Lifetime: Intimate Portrait Angie Dickinson

Source:Lifetime Intimate Portait Angie Dickinson.

Source:The Daily Review

When I think of Angie Dickinson I’m staring at those eyes and locked into that voice. She reminds me a of smaller Gena Rowlands, another women who just looks and sounds incredible, but who is also a hell of an actress. A true goddess who is both hot and baby-faced adorable where they don’t seem to age and always look like very young women even if they’re in their forties and fifties. Gena is a bigger and taller Angie, but she might be just as adorable. When you look this great and you also can act and make people laugh and sing, you’ll never have to worry about finding a job in Hollywood. Just as long as you don’t piss off the wrong people. And an actress will always be able to be either on TV, or doing movies, or both.

There two movies and perhaps a certain TV show that you’re familiar with when I think of Angie Dickinson. Ocean’s Eleven from 1960, where she plays the wife of compulsive gambler Danny Ocean (played by Frank Sinatra) and The Chase from 1966 where she plays the girlfriend of the sheriff. (played by Marlin Brando) She has a small part in Ocean’s, but a key one and has a great scene where she tells of Danny’s mistress on the phone. When the mistress is confessing to her that she’s seeing her husband. And Angie tells the mistress that, “what you’re saying just makes me want him more.” She has a much bigger role in The Chase where she’s the girlfriend of the sheriff and is very close to Marlin in that movie.

But I believe Angie’s Dickinson’s most important accomplishment to Hollywood is Police Women. Where she plays a police detective sergeant in that movie. That show comes out in 1974 three years before Charlie’s Angels and she plays this gorgeous sexy smart detective sergeant on that show. Who leads police investigation’s and kicks ass at the same time. Police detective shows with female leads now are common and have been since the 1990s. But a big reason for that was Police Women and Angie Dickinson. She showed that you could look like a goddess and also be smart and professional and do important jobs in society and be in charge. And because of Angie NBC, CBS and ABC, (and perhaps even FOX) are always looking for that new hit female detective show.

Angie is simply one of the cutest, hottest, sexiest actress’s with the great voice to match of all-time. I could listen to her read from a phone book, or a tennis rule book and I would end up being fascinated with that bland material that would be great reading material for insomniacs if it was read by just about everyone else. But she makes everything look and sound interesting simply because of who she is. She was great on the Alfred Hitchcock Hour in the early 1960s, playing a women who simply marries men for money and tries to get her latest boyfriend to murder her husband. She’s a true Hollywood Goddess in the sense that she’s an incredibly attractive women, but also a great actress. And she’s one of the top actress’s of her generation and in the business today.
Source:Lifetime

CBS News: 60 Minutes Presents Crime and Punishment: The Capture of James Whitey Bulger

Source:The New Democrat

James Whitey Bulger. To say that James Whitey Bulger is not your average criminal would be like saying that Larry Bird isn’t your average basketball player. (Another famous Boston figure) I’m not a criminologist obviously and yes it also snows in Minnesota, (thanks Captain Obvious) but Whitey is a criminal genius. And if he gets to spend any real-time outside of his cell in the hell hole that he’s going to die in his fellow inmates are going to be able to learn a lot from him. Unless they’re serving life without in prison as well. Here’s a guy whose guilty of at least nineteen murders and yet up until recently hasn’t spent much of his life in prison. He’s been on the streets for most of his life.

Neo-Nazis
I think the only way you can become a Nazi especially as an adult is like the guy in this story. Is that by in large you’re a good person and you’re doing well in life, but suddenly you find yourself out of work and your bills are piling up and you go years without at least a full-time job. You lose your home and perhaps now living a one-room apartment, or maybe in the basement of your parents home. And you’re trying to figure out where you go from there and you run in people you should have nothing to do with. And they start telling you about the dangers of the other races. In this case non-Caucasians in America especially non-Anglo Saxons. I have a hard time believing that a good person whose grown up with people from other races and ethnicities would suddenly become a racist for no apparent reason.

