Tag Archives: movies

Flying with Judy Garland

I just came across an interesting quote on flying from Judy Garland….

I can only imagine what she would have to say if she were flying today…

“I hate flying. I don’t want to die. I’ve never met a cast of people I wanted to die with. You go on an airplane and see the people sitting there reading Reader’s Digest…you don’t want to die with them, you KNOW, you don’t want to die with them!

First of all I get top billing: JUDY GARLAND dies in plane crash. For other deceased, turn to section D page eighteen, where they have them listed alphabetically.

What are we doing flying around in airplanes? The birds don’t even go that high! You have to strap yourself in and HOPE…and there’s no hope and NO OXYGEN!

I have to make friends with the pilot, whereupon he tells me that his children are just as important to him as mine are…forget it! His life isn’t NEARLY as important as my life is to me! Call it sheer selfishness, I don’t really CARE!”

 


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My Grown Up Christmas List

People tell me I am impossible to buy for at Christmas time, so I thought I would make it easier for them this year.

Here is my Grown Up Christmas List.  I don’t mean that smaltzy song about no more wars, no more people torn apart, etc.  I’m not that optimistic, so I’ll set my sights a little lower…

I have more than enough “stuff”, so here is what I really want….

If you can’t get it all now, I’m patient.

My Birthday is in October…

  1. That I win the Powerball lottery.  I’m not greedy, but it would be nice if the Jackpot was more than$50MM.
  2. For there to be a retro revival among today’s youth making Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Lena Horne, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen Role Models again.
  3. For all religious Colleges and Universities to go out of business so their “students” would have to deal with the real world and a diversity of opinions and backgrounds while getting a real education.
  4. A return to the concepts of personal honor, responsibility and dignity.
  5. Manners.  Good manners…..
  6. The understanding that it is preferable to look and act like Ladies and Gentlemen rather than Goths, Pimps, Bigots, Braggards, Thugs, Slackards, Bikers and ‘Ho’s…
  7. That Occupy Wall Street comes roaring back to life in the Spring and is the major force in the 2012 elections.
  8. The abolition of all MBA programs and a renewed focus on Liberal Arts Educations that teach people to think, not manipulate numbers for personal gain.
  9. A decent nation-wide passenger train service so we can avoid our horrible airlines.
  10. That Virgin Atlantic airways takes over the entire US Airline industry and shows them how to do it right.
  11. The understanding that some countries do some things better than we do and that it’s okay to learn from that…
  12. The return of the Preppie Look that was so popular in my youth. We really did look cute….
  13. Laws mandating technology that Telephones and mobile devices will shut down while a motor vehicle engine is running or the person is in a Theatre or Concert Hall.
  14. For people to finally realize and accept that Marriage is, in actuality, only a legal contract between two people, regardless of their sex, that conveys certain public and private protections and obligations and that has nothing to do with religion.  Therefore, it’s not any one else’s goddamn business but those two people so contracted.
  15. If we can’t legalize Gay Marriage, let’s criminalize Straight Divorce.  I’m not above revenge….
  16. That people realize there is no longer any such thing as a Country Club, fiscally responsible, socially liberal Republican.
  17. That someone can logically explain to me why people who think they are such good Christians and moral arbitrators will vote for a  man who abandoned his first wife in the hospital for his mistress, then had an affair on wife number 2, said mistress,  with the latest Mrs Gingrich, but still claims to support a “no adultery” pledge.
  18. Someone to prove to me that Mitt Romney is real and isn’t just a big robotic Ken Doll- made in China, of course.
  19. For all the Crocs factories to go out of business and all existing crocs to spontaneously combust.
  20. Public funding of all US Elections and the abolition of private and corporate donations to political candidates.
  21. A Constitutional amendment that Corporations are not People and that Money is not Free Speech.
  22. The instant revocation of the tax exempt status of any religious institution of any kind that dabbles in politics by telling people how to vote.
  23. For people to realize, once and for all that it was deregulation and primarily the policies of the George W Bush Administration that ruined our economy and caused the deficit.
  24. That some of the Wall Street “leaders” who helped cause the economic crash actually be held accountable and go to jail.
  25. That people realize we have to invest in the future to grow out of the deficit.
  26. While we are at it, that people finally realize George W Bush and Dick Cheney are War Criminals and they are prosecuted as such.
  27. Fox News goes bankrupt and shuts down.
  28. Legislation that states “opinion” journalism must be so identified on TV with a border of flashing red lights and tap dancing pigs so people will know the difference between reporting and propaganda.
  29. Legislation that all company profits, over a certain percent,  must be reinvested in growing the company and creating jobs, not just sat upon or used for Executive Salaries.
  30. All Corporate lobbying expenditures must be matched equally with taxes -paid dollar to dollar, no loopholes.
  31. Legislation that no company employee may make  salary more than X percentage more than the lowest paid employee.
  32. Permanent incarceration, in solitary confinement, of anyone named Khardashian.
  33. The Cancellation of “Jersey Shore”.
  34. A committee, headed by and with veto power held by me, to be created to determine who is an actual “Star” and who is just trash after some cash.
  35. If the GOP wants people to pee in a cup for a check, then all politicians should do the same.
  36. An IQ test and threshold to run for Public Office.
  37. That all my friends from the past years, who meant so much to me, would join Facebook so I could find them and be in touch again.
  38. That people would exercise some control over how many silly pet pictures with captions they post on Facebook.  An occasional one is  cute, but too many, especially as we grow older,  makes one fear they are becoming pet hoarders or otherwise demented.
  39. That everyone had a full length mirror in their home and looked at it long, hard and critically before going out in public.
  40. Effective Mass transportation in all cities with more than 50,000 people.
  41. Renewed focus on planning, creating, saving and building for the future instead of shopping for useless crap to own now.
  42. Renewed focus on the concept of Quality over Quantity.
  43. Legislation prohibiting any more Broadway Musicals based on relatively recent movies.
  44. That television shows must be at least as long as the total air time of their commercials.
  45. Regular, heavily discounted airline fares between all US  airports and London and Paris.
  46. Requirements that all school districts fund Senior and Junior High School Cultural Exchange Learning trips abroad for all students.  You may raise my taxes for this….
  47. For people in the South to realize the Republican Party is using you and not working for your interests….
  48. For the Tea Party People to finally admit they are just bigots who hate President Obama because he is Black….
  49. That 2012 brings us an election resulting in a Democratic President, Senate and House.  At least, something positive might get done…
  50. That the Tea Party is dead and gone.
  51. For people not to argue about the “War on Christmas” or what holidays and traditions should be recognized, but to just shut up and enjoy a season of good will and sharing time-and cocktails- with friends.
  52. Respect that we share many Holidays and Traditions in December- and at other times-with many people who may not believe as we do- and that’s okay.

