At last night's Super Bowl, for many of us the big attraction was The Who playing the half time show. And The Who delivered, as they always do. Beyond The Who, however, for many of us the big draw is not the game itself, but the commercials that air during the games. Only the Oscars come close to matching the Super Bowl when it comes to commercials.
Sadly, I think this year's crops of adverts were a bit disappointing. The biggest problem is that some of the commercials were simply not very funny. Indeed, one of the biggest trends this year in Super Bowl commercials was "the stupid male." The Bud Light advert "Book Club" was one of the worst offenders, with a guy who apparently doesn't know Little Women was a novel. OF course, the other Bud Light commercials were not much better. Worse yet, a trend within the trend towards stupid males in Super Bowl adverts was that of scantily clad men. This is most obviously seen in the Dockers ad "Men Without Pants," and to a lesser degree in the Careerbuilder.Com ad "Casual Day." Okay, given the racy GoDaddy ads, I suppose turnabout is fair play. If Super Bowl commercials can feature scantily clad women, why not scantily clad men? The problem with this as I see it is that the scantily clad women in the commercials are all gorgeous, while the guys in the Dockers and Careerbuilder spots, well, were not good looking by any stretch of the imagination. Word of advice to advertisers, if you're going to have men in their briefs in your ads, at least make sure they're eye candy for the ladies!
Fortunately, there were some good commercials on the Super Bowl this year. Some of the best grew out of another trend in commercials, this one towards classic rock in ads. I suppose it may have been because The Who played the half time show, but a number of ads featured tunes from classic artists and even the artists themselves. Indeed, two of my all time favourite rock groups were represented in ads this year: The Who and Cheap Trick. If The Beatles had been included, it would have been all three of my favourite bands!
Among the commercials featuring classic rock was the Flo TV ad featuring a remix of The Who's "My Generation" featuring Will.I.Am and Slash. I like the remix (although not as much as the original), and it is available for download at The Who's official site. 100% of all proceeds go to Oxfam America�s Haiti Relief Efforts.
Audi's commercial "Green Police" is not only very funny, but features the talents of the legendary band Cheap Trick. The band remixed their classic hit "Dream Police" as "Green Police" for the advert, with very good results. The remix "Green Police" is available for download at Audi's Facebook page.
Another one of my favourite bands, Kiss, was also represented in an ad. Kiss has been the spokesmen for Dr. Pepper Cherry for a while, so naturally the soft drink featured the band in their Super Bowl commercial, along with some surprising guests...
Finally, the trailer for the game Dante's Inferno featured Bill Withers' classic of "Ain't No Sunshine When she's Gone." I think it was a great use of the song myself.
Of course, not every commercial featured songs from classic rock acts. In fact, as usual, most of the adverts focused more on humour than anything else. Perhaps the very best ad featured a superstar of another kind: Betty White. In the Snickers commercial "Betty White Plays Football," the greatest television comedienne of all time proves she can hold her own with the boys.
Google perhaps wins the prize for most ingenious advert. Using only the search engine itself and some specific searches, the Google spot "How to Impress a French Woman" proved that Super Bowl ads can be intelligent and funny. Remarkably, this is the first time the internet giant has ever advertised on the Super Bowl!
Doritos once more held their "Crash the Super Bowl" contest, in which amateurs submit their own commercials in hopes of a spot on the big game and big bucks. "Underdog" was the best of these ads, which proves that dogs are smarter than one thinks...
Kudos also go to Doritos' "House Rules" spot, in which a child puts his mother's suitor in his place (you can look that one up on YouTube or IFilm).
Humour wasn't the only feature in this year's ads. Budweiser, who seemed intent on offending the male sex with their Bud Light ads, had one of the best ads with "Fence." The ad features a friendship between a Clydesdale and an ox, that is very realistic to anyone who has grown up on a farm.
GoDaddy is known for their over the top commercials, with at least one banned each year (this year was no different, wit their spot "Lola" banned). Now I personally thought their ads this year were rather lame. They weren't particularly funny and brought nothing original to the table. I would not include one here save for the sad fact that I have a weakness for Danica Patrick. So sue me. This is their spot, "News."
For once the Super Bowl also featured trailers of movies I would actually like to see. Chief among was Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. This is a film to which I've looked forward ever since I saw the trailer in the theatre. Martin Scorsese does horror. I'm there. The other good trailers were to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and the remake of the Universal classic horror film, The Wolfman.
