Never Slug a Palm Beach Psychic

There are rules in this world, unspoken rules, and Lindsay Lohan has just broken another. Early Thursday morning in Chelsea Lindsay Lohan exited a club and got into a verbal and physical altercation with a Palm Beach Psychic, Tiffany Mitchell. (You just can't make this kinda stuff up)

Doesn't Lindsay know one of the most cardinal of all rules: never have a punch out with a psychic. And what about this Tiffany Mitchell what kind of psychic couldn't see that coming? It all smacks of set up to me. Lindsay may now have violated her parole and still flush from her comeback success!
Let's face hasn't almost everyone at one point wanted to punch a psychic? Free Lindsay!

They Want Their Farrah

The University of Texas has sued actor Ryan O'Neal over a painting of the late actress Farrah Fawcett done by Andy Warhol. The always arrogant O'Neal is hard to root against in this case. His rationale is logical on this rare occasion. His story is he had known Warhol for ten years when he introduced Farrah to Warhol and the artist wanted to do her portrait. He did two (they didn't require a lot of work) one was for Farrah and one for O'Neal.
When Farrah died he living will donated her art collection to the University of Texas. Farrah had attend the university in the 1960's. The university has one of the portraits but wants the other which is valued at over $30,000,000.
Granted Ryan O'Neal is sort of a putz but he and Farrah were together for many many years and he is th father of her messed up child. The University had a private investigator look for the painting and his sleuthing found the Warhol on the wall in O'Neal's home. He was able to located it by watching Ryan and Tatum O'Neals failed reality show. Didn't this once happen on the Rockford Files?

Is Angus T. Jones a Hypocrite?

The actor on the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" Angus T. Jones has declared the show to be filth and asks viewers to sop watching it. It seems Mr. Jones has had a religious conversion and now feels that the show is bad. He did sign a contract to be on what could now be called "Two Men and a Hypocrite" and has a year to go. He claims the show goes against his new religious beliefs but taking the pay check apparently isn't.
Jones has been on the show for ten years and it has always been rather filthy and puerile if he hadn't noticed it. He could have left when Charlie Sheen left the show and simply not signed the contract that is keeping him there. He could also break the contract and give back some of the money. His character can easily be written out and he can go on his sanctimonious way.

To Bomb or not to Bomb

Being miscast in a made for TV movie with a bad script can kill a career but it may have revived Lindsay Lohan's. "Liz & Dick" was a dreadful waste of a viewers time and a producers money and it wasn't Lindsay's fault. The script was insipid at best and the direction slipshod. The dialogue in this train wreck was hackneyed at best and the character development was nonexistent. Grant Bowler did a yeoman's work as Richard Burton and was the most believable and fleshed out of all the characters in the 90 minute catastrophe. The secondary characters were all flatter than flat with some of the worst dialogue written since Ed Wood was writing. One has to pity the actress playing Sara Taylor and Sybil Burton as their dialogue was just embarrassingly bad.
Sadly "Liz & Dick" isn't even funny bad just bad bad. The only redeeming factor was Lindsay's make up and hair.

The costumes were also rather disappointing. Elizabeth Taylor was know in the 60's and 70's for her frankly wild and often unflattering outfits in the version of her life they toned it down having her appear nearly pedestrian. Where were the turbans and the Pucci's? Here and there a fur hat would appear but never did Lindsay have that Elizabeth Taylor flair. The only time Lindsay ever achieved a truly "Liz" look was at the end of the evening's horror show when they brought out the 80's hair and shoulder pads.
Lindsay was trying hard you could see but was given so little to try with. Did she look like Elizabeth Taylor? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Did she capture the essence of Taylor? Generally she did not and it is really hard to fault her as the direction and dialogue was so pathetic. Will this film kill her career? It is doubtful but it hasn't done anything to further it either. What she got was press and as the cliche goes there is no such thing as bad press.

 

The Flying Fishbowl

Earlier today I was driving along and I saw something I hadn't seen in a very long time and it made me smile. I saw an AMC Pacer cruising down Hollywood Blvd. I had forgotten about the Pacer. I do admit I did follow it for a block or two just to see it and smile some more. Although only in production for 5 years the Pacer is iconic. Does any thing say 1970's more than a Pacer. The one I saw today was a lovely shade of yellow.

