Deanna and Ozymandias

Welcome to the annual blog post. J It’s slowly turning out that way, isn’t it?

We’ve lost several celebrities and stars so far this year, notably Esther Williams, Annette Funicello and George Beverly Shea, who at age 107 now holds the record for longest-lived celebrity that I know about. (The record was previously shared by Bob Hope and George Burns, who each died at 100.) A lesser-known Christian music artist named Buryl Red passed away earlier this year as well. As the leader of the Centurymen singing group, Red helped create some of their classic recordings, including the “People to People” album, which is one of my favorites. It’s around the top of my “preserve this one no matter what” list. Not to mention my “Re-release this one!” list.

But we also lost one of the most interesting celebrities of the past century – her career is a good example of how unusual fame can be. Deanna Durbin was one of the most popular movie and singing stars of her time. Like her contemporary Judy Garland, she enjoyed incredible success and is credited with helping “save” Universal Studios back in the day. She “had it all” – beauty, great talent and a successful career. But as the years went by, realizing that she wanted a different life, she eventually left Hollywood and lived out the rest of her days overseas with her family.

And when she passed away this year – hardly anyone knew who she was. She isn’t the “household name” that she used to be. Her music is rarely played on the radio, musical tastes having shifted so far downhill in many ways. (When was the last time you heard an operatic voice such as hers?) Her movies are rarely shown; even TCM has not yet done a movie tribute day for her. (Yes, I know they don’t own the rights to her films, but you see my point). I myself probably wouldn’t have heard of her had I not read about her in a movie star book that my family owned.

What does it say about society when someone as successful as Deanna was can pass away with (relatively speaking) few people taking notice? I know it was a long time ago, but one might think that such great success would be remembered. It reminds one of the famous poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley – which sadly is something else many don’t know about! It’s definitely worth reading, so here it is:

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias

Fame is fading. I think Deanna knew that, and decided that she needed to do what was most important to her rather than try to keep her fame alive forever – as so many of us vainly try to do.

Cemented in history: Read about Deanna’s penny at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood here:

 http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-musings-part-2.html

 

FAME ISN’T EVERYTHING, PART TWO: A few weeks ago I came upon this very interesting article about another favorite female celebrity (sigh, I can see a pattern forming here) of mine – Ally Sheedy. Please read the article, then come back and we’ll talk about it.

http://www.theawl.com/2012/02/the-poetry-of-ally-sheedy

 

There are many good parts, but my favorite has to be this excerpt from an article by Josh Rottenberg from “Us” magazine in 1998.

As a turning point, Sheedy recalls a bike ride (with Demi Moore) in Sycamore Canyon, north of Malibu, in the spring of 1986. Moore had recently visited [Sean] Penn and Madonna, who had married the previous summer, at their home in Malibu. "Demi was talking about Madonna, and she said, 'That's what I want. I want that,"' says Sheedy "I said, `What do you mean? You want all that money?' Demi said, 'It's not just the money It's the power. She has power, and I want power.' It was an illuminating moment for me. I thought I knew her, and I realized I didn't at all. [...]

"The quickest route to power for an actress in Hollywood is to hook yourself up with someone who can put you in a good position and make yourself into a sex object," she says bitterly. The fact that many hold up Moore, like Madonna, as a feminist icon for the way she has pursued and consolidated her power seems to make little difference to Sheedy.

Also, please note, “a very fun punk club that is no more.” J

 

IN A RUT: Just what you wanted, yet another post about an actress that I like. This post is being written on Paulette Goddard’s birthday, and to celebrate, let’s take a look back at my blog post about “Modern Times”, one of my favorite films:

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2007/04/modern-times.html

I’m afraid there won’t be too many more “TCM highlights” posts because (for the moment) I can’t watch TCM. Life has taken me to a new town with some new friends. But I will keep an eye on the schedule just in case something really cool comes on. I think “Mad Monster Party” will be on at one point this month. You don’t want to miss that one.

FORCE TO COME: Speaking of things you don’t want to miss, the Star Wars fan world (I can’t get off of their mailing list) is abuzz with the news of a new trilogy of movies being produced now and set to be released starting in 2015. I “sort of” predicted it. I always felt that the Star Wars franchise was so powerful and lucrative that the lure of money would eventually lead to more films, even without creator George Lucas’ consent. Thankfully, George is still with us and will therefore have a small role in the next few films to be produced. But the “lucrative” part was certainly accurate, with Lucas selling Lucasfilm to the Disney company for more than 4 billion dollars. Frankly, George could have probably held out for more! But like certain people mentioned above, George knows that there are more important things in life than fame and money. I understand that after many years, he is settling down with a new wife.

I admire the Disney company in many ways, but frankly I wish they would not feel the need to buy anything and everything that they think will make money. It makes Disney look greedy, and in a way it “cheapens” the product. There’s room for a lot of talented people in the world, and Disney shouldn’t feel threatened by that.

I look forward to the new Star Wars films, but with an adult’s heart. I only hope they’re pretty good & can do justice to the other two trilogies. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing the old cast again, if only briefly. I’m trying very hard not to mention Carrie (whoops).

Read more of my thoughts on Star Wars here:

 

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2009/05/star-wars-trilogies-episodes-1-3.html

 

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2009/05/star-wars-episodes-4-6.html

 

BY THE BOOK: Aside from all the moving, my current writing project is taking away just about all of my free blogging time. I’m proud of what I have so far & am actually looking forward to sharing it at some point, but a lot more work needs to be done. Like most beginning authors, I thought the first draft was perfect. But now it has to be written more “for the reader” than just for myself. In these days of Facebook, I think many “personal blogs” like this are kept up for old time’s sake. That’s perfectly fine. If nothing else, we can look back and say, “Did I really write that?”

Star Tours closing- for a while

Since its debut in 1987, Star Tours has been one of my favorite rides in the Disneyland park. But the ride will be closing in a few weeks to re-debut in 2011 with a new version. The usual mixed feelings arise- although I should know by now that whatever they do, it's going to be fun. I think that for the most part, the Disney & Star Wars team-up has been a great success. They've been able to create things that are both fun for Star Wars fans and for Disney. I had great fun watching the YouTube clips of the Star Wars fan days at Walt Disney World. You haven't lived until you've seen Darth Vader dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller!" Silly? Of course. But fun. I sometimes think we need to be careful not to make fun of Jar-Jar Binks. Who is to say that Star Wars fans aren't just as silly as he is?

I had hoped to visit Disneyland earlier this year, but the usual real-world issues crept in, and it's likely that my last visit to the old "Star Tours" was just that. But I look forward to next year's new ride.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Tours_(real-world)

http://disneylandnewstoday.com/2010/05/13/star-tours-closing-dates-announced/

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EVERYONE ELSE IS BORED: This is my 100th post. But you don't care. :) That's fine! I understand. The Web is full of a lot of stuff and our lives don't allow much time for unimportant things, like a blog that's only updated every few weeks.

A few weeks ago at work, we listened to a presentation from somebody in the Web department. No, not Spider-Man. It was an Internet person who wanted to tell us about how we can attract more people to our websites. It was certainly a good presentation for anyone who wanted to attract a lot of readers to their sites. But what the speaker may not have understood is that not every website has the same goal. The “goal” of this blog is not necessarily to attract thousands of readers.

A real goal of blogging was made clear recently in a post by Lee from the “Music you (possibly) won't hear anywhere else” blog. In his comments section, someone had snidely posted something like, “Jesus loves you, everyone else is bored.” After some consideration, Lee put the comment up in its own posting. Why? Because he realized that it was true. And it is (no offense, Lee!). And it's true for me as well. The Lord and I have been through a lot of happy, sad and angry times together. The fact that He cares for me after all the crap I've given Him means the world to me. With Him, it doesn't matter to me that everyone else is bored.

