The Literate Kitty

Tonight I had a good, long, ugly cry.   Not over anything sort of ordinary—not the loss of a loved one, some new personal heartache, or painful memories rearing their ugly heads—but over the passing of someone I never got to meet or see… but who nonetheless left indelible prints upon my heart.   [photo credit: Steve Winter, National Geographic] Make that  pawprints … for the dearly-departed in this instance is the L.A. celeb known ‘round the world as P-22. On the off-chance that you’ve somehow never heard of him, dear reader, P-22 was the shockingly long-lived, oft-seen (in public, even!) mountain lion, who called Los Angeles County his home for a decade.    Or, perhaps I should say,  ruled   L.A. County .   P-22 was still a relative youngster when I came onto the scene, some eight-and-a-half years ago, now, … but I was enchanted, immediately ( of course ) by tales— and pictorial evidence of sightings!— of this majestic male cougar. He was living proof of what could be possible, despit

Musicals and I have a complicated relationship. I mean, the whole notion of randomly busting-out-into-song-(and-dance!)-in-the-middle-of-anything-(or-nothing) is— let’s face it —kinda odd.   And don’t even get me started on the songs, themselves. (No, really…  don’t get me started . I could go on for a painfully-long time about how much I dislike everything about, say,  The Sound of Music .)   But, put a  rock  musical in front of me, and you’ve got my attention.     Over the years, I’ve seen my share of those.  Grease .  Hair.   The Wall.   Jesus Christ Superstar.   Rock of Ages .  Tommy .  We Will Rock You .  Hairspray .  Moulin Rouge .  The Rocky Horror Picture Show  (which I’ll never really “get” the  cult obsession over, but whatever).   All of which brings me to right now. 2022. When I’ve been asked— challenged, even! —by someone close to me, to watch and review a previously-unheard-of (by me) classic, from 1974…  Phantom of the Paradise .    So, alrighty then. Challenge accepted

Does anything have the power to capture the attention quite so much as a true, unsolved crime?  Especially when it involves a missing person… someone whom no one would ever expect to vanish into thin air, one day ?  The sudden absence of such a person is the object of  The Lørenskog Disappearance , on Netflix . __________ A true-to-life case, The Lørenskog Disappearance tells the story of Anne-Elisabeth Hagen—the septuagenarian wife of a Norwegian billionaire, and mother to their middle-aged children—who disappeared on the last day of October, 2018. She was reported missing by her husband Tom, who told police he'd returned home from work, after failing to reach her by phone, only to find an empty house… with signs of a struggle (some blood, a lone shoe, etc.) the only real indication that something untoward must have happened. Eventually, a ransom demand (of sorts) was made: X-amount of money to be transferred online via Bitcoin, after which Anne-Elisabeth might be returned.

There are lots of self-proclaimed “dog people” out there (like everyone walking their very own Rover, Benji, or Miss Precious between, say, 6 and 7pm), who are allowed to do all sorts of things with their BFF (best furry friend). There are dog parks, sure, and they can go to PetSmart together… but they can also go into a surprising number of other shops, restaurants, and businesses, with Lola the Labradoodle or Sam the Shih Tzu, in tow.   The thing is, that only accounts for about half of the “pet pawrent” population… which begs the question, what about everyone else … namely, the “cat people”? There’s still something of a societal disconnect— I mean, where’s the canine equivalent to “crazy cat lady”, hmm? —about sharing your life with one (or more… no judgement! ) fluffy feline(s), unlike there is with dogs.  As a proud “catmom” (hmph), I’ve heard it all.  They’re so aloof and anti-social! [Baloney. They just have no incentive to interact with you, especially not if you have 

I don’t have kids, but if I did? My biggest worry would probably be how I was gonna put them through college.  Going to university has never been a guarantee in the U.S., but over the last couple of decades, costs have skyrocketed… meaning you either have to be born into money, qualify for a great scholarship, or go into serious debt, to get a degree. So imagine all the things that might happen if a small, private university held a contest each year—one that only a select few students were even invited to compete in—with the grand prize being everything … a full-ride, plu s a year’s employment at a powerful corporation, after graduation. That’s the premise of David Bell’s thriller, The Finalists , one of the most of-the-moment suspense novels I’ve read in a long time. _______________ It’s a typical spring day—hot, sunny, and beautiful—in Eastern Kentucky, when a group of six college students make their way across campus to the prestigious old Victorian heap otherwise known as Hy

