International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day, which got me thinking about a few of Kentucky's most famous women.

There's Loretta Lynn, from Johnson County.

And Louisville native Diane Sawyer.

All three of the Judd women have Kentucky roots.

So does 2013's Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence.

Whether you're celebrating one of these famous ladies or someone a little more close to home, Happy International Women's Day to all of HerKentucky's readers!

HerKentucky Women's History Month Spotlight: Patricia Neal

HerKentucky is celebrating Women's History Month by profiling a few Kentucky women who've left an impression on us. The famous (or infamous) Kentucky women who've come before us and those known mainly by their friends, families, and communities -- the Bluegrass State has given us many role models, and we'd like to pay tribute to a few. -- HCW

It's the oddest feeling when you watch a childhood favorite film as an adult. You suddenly have an entirely different context through which to view the events. Maybe Scarlett O'Hara made bad decisions rather than encountering lots of bad luck, you think. Suddenly, the whole story seems different. Perhaps the most dramatic example for me is Breakfast at Tiffany's. Of course, I watched the blithe romance between Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak dozens of times when I was younger. Then, one day, I realized that the most interesting character wasn't Holly or Paul or even poor hapless Doc Golightly. The character who knew both what she wanted and how to make it happen was Emily "2-E" Failenson, Paul's "decorator friend." In a story full of lost souls, the wealthy, sophisticated matron Mrs. Failenson speaks her mind and tries to keep her "arrangement" with Paul afloat.

I was surprised to learn that this cosmopolitan character was portrayed by an actress who hailed from a tiny Whitley County coal camp town. Patsy Louise Neal was born in Packard, KY in 1926; the town would later be abandoned, while the actress Patricia Neal would go on to win both a Tony and an Oscar.

Like the characters in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Ms. Neal's personal life didn't lack for drama or tragedy. In her twenties, she was Gary Cooper's mistress. She later married the writer, inventor, and spy Roald Dahl. Ms. Neal suffered unimaginable tragedies in her personal life -- a nervous breakdown, a coma, the loss of a young daughter, and the severe injury of her infant son -- and starred alongside some of the greatest names in Hollywood, including Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, and Paul Newman.

Ms. Neal was known for both her strength and grace. She often came home to the mountains in her later years. She worked tirelessly for brain injury causes in her adopted hometown of Knoxville -- a rehabilitation center there is named in her honor -- and maintained close ties with her Knoxville High classmates. From Packard to Knoxville and on to Northwestern University and the famed Actors Studio, Ms. Neal led a life of big achievements and heartbreaking setbacks. She truly is one of the Bluegrass State's most fascinating and complex native daughters.

The Untouchables Reunion

April 1, 1996. My junior year of college. For the first (and what would turn out to be the only) time in my life, I really don't follow sports. I'm interested in school. And the sorority. And all kinds of silly things that twenty year-olds obsess about. Kentucky won the National Championship tonight. Of course that's exciting, but I have bigger things on my mind, like this Political Theory paper that's due tomorrow. That Tony Delk guy is pretty nice, though. He called my summer school dorm room several times, hoping to ask my roommate-for-the-summer out on a date. I wish I'd finished this paper earlier, though. It looks like a fun time out in Lexington tonight. People in the dorm keep telling crazy stories of knocked-over cars and mass bedlam. This is a once-in-a-lifetime party. My roommate and her boyfriend are out having fun, as are a bunch of our friends. Who knows if and when we'll ever see another Championship party in Lexington. Oh well. Go Cats! Let's get back to Machiavelli!

Last night, UK honored the National Champion 1996 Wildcats by awarding them their long-overdue rings. They were one of those amazing teams that just don't come around very often. Three First Round draft picks and nine players in the NBA -- in those (Pre-Cal) days, that was an amazing statistic. They were such elite athletes that they earned the nickname The Untouchables. 

