Le Sigh

On being a sleepyhead; plus, Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague", and Toni Basil is about so much more than "Mickey".

Hello readers,

Are you sending that last email? Are you packing for a trip to see family? Are you already sick of cookies and such? As we inch closer to the holidays, how are you doing and what are you doing? Just wondering. Hit reply and let me know.

This week's note will be brief. I know everyone has a lot on their plates right now, but I just wanted to touch base and tell you hello. What is the one thing you want most under your Christmas tree right now? Or, are you like me and do you generally take the stance that you have plenty and what do you get the woman or man who has it all?

I turned in my final story of 2025 yesterday and when I did, I felt this rush of fatigue. It did not help matters that we started the week with the absolutely horrific news about Rob and Michelle Reiner. That said, I did what any self-respecting 19th century broad would do: I took to my bed and pulled a thick tartan blanket up to my chinny-chin-chin. Then I thought: "This is all wrong." If I had a fainting couch in my office (upholstered in a dark green, say) I could gracefully recline onto it and gaze at the birds frolicking outside of my window. Then I'd ring a bell and someone would bring me tea.

Alas...

I don't actually need a fainting couch, nor do I have room for one, but it's fun to think about, and I think I'll spend my down time embracing the things that are fun to think about, because who knows where that will lead.

Wishing you joy and rest,

Paige

Writing Prompt: Write about the best Christmas gift you've ever received. What was it and why was it perfect?

Whether it's films or painting or music or writing a book, the greatest experience is being able to express yourself and what you've gone through, trying to figure out a way to make it into something that's artistic that people can connect with.

-- Rob Reiner

Endnotes

Nouvelle Vague

I've been meaning to watch Richard Linklater's film "Nouvelle Vague" since it came out on Netflix a little more than a month ago, and this was the perfect week to finally get off my rear and do it. Some of you may have seen Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film "Breathless" which is about a criminal named Michel (played by Jean-Paul Belmondo) and an aspiring journalist named Patricia (played by Jean Seberg) who sells The New York Herald Tribune in the streets of Paris. Michel is on the run, and he wants Patricia to run away with him to Italy, but she is conflicted. On the one hand, she thinks he's a sexy guy. On the other hand, he's bad news. What to do? Anyway, watch the film if you want to see how that dynamic shakes out. Also, watch the film if you want to see why this is considered one of the best, most groundbreaking films of all time. Linklater was inspired by it, which is why he made a film about the making – and almost not-making – of it. It's filmed in grainy black and white, with all the technique you'd see in "Breathless." I just loved it.

Oh Mickey, You're So Fine

Who among us hasn't heard or skated to or sung the song "Mickey" by Toni Basil? If you were a kid in the 1980s, this was one of those songs that was seemingly everywhere, until...some of us started wondering whether there'd be a follow-up hit. This week, I learned two things: 1. Toni Basil is older than my mother, which for some reason seems implausible, and 2. Basil is not someone who should be defined by "Mickey" alone. This week, The Guardian published a great profile about the 82-year-old Basil, who had been in the entertainment industry for about 40 years before her famous tune was released. I had no idea she was in "Viva Las Vegas" with Elvis, that she choreographed David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" tour (and believed he'd make a great James Bond), or that she played a chorus girl in the Rat Pack film "Robin and the Seven Hoods". You'll find her fingerprints on an incredible amount of popular culture since the mid-1960s, but she takes that in stride. “I never thought of it as anything but a time period," she says. "It was just a train ride. I was able to earn a living, I had fabulous, talented friends that were all doing something similar, but like Bowie, we all evolved.” Read more about that evolution by clicking here.

If you can right now...

...please consider a donation of any amount to The Salvation Army, which is providing a wide range of assistance to others during the holiday season, from utilities assistance, to gifts for children. Thank you.