sfregiata antica.
angusta porcellana-diafana luna-e poi? orchidea brillante.
ma va!
sono solo di nuovo nei golden years
-greta garbo-l'amore della mia vita-
e mi sono innamorata di fred e ginger- voglio ballare il tiptap anch'io-
-parlami di all about eve e ti svengo addosso. perchè, honey, se lo sai, sei il mio tipo-
e le vacanze romane- senza essere in vacanza- sono una princess anch'io!!

e tutto scorre amalgamandosi alle immagini.
ora sono in the red lips mood.

-glenn miller in the mood-

Last night, as Joshua Logan's film of Picnic (1955) unraveled the rather desperate lives conceived by playwright William Inge in the Kansas of his imagination on TCM, I found myself once more hoping that maybe this time, Arthur O'Connell would hop that freight with William Holden at the end of the movie. While the aging Holden and Kim Novak made a moving if unlikely couple, it was Arthur and SOTM Rosalind Russell's desperate date with destiny that always gives me chills. As Ms. Russell's schoolteacher character, who goes around defensively introducing herself as an old maid, experiences a booze-fired catharsis on Labor Day, she steamrolls poor Arthur, her indecisive, hapless suitor into marriage before the guy knows what hit him.

This role is well and vigorously played by Russell, (who should have allowed her name to be submitted for consideration as a Supporting Actress in the Oscar free for all for this film).

Still, I kept wondering, do they really have much more of a chance for happiness than Holden and Novak?

I have my doubts. Even if the pair are older and seemingly more settled, as Russell reflects at one point, she does "get crazier all the time" and O'Connell seems to have a spine of a wet noodle, and neither of those personality traits is likely to be a boon to marital bliss. Reflecting on Inge's annoyingly real characters, however, I sometimes wonder if the somewhat over-the-top high school teacher Roz played just wanted to get out of that boarding house she perched in for so long with the Owens family, consisting of abandoned Mom Betty Field and her daughters Kim "What good is it only being pretty?'' Novak and college-bound "ugly duckling" Susan Strasberg. Filmed in real homes in Nickerson, Kansas, the modest house, which reflects the genteel poverty of a family that is compelled by economic circumstances to rent a room seems to be a hotbed of female frustration, most loudly, that of Russell's increasingly ragged Miss Sydney. (Come to think of it, maybe Betty Field, Kim Novak, Susan Strasberg and Rosalind Russell should've been the ones hopping that freight out of their small town. On second thought, perhaps they should ride the rails separately. All of them in one box car together might not hold that much estrogen comfortably). Though I am, as usual, being facetious, I must admit that movies that explore the psycho-social petri dish of the long gone institution of boarding houses do interest me.

Maybe we kid ourselves about our love of movies. Go ahead, if you must, intellectualize this most civilized of pleasures. Still, it's not just the story, the actors or the cinematography that enchants us. It's also because a movie can take us places and times we could never experience in one lifetime; making time travelers of each of us.

There was a time when a boarding house on screen was as familiar a setting to movie audiences as a dusty Western street or an art deco penthouse. It was still a part of everyday life through the years of World War Two on screen and off, but there are few boarding houses in movies today. People live in apartments, modest homes, and occasionally in palatial houses and sometimes secret lairs, (if they're superheroes), but classic films seemed to delight in depicting this plebeian sign of a mobile population in need of cheap housing. Boarding houses still exist in corners of our society, but on screen, these temporary quarters were often seen by filmmakers as a chance to to bring some very disparate characters together. After all, there was some dramatic potential in any setting where strangers take up residence, sharing bathrooms, kitchens, common living rooms and a certain amount of forced intimacy that almost seems exotic to contemporary viewers.

Barely existing now, (though there are some urban planners who think the boarding house concep may be poised for a comeback), in the movies the depiction of boarding houses served to give us a glimpse of American social history---however it was sometimes idealized. The concept of a boarding house, which, in America and Britain arose out of the rapid urbanization in the 19th century and business booms such as the Gold Rush in isolated areas, along with the rise in high-priced housing (some things never change, alas), and a highly mobile working population following economic trends. Some of the movies set in these temporary households have intrigued me enough to decide to devote an occasional blog to this social phenomenon by occasionally looking at boarding houses in the cinema. Here's a first look at one of my favorites in this sub-genre, the theatrical boarding house, at its peak on film:

The theatrical boarding house, filled with ambitious, anxious would-be actors, whose status is often gauged by how well the landlady feeds those who are "between engagements", was a setting of several entertaining movies in the '30s and '40s. Often maintained by a woman whose show biz prospects dried up at about the same time that Mr. Right blew out of town, such movies as Stage Door* (1937), It All Came True (1940), The Lady With Red Hair(1940) and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) all offer glimpses of this once thriving institution.

Somewhere in a hospitality netherworld between a private home and a residential hotel, boarding houses of varying degrees of luxury were a fact of life for the vagabond existence lived by everyone from the illustrious Barrymores, Booths and Bernhardt to vaudevillians with acts featuring baboons on roller skates. One of the most memorable depictions of such a place was "The Footlights Club", immortalized in Gregory La Cava 's antic adaptation of Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman play of their 1936 Broadway play. Written with an arch anti-Hollywood flair by the noted playwrights, the play, which incorporated elements of the penurious existence of young women on the fringes of show business, became something more interesting in Stage Door (1937). Using semi-improvisational dialogue and a large cast of verbally dextrous actresses, including a fast-talking Ginger Rogers, working her way out of her niche as Fred's dance partner, Katharine Hepburn as a naive patrician taking a flyer on the "theauh-tuh", and the delicious Eve Arden as a cat-toting wisecracker as well as a very young Lucille Ball as a gal from Seattle; the large cast developed a way of talking over one another that seemed modern yet familiar, spontaneous and like a slightly seedy sorority. The camaraderie is constantly in motion, changing and evolving as each of the characters blows off steam or cheers one another's small triumphs. The portrait of this lively household is rounded out by a touching Andrea Leeds as a girl whose initial success leads to the inevitable heartbreak and even a few non-showbiz women such as the elderly proprietress, Mrs. Orcutt (Elizabeth Dunne), who ineffectually tries to referee the loud, free-for-all arguments amongst the women by shouting: "Girls! What's going on here?...How do you expect me to run a respectable house...?"

The flippant remarks by the residents, especially those tossed off by Ginger Rogers, is epitomized in the exchange she has with the hissable Gail Patrick and the clueless, very formal Hepburn, who, hearing Ginger's roommates snickering, notes that "Evidently, you're a very amusing person." Patrick, as a cynical conniver dating the far older producer (Adolphe Menjou) for whatever it can gain her, is not above stealing Rogers' last nylons when she needs them. As Ginger leaves the room, she haughtily murmurs, mocking both Kate and Gail, "If you young ladies will pardon me, I shall take the wolfhounds for a stroll through the park. To Gail Patrick's character of Linda she adds "Oh, need I remind you that Mr. Powell's car awaits without." Because of the dialogue such as this, the touching moments at just the right time in the film, and the zest of all the performances, Stage Door remains one of the freshest films of the '30s.

