#012
I want to know if my expectations for English chimney sweepers are too high

I blame Bert.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Evocative

A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down
And LSD makes penguins serve you lunch with Dick Van Dyke

(Julie Andrews)

You can see some strange things when your trippin’.

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Lady Gaga is a confusing artist. I’ll say this right now; her songs are cringe-worthy, and incredibly pretentious at times. However, she creeps up on you, and before you know it you are singing along to every chorus, and trying to join in on the absurd dance moves in her videos. Lady Gaga is the both the worst of pop, and the best of it all at once, and I don’t know if I’ll ever wrap my head around her fully. If her first album wasn’t confusing enough, this special edition bonus tracks-cum-EP-cum-new album that she calls ‘The Fame Monster’ just adds to the Gaga enigma.

Just let me take on the Lady as a whole, first off. She’s incredibly odd, in terms of look, costume, public persona, music, and especially her music videos. By rights, she should have gone the way of Bjork in the public perception, a one hit wonder that drops out of the mainstream but still has hardcore fans who can accept her strange aesthetic and unique musical style. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, endures. I think this is because she isn’t unique. Whether this is pure lack of creativity, or as I like to see her, a big postmodernist comment on the world of pop and celebrity, is still up for debate. What Gaga does well is take on the wide range of what we call pop, smash it all together through massive layers of production and create something decidedly weird, but catchy as hell and so bombastically unoriginal that it comes full circle and feels fresh and new.

I hate to go track by track, but I’m going to party have to for ‘The Fame Monster’ as it is not really a coherent album. Oh sure, it’s being sold as that now, but it was originally planned as a bonus disc for her debut release ‘The Fame’, filled with tracks that were either new or left off that release, depending on which articles you read. The only thing that seems to pull the album together is the repetition of the words “free bitch” in a few of the songs. The reason for highlighting certain tracks will just give you an idea of what to expect, and an idea of how eclectic an album ‘The Fame Monster’ is:

Bad Romance is the closest to what I’ve come to expect of Gaga thus far, with a similar sound to previous songs like Paparazzi, though with a vocal hook that reminds me of Boney M’s Rasputin, and a verse in French for no other reason than it’s a Lady Gaga song. Alejandro opens with a spoken intro in a bad, pan-European accent, and carries on in that vein, sounding like Shakira taken to the Europop extreme. Monster is booming R&B and features the line “he ate my heart and then he ate my brain.” ‘nuff said. Speechless would sound like Abbey Road/Let It Be era Beatles mixed with Christina Aguilera, if it weren’t for the strange accent Lady Gaga puts on to sing it. Try to imagine a country drawl mixed with Dick Van Dyke quality cockney and you’ll be about half way there. Dance In The Dark sounds a little like a darker version of her earlier song ‘Just Dance’, funnily enough. Telephone (feat. Beyonce) opens with a harp, and then breaks out into a thumping club track. If you like random vocal effects and hearing Beyonce for a verse, then you’ll probably enjoy it, there’s not much else to it really. So Happy I Could Die is what Rhianna would sound like if she’d been around in the 90s, pop R&B scene. Finally we have Teeth, which to my ears is the love child of Fanz Ferdinand’s ‘Ulysses’ and everything Scissor Sisters ever released. Though sadly, unlike those bands, Lady Gaga’s tongue is nowhere near her cheek in this one.

So where does that leave us? The Fame Monster is an eclectic mix of songs, which while possibly enjoyable on their own, don’t totally work together. Actually even on their own, just as you start to get into a song something, be it the lyrics, or an odd sound effect Gaga decided to add, will make you cringe. The subject matter is a little more mainstream than her main her first album, with each track seeming more about relationships than celebrity. Here’s the rub. Nothing I or any other reviewer says about this album will matter. This album will sell. It will pump out single after single, and Lady Gaga will make video after absurd video to promote it. I still can’t work out whether Lady Gaga is a genius or just very lucky to hit on some untouched artery of the market, but it doesn’t really matter. She’s cemented in pop culture now, and this album is doing nothing to endanger that.

5/10

Standout Tracks:

Bad Romance

Speechless

Telephone (feat. Beyonce)

Basta un poco di zucchero e la pillola…Bé ho detto tutto…che bisogno c’è di aggiungere altro? Tutti abbiamo visto, almeno quindici volte, Mary Poppins al cinema o in TV (e qui conta l’anagrafe)!
La Tata più simpatica, strampalata e famosa del mondo nasce nel 1935 dalla penna della scrittrice Pamela Lyndon Travers, ed è protagonista di ben cinque romanzi.