CBS News: Baseball Great Yogi Berra Dead at 90: An icon of Sports & Quotes

Source: CBS News with a look at New York Yankee Yogi Berra.

Source:The Daily Review

I think it would be fairly easy just to write a piece about Yogi Berra featuring a lot of his great one-liners. But we're talking about one of the top 3-5 catchers in the history of Major League Baseball. And yes he was a great comedian, but how many catchers do you know of that were great behind the plate who also have a career 285 bating average with 358 home runs and 1430 RBI. At least statistically we're talking about a better hitting catcher than Johnny Bench who is still the best all around catcher of all-time. Yogi is at least the best all around catcher pre-Johnny Bench who came up with the Cincinnati Reds in 1967.

As far as his humor I love people who put things in a very direct way telling it exactly how it is and using humor with it. Especially when they're not making fun of someone, or some group of people. Who can say ironic things and stuff that they know can't be true, but do it so well and intentionally that you have to laugh at it. Like the Yogi line about baseball being 90% half mental. Well anyone with a basic understanding of mathematics knows that can't be true. But he was so clever about how he said that, that you had to laugh at that. Or saying obvious things, but doing it with perfect timing that again you have to laugh. "When you come to a fork in road, take it."

"You can observe a lot just by watching." Which of course sounds like Captain Obvious under attack and everyone must duck, or get hit in the head with useless information that they've known since they were born. But if you're not someone who tends to be very good about knowing your surroundings and tend to miss things that are right in front of you, that little piece of obvious information can help you. And tell you to pay attention so you don't miss what is going on right in front of you.

"It aint over till it's over." Good message for players who are down a lot in a game, but still have time to turn it around. And instead of thinking, "damn we suck! We're not only going to get blown out, but we might not bother to score!" You would have Yogi saying something like, "relax, I know its 6-0, but its only the 3rd inning. Besides I got a guy in there who can actually pitch now. So just relax and play the game right and we'll get back in it." Telling his players there's a reason why a World Series is seven games and games themselves are nine innings, because you don't win those things early on.

Yogi Berra, again one of the top 3-5 catchers of all-time, but similar to Billy Martin and Phil Rizzuto if he wasn't playing and managing baseball, he could have been a great comedian and talk show host as well. Because of his ability to put things exactly as they are with a little touch of great wit. Which is what great one-liners are. The ability to use common sense to make fun of life and even people in life. The ability to state the obvious without someone saying,"no shit Einstein! You got any other brand new discoveries you would like to share with us?" And because of that and I think especially the humor he's going to be missed for a long time.
Source:Wiley Studios

Lifetime: Intimate Portrait- Elizabeth Taylor

Source:Lifetime- Hollywood Goddess and Babydoll Elizabeth Taylor. 

Source:The Daily Review 

"A made-for-television documentary hosted by Peter Lawford in discussions with close friends, family and colleagues of Elizabeth Taylor about her life and career and featuring clips from her films and archive footage from her personal life." 

From IMDB

Liz Taylor is the Jim Brown, John Unitas, Babe Ruth, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Frank Sinatra, the person in her profession that everyone who comes after her his judged by. The greatest at what she does. Are you as good as Elizabeth Taylor as an actress? If you are, well now you’re the best, but if you’re anything close to her even light years from her you know you’ve made it. If you’re in her class, or just a few classes back from Liz Taylor you’ve made it. You’re not just a successful actress, but you’re a great actress. 

I’ve gone back and forth between Liz and Lauren Bacall when I try to decide who’s the best actress of all-time, because you could make a great case for either and I’m blogging now about Liz, so I’m going to make her case.

But I’ve just don’t know of another actress whose funnier, one of the funniest people who has ever come out of Hollywood. As she said she’s an instinctive and if you’re a great instinctive actress you are also a great improv actress, because you go off of feel about who you’re playing and where the role and the movie, or show is going. That is Liz Taylor. 

