What I'm Reading Now: Lessons in French

I couldn't resist when Sourcebooks gave me the chance to review Laura Kinsale's first romance in 5 years. I was a huge Laura Kinsale fan back in the day when I devoured historical romance like Twizzlers.
From the back cover:

Trevelyn and Callie are childhood sweethearts with a taste for adventure. Until the fateful day her father discovers them embracing in the carriage and in a furious frenzy drives Trevelyn away in disgrace. Nine long, lonely years later, Trevelyn returns. Callie is shocked to discover that he can still make her blood race and fill her life with mischief, excitement and scandal. He would give her the world, but he can't give her the one thing she wants more than anything - himself. For Trevelyn, Callie is a spark of light in a world of darkness and deceit. Before he can bear to say his last good-byes, he's determined to sweep her into one last, fateful adventure, just for the two of them.

Ah, a second chance at love story, I'm a sucker for those. Set during the 1820's, Lessons in French is a heart-warming love story that had a little too much going on for this reader. Lady Callista Taillefaire (Callie) is now 27, and has been jilted three times which is quite scandalous for the time. To loose a fiance is one thing, to loose three is carelessness to paraphrase Oscar Wilde. She's made a life for herself, raising cattle, particularly her prize-winning bull, Hubert. When Trevelyn returns having remade his family's fortune(and how he has done that is one of the more interesting aspects of the story), she can't help but be drawn to him again. The course of true love never runs smooth and this one is no exception. No sooner is the flame of love rekindled than Trevelyn gets into a spot of trouble and is forced to flee.
Readers who know Kinsale from her heart-wrenching earlier tales might find this book a huge departure. It's a lot lighter in tone then Shadowheart. For me this book was very reminiscent of Georgette Heyer, and distantly related to Jane Austen. You know a book that is set in a small village, filled with quirky secondary characters. In Lessons in French that includes Trevelyan's valet Jock, Callie's sister Hermey, Barton and several others. While I enjoyed reading about Trevelyn’s experiences in the Napoleonic wars with another of Callie’s former suitors, Major Sturgeon, there were times when I felt that all the sub-plots were getting in the way of the main romance. I found myself yelling 'just get on with it,' quite a few times while reading. There were also times when I put the book down because it didn't hold my interest.
The book is much longer than the average historical romance at over four hundred pages, and I felt that the story dragged a bit, particulary the scenes when Callie and Trevelyn were dealing with her runaway bull Hubert. Although Trevelyn and Callie have many witty exchanges, sometimes the humor felt forced, as if the author were trying too hard to be funny. However, I enjoyed Callie's relationship with her sister Hermione, as well as Trevelyn's with his mother. It's rare to have a hero whose family are French exiles from the revolution, nor a hero who starts out fighting for Napoleon. Callie is one of the more delightful heroines that I've read in a long time. Despite the fact that she's been jilted three times, she's not cynical or jaded. She has a sense of humor about the whole situation. I liked the fact that Trevelyn had real reasons for keeping Callie at a distance, although he longs to reignite what had just been a spark nine years ago. But the book, at least for me, was lacking a little bit in the sexual tension department between the hero and heroine. But I have to say that my favorite character in the whole book was Hubert. Yes, my heart was won by a bull, a very charismatic bull by the way.
Despite my few quibbles, Lessons in French is well worth the read particularly if you are a reader who enjoys a meatier romance than is usually found on bookshelves.

Friday Real Estate Porn: French Chateau

While trolling through the property listings on the Country Life magazine web-site, I saw this little beauty. A genuine French chateau near Toulouse.  Here are the deets from the estate agency web-site:

"For sale Auvergne Puy de Dome historical Relais Château Hotel, Situated in the heart of the dramatic volcanic landscape. Built in the 12th century as a lookout tower the Castle was enlarged in the 15th century and since then it became the residence of French noble families. The property is decorated in the Haute Epoque style with Trompe L’Oeil l fresco’s in the bedrooms. The three storey Castle has elevations of stone under a pitched roof with 3 turrets and 2 towers and a cellar. Outside there is a 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom cottage overlooking the Castle and an additional building for receptions positioned by the swimming pool. In total there are 19 bedrooms in the main building comprising 15 rooms and 5 suites. For sale and currently operated as a luxury Relais Chateau Hotel with gastronomic restaurant (1 Michelin star). Externally there is a helipad area with the capacity for 5 helicopters, a swimming pool and a tennis court. The property is on a plot of 7 hectares. Sale price €6 500 000."

You can see more pictures at the Jonathan Charles web-site. I'm thinkin gthat the cost is over 6 million Euros, which comes out to be like $8 million dollars at the current exchange rate. And look it's a hotel, which you can keep it as. Who wouldn't love to own their own French hotel with a 1 star Michelin restaurant? Now if I could only get a Top Chef to run it. I wonder what Sam Talbott is doing these days?

What I Want Now: Steve Madden Trumpit Shoe

I saw this shoe in the February issue of LUCKY magazine and was devastated when I couldn't find it on the web-site. Thank God for Amazon.com who has it in both black velvet and red velvet. I would prefer the lovely satin version that I saw in LUCKY but this will certainly do in a pinch. They are so lovely and Neo-Victorian. I can see wearing these with long, flowing dresses or leggings.

They're $149 which is expensive and the heel is a little too high even for me but I still want them.

10 Reasons to Watch One Life To Live

Given that As The World Turns has just been canceled after 53 years on the air that leaves One Life To Live as the only daytime drama left filming in New York. And the only show left on the air at 2 p.m. Remember when it was Another World on NBC, ATWT on CBS, and OLTL on ABC? Now One Life To Live will soon be standing alone. And I'm determined that it will not be another victim of cancellation. OLTL, in my humble opinion, is one of the best written and acted shows on the air that no one is watching. And it gives no love from ABC. While AMC has been moved to Los Angeles into a brand new facility and will soon be shown in HD, OLTL is being moved into AMC's old studio and will not be filmed in HD. While hot groups like the All-American rejects and stars like Snoop Dogg make regular appearances on the show, you would be hard pressed to see any promos or previews for it. Recently OLTL did a huge storyline involving gay marriage and gay couple Fish and Kyle finally consummated their relationship. But did you hear about it in the media? Contrast to last year when Reese and Bianca got married on AMC and the two actresses and the EP were everywhere promoting the storyline, despite the fact that it totally sucked (the bride found out that her fiancee had sucked face with her brother-in-law the night before the wedding).

So here are 10 Reasons why I think that soap fans should watch OLTL (if they aren't already).

