In honor of the upcoming holiday, I thought I would compile a list of my favorite Thanksgiving-themed movies (in no particular order):
1) Tadpole
2) What’s Cooking?
3) Planes, Trains & Automobiles
4) The Ice Storm
5) Home for the Holidays
6) Pieces of April
7) Hannah & Her Sisters
8) Miracle on 34th Street
9) Son-in-Law
10) Scent of a Woman
My favorite Thanksgiving-themed TV programs:
1) “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”
2) Quantum Leap: “The Leap Home”
3) WKRP in Cincinnati: “Turkey’s Away”
4) The Bob Newhart Show: “Over the River and Through the Woods”
5) Friends: any of the Thanksgiving episodes
I just finished watching another Thanksgiving themed movie, “The Daytrippers” which I believe was made in 1995. This one came recommended on the internet when I did a search for “Thanksgiving movies.” It was an enjoyable little film centered around the adventures a family had in Manhatten (presumably on Black Friday) while trying to track down their daughter’s husband whom they suspect is cheating on her (they’re right, but I won’t spoil the unexpected twist).
Next up on my Netflix queue: “Alice’s Restaurant” (as in the famous Arlo Guthrie song as opposed to the mid 1970’s television show “Alice.”)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
40th Anniversaries in Pop Culture 2009
The Apollo Moon Landings. I was just a fetus when this momentous event occurred. On the 25th anniversary I remember watching some commemorative programs while staying at a youth hostel in Ireland. Those astronauts may have literally been a million miles from home, whereas for me being in Ireland, felt much the same. I only wish I had gotten around to visiting the Giant’s Causeway (in Northern Ireland) since it’s supposed to very much resemble the moon’s surface.
Woodstock. Besides the commemorative concert held in Bethel this year, there were events all across the country. Here in Cow town, the Shadowbox Cabaret did a production called “Woodstock: Back to the Garden.” It was absolutely brilliant!!! My husband and I joined a crowded room to see it the second weekend after it opened (in September). Even the dinner menu was specially tailored around the production. I sampled some of the “funky Kool-Aid” and for dessert had a “special” brownie. Too bad it was lacking that one “special” ingredient, but at least it still hit the spot!. I read that Country Joe Macdonald was in the audience during the closing weekend.
“The Brady Bunch.” Although I am too young to have seen the episodes when they were on for the first time, I am old enough to remember seeing them when they started airing in syndication. Apparently “The Brady Bunch” has never been off the air, which is a valid bragging point. To celebrate, www.tvland.com has been showing complete (commercial free!) episodes. Someday I’d like to own them all on dvd (so I don’t have to channel surf to try and find the reruns), especially the fifth season when they went to King’s Island (since that’s only a two hour drive from Columbus). My neighbor was working at the park when they were there. I would have killed to have met my favorite childhood stars, but at the time I was only 4 years old (and not quite a fan yet).
"Sesame Street." Unlike a lot of American children, I didn’t actually grow up watching the program since most of the time we were unable to tune in to PBS (the closest affiliate being 60 miles away in Cleveland). Hence, the only times we ever really got to see it was when we were visiting my grandparents in Parma (a suburb of Cleveland).
It’s probably been about ten years since I’ve seen it and like the song goes, “the times they are a changin’!” This weekend I watched the season premiere that aired on Tuesday. The first thing I missed was the classic opening theme song. I also miss the old set (where was Oscar the Grouch?). I heard that Sesame Street has been gentrified, and you sure can tell, but what was wrong with the old neighborhood?
I can totally understand the move towards utilizing green screen and animation, but I still miss seeing actual puppets and real people most of the time. I also wish they would get rid of Elmo. Not only is his laugh annoying, but the way he always refers to himself in the third person is grating. At the end of the day, “Sesame Street” still has a lot more to recommend it than “Barney.”
Woodstock. Besides the commemorative concert held in Bethel this year, there were events all across the country. Here in Cow town, the Shadowbox Cabaret did a production called “Woodstock: Back to the Garden.” It was absolutely brilliant!!! My husband and I joined a crowded room to see it the second weekend after it opened (in September). Even the dinner menu was specially tailored around the production. I sampled some of the “funky Kool-Aid” and for dessert had a “special” brownie. Too bad it was lacking that one “special” ingredient, but at least it still hit the spot!. I read that Country Joe Macdonald was in the audience during the closing weekend.
