The Charlie Rose Show: Barbara Walters-Jane Fonda Interview (2006)

Source:The Charlie Rose Show- ABC News anchor Barbara Walters, interviewing Hollywood Goddess Jane Fonda, in 2006.

“Jane Fonda discusses her book “My Life So Far” and her personal relationships with parents, Henry Fonda and Frances Ford Seymour; husbands, Roger Vadim, Tom Hayden, and Ted Turner; and daughter Vanessa Vadim.” 

From Charlie Rose 

“Jane Fonda: The actress, the activist, the feminist and the author. She’s been hated and loved by so many. In a exclusive interview with Stina Dabrowski they talk .

Jane Fonda talks to The View about her latest film Peace, Love and Misunderstanding, and her life now. SUBSCRIBE for more celebrity interviews: .” 

Source:The Charlie Rose Show- Hollywood Goddess Jane Fonda being interviewed by ABC News anchor Barbara Walters, in 2006.

From Tennie Swanberg

Source:Marmar- Hollywood Goddess Jane Fonda, talking to Barbara Walters in 2006 

"Jane Fonda interview with Barbara Walters {FULL}"

From Murmar

At risk of sounding exactly as I wrote with what I put on my Google+, Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook accounts, (do I have enough social network accounts?) I love the realness of Jane Fonda. There’s nothing phony about her, at least in real-life. Keep in mind she’s an actress and a damn good one and as I said in my last piece about her, the best actress of the Silent Generation not including Liz Taylor. So she can play real as well as it can be done, at least onstage. And since I’m not the purely cynical asshole that I tend to get seen as, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt here. And say she’s truly a real person in real-life. What you see for good and I believe at least the majority is good and for bad and I have my own political and judgment issues with her, what you see is what you get.

Despite Jane’s Far-Left, collectivist, public politics there’s a real individualistic side to Jane Fonda that says people should be who they are and then own that. Instead of feeling the need to fit in and be other people. Which is exactly how I look at life as a Liberal.

Personal freedom can never be real if individuals are not only free to be themselves, but then accept that and take advantage of that. But to paraphrase Jane, then you have to own who you are: “This is who I am as a person for good and bad. This is where I do well and perhaps could do better. This is where I come up short and need to work on to be a complete person.” Not that you try to be perfect, but that you’re as good of a person that you can be. Because you know who you are and where you’re strong. While you’re improving at your flaws.

Without Jane Fonda’s activism against the Vietnam War and how big she was with the anti-war movement and the broader New-Left, I don’t know there’s a whole lot to criticize her about. I don’t think there would be much that is controversial about her.

The Christian-Right would still get on Jane Fonda about sexual movies in the 1960s like Barbarella, but that was in the 1960s at the heart of the Counter Culture and Cultural Revolution. And today if anything she’s still very popular, because she did movies like that and others like The Chapman Report, that looks at sex between married couples as well as adultery. Which was still very controversial in 1962.

Jane Fonda, is someone who you really have to look at the whole picture before you make up her mind about her. Because she’s truly a complete and real person who can’t be looked at as good, or bad, or in black and white. Because like life in general she’s complicated.  

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Liberty Pen: Ted Ralls- 'We Get The Politicians We Deserve'

Source:Liberty Pen- As the great George Carlin said: "We get the politicians that we deserve."

"CARTOON: Ted Ralls - We Get The Politicians We Deserve" 

From Liberty Pen

To sound like George Carlin, we get the politicians that we deserve. Most if not all of us have voted for someone who has been elected to public office. And for those of us who haven't who you might be able to set up a small club and hold your meetings in a bathroom. Those people probably don't bother to vote. Or vote for losers, or vote for good people in a jurisdiction that has a lot of idiots or crooks. 

So if you voted for a crook even an oil slick crook, whose fault is that? The crook who knows they are a crook and is just doing what they normally do until they're caught? Or the good person who should know better than to vote for crooks and let their dog eat their homework before they voted?

I at least would argue that voters are always responsible for who they voted for. For anyone who voted for George W. Bush twice for president and now sees him as the worst president in their lifetime, they only have themselves to blame. 

For anyone who voted for Barack Obama twice for president and now see him as some weak moderate, or even worst, you had opportunities to vote for Dennis Kucinich and Jill Stein in both elections and instead went with the establishment Democrat. Crooked politicians (as if they're any other politicians) don't get reelected over and over because they have guns to all of their constituents heads. They're not Saddam Hussein, or some Marxist who says: 'Vote for me, or go to jail, or even die.'

Crooked politicians, stay in power by buying off their constituents and taking a hell of a lot of money from groups that don't have the politician's constituents interests at heart and many times what they're protecting goes against their constituents interests. 

But the crooked politician always has to run for reelection to stay in power. And if they have a smart educated constituency they risk losing. Because someone steps up and says: 'I can beat this bastard and get the support to do it."And the crook can get voted out. But as long as voters still use: 'The dog ate my homework" excuse and don't bother to do their homework before they decide who to vote for, crooks will continue to get elected and reelected and not be held accountable for their crookedness. 

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Rita Hayworth: Put The Blame on Mame

Source:Lil Dy PM- The Love Goddess Rita Hayworth, from Gilda.

“When they had the earthquake – in San Francisco-back in 19`6
They said that old mother nature – was up to her old tricks.
That’s the story that went around, but here’s the real lowdown-
Put the blame on mame boys, put the blame on mame
One night she started to – shim and shake-
that brought on the `Frisco quake…

From Lil Dy PM

Source:Rita Hayworth- as Gilda. 

