Mr. Wow Blog
Mr. Wow’s Reluctant Christmas
4:44 pm | January 1, 2016

Author: Mr. Wow | Category: Point of View | Comments: 70

lizshrine15__xmastree15BADyoung Denxmas15xxv xmasdayime window5 lightxmasview__ DFxmas2015__ xmasdark15__ DFxmas152__Mr. Wow’s Reluctant Christmas

 

 

“I don’t really want to take pictures this year.”

 

“Oh, come on.

 

“No, really, I can’t.”

 

“You didn’t want to put up the decorations and the tree, but you did.” 

 

 

“Sure.  What was that you said?  ‘Decorate or die?’”

 

“That’s an exaggeration. I just said, ‘You don’t do anything else for me.”

 
“I offered to start cooking again.”

 

“I would like to live out the new year, thank you. Be good, Wow, the tree looks great.”

 

“It’s the smallest we’ve ever had.”

 

“It’s looks adorable.”

 

“I don’t want ‘adorable.’  I want impressive, massive. Overpowering.”

 

“Fine, after I take your picture, we’ll sign you up on Grinder. Now, stand by the tree.”

 

“I am bigger than that the tree!”

 

“So?”

 

 

“It doesn’t seem right.”

 

“Neither does Donald Trump, but people still take his picture.”

 

“Is  there a filter on that lens?”

 

“The linoleum store was closed.”

 

“I haven’t shaved. I have a bit of a scruff.”

 

“They’ll love it on Grinder.  You can call yourself Daddy Wow.”

 

“Thank. You. Very. Much.”

 

 

“Now, just go over by the tree.  That’s right.  You look great.”

 

“I look like shit.”

 

“Whatever  you say. Just shut up.”

 

“I might look better by the window.”

 

“What—having a face lift between the tree and window?  Come back, come back.  We’ll do you by the window.”

 

“Stop, B.!  Are you insane?  Not that angle. Have we not discussed my neck?”

 

“Every fucking day, Wow.”

 

“Well, raise the camera. More. More.”

 

“I can’t raise it anymore. I won’t be able to see through the lens.”

 

“Pretend you’re a paparazzi.  That’s how they do it.  They raise the camera and hope for the best.”

 

“I’m not a paparazzi and film is expensive.”

 

“Okay—shoot.  No, No!  My head was raised. You got my neck.”

 

 “It’s attached to your body. Shall we cut it off?  The idea is now very tempting.”

 

“Look, this is very simple.  Think of me as Elizabeth Taylor during the John Warner years. The higher the camera the better she looked.”

 

“So, let me get this straight.  You want me to imagine you as a forty-ish, overweight, female movie star?” 

 

“B., the operative words are ‘forty-ish and ‘movie-star.’  Now, get the ladder.”

 

 

 

And that, dear friends, was how it went before B. managed to get me to pose for our annual posting here.  It’s been for reasons not major, but persistent, a depressing year.  I wasn’t feeling the spirit—at all.   I deliberately waited till the very last minute and did choose a tree not taller  than five-seven.  I wasn’t up to struggling with a big, recalcitrant fir.

 

But, in the larger scheme of things—sometimes I get my head out of my ass and remember that—my issues are not terribly incapacitating.  My health is good. My job persists. B. remains fond of me. And a lot of my mood has been affected by something I really can’t change—the inevitable election of Ted Cruz or Donald Trump as president.

 

BUT—I won’t get into it now.  What I want to say is that I think of all you quite often.  Sometimes when I’m most depressed.  I want to post, but I think—please, I KNOW some of my Mr. Wow friends are going through shit that really matters.  Don’t dump your clinical blues on them right now. Maybe I should, but I feel guilty doing it.

 

So, my darlings—I hope your holidays were healthy (most of all)   Happy (as much as individual circumstances permit)   And I wish everything good for you. 

 

With true affection, I remain a great big pain in the ass,

Mr. Wow.  

 

My New Year’s resolution is to write to you more!