The Pacer's design was fairly avante garde for its day with its bubbled back window and almost George Jetson like design. The automotive designer Richard Teague started work on the design in 1971 and the first Pacer hit the roads in 1975. It was marketed as "the first wide small car" as it was a compact car but the rear was as wide as a traditional 70's sedan. Teague's "low drag" aerodynamic design was very innovative for the day and predated the fuel crisis that brought on the development of more aerodynamic small cars as well as the increase of import cars with better fuel mileage.

Although only 280,000 cars were built by AMC they have become iconic. The automotive press of the time loved the design. Motor Trend magazine said "the most creative, most people oriented auto born in the U.S. in 15 years" in its 1975 review of the car. It is still not long enough ago for the Pacer to be considered a classic but they have become highly collectible. So hop in your Pacer put Grand Funk Railroad tape in the eight track and head out for a drive in your Pacer!

The Agnes Moorehead Lounge

If you are a fan of "Bewitched" or maybe "Citizen Kane" there is a bar in Reedsburg, Wisconsin that is a must see. The Touchdown Tavern is a sports bar with what has to be one of the odder attractions of any sports bars. It is also the home of The Agnes Moorehead Lounge. Yes that's right there is a room dedicated to Endora. Filled with memorabilia of her life and career this sports bar has an entire room dedicated to Ms Moorehead who died in 1974. They have photos, autographs, letters written on her stationary and a gown that she owned. Agnes Moorehead has no real connection with the town other than she was once a a ribbon cutting. You have to give the bar owners credit for coming up with a truly quirky tribute to a fine actress.

Can Justin Beiber Become Anymore Annoying?

Oh Justin Beiber when will you go away? When will we have all forgotten about you? Now you appear on music award shows getting rewarded for the frankly dull music you make and then feel you have the right to give lectures on stage. You little man/boy should be happy you have made some money and have a slew of mindless little fans who once their hormones balance out will drop you like an old fish. You are not timeless may I just say Bobby Sherman. What you don't know who he is? Right! You will soon be nostalgia.
Now you also feel you must stop your silly look at me car in traffic and lecture the people following you around and tell them they are in the wrong line of work. Okay you may not have been 100% wrong but your method is just annoying to those who happen to be on the same street as you. So baby baby baby please go away.

Octomom's Kids Put Out a Christmas Song

Nadya Suleman's kids have gone to work. They have are called the "Roctuplets" and have recorded the saddest Christmas song ever. The song is sad as the kids seem almost in a trance. Not all of the kids participate in this little ditty just five of the fourteen perform. The money from sales of the single will go into a trust for the kids education or perhaps therapy. This sad little song is available on line.

Oh No Dolly Madison!

There has been a lot of talk and lamentation about the demise of the Twinkie but completely over shadowed is the possible end of yet another snack cake line, Dolly Madison. They too are Hostess products. Dolly Madison seems to be the ugly step-sister of Hostess but they have one thing that Hostess did not. They had the blessings of Charlie Brown, Lucy Van Pelt and Peppermint Patty.
"Cakes and pastries fine enough to serve in the White House" was the motto of Roy Nafziger's company. Roy Nafziger a baker started the company in 1937. He had an obsession with first lady Dolly Madison so he named the company after her. The most popular of all of the Dolly Madison products is Zingers. What will be come of Dolly Madison? Will they go the way of Charlie Brown himself and just disappear?

Hey Have You Got 45 Million Dollars?

If you have a spare 45 million dollars have I got a house for you! It is in the very elegant South Palms Springs neighborhood and it was once the home of a bonafide celebrity. The house designed by architectural superstar John Lautner in 1973 but wasn't built until 1976. Well it was almost built but it burned to the ground just before the original completion and had to be rebuilt from the ground up. But who was the celebrity??? It was none other than Bob Hope. Hope and his wife Dolores had the house built to their specifications and it is a quirky house to say the least. The spaceship shaped two story house has 22,000 square feet and a mushroom like roof. It also incorporated natural elements like a huge boulder in the living room. Hope and his wife built the house for just over 2 million dollars. This is the first time it has been on the market as Dolores Hope lived there until her death last year. She was 102.
The house has six bedrooms and ten bathrooms and is next to another Coachella Valley architectural icon the Elrod house.

