If you have not seen or even heard of C2C I am here to brighten your day. If you have heard of them you will have your day brightened as I let you know that C2C will be releasing an album in 2010. When it comes to DJ shows a lot of time the showmanship just isn’t there, the beats, the hype, the girls and the dancing are all there, but these guys have brought showmanship back into a DJ show. The beats are sick, taking everything from blues and jazz, to Hip Hop, to ballroom, to Brazilian, to electronica, to rock and roll and flawlessly bringing them together in a way that just makes you want to get up and dance. No wonder these guys have won the DMC world team championships a record breaking 4 times 2003/2004/2005/2006. See DJ Pfel DJ Greem (Hocus Pocus), 20SYL and DJ Atom do their thing below. Also you can check out up to 11 of their tracks here, but seeing them perform is really part of the experience.

Also known as “Favorites of the Week”:

TV: Gotta say Curb Your Enthusiasm. Sunday night’s episode was really just top notch. I’m a recent convert to the Curb cult, but with episodes like “Table Reading”, I’m pretty sure that I’m in for life.

Music: “The Dark End of the Street” by Dan Penn and Chips Moman. Holy shit that’s an amazing song. I’ve probably listened to 5 different versions of this song within the last week and, even though I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, the Commitments and Cat Power versions are my favorites. There seems to be two different ways to play this tune: really digging into and embracing the minor chord built off the 7th scale degree in the verse, and shying away from it. These two versions own that chord and the melody around it so hard, and it makes me shake to hear something that beautiful.

Books: Kurt Vonnegut’s Hocus Pocus. This is a book that I’ve probably read 5 times in as many years, but every time I read it I get a little more out of it. That man has an uncanny skill for tackling pretty much EVERYTHING in one book while still providing a really entertaining and focused plot.

Food: Trader Joe’s Mac’n'Cheese. A blend of 4 non-dairy gourmet cheeses on top of delicious noodles. Who’s gunna argue?

Bar: SkyBar. It’s not really too fancy, and the gimmick of the telescope is not too in your face. That’s why I dig that place. Also $2 wells are pretty sweet too.

Restaurants: B-Line. Eat one of their carne asada breakfast burritos with their salsa and tell me it’s not love. I dare you.

Here’s a video cause that’s how I roll:

Here’s the best:

Here’s the worst:

Jesus, I love Ryan Adams but this is one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen!

-Zach

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After reading My Twisted Life as a Scientologist (New York Post 11/15/2009),  I thought it would be fun to do a little looking into Scientology’s closet.  I gotta tell you, the closet is full.

L. Ron Hubbard, the American science fiction writer, created a self-help system he called Dianetics. First published in 1950, it developed into doctrines and rituals as part of a new religion he dubbed Scientology.

Scientology is legally recognized as a tax-exempt church in the United States. Many countries, however, refuse to grant Scientology the status of a church. Canada, UK, Germany, France Belgium, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico do not recognize Scientology as a religion. In Greece, Scientology was banned in 1997, and the Greek government upheld the ban in 2003, rejecting an application for Scientology to be recognized as a religion.

Scientology is often referred to as a cult often accused of financially defrauding members. The teachings of The Church of Scientology are cloaked in secrecy. Most of what is known about the teachings of the church comes to us from ex-members.

An ex-member takes you on a behind the curtain tour.

Step 1  Make an incision on the back of the neck and proceeded to remove all the skin and flesh from the cranium taking care to not damage the facial features.

Step 2  Place  seeds underneath the eyelids and sew them shut

Step 3 Pin mouth together with three wooden sticks

Step 4  Boil in water for several hours

Another religious person has gone on a rampage.  This time it’s a Muslim.  We can add him to all the other nuts of Jewish or Christian religion who have gone before him.  Let’s not forget it’s the same man-invented god they all believe it.

What do you think Captain Haddock? “Poisoners” (From Desitination Moon)

Precisely.

Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector U.S. Sees as Useless (New York Times)

The Iraqi government  has purchased more than 1500 ADE 651’s. The ADE 651 (Advanced Detection of Explosives Model651)  is marketed by ATSC (UK) Ltd.  It consists of a thin rod mounted on a swivel held by pistol grip, and is said to point to explosives. That’s all it is, there are no sensors.  According to Rod Nordland who wrote the article, a retired USAF officer said the device is nothing more than an explosives divining rod,.  The devices range in price from $16,500-$60,000 each.

