Hostess With the Mostest

I had a moment of absolute panic recently amid the news reports of the demise of Hostess and Drakes. 

Growing up, after the Dugan man stopped delivering those super-sweet cupcakes along with our Dugan bread (for my Bumble Bee Tuna, natch), we turned to Hostess and Drakes.  Ah, Hostess Cupcakes, those iconic chocolate confectionery dreams, stuffed with that yummy cream filling and topped with chocolate icing and that ubiquitous squiggle of white.  Not that I would turn down a TastyKake, mind you, but to me, Hostess was the top of the food pyramid.  I was never a Twinkie eater, but those chocolate cupcakes conjure up sweet memories of my youth. 

And then there were Drakes cakes.  To this day, my former colleague Karen Louis knows never, ever, to utter those two words that drive me crazy:  “Devil Dogs.”  They came in a box and I’m sure more than once I ate the entire contents in a day.  I’ll admit that the chocolate cake part is really not what could be considered high quality, but those two slabs of cake surrounding that layer of “cream” – if that was actually what it was – made the concoction irresistible.  If you wanted a luscious outer layer of “icing,” you bought Yodels or Ring Dings.  Strangely, I never bought the Hostess equivalents of either of those delicious snacks.  As an adult, whenever I went to the Perryville Inn for dinner I always ordered their homemade version of the Ring Ding.  Put in my dessert order first, please.

Now Hostess Brands, which includes Drakes as well as Wonder Bread (remember “Builds strong bodies 12 ways”?) is up for sale.  Granted, I haven’t bought any of their products in years –first guilt and then Weight Watchers persuaded me to forgo these devilish treats – but should I cash in the IRA, sell the house and car and all my holdings to buy the company? 

When news reports of the demise of the Twinkie surfaced, people began stocking up on the snack cakes, even hoarding them, either to enjoy eating them or to resell them on E-Bay.  A collectors market?  These foods wouldn’t even need expiration dates in my house.  I hope someone decides to pick them up and continue producing them, and that they also provide jobs for their workers.

Last year I saw a documentary called, “No Contract, No Cookies” about the loyal workers at the Stella D’Oro factory in the Bronx who were about to be fired in a cost saving move.  Ultimately, the company sold the plant, put all of the workers out of work and moved to another state.  I haven’t eaten a Stella D’Oro since – mostly in protest.  In fact, maybe it would be better for me if Hostess did go out of business so that no Devil Dog would ever again tempt me.

But a buyer is bound to come forth.  I just hope it isn’t that interloper, Little Debbie.  I was in my local ShopRite (extensive research goes into each of my essays, as you can tell) and couldn’t help noticing that she has taken over the design of each of my favorite treats.  She thinks we won’t notice that her “Swiss Roll” is a Yodel rip-off.  Sure, she has the face of an angel, but Debbie has been hard at work, carefully copying the squiggle on Hostess for her own cupcakes and filling them with cream.  How dare she?  Trademark violation, anyone?  The display was filled with more copycat items:  Devil Squares (instead of Devil Dogs?  Come on, Debbie, we see right through you and the shape isn’t fooling us.), Marshmallow Pies (are you listening, Nabisco?  These are your Malomars!) and even a few items I don’t know whom she is ripping off.  Granted, I have never tried any of Debbie’s handiwork, and now I can’t even if I wanted to (principle and poundage).  But I take umbrage nonetheless.

Little Debbie smiles sweetly on the package, wearing a straw hat and looking like an escapee from the 1950s.  As it turns out, that’s just what she is.  Back in the early 60s the McKee Foods founder named the brand after his 4-year old granddaughter and used her picture.  Let’s hope her trust fund reflects this decision.  OK, she’s not some Debbie-come-lately, but where does she get off copying my favorite brands? 

The irony will be if McKee Foods buys Hostess and Little Debbie Cupcakes and Hostess become one and the same.  And therein lies my conundrum.  Do I buy or do I not buy the old or new Hostess products or Little Debbie Cupcakes?  With my Weight Watchers weigh-in taking place every Tuesday, I think this is more a theoretical issue that an actual one.  I haven’t had a Hostess Cupcake in years, and I can’t start now.

