The most BEAUTIFUL ACTOR ever: GARY COOPER (click on photos to enlarge)

He's just the right height, just the right body proportion, hairy in all the right places:  legs, arms, chest, who knows what else.  I'll bet those feet are gigantic, amongst other appendages!  (This might also be Steve McQueen...the face looks like it, but the legs are definitely uniquely long like Cooper's.)

The HOTTEST actor who ever lived
GARY COOPER

My mother and I have an ongoing discussion that there are so many remarkably beautiful, funny and interesting men today.   Seems as though the species is evolving to a more beautiful form.  I'm interested in men, so I wouldn't be able to make a subjective decision also about women.

Men seem  these days to be even more exceptionally beautiful, handsome and appealing than in the past (except when they shave their body hair).

Ellen DeGeneres, ironically, has at least one or two beautiful, sexy men on every day of her show.   Television shows have the most exquisite specimens of men as cast members.  Maybe that the definition of male beauty has grown more diverse than in the past.  It just seems that wherever I go there are so many remarkably hot men.  Maybe it's simply that I've become middle aged (50) and anything that is younger is more appealing.

So what a great time to live, huh!  When men are utterly beautiful, charming and hopefully evolving from Cro-Magnin.   Except of course, Republicans and religious extremists in any form.

This is beauty.......handsome beauty.  Look at the eyebrows, the long eyelashes, the perfect nose, the lips, the high cheek bones, the chin.   There is nothing else to change.  It is perfect in every way.

With a perfect hairy chest this man has lovely arms and body

He defines the male description of "GQ" decades before the magazine was borne.  I wonder how much Gary Cooper and Fred Astaire had an influence on style from each other.

Hairy chest with a lovely treasure trail.  Manly.   Not shaved and unnaturally feminine as is the ideal today for men today. 

Young and utterly the most handsome face to ever grace this stupid planet

Hairy chest with a lovely treasure trail.  Manly.   Not shaved and unnaturally feminin,e as is the ideal today for men today. 

VOGUE:  "Gary Cooper gave could face." (or the way the song SHOULD have been written)

Young with his gorgeous profile and gorgeous hairy chest

Long lovely legs, made to wrap around a face

So stunning in his early days in film

Stunning and handsome throughout his life

Absolutely mesmerizing

There was one man who for me has always embodied and been the very essence and representative of male beauty at it's very best.  That's Gary Cooper.  The photos I've included (I could have posted hundreds, actually) represents the various things that made him so beautiful.  He represents, for me, the ultimate representation of male beauty:  Tall, lean, fit, hairy, stunning face, well-groomed, amongst many other things.  He was also a very talented artist/actor.

I can't imagine that anyone on the planet wouldn't know who this man is.   But if you don't and would be interested to learn more, then click here.

I LOVE Elephants

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2289506/Mother-knows-best-Touching-snaps-host-patient-parents-bonding-boisterous-babies-animal-kingdom.html

This photos is from a Dailymail article about motherly love.  To see the article:  click here (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2289506/Mother-knows-best-Touching-snaps-host-patient-parents-bonding-boisterous-babies-animal-kingdom.html).

A John Lautner MID-CENTURY masterpiece in my own backyard

Photo from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html

I live in Palm Desert which is one of the assortment of Coachella Valley cities that comprise the Palm Springs tourist area.

Photo from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html

The Coachella Valley is truly a living museum of mid-century archi-tecture and design.  Perhaps one of the most famous houses here, by one of the most famous and revered mid-century designers, John Lautner is Bob Hope's former Palm Springs house.

John Lautner photograph from www.johnlautner.org 

This home has just gone up for sale $50million, which may be a price record for our area if it sells.  I'll be fascinated if they get that although it is an important Lautner commission and maybe it will command a good price.  Interesting to read on Daily Mail Online that Lautner distanced himself from the home and the Hope's in later years, because of the furnishings as well as Bob and Dolores Hope's interference in the design.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html

I've lived here in the Palm Springs region (with a brief excursion to San Diego) since the early 90's.  That was before the world rediscovered mid-century modern.  And Palm Springs had a renaissance.