I saw the entire Gilda movie for the first time last week and I really believe this is Rita Hayworth at her best. And she and Glenn Ford, are great together. Glenn Ford’s character in Gilda, reminds me of the Sam Rothstein character from Casino.

Gilda, played by Rita of course, not that different from Ginger played by Sharon Stone in Casino. A woman who marries rich to live well, but not in love at all her wealthy husband with her husband knowing that, but loves her to the point he plays like an over possessive father and not a husband. With Gilda almost being like a sixteen or seventeen-year old girl who wants to breakout and have her freedom.

Ginger, in Casino was not a singer, or an entertainer at all. More like a part-time gambler and former prosecute who gets Sam Rothstein’s attention played by Robert De Niro, at his casino.

Gilda, played by Rita is a singer and dancer. Which a lot of Rita’s characters were. She was this red-hot adorable sexy goddess, with an incredible voice that helped keep her very young for a long time. She was great in Gilda again as a woman who was really just trying to have a good time in Argentina and perhaps escape her past in America and live as well as she can. While having men around her that loved her perhaps too much and were very possessive of her. She does a great job in this video Put The Blame on Mame and just one reason to watch Gilda. 

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The New Republic: Hanif Willis-Abdurraqif: 'America’s Most Electable Fictional Presidents'

Source:Pacific Standard- Hollywood POTUS's. 

"The 2015–16 election cycle is like the guest you welcome into your home, except then the guest refuses to leave for, like, eight to ten months. Using all the hot water in the shower every morning. Tracking mud onto the couch that your grandmother left you. Doing that thing where it drinks from the container of orange juice and only leaves a small exculpatory portion at the bottom before secreting it in the far back of the refrigerator so that you’ll forget about it and just buy a new orange juice. The process repeats until you have nothing in your fridge but 12 bottles of mostly consumed orange juice, and a houseguest who still refuses leave. I have had a bad roommate, and I have been the bad roommate. Election cycles are the worst roommates of all."

From The New Republic

"We give you The 5 Best Hollywood Presidents on Presidents Day. Hollywood Sub."

Source:Hollywood Sub- Name that flag. Not exactly a hardcore Jeopardy question. LOL

Hey, what do you know: The New Republic with an article not only worth sharing, but commenting on and blogging about all in one. Maybe they’re partially only dead and when they’re finally sold and hopefully bought by people who know what they’re doing this time and who aren’t to the left of Bernie Sanders they may come back to life. And return as a great Center-Left liberal magazine that they use to be. And stop doing their impersonation of Salon. And leave socialism and political correctness for Socialists and political correctness warriors. Not people who call themselves Liberals.

I’m going to cover a few of the Hollywood president’s that I’m actually familiar with. I know, why not instead speak about Hollywood characters you know almost nothing about and pretend to be intelligent about them like every other asshole blogger out there who knows so much about nothing. I guess I just have this weakness called character and a conscience that prevents me from talking about people and things I’m simply not familiar with, because I lack interest in them. Anyone born after 1980 might think I’m talking about people from the 19th Century, or something. So you might want to leave this page and get back to your favorite reality TV programs. There’s the asshole in me.

This might sound corny, but I guess my favorite Hollywood president is Andrew Shepard. Who sounds like a Founding Father or something from New England, or some place. But even if Rob Reiner only spent all of two-minutes coming up with the name for Michael Douglas in The American President, this character is a great character.

Douglas, plays a president with big progressive goals, but knows how to work with people even in his own party in order to move the ball forward and get a progressive accomplishment. Which is the definition of a pragmatic Progressive, something that I believe Franklin Roosevelt would be proud of. While at the same time he’s also a man and a widower and has needs and falls in love. And hopefully you’re familiar with the rest of the story.

Jack Evans from The Contender from 2000 played by Jeff Bridges. Someone whose determined to nominate and get confirmed a female Vice President after his first Vice President has the nerve to die before his term is up. There’s an unfortunate political correctness slant to this as well. That a President would go out-of-their-way to pick a woman as his VP simply because there’s never been a female VP before.

But the story is great and the Republican opposition especially in the House of Representatives wants to make Senator Lane Evans personal life especially her sexual history the focal point there. Instead whether she’s qualified for the actual job of both Vice President and President of the United States. Where they never question her credentials. And President Evans and Senator Hanson, never play ball with the House Republicans on her past and nomination.

I would be lax in my duty here if I didn’t mention a character who I spent too much of my life during their seven-year run watching, if I didn’t mention Jeb Bartlett. Who of course is played by the great Martin Sheen in The West Wing. I can’t think of a Hollywood character who was better suited for the job of President of the United States than Jeb Bartlett. Who always knew what was going on what needed to be done and what he needed to do to get it done.

President Bartlett, had his own politics and policies, but who never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. (To use a cliché) But who had a Republican Congress his entire time as President. And had to deal with all sorts of horrible issues and a lot tough decisions that yielded him no political benefit. But made them, because they had to be made.

I think if you’re going to do a show or movie about an American president, you should be realistic. Either cover someone who has already had the job, but give your character a different name. But with the same character, personality, intelligence, demeanor, judgement and everything else. And cover similar stories that the real president dealt with. Or come up with your own president that perhaps represents America at its best, or worst and deal with stories that haven’t been dealt with, but are realistic.