I understand that similar devices are being used by local police around the US in order to justify “probable cause” requirements for unlawful search and seizure.

The manufacturer also  offers a narcotic detector. Exactly the same device, but with a different model number.

I watched Hocus Pocus last week in the spirit of Halloween – not that we really celebrate Halloween in Australia, but Hocus Pocus was one of my favourites when I was a kid. So how does it fare now?

Firstly the plot. The film opens in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s, where Thackery Binx (Sean Murray) attempts to save his younger sister Emily from three witches who live in the woods. Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and the Sanderson sisters, striving to be young forever by sucking the lifeforce from young children. Thackery is too late to save his sister, and the witches turn him into an immortal black cat. The sisters are caught and hanged (how, aren’t they witches??). Before they die, however, they manage to cast a curse from their spellbook which will raise them from the dead if a virgin lights the black candle in their house.

Fast-forward three-hundred years, and the Sanderson house is now a museum steeped in superstition. Max (Omri Katz) has just moved to Salem from California with his parents and younger sister Dani (Thora Birch). He is extremely cynical and really doesn’t appreciate his new town’s fascination with Halloween. When his parents go out to a Halloween party Max is forced to take Dani trick-or-treating, much to his horror, and is bullied by some guys from school. Oh, the teen angst! Anyway, he meets up with his crush from school, Allison (Vinessa Shaw), and they go to the Sanderson museum. Thackery Binx is still lurking about but he fails to stop Max from lighting the Black Candle, bringing the witches back to life! Max, Allison, Dani and Binx manage to escape, stealing their spellbook. From here the plot becomes a witch-hunt (pun intended), with the Sanderson sisters needing to get their book back before sunrise so they can become truly immortal.

This movie is a lot of fun, though not as funny as it could be. It was directed by Kenny Ortega, which surprised me. I know he is known now for High School Musical (don’t hold that against him) but he is also a well-known choreographer…no real dance sequences here! Hocus Pocus is classic Disney, featuring unhelpful adults and heroic kids! Katz and Shaw are fine, but Birch is the standout amongst the younger set. All three of the witches are great, and they all look like they’re having a lot of fun, especially Better Midler, who shines in this role. She gets most of the good lines and gets to be delightfully wicked! One of the best scenes is when the sisters do a rendition of I Put a Spell on You. Bette Midler has obviously had a huge singing career, SJP has done quite a bit of Broadway, and Kathy Najimy had just done Sister Act, so the song is in good hands!

I really miss these kind of movies. Maybe I’m biased because I was young during that time, but I really feel like the 90s was a great time for family/kids entertainment. I just think of films like Home Alone, Beethoven, Free Willy, Addams Family, Sister Act, Homeward Bound, A Little Princess, The Parent Trap, the Mighty Ducks…and of course Disney animation. There was a real market for films that both kids and adults could enjoy. One of my favourite films from childhood was Mrs Doubtfire, which is probably more of a comedy for adults, but that just shows that family films of the 90s had broad audience appeal. There are very few movies like that today; there are lots of animations (especially with Disney competitors like Dreamworks) but not many live-action family films. It seems that Disney released a lot of those live-action films (even Sister Act was Touchstone, which is owned by Disney) but they don’t do it much anymore. It’s a shame.

Ok getting of my soapbox now. There is nothing too offensive here, and nothing too scary either, even for little kids. Kids will love Binx especially – who doesn’t love a charming talking cat?! The special effects aren’t too bad either, maybe a little bit dated but hey, it was made 16 years ago (now I feel old). There are quite a few knowing references to virginity, but seriously, kids won’t even notice. Overall this is an enjoyable film from Disney with some fun performances, especially from Bette Midler. Good for kids.

My Rating: 

*

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

There’s been outrage about Brian Tamaki and the Destiny Church (why call destiny?  If it’s destiny you’re either going to heaven or not aren’t you so why bother!) as he assumes the mantel of spiritual head.

Actually it’s happened in a few other places – like Vatican City where pope Benedict made a similar announcement and quite a few seemingly normal people fell all over themselves to bow and scrape to him.

All of these cults/religions started in rather dodgy places in the middle east and have retained in various forms their hold on otherwise intelligent people.  Why?

I think that that answer is pretty sad.  We as intelligent species have all the moral fibre we need to co-exist and respect each other.  But some people lack the confidence and believe idiots that tell them they need religion to have these things.  What nonsense.  Others believe the threats from the big guy (that’s the jealous god who despite creating the entire universe which is several billion light years across had the time to visit a bronze age tribal leader called Moses and tell him he was jealous, so watch out).

