Bye, Bye, May!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Girls, can you believe we are saying farewell to another month????????  Time just flies when you are having fun, I guess!!!!!!!!!!  Or, especially, when one is more....uhm....mature!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          The Month of Flowers has been fabulous!  From the tulips along Bay Ridge Parkway, to a surprise pilgrimage to Woodstock, this has been one interesting month!!!!!!!!!!  Five down, and seven to do!!!!!!!!!!  And at the halfway point of my age--ALREADY???????????

                                             Looking forward to reporting to all my girls, in June!  Right now, that's it--for May!!!!!!!!!!  Have a blast, darlings, and remember, it's just a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Ta ta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's Have A Southern Antebellum Ladies Club Luncheon, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Girls! Girls!  Inspired by the advertisement for "Southern Fried Homicide," I have gotten the most brilliant idea.  With Summer nearly here, I propose that, once during the season, we hold a Southern Antebellum Ladies Club Luncheon, similar to that pictured above.

                                It's really quite simple.  In a charming outdoor setting, like an estate, with the sun pouring down, we all dress in white, with lace, and huge hats, while socializing and chomping down on scrumptious Southern delicacies.

                                 The ad says Miss Daisy brought her famous Peach Cobbler.  Well, lambs, I happen to know a Miss Daisy, and I am sure she can create a scrumptious Peach Cobbler.  We cannot do without that staple, the House Wine Of The South--Iced Tea!!!!!!!!!!  For the main course, how about the most delectable delicacies, like Tomato Bisque Soup, Cranberry-Strawberry Salad, Tea Sandwiches, and a Tarragon Chicken Salad????  Maybe Miss Daisy will whip up one of these, in addition to her famous Peach Cobble!!!!!!!!.  And for those who might want more variety, in addition to the Peach Cobbler, how about a Hummingbird Cake, and Banana Pudding Parfaits?????????????

                                 Sweeties, it all sounds so scrumptious!  To hell with calories!  It's once a year, and i say, let's do it!  So, get your best white ensemble cleaned, and let's make plans for our Southern Antebelllum Ladies Club Luncheon!!!!!!!!!

                                  See y'all there, sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Another Slice Of Little Old New York, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          As long as it exists, writers will not stop chronicling New York, and now Lyndsay Faye, an author hitherto unknown to me, has caught my attention, with her novel, "The Gods of Gotham."  The cover caught my eye in a bookstore, and when I picked it up, and read the back, I discovered it had all the elements to press MY buttons--turn-of-the-century Manhattan and a serial killer--I just had to read it.

                                         Readers, in fact, darlings, may feel it owes a debt to Caleb Carr and "The Alienist," still the Gold Standard for books in this genre.  But Lyndsay and 'Gods' are both worthy additions, even if she seems to cram too much into one novel.  Without giving things away, I will say I had the solution figured out halfway; there IS a killer, but other things are thrown into the mix, suggesting maybe she was trying to cram too much into one story.

                                           This does not stop it from being well written. The final hundred pages are as nail biting and unputdownable as one could ask.  And it is good to know this is the start of a series, for Timothy Wilde, his brother, Valentine, Miss Mercy Underhill, even diabolical Madam Silkie Marsh are fascinating characters, and, in subsequent novels, (I know there is at least ONE more) I certainly hope she brings them ALL back!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             I had so much fun with this, girls, I almost gave up watching my Investigation Discovery shows!!!!!!!!  And, as my beloved Monsieur will tell you, that is quite an accomplishment!  I cannot wait to get back to more of Lyndsay Faye, and I am telling you all to start reading her now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             And to Hell with "Fifty Shades Of Grey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

With How The Weather's Been Shifting, Girls, It's A Wonder I Have Not Broken Out With A Migraine!!!!!!!!!!

                                 It's cold one day, scalding the next!!!!!!!!!!  Honestly, darlings, what is one to do???????

                                 This is not just a question of wardrobe, as however challenging that may be.  With all this weather shifting, my head has been achy, sinusey, especially in the morning, to the point where I pray I am not going to break out into a full blown migraine.  Because, when I do, I feel just like Sadako walking out of the TV in "Ringu," except, instead of wanting to attack someone, I just want to curl up into a ball and remove myself to a state of temporary oblivion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   It is inevitable, darlings.  With the weather breaking, my internal system is going to break at some point.  I just hope it is not during, or before, some important event.  Nothing ruins an occasion more than a migraine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And there is no controlling when they will pop up. Though, I can try to stave them off, with meds!

                                    And forget sex, loves. A migraine is the true meaning of the phrase, "Not tonight, dear; I have a headache!"

                                     I don't have one now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've Got A Great Bitch For You This Week, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     You could say, girls, that Caleb Lawrence McGillivary has a modicum of fashion sense.  He may not have taste, but he is perceptive enough to wear something that calls him to attention.  This is the first problem with Caleb Lawrence McGillivary, who is this week's winner of the Raving Queen Bitch Of The Week Award  He is a big attention whore..  The second is that, for 24, he looks pretty hardened, having been on the streets  (or "homefree," as opposed to homeless, which he calls himself) for much of his adult life  But this is not Fantine, darlings!!!!!!.  The third is, ever since his intervention in a violent attack in California that had the good fortune (or not) to go viral, he has earned the moniker of "Kai, The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                         And the last is, he is a psychotic killer.

                                         This last distinction only came to the fore, after the body of Joseph Galfy, Jr. of Clark, New Jersey, was found dead in his bed,  on May 13, and his death was eventually linked to Caleb, or 'Kai."

                                           Now, I know Clark, NJ, darlings!  It is a modest, nicely suburban, enclave, and when I was a student at Seton Hall University, in the Seventies, many commuter students came from there.
Galfy was 73-years-old. lived alone, and was a partner in a local law firm.  The minute I heard he was found in his bed, only in his underwear and socks, I said, to myself, "Uhm hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....!!!!!!!!"