March musings part 2

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: I first visited Hollywood on a very brief trip back in 2006 or so. I basically walked down Hollywood Boulevard taking pictures of the stars in the street. I made it all the way to the classic Mann’s Chinese Theater, but time prevented me from looking at the legendary hand and footprints in cement. I basically had to leave right then and there. A few weeks ago, I got another chance to go to Hollywood, and this time the cement prints were a must see. It was fun- I got to compare my handprints to Humphrey Bogart, Robin Williams and Deanna Durbin. and it also led me to a bit of a mystery. It seems that a penny was put into the block with Deanna Durbin’s cement prints. Why? It took a little bit of searching, but it seems that Deanna played a character named “Penny” in a film around that time. Here’s a quote from an article that someone was kind enough to post:

"They're organizing an expedition to dig up the penny at the Chinese Theater," explained Deanna (Durbin). When they took my footprints for the theater someone exclaimed, 'Oh, we should have a penny to put in the cement with her footprints!' Because my name is 'Penny" in the picture, you know. And some elderly lady brought one up and they used it. I tried to find her afterward, thinking I'd like to know more about her-she was so sweet to us. But she had gone home."
- HOW KIDS GROW UP IN HOLLYWOOD, Oakland Tribune, February 26, 1939, By Alice L. Tildesley

This is a fun example of change that has been laying on the ground for the past half-century or so. My friend Bert, obsessed with finding pennies (long story, folks), urged me to try and pick it out of the cement. No such luck; it was wedged in there pretty deep. He then suggested I take out the entire block of cement and bring it home. I responded, "Who do you think I am, Lucille Ball?"

I’m not sure about this, but I’d bet that the Star Wars characters have the shortest amount of time between their first movie and getting their feet in cement at the theater. The date on their cement block is August 3, 1977- which is LESS THAN THREE MONTHS after Star Wars debuted! How would you like to get your footprints in cement at the theater less than three months after you debuted as a movie star? Not too shabby, boys. It’s quite a testament to how popular the film was at that time.

It was a fun visit - I’d recommend you to go early, and be aware that you’ll be ambushed by several people who want to give you a tour of the town. You can view a few of the classic prints in cement on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sesameguy/sets/72157623674734072/

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THE MORE THINGS CHANGE: I picked up a copy of Fantastic Four 400 at a flea market recently, and got a real kick out of it. It was a fun read, and it immediately brought me up to speed (well, at least more up to speed) on what has been going on in the comic. Reed is dead. Reed’s dad has taken his place. Ben has a weird face deformity going on. I‘m sure he doesn‘t sweat it too much. Dr. Doom’s son Kristoff has taken Doom’s place. Johnny is apparently getting over a bad relationship. Susan is trying to get over Reed’s death. The Watcher has been demoted to the laughingstock watcher. In spite of these significant changes, things are pretty much the same for the FF. The comic broke ground in that it was one of the first to present the characters as “real people” with personal issues that affected their work. Those personal issues remain an important part of the comic, and hopefully always will.

More about my thoughts on comic books here:

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2007/03/thing-about-comic-books.html

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LET’S ROB SAN DIEGO: Now look, folks. I’ve got nothing (major) against Los Angeles. It’s a fine town. But coming from San Diego, I have a few concerns. First there are rumors that the San Diego Chargers will move up to the L.A. area. That would leave San Diego without a football team and the possible demise of Qualcomm Stadium into housing tracts. NOW there’s a rumor that the Comic-Con will be moving to Los Angeles! Please folks, one crime at a time. Give San Diego a bone, here. I know L.A. is trying to be the big “hub” of entertainment, but it’s not fair to say that ALL entertainment has to take place in L.A. Keeping the Comic-Con in San Diego is no big loss to L.A., and based on the Comic-Con’s past success, keeping it in San Diego won’t prevent the fans from coming to visit. My only fear is that somehow, the Comic-Con suits will smell more money by moving to L.A. Their gain will be San Diego’s loss. That could be what the folks in charge of the Chargers are going through as well. But when talking about L.A., anyone who lives in San Diego will tell you- bigger isn’t always better. If they do move to L.A., it will be for the money.

Come to think of it, that’s why I moved to L.A. . .

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher is currently starring in a one-woman show on Broadway. Titled “Wishful Drinking,” Carrie basically gives a summary of her life story, which is not too difficult when you consider that her life story is already pretty much open for the world to see. She has literally grown up in the spotlight, and has found success both as an actress and author. In honor of Carrie’s show, and in celebration of her birthday this month, this would be a good time to talk about my undying love for. . .I mean, my deep feelings for. . .I mean, my former relationship with. . .I mean, my deep respect for. . .Folks, it’s not easy to describe the importance of Carrie Fisher to me. But I’ll try.

Like almost everyone else in the galaxy, I first learned of Carrie as Princess Leia from “Star Wars.” I was very young at the time, and she was one of many grown-up ladies that I liked. Especially in the trash compactor scene, when she raised her leg up against the wall. . .arrgh. Ahem. Anyway, I only got to see Carrie in the Star Wars movies, so while I admired her, I seldom got to see her on screen, and our “relationship” waned.

In 1983, just before “Return of the Jedi” debuted, our local newspaper ran some photos from the movie. One of them featured Leia wearing. . .practically nothing. It was my first encounter with Leia in the metal bikini. Then another magazine printed another metal bikini shot. Then another, and another, and slowly my collection was growing. . .heeheeheehee. . . Then there was that Rolling Stone cover. . .damn it, Dad, why don’t you buy THAT one? And then there was the Marvel comics adaptation of the film, which featured a scene of Leia trying to escape from her captor, straining her gorgeous. . .I’m going to stop here in the hopes that you know where this is heading. Incidentally, did you ever consider that the little boys who were six and seven when “Star Wars” came out were entering their teens when “Jedi” debuted. . .and subjected to the metal bikini? Coincidence? A master plan by George Lucas to keep “Star Wars” imprinted in the minds of its young audience? An interesting point that should be pondered at some other time.

Then People magazine had a cover story on Carrie, and included some photos of her hanging around her Hollywood home. Now here’s the most important part of this post. As I read the interviews with Carrie, I felt that she seemed like a fun person. Then I realized that I liked Carrie herself, and I liked the idea of just being her friend. This is important. Prior to this, many of the female movie and TV stars that I liked were liked for the wrong (but natural) reasons. But with Carrie, I didn’t dream of a “one-night stand.” I dreamt of a friendship. I realized that I liked her not only for her beauty, but for who she seemed to be. It was, in a sense, the first “mature” relationship with an adult woman that I ever had (or wanted to have, I know, bear with me). That was an important step. I was slowly growing up and understanding that natural attraction is only part of the picture.

In late 1984, Carrie starred in Faire Tale Theatre as "Thumbelina." And dang, she was cute. I liked that show a lot, although it was embarrassing to try to record it. Remember, there’s only one VCR in the house, and I have to beg to get permission to use it. But I remember watching it in the wee hours of the morning, and enjoying seeing Carrie as a “Disney Princess.” This was one of those times when you wished you could enter the TV picture.

For a kid who didn’t have any friends, my imaginary friendship with Carrie was something quite wonderful. It gives a guy a lot of courage when he’s always surrounded by a sexy slave girl. Well, she wasn’t always a slave girl. She usually just dressed that way for my rock band. I was lead vocal and occasionally guitar, Leia was backup vocal and occasionally guitar, and Ernie was on the drums. Bert would sometimes play backup guitar as well. Courteney Cox or Justine Bateman would occasionally take Leia’s place when she was busy. Oh, it was heaven, man. You should have heard us. I’ll have to make that compilation CD one of these days.

Prior to this, I had written a comic book story featuring Leia. It was quite a feat for me to draw a story with Leia in the bikini. It was a big leap for my cartoon stories, as this was the first “sexy” element I had ever drawn in them. It was (and is) embarrassing, and not very sexy as far as the art is concerned! But my “imaginary world” of comics now included an element of sexuality that wasn’t there before.

At the Del Mar Fair, somebody included an autographed photo of Carrie in their “Star Wars” collection. I was jealous! I wrote a fan letter to Carrie asking for an autograph- one of the first fan letters I ever wrote. A few weeks later, I received an autographed photo of Carrie myself. I immediately put it in a frame. It is one of my treasures to this day.

After “Jedi,” Carrie continued to act, appearing in many more films, most of which sucked. There’s no nice way to say it! There are notable exceptions (including a TV movie called "Liberty" that I‘d love to see again), but for the most part, Carrie’s films left a lot to be desired. It was hard being a Carrie fan, because you had to sit through so much garbage in order to see her.

