#scott morrisons resignation

[elemental-queen-writes]

Scott Morrison, Australia's Worst Prime Minister, has announced that he is resigning from politics, ending his career in February!

[legalisedrunkdriving]

I'm a pretty political person normally, but for quite a while after the latest outburst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I wasn't entirely sure which side was more to support.

But when one side of the conflict is bombing schools in a United Nations refugee camp? Things get a lot clearer. Fast.

Israel should not, cannot, continue this. HAMAS may have provoked them, and that was not a moral thing to do, but a response of the magnitude that we have seen is excessive. Tanamount to genocide.

Source:

[iontimes]

New details released about 46 arrested in prostitution sting, including Lewisville ISD coach, youth pastor

Dozens of local men – including some community leaders – were arrested recently at hotels in Frisco and Southlake as part of a multi-agency prostitution sting.

According to federal officials in the Dallas branch of Homeland Security Investigations, the 46 men included a volunteer firefighter, youth pastor, high school teacher and coach, semi-professional hockey player, and the director of operations for a large hospital network in North Texas.

The Dallas DHS Office said what the suspects do exploits and victimizes trafficking victims.

One non-profit working to help sex trafficking victims said the DFW Metroplex is a hot spot for it because of its size and highway system to other parts of the country. They said there isn’t anything thing typical about a human trafficking suspect, as it can be almost anyone.

We learned more about 46 people who were arrested at upscale hotels in Frisco and Southlake as part of a multi-agency prostitution sting earlier this month.

Frisco police said during the operation and following the investigation, they found no evidence of local underage sex trafficking, contrary to rumors.

"It’s happening more than people think and know," said Dr. Tonya Stafford Manning, who runs It’s Going to be OK, which is a Dallas-based non-profit organization that assists human trafficking victims.

Lewisville Independent School District confirmed Marcus High School teacher and football coach Tim Morrison was among the 46 suspects.

The district said Morrison was placed on administrative leave after his arrest and later resigned.

Fort Worth youth pastor Lamarcus Strickland was also arrested.

Spencer Asuchak, a 31-year-old professional hockey player who’s been with the Allen Americans — of the East Coast Hockey League — since 2013, according to the team’s web site, is one of dozens charged with solicitation of prostitution.

The team told , "We are aware of the situation. We don’t have a comment at this time as we gather more information."

A Baylor Scott & White Health director of operations, 49-year-old Jimmie Hemmingway, is also charged. Baylor said Hemmingway is no longer an employee.

"But this is happening. It’s happening right up under our noses. It’s happening right in our backyards," Dr. Manning added. "Nobody wants to get up and be a prostitute. Nobody wants to be trafficked. Nobody wants to be sold."

The dozens of men charged responded to online advertisements for prostitution, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But instead of communicating with women being trafficked, they were unknowingly communicating with law enforcement. Homeland Security did not detail what the posts read.

Meet-ups were arranged at hotels with the coordination and cooperation of hotel management and staff.

"I think other people were shocked by it because of who was implicated in the sting itself," Dr. Manning said.

42 other suspects were also arrested.

ICE released the names and birth dates of all 46 suspects.

Frisco Arrests

 Justin Rice

 Cody Wilson

 Trenton Ruwe

 Ronak Patel

 Todd Cook

 Aaron Posey

 Brandon Beecher

 Andrew Ratcliffe

 Spencer Asuchak

 Devin Johnson

 Jimmie Hemmingway

 Vijay Akula Krishna Murthy

 John Prevost

 Rodolfo Tibuni

 Michael Arenas

 Orlando Hampton

 Jacob Rumble

 Kevin Hasseell

 William Teemer

 Tanyon Oldham

 Adam Edelman

 Simon Withy

 Rahul Malviya

Southlake Arrests

 Liam Donnelly

 Scott Boeckstiegel

 Lamarcus Strickland

 David Gothe

 Anel Vemulapalli

 Cecil Timothy Morrison Jr.

