me on Fox Good Day NY

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/top-10-things-that-need-to-go-away-20101229

Candlelight - The Maccabeats

i love this!!my people..adorable and we CAN rock it!

Good Day NY

here i am on friday's show
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/comedy-writer-susan-silver-on-holiday-gifts-20101203

Eminem, wow!

wow..it's been forever. I know. I'm sorry. I am doing facebook now and radio commentaries and they kind of take the place of the blog. but i just saw something that requires more words than on facebook takes. I felt like staying in bed Sunday and while channel surfing I came across a cable station Fuse which is hiphop I guess and they had a top twenty run down on Eminem. I have always liked the few things I'd heard but now I know why he is considered the genius, number 1 rapper. Wow!! what amazing videos from the beginning of his career to now. His alter egos...slim shady,
real self, marshall and on and on. His rhymes are every bit as brilliant as Stephen Sondheim's in another genre. I'm reading Sondheim's book Finishing the Hat in which he writes about how he does it..and Eminem does it too. The cleverness, the heart, the talent is amazing. I urge the others of you out there who are old farts like me
to give it a listen..the beat is great and probably we should read the lyrics to get
them all. wow!

Jonathan Franzen's Freedom

I have to make this quick, because I have to get back to the book! I just realized that I started reading this morning and now, around 6, I'm still at it. I took a
break to ride the exercycle, but read while on it. I forced myself to eat...while
reading. I love this book! Enough has been written about what a great writer Franzen
is and i loved his first book that I read, The Corrections. Also about a family but
a different kind.this guy writes better dialogue than anyone. His characters become
your friends and you can't get enough of them, even when they are doing stupid things. He writes a long big book because there is so much to say about the world we
live in, but mostly because he documents these very personal lives and you need the
time to spend with them...living with them.
I have been neglecting my blog because of the radio thing, and write on Facebook because it's quick...but if anyone is reading this...take my advice and get Freedom.
You'll thank me.

I've been bad

I haven't been blogging because I'm too busy doing the radio commentaries. so if you want to hear what I'm thinking...please to to www.robinhoodradio.com and then go to On Demand and put my name in the search box. Enjoy and let me know if you do!

New commentaries

I am now on EVERY DAY on the radio! 5:44 p.m. during All Things Considered
and you can get it On Demand at www.robinhoodradio.com.
This week I love what I talked about..she said modestly...Michael Jackson,
of course...What's wrong with Government, and what to watch and what to skip
on TV. enjoy!

things to never do

Never get your hair cut off the day before you go on TV and you don't know how
to style it. And your friend/stylist/shrink Mr. Joey who does it can't be there in the morning to do it right. Instead of hip, Ellen De Generis, I looked more like Tony Curtis.
Oh well...love Rosanna and Greg and feel like it's home.
Go to Good Day NY on the net and look for me or paste this direct link.
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/susan-silver-dads-and-daughters-20100617

Father's Day on Fox tv

I'm talking about my Daddy on Fox Good Day NY thurs. at 9:30 a.m. It
will be on the fox website too. Hope you can tune in.

Susan Says

Hey guys..I am happy, no I'm thrilled to announce I am now on the radio giving
commentary called Susan Says...on www.robinhoodradio.com! It's an NPR affiliate, AM1020 and FM 91.9 out of Sharon, CT. You can get it by clicking ON DEMAND on the website, or even on iTunes. I will be doing a few a week and the first ones start Monday June 7.
If you are up at 5:06 a.m. you can hear it on Morning Edition or 5:44p.m. on All Things Considered. Clearly I will not be up at 5 a.m. anywhere! Let me know what you think..and if you like it, tell the station!Just copy and paste the link:
http://podcasts.am1020whdd.com/~am1020wh/shows/category.php?id=129

solitary man

Wow! you have got to see Solitary Man, the new Michael Douglas movie.
Brilliant script for grownups...excellent performances. He should be
nominated for Oscar. Any middle age guys with mid life crisis issues
be warned...it's tough to take. Loved this movie. Flawless!

Last LOST

Wow...wierd choice made by creators of Lost. The first hour so far is breaking the fourth wall and letting us know..forcing us to know that it is NOT REAL! They are really making us face that it is merely a TV show and I don't quite know why. Maybe they realize that they can't satisfy the audience with the creative dramatic end...so they are taking us out of the fantasy and sharing the behind the scenes. I dont like it. It's like when I'm watching a soap opera..yes I do..and another actor replaces the first one and they just expect you to accept it. It always ruins it for me.
Had they done this in an AFTER LOST...special, I'd have liked it better. Boo Hoo. mabye just Boo...will wait until it's over to see and say.

me on fox...

i hope this links it. i'm so lame at this.
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/entertainment/television/susan-silver-20100514

Love letter to Greg and Rosanna

I just did the Fox Good Day NY Show and I love love love Greg and Rosanna. They are
so easy to be with and make you feel so at home. It was a blast! I want to do it again. So everyone should bombard them with requests..kind of like the Betty White Thing! just kidding...not.

time change

now am on Friday May 14 Fox Good Day NY at 9:15! Oy! I'll have to get up even earlier.

I'M A FOX..WELL I'M ON FOX TV

Friday, May 14 I'm on Fox Good Day New York with Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly. I'm talking about how anyone can be funnier. And I'm plugging my class on Sit Com Writing at the Learning Annex May 18. I'm going to be on after 9:30..probably at 9:40 so please watch and then register for the class. It's not too late and it will be fun. I promise. Go to www.learningannex.com and put my name into the Search Box.

The Real Riell

Saw Oprah totally flumoxed by the John Edwards baby mama! Interesting. This is one
tough cookie and I am not going to make a moral judgement. Strictly talking interview style here...she had Oprah boxed off in more ways than one. She uses all the words Oprah likes ...'your truth'...and other terms for self actualization and every place Oprah went with questions, she turned it around and maintained control.
Very interesting. Never saw Oprah quite this way before. The one fact that did jump out at me was that she never used birthcontrol...'whatever happened would happen' was her position. So to me that means...she decided to have his baby and she did!Maybe I should make a moral judgement on that part! And what the hell was he thinking????

Jack Kevorkian

WOW!!! Just saw the HBO movie You Dont Know Jack..about the infamous
Dr. Death. Amazing! As a piece of art it was fabulous...Al Pacino has
got to be one of the greatest actors alive. The Midwest accent went
a little Fargo..but other than that...brilliant performance. Barry
Levinson is a great director and it was beautifully done. As a man,
Dr. K is my hero! I never really knew a lot about him, other than I
agreed with his position and believe in assisted suicide. He was
quite an interesting and idiocyncratic fellow as well. I think he
is brave beyond belief and this is worth watching. Get it on
HBO on demand if you didn't see it.

Brett Michaels

Ok, now you'll know that all I do is watch reality shows...but I got hooked on
Rock of Love which was rock star Brett Michaels from Poison, dating a bunch
of skanky chicks. Dont ask why. I don't know myself. But I liked him. He is
kind of sweet. Now he's on the Celebrity Apprentice and turns out to be a
father, a diabetic, a lovely sensitive guy. Honestly. So I was so sad to
hear he had an aneurism. He was operated on for appendicitis so maybe it
was related to that.Also I was at the Tony Awards when he hit his head
on the stage. Maybe that started it. Brett, thinking about you.
I want him to be well!

spring has sprung

Finally, nice weather and I am out in the sun on my terrace/garden. Now if I could just get all the construction to shut up! Well, I guess you can't have everything. Looking forward to summer already!
My pals at Growing Bolder have put up a link to every radio show I've done and some TV as well. They are the best. You can listen if you go onto http://growingbolder.com/tags/susan-silver

Also I will be on Fox morning show telling everyone how to be funnier!It's May 14 at 9 in NYC but I'll remind you later.

Learning Annex

I'll be teaching a seminar on Sit Com Writing at the Learning Annex
on May 18, 6:45-9:30 in NYC.
I'd love to see you all there. You can go on this link or
go to the Learning Annex Website or magazine page 9 to sign up.
Just type my name into the search box.
I'll remind you later as well.

http://www.learningannex.com/instructions.taf

enough tiger!

I am so sick of the Tiger thing..enough already. And this awful Nike ad with his dead dad? Are you kidding me?The Mistress photo spread? The golf club spokesman on his moral highhorse...who cares? Please press...find a new scandal.

Uncivil civilization

What the hell is going on?From Congress to talk shows, from tea parties to other tempests...everyone is losing it.Everyone has gone too far in expressing themselves. It's all too argumentative and ugly and I'm not sure where it started but it should end!
Political news shows started yelling at each other years ago so that you could almost not watch. Then Congressmen yelled out during State of the Union Speech and sessions and "voters" are spitting on them! Reality shows that were fun became combative and Housewives went from gossiping to pulling wigs off. And it all seems to intrigue people. Even Dancing with the Stars is now "I quit" and hostility. (Although I'd walk out on Kate too..what a ballbreaker!) Anyway...see...now even sweet little Me..I am getting hostile.
I think the genie is out of the bottle and don't know if it'll ever be able to go back in.
Sad state of affairs for all of us.