Relax, you aren’t going to heaven or hell.  You’re going to be dead. Simple, so make a great go of your life now while you can and stop being scammed by any church/cult.

What do you make of all of these Captain Haddock?  ”Fancy-dress fascist!” (from Tintin and the Picarros).  Well said Captain!

Hai, baru saja menyelesaikan tugas blog.

Ini dia linknya komenin ya, yang kurang apaa.
hmm, too bad I don’t have new photograph. Sekarang kan udah pake kerudung

Kamera digitalnya kayaknya rusak, kamera kakak Nadia di Bandung, paling ga suka foto pake hp karena hasilnya pasti jelek -___-
AAAA foto pake apa dong, ah jadi pusing kan. Padahal awalnya cuma mau ngasih tau tugas blog doang. Udah ah, Mission Completed.

Dah!

Halloween has officially arrived.  Whats my Halloween tradition? Watching Hocus Pocus(1993) on repeat until I am too sick to continue eating pumpkin oriented sweets, candy apples and Kit-Kats. Currently I am basking in the bright light that has since gone dim of the Hocus Pocus B-cast. As a result, I have decided to do a very quick where are they now?

1. Vinessa Shaw (Allison)- As the resident Babe, Vinessa was responsible for Max lighting the virgin candle. She has had perhaps the best Pocus after-life, starring in Two Lovers, 3:10 to Yuma, Melinda and Melinda, The Hills Have Eyes and T.V. mini series the ‘70s.

2. Jody Rivera (Emily Binx)- Little Emily Binx had the smallest role in the movie and now the least successful career post Pocus. She has written directed and starred in The Princess Chronicles, but other than that she has found a home in her YouTube fans. IMDB says Rivera is currently the number one most subscribed female of all time on YouTube. But I have tried to watch them and they are way to bad for that to be true.

3. Larry Bagby (ICE), You remember him as the bully with the stolen sneakers and a buzz cut of his name on the back of his head. Ice has been in various series throughout the early millennia in JAG, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and most recently The Young and the Restless. Also, he has a Band.

4. Sean Murray (Zachary Binx)- Currently starring in CBS’ Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service as Timothy McGee, Murray seemed to have used Nepotism to gain his role, his stepfather is the producer.

5. Doug Jones (Billy Butcherson)-Billy looks surprisingly equally creepy in real life as he does with the pounds of decaying skin and long yellow nails, it must be his creepy long neck or baggy skin. Currently he seems to have a bunch of “extra” type status roles as non-humans in movies like Lady in the Water, Hellboy, Stuck on You, Quarantine, Pans Labyrinth, and most recently The Hobbit.

Hocus Pocus has-beens, I miss your face-Shassie

I hate scary movies. HATE them. Especially teen-slasher films. What’s fun about waiting for people to die in some horrifying way? I called it quits after watching a girl get pogo-sticked to death in The Leprechaun. But though I don’t want to watch people get tortured, I do love Halloween movies. The cheesier the better. For all those other grossed-out-by-gratuitous-blood people out there (all 6 of us over 15 and under 60), I’m making a list of some fun, kitschy “horror” movies.

Halloween Town

Remember my recent post about the best DCOMs? Meet Halloween Town. It was so hard not to put this AMAZING movie on that list, but I was saving it for this post. That’s how much I like this movie. I saved it for you. Because I wanted it to be special.

Anyway, Halloween Town is about young siblings who realize their grandmother is a witch and living in the magical Halloween Town, where it’s always Halloween. But fun, sweet, cute Halloween. There are good witches and nice werewolves and goofy goblins. This movie is super kitschy, and therefore awesome. Plus there are like 4 sequels (with another one coming out this year), so you can always get more Halloween Town!

Spoiler: no one gets murdered.

Hocus Pocus

“Amuck, amuck, amuck.” This is one of the best movies ever made. About three Salem witches who get summoned to modern times and wreck havoc. Sarah Jessica Parker is a crazy slutty witch, Bette Midler is afraid of tar. The whole thing is genius. Watch!