Shades of Rome's Pantheon, no?  Perhaps Lautner's homage? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html

So very sculptural, before Gehry and Hadid.  The interesting architecture form seems to inform these contemporary architects?  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html

The Hope house was always been a bit of a mystery since I've lived in the area.  I could see it from afar, but never up close.  I've always heard that the Hopes actually had another home in the desert where they actually stayed.  They also resided in Toluca Lake (an LA suburb).   Supposedly, they used the house in the earlier years for entertainment purposes.   In their later years, although they remained involved occasionally in society, they really probably weren't doing much private entertaining.

This house has always been an enigma.  You could always see it on the hill when you entered Palm Desert from the east.  It sat majestically about all other houses Palm Springs and it was quite large.  But I never saw how beautiful this Lautner work was.  I don't think we truly understand the scale of the house.  From a distance, it looks like a big UFO.  But I would imagine that when you're there the scale is quite impressive.

This house symbolizes so much grandeur of the desert.  It started back in the 20's and 30's (Garbo had a house near here) and the Hope's really symbolized the end of that era (Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, Truman Capote, Jane Wyman, Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby and a literal giant cast of Hollywood's greatest who resided here, full-or-part-time, from the 1920's-2000's).

These days, Bill Gates has a home here, as does a host of others.  I think following the mid-century modern renaissance here at the beginning of this century (2000-ish) that many stars, billionaires, and famous people have "rediscovered" a vacation home here, or have family members who lived here (Cher's mother lives here, Lily Tomlin either lives here or has a family member that does.....I date myself, I think with this whole blog.   Don't know about Kanye West or the Kardashians, or Beiber, or whoever young person is hot now!?)  I don't think the Desert ever went out of fashion.  It did go through some very stark generational changes.

Personally, I've kind of overstayed my welcome and overdone the desert.....I'm very ready to move on to a new place.  But the Coachella Valley is a beautiful place to live, especially the architecture (and oddly the "purple, turd-like mountains" para-phrasing Truman Capote).  You should all come here to visit. For the architecture.  For the weather (except in summer).  For the food and resorts, among so many other things.

Check out this article on Daily Mail (all photos are from the Daily Mail Online website:  click here)

The night sky from the Hope home in Palm Springs.  This is why "the Desert" has been the destination for presidents, movie stars, wealthy and influential since the 20's.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html

BEST NEW architecture in the LAST century??

Zaha Hadid.....where have you been my entire life?  You are an artist. You are a visionary.  And you have evolved into a design essence which I can identify with.  The way that I've evolved over the last forty years as an architectural hobbiest.

Gehry is wonderful, yes!  He was my hero for a period.  At one point, Gehry, made feel emotional.

Similar but not exactly like I feel discovering your monumental visions/structure. You are exploring non-traditional forms and you and Gehry are making this new architecture elegant and ethereal, but in different ways.  You are creating new art and sculptural forms in architecture. Based upon the world we live in today and using the technology, design and material advancements in the last fifty years. (like the picture at right which three seeming "bouncing" buildings are sitting together).

Dame Hadid..........I only learned your name in my History of Architecture class last night (2/25/13).  I've seen several of her buildings/designs but didn't know her name.  This architect, Hadid, is arguably one of the most enlightened artists in our world today and in the last two hundred years.

Pei was interesting, too.  Phillip Johnson made a mark.  And then there was Frank Lloyd Wright.  But creating new forms, defying engineering rules known before and incorporating technology, means that you both are truly leading this industry into the new world.  When I was a kid I dreamed to understand the beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright.  Being the old man that I am, I give thanks for the architecture created by Zaha Hadid.

When I was a child I was for some bizarre reason obsessed with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.  I was a stupid idiot kid from Lubbock, loser, West Texas which is truly the armpit of the world.  But Lloyd was magical for a hick, dumb shit idiot like me.  I guess I found the structures appealing for all sorts of reasons.

I have literally not felt that childhoold level of passion for architecture since I discovered Zaha Hadid last night.  These structures are simply magnificent.  Gehry, is as well.  There is such yin and yang in both their work.

Magnifique ............behold photos below:

Credit, copyright for all of these photos belongs to zahab hadid

And the OSCAR(s) go to.......

A.M.P.S.

Well my favorite night of the year is tomorrow night.  The Oscars!