Girl With Dragon Tatoo

If you, as I, was...a devourer (if that is a word) of the two "Girl" books, about
to be a trilogy...then you must go see this movie! It was a brilliant
adaptation of the book. So often, particularly in American movies they
ruin a book, either by casting or commercializing and this Swedish film with
subtitles was neither.
What it is, is a crisp action thriller with all the highpoints of the book.
It has sex, kinky sex, disgustingly wierd sex, and Nazis. What more could
you want from a thriller? And it moves like the wind. The book was very
long in the winded area...often digressing and repeating. This did neither.
In fact, it eliminated two of the subplots but wow, what you can suggest
with just a look. It was all there if you knew the book.
The Girl who is the star...is fab. The guy is a sort of pockmarked weary
non hero and that works very well. Here they'll make them into two
glamour-pusses and ruin it.
Read the book first then you will really love it. Not sure what those
who haven't read it would think. But let me know.

Jesse James..you robbed her!

I know in the big picture it's not that important, but I am personally
very upset about Jesse James cheating on Sandra Bullock. Seriously!
She is such a doll, so real and so bright and after she thanked him
for "having her back" at the Oscars, this must be devestating.What's
with these Hollywood people? Why is marriage so impossible. Sandy...
love you. Jesse...used to love you. No more. And those tatoos? On the
"mistress?" Yeesh!

Throw the bums out!!

I know this is going to sound strong...but I have come to the conclusion that our government does not work!! I think Congress with its hyper partisanism and gridlock is no longer accomplishing anything other than spewing hot air. I have a bad bad feeling about our entire system. The oft quoted line about Democracy being the best of the worst is now questionable. Do I have a solution? No...but I and others I know have lost faith and worse, interest, in this game. Now what?

facebook recommendation!

Bill Shafer: Looking for a great blog to follow? Check my friend Susan Silver. She was a writer for the Mary Tyler Moore Show and other great classic series. She's as witty, sexy and creative as ever! (You'll find lots of her at GB, too!)The Search For Mr. Adequate
WOW THANKS BILL...I ALREADY GOT SOME GREAT COMMENTS FROM YOUR WONDERFUL LISTENERS AT GROWING BOLDER..MY FAVORITE RADIO SHOW AND WEBSITE FOR BABY BOOMERS.

Ellen and O?

Is it just me or was Oprah a little bit uncomfortable, even defensive when she had
Ellen DeGeneress on today? Ellen is great. I think she is a wonderful talent and a
very genuine person. The "deep" talk today was mostly Oprah trying to find a weak spot in Ellen and though she laughed a lot at Ellen's jokes and success...just a tiny bit of well...something...was getting the way. Oprah feels different to me these days in general and this was just kind of interesting. thoughts??

Darwin is spinning!!

I just saw a report on the news that a Texas School Board of Ed has changed schoolbooks to reflect a "Christian biblical" pov. Well, we know what they say
about Texas!Everything is bigger...including, I guess...MISTAKES!
All kidding aside,this is frightening.
In the Interview, the Dentist/Board Member/dictator stated that he himself
was amazed at his "power" but intended to use it for as long as he could.
Part of what he did was change the history books, emphasize Conservatives
and make Joe McCarthy "less of a bad guy." He also made an error in banning
an author who it turned out had the same name as someone he disagreed with.
Hmmm..seems like Joe McCarthy still lives!
This guy has been voted out of office, but has some time remaining on his term
of service ...all the more worrisome. What's next? Darwin spins in anticipation.
We all should be quaking and protesting.

Academy Awards

I loved Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin's opening material..some hysterical bits.
Lots of gorgeous dresses!Way too many commercials!Love Sandra Bullock, didn't like her lipstick. Loved Zoe Saldana's top, hated bottom of dress.Love George Clooney. Period!
First surprise...Precious won adapted screenplay when Up in the Air was supposed to. Wow!Very moving speech by the writer.Steve Martin's adlib was great.
More commercials.God, Lauren Bacall was beautiful when she started out.
I still can't understand a word Penelope Cruz says.The young actress in Up in the Air,Ana Kendricks, is going to be a huge star.Monique deserved it.I guess there was some problem with her not wanting to campaign for it. And she didn't need to. Good on 'er.
Some of the lesser known movies looked worth seeing. An Education, Crazy Heart and District Nine. "Up" with my old pal, Ed Asner won animation but they should have thanked him as the main "voice."He thanked me when he won an Emmy for a script I'd written. Never forgot how exciting that was.
The show is too slow. Why? Again...too many commercials.
Sigourney Weaver needs a stylist, I think.
Before they announce I'll just say what I think and hope should win as Best Director...Katherine Bigelow. And Best Film: Avatar.
We'll see.
My favorite line...in introducing Tom Ford and Sarah Jessica, Steve Martin said"He directed A Single Man, she weighs a single pound." Sounds like one of his own lines.
Ok, Charlize Theron's dress was bad...bad...bad. Two cinammon buns on her breasts!
Losing interest because of you know what...TMC...too many....etc. going to bed and read while watching the rest. night all.

The Seinfeld Olympics

As Jerry would say "what's with the curling thing?" I just don't get it.
Guys in pajama bottoms whisking brooms and yelling in swedish? Huh?
How is this a sport again?Would chimneysweeps be ineligible?I honestly
tried to watch for more than five minutes.Couldn't do it.Does the
USA have a team?

Olympics finally

Well, I finally took a good look at the Olympics and watched Apollo Ono
do his thing. Amazing!The way they take those turns an inch away from the
ice and right on top of each other is wild. I was kicking and skating in
bed!
And for once, my ankles didn't turn in like they used to.Wow..these
kids are really something. Although the 'homerism" of the sportscasters
does get a bit much.

Back from LA

I stayed longer than I had expected because the sun came out! Why not? A walk on the beach everyday does wonders emotionally and probably physically too. The Renaissance Weekend was, as usual, great stimulation, fun and no it's not the Renaissance Fair!
No costumes. Just a lot of tremendously successful, achievement oriented types who are instructed to leave "the egos at the door" when they are invited to participate.
What always amazes me is that the Pulitzer winners, Nobel winners, and other assorted genuises or is it genusi?...love to talk show biz. I was on five panels, four of which were show biz and they are always crowded. I guess I can be the entertainment for these brains...it's ok with me.
I always make great friends at these things and they are often younger and that is always good..though an elderly couple who must remain anonymous as the rules are we can't blab about who we meet...were really great and I hope to stay in contact with them as I do some really brilliant political professors whose lectures were excellent.
I also saw "stars" as I tend to do...and this time they were of the reality show variety. The bitch on the Millionaire Matchmaking show...the only woman millionaire was a tad nicer than on the show..and assured me her hissy fit was fake..but I still wonder why anyone would want to appear so bitchy real or fake!
The lovely Ruby who was on Oprah and has her own show dealing with her tremendous struggle to lose hundreds of pounds was walking along the boardwalk and is beautiful inside and out and we hugged and shmoozed.
Too much eating, a lot of sun, some exercise and stars. That's LA for ya! I like it in small doses.

In LA

So I left the snow to come to the sun which was one day and now it's rain. oh well.

It's about time!

Now that the Chrm of Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military has
stated it's about time...how about it? Of course gays should
be allowed in the military. It's ridiculous that it has
taken this long. Anyone who has the guts and patriotism
to volunteer to fight for this country should be welcomed
and blessed!Or how about all the bigots volunteer in their
place?

O Oprah!

I watched the Oprah interview with Jay Leno and I was kind of shocked.
I thought she was on his side!? He was being grilled like James Frey
who pretended to write that memoir which she plugged. She was way too
tough on Jay who didn't need to apologize for anything!
NBC screwed up. He did what anyone else would...and she would have too.
Why say "are you being selfish" for taking a job? Talk Show Hostess...
heal thyself.

Co No

In the big scheme of things with everything important happening around
the world the NBC debacle with Jay and Conan is really unimportant.
But...since it seems to be the media's own story it's getting all the play.
My opinion...It's not Jay's fault!! Why would it be? Conan is not funny,
was never funny, is lucky beyond all understanding and should just
go away!I once saw him bomb at an industry event and it was embarrassing.
The totally classless exit he made with all the knocks at the network
lost whatever sympathy he could have gotten as far as I'm concerned.
Take your millions and shut up!

The Hurt Locker

Wow!!I just saw this movie on demand. I had been avoiding it as I don't like war movies. But since it's winning all the awards I thought I'd try. EVERYONE IN AMERICA
must see this movie!! What we put these boys through is unbelievable, disgusting,
traumatic. I will never forget this! You actually feel that you are in the action and
the tension is unrelenting. They disarm the bombs and my heart was going faster than
the ticking of the timers!This should be forced viewing for every member of Congress who votes on sending these kids off without the proper equipment! Shame on them!!!
Wow..congrats to the WOMAN who directed it too! Katherine Bigelow is amazing.
And how do we expect these soldiers to come back and lead normal lives. I wont be sleeping well tonight and it was just a movie!

Help Haiti!! And then reward yourselves...

