Greetings music luvuhs, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Mondays, today with a singer who's guaranteed to work you over like the world's best anti-depressant. No, for reals. Feeling down in the dumpity-doo and want to feel happy? Feeling happy but want to feel happier? Then this is the gal for you. Tonight only at the Manor's exclusive "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me" lounge and dinette, DJ Li'l Scratch will be spinning all of her tunes, and just wait, you'll be giggling and dancing and drinking and doing who knows what-all because if it. Ready? Make way for "Chee-Chee!" Rose "Chee-Chee" Murphy, to be specific, who had a happy, trilling voice you won't soon forget. If you've only heard her sing a few numbers, you might think her vocals are gimmicky and perhaps not worth a full album, much less a whole bevy of them. Think again. However she did the voodoo she do, she found incredible variety in her high, birdlike voice, ...

Greetings, Manorites, this is Raincoaster, and I'd like to welcome you to Peckerwood's very first Sunday Roast! This week we feature that darling of darkness, Vincent Price: He was a Yale man and a frustrated Shakespearean who was typecast early (and very lucratively) as the ultimate horror villain. But he was also an art connoisseur, Francophile, and gourmet who briefly hosted his own cooking show; yes, in the old days celebrity chefs were actual celebrities. There’s also a cookbook , which is highly recommended if you like French cuisine. Bonus points to anyone who guesses the second celebrity chef in the photo. Photo Credits: Shutterstock, TransAmerica

Kathy Griffin caused quite a stir yesterday when she shared photos of her and her alleged new 22-year old piece on Instagram. She posted the above photo with the caption, "He's 22. Have at it, internet."  And have at it, they did. Many commenters were grossed out that 65-year old Griffin would date someone 43 years her junior. Others pointed out that many of her male contemporaries do the same thing every day and no one bats an eyelash. I mean, Al Pacino and Robert de Niro are having babies in their 80s for Chrissakes! Others congratulated Griffin and said she should get it! Which camp did you fall into, Peckers?  Griffin shared a new post confirming that it had all been a stunt. The young man was simply helping Griffin with her security. But she had some great commentary on the feedback she received: Oh Kathy, never change! Source: kathygriffin on Instagram

View of Toledo, ca. 1599-1600 El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)

 

I think  this is a '69 Lincoln Continental, but whatever it is, it's a damn boat. In 1969, the #1 song of the year was "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies and though I like the song, it seems these "Archies" were a fictional cartoon band. I mean, I knew it was the soundtrack from a cartoon, though get this, huge music professionals were behind it. It's a great song and this video's trippy as hell: So pour a little sugar on it, honey, pour a little sugar on it, baby--after all, it's Open Post, darlings! Photo Credit: AK

Credit: David Needleman for Interview Magazine So many wonderful actors are in this category. Please share yours below! Pictured: the lovely Margo Martindale.

Greetings music hussies, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today with a Broadway spin - or jazz lightly inflected with a touch of hot-cha! Meanwhile, did you survive your 4th of July weekend? Did the nation? And if you're in another country, are you still laughing at the cheeseball spectacle known as "Salute to America 250 Celebration" on the National Mall? If it helps you to stop, know that most of us were embarrassed, even mortified. But anywaythat'stoopolitical, let's swing back to music, life-saving music.  Tonight, at the Manor's exclusive "Knob-Slapping" after-hours club and taqueria, DJ Li'l Scratch will grand jete forth, as only he can do, and spin wonderful tunes by the delightfully multitalented Kay Cole. Recognize the name? Woo-hoo! Congratulations! You're officially an old , because she was in the original Broadway cast of "A Chorus Line," being one of three dancers who both inspired and performed ...

Remember "Hi and Lois?" I only have faint memories of it, but I'm sure I'm alone in that since it achieved blockbuster status and critical acclaim as a daily strip in nationwide newspapers and comic books for nearly 40 years. That's quite a run! It premiered in 1954, or a good six years before the similar "Family Circle," both of which relied heavily on innocent childhood shenanigans and family comedy.  Yet as I soon realized when I first discovered "Hi and Lois," while "Family Circus" is told strictly from a child's point-of-view, "Hi and Lois" is very much told from an adult perspective, exploring the stresses of suburban life - a new way to live in the postwar 1950s - and how raising teenagers alongside toddlers could create conflict. The strip is very light on its feet, but just beneath the surface, there's a surprising degree of anxiety, which was new to the comics' depiction of family life.  Jointly created...

