samhexum

“Young and the Restless” star Kristoff St. John is reportedly undergoing psychiatric treatment. The 51-year-old New York native had a “scare regarding his mental health,”according to Entertainment Weekly. St. John, who played young Alex Haley in “Roots: The Next Generations,” is best known as Neil Winters on the daytime soap, on which he’s appeared in more than 1,500 episodes. In 2014, his 24-year-old son Julian, who suffered from schizophrenia, committed suicide at a mental health care facility in Long Beach, Calif. The following year, St. John and ex-wife Mia filed a wrongful death suit against the facility, claiming that they lied about how often they checked on Julian. “His legacy will live on in our hearts and for those that continue to suffer from this insidious disease. My ex-wife Mia, Julian's sisters Paris and Lola and I, are all devastated beyond words and belief,” St. John said in a statement. “We mourn the loss of our son, brother, artist, poet, and a giant of a young man. A beautiful life gone much too soon. Julian will forever be remembered as he now takes flight with angels.” Despite reports, Mia denied that the actor had threatened suicide. “I want the world to know the truth about what is happening with Kristoff, because currently there is inaccurate, and fabricated information being reported by certain online outlets. No parent should ever have to bury their child, and for those who do, it is a nightmare that haunts you forever. The death of our beloved son Julian, has taken a toll on both of us. He is an actor and while he may appear whole on the outside, his heart is broken. As a society we need to start taking mental health seriously and realize that no one is immune,” she said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “I hope that at this moment we can all wrap our arms around Kristoff and help him in this time of need. Help him heal and move forward.”

BENSON HAS BOUGHT THE FARM Robert Guillaume, who rose from squalid beginnings in St. Louis slums to become a star in stage musicals and win Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the sharp-tongued butler in the TV sitcoms “Soap” and “Benson,” has died at age 89. Guillaume died at home Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to his widow, Donna Brown Guillaume. He had been battling prostate cancer, she told The Associated Press. Among Guillaume’s achievements was playing Nathan Detroit in the first all-black version of “Guys and Dolls,” earning a Tony nomination in 1977. He became the first African-American to sing the title role of “Phantom of the Opera,” appearing with an all-white cast in Los Angeles. While playing in “Guys and Dolls, he was asked to test for the role of an acerbic butler of a governor’s mansion in “Soap,” a primetime TV sitcom that satirized soap operas. “The minute I saw the script, I knew I had a live one,” he recalled in 2001. “Every role was written against type, especially Benson, who wasn’t subservient to anyone. To me, Benson was the revenge for all those stereotyped guys who looked like Benson in the ’40s and ’50s (movies) and had to keep their mouths shut.” The character became so popular that ABC was persuaded to launch a spinoff, simply called “Benson,” which lasted from 1979 to 1986. The series made Guillaume wealthy and famous, but he regretted that Benson’s wit had to be toned down to make him more appealing as the lead star. The career of Robert Guillaume almost ended in January 1999 at Walt Disney Studio. He was appearing in the TV series “Sports Night” as Isaac Jaffee, executive producer of a sports highlight show. Returning to his dressing room after a meal away from the studio, he suddenly collapsed. “I fell on the floor, and I couldn’t get up,” he told an interviewer in 2001. “I kept floundering about on the floor and I didn’t know why I couldn’t do it. I didn’t know it was it was caused by my left side being weaker than the other.” Fortunately, St. Joseph Hospital was directly across from the studio. The 71-year-old actor was taken there and treated for a stroke— the result of a blood clot that blocked circulation of blood to the brain. They are fatal in 15 percent of the cases. Guillaume’s stroke was minor, causing relatively slight damage and little effect on his speech. After six weeks in the hospital, he underwent a therapy of walks and sessions in the gym. He returned to the second season of “Sports Talk,” and it was written into the script that Isaac Jaffee was recovering from a stroke. Because of slim ratings, the second season proved to be the last for the much-praised show. “I’m a bastard, a Catholic, the son of a prostitute, and a product of the poorest slums of St. Louis.” This was the opening of “Guillaume: A Life,” his 2002 autobiography in which he laid bare his troubled life. He was born fatherless on Nov. 30, 1927, in St. Louis, one of four children. His mother named him Robert Peter Williams; when he became a performer he adopted Guillaume, a French version of Williams, believing the change would give him distinction. His early years were spent in a back-alley apartment without plumbing or electricity; an outhouse was shared with two dozen people. His alcoholic mother hated him because of his dark skin, and his grandmother rescued him, taught him to read and enrolled him in a Catholic school. Seeking but denied his mother’s love and scorned by nuns and students because of his dark skin, the boy became a rebel, and that carried into his adult life. He was expelled from school and then the Army, though he was granted an honorable discharge. He fathered a daughter and abandoned the child and her mother. He did the same to his first wife and two sons and to another woman and a daughter. He worked in a department store, the post office and as St. Louis’s first black streetcar motorman. Seeking something better, he enrolled at St. Louis University, excelling in philosophy and Shakespeare, and then at Washington University (St. Louis) where a music professor trained the young man’s superb tenor singing voice. After serving as an apprentice at theaters in Aspen, Colo., and Cleveland, the newly named Guillaume toured with Broadway shows “Finian’s Rainbow,” ″Golden Boy,” ″Porgy and Bess” and “Purlie,” and began appearing on sitcoms such as “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son.” Then came “Soap” and “Benson.” His period of greatest success was marred by tragedy when his 33-year-old son Jacques died of AIDS. Guillaume’s first stable relationship came when he married TV producer Donna Brown in the mid-1980s and fathered a daughter, Rachel. At last he was able to shrug off the bitterness he had felt throughout his life. “To assuage bitterness requires more than human effort,” he wrote at the end of his autobiography. “Relief comes from a source we cannot see but can only feel. I am content to call that source love.”

