BUTTERNUT BREAD REVISITED

What do you do if you find yourself doing something that feels wrong, and you find yourself in circumstances that you aren't able to handle?

I don't mean GUILT -- the way you might feel if you found you found yourself involved sexually with someone you didn't really like. I mean punch-in-the-stomach, desperation -- no, no, I can't do that!

I'm not talking about stage fright -- when your muscles turn to jelly -- you're not sure you can do the choreography -- you're afraid to step on to the stage. (It happened at my very first performance at the YMHA in New York City.)

Oh yes, I've had jelly-knees stage fright since then -- at Spoleto, Festival of Two Worlds -- had it in London on opening night -- at Lincoln Center just before the curtain went up.

But the punch-in-the-stomach fear? -- click -- here's what happened to me in Iowa.

LOVING COUPLES

Pictures that will probably remind you of what these couples meant to us, and the days when they were in the news ...

Former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.

Will Smith and Jada.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

.

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Ronald Reagan and Nancy.

Bill Clinton amd Hillary.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana.

They're gone, some of them -- but not forgotten.

HOLIDAYING

I'm still in a post election fog, with my umbrellas open.

I'm keeping away from the daily shower of news, news people, with their guests, talking about new congressmen and women, and those whom we've lost. I'm not even tuning in my favorite commentators.

I don't want to hear how they feel or their opinions on where this or that issue is heading.

Yes, I'm avoiding the issues. And I'm not going to list them here in this post, as I usually do, so that you know that I know what's current right now.

The first time I heard Lady G, I made a lot of alliterative jokes about gagging over Gaga. Then I paid attention. I listened to her on You Tube and realized that I was the older generation reacting to a young woman's feelings about the world of today.

I think, at present, this older generation lady needs to tidy, dust, vacuum, organize her daily do-wickets, and close off, turn down and tune out her own political convictions.

I need to rest and recover. It's the kind of rest and recovery one needs January 2, after all the holidays.

I'm not ready for the shopping, looking around, buying, changing, exchanging, evaluating, fretting, worrying, making lists, planning, or even mentioning the political issues.

Why? Because I don't like feeling sad, disappointed, and uneasy about the negative cloud that's hanging over the White House and all that's been said about Obama needing to be meaner, tougher, louder, stronger, more aggressive, more of a salesman, more passionate, decisive, less intellectual.

I love the fact that we gathered together and got the Lord's blessing, and have a thoughtful, brilliant legal mind, a man of integrity in the White House -- so I'm celebrating, giving thanks on Thanksgiving

My turkey, my spicy stuffing, special Em cranberry sauce, marshmellowed yams, sweet and sour slaw, peas with pearl onions -- it's ready!

Come to the table. I'm serving it now.

GUY ON THE COVER

Is this a "ha ha" magazine cover?

Newsweek's cleverly disrespectful piece of art work, depicts the President as the Hindu God Shiva, like this picture on the cover of the "Handbook of Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and Saints."

Shiva, a major Hindu deity, known as the "Destroyer," is often depicted as dancing the Tandava.

Whether you study the picture of not-- it's a putdown -- Obama's got his arms (six of them) full of problems.

We the people who elected Barack Obama, and want what he promised to happen -- need to shut up, stop advising, nit-picking, psychoanalyzing.

It's as if everyone, anyone, Dems, Repubs, Tea P's, with a dribble of information or an iota of facts, is telling everyone else what the country needs to do about each and every issue.

Let the President lead, let him do his job. United we stand -- divided, we fall.

I don't think we are falling, but we're on a hill, trying to go up -- we're in danger of sliding back down the slippery slope.

Hey, take a closer look at the book cover -- Shiva's foot is on the head of a dwarf, crushing the demon"Aspasmara," who symbolizes evil and ignorance. If Shiva/Obama steps down, wham, on what's beneath him, he can stop 'em in their tracks, (veto/stalemate 'em, as they did him).

AUTOMOBILES --STUFF AND NONSENSE (video)

Where is the car business now, and what are they selling?

They're selling better cars -- faster, lighter, safer, more electronics.

Emily asked her husband, John Cullum, what he thought about the latest cars.

What he thinks about cars today made more sense to blog writer Emily, than the post she was writing.

Here's the conversation.

DANCING WITH THE STARS

You love the show?

It's inspiring?

Thrilling?

It gets boring?

Can you pick the winner?

The winner hasn't always been the best dancer, in my opinion, and I know about dancing. Also, right now, there is an additional element in the show -- p o l i t i c s.

Up till recently "Dancing with the Stars" (DWTS), has been an entertaining one-hour show, Yes, it drags a bit -- I think it's one segment too long, but for most of the hour, it's suspenseful -- establishing the participants in rehearsal -- their background and their partner's.

The costumes --wow -- they're remarkable. We don't see the behind the-scenes labor -- the tightening, loosening, girdling, padding the bust, hiding bulges -- but I know what's involved. What the females wear is varied, and often brilliantly distracting, contributing a lot to the choreography with elements that flow, sparkle, change color, change shape. Bravo, brava to the costume designers!

(By the way, if you're a performer, beware of dear pals who rave, first thing, about your costume -- it usually means the show bored them.)

The creators of DWTS deserve applause. Celebrities who can't dance, are paired with super-skillful partners, who cover up the celeb's flaws. The show emphasizes (like American Idol, and American's Got Talent), the longing, the passion and huge need to win, and how devastated the participants are when they're eliminated.

I think the judges could be more interesting. The current judges, though experts, seem to base their comments on personal taste. Quite frequently, tactfully, they fudge, and avoid truthful criticisms about amateurish dancing -- especially right now, with Sarah Plain's daughter, Bristol.

Watching Bristol, I shake my head unhappily -- there must have been, from the beginning, an executive decision to keep her on the show as long as possible. Her dancing is not only very ordinary -- neat, but amateurish -- it's also klutzy. Her step-stepping, wriggling, un-sexy bumps and grinds certainly make us wonder about her sex life.

I have seen some real dancers on DWTS. (Real is when a dancer's steps flow and have a magical sort of electric, connectivity.) The man who partnered Florence Henderson, was a real dancer. Last week, on the show, a real female dancer, Brandy, (who received the highest score), was eliminated, while Bristol Palin with a lower score, was held over.

Okay, DWTS works! What makes the show good entertainment is the concept, the costumes, and expert choreography. (Maybe what they need in that dragging segment, is a scene with the participants' families -- all of them together, praising the contestants, trying to be polite. That would be fun, especially now, with Mom Sarah in the mix, expressing her opinion.

The fact is, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to trust the phone-in vote anymore. Headlines, bloggers, gossip columnists, have suggested that Mom Sarah's fans, friends, her staff, and paid phone callers, have been voting like crazy for Bristol.

It's cheating. The "$64,000 Dollar Question" hit show ended after the public learned that the winning contestant had been given the answers.

If Bristol Plain wins tonight, it may very well shorten the hit show future of Dancing With the Stars.

AL SHARPTON (video)

The Cullums discuss something they've never chatted about -- the way lawyer and spokesman for many Blacks, Al Sharpton, has evolved, over the years, and the way their feelings about him have changed.

Retracing his story from 1987, when they felt he was pushy, a man who was trying to be famous and build a political career for himself, they review his support of various blacks who have had problems with the police.

They find themselves cheering for him, feeling that Al Sharpton is a man to admire as well as support.