Just went to Django Unchained today.  I was shocked at how good I thought it was.  

So, after Django, I've seen all nominated best pictures this year except for Amour.  I didn't see The Master which includes Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

But I feel quite confident to make predictions. I'M HOPING THAT MY PERSONAL PREFERENCES WIN OVER MY PREDICTIONS (SEE BELOW). Here goes....my predictions for tomorrow night's Oscar winners:

PREDICTIONS

Best Picture

Argo

Best Director

Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) 

Best Actress

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Waltz (Django Unchained)

Best Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Cinematography
Janusz Kaminski (Lincoln)

Film Editing
William Goldenberg (Argo)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Tony Kushner

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Zero Dark Thirty

Unfortunately, the Oscar winners do not always reflect the very best performances of the year.  So, in light of that, here's my opinion (caveat:  not having seen Amour or The Master), 

Who I Think Should Win (based upon performance)

Best Picture

Argo, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty or Life of Pi

Best Director

David O. Russell (Silver) or Ang Lee (Life of Pi) 
[although it should be Ben Affleck or Kathleen Bigelow, IMHO]

Best Actor

Hugh Jackman (Les Miz) or Bradley Cooper (Silver)

Best Actress

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver) or Jessica Chastain (Zero) or Quvenzahane Wallis (Beasts)

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Waltz (Django) or Robert de Niro (Silver)

Best Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway (Les Miz) or Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

Cinematography
Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi) or Robert Richardson (Django)

Film Editing
Tim Squyres (Life of Pi) or William Goldenberg (Argo)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Chris Terrio (Argo) or Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin (Beasts)

This has truly been the most remarkable year of film-viewing in my lifetime.  The array and diversity, the sheer imagination, of most of these nominated films make all movies in the last 20 to 30 years sort of irrelevant.  The performances of the actors and ensembles is just so top notch.  (If these "kids" Hugh Jackman, Bradley Cooper, Ang Lee, Quentin Tarrantino, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Behn Zeitland, Ben Affleck, Quvenzhane Wallis continue to set such a higher notch of excellence at their relatively younger age, then holy shit......how much will film making evolve after I'm gone???!  It's wonderful to think of?   When I was a kid, no one could even conjure a Meryl Streep.  Who will be the Meryl Streep when these kids have had full career?)

I hope they keep making more of these kinds of movies and not the stupid testosterone films or the cartoons or series.  This year's Oscars is evidence of why they should (although I will say that Skyfall is the best James Bond film ever and one of the best films of the year).

MYSTERY dolphin SCHOOLING in San Diego

This is magnificent.  I once saw a similar school of dolphins off the northern San Diego coast as I was driving on Pacific Coast Highway.  But there weren't anywhere near this many. If you follow this blog you know that I love dolphins and elephants, among many other things.  But this is truly a breathtaking image.  

Massive group of mammals: A ship captain spotted a group of 100,000 dolphins swimming together off the coast of San Diego on Thursday and experts are unable to give a specific reasoning for why such a large group would be there

A group of over 100,000 dolphins spotted off the coast of San Diego caused a spectacle for nature watchers as they traveled together in an enormous pack.

'They were coming from all directions, you could see them from as far as the eye can see,' Joe Dutra said after seeing the spectacle first hand.

Mr Dutra, who captains Hornblower Cruises, was out on his daily tour with a boat full of nature watchers when he spotted the massive group of dolphins. 

'I’ve seen a lot of stuff out here… but this is the biggest I’ve ever seen, ever,' he told the local NBC affiliate.

Dolphins typically travel in groups of anywhere between 15 and 200 which are called pods.

What Mr Dutra spotted on Thursday however is best described as a super mega pod given the astonishing size of the group.

He estimated that the trail of dolphins was seven miles long and five miles wide, and he was able to steer the boat alongside them for over an hour.  

Experts are unable to pinpoint any specific reason as to why so many of the mammals were traveling together on this particular night. 'They’re definitely social animals, they stick together in small groups. But sometimes, the schools come together,' marine expert Sarah Wilkin told NBC.

While it does seem like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a very similar flock of thousands of dolphins were seen swimming together about this time last year.

At the end of February in 2012, an unspecified group of dolphins was spotted swimming about 65 miles north of San Diego, implying that there may be an unacknowledged migratory pattern.

