Melanie Griffith = Mother of the Year

Love that photo of Melanie Griffith lighting her teenage daughter's cigarette for her. Clearly in the Griffith/Banderas household, the health and fitness regimen is built around Pilates and nicotine.

I've been seeing the photo bounce from website to website for a couple weeks now, but have yet to read any comment on the subject from Ms. G. herself. I wonder what she has to say …

I know that Melanie Griffith has battled addiction since her teen years. And I am very sincere when I say that I appreciate her struggle and applaud her for staying on the straight and narrow.

But this means that she has an addictive personality, a trait she could very well pass on to her kids. To borrow a phrase that has become very popular here in Illinois (thanks to our gubernatorial race): what's she thinking?

Labor Day Dilemma

I love, love, LOVE the MDA Jerry Lewis telethon. Jerry is the King of Show Biz Schmaltz. I adore it when he calls Ed McMahon "Pussycat." I quiver when he goes to the big tote board. I thrill when he insults the people (everyone from firefighters to convenience store managers) who bring him those oversized checks. And where else can you see ventriloquists, impressionists and plate spinners? (Yes, I appreciate all the good works MDA does all year around; that's why I make monthly contributions. My joy and delight in Jerry's antics have nothing to do with how valid and useful MDA is.)

But, in a masterstroke of counter programming, the USA Network is running a Law & Order: SVU Labor Day Marathon! I am comparatively new to Elliott and Olivia and am completely hooked! There are so many episodes I haven't seen.

So what's a girl to do? Which will I choose to accompany me as I go through my annual Labor Day ritual of cleaning my closets, putting away my summer things and going through my fall clothes?