This Could Be The Best, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 It is too early, girls, for me to declare outright what is the Book Of The Year, but let me tell you, right now, that "Lovers At The Chameleon Club, Paris 1932" by Francine Prose could very well prove to be the Book Of The Year.  Stay tuned for the final decision!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  When this first appeared on the scene, I thought it was a work of non-fiction, so I really was not interested,  But, as word of mouth spread, not only did I grasp it was a novel, but it might be worth reading, especially as I had never read any of Prose's work.

                                      Even when I picked it up, finally, to read it, my expectations were not exactly soaring.  But then soaring expectations can often be counterproductive, as witness Donna Tartt and "The Goldfinch," last year!

                                       So, I began, reading, and oh my God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Sweep yourselves away, girls, to the romantic decadence of 1930s Paris, where sexuality is out in the open, especially at certain places, as Miss Prose creates an atmosphere so intense you can smell the smoke, cheap booze, urine, that emanate from within the club. I mean, with this, who the hell needs "Fifty Shades Of Grey????????????"  My favorite thing was her recreation of the pastiche musical numbers done there; they are so detailed I could see, in my mind, the colors and staging.  I could almost hear the songs.

                                         But not all is gaiety.  Written in an epistolary style from several texts by characters who were all there, during the same period of time, and one biographer, who turns out, allegedly, to be a character's niece, a picture is also given of when Paris turned dark as the Germans infiltrated it, and the Holocaust got underway.  And how one individual, Lou Villars, was transformed from a loyal French citizen into a Nazi monster of torture.

                                        The writing is swift and breathtaking; this is a real page turner, with plenty of substance to back it up!  You have simply got to read it, lambs!  It is the best thing I have read all year, but not till The New York Times publishes their Ten Best For 2014, will I rule on this book.  I still have several more to get to.

                                           But "Lovers At The Chameleon Club, Paris, 1932" is a strong contender.  Perfect reading in between sips of wine, and viewings of "Gigi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                           

Happy Birthday, Sammy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Sammy, by accident of birth, always begins Musical Theatre Week!  So, here we are once again, honoring the TONY Winner, whose performance for certainly a turning point for me, both in terms of art and my sexual realization.

                               When I look at the footage of the Original Cast members, I cannot help notice that, even with stalwarts like Tommy Walsh and Wayne Cilento, what a marvelously fluid dancer Sammy was.  If he were still in New York, and could do anything for me, in terms of dance, I would trust him with transforming my ineptitude. Even if it only results in losing pounds.  That is good, too.

                               So, here is to 66-I can't believe it!!!!!!!!--years, Sammy!!!!!!!!!!  We've both come a long way from Jersey!

                                It almost seems I post this every year, but why not? It gives those who were not there in 1975, a chance to observe Sammy's brilliance.  Here he is, doing what he did best, unmatched by anyone since!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can You Believe It's Here, Already??????????? Another Musical Theatre Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           For the uninitiated, or those who may forget, let me explain.  Musical Theatre Week, which is the week of my birthday, marks a period of time in which many Legends Of The Musical Stage were born.  Just look--
                                              1. We start today with Sammy Williams, the original Paul
                                                  in "A Chorus Line."  Sammy turns 66 today.

                                               2. November 16--Another "Chorus Line" alum, many
                                                   would say its heart and soul--Donna McKechnie.
                                                   Not to mention the fabulous Martha Plimpton!!!!!!

                                               3.  November 17--Neva Small, who started out as
                                                    a child Broadway actress!  Can you believe this
                                                    little girl is going to be 62??????????

                                                4. November 18--Yours truly, let's not talk about age,
                                                    right now, but save it for THE day. And Dorothy
                                                    Collins, who, while deceased, is celebrated still
                                                    for one reason--"FOLLIES!!!!!!!!!!!"

                              It almost makes me feel I should be a Legend Of The Musical Stage, myself, being surrounded with such luminaries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               I'll do my best, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               But, congratulations, to one and all, on another Musical Theatre Week!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Subway Bitch Got Exactly What She Deserved, And If There Was Any Justice, She Would Have Gotten More!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Excuse me, girls, this morning, for sounding like Miss India Wilkes (Alicia Rhett)  in "Gone With The Wind," but there is a point here. This fresh faced slattern Miss, Danay Howard, is the winner of this week's Raving Queen Bitch Of The Week Award.