Casper

I used to be OBSESSED with this movie. It seems cheesy, but it’s secretly super creepy and sad. Casper, “the friendly ghost,” is actually a teenage boy who can’t remember his past or his family, is crazy lonely and tormented by other ghosts, and who longs to be made into a real person again. Then he gets to be human for like 3 hours. And he falls in love with Christina Ricci (remember how amazing she used to be?), and when they can finally kiss it’s really tragic and beautiful. Plus he was played by Devon Sawa, who was also her boyfriend in Now and Then - SUCH a good movie. These two had great chemistry. They were like my favorite couple when I was 14.

So perfect!!

The Addams Family

Both The Addams Family and Addams Family Values were recently on ABC Family, which pleased me and my roommates to no end. What great movies! Funny and kitschy and kind of shockingly dirty (Morticia and Gomez basically just do it through the whole series). They did such a good job of turning this TV show into a movie. (I think the only other TV-show to film adaptation I love more is The Brady Bunch. Which is SO GOOD.)

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Do I really need to explain why this movie is so amazing? I love the idea of whole villages devoted to holidays (and the world of Christmas is so pretty and sparkly!), and this movie pays such close attention to detail. It’s scary, but really moving, and the music is unbelievably good. The perfect Halloween movie. And actually, kind of the perfect Christmas movie too.

Practical Magic

Another great witch movie! Practical Magic is fun, a little scary, and it has a great plot. If you haven’t seen it (umm seriously, why haven’t you seen this?), it’s about two sisters who are witches. One is crazy flighty and the other is trying to fit into a small town society and raise her two daughters. They end up killing and then resurrecting someone, and then they have to try and vanquish him while evading the law. Plus there’s lots of romance. Which I like.

If you don’t have any plans tonight, and don’t like to be grossed out, give a fun, cheesy Halloween movie a shot. And have a happy Halloween!

HOCUS POCUS

This movie just doesn’t get old. How can you go wrong with Halloween, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy?

Best Quotes of the Movie

Winifred: WHY? Why was I cursed with such IDIOT sisters?
Sarah: Just lucky, I guess.

Sarah: ‘Tis firm! ‘Tis firm as stone!
Winifred: Why, it’s a road!

Winifred: Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok!
Sarah: Amok! amok. amok. amok. amok….

Winifred: Oh look, another glorious morning. Makes me SICK!

Billy: Wench! Trollop! You buck-toothed, mop-riding, firefly from hell!

Emily: Thackery Binx, what took thee so long?
Thackery Binx: I’m sorry, Emily. I had to wait three hundred years for a virgin to light a candle.

My friends and I got together last night on Holloween Eve to watch old ’scary’ movies and eat a bunch of chocolate and candies. We had our stash in the middle of the living room, on the floor, and I ate like maybe 10 pieces of dove caramel chocolate. We saw Hocus Pocus and Poltergeist (the first one) , I’ve never ever seen that movie and it actually creeped me out. I’m not into scary movies, I get scared way to easily, but Poltergeist was more cheesy scary than anything. Anyway, I fell asleep halfway through the movie  ’cause I had waken up early Friday morning to workout.  After the movies, I stayed asleep on the couch and the rest of ‘em played a zombie board game… which lasted for 3 hours! We didn’t get home ’til 4:30 am and now here I am awake at 10am, with a tummy ache from all the chocolate I ate last night. I think a nice, tall glass of green monster will satisfy me this beautiful Saturday morning.

The hubby and I are picking out a pumpkin this afternoon for our friend’s 2nd annual fall/pumpkin gathering. I’m making some meatballs with bbq sauce mixed with grape jelly – it’s really good – and I’m probably going to pick up some mini quiche at Sam’s for appetizers. I want to dress up tonight but I’m not sure what to go as. I was thinking 80s gym instructor but I don’t know… we’ll see. We’re also going to a corn maze tonight! We’ve made it a tradition to go every year around this time. So I’m really excited about that!

I’ll post up some pics tomorrow of my adventures today. Happy Holloween everyone! I hope y’all have a good and safe one.

“Oh man, how come it’s always the ugly chicks that stay out late?”
-Hocus Pocus

This Saturday things will go bump in the night, carved orange faces will eerily light up door steps and ghouls, gargoyles, skeletons and black cats will take to the streets.  Halloween, it’s just like any other night out in London.

To celebrate the spooky occasion, The Fashion Office have dedicated this week’s issue to Fright Night with Songs To Trick Or Treat To.  Whether you’re planning on seeking out what rewards await you behind neighbouring doors, or simply celebrating with a few cold witches brews, here’s our tracks to get you into the supernatural spirit.

Happy Halloween.

New Favourite Thing recommends: Hocus Pocus – I Put A Spell On You.

