Hollywood and The Meaning of Life. Happy New Year!

I've had some issues with my layout recently in this blogger website, which means, I'm having to heavily rely on videos for posts.

So, I did a quick search today on New Years Eve to see if I could find a few film clips that capture how I feel about life.

Ironically, I kept coming back to Woody Allen movies, and I just decided to go with it and be true to how I felt at that time.

Defying gravity.

(This post started out with a ruder title, but I didn't feel it did justice to the subject of this posting.)

So, my (slightly delusional, but only in a "good way") impossibly generous, always loving and always undeniably entertaining parents just got on a plane home, from Orange County, CA to Vermont, this morning. And, this means I AM VERY SAD.

Having them with us for the past Christmas week was always wonderful, occasionally stressful, a bit heartbreaking, but often hilarious...And, putting them on a plane this morning felt awful.

After dropping my folks off at the Long Beach Airport, I couldn't bear to just head home just right then, so I stalled and took my kids to a nearby favorite thrift store first.

There, I picked up a used Eva Cassidy CD I'd once heard was good. On the way home, we listened to Cassidy for the first time. Suddenly, upon hearing her version of "Imagine" I found myself unintentionally and inexplicably weeping into my steering wheel.

"That wasn't what I intended," I explained.

I was the mom. I was supposed to be cheering us up.

(But, have you ever heard Eva Cassidy sing "Imagine?")

The girls were very sweet.

They wrapped their arms around me, each, wordlessly, consoling a fellow child who was wrestling with the kind of sadness that results from saying 'goodbye' to a parent.

But, more importantly, I realized that regardless of their ages, they already knew precisely why I felt as I did, and it was gift not to have to explain a thing to them.

Today, both my parents and my children reminded me of some valuable lessons:

Don't dwell on the past.

Enjoy the time with your own children.

Do something nice for others.

Be kind.

And, if you can't change it, then make the best with what you have.

So, in the end, we still didn't go right home, but instead drove up to the top of Signal Hill in Long Beach and watched all the jets take off from way up there.

The girls sipped some McDonald's orange juice in the much brighter morning sun, still wearing their new Christmas pajamas. They'd refused to change out of them at first for our early drive to airport this morning. I was just slightly concerned of what others may think of this, but, turns out, nobody even noticed. Of course.

Life is about arrivals and departures. And love. And loss. And moving on.

Which, that reminds me of something else a bit more pressing: It's almost 2010.

And, I'm planning to have some fun this New Year's Eve. I have no idea what that means, but you're invited, too, if you plan on ringing in the new with good cheer, as well.

I'm sick to death with doom and gloom. I refuse to go there.

Next year will be the best year ever.

For 2010 I've decided I'd like to win something

I've a confession to make: I've decided it's time to win something.

What to win is another question, however, I've come this far having decided I want to try to win something, and now I'll need your help.

So, just what does someone with a "personal blog" actually, if ever, really win?

Any ideas? I'm not picky, mind you. I'll take anything.

So far, the only things I ever won were one or two ribbons at the Guilford Country Fair for embroidering a pillow or baking something dense. Which, let's face it, at a county fair means "It got entered: It gets a ribbon."

Then, once, in Los Angeles, I entered the first and only game show I will ever be in.

I had this really bad idea that we could possibly pay for our wedding by going on a game show, called "Free 4 All" and win tickets somewhere for our honeymoon.

Free 4 All was a very short-lived game show hosted by Marc Wahlberg. However, as could be predicted we shamefully and rapidly lost to an annoying performer simply known as"Ant."

No, not that Mark Walberg.

That Mark Walberg.

(Mark L. Walberg.)

"Ant" was much faster at hitting the buzzer than we were. And his having all the right answers helped. In the end, all my team got was a big box of pepper spray, and copious orange oil cleaning products. (a bit of matrimonial foreshadowing, I suppose.)

But, "Ant" got the money, serious bragging rights and somehow has even made "guest appearances" on ANTM. I happen to find this last fact utterly stupefying, but what the hell do I know? All I've ever won is pepper spray.

And, I suppose "my team" had low game-show-self-esteem to start out with since we all chose "secret" names for ourselves "just incase we embarrassed ourselves by losing."

So, poor Mark Walberg (that would be Mark L. Walberg) who had to effortlessly juggle all of our team's secret names (Lulu, Pete & Xing) during this fast paced show:

The dialogue, usually at rapid fire pace, sounded something like this:

Mark Walberg: "Okay, so today we have Ant competing against Lulu. Lulu, who do you pick to help you with the next question?"

LuLu: "Uh, that would be my friend, Xing."

Mark Walberg: "Great! Okay, sorry, Pete, Lulu picked Xing, so moving right along, will Lulu, and Xing please step forward to face Ant..."

"Xing" was the only other "really smart" LA friend I knew at the time of the game show, I mean, other than my husband to be at the time, Peter. And because this was "all my idea" I was required to cobble together a "team of three smart people" for the show.