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Which isn’t a question, but a movie) Is a perfect example of that where she’s playing a woman whose losing her mind and going crazy if not already there. Its is a very serious role and movie and yet she and Richard Burton are very funny in that. And maybe that’s just because they were working with each other and the chemistry they had. But they made that movie a great movie by themselves.

When it comes to dramatic actress’s I don’t know of a better actress. Again Virginia Woolf, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butterfield 8, The V.I.P.’s again with Burton and The Sandpiper again with Burton. She’s great at making very serious roles in serious movies seem very entertaining and even funny. 

Virginia Woolf, is a very serious graphic even movie with this couple that looks like they’re getting ready to divorce, because of how they argue and the clean shots that they throw and land at each other. And of course with Liz’s character going insane as the movie moves along and yet they were both hysterically funny together in this movie. She might be the best improvisational actress of all-time as well and Lauren Bacall does very well in this area as well.

Liz Taylor very similar to Ava Gardner took charge of her life and lived her life exactly the way she wanted. And essentially said the hell with the future and the consequences and lived her life her way. I think that’s how a woman is married 6-7 times, or whatever it was and drinks and eats too much. 

Liz lived a roller coaster life including all the tragedies that she suffered around her husband Mike Todd dying and other loved one around her dying. But with all the ups and downs that she had in her life she lived a great 79 years that has millions of people who love her and will always love her. And we’re also talking about one of the two best actress’s ever. 

And when you live a life-like that and enjoy so much and have so much success with so many people who love you, what do you have to complain about. She lived a great life and had a great roller coaster ride.

Associated Press: Actress Ava Gardner

Source: Associated Press-The AP, covering Hollywood Goddess Ava Gardner. 

Source:The Daily Review

In Ava Gardner’s narration in this video you’ll see here where they use her actual voice Ava talks about that she was basically just a North Carolina country girl at heart. And how nice it would have been to just live in the country. I can’t think of a more modest thing a Hollywood star has ever said. I mean we are talking about one of the best looking women who has ever lived and one of the best actress’s who has ever lived. Perhaps the voice of her generation as well with that sweet and yet sexy voice. Perhaps she got that from hanging out with the Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra and perhaps attending his board meetings. But imagine had all of that talent stayed in Asheville, North Carolina or some place. Only they would have known how great she was.

Even though Ava Gardner did live still 68 which is not a real short life, I mean you’re collecting Social Security and Medicare at that point, so you’re certainly not young in years, but the average America women lives to about 80 now, but I’m not sure she was built to last. She was a true star a Hollywood Goddess and stars tend to burn out at some point. And when you are a carefree individual that she was and live your life your way, (to paraphrase The Chairman) you’re going to do things that aren’t real smart if you’re looking to live a long time. She partied too much, drank too much, had a lot of bad relationships with the same man. (I think you know who I’m talking about) She got out of life as much as she could before it was taken from her, but made a hell of a life and career for herself.

Ava Gardner is literally one of the top actress’s of her generation if not all-time. The same league as Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward and many others and perhaps not even a handful of actress’s are better. And yet she was a true star both on the screen and in real-life and lived her characters off stage as well with her lifestyle. She played the role of a women who couldn’t get enough out of life in her personal life and simply enjoyed life too much before it finally caught up with her. But in the time she had she put together a great resume including in the 1964 movie Seven Days in May where she played the girlfriend of the general was who trying to create a coup and take over the United States. And is still one of the top Hollywood Goddess’s and actress’s of all-time.
Source:Associated Press

Jim Morrison & The Doors: Hello I Love You In Color (1968)

Source:The Doors- Jim Morrison and The Doors: Live From Frankfurt, Germany, from 1968.

Source:The Daily Review

"The Doors - Hello, I Love You (Subtitulos Español - Ingles). Gran canción de una gran banda! Suscribanse."

From The Doors

It’s a rare treat that you get to see Jim Morrison and The Doors perform in color. Even though they came out and became a hit in the late 1960s most of their concert footage and music videos were done in black and white. Almost like watching music performances from 1955 or something even though color video and footage for both TV and movies was pretty common if not expected by 1968 when this video in Frankfurt Germany came out.

