Tuesday, August 29, 2017





KIM NOVAK THANKS YOU, TAYLOR!

Taylor Swift's new song evokes 2 iconic movies in both style and content

The lyrics video for “Look What You Made Me Do” references both Gone Girl and Vertigo.

Taylor Swift, Kim Novak in Vertigo, and Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Every weekend, we pick a movie you can stream that dovetails with current events. Old, new, blockbuster, arthouse: They’re all fair game. What you can count on is a weekend watch that sheds new light on the week that was. The movies of the week for August 27 through September 2 are Gone Girl (2014), which is available to digitally rent on AmazonYouTubeVuduiTunes, and Google Play; and Vertigo (1958), which is also available to digitally rent on AmazonYouTubeVuduiTunes, and Google Play.
Taylor Swift began this week by wiping her social media slate clean — deleting old posts and even profile pictures — and ended it by releasing the lyric video for her new track, “Look What You Made Me Do,” with the full music video to premiere at the VMAs on Sunday night. (It’s no accident that Katy Perry is hosting.)
People seem evenly split into two camps over “Look What You Made Me Do”: It’s either interesting or it’s deeply unpleasant. (I confess I’m not feeling it.) But no matter what camp you fall into, the song’s lyric video is worth a look:
The lettering and blocky, graphic artwork is a clear reference to the work of Saul Bass, the iconic minimalist artist whose famous movie title sequences include Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, as well as the title sequence and poster for Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller Vertigo, the latter of which is heavily evoked in the Swift videoIn Vertigo, a husband enlists a woman in his plot to murder his own wife and make it look like suicide — and that woman becomes trapped in a toxic romance with a far more dangerous man.
The allusion to Bass and his work with Hitchcock is a terrific fit for “Look What You Made Me Do,” a song predicated on the idea that Swift has finally had enough and is striking back. She’s got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined: “I don’t like your perfect crime / how you laugh when you lie,” she sings.
Sound familiar? Yeah. In both visually evoking Bass’s work for Hitchcock and singing later in the song about how she “got smarter,” “got harder,” and “rose up from the dead,” Swift is channeling Amy Dunne, the vengeful protagonist of Gone Girl.
When David Fincher’s Gone Girl hit theaters in 2014, the comparisons to Hitchcock were natural. The story of Nick and Amy Dunne, a couple whose marriage is loaded with twisted secrets and psychological traumas that lead it spectacularly awry, seemed like something Hitch would have tackled — not to mention that Gone Girl employs a similar icy detachment in both its style of filmmaking and its female protagonist.
As Amy goes through careful stagings and impersonations to finesse her revenge against her husband, it’s also hard not to think of Vertigo. The two have very different plots, but they draw on many of the same elements for a similarly dastardly plan. In both movies there are impersonations and mistaken identities, dangerous trysts and faked deaths, and hovering over all of it is a potent sense of dread and twisted psychological suspense.
Saul Bass’s poster for Vertigo
Saul Bass’s poster for Vertigo.
In “Look What You Made Me Do” and its lyric video, Swift is evoking them all, killing off her social media profiles so she can “rise up from the dead” and exact her revenge on — well, on a lot of people, it seems: Kanye and Kim, Katy Perry, and whoever else is on her list.
The bloody, noir-like video nods to Vertigo and the lyrics hint at Gone Girl, but the song draws on a trope that’s much bigger than any of them: the formerly innocent woman who’s made herself smarter and stronger than her enemies, and is about to reemerge with a knife. (That Taylor Swift, Vertigo’s Kim Novak, and Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike all play convincingly icy blondes is not coincidental.)
Whether this totally works is up for grabs — the very line “look what you made me do” is queasily evocative of a line that abusers are known to use on their victims in order to turn around the blame for their actions. Then again, part of the reason Amy Dunne is a controversial figure is that it’s not easy to see where the line between victim and villain runs through her persona.
So maybe “Look What You Made Me Do” is too muddled to really parse. But its references seem pretty clear: If you’re trying to figure out what Swift has up her sleeve next, these movies may provide a hint.
Watch the trailer for Vertigo:

Sunday, August 27, 2017

WHITNEY--CAN I BE ME? DOCUMENTARY


        I LOVED WHITNEY HOUSTON, 
        JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE



The new documentary on Showtime all this week, was directed by the talented Nick Broomfield. It is hard to watch because once again we have to go through the tragic story and have our hearts ripped out. BUT, YOU MUST WATCH. It helped me understand her pain and made me feel better she wasn't suffering anymore.

It's brilliant, because it shows unseen footage of the "real" Whitney, a drug-user from the hood who knew how to put on a different face and conquer Hollywood. But, it was the lies---about her relationship with Robyn Crawford, the only stabilizing influence in her life; the lie of hiding her true roots; having a mother who drove her mercilessly and controlled her with an iron fist; the obligation of being the sole support of family hangers-on; and her father grabbing for money.

Bobby Brown was a horrible influence, but she was on drugs before she ever met him. What he did for her was treat her with dispect/ghetto behavior, that was familiar to her because she had low self esteem and thought that was what she deserved. It was too late, really, ut she did have the courage to leave him.

I met Whitney back stage at her first Grammys, and she was lovely. I saw a number of her concerts. Regarding her self-esteem, I once saw her at a big charity event in Hollywood, attended by lots of stars. She was the entertainment, and it was the week that "I Will Always Love You" broke big. She did her show and was incredible. They typical Hollywood charity audience was polite, but didn't really clap hard enough after the last song to warrant an encore. Whitney looked at them and said, "Don't you want to hear 'I Will Always Love You?" Of course they were enthusiastic.

