Topic: NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING, NOT EVEN A MOUSE (Read 38785 times)

Matt H. · « **Reply #60 on:** December 23, 2008, 07:51:01 AM »

Quote from: JRand58 on December 23, 2008, 05:11:40 AM

Yes, DR MATTH - I remember when Miss America was an EVENT that everyone looked forward to and watched....did it happen in September? I seem to remember it was around the start of the school year.

Yes, September. It was always the unofficial start of the new TV season. The World Series, the Miss America Pageant, and the Academy Awards were always the most watched annual events on TV. (The Super Bowl hadn't been "invented" yet when I was young.)

Matt H. · « **Reply #61 on:** December 23, 2008, 07:54:26 AM »

Good morning!

Very cold this morning, but it could not be a more gorgeous day otherwise. Warming into the low 40s here, but into the 50s the rest of the week.

Ron Pulliam · « **Reply #62 on:** December 23, 2008, 07:56:39 AM »

Tonight is the first of three "seasonal" get-togethers my mom and I will ~~endur~~enjoy over the next three days.

Tonight, I'll get to see my cousin Rick and wife Susan. I look forward to that. Tomorrow evening, we'll go to my cousin Debra's for dinner. Thursday evening, all hell will likely break loose as my aunt told her twin granddaughters and one of her grandsons to stop by for supper/snacks. They are the siblings of the 'bad seed' who ruined Thanksgiving at her house. She says she didn't invite 'him', but where 'they' go, he goes! She hasn't banned him, although she and my uncle hope he won't turn up.

I'm both attracted and repelled by the prospect. Fortunately, we live across the street and can leave any time we want. I've told my mom I don't look forward to it, especially since my cousin Butch probably won't be there and he's the only reason to go since I've have already been around his brother Rick and sister Debra. We'll probably cross the street to say hello (conversation is impossible...mainly because they all distract one another).

Anyway, I'll hope for the best and expect less.

Matt H. · « **Reply #63 on:** December 23, 2008, 07:57:33 AM »

I took a closer look at the Criterion box set of Rossellini films I'll be watching and reviewing starting today. These are TV films he made near the end of his career.

The first one is THE AGE OF THE MEDICI, and it's over four hours long! I'll be on this set for several days, I suspect!

Laura · « **Reply #64 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:00:55 AM »

DR Ron Pulliam, I am always amazed at your stories of holiday drama.

My DH came home yesterday and declared "Christmas is over," and sighed. He's glad to have the next three days off.

Matt H. · « **Reply #65 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:02:37 AM »

On TV Tonight!™

CBS - A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Faith Hill) pushes back reruns of NCIS and THE MENTALIST an hour.
ABC - GRINCH, REDISCOVERED, THE LIST
PBS - INDEPENDENT LENS (about how GREY GARDENS became a musical)
TNT - LEVERAGE

Ron Pulliam · « **Reply #66 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:03:49 AM »

What folks here need to understand re: "Miss America" is that South Carolina always took its "Miss South Carolina" pageants VERY SERIOUSLY back in the day.

Even though Mississippi seemed to generate more Miss Americas than any state, South Carolina was recognized as having one of the nation's premier state pageants. Other states had more winners, but "Miss South Carolina" was almost always a top-10 finalist.

There were some serious contenders out of South Carolina, but none shone more brightly than Marian McKnight. The "Miss America" pageant was a major TV event and front-page news in most newspapers, also "back in the day."

Things began to change, at least for me, when the pageant officials decided to divest themselves of Bert Parks as emcee. Parks was THE "Miss America" emcee. No one ever came close to replacing him.

His version of "There she is, Miss America....there she is, your ideal..." was the ULTIMATE version/rendition of the song that the pageant officials all-too-soon rid themselves of when Parks was replaced.

When you heard Parks launch into that song as the tearful new Miss America began her precarious walk down the runway -- crown perilously wobbling upon her head, heavy cape trailing behind her and her arms cradling a ton of roses -- you couldn't help but break out in chillblains.

The "new blood" that hoped to modernize/improve Miss America ruined it beyond all hope of recovery, IMO. And that was three decades ago!

It's all a bad joke now.

Matt H. · « **Reply #67 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:06:59 AM »

And speaking of GREY GARDENS, though the CD is several years old, I only got around to listening to it this year, and I really liked it. I would have chosen this over SPRING AWAKENING based on their CDs alone for the Best Musical Tony.

