hard not to notice them.

I am unspeakably proud to share a birthday with this gang, but I often wonder what might happen if they were all together in one room. It’s a long-time fantasy of mine to invite them all over for a nice birthday dinner. The Great March 25th Birthday Dinner Party.

Yes, I know some of them are dead, but that won’t matter. This is a fantasy, folks, and it is MY fantasy. In it, I drop them all a nice little handwritten note, explaining that we all share a birthday and I think it might be nice if we got together to celebrate. And they all come, some returning from the dead to do so. This won’t seem so unusual to Brenda, who plays Mary Alice on Desperate Housewives. Mary Alice died in the pilot but now narrates the happenings of Wisteria Lane from the Great Beyond.

Naturally everything has to be just perfect for this soiree. The woman who plays Bree Van de Kamp will be attendance. Marcia may not be anything like Bree in real life, but they sure do look a lot alike.

“An Aries born on March 25 is naturally shy, even though they possess the ability to shine at any gathering,” according to Jill M. Phillips, astrologer. (http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/march-25-birthday-astrology.htm ) Well, I fully expect this get-together to be so shiny with personality that one will barely be able to stand the brightness. I am guessing that there will be lively and spirited conversation. It may even get a little too lively and spirited. Maybe we could just kick off the evening with Aretha singing about “R-E-S-P-E-C-T" to set the tone.

I'll make up a seating chart. Frankly, I’m worried about Anita. Will she annoy the rest of the guests? Will anyone want to sit next to her? Should I seat Elton and her at opposite ends of the table, or near one another to keep things interesting? Howard always seemed like an amenable guy, maybe if I put him between them he could mediate. I know that I can put Sarah Jessica anywhere – she seems to have pretty good social skills.

That brings us to the menu. Of course, Gloria is a vegetarian. I’ve got it! Lasagna. My one and only culinary specialty. I have a great recipe for white vegetarian lasagna made with broccoli, spinach and zucchini, or we could offer traditional meatless lasagna. Add a nice salad, and some fresh Italian bread, and you can’t go wrong. I’ll ask Bree, I mean Marcia, to bring the wine- I wouldn’t want to make a misstep there.

I don’t suppose I have to worry about what to wear and I can be as colorful and outlandish as I want. This group is known for their interesting, bold fashion choices. Think about Sarah Jessica’s outfit at the Oscars, or Aretha’s hat at Obama’s inauguration, or everything and anything that Elton wore in the 70’s.

We could wrap up the evening with a nice sing-a-long at my husband’s upright piano. I just hope that everyone isn’t intimidated by Elton and Aretha. I, for one, would love to hear Howard’s version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” or hear Gloria belt out “I Am Woman.”

At the end of the evening, everyone will reluctantly leave, but not before we all embrace, exchange contact information, and agree to become Facebook Friends so that we can keep in touch and like each other’s statuses.