Happy Vampires

1. A Star Is Born
When Norma Jeane Baker was a little girl her guardian Grace was obsessed with Hollywood and starlets. She repeatedly told Norma that one day she would grow up to be a movie star just like Jean Harlow. Tony Robbins was right, positive reinforcement can move mountains.

2. A Brief History Of Time
She was born in 1926 to Gladys Baker, an unmarried movie technician. Due to her mother’s mental instability she was raised in foster homes amongst neglect and abuse. At 16, she married a defense worker named James E. Dougherty. During World War II she became a pin-up model and was eventually signed to a modeling agency. In 1946 she divorced Dougherty, bleached her hair, signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox and became Marilyn Monroe. Her first starring role was in “Don’t Bother to Knock” in 1952. A year later in 1953 Marilyn received her star along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and was immortalized by her handprints in the famous forecourt of Grumman’s Chinese Theatre. A year later she married Joe DiMaggio. Two years later she legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and then married Arthur Miller. Their marriage soon ended but he wrote her last film, “The Misfits” in 1960. On the night of August 4th, 1962 she died of what is still considered mysterious causes.

3. Her Very Own Cheshire Cat
Like Alice in Wonderland, Marilyn made her way through the maze of Hollywood, but instead of relying upon the replies of a Cheshire Cat in the forest, Marilyn decided to find the answers to whys and ways all on her own. Spurned by her feeling of lack of education as a child, she made it a personal goal to learn as much about everyone and everything she came in contact with, seeking out the advice of experts in all fields she had questions about. She was also a passionate reader, collecting more than 200 great books ranging from Tolstoy, Whitman, Steinbeck, and Milton to Flaubert.

4. The M&M Files
The FBI had more than 100 pages of files on Marilyn and her activities. Many incidents were documented on her connection with the Communist movement, no matter how slight it might have been. One full page is dedicated to her being seen poolside with certain members of the American Communist Group in Mexico, while she was on vacation. Geez, what’s a girl to do? Because of her marriage to Arthur Miller and his leftist’s views, she was further investigated. Considerable concern was expressed when she later met with Robert Kennedy and expressed her views and questions about Mr. Miller’s ideas. Yeesh, politics were heavy handed back in those days. Now we have sitcoms ridiculing our president and current leaders. Perhaps those shows keep the FBI just as busy these days.

5. Unsolved Mysteries
Further files followed her mysterious death, one document contains a letter written on January 20th, 1965 from the Mothers of World War II, Inc. expressing concern about a document they had received with questions about the late superstar’s murder or suicide, detailing information about her link with the Communist group and a certain Attorney General named Robert F. Kennedy, which the FBI has recorded she met alone on many occasions. The list goes on and on, rumors circulate to this day about her death, unfortunately it most likely will never be revealed one way or another.

6. Pigs Fly
One thing is certain; Marilyn did have an affair with President John F. Kennedy. Well at least there are witnesses to the fact they shared a hotel room in Tahoe. Further rumors suggested the Robert Kennedy was also having an affair with her. Many suggest the “right wing” FBI and CIA agents were motivated to murder Marilyn in order to embarrass and undermine the Kennedy family. Apparently, President Kennedy was taking actions to limit the power of these two agencies after the Bay of Pigs incident.

7. Enquiring Minds
In order to bring some of these rumors to light, Norman Mailer wrote a book about Marilyn′s death. One of his allegations was that Marilyn had made repeated calls to the White House on the evening of her death. He goes further to say that the LAPD and the FBI removed, a “paper tape”, of Marilyn′s telephone calls from the phone company in Santa Monica. He then states he had no proof of any of this other than, “writer’s instinct”. Because of his book he coined the phrase, “factoid″ which means an event, which has no existence other than it, has appeared in print.

8. A Legend
Marilyn Monroe was the quintessential Hollywood superstar, a sex goddess who yearned to be more. Whatever her criticisms as an actress, in most of her films she exuded a bold yet attractive sexuality that set her apart from her peers of the time. Although intelligent, hardworking, and determined, she could not escape her own self-made image. She was, as her friend and director Lee Strasberg noted in his eulogy, “a legend in her own lifetime.”

To read more articles by Chad, visit the American Pop Culture Encyclopedia at: americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com American Pop Culture Encyclopedia.

If you would like to read this article, or others like it, on American Pop Culture Encyclopedia, please visit: americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com/marilyn_monroe.htm Marilyn Monroe

Ah, there’s nothing like good poker party games to keep you and the guests entertained at your next poker themed party. Keep in mind that a little variety can make your party even better.