Of course, as I said earlier, I thought this year's crop of Super Bowl ads was disappointing. Indeed, beyond the stupid male ads, I found at least two ads downright offensive. While I know a good many people thought the spot for The Late Show featuring Dave Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, and Jay Leno was funny, as a Conan O'Brien fan I took it as a personal insult. And after his attacks on Leno, I am surprised Dave agreed to appear in the ad. Another ad was even more offensive. Personally, I think Focus on Family's anti-abortion ads featuring Tim Tebow had no place being on the Super Bowl. True, they were milder than many feared, but personally I think political ads have no place airing on the Super Bowl. I don't care if they are liberal, moderate, or conservative. The Super Bowl is a time for fun, not advancing agendas. Although I was not offended by them, I was horrified to see the E*Trade babies return for another Super Bowl. These spots are not funny, the babies are not cute, they are just downright creepy. I am honestly surprised they don't give me nightmares!
For those of you who are wondering, as usual, the advert embeds are courtesy of IFilm (although I think they have abandoned that name in favour of simply Spike, the cable channel which bought them a few years ago). You can see more of the Super Bowl commercials there.
While over all this year's Super Bowl ads were disappointing, I must say I am pleased with some of them. It is good to see classic rock prominently featured in some of them, as well as Betty White. If I have one hope for next year it is that we will see no more commercials featuring stupid (and worse yet, stupid and under dressed) men, no more political ads, and no more E*Trade babies during next year's Super Bowl!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Monday, 7 November 2011
Bernard Kates R.I.P.
Actor Bernard Kates passed at the age of 87 on February 2.
Bernard Kates was born in Boson, Massachusetts on December 26, 1922. He studied acting in New York. His show business career began in the Thirties on radio. He served during World War II, and resumed his career following the war. In 1949 he made his debut on Broadway in At War with the Army. He also debuted on television on The Magic Cottage and Suspense. During the Fifties he appeared in such TV shows as The Philco Television Playhouse, Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Decoy, Naked City, Mr. Lucky, Sea Hunt, Playhouse 90, and One Step Beyond On Broadway he appeared in Billy Budd and The Disenchanted. He also appeared in the film You're in the Navy Now.
In the Sixties Bernard Kates appeared in the television shows The Untouchables, The Asphalt Jungle, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, The Ouer Limits, Combat, The Fugitive, and Hawk. Kates was a recurring character on the series Bus Stop as the Coroner and a regular on the show Where the Heart Is. He appeared on Broadway in Have I Got a Girl Like You and The Devils. He appeared in the film Judgement at Nuremberg. Kates later appeared on the shows Star Trek: The Next Generation, NYPD Blue, Picket Fences, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. He appeared in the films Super Cops, The Babe, and The Phantom. He also acted in a good deal of regional theatre.
Bernard Kates was born in Boson, Massachusetts on December 26, 1922. He studied acting in New York. His show business career began in the Thirties on radio. He served during World War II, and resumed his career following the war. In 1949 he made his debut on Broadway in At War with the Army. He also debuted on television on The Magic Cottage and Suspense. During the Fifties he appeared in such TV shows as The Philco Television Playhouse, Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Decoy, Naked City, Mr. Lucky, Sea Hunt, Playhouse 90, and One Step Beyond On Broadway he appeared in Billy Budd and The Disenchanted. He also appeared in the film You're in the Navy Now.
In the Sixties Bernard Kates appeared in the television shows The Untouchables, The Asphalt Jungle, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, The Ouer Limits, Combat, The Fugitive, and Hawk. Kates was a recurring character on the series Bus Stop as the Coroner and a regular on the show Where the Heart Is. He appeared on Broadway in Have I Got a Girl Like You and The Devils. He appeared in the film Judgement at Nuremberg. Kates later appeared on the shows Star Trek: The Next Generation, NYPD Blue, Picket Fences, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. He appeared in the films Super Cops, The Babe, and The Phantom. He also acted in a good deal of regional theatre.
Disney's Pinocchio Turns 70
It was on this day in 1940 that Walt Disney's animated feature film Pinocchio was released. While Pinocchio was not a financial success on its first release, it would have a profound impact not only on Walt Disney Productions, but on animation history itself. Many regard the film as the Walt Disney's greatest achievement and some of us regard it as the greatest animated film ever made.Pinocchio was based on the novel Pinocchio: Tale of a Puppet by Carlo Collodi. As originally written, the novel was not meant for children. It was only after Collodi's editor suggested that its original unhappy ending (in which Pinocchio is hanged for his sins) be replaced with a happy ending (in which he becomes a real boy) that it took shape as a children's book.
