Page 2 May 2, 2019
Film Review
JT LeRoy Review: The Literary
Wunderkind Who Never Existed
By Morgan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
It is perhaps one of the greatest celebrity
hoaxes of all time within the literary and arts
community. Here was a teenage author, an
accidental wunderkind, who became a revered
and respected talent for his powerful stories
of abuse and misfortune. His words were
so honest, no one ever thought to question
whether JT LeRoy even existed. Which he
didn’t…
JT LeRoy is based on the memoir Girl Boy
Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy, in which
Savannah Knoop details the unbelievable six
years she spent as JT LeRoy -- an avatar of
sorts for her sister-in-law Laura Albert, the
real voice behind the fictional LeRoy (visit
cinemacy.com for our exclusive interview with
Knoop). In the film JT LeRoy, directed by
Justin Kelly, Savannah is played by Kristen
Stewart in a role that feels tailor-made for
her. Embodying Knoop’s androgynous style
and questioning gender identity, Stewart
channels the struggle of living a double life
-- her own private one and the very public,
yet completely fabricated public one.
Laura Dern plays the punky feminist
Laura Albert, a gifted writer who found it
easier to express her dark thoughts through
the personas of other people. JT LeRoy’s
success wasn’t planned, but once Albert’s
debut book (which was “written” by LeRoy)
became a bestseller, she knew she wouldn’t
be able to keep his identity hidden forever.
After enlisting the help of her sister-in-law,
Knoop, to physically portray LeRoy at book
signings and special events, the two embark
on a wild ride that wouldn’t be believable
if it wasn’t true.
The last film that portrayed a bombshell
literary forgery was the Melissa McCarthystarring,
Oscar-nominated biopic Can You
Ever Forgive Me? In it, washed up author
Lee Israel forged letters from literary greats
and sold the “authentic” works for cash. It
shocked the literary community, but not in
the way JT LeRoy’s outing did in October
of 2005. Thousands of people were deceived,
lied to, and ultimately embarrassed for falling
under the spell of JT LeRoy’s facade.
The story and the film are fascinating
examinations of fame and the bizarre nature
of celebrity. Solid performances from Stewart
and Dern coupled with the fast-paced style
of Justin Kelly’s directorial choices make JT
LeRoy completely enjoyable as well as being
a cautionary tale of sorts. Long story short:
don’t believe everything you read.
JT LeRoy is now playing in select theaters
(including Laemmle Monica Film Center)
and on demand. •
JT LeRoy, Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Morgan Rojas
Hawthorne Happenings
News for the City of Good
Neighbors from an Old Guy
Calendar of Events
Deadline for Calendar items is the prior
Thursday by noon. Calendar items are $1
per word. Email listings to marketing@
heraldpublications.com. We take Visa and
MasterCard.
THURSDAY, MAY 2
• Chess for All Ages, 4:30 PM., free, Crenshaw
Imperial Branch Library, 11141
Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
• Family Movie, 4:00 PM. – 5:30 PM., Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Baby Story Time, 10:30 AM. – 11:30 AM.,
ages 0-18 months, Crenshaw Imperial
Branch Library, 11141 Crenshaw Blvd,
Call: 310-412-5403.
• Toddler Story Time, 11:30 AM. – 12:30
PM., ages 18 months to 3 yrs, Crenshaw
Imperial Branch Library, 11141 Crenshaw
Blvd, Call: 310-412-5403.
• Makmo: Cardboard Constructions, 4:00
PM. – 5:00 PM., Hawthorne Library,
12700 Grevillea Ave, Hawthorne, Call:
310-679-8193.
FRIDAY, MAY 3
• Teen Club, 3:00 PM. – 4:30 PM., Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Teen Games Day!, 3:00 PM. – 4:00 PM.,
Hawthorne Library, 12700 Grevillea Ave,
Hawthorne, Call: 310-679-8193.
• STEAM for Kids, 3:00 PM. – 4:00 PM.,
Ages 8 & up, Inglewood Public Library,
101 W. Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-
5380.
SATURDAY, MAY 4
• Family Story Time, 1:00 PM. – 2:00 PM.,
free, Inglewood Public Library, 101 W.
Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Yoga for Adults, 2:00 PM. – 3:00 PM.,
Hawthorne Library, 12700 Grevillea Ave,
Hawthorne, Call: 310-679-8193.
MONDAY, MAY 6
• Monday Mania, 4:00 PM. – 5:00 PM.,
free, Inglewood Public Library, 101 W.
Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Baby/Toddler Story Time, 11:00 AM.,
Crenshaw – Imperial Branch Library,
11141 Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-
5403.