1. Diversity:  OLTL has one the most diverse casts in terms of ethnicity on the air right now. OLTL right now has 8 characters who are either African-American or Hispanic. Contrast that with GH which has none, B&B (none), ATWT (none). AMC and Y&R are the only other soaps to really have minority characters that aren't just window-dressing. And these characters have families, they're not just floating out there in the ether. And they have storylines.

2. Actresses over 40 who have storylines:  Dorian, Blair, Tea, Viki, Nora are all women over 40 years old and guess what? They all have major storylines on this show. And romances. In Blair's case, she's had probably had more sex scenes on this show in the past year than some of the younger characters. Dorian Lord is the major of Llanview and involved in a major storyline trying to protect her family from the evil Mitch Lawrence.

3. A police department that actually catches criminals: Unlike GH, where the PCPD make the Keystone Cops look like crack investigators, the cops on OLTL actually do their jobs. They arrest people and actually put people in jail. Sometimes they actually stay there. But they actually do their jobs well, and the police commissioner is not made to constantly look like an incompetent boob.

4. Consistency:  The EP Frank Valentini has been working on the show for 24 years and the Head Writer, Ron Carlivati has been with the show as a writer for 13 years. They know the show intimately and it shows on the screen. Characters on this show generally don't turn around on a dime just to move plot along. They have a consistent through-line. Todd is still a borderline sociopath, Dorian will always protect her family, Viki is always warm, loving, and compassionate, Blair will always wear something that is incredibly skimpy and inappropriate.

5. Love Stories: Nora & Bo, Kyle & Fish, Todd & Tea, Starr & Cole, Langston & Markko, Christian & Layla, Gigi & Schuyler, Brody & Jessica, this show is awash in couples that the audience cares about and roots for.

6. Friendships:  This show is awash in friendships: Schuyler & Rachel, Tea & Rachel, Rex & Bo, Kim & Stacey, Starr & Langston, Cole & Markko, Layla, Fish & Christian, Kyle & Roxy.  They confide each other, they have each other's backs, they go to the mat for each other.

7. Characters don't exist in a bubble: Compare the cast on AMC where people who should interact, don't. People on AMC exist in little bubbles and rarely meet unless it's at some big fuction. Contrast that with OLTL where pretty much everyone interacts on at least some level. On one day, David Vickers Buchanan came to town, ran into Markko, Ford, Elijah, Langston, and Dorian. He's also had scenes with his Pa, Bo, his little brother Matthew, and his step-mother Nora. Not to mention his uncle Clint.

8. The teens act like teens:  Destiny, Matthew and Daniela are the three younger teens on this show. They yell at their parents, break curfews, run away from home, have angst, and unrequited love just like most teens.

9. Kyle & Fish:  This love story has been groundbreaking.  For the first time, two men were given a love scene that was just as romantic and soapy as anything that a straight couple have been given.  I'm talking candles, romantic music, undressing, kissing, and best of all, the cuddling afterwards. Never in my life would I have said that one of the hottest love scenes that I have ever seen on a soap was between two men. And their storyline is classic soap. They were in love in college, but Fish wasn't ready to admit that he was gay, because his parents are uber-religious and conservative. He tried a relationship with Layla but couldn't get Kyle out of his mind (particularly the hot kiss behind the cafe). After sleeping with town slut Stacey, he finally admitted the truth that he was gay, but Kyle had moved on to Nick. Finally during the gay wedding, not only did Fish admit he was gay in public but also that he loved Kyle. Since then it's been incredibly sweet seeing Fish deal with having a boyfriend openly for the first time.

10. The Men are Hot:  Seriously the men on this show are some of the best looking men on television. On any given day, Ford and Christian will spend half the episode with their shirt off. Add Elijah, Greg, Brody and Ross to the mix and OLTL is like beefcake central. Even Scott Clifton, who plays Schuyler, shocked me when he took his shirt off and was looking so buff. Seriously he didn't look that hot on GH.

Hump Day Hotties: CNN Edition

Ah, Anderson Cooper, how I heart thee. Not only are you funny and smart, but you also look good in a suit. And you look sexy with the grey har. Not to mention your mother is the Gloria Vanderbilt whose jeans I worshipped in high school (I had pink velvet ones) And you're not afraid to go into hot spots to report the news. When you co-host Live with Regis and Kelly, I'm so jealous of Kelly Ripa because she gets to spend time with you. How I would love to sit down and shoot the breeze while comparing the new Dominos Pizza to the old version. I know that you probably play for the other team, but I still adore you.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has now been added to my dream team. Watching you on Oprah today while you detailed the tragedy that is going on in Haiti made me admire you even more. Even if you did piss off Michael Moore. Not only are you a doctor, but you are married to a lawyer! Sigh! If you were only single. But I can still worship you from afar and admire your pretty shiny white teeth and gorgeous hair.

Guilty Pleasures: Hello Magazine

One of my guilty pleasures is reading HELLO! Magazine. Forget People, or OK, I adore HELLO! Maybe it's because I'm an unrepentant Anglophile but the first thing I do whenever I go to the UK is pick up a copy at the W.H.Smith or Boots in the airport so that I can read it on the tube ride into the city.  Unfortunately it's too expensive for me to buy every week in the US (it's about $7), so I read it at either Barnes & Noble or whatever newsagent won't shoo me out for reading without buying.

Why do I love this magazine? Probably because I know that without fail, every other week, there will be an article about Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton with a cover picture.  How else can I keep up with what Kylie Minogue and her sister are doing? Or Russell Brand? Or any of the WAG's (Wives and girlfriends) of various footballer's? I'm particularly fascinated with Colleen Rooney who is famous chiefly because she is the wife of Wayne Rooney who plays for Man U (or did). She's had her own TV show, an autobiography, for basically doing nothing.

And I love reading about their Reality TV stars who seem so much more insane in some ways then ours. There was Jade Goode who became famous for her malapropisms on Big Brother, went into Celebrity Big Brother where she got into trouble for making racist remarks about Bollywood Star Shilpa Shetty, fell from grace, and then when she revealed that she was dying became a national heroine again. Without HELLO! Magazine, I would never have seen the fabulous like 50 page spread on Elizabeth Hurley's two weddings (in England and in India) to her husband Arun Nayar.

And wherelse can I read about foreign royalty particularly Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, and Princess Stephanie in full color.  I love that HELLO! is so oversized compared to American magazines.It makes PEOPLE and US seem anemic by comparison. And just stuffed with pictures galore. It's a little slice of Britain and a little slice of heaven for me.