It was before Disney's first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, was released, that Walt Disney decided to adapt Collodi's novel as an animated feature film. Indeed, writing began on Pinocchio in November 1937, a month before Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was released. That having been said, the production met with some difficulties. Walt Disney determined that while people loved the story, they hated the character of Pinocchio in the novel. Indeed, in the novel Pinocchio is often unfeeling and malicious, and the novel itself is overly violent for a children's book. Adapting the novel so that its lead character would be more appealing to audiences would cause problems in the production. At one point in 1937 it was actually thought that Bambi (the other animated feature on which the studio was working) would be released first, while Pinocchio was held up due to story difficulties. According to The New York Times in a June 12, 1938 article, 2300 feet of footage for the film was tossed out because Walt Disney "missed the feeling he had had in mind." The process of making Pinocchio a more sympathetic character was a long one. According to The New York Times at the time, Disney artists had initially used Attilio Massino's original illustrations to the novel as a model for the character. Over 18 months a newly created department for designing character models struggled to create the Disney version of Pinocchio. According to Bob Jones in charge of the department, in a reminiscence for the Disney Archives, at least 12 artists contributed ideas before the look of Pinocchio was finalised.
While artists struggled over Pinocchio's appearance, the story itself was undergoing drastic changes. Somewhat mean spirited in the novel, Pinocchio was made more sympathetic. He was not so much a rogue as an innocent puppet who is easily misled and too often giving in to his own pleasures. Perhaps the biggest change from Collodi's novel came when Disney took the minor character of an unnamed, talking cricket and transformed him into Jiminy Cricket. Not only would Jiminy act as Pinocchio's conscience, he would also narrate the film. To this end Disney asked his animators to create a humanoid cricket who wore clothing. As with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, human beings provided the models for some of the characters. The look of Pinocchio was further refined when Dickie Jones, who voiced the character, was shot on 8 mm film. At times he even dressed the part. Sequence director Thornton Hee would dress as Stromboli and act out the part for Disney and his fellow animators. Marge Champion (the known as Marjorie Bell), who had provided the model for Snow White, provided the model for The Blue Fairy. Interestingly enough, while Walter Catlett provided the voice for J. Worthington Foulfellow (AKA "Honest John"), according to a New York Times article as of February 25, 1940, the character "...was based upon a couple of famous actor brothers whose last name begins with B." There have been guesses that these actor brothers were none other than John and Lionel Barrymore.
Pinocchio would boast a voice cast that was actually fairly well known at the time. Indeed, legendary singer, ukulele player, and actor Cliff Edwards first tested for the part of Jiminy Cricket. Disney thought his tones were too adult to voice the boy puppet, but thought his fellow Missourian was perfect for the role of Jiminy Cricket. It was the beginning of a life long friendship between the two men, and Edwards would voice Jiminy until his death. The role of Pinocchio would ultimaltely go to child actor Dickie Jones. The young actor had appeared in both Westerns (he was well known for his trick roping) and Our Gang short subjects. As of 1950 he was the voice of Henry Aldrich on the radio show The Aldrich Family. Walter Catlett was a vaudevillian and a character who had appeared in Bringing Up Baby and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Evelyn Venable, star of Death Takes a Holiday and other films, voiced the Blue Fairy. Perhaps the most famous actor to work on Pinocchio actually had all of his lines cut, except for one, single hiccup. Mel Blanc voiced Gideon, Honest John's cat and henchman. Blanc would only voice one other Disney film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, where he only voiced the Warner Brothers characters.
Pinocchio ultimately took nearly three years to complete. A study guide to the film from the time states that 2,000,0000 drawing were created for the film, of which 300,000 were used. Pinocchio utilised the multiplane camera, which also increased its costs. Only one sequence filmed by the multiplane camera could cost as much as $48,000. In the end Pinocchio would cost $2.5 million, a colossal amount for any film of that time.
Pinocchio debuted on February 7, 1940 at the Center Theatre in New York City. The premiere was accompanied by an enormous amount of publicity, including new stories in over sixty major magazines and hundreds of more newspapers, an extensive merchandising campaign (including a three record set of the movie's songs), art shows at three different New York galleries, and a display on the production at the the New York Museum of Science and Industry in Radio City. Over all Pinocchio received sterling reviews. Frank S. Nugent in his February 8, 1940 review in The New York Times said that the film, "..is a blithe, chuckle-some, witty, fresh and beautifully drawn fantasy which is superior to "Snow White" in every respect but one: its score" and called it "...the best cartoon ever made." Variety referred to Pinocchio as "...substantial piece of entertainment for both young and old." The Hollywood Reporter noted on February 8 that the film received "one of the greatest ovations ever accorded a motion picture." Pinocchio would even become the first animated feature to be honoured with an Oscar. In fact, it received two: the Academy Award for Best Song (for "When You Wish Upon a Star") and the Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.