I've thought a lot about that team this week, with all the fanfare surrounding their ring ceremony. As photos of the event have surfaced, I've been struck by how... middle-aged... the guys look. It's a strange thought that they are staring down forty, and so are my classmates and I. Some of them have gone on to insane success in the NBA -- Nazr Mohammed is still there! -- and some have run into personal and financial trouble. Our brash, handsome young coach has gone down a road I'd rather not discuss. And Wayne Turner wound up right back where he belongs, in Lexington. Some succeeded wildly, and others, well, didn't. I suppose last night was like any other reunion -- at school or at Cheapside-- only there are fewer lawyers and schoolteachers and physicians, and more really tall guys.

via KSR

We all may be older, but these guys are still Untouchable. Here's to UK for finally giving them the recognition they deserve. Go 'Cats!

HerKentucky Loves Jennifer Lawrence!

Yesterday, Sarah posted a list of things she's loving about Kentucky right now. One in particular stood out for me -- Jennifer Lawrence. As a huge fan of the Academy Awards (and films in general), I've loved all the attention surrounding the Louisville native and Best Actress winner. Let's briefly recap Ms. Lawrence's Big Night:

She showed up in an amazing Dior Haute Couture dress.

When she was announced as the winner of one of the Academy's most prestigious awards, she had a slight stumble.

Which she good-naturedly laughed away in her acceptance speech.

She played the press beautifully, giving a charming interview, accompanied by a little sass. Then, she flirted with Jack Nicholson.

Let me say that again. She flirted with Jack Nicholson.

It was a fairy tale night for the beautiful Kentuckian. And what did she do the next day?

 

She went back to work.

Needless to say, here at HerKentucky we have a bit of a girl crush on Ms. Lawrence.

Things I'm Loving About Kentucky Right NOW

We only have a few days of February left. Valentine's Day is behind us but there is still a little bit of time to think about love. Last year, I focused on the romantic aspect of the month and rounded up spots in Kentucky to be with the one you love. This year I'm taking a broader view. Kentucky can be romantic but there are a lot of things I'm loving about our state this very moment that has nothing to do with romance.

So, here you go. My latest Kentucky interests, fascinations, and obsessions.

* A Kentucky Oscars!

* All the Ashley Judd Senate race speculation.  No surprise here. I'm liberal and I love Ashley Judd. However, beyond that I just love a good old fashion horse race (I am a Kentuckian after all!) and I love the idea of someone giving Good Ole Mitch a run for his money.

* Erin Smallwood Wathan (you may also know her as my grand-big sister!) joining the ranks of herKentucky!

* The Kentucky for Kentucky guys keep kicking ass.

* Spring is my favorite time of year in Kentucky and it is SO SO CLOSE.

* The insane popularity of bourbon...even if it has caused some growing pains.

What are you loving about Kentucky right now?

~ Sarah Stewart Holland

You Can Take the Girl Out Of Kentucky...

 HerKentucky is thrilled to welcome our newest contributor, my dear friend and college classmate Allie Townsend! Allie, a Henderson native and Transylvania alumna, lives in North Carolina with a houseful of boys -- her husband and college sweetheart Landy, their three amazing boys, and their sweet old dog. Allie gracefully juggles her roles as freelance writer and supermom while making sure her kids are wearing the right (Wildcat) shade of blue deep in the heart of ACC country. --HCW

Here I sit, a solid six years into my second stint in the heart of North Carolina. I am wondering, as I often do, whether I will ever feel that this place is home. I mean, shouldn’t I? I have spent nearly a fifth of my life here; I enjoy the mild weather and the mere glances I give to my heavy winter coat as it remains hanging in the closet; I love our close-knit neighborhood where we have made top-shelf friends; and should we ever move away, my first thought is that I cannot possibly bear to leave my gym. Shoot, y’all, I can arrive either at the beach or in the mountains within two hours. Despite all the benefits, the answer remains and always shall be: no, not really. Home, as they say, is where the heart is. And for us? Home is Kentucky.