Friday Real Estate Porn: 455 Central Park West

Have you ever wanted to live in a castle? I know that I do, unfortunately castles in New York are rather thin on the ground. So, I was intrigued a few years ago during the transit strike when I was walking down Central Park West in the freezing cold and I saw this building. "Where have you been all my life?" I thought. A few weeks later when I was browsing through real estate listings, I saw one for this building. 455 Central Park West. The apartments are mucho expensive, the only two that are still available cost between $4-6MM and the maintenance plus the taxes are a whopping $4,000 a month.

The building was featured in Linda Fairstein's lastest legal thriller. A dealer in rare maps lives here. Apparently the building used to be the New York Cancer hospital before someone bought it and decided to turn it into condos. The interiors from the web-site 455CPW are stunning. Most of the apartments have walk-in closets, bathrooms that you could spend all day in, and views of Central Park. Of course, if I won mega-millions and I bought a place here, I would want to be in the old part of the building and not the new addition that they added on.

Of course, the building has a health club with an olympic size swimming pool, as well as saunas, and the usual accoutrement. Plus, it also has a private garden where residents can hang out, if they don't want to cross the Street to the Park. The only problem is that the nearest subway stops are not close and 103rd Street is not the greatest part of Central Park West, so the prices are a little high compared to the rest of the neighborhood. Not that would stop me from living here if I could only afford it.

What I'm Reading Now: Jane Bites Back

I would normally have avoided this book like the plague if it hadn't been for Sarah over at Reading the Past who reviewed this book on her site. I normally avoid Austen prequels, sequels, etc. like the plague. I've never read any of the Jane Austen or the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries either. However, I was intrigued by this book. Particularly the cover.

From the back cover:

Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is still surrounded by the literature she loves—but now it's because she's the owner of Flyleaf Books in a sleepy college town in Upstate New York. Every day she watches her novels fly off the shelves—along with dozens of unauthorized sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations. Jane may be undead, but her books have taken on a life of their own.



To make matters worse, the manuscript she finished just before being turned into a vampire has been rejected by publishers—116 times. Jane longs to let the world know who she is, but when a sudden twist of fate thrusts her back into the spotlight, she must hide her real identity—and fend off a dark man from her past while juggling two modern suitors. Will the inimitable Jane Austen be able to keep her cool in this comedy of manners, or will she show everyone what a woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper set of fangs can do?

After reading that how could I resist? The best part is that Jane was turned into a vampire by Lord Byron which is completely believable. If any 19th century author was going to be an actual vampire it would be him. After all his doctor, John Polidori, wrote a book called The Vampyr that most people assumed was based on Byron. Although Jane Austen still struggles with her altered nature, she doesn't spend alot of time whinging on about it. Yes, she's a vampire and she has to feed, but she finds remarkably clever ways of doing it. The supporting characters, especially her assistant at the bookstore, Lucy are warm, and witty, people that you want to spend more time with. Ford has managed to write a book that should appeal to both Janeites and lovers of vampire fiction. I'm sure there are die-hard Jane Austen fans who will think that their heroine doesn't appear particularly Jane-like but remember she's 234 years old. Ford also doesn't spend alot of time setting up the vampire mythology in his book. Although Jane and Byron go to a vampire restaurant in New Orleans, Jane admits that she hasn't spent a great deal of time with her kind.

The best part are the intriguing snippets from Jane's book Constance that are included at the head of each chapter. I hope that Ballantine at some point decides to publish Constance the way that Avon published the romance that Princess Mia was writing (with a little help from Meg Cabot). There is a sub-plot involving a literary rival of Jane's that I had thought was dropped half-way through but came roaring back towards the end.

The only negative criticisms I have are that most books aren't rushed out as quickly as they are depicted in this book. And I was a little annoyed at the depiction of the Romance Writer's Guild conference. It's a little too easy to poke fun at romance writers. Still, I thought this book was thoroughly enjoyable although slight and I'm intrigued enough that I would be willing to read the next two books in the series.

You can read more about the author at http://www.janebitesback.com/ or at http://www.michaelthomasford.com/

Hump Day Hotties

Today is Wednesday, the middle of the week, so to get everyone through Friday, I thought I'd give us a little eye candy. Normally I prefer brunettes, but here are some blond hotties that I've discovered recently. Curiously they all have curly hair. Hmm!

This is Tom Hiddleston who plays William Buxton in Return to Cranford on Masterpiece Classic. Not the best photo but great cheekbones and lovely curly blond hair.

Another hottie from the UK with curly blond hair, Rafe Spall, son of actor Timothy Spall. This photo is from the remake of A Room with a View that appeared on Masterpiece Classic a few years ago. I hated it but thought he was adorable. He's also appeared in a remake of Jean Rhys novel about Rochester's wife The Wide Sargasso Sea, as well as Hot Fuzz. He also played Jonathan Harker in one of the worst versions of Dracula that I have ever seen which was also on Masterpiece Classic.

This is Samuel West who starred in Howard's End with Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter. You might also have seen him in Persuasion as Anne Elliott's cousin, Mr. Elliott as well as in Notting Hill. He comes from UK theatrical royalty. His father is actor Timothy West and his mother is Prunella Scales of Fawlty Tower fame. Sam is multi-talented, as well as acting he's also a director. He's appearing in a new play in the West End called Enron which should be making its way to our shores in the spring.

Guilty Pleasures: Guiliana and Bill

As much as I try to stay away from it, reality TV keeps sucking me back in, and the latest show to get me hooked is Guiliana and Bill on The Style Network. For those who don't know the happy couple, Guiliana De Pandi (as she was then known) is the co-host of E! News Daily with Ryan Seacrest. She interviewed Bill Rancic, the winner of the first The Apprentice and asked him if he was dating anyone. He wasn't, and soon they were dating. They got married two years ago, and now have their own reality show.

One of the reasons I like this show is that they are grappling with a long-distance relationship, living in between Chicago and Los Angeles. Since Guiliana is the co-host of E! News Daily and has been for several years, her career is in Los Angeles. I'm not sure why Rancic won't leave Chicago. He says that he has business interests in real estate. He also works as a motivational speaker. Anyway, now that they are trying to have a baby, at some point, something is going to have to go, and I'm interested to see how this all going to pan out.

