It’s been a wet September in New Orleans. We’re over 20 inches above our normal rainfall. In the unlikely event we have no more rain for the remainder of the year, we’ll still be well above average. Now that’s wet.
I had my fourth IV iron infusion this week. I’m starting to feel closer to normal but continue to tire easily. I’m also finding it hard to be among crowds of people; something I need to get over for Carnival 2025. I don’t want to become a Howard Hughes style hermit, after all.
This week’s theme song was written by Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Chris Squire for the 1983 Yes album 90125. It Can Happen was originally recorded under the band name Cinema with lead vocals by Chris Squire before Jon Anderson rejoined the band and Yes was reborn or some such shit.
We have two versions of It Can Happen for your listening pleasure: the Yes promo video and Cinema.
Speaking of happening songs, here’s another one from Yes followed by The Supremes:
We begin our second act with another ode to the great historian Robert Caro.
Unholy Moses: The Powerbroker At 50 I first read The Powerbroker after reading a rave review by Gore Vidal. It turned me into a confirmed Caro fan. In fact, my paperback copy of the book is falling apart from repeated perusings.
For the uninitiated, The Powerbroker is about Robert Moses who made New York state safe for the automobile and concrete., #sarcasm. Moses was a master builder who tore down everything in his way. He was an unelected autocrat who maintained a stranglehold on New York politics for decades. He ran unsuccessfully for governor, but it didn’t matter: Robert Moses had the hammer.
The New York Historical Society is marking the 50th anniversary of the book with an exhibit. That, in turn, led to a feature in New York Magazine by Christopher Bonanos. He paid Caro a visit at his home to discuss the unholy Moses book as well as his LBJ series. The final book of which is nearing completion. Yay, Team Caro.
Get thee to NY Magazine for the details.
Faye: I was a huge Faye Dunaway fan during her peak years as a movie star. She was among my first crushes. I dug her acting too. She was fearless, willing to play unlikeable characters like Diana Christensen in Network. She won an Oscar for that role but her days as a movie star ended after Mommie Dearest.
Actors are dependent on their directors, especially those like Faye Dunaway who dislikes watching the rushes of her movies. Mommie Dearest director Frank Perry allowed a great actress to chew the scenery to the detriment of her career.
I saw Mommie Dearest early in its run and couldn’t help laughing at stuff like this:
Unfortunately, stuff like that made one of the most respected movie stars of her era a laughingstock. I prefer to think of her performances in Bonnie & Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, Oklahoma Crude, Chinatown, Three Days Of The Condor, and, of course, Network.
There’s an HBO documentary about the life and times of Faye. I learned a lot from it including her late in life discovery that she’s bipolar. She had a reputation for being difficult and that explains why.
Faye comes off as a troubled but likable woman. Her son, Liam, is devoted to her and was actively involved in the documentary. He does not, however, call her mommie dearest.
Here’s the trailer:
Grading Time: I give Faye 3 1/2 stars and an Adrastos Grade of B+. It makes me want to revisit her luminous presence in so many great movies.
The last word of our second act goes to Flatt & Scruggs:
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth Casting Edition: I had forgotten that Faye Dunaway played Wallis Simpson opposite Richard Chamberlain in The Woman I Love. I know I saw it but cannot remember if it was a critical look at that awful woman. That’s Wallis, not Faye.
Your Weekly Oscar: Let’s pay a visit to Cuba with OP.
Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?
The Best Of SNL: Here’s a Sopranos finale infused sketch with Robert DeNiro as Bob Mueller and Alec Baldwin as you know who.
If only the Trump campaign would fade to black with Journey as background music. It will be with us until next January, alas.
Saturday GIF Horse: When I’m feeling irascible, nobody makes me laugh as hard as WC Fields.
The Saturday Meme: I don’t recall where I saw this, but I went apeshit over it.
Did I say apeshit? Holy mixed metaphor Batman.
I might as well play a Kinks song at this point:
Tweet Of The Week: I nearly did a spit take when I saw this.
Not too many people will get this joke. pic.twitter.com/yARyau51gK
— WhiteDudeForHarris (@quadcarl_carl) September 17, 2024
I get it, so does Tommy T.
Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.
Saturday Closer: We began with Yes. Let’s end with them.
That’s all for this week. The last word goes to two of my favorite movie stars: William Holden and Faye Dunaway.
