#That Carol Kane Laugh

[rosalie-starfall]

Commander Pelia

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

[ufonaut]

“Size-changing’s not hard at all.”

“Sure, if you don’t explode.”

“Excuse me?”

Hal Jordan & Ray Palmer in Legends of the DC Universe (1998) #29

(Steven Grant, Gil Kane)

[ansonmountdaily]

Strange New Worlds cast about the Vulcan episode in upcoming Season 3

At a Star Trek: Las Vegas convention panel, Strange New Worlds cast members teased the Vulcan episode in Season 3 - August 4 2024.

Anson Mount, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Rebecca Romijn, Jess Bush, Babs Olusanmokun, Melissa Navia and Ethan Peck are all very excited about the special episode (which is episode 8, see official teaser clip). Celia Rose Gooding said they can't wait for the ep to come out, so they can post all the behind the scenes shots of them doubled over laughing. Jess Bush said it was a fight to not laugh in the episode every single day!

Carol Kane (Pelia), Bruce Horak (Hemmer), Melanie Scrofano (Captain Marie Batel) and Dan Jeannotte (George Samuel Kirk) were also present at the panel!

Source: backofthehead Instagram clip

[allergictocolor]

Character Profile - Grandmama…Addams?

"This disrespectful old hag is the mother of Gomez (husband of Morticia). She willingly helps with the dishes, cheats at solitaire and is thoroughly dishonest. She, too, is a favorite with the children and will make them cookies in the shape of bats, skulls and bones. Good humored about all and can be garrulous. The complexion is dark, the hair is white and frizzy and uncombed. She has a light beard and a large mole. She wears a shawl on all occasions, thick socks and fleece slippers under a bombazine skirt." - Chas Addams

garrulous - adjective: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters

bombazine - noun: a heavy, dense fabric woven of silk and wool, used largely for mourning wear in 16th century and 17th century Europe

As part of his ongoing theme of the macabre and bizarre, Charles Addams drew some witches who weren’t Grandmama:

When he did draw her, she was almost always with other members of the family:

He originally wrote Grandmama as “Granny Frump”, Gomez’s mother. Their familial connection was obvious from their appearance. The producers of the 60s TV show decided to keep her as Gomez’s mother, but to make Frump be Morticia’s maiden name. Granny Frump, who was played by Margaret Hamilton and appeared in just three episodes of the sitcom, was given the first name Hester. I can find no record of Grandmama, who was in all 64 episodes of the show, having a first name. She was simply referred to as Grandmama, Grandma, or Mama, depending on who was speaking to her.

She is just as full of mischief as the rest of the family, if not more. She and Fester are frequently in cahoots, and their meddling with the lives of the other family members provides the occasional plot for sitcom hi-jinks. However, she is mostly a background character. That’s probably a good thing, since a little of her mischief goes a long way. When she makes yak stew, it turns Gomez into a sleepwalking cat burglar. When Fester reads an article about how only couples who fight are in stable relationships, she helps him try to push Gomez and Morticia to fight, and it wreaks havoc in the household. 

Grandmama is an actual witch, and has real magical power in the show. She creates potions, like “love dust”, which is of dubious effectiveness. Most notably, she uses a crystal ball to see the future. Others don’t always believe her predictions, but they are accurate. In one episode, she’s arrested for fortune telling, which is (or at least was) illegal in their state. Rather than pay the ten dollar fine, Gomez decides to represent her in court as Gomez “The Great Loophole” Addams. Everything that happens from there is, of course, ridiculous. What else would you expect?

Her place on the family tree is shaken up over the years. In the 1992 animated series, she’s Granny Frump, Morticia’s mother once again. In the 1990s movies, she Morticia’s mother. The third film (a low-budget, direct-to-video movie from 1998), names her Esmeralda. She’s played by a different actress in all three movies. It’s not so strange that a different person was cast in the third film, as nearly all the parts were recast. But it is strange that she was recast for the 1993 sequel. It turns out that Judith Malina, who played her in 1991, made an off-color joke about the war and flag burning, and that was enough for everyone else to not want to work with her anymore. She was replaced with Carol Kane, who you may recognize from The Princess Bride. 

In the 1998 TV series, The New Addams Family, she’s Gomez’s mother again, and her first name is Eudora. The Broadway musical pokes fun at Grandmama’s nebulous status by making her possibly not even be part of the family. Morticia thinks she’s Gomez’s mother, and vice versa. They just laugh about it. Anyone weird enough could probably just start living in the Addams’ mansion and say they’re a cousin, and the family would just accept them without question. In the 2019 animated movie, Grandmama is Gomez’s mother, and has a long-running feud with Auntie Sloom.

While she has not shown up in the Netflix Wednesday series yet, Joanna Lumley has been cast as Grandmama for the second season. It had not been announced whose mother she’s going to be, but odds are good that she’ll be playing Morticia’s mother. Lumley is British, and best known for the show Absolutely Fabulous, which ran from 1992 to 2012 but only had 39 episodes. (British TV is different from American TV in so many ways.) She has a pale complexion more in common with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and is 5’8” tall. Luis Guzmán is Puerto Rican and 5’5” tall, and would be unlikely to have a white, tall mother.

Seeing how the main premise of Wednesday is that society is divided into supernatural creatures and normal humans, it’s safe to assume that Grandmama will have supernatural powers. She has historically been able to predict that future, so it’s no big stretch to also assume that she will have that power in the show. The character Goody Addams is an ancestor from colonial times, and had that ability. Wednesday most likely inherited it from both sides of the family. It’s even possible that both Gomez and Morticia are descended from Goody. As for what Grandmama can do, we’ll have to wait until some time in 2025 to find out.

[saywhatjessie]

We're Marley and Marley

Day eleven of the Advent calendar! Using this list. Day 11: Sitting by the Fire Fandom: Ted Lasso - Pairing: RoyJamie 1.2k[Ao3]

They were watching The Muppet Christmas Carol, to begin with.

They didn’t really have an excuse for it: Phoebe wasn’t there and Roy didn’t even celebrate Christmas besides. Only, they’d been outvoted for the last team movie night and Roy had seemed genuinely disappointed so after their last training for the night, Jamie had manhandled Roy onto his own couch, thrown a blanket over them both, and turned it on.

Roy had grumbled and swore but let Jamie cosset him, giving his secret Jamie smile when Jamie pulled over the footrest and got his leg situated with the least amount of stress on his knee. He still huffed grumpily as Jamie curled into his side but he draped his arm around Jamie’s shoulders and pulled him in tight, his fingers stroking the skin at the end of Jamie’s sleeve

“It’s just a really good film,” Roy said, as if he still had to convince Jamie to watch it with him, even while it was playing. “Michael Kane approaches his role with such conviction and gravitas, even while the rest of the cast are fucking muppets.”

“Muppets are people, too,” Jamie said with a grin.

Roy rolled his eyes and jostled him, but gently enough that he wasn’t dislodged from Roy’s side.

Jamie turned back to watch the movie, only gently ribbing Roy as he mouthed the words to all the songs. He was sure he’d seen it before but he didn’t really remember it. And Roy seemed to really care about it and Jamie liked Roy enough to want to know why.

When Statler and Waldorf showed up as the ghosts of Marley and Marley, Jamie was immediately distracted.

“Hang on, is this Scrooge bloke about to be haunted because he’s too rich?”

Roy grunted. “You told me you’d seen this.”

“I have!” Jamie said, his eyebrows furrowed. “But like a long time ago I think. I thought Scrooge was just kind of a dick.”

“He is,” Roy said. “He’s just a specific kind. He’s a rich dick. A miser.”

Jamie turned to look at Roy, his pulse picking up. “But we're rich dicks.”

Roy laughed. “Not like that, you fuck . We’re dicks. And we’re also rich.” He shrugged, making Jamie’s whole body move. “It’s different.”

“But, Roy, you don’t do Christmas! Like Scrooge!”

“Oi!” Roy reached up and cuffed him on the head. It didn’t hurt but his hair was probably fucked now. “That’s anti semitic.” but he still just looked amused.

Jamie pulled away enough to cross his arms and scowl at Roy. Roy let him but put a hand on his leg to make sure he didn’t get too far. Jamie wouldn’t let his scowl soften at that.

“I’m serious, Roy. I can’t deal with no more fucking ghosts.”