I think the problem with a lot of Hollywood political movies especially about the President, is that they look like they come from Hollywood. And they look almost completely make-believe. Like Dave from 1993. The Hollywood president’s that I mentioned are realistic, because the characters are believable and so are the issues that they dealt with.

All About Judy: Judy Garland- The Jack Paar Program (1962)

Source:All About Judy- Jack Paar and Judy Garland on The Jack Paar Show. 

"This interview is a fan favorite. Judy was in great shape, relaxed and very funny. We can also see what a great storyteller she was when she talks about growing up in vaudeville, her days at MGM and her live concerts. She sings "Little Drops of Rain", "Paris Is a Lonely Town" and "Mewsette", from Gay Puree." 

From All About Judy

Before GetTV started playing reruns of The Judy Garland Show on every Monday night starting back in October, I had heard of her, but didn't know much about her. 

I thought Judy Garland was an actress from the 1940s, or something and didn't have much if any idea who she was. That is the advantage of these great classic TV and movie networks is that it gives people such as myself who didn't start watching TV at all until the early 1980s a chance to see what entertainment, Hollywood and what life was like before I was born. 

Today the Millennial Generation, who are all about now and everything before that is old school to them, which is bad to them doesn't seem to grasp. But because GetTV plays The Judy Garland Show I now have a good idea who she was.

Judy Garland, was a hell of an actress, singer and comedian. She was good and funny enough to perform with, well Jack Paar. But Johnny Carson, the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and many other great performers. 

Judy was adorable, she was very lively, very funny and loved doing her job. She was probably a singer first, but she was a good actress and she was very funny and could make people laugh and also had one of the best and cutest laughs you'll ever see. As you see in this video on Jack Paar. 

The whole thing about these studio executives who didn't see her as attractive, I don't get that at all. Was she Sophia Loren or Marilyn Monroe, or Lana Turner? Of course not, but most women and even entertainers are not. She was very cute, pretty, and very good at what she was. Which is one of the best and most versatile entertainers of all-time. 

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Marc Preston: 'The Kennedys in Culture (2011)'

Source:Marc Preston- Greg Kinnear, as President John F. Kennedy.

"The show open Marc Preston voiced for a special aired before the premier of "The Kennedys" on ReelzChannel." 

From Marc Preston

The Kennedys, which I don’t believe was a great mini-series, but it was a very accurate series about The Kennedys. And showed Jack, Bobby and Jackie, for what they were. Not for how their followers want to view them as, but as they were. 

Jack Kennedy, as this very intelligent man, with a great sense of humor, whose Center-Left liberal politics which was probably ahead of its time back then, but I believe fits in perfectly where America is now. Who was a very hip and even cool man especially for his time, but still looks great today. But who at times had difficult even walking and physically was a very frail man with a serious back condition. Who was never made to be a husband and could never be happy with just one beautiful women.

They showed Bobby Kennedy as the tough bulldog who would have jumped out of an airplane without a parachute for his brother Jack. Who was a bit idealistic compared with Jack’s realism, but who also bring Jack back when he was lacking in confidence and not sure what the right course was to take. The Bay of Pigs fiasco is a perfect example of that where he encourages the President to admit he was wrong and to apologize for it. 

They showed Jackie as a beautiful, adorable, stylish woman that she was, as if Cutie, I mean Katie Holmes is capable of playing anyone else. Who wanted Jack to be her full-time husband and hated his cheating. 

They showed Joe Sr. as the tough champion for his family who would do anything for his kids other than let them fail and succeed on their own.

At least one of these episodes is somewhat slow and almost wants at least me to turn the channel. Like the episode involving Rose and her mental retardation. Rose, was the Kennedy daughter who doesn’t have much if any impact on American culture, or politics at all. But that episode gives you an idea what Joe would do for any of his kids. But still, she’s not even a minor player compared with the rest of the Kennedy kids. 

The 1960 presidential election, the 1946 House election, the 1952 Senate election, the Bay of Pigs episode, the civil rights story, the days leading up to the assassination, President Kennedy’s womanizing, these are all the good stories. In a very good mini-series about the Kennedy Family. 

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The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Rodney Dangerfield in 1981- No Respect

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Comedian Rodney Dangerfield, in 1981.

"Rodney Dangerfield On The Johnny Carson Show 1981."

From The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson

Every time I hear Rodney Dangerfield talk about his wife I think of the sitcom Married With Children and the marriage between Al and Peggy Bundy. They have two kids as well and that might be the only reason why they stayed married.

To hear Al Bundy (played by Ed O'Neal) you would think you were listening to Hot Rod do his standup routine about his wife. But replace Mrs. Dangerfield with Peggy Bundy. They make so many cracks about their wives you would have to think they were drunk when they got married and had kids together. Otherwise why would a sane sober man marry and have kids with a woman he doesn't like and isn't attracted to. Unless he's an idiot.

The 'I get no respect' routine is what made Rodney Dangerfield a star. And then add the wife bit and that makes the routine ever better. Because now Rod can say he doesn't even get respect from his wife. Again, how believable this is, you can decide for yourself.

Maybe the only reason why Mrs. Dangerfield stayed with Rod is because she rather be with an overweight unattractive successful man, than a handsome well-built loser who can't even hold down a job as a burger flipper at a fast food joint. I mean how hard is it to flip burgers anyway.

