Lorna Mae

Apologies if this is not the right thread, but: I'm curious about the movie Diana, with Naomi Watts and Naveen Andrews. It seems to be very disliked. Why? Inaccurate, or just badly told?

Okay, I just got this. Margaret had her first stroke while she was reciting naughty limericks. Part of her recovery was speech exercise: reciting children's limericks. That would be rather discouraging.

Just saw Ruritania. Two things: 1. Anyone ever read The Queen and I? I see there was a TV movie made of it, about five years ago, so I can't believe Peter Morgan never heard of it. Election Night, 1992. The Queen goes to bed before the results are finalized. Next thing, she and the rest of the Windsors have been deposed by a rogue party and sent to live in council housing. Things fall further and further apart, both in the family and in the country, in only a few months. Anyway, TQaI is a satire, worth reading, though I do not recommend the "sequel", Queen Camilla. The opening scene was clever, don't get me wrong, but it makes me wonder how well known TQaI is. The author is the same woman who wrote about Adrian Mole, fwiw. 2. During the run-up to Her Late Majesty's funeral, I was watching BBC World pretty much nonstop, and I remember a lot of people being trotted out for sound bites, like townspeople near Balmoral, and palace workers with unique jobs. I don't remember any specific job titles that were mentioned, but some of them were along the lines of Herb Strewer.

My husband and I agreed that she would have given anything for the button on the chair arm that she could push and open the Wilson Trapdoor underneath Blair.

The actor playing William *utterly nailed* The Shy Smile. Diana smiled that way -- sort of scrunching up the mouth, head down, eyes to the side -- and so did William in his teens and early twenties.

Similarly, I recognized the book Harry was reading: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Except, that was a paperback, and PS had only had its first hardcover release in late June of 1997. So even a hardcover would not have had time to get dog-eared, as that copy was. (Also, people may forget that HP was not huge right away. It was during the run-up to Goblet of Fire that people were binging the first three books, and the movies were getting underway. So late 1999 and 2000 for the start of Pottermania.) But hey, how could they not sneak HP in there? Especially in light of Prince Harry's nickname at Eton. 🤫 And as far as 1990s pop culture, I've always felt a bit sad that Diana never got to see Titanic. I bet she would have loved it, both for the spectacle, and for identifying with Rose.

"And in the city it's a pity 'cause we just can't hide/Tinted windows don't mean nothin' -- they know who's inside!" Run-DMC, 1986. That ring looked like an enlarged version of a pinkie ring. I like the shot of the drink Henri Paul left on the bar. IIRC, he was drinking something strong and watered-down, like Pernod, but the color made it *possibly* look like fruit juice. It wasn't, though. His BAC was more than twice the legal limit *and* he was taking prescription meds that didn't mix with alcohol. 'Tis a shame he didn't immediately cause a fender-bender while un-parking...

Mac looks really different. He’s lost weight again, but perhaps he also crossed some aging event horizon. Incredible that there’s a second room in Charlie’s apartment. Moving camera reminded me of “Charlie Work”. And in a later scene in the bar, I’m sure I saw the otherwise steady shot tremble a bit, then settle down.

The VCR was from Ed, Dan's father. "Is that what the VCR was for -- to soften us up?" "No, the VCR was second prize in a sales contest. If I'd won second prize, I'd be in Hawaii right now, and you wouldn't have to put up with me at all!" As for Bev, she only started trying to lavish the Conners with gifts after she divorced Al and had a big settlement to spend. She wanted to give her old car to Becky, and it was Dan who said no, because Becky was supposed to earn a car. So Roseanne got Bev's old car, and Becky got Roseanne's old car. "No, my dad already 'fixed' it -- that's why I can't get it out of the driveway." "Car doesn't have to run for you to live in it, little girl..." ----------------------------- And waitaminut. Since when does Mark work as a security guard? I thought the episode would turn on that -- Darlene saying "Okay, if Mark has a job, maybe I don't have to do this after all."

Not quite. She bought DJ Super Nintendo, which Roseanne and Dan had already purchased for him, and offered Becky her car, but R ended up taking the car and passing on her old car to Becky. Darlene got nothing, which led to one of my favorite tag scenes. "Grandpa Al! Hi, it's Darlene...No really!...What did I get? Oh, nothing...I dunno, probably because I stuck up for you too many times...So tell me -- when are you coming to visit?"

Not just a game: the entire Super Nintendo system! Which Dan had already bought and hidden, while he and Roseanne claimed they couldn’t afford it, to make the payoff worthwhile. “Mom, Mom, look what Grandma bought me!” Audience groans. Then she offered her car to Becky, and Darlene was somehow overlooked. One of my favorite tag scenes, always cut in syndication, is Darlene calling Al and telling him how Bev was “really sucking up…What did I get? Oh nothing…probably because I stuck up for you one too many times. So when are you coming to visit?” The car gift was a point of pride, though. Dan insisted that Becky had to earn a car. “Dad, if I had a car, it would be easier for me to get to work!” “Bull — the minute you get a car, you’ll find some excuse to quit work.” And my friend watching with me says, “What does he mean — quit work? Once you start working, you can’t let up!”

What’s being celebrated is that the Gunpowder Plot did not come off. Somebody blabbed, and IIRC, Fawkes was caught black-handed before he could light the fuse. The purpose of the bonfire is to burn him in effigy.

About ten years ago, my MIL paid me to declutter her friend’s house. (They’ve both since passed.) He seemed okay mentally, but physically he was in need of a visiting nurse. Except he was mortified to have someone he didn’t know see his house. Not a job for Matt Paxton, just that he never threw/put anything away. I got everything clean and organized, arrangements were made for a visiting nurse…and then he started getting disoriented. Red flag when he called MIL to grumble that the KFC he often walked to had disappeared. Musta closed up and reopened as a Dairy Queen, because that was all he could find. MIL finally figured out that he’d turned left instead of right at the end of his street. And there were other things that, from his POV, changed or disappeared overnight. And I can’t help thinking that this was the result of my changing his environment. The ratchet set spilling out of its case in the foyer, and the heap of empty water bottles in the kitchen corner had been his guideposts. Without them, he didn’t know which way to turn. He very soon went into assisted living, which was good in the long run; maybe I shouldn’t feel so guilty. ETA: Since when was Dan’s father a drunk? He was a workaholic.

He said not a tampon. He said he wanted to live inside her trousers, but with his luck, he’d be a tampon instead, and get flushed away: not desirable. Also, IRL, according to the transcript, Andrew P-B was not home that night. He was away on business, and C + C talked about how they wished the job would last a long, long time. Dunno about the kids. Anyway, that was a heck of a cold open! I never gave much thought to how that phone convo was recorded.

Right on! Plus which, it’s diplomatic. Diana was a fashion icon, and yes, a known shopaholic. If she had stopped at Capri and not even visited any shops, that would have been seen as a major dis.