In the summer of 1988, an auction fundraiser was scheduled to be held at Sea World in San Diego. Among the stars doing the auctioning would be Carrie Fisher. On the day it was to be held, I made an incredible announcement. I was going to try to attend! Then my brother said he was going to go with me! I called to reserve our places, and we drove down to Sea World. It was our first trip to Sea World without our parents. It was fun, but crowded. We saw Shamu and some other shows, waited in line for an hour to eat, etc. I had assumed that the auction would be held in a large stadium-like area at the Southeast corner of the park. But we later figured out that it would be held in a much smaller building near the center of the park.

After a few opening performances, the auction began. We saw Terri Garr and Dana Delaney and. . .there she was in person, Carrie Fisher! Be still my heart! I took several photos, most of which came out too shaky! Then the auction ended, and my brother and I did something amazing. We got up and walked up to the stage just as Carrie Fisher was walking off. There she was, right in front of me. I tried to say, “It’s an honor,” but it came out more like, “ahhhhhhhh. . .” I shook her hand. Her hand was small, and her skin was soft. She gave me her autograph, and handed the paper to my brother. We walked away from the stage and drove home. I was happy, but tired. My parents told us that evening that they had been worried sick about us. This, you see, was our first “big trip” somewhere without them. Carrie did not smile at me, nor run off with me at the sight of my handsome face. But I understood that this was too much to hope for, and I was not disappointed with our brief encounter. Once again, Carrie Fisher was helping me grow up.

Years later, Carrie would conquer the literary world with her first novel, “Postcards from the edge”, which featured an attractive photo of Carrie in the paperback edition, which is somewhere around here. . .anyway. It was loosely based on her life, which again has been covered by the media literally since the day she was born. The daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie has endured the trials of being famous as well as the triumphs. She has abused drugs, and in some ways they have sadly abused her. She is bipolar, and goes through strenuous therapy to control it.

Carrie knows everybody in Hollywood. Seriously. You could probably meet just about every star you ever wanted to meet if you knew Carrie Fisher. One of my goals is to get invited to one of Carrie Fisher’s parties. It would be a star-studded event. I would probably be kicked out for asking for too many autographs.

Who do I like more- Carrie or Leia? Actually, I don’t like either of them “more”, because I don’t literally know either of them. The “Carrie” I have in my mind’s eye is different from either Leia or the literal Carrie. It is an ideal of the person who looks like Carrie that I would like to have as a friend. It is a dream.

I care very much for Carrie, and although any “romantic dreams” are pretty much history, the affection and happiness that she radiates still shines. I still would be happy just being a friend. That can’t happen, of course, but as far as imaginary friendships go, I’m thankful she is one of mine. I’m also thankful I had a very, very, very small moment with her in person. She likely doesn’t remember (especially after all that shock therapy). But she has had a role in my life that is almost as important as any of the real friends I have. At a time when nobody in the real world gave a damn about me, she did, if only in my dreams. Someday, I think we’re all going to understand that imaginary love is far better than no love at all. And Leia and Carrie makes a great imaginary lover.

I can see me now, sitting near the stage in the audience of her Broadway show. She looks down and sees me there. “Hi, Steve!” she says. “Hi, Carrie!” I reply. She turns to the crowd and introduces me as an old friend. Polite applause echoes through the theater. She urges me to stand. I do, and the light applause lasts a bit longer. I bow to the crowd and take my seat. The show continues. Later, after the show is over, I meet her backstage and we talk a bit. Then we hug and I go home. And I feel in my heart that I’m a lucky man for having a famous friend who cares about me. In real life, I won’t be able to attend the show, and Carrie doesn’t care about me this way. But it’s interesting. In my heart, I still feel that I’m a lucky man for having a famous friend who cares about me.

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YAY VAL: Speaking of special girls, my friend Val became a mom this past week. She is a co-worker who appeared in my music video for “There is a light that never goes out.” Congratulations Val and family, and enjoy your complementary time off!

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ON YOUTUBE: THE IMAGINARY HELICOPTER RIDE (AUDIO ONLY): Among my rare treasures is an audio recording of the famous “imaginary helicopter ride” with Maria and Bert from Sesame Street. You remember it, don’t you. DON’T YOU? Hmm. Well, even if you don’t, if you’re a fan of classic Sesame Street, you’ll enjoy listening to this. It captures some of the fun that the actors had together in the “good old days” on the show. It’s been posted by Johnnytbird and can be found in my favorites folder on my YouTube page.

Three ladies

ERIN GRAY: My friend Amy is lamenting the fact that she wasn’t able to attend the ComicCon in San Diego this year. She’s certainly not alone- the event is a lot of fun, but if you’re claustrophobic, you probably shouldn’t attend. It’s “wall-to-wall people” as another friend said recently. But I’ve been lucky enough to visit the ComicCon a few times, and on one of those visits I was privileged to meet one of my favorite attractive chicks from. . .I mean, one of my favorite actresses when I was but a young lad. Oh, I can remember all the fun we had. Super Grover, Wilma Deering and I were traveling through the cosmos in search of adventure, when we were captured by an enemy and sent to the dungeons of. . .I’m sorry, you’ve never heard this story, have you? I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait until I write my memoirs for that. Let’s just say I was a very imaginative kid.

Back to ComicCon- When I heard that Erin Gray (from “Buck Rogers” and “Silver Spoons” among other things) was going to be signing autographs at ComicCon, I knew I wanted to go. It took me about ten minutes to get up enough courage to talk to her. (I was a very shy kid, too). But I’m glad I did. She was very gracious and easy to talk to. In fact, I realized later that she had tricked me- she made me talk more about myself than about her. She seems to be a great person and I enjoyed meeting her very much. This photo was taken at our meeting.

Erin was back at ComicCon this year, along with Gil Gerard, Margot Kidder and several other celebrities in the autograph section. I couldn’t be there, but if I do get lucky enough to go again, I’d definitely like to talk to Erin. Here’s to hoping we meet again!

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MARA JADE, DANCING GIRL: I must confess that I haven’t read many of the Star Wars novels. That’s a shame, because I understand that many of them are quite good. I have picked up a few things here and there, however. I at least have heard of the name “Mara Jade.” She was “recruited” by the Emperor to kill Luke Skywalker. She didn’t, but her story doesn’t end there. She eventually marries Luke! I won’t give anything more away, but you can peek online to find more information on her. I mention her because I recently became aware of a photo of Mara Jade that stopped me in my tracks. It’s this one:

Holy. . .she was a dancing girl for Jabba the Hutt? She apparently disguised herself as a dancing girl in an effort to kill Luke. Unfortunately, she was not aboard the sail barge that took Luke & company to the Sarlacc pit, so her attempt to kill Luke failed that time. But wow! I suddenly have gained a little more interest in this person. I guess I just have a thing for dancing girls.

More about Mara here:
http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/marajadeskywalker/

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TALK ABOUT A COMEBACK: It was at least five years ago, as I was driving to work, that I heard on the radio that Hope Sandoval, the lead singer for Mazzy Star, had died. It was sad news, as I enjoyed some of Mazzy Star’s work, most notably the song “Fade into you.” I was sorry that she wouldn’t be putting out any more albums. So perhaps you can imagine my surprise when I heard that she had made a new album and was planning a tour! Youch! I’m so glad the radio DJ was wrong. But why was he wrong? I can only think of three reasons:

1. The DJ was somehow given incorrect information.
2. The DJ was an a***ole
3. It was April Fool’s Day.

Anyway, I’m glad she’s still around. I would recommend the song “Fade Into You” if you’re into that download sort of thing.

http://captainsdead.com/tag/hope-sandoval-and-the-warm-intentions
　
　
　

Remember the time

Michael Jackson was such a superstar that it’s hard to find someone who isn’t at least familiar with the man & his music. I was one of many casual fans, and despite any failings, he will be missed. One of his greatest triumphs may be Captain Eo! Think about it. Who else could have gotten away with that? (Imaginary superheroes don’t count!) Michael Jackson was able to join up with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola to make a short film for Disneyland. Even today, it’s kind of amazing to think about them working together. Watching the film, I can recall the applause from the audience after the captain began to rise up onto the deck. I can remember the brief applause at the end. I can remember buying the shirt. You know, the shirt he wears at the end of “Captain Eo” as he sings, “You’re just another part of me!” That shirt. It could glow in the dark. I wish I still had it - I could send it over to “Neato Coolville!”