Dear Readers, Please send something to Haiti relief. This is the saddest, most apocalpytic thing I can remember. We all have to help these poor people.Think if it were your city, your neighborhood.Your children!By the way, I LOVE Diane Sawyer and her coverage. It's human, it's passionate.
Then, on a lighter note you can reward yourself if you are lucky enough to be in NY or visiting, you must run to the incredible revival of the Arthur Miller play "A View From the Bridge!"
Of course I love anything he wrote, and believe him to be our greatest playwright.
This production is with Liev Schriber and Scarlett Johanson (sp?) for star power but the entire cast is sensational. The direction riveting and the whole nite is a time in the theater that I haven't had in years!
Saw "Avatar" and loved it!Not really my cup of tea...all the special effects I thought, but they are staggering! And it was like escaping into another world for two hours. Harry Potter for adults.
Reading the sizzling new political book Game Change. Along with the few gossipy
things that have already been published, it offers much more. I am a political junkie and can't get enough of the backroom stuff and it's a treasure trove. Cant put it down. Plan on reading it in one fell swoop this weekend.

me on the radio again...

I just guested with my favorite guys Bill and Mark at GrowingBolder!
For some reason I can't link to it here...but this is it...(just copy this and paste)
http://growingbolder.com/media/entertainment/television/susan-silver-537562.html

or just go to the site....http://GrowingBolder.com
and scroll down to the the link that says "radio"...Jan2. I'm there.
Hope u like it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dear Readers, For the dreaded New Year' sEve this year I decided to stay in bed and put the bad year to rest as soon as possible. I think everyone feels that way.Instead, my friend Stan, who had a rough year himself, decided last minute to have friends in and I forced myself to go.
Good idea! It wasn't so much a "party" as a gathering and it was lovely, the food was great, the company good and I was home by 10.
It has not been the greatest year either financially or healthwise for me and others and 2010 feels like a good number to look forward to...new decade and all that.
I do make resolutions but not fanatically as I am too old to think I will keep them!
But there is a feeling of hope and a better future and I wish that to all of you!

I just got back from Israel!

Dear Readers, I've just taken one of the best trips of my life! I'd been to Israel
a few times in the past, but then had many other places I wanted to see. And to be honest, I was a little afraid to go due to the threats of terrorism.
Boy was I wrong!
I went with a group called The Friends of the Israel Defense Force. It helps the soldiers in various ways and it was the most well run, exciting, fabulous experience I ever could have wanted.
(THIS IS NOT POLITICAL...THIS IS ABOUT THE KIDS...JUST LIKE YOUR KIDS.)
Sometimes when you go with groups, as I do, you get a nice group but a badly run tour, or the opposite. Well this had everything!
Super planning with incredible stops at army, navy, airforce bases and real quality time with the kids. An interim two days at a spa...soldiers and massages..what could be better?? Plus all the usual historic and fascinating tourist stops that people of any faith can appreciate.
And as for danger...nothing! I felt as safe walking the streets as I do in NY...maybe safer.
In Israel, this tiny country, everyone is compelled to serve for 3 years when they become eighteen. Boys and GIRLS! The girls do a lot of specific interesting work at the screens looking for infiltrators across the borders and most of the air controllers are women too.Therefore, everyone is in the same boat and the kids are extremely mature and given incredible responsibility for the safety of their country.
(I feel that most of us in America don't give enough attention or support to our
brave girls and boys who volunteer.Plus they are sent far away and are really on their own.We could learn something from the Israelis in this regard to their kids.)
In Israel, everyone knows everyone...you can drive the country in a few hours...and
therefore the kids are everyone's kids..and they are given great respect, care and
after care.
I have a couple of American friends there whose kids are in the service and they told me one night a son was on guard duty and his walkie talkie failed. So he called his Dad on the cell phone and they "kept him company" all night!Amazing. I can't imagine how difficult it is for the parents...anywhere.
But in Israel they are guarding and fighting in their own neighborhoods. They are
faced with a stress level that is awesome and they are patriotic in a way that is
inspiring.
Another guy on the trip and I decided to become "parents" by adopting a soldier and sending him to college. The kids who are not financially equipped in Israel can't all get GI Bill type help, their resources aren't enough,so organizations like Friends of the IDF step in and help. And the kids are asked to do 130 hours of community service as well as serve in the military!
I cant wait to get the photo of my soldier/student and look forward to returning next year and meeting him in person.
I'm attaching a link that will show my trip and me...with some of the these kids.
http://www.israelsoldiers.org/missions.html

not so fast...

Well, Dear Reader, I am still trapped into the AcaiBerry Scam! I returned from my trip...next blog...and there was another package of the dreaded acaiberrydetox!!!
Of course the box wasn't marked or labeled in any way so I had to open it and even though I had cancelled...read last blog..etc. there it was again.
Again I called the phone and no one answers, went on the web site with "instant chat,no waiting" guess what..I'm still waiting.
And worst..Visa/Master card tells me I have to CHANGE MY CARD TOTALLY to get rid of them. American Express, I hear, would do it for me.
Guess what my next two calls are!

ACAIBERRY....BERRYBAD

Ok, DearReaders: Consumer alert! Do not be as dumb as I appeared to have been.
Somewhere, somehow I must have responded to an offer that said "free"...for the
Demon 'acaiberry' which is all the rage for dieting and detox.
At some point after the fatal move, I got some bottle, believe me I would not have paid for it, and I never opened it as I knew it was a scam. And I forgot about it.
So, when my next credit card came with a bill for $79.95 plus $2.50 for a "foreign exchange deal," I had no idea what it was for. Hmmm said I.I have no recollection of the name, Wellnesslab.
No, I don't remember charging said amount. So I called the number on the bill and no one ever came on the line....(after 20 minutes of holding to boring music and a soothing voice saying how important my call was to them.Sure it is.)
I then called the credit card company and put in a dispute.
A few minutes later I realized what it might be, so I went and dug out the bottle
and there was another name on it "Acaiberrydetox" and another phone number and I called and sure enough it was one in the same. A Free sample which turned out to be
a SCAM!
The person in Cyprus...yes Cyprus for a Florida company maintained I had not returned it and cancelled as it said I had to or I would be billed for the whole amount.
I thought it was free, said I.
Oh no, said he. Not after thirty days if you don't cancel.
Where is this written? In something at the bottom of their website which i asked to be directed to and clearly never have seen before.I looked at the site, nope, never saw it.
I cancelled now! Believe me. I cancelled!
Now, nohow no way would I have ordered from this site as it clearly looks to be just what it is, a "freebie" that turns into a life committment.
So, somewhere somehow I must have checked a box on some sight I trust and lo and behold...scammed!
So, DearReaders dont' ever check a box on a freebie and stay away from AcaiBerry...thank you berry much!

Pilots are even worse!

Ok, now the have found that the pilots of the wayword plane were not sleeping. Worse!
They were on their f'ing computers!
It's bad enough to eat dinner with someone on their blackberry, to be talking to someone who is tweeting, now we have to worry about pilots on their computers?
I'd feel better if they had fallen asleep. At least that would have been an accident. This was purposeful schmuckiness.
I have had it with gadgets! Kids dont know how to read or relate to humans, they are so busy with their Wei's or however it is spelled.
Young people are unable to write a real sentence.
Now I sound like an old fart but I don't care. People, we have to do something to return to normal human contact.
I say this of course as you read my blog...oh well...do as I would like you to do, not as I do..or something like that.

THE PILOTS FELL ASLEEP!!!!!

Ok, now I'm freaking out. I just got back from Minneapolis visiting my family. Well, a few weeks ago. But tonight the news said that a flight to Minneapolis went on to Wisconsin because THE PILOTS FELL ASLEEP!!
WHAT?Are you kidding me?
The Pilots on a Northwestern flight were out of communication for over an hour and
it is "suspected" that they had fallen asleep! There is now an investigation.
Well, yeah!
The airplane consultant on ABC said that for years the pilots association has tried to make it a point that pilots need more sleep. Oy!
Now I'm really wondering if I want to take those trips I have planned.
One maybe..but both?
Maybe the Stewardesses or flight attendants or whatever should go back to sitting
on their laps as they used to do!

Addie and Me

For those Dear Readers who remember my little Precious Boys from my column, I
went to visit them this weekend. And there is now a Precious Girl. These kids are
some of my cousin's grandchildren...and she let's me kind of borrow them once
and a while. They are beyond the beyond!
I know everyone thinks their kids and grandkids are the smartest and cutest..
but...well...how about a 2 and 1/2 year old who when told we have the same
birthday month, gets her older cousin to make a birthday card to give to me
with her "signing" scrawl? A genius I say!! And adorable too...
And the boys...the little guy is reading up a storm..another genius and gorgeous and
his brother...is handsome, still sweet and smart, but a young man of 9!!time is flying too soon for me.

Jon and Kate...get lost!

Ok, enough already. I am so sick of these two acting like children rather than
caring for their children. It's not fun anymore. This tit for tat TV appearance
trying the case in public is absolutely past the point of idiocy.
These two have got to go away!

