Monday, March 23, 2015

LIFE'S IRONIES AND ANNOYANCES--COOKIES, CRACKERS, KARDASHIANS


WAS IT DELIBERATE THAT THERE WAS A COMMERCIAL FOR MONISTAT ON THE KARDASHIANS LAST NIGHT???? JUST ASKING.....





TODAY AT THE MARKET:





WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PLAIN OREO COOKIES???? They are nowhere to be found.
There was mint, mega, double, triple, chocolate, chocolate coated, thin,-----NO REGULAR COOKIES.



AND WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RY-KRISP????




WHERE ARE THEY????




Sunday, March 22, 2015

IT'S A MERRIN DUNGEY FESTIVAL!!!!



ALL MERRIN, ALL THE TIME........






TONIGHT: ONCE UPON A TIME--EVIL QUEENS






TOMORROW: CHASING LIFE

 LAST WEEK SHE ADDED "BACKSTROM" TO THE FESTIVAL.









AND THIS WEEK SHE SHOOTING THE FOX PILOT "48 HOURS TO MONDAY."


CONGRATULATIONS, MERRIN!!!   WELL DESERVED 

Friday, March 20, 2015

TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK , MONICA LEWINSKY--BRAVO

YOU'RE RIGHT, MONICA LEWINSKY


She wants to bury the blue dress. Monica Lewinsky gave a TED Talk at the 2015 event in Vancouver, Canada, on Thursday, Mar. 19, during which she brought up her infamous affair with former President Bill Clinton back in 1998, while she was a White House intern and he was the leader of the free world.
"At the age of 22, I fell in love with my boss," Lewinsky, now 41, said. "At the age of 24, I learned the devastating consequences... Who didn’t make a mistake at 22?"

"Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of my mistake, and I regret that mistake deeply," she revealed. "In 1998, after having been swept up in an improbable romance, I was then swept up into the eye of a political, legal, and media maelstrom like we had never seen before."
Lewinsky, of course, was referring to the infamous Starr Report released online in 1998, which detailed the most salacious details — and even secret conversations — from her affair with Clinton. "This scandal was brought to you by the digital revolution," she told TED2015 attendees. "It was the first time traditional news was usurped by the Internet, a click that reverberated around the whole world."

She also acknowledged her transgressions. "Now, I admit I made mistakes—especially wearing that beret," she joked. "But the attention and judgment that I received—not the story, but that I personally received — was unprecedented. I was branded as a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo and, of course, 'that woman.' I was known by many, but actually known by few. I get it. It was easy to forget 'that woman' was dimensional and had a soul."

The result was devastating. "In 1998, I lost my reputation and my dignity... I lost my sense of self," she told the crowd. "When this happened to me, 17 years ago, there was no name for it. Now we call it cyber-bullying."
 
After years away from the spotlight, Lewinsky was moved to action by the 2010 suicide of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi. (Clementi jumped to his death after students publicly revealed a private video of him with another man.) Calling Clementi's death "tragic" and "senseless," Lewinsky said Thursday: "It served to recontextualize my experiences. I began to look at the world of humiliation and bullying around me and see something different. Every day online, people — especially young people who are not developmentally equipped to handle this — are so abused and humiliated that they can’t imagine living to the next day."
Lewinsky referred to society's "culture of humiliation."

"Public humiliation as a blood sport has to stop," she pleaded. "We need to return to a long-held value of compassion and empathy... I’ve seen some very dark days in my life. It was empathy and compassion from friends, family, coworkers, even strangers that saved me. Empathy from one person can make a difference. Compassionate comments help abate the negativity."
As for why she's finally speaking out on this matter after years and years of silence? "Because it’s time," she said. "Time to stop tiptoeing around my past … Time to take back my narrative. Anyone who is suffering from shame and public humiliation needs to know one thing: you can survive it. I know it’s hard. It may not be painless, quick, or easy, but you can insist on a different ending to your story."