 Bryon Althof

f Iwara Magumus

 Kilomo Kialemba

 Norberto Alvarado

 Sunny Roberts

 Elmer Acosta

 Jerry Smith

 Damien Mims

 Alex Maldonado

 Jason Cha

 Patrick Rodriguez

 Cornelia Cheeter

 Michael Smith

 Daniel Stewart

 Santosh Gorla

Frisco police also released the mugshots and charges of the 23 men they arrested.

HIS Dallas officials said the undercover operation coincides with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign to highlight Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Often, commercial sex workers are the victims of sex trafficking because they are either underage or were forced into the role.

"By targeting those involved in this crime, we hope to disrupt this activity and provide assistance to human trafficking victims by getting them connected to the advocates and resources they need," said Lester Hayes, the HSI Dallas special agent in charge.

"The victims of these heinous crimes are treated like commodities, used to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible," added Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn. "Those who traffic victims are the scourge of the earth, and we will continue to target those responsible for the trafficking and those who solicit sex from them."

Anyone who is a victim or has information about other local sex trafficking cases is urged to call the department’s tip line at 1-866-DHS-2423.

Charles Crawford

[theglobaltime]

New details released about 46 arrested in prostitution sting, including Lewisville ISD coach, youth pastor

Dozens of local men – including some community leaders – were arrested recently at hotels in Frisco and Southlake as part of a multi-agency prostitution sting.

According to federal officials in the Dallas branch of Homeland Security Investigations, the 46 men included a volunteer firefighter, youth pastor, high school teacher and coach, semi-professional hockey player, and the director of operations for a large hospital network in North Texas.

The Dallas DHS Office said what the suspects do exploits and victimizes trafficking victims.

One non-profit working to help sex trafficking victims said the DFW Metroplex is a hot spot for it because of its size and highway system to other parts of the country. They said there isn’t anything thing typical about a human trafficking suspect, as it can be almost anyone.

We learned more about 46 people who were arrested at upscale hotels in Frisco and Southlake as part of a multi-agency prostitution sting earlier this month.

Frisco police said during the operation and following the investigation, they found no evidence of local underage sex trafficking, contrary to rumors.

"It’s happening more than people think and know," said Dr. Tonya Stafford Manning, who runs It’s Going to be OK, which is a Dallas-based non-profit organization that assists human trafficking victims.

Lewisville Independent School District confirmed Marcus High School teacher and football coach Tim Morrison was among the 46 suspects.

The district said Morrison was placed on administrative leave after his arrest and later resigned.

Fort Worth youth pastor Lamarcus Strickland was also arrested.

Spencer Asuchak, a 31-year-old professional hockey player who’s been with the Allen Americans — of the East Coast Hockey League — since 2013, according to the team’s web site, is one of dozens charged with solicitation of prostitution.

The team told , "We are aware of the situation. We don’t have a comment at this time as we gather more information."

A Baylor Scott & White Health director of operations, 49-year-old Jimmie Hemmingway, is also charged. Baylor said Hemmingway is no longer an employee.

"But this is happening. It’s happening right up under our noses. It’s happening right in our backyards," Dr. Manning added. "Nobody wants to get up and be a prostitute. Nobody wants to be trafficked. Nobody wants to be sold."

The dozens of men charged responded to online advertisements for prostitution, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But instead of communicating with women being trafficked, they were unknowingly communicating with law enforcement. Homeland Security did not detail what the posts read.

Meet-ups were arranged at hotels with the coordination and cooperation of hotel management and staff.

"I think other people were shocked by it because of who was implicated in the sting itself," Dr. Manning said.

42 other suspects were also arrested.

ICE released the names and birth dates of all 46 suspects.

Frisco Arrests

Justin Rice Cody Wilson Trenton Ruwe Ronak Patel Todd Cook Aaron Posey Brandon Beecher Andrew Ratcliffe Spencer Asuchak Devin Johnson Jimmie Hemmingway Vijay Akula Krishna Murthy John Prevost Rodolfo Tibuni Michael Arenas Orlando Hampton Jacob Rumble Kevin Hasseell William Teemer Tanyon Oldham Adam Edelman Simon Withy Rahul Malviya

Southlake Arrests

Liam Donnelly Scott Boeckstiegel Lamarcus Strickland David Gothe Anel Vemulapalli Cecil Timothy Morrison Jr. Bryon Althoff Iwara Magumus Kilomo Kialemba Norberto Alvarado Sunny Roberts Elmer Acosta Jerry Smith Damien Mims Alex Maldonado Jason Cha Patrick Rodriguez Cornelia Cheeter Michael Smith Daniel Stewart Santosh Gorla

Frisco police also released the mugshots and charges of the 23 men they arrested.

