Donald Trump gives me hives

I don't know what it is about Donald Trump that makes my skin crawl, but he does. Maybe, I am simply envious of his wealth. Or maybe it's his shameless pursuit of public adulation. The son of a wealthy real estate developer, Donald is really not the "great American success story," having started from a very comfortable upper middle class. Trump greatly benefited in the 1970s from the willingness of New York City to cut tax deals for those willing to invest in the city. But I cannot fault the guy for taking advantage of someone else's problems. That's the American way.

I think what really rankles is his overweening arrogance and I do wonder what he lacked in childhood that makes him demand that he be the best at everything. There's something about his smugness that makes me want to launch a cream pie in his general direction.

Tonight, Donald and his ridiculous comb over return to television with a celebrity version of The Apprentice. That's right, NBC, which irritated Trump by questioning the future of the reality show because of poor ratings, has been induced by the presence of d-list celebs to give Donald another try. Donald will be the first to remind us that he has been twice nominated for Emmys, for playing himself, and that he has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame (because he has the bucks to buy one). He has also appeared on wrestle mania, and has another show in the works, a cross between Dr. Phil and Judge Judy, in which he will offer financial advice.

Maybe I wouldn't have such a strong reaction if Donald had not taken his untalented self and put it on television.  I wonder if Donald buys his own PR--and why his current wife is never, and I do mean never, photographed with a smile on her face.

Having said all that, maybe Donald is an example of the modern American success story, whereby the scion of a wealthy family profits from the ills of others and then goes on to produce really awful reality TV.

Donald and his troop of has-beens will be on TV tonight and I will be elsewhere.

Ten Bests

This has not been the best year of my life, but it was a pretty good year for flicks, books and TV (yes, I wrote TV). Just remember that like all "best" list, this is subjective.

Movies
1. No Country For Old Men, hands down an on-the-edge of your seat movie. How good? Well, I saw it in a packed theater and you could hear a pin drop.

2. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, an amazing study of greed and family; I predict Oscar nominations (if not wins) for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney

3. Away From Her, Julie Christie is back, thank the heavens, in this painful study of Alzheimer’s Disease and what it really means.

4. Eastern Promises, Viggo Mortensen just keeps getting better.

5. Romance and Cigarettes, a musical mind you by John Turturro starring James Gandolfini.

6. Sicko, less Michael Moore and more content.

7. Talk to Me, Don Cheadle in another virtuoso performance, what more do you need to know?

8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a a great book made into a terrific movie.

9. Starting Out, Frank Langella's performance is remarkable.

10. It's a tie:

 Music and Lyrics, I should hate this movie because it was so contrived, but I loved the music, I'm a sucker for Hugh Grant and I absolutely reveled in the opening "music video." We all have secret vices.

Sweeney Todd, I loved the play and was prepared to hate the movie, but I had not counted on Johnny Depp, who once again stunned me with yet another amazing performance.

Books (some were published in 2006, but I read them in 2007, sue me)

1. Out Stealing Horses, I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down.

2. The Road, just remember: it's fiction.

3. What is the What, Dave Egger's stole my heart with his first book and our love affair continues.

4. Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations, it reads like fiction but there was a real Gertrude Bell and she is the mother of Iraq.

5. A Thousand Splendid Suns, all that wasted love will break your heart

6. A Tree of Smoke, I probably liked this book because it's assessment of Vietnam closely mirrored my own: A clash between two entirely different cultures, both of which believed their way was the only way.

7. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, David Halberstam's final work is a compelling story told by the men who were there.

8. Big Girls, this heart breaker is set in a woman's prison and explores the relationship between a psychiatrist and her mentally ill patient.

9. Yiddish Policemen's Union, at one point, the Roosevelt administration considere placing Jewish refuges in Alaska; this story delves into what might have happened (and it's a murder mystery)

10. Happiness Sold Separately, what happens when you meet  the wrong person at the wrong time and try to make it work anyway.

TV

1. Series Finale: The Sopranos. We all knew the series had to end with Tony dead or in jail, and dead is what David Chase choose, but  the way he choose to finish his tale left fans fuming. Clearly, only daughter Meadow survived, and only because she couldn't parallel park. But it all made sense.

2. Series Finale: Extras. Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman seems to have it all, but he is dissatisfied with his TV series and the kind of fame it brings him. It's really an extraordinary commentary on fame and loyalty, and while amusing, it will touch you (and yeah, maybe make you think).

3. The Wire, this HBO series set in Baltimore, devoted the entire penultimate season to the effects of drugs, violence, crime and poverty on children. It was surprising, moving and insightful. Really, some of the best stuff on TV.