Matilda III, the beloved long-haired cat who ruled the lobby of Midtown’s historic Algonquin Hotel, has passed away. The hotel confirmed that the 11-year-old regal ragdoll — who retired from her hotel duties this past July after seven years in residence — died of a stroke in her new home in Duluth, Minn., this weekend. “She died in the lap of love,” Alice de Almeida, the Algonquin’s chief cat officer, told The Post. “[During] her last couple months, she had a huge house to hang out in with all this wildlife. She was able to be a real cat for a change.” The Algonquin has had feline ambassadors stretching back to the 1920s, when a stray named Billy wandered into the lobby. Yet none was as famous, or busy, as Matilda III. The hotel’s 11th kitty arrived at the Algonquin in 2010 from the North Shore Animal League and quickly acclimated herself to the high life. She feasted on chef-prepared crab cakes, had regular primping sessions and appeared on international TV. Visitors, enchanted by her glamorous hauteur, would make pilgrimages to the hotel bearing Bonito flakes from Japan or fan-painted portraits, which now decorate the upstairs offices of the hotel. In October 2016, she was memorialized in hardcover in “Matilda: The Algonquin Cat,” which chronicled her fabulous life. Over the past year, Matilda had been showing her age. She no longer had the patience to pose for thousands of photos, or spend hours entertaining children in the lobby. So a hotel regular who has an animal sanctuary in Duluth offered to adopt her. The Algonquin unveiled its newest cat, an adorable orange tabby named Hamlet, at its annual cat fashion show in July. De Almeida said Matilda III was one of a kind: “She was our girl, our diva. She was the Algonquin Cat.” AND FROM JULY: Stubbs, the honorary feline mayor of the Alaska town of Talkeetna, has died at the age of 20. The animal’s owners announced the cat’s death late Saturday in a statement. “Stubbs lived for 20 years and 3 months,” the family wrote. “He was a trooper until the very last day of his life; meowing at us throughout the day to pet him or to come sit on the bed with him and let him snuggle and purr for hours in our lap. Thank you, Stubbs, for coming into our lives for the past 31 months; you are a remarkable cat and we will dearly miss you. We loved the time we were allowed to spend with you.” According to Stubb’s family, Mayor Stubbs, as the cat was most commonly known, went to bed Thursday and died overnight, KTVA-TV reports. Talkeetna, a town with a population of about 900, elected the yellow cat mayor in a write-in campaign in 1998. There is no human mayor in the town. Stubbs had survived an attack by a dog in 2013 and a false report of his death last year. But by late 2016, he was largely staying at home instead of being out and about at local Nagley’s General Store. Although Stubbs is gone, one of his owners’ kittens might be ready to take up his mayoral mantle. “Amazingly, Denali has the exact personality as Stubbs,” the family wrote of the kitten. “He loves the attention, he’s like a little puppy when he’s around people. We couldn’t have asked for a better understudy than Denali — he really has followed in Stubbs’ pawprints in just about everything.”