HIS Dallas officials said the undercover operation coincides with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign to highlight Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Often, commercial sex workers are the victims of sex trafficking because they are either underage or were forced into the role.

"By targeting those involved in this crime, we hope to disrupt this activity and provide assistance to human trafficking victims by getting them connected to the advocates and resources they need," said Lester Hayes, the HSI Dallas special agent in charge.

"The victims of these heinous crimes are treated like commodities, used to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible," added Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn. "Those who traffic victims are the scourge of the earth, and we will continue to target those responsible for the trafficking and those who solicit sex from them."

Anyone who is a victim or has information about other local sex trafficking cases is urged to call the department’s tip line at 1-866-DHS-2423.

Robert Evans

[pinklilynews]

New details released about 46 arrested in prostitution sting, including Lewisville ISD coach, youth pastor

DALLAS - Dozens of local men – including some community leaders – were arrested recently at hotels in Frisco and Southlake as part of a multi-agency prostitution sting.

According to federal officials in the Dallas branch of Homeland Security Investigations, the 46 men included a volunteer firefighter, youth pastor, high school teacher and coach, semi-professional hockey player, and the director of operations for a large hospital network in North Texas.

The Dallas DHS Office said what the suspects do exploits and victimizes trafficking victims.

One non-profit working to help sex trafficking victims said the DFW Metroplex is a hot spot for it because of its size and highway system to other parts of the country. They said there isn’t anything thing typical about a human trafficking suspect, as it can be almost anyone.

Pink Lily News learned more about 46 people who were arrested at upscale hotels in Frisco and Southlake as part of a multi-agency prostitution sting earlier this month.

Frisco police said during the operation and following the investigation, they found no evidence of local underage sex trafficking, contrary to rumors.

"It’s happening more than people think and know," said Dr. Tonya Stafford Manning, who runs It’s Going to be OK, which is a Dallas-based non-profit organization that assists human trafficking victims.

READ MORE: Murdered McKinney woman planned to 'blackmail' boyfriend after finding out he was married, affidavit says

Lewisville Independent School District confirmed Marcus High School teacher and football coach Tim Morrison was among the 46 suspects.

The district said Morrison was placed on administrative leave after his arrest and later resigned.

Fort Worth youth pastor Lamarcus Strickland was also arrested.

Spencer Asuchak, a 31-year-old professional hockey player who’s been with the Allen Americans — of the East Coast Hockey League — since 2013, according to the team’s web site, is one of dozens charged with solicitation of prostitution.

The team told Pink Lily News, "We are aware of the situation. We don’t have a comment at this time as we gather more information."

A Baylor Scott & White Health director of operations, 49-year-old Jimmie Hemmingway, is also charged. Baylor said Hemmingway is no longer an employee. 

"But this is happening. It’s happening right up under our noses. It’s happening right in our backyards," Dr. Manning added. "Nobody wants to get up and be a prostitute. Nobody wants to be trafficked. Nobody wants to be sold."

The dozens of men charged responded to online advertisements for prostitution, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But instead of communicating with women being trafficked, they were unknowingly communicating with law enforcement. Homeland Security did not detail what the posts read. 

Meet-ups were arranged at hotels with the coordination and cooperation of hotel management and staff. 

"I think other people were shocked by it because of who was implicated in the sting itself," Dr. Manning said.

42 other suspects were also arrested.

ICE released the names and birth dates of all 46 suspects.