But ah, those sweet memories…

Tina's November 2012 Movies

This month's movie collection is one of my most eclectic. I saw a few movies that I hadn't seen in years to prepare myself for other versions of the stories.  I saw one of my AFTs (all-time favorites).  And I saw the Lifetime movie that gave Lindsay Lohan a chance to act instead of creating headlines just getting arrested.  As usual, numbering picks up from previous months and movies are graded on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the top.  Movies I had not seen previously are marked with an *.

114.  Flight* (2012) – Not since Tom Hanks reported “Houston, we have a problem” in Apollo 13 has there been such a terrifying flying incident – until now.  Whip Whittaker (Denzel Washington in a sure Oscar-nominated role) is cool, calm and collected despite the apparent failure of his airplane.  He puts the periled plane through some very tricky maneuvers that few pilots could even attempt, no less execute.  He is also drunk and high.  So, was the crash his fault?  And is he a drunk in dire need of help?  This is a man of strength, but also of rage, who insists he “chooses” to drink.  He needs no help, no consolation, no contact with anyone.  He just needs to drink.  John Goodman, as his dealer, supplies the only comic relief in this otherwise serious story reminiscent of “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “Days of Wine and Roses,” with all three movies providing insight into their main characters’ addictions.  It can be harrowing at times, and you want to like Whip, but Denzel, to his credit, makes that almost impossible.  4 cans.

115.  Apollo 13 – And speaking of Apollo 13, this Ron Howard movie holds you in suspense even though you already know the ending.  I think everyone knows the story, so I’ll instead mention that I can’t decide whether Tom Hanks in Apollo 13, Tom Hanks in Castaway or Tom Hanks in Big is my favorite Tom Hanks movie (and you can probably throw in Forrest Gump, for that matter.)  Not only is this a great story, but it is a great movie.  Although I don’t know what a command center, spacecraft or a simulator actually looks like, the look of the sets, the dialog of the crew and command center just seems authentic to me.  I can’t help holding my breath while we wait to see if the crew makes it back every time I see it.  Great movie and one of my ATFs.  5 cans.

116.  Casablanca (1942) – Bogart.  Bergman.  Wartime intrigue.  Romance.  You must remember this.  Here’s looking at you, kid.  Classic.  4½ cans.

117.  Lincoln* (2012) – Tall, dark and not particularly handsome, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis, ready to face off against Denzel in this year’s race for the Best Actor Oscar) has just been reelected when we meet him on a battlefield in 1864.  Amiable, humble (and extremely tall, wearing an extremely tall top hat) and at times humorous, Lincoln is a dedicated politician, and he aims to abolish slavery by Constitutional Amendment with his lame-duck Congress as the Civil War dies down.  The scenes in the chambers of Congress play out like hirsute C-SPAN broadcasts, with posturing politicians (Tommy Lee Jones among them) and backroom patronage deals.  Sounds familiar?  Meanwhile, on the White House front, Lincoln’s wife, Marry Todd (Sally Field at her grittiest), is still grieving the loss of her son in the Civil War and wants to make sure her next son, Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) doesn’t enlist.  She is an astute politician herself, and her scenes with Lincoln are amusing and furious.  I’d like to know how they made DDL look so tall.  When Lincoln gets up from a chair, it looks like he is unfolding or inflating like those air-filled figures that flap in the wind.  In the end, this movie is more politics than entertainment, and, despite the Steven Spielberg pedigree, too long and slow, so I am giving it just 3½ top hats.

118.  Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) – There was a time when Ellen Burstyn seemed to be the lead in every movie, and this is one of them.  A waitress and sudden widow, Alice and her goofy son Tommy (Alfred Lutter), move to Arizona so she can pursue her singing career.  Instead, she ends up waiting tables at Mel’s Diner with waitresses Flo (Diane Ladd) and Vera (Valerie Curtain).  But slinging hash isn’t all that bad when Kris Kristofferson ambles into a booth.  Alice is insecure but wise-cracking, and eventually succumbs to his charms.  Look for a very young Jodie Foster as Tommy’s friend Audrey in this little gem.  4 cans.