But perhaps you would have to ask Mrs. Dangerfield that yourself. And she also might show you how flip charcoal, I mean burgers as well. But you take away "I get not respect" what does Hot Rod have going for him. But he played it as well and as long as anyone could.

Lifetime Network: Jane Fonda- Barbara Walters Specials

Source:Lifetime Network- Jane Fonda was a big part of Barbara Walters Specials.

“Jane Fonda 1978+1983 Barbara Walters-Interviews Of A Lifetime #191.”

Source:The Daly Review- Hollywood Goddess Jane Fonda, being interviewed by ABC News's Barbara Walters in 1978.

From Mustafa Torphy

Jane Fonda, I believe giving Barbara Walters an interesting interview in 1978. Whatever you think about her politics she’s very honest and open about them and her life as well. Like losing her mother at the age of 12, her somewhat distant relationship with her father Henry Fonda. Her political activism in and outside of the Democratic Party and I could go on.

I believe that is what people like her whether they like her or not they at least respect her realness. And that there really isn’t anything fake about her. And as a result the characters that she plays in her movies come off as so real as well. California Suite, where she plays a somewhat cold and distant mother, is a perfect example of that.

Whatever you think of Jane’s politics I think even her strongest opponents will give her that she’s a great actress. Perhaps would prefer her to stick with acting and leave political activism to people who know more about the issues that she campaigns on. But she’s a great actress and I at least believe if there wasn’t an actress named Elizabeth Taylor, I believe we’re talking about the greatest actress at least of the Silent Generation. And that includes women like Sophia Loren, Angie Dickinson, Kim Novak, Karen Black, to use as examples.

When it coms to acting she’s in the same class as Liz Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Susan Hayward and many other great actress’s. And that should never be misunderstood and forgotten about Jane Fonda. Regardless of what you think about her politics. 

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Cliff Michel Moore: Ginger Rogers Interview (1968)

Source:Recording Studio- Hollywood Babydoll and comedian Ginger Rogers, being interviewed by Cliff Michel Moore, in 1968.

“In the last post, I mentioned something about a 1968 interview Ginger did with Cliff Michelmore. Lucky for us, it’s available on YouTube and I’ve embedded it below.

It’s quite a fun interview to watch. Ginger was in her late 50’s by then, but she still looked as gorgeous as ever. She spoke very comfortably and confidently about her life and career, and it is just a nice look at how she saw herself. The interview was done at her California house, so perhaps this contributed to how comfortable she felt. Also, she’s quite a storyteller, too. It’s definitely not boring to hear her speak.

Here are some of the highlights that are definitely good reasons to check out the video:

Ginger fixing up an ice cream soda for Michelmore is the most adorable thing you’ll ever see. We know by now she’s crazy about ice cream soda, but in this she also said that she liked it with “lots of chocolates”. Her kid-like personality shines through in this part.

Ginger considered herself a good business woman, but didn’t see money as the most important. She said, “I don’t want material things. I want those things that are needful in life, but not necessarily the most valuable according to dollars and cents.”

Ginger discussed her relationship with Fred Astaire, noting that “we’re very definite about what we like and we dislike”.

Ginger recounted the time she reunited with Astaire during the 1967 Oscar ceremony, where they did a little dance before walking to the podium to announce a winner. This is the part that compels me to say that Ginger is a good storyteller. She looked and sounded so excited to tell Michelmore about every little detail.

Ginger talked about how influential her mother, Lela, was to her and defended that Lela didn’t push her around like a typical “stage mother” does.

Ginger spoke about her love of painting and how she could lose hours and days just to paint."

Source:Marmar- Hollywood Babydoll and Comedian Ginger Rogers, being interviewed by Cliff Michel Moore, in 1968.

From Recording Singer

I’ve always thought at least since I started becoming pretty familiar with her career, that Ginger Rogers is one of the cutest and funniest actress’s and perhaps women of all-time.

Ginger was so quick-witted and always had perfect comedic timing whether she was off script, like in this interview, or on script. And even when she was on script she was very adept at adding her own humor to lines and scenes.

If you ever see the movie Monkey Business from Howard Hawkes where she plays Cary Grant’s wife in that movie, they were an incredible comedy team in that movie. And I believe a lot of that had to do with them always being on the same page when it came to the wisecracks and physical comedy. She was the cutest woman in that movie that had Marilyn Monroe in it.

I love women who can make me go: ‘Aw! you’re so cute!’ But who can also make me laugh and she was very adept at both. She was an actress who was a hell of a dancer, who could sing, but also give a great comedic performance all in the same role.

Had Marilyn Monroe lived a natural life in years, maybe we’re talking about her the same way we’re talking about Ginger today. Someone who could sing, dance, act, make you laugh, looked great and everything else. That was Ginger Rogers, but she did it for a whole career.

Ginger was always as cute as baby physically, but always had the intelligence and maturity of a great woman. Someone who didn’t need money to be happy, but made a lot of it anyway, because she so good at what she did. And is one of the best entertainers we’ve ever produced.

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Roger Ebert: Bugsy (1991) Starring Warren Beatty & Annette Bening

Source:Roger Ebert- Annette Bening and Warren Beatty. 

"Warren Beatty turns in a gripping performance in this stylish and elegant biography of Bugsy Siegel. BUGSY follows Siegel's rise from mid-level mobster to the visionary founder of Las Vegas. He enjoys rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite, as well as romancing a gangster's moll, Virginia."