Frisco Arrests

Justin Rice

Cody Wilson

Trenton Ruwe

Ronak Patel

Todd Cook

Aaron Posey

Brandon Beecher

Andrew Ratcliffe

Spencer Asuchak

Devin Johnson

Jimmie Hemmingway

Vijay Akula Krishna Murthy

John Prevost

Rodolfo Tibuni

Michael Arenas

Orlando Hampton

Jacob Rumble

Kevin Hasseell

William Teemer

Tanyon Oldham

Adam Edelman

Simon Withy

Rahul Malviya

Southlake Arrests

Liam Donnelly

Scott Boeckstiegel

Lamarcus Strickland

David Gothe

Anel Vemulapalli

Cecil Timothy Morrison Jr.

Bryon Althoff

Iwara Magumus

Kilomo Kialemba

Norberto Alvarado

Sunny Roberts

Elmer Acosta

Jerry Smith

Damien Mims

Alex Maldonado

Jason Cha

Patrick Rodriguez

Cornelia Cheeter

Michael Smith

Daniel Stewart

Santosh Gorla

Frisco police also released the mugshots and charges of the 23 men they arrested.

HIS Dallas officials said the undercover operation coincides with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign to highlight Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

READ MORE: 3 arrests made in shooting that killed teen outside Fort Worth Whataburger

Often, commercial sex workers are the victims of sex trafficking because they are either underage or were forced into the role.

"By targeting those involved in this crime, we hope to disrupt this activity and provide assistance to human trafficking victims by getting them connected to the advocates and resources they need," said Lester Hayes, the HSI Dallas special agent in charge.

"The victims of these heinous crimes are treated like commodities, used to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible," added Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn. "Those who traffic victims are the scourge of the earth, and we will continue to target those responsible for the trafficking and those who solicit sex from them."

[duckpaddling]

"A week after Morrison’s resignation, The Australian Citizens Party (ACP) wrote to the National Anti- Corruption Commission (NACC), requesting them to investigate former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to join private companies who will profit from the massive defence expenditure resulting from his decision to establish AUKUS."

[usefulnews]

“Morrison’s Exit: A Controversial Legacy Unveiled – Reflections, Resignation, and Potential Successors”,#Resign

[thisproductreview]

“Morrison’s Exit: A Controversial Legacy Unveiled – Reflections, Resignation, and Potential Successors”,#Resign

[qnewsau]

Bye bye: Ex-PM Scott Morrison is quitting politics

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/bye-bye-ex-pm-scott-morrison-is-quitting-politics/

Bye bye: Ex-PM Scott Morrison is quitting politics

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison will quit politics in February after more than 16 years in the federal parliament.

Australia’s 30th Prime Minister confirmed on Tuesday he will “leave parliament at the end of February”.

Scott Morrison, a Pentecostal Christian, led the Coalition to a surprise election win in 2019 followed by a walloping defeat in 2022 after his popularity plunged.

On Tuesday, he said he’s off to “take on new challenges in the global corporate sector and spend more time with my family”.

“I am also looking forward to being more active in my church community, outside the constraints of public office,” he said.

It’s difficult to pick which controversies and scandals were most damaging to Scott Morrison’s legacy.

But just one month into the top job, Prime Minister Morrison was already targeting LGBTQIA+ Australians.

In 2018, he posted his infamous “gender whisperers” tweet criticising support for trans youth.

At that time he also claimed queer-inclusive sex ed in schools made his “skin curl”.

A few months later, he described state birth certificate reforms benefiting trans people as “ridiculous”.

Scott Morrison pushed for doomed religious discrimination bill

As PM, Scott Morrison also pushed for the parliament to pass his government’s doomed religious discrimination legislation.

But the government ultimately had to dump it when some of Morrison’s own MPs opposed the proposal over its concerning impacts on LGBTQIA+ Australians.

During the 2022 election campaign, Scott Morrison was accused of “dog-whistling to ultra-conservatives” by supporting anti-trans legislation.

Morrison refused to dump Katherine Deves, his hand-picked candidate for the Sydney seat of Warringah, despite a truly sickening catalogue of transphobia online.

Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP has slammed supports for gender diverse kids in schools describing it as “gender whispering”. We are appalled at his lack of knowledge or compassion. His comments harm the young people this affects. We strongly condemn the views he has expressed. https://t.co/Um9Teu7Ryn

— Transcend Australia (@transcend_aust) September 5, 2018

I am glad he’ll resign never having implemented his Religious Discrimination Bill, which would have unnecessarily divided the community, and increased discrimination against women, LGBTQ people, people with disability & people from minority faiths. #auspol https://t.co/qh39FZnhOj

— Alastair Lawrie (@alawriedejesus) January 23, 2024

Scott Morrison’s resignation will spark a byelection in his southern Sydney seat of Cook.