Senior Poker:

Say you invite a lot of guests to your poker party games? You can use that large number of people to create separate categories of games. Silly games for the very young kids at the party and a special senior poker table for the elders at your poker party games. Go ahead and set up a tournament of seniors to see which of the older guests at the party have more of the skill of the game over their long years. Set an age requirement so the young folks at the party don’t try to get in on the game.

Rummy:

This is a good card game for people to start playing at your poker party games when they start to get tired of poker or just don’t feel inclined to bet on a game. Rummy is traditionally played with four to six players but you can get a game going with just two or three. Plus it’s a long lasting game so you don’t need to keep going on round after round unless you want too.

Set up these poker party games by dealing out seven cards to each player and putting the rest of the deck in the center of the table at your poker party games. This will be the deck you draw new cards from. Take the top card from the deck and place it face up beside the deck. The object of the game is to make matches of three like cards or three sequential cards in a deck. Each player gets a turn to place any card they want from their hand next to the card that’s placed face up and draw a new card from the deck. If another player wants cards from the discards they can pick it up, any other cards that are placed on top of it. When a play makes a matching set they use their turn to place it down on the table in front of them.
The first player to get rid of his or her hand is the poker party games winner. Count up all the matching sets to see how many points you’ve earned one through ten is worth five points and court cards are worth ten, fifteen points for the Aces.

These two games will make your next poker party games a great hit. Use them wisely and have a fun time.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for partysuppliesshop.com/poker/ poker party supplies and free educational party-games-etc.com party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Shop has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable partythemeshop.com Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or “just because″ parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

There are more than a few online movie rental plans available these days. The number of DVD movies that you are permitted to have out at a time establishes the price of the plan. To clarify how this works, we will presume that you have joined a plan that allows for 3 DVD movies to be out at a time. This is the most common arrangement but all other plans will work as well for any online movie rentals.

When you initially join the plan online, you will decide between 3 movies that you want to see. These online movies will be mailed to you right away.
After you watch the first DVD, you will send it back in the postage paid envelope that arrives when you received the movie. Watch the second movie and return it the same way.

When online, you will continue a list of flicks that you want to see. When your movie rental club picks up your first rental, they will mail you the next movie on your list. The second movie on your list will be sent to you when they receive the second dvd back. Keep track of what movie rentals are at the top of your que because these will be the ones that will be sent to you next.

If for some reason, your movie is not currently available, be patient, and don’t move them to the bottom. You will soon claim this title as soon as its available for rent.

Remember that the delivery time for your DVD rental movies will vary depending on how far you are from your rental company distribution centers. So, consider this distance factor when you select the company for your rentals.

Most online rental companies have more than one plan and you can modify it later if you first selection is not closely accurate. Cancelling your plan and signing up with a new rental club is also an option if things don’t work for yourself. You can also complement your plan by using the local rental store when necessary.

Usually your flicks will be in your mailbox within 2 to 5 days after it is dispatched. Being close to the origination point ought to make your wait time shorter for any online movie rental plan.

Professional Movie Rental Plan Reviews. Expert comparisons on which plan suites your individual needs.
MovieRentalClubGuide.com/reviews.php MovieRentalClubGuide.com/reviews.php

If we could step back in time and ask the masters, they would probably say oil painting will always be around. Will it? This is a rapidly depleting arena of the art world. Many artists still swear by oils and until recently, I agreed. I reluctantly switched to Acrylics when I had children only because they were easier. I never liked them, though; in fact, I stopped painting for quite a while because I disliked Acrylics so much.

I have always had several problems with Acrylics. One, I dislike the way they blend together so quickly. I am impatient and prefer wet into wet work. Therefore, I usually end up painting on something that is wet. With oils, you can swirl, spin, and thump the brush on the canvas yet you still have the remnants of both colors when you finish, whereas Acrylics blend before you can get them on the brush creating a third color. Another problem is the work time. Acrylics dry quite fast. I am a fast painter, but was continually frustrated when paint would glob up on the brush. They do have extender products, but I never found them satisfying as they usually thinned the paint too much. Finally, I have never liked the way the finished product looked with Acrylics. Sure, you can coat the painting or gloss it up, but there is nothing that compares to that thick, rich, greasy look oils present. I just don’t like Acrylics.

Don’t get me wrong. Oils have plenty of negative traits as well. The clean up is insufferable with all the solvents and clogged sinks (not too environmentally friendly – for you advocates). The biggest problem is Oils NEVER dry. You may have a good skin on your painting after a month or so but one bump or brush against it and you find that your new shirt is ruined (or the inside of your car while transporting to shows). Oils are also temperamental and they begin their own life on your canvas. Oils are subject to temperature change and humidity causing them to crack if not properly treated. Still despite their difficulties, I hold firm that there is nothing that compares to the look of an Oil painting. But wait, there’s more.

