'SUSANNA SAYS...

Hi, everybody,

Have a very Happy New Year!

And what does a happy year mean to most of us? What a question! The opportunity to express our other self as often as she wishes (which would be overdoing things, I'm sure) and to find dozens of nice people who'll accept her with open arms. Let us hope some of this fabulous wish becomes a dreamy real- ity. As we start a New Year I think we should all take stock of what we've left behind and make a nice brand new list of resolutions. The last time I dared jot down a list of criticisms regarding TV attitudes and behaviour, many of my wonderful friends clapped in feminine delight as long as they did not think the criticism applied to them- among the rest, there was unanimous huffiness at Susanna's cattish remarks. Let me state right here and now that whenever I have some- thing catty to say about my friends, there's nothing coincidental about it. I most certainly have particular people in mind whenever I unsheath a journalistic claw. Where would the fun be if people could not see themselves mirrored in the printed page? That's what gossip columnists were made for. Of course one cannot name names, but one can hope that the identity of the victim will be easily guessed, not only by the victim herself but by as many of her friends as poss- ible,

no?

So,

among my own resolutions I find one which must be kept: keep scratching away in the hope that TV's will reach the point where they can have a good laugh at themselves once in a while. This goes

to several friends who seldom, if ever, burst out in a good laugh. The moment they doll up, zoom! A curtain of seriousness descends upon their carefully made up features and you can't get them to crack a smile even if you tickle them with a feather. They say they are ecstatically happy, but, for Heaven's sake, they surely don't act like it. Not long ago we had a fairly large get-together in New York. We also had some non- TV guests. After the party I heard more than one remark from the latter to the effect that "the TV's gave the im- pression of lacking in pep and vitality". Or: "when women get to- gether for a hen-party the most noticeable thing is their laughter- these TV's seemed to be lacking in the most basic sense of humour. Of course this does not apply to everybody. But I'm sure some of our friends will find themselves among the culprits.

55.

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