Lana Turner

(pretty sure this is Lana and Johnny Stompanoto)

OK, what a life Lana Turner had!
I dont know if any of you will be interested in reading about classic film stuff. I know I said I was gonna do travel stuff, and I will, but I am not traveling yet so I am writing about movies right now cause I am into it. Also, I need to be writing more to prepare for my job, so I am putting a lot of random stuff up just because I need to keep writing every day.

So Lana Turner was in all these great famous movies, my favorites:

"The Postman Always Rings Twice" - Really good

"Imitation of Life" - Soooo sad, the original (with Claudette Colbert) is better; but this one is still good.

"Peyton Place" - So trashy and so good.

She had all these horrible boyfriends, lovers, husbands (7 husbands to be exact!)

One of which was actor Lex Barker (famous for his role as Tarzan during the mid fifties) who molested her young daughter (Cheryl) for several years during the time they were married. She divorced him when she found out.

Shortly after her divorce to Lex Barker she begins to date a gangster (Johnny Stompanato) who was both verbally and physically abusive to her. She was filming a movie with Sean Connery in England (in 1957) and Stompanato was suspicious that Lana was having an affair with Connery. He stormed onto the set with a gum. Sean Connery punched him in the face and took his gun. Go Mr. Bond!

Anyway, back to my story. So one night (in 1958) Lana's 14 year old daughter (Cheryl) can hear Lana and Johnny fighting in their bedroom. She is afraid for her mother so she runs to the kitchen and grabs a knife. Not really intending to use it but she is just scared. So she is outside their door listening to them fighting and the Johnny goes to leave the room; he swings open the door and walks right onto Cheryl's knife!!! She kills him. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! Better than a movie, huh. It was a hug scandal at the time, as you can imagine.

Gitai-go or onomatopoeia

The Japanese tend to use onomatopeia SO much more than we do. They have words for all kinds of sounds that we dont have a defined onomatopoeia for.

ban = bang!
bara bara = rattle, rattle
guooo = a roar
buun = buzz, whir of an insect
chu = kiss
eeee = cry, wail
gapu = big bite, chomp
gebo = throwing up
wan, wan = bow wow of a dog,
piyo = peep, of a chick
hiso hiso = whisper, whisper
jan jan = tada!
shuuuu = fog, mist, steam
kan = heels going click, footsteps
kehen, goho, kon, koho = cough
kuha = yawn
gashan - crash
ogya ogya - crying baby
pin-pon - the sound an ambulince makes

Fun Facts Time!!

(this is a shot of a vending machine that sells beer and wine)

~It is usually mandatory to give a landlord a gift of money of $1,000-$2000 when moving into his apartment building. (Yes, I will be giving this gift myself. It will suck.)

~KFC is the place to be on Christmas Day.

~At many businesses in Japan, they offer alcohol to the employees after six pm. (Its the least they could do!)

~On 'Respect for the Aged Day', tobacco companies will hand out free cigarettes to the elderly outside of train stations and department stores. (What "respect!")

~There are no 24 hour ATMs in Japan (closed on holidays and many only open during normal bank hours). (so convenient!)

~The Japanese love corn, sesame seeds, and mayonnaise on their pizza. And it will always take one to two hours for a pizza to be delivered. (So do the Brits! the corn anyway.)

~Japan has roughly 200 volcanoes. (this is of great importance to my life!!)

~You can buy batteries, beer, wine, condoms, cigarettes, comic books, hot dogs, light bulbs, and used women's underwear 9a very gross fetish over there) from vending machines. And there is at least one vending machine on every corner.

~Japanese junior high school students do not need to pass any of their classes to graduate. Education only through junior high school is compulsory. (Good, that takes the pressure off of me!)

~There is almost no vandalism in Japan.

~It is socially acceptable to pick your nose in public and urinate at the side of the road, but you cannot blow your nose in public.

~Japan is the home of the world's largest phallus festival. (This is why I am trying to get over there people!! Now do you see?!)

I have been watching a lot of classic films lately.
A LOT of TCM. I have always been into classic films, but recently, I am obsessed.
It’s all I do. (My mamma knows all the funny stories about the actors and films; she is a classic film expert!!)
I just love the movie fashion of the 20s 30s and 40s. I love the way people talked in the films. It was all quick witted, sarcastic one liners. I love the strong, funny, smart female leads.
The world was just so much cooler in black and white.

Recently I have seen some good films.

“It happened one night” with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Did you know: he had horrible halitosis breath. He used to gross out all his co-stars. (You can see the gross out on Vivien Leigh's face in some shots in "Gone with the Wind")



“Swing Time” With Fred and Ginger. This is an old favorite of mine. It has some of their best dance sequences. I love all the songs and Ginger Rodgers is one of my favorite actresses of all time!
In this film the pair performed one of their most famous dance scenes over 30 times (it’s up and down a flight of stairs mind you). Gingers danced till her shoes were full of blood. (YEAH! The girl is dancing in heels!) They had it almost perfect on the first take but the shot was ruined cause Fred’s toupee fell off at the end of the dance!! HAHAHAHAH

“Red Headed Women”
WOW what a movie! They recently re-released this film on TV with added racy scene that were taken before censorship. It’s about a slutty gold digging secretary played by Jean Harlow. She was married to a director (Paul Bern) who was probably gay and possibly impotent; anyway he killed himself 2 months after they were married!! She was only 26 when she died. You hear about her a lot, but she only did a few movies. (and in the short time she was alive, she managed to have three husbends.)
Do it girl, do it!

Things I want to do in 2007/Japan:

Go to a sumo match.
Climb Mt Fuji
Go to a baseball game (in Japan)
Go to a hot springs resort
Work on my Japanese
See a real geisha
See a real Yakuza (Japanese mafia)
Go snow skiing (I have never been and really want to go!)
Go to the Miyazaki museum
Picnic under the cherry blossoms

Man, I have a lot I need to get done.

Happy NEW YEAR!!

I had a great time on New Years Eve.
I spent my night partying with my girls N, St, L and Sa.
Sparklers are the best. Wine is better.
I crashed on L's couch. I felt like a college student.

First meal of 2007: Cheeburgers.
Its going to be a good one folks!