Guiliana and Bill seem to be complete opposites. He's more down to earth, while she's goofy and outgoing. The relationship between her and her assistant Matthew is hysterical, he's almost like a third wheel in her relationship with Bill since he seems to travel with her whenever she's in Chicago. At times, Guiliana can be incredibly annoying, and I love Bill's reactions whenever she does something that he thinks is crazy like Sunday night when she put on a pair of maternity panties on over her regular pants. Yet, they seem to compliment each other, and I'm hoping that they won't end up like other couples who have let the cameras in on their relationship. I think they produce the show as well, which is probably smart. They can control exactly what they show and what they don't show.

Guiliana and Bill is on Sunday nights on the Style Network at 9:00 p.m. Check it out and see if you are not charmed by the two of them.

All My Children 40th Anniversary Event at the Times Center

Yesterday, I went downtown to the Times Center for the All My Children 40th Anniversary event which was part of the NYT's Art and Leisure Weekend. I was tres excited for this event because I thought it was sold out. Thanks to Roger and Damon over at We Love Soaps for letting me know that there were still tickets available. I am a huge fan of AMC, having watched the show since the age of 7 when I had the chicken pox. It was the height of the love triangle between Phil Brent/Tara Martin/Chuck Tyler. I was so entranced by this show that I made my father buy another TV so that when I stayed at my grandmother's house during my school breaks, I could watch my own soaps instead of hers (She only watched CBS).

The line-up of stars from the show included Susan Lucci (Erica Kane), Cameron Matheson (Ryan Lavery), Rebecca Budig (Greenlee Smythe Dupree) and Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard), along with the creator Agnes Nixon and EP Julie Hanan-Carruthers. The program started at noon and was scheduled to run for a measly hour and fifteen minutes which is not enough time to do justice to 40 years of television. I also wish that a few of the other actors who have been on the show for awhile could have been there like Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin), Jill Larson (Opal Cortlandt), and David Canary, but I was happy with the stars that they had.

The moderator opened up asking Agnes Nixon a few questions about the gestation of the show. Unfortunately, Miss Nixon is in her late eighties and I don't think she really understood the question. The good stuff really happened when the floor was opened up for questions. Despite EW's recent article blaming the fans for the erosion of Daytime Drama, the fans were out in full force for this event. Almost everyone who asked a question had been watching the show for 30+ years. One of the common threads was that the show seems to have lost its way in courting new viewers, and neglecting the fans who have been watching since Day 1. I was pleased to hear EP, Julie Hanan-Carruthers state that the 40th Anniversary made them sit down and rethink the show, possibly taking it back to its roots. The rehiring of Julia Barr who played Brooke English, firing of Head Writer Chuck Pratt, and putting Jill Larson on contract as Opal certainly gives me hope. Now if they just bring Walt Wiley back on the show as Jackson Montgomery as DA to spar with Liza Colby I will be a happy girl. Oh and hire Ted King as Kendall's new love interest.

The best moment was at the end when a man stood up and told Debbi Morgan about a scene that she had played as Angie over 20 years ago. Angie was in medical school and one of her teachers wanted sex for grades. Angie stood up to him and when he asked her to keep quiet, she told him that she was going to "Shout it from the rooftops." Well that became a catch-phrase for this guy and his friends. And when one of them died recently, on his death bed, he told this guy that he was going "Shout it from the rooftops" when he got to heaven. There wasn't a dry eye in the house after that. It was a fitting ending to the program.

You can read a much wittier recap of the event by Mallory over at Serial Drama here.

The only thing that really bugs me is that SOAPNET which is owned by ABC is not doing anything so far to celebrate AMC's 40th other than rerunning the episode of The View that featured the show. Why not run an all day marathon of classic episodes from however far back the network has them? It's not like they haven't had enough time to prepare for this.

Here is some clips from the ABC web-site: http://abc.go.com/shows/all-my-children

Why I am not watching The Bachelor Anymore

This past Monday started a whole new season of The Bachelor and for the first time since the show started in 2002, I am not watching. That's right, I didn't watch and I didn't DVR it. The Bachelor used to be fun, like a more glamorous version of speed dating. Fabulous dates that would never happen in real life, glamorous clothes, uber-romantic at first. I actually wanted to believe that when The Bachelor went down on one knee that true love woudl follow. Yes, I am a romantic sap that way. But no the bloom is off the rose so to speak.

Why? Is it because out of 19 seasons, only one couple has gotten married? Nope! Is it because some of The Bachelors have been complete tools (Travis Stork, Jesse Palmer, Prince Lorenzo Borghese) I'm not watching it because after the whole Jason proposes to Melissa and then dumps her on national television to get together with Molly I'm done.

Now, I know both Jason and Melissa have said that there relationship was over before the After the Final Rose special but there was no reason for him to have to tell her on national television that he was in love with bachelorette No. 2, particularly when he apparently had been denying to Melissa that was the reason why they broke up. And then whining that the producers made him do it.

Then we move on to Jillian's season where our new Bachelor Jake whined about how Wes had a girlfriend but then couldn't prove it. But heck it got him more screen time after he got dumped and then got him the gig as the next Bachelor. I think he's fake and has about as much charisma as a Ken doll. No, I take it back, Ken doll's have more charisma. Not that I thought sleazy Wes was a charmer. It was clear that he was only on the show to promote himself. And then there was foot fetish Tanner. And finally the man Jillian chose, who it turned out was doing half of Chicago while he was supposed to have left the show for his 'job.' Yes, I know that supposedly they are happy now, but it was just too much.

And now the producers have created a fake scandal about a bachelorette and one of the producers having a sexual relationship but they have no footage of this alleged relationship. You can read all abou the alleged scandal on Reality Steve.

But the final reason why is that I'm tired of the fact that in all of these seasons, not once have we had a Bachelor or Bachelorette of color. Forget about the fact that there is usually one token who never gets any screen time and generally gets booted off after the first two episodes. In the 21st century, I find it ridunkulous that they keep casting only whites. Why no attractive, well-to-do black, Asian, Latin or Indian bachelor or bachelorette?  There is more diversity on BRAVO or any of the VH-1 reality dating shows than on ABC. An argument can of course be made that the Bachelor or Bachelorette who does get cast does not want to date interacially which is of course there perogative but since they are going on national television to find a mate, you think they might be more open to meeting people outside their comfort zone, which in this case means race. I'm not the only one wondering about this. Check out this article in yesterday's The Huffington Post.

And that is why I'm no longer watching The Bachelor.

New Portrait of Prince William and Harry

Okay is just me or does this painting make Prince William look like he's middle-aged compared to Prince Harry? The guy is only 27 years old, he can't be that wrinkled can he? I do love the way the artist has captured the camraderie between the two brothers, and I love a man in uniform.