                                              But why did it have to be this way?

                                               According to sources, over that weekend, Galfy and Kai met up along the Times Square walkway.  The older man invited the drifter home, and he spent the night.  The next morning, he departed.  No problem, there.  But where things get murky, is that, in the evening, Galfy received a call from Caleb, who had returned to nearby Rahway, asking to be taken in.  The next morning, he was gone, and the older man was dead.  Kai, who, despite being an itinerant drifter, has a Facebook page, (Can you believe it, darlings????????) posted that, while at Galfy's, he awoke, to discover he had been drugged and sexually assaulted.  So, traumatized, he went back there, and killed him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  The first thing I want to say is I feel such sorrow for Mr. Galfy.  Here he gets to this stage in life, a nice home in a nice town, a partner in a law firm--and he ends up like this?  What's sad is, with his financial resources, Galfy could easily have afforded some more...uhm....high quality action!!!!!!!!!!   The second sad thing is that maybe THIS is what he DID prefer--stuff off the street, and that is always a dicey proposition, dears.  Remember "Looking For Mr. Goodbar???????"

                                                     I am outraged by statements I have read, almost defending Kai's actions, stating it was homosexual remorse; that he could not handle what he had done, and so turned on his trick!!!!!!! What a lot of hooey!!!!!!!!!  Because not every guilt ridden homosexual, or quasi-homosexuals, kill their sex partners!!!!  They just try to block the experience out psychologically, or they go to confession!!!!!  Or maybe, thinking it the same thing, they watch "The Song Of Bernadette!!!"  On their knees, for penance!!!!!!!!  This guy had no remorse of any kind.  He may be gay, he may be bisexual, but one thing I am certain of--he is a predator.  He sought this guy out, scouted the area, and when he saw the guy lived alone, had money, and would be defenseless in an attack, he returned, and took advantage of that fact, ending Galfy's life, and presumably lifting however much money or such he could take from the place!  I am also certain--though I cannot prove it--that if Kai's history is dug into further, he has done this before; indeed has a veritable history of this kind of behavior!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        Thankfully, he was arrested, and will now, presumably, be forever removed from our streets.  Too bad it was at the expense of Galfy, a decent man, losing his life.  And it is a warning to all my girls out there to be extra cautious about who you bong with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                          Remember, while a bit of dinner never hurt, and guess who's gonna be desert, you do not want to wind up as the Specialty Of The House!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Cherished Childhood Remembrance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  At the same time, darlings, we wended our way up to the Catskill Game Farm, my parents and I stopped at something they told me was "the North Pole."  At the time, I really thought we were going to the North Pole, where Santa worked his magic, prior to Christmas Eve.  In fact, for years, I thought I had been there, and that this was it.

                                   What it actually was a Swiss/Bavarian style Christmas Village called Santa's Workshop, North Pole, New York, located in Wilmington, NY at 324 Whiteface Highway.  When I was away on our weekend last week, I asked Ellen about this, as well. She remembered it, but said, it, too, had closed down.  Apparently, she was mistaken, for here it is, complete with the town square, boasting the white North Pole, which, when you touch it, is REALLY cold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       I even liked this better than the Catskill Game Farm. And knowing it still exists gives me a yearning to go back, these fifty plus years later, and see how it holds up.  They have a website, and a 2013 schedule, so I know they are still in business.

                                        One thing I bought there, and owned for years, was this book called (Jack Something's (I cannot recall the surname) Wish.") It had a red cover, in the center of which was a color photo of a young boy, about 12 or 13, in a brown, Peter Pan-like outfit.  The book was all color photos, of Jack visiting the North Pole, and, I think, coming to live there.  It was my favorite book of childhood, at that time, and I wish I could recall the title, so I could find a picture of the book cover to show you, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!  Anyone out there remember it?????????  Feel free to let me know, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Now, isn't this nice?????????  I told you there would be some cheerful postings soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Sugar plums don't just dance in my head during Christmas, loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       

Now, Here Is An Interesting Memento From My Childhood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                When I was a child, during, say 1959, or 1960, the Catskill Game Farm was hawked on television like crazy!!!!!!!!!  So much so, that I just HAD to go there--I was a real sucker for a product, if I saw it advertised enough; an advertiser's dream, darlings!!!!!!!!!!--and so, in the Summer of, I think, 1960, my parents and I packed into the family car, drove up to Catskill, New York, where it was located, and visited it, staying in the region for a couple of days.

                                    They had all sorts of things to do, but my favorite was the petting zoo!!!!!!!!!  Animals walked about freely, were very friendly to one and all, and could be petted.  I loved it!!!!!!!!!  In fact, somewhere in my home archives, there is a photo of me, in shorts, and a white jacket with a red stripe, (it was very cool up there!!!!!!!) being deluged by a bunch of lambs, one of them black, who are swarming around me, trying to get at a milk bottle I was holding in my hands.  I am telling you, darlings, not before or since, have I ever been SO popular!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Certainly not during Junior High, or High School!!!!!!  And you have heard all about THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      For years, all the word Catskill meant to me was that farm.  I had no idea the Catskills was this region of resorts and entertainment.  My awareness of that came much later.

                                        This past weekend, while visiting in the Catskills, I asked Ellen, a lifelong resident of the area, about this place. She said it had closed, which saddened me, and she was right.  It closed on Columbus Day, in 2006.  But it had had a run of--are you ready???--73 years, having first opened to the public, in 1933!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           I don't know how many of you got to visit this place, or remember it!!!!!!  But more than half a century later, it remains one of the most vivid, and happiest, memories of my childhood!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            So, how come I never got to see the movie "Doctor Dolittle?????????"

