"Let Me Call You Sweetheart," Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        How could I let this day go by, without wishing a Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers, and, most especially, to my darling, and dearest, David?

                                         What was supposed to be today's first post, will end up the last, what with all the Oscar and other things I had to pay attention to.

                                            Just a quiet dinner for us, and maybe a screening of....heh...heh..."Fatal Attraction."   Or, more aptly, listening to the Original Cast Recording of "She Loves Me!;" for my money, the most romantic musical ever written.

                                              And speaking of that show, here is the wonderful Jessie Mueller singing the show's signature song, "Ice Cream."  Next to Miss Cook, no one does it like Jessie!!!!!!!!!!!

"Caution, On Your Guard, With Beautiful Girls! Flawless Charmers, Every One!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                              I am telling you, girls, it was like a "Follies" reunion!  There we were--David and I, Tom and Austin (whose birthday was being celebrated!), Joe (also celebrating a birthday!) and Norman, Gary and Byron, Steven (that Vicious Queen!) and Bill,  plus Mike Ditore and Wayne!  Lacking just one person, we would have had a coven!

                               On Sunday, February 9, this group gathered at the world famous Nevada Diner, in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where "the elite meet to eat," and the whole afternoon was like a "Follies" reunnion.

                               David and I had not seen so many of these folks in ages, and I was so glad to.  We all looked stunning, though I could not help noticing how time had impacted us all.  There was so much catching up we had to do, I forgot to have a group picture taken, like the one above, and to sing "Who's That Woman?," which I was going to have us all do!  Bloomfield would have loved it!

                                  I had one of the best visits in recent memory, and all my youthful Bloomfield memories are still intact.  Thanks to Tom, who arranged the whole thing, and to Joe, for choosing the Nevada, which made it easy for David and I, public transportation travelers, to get to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Thanks to everyone, and hope to see you all next year!

                                      "Welcome, then....these....Beautiful.....Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The Show Might As Well Have Been Entitled, "Who Cares????????????????"

                               Which is why, girls, I never posted a thing when the Oscar nominations were announced.

                                  The only film I had any regard for was "Little Women."  I do want to see "Parasite," but more out of curiosity, than a desire to see a film I am really interested in seeing. None of the films nominated stood out in this way, which was the problem I had with the whole thing.

                                    None of the winners stood out, either.  Oh, sure, I was happy for Brad Pitt and Laura Dern.  But, really, wasn't Brad and Laura's awards for a lifetime of work, and Laura is beginning to make a career for herself, after "Marriage Story," and "Big Little Lies," as Hollywood's Career Bitch!  When an actress is now needed to play such, call Laura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Don't even talk to me about Joaquin and Renee Zellwegger.  Poor, poor performances.  The latter was a disgrace to the memory of Judy Garland!

                                     All this talk about diversity, and honoring women and Afro Americans is fine, but where are there roles for them?  Especially in the "of color" division.  The demographics out there still seem to want Tyler Perry as Madea--I LOVE Tyler Perry as Madea--as opposed to the serious roles that win Oscars, but the audience, to whom they are directed won't patronize, because, they are not culturally astute.

                                      Which comes down to a decline of culture in this country, and a lack of proper education in the schools.  Keep STEM, sure, but honor cultural and humanities, otherwise there will be, eventually, a generation  of unfeeling, apathetic boobs.  We are getting closer, all the time.

                                         Nothing stood out in this year's Oscars.  The set design was garish, the screens so small you could not read or see what was on them.  There wasn't even one outstanding dress, although I was pleased to see the four shots of Colin Jost in a tux!  Didn't he look just scrumptious, darlings????????????????????????

                                           True, an Oscar show is only as good as the movies turned out that year, so when are better movies turned out.  Somewhere in the nineties, filmmakers lost their way, and until they find their way back, this show won't be worth shit.  This year's wasn't.

                                             It was actually the lowest rated, ever!  Keep going, and the Oscars may cease to exist, after all!

                                               And only those, who know and appreciate film history, will care!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before Gettting To The Oscars, A Word About "Joker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                How on earth did this tripe net eleven Academy Award nominations?  And the Oscar for Best Score.  What score?  Did this film have music?  And who the hell is this Todd Phillips, a hack who directed romcoms and dumb jock movies, then scores with the atrocious "A Star Is Born," in 2018, and now he gets plaudits for this???????????????

                                 Hons, let me save you time and money.  "Joker" is a one note movie, with a one note performance by Joaquin Phoenix, two good, but minor ones, by Frances Conroy and Robert De Niro, and tastelessness and violence, galore!

                                  Hey, Todd!  Scorsese got there before you did.  "Joker" is a less nuanced version of "Taxi Driver," only Arthur Fleck's descent into madness arouses no sympathy from this quarter, and is devoid of all humanity.  While DeNiro's Travis Bickle, had issues, but also a humane side, in how he tried to get Jodie Foster (the role I so desperately wanted to play, back in 1976!) out of the racket she was in, Phoenix's Fleck is all about violence, and how the unheard--namely him, have been wronged, and deserve to be taken out for it!  Rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  "Joker," to paraphrase DeNiro is a two hour pity party, laced with violence--the murder of the cops by the subway mob on screen is one of the cruelest displays I have ever seen, and I wanted to leave, right then.  But I had to see the film through its course, and there is no redemption, anywhere.