I first began to become aware of Jackson during an unfortunate event. I recall the numerous news reports after he was accidentally burned filming a Pepsi commercial. Not the best introduction to MJ, I know! But when we finally did see the commercial, we loved the song. We hadn’t heard “Billie Jean” yet, so this was our introduction to the tune that would prompt the purchase of “Thriller.” (This was also before I got my MTV. I wanted my MTV, but I didn’t get it until about 1986 or so). Then to watch the “Making of Thriller” video, which included the classic moment from “Motown 25” when he “seemed to defy the laws of nature,” as many have said recently.

In the past few days, I’ve realized at least two things that I’ve picked up from Michael Jackson. First is the habit of wearing white socks when I wear jeans. Second is the habit of twirling around in a circle when I dance. I don’t do it as well as he did, that’s for sure. His dancing brought him the respect & friendship of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. His music brought him the respect of just about every other artist in the 1980s, and many more beyond. My Captain Eo shirt is gone, but Michael Jackson’s talent lives on, and always will.

Cartoonist Fred Hembeck has written about something that happened on Tuesday that I thought was pretty horrible. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought so:

So I watched some of the videos and listened to some CDs, newly freed from storage, watched some more news reports--until, up on my TV screen, Joe Jackson appeared, being interviewed about his son's untimely death on the red carpet at a BET event by a CNN reporter, blithely using the opportunity to slip in a plug for his new record label!! Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.

Thanks for the comments, Fred. Check up on Fred’s latest blog postings and artwork here:

http://www.hembeck.com/FredSez.htm

And a final note: Could we PLEASE stop all these celebrity deaths? Karl Malden passed away today! Knock it off, guys! Uh, stop dying, that is! (I know you don’t have ultimate control over those things, but please, do all you can!)

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SIGNING IN: In my May “Star Wars” postings, I didn’t mention that I happened to have a photo of Michonne Bourrigue, who played Aura Sing in “Phantom Menace.” I didn’t mention it because I didn’t have it! But after digging through the archives, I’ve managed to uncover this shot of Michonne signing autographs. Anybody know what she’s doing these days? Still an actress? Still alive? Still hot? Okay, ignore that last one. Anyway, here she is from the San Diego Comic Con a few years ago. They’re doing it again this year, of course, and scheduled to be there are talents such as voice artist June Foray and comedian Stan Freeburg. Read all about it here:

http://www.comic-con.org/

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MY BRAVE FACEBOOK: In an effort to locate someone (who could possibly be interviewed for this blog, no less!), I joined the Facebook service. I didn’t find the person I was looking for, but I did find many friends from MuppetCentral and even a few old friends who I’ve wanted to stay in contact with. It’s very cool, and now you can visit the “other side of the face.” You would just do a Facebook search for “Steve Sesameguy” and I should show up. Good luck. Hope you have better luck finding me than I did trying to find someone else!

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COOL NEW LINKS: For some insight into the latest happenings in the Disneyland resort in California as well as Disney World in Florida, it’s hard to do better than to check out the Mousepad forums on Mouseplanet dot com. Check it out in the links. And if you like good film reviews, you’ll enjoy Cinema Cervello. It also features a weekly poll. It’s new to the links as well! I’ve been visiting these sites recently and you can sometimes find my comments there. See you there!

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GO LAKER: Disneyland held a parade for the Los Angeles Lakers to celebrate their big win, and the only one who showed up was Kobe Bryant! Well, at least the Disney characters were there, including the “rarely seen” Daisy Duck. Enjoy the blog posting with photos here:

http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/blog.php?b=451

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ON YOUTUBE: CAROLINE, COOKIE AND YOU: Former MTV VJ and (sigh) high school dream date Carolyne Heldman produced some yoga videos for Expert Village a few years back, and they can finally be watched on YouTube. You can see one of them in my favorites folder. There you’ll also find the standard Sesame Street clips, including the rarely seen Bruno and the Trashmen, and the classic “smallest one gets the cookie” skit. They‘re on my YouTube page. (And needless to say, check out SesameStreet dot com to find a treasure of other rare skits.) And if I haven’t mentioned it already, check out two friends of mine singing the “California furlough blues,” a tune that rings loudly in the ears of many working people these days, who are just thankful that they’re working.

Star Wars, episodes 4-6

Do you know what happened on May 25?
1. In 1977, “Star Wars” (Episode 4) debuted.

2. In 1983, “Return of the Jedi” debuted

3. I graduated from college! (Can't remember what year. :))

4. And most important of all, in 2009 we celebrated Memorial Day. More on that later.

Today we continue our look at the trilogy with a look at the “original” trilogy from 1977-1983. These are three of my favorites of all time, and we have so little time to talk about them. But here, I hope, are the most important facts:

EPISODE 4: A NEW HOPE
This one will likely always be just “Star Wars” to me. Unlike so many fans, my first memories of “Star Wars” aren't very happy ones. My aunt scared me for it by talking about the “snake” in the trash compactor. I dropped my Dad's watch during one showing and forced him to look for it under some people's seats, prompting him to threaten to spank me when we got home. What fun. I got a lot more out of it later on, when I slowly began to read the Marvel Comics adaptation of the movie. I began to understand the story better and appreciate the creativity and adventure. Slowly, after two more theater viewings, it began to turn into the classic it is.

Then one day, we happened to be shopping in Toys 'R' Us and saw that some new toys were coming out based on Star Wars. My parents bought. . .yes, the Early Bird Star Wars figure box! It's a classic item for collectors (and long lost to me now, of course), and it was the beginning of a beautiful business relationship between our family and Kenner Toys. I wrote a little bit about the Star Wars figures in an earlier post. You can read it here:
http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2006/08/star-wars-toys.html

My family also bought the Super-8mm film version of Star Wars. It was silent with subtitles and only featured two scenes from the movie (Obi-Wan talking to Luke at his home and the escape from the Death Star), but wow, there was certainly enough there to entertain at birthday parties. We also bought the soundtrack album (with some of the most majestic film music ever written), and I have fond memories of my friends and I playing “Cantina Band” over and over, sometimes on 45 and 78 rpm.

Now hang on, we're going to make the jump to light speed to 1982, when “Star Wars” debuted on home video for the first time. It quickly became our favorite rental, being rented once a month for what seemed like the next year or so. And more importantly, my family and I began to appreciate it cinematically. It was always a good movie, but by watching it over and over, we began to understand WHY it was a good movie. We could see all the elements coming together to create the whole. That's one of the greatest benefits of home video- the ability to view it again. Movies began to become more like books. We could put them down for a minute and come back to them later. That's something that certainly isn't possible in a play or theatrical film! Star Wars cemented itself as a true classic thanks to home video.

As noted by Mark Hamil years later in the “Star Wars to Jedi” documentary, the central irony of Star Wars is that it uses high technology to present an anti-technological theme. We see these powerful spaceships and weapons. We see these incredible creatures and places. But through it all, we begin to understand that our eyes can deceive us, and that there is another, spiritual level to life. It is this spiritual level that sells the story, as far as I'm concerned.

EPISODE 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Again as noted by Mark Hamil, “Empire” was a big gamble. With its more serious tone and themes, it was not the same as “Star Wars.” Many feel it's even better. It certainly is a favorite of the actors, and it's easy to understand why- there's a lot of drama going on in “Empire,” and the actors got to stretch their talents to the limits. There's a lot of pain to go through for our heroes and a lot of growing up for Luke. We also are introduced to one of the most important puppetry moments in movie history. Yoda holds his own against the real-life actors, and with the possible exception of E.T., this may be the pinnacle of how far puppetry in films can go. Read more about my hero Yoda here:
http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2007/06/who-you-callin-yoda.html

Of course, the big shocker was what Darth Vader told Luke at the end of their epic lightsaber battle. A friend “spilled the beans” to us before we saw the film. But even if you knew about it, it didn't take away from your enjoyment of the movie. It is a very dramatic moment, of course, and it could be the most important one in the series. It certainly emphasizes the spirituality of Luke's battle. “Empire” shows us the spiritual side of Star Wars like we'd never seen it before. The scene in the cave is a great foreshadowing experience and helps us understand the battle that Luke must face. And here we come to an important point. It's probably the most important thing we can learn from Star Wars. Are you ready?