Today, if you walk down West 53rd Street in bustling Manhattan near Columbus Circle between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and pause before the building at Number 45 you'll see the American Folk Art Museum , one of my favorite spots in the metropolis, though not just because of the folk art. Granted, the exterior of the museum, (seen below) may not be the most organically lovely structure to house American quilts, primitive paintings and "outsider" art, but, if you listen carefully, you just might hear some remembered laughter and a few tears that were once shed on this very spot, when a place called The Rehearsal Club once occupied that spot.

The club, begun in July, 1913 by an Episcopalian lady named Miss Jane Hall with an interest in theatrics, was the inspiration for Stage Door. According to a contemporary news report, "intended to provide only those girls in immediate need" with a safe place to stay along with something to eat and to help those "whose girlish dreams are unrealized" with some respite from the solitude of the sprawling city's urban anonymity. It soon became a spot well known to aspiring actresses in the New York area where they could live frugally. Over the years, the club housed generations of would-be stars and working actresses trying to save a few pennies in between auditions, including Margaret Sullavan, (who would star in the play about the place in 1936), Carol Burnett, (who had the gumption to start "The First Annual Rehearsal Club Revue" showcasing the talents of the residents),character actress Liz Sheridan, (who met her boyfriend James Dean in the cafeteria there before he was famous) Leigh Taylor-Young, and even a Sandy Duncan or two. Eventually underwritten in part by The Theatre Guild , it lasted until 1980, when the city, in its infinite wisdom, decided to revoke the tax free status of the club, (hey, anything for the arts, right?). At least the real estate on the former site is still devoted to some form of the arts.
________________________________
* Stage Door (1937) is scheduled to be shown on TCM on the following upcoming dates:
Aug. 30th@ 9:30AM ET
Sept. 15th@ 10:30PM ET
Oct. 15@ 8:00AM ET

_____________________________________
Sources:
The New York Times,"Rehearsal Club, For Lonely Girls". July 6, 1913.
Ferber, Edna, Kauffman, George S., Stage Door, Dramatist Play Service Inc., 1941.
Morris, Gary, "Forgotten Master: The Career of Gregory La Cava", Bright Lights Film Journal, May, 2004.

From pbs.org: George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn in 1898, the second of four children from a close-knit immigrant family. He began his musical career as a song-plugger on Tin Pan Alley, but was soon writing his own pieces. Gershwin's first published song, "When You Want ‘Em, You Can't Get ‘Em," demonstrated innovative new techniques, but only earned him five dollars. Soon after, however, he met a young lyricist named Irving Ceaser. Together they composed a number of songs including "Swanee," which sold more than a million copies. In the same year as "Swanee," Gershwin collaborated with Arthur L. Jackson and Buddy De Sylva on his first complete Broadway musical, "La, La Lucille". Over the course of the next four years, Gershwin wrote forty-five songs; among them were "Somebody Loves Me" and "Stairway to Paradise," as well as a twenty-five-minute opera, "Blue Monday." Composed in five days, the piece contained many musical clichés, but it also offered hints of developments to come.  In 1924, George collaborated with his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, on a musical comedy "Lady Be Good". It included such standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "The Man I Love." It was the beginning of a partnership that would continue for the rest of the composer's life. Together they wrote many more successful musicals including "Oh Kay!" and "Funny Face", staring Fred Astaire and his sister Adele. While continuing to compose popular music for the stage, Gershwin began to lead a double life, trying to make his mark as a serious composer.  When he was 25 years old, his jazz-influenced "Rhapsody in Blue" premiered in New York's Aeolian Hall at the concert, "An Experiment in Music." The audience included Jascha Heifitz, Fritz Kreisler, Leopold Stokowski, Serge Rachmaninov, and Igor Stravinsky. Gershwin followed this success with his orchestral work "Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody No. 2" and "An American in Paris". Serious music critics were often at a loss as to where to place Gershwin's classical music in the standard repertoire. Some dismissed his work as banal and tiresome, but it always found favor with the general public.  In the early thirties, Gershwin experimented with some new ideas in Broadway musicals. "Strike Up The Band", "Let ‘Em Eat Cake", and "Of Thee I Sing", were innovative works dealing with social issues of the time. "Of Thee I Sing" was a major hit and the first comedy ever to win the Pulitzer Prize. In 1935 he presented a folk opera "Porgy and Bess" in Boston with only moderate success. Now recognized as one of the seminal works of American opera, it included such memorable songs as "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Loves You, Porgy," and "Summertime."  In 1937, after many successes on Broadway, the brothers decided go to Hollywood. Again they teamed up with Fred Astaire, who was now paired with Ginger Rogers. They made the musical film, "Shall We Dance", which included such hits as "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Soon after came "A Damsel in Distress", in which Astaire appeared with Joan Fontaine. After becoming ill while working on a film, he had plans to return to New York to work on writing serious music. He planned a string quartet, a ballet and another opera, but these pieces were never written. At the age of 38, he died of a brain tumor. Today he remains one of America's most beloved popular musicians.

With this one starts my continuous love of cinematic gold. Since I can't produce my own, I'll just have to find my favorite ones and attribute my favorite cinematographers, directors, actors, etc. 

Tonight's image comes from Kung Fu Hustle. Stephen Chow is one of my favorite geniuses. This image is perfection as I've come to learn it. Anyone else?

Day 88 178

.

Yesterday, I finally had "the talk" with Chris about my 90 day challenge.  And, perhaps not unsurprisingly, he was completely supportive.

Though he thought I could modify the plan.

One of his major concerns was the availability of health insurance, especially for when we start our family.  Another thing he wanted to do was get out savings up to a specific amount.  (We basically decimated it for the downpayment.)  Also, he thought it would be best to wait until the end of the year.

And the idea of starting 'fresh' in January appeals to me.

You might be wondering how he can be so 'ok' with the whole idea, but the fact of the matter is that when we met he, too, was in a comfort zone.  He had worked for the same company for 14 years.  He started after highschool and just...never...left.

He said that meeting me was the catalyst for his personal transformation.  He got his degree and started working in a field that truly matched his in-born potentials.

Last night as we were walking off the field, right after we lost our kickball game, I was thinking that it didn't matter that we lost...because we were together.  And that struck me with the force of a ten ton brick.  No matter what we do, as long as he is beside me, as my partner in crime, life will be amazing.  I'll be happy.

I shouldn't be surprised that this process is highlighting how important marriage can be.

