For a New Year

So, what are you going to do this year?

Catzilla

CATZILLA trailer ENG from Platige Image on Vimeo.

Cats and giant monsters, two things that go great together.

Bozo's Circus (WGN-TV, 1971)

Click HERE for more!

Merry X-Mas

Simple Gifts (1977)

Produced by R. O. Blechman

You'll shoot your eye out

The best conversation--in my opinion--happens at 4:30.

Gah! The kid goes missing for four hours and they call the cops! This was back when a rotary phone could add to the tension.

For children and adults as well.

You could watch this on your lunch-break.

I first read it long, long ago, on an airplane. I might have been six and my dad handed it to me, to keep me busy on the flight back from where ever we had been.

I still read it, on occasion, to remind myself of some very basic things.

When we just tell kids something without explaining it, when we expect them to blindly accept what we (as kids) blindly accepted, then it's harder to fight for it. When it's just a series of empty words, don't expect them to stand.

Also, other events make me wonder how things are being explained. This story is more frightening to an adult than a child, because we have slightly more understanding of what's going on.

On my car, I have a bumper-sticker that says, Don't lie to kids and you'd be amazed how many people ask me what it means. It seems obvious.

But, I'd encourage you to watch it, by yourself or with others. Maybe have a discussion about it. Maybe ask yourself a few questions. It seems important.

Ugh. Those closing credits....

Scales!

Kinda sappy, but it's the first thing I learned to play on a recorder.

Wolcum to a new post

As it turns out, Benjamin Britten would be turning 100 next year, so get ready to hear that name a lot more.

Now, a story that was told to me:

Long ago, Britten found a book of poetry and he based the "Ceremony of Carols" off it, kinda like Carl Orff and the Carmina Burana.

When Britten was fleeing Europe during WW2, he worked on the music during the boat trip. When he got to the States, they seized the sheet-music, thinking it was some kind of secret code.

I don't know how true the story is, but it's a good one. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Takes a bit to get there...

Chris and I had a little fun in the comments a while back. Here's some context.

Sorry, I wasn't listeing.

A classic bit of Hell from the A/V Geek!

Why The Bears Dance on Christmas Eve (1977)

Just when you think you've seen every campy, candy-coated Christmas specials made, another one pops up you had yet to witness in your life yet, for all to see, courtesy of YouTube!

A Typical Teenage Christmas Comi-Calamity!

Dude. Nitro.

That's one way to do it.

Tubas!

That is a butt-load of tubas.

The narrator is my dad, who died on September 13th of this year. Some tubas came by and played "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" at his funeral.

It was very nice. Everyone sang along.

Not what anyone expected

I've had "The French Mistake" stuck in my head most of today and found this in the side-bar.

This also ties into my hypothesis about how trauma creates comedy. Having gone to a Catholic school (nuns and everything!), I think I understand.

No, the Elfmans did NOT write that.

Awww yeaaahhhhh.... These folks had street cred.

This is more common than you would think.

It's amazing how many rap song there are about this non-major holiday.

You know "ghetto" is a Hebrew word, right?

Oh! Language!

Good thing it was posted on a Saturday.

That's where I keep my stuff

Nothing to add.

Maybe I have a fever.

I'm not sure what happened here. Can anyone find an unedited copy?

Full-Body Shopping

This is why you want to make stuff yourself, rather than buy it.

Handy tip! Put your arms over your head. Go on, do it.

Notice how your elbows form a nice V in front of your face, like a face-guard? Great! Now, just fall forward into whatever is in your way. BOOM! Elbow to the face! Elbow to the neck! Ahhhhh! I was just defending myself!

This is really handy if you're shorter than your opponent. Do it right, and you can jab them in the pits while raising your arms. You don't want to kick their ass, just incapacitate them long enough to get what YOU came for.

Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012)

Oh, I don't even want to think about Christmas right now. I'm bummed that Dave Brubeck died. And a day before his birthday, too!

Actually, I didn't know he was still alive. That's always how it is with these guys.

Kin-Dza-Dza!

I'm really excited about this and you're wondering why.

A few years ago, while looking for something else, I stumbled across the movie Kin-Dza-Dza. Fascinated by the visuals, I watched it without subtitles.

A year later, I found a copy online with subtitles on Google Video. Now, that format is gone, but there's a copy on YouTube (subtitles in the captions) and I really really recommend it because it's such a great little flick.

Plus, I love that spaceship.

So...it's a white Christmas, then?

It's a shame this is a silent film, but I imagine the noise in the factory was deafening. Some of those machines look like they could take a finger right off.



That's better.

"I don't even know half these people."

Time to make some Xmas cards, or wrapping paper, or...whatever that thing is there.

I found it via Dangerous Minds who found it via Nistagmus. You found it here.

Stick some cotton balls on ol' Santy!

Not really an advent calendar, but close enough for me!

The light! It burns!

I just got finished putting up my lights for the season, but I didn't do anything fancy like this guy did. It is tempting, however.

What's also fun about this is putting the lights through different channels, not just right and left. If you have one strand on the bass, one on the treble, and the third on the mid, you can do more interesting things.

Advent!

Well, it's that time of year again. Advent officially starts today and what better way to celebrate than with an Advent calendar?

This week, we're going to look at things you can make at home in preparation for the season. In today's lousy economy, it's better to make than buy and we're all individuals, right? Looking at the above video, I bet you could make those pockets say whatever you like.

Plus, I really like the music in this one. It was 80 here today and I had to turn on the A/C, and this has a nice steel-drum sound. It's like winter, but not.