these blurbs are exceptionally fun to read! didn’t john steinbeck write the “cannery row” beauty? salinger wrote CATCHER IN THE RYE and then stayed home the rest of his life! not so goofy when one really stops to think about it! check out SWEENEY TODD, the film—such a sondheim endorsed improvement over the broadway version…rickman sensational…depp and bonham carter cute…but that’s okay…lightens the story up a tad…music absolutely infectious!

LEATHERHEADS quite a quaint throwback to the thirties and forties era of fun, gentle, atmospheric films—critics and i disagreed on the wonderfulness of the movie..but then again that’s not news! actually an improvement with regard to some of the screwballier attempts decades ago…zellwgger nearly stole it! anxious to see it last week-end as george partially filmed in my daddy’s old hometown and right outside my beautiful cousin’s office window…she TOLD me all about seeing him day after day after day! fun looking for landmarks! sometimes this “talk to us” rectangle is tricky? evaporates when one “previews” once too often? 2nd time i attempted to brag about my vicarious closeness to george via my first cousin! poof-there my message went—into the stratosphere—ah, well—the story of my life, thus far!

jennifer! have you checked out the www.wowowow.com web-site??????..those ladies are as sweet and gentle and upbeat as you are! finally have it sorta figured out—at first, i got ornery—i tend to do that with this new form of communication…but then when i catch on and really take a shine to something, i am a goner! i have been playing for hours now…they even recommend a video hosted by liz smith, whom i love, giving techie tips…so neat! one of these days, “hubby-poo” will lock me outta my “office” back here—in the meantime, what fun, though! and to think i shall be even closer to retirement age next month! mercy! e.e. still plugged in and ever the child!

i simply love this, even though i wrote it…i wish that i could be a pamphleteer and drop copies of this all around the world from my magic carpet…i actually think i’m on TO something…guess i should change my name to thomas paine-in-th-b*tt! read on! LIFE’S IMITATION OF ART—OR VICE VERSA? Regarding NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THERE WILL BE BLOOD (inspired by Upton Sinclair’s 1927novel, OIL!), and IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (based upon actual events), eager consumers/customers queue up at bookstore cash registers, movie ticket box offices, and DVD rental shops for doses of violence—or enlightenment? Daily, the senselessness of human cruelty is thrown into our faces with every turn of a newspaper page, click of a mouse, or flick of a remote control. Muslims and Iraqi puppies handily disposed of as we voyeuristically watch. Pulp fiction emerges as telling reality while lunching at Wendy’s, browsing at Von Maur’s, purchasing underwear at Lane Bryant’s, or matriculating like a herd of cattle into almost any college/university lecture hall or classroom. Ah, yes—massacres occurring right and left during this recent season, this HUNTING season, where annihilation of Life reaches commonplace status. All three mentioned movies might be categorized as extolling violence, but none of them, nor the blood-letting depicted, conjures comparatively as much audience quaking as once did those rough walks home from school while taunted and harassed by snot-nosed bullies. Remember? These films astonish with their eerily accurate portrayals of the human condition and resonate with total horrible believability. Villains seem difficult to easily identify as life-forces swirl randomly around all characters’ interactions. Classic novels once adhered to the rules of triangular structure, i.e. introduction, climax and conclusion. “Once upon a time” followed by build-up to a significant crisis/dilemma resolved itself into a denouement of “happily ever after”. Modern fiction nearly uniformly breaks from that pattern and for good reason. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN recently garnered the Oscar and, thus, alerted the public to the film’s existence—with mixed results. Advice? View this quirky cinematic endeavor as “a real page-turner”, for the Coen Brothers innovatively transferred the movie’s script from author Cormac McCarthy’s galley proofs somewhat directly to the screen. How dare any of us sanctimoniously sniff that “the book is better than the movie” when the book IS the movie, though no longer held in your own two hands nor upon your lap? This trilogy of 2007 cinematic terror hammers home important themes—allow Muslims to be Muslims, Christians to be Christians, armies to be armies, corporations to be corporations, politicians to be politicians, tribes to be tribes, cults to be cults marching to the beat of the drummer heard, whether singly, in pairs, groups, or clusters. Beware though, upon review of the films, several troubling questions tenaciously haunt the mind. Does group-think somehow create more monsters than usual, either as part of the cliques/gangs themselves—or consequentially produce loners, mavericks, rebels, loose cannons quite simply frustrated with the collective status quo? Also, the ultimate query remains that time-honored cliche’ “Which came first?”…(Forget the chicken or the egg!) violence or the movies? As NO COUNTRY’S dispassionate slaughter-house-foreman-type dispatcher of death, Spaniard Javier Bardem, that soulful skillful young coin-flipping actor, demands of a cross-sectional bewildered member of the family-of-man, ” Call it, friendo!”