“We’re not gonna get any ghosts!” Roy told him. “A miser’s different from us. They like hoard their wealth and shit. Exploit workers and spit on the poor. Like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos.” We waved off Jamie’s protest. “Look, can we just watch the movie? If you’re still worried about us getting ghosts by the end, we can deal with them, yeah?”

Jamie huffed but let himself be pulled back into Roy’s arms and they continued to watch the film.

By the end of it, (and yes Jamie did tear up when it looked like Tiny Tim had died.) Jamie agreed with Roy that it was a great film and he also knew how to fix the ghost problem.

“We should just give loads of money away, right?” Jamie asked. “That’s what Rebecca does, doesn’t she? Every Christmas she buys loads of toys for children.”

Roy sighed. “Philanthropy will certainly keep you from becoming miserly enough for ghosts. But the main takeaway is that you’re not a greedy fucking landlord to begin with.”

Jamie hummed. “Should we also do another curse fire?”

“What the fuck? No! We don’t have any ghosts!”

“But we still could! Scrooge had a lot of money but he didn’t buy himself any fancy shit or nothing. We do buy fancy shit! I feel like that makes us worse for–” Jamie frowned as he searched for the word. “flouncing our wealth or whatever.”

“Flaunting,” Roy corrected him, gently. “So, what, you want to burn some of your expensive shit? I feel like donating it would be better for your philanthropy.”

Jamie grimaced. He had a lot of totally lush shit he did not want to burn, but he didn’t know if donating used silk briefs would work either. Not sanitary, was it?

“I could donate some things,” he hedged. “I got some mint fucking trainers young poor lads would love. I’d have loved my shoes when I was a young poor lad.”

Roy hummed, kissing Jamie’s hairline like a ‘good job’.

Jamie preened. “We should still burn something, though. Ghosts love when you burn shit. Symbolic, like.”

“I wish you didn’t have a hard on for arson,” Roy grumbled.

“Hey! It’s not arson if you’re just burning your own shit, is it?”

“Well, go on, what are you burning?”

Jamie pursed his lips thinking.

“What do you think?”

“You’re stupid fucking face cream.” Roy answered immediately.”

Jamie was scandalized. “My what? But it’s got minerals! And it’s from Finland!”

“It’s bougie trash that has impure metals and makes my lips feel weird when I kiss you,” Roy said. “You can’t donate it because that’s probably not fucking hygenic and I hate it so much and it was so expensive and there are absolutely ghosts in your face cream.”

“You can’t say there are ghosts in it just because you want me to burn it, Roy, this is serious!” Jamie argued. “And you have to burn something, too! What if I told you to burn your new leather jacket that looks exactly like the other three you have?”

“This jacket has burgundy stitching and you know that.” Jamie rolled his eyes. “And I buy way less expensive shit than you. The only expensive shit I buy is for you and Phoebe. You want me to ask Phoebe if I can have her new ice skates back to burn?”

“You’re not burning those skates – she’s gonna be the next Evgenia Medvedeva!”

Roy frowned. “Bit of a random choice.”

“Nah, she’s a little weirdo like Phoebe.” Jamie grinned before remembering they were arguing and then frowned again. “Stop distracting me. What about your fancy tea subscription?”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Fine. I will burn one box of tea. And you can burn your fucking face cream. And tomorrow we’ll donate a shit ton of money to a youth shelter or something. Will this make you feel better?”

Jamie grinned, leaning in to kiss Roy, before vaulting to his feet to collect his face cream from Roy’s bathroom. 

It wasn’t long before they were sitting next to Roy’s fireplace, watching the glass of the bottle of Jamie’s cream break and breathing in the tea smelling smoke.

Jamie stared into it, letting his head nuzzle against the underside of Roy’s chin. “You think Marley and Marley were gay for each other?”

Roy sighed, sadly. “I just wanted to watch some fucking muppets.”

[frasier-crane-style]

Strange New Worlds season 2

-Feels like they overdid it with the silly episodes? Just my taste, but the Oops! All Silly episodes should be a sometimes food, and they have just about every other episode being silly. Serious, silly, serious, silly. I get comic relief, but this isn't a very heavy show. If we're going to have a quip machine like Ortegas, do we then need to do a whole episode of that, and often?

-Sam Kirk is Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Episode.

-The fact that these characters are destined to end up at TOS makes some of the wokening stuff hilarious.

Christine Chapel in her Twenties: I don't do relationships. Let's keep things casual. I have so many fuckbuddies lol.

Christine Chapel in her Thirties: Y U NO MARRY ME SPOCK?

Which probably wasn't their intent, but it's hard not to read that into this show and TOS supposedly being the same people.

-Also, they have literally twice as many women in the main cast as men, which is a good hint at how Hollywood really sees 'gender equality.'

Not pictured: Carol Kane

-I'm just saying, they have this episode Among The Lotus Eaters. One plot ends with Ortegas triumphantly declaring "I pilot the Enterprise!" The other plot ends with Pike apologizing to his overbearing girlfriend for having concerns about their relationship (when obviously their relationship is in wonderful shape when him voicing concerns about them as a couple results in her freezing him out and Pike having to beg for her forgiveness).

-The whole Human Spock episode is cringe. First, in premise. Could you imagine if they did an episode where a biracial member of the crew was changed to be fully black and he immediately started eating ribs and listening to hip-hop? This in the same season that did the most bald-faced minority metaphor imaginable with Augments. Not to mention the obligatory trans rights episode last season where we were supposed to buy that Spock was 'outside the human/vulcan binary' or something. Nope! It's absolutely possible to turn the dial to 100% Human or Vulcan.

I don't know, it's trying to be a character study of Spock, but it's trying way harder to be a "look at Spock do funny things" episode and it ends up feeling just kinda pointless. They themselves mention that Vulcan emotions are stronger than human emotions, so a Human Spock should be even better at controlling himself, but he just isn't for reasons. Wouldn't it be more interesting if Spock became fully Vulcan... something he occasionally seems like he would desire... which paradoxically strengthened his emotions and made them more difficult to control?

It's hard to invest in this Spock as a character when the show's basically telling you he doesn't matter as a person, they're just going to write him in whatever way gets a laugh.

-Call me hard to please, but it'd be nice to have a few arcs. I'm not saying I want one of those 'ten hour movies' like Picard and Discovery do, but even TNG had ongoing plots like the Borg, Lore, the Crystalline Entity, the House of Duras. I'm not asking for this show to go as lore-heavy as DS9 or ENT, but I would like a little more of an ongoing storyline than the Spock/T'Pring/Chapel love triangle. And we all know where that will end up, unless they're going to tell us that sometime after Undiscovered Country, Spock and Christine decided to make it official. You know, now that they're both as old as Carol Kane.

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

BETWEEN THE TEMPLES (2024)

Starring Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel, Madeline Weinstein, Matthew Shear, Dolly de Leon, Lindsay Burdge, Jason Grisell, Cindy Silver, John Magary, Annie Hamilton, Julia Walsh, Brittany Walsh, Diane Lanyi, Keith Poulson, Jason Grisell, Jaden Waldman, Simona Sickler, Pauline Chalamet, Stephen Lack and Jacob Morrell.

Screenplay by Nathan Silver & C. Mason Wells.

Directed by Nathan Silver.

Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. 111 minutes. Rated R.

Between the Temples is both wonderfully human and terribly uncomfortable all at the same time, which I guess is like life. I can’t quite decide if I liked it or was a bit freaked out by it, but that is like life, too.

The basic idea of Between the Temples is reminiscent of the classic 1970s black comedy Harold and Maude – although this film never quite reaches the dark depths that one takes on. Between the Temples in general has a lighter, slightly goofier vibe, although there are still several scenes which can still make the skin crawl, just a bit.

Jason Schwartzman is Ben, a cantor at a synagogue in upstate New York. However, his wife died in a sudden accident a year earlier and Ben has completely become unglued. He has moved back home with his two mothers (Caroline Aaron and Dolly De Leon). He has lost his voice, and his will to work, and even perhaps his faith and his will to live.

Early on, he lays down in the middle of a darkened road, willing a vehicle to come and run him down. When a truck stops in time not to crush him, the driver drops him off at a local bar. Ben is not a drinker, but he has a few chocolate mudslides until he gets wasted and picks a fight with one of the other guests.

