John Waters Himself on Television! ?

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John Waters, as most here probably know, is one of the most outlandish directors of beyond the edge, oft times ever so queer motion pictures--including some with Divine. He reminds me a little bit of Alfred Hitchcock because of his avant garde directing style. But he also nearly echos Vincent Price as an eerie "Grim Reaper."

Now on Court TV on Monday nights at 10pm EDT Waters is "The Grim Reaper" in a half hour short show named "'Til Death Us Do Part." Don't know about you, but as for me, I believe it's his ever so queer commentary about straight marriage winding up in violent murders during a year when many states have made it illegal for same-gender couples to get married!

I find it hillarious because Waters' queenly asides speak directly to the queer in me. Late Governor of Texas, Anne Richards, once said when asked about gay marriage, "I don't know what the big deal is all about. After all we've done such a GREAT job with our marriages. I don't know why everybody shouldn't enjoy the same responsibilities and benefits."

Waters seems to be saying without saying in this new dead-pan sarcastic serious show of his on straight marriages that end in murders, "what's so great about straight?" His examples thus far have been three marriages in suburbia USA that are everyday enough. Including one that dealt with a husband gambling addict boy scout leader.

As he holds a beautiful bouquet of bloomed red roses in a hand, he picks petals off of them with the other hand saying, "she kills him, he kills her, she kills him, he kills her . . ." instead of "s/he loves me, s/he loves me not."

I literally split my sides laughing so hard at his wry queen wit because I am certain he is slamming straight marriage from a queer standpoint--without the general public realizing he's doing that. You'd have to be a GLBTA insider to get it. Otherwise, it would simple look on the surface like another Court TV show about suburban American murders. I say it's Waters' way of making high brow queer political commentary against the recent rash of anti-GLBTA state marriage amendments.

It's gotta be because Waters doesn't do anything that is serious! He does the bizarre. Anyway, he's gorgeous as the Grim Reaper dressed in some of the finest threads I've seen in quite a while on television. I feel like I've got a little of Hitchcock and a little of Price back in my world. But I wouldn't go into the general public making this critique because I wouldn't want the show to get censored for its view of straight marriage from a queer perspective. The show is definitely not advertised as such!

Five stars, a must see! If you are a member on eBay, you can check out and vote on my DVD, VHS, Books, and CDs Reviews and eBay buying and selling Guides. Look for my critiques under the name: MyrtleBerry1998. Many of them are of GLBTA motion pictures and I do tell. For instance, if the writer of a book a film is based upon is GLBTA I do go into that history. If the film has a GLBTA theme I go deeply into that as well. Equally so, if a film is supremacist or a director's perspective is one that I spot, I also go into that without mercy, as a form of public education: teaching people how to read a text, film, or words in songs as hate speech, bigotry, and supremacist. I also critique political works of art. Such as Pres. Jimmy Carter's controversial new book, the CIA's film on Iraq, the Southern Poverty Law Center's film on Rosa Parks, numerous books by Sen. Hillary Clinton, Arun Gandhi's edited works by MK Gandhi, Rev. Mel's books, etc.. I critique scholarly feminist texts that deal with GLBTA issues.

I started critiquing motion pictures on eBay during a time when I was so ill I was home-bound, had to be reclined at a tilt, couldn't hold books long enough to read them, and kept myself amused by watching all the movies I could get my hands on!

(Update: Since I've become much more limited by disabilties, I spend that much more time stuyding films & writing critiques on various online websites that have large readerships. Readers provide me with the kind of feedback that teaches me what a general public appreciates most. Self-publishing in this fashion, on secure servers, provides me with anonymity since my email address is not given to folks who respond to my critiques. This is also an excellent way to educate a fairly wide readership that may not otherwise have access to mind-opening ideas).