Posted by S. Woody White @ 09/20/2002 07:44 AM PST

I kind of like the title song of "Attack of the Killer Tomatos"

Posted by Russ @ 09/20/2002 07:58 AM PST

Perhaps it's cheesy instead of weird, but I love Annette singing "The Monkey's Uncle."

As for diets, I have been on them all. They work while you're doing them. But the ultimate trick to keeping weight off is not a trick at all. Simply to adjust the ratio of energy take in (food) to energy expended (activity and exercise). If those are in proper balance, and there are no other medical conditions, the weight stays off.

And the Atkins diet gives you really bad breath.

Posted by Phil Crosby @ 09/20/2002 09:01 AM PST

Some of us have lately taken to watching reality TV shows and now find ourselves mired in dilemmas:

-- Will Danielle's brilliantly executed, but deviously mischievous, plan to win $500,000 come down to a vote between her and ally Jason or will Lisa be standing alongside on of them on the final night. Who would I vote for? I think anyone but Danielle, although Lisa has my vote over Jason if they're the final two.

-- And do I dare immerse myself into the Thai adventure of "Survivor," especially when the new season is approaching and will clearly conflict?

-- Why don't I put up crown molding in my living room and paint the walls an interesting shade of yellow?

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 09/20/2002 09:02 AM PST

Well, here I go posting away...

As for title songs... Hmmm... I'll have to think about that for a moment or two...

As for diets... Well, being the son of a registered dietitian, and being somewhat "healthy" myself for most of my life, I've been reading stuff about diets, eating plans, wellness formulas, etc., ever since I remember being picked last for a team in elementary school - boy did they get a surprise when they found out I could kick a ball with surprising accuracy and force! All in all, I always try to eat well-balanced meals, but I do have a major sweet-tooth, and I love to bake - cookies, cakes, breads...

Hmmm... Still thinking...

As for actual brand-name diets, I've really only done two, and they've both worked for me. I did Body For Life and dropped 15 pounds - and have kept if off. However, I had a hard time adjusting the regimen to my ever-changing work schedule - one of the wonders of being able to make a living in the arts - so, I more or less dropped the "plan", but continued to be conscious about what I ate/eat.

The second diet I've tried - and am trying - is the Atkins. It seems to be working very well for me. I know I am definitely carb-addicted, but it's been surprisingly easy to keep away from the "goodies". There's also a lot of other good stuff happening in my life right now, so I'm more motivated to stick to something on an all-around basis. However, I have already planned that once I get to certain short term goals, that I will treat myself to a "normal" meal, and/or bake something nice and sinful! *I also can't see myself being a "true Atkins" follower for an extended amount of time, but we'll see how things work out. I have way too much nice cookware and bakeware not to put to good use.

I will say it is rather amazing when you become aware of just how automatically you can just put food in your mouth without even thinking about it. So, I guess it's working for me.

I guess I also should add at this point, that even though I've been fat - there, I used the f-word - for most of my life, I've never truly felt bad about my body. Also, whenever I've had medical check-ups, I've actually surprised doctors that my weight seemed to have no adverse affects on other parts of my health. Right now, I just really want to drop a couple of pounds. That's it, plain and simple.

-Can I get off the couch now?

Maybe, once I reach my goal weight, I'll send out slices of cake to everyone! *I have a great recipe for a Brown Sugar Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake that I glaze with Chocolate Ganache!!! YUMMERS!!!

Hmmmm.... Still thinking..

Oh, got it! I'm very partial to the title track to the movie, Barbarella. *I'm wondering who will be doing the title song for the upcoming Drew Barrymore version.

I think that's enough posting for now... later...

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 09/20/2002 09:12 AM PST

It's not exactly a title song but "Horray For Santy Claus" from SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS fits the bill. This wonderfully bad movie which stars a young Pia Zadorra as Martian child GoMar and Broadway's Leila Martin as her mother Momar is a holiday must. The song is sung over the credits and even has the lyrics on the screen including:
Oh my gosh and jumpin' jiminy
He will come right down your
chiminy!