“The Brady Bunch.” Although I am too young to have seen the episodes when they were on for the first time, I am old enough to remember seeing them when they started airing in syndication. Apparently “The Brady Bunch” has never been off the air, which is a valid bragging point. To celebrate, www.tvland.com has been showing complete (commercial free!) episodes. Someday I’d like to own them all on dvd (so I don’t have to channel surf to try and find the reruns), especially the fifth season when they went to King’s Island (since that’s only a two hour drive from Columbus). My neighbor was working at the park when they were there. I would have killed to have met my favorite childhood stars, but at the time I was only 4 years old (and not quite a fan yet).
"Sesame Street." Unlike a lot of American children, I didn’t actually grow up watching the program since most of the time we were unable to tune in to PBS (the closest affiliate being 60 miles away in Cleveland). Hence, the only times we ever really got to see it was when we were visiting my grandparents in Parma (a suburb of Cleveland).
It’s probably been about ten years since I’ve seen it and like the song goes, “the times they are a changin’!” This weekend I watched the season premiere that aired on Tuesday. The first thing I missed was the classic opening theme song. I also miss the old set (where was Oscar the Grouch?). I heard that Sesame Street has been gentrified, and you sure can tell, but what was wrong with the old neighborhood?
I can totally understand the move towards utilizing green screen and animation, but I still miss seeing actual puppets and real people most of the time. I also wish they would get rid of Elmo. Not only is his laugh annoying, but the way he always refers to himself in the third person is grating. At the end of the day, “Sesame Street” still has a lot more to recommend it than “Barney.”
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
These are a few of my Favorite Things...
Maria Von Trapp may have had her brown paper packages tied up with string & Schnitzel with noodles, but I have my very own list (in no specific order):
Puffkins & Luvvees: what’s not to like – they’re pint sized stuffed animals with huge round bellies and tiny arms and legs.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches: I also love all the variations – like peanut butter & applesauce, peanut butter & cream cheese, peanut butter & banana (no pickles though!), etc.
a thick new paperback novel: I just love delving into a juicy story to help pass the time during a boring afternoon at work.
home improvement shows: nothing motivates me more than watching someone else either clean up or fix their own house. Of course it sometimes depresses me when I look around our house and compare it to some of the ones I see on TV.
new comfy “weekend clothes”: There’s just something about the novelty of having new clothes that never gets “old.”
pocket sized gadgets: I just love my tiny I-Pod and the speaker it rests next to. It’s about the same size as some cell phones. I also love my pocket-size digital camera, which is small enough to have in my purse all the time without necessarily adding much extra weight.
my laptop computer: I love the portability of having a computer you can take with you almost anywhere. Soon almost everywhere will have free WiFi, so it will be nice to be able to access the internet from a lot of different places.
pasta with tomato sauce & cheese: Like with PB & J, I will eat almost any variation on this. It’s definitely one of the easiest and tastiest dinners to make.
chocolate: brownies, cake, candy are my three preferred solids. I also enjoy a nice steaming mug of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s evening.
a fun, hip, new handbag/purse/backpack: I love carrying my things with me, so it’s especially a pleasure when it’s in something funky.
Puffkins & Luvvees: what’s not to like – they’re pint sized stuffed animals with huge round bellies and tiny arms and legs.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches: I also love all the variations – like peanut butter & applesauce, peanut butter & cream cheese, peanut butter & banana (no pickles though!), etc.
a thick new paperback novel: I just love delving into a juicy story to help pass the time during a boring afternoon at work.
home improvement shows: nothing motivates me more than watching someone else either clean up or fix their own house. Of course it sometimes depresses me when I look around our house and compare it to some of the ones I see on TV.
new comfy “weekend clothes”: There’s just something about the novelty of having new clothes that never gets “old.”
pocket sized gadgets: I just love my tiny I-Pod and the speaker it rests next to. It’s about the same size as some cell phones. I also love my pocket-size digital camera, which is small enough to have in my purse all the time without necessarily adding much extra weight.
my laptop computer: I love the portability of having a computer you can take with you almost anywhere. Soon almost everywhere will have free WiFi, so it will be nice to be able to access the internet from a lot of different places.
pasta with tomato sauce & cheese: Like with PB & J, I will eat almost any variation on this. It’s definitely one of the easiest and tastiest dinners to make.
chocolate: brownies, cake, candy are my three preferred solids. I also enjoy a nice steaming mug of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s evening.
a fun, hip, new handbag/purse/backpack: I love carrying my things with me, so it’s especially a pleasure when it’s in something funky.
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