"I'm From Missouri?" Not Something To Be Proud Of These Days, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Missouri used to be such a state to take pride in, darlings!  Actress Ermadean Walters, who played Marie Soubirous in "The Song Of Bernadette," was born in St. Joseph.  Henry Bellamann derided his home town of Fulton, in his bucolic and psychologically disturbing novel, "King's Row."  And, who of us, girls, can forget the perfection of "Meet Me In St. Louis," that gave a perfection to that city, and Missouri that could only be realized collectively by MGM, Judy Garland, Vincente Minnelli, and, of course, Margaret O'Brien!!!!!!!!!!!

                           But that was then, this is now!  After the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown last Saturday morning, by Officer Darren Wilson, (looking real good as a BOTW candidate, girls) I am afraid to set foot in Missouri, let alone deal with law enforcement.

                            OK, even if the kid was a robbery suspect, even if he resisted arrest--and I have no idea what that means; did he point any weapon, like a gun, pipe or bat, at Wilson?????--is that any reason for a person to be shot?  It makes me fearful, not only of Missouri, but even my town, New York!!!!!!!  If I so much as disagree with an officer, am I going to become target practice?  And since when does carrying a gun give a person, law enforcement or not, the right to shoot someone, on a whim?  Which is what I believe happened with Michael Brown.  Too many cops are so trigger happy their gun usage should be limited to community theater productions of "Annie Get Your Gun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  How many more Black kids have to die?  Thar said, who says it is going to stop at Black kids?  What about other disenfranchised communities--Hispanics, gays, lesbians, the various types  of Asians--will the eventually become fodder for this legally sanctioned, "Hunger Games, " like violence???????????????

                            I hope not!  I would love to hear Joan Rivers on all this.  I am sure she would right to the  point??????????

                            Remember when Joan used to talk about her "high school classmate," that tramp, Heidi Abromowitz???????????  She dissed her deep, but she never raised a finger to her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Let's all  take a lesson, from Joan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Dreamed A Dream, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Lauren Bacall came to me, last night, in a dream, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       I am telling you, it was a spiritual experience!  On this post-Assumption eve, I truly believe Mary and Lauren were watching out for me.

                                         In the dream, we had a conversation; she was elegantly dressed in plaid, just like above, and she revealed to me that she was my aunt!

                                          I should be so lucky!!!!  None of my aunts--some of whom were my favorite relations!!!!--ever looked like Lauren Bacall!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not even close!

                                           I think this was a sign from On High.  Having been going through a rough emotional patch, recently--but not with my beloved; never; you can believe that!!!!-- I think, once she passed on, Mary told Lauren to keep an occasional eye on me!  Which is what I believe she was doing.  She was telling me to persevere.  I appreciate the support.

                                            Is Lauren Bacall my actual aunt?  I think that would be pretty amazing to suddenly find that out, after all these years!  I cannot imagine a family connection.  There were no Perskes on either side.  And none of us were Jewish.

                                             I feel honored having had Lauren visit, and I thank both her and Mary both! They will keep me going, in my time of need!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             And, remember, girls, if you have no "spiritual aunts," you can always reach me on here, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Mary, On Your Special Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Well, one of them, anyway!  I am certainly no Bernadette, but I do talk to Mary, often.  And Mary hears a lot.  She has perhaps gained more insight into the gay community from me than anyone who talks to her.  And the nice things is, she listens. When you are the BVM, it is a 24/7 job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    So, this is to wish her well on that special day, known as the Assumption.  This was the day on which, when Mary left this Earth, she went straight up to Heaven--no ifs, ands, or buts!  Few of us will have that distinction, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Maybe Sister Camille!

                                       As for Sister Camille and her girls, I am sure they have huge plans for this day. And our lovable reptile friend, Gojira, is going right over to celebrate, wearing a veil, too modest to reveal that in June of 2018, he will be coming out with another movie of his very own.  I don't think that Mothra will be in it, but since the first film did so well this Summer, Gojira is right in the thick of the Hollywood market. As well he should be.

                                         So, thanks Mary, for listening to all my lamentations, and many happy returns, on this, one of your Very Special Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Another coffee klatch, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smith Henderson's First Novel, Darlings, May Not Pave The Way For A Second!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  I began this book with such high expectations.  It had been touted to me by one of my favorite booksellers, who said customers just loved it.  It received two glowing reviews in the Times; even if one was by Janet Maslin, the rave was still there.  So, I thought I was beginning one of the Summer's Literary Events!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Some may think so, and when the Times Most Notable and Ten Best Books Of 2014 list comes out, it will be interesting to see where Henderson's book stands--or if it does.

                                     My problem with it is that he crams too much into one story.

                                      The novel has cinematic possibilities.  I could see Jake Gyllenhaal as Pete Snow, and the role of Jeremiah Pearl, and even his more deranged wife, Sarah, are both dream roles for actors.  Unlike "The Violent Bears It Away," the Flannery O'Connor book in which there was at least one likable character, (albeit who gets killed) no one in "Fourth Of July Creek" is likable. This would be all right, if the novel were good, say in the style of writers to whom he is being compared, like Cormac McCarthy and Richard Russo.  I don't agree; Henderson ventures into their territory, but hasn't their style or structure. And he does not know jack about limitations.  Or his editor did not.