I settled for a happy medium while I was in college. My paint of choice was the Alkyds. They were oils and had the same difficult clean-up, but offered a faster drying time. This was great since I was transporting paintings back and forth to class. They were usually tack dry in a day or two and were pretty safe in a week. I enjoyed these because they worked like original oils for blending purposes and general “feel” of oils. Still, there was the clean up issue.

Art supplies have come a long way. A few years ago, I discovered water-soluble oil based paints that cleaned up with soap and water. They are linseed oil based (a common staple for anyone that uses traditional oils) I am not a chemist and I don’t know how exactly they do it, but I am grateful to the person who understood the dilemma. They are a little more expensive, but what is convenience and versatility worth to you?

No matter what your preferences are there will always be controversy over which is better. My lack of success with Acrylics does not mean they are inferior. I have seen many great works of art that were done in Acrylics (and find myself asking “how did they get that effect with Acrylics?”). There are obviously advantages and disadvantages to all the different options we have available today. I guess I am a little stuck in my ways and will always choose some form of oil paint.

Timothy Beckwith is an artist that hosts a blog that offers aspiring artists a chance to get their work displayed and promoted. While painting is his preferred medium, he has also branched into photography during his recent deployment to Afghanistan. You can check out his other work on xtremkritic.blogspot.com/ xtremkritic.blogspot.com/

The ancient art of reading tea leaves in a cup is quite simple, and can be learned in a very short time. Although psychics throughout the ages have used it as a system of divination, any one can learn to master the techniques involved. Before long you will be making predictions about the future for friends and family. You don’t need to posses any psychic ability; all that’s really required is patience to understand the various symbols and their meanings. However, as with all divinatory systems constant use can have the effect of developing and stimulating your natural intuitive ability.

Adding clairvoyancy to the skill will give you a deeper insight into the metaphysical energy surrounding the process. Reading tealeaves is a fun way of stimulating the imagination and tapping into the unconscious mind and listening to your inner self for answers to problems or dilemmas that you may have. The process also links in with Carl Jung’s theory of the ‘Collective uconsciousness’, where by ones intuition isn’t limited by the constraints of space or time. It’s through this that tealeaf readers can look into a persons past, present or future.

The ancient practice of interpreting patterns made by tealeaves in the cup is called Tasseography, otherwise known as tasseomancy or tassology. “Tasse” or “tass” is an Arab word, meaning small cup or goblet. The art also includes the reading of coffee grounds and wine sediments. In China and Japan tea drinking had a ceremonial use and an aid to meditation. A reader would watch for omens in the patterns and shapes left after drinking the tea. Although tealeaf reading is associated with Gypsy fortune-tellers and Victorian parlour games it’s roots began in Asia, ancient Greece and the Middle East. In recent history it has close ties with Scottish, and Irish tradition as well as throughout Eastern Europe.

Historically, a psychic often had a special cup that he or she would use for readings. Likewise a special spoon may be used to give it a sense of ritual. The cup, saucer and spoon should be first washed or cleansed by immersing it in hot soap and water and rinsing it with cold. Modern day psychics use cups with astrological markings printed on the inside. This not only gives a reading from the tealeaves but also provides information based on the astrological signs. The cup should have a wide brim and should be plain inside as any pattern would conflict with the interpretation of the leaves

Part of the ritual of reading tea leaves is in the act of sitting down and enjoying the tea in the company of fellow drinkers as this allows you to relax and gather your thoughts. Typically psychics choose not to use small commercially produced tealeaves but opt for the larger type i.e. Jasmin or Erl Grey etc. The person having the reading would be asked to spoon a measure of tea into a heated pot or directly into a china cup. Some psychics ask that the person receiving the reading stir the dried leaves before spooning them into the teacup or pot. This is seen as being similar to shuffling tarot cards before a reading. Boiling water is poured over the tea as the person receiving the reading stirs the pot or cup. At the same time he or she should concentrate on the particular question that they would like an answer to. The teapot is swirled and the tea poured into the cup.

When the tea is cool enough to drink the person receiving the reading sips the liquid whilst continuing to concentrate on the question. The person having his or hers tealeaf read should leave about a quarter of an inch of tea at the bottom of the cup. The cup should then be swirled around with the left hand three times in a clockwise direction so that the tealeaves are in a state of suspension. It is then flipped quickly facedown onto a napkin, which has been placed on the saucer thus leaving the tealeaves on the bottom and sides of the cup.

