Paul Harvey died today and hearing that made me sad. Growing up my dad listened to Paul Harvey all the time. I have memories of afternoons hearing Paul Harvey's distinct voice telling stories over my dad's little radio as he painted or rested in the other room. There was something comforting about that sound. I mean really it makes me sad because it's another reminder that time is passing on and my parents, as all of us, are not getting any younger. It makes me miss the safety of childhood - childhood that felt like it would last forever. It's amazing how one thing can open the flood gates of sentimentality - sometimes it's seeing a toy that was beloved as a child, but which I had long forgotten, sometimes it's catching the whiff of a scent that I didn't even realize I knew, sometimes it's hearing an old commercial jingle that is somewhere deeply ingrained in my psyche, or in this case reading the headline on msn that Paul Harvey died at the age of 90. I know I can't dwell in the past because I need to be living in the now and thinking about the future, but I am so grateful for my family who gave me so many memories to enjoy reflecting upon.
And now as Mr. Harvey always ended his broadcasts... Good day!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Oscars
I thought the Oscars were classy this year. I couldn't get over how gorgeous the stage was - the crystal curtain with the colored lights was beautiful. I loved the very beginning when the band was on the stage and the lit crystal was revealed - it was an effective throw back to old Hollywood. I thought Hugh Jackman was refreshing. I like when comedians host sometimes, but I thought it was a good year to forgo the snarky comments and just have a more positive, classy show. I won't go into all my thoughts on the Oscars, because who cares, really? I will say I loved how the actor awards were presented - a great idea to have past winners take the time to highlight the nominees. It made it feel like each nominee was really appreciated, not just the winner. I was thrilled for Kate Winslet as she is one of my favorite actors. We could probably pass on some of the montages - like the montage to action films, comedies etc. and the random "The Musical is Back!" number, but on the whole I thought it was a fun show. And I did pretty well on my ballot, could have done better, but did all right (17 out of 24). I also did well on seeing most of the big nominees - we didn't get to The Visitor in time, we'll watch it this week, didn't see The Changeling, scared to watch Angelina taker herself too seriously, also didn't see Frozen River, but other than that - I was well-viewed.
"Please don’t get baffled by the size of the picture, actually the Oscar statuette sits in the eye of a needle. Yes… a needle! This photograph was shot with a camera attached to a microscope; a 22 carat gold miniature Oscar sculpture carved by Willard Wigan, in Birmingham, using a shard of diamond working 16 hours a day for six weeks. "
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentines Day
For Valentine's day here are a couple of nice classic romantic songs from two of my favorite movie musicals.
"Younger Than Springtime" from South Pacific by gorgeous Lt. Joe Cable (John Kerr):
"On The Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady by the handsome head in the clouds Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett):
Oh, I wasn't going to put any more but for my own enjoyment, because I often think of this song and this is my favorite movie musical, I'll also post the end of My Fair Lady with Professor Henry Higgings, "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" - Rex Harrison is just so brilliant:
"Younger Than Springtime" from South Pacific by gorgeous Lt. Joe Cable (John Kerr):
"On The Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady by the handsome head in the clouds Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett):
Oh, I wasn't going to put any more but for my own enjoyment, because I often think of this song and this is my favorite movie musical, I'll also post the end of My Fair Lady with Professor Henry Higgings, "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" - Rex Harrison is just so brilliant:
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
G'day Mate
Holy dooley! Take a squizz at this. It's London to a brick that this roo is a beaut. Soon she'll be apples. Okay. That was my Australian slang for you. You wanna know what else is Australian slang? Liquid laugh - it means vomit. That one made me laugh. Just laugh. Not liquid laugh. Anyway, I thought this was adorable:
I mean she's just the cutest little thing.
I mean she's just the cutest little thing.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Vacanze Romane
I just watched Roman Holiday this last weekend again - didn't plan on watching it, but I started and, of course, got sucked in. It's a great movie. Gregory Peck is utterly dashing and handsome in it and, obviously, Audrey Hepburn is absolutely beautiful and charming.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Still cool.
