The Many Faces of Donald Trump

Click to embiggen. Source: Salon.

This is right up my alley, for a number of reasons, but chief among them: the cartoonishness of Donald Trump. I'm glad that some of the air is finally going out of his balloon, and hoping it either pops or just slowly pffffts in a twirl, down to the ground.

But I call the Powerfrown the "Nurse Diesel," with apologies to Cloris Leachman.

[Excerpt]

The Many Faces of Donald Trump: A handy guide to the Trumpsplainer, the PowerFrown, and more

Donald Trump has taken the political world by storm, catapulting from joke– to frontrunner–status in the space of just a few surreal, xenophobic months. You simply cannot avoid his face right now. . .

Read more at: Salon

 

Blast from the Past: Best of Madeline Kahn!

I recently joined a group on Facebook called Hollywood Babylon. Each day, they have a topic, and invite members to post pictures or videos. Very, very often, Madeline Kahn comes up (often from me, admittedly). Kahn's heyday was the early 70s to early 80s, making a name for herself in movie comedies, especially those by Mel Brooks. She also appeared in other venues like The Muppet Show and Saturday Night Live. It was on SNL where she appeared with Gilda Radner, brilliantly melding Gilda's Barbra Walters parody Baba Wawa with Madeline's Marlene Dietrich impression. Interestingly, Madeline frequently co-starred with Gene Wilder and Gilda married him. Sadly, both actresses--who will always be linked in my mind--died ovarian cancer in different years, both far too young. In both cases, I and many others felt absolutely robbed of a favorite entertainer, and it for some reason felt personal. But it's great that we can replay our favorite performances whenever we want to.

So, here in no particular order, are some of my favorite Madeline Kahn performances. Enjoy!

And that's just a small slice of the genius that was Madeline Kahn. Hopefully, it puts a smile on your face to greet the week with. Happy Monday!

Separated at Birth: Donald Trump & Nurse Diesel

With apologies to the great Cloris Leachman, with this particular image of Donald Trump, I keep seeing hints of Leachman's Nurse Diesel character from Mel Brooks' High Anxiety. If I could find a better picture of Nurse Diesel in that pose, you'd see it more clearly. But then, you'd also see that she's the one with the better hair.

Happy Belated Birthday, Cloris Leachman!

I missed her birthday yesterday, but I can't let today pass without passing on my best wishes. It's hard to believe that she's 82, since she seems so vibrant in every appearance. Here's hoping she has many, many more birthdays (and performances) ahead of her. Long live Frau Blucher (and Nurse Diesel)!

P.S. Sorry there aren't better YouTube clips available, but what can you do?