But since this video was shot in color, you get to see Jim Morrison and The Doors the best blues rock band I believe of the 1960s playing in color. With Jim Morrison performing in his go to black leather suit and suede cowboy boots. And you get to see parts of downtown Frankfurt, Germany as well.

The song Hello I don’t think is that great of song. But it has a great guitar and drums beat to it and with the Lizard King and his great voice and with the timing down can make ordinary lyrics like “hello, I love you”, sound better than they actually are. And then you throw in Morrison’s skin-tight black leather jeans and concho belt that almost made him look like his crotch was sticking out (and that is as graphic as I’ll get) and you had women who simply were in love with him especially when they got to see him perform up close and wanting to touch him. A big reason why you would see women jump up on the stage trying touch and grab him while her performed in the 1960s.

So you put all of these things together and you have a pretty good video here.

Mysteries & Scandals: Ava Gardner

Source: E-

Source:The Daily Review

Ava Gardner, was a true real-life Hollywood Goddess. And what I mean by that is that she couldn’t, or didn’t separate her onstage character and he she wanted to be seen onstage with the person she was offstage and in private life. Was she a great actress, or a great real-life character who played herself in her movies and offstage? If she was a great real-life character instead then she didn’t need to be a great actress to play herself in all of her parts. Because all she was doing onstage was being herself. Her roller coaster up and down almost rock and roll wild life was a movie and a character in itself. She didn’t need any practice to play herself in her biggest movie role of her life. The Life of Ava Gardner, which no one could play as well as she did.

One thing that she had in common with The Lizard King Jim Morrison is that she lived life once and lived it her way. The attitude being that you only live one and you’re only going to get on crack out of life. So you might as well live it your way and get everything out of life that you can and try to enjoy as much of it as you possibly can. All of the men, all the partying and drinking, even if it makes you age faster than had you bothered to take care of herself, you still only live once. So you might as well as enjoy it as much as you possibly can. Ava Gardner made it to 67 and Jim Morrison died at 27, but if Ava was taking cocaine and perhaps other narcotics to go with the alcohol and does that in her twenties she doesn’t have the long great career that she did.

Ava Gardner, is one of the hottest, cutest and sexiest Hollywood Goddess’s of all-time. As well as one of the best actress’s and even with the lifestyle that she lived, similar to Rita Hayworth she was so great and did enough to make sure she was around to have a long great career, even if her life wasn’t that long considering she dies before she’s 70 when he was still active and working. Had Ava took care of herself, she might still be alive today. But again when its your life to live as you please as long as you aren’t hurting any innocent person it is really up to you how long and great of a life that she did. Ava wasn’t about longevity, but a quality when it came to life and she lived it her way.
Source:Mysteries and Scandals

Dejan Jancovic: Masters of Cinema (1972) Pia Lindstrom Interviewing Alfred Hitchcock

Source: Dejan Jancovic-

Source:The Daily Review

Alfred Hitchcock, is the master of suspense and perhaps the master of entertainment when it comes to movies. Because here’s a director who can scare the hell out of you and make you laugh hysterically in the same scene. North by Northwest from 1959 is probably the best example of this. Where you have a mystery suspense Cold War movie involving espionage and yet it is also a very funny movie. With funny sarcastic lines and characters in each scene of the movie. With people cracking jokes as they’re facing life and death consequences. Cary Grant, with the quip about he has dinner and theater plans right as he’s being kidnapped. And saying how inconvenient the kidnapping is for him.

Not sure you could put together a better comedic team when it comes to actor and director than Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock. They were like Magic and Kareem, to use an NBA basketball analogy as far as the professional chemistry that they had together especially when it came to humor. They shared the exact same off the cuff out of nowhere sense of humor where they could both make fun of practically anything. What I love about Hitchcock, is that he gave you best of everything when it came to his movies and put everything that he had to offer on a lot of those movies. North by Northwest, my favorite Hitchcock as well as my favorite movie of all-time, is a perfect example of that.

