Glamour girl

The Nick Chicks

Perhaps Blanche will get some retribution after all. The Los Angeles Times has an article today about the arrest of four teenagers (and two others) who are allegedly connected to the burglaries of celebrities’ homes, including that of Ms. Blanche. Evidently they perused celeb magazines and websites to compile a list of items they wanted, studied the victims’ movements, cased the homes and burgled them when the celebs were out of town or attending events. Charges have yet to be filed.

At least some of the teen gals (18- and 19-year-olds) attended school in upscale Agoura Hills, the area where the television show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was filmed. Having visited that set for several days in order to admire and support my then-favorite actor (and Higher Ground alumnus/producer) Joe Lando, I am somewhat familiar with the locale. These gals were surrounded by wealth, but apparently they wanted more… more designer clothing, more bling, more excitement injected into their dreary, pathetic little lives.

I have never understood the mentality of those who think they are entitled to take what others have earned or received as gifts. I guess it comes down to upbringing. I can remember the time I bought myself a leather, bomber-style jacket. That I was finally able to afford such an extravagance was a proud moment in my life. However, within two weeks it was stolen at—of all places—my church. To make matters worse, the pastor’s granddaughter was one of the culprits. I caught the teenaged girls red-handed and was able to recover the jacket, which I witnessed one of them throwing into the ditch across the road (undoubtably intending to recover it later).

I could have pressed charges, but I knew the granddaughter had a tragic background (a relative had murdered her mother) and was acting out because of that. I had compassion for her although she seemed to care not one whit about me. Instead, the pastor, my dad, and I hatched a plan to scare them into thinking we were going to call the cops. My dad had a quasi-law enforcement background, so he showed them his I.D. and sternly explained what charges (and consequences) they might be facing. Then I talked to them.

I explained how the jacket was brand new and I hadn’t had many opportunities to wear it. Having put the purchase on my credit card, it wasn’t even paid for. Before I could finish, I unexpectedly broke down in tears. I was overwhelmed by their seeming callousness toward me. I think those tears might have had more of an effect on them than the threat of a record. Here I was, a grown adult, blubbering over something they had coveted for themselves. They seemed discomfited by my obvious hurt. How many criminals get that kind of direct, instantaneous feedback?

Now, Blanche may get a chance to share her own pain with those reprobates who swiped her valuables. Interestingly, one of the detectives mentioned that the celebrities are pointing fingers at the paparazzi and the assorted media who post their comings and goings. Hmmm, that sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before?

LAPD Det. Goodkin also noted that the thieves were selective in what they took.

Sometimes the stars didn’t immediately discover they had been robbed, assuming they misplaced the purloined items.

Purloined. Great word, purloined. Gee, I can see why the LAT is sinking fast financially. Purloined aside, that’s a horribly constructed sentence. But I digress. According to the police, search warrants were served last week and some of the items were recovered. That’s the good news. The bad news is that one of the accused is suspected of fencing stolen goods. Sadly, Blanche may not recover everything.

UPDATE: This more detailed article was up on the Drudge Report for most of Thursday. Interesting to note that one residence was broken into through the doggy door. Ahem. Let me reacquaint you with this phrase I pointed out previously in the report last May regarding Ms. Blanche’s burglary:

There was no evidence of forced entry…

The thieves used Thurman Murman’s doggy door? Could be. Could be. Arf!

nick, tr. v., chiefly British slang — to steal. Not to be confused, of course, with the Knights Who Say “Ni!”

[27 October 2009]

Hayden, sweetie, break out the Crest Whitestrips

Vanishing Act

Two thousand nine has been a sucky year. I’m referring to opportunities to act as an extra in film/TV. Although, I’ve had a plethora of near misses. A student co-worker got a speaking role in Hilary Swank’s Betty Anne Waters. I nearly got to be a cyclist in HBO’s Hung. I coulda been a dainty, feeble-minded woman in a feature film with Brian Dennehy and Fred “Hayden in the White House” Thompson.

I especially wanted that last role, believe it or not. I know what you’re thinking. Feeble-minded woman? Yes, but it was a period piece. The film takes place in the 1920s. I would have been wearing period costumes and it was a two-day shoot, to boot. Unfortunately, the production changed its mind.

I also had the opportunity to be a pothead in Hung and appear in HBO’s biopic You Don’t Know Jack, based on the life of euthanizer Jack Kevorkian, starring Al Pacino. I opted out of both of those projects on moral grounds.

