Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

"Janis" By Holly George-Warren - We Never Really Know Anyone, Do We

Published about a month ago, "Janis" is yet one more biography about this huge talent in music: Janis Joplin.

Obviously, she remains of great interest. Written by Holly George-Warren, it ranks high on Amazon: 1,506. 

But, some of us who have followed Joplin's life and times probably have to admit that we come away from this latest interpretation of who she was unsatisfied. George-Warren hands over a lot of the pieces. They range from resentments from high school she couldn't shake to an addictive personality.

But, I find I was unable to connect the dots. We can't wrap our heads around Janis.

Maybe the takeaway from "Janis" is the unknowability of all human beings.

It is mere speculation to posit they did this because of such-and-such. That kind of self-righteous pontification usually occurs when an extreme success like lawyer Gordon Caplan winds up in jail and disbarred  (CollegeAdmissionsGate) or a unique designer like Kate Spade takes her own life. 

The television series "Dateline" chronicles how clueless most spouses, who wind up murdered by their husbands or wives, were about their significant other. So were most members of their professional and social circles. 

After reading "Janis" we know more details about Joplin's life. But we probably have to admit we know even less about who she was and the undertow that carried her out. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Mike Is In - 2-Part Message of I Can Defeat Trump, I Can Rebuild America

"Mike Bloomberg2020" introduces this late-entry to the campaign for U.S. president.

Essentially the message is two-fold:

One, Michael Bloomberg can defeat Donald Trump.

And, two, Michael Bloomberg can rebuild America.

The first resonates with Democrats who recognize that it's all about who can knock Trump out the box.

The second resonates with Trump supporters who are jittery about the signals the world's economies are giving off.

There is also the slowdown of some sectors in the U.S. Trump territory - the Midwest - is experiencing a sputtering auto industry (GM Lordstown plant had been shut down) and fewer good hauls for truck drivers. 

In addition, Bloomberg is kicking off his run with a $37 million television ad campaign. Note, that is at the beginning of a campaign, not an end run when the polls go negative.

Yes, it may be possible to buy the U.S. presidency. As some on-air commentators have noted: There is rich and there is Bloomberg rich. Liberals may have to get off their self-righteous horse and accept that it may require tons of money to take down Trump in 2020. So, follow the money.

America may be ready to return to old-fashioned pragmatism. From the get-go, America was about money. That's how the misfit Puritans established the most powerful economy on planet earth. Money could be the loudest voice in Campaign 2020.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

ABC's "Full Court Press" - Greta Van Susteren Lite

Today, on ABC's new Sunday morning politico serie s "Full Court Press" host Greta Van Susteren focused on the impeachment proceedings. At the end there was also a quick peek at a major lawsuit in MoTown.

Among the guests for the impeachment loop were a heavy from the Democrats and one from the GOP.

Probably none of that content will make into soundbites picked up by other media.

That's because, essentially, this programming is a platform for Greta Lite.

The questions are softball.

The tone and cadence of the scripting to fill the air between interviews have been stylized into sing-song.

And, unlike other ABC on-air personalities, ranging from legal analyst Dan Abrams to evening news anchor David Muir, Van Susteren isn't connecting with the audience.

Van Susteren's real game is hard-hitting legal commentary. She became a star doing that. Then that star came crashing down when she was probably on the wrong side of the Roger Ailes controversy.

She left cable Fox and went to MSNBC, but that didn't last long. Here is The New York Times on that.

Fox has a unique set of broadcasting edges. Without them, Van Susteren comes across as, well, lite. 

The question is how long will "Full Court Press" continue, with Van Susteren as its host?

Like Megyn Kelly, Van Susteren will have to continue to struggle to find her post-Fox niche. Kelly bombed in network television. 

Can either or both find their new footing?

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

"Law & Order SVU" is Dick Wolf's longest running series.

His formula is to create plot lines "ripped from the headlines." And rip he did in tonight's episode. 

The focus was on a Jeffrey Esptein kind of player. He has great wealth and power.

What's palpable is the frustration of law enforcement in trying to nail him. Essentially, in this part one (it will be continued) all the character gets is a slap on the wrist for hiring a prostitute. His sentence is time serviced. 