From Tri-Star Pictures

Bugsy from 1991, is one of not my favorite films, but also one of my favorite gangster films. Right up there with Goodfellas, which could be my favorite gangster movie and Casino. This is a great film and even though it is not completely accurate and it doesn’t advertise itself that way anyway, this is a very funny film. Warren Beatty, makes Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, seem like a very funny charming guy. Not sure if Bugsy was that way in real-life, or Beatty just makes him look that way in the movie, because that is how he wanted to play him, because he’s a very funny charming guy. But Beatty makes Bugsy look like a cold-blooded killer with another side to him. That loves his family and the people he cares about as well. But won’t stop to kill someone who gets in his way.

Bugsy, is about the career of Benjamin Bugsy Siegel. Who is a Jewish mobster from New York who operates out of New York, who is sent to Los Angeles on business. To become partners with Italian gangsters over there. To actually buy out their business there and take it over with those people working for him and his bosses back in New York. When Bugsy gets to Hollywood, he can’t find anything he doesn’t like about it and decides he wants to go into films as well. Which is where he meets his long time mistress Virginia Hill, played by the beautiful and adorable Annette Bening. She’s not just an actress and mistress, but becomes his business partner as well. That is the legitimate side of his business dealing with gambling.

Bugsy, is then sent to Las Vegas, which was still a hick Southwestern town in the early 1940s when this movie first takes place. To check out a casino there and to report back on it. And instead passes on that dump of a casino there and discovers that he could develop a casino industry with his own casino-hotel there. And make millions if not billions of dollars there and make Las Vegas a gambling mecca. All this stuff in the movie is completely true. Bugsy Siegel, had a lot to do with the development and economic success of Las Vegas. And a big reason why it goes from a town of maybe ten-thousand people back in the 1940s, to a big city of over five-hundred-thousand people today and one of the fastest growing cities and metro areas in the country now.

Bugsy Siegel, was not a good guy at all. He was a cold-blooded killer who had witness’s whacked and personally murdered perhaps twenty people or more himself for getting in the way of his illegal business’s. But Warren Beatty, does a great job of giving Bugsy a very likable charming funny side. That people could actually like especially if they don’t know he’s a gangster and personally responsible of the murders of so many people. This is a two and a half-hour film that is worth every minute. With a lot of great lines, with a lot of humor and not just from Beatty, but Annette Bening does a great job and so does Harvey Keitel as Mickey Cohen and so many other great character and actors in this movie. This is truly one of Barry Levinson’s best movies.

The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Rodney Dangerfield (1983)

Source:The Lazy Cow- Mr. Dangerous Rodney Dangerfield.

"Rodney Dangerfield Funniest Jokes Ever On The Johnny Carson Show 1983 online video cutter com."

From The Lazy Cow

I'm not an expert on Rodney Dangerfield, but I believe this is his best performance on this show. This wasn't an interview at all. Johnny Carson, maybe asked Hot Rod one or two questions. And Rod just did his act with one wisecrack after another. Mostly about his wife and kids which might be why male comedians get married so they can have people they know really well that they can make fun of.

Unless they're always on the road and when they're in town they mostly are just hanging out with their mistress and their bastard kids they're keeping a secret in some hell hole of an apartment, its their wife and kids that they know the best.

This wasn't Hot Rod's: "I get no respect routine" where he goes off on some airline for giving his first-class seat away because he was five-seconds late for the flight. Or the great view of the bathroom that he gets when he goes to his favorite restaurant.

This was Rod's: "My wife and kids routine" where he goes off on his wife Mary (or whatever her name is) for sleeping with other guys, because she has to have sex and every time she sees her husband naked she just laughs and can't performed adequately as a result.

And his son Joe (or whatever his name is) for being so dumb and wild that he believes every time Joe goes out he needs a leash, so he doesn't run into doors, because he forgot to open them. And his daughter Sally (or whatever her name is) who sleeps with her teachers, because she's too dumb to do the work in school. And he did a great job. 

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Michael M: Marilyn Monroe

Source:Michael M- Hollywood Babydoll Marilyn Monroe, I believe in 1962 right before she died. 

"The story of Marilyn Monroe" 

From Michael M

Had Marilyn Monroe been mentally as strong as she was physically, or even mentally half as strong as she was physically, she’s probably still alive today. Unless some jealous disturbed woman murdered her, because she could no longer handle how much better looking Marilyn was over her. 

If Marilyn was strong mentally, to go with her appearance and body, we might be talking about the goddess of all-time. I would still be leaning towards Sophia Loren and perhaps a few other women. 

Imagine had Marilyn’s brain matched her face. Imagine if mentally she wasn’t as adorable and immature as she was physically. That she didn’t look at life from the standpoint of a 16-year-old girl, but instead as an early middle-age 36-year-old woman. Which is how old she was when she died.

Forget about the great legs, the butt, the body that was perfectly designed and perhaps purposely designed for the skinny jeans in boots look today. The long strong legs and round butt, that of course she had. She was a hell of an actress, as well as a great comedian and when she was happy she was about as funny as anyone in Hollywood and probably could have written her own humorous scripts for TV and the movies in her forties had she just lived in a natural life in years. 

Marilyn was an excellent singer, she had great moves, she could act very well and probably ends up winning awards as an actress and not just as a comedic actress. But these were her talents and you don’t last in Hollywood simply on talent. You have to work and hold it together personally as well.