La versione cinematografica, diretta da Robert Stevenson, è del 1964. Intepretata dalla bravissima Julie Andrews e da un giovanissimo Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins fa parte dell’immaginario collettivo di grandi e piccini, compresi Cesco e Daniele! Di sicuro ne hanno rubato la locandina!

BROADWAY BABIES: After they co-starred in Evita, she went on to recreate stellar stage roles at home and abroad in Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes,

MANDY & PATTI: together in T.O.

Sweeney Todd and Gypsy and on screen in the hit TV series Life Goes On. He graduated to Sunday In The Park With George, made his mark on the big screen in The Princess Bride and Yentl, then scored a hit in three top-notch TV series, Chicago Hope, Dead Like Me, and Criminal Minds. But they always were, and still are, traffic-stopping singers who remain dream-come-true interpreters of Broadway’s greatest composers. The good news is, they’re together again at last, on a rare reunion concert tour. The better news is, they’re coming to Toronto. An Evening With Patti Lupone & Mandy Patinkin will rule the Royal Alex for one short week only, Feb. 9-14, and tickets are already on sale. So don’t say I didn’t warn ya. Because this will truly be a night to remember.

NO, NOT THAT MADONNA: After kicking off its 40th (!!!) anniversary season with Brad Fraser’s high-octane crowd-pleaser True Love Lies, Factory Theatre reportedly has another big winner in The Madonna Painter. After a

HUDSON: that's Mrs. Mandela to you

week of buzz-provoklng previews the world premiere of Michel Marc Bouchard’s theatrical parable, directed by Eda Holmes, opens tonight with a stellar cast including Bartholemew Fair scene-stealer Juan Chioran, who’s already set to headline the Stratford revivals of Kiss Me Kate and Evita next season. In Bouchard’s play, set in rural Quebec at the end of World War I, a village priest commissions a fresco dedicated to the Virgin Mary to protect his parishioners from a flu epidemic, and assistant director Cory O’Brien hints that the synergy between the premise of the play and our current H1N1 headlines was downright eerie. “Coughing rattles throughout the rehearsal hall,” he blogged two weeks ago. “Either our actors are overly ‘method’ or we’ve encountered a very strange coincidence. In a play filled with the ominous threat of the Spanish flu our cast has fallen sick. Stay home? Or come to rehearsal? Ginseng. Hand sanitizer. Cold formula tea. To get the flu shot or not to get the flu shot. That is the question.”

Should be fascinating to see who makes it to the stage tonight.

NO PEOPLE LIKE SHOW PEOPLE: Glee club guru Will Schuester (aka Matthew Morrison) and rabid cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (aka Jane

MORRISON & LYNCH: Glee-full

Lynch) got together last week when Morrison stopped by the off-Broadway’s theatre to catch Lynch and Tyne Daly in the current Nora & Delia Ephron hit Love, Loss and What I Wore … Lisa Ray, currently being treated for multiple myeloma, is preparing for a stem cell transplant to treat her rare cancer. Next week the gorgeous star of Water and Bollywood/Hollywood starts a two-week procedure that involves releasing her own stem cells back into her blood to “reboot” her system before any further treatment … Jennifer Hudson will go to South Africa next spring to star in a screen biography of Winnie Mandela, the controversial ex-wife of Nelson … and L.A. audiences got an unexpected bonus last week when Dick Van Dyke joined the national touring cast of Mary Poppins for their curtain call at the Ahmanson Theatre.

TOMORROW:

Lily in Las Vegas

-/-

By Cynthia Citron

LOS ANGELES — Despite the continuous roars of approval from the jazzed-up opening night crowd at the Ahmanson, Mary Poppins, in the long run, is a bit of a disappointment.  And I DO mean in the long run.  At three hours, the production is at least an hour too long: there are too many unnecessary scenes, too much repetition (everybody sings nearly everything twice), and for the most part, the dialogue and the songs are undecipherable to the naked ear.

But first let’s talk about the good parts.  The voices of the transplanted Broadway cast are extraordinarily compelling.  And the choreography is exciting and delightful throughout.  You can never have too much delightful dancing!  (Or, apparently, too many choreographers—Matthew Bourne, Stephen Mear, and George Stiles are all credited for the many dance numbers.)  Moreover, Ashley Brown makes a superbly proper and engaging Mary Poppins, both starchy and sweet.  And Gavin Lee is a pleasant Bert, the Chimney Sweep, but personality-wise, he’s no Dick Van Dyke.  And even though it replicates the movie performance, does he really need to sing “Chim Chim Cher-ee” three times?