119.  The Great Gatsby (1974) – This movie is more like “The Not-So-Great Gatsby” if you ask me.  A lush adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the 1920s, the movie is the story of Jay Gatsby, mysterious self-made millionaire whose money means less than his love of the woman (Daisy Buchanon, played by Mia Farrow) he romanced when he was poor but who went on marry wealthy and obnoxious Tom Buchanon (Bruce Dern).  Gatsby doesn’t care that she’s married.  He just wants her back.  The story is told through the eyes of her distant cousin, Nick Carroway (Sam Waterston), who is spending his summer renting a place across the great lawn from the Gatsby estate.  The lavish production, sumptuous sets and even Gatsby’s pink suit hardly compensate for the innate shallowness of the story and the characters.  Oh, and if you decided to see this movie because Robert Redford plays the great Gatsby himself, you won’t even find him on screen for the first 35 minutes.  A new version of this movie is coming out next year with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead, so I reread the book this summer and saw the movie to remind me of the story.  Having done all that, I think I’ll pass on Leo’s version, since I realize now that I didn’t really like these people any more than they liked each other.  3 cans, mostly for the production values and a chance to see Redford.

120.  No Place Like Home* (2012) – To say Josh Swade is a fan of the University of Kansas basketball really doesn’t do his fervor justice.  Dr. James Naismith himself, inventor of the game and a former Kansas coach, probably couldn’t summon up Josh’s enthusiasm.  So when Dr. Naismith’s original rules for the game come up for auction at Sotheby’s, Josh sets out to find wealthy alumni who will put up the money – estimated to be in the millions – to bring the rules home, where he feels they belong, to Allen Field House in Lawrence, Kansas, a place he calls “the cathedral of basketball.”  Josh’s effort is the heart of this documentary, another in the highly entertaining ESPN “30 for 30” series.  Josh is persuasive, but he has to be to get the money guys involved.  You have to admire a place where people turn out every year to support their team with such ardor, and you have to admire a man whose unselfish quest is all about the history of the game.  3½ cans.

121.  The Package* (1989) – I’m not much on action movies, but I tuned this one in thinking this Gene Hackman effort was a different movie.  Hackman is Sgt. Gallagher, assigned in Europe to escort a prisoner (Tommie Lee Jones) back to the US.  It turns out the prisoner isn’t who his papers say he is, and he is part of an assassination plot to prevent the signing of a treaty between the US and Russia.  That means plenty of action as good guys and bad guys try to outsmart and outshoot each other.  Joanna Cassidy, with really big curly hair, and Dennis Franz, playing his usual role as a cop, co-star.  And Hackman gets to have another car chase, though not nearly of the magnitude of his classic “The French Connection.”  3 cans.

122.  Liz & Dick* (2012) – The brawling, boozy and very public Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton romance/marriage/divorce/remarriage is dramatized in this Lifetime movie.  Anyone alive in the 60’s knows the story of how they met on the set of Cleopatra, dumped their respective spouses (Eddie Fisher seemed quite expendable), bought a lot of jewelry, spent a ton of money and gave rise to the phenomenon of paparazzi.  In this rendition, an overmatched Lindsay Lohan takes on the role of Elizabeth, but it was more than a pout that made the woman a huge movie star.  Grant Bowler is Burton and handles the Welshman’s masculinity and charmingly deep voice efficiently.  I didn’t find this movie as absolutely heinous or laugh- out-loud ridiculous as I had expected, but Lohan clearly needs a career reboot.  They did a good job with her makeup, however.  2 carats.

123.  Inventing David Geffen* (2012) – The road to success is not a straight line, as evidenced by David Geffen’s rise from the mailroom at the William Morris Agency to entertainment mogul in this fascinating documentary.  Geffen, along with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, is one of the men behind the studio Dreamworks.  His career began in the mailroom after faking his credentials, then he became an agent, quit to manage the career of rising singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, founded a record company, managed superstar groups such as The Eagles and Crosby, Still & Nash, went into producing Broadway shows and movies, started and sold another record company (where he recorded Donna Summer, Cher and Elton John), and became a multi-billionaire.  This documentary examines his instincts, his negotiating skills, his fierce loyalty and his refusal to back down from anyone.  Along the way, he became the most powerful man in show biz.  This is one interesting guy and a story well documented and told, with plenty of interviews and glimpses of the talented artists of my lifetime.  4 cans.