"Never Were There Such Devoted Sisters!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                              I have always loved Sister Acts, darlings--from the McGuires, to the Lennons.  How can I help it, being a big old sister myself, and always wanting to have one of these acts myself?????????   Though let me make it clear that, were this to happen, I WOULD be singing lead!!!!!!!!  Call me Miss Ross!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You think Diana was tough?????????  Watch me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Over this past weekend, I was made acquainted by an act I had never heard of--the Barry Sisters!!!!!!!!!!!!  Claire and Myrna were their names. and their spot were the famous Catskill Hotels, when that place was the vacation mecca for a largely Jewish clientele, during the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Here they are, in what I consider the most famous of their photos--or, at least, my favorite--taken during 1960 at one of the resorts.  Just look at those strapless dresses!!!!!!!!!!  And heels!!!!!!!!!!!  If only I could wear both!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And such Style!!!!!!!!!  What a concept--style?????????   And what has happened to it??????????  Where did it go???????????

                                                  They even spread out to record on their own.  They may not have been as well known as the McGuires, but they had their day.

                                                    Both were Bronx born, darlings!  Myrna had a short life, born in 1925, passing on in 1976.  Claire, born in 1923, is still somewhere out there, performing, and I am telling you, dolls, if I am ever up in that region, and get word of her performing, I will be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       Like a Senior Citizen Woodstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        Once, Sister Acts meant something, like talent!!!!!!!!!  Today, all they are good for is scandal and gossip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                          Like those Hilton girls, and those Kardashians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Blonde Is No Bombshell, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        I know, I know, things have gotten a little grim on here, and I promise, if you stay tuned, they will lighten up!!!!!!  But these things just keep coming my way.

                                         Girls, some of us have been around long enough to know that if something seems too good to be true--it generally IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Someone should have told that to poor, sweet Christian Rojas!

                                            This cute, young lad, arrives from Costa Rica, where he establishes himself, in, of all places, Bensalem, Pennsylvania, as innocuous a place as could be imagined.  Then, when tragedies happen, I LOVE how all the residents say "Things like this never happen  here!"

                                               I got news for you, hon, they do!!!!!!!!!!  Everyone int these burgs think the city, the urban life, has the monopoly on crime and murder.  Didn't these folk ever see David Lynch's 1986  masterpiece, "Blue Velvet?"  With so many tensions--financial, social, psychological and sexual--seething in some of these small towns, it is no wonder there are not more explosions in them, across the nation.

                                                 Trust me, there are enough.  And Christian Rojas' story proves it.

                                                 He settles down in an apartment complex to live the American Dream. He works in some sort of business/computer company, where he is reasonably successful.  Best of all, the young  sweet looking 28-year-old lands a hot blonde named Heather Lavelle, a 36-year-old business executive, as his girl friend!!!!!!!!  As an older woman, I am sure she gave the lad quite a tumble!  Yeah, but as always, with these things, there is a catch!!!!!!!  It seems Heather has a nasty drug habit she just can't shake.  Christian, smart lad that he is, cannot abide drugs, and, once he sees the addiction is too much for Heather to beat, he ends the relationship, and out she goes.

                                                    Where Christian was not so smart was he did not believe in American banking.  Now, I am not saying he does not have the right to be suspicious, but what this meant is that, in drawers, and a safe, Christian would often keep huge amounts of cash around his place.  And much of his income was going towards helping family members, whom he loved, by sending this money to them.

                                                     What Chris may not have known, or forgotten about,  was that Heather, who lived with him for awhile, did not turn over her key, once she was kicked out.  Or maybe she had it duplicated; who knows????  In any case, addicted Heather is still walking around, with a key to Christian's place.  Eventually, this tramp hits bottom, losing her home and job to drugs.  She turns up on Christian's doorstep, begging for a place to stay, and the kind young man takes her in.

                                                       Unfortunately, in the meantime, Heather has taken up with a sleazy lug named, aptly, James Savage. What a mug this guy has!  Like someone who should have been in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest!"  Nurse Ratched would have had a field day with him, and, in his case, I would tell her to go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                         Eventually, Chris cannot stand Heather's drugging, which she said she had sworn off, so back she goes to sleazy James, a big old addict himself.  They need their fix, darlings, and when scum like these need a fix, it is much worse than if I should not get my morning coffee!!!!!!!!  I might be a bitch, but I have never killed anyone, and never would!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           But that doesn't stop Heather. So, she concocts this story that, while she was crashing at Christian's, he raped her, which is not true, because, by then,  sweet Christian wanted nothing to do that way, with this skank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This enrages James, and at Heather's behest, they break in to Christian's place, (with Heather's key, so there is no forced entry!!!!!!!) intending to steal whatever money they can find. Heather knows where Christian keeps his safe, and two of them sneak out of there with it. How they were not seen, in the light of day, is a mystery to me.  Either everyone was at work, or these townies are just much too trusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                Once these scum get the safe home--Surprise! Surprise!--they find it is empty.  Enraged, they head back to Christian's, planning to ambush him when he gets home, and make off with the money.

                                                                    And so, on a Thursday night in August 2,005, a sweet young man, who only acted kindly toward Heather, was done in by both she and James.  Insisting there was no money in the apartment, the killer couple beat Christian; James bashed him with brass knuckles, beating his head fifteen times against the bathroom wall, after tying him up, and dragging him in there.  Then he was strangled with a pair of his own socks, and left, dying, partially submerged in a half filled tub.  Packets of condoms were tossed in after him.

                                                                      Then the two stole Christian's car, and went on the lam. But they were caught, and brought to justice. Heather was apprehended, in spite of that cheap dye job she had; thinking disguising herself as a brunette would fool anyone!!!!!!  Prosecutors sought the Death penalty, and it is too damn bad they did not get it. But the sentence was reduced to Life, so these two will rot in prison, where they belong.