 

 

 

P.S.  Of course, B. couldn’t avoid my neck, and despite all the photoshop applications on my computer, I decided to present it un-retouched.  After all, I am 63 years-old next week.  I have to stop expecting to summon up my ancient boyishness.   It is what it is. (Although I took some selfies last week, avoided the neck and looked surprisingly fresh.  Ah, but I also made sure I was facing the full, mid-afternoon sunlight–“fill light” it’s called. Nature’s erasure.)

 

However, since he offered it.  I’m checking out Grinder. Daddy Wow.  Why not?

 

P.S.S. (Or is it P.P.S?)   The photo of the photo of me and B. is from back when we both—had dark hair.  You do the math.  It’s waiting for a frame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments:
  • Mr. Wow

    Friends–Sorry the top picture of the tree is kinda squashed.  Neither one of us has figured out sizing and placing pix properly.

    I added another–the yearly Liz holiday shrine–but that came out squashed too. Damn!

    4:51 pm | January 1, 2016
  • Jamie

    You just made my day much brighter, and I thank you for that Mr. Wow.I made a new friend this morning in my every day life, and that was my new year’s resolution. To be more open. More available.
    And now, thanks to you, I get to keep an old friend as well. 
    PSNow, now, I meant ‘old’ in the other way, not the ‘what you are thinking way.’XO

    7:12 pm | January 1, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Jamie–thank you!  I really am going to try and keep this alive here. I do love it and everybody who is sweet enough to pay attention.  Happy New Year!

      7:49 pm | January 1, 2016
  • Jamie

    Happy New Year to you too!
    Try not to put pressure on yourself. This is a fun outlet for us and we enjoy you so much.
    So, whenever you DO check in, it’s fun. 
    Soon we’ll be hearing from Daniel Sugar. I think that’s his name? I love reading all of the posts, even when there over my head.
    Insert clever quote from an Elizabeth Taylor film here.

    Okay, Jamie–you got it:

    “Now, whatever it is your wife thought she saw in the window…”

    “It was a DEAD BODY” caused by a MURDERER!”

    From the highly entertaining 1973 thriller “Night Watch.”

    7:59 pm | January 1, 2016
  • Deirdre Cerasa

    Well, as Adele would say “HELLO”!  So great to hear from and see you. I know I a, among the many who wish you would post no matter how you are feeling. I have missed you! Don’t be such a stranger. Hugs and Happy New Year! PS, love the tree! xo

    8:27 pm | January 1, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Deirdre…thank you. I feel ashamed of my small tree.  (No wisecracks, Dr. Sugar.)


      I have been bad, I know. (Why is that that the defining sentence of my life?)  But I promise to be better. (And I’ve heard myself say that before!)  I hope you have a wonderful 2016.  I’ll post more, but I can’t promise raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens.  I still cannot believe Julie Andrews won an Oscar for that crap.

      9:51 pm | January 1, 2016
  • TheRudeDog

    Oh, wow!   And Oh, Wow!  SoSoSo good to hear from you; we frankly don’t much care what you have to say as long as you just say it to us.  You already know that.  How can we be expected to look upon this as a Safe Haven to piss & moan & kvetch & mingle & have a good time if you, as our leader, don’t show us the way?  🙂
    You are a damned handsome devil and getting moreso as your years pile on; you and B are fabulously beautiful.
    (Where’s the swan?  And…I have one of your decorations!  The little round snowman with the brown knit hat & red scarf!)

    9:08 pm | January 1, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rude One–the swan only flies in for Easter. 

      Okay, okay–I’ll come and kvetch.  But by now you should know that when I’m depressed, entire countries fall.  Hmmmm…maybe it is I who am responsible for Mr. Trump?

      Happy, happy New Year.

      I can’t believe I put that vintage pic of B. and me up against my present self. Total masochism. I think I’ll post that selfie I like.

      9:54 pm | January 1, 2016
    • lulu

      Dear RudeDog -I miss sharing my lap with you!!! Happy New Year!!!!

