Remembering Nora Ephron: Her work lives on

In my life, I've often idolized writers the most. Even dealing with musicians regularly, it was the writers who made me freeze up. Their talent left me in awe, and during interviews, I was truly terrified. I checked and rechecked questions, read (and reread) advance copies and generally freaked out leading up to the chats. I used to keep a list of writers I'd love to interview someday, if the situation ever arose, and though I was lucky to land some "biggies," I never got the chance to speak with Nora Ephron.

Over the years, Nora Ephron's work, whether with plays, movies or essays, kept me in stitches and kept me grounded. When I needed to remember that laughing was truly important, even though some of the darkest times of my life, I turned to Ephron. Heartburn remains one of my favorite autobiographies of all time, and don't even get me started about I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman. Ms. Ephron was an inspiration to me on so many levels.

When Nora Ephron passed away in June of 2012, the world was stunned. Many of her closest friends and collaborators were unaware that she'd been dealing with a serious, terminal illness: Acute myeloid leukemia. I spent the next few days reading everything Ephron, watching her brilliant films (Silkwood and Sleepless in Seattle are long-time favorites) and generally feeling a loss. No, I did not know her but wow, her death rocked me anyway. I knew what a bright light the world had lost, and I felt every bit of it.

I've been waiting for what seems like forever for Nora Ephron's play, Lucky Guy, to open. It finally has: Lucky Guy, starring Tom Hanks, is playing at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York. I'm hoping we can take a trip to see it, but it's only showing through mid-June. Either way, I'm following developments closely.

I always wondered about the catalyst behind Lucky Guy. Why did Nora Ephron decide to write a play based on the life of a former New York Post reporter? Mike McAlary died of colon cancer at the age of 41, but not before finally breaking the biggest story of his career -- the Abner Louima police abuse case. For this, he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. He died on December 25, 1998.

If you're a fan of great Broadway dramas, this looks like a real winner.

If you're a fan of Nora Ephron, like I am, you absolutely must read the most memorable, touching account of Ephron's final days, written by her son, Jacob Bernstein, and published in the New York Times. This was a woman who lived life to the fullest, knew how screwed up it can be and still managed to find humor, even when facing her own inevitable demise.

Anyone care to join me for a NYC trip to see Ephron's final work, Lucky Guy, performed on Broadway? I'll save you a seat.

Photo courtesy of ABC News