                                                                         With nary a bit of remorse to this day for what they did to sweet, lovable Christian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  These two deserve to fry; if not in this Life, than surely in the Next!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                             I am telling you, dolls, you gotta watch out, in these small towns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, Here, Darlings, Is A Match Made In Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Take a look at these two, girls!!!!!!!!! Michelle Knotek, and her husband, David, are two pieces of genuine filth!!!!!!!!!! They should be dead!  Instead, they are in prison, where, at least for now, they are removed from society, who is safer for that fact!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Michelle (or Shelley) was a divorced mother, with two young daughters, who met David Knotek, a construction worker, and also recent divorcee.  She married David around 1988; two years later, they moved to, and settled down, in Raymond Washington.

                                                   The Knoteks then became what is referred to as "pillars of the community," and whenever I hear people referred to as such, I say, let those red flags go up AT ONCE!!!!!!!!!  In this case, they should have!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   The picture perfect family.  The picture perfect house, right down to flowers all about, and the white picket fence.  Two charming daughters, and, soon, Michelle and David had one of their own, Whitney.

                                                     Michelle, with David's consent, became known about town as something of a Good Samaritan.  She had a tendency to take in under her roof troubled people, the type I would refer to as "wounded birds."  One of these was her own nephew, Shane Watson.

                                                       Everyone in Raymond thought the world of the Knoteks for their humanitarian efforts.  Butter wouldn't melt in these two's mouths!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        When Kathy Loreno, who had stayed at the Knoteks for a time, wandered off, no one, including her family, thought much of it.  Especially when they started receiving reassuring post card notes from Kathy, telling them she was on the road, having run off with a trucker named Rocky, who was the love of her life!!!!!!!!!!  Obviously, someone had seen Kris Kristofferson in "Convoy" too many times!!!!!!!!!!!!  The Lorenos eventually came to the conclusion that Kathy had not written these notes, because none of them really resembled her handwriting.   Gradually, her case went cold, especially, when questioned by police, Shelley affably told them Kathy had just run off with this guy, Rocky!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                             That, and landfill on Staten Island, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              However, when two more people--Shane Watson, the nephew, and a mentally troubled drifter in his late fifties named Woody Woodworth, also eventually wandered off, police began taking another look.  What was it that made people not want to stay at the Knoteks????????  And why could they never be tracked down, once they left?????????????????

                                                                 It took the bravery of Michelle's own two daughters, once they reached age, and moved out on their own,  (and it is amazing they survived to do so!!!!!!!) to approach police, and alert them to what had been going on in that house.

                                                                  They believe their parents had done something to Woody Woodworth, and that his body was hidden someplace.  They had the same feeling about Kathy and Shane.  And they themselves had been abused by their own, sadistic mother, made to crawl in the mud, like pigs, with their clothes on, if they misbehaved, among other torturous deeds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The two sisters were coming forward, not only because they had it, but because they wanted to save their younger stepsister, Whitney, now 14 in 2003, because, as the lone sibling at home, the full force of Michelle would inevitably fall upon her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                    Police called Child Services, and took Whitney away, while Michelle screamed, not out of love for her child, but at violation of her self righteous entitlement.  Same with David, who just went along.  But, when the police got David into the interrogation room, what he told was even more fascinating, raising startling questions.

                                                                         When they took Michelle off, she had no remorse, just self-righteousness.  After five hours, David cracked revealing everything--how Michelle masterminded the abuse, how he aided and abetted it.  He shot nephew Shane Watson, from behind, at his wife's order, after she saw him witnessing disposing of either Kathy's or Woody's body.  She made Kathy eat spoiled food till she got sick, dunked her in a washtub to the point of drowning, while making poor Woody stand in a boiling wash tub, the water so hot it peeled off parts of his skin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Now, girls, I know, we never know what we would do till in a situation, and I hope none of us ever have to face what Woody did, but, from this vantage point, I might have tried picking up that washtub, and scalding that sadistic bitch, making her as disfigured on the outside, as she was on the inside.

                                                                             It is not clear to me how Michelle turned out the way she did, since nothing is known about her upbringing. And it is puzzling to me how David, a construction worker, who often worked far from home, in Oak Harbor, staying there for days, to stay away from his wife, could return to her again and again, aiding and abetting in her sadism. Either he enjoyed being dominated, or some part of him enjoyed abusing as well.  Which is what I think it comes down to.

                                                                                When these two lumps of scum went on trial, the community cried blood!!!!!!!!!  Can you blame them???????  And you know what they got--for murdering three people, possibly four, (an 81-year-old man still under investigation!!!!!!) as well as abusing their own daughters, plus David's complicity in all this????? A mere twenty plus years, in prison!!!!!!!!!  Sweeties, they should have fried!!!!!!!!!!  Or, at the very least, gotten Life Without Parole!!!!!!!!!!  But I feel, when release time comes up, officials will take a look at these two, and find a way to keep them incarcerated, where they belong, thereby protecting society from such evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                     As far as Mothers From Hell are concerned, Michelle Knotek is up there with Dave Pelzer's mother, Catherine, and that fictitious witch from TV, Charlotte Bayes (played by Isabella Hoffman) in "Churchgoing People" on "Cold Case."  Hell is where this thing belongs, and where she is going to end up, when her time comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And David will join her for being either a spineless wretch or a sickee himself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                        These two were a Perfect Match, darlings--for EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"By The Time I Got To Woodstock.................."