After being flattened, he is helped up by Carla (Carol Kane), an older woman who Ben realizes had been his music teacher when he was a boy. Carla doesn’t recognize him, but she feels responsible for getting him home safely, not realizing the address on his license is his former home which he shared with his late wife.

As they get to know each other a bit, they recognize a kindred spirit in each other. Beyond the simple fact that both is getting over the death of a spouse, they both feel like outsiders, in their communities, in their families, even in their religion. (Carla was born Jewish but converted from the faith for her husband and family.) They also have a shared history – Carla does eventually remember young Ben when she sees a picture of him as a child – from a time when both had more hope in life.

Having been separated from her Jewish roots for so long, she decides that she wants to have a bat mitzvah – a ceremony which was withheld from her at 13 by her Russian communist parents. She feels that the ceremony will reconnect her with her religious roots. Cantor Ben is the tutor for students getting their bar/bat mitzvah, and Carla joins his class, although she is the only student there over 12 years old.

As they get to know each other, they become fast friends. And Ben, whose emotions have been tangled up in knots for most of a year, starts to develop feelings for her. But are those feelings romantic or simply misplaced companionship?

Things get even more complicated when his mothers – who are constantly attempting to set him up with a nice Jewish girl – connect him with the Rabbi’s daughter Gabby (Madeleine Weinstein), a sweet-if-slightly-neurotic woman who just happens to be the perfect likeness of Ben’s late wife. (Weinstein also plays the ex in periodic short flashbacks.)

This all leads to two of the most awkward scenes in recent cinema – a flirtation between Ben and Gabby at the local cemetery and perhaps the most passive-aggressive, antagonistic dinner party ever. Literally, the scenes do make you laugh, but only partially because they are funny, also partially from discomfort.

Schwartzman is terrific as the deadened and introverted Ben, but this film is really Kane’s triumph. She breezes in with her unmistakable voice and her practiced eccentricity and Between the Temples comes fully alive when she is on screen. It is rare that Kane gets such a significant role at this point in her career and that is a sin – she is a truly unique screen presence who should be used as often as possible.

Between the very specific and Jewish niche storyline and the general enhanced quirkiness and awkwardness of the action, I can’t see Between the Temples reaching any kind of mass audience. Still, it is the kind of movie that could probably inspire a rabid cult following. I hope it gets that chance.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: August 23, 2024.

[disappointingyet]

In The Soup

Director Alexandre Rockwell Stars Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, Jennifer Beals, Will Patton USA 1992 Language English 1hr 36mins Black & white 

Buscemi! Cassel! Pre-gentrified NYC! Black & white!

If I told you that Seymour Cassel was one of great figures in the history of American independent cinema, going all the way from working on (not acting in) John Cassavetes’ directorial debut Shadows back in 1958 up to the three films he made with Wes Anderson, that would be both true and potentially give you a misleading idea of how he paid the bills. Because while people like me remember Cassel for, say, The Royal Tenenbaums, his very extensive filmography takes in lots of episodes of TV shows (Matlock, Star Trek: The Next Generation, ER etc), garish blockbusters (Dick Tracy) and a lot very ropey-looking stuff I’ve never heard of and most likely you neither (Motel Blue? Emma’s Wish?) In short, he was a working actor, and took jobs in most of the genres, budget scales and levels of artist pretension there were in the US movies and TV in the late 20th century.

But I would be surprised if many of those shows or films created as much space for him as In The Soup. 

The narrator of In The Soup - and the character who the events here happen to – is Adolfo Rollo (Steve Buscemi), who less-than-coincidentally shares his initials with the film’s writer-director Alexandre Rockwell. But the character who makes those things happen, the life and heart of In The Soup, is Cassel’s Joe.

Adolfo is a would-be director with a grand sense of his own importance and little else. He lives in a grotty Manhattan apartment and scrapes together rent money doing odd jobs and – when that doesn’t cover it – ringing his mom.

And then along comes Joe. Joe, improbably, offers to finance Adolfo’s film, despite dozing off when Adolfo tries to read him the script. Joe is middle-aged, charismatic, hedonistic. He has a sex-mad much younger girlfriend. The hitch? His many enterprises aren’t entirely legit and he wants Adolfo to help him out in return for putting up the money for the movie.

In The Soup is and isn’t the comedy that the gangster-recruits-hapless-aspiring-film-maker plot suggests. It is, in that Joe does get Adolfo involved in any number of scrapes, and some of this stuff is pretty funny. Isn’t, well, because as much as the film uses Joe to mock Adolfo’s aspirations and his constant evocations of Renoir and Tarkovsky, it also is aiming for something along else along with those laughs… and gets there at least some of the time.

It’s shot in lovely black & white - quite common for indie movies in those days because it was cheaper than colour while also signalling that you were making something distinct from Hollywood product. 

The cast is a good one: Cassel and Buscemi I’ve already mentioned. There’s also Will Patton as Joe’s thuggish brother, a cameo from Jim Jarmusch (with Carol Kane). New York downtown staples Rockets Redglare and Debi Mazar* both turn up, as does Sam Rockwell, a frequent presence in his namesake Alexandre’s movies although they are not related. 

Maybe the weak link is Jennifer Beals as Angelica, the neighbour Adolfo is obsessed with. This is not the fault of Beals – who was married to the director at the time (and would have been the most famous person in the cast) – but she’s doing a strong Latina-in-NYC accent (she’s not a Latina nor a New Yorker) and it’s distracting.

Still, that’s a minor gripe. I’m not sure how I didn’t see this at the time: in the 1990s I watched endless black & white indie comedies. (Not to mention films with Jim Jarmusch cameos.) The other movie with Buscemi as a frustrated low-budget filmmaker – Living In Oblivion – was a huge favourite of mine. I definitely knew of In The Soup, but guess it never turned up in the Crystal Palace branch of Blockbuster nor ran at 1am on BBC2 or Channel 4. But I’m very glad I finally caught up with it, it's ace. *Cassel, Kane, Mazar and Rockets Redglare plus Elizabeth Bracco, who is in In The Soup but I haven't mentioned, all also appear in Buscemi's directorial debut Trees Lounge, made four years later.

[cinemagooey]

Mazel Tov!

Between the Temples is a tender little film that delivers plenty of LOL moments

Carla (Kane) and Ben (Schwartzman) forge an unlikely bond of the heart in Between the Temples.

Between the Temples is a movie laden with surprises. It's a surprise to see Jason Schwartzman move away from Wes-Andersen-boyish type roles and portray a pudgy, morose widow. It's surprising that 72 year-old Carol Kane can continue to mesmerize with her comedic chops. And it's a wonderful surprise to watch a movie that charms you into smiling most of the time, save for those moments you're laughing out loud.

In Nathan Silver's directorial return to the big screen, Schwartzman plays Ben Gottleib, a 40 year old cantor at the local synagogue in upstate New York. Ben is lost. His wife has died. He's living with his two moms. His singing voice has disappeared, endangering his livelihood. He's convinced life is over. "Ben," he scoffs, "even my name is in the past tense!"

Schwartzman as Ben Gottleib

Enter Carla O'Connor (played by a radiant Kane), a geriatric stroke survivor who tells Ben that she needs a Bat Mitzvah. Ben tells her it's impossible; Bat Mitzvahs are traditionally given for 13 year-old girls as a rite of passage into womanhood. Carla digs in her heels, eventually gaining the approval of the Rabbi, Ben's boss. At first grudgingly resigned to teach Carla the required lessons, he is quickly won over by her lust for life and spunky, can-do spirit. Soon Ben and Carla bond as kindred souls who are adrift and seeking, and Ben finds his world turning kaleidoscopic.

Ben and Carla sleep off an accidental mushroom trip

As this May-December friendship evolves into something deeper, Ben's moms try to fix him up with one hot gal after another, going so far as to covertly start a J-Date account for him, and the Rabbi lobbies Ben to date his beautiful but emotionally wrecked daughter.

Ben teaches Carla the required Bat Mitzvah lessons as Carla teaches Ben about life

But it's Carla who reignites Ben’s ardor for life.

It's during a Shabbat dinner hosted by his two moms that Ben's true feelings are revealed, to the surprise of everyone, including Carla. The consequences of this declaration reverberate in a manner that threatens Carla's upcoming Bat Mitzvah as well as Ben's relationship with everyone important in his life.