Hitchcock, gave you mystery, suspense, drama, comedy, action and even horror, in the same movie. And he seemed to be the best at all of these types of films at least when he put them all together. North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief, are both mystery suspense movies and yet they are also both very funny. With funny people and a lot of funny lines, funny scenes and with Cary Grant, comedic improvising. And maybe Hitchcock is where I get a lot of my humor as well. He wanted to scare people and then would use humor and charm, perhaps so he wouldn’t lose his audience, but also because that is exactly how he was personally. If you listen to him narrate his TV series The Alfred Hitchcock Hour you see him almost doing standup as his talks about his shows. Hitchcock, is the master of suspense thriller, but he’s also one of the best comedic directors of all-time as well.
Source:Dejan Jancovic

C-SPAN: Booknotes With Brian Lamb: Christopher Hitchens On Hatred, The Left & His Favorite Authors (1993)

Source:The New Democrat

I guess Chris Hitchens rouge's list would be similar to Richard Nixon's enemies list. Both men have come across a lot of people in life that simply don't like them and who they don't like at all. But when you're a self-described Socialist and you are perhaps even to the left of the British Labour Party, a Democratic Socialist party in Britain where Hitchens is from and you put yourself behind a lot of Far-Left fringe causes like supporting Fidel Castro in the 1960s and calling all sorts of people on the Right like Henry Kissinger and Dick Nixon war criminals, even though you don't apply that label to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in the 2000s, you're going to make a lot of enemies.

Chris Hitchens, I guess was always a Democratic Socialist on economic policy and perhaps social issues, except for perhaps civil liberties where he became a Neoconservative hawk in the 2000s and that is where I'm getting to, because he was a strong defender of President George W. Bush's so-called War on Terror in the 2000s, including the Patriot Act and War in Iraq. You know you're petty unique when you're a Socialist on economic policy and a Neoconservative hawk on national security, foreign policy and civil liberties. Chris Hitchens, was more fun for me and fun to talk about and was funnier when he was a committed Socialist across the board.

Bill Clinton and what Hitchens thinks of President Clinton, is the only thing I'm getting out of this interview. Not that it isn't interesting, but as far as what I want to cover here. Hitchens, accused President Clinton of essentially destroying the welfare state in America. Even though we really never had one, but the signing of the 1996 Welfare to Work Law that required people on Welfare to finish their education and prepare to go to work and go to work. Hitchens uses that to accuse Clinton of essentially ending Welfare and the welfare state in America. And the 1994 Crime Bill is also something that Hitchens uses against Clinton to call him some type of hard-right Conservative.

Yoo Jay: George Carlin- 'The Art and Freedom to Offend People'

Source:Yoo Jay- RIP George Carlin.

Source:The Daily Review 

"Ricky Gervais, Patrice O'neal, Jim Jefferies, Bill Hicks, Louis CK, George Carlin, Jimmy Carr, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce. I don't know what the Artist: Underdogz thing is." 

From Yoo Jay

If I’m going to listen to so-called political comedians, I’m going to first listen to people who know what they’re talking about. I’m not going to go to a mechanic to get my knee examined, or hire that person to do my taxes. Just like I’m not going to listen to a comedian who simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about and perhaps just looks at politics from a stereotypical point of view as far as how they look at politics, politicians, Democrats, Republicans, etc. 

Once I’ve determined that the comedian is knowledgable about politics, or whatever the issue is, they got to be funny. And use their own humor and not use material that a hundred other comedians and other people have already used.

To me at least comedy is only funny when it is accurate, or at least not exaggerated. So to make fat jokes about plus-sized curvy women who are actually in great shape, especially when they come from a rail-thin women who gets blown to the ground every time there’s a breeze in the air, is not funny and also doesn’t even make sense. Now a fat joke about a woman, or man who goes to sleep at the all you can eat meat lovers buffet every night so they don’t miss anything, would be funny. But it would also be true. 