                                 .......it was 44 years later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Girls, without question, the highlight of our weekend excursion was an unexpected visit  (I had no idea we were that close) to the site of where this iconic cultural event took place.  The very one which I, having recently graduated from eighth grade, I  tried to get up to, by sneaking onto the Jersey turnpike, to hitch a ride up, only to be apprehended by friends of my parents, going the other way, who dragged me home!!!!!!!!!!  I spent the weekend in my room, listening to it all on the radio!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Not just the music, but the news, which chronicled what was to be just another concert became a free media event--nothing has topped it, darlings!!!!!!!!!--with just about every major highway along its route jammed with traffic!!!!!!!!!!  Performers were flown in by helicopter!!!!!!!!!!

                                  But, when I saw where we were, I looked out, and could just picture those half million folk.  I recognized the sloping hill, and such, from photos, and from having seen the "Woodstock" documentary, back in 1970.  With my father, no less!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Upon reaching the monument, pictured above, I felt just like Bernadette at Lourdes.  Which is why, without hesitation, I knelt down and kissed the stone, just like Jennifer Jones kissing the feet of the BVM in "The Song Of Bernadette!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                      Does everything all come back to "The Song Of Bernadette????"  Just about, dears!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        It was almost worth missing Sister Camille, and I am sure if she knew where I was, she would have understood.  Who knows; maybe she was at Woodstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         And, thanks to Monsieur, the moment has been preserved for posterity, with me standing along side the testimonial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Right On! darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, This Had To Be Seen, To Be Believed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         
                                            And even after seeing it, darlings, I am  not sure I believe it!

                                            What better way to end a gay-centric weekend, loves, than watching a movie about the gayest of gays--Liberace!!!!!!!!!  By a combination of circumstances, namely it being on last night, and all of us in a place that received HBO, we were able to sit back and watch this trash fest!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              One thing the film did not go into, which I would have like to have seen, was Liberace's early life.  I mean, how did this kid get through school?????????  Now, darlings, certainly I was not the butchest--not to mention I was in school a good thirty years past Liberace--but, honey, when you compare us, in terms of flaming, I am a billowing ember, and he was Baked Alaska!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               At least the REAL Liberace was!  But Michael Douglas was simply--Michael Douglas!!!! in flaming costumes that he looked too gaunt in to be Liberace; he could not approximate the voice (even I can do that, loves!!!!!!!!!)  and, in the death scene, he looked like Klaus Kinski in :"Nosferatu!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                What was more upsetting was everyone around him did a superb acting job!  Matt Damon, gave, I thought, the real star performance as Scott Thorson, and there were superb bits from Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, and Scott Bakula, who, even with that Seventies wig, looked fantastic for someone who is my age, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   Then there was this familiar looking actress, not on camera long enough, giving such a brilliant performance as Liberace's mother, that, when she died, I thought "Oh shit! She was livening up the picture!  Now she's gone!"  This actress, whom none of us could identify, turned out to be, we found over the end credits...Debbie Reynolds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    That's right!  Debbie Reynolds!  If only there had been more of her, not only would the film have been better, she might have netted herself an Emmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       So, everyone is acting up a storm!!!!!!!!!!  Except the one playing the lead, who, by necessity, NEEDS to!!!!!!!!!  Why Douglas took this part I cannot imagine; unless he was told to, by Catherine Zeta Jones, because baby needs more jewelry!!!!!!!!!!!!!   This called for a less wooden, more flexible actor than Michael Douglas!!!!!!!  Jack Nicholson, for example, leers his way through everything; I think he could certainly get Liberace's voice down, and, after his turn as The Joker in "Batman," I think he could play a flamer with more conviction than Michael Douglas!!!!  Of course, neither could hold a candle to MERYL, who would have elevated this to A-list product, because she can do ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!   Like I have always said, were she cast in a role that the director told her she would have to grow a penis for, she could do it!!!!  And this might very well have been the part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       The thought of sex with Liberace makes my skin crawl!  The thought of Liberace HAVING sex makes it crawl even more!!!!!!!!!!!!!  My favorite Liberace moment, loves, came, not from this film, but from the 2005 biopic, "Good Night, And Good Luck," wherein David Stathairn portrayed broadcast pioneer Edward R. Murrow.  There is a scene where he is interviewing Liberace, and it is actual footage of Lee (as he was called) himself, talking in that whiny voice, about dinner with Mother, finding a girl, and going on dates!!!!  Oh, brother!!!!!!!  Which is exactly how Murrow feels, because, when he turns off the tape, the look of disgust on Strathairn's face was priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                          To think Steven Soderbergh, a serious filmmaker, directed this!!!!!!!!!
What was he thinking?????????  I understand he wanted to do this as a theatrical film, in which case it would have ended up like Kevin Spacey's "Beyond The Sea!!!!!!!!"  What was Soderbergh thinking????????  Was he on a bad acid trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           But, lambs, you have to see the fantasy death sequence, with Liberace flying off to heaven!  Not since "The Man In The Moon" from "Mame" have I seen such aerial high jinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              You would think I am describing a camp classic!  I wish I were, and I wish it had been!  The one thing preventing such is what was most needed--the performer playing Liberace!!!!!!!!!!  And that was Michael Douglas!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Who should not have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                Guess I better go out on a date tonight, too, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!
See you soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                         

Dreams Of The Raving Queen--Not To Be Confused With "Dreams Of A Rarebit Fiend!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                               Girls, I am telling you, one thing sleeping in a strange bed has the capacity to cause me to do is dream even stranger dreams.  And last night, I had two doozies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                But, first, let me tell you what I think triggered the first, and most frightening one!!!!!!!!
Within this bucolic country setting is an enclave of lesbians, some of whom came over for desert and coffee, after we finished dinner last night.  There was this one couple, Bonnie and Linda, and oh, my God!!!!!!!!!!!


