Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 25, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, Elwood has left the building…

Mom’s being a little rude about Tiffany here. I’d swear we learned just a couple days ago that she saw Tiffany do a great job in the play.

Are we sure it was Elwood? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Tiff herself. I mean, I have no evidence that Tiffany is well-off, but she always seems dressed in the latest fashions and all that…

Ha! Elwood fo’sure…

…but does Tiffany know this? Doubt it…so Elwood isn’t exactly that bright, either……

Why does Melodee always look like she’s about to fall over backwards?

Manezon? I thought that was someone’s joke. Man + Amazon = Manezon.

As bizarre as she’s drawn something tells me that Evans is making a parody of a real person.

the plot thickens……..elwood, tiffany….OR could kiwi boy be the mysterious donor??? stranger things have happened

I would if my parents would’ve called me Melodee.

Gelt gilt….

I keep telling everyone! Hollywood is FAKE!

another thing – someone already said this. Tiff WAS chosen as the female lead. Either A) she has talent (thus making several of Manezons comments false) or B) Tiff as a no-talent was still better than all the other girls (and even some guys) in which case drama camp is composed of incredible incompetents or C) her anonymous bought her the role . . . in which case the whole drama camp thing is a fraud.

Then there is option D) all of the above.

Its NOT if you’re in The Know but if you’re in The DOUGH.I’ll bet Tiff sent the “Donation” herself just to get her hands on Quill.

the only other person who has a fairly substantial amount of money is…oh, no…not..

“…and for just a tiiiiny bit extra, lead actress role in the play….”^Almost like fantasy baseball camp…..

i think the mom is ready to light up that melodee

“Those necklaces should fall straight down and yet they are hanging prominently over the right side of her chest.”

It’s really weird and annoying, but in my experience necklaces sometimes do have a tendency to hang over to one side and get stuck there!

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Thanks for remembering Elwood gang. I couldn’t think of anything but a mini Elvis. My vote is he is the benefactor. But really, who cares! It’s only a comic strip that I happen to enjoy reading regardless if it makes sense or not.

somwonizdoinacid

If it was Tiff’s daddy, that may hurt her a lot if she didn’t know that he was doing that… she may or may not have had knowledge of his helping her get into camp, but maybe she didn’t know how far he was helping her…

It could have been Elwood, but that wouldn’t seem to be a bang of a story at this point…..

Even if Tiffany was chosen under the “supporters” program, that doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t have been chosen anyway. The fact that she was given the lead in the play, and the fact that Luann acknowledged that Tiffany did a good job, would seem to be unrelated to the benefactor’s paying to get her admitted.

Have you all forgotten that Tiffany VOLUNTEERED herself and Quill for those roles?

Mom seems singularly unimpressed with the selection process.

And by “singularly unimpressed”, I mean “ready to slap the teacher so hard her whole family falls down”.

Five will get you ten that Tiff’s parents are loaded for bear, moneywise.

Elwood is a good guess, but he was no athalete.

Sounds like an Elwood move. He may be crazy about her, but he knows she has zero talent, and needs to be ‘bought’ into a place.

bad writing on this arc. A pro would NEVER reveal that an unqualified person got into a school this way.

Greg should have found a way for the characters to discover this on their own.

Melodee Manezon (I’d say in her 40s or even 50s) is simply desperately striving to maintain the semblance of revered Youth: she’s dyed her grey hair red, and she exaggerates in a Stage Actor-ly way the adage for good posture, " heads up and shoulders back"! And as for “Supporters” privileges, it’s a commonplace to encourage donation to Non-Profit Organizations and comparable to the “Legacy” (i.e., family descendent) slots reserved at “elite” Eastern universities….

“Anonymous donor” is just Elwood’s style, and he’s eccentric enough to sponsor Tiffany in hopes of landing her. He’s seen he can’t buy Luann’s affections, but has accurately assessed that Tiff can be bought, or rented, or sublet, or whatever you want to call it. (Boy, I sure make it sound like she has a bright future in the escort business, don’t I? ;-) ) Elwood picked her for “Eyes of Zeye”, so he thinks she has some talent. If you’re wondering how she got the lead and other plot device facts, just repeat to yourself, “Just a comic strip, I should really just relax…”

Why is Melodee offering so much info to someone? Especially someone whose kid wasn’t even in the camp?