I learned something a while back about men and women that has transformed our marriage into a partnership.  What a man needs to feel truly fulfilled and happy is to feel he is fulfilling his purpose.  Whereas what a woman needs is love and connection.

As long as a woman is fully loved, things could be 'eh' at work and she will be happy.  As long as a man feels purpose through his passion, he will bring that passion and his open heart home.

By insisting that he follow his purpose early in our relationship, I had built the foundation for what I reaped last night.  Total 100% support and love.  So, no matter what happens, I am in a way already living the life I dreamed.

He's got my back.  With him I will go farther than I ever would alone.  And my heart could burst with joy.

Su nombre verdadero era Frederick Austerlitz, y nació en Omaha, Nebraska, el 10 de mayo de 1899, de padres emigrantes (su padre era austriaco, y sus abuelos por parte de madre, alemanes, aunque ella había nacido ya en Estados Unidos).

Desde una edad muy temprana se aficionó a la danza, siguiendo el ejemplo de su hermana Adele, y demostró en poco tiempo estar extraordinariamente dotado para ella.

Cuando Fred contaba once años, debutaron en el teatro formando pareja. Fue por entonces cuando cambiaron su apellido, que se atribuye a un tío apellidado L´Astaire.

Formaron pareja durante varios años, hasta que su hermana se casó en 1932 con su primer marido, uno de los hijos del británico Duque de Devonshire, pero en ese tiempo, realizaron multitud de giras por el país, y cosecharon grandes éxitos con sus espectáculos de vodevil.

Debutaron en Broadway en 1917 con “Over The Top”, que tuvo muy buena acogida, y ya en los años 20, aunque siguieron actuando en Broadway, también lo hicieron en Europa, concretamente en Inglaterra, en teatros londinenses, en donde también fueron aclamados por sus actuaciones.

A partir de 1932, y ya sin Adele, Fred Astaire continuó en solitario con el mismo éxito, a caballo de Broadway y Londres.

Se dice que su entrada en Hollywood fue (por decirlo de alguna manera), controvertida.

RKO Pictures le hizo una prueba cinematográfica, y en el informe de esta prueba, se podía leer: "No puede cantar. No puede actuar. Con entradas. Puede bailar un poco.". Astaire años más tarde, en 1980, en una entrevista televisiva, confirmó este hecho, aunque puntualizó las frases. "No puede actuar. Ligeramente calvo. También baila".

Afortunadamente, el informe de la prueba no afectó al contrato que la RKO pensaba ofrecerle, y, firmado este, lo cedió a MGM para que debutara al lado de Joan Crawford, en “Dancing Lady” (1933), un musical que se convirtió en un éxito de taquilla. En ella trabajaba un ya conocido Clark Gable, que todavía no disfrutaba del status que pronto alcanzaría, y a un año vista de protagonizar “Sucedió una noche”.

Ya con la RKO Pictures, el mismo año, trabajó junto a Ginger Rogers y Dolores del Río, en “Flying Down to Rio”, y recibió excelentes críticas por parte de la revista “Variety”, que atribuyó el gran éxito de la película a la figura del nuevo actor-bailarín. Todo esto influyó en que Astaire aceptara seguir rodando películas musicales del mismo corte, y con la misma pareja de baile: Ginger Rogers, con la que llegó a trabajar para la gran pantalla en un total de diez films, todos ellos de una excelente calidad. Varios figuran ahora entre los mejores rodados en los años 30.

A mediados de esa década, ya estaban consagradados.

La pareja, y la coreografía del propio Astaire, en colaboración con Hermes Pan, hicieron que el baile se convirtiera en un elemento importante de los musicales de Hollywood, revolucionando así el concepto que hasta entonces se tenía de ellos.

En lo que respecta a esa unión profesional en la pantalla, pocas veces ha calado tan hondo en el espectador, la química que desprendían en sus actuaciones. Astaire, un consumado profesional para el que nada era un reto, y Rogers, una buena bailarina y actriz que sabía dejarse guiar por su pareja, formaron un equipo irrepetible.

A pesar de los éxitos que aportaban sus películas, Fred Astaire no quería seguir vinculado a una pareja de baile. Rodó en solitario “A Damsel in Distress”, en 1937, pero no obtuvo el éxito esperado. Hizo dos películas más con la Rogers, y dejó la RKO en 1939. Doce años más tarde (1949) se reunieron de nuevo en su última aparición como pareja, en “The Barkleys of Broadway”.

Innovador, perfeccionista, y al mismo tiempo con una gran capacidad de improvisación, marcó un estilo que ha sido imitado por muchos, aunque no mejorado. Abarcaba todas las formas baile, y las podía mezclar en una misma actuación con resultados asombrosos.

Como cantante (aunque el nunca quiso valorarse en esta faceta), poseía una voz suave, que matizaba las palabras, dotándolas del mismo lirismo y elegancia que se desprendía de su baile. Muchos de los grandes compositores de aquel tiempo crearon canciones para el, entre ellos, Cole Porter.

Ya en solitario, trabajó al lado de otras estrellas que también intervenían en el género musical. Bing Crosby, Eleanor Powel, Paulette Goddard, Rita Hayworth, o Gene Kelly, fueron sus parejas en esa nueva andadura.

En 1946 anunció su retirada del cine, para llevar a cabo sus proyectos de abrir una cadena de escuelas de baile, pero su ausencia no fue larga, pues en 1948, la MGM le convenció para volver, y protagonizar “Desfile de Pascua”, junto a Judy Garland y Ann Miller. Marcó este regreso una nueva serie de éxitos que abarcó los años 50, y trabajó en nuevos musicales al lado de Betty Hutton, Jane Powell, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron o Audrey Hepburn.

En 1949 la Academia de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de Hollywood le concedió un Oscar honorífico por su contribución al séptimo arte en el género de la comedia musical. Un cuarto de siglo más tarde, fue nominado como mejor actor secundario por su trabajo en “El Coloso en llamas”.

A finales de los años 50, y para dar un giro nuevo a su carrera, “El príncipe de la danza”, como se le llamaba, comunicó a los medios que definitivamente abandonaba los musicales para la gran pantalla. Quería abordar otros géneros, y ser simplemente actor. Lo dejaba, pero también un legado. En veinticinco años de profesión, había protagonizado más de veinte musicales.

En 1959 participa en “La hora final” (1959), de Stanley Kramer, y su composición del personaje de Julián Osbone, en la opresiva y excelente película sobre el holocausto nuclear, le aporta excelentes críticas.

Su última aparición en la pantalla fue en “Ghost Story” (1981).

Astaire contrajo matrimonio en dos ocasiones. Su primera esposa fue Phyllis Baker Potter con la que tuvo dos hijos, Frederick y Ava. En 1980 contrajo el segundo con Robin Smith, cuarenta y cuatro años más joven que el, con la que permaneció hasta su muerte, ocurrida en Los Ángeles el 22 de junio de 1987.