Here are a couple of interesting articles regarding this Christian Bale saga. I am completely in defense of him. Did he go overboard? Yes. But haven't we all lost our tempers before? It is so easy to throw stones, but none of us were there. From my comparitively small amount of acting, I know that when you are immersed in a project, it can really influence your mood, attitude, emotions, thoughts, everything. Good actors will let themselves become immersed. Christian Bale is a great actor, he tries to do the best job he can and we, the audience, reap the benefits of that. He's good because he gives his all and he was in the middle of a very intense shoot when this incident occurred. Again, from my little bit of acting experience, I can tell you it takes a tremendous, unbelievable amount of concentration to be emotionally and physically present and available. Good actors will be vulnerable and raw and the result of ripping open ones heart and soul to the camera can be incredibly taxing and very hard to shake off. So, obviously, he went overboard, but give the guy a break, because unless you were standing in his place, with who knows what other stressors in your life affecting you, with the pressure of a huge movie on your back, and what sounds like, a jerk of a DP screwing up your concentration for possibly the umpteenth time, you shouldn't judge so harshly...people who are judging harshly.
"There's two sides to every story of a superstar's verbal smackdown of a futz-happy DP. If we're to believe Radar, Shane Hurlbut—the berated cinematogapher in question—was a set terror the crew was glad to see humiliated.
According to their report, the confrontation elevated Bale to kingly heights among the peasant crewfolk Hurlbut had sadistically shamed countless times before:
[Hurlbut] was widely despised," sources tell RadarOnline.com exclusively. "Hurlbut was a condescending (bleep) to everyone," a source told us. His favorite line was "Why don't you go stab yourself in the head, you idiot."
But can we trust Radar's report? A Defamer tipster seems to corroborate their findings:
I was on the crew of another film Shane was recently DP on and he was despised. Crew hated him - actors had hard time. He would tell his crew, if he was displeased with them, to "Stab themselves in the heart and die." or "Blow yourself up." On this film he would constantly re-light when actors got to set and tweak during takes - it was bad.
Well then. That really puts a new spin on things, doesn't it?"
"As if on cue, Christian Bale has surfaced with tail tucked neatly between legs to apologize for the rant that has kept bloggers, Access Hollywood reporters, and talk show hosts knee-deep in material for days.
He brought his first, and therefore most critical, mea maxima culpa to an unlikely platform, calling in to KROQ's Kevin & Bean radio show. After assuring them "this is no punk," he thanked them for making him laugh during what has been a "miserable week" for the anger-mismanaging Terminator Salvation star.
The apology itself was a masterful act of contrition, with Bale gingerly avoiding any even remotely salty language as he went about the business of hitting his various, self-effacing, did-it-for-the-greater-good-of-the-production-but-what-a-impotent-little-hot-head-I-am talking points.
On caring too much:
I'm not comfortable yet with this notion of being a "movie star." I'm an actor. The thing that disturbs me so much is that I've heard a lot of people saying that I think that I'm better than everybody else. And nothing could be further from the truth. I'm a lucky S.O.B., and that is why I put so much into what I do.
How the Method made him do it:
In [T2] you will meet Sarah Connor. And she is in an insane asylum—why is she there? Because she is crazy. Now I play John Connor her son, and on the day that all of this happened, the scene that we were doing, I was trying to show a little of that in-the-blood craziness, and it went a little wrong... I took it way too far, and I completely mixed up fact and fiction. I'm half John Connor, I'm half Christian there.
On how DP Shane Hurlbut and he are not quite done professionally:
I've not only talked with him, we've resolved this completely. That very day we kept working for a number of hours. Listen when I'm saying I'm not coming back on that set if he's still hired, it's hot air. I don't believe that. I have no intention of getting anybody fired.
On the folly of him being perceived as a bully:
And another thing: a lot of people that I was a bully to this guy. That's an insult to Shane. He is a big guy. I couldn't have bullied that guy if I tried. He's much bigger than me—he's an ex-friggin football player.
One final plea for your Terminator Salvation dollars, if not for Bale, then for the hardworking TS crew:
Please, I'm asking people— do not let my one time lapse in judgment, my incredibly embarrassing meltdown overshadow this movie, and let all those people's hard work go to work go to waste. The mythology is too big."