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 09/20/2002 10:14 AM PST

Pia as a Martian child????? Is this type casting or what?

Posted by Russ @ 09/20/2002 10:30 AM PST

I do like The Parent Trap from the Disney film of the same name (the Haley Mills verion, not the remake).

As far as diets, I never had weight "problems" for most of my life. I'm short and for a long time I was thin as a rail but then the dreaded 40s hit (actually the mid- to late-40s) and all of a sudden I found myself gaining and it was harder to lose the extra weight. I tried all sorts of things but nothing worked for long. Then I went to Weight Watchers AND (as Phil mentioned earlier) I began to be more aware of what I was eating. Well, for me, Weight Watchers has worked. I have lost and kept off 17 pounds. It doesn't sound like a lot, but on a small frame, 17 pounds can show. I am now aware of what I'm eating, how much, what kinds of food, etc. I also have gotten back to exercising (at least 4 times a week for at least an hour) and I drink LOTS of water. It works for me. I'm happy cause I'm wearing clothes I didn't fit into a year ago. It's hard enought to shop that I don't want to go out and buy new clothes (there is no "small men's" store in NYC and I hate shopping in the Boy's Department, besides, a 49 year old man shouldn't be wearing clothing designed for 16 year olds) so I'll keep going with Weight Watchers. It's not so much a diet as an education that teaches you about food and how to eat and what you need to do if you really want to lose weight and keep it off. If you're thinking about it, I recommend it.

Posted by Ben @ 09/20/2002 10:43 AM PST

1. I don't know from weird movie songs.
2. I'm a Weight Watchers gal. However, I became careless -- and I can trace it all directly to that piece of Oreo cake in July. So now I have five pounds to re-lose. So even though it's my birthday tomorrow, I don't get any cake. :-(

Posted by Laura @ 09/20/2002 11:08 AM PST

well, it's that time of the month -- no, not THAT time of the month, it's the time of the month on the Broadway Radio Show when we sample some of the new theatre related CDs that have been released; so, all of you can decide which, if any, you want to rush out and buy.....the new show will be loaded late Sunday afternoon -- Enjoy!

Posted by Donald @ 09/20/2002 11:09 AM PST

Oh -- BK, Kerry and I would consider 88 degrees at 7 PM to be downright CHILLY!

Posted by Laura @ 09/20/2002 11:10 AM PST

Not only does Pia play a Martian, she wears cheap green make-up and a black pageboy hairdo (wig?). This was released in 1965, so it was probably made around the time she was on Broadway in FIDDLER. Are you familiar with Bea Arthur's Pia story? It seems that she once did a production of DIARY OF ANNE FRANK and when the Storm Troopers came towards the end everyone in the audience shouted out "She's in the attic!".

Actually SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS is one of those low budget "so bad it's good" films and I try to watch every Christmas. It was filmed on Long Island and the entire cast consists of little known New York actors of the period. It is on a par with Ed Woods films except that it had a major release by Embassy Pictures who also released quality foreign films in the United States and subsequently produced both quality films ("The Graduate") and high budget schlock ("The Oscar"). As for the plot, it seems that the children of Mars are all very sad. They have been watching earth television and have seen Santa Claus so to cheer them up they send several Martians to kidnap Santa (John Call from OLIVER) and bring him to Mars. The screenplay was even adapted as a Dell Comic book.

It's available on VHS and it usually pops up every December on some station or other. This is a movie experience not to be missed.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 09/20/2002 11:20 AM PST

Barbarella, psychadella...

Now I'll be humming that all the live-long day. Thank goodness there are some posts to read. More, I say, more. We cannot have enough posts.