"Oh Nice!"

Geoffrey Hughes is known to most American's as Onslow the bone idle brother-in-law of Hyacinth Bucket on the television series 'Keeping Up Appearances". Hughes had a long and successful television career in the UK. Like many British actors he started his career in repertory theater and pantomime then moving on to perform in West End shows. His first television role came in 1969 with a small role on a sitcom. Hughes worked off and on in sitcoms before landing the role of Eddie Yeats on the long running soap opera "Coronation Street". Eddie was from Liverpool and a bit a bounder working as a widow cleaner and builder as well as a petty thief. Hughes played Eddie for nearly ten years before leaving the show in 1983. He did return very briefly for one season in 1987. The next role he had was that of Onslow on "Keeping Up Appearances". Hughes played Onslow for the five year run of the show.

His next major role was that of Twiggy on the sitcom "The Royale Family". The series set in Manchester was about the television obsessed family living on state benefits. Twiggy was a petty criminal and friend of the family.
Hughes also had a role in one of  the very popular "Carry On" films. His was also the voice of Paul McCartney in the animated film "Yellow Submarine".
When not acting Hughes lived on the Isle of Wright. In 2009 he was appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant to the Isle of Wright which made him the official link between the island and royalty at official engagements.
Geoffrey Hughes had battled prostate cancer starting in 2010 and died at his home on the Isle of Wright in July of 2102.

She was "His boy Elroy"

Lucille Bliss died on November 8, 2012. You most likely would not recognise her name but you would know her voice. Bliss was a very successful voice over actress. Ms Bliss' voice has been the voice of very memorable animated characters. Her voice was the voice of the title role of the first made for television cartoon Crusader Rabbit. Bliss also worked in animated films. She is the voice of one of the horrid step-sisters in Disney's "Cinderella" as well as in "101 Dalmations". Her real fame came from her television characters. She was the voice of Bam Bam Rubble and Elroy Jetson in the 60's and later was the voice of Smurfette.

Bliss a pioneer in telvision animation was born in New York in 1916 and later lived in San Francisco where she started working in radio dramas.. When she heard that Walt Disney was casting role for Cinderella she moved to LA and auditioned. Disney gave Ms. Bliss her Hollywood first job.
I'm an actress specializing in voices," Bliss once told a writer. "I don't like the term 'voice-over.' … You have to be an actor first, and then the voice.... You have to take acting lessons to learn how to act before you can speak."

Lucille Bliss died of natural causes at the age of 96 while living in an assisted living center in Costa Mesa, California.

Edendale LA's Lost Bohemian Enclave

 

Once upon a time before there was Hollywood there was a thriving idiosyncratic neighborhood in Los Angeles called Edendale. Edendale hugged the hills along Sunset Blvd. Narrow curved streets followed the contours of the hills abruptly ending and then starting up again when the hills became to steep. In the flatter areas small farms grew vegetables and citrus. Serviced by the Red Car streetcar system Edendale was a short commute to Downtown Los Angeles. It was an idyllic enclave populated by immigrants from the east coast and Europe looking to start a new life in California. Before World War II Edendale was a thriving artist colony and American communist stronghold. It was also because of this attitude and the climate the fledgling movie industry immigrated there at the turn of the century. The silent era was Edendale's film industry's heyday. In 1911 the early film trade magazine gushed over Edendale saying: "Edendale...is a very beautiful suburb of Los Angeles. It is the motion picture center of the Pacific Coast. With clear air and sunshine three hundred days out of the year, conditions are ideal for perfect picture making. The scenic advantages of the location, too, are unique. From [Edendale] can be seen the Pacific Ocean, twenty-two miles to the west, and the broad panorama of Southern California, with its fruit and stock ranches, its snow capped mountains and its tropical vegetation, to the east, north and south. Within a short distance of Edendale may be found every known variety of national scenery, seemingly arranged by a master producer expressly for the motion picture camera."