To listen to the full apology, go to either of these links (sorry couldn't find a way to actually post it here):
http://defamer.com/5148140/a-repentant-christian-bale-asks-have-you-ever-had-a-bad-day?skyline=true&s=x
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/audio/020609_bale-mp4.mp4
"There's two sides to every story of a superstar's verbal smackdown of a futz-happy DP. If we're to believe Radar, Shane Hurlbut—the berated cinematogapher in question—was a set terror the crew was glad to see humiliated.
According to their report, the confrontation elevated Bale to kingly heights among the peasant crewfolk Hurlbut had sadistically shamed countless times before:
[Hurlbut] was widely despised," sources tell RadarOnline.com exclusively. "Hurlbut was a condescending (bleep) to everyone," a source told us. His favorite line was "Why don't you go stab yourself in the head, you idiot."
But can we trust Radar's report? A Defamer tipster seems to corroborate their findings:
I was on the crew of another film Shane was recently DP on and he was despised. Crew hated him - actors had hard time. He would tell his crew, if he was displeased with them, to "Stab themselves in the heart and die." or "Blow yourself up." On this film he would constantly re-light when actors got to set and tweak during takes - it was bad.
Well then. That really puts a new spin on things, doesn't it?"
"As if on cue, Christian Bale has surfaced with tail tucked neatly between legs to apologize for the rant that has kept bloggers, Access Hollywood reporters, and talk show hosts knee-deep in material for days.
He brought his first, and therefore most critical, mea maxima culpa to an unlikely platform, calling in to KROQ's Kevin & Bean radio show. After assuring them "this is no punk," he thanked them for making him laugh during what has been a "miserable week" for the anger-mismanaging Terminator Salvation star.
The apology itself was a masterful act of contrition, with Bale gingerly avoiding any even remotely salty language as he went about the business of hitting his various, self-effacing, did-it-for-the-greater-good-of-the-production-but-what-a-impotent-little-hot-head-I-am talking points.
On caring too much:
I'm not comfortable yet with this notion of being a "movie star." I'm an actor. The thing that disturbs me so much is that I've heard a lot of people saying that I think that I'm better than everybody else. And nothing could be further from the truth. I'm a lucky S.O.B., and that is why I put so much into what I do.
How the Method made him do it:
In [T2] you will meet Sarah Connor. And she is in an insane asylum—why is she there? Because she is crazy. Now I play John Connor her son, and on the day that all of this happened, the scene that we were doing, I was trying to show a little of that in-the-blood craziness, and it went a little wrong... I took it way too far, and I completely mixed up fact and fiction. I'm half John Connor, I'm half Christian there.
On how DP Shane Hurlbut and he are not quite done professionally:
I've not only talked with him, we've resolved this completely. That very day we kept working for a number of hours. Listen when I'm saying I'm not coming back on that set if he's still hired, it's hot air. I don't believe that. I have no intention of getting anybody fired.
On the folly of him being perceived as a bully:
And another thing: a lot of people that I was a bully to this guy. That's an insult to Shane. He is a big guy. I couldn't have bullied that guy if I tried. He's much bigger than me—he's an ex-friggin football player.
One final plea for your Terminator Salvation dollars, if not for Bale, then for the hardworking TS crew:
Please, I'm asking people— do not let my one time lapse in judgment, my incredibly embarrassing meltdown overshadow this movie, and let all those people's hard work go to work go to waste. The mythology is too big."
To listen to the full apology, go to either of these links (sorry couldn't find a way to actually post it here):
http://defamer.com/5148140/a-repentant-christian-bale-asks-have-you-ever-had-a-bad-day?skyline=true&s=x
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/audio/020609_bale-mp4.mp4
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Rain
Man, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love rain. And no I don't mean South Korean star, Rain:
Although I'm sure he has his own merits, but I mean the lovely downpour that is happening right now. It started up today and should continue the next couple of days and I couldn't be happier.
April Rain Song
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
-Langston Hughes
The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency.
-Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons
Although I'm sure he has his own merits, but I mean the lovely downpour that is happening right now. It started up today and should continue the next couple of days and I couldn't be happier.
April Rain Song
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
-Langston Hughes
The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency.
-Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Big W
I just watched the end of It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World and remembered how great that movie is. I mean what an ensemble of great comedic actors. There are certain movies that we watched numerous times as a family when I was a kid and this is one of them - it always made us laugh. I love the sound of my parents laughing hysterically - I hope I'll never forget that sound.
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