124.  Nothing In Common (1986) – David Basner (Tom Hanks) loves his life.  A 30-something ad exec, he loves working with his team and chasing women, and he’s good at both.  And then one day his mother leaves his father (Eva Maire Saint and Jackie Gleason) and David is forced to face family responsibilities, the truth about the relationship between his parents and how it has affected him.  You’d never know from this description that this movie is equal parts comedy and drama (the advertising scenes in the office draw the most comedy).  David leans on his old high school girlfriend (Bess Armstrong) for emotional support even though they have both moved on.  Gleason is terrific as irascible Max Basner, still trying to sell children’s clothes and ignoring his failing health as he rails at David.  My review doesn’t do the movie justice, because I think of it as a gem.  4 cans.

125.  Mary Poppins (1964) – This family-friendly fantasy stars Julie Andrews in the title role, playing, shall we say, a rather unconventional nanny who leads her charges on magical jaunts around London.  Dick Van Dyke is her buddy Bert, the chimney sweep.  I am surprised how much I had forgotten about this movie, and how much animation it includes.  It is a lovely and entertaining tale, but not really designed for someone who has trouble suspending her sense of reality.  Since I am seeing the Broadway musical tomorrow, I thought I would reacquaint myself with the story.  I think a musical like this will sparkle more on stage.  3 cans.

Intimate Encounters

Intimate Encounters

November, 2012

Disclaimer:  This month’s entry probably contains a bit too much information (TMI) for some of you, and the men among my readers may not know or care about this subject at all.  I do, however, hope that if they read this essay, they will have greater sympathy for the plight of women and their dressing challenges.

When it comes to buying “intimate apparel,” men have a decided advantage over women as evidenced by three simple words:  Boxers or briefs?

Until the introduction of “boxer-briefs,” men had two basic choices in underwear.  Sure, there are colors and patterns, but for the most part, men don’t shop for underwear as much as they restock, simply buying the same thing repeatedly when the old stuff either wears out completely or turns pink because it was washed with a favorite red shirt.  Besides, many men don’t shop for underwear at all.  That’s the stuff they get for Christmas or when they leave for college, usually purchased by a wife, girlfriend or mother.

For women, this chore is markedly different. 

As someone who thinks the term “lingerie” is a foreign word (and it is, isn’t it?), and whose drawers (get it?) are stuffed with the same style of underwear you could find in a nursing home for anyone not dependent on Depends, I find it challenging to buy intimate apparel.  After losing a great deal of weight, buying new undergarments is a necessity.  No La Perla $125 intimates for me, just very standard issue cotton underwear will do.  I’m not looking for satin or lace, for matching under-outfits, or for anything Frederick’s of Hollywood would even carry.  Sure, I’ve been in Victoria’s Secret, but only to buy gift cards for other people who, unlike me, don’t think of Victoria as a slut.  My stuff comes in plastic packages from Hanes, but even the task of selecting from among that limited collection is overwhelming.  There are briefs, “boy” briefs (huh?), bikinis, string bikinis, hipsters, high-cuts, low-rise and, much to my amazement, thongs.  Who wants to walk around all day in that kind of discomfort?  In fact, some of the packaged panties I buy actually include a “no ride up” claim and purport to be “wedgie free,” which no thong style could ever match.  One style has a “comfort soft” waistband, too. 

To add to my shopping conundrum, let’s throw in pantyhose and Spanx, those “undie-tectable” tourniquets that promise to make you “slim cognito” by smoothing out your body parts.  I’m convinced that constricting your inner organs and forcing them to gather together closely after years of floating around freely must be a bad idea.  But damn, don’t you look good?  Never mind that you can’t breathe, and that the fleshy parts will eventually work their way up or down so either your ankles or neck will look huge even as your middle looks slim and trim. 

Recently I had an event to attend that suggested “cocktail” attire, which meant I would have to forego my usual pants and jacket in favor of an actual dress, thus necessitating the wearing of pantyhose.  But what to buy?  Could I tolerate Control Top?  Can I accept No Nonsense?  Do I need “smart support?”  There are “almost bare,” “Sheer Energy,” sheer toe, reinforced toe, ultra sheer, sheer to waist (what happens then?), and one pair I found which claims to be “Exceptionally comfortable.”  Does that mean the others not so branded are exceptionally uncomfortable?  One pair was marked “revitalizing,” which made me want to slip them over my face in hopes of ridding myself of the bags under my eyes – until I realized that with pantyhose over my head I would look like I was about to rob a gas station.  You can select from black, jet black, off-black, midnight black, and 50 shades of tan (nude, suntan, beige, natural, etc.).