      12:40 pm | January 2, 2016
      • TheRudeDog

        Thanks, Lulu.   We had a good time, didn’t we?!

        2:52 pm | January 2, 2016
  • Mimi

    It’s always a huge treat to see your Christmas Tree pictures! And you. I’m finding aging to be liberating. I no longer have to fight the gray hair and wrinkles. Since I’m aging fairly gracefully (as are you) I’ve decided to go with the flow. I’ve missed you and wish you and B a happy, healthy, new year. 

    12:54 am | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Mimi–Thank you honey.  I am going with the flow, even though, like a salmon, I try to swim upstream occasionally.


      Happy New Year!

      3:48 pm | January 2, 2016
  • Rho

    Happy New Year. So happy to see you.

    9:01 am | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Thank you, Rho–How have you been? 

      3:49 pm | January 2, 2016
      • Rho

        I am fine, thanks. Again, Happy New Year.

        9:19 am | January 3, 2016
  • Jean Smith

    Happy New Year Mr Wow and B – wishing you health and peace of mind in the new year. 

    10:29 am | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Jean–thank you, honey.  A while back, a friend of mine said, “Look, if you are so troubled over your looks, have some surgery.”  I said “It rarely works out for guys. And I don’t need to look any gayer than I do!”  And that’s really what happens–every man I’ve known whose had the works, ends up resembling Liberace.   I could conceivably imagine a slight smoothing out on the neck, but another pal remarked: “Well, do it now, for God’s sake, because if you wait you’ll have the lovely young-neck-old-face thing going on.”   I think talking about it, making fun of it, actually works as therapy. 

       Of course if I win the lottery–some really life-transforming amount of money–for sure I’ll have the works, and I won’t care when they say, “OMG!  Liberace is alive and he’s up there in first class with two cute boys, five cats, six bottles of Dom Perignon  and a  very nice guy who calls himself B.”

      4:00 pm | January 2, 2016
  • Delusional

    For anyone who reads “the column” its clear your head is almost exploding over Mr. Trump’s momentum. If 2015 rankled you, 2016 won’t be pretty. Won’t expect to be reading you here.

    11:54 am | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Delusional–who knows, I might get my second wind, or finally discover an anti-depressant that works? I don’t expect 2016 to be pretty and I DO expect Mr. Trump or Mr. Cruz to be our next president.  Politics are a cyclical thing. We’ve had eight years of a Democrat, and now the cycle swings Right. So half the country will be happy again, until they are not, until Mr. Trump, if he is the man, discovers that being a president is not the same as being an emperor, with his wants and needs accomplished within seconds, literally.  We will live, as the Chinese grimly declare, “interesting times.”   I am prepared for it, although I’m afraid most Democrats remain–publicly, anyway–smug and overconfident about Mrs. Clinton.

      We shall see. 

      12:17 pm | January 2, 2016
      • BabySnooks

        I gave up political and religious posts on Facebook so I will do so here as well.  But hope you don’t!

        4:13 pm | January 2, 2016
  • lulu

    What a delightful surprise!!!! The tree is special regardless of its size. The house looks festive and inviting us all to enjoy with you and B.Believe me you look terrific! Remember I live in LaLaLand where I have yet to see a man who has had a good nip and tuck. (and in reality tons of women too). Being handsome comes from the words you write, the thoughts you think, the joys and pains you share with all of us. We are your ‘special tribe’!  We love you for who you are!!!  And a big Happy New to all the ‘Wowettes’!   We all need to share more often!!!!

    12:38 pm | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lulu–I so agree re plastic surgery on most men–see above response to Jean.  And she hadn’t even mentioned it!

      Thanks about the tree. It really is the smallest ever. Made me realize just how many ornaments I’ve collected, as the vast majority were not even used.  (And every year I feel compelled to but a couple of new things.  I need to downsize the ornament-hoarding, for sure.)


