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Where Have All The Movies Gone??

Posted in BY THE WAY, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Cover of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole...

Cover via Amazon

We all have our favorite Christmas holiday movie – we established that last week.  But when are they playing on TV and on what station?  This is as much a mystery as how do reindeer fly? In hopes of finding The Bishop’s Wife or Bells of  St Mary, I thought I would try to check the TV listings for the next couple of days and look at channels I don’t ordinarily watch – but then again we already know I am not in control of the remote so if it isn’t on TCM or MSNBC chances are I won’t see it.

An hour or so on the web and I’m not sure that A Christmas Story is showing on any channel other than TBS! Well for sure I didn’t find either of the two I mentioned above.  I do love It’s A Wonderful Life and if I don’t set an alarm on my blackberry for 8pm on Christmas Eve, I won’t get to see that also 😦

T’is the season for sharing so I’m posting your all-in-one-place Christmas movie TV guide – right here in my blog.

THURSDAY:

12:00 AM – Holiday in Your Heart – Lifetime

8:00 AM –  Once Upon A Christmas – ABCFH

9:15AM – Holiday Inn – AMC

10:00AM – Twice Upon A Christmas – ABCFH

1:51PM – The Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

4:30PM – Polar Express – ABCFH

6:00PM – Deck the Halls – Lifetime

6:30PM – The Santa Claus – ABCFH

8:00PM – Holiday Switch – Lifetime/Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas – ABC

10:00PM – An Accidental Christmas – Lifetime

FRIDAY:

12:00AM – Santa Jr. – Hallmark/Remember the Night – TCM

2:00AM – The Santa Suit – Hallmark/Meet Me in St. Louis – TCM

4:00AM –  Mrs. Scrooge – Hallmark/Bell, Book & Candle – TCM

6:00AM – Moonlight and Mistletoe – Hallmark

8:00AM – Santa Jr. – Hallmark/An Accidental Christmas – Lifetime

10:00AM – Miracle on 34th St. – AMC/A Christmas Proposal – Lifetime

11:00AM – Marry Me – Lifetime/The Flintstone’s Christmas – ACFH

12:00PM – Recipe for a Perfect Christmas -Lifetime/Pinnochio’s Christmas – ABCFH/Where God Left His Shoes -IFC

12:15PM – White Christmas – AMC

1:00PM – T’was the Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

1:30PM – Rudolph’s and Frosty’s Christmas in July – ABCFH

2:00PM – Holiday Switch – Lifetime

3:00PM – Miracle on 34th St – AMC

3:31PM – Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer + The Island of Misfit Toys – ABCFH

4:00Pm – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Hallmark/The Road to Christmas –  Lifetime

5:00PM – A Christmas Wedding – Lifetime/

5:15PM – White Christmas – AMC

5:30Pm – T’was the Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

6:00PM – A Secret Santa – Lifetime/Jack Frost – ABCFH/Scrooge – TCM

7:00PM – Eve’s Christmas – Lifetime/Frosty’s Winter Wonderland – ABCFH

7:30PM – T’was the Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

8:00PM – Miracle on 34th St – AMC/Disney Prep & Landing – ABC/Battle of the Bulbs – Hallmark/It’s A Wonderful Life – NBC/The Bishop’s Wife – TCM

8:30PM – Phineas and Ferb’s Christmas Vacation – ABC

9:00PM – A Boyfriend for Christmas – Liftetime/The Year Without A Santa Claus – ABCFH/The Santa Claus – ABC

10:00PM – Eloise at Christmastime – Hallmark/Rudolph’s Shiny New Year – ABCFH/On Strike For Christmas – Lifetime

10:15Pm – White Christmas – AMC

SATURDAY:

12:00AM – Ernest Saves Christmas – ABCFH/ **

7:00AM – A Flintstone Christmas – ABCFH

8:00AM – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – ABCFH

9:00AM – A Christmas Carol (1938) – TMC/The Year Without A Santa Claus – ABCFH

10:00AM – Miracle on 34th St – ABCFH/Susan Slept Here – TCM

12:30PM – Santa Buddies – ABCFH

4:30PM –Home Alone 2 – ABCFH

7:00PM – Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas – ABCFH

8:00PM – A Christmas Carol (1984) – Fox/Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas – NBC

8:30Pm – Christmas Attack Zone – NBC

10:15Pm – Surviving Christmas – TBS

** Midnight till 8pm – A Christmas Story –  TBS/Scrooged – AMC

Since posting this blog I’ve found TCM’s Christmas schedule and Yay The Bishop’s Wife and others are now in the schedule.