And then there is the size issue.  You check the chart on the package to match up your height and weight with an assigned letter size.  Since I have lost so much weight, I no longer have to default to the largest size available, but I swear that my height and weight were unmarked on the chart, falling between two sizes and landing me in uncharted territory, a tiny section of the chart that appears in white – no color – with no corresponding letter.  I automatically defaulted to the next size, as any woman would, and bought what I thought might work.  I took them home and tried them on, hoping that the crotch wouldn’t land half way down to my knees.  I have to admit that it was daunting to open the package and see a tiny little top part that, when matched up against my considerable midsection girth, at least in my mind seemed to say, “No way these will ever get on me.”  I guess if we can launch men to the moon we can invent a material stretchy enough to pack in all the requisite body parts while not entirely constricting oxygen and blood flow.  At least I hope so.

The control top cinched me in, the legs reenergized me (assuming I was energized in the first place), and that was helpful because by the time I stuffed myself into the pair of sausage skins, I was exhausted.  Forget my daily hour-long walks and workouts in the pool.  Putting on a pair of pantyhose burns more calories than any activity I do all week, and that’s not even taking into consideration the contortion required to get my feet into them and yank them into place.

After getting them on and being at least a little pleased with myself, it dawned on me that the long night lie ahead, and eventually I would have to go through almost this same process again if I had to visit the ladies room.  Do any of the manufacturers provide a catheter to aid in that process?  That might be easier than the wrestling match required to put the pantyhose on again. 

Unlike other women, I cannot ever put my feet into a shoe that isn’t a sandal without wearing some sort of hosiery on them.  So it looks like if I am going to up my game, wear underwear that fits and stuff myself into pantyhose with a dress, I will have to suck it up and in and get on with the deed.  How (and, for that matter, why), I wonder, do drag queens do it?  And what size do they wear?  All I know is that it isn’t always easy being a female of the species.

Tina's October Movies

Hurricane Sandy had a devastating effect on the East Coast in October, with a path of destruction and lack of power. That means less movie watching and publishing my monthly list a bit late.  I hope you all survived the storm and are safe and well. As usual, numbering picks up from previous months and movies are graded on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the top. Movies I had not seen previously are marked with an *.

103.  Norma Rae (1979) – It’s a long way from Sister Bertrille in “The Flying Nun” to Norma Rae for Sally Field in this gritty movie about a young widow who works in a textile mill down South.  Field’s title character lives with her parents and her two kids, barely making a living in the sweltering, dusty plant, along with most of the rest of the town.  When Ruben (Ron Liebman) shows up – a union organizer from New York City and truly a stranger in a strange land – and tries to convince the locals that they are being exploited and need the union to protect them, Norma Rae becomes his staunchest supporter.  The scene where she is forced out of the factory but defies management by simply standing on a table holding up a “UNION” sign remains a powerful visual and a turning point for the story.  Field won her first Oscar for her spot-on portrayal of a fearless woman ready to tackle the unknown.  Beau Bridges, as her mostly quiet husband, joins her in another memorable scene where she vows to cook, clean, iron and make love – all at once.  Of course, you have to buy in to the generalization that big companies exist to exploit their workers and never have their interests at heart, but this movie is very good at conveying that specific scenario, at least in this town.  4 cans.

