Hollywood Stars
Having recently featured heavenly stars as viewed by astrologers, we now turn our attention to stars as viewed by Hollywood. It’s an apt analogy, since MGM used to boast their studio contained “More stars than there are in the heavens.” Three MGM stars – Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald and Spencer Tracy appeared together in the top grossing movie of 1936, San Francisco. In the movie, Blackie Norton (Gable), a Barbary Coast saloonkeeper hires impoverished but talented singer Mary Blake (MacDonald) to sing in his Paradise Club, and soon falls in love with her. Mary’s skill is quickly...
Read MoreLet the Games Begin
“Life is more fun if you play games.” Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald “One good thing about freezing sleet and rain” my friend Jane confided “is the family gathers around the fireplace for popcorn and hot cocoa.” I bring out the board games in an effort to compete with ipads and Xbox, and I sometimes succeed. There’s something about snuggling in blankets with sleet beating against the window that makes kids reach for an actual book, playing cards, dominoes or checkers. I love it.” Whether you indulge in a simple game of tick tac toe or roll the dice for backgammon, games are a sure fire...
Read MoreTea
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” Henry James The Portrait of a Lady Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Sleet and snow, blizzards and cloudbursts envelope and surround us. Yet the flip side to winter’s frosty coin always lands happily heads up when we can take a moment for a cup of tea. It’s the perfect prelude for a snuggle or siesta, a game of backgammon or chess, or burrowing with a best seller by a blazing fire. Perhaps most comforting of all, it’s an elixir for every hour – from purple pre-dawns,...
Read MoreDance, Dance, Dance
“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.” Agnes De Mille Whether a Viennese Waltz, Irish Quadrille, Greek Horos, or Argentine Tango, most countries have a national dance. When dignitaries visit, the welcome ceremony often includes a dance presentation as a gesture of hospitality. Dance, along with music, is one of the purest expressions of joy and energy, and one of the easiest to share. With language barriers removed, one can instantly fuse with the life force which fills the room. For the...
Read MoreCowboys & Indians
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Ralph Waldo Emerson What would childhood be without heroes? From the 1930’s-50’s our heroes were larger than life, often because they were celluloid, blazing across a giant movie screen, riding a thundering steed. Yep. The all American Cowboy. We started this journey in Saddle Up Cowboy, with the likes of Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, and Kit Carson. Even the titles of TV shows had the searing crack of a bullwhip – Rawhide, Maverick, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, The Lone...
Read MoreHollywood Part II
“It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen.” Anthony Burgess The masters of light and shadow, shade and nuance, are most assuredly cinematographers. When immersed in film noir, or caught up in a masterpiece by Hitchcock, you may find yourself lightheaded when you realize you’ve stopped breathing. Black and white creates a perfect backdrop for terror, as forms become indistinguishable in the shadows. With the introduction of color, flesh takes on life, romance exudes heat, and comedy shimmers like a shower of confetti....
Read MoreHooray for Hollywood
“People who LIKE movies have a favorite. People who LOVE movies couldn’t possibly choose.” Nicole Yatsonsky The Oscars are upon us once again, with all the glitz, glamour and star studded splendor that is Hollywood. Gorgeous gowns and glittering gems adorn both sophisticated stars and wistful wannabes as they saunter and sashay along the red carpet into the Dolby Theatre. No big deal, you say? Hmmmmm. Where else can you find an audience of 40 million viewers? Regardless of the good, the bad, and all that goes with “box office” and “bottom line,” it’s still the place where dreams...
Read MoreHappy New Year
Oh dear, looks like this hapless chap may require a bit of “hair of the dog” to restore him to his former glory, or at the very least to an ‘upright and locked’ position. Note the wobbly-kneed stance so cleverly depicted by the four-footed stumble of our staggering celebrant. Or is it just our own double vision? If you’ve ever attempted to “party hearty” like this sad creature, your sympathies are with him, I’m sure. Aside: Hair of the Dog dates back to the time of Shakespeare, and is a term we use today to refer to treatment for a hangover. Apparently the Scots believed that a...
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