                                Bonnie, who looked to be about six feet tall, butch as a local truck driver, and a--ahem!!!--full sized figure to match!!!!--I assessed in about five seconds!!!!!!!!  Miss Control Queen Bitch, who wants to run the show, and everyone in her vicinity.  You know, the usual lesbian issue!!!!!!!!  Except that she does not own a single cat!!!!!!!!!!  Then, there was Linda, a control freak of the worst kind--passive aggressive--of ample girth, but more petite in stature, with so much makeup and nail work, I thought she was Divine, impersonating a lesbian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                These two scared me so much, darlings, they caused me to have the following dream--

                                 I was at work, when I got a call NYC was under attack.  Not by terrorists, but by--King Kong!!!!!!!!!!!  I was so frightened; I called Monsieur in Brooklyn, telling him I was going to get home somehow, though I was not sure if the subways were running.  King Kong was demolishing midtown somewhere, and, even in my dream, I prayed fervently he would not hurt the Theatre District!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  I somehow made it into MACY'S, down on 34th Street, where I ran into Amy, a coworker of mine.  Together, we endeavored to make it back up to Lincoln Center, because, for reasons known only within the dream, we figured King Kong would not come near there.  Just as we were exiting the store, I happened to look up atop one of the door overhangs.  And there was King Kong's face, right up against mine!  I thought I was going to be devoured, right then!

                                   That was the end of that dream!  And it was all due to lesbians!

                                    My other dream was less frightening, but had a gay theme, too!  I was at work, and an older coworker came to me, telling of a young employee there, a gay male, who was struggling with his sexuality, and would I go and talk to him?  Which I agreed to, at once!  And that was it!

                                      Where that came from, I have no idea!  But it was a welcome respite from the King Kong dream!

                                        What surprises me was when the face was up against mine, it was King Kong's and not Bonnie's!!!!!!!!  As it should have been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look What I Found, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             You know you just cannot keep me out of used book stores, no matter where I go, girls!!!!!!!!!!  And you find the most unusual things, outside of New York!!!!!!!!!  At one of the antique shops we visited, I found, in good condition, with the original dust jacket, a hardback edition of "The Song Of Bernadette" by Franz Werfel, which is something I always seem to be turning up, even though I have owned said item myself for well over 20 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               However, at a visit to the local used book store in the vicinity--I found, in mint condition, a Fawcett Crescent paperback edition of "Steamboat Gothic," by Frances Parkinson Keyes!!!!!!!!  First of all, I just love books by now obscure romantic authors--and Keyes, along with Taylor Caldwell (many of whose books I devoured, during my teens!!!!!!!!!) were two of the biggest of their day--the Forties and Fifties, trickling down into the Sixtiess, until, today, they are heard from no more!!!!!!  Unless they turn up, in places like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  When I was a child, in Highland Park, one of the hardback  books we had in our house was a hard cover edition of "Dinner At Antoine's," by Frances Parkinson Keyes, which is how I became familiar with both her name, and the restaurant, Antoine's, in New Orleans!!!!!!!!  Amazingly enough, I never read it, much to my regret, now.  But there was a photo plate of one of the dining rooms at Antoine's, which I would stare at on end, which fostered a fascination with New Orleans and that eatery.  Both of which I would visit twice, though I did not not know it, then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    But "Steamboat Gothic!"  Just think, girls!!!!  At over 700 pages, written by Frances Parkinson Keyes, with the kind of romantic cover I remember from my childhood, this was a find just too good to pass up!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't wait to read it, and you know I will give on here a full report to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     This may inspire me to collect all the paperbacks of Frances Parkinson Keyes!!!!!!!!!!!  Monsieur better get ready to clear some more book space!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, It Was Just Like Katherine Hepburn's Connecticut Cottage, In "Bringing Up Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                You've all heard tell about "that little place, just two hours outside of new York????????"  Well, that is where Monsieur and I spent our holiday weekend, at the most charming cottage near Monticello, NY, hosted by the charming Eddie and Bryan!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  And what accommodations!!!!  Just take a  look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I mean, it was just perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!  

                                  The country charm of this cleverly decorated cottage matched that of our hosts, Eddie and Brian;  by the time our visit was nearing a close, I was feeling like Gene Tierney as Ellen Berent Harland, in "Leave Her To Heaven!!!"  Though I did not feel compelled to drown anybody!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     How could I, because the weather was SO cold it was hard to believe this was Memorial Day Weekend!!!!   I thought we were going to be roasting chestnuts--or what not--before a roaring fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Not that we were indoors the whole time!!!!!!!  We trolled antique shops--I mean, there isn't much else to do up there--where we met this one dealer who was like the local Elaine Stritch--with a voice marred by smoking, to match!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        We had some other excursions, which I will record elsewhere, but let me tell you, the kitchen service was every bit as good as the accommodations!  You should see Eddie in the kitchen!  Just like MERYL in "Julie and Julia!!!!!!!!!!"  And there was no one to match Brian behind the barbecue!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           So, it was quite a weekend!  And a good time was had by all!!!!!!!!!!!!  Next time, I am going to go out in the water, with my sunglasses, just like Gene Tierney!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Hope I can match that hair style!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Memorial Day, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Now, here is SOME way for all of us to recall patriotism, today, loves!!!!!!!!!!  You never saw anything like this, in "Saving Private Ryan," I can tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Here we are at yet another Memorial Day.  Too bad the weather is so off kilter.  When I was a child, back in Highland Park, New Jersey, the Memorial Day Parade was the town's biggest event--everyone lined the streets, watched participants ; it was the only time you saw the town's population
en masse.  I guess my last parade was in 1983; I left town, later that year, so I wonder if they are still going on????????????