In order to interpret the images it may help if you slightly squint your eyes as you look at the leaves and allow your imagination to roam. Making a mental note of what you see begin reading the cup clockwise, the handle representing the day of the teacup reading should be facing the reader The rest of the cup is divided into twelve months with the six month position being directly facing the handle. The leaves near the brim of the cup have more importance than those near the bottom. Some psychics say that images facing anticlockwise represent the significance is departing, whilst images facing clockwise mean the person requesting the reading is moving towards the occurrence.

Iterpretation of the symbols can be either exactly as they appear, for example a house, may mean contentment and home, or symbolically ie combined with a bell may mean good news or an invitation on it’s way. Contradicting images imply indecision in the person’s mind. Sometimes the top of the cup is seen as lucky and the bottom is seen as unlucky, but you should use your intuition and common sense when deciding this. The size of the symbol may give you clue to its importance. The rim represents the present or things that may happen within a few days or weeks. The sides predict the future. The bottom predicts the very distant future.

Like learning most things the more you practice the better you will get. The same applies to the art of tealeaf reading the more proficient you will become at it. The secrete is to trust your instinct, try and not allow your logic to interfere with what you see. At first you may only be able to see vague shapes, but with perseverance your competence and confidence will grow. The list of symbols and meanings below is far from complete but will help you get started. It would also be helpful to purchase a book with a more
comprehensive list of interpretations or alternatively, there are many resources available on the Internet. Ultimately, the interpretation should be left up to the reader, and no two readers are the same. The main thing about interpreting what you see is to learn to trust your intuition and gut feelings. You may find that certain symbols have a particular meaning for you alone and vary from the meanings listed below

Symbols and Interpretations :

Aeroplane :- Travel, going up in the world.
Anchor :- A journey ends.
Angel :- A blessing from your guides.
Bell :- Good news i.e. wedding etc.
Bird :- Good fortune on its way.
Book :- Look for further information.
Bottle :- Allurement, good social life.
Butterfly :- None serious about a relationship.
Clock :- Act now, a meeting soon to happen.
Moon :- Changes.
Cross :- Problems but outcome positive.
Cobweb :- something guarded or secure.
Dagger :- Fallout or plotting ahead.
Dog :- A faithful friend.
Flag :- Stay fast for good fortune.
Fish :- Spiritual progress.

Gate :- Change of circumstance, confidently proceed.
Heart :- Happy emotional things.
Key :- Solutions revealed soon.
Ladder :- promotion, improvement.
Mountain :- Problems, but conquerable.
Ring :- Changes for the better.
Scales :- Decisions need to balance things.
Trees :- A new start.
Teapot :- Warm-loving friends.

Paula is a gifted psychic and the owner of email-a-psychic.co.uk www.email-a-psychic.co.uk
and psychic-trudy.co.uk www.psychic-trudy.co.uk where your personal questions will be answered professionally and compassionately by Email.

What is the most famous painting in the world? I sat and thought about this in my studio for a few hours. The only one I could come up with was the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. No other painting has ever had the amount of celebrity that the Mona Lisa has. Sure, you might say well it’s all because of the Dan Brown novel, “The DaVinci Code”, but the Mona Lisa was immensely popular before gracing Dan Brown’s cover. In a way it was more likely the mysterious Leonardo that helped sell his books, along with the religious controversy of course.

Since the Mona Lisa is a painting, painted by a person just like any other painting, I’ll take a look first at the artist himself — Leonardo. There aren’t many artists that you can call by a single name: Michelangelo, Raphael, and Madonna. Well, back to Leonardo, to understand how and why the Mona Lisa is so great I need to start out with Leonardo and his life. Leonardo was born on April 14, 1452, for you astrologers out there, that means he is an Aries. I decided to take a closer look at Leonardo’s sign, Aries. I first tried to get an astrological cart on his birthday, because astrology charts are often done for people to find out about themselves and their relationships, when I mentioned the date 1452 to astrologers they thought I was rather strange. I had to change my tactic, I instead looked up an astrology chart for 1492 and came up with Leonardo’s exact chart. (Astrology Weekly). Once I found this I became excited, but then it dawned on me I have no idea on what these circles and degrees mean.

I figured this probably isn’t the only website with Leonardo’s chart, I searched for one that went more in depth. I found my answers (Indra Report) and they start by saying that someone with this chart loved to study and the people liked him, even if they didn’t know exactly why. This makes sense with Leonardo’s dedication to science, inventing all sorts of machines, and his desire to become a great painter by learning anatomy. The report goes on stating that someone with this chart is often misunderstood, aren’t all artists, and that they have trouble in close relationships. In the history books there isn’t much on Leonardo’s romantic relationships. The report which give a very detailed account, and could be used in an article within itself, summarizes that Leonardo was a philosopher with strong values, also that he is secretive an wants to serve humanity. The report goes into detail on what someone with this chart experiences, from their emotional highs and lows, while interesting, it doesn’t help me explain why the Mona Lisa is the world’s most famous painting.