No votes yet for Dairy Queen or Jack in the Box? Sacre bleu!

I see from the first 50+ replies that Popeye's is preferred by many to KFC. I prefer the taste of Popeye's, but not by that much. However, while neither is cheap, KFC is more expensive, which makes the final decision easy.

I preferred them, too. There's actually still one in Queens I am occasionally near, but it only has street parking and I can't walk very far, so I've never patronized it. There's a police precinct on the next block, so perhaps that's how they've had enough traffic to stay in business. Alas, I live too far away for them to deliver.

FAVES FROM YESTERYEAR: WETSONS: An east-coast burger chain that was around when I was a kid. I remember its distinctive exterior decor, as well as where at least 3 were located in Queens & the Bronx, but don't remember if the burgers were actually any good. GOLDEN SKILLET: An east-coast fried chicken chain that gradually died out. They had a small location across the street from me when I was little, and I remember my family all LOVED it. My sister kept her plastic mah-jong set in one of their plastic bags for years. I may still have it somewhere. Pudgie's Famous Chicken: was founded in 1981 in Bethpage, New York by George Sanders, who developed a secret batter recipe and skinning progress. This concept was spread throughout Long Island and Queens and by 1989 Pudgie's became a franchise company. TruFoods Systems, Inc., bought the trademark in 2002, and as of 2011, TruFoods operates the Wall St. Deli, Ritter's Frozen Custard, Arthur Treacher's, and Pudgie's. Today, this concept is exclusive to Nathan's Famous, and as such, many of these are cobranded with Nathan's. On July 21, 2014 the first rebranded "Pudgie's Naked Chicken Co." opened in Massapequa, New York. TruFoods President, Gary Occhiogrosso, said he is reinventing the Pudgie's brand which still offers skinless fried chicken but also offers fresher ingredients. Its menu has been modernized to spotlight what Ochiogrosso called “grilled and healthier options." Nothing is frozen, and all items — including fries and roasted vegetables — are freshly prepared, as much to order as possible. As of January 2015 there are only four Pudgie's Famous Chicken restaurants open in East Islip, Selden, West Islip, and Valley Stream. Pudgie's Naked Chicken Co. last location in Massapequa closed in July 2016.

Good Grief said:all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed for business on Sundays as well as on Thanksgiving and Christmas I dislike the 'values' and political positions they support, but admire their devotion to their beliefs just in the simple regard to the fact that they close on Sundays. That's a lot of potential $$$ not earned. I'd be curious to see how KFC's sales are on Sundays in areas where they directly compete with Chick-fil-A. Good Grief said: Chick-fil-A prides itself on its customer service and ingredient quality, two staples that set the chain apart from many others within the fast food industry. I don't know what it's from, but the chain IS known for the excellent quality of their chicken sandwiches (and for their waffle fries).

What about the waffle fries?

The location nearest to me has had the 'y' and second 'e' broken for months, so it's POPE'S Fried Chicken. The taste IS heavenly!

I originally posted this in the wrong category & got one reply there:

For me, it's Burger King, Wendy's & Subway. I go through the occasional Arby's & McDonald's phase. For decades, the Subway sandwich chain was among the hottest restaurants in the world. Its healthier-than-burgers menu, wallet-friendly $5 footlongs and go-anywhere store concept helped it grow from a small regional player into the world’s largest restaurant chain — whose 46,000 locations around the globe dwarf even McDonald’s and its 37,000 stores. But in recent years, that growth engine has stalled. Several marketing snafus — from pitchman Jared Fogle pleading guilty to possessing child porn to a lawsuit claiming its foot-long heroes measured just 11 inches — have turned off customers while rivals, like Jersey Mike’s, steal away customers. Overall, sales at the privately held chain have fallen in each of the past two years, according to financial statements reviewed by The Post, and management is scrambling for an answer. Chief Executive Suzanne Greco is pushing plans to spruce up the interiors of Subway’s somewhat dated decor, invest in technology and roll out a customer loyalty program. But Subway ownership is on a totally different page. Dr. Peter Buck, who lent his late pal Fred DeLuca $1,000 in 1965 to start the chain and who retains a 50 percent equity stake, would rather see Subway buy or develop a sub-brand to better battle the Jersey Mike’s of the world, the reclusive co-founder told The Post. “How about opening four brand new sub-chains?” the rarely quoted Buck said in a telephone interview from his Connecticut home. The 86-year old co-founder is obviously not happy that same-store sales since 2013, according to Restaurant Research, have fallen a total of 13 percent. Buck knows something has to be done as Subway faces the most daunting challenge in its 50 years. Subway still controls 76 percent of the US sub sandwich market space, according to Restaurant Research — but that is down from 82 percent in 2013. “Other fast growing sub sandwich chains compete by offering more premium sandwiches with quality meats and abundant portions, proving that today’s consumers are willing to pay more for higher-end options,” Restaurant Research said in a report. But pushing through change will be tough. DeLuca died two years ago from leukemia and his 50 percent stake passed to his widow, Elizabeth, whose interest, according to Buck, is in maintaining the status quo and not spending money on expansion — be it in Subway or in a sub-brand. That leaves Greco, the younger sister of DeLuca, hand-picked by the late CEO to run the chain, caught in the middle — wanting to make changes but almost powerless to do so. Greco, a former Subway purchasing executive and sandwich developer, does not own stock in the company. Putting further pressure on Greco is that Buck, who has known the 59-year executive since she was in grade school, never saw her as being CEO-caliber, he told The Post. Greco, like Buck, is rather press shy and rarely grants interviews or appears at industry conferences. But earlier this month, after a Q&A at her alma mater, Sacred Heart University, in Fairfield, Conn,. she spoke excitedly about renovating the stores and bringing more technology to the sandwich-ordering process. “We have some beautiful new restaurants and are really excited about our new décor and technology,” Greco told the roughly 750 students who attended the Q&A. Dressed in a smart black dress accented with a string of pearls, Greco was also jazzed about the soon-to-launch customer loyalty program that, she hoped, could reignite sales growth from the chain’s 7.5 million orders. “I have known and loved Dr. Buck for most of my life, and we talk all the time,” Greco told The Post in a statement. “My focus is on the transformation of the Subway brand here in the US and around the world. This business was founded by my brother and Dr. Buck, and the model they created — a low-cost franchise offering fresh, nutritious, affordably priced sandwiches — is just as valid and exciting today as it was more than 50 years ago.” But a long-time Subway franchisee told The Post that technical problems have long delayed the roll-out of the loyalty program. “The loyalty program is a year behind, with many false starts,” the franchisee told The Post. “A reason is that it hasn’t been able to work yet because of software difficulties, including the corporate platform not talking to the store point of sale systems.” As such, there is a growing concern among franchisees that management is not up to the task of turning around the business. The company said it was very much on top of the issue. “Subway Digital was created in June 2016 to deliver digital products and experiences to our guests,” Carissa Gianelli, Subway’s chief digital officer, said in a statement. “Since then we have launched a variety of digital products including digital menu boards, kiosks, a Facebook messenger bot, and a new app. We continue to innovate and have much more planned in the coming months.”

