Replies: 42 Unseemly Comments
First post and on my BDAY!!! woohoo.. I am off.. but I promise to disclose some very interesting birthday things going on with me...
Oh it's a jolly hollywood with you Bruce...
Posted by Craig @ 12/23/2002 08:58 AM PST
Don't forget there is a birthday to celebrate on Wednesday too.
Posted by Mary and Joseph @ 12/23/2002 08:59 AM PST
Now that Mary's out in the courtyard throwing our luggage on the donkey, I must ask for advice--she claims she's never "done it" with anyone (and God knows, she never has with me), yet she's rather large "with child." She keeps babbling on about some apparition and I frankly think she's been eating wild mushrooms again, if you catch my drift. Speaking of "ho, ho, ho"--does Mary qualify? Any advice would be most appreciated.
Posted by Joseph @ 12/23/2002 09:10 AM PST
Jesus was born on October 2 actually.
Posted by A Scholar @ 12/23/2002 09:12 AM PST
So excited - when I pick up my presents and give them the Braille test...they feel like books and DVD's! I can hardly wait.
Five favorite movies...oh my.
Far From Heaven 8-D
Chicago 8-D
and three more. I didn't see many movies I liked this year that can supplant any in my Favorite Movie list....perhaps I can think of some later. Perhaps....NOT.
Posted by Jrand55 @ 12/23/2002 09:15 AM PST
THE HAPPIEST OF HAPPY BIRTHDAYS
to all our Birthday Boys:
(in alphabetical order)
Craig Brockman
Joel Kimmel
Bryan Lassner
William F. Orr
May your grandest of birthday wishes come true!
Posted by Susan Gordon @ 12/23/2002 09:15 AM PST
I put my birthday greeting to the happy boys in my last post yesterday...but in case they don't search archives.
Happy B.D. to you!
I had an unsettling experience with Picture Mommy Dead. After watching it and seeing Miss Zsa Zsa Gabor lying lifeless on the floor, I went to the Kroger store and saw Miss Zsa Zsa Gabor lying lifeless on the cover of the Globe newspaper - in her hospital bed. I was shocked, shocked! Speechless and motionless for quite sometime was I, as is Miss Zsa Zsa. If this is troublesome to you, avert your eyes as you hit the checkout stands this week.
Posted by Jrand55 @ 12/23/2002 09:18 AM PST
Susan,
Who is Bryan Lassner?
Posted by The Birthday Fuzz @ 12/23/2002 09:47 AM PST
Mrs. Lassner's little boy.
Posted by The FBI @ 12/23/2002 09:49 AM PST
Why, Bryan is the dear son of dear friends and readers Jane (Wagner) and Keith Lassner. Since today is also known to be Bryan's birthday, I thought it unseemly not to wish him a Happy Birthday, as well.
Posted by SG @ 12/23/2002 10:39 AM PST
Oooh, I am frosted. Frosted, I tell you. Yesterday afternoon I was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilon to hear the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale do Berlioz' "L'enfance du Christ." I had never heard the work before, and I discovered it to be a lovely piece of music. It is highly melodic, and Berlioz' writing for the orchestra and chorus and soloists is exquisite. The final a cappella chorus may be the most beautiful chorus I have ever heard. All the players and singers did a magnificent job.
So why am I so frosted? I had the bad luck to be seated next to a woman who open-mouth chewed gum throughout the entire performance! A couple of times I stared at her perpetual motion jaws, but she didn't get the hint. Most of the time I successfully blocked the sound of her smacking, but I finally said something to her when her gum chewing was louder than the sounds coming from an pastoral trio for two flutes and harp that comes near the end of the work. Her cow-like obbligato paused for a couple of minutes, but began once again. After the performance she asked me what it was that I said to her during the trio. I was very polite, and said that she probably didn't realize that the sound of her gum chewing carried. Then--get this--she tells me she wasn't chewing gum. What the heck was she doing? Jaw muscle strengthening exercises? Gimme a break.
Posted by Jay @ 12/23/2002 10:41 AM PST
Isometric exercises to strengthen the jaw muscles. They can be done anywhere!
Posted by Dr Joyce Brothers @ 12/23/2002 10:47 AM PST
-And tomorrow will be my niece's fourth birthday.