                                  Then, we would head over to my paternal grandparents, and maiden aunt Katty, at 702 Nassau Street, in North Brunswick.  We would put chairs out on their front porch, and, that afternoon, their Memorial Parade would go by, right ion front of us!!!!!!!!!  Talk about a ringside seat!!!!!!!!!!  Followed by a cookout under the apple tree, in their back yard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Memories, darling!  Like the corners of the part of my mind that is still operating!!!!!!!!!!!!  So, however you remember this day, or celebrate it, give a salute to the vets who make today possible!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Especially the altogether charming fellow, pictured above!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wishing You A Happy Holiday Weekend, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Can you believe, darlings, we have already arrived at Memorial Day Weekend????  The unofficial start of Summer???? And it feels about as Summery  as a day in January!!!!!!!!!  Especially after all the Summer-like weather we have had prior to this, I was expecting sunshine and scorcher this weekend!!!!!!!  But I hear it is going to be a washout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        But don't that let that ruin your plans, dolls!  Turn that barbecue into an Indoor Picnic!!!!!!!!!  Whether your digs look the above, (that is the Babylonian set, from D.W. Griffith's 1916 classic, "Intolerance," back when sets were super-duper and loaded with details!!!!!!!!!  Far superior to the fake looking computer generated crap of today!!!!!!!!!!) a cozy little cottage just two hours outside of New York, or even your own place, be sure to make the most of these three days of down time most of us have!!!!!!!!!   And, if it rains, girls, it is a good time to do our nails!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          So, have a lovely weekend, in spite of what the weather brings. It still is time to wear white, and put on Connie Francis, singing, of course, "Where The Boys Are!!!!!!!!!!!"

You Have To Watch Out With Those Japanese Monster Movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      When Gojira (better known as Godzilla) does a movie, no matter who is in it with him, it is pretty much his show!!!!!!!!!!  As well it should be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  When others monsters appear with him, when it's something like "Godzilla vs....." it is still his show, even if those upstarts try to upstage him. As if they could, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       "Rodan" presented a more difficult problem.  The first Toho monster after Gojira, the original film, like "Gojira," is one that is a genuine classic.  Unlike "Gojira," which is now accessible in its original, Japanese form, "Rodan" never has been, so I have no idea how the two films differ.  I know, I am sure, that it does not have that ridiculous opening, depicting the atomic bomb, while a voice over promises a horror to follow.

                                         Like Gojira, Rodan is not seen in all his glory, until well into the film.  This is done in a flashback sequence, where an amnesiac Shigeru (Kenji Sawara) regains his memory by reliving seeing Rodan hatch, triggered by the hatching of the eggs of the pet bird, of his lover, Kiyo (Yumi Shirakawa).  The sequence is chilling and exciting, due to Sawara's performance, and the brilliant way it is photographed. Not to mention some marvelous set design and special effects.

                                           Before Rodan even makes a tenuous appearance, there is another horror of another kind.  Something is killing off the miners in the mines, hacking them to pieces.  It is not Rodan, but these gigantic insects, know from this film as the Chi Chi Bugs!!!!!!!!!!  That seems to be the sound they make--"Chi!  Chi! Chi! Chi!"

                                           One has a spectacular entrance, breaking into Kiyo's house, as shown above! Another has a scene atop a hill, where a man is killed, and then dragged down that hill.

                                              These bugs think they are the whole show, which is the problem with the film! They got it into their head, early on, during shooting, that, with all their exposure early on in the film, they were the stars, and not Rodan!!!!!!!!!!  But they were fixed good!  When Rodan finally hatches out of his egg, the first thing he does is eat the Chi Chi Bugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Girls, I don't want to see any of these pests come crashing into your place!
It will take more than Raid to deal with them!!!!!!!!!!  Remember, the only star in your home is YOU, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   And Rodan showed who the real star of that film was, and found tastier morsels to devour, besides!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Don't Care What Anyone Says, Darlings, The Much Anticipated 'SVU" Season Finale Ended With More Of A Whimper Than A Bang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Things were highly charged at our house last night, as we got ready to plunk ourselves down in front of the TV, and watch the much anticipated Season Finale of "Law And Order SVU."

                                     Which turned out to be anti-climactic, at best.

                                       Before I go on, it would be remiss of me not  to mention that, while I was on the edge of my seat, my beloved Monsieur had pretty much figured out what was going to happen, at least by the halfway point.  What disappointed me was not his being right, but the writers going with such a contrived, predictable outcome.

                                       Nevertheless, there were two superb guest performances by Lauren Ambrose as a defense attorney, and Pablo Schrieber (younger brother, or is it half-brother? of actor Liev Shcrieber!!!!!!) as sicko William Lewis, if that is, indeed, his real name, which I am still not certain of.  What I am certain of is he is a real piece of work, the kind you want to put your fist through the TV set, and strangle, and I kept wondering where I had seen Pablo before, and finally figured out--in the episode where Marian Seldes was the matriarch of this Irish mob type family, Pablo was the non-biological father of the baby, fighting Seldes' son, Paddy, for custody--and he won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Though he had a shady drug past, he was basically a decent guy. Here, he plays a real piece of work!!!!!!!!!  And does it superbly!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         As does Lauren, who, I predict, is going to end up as fish food for the denizens of the Hudson, when this story picks up again.  Even in today's modern era, the Hudson yields up as many secrets as the Thames did, during the era of Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend."  And Lauren will be one of those secrets.  Better that  than her doing "Funny Girl," which she had absolutely no business even attempting anyway,(especially with ME out there, darlings!!!!!!!!!) but who seems to have made a nice recovery, with her appearance here.

                                         And someone on the camera crew of this show is just a bit too enamored with "The Blair Witch Project."  Because the same hand-held, revolving camera technique used in that film is used here, especially during the opening montage!  Even I was getting dizzy, darlings, and I LOVE "The Blair Witch Project."  But it was a little too much here, and this was not the first episode that did this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           I'm not even going to reveal the cliff hanger, because, frankly, there really was none! OK, there was this one moment when, for a second, you jumped, but the minute you saw Olivia being made a victim, you knew things were going to turn out OK.  Mariska has renewed for a 15th Season, and for them to get rid of her would be nailing a coffin in the show, especially since so many, including myself, have not gotten over the departure of Elliot!!!!!!!!  Never mind Sister Peg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            And another thing.  Good as Pablo and Lauren were, it looks like the days of big name guest stars on this show have vanished.  Time was when you would have the likes of Martha Plimpton, Mary Steenburgen, Ellen Burstyn,  even Robin Williams on this show.  Not to diss Pablo, who did a fine job, but, in another time, someone like, say, Jake Gyllenhaal might have been playing this part.  But those days have gone, as have the days of fine writing.

