Thoughts from Alison that might at least entertain you!

Googly Eyes and Silly Good Fun

So imagine my surprise with this one... 

You may certainly know (or not) that I'm a fan of all things childish, especially books and animated movies.  And very especially Wallace & Gromit, the claymation figures from Nick Parks - as well as many of his other creations.  Today is the 20th anniversary of Wallace & Gromit!  Their first short film - A Grand Day Out - was screened on this date 20 years ago.  I read in my inbox just now that Wallace and Gromit were being honored today on the Google search page.  They are one of only 3 "Google Doodles" ever to be made outside of Google HQ! 

So I went to google.com only to find Big Bird legs there instead.  Today is ALSO the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street!  Coincidence?  I think not.  Everything is connected in the strange and mysterious world of Awesome Things Invented in the Interest of Learning Through Youthful Fun and Whimsy!  Turns out the W&G Doodle is on the google.co.uk search page!

For the love of children's literature

I can truly hardly wait for the opening of Where The Wild Things Are (the movie) next Friday, October 16th!  The trailers are amazing looking - touching, funny, and fantastic.  They are enough to make me weep a little on their own.  Just think what the movie will do?!?

I can't find a legal trailer to import here, but the link above will take you to the Warner Bros. site for the movie, and the full trailer is there.  Check it out - you might get excited too!

The Secret Ingredient Is...

So if you haven't seen it yet, consider going to see this movie!  Kung Fu Panda is a perfect blend - part fairy tale/morality tale, and part Star Wars.  John and I saw it yesterday (along with about 10 kids and their respective adults), and enjoyed just about every moment.  I won't tell you more, but if you go - you'll learn what the secret ingredient is! 

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

A big (and somewhat overdue) Hello to All!

I'll start by telling you that this is a weird one for me - for several reasons.  I'm writing a few words to share one of my FAVORITE CDs in the world with you - and it's a Veggie Tales CD.  (And, if you aren't familiar with them, Veggie Tales is a cartoon for little ones, with a decidedly Christian message to a lot of their tales - morality tales and such.  While Christian messages are fine and good, they're not necessarily the first thing I'm generally drawn to.)  Veggie Tales happens to be one of the funniest things I've encountered in animation in a long time.  They have a feature film out now - "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," which I might just have to go see.  Actually I think I do need to go see it, but I might have to go by myself.

If you're at all curious, consider looking up the Veggie Tales' CD called "Silly Songs With Larry."  Larry is a cucumber.  The CD includes songs like "Oh Where Is My Hairbrush," "I Love My Lips," and "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything!"

Some lyrics from the Pirates tune to send you off to sleep (or wherever you're headed):

"We are the pirates who don't do anything; We just stay home and lay around, and if you ask us to do anything we'll tell you...  We don't do anything!"  The song goes on with verses and verses listing all the things they've never done.  Each verse ends with "And I've never been to Boston in the fall!"

It's terrific humor - check it out!  So there you go.  Happy Day, Friends!  I promise to be back "here" in better force next week.  The Folk Festival is this Friday and Saturday, and then I can collapse!

Wallace & Gromit!

Good morning Friends!  I hope these very important words find you well on this mid-week-day.

I am thrilled to share the bit of news I just encountered in my inbox - Wallace and Gromit are back, and they have a new short film in production!  It sounds like it's a least a year before completion, but I'm willing to wait.  You can see the announcement about the film - "Trouble At Mill" - at the link to their site above.

I also happily discovered a small set of shorts that I didn't know about!  You can also find the "Cracking Contraptions" clips on the site on this page.  The shorts were apparently created from an existing set of still shots at the desperate request of Japanese television stations, and they are awesome!  There are 10 on the site (although one doesn't seem to work), each about 1-3 minutes.  These are beautiful inventions of Wallace's, sure to crack you up.  They are the last 10 links on the scrolling list, with many clips from the other short films there too.  Of the Cracking Contraptions, I recommend especially "Shopper 13" and "The 525 Crackervac."

Creature Comforts

I thought I would share a bit about something I've been watching lately!  If you haven't yet heard of Creature Comforts, you'll know a bit (potentially more than you wish) in a few minutes!  If you have 5 minutes to spare, watch this film:

This is a clip from Creature Comforts, the original 1989 short film by Aardman Animations that won the short animation Oscar that year.  Aardman is the same studio that produced the Wallace & Gromit films and Chicken Run. 

Following the Creature Comforts film, Aardman went on to produce the Creature Comforts TV series in the UK.  The series is interview footage with animals in all conceivable settings - not just a zoo.  I have recently acquired seasons 1 & 2 on dvd, and I haven't stopped laughing yet!  I have only watched season 1, and my favorite episodes to date are "What's it all about?" (animals theorizing on their own origins and connections to other animals), and "Being a Bird" (birds ruminating on just that, and other animals expressing their "birdly" aspirations).  You can find hilarious bios on many of the characters here.  I've also just read today that perhaps there is an American Creature Comforts in production for CBS, but I don't know anything more about it yet.

Enjoy - and if anyone is interested in watching any of the series, let me know - I'm happy to loan!

Peace to you all, Friends!  Be well and be warm!