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Six Word Memoir Monday – What’s Yours???

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on December 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

Coat of arms of Munich

Image via Wikipedia

With Christmas fast approaching and New Year‘s not far behind, the readers entries to our weekly Six Word Memoir challenge seem to be taking on a tone of the season.  And why not?

When I’m retired, I’ll have time! – Susan Celtic Lady

Oostende, Linz, Saltzburg, Munich; decisions, decisions – Heide

NEW YEAR welcomes four innovative seasons – Karen

My job made me physically ill – Weez

“Oh Holy Night” makes me cry – Me

And to continue sharing excerpts from the book, Not Quite What I Was Planning Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure.

Wolf she cried. No one listened – May Lee

All day I dream about sex – GuroTupchileshtoff

I still make coffee for two – Zak Nelson

I like girls. Girls like boys – Andrea Dela Cruz




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Thursday’s Top Ten Movie Quotes – Woody Allen’s Annie Hall

Posted in From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged , , , , , on December 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Cover of "Annie Hall"

Cover of Annie Hall

It’s Thursday’s Top Ten and then some.  A couple of days ago I watched Annie Hall (again!), one of,  if not the best of Woody Allen‘s movies.   Pure genius!  I was so taken with the dialogue that I started to jot some of what I thought were spectacular lines and thought these quotes would make a great Thursday’s Top Ten blog.

  1. “I‘m comparatively normal for a guy raised in Brooklyn.” – Alvie
  2. ” I love being reduced to a cultural stereotype.” – Annie
  3. ” You speak shellfish” – Alvie
  4. ” …If anyone had ever told me I would be taking out a girl who used the phrase, ‘La di dah’ …”. – Alvie
  5. ” The country makes me nervous, you get crickets and the screens with dead moths behind them…” – Alvie
  6. ” The rest of the country thinks of  New Yorkers as a bunch of left -wing Communist Jewish homosexuals;  personally I think of us that way sometimes.” – Alvie
  7. ” …my mother locked herself in the bathroom and overdosed on Mah Jongg tiles”. -Alvie
  8. ” Don’t knock masturbation, it’s having sex with someone I love”. – Alvie
  9. “…my feet haven’t touched pavement since I landed in L.A.” – Alivie
  10. “…penis envy? I’m one of the few men who suffer from it”. – Alivie
  11. “…the only cultural advantage is right turn on red”. – Alvie
  12. ” I forgot my montra” – ?
  13. “… it’s like living in munchkin land”. – Alvie

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What’s Your Favorite Holiday Movie?

Posted in BY THE WAY, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 15, 2010| 5 Comments »

Cover of "The Bells of St. Mary's"

Cover of The Bells of St. Mary's

It was two days before Thanksgiving and the Christmas decorations were out in K-Mart and from that point on it’s been Christmas season unplugged!  I can remember when holiday music was played on the radio every day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, but I think it got out of control when The Chipmunk Song was on the air every 30 minutes.  I don’t think I’ve heard any holiday songs on the radio BUT every store and shop has either music or muzak playing  so we are not entirely bereft of the sounds of the season!  Not so in the movie department.  Where are all the old Christmas movies?  Even TCM, the guardian of the classics hasn’t been featuring any oldies.   Perhaps next week during the countdown till Christmas.

Well, all this chatter has been leading to the question: What is your favorite holiday movie?  I can’t wait to hear from you  – is Charlie Brown’s Christmas or The Christmas Story?  Are you partial to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or does Frosty the Snowman warm your heart?  The Little Drummer Boy?