TUESDAY, MAY 7
• Brick Building, 3:30 PM. – 5:00 PM.,
free, Crenshaw Imperial Branch Library,
11141 Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-
5403.
Named Norb Huber
Betta St. John
Another one of the 2019 inductees
into the Hawthorne Hall of Fame
is Betta St. John, (born Betty Jean
Striegler in Hawthorne). Betta is an American
actress, singer and dancer. She attended
Leuzinger High School but did not graduate.
In a recent interview she regrets not graduating
as she quit her education to go into acting.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about
her famous career: Born in Hawthorne, St.
John made her film debut at the age of ten in
Destry Rides Again (1939) and as an orphan
in Jane Eyre (1943). She was discovered by
Rodgers and Hammerstein and played a small
role in the Broadway musical Carousel in
1945. By 1949, she created the role of Liat
in the musical South Pacific on Broadway
and followed the production to London. On
film, St. John portrayed a princess being
courted by Cary Grant in the 1953 film
Dream Wife. She also had featured roles
in The Robe (1953), All the Brothers Were
Valiant (1953), The Student Prince (1954),
and top billing in High Tide at Noon (1957).
St. John appeared in two Tarzan films and
ended her career as the heroine of Horror
Hotel (1960). She continued to act in films
and television until 1965 when she retired.
Historical Society’s Hall of
Fame Banquet
It’s not too late to reserve a seat at Hawthorne
Historical Society’s Hall of Fame
induction Banquet. This year, the event will
be held on Saturday, May 11th, from 6-10
p.m., the night before Mother’s Day. It will
be held at the Ayers Hotel. Tickets are $50
per person. To make reservations please call
Dick Huhn at 310-643-9157. The deadline to
reserve a seat is May 9th. The 2019 Hall of
Fame inductees include: The Anderson Family,
Clark Realty, Dave Capelouto, Ted & Dana
Gioia, and Betta St. John. If you have lived in
Hawthorne for any time at all, you will want
to be there to help celebrate our rich history
and the dedicated people who have made the
City of Good Neighbors a great place.
K9 Community Dinner
The Spring Community Dinner has always
been put in support of the K-9 squad
of the Hawthorne Police Department. The
Hawthorne Presidents’ Council has been
sponsoring this event for over 30 years. This
year the dinner will be held on Thursday, May
23rd from 5 – 6:45 p.m. at the Hawthorne
Memorial Center. Tickets are only $5 for
a great chicken dinner, with a presentation
put on by the K-9’s themselves, and
followed by an auction of some really
nice prizes. This always is a great
family fun thing to bring the kids to.
They get to see the dogs in action.
Tickets are available at the door.
Are We Safe Anywhere?
I recently attended a church security
summit. Last Saturday, a synagogue
in Poway was attacked. Easter Sunday,
Christians worshipping on the most glorious
of days were killed inside of their churches
in Sir Lanka. Some of the data regarding
church safety given at the summit was an
eye opener to me: 11 Christians are killed for
their faith each day in the world. 44% of the
violent attacks on churches in America are
due to domestic or marital disputes. Former,
disgruntled employees of the church cause
20% of the incidents. Like the workplace
or school, the advice for everyone is to be
on the watch for suspicious behavior. If
you see something, say something. If an
attack takes place, then either run, hide or
fight depending on your situation. Schools
and churches are well known for being “soft
targets”. The bad guys know that there are
not going to be armed guards at the doors of
most houses of worship. It’s sad that more
and more churches are now need security
teams to keep God’s house safe.
A Great Diet
Did you hear about the guy who lost 44
pounds when he went on a diet for Lent?
What was his diet? He simply drank craft
beer for those six plus weeks. So, there you
go. I now have facts to back me up when
I suggest that having a cold one really does
solve all of your problems. Some of you
question my Christian faith when I speak so
highly of booze. I heard a remark recently that
puts us Lutherans in our place: “Lutherans
openly drink their beer, and worship God
privately. Baptists openly worship God and
drink their beer privately.” Whatever way
you want to have a cold one is fine with
me, openly or privately, it all goes down the
same. If you feel guilty about drinking then
become a Lutheran.
Upcoming Hawthorne Events
• May 11: Hawthorne Historical Society’s
Hall of Fame Banquet
• May 23: Community Dinner (K9) May 23
• June 22: John Baker Memorial Cruise Night
at Fosters Freeze
• American Legion: Breakfast every 2nd
Sunday of Month - Fish Fry 1st Friday
of Month
• VFW Breakfast: Third Sunday of the Month
– Please send Norb an email at:
norbhuber@gmail.com •
Entertainment
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Contributing Writers: Haleemon Anderson, Derrick Deane, Greg McMullin, Duane Plank, Brian Simon
See Calendar of Events, page 5