New TV Season

It's Wed.. night and I'd been looking forward to 2 new sit-coms that I'd read about
and seen previews on. One is everything it's tauted to be and more..the other leaves
a lot to be desired.
"Modern Family" is the single funniest show I've ever seen! Honestly. A few regular
big laughs (I require at least 3 a half hour to score it A)and one hysterical fall out of bed gag that is brilliant and A-plus.

The show is about an extended family, one gay couple, one older man with a younger
wife and one typical over extended yuppie parented, kid over programmed group.
Great writing, terrific performances among them Ed ONeill from Married with Children,
and a few hitherto unknown guys playing the gay couple who are really terrific.
One of the creators is Chris Lloyd from a lot of great other shows and Steve Levitan
who has good credits also. They really deliver. Watch it. You'll thank me.

The other show...created by Bill Lawrence who did Scrubs, one of my favorites,
doesn't score with 'Cougar Town.'

Being a 'cougar,' a woman who dates younger men, is something I am not uh...unfamiliar with. The show could have been good if it had been less "on the nose." That is, every sort of stereotypical negative concept of such a woman is hit over the head in the character of Courtney Cox. It is kind of embarrassing. She is so overloaded with shtick and bad habits that I really feel for her.

The other characters are a little bit better conceived, but the sex jokes are too much and too horny. Does the word 'desperate' sound familiar? I might give it one more time just because it is a show that I should have written and would have liked to sellif I were still in the biz...and I'm a glutton for punishment.

I watched five minutes of 'Eastwick' from the movie Witches Of...and so far...ick!
It has a Desperate Housewives voice-over and reaches for humor...and doesnt get it.
If it gets better I'll let you know next time. But hearing words "yeast infection" lets me know that I shouldn't hold out a lot of hope. Yuck AND ick!

"Dancing with the Stars" is a huge yawn this season and as for Tom Delay otherwise
known as The Hammer or the Exterminator in Congress...where's a good rodent killer
when you need him? The answer...dancing!

I'm encouraged...

I now read both the obituaries and the wedding announcements on Sunday. (Actually to be
clear, I read the obits every day, but that's another column.)
In today's wedding pages, among the usual couples and the gay couples, there was a new addition. An old couple!
She is 75 and he is 77.
Her photo was alone, none of him. But I won't read into that. She is smiling like the cat who ate the canary. And I don't blame her one bit. You go girl!
Among all the 30 somethings and twenty kids...too young I'm afraid to really know who they are let alone who they should marry, there are rarely people over 50 getting married.
Since, as I say frequently I am "between 50 and death" that always depresses me.
I love reading the stories of how they met and sometimes broke up and got back together again. How they conducted long distance relationships. But in the end, they knew they
had met "the one." How their parents actually introduced them. Well, that's one I
don't identify with...at this point. Although my mother could be up in Heaven looking around for me.
So now, this older couple, without much detail, but hey...they do wind up together. I just wish there had been some tips included...like how in the hell did they meet? Where? Were they fixed up?
But I wish them all the best! I have a lot riding on this one...mostly hope for myself!
Yet, I'd rather meet "HIM" now...while we can still move around more easily!Get busy, Mother!

thank u laura bush

I always liked Laura Bush. We may have been in different political parties,
but she was a lovely, classy First Lady. And once again, she has done the
right thing.
She came out today in favor of President Obama's speech to school children.
Well...duh! How sad it is that she had to do so.
What is wrong with people these days? If the President can't make a speech
to kids about staying in school, why even have a President?
If we have so little respect for the office, why not just run amock...with hate
speech and talk radio running things and telling us what to think.
Is the Right so hysterical that we cant even have a tradition...which is what
it is for the President to talk to kids...continue because they are so afraid of
him?
It gives credence to the thought that because he is Black, maybe they can't
accept him in the office.
Newt...never one of my favorites...has come out against the hysteria and
recommended the speech.
We should be up in arms over this attempt at delegitimizing Barack Obama.
Enough is enough! Elections have meaning or they don't. Which is it?

Ted Kennedy

I have two photos of myself and Teddy Kennedy displayed in my house. One is the usual, standing next to him at a fundraiser, and the other is different. I'm laughing and so is he and I have my hand on his chest. I don't remember why or what we were saying but it is a great picture.
I really didn't know him, but just had met him briefly. But I feel so sad this weekend, watching
the days of mourning.
I've learned so much about him as a man. I had no idea of his kindness, his perpetual caring for others, his ability to make everyone a friend.
So much had been written about his larger than life, often troubling aspects. But they pale in
comparison to the successes of his life, his ability to live and enjoy life, even with tremendous tragedy.
I remember being in college when JFK was killed, and where I was when I heard. I remember
my then husband waking me at night to tell me Bobby had been shot, and sleepily saying "no, that happened in 1963." The cliche "end of an era" fits here more than most.
I also think how fortunate they were, this huge family to have each other. As an only child, I can
only envy their experiences shared in good times and bad.
As political foes remembered their friendship with him, I wonder why cant every politician behave as he did. Fight hard for what they believe and then be a human, decent person afterward.
It makes me sick the way politics is conducted these days. Indeed the end of an era.

me on the radio with 2boomerbabes

I'll attach the link...i start at the 33 minute mark...http://www.2boomerbabes.com/
Since I think of myself as the REAL boomerbabe,I was suprised to meet this great team
of gals at the Bookfair.
They asked me to guest on their very successful show and we agreed not to sue each
other for the name!

HEY! STOP YELLING!!!

Whoops...caps in emails are the equivalent of yelling, I'm told. So I'll stop
if they will. They, being TV talk shows,pitchmen and disruptive "constituents"
attending town meetings.
I got the to the point where everytime Billy What's His Name started pitching
whatever product at a decibel level enough to bring down a building, I would
turn off the sound. Now I know you aren't supposed to talk badly about the
dead, but when he passed away, the first thing I did was call a friend and say
now we can watch commercials again!
But he wasn't alone. The group gaggle of Sunday morning talk shows had
long been yelling at each other, just as the extreme pundits of both parties
would talk over each other...same result...a headache!
But now these "voters" are storming the townmeetings where believe it
or not, our Representatives of government are attempting to explain
complicated issues and yes...hear our response. This is wrong because
these (usually) rightwing verbal terrorists are making communication
impossible and it's pissing me off!
There are memos which have put out talking, or should I say "YELLING"
points, and this is not what democracy is supposed to be about.
So...stop the yelling! Start the listening!YOU HEAR ME?

The Bachelorette

Ok, first I can't believe I'm watching the damn show again, in the first place.
Second I can't believe I'm making comments on it.
Actually I'm too lazy to go through the sign up on the ABC TV Message
Board and I have to vent somewhere.
So...here we go!
This show stinks! For those of who you who have a life...the girl who is
the Bachelorette is a nice girl with a nice body, not that pretty...and
clearly a little insecure.
I mention that because she requires that each of the guy's fall in love
with her and tell her numerous times!And we have to hear about it
over and over and she and the guys have to articulate the same
bull ten times an hour! Boring!
At the end, she lets the really cool guy go and picks another one...
a guy who is handsome and really crazy about her.
Plus the poor guy had to undergo the incredible indignity of
not being able to "perform" on their first "sleepover!"Aand
all of America knowing it! But the second time he could...thank god.
But...he is an "8"...and the other guy was a "10!"
She however is an "8" as well and like feels comfortable with like.
She mentioned numerous times that the first guy had always been the
"dumper" not the "dumpee"...and she obviously was scared to pick him.
This particular season, has been filled with 'dramatic' surprises etc etc .
and clearly is fixed. Drawn out for ratings and our emotional rollercoaster
ride is now over.
I dont want to hear the word "journey" and people spilling their feelings
to total strangers ever again!
I hope I never watch this show again. But...I can't promise.

Michael Jackson Memorial

Of course I watched it, along with zillions of others around the world and I'm so happy
to report that it was a beautiful,tasteful and appropriate event.
In spite of the insanity of the press coverage, the family pulled off a classy affair and
it was very sad to see the beautiful children mourning. It was interesting for me to
see the family...all those brothers united in uniform and feeling and the closeness which
makes me realize it's no fun being an only child, inspite of the fractious moments a
large family goes through.
Brooke Shields was especially meaningful in humanizing Michael...as they were two
little kids thrust into the spotlight. And she remains one of the most gorgeous women.
The songs, the film clips, the speeches..except for Al Sharpton, but what else is new...
all were lovely memories and uplifting.
Good job Jackson Family. Goodbye Michael.

Gov. Palin

Newsflash: I just saw Sarah Palin morph into Irwin Corey! Remember him? the old
guy who talks double talk? Huh? What?
I think she just resigned because..? something about fish floating.
She totally rambled and was incredibly wierd. But then I always
thought she was a joke.
Maybe now she'll just go away. But on the other hand, as a Democrat...

On Michael Jackson

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!
What is wrong with us that we have given his passing
more press than JFK's?
Great performer, possible pedophile, definitely disturbed...ok. I got it.
Stop printing, broadcasting, talking about him.
There is a very difficult world out there and it has kept going and
we should be paying more attention!
Enough!

Memo to S. Carolina Governor

SHUT UP!!!