So, given the drought I’ve suffered since the trifecta of 2008 — Miss January, Gifted Hands, and High School — you can probably understand my current distress at learning that… Hayden was back filming in Michigan!!! Last night I was watching the late night news when they started yammering about how their news station had been transformed into a television set last week for a film starring Hayden Christensen! I was so agog at seeing Hayden getting his nose powdered that I totally missed the name of the film. Internet research came to my rescue. He’s playing a reporter (named Luke?) in the horror/mystery/thriller Vanishing On 7th Street. Also stars Thandie Newton as a nurse and John Leguizamo as a subway operator.

The rest of his “Action News Team” consists of actual news staff from my favorite Detroit news station, ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV: Erin Nicole, Tom Leyden, Stephen Clark, and Carolyn Clifford. Poor Hayden, I actually think he looks puny in this photo compared to his counterparts. Are they all wearing shoulder pads? Anchor/reporter Dave LewAllen plays a scruffy-looking Chicago reporter. He posted a gallery of photos on his Facebook page. Thanks, Davey Lew!

Traffic reporter Erin Nicole plays Paige the meteorologist and Hayden’s love interest in the film. So now, every morning that I watch her on TV I will be reminded of her in Hayden’s arms. Hope I don’t end up throwing something at the TV screen! She wouldn’t tip her hand at how passionate their scenes are. Figures. This article contains two videos of news reports the station did about the filming. In the first video the news anchors chat with Erin and she was asked what it was like to work with Hayden.

Erin: He was great. Such a nice guy. Very nice and friendly to work with. Personable, easy to get along with, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Sigh. I am definitely green with envy. Erin, you lucky girl. The second video, reported by anchors Stephen Clark and Diana Lewis (who may look familiar as a reporter in the original Rocky), includes some footage of Hayden talking with a guy who might be his brother Tove. I’m just not sure, although one gal who works there tweeted that he was on set. Earlier reports were that Forest Park Productions (Hayden’s company) was involved, which would explain the Tove-meister’s presence.

Unfortunately, I have no allusions that I will get a similar chance to work with Hayden. There hasn’t been any indication that my casting agency is involved with this production. Strangely enough, if they have any plans to film in Ann Arbor, now would be the time. The students are on break. Our office is really empty, so please come here and make my day!

It is no fun finding out about Hayden’s presence in Michigan after the fact. Now I know how that other heartthrob’s fans felt when they announced, “Elvis has left the building.” De-flated.

P.S. I did see Drew Barrymore’s film, Whip It. It was weird seeing the names of people I know in the credits (i.e., my casting agents Kathy & Rose). I think I also saw one-third of my pediatrics nurse trio from Gifted Hands in a scene. Very cool.

[19 October 2009]

Celebrities often invite scrutiny upon themselves

Indecent

What a week. It started with the arrest of director Roman Polanski in Switzerland and ended with late-night talk show host David Letterman’s confession that he slept with several female staffers (and he was an extortion victim). But, most disturbing was the reaction of Hollywood and others. Why would you come to the defense/laugh at the jokes of someone who has done despicable things? The whole thing makes me sick.

I read the grand jury testimony of Polanski’s victim Samantha Gailey a.k.a. Samantha Geimer, whom he drugged, raped and sodomized when she was 13 years old! He was in his forties. He pleaded guilty to the crime in a plea deal, then jumped bail when it became evident the judge would reject the plea deal and sentence him to jail time.

We’re supposed to be swayed because (a) so much time has passed (31 years) so why bother, (b) the victim has forgiven him because she just wants to get on with her life, (c) the man is an artiste and he’s suffered enough already! Give. me. a. break.

Comedienne/actress/talk show host Whoopi Goldberg insists this wasn't a “rape-rape,” as if an adult male preying on a child can somehow be excused. Directors Martin Scorsese and David Lynch have rushed to this man’s defense. Why is it that Hollywood never fails to be outraged at pedophile priests? Is their moral outrage dependent on one’s occupation? When morality is so easily swayed, it ceases to be morality, folks. Apparently these louts have never had children. Or they are willing to have their artiste friends have their way with them! No. Polanski does not get a pass because he is a part of the creative community.

Ironically, Polish bureaucrats protested against Polanski’s arrest, one day after their government passed a law mandating chemical castration for pedophiles in cases involving victims under 15!

I have become firmly convinced that many of the elites (such as Hollywood celebs) who lecture society about our so-called racism, sexism, and ignorance are merely projecting their own feelings onto others. They themselves are guilty of that which they accuse others. I think it is because they assume that if they are doing it, the people they look down upon must be doing it, too. And if they yell and scream at us, maybe we will be too cowed to examine their despicable lives.