A photo opp moments before a Shabbat dinner goes wrong

Schwartzman shines as Ben, swinging easily between performance arcs of aching sadness and goofy giddiness. Kane brilliantly showcases both a trembling vulnerability and wisecracking wisdom as Carla. This is screwball-antic comedy at its finest, given a rocket boost by these two performances. The film would have benefitted from an exploration of the relationship between Ben’s moms (played by a Caroline Aaron and a fabulous Dolly DeLeon), and it’s a head-scratching stretch to posit romantic love between a 40 YO “catch” and a grandmother on the verge of another stroke, but Schwartzman and Kane make it work. Exploring themes of the meaning of love, religion’s place in a changing world, ageism and grief, Between the Temples hits in a poignantly funny way that keeps you smiling long after you leave the theater.

[byneddiedingo]

When a Stranger Calls Back (Fred Walton, 1993)

Cast: Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Jill Schoelen, Gene Lythgow, Kevin McNulty, Cheryl Wilson, Jerry Wasserman. Screenplay: Fred Walton. Cinematography: David Geddes. Production design: Chris August. Film editing: David Byron Lloyd. Music: Dana Kaproff. 

I haven't seen When a Stranger Calls, Fred Walton's 1979 film, but I gather that it helped launch the horror movie trope "the phone call's coming from inside the house!" There are no calls coming from inside or outside the house in Walton's sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back, because the phone line has been cut. (The film was obviously made before the ubiquity of cell phones.) The setup is a standard one for horror movies: A babysitter is terrorized by a mysterious stranger. In this case, Julia (Jill Schoelen) is a high school student called in at the last moment to sit for a couple's two small children, who have already gone to bed by the time she arrives. As she settles in, there's a knock on the door, which she cautiously answers from inside, not unlocking or opening the door. The voice outside explains that his car has broken down and he'd like to use the phone to call for help. She volunteers to make the call herself, and after some back and forth, he reluctantly agrees, giving her the information she needs. But when she goes to the phone, the line is dead. Still wary, she lies to the man outside, claiming that she made the call, but hoping he'll go elsewhere for help. Walton handles this part of the film efficiently and effectively as things gradually escalate until Julia realizes that the man is inside the house. Fortunately, the parents arrive just in time to save her, but they discover that the children are missing from their upstairs bedroom. Then the film falls apart. Five years pass, and Julia is now a college student. Still suffering the effects of the earlier incident, she begins noticing strange things happening in her apartment. The police are dismissive, but they call on a counselor from the college to help. She turns out to be Jill Johnson (Carol Kane), who was the victim in original film. Jill has good reason to trust Julia's instincts and calls in John Clifford (Charles Durning), the detective from her case. But the convergence of the separate experiences of Jill and Julia muddles the narrative, as both women become terrorized by the new bad guy. And then the movie comes to a thuddingly ridiculous end, as Clifford figures out that the guy must be a ventriloquist. As any 10-year-old kid who has ever tried it knows, ventriloquists rely on visual misdirection: moving the dummy's mouth while keeping theirs nearly motionless. They can't really "throw" their voices, as the movie suggests the guy outside Julia's door did. When a Stranger Calls Back was made for television and first appeared on Showtime, then was released on video. Despite some creepy moments, I suspect that it would have been laughed out of theaters. 

[pipelinelaserraygun]

You must crawl, before you can walk, before you can run.

Mind/Body/Spirit may need an ✝️🛐 alignment, before taking on a BIG assignment.

It's always smart to lay ALL your plans at the 🕎 Lord's altar-footstool, ahead of IMPLEMENTATION.

The spiritually SOUND 🚖 driver speeds up and slows down carefully 🚏, according to traffic conditions.

Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Some of 👿 the devil's moves are well above our pay grade.

MUST 👁️👁️ SEE‼️

Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Some of 👿 the devil's moves are well above our pay grade.

Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Some of 👿 the devil's moves are well above our pay grade.

"If 'woke' culture is a disease, then PHILANTHROPY is the virus."

Some of 👿 the devil's moves are well above our pay grade.

There comes a time ⏰ when the bill comes due: you PLAY, you PAY.

If this form of comedy were relegated to entertainment ONLY, 🎭 we would continue laughing the way we used to laugh at Milton Berle in drag.

[n0nb1narycode]

Blu Christmas Holiday Movie Asplosion 2022! ⛄ Chapter 40: Scrooged 🦌 And on with the ever shifting positions, it's Scrooged, which I am slightly less enthused about this year, but overall still think is quite good, and definitely funny. It's also another with a very strong supporting cast. This is an odd detail to focus in on, but I really wish Jeffrey Joseph (I believe that was the actor) had a bigger part. I think his only line may have been to laugh sycophantically at a joke, but it just really stands out, for some reason I find it hilarious. Anyways, Robert Mitchum, Carol Kane, Buddy Hackett, several more- there were plenty of great little parts to appreciate. Also, somehow I managed yet again, like I do every year, that Danny Elfman did the score (I remember again every year, right as the movie ((and music)) start). 🌲 ❄️ 🎄 🎅 #Scrooged #1988 #KarenAllen #BillMurray #CarolKane #RobertMitchum #AlfreWoodward #JeffreyJoseph #BuddyHackett #BrianDoyleMurray #JohnGlover #RichardDonner #DannyElfman #BluChristmasHolidayMovieAsplosion2022 #iLoveMovies #christmasmovies #holidaymovies #xmas #christmasspecials #holidayfilms #holidays #movies #christmas #iLoveChristmas #blurays #bluray #MovieNerd #abluchristmas #christmasfilms #christmasmoviemarathon . https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2zVsdurz9HQhlvk65rSlhS-_k6wlwzymZS4s0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[alwaysmarilynmonroe]

Today is a very special day, it’s Marilyn’s Birthday! Can you believe that if she were still alive,  Marilyn would have been turning 94 years old today – just two months younger than the Queen herself! With each year I always try and write a special post about this amazing woman, who has helped me so much and achieved more than anyone could have imagined in her 36 years. Therefore, I decided to write 94 facts about the Birthday Girl – some you may know, some you may not, all in the hope that genuine things will be learnt and the real Marilyn will be more understood and appreciated.

Gladys and baby Norma Jeane spend some quality time together on the beach in 1929.

Little Norma Jeane, aged seven, in 1933.

Norma Jeane photographed by David Conover whilst working at the Radio Plane Munitions Factory in either the Fall of 1944 or Spring of 1945.

Norma Jeane by Andre de Dienes in late 1945.

Marilyn by Richard Miller in 1946.

Marilyn on Tobey Beach by Andre de Dienes on July 23rd 1949.

Marilyn by Ed Clark in Griffith Park in August 1950.

Marilyn attends a Party in Ray Anthony’s home, organized by 20th Century Fox on August 3rd 1952.

Marilyn filming The Seven Year Itch on location in New York City by Sam Shaw on September 13th 1954.

Marilyn by Milton Greene on January 28th 1955.

Marilyn by Cecil Beaton on February 22nd 1956. This was her favourite photo of herself.

Marilyn attending the Premiere of The Prince In The Showgirl at the Radio City Music Hall on June 13th 1957.

Marilyn by Carl Perutz on June 16th 1958.

Marilyn by Philippe Halsman for LIFE Magazine in October 1959.

Marilyn attends a Benefit for The Actors Studio at the Roseland Dance City on March 13th 1961.

Marilyn on Santa Monica Beach for Cosmopolitan Magazine by George Barris on July 1st 1962.

______________________________________________________________________________

1.  Stood at a height of 5’5½”

2.  Born in the charity ward of the Los Angeles County Hospital at 9:30 AM on June 1st 1926.

3.  Married three times;

– Jim Dougherty: (June 19th 1942 – September 13th 1946) – Joe Dimaggio: (January 14th 1954 – 31st October 1955) (Temporary divorce granted on October 27th 1954) – Arthur Miller: (June 29th 1956 – January 20th 1961).

4. Suffered two confirmed miscarriages; an ectopic pregnancy on August 1st 1957 and miscarriage in December 16th 1958.

5. Suffered with endometriosis very badly, so much so that she had a clause in her contract which stated she would be unable to work whilst menstruating.

6. Starred in 30 films – her last being uncompleted.

7. Favourite of her own performances was as Angela Phinlay in The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

8. Winner of three Golden Globes; two for World Film Favourite – Female in 1954 and 1962 and one for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her performance as Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot (1959) in 1960.