"A Girl Like Me"

When I first saw images and reporting on this short film, I had a vague memory of learning about the original "doll tests" conducted during the 1930s by Dr. Kenneth Clark.  These were the tests "that helped persuade the Supreme Court to strike down segregation in its Brown v. Board of Education decision."

A Girl Like Me is a short film by Kiri Davis, a 16 year old high school student in NYC who recreated some of the doll tests and filmed the results.  Her film also includes young African American women talking about beauty standards, body images, and how the standards they see in the world affect them. 

I found myself saddened by the film and I can still hardly believe that Kiri's doll tests showed essentially the same results that Dr. Clark found in the '30s, but I am hopeful and grateful that there are these intelligent, articulate young women in the world who are thinking about these things and pushing us to think about them too.

You can watch the film on the Media That Matters Film Festival page.  There is also a great bio for Kiri Davis there.  You will find many related stories and reports on NPR also.  Please watch this film - it is only 7 minutes long!  It is heart breaking, but it needs to be seen.

Peace to you, Friends.  Be Well and Be Taking Care.   

The Pursuit of Happyness

John and I went to see this movie today.  Will Smith plays Chris Gardner in "The Pursuit of Happyness," based on a true story.  I won't tell you too much, except that it is one of the best movies I've seen in quite some time.  There were at least two of us in the theater who cried for parts, and I suspect most of the rest of the folks in the theater cried a bit too.  Will Smith is nominated for an Oscar for this role.  I haven't seen any of the other nominees, but I'm pretty certain I think Smith should win - he was amazing.  If you haven't seen it, consider seeing it soon.  It really shouldn't be missed!

I have successfully bid on the aforementioned eBay item today for my parents.  We were able to replace this beautiful teapot that belonged to Bernie's mom, and was broken a week or so ago.  I told John I've never felt so nervous bidding on anything as I did while bidding on this today.  I've bought things on eBay before, but only for myself and only when I really was ok with not winning an auction - this was a lot of pressure!  I had the only bid as it turned out, but I was still a nervous wreck until it was over!

Peace, Dear Friends.  Be taking care of each other!

Welcome to you, you welcome weekend

Oh, weekend it is!  This felt like a very long week and I'm glad to see the weekend arrive.  I'm looking forward to a weekend of nothing on my calendar, although I've already identified several things I'd like to do this weekend, and I'm sure there are other things brewing in my mind that I haven't identified yet.

A few things I think will be a part of this weekend:

• I plan to collage a bit.  It feels like I haven't collaged in ages at the moment.  I have a specific piece I plan to start this weekend - but can't provide much detail on the outside chance that the folks I'm planning this piece for might happen across this posting!  I'm excited about it because I have a silly idea for this one that I haven't tried yet in a collage.  I'll report back after an attempt and let you know how it goes!  (How's that for vague and mysterious?)
• John and I will probably see a movie tomorrow, although we haven't sorted out what we might want to see yet.  The list keeps growing for me - this always happens just before the Oscars.  All of a sudden, I feel like I haven't seen a movie all year and I need to see them all - NOW!
• I will spend a little time bidding and trying to win an auction on Ebay.  There was a sad event recently at my mom & Bernie's house - it didn't involve either of them, or even the dogs (who are usually involved in destruction), but it led to the demise of a beloved teapot.  The teapot was a beautiful British antique Sadler piece, and it belonged to Bernie's mom.  It is no longer listed in the category of "things that hold water," but mom found an identical piece on Ebay.  My assignment is to bid aggressively (but not too aggressively) and get the replacement!
• Above all, I am looking forward to spending time with my husband.  John and I have both been bringing home lots of fatigue lately.  We are, if nothing else, good at relaxation and recovery together on the weekends.
• Oh - and did I mention I plan to welcome spring this weekend?  I'm working at "mind over matter" now.  If I wish it to be spring, maybe it will just happen, eh?

Regarding our quest for a movie this weekend, and current movie "buzz" in general - have you seen Little Miss Sunshine yet?  If not, I strongly urge you to rent it this weekend, or as soon as possible.  It is the first movie in ages that I (and John) have seen twice in the theater.  And we bought the DVD.  And it is just as perfect a film every single time.  It only gets funnier and more touching every time I see it.  Please see this movie!  www.foxsearchlight.com/littlemisssunshine2

Be well and be keeping warm, Friends.  Peace to you as spring approaches.  (I promise!)

Peter Boyle 1935-2006

I just read the sad news that Peter Boyle passed away yesterday evening.  I count myself as a fan of everything he ever acted in, not the least of which was Young Frankenstein.  He has also most recently been known for his work as Raymond's curmudgeonly father on "Everybody Loves Raymond."

I read some interesting facts about his life and times today - for instance he was in a monastery for 3 years before his acting career began, and John Lennon was the best man at his wedding!

Here are links to two nice articles about his life and work if you'd like to read:  One is on CNN and the other is on the Toledo Blade website.  If you haven't ever seen Young Frankenstein (a Mel Brooks film, also starting Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, and Madeline Kahn!), I highly recommend it.  And I have it on DVD if you'd like to borrow!

Peace, Dear Friends.  Be Well and Be Warm!