#if it were just july's story why would nick and meryl be there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anythingstephenking · 6 years

Text

Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman's got to hold on to

You know how some people write inspirational quotes on post-its on their bathroom mirror? Well this is mine and my new life mantra.

Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman's got to hold on to.

Here’s my story of my time with Dolores. It began in Asheville, NC, where I stopped for a night on my way to visit with my family outside Charlotte. I did grownup things like sip wine and eat a cheese plate, all while reading and eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. It was a lovely evening that ended with a bluegrass band at a brewery, and I trotted home full, happy and a little drunk. I spent the morning wandering art galleries, eating breakfast (again with my book) but strong black coffee instead of high gravity beer. And at some point, I put down my first edition hardback of Dolores Claiborne and forgot to pick it up.

I realized when I got to the lake, greeted my family and settled in on the porch to catch a few pages before dinner. My book was gone forever and I was sad. Mostly because I had nothing to occupy my time while the kids were out waterskiing and I was lounging because me and water sports really do not get along.

With a 6 hour drive ahead of me, I broke down and downloaded the audio book to keep me company on the way home. I generally dislike audio books, and this really wasn’t an exception. The narrator sounded like Bunny MacDougal with a bad Maine accent.

(After typing this I felt bad for making fun of this voice actress, and Googled who she was to give her credit. Frances Sterhagen. IT IS BUNNY MACDOUGAL. The whole time I was listening to Bunny MacDougal do a bad Maine accent. I feel so vindicated right now.)

But given the format of the novel (a continuous monologue from Dolores, with no chapter breaks or other dialogue) it seems serendipitous to spend the drive back from Charlotte to Nashville finishing the book this way.

Meanwhile, the sprinklers in the unit above mine went off while I was away, and currently my house smells of damp death that I can only assume is mold having a serious mating party. After only 2 days of dealing with insurance companies, I cried 3 times and spent the day yesterday moping like a grounded teenager. But as I finished the last 30 mins or so of the audio book this morning I thought “Be a bitch - it’s all you have to hold onto.” So here I am, gearing up for a couple months of arguments, ugliness, and living in a fucking extended stay hotel with a cat for 2 months.

So now that I’ve finished making this story entirely about me, let’s actually dive into Dolores Claiborne. Set on the fictional Little Tall Island off the coast of Maine, the events mostly revolve on or around the total eclipse of July 20th, 1963 - much like Geralds Game.

King himself was just shy of 16 in 1963, living in Durham, Maine with his mother, brother and grandparents. His mother was taking care of her parents and the two boys alone after her husband left them when the boys were young. The family moved back to Maine in 1958, when King was 11, leaving him to come of age in small town Maine. The eclipse must have effected him quite a bit in his youth, devoting two novels back-to-back about what happened when the sun went out.

Dolores lives the typical (if not stereotypical) small town existence - marries her high school boyfriend after getting knocked up, spends her days working her fingers to the bone to give her kids a better life, all while getting smacked around by her drunk of a useless husband. She knows she’s been dealt a shit hand, but that doesn’t stop her from fighting back when the going gets tough.

King paints Claiborne as a perfect heroine - you’re rooting for her from page one. And it’s not just her funny sayings that make her endearing (“kiss my back cheeks” was my personal favorite) but her no nonsense way of telling it like it is, for better or for worse. She admits to having a foul mouth and a fouler temper, but who cares? She’s faced so much adversity and keeps getting up, we’re just proud of her for knowing who she is and not apologizing for it.

Well, most of it. We learn she killed her husband Joe’s during that faithful July day while the sun was behind the moon and the town had their faces in their reflector boxes. She did it, not because he hit her and drank like a fish, but because she discovered he had been diddling his own daughter. Good riddance, ya fackin’ asshole.

For the second story in a row, we’re left pondering what makes a monster, human or otherwise. The NYT 1992 review of this book ends with:

But Dolores's story would have been so much more appealing if the men had been human beings, too, with human histories to explain their deviations into evil. But for the time being at least, Mr. King is still writing horror stories about the contest between good people and monsters.

It’s true - there’s not a male (adult) character in this book that isn’t a giant turd-wad. With Joe’s singular redeeming quality being his smooth forehead (for real), there’s no real conflict over the morality of murdering the sonofawhore.

But at the end of the day, my takeaway is that King can write a story of triumph over monsters, whether real or imaginary, human or supernatural, with the same ease and page turning (or listening) ability. I think that’s why I am still here, 31 books into this little project.

8/10

FUN FACT: This was the best selling book of 1992, but also the year where Nick Nolte was People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, so I leave little faith in the American people of 1992.

First Line: What did you ask, Andy Bisset?

Last Line: From the early recovery department, Nosey hears that Vincent Bragg who broke his arm playing football….

Adaptations

Forget Meryl Streep, cast Kathy Bates in everything please. After winning an Oscar for her performance in Misery, Bates was the clear choice for the role. She played it so well, Maine accent and all, I almost forgot about her horrific Baltimore accent on American Horror Story. The story is told using blue-grey fading into full color for flashbacks. It was an effective device, and a really well made movie for a book that seems difficult to adapt, given the nature of the writing style.

Jennifer Jason Leigh (so 90s!) and David Strathairn round out the supporting cast. Oh and young John C. Riley as the bumbling town constable. God love him.

800 pages of short stories in Nightmares and Dreamscapes awaits me. The fact I am living in a hotel for the foreseeable future should hopefully help me read more. Although I am looking at a television with cable (I am watching HGTV as we type) for the first time in 3 years, probably not.