In May, he will release a memoir Plans for Your Good – A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness.

The book, with a foreword written by Mike Pence, will reportedly reveal how Morrison’s Christian faith influenced his politics.

Read also:

Scott Morrison: Australia’s Religious Freedom PM & Minister for Everything

Scott Morrison urges trust in God over government in sermon at Margaret Court’s church

Bulldozed: Scott Morrison’s nasty, duplicitous, nutty behaviour

Prime Minister Scott Morrison: from friendly fire to backfires

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[nando161mando]

"The opposition leader claims robodebt was stopped when its legality was called into question, even though the report found something quite different.

Read more AM news here [FREE TO READ]"

[mattnicholls69]

Calls for Scott Morrison to resign amid damning Robodebt report

Calls for Scott Morrison to resign amid damning Robodebt report https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/calls-for-scott-morrison-to-resign-amid-damning-robodebt-report/video/483570a261800acb7e7e6199e71d540b

[evamadeln]

Whether Morrison knew or not, he is an abject moral failure and should resign: FLASHBACK 2021 [Video]

[reportwire]

Albanese sworn in as PM in Australia ahead of Tokyo summit

Albanese sworn in as PM in Australia ahead of Tokyo summit

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s new prime minister was sworn in Monday and flew to Tokyo for a summit with President Joe Biden while vote counting continued to determine whether he will control a majority in a Parliament that is demanding tougher action on climate change. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party ousted predecessor Scott Morrison ’s conservative coalition at…

[365days365movies]

Music December III: My Fair Lady (1964) - Recap: Part One

Talking about musical theatre? Gotta go to the Greeks.

The modern Western style of theatre has its roots in ancient Greece, around the 500s or so. It’s where we get names like Aeschylus and Aristophanes and Thespis and all them guys. Performance was the preferred Greek method of telling tales, along with oration. And between the two, acting out a story automatically makes it more memorable and engaging, right?

But the stories told by the culture go back even further, told as mythology since God knows when. Over time, though, those stories were recorded into written word by poets. The Greeks had people like Homer, and their mythologies were eventually passed onto (read: basically straight-up stolen by) the Romans. They also had various famous poets, most notably Ovid. And in his 15-book epic (beat that, fanfic writers. I mean, actually beat that, I believe in you), he detailed multiple myths in Greek and Roman mythology. One of the Greek ones spoke of a sculptor named Pygmalion.

Let’s get something clear first: Pygmalion was an ass.

He was a sculptor who saw sex-workers this one time and immediately hated all women as a result. He’s basically an ancient Greek incel, who chooses to stay celibate as to not be around those gross, sinful, flawed women. Instead, he resolves to make his own perfect woman, out of pure ivory. He makes a sculpture of a beautiful woman, and immediately falls in love with it. Like an American otaku who collects way too many, uh...figurines. Like those figurines. That’s essentially Pygmalion.

And I mean it, dude falls in love with the statue. It’s Greek mythology, that kind of stuff is bound to happen. He makes it a bed, he gives it gifts, he makes out with it and caresses it. You know, normal stuff. But obviously, the statue can’t respond or react to this. So, he resigns to his objectophilia and sinks into intense depression.

And that’s when Aphrodite enters the chat.

Aphrodite is from the same island that Pygmalion was from, so she was always paying attention to the place. And when she see this weird-ass passion, she was intrigued. Pygmalion prayed that he could find a real woman like this statue, and Aphrodite granted his wish, in sort of a reverse monkey’s paw. See, instead of giving him a woman like the statue, she just brought the goddamn statue to life, and named her Galatea. They fell in love, got married, had a kid, and...that’s it. Yup.