The quiet and busy streets, the hills and lakes, and the sunshine were custom made for the early film industry. In 1909 a film company from Chicago called Selig-Polyscope opened the first permanent studio in Edendale. Later that year New York Motion Picture company opened their studio in Edendale and started making westerns under the name Bison Pictures. Mack Sennett moved his studio to what was mainly a vacant lot and started making his Keystone Comedies. His Keystone Cops movies were shot on the streets on Edendale.It was in Edendale that the first filmed pie in the face scene was shot. The Sennett Bathing Beauties pranced around nearby lakes and included such future stars as Gloria Swanson and Carol Lombard. Both Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin's careers started at Keystone. Sennett's biggest star in the silent era was Mabel Normand. She too built herself a studio right around the corner from Sennett's.

By the 1920's there were several studios pumping out movies in Edendale. William Fox started his Fox Studio's there. His early films included Cleopatra with Theda Bara. Tom Mix the colorful cowboy star built his Mixville Studio nearby. Norbig Studios opened as a rental space and directors like Hal Roach directed the early Harold Lloyd comedies on this lot.
Edendale was densely built and when the studios need more room to expand they weren't able to find the land they needed. They moved down Prospect Ave that had now been re-named Hollywood Blvd. and found the land they needed in the little village of Hollywood.

When the freeway system was built in Los Angles Edendale was dissected and eventually dissolved and became the neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silverlake and Echo Park. There are still reminders of Edendale in tact, the post office and a library still have the name Edendale. 

Never Drink and Marry

Oh the things that happen in Las Vegas when you are drinking! Take Janeane Garofalo's story as a cautionary tale! It seems stand up comic Ms. Garofalo and her then boyfriend sitcom producer Rob Cohen were in Vegas having a good ole time drinking and riding in cabs. They were in a cab drunk and went to a drive through wedding chapel and accidentally (?) got married. They in their drunkenness thought it was just a lark and wasn't legal.
Then lo and behold twenty years later a sober Mr. Cohen wants marry and finds there is a bit of a snag. He is legally married to Garofalo! Oops! Lucky for him Ms Garofalo agreed to stop into a notary's office before her appearance at a comedy festival. This time they went to a bank to disolve their union. Ms. Garofalo no longer drinks.

Fondle Me Elmo

The puppeteer who is the voice and movement of Sesame Street's character Elmo has been accused of having a sexual relationship with an under aged boy. The accuser says the relationship started when he was sixteen and Kevin Clash, the puppeteer was forty-five. Clash admits to the relationship but claims it was not sexual until the accuser was of age. The age of consent in New York state where the relationship occurred is seventeen. Clash has taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street to take time to clear his name as he denies the charges. Sesame Workshop through their lawyers say it has nothing to do with the show and it is a personal relationship.
This unfortunately could be the end of Clash's career with Sesame Workshop. The accuser has hired the law firm that handled the cases for the accusers in the Jerry Sandusky molestation case. They have accused Sesame Workshop of trying to discredit the accuser and valuing the the image of one of their most valuable characters of the young man now twenty-three years old.

"I've Got Another Sick Headache"

The ultimate wasp and nosey mother-in-law was what Mabel Albertson played on TV and in the movies but in fact she was neither. She was born in Lynn Massachusetts in 1901 to Russian born Jewish immigrant parents. Albertson's mother was a stock actress who worked in a shoe factory in Lynn to make ends meet for her family. Albertson's younger brother was another actor Jack Albertson from "Chico and the Man", "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Poseidon Adventure" fame.

Alberston started her film career in the late 20's and early 30's. One of her memorable film roles was as a banker's wife in "Ma and Pa Kettle go to Waikiki". In the 50's she began appearing on television. Alberston began playing a series of waspy busy body mothers and mother-in-laws. She was Donald Hollinger's mother on "That Girl" and she was most famous for her role as Mrs. Stevens Samantha's neurotic mother-in-law on "Bewitched".  She was also Howard Sprauge's mother on "The Andy Griffith Show". She also played Paul Lynde's mother-in-law on the "Paul Lynde Show". One of her most memorable film role was in "What's Up Doc" as Mrs. Van Hoskins the woman who's jewels were stolen.
In real life she was a mother-in-law to Cloris Leachman when she was married to Albertson's son George Englund.

