The Golden Age Trifecta

This Christmas, I received a great Hollywood gift pack: biographies of Hollywood greats, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart. My aunt, Becky, and my grandparents, Mimi and Ted, supplied me with this great reading material for the New Year.

I'm so excited to read all three! These are my three favorite Hollywood actors of the golden era of moving pictures. There is just something so sublime and delicious about them. I've been enamoured of them since I was a young girl, and these books will tell me more than I ever needed to know about them. I'm almost 100 pages into the Cary Grant bio, by Marc Eliot, and Ted assured me it was a juicy book (the sales clerk at Borders told him so). It has proven to be so far, telling of the Hollywood dames who dragged his name through the mud because he wouldn't bed them. So what? If he didn't wanna, he didn't wanna. (I never thought Marlene Dietrich was that beautiful anyway.)

I'll leave links below, so you can check these books out for yourself if you're big into them like me...or if you're just curious. I'll also leave a few--JUST A FEW--links to some of my favorite movies of these Hollywood icons. Oh, and coming tomorrow: My Top 10 Christmas Gifts Ever. I know you can't wait!

Cary Grant:
Cary Grant, by Marc Eliot
North by Northwest (cuh-lassic)
The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer (screwball comedy with another favorite, Myrna Loy, and Miss Shirley Temple)
Suspicion (underrated and rarely mentioned)

James Stewart:
Jimmy Stewart, by Marc Eliot
It's a Wonderful Life (had to)
Vertigo (a little old for Kim Novak but still thrilling)
Rear Window (Grace Kelly=perfect match for Mr. Stewart)
*I'll confess right now that I haven't seen but bits and pieces of his classic westerns.

Katharine Hepburn:
Kate: The Woman Who was Hepburn, by William J. Mann
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (I get teary when she gets teary looking at ole Spence in his last role; also won her an Oscar)
Bringing Up Baby (looking fabulous and pursuing Cary; just what he wanted in his roles [the bio told me so])
Lion in Winter (her biting tongue makes this one Mr. Bill's favorite)

And the Trifecta Classic: The Philadelphia Story

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well, I don't know if I'm fully recovered, but I sure ate like it today! My tum-tum will probably pay be back for it tomorrow, but I don't care, cause today is THE BEST DAY OF THE YEAR!!!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you may be casual readers, and if you don't know me, you don't know how serious I am when I say that. It's the truth. I live and breathe Christmas. It's the best time of the year, and if I'm wearing black tomorrow, it's cause I'm sad it's not the big day. Do I love it for presents? DON'T INSULT ME like that. I love what it stands for: joy, peace, and the promise of miracles. They happen everyday. They may be small, like someone missing out on a puddle of muddy water, or they may be huge, like the birth of a small, seemingly insignificant babe in a manger (that's my favorite one).

I'll be slightly sad tomorrow, that's true, but the joy of this day will linger on awhile longer. If you haven't figured out what Christmas is about yet, if you still think it's all about presents and food, I hope you find your way to the light soon and learn what it's all about.

Tis the Season to be Merry...

...finish that line for extra special double Christmas points.

Well, folks, I'm tryin' to get better her at BBB headquarters. I'm going to try to go to churh in about an hour, because Christmas without church is well, not Christmas. I'm snuggled on the couch watching my favorite version of "A Christmas Carol," the 1984 CBS made-for-TV-movie starring George C. Scott. Many would call me a blasphemer, since I don't enjoy the Alastair Sims version, but I've watched this every year since I was five. Christmas isn't complete without it. And, "It's a Wonderful Life" is following Christmas Eve service. :)

Wherever you are tonight, whoever you're with, I pray that you have a blessed Christmas Eve. Whatever condition you're in (ie, ME), I hope you can feel the spirit of Christmas all around you. Don't get too wrapped up in the presents. Snuggle down in front of your tree, get some hot chocolate, and get those you love around you: that's all you need tonight.

Again???

I'm droopin' faster than this lil tree here.

Sick yesterday (the worst). Sick today (little bit better). Sick last Christmas, too (was so mad). I sincerely hope I'm better by tomorrow. I could barely hold my head up yesterday, because it felt like it was the size of a planetoid. I am pumpin' the Dayquil and Nyquil to try help me through.

If I'm not better tomorrow, no cookies will be made. :( And, guess what? I can't find "Smokey Mountain Christmas." At least I have George C. Scott and James Stewart lined up for tomorrow.

Send me good thoughts, fair readers!

What the Hell is a Deathly Hallow?

Yup, that's the first time I've sworn on the ole blog, but seriously what IS a deathly hallow???

If you don't know to what I'm referring: J.K.Rowling released the title of her final installment of the Harry Potter series today. It is entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If you had time and patience, you could have navigated through her official website to find a special hangman title that would have revealed the title to you as you played. I didn't have the patience, but I did have a wonderfully patient husband, who found it for me. :) It was fun to play, and if you really want to do it on your own, go to the website and start clicking with the eraser in the middle of the page. (When you scroll over it, a question mark will appear, but then you have to do a load of ludicrously ridiculous clicking that maybe if you're lucky you'll figure out.)Anyhoo...I'm excited. Now we're just awaiting a release date.

Got those lovely persuasive papers graded and entered (I know you were worried). Got lots wrapped up today (literally), and I'm looking forward to cookies and movies tomorrow. Problem, though: I'm feeling sicky, but I REALLY want to make the cookies. What to do??? Well, I could eat all the dough myself...Delicious.

Son of a Nutcracker!

I still haven't graded those district tests I mentioned yesterday!

