I wake up screaming

Every time the cinetrix starts daydreaming about relinquishing her amateur status and getting paid, something always crops up that reminds me what a drag it can be writing for the general public. Most recent case in point? This letter to Entertainment Weekly, which I shall reproduce in full, redacting only the sender's name [to protect the ignorant]:

Learning Semaphore
Okay, Lisa Schwarzbaum, we get it...as you demonstrate in every single review: You're smart. Wow, you can even use the phrase "semaphore of pulchritude" in a review of Sahara. But do you think you can put down the thesaurus long enough to write a movie review that is enjoyable for the non-crossword puzzle set?

Ouch! And speaking of putting down the thesaurus, anyone else remember how sharp US Weekly's Thelma Adams was before the tab eviscerated gutted her style? Turns out girlfriend was the valedictorian at Berkeley.

While we're on the subject of alma maters fair, I'm going to send you off into the weekend with this tidbit about the pride of Purchase, Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, from Amy Taubin's most recent Art & Industry column:

I [filmmaker John G. Young] graduated from Purchase in 1985. I was in a freshman film production class with Manohla. I was this boy from the sticks, and I remember being so impressed by how experimental the film she made was.