      4:06 pm | January 2, 2016
  • BabySnooks

    Well I’m glad I checked one last time before I headed to Hoboken! The tree is divine, the Liz shrine is divine, and you are divine. Just very bad about checking in. 

    Wishing you and B a “Happy, Merry, Holly Jolly” throughout the coming year!

    4:08 pm | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Baby–thank you honey.  How have you been?  Re your above comment—yeah political stuff online is apt to degenerate into all sorts of name-calling. But I’ll probably stick to commenting now and then because our group tends to be quite civilized.

      I promise to keep in touch. 



      10:59 am | January 3, 2016
      • BabySnooks

        Oh you know me. I would have survived the Titanic although of course I would have swam to shore to make sure I made it to shore. Good days, bad days. On bad days I just remind myself that if I drop dead it will please so many of my nearest and dearest. 
        Motivates me to keep going. 

        12:16 pm | January 5, 2016
  • Daniel Sugar

    Love the Robin Stone “The Love Machine” ankh. Very sexy.

    10:49 pm | January 2, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Dr. Sugar–thanks.  It is, as I’m sure you know, the symbol of eternal life. I’m oddly optimistic, under the depression. 

      Also–I am Isis, worshiped by millions who believe it.


      11:03 am | January 3, 2016
  • rick gould

    Mr W– I checked in the other day for the hell of it, and there you were, all decked out!
    I hope 2016 offers more levity for you. I must say some of the things that get you down are the same for me. Over the holidays, I’ve been mulling over how to have a happier 2016. 
    For starters, I think I am going to avoid the national news more. I’ve already found the presidential race so irritating I can’t even imagine the coming year, when it all comes to a head. A pointed head! 
    Being a baby boomer with limited options can be daunting in today’s world. For me, I’m going to just focus on what I  CAN do. And what I have. Write. Enjoy my small but lovely house. Appreciate my sweet partner. And enjoy my good health. Enjoy your blessings, too, Mr. W!
    On a lighter note, I kept the holiday mood up by watching tons of old movies: There’s No Business Like Show Business, White Christmas, High Society, Pal Joey, and Gypsy. Not a true classic in the bunch, but highly enjoyable and entertaining, nonetheless. You could fill a whole column offering your comments! And so could I ; )
    I miss reading your take on what you’ve watched and read!
    I appreciate your efforts in keeping the “official column” going and would love to see you here more often.
    Cheers to a better 2016!Rick

    10:19 am | January 4, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rick–I can’t avoid the news, but maybe I can drug myself into state of not caring.  Or not caring so much?

      “There’s No Business Like Show Business”–one of my faves, and not because of MM. Love the corny sentimentality, love The Merm, Mitzi, Donald O’Connor and Dan Dailey.  Still break up at the end when Merm is singing the title song, spots her long lost son in the wings, but–“goes ON with the SHOOOWWWW!”  Monroe was just thrown in for box-office, and she is okay–stiff performance but her musical numbers are steaming, and frankly I don’t know how they passed the censors in 1954! (She was actually forced to make this movie. If she did this, the studio assured her “The Seven Year Itch.”  But if she didn’t….)

      “Pal Joey”–Not a patch on the stage version and what a crime was committed on Rita Hayworth.  She aged quickly, but as this was her last pic for Columbia, they could have treated her better, in terms of lighting, costumes and hair.  Kim is fine. Frank is way too old and skinny to be believable as the object of desire.

      “White Christmas” is perfect.  LOVE Rosie Clooney.

      “High Society” is a dog.  Grace Kelly cannot act. 

      “Gypsy” is so underrated because of all the “it shouda been Ethel” queens. Please. Merman never understood Rose, and her lack of understanding–along with no box-office appeal–doomed her ever taking the role to the screen. Roz Russell was terrif, even if she was essentially doing Mame Dennis with music and two kids.  She DID sing some of the songs, and Natalie Wood was the best Gypsy ever.–exquisite. And I’ve seen every production except Merman’s.  But I’m old enough to say I did see Merm, if I wanted to. Also, the strippers in the movie version were the best.  “Gotta Have a Gimmick” was never again so well done–burnt on the outside, tender when you took a bite.