I'll have to check out the painting up close next time I'm in London.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Happy New Year! It's been a long time since I've written anything on this blog, but now it is a New Year and it's time to start fresh. 

The blog has a new title and it will soon have a new look! I will try to blog here at least three or four days a week, in between trips to the library to do research for my other blog Scandalous Women.

Interview with Cecil "Cec" Murphey by Marley Gibson

Got it Goin' On is pleased to welcome guest blogger Marley Gibson and her co-author Cecil “Cec” Murphey, Co-authors of Christmas Miracles, coming October 13th from St. Martin’s Press on the blog today.


Marley: I am extremely privileged to have the opportunity today to talk to my friend and co-author, Cecil “Cec” Murphey, and to chat about our upcoming book, Christmas Miracles. Cec, thanks for spending some time with me today.

Cec: Marley, it's great that you could take time away from important things like making a living to spend a little time with me.

Marley: I’m so jazzed about our Christmas Miracles book that’s coming out soon. I’ve had a lot of questions from folks wanting to know how we met, what brought us together, etc. So, I thought we’d do a back and forth on how it all came to be. Of course, I have to give props to our amazing agent and friend, Deidre Knight, for bringing us together. For those of you who don’t know, Cec co-authored the runaway New York Times bestselling hit 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper.

Cec: I have to say thanks to Deidre Knight as well. Between Deidre and my assistant, Twila Belk, I've been able to sell quite a few books. 90 Minutes in Heaven has been my big book. I'm also proud of a book I wrote in 1990 called Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. The book has never been out of print and has hit close to four million in sales. Early this year, Cuba Gooding Jr. starred in the made-for-TV film version.

Marley: That’s amazing! You are truly prophetic and definitely “the man behind the words.” Now, people ask how we teamed up. Sadly, there was a personal tragedy that brought Cec and me together as friends.

Cec: True. In early 2007, our house burned and our son-in-law died. Aside from the grief over Alan, we lost everything. Deidre and Jan, my-then-assistant, sent the word out of our tragedy without telling me. I'm immensely grateful for every gift people sent, but I probably wouldn't have admitted I needed help and wouldn't have asked. They taught me how much we need other people.

Marley: Deidre put out a call to other clients of The Knight Agency, to help Cec and his family out in any way in their time of need. At the time, my company was moving and we were cleaning house. We had a ton of office supplies that we were either going to throw away or give to some of the charities the company worked with. I got my boss’ permission to send a large care package to Cec…full of office supplies for him to re-stock his writer’s office. You name it…post-its, staples, paper clips, pens, pencils, markers, white out, ruler, scissors, paper, notebooks, notepads, envelopes, a laptop case, tape, glue, folders, binder clips…etc. A veritable potpourri of office delights. I was hoping that it would help Cec have a sense of getting his office back so he could keep working.

Cec: Marley's gift was the most unexpected I received. We hadn't met, although Deidre Knight had spoken of her many times and kept telling me she was wonderful. I wonder if you can imagine what it was like for me to open that box from someone I didn't know. I saw all those practical things for my office and yelled for my wife. I felt as if I were reading a first-grade book. "Look! Look and see! Oh, look!" I was overwhelmed by the gift and even more to receive it from a stranger. Those supplies were the most practical gift anyone could have given me. I'm still using black paper clips and red folders from Marley.

Marley: Awww…thanks, Cec! I didn’t have to think twice about doing it. Writing is such a solitary “sport,” but the writing community always astounds me with how they help their own. Not long after that, over plates of spinach and Gouda omelets, Deidre introduced me to Cec in person and I was thrilled to finally meet the man behind the words. Deidre knew we needed to work on a project together and thus began our brainstorming. What did you think of that first meeting, Cec, and cooking up the idea to work together?

Cec: Deidre and I had already spoken about a Christmas book and I had some idea about what it should contain, but nothing had come together. One day Deidre told me that Marley was coming to visit her and she wanted us to work together on a Christmas project. Marley and I talked before we ate and again during the meal. Everything felt right to me. I knew my strengths and Marley knew hers (and Deidre knew both of us). Everything clicked. Marley, a far better networker than I am, immediately sent out the word for submissions. Within days she had almost four times more than we could use. (She read every one of them!)

Marley: I was truly impressed with the submissions we received and it was hard narrowing it down to the ones we chose for the book. We’re fortunate to have such a go-getter agent in Deidre Knight. Cec, can you share how the whole idea of Christmas Miracles came about and what you thought of the project originally?

Cec: For me, it actually started while I was on the rapid-rail train from the Atlanta airport when I listened to teens talk about Christmas and it was mostly about gifts. I had the idea then, but nothing really came together. Months later when Deidre I and had a meeting, she brought up the idea of a compilation and mentioned my working with Marley. I've been Deidre Knight's client since 1997 and I've learned to listen carefully when she comes up with an idea. I said yes before she gave me all the information.

Marley: That’s the truth about Deidre! Getting back to those submissions, Iwant to say we got more than two hundred submissions for Christmas Miracles. So many wonderful stories to read through and select for the book. It was a challenge to pick and choose which ones were right for the book, but I loved every minute of it. After I chose the entries that would go into the book, Cec toiled long hours editing the works for a unified voice. What was the biggest challenge you found in the editing process, Cec?

Cec: I've been a ghostwriter and collaborator for twenty-plus years and this was a switch to give the book a unified voice—which was mine. It would have been easier to stay with each writer's voice, but the book—like many compilations—would have been uneven in tone and quality. When I discussed this via email with our delightful editor, Rose Hilliard, she was (to my surprise) familiar with my work. She told me she liked the warm tone of my writing and that I don't waste words. "That's the voice we want," she said. It still wasn't easy, but it was an exciting challenge. After Marley and I agreed on the stories and gave them that unified voice, our editor pulled six contributions. Although different, Rose felt they were too similar to other stories.

Marley: Can you give our readers a preview of the book? A favorite story perhaps…or one that moved you to tears? (I have to say the little boy who wished for nothing but to be able to read a book all the way through because of his stutter had me bawling when I read the submission.)

Cec: That's not fair! I liked them all. The one that touched me most, however, is the last story in the book, "Sean's Question." We had almost finished the book and I was teaching at a conference in Florida. I felt we needed one strong story at the end. Despite all the good ones, I didn't feel fully satisfied to conclude the book. On the last day of the conference, I met a conferee named Sara Zinn for a consultation. As we talked, I mentioned Christmas Miracles and that I still needed one more story. "I have a Christmas story," she said and told me about Sean. As I listened, tears filled my eyes—but, being the macho type I am, I was sure it was an allergy. Sara wrote the story, and it became the one I sought.

