Category Archives: Opinions

My Top 5 Favorite Actresses

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Last week, after I posted My Top 5 Favorite American Actors, a reader said she couldn’t wait to see what actresses I might pick. I’ve been thinking about that ever since. I don’t have many favorite actresses, so this list has been difficult! Please note that I definitely do not have enough favorites to make two separate lists; one for British actresses and one for American actresses. This is a list that includes both.

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5. Sandra Bullock – I first saw Sandra in the movie Speed, which I enjoy watching time and time again. She always lends a touch of ‘real’ to her roles. She gives the impression of the “girl next door” with her down to Earth performances. I enjoyed the Miss Congeniality movies, which proved she could be funny. While You Were Sleeping, Practical Magic, Premonition, and The Lake House are among my favorites. I never saw Bird Box – and I’ve heard mixed reviews, and I’ve not been in a rush to watch it because it’s a horror film.

Photo Credit: Photo12.com – Collection Cinéma

4. Reese Witherspoon – The first thing I ever saw Reese in was a movie called Freeway. If you haven’t seen it, you should! She was very young in this movie and she was a spitfire! She did an amazing job! She’s a fine actress and seems to have the determination to move mountains! I liked her in movies such as Wild, Fear, Walk The Line, Sweet Home Alabama, and a limited series you may have seen on Hulu, called Little Fires Everywhere.

Photo Credit: Imdb.com

3. Emma Thompson – Emma is a British actress, who was once married to my favorite British actor, Kenneth Branagh. She appeared in several movies with him and one of my favorites is Dead Again. It’s a must-see if you haven’t already. Emma’s strong performances include Nanny McPhee, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and The Remains of the Day, just to name a few.

Photo Credit: Amazon

2. Elisabeth Moss – Elisabeth is an amazing actress! I never paid much attention to Elisabeth when my dad watched the series Mad Men. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. It wasn’t until her role in The Handmaid’s Tale that I took notice. She did (and continues doing) an excellent job. It’s a hard series to watch and I’m sure it hasn’t been easy filming it either. She seems to take on the strongest emotional roles offered to her. I have seen her in Top of The Lake, a series with 2 seasons, and I just watched The Invisible Man last night! It was phenomenal – actually SHE was phenomenal! I have added a few of her other movies to my Netflix queue.

Photo Credit: Imdb.com

1. Bette Davis – My all-time favorite actress would have to be the legendary Bette Davis. She refused to conform; portraying strong, willful women and unafraid to take on any man, or woman for that matter! You may have seen her in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, The Virgin Queen, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Of Human Bondage, and The Bride Came C.O.D. The latter, is one of my favorites in which she starred with James Cagney, one of my favorite American actors. I realized, while going through a list of her movies, that I haven’t seen nearly enough of them! (And there are so many!)

Photo: Public Doman

Honorable Mention – Helen Hunt – Helen was a riot in Mad About You, and I loved her in Twister, Pay It Forward (which I refuse to ever watch again because it broke my heart), As Good As It Gets, and a recent flick called I See You. I wasn’t particularly fond of I See You and she was almost unrecognizable had I not seen her name in the line up. There seems to be something up with her face and it’s not just her getting older…at least I don’t think that’s it. Aside from that little bit of weirdness, I think she’s a great actress. She projects the image on a hard-working American woman. In my book, she certainly is!

Photo Credit: Imdb.com

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It was really difficult putting these women in order, let alone deciding which ones should be on my list in the first place! There are so many talented actors and actresses! I hope you’ve enjoyed these posts of my favorites. I may keep doing them…perhaps favorite comedians or favorite action movie heroes. Suggestions? I’ll take them into consideration!

The Ex-Files – My 1962 Cougar

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Back in the 80’s – I’m how old? – CP bought an old 1962 Cougar. He knew I wanted one, still do as a matter of fact. It wasn’t in bad shape but needed an engine. He said, “That’s no problem.” I was so excited! I love the sleekness of that car and I chose a ’62 because that’s the year I was born. Shhhh…you don’t need to know how old I am. Lol.