This article is excerpted from dailymail.com.  To see a video or read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280236/Mystery-group-100-000-dolphins-spotted-swimming-coast-San-Diego.html#ixzz2LIXF12uo

ME WANT: Gulfstream begins delivering outfitted G650 aircraft

Can't wait until mine arrives!  Ha!

This new beauty flies approximately 700 miles an hour and can travel a distance of 8,000 miles.  I want to be a stewardess on one of these.  Since I'll never have the $65 million to buy one.  This plane, according to the CNN article below, also has a separate crew galley, restroom and rest quarters.  Now that is civilized living for the help, no?  No Marie Antoinette's here.

I did a previous blog on this jet as well as other business/corporate jets.  Click Here: Previous blog entry on the G650 and other private jets.

Also check out an interesting (well sort-of....in someways it disgusts me) story at CNN.com about one of the new G650 owners at
http://us.cnn.com/2013/02/06/travel/private-jets/index.html?hpt=hp_c2.

At the beginning of the article are a series of photos not to be missed showing private jets of some of the richer celebrities/individuals own (I guess routine millionaires can't really afford to operate a plane like this....they have to charter!  Do they feel like they are flying coach like the rest of us???)  Beyonce bought Jay-Z one as a father's day gift.  Ha!

photo from aero-comlab.stanford.edu

photo from eflightlevel.blogspot.com

Interior--photo from privatejetscharter.net

photo from corporatetakeover.wordpress.com

Chick-fil-A...an INTERESTING commentary from lesbian chef at CNN.com

This was a very interesting column about the recent announcement by Chick-fil-A that they no longer are financially donating to the right wing-organization that is anti gays and lesbian.

First, she is from the South and grew up with this fast food chain. We had one in Lubbock-awful-Texas where I was cursed to be born. I ate at occasionally as a kid and it was good. But I never thought of it as not as good as Whataburger, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Villa or the quasi-fast places like Chinese Kitchen (is it still there?) or a couple of barbeque haunts. Certainly, in my mind, Chick-fil-A never came near to the premier fast food experience of my life: In-N-Out, once I moved to California in 1985.

Second, the writer, Virginia Willis, considers Chick-fil-A to be a cut above the typical fast food chain fare. Willis by the way has a distinguished pedigree having trained at L'Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne. For fellow "foodies" who worship the fine art of eating, she poses a very interesting dilemma. The problem is that her passion for the food at the former (apparently) gay-hating Chick-fil-A makes her want to return as a customer. Reading her column also made me want to try it again after several decades. But I feel conflicted just as does this writer and slightly different, yet, for the same reasons.

Read here Ms. Willis' excellent essay at Eatocracy on CNN: Click-fil-a Controversy Leaves a Bitter Taste for Some Longtime Fans

If you are pro gay, what do you think about this column and the dilemma? Should Chick-fil-A be forgiven? Are they really sincere? If you're a supporter of gay rights and a lover of Chick-fil-A's food, should you be forgiven if you satiate your lust for the food at the food chain since they have offered a quasi mea culpa?

I am a devotee of the great show on tv "What Would You Do?".

What would you do?

ME WANT: Private Islands around the world for sale

A small handful are somewhat affordable. ME WANT!
Visit The Telegraph here to see the islands

NEW YORK to LONDON in 1 hour: perhaps there is hope for our future?

A German company, German Aerospace Center, has announced plans for a new hypersonic airplane, the SpaceLiner, which would fly at 24 the speed of sound, capable of flying to New York from London in one hour or from London to Sydney in one and half hour. This vehicle that they are proposing would carry 50 passengers and would include both a rocket lift into space to 50 miles above earth and a glide back to earth ending in a typical airplane landing on a runway.

One of the saddest things about last century was the fact that mankind created a miraculous supersonic aircraft (the SST and the Tupelov) in 1973 by the next century no such technology was being used at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The Concorde fleet were retired with no replacement.

This beautiful aircraft started commercial airline service in 1976 and the entire fleet was retired following a crash of a Concorde at Paris' Orly airport and downturn in airline travel as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US.