Posted by bk @ 09/20/2002 11:53 AM PST

Hmmm...coming up blank on weird movie title songs. Only thing that pops into mind is the MST3K song for the timelessly awful movie Mitchell. "Mitchell, Mitchell, eyes on the sammich..."

I don't know from diets, as is all too obvious from my physique (or lack thereof).

Jose C. Simbulan - Brown Sugar Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache?!?!? My goodness, that does inspire drooling from this properly cake-loving Kimlet!

Posted by Jed @ 09/20/2002 01:12 PM PST

Oh, and Ron Pulliam, as loathe as I am to admit having been watching such things lately, I agree with your vote for Lisa. My vote is probably due, however, to nothing more than my heterosexual male nature.

Posted by Jed @ 09/20/2002 01:16 PM PST

Yep! It must be the testosterone, then!

Still, it hasn't been nearly as much fun since Marcellas left!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 09/20/2002 01:37 PM PST

It's not a weird song, but I've always had trouble making the connection between "More" and MONDO CANE.

Jose, I want that recipe.....

Posted by Pam @ 09/20/2002 02:23 PM PST

Donald Feltham: I really enjoyed this week's Broadway Radio Show!!!

I look forward to next week!

I watched Jacques Pepin prepare a ganache one evening on his TV show (dessert circus??). OOF!

Wunderbar! I gained 5 lbs. just watching him make it!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 09/20/2002 04:28 PM PST

Oh, yes! I wan Jose's recipe, too.

Hmmmmmmmm....wonder how it would taste if the brown sugar were substituted with burnt sugar????

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 09/20/2002 04:30 PM PST

On July 31, 2001, I weighed 332 pounds. No, really I did. On May 23, 2002, I weighed 214. This past Tuesday, I weighed in at 212. I've lost 120 pounds and have been able to maintain it for the last four months. It's a program through Group Health called Take Charge (the actual company is Health Management Resources), is nutritionally complete and low in carbs (so it's good for diabetics). I'm not diabetic, but it's in my family.

It starts out predominantly all liquid (seven meal replacement shakes a day), then (ideally) when you reach your goal weight, you slowly switch to real foods with only a couple of shakes a day. Kind of like Optifast, but not as calorically restrictive. We have to keep track of all the calories we eat and calculate how many we burn in exercise.

Even though I'm not at my goal weight (yet), I'd been "nibbling" so much (but still losing weight) that I totally switched to the maintenance part and will take a break from full-bore weight loss for a few months. I've been eating real foods for quite a while (anything I want, as long as I write it down) but have really changed how I eat. I'd like to lose at least 25-30 more. The insurance charts say that at my height of 5' 9½", the ideal weight is between 130 and 170. I think that that's too, too (two toos) low. My doctor feels that I should be about 180. Sounds good enough to me.

Posted by George @ 09/20/2002 04:58 PM PST

George, that's awesome!!

Posted by Laura @ 09/20/2002 05:16 PM PST

As coincidence would have it (Rumoured that coincidence will have almost anything), I have just completed two Cds of movie songs that I have on 45rpm discs. They are not really weird but some are certainly "different". How about Farnkie Avalon "Voyage To the Bottom Of The Sea" and Jimmy Durante with "Those Daring Young Men In Their Jaunty Jalopies". "Bing Bang Bong" as sung by Sophia Loren in "Houseboat" is fun and I found Glen Campbell's "As Far As I'm Concerned" from "The Grasshopper" to be a hiden treasure. (written by Bobby Russell). Does anyone remember Roberta Shaw singing "Shaggy Dog"?
Laura. Please rethink. You must have cake on your birthday.(Just don't eat anything else).

As it is already well in to Saturday here, may I be the first to wish Laura a wonderful birthday.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 09/20/2002 05:38 PM PST

I am on the Seafood diet. If I see food I eat it

Posted by Richard Symmuns @ 09/20/2002 06:39 PM PST

Thank you, Tom. By mountain standard time, I still have 4.5 hours before I have to admit being older.