For my birthday that same year, he asked me to choose a color for my Cougar. He wanted to take me to pick out paint so that when he was finished fixing her up, he could also paint her. Note: If you missed my post,The Paint Job, you should check it out but be aware that my Cougar was purchased long before that fiasco.

I knew I wanted my Cougar to be a shade of purple, so when we went to the shop to order the paint, I was able to look through binders with many different color samples. That helped a lot. I chose a striking shade of medium-dark metallic purple. I could barely wait to see my purple Cougar and finally drive that baby! No one else had a purple car! I would be the envy of the entire town, I thought! (Actually, people would have thought I was completely bonkers because purple was not a cool color for a car back then.)

My Cougar had followed us from place to place as we moved, but CP never did a damn thing with it. He never bought an engine to rebuild. He never painted it. He never did anything. 10 years passed and it still sat. I had given up, no doubt.

As I was searching for a photo today, of a 1962 Mercury Cougar to share with you on this post, I became increasingly baffled! It appears that in the early 1960’s, Ford had a design contest. The winning design was originally called the Cougar but later became the famous Mustang that we are all familiar with! The Mercury Cougar (that I adore) in a much different design, came 3 years later. Here’s a photo of the original Ford Cougar – see the Cougar emblem on the grill? That is definitely NOT the car of my dreams.

Photo from: http://www.motor1.com/photo/3164336/1962-mustang-cougar-proposal/

Below is a 1967 Cougar and it is definitely the one I dreamed of having for so many years. I don’t know where I got my information about the year of the car. Most likely, from CP and I just took him for his word because I thought he knew cars. Hahaha. My Papa (paternal grandfather) had a Cougar in a kind of piss green. I wanted it so badly (and imagined it in purple) but I thought it was a ’62. The body design is just amazing, in my opinion! Maybe someday I’ll get my Cougar, ‘eh?

Photo Credit: GPS 56 from New Zealand / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

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I’m starting something new; perhaps not a weekly thing because there’s not always something eating at me, but bi-monthly sounds good to me. I’m sure I can come up with something new each time. It’s not as though I’m new to complaining! I snagged the title from one of my favorite movies, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? If you haven’t seen it, you should.

Today, being Monday and all, sounds like a great time to start What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

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1. People are in an uproar over musicians and/or actors speaking up for a cause or voicing their political opinions. They seem to think because they are actors and/or musicians that they don’t have the right to speak up/out. I have read comments like, “Just do your job and shut the fuck up,” or “Who cares what you think?” Well, don’t they have just as much right to speak their minds as any lawyer, garbage man, postal worker, doctor, computer tech, etc.? Maybe everyone should just shut the fuck up and do their own jobs, then? Come on. It really gripes me when anyone is put down for having an opinion. That opinion doesn’t have to be the same as yours or mine. We’re all different. And the way I see it is, if a public figure (actor, musician, etc.) can actually speak out and help solve the problems of this world, then fucking let them.

2. Racism really sticks in my crawl. We are all the same inside. Our blood is red, our bones are the same. We all have the same dreams, the same problems, the same feelings about family and friends. There is no reason to use brutal force on a man who is handcuffed and on his belly on the ground. There’s no reason to put a knee on the back of a man’s neck, ultimately causing his death. There have been so damn many cases of unnecessary brutal force by police officers but still, the problem continues. I know that the majority of police officers are good but the bad ones are fucking things up for the rest. What the hell is wrong with people? I have to admit that several years ago when the Black Lives Matter movement began, I was one to say “All Lives Matter” and I regret that because I wasn’t getting the big picture. Then I read something that changed my mindset. “ALL LIVES WON’T MATTER UNTIL BLACK LIVES MATTER.” That has stuck with me ever since. I’m so sick and tired of people being mistreated or killed because of their skin color. If you’re a racist, then educate yourself OR kindly unfollow my blog and all of my social media accounts. I want nothing to do with you. (And that has nothing to do with a ‘difference of opinion’ but everything to do with racism and hatefulness.) Below is a graphic I made for my Facebook profile. You are free to use it if you like. Just save to your device like you would anything else.

3. I’m curious, folks. How many blogs do you follow and do you actually read them all? I feel guilty when I can’t read one of the blogs I follow. I try to follow only those I know I can read regularly, but sometimes I miss a post (or a few). Just know that if I follow your blog I will do my best to read your new posts as they are published.