you are ginger rogers beautiful, liz…your auto-biography graces my multitudinous collection of bookshelves…gonna look for it today! loved your remarks at the gov. ann richards memorial service..remember them still. can you believe that ben stein has put together a documentary bashing EVOLUTION and likening “survival of the fittest” to “the final solution”—caught that on the fox channel friday evening…and wondered what century we might be part of lately as even great minds are operating in a backward motion? i still dig darwin—stein can’t touch me with his mania—i’ll just climb a tree to avoid him…then after consuming several bananas, i shall hurl the skins at him AND his documentary—as i stated elsewhere on this site, wondering whether this earth of ours can currently be referred to as passing through some demented phase—SLAPSTICK or CATASTROPHE? just click onto your choice. where would we all be without polling? a lot better off? and much less stereotyped!

Thank you for your letter to The Washington Post. > THIS IS HILARIOUS! READ ON! > >> >> (explanation of journalistic bullet points! evidence supplied!) this really tickles me i have sent >>> letters to other papers occasionally—in various states, especially >>> pennsylvania, north carolina, michigan, even the ole indy star—all for >>> hillary and her upcoming primaries? the procedures AND the aloofness >>> AND the requirements are outta totalitarian- regime- left -field, as you >>> will read in the reply below—-funny, the auto-reply to my letter >>> contains exactly 8 bullet-points just like my registered complaint? also >>> IF they publish, certain papers wish to then OWN the letter…whatever >>> happened to the paul revere/town-crier/ pamphleteer thomas paine >>> approach to spreading the news far and wide? “the more the merrier!” >>> conversely, would a newspaper establishment print only one copy of >>> “today’s paper”? this is america, for pity’s sake! the “fourth estate” >>> kinda languishing these days…looks like they’d encourage readers and >>> contributors—if only to sell more “rags”! plus, the little blocked-off >>> formats one must “fill in” are a royal pain…even just to blog, which >>> is probably where we’re all headed—toward blogging and texting! the >>> fewer glorious words and less meaningful communication the better? how >>> nuts is that? i boast of having been a champion speller once upon a >>> time in my “school days” youth—one of my favorite cartoons depicts an >>> old codger wearing a visor as he sits in a cubicle, hunched over an old >>> manual typewriter—he is surrounded by an anxious, youthful-looking >>> crowd of yuppie office workers—the caption reads, “well, he’s the ONLY >>> one left who can spell!” my days are numbered, no doubt! >>> >>> e.e.cummings admits now, though, to >>> referring to spell-check (cheque?) >>> >>> READ BELOW FOR THE WASHINGTON POST RECIPE FOR SUCCESS! >>> Subject: AUTO REPLY: Thank you for your letter to The Washington Post. >>> >>> >>>> >>>> [Please do NOT reply to this e-mail, it will not be read.] >>>> >>>> Thank you for sending us your letter to the editor. We read every >>>> letter >>>> that we receive (yes, we really do), and we appreciate and value the >>>> views >>>> of those who take the time to send us their comments. Because of the >>>> volume >>>> of letters we receive, we cannot respond to the authors of letters we >>>> are >>>> unable to use. If we wish to publish your letter, we will contact you >>>> in >>>> advance of publication. While you are reading this, here are some other >>>> tips on how to increase the chances of having your letter published in >>>> The >>>> Post: >>>> >>>> 1. Letters should be fewer than 200 words and exclusive to The >>>> Washington Post. >>>> 2. The letter may not have been submitted to or published by any >>>> other >>>> media or Internet outlet. This includes comments or feedback posted to >>>> Web >>>> sites. If you have posted similar comments to a Web site, your letter >>>> will >>>> not be considered. >>>> 3. The letter must include the writer’s full name, home address, >>>> e-mail >>>> address, and home, business and cellular telephone numbers. Anonymous >>>> letters will not be considered, nor does The Post permit the use of >>>> pseudonyms. >>>> 4. Letters must disclose the writer’s involvement, affiliations or >>>> relationship with the subject matter of the letter. >>>> 5. All letters are subject to abridgment. >>>> 6. Do not send attachments; they will not be read. >>>> 7. We prefer letters that cite an article or item that has appeared >>>> in >>>> the print edition of The Post within the past three weeks; we do not >>>> publish letters that respond to Web site-only articles or items. >>>> 8. To make your e-mailed letter as easy for us to read as possible, >>>> do >>>> not send any graphics or digital letterhead, put the text of your >>>> letter in >>>> the body of the e-mail, and remember to cite the article or item you >>>> are >>>> writing about in the body or subject line. >>>> >>>> >>>> Again, thank you for sending us your letter. >>>> >>>> >>>> Sincerely, >>>> The Letters Editor >>>> >>>>READ ON! >>>> ———————————————————————————————————- >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> LETTER TO ALL EDITORS—and some cable pundits! >>>> ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT TO…VENT! >>>> >>>> Hey, maybe the following recommendations do not assure “good >>>> journalism” >>>> nor, in other circles, responsible broadcasting; still, as media >>>> consumers >>>> and occasional voluntary or involuntary contributors, let’s give this >>>> process the old college try and turn the tables. >>>> >>>> Note to all paid peddlers of newsworthy information: >>>> >>>> 1. Keep it simple, but NOT dumbed down. >>>> >>>> 2. Concise may be nice, yet withholding sufficient copy appears >>>> sinister, not to mention manipulative. >>>> >>>> 3. Character assassinations qualify as abhorrent; however, since the >>>> dawn >>>> of smoke signals, gossip makes the world go ‘round—and sells really >>>> well. >>>> >>>> 4. Reserving the right to edit connotes, at the very least, the >>>> existence >>>> of a doctoral degree in literature for starters. >>>> >>>> 5. Fill in the blanks or appropriate boxed-in-areas with YOUR >>>> personal “stats” and qualifications. >>>> >>>> 6. Compose an original, one-of-a-kind, non-repetitive, uplifting, >>>> honest, >>>> unbiased, socially-responsible, flawlessly >>>> grammatical message within the limited space provided. >>>> >>>> 7. Click SUBMIT. >>>> >>>> 8. Be advised, if we deem your contributions as worthy of our time? >>>> Don’t call us; we’ll call you. >>>> >>>> Sincerely yours, >>>> >>>> The Paying Public