*We actually hold a birthday party for her in the summer so she actually gets a birthday party - and presents - as well as celebrating her birthday on Christmas Eve along with the other holiday festivities.
As for my Top 5 movies this year... I'm actually trying to think if I saw five movies in the theater this year. In any case, my favorite was - regardless of how many I saw - the re-release of Cinema Paradiso with the extra hour of footage. Truly made me laugh, cry and think.
Hmm... and now that I think of it, that may have been the only one I saw in the theatres this year. Although, I think I did catch some of last year's Oscar contendors in January - A Beautiful Mind, etc.
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 12/23/2002 10:53 AM PST
And you thought my exercises were only applicable to other openings!
Posted by Dr. Kegel @ 12/23/2002 10:58 AM PST
I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes.
Joe and I are taking firewood over to his sister's house for her to burn on Christmas.
But another sister arrived there yesterday from San José with her two undisciplined toddlers, so heaven knows how long we'll stay.
I'll try to check in from time to time.
Party on, dudes! (And dudettes!)
Posted by William F. Orr @ 12/23/2002 11:30 AM PST
First of all Happy Birthday to those mentioned above and anyone else who isn't listed.
There were so few good movies this year I can't come up with five. Hopefully two that haven't officially opened yet (and I probably won't see until early 2003) would be on the list: "Nicolas Nickleby" and "Chicago".
I first saw "Chicago" in 1975 with Gwen, Chita, Jerry and all that neon. That 1975-76 season was a perfect example of how I hate to pick out the best of a season or year: 3 of the 4 Tony nominees were CHICAGO, A CHORUS LINE, and PACIFIC OVERTURES. [The fourth was BUBBLIN' BROWN SUGAR, an entertaining show but hardly in the same class as the other three.] Any of the three were better than almost any other musical of the 70s and certainly better than such other Tony winners of the period such as THE WIZ, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' etc., yet because of the fluke of all three opening in the same season two of them were non-winners when either or both could have won in almost any other season. It took over twenty years for CHICAGO to get the recognition it deserved, and then it was in a version with minimual production values and a cut libretto (not to mention much higher ticket prices).
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 12/23/2002 11:30 AM PST
Importantly. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you Capricornians.
I will get back later.
Posted by Tom Guest @ 12/23/2002 12:31 PM PST
I enjoyed Minority Report so much that I am prepared to declare myself a fan of Tom Cruise. Are there any other Tom Cruise fans here?
Posted by A Kvetch @ 12/23/2002 12:37 PM PST
I was a big Cruise fan after "Risky Business", but it's been downhill ever since. That Irish movie he did with his then-wife was painful to watch, and nothing since then even made me want to see it on cable.
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 12/23/2002 12:41 PM PST
It's been a nice semi-lazy afternoon for me - taking care of some cleaning up, wrapping presents, etc. I decided to put the Brent Barrett AJL CD on as my "background" music. However, I found myself stopping more than a few times just to listen, to really listen. What a wonderful album. Great song selection. Great arrangements. And this is the best I've ever heard Brent's voice recorded - and the instrumental accompaniments are amazing too. I also liked the way certain songs featured his "baritone side" and others his "tenor side".
I was particularly moved by the last three selections on the disk. Moved to tears, in fact. Practically a mini-love story.
Thanks, Brent. Thanks, BK.
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 12/23/2002 01:55 PM PST
While I find both songs from Lolita, My Love entirely enchanting, it was strange that he chose to end the album with "Tell Me, Tell Me". You don't even have to know the story of Lolita to pick it up from the lyrics.
Btw (by the way in Internet Lingo), did anyone notice that he speaks of a "tape machine for the car"? Unless I am mistaken, there was no such thing until several years after the novel was written.
Now, as far as Alan J. Lerner and Lolita--look at the themes in the shows Lerner was drawn to. Lolita, Gigi, and to a lesser extent My Fair Lady and Paint Your Wagon (original stage version, not Paddy Chayevski's revisal for the movie.) "Sank Heaven for Leetle Girls" indeed.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 12/23/2002 02:06 PM PST
Where are our top five movies lists? Where are our partygoers? This is unseemly - we need revelers and jesters and not party-poopers. We are celebrating four count them four birthdays here. Now, let's get off our collective behinds and not get behind in our postings. Also, remember, we have our live chat tonight at six p.m. Pacific Mean Time. If we don't have your AIM, please get it to me before six. This will, most likely, be the last time for using AIM names, but I'll have more about that towards the end of the week. But we must not lollygag or even gaglolly, posts-wise. We must not lollygag, do you hear me or we shall be little lost lollygaggers.