                            This piece of trash, the kind written about in books like "Random Family," who  never get out of the ghetto hell they find themselves placed into, because their lack of breeding keeps them there, had the nerve, with her friends Kevin Gil, 21 and Shanique Campbell, 20, to attack a man on the subway.  Danay is 21 but her behavior would make a 12-year-old seem mature.

                             At 5am on Saturday, November 8, these four (they are all guilty, but Danay is BOTW, because she was the instigator) clashed with Jorge Pena, 25. They taunted him about the clothes  he was wearing, when Danay began  hitting him on the back of the head with her shoe.  That is when Jorge turned around, slapping her so hard, she was knocked back.

                             Hey, Danay, honey, let me tell you, if you are downtown in NYC, you can dress the hell you please!!!!!!!! What is wrong with an 8 Ball Jacket?  We aren't in Armani territory, exactly, and neither are the clothes you are wearing.  Bet Jorge paid for his; you and your friends got your rags off the rack, on a five finger discount!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              I say-Good for you, Jorge!  Smack that bitch across the face!  I would have done the same thing, and I wouldn't care!  The only thing I would be cautious about is if they pull out weapons on you.  But my reflex action, like Jorge, would have been to smack back.

                              Keep these teen sluts in their homes, while their mothers are out on the street, turning tricks or scoring drugs, and their fathers are out in the afternoon, looking for a kid to beat. Why should trash like this be allowed to ride the subway?  And why should such behavior be tolerated?????????????????

                                I think Jorge Pena should be hailed as a hero!  Even the ladies on "The View," in discussing this said it was OK for him to hit her, as she struck first!!!!!!!!  Who did Little Miss Know Nothing think she was???????????

                                 You may be 21, Danay, honey, but you ain't ready for society, sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Go sweeten up in some adult facility until you learn to stop being a bitch!!!!!!!!!  You and your friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wouldn't It Be Fabulous To Have This Kitchen, Girls??????????????

                         As a matter of fact, shouldn't life be more like "The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg??????"
Even more so than "My Fair Lady" or "Gigi," this is the perfect Gay Home Decorating film.  I mean, just look at those creamy pink and green pastel stripes!!!!!!!!  And the aqua blue in the background!!!!!!

                          I have been trying to get my beloved for years to "Think Pink!," as the song says in "Funny Face."  I have long wanted to paint our entire bedroom in pink, complete with a pink Princess Telephone, just like Sandra Dee in "Imitation Of Life."  I am telling you, "The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg" is a visual template for Life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            I know what you are thinking. To hell with the decor, wouldn't it be better to look like Catherine Denueve??????????  Let's face what is impossible, and be honest; I am no fool!

                            As Marilyn Monroe said, "We all lose our charms, in the end!"  But creamy pastel decor lasts forever!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Think Pink, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Most Famous Murder Of A Homosexual Had Absolutely Nothing To Do With Homosexuality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 I did not learn Kitty Genovese had been a lesbian, till ten years ago, on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of one of New York's most famous crimes.  This may have shocked some viewers of "A Crime To Remember" last night, but it did not shock me.  Big deal!  It just sort of added to the tragedy; Kitty never got to experience the gay rights movement, and she seemed forward thinking, so who knows what contributions she might have made?

                                  OK, so no one saw the murder, technically speaking.  But I am still not ready to dismiss Kew Gardens, or the borough of Queens.  The guy who hollered "Leave that girl alone!" was one of the heroes of the case.  The Saint was neighbor Sophie Farrar, who was not only good friends with Kitty, but knew of the true nature of her relationship with Mary Ann Zielonko, and did not judge.   You have to give her credit for that--especially back in 1964!!!!!!!!  Her son, Mike, who spoke on camera as an older man, was friends with Kitty, testifying to what a good person she was.

                                    How multiply sad that opportunity was the only reason for her termination.  She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when that scum, Winston Moseley, came upon her. He is still alive, but the Hell awaiting him will be worse than that which he put Kitty through.

                                      As I said, Sophie was the Saint, running to Kitty in the stairwell, not knowing  or caring if the murderer was still on the premises.  She held the bleeding woman in her arms; hers was the last loving presence Kitty experienced on this Earth, before being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, where she died en route.

                                        The actual scum in the case were Joseph Fink--ironic name; perfect, isn't it?--the doorman of the Mowbray Apartments across the street from where the first attack took place, on Austin Street, which Joseph witnessed and did nothing about.  If Joseph is still alive, I say to him, how do you live with yourself, you filthy pig????????   Bet you never got out of Queens, did you?  Even Ellen Barkin did, though her whole acting career has been one step removed from being a prostitute.