Do Cry For Me, Argentina!

I just watched the most bizarre performance and I mean peformance by the Gov.
of S. Carolina admitting that instead of hiking he was "f---ing!"
Huh? Wierd.
I am not suprised by infidelity. I am not surprised by politicians admitting
to it, but what was that?
This guy was obviously having a meltdown, starting with not taking the money
due his state from the Federal Govt.
And then, he makes up a cockamamie...excuse the expression...story about
going to the Appalachian's to clear his head when he went to Argentina to clear
his pipes.
All the tearing up and the quoting Godliness was such a case in hypocrisy and I
would have respected him more..well, not really, but I would have been happier
seeing a statement read by him that stated the facts, a resignation from office and
back to the family to work things out however they chose to.
What was this mea culpa camera show? As we used to say in high school...
TMI!! TOO MUCH INFORMATION. I DONT WANT THE GORY DETAILS.
I think we've all become too much involved with each other's lives on TV.
Get off the stage Gov. And Jon and Kate too! As for Perez Hilton...well...
he deserved a sock in the eye. A bully got bullied.
Let's pay attention to worthwhile things for a while, shall we?

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

I know it's only a reality show...but the impending divorce of Kate and Jon.. (of
Jon and Kate Plus 8)really saddens me. It's amazing how attached one gets to
"characters" in a TV show. I think it was the kids that got to me. I'd grown to adore
this family and though Kate was always a nag, she is inherently smart and a
good mother and I think very honest in assessment of what went wrong and
her mea culpa. Jon, is ...sadly...like a lot of guys, not a good communicator and
makes it hard to see what he is feeling. I think he was just too immature to
have all this fame and responsibility. But I know they love the kids and frankly the
money they earned from the show will give them a good future...if not as happy
a one as they had hoped. It feels like it happened to someone I know! Faux
intimacy perhaps, but maybe not.

Ok, I'll admit it...

Though it's really so unimportant it barely matters, I will
always acknowledge an error when I make one!
A few posts ago I ragged on "I''m a Celebrity, get me out of Here!"
It is a fairly inane reality show which strands C listers in the
jungle.
Well, I've been sick a few days and though I have great books
to read, I've taken the easy way out and just zoned out on TV.
This show is on every night..that's another discussion as to why...
but I've watched a little more and now that the obnoxious
couple (you know who and like Valdermort I will not speak their
evil names to give them life)...now that they are gone, the
remaining players are bonding as they go through these really
awful adventures replete with bugs and other creatures.
And what I do like...a saving grace...is how they bond!
They are really opening up to each other and developing
real feelings...I know it sounds impossible, but think of yourself
in camp.
Or if you've traveled on a group tour, by the end you are weeping
and swearing to be best friends forever. Sometimes you even
follow up and become so.
Relationships are the most important things in life and I like
seeing them develop and maybe it's because I value my own
friends so much, or because I was an only child, that it's
cool to see others engaged with each other.
Or maybe I'm just sick of being sick and need a drink!
Or a hug!!!

brief dating hint

If you are on an Internet dating site and you are a guy...do not pick a
name that ends in "ster"...like "robster", "rickster"...you get the idea.
One has to imagine you calling yourself in the third person "The
Old Tedster"...no!
Do not go there.
Promise me.

No...get ME out of there!!

There is a reality or should I say "fakeality" show on TV tonight called
"I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here." I am going to perform magic
and review the show without seeing it!
I cannot watch this drivel. I, who watch everything reality from
Jon and Kate to The Dog...and vote on most shows where our vote
makes a difference...I will not and cannot watch that show.
Even I have my limits! And besides, The Bachelorette is on at the
same time.
The premise is they leave D list celebs or celeb-think- they-ares in some
South American jungle and watch them fall apart.
The long haired awful singer kid from Idol, the old former Supermodel
who is virtually make of plastic now, and the obnoxious couple of
some other quasi-reality who have really gotten on people's nerves are
among the cast.
And...wait for it...you will not believe it, or maybe you will, the wife of the
indicted Governor from a Mid West State...(I'm not giving these people
any name recognition as my own little rebellion) ...she who is known
for having a foul mouth and putting up with his hair...is taking his
place since the Court wouldn't allow him to go.
Please people...do not watch this junk. Perhaps the jungle will
take it's justice and give them all diseases which are not easily
gotten over.
The "hook" this year is that the watching public can "vote them plagues"
of various sorts, but even that is not intruiging enough to me.
And as for the Governor's wife stooping to doing this garbage,
well if you are still married to him, your judgement is highly
suspect anyway, isn't it?
The only saving grace and I mean the only...is that Paris Hilton
is not among 'em.
I guess we can be thankful for small favors.

Bye bye Jay...

To continue the comments on the inconsequential news of the day...did anyone else
cringe at the final Jay Leno Tonight Show with guest, new host, Conan O' boy- is -he- not- funny?
I happen to really like Jay and felt he was so uncomfortable about having to give up
his seat before he was ready!
And Conan, who has never made me laugh, was rather arrogant about claiming it.
They did the obligatory praise of each other but neither was sincere and if Conan
shakes his unruly red mop one more time in that tic of his, well...I dont' plan on watching
him anyway. A lucky guy...to say the least.
Jay will do just fine in the earlier slot and Jimmy Kimmel is funnier than all of them.

Jon &Kate plus 8 and me

The newest tabloid story bombarding us is the marriage of the couple on
the reality show," Jon and Kate Plus 8." They have a set of lovely girl twins
and then had sextuplets...three of each gender.
I had not watched the show or known anything about them until
the rumors of infidelity etc. came on everywhere it seemed.
So on Saturday, after I did my sun on the terrace and my walk
around the resevoir, I collapsed into bed and turned on what
turned out to be a marathon of the series documenting this
incredible family. I was addicted, although it doesn't take much.
What a great show! What an adorable well behaved family. And they
dont even have full time help. Just some volunteer friends.
It is amazing to watch the constant motion and noise of eight kids
and also to see each of their little personalities growing.
They are quite a handful of course. But Kate and Jon have
it down to a science.
So I got this megadose of them and now I see how the dynamic
of their marriage deconstructed.
She nags him. All the time. She treats him as one of the kids.
He sort of stoicly takes it, but perhaps this is why he strayed....
if he did actually stray.
He's a good father and pitches in as well as having a full time job.
She has got to lighten up on him!
I want this family to stay together. I want this
marriage to work.
So Kate, you are a fabulous mother and someone I'd like to
be friends with...good sense of humor, smart and organized.
But you have got to start cutting Jon some slack!
You have an extraordinarily hectic life and it would take its
toll on any marriage, but honey...you are making it really
tough.
Monday is the premier of the new season in which they promise
to deal with the reality of the relationship. Even if it means
stopping the series to get your marriage back...do it.
This family must be saved!

NOT ME!!

There was a letter in the NY Post on Tuesday castigating Farah Fawcett for her documentary.
It was signed, Susan M. Silver! That's not me!! I am Susan A.,..but I don't use my
middle name.
Some wierd guy called me this morning to tell me he "agreed with me."
I told him I am totally one hundred per cent opposite in my opinion..(read
blog of last week.)
I wish I could write the Post to tell them to say it's another Susan Silver...
but..I'm sure they don't care.
Thank god she didn't write about loving Dick Cheney or being for torture!

We wuz robbed...twice!!

Ok, in the big picture it' s not important...at all! But we were robbed
twice last week.
By "we," I mean sicko TV watchers like me who vote for reality shows!
Adam was the person who should have won American Idol...come on!
He is a true superstar. Whether he didn't get it because he is gay or
too goth, I don't know. But this kid Kris, is a nice, average singer.
No star. No Idol.
And as for Shawn the little Olympian who won Dancing with the Stars...
no! Yes she did a nice job, yes she's an American Hero, but
as for a dancer, she can't hold a candle or a leg for that matter to
Giles who performed almost as a professional, and a real star, or Melissa
who was the epitome of an elegant dancer.
So, are they rigged? Or are most people who vote dumb...or judging
on things other than what matters?
I don't know, but it's enough to make me turn the TV off and start
reading all those books I have. Hmm...maybe it was a good thing
after all.

Farrah's Finale

I dont know if you all saw the extraordinary documentary of Farrah Fawcett's fight to survive
cancer. It was very raw, very real, with no vanity or gloss to it.
She is a brave and lovely person, clearly. ( At the beginning of her career,
she did a small part in a Movie of the Week I wrote but I don't remember meeting her.)
This was hard to watch.
I've had a friend who went through the rigors of chemo and everything else and
it's not a pretty picture. But I never saw the process up close.
It was important for people to see exactly what it's like and I don't remember
ever seeing it portrayed quite this blatantly, this honestly.
It makes one wonder what decision you would make. To continue the fight,
or just go...as she said she refused to...gently into that good night.
I think I'd just take all my money and hire a plane and get my friends to go
traveling until I couldnt' anymore.
But I don't have children or a partner as she does.
Whichever way, she has done a service to us all and the fight against cancer.
I wish her peace and no more pain.