Sadly, while Snow White and the Seven Dwarves became the highest grossing feature film (until knocked off by Gone with the Wind), Pinocchio did not do nearly as well at the box office. Contrary to popular belief, however, it was not a total box office disaster. Sources disagree as to whether it made a profit in its initial release or not. One thing is clear. It did not drive Walt Disney Productions towards bankruptcy as popularly believed. Director Ben Sharpenstein thought the reason that Pinocchoio did not do as well as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves appealed more to adults while Pinocchio appealed more to children (who paid a cheaper ticket price then as now). This seems unlikely from reviews of the time (such as the one in Variety), not to mention the status of the film over the years. A more likely explanation is that World War II seriously hurt Pinocchio at the box office. Disney's profits in Europe dropped 80 percent with the outbreak of the war. The film was not released in Germany (it wouldn't be until 1951) and translated only into Spanish and Portuguese (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was translated into many more). It is significant that in its re-releases Pinocchio would more than recoup its costs.
Pinocchio would have a lasting impact on Walt Disney Productions. "When You Wish Upon a Star" became the studio's themes song. It was played as the theme for The Wonderful World of Disney (from its original name Disneyland onwards), in Disneys Pictures' various logo openings, and at the various theme parks during certain events. Jiminy Cricket would become one of the best known and most enduring characters, appearing in his own film shorts, several episodes of The Wonderful World of Disney, The Mickey Mouse Club, and Disney shows to this day. He voiced by the great Cliff Edwards until his death. Pinocchio would become the first Disney film ever released on DVD.
Of course, the impact of Pinocchio would go far beyond Disney itself. The film is still regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time. In 1994 Pinocchio was added to the United States National Film Registry. Pinocchio ranked second only to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as the greatest animated film of all time in the American Film Institute's Ten top Ten (the best ten films in ten American film genres) released in June 2008. In 2005 Time chose it as one of the greatest films released in the past 80 years, only one of two animated films to make the list (Finding Nemo was the other). To this day there are many who consider it to be Disney's greatest achievement.
That Pinocchio is counted among the greatest films of all time should be little wonder. It could well be the greatest achievement Walt Disney Productions ever made with regards to animation. The film has a depth and realism that many animated films lack even today. Pinocchio cost a good deal of money to make, and it shows on the big screen. The lasting appeal of Pinocchio goes beyond its superb technical qualities, however, as it also had what could be the best story every told by Walt Disney Productions. Walt Disney was wise in taking Collodi's young sociopath and turning him into a more sympathetic character. Disney's Pinocchio is a well meaning, but naive fellow who is too often easily misled by those of low morality and as a result gives into his baser desires as a result. At the same time he truly wishes to become a real boy. In this way Pinocchio is a tale of growing up. The character of Pinocchio reflects most of us, who truly wish to be good people and truly wish to grow up into men and women. In learning ethics and morality from Jiminy Cricket and The Blue Fairy, then, Pinocchio is going through a process all of us have gone through. He is growing up. It is for this reason that the film, contrary to what Ben Sharpstein thought, continues to appeal to adults as much as, if not more so, it does children.
Pinocchio was recently re-released on DVD and released on Blu-Ray for the first time. There can be no doubt that it will not be the last time. Widely regarded as Disney's greatest achievement and by many as the greatest animated film of all time, it will continue to be enjoyed by young and old for years to come.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
My Top 20 Favourite Alfred Hitchcock Movies
The lovely and talented Kate Gabrielle of Silents and Talkies recently did a post on her twenty favourite movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock being one of my favourite directors of all time, I thought I would do one too. It is perhaps a testament to his long career and the quality of his work that anyone could compile a list of his or her favourite films that Hitchcock made!Here I must note that I do not include The Lodger, although I do love it, as I see silent movies as a different medium from talkies. What makes for a good silent might not make for a good talkie and vice versa!