If you do celebrate Christmas, I ask you to take this time to think  not just about Jesus’s birth but about his life and what he stood for- helping the poor, feeding the hungry, loving your neighbor- and see how you can emulate these Christian behaviors throughout the coming year.

Let’s try to keep this in mind instead of judging and trying to force your beliefs on others throughout the year….

That’s my job.

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Why Must the Show Go On?

A few words of wisdom from the Master to put Show Biz in perspective….

Noel Coward’s talent is priceless…..

And his words ring so much truer today – with Lindsay Lohan, the Kartrashians and some of our show biz martyrs- than they did 50 years ago…

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Happy Birthday to the Divine Miss M

I really can’t believe Bette Midler is 66 years old today….

How do all these entertainers keep getting older and I don’t?

I loved her from her first hit:

Then she was Oscar nominated for “The Rose”

and brought the house down with her TV performance as Mama Rose in the TV version of “Gypsy”

I hope she has many more Birthdays!!!

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Former Vatican Exorcist Says Yoga and Harry Potter are Satanic Tools

This just supports my long-held theory:  “If it upsets the Vatican, it must be good!”

As a rather slack yogi who loved the Harry Potter movies, all I can say is, this is total nonsense propagated by an elderly man with a closed mind and no sense of humor.

In other words, an Italian Republican…

This is an example of why the Vatican is becoming increasingly irrelevant to so many Catholics and non-Catholics today….

The Vatican’s former chief exorcist says yoga and Harry Potter are tools of the devil.

“Practicing yoga is Satanic, it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter,” Father Gabriele Amorth said this week.

Those seemingly “innocuous” Potter books convince kids to believe in black magic, he said.

“In Harry Potter the Devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells and curses,” said Amorth.

As for yoga, it leads to Hinduism and “all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation,” the 86-year-old priest said.

Amorth made the hellraising remarks at a film festival in the Italian city of Umbria, where he was invited to introduce a movie about exorcism called “The Rite,” which stars Anthony Hopkins, the Telegraph of London reported.

“Satan is always hidden and what he most wants is for us not to believe in his existence,” he said. “He studies every one of us and our tendencies towards good and evil, and then he offers temptations.”

Science can’t explain evil, added Amorth, who claims to have performed 50,000 exorcisms before retiring in 2000. He is both founder and honorary president for life of the International Association of Exorcists.

No surprise, Amorth’s favorite movie is “The Exorcist.”

