to Baby Jane?…Bette Davis and Joan Crawford…their rivalry in black and white…I recorded it that other day and watched it this evening…we find out whatever happened to Baby Jane…she goes nuts and spawned a whole new genre of horror films called psycho-biddy…Bette Davis received her 10th and last nomination for an Oscar for her Baby Jane…however, costume designer Norma Koch for Baby Jane won the Oscar for Black and White…Bette lost to Anne Bancroft as The Miracle Worker…the three other nominees were Katherine Hepburn in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth and Lee Remick in The Days of Wine and Roses…it was the year of Lawrence of Arabia and To Kill A Mockingbird…I read that Bette Davis did her own make-up for Baby Jane…that bizarre white face…perfect for the character…from Wikipedia: “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological horror thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, from a screenplay by Lukas Heller, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Henry Farrell. The film stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and features the major film debut of Victor Buono. It follows an aging former child star tormenting her paraplegic sister, a former film star, in an old Hollywood mansion.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? was released in theaters in the United States on October 31, 1962, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was met with critical acclaim and was a box office success. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and won one for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, with Davis receiving her tenth and final nomination for Best Actress.
The alleged bitter Hollywood rivalry between the film’s two stars, Davis and Crawford, was pivotal to the film’s initial success. This in part led to the revitalization of the careers of the two stars. In the years after release, critics continued to acclaim the film for its psychologically driven black comedy, camp, and creation of the psycho-biddy subgenre. The film’s novel and controversial plot meant that it originally received an X rating in the U.K. Because of the appeal of the film’s stars, Dave Itzkoff in The New York Times has identified it as being a “cult classic”.
In 2003, the character of Baby Jane Hudson was ranked No. 44 on the American Film Institute‘s list of the 50 Best Villains of American Cinema. ( “But you are Blanche, you are in that chair!” )…
In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. ( 59 years later! )…
The White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner was held tonight at the DC Hilton…a huge room filmed with journalists, celebrities and government officials from around the world…it started at 8:00…after I got myself together…going to the Acme looking for matzoh…the shelves were empty…not a crumb to be had…but I did pick up some avocados…and cottage cheese and bananas…Elissa and Jed had made a 5:30 reservation at The Spring House Tavern…it was the only time they could accommodate us…I raised to the 501 but when I got on 309 it was already 5:10 and I knew I couldn’t get to the 501 and then be at the restaurant on time…so I called Elissa and we decided to meet at the restaurant…we had a good dinner…I do like their version of The Wedge Salad…I had been there once before with Susie…Elissa split The Wedge without the steak with Jed and then had their crab cake… Jed had duck…crispy…we were done by 6:30…Elissa didn’t have the desire to see Challengers…at 7:25 at the Ambler…so we went to the Whole Foods in Spring House and shopped…then back to the 501 to see the White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner…we started watching at 8:00…and didn’t really start until much later…really boring at the beginning…it lasted until 11:00…with only about an hour of any worth…Biden spoke and mainly roasted trump…his best line…was trump wasn’t having a good day…you might say he was having Stormy Weather…from The Guardian by David Smith: “‘Stormy weather’: Biden skewers Trump at White House correspondents’ dinner: US president made fun of Republican frontrunner’s legal woes while critics of his handling of Gaza war protested outside: Joe Biden has shown no mercy to Donald Trump with a series of barbed jokes about his election rival, telling a gathering of Washington’s political and media elites: “I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner on Saturday night provided the ideal platform for Biden to continue a recent run of taking the fight to Trump with more aggressive rhetoric, cutting humour and personal insults.
But the jovial mood inside the room contrasted sharply with raucous demonstrations outside the Washington Hilton hotel. Hundreds of protesters shouted “Shame on you!” at White House officials, journalists and celebrities as they arrived at the dinner, condemning Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza and the media’s coverage of it.
As speculation about a debate between the two men intensifies, Biden – wearing tuxedo and black tie – opened his roast with a direct but joking focus on Trump, calling him “sleepy Don”, in reference to a nickname Trump had given the president previously.
“The 2024 election is in full swing and yes, age is an issue,” noted Biden, 81. “I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old.”