4. On the subject of blogs, I have redesigned mine. Nothing spectacular but I wanted to switch things up a bit. If you’re reading this from the WordPress reader, you can click here to check out the new look and tell me what you think. I wish I could change text colors and I’m having trouble getting certain widgets to work, but I’ll figure it out eventually. Hahaha.

5. My computer is pushing its luck since yesterday. I think it wants to be pitched out of an open window or dropped from a high cliff. It’s responding slowly, sometimes taking 2 clicks to get it to recognize that I want it to do something. Usually when I have this type of problem, it’s done being fussy in a couple of days. I always think, maybe it’s doing updates. I check but there’s never any indication of that. I always run a scan to check for viruses, malware, etc., but PC Matic finds nothing. It does a great job at finding and removing crap that could really cause a problem. I am thankful for that. I suppose I just need a new desktop computer. I could use the laptop but it drives me bonkers, too. Maybe tomorrow the pc will be back to normal. Maybe it’s menopausal, like me.

6. Hot weather is creeping in. It was nearly 100 degrees the last 2 days! What gripes me is that every stinkin’ bug known to man always seems to find its way to my bedroom. I must spend 20 minutes before bed just smacking flies and spiders, scooping up beetles and throwing them out for the cats to play with, and damn near killing myself trying to capture crickets! If they would just stop jumping! I’m just thankful I don’t have a Praying Mantis problem!! Those things give me the heebie-jeebies!

Photo by Brandon Phan on Pexels.com

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Well, there you have it. That’s What’s Eating Aunt Debbie! What’s eating you these days?

My Top 5 Favorite American Actors

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Last week, I posted about my Top 5 Favorite British Actors, which was inspired by The Huntress. This week, I decided to try to pick my favorite 5 American actors.

I will start by saying there are so many great actors, this might not be an easy post! I mean, I know who #1 is but will it be difficult to put the rest in order? Oy. I’m going to try.

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#5. Vincent Price – I grew up in the 60’s and I always looked forward to the weekends when horror movies aired on the television! My sisters and I called them “monster movies” and while some were actually “monster” movies, some were just downright spooky and had the most awesome villains. My most favorite villain is Vincent Price. He was a master of his art. He was the ultimate villain, and there will never be another like him. I loved watching him in films such as, House of Wax, The Raven, The Fly, House of Usher, The Haunted Palace, and so many more.

Photo: Public Domain

#4. James Cagney – I was never much into Humphrey Bogart movies, like everyone else, except for African Queen. I was a Cagney fan, completely! He was not only a great actor, but he could also sing and dance! He was a Vaudeville singer and dancer. He was born in 1899 and was 86 when he passed away. He had an amazing career! One of my favorite movies is Angels With Dirty Faces. Other favorites include Yankee Doodle Dandy, Public Enemy, and White Heat.

Photo: Public Domain

#3. Robert De Niro – One of the greatest actors of all time, in my opinion, with many awards to prove it! De Niro has always been one of my favorites! Films such as The Godfather Part II, Bang The Drum Slowly, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Casino, Heat, Goodfellas, are just a few of his most excellent works! De Niro has also made comedies, which I didn’t think he could pull off but he sure as hell did! Check out Meet The Parents with the two sequels, Analyze That and the sequel Analyze This, just to name a few. The man is fantastic!

 Photo Credit: Jeff Vespa – © WireImage.com

#2. Al Pacino – My daughter always teased me that I liked old men. I had to remind her that Al Pacino wasn’t always old. He was once young and gorgeous, and still not too bad for being close to my dad’s age! He’s an amazing actor and he still gets amazing roles, and a very recent role that he totally rocked was Amazon’s Original series, Hunters. Pacino caught my eye back in the day with Dog Day Afternoon and of course, The Godfather films. Some other fantastic films are ScarFace, Scent of A Woman, and one of my personal favorites, And Justice For All.