Will somebody tell her something to wipe that Smile off her face? “PLEASE!!!!”

Sorry, added the comment before reading all the comments

Elwood was shown a LONG time-ago that he really didn’t have any money. He was just trying to empress Luann. Remember when he gave her that HUGE diamond engagement ring & she found out it was a fake?I agree with the majority here… daddy was the anonymous donor. That might explain why Tiff thinks she’s so ‘special’.. daddy spoils her rotten & Tiff doesn’t have a clue how obnoxious she really is. He’s not doing her any favors by doing it either.

It’s a little surprising that Melodee would openly admit that Tiffany was admitted under a “Supporter’s Program.” That’s really not something she should divulge.

One thing you have to say about Nancy Degroot. She is very protective of her children. She is the one that had serious issues with Toni, if you recall.

It could be Elwood (to make up for Eyez of Zeye bombing) or Tiff’s parents. I wonder where =they= are—at her table, congratulating her off page? Or maybe not there at all, because like the stereotype of rich parents, they just throw money at her and can’t be bothered to attend any of her functions? Wonder if Elwood’s there, since you’d think he’d be glad to see her in a starring role?

True unless he knew Quill was going to be there.

Melodee may, or may not, know drama – but she is careless about revealing selection of candidates based on supporters gifts. She’s probably just trying to defuse Nancy’s criticism of them not accepting Luann – too many applicants.

And I thought that Elwood was the most likely to make a large gift, but he may have been unhappy that Luann turned down his ring, so he backed Tiffany. She was the Eyez of Zeye before he turned to Luann – and he let Tiffany know there was a spot for her in his movie. Unfortunately that bombed so he may still feels that he owes her.

Next daddy is suspect because he likely has more money than common sense and since Tiffany lost her Sheraton St. Louis gig due to the TJ problem, this was the next promotional stunt..Speaking of TJ – does he have enough money to start his business AND make a donation for Tiffany? If so, does he have a motive, or is just another harebrained scheme?

Either Melodee has some serious back issues or Greg really needs to let what he believes she should look like go and straighten out her back. Probably should shut her mouth too. I would imagine that it would be very difficult to speak with teeth that are permanently clenched shut. Come on, Greg.

Look like Quill plan worked so he does not have to take LUANN toAustralia

This also makes me wonder how “Quill” got selected amongst the “500 applicants.” Maybe the “anonymous” donor kicked in a little more cash… leading to further suspicion that it was someone acting as Tiff’s benefactor (Dad, Ox, whomever).

Tiff’s been ‘subsidized’ by Sugar Daddy…

Called it!!!!

The benefactor was Leslie, Tiffany’s stalker.

I don’t see a problem in questioning the selection process, especially when it’s so glaringly obvious that some exceptions were made. Ms. Amazon probably shouldn’t have revealed quite as much as she did however.

Ms. Manezon’s name should be Amanda.

At last the truth comes out. Tiff scuttled Luann’s application and slept with Elwood to buy her own way in. So long photo frame deal.

Who is Kiwi-boy? Wrong country, Quill is OZ-man, the awesome bloke from Australia, not Aukland.

Has anyone else noticed Ms. Manezon has her head at a perpetual up angle, so that she’s always looking down on everyone?

Of course Evans has to distort the plot to make it a scandal that Tiffany, the confident go-getter who actually cares about acting, got selected over Luann, the passive slacker who only cared about drama camp as a way to be with her boyfriend. The messages this strip sends are just so ugly sometimes….

And how much you wanna bet that “gift” came with the stipulation they not accept Luann.

I have to admit, I did not see that one coming.

She wasn’t chosen for the camp based on talent but she got the lead in the show??

