glowlights

During the first half of the show I was struck by the fact that Marya was being referred to so much but not interviewed, but contented myself with thinking they would show her at the end, all grown up and doing something really amazing. Then the uncle's suicide was revealed, and I was kinda bummed out but still looking forward to seeing what Marya has grown into. Then her death was revealed and I had to pause the show. Screw you, Dateline! :( My husband immediately wondered if Marya's death was suicide. I wondered if she had been drinking, which could also explain the failure to fasten her seatbelt and losing control of the vehicle. Her mother used to leave her home alone in order to go out partying, it wouldn't surprise me if the alcohol pattern continued, especially on a night when she was emotional. But that was just a personal impression, I have no evidence obviously, and it doesn't change how sad her death was. Brad's conduct suggested to me that he didn't think of Susie as anything more than a convenient fling. The way he said that he was tired and just wanted to get home... when you care about a woman, you wait the five seconds it takes to see her get in the door. It was dark out, she'd been drinking, and she wasn't fully dressed, for god's sake. All that crap about how they could have had a future together? Nah. He was just trying to make himself sound better, imo. Saber, I'm pretty sure at some point in the show Brad's spouse was referred to as his ex-wife, but I was pretty tired and depressed so...

I hope they do a send-up of Ultrasuede but it's probably beneath their contempt. How about American Movie or the Up series? Virgin Tales?

Dateline ran this promo: http://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/preview-footprint-in-the-dust-529404995865 I spent most of last night praying that Keith Morrison will end up at a Grey Gardens-esque house and be forced to spend the hour with half-feral cats crawling all over him, being plied with dusty mystery snacks by a crazy lady wearing hot pants on her head. Please please please...

I hear what you're saying. Her actions provide more than enough fodder.

Sorry!!! Yes, it was bad of me to ass-ume. I blame Pratt (for everything).

Didn't last night's ep pull from a few references? For instance, the opening scenes with Fred Armisen's character working a menial job in the sausage factory and saying (very calmly and politely) "I guess you want to talk to me about a band I was in" (or words to that effect) and having no desire to go back to the limelight reminded me of New York Doll. Or, er, I think that's the doc it reminded me of. Too many docs, not enough brain cells... "The outskirts and the inskirts". LOL

This is driving me CRAZY. I could swear I've seen some movie or show about a festival that celebrated a random part of American culture out of context. Argh. The thing I love about Documentary Now! is the obvious affection they have for the originals, and the genre in general. They aren't just pointing and laughing. Fred Armisen singing Pitter Patter is a little gift from comedy heaven.

While HamsterofDoom is busy rewriting The Mess Formerly Known As Y&R (get her a vodka stent, stat!) will you guys permit me to offer an alternate Marisa theory? Because even though it's entirely possible the Marisa we see is the Marisa we get, due to Pratt being an incompetent arse, I would really really really like for this all to be just a dumb cover story... Therefore, I propose that Marisa was not in fact "plucked from the Peruvian gutter" but was posing as a Peruvian gutter gal in order to ensnare Marco, so that she could be embedded with his operation as an operative, either for an agency or for a rival criminal. Who knows, maybe she was forced to do it in order to avoid punishment for some crime of her own. Prince Matchabelli was just collateral damage - he was attracted to her and Marco ordered her to string the Prince along so Marco could get access to the Santori wealth. She of course didn't blow her cover to Prince Matchabelli as the Santoris aren't exactly upstanding citizens themselves. Like I said, collateral damage. It was due to Marisa's efforts that Marco was finally imprisoned and she then continued on with the remains of his gang. Victor came along and screwed it all up by springing Marco for his dumb Paragon Project, so then Marisa was saddled with helping Jack to safety. She then crashed Marco into the lake and went purposefully to the Underground so she could stay close to what Victor's up to, via Noah. Now the Prince has come along and is blowing her cover. She had a perfectly fine upbringing. You know when Sage and Nick got married in the park and Noah asked Marisa how she knew to decorate the place so quickly, and she said she used to read magazines? HAHAHA. I read Vogue when I was a kid, doesn't mean I could whip up a couture gown from nothing. And remember when Marco came to her hotel room and commented on what a nice place she was staying in and she said she'd made some friends, as if working in a perpetually empty bar would pay for a fancy room? No, she's being funded. Or maybe she is some minor royal herself but fell into a drug habit and Marco then seduced her, she tried to clean herself up and go back to a respectable life with the Prince but he was an asshole and drove her back into Marco's arms, then Marco was imprisoned thanks to the efforts of Santori (revenge) and she was captured by the boat captain, until Victor sprang Marco from jail and unleashed the current hell upon all of us. Anything, ANYTHING other than a stereotypical Latina hootchie mama who shakes it like Charo whenever a rich guy comes along. It's 2015, Mr. Pratt.