9. Her idol was the first Platinum Blonde Bombshell, Jean Harlow.

10. Amassed a collection of over 400 books in her library, ranging from Russian Literature to Psychology.

11. Favourite perfume was Chanel No.5

12. Had two half siblings; Robert “Jackie” Baker (1918 – 1933) and Bernice Miracle (1919) – the former she would never have the chance to meet and Bernice was not informed about Marilyn until she was 19 years old.

13. Former Actor and 20th Century Fox Studio Executive, Ben Lyon created the name Marilyn Monroe in December 1946 – Marilyn after fellow Actress, Marilyn Miller and Monroe after Marilyn’s mother’s maiden name. Ironically enough, Ben starred with Jean Harlow, in her breakout movie, Hell’s Angels (1930).

14. Legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe ten years later, on February 23rd 1956.

15. Attended The Actors Studio.

16. Third woman to start her own Film Production Company – the first being Lois Weber in 1917 and the second being Mary Pickford in 1919.

17. First had her hair bleached in January 1946 at the Frank & Joseph Salon by Beautician Sylvia Barnhart, originally intended for a Shampoo Advert.

18. Contrary to popular belief, she was technically a natural blonde, not a redhead or brunette. She was born with platinum hair and was very fair until just before her teen years. Her sister described her with having dark blonde hair upon their first meeting in 1944.

19. Another myth debunked – she had blue eyes, not brown.

20. Was one of the few women in the 1950s to use weights when exercising.

21. Wore jeans before it was considered acceptable for women.

22. Her famous mole was real – albeit skin coloured, so she emphasized it using a brown eye pencil.

23. Was a Step-Mother in two of her three marriages to three children – Joe Dimaggio Jr. and Bobby and Jane Miller.

24. Found out she landed the lead role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) on her 26th Birthday.

25. Another huge myth dispelled – only actually met President Kennedy four times from 1961 – 1962. Three of them were at public events, with the last being her performance at Madison Square Garden. One of them was at Bing Crosby’s Palm Spring house with various people, so at most (which again, is very unlikely) they had a one night stand – nothing more and nothing less.

26. Was the first Playboy Cover Girl, although she did not actually pose for them, nor give permission for them to be used. Hugh Hefner bought the photograph from a Chicago Calendar Company for $500 and the two never met.

27. Speaking of Playboy, the photo was taken by Photographer Tom Kelley on May 27th 1951 and Marilyn made a total of $50 for the photo shoot. The most famous photo then went on to cause a national sensation after being sold to the Calendar Baumgarth Company and became known as, “Golden Dreams“.

28. In 1955 it was estimated that over four million copies of the Calendar had been sold.

29. Favourite singers were Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. 

30. Attended the Academy Awards Ceremony only once on March 29th 1951 and presented the award for “Best Sound Recording” to Thomas Moulton for All About Eve (1951) which she also starred in.

31. Performed ten shows over four days to over 100,000 soldiers and marines in Korea in February 1954 – she actually ended up catching pneumonia because it was so cold.

32. Was one of the few Stars who had Director Approval in their Contracts. Some of the names included were, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Alfred Hitchcock, George Stevens, William Wyler, Joshua Logan and Sir Carol Reed.

33. Was pregnant during the filming of Some Like It Hot (1959) – filming finished on November 7th 1958 and she miscarried the following month on December 16th.

34. Featured on the cover of LIFE Magazine seven times during her lifetime;

– April 7th 1952 – May 25th 1953 – July 8th 1957 (International Edition) – April 20th 1959 – November 9th 1959 – August 15th 1960 – June 22nd 1962

35. Favourite bevarage was Dom Perignon 1953 Champagne.

36. By the time of her death, her films had grossed over $200 million, when adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of $2 billion in 2019.

37. Designer, William Travilla dressed Marilyn for seven of her films, two (*) of them received Oscar Nominations in, “Best Costume/Design, Color“;

– Monkey Business (1952) – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) – How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) * – River Of No Return (1954) – There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) * – The Seven Year Itch (1955) – Bus Stop (1956)

38. Spent 21 months of her childhood at the Los Angeles Orphanage, from September 13th 1935 until June 7th 1937.

39. Was one of the first Stars to speak out about child abuse, with her story appearing in movie magazines as early as 1954.

40. Fostered by her grandmother’s neighbours, Ida and Albert Bolender, for the first seven years of her life.

41. Lived in England for four months, during the period of filming for The Prince and The Showgirl (1957) from July 14th 1956 – November 20th 1956.

42. Her Production Company, Marilyn Monroe Productions produced only one film, The Prince and The Showgirl (1957) based on Terrance Rattigan’s play, The Sleeping Prince.

43. Was photographed by Earl Theisen in October 1952 wearing a potato sack dress after being criticized by the press for her outfit choice at The Henrietta Awards in January 1952. A journalist wrote that Marilyn was “insignificant and vulgar“and “even in a potato bag, it would have been more elegant.“

44. Was a huge supporter of LGBT+ rights, saying the following quote about fellow actor and friend, Montgomery Clift to journalist W.J. Weatherby in 1960,

“I was remembering Monty Clift. People who aren’t fit to open the door for him sneer at his homosexuality. What do they know about it? Labels–people love putting labels on each other. Then they feel safe. People tried to make me into a lesbian. I laughed. No sex is wrong if there’s love in it.”

45. Her measurements were listed as the following by her Dressmakers; 35-22-35 and 36-24-24 by The Blue Book  Modelling Agency. For the majority of her life she weighed between 117-120 pounds, with her weight fluctuating around 15 pounds, during and after her pregnancies (1957-1960), although her waist never ventured past 28.5 inches and her dress size today would be a UK Size 6-8 and a US Size 2-4 as she was a vintage Size 12.

46. Her famous white halter dress from The Seven Year Itch (1955) sold for $4.6 million ($5.6 million including auction fees) on June 18th 2011, which was owned by Debbie Reynolds. The “Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress” originally held the record for the most expensive dress, when it was sold on October 27th 1999 for $1.26 million. It then went on to be resold for $4.8 million on November 17th 2016, thus regaining it’s original achievement.

47. Was discovered by Photographer, David Conover, whilst working in The Radio Plane Munitions Factory in the Fall of 1944 or Spring of 1945, depending on sources.

48. Now known as the, “Me Too” movement, Marilyn was one of the first Stars to speak out on the, “Hollywood Wolves” in a 1953 article for Motion Picture Magazine entitled, “Wolves I Have Known”. The most famous incident being with the Head of Columbia Studios, Harry Cohn, who requested Marilyn join him on his yacht for a weekend away in Catalina Island. Marilyn asked if his wife would be joining them, which, as you can imagine – did not go down well and her contract was not renewed with the Studio. Marilyn made only one film with Columbia during her six month contract, this being Ladies Of The Chorus (1948) which was shot in just ten days!

49. Loved animals dearly and adopted a variety of pets over the years. These included a basset hound called Hugo and parakeets, Clyde, Bobo and Butch with Husband Arthur Miller.  A number of cats including a persian breed called Mitsou in 1955 and Sugar Finney in 1959. Her most famous pet was gifted to her in March or April of 1961 by friend, Frank Sinatra, a little white maltese named Maf. His full name was Mafia Honey, as a humorous reference to Sinatra’s alleged connections to the Mob. After Marilyn’s death, Maf went to live with Frank Sinatra’s secretary, Gloria Lovell.

50. The book she was reading at the time of her death was Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mocking Bird.

51. One of the movies she starred in was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and won, this being All About Eve (1950) at The 23rd Academy Awards on March 29th 1951. It ended up being nominated for 14 Oscars, a record at the time and has only been matched by Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016).

52. Her first magazine cover was photographed by Andre de Dienes in December 1945 for Family Circle, released on April 26th 1946.

