Happy Veterans Day, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             This date has double meaning for me, girls.  Yes, my father and uncles served in WWII, but also on this date in 1911, that is 11/11/11, my paternal grandparents were married. Of course, this was years before it became Veterans Day, but I am so proud they chose what turned out to be a famous date.

                             So, I always have lots to think of on this day. And though I wrote a lot of posts, I could not sign off without acknowledging this day.

                              However, you celebrate--with wine music, movies or anything else, make the most of this day and recall sacrifices made for us by countless military personnel and their families.

                               Especially on this day, I feel like that Yankee Doodle boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better Than Expected, But Still Highly Flawed

                            Within the "Friday The 13th" universe are two types of fans.  The first, and majority, will accept anything that is thrown at them.  The second, a smaller but more devoted group, cling to the legends and myths set forth in the original 1980 film.  That would be me.

                              So, I was both excited and skeptical about "Crystal Lake," until I watched it.

                               Let me start with the good points, and those I credit to the fact that one of the Executive Producers, was Victor Miller, who I did not know was still alive.  It was Miller who penned the original "Friday The 13th " screenplay.  So, when it came time to replicate scenes from the past, like the killing of that horndog Barry, and that slut, Claudette, who was the reason Jason died, every detail was there, down to the camera shots.  I was impressed.  That opening full moon, the counselors singing "Down In The Valley" and "Michael Row The Boat Ashore,' was frighteningly accurate, and I have to hand it to the creatives for this.

                                 Linda Cardellini, as said, makes one empathize for Pamela.  But the first mistake made by the show was to update the time.  Jason, as fans know, drowned in 1957; this show moves it up to 1971.  And while the camp scenes are impressively shot, particular when Cardellini dives into the lake to save Jason, there is a sense of being in the wrong time.  Which does not leave her time enough to get back at The Christies, who are featured in the series, and do the things to the camp that Annie learns about at while riding with Ennis, the truckdriver,  diner, in the 1980 original.

                                   Now, the addition of Gwndolyn Sundstrom as Grace Snell, a friend for Jason, is a great idea, but it should have been kept in the 1950s.  Her performance is one of the better ones, too, and at 14, she could become the next Daveigh Chase, but hopefully without Chase's problems and tragic demise.

                                       Spoilers here--Grace, on the day Jason dies, witnesses not only his death, but the reason for it--Barry and Claudette Ka noodling in the storehouse.  Like most fans, we all know what a slut Claudette is, and that she deserves it, but Grace does not kill Claudette completely; Pamela, who has had Claudette admit her culpability to her recently, comes in and finishes the job, and when Claudette gets it, boy, do we applaud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Proof lies in more screen time being devoted to Claudette's death.

                                           Now, if all of this had stayed within the time rubric of the 1980 original, "Crystal Lake" would have been a nigh perfect series, especially if it had stopped at episode 6.   But the last two, involving Stepfordism,  genetic testing, and Jason being some kind of super-hero mutant, with Pamela having to flee an organization, adopting the name Voorhees, was just too much.   Let me tell you what should have happened,

                                    What would have made more sense was for the creators to follow the text of the comic strip, "Pamela's Tale."  Pamela is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who takes up with a boy from there, Elias Voorhees, and is knocked up by him.  When Elias sees how deformed Jason is, he takes off, leaving Pam on her own.  So, she goes to NYC to become a nightclub singer?  Are you kidding?  With nothing but cooking skills, she will stay in the Crystal Lake area.  This eventually leads her to Camp Crystal Lake.  Had the producers stuck with this, they would have had a first-class series.  Oh, and Pam should have gone after The Christies, too.

                                      One more thing.  When making the original film, I read, Betsy Palmer wanted Sean Cunningham, the director, to put her in the scene in Trudy's diner, when Annie walks in.  This would have been something--a cameo by Betsy Palmer, and then she turns out to be the murderess.  What an idea!  Too bad a NYC tabloid critic revealed Palmer's presence in the film in a review.

                                        "Crystal Lake" is surprisingly worth watching.  But devoted fans just will not accept the incongruities.  

                                        

Two Singularly Nuanced Performances Need To Be Singled Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                

                       The actors pictured are Linda Cadellini and Nick Cordileone.  They play, respectively, young Pamela Voorhees and young Ralph (who evolves into Walt Gorney's Crazy Ralph in the original 1980 movie "Friday The 13th.")

                        Frankly, these performances are the main reason to watch the current "Crystal Lake" series. Pamela, though disturbed, is humanized to the point where one can empathize.  She goes beyond the campiness of the iconic Betsy Palmer (never to be surpassed0 and the casting is skilled enough that one can see Cardellini morphing into Palmer.  Same with Cordileone and Walt Gorney.

                           Cordileone's Ralph is a man who has been through two wars and suffers PTSD.  He also prefers reclusion, but there is a vulnerability given to him that makes the viewer sympathetic here. The campiness has been removed, and that is why these two are the best things to watch in the series.  Their masks of humanity never come off.  

                               I hope this show does something for both actors' careers.  They deserve it.

                                Who thought I would have been so impressed??????????????????? 

Great News, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess Who Is Coming Back To Broadway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             That is right, darlings, Jessie Mueller will return to Broadway when "Paddington: The Musical" opens at The Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 18, 2027.