Unfortunately Marilyn Monroe fits the old cliché, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, like a glove. As perfect as she was on the outside, she was at times at least just as weak on the inside. With the personality and maturity level of a teenage girl and even the voice of one. 

Marilyn was a woman who never grew up mentally and could never see how great a talent that she was and how great of a future that she had only she was just reached and out grabbed it. Laid off the booze and pills, showed up for work on time and do the work and produce the great films and performances that she was more than capable of doing time after time being rewarded handsomely for her great performances. This is the Marilyn that we would have seen had she just had been mentally strong enough for it.

Elizabeth Taylor: 'Just Do It'

Source:Heartfelt Quotes- Hollywood Goddess Elizabeth Taylor, with some commonsense.

“You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot in front of the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way. ~Elizabeth Taylor” 

From Heartfelt Quotes 

I think one of the reasons why Elizabeth Taylor was such a great survivor, was because she had a great sense of humor. I would have paid anything to hear her private conversations with Richard Burton. Who could be a Little Dick (pun intended) when talking to Liz.

I think listening to Dick and Liz talk to each other would be like being at a great two-person comedy show. Like watching the Rat Pack, Abbott and Costello, only funnier.

If you’re familiar with the movie Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (That is not a question, but a movie) It is one of the most dramatic movies you’ll ever see. But Liz and Richard turn it into a comedy, because a lot as far as how the couple communicates with each other in that movie, is how Burton and Liz, communicated in real-life.

Without her sense of humor, I don’t think Liz makes it to 79. I mean think about all the bullshit she went through in real-life and that is not talking about her movies, but her own life.

I mean boredom alone could have killed her when she was married to Senator John Warner when they were married in the late 1970s and early 80s. She loses husband Michael Todd, to a plane crash. She survives what seven divorces, but manages to hang on to all her wealth that she earned after each divorce. She survives cancer and again makes a better life for herself afterwords.

Liz Taylor is sort of the Bill Clinton of Hollywood: she shoots one of her toes off, but grows a bigger healthier toe after losing the original toe. You don’t live the life that she did without being able to make fun of people effectively. Especially yourself and all of your screw ups.

As far as Liz’s advice on life, that is the roadmap she lived by to get through her 79 years. What choice do you have when you’re consistently knocked down. Especially from walking into doors, because you’re not paying attention. You either first realize how stupid you were, or how badly someone screwed you and either learn from your mistakes and get back up, or you lay down and claim life is not fair and wait to die.

It is not a question of whether someone gets knocked down in life, or not. And getting knocked down in life by itself is not a bad thing. Getting knocked down in life is a reminder that you’re not perfect and you’re only human which is all you should want to be anyway. It’s the aftermath that is key. Do you learn from experience and adjust appropriately and get back up as a better person. Or do you just stay on the ground and rot away.

Liz Taylor’s message on life, was one foot forward after another. Figure out where you’re going and then ultimately get there. You’re going to take wrong turns at some point as we all do, but the key is to recognize them and then correct your course as a better person. Not lie on the floor and bitch about how unfair life is, or yell at your GPS for giving you wrong directions.

But instead figure out what is not working especially your own mistakes and fix the issues and move forward. Get to wherever which is the best place for you. Knowing you’re going to screw up again, but the more you learn about yourself and where you come up short, the better you’ll be able correct your own shortcomings. And make fewer mistakes in the future.  

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The Steve Allen Show: Lenny Bruce (1959)

Source:Sam Legend Wrestling- Comedian Lenny Bruce, on The Steve Allen Show in 1959.

"Lenny is tender/mean/sweet at the same time. Enjoy! One of my favorite comedy  bits of him."

From Sam Legend Wrestling  

"Lenny's heart-wrenching take on solitude and love's end... It always makes my eyes dewy: Lenny's SO autobiographical here, and so tender/mean/sweet at the same time. Enjoy!" 

Source:Michal Oleszczyk- Comedian Lenny Bruce, on The Steve Allen Show in 1959.

I don’t know how well-known Lenny Bruce was by 1959, when NBC brought him on The Steve Allen Show, but I doubt he brought his adult comedy act (so to speak) with him. Otherwise they wouldn’t have had him on.

Source: The Daily Review- Comedian Lenny Brice, on The Steve Allen Show in 1959.

Steve Allen, right before he brought on Lenny Bruce, made a great comment and I realize he was being humorous, but he was damn right on it. He said and I'm paraphrasing: "We should just offend everybody so we don't have worry about offending anyone.

And Lenny Bruce is the comedian to do that, because that's is exactly what they meaning Steve Allen and Lenny Bruce, we're talking about back then which was censorship and political correctness, but not from the Left, (the Far-Left, really) but the Right.

Lenny Bruce, had a message and his own act and issues he wanted to talk about. And he also believed in free speech, which all comedians really should. And he couldn't give a damn if his act offended people, especially when it was just entertainment anyway.

Comedy, is not for oversensitive tight asses, who think fat jokes are anti-obesity. Or gay jokes are automatically homophobic, or religious jokes Christian, Muslim, whoever else, that person is some bigot towards that religious group.

Comedy, is exactly that, a way to critique life and people in life. Including groups and even talk people and groups and their shortcomings. Not to say that every member of whatever group, has some clear flaw, but to point out humorous flaws about members of certain groups and even flaws that some groups carry as a group.

The political correctness movement of the 1950s, didn't want to hear jokes about sex, religion and sure as hell didn't want to hear adult language. Especially since they still saw adults as kids for the most part who needed to be babysat.

