Tag Archives: Hollywood

THE REAL CLEOPATRA. 23 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Posted on December 13, 2013 by

When I first wrote about Cleopatra I was considering making her blonde. Many historians had suggested she was fair. Her Macedonian heritage made it entirely possible. But you can’t! my editor told me, when I first suggested it. Everyone knows … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

DO YOU KNOW WHO KILLED PRESIDENT KENNEDY?

Posted on November 19, 2013 by

Friday is the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. It was the end of Camelot; the death of the last great US President. Only it wasn’t like that. It was nothing like Camelot and Jack had more enemies … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

THE TITANIC SINKS IN 1898! RICHARD PARKER EATEN TWICE!!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

You cannot use co-incidence in a novel. Not ever. Every writer is taught that, from Story Structure 101. Even back in Ancient Greece, when Horace was in short pants, the deus ex machina was the mark of the amateur. Yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

DISAPPOINTMENT AND BOURBON ARE HARD ON THE HEART

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

Errol Flynn was a legend in his own lifetime. He was a swashbuckling, devil may care movie heartthrob of the thirties and forties, a silver screen adventurer and real life playboy with an enlarged heart, a morphine problem, chronic tuberculosis … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

AFTER 70 YEARS, THEY FINALLY FOUND HARRY!

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

They found Harry. Harry was lost behind the Iron Curtain for much of his life. The Russians weren’t much interested in him. But recently Harry turned up again, not that much worse for wear, considering he’s been buried for 70 … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , | 4 Comments

THE REAL STORY OF THE INDIAN WOMAN IN ‘DANCES WITH WOLVES’

Posted on March 7, 2013 by

She was christened Cynthia Ann Parker, but she would have told you her name was Naduah “Keeps Warm With Us”. Hers is one of the great love stories of the Wild West – and ultimately the saddest. She was born … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

PUTTING ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASTARD

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

 “The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.” Last week a few of us gave critic Rex Reed a very negative review. But there was one critic you’d feel almost proud to … Continue reading →

Posted in HUMOR, WRITING | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

DEATH OF A FANTASY

Posted on February 8, 2013 by

Bernie Taupin said she lived her life like a candle in the wind. She played a dumb blonde to perfection yet she wasn’t at all dumb; she wasn’t even blonde. She was arguably the most explosive sex symbol of the … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

IS THERE LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

“The first sigh of love is the last of wisdom.” Antoine Bret Ain’t that the truth. Love at first sight is particularly dangerous because we are blindsided; there is something mysterious about it, rare and inexplicable. As Marlowe said: ‘Whoe’er … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITING | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

JUST HOW LUCKY ARE YOU REALLY?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

Are you feeling lucky today? At the end of the post there’s a clip of some people who got very, very, very lucky. Astoundingly lucky. Don’t watch it if you have a heart condition. Sometimes though people make their own … Continue reading →

Posted in MASH | Tagged , , | 6 Comments