53. Joined The William Morris Agency on December 7th 1948.

54. Was right handed, not left as often believed.

55. Third Husband Arthur Miller wrote the screenplay for Marilyn’s last completed film, The Misfits (1961) which was originally written as a short story for Esquire Magazine in 1957. After the tragic ectopic pregnancy Marilyn endured in August of 1957, friend and Photographer, Sam Shaw suggested to Miller he alter his short story specifically for her. Ironically the making of this film culminated in their divorce and Marilyn stating,

“He could have written me anything and he comes up with this. If that’s what he thinks of me then I’m not for him and he’s not for me.” 56. Was Author, Truman Capote’s original choice for the role of Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) however, she was advised to turn it down by her Acting Coach, Paula Strasberg, who did not think the role of a prostitute would be good for her image. Writer George Axelrod, who wrote the Screenplay for Bus Stop (1956) and the play, The Seven Year Itch, ironically ended up being the Screenwriter for this movie.

Capote said this regarding Marilyn,

“I had seen her in a film and thought she would be perfect for the part. Holly had to have something touching about her . . . unfinished. Marilyn had that.”

57. Second Husband Joe Dimaggio had The Parisian Florists deliver red roses on Marilyn’s grave twice a week, for twenty years, from August 1962 until September 1982. Marilyn had told him how William Powell used to do this for Jean Harlow after her death and he reportedly vowed to do the same after their Wedding Ceremony. After the 20 years he then donated to a children’s charity, as he thought it would be a nice way to honour her memory. They also created the flower arrangements for her casket at her funeral.

58. The following five Directors directed Marilyn in more than one movie;

– John Huston; The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and The Misfits (1961) – Richard Sale;  A Ticket To Tomahawk (1950) and Let’s Make It Legal (1951) – Howard Hawks; Monkey Business (1952) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) – Billy Wilder; The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Some Like It Hot (1959) – George Cukor; Let’s Make Love (1960) and Something’s Got To Give (1962)

59. Was an illegitimate child, which unfortunately was attached with a lot of stigma in the 1920s. Her mother, Gladys, listed her then husband Edward Mortenson on the Birth Certificate, although it is commonly accepted that her real father was Charles Stanley Gifford, as Gladys left Edward on May 26th 1925. Gladys had an affair with him, which ended when she announced her pregnancy and he never acknowledged or met Marilyn, although she tried multiple times over the years to speak with him. 

60. Stayed in a number of foster homes during her childhood,

– George and Emma Atkinson; February 1934 – September 1934 – Enid and Sam Knebelcamp; Fall of 1934 – Harvey and Elsie Giffen; January 1935 – March 1935 – Grace and “Doc” Goddard; April 1935 – September 1935 and June 1937 – November 1937 and end of 1940 – February 1942 – Ida Martin; November 1937 – August 1938 – “Aunt Ana” Lower; August 1938  – End of 1940 and February 1942 

61. Had her hand and footprints immortalized in cement at Graumans Chinese Theatre on June 26th 1953, with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) co-star, Jane Russell. Marilyn would place a rhinestone in the dot of the letter “i” as a reference to her character, “Lorelei Lee” but it was sadly stolen. This was an incredibly special moment for her, as she often talked about placing her hands and feet in the many prints there, when she spent her weekends at the Theatre as a child, especially in 1933 and 1934.

“When I was younger, I used to go to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and try to fit my foot in the prints in the cement there. And I’d say “Oh, oh, my foots too big. I guess that’s out.” I did have a funny feeling later when I finally put my foot down into that wet cement, I sure knew what it really meant to me, anything’s possible, almost.”

62. The famous gold lamé dress worn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and designed by William Travilla, was deemed too risqué by the censors. Unfortunately for fans, this meant that the musical number, “Down Boy” was cut from the film and we only glimpse a few seconds of the dress from behind, on screen.

63. Due to the censors, the original, “Diamond’s Are A Girl’s Best Friend” costume was changed to the now iconic pink dress with black bow. Originally it was to be a diamond encrusted two piece, which was extremely daring for the then Motion Picture Hays Code.

64. Loved Erno Lazlo Skin Cream, Vaseline and Nivea Moisturizer.

65. Had she completed Something’s Got To Give (1962), Marilyn would have been the first Star in a major Motion Picture to appear nude on film. As she passed before it was completed the achievement went to fellow Blonde Bombshell, Jayne Mansfield in, Promises! Promises (1963).

66. Met Queen Elizabeth II in England at the Empire Theater in Leicester Square whilst attending the Premiere of, “The Battle Of The River Plate“ on October 29th 1956.

67. The Misfits (1961) was both Marilyn and Clark Gable’s last completed films. Clark died 12 days after filming finished, on November 16th 1960. The film was released on Clark’s would be 60th Birthday, February 1st 1961 and Marilyn passed 18 months later.

68. As Marilyn died before the completion of Something’s Got To Give (1962) it ended up being remade with Doris Day and James Garner, entitled, Move Over Darling! (1963). The film was originally intended to be a remake of, My Favourite Wife (1940) which starred Cary Grant.

69. Signed a recording contract with RCA Records on September 1st 1953. One of her songs from River of No Return (1954) entitled, “File My Claim” sold 75,000 copies in its first three weeks of release.

70. Was admitted to the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic on February 10th 1961 by her then Psychiatrist, Marianne Kris. Originally thought to be for rest and rehabilitation, following her divorce from Arthur Miller and the strain of filming The Misfits. However, Marilyn was placed on the security ring and held against her will. Thankfully, she was able to contact ex Husband, Joe Dimaggio, who stated he would, “Take the hospital apart brick by brick” if she was not released and after three days of emotional trauma, she left.

71. Visited the following Countries;

– Canada – (July – August 1953) – Japan (February 1954) – Korea (Feburary 1954) – England (July – November 1956) – Jamaica (January 1957) – Mexico (February 1962)

72. Purchased her only home, 12305 Fifth Helena Drive on February 8th 1962, where she would tragically pass just under 6 months later.

73. The home had the following tile located on the front paving entrance saying, “cursum perficio” meaning, “my journey ends here.” The title is still there to this day.

74. Her final interview was published in LIFE Magazine on August 3rd 1962 and was written by Richard Meryman.

75. Aside from her millions of fans, had a staunch group of supporters affectionately known as, “The Monroe Six” who followed Marilyn around New York during her time there. Their nickname for Marilyn was, “Mazzie” and they became so acquainted that Marilyn actually once invited them for a picnic at her home.

76. First married at just sixteen years old, this was to avoid returning to the Orphanage she had spent almost two years in as a child.

77. Supported numerous charity events, most famously riding a pink elephant in Madison Square Garden, to support the Arthritis and Rheumatic Affections Association on March 30th 1955.

78. Left 25% of her Estate to her then Psychiatrist, Marianne Kris and 75% to mentor and friend, Lee Strasberg. For reference, her Will was last updated on January 1961 – a month before she entered the Payne Whitney Hospital on the advice of Marianne Kris.

79. At the time of it’s release, The Misfits (1961) turned out to be the most expensive black and white movie ever made, costing a budget of $4 million dollars.

80. The Premiere of The Seven Year Itch was held on her 29th Birthday, on June 1st 1955, she attended with ex Husband, Joe Dimaggio.

81. Laid to rest at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on August 8th 1962 at 1:00 PM, with friend and mentor Lee Strasberg delivering the Eulogy. 

82. Although so often associated with diamonds, actually wasn’t that fond of jewellery stating, “People always ask me if I believe diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Frankly, I don’t.” 

83. Spent her 36th Birthday filming Something’s Got To Give (1962) and then attending a Charity Event for muscular dystrophy at the Chavez Ravin Dodger Stadium, which also happened to be her last public appearance.

84. Whilst recovering in hospital from an appendectomy in April 1952, Marilyn asked long time Makeup Artist and friend, Allan “Whitey” Snyder to do her makeup, should she pass before him. She gave him a gold money clip with the inscription, “Whitey Dear, while I’m still warm, Marilyn” and he did fulfill this promise to her.

85. Converted to Judaism for third husband, Arthur Miller on July 1st 1956.

86. Despite appearing in 30 films, she only actually dies in one, that being her breakout movie, Niagara (1953) where her character Rose Loomis, is strangled by her Husband George, played by Joseph Cotten.

87. Moved to New York City in 1955 and attended The Actors Studio, after breaking her Film Contract with 20th Century Fox. This was for a number of reasons, mainly years of low pay, unsatisfactory scripts and lack of creative control. A new contract would finally be reinstated on December 31st.

88. Repurchased a white Baby Grand Piano that her mother, Gladys, owned during their time living together in 1933. After Marilyn passed it would then be sold at the Christies Auction of her Estate in 1999 to none other than, Mariah Carey for $632,500.