  Things are fraught. So whatever you do, I hope you enjoy some good food and even better AC! Here's a piece of art by Don Oelze called Three Scouts.

The Abolitionists in the Park, 2020-22 Nicole Eisenman

 

The sun is shining, the breeze is, er, breez'ining and you are proudly driving through your neighborhood in your brand-new Pontiac Silver Streak!  1950 was a very good year, cinematically: comedies like "Harvey" and "Born Yesterday" raised everyone's spirits, whereas dramatically the apogee were "Sunset Boulevard" and "All About Eve" (for my money one of the best films of all time). And among the hit songs that year were "Irene Goodnight, " first recorded by Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter, and let's not forget this lovely tune: So take in a movie, or turn on the radio, or just fasten your seatbelts and have a fun, bumpy Open Post, darlings, and a joyous Canada Day! Photo Credit: AK

  Getty Here's Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon on Monday sporting an all-white kimono-style ceremonial dress for her walk-on look to the court.  Designed by Hana Yagi, the look pays homage to Osaka's Japanese heritage while also honouring Wimbledon's traditional white monochrome dress. When interviewed after her 6-1 7-5 victory, Osaka also shared that her ensemble was inspired by Lucy Liu's character in the film Kill Bill . "She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing. Then it kind of just went from there. It was like my interpretation of that while also paying a lot of love and respect to Japan." What an icon. Congratulations to Naomi! Sources: TSN, Laoist Nationalist

Greetings hors, and welcome to Monday's Open Post and The Peckerwood Book Club - combined! Can you believe? We can do that, you know. It's allowed.  Meanwhile, take note, in 2026, there are over a dozen active celebrity book clubs and counting, everything from Oprah's long-reigning club to Natalie's Book Club curated by Natalie Portman to TeamTime hosted by Dakota Johnson to Service95 run by DuaLipa . That's a lot of recommendations and a lot of books. Do you take their recommendations seriously? Or are you like Jonathan Franzen, who refused to have his book included as a 2001 Oprah Book Club pick because he found her selections overall to be "schmaltzy" and "one dimensional"? They reconciled a decade later, but the point was made. Book club celebs aren't universally loved, and they aren't always the best pickers. The latter point was made by Oprah (again) when she selected Jeanine Cummins' 2020 novel "American Dirt" as ...

Woman Bathing (La Toilette), ca. 1890-91 Mary Cassatt

  Here are Brooke Shields and George Michael on a date in 1985. The two briefly paired up after Shields revealed that she had a crush on the angelic-voiced singer while on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Shields reflected on her romance with Michael in her memoir, There Was a Little Girl . She was famously a virgin at the time and believed that Michael was simply respecting her boundaries by moving slowly. Of course it was later revealed that he was gay, but the two remained friends long after their short-lived romance.  They both look so sweet, don't they? 

Two Trees, 2017 Peter Doig

It's 1966 and the top movies of the year are all holdovers from 1965 but that's okay, because they're all supposed to be pretty great: "Thunderball," "The Sound Of Music" and "Doctor Zhivago."   I've only ever seen "Thunderball" in its entirety ( "The Sound Of Music" and "Doctor Zhivago"  were just too long for a kid to watch on a Sunday night before school) and it's a lot of fun. However, I've heard the Ray Conniff version of "Lara's Theme" from  "Doctor Zhivago"  since I was but a wee homo (hey, my grandparents watched Lawrence Welk religiously!). Since it's your '66 Ford Fairlane, you get to decide what we're seeing this evening. After all, it's Open Post, darlings! Photo Credit: AK

  Here's Madonna doing a shoot for the Summer 2026 issue of Interview magazine. Photos are by Nadia Lee Cohen and styling was done by Mel Ottenberg.  Source: Interview Magazine