1. North by Northwest
2. Rear Window
3. Vertigo
4. Dial M for Murder
5. The Birds
6. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
7. The Trouble with Harry
8. The Lady Vanishes
9. The 39 Steps
10. Shadow of a Doubt
11. Psycho
12. Rebecca
13. Sabotage
14. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
15. To Catch a Thief
16. Notorious
17. Spellbound
18. Foreign Correspondent
19. Lifeboat
20. Saboteur
Godspeed Guitarist Rowland S. Howard
Australian guitarist Rowland S. Howard passed on December 30, 2009 at the age of 50. The cause was liver cancer.
Rowland S. Howard was born on October 24, 1959 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was in 1978 that he joined Nick Cave's band The Boys Next Door (later to be renamed The Birthday Party). Howard's addition to the band would be one of the factors which would change its sound. Among other things, he made extensive use of audio feedback. It was in 1980 that The Boys Next Door moved to London and changed their name to The Birthday Party. In the early Eighties The Birthday Party began to disintegrate. By 1985 Rowland S. Howard had left the band to join Crime and the City Solution. It was in 1987 that he formed These Immortal Souls with Genevieve McGuckin. The band would release four albums.
Rowland S. Howard released a solo album, Teenage Snuff Film, in 2000. He followed it up with a second solo album, Pop Crimes, in 2009. In 2007 he toured with Magic Dirt and Beasts of Bourbon. He also appeared on the Magic Dirt EP "White Boy."
Roland S. Howard was an extremely versatile guitarist. He was a master of audio feedback. And he could play anything from jazz riffs to guitar that could have belonged in a song by The Stooges. He was also a talented songwriter, contributing songs to The Birthday Party and These Immortal Souls. He will be missed.
Rowland S. Howard was born on October 24, 1959 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was in 1978 that he joined Nick Cave's band The Boys Next Door (later to be renamed The Birthday Party). Howard's addition to the band would be one of the factors which would change its sound. Among other things, he made extensive use of audio feedback. It was in 1980 that The Boys Next Door moved to London and changed their name to The Birthday Party. In the early Eighties The Birthday Party began to disintegrate. By 1985 Rowland S. Howard had left the band to join Crime and the City Solution. It was in 1987 that he formed These Immortal Souls with Genevieve McGuckin. The band would release four albums.
Rowland S. Howard released a solo album, Teenage Snuff Film, in 2000. He followed it up with a second solo album, Pop Crimes, in 2009. In 2007 he toured with Magic Dirt and Beasts of Bourbon. He also appeared on the Magic Dirt EP "White Boy."
Roland S. Howard was an extremely versatile guitarist. He was a master of audio feedback. And he could play anything from jazz riffs to guitar that could have belonged in a song by The Stooges. He was also a talented songwriter, contributing songs to The Birthday Party and These Immortal Souls. He will be missed.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Nan Martin R.I.P.
Nan Martin, who appeared frequently on television, film, and stage, passed on Thursday at the age of 82.
Nan Martin was born in Decatur, Illinois on July 15, 1927, but was raised in Santa Monica, California. Her acting career began when attending the University of California, Los Angeles part time and she was received a role in the school's production of The Gentle People. Eventually she moved to New York and made her debut on Broadway in 1950 in the play A Story for a Sunday Evening. The following year she appeared in ta revival of The Constant Wife.
Nan Martin made her television debut on Studio 57 in 1955 and her film debut in The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit the following year. From 1955 to 2005, Martin would then have an incredibly prolific career. On Broadway she appeared in a revival of Makropoulos Secret (1957), J.B. (1958), The Great God Brown (1959), a revival of Lysistrata (1959), a revival of Henry VI Part I (1960), Under the Yum-Yum Tree (1960), Come Live with Me (1967), Summer Brave (1975), and The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (1976). In California she was part of the South Coast Repertory, with which she performed in such plays as The Road to Mecca, Buried Child, and All My Sons.
Nan Martin appeared very frequently on television. In the Fifties she guest starred on such shows as Robert Montgomery Presents, Sunday Showcase, and Play of the Week. In the Sixties she guest starred on Ben Casey, The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, The Fugitive, Perry Mason, and Mission: Impossible. In the Seventies she guest starred on Bewitched, The F.B.I.,and Ellery Queen. In the Eighties she guest starred on Hart to Hart, Star Trek: the Next Generation, Columbo, and The Golden Girls. She was one of the stars of the series Mr. Sunshine and appeared in the mini-series The Thorn Birds. In the Nineties she guest starred on The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and ER. She was a semi-regular on The Drew Carey Show as Mrs.Louder. In the Naughts she guest starred on Six Feet Under, NYPD Blue, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Las Vegas.