I just want to sit at home, make cookies, and watch "Smoky Mountain Christmas." Yup, the 1985 made-for-TV classic starring Dolly Parton is the one I'm referring to.

I'm a Dolt

So I'm surfin' foodnetworkaddict again, and I come across some happy Tyler Florence news (he's married! Married? Yeah, married! Married? Yeah, married...Sheesh!), and I click the link to his My Space for more info. Then I see that Jamie Oliver is one of his "friends," so I click the link to his My Space. I am once again, after a few seconds looking at the "friends" section, confused by the whole format of this pop culture phenomenon.

On Jamie's page he has a nice banner on the left hawking his goods--books (the new one at left for instance), DVD's, whatever. Then in the center-top he has a welcome banner with a small blurb about him (even though he apparently doesn't run this; a friend does). And, finally, comes the part where I'm totally, utterly, stePENDously confused about: scrolling down you see all the "friends" who've left messages for him, each other, etc. I JUST DON'T GET THIS. It's full of stupid pictures of stupid people he probably doesn't know. The comments scroll on and on forever (and if you think his scroll is long, check out Giada's messages). If you check Jamie's space out soon, you'll find a picture of a guy who apparently rocks (he looks like a git).

What I'm saying is this: I can't handle the randomness of the My Space posting etiquette (if you can even call it etiquette). I prefer the simple blog format of my dear Blogspot page (ie, the thing you're reading right now). If there are comments, they are easy to find, and the entries are organized by month and also easy to access. All my buds have the My Space goin' on, but I just don't think I can handle it. I guess I'm an OCD dolt who needs order... even on her blog.

2 Days to Go

Two school days left, and I'm very anxious, excited, and ret to go (that's my brother's speak). Today went very well, what with the district test I had the pleasure of administering. (And the pleasure I have of grading a test I didn't even write...priceless.) I then had the honor of giving 16 oz. of my blood to the American Red Cross for the first time...great idea until the wooziness hit. Oh, great googly moogly! I've never been so light headed and out of it in my life (whilst sober that is). I had the lovely Wendy helping me, and she informed me, after I told her all I had to eat that day was half a bag of chili cheese Fritos and a Lean Cuisine panini, that I needed to run straight to Hardee's and have a double thickburger. I couldn't stomach that, so I came straight home and turned to RayRay.

That 365 Days: No Repeats is GLORIOUS. My good friend, A.J., got it for me for my birthday, and Ray's Thick and Hearty Thighs got me through my post blood-giving woozes. They are so simple (thighs, EVOO, garlic, onion, & thyme), yet so YUM-O. ;) We made some skin-on scalloped potatoes to go with (okay, you got me: they were Betty Crocker boxed, but so delectable). It all hit the spot; I ate like a PIG, in fact. Thank you R-squared and Betty Crocks. Nothing wrong with mixing convenience with homemade simplicity.

I Figured It Out

I was over at foodnetworkaddict (which, by the way, has made it into a free daily D.C. paper and pops up on the google image search for the Contessa!) reading about Nigella Lawson. I finally figured out why I don't relish her shows like other Brit fave, Jamie Oliver. She's much too seductive for me. It's almost as if she wants to jump through the camera and make love to you (see proof at right, from her official website), not to mention her food. It's very uncomfortable and disconcerting. I felt kinda weird and dirty after watching 20 minutes of her Christmas special yesterday. I've been catching snatches here and there, and although some of her recipes are intriguing, I haven't been able to sit through an entire episode.

I do want to try her Rudolph Pie from the Christmas Special. It was a ginormous Shepherd's Pie, chock full of veg and ground meats. She fits the FN diva mold, though: she included a recipe for Alcoholic Hot Chocolate on this same Christmas special. Oh to see her, Ina, and Aunt Sandy together on New Year's Eve!

Speaking of the Grinch...

I was watching Ina's 60-minute holiday special yesterday, and I was getting the willies again when she kissed her hubby, Jeffrey. (She kinda grabs his neck and drags him toward her luscious, ruby lips.) But I really got the willies when Jeffrey said he had to go work. It was Christmas Eve, and he was going to be working on Christmas Day, too. So, please, someone tell me: Is Jeffrey Jewish??? If he is, I guess it's okay, but Chanukah lasts 8 days, and it usually coincides with Christmas. There was no excuse for this fine man to be working, when he could be cuddled up with sweet Ina and her hot mulled cider (spiked with RUM, of course) on a cold Christmas Eve.

I was so sad for him. Even if I'm feeling a tad Grinchy toward my chilruns, at least I'm in the spirit at home and NOT working on Christmas Eve and Day. I hope the Mimosa he made for him and Iner was strong enough to get him through his long Scrooge of a day.

Oh, and by the way, if you were worried, Ina says it's okay to use butter during the holidays, cause it's that special time of year. So, I guess that means it's that special time of year for her and Paula EVERYDAY.

Christmas Time is Here...

...and school is making me Grinchy! I'm fine when I'm at home, but boy oh boy, those kids are gettin' to me this year! OK, it's not just them. It's also the fact that I have to be in school until Wednesday. At 6:30 this morning, I awoke from a wretched nightmare where a colleague told me I had to work at school until Friday. I wasn't able to sleep well after that, so here I am watching Party Line with the Hearty Boys.

One thing is good though: whenever I'm at home, surrounded by my trees and decs, I'm a happy lil Christmas elf (although I really don't want to see that straight to DVD movie...even if it was HC, Jr.). Now, if I could just get that elusive Wii for Martin, I'd be so happy. I can't complain about this, though, because I'm not committed enough to get up at 5 a.m. and stand in line at Best Buy.