The other Best CD of the Year for me was THE MUSIC BEHIND THE MAGIC, a fabulous box set of demos and finished tracks for Menken/Ashman Disney projects.

Matt H. · « **Reply #68 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:14:43 AM »

Quote from: Ron Pulliam on December 23, 2008, 08:03:49 AM

What folks here need to understand re: "Miss America" is that South Carolina always took its "Miss South Carolina" pageants VERY SERIOUSLY back in the day.

Even though Mississippi seemed to generate more Miss Americas than any state, South Carolina was recognized as having one of the nation's premier state pageants. Other states had more winners, but "Miss South Carolina" was almost always a top-10 finalist.

There were some serious contenders out of South Carolina, but none shone more brightly than Marian McKnight. The "Miss America" pageant was a major TV event and front-page news in most newspapers, also "back in the day."

Things began to change, at least for me, when the pageant officials decided to divest themselves of Bert Parks as emcee. Parks was THE "Miss America" emcee. No one ever came close to replacing him.

His version of "There she is, Miss America....there she is, your ideal..." was the ULTIMATE version/rendition of the song that the pageant officials all-too-soon rid themselves of when Parks was replaced.

When you heard Parks launch into that song as the tearful new Miss America began her precarious walk down the runway -- crown perilously wobbling upon her head, heavy cape trailing behind her and her arms cradling a ton of roses -- you couldn't help but break out in chillblains.

The "new blood" that hoped to modernize/improve Miss America ruined it beyond all hope of recovery, IMO. And that was three decades ago!

It's all a bad joke now.

Yes indeed. The coverage of the PRELIMINARY nights of competition was front page news - for the STATE PAGEANT. Once the Miss America competition preliminaries began, it was a breathless time seeing who won the talent, swimsuit, and gown preliminaries. Some years, they'd keep the results of the evening gown preliminaries secret so the complete lists of finalists wouldn't be so obvious. Girls that won both a swimsuit and talent preliminary could pretty much expect to make it into the top 10 and probably the top 5.

On the final night, talent counted 40% toward the final score so winning one of those prelimaries was a BIG step toward winning the title. Swimsuit and evening gown results were 20% each. The final 20% was personality/poise/final question.

And I sure agree about Bert Parks. He was emblematic of the Miss America Pageant.

One year, the composer of "There She Is, Miss America" wanted more money for his song, and the pageant was going to drop it, having gotten another song "Miss America, You're Beautiful" as a replacement. Only a few hours before show time, negotiations were reached, and the other song was used as the song for the year's previous winner as she was first presented to the audience at the opening of the show.

Cillaliz · « **Reply #69 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:18:12 AM »

Quote from: Jennifer on December 23, 2008, 05:48:49 AM

Do most people in snowy climates keep their cars in the garage?

Around here most people do not. They use their garage to store garage type things and keep their cars in the driveways.

I have always kept my car in my garage and am very happy I do. A lot of people have a garage full of junk, but that's never made sense to me in a climate where you'd have to scrape the ice and snow off the car and where your car would be subject to the intense cold we get. I think the majority of the people I know here put their cars in the garage in the winter...many may only have one car in the garage and others in the driveway ...

Cillaliz · « **Reply #70 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:25:59 AM »

I am waiting for my 10:30 appointment and then must go to the mall and find one more present for my mother. I forgot that I was going to do that last weekend, but with the snow didn't venture out. I'm also going to exchange the sweater Edith got for me. It isn't that I don't like it, I do, in fact I like it so much I bought the very sweater for myself about 10 days ago. I don't need two and she'll never know the difference so I just told her I love it.

Cillaliz · « **Reply #71 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:27:41 AM »

I don't really have a CD list. I don't listen to them all that often anymore.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #72 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:29:11 AM »

The mall will be brutal, DR CILLA LIZ. But you will persevere. The only thing worse than they way people drive is....the way people park.

Laura · « **Reply #73 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:29:57 AM »

I remember the Miss America pageants. They were a big deal. Back then.

Laura · « **Reply #74 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:32:34 AM »

Arizona's very own Vonda Kay Van Dyke Miss America in 1965. Her talent was ventriloquism.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #75 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:36:28 AM »

Miss Washington D.C. 1949, aka Miss District of Columbia.