Leonardo was an illegitimate child, the son of Ser Piero da Vinci, a Florentine notary, and Caterina, a peasant. After asking around, I found out that even though being an illegitimate child might have been frowned upon, it wasn’t that uncommon and wouldn’t have been a real barrier to succeed in life in Leonardo’s time.

Who exactly is the Mona Lisa, anyway? We maybe used to the portrait, but many of us have no idea who the Mona Lisa was. For a time there was even a group who declared that the Mona Lisas was in fact a female version of Leonardo. This might be interesting, but who’s to say that the Mona Lisa’s popularity is due to the world’s overwhelming desire to see men in drag? Unlikely. The theory that the Mona Lisa is Leonardo has been put to rest by many historians and art scholars. Basically it just doesn’t add up or equal each other.

The Mona Lisa is also known as La Gioconda. The Mona Lisa is believed to be Lisa Gherardini the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy businessman. So that is where the Lisa comes from, but what about the Mona? The Mona comes from Madonna, which is a term for “My Lady”. So the Mona Lisa is basically “My Lady Lisa”. The painting was started in 1502 and is estimated to have taken four years to complete. It is also argued that the painting still may be unfinished. Leonardo was a perfectionist and rarely completed a painting.

The Mona Lisa was admired and copied by various artists of the time. Lisa’s pose was often imitated by others. The smile of the Mona Lisa may be mysterious but is in tune with the time it was painted. In portraits, women were not encouraged to have a broad smile or look too serious. Leonardo went in the middle, like many of his contemporaries — not a full smile, but a hint. Can you imagine the Mona Lisa with a huge toothy grin? This enigmatic smile gives her the appearance of being mysterisous and all knowing.

Leonardo’s greatest painting was often believed to be the Last Supper, not the Mona Lisa. So what about the Mona Lisa itself as a painting? I decided to take a look at the techniques that Leonardo used to make this portrait. The portrait uses a pyramid shape, her head being the top of the pyramid and her hands being the base. The painting was created using Leonardo’s sfumato technique. This technique took a great deal of time. Sfumato was used to create a smoky or hazy look and there were no clear lines. Leonardo is perhaps the greatest master of this technique.

How is the sfumato technique done? It’s the layering of tiny dots placed over and over again in relating tones, giving the appearance of no lines. I decided to try out the sfumato technique myself. After doing this I realized how dedicated Leonardo must have been, to see the picture a whole, and to take the time to do it the right way, using his technique. No wonder the painting was estimated to take four years to complete!

The Mona Lisa is an impressive painting, especially when you look at the pose of the portrait, a three-quarter view, along with the geometric shape of the subject, a pyramid shape, and the unusual background. What was most impressive is Leonardo’s use of the sfumato technique, this is what makes the Mona Lisa the Mona Lisa. The technique creates a mysterious look. Although the Mona Lisa was admired, it took centuries to become what it is now — and it all centers around a theft.

The Mona Lisa was stolen on August 21, 1911. It was as if someone just walked into the Louvre and took it right from the wall and walked right out. The press had a field day, and many jokes were made on behalf of Le Louvre. All of a sudden everyone knew about the Mona Lisa, and it headlined papers all over Europe. Then all went was quiet. The Mona Lisa was thought to be lost forever. Soon it was forgotten by pop culture. Three years later, an amazing thing happened — she was found.

Turns out Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee, had stolen the painting. He walked out of the muesum with the painting under his arm, hidden under his coat. This again awoke the media. If a lost painting was a sensation, the finding of it was an even bigger event. This time the Mona Lisa inspired countries around the world. This attention brought on by the theft and return of the painting caused people to take notice, especially details like the Mona Lisa’s smile. Like many popular recording artists of today, the Mona Lisa went on a world tour.

The popularity of the Mona Lisa could have drifted away but it stayed. Why did it stay? Rich in symbolic importance, the Mona Lisa became the unofficial representation of the Fine Arts. Some would attack it and some would use it to validate their work. Then there are all the books and movies about her. The Mona Lisa has never really become out of style since the theft.

So was the theft all there is to the Mona Lisa’s popularity? No, the Mona Lisa would not have been embedded in popular culture only because of the theft and the media frenzy surrounding her return and world tour. What the theft did was help the world discover Leonardo and the Mona Lisa. It was then that Leonardo and the Mona Lisa caught and permanently held our attention.

Leonardo was rediscovered to be a scientist and a wise teacher. He almost reminds you of Merlin with his beard and deep eyes — a true renaissance man. We learned to admire Leonardo for his inventions and for his paintings. He represents to many what we would like to be, a visionary. The Mona Lisa herself is remarkable and mysterious. She is not a religious painting, or a painting of royalty, this would have most likely limited her popularity. “Mona Lisa” is a person we can relate to, but still can’t quite understand.

