Author: LM
I have been a fan of Christine Baranski for decades. She is an amazing talent and a consummate professional but if that were not enough she also proudly proclaims herself to have been born and raised in Buffalo, NY.
In every interview I have ever seen of Christine Baranski, she has never once had an unkind word to say about her hometown.
Many years ago when she appeared on the TV show Cybil (reruns can be seen on Roku) she even mentions her Catholicism and her hometown of Buffalo.
Christine Baranski’s character Mary Ann was so memorable that the writers of Will & Grace told Megan Mullaly to model Karen Walker after Christine Baranski’s Mary Anne.
The point is that Christine has used her celebrity to be very kind to Buffalo over the years and I would think it is high time for it to be recognized and rewarded with her leading a Dyngus Day Parade or attending a Polish Festival or giving her the honorary key to the city.
Normally I try to separate the talent from the person because the entertainment industry is filled with talented people who are unbalanced morons… and yet people will listen to what they have to say like they’re as talented in all aspects of their private life as they are in the arts (which is mainly untrue). But Christine Baranski has never fallen into that trap. She never, to my knowledge speaks out on political issues, she is not an activist, she doesn’t use vulgarity or shock as a substitute for talent, nor does she use it to maintain her celebrity. Christine’s celebrity comes from talent and hard work which makes her a fitting role model for Buffalo’s youth.
Christine’s celebrity comes from talent and hard work which makes her a fitting role model for Buffalo’s youth.
I really would like to call upon the Polish Community, the planners of the Polish Festivals, the planners of the Dyngus Day Parade and councilmember Mitch Nowakowski to contact her agent and invite her to Buffalo. It’s something to think about… and if she does come… I hope Buffalo puts out the red carpet for her and shows her the hospitality that the city of good neighbors and good will is known for.
In some ways, Christine Baranski is the First Lady of Buffalo (Broadway, Film, TV, Music, Dance, Acting). It’s time we extended that honor to her and to others who proudly proclaim they are Buffalo born and raised.
It is especially important now, as Buffalo considers projects for the Kensington Expressway, the Scajaquada Creek, the Scajaquada Highway, the Bills Stadium, and the restoration of our historic buildings and neighborhoods. Even in Buffalo’s darkest days when heavy industry and manufacturing were leaving the Rust Belt… and Buffalo demolished over half of its buildings and homes of its golden age… Buffalo is now growing again and we are getting the national and international recognition for the many legacies that still remain.
As our city moves forward into the future, we need someone like Christine Baranski to remind us that we may still be a poor city but we are rich in ways that money cannot measure. And we need to remind ourselves of that fact so that we take it with us as we build the future of our city.
Lead image: Christine Baranski at the Romy TV awards (Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna) | File is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Manfred Werner (Tsui).