Disqualified when she saw her male cousin in the lobby of the Atlantic City hotel where she stayed during the pageant, rushed across the lobby and hugged him. Chaperones saw her and reported it to pageant officials. Contestants were forbidden to have ANY contact with ANY male during the pageant. She was not told that she had been disqualified and competed in events up until the last night. Judges Earl Wilson and Walter Winchell both had chosen her to win.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #76 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:41:49 AM »

This cleared the way for the win for Jacque Mercer. Miss Arizona, to be crowned Miss America 1949. Mercer was married AND divorced during her 12 month reign...so new rules covering matrimony were established by The Pageant.

There was NO Miss America for 1950. Beginning in that year, Miss America was designated for the following year....so Mercer's replacement became Miss America 1951.

The Miss America Pageant officials do not have a sense of humor and emails with questions are routinely answered with suspicion. They will also NOT discuss anything about the disqualification of Miss Washington DC 1949. And they tout themselves as the biggest SCHOLARSHIP pageant system in the world and claim that college for the contestants is their goal.

Email them some time with a simple question, but be prepared. They defend even when they aren't being attacked.

JMK · « **Reply #77 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:46:55 AM »

Word to the wise: shovelling a long driveway for the first time in 30+ years can lead to severe back pain. Oy.

Laura · « **Reply #78 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:49:04 AM »

I think my DH wants to go back to work; I have mentioned a couple of things I need done here at home.

Ginny · « **Reply #79 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:49:17 AM »

Tuesday morning greetings! My clean-up elves are working hard in the kitchen that I spent yesterday and this morning messing up. We now have 2 kinds of cookies, green Jello salad, marinated carrots, Gram cheese, and a pecan pie (about to come out of the oven). This cooking storm was in prep for our biggest gathering of the week - tonight. All I have yet to do is mix up the cheesy potatoes and set the table.

Ginny · « **Reply #80 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:50:03 AM »

Happiest of birthdays to DR WFO!

singdaw · « **Reply #81 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:50:44 AM »

Quote from: JRand58 on December 23, 2008, 08:41:49 AM

Email them some time with a simple question

Hmmm....

Like, "What will you do to further world peace?"

singdaw · « **Reply #82 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:52:19 AM »

Quote from: JMK on December 23, 2008, 08:46:55 AM

shovelling a long driveway

Oh!!!

Did you have snow in Portland, DR JMK?

JMK · « **Reply #83 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:59:54 AM »

Quote from: singdaw on December 23, 2008, 08:52:19 AM

Quote from: JMK on December 23, 2008, 08:46:55 AM
shovelling a long driveway

Oh!!!

Did you have snow in Portland, DR JMK?

Just a little.

I must say, as a former Utahn, this is easily the worst storm, accumulation wise, we've ever had in the 32 years I've lived here. We have close to three feet where the plows came through and a good two feet elsewhere. It's really amazing. They are, of course, predicting another big storm for tomorrow, so I have no clew whether I'll be able to get to either Christmas Eve service to conduct the music. Of course my hunch is most of the choir won't be able to get there either, so it may be (literally) moot.

Ginny · « **Reply #84 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:02:19 AM »

In the '50s and early '60s, watching the Miss American Pageant was a big TV event for my mom and "her girls." We had clam dip and hijacked the TV from my dad.

JMK · « **Reply #85 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:04:13 AM »

When I was young it was de rigeur for Miss Utah, if she made the finals and did her talent "thing," to perform an interpretive dance. This happened several years as I recall. I very clearly remember one Miss Utah doing an interpretive dance of the famed attack of the locusts in Salt Lake City, with the seagulls swooping in and carrying them off, dropping them in the Great Salt Lake. What I mostly remember is my entire family laughing so hard we were crying.

Matt H. · « **Reply #86 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:04:51 AM »

Quote from: Laura on December 23, 2008, 08:32:34 AM

Arizona's very own Vonda Kay Van Dyke was crowned Miss America in 1964. Her talent was ventriloquism.

I remember that pageant distinctly. I thought she had it in the bag from the moment she stepped foot on the stage. And after she brought down the house with her talent presentation, there was no doubt about it.

FJL · « **Reply #87 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:07:46 AM »

Off to the office party

FJL · « **Reply #88 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:08:07 AM »

The tax office, that is

Jane · « **Reply #89 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:10:01 AM »

Quote from: singdaw on December 23, 2008, 01:31:21 AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to former/E&T DR William F. Orr!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DR WILLIAM F. ORR!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DS BRYAN!

News:

Author Topic: NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING, NOT EVEN A MOUSE (Read 38785 times)

Cillaliz

Cillaliz

Cillaliz

singdaw

singdaw

FJL

FJL