But, the joke is that "Xing's" real name is actually Sheridan. Sheridan went to Exeter Academy and was about as Chinese as I am Welsh.

However, that day, the day of our wonderful game show, Sheridan used his parent's (Chinese) name for him so that if he bombed out, nobody would recognize us. (They did.)

In any event, this year I want to win something, now.

Something good. Something respectable, or even just something shiny.

I've no idea where to start looking, so if you can think of any contests, for say, blogging, or whatever might be in that same ball park, feel free to let me know.

Gracias (in advance) to my fellow bloggsters who must surely know far more about this sort of thing than I, which is nada.

Beverly Kenney, What Is There To Say?

Thanks to jacked UP jazz I stumbled across a recording artist, I'd never heard of before, Beverly Kenney.

Something about her voice captures that jovial, yet slightly wistful period of time just after Christmas, yet right before New Year's Eve.

A period of time I, inexplicably, associate with New York City. An association that makes even less sense considering I no longer live there.

However, despite my lapse of logic, something about mid-century recordings of female jazz vocalists will forever remind me of late winter nights in Manhattan. Nights when normally manic people linger late over irish coffee just to watch snow fall into once busy city streets.

Magical nights when the only thing coming down 8th Avenue is a brave yellow cab driver silently sailing to destinations unknown.

Again, Thanks to "jacked UP jazz" for posting this.

Christmas Card from Tom Waits

Actually, this was titled: "Tom Waits - Chritmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis"

Well, I ain't no hooker.
And this sure ain't Minneapolis.
But, I'll take it, anyway.

Depression era Christmas cartoon.

What I find most interesting about this animated short is how the filmmakers made a successful Christmas film which worked with an audience during the Great Depression.

How do you tell children a story about Santa Claus during a time when most families would not be visited by Santa that year?

Watch:

A Hugh Harman-Rudolf Ising Production, Vitaphone Pictures. Merrie Melodies cartoon short produced by Leon Schlesinger for Warner Bros.
Animated By Rollin Hamilton, Norm Blackburn.
Originally Released on January 07, 1933.


Thanks to XmasFlix.com for their in depth background material regarding on this unique Christmas film:

The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives (1933) Christmas Cartoon Classic. A Christmas fable with a twist: on a cold Christmas Eve, a poor little boy wanders through a snowy village to his "shanty" on the other side of the tracks knowing that Santa Claus will never come to his house. Then in the distance, the sounds of hooves are heard, and old St. Nicholas himself bursts through the door. The one and only Santa Claus takes him aboard his sleigh to the North Pole and "the shanty where Santy Claus lives." The lad prepares to accompany St. Nick on his Christmas Eve rounds, but they first must load themselves up with some singing, dancing toys. A good example of Depression-era wealth fantasies. This cartoon would later be reworked as "Toyland Broadcast" by Rudolf Ising in 1934, following his move to MGM. Kate Smith is caricatured as a doll singing, "Shine on Harvest Moon". A brief animation clip from Red-Headed Baby is reused from the toy scene.

Christmas Eve. A poor orphan boy trudges through the snow, pathetically. He finally arrives at his miserable cabin. While he is crying, Santa arrives and, singing the title song, offers to take the boy to his workshop. They arrive, and the toys go wild (in the full version, they sing the title song, but this has been censored in some versions due to outdated stereotypes). He plays with a few toys. A candle falls off the tree and starts a fire. The toys try in vain to fight the fire; the boy hooks up a hose to a set of bagpipes and takes care of it.

Vintage Techno Geek Gift Items for the Holidays

Tech gurus unveil cutting edge bargain and luxury items for the computer geeks on your holiday gift list.



Make sure you catch the electonic toy guru's picks!

1952 Tweety and Sylvester vintage Christmas cartoon

Call me old fashioned, but these were the kinds of cartoons I loved and watched.

Do-it-Yourself Christmas Cards!

Now, why didn't I think of this?

Recycle, Reuse, Regift all those pesky religious-y pamphlets into creative christmas cards!

Maybe you could use something other than hedge clippers to trim them, though.


Watch:

Cartoonus Interuptus

I am confused.

Why would something as visual as a slapstick cartoon require incessant sign language? Are the viewers hearing impaired as well as in an Alzheimer's home?

--Talk about Cartoonus Interuptus.

It's still an Andre Christmas for me!

There are some sounds that just say "Christmas!" to me, like this vintage commercial.

Preston Sturges, Barbara Stanwyck: I'm in love

Senator Joe Lieberman revealed as sock puppet

While the real life Joe Lieberman has been busy with his filibuster threats, he's nothing compared to his sock puppet counterpart. In this ad from Moveon.org, the sock puppet Senator (whose appearance is strikingly accurate) makes it simple. If the Democrats want his vote, they're gonna have to pony up. Literally.

Check out this funny sock puppet video of Senator Joe Lieberman holding health care hostage for his list of personal demands.

(and thumbs up to Al Franken for shutting sock puppet up on the floor of the senate, today!)

-- Thanks to Huffington Post.