William DePaula is an artist and writer. He writes on art, history, and how it relates to us today. Through his series “Behind the Painting”, he learns about the artist, the artwork, the techniques used and what life was like during the creation of the masterpiece.

His art and apparel can be viewed at artedepaula.com artedepaula.com

Disclosure: Author is not part of XM, or representing Tyra Banks or any of her entities.

“The Tyra Banks Show” debuts on September 12.

Targeting women, XM Satellite Radio, with more than 4.4 million subscribers, the nation’s leading satellite radio service announced that it would launch a new talk and lifestyle channel, Take Five.

This new women’s channel will feature daily satellite radio broadcasts of the Daytime Emmy(R) Award-winning “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and the new “Tyra Banks Show,” as well as original content from the popular Food Network and HGTV. Take Five’s launch in October 2005 will complete the program lineup and more shows will be announced prior to Take Five’s launch in October 2005.

Hosted by supermodel and TV personality, Tyra Banks, “The Tyra Banks Show” is a new daytime syndicated talk show. Focusing on Tyra’s generation of women and the things they care about, the new show is destined to be a hit among its target audience. Several segments each day range from interviews with real women to talking about issues that are relevant to all their lives. Some hot topics include relationships, body image, interviews with favorite celebrities, fun stuff like fashion and beauty, pop culture, lifestyle segments, and of course musical performances.

“The Tyra Banks Show″ debuts on September 12. Check local listings for air times in your viewing area.

Scott Fish is the owner of topsatelliteradio.com Satellite Radio Sirius and XM satellite Radio Reviews |
fishseo.com Search Engine Optimization Firm

“Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986) tells the chilling story of a socially dysfunctional mass murderer in boldly flat and straightforwardly unforgiving realism that’s tough to fathom. Rather than exploiting the murders seen in so many of those clichéd horror flicks we see almost every Halloween or summer’s eve, its intention is to illuminate, not proselytize, diseased minds that are way too lifelike to begin with. But it is very hard to not call this work of supremely raw, independently financed refulgence a searing look into rape and murder not as forms of crime, but simply as nonjudgmental ways in which one can pass time and relieve stress.

Loosely inspired by the renounced confessions of a self-proclaimed Texas serial killer named Henry Lee Lucas, the film uses a razor-sharp slice-of-life approach to create a docudrama that’s arguably the most terrifying and disturbing account of sociopathic behavior ever made.

Filmed in the slushy, bleak, and misty winter nights of Chicago’s grittiest back alleys, honky-tonk bars and drabbest apartments during the winter of 1985-86, Henry depicts a rather “low” drifter (played with remorseless authority by character actor Michael Rooker) driving around in his green 1965 Chevy Impala who happens to kill strangers unapologetically with no preferred method or pattern. The movie opens with a deeply creepy montage of dead bodies. Nobody knows if this is the work of the protagonist, but being the film overall is too believable, we might as well have to say so.

Tom Towles plays the equally unnerving role of Otis, a casually degenerated friend of Henry who eventually drifts into murder sprees through Henry, and Tracy Arnold is Otis’ sister, an unemployed teenage stripper who knows Henry killed his mother and ironically finds the fact to be very fascinating.

Henry becomes the roommate of Otis, a parolee working at a local gas station, and then the sister arrives from out of town and moves in with the externally cool yet internally bad-tempered mass murderer. Otis, who may have a homosexual interest in Henry from their days in prison (a scene showing them making love was cut out at the last minute of post-production!), eventually goes along with him in a series of brutal killings, including one where they pretend to have car trouble and then shoot a Good Samaritan on the highway, and another where they invade a suburban Chicago home and videotape the murder and rape of an innocent Midwestern-style family. The videotape scene has to be the most appalling of them all, but it does NOT sugarcoat the gory details the way Scream or other glossier “slashers” of recent vintage did.

Director John McNaughton, a former Chicago ad executive who dropped out for a few years to work in a traveling carnival, build sailboats in New Orleans, and then direct music videos during MTV’s heyday (i.e. the era before “reality” shows blossomed), is a master of potent precision and gut-wrenching invulnerability. This film portrays a world in which there’s no romanticized hero to defeat forces deemed to be evil and ultimately disgusting.

Not surprisingly, the filmmaker raised the $125,000 budget for his stunning debut from Waleed Ali, a Chicago home video executive, who wanted a horror film but reportedly was surprised when McNaughton gave him the real thing instead of a cheesy teen film that trivializes death itself. Ali’s surprise was reflected wherever the film was shown in limited release, three years after sitting on the shelf that is…

More than twenty years after Henry was shot, there’s no denying its continuing visceral power for those valiant enough to see such demented minds run their course through uncompromisingly immoral territory.