A Work In Progress opts for: The Rocky Horror Show – Timewarp.

Frankie chooses: Backstreet Boys – Everybody. 

Sartoriology picks the ultimate horror of horrors:  Thriller by Michael Jackson.

Stevie asks who you gonna call?: Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters!

New recruit Gemma elects: Alice Cooper – Feed My Frankenstein.

Soldiersailor recommends: Dusty Springfield – Spooky.

Last week, Sostylistic left us for pastures new.  Find out which Songs About Leaving we dedicated to the occasion to ensure she never forgets her time with The Fashion Office.

Since Friday posts are about the viewers, I would like to know what your Halloween plans are for the weekend! Is it going to be a chill evening at home watching scary movies or is it going to be a night out on the town dressed in your best spook gear? Let us know! What are some of your Halloween memories from childhood? What are your favorite scary movies? This post is basically dedicated to your best Halloween stories and plans! I know you have some good memories, share with us!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. There is very interesting history that is connected with this time of year. Check it out at History.com! Have safe and spooooktacular weekend!

Image

One Hundred Years of Solitude is considered Marquez’s magnum opus.  It won him the Nobel Prize in 1982, and some consider it the work that has most shaped world literature over the past 25 years.

I thought it was pretty good.

Much of Marquez’s writing inhabits a beautiful and fantastical dreamworld, and One Hundred Years read, to me, like nothing more than a long and lovely fairy tale.  Marquez has an amazing capacity for imagination.  But the repetition of names and histories (one of the major themes in the book) grew wearisome to me by the end of the novel (although it’s certainly impressive how he managed to keep straight all those Aurelianos and Jose Arcadios).  Still, my very favorite line came near the end.  The wise Catalonian packs up all his books and boards a train to return to his homeland.  He says, “The world must be all fucked up when men travel first class and literature goes as freight.”

I also started Kurt Vonnegut’s Hocus Pocus, but, I’m sad to say, I may not bother to finish it.  I’m just not enjoying it at all, although quitting on a book doesn’t sit well with me.  I don’t like the way the narrative is chopped into small chunks, and oh my goodness, please tell me one more time about how your mother-in-law and your wife were certifiable, because I think maybe I missed it the first fifty times you told us.  Also, I find a great deal of the story boring, to be perfectly honest.  I don’t care about the long history of Tarkington College.  Unfortunately, Hocus Pocus is the only Vonnegut volume at the sad little Caroline Library.  Interlibrary loan, anyone?  Yes, please.

1993’s Hocus Pocus: pretty much the only thing in which I have ever seen Sarah Jessica Parker and actually found her to be attractive.

I have never seen Sex and the City. Not even one episode. As near as I can tell it doesn’t star her so much as her remains. Have some cheesecake, Skippy.

Anyway, back in 1993 she still had a little something going on in the upper decks, and she brought a kind of abandoned, childlike sylph-style ebullience to this role that was a surprisingly genuine and fresh take on such a stock role, and could have been played vampy and bimbo-tatstic in other hands.

Plus, you slap a blonde wig and some red lipstick on almost anybody and they are automatically going to be looking pretty good and I’m going to warm to them; I cite Bugs Bunny as evidence. I already liked him for that busted grill, so I was all about Lady Bugs.

I like Sarah Jessica Parker lookswise in this movie for all her blondeness, slightly immodest bosomness, and for-once-not-coated-in-makeup sharp-witch-chin-moledness. (I do like flaws!)

We tried to rent this last night down at Paolo and Miss D’s, but the ondemand was having none of it. Total folklore to pay for a movie that old and often-watched. Screw ABCFamily! We rented Monster House instead. In your face, Disney Corp.

Winifred Sanderson: Don’t get your knickers in a twist! We’re just three kindly old spinster ladies.
Mary Sanderson: Spending a quiet evening at home.
Sarah: Sucking the lives out of little children!

But I’ve been thinking about it since we considered renting it, and I drew some conclusions about the characters of the witches and what fears they represented; like what were their real crimes (I mean, other than being honest-to-god witches who were morally in bed with Satan).

It seemed to me that each witch had a central character trait around which the rest of her personality was constructed, and the actresses played those up in their performances. These traits were the unpardonable sins. The ones that got them burnt at the stake with no voice to defend them. So here’s a little list, from me to you. You’re welcome. Think nothing of it!