In my opinion, it is a tragedy that, whilst mankind created such an amazing aircraft like the Concorde, that we were not capable of continuing the evolution of this type of aircraft after 27 years of commercial service. Or after it's retirement in 2003 (a decade ago no SST flies).

There have been many proposals throughout the years for supersonic aircraft. But nothing had traction enough to be the successor to the beautiful and astonishing Concorde. For almost thirty years humankind flew from New York to Paris in approximately 3.5 hours. But since 2003 we've gone back to the horse and buggy in airline service, so to speak.

Read this current proposed supersonic aircraft in an article at the hateful Republican slanted newsline (owned by the hateful, unethical, immoral Rupert Murdoch companies) at The Daily Mail at the following article: London to Sydney in 90 minutes: Hypersonic SpaceLiner that travels at 24 times the speed of sound 'to be built by 2050.'

I guess cell phones and I-pads, computers, etc were a more important evolutionary moment for our pathetic species? Somehow they seem rather small and lame next to the accomplishment of space exploration or supersonic flight. Let's hope that we begin to aspire to a more noble and higher aspirations. Not until Republicans die out though.

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

Today is National Peanut Butter Day in the US. Peanut Butter is one of my favorite things in the world. There are numerous "healthy" peanut butter recipes.

Check out this article: National Peanut Butter Day

After reading the first article read The Huntington Post's article today about why peanut butter is healthy (yea)!

Happy Peanut Butter Day! Click below if you like peanut butter!

BEYONCÉ WASN'T Lip-Syncing: A professional musician goes deep on the inaugural NON-scandal

Since La Beyonce has not yet responded to reports that she lip-synced at Obama's second inauguration on Monday, I thought this very interesting analysis, by a fellow singer Mike Doughty, was fascinating. It will be interesting to see what the real story is. But either way, his observations were so cogent.

I read today that Aretha Franklin laughed when she heard Beyonce lip-synced. Whether she lip-synced or not it's irrelevant as the song we heard performed WAS sung by Beyonce and no one else. The only question I have is if she lip-synced, why did she have the beautiful, dramatic moment when she tore out the earpiece?

Since we as yet don't know for sure I thought this editorial column to be very interesting, indeed. This was published on Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2013/01/beyonce_lip_syncing_at_the_inauguration_musician_mike_doughty_says_she_was.html

Kudos also to Kelly Clarkson who gave a magnificent performance at the inauguration. Did she or did she lip-sync?

POSCRIPT: Although Slate Magazine and Wall Street Journal are insisting Beyonce did NOT cheat, CNN is insisting that she did. I guess we'll have to wait for confirmation from Beyonce herself (see today's 1/24/2013 article in the Huffington Post.)

ONE TODAY by Richard Blanco...today's HEROIC poet at Obama's Inaugaration

This beautiful man, who also happens to be Cuban and gay, made one of the most beautiful presentations of his poem, in my experience, in my lifetime (except for perhaps Maya Angelou, who presented I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings at President Obama's first inauguration ceremony in 2009).

Watch a recording of Mr. Blanco's speech at ABC's website at the link below this paragraph (And study his beautiful poem). He delivered a remarkable performance, equal only to the amazing singers that also performed today.

'One Today': Richard Blanco Poem Read at Barack Obama Inauguration - ABC News

The poem that Mr. Blanco delivered was so utterly perfect. It was like listening to a symphony...or a beautiful performance of a choir. It was so simple. It was so accessible. It was so of "our time" and it was utterly miraculous that this beautiful human, Mr. Blanco, was chosen for this privilege and at the same time our 44th President addressed in his second inauguration speech his support for gay rights. None of this happened by accident. But thank God it finally happened...even the President's reference in his speech to "Stonewall" in the same category as "Selma" and other milestones in civil rights in this country.

Today was remarkable in so very many ways for me. First, the only black US president took an oath of office for a second term, and despite the most uncivil, barbaric and openly racist attacks. But he also addressed, in this second inauguration speech, gay and lesbian rights. His predecessor, "Shrub" and his party, have for decades shown their hatred for gays. But not only did Obama address this in his speech but he chose a remarkable person to deliver a poem for this ceremony, that was utterly for it's time.

My goal with this blog is to talk about things of beauty. Today was a day of beauty.

I salute President Obama and I salute Mr. Blanco for his beautiful poem.