Posted by Laura @ 09/20/2002 07:23 PM PST

Fish, Fish, Fish I say!

my fav recipe:

ok, go get some real nice
Salmon....I aways get the store
to cut it to the portions for
me....then get a nice cheap
bottle of white wine...and a
great red...try something Spanish
for a twist (set it aside to
enjoy later).....then put a tad
of olive oil in a BIG pot.....add
Worchester sauce and a tad of
orange juice, then throw in the
Salmon....for about 2
minutes...then drawn it in the
white wine.....cook this on
medium heat for as long as it
takes to cook the salmon all
through...and presto! The best
salmon you will ever eat! Add
veggies and rice...and yumm!
before you know it a light wind
will blow you over :-)

P.S....do you cook? :-)

Enj

Posted by Jen @ 09/20/2002 07:26 PM PST

"One day little girl, the sadness will leave your face; as soon as you've won your fight to get justice done...the pain of it, will ease a bit, when you find a man with...."

(well, Kimlets it's your turn to fill in the final two words of my selection for weird title song. CLUE: the film won a MAJOR Academy Award over stiff competition, and the song was sung by one of the leading act-ors/resses.)

Then, for the magnificent, there's always the Frankie Laine-inspired (and sung):
"He rode a BLAZING SADDLE, he wore a shining star..." sourtesy of Mel Brooks.

I'll be back....

Posted by td @ 09/20/2002 08:22 PM PST

Clues? We don't need no stinking clues. True Grit. Now, don't forget, answers to your excellent questions tomorrow, so tell the world and environs. I am home. I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

Posted by bk @ 09/20/2002 09:14 PM PST

Well, here's the link for the recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=15005

I got it from Gourmet a few years back. It can be a little labor intensive, but the results are worth it. And as I mentioned in some of my comments, you really do have to use top quality ingredients - get a real nice cocoa powder - Hershey's simply won't do. It's worth the splurge. -And the Chocolate Extract is wonderful too - put some in coffee or add some to some chocolate-chip cookie dough to round out the "chocolate experience".

*Oh, and if you can get it in your local grocery store, use the European-style butters that have more butterfat in them. LandoLakes makes one. It's amazing what it does do the cake - or any other recipe.

The original glaze is good, but I usually make a batch of ganache - just hot cream and chocolate - to coat the cake. I really like chocolate! And, it helps intensify the chocolate flavor in the cake which is more "savory" than "candy bar sweet".

Around the holidays, I usually bake it in small loaf pans, and after they get "ganached", they end up being like the most amazing chocolate twinkie. *And the cake does freeze very well.

Laura - Have some cake. Have some ice cream. Remember, one day won't set you back... Unless you think you'll be celebrating your birthday for the whole week.

Ron - As for burnt sugar in the cake, I'm not sure... But I have made a burnt sugar pound cake before... hmm.. maybe I'll have to dig that one out too... -you coat the cake with a sugar syrup, then "brulee" it... WOW!

George - Congratulations!

-Boy, are we sure we're not on the Cooking With Julia Child board?

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 09/20/2002 09:26 PM PST

Whaddaya mean it won an Oscar over stiff competition?

Rant to follow (take none of it persnally...just getting 1969 off my chest):

Richard Burton wasn't a real contender for his Henry in "Anne of the Thousand Days", IMO.

But Jon Voight & Dustin Hoffman ("Midnight Cowboy" and Peter O'Toole ("Goodbye, Mr. Chips") outacted, outclassed and outshone John Wayne with great ease that year.