Or Josh Mankiewcz (sp?). I wanted to see him slouched on a chair, one eyebrow raised, with that sarcastic look he gets. (Add me to the "toilet lids down" team. Flushing with the lid up is beyond gross.)

That's what I'd like to know! Hollywood seems to fit better with the Kunuk episode - people who were part of the silent film era dishing about what really happened (along with Nanook of The North, of course). The Al Capone ep is the only one I can't place, and yet it felt familiar. ??

Hi bubbls, If you're into true crime, the story of Starr Faithfull is a real doozy. And sorry, you're right, it would have been more accurate for me to say Goodman's is the only complete, investigative account. I haven't bought The Aspirin Age but Markey is excerpted and discussed in Goodman's book. Markey's original article, "Murder In The Family" can be found in the New Yorker's online archive, if you have access: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1931/06/27/murder-in-the-family The Skeptical Inquirer ran an interesting article a few years ago, wish I could find it again. I should order The Girl On The Beach. My understanding is the author didn't do much more than repeat what had already been reported, but could be pleasantly surprised. This is what is so maddening about Goodman's book - he provides more facts and angles than anyone else I know of, but it's lost in his pompous blather and weird tangents. I was most interested in the opinion of the modern expert who Goodman enlisted to review Starr's second autopsy. Forty pages still to go. What a slog. :(

The Passing of Starr Faithfull by Jonathon Goodman, who calls himself "one of Britain's foremost true crime historians", is pissing me off like very few books ever have. For those who don't recognize the name, Starr Faithfull was the real life inspiration for the character of Gloria Wandrous in John O'Hara's Butterfield 8. Her story was also fictionalized in Some Unknown Person by Sandra Scoppettone (a very good novel, btw) and The Memory Book of Starr Faithfull by Gloria Vanderbilt. Her body was found washed ashore on a Long Island beach on June 8, 1931. Originally ruled a suicide by the first examiner, the DA quickly ordered a second autopsy and the cause of death was changed to homicide. The story was an instant media sensation and dominated headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, with juicy rumors involving drug and alcohol abuse, molestation, sexual exploitation, hush money, and a very prominent Boston politician. Her case remains open and unsolved to this day. One thing is certain: in life, Starr was exploited from the age of eleven, both by her abuser and by her grifting family. Kent State University Press chose to exploit her in death by reissuing this book with a gruesome cover photo that is a closeup of her dead face, taken when she was found on the beach, her still eyes open, her skin discolored, and sand caked in hair. This smacks of the crassest sensationalism and egregious disregard for the victim. And the book doesn't improve once you open the cover.... Goodman is, to date, the only author to provie a nonfiction account of Starr's case. I can't quibble with his research - he obtained access to the NYPD's complete case file and made an exhaustive review of contemporary news accounts. Unfortunately, the research is buried under Goodman's cluttered, fussy style which is as disorganized as it is self-congratulatory. Not to mention tone deaf. You can practically hear Goodman laughing at his own snide jokes throughout, such as when he accuses a stenographer of having a learning disability, guffaws at the very thought of American students being taught English composition, and makes endless quips apropos of nothing but his own need to inject himself into almost every paragraph. One gets the impression that Goodman thinks the whole story is hilarious. Did I mention florid? Goodman never uses three words where thirteen could be squeezed in, and must have been glued to a thesauraus during the writing of this mess. Worst of all, the book is so poorly structured and details are strewn so willy-nilly through his convoluted timeline and irrelevant asides (look how much research he did, y'all! he wants you to know every little thing he read about! also he's the new Oscar Wilde!) that I need to keep notes to sort it all out. In revenge, I have taken to gouging at his author's photo with a blue pencil. Editing, what a concept. Poor, poor Starr. Her story deserves so much better.