Jokes to me at least have to make sense and they make sense when they’re believable and correct. Like making fun of hypocrites (to use as example) like the guy who preaches about the dangers of adultery and homosexuality when he’s cheating on his third wife and having an affair with a man. You could say this person knows these dangers from personal experience.

I also tend to only listen to comedians who are consistent and non-partisan. Meaning they’re not looking to just bash Republicans, or Democrats, but people who they see as either funny, or bad politicians, or a combination of both. 

I’ll also listen to comedians who lean in one direction, or the other, but smart and honest enough to know that their side isn’t perfect either. And will go after their side from time to time when they feel they deserve it. Dennis Miller on the Right, Bill Maher, fairly Far-Left, Lewis Black on the Left, P.J. O’Rourke on the Right, whose not a fan of Democrats, or Republicans and the same thing with Chris Buckley, the son of William F. Buckley.

George Carlin, is one of my favorite comedians and I don’t agree with all of his satire. But he was about as non-partisan as it came with his comedy even though his personal politics leaned very left at least on economic policy. But he didn’t make fun of Democrats, or Republicans, but he made fun of politicians who happened to be Democrats and Republicans. And he made fun of voters who voted for politicians. 

I guess Carlin's idea of a politician was someone who would practically do anything to get reelected, or move on to the next level in government. Someone like that will get taken seriously by both sides of the isle and will also attract followers. Because a, they know what they’re talking about, but just as important they’re honest enough to talk about it. As opposed to the partisan comedian who bashes the other side as hard as they defend their own.

Political comedy and comedy in general needs to be funny first and of course. But it’s not going to be funny if it's not accurate, or at least not exaggerated. And when you’re hitting one side, keep in mind someone is hitting your side and perhaps doing a damn good job at it. And you would better off if you can take a joke. Instead of acting you’re all perfect while the other side if loaded and overflowing with morons that need to be deported, because you’re out of room for morons. 

Comedy also has to be consistent and this gets to political correctness: if redneck jokes are acceptable, so are ghetto jokes. If right-wing Christian jokes are acceptable, then so are right-wing Muslim jokes. And that is just a couple of examples. That great comedians make fun of people that deserve to be made fun of. Instead of picking out one side and hammering them, while they’re trying to defend everyone else.

The Young Turks: Al Gore, Breathable Booze and Shade Balls

Source:The Daily Review

Al Gore for president? Why, would be my question about that. A simple one word question about that. "Vote for Al Gore for president, again and I"ll do", what exactly? Al Gore, the man who lost the presidency to a college frat brat, who thought he was still at Yale and perhaps failed his freshmen year 22 years in a row and suddenly wakes up at the age of 40 and realizes he now has kids, is married and needs a full-time job that will support his family. Who gets into politics, because his father is George H.W. Bush. And I'm speaking about George W. Bush of course.

Al Gore, is not Dick Nixon, or even Bill Clinton. He's someone whose more than capable of being happy in the private sector and making a lot of money and speaking about issues that he cares about and writing about them. He wanted to be president in the 1980s and 1990s, which is why he runs in 2000 and as Vice President to a very popular President Clinton and with almost no opposition in the party to him, he had the perfect opportunity to be President of the United States, but he blew it. It took him about six months to figure out what type of presidential campaign he was going to run in 2000.

If Al Gore, wants to be Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Interior, Secretary of State, National Security Director, by all means he's qualified for any of those positions and would serve the next Democratic president very well. But run again for president when the avenue to get there is not clear unlike in 2000 when you were a heavy favorite to beat Joe Average who lives on Main street in Smithville, whose a swell kind of guy and everything and everyone's favorite drinking partner at the local tavern and hardest worker at the factory, when he's sober and I'm thinking of George W. Bush obviously as far as what G.W. brought to that campaign as far as qualifications, doesn't make sense to me.