104.  Steel Magnolias* (2012) – Speaking of Sally Field, the star of the original version of this movie, here is a new version aired by Lifetime TV and starring an all black cast, headed by Queen Latifah in the role played by Field.  Queen brings her alpha woman strength and attitude to the role of MaLynn, the mother of Shelby (Condola Rashad), a young woman about to get married and living with diabetes.  The strength of the story comes from the bonds of the Southern women (Jill Scott, Phyllicia Rashad and Alfre Woodard) who congregate at Truvie’s Beauty shop to complain about their husbands and lives and offer friendship and comfort to each other in good times and bad.  The script has been updated to include references to Michelle Obama and Beyonce, but the story is largely the same.  Maybe because the original was so memorable that I can recall the zingers delivered by Dolly Parton (“There ain’t no such thing as natural beauty”) Olympia Dukakis and Shirley Maclaine (and a young Julia Roberts as Field’s daughter), this time around I knew what was coming and it didn’t have the same impact.  Latifah has a harder edge and lacks the vulnerability Field brought to the role.  Still, I find the strength and friendship of women appealing and commendable, so it’s hard to knock any story which features that bond as its main theme.  3 cans.

105.  Argo* (2012) – When 52 Americans were taken hostage in the American Embassy in Iran in 1979, six people managed to avoid captivity, seeking refuge in the residence of the Canadian Ambassador.  While the world focused on the hostages and their 444 days of captivity, the CIA considered ways to safely remove the missing six, who would soon be discovered missing by the Iranians.  CIA operative Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck, who also directed), proposed the best of the bad ideas – to pose as Canadians scouting locations in the Middle East to make a science fiction movie titled “Argo.”  But to make the fake movie seem real, he needed Hollywood help (from John Goodman and Alan Arkin, both wryly amusing) – including a script, storyboards and a fake production company – as well as passports and bios for each of the six.  He finds a script for a potentially terrible movie (shades of “The Producers”) and puts the plan into action.  Would the Iranians buy the concept of scouting locations amid the upheaval?  Affleck shows a deft hand in directing this clever movie, based on the actual events, making it both suspenseful and comedic in turn.  4 cans.

106.  Abduction: The Carlina White Story*(2012) – Ordinarily I won’t subject myself to Lifetime’s overly dramatic dramas, but this one was based on a true story, so it intrigued me.  Besides, I like the actresses – Keke Palmer and Sherri Shepherd (in a serious role) – who played the leads.  Carlina was just a few days old when she went to the hospital with a fever.  There a woman who had just lost her third baby and was posing as a nurse befriended her parents and, when they left temporarily, abducted her and raised her as her own.  No amount of pictures on milk cartons and pressure on the police could find the missing child.  The new mother managed to raise her without much of a job but with help from her sister.  However, when teenaged Carlina needed a birth certificate, she learned that she was not who she thought she was.  Still a bit overly dramatic, the movie nonetheless brings up the subject of parenting, of identity and who really are we.  Not that I would recommend this movie, but the performances were good.  2½ cans.

107.  Rain Man (1988) – The Best Picture of 1988, Rain Main is perhaps Tom Cruise’s finest performance.  I tend to find him very self-conscious as an actor, or maybe it’s just me seeing his Tom Cruiseness in every role.  Here he is the brash Charlie Babbitt, a failing luxury car dealer with a lot on his plate when his estranged father dies.  Not only does he not inherit the  rich man’s fortune, he learns he has a brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) who has been institutionalized for years.  Hoffman’s performance as a savant, which won him the Oscar, is amazing.  His every movement and utterance is completely in character of the man whose life is dictated by strict routine.  He has to watch Judge Wapner every day, buy his underwear at Kmart and eat fish sticks and lime Jell-O on Wednesdays.  As Charlie drags him across country in order to wrest his inheritance away, they develop a bond, with Charlie accommodating Raymond’s strange demands and awkward responses while developing a brotherly love.  This is an original story, and it deserves all the accolades it received.  4½ cans.

108.  Doubt (2010) – There is no doubt that Meryl Streep is the premiere actress of her generation.  Here she is Sister Aloysius, an unyielding nun who serves as principal of a Boston school in the 1950s.  Nearly engulfed by her habit, Streep has only her face and voice with which to convey her character, a stereotypical scary nun fiercely wedded to intimidation and tradition in the education a rowdy group of kids in a Catholic school.  She frowns upon the new parish priest, Father Flynn (the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man who dares to use a ballpoint pen instead of a fountain pen and is friendly with the students.  Too friendly, Sister Aloysius suspects, after a young nun (Amy Adams) notes some strange behavior by the only black student in the school after visiting with Father Flynn.  Was the priest merely trying to reach out to help the young man or was there something untoward in his action?  There is a memorable scene between Streep and the boy’s mother, played by Oscar-nominated Viola Davis.  But the crux of the story is doubt itself, doubt about the priest’s credibility, doubt about whether suspicion and intolerance are enough to convict someone of acting inappropriately without being a witness to such action.  This provocative movie was one of the best of the year, and seeing it again left no doubt why.  4 cans.