Meanwhile, the father of one of his victims turns on Amanda Rollins. He blames her for what has been done to his daughter. And there he shows up with a gun at Rollins' therapist's office. Yes, this will be continued.

Sometimes ripped from the headlines makes for riveting drama. Sometimes it falls flat.

There had been the episode, mirroring the Weinstein alleged kind of coercion, about the pilot who demands sex from subordinate female pilots. That didn't catch fire.

But this Epstein one did. That was probably because it showed how many establishment figures this guy had in his pocket. For example, he could provide them with luxury experiences such as time on his yacht. 

Reflection: Will the continuation contain ambiguity about the character's death in jail? That is, if the second part includes that.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Jon Not PJ's Father, Triggering Near-Suicide - "A Million Little Things"

Tonight was the last episode for the fall for "A Million Little Things."

Of course, it was a roller coaster of emotion.

The big drama surrounded PJ's finding out that, no, he was not Jon's son.

The sweater he had sent in for DNA testing belonged to Jon's best friend Dave. It was Dave who had been PJ's father and it was Dave who perished in the terrorist plane attack on 9/11.

PJ becomes unhinged when he realizes that Jon was not his father. He had embraced The Friends as his family. He felt safe. Then this. On the roof he is on the verge of suicide. But Rome talks him down. 

The other major plot development was that D decided she would allow Eddie to be listed on Charlie's birth certificate as the father. Already Eddie and Katherine had consulted with a legal expert. But, now that won't be necessary. That was the easy part.

The harder part was when D sat down her two children to begin to explain about Charlie and the two, in solo mo, get up from the table. Soon enough Sophie shows up at Eddie's back door and smashes the guitar. He had been teaching her guitar lessons. 

Maggie and Gary split. Maggie says she needs time to find out who she is without cancer. Meanwhile, Maggie gets the disappointing new s that she wasn't awarded the fellowship to Oxford.

When "A Million Little Things" picks up again, we loyal fans can expect lots more of the emotional rollercoaster action.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Infinite Looping - Jones Day's Don McGahn

When then Jones Day partner Don McGahn represented Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign he probably never anticipated what kinds of loops he would be part of.

The most recent looping is that he has been part of the former Trump Administration officials - McGahn went on to head legal in the White House - being barred from testifying at the House Judiciary Committee hearing on impeachment.

Law and Crime reports that a lawyer representing the House Democrats on the Committee Douglas Letter filed a motion with a federal judge. It requests a speeded-up ruling whether McGahn can be compelled to testify.

Currently, McGahn is back as a partner at Jones Day. Since he is so high profile, if he does testify, viewership will soar for that particular hearing. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Jason Stein 1, Prince Andrew 0

Public relations advisor Jason Stein is probably in demand.

As Metro.co.UK reports, he had been counseling Prince Andrew about communications. That included recommending that the royal not do the BBC interview about alleged sexual misconduct with Virginia Giuffre. 

Sometime after that recommendation, Stein quit. Prince

Andrew did the interview.

And the media fallout from it continues, in all communications mediums.

Journalists have become busy bees digging up facts and photos which contradict the royal's assertions. Those include his losing the ability to sweat during his military duty. 

In addition, the Prince has been castigated for his ill-choice of words. He, for example, referred to Jeffrey Epstein's predatory illegal sexual manipulation of minors as "unbecoming." His body language was stiff. His facial expressions failed to connect with the audience. 

Stein was 100% on the money. At age 26, he has many years of success ahead of him in public relations.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

When Doing an Interview Is Very Bad Move - Prince Andrew on the BBC

During a relatively slow news weekend, the BBC interview with Prince Edward about being in the Jeffrey Epstein loop is getting major media coverage. That ranges from tabloid Daily Mail, with multiple articles, to the more staid The Guardian.

Essentially, the Prince provided what will go down in history as The Pizza Defense.

He claimed that he couldn't have been present having sex with Virginia Giuffre in London because he was at the Pizza Express in Woking, then working  quietly at home.

A world made sophisticated about law through pop culture is having none of all that. Following the unsatisfying interview, at least in terms of clarifying facts about the Prince's activities, there is a demand that he has a redo. This time, under oath. 

Telling falsehoods under oath results in legal consequences.