Marley: Oh yes…that one is an emotional one all right. It was meant to be in the book because of how you met at the conference. Now, you and I have both had challenges in our lives that others might have found too much to take, but we are both very strong in our faith and our relationship with God. How do you think Christmas Miracles is going to help others feel closer to God and experience His miracles in their own lives?

Cec: Awareness and appreciation are the two things I want readers to grasp. Awareness means for them to realize that they're never totally alone in life. Those unexpected, out-of-the-ordinary events remind us of that. Appreciation means to be thankful for what we already have. Too often, and especially at Christmas, we focus on what we'd like or what is supposed to make us happy. Christmas Miracles gently reminds readers of both.

Marley: In this day and age when our country is fighting two wars, unemployment is high, and a lot of people have a lack of hope and faith for their future, what do you want readers of the book to take away from Christmas Miracles and how can the stories in our book help provide comfort to those struggling?

Cec: I want readers to see that miracles do happen—sometimes simple, unexpected blessings or those that involve the supernatural (as in one of Marley's stories). I call myself a serious Christian. For me, the world's greatest miracle began with the birth of Jesus. Regardless of a person's religion, this book encourages readers to think about life during the Christmas season and see that life as more than gifts and celebrations. It's also a reminder that God loves us and hears our needy cries.

Marley: Beautifully put, Cec, and I couldn’t agree with you more. Can we share what’s next after Christmas Miracles? J

Cec: Why it's the Cec and Marley show, of course. Because of our go-getter agent and our enthusiastic editor, we've already received thumbs up for The Christmas Spirit. This will be stories of people who express the true spirit of Christmas by acts of love and kindness, for release in the fall of 2011.

Marley: And I can’t wait to start working on that project! Thank you so much for your time, Cec, and answering my questions. It was a privilege and honor to work with you and I look forward to our future projects together. You’ve helped me along during a trying time and I appreciate your friendship and support.

Cec: I liked this project because Marley had to send out the word, collect submissions, read them, and discard the weaker ones. I get to see only the better-written stories. (Don't tell her that I have the better job.) Although I mentioned only one story, all of those in the book touched me because of the poignancy of their situations and the miraculous answers. I won't say the stories increased my faith, but they increased my appreciation for the delightful mix of human need and divine intervention.

Marley: Thanks again, Cec! God Bless! And to our readers, please be sure to pick up a copy of CHRISTMAS MIRACLES, out October 13, 2009 from St. Martin’s Press. It’s a great stocking stuffer or gift basket filler. We hope you, too, will discover your own Christmas Miracles in your life.

I want to thank both Marley and Cec for stopping by. You can learn more about the book at Marley's web-site: www.marleygibson.com or buy the book at Amazon.com

An Afternoon with Princess Diana

When I was 16, I took a plane for the first time, clutching my brand new passport, to England. I had never really been out of the country before, at least not abroad (my parents took me to the Montreal Expo when I was 3 but I don't know if that really counts). It was 1981, the summer that Prince Charles wed one Lady Diana Spencer, and I was there experiencing all the hoopla first hand. I lived with a family in Redbridge which is in Essex. Martin, the father of the family I was living with, was a photojournalist and pretty left-wing, and he used to moan about the expense and everything all the time. I loved it, all the mugs, table cloths, place mats, books, masks, it was grand to me.

On the day of the wedding, I sat down in front of the telly with my new British friends and watched the event on television, waving my Union Jack proudly. The next day when we arrived in Scotland, a copy of Diana's dress was already in the windows. Over the next 16 years, Diana and I crossed paths many times. In 1984, I was in England studying when she had Prince Harry. I even skipped classes to see the State Opening Parliament, marked by Diana sporting a brand new hairdo. The summer that she died, I had been studying at The Royal National Theater studio, and I read the tabloids that detailed her new romance with Dodi Fayed. I've read pretty much every major biography on Diana so I couldn't wait to head down to Philly to the new exhibition at the National Constitution Center.

My review of the exhibition however is mixed. While it was wonderful to see so many things associated with Diana, and a few new things like the home movies and her school reports from when she was a child (putting paid to the rumors that she was incredibly stupid), the exhibit is pretty thin compared to the Napoleon exhibition hosted by the center a few weeks back. While that exhibit easily took 2 hours to cover, you can breeze through the Diana exhibit in a half-hour.
Of course, I was interested the most in the dress gallery, particularly that wedding dress. I was surprised to discover looking at the dress in the display case how plain and old fashioned it looked without Diana in it to dazzle everyone with her radiance. Included are her shoes and a lace parasol just in case it rained that day (I'm not sure how much coverage a lace parasol was supposed to provide!). Apparently the dress and the bridesmaids dresses only cost 1,000 guineas which comes out to $1,900. That doesn't seem like a lot of money when you consider how many women routinely drop $4,000 and $5,000 on a dress they are only going to wear once. Back in 1981, I'm sure that $1,900 was a lot to spend.

The dresses I loved the most were of course the ones she wore when she was freed from dressing British and could wear other designers. The Versace and Chanel numbers look incredibly timeless. For me, the most touching moment in the exhibit was the display case with all the condolence books. They cover an entire wall from top to bottom. The exhibit costs $23 + 2 handling if you buy online which is lot when you consider the Napoleon exhibit was only $17.50. I would recommend joining the Constitution Center for $35, it's good for one year, and the exhibit is free. I was glad to see that there was a gift shop with this exhibit (there wasn't one for Napoleon) although the exhibition catalog was a little pricey for $30.

Afterwards, I stayed for the Tina Brown talk which was very informative. Brown is a great speaker and she clearly has compassion not only for Diana but also for Prince Charles. I bought a paperback copy of her Diana bio, even though I have it in hard cover. In my opinion, it's the best biography on Diana because she takes such an evenhanded tone. She doesn't absolve either Charles or Diana nor does take sides. She admits that Diana brought a lot to the royal family, that her empathy was genuine, and that she was a great mother. She also said that Diana could be a pain to live with and that her courting of the press turned around and bit her in the ass.

Diana had the unique ability to make people think that they really knew her, not just in a tabloid kind of way, that she shared a part of her soul with people around the world. She let us in or at least seemed too. How many women identified with her during her interview with Martin Bashir when she said that there were 3 of them in the marriage? Or her work with the old and the infirm. She taught people not to fear diseases like leprosy and AIDS. It is nice to see that her sons are carrying on her charity work.