newspapers as we knew them—on the way out— the glory of words succumbs to blogging and finally interred into texting—bye bye smug world of journalism—why don’t you attempt to save yourself by re-inventing the NEWS-PAPER—i.e. paper with news written upon it…cuz blogging and texting just ain’t the same! read on! ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT TO…VENT! Hey, maybe the following recommendations do not assure “good journalism” nor, in other circles, responsible broadcasting; still, as media consumers and occasional voluntary or involuntary contributors, let’s give this process the old college try and turn the tables. Note to all paid peddlers of newsworthy information: 1. Keep it simple, but NOT dumbed down. 2. Concise may be nice, yet withholding sufficient copy appears sinister, not to mention manipulative. 3. Character assassinations qualify as abhorrent; however, since the dawn of smoke signals, gossip makes the world go ‘round—and sells really well. 4. Reserving the right to edit connotes, at the very least, the existence of a doctoral degree in literature for starters. 5. Fill in the blanks or appropriate boxed-in-areas with YOUR personal “stats” and qualifications. 6. Compose an original, one-of-a-kind, non-repetitive, uplifting, honest, unbiased, socially-responsible, flawlessly grammatical message within the limited space provided. 7. Click SUBMIT. 8. Be advised, if we deem your contributions as worthy of our time? Don’t call us; we’ll call you. Sincerely yours, The Paying Public