Now, some of you might be thinking, “I’ve definitely heard this story before. And you’re probably right, but we’ll get to that in a minute. The rest of you are probably thinking, “That seems like some sexist bullshit.” And, yeah, the story of a man literally objectifying all women, and then having a loving relationship with that object...yeah, that’s pretty goddamn sexist, not gonna lie. Still hasn’t stopped it from being adapted...a LOT.

Let’s start with the obvious.

Maybe the most famous example of an inanimate human-shaped object being brought to life by love and magic is Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Of course, that story is very different from the story of Pygmalion, but...come on. The trope is literally the same idea. Granted, in the original book, it’s the creation that wishes to become a real boy, for the sake of its creator. It’s still extremely similar.

But fine, if you want a straight adaptation of the story, there’s no short supply. The story’s been adapted, referenced, and reinterpreted since Shakespeare. And even he referenced the story in A Winter’s Tale and Measure for Measure. Looking through a list of adaptations gives you a who’s who of authors. Shakespeare, Beddoes, Bell Scott, Tennyson (but not that one), Brodsky, Hawthorne, Updike, Lovecraft (yes, that one), Asimov, Rousseau, and Wharton. Hell, DC Comics has used the idea 3 separate times! Wonder Woman is literally a clay sculpture brought to life with love from her creator and the gods. Grant Morrison made a villainous Pygmalion in the form of Professor Pyg, and the DC Animated Universe gave the name Galatea to a clone of Supergirl!

YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?

This is a very popular story, is what I’m saying. And we’ve all heard or seen at least one variation of it. But the funny thing is, to see the most popular straight adaptation of the original story, you have to fast-forward to 1913 and famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. While he can be credited with a lot of things, including the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize in Literature and a 1938 Oscar for Best Screenplay (BOTH of which he didn’t want), one of his most famous credits is the 1913 play, Pygmalion.

This story was already popular at this point, and a lot of playwrights and poets had turned their attentions to it one way or another. Shaw’s version modernized the story (as many people did at this point), but changed the subject of Pygmalion’s focus from a sculpture into...well, a living, breathing woman named Eliza Doolittle. Eliza was a flower girl, and was Cockney. If you don’t know, Cockney describes a working class Londoner with a very distinctive dialect and use of the English language. That “working class” thing isn’t as applicable today as it was in the 1910s, for the record.

Our Pygmalion of the evening is Professor Henry Higgins, an uptight phonetics teacher who takes on the job of teaching Eliza to be a proper British lady, essentially as a bet just to show how awesome he is. So, yeah, he’s literally sculpting her into his ideal woman, and he does end up falling in love with her as a result. Also, yes, this concept will sound familiar to anyone who likes ‘90s teen comedies.

Yes, She’s All That is an adaptation of Shaw’s Pygmalion.

And no wonder, because this play is Shaw’s most popular, and it’s the version most people associate with the original myth! It was first adapted into film in 1935. In 1938, the British film Pygmalion got an Oscar for Best Screenplay. And then, in 1956, it made its way to the USA...as a musical. Because that’s what we do, what can I tell you?

Dame Julie Andrews herself played the role of Eliza, while famous actor Rex Harrison played Higgins. And this was on stage, mind you. The play was written by Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and debuted on Broadway in 1956. Unsurprisingly, the film was a smash hit, and won six Tony Awards including Best Musical. At the time, it was the longest running show on Broadway, and has had 15 runs over the years, with the last one being a USA tour in 2019! Popular play, is what I’m saying.

Sadly, Shaw wasn’t alive for any of this, as he died in 1950. Would he have liked to see his play become a smash musical? Well, he didn’t like it becoming a film, I’ll tell you that. So...maybe, maybe not. In any case, the train was running now, and the film adaptation was inevitable. It took 8 years, but Lerner’s screenplay and George Cukor‘s direction were brought onto the film adaptation of the musical adaptation of the literary adaptation of the Greek myth. For their Higgins, they chose the Broadway originator, Rex Harrison. And for Eliza? Well, of course, famous star of the silver screen...Audrey Hepburn?