      Thank you for your good wishes, honey–I’m going to try to stay in touch.   Happy New Year!


      7:56 pm | January 4, 2016
      • rick gould

        Netflix streaming has put on a bunch of ’50s favorites of late.Last night, I watched “Desk Set” with Tracy and Hepburn. One of their lesser known titles, but actually quite fun. Hepburn and her workmates are worried that computers are going to replace them courtesy of efficiency expert Tracy. Great cast, 50s modern sets, and the computer is the size of Rhode Island. Hepburn never looked more stylish in her middle-age. And clever script by Nora Ephron’s screenwriting parents ; )
        One laugh my guy and I had watching “There’s No Biz…”: When The Merm asks son Johnny Ray why he doesn’t want to go out for supper after the show, Ray says he wants to go for a walk, alone, in the park! Later, he gives her and Dailey the old “Mom, Dad…I have something to tell you” speech. Turns out, he…wants to be a priest! I know it’s easy to read much into old movies with today’s eyes, but really–the screenwriters were sure having fun with flamer Ray’s character!
        Yeah, watching Rita in “Pal Joey” was very sad. She looked dead in the eyes and only came to life during the musical numbers. Shocking she was only 37 and given very little assist from Columbia–police station lighting and her rouged cheeks looked like a circus clown’s. And Frank as a “young man on the make” at 42, looking just as worn as Rita–but he was a guy, so that’s “character,” right? The only one who got dreamy lighting was Kim, who probably didn’t need it at 24! That’s showbiz!
        We finally got snow up here, so lots of reading and movie watching in the great white north…look forward to seeing what you’re reading and watching in 2016!
        Ever read this blog? Ken is so cool and insightful about movies, and the comments are wide ranging without getting nasty like IMDB or YouTube. Check it out if you haven’t: http://lecinemadreams.blogspot.com/
        Rick

        9:02 am | January 5, 2016
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Rick–I do read that blog!  Excellent stuff.  “No Biz” puts me on the floor every time.  I love the lurid colors, love Mitzi and Donald–truly great talents,–love The Merm, and Marilyn seems like a sexy Martian who wandered in by mistake.  Johnny Ray? Sing, you sinner.

          11:15 am | January 23, 2016
  • Susan

    You look fabulous! So wonderful to hear from you.

    Happy New Year…..feel better. We all care about you so much. You’re the best.

    11:34 am | January 4, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Susan–I wouldn’t say “fabulous.”  But you can!   I do feel better just being in touch.  A very healthy, happy New Year.

      7:58 pm | January 4, 2016
  • Lisa

    I was just thinking about you and all the regular posters a few days ago – and here you are!  It is always such a treat to hear from you…  Love the photos and so appreciate you sharing with us.  Cheers to  2016 – whatever it may bring!

    9:00 pm | January 4, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lisa–thank you, honey for even checking in at this point. Happy New Year. I am going to try and not be such a stranger, only swooping down for holidays.

      10:36 pm | January 4, 2016
  • Mr. Wow

    Oh–a very dear, younger and still active friend of mine just informed me it’s not Grinder, but Grindr.    I think Grinder is better.  Much more the point, actually.

    10:33 pm | January 4, 2016
  • NSH

    We all miss you so much  – great to hear from you and happy new year to you…My neck looks like Katharine Hepburn’s so I wear turtlenecks…
    And yes, Natalie Wood was the best Gypsy ever and thank you for the kind words.  Stay in touch.  

    8:48 pm | January 8, 2016
  • Mr. Wow

    Dear NSH—

    Thank you, doll.  Are we all watching the GG’s tonight?  I also have to check in on the season premiere of “Shameless” and the latest “Downton Abbey.”  

     I used to wear turtlenecks when I was young, and it was a cute look on me.  But now that  Imight benefit from that style, it looks wrong. (Maybe it looks like I’m trying to hard to hide something.)

