It was Oscar's Big Night, Seventeen Leap years ago today!

No, that is not Mother sitting around the pool at the Garden- it's Scarlett O'Hara and the Tarleton Twins (Mr. Navarro LOVES them, they have had several pillow fights in his Villa) as well as a few other Southern hunks; Scarlett and "Gone With The Wind" won eight Oscars that Leap Day night, including Best Picture. Here are some classic scenes:

It all turned to shit Seventy-five years ago today

For one Daisy Canfield Moreno, that is. Daisy lived the life of a princess, growing up on a 50 acre farm in Stone Canyon. She was married to movie star Antonio Moreno for almost a decade; they were in the middle of a divorce when her car plunged 200 feet off of Mulholland Drive on this date in 1933, killing her, making him a very wealthy man. Cousin Doris suggests that maybe it wasn't an accident.

PAY ATTENTION!!!!

Let us all keep our story straight, because I know Mother is going to ask you: I was at Ciro's after the Academy Awards on Sunday night after Polly Bergen's and ran into Howard Hughes
who made me watch ICE STATION ZEBRA in that smelly screening room on Romaine; he thinks I'm the best Production Chief in town (right?!!!) and has gotten me a new job, running....
This should hold her for awhile....

Other Big News Today

Elizabeth Taylor celebrates being Seventy-six years young, today!!!

Today is William Frawley's birthday!!!!

Pancakes Barbara with Ronrico Syrup was the order of the morning at a birthday brunch over in (lady publisher) Carlotta Goodladd's villa- she declined to say how old she was. Bill Frawley, however, won't be shy about being 121 today! Here is Bill, singing, with Steverino on what I think is "I've Got a Secret"also, Johnny Cash's birthday, born this date in 1932- this is the last picture he sent Cobina, prior to that "falling out"

Today is Eddie Mannix' birthday!

The Bulldog was born on this date in 1895. I'm busy, but you should Wiki him.
UPDATED: Still busy, but today the late Jim Backus is celebrating his 95th. Watch a few minutes of one of the funniest movies ever, Jim is not even in this sequence unless you count being passed out in the back of the plane Mickey Rooney is flying:Why don't we watch the title sequence, it's pretty great

While Mother and Oscar are at Mass

Just between you and me, Cobina is really putting the pressure on me to COME TO MY OFFICE and see what's going on at the studio. I am going to have to figure something out pdq. As for tonight's glamorous celebration, I'm going to Arthur J's with Rusty and Keenan Wynn, Van Johnson and Peter Lawford to watch the show then off to Romanoff's, then Polly Bergen's after party. Maybe something will come up at one of these Oscar parties.

Paparazzi!! Stay Away From Cobina's Bathroom Window!!!

Oscar weekend every year, the photographers hover around our villa, as so many celebrities pass through our doors. Mother spends HOURS in her personal can getting ready Long Pink shag is always such a practical covering in a bathroom, don't you think? And that tub looks super comfortable and usable. The only one of us who really can fit in there is Rage, who was in there with a Swedish transvestite working person last night. Where he gets his money I will never know.

Forty-three years ago today, the last of the "fine messes"

For Mr. Stan Laurel, the surviving half of the brilliant team that was Laurel and HardyGet yourself a nice cup of coffee (Drambuie optional)and enjoy some vintage Stan and Ollie and thanks Mr. von Sternberg for your personal copy of thisI just love all the yelling and screaming

Today is Drew Barrymore's Birthday!!!

Some of you may not be familiar with Miss Barrymore's work (as Rusty and Mother were not):That's funny, I thought Charlie's Angels 2 was in color.

I've got the fever!!!!!!

Oscar fever, that is. As you know, many of the villas here at the Garden have their own private screening rooms- Villa Cugat is no exception, although ours has a slight (cat urine) problem and is for the moment an undesirable location for anything that involves breathing in or out. Anyway, I digress. We went next door to Ramon Navarro's villa with it's pirate screening room (which has a smell of its own, believe me). This hardly seems the place to watch a Tommy Lee Jones movie. Mother, may I have a sip from your Bugs Bunny glass?REALLY GETTING EXCITED ABOUT THE BIG NIGHT!!!!

Today is the Chief's Granddaughter's Birthday!

Yup, Patricia Van Cleve Lake's illegit first cousin once removed, Patty Hearst turns Fifty-four today. I don't know much about her although Mother says she met her once with the Lakes at San Simeon, and with the exception of the seven-headed snake and getting pistol-whipped by Patty, thought her to be a lovely lass.

Today is Toni Mannix' Birthday!!!!

Little, sweet Camille Toni Frommess Mannix is born on this date in 1906. I'm not certain if they ever actually wed, but she was for certain the common-law wife of Edgar "Strawberry Shortcake" Mannix, right-hand man to Louis B. Mayer, and the third most powerful man on the lot. Theirs was an odd alliance; though they were certainly soulmates they both led wildly promiscuous lives by any era's standards. Just a taste of Eddie: he beat the shit out of and broke his first wife's back and then most likely arranged her mysterious roadside death in the Palm Springs desert during their contentious divorce. He had his Japanese mistress and Toni was passionately in love with George Reeves; their story has been told in two excellent books, HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger (thanks for the pic of TM), and THE FIXERS by E.Y. Fleming. The Fixers is unbelievable reading, though it would be easier to believe as fact if someone had proofread the book. In certain chapters I thought there was some studio I had never heard of called MMG, but, nah, it's just MGM. Go to Alibris right now and buy a used copy of each. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Anyway, Toni was a tough chick who did lots of bad things. Then she dressed herself up and called herself a Catholic and spent the last days of her life living in a suite at St John's hospital. There is much to say about her, but hell, she dies next month.