Mabel Albertson died from the complications of Alzheimer's disease in 1982 at the age of 81.

Love on a Rooftop

Set in San Francisco the 1966 sitcom "Love on a Rooftop" starred Pete Duel as Dave Willis and as his wife Julie Willis, Judy Carne. The series only lasted one season dispite of good ratings. The premise of the show was Dave an apprentice architect making $87.37 a week falls in love with art student Julie and they marry. Eccentric Judy Carne finds an apartment on the roof of an apartment building in Nob Hill. Well it isn't really an apartment; it is an unused storage unit. Think of it as a mash up of "Barefoot in the Park" and "Djarma and Greg". In this version Judy Carne's parents are the rich people and her father and husband of course but heads.

They of course have a pair of wacky best friends, Carol and Stan Parker played by Barbara Bostock and Rich Little. Stan is an oddball inventor of gadgets and Carol is naturally a housewife. Stan has a habit of walking in unannounced to Dave and Julie's apartment always to explain a new hair brained money making scheme.
"Love on a Rooftop" was mainly written by Bernard Slade a sitcom writer who went on to write such classics as "The Flying Nun", "Bridget Loves Bernie" and the "Partridge Family".

Athur Treacher More than Fish & Chips

His name is now mostly associated with a chain of fish and chip shops but he was a very fine actor.  Born and raised in England he started his stage career after service in World War I. He was brought to the US by Billy Rose for his Broadway production of Sweet and Low. Treacher than branched out into the movies and was a co-star to Shirley Temple in some of her most iconic roles. Treacher being six feet four inches towered over her in the song and dance routines. The role he is most remembered for though was of Jeeves the ultimate man's man. As P G Wodehouse's valet Jeeves he was in two of the Jeeves and Wooster films. He then went on to play a series of butlers and valets. One of his memorable butler roles was on The Beverly Hillbillies. He played a butler named Arthur Pinkley who thinks that the Clampetts are servants and they think he is a border.

Other people will remember Arthur Treacher as Merv Griffen's side kick for many years on the Merv Griffen show. He left the show when it was relocated from New York to Los Angeles. He was rather elderly at the time and felt he couldn't move to a place where the ground would shake.
One of Treachers last movie roles was that of Constable Jones in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins.

Arthur Treach died at the age of 81 in New York. He was married to his wife Virginia Taylor for 31 years at the time of his death from a heart attack.

Searching for Housing is a Drag

If you have never had to go out and look for a new place to live you have lead a charmed life. If you have searched the search for a place to live you will understand my current state of mind. Currently we live in a groovy little house way up in the hills of Los Feliz in LA. Its a great little house in a neighborhood full of mansions. We have a view of Los Angeles to die for from our glass walled house. Why are you leaving some many people have asked. Well the view is lovely but the trip to what we can see is daunting. Don't forget to pick something up as it is a long circuitous drive to get anything. I want to walk to a store or cafe or anything. No one walks in the neighborhood we currently live in other than dog walkers and maids. I know all of them. I will miss them but miss city living more.