                                           Even worse than Fink was Karl Ross. Now, he did eventually call the cops, but not without much equivocating. Played by an actor decked out to look like a combination of  Truman Capote, and Wallace Shawn with hair, it was clear he was gay. He was a poodle trimmer, by profession!!!!!!!  Uh!!!!!!!!! Huh!!!!!!!!!!  It was also clear he was closeted.  Now, I know it was 1964, but I find it inexcusable then, and I do now!  Kick you harassers in the teeth.  He should have helped Kitty.  Well, if he is alive, he too, stews in his own Hell On Earth!!!!!! And I hope that hell is compounded by his living in Queens, which is a bit of Hell on earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           I would like to credit Karl for doing even something, but his whole tenuousness is inexcusable.  The real heroine of the Kitty Genovese case, whom I never knew about till last night, was Sophie Farrar.  We need more citizens like her.

                                            Bet she got the hell outta Queens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Just Can't Wait For The New Season, Tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               When this show premiered at this time last year, it opened with something big pertaining to the most famous Crime City in the country--New York!  Who could forget last season's opener, "Go Ask Alice," (which I just saw again this past Sunday!!!!!!!!!!) detailing the case of that cheap cocktail waitress from Kew Gardens, Queens, Alice Crimmins??????????  I skewered both Alice (still alive, but not talking!!!!!!!!!!!) and that neighborhood and borough, referencing, too, a case that had happened the year before!!!!!!!!!!!

                               And that case will be tonight's season opener!  I am talking about Kitty Genovese!  The episode claims it is going to debunk some myths that have grown up over the case, but let me tell you something, girls--false or not, myths have a life of their own!

                                When this happened, I was in grade school.  It gave me the impression that New York was one big jungle of buildings with alleys that people got killed in, and no one did a damn thing!  Pretty accurate, as far as I am concerned!  And it figures both Alice and Kitty took place in Queens, the cheapest, and sleaziest of all boroughs.  Every other woman living there is most likely a prostitute, and, when I used to cab it home to Woodside, while living there, I could not believe the cheap examples of humanity trolling along Queens Boulevard!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It made me sick, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   So, while all the myths surrounding Kitty may not be true, they do have a certain credibility to them!  I will be curious to see how they handle the question of Kitty's having been a lesbian--something that I never knew till the 40th anniversary, ten years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!  And. while I am always quack to cry homophobia, it had nothing to do with Kitty's killing.  That scum, Winston Moseley, and she just met in the wrong place, at the wrong time!

                                     And if anyone who lived there when it happened still resides in Kew, all I can say is--Shame on you!

                                        Let's hope tonight's program does justice to Kitty!  She deserves it!

                                         Now, as you know, this show devotes itself to six cases.  I know some of the others being covered, and can clue you in..

                                           1. Kitty Genovese

                                            2. Ruby McCollum--A Black woman in 1952 Florida--there's trouble, right there, already!!!!!!!!--who killed a prominent white doctor, claiming he forced her to have sex with him and bear his child!  Florida is another great place for crime!

                                              3. The Texas Sniper--the guy shooting at everyone, in Austin, I think, during the Sixties!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              4.  The Bobby Greenlease Kidnapping--Where a six year old son of a wealthy automobile manufacturer in Kansas City, MO, was abducted by gangster Carl Hall and prostitute Bonnie Heady.  They must have no taste in the Midwest, because Bonnie could never have made it as a prostitute in New York; she was too plug ugly!  Fucking her would have been like porking a pig!!!!!!  Which is just what those Midwestern men probably like!  Too bad for Bobby these two had no souls--they shot him  in the head!  But they were tried and executed.  An excellent book, which I have read, and, I believe, posted, on here, "Zero At The Bone--The Playboy, The Prostitute, And The Murder Of Bobby Greenlease," (2009) by John Heidery,  covers the case well.

                                            5.      I don't know the other case, except it is some blonde Florida slut who got mixed up with trouble.  So, what else is new?????????????

                                            6.  It's anybody's guess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            But one thing I do know!  If there is a a third season, they will lead off with something big from New York!  And the next biggest thing they can lead off with is the case of.....David Berkowitz, the Son Of Sam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Mark my words, darlings!  And see you here tomorrow, where we'll dish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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