Neko

That reminded me of the most infuriating moment of the R. Kelly doc, where one of the jurors from his trial talked about going with a not guilty verdict because he didn't like the way the girls on the stand dressed, or acted. Yeah, that's always a good reason to acquit a monster who preys on children. People suck.

So, I decided to re-watch Martin Bashir's documentary from 2003, on YouTube. In light of what we've heard from Robson and Safechuck, it's even more disturbing than it was, originally. One thing that really stuck out to me is when Bashir asks MJ if he likes wearing jewelry, and MJ giggles nervously and says, "No, but I like buying jewelry for special ladies." Replace "ladies" with "boys", and you can't help but think of James Safechuck. Good god. I can't remember if he was broke, but in the Bashir doc, he spends a shit-ton of money on gaudy crap, and doesn't even bother to keep track of the amount of money he's spending. Bashir remarks that MJ spent half a million dollars on two big, Louis XIV looking vases at a Vegas shop, and he bought like, twenty other items, on top of those. So, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he was nearly broke by the end of his life. MJ was reckless with his spending.

I know this sounds crazy, but the way MJ would discard the boys once they reached a certain age creeped me out even more than some of the graphic descriptions of abuse. This documentary really exposed how devious and cunning MJ could be. I had no idea.

Thank you for saying this. I never bought the, "I never had a childhood" excuse, but it's always been difficult to explain why. You summed it up, beautifully. I'm glad I watched this doc, even though it was disgusting and brutal. I believe Wade and James, 100%. No one is that good an actor. I think they're both very brave for coming forward the way they have, and so are Jordan Chandler and Gavin Arvizo. My only hope is that more of MJ's victims will do the same, in their own time. I liked Michael Jackson when I was a kid and I sang along to all his songs on the radio, but even then, I knew something wasn't right, about him. I have always believed he was guilty, because I remember my mother talking about the fact that Michael sleeps with young boys as being a, "Where there's smoke, there's fire" situation. The adults in my house never entertained the idea that he was innocent for a second, based on his behavior. One of the most chilling things in the doc for me was when Michael told Joy Robson, "I always get what I want." If I were her, I would have pulled the plug on the whole relationship, right there. That's a threat. What was he saying, he was going to kidnap Wade if Joy didn't leave him with him for a year? What the fuck was that?

I think Julia Roberts is more of a movie star than an actress. I get her appeal, but I suspect people watch her movies because of that, and not because she is in the same league with Meryl Streep, or Jodie Foster. YMMV, of course.

What about Jeyne Poole? I don't even want to think about the raw deal she got. **shudder** I might be the only person on the planet earth who thinks Amy and Laurie made a lot more sense than Jo and Laurie.

"And even her mom"? She screams at her mom all the damn time!

I would wonder what Jenelle plans on doing once the MTV paycheck inevitably stops coming, but then I realize she would only search for the next abusive penis to latch onto, and procreate, with. Gross. LOL...so much for all that shit about saving lives, eh?

So, has she ever, at any point, worked a full-time job? Again, I just started re-watching the show after years of not watching, so forgive me if this is a stupid question.

I've heard people defending Jenelle's intelligence by saying she completed her medical assistant program, but didn't she fail her certification exam? Or am I remembering wrong? Anyway, Jenelle has never seemed all that bright to me, either. She probably passed her high school classes just fine, but that doesn't necessarily mean someone is intelligent. I knew a lot of dummies who practically slept through high school, or came to their classes hungover, and got through it. Sounds like Jenelle, to me.

This bitch lives for the drama. Can't go a single day without starting shit, with somebody. She reminds me a lot of my own mother, who would do the same thing. Good thing Twitter wasn't around in the 80's and 90's, or else it would have been a lot worse.

Sounds good. Thanks for the info. 🙂

I read See What I Have Done, by Sarah Schmidt, over the last few days. It's a fictional account of the Lizzie Borden case, and it's written from the POV of four characters. So, I wasn't exactly taken with this book, but I did like some things about it. I liked the dreamy writing style, and I liked the chapters from Emma's POV, since she was the most interesting character. I need to find another good nonfiction book on the Borden case, though, because I've had my fill of fiction.