“Star Wars” is not about wars in outer space a long time ago. “Star Wars” is about the wars that you and I face every day of our lives. “Star Wars” is about battles inside the heart. We watch these battles, but as Yoda says, “Wars don't make one great.” That's because we ALL go through wars. On May 25 we celebrated Memorial Day, where we remember those who have given their lives for their country. As honored and revered as these men should be, and although they are greater than the rest of us in many ways, they are not alone when it comes to war. The most important wars in “Star Wars” are the spiritual ones. Those are the same ones you and I face each day.

“Empire’s” biggest flaw is that it ends on such a cliffhanger. We feel cheated at the end by not knowing what will happen to our heroes. Yet it also ends with a glimmer of hope, as the story is obviously not over yet. There’s still a chance for things to be good.

EPISODE 6: RETURN OF THE JEDI
“Jedi” is the graduate thesis. Despite its flaws, it is probably my favorite of all the Star Wars films. It wraps up the story in a way that is satisfying and also demonstrates what makes “Star Wars” so wonderful. Remember, it's 1983, just after “Star Wars” debuted on home video. We've begun to appreciate what a great film it is. Now, with “Jedi”, we not only see many of the same elements, we see them improved upon and presented in their widescreen, stereo glory. (It's interesting to note how many of the scenes and plot elements in episode 4 are revisited in “Jedi.”) And I was finally old enough to appreciate movies as an art form.

We are taken to the palace of Jabba the Hutt, intergalactic crime lord and, as my friend said, “I would describe Jabba the Hutt as a rising pancake.” Our heroes put on disguises in an attempt to rescue their friend Han from Jabba, but Jabba won't be fooled, and ends up taking our heroes hostage, including. . .oh God. . .Princess Leia in a slave girl outfit. . .The boys who were seven when episode 4 came out were 13 when “Jedi” came out. Hmmm. If there were any doubt that this film would become a legend, the gold bikini made it official! This is actually quite significant. For by including a sexy chick, “Jedi” becomes more complete. We gain not only the spiritual side of a story, but the sensual as well. We get “turned on,” but not in only one way!

Anyway, because Jabba isn’t fooled by disguises, Luke must confront him face to face. He walks into the lair of monsters to save his friends. They send a big monster called the Rancor to eat him. It looks like Luke is out of luck, but he not only survives, he kills the monster! Jabba orders Luke and Han to be thrown into the Sarlac pit, keeping Leia for himself, for obvious reasons. I won’t tell you what happens, you have to watch the film and enjoy the technique of one of the great fight sequences in the saga.

Anyway, Luke must confront the truth about Darth Vader, and in the process the truth about himself and how easy it would be to go over to the dark side. Luke knows he must face Vader again, but also that he can’t kill his father. He can’t win. There seems to be no way out. Or is there? Is it possible that the weapons of war and the powers of good go beyond anything the Emperor can understand? Remember this telling dialogue?

VADER: A small rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor.
EMPEROR: Yes, I know.
VADER: My son is with them.
EMPEROR: Are you sure?
VADER: I have felt him, my master.
EMPEROR: Strange that I have not. . .

Well, I suppose if you didn’t understand love, you might not feel anything either. . .

Ah yes, the “cute and cuddly” Ewoks. These guys may not look very powerful, but they basically helped defeat an Empire. Again, the lesson is not to judge a book by its cover. Don’t believe a disguise. It was so easy to believe that Darth Vader was nothing but a bad guy. . .

Jedi is one of the few action films out there that promotes non-violence. It shows what all the other movies have been hinting at. Just “obeying your heart” is not always the way, because sometimes obeying your heart gets you in trouble. “Jedi” presents the inner battles we face and shows how physically destroying your opponent is not always the best answer. Probably the most important moment in all the films comes when Darth Vader threatens to turn Leia to the dark side. The gorgeous music swells, and the drama takes on a spiritual tone that can be tasted. (I was very glad when they finally released that piece of music on CD! It wasn’t included in the original soundtrack recordings of “Jedi.”) It can almost bring you to tears when you begin to understand all that is going on in that moment.

And then, “Go my son, leave me.” “No, you’re coming with me. I’ve got to save you!” “You already have, Luke.” The spiritual side - the good side- has triumphed in the lives of Anakin Skywalker and his son. And to prove it, as our friends gather together at the ending, and they sing and dance and hug and talk, we see Anakin joining all the other loved ones. You know, Heaven is going to be something like this. . .

But my favorite Jedi memory of all time may be right after the first time we saw it, when my mom, brother and I walked out of the theater and towards the car. We each kind of glanced at each other, smiling. We knew we had just seen one of the greatest things we'd ever seen in the theater. That's true for me to this day.

SPECIAL EDITIONS: The Special Edition of the trilogy came out in 1997, and featured improved special effects and a few formerly deleted scenes. It was a lot of fun seeing the films in the theaters again, but I don't think the special editions improved the story much. As Lucas said, “A special effect is just a tool, a means of telling a story. . .a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.” While the new effects were certainly great, the original story is what mattered most, and that's what we all need to remember. . .including Mr. Lucas. Read on.

ENOUGH ALREADY: While peeking at the recent showing of Episode 4 on MTV, I noticed something unusual. The scene that was added for the special edition had been re-done! Jabba looked different than he did in the original special edition release. It was a neat effect. . .but hang on here. Exactly how many times are we going to “fix” these movies? Shouldn’t we close the book at some point? Look, I don’t want to wake up in the year 2525 and find that none of the original film is still alive! “Oh, but we can make Princess Leia look so much better now! Isn’t this actress prettier than Carrie Fisher? Well, isn’t she?” I will kill you now. We need to keep the originals alive in some form until the end of time, if for no other reason than to let people see how things were “a long time ago.”

SOLD OUT: Just this afternoon, I saw a poster advertising a “Star-Wars” related event in my local library, featuring guys in costumes and talks about some of the great Star Wars science fiction books. While the tickets were free, they were limited, and I was unable to get one, as they had all already been given out. It’s been over 30 years, and Star Wars still has the power to “sell out” venues. It’s a testament to our love for the stories and our desire for adventure and romance and fun, as well as for the spiritual side of life. The force is going to be with us for a long time to come, and I’m thankful. Thanks for riding along.

Star Wars trilogies, Episodes 1-3

It’s hard to believe that “Phantom Menace” debuted ten years ago this month, and in honor of that occasion, I’d like to present some of my thoughts about the greatest science fiction motion picture saga in the history of the medium. My comments will, of course, be, uh. . .forced to be short. And I’ll try to make that the worst joke you have to put up with during this whole thing.
Bear in mind that “Star Wars” is, of course, as popular as a cultural phenomenon as a movie series. Even those who haven’t seen the movies can’t ignore their impact. (I haven’t seen “High School Musical” yet either, but I can’t ignore its impact!) But the phenomenon is deeper than just “cowboys in outer space.” The excitement and special effects are all spectacular, but it takes more than those things to create a masterpiece, and hopefully I’ll be able to touch on all the parts of the saga that matter most to me.

EPISODE ONE: THE PHANTOM MENACE
Every saga has its beginning. And the debut of episode 1 was certainly met with more eager fans than episode 4 had been. (Access Hollywood began counting down the days more than 100 days before the debut!) Many of those eager fans, sadly, weren’t too happy. But it was wrong to expect “Phantom Menace” to be better than any of the other films. Contrary to what the naysayers said, it was “star wars.” It keeps the spirit of the films alive. It’s just different! Many of the elements we enjoy aren’t there. No wisecracking Han Solo. No Darth Vader yet. Not much of a romance factor.

The film begins with two wise masters of “the force” called Jedi. They make an attempt to visit the planet of Naboo, which is being held under blockade by the greedy trade federation. When the evil Darth Sideous hears that the two Jedi have arrived. He gives the immediate order to have them killed. We immediately know who the good guys and bad guys are! But the Jedi aren’t easily gotten rid of. They escape to the planet and begin the process of trying to get the trade federation out of the way. Along their journey, they meet up with several characters who help them out. To make a long (and some would say painful) story short, the Jedi are victorious, and relative peace returns to the galaxy.