All the much-loved songs by the Jewish brothers/ partners Richard and Robert Sherman are there, and they are beautifully rendered.  But the seven new songs, six “adapted” songs, plus 10 reprises provided by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe are much too much of a muchness.  And Julian Fellowes’ charming original book is not improved by the addition of Cameron Macintosh’s extraneous subplots and characters.  (For example, does the story really need a “bad Nanny” who mirrors Mary Poppins’ rendition of “A Spoonful of Sugar” with a chilling “Brimstone and Treacle” number? Twice?)  On the other hand, the chorus of bankers singing “Precision and Order” and Mary Poppins singing to the children about how she is “Practically Perfect” turn out to be felicitous and joyful add-ons.

Karl Kenzler and Megan Osterhaus are well cast as the rigid Edwardian patriarch and the suppressed, accommodating wife, and Osterhaus has a particularly pleasing voice as she sings what it’s like “Being Mrs. Banks.”  The two children, Jane and Michael Banks, however, though cute and energetic, are entirely unintelligible.  Their piping voices emerge as high-pitched shouting and their words are lost in delivery.   Bailey Grey played Jane  and Carter Thomas played Michael on opening night.  In future performances they will rotate with Katie Balen and  and Bryce Baldwin in those roles.

Director Richard Eyre keeps the multitude moving, and the occasional moments of lag-time are offset by Howard Harrison’s flashy lighting design and Bob Crowley’s continually changing scenic design and costumes.

 Although I said earlier that you can’t have too much delightful dancing, I’m not sure that the dancing statues in the park and the dancing toys in the bedroom are absolutely necessary.  But the tap-dancing chimney sweeps and Mary, Bert, and the children with their colorful twirling umbrellas are standouts in “Step in Time.”  And the entire ensemble exploding into “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” absolutely stops the show and is, all by itself, worth the price of admission.

 A spectacularly pleasing one-time addition to the show on opening night was the appearance of Dick Van Dyke, brought onstage during the curtain calls to symbolically pass the torch to Gavin Lee, as a worthy Bert, some 45 years after Van Dyke had immortalized the role in the original 1964 Disney movie.

It was surprising, though, that there were not a lot of children at the opening performance.  While there is much in “Mary Poppins” to enchant them, I guess three hours is a long time to ask any child to sit still.  Or any adult, either, for that matter.

Mary Poppins will continue at the Ahmanson Theatre, at the Los Angeles Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. through February 7.  Call (213) 972-4400 for tickets and full performance schedule.

 *
Citron is Los Angeles bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World

I am so very happy with sitcoms.   I would happily cheer the decline of most “reality” shows.  Most aren’t reality.   And when reality is there, it is not a good thing to watch a family’s decline, or suffering, or humiliation being displayed for the world to see.  Not to mention the bizarre shows created for some dating and spouse searching.    We are losing our couth.

When I sit down to watch TV I want to laugh.  I want to be entertained.  I don’t want to live by the TV.  But sometimes it is nice to sit and escape in to humor.  Or be prompted to think and discuss.  That’s always a plus.  I use a good book to do this too.  But it’s nice to turn on the TV every once in awhile and exercise the do nothing muscles.

Am I wrong or were the most successful shows one’s that either made us laugh, or made us contemplate.

Where is the Archie Bunker, the M*A*S*H, the Leave it to Beaver, Cheers, Mary Tyler Moore, Lassie, Honeymooners, Dick Van Dyke, Gomer Pyle, and so many other shows.  Is there no creativity left in the writers, the producers, any of us?

I don’t advocate living by the TV schedule.  But I know raising a family, being on a budget, having just a short time in the evening to relax was made nicer by having a TV with a good show coming on.  Shows I could watch with my parents, or my siblings, or my kids.

I have watched less and less TV.  This season is the first time in years that I have looked forward to a show.  Two actually.  Thank you very much Ashley!  Glee and Community.  They make me laugh.  Or they make me want to shake the crap out of the mean kids.  I love looking forward to the singing and music.  I like being entertained.

What show did you look sit down with your kids, or with your parents, to watch?

What show can you do that with today?

What show made you laugh, that you still laugh at today if you see it?  And can’t we challenge the TV world to do this again?

Tell Me Another Scary Story…But Not TOO Scary!

By Carl Reiner, Illustrated by James Bennett

Published September 1, 2009 (Hardcover) Dove

When I was a kid, I watched Carl Reiner on The Dick Van Dyke Show, wishing that Dick was my father, and that I would grow up to be like Mary Tyler Moore.  Now that I’ve grown up, some have said I do look like Mary Tyler Moore, and here I am,  reading a kids’ book by Carl Reiner.  There’s an odd symmetry to this, but it makes sense to me.