A California man tortured and killed his girlfriend's 8-year-old son because he believed the child was gay, prosecutors said Monday. Isauro Aguirre is charged with capital murder and may face the death penalty for the "unspeakable acts of abuse" committed against little Gabriel Fernandez, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. "This wasn't about drugs. This wasn’t about mental health issues," Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said in court Monday, according to the newspaper. "(Aguirre) did it because he didn’t like him ... he believed Gabriel was gay and to him that was a bad thing ... he did it out of hatred of a little boy." The beatings and torture began after Gabriel moved in with his mother and Aguirre, prosecutors said. The boy had been "happy and healthy" while living with his grandparents, according to the newspaper. Aguirre weighed 270 pounds and stood 6-foot-2 and had worked as a security guard, Hatami told the Los Angeles courtroom. Gabriel weighed less than 60 pounds and stood 4-foot-1. Gabriel died in 2013, one year after he moved in with the couple in Palmdale. His mother is also charged in his death. "After eight months of living with the defendant ... his body was battered," Hatami said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. "The evidence will show he was beaten, burned, bruised." Los Angeles paramedic James Cermak testified that there was an "unbelievable amount of trauma on his body," according to KTLA. Aguirre's lawyer admitted in court that his client caused Gabriel's injuries, but said that Aguirre should not face the death penalty because he did not mean to end the life of the child. "He is guilty of murder, but the special circumstance alleged, that he intended kill Gabriel with the infliction of torture, is not true," lawyer John Allan said, according to KTLA. "Despite the horrific abuse, Isauro never intended for Gabriel to die." The couple told cops that the child "liked to hit himself, he was gay and he wanted to kill himself," according to the L.A. Daily News. However, prosecutors allege that Aguirre and Gabriel's mother Pearl Fernandez plotted to kill the child. "The defendant admitted that he hit Gabriel harder than he hit anyone else," Hatami charged in court, according to ABC 7. "He admitted hitting him 10 times in the head. This is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound man. (He hit him) 20 times in the body. He admitted that he lost count." A North Carolina mother says her son's grave marker was "repossessed" by the monument company following a dispute over money. Crystal Leatherman, of Hickory, lost her 5-year-old son Jake to leukemia last November. She told WBTV during a recent visit to his grave she was shocked to discover that the stone marker adorned with images of her son's face and hand print had been dug up. Leatherman said the owner of Southeastern Monument Company, where she purchased the grave marker, had it removed. "He repossessed it, like it was a car," she said. "This is my lowest point. He doesn't care." Leatherman said the owner of the company claimed they owe him money. She said they paid for the stone in full. J.C. Shoaf, a pastor who runs the Hickory-based monument company, told the outlet the couple did pay in full but later made changes to the stone. The Charlotte Observer reports that the changes totaled $2,500. "If you buy something, you've got to pay for it. No matter what it is," he told WBTV. "It was my first time in 54 years (that) I've had this problem." Shoaf said he initially put the marker down without full payment because he was trying to do the right thing. "If I would have owed him the money, I would have paid him," Leatherman said, telling the outlet Shoaf never informed them they still had a bill. "This is not something you argue over." Shoaf told the Charlotte Observer he now regrets removing the stone and wishes he would have handled things differently. "I hated to do it," he said. "I'm not heartless and I have had a child die, so I know how it feels. ... I thought having (the marker) would give me some leverage. In hindsight, I should have just written it up as a bad debt." The Leatherman's said they have hired a lawyer and are looking at another company for their son's grave marker. A 19-year-old man is accused of fatally stabbing his two younger siblings, who were found dead in their Colorado Springs home early Tuesday. The suspect's father was also attacked, and is in serious condition. He is expected to survive. Officers responded to reports of violence at the home at about 1 a.m. A girl, 5, and boy, 7, were later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Police said that they took Malik Vincent Murphy into custody. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Investigators are questioning family members and neighbors as they try to find a possible motive. Anyone with information should contact the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000.

Did you ever know Robert DeNiro Is everything I wish I could be... A hoagie is also called a hero... And you are the wind between my cheeks...

Obviously not, or he would have been Alexander the Fabulous.

I detest the latest Verizon spokesmoron:

His southern drawl comes out more in this interview: He's been amazing since the Yanks reacquired him, especially this postseason. The other night, while another player was being interviewed, Robertson was getting dressed behind him. There was an extended view of his lean, taut back, and a brief view of his chest, but (alas) the camera stayed above the waist.

You can usually just copy & paste it into your reply.