If you can't make to Philadelphia, you can see online images here.

I Love A Royal Wedding!

Almost a month ago, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's eldest child, Lord Frederick Windsor married his fiancee Sophie Winkelman at Hampton Court Palace.

Lord Frederick is 31st in line for the throne (which means the chances of his being King are basically none). Still he had to ask permission from the Queen to get married according to The Royal Marriage Act of 1772. His father had to give up his place in the line of succession for marrying a Catholic, however Freddy was raised Anglican.

The couple apparently turned down a "life-changing" sum of money from a celebrity magazine to cover the wedding. Seriously, we're talking like over $1M but instead they chose to keep it private for their 400 guests. Frankly I would have taken the money since the wedding was on the cover of HELLO! magazine anyway.

The bride, Sophie Winkelman, is an actress who played Princess Eleanor in the short-lived series The Palace. She also appeared inas Big Suze, in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show. She's also a graduate of Cambridge University where she read English at Trinity Hall. She also played the older Susan in the film The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

While the Duke of York's daughter Princess Eugenie was a guest, none of the senior members of the royal family were in attendance. Not the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, or William and Harry. Kind of surprising since Prince Michael is the Queen's first cousin. However, the groom's uncle the Duke of Kent and his Duchess were there along with their children. The bride has met the Queen and other members of the family, and has gotten used to appearing at public functions involving the Royal Family.

Unfortunately, apart from their wedding venue, there are no royal palaces in the couple's future. The groom's parents now have to pay over 120,000 pounds a year for their apartment in Kensington Palace (it used to be something like 10 pds a week) and they've sold their country estate Nether Lypiatt. Princess Michael has long been a controversial member of the Royal Family. She's been accused of plagiarism, and adultery, and she's prone to sticking her rather large feet in her mouth at any given moment. You can read more about Mommy Dearest here at Scandalous Women.

Had his great-grandfather, George V, not revised Royal styles and titles in 1917, Lord Frederick would have been born HH Prince Frederick of Kent. He was educated at Eton College, and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he gained a 2:1 in classics. He has also modeled in a campaign for Burberry; he has also modeled for Tomasz Starzewski. A sometime music journalist (notably for Tatler magazine), he planned to become a solicitor working in entertainment law.

The groom has certainly straightened himself out from the guy who admitted doing drugs. In 1999, Lord Frederick admitted experimenting with cocaine. "I admit it is true," he said. "It is very difficult to avoid getting into this sort of thing when you move in these circles, but I don't blame anyone else for the incident.". He now works for JP Morgan, has been transferred to the LA office since his wife has a role on a NBC mid-season replacement series. No doubt they will hang out with the British colony in LA which consists of Lord Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, and the Duke of Manchester. You can read more about the wedding here. The bride's new name is Lady Frederick Windsor, but for acting she will still go by Sophie Winkelman.

Wanted - Dallas: The Next Generation

They say everything old is new again and apparently that goes for television shows. In the past few years, we have seen the successful revival of a show that failed the first time around (Battlestar Galatica), and a new version of Beverly Hills 90210. Now the CW has a new version of Melrose Place on its fall schedule starring Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. Seriously, a new version of Melrose Place? A show that is chiefly remembered for two things: the shortness of Heather Locklear’s skirts and Marcia Cross as Kimberly pulling blowing up the building on Melrose Place where everyone lived.

I say that it’s time to bring back Dallas. Yes, I’m talking about the series that made Larry Hagman an international star, the show that wiped out one whole season by claiming it was a dream, that Dallas. Dallas was one of the most successful and longest-running shows in American prime-time television history, and was also hugely successful across the world. The episode where J.R. Ewing was shot was one of the most highly rated episodes ever. Long before we had the Bush family from Texas, we had the Ewings. For 13 years, viewers remained glued to their seats on Friday nights to find out what the Ewings, a wealthy dysfunctional Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries, would do. The show accurately reflected the 80’s mentality of ‘Greed is good,’ and the fascination that people had with the rich and powerful.
The 80’s was also the Reagan years, and the rise of Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett.

Dallas was so successful that Susan Lucci, an icon in her own right as Erica Kane on All My Children, joined the show to play a pyschotic kidnapper who killed Bobby’s new wife April. While the Ewings, like the Carringtons of Dynasty, were in the oil business (or oil bidness as they say in Texas), the show was more about the family dynamics between J.R. the rapscallion older brother, and Bobby, the youngest brother who was good and noble. There was also Gary Ewing, the middle brother who was an alcoholic (Gary and Valene even got their own show Knots Landing), and Ray Krebbs who turned out to be the illegitmate son of Jock Ewing. And then there was the star-crossed love of Pamela Barnes and Bobby Ewing. The Barnes family blamed the Ewings for stealing oil rights from them. Cliff Barnes spent the entire series trying to bring J.R. down with mixed results.

While Dynasty was good, campy fun complete with the yearly cat fight between Alexis Carrington and Krystal, Dallas for the most part was relatively sane. Although the Ewings were rich, they didn’t flaunt their money like the Carringtons. Sue Ellen never wore over the top outfits like the Nolan Miller designs on Dynasty, and the Ewing ranch was not ostentatious. The Ewings seemed like real Texans, particularly since Larry Hagman actually was born in Texas. The show was so successful that it spawned two TV sequels, Dallas: J.R. Returns and Dallas: War of the Ewings. There has even been talk of a big screen version of the movie with John Travolta as J.R. (miscast completely) and Jennifer Lopez as Sue Ellen (again miscast, she should be playing Pam with Matthew McConaughey as Bobby).

Now that the series has been released on DVD, a new generation of fans has sprung up, along with older fans who are getting the chance to relive a show that they enjoyed. A new version of Dallas would also allow audiences to see a newer side of Texas, a more multi-cultural state that since Dallas has been off the air has elected a female Governor, and sent another Governor to the White House. A Texas that it is more than just the oil business. It would help if the show was actually filmed in Dallas, instead of just doing a few weeks of location shooting.

Goodness knows CBS needs a show that skews younger than the shows they already have on the air. Right now, the CBS schedule is a mixture of sitcoms, CSI spin-offs and other police procedurals, and the supernatural shows Medium and The Ghost Whisperer. What it needs is a good night-time soap, and Dallas: The Next Generation would be perfect. The show has immediate name recognition. Even if you never saw the show, you know the name and J.R. Ewing. To bring in older viewers, the show could sprinkle in guest appearances by J.R., Bobby and Sue Ellen, but the focus would be on John Ross, Christopher, Bobby and Betsy Ewing, and whatever spawn Lucy and Mitch Cooper gave birth to.


