Category Archives: RIP
‘DALLAS’-Season 2 Premiere, Part 1- ‘Battle Lines’/Part 2-’Venomous Creatures’
The Cast of Dallas-In Memory of Larry Hagman
This begins the final season with Larry Hagman as J.R Ewing.
Bittersweet. But, still sweet. The season premiere opened with a message from the cast. ‘Along we will miss our friend (Larry Hagman) dearly, his spirit will live on.’ The beginning of the final season with Larry Hagman. And so, it begins..
Sue Ellen is hot on the campaign trail, and John Ross (the GORGEOUS Josh Henderson) is hot on some..tail! He seduces a bride to be at her bachelorette party, only to blackmail her father into allowing John Ross to lease his oil trucks. It works..especially after John Ross shows him the CELL PHONE VIDEO of the dirty deed! Pictures are so passe..That’s J.R’s boy..’From tip to tail’..
John Ross (Josh Henderson) doing what his Daddy taught him.
Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) and Elena (Jordana Brewster) are blissfully in love, and now, Christopher has taken up Nascar racing. Not sure what that’s all about, but he sure looks good behind the wheel! Ewing Energies is in full swing,and Bobby, Christopher, John Ross, and Elena are partners. Their first vote does not go well, because John Ross feels that it will always be Bobby and Christopher against John Ross and J.r. Although J.R is not a part of the company, John Ross has enlisted his father to teach him every dirt trick in the book. J.R is happy to oblige. But, nothing will ease the broken heart given to John Ross, by Elena. Nothing except, maybe…a little revenge.
Miss him already.
Tommy Sutter’s sister, the real Rebecca Sutter is flown to Dallas by Christopher in order to testify against Pamela Rebecca in the divorce trial. Christopher tells Rebecca to stay out of sight. But, too late. John Ross is also hip to Ms. Sutter.
The evil, but kinda sexy, Harrison (ex husband of Ann Ewing) tells Ann that he ‘found their daughter.’ We discover in this episode, that Ann had a baby girl 22 years ago. When the baby was 18 months old, Ann was at the State Fair,and someone stole the baby from her carriage. Harrison tells Ann that he will only tell her where their daughter is, IF she gives him the blackmail tape of him confessing to money laundering. Ann knows that if she gives him the tape, she will have nothing to protect Sue Ellen from Harrison exposing Sue Ellen for bribery. Her child or her friend? Whatever Brenda Strong does…She is lovely doing it.
Ann (Brenda Strong) discovers her daughter is alive!
Bobby and Christopher to Barnes Global (the company owned by ‘that idiot Cliff Barnes) and she formally introduces herself: ‘I am Pamela Rebecca Barnes.’ Cliff Barnes is her father and Afton is her Mother. Needless to say, Christopher and Bobby are BLOWN AWAY! She offers him visitation (she is carrying his twins), plus she wants 30 % of Ewing Energies…Christopher: BRING IT ON! Pamela is starting to grow on me.
Sue Ellen gives Ann her blessing to give up the tape. Ann and Bobby go to meet,her daughter, Emma. But, the reunion is short. Emma wants nothing to do with Ann! And, it all comes crashing down for Sue Ellen, when the coroner she bribed goes to the press,and campaign is derailed.
John Ross shows on up Pamela’s doorstep with a present. They have a new team member-Rebecca Sutter.
Part 2-’Venomous Creatures’
Christopher is cleaning up his old baby crib, in preparation for the twins. Remember, they are TWINS, Christopher. John Ross pulls up and takes an opportunity to take a crack at Elena. ‘Raising another woman’s baby..Elena, if that isn’t committment, I don’t know what is.’ Christopher wants to punch him out, but Elena calms him down. John Ross informs them that Sue Ellen is being hounded by the media since she lost the election. Ann is very distraught over her daughter’s reaction, and Bobby promises to get to the truth about what happened to Emma and why she feels that way.
Sue Ellen is upset over her loss and she does a very familiar act-she reaches for the bottle. I could hear fans all over the world scream, ‘NO!!!’..But, I was thinking: ‘Take the drink.’ Oh, come on..We all know it was ON, when Sue Ellen was drinking. But, before she breaks her long sobriety, J.R and John Ross show up. J.R gives her a pep talk and promises to make sure no charges are filed against her for the bribery. Before he leaves he encourages Sue Ellen to comfort Ann. That gives Sue Ellen teh stregnth to pour out the glass of wine.
Pamela Rebecca makes her presence known at her father’s company, much to Frank’s (Cliff’s henchman) displeasure. Little Pammy is taking over! The Annulment hearing begins and Rebecca’s attorney tries to portray her as a victim who only legally changed her name. Christopher’s lawyer asks Rebecca , on the stand, if Pamela intentionally tried to con Christopher. Rebecca does as she was paid to do by John Ross and Pamela, and she lies that Pamela was trying to make amends with Christopher…not con him. Christopher explodes in court. The Judge rules that their will be no annulment,a nd court will reconvene for Divorce proceedings. Christopher follows Pamela out of the courtroom,and promises Pamela that this means war. She responds: ‘You should have taken the deal.’