The book — thank you for asking — is Tell Me Another Scary Story…But Not TOO Scary! A CD accompanies the book, and  Carl Reiner himself reads the story about something that happened to him as a kid.  His kind old neighbor — whose last name spells Halloween backwards — calls young Carl on the phone, and invites him over for hamburgers to see a scary costume Mr Neewollah was creating just for Carl.  But when Carl arrives at his neighbor’s house, something more frightening than he can ever imagine happens.  Ketchup is involved.  And blood.  Real blood.

I love Halloween, even though I only wear one type of costume.  Witch.  It’s a black costume, although I imagine myself to have good powers.   I can wear Lycra, I’m happy.

When I was a kid, my stepfather – who was very creative — made our Halloween costumes.  We did boxes a lot.  We were cereal boxes a few times.  Not particularly easy to see out of, although we were protected somewhat from the typical Halloween weather, which, in Jersey, was either very cold or rainy.  I was Minnie Mouse one year, with an amazing head he had crafted out of chicken-coop wire.    I guess my brother would have been Mickey, but I don’t remember.  I just recall that I loved wearing a short skirt, black tights, and little white gloves.  I haven’t changed a lot over the years.

I had a friend, Luanne, whose parents hired people to create her costumes every year, expensive, lavish costumes, like a coffee pot that looked completely real.   She won the contest at the high school one year, when we were all in grade school.  My stepfather flipped out.  He was furious that the money beat him.  It was a bloody night, when we got home.

That kind of thing is scary.  Carl Reiner is just sweet, and a bit cranky, but not scary.  So go ahead and read the book to your kids, or pop the CD in and listen and turn the pages.  Sound effects are really cool.

But not too scary!

ஒரிஜினல் லிஸ்ட் இங்கே. பாஸ்டன் பாலாவுக்கு நன்றி!

சைரனோ டி பெர்கராக், Cyrano de Bergerac – எட்மண்ட் ரோஸ்டாண்ட் எழுதிய புத்தகம். வெகு நாட்களுக்கு முன் படித்த நாடகம், கதை மட்டுமே மங்கலாக நினைவிருக்கிறது. ஹோசே ஃபெர்ரர் நடித்து ஒரு முறை, ஜெரார்ட் டிபார்டியூ நடித்து ஒரு முறை வந்திருக்கிறது. இரண்டையும் கமல் குறிப்பிடுகிறார், இரண்டையும் நான் பார்த்ததில்லை.

ஸ்பார்டகஸ், Spartacus – ஹோவர்ட் ஃபாஸ்ட் எழுதிய நாவல். ஸ்டான்லி குப்ரிக் இயக்கி கிர்க் டக்ளஸ் நடித்த புகழ் பெற்ற படம். என் கண்ணில் சுமாரான படம்தான். நாவல் படித்ததில்லை.

எ க்ளாக்வொர்க் ஆரஞ்ச், A Clockwork Orange – அந்தோனி பர்ஜஸ் எழுதிய நாவல். படித்ததில்லை. ஸ்டான்லி குப்ரிக் இயக்கி மால்கம் மக்டொவல் நடித்தது. பிரமாதமான படம். குப்ரிக் கலக்கிவிட்டார்.

லாஸ்ட் டெம்ப்டேஷன் ஆஃப் க்ரைஸ்ட், Last Temptation of Christ – நிகோலாய் கசான்ட்சாகிஸ் எழுதிய நாவல். மார்டின் ஸ்கொர்ஸஸி இயக்கி இருக்கிறார். பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை.

பீயிங் தேர், Being There – ஜெர்சி கொசின்ஸ்கி எழுதிய நாவல். ஹால் ஆஷ்பி இயக்கி பீட்டர் செல்லர்ஸ் நடித்தது. படித்ததில்லை, ஆனால் படம் பார்த்திருக்கிறேன். சுமாரான படம்.

ட்ரெய்ன்ஸ்பாட்டிங், Trainspotting – இர்வின் வெல்ஷ் எழுதிய நாவல். ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனர் புகழ் டான்னி பாயில் இயக்கியது. பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை, கேள்விப்பட்டதும் இல்லை.

பர்ஃப்யூம், Perfume – யாரோ பாட்ரிக் சுஸ்கிண்ட் எழுதியதாம். டாம் டைக்வர் இயக்கியதாம். பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை, கேள்விப்பட்டதும் இல்லை.

சிட்டி சிட்டி பாங் பாங், Chitti Chitti Bang Bang – ஜேம்ஸ் பாண்ட் புகழ் இயன் ஃப்ளெமிங் எழுதிய சிறுவர்களுக்கான புத்தகம். டிக் வான் டைக் நடித்தது. படம் சிறுவர் சிறுமிகளுக்கு பிடிக்கும். நாவல் படித்ததில்லை.

