Now, Here Is A Novelty!!!!!!!!!!!!! Christmas Horror Image #15--A Female Krampus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Forget the Wicked Queen, in "Snow White," and the Wicked Stepmother in "Cinderella," because this bitch is out for blood!

                                           As Glinda told Dorothy, the Wicked Witch of the West was worse than her sister, and the same is true of the Female Krampus.   I never knew such a horror existed, until I came upon this.  Look at that dress and accessories!  She knows the fashion game, all right--female villains always seem to!!!!!!!!!--and she is out to get her victims.

                                           I would rather deal with the male Krampus.  He is kind of cute.

                                            This harridan is a TRUE Christmas horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What A Jolting Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Two things I must say up front--when I purchased this book, I assumed it was a novel, albeit a short one, set in Hollywood.  The second thing is I was wrong--it is actually a collection of very well written--two exquisite, in fact--short stories.

                                               The title story, which amounts to a novella, involves, Hollywood of the past, a young woman's traumatic marriage, an aging Hedy Lamar type actress, and a mother and son combo, culminating in suicide.  What an intro.

                                                 But nothing prepared me for "The Hedges."  This is one of the most disturbing stories I have ever read,  and I am surprised it did not give me nightmares.  It does, however raise new standards for parental toxicity and child endangerment.

                                                  Only the first story takes place in Hollywood.  Each of the other eleven take place in locales as disparate as Maine.  There is an unsettling quality to each of these stories, which makes Schutt's writing stand out; this is not a cheerful book, but a very stimulating one.

                                                    Nothing, however, matches the impact of the first two stories.  This made the Times list of "100 Most Notable Books," and deservedly so.  The author bears keeping an eye on.

                                                     And with that, I have reached my desired goal of 100 books, read this year!  Let's see how farther I can go!  Check in with you soon, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One Last Word To Get In, For The Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 As far as I am concerned, darlings, THIS was The Shortest Day Of The Year.  It went fast enough, what with all the postings I did.  Actually, this one should have been first, but I forget.

                                  But it left time enough for me to blog, and do a Strand Run.  I have now started Book #100, and if I finish it by tomorrow, I may see how high I can go!  Keep those fingers crossed, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    So, this is what we have building toward. Now, the days start getting longer until June 22, aka MERYL's birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Last night was the LONGEST night, and felt like it, because I could not conk out till 2AM.

                                       So, let us hope for longer days ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How I Drove My Parents Crazy, With "Laverne And Shirley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                With Penny Marshall passing, this past Monday, I was reminded of how I used to drive my parents crazy, with "Laverne And Shirley."

                                   Now, this show, which ran from 1976 to 1983, spanned my college and graduate school years.  It also ran in 1979, the year my mother passed.  So lots of life changes happened, to me, during its run.

                                    I was never a fan of the show, but I loved the theme song.  From the playpen up, if I heard something musical on TV, and liked it, I learned it, and sang it.  During junior high and high school, before doing my homework in the evenings, I would watch "I Love Lucy," on WNEW, Channel 5, on TV, and, at show's closing, hum out the title theme, in my belting voice.  The show was on from 6:30 till 7:00 PM, and my parents were often still at the dinner table, finishing their coffee, and they would always go crazy, telling me to tone it down.  But did I listen?  Of course not!

                                    Then came "Laverne And Shirley."  Even if my parents were watching something else, they resigned themselves that, come 8:30PM on Tuesdays, I would just watch the opening credits--and belt out the title theme song, "We're Gonna Makes Our Dreams Come True," which, in reality, was all about me singing making MY dreams come true.

                                     "Not so loud," my mother would plead, especially in late Spring, early Summer, when the windows are still open.  Not being of a theatrical bent, she could not understand that I needed to express myself, artistically.  I HAD to belt it out!  Besides, it was a great workout for my voice.  And it fit my range, unlike trying to do "Maggie's Crescendo" in "At The Ballet," which I have accepted I will never make.

                                       Hey, it's not like I totaled the car, got busted for drugs, or knocked anyone up, like others in my peer group.  In terms of driving parents crazy, I was pretty tame!!!!!!!!!!!!
They should have been grateful!  Secretly, I think they were!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       So, when Penny passed, this came up in my head, and I decided to write this, as a tribute to her.