So the hunt begins. We don't have to leave so that pressure is off but you still have to do the work. Lots of ads to read and real estate people to talk to about their "properties". Then there are the visits. A very charming older lady realtor showed us an apartment that she apologized to us for before opening the door. It wasn't gross or dirty or anything like that, it just was weird. The owner had an eccentric concept of what rooms should be shaped and sized. He seemed to be fascinated by triangular rooms and rhombus shaped areas that couldn't quite be called rooms just areas.
Another place we visited has a very nice balcony that looked onto a pool but the balcony was built with a 10% grade. I kind of liked it, sort of reminded me of the villains lairs in the old Batman TV show.
Later we looked at a beautiful building with a great central patio. The apartment had to be shown with the lights on and it was daytime! The elderly lady with the Russian accent who showed us the spot said it was relaxing. We thanked her but declined as we like daylight during the day time. It was then I realized that we were being watched by what must have been the entire population of the complex. We would have been the only non-old Russian pensioners.
We have seen some near hits though. One mid-century gem had a wet bar in the living room and a nice balcony. Unfortunately it was entirely painted beige and had gold wall to wall carpeting. It would be like living in the set the the old Bob Newhart set. They were very proud of the paint and carpet and seemed insulted with the suggestion of change. The place had a closet/dressing room and regular closet in the master bedroom! Why beige and gold?!
Then there was the cute little house with the lovely garden. Where it failed was the neighbor's garden that the cottage's garden overlooked. The neighbors apparently collect old bikes and folding beach chairs. From the street you would never think there was some serious hoarding going on back there! There was hopefully going to be an intervention soon but not before we moved in I am afraid, so I'm sorry but no.

We saw a theoretically wonderful place off of Sunset Strip, behind the Whiskey-A-Go-Go but the place looked like a place where a junkie may go to die. There were stairs in a bathroom that lead to the toilet. There was another short set of steps in the kitchen that lead to the stove. Which room was the living room and which were bedrooms? Who the hell could tell. Oh yes there is a balcony built for the suicidal by the insane.
We visited two places owned by the same landlord who told us to let ourselves in and look around. We happily headed to see them only to find them locked. When the landlord was questioned he wouldn't believe us. He told us we were wrong and to leave him alone. I know we weren't wrong as we met another couple also looking at the places and they too were surprised to find them locked. I suggested that perhaps the locks were enchanted and only opened for those who were supposed to live there. I got a laugh but not inside.
The search is not over but coming close to closure.

Number Thirteen

Do you know who the thirteenth president of the United States was? Well he was the last of the Whig Party and he was elected. He was Millard Fillmore and he became the 13th president upon the death of Zachary Taylor. Taylor died after consuming a huge amount of cherries and cold milk at a fund raiser for the Washington Monument and contracted a digestive ailment. Millard Fillmore took over the office of president on July 9, 1850. He was not re-elected. He was beaten by Franklin Pierce. Millard Fillmore was also the last of three members of the Whig Party to be president. The Whig Party basically fell apart due to the debate over slavery. After his term in office Millard Fillmore was very active in the Know Nothing Party.
Millard Fillmore was born in 1800 in Upstate New York to working class parents and was apprenticed to a cloth maker in Sparta, New York at age 14. He struggled to obtain and education and eventually got a job as a clerk for a lawyer. While he was working for the lawyer Fillmore studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1823. Fillmore's law practice was one of the most successful in Upstate New York. He was also one of the founders of University of Buffalo.
As a president he was not a very popular or successful president. He is rank as one of the 10 worst presidents. His term was rocked by the slavery issues of the day. It was during his term as president that California was admitted to the union and New Mexico and Utah were made territories. He appoint Brigham Young as territorial governor of Utah. Young named his new capital Fillmore in the county of Millard.
After his adminsitration Millard Fillmore returned to upstate New York and took the position of Chancellor of the University of Buffalo. He died in Buffalo on March 8, 1874

Fan or Fanatic?

Being a fan of something is great but sometimes people take it a little too far, stalkers for instance. Then there are the fans that spend all of their time and money attending fan fests and collecting memorablia but Emma Louise Hodges may have take her love for 007 to the nth degree. Ms. Hodges a bartender in Birmingham England loves 007 so much she has legally changed her name. As a tribute to her love for the series created by Ian Fleming ms hodges has changed her name to Pussy Galore Honey Rider Solitaire Plenty O'Toole May Day Xenia Onatopp Holly Goodhead Tiffany Case Kissy Suzuki Mary Goodnight Jinx Johnson Octopussy Domino Moneypenny. That's a mouth full isn't it. Miss Moneypenny (nee Hodges) says she always wanted to be a Bond Girl and now she is one legally, not only is she a bond girl she is all of them. Well she didn't put all of the girls into her new name but many of them. She claims that her favorite Bond Girl of all was Britt Ekland in "Her Majesty's Secret Service".