க்யூரியஸ் கேஸ் ஆஃப் பெஞ்சமின் பட்டன், Curious Case of Benjamin Button – ஸ்காட் ஃபிட்ஸ்ஜெரால்ட் எழுதிய சிறுகதை. ப்ராட் பிட் நடித்து டேவிட் ஃபிஞ்சர் இயக்கியது. இந்த வருஷ ஆஸ்கார் போட்டியில் ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனருக்கு பெரும் போட்டியாக இருந்தது. படித்ததில்லை, இன்னும் பார்க்கவும் இல்லை.

ஃபாரஸ்ட் கம்ப், Forrest Gump – வின்ஸ்டன் க்ரூம் எழுதியது. டாம் ஹாங்க்ஸ் நடித்து ராபர்ட் ஜெமகிஸ் இயக்கியது. சராசரிக்கு மேலான படம். பல ஆஸ்கார் விருதுகளை வென்றது. ஆனால் அந்த சமயத்தில் வந்த பல்ப் ஃபிக்ஷன், ஷாஷான்க் ரிடம்ப்ஷன் ஆகியவை இதை விட சிறந்த படங்கள். புத்தகம் படித்ததில்லை.

மாரத்தான் மான், Marathon Man- வில்லியம் கோல்ட்மான் எழுதிய நாவல். டஸ்டின் ஹாஃப்மன், லாரன்ஸ் ஒலிவியர் நடித்து ஜான் ஷ்லேசிங்கர் இயக்கியது. பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை.

மாஜிக், Magic – இதுவும் வில்லியம் கோல்ட்மான் எழுதிய நாவல். அந்தோனி ஹாப்கின்ஸ் நடித்து ரிச்சர்ட் அட்டன்பரோ இயக்கியது. பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை, கேள்விப்பட்டதும் இல்லை.

டிராகுலா, Dracula – ப்ராம் ஸ்டோகர் எழுதிய நாவல். கமல் ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் ஃபோர்ட் கொப்போலா இயக்கிய படத்தை சொல்கிறார். நான் பார்த்திருப்பது பழைய பேலா லுகோசி நடித்த படம்தான். லுகொசி ஒரு eerie உணர்வை நன்றாக கொண்டு வருவார். நாவல் சுமார்தான், ஆனால் ஒரு genre-இன் பிரதிநிதி.

காட்ஃபாதர், Godfather – மரியோ பூசோ எழுதியது. அல் பசினோ, மார்லன் பிராண்டோ நடித்து ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் ஃபோர்ட் கொப்போலா இயக்கிய மிக அருமையான படம். நல்ல நாவலும் கூட.

கமல் கொஞ்சம் esoteric படங்களை விரும்புவார் போல தெரிகிறது. எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்த, மிக அற்புதமான நாவலும், அருமையான படமும் ஆன To Kill a Mockingbird-ஐ விட்டுவிட்டாரே!

கமலின் லிஸ்டில் காட்ஃபாதர் மட்டுமே நல்ல புத்தகம், மற்றும் நல்ல படம் – என்னைப் பொறுத்த வரையில். நான் படித்திருக்கும் புத்தகமும் அது ஒன்றுதான். கமல் சொல்லி இருக்கும் படங்களில் நான் பாதிக்கு மேல் பார்த்ததில்லை. பார்த்த வரையில் காட்ஃபாதர் மற்றும் எ க்ளாக்வொர்க் ஆரஞ்ச் மட்டுமே பார்க்க வேண்டிய படம். ஆனால் அவர் சொல்லி இருக்கும் படங்களில் பல பிரபலமான படங்கள் – ஸ்பார்டகஸ், ஃபாரஸ்ட் கம்ப், பெஞ்சமின் பட்டன், சிட்டி சிட்டி பாங் பாங் – இருக்கின்றன. பார்த்திருப்பீர்கள். படித்திருப்பீர்கள். நீங்கள் கமலின் தேர்வுகளைப் பற்றி என்ன நினைக்கிறீர்கள்?

தொடர்புடைய பதிவுகள்
கமல் சிபாரிசுகள் – சிறந்த திரைக்கதைகள் உள்ள தமிழ் படங்கள்

Have to say I’m stunned at the kind words about my latest Microfilum ‘i-cons’. Here are just a few of my favourite reviews so far:

“Brilliant! Love God’s insistence on using His own name in vein and nice effect with the screen shake!

Hilarious exchange and a major LOL at Satan: ‘I’ve learned how to Conference Call and everything!’