                                       And, just for the record, if all you have seen of "Joker" is the iconic scene on the stairs, and think this is going to be a Stanley Donen musical, I can tell you right now that none of you have ever seen a Stanley Donen musical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And maybe you should!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       "Joker" is no joke!  It is overlong, tasteless, and laced with gratuitous violence!  Don't ever show this in a nursing home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          For those of us who remember, Cesar Romero was still the best Joker, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Week's Episode Of 'SVU' Was Called "Redemption In Her Corner!" But Exactly Whose Corner????????????

                                 Girls, I have to hand it to Jamie Gray Hyder, as Kat.  Since joining the squad this season, she has taken what the writers have dished out.  Which is while they are busy elevating Olivia/Mariska to borderline sainthood, they are still treating Kat as the "new kid."  She is consistently described as a "loose canon," (so, by the way was Elliot Stabler!!!!!!!!!!) and, as a rookie who is not even an NYPD member, is constantly stepping over rules, thinking she can "reinvent the wheel."

                                  I wonder if this would happen if I joined a cold case unit?  I have always wanted to, but unlike Kat, I believe in protocol, and I am not one of these workers out to "reinvent the wheel."  How long can Kat go on like this?  If the writers don't let her calm down and blend in, she will be off the show by the end of this season.  Which is probably what Mariska wants, anyway!!!!!

                                     The result is "Redemption In Her Corner," made it confusing to figure out who was the victim.  Who knew Kat did boxing as an extracurricular activity?  The gym she works out at is run by this sleaze bag, named Romeo Solis.  At first, it seems everyone's jumping on Kat, who has crossed too many lines, but when Esperanza Morales,  sees an upset, underage fighter named Cami Vega, emerge from Romeo's office, after too long a time, she becomes suspicious, and knocks into Romeo, so he hits his head against part of the arena, bleeding and hospitalized with a coma, dying eventually.  Esperanza is Cami's mentor, and feels protective of "her girls."  So, now Kat is embroiled in a murder, as a possible accomplice!  But Cami's mentor, Esperanza Morales, tells Kat she suspects Romeo of abusing Cami.  While Esperanza has some Daddy issues herself, as it turns out he has been abusing she and her sister.

                                        So, just who was the victim. and who the perp?  Santos Morales, father of Esperanza, goes down for abuse, while Espeanza and her sister Graciela have a joyful reunion.

                                           But it looks like Kat can get off of anything.  Even Esperanza, with good intentions, took down Romeo, still has to do some time.  But not Kat???????????

                                            Do the writers even know what they are doing here?  This show has become so inconsistent, and veers so far outside the law to suit its narrative purpose, even I , with a non-legal background, can see this is wrong.

                                              I wonder about how real lawyers would feel, watching this?

                                               But, then, why would they???????????????????

How Could A College Like Sarah Lawrence Get Such A Reputation???????????????????

                               When I was of college age, and wanted to go to Sarah Lawrence, it was still a girls' college. It was not until I was out of school it became co-ed, so, my option now would be to go back there for graduate work, which I am not sure I want to do.  With its liberal curriculum and lack of a grading system, Sarah Lawrence seemed perfect for all artsy, creative types, of which I was one. But, I had also had traditionalist roots deep within me, and knew I wanted a traditional college education.  Which I received at Seton Hall, graduating from there in 1977.

             I have been negligent in my bitches, of late, darlings, but who would have thought Sarah Lawrence College would supply me with a Bitch Of The Week?  His name is Larry Ray.  He is sixty years old, and has been living in his daughter's dorm house since 2010!  How? I would like to know! While there he has been harassing her friends and roommates, forcing them into prostitution and sex trafficking!  He has maintained an apartment on the Upper East Side for such purposes, and a house in Piscataway, New Jersey, near where I grew up, in Highland Park.  He forced girls to get up in the middle of the night, and do field work.  Even the workers at Tara were allowed to wait till sunrise!!!!!!!!!!!

               This is enough of a disgrace, but even more, is Piscataway is the location of Resurrection Cemetery, where my dear parents are buried!!!!!!!!!!!!  Lawdy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     I would like to know what happened to this scum's daughter!  I hope she is safe.  As for Larry, I hope he gets life in prison, and the inmates there make him THEIR bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       What goes around, comes around, Larry dear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The First Literary Page Turner Of The Season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Back in 2012, Liz Moore wrote a novel which many recommended to me.  It was called "Heft," and chronicled the adventures of Arthur Opp, who weighed 560 pounds.  I did not care for it, so that by the time I was tempted by "Long Bright River," I had completely forgotten about "Heft."  Until I read Moore's previous credits.

                                   Well, she has acquitted herself with this book.  Remember the Rush sisters on "Cold Case?"  Lily was played by Kathyrn Morris, and Christina, portrayed by Nicki Aycox.  If this book is ever filmed, those actresses should be slotted right in there, because the setting is the Kensington section of Philadelphia, where all grew up, and the main characters here are sisters, Michaela, known as Mickey, a beat cop, and her sister Kacey, who, like Christina, is  a street living, down and out, addict.  Here, Kacey goes missing, and Mickey is determined to find her, and what she does is undo a mess of things in Kensington, including a drug ring and a serial killer, whom I never suspected.  And if an author can elude me, darlings, that's pretty good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Swiftly written, and with a quick, narrative pace, this had me turning pages till I could not stop.  I have not read so entertaining a thriller in months, and I hope Moore stays on this track, and not the "Heft" one.

                                        I am telling you, girls, you have got to read it!

                                        Great with tea, on these cold, winter nights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!