Case in point: David Letterman. The creep had the temerity to joke about Sarah Palin’s daughter getting knocked up by baseball player Alex Rodriguez during the Yankees game they attended. Now, he made a lame excuse that it was really a dig at the 18-year-old daughter who had gotten pregnant (who wasn’t at the game) instead of the 14-year-old daughter (who was at the stadium), but I think the joke was inexcusable regardless of which daughter he meant. He was using a politician’s child to ridicule the politician. Shameful. And, sadly… the audience laughed.

Just as his audience laughed again, repeatedly, when he told them yesterday about his sexual indiscretions with female staffers! Can you imagine the hostile work environment he created? If you were a principled woman who witnessed other female staffers getting ahead because they serviced the boss (as Stephanie Birkitt allegedly did), how would you feel? Well, I guess my talent and brains don’t count for zilch. Gotta do the horizontal mambo to advance in this business. Yep, that is the guy who thinks he has the right to ridicule others.

Sure, extortion is wrong, but it’s hard to evoke sympathy for a person who makes such bone-headed decisions and puts his egotistical self first. Where was his concern for his family when he was bonking his coworkers? Creep. And, yes, my moral outrage would extend to Hayden if he did the same thing. Natch, I can’t imagine him being that egotistical or stupid. Hayden has always conducted himself in an honorable way. It must kill him to be associated with these… these scumbags!

Anyway, I think I will go see Drew Barrymore’s filmed-in-Michigan (woo-hoo!) film, Whip It. You know… the one I had hoped to make my background acting debut in, but they were too cool to invite me. Some of the extras I worked with were in this movie and I’m anxious to see how many I can pick out. I need a palate cleanser and this one looks like fun. Strong women who know how to throw a punch, or an elbow. Go, Hurl Scouts!

[02 October 2009]

Never Forget (OT)

Eight years ago today evil was perpetrated on my country and 3,000 of my fellow citizens and citizens of the world were slaughtered in the name of fanaticism. I will never forget that day. The emotions are fresh on every anniversary and I am more vigilant of my surroundings.

VIDEO UNAVAILABLE

[11 September 2009]

Très eek and très chic

Tove Troubles

Okay, you and I have an understandin’ that I am not your 24/7 source for news, right? I leave that to the CNN and Fox News people and, ick, even TMZ. I have enough things on my plate. I can’t monitor my Google alerts as often as I’d like because I’m just busy, okay? And September is one of my busiest months because it’s the beginning of a new school year. And we’re rolling out a new design for our website, so that makes things extra hairy. So excuse me if I missed last week’s earth-shattering news: Tove Christensen arrested for felonious assault on girlfriend.

Frankly, I can’t get too worked up over this. Sure, it’s sad and worrisome for the Christensen clan, and bodes ill for the couple’s relationship, but I don’t judge Hayden on what his brother does, allegedly or otherwise. I mean… there was always something about the dude I didn’t quite trust. Something around the eyes… not shifty exactly. No, I just felt… he wasn’t a Hayden clone. Hayden is so earthy and genuinely nice. He may play Darth Vader, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his gorgeous bod. He’s romantic, patient, and the quintessential Canadian. Never met the guy (Tove neither), but you can just tell some things about people by their body language and by what they say and especially by what others say about them. Gossip rags excepted (although they aren’t always wrong).

Besides, I think I’ve previously mentioned my own cousin… my twice-convicted felon cousin. Uh-huh, that one. Her crimes were more white collar… forging checks and embezzlement. Not assault. Actually, the details of this incident are quite similar to what happened to my friend’s dad several years ago. He and his wife (ex-wife?) got into an argument. He got into his car and took off, while she held on to the door handle and was dragged several feet. Yeah, sounds a lot like what allegedly happened with Mr. Tove. Except my friend’s dad’s situation was much worse because the woman lost her grip and the car ran over her. Killed her. Yeah, he did time in the state pen for the consequences of his foul temper.

So, it’s good to see that Hayden isn’t lying low just because his brother — apparently the guy he entrusts with running Forest Park Productions — happens to be having legal troubles. The NY paparazzi caught him and Blanche putting on their brave faces (well, his brave face) as they attended a fashion event this week. Good for him! And might I remark on his dapper appearance. *drool* Sometimes he wears ill-fitting suits, but this one is spot on. I wish I could say the same for his companion. Poor girl puts together the most atrocious outfits. Pity. At least she’s taking my advice on smaller purses. His grade: A–. Her grade: D. But, what is that thing on his shirt (dark spot above belt), anyway? Looks like an insect. Real or fashion statement?

Hayden, dear. Take my advice. If this brother of yours has check-signing authority for your production company, you might want to look into a little audit. Trust me on this. Blood isn’t always thicker. [10 September 2009]