R.I.P.: Cyd Charisse

Cyd Charisse has passed away at 86.

We really liked Cyd Charisse's eyebrows, but like most of her fans we loved her legs the most...So here are the brows...


And here are the legs:


Everyone thinks she was French, but she was from Texas. You can't get less French than Texas (Paris, Texas notwithstanding).

More here: Legs: A Tribute to Cyd Charisse.

Finally, here's the famous "smoke" scene from Singin' in the Rain. No further comment needed.

Eve Yerbabuena: Not Your Padre's Juerga

As long as I'm lamenting the lag before baseball starts, how about some culture?

Spanish flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena (above) is touring the United States right now with her Ballet Flamenco, and warming up many a winter's night with performances in packed auditoriums.

I don't know if Yerbabuena's on a par with Sara Baras when it comes to dancing (few are), but it looks like her eyebrows are a little stronger than Sara's.

And in the unlikely circumstance that you give a damn, here's an interview.

Sa' Elayssa, Bellydancer

How does that early '70s song go?

Blue jean baby....L.A. lady.... hold me closer belly dancer....

Maybe that's not it. You're too young anyway. The point is, this tiny dancer is an L.A. lady (or was, the last time her web site was updated 20 months ago). Her name is Sa' Elayssa, and she's a self-described "Russian Gypsy." In my house that's code for "crazy" but it doesn't matter.

Just check out the righteous brows.

Random Vintage Pictures

In the public domain, as far as we know. Old school.



In the public domain, as far as we know. Old school.

Russian Ballerina: Too "fat"?!

A few years ago there was a news story about a Russian ballerina who was fired for being overweight. Anastasia Volochkova. She is 5'6" and weighed 110 pounds! I could lift that without using my hands.

Maybe the reason the male dancers couldn't lift her is that they are bunch of weak cry-babies. And one irony is that the Russian word for "large" is большой - that's Bolshoi, folks - the name of the ballet company that fired her!

Anyway, we don't care about all that. Although the brows in the first picture (below) appear to be more paint than actual eyebrow, we'll give her points for being theatrical - and for being a Russian ballerina. Besides, Anastasia is a such a great name.

The second photo looks a little less painted on. Nice.

The photo gallery on her site is good (it's in Russian), and the four links in the "scroll" section each represents a different gallery. Looks like she's done print ads, magazines and billboards too. Enjoy it.