Things that’ll get your burnt in the stake in a rural Puritan village at the turn of the eighteenth century:

Being a bubbly, nymphomaniacal boy-stealer with nice boobs. That’s gonna get you burnt at the stake in any century, Cupcake.

Good luck out there!

]]> http://thegobetween.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/metaphysical-tip-clearing-the-energy-of-an-object/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:11:03 +0000 Melissa Leath http://thegobetween.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/metaphysical-tip-clearing-the-energy-of-an-object/

Spiraling Heart-Love Vibrations

Over the years, I certainly have found myriad manners in which to change negative energies into positive. They range from the four-step smudging (offering tobacco, cedar smudge, sweet grass smudge and finally sage smudge including prayers that I may discuss at a later time) to the detailed oriental art of feng shui. All of which are admirable and productive ways to clear a space. I use them all.

But today I want to share a quick and easy, instant ~if you will~ method for clearing energy from an object. This can be used at inconvenient times when the other, more organized methods are out of the question.

Suppose you are at an event and find that your crystal or pendulum have collected negative energy, or at least energy that is not harmonious to yours. You certainly don’t have time to go through the four-step smudging. I have a quick and effective method for you.

Simply hold the pendulum in your left hand. Clear your mind. Ground yourself. Focus your intent on clear, positive, heart-love flowing vibrations.  As soon as you are ready, place your right hand about two inches above your item. With your focused intent, start moving your right hand in a clock-wise circle, moving up into a spiral. This should take four or five circles. Finish by closing your right hand to your left, with the item inside.

Yeah, some people will say this sounds like hocus-pocus. Well, I guess it really is. Hocus-pocus is a magickal method of changing vibrations. It is similar to alchemy. And these things cannot take place without focused intent. You have effectively changed the vibrations of your crystal’s energy.

Another quick tip: To change a room’s energy, that has stale or heavy vibrations, simply clap your hands! Start by the doorway and clap your hands four or five times. Then turning left, go to the first corner. Clap your hands up high, near the ceiling. Move on to each corner until you reach the doorway again. Finish by clapping one time at the doorway. This chases the heavy energies out the door.

…more metaphysical tips on the way…meanwhile go to http://www.PsychicIntegrity.com to get more information about the spirit and psychic worlds.

Blessings…M

 

]]> http://sarahpingeton.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/it-looks-like-your-neck-is-wearing-a-dress-modern-family-spoiler-alert/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:02:29 +0000 sarahpingeton http://sarahpingeton.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/it-looks-like-your-neck-is-wearing-a-dress-modern-family-spoiler-alert/

Tonight’s episode of Modern Family was especially humorous. Admittedly, I was disappointed with the lack of Halloween coverage in the episode. This is Halloween week after all, and as entertaining at the episode was, it made me miss most of  Hocus Pocus, and that really is a tragedy.

In fact, the episode (entitled “Run For Your Life”) chronicled the first day of school. Not Halloween at all. There were notes of Halloween, however, as Cameron and Mitchell had Lily dressed up in one hell of an outfit in one of the opening scenes, and when they took her to the doctor one of the walls seemed to be painted in a Halloween theme.

So, disappointing, but I suppose that the modern family very well may be Jehovah’s Witnesses anyway.

The beauty of Modern Family and this episode is really in the humor of the one (or few) liners. Jokes don’t need to be played out over 5 minute segments (though, when they are they work, too).

One such joke was in regards to Manny’s first day of school. He had taken a traditional Colombian poncho to show his friends, but Jay was trying to talk him out of it because he thought he would be made fun of (he claims the only places you can wear a poncho are at Niagra Falls and on log rides). When he got in an argument with Gloria, this fantastic exchange went down:

Gloria: Batman doesn’t get made fun of and he wears a cape! A poncho is just a cape that goes all the way around!

Jay: Batman doesn’t get made fun of because he’s a muscular genius. Manny can’t even make it to the top bunk.

Of course, the delivery helped tremendously in the humor, but there’s no denying that that is just plain funny.

“Run For Your Life” was full of such exchanges and one liners. Some regarding Lily (“Without you we wouldn’t even have a baby to injure,” for example), more regarding the poncho (“I thought you said it looked like my neck was wearing a dress,”), and some regarding Phil.

We also see fun things like Haley hitting Phil with the car and Lily in a “ghetto fabulous” afro wig in this episode. It turns a little cheesy meaning-of-life style at the end (think Scrubs style voiceover but a little more out of place), but it’s still totally excellent.