Wayne was given one of the few "career" Oscars thrown out as candy to a Best Actor candidate who had very few nominations in his long, long career. It didn't hurt that he had come back from fighting cancer and continued that career. It's one of the most devastatingly unfair Oscar debacles ever. NO, I am not a huge John Wayne fan and everyone should know that John Wayne got out of going to WWII because of the size of his immediate family, none of whom would have been financially strapped if John had enlisted with the rest of the Hollywood actors with families. The Wayne estate was very well off. John decided to support the war effort by starring in war films as the hero, and it sickens me that so many folks think of him as some great war hero. He had one truly GREAT role in his career -- in "The Quiet Man" and he was perfection and SHOULD have been Oscared for it (no disrespect intended toward Gary Cooper). Wayne made many good and great films, but he was always the same character...always just John Wayne, even when he played Davy Crockett and Genghis Khan!

Rant over. Wayne supporters may now verbally bash me. : )

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 09/20/2002 09:47 PM PST

Yes, I've been on a few diets. The only ones that really seem to work for me are eating less and exercising more. In my late teens and twenties, I was thin and could eat anything (and did) without even thinking. Even into my early thiries. If Ihad too many desserts in a row and wanted to lose a few pounds, all I'd have to do is skip lunch. Then I hit 34 AND quit smoking, and suddenly my metabolism slowed WAY down. So, yes I can't have dessert all the time, and yes, I would like to drop about 10 pounds. So, I guess I'll go back to eating less and exercising more. I wish it could be like 20 years ago, and all I'd have to do is skip lunch for two days... and VOILA!

And Laura, I will NOT take the blame just because I introduced you to Oreo Cake ("Laura, I'd like you to meet Oreo Cake. Oreo Cake, meet Laura.") But have a happy birthday tomorrow (even sans cake. Not even a pippin sundae at the Sugar Bowl?

And I can't think of any title songs from weird movies that I like (although I did really like a song that was used in "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.")

Posted by Kerry @ 09/20/2002 09:55 PM PST

I thought that Jon Voight was quite a bit of stiff competetion....
but....yes, TRUE GRIT's the movie, TRUE GRIT's the song...
and we don't need no stinkin' Glen Campbell vocal to get the movie across...
The ONE film that I would grant that Wayne deserved an Oscar for is THE SEARCHERS.

Posted by td @ 09/20/2002 10:04 PM PST

Oh, so what's the recipe for the Oreo Cake? ;-)

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 09/20/2002 10:09 PM PST

Kerry: :-p
Jose: It's a wonderful cake that is only at a local restaurant very rarely (thankfully). Kerry and I live in the same city and have become friends through this site.

Posted by Laura @ 09/20/2002 10:48 PM PST

Thanks for the link to DARK CHOCOLATE BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE recipe!! I WILL be trying to make that fairly soon. At work I'm on team for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life (losing weight makes it A LOT easier to walk over a 24-hour period!) and we've had bake sales at work as one way to raise money for the ACS. Our team is going to have a Thank You Bake NO Sale for our co-workers to say "Thanks" for supporting us over the past year. We'll all make something to share (and not charge). That cake will be perfect! However, I will have to make one before hand to make sure that I can do it! My sister's birthday is next week and I don't think she will mind me experimenting.

Posted by George @ 09/21/2002 12:11 AM PST

What is this page and how in the heck did I end up here? AND you had me at the grocery store in the middle of the night. The cashier who was bored out of her gourd asked what I was buying all of this stuff for and I told her I just saw this recipe online. She asked: "And you gotta bake it RIGHT NOW?" I didn't respond and she handed me my stuff and said "Bring me a piece when it's done." (I didn't.) So if you're thinking about the cake, say to hell with your diet and bake it. Thanks for the recipe!

That's all I have to say about diets. As for movie themes, my brother and I used to love to put on my mother's wig and sing the theme from the Doris Day film "Glass Bottom Boat". Made my mom nuts.

I like the sing along lyrics that appear at the end of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". It goes: "You spell it S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-U-S! Hooray for Santy Claus!" "Santy?" Didn't you just spell it "Santa?" No wonder the world's illiterate.

Thanks for giving me something to do guys, I just wish I knew how I ended up here...

Posted by Michael @ 09/21/2002 09:25 AM PST