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

KIM NOVAK HONORED AT PRAGUE FILM FESTIVAL




US ON THE RANCH


 
Dancing Trees by Kim Novak  www.KimNovaKartist.com

 

 

American actress Kim Novak arrives in Prague to be honored by the Febiofest Film Festival

Exhibition of Her Art  also planned


17-03-2015 12:14 | Ruth Fraňková
American actress of Czech descent, Kim Novak, known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Vertigo and many other films, arrived in Prague on Monday. The 81-year-old actress will attend the Febiofest international film festival which gets underway on Thursday. She will be receiving the Kristian award for her lifelong contribution to world cinematography at the festival’s opening. The actress will also have an exhibition of her paintings on display at the Strahov Monastery in Prague.

I LOVE "THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT" SERIES CREATED BY TINA FEY AND ROGER CARLOCK






THIS IS STREAMING ON NETFLIX RIGHT NOW. It is funny, witty, sophisticated, and a joy to watch It stars Ellie Kemper as a freed Mormon cult prisoner who moves to New York and moves into a basement apartment with a drag queen played by Tituss Burgess. Carol Kane is the landlady, and Ellie gets a job as a nanny to really rich Jane Krakowski's kids. You just have to suspend disbelief and go with this. You'll thank me.


AND DON'T FORGET "HOUSE OF CARDS" ALSO ON NETFLIX. OMG. I'm already finished with it and I HATE that. I want more.

ANOTHER SUPPOSED CELLULITE MIRACLE



DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR TO ANYONE????




ACCORDING TO THIS MONTH'S TOWN & COUNTRY, your problems are over.  


In one 45 minutes session, CELLFINA releases the tethering bands (fibrous septae) that pull down your skin and cause the dimpling. CELLFINA can be used in a doctor's office instead of a hospital and, according to Kaminer, is "minimally invasive and eliminates risk of bleeding and scarring."
(How nice....)

The doctor places CELLFINA, a palm-sized device, over the dimpled spot (so far only approved for buttocks and thighs), which is then sucked up and injected with a numbing solution. Then a slim tool is inserted exactly six mm. "If you think of the fibrous septae as rope, this tool taps and taps on it until it starts to fray and release itself. Once that happens the skin is flattened and the dimples are gone."


PRICE:  15-20 DIMPLES  $2000-$5000




Monday, March 16, 2015

THE TRUTH BEHIND "FASHION POLICE"










DO I KNOW WHAT'S REALLY BEEN GOING ON? YES, I DO. I'm not able to tell all because of loyalty to the Rivers Family as well as how much I adore Kelly.

I'll say two things:

1. Don't fall for Kathy's released statements or comments on the talk shows.

2. This show has always belonged to the Rivers Family and that's the way it will stay.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

ANN DEXTER-JONES PRIVATE JEWELRY SHOW--WOW


Ann Dexter-Jones, Host Cameron Silver, and Crystal Lourd.



The party was held at Florence Azria's house in Bel Air, and also hosted by Florence and Irena Medavoy. When you entered the house, waiters were there with champagne flutes filled with champagne and rose syrup! I have never tasted a better champagne cocktail. In addition, Laduree in Paris flew in all the macaroons and pastries. It was a sweet, sweet day.


Ann Dexter-Jones is VERY COOL. She is witty and bright, and has led a fascinating life. Her father was an adventurer, and took Ann all around the world at an early age. She was dazzled by the colors and textures, and the older she got, the more she wanted to travel. She's from England, and happens to be the mother of Samantha Ronson, Charlotte Ronson, and Mark Ronson. Divorced from Ronson after years of marriage, she met and married Mick Jones, the lead guitarist of Foreigner. She and Jones divoreced recently. "Im a rock and roll jeweler, but I'm also inspired by the classics. ID bracelets were the first things I made because no one had improved their designe for decades," said Dexter-Jones. Her jewelry is available excluisvely at Barneys and Net-A-Porter.