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I tend to shy away from politics, as much as possible.  But, like every other "absolute", there's an exception… and when it comes to the (fictionalized) world of modern Danish politics? I’m SO THERE FOR IT… which brings me to Borgen: Power and Glory [aka, The Best Political Show, streaming anywhere, ever, period], available on Netflix. _______________ But first, a brief history. Borgen (without the colon or afterwords) offered a brilliant look at the political climate in Denmark, airing from 2010-2013 (which I viewed voraciously, as soon as it was available for U.S. streaming). Centering on an up-and-comer—the (fictional) rise to Prime Minister of Moderate-Party-leader-to-co-founder-of-the-New-Democrats, Birgitte Nyborg (the simply-brilliant Sidse Babett Knudsen)— Borgen offered an unflinching look at exactly what such a trajectory could do to a person (and, equally importantly, to that person’s family and to all of their o

Out of the myriad things that COVID has brought to our lives (masking, rabid hand washing [and/or hand sanitizing], drive-thru testing and inoculation sites, daily infection and death counts, etc.) since early 2020, “delays and truncations of shows” surely ranks way, way down the list of “Things That Actually Matter”, and yet… given the concomitant rise of streaming, it’s nonetheless another happening worth noting. Some shows were affected by mere months—no doubt pushed hard by that aforementioned boost in streaming, as many of us sheltered or isolated at home, with suddenly endless time on our hands—while others suffered much longer delays.  The Welsh show Hidden (or Craith , as known in its native Welsh) was one of the latter; a three-season show, it experienced a gap of three full years between its sophomore and final seasons. But, while that kind of lull could well be too much for many shows to bear, it’s possible that Hidden may have gotten even stronger for it.  __________

You think you’ve got problems? Well, imagine you’re celebrating (what you thought was) 25 years of wedded bliss, when your partner turns around and tells you that not only are they no longer "feeling it”, but that they haven’t been, for a very long time. So much so, in fact, that they want a divorce. Ouch. Now, put yourself in the partner's shoes. Giving up all of your dreams and aspirations at a young age, to get married and have a child with someone you loved... only to wind up feeling completely sidelined by your spouse's greater dedication to work than to your relationship. Years of canceled-last-second, or entirely forgotten, plans.  Again, ouch . Or, consider being the third wheel to all of this, for decades. Best friend to one, and long-ago ex to the other, you love and care about both of them, deeply... but in very ( very ) different ways. Oh, and did I forget to mention? All of you work closely together, solving murders in a bucolic coastal city. This triangle is

I just died a hundred little deaths, watching Netflix’s take on Jane Austen’s final published work, Persuasion . [And, green eyes looking directly at the camera, “I was not the better for it”.]   A s her last completed story,  Persuasion  has always held a special place in my heart, for it is Austen’s most mature, most serious in tone, and most deeply felt… not only for Ms. Austen, who knew of love and loss, but for discerning readers, everywhere.  [If you wanted to go out on a high, you’d make  Persuasion  your last book.] [It should be noted that I'm fine with whatever “favorite” Austen tome anyone prefers, for that is not the point, here; the point, if you will, is that her stories—though set in a very specific period (the early 1800s)—have always translated easily , to other generations, other centuries… without the use of special plot devices that change the very tone of her witty, incisive writing.] Yet, what Netflix gives us today is a mind-numbingly modernized piece, ful

Most people, I’ve always figured, aren’t like me… because it’s far more common to get into some kinda groove semi-early in life and “settle down” (the marriage/partnership, kids and/or furbabies, a couple cars, and a mortgage)… all of which involves, staying put* . And that means—whether you really want to, or not—getting to know your neighbors (at least a little bit). But, even if you don’t invite each other over for backyard barbecues or babysit the others’ kids, most people who live that traditional lifestyle tend to see their neighbors enough to make reasonable assumptions about them. Things like, “ they’re good people (or not) ”, or “ she’s really funny but her wife is a total beyotch ”, or maybe “ wow, they're the best parents, ever, and I’d give anything to be like them ”.  Rarely, though—again, just guessing, here—does anyone ever think to themselves, “I bet that guy’s totally a murderer”. [I mean, property values wouldn’t do well with those kinda thoughts, now, woul