The political correctness warriors of the 1950s, didn't want to hear jokes about sex, because they believe sex didn't exist or something. They didn't want to hear jokes about narcotics, because they were on alcohol or marijuana highs and believed narcotics simply didn't exist.

Lenny Bruce, challenged the political correctness establishment in America and paid a hell of a price for it. All he was about was free speech and talking about issues and using adult language even that most Americans, at least outside of the Bible Belt used anyway, but did it in public. Did it in a way that simply wasn't done back then for the most part and didn't become mainstream at all, at least until the late 1960s.

Lenny Bruce was a true American, because he was an individual who felt the freedom to be himself. And express how he felt about issues even in public.Lenny felt no need to fit in to whatever was the culturally correct closet, because he was an American in the best sense of the term as someone who felt and had the freedom to be himself. Instead of whatever was considered culturally correct at the time. 

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Floyd Anderson: 'Hunter S. Thompson's Famous 9/11 Interview'

Source:Floyd Anderson- one of Hunter S. Thompson's many books.

“Hunter S. Thompson 9/11 Interview 8/29/2002”

Source:Floyd Anderson

Source:The Daily Review- Hunter S. Thompson: an American original.

I don’t quite see George W. Bush as the devil that a lot on the lets say further Left, if not New-Left, or even Far-Left do. I see President Bush 43, more as an average guy who was way over his head and had he stayed in Texas, probably would have been fairly successful there. But I don’t disagree with much if anything that Hunter Thompson said in this video.

The Bush Administration, at least the National Security Council, wanted Iraq and 9/11 and the so-called weapons of mass destruction, became the original reason for invading a country that was simply not capable of even defending itself. I mean how long was the 2003 invasion, a week, maybe a month. It looked like a state high school football championship team taking on a winless freshman team in a football game.

By the anniversary of 9/11 in and even before that in the summer of 2002, the Bush National Security Council, had already decided it was going to invade Iraq and knock out the Saddam Hussein Regime. It was just a matter of finding enough evidence to get a divided Congress with a Republican House and Democratic Senate and the American people to back them.

Hunter Thompson, the smart guy he was, knew this and that is what he’s talking about here. “What comes after Afghanistan?” In the so-called War on Terror. And they decided that since the terrorists hit us from Afghanistan, we should attack a country and a dictator who had nothing to do with that. Which is what you call Neoconservative thinking. Which is an insult to real thinking everywhere in the world. 

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New America Foundation: 'Double Take- Speaking on Freedom of Speech'

Source:New America Foundation- with a look at free speech in America.

"A Yale lecturer resigned from her teaching post after an email she sent to students triggered heated discussions about campus racism. In her email, the lecturer, Erika Christakis, voiced concern that calls to limit expression by censoring Halloween costumes issued by Yale’s Intercultural Affairs Committee may do more harm than good to students still learning about the ways of the world.

Student and faculty groups at Yale and nationally in turn used Christakis’ email as catalyst to justify a problematic stance bordering racial and ethnic insensitivity, claiming protection under first amendment rights. Christakis, they said, acted with the best intentions in mind and is entitled to free speech.

The backlash and other reactions against or in support of Christakis’s email reveal a great deal not just about a popular US (mis)understanding about free speech—primarily defined by a misleading notion that all citizens are entitled to limitless expression—but also expose a deep-rooted inability of institutions of higher learning to engender meaningful discussion capable of dismantling obstacles barraging mutual respect." 

From New America 

"A panel of the nation's leading free speech thinkers including Dr. Stanley Fish of the Cardozo School of Law, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education President Greg Lukianoff, Eric Posner of the University of Chicago Law School, and Jonathan Rauch of the Brookings Institution." 

Source:National Constitution Center- hosting a panel on free speech in America.

From the National Constitution Center

At risk of sounding like a Nationalist,: people right and left have debated whether America is exceptional or not the last ten years or so and debating what is called American Exceptionalism. Is America an exceptional place or not and if we are, are we exceptional in a positive sense. Do we represent as Americans the right values or not. Our First Amendment which of course is our guaranteed constitutional right to Freedom of Speech, is one example of why we are exceptional. Along with our diversity which is across the board and our other guaranteed civil liberties and constitutional rights.

No constitutional right is absolute and that includes both the First Amendment and the Second Amendment. But what it means is that Americans essentially have unlimited free speech and free expression rights and basically and unlimited ability to express ourselves and how we feel about things, places, issues, culture and even people, short of inciting violence, violently harassing people, or falsely libeling people. 

Americans also have a constitutional right to express how they feel about what others are saying and even believe that some people don't have the same constitutional right to free speech as themselves. Which seems to be what the Far-Left and Far-Right both have in common in America, the belief that their free speech rights are more important. 

This means Donald Trump can run his nonsensical reality show disguised as a presidential campaign and say all sorts of garbage (to be nice) about groups of Americans. And the rest of the country has the same right to express out they feel about The Donald: The Captain of Reality TV.

Free Speech, is not a threat to America. The opposite is the truth, which is fascism in the form of political correctness, whether it comes from the Far-Left or Far-Right. That says the political correctness warriors knows best what is acceptable and unacceptable speech. And they’ll decide what people should think and what we can say. 