I don’t think it’s Elwood. I think we are about to find out a little more about Tiffany.

One has to wonder, if it WAS Elwood, does he also happen to own a certain picture-frame company?

They’re sisters, drawn by the same ‘dad’. Only natural that they’d resemble each other.

It may have also been Tiffany’s parents or another relative hoping she might actually have a growth experience with this camp (of course, all it did was reinforce in her head that her looks are her key to success).

The biggest kick I got here out of this supposed play/musical was the concept of Martha Washington being a flirtatious young beauty. While she was not the frump she has been portrayed as, she was basically a rich widow when George married here, and it was essentially deemed a “compatible” marriage. He was actually in love with Sally Fairfax, a woman who inspired him to do elevate his social status and do more, but alas, she was already married. The real Martha Washington would have been far too complex a character for Tiffany to manage, so this version of the GW story suited Greg’s story better.

Nancy is being rude. When Mrs. Manezon told here that they had over 500 applicants, she had no reason to ask why Tiffany was accepted. (After all, she does have plenty of credentials, and she just gave what we were told was a good performance in the play.) In response to that rudeness, Mrs. Manezon ought to have just said, “Yes, didn’t she do a good job tonight!” or “She’s been an excellent student!” or some such, instead of divulging that she was admitted as a sponsored camper. This is strictly private information, and possibly even Tiffany herself didn’t know it. The anonymous donor may very well have not wanted it know at all. Mrs. Manezon’s disclosing it to a total stranger is very bad writing. This strip has really slipped up in this story arc.

I would say that it was the tart herself that gave the money anonymously.

I am going to have long-term nightmares about that head!

Maybe with that contribution that poor woman can have her face slant fixed.

“donor money” ONLY IF:

1. Tiffany in2. Quill in3. Luann out4. romantic play …with lots of flirting5. Tiffany and Quill lead rolls

Actually it was last year that Elwood was around.

This camp must be very unethical to give the lead role to someone who got in this way. The other female campers would be interested in how Tiff got the part unless Tiff is actually the best actress. All the other campers paid to get in and they expected a fair chance to get a role in the production.

I doubt that admission would be legal in the Florida school system. She’s not part of any school system, but privacy is highly protected. I’ve seen many who I knew would make the paper when they reached 18 but managed to do it earlier by being charged as an adult.-Meanwhile, have pity on Tiffany. All that she is or has is based on the efforts of others rather than No wait a second, she might be a better actress than we realize as long as she is just pretending to be a poor actress.

“Also, does Manezon have the right to tell why or why not people not related to the one asking the questions got it or did not get in. Isn’t that confidential?”^That’s what I was suspecting… I’m thinking that either there’s an underlying “pop” stirring under this, or this is one of Greg’s “slip-ups”, much like the “left-side of the road mistake” (although it wasn’t a mistake, so much as it was a re-visit for him mentally to down under)…

Okay, disbelief can no longer be suspended. This is really stupid. No matter how true this is, there’s no way that the director would tell the parents of a rejected applicant that someone purchased their way in above their kid. And wow, you’d think Nancy could be polite. Tiffany wasn’t a bad pick. She’s pretty, confidant, and pays attention to my posture, bearing, looks, and clothes. Plus she’s had acting experience. Nancy seriously needs to take a lesson from her daughter (who admitted that Tiff had done well and purchased an autographed photo).

Done well? Quill said it was only because all her scenes involved flirting. No other sustainable talent.

I am soooo done with this comic… Greg Evans is a total hack. His characters are tragic. I don’t know why I keep reading this; I suppose I’m a masochist. Any chance to prop up illustrious heavenly beauty Luann against all others is a chance Evans will take.

“Tiff’s father wouldn’t have had to be anonymous”^This may be part of the underlying question- What Tiff’s folks are really like… ==If well-meaning, they may have just wanted to see Tiff do something more positive, and was hoping that she would benefit without knowing directly…. ==But if there had to be a donation with Tiffany knowing, then it could be that one or both parents share her ways….