I love the old classics and could and do watch Miracle on 34th Street and It’s A Wonderful Life whenever they are being shown.  I like these movies because they are full of the emotions and feelings we all hope and believe are part of this season.  These movies make me cry… I used to wait every year for Christmas Eve because that’s when I would be able to watch The Bells of St. Mary’s, now there’s a tear-jerker and plus you get to hear Bing Crosby croon!!!

But my favorite?  Ahhhh,  I’ve saved the best for last – The Bishop’s Wife!  NOT the new version (which I never saw), I’m talking about the original version with the fabulous trio of Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven.  Omg this movie is the BEST Christmas movie!  First of all you get Cary Grant as an angel!! Can you stand it? He’s so gorgeous to begin with and now he plays the role of an angel, dear lord, it’s great.  And you have the angelic face of Loretta Young as the wife of the beleaguered bishop who is played by David Niven.  Perfect casting in a perfect story.  I don’t want to give away the plot or the story line because IF you can find it on TV or rent it from NetFlix, you should.   Such a sweet treat for Christmas!

Ok, so what’s yours? Please share your favorite holiday movie with us and tell us why (or not).

 

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A Classy Christmas Cocktail

Posted in BY THE WAY on December 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I came across this blog post today and the cocktail looked so crisp and fruity and as Hawlie says in her blog”…Everything is either too fatty, too creamy or too pepperminty…”  I hope to concoct this myself this year and you’re invited.

A Classy Christmas Cocktail.

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Oh No! Monday is here again – in Six Words

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged , , , , , , on December 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

Love & Heartbreak Cover

Image via Wikipedia

You would think I had a real office where I had to be in the office from 9 to 5 because that’s how this Monday feels.  I’m having weight depression again which means I don’t want to put on real clothes or go anywhere – definitely a Blue Monday!

On the bright side I do have some Six Word Memoirs from readers to share:

I’m a winner mystery song guesser – Esther

Baby it’s cold outside – bundle up! – Gail

Standing in lines, it’s the holidays! – Susan Celtic Lady

Can you overdose on Sole Meunier? – Heide

Habit not diet causes weight loss – Me

So I’m back to beseeching my readers to contribute their own Six Word Memoirs, it’s fun, it’s introspective and it’s clever. Join in the fun.

**Write about Sex. Learn about Love – Martha Garvey

**Stole wife. Lost friends. Now happy. – Po Bronson

**Fourteen years old. Story still untold – David Gidwani

**One long train ride to darkness –

** Excerpts from the book, Not Quite What I Was Planning Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure.

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Marthaspeak, tagged , , , , , , on December 13, 2010| 5 Comments »

I really am some kind of Christmas junkie.  For me the addiction is in decorating the house.  Over the years I have varied the look from time to time and when I had a large Victorian-style home in Connecticut, we had Christmas trees that were 9′ to 10′ tall and full of ribbons, flowers, bows, lace and confection.

Then there was the year of The Toy Story Christmas; My daughter and I were living in a bungalow-style small house and there really wasn’t room for a real tree.  I spent hours making a good size Candy Tree.  That was a treat (no pun intended), so colorful and sticky too.  Presents were piled on and around an old golden oak hall seat, stuffed animals sat here and there, Woody himself  was near the tree.

One year I went full-out Martha Stewart! I made the cookie ornaments featured in the magazine and a small flock of penguins hand-painted in blue and black frosting set in snow (salt), strung cranberries and popcorn and wrapped all the presents in brown paper tied with raffia.

When I married Peter (who’s Jewish), Christmas was still very much present, however, now I was living in a New York City apartment and soooooo;  the living room which has an Art Deco look became a silver and crystal wonderland.  Reindeer inhabited every room, shelf and nook – they’re so ecumenical, don’t you think?

Fast forward to the present and this year Christmas will be in our little cottage at the shore.  La Vie en Rose is a true confection of a cottage, at least I like to think so.  A small cottage can only handle so much decoration so again there’s no tree and by the way, that’s okay because over the years I have given all of the ornaments of their youth to my two now grown up kids.  The cottage is Victorian on the outside and eclectic on the inside.   Color is the key and this is what it looks like today.