4. Rome, I thought long and hard about this because the second season was not as good as the first. But the acting was so good that I felt compelled to include it on my list. Roman everymen are at every major event, which means history suffers (hell, it dies a bloody death). But it was beautiful to look at and fun to watch.

Happy New Year!

Don't get sick in the United States

When CIGNA Health Care insurance denied coverage to Nataline Sarkisyan, it signed the 17-year-old's death warrant. Eventually, as a result of a public outcry, CIGNA relented, but it was too late and the young woman died Dec. 21, 10 days after CIGNA first refused coverage. Sarkisyan needed a liver transplant, which CIGNA denied, ignoring the urgent appeal of her physicians claiming the procedure was "experimental." CIGNA committed murder because some bean counter decided that Nataline Sarkisyan's life was not as important as CIGNA's bottom line. CIGNA, by the way, advertises itself on its healthcare Web site, as "a business of caring."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supports a new healthcare plan that would require all California physicians to purchase insurance products from big companies like CIGNA, but it doesn't address the problems that resulted in Nataline Sarkisyan's death. I guess her parents won't be voting for the govern-ator's re-election. And for a wealthy man like Arnold, the issue of paying for heathcare is not a problem. If one of his kids needed a liver transplant, he'll just write a check. We should all be so lucky. Attorney Mark Geragos, who represents the Sarkisyan family, said last week that he will as the California State Attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against Cigna HealthCare. Well, that was my first thought, but I live in the real world, so I know that will request will go nowhere.

A side issue, of course, is that the hospital, which was aware of the seriousness of Sarkisyan's condition did not offer to perform the transplant procedure without first being assured it would be paid. Hospitals in the United States are famous for offering free medical services to any Iraqi kid who is injured, but will not do the same for US citizens.

I realize that neither insurance companies or hospitals are in business to lose money. But they are playing with people's lives and something substantive must be done. The first liver transplant was performed in 1963. Living donor liver transplantation have been done since 1983. I have no idea on what CGNA based its decision to refuse coverage because liver transplants are experimental and fall outside the scope of coverage. But they took the Sarkisyan's premium checks and refused to cover a life-saving procedure that has a track record of success. It was only when they were pushed by the concerted efforts of citizens and the California Nurses Association that the company reversed their decision, and probably they do so because of the bad publicity. But, by that time, it was too late and Nataline Sarkisyan died. Paying for insurance coverage will not assure you that you will receive needed care. More insurance is not the answer.

The American Medical Association will be happy to assure you that we have the best medical care in the world--but what no one will address is that people sometimes do not have access to that care. What no one will admit is that profits are more important to giants like CIGNA than the life of one of their subscribers. Profit is at the bottom of everything. Profit is the reason why the American Medical Association and physicians fear universal healthcare. If we have a system of universal healthcare, we wouldn't be at the mercy of heartless giants like CIGNA. Nataline Sarkisyan survived cancer only to be done in by corporate greed. And no one will pay for her death, no one will be held accountable. Should the Sarkisyan family sue, CIGNA will settle out of court and raise premiums to cover their financial loss. Meanwhile, their investors will continue to profit from the misery of others.

Clockwork Orange as a sign of the times

When I first saw Clockwork Orange in 1971, I was so horrified and shocked that it took me 20 years before I could see it again, and another 12 months before I could really study it. Alex DeLarge is a truly bad, bad boy, and he does terrible things. But the message of this picture, is that people have a right to make their own choices about their lives--even if these are bad choices.

At the stroke of Midnight on Jan 31, no only does the old year pass away, but so does the right of people to smoke in public places. Now the national nannies will tell you that they are banning a still legal behavior for your own good and for the whole good of society. What really happened is that insurance companies, who are making more incursions into your life than you know, have made it less profitable for businesses to operate with a smoking section. And their next stop is your local restaurant, where they will decide for you what you can eat. The medical community in Great Britain is now experimenting with the practice of refusing to treat people who are physically fit. The theory seems to be that if you are fat, for example, you deserve to die of a heart attack.

In all of the second hand smoking studies, I have yet to see one that separates out the harmful events of our polluted environment. There is big money to be made when singling out one industry as the cause of a rise in lung and heart disease. Second hand smoke may indeed have negative effects. I have no problem with being relegated to a smoking section. I abide by the no-smoking rules of my friends who have seen the light and kicked the habit. But now I cannot smoke within 15 feet of a building and I promise you we will all go the way of California and smoking will be prohibited even in the privacy of one's own home.

I have no problem with indoor smoking bans, but the outdoor bans are ridiculous. Which brings us back to Clockwork Orange. Alex was therapeutically cured of his anti-social tendencies, which leaves him open and defenseless to attack and makes him more socially acceptable but less of himself.