In brief: Both Felix and Sidney RULE.

The always amazing Felix In Hollywood has kindly (thank you so much, Felix!) allowed me to link to his recent post about working on the TCM documentary Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star ( which I fully believe has a lot to do with the phenomenal recent resurgence of interest in our girl as a professional woman, transcendant actress and --of course-- timeless beauty, not to mention being an all around pretty swell gal). 

Check it out (if only for the most flattering picture of the abominable adopted daughter I've yet seen, as well as the funniest accompanying caption EVER). 

Seriously, it made my day.

Felix is a neat person, someone I've never met except online, but he's kind of who I picture as Jerry Brahms whenever I read (or re-read) Clive Barker's Coldheart Canyon, one of my favorite books. Coldheart Canyon's an occasionally pornographic ghost story about silent film stars who get lost when the real world passes them by, and Jerry's one of the few characters who has his feet on the ground in present day LA.  Though he doesn't resemble Jerry physically (Jerry Brahms is kind of rotund, and as far as I can tell, Felix is whippet-thin), still they're both storehouses of Hollywood insider info, and I totally envy both of them, the lives they've lived.

(And quite awhile back, Felix was sweet enough to allow me to share a more in-depth transcript of his impressions of working with the eldest adopted daughter, who is clearly insane).

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AND the other night I went to see Scream 4 for the second time because...

A: I was gizzacked the first time I saw it, and consequently didn't understand anything that was going on. And B: We both got admission for the amazing low, low price of FREE!

My initial impression was unfavorable, to say the the least. It felt kind of "paint by numbers". But this horror movie has a lot going for it, upon a second viewing. For one thing, I LOVED most of the characters.

I'm the first to admit I don't watch a lot of TV, so I don't really know who Hayden Panetierre is , but she is effin' DELIGHTFUL here, despite her girls gym teacher haircut (what's up with that?).

And let's not talk about Olivia, because what happens there is just wrong. 

(And a personal note to Courtney Cox--whatever you're doing to your face, just stop it. Retrace your steps. Just think about it, please). 

But Neve Campbell as Sid...well... Sidney makes it all alright. She may just be my favorite Final Girl of all time. 

(well, except for Laurie Strode and Ginny, of course). 

I completely love her. Sid's smart, nice, compassionate, intellectual and fierce, and she WILL kick your ass, if you're belligerent or violent to her or her loved ones. Can you blame her?

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(spoiler alert!!!)

I think the biggest reason for my initial distaste for Scream 4 was because of Sidney's cousin (whatever her name was). The young woman who played her gave a great performance, but she was so (realistically) sour and unlikeable that I almost wished the bad guy/girl would finish her off!

And that glass coffee table...you knew that would figure in the climax, didn't you?

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And Jess , in case no one's answered your question, that picture is a still from This Woman Is Dangerous ( a Joan Crawford melodrama from 1952 that really isn't as bad as its reputation-it's just kind of lame). If it failed at the box office, it's most likely because of the awful title and because she really wasn't into it at the time; Joan Crawford had her eyes on Sudden Fear and freedom from her Warner Bros. contract!