Five Fabulous Years

Five years ago tomorrow, and one month into a global pandemic, I launched the Starfire Lounge on April 19, 2020 as a tribute to my love of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Susie Diamond and the movie The Fabulous Baker Boys. Of course, this site was always meant to be more than just a place to sing Susie’s … Continue reading Five Fabulous Years →

Bombshells: Peggy Knudsen

Margaret Ann “Peggy” Knudsen (1923–1980) was a Minnesota girl who first ventured to Broadway and then across country for a Hollywood movie career. While she had small and bit parts in several big films, like A Stolen Life and The Big Sleep, Peggy largely carved out a career in B movies, where her midwestern beauty … Continue reading Bombshells: Peggy Knudsen →

Nicole ‘95

In which we remember Nicole Kidman’s white hot ascension in 1995. Nicole Kidman has been “Nicole Kidman” for so long now in the public consciousness that we’ve come to take her extraordinary commitment to screen acting for granted. A recent film of hers, Babygirl is a reminder of just how far she’ll go to commit … Continue reading Nicole ‘95 →

Michelle Monday

These cheekbones could cut glass! Yowza. Michelle and Maxwell Caulfield bringing the heat in these Grease 2 (1982) publicity shots. Feel the burn!

RIP Val Kilmer

Just a couple of kids about to take the cinematic world by storm. First, though, they costarred in a memorable ABC Afterschool Special episode in 1985 about the dangers of driving drunk. Watching the episode “One Too Many” now is a treat, as Michelle Pfeiffer’s and Val Kilmer’s magnetic screen presences are already a wonder … Continue reading RIP Val Kilmer →

Bombshells: Allison Hayes

In which we sing the praises of B-movie Bombshell Allison Hayes. In the late 1950s, if you needed a voluptuous, sexy, and beautiful Bombshell to headline your science fiction or horror B movie, you could do no better than Allison Hayes, born May Jane Hayes in West Virginia in 1930. The auburn-haired smokeshow was intensely … Continue reading Bombshells: Allison Hayes →

Michelle Monday

For more than thirty years now I’ve been completely obsessed with Michelle Pfeiffer’s hair and makeup in her post-transformation scenes as Selina Kyle in Batman Returns. I mean, what’s not to obsess over?? Frankly, I’d be concerned if I wasn’t obsessed. Excellent work by the film’s hair and makeup team, including Ronnie Specter, who’s done … Continue reading Michelle Monday →