Greetings, hors, and happy Manor Music Monday! Are you coherent? Can you stand? Or more to the point, do you miss that hour so cruelly lopped off on Saturday night? Perhaps you're feeling a bit loopy. Or exotic? Or more to the point, if you're feeling the voodoo that you doo (doo), then by all means, run, skip or skedaddle to "Social Lube," the Manor's exclusive cocktail lounge and nail salon, because tonight only, DJ Li'l Scratch will be playing outta sight tunes. Do you recognize this fella? Probably not, but you've definitely heard his music, and if you were around in the 1960s, then you know him very well, because there's no better practitioner of exotic lounge music. In fact, he's considered the best. Yes, it's Les Baxter, who started out as a popular swing band leader, then segued into "exotic" music in the mid-1950s, collaborating with the starry likes of Yma Sumac.  From there, he carved out his own path, and trust me, his mus...

Photo credit: Vintage Everyday

Credit: AMC I was recently perusing IMDB's list of the top-rated TV show episodes of all time. All the heavy hitters are there: "Ozymandias" from Breaking Bad , "Everyone's Waiting" from Six Feet Under (IYKYK), and many from Game of Thrones and Better Call Saul . "Shoot" from season 1 of Mad Men would be in my list. Betty shooting her neighbour's birds after having been rejected for modeling was a perfect representation of her pent-up rage at the life she now lived and how far removed it was from her old modeling days when she was independent. What a compelling character. I also enjoyed all the Roseanne Halloween episodes. It's a shame Roseanne is such a POS because that show was such a comfort watch for me. What TV episode would top your list, Peckers?

Castles in the Air, 1885 Anders Zorn

     

See, Barbara Rush understands the assignment. It was a Wednesday and she was due on the set of "Mannix" to play the boring role of a boring girlfriend of a boring murder victim but she was so determined to make an impact in her scant eight minutes onscreen that she raided the Universal wardrobe department and swiped these eye-catching earrings and voila: Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her efforts! Similarly, La Crawford had a glorified supporting role in 1965's "I Saw What You Did," and though her role wasn't pivotal she cannily understood that her accessories could make her the standout, and really, has anyone ever rocked a pearl necklace like Joan? And how about Liz in "Boom?"  Although it was savaged by the critics and a box-office disaster has anyone ever forgotten her jeweled headdress? Stars: they're just like you and me (if we could clasp on some flashy bracelets and baubles worth gazillions of $$$ to make ourselves feel better), so ...

We need to break out the Photoshop Awards for this one. Here's 45-year old Paris Hilton posing for photos to promote her skincare line, Parivie. The luxury skincare products are designed to protect skin from the stressors that come with a "modern lifestyle" by strengthening the skin barrier and targeting fine lines. It looks like the blur tool certainly targeted her fine lines in these photos. Credit: Paris Hilton/Instagram, Allure magazine

Greetings, music sloots, and welcome to a spanking new edition of Manor Music Monday, today en francais! What does that mean? It means we're about to explore a mesmerizing French chanteuse who briefly became a Hollywood starlet. Tonight at "Gober Moi, Cherie," the Manor's exclusive French music hall and dessert creperie, DJ Li'l Scratch will be playing all of her best tunes, each of which made the French swoon, thoughtfully smoke Gitanes, and ask themselves if they should be proud or ashamed for inventing mayonnaise and Pieds Paquets, or stewed sheep's feet. Shall we? Apres vous, mon ami.  Isn't she something? A lovely gamine , one might say. And tough as nails, too. Yes, it's the legendary Juliette Greco, whose sultry, commanding, deep-toned voice entranced nearly the entire world just after WWII. As a mysterious, sensual, femme fatale-like figure - whose devotees included Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Miles Davis, the latter whom she had a tor...

Credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Here's Demi Moore attending the Gucci FW26 Show in Milan this week. The 63-year old was sporting a brand new bob hairdo and accessorized with her cute little dog, Pilaf! Here they are taking in the show. What do you think of this new look on Demi? Credit: People

Fall of Sound, 1980s Hiroshi Nagai

 

It is disgustingly gorgeous outside, and yeah, I know there's homework to do, or you gotta show up to carhop at the drive-in, or maybe you're a real-estate agent, a banker or maybe a homemaker with several squalling toddlers, but sometimes you just need some time to yourself. So let's hop in the car and drive, but make sure we're home in time to watch "Solid Gold" so we can make stupid comments and chat and gossip with each other, like it's an Open Post or something! Photo Credit: AK

  Hope all you snowed-in Peckers have plenty of snacks! Stay safe!

Greetings, music sluts and slutinos, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today with an extra Ay and a  Yi , with an added Yi . Toss in a cuchi-cuchi and you're all set. You know her well if you're a human being, and even if you're an alien merely peeking in on humanity here and there, you know her. She's as ageless as Cher, as delightful as Dolly, and, yes, like them, needs only one name in order to be identified. If you're still confused, are you eight-years-old? Are you blind and deaf - put together? These are the only possible reasons I can think of that you might not know of this world-famous legendary legend (the kidults call her "iconic" in their best vocal fry). But on the off chance that you're deeply, mortifyingly confused, or actually do know of her and rightly want to celebrate her continued fabulousness, please join us tonight at "Sausage Stick!", the Manor's exclusive nightery and gourmet hot doggery where ...

Hot-cha! Jazz hands! All that jazz! Sunday is for relaxing, or perhaps dancing with your favorite happy-go-lucky Bendy Boy™. Go on, invite one over. They'd love to leap and frolic with you. Blast some music and they'll be right there. Such fun for everyone!

Credit: David Jon/Getty Here's Priyanka Chopra attending the screening of her latest movie, The Bluff , this Thursday in LA. The film, which releases later this month, is about a woman who must protect her home from her former pirate crew that she escaped from years ago.  In keeping with the swashbuckling theme, Chopra wore this outfit, complete with a pirate-style hat, from the Dior 2026 collection. I think the colours are all over the place, and the shoes add even more chaos to an already busy ensemble.  What do you think of this look, Peckers? Will you be checking out The Bluff ? Source: Hindustan Times

Chimney Sweep, 19th Century Firs Zhuravlev

 

So I was driving down this incline last November and a particular song was playing. I did a u'ey, drove back up the hill and took this picture.  I listen to the oldies stations 75% of the time and they rarely play "Love is Blue" (nor do they play "Classical Gas" often enough), but meanwhile we're subjected on a daily basis to "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones (though I'm partial to this version). It's an okay song but enough , so this was kind of nice to hear and it feels appropriate to the view: Happy Open Post, darlings! Photo Credits: AK