Our family’s roots are firmly planted in western Kentucky, although we made our way all around the Commonwealth. I was born and raised in Henderson, my husband in Owensboro. Despite growing up only 30 minutes removed, we never crossed paths until I laid eyes on that sandy haired boy in Dr. Lyon’s Western Civ class at Transylvania University, way the heck back in 1993. There we learned that both my grandfather and Landy’s father were Middlesboro natives. We called Louisville home after graduation, and we bought our first house in St. Matthews when we were married in 1999. Two of our three boys were born at Baptist East in Louisville. Our little caboose baby will always be known as the only North Carolina native in the family, but he will have a heavy dose of Big Blue to help him learn that he is a Kentuckian at heart.

Speaking of Big Blue, we endeavor to raise Kentucky-loving kids right on Tobacco Road. We must contend with NC State, UNC, and Duke, all of which lie within a 45-minute drive from our home. Just kidding about Duke - nobody here likes them, either. I will have much to say about the tumult of living outside SEC country. Never did I think I would find myself commiserating with Gators or the Crimson Tide (The Pachyderms? I don't know.), but sure enough, here we are, acting as if nobody else is allowed to say a word against our sisters and brothers.

I might be the most chronically homesick girl you’ve ever known. Fortunately, there have been many occasions when Kentucky has reached out with a pat on the back and a, “There, there.” Last fall, as I was bustling between school and soccer practice, a truck stopped outside the house and a nice man came out to talk to us about our UK flag. Turns out? Our new friend, Scott Lay, knows half of the Phi Taus from my class at Transylvania. And now there he is, just living right behind us with his beautiful family! Our neighbor across the street? The super-sweet Emily Branscum Belanger, UK alumna from Somerset! A couple of doors down from them lives the family of former UK offensive lineman Kevin Disotelle. Just a few months ago, while attending a spa day to celebrate a friend’s birthday, I sat down with the one girl I didn’t yet know, the absolutely lovely Kari Kirby Shoaf, a proud UK graduate!

Oddly enough, the most comforting bit of home did not come from a Kentuckian at all. One of the first things I discovered about my neighbor and serious Tar Heel, Monica Kinton, was that her grandmother hailed from Hardin County. Of course, she didn’t tell me the county like you fine Kentuckians would, but she did say, “E-town,” so I knew she was legit. I practically swooned when she relayed to me that her grandmother pronounced “eggs” just like my own Hardin County born mother: “aigs.”  At that moment, I knew I would be just fine no matter my zip code.

After living here in beautiful North Carolina for so long, I could go on and on about all the things I really do love here. What I love most of all, though, is that Kentucky is everywhere, and thank goodness for that.

Oscar Night

The 85th Academy Awards are only three days away. Do you love the Oscars as much as I do?

I love movies, even if I don't always run to the theater on opening day or stand in long lines for midnight showings. There's just something about movies. I love the escape that some of them offer, I love the look into a different life that others showcase.

This year, I decided that I was determined to see all the Best Picture nominees before Oscar night, so I could root on my favorites. Last weekend, I attended the first day of the The Best Picture Showcase at the AMC theater at Newport on the Levee in Northern Kentucky.

Four films. One day. Lots of popcorn.

My husband and I watched Amour, Les Miserables, Argo (produced by our favorite Kentucky man, George Clooney) and Django Unchained. Our favorite was Les Miserables, something neither of us expected.

This Saturday, I'll go to the theater, again, to see the remaining five films - Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook (featuring KY's own homegirl, Jennifer Lawrence), Lincoln (I think we know the KY connection there), Zero Dark Thirty and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

That will prepare me for Oscar night. I'll be watching (and probably live-tweeting reactions to) the Red Carpet specials and the awards show. I love the glitz and the glam - knowing I'd never want to actually do that! I'd rather watch from home in my favorite UK flannel pajama pants.

What will you be doing for Oscar night?