    Oh, Natalie. 

    2:53 pm | January 10, 2016
  • Daniel Sugar

    Watching the GG’s. 
    (They should change the name of the show to People Quickly Reading A List Of Names Before The Music Starts.)

    8:30 pm | January 10, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      I don’t know what I’m still recovering from–Jennifer Lopez’s frozen face…Channing Tatum’s hideous hair or Kate Hudson dressed like a real-life streetwalker from 1974.  Only not as tidy. 

      2:05 pm | January 12, 2016
  • Rho

    I hear you are filling in for Liz Smith, while she isn’t feeling well, on the NYSocial Diary.

    Is that true, Mr. Wow?

    3:21 pm | January 14, 2016
    • BabySnooks

      He is. I like it when he fills in. And if he tells her that I WILL go to Hoboken and hunt him down…

      1:53 pm | January 15, 2016
      • Rho

        Mr. Wow just posted something very nice about Nancy Sinatra.  I am good friends with Nancy.

        2:55 pm | January 15, 2016
  • Mr. Wow

    Rho and Baby–Liz is fine, will be back in the saddle momentarily, and will outlive me, I have no doubt.


    I love Nancy.  She is a really great person.

    12:17 pm | January 17, 2016
    • Rho

      Thanks, please give Liz my best.

      Yes, Nancy is a wonderful woman, and a good friend.

      3:27 pm | January 17, 2016
  • rick gould

    A sharp piece on Judy Garland and her ill-fated TV show, Mr. W!Did you know that the same producer, director, and costumer worked on Cher’s solo series? I think it was George Schlatter who said he that adored both women, but their shows were both utter chaos! Judy was being Judy, and trying to make a comeback, to boot. Lotsa nerves and drama…and white wine and pills! 
    With Cher, she was divorcing Sonny and trying to make it solo after being under Bono’s thumb, tiring quickly of another Svengali, David Geffen, and then taking up with druggie rock star Gregg Allman! Then she found out she was pregnant by Gregg. All this in a year and a half! It’s amazing Cher didn’t “go for BOOZE and DOPE” herself, to quote Helen Lawson!
    As for Judy, i am having a renewed appreciation of her, watching Garland’s TV show via YouTube.

    9:09 am | January 19, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Oh, I how well I recall the fabulous dramas of Sonny and Cher’s show, and then her own!  Such fun.   My significant memory of JG’s series was visiting relatives one Sunday night.  There she was, jittery as a downed power line, and my aunts and uncles seemed to declare, in unison, “Eh, God–she’s drunk again!”  Click, and back to “Bonanza.”

      In the early 1970’s some of the shows were broadcast on NYC’s channel 5, and I was pretty much hypnotized, horrified, unable to catch my breath. Many of those solo performances are masterpieces.

      11:22 am | January 23, 2016
  • Rho

    Great job today.  Mr. Wow posted a TV station I was not aware I had.

    4:22 pm | January 19, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rho—watch it, lots of very amusing and comfortably nostalgic programming.

      11:23 am | January 23, 2016
      • Rho

        I know, it’s one of my favorite channels.

        9:38 am | January 24, 2016
  • Haunted Lady

    Finally checked in and lo! and behold! here you are again. I’ve missed you. The pictures are wonderful. You have a lovely smile and the tree and everything looks great. I’m so glad you didn’t abandon us. I wish you and B a fantastic year in spite of the electoral nonsense that threatens to engulf us all.

    1:10 pm | January 21, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Haunted One–

      Thank you.  We are fine, nicely huddled in as it snows.  I did finally take the tree down.  But the widow decorations are still in place and it just looks so lovely and Christmasy.

      I am resigned to Trump.  I think he is less of a total lunatic than Cruz.  But who knows?  He is so power-mad  he could do anything.

      11:10 am | January 23, 2016
  • Haunted Lady

    I hope everyone on the East Coast is warm and safe and has plenty of food and drink, especially drink, to survive the storm. It sounds like decorations in the window are a good idea. It will make the storm more holiday-ish and tolerable.