 

Riding The Pony

 

There is no more mystifying bit of plumbing to an American than a bidet. What is it and how does one use one? Ask most Americans and you will get a blank stare or a hearty laugh. The bidet is an enigma.
The word bidet naturally is French and it's literal translation is a word for pony. The idea is one uses (rides) a bidet like one rides a pony. Charming image isn't it? Another equally quaint expression for bidet is the garden hose. Oh, it just keeps getting better dosen't it.

The actual purpose of a bidet is the cleaning of ones genitalia and shall we say; anus. This happens after the use of its kissin' cousin the toilet. The bidet is NOT a toilet it is more of a itty bitty tub or a big low wash basin for ones unmentionables and perhaps feet if they need seeing to.
It is rumored that the bidet was invented by French furniture maker Marc Andre Jacoud for the fastidious French royal family in the early 1700's.

 It was very common in French palaces for there to be a bidet and when bathrooms were inverted they moved there. The original bidet was a much cruder version than it is today.

The modern bidet is a plumbing marvel. They have become rather high tech in actuality.
Not only are bidets a mystery for Americans they are also a lot of fun. When in Europe nothing tickles shall we say, an American more than using a bidet. The little towel used for drying up can be a little off putting...

Halloween With Holly Woodlawn

A dear friend from San Francisco came to Los Angeles for a visit over Halloween. She is a punk rock hair dresser and colorist and enjoys doing the out of the ordinary. There would be no stops on the Walk of Fame or movie star homes for us. It was Halloween so we wanted to do something fun.  I made a phone call to a friend I thought she might enjoy meeting. The friend I called was Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn.  I asked if she was receiving visitors and Holly replied “Oh yes the haunted house is open.”

We headed to West Hollywood toute suite. We did need to make on stop though, we needed to swing by Trader Joes. When I go to visit Holly I always bring her some wine. It was recently Holly’s birthday and I wasn’t able to attend her birthday party due to work. I felt bad that I missed her big day so this time instead of picking up a bottle of her favorite Two Buck Chuck Pinot Grigio I picked up a case for her.

It was Halloween so there were road closures due to the West Hollywood festivities. We were denied direct access to Holly’s street due to the closures. This sent us onto a maze of side streets. Each street would close after about a block sending nearer yet further from Holly’s at every turn.  Finally we made it to her street but several blocks from her apartment. We found parking and started our trek up the steep hill carrying the case of Two Buck Chuck.

Well, Holly was pleased with the gift. She asked if we could open a few right away. Miss Woodlawn then commenced holding court on her reproduction Cleopatra throne. She can tell a story like nobody can. She entertained us with stories of her birthday party and life in New York with Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling.  Holly and my friend shared hair and makeup tips and swapped dirty stories making each other laugh.  When it was time to leave Holly whispered into my ear. “I like her! And come back soon!”  Holly gave me a big “cock sucker red” lipsticked kiss on the cheek and we left.

World's Creepiest House?

Jayne Stead and her partner Mike Blatchford may just win the prize for having the world's creepiest house. The house per se isn't all that creepy but its location is. Their home is in the middle of a cemetery and was once a mortuary and grave digger's cottage. Located in Southampton England the house was once a Jewish Mortuary and chapel and the "lawn" is a grave yard dating from the early 1800's.
Ms. Stead admits when they decided to purchase the run down building and re-hab it into their home many of their friends and family thought they were crazy. When the then run down property was put on the market by the local council they snapped it up. Ms Stead, a designer, says she loves run down cottages and Mr Blatchford is a builder who supervised the remodeling. They now live there with their 3 teen aged children.
Mr Blatchford's aunt is a medium and claims the place is rather comfortable. They do admit that they never get trick or treaters walking up their garden path. The house is very modern and bright on the inside and has 4 bedrooms, modern kitchen and bathrooms but on the outside it looks very much the same as it did when the cemetery caretakers lived there. The original exterior features mullioned windows and gargoyles.
"We are the spookiest house in the city."