10 Things To Know for Today and This Week: Armenian Anniversary

Here are 10 things to know for today and this week (pict. top: Sid Haig, a horror film actor of Armenian heritage; pict. center: the late Turkish Hollywood actor Turhan Bey; pict. bottom: Abbott and Costello, Bud Abbott is on the left):

1) Armenians around the world, including Armenia and Turkey, are recognizing the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide by Ottoman Turks in what is now eastern Turkey; the day coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, which was fought between Turkish and Allied forces in western Turkey.

2) Some 7,000 Turkish-Americans, according to the Turkish Embassy, held a Turkish-Armenian reconciliation walk between the White House and the embassy this morning.

3) Armenian-Americans in Los Angeles, walked from Western Avenue to Hollywood Blvd.  today for an unveiling of a memorial monument to recognize the victims of the alleged genocide.

4) According to "The Los Angeles Times," 236,600 Armenian-Americans live in California, and 183,500 of them reside in Los Angeles County. California has the largest population of Armenian-Americans.

5) Oz Bengur, a Maryland Democrat, became the first Turkish-American to seek a major party nomination for U.S. Congress in 2002 when he lost the nomination bid to Cong. Dutch Ruppresberger. Today, Bengur is the treasurer of the Maryland Democratic Party.

6) Bud Abbott of Abbott and Costello fame died on this day in 1974 at age 78.

7) Jane Fonda's first work-out video was released on this date in 1982.

8) On this date in 1996, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 in a four-overtime game that lasted 139 minutes and 15 seconds.

9) Bangor, Maine, where author Stephen King resides, has the third largest population in Maine with 33,039 residents.

10) The Cleveland Cavaliers, featuring LeBron James, beat the Boston Celtics 103-95 last night to go up 3-0 in the first round NBA playoff series.

Our Top Ten Comic Strips from "The Roanoke Times:" Blondie Actually Makes the Top Ten; Speed Bump Wins the Survey

Greetings to our blog readers in Canada, Spain and Switzerland.

And, a shout-out to our celebrity visitors George Lucas, Jane Fonda and Nancy Kerrigan (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

Here is our top ten:

1) Speed Bump: In Dave Coverly's one panel strip one of the Easter Island heads acts up, and his mother straightens him out

2) Get Fuzzy: In this strip, the age-old battle of which pet is more popular: the cat or the dog takes center stage.

3) Pearls Before Swine: Stephan Pastis goes autobiographical again, this time asking his own creations, the rat and the goat, how he looks with a beard and a beret. (Hmmm....yeah, I suppose some of you are imagining Che Guevara right now)

4) Doonesbury

5) Dilbert

6) Blondie: Dagwood goes ski jumping?!! This should make the strip more popular in Finland.

7) Funky Winkerbean

8) Zits

9) Mutts

10) Agnes

SIDEBAR: Last night in Boston, Yale actually upset Harvard in men's basketball by a score of 74-67, but perhaps no noticed as everyone in the world is watching Bob Costas and NBC's coverage of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

And, this is our 2,225th blog entry!

http://www.gocomics.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/comics

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: The Stars of "9 to 5"

Tonight, we thought we'd go back to the days when we blogged about the degrees of separation given stars were from Kevin Bacon through the web site The Oracle of Bacon, devised by computer scince at the University of Virginia a decade and a half ago.

With that in mind, we focus on the three female leads for "9 to 5" (1980), which was turned into a tv sitcom and a Broadway musical. The film starred Jane Fonda (pictured top), Dolly Parton (pictured bottom) in her film debut and Lily Tomlin.

None of the women have actually been in a film with Bacon, and each of them are two degrees removed from his.

Fonda was in "Stanley and Iris" (1989) with Robert DeNiro and he was in turn in "Sleepers" (1995) with Bacon.

Parton was in "Miss Congeniality 2" which I reluctantly saw at a movie theatre in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with Stephen Tobolowsky who was in  "Murder in the First" (1995) with Bacon.

Tomlin was in the Woody Allen film "Shadows and Fog" (1991) which co-starred Peter McRobbie who was in "Sleepers" with Bacon.

Parton will be performing in Portland, Ore., on June 8th for Dolly Parton Hoot Night (we are not making this up!).

Amazingly enough, Bacon is also only two degrees removed from early film star Lillian Gish and Shirley Temple, who hasn't made films since she was a child star. But, he is a full three degrees from Mary Pickford, a star in the 1920s, and Turkish actress Turkan Soray, who is known as the queen of Turkish cinema.

http://www.oracleofbacon.org

http://www.dollyparton.com

http://www.portlandlive.com

Quote of the Day- Jon Voight

Today, we continue our series of quoting actors who have played real-life American presidents with a quote from the liberal-turned-Tea Partier Jon Voight, 73, who ironically played the iconic Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the film "Pearl Harbor" (2001), which starred Ben Affleck.

More recently, Voight played President George Washington in the right-win political slapstick satire "An American Carol" (2008), a film that had a plot line revolving around the very progressive documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. The film failed at the box office and did not change the shifting political winds as Barack Obama defeated John McCain for the presidency. But, it was very popular with arch conservative talk show hosts, such as Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, who actually had a cameo in the film.