Are YOU ready?

To read other stellar reviews of Henry, check out:

rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19900914/REVIEWS/9140301/1023 rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19900914/REVIEWS/9140301/1023

tvguide.com/movies/henry-portrait-serial/127992 tvguide.com/movies/henry-portrait-serial/127992

at your own risk…

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These are ACTUAL announcements from church bulletins:

1. Don’t let worry kill you. Let the Church help.

2. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.

3. For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

4. We are pleased to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

5. Thursday at 5 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All wishing to become Little Mothers, please see the minister in his private study.

6. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.

7. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.

8. Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.

9. The Senior Choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.

10. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

11. The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.

12. The Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

13. Evening Massage—6 p.m.

14. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

15. The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession.

16. Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.

17. Ushers will eat latecomers.

18. The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.

19. For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

20. The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.

21. The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, “Break Forth Into Joy.”

22. During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.

23. Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on “It’s a Terrible Experience.”

24. Due to the Rector’s illness, Wednesday’s healing services will be discontinued until further notice.

25. Stewardship Offertory: “Jesus Paid It All”

26. The music for today’s service was all composed by George Friedrich Handel in celebration of the 300th anniversary of his birth.

27. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

28. The concert held in Fellowship Hall was a great success. Special thanks are due to the minister’s daughter, who labored the whole evening at the piano, which as usual fell upon her.

29. 22 members were present at the church meeting held at the home of Mrs. Marsha Crutchfield last evening. Mrs. Crutchfield and Mrs. Rankin sang a duet, “The Lord Knows Why.”

30. A song fest was hell at the Methodist church Wednesday.

31. Today’s Sermon: HOW MUCH CAN A MAN DRINK? with hymns from a full choir.

32. Hymn 43: “Great God, What Do I See Here?” Preacher: The Rev. Horace Blodgett Hymn 47: “Hark! an Awful Voice is Sounding”

33. On a church bulletin during the minister’s illness: GOD IS GOOD Dr. Hargreaves is better.

34. Potluck supper: prayer and medication to follow.

35. The 1997 Spring Council Retreat will be hell May 10 and 11.

36. Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

37. The choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.

38. Please join us as we show our support for Amy and Alan in preparing for the girth of their first child.

The Long Solitary Journey of Tipi and Ursus arctos:
The Great Tibetan Grizzly

Sjorfaa! Sjorfaa!,

Every time I kill a bear I morn, I don’t really count the days, but no more than two, sometimes one, it is not a show of regret, the reason I do this, oh no, —no, I have no regrets, or pleasure for the most part, I am a hunter, I eat to survive like all people do; wait a minute, I do have pleasure, for the moment, it is a recompense, yes, yes, that is what it is. I’d rather kill a bear than a rabbit: no joy out of such a light kill as a rabbit, only meat: rabbit meat: but it tastes ok; not great, not like bear. But back to the bear, to survive you must be more powerful than the bear, or wiser. When I kill the bear he has a blue tongue that protrudes between his teeth, and he will collapse on the ice. I kill him noiselessly, and like a ghost and sadly I observe his outstretched body. I am one of the few, no, no: I am the only one now who kills the bears on the ‘Great Solo Hunt.’ And the only one I know of who jumps onto the back of the bear and kills him: the old way, the way it should be done: the way it used to be done: it is a blood hunt often times.

I am not dark-skinned, lighter than my native kith and kin, but I have cold blood, and the bear is warm and hungry, and brown, the one I am looking for, as blinding as snow can be, I never miss him, when he is around, I can spot him, I always spot him: calm and starry he is; almost sleepy at times when I spot him. But again he is no match for me. I will kill him in many ways. This bear is strong and can take an animal or man and swing him like a bird and throw him far distances. I have seen this happen. The bear can take gigantic leaps, and can disengage himself: trembling and fear go with those who see this bear, he runs like the wind, but me, not me, I do not tremble or fear him: tell nobody but God, that is what I say. His claws are sharp and can dig many inches through ice if need be to make an escape, or dig a hole and grab a seal for dinner. Yes, oh yes, he can do this in a matter of minutes, perhaps seconds if need be, in an utterly silent way; and if the ice is thin, quicker than seconds: one grab through the ice will do it. I have seen how some of the hunters have many dogs and they surround a bear who cannot escape, then, then…yet I tell them all, —this is the time to be careful, for they have been bitten in such events, even a small bear can be dangerous. You should know the bear-spirit does not lie down and die because he sees dogs or a hunter, —he explodes inside, he will not skedaddle: –nor move over because you say so. He goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth: makes you dizzy, makes you lose your way. Moreover, after roaming aimlessly you die —not the bear, in a frozen stance, by a cliff, or plateau: in the blizzard you didn’t notice was coming because the bear got you dizzy

