Dick Cheney Takes a Human Heart, Makes it His Own

Darth Dick Cheney. From CBSNews.

Oh, come on. Did you expect I'd be reverent on this one? Dick Cheney--otherwise known as Darth Cheney, even to some of his fans, had a heart transplant. This, after at least 5 heart attacks, a quadruple bypass, and--since 2010--a machine that pumped his blood for him. He hasn't had a heartbeat since 2010! Well, until now. Now, he finally has a heart. Here's hoping he puts it to good use.


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Dick Cheney receives heart transplant


Former Vice President Dick Cheney received a heart transplant on Saturday, his office announced.
A statement from the former vice president's office said the 71-year-old is now recovering in the intensive care unit of Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va., outside Washington. . .

Read more at: CBSNews

Frivolity Break: Joan Collins Looked Fabulous at Oscar Party, But Fainted

Image from D-Listed

Back in the 80s, two of my favorite divas (before we even called them that) were Joan Collins and Joan Rivers. In the days since, both women have managed to hold back the hands of time, each in their own way. Rivers by openly acknowledging massive corrective surgery, and Collins by mostly denying it (but c'mon now. . .). The amazing thing is, they are both essentially the same age: 77 going on 78, only two weeks apart. And while Rivers has taken much bashing for looking plastic, I've gotta say, Collins looks fabulous. Up close, there may be cracks in the spackle, but in this article, she only looks slightly older than she did 25 years ago on Dynasty. Whatever work she nearly certainly had to have done, it was pretty spectacular.

Alas, Joan's age can't be erased. All the hoopla of the Oscars tuckered her out, and she got a self-described case of the vapors. I'm just glad somebody caught her!

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Glamour Hurts!



Joan Collins usually exits a party on a velvet chaise carried by four shirtless pieces, but it was an entirely different scene at Vanity Fair's Oscar party on Sunday night. The most glamorous being who ever glamoured was led into an ambulance at about 10pm after she started to feel woozy. . .
 
Read more at: D-Listed

Cher Turns Back Time at the VMAs

I'm old enough to remember Cher's second heyday, when The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was in its first-run on CBS in the early 70s.  My mom--who's only 18 years older than me--was a big fan, and so at 5 years old, I watched along.  After Cher divorced Sonny, she tried to go solo, tried again to team up with him, then faded into obscurity. Briefly.  She then turned up in many guises, in many venues, as a singer, an Oscar-winning actress, and as an infomercial queen.  She even remade herself as a dance floor diva in the early 2000s.

Through it all, Cher has been beset by slams about all the plastic surgery she's allegedly had.  Nobody--short of Michael Jackson or Joan Rivers--has taken so much ribbing for it.  But the weird thing is, she really doesn't look much different than she ever did.  Now, I realize that at the age of sixty-four, it's likely impossible that she hasn't had a little help.  I'm pretty sure she had some nose work and cosmetic dentistry. But geez, people.  Whatever she's had done, it's damned good work.  The pictures above are from 1987 and 2010, which happen to be the years in which she wore that "barely there" VMA outfit.  Looks like the same chick to me.  How many 64-year-old women could wear the same slinky outfit today that they wore twenty-three years ago?  She can probably still get into those 70s Bob Mackie outfits as well. So, cut the gal some slack, will ya?

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Cher VMA appearance with Lady Gaga Meat Dress at Video Music Awards 2010 (Video)

MTV decided to "Turn Back Time" last night in the presentation of its "Video of the Year" award as once-controversial video star Cher's VMA appearance surprised many. That's because Cher wore the outfit that she made famous in the aircraft carrier video "If I Could Turn Back Time" and had people talking in whispers, years ago. Not only did she get a standing O, Cher also got to present Lady Gaga (wearing meat dress) with a major award and then hold her meat purse for her. Quite the honor. . .

Read more at: Gather

Awake for Surgery? Noooooo!!!

Image from source, CNN

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for bringing this giant tanker of nightmare fuel to my attention.  I've had a few minor to moderate surgical procedures in my lifetime, and the only thing that made it endurable was the thought that I'd go to sleep, and when I woke up it would be over. Maybe, maybe not. Thanks, Monkey.

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Awake during surgery: 'I'm in hell'

When Carol Weiher was having her right eye surgically removed in 1998, she woke up hearing disco music. The next thing she heard was "Cut deeper, pull harder."



She desperately wanted to scream or even move a finger to signal to doctors that she was awake, but the muscle relaxant she'd received prevented her from controlling her movements.


"I was doing a combination of praying and pleading and cursing and screaming, and trying anything I could do but I knew that there was nothing that was working," said Weiher, of Reston, Virginia. . .

Read more at: CNN

More Dental Woes. With Lasers!

I start the week with the bane of my existence looming large on the calendar. On Friday, I have my latest date with dentistry. Or periodontics to be more specific. I've got great teeth apparently (even if they're a bit gappy), but I've got rotten gums. I floss, I use a SoniCare toothbrush, I rinse. But genetically, I'm screwed. I've got periodontal disease, which leads to pockets, which leads to bone loss, which can lead to tooth loss. Perfectly viable teeth set in a set of crappy gums.

I really, really hate going through even minor dental procedures. I get mildly queasy for a cleaning. So imagine how surgery makes me feel. I've already gone through surgery on all of my gums, so I was a little surprised there was enough material there to hack me up again. Fortunately, it is only 1-3 teeth this time, rather than my whole mouth. Also, with my most recent big dental problem, the procedure was so easy, effortless and painless, I have a little less anxiety about it this time.

But that was just a wisdom tooth extraction. This involves cutting. Burning to be more accurate, since they are using a laser this time. Star Trek-style surgery in my mouth! Whoopee! I am relieved that it won't involve the upper teeth, since that (as I learned last time) involves sutures that extend all the way to the roof of the mouth. Those dangly threads were extremely annoying. What I do have to be worried about is the shots. Lower jaw shots suck. Mmmmphff. My mouth is all clenched just thinking about it.

I just hope this procedure goes as well as last time, and I'm writing an "after" post that tells how easy it all was. But as the days tick by, and Friday approaches, I know I'm going to get that sinking feeling. We'll see how it affects my willingness to blog.

Sen. Robert Byrd Hospitalized

Photo from source, Think Progress

It is ironic that two of the longest serving Democratic Senators were both in the hospital on the same day. OK, maybe not ironic (Alannis Morrisette has wrecked me). Edward Kennedy was in for brain surgery for a malignant tumor, and Byrd apparently for a fever, which can be bad for a 90-year-old. I've never been much of a fan of either man, though I wish them both well. And the fact that they are both perpetual punching-bags of the right (Sean Hannity has idiotic nicknames for both), puts me in their camp by default. Get well, guys.

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Senator Robert Byrd hospitalized.

. . .Byrd, who is the longest-serving senator in history, voted during a 5:30 p.m. roll call Monday, then went home. Jacobs says that less than an hour later the senator began to feel ill. He was found to have a fever, and at his doctor’s request he was taken to a nearby hospital. . .

Read more at: Think Progress