 These ID bracelets are all inlaid. That has never been done before.
Bracelet watches deliberately designed so watches don't move

Star bracelets

This color should be white gold with diamond ID necklaces. GREAT


Quiche with black truffles

Kimberly Beck Clark, Melissa Claire Egan, Catherine Bach, Irena, Rosanna Arquette. Anjelica Huston and Jennifer Stallone missed the picture!

Julia and Kimberly

KENNY SOLMS' BOOK PARTY FOR "BITS."






KENNY SOLMS IS A REAL CHARACTER. HE IS A COMEDY WRITER/PRODUCER who has written (mostly along with his partner, Gail Parent) much of variety television for two decades.Here is Kenny's bio because I'm too tired to redo it it my own words:



Kenny Solms began his professional career in New York, teamed with New York University classmate Gail Parent to write revue material for Leonard Sillman's Broadway revue New Faces of 1968 and for New York's famed Upstairs at the Downstairs. His association with Ms. Parent subsequently became one of the most successful collaborations in American comedy. Following the runway success of three comedy albums (including Our Wedding Album, a hilarious spoof of the Luci Baines Johnson wedding) and a season on Steve Allen's Comedy Hour, Solms created and wrote the first four seasons of the Emmy Award-winning Carol Burnett Show for which he received an award from the Writers Guild of America. He wrote numerous television specials for such stars as Julie Andrews, Ann-Margret, Mary Tyler Moore, Bing Crosby, Dick Van Dyke, Anne Bancroft, and Bill Cosby. His writing of Sills and Burnett at the Met earned him a Peabody Award. Solms wrote and produced The Smothers Brothers Show, Three Girls Three and two HBO specials starring Carol Burnett and Martin Mull. Solms wrote the book for the Jule Styne/Comden & Green musical Lorelei, which starred Carol Channing. He was reunited with Gail Parent when they adapted her novel Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York into a motion picture starring Roy Scheider and Jeannie Berlin. Solms has been head writer and producer for numerous television variety specials including Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration and Neil Diamond's Hello Again. Solms also wrote and produced the HBO special The Return of Bruno, Burnett "Discovers" Domingo for CBS, This Is Your Life, Kelsey Grammer Salutes Jack Benny, and is a frequent contributor to Touched by an Angel. He has recently finished writing a new musical for Broadway, Ain't That a Kick in the Head, based on the songs of Sammy Cahn.

Liz Torres starred in Kenny's play. "It Had to Be You."

Writer Treva Silverman and friend

Kenny signs for Gail and Barry Tyerman

Arnold Stiefel, Ann, Kenny, Tim

Mimi Kennedy and Gail Parent

Melissa Rivers


The list goes on and on. The number of times Kenny and I spent hanging out with our beloved Joan R are too numerous to count. Kenny had a book party at Book Soup last week, and over a third of the people there were at Joan;s funeral in New York. It was the first time we had all been together since that day. No one wanted to talk about it, including myself. It's just too hard.

But Kenny had a ball reading chapters to us, commenting on people in the audience and elsewhere--


"Hey, Obama and Netanyahu--it's Shabbat. Don't do this."

"Sandy Gallin left early so he could have dinner with Jeff Katzenberg. It's ok. He bought a book."

"Liza is my neighbor. She took a book of mine and I can't get it back."

"If you're running out of ambien, don't order from Medco."

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Monday, March 9, 2015

RONA BARRETT'S DREAM COME TRUE PLUS MORE SUCCESSES






Rona Barrett Foundation Hits $800,000 Fundraising Goal for Golden Inn & Village

By Kelly Kapaun for the Rona Barrett Foundation |

The Rona Barrett Foundation is thrilled to announce it has met its $800,000 fundraising goal for the construction of the Golden Inn & Village.
The foundation wishes to thank the many generous community partners and donors who contributed toward the construction of the first affordable senior housing and residential care “aging in place” facility in Santa Ynez Valley.
Additional funds are still needed for the GIV’s Assisted Living and Memory Care housing. Construction for the GIV is slated to begin this month with a completion date in the fall of 2016.
The GIV will now receive $23 million in tax credits needed to start building. The Rona Barrett Foundation, in partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, was required to raise $800,000 by March 1. The tax credits mean that an estimated $23 will be returned as community dividends in the form of local jobs, local salaries and local expenditures for equipment, transportation and supplies.