Again, evidence that the camp director is not a professional

It might not be a secret. A large donation might get her the very public VIP treatment. Though you would think Quill would have been aware if it was common knowledge.

Also, Elwood would never have donated anonymously.

Another display of your three track mind…

Elwood said he was ripped off, but he might have just been unwilling to admit that he bought a fake ring to try to scam Luann.

That makes a lot of sense (cents?)

Exactly

Well, yeah, but that’s not the same as an Aussie accent

It was Tiff, anyway. I don’t know who can show Tiff with a 7K credit card;^^image hosting

Yeah, no. Tiffany still got cast in the leading role. If this is such a supposedly exclusive school, even if a large donation is what got her in, she still got the role on her own. There were auditions, after all (or at least, I’m assuming, since we were never shown anything that actually happened during this drama camp aside from one rehearsal and the final performance).

I reiterate. It was ENTHUSISM, that’s all she needed. Of course the money gift didn’t hurt any.

“Probably nothing. The show is done and presumably drama camp too…”

Which makes me wonder, then, how much longer will Quill stay “state side?” And will there be some intervention to keep him here until school starts again?

AND was always trying to wangle a commissionin the British army, without success.

Perhaps it was Tiffany’s parents. They profit by not having to deal with their “drama queen” daughter for a few weeks.

I really have no problem with Tiffany buying her way into the camp. If the camp wants to reserve slots for major donators, that their business. If parents of children wishing to get object, there are plenty of other drama camps to patronize.

What I WOULD have a problem with is if Tiffany bought herself the lead in the camp’s play. THAT would be going to far, IMHO.

just imagine if Diane reemerged. The stories with her thrown into the Brad/Toni mix could be many, exciting, humorous, and entertaining

I’m still rooting for that. Brad needs closure with Diane. Maybe Toni’s non-commital nature would be put to the test. Maybe Diane would take Brad’s V-card (throwing Levi a bone)

Husband is thinking that tiffany might be one of those poor lil rich kids.the type whose parents think that the only affection the kid needs is more cash.is it possible her folks paid her way in?that they are rich as all get out.

“nobody even went to classes, it was straight on with the show”^That’s a writing technique… it depends upon the “writer’s prerogative”… which details they choose to explain or leave out.. it’s not always a matter of omission, it can be assumed that the readers will either have knowledge of, or a willful belief of a subject taking place without having it spelled out… a writer will skip ahead sometimes, so that would end up being something that is either assumed, expected or imagined…==For instance… if you were to explain to someone how your night went, you could say: “Well, I did what one usually does… I had dinner, took a bath, got ready for bed”… if you wanted, you could either spell out what you ate for dinner if you felt it important, or how the bath went… but, obviously the bath part would not need those details… or you could have explained your “getting ready for bed process”, like dressing and the like…==So, it’s the same with writing…Greg could have felt that certain details like the classes could have been a “momentum killer” as far as narrative (overall) is concerned… some details will be shown, some not… it’s up to the writer to decide when and when not to do so….

Maybe it was Quill who paid two “large gifts.” Maybe…

“Strange, I commented ONCE…and it’s showing at least 4 times, which is a complete falsehood.”

Lol, I love the way you put it.

“02-23-92”

How do you do that?

“Do you walk with your head tilted back?”

No!!!! Lol, there are absolutely no other similarities between us!!

“. . . it was straight on with the show with Miss-Bought-the-Spot in the lead.”

Like I said earlier, it’s just like real life, as in who went to bed with whom.

Miz Skillrtface just demonstrated that she has neither ethics nor sense. Thus she is the perfect accomplice for Tiff and/orher father in th Great Drama Camp Fraud.

I say look at TJ

Geeze, I WONDER who would do something like that?

The former Nigerian oil minister paid for Tiffany. The rest of the money will arrive any day now.

I tend to agree with those who are posting that Tiff’s father was the one who made the big philanthropic donation to the drama camp. If he can supply her with a credit card with a seven thousand dollar limit (which could easily be renewed once a month…just a conjecture), he could easily show his “support” for his daughter with a big gift to help her be at the beginning of the line for the role of Martha Washington. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop… If all of the above is true, Tiff is due for a tailspin…

What is WITH this woman’s face/posture??