Along the way we meet Anakin Skywalker, young farm boy from the planet Tatooine, Padme Amidala, the young queen of Naboo, and the legend himself, Jar-Jar Binks. Binks is an alien with a funny voice and a “cutesy” attitude that drove some fans nuts. Well, at least the fans without kids. (Think Elmo for the Star Wars world and you get the idea) And unfortunately, many Star Wars fans don’t have kids. I loved what a radio DJ said later about “Phantom Menace:” “That movie would have made twice as much money if everybody who went to see it didn’t only buy one ticket!”

The “Phantom Menace” is never specifically named in the Phantom Menace. Logic says that it must be Darth Sideous, who sometimes appears as a “phantom” when he is broadcasting to his “helpers.” But the phantom menace can also be something else. It’s what Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi felt at the beginning of the film. The idea that something was making him uneasy, but he wasn’t exactly sure what. This idea of something going on that we don’t completely understand is borne out in the next two films, as we see that Darth Sideous has some serious ego issues and some serious plans for destroying the Jedi so he can gain power.

I was lucky enough to get to meet an actress from “Phantom Menace”. . . no, not her. It was Michonne Bourrigue, who played Aura Sing. Aura Sing was the tall lady with the Mohawk who can be seen briefly watching Anakin’s pod race. She was in the film for about 5 seconds or so, and I got her autograph! We met her at the San Diego Comic-Con. My brother pointed out that she was there. “Wow!” I said. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice her.” “She wasn’t wearing a costume,” he replied. “Wow,” I said, “no wonder I didn’t notice her.” :) But I should have. She was quite attractive and gracious with her time. I asked about any chance of seeing Aura Sing again. “It’s possible,” she replied. “The script (for “Clones”) hasn’t been written yet.” Sadly no Aura Sing appearance materialized, but I obviously won’t forget Michonne Bourrigue and the pleasure of meeting her.

The film holds its own and is ultimately worth it, especially if you are a fan. But there is one great unanswered question: WHERE IS LINCOLN GASKING? Lincoln Gasking was the gentleman who was the first in line to see the new film, waiting several months (ah to be young and jobless again) to see “Phantom Menace” when it debuted. Then it debuted, and we never heard from him again! Did he go into hiding? Is he still in the restroom? Was the movie so awful that he didn’t want his face to be seen? Is he hanging out with Rodney Allen Rippy? Is he hanging out with Michonne Bourrigue? I’m hoping that someday I’ll be in a bar or something and somebody will say “Oh yeah, I remember him. He got a job and got on with his life. Just like we all did.”

EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
I never knew how romantic a guy I was until I saw “Attack of the Clones.” It reaffirmed what most ladies probably already knew - the romance factor is very important to “Star Wars.” It definitely adds something to “Clones,” which is probably my favorite of episodes 1-3.

It’s years later, and Anakin and Padme are now youths who are old enough to legitimately begin to, well, notice each other. As their romance begins to bloom, the republic is facing new dangers, including assassination attempts on Padme. Anakin is assigned to protect Padme, and they spend some time alone in some beautiful places, and. . .well, fortunately they both have at least a little bit of self-control, something that is sadly lacking from so many of us these days. . .Anyway, their career paths seem to make it impossible for them to enjoy a life together. But as Amy Grant sang, love will find a way. Even if it ultimately leads to a terrible downfall. There‘s a danger to love. That’s one of the hidden messages of the “Star Wars” saga. Sometimes the love you have for someone can be used against you to make you do some terrible, horrifying things. . .
I actually came close to crying in “Clones.” It was the scene where Anakin and Padme are about to be led out to be attacked by a trio of monsters. “I’m not afraid to die,” Padme says. “I’ve been dying a little bit every day since you came back into my life.” Her declaration of love prior to what may be their deaths is beautifully romantic. I love it. Sorry folks- just remember that I’m a big “Phantom of the Opera” fan, too. And this little interlude of a movie shows us that even in the midst of chaos, love is there, and playing a very active role. I’m not just talking about romantic love- watch as Anakin rushes to save his friend Obi-Wan from being killed by the villain. Watch as Yoda saves the lives of both Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Also, very cool “running through the grassy field” clips. This reminds me of the dream sequence with Kermit and Miss Piggy from the Muppet Movie. I’m sure I’m the only person in the world who noticed, but hey. . .

We definitely get the feeling in “Clones” that the Jedi aren’t exactly being completely honest with everybody. Watch the look on Yoda’s face when Obi-Wan mentions Jedi master Siphodeus (I hope that’s how you spell it). There’s definitely some “we’d better keep it quiet” stuff going on with the Jedi, and it serves to demonstrate their imperfections, which will become incredibly important in the next film.

But just as a preview: Have you noticed how terribly the Jedi treat Anakin? When he gets the right answer, they don’t say, “good job, kid.” Being loving in that way is just not the Jedi way, and it certainly works against them. (Hey, these guys apparently aren’t even allowed to love romantically.) On the other hand, have you noticed that the only person who is really kind to Anakin is. . .Senator Palpatine?

EPISODE THREE: REVENGE OF THE SITH
War! No kidding! Some consider this the best film in the series. It is certainly one of the most dramatic, with Anakin facing one of the toughest tests any of us can face. As tragic as this is, it is ultimately Anakin’s love for Padme that brings him down. The fear of losing her traumatizes him, and he vows to do everything to keep her alive. Everything. Kill little kids? Sure. Help kill the JedI? No problem. He can’t see what we can. He doesn’t see what Padme sees, either. “You’re going down a path I can’t follow,” she cries. His love has turned to evil. He is perhaps the best demonstration I’ve ever seen of why love isn’t always the answer. I suppose we all understand that love causes pain sometimes. But love shouldn’t cause THIS much pain! When you have to start killing people just so you won’t be lonely. . .

Don’t think for a minute “it won’t happen to me.” Even JedI master Yoda, who urges Anakin not to miss those people we lose through death, finds himself incredibly pained at those who he loses through death. He cares. We see it at the end of “Clones,” too, when Yoda saves the lives of Obi-Wan and Anakin, two people he obviously cares about. But as he does that, the villain makes his escape, thereby creating much more pain and agony later on. Should Yoda have let Obi-Wan and Anakin die so that he could stop the villain? What would YOU have done?

Then, after we watch Padme die, we watch Anakin die.

A tragic ending to a tragic romance, and a warning to all the world. And the groundwork for the next three films, which are among my most enjoyable movie memories of all time.

Some final thoughts on the Episodes 1-3 saga: I enjoyed all three. All three were fun. But I feel that many fans were let down. They wanted the films to be even grander than they were (which is pretty amazing when you think about how grand they already are!). We have to remember that we were seven to thirteen or so when the first movies came out. We’ve changed a lot since then. We’ve seen a lot of other good movies since then. I did not expect perfection when I watched episodes 1-3. I simply hoped for a good series that would equal or better the episodes 4-6 that I grew up with. Episodes 1-3 aren’t perfect. Neither are episodes 4-6. But they’re all good. And they’re all worth watching at least once. It’s kind of disheartening to hear people badmouth the first three and say that the newer saga ruined the first. Relax. It’s only a movie. The glory of the “original” saga still shines, which is what I’m going to talk about next time, Lord willing. Thanks for riding with me.
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The cool Padme and Anakin image at the top of this posting is from “The Padawan’s guide to Star Wars costumes,” which is definitely worth a visit and could become a favorite of my Mom’s after I tell her about it. Check it out!

http://www.padawansguide.com/index.shtml

Speaking of those great costumes, I was also lucky enough to visit Trish Biggar's “Dressing a Galaxy” costume exhibit in Los Angeles in 2005, which featured not only many costumes from the Star Wars films she worked in, but costumes from the other films as well. It was a lot of fun, and I wish that every Star Wars fan could have seen it. Even without the “props,” the costumes bring a lot to the Star Wars movies, and are entertaining in and of themselves. It was also Heaven on earth for Padme fans. Virtually every one of Padme’s dresses was here! There were at least a good forty mannequins set up in the middle of the hall facing each other, each wearing one of the dresses Natalie Portman wore in the films. You can check out some pictures from the exhibit here:

http://starwars.fidm.edu/

http://www.padawansguide.com/fidm2.shtml

Attack of the new Star Wars movie

"Hey Rocky, watch me pull a new Star Wars movie out of my hat!”

