Trauma Exceeding Anything Previously Endured

[Once again, I broke one of my longstanding rules, and it came back to bite me in the ass.]

[I know it's a respected institution, and I know he's a respected figure, but there's something about Inside The Actor's Studio, and especially James Lipton, that just gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies. Every once in a great long while, when he has an interesting celeb on, I'll watch for 10 or 15 minutes, but his fawning, pretentious style never fails make me grope wildly for the remote. So, the rule is, no matter how much I like the guest, no watching Inside The Actor's Studio for me.]

[Having nothing to do with the real reasons for my moving out, John has been giving me spielkes lately with a newly discovered interest in Barbra Streisand. (Sorry for my goyische use of a Yiddish term, but le mot juste is le mot juste.) Yes, "The Way We Were," "Evergreen," and even "Guilty" have been heard more than once in the last couple of weeks issuing from speakers in his room. As with many of his musical obsessions, I know this will pass, and I'm moving soon anyway, so I just tuned it out. Madame Hello-Gorgeous is one gay taste I never acquired, notwithstanding my embarrassing dabble back when I was 10 years old. Michael Tolliver's assessement of "that tone-deaf bitch" has always seemed a little harsh, but let's just say she's not on my list of must-listens.]

[So, for a change, I was on the sofa yesterday evening, 500-channels-and-nuthin'-on surfing, and saw the aforementioned Lipton was about to conduct a two-hour special interview on the aforementioned ITAS with the aforementioned Herself. "OK," I thought, "maybe Babs has been impingeing on my awareness lately for a reason. I'm gonna watch this interview, or as much of it as I can stand, and I'm gonna understand Barbra Streisand once and for all."]

[It wasn't that bad. Yes, Lipton was his usual arselicking self. Yes, she occasionally dipped into self-importance, but mostly it was an informative survey of an admittedly very successful career, and she had moments that seemed genuinely down-to-earth. I found myself liking her, and realizing it was OK to like someone even if her oeuvre isn't my taste.]

[HOWEVER...howeverhoweverhowever...Lipton did his usual 20 questions bit at the end, e.g., what's your favorite word, what's your least favorite word, etc., and I think I could've gone my whole life without learning this little nugget: Ma Brolin's favorite sound is ORGASMS. No. NO! NONONONO! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Poor Jason Gould! Poor Elliott Gould, for that matter.]

[I just felt the need to share that pain.]

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