Helen

Helen of Troy Vs. Helen of Rubinstein

When I was very young I came to think that Cosmetics Executive and Beauty Salon Queen Helena Rubinstein was a magical queen named Helen, who ruled in a faraway city named Rubinstein.
Rubinstein had minarets studded with rubies and people traveled around on flying carpets. Helen of Rubinstein was a stunning brunette who made Helen of Troy look bland by comparison. Helen of Rubenstein had the finest silk gowns, She wore sapphires and emeralds, and there were even jewels on her velvet slippers. She took baths in a beautiful sunken tub full of perfumed waters. Flower petals were the carpeting under her feet. Beautiful and delicious cupcakes were brought to her by devoted servants. I wanted to travel to Rubenstein and live there for awhile, ( or forever) and I was young enough to firmly believe in flying carpets. I had seen illustrations of them in books, and my older sister had assured me that flying carpets did exist, but only in Arabie. ( The city of Rubenstein was somewhere in Arabie). I was given empty perfume bottles, and as you can see by the photo posted, they were beautifully designed. They conjured up more daydreams for me. Perfumes sitting on a dressing table looked like they could be used in some magic ritual, or hold a magic potion that would help me soar above the minarets on my own magic carpet.

post script: My eldest sister also introduced me to Bob Dylan, Dark chocolate, and photography.

Jack Black: Blacque Jacque Shellacque

Actor Jack Black ( School of Rock, Shallow Hal) will play Blacque Jacque Shellacque in the upcoming biopic, "Pogo Stick"

Shellacque was a French Canadian fur trapper who landed a starring role as the villain in two Bugs Bunny cartoons. Shellacque was a great actor and worked very well with Bugs Bunny--his future seemed bright. Yosemite Sam flew into a rage at not being cast in those cartoons and told Warner Brothers: "There ain't ROOOOM enough in the cartoon biz fer the both of us!" Warner Brothers decided to let Shellacque go to placate the difficult Sam, who was already an established star.

Shellacque sunk into a deep depression and his drinking escalated. He suffered through many public humiliations and a series of short stints in jail. His wife left him, his friends stopped taking his calls, and he suffered some serious injuries while pogo sticking under the influence. During his recovery he met the woman who would change his life forever.

This is an inspirational story that will have the audience in tears. I hear that the script is top notch, and that Jack Black actually lived with Shellacque in St. Foy, Quebec, working on the accent and body language needed for a realistic portrayal.

Photo of Jack Black courtesy of the Jack Black Fan Club of Warwarsing, NY


Bob Dylan has a small role in the film, playing the actor Vincent Price.