J.R tries to ask the U.S Attorney,nicely, to drop the case against Sue Ellen. He refuses and so J.R decides to take another approach. I think J.R prefers the latter, anyway. Bobby tries to get the truth about Emma out of Harrison, but gets nothing. Bobby threatens Harrison, that he will find the truth, and Harrison better not have had anything to do with Emma’s disappearance.
Since he is such a friendly mood, J.R pays Pamela a visit. He informs her that she can forget about getting her hands on Ewing Energies. ‘I’m one for one for flushing out Pamela’s..I plan on being two for two.’ Classic line. Pamela delivers her payment to Rebecca. She tells her to leave town, but Rebecca wants help finding Tommy. Remember, Rebecca killed Tommy in Season one. Pamela tells Rebecca to ‘take the money.’
J.R succeeds in getting the U.S Attorney to drop the charges. Courtesy of a little blackmail, of course. Elena brings in a great deal, and so they all decide to give up some shares and give them to Elena.,making her an equal partner in Ewing Energies. John Ross agrees in order to help his image, and eventually use it to his advantage.
Frank betrays Pamela by sending Christopher a tape of Pamela threatening Tommy. He takes it to Rebecca and convinces her that maybe Pamela did something to Tommy. They head to the cops.
Bobby tracks down Harrison’s mother (Judith Light) and discovers that SHE kidnapped Emma, raised her London…and, Harrison was in on it!
Tune in to ‘DALLAS’ every Monday, 8pm (CST) on TNT.
Listen to ‘The Nicole Barrett Show’, every Saturday on KLIF 570 am or at http://www.KLIF.com!
That’s the view from a ‘Real American Girl’
We Will Never Tire of Madame Kahn
If you love Mel Brooks, then you love Madeline Kahn and can probably throw out some her unforgettable movie quotes immediately, like:
“Hello, handsome, is that a ten-gallon hat or are you just enjoying the show?”
“Flames, on the side of my face, breathing-breath- heaving breaths.”
“Hurry up, Doctor. This baby gots to go winky tinky!”
“Taffeta, darling.”
“Ah, but the servant waits, while the *master* baits!”
And I am sure you can name the movies these quotes came from, above, because she is JUST that memorable!
And GAWD could she sing. What a set of pipes, no wonder Broadway snatched her up for “On the 20th Century” which Kristin Chenoweth will be playing her role in the upcoming revival…great match. And did you know Madeline sang “Glitter & Be Gay” from CANDIDE…so maybe Kristin is our answer to our modern Ms. Kahn. Listen to this amazing version of “G & G” – I had NO IDEA:
I wanted to be Madeline Kahn and would practice “I’m Tired” in front of my mirror for hours when I was kid! I thought this was the single best song on the planet.
My friend, Stephen Cole, in the Broadway industry, responded to a Facebook post I wrote about Madeline Kahn’s Birthday. He worked with her on two different occasions. He posted the following:
“I do remember one phone call. I can see myself in my kitchen talking to her. She said, “I don’t want to sing anything funny this year.” I said, “Anything you sing will be funny.” I let her do a ballad…What Makes Me Love Him from Apple Tree…She broke the place up. She sang Bewitched from Pal Joey. Everyone screamed. She was brilliant. She was very dear and sweet and just had no idea how fucking funny she was.” – Stephen Cole
She was taken way to early, but her legacy lives on. In Central Park there is a bench erected by her husband and her brother, dedicated in her memory. What a class act.
Sound bites of some of Ms. Kahn’s famous movie lines:
http://www.hark.com/collections/ftmcngmcrd-madeline-kahn
Real Housewives/Beverly Hills Tragedy..Is someone to blame?
Taylor and Russell Armstrong, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
When news broke that Russell Armstrong, husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong, hung himself, it sent a shock throughout the world of Reality Television. Now,the Sept. 5th premiere of the new season, may not happen after all. Could this be the end of the Real Housewives franchise? Don’t forget to take the poll at the bottom of the page.
Were things that bad for Russell? In the past few days, several things about the fe of the Armstrong’s has come to light:
Russell Armstrong was $1-10 million in debt.
filed for bankruptcy in 2005.
Taylor Armstrong recently filed for divorce.
according to sources, Russell feared the ridicule of the castmates, and there was talk of a tell-all book, that may have painted Russell in a VERY negative light.
All of these things , according to Russell’s attorney, Ron Richards were just too much for him to bear: (via Reuters.com)
“He worked hard to get her where she was. Who do you think paid for that lifestyle?” Richards said in an interview with TheWrap. “He was disappointed. … He basically spent all their savings, and didn’t accumulate any savings, to support the show.”