109.  My Fair Lady (1964) – I have to love this movie since it is all about using proper English, grammar and enunciation.  Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) sets out to prove he can convert an uneducated Cockney guttersnipe into a woman with class and charm – often despite her protestations.  Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle, the object of his intentions in this erudite Lerner & Lowe musical.  The lyrics tell the story brilliantly in this musical adaptation of the classic Pygmalion tale.  I could have danced all night.  4½ cans.

110.  Love, Actually (2003) – Love actually can be quite challenging, especially for those who don’t love their mates, or who love someone else, or who don’t have a partner at all, or who lust after someone without their knowledge or encouragement.  A plethora of British actors (Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, among others) appear in this ensemble, playing witty, charming, lonely and desperate people (sometimes all at the same time), sometimes looking for love in all the wrong places, and looking for it all around Christmas. This was one of the first holiday movie ensembles that I can remember, where the characters are divided up into duos or trios and only occasionally intersect in each other’s stories.  This movie pulls off the trick neatly, with the characters finally reaching happiness after a series of trials.  It also happens to have one of my favorite holiday songs, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” by Kelly Clarkson (and yes, I am Jewish, but I still like the song).  The whole thing made me want to run to an airport and greet strangers.  3½  cans.

111.  Ethel* (2012) – When I think of someone named Ethel, either Mertz or Kennedy comes to mind.  This loving tribute to Ethel Kennedy by her youngest child, Rory (born six months after the assassination of her father, Robert, in 1964), reveals much about her background, faith and fun-loving side.  Ethel Skakel was born into a wealthy family similar to the Kennedys, competitive and outdoorsy.  Rory and Ethel cover the Ethel’s courtship, her parenting style and the role of the children in JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign as well as their participation in RFK’s ill-fated run in 1964.  Ethel is strong and stoic in the face of the loss of her parents in an airplane crash, the loss of two of her 11 children and, of course, the assassination of both her brother-in-law and her husband.  Since Ethel raised her brood largely on her own, she should get the lion’s share of the credit for the continuing tradition of Kennedys serving in non-profit and community service capacities.  Informative, if not revealing, this documentary takes Ethel out of the background and sheds light on her life and her family.  3 cans.

112.  All the President’s Men (1976) – And speaking of presidential politics, this account of Watergate by Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein reads like a procedural drama.  As they peel back the layers of the onion that was the break-in to the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Watergate, they heed informant Deep Throat’s advice to “follow the money,” tracking the trail of dirty tricks in Richard Nixon’s 1972 campaign all the way into the White House.  The mark of a good movie based on a true story is whether it can sustain the suspense even though we all know the outcome, and this one does just that.  There are nice touches on the look of the Post’s newsroom, the process for confirming information and dealing with “non-denial denials” and seeing now antiquated typewriters, phones that dial and using phone books for reference.  This entire episode changed our culture and the lives of so many people involved.  Kudos to Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Robards as editor Ben Bradlee for their performances in this compelling drama.  4½ cans.

113.  John Portman: Life of Building* (2012) – The late 20^th century and current work of noted architect John Portman is profiled in this PBS documentary.  Master of modern architecture, Portman first gained acclaim for breaking the mold of boxy hotels with his innovative Hyatt Hotel in Atlanta.  Soaring atriums, flowing shapes and open spaces characterize his design aesthetic.  Portman became a developer, sculptor, painter and international businessman whose work is well represented throughout China and in 60 cities globally.  With the use of time lapse photography, this documentary helps the viewer experience their splendor in daylight, sunset and nighttime.  This movie presents stunning design and beautiful visuals for those interested in modern architecture.  3½ cans.

RIP, James E. Burke

The world lost a bright light – and I lost one of my heroes – with the recent death of former J&J CEO James E. Burke.  Ironically, he passed away right around the time that marks the 30^th anniversary of the TYLENOL crisis, the event for which Burke was best known.