The president also skewered Trump over a recent speech in which he described the civil war battle at Gettysburg as “interesting”, “vicious”, “horrible” and “beautiful”. Biden said: “Speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about a major civil war battle? ‘Gettysburg – wow!’ Trump’s speech was so embarrassing, the statute of Robert E Lee surrendered again.”
Biden then made a reference to Trump’s falling out with his former vice-president, Mike Pence, who defied him over the 2020 election result. The president said: “Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice-president actually endorses me.” Vice-president Kamala Harris, sitting nearby on stage, laughed and applauded.
The president moved on to Trump’s criminal trial in New York, where he is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film performer Stormy Daniels. Biden said: “Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it Stormy weather.”
And then he brought up Trump’s recent scheme to sell “God Bless the USA Bibles” for $59.99. “Trump’s so desperate he started reading those Bibles he’s selling. Then he got to the first commandment: ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ That’s when he put it down and said: “This book’s not for me.’”
Biden also poked fun at his own age and delivered some one-liners at the expense of the media. “Some of you complained that I don’t take enough of your questions. No comment.”
He added: “The New York Times issued a statement blasting me for ‘actively and effectively avoiding independent journalists’. Hey, if that’s what it takes to get the New York Times to say I’m active and effective, I’m for it.”
The president also struck a serious note, urging the media to stayed focused on the implications of November’s election. “I’m sincerely not asking you to take sides,” he said. “I’m asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment. Move past the horse-race numbers and the gotcha moments, and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalise our politics and focus on what’s actually at stake.”
There was also some gallows humour from Colin Jost, a comedian on the TV variety show Saturday Night Live, six months before an election that could see the return of Trump, who boycotted this event during his presidency and has called the media “the enemy of the people”. Jost said: “I’m honoured to be here hosting what is, according to swing state polls, the final White House correspondents’ dinner.”
Jost’s wife, the actor Scarlett Johansson, was among the 2,600 guests at the dinner along with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jon Hamm and Chris Pine. The comedian said: “The last time I was in DC I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union.”
Biden’s age was naturally a target. “I’m not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, ‘I could maybe win this thing.’ He’s only 99.”
Both speeches were well received. Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, praised Biden while taking a dig at his age: “The president made it through the speech so that’s a win for him at such a late hour. It’s never easy as a politician to deliver a joke. We’re not made to be funny. Don’t expect us to be funny. So any time you’re a politician, you get even a slight laugh, that’s a win.”
Earlier, guests ran the gauntlet of anti-war demonstrations outside the hotel, taking place after more than two dozen Palestinian journalists in Gaza released a public letter last week calling on their colleagues in the US to boycott the dinner.
“Shame on you!” protesters draped in the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh cloth shouted, running after men in tuxedos and suits and women in long dresses holding clutch purses as guests hurried inside for the dinner.
The demonstrators chanted “Shame on you for breaking bread!” and “Every time the media lies, a journalist in Gaza dies”. They held signs that said, “ABC: All Bullshit Constantly”, “CNN: Criminal News Network”, “Two-faced genocide Joe” and a giant banner that read, “Stop media complicity in genocide”. They laid out dozens of blue press vests, broken cameras and projected images of Palestinian journalists who have been killed.
Protester Ramah Kudaimi, 37, said: “It is shameful that while over 133 Palestinian journalists have been killed over the past almost seven months by the Israeli military, doing nothing more than covering what’s happening, the genocide in Gaza, journalists here in the US are partying it up with White House officials including President Biden in this moment when they are so complicit in what’s happening by continuing to send weapons to Israel, by continuing to refuse any sort of accountability for the war crimes Israel’s committing.”
Another demonstrator, who gave her name only as Yara, 24, said: “135 Palestinian journalists have been murdered at the hands of Israel since 7 October. They’ve asked to boycott this dinner. That call is not coming from organisers in DC; that is coming from the Palestinians in Gaza so we are asking that people heed that call and boycott the dinner tonight.”
She added: “It symbolises that everyone in that room does not care about the freedom of the press if they don’t care about the murder of press.”
Biden’s speech, which lasted about 10 minutes, made no mention of the ongoing war or the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One of the few mentions came from Kelly O’Donnell, president of the correspondents’ association, who noted the deaths of journalists covering the war.
from NBC News by Megan Lebowitz: “Biden swipes at Trump at White House correspondents’ dinner: As the festivities played out inside, protesters calling for a cease-fire marched outside the venue.: WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday used his White House correspondents’ dinner speech to swipe at former President Donald Trump, taking shots at the presumptive GOP nominee while highlighting the stakes of the election.