                                              IF the writers are smart, they will come up with something truly impacting next season, or whenever this story resumes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Like, maybe, Elliot, doing a cameo??????????????????????

Sometimes, Girls, The Obvious Has To Win Out Over Fun And Glamour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      I know, dolls, I know!  Today is Thursday, and that means Bitch Of The Week!  Since yesterday, I have been racking my brains, trying to come up with someone malevolent, yet amusing enough, to qualify as this week's winner.  But, thinking this over, in front of my mirror, it occurred to me that the obvious sometimes has its uses too, and this choice could not be better!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        I am talking about this week's winner of the Raving Queen Bitch Of The Week Award--33-year-old Elliot Morales, of the Bronx.

                                         He has been in the news a lot, lately.  You may recall him as the gunman who shot down, point blank, Mark Carson, 32, on the streets of the West Village, in the wee hours Friday eve/Saturday morning, which became the city's latest hate/bias crime.  Especially, when it came with Morales uttering anti-gay slurs, then stalking this guy, pontificating, "Do you want to die now?"  And, unfortunately, Carson did die!  But not because he wanted to. Because scumbag Morales pulled the trigger!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Girls, I am telling you, just look at this photo of Morales!!!!!!!!!  What could be more perfect?????????  Dumb, like a fox!!!!!!!!!!!!  Mugging before the camera, no doubt hoping to cop a guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea!!!!!!!!!  Screw that!!!!!!!!!!!  He should be locked away for Life--and for this crime, he may very well be--then put among the general population, where he will be forced to become somebody's Bitch!!!!!!!!!  Not just on a blog, dear, but EVERY single day he is in prison!!!!!!!!!!!!  Let's see what that does to your insides, loser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            I don't care if he was high, not every addict in this town shoots down people. Else the general population of Manhattan would decline alarmingly.  Morales is no good, sober or not, he made a conscious decision to do what he did, and knew it was wrong.  He was getting off on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Well, Elliot, here's to you, as Bitch Of The Week!  And when you face the boys in prison, you will be the one they will be using to get off on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Bitches like this seldom come more rotten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, Here Is A Genuine Tragedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Like the saying goes, girls, you can't make this shit up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Robb and Kelli Phillips were young, in love, and had dreams.  At least, Robb did--of becoming a country and western music star. Wonder if he had ever seen Altman's "Nashville?????"

                                              The couple, from South Carolina and California, respectively, met and fell in love.  Robb had enough talent to ply his trade among local night spots, but he was centered on the Big Time,which meant Opryland USA, Nashville.  In early 1994, they headed there, hoping to fulfill Robb's dream.  It ended their lives.

                                                Now, maybe they weren't the most astute folk out there.  They had previously been embroiled in a scam, where a guy, posing as a record producer, offered Robb a contract and gigs in Mexico.  They ended up returning earlier than planned, because this scam artist held Robb at gunpoint, threatening to kill Robb if he did not cough up four thousand dollars. A tearful Kelli had to have her family wire the money.

                                                 This naivete worked against them, fatally, the night of March 7, 1994.  Having arrived in Nashville, they checked into this shabby motel, that, still living off memories of better days, advertised as "where the stars stay."  They headed out to a night spot, holding a talent contest, and Robb got a chance to perform in Nashville.  Meanwhile, this older guy, plops himself down next to Kelli, eyeing her lasciviously, coming on strong about Robb's talent, and how he, a, record producer, could sign him on.

                                                     If only the inexperienced couple had not believed him. Because this "producer" turned out to be Tom Steeples, by day one of the city's most successful businessmen, owner of his own computer company; by night an avaricious crack addict and sexual predator.  Tom had no ear for Robb's talent, only a desire to get into Kelli's pants.  When he knocked, later that evening, on the couple's motel room door, a nightmare followed.  Robb was tied up, then killed, while Kelli was in the bathroom. When she came out, she saw Robb's bloodied body, and was raped and killed by Steeples.  This scum then went on the lam.  And his wife Tillie Ruth, covers for her husband, simply to ride the gravy train that keeps her in the style to which she is accustomed.  Bitch!!!!!!!!!!!  Even when imprisoned, she sends him a "gift package," containing--guess what?--cocaine!!!!!!!!!!  I am amazed it got to Steeples in prison..

                                                      You know what happened??? This coward, not wanting to face a trial, or a prison term, took that coke and OD'd!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is right, darlings, he committed suicide!!!!!!!!!!!! On the one hand, good riddance!!!!!!!!!!!  On another, Robb and Kelli's families were denied the justice they deserved.

                                                       At least that rotten Tillie Ruth got imprisoned for her participation, too!!!!!

                                                         I have no doubt the souls of Robb and Kelli  still cry out in the darkness of the Nashville night.  Two nice kids, killed in pursuit of a dream!!!!!!!!!!!  I have seldom heard something so tragic!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           Listen to me, girls!!!!!!!!!!  If some big, strong, thing comes along, with promises of making you a star, DO NOT believe it for a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It could spell trouble of all sorts--the worst being the kind Robb and Kelli faced--for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                            You wanna be a star, darlings?????????  Nothing wrong with that!!!!!!!!!  Do it the way Barbra Streisand did it--

                                                                              BARGE RIGHT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!