-

Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers

Para ver su filmografía completa, pinchad aquí

Rock band Duran Duran, the group behind the hits "Come Undone," "Reflex" and "Hungry Like The Wolf," slammed the music industry's number one copyright infringer Madonna, stating she copied them.

Dudes, join the line, you are a few of many....and I do mean many, she's stolen from. It's so disgraceful what that fraud has done.

Duran Duran Accuse Madonna Of Copying Their Ideas

“It wouldn’t be the first time Madonna’s copied us. She’s been doing it for years,” he told the Daily Star.

http://www.gigwise.com

RECAP:

The so-called "iconic" images - well, none of it was real - she stole it all to go with all the music she stole:

Greta Garbo rip off

Jean Harlow rip off

Jean Harlow rip off

Jane Mansfield rip off

Jane Russell rip off

Gina Lollobrigida rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marlene Dietrich rip off

Marlene Dietrich rip off

Marlene Dietrich rip off

Bette Davis rip off

Bette Davis rip off

Brigitte Bardot rip off

Brigitte Bardot rip off

Chrissie Hynde rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Audrey Hepburn rip off

Ginger Rogers rip off

http://madonnarevelations.blogspot.com (NSFW)

http://www.judiciaryreport.com

]]> http://obscureclassics.wordpress.com/?p=72 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:22:13 +0000 obscureclassics http://obscureclassics.wordpress.com/?p=72

Ginger Rogers is my favorite actress. She's mostly remembered today for being Fred Astaire's dance partner throughout the 1930s. But Rogers had an acting talent that went beyond that. She was a fantastic and graceful dancer, but she should be remembered as so much more. Her range was unbelievable. She could make a fantastic screwball comedy, and then turn around and make a melodrama, giving great performances in both. Rogers stopped dancing with Astaire in 1939 with The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (they'd re-team just once more, ten years later, for The Barkleys of Broadway) to focus on a career in non-musical films. Almost immediately her talent was recognized and she won an Academy Award for her performance in the 1940 film Kitty Foyle. Unfortunately, though, so many of her sans-Fred films aren't remembered today. Here are some of the best.

Primrose Path (Gregory La Cava, 1940)

The same year she gave her award winning performance in Kitty Foyle, she gave an even better performance in Primrose Path, as the daughter of a prostitute who tries to escape her life by marrying Joel McCrea. This is one of the most beautiful love stories put out by the studio system. It's about the importance of honesty in a marriage. It's surprising that this film got past the Production Code, not just because it featured characters who were clearly prostitutes, but because these characters were sympathetic. Marjorie Rambeau (who received an Oscar nomination for the role) played Rogers' mother and a basically good woman simply doing what she was taught in order to support her family. Her relationship with Rogers is gentle. She only wants the best for her children. Primrose Path is a really brave film for the time it was made, and it's just one of the best romance films I've ever seen.

Rafter Romance (William A. Seiter, 1933)

Rafter Romance is actually a pre-Fred film. It's a simple but incredible sweet and pretty funny romance. Rogers and Norman Foster play two people who share an apartment - he lives there during the day, she lives there at night. They never meet, but they still can't stand each other. Of course, they meet outside of the apartment, not realizing the other is the person they believe they can't stand, and they fall in love. This is definitely one of the most original romantic comedies of the early 1930s. Rogers is completely charming, and Norman Foster is a good match for her. They're both just so endlessly cute.

Romance In Manhattan (Stephen Roberts, 1935)

It's amazing that such a simple romantic dramady can be so moving. Francis Lederer plays an immigrant who is in the country illegally. He's taken in by Rogers and her kid brother. It's really as simple as that. The three just try to make a living and stay afloat while Lederer and Rogers fall in love. But it's such a sincere and genuine romance. It's made with so much heart from all involved. And it has one of the funniest finales ever.

Star of Midnight (Stephen Roberts, 1935)

Star of Midnight is my favorite Thin Man knockoff. It's central mystery is really very interesting, and it has a certain "strange" feeling that I think sets it apart from other screwball mysteries. Powell stars in this (and he's great, as always) with Rogers as his much younger and very eager love interest. She goes after everything with determination and vigor, whether it's trying to solve the case or trying to get Powell to marry her. I really wish these two had made more movies together. They were a perfect fit.

Vivacious Lady (George Stevens, 1938)

Vivacious Lady is a sweet romantic comedy made great by the brilliant pairing of Ginger Rogers and James Stewart. They both had an "everyman" feel to them, which made them an incredibly relatable couple. You want so badly for them to be happy together because they're so normal and remind you of yourself. I also like that it's not really a movie about two people falling in love. They get married early on in the film. The movie is about them trying to break the news to his family, and staying together while they do it. It's just an adorable movie.

Bachelor Mother (Garson Kanin, 1939)

This is one of Rogers' very best performances. She plays a woman who has to raise an orphaned baby she finds on her own because nobody believes it's not hers. In the meantime, she begins to fall in love with David Niven, her boss's son who takes an interest in caring for the baby as well. This movie is so great because, in addition to the great romance between Rogers and Niven, it's wonderful to watch Rogers' love for the baby, that's not even hers, grow. It's one of the most interesting and beautiful relationships in film.

5th Avenue Girl (Gregory La Cava, 1939)

5th Avenue Girl is such a good movie because it has so much going for it. First would be the relationship between Rogers and Walter Connolly. Connolly plays a wealthy man who is ignored by his family, she when he meets Rogers on a park bench he takes her in and the two pretend they're having an affair in the hopes that the family will finally pay attention to what he's doing. Rogers and Connolly bond and form a really nice father/daughter relationship that's the heart of the movie. But the movie has three love stories going on. Throughout the film, Connolly and his wife eventually find their way back to each other. Connolly's daughter is in love with the chauffer, who seems to be something of a communist. The best love story, though, you don't realize is there until about halfway through the movie. Rogers and Connolly's son, Tim Holt, fall in love. It's a strangely done romance, I'm not even sure I can really describe it, but it's a really strong film all together.

Tom, Dick, and Harry (Garson Kanin, 1941)

Rogers played a character in Tom, Dick, and Harry who was a little... simpler than most of her other characters. She dreams of romance and love, but can't choose between three different guys: the regular guy who's working his way up to management at a local store, the millionaire, and the poor guy. The best part about this movie is that each of the guys has their pros and their cons, and you really have no idea who she'll choose in the end. She gives a really adorable performance, and this movie is just cute.

Tales of Manhattan (Julian Duvivier, 1942)

In this series of loosely connected vignettes, Ginger Rogers has one of the best stories. It's a little, short, self contained story about Rogers finding out her fiancee is a cad and realizing his pal, Henry Fonda, is perfect for her. It's short, sweet, and funny. And Rogers and Fonda are SO good together. Watching this, it's hard to believe they never made any other films together. They were such a good pairing.