This is a bit of news that I definitely wasn’t expecting. Most die-hard Star Wars fans are aware that a new animated TV series featuring “Star Wars” characters was in the works. But to find out that another MOVIE is coming out later this year?! The same year that a new Indiana Jones movie is due to arrive? Amazing.

The movie, like the future TV series, will feature computer animation rather than real people in the roles. It takes place during the “Clone Wars,” after “Attack of the Clones” and before “Revenge of the Sith.” Apparently, while working on the series, George Lucas decided that it was possible to make a theatrical film out of it, and so he has done. I assume that the film will be able to stand on its own, and not be called “Episode 2 and a half.”

I have sort of mixed feelings at this point. Animation is great, but it’s not the same as “reality.” We may miss some of the dramatic tension that only a live actor or actress can give. But we shall see. It certainly sounds like a good time. Back when “Phantom Menace” came out, some radio Djs joked that the film would have made twice as much money if everyone who saw it hadn’t only bought one ticket. Ouch. Well, this “Clone Wars” film, along with “Indy 4”, changes all that. It means I’ll have to buy two movie tickets this year instead of one.

http://www.starwars.com/

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TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME: The latest installment of “Just My Show” has an interview with Jack Keil, the voice of McGruff, the crime dog. Here’s where you can listen - and be sure to check out some of their past shows in the reruns section!
http://www.justmyshow.com/PSA_Paradise.html

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DINKY:1, POPEYE 1: It looks like some episodes of “The All-New Popeye Hour” will be making it to DVD after all. Read all about it here:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/All-New-Popeye-Hour-Volume-1-Trailer/9171

And speaking of strong people, future seasons of “The Incredible Hulk” are coming your way:
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Incredible-Hulk-Seasons-3-and-4/9168

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NOT MARY ANN! Sigh. Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island,” has been arrested on drug charges. Sigh. Ginger, I could understand, but not Mary Ann! The Skipper, maybe. But not Mary Ann. Sigh.
Read more about Gilligan’s Island at my post:

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2007/02/gingers-i-mean-gilligans-island.html

And attention K-Mart shoppers: You may have noticed that a “Complete Series” set of Gilligan’s Island is now available for purchase. It’s what we have to rely on until Gilligan returns to a TV set near you.
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CAROLYNE, YOGA AND YOU: As the unofficial leader of the “Carolyne Heldman fan club” (yes, I know there wasn’t any such thing until I made it up just now), I’m proud to announce that you can now watch clips of Carolyne online! No, not from her MTV days. This is the new Carolyne, the yoga instructor. She’s teaching yoga classes, and you can see her demonstrate some yoga moves on Expertvillage.com. Her series is on how to avoid common yoga injuries. The site has a brief biography of Carolyne since her post-MTV days:

In 2001, Carolyne Heldman discovered the healing and transformative powers of yoga. She soon became hooked and began studying with some of the preeminent teachers of our time: John Friend, Sean Corn, Ana Forrest and Rodney Yee. However, Heldman derives special inspiration from the teachings of Shiva Rea, director of yoga at Sacred Movement in Los Angeles. Carolyne teaches in three Denver-area yoga studios and has been teaching for two years.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/4267_avoid-yoga-injuries.htm

I practice what I call “poor man’s yoga”. It’s basically just some simple stretching exercises. When it starts to hurt, I stop. I’m thinking that watching Carolyne’s videos will ensure that it never starts to hurt!

For more about Carolyne, click on “December 2007” in my archives.
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Who you callin' Yoda?

OF ALL THE MEAN names that kids called me during High School, my favorite is “Yoda.” I don’t think they knew what they were saying. Calling someone “Yoda” isn’t an insult. Yoda is cool. Yoda is so cool, in fact, that Star Wars fans voted to make him the star of his own individual stamp sheet. That means he beat out Han & Chewbacca, Luke, Darth Vader and even Boba Fett! In the G4 special where fans voted for their favorite Star Wars character, Yoda came out as number one again. Yes, Yoda is awesome, and I don’t mind being compared to him.

But why is he cool? Well, it’s partly because of his wisdom. He’s a smart dude. He’s also very cunning. He can fight with the best of them, and he can hide when he has to. Frank Oz once noted that he’s been told often by fans, “Yoda changed my life.” Some of Yoda’s statements have become legendary. “Try not - do, or do not. There is no try.” While I don’t always agree with Yoda, I always listen. When my brother wore the Yoda mask for Halloween, he was the hit of the holiday.

When you first see Yoda, you don’t realize his power. He looks like a little elf-like creature who lives in the forest. Luke, of course, was fooled as well. He didn’t think the little guy was anything other than a nuisance. But of course, we later learned that this little fellow was - in a way - the most powerful being in the galaxy. It’s an incredible thing, when you think about it. “Size matters not. Look at me! Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not! For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is! Life creates it - makes it grow. It’s energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we - not this crude (flesh) matter! You must feel the force around you. Here- between you and me, the tree, the rock, everywhere.”

Movie-wise, Yoda is one of the greatest special-effects triumphs of all time. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a PUPPET - albeit a very complicated puppet - could pull off a performance that was every bit as moving as that of a flesh and blood actor. I recall reading somewhere that some of the people who first saw “Empire” believed that Yoda was actually a midget in a costume.

Although Yoda wasn’t a “muppet” in the strictest sense of the word, you could say that Yoda was the greatest triumph of the muppets. Yoda demonstrated what the muppets had been demonstrating for years - that puppetry isn’t just child’s play. Puppetry is an art that can be used to move and inspire people. It’s interesting to note that many of Jim Henson’s “post-Yoda” projects like “Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth” featured much more “realistic” puppet creatures - creatures similar to Yoda in the sense that they were attempting to convey realism.

Looking back, I also think that the success of E.T. had a little bit to do with Yoda. The original E.T. was, after all, just a complicated puppet in many scenes. E.T. further demonstrated how puppetry can be used to touch people - and he even did a little “tribute” to Yoda at one point in the movie!

Since the advent of computer technology, the Yoda we see in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” is actually a computer-generated image. And that’s fine, since movies are illusions to begin with. But I fear that most modern filmmakers have turned their backs on puppetry again. As a puppet fan myself, that’s kind of a shame. I’d like to think that future filmmakers will at least peek into the possibility of using a puppet-like creature as a character in their films. Plus, in some ways, it’s probably a lot cheaper. Regardless, the power of Yoda will live on. As some jerk wrote in my yearbook, “Yoda will always be with me.”

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SESAME BLOG: Hey, wouldn't it be cool if some old-school Sesame Street fan could begin a blog about the “good-old” days (which for me is just about anything before “Elmo's World”)? Well, our dreams have come true. The new classic Sesame Street blog is up and running. It includes video clips as well as links where you can (gasp!) download several classic episodes! Those of you with a whole lot of memories – and a whole lot of computer memory! - should take advantage of the chance to watch these classic episodes again. Enjoy the blog here:

http://classicsesamestreetfans.blogspot.com/

And if you scroll down, you'll find the list of episodes to download:
http://classicsesamestreetfans.blogspot.com/search/label/episodes%20for%20trade

And keep your eye out for the next “Sesame Street old school” DVD set. And keep your eye out for “The Muppet Show” season 2 set. Dang, it isn't even Christmas yet.

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RIDE A WILD HORSE: Did you ever want to do something unusual? Something that you don't usually find yourself doing? Well, according to the Associated Press, Woody Allen is going to direct an opera.

LOS ANGELES - Woody Allen, directing an opera?
It will happen in September 2008, according to Placido Domingo, general director of the Los Angeles Opera.
The New York-based filmmaker will make his operatic directorial debut by opening up the LA Opera’s 2008-09 season.
“I have no idea what I am doing,” Allen said in a statement Thursday. “But incompetence has never prevented me from plunging in with enthusiasm.”
Allen is scheduled to direct “Gianni Schicchi,” one part of Puccini’s “Il Trittico,” a trio of one-act operas.
The two other operas, “Il Tabarro” and “Suor Angelica,” will be directed by movie director William Friedkin (“The Exorcist,” “The French Connection”).
Domingo stated that he had often pursued movie directors to try their hand at opera.
He added that his longest pursuit was Allen, who took four years to say yes.