Elizabeth Edwards Part 2

Last night Charlie Rose interviewed Elizabeth Edwards in what had to be her
umpteenth time trying to explain how she felt about "the Affair"...and more.
I realized as I listened to her, how much I always liked her and still do. Her
honesty, her humor were well displayed.
Her motivations for why she wrote the book still aren't clear to me. But
Charlie did make a statement that perhaps is the most to the point...and
adult one I've heard.
Why is the "sexual" such a big deal?
After all, the stats on cheating are overwhelming. And as they said, a
good looking, powerful guy has so much opportunity.
She was unrealistic to think it couldn't happen.
But the bottom line, America is a bit too puritanical and all over the rest of
the world and in certain cultures particularly, it matters not at all.
So I believe she was terribly wounded. I believe she made the right private
choice to remain married after all the good times and years put in.
Yet, I still am not so sure a book that drags it up all over again and drags him
through the muck was such a good idea.
But there is one thing I am sure of now. She is probably a lot more pissed off that
even she realized.

Elizabeth Edwards and the elephant...

I feel for Elizabeth Edwards. She has suffered a lot in her life and done so with
elegance and strength. But now, I fear that she has made a large mistake.
Rather than living what is left of her life without the prying eye of the press or
others, she has written a book which only can dredge up the muck.
In her interview with Oprah which was cringe worthy both for her and John
(who looked like a little boy taken to the principal's office...and Oprah can be
a tough principal, hand on his shoulder not withstanding )...she avoided the
elephant in the room!
Why on earth, when you find out that your husband who is purporting to be
squeaky clean in a marriage that is enviable...is cheating...do you continue
the race for the highest office in the world?
As a Democrat I am appalled. He could have been the nominee and this
would have been the end of everything that everyone had worked so hard
to achieve.
Pure selfish ego.
And she was complicit in the continuing of the charade.
Further, to insist that if the baby is his, it has no relevance to her life is
crazy! Denial to some extreme that defies reality.
Now, is this his continuing punishment or that knawing need for face time
on camera that many in the public eye seem to need so desperately?
What is the point of bringing it all up again? How much do we as a society need
to be involved with the intimacy of everyone's life?
Reality TV to the max. Next episode: the DNA test for the baby.
Tune in for more shocking revelations. Sigh....

This drives me crazy!

Among many many things...this drives me crazy! You run into a guy you once went out with
and not only does he NOT remember you, he tries to pick you up again!
This has happened to me a few times (once with a guy I actually spent a weekend with...horrible though it was ) and most recently the other night.
I was at a club and a young guy whom I had met once there a few years ago, and gone out with
against my better judgment...and boy was I right...hit on me again, having no idea that
he knew me.
I debated about reminding him, and then I decided not to.
I am not unmemorable. Trust me, I'm not.
Guys tend to be unconscious I guess and in this case, very!
Guys...look at the girl you are trying to pick up and think: Did I do this before? If so, how did it
turn out. Oh...best to move on!

I finally did it!

No no, not sex! I wouldn't tell you if I did.
What I did was something to get the juices flowing. Now stop it...I told you
no sex was involved!
What I did was take a two day seminar in branding and publishing.
I really needed to stir things up and get off my duff and it worked.
The bad news is that I found out it's time to give up on an old idea I've
been doodling with forever and come up with something new. And
I did have a few good new ideas that I now have to pursue.
It's great to be with other people...the group was composed of a lot of
very bright and interesting people at various stages of careers hoping to
get that big break...mostly a hot book.
The Leaders were good in dispensing a lot of info, but I get the feeling
they weren't all that crazy with my little murmurings which amused those
sitting around me. And mostly I do it to amuse myself .
Old comedy writers never stop being funny when they have a chance.
So the bottom line is, stimulation is important. Hey!! Cut it out! I told you....
no sexual references intended! You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Susan Boyle

I am just one of millions who have fallen for the British singing sensation Susan Boyle.
When I was sent the Youtube video I actually cried as I watched her sing! They are
making a lot of the fact of her looks..."you can't judge a book by it's cover" etc.
That is fine.
But one humor columnist who shall be nameless has gone way over the line as I see it.
He called her "ugly." First of all, how rude!
Second of all, it is the pot calling the kettle...ugly.
This guy who is brilliant and funny is, to put it kindly....one of the least attractive human
beings on this or any other planet!
He is the last person who should be judging others on looks.
And, though it is obvious that she not a beauty queen, there is or should be a limit
to negative name calling, even in satire.
She is a lovely, "cheeky" as Simon put it, enormously courageous and very talented
woman.
I could listen to her voice all day.
And as for "ugly"....his comment is the only ugly thing I see!
Facially challenged Comic... heal thyself!

FontanBLEW IT!

Well, I'm back from my adventure in Miami. And I'm either too old to travel during Spring
Break...or I just chose the wrong hotel. The Fontainbleau has reopened to much hoopla
and was supposed to be THE Place to stay.
Yes, if you are 20 and a rap star. Oy! There was so much wrong that I will have to
enumerate numerically...if that isn't redundant.
1. The Hotel was jammed and I mean jammed...with about 1000 young folk in
the smallest bikini's and the highest shoes I've ever seen. The Hooker style makes
LA look Haute Couture! And where do they get the bucks to stay there? Or maybe
they room up at four to a room.
2. The Hotel was not up and ready though it had been opened for a while. There
was an hour wait for everything...and you could never get any service on the phone
at all.
3. Fortunately I talked my way into a mini suite in the new Tower or I would have
been up all night listening to the Rock Music..oh I forgot to say there was a Music
Festival at the Hotel and the blasting of the DJ's around the pool was deafening.
The Tower had it's own pool which was quieter but it was on the 7th floor and
so windy you could be blown away...if you'll excuse the expression.
4.The Room Service table remained as a souvenir for 24 hours in spite of
four calls to remove it.
5.The maid never showed up the first day at all.
And on and on.
The good stuff...
I had the greatest pizza ever in the lobby restaurant when I couldn't get into the Pool
restaurant for over an hour.
I had the greatest massage ever from Melva at the Spa..but for $182 for 55 minutes
it better be good!
The mini suite was nice size and done well and the little kitchenette was great as
I went out of the Hotel to the grocery store for supplies that wouldn't cost me
an arm and also was able to get service when I needed it that way.
There were some fashion shows...oh yeah it was also Fashion Rocks or something..
and the B Michael Show was stunning and I was invited with some people I met
in the elevator to sit in the front row which was fun.
My old friend Bob S. took me to dinner at a way cool place The Meat Market...better
than the name sounds and we walked the plaza jammed with life.
The sun...was good. And I do love my sun and my walks on the beach.
Next time I guess I'll go where the old people go...wherever that is. Come to think
of it, I wasn't that tacky when I was young either.

it's good to laugh!

Just got back from a great evening in the theater. For those of you in New York you MUST
rush to get tickets to God of Carnage...the new play by the woman who wrote Art, Yasmin
Reza. It's a better play than Art...and incredibly directed by Mathew Warchus who strangely
directed one of the least funny things I've ever seen..Boeing Boeing.
It stars Marcia Gay Harden who gives one of the best comedic performances I've ever
seen in the theater! And James Gandolfini who I love and Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis, both
of whom were terrific.
It's about two sets of parents who meet after an incident with their two sons. It's sort of
Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf meets Lucy! Witty and intelligent and slapstick.
Cant remember laughing this hard in the theater...well...for a long long time!

just asking

If you have lived alone a verrrrryyyy long time, how hard is it to adjust to being
with someone 24/7? The answer is: very hard. I and my single friends have come
to the conclusion that if you wait too long to be in a real relationship, the odds
that you can accomplish it are going to be hard...very hard. No details, but you
get the idea. Oh oh!

Happy Valentine's Day...NOT!!

OK, here it is in a nutshell.
1. I broke up with the new guy I was dating as he cancelled our Valentine Dinner because
the about to be ex wife...well..never mind.
2. I booked a reservation to go see my Precious boys and little girl, grandkids of
my cousin to make up for the disappointment.
3. I got up at 5:30 a.m to go the airport and found that my a.m. flight was a p.m. flight and there were no
other openings.
4. I went back home got into bed and plan on staying there for the foreseeable future.
The end... and this gives meaning to the phrase " it wasn't meant to be."

Octo nut job.

I just watched the Dateline about the 8 babies and this insane woman who brought
them into the world.
This is a clearly sick woman with body dysmorphia...her plastic surgery alone is
as frightening as could be. Funnily she looks exactly like a woman I know in NY
who has had the same bad fillers and nose job.
Anyway, the State must go in and see if there is any cause to remove these
children. There is absolutely no way she can care for them. And her mother
clearly realizes the problem.
They took Brittany Spears kids away for a hell of a lot less.
Ann Curry did a great job of calling it like it was and the sheer denial of this
sicko proves she is incompetent.

It's been awhile...

I know it's been weeks...and i was so happy about the new Administration. Now I'm
sort of paralyzed by the scope of the financial meltdown and kind of wish Geithner
and Bernancke would stop testifying. Every time they do, I lose a bundle!

I'm in withdrawal...

