Pfandom: The Reluctant "Bombshell"

P F A N D O M  
Michelle Pfeiffer Retrospective. Episode 3 
by Nathaniel R 

Michelle Pfeiffer, Surrounded by the Male Gaze. That'd be a fitting title for the screen capture above and an apt description of her first major role. Her character on the 1979 sitcom Delta House wasn't even alloted a real name, but only referred to as 'The Bombshell'. Though Pfeiffer had, according to various sources always been wary with men and uncomfortable with her sex appeal, it will become one of the most fascinating things about her screen persona, this friction between how she looks and how cagey and sometimes even hostile she is about being looked at (but Scarface is a few weeks away!). Nevertheless she ran with the opportunity, despite her discomfort. A recurring role on a TV series is a big deal for young actors, financially and for the resume...

Confession: I have never seen the smash hit frathouse comedy Animal House (1978). But I have, now, seen a couple of episodes of its immediate TV sitcom spin-off Delta House (1979). The things I do for you, blogging! Or, rather, in this case, the things I do for Pfeiffer completism...

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The Repulsive Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events

By Jorge Molina

In keeping with the explicit warnings of the show's opening theme song, a warning of my own: I tried to approach this objectively but the emotional ties I have with the original book series are too strong to separate from my enjoyment of the show.  If you’re looking for an impartial take on the Netflix's adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Event, look away! If you’re looking for a passionate dissection by a Millennial, please continue reading after the jump...

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46 Days Until "Feud"

first promotional shot from FEUD

The new Ryan Murphy anthology TV series' first eight-episode season, premieres on Sunday March 5th (yes exactly one week after the Oscars which seems very kind). The season looks at the legendarily bitchy Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) vs Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) wars. Two Oscar winners playing two Oscar winners. We're in!

We don't want to know too much ahead of time as that ruins so many TV shows and movies these days but it would be nice to have a leaked list of films referenced beyond Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) so we could do a little revisiting of some key titles before the premiere, though it seems likely that the series will also cover the production of Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964) given the character list in the credits. Jessica Lange doesn't look or feel much like Joan Crawford in face or persona which could be a problem but Sarandon might well be the perfect choice for Davis. Alfred Molina is playing the director Robert Aldrich and Kiernan Shipka will play Bette Davis daughter B.D. Hyman. Other celebrity mimicry going on will include Sarah Paulson as Oscar-winner Geraldine Page, Catherine Zeta Jones as Oscar-winner Olivia de Havilland, Kathy Bates as Joan Blondell, Judy Davis as the oft-played gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren recently played her in Trumbo and Tilda Swinton played a twinned riff on her in Hail Caesar!), and multiple non-famous actors playing various Oscar winners (Gregory Peck, Eva Marie Saint, Maximillian Schell) in single episode showcases and/or cameos... who knows.

QUICK POLL
The image above most makes you want to...

🔲  Watch Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? again for the umpteenth time
🔲  Give in to the impending T***pocalypse and regress to childhood fantasies with ice cream in hand...
🔲  Find a time machine and skip the next 45 days.
🔲  Other [please describe] 

Pfandom: More than a pretty face? Too soon to tell.

a 1979 publicity photo

P F A N D O M  
Michelle Pfeiffer Retrospective. Episode 2 
by Nathaniel R 

All Pfans, if not fans, know and relish Michelle Pfeiffer's very first line onscreen. Say it with me now... 

Who is he, Niobe?!

Fantasy Island S2E10 "The Island of Lost Women"
First aired November 25th, 1978 

The line was spoken, emphatically, even giddily, while Pfeiffer gave the goofy Robert Morse (no really) a thorough twice over with her eyes while her hands investigated, too. She barely even looked at Niobe, so intoxicating was the sight of the only man in the vicinity. When Niobe tells her the man has magical powers, her eyes flash with unhinged if virginal comic eroticism. "REALLY?!?"...

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Are you watching "One Day at a Time"?

By Nathaniel R

Have you taken a break from all the awards season madness, to watch Netflix's remake of One Day at a Time? I didn't think I'd like it due to a laugh track (which, I am not excusing) but it's a good enough show that I survived the canned giggles and often enough covered them audibly with my own. It's a straightforward remake of the 70s sitcom but for the following changes...

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