You can’t have a liberal democracy without free speech and a liberal right to free speech. Put all the views out there and then let the people weigh in on what the speakers and thinkers are saying. Correct the falsehoods, reward the truth tellers and critique the liars. That is how liberal democracy and free speech works. Instead of having some Board of Experts deciding what is appropriate and improper speech in a developed society.

The Week in Review: 2015 Holiday Season

Source:The Daily Review- welcome to Port Ludlow, Washington. Great place to go to escape sunshine, summer weather, or if you are on the run from civilization.

My 2015 holiday season other than not seeing the sun at all until really my last day in Port Ludlow, Washington which is about an hour or so outside of Seattle in Kitsap County just off of Bainbridge Island, was by in-large positive.

I don’t see my family other than my parents that much to begin with. My family for the most part is now in California, while I’m in Maryland just outside of Washington. So we’re three-thousand miles apart physically, as well as miles apart personally as far as being very different people. I’m talking about my two brothers really. Who both are now married with their own families. So I don’t go out-of-my-way to stay in touch with them.

I haven’t seen my brothers and sister in-laws, their wives for three years before we saw each other last week. My choice really. I’m fine with my older brother who generally speaking is a great guy with a great and really cute and friendly wife, my older sister in-law. And they have three great kids. My nephew and two of my nieces. But he rarely speaks unless spoken to. He’s pretty aloof, at least in my experience with him. How his wife communicates with him I may never know. Perhaps they just talk about what’s for dinner and whose picking up the kids, some weather we’re having and that sort of thing. But I had a great time with them and the two days I had with them last week. Especially my nephew Nicholas, who reminds me of me as far as his interest in sports and history.

My little brother, is sort of the opposite of Alex, but we don’t get along very well. He’s got an opinion about everything and we’re almost complete opposites when it comes to personality. He can be bit a judge mental prick (are there any other kind of pricks?) and that might be an off day for him.

As a Liberal, I’m a live and let live person. My attitude on life is basically, “its your life pal, as long as you’re not hurting someone.” And I could care less how someone eats their spaghetti and how they comb their hair. Plus, he can be very stupid, but in an insulting way. Ask really dumb questions as if they’re legitimate, or state the obvious as if he’s being informative. Our father, is very similar, but Kit is much worst and at least Dad won’t be really sensitive when I call him out on his insulting stupidity. Kit, will act like he’s completely not at fault. He and his wife, are perfect for San Francisco and that yuppie, snobby universe.

But, it’s not as if I don’t love my family, including my in-laws. It’s just that I don’t feel the need to see and talk to them on a regular basis. But it was three-years and my little brother and his wife, just had their first baby in late 2014, so I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to meet my new niece. And catch up with my other nieces and nephew, as well as my brothers and sister in-laws. Even if it meant spending a week in the Seattle area, where you have a better chance of drowning in a flood, than ever seeing the sun while you are there. Which is why I went out there to hang out with them and see if I could get along with my little brother and little sister in-law. Perhaps hear my baby niece’s first words and try to have a good time.

Another reason why I don’t go to Seattle where my parents have a second home in Port Ludlow, is because it’s basically like flying to Alaska from the East Coast. You literally spend the whole first day traveling, or waiting for your plane, ferry, or ride. I tend to leave early in the morning East Coast time and finally get to the house late at night ECT. So that tends to wear me out.

But the first three days that I had with my parents, little bother, sister in-law and brand new niece, were fairly positive. We saw Goodfellas together as a family. A movie the whole family likes. One of my parents friends from that area joined us for Christmas and she’s great and we had a good time with her. We managed to not get on each others nerves. Which is a hell of an accomplishment for the Schneider Family when we’re all together. I took a couple of hikes in between rain storms up there.

The next two days were with my older brother Alex and his wife my older sister in-law Sandra. Had dinner with them their first night in town. Played basketball, hung out with them at their second home in Port Townsend. Threw the football with my nephew Nicholas and talked NFL history. Think about that for a minute. I’m talking about NFL history and the history of the San Francisco 49ers, with a nine-year old boy. Hanging out with him was not like hanging out with a kid. We played basketball together. he knocked down a couple of three-pointers, we played pool together, threw the football around and talked football history. This is a nine-year old boy, who lives in the San Francisco area, that might know more about the Washington Redskins than a lot of Redskins fans. Hanging out with Nick, was like hanging out with myself, or grown man. He’s just a lot more advanced than a lot of kids his age. This coming from his uncle, but its true.

Coming back from Seattle, is really a blog post in itself. Seattle, a little more than half the size of the Washington, DC area, is a fairly large community with a lot of tourist attractions, but they only have one big city airport, which is SeaTac. Which might be the worst big city airport in America. The Washington area in contrast, has three great major airports. So getting through SeaTac, plus dealing with TSA, is not fun.

By the time I get to my gate to go to Minneapolis, my stop before Washington, I find out my flight has not only been delayed, but by two-hours. So no I know my trip home has been screwed and what do I do once I get to Minneapolis. Delta, whatever you think of them, are very customer friendly and don’t like losing customers. They put me up for one night at the Raddison in Bloomington, Minnesota. Which is near their airport.

By in-large, this was a very positive trip. Still not crazy about going to Seattle especially during their rainy season, which is only twelve months a year and every time I go out there the weather in Washington tends to be warm and beautiful, which makes the experience even worst getting local weather reports back home.

But I will make bigger effort in the future to see my brothers and their beautiful families more often and would like to go to San Francisco to visit them. Where they all live now and perhaps avoid Seattle instead. 

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