I'll Be Seeing You (William Dieterle, 1944)

This movie is SO amazing. While there were a lot of movies being made to show how awesome soldiers were and to spread patriotic propaganda during the war, I'll Be Seeing You was one of the first films to really take a look at the negative effects the war was having on the soldiers. This movie gives us two incredibly flawed, complicated, and damaged characters and allows them to fall in love. It's just such a beautiful movie. You really didn't see movies and characters like this too much in classic film.

By Katie Richardson

(636 words and 32 categories, 8 of which I'll probably never use again! WOO!)

• WHAT IS UP WITH THAT HAROMONI@ EPISODE WITH MAKO. She was there for only a minute! I was looking forward to much more than that. She's so under appreciated. -_-
• Speaking of things coming back, I brought back my blogroll.
• I don't like the new Berryz song. It's just...blaaah.
• Why wasn't Miyabi fired or suspended? It's not fair that they punish Yaguchi, Miki, Kago, and Nacchi, but leave Miyabi alone. *angry*
• When will new information on the Milky Way contest come out? Hopefully...soon. I mean, people have to design entries, submit them, a winner must be chosen, the costumes must be designed, then there must be the regular making of the single and PV...all by October. I wouldn't be surprised if the release was pushed back.
• I have a feeling MoMusu will release their ninth album soon. They tend to release one album every four singles, so it's about time.
• I love the recent KAT-TUN release. Maybe I'll review it later.
• I wonder if I'll stick to that plan. I'm not good at saying what I'll write next. Like that series that I was going to start, and then when I said I would write about Cinderella/Complex, I didn't do it. It's a bad trait, yes. :( But I prefer being free in my writing.
• Ongaku Gatas kind of went poof. Possibly. UFA might have realized that they just don't have a lot of potential. Gatas is good, but music Gatas...mm, not really.
• Something is terribly wrong with this picture.
• Wait. Did...did Koha dye her hair? Now she's even scarier. D:
• Look! It's Konkon! She looks like a princess, sort of. This should make up for scary Kusumi.
  
• AWW, A LAMB.
  
• I find this picture amazingly KAWAII. (Just a note: My opinions on what's kawaii is often very different from most other people. XD)
• Bananas! In pajamas! Are coming down the stairs!
• I'll stop linking to pictures now.
• Yuuka reminds me of Momoko. There's just one difference: I like Yuuka. XD
• Noto Arisa draws people well.
• Crap, I linked to a picture again. XD Well, while I'm at it, take a look at this and this. :D (They'll hopefully make up for that Momoko comment. :P)
• Yes, that second picture is Yuko.
• Speaking of which, it's about time for Yuko's yearly single! Not really, it hasn't been a year yet. But it should be. D: And Yuko should get more than one single a year.
• I MISS BIYUUDEN. Even if their final single wasn't what it could have been. They should have gotten their own song, not done a cover of a MM one. Sure, all the members got a solo song, but we said farewell to Biyuuden: the group, didn't we?
• I MISS W TOO.
• Aww, cheer up! I know it's sad that they're gone. Maybe this bunny will help.
• I make such stupid comics. XD
• The B-Side to Cinderella/Complex is really neat. It would be a good para-para song...haha.
• They look so sweet together!
• HELP, HELLO KITTY IS IN MY BENTO BOX.
• If you don't like your computer, you can always eat it. But boy, you have a lot of seaweed to eat. XD
• Why do Mac owners hate their computers? It seems like every Mac owner I've talked to say they like Windows more. And look, a lot of Windows owners like Macs. The grass is always greener on the other side, I suppose.
• Berryz Berryz Berryz Berryz Berryz Berryz C-ute. Parody of Duck-duck-goose. C-ute isn't bad, it just sounds better that way. :P

That is all. :)

June 9. 2008

Mad-onna

As many of you know, I think Madonna is a terrible human being. She’s stolen vast amounts of copyrighted music, film, clothing and photos from my preexisting Copyrighted Catalog containing 10,000 songs, 300 movie scripts and short stories, 15 book manuscripts, 200 music video treatments, 500 photographs, 150 photo treatments, a perfume line and clothing line.

Hence this page on my site illustrating she is a sick, crazy, vulgar, common, low class thief with no talent, who has stolen from DOZENS of copyright holders around the world.

Today, I found a blog http://madonnarevelations.blogspot.com (NSFW) that unmasked additional Madonna thefts that are appalling. This stuff is really stunning. The blog proved once and for all that Madonna is a complete, unadulterated fraud that stole from everyone to put together her farce of a career. Nothing she has done is original.

View the images below for yourself and watch how the blatant thefts pop right out at you. It’s really terrible how far she has gone in stealing from everyone.

The photos are additional evidence that illustrate from day one there’s been nothing real about Madonna’s career. It’s all been a fraud. From the music to the videos to the images, all stolen from other people’s preexisting copyrighted works she butchered.

That’s another thing – butchering people’s work. In viewing the following photos, one can’t help but notice how unwise she is in ripping off photographs of beautiful women - they make her look like dog chow in comparison.

Madonna, if you’re going to rip off people’s photos, which is illegal and is also known as copyright infringement, rip off items from the Lord Of The Rings, then at least you’ll have a chance.

The so-called "iconic" images - well, none of it was real - she stole it all to go with all the music she stole:

Greta Garbo rip off

Jean Harlow rip off

Jean Harlow rip off

Jane Mansfield rip off

Jane Russell rip off

Gina Lollobrigida rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marilyn Monroe rip off

Marlene Dietrich rip off

Marlene Dietrich rip off

Marlene Dietrich rip off

Bette Davis rip off

Bette Davis rip off

Brigitte Bardot rip off

Brigitte Bardot rip off

Chrissie Hynde rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Princess Diana rip off

Audrey Hepburn rip off

Ginger Rogers rip off

Story found here

Grandma Shellie

ZUMBA FITNESS is latin inspired dance aerobics. It's exciting, it's exercise yet doesn't feel like exercise. It feels like a party.The music has a pulsating beat and the steps are from cha-cha, mambo, salsa, merengue, cumbia, bachata, flamenco, reggaeton, hip-hop and even includes some belly-dancing.You don't need a partner and you don't even have to be a dancer. All you need is your enthusiasm, willingness to show up and love of music.

ZUMBA helps you burn calories, reduce stress, burn fat, reduces pain, sculpts your body, great cardio workout, enhances socialization, improves mind-body coordination, releases endorphins in the brain, the happy hormones, helps reduce depression, anxiety, fear and worry.

I specialize in ZUMBA GOLD, created for a different population than ZUMBA FITNESS classes which generally attract a younger, more physically fit student. ZUMBA GOLD classes cater to active adults 55+ , and people who are beginners to ZUMBA and people who have not exercised for a long time. ZUMBA GOLD may include those who require a SEATED class due to physical limitation and who love to dance and for those who are wheelchair bound.