The TV show would pick up 12 years after the last TV movie Dallas: War of the Ewings ended. John Ross is now the head of Ewing Oil and Christopher Ewing has started his own company to provide clean sources of energy to poor people (sort of like Citizens Energy, the company Joseph Kennedy II runs in MA), which makes him as much of a bleeding heart as his dear old dad Bobby. Meanwhile Pamela Barnes (daughter of Cliff and Afton Cooper) is the lead singer of a Sugarland type band in Austin (this would give the show a chance to show the Austin music scene). Lucy Ewing is the head of a Mary Kay cosmetics type company, and her daughter Amber is a debutante/model. This would give the show a chance to really show Dallas high society. Perhaps, she was tossed out of the Miss Texas pageant for nude photos and got drunk at the Crillon Ball in Paris. Bobby Ewing(son of Valene and Gary) has his own technology company or is involved with new media which he keeps arguing with John Ross about. Since Gary was an alcoholic, let Bobby be a drinker, a young George W. Bush as it were, screwing up and getting into trouble. Betsy Ewing could be frenemies with Amber, but strike up a friendship with Pamela Barnes. I see Betsy as a Nicky Hilton/Ivanka Trump type, someone with smarts and ambition, perhaps owning a boutique hotel in Dallas. Very down to earth compared to Amber, someone who although she grew up in Los Angeles was never part of that Hollywood socialite lifestyle.

One of the differences with the new Dallas and the old Dallas would be the introduction of some characters of color. Texas is a multicultural state, with a large Latino population, not to mention African-American. Let’s give John Ross a sexy Johnny Cochrane type lawyer and let him have an affair with Lucy’s daughter. Perhaps the foreman on the Ewing ranch can be Latino, the husband of Charlie, Jenna’s daughter.

Of course, the show would need to have guest appearances by the original stars. Let's say that J.R. has now retired but he can't keep butting in to what John Ross is doing at Ewing Oil, making deals behind his son's back, undermining him etc. Perhaps, J.R. has been spending a lot of time in Dubai as a consultant. Bobby might be member of the Texas legislature in Austin. Sue Ellen, who married a movie director, is now divorced and married to her third husband, a Euro-trash aristocrat with little to recommend him but his title and his pecs. Perhaps he's Italian, much younger or French even. The producers could cast Gilles Marini in the role.

Of course, we need to have some of the Barnes family on the show, the traditional enemies of the Ewings. Perhaps Cliff now co-owns a sports team that John Ross covets (remember that Bush once wanted to be baseball commissioner). He still blames the Ewings for Pam's death, and April's death (remember Cliff and April were once a couple). This would be a chance for a star-crossed love triangle between John Ross, Bobby and Pamela. They never did anything with the movie that Sue Ellen made of J.R.'s life. Perhaps now is the time to premiere that movie during the series, particularly if J.R. is messing with John Ross's relationships and career at Ewing Oil.

The nighttime television scene could use a little glitz and glamour that doesn't come from the so-called reality TV series. CBS should jump on this before Bravo churns out The Real Housewives of Dallas and steals their thunder.

Diversity and The Bachelorette

Once again, we have another season of The Bachelorette, and once again we have no men of color in the house (and no I don't consider Juan, even though he's from Argentina, to represent any kind of diversity). Can someone explain to me why the skanky dating shows on VH-1 have more people of ethnicity than ABC?

Seriously, there must be some educated, asian, latino, and african-american men who want their 15 minutes of fame, and want their chance at Jillian. She's cute, funny, and sweet. I'm beginning to wonder if it's ABC or the bachelors and bachelorettes themselves who put the kibosh on any interracial shenanigans going on at the Mcmansion.

This is 2009 people, the earth will not fall out of the sky if Jillian or one of the Bachelors dates a black or asian chick on the show. And yes, I know Andy picked Tessa who is half-Asian and Byron picked Mary who is Latina, but that's out of how many series of this show? 16? As a black woman ever made it to the hometown dates? Or even past a one on one date?

Given that the California State Supreme Court just upheld the decision against gay marriage in California, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that The Bachelorette is still as whitebread as they come. Still, I can't bring myself to watch Rock of Love 18, just because the show is diverse.

Sigh! I'm hoping that they add an African-American woman to the Real Housewives of New York City. Where is Spike Lee's wife or Chris Rock's wife? They would be amazing.

Guy Movies vs. Girl Movies

Yesterday I posted on Facebook how much I disliked the last Batman movie with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. This morning I was surprised to see that most of the comments were from guys who insisted that I didn't like the movie because I was a woman and it was a guy movie.

WTF?

Seriously? In the year 2009, we are still doing this? My feelings about Batman: The Dark Knight had more to do with the storyline which was interminable and the fact that the movie was so visually dark at times that I couldn't tell what was going on. While I really liked Heath Ledger's approach to The Joker, it wasn't worth sitting through 2 1/2 hours of boredom. Not even Aaron Eckhardt as Harvey 'Two-Faced' Dent made up for the disjointed storyline and Maggie Gyllenhaal was completely wasted. Maggie, go back to independent films where you at least have a character to play.

I got that they were setting up Batman for the next film where he is more of an outlaw and less of a hero, but Christopher Nolan could have tightened up the script considerably to do that. The biggest problem was trying to do the Joker storyline and Two-faced in the same movie along with a mob storyline. Too much plot for one movie. The audience doesn't need two villains, one will do fine, thank you very much.

I really resented the men telling me that I didn't like the movie because I was a woman. I go to see just as many action films as I do chick-movies and independent films. I saw Watchmen a few weeks ago and loved it. Funnily enough it was the same length as Batman: The Dark Knight but it didn't feel like it. Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rorshach should garner another Oscar nomination for him. It was just as fine as Heath Ledger's in Batman. I read a great deal of graphic novels and not all of them are Catwoman and Wonder Woman. Seriously if I had liked the movie they would have been able to say it was a 'guy' movie or maybe they would have.

Frankly Batman has always been one of my favorite superheroes, precisely because he is not superhuman or comes from another planet like Superman. Batman is human with all the foibles and frailties of humans. Yes, he has a lot of gadgets and wears a really cool suit, but he makes mistakes like everyone and has serious issues. He reminds me of all those tortured heroes that we romance readers love to read about.

So don't tell me that I can't understand a film because it's supposed to be a 'guy' movie. Not unless you want to get kicked in the balls!