WATCH:

Vintage Hollywood tribute to Christmas

This is an incredibly corny look at Christmas seen through the manipulatively nostalgic eyes of Hollywood.

I know it's stupid.
I know it's absurd.

But, around this time of year, I'm prey to all sappy seasonal old movies, even if it's just because they remind me of "Mad Men."

A Christmas celebration with scenes from classic films, including:

Meet John Doe (1941)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
The Bishops Wife (1947)
Desk Set (1957)
Little Women (1933)
Mr and Mrs Smith (1941)
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

and pictures from Miracle on 34th Street and White Christmas


Songs:

Misteltoe and Holly by Frank Sinatra
Let It Snow by Dean Martin
Jingle Bells by Dean Martin
The Christmas Waltz (extract) by Frank Sinatra



Staring clips of classic Hollywood stars such as: James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Donna Reed, Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Bette Davis, Richard Travis, Katharine Hepburn, Charles Boyer, Shirley Temple, Cary Grant, Elsa Lanchester, Loretta Young, Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Maureen OHara, Natalie Wood, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Crawford, Mitchum, Doris Day, Audrey, Judy Garland



PS: Dear Santa,

If you want to know what I want for Christmas, it's this Turner Classic Movie set:

You can skip the crappy Christmas Carol, and substitute anything with Barbara Stanwyck, but I've been looking for Little Shop Around the Corner for SO long!

Will also gladly accept DVD of Marx Bros. and all the old "screwball" comedies.

Thanks, Santa.

DRUG USE: BEFORE & AFTER

THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF DRUG USE OVER TIME

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Mozart rocks out with Ukulele

A few days ago my husband sent me a clip of this amazingly talented, what? toddler? playing a ukulele like a reincarnated fusion of Hendrix and John Lennon strumming from the great Palladium club in the sky.

And then today I saw that my blogger guru, Prince Gomolvilas, at Bamboo Nation had also glommed on to the Uke boy band wagon, as well.

But, I have to tell you, the clip that really caught my eye (and, trust me, there are many clips to choose from out there) was Boy Wonder's amazing version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Say what?!

Yeah, the melody is a bit rough, but watch him stretch for those sophisticated chords. And, hello? Talk about passion, if you look up the definition of "Rock Out," this kid's face is there. And he's probably not even out of kindergarten.

Watch:

Just like the ones I used to know.

This will be the first year in a very long time I won't be back in Vermont to spend the holidays with my parents.

No doubt Hollywood rarely gets any more sentimental than it does in this clip, however, I have to say -- it really does speak to what I'm feeling right about now.

One more reason to love Feist and Norah Jones!

Never knew that two of my favorite female vocalists each did a music video with Sesame Street, before!

Translated into Louise-speak this means that Peter Varvel's and Prince Gomolvilas's affection for The Muppets is actually beginning to grow on me, too.

I'm a late bloomer. I grew up pretty much post-Sesame Street, and my kids wouldn't move past Nick Jr. on the remote, so I really am still a novice Muppets fan.

However, when I see clips like these two, and of course the famed REM video, I am reminded how cool the Sesame Street folks are.

Fiest and the Muppets


Norah Jones and Elmo



How did I raise two kids and not know about these clips till now?

Now, if the Muppets could line up Nellie McKay and Aimee Mann to work with, that'd really tickle my Elmo.

It's the holidays, again, and I still just "want me this cat I found."

Here it is, the holidays again.

For me, there isn't a story that isn't more about Christmas or winter redemption than the tale of "J.T." and the abandoned cat he rescues.

However, once again the best the TV networks can come up with is a Hallmark presentation of "A Dog Named Christmas?" Really?

Is this because right now most of America can relate to a story about a white family with a purebred Labrador when the truth is we have kids on breadlines right now? Wow.

And now Hollywood decides to crank ONE MORE BORING VERSION of THE CHRISTMAS CAROL? Is this because we just haven't seen it enough, yet?

We've probably all sat through watching Scrooge be played by likes of Mr. Magoo, George C. Scott, Albert Finney, Bill Murray and now, Jim Carrey. Tired.

From what I can tell, and I have not watched anything other than the trailers, but it looks like this one isn't even a GOOD version of the true Dickens tale. My third grader is terrified of the trailer. Thanks, Hollywood. Merry Christmas, to you, too.

Isn't today a great time to give "multicultural" stories a chance? Especially about people who are struggling along like we are?

The truth is I have blogged about this before, (click link here for more information regarding my hunt to find a copy of this DVD and just why this film is SO timely and touching, still to this day.

CBS. Please. Bring back "J.T."
Jane Wagoner: You so deserve your talents to known and shared with this generation's children.

So, this holiday, I am throwing in the towel and I'm posting links to a youtube version of "J.T." in five parts.

I know it's not the same thing, but it's the best I can do until the television network execs come up with a better plan.

Here it is: JT. The film, in five parts.

Happy Holidays.


"J.T." Part One




"J.T." Part Two



"J.T." Part Three



"J.T." Part Four



"J.T." Part Five



And Merry Christmas.