#dolores claiborne #movie review #book review

1 note · View note

kansascityhappenings · 7 years

Text

Hillary Clinton condemns longtime Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein

HOLLYWOOD — Hillary Clinton condemned disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein on Tuesday, marking her first public comments on the matter since reports of his alleged predatory behavior broke five days ago.

“I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein,” Clinton said in a statement through her spokesman Nick Merrill. “The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.”

Weinstein is a longtime associate of the Clintons and a major Democratic Party donor who bundled funds for the party’s political campaigns, including supporting both of Clinton’s presidential bids.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 05: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Clinton’s statement makes no mention of Weinstein’s sizable donations to her own war chest.

On Tuesday, The New Yorker published a major story in which several women alleged sexual assault by Weinstein. Through his representative, Sallie Hofmeister, Weinstein denied “any allegations of non-consensual sex.”

The reports have put Democrats under pressure to disavow Weinstein and return or donate contributions from him to charity.

Representatives for the former secretary of state and former President Bill Clinton had previously not responded to requests for comment about Weinstein, whose ties to the Clintons go back years, from the Clinton presidency to the former first lady’s successful campaign for Senate.

Clinton spoke in California Monday night as part of her book tour and did not address the allegations, nor was she asked about them during the 90-minute event.

Democrats disavow

Many Democratic office-holders quickly repudiated Weinstein, with some going so far as to send donations given by Weinstein to charity.

Clinton’s former running mate, Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, said on CNN Tuesday morning that people should condemn Weinstein and said he anticipated Clinton would say something eventually.

Kaine noted Clinton has spoken out about sexual harassment often. During the campaign, Clinton spoke out about the issue and went after President Donald Trump over the allegations of sexual assault against him. Trump pushed back by touting similar allegations against her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Early in the campaign, the former secretary of state was asked about some of those accusations and her own assertions that victims who allege assault should be believed. In the context of allegations against her husband, Clinton said, “I would say that everyone should be believed at first until they are disbelieved based on evidence.”

Clinton’s condemnation Tuesday came after years of links between the Clintons, Weinstein and the Democratic Party.

In 2015, the Clintons rented a home next to Weinstein in the Hamptons, and Weinstein served as a connector between Hollywood stars and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

Weinstein raised about $1.5 million from 1990-2016, according to data from the campaign finance-tracking Center for Responsive Politics, and was involved in fundraisers for Clinton’s effort, some of which she headlined.

Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, longtime Hillary Clinton aides were confused by the former secretary of state’s silence on the issue, questioning — in private — why she had not weighed in at all.

Weinstein was fired from his company on Sunday, days after the New York Times report of alleged sexual harassment by the media mogul over a period of nearly three decades.

Related: Harvey Weinstein has been fired. So what’s next?

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 06: Fashion Designer Donna Karan attends the Urban Zen NYFW Presentation at Urban Zen on September 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images for Urban Zen)

Designer Donna Karan has apologized for the remarks she made about women in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal,

“I made a statement that unfortunately is not representative of how I feel or what I believe.”

“I have spent my life championing women,” Karen said in a statement obtained by CNN. “My life has been dedicated to dressing and addressing the needs of women, empowering them and promoting equal rights.”

Karan was interviewed on the red carpet Sunday at the Cinemoi Fashion Film Awards in Hollywood and made comments to the Daily Mail which suggested that women may be “asking for it by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality.”

“I think we have to look at ourselves,” Karan said. “Obviously, the treatment of women all over the world is something that has always had to be identified. Certainly in the country of Haiti where I work, in Africa, in the developing world, it’s been a hard time for women.”

The legendary women’s fashion designer went on to question women’s role in sexual harassment incidents.

“To see it here in our own country is very difficult, but I also think how do we display ourselves? How do we present ourselves as women,” Karan said to the Daily Mail. “What are we asking? Are we asking for it by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality?”

Karan also pointed to Weinstein’s achievements and said she knew his wife Georgina Chapman. The designer described the couple as “wonderful people.”

Her defense of Weinstein was not well-received and actress Rose McGowan, who was named in the New York Times story but declined comment, called Karan “scum” in a tweet on Monday.

“Donna Karan you are a DEPLORABLE Aiding and abetting is a moral crime,” McGowan tweeted. “You are scum in a fancy dress.”

Others also tweeted their anger, with some calling for a boycott of her DKNY brand. A few pointed to some of Karan’s own runway creations to slam her for her comments. “Hey ladies, be careful if you’re wearing Donna Karan’s designs. You’re just asking for it!,” one tweet read.

Karan’s statements come at a time when many others in Hollywood including Meryl Streep and Dame Judi Dench have condemned Weinstein’s alleged behavior. George Clooney spoke with The Daily Beast Monday and called the accusations against the man he has known for 20 years “indefensible.”

“That’s the only word you can start with,” Clooney said.

Related: Meryl Streep speaks out on ‘disgraceful’ Harvey Weinstein allegations

Karan said in her statement that her comments “were taken out of context and do not represent how I feel about the current situation concerning Harvey Weinstein.”

“I believe that sexual harassment is NOT acceptable and this is an issue that MUST be addressed once and for all regardless of the individual,” Karan said. “I am truly sorry to anyone that I offended and everyone that has ever been a victim.”

CNN has reached out to a rep for Karan to ask about her statement and how her comments were taken out of context.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2017/10/10/hillary-clinton-condemns-longtime-democratic-donor-harvey-weinstein/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/hillary-clinton-condemns-longtime-democratic-donor-harvey-weinstein/

0 notes