LIFE’S IMITATION OF ART—OR VICE VERSA? Regarding NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THERE WILL BE BLOOD (inspired by Upton Sinclair’s 1927novel, OIL!), and IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (based upon actual events), eager consumers/customers queue up at bookstore cash registers, movie ticket box offices, and DVD rental shops for doses of violence—or enlightenment? Daily, the senselessness of human cruelty is thrown into our faces with every turn of a newspaper page, click of a mouse, or flick of a remote control. Muslims and Iraqi puppies handily disposed of as we voyeuristically watch. Pulp fiction emerges as telling reality while lunching at Wendy’s, browsing at Von Maur’s, purchasing underwear at Lane Bryant’s, or matriculating like a herd of cattle into almost any college/university lecture hall or classroom. Ah, yes—massacres occurring right and left during this recent season, this HUNTING season, where annihilation of Life reaches commonplace status. All three mentioned movies might be categorized as extolling violence, but none of them, nor the blood-letting depicted, conjures comparatively as much audience quaking as once did those rough walks home from school while taunted and harassed by snot-nosed bullies. Remember? These films astonish with their eerily accurate portrayals of the human condition and resonate with total horrible believability. Villains seem difficult to easily identify as life-forces swirl randomly around all characters’ interactions. Classic novels once adhered to the rules of triangular structure, i.e. introduction, climax and conclusion. “Once upon a time” followed by build-up to a significant crisis/dilemma resolved itself into a denouement of “happily ever after”. Modern fiction nearly uniformly breaks from that pattern and for good reason. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN recently garnered the Oscar and, thus, alerted the public to the film’s existence—with mixed results. Advice? View this quirky cinematic endeavor as “a real page-turner”, for the Coen Brothers innovatively transferred the movie’s script from author Cormac McCarthy’s galley proofs somewhat directly to the screen. How dare any of us sanctimoniously sniff that “the book is better than the movie” when the book IS the movie, though no longer held in your own two hands nor upon your lap? This trilogy of 2007 cinematic terror hammers home important themes—allow Muslims to be Muslims, Christians to be Christians, armies to be armies, corporations to be corporations, politicians to be politicians, tribes to be tribes, cults to be cults marching to the beat of the drummer heard, whether singly, in pairs, groups, or clusters. Beware though, upon review of the films, several troubling questions tenaciously haunt the mind. Does group-think somehow create more monsters than usual, either as part of the cliques/gangs themselves—or consequentially produce loners, mavericks, rebels, loose cannons quite simply frustrated with the collective status quo? Also, the ultimate query remains that time-honored cliche’ “Which came first?”…(Forget the chicken or the egg!) violence or the movies? As NO COUNTRY’S dispassionate slaughter-house-foreman-type dispatcher of death, Spaniard Javier Bardem, that soulful skillful young coin-flipping actor, demands of a cross-sectional bewildered member of the family-of-man, ” Call it, friendo!”

whoops! that would be CELEBRITIES—and i’m finally catching the drift of this site—and it’s nice to get hooked!

(oh, there’s more—i came up with MISOGYNY idea before elton john ever said ANYthing—he actually got criticized by the “pundits” alllll day yesterday for using a “european” word…what’s with the dumbing down and sophomoric approach of what’s left of the “press” in 2008? ) READ ON! THE DEMISE OF HUNTLEY, BRINKLEY, CRONKITE, AND SEVAREID We democrats wish to halt the Iraqi skirmish, reverse No Child Left Behind, stabilize the price of oil, address the war on the middle class, advance stem-cell research as well as rejuvenate scientific break-throughs, acknowledge the threat of global-warming, deal fairly with the immigration issue, solve the mortgage crisis, tax-trounce those privileged 1% of the richie riches, create jobs in the greening of America movement while curbing out-sourcing, as well as universally medically insure every man, woman, and child. That’s all we ask! Why oh why then must we watch Senator Barack Obama prance down an aisle lined with rows upon rows of pom-pom waving, scantily-clad, legitimate, eagerly gleeful cheer-leaders, prior to eventually sprinting further along the track toward beaming host Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s College Tour production for an engaging one-on-one interview campaigning for the position of…prom king? Meanwhile, on the Fox Network, the latest poll airs, hovering on television screens across this great country of ours, revealing the results of Senator Hillary Clinton’s phoniness profile? Every misogynist’s dream come true! Gimme an M, gimme an I-S-O-G-Y-N-Y! HISS, BOOM, BAH! All of this just as we finally almost believed there might be “life after high school”!