Aw, movinon, I'm sorry you were having the sort of day where you needed a laugh (and more vodka). TGIF!!!

Yesterday I ran a few errands. Gas station, post office, library. Got in my car after the final errand and realized I had spent the ENTIRE time with my belt unbuckled and hanging loose, like some kind of perv. Ugh.

You, human, exist to serve your cats, and only to serve your cats. They are strewing their food all over the floor so they can watch you clean it up later... while they snicker and plot your demise. :)

Is it a UO to want every single character with the last name of Winters, plus Cane and Colin, to be written off the show forevermore? I know Devon and Lily are universally unpopular but I can't stand ANY of them, nor do I care what happens, or what they're wearing (grab a tablecloth, Lily, and cover up for god's sake), or what they're saying, and even though I FF through almost all their scenes it still means I have to see their dumb mugs flying past. I will always appreciate Neil for running over Cricket, but it was an accident so it doesn't redeem his character for me. If he runs her over again on purpose, and then refuses to apologize and shows up drunk to her funeral and heckles the minister... I may reconsider. Every time the Winters come on now (which is every other scene goddamn you Pratt) I recite Eddie Murphy's "Kill My Landlord" poem from SNL, but I change it to "Kill The Winters". K-I-L-L THE WINTERS.

Honest question: does EB tweet in character? His tweets seem to be all bluster and bombast. Much like a certain tycoon in Genoa City...

Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks. He is one of my favorite American authors, but this one is so bleak I almost bailed after the first two chapters. The fantastic storytelling keeps pulling me along. (Warning to animal lovers: you might cry.) Also Black Dahlia & White Rose by Joyce Carol Oates. Maybe not my favorite by her, but still a strong collection.

PEACH IS BACK!!!!! (hello, peach, hope you're not missing your kid too much)

Won't let me quote the quote that was quoted within a post, so.... who came up with "deNewmahn"? Fucking brilliant. A tip of the hat to you, sir/madam. There's a LOT of dead wood among those thirty six. Thin the herd, I say, thin the herd. (No need to worry about intricate plotting, just pull a Pratt and have a meteorite fall on GC. Save the characters that matter and buh-bye to the rest. )

Yes. To the extent that the judge ordered a bailiff (?) to stand behind Lee with his hands on her shoulders to keep her in her seat, because of her uncontrolled outbursts. Odd to me that her friend said she never saw any anger or unstable behavior from Lee, yet it was on full display right there in the courtroom... Forgive me if this sounds a bit extreme, but Savanna's attitude reminds me of some cult victims after their leader has been exposed. There is a certain level of cognitive dissonance that occurs, and for some the instinct is to dig in their heels and even increase support for the leader, rather than face the awful truth that everything has been a lie. Sometimes they will misdirect their anger and blame the authorities and fellow victims. Just my impression. I hope Savanna gets some really good help in dealing with this upheaval.

I just realized the worst case scenario: Kyle is the product of a secret affair between Cricket and Victor. OH THE HUMANITY.

Me neither, but the story of her last night is so baffling and sad. :( For anyone who enjoys shorter pieces, The Best American Crime Writing series ran from about 2002 to 2010. Each volume was filled with intriguing true crime stories, all very well-written. Of course some years were stronger than others, but none of them were duds. Otto Penzler and his guest editors did a great job with it. This was one of my favorites: http://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Crime-Writing-Reporting/dp/0375713026/ref=sr_1_29?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438899086&sr=1-29&refinements=p_27%3AOtto+Penzler

ByTor, I get where you're coming from. I've lost track of who Summer's dad is really really really supposed to be, mainly because I don't care about her and think she is a wart on Y&R's backside, but the whole incest thing seemed to be quite a technicality, and pretty tame compared to the antics other citizens of GC get up to. And anyway, the way these people mess with paternity tests who can say if Kyle belongs to Jack? For all we know, next month he will be Cricket's long lost son that she totally forgot about.

I don't like Detective Harding and I don't think the actor is sexy and I wish they would bring back Detective Garcia instead. There, I said it. Also, I still enjoy looking at Noah even though his shirtless scenes are being wasted on Marisa.