" I can flip thru the pages over a dozen time faster that going day by day on the computer."

Yeah, books are handy that way. Well, that is a very impressive resumé. I shall have to get the books myself, I’ve missed so much over the years. Thank you for the navigational lesson, I didn’t know about that. I guess you are officially Luann comic strip’s biggest fan.

“Nancy smacks Manezon into the next act.”^Alexis and Krystle style? (Dynasty fountain match)…

I think so, but I am biased. There are certain posters, 53, 999, brd, Mikeyj, and a few others that might have strong opinions about that.^^I think we are ALL Luann’s biggest fans, or we wouldn’t be posting here :)

I’ve got tickets, down front, 50 yard line…^^You’re lucky, I’m stuck in the end bleachers!

I suspect Mrs. Manezon had a promising career in the theater as a young actress. Then came that terrible day, during a rehearsal of “The Sound of Music”, when that sandbag fell from the rafters and she looked up…

Crystal has to have come to the play where her friend Tiff has a starring role. Maybe she brought Knute. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here! Rosa’s probably in the audience, too. You’d think the director would have called Gunther to the stage for recognition of the terrific job on costumes.

I get the impression that Tiffany’s parents are absentee but wealthy. “Let’s pay a large sum of money to buy Tiffany’s way in to camp.” Multi-purpose, mom and dad aren’t around, gives Tiff something to do and someplace to be, and it puts their money to “good” use. Tiffany seems to have everything she wants – lots of stuff – but very little of what she needs – love and attention from her family.

Seems as if Tiffany is not the only one without a nuclear family. In fact the DeGroots are the only one shown in this strip. Luann never goes to Delta’s or Bernice’s home so we don’t see their parents. Didn’t anyone care for Delta when she had cancer?.Bernice had a brother that she didn’t even know about.Gunther has no father.Toni and her brother lost their parents and had to live with their aunt..Toni’s brother’s wife left him with a daughter which he gets his sister to take whenever possible. Whenever it is a problem for her she gets Brad, TJ, or Luann to care for her..Toni’s first romance was with a jerk who has no apparent family and needs to control everyone he meets, especially his girlfriend and anybody who he thinks is a threat to him..Tj has no family except the possibility of a father with a shady past who may be dead or a prisoner. He set up a trust fund to care for his son..Knute and crystal are loose cannons who probably have been largely ignored by their parents..Leslie is uncouth and expects to get anything he wants.Ox is given a credit card to buy as much food as he wants even if it runs to hundreds of dollars..And that’s just the ones I can think of at the moment.Oh, wait – seems that Rosa may have a caring family too, but we don’t really know about them.

I’m in the Tiffany made the donation club. She’s the only one who would have any apparent motive to be anonymous.

Getting back to the director’s quick declaration that Tiffany got in because a donation was made. Perhaps she was simply soliciting money from Nancy. If this camp routinely solicits donations in order to be admitted (let alone be considered for a lead role) she was “hitting up” Nancy for next year.—there would of course be exceptions for exceptional talent and for scarce commodities—such as a talented handsome male. (Yes, I know lots of you are anti-Quill, but I suspect you also posses a Y chromosome.)

Completely off the topic (other than being about plays), my granddaughter is going to a half day “camp” for the next few weeks. The (almost) first and second graders are putting on a production of “Cats”. Too funny!

This all reminds me of “Whodunnit” by Genesis…=“Was it you or was it me? Or was it he or she? Was it A or was it B? Or was it X or Z?”-And in the end, Phil sings: “I didn’t do it, but we all know who did it”…..

Maybe Melodee knows very well who the donor was, but draws the line there and isn’t going to tell Nancy who.

“BOY”?!!?

Hopefully this will actually be a thread with some substance (and I might actually want to read all the comments). right now it’s late and I’d rather go soak in my tub.