my father was a white man, my mother an Eskimo. They are both dead now, he was an Arctic explorer: she, oh yes yes yes: she was a Thule woman; she was born to the Arctic, in Greenland. I am her only child: she carried me in her amaaq, this was me. I remember her well —she had long hair, thick to the skull. Wore a necklace made of walrus ivory. Many little things were on it, little figurines that represented her life: such as the igloo, the woman, kayak, walrus, the dog, salmon, the bear, and seal.
She would say,

“Tipi, are you ok back there?” and as I’d feel her back and the warmth of the fur around me, I’d touch her shoulders to let her know I was, I was ok, alright, I was safe for her not to worry, or have her hand feeling for me, poking me in the eyes accidentally: you know, that kind of stuff.

This is my given name, –this is one thing the bear didn’t know, the Great Grizzly. As I was raised like most in the Arctic, a native, I was never touched harmfully by my mother, or father, —never disciplined in a physical way. It is the native way, —the Arctic’s way. Often times my tribe: the one I used to belong to, but I have left them since adulthood, would allow other tribes to take wives from other camps, or tribes, if you will—no real husbands and for a while, well, for a while none really belonging to any certain person or forever, if that makes sense. It was the way it had to be. Or we would have no tribe, we would die out. And so a woman may end up with a stranger from another tribe. And children were very precious: indeed they were; I have slept with woman, I have never had a wife, or chose a special woman to remain with: and thus, I must assume I may have children in a few tribes. In their summer tents, I would make love to them. Listen to the drum song [Ingmerneq]. I think a bear would like to sleep with a woman if he could steal her long away enough. They have secret spirits inside of them. I have not seen a bear harm a woman, no, not ever: maybe that is why. They are close to our ancestors you know: —but I could be wrong, maybe a bad spirit makes me think that a bear would sleep with a woman.

But once I was learning how to make water, you put three great stones together and a heap of snow on top. Under the main top stone you put another one under that, make a fire, and slant the upper roof stone, so when the water drains, it will drain downward to the container, and fill it with water. A great white bear came: he stood no more than twenty feet from me: a flood of thoughts filled my brain: voices in my brain were muffled, as if I was in one room, a jail perhaps, and I couldn’t think: muffled, yes, my brain was stifled: I was with, with my mother: I was but ten years of age. The bear lay down, eyes cast upon my mother, and she continued to show me the pail full of water. And she said:

“Sjorfaa!” and the bear left her. But my spirit doesn’t connect with the bear like that. It wants to kill it. Conquer it. Why? You tell me; it is who I am, that is the best I can say, or do, do for such a question:

bear, bear, which do you, think you are [?] – You are dead

I have killed many bears with furious hatches, knives, and used sharpened stones to keep them deadly. I learned from the Canadian Eskimos when I was young the many forms of hatches they had, therefore I could select which one I needed and which one would work best for me, that is the one I’d select. They were what I called Polar Eskimos –they knew very little about wood, but the whalers and the Thule traded information.

2

The Chain

Death to helplessness, to the born and the dying, the aged, for first you are born, –helpless, which is natural, —are we not? and by way of instincts, we say to ourselves: we must smile, or cry to get our way, to survive —You must learn who is your mother and father, for the bear can fool you and say he is, when he is hungry, and you do not know the difference, and you willingly go to him, and he devours you —You have done this bear haven’t you? —oh yes, he has

we don’t even know what we look like, only what we see: tell nobody but God, and have no trembling or fear, he will not if you do: when they see you, the door swings shut inside their hearts… So we think we are like the bear. Then you grow old and again you are like the old grizzly, the polar, the panda, the Russian bear-Tamens, they like to play; but in all cases, they grow old, weak, tired: like we do: the only think that can travel faster than a bear is the smell of death…or the blood hunt, the smell of a blood. And even the dremo the Tibetan Grizzly [also known as Ursus arctos], he may be the exception, for I have looked for him for twenty-years, but only one…it is he, the Great One…

I have never known a person to have seen a Tibetan Grizzly other than my family, to include my father, grandfather, my uncle, my mother and myself, but that is the heritage of the “Great Grizzly”; has in us, in his veins, he has chosen us to be his destroyer, as he has been ours, me. He is as tall as a mountain, and as strong as the ice. He has no equal, no fear of death, for he is death —Ursus arctos.

See Dennis’ travels at Http://dennissiluk.tirpod.com Http://dennissiluk.tirpod.com