Thanksgiving Day Blog-a-Thon Starts with Shakespeare Quote

We start our crazy idea of having a Thanksgiving Day Blog-a-Thon (I sure hope my friends and fellow bloggers Moviezzz and Chris Knight have better things to do today; even if that means eating their grandma's green bean casserole!) with a quote from William Shakespeare:

"I say there is no darkness, but ignorance."

Since the holidays are upon us, many stage companies which perform Shakespeare productions are opting for Christmas plays, which Shakespeare didn't write (alas, our intern Javier went hope to visit family in Honduras this weekend, so we can't verify this!).

Hence, the Georgia Shakespeare Company in Atlanta is performing a stage version of the 1983 holiday cult film "A Christmas Story" from Dec. 7-26 (box office is 404-264-0020).

And, the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival in High Point will be performing Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from Dec. 3-19.

Being Deliberately Trendy

Since Trending Topics is new trend in cyberspace these days, we thought we'd throw in some catch phrases which were Trending Topics on Twitter today. I should point out to my friends that as a 40-year-old man I don't wear high heels myself but I thought this image above (of a woman trying on high heels) might get your undivided attention.

So, here we go.........


I haven't asked my friend Moviezzz if he is planning to blog live during tonight's broadcast of the American Music Awards, which might well feature the likes of Nick Carter and NSYNC. But, perhaps, he will dish about the latest Survivor Series since he talks about tv shows on his blog. I only watch three shows on tv (not counting PBS) and those are "Outsourced," "Dexter" and "Mad Men." I like to watch tv on Sundays since there is nothing to do in High Point, NC (not actually where I live, but there is nothing to do on Sundays there either!) except go to Starbucks and watch trendy people. Perhaps, I will go to bed early tonight which would allow to catch up on my zzzzzs and perhaps indulge in a Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with the latest contest from ANTM (America's Next Top Model, yeah, I didn't know what it meant either!).

Of course, all of this is pure nonsense that is being written merely to inflate my hits for the day, though the part about only watching three tv shows and hanging out at Starbucks to people watch on Sunday afternoons are actually true!

I was stunned to see that the terms 'full body scanners,' 'TSA' and 'pat-downs' were not trending on Twitter today. But, Jon Tyner of San Diego has used video footage of his negative experiences with the pat-down to recruit other passengers on the Internet who find the new measures objectionable.

"Saturday Night Live," which is not one of the three shows I watch on a semi-regular basis, reportedly had a hilarious skit with star Kristen Wiig (which is perhaps one reason why I should alternate with "Austin City Limits") about the TSA's new measures. It has become an Internet sensation according to ...well, the Internet.

Happy Belated Halloween

We were hoping to post this before Halloween, but well I was sick and the local libraries and coffee shops are closed on Sundays here in Mount Airy, NC (not really where I am at, though assuredly, everything is closed on Sunday there too!).

Casper the Friendly Ghost is actually a source of controversy amongst his fans as to whether he is the ghost of a dead child or if he is well just a ghost. There is an unsettling cartoon with Casper called "There's Good Boos Tonight," made in 1948, which hints that the former may be right, but we are not comic book historians (though I know folks who actually have that job title!).

Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo brought "Casper to life." The character was first shown in a Paramont Studio cartoon before making his debut for Harvey Comics in 1945. And, there is that supposedly awful movie which came out a few years ago. I imagine my friend Moviezzz has seen it. Of course, that is just an assumption!

Program Reminder- Movie Show on WUAG-FM

My friend Joe Scott of Greensboro, NC, hosts a weekly college radio station show that is entirely dedicated to movie which is called "The Movie Show." The WUAG 103.1-FM show airs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays as of this fall, and with the advent of modern technology, one can listen to the show from Trabzon, Turkey, or Capetown, South Africa. WUAG is the college radio station for UNC-Greensboro.

The Movie Show also sponsors special screenings at The Carousel Luxury Cinemas in Greensboro called The Mixed Tape Series. Next week's film is the John Cusack teen angst classic "Say Anything" which features a memorable with Peter Gabriel's song "In Your Eyes" in the background.

