Happy Halloween!

Been a frightful day...LITERALLY! Kiddies at school were acting like they were howlin' at a full moon, but wait! The full moon was last Friday. I guess they saved it for today. I was very happy to come home, stare at my beautiful Halloween village, and read a young adult vampire novel. What could be better than literary teen angst? Couple that with VAMPIRES! The goblins and ghouls came to my house, and a very cute kitty and train engineer did, too. We've watched "The Omen" and are now tucking into a freaky, deaky episode of "X-Files." So, all in all: scary day at school but great day at my Halloween home. Hope you all didn't too scared today!

A Movie Review

Have you ever just sat down and watched a movie you've never heard of? Well, I did it tonight. I'm not usually a brave person when it comes to movies: I stick to who I know, personal recommendations, or classics. Tonight's pick is a classic, and it was recommended to me by Robert Osborne and Carrie Fisher. (I mean, c'mon, if Princess Leia says it's an essential movie classic, you should listen to her, right?)

Tonight's feature on TCM's Essentials was "Fear Strikes Out" (1957), starring Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden, and made by the producer and director who brought "To Kill a Mockingbird" to the big screen. It's a "baseball movie," that's not about baseball. Perkins plays Red Sox star outfielder Jimmy Piersall. Malden plays Piersall's obsessively overbearing father who drives him to play baseball since infancy. The film is superb: Malden's at his character acting best, and Perkins is so hadsome even as he starts to mentally unravel trying to impress his father. Perkins' breakdown scene after an in-the-park homerun is startling, frightening, and touching at the same time. How he didn't get an Oscar nod I'll never know. I highly recommend this to any BoSox fan, Perkins fan (especially if the only thing you've seen him in is "Psycho"), and classic film fan.

A Conversation

Movie Exec #1: That BingBongBoom! girl is amazing! She always writes about movies.
Movie Exec #2: Hmm...I know. She's quite witty, too. I wish we could get her to come see one of her movies.
Tommy the Page: Um, pardon me, sirs. I might know how to get her to come to a movie.
M.E. #1: Tommy, don't be silly. You're just a page. Go watch "30 Rock" some more and dream about being Jack.
Tommy: Well, I do enjoy Jack, but I also read her blog religiously. M.E. #2: Fine, Tommy. We'll humor you. What do you think we should do?
Tommy: {Broad grin.} She always talks about Will Ferrell. And, last Christmas she did multiple blogs on that singular holiday. She also loves broad comedies, y'know, "SuperBad," "Wedding Crashers," "Talladega Nights."
M.E. #1: TOMMY! WAIT! Did you say she loved "Wedding Crashers?"
Tommy: Yes, sir! And I think you see where I'm going with this...
M.E. #2: We sure do, Tommy! A Christmas movie...
M.E. #1: ...Starring Vince Vaughn!
Tommy: Eureka, sirs! You got it!
M.E. #1: Great work, Tommy. Now if we could get our lattes...
Tommy: One last thing. It might also be prudent to release it around her birthday. That's right before Christmas, she could blog about it lots, and also see it several times before the holiday...thus giving you more money.
M.E. #2: You ARE brilliant, Tommy.

Nerd Alert

So I was talking to Brian at Pages the other night, and he shared with me some great Doctor Who news. I flipped my lid when I found out the fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) will be meeting the tenth Doctor (Tennant) in a Children in Need special. I was also very excited when Brian showed me the picture below.


Then I commented to Brian, "You know, ever since I've started talking about Doctor Who a lot, my friends don't talk to me as much." I'm the same girl!!! Just a bit nerdier. But, wait...I was always a nerd...ok, just not as nerdy. So I guess the nerdier term applies. I also now own Transformers: The Movie. (Thanks, mom!) Please still call. My cell is lonely.

Would You Light My Candle?

First live RENT viewing since 1999 will commence tomorrow at 8 p.m. I'm so excited!!! How has it been so long since I've seen my favorite musical live you might ask? Well, it comes to the Assembly Hall way too much, and the last time I had tix, I ended up throwing my guts up the night before (remember that, Sissy?). Anyway...it doesn't matter how long it's been. What does matter is I get to see it at the Fabulous Fox tomorrow. YIPPEE!!! (Of course it won't be as good as Anthony Rapp, but that day can only happen once in my life...I'm so glad it did, too!)

It Came to Me Again...

...as I was watching "Van Helsing" last night. (And, YES, I've watched it more than once!) Did Stephen Sommers (the writer/director "Van Helsing") just love "Monster Squad" SOOOOOOOO much that he wanted to pay homage to it with his 2004 film? I mean "VH" is "MS" for adults: It has the man himself (Van Helsing), Dracula's trying to get Frankenstein to work for him, and it has other literary monsters in it, too (nice twist to add Jekyll/Hyde). Whatevs, Stephen Sommers. It don't matter none: you're Halloween pic is still good! (Not as good as "Monster Squad," but not many things can be.)

Niiiiiiiiice

In a consistently up and down season (is that contradictory?) Smallville Season 6 showed us Clark in an entirely new, bizarre fashion. It was humdiggity awesome! :)

What's Your Damage?

I really don't know what my damage is. I don't know why it's been so hard for me to consistently blog my heart out this school year. Maybe it's because the kids are actually good this year: I don't want to run and hide in the internet ether every night. Instead I revel in how good they've been and what thoughtful writers they are (YES, I did say thoughtful). On Friday I went to my favorite bookstore, and my old boss said that it was amazing that I was smiling at 3:45 on a Friday afternoon. Such a different picture than last year that he was amazed and happy for me.

I will promise again to try to change my ways, because I know so many of you look forward to this everyday (um...right?).

Nothing Says Christmastime Like the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

The "Sweeney Todd" preview up and running online. Click HERE to get a glimpse of Tim Burton's newest cinematic adventure. It stars Johnny Depp, of course, and Helena Bonham Carter (his latest muse after she broke up his union with Lisa Marie which happened after she broke up Kenneth Branagh's union with Emma Thompson...not that people like me keep track). Co-starring is Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen. I can't think of a better way to spend my Christmas holiday than with another one of Burton's motley crews. Hoorah!

Mini Rant (or why the first week of October sucks)

All's I know is this:

• It's October 4


• I'm still hot and wearing shorts


• Global warming sucks


• That Al Gore might be onto something


• It needs to be fall


• I want to eat soup, pick pumpkins, & drink hot apple cider
  
• It should be long sleeve/light sweater weather by now

And, I'm done. Oh, wait, one more thing:

• The Cubs are KILLING me (slowly)

Now I'm done.

Flippin' Super

Season 6 has been completely bleh until disc four. The Justice League has been assembled, and it was aha-some!


I just hope there's a lot more of this and a lot less of Lana and Lex in the rest of Season 6. Only 3 discs left til I'm caught up with this season. I'm a show-watching-phenom!

Playoffs, Baby!

Saturday. Bleacher seats. See you at the Friendly Confines!