I thoroughly enjoyed my half hour. Modern Family gets a hard earned B+ this week.

]]> http://ladybusinessblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/things-i-like-hocus-pocus/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:42 +0000 Jenna http://ladybusinessblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/things-i-like-hocus-pocus/

I have a confession to make. I’m not a big fan of Halloween. I like free candy as much as the next person, but I’ve just never been that into Halloween. In my opinion, there are much more important holidays to celebrate throughout the year, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years Eve, my birthday, and the season premiere of Lost. I hate dressing up and stopped doing so when I was 11, the last year I went Trick-or-Treating. I also generally hate horror films, not because I’m easily scared, but because I think they’re lame. So when I was asked to write something in honor of Halloween I immediately went into panic mode. My column is supposed so be about things I like, and Halloween isn’t one of those things. But then inspiration struck. I could write a column about the best Halloween movie of all time: Hocus Pocus.

Hocus Pocus is a thoroughly magical movie. It has everything any good horror movie should have; witches, zombies, and a truly rockin’ musical number. (Here’s the Youtube video for you!)

The movie centers around three witches, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary, who are sisters and are basically really evil. Bette Midler, who turns in her best performance since Beaches, plays Winifred, the head witch. Sarah Jessica Parker, before she became Carrie Bradshaw and met a pair of tweezers, plays Sarah. And Kathy Najimy, of King of the Hill fame, plays Mary. (Thanks to Stacey for the assist on that one!)

The sisters feed off of the souls of children, and way back in the day they kill this little girl, Emily, while her brother Thackery (Best. Name. Ever.) is forced to watch. Thackery gets all mouthy and calls Winifred a hag, so she turns him into a talking cat, like Salem on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Then the witches are killed, 300 years go by, and this douche Max lights the Black-Flamed Candle which brings Winnie, Sarah, and Mary back to life.

And that’s when the poo really hits the fan. The witches try to suck Max’s little sister’s (Thora Birch) soul, Max and Thackery the cat Binx steal Winnie’s spellbook, and then the zombie shows up. And he can’t talk, because his mouth has been sewn shut. Zombie humor!

Then the witches are basically chasing Max, Thora, Thackery the cat Binx, and this girl Allison (who seems to have suspicious amount of knowledge about the witches) throughout the rest of the movie, during which the witches are forced to fly around on vaccuum cleaners. Sarah also attempts to sing the children of Salem to her, something that I took as a serious lesson as a kid. Whenever a blonde lady sings to you, it probably means she wants your soul.

But yeah, the kids, with the help of Thackery the cat, ultimately outsmart Winnie, Sarah, and Mary, who meet a rather dusty end when the suns rises. Death by sunlight: not just for vampires anymore. But that’s not the end! The death of the witches breaks the spell on Thackery the cat, and he becomes Thackery the ghost boy and sets off into the afterlife with his sister Emily.

If I had to give this movie a rating on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 3,768. Its awesomeness is that far off the charts. So while you’re stuffing your piehole with candy or bobbing for apples this Halloween, remember to leave enough time at the end of your evening to catch one of the 25 million television showings of Hocus Pocus. I promise it’ll be worth it.

]]> http://ondeadline.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/beyond-the-hocus-pocus-and-voodoo-of-writing/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:23:13 +0000 Vince http://ondeadline.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/beyond-the-hocus-pocus-and-voodoo-of-writing/ http://capslove.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/casting-spells-and-sjp/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:23:53 +0000 dazey2 http://capslove.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/casting-spells-and-sjp/

A. 48  10/27/09

My friend and I were discussing our favorite Halloween movies. I am particularly fond of Beetlejuice, The Shining, and Ghostbusters, among many others. My friend’s favorite Halloween movie is, Hocus Pocus.

I haven’t seen that movie in forever, but I do remember that the first time I saw the movie (probably on The Disney Channel) I immediately fell in love with the amazing movie. I would LOVE to see this movie, and unfortunately watching all the clips on I can find on YouTube, just isn’t the same.

However, I am bringing you one of the best scenes (that I can remember) from the movie. Aren’t the trio of witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) just great? And um wow. SJP is in this movie. Look how far she’s come!

And for kicks, here’s the original song, by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. What a classic Halloween song! Enjoy!

(There are also pretty amazing covers of this song too, like this ultra-bluesy version by The Animals and this trippy, rockin’ cover by Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Happy 4 Day Halloween Countdown!

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