    I seriously doubt Trump would serve out a full term. His ego will explode when he can’t do what he thinks he can and reality will set in. But, just in case, I’m keeping any eye on real estate in Ontario.

    1:01 pm | January 23, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      “I could stand on a corner and shoot somebody and not lose a vote.”   He said it today and I’m sure his fans would gladly give him the bullets and cheer.

      From Cruz: “I am a Christian first, an American second, and a republican third.”

      Saw Carson today wearing a great big cross on his lapel.

      Well, once once we’ve got the Mexicans walled up and the Muslims banned, whose next? Can anyone guess?

      I hear Ontario is nice.

      3:48 pm | January 23, 2016
  • Delusional

    Will you have a running commentary on Oscar night, or will you boycott along with the Smiths? A joke, the award show. And now bitterness is trying to hide behind Affirmative Action. To be perfectly frank, aside from slave movies, when have blacks been awarded anything? Perhaps they should ask for better casting?

    10:59 am | January 24, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Delusional–

      I am not boycotting, and if Will Smith had been nominated for his average performance, Jada would be prepping herself at a spa already.   The statistical average of white vs. African-American Oscar wins is mighty disturbing, but actors can’t “ask” for better roles, unless they are huge stars–then they buy them.   Or projects are bought for them. TV is way ahead of movies in terms of diversity, unless you count Tyler Perry’s terrible (tho quite profitable) soap-opera morality tales, in both mediums.

      I am sure Chris Rock will have plenty of squirm-inducing comments.

      11:12 pm | January 24, 2016
  • rick gould

    Mr. WI hope you write something in Liz Smith’s column about that idiotic movie proposed about Elizabeth Taylor, Brando, and Michael Jackson fleeing 9/11 by car! I recall her longtime assistant Tim Mendelson denying at the time and Vanity Fair printing the story, anyway (which was told by a “one-time employee” of Jackson’s. Ugh. Wasn’t her life interesting enough without this tabloid drivel?
    On top of that, Debbie Reynolds has written in her last memoir about sharing a suite with ET after the attack, with La Liz prevailing upon ex hubby Senator Warner to provide her and Debbie with a plane back to LA. NOW that would make a movie!  
    Just had to vent a little! Rick
    Here’s the link to Debbie talking about it, btw.http://www.accesshollywood.com/videos/debbie-reynolds-recalls-being-in-new-york-city-during-911-38873/

    10:45 pm | January 27, 2016
  • Mr. Wow

    Dear Rick–be assured, it will be mentioned!

    6:27 pm | January 29, 2016
  • lulu

    Tonight I read a great post on indignant observer.com   It is a humorous satire about our current political situation that made me laugh. I thought about all the comments here on Mr. Wow’s blog and felt many of you would also enjoy reading the post.

    11:14 pm | January 29, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lulu–I’ll check it out.  I find myself  un-amused by the current state of politics.  I was quite nervous about Mrs. Clinton’s chances even prior to Trump’s arrival.  Now I am horribly resigned to Trump or Cruz.  Or, the nightmare scenario of all time, Trump and Cruz.    This is not to say I am wildly pro-Clinton.  I wasn’t even wildly Obama, tho I voted for him–twice.  But there is conservatism and then there are the Bund rallies Trump encourages and the blatant theocracy that Cruz unashamedly desires.

      The media feeds Trump without realizing what its own situation will likely be under his presidency.  They laugh, they joke, they never miss an opportunity to break into newscasts with his latest outrage or utterance or appearance. Then they wonder, “how has this happened?’  and analyze it for an hour.  

      I’m watching Yoga Sutra now.  No, I am too mentally disorganized to meditate or “do the poses” no matter how often I have thought it would be good for me.  The host yogi, Jai, something, is very cute.   Frankly, that’s pretty relaxing!

      I’m on to indignant observer.com

      11:46 am | January 30, 2016
    • BabySnooks

      Wonderful site. But jeez they’re polite about it all. I’m not. I’m surprised I haven’t been removed from Facebook! 