Richards added: “He wasn’t rich. He was just generating enough income to not lose the cover. The expenses were getting higher and higher and he was unable to cover it.”
Armstrong also complained that the show “didn’t care if they ruined his marriage,” Richards said.
I have to admit, I was a little puzzled to hear about all of the financial trouble, considering I watched last year as Taylor hosted a ridiculously tacky $60,000 birthday party for their 4 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER! I am all about the finer things at any age, but I thought that was a little over board even before I knew they were really broke. In addition to their public spats on the show, Taylor claimed in divorce papers that Russell was physically abusive to her. I have to ask. Did Taylor file after the abuse, or was Russell going broke, REALLY the last straw ? Just asking.
Russell’s mother told HLN’s Jane Mitchell that she had very strong opinions regarding what happened to her son:
Mrs. Armstrong goes on to say that, Taylor had very expensive taste, and it was hard for Russell to keep up. According to Mrs. Armstrong, ‘Taylor’s next husband ‘better be a Millionaire or Billionaire, because that is all who can afford her.’
In all fairness, all of the participants of these shows chose to be a part, and accept the fact that their lives are up for complete and total ridicule. It may not be right…But,that is the way it is.
That’s the view of ‘A Real American Girl’
Reasonable Doubt
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| Caylee Marie Anthony |
Unless you live in a cave, you already know the history of this case, so I will start with where we are now- NOT GUILTY. That is according to the Florida jury. Now, several questions remain. The first: ‘Why did they acquit ? Could they not see ?’ See what, exactly ? That she was irresponsible..we got that. Had little regard for human life..absolutely. She was a compulsive liar..you betcha ! Took tacky photos while drinking…confirmed ! Did the prosecution prove she committed murder…Let’s talk about that. Before you get in an uproar, please understand that I do not work for the defense. I, like anyone else, was on the side of justice. But, unlike some people, I need facts when it comes to sending someone to the Death chamber. Hard to believe I’m from Texas, right ?
Now, here are the facts: A child is dead. She was buried in the woods by someone. That concludes our facts. The rest of this case, rested on theories. And, if we relied on theory to send people to Death Row-people, we would REALLY be in trouble. Yet, that is what the Florida DA wanted from 12 citizens who came from all walks of life. This was not a simple case. Not Andrea Yates, who admitted to drowning her children. Or Susan Smith, who was flat out caught in her web of lies. This case was like an empty well that they tried desperately (and it is desperate when you call in ‘odor experts’) to fill it up. At first, it seemed like it might work. The DA’s wheel was spinning hard, and spinning fast. As long as nothing happened to throw a wrench in it.
And, then, there was Jose Baez. The guy with the wrench. Born in Puerto Rico, raised in the Bronx and South Florida. A high school DROPOUT, who later got his GED, went to community college, and then Florida State. After years of a mediocre career (including ethical violations, yeah, I know), he stepped into the courtroom over a month ago, and announced to the court that ‘Caylee Marie Anthony accidentally DROWNED in her pool.’ And, so it begins. The WORLD’S jaw dropped. Some call it a lie. Some call it brilliant. And, every sin known to Man that could occur in one family, occurred within the Anthony home-according to Baez. When you add up-smells, partying, lies, and a tattoo…That still, does not equal Murder. Beyond a reasonable doubt.
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| Pariah |
And, for the record, although they still have my sympathy, George and Cindy Anthony have a share of responsibility in this as well. You can only do so much for Adult children until you have to make them take responsibility for their own actions.
There has also been criticism for the Prosecution: Maybe they should NOT have sought the Death Penalty with such limited evidence. Maybe. There has been criticism for Nancy Grace and her bulldog, biased, sensationalized approach to this case. Casey was convicted in the court of public opinion 3 yeas ago via an 8pm cable show, by a former Prosecutor who certainly makes more money ‘talking’ about Justice, than actually seeking it. I don’t want to add to the criticism, therefore, I have nothing to say.
I’m not sure what happend to Caylee. But, I am willing to bet that she may still be alive if she had not had Casey as a mother. The possible profit that this woman stands to gain is unlimited. But, as my favorite book states, ‘What profit a man to gain the whole world, only to lose his soul.’ She has no idea the Hell she faces ‘outside’ of prison walls. At the age of 25, when she could be a model, a businesswoman, or anything she wanted to be..Instead, she is a Pariah, ostricized,hated, what company will hire her ? What neighborhood wants her ? Friends, her Life Sentence has BEGUN. And, instead of the safety of prison, among other sociopaths, she will have to serve it in the Real World. And, we are ALL her Wardens. Believe me, there is some justice in that.
In the end, this is a very sad tale. No winners. No heroes. I’m not sure what the lesson is, but maybe that will come in time. But, please don’t let the lesson be that we should not believe in the Justice system. It is because our system is based on evidence and not imagination that our system is still the best in the world. Look, those jurors had nothing to gain by setting her free.
Except the ability to sleep at night.
Nicole Barrett