Posted by bk @ 12/23/2002 02:41 PM PST
Happy birthday, all you happy
birthday people!!!
As for movies, I honestly don't
think I've been in a movie
theatre one single time in
2002. Guess I really have
some catching up to do on
DVD. Do hope to see the
coming-very-soon "Chicago"
and "About Schmidt," however.
Posted by Jed @ 12/23/2002 02:59 PM PST
Hello Hello there! (oh, a styne/comden and green reference!)
So.. here's the birthday update...
On Friday evening, my friends visiting from NY who had flown into Ft. Lauderdale took me out for a positively Truly Scrumptious (oh, a Sherman Brothers reference) meal at a place called "Full Moon Fish Co." - I think Bruce would love this place. I had a wonderful Mussles "pot" for an appetizer. I then had Rack of Lamb. I know what you are all thinking.. why not have fish at that place - I will get to that. The meal was then finished off with a wonderful Chocolate Belgian Waffle dessert complete with Godiva Chocolate Raspberry ice cream. TDF!!! (To Die For in internet lingo)
Then.. last night, my family went to a place called The Station House. It was here that I feasted up thing from Under the Sea (oh, an Ashman and Menken reference). I had twin (count them 2!) lobsters. It was quite decadent! I also had a fabulous dessert featuring CAKE! It was called Chocolate Decadence - and I think it was the most chocolate you could have in a cake without breaking any laws. A bevy of people sang the birthday song to me, including my nephew and a good time was had by all.
So that brings me to today. Today was filled with phone calls, emails (which might just have to be posted about in another entry some other day) and a viewing with my father of The Two Towers. The longest battle scene ever on film I think.. truly visually stunning.
SO... that brings me to now, when I am posting.. See you later Tonight (oh, a Bernstein/Sondheim reference) in the chat...
Posted by Craig @ 12/23/2002 03:18 PM PST
It's a madhouse at there on the streets today. Happy Birthday to all. Who is Joel Kimmel?
Top 5 movies
1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2. Ya Ya Sisterhood
3. A Beautiful Mind
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
5. Star Wars Episode 2
Yeah, not much substance, but when your life is full of substance, some recreation of a non-subtantial nature is required.
Cheers!
Posted by Matthew @ 12/23/2002 03:41 PM PST
Oh, and if you want to view something totally inovative and fun, check out Peter Filicia's column today at theatremania.com
http://theatremania.com/news/peterdiary/index.cfm?story=2930&cid=1
See how many references you can count, I haven't even started!
Posted by Matthew @ 12/23/2002 03:44 PM PST
I hope to be able to see "Chicago" and "LOTR: The Two Towers" before the end of the year and I intend to count them among my top 5 favorites. One of my most favorite movies that I've actually seen this year is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." I also really liked "Signs," "Triumph of Love," "Kissing Jessica Stein" and even though they were released last year and I didn't see them until this year, I'm counting "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and "Monsters, Inc." among my favorite (okay, now I'm up to 8) movies of the year. (I would also like to make the distinction that these are my favorite movies of the year, not necessarily the movies that I think are the best of the year...although I do think that they're all pretty good.)
Tonight I plan to partake of the chat. I finally have a chat night free (well, almost). Last Wednesday was my friend Margo's 50th birthday. At about 9:30 p.m. tonight, we're going to meet for a late birthday dinner celebration after she ushers for a show here in Olympia.
So, Happy Birthday Margo and all other December Babies here at HHW!!
Posted by George @ 12/23/2002 04:13 PM PST
Dear Reader Matthew--
Sounds like you could use some recreational substances!
Posted by Jay @ 12/23/2002 04:15 PM PST
Can I say that? I just remembered this is a family site.
Posted by Jay @ 12/23/2002 04:15 PM PST
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU FUN PEOPLE YOU!!!!!
Well, even though Pittsburgh is a major metropolis, we don't always get the big movies (CHICAGO is coming in January, FAR FROM HEAVEN is still in limited engagements), but, bar none, my favorite film of the year (no surprise here):
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS.