Voight is also an Oscar winner for Best Actor as he won the award for his compelling performance in the touching drama "Coming Home" (1978). In recent years, Voight has renounced the film and his co-star Jane Fonda, who also won an Oscar (Best Actress) for her role in "Coming Home."

Bill Murray will also play FDR in the highly-anticipated film "Hyde Park on Hudson."

The Franklin Roosevelt Museum is in Hyde Park, NY.

Here is Voight's quote:

"There's the young Jon Voight and the old Jon Voight."

http://www.michaelmoore.com

Quote of the Night- Dashiell Hammett

The subject of today's quote, the last in our series of quips from American writers, comes from the mystery noir pulp writer Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), whose name is all too easy to spell incorrectly.

Here are some quick facts about the writer:

_Famous for detective/mystery novels including "The Maltese Falcon" (1930, later immortalized in a Humphrey Bogart film of the same name), "The Glass Key" (1931) and "The Thin Man" (1934).

_Had a 30-year relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman

_Along with Hellman and countless other creative people, Hammett was blacklisted as part of a witch hunt by HUAC in the early 1950s, when anti-communism paranoid ran deep in America.

_Played by actor Jason Robards in the film "Julia" (1933), Jane Fonda played Hellman in the same film.

_Is buried at Arlington National Cemetery for serving in both World Wars.

Here is his quote:

"Feed the lettuce to the bunny and eat the bunny."

News Desk- Moving Far, Far to the Right

There was considerable in the ensuing years after September 11th about 'September
11th Neocons,' these were people who went from being liberals to conservatives seemingly overnight as a result of the terrorist attacks.

Among those who have been most cited for this radical change of art are celebrites like Jon Voight, who won an Oscar for playing a paraplyegic Vietnam War vet in "Coming Home" (1978) (pictured here). Voight has gone from being an early global warming advocate to a Tea Partier. His "Coming Home" co-star Jane Fonda has become more politically moderate in recent years, but she has made it clear that she is still very much a progressive.

Other actors who have experienced this sea change include the since-deceased Ron Silver, Dennis Miller and James Woods as well as playwright/film director David Mamet.

But, in Europe, there are at least two people who have even more radical, draconian shifts than that.

Both of these examples are quite mind-boggling in scope. And, somehow, I imagine neocon pundit Bill Kristol would fully agree with me on this.

For starters, there is Hans Mahler, 75, who was a founding member of the militant far-left terrorist group RAF in the 1970s in then-West Germany. Today, the man who was involved with shameless plots to spread his Marxist ideals is now a far, far right Holocaust denier.

In fact, Mahler is now serving a 12-year jail sentence for inciting popular hatred and he maintains that 'he has not changed' because 'the enemy is still the same.'

Then, there is the more surreal case of Louise Frevert, 58, a lesbian who was an adult film star in Denmark during the 1970s when Scandanavia had a thriving pornographic film industry. Frevert is now a spokesperson for the far-right group Dans Foleparti.

Truth is indeed, as the old cliche goes, stranger than fiction. But, most liberals, including myself, have maintained their political views in the ten years since 9-11, and our efforts, which lead to the election of President Barack Obama, have ertainly in my view been well worth-while.

Quote of the Day- Yves Montand

Ironically, our quote today comes from the much-admired late left-wing French actor/singer Yves Montand who was (ironically, again) born in Italy.

Montand appeared in many classic films around the world, including "Z," "Le Cercle Rouge," "Tout va Bien!" (a Jean-Luc Godard film with Jane Fonda), "Let's Make Love" (with Marilyn Monroe) and "The Wages of Fear."

Here is the quote:

"Pacifists are like sheep who believe that wolves are vegetarians."

SIDEBAR: Today is Belgian Independence Day. The Brassiere Beck, a Belgian place in Washington, DC, is celebrating with a $49 all-you-can-eat buffett today. We have jokingly referred to Belgium as Tintinland on this blog since the country is known for the much-adored comic book character Tintin.

My Ten Favorite Films of Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda (1905-1982) would have turned 105 on Sunday. One might assume he was the most famous actor to ever hail from Omaha, Nebraska, but so did (surprisingly!) Marlon Brando.

Brando never co-starred with the elder Fonda in any films, but he was in "Apocalypse Now" with Dennis Hopper, who is the subject of a similar entry on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire."

We are also hoping to have a similar entry for Jane Fonda soon.

Here are our ten favorite (not in order of how good they are cinematically) films featuring Henry Fonda:

1. "Once Upon a Time in the West" (Pictured.Italy. 1968, Dir-Sergio Leone)
2. "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943. Dir-William Wellman)
3. "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940. Dir-John Ford)
4. "The Wrong Man" (1956. Dir-Alfred Hitchcock)
5. "My Darling Clementine" (1946. Dir-John Ford)
6. "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939. Dir- John Ford)
7. "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939. Dir- John Ford)
8. "12 Angry Men" (1957. Dir-Sidney Lumet)
9. "The Tin Star" (1957. Dir- Anthony Mann)
10. "Madigan" (1967. Dir- Don Siegel)

Quote of the Week- Jean Luc Godard

During the month of May, we are quoting left-wing radicals. And, one of our favorite people to quote has always been Jean Luc Godard whom Japanese film director Nagisha Oshima, who has been called 'The Japanese Godard,' said 'he should be called the French Oshima.'