                                 I am telling you, this is the news of the season for Theater Queens, who have missed Jesse for lo those many years.  I have had a feeling about this show ever since it was announced it would come to these shores.  With an adorable teddy bear and cast including Jessie Mueller, not to mention Chip Zein and Karen Ziemba, "Paddington" could be the surprise TONY Winner of the season!  And with Jessie, to boot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 I expected the show to be wonderful, but not the added bonus of Jessie Mueller, who will play the role of Mrs. Brown.  Girls, get your tickets ASAP, because with this property and cast, especially Jessie Mueller, this show will be the hottest ticket in town.

                                  Unless I or Baby Gojira get to play one of the orphans in the 50th Anniversary revival of "ANNIE."  Will Andrea McArdle play Miss Hannigan?  I cannot wait to find out!!!!!!!!!

November 9 Was A Sad Day Of Anniversaries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            How could anyone forget this date in history for two tragic reasons?

                             The predominant one is Kristalllnacht, which happened 88 years ago this November 9.  Known as "the night of broken glass," it was when Jewish store owners had stones and debris thrown through their windows; many feeling this was the very beginning of the Holocaust!!!!!!!!!!!

                               It should be remembered because it must not be allowed to happen again.  Every human, Jew or otherwise should observe the sadness of this day--a memory that can never be erased.

                                                                      

                              Now, I do not know if this man's evil plot was planned for the anniversary of Kristallnacht--it was originally set for November 1--but I would not be surprised, given this man's German background.  The face of evil pictured here is that of John List, who, on November o, 1971, killed his entire family--wife, mother, and three children--in their home in Westfield, New Jersey.  This story went international, especially when List went on the run for over seventeen years, until he was caught.  His case became the gold standard in the area of family annihilation.  

                             The Lists, at the wife's behest, lived beyond their means in a gorgeous mansion in Westfield.  John List began losing jobs and could not find another, getting to the point, where he would leave the house each morning, on the pretext of looking for work, but actually spending his day either siting at the train station or library reading.  Then he would return in the evening, as though from a day of job hunting.,

                              Eventually he became convinced his family, especially the children, would be better off dead and in heaven than living in this evil world.  So, he concocted the murders.  He originally planned to kill himself too, but hadn't the courage and went on the run, leaving behind a long, explanatory note to the pastor of his church.

                               This scum was caught, imprisoned, and executed on March 21, 2008.  I hope his family bitch slapped him to kingdom come.

                                Imagine both events taking place on the same day, but thirty-three years apart--the List murders were in 1971.  I was still in high school then, but I remember it well.  And I will never forget this casse.

                                   So, yes, girls, November 9 offered far sadder memories than going to the dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   

I Survived The Dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      November 9 turned out to be quite a day, as you shall eventually find out.  But on that day, I went to my dentist.  I like going to him, I just do not like the discomfort of the cleaning, even though it is for a limited time.

                                       David and I actually went the same day; he went first, and I went second.  We were both told to get water flossers, and are looking into that, and I was just pleased there were no cavities or any other complications.  And I still have the teeth that I have always had.

                                          Dental day is a cause for anxiety.  I always sleep poorly the night before.  But the feeling of relief when the visit is over and being free for another six months makes it all worth it.

                                              So, girls, to keep those Purlie whites, make sure you visit your dentist.

                                               But never, ever, see "Marathon Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                

Girls, I Am Telling You, Shirley Stoler Steals The Show As "Fat Martha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                Darlings, you have just GOT to see this film; it is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 It takes on something serious in a campy way.  Between 1947 and 1949 an obese nurse named Martha Beck hooked up with a loser grifter named Raymond Fernandez.  Don't ask me why, but Fernanadez was attracted to Beck.  I get what she saw in him, but her??????????

                                  Anyway, they scheme to pose as siblings and a caretaker and insert themselves into the lives of either widowed or unattractive spinster women and rid them of their money.  Eventually, the scheme works itself up to murder.

                                   Perhaps the most disturbing moment for me is when Martha is shown on screen slapping an 8-year-old girl in the face!  Bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I would have smacked her back!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     But, really, between Stoler's obesity and deadpan performance, coupled with Tony Lo Bianco's phony accent, the film is a riot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      It is filmed in almost documentary style, and looks less like the Forties, and more like 1969.  It plays fast and loose with the actual facts, but who cares, when one is having such a good time watching these actors put through their paces, by director Leonard Kastle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       The scene where Martha tries to drown herself is campy but key.  You see, Martha was as lonely as the women she went after, and I am sure Fernandez knew it.  He used that to his advantage, but Martha's jealousy of other women got the best of her, and while the film has her turning herself in, they were actually caught thanks to neighbors of their recent victims, the Downings, who had not been seen in a while and aroused suspicion. The police were notified and the couple was apprehended in front of the Downing house.  They were both executed at Sing Sing on March 8, 1951.

                                         They were not the first ones to attempt this scheme, nor will they be the last.  But forensics and other technology would make it more difficult for criminals like these.

                                          Darlings, just settle back and have some fun with this campy classic!

                                           Baby Gojira just LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             And watch those dress sizes, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.