Winter's Bone

Set in the Ozark Mountains, "Winter's Bone" is the absorbing story of a teenage girl's search for her missing, meth-cooking father. Jennifer Lawrence's effortless and convincing portrayal of 17 year-old Ree Dolly is the heart and soul of the story.

Life has dealt a harsh hand to Ree. Bound with the duties of taking care of her mentally ill mother and her younger brother and sister, Ree has to chop wood, kill and clean squirrels for dinner (a really gross scene), and deal with a slew of the creepiest back-woods folks since "Deliverance". This movie should be mandatory viewing for all teenagers. They'll never complain about taking out the trash again!

4 Stars!

Antoine Dobson...Someone give him a reality show!

This video is an actual TV news report. It is not a skit from Saturday Night Live or Mad TV.
Several months ago, a woman was the victim of an attempted rape, which is no laughing matter. But how the reporter and newscasters kept a straight face during this interview, is beyond me...

The video went viral and inevitably led to this hilarious remix...

Last Saturday, Antoine was arrested for marijuana possession and traffic offenses. Hopefully, a video will follow!

60's TV Families

I loved all of the warm and fuzzy family comedies from the 60's. Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver,  and the Donna Reed Show were among my faves. They were sweet and corny and actually got laughs with nary a boob joke in sight.

Jeff, the teenage son in The Donna Reed Show, was a typical goofy kid who desperately wanted to make his brilliant doctor dad proud of him.  Grab a tissue as Jeff (Paul Petersen) sings, "My Dad."

                                                

What ever happened to Paul Petersen? After his career in show business ended, he became an author and advocate for child actors.  Check out this recent interview. It is quite enlightening.

Why I Love the Rain...

When I was young, I sang a song in school called, "I Believe." I don't know if kids still sing it, but I found it very inspirational. The first line was, "I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows." Maybe that's why I love the rain, especially in the spring.

So when everyone else is complaining about the lousy weather, I remind them that the rain makes the grass grow, the flowers bloom, and the Earth come to life. I'm sure they are all thinking what a pain in the a** I am, but I don't care. That's the way I feel and I am sticking to it.

Oh, and there is another reason I like the rain...

Everyone's a critic...

Okay, I can take a hint!

Clint Walker - They don't make 'em like that anymore!

When I was a kid, I watched "Cheyenne" on TV and had a huge crush on Clint Walker. Now, a zillion years later, it is on the Encore Western channel. He is still the most gorgeous guy I have ever seen. And he also seems like the nicest. Clint turns 84 next month, so happy birthday sweetheart and thanks for the memories!

Cloudy with a chance of cockroach...

Love this weatherman who went from manly to missy when an unexpected visitor came on the scene...

Another reason to visit Arizona

Okay, I'll say it, I am obsessed with Arizona.  While I can't see myself actually living there, I think it is a beautiful and bizarre state. So when I hear of a movie or book that takes place there, I can't resist it.

"Blood into Wine" is a documentary about Maynard Keenan, the lead singer of Tool
(I admit I had no idea who he was before I saw the movie) and the vineyard he created near Jerome, Arizona.

To me, the best part of the movie is the opening credits. With Sonny and Cher singing "A Cowboy's Work is Never Done," it features quirky scenes of southern AZ, including an odd gift shop/museum called The Thing? It is a real place in Dragoon, AZ, about 1 hour east of Tucson.

I am sorry I didn't know about The Thing? before I visited AZ but I will surely go out of my way to find it on my next trip! What is The Thing? Judge for yourself...

The Endless Summer

I love the ocean, but it scares the hell out of me. Perhaps it's from watching "Jaws" once too often.

Even though I am "oceanically" challenged, I'm fascinated by surfing. "The Endless Summer" 1 and 2 are among my favorite movies. The premise is simple - two guys travel the world in search of the perfect wave. They find beaches so far off the beaten path that just getting to them is an adventure. And I love the poster which was designed long before photoshop was ever invented.

My wish is to some day travel to the North Shore of Hawaii during big wave season. Until then, I will be content watching videos like this...which features either the bravest or the craziest surfer I have ever seen!

Here are a few good surf movies to check out:

The Endless Summer
Blue Crush
Point Break *
In God's Hands
Riding Giants
Big Wednesday *

* Features Gary Busey!

Gary Busey on Celebrity Apprentice

Busey = Best Utilized Star Ever Yes!

Okay, that's lame... but I am no Gary Busey.

If you have been watching CA (Celebrity Apprentice), then you have been baffled, bemused, bewildered, and bewitched by Busey. This week, Donald Trump had to fire a member of the men's team. All of the men felt Gary should go. Are they kidding?? The Trump knows how his bread is buttered and that butter is Busey.

I'm sorry, but I don't watch the show because they are raising money for charity (although this is commendable), and I surely don't watch it for the other B list celebs. I watch it for Gary.

I hope that his strangeness is not due to an affliction, but just his desire to live on his own little far-away-from-reality planet. I want to comfort him and say, "It's okay Gary. You be who you are."

And on the finale of CA, I long to hear the Trump say...Gary, you're hired!

Cowgirl on board!

I am about as far from being a cowgirl as you can get. But I love my Cowgirl license plate. Actually, my daughter bought it at a souvenir shop in Arizona. When she moved out, she left it behind and now it has a place of honor on my bedroom bookshelf.
You can have one too...
Cowgirl license plate

Sweet Baby James Taylor

Young James or old James, he is gorgeous, soulful, and talented.
And those eyes!

He has survived depression, drug addiction, mental hospitals, and the ups and downs of the music industry. James' biography

Today he is healthy and happily married to his 3rd wife. (I am still hoping to be his 4th!)

My favorite JT songs: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, Sweet Baby James, and Country Road.

Little known facts:

On December 7, 1980 Taylor had an encounter with Mark David Chapman who would assassinate John Lennon. Taylor told the BBC in 2010 "The guy had sort of pinned me to the wall and was glistening with maniacal sweat and talking some freak speak about what he was going to do and his stuff with how John was interested, and he was going to get in touch with John Lennon. And it was surreal to actually have contact with the guy 24 hours before he shot John." The next night Taylor who lived in the next building from Lennon heard the assassination.

Paul McCartney and George Harrison guested on "Carolina on My Mind", whose lyric holy host of others standing around me made reference to the Beatles, while the title phrase of Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves" provided the starting point for Harrison's classic "Something."

LOVE YA JAMES!