Also, there could be the negative branding effect on The Royals. Should a severe global economic downturn occur, the UK might decide it no longer wants to financially and emotionally support that institution.

Yes, it brings in tourism but so does the staging of the plays of William Shakespeare. As humans weary of tech, there could be a flight back to the artistic. Who knows, a Shakespeare requirement could return to the curriculum of private colleges. 

Meanwhile, experts in public relations might assess doing that BBC interview as a mistake for Prince Andrew. The barbarians are now closer to the gate. No longer unthinkable are what institutions and personalities will be destroyed.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

"Upstairs Downstairs" - American Style, from Pre-gentrified Jersey City to West Toledo, Ohio

The British import "Upstairs Downstairs" delighted us Americans. 

But, actually, we had and still have our own versions of the upstairs/downstairs phenomenon. But, as with many aspects of Americana, they are class-neutral.

For example, in pre-gentrified Jersey City, New Jersey, a family would pool financial resources and purchase a duplex.

The aging mother lived downstairs.

The daughter, with her husband and children, lived upstairs. The stairs would get worn down with all the running up and down. 

Here in the 21st century, in a two-story rental complex in West Toledo, Ohio, a similar phenomenon exists.

On the top floor, a long stairway up, live the sons.

On the bottom floor live the mothers.

The new wrinkle is that the sons are single - and not apologizing for their status. The mothers don't wring their hands and express hope that their sons will find a nice girl. The arrangement, as it is, works out too well.

Another emerging trend in upstairs downstairs is that those without families - that is, no one upstairs - are reminded that we have no blood-relative support system. If the dog needs to be walked, we can't ask the upstairs. We call Wag. If we need a ride to an Urgent Care center we Uber it. Our end of life logistics are in the hands of an attorney.

But no upstairs isn't all bad. Ever since my younger sister Anne Murga-Ring and I became estranged in 2003, I am no longer locked in to celebrate traditional holidays. I have been living holiday-free. No birthday. No Thanksgiving. No Christmas. My four-legged son LOV and I have created our own unique pleasure rituals. 

Perhaps worldwide, society is fragmenting into a great divide.

There are those bound into the family structure, with all its blessings and obligations.

And there are those of us who have had to learn to purchase the services we need and create the whatevers which will sustain us emotionally and spiritually. Businesses and non-profit organizations should look into that growing target market. We can be categorized as "The No Upstairs."

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

"Law & Order SVU" - The Troubled Guru

Producer of the "Law & Order" series Dick Wolf established the signature of having plots ripped from the headlines.

That used to be provocative. Viewers enjoyed the parallels to real life.

Now, it seems a force fit, at least on the aging series "Law & Order SVU."

Last night's episode was about the once-brilliant breakthrough leader in the field of psychology. Amanda Rollins, during a bad patch of her life, attended his class and consumed all his published works. He was the real deal.

Then, something happened.

The SVU team suspects he masterminded the abuse of lost young people through drugs and sex. After he is through with them they wind up roaming the streets of Manhattan in a psychotic state.

This could remind viewers of the abuse of students at MIT highlighted by president L. Rafael Reif's letter.

After the Jeffrey Epstein association with MIT was outed at that elite university, there was an investigation. Reif documents everything from reports of sexual misconduct to bullying by star professors. No, encouragement to take drugs which "enlighten" was not part of it. But throughout the university there were (and are) myriad victims of powerful professors and department heads. 

Rollins makes it her mission to find out how the "before" turned into the "after." During that process she plays out an extreme range of character. Her performance is fresh. And, yes, she does trigger his breaking open and breaking down. He could or could not be on his way back to recovery.

Meanwhile the performance of Olivia Benson has become stylized. Her role has become frozen into Earnest St. Olivia. Too often the camera pans of her concerned face.

On the other hand, the reruns on Saturday on ION of the series still capture Wolf at his best and this series when it struggled to out the crime which had been kept secret - sexual abuse.

No surprise, the ratings, as reported by TVSeriesFinale, of "Law & Order SVU" are down. Recently, for the youth demographic they had declined 11.76% and for the general viewership 10.18%.

My hunch is that this will be the last season for this series. It's the longest running one created by Wolf. Currently, his "baby" is the Wednesday three hours of linked "Chicago Med," "Chicago Fire," and "Chicago P.D."

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.