Yeah, despite not really being a Broadway actress or singer...AT ALL...the filmmakers cast Audrey Hepburn. And yeah, I know that Audrey was a ballet dancer, and she was a chorus girl in the West End for a little bit. I’m aware, but...Hepburn? Don’t get me wrong, Audrey Hepburn is fantastic, seriously. Grew up with her thanks to my Mom (she’s a huge fan), and watched her films later on in life, with this and a few more being exceptions. But she’s not really a singer, and definitely not on par with Andrews.

So why not bring in Julie Andrews. Get this: they thought she wasn’t famous enough. Which actually makes some sense, know that I’m looking at it. Sure, she was in a number of films at that point, and she was known within musical and acting circles. But she hadn’t broken out as a star as of yet. Funny thing is, ONE MONTH before My Fair Lady came out in theatres...

There is, within the infinite multiverse, an alternate universe in which Julie Andrews was in My Fair Lady, and Audrey Hepburn was Mary Poppins. THINK about that shit.

Anyway, despite that, My Fair Lady is, to be this day, considered one of the best movie musicals ever made. And I haven’t seen it. What’s more, even though I know the basic plot, I actually know none of the songs from this one. Sure, I’ve heard of some of them, but I don’t really know any of them like I did with Singin’ in the Rain or The King and I. So, this is exciting! New fresh musical ground for me!

And with ALL of that said, enough navel gazing! Let’s get into it!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap: Part One

After an flowery instrumental introduction and opening credits, we find ourselves in the midst of high society as a party files out into the rain-drenched streets of London. In the chaos, gentleman Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett) bumps into Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), causing her to spill her flowers. She demands payment, and speaks in a yowling, high-pitched, Cockney accent which is...genuinely annoying, not gonna lie.

A fellow person on the streets warns her that a man is taking notes as she speaks. She obviously thinks this is a detective, and starts freaking the fuck out about it. Again, understandable; I’d freak out if somebody were taking notes about what I was saying. Turns out, though, that this man is Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), who’s writing her dialects down as a matter of record. He is, after all, a scholar of phonetics, the “science of speech”, and he proves it by Sherlock Holmesing everybody’s place of origin based on their accent. He should try that shit on me; my American accent is so undefinable, it’s near impossible to tell where I’m from.

When asked to explain, he takes the opportunity to lambast Eliza’s use of the English language, as well as any other use of the language outside of his own type of usage (“Why Can’t the English Learn to Speak”). Yeah, Higgins, is SUPER elitist in terms of language usage. And while he might be verbose, he’s also an ass. Again, this is our Pygmalion of the evening. After his insult-laden song, he lays down this gem for Eliza.

Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns, you incarnate insult to the English language, I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba!

This speech and that insult catches the attention of Colonel Hugh Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), a student of phonetics himself. Intrigued by Higgins’ idea that language is the actual division between classes (instead of, you know, unequal economic distribution), the two strike up a conversation. Turns out that Pickering is a student of the languages of India, and was coming to England to see Higgins, while Higgins was planning to go to India to see Pickering! They take off to go make out somewhere or something.

As they leave, Higgins gives money to her, mostly as a half-gesture. But it launches her and her fellows into talking about their ideal lives, and the things they’d like most (“Wouldn’t it be Loverly?”). And that song, of course, is one of the more well-known songs from this musical. It’s a cute song and dance, and then the night becomes morning. In the process, we get a fascinating shot that looks ripped right off the stage, as the people of the town filter in bit-by-bit, pausing in stages until they all move together, in a busy crowd. Honestly, I like it quite a lot.

Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle (Stanley Doolittle), a drunkard and deadbeat, comes around asking for some money, and Eliza reluctantly gives him a bit before thinking about that sick-ass insult Higgins gave. She has an idea, then uses the money to get a cab and head to Higgins’ offices. He’s playing with phonographs while talking with Pickering when Eliza is brought in by housekeeper Mrs. Pearce (Mona Washbourne).

While initially incensed at her presence, Pickering offers to cover to costs of the lesson, as he’s curious to see if Higgins actually could have her pose as a Duchess. After...a lot of really annoying screaming from Eliza and condescending folderol from Higgins, the deal is set. Higgins will, over the course of the next six months, essentially train her to act and speak as a proper lady. Under some protest, she agrees...but only after he promises her a fuckton of chocolate. I get it.

