>By the time he was ordering me into his car to go (shiver) "someplace nice," I'd be halfway home and when I got there, I'd change the locks.<

LOL!!

>I like a little spontaneous prose poetry from my S.O. as much as the next girl but that speech manages to be both wincingly smarmy and chillingly ominous at the same time.<

Ain't it the truth. That's the kind of "romantic" speech a cheated-on duke gives his wife just before he tosses her in the Iron Maiden...:).

>I remember being forced to listen to that song every schoolday while my mom made breakfast.<

I remembered the first line and the chorus about getting ready for love but for some reason I never heard the whole thing--or tuned in on the rest of what the song was saying. (I suspect I was more into my Disney storytelling records than I was into adult lounge music. :)) In fact, it wasn't until W&L was used in the credits of THE FIRST WIVES' CLUB that I registered all the lyrics. Sheesh. Songs like that make one understand why feminism came about as much as all THE FEMININE MYSTIQUES and MS. magazines out there...:P

...have loaned you the money? You are/were under enough stress without worrying you wouldn't have a home to come back to. In any case, do _not_ beat yourself up over this. Would your mother want you to torture yourself--or would she have understood?

I figured as much from the trailers. Does Hollywood _ever_ get tired of swearing up and down that women who love their work/are good at their jobs are 1) unhappy, but refuse to admit it; 2) will be instantly okay once they acquire spouse and kids? And it is misleading and near-offensive to insist that a child is dumped in your lap will provide a successful crash-course in raising kids even if you hate kids and never wanted them. (For example, the Supremes' singer Mary Wilson wound up having to be raised by her aunt and uncle. The couple was more into careers and socializing, and the way they dealt with Mary was to be perfectionist and rigid to the point MW didn't know how to stand up for herself.) This is one plotline that should have been taken out and shot years ago.

>This is one of the times I am glad I have no kids yet, because some people seem unable to look beyond their own progeny once they have some.<

I've suspected for a while that 9/11 gave some parents a perfect excuse to put their children over everyone else and circle the wagons so tight no one else on the planet counts for anything.

That would enable those who want to be Anonymous to go that way--but would give people the option of screening them (and time-wasting posters like "Ben Dover" and "Brightstar") out.

>Who also had a bad childhood and was unable to cope with fame. Her tragic childhood, mental illness, chronic weight problems, and drug addiction killed her.<

Geez, have you ever read anything about Garland? She was a fairly normal girl until 1) her father died and her showbiz mom took over the household; 2) MGM got ahold of her. Her drug addiction was caused by the studio giving her pills to keep her going through 12-hour-plus shooting days--and to make her lose weight so she would look more like Deanna Durbin (i.e. conventionally pretty.) And with her mother rubber-stamping the studio's decisions and pushing her, JG didn't have a chance. For you to claim that it was all Garland's fault she couldn't "cope" with fame--well, how do you think _you_ would do if you were put through what she was?

And it's interesting that you blame female actors for being "untalented" and being too weak to cope, but act as if male actors like Downey are super-talents who "just happened" to get addicted. Downey had arguably as bad or worse childhood than Garland (including parents who introduced him to drugs early on), but you aren't putting the blame for his problems totally on him. Lohan isn't as gifted as Downey, but she's very talented. If she were less-talented, she wouldn't have the number of high-profile industry people she has going to bat for her publically or giving her work.

>It's formulaic and Danielle Steele-ish and ignorant of what makes a life...<

Honestly, I don't know whether it's laziness, ignorance--or simply that the people who make these movies (and society in general) just can't conceive of lives that don't depend on spouse/children for complete-and-utter happiness, fulfillment, and emotional maturity. And said folks' failure to do so cuts off a lot of potentially-interesting characters and plots.

>why are women characters so lost without the absolute love of their life and a house filled with children? Women who are writing this stuff are just silly.<

You gotta wonder if the folks who create this stuff ever see how stupid and unrealistic it is. One of the best theories I've heard recently as to why some movies like this (and KNOCKED UP) become hits is because they reinforce the lies mainstream folks _have_ to believe in. When you've bought "The Script" (spouse and kids are life's greatest happiness, ever, ever, _ever_) hook, line, and sinker, you need something to quell your discontent and reassure you that you didn't make a mistake.

>...to all of you second-rung cable channels out there: You know, you really wouldn't seem like second-rung cable channels if you didn't 1) have such tacky, blaring station identification graphics, and 2) cut off the ends of scenes with your tacky, blaring station identification graphics...<

Damm right. And I'd give a million if TNT and Bravo could please cut down on the number of times they run those big-ass intrusive bottom-screen promos during their shows (and cut down on their size as well.) Yeah, yeah--supposedly they are designed for younger viewers used to multi-visual goings-on because of the net; and to hook those just channel-surfing. But really...:P