What a high yesterday was! I watched the Inaug all day long and couldn't get enough.
The girls, so adorable, Michelle's smile, Barack's speech and everyone's enthusiasm and
happiness. We have to keep it going! He's a cute dancer too.
I'm signing up for getting involved with veteran's families. Please find something you
can and want to do. We owe it to ourselves to capture the moment and give back to
the country and those who need us. It'll make you feel good.

TURN ON HBO NOW!!

Everybody...turn on HBO now to see the glorious celebration in Washington!
It is on this aft. and will be repeated tonight. You will feel so proud! And the music
is amazing too! This a great day in America!

WOW!!!

As an early Obama person I am over the moon this weekend! I hope all American's
feel the hope and promise and by the polls, we do. Let's just sit back and enjoy this
amazing moment!!

Motivation!!

So, at the Renaissance weekend there were about 1000 of the smartest, most accomplished
people all hanging out. It is so nice to be inspired and challenged!
And I was lucky to meet some very impressive Motivational Speaker types. You can
always learn from them...and I sure did.
I learned about focusing on your goals and visualizing...which I'm sure we all know we
should do but don't often enough. And too, writing things down being as specific as
possible! Start with parking places...hey it works!
You know I'm into this kind of stuff and of course I still read my horoscope! This
month's reading was all about achieving my goals so it all works together and though I
didn't make specific New Year's Resoltions, I have been really good about following
through since I came home.
I'm kind of on hyper drive and sending out vibrations to get my goals accomplished.
And...making the calls every day to do so.
Plus riding the exercycle! Whew! Let's hope it all continues.
There were a lot of Wall Street types there as well and I went to the Money panels to
find out what to do in this scary time. There were a lot of opinions...all over the map
but the concensus seems to be NOT to sell everything and panic...so even though I
wanted to, I didn't. Now let's pray!
As to the dating thing...I did something really out there! I was asked to be in the
entertainment portion..supposedly a comedy person in my other life, and at first I
said no....I don't perform in stand up.
Then I thought...wait a minute! I can ask 1000 people to fix me up! So I delivered a
poem about the various activities and people there and at the end,
asked "them and their mate to find me a date"...see it rhymes...and believe it or not a
few people came up to me with possibilities.
Let's pray again!!

Happy New Year

Dear Readers, I had the best New Year's weekend!I went to the Renaissance Weekend
in S. Carolina. It is a gathering of the best and the brightest which I usually attend
once a year on other Holidays at other venues.
This year I decided to be more pro active about my social life or lack of same and
booked it so I'd have something to do on New Year's Eve...with or without a date.
It was the best move I could have made.
I'll report with more, although we are asked as writers NOT to reveal a lot of
details as it is all off the record for a lot of the public personas who attend.
Suffice to say I am filled with good cheer, lots of ideas and many motivational
tips for the next year.
Hope yours is great!!

I can't help myself

As some Southerner's say..."I'm goin' to brag on myself"...
I told you guys before any reviews that the movie Seven Pounds was the worst movie
ever...right? (scroll down a few columns) and some "anonymous" person answered
me with hostility about how wrong I was.
Well, today's reviews in the New York Post and Ny Times make me look generous!
I knew I was right!!!!!

me and unique birthday "item"

LA report

Well, Dear Readers i told you I'd let u know about my trip and it was fabulous! Instead
of moping around in NY vis a vis Thanksgiving and my birthday I called upon my really
old...and I mean old...(in years of duration that is) friends.
Six of my dearest and best friends live there and were forced to throw me a party...my
subtle suggestion.
First of all, I stayed at three different gal's places...i have generous friends...and that alone
was worth the trip. It's fun to have a roommate..it's been a while...divorced forever.
I had thanksgiving dinner at one ...whom i hired to work on Laugh In many
moons ago...and it was her family and great food as she is gourmet cook as well as
Number One organized human being on the planet. She has given up show biz and
is volunteering around the world in three month increments. Very noble...
We went to movies and ate. That's what you do in LA. It is screening time and there
are three a day at least. (you can read about one of them in prior blog)
Then I moved to another friend,Deb, who I've written about alot in my column as
she is the World's Friendliest Human which sometimes makes me laugh...as we know
I am not!
Finally i wound up at the fab beach house of another friend and had a glorious
weekend in the sun. Walks on the beach are among my favorite things and the house
is situated right on the sand and all I had to do was pull the sunlounge from the terrace
into the bedroom so i didn't even have to move.
I stayed in her grandkids room which had a bunk bed and against her advice I chose
the top of the bunk bed which seemed like fun until those late in the night bathroom
visits. You get the picture. The ladder should be tipped at an angle...note to manufacturers
of bunkbeds.
I went to more movies and more lunches and did some walking around Bev Hills..which
wasn't too busy. Well, the stores weren't...except for foreigners.
I did however see a scary thing...the paparazzi phenomenon in full bloom. You can't
really appreciate how awful it is on TV. I had come down from a parking lot that
opened into an alley and saw a horde of over 20 men and two women with cameras
rushing like a pack of locusts towards the back of a store. I asked who it was and they
said Lyndsey Lohan. They waited for her and I walked around to the front of the
store to warn her but had been locked for her to shop I guess.
Then I returned to the back as she came out and they surrounded her. It was truely
frightening as she got into a car, they piled into theirs and chased her down the alley.
I felt really sorry for her but one of my journalist friends said she and others tip off
the locusts to tell them where they'll be. Stupid thing to do honey. Shades of Princess
Di come to mind.
I saw a few stars...Deborah Messing, smaller than I thought she was...John Lovitz,
Will Smith at the screening and another star who shall be nameless cause I'll tell you
a little story about him.
When I was in college I worked as an extra in the movies in the summer so I could
stay in LA. One day at MGM a little green sports car stopped and a really cute
young TV star was in it and flirted with me. I was too scared to flirt back.
Then, as we say in the movies...dissolve....to 1996 when my friend with the beach
house and I were having dinner at a trendy place, said star who was now a big movie
star asked me out to dinner and I said I was leaving the next day back to NY.
My girlfriend was kicking me under the table and trying to change my mind, but
he was not anyone I'd had a crush on and just couldn't see the point.
Years go by and I see that he is not only adorable, but smart, talented and at the time
he was SINGLE... though not now and have regretted my decision ever since.
Well, I ran into him and told him...actually what I said was "years ago you asked me out
and I said no and boy am I FUCKIN SORRY!"
He laughed and was very cute about it. So closure if nothing else.
My ex-husband, whom I called to say hi as I do when I'm there, told me I swear
too much. And I say "so fuckin what?" No I really should stop.
So at the great birthday lunch at the Polo Lounge in the Bev Hills Hotel, many memories.
many laughs and many secrets. Probably the best birthday I've had as an adult.
Friends are important and I have really good ones.
It is good to get away every once and a while and good to come home. I just wish I could
import the friends to NY...though some of them do come fairly often.
LA remains LA for better or worse....sun, driving, more driving, food, movies, and movie
stars. Hooray for Hollywood!

movie review

Seven Pounds. That is the name of the new Will Smith movie that I saw at a screening
in LA last week, with Will attending.
Let me start by saying I love Will Smith. I think he is engaging, smart, adorable and a
really good actor. What the heck happened then?
You are now seeing trailers of this movie in which they indicate that he as the main
character has a "terrible" secret which is motivating him now to save seven total strangers.
So..that kind of tells you the whole movie. Then why oh why did the actual movie have
to be so ridiculous in "keeping the secret" which sets the character in motion all the
while revealing it in on the nose, flashback snippets to where you feel you are getting
whiplash time-wise and neck-wise.
The first 30 minutes are confusing and you do not know whether he is
a bad guy or good guy and though this is meant to be intriguing it is merely annoying
and takes you out of the movie while you are kvetching that this is confusing.
Then the movie takes another turn and it becomes a love story.
Finally, the last third it becomes a saw-it- coming tragedy.
And just incase you dont get it..the music manipulates and repeats, I swear to god,
some of the things you are seeing just to pound the theme into your poor little brain.
At the discussion afterward, Will seemed to me to acknowledge right out of the box
that the Director, who was there and is Italian was determined not to make a
"Hollywood movie"...read predictable, so he made it incomprehensible and on the nose
at the same time. Quite a feat.
Plus also he said he told him not to do his "will smith"
stuff...which up to now has only made him the number one box office champ and a critical
darling.
So what happens is the actor puts his life in the hands of a director he trusts (who made
a good prior movie, "Pursuit of Happyness"...which was based on a book so, well structured)
as opposed to this mishmash and now Will is lousy in a lousy awful movie!)
AS to the reference of Seven Pounds...there were guesses but the answer is...ready...
for pretension..."the quote from Shakespeare about a pound of flesh."
My explanation...seven pounds of ham! No thanks.

7 pounds

Dear Readers...I am in LA and will write about the great birthday i had but first i had to warn u against wasting your precious dollars!

The new Will Smith movie titled Seven Pounds is right up there with the worst movies i've ever seen!

I will give u details later   but trust me on this one!

Happy Turkey

Hey, am off to LA for Thanksgiving and then 6 of my old and I mean old...(30 years of
friendship wise each!!) girlfriends are taking me to lunch for my Birthday. have a great holiday...
back in 10 days.