Photo Credit: Thomas Schulz 

#1. Johnny Depp – This placement was easy, like I said when I started this post. I absolutely love and adore Johnny, since his days on 21 Jump Street. I love his innate ability to capture the uniqueness of the most eccentric characters! Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of The Caribbean series, The Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland, Tonto in The Lone Ranger, and so many more. I have many favorites but I’m pretty sure Benny & Joon comes in at the top, with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands, Blow, Chocolat, The Man Who Cried…and…and…and I could never put them in any order! If you really want to laugh your ass off, check out Cry-Baby. It’s an oldie-but-goody!

Photo Credit: Angela George

Honorable Mention: Samuel L. Jackson – I always say, “There’s nothing better than the perfectly placed swear word.” And that’s why Samuel L. Jackson gets an honorable mention! Ha! Well, that and he IS a great actor! Shaft, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Deep Blue Sea, Jurassic Park, Kiss of Death, to name just a few are worth watching in my opinion. Oh, and don’t forget about Snakes On A Plane!! I can’t help but laugh because it was ridiculous, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Photo Credit: Georges Biard

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In a nutshell, these are just a few of my favorite American actors. You may be wondering if I have any favorite female actors… Um…I don’t know! I never really thought about it before! That will be a good post for next week, after I’ve had some time to think about it!

My Top 5 Favorite British Actors

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This post has been inspired by my good friend and fellow blogger, The Huntress! She decided not to focus on anything negative. You know we’ve got enough of that in the world right now! Over on her blog, she shared her list of the 5 British actors she’d like to kidnap and hold for ransom! My list is much different than hers, like day and night. It’s amazing how different people are when it comes to what (or who) they like! It makes life interesting, doesn’t it? Well, ready or not, here’s my list:

#5. Henry Cavill – The handsome devil with buns of steel…oh, wait, that was Superman, and it was MAN of Steel, wasn’t it? Well, he was Superman and did a fine job of it, however, superheroes are not really my thing. Henry has been in many excellent films but one of my favorites was a television series called, “The Tudors.”

Photo Credit: imdb.com

#4. Michael Sheen – Michael first caught my eye in the Underworld trilogy, Rise of the Lycans. As Lucian, he tells the story of why the Vampires and the Lycans are at war. He’s been in many films but I especially like him in “Prodigal Son” as Dr. Martin Whitly. Dr. Whitly is a convicted serial killer and father of Malcolm Bright, who just happens to work with the police as a criminal psychologist. The man is fascinating!

Photo Credit: imdb.com

#3. Gerard Butler – What can I say, I’m a sucker for a Scottish accent! The problem is, Gerard often loses that accent and it’s oh, so disappointing! But the accent aside, he’s a great actor and easy on the eyes as well! I don’t recall the first thing I ever saw him in but I especially like the Olympus Has Fallen/London Has Fallen/ Angel Has Fallen trilogy. Great action movies!

Photo Credit: Steve Granitz – © WireImage.com

#2. Jeremy Irons – Ok, this man’s voice is what draws me to him! The first time I noticed his voice, was probably in The Lion King, as Scar. He is a well-accomplished actor: theater productions, romantic drama, thrillers, television series, etc. I loved him as the villain in Die Hard With A Vengeance and I thoroughly enjoyed his portrayal of Aramis in The Man In The Iron Mask.

Photo Credit: Antonello & Montesi

#1. Kenneth Branagh – This man gets the number one slot because he’s a brilliant actor. He’s been in so many films and series over the years and pulls off roles from Shakespeare’s plays to musicals to romantic comedies to the detective series, Wallander. He’s also an accomplished producer and director! I’m especially fond of his Shakespearean roles.

Photo Credit: Playbill.com

The Huntress added an Honorable Mention, so why not? I actually had a few extra faves and couldn’t decide on just 5 so….here goes:

Honorable Mention – Sam Heughan – I’ve only seen him in the Outlander series, so he gets this spot based purely on lust. Ha! He is absolutely gorgeous and with that accent?! Then they go and put him in a kilt. Holy Crayoli! I know a lot of my friends don’t like shows like this, but it’s an excellent series! (Here an accent, there an accent, everywhere a Scottish accent!)

Photo Credit: scotsman.com

As I looked back at my list, I tried to re-evaluate each actor’s placement. It was so difficult putting them in a particular order but I’ve decided on placement. What do you think?