I teach 3 classes of ZUMBA GOLD currently at 2 locations in Arizona

Scottsdale @ Abby Bella Dance Studio

• Mon 9:30am- ZUMBA GOLD
• Wed 9:30am- ZUMBA GOLD

Phoenix @ Fat Cat

• Thurs 11am- ZUMBA GOLD

I have been a dancer all my life, ballroom, latin, swing, twist and whatever new dance craze came into the world, I learned it and did it. I never took dance lessons. I just watched people, duplicated their style, practiced anddanced the latest dances. When I was younger, the challenge every real dancer faced was that all the dances required having a partner. It was great when we had a partner, but then there were times we didn't.

In 1957, I was very fortunate to have met a great man at a college dance, married him 3 yrs later and we danced and we danced and we danced. He and I were like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on the dance floor. People would clear the floor when we got up to dance just to watch us. We were an amazing dance team and we never stopped dancing until our divorce 20 years later. Since then, I've danced with many dancers, but never found a dance partner to dance with on a regular basis.

I was so very frustrated and sad that I wasn't dancing as much as I really, really wanted to. I started to skate indoors at a skating rink only if there was skate dancing to great music, where I could dance on skates and didn't need a partner. Going to dances with my girlfriends was always a challenge. Sometimes we had partners and sometimes we sat during a dance. Sometimes we danced with each other. Women are lucky that we can do that if we need to.That's the tough part of being a dancer. We don't like to sit out the dances when we're there to dance. Sometimes we ask men to dance, sometimes they ask us. Sometimes people say NO. When at a dance, I rarely refuse an invitation to dance. I am there to dance and I do.

Then ZUMBA FITNESS came into my life. I was living in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, turned on the TV and saw Beto dancing, selling his new DVDs. That was the beginning of my ZUMBA life. I bought the DVDs, practiced at home, was determined to find out if there were classes in NM, how could I become a ZUMBA FITNESS INSTRUCTOR. The possibility of dancing again, this time without needing a partner, was now a genuine possibility.I was like a fish out of water for many, many years- feeling the rhythm, playing rhythmic music in my car, in my home, at my office all the time. So frustrated that I wasn't able to dance as much as I wanted to since I didn't like going to dances and sitting and watching dancers, while the music was playing.I WAS BORN TO DANCE.

In 2003, I eventually moved to FL for take care of a family matter and continued to research ZUMBA FITNESS TRAINING and discovered that the headquarters were in Miami, FL. I was hooked. ZUMBA satisfies my need to move to the music. It satisfies my need to dance with other people without requiring a partner. I could dance every day wherever I live now. I am so happy that Beto was discovered as he came from Colombia with his choreography and his vision.

In 2006, my dad became very ill and I was the primary caregiver living in Florida. I was frightened. I was depressed. I had a great deal of anxiety. I tried to manage my own life and health while my dad was at the end of his life. My mom had passed the same year as 9-11, August, 2001 and now I was facing the loss of my only surviving parent. I barely had enough energy to sleep and eat, I was so consumed with worry. What I decided to do was actually pretty amazing. I would leave to go home with my dad in critical care at the hospital, depressed, worried, very sad and put on my ZUMBA DVDs and dance. I danced away my pain and sadness and worry. I learned that you cannot dance and worry at the same time. Dancing temporarily eliminated all my negative feelings. I was then able to sleep, able to eat, and have the energy to face the next day wondering if my dad was going to pass that day. ZUMBA gave me the energy I needed to do what I had to do when he did pass.

Thank you Beto. Thank you ZUMBA. This is WHY I ZUMBA.

Sure, we've all seen the big James Stewart classics. It's a Wonderful Life, Vertigo, Rear Window, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and so on. But Stewart also made a lot of really great movies that don't get a lot of love nowadays. So, with this place being all about obscure classics, here are some of my favorite James Stewart movies that deserve more love.

The Mortal Storm (Frank Borzage, 1940)

One of the best films from the master Frank Borzage. The Mortal Storm is a really fantastic movie about pre-war Germany and the rise of Nazism. Sure, Stewart, Robert Young, and Margaret Sullavan might be a little hard to believe as Germans, but they all put in very strong performances (especially Young, in a role that really breaks type) in this heartbreaking film. Definitely a brave movie for 1940.

Come Live With Me (George Cukor, 1941)

Come Live With Me is a really simple, subtle love story. That subtlety really makes the film a beautiful romance. Stewart had great chemistry with Hedy Lamarr. I'm not entirely sure what it is about this movie that I adore so much, but it just feels genuine. It feels very real.

Vivacious Lady (George Stevens, 1938)

Ginger Rogers and James Stewart were a fantastic pairing. I wish they had made more films together. The story is very cute, but Rogers and Stewart together make is a truly great romance.

Made For Each Other (John Cromwell, 1939)

Stewart and Carole Lombard had an excellent chemistry, and I wish they had the chance to make a comedy together before Lombard's death. Made for Each Other is a very strong romance about the struggles of marriage which comes across as very realistic and honest. One of the best films from the golden year of 1939.

Poca broma también la creatividad de Busby Berkeley, y la forma Toby Wing de pasar un número musical entero sin bailar y que no nos demos cuenta, encantados con su sonrisa y su hipntoismo. Su estrella en Hollywood se la dieron por eso, obviamente. No es mala forma de pasar la Depresión americana, ni para ella ni para sus espectadores.

PD: esta tarde, más poemas, más Ateneo, o sea, lo mismo de siempre, pero mejor. Orfila, 18:00.

Born into a family of high military honor and economic success dominated by a powerful father, Stewart developed an interest in theater while attending Princeton University. Upon graduation, he roomed with the then-unknown Henry Fonda, and the two began a friendship that lasted a lifetime. While he harbored a secret unrequited love for Margaret Sullavan, Stewart was paired with many of Hollywood�s most famous, most beautiful, and most alluring leading ladies during his extended bachelorhood, among them Ginger Rogers, Olivia de Havilland, Loretta Young, and the notorious Marlene Dietrich.

After becoming a star playing a hero in Frank Capra�s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in 1939 and winning an Academy Award the following year for his performance in George Cukor�s The Philadelphia Story, Stewart was drafted into the Armed Forces and became a hero in real life. When he returned to Hollywood, he discovered that not only the town had changed, but so had he. Stewart�s combat experiences left him emotionally scarred, and his deepening darkness perfectly positioned him for the �50s, in which he made his greatest films, for Anthony Mann (Winchester �73 and Bend of the River) and, most spectacularly, Alfred Hitchcock, in his triple meditation on marriage, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo, which many film critics regard as the best American movie ever made.

