SHOW MUSIC - HAPPY AND SAD

Took a break and watched a terrific DVD called Leonard Bernstein's New York. Wonderful music and songs. I'm a bit of a fan. In the program we see people like Mandy Patinkin, Dawn Upshaw, and Donna Murphy rehearse, sing, and talk Bernstein and his New York-centric tunes. After the show ended I wanted to play the disc again. Don't have the time, although the tunes will not go away. I'll just stick a CD of the composer's music into the drive.

Woke up this morning to the news that film composer John Barry passed away yesterday. Although his composing style was often pretty unified -- for example, while watching films like King Kong (1976), The Black Hole, or any James Bond film, one feels like they are watching and listening to the other two, if you know what I mean -- John Barry was often "it".

Okay, film composers John Barry, Elmer Bernstein (pronounced "Bern-steen", unlike Leonard's "Bern-stine), and Jerry Goldsmith have all died in the last few years. That leaves very few of any real note.


(Those in the music business referred to Elmer Bernstein as "Bernstein West" [meaning his affiliation with Hollywood], and Leonard Bernstein as, you guessed it, "Bernstein East" [he had something to do with New York].)

POST CHRISTMAS 2010 - TORONTO, CANADA

This is my third posting in December? What is happening to me? I like to talk... do I not? Those who know me are chuckling right now and adding, "Christ, you can't shut the guy up... especially after he's had a coffee!"

Mmm... coffee....

(Hello Starbucks! I keep meaning to try out Aroma. Was there a few times last year; but time to go back and revisit.)

CHANGING TIMES WITH DIGITAL

Revealing or telling a story does not change, outside of 'streaming' speed. Hope the storytelling is fast enough for you; revealed quickly so that crashing down from your sugar and salt fix doesn't become an issue.

Writer Geoff Pevere covers the issue of how we watch our movies...
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/901059--the-digital-revolution-film

Welcome back, Mr. Pevere.

ROGERS WANTS THE LEAFS

Canadian company Rogers Communications Inc wants to make a play for the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey organization.

That's what I call crap wanting crap; or the incompetent wanting the incompetent.

I'll give them this much, at least they're consistent. Why change now?


The news...
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/899562--rogers-in-1-3b-talks-to-buy-majority-stake-in-leafs-empire?bn=1

LAST MONTH OF 2010

Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!

And now for December of 2010....

IRVIN KERSHNER DIES AT 87

More sad news. Film director Irvin Kershner has died. He is perhaps best known for directing the second (in production order) of the Star Wars movies -- the terrific, by any standard, The Empire Strikes Back.

If you want to know more about Irvin Kershner... watch or re-watch The Empire Strikes Back.


The news...
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/898332--empire-strikes-back-director-irvin-kershner-dies-at-87

LESLIE NIELSON DIES AT 84

The news of Canadian-born actor Leslie Nielson's passing is sad for me. I remember him from forty years ago as he seemed to guest star in a lot of television programs that I watched... including a memorable role as a rancher in an episode of Hawaii Five-O.

Probably my favourite role of his is that of J.J. Adams, the no-nonsense commander of C-57D. (Nielson was brilliant in the 1980 movie Airplane; and in TV's Police Squad.)


The news...
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/898202--leslie-nielsen-of-naked-gun-fame-dies-at-age-84?bn=1

WIKI-LEAKS ROCKS

I love it when WikiLeaks releases special documents. There is cosmic justice in this world, sometimes...
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/897995--wikileaks-documents-reveal-sensitive-u-s-cables?bn=1

Apparently the WikiLeaks site is down today; "under attack". Sounds like there is panic in some quarters.

IRWIN ALLEN COMPUTER

In my spare time I read up on the history of technology. It figures I would eventually come across this terrific video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dz2t5EV_NA

The short clip (1:18) is of an old U.S. Air Force computer -- ANSF-Q7 of Air Force SAGE Radar Systems, built by IBM -- that was bought as surplus by 20th Century Fox and used in producer Irwin Allen's television programs, such as Lost in Space, and The Time Tunnel (comprising part of the main set), and his later feature film The Towering Inferno.

Great little document. This video was done recently, just to show you that the contraption still exists. And it sure does; back in the summer I watched a few Lost episodes and there was the "Irwin Allen Computer".

Photo above: John Zaremba, Whit Bissell, and Lee Meriwether in The Time Tunnel (1966-1967, ABC)

BACK ON MY LAPTOP

... If you'll pardon the expression.

I gave my laptop the clean bill of health. It is so nice to have 'er back; and hopefully I can squeeze in more postings before November ends.

* Just learned that this winter -- here in Toronto -- is supposed to be snowy and cold... different than last winter.

* Last week I finally saw director Ruba Nadda's flick, Cairo Time. Very good. A movie that actually stayed with me a little, afterwards.

* Had a coffee today, at a mom-and-pop shop, that tasted fabulous. Must have been the whiskey.

* I'm learning Adobe Premiere. I can see why the entire BBC switched over to that software.

* First Spaceship on Venus is a cool movie; even when the print is not only non-'scope', but non-'colour'! (Several members of the audience laughed when an opening title card proclaimed "in Technicolor".)

* A good friend of mine has two beautiful black cats; the kind with a shot of white chest hair. I asked him how the two beasties got along. "Wonderfully", or something to that effect, was the answer. Well, a few days later that all changed with a good old fashioned feline fistfight... complete with crashing chandelier. Is that what people mean when they say cats are unpredictable?