It all turned to shit Twenty-four years ago today

For me, for Mother, and most pointedly, for Ethel Merman, who woke up dead on this morning in 1984. Friday mornings we host a small brunch in the villa's dining room for our neighbors. Over Honey-nut Cheerios drenched in 'buie and Creme de Menthe, Cobina's cousin Doris Daze told us that no photos of the Merm's cremains exist as her ashes were "scattered on Broadway". Several people threw up, just a little tiny bit, in their mouths, at this thought. Cousin Doris also mentioned that she had recently stepped on one of Merm's knuckles while traversing across 44th St. Here, for those of you not familiar with her work, is Ethel appearing in some costume drama with the legendary Judy Garland:

It's True!!! I have a Boyfriend!!!!!

His name is Rusty K. I can't say anything more. But I can tell you, we are headed off to a marvelous Valentine's day supper at Arthur J's followed by sundae's at Schwab's. I think he really likes me, Mother thinks he's makes an honest drink and he gets along swimmingly with Rage. Coincidentally, I am having just the slightest, teensy-weensiest feeling that Rage is an international fugitive. Maybe not, but I did catch him reprogramming my Mac so that the base language was Serbo-Croatian.

Today is Buck Benny's Birthday!

One of my heroes, celebrating his 114th to-day. He was a superstar in film, radio, and movies. A litle taste of Jack's television show:and in actuality a very talented musician

P.S. Your Mineo Is Dead

Yes, it all turned to shit thirty-two years ago this evening for one Sal Mineo. Sal was knifed in the alley behind his apartment (and Mother and Father Tilden insist that I point out, also across from St. Victor's). He was appearing locally in a play unfortunately titled "P.S. Your Cat is Dead. Here he speaks of James Dean, two years prior to his own deathicky. Further irony in action, Mr. Mineo's two-part appearance on I've Got a Secret (get it?)part deux, would you be a woolly lamb and bring Mother a refill on her beverage if you are going to our newly rebuilt kitchenHey, I didn't say this was interesting. Stay out of Sal's alley. Mother says you only filled her Bugs Bunny glass half-full.

Some days more stuff happens that others

Like, today:

Joined the world today-

1909- Joseph L. Mankiewicz, perhaps you've heard of him. He directed this movie: Don't get excited, it's just the first seven minutes of Margo.
One of his later iconic works, "Sleuth""Suddenly Last Summer" WHY DO ALL THE NEIGHBORS KEEP ASKING MOTHER AND ME IF WE'VE SEEN THIS FILM?and some period movie I never heard of

1917- Sidney Sheldon (truly an interesting man, I'm busy but you should Wiki him)lived here, but it looked better then

1921- Eva (the nice, not disgusting)Gabor

1934(Mother made a sound when she read this, you decide for yourself)- Tina Louise


Dead, today-

1963- Sylvia Plath (don't ask, too depressing)

1982- Eleanor Powell, tap dancer extraordinaire, hey thanks for ruining my shot

1985- Henry Hathaway- director of "Airport", "True Grit", and this film, not to mention scores of others:

1994- take this in- Sorrell Booke (Boss Hogg) and William Conrad same day. Mother says she always confuses the two.

You Tramp!

Well, in truth, I mean that Ninety-four years ago today, Charlie Chaplin introduced the world to his iconic, down-trodden character. Thanks to our friends at public domain:and part two

Today also marks the Forty-fourth anniversary of the Beatles' arrival at JFK for their first American tour.

And, it was all over, Thirty-eight years ago today, for Mother's beloved "Hollywood Palace"- where can you find this today:or this

Today is Axl Rose's birthday!

Sadly, Mom has taken all of my photos of Mr. Rose (who turns forty-six today) pinning several of them to the wall of the sunroom, thinking they are pictures of composer David Rose. Miss Van Doren is celebrating her seventy-seventh birthday. Here is a riveting recent interview and, no, that is not yours truly interviewing this woman This morning we ate breakfast in the main dining room of the Hotel, and the food is terrible, let me tell you. While enjoying a Spicy Bloody Mary with our nutwaffles, I overheard Mr. Benchley telling Harpo Marx that today is also Ramon Navarro's birthday (109!)- we'll talk more about him on Halloween (hint-truly, it all turns to shit)-but this is Mr Navarro's fabulous Los Feliz residence
Today marks the tenth passing of Beach Boy Carl Wilson, who now is a Westwood resident.

It all turned to shit Twenty-one years ago today

For this guy. i'll bet hiis dry cleaner was really upset. You've got to admit this is creepy.and yet...he was talented (here, a sampling, this HAS to be near the end)

Talk about too many choices!!!

The kitchen in our villa is out of commission for the next three days; the fire was contained to the eating area. That should teach Mother to gesture so wildly whilst holding a lit Taretyon in one hand and an old Carl's Jr Bugs Bunny glass full of Drambuie in the other. We'll have to call St. Victor's later this morning and see how Father Tilden's facial burns are doing.

Anyway, while enjoying a light breakfast of Pancakes Barbara and Creme de Menthe in Miss Crawford's villa (apparently now redecorated entirely in a Pepsi motif, and now called the "Villa diPepsi"), I discovered that today is a shared birthday of two important people:
Mr. Mooney born 1906Happy 82nd, Miss Stritch
And, in terms of loss, on this date in 1969, we hardly knew ye, Boris Karloff, aka "Smiley". Twelve years ago this date marked the passing of Gene Kelly. Mr Kelly's iconic piece of work: And from "On the Town"

It all turned to shit Forty-two years ago today

For Hedda Hopper, that is. Now, as a reminder, Cobina is extremely devoted to her Catholic God, and Hedda is some kind of Quaker or whatever, and Mother and Louella often see each other at Dupar's after Mass on Sunday. Also, Hedda hates everybody and calls everybody either gay or a commie. Not nice.