The next day I receive a call from someone connected to the event telling me that Whitney's father called her because Whitney was worried and feeling bad that the audience might not have liked her. I was asked to write something fantastic about Whitney and the show in my column so her father could show it to her and make her feel good.

I was honored to do it; felt sad that Whitney was concerned; and was very happy to make her happy. That's how I experienced her insecurity first hand.



"Can I Be Me?," the title of the documentary, is a question Whitney asked many times in private or to her handlers. How sad that she had to die to achieve it. Thank God she and her similarly, tragically-doomed daughter are together in peace.


Thursday, August 17, 2017

"AVERAGE" L.A. WEEKEND..........



FRIDAY NIGHT---LESLEY ANN WARREN AT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY

Yes, cemetery. The LGBT Center held a fundraising screening of Lesley's movie, CLUE, outside on the lawn in the cemetery. The movie is shown on a mausoleum wall. Hollywood Forever does these screenings on a regular basis and they draw a very nice crowd of about 1000 people. Lesley Ann's appearance drew 2500 people, the largest ever for any screening, and raised $100, 000 for The Center. Congratulations!

Check out Lesley's pants. I want them.


SATURDAY DAY----HAMILTON AT THE PANTAGES





I'd had tickets for HAMILTON early on in New York, but was forced to cancel them because of terrorist threats in New York. When the police with guns hit Times Square.....I'm out!

I was skeptical of HAMILTON because people seemed to be really going over the top about it. Well, I saw it and I'm over the top, too. This production at the Pantages is fantastic. HAMILTON really has changed musical theatre forever. I sat there wide-eyed and at attention the whole time. The touring company is brilliant. Total Broadway quality.


SATURDAY NIGHT-----HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CONNIE STEVENS

Connie opened her home for a New England Lobster-Clambake. She invited her closest friends, members of the SAG board, and, of course, her family. Connie is all about family, and if you're her friend, you're "in forever." She looked absolutely beautiful.

Joely, Connie, and Tricia Leigh

Connie's backyard was so welcoming


Tricia and Lainie Kazan



And, at Connie's, there were prayers for
Joe Bologna. His wife and kids were by
his side that night. He and Renee have been
fixtures at Connie's parties for over 40 years.
He died the next day. God bless you,
Sweet, Funny Joe.






SUNDAY----BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS AND TAROT READINGS


Erika, Lynne, Merrin, Lesley, and Jill
At Merrin's suggestion, we went to Sawyer in Silverlake for brunch and it was glorious. We sat in their beautiful garden and ate fantastic food. Then, it was off to House of Intuition on Sunset where we all had readings.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

JIMMY CARTER'S BIBLE CLASS IN PLAINS, GEORGIA


DID YOU KNOW THAT FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER TEACHES A BIBLE CLASS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT HIS HOME CHURCH IN PLAINS, GEORGIA? 
                                      I DIDN'T.

My friends from Palm Springs, Keith Coplen and Bryan Kraft, retired heavy-duty political operatives, read somewhere that Jimmy taught a class a few times a year in Plains, and saw that the next date was coming soon. They literally made plane reservations that moment and went. THAT'S how life should be lived, I think. When they returned, they told me that their lives were "forever changed" by the experience.




Keith and Bryan sitting in the pew
Jimmy's childhood bedroom
Plains "business district"
Police station
Rosalynn's birthplace





Original Carter Family Farm

Train Depot and also headquarters for his presidential campaign

Billy Carter's gas station





City Hall

Entering Plains--FEWER THAN 700 PEOPLE LIVE THERE

The Cafeteria






Keith in front of the restaurant




The only restaurant (at left) in Plains is The Cafeteria
Fried Chicken, greens, and mac 'n' cheese. What else?

















Jimmy's boyhood home




Where Jimmy and Rosalynn live now. You can't get in.

Monday, August 7, 2017

LYNDA CARTER CONCERT AT PALM SPRINGS COMIC-CON


FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER AT COMIC-CON, 

LYNDA CARTER WILL DO HER SENSATIONAL CONCERT ACT 

AT THE PALM SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER, AUGUST 26






I have been watching Lynda's musical act since the 80s in Las Vegas and all over the country. You are in for a treat. And her band.....all Grammy-winning musicians.

FOR TICKETS:
comicconpalmsprings.com

August 26
8 p.m.
Palm Springs Convention Center

Note: Lynda is not appearing inside the Comic-Con Festival, only at the theatre.

Sunday, August 6, 2017

DUNKIRK, THE MOVIE--YES, NO, MAYBE?


DUNKIRK IS HOLLYWOOD'S DARLING RIGHT NOW. ALL YOU HEAR IS OSCAR, OSCAR, OSCAR...AND I'M SURE IT WILL WIN SOME.



To be fair, I am not a fan of war movies. I remember my mother forcing me to sit and watch an old movie called "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" when I was a child. I was terrified. I don't find war movies to be entertainment. A possible exception could be SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, just because the character development was so strong that you really felt connected.

DUNKIRK is not entertainment at all. It's a history lesson with tremendous direction and images by Christopher Nolan. There is very little dialogue. You barely know who anyone is. It is well-made in that you are tense and upset the entire time, which, I guess, is what a war movie should do to an audience. Will you be moved? In my opinion, not very.

Christopher Nolan


I also have to say, that the score by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, was extremely screechy, obtrusive, and annoying. When your attention is taken off a movie plot because you are distracted by the music.....that's a problem. It happened repeatedly to me.

The movie stars Fionn Whitehead as the young soldier trying to get home. He is a wonderful find. Kennth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy are terrific, as well as every single unrecognizable face playing a soldier. Without much dialogue, and no backstory, it is hard to muster up a true caring. I'd best describe it as "generic caring."

Fionn Whitehead


If you're interested in the Academy Awards race, go see it to be informed.