89. Wore long hair pieces in River of No Return (1954) and a medium length wig in The Misfits (1961). The first I can only assume was due to the time period and setting of a Western and the second was due to the bleach damage her hair had suffered. After the filming in 1960, she wore the wig a couple of times in public events and then reverted back to her normal hair.

90. Like all students, it was tradition to perform in front of each other in The Actors Studio and on February 17th 1955, Marilyn acted out a scene from “Anna Christie” with Maureen Stapleton. Although it was an unwritten rule that students were not meant to applaud one another, an eruption of cheers and clapping happened after Marilyn had finished.

“Everybody who saw that says that it was not only the best work Marilyn ever did, it was some of the best work ever seen at Studio, and certainly the best interpretation of Anna Christie anybody ever saw. She achieved real greatness in that scene.”

– Actor Ellen Burstyn, on recalling Marilyn’s performance.

91. Used the pseudonym, “Zelda Zonk“, when trying to remain incognito.

92. Marilyn’s mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from Paranoid Schizophrenia and after various stays in institutions, was declared insane on January 15th 1935, when Marilyn was just 8 years old. After 10 years she was released and managed to retain various cleaning jobs and had developed an intense interest in Christian Science. However, by 1951 she was back in various institutions and would stay in the Rockhaven Sanitarium until 1967. Even after death, Marilyn continued to cover her mother’s care payments and Gladys would go on to outlive her for 22 years.

93. Favourite photograph of herself was taken by Cecil Beaton on February 22nd 1956.

94. Last professional photos were taken by Bert Stern, famously known as “The Last Sitting” for Vogue Magazine on June 23rd, July 10th and 12th 1962. Allan Grant took the LIFE Magazine interview pictures in her home, on July 4th and 9th 1962. Whilst George Barris took his photos for Cosmopolitan Magazine, the previous weekend on the 29th and 30th of June, until July 1st 1962. ______________________________________________________________________________

To those of you who took the time to read through all 3000+ words, thank you! It truly means more to me than you know and I really hope it’s shed some light on the truly special person Marilyn was and made you hold a good thought for her on her big day.

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Happy 94th Birthday Marilyn! Today is a very special day, it's Marilyn's Birthday! Can you believe that if she were still alive,  Marilyn would have been turning 94 years old today - just two months younger than the Queen herself!

[dilfdoctordoom]

Star sapphire Bette Kane AU???!!

Yes!!!! It’s been on my mind for a while now & I really, really wanna write it ‘cause I think it could be fun. I don’t really. Have a plot. But I do know some of the things I want to happen! I’ve got the love interest down, at least. Not quite who I’d expected it to be, but, like, I’m a sucker for characters that nobody knows anything about.

And it ended up way longer than I first thought, so I’m gonna be putting it under the cut.

Bette has always had a connection to love, this is just an objective fact. Everyone she meets, every team she joins, she always tries to care about them, no matter what

But all the teams she’s on (Titans West & LA) have dissolved, everyone going their separate ways. She still talks to them but she feels kinda disconnected. There’s this overwhelming belief that she’s the second choice, that none of them genuinely care about her, that’s been instilled in her since she was Bat-Girl

So she leaves LA behind her, tries to forget the ghosts of all her dead friends, and moves back to Gotham. It’s home, even if she keeps trying to escape it, because a part of her will always be that little kid in a homemade mask, trying to impress her aunt, her cousin, the entire world to a lonely kid

And she finds that her older cousin Kate is back in Gotham too. They used to be close when they were younger, with Kate acting as a big sister to her at times, but since her teens, they haven’t talked all that much

Bette still wants that connection though. She loves her cousin (she loves all her family, even when that feeling isn’t returned) and since they’re both here, why shouldn’t they spend time together?

Kate always seems to blow her off and never gives a reasonable explanation. It gets to the point where Bette thinks that maybe Kate doesn’t want to spend any time with her, that maybe she’s the second choice once moe

Then she sees Batwoman

Then she knows

This is Bette Kane. She was a child when she discovered the original Bat-Woman’s identity and now she’s an adult, years of training and detective work under her belt, and she doesn’t even need that. She’d recognize Kate Kane anywhere

She’s been meaning to get back into the game anyway. She’d promised herself after LA she wouldn’t but after only a month back in Gotham, she feels that itch. She wants to be jumping from building to building, wants the adrenaline rush that only comes with freefalling off a rooftop. There are many things that Bette Kane loves and being a superhero is definitely one of them

She works as Flamebird alongside Kate and for the chance to spend time with her family, she pretends that Batwoman’s dismissal of her doesn’t bother her. She fixes on a smile and she goes along with the entire Plebe thing, even though she’s been doing this longer, even though she’s a fully capable hero in her own right

She’d take all the little comments, all the judgement in the world, to spend time with somebody she cares about

And in this world, like in so many others, Bette pushes herself until she breaks. Harsh words from her cousin, from somebody she adores, and she goes out into the field an emotional wreck. She should know better at this point but there’s an anger boiling under her skin and she needs some sort of release

She goes out on patrol and she comes across the Hook

She’s angry and she’s desperate to prove herself and that is never a good mix

She’s not so angry anymore when Hook leaves her bleeding out in the streets

She’s not angry at all

She just wants to apologize. She doesn’t think she’s going to make it (blood, there’s so much blood, there shouldn’t be this much blood) and she wants to tell Kate, Bruce, Kathy, Dick, Gar, everyone she’s ever tried to impress, that she’s sorry for being a disappointment

She wants to tell them that she loves them all, so so much. She wants them to know that there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for them

She doesn’t get a chance

But instead of the DEO coming across her almost dead body and using her a bargaining chip, instead of becoming a pawn in a game that nobody told her about, there’s violet light

There’s a voice, soft and kind, and it offers her an escape. It’s a ring and it asks her to accept it, to join its fight, and she says yes. How could she not?

The world fades out in a violet hue and when Bette opens her eyes, she’s no longer on Earth

Zamaron is so different to everything she’s known, the Star Sapphires a whole new ball game, but this is Bette

This is the girl that saved Batman when she was just a kid

This is the girl that was told to quit by her hero and refused

This is the girl that would do anything to spend time with the people she loves

She takes it all in stride. She’s been friends with aliens before, known an interdimensional imp. She can handle this

It helps that Carol Ferris takes her under her wing for training

Carol is everything that her previous trainers were not; kind, helpful, compassionate, caring. There’s no snapping at her if she gets something wrong, no refusal to acknowledge her skills. There’s a certain amount of respect and Bette has never been treated with that

She still doesn’t tell Carol much about her life on Earth. She doesn’t mention being the original Bat-Girl (doesn’t want to hear the overly familiar ‘but wasn’t she a redhead?’), doesn’t mention Kate or Bruce or Dick or the Titans

Out here, in the depths of space, with a ring powered by the love in her heart, she’s allowed to be Bette Kane. There are no expectations, no writing her off because of a dumb mistake in her youth. There’s just Bette, the power of love, and the growing feeling that maybe she can be accepted

And you have to remember, Bette isn’t like Dick. She doesn’t work with the Justice League and she doesn’t know much about the Lanterns outside of vague allusions from Bruce

When she meets Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner, she finds that she likes them. Really, really likes them. Guy isn’t the asshole that Bruce made him out to be and Kyle ━━

Kyle is the exact kind of person that Bette always ends up befriending. It certainly helps that Carol enlists him to help Bette control her abilities

(Because here’s the thing about the furthest ends of the emotional spectrum ━━ they’re dangerous. Rage can rip your mind apart, can change you as a person, can blot out any form of logic. And love, love is so powerful, so overwhelming, and Bette is so full of it. Control sometimes slips away from her and it’s always a battle to keep her head on straight)

So. She’s away from Earth, away from her family, and that should be scary. That should terrify her

But it’s so hard to be afraid when she’s surrounded by people that support her, that lift her up instead of knocking her down

And she knows that Kate and Bruce have only ever had good intentions. She knows that they were just looking out for her, but she’s starting to think that maybe they did more damage than good

On Earth, she was always, always thought of as the dumb kid, the airhead with a crush on Robin

Here, though, on Zamaron, she’s just the latest in a long line of Star Sapphires. She’s known for a mean right hook, the copious amount of sparkles added to her suit and her ability to befriend everything and everyone she comes across

Bette’s a likeable person. This is a fact; look at the teams she’s been on, look at the number of people she’s managed to work with

Bette’s also a lonely person. She puts her whole self forward and she’s never been treated in kind. She’s everybody’s second choice, the cast-offs, the stand-in until they can get someone better

(Maybe that’s not true. Maybe, maybe Bette doesn’t see it, the way Garfield brightens up when she arrives, the way Hank’s anger disappears because she’s making him laugh, the way Kate hugs her like she’s something important)

(But maybe, maybe the years have gone by and nobody has ever said those three little words to her. Maybe she’s spent her life without hearing anyone say ‘I love you’)

(And maybe that affects a person)

With Carol, with the Star Sapphires, with the Green Lanterns she’s slowly starting to befriend, it doesn’t feel like that. She’s not anyone’s consolation prize ━━ she’s a respected member of a powerful force of love

Can you imagine what that’s like? Going from your lowest point, bleeding out with the belief that you’re a failure to everybody you’ve ever loved, to a hero of the cosmos, with violet light sparking off you at every second? Can you imagine the thrill of it?

