The last rites and wrongs of the recently deceased

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:2(NIV)

Friday, December 26, 2008

Eartha Kitt


What's WRONG? At CLUB DEAD, The bell tolls for Eartha Kitt, she of "Santa Baby" and Batman, she who faced down the First Lady, dying December 25 of colon cancer which was discovered two years ago.



If ever a lady had balls, it was Eartha Kitt. Her beauty and charm lifted her above the crowd. Her grace was special. She was a lady,a lady like no other, but she was no shrinking violet.

One of her most recent appeances in the national media was at the White House Christmas tree lighting two years ago. On the eve of that visit, The New York Times recalled her Vietnam-era confrontation with Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the President:

Her most famous visit to the White House was nearly 40 years ago during another unpopular war (Vietnam); her unexpectedly pointed comments about American involvement reportedly made Lady Bird Johnson cry and nearly derailed her stage, film and singing career.

“When I was against Vietnam I was asked in the White House itself, by Mrs. Johnson, what the problem was among our young people,” Ms. Kitt explained, saying that she responded based on what she was told by youths. She had no regrets about speaking honestly, she added, even after being forced to work abroad for a number of years afterward.



Eartha Kitt in a live 1962 performance of I Want To Be Evil"




Vox Populi centers on her as replacement Catwoman on the Batman TV series, when Julie Newmar became unavailable due to a movie committment. She said in a 1996 AP interview there was nothing to the part, or as she put it, ``there was nothing to think about. You just walk on the set and...DO it.'' And every Christmas season, she sings "Santa Baby." She recants her wish list of rewards for being good ("just fill my stocking with a duplex... and checks") and begs him to hurry.

Eartha Kitt passed away on Christmas Day. Seems somewhat appropriate. Eartha probably just caught a lift with Santa. He certainly could oblige her that, at least considering all the other thiongs he provided for her. At least I'm assuming he got her everything she asked for in "Santa Baby," because she never recorded a sequel taking him to task.

Well, it's hard to be a good girl.

Then again, screw her; she's dead. Let's go look for crocodiles.



StevenK

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Majel Barrett Roddenberry


What's WRONG? At CLUB DEAD, the bell tolls for MAJEL BARRETT, wind beneath the wings of the Great Bird of the Galaxy, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Stand by your man? Damn right she did.



Gene Roddenberry, soon to be divorced, and Majel Barrett met and began dating when she appeared on his television show, "The Lieutenant." Her resume was impressive, with appearances on popular shows like "Bonanza" and "Leave It To Beaver." He was a former police officer who had produced a few westerns and a police series when he pitched his new science fiction show to NBC in 1964.

"It's Wagon Train to the stars", he said, invoking the name of the sucessful western series which told a different story every week, all happening within a company of covered wagons making their way westward. Science fiction, serious science fiction that is, had never really worked on network TV.

Gene Rodenberry made it work, thanks in no small part to Majel Barrett. Not that the network wanted her.

Star Trek was produced by Desilu, which was responsible for The Untouchables and The Lucy Show, and she had appeared in both shows, and worked on the Desilu Playhouse series. In the first Star Trek pilot, she played a character called "Number Two," the second in command on the ship. NBC requested a second pilot, but told him to not use her. He made no secret of the fact that he thought NBC was unfairly restricting his vision of the future by claiming that a woman could not be second in command. In ensuing years, various NBC execs have scrambled to deny those comments. According to them, NBC didn't object to a woman as first officer, they objected to THAT woman, meaning Barrett.

When the first pilot was rejected, they took the hint. When the inaugural cast finally set sail on NBC in the fall of 1966, Majel was nowhere to be seen. She was there, however, as the unseen voice of the ship's computer. Later on she was written into the cast as nurse Christine Chappel, assistant to Dr. McCoy, with an unrequited longing for Mr. Spock.

Behind the scenes, she was social secretary and den mother to the cast. It was Majel who remembered birthdays, or who had kids graduating from high school, or whose sister was expecting a baby. Majel was unquestioningly supportive, and tolerant beyond understanding of her boyfriend's frequent and open dalliances. She helped organize the letter-writing capaigns which are wideley credited with exteding the life of Star Trek's original network run.

