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Not just a blog, a philosophy

Happy Birthday, Dearest Emily!

Posted on December 10, 2013 by maedez

Happy Birthday, dearest Emily!

Birthday Girl Emily Dickinson (Born 10 December 1830).

FIVE EVERYDAY FACTS ABOUT EMILY DICKINSON:

EMILY ELIZABETH WAS A MIDDLE CHILD, SANDWICHED BETWEEN OLDER BROTHER (WILLIAM) AUSTIN AND YOUNGER SISTER LAVINIA (NORCROSS).

SHE WAS KNOWN FOR HER SIMPLE WARDROBE OF MOSTLY WHITE CLOTHING.

EMILY HAD A PET NEWFOUNDLAND DOG NAMED CARLO.

SHE WAS A GIFTED BAKER.

EMILY WAS A DEDICATED AND WELL-EDUCATED GARDENER.

“I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.”-Emily Dickinson

[Alternative Muses] Coming and Going: Willa Cather/Thornton Wilder Mashup

Posted on December 7, 2013 by maedez

“Let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet.”-Willa Cather (born on 12/7/1873)

Willa Cather, 1912

“If you write to impress it will always be bad, but if you write to express it will be good.”-Thornton Wilder (died on 12/7/1975)

Thornton Wilder, Yale graduation photo, 1920

Thornton Wilder’s very serious looking Yale graduation photo, 1920

Happy [American] Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 28, 2013 by maedez

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF MY AMERICAN READERS! I’LL BE PLAYING FOOTBALL WITH BILLIE DOVE.

Billie Dove on the cover of The Flapper Magazine, Thanksgiving 1922 Issue

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 3: The Pit and the Pendulum

Posted on October 29, 2013 by maedez

The Pit and the Pendulum by Harry Clarke, 1919

“I was sick-sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me.”-The Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allan Poe

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 4: The Raven (Manet)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by maedez

The Raven by Édouard Manet, 1875.

“And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/Shall be lifted-nevermore!”-The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 5: The Premature Burial

Posted on October 27, 2013 by maedez

The Premature Burial by Harry Clarke, 1919.

“THERE are certain themes of which the interest is all-absorbing, but which are too entirely horrible for the purposes of legitimate fiction.”-The Premature Burial, Edgar Allan Poe

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 6: Ligeia

Posted on October 26, 2013 by maedez

Ligeia by Harry Clarke, 1919.

“I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia.”-Ligeia, Edgar Allan Poe

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 7: The Black Cat

Posted on October 25, 2013 by maedez

The Black Cat by Aubrey Beardsley, 1894-1895.

“For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief.”-The Black Cat, Edgar Allan Poe

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 8: The Cask of Amontillado

Posted on October 24, 2013 by maedez

The Cask of Amontillado by Harry Clarke, 1919.

“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.”-The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe

Counting Down to Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe, Day 9: The Raven

Posted on October 23, 2013 by maedez

Gustav Doré's Cover Illustration for Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, 1884

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Cover illustration by Gustav Doré, 1884.

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary”-The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe

R.I.P. Norman Lloyd (1914-2021)

Norman Lloyd, long a personal favorite of mine, was a fascinating man and performer. Norman Lloyd Dead [THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]

R.I.P. Geoffrey Scott

Geoffrey Scott was from a younger generation than the performers I normally write about, but his handsome presence was ubiquitous during my 1980s childhood. From Dynasty to The Love Boat, Night Court, and Battle of the Network Stars, his charisma and acting ability lit up the small screen for decades. He will be missed. Geoffrey […]

Kirk Douglas: 1916-2020

[2019 Reel Infatuation Blogathon] But Baby Think of Me Once in Awhile: On Andy Travis as Television’s Best (and Hunkiest) Boss

Welcome to the 2019 Reel Infatuation Blogathon! Baby, If You’ve Ever Wondered: It still seems like yesterday that the idea for RI popped in my head. It was actually in December 2015, while in a hotel room getting ready for a holiday party, when it occurred to me that there was a gap in the classic […]

Announcing the 2019 Reel Infatuation Blogathon!

This is one of my favorite events of the year, and not just because I’m the co-hostess. It’s simply that good. And fun. Oh, so much fun! Here’s my original announcement. ANNOUNCING THE 2019 REEL INFATUATION BLOGATHON I hope you’ll join us!