"I'm the pretty one..."

http://38.media.tumblr.com/fc8bd3db287b99280a713f7044aaa769/tumblr_ns0upnbNBr1s3c4yco1_500.gif

http://38.media.tumblr.com/243b5e4ade179e16f9e3c1820013927b/tumblr_mx0yslkqxe1sbqda5o1_500.gif http://101hotguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/big_black_cock_1.gif http://24.media.tumblr.com/a5337ae967f5c9fae38ff9a723f0f1b4/tumblr_mj5n2oP6XM1s5z5juo1_500.gifhttp://www.theblackmalenudist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/tumblr_mznqinLCAY1ro9uz3o4_250.gif AND...so as not to break the posting rules: http://68.media.tumblr.com/78089df009df327001891f2bd4fb8256/tumblr_mxite7H0fk1sbqda5o1_400.gif http://66.media.tumblr.com/135f9c1acb2de928f72d6d079288fd0e/tumblr_n2qubooIgC1sr65uzo1_500.gif http://33.media.tumblr.com/ea737624e793f0ceaffd380632451dfb/tumblr_n8ovlg0MUc1qjtvq2o4_500.gif http://68.media.tumblr.com/204b724463f4d3d3110ccc07bdeb4192/tumblr_nngtk7ASHT1tm5gsyo10_250.gif http://68.media.tumblr.com/51280e05a7ada9da70850fabb629cb69/tumblr_miz2jc0q6l1s79ce2o1_250.gif http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbwpbufJFu1rgghaio2_r1_250.gif http://78.media.tumblr.com/1cc6e1a2b4e96928500697dea104bfc2/tumblr_n38ifxhSgh1rrt383o7_400.gif https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CGPe3aVWgAA-SX0.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KlI2FiGsYJ4/UZr7PPIVOnI/AAAAAAAACaU/Ae8SKDQHxsI/s1600/tumblr_mcwmjpHLA21rk5rcso1_500.gif http://68.media.tumblr.com/4d4b44935fd37e28bc87038ea93ed568/tumblr_n8efyqpk6W1tapw23o1_400.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeSRSPoNuyc

A 91-year-old Brooklyn man died, possibly from shock, Wednesday after cruel home invaders tied him and his 99-year-old wife up in their home. The woman told police that at about 3:15 p.m., she felt someone come up behind her and throw a blanket over her head in their three-story house on Decatur St. near Marcus Garvey Blvd. in Bedford-Stuyvesant. She said four men had somehow gotten into the house. They also tied up her husband. “The house was not ransacked. We’re still trying to determine if anything was taken,” a law enforcement source said. “At the very least, it’s someone they knew.” After they left, she freed herself and called 911. The terrifying incident caused the husband to fall unconscious, and he later died at Interfaith Medical Center. “She has no idea that her husband has died,” the source said. There was no forced entry into the home, sources said. Mike Rippey stood among pieces of metal, porcelain and other remnants of the California home where his 100-year-old father and 98-year-old mother had died in the raging wine country wildfires. Rippey said Tuesday his brother had discovered their bodies after driving to the home and managing to get past security. He said his father, Charles, appeared to be heading to the room of his mother, Sara, when he was overcome by the smoke and flames. “My father certainly wouldn’t have left her,” Mike Rippey said. The couple had met in grade school in Wisconsin and been together ever since, celebrating their 75th anniversary last year. Rippey, 71, said he and his siblings couldn’t imagine how either parent would have navigated life if just one had survived the flames. “We knew there’s no way they would ever be happy, whoever was the last one. So they went together, and that’s the way it worked,” he said stoically. In the charred remains of the home, only metal and porcelain survived to testify to the couple’s long life together. There were coffee cups along a low sill; two metal chairs, side by side by a patio table; and a porcelain tea set of white and soft washes of blue, some pieces still intact. Charles Rippey — nicknamed “Peach” as a toddler for his chubby cheeks — and his wife were among the 17 victims who have died in the fierce, fast-moving fires that started Sunday and raged through neighborhoods. None of the other victims had been identified. Authorities are expecting other older people to be among the dead, who like the Rippeys might not have been able to move fast enough to beat the flames. Mike Rippey said his mother had previously suffered a stroke.

Ahhh... Agnetha... so young, so beautiful, such bad taste in men... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtdc0v_aCx0

HE SPEAKS ENGLISH!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB4jrzLPRZs THERE ARE NO WORDS! (literally)