While the Jesuit’s remarks might strike many as the ravings of a man possessed, Pope Benedict once warned of “subtle seductions” in the Potter books that “dissolve Christianity in the soul.”

The Pope has also warned that yoga “can degenerate into a cult of the body.”

via Former Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth says yoga and Harry Potter are Satanic tools  – NY Daily News.

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Daniel Craig Calls Kardashians ‘F*cking Idiots,’

Another reason to love Daniel Craig….

I’m really offended that I even had to find out who the Kardashians are….And I never watch TV!

They are so omnipresent in the media, you can’t avoid the skanky creatures…..

Daniel puts it in perspective….

Daniel Craig is a very private man, on screen and off. On film, he plays a journalist doing important investigative work, as well as the world’s most famous spy; in real life, he does things like get married in super secret ceremonies. And as he tells British GQ, he’s got good reason for all the secrecy; once you go Kardashian, you never go back.

“I think there’s a lot to be said for keeping your own counsel,” Craig tells the magazine. “You can’t buy it back. You can’t buy your privacy back. ‘Ooh, I want to be alone. ‘F*ck you. We’ve been in your living room. We were at your birth. You filmed it for us and showed us the placenta, and now you want some privacy?'”

In case he wasn’t clear enough that he was talking about the Kardashians — hey, reality shows blend together — he then emphasized his target.

“It’s a career. What can I tell you?” he continues. “It is a career; I’m not being cynical. And why wouldn’t you? Look at the Kardashians, they’re worth millions. Millions! I don’t think they were that badly off to begin with, but now look at them. You see that and you think, ‘What, you mean all I have to do is behave like a f*cking idiot on television and then you’ll pay me millions?'”

In fact, Craig’s comments are quite salient on a day when Kourtney Kardashian announced that she is pregnant… on the cover of Us Weekly.

via Daniel Craig Calls Kardashians ‘F*cking Idiots,’ Talks ‘Dragon Tattoo’ And Reality TV In British GQ.

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Sordid Lives….

If you need some Holiday amusement and/or want to feel better about your own family or community, you must see this movie.

It’s a cult favorite and was later made into an equally amusing series on  TV….

Both are available on DVD.

If you missed it, especially if you are Southern, it might be a good way to spend a little time…

I loved it!

 

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Margin Call

I’m going to make a point to see this soon….

Inspired by true events (think Bear Sterns? Merrill Lynch?)  and with an all-star cast including Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Penn Badley, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker….

It was also just named “Best First Feature” by the New York Film Critics…

I’ll let you know more once I see it….

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Scotty Bowers: Hustler and Confidant to the Stars Tells All

I can’t wait to get my hands on this….

I’ve heard about this guy for years and never thought he would tell his stories.  And from what I read, he’s a pretty honest and dependable guy…

Hollywood Historian William J Mann quoted him in his Katharine Hepburn bio, Kate:  The Woman Who Was Hepburn– which is great reading and well worth your time if you need something to hold you over until this comes out..(http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Woman-Who-Was-Hepburn/dp/0805076255/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1321817616&sr=8-15)

I’ve just pre-ordered a copy at Amazon.com. and can’t wait to read this when it comes out in January or February.

Here’s the link to purchase at Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/Full-Service-Adventures-Hollywood-Secret/dp/0802120075

From Entertainment Weekly:

Scotty Bowers never acted in a single movie. But his story may cast a new light on old Hollywood by revealing the hidden love lives of stars like Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, and Rita Hayworth—all of whom Bowers claims as paramours from his heyday trading sex for money.

Literary agent David Kuhn confirms exclusively to EW that Grove/Atlantic president Morgan Entrekin has bought the rights to Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars, Bowers’ memoir of his years spent as a bartender, confidante, and gigolo to a laundry list of showbiz icons. A GI who moved to Hollywood after World War II, Bowers describes how he and friends serviced actors and actresses on leave from nearby studios—using an LA gas station as their base. He says he later became an in-demand bartender who developed intimate friendships with stars like Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, and Rock Hudson, among others. Now 88 and living in L.A. with his wife of 27 years, Bowers agreed to tell his stories now that most of the celebrities he claims were friends and clients have passed away.

“The book is a window onto the shadow lives of all these people who entertained us and made popular culture, but who in many ways weren’t what they appeared to be,” says Kuhn. “Scotty helped them to fulfill the desires that they couldn’t fulfill themselves.”

Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars is set for release on Feb. 14, 2012.

via Memoirist claims he turned tricks for stars like Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy | Shelf Life | EW.com.

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Quote of the Day: Humphrey Bogart

“The whole world is about three drinks behind. If everyone in the world would take three drinks, we would have no trouble.”

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