CHAMELEON MAN SHOOTS SELF IN FOOT Chameleon-man shoots self in foot! Small-town America=gun-toting, bitter, immigrant-loathing, god-fearing folks frightened by the unfamiliar? Hey, Barack scores at last in his accuracy; however in an improper/inappropriate setting, confiding to west coast country-clubbers how the other half, on the wrong side of the tracks, lives. Obama seems to be caught…with his coloration detectors down! What do we have here—slapstick or catastrophe? Mid-western pouting commences, no doubt, even as speech-making Obama attempts to save his fanny in, of all places, Terre Haute, Indiana (April 10)—“high ground” indeed. Punch one delivered to McCain for his lackadaisical indifference toward the troubled economy and its mortgage crisis; punch two toward Hillary for tightening bankruptcy laws awhile back—thus placing the blame for mid-west, small-town, economically-based angst on the two of them. Nice try, Barack, but no one watches television on a Friday night…which could cut both ways for you? So, let’s leave Andy Griffith-ish, Dick van-Dyke-ish Bill Clinton alone for the time being, as he squirms his way through the contrived Bosnian sniper fire brouhaha non-story. Of course, Jeremiah Wright will not resurface until the general election if it comes to that. For now, as campaigning for the democratic presidential nomination wears on, we have bigger fish to fry…and this time, we’ve got ourselves a whopper! Call the taxi-dermist! A spot above the mantel-piece awaits

tony perkins in GREENWILLOW—wherever did that show go? just discovered that tony presented a collection of short stories to possibly hal prince once upon a time who then gave them to stephen sondheim who proceeded to create COMPANY, which my son will be starring in at the end of the month—lead role—you know, BEING ALIVE? hoo-ray! do check out SWEENEY TODD dvd and the concept concert starring patti lupone also on dvd…lansbury suffers by comparison to patti…the movie is an improvement upon all treatments…gotta go re-watch THERE WILL BE BLOOD, which by the way SHOULD be musicalized, believe it or not—-the above presentation has been brought to you by SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION! started out with tony perkins singing his heart out (and apparently stretched his two hands far apart as he sang “NARROW MY BED” and clasped them together for the lyric “wide my world”—interesting guy!) (really great to preview what is written in this midget square to avoid mis-typings—keep this in! “fumble-fingers” approves!) tony was slated to star in COMPANY, but dean jones did, had a break-down and so larry kert (my favorite) stepped in….wish i owned that cd.

just wondering if bill maher may be correct when he implies that web-sites=bathroom graffiti..and that celbrities lend their names to such with the expectation that we will talk amongst ourselves like barbra s. recommends? kinda similar to existing in a play-pen of gab…or attending a “hen party” (husbands say that sorta stuff). at any rate, we still hold ourselves at arm’s length from one another and hide behind pseudonyms…thanks charlie rose for introducing more of us to these ladies, but where are they, really—many names got dropped—liz smith is exceptional…but in wandering about this site, i feel somehow lost and alone…oh, well, at least i bit for the moment…clever concept…but i’ve got dogs to feed, an election to follow, promises to keep and miles to go before i sleep! hope this makes sense—just feel like i’ve subscribed to a magazine, and that i should put my crayons away after i finish scrawling in the margins?

CHAMELEON MAN SHOOTS SELF IN FOOT Chameleon-man shoots self in foot! Small-town America=gun-toting, bitter, immigrant-loathing, god-fearing folks frightened by the unfamiliar? Hey, Barack scores at last in his accuracy; however in an improper/inappropriate setting, confiding to west coast country-clubbers how the other half, on the wrong side of the tracks, lives. Obama seems to be caught…with his coloration detectors down! What do we have here—slapstick or catastrophe? Mid-western pouting commences, no doubt, even as speech-making Obama attempts to save his fanny in, of all places, Terre Haute, Indiana (April 11)—“high ground” indeed. Punch one delivered to McCain for his lackadaisical indifference toward the troubled economy and its mortgage crisis; punch two slugs Hillary for tightening bankruptcy laws awhile back—thus assigning blame for mid-west, small-town, economically-based angst to the two of them. Nice try, Barack, but no one watches television on a Friday night…which could cut both ways for you? So, let’s leave Andy Griffith-ish, Dick van-Dyke-ish Bill Clinton alone for the time being, as he squirms his way through the contrived Bosnian sniper fire brouhaha non-story. Of course, Jeremiah Wright will not resurface until the general election if it comes to that. For now, as campaigning for the democratic presidential nomination wears on, we have bigger fish to fry…and this time, we’ve got ourselves a whopper! Call the taxi-dermist! A spot above the mantel-piece awaits…