 

La Vie en Rose, Christmas tree, Ocean Grove

A Pink Christmas is Perfect

The tree really isn’t supposed to have any ornaments and comes pre-wired with tiny lights but I guess I couldn’t resist hanging a couple and now that I see the photo, I think I’ll remove them.

 

flamingo, penguin, ornaments, bowl of ornaments

Flamingo and Penguin Co-exist at Christmas time

I love the reflections.

 

ocean grove,nutcrackers,wooden soldiers

My Army of Nutcrackers

Joel and Chiara Berti, pink ribboned tree

Pink Ribboned Tree

I have been looking at photos from other Christmases in the cottage and I see that this tree has been promoted to the first floor!

 

Christmas light bulbs, C-9 bulbs, canning jars, Ball jars, zinc lids, santa sleigh, pine cones

The First of the Ball Jar Bulb collection

There’s a few more jars and bulbs and a jingle bell wreath on the door.  I need to take a few more photos to do this all justice.

Merry Christmas to All!

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“Do You Hear What I Hear”?

Posted in BY THE WAY, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 12, 2010| 6 Comments »

Well not really! A couple of readers treasure the sound of the ocean, however  in a different manner and form.  It was wonderful to receive the responses (of course always wish more had replied) and as promised I’m publishing their favorite sounds, so listen carefully.

Justin:

shooting the curl, tube surfing

Surfing in the Tube

My mom wheezing when she laughs so hard that no sound comes out of her mouth.
My father’s cackle when he laughs so hard and then he also wheezes where no sound comes out! These are my 2 favorite sounds!

A very close 2nd is the sound inside of the tube of a wave. It’s the best white noise known to man. Not only is it the most beautiful site of all time, when that waves closes over you, there is a silence that is deafening!! Only a surfer would know!

Chiara and Joel’s laughter remind me of my childhood and so many amazing board games. Those 2 laughs are so contagious! Basically I love laughter!!

Karen:

I love the sound of a baby breathing, my son, Christopher’s, voice, smacking of the ocean’s wave against the sand, children laughing, & most of all, my mother’s ghost telling me that I should feel guilting about something..

Gail:

I agree with you about the thunder, ocean waves and purring! Also, the sound of a heavy rain banging against the window when you’re nice and warm and dry inside. Also, the sound of the first notes of songs that you love.

Heather:

I am Taurus on the cusp of Gemini but I have one sound above all others that I love:  the sound of a constant rain on the roof/skylight/lanai/patio/deck/tent.  Nothing is more peaceful to me.  You got me with the sounds of being on a boat and hearing the sounds of water alongside and I do sleep peacefully with that BUT my ear is always awake listening for a deep engine too close, fog horns or waves on rocks (meaning the anchor has dragged and our boat is too close to shore!).  I can fall asleep in an instant sitting at the beach and listening to the gentle lapping of the waves and the sounds of seagulls but, again, not as good as rain.  Mind you, all these things have to do with water which, as you rightly suggested, is reminiscent of the womb. Nuff said.

Sooooo what do think or hear for that matter?  If you wish to express your thoughts on your own favorite sound, please send to me here in the blog or at pbenjaytoo@gmail.com

Footnote: The Christmas carol, “Do You Hear What I Hear” was written by a married couple who wrote it during the Cuban Missile Crisis as a plea for peace.

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What’s Your Favorite Sound?

Posted in BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2010| 6 Comments »

I don’t know why I ever try to define anything that is my favorite.  It goes so against my Gemini twin-like indecision!  Like I could ever pick ONE movie that was my all time favorite.  Noooo I am the poster-child, er in my case, woman of Variety is the Spice of Life. I can’t make up my mind quickly when I’m in my favorite ice cream shop so I always get two scoops in two different flavors.

I don’t think I have a favorite song, I have a couple.  And now this??  What is your favorite sound? This is an attempt, an avenue, an opportunity to get more readers more involved in the blog postings.  Blatant? Maybe, but I’m pretty up front about it!.

So please send me your favorite sound or sounds because honestly I have more than one and I’m going to tell you all of them, so you can do the same.  I would love to post them and you can leave them here on the blog or email me at pbenjaytoo@gmail.com.

