Ernest Hemingway, circa 1933 Miguel Covarrubias

Greetings, sloots, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today with a sunny visit to "The Pearl of the Antilles," as it was once called, or "El Cocodrilo," which translates to "The Crocodile," since viewed from above, this is the country's shape on a map. I speak of Cuba, of course, from yesteryear to today, where, if its achingly slow rebirth isn't quashed by El Jefe de Covfefe, distinctive music has and will hopefully continue to flourish. Since my delicious, squeezable hubs is from Cuba, I've long known about the country's culture, food and music, all of which are practically inseparable. And lucky for all of us, DJ Li'l Scratch is bringing home the Cubano tonight at "Mamar Pinga," the Manor's popular after hours bar, club and Lechon Asado eatery. Plus there'll be lots of barn-burning music. Of course. When people think Cuban music, they invariably think of Gloria Estefan.  Which is understandable, e...

Welcome, music prostitots, to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today with a li'l bump, a li'l grind, and lots of razzmatazz. And yes, our songstress of the day has a gimmick, because, as you might know, you gotta get a gimmick. Those last four words were probably enough to cause all of you Broadway Babies out there to squeal with happiness - and for good reason. But this ain't no Broadway post, bub. It's about the Real McCoy, as they say, or the genu-wine article. Tonight, DJ Li'l Scratch will be playing all of her hot-cha! songs at the Manor's "Tuna Pole!" lounge and Shirako dinette. Yes, i t's times like these that call for Gypsy, don't you think? No, not the movie or stage Gypsy. I'm talking about the actual person. Yes, it's true, there really was a burlesque queen named Gypsy. I know, right? It's like finding out the tooth-fairy is real. And yes, she and her audience frequently had to make a mad dash for the streets when...

Greetings, Manor Hors! Periodically, "The Roving Pecker" presents urgent missives from filthy esteemed guest writers. Today's is from SpiceDong , the second in a three-part series! The first part is HERE . By the early 1950s, Ava Gardner had become one of the top leading ladies in Hollywood. She was in high demand and even got an Oscar nod for “Mogambo” in 1954. On the personal front, her tempestuous marriage to Frank Sinatra, marred by jealousy, drunken fights and constant press, had disillusioned her, while also making her a gossip column staple. Ava’s career was on the rise while Sinatra’s was in the dumps. She was supportive of him, to the point of using her clout to get him the screen test for the Private Maggio role in “From Here To Eternity.” He got the part, won an Oscar for it and rose back to the top. But by then, Ava was already fed up with his antics and emotional manipulations, including his suicide attempts. She terminated two pregnancies while they were ...