After that, MINORITY REPORT is a brilliant film, marred only by a certain actress in a key role.
8 MILE
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
LILO & STITCH
RETURN TO NEVERLAND
STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
THE BREAD, MY SWEET
Posted by td @ 12/23/2002 05:22 PM PST
Hear Ye, Hear Ye... Let the chatting commence!
Posted by Craig @ 12/23/2002 05:44 PM PST
William E. Lurie, it has definitely been a bumpy road since Risky Business. That's why I noted that only after seeing Minority Report am I willing to declare myself a fan of Tom Cruise. I am not a big fan, just a mild fan.
On a bumpy road traveled a fair-to-poor actor, who appeared in numerous first-rate films alongside screen legends: Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and Paul Newman. Many of the great Directors of his era vied for his services. The girls swooned over his image on glossy posters. His name was Tom.
Posted by A Kvetch @ 12/23/2002 06:10 PM PST
Nine! How could I forget about "Minority Report?" I really liked that movie!
Posted by George @ 12/23/2002 06:13 PM PST
We are in the chat right now....talking Sugar and DOTV...come and join us.
Posted by Jrand55 @ 12/23/2002 06:23 PM PST
"Chicago - The Movie" is only opening in one or two theatres this week... to make it eligible for the Oscar. It will only be at one theatre in NYC. In mid-January it opens wide.
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 12/23/2002 06:54 PM PST
This will seem like last year's list to some. I get to see them later than you guys!
LOTR - THE FELLOWSHIP
GOSFORD PARK
I AM SAM
THE SHIPPING NEWS
MINORITY REPORT
It's Christmas Eve "Down Under". All the very best and peace to you all. Special grettings to GH.
Thanks everyone for that wonderful international freindship.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 12/23/2002 07:36 PM PST
Rats, sorry I missed the chat! I went to the movies -- Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets. Loved it!
Posted by Angela D. @ 12/23/2002 08:11 PM PST
Such a lively chat we had.
I'm still not that big a fan of Mr. Cruise, though he has appeared in a couple of films that I like quite a bit - RISKY BUSINESS, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES, GOLDMEMBER and TOP GUN (for all the reasons mentioned by Q. Tarrantino in SLEEP WITH ME). MINORITY REPORT was so Hitchcockian, to me, and the scene in the car factory was a direct steal - it ain't credited - from Hitchcock's well-known idea for TORN CURTAIN; a wrong man on the run, trying to find the right man and the truth...how much more Hitchcockian could Spielberg get? I think it is one of the finest films from our Mr. Spielberg, and that Colin Farrell ain't chopped liver!
Posted by td @ 12/23/2002 08:24 PM PST
Yes, a lovely chat, as always.
Special thanks to Susan
Gordon for joining me, as
usual, as "last ones out of the
pool."
Posted by Jed @ 12/23/2002 08:34 PM PST
Sorry I missed the chat. I've been having a great time catching up with family. I also just finished wrapping about 50 or 60 Christmas gifts. Bleh!
Happy birthday to all of our birthday boys!! I hope it was a good one. I have to run, but I'll check in tomorrow night. Ciao bella!
Posted by Jason @ 12/23/2002 09:08 PM PST
Sorry I couldn't make the chat this evening--other Birthday celebrations called. Hope it was great and thanks again, youse guys, for all your good wishes.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 12/23/2002 09:51 PM PST
Happy Birthday to all you who are celebrating! Sorry I missed the chat, but I had to be at work at the unholy hour of 5:30AM today (my usual shift starts at 6:30AM) and didn't get off til 4PM...so at chat time, I was sound asleep.
Top 5 Movies of the year:
1. CHICAGO--I will be so there on Friday!
2. FRIDA
3. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
4. INSOMNIA
5. THE COCKETTES (documentary)
5B. Reserved for some of the films coming out in the next 2 weeks, with good hype: ABOUT SCHMIDT, ADAPTATION (directed by Spike Jonz), the new Spike Lee film: THE 25TH HOUR.
5C. Runner-Ups: THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, SECRETARY, UNFAITHFUL, FAR FROM HEAVEN.
Posted by KT @ 12/24/2002 12:01 AM PST