We forget which year the film was released (was it 1989?), but I know that both Joe and my friend Moviezzz (http://www.talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com) know this. Alas, I don't have time to consult with them and frankly I'm getting very, very hungry.....

WUAG also has a local music show called "Radio Greensboro" which runs from 8-10 p.m. on Sundays. A similar show dedicated to music from musicians in the Raleigh-Chapel Hill area runs from 5-8 p.m. on Fridays on WKNC, the college radio station for North Carolina State University.

It's time for a gyro or fajita....

UPDATE: Since we were in a rush yesterday, we forgot to double-check to see if the Cusack image was up. Also, the screening in Greensboro for "Say Anything" is Thursday at 7:30 and 10 p.m. We were also unaware of how a tweet by Cusack, which we thought was very amusing, caused an uproar at Fox News!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Let's Go to the Movies!

Today, we focus with a Silly Photo to Fill Space aimed at summer jobs and what could be better than working at a movie theatre and fixing popcorn?! (I actually did that job and lemme tell ya, popcorn burns hurt like h-e-double 'l').

Our feature city of the month is Trenton, NJ, where one can see the Zac Efron film "Charlie St. Cloud," which my friend Moviezzz has cited as an early Oscar contender on his blog http://www.talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com (that is a joke and a big one at that!) at the Destina Theatre at Independence Plaza on South Broad Street.

As for historical cinemas in "Clerks" director Kevin Smith's home state, there is The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ, which will host Foreigner (uh-oh, I think "I Wanna Know What Love Is" is going to go off in my skull...yep, it just did!) on Aug. 26.

The web site Cinema Treasures, which is dedicated to movie theatres around the globe, is featuring the Capitol Theatre in Olympia, Wash., as its Cinema of the Week. The cinema in the Washington state capital will be showing the documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" from Aug. 14-20. Call (360) 754-6670 for more info.

Lastly, we were delighted to see Cinema Tresures mention the Atlas Cinema in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It may well be the hippest sinema (that's how cinema is spelled in Turkish) in the vast metropolis and they are (alas!) probably
showing "Charlie St. Cloud" too!

Radford U Alum Starring in TV's "Glee"

Jayma Mays, who graduate from my alma mater Radford University in Radford, Va., in 2000 is one of the stars of Fox TV's hit musical comedy series "Glee," which airs on Wednesdays.

"Glee" is one of my friend Moviezzz's favorite shows on tv, and he has written many features about the show on his blog: www.moviezzz.blogspot.com

Mays (this photo is apparently an older one of her) is originally from the coal-mining town of Grundy, Va (in far southwest Virginia, near the Kentucky border). She plays the role of Emma Pillsbury, a high school guidance counselor who is really into hand-washing.

Radford University is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and the school was supposed to have its annual Homecoming Festival this weekend, but the Blacksburg-Radford area is projected to get (yikes!) a foot of snow at last report.

RU's men's basketball team is also scheduled to host UNC-Wilmington for college basketball'a Bracket Busters, televised on the ESPN networks, on Feb. 20.

Of course, the way things are going, it may well snow then too!

Quote of the Week- Ted Kennedy

Rightie publications like "The Rhinoceros Times" in Greensboro, NC, have been gloating since
Mass. state senator Scott Brown won a highly coveted U.S. Senate seat that was held by Ted Kennedy, who died on Aug. 25, 2005.

Many of these dittoheads have said that Brown won because of the health care legislation problems on The Hill, but my friend Moviezzz, who lives in Springfield, Mass., said the reality was far more complicated as Brown's opponent ran a highly dubious campaign (hence the reason why we are NOT mentioning her name!).

Nevertheless, we expect these Glenn Beck disciples will not quiet down anytime soon, but in the meantime, we have this quote from Ted Kennedy, who was also the subject of a mini series of articles in "The Boston Globe:"

"It's better to send in the Peace Corps than the Marine Corps."

UPDATE: I just read an entry from my friend Phil Nugent's blog "The Phil Nugent Experience" which revealed that Scott Brown was a Cosmo pinup boy! I'm sure the Family Values of the GOP is doing backflips like Mary Lou Retton!