                                         This book was not without its fascinating moments, and the last section was a stunner, which shows it had some potential.  The trouble is Henderson, almost anticipating in some way that this might be his only book, threw everything into the pot here, when he might left things out for future projects.

                                            Go ahead, sue me!  I was not satisfied!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             As the great Joan Rivers said, let's see some of these book reviewers spell "Palestinian!!!!!!!!!!"

I Want To Read The New Haruki Murakami!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  After reading Patti Smith's--yes, darlings, THAT Patti Smith--review of Murakami's latest book, the cumbersomely titled "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage," several things came to my mind, that not only made me want to read this book, but that have made my hope this will be this Literary Event Of The Season.

                                The first was my recollection of reading Murakami's mammoth 2009 novel, "1Q84."  I think it came out in this country in 2010, because I recall it was during the early phase of my beloved and I's relationship, I was reading enraptured, at the kitchen table in his old Bethune Street apartment, and he literally had to tear me away from it to come to bed, eat, or do anything else.  I think I actually finished it within the span of a week. And it was close to, if not, a thousand pages.

                                  The second is that I am currently coming down the home stretch of novel that has been touted by many as the Literary Event Of This Summer--"Fourth Of July Creek," by Smith Henderson.  All I will say here--you will get a full report later, girls!!!!!!!!--is that it is eminently readable, but, as Henderson's first novel, I am not sure there  will be a second.  You will find out why, when I finish.

                                    The third is that the novel presses some issues I can relate to.  While in high school  the title character was part of a social quartet that was THE group at school.  Five years later, while a sophomore in college, he is abruptly banned from the group forever.  The rest of the book details him trying to find an answer to this. Now, I have never been banned from anything, but, in high school, there was a particular group I wanted to be a part of, but just wasn't.  I have since made peace with all that, I hope Murakami's hero does.  I will let you know.

                                    And last, while I have read some Murakami, references made by Smith to the work have made me realize that, before reading the current work, I am long overdue to read "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle," which some I know have called his greatest.

                                     So, there is a lot to push toward, and lot to read.  I will keep my girls posted!!!!!!!!!!

                                      We could have an online coffee klatch, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beware Of Wolves In Sheep's Clothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             It is just like "Night Of The Hunter," darlings!  Brian Randone, the winner of this week's Raving Queen Bitch Of The Week Award, was not only a first class son-of -a-bitch, he was some narcissistic preacher performance-artist, who saw himself as some sort of "Soul Doctor," like Shlomo Carlebach, only lacking the talent of the latter.

                              For someone who espoused celibacy, he certainly put himself out there, at one time going as a contestant on one of the 'Sexiest Bachelor' TV shows, proving he was all bluff, not to mention one big, pussy hound.  But it all came crashing down, when he met Felicia Lee.

                               Now, Felicia was no angel, either. She was no celibate.  An aspiring "actress." she put herself out on Internet sites in provocative poses, even going on to do a series of soft core porn films--and I wonder how close the distinctions were between soft and hard core.

                                 So, here we have two drug addicted (he was no stranger to cocaine, while she championed GHB) and sex addicted people attracted to each other.  This can only be a recipe from disaster, and I do not care what the jury said, at Randone's trial, back in 2011, he murdered and tortured Felicia Lee, under the guise of accidental, but sexual pleasure, in his apartment on the night of September 11, 2009.  Now, this scum walks.  Beware him, darlings!!!!!!!!!!! The preacher will strike again, and when he does, not only will his next victim get justice, so, finally will Felicia.

                                  Killers masquerading as religious give those in the spiritual community a bad name!  Thank God he wasn't a Catholic priest; that organization has enough problems of its own!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    So, here is to Brian Randone, the Bitch Of The Week!  Love solved Maria's problem. The only thing that will solve Brian's is lifelong incarceration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Nail In The Coffin Of Glamour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       Lauren Bacall was not one of Truman Capote's Swans, but she should have been. Tall, regal and elegant, she was the equal, visually, of Slim Keith, even if she was just plain old Betty Perske, from Brooklyn.

                       It was that combination of both qualities that made Bacall so enduring an icon, first in movies, then on the Broadway (especially musical) stage, and eventually, as a raconteur for the Hollywood show biz era that went before.

                         Bogie was her great love, but she also weathered a stormy marriage with a stormy actor--Jason Robards.  By him, she had son Sam.  By Bogie, their son, Steve. One, I am told, is a psychologist.  Now, that's interesting!!!!!!!!!  I wonder which one??????????????

                            My two favorite movies of hers were "To Have And Have Not," which introduced the line in the clip, provided above, and "Key Largo."  She also exuded gracious elegance, in "Written On The Wind," but how in hell do you upstage Dorothy Malone, in toreador pants, dancing on record covers, with bongos???????  Not even a child murderess could; because Patty McCormack lost our to Dorothy the Supporting Actress Oscar of 1956, for her iconic, and campy, performance in "The Bad Seed."

                              Lauren was the real thing, and there are not many like her left!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Yes, I know there will be a Dakota apartment on the market, darlings, but can you at least wait, and let her rest in peace???????????

                                   Besides, who on here could afford it?????????  Not I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!