                                        Thanks, Penny!  And may you Rest In Peace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the opening theme song, with the lyrics, right on the screen.  Listen, and belt it out, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Imagine This, Girls, Something Nasty And Cute--Christmas Horror Image #14, Victorian Snowman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Readers who have been with me for a long time, know how much I love Victoriana, and, after my TV and film poster post, I thought, I needed a dose of Victorian horror on here.  And here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           The snowman looks both menacing and sweet,  The little robin looks very brave, and unafraid. Like my animal friends, who offer me love and comfort.

                                             I love just the mildest touch of malice on the snowman's face.  Margaret O'Brien would never have messed with this one!

                                              May you all be as happy as the robin and snowman during this holiday season, loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who Knew Readers Theatre Could Be Such Fun?????????????????????

                                           Readers Theater works in only two ways, darlings--doing it seriously, with a classic, like Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," or all-out camp, like "The Bad Seed," or "Valley Of The Dolls."  The latter gets the best results, but I am reminded, years ago, of a stage version of "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" David and I saw, downtown, at the Theatre 80 St. Marks, where the lead, Penny Arcade (in the Bette Davis role), did not know a lot of her lines  (Can you believe it, darlings?????????  I mean, it's 'Baby Jane'.  Gay boys can recite it on cue from the playpen on up!).  So, the audience would call them out to her!  Hilarious!  I should have just gotten up there, and taken over the role of Baby Jane!  I have always wanted to wear that costume, and make-up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         So, when we were offered the chance to see "Celebrity Autobiography On Broadway," this past Monday, I wasn't sure what I was in for, as I had never heard of it.  According to David, it is usually done, annually, up at Triad, on West 72nd Street, but when do I ever go there?

                                           And this was being done in the Marquis Theatre, a big musical theater venue.  We saw "Follies," there, back in 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          It turned out to be an evening of uninterrupted fun.

                                           Alec Baldwin was not there, but my favorite, Rachel Dratch, was there, along with Susan Lucci, Mario Cantone, and creators Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel.  The evening consisted of thematically based sketched readings, where one of these actors reads from another celebrity's autobiography.  I am not talking great literature, like Samuel Johnson and Benjamin Franklin, but the likes of Ivana Trump, Kenny Loggins, and, of course, the closest icon the gay community has to a saint, Elizabeth Taylor.

                                               The gimmick is each actor uses his or her vocal skills to make the, at best, mediocre writing, even funnier than it reads on the printed page.  Susan Lucci scored best as both Ivana Trump and Elizabeth Taylor, as did Mario Cantone in the role of Liza Minnelli, and Carol Channing, during the period when BARBRA got the film, and she did not!  And Rachel Dratch nailed it every time she stepped on stage, especially with Ethel Merman, and little Frankie Jonas, the "bonus Jonas" brother!

                                              Staged by the creators, the shows offers 90 intermission free minutes of hilarious fun!  The whole Elizabeth Taylor-Eddie Fisher-Debbie Reynolds debacle, gets a brilliant treatment, capped off by Rachel Dratch's hilarious sudden onstage appearances, as score keeper, calling out the number of husbands Miss Taylor is up to, at the moment.

                                                 It has been famine this first half of the theatrical season, so I did not have any expectations for this. I went because others had seen it, David wanted to, and it was, after all, an evening at the theater.

                                                 The results far exceeded my expectations and made me laugh.  Which is high praise; very little, outside of "Bringing Up Baby," does.

                                                  We even had transportation home.  It was no golden carriage, but it was surely heaven sent!

                                                   As was this unexpected surprise Christmas theater delight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, All I Want For Christmas Is A "Suor Angelica" Doll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   I know, I know, I still want a Karen Cooper doll from "Night Of The Living Dead," but for this time of year, I think a "Suor Angelica" doll would be more appropriate.

                                    Several weeks ago, at The Met, as I writhed in Catholic anxiety along with the title character of the opera by Puccini--because this what Catholic opera goers do, when they go see this masterpiece by Puccini--I wondered if there was a doll out there I could share my anxieties with.

                                      Well, here she is, and she looks very...nun-like.  Not quite Julie Andrews, but not quite Gladys Cooper, either.

                                         I have just GOT to have her, girls!  I can hold next time I have my Catholic guilt anxiety attack!

                                          Which could be any time, now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!