Perhaps most interesting, I'm assuming that Woody will be directing the opera in one of his least favorite places on earth – Southern California! (Hey, you remember the classic line from “Annie Hall” as he was driving through L.A. : “They don't throw out their garbage, here. They use it to make movies.”) But you've got to love that quote. “Incompetence has never prevented me from plunging in with enthusiasm.” Let's talk about that a minute.

I've found that sometimes, making mistakes is not necessarily bad. Sometimes you need to make mistakes in order to find out what you can and can not do. Making mistakes teaches you how to do something right. So I'm all in favor of trying new things and possibly failing – then finding peace in the knowledge that you did your best, and might be able to do better later on. I don't think we need to feel too ashamed of most of the “stupid” things we did as kids. Many of those so-called “stupid” things led us to become the people we are today. There's a very cool song called “Ride a wild horse” that sums up these feelings for me. The lyrics go, in part:

You can try, you can try
Before your life goes by
Just once, before you die
Ride a wild horse, ride a wild horse
Across your sky

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MRS. C ON YOUR PC: Aaaaay, Richie! The latest update at “Justmyshow.com” has a cool interview with Marion Ross of “Happy Days” fame, along with Dan Lauria of “The Wonder Years.” You can listen to it at the link below, dig?

http://www.justmyshow.com/showfourteen.html

Quick tour of blog world

TOO BIG TO BE A SPACE STATION: If I ever go thrift store shopping again, I want to go with Todd Franklin. Todd writes the great “Neato Coolville” blog, and he seems to have this incredible knack for finding neato things. But recently he has been writing about what must be one of the greatest finds of all. This is the type of discovery you only dream about as a child! It honestly is hard to believe, but he has photos and a testimony from Star Wars collector Gus Lopez. Todd and some friends actually found the Death Star model used in the first Star Wars movie! He writes:

It’s hard to believe that a major part of film and pop culture history wound up in the Missouri Ozarks!

My connection with the Death Star started in 1988, the summer after my high school graduation. I was working for a local TV station as a cameraman on an ongoing TV series about the Lake of the Ozarks, a popular Missouri tourist area and the place that I’ve called home most of my life.

We were working on a feature about antique stores in the area and we ended up visiting the Mexican Hillbilly. Outside of the store were scads of statuary, old pottery, some giant oranges (used in commercials) and a big gray ball that oddly enough looked like the Death Star. I had a hard time concentrating on my work that day and as a Star Wars fan, I was giddy with excitement.

The story they told me was that they owned a warehouse in California and the film makers stored the Death Star there. When they decided to close the warehouse and move to Missouri, they repeatedly contacted the film makers asking them to pick it up or it would be discarded. When the time came for the move, they told the movers to trash the Death Star. Luckily, the movers didn’t listen and the Death Star was moved along with everything else to the Missouri Ozarks. Also, they told me they’d never seen Star Wars.

It’s an incredible tale that takes three posts to read, and you can find them here:

http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com/2007/05/death-star-prop-episode-i-raiders-of.html

http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com/2007/05/death-star-prop-episode-ii-death-star.html

http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com/2007/05/death-star-prop-episode-iii-death-stars.html

Neato! Enjoy current blog postings from Todd at:

http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com

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If you ever doubted how personal the medium of TV is, you may want to look at what happened to Meredith Vieira not long after the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech. Here’s what she wrote in her blog:

Matt and I had arrived in Blacksburg, Virginia Monday evening. I was so consumed with trying to get the facts straight and prepare for Tuesday morning’s show that I don’t think I realized I was in a state of shock like everyone else.

But as Tuesday wore on, the magnitude of this tragedy began to take over. That evening, I walked over to the vigil. The students had erected ‘writing boards’ on the field, and people were asked to leave a message—whatever was in their heart. I noticed one student standing there, with the marker frozen in her hand. She told me she was at a loss for words, and didn’t want to write the ‘wrong’ thing. I told her I didn’t believe there was a wrong thing to say, that any words would probably be appreciated. Finally, she knelt down and wrote “We will miss you.” Before long the board was covered with messages: “Hokies Forever,” “We will survive,” “I’ll never forget you.”

I was staring at the boards for so long I didn’t realize how many people had gathered for the vigil, but when I looked up, there were literally thousands of faces and candles. And as I was standing among them, one of the co-eds handed me a candle, and then she asked if I would give her a hug. As I put my arms around her, she broke down. That scene was repeated several times with other students—each time they would come up to me, needing to be held.

I finally figured out why they may have sought me out: these were kids who were away from home, most of their parents weren’t there, they knew me from television and they needed an adult, someone safe to tell them it would be okay. That’s when I broke down, because I realized they are my kids, they’re everybody’s kids. And they are deeply saddened. And they are scared.

Check out Meredith’s latest blog postings at

http://meredithtoday.ivillage.com/entertainment/

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ON YOUTUBE: YOU ARE LOVED. Just the song I need right now. Probably just the song you need right now. Josh Groban sings a beautiful song. Even if you’ve heard it on the radio a thousand times, you may enjoy actually seeing the video. You can find it in the favorites section on my YouTube page in the links.

Peanuts, postage and puppets

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, and also April fool's day, so let's continue a very new tradition of running classic Peanuts comic strips in honor of April 1. I hope you enjoy them! More of my favorite classic Peanuts strips can be found by clicking “April 2006” in my archives listings to the right.

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STAMP WARS. There will indeed be a series of stamps honoring "Star Wars" characters. It brings up an interesting issue. It is usually customary to wait until a person has died before honoring them with putting their image on a postage stamp. But Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are still with us! (Not to mention all the other costumed performers). I'm sure they'll be able to handle it (they've already been action figures, after all), but what does this mean for future stamps? Will we get to see more current movie stars? Lindsay Lohan? Chris Rock? Borat? That guy from "Saw?" Bill and Ted? Let us hope we never find out how far this thing will go.

My only complaint about the Star Wars stamps: No Lando! Lando was a big part of the team. We need a stamp for Lando. Hey, I'd love to see a stamp of Leia in the gold bikini, but even more than that, we need one for Lando! Too bad we can't vote him in, but you can vote for which "Star Wars" stamp you'd like to become its own stamp sheet. Vote at the site below:

http://www.uspsjedimaster.com/main/splash.html

The "Star Wars" folks are the latest in a growing list of my favorite fictional folks who have been on a U.S. postage stamp. Here are a few others: Popeye, Dick Tracy, Bugs Bunny, Big Bird, Snoopy, Kermit the Frog & Co., Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Dorothy & Toto from "Wizard of Oz," Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc.

Which fictional characters would you like to see on a future stamp? Here's my list: Ernie and Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Godzilla, X the owl, Easy Reader, Underdog, Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Sherlock Holmes, George of the Jungle, Ginger from “Gilligan’s Island”, the Fonz
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I enjoyed the recent entry on toughpigs.com about "one-joke wonder" muppets. Partly because it was so well-written, but also because they actually provide relatively big pictures of said muppets. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good picture of Forgetful Jones? You can find one here, along with some good shots of other muppets:

http://toughpigs.com/2007/03/one-muppet-one-joke.html

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Video collecting. What could be an easier hobby? All you have to do is learn how your VCR or DVD recorder works, right? Wrong! This hobby is full of challenges. For example: Some never-before released episodes of "The Electric Company" are now available for purchase! Yay! The bad news: They're only available on the iTunes system. I'm not anit-iTunes (say that five times fast), but the problem is that everything else on video that I collect is on the regular NTSC system. That's a video standard for us in the U.S. And it seems that iTunes video can't be recorded onto a regular DVD (in DVD video format, that is. You can record it as a computer file to DVD, but you won't be able to play it on a DVD player. Are you confused yet?)

So the dilemma is: How can I effectively save copies of these episodes? If they remain in the iTunes format, I'll only be able to watch them on a computer or iPod. It's kind of awkward to have a handful of episodes that I'm unable to watch without an iPod handy. I would definitely prefer DVD or VHS versions of these shows.

I suppose I could always do what I do with YouTube videos and (ugh) set up a camcorder in front of my computer and videotape the clips. That's definitely not the best way to save video clips (there's a loss in quality), but it does work. Wish I didn't have to do that, though. But speaking of Electric Company, posters like nantoreturns have been putting up clips from "Electric Company" on their YouTube pages. Be sure to check them out!