I AM SO PROUD OF RONA. She has worked for years to make this dream come true, and they will actually be breaking ground in the next month We celebrated by having lunch at The Upham Hotel in Santa Barbara--a favorite of ours. We both sat outside in the gazebo after lunch and decided we never wanted to leave. It is so tranquil.







 Staying here would be like escaping to an inn in New England--only in great weather. There are beautiful rooms
as well as bungalows with fireplaces and private patios. And, the food at Louie's Bistro is fantastic





-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DINNER AT BARTON G ON LA CIENEGA

 This is the perfect special occasion restaurant, or the place you want to take out-of-town guests Their food is good, but the way it is served is what's special. I don't want to tip off the surprises. Believe me, make a reservation for a birthday or anniversary.

I was celebrating two things that night: A big welcome to visitor from London, Gail Sackloff, OBE, British fashion leader who, among other things, discovered Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, plus she works with Prince Charles on commerical products to support his Highgrove Foundation---and writer Ellen Weston, whose musical, "Josephine," based on the life of Josephine Baker, is having it's pre-Broadway engagement next May in Sarasota, Florida. "Josephine" is produced by Ken Waissman (Grease, Agnes of God), directed by Tony nominee Joey McKneeley, book by Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton, and music and lyrics by John Bettis and Steve Dorf. It will star recording star Deborah Cox who did all the Whitney  Houston vocals for the Lifetime movie. Deborah also did "Aida" on Broadway and the touring company of "Jekyll and Hyde."

Gail, Me, Ellen


Deborah Cox




















Monday, March 2, 2015

TODAY IS DUSTY SPRINGFIELD'S ANGEL DAY







I READ RECENTLY ON FACEBOOK THE EXPRESSION "ANGEL DAY" USED TO REFERENCE THE DAY SOMEONE GOES TO HEAVEN. I LIKE THAT. IT FEELS BETTER.


March 2, 1999


Sunday, March 1, 2015

I FEEL COMPELLED TO SHARE THINGS (SIGNIFICANT AND VERY INSIGNIFICANT) THAT ARE BOTHERING ME RIGHT NOW



YOU KNOW HOW THOSE EVERY DAY LITTLE THINGS CAN DRIVE YOU NUTS?

I started to write them down yesterday--for better or worse.


ANNOYING:

"Bachelor" contestant Whitney's high, nasal baby voice 


Prius drivers seem to drive much more slowly than other drivers 


People who are making a left turn ahead of you not pulling into the middle of the intersection

Kale that isn't "massaged" enough

Too many people posting pix of themselves with celebrities who don't even know who they are as if they are really friends

Environmentally correct low-flush toilets

"The Today Show" anchors and reporters who are giggling and high-fiving each other to boost ratings


Criticism of John Travolta

In correct grammar on TV shows. It's mostly on soaps where they say things like, "Her and I" or "I should have went." It is primarily the incorrect pronouns that drive me insane. I have ready MANY soap scripts and it is written incorrectly there and no one catches it early. It makes it on the air. "I should have went" mostly appears on prime time crime shows.

Undisciplined children

People riding bikes on city streets. I don't care if it's legal. It shouldn't be. It causes severe, life and death problems 


Dark meat chicken in Chinese restaurants. Do you know that when the economy went sour a few years ago, that friendly Orange Chicken you order was switched to dark meat only, but the price you are charged is for white meat??? 


Butt implants. That is insane. A fat rear end in NOT attractive. You look deformed. P.S. Jennifer Lopez' is REAL


A single gray streak in black hair

A so-called "funny and young" Oscar show to get ratings. Bring back white tie and tails as dress code for host, presenters and nominees--obviously the women wear gowns. In ABCs and The Academy's desperate desire for ratings they have almost sunk to the level of the VMAs. 


Trying to bring back the 70s in fashion and decor. Stop it.