This would make a great series “

“Awesome film Tim, love the music. I’m thinking … best to date. Keep up the good work.”

“Awesome. “

“I think that was your best filum yet! GR8″

“Brilliant!!! Love it!”

“Like the DM music at the end!”

Thanks!

Just reuploaded i-cons on YouTube – with a few minor “blink-and-you’ll- miss-them” mistakes corrected. Also, trying a new, more descriptive title:

‘Facebook – God v Satan’.

No idea if this will have any influence on clicks, but thought I’d try. Will also update my Metacafe channel when their server starts behaving again.

From the trailer I’ve seen, Julie and Julia looks like a fun movie.

 To add to the enjoyment, the Family Forest® Project has just posted some additional Ancestors-at-a-glance™ charts. 

One is for one of the main characters, Julia Child, and another is for the famous Hollywood actress who portrays her, Meryl Streep. 

According to the family history already mapped out in the new Family Forest® National Treasure Edition, I share an important to me 1600’s ancestor with Julia Child. He is Mayflower Pilgrim George Soule. 

Julia and I also share ancestor George Soule with Amelia co-star Richard Gere and Dick Van Dyke. 

Contrary to what her unusual surname might lead one to believe, Meryl Streep has early American ancestry with much more common surnames, including some who came to America at about the same time as her character’s ancestor, and probably knew each other. 

Some of Meryl’s other ancestral surnames include Betts, Jackson, Walker, Ring, Dean, Howland, Wilkinson, Twining, Conyers, Lacy, Young, Kirk, Elliott, Chapman, Simpson, and Smith. 

One of Meryl’s famous cousins through their royally-descended ancestor Christopher Conyers is Britney Spears. 

If all of the cousins of the cast and characters of Julie and Julia go to see it, this motion picture will be the largest box office hit ever. 

The edutaining Family Forest® Project is Networking Family History with Hollywood™ and connecting audiences through actual family ties better than any other digital resource, either online or offline, as the new Family Forest® National Treasure Edition will show.

God v Satan. The Facebook wars.

See it here.

If you like, of course.

00082.0000 CHIM CHIM CHEREE

Music and Lyrics: Robert B. Sherman

Lyrics and chords

Dick Van Dyke Performance

CHORUS
Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey chim chim cheree.
A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be.
Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey chim chim cheroo.
Good luck will rub off when I shake hands with you.
Or blow me a kiss and that’s lucky too.

Now as the ladder of life has been strung,
You may think a sweep’s on the bottom-most rung.
Though I spends me time in the ashes and smoke,
In this whole world there’s no happier bloke.

Arrested Development (2003-2006, Fox TV) could well be the funniest show ever shown on the show show-er. An excellent, very funny cast, and great jokes that linger on and provide a few extra chuckles long after the show has drifted into memory. And well into its third season, the scripts continue to deliver a high ratio of laugh-out-loud moments to time spent.

Now, I can find little in the way of spiritual messages from it, even redeeming characteristics. (I realize I have found meaning in the words of a wavy-haired serial killer). Arrested Development is about an extremely dysfunctional family. No one shows any sign of growing or changing from their experiences. They seem to become more of who they are, more crazy and dysfunctional.

There was a brilliant movie in the early 40s, Preston Sturgis’ “Sullivan’s Travels.”  One of those they-don’t-make-‘em-like-they-used-to pictures. Starring Joe McCrea. Joel is a successful Hollywood director of big budget comedies. He longs to give back, to do a film that’s about something Important. Figuring he has been too pampered all his life, he decides to strike out on the road with a bandana on a stick, the shoes on his feet, and the clothes on his back.

This is a wonderful film, not to be missed. So I don’t think I’m giving anything away to say the message of the film is there is much good in giving people a chance to laugh.

Today, we have Arrested Development to add some much-needed light and laughter to the world. Well worth the time.

An original creation, like Rickey Rouse and Monald Muck.

Sorry for not updating recently, I’ve been kind of ill. Anyway, on a recent plane trip I decided that I wasn’t going to watch the 299 good movies available on the new touch-screen entertainment system in the seat-back in front of you. No. I watched Mary Poppins. Here are my notes, made at the time:

Being in the already unfortunate position of having to sit still on a plane for seven hours, I thought I’d make the most of my situation by gorging on all the cruddy movies available through the on-demand touch-screen entertainment.

What was I thinking?

There were two appealing movies: Jurassic Park and Mary Poppins. The former promised outdated special effects, wooden acting (especially from the children) interspersed with awfully mistimed comic relief. The latter promised the same, but to sweeten the deal it also threw in cheesy musical numbers, Dick van Dyke’s horrendous cockney accent and Julie Andrew’s always uplifting smile.