While Stewart's career thrived, so did his personal life. A marriage in his forties, the adoption of his wife�s two sons from a previous marriage, and the birth of his twin daughters laid the foundation for a happy life, until an unexpected tragedy had a shocking effect on his final years.

Intimate and richly detailed, Jimmy Stewart is a fascinating portrait of a multi-faceted and much-admired actor as well as an extraordinary slice of Hollywood history.

Order Jimmy Stewart: A Biography from Amazon for $9.99

Other Kindle Books of Interest
Kate

I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!

Walt Disney

Ava Gardner

The Girl Who Walked Home Alone

I have one of those nifty “Stumble Upon” icons in the top left of my internet browser and it’s an admitted addiction of mine to click away at it on a slow afternoon. My stumble button has led me to many interesting things. Since one of the interests I selected when programming my “stumble button” (which is what I will be referring to the icon as from here on out, so you know) was architecture I get lots of funky buildings that pop up. I always enjoy looking at them, but I haven’t seen one that’s made my eyebrows raise as much as “The Dancing House” in Prague did when I first saw it. I think it was in a postcard. Either way, I know the first time I saw it wasn’t in person. I remember looking at the picture thinking “why?” and when I head the explanation I was even more baffled.

So this building may not boggle your mind as much as it does mine. You’re probably looking at it thinking “Oh, common. It’s not that weird looking. I’ve certainly seen stranger.” True, this is no Guggenheim or anything like that, but wait until you hear what that building up there is supposed to look like. Ever heard of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? If you haven’t, they’re a 50s movie duo. You may have seen them in movies like . In any case, they’re a pretty big deal. Such a big deal, in fact, that some dude used them as inspiration for his building. You don’t see it, right? I didn’t either. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s still a stretch to look at this building and see Fred & Ginger dancing together. It was explained to me that the glass portion of the building is Ginger (notice her full skirt and curvy waist?) and the tall and straight portion is Fred. In other words, he’s the one with the hat (and that hat is a restaurant, by the way). I know this is a little bit odd. Yes, I’m fully aware. But don’t shoot the messenger.

The building was designed by a Czech architect who was actually born in Croatia. His name is Vlado Milunic. He worked with a Canadian architect who I'm sure at least some of you have heard of: Frank Gehry. (If you're drawing a blank... he's the guy who actually DID design the Guggenheim in Spain as well as the Disney Concert Hall in LA. Thank you ARTA 205). You'll be surprised, I'm sure to find out that this building is nothing but glorified office space. Sure it's for multinational firms, but still, would you expect a building like THAT to be nothing but an office building?

You won’t see this building on any of your romps through Prague. In fact, I’m willing to bet money that if you’re a normal visitor, you won’t see “The Dancing House” at all during your stay unless you take a taxi to and from the airport (but don’t waist your money, the bus is the way to go in that case). If you rent a car or have friends or are particularly prone to wandering off the beaten path maybe you’ll see it. If you seek it out you can find it, but it’s nowhere of interest. More in the residential, non-touristy part of town. Oh, and fun fact. The illustrious Vaclav Havel (first President of the Czech Republic after the fall of Communism in 1989) was raised in a little apartment in the building next to “The Dancing House”. At least that’s the information I was given by my boss on a particularly dull drive to the US Embassy to fill out paperwork

It has been said, in celebration of the strength of womanhood that "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels." 

I'd like to say that there was one thing that Ms. Rogers never did and that was lead.  Leading, going forward on level footing, was Mr. Astaire's responsibility.  Mr. Astaire was responsible for knowing the dance and for guiding Ms. Rogers along.  Ms. Roger's responsibility was to trust and follow Mr. Astaire.

What if they were both trying to lead?  What if Ms. Rogers followed, but only after a lengthy argument some very passionate fellowship about how she knew best?  What would the dance have looked like?  Who would have wanted to watch?  Who would have wanted to dance just like the them?

Sometimes the hardest thing for us, women, to learn is not how to walk backwards in heals.  It is learning how to fully trust the one that is leading.

O número musical mais lindo do filme "O Picolino" (Top Hat, 1935) com Fred Astaire e Ginger Rogers.

Por: Carolina Guimarães

Year: 1935

Director: Stephen Roberts

Starring: William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Paul Kelly, Gene Lockhart, Ralph Morgan, Leslie Fenton

The screwball mystery was an extremely popular film genre throughout the 1930s. Following The Thin Man in 1934, studios began putting out several knockoffs to cash in on the film's popularity. Some were good, some weren't. The two best knockoffs, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford and Star of Midnight, starred William Powell, who was also the star of The Thin Man. The Ex-Mrs. Bradford was a charming remarriage comedy costarring Jean Arthur. Star of Midnight, slightly better than Bradford, featured Powell as a high power lawyer with a particular knack for solving crimes.

Powell's ends up working the case of Mary Smith, a popular, but mysterious singer when she disappears in the middle of one of her shows. Star of Midnight has a slightly more mysterious, even surreal, feeling to it because we never see the subject of the case. Whereas in films like The Thin Man we usually see the victim before they are murdered or disappear, in Star of Midnight Mary Smith is just as mysterious as her disappearance. This is what helps to set this film apart from so many other films of this type. The comedy in a screwball mystery is usually by far stronger than the actual mystery part. But the absence of Mary Smith throughout the entire film makes Star of Midnight a but more evenly balanced. The comedy is fantastic and sharp, but the mystery matches up and is really very intriguing.

Powell's partner and romantic match in this film is the wonderful Ginger Rogers. This was the only film they made together, and they're such an excellent match it's actually sad that they didn't do any others. Powell was almost always several years older than his leading lady, but it was never brought up or made an issue of. That's another unique thing that Star of Midnight has going for it. Powell was 19 years older than Rogers, and that's actually a fact used in the film. Rogers plays the daughter of an old friend of Powell's. It's a childhood crush turned into love, and it's completely adorable. They're a great match. They trade verbal quips with complete ease and their chemistry is completely on the mark, and the writing for them is excellent. Because of the noted age difference, they have an interesting dynamic and their dialog makes great use of it.

With a sparkling script, a fun and interesting mystery, and the brilliant pairing of Ginger Rogers and William Powell, Star of Midnight is one of the very best screwball mysteries of the 1930s.

Availability: www.freemoviesondvd.com

By: Katie Richardson

Year: 1940

Director: Gregory La Cava

Starring: Ginger Rogers, Joel McCrea, and Marjorie Rambeau

Primrose Path is really an interesting film. It's quite fascinating that a film like this was able to get made during a time when the Production Code was still being strictly enforced. Ginger Rogers plays the tomboy daughter of a prostitute and an alcoholic. She falls in love with all around good guy Joel McCrea, but thinking he wouldn't want her if he knew about her family, tells him she comes from a wealthy family that kicked her out because she wanted to be with him. They marry, but Rogers' guilt eats her up inside and when the truth finally comes out Ed isn't sure he forgives her.