      8:07 pm | February 29, 2016
  • Happy New Year to you and Bruce. Sending you a healthy shot of hope, adorned in joy, optimism and love.

    12:44 pm | February 1, 2016
  • rick gould

    Hey Mr. W, I’m sure you know all about this, but I see Firooz Zahedi, who Elizabeth Taylor took under her wing as a photog in the mid-70s, is putting out a photo book of pics covering her mid- to later years. An era you often said someone out to write about. Personally, I pick YOU, baby!

    Anyway, I can’t wait to buy it, and here’s a link for everyone, with a preview from Architectual Digest:

    http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elizabeth-taylor-book-firooz-zahedi

     

    PS, thanks for putting your two cents out there about that ridiculous ET/Brando/Jacko escape 9/11 movie. I truly hope it falls through.

     

    Cheers and hugs from a very cold and snowy Upper MI!

     

    Rick

    10:19 pm | February 1, 2016
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rick–I am aware of Zahedi’s book.   The intro is credited to Liz Smith.


      ET’s affair with Zahedi’s uncle, the Iranian ambassador, was a hot and heavy thing.  I saw it myself.  Well, she was a swinging single and juggling at least three men at the time.  Too bad she settled on Warner.  Or any man, frankly. 

      9:12 pm | February 2, 2016
      • BabySnooks

        That was a torrid affair to say the least. So torrid some believe it set off the fireworks later in Tehran. The Shah was not really amused. Because he knew Khomeini wouldn’t be.
        Ardeshir Zahedi is now on Facebook with lots of memories. Just search for “Zahedi.” It’s a family page. But it’s his. 
        Might have been love. Might also have been he threw the best parties in Washington! 

        4:18 pm | February 24, 2016
        • BabySnooks

          Speaking of fireworks, I am patiently awaiting your comments  about Clinton versus Sanders and Trump versus the Looney Tooneys.  I lasted about two weeks before I let loose on Facebook.

          4:19 pm | February 24, 2016
          • lulu

            I did the same thing recently – mind boggling how the ‘circus’ continues. Look at indignantobserver.com – really interesting!

            10:28 am | February 25, 2016
          • Mr. Wow

            Dear Baby–


            I have been writing re Clinton and more recently Trump for ages.  I think there’s even a passing reference in the Christmas column above.  I have felt for over a year that Clinton would never be president, and that it was reckless and arrogant of the Democrats to not bring along any exciting/thoughtful Dems.  This was before Bernie. HE will not be president either.  As for Trump, he will surely become president, because he is what so much of America is–hateful racist, misogynistic, homophobic, stupid.  He will lead his lemmings to the ballot box, to any “insane” idea that pops into his head, to war.  We will become a dictatorship/theocracy. Although the only God Trump believes in is himself.  Melania and Ivanka will look highly decorative on the various balconies from which Trump will dictate.  I am depressed, fearful and resigned to it.  Of course I will vote for Hillary, but with the heaviest heart.  We are watching an empire fall and another rise in its place.  Perhaps, after all, the REAL American empire that millions have always wanted.  At least since the Civil War.

            Oscars tomorrow night.  Wonder what they’ll be like next year?  Will they even still “be?”  Will we? 



            8:57 pm | February 27, 2016
  • Haunted Lady

    I recently read a book about Elizabeth Taylor by Randy Taraborelli. I think it was good but I have nothing else to compare it to as I usually read different material. What’s your opinion? Others opinions?

    1:06 pm | February 12, 2016
  • Mr. Wow

    TO ALL–I will be blogging and bitching tonight on a new post I just put up, for Oscar.  

    Let’s forget about dictators and phonies and the end of the world, and try to have fun with the parade of self congratulation and foolishness in Hollywood.   I hope at least one person goes up there drunk!  If I wanted dignity I’d stick to PBS.

    Reply to the new post.  See you there. 

    3:57 pm | February 28, 2016
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