In September of 1982, seven people died in the Chicago area from ingesting TYLENOL that had been tampered with, the capsules opened and the acetaminophen replaced with deadly cyanide.  To date, no one has ever been convicted of this reprehensible crime.  The event – and Johnson & Johnson’s public response to it – has been cited as a textbook case of crisis management.  Soon after its return to the market, TYLENOL regained its place as the market leader in the pain reliever category. 

Plenty of people take credit for their roles in this well-known case, but it was Burke himself who called the shots.  Not armed with a “crisis manual” – they didn’t exist at the time – he relied on his instincts, his heart and on the Johnson & Johnson Credo to do the right thing and guide his actions, which included recalling all bottles of TYLENOL and damn the cost (which added up to about $100 million).

But it is not the Jim Burke that brought the business back who left an indelible mark on me.  It is the Jim Burke who, during a nationally televised press conference from our New Brunswick headquarters, choked up in mentioning the seven victims.  It is the Jim Burke who allowed “60 Minutes” to sit in and broadcast strategy sessions with senior management, and the Jim Burke who won over a live audience of mostly women, and, in the process, a national audience, by appearing on the daytime talk show hosted by the king of daytime, Phil Donahue.  There, viewers got the measure of this remarkable man, his humility, his humanity, his sincerity.  That was the Burke I knew.

Mr. Burke became chairman in 1976, and I worked closely with him on presentations until he retired from J&J 13 years later.  I was young and too far down on the org chart to meet one-on-one with the CEO, but that happened frequently.  When his executive assistant – my still-good friend and fellow graduate of Somerville High School, Helen Hughes – would summon me to his office, I always asked if I should bring my boss, because that was proper protocol.  No, she’d say, “he said ‘Just Tina.’”  To this day, she calls me “Justina.”

Burke was an exceptional and inspiring leader, a brilliant businessman who combined a creative streak and business acumen, and who considered the ideas of others and sought their input but who was not afraid to make a decision.  You could not outthink him.  If I came up with a dozen ways to illustrate something, he’d suggest another one that I hadn’t considered.  Not that I always appreciated his input, especially during long days, night and weekends revising and revising and revising his presentation to the shareholders, but you could not get mad at this man, because he wanted the best and always delivered on his end.  Once, after we finished a rehearsal of his talk for the shareholders, J&J President Dave Clare got up to speak.  He had no sooner uttered, “Good morning, Jim,” when Burke interrupted him to make a change.  Hmm, I thought, if he’s changing, “Good morning, Jim,” we are in for a LONG day.

After a grinding stretch, which required countless hours of preparation, and finally the culmination of that work, when he would deliver his speech, Burke would send me a note or give me a bone-crushing hug.  I would feel the warmth and gratitude of that man as his arms enveloped me.  Now, we’d worry about sexual harassment, but then, it was like was two friends who had worked together in triumph, sharing a victory. 

Jim Burke was about as down-to-earth as a major business leader could possibly be.  Once we went on the company plane to California, where he addressed a group of West Coast employees.  The next day, he wanted to check out the packaging on the diaper boxes in a local supermarket.  He bought a few boxes, but, since he didn’t need the diapers, he stood at the cash register and offered the diapers to the other shoppers.  I could feel their eyes follow us out of the store as we got into a huge stretch limo.  “Who was that masked man?” they must have thought. 

The most profound impact Jim Burke made on me was in 1979, when he ended his presentation to a major management conference by telling everyone in the room that they should be having fun.  Fun was something I hadn’t considered much at work since I was usually too busy working.  But Jim Burke gave me license to have fun, and that is advice I not only followed but also have passed along to everyone who ever worked for me:  Work hard, do your best and have fun, and if you aren’t having fun, you are in the wrong place.  I even consoled my nephew with those words of wisdom after he would be the goalie on the losing soccer team.  I hope the people to whom I provided this advice will pass it along to the next generation as I did.

I have been fortunate to have some great role models and heroes in my life: My parents, my high school English teacher, Larry Foster (the man who hired me and helped me flourish and who knows more about public relations than ANYONE), my next boss (Bill Nielsen) and, last but not least, Jim Burke.  I’ll remember him in his prime, handsome and robust, the smartest man in the room and certainly, the most fun.  RIP, Mr. Burke.