Mrs. Pearce and her fellow waitstaff go upstairs to give her a bath. By force. Eliza screams. My girlfriend completely gives up on the movie, and goddamn, I kinda get it. But I’m here to stick with it, so I do. Speaking of girlfriends, Pickering plays good cop (as he has been, to his credit) and asks Higgins of his intentions with the vulnerable young woman suddenly living in his house. And that’s when Higgins launches into “I’m an Ordinary Man”, a song specifically about hating women. And yeah, dude definitely hates women, and pledges to never let a woman in his life alongside super-misogynistic references aplenty. Which, yeah, is the point of the character.

Right after that, though, we get another song from Alfred Doolittle, detailing the lifestyle of a man who cheats on his wife, constantly sleeps around, and mooches off of his daughter (“With a Little Bit of Luck”). Yup. He’s a piece of shit. Very fun song, though. In the process, he learns from another woman on the streets that Eliza no longer lives in her residence, having moved in with Higgins. And that’s the signal to go a-moochin’ for old Alfred.

At the Higgins residence, Eliza’s being worked constantly, which is why the housekeeper is worried about...Higgins overworking himself. Um. OK, whatever, she doesn’t really have an attachment to Eliza yet. Alfred then comes a-knocking, demanding...something. The two men talk around each other, but Alfred eventually just straight-up asks for money. Basically, he’s selling Eliza to Higgins for 5 bucks, thinking that she’s acting as a sex worker for Higgins.

...There are no likeable people in this film.

Well, Pickering’s likeable at least. Higgins is weirdly charmed by Alfred’s complete lack of morals and convictions, and gives him the requested money. Alfred and Eliza meet for a hot second, then Higgins goes on to tell her to practice her vowels. Pickering tries to prompt patience from Higgins, proving himself as the only likeable character so far.

Eliza’s fed up with Higgins, and fantasizes about her revenge on him, in what is...a genuinely entertaining sequence that starts to win me over (“Just You Wait"). The lessons continue, while the...ridiculously large waitstaff seems to pity...Higgins (”Servant’s Chorus”). Apparently, he’s working himself too hard, even though we literally see him starving Eliza. They’re also so very annoyed at the lessons themselves, and are on the verge of quitting. Also, Jesus, how many people does this man employ?

The lessons continue, with little success and with weird methods. There’s one scene where Higgins makes Eliza say a sentence with marbles in her mouth, and I was SO CURIOUS, I SHIT YOU NOT, that I tried it myself, using marshmallows instead of marbles. Because I don’t have marbles. But, yeah, it actually did make me more mindful for how I was enunciating. Also, I had marshmallows.

But then, one night, after many days and nights of working, and after Higgins waxes poetic about the nature of the English language...Eliza just miraculously gets it. Like...instantly and perfectly (“The Rain in Spain”). The breakthrough delights the trio so much that they begin dancing and singing all over the place. Higgins reacts by deciding to publicly “debut” her at the races the following day. Eliza reacts by...well, singing. It is a musical.

As Mrs. Pearce and the maids are trying to get her to bed, she sings...wait. “I Could’ve Danced All Night” comes from this musical? Literally, the only lines I knew from that song are literally in the title, but I’ve heard of the song. Interesting with context, gotta say. Eventually, though, Eliza goes to bed, exhausted. The next day opens with...my favorite sequence in the film.

Again clearly ripped right off the stages of Broadway, “Ascot Gavotte” is a beautiful set piece, full of ridiculous gowns and hats. And I genuinely love the entire sequence. Until the plot kicks in. Funny thing about me, I am violently allergic to what the kids once called “cringe”. It hurts me to watch shit like Eliza immediately making a fool out of herself at the races with the elite. But even then, gotta say, Eliza’s iconic gown is absolutely gorgeous. Like, look at that fucking HAT! I love it.

One of these “elite”, by the way, is Mrs. Higgins (Gladys Cooper), Henry’s mother, who is not excited to see him. She allows him, Pickering, and Eliza into her box to watch the race. She starts to talk about less-than-classy things in her new high-bred accent, and then...well, a hilarious thing happens.

Great place to pause. See you in Part Two!