An excellent article about the 50th anniversary of Godard's landmark film "Breathless" is in the current issue of "Film Comment." They did not mention the '80s remake with Richard Gere, but we think we know why (it's a bit of a clunker).

Here is our quote from the 79-year-old legendary French film director who has made no secret of his left-wing views:

"One of the most striking signs of decay of art is when we see its separate forms jumbled together."

Though I am more to the political center than Godard, I was struck by how his 1972 film "Tout Va Bien!" with Jane Fonda which I recently saw for the first time predicted how mass commercial conglomerates like Wal-Mart would take over the world!

Quote of the Week- Jane Fonda

Since this past Saturday was May Day, the annual recognized by socialists around the world to recognize worker's rights, we thought we'd post some quotes from either current or former left-wing radicals.

We aren't sure that Jane Fonda is quite as militant as she was in 1968, but thank God she has not turned into a Republican like her "Coming Home" co-star Jon Voight (actually, he has moved farther to the right since we started posting this entry).

As it turns out, by random coincidence, we have learned that Jane Fonda has told the world on her blog that she is moving from Atlanta to Los Angeles as of today.

We think this particular quote will work well for patrons of The Thirsty Parrot in Colorado Springs, Colo. (yes, there is really such a place, but we've never been to Colorado Springs, yet along The Thirsty Parrot):

"If you're ever in situation where you're not getting served or you can't get what you need, just cry."

Incidentally, Fonda's first-Oscar winning performance in the film "Klute" (1971) can be streamed for free with a Netflix membership. She won her second Oscar for "Coming Home" in 1978. We think this is an image of her from "Barbarella." She was not nominated for that particular role (it is perhaps her kitschiest film, though it's been a long since we've seen "Cat Ballou.")

Quote of the Week-Jon Voight

Today, we are quoting both Jon Voight and his fellow Oscar-winning co-star Jane Fonda on our respective blogs.

Both won Oscars for their work in the 1978 political drama "Coming Home," which lost the Best Picture Oscar to "The Deer Hunter," a film that also focused on the plight of Vietnam War veterans.

Ironically while Fonda has mostly maintained her liberal political views, Voight has evolved to a very vocal right-winger. Many have speculated that his erractic relationship with his movie-star daughter Angelina Jolie may have caused the dramatic shift but there seem to be few public explanations as to why Voight's views changed, presumably during the War in Iraq which he supported.

Voight has appeared frequently on Fox News programs with the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee. He has also been a key-note speaker at Tea Party rallies.

The actor who gained fame with "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) and "Deliverance" (1972) also virtually disowned "Coming Home" in a "Vanity Fair" retrospective piece about Vietnam War-era films. Voight has also criticized Fonda for 'aiding and abetting those who wish to destroy Israel.'

Yet, surprisingly enough, Voight did appear with co-star Dustin Hoffman at a 40th anniversary screening of "Midnight Cowboy," which won an Oscar for Best Picture, in Los Angeles last year.

Here is his quote of the week. We actually couldn't find one that had anything to do with politics!:

"Angelina adopted a Cambodian baby. I'm a grandfather today."

Special Screenings- Political Classic "Z" to be Shown in Raleigh

It will be interesting to see if the Israeli film "Ajami," which I've heard many good things about wins the best-foreign language film Oscar this year. But, the 1969 winner in the category, the ground-breaking progressive political thriller "Z" by Greek director Costa-Gravas, who also helmed another acclaimed political thriller "Missing" (1982) with the late Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek, will be screened as part of a special series in conjunction with the North Carolina Museum of Art at the the Galaxy Cinema in the Raleigh suburb of Cary, NC, on Thursday night.

"Z" follows the murder of a prominent leftist, and an invesigator tries to uncover the truth though government officials try to cover up the crime.

The film was a statement on Greek politics at the time when like many countries in the region Greece was facing political upheveal. Similar situations were also taking place in neighboring Turkey, where my late father immigrated from. I believe, as a result, "Z" was banned in both countries!

"Z" gets its title from the fact that Z means 'he is alive' in ancient Hellenic.

The film starred the late French Yves Montand who appeared in another highly political film "Tout Va Bien!" (directed by Jean Luc-Godard) in 1972. That film co-starred Jane Fonda who was making headlines at the time for her controversial trip to Vietnam.

"Z" is also known for its landmark musical score by composer Mikis Thodorakis.

In fact, I can't get it out of my head now!

For more information, the cinema's web site is mygalaxy.com

A Greek music show, hosted by my friend Maria Hatzios, runs on the Virginia Tech student station WUVT (90.7 FM) in Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday mornings.