(VIDEO) OUR FRIEND SYBIL BURTON

Seated in front of the Mac computer, recording this video, John remembers Richard Burton's visits to their home. That Sybil recently died, that John was working with the Burton's daughter Kate last week, brings back memories of the couple and John's and Em's relationship with them.

The Cullums pay tribute to Sybil for her reaction to Richard's philandering, and the theater she developed in Long Island, New York.

FACEBOOK CANDY MACHINE

IF you enrolled, loaded your age, date of birth, background, education,  career objectives, you are in the candy machine.

Yep, it's something fairly new, that Facebook's trying out.

If you put money in the slot, you can contact -- wow -- a yummy-delicious famous person. Add him to your list of friends -- say hello, how's the weather, or show him/her how cute your doggie is when  he's sprawled out on your bed. Just pay a few bucks per message and you can HEAR BACK from him/her.

I found out about the candy machine from reading Joel Stein's column in Time Magazine. (I borrowed the picture Joel used --recognize any of the faces you can grab?) Joel Stein keeps me up-to-date, facetiously, on various important and unimportant  political and cultural doings.

Joel Stein reports that messaging TV hosts Piers Morgan or Donny Deutsch, mogul Barry Diller, comic Chris Rock, model Christy  Turlington, and actor Ed Begley Jr, will cost you one buck. That's the same price you'd pay if you want to contact Time Magazine's managing editor, or any of the guys on the magazines list of 100 most influential people in the world.

If you want to message Joel Stein, it'll cost your $15 bucks -- same price as it will cost you to reach Netscapes co-founder, Marc Andreessen, and Craig Newmark, the founder of Craig's  list.

Do you care about this?  I don't, but oh dear, oh  me, oh my -- is this a new direction for the every day larger, more hungry, greedier eater-upper of important people, important products that's been chewing on everything in sight that we deal  with, think about, that might be imporant to us? 

If you want to know more, contact Facebook's Jessie Baker,  (if you can figure out how to do that -- I have difficulty finding anything using "help" on Facebook or Twitter.com).

Hey, maybe you can contact Mark Zuckerberg for $? -- gee, how much?  Well, one thing I do know is that  you can contact me for free.

MEN KISSING

This is a very tricky subject. I don't want to offend my gay friends or straight friends, males or females.

This Time Magzine cover made me very uncomfortable.

I looked at it for a second or two.  I looked away quickly and guiltily.

I thought "Yay for the Gay Marriage " -- glad that Time declared it had already won. In my mind there is no question that gay marriage is liberty and justice for all in America and the rest of world. 

Turn back the clock, and remember how people used to stare at black and white couples walking down the street, who were holding hands, or looking at each other adoringly.

Yes, back then, I stared at black and white couples. Also, I personally experienced being stared at as I walked down the street with Clay, a very dear guy -- black, tall, very handsome -- he was a dancer in my Dance Drama Company, and especially helpful to me as an artist.

I am sure, as time passes, two men kissing (or women kissing) won't be noticed or perturbing, or make straight men or straight women uncomfortable.or uneasy. 

Two women kissing passionately -- well, we've seen that in movies, in photos -- it's joked about and thought of as sexy-arousing, so we just look -- and like, dislike, or feel ho-hum based on what's depicted. But two men kissing passionately, romantically -- I don't remember seeing two men kissing passionately, romantically.

So liberal, liberated Em, even with a show business background was discomfited by the men kissing. Saying it, stating it, admitting it tells you what you (perhaps) already know. We need to see it, and adjust to seeing it, see it often enough so that men kissing is nice to see -- like it's nice to see lovers enjoying together.

But in case you too, are discomfited, I'm sharing my instinctive reaction -- a something or other sort of cringe.

(VIDEO) NESSAGE TO DAD AND MOM

 Em asks John Cullum what he'd like to say to his father and mother if he could talk to them today.

Right off the bat, John Cullum wonders if his father, Eldridge Virginius Cullum, would be disappointed in him.

Em reminds John that her father-in law -- his wise, practical father -- told her, more than once, not to let her husband get bogged down with things like typing and bookkeeping.

Realizing how often he's distracted by non-essentials, John apologizes to Dad, then sends a loving message to Mom.