The plot sounds like just a soapy melodrama, but it's so much more than that. First of all, as I said before, the subject matter is quite amazing considering the Production Code. This movie is probably more blatant about its characters and themes of prostitution than any other film made at the time. It's interesting to see how it sidesteps the issue without ever actually saying it or showing it, but still making it completely and abundantly clear that Marjorie Rambeau is a prostitute. Even more interesting is that she's also a good woman. She a nice lady, a good mother, even a loving wife to an impossible husband. And Rambeau gives her such heart and honesty.

It's the grandmother that's a terror. Clearly a former prostitute herself, she sets up the obvious contrast needed to the story. To her, the point of prostitution was having fun and leading an easy life with lots of nice things without having to actually work. She doesn't realize that to her daughter it is work. Rambeau is doing it because, with her brilliant husband no longer able to work because of his alcoholism, she's the one who has to support the family.

The highlight of the film isn't those risque themes, though. It's the love story between McCrea and Rogers. Few love stories feel so real and honest. It's not a grand, sweeping love story. It's just simple and true. Both Rogers and McCrea were excellent actors who had the range to pull off both elegant glamor and American everyman. In this film they're completely and wholly the latter. The simplicity of their performances makes the love story not something that seems like it's unique to film. It feels completely real, like you're watching two good friends fall in love. Which makes the unraveling of their relationship hurt even more.

The film is ultimately about the lies that destroy relationships, and Primrose Path hits that right on target. It's made believable and heartwrenching by the establishment of the romance, and watching them fall apart and come back together is thrilling, because there are so few films that can make it feel as real and beautiful as this one does.

By: Katie Richardson

Basic types:

Fads and fashions:

Skirt

Basic types:

Fads and fashions:

Not everyone can successfully carry the weight inherent with the job of military wife but those who do are impressive to behold.

Today I saw one of these women - a young spouse - pushing a luggage cart into the lobby of the Kanto Lodge. Stacked on the cart were two full-sized suitcases and, perfectly perched atop those, an infant's carseat. On the girl's hip, in the crook of her left arm, was the baby - probably all of six months old.

The young mother's curly blond hair was neatly ponytailed and out of the way. She was dressed comfortably in t-shirt, cargo pants, and sturdy Timberlands. A small backpack hung loosely off one shoulder. She smoothly guided the luggage cart and cargo into the hotel's common area and stopped.

In an effortless series of moves, her right hand came off the cart, shifted the baby to a more stable position on her hip, reached backward to slide into the last strap of the backpack, and once more took control of the cart. All the while her eyes never once left the screen of the plasma television mounted on the wall near the front desk. She was taking a trip somewhere, traveling "Space-A", baby on hip, and looking absolutely fearless. There was nothing about her that would indicate she might be "dependent" in any way.

As I admired her calm, it occurred to me that she and her baby were perhaps minutes away from climbing into the jumpseat of a C-17, or a KC-135, flying away from Japan, over the Pacific Ocean, to one of the places listed on that screen - Singapore, Hickam, Travis - yet she was as cool as if she were simply traveling from her living room to her kitchen.

I couldn't help but think of Ginger Rogers, of whom it is said that she did everything Fred Astaire did, only she did it backwards and in high heels. And I realized how perfectly that old saying describes the military wife.

I didn't say it to the girl. I left her to finish planning her trip, vacation, or PCS, by herself. She was "dancing" like a pro and the last thing I wanted to do was break her concentration.

~ jewls

Ad un certo punto, il personaggio principale parla ma non si sente nulla: la voce arriva solo qualche istante dopo.

"Papà, ma perché quell'uomo prima muove la bocca e poi si sente la voce?" e mio padre: "Perché la luce viaggia più velocemente del suono!".

Non male come risposta!

Probabilmente mio padre voleva scherzare...però più ci penso più trovo che quella sia una delle migliori battute che abbia mai sentito!

(Nota personale: odio, come tutti credo, quando il video non è in sync!)

Il cinema è, per molti di noi, uno dei momenti di svago massimo. Scegliamo il film che ci piace. Aspettiamo l'uscita di una particolare pellicola. Rompiamo l'anima ad amici e amiche costringendoli a seguirci in una sala buia che puzza un po' di pop corn. Lo stesso che ci viene reclamizzato da un coniglietto furbastro sulle note di una certa musichetta.

Già, ormai non ci facciamo più caso, ma il sonoro nei film è un lusso che ci possiamo permettere da poco. Dal 1927, presentazione del film "Il cantante di Jazz". Di quel film potete trovare alcuni filmati su youtube come ad esempio "My Mammy"

(Nota personale: una canzoncina strappa lacrime, la mamma che stravede per il figliolo sul palco, lui truccato in un modo che al giorno d'oggi risulterebbe assolutamente offensivo)

per questo film la Warner, come risulta da wikipedia, vinse anche un premio speciale.

Dopo l'uscita di questo film, il cinema non poté più essere lo stesso: dovettero cambiare i modi di recitare e alcuni attori caddero in "disgrazia" per colpa della loro brutta voce.

L'onda della luce si fuse con quella sonora e solo 3 anni più tardi, la Germania, ci permetteva di ammirare Marlene Dietrich ne "L'angelo azzurro" nella celebre "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt" (in italiano più o meno: "sono orientata all'amore dalla testa ai piedi ")

(Nota personale: la canzone è famosa più per come Dietrich mette in mostra le gambe che per il testo in sé. Il film, lanciò la Dietrich quale "femme fatale" mondiale, tanto che fu girato anche in inglese!)

Già da questi due esempi, si può capire come la musica giochi un ruolo importante nel cinema, tanto che alcuni film sono importanti per la loro musica quanto per la storia (la luce...) che mostrano.

Senza di lei: provate a vedere senza musica questo "Cheek to Cheek" di Fred Astaire e Ginger Rogers dal film "Cappello a Cilindro"

oppure Gene Kelly che "Singin' in the rain" nel film "Cantando sotto la pioggia"

Risultano, come dire, un po' sciocchi entrambi.

(Nota personale: quanto invidio Fred! Come faceva a volare in un modo così divino? Vi consiglio di andare a rivedere, se ne avete l'opportunità, il film "Ginger & Fred" di Federico Fellini. Ci troverete un enorme Mastroianni)

questi due filmati, sono un esempio di come la musica nei film serva, ancora di più!, a trasmettere le emozioni. Rafforza cioè quello che noi vediamo aggiungendo un'ulteriore dimensione alle due possedute dall'immagine.

Se non potessimo avere l'audio, cosa ne sarebbe della suspace dei film horror, oppure della celebre scena della doccia di "Psyco" con i suoi suoni striduli e lo