OK, I have a confession to make. I have a secret penchant for musicals. The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, Annie, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, West Side Story, and more recently, introduced to me by my wonderful cousin, High School Musical 1-3 and Camp Rock.

I probably shouldn’t have told you that. I don’t believe in ironically liking something so I have to admit that HSM and CR actually entertained me.

Among company of such high calibre, Mary Poppins is pretty sub-standard. I forgot how bad it was. The only real reason to revisit this is that it will make the Simpsons parody funnier.

I probably had altitude madness (close cousin to SPACE MADNESS!) at this point. I go off on a tangent about The Sound of Music. Hey, both star Julie Andrews. (As does Princess Diaries 1 & 2, and the upcoming Dwayne Johnson Fox family-comedy vehicle The Tooth Fairy.)

Let’s take The Sound of Music as an example of a good musical. Despite pushing three hours, it has about five different stories, that while distinct from each other, impact and cross over, some being resolved but still having repercussions through the rest of the movie. The film defies conventional movie structure and is all the better for it.

Plus there’s Nazis in it. How can you not love that?

So the plot of Mary Poppins is pretty bad. Or as I like to call it, “Disney-fied” (compared to the original book, of course). As there’s not really any call for intricate characterisation here, or even in some of the best of musicals, the film really has to hang on its musical numbers. Which, aside from the psychedelic animated scene, are also pretty standard.

But, apart from the aforementioned Simpsons episode, there’s another reason to revisit this dire film. The Scary Mary re-cut trailer. See it if you haven’t.

After subjecting myself to 20 minutes or so of this movie (you don’t know how long that can seem…), I decided it really was a waste of my life.

So then I watched The Lost Boys again, and three episodes of Law & Order spinoffs. The latter of which I fell asleep to.

bye, bye birdie is another one of those great old broadway musicals that you probably know at least some of the words and music to, even if you don’t know that you know it. “put on a happy face” is a song from this show that has been used to sell everything from anti-depressant medications to toilet paper (excuse me, bathroom tissue). the new production, starring john stamos, bill irwin and gina gershon is now playing at the henry miller theater on 43rd street.  this theater has a structure that is unlike most broadway theaters.  the theater is literally dug into the ground. when you walk into the theater  from the sidewalk, you are at the top of the mezzanine level. to get to the orchestra you have to walk down 2 flights of stairs. our party of 10 was sitting in the orchestra, thanks to a rare case of splurging on good seats. when there are “known” featured players in the cast, we like to sit close enough to be able to actually identify them on stage.

this play reminded me of the new production of west side story, because it tries to elude the considerable shadow cast by its predecessor, the original production starring dick van dyke and chita rivera. like west side story, the revival struggles in its attempt to bring a new look to what is one of broadway’s classics.  the result is basically the same “lite” version that would not look out of place in a long island dinner theater.  interestingly, the current revival of south pacific had no such problem, even though, like west side story and bye bye birdie, it is a period piece. gina gershon, as easy on the eyes as she is, seemed to be mentally counting the steps as she danced. she can almost be forgiven for this, because, to paraphrase the late lloyd bensen, she’s no chita rivera. the fact that jon stamos kept flubbing his lines, however, is inexcusable, given the price of broadway tickets these days.  bill irwin, however, was excellent as the exasperated/star struck father.  nolan gerard funk seems charismatically challenged as the erstwhile conrad birdie, a role that seems tailor made for someone like cheyenne jackson (who has actually played an elvis-like character before in “all shook up”).

after the show ended (to mixed reviews among us), it was time to eat.  the majority had decided upon burgers for dinner, as we had already gone upscale on the previously mentioned orchestra seating.  because our group numbered 10, we needed a place big enough to accommodate our party (forget about 5 napkin burger, with their cramped, little booths), and a venue that would stay open late enough (the show ended at about 10:30) so that we wouldn’t be thrown out before we were good and ready to be thrown out, which we have been on many an occasion .  as we debated back and forth out on 43rd street, our destination became clear:  smith and wollensky’s side restaurant, the wollensky grill.  this place is a vegan’s worst nightmare come to life. the grill’s specialties include  giant slabs of red meat, huge lobsters along with cholesterol infused side dishes and desserts.   most important of all, they were open till at least 2 a.m. on saturday night, so we could talk, argue and discuss the play as long as we wanted to.  most of us ordered some variation of burgers, just as we had planned.  wollensky’s burgers look like they weigh almost a full pound, and hang over the edges of the oversized buns by about a half inch all around.  the portions are almost comical in their size, but the taste of the food is not up to shake shack (my standard of excellence).  this actually helped fuel the discussion about the show, as the food did not distract from the subject at hand. there is nothing more annoying than trying to talk to each other amid contented sighs of ecstasy after each bite. some of our party (the health conscious ones) ordered the tuna sandwich.  no, not tuna salad, but a massive three quarters of an inch thick piece of tuna steak, perfectly cooked medium rare and yes, still managing to hang over the sides of the bun, although not concentrically.  as dessert arrived, we felt as though we had become citizens of the land of liliput, and gulliver was our chef.  we had ordered 3 portions of carrot cake , but when we saw the gargantuan size of the slices, we politely asked our waiter to take 1 slice back (which he did with no problem, probably having seen this same scenario play out many a time before).  in all honesty a single slice would have been more than sufficient for our table.  with full bellies, we departed the grill almost at closing time. the most difficult part of the evening proved to be staying awake during the ride home, but fortunately i was not the designated driver on that night.