Biden cracked jokes at his political rival’s expense and tackled age head-on, saying that he was “a grown man running against a six-year-old.”
The president said later that age was the only thing he and Trump had in common, adding, “My vice president actually endorses me,” a reference to former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to say he’ll back his former running mate in 2024.
But Biden’s speech took a serious turn when he discussed the stakes of November’s presidential election, echoing themes of his campaign speeches as he highlighted what he called Trump’s “attack on our democracy.”
The president urged the press to “rise up to the seriousness of the moment.”
“Move past the horse race numbers and the ‘gotcha’ moments and the distractions and the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics, and focus on what’s actually at stake,” Biden said. “I think in your hearts, you know what’s at stake.”
Biden also highlighted the detention of The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than a year on espionage charges that he and his employer deny. His case has been classified as a wrongful detention by the U.S.
The president called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Gershkovich immediately, adding that the White House was also doing everything it could to bring home freelance journalist Austin Tice and businessman Paul Whelan.
Gershkovich’s parents and Tice’s mother were among the approximately 2,600 guests at the dinner, an estimate provided by NBC News political correspondent Steve Kornacki in a video that played at the event.
“I give you my word as a Biden: We’re not going to give up until we get them home,” Biden said. “All of them.”
Biden also highlighted the wrongful detention of Americans abroad, including Gershkovich, at last year’s dinner. The president emphasized during last year’s remarks that “journalism is not a crime,” noting that a free press is a “pillar” of a “free society.”
Celebrities who went to Saturday’s event included Scarlett Johansson, who is married to Jost; Rachel Brosnahan and Quavo. High-profile politicians and administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn, attended as well.
First lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also attended the event, which took place at the Washington Hilton.
NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell is serving as the White House Correspondents Association’s 2023-24 president and presided over the dinner.
“Saturday Night Live” cast member Colin Jost was the dinner’s featured entertainer. He co-anchors the NBC show’s “Weekend Update” segment.
Like Biden, Jost cracked several jokes at the former president’s expense, including Trump’s criminal trial, starting his remarks by saying “how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn’t begin with a bailiff saying, ‘All rise.'”
Jost also targeted Biden at times, comparing the economy with the president ascending Air Force One’s steps: “It feels like it’s stumbling, but there’s somehow upward progress.” The comedian also told the president that his now-deceased grandfather voted for Biden in the last election because he thought Biden was “a decent man.”
While the dinner, a tradition dating back 100 years, played out inside the ballroom, hundreds of protesters mobilized outside the venue to call for a cease-fire and criticize Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The protesters chanted, “Shame on you!” as attendees passed them to enter the hotel. They also yelled criticism of the media and a large sign read, “Stop media complicity in genocide.”
“Every time the media lies, journalists in Gaza die,” the crowd echoed the leader’s bullhorn chants.
Later, protesters called for the fall of Western media, chanting, “Brick by brick, wall by wall, Western media will fall.”
U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that “attendees can expect layered security and screening at the dinner,” adding that there would be “intermittent” road closures near the venue.
“In reference to the publicized demonstration, we are working closely with the Metropolitan Washington Police Department to protect individuals’ rights to assemble but we will remain intolerant to unlawful behavior,” Guglielmi added.
After the dinner concluded, two protesters holding a sign saying “Stop Israel’s genocide” entered the hotel’s red carpet area as guests were departing. They heckled attendees and were removed by security.
The president has had to contend with protesters demonstrating outside of his official events, with protesters sometimes interrupting his speeches. In response, Biden’s team has worked to make the president’s events smaller and withheld their exact locations longer than usual in the hope of cutting back on potential interruptions.
Earlier this month, Palestinian journalists wrote an open letter calling on others to boycott the White House correspondents’ dinner “as an act of solidarity with us — your fellow journalists — as well as with the millions of Palestinians currently being starved in Gaza,” pointing to the Biden administration’s support for Israel.”…Biden was better than Jost…at times Jost just bombed…fell flat…it must be such pressure to deliver at the Correspondent’s Association…what ever happens, happens!…
found a quarter…
Art Salazar 