I realize Ma was very much a person of her time, but I can see why some Native Americans have had issues with the book being read to their kids, today. Wasn't there a Native American girl who cried when the book was read in her class, because of the, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian" line? So, yeah, it's a subject that definitely warrants discussion, especially if it's going to be read to young children. I never read any Edith Blyton. Was she the author who wrote those "golliwog" books?

Is it unpopular if I think Cannery Row is woefully underrated?

Re-read Little House On the Prairie. Holy cheesballs, the racism. I knew this book was racist when I was a kid, but it hit me even harder, as an adult. Mrs. Scott is the worst, but Ma is no better. I realize it must have been scary to live among Indians when you'd never met any before and didn't know their customs, or their language, but Ma hates them on sight, and can't even deal with them. I can honestly say that this has become my least favorite book, on re-read. It makes me uncomfortable. 😕

Is Jenelle investing her money wisely? The MTV paycheck will stop coming eventually, and if she hasn't, she's pretty screwed. Forgive me if that's a stupid question, I haven't watched the show in years. I did watch a few clips on YouTube the other day, and I was reminded of what a trainwreck Jenelle was, and how she always seems to have some kind of drama, in her life. That girl is mentally ill.

I love Lizzo. I wish she were better known.

Just read The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain. It was okay. I thought Hadley was the biggest pushover to ever exist, but the last quarter of the book was actually kind of heartbreaking, so it wasn't all bad. I give it a B-.

Yeah, this is why. I remember hearing Torn every morning on the bus, every afternoon on the bus, and again, at home. It took me a while to listen to it again without cringing. I like Natalie's other songs just fine, though I wouldn't say I'm a big fan. She's just someone I enjoy, minus her biggest hit.

I didn't know anything about beef between Christina and Pink, so I googled it. I was on Pink's side at first, since it allegedly started with Christina saying she would take all the high notes in Lady Marmalade, but then Pink had to get jealous over Christina collaborating with Linda Perry and have Christina blow-up dolls on tour, and she lost me. She really should have taken the high road, there.

What did she say, exactly? I don't think Christina learned how to be relatable to anyone, because her big voice carried her through the first ten years of her career. I used to work with a woman who was a Christina superfan, and she always talked about how BIG and AMAZING Christina's voice was. Never had much to say about her as a person or artist, though, it was all about THE VOICE. You aren't going to evolve if everyone kisses your ass for belting out a few tunes like a dying farm animal, especially if you've been doing it since you were 15, and that's all you know. But, I hear Christina has a Vegas residency now, so good for her? At least it's a steady paycheck. Switching up topics, but I finally gave Halsey a real chance today, after hearing her singles on the radio, and...I don't get it. This girl is completely underwhelming, and sounds like every raspy, baby-voiced female singer coming out, these days. I listened to track after track and kept waiting to be wowed, but it never happened. What am I missing?

I also liked Karen Minty, now that I think of it. She was, "What you see is what you get" kind of girl.

This is what I liked about it, as well. I don't think I liked a single character in the novel, except for maybe Ethan, but even his relentless positivity would annoy the piss out of me, IRL. I'm enjoying the show, but it's very different from the book, in a lot of ways. They made Joe more sympathetic by giving him a troubled neighbor kid to interact with, and his inner monologue isn't nearly as gross and misogynistic as it is in the book. My guess is that they wanted the character to appeal more to female fans, especially since Penn Badgley was playing him. Going by Millie Bobbie Brown's Tweets, it seems to be working. ;P

Which undoubtedly contributed to the family's health problems, later in life. I remember seeing a picture of Carrie as a teenager, and feeling shocked at how haggard she looked. Mary, too, but her early illness probably added to that, as well. Compare that to the times we are currently living in, when people still look like they're in their 20's when they're well into their 30's. Crazy.