And how does someone choose a favorite sound?  Is it because that particular sound engenders a nostalgic memory or feeling?  Does the sound serve some need of yours?  Well let me tell you about my favorite sounds and maybe you can relate to them or you’ll get to thinking about the sounds in your life and what they mean to you.

I love the sound of ocean, the crashing of waves and the gentle lapping of waves on the shore.  However best of all I like the sound of the water splashing up against a bell buoy when you’re sleeping on board a boat.  That sound along with the gentle rocking and rolling of the boat surely must be a memory embedded from the womb.

I love the sound of thunder!  The rolling, rumbling gathering of nature’s forces that climax in a vibrating thunderclap really excites me.  There is a majestic power in this lightning-charged explosion of air and the booming, banging, cracking and crashing of thunder puts me ever in awe of Mother Nature.

I love the sound of silence. The deep, dark, thick silence that surrounds the cottage on a winter night.   The stillness is secure, safe and cozy to me.  Peter hates it-well, born and bred in the City, this kind of silence is totally foreign to him.  He can’t fall asleep, he says it’s too quiet.  I say, “that’s how it’s supposed to be”.  I can snuggle my head into my down pillow and let the darkness and silence envelope me and drift into sleep…the sound of the silence filling my head until dreams replace it.

And I love the  sound of a cat purring! As an adjunct to my love of the  sound of silence, when in the City, I love to have Nora sleep on top of my pillow and purr and purr.  She is my very own sound machine.  All I have to do is rub her belly or stroke her head and she is off and running on another round of a fairly loud purrrrring.  Sometimes she purrs herself to sleep before me!

And so I ask you again, What Is Your Favorite Sound? Please share them with us.

 

purring, Nora

Nora

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Bad Bulb Karma

Posted in BY THE WAY, tagged , , , , , , , on December 7, 2010| 1 Comment »

A light bulb

Image via Wikipedia

What did I do to offend the spirit of Thomas Edison? I love my lights; I treat them with respect.   I dust their little heads,  vacuum their shades if they have one.   Frayed cords? No way! Most of my lighting fixtures, whether they’re lamps or ceiling lights are vintage.  Some of our lamps come from the 40″s and 50″s and most of them have been lovingly re-wired.

So why, can you tell me why in the past 24 hours not one, not two, not three BUT four light bulbs have just popped and died right in my hands?  Last night I turned on the lamp that sits on my table/computer desk and after a couple of flickers, it went pooft!  I called Peter to come fix it because I didn’t think it was the bulb.  He didn’t think it was the bulb either BUT he tried testing the bulb on another lamp and nothing, nada, zippo.  Peter put in a new 40 watt bulb and I was able to continue playing Scrabble, er I mean working!  This morning I turned on the lamp and unbelievable!!!- the light bulb blew!  Rummaging around through more halogen bulbs than I could use in a lifetime, soon to discover there are no more 40 watt bulbs 😦

Time to set up the table for Mah Jongg, the Mavens are coming here.  After I spread out the olives, crackers, cheese and dips AND some potato knishes (it IS Chanukah after all),  I switched on the overhead light above the table and I know what you’re thinking but you’re wrong – the light came on.  But then it went out, and then it came on and then it went out.  Peter!!! He tapped the globe a couple of times and it went on and it went off.  Soooo he unscrewed the globe and took the bulb out, tried it in another lamp and it didn’t work at all.  Now this lighting fixture had a 150 watt bulb in it and naturally there were none of those in the house.  Best he could do was a 100 watt bulb and if you don’t think 50 watts makes a difference, well try playing Mah Jongg under it. Mmmm I thought, what to do? I turned on the kitchen light, the light under the cabinet and the turned on the tiny lamp that was on the window sill and THEN I picked my brightest yellow Mah Jongg set with all of the characters clearly visible.  I thought that was kind of resourceful:)

About midnight when all the tiles were put away, table wiped clean and chairs back where they belong, I joined Peter in the bedroom.  He turned on the light next to the bed and pooft the light bulb went out.  FOUR??!!! Glory be to G.E.!


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