They were married about the time of the cancellation of Star Trek. A marginal series during its initial run, the show developed a cult following in reruns. Gene and Majel were fixtures at sci-fi conventions and Star Trek fan events. She contibuted voices to the Saturday morning cartoon Star Trek series, and appeared in the 1979 big budget Star Trek movie. When the Next Generation came along, she had a banner turn as Counselor Troi's mother. Folowing Gene's death in 1991, she acted as guardian of the tradition.

All along, Majel continued to voice the computer on thhe various incarnations of the U.S.S. Enterprise. She recent completed the voice over work for the newest Star Trek film, set to debut in 2009. It'll be a bittersweet moment when her voice cuts onto the screen.


Then again, screw her; she's dead. Let's go look for crocodiles.

StevenK


Friday, December 19, 2008

Bettie Page


What's WRONG? At CLUB DEAD, The bell tolls for pin-up queen
Bettie Page
, felled by a heart attack at age 85. She struck a blow for femininity, teaching Fifties America that women could be sexy and strong, as well as demure. But it wasn't about sex. It was never about sex.

Whip me, beat me, kick me, love me...

Off 21st Avenue in Nashville, in one of the "we must be cool because we're across the street from Vanderbilt" neighborhoods, sits a trendy, touristy-college retro store. You know the kind, vinyl albums, posters, comic books, t-shirts, tourist memorabilia. Naturally, you'll find displays of the popular artists. Whose likeness do you suppose is featured most prominently of all? Not Garth. Not Reba. Not Toby. Not Kenny C. or Kenny R. or Kenny G or Elvis nor any other music star.

It's Nashville's own Bettie Page, brunette pin-up star and icon of feminine empowerment. "I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society," Hugh Hefner told The Associated Press. "She was a very dear person." Hefner described her appeal as "a combination of wholesome innocence and fetish-oriented poses that is at once retro and very modern."


It wasn't about sex, even though it was surrounded by sex. It was never about sex. It was about freedom, and expression, and release of inhibitions. It was a generation of American women daring to say "I enjoy the life I've chosen, but I'm not afraid to see what's behind door number two."

Bettie Page was a 27-year-old typist when she was first spotted by a Coney Island photographer in the fall of 1950. She had been taking acting classes after work in the hope of losing her Tennessee accent. Bettie was anxious to get exposure in the entertainment world, so she was delighted when he asked to photograph her.

A few months later, after making the acquantaince of a professional photographer with a taste for S&M., she changed her hairstyle and began to pose in bondage gear. With her black bangs and no-holds-barred demeanor, she came to personify the leather-clad dominatrix in pinups that covered countless GI's walls.

She appeared in all the major Men's magazines. Hefner personally selected her as Playmate of the Month for January 1955. And on film, her exuberant performances helped open the frontiers of sexual expression. She so personfied the "lifestyle" as they called it then, that she was supoenaed to give testimony to a Congressional invesigation into sexual perversity.


Entertainment reporter Tim Estiloz chatted face-to-face with the REAL Bettie Page in this exclusive "one on one" 1997 TV Interview. Bettie's current business rep... who meets and talks with Bettie Page regularly - confirms this 1997 TV interview is most likely the FIRST and ONLY lengthy "in depth" TV interview she ever gave.

In 1957, at the pinnacle of her fame, fatigued by a failed marriage and subsequent nervous breakdown, she dropped from view. Bettie Page avoided the public spotlight for decades, but saw a revival of her career in the 1990's. She was grateful for the attention, but repeatedly declined to be photographed, prefering than fans remember her as she appeared in her prime.

Make sure to catch "Betty Page: Pinup Queen, a 1998 documentary made with her blessing and participation. Also look for "The Notorious Bettie Page," a 2005 HBO movie starring Gretchen Mol. Reportedly she liked the film, but not the use of the word "Notorious".

Then again, screw her, she's dead. Let's go look for crocodiles.


StevenK

"Deep Throat" (Mark Felt)

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