60 Minutes

I am not going to make this Obama-all-the- time, I promise, but I just saw the
60 Minutes Interview with Barack and Michelle. And I just adore this guy!
He is so thoughtful, so low key, so smart and I find great comfort every time
he speaks. I think he has the potential to be a GREAT president and I
look forward to a new feeling in the country, hope and can do spirit and
I think we are very lucky to have him arrive at this time. And do love his
smile!

YAY!!!!!!!

I AM OVER THE MOON!!I haven't written a lot about politics here but I am
a political junkie. I've been involved in Dem politics since 1976 and I can't
remember a moment like I felt yesterday when I voted.
I actually cried.
I was a very early Obama person, having met him when he just became
a Senator at an AIPAC meeting.
His wife is a friend of a good friend of mine and I had asked my friend
what they were like, after his first historic speech at the convention.
She told me they were the real deal and I felt they were too.
I have had some fights with my Republican friends this election.
Some can discuss the issues, and others get more personal and
upset and make it hard to do that.
But I really hope and pray that everyone listens to what happened
yesterday. Americans said...we do not want to fight anymore between
ourselves. We want to accomplish things together.
I think Barack is "The One"...as some jokingly said. I believe he has
the perfect combination of temperment and brains and good
judgement and he makes me feel so calm! When the shit hits the fan,
and it will...he presents the qualities that will weather any storm.
To use the buzzwords of punditry...I think he is "post racial"
and by virtue of his unique combination of black and white,
foreign and American, he was the perfect person for the time.
It was audacious that he didn't
"wait his turn" but he knew the timing was right.
Everyone who has ever known him says he brings people together
as I believe he had to do to "work out" his own issues and find his
place in the world.
I am absolutely over the moon with hope and joy!
I beg all those who didn't vote for him to get behind him, as McCain
graciously said...the country needs it. The world needs it. Let us
indeed put country first!
YAY!!!!!!!!

HISTORY!!!

Tonight, no matter which party you voted, some history will be made!
As cynical and disappointed as I've been with politics, on both sides
sometimes, I was never as excited as I was today when I voted.
And people are telling me they felt like crying it was so moving.
Isn't it great that we had this chance. Let's not blow it! VOTE!!!

my nerves!!!!!

I cant take it...cant wait for tomorrow to be over!!!

Final words on China

I've been avoiding writing these final words because I think I didn't want to end
thinking about the trip!
I've been recouping from some sort of stomach thing which seems to have
come from China and all I'm doing is sleeping and losing weight...to put it
euphemistically.
But the final leg of the trip was the best...Shanghai! Spectacular! Very
much like NY or Chicago with skylines that are magnificient. Very
sopisticated.
I took off a day from the group as they were going to a silk factory and
I didnt want to buy silk.
I did however go to the street of lots of shopping boutiques and I was
pickpocketed!
We had been warned to be careful carrying money or passports and
I didn't have too much...just a credit card and some small Chinese bills.
I heard a yell..and looked around to see what had happened...when a
police van pulled up and surrounded me.
I turned to see a little girl or short woman running away. I didn't realize
anything had happened to me so was going on my way when a woman
on a bike came up. She had seen the pickpocket hit me and screamed and
frightened her into running away...and dropping my wallet!
I saw it lying about ten feet away and hadn't even felt it leaving my purse.
The cops wanted to make sure I was ok, but didn't chase the perp.
I was really shaken...not enough to stop shopping but since all's well
that ended well..it was a good story to tell the group.
We went to see the Chinese Acrobats in the most astounding show.
One of my friends here told me it was corny but I am so glad I went.
It was thrilling! These performers did things that seemed impossible
with their flexible bodies and the whole time the audience was screaming
in delight.
Another great hotel...a Hilton, great massages...I got the hot rock which
I love and we drove around seeing the city which I adored.
The Bund is the walkway along the water and filled with tourists.
The resteraunts were great and the two couples I bonded with and I
went out for a last night dinner. There was a very hip club on another
floor and I just peeked in.
Shanghai is a place I could have stayed a week. But alas..the trip
was over and as I usually do, I wrote a poem about everyone on the
tour and read it on our last bus ride.
And they all gave me the most adorable little figure of a child bending
over and revealing his tush. (The habit of the kids there is not to have
diapers but little pants with slits from front to back and I and a few
others on the trip were determined to catch a tushie shot...which we
did on the last day. The mothers all kept turning the kids towards the camera,
not realizing we wanted the rear view! So glad I wasn't arrested.)
All in all it was a fabulous trip. They are an incredibly smart and
hard working people who have accomplished miracles in a few short
decades.
Everyone who has ever gone there raves about it and I recommend
it to everyone reading this. If you have the chance...go!

continuing china...

Today one of my friends actually looked at the photos I'd taken of China still in my
camera! Now that's a friend! Actually she found it interesting and as I went over the
trip again, I realized how great it really was.
so...on to Xi'an. That is where the Terra Cotta soldiers are. A huge find of
soldiers made up to guard the tomb of the Emperor. With lifesize horses
and intended to scare away any enemies in death.
They were discovered by a farmer years ago...and they pull out some old
guy who they SAY is the farmer and he signs books at the museum. I want
to believe it was the real guy!
The terra cotta fades within hours of being exposed to light and air, so vast
fields of them are still uncovered until they can figure a way to stop the
process of fading.
Very interesting...in size, scope and piece of history.
Then we went to the Jade factory and saw beautiful pieces. Of course
anything I liked was over $10,000 and so needless to say, I didn't buy
anything. If it can't be something fab...I don't want it!
Hmm...maybe that's why I'm still looking for Mr. Adequate..or,more than.
We then went on a three day cruise down the Yangtze.
Really nice. The boat was comfortable if not opulent. The food, as usual
amazing in size and scope of the buffets.
The crew put on little shows at night and they were really sweet people.
My cabin porter was Andy and the maid, Susan. They all take American names.
The group I was with did little excursions but I didn't go...afraid of small boats
as I don't swim and unable to climb stairs without railings or go in lifts high up
the mountains, I stayed and got sun, which I always crave and a manicure...
flowers with little "jewels"..which I'd never wear in NY but qualifies me to work
in any post office!
We went through five incredible Gorges with great scenery and finally
through the locks...similar to the Panama Canal...next largest I think.
Fascinating.
We went to see Pandas and to a spot high above the locks which gave
an incredible panoramic view.
The millions of people who are being moved as the water will rise and
flood them all, is an amazing project.
Next Shanghai...

Should have stayed in China!

Well, the world seems to be imploding whether it's our bank accounts or our
politics.
I should have stayed in China. The hard thing is that a trip like this is so
spectacular and then it's just a memory.
I went through all of my photos and put them into the computer but can't
figure how to get them out...to print and to share!
But a few more thoughts about my trip...it's so nice to have Dear Readers
who are interested!
Beijing was very cool. The first day I was there was before my tour so I
had some ideas from a friend back in the States.
She gave me a name of a reliable driver and we went to the art area...
old factories that have been turned into spectacular art galleries and
some avant garde designers.
I got a very neat grey velour T Shirt with a red stencil of Mao.
Just have to figure out where to wear it. I guess a Sarah Palin speech
won't be the place! ( Mean little thing, isn't she!)
The art in China is very hot now selling for huge figures. Much of it
was very interesting.
Then, being a fan of miniatures, I wento the Beijing Planning Museum
where they have a huge miniature (contradiction I know) of the entire
city.
It was fascinating. And some of the workers were fixing the tiny
buildings and adding new ones...as there is constant building.
Then the group arrived and we had an introductory cocktail party.
Many of the people seemed older than I had expected but I always
find some that I can bond with and there were quite a few.
Then the trip began with Tiannamen Square which is really hard
to grasp until you see it in person. Huge obviously...and very
filled with people. Lots of tourists but mostly Chinese who are visiting
as well.
The Forbidden City is gigantic...amazing. And very lovely.
The Summer Palace is beautiful. Everything has history and
so much importance to the culture.
The places were crowded but not unbareably so.
The Great Wall! wow...I took the "easier" route which was about a
forty minute climb with rest blocks...and lots of pushing people.
They are not into waiting patiently.
The folks that took the harder climb said it was tiring but worth it.
I skipped the Opera as I don't like Opera here and there it was
kind of screamy...from all reports.
The Hilton Hotel was lovely and I had a really good massage in the
room the first night. Excellent idea!
Since the Olympics, many signs were in English too so you could
sort of find your way around, though I didn't stray too far away on
my own.
Next report...Xian...to see the Terra Cota Warriors.

china chatter

Well, just got back from great great trip! It so exceeded my expectations!
The people are so sweet and eager to give good service. the country is magnificent
both in history and progress.
In a mere 17 years they have built so many sky scrapers the national bird is
said to be "the crane."..the building kind.
The scope of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and everything is so
vast it takes your breath away.
The example of the Olympics shows that they are the unstoppable. amazing to hear
about their lives from the Guides and how in a mere 38 years they have
entered the present and really are the future.
Will try and get some photos up when i can figure out how to do it!!