dick van dyke is the MAN. he is funny, he sings, he dances – he can do no wrong. I LOVE HIM and anything he’s done. I was super-happy, then, when I stumbled across the dick van dyke show on Hulu. I used to watch this program all the time on Nick-at-Nite when I was a kid and its one of my favorites.

the dick van dyke show was one of his first forays into television and its great. he stars as a writer for a variety show, married to mary tyler moore, and hilarity ensues. everyone in the cast is funny and smart and awesome. you can watch the first two seasons on Hulu, but check out this awesomeness:

So you already know that the next recipient of the Pop Culture HR Award is a woman.  Thank you for the suggestions.  I review every woman suggested and every time I checked, this person popped up every time.  I was trying to find a reason not to select her, but could not.  Therefore, the fifth recipient of the Pop Culture HR Award is…

Mary Tyler Moore

Looking at her career, Mary’s story parallels what the modern working woman are achieving.  She had to struggle with unique roles such as an elf dancer for commercials as a teenager, until Carl Reiner discover her and ask her to be the character wife of Dick Van Dyke.  She was in her 20s and became a popular figure with her looks, fashion and comedic timing.  Her experience under Reiner and Van Dyke help thrust to her most famous role.

As Mary Richards, Moore created the first independent working woman in television who was a career driven woman, who is single.  The character at the time was bold and refreshing and gave a show an edge of how would an independent woman reacts to certain situations.  You know the show was great when you make Ed Asner’s character funny when the character is gruff and dramatic (hence Lou Grant being a dramatic series).  The show was in the top 25 for six of the seven seasons (the last season was the only season out of the top 25) and being the pioneer of working women at work and entertainment.

After the Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, Moore tried many different things and the results are mixed.  She starred in Ordinary People as Beth Jarrett.  Although some people thought this could ruin Mary’s career as people were familiar with her in a comedic role, the movie critics and audience agreed Mary was great in the role and was nominated for Best Actress.  In the 1980s, Mary wanted to make a comeback to TV in her own variety show and sitcom, but both failed.  In the 90s, as she became older, she revealed her problems with alcohol and being diabetic.  Currently, she’s the International Chairman for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and an animal rights activist.

If it was not for her, we would not know what the working woman would look like today.  Without Moore, would every woman have a secretary job, be a trophy wife, earn little to no income today?  Gladly, we wouldn’t know the answer because of her.  To Mary, she was a prophet, hence the statue in Minneapolis below.

Congrats Mary Tyler Moore on being the fifth recipient of the Pop Culture HR Award and everyone is going to make it after all!

A good looking man walked into an agent’s office in Hollywood and said, “I want to be a movie star.” Tall, handsome and with experience on Broadway, he had the right credentials. The agent asked, “What’s your name?” The guy said, “My name is Penis van Lesbian.”

The agent said, “Sir, I have worked in Hollywood for years…. you will NEVER go far in Hollywood with a name like Penis van Lesbian! I’m telling you, you will HAVE TO change your name or I will not be able to represent you.”

“So be it! I guess we will not do business together” the guy said and he left the agent’s office.

FIVE YEARS LATER….. The agent opens an envelope sent to his office. Inside the envelope is a letter and a check for $50,000. The agent is awe-struck, who would possibly send him $50,000? He reads the letter enclosed…

“Dear Sir, Five years ago, I came into your office wanting to become an actor in Hollywood, you told me I needed to change my name. Determined to make it with my God-given birth name, I refused. You told me I would never make it in Hollywood with a name like Penis van Lesbian. After I left your office, I thought about what you said. I decided you were right. I had to change my name. I had too much pride to return to your office, so I signed with another agent. I would never have made it without changing my name, so the enclosed check is a token of my appreciation. “

Thank you for your advice..

Sincerely,

Dick van Dyke