And flying! Bette has always been an adrenaline junkie, hasn’t bothered to keep it a secret, and this, soaring through the stars, is a high like no other. It’s pure joy and it’s all hers, not the product of someone else, not some false happiness designed to appease the people around her

Bette’s a nice person

A too nice person, some would say

And maybe Carol gets her first glimpse of this when, in a fight against the Sinestro Corp, Bette gets taken, prisoner

She’s a terrible choice, to be honest. Anyone, Yrra, Carol herself, would have been better

Because Bette knows how to make people like her

It’s a talent, really. One that’s been honed since she was a kid desperate for approval and one that might be a little out of practice (because with the ring on her finger, she never needs to pretend to be something she’s not), but it’s always there

You can’t spend years twisting and turning into a different person to please whoever you’re around for such a skill to go away

So Carol gets to see this, and the kindness, and that ability to make friends with anyone, when the rescue mission gets called off

Called off because Bette makes it back to Zamaron, offering Lyssa Drak a kiss on the cheek in thanks

Called off because fear doesn’t do much against a girl shaped by it. Because the machinations of the Sinestro Corp has nothing on the terror induced by the gaps in her memory, the razor-sharp smile she sees in her nightmares, the feeling she got on the edge of death

Called off because once Bette Kane sees somebody she thinks is attractive, she can’t stop herself from flirting

Called off because Bette is used to being friends with villains. Because Bette has forgiven everything Hank Hall has ever done, has rolled her eyes and told Tara Markov that her past doesn’t have to define her. Because she forgives, coming from a place of unending love

That’s not to say that things go perfectly all the time

She gets hurt. Sometimes it’s physically, when a threat is a little too much for to take, even with her training, even with her ring. She’s only human, after all, and humans falter all the time

And sometimes, it’s emotionally. She gets hurt when she goes to Thanagar and sees the face of one of her oldest friends, when she’s struck with the memories of his funeral

She gets hurt when she has to fight Charley Parker

She gets hurt when she feels the love radiating off them both regardless of what side they’re on

She cries for the first time in a long time on that day and she tries to hide on some desolate planet, away from Carol and her kindness, Guy and the way he always understands, Kyle and his calming presence. She wants to feel the hurt, feels like she deserves it (because she failed him, didn’t she? She didn’t look into his death and now one of her closest friends has become one of her greatest enemies)

She wants to be alone to punish herself and maybe if she was still on Earth, if she was with the Bats, that would be allowed. They are, after all, the masters of brooding on their lonesome

But she’s not on Earth. She’s in space, she’s surrounded by people that care about her and all their numerous friends

It’s Hal Jordan that finds her and she thinks there’s something funny about that. Something that would drive Bruce insane and she can’t help the choked back sobs when she thinks of him and his disapproving looks, his petty demands designed to stop her from being a hero, his funeral and the darkness that descended after it

There are plenty of people that know about regret, about feeling like you’ve let down the people closest to you, and the man that launched himself into the sun looking for redemption, who made his time as the spirit of vengeance offering second chances, is one of them

Her life as a Star Sapphire so far from perfect, but it’s better than the one she had on Earth for one simple reason ━━ she’s no longer defined by her past

Or by her future

She hasn’t told them that she was a hero. She knows that Carol suspects (she was, after all, the one that treated Bette’s wounds when she first arrived, the one that saw the Flamebird suit), but she doesn’t know about Bat-Girl. She doesn’t know how to tell any of them about her past

She doesn’t think she can tell them about her future. It looms over her, as it’s always done, this impossible reality where she will die, where she dons a Batwoman costume of her own

She used to want that, to be Batwoman, but the years have gone by and the mantle seems drenched in red. It’s not for Kate, not for the woman that deserves to be Batwoman. No, it’s soaked in blood for the girl that didn’t notice the holes in her aunt’s story

(Or maybe she did. Maybe somebody made her forget)

She’s never wanted to die, but now, when it seems like the universe is finally on her side, the idea is terrifying. She’d accepted it before, on some level, let herself run headfirst into danger because she doesn’t die yet, the future version of her said so, there’s still so much to do before the green of the Lazarus Pits takes her over

That acceptance has been gone for a while

She laughs with fellow Star Sapphires, gets drinks with Guy Gardner, goes flying among the stars with Hal Jordan when it all gets too much. She talks strategy with John Stewart, those years under a master manipulator finally paying off, she rests with Kyle Rayner while he sketches. She spars with Yrra Cynril, feels the rush of adrenaline that comes with the knowledge that this woman could kill her, and she talks about make-up and fashion with Arisia Rrab. She sneaks away somedays for a secret meet-up with a woman that’s supposed to be her enemy, indulges in the destructive nature of Lyssa Drak for just a moment, lets herself be consumed in soft kisses and whispered threats

And in all of those moments, the need to live is a thrumming, living beast within her

She knows she has to go back to Earth at some point, has to face her future head-on, but she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want to die by an old friend’s hand

She doesn’t want to watch Duela Dent kill her. She doesn’t think that even a Lazarus Pit could really bring her back from that

Bette is afraid. She’s not a Green Lantern; she’s not supposed to be fearless

And really, it’s not her death that she dreads. It’s what comes after it. It’s the glow of a pit, the hollow smiles her future self gave. It’s the emptiness of her eyes

It’s the missing ring on her ring

(She thinks that might explain why her future self seemed to be missing something)

She doesn’t have the words to tell anyone this, though. She’s been taught to keep her fears to herself, lest they ben used against her, and besides

How do you tell the people that you love care about that you’re destined to die?

Bette Kane believes in destiny. She has two friends granted powers by the Lords of Order and Chaos, has seen twisted paths all lead to one final destination. She knows that she’s going to die, going to be thrown in a Lazarus Pit, going to fight against her family

(Her old one, at least. Future Bette never mentioned her new family and she hopes (she prays) that it’s because they’re safe, just far away from Earth)

She’s still Bette Kane, though, and a Bette Kane that’s spent so much time with Green Lanterns, with the champion of love. She learns about stubbornness in the face of an immense threat. She learns about survival through sheer willpower, through the endless power of love

She thinks she might be able to manage it

Bette Kane has always had a connection to love. Her ring works off of it, feeding off and into it, an endless loop that lets her soar among the stars

She’s seen love accomplish the impossible

She doesn’t see why she can’t just use love to stop that future

So she avoids Earth, the place she’s destined to die

It’s not that hard, not like she has to go there often

It’s not like anyone would want her back, anyways. She remembers her final conversation with Kate, remembers all of the times Bruce told her to give it up. She remembers her friends splintered and going their separate ways. She remembers slipping away for a year in between Bat-Girl and Flamebird and remembers nobody even noticing

What reason does she have to think that’s changed?

Which helps her decision to avoid Earth

And she does avoid it. It’s not hard, with all the different aspects of the emotional spectrum breaking out into fights, the Rann/Thanagar tensions, the million and one issues running through the universe

It’s easy to pretend that she isn’t even avoiding it

Until Carol needs her help

Until Carol asks for her help

Until somebody that she loves needs her

Okay, that’s all I have so far... it’s a work in progress. There’s still, like, what’s going on Earthside to work on.

But yeah!!!! This is the BS my brain has been focused on. It makes no sense, it’s bad & I love it.