“One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies,” Blanco began Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/21/3193855/an-inauguration-with-a-cuban-touch.html#storylink=cpy

I also thought the three singers at the inauguration were amazing. James Taylor, a singer that I grew up with, delivered a lovely, understated delivery of 'America The Beautiful.'

Kelly Clarkson blew everyone away with her soulful 'My Country Tis of Thee' and then Beyonce knocked it out of the ball park with the National Anthem. I've tried to embed videos of these performances. They aren't available at this point, except to share on facebook or twitter, two forums that I detest. Will try to update this when I have videos to share. Meanwhile, don't miss these performances.

Hysterical observation: RELIGION IS LIKE A PENIS

Read the brilliant reasoning. Thank you to my friend, Carla, for sending me this wonderful perception.

AN ODE TO JODIE FOSTER I loved her wonderful speech at GOLDEN GLOBES

I fell in love with La Foster as a youngster when I saw her play "Becky Thatcher" in the movie, Tom Sawyer. I had previously fallen in love with the character "Becky Thatcher" in a production by the local Children's Theater of Tom Sawyer (who was played by local, young actress Teri Eoff in Lubbock, Texas).

Getting Engaged
Tom Sawyer — MOVIECLIPS.com

The way Ms. Foster has lived her entire life with integrity and anonymity is why I was thrilled that she was honored Sunday night with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Globe Awards.

Her speech reminded me of why she has been fiercely, rabidly private throughout her 47 years in public life (she started out in show business at age three in as a model for an advertisement).

I thought La Foster was supremely true to herself in her speech and everything about her appearance on Sunday night to receive the accolades of her peers on Sunday night. The fact that she had that hateful, irate Mel Gibson sitting beside her (he snarled throughout the ceremony) at her table made me adore her all the more (although I despise him). She is true to her friends. And I also thought it interesting that for this distinguished ceremony she chose to be there with her at her table two of her friends who are also two of the most controversial men in Hollywood: Mel Gibson (is he ever happy anymore or just pissed off and angry?) and Robert Downey Jr.

And she had her two beautiful sons with her at the ceremony on view for the cameras, another way in which she "came out" because she has always sheltered them from the public eye.

She is true to herself, always has been. And that to me is one of the most integritous qualities in the world.

There have been few like her in the world who have been fiercely brave and also honest to her aspirations, standards, and lifestyle, at least of those people from my generation (I, like Ms. Foster, am 50).

Maybe she is the way she is because she started so very young in the public spotlight. And maybe, having a stalker who is obsessed with you whilst you're in college and then tries to assassinate President Reagan as a demonstration of his love, compounded by the fact that you're gay and the entire world is obsessing over your sexual preference during your teens, twenties, thirties, etc. (imagine how that would feel to be on such public display?)

I think that she did in fact, come out officially as gay in her Golden Globe speech and I thought she did it brilliantly. And she did it in her on smart ass, intelligent, and fuck you kind of way. ("I am Single!") Typical Tiger, no? (as in Chinese Birth Year of the Tiger: 1962)

Didn't we all know that Anderson Cooper was gay for all these years before he quietly announced it last year? Even he was equally blithe as Jodie in his statement (because they've both been "out" for so long, without saying it to a billion viewers on tv....which is what I think Jodie was trying to comment about Sunday night).

I admire her for the way she has bravely lived her life. And I admire her for her long, remarkable and distinguished career (as well as putting herself through Yale).

Liz Smith, the iconic news columnist, wrote a similar summary about La Foster's brilliant and emotional speech. Read it here:

If you missed Ms. Foster's speech here it is:

As an aside, I was THRILLED that Ben Affleck and his film Argo won the 2013 Golden Globe awards for Best Director and Best Film, respectively.

A beautiful story by a BEAUTIFUL young man

Published on Dec 17, 2012-- After exploding onto the performance scene by grabbing the Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champion prize, watch as 15-year-old Noah St. John electrifies the Snap Judgment Stage with a stunning performance - winning this year's "NPR Snap Judgment Performance of the Year."

It's only appropriate, because last year's winner was Noah's teacher and mentor, Jamie DeWolf.

A DOLPHIN cloud

Matthew Sears/Eastnews