Nan Martin also appeared in a large number of films. In the Sixties she appeared in the 1964 version of Toys in the Attic, Hamlet, The Art of Love, For the Love of Ivy, and Goodbye, Columbus. In the Seventies she appeared in The Young Nurses, The Other Side of the Mountain, Jackson County Jail, and A Small Circle of Friends. In Eighties she appeared in All of Me, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. From the Nineties into the Naughts she appeared in Last Gasp, Big Eden, Forever Lulu, and Cast Away.
Nan Martin was born in Decatur, Illinois on July 15, 1927, but was raised in Santa Monica, California. Her acting career began when attending the University of California, Los Angeles part time and she was received a role in the school's production of The Gentle People. Eventually she moved to New York and made her debut on Broadway in 1950 in the play A Story for a Sunday Evening. The following year she appeared in ta revival of The Constant Wife.
Nan Martin made her television debut on Studio 57 in 1955 and her film debut in The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit the following year. From 1955 to 2005, Martin would then have an incredibly prolific career. On Broadway she appeared in a revival of Makropoulos Secret (1957), J.B. (1958), The Great God Brown (1959), a revival of Lysistrata (1959), a revival of Henry VI Part I (1960), Under the Yum-Yum Tree (1960), Come Live with Me (1967), Summer Brave (1975), and The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (1976). In California she was part of the South Coast Repertory, with which she performed in such plays as The Road to Mecca, Buried Child, and All My Sons.
Nan Martin appeared very frequently on television. In the Fifties she guest starred on such shows as Robert Montgomery Presents, Sunday Showcase, and Play of the Week. In the Sixties she guest starred on Ben Casey, The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, The Fugitive, Perry Mason, and Mission: Impossible. In the Seventies she guest starred on Bewitched, The F.B.I.,and Ellery Queen. In the Eighties she guest starred on Hart to Hart, Star Trek: the Next Generation, Columbo, and The Golden Girls. She was one of the stars of the series Mr. Sunshine and appeared in the mini-series The Thorn Birds. In the Nineties she guest starred on The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and ER. She was a semi-regular on The Drew Carey Show as Mrs.Louder. In the Naughts she guest starred on Six Feet Under, NYPD Blue, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Las Vegas.
Nan Martin also appeared in a large number of films. In the Sixties she appeared in the 1964 version of Toys in the Attic, Hamlet, The Art of Love, For the Love of Ivy, and Goodbye, Columbus. In the Seventies she appeared in The Young Nurses, The Other Side of the Mountain, Jackson County Jail, and A Small Circle of Friends. In Eighties she appeared in All of Me, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. From the Nineties into the Naughts she appeared in Last Gasp, Big Eden, Forever Lulu, and Cast Away.
Creative Blogger Award
The lovely Kate Gabrielle of Silents and Talkies was kind enough to bestow on me the Creative Blogger Award (formerly Kreativ Blogger award, I changed the name at Kate's request). Kate is a talented blogger and artist, and I have always loved her blogs, so I am very honoured to receive this award!
Of course, this award has rules, one of which is to list seven things people might find interesting about oneself. I don't know that anyone will find these things interesting, but here goes:
1. I have written two novels. The first when I was in college (that one will forever remain unpublished) and the second last year during November and National Novel Writing Month (that one might be published after extensive revision).
2. I was on television once when I was very young. KRCG, the local CBS affiliate, had a children's show called Showtime that aired for years (from before I was born to when I graduated high school). When I was about four they were doing a remote at one of the local malls and my family was there. As a result, I wound up on TV on Showtime. I don't remember much about it.
3. The first movie I can remember watching all the way through was Jason and the Argonauts. I think I was about four at the time. I think it had an irreversible effect on my tastes in movies. I've loved fantasy films to this day.
4. I can sight read Old English.
5. I must confess that I am addicted to classic television, especially the American and British shows of the Sixties. I have seen every single episode of Bonanza, Danger Man, The Prisoner, Star Trek, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and The Wild Wild West. I've seen every single surviving episode of The Avengers and most of the episodes of The Saint.
6. I can't tell you what I had for dinner on any given day, but I can remember the most arcane facts of television, comic book, and pulp magazine history.
7. I was born amidst the homes of giants. My hometown is only an hour or less away from La Plata (home of Doc Savage creator Lester Dent), Marceline (home of Walt Disney), Slater (home of the King of Cool, Steve McQueen), and Hannibal (home of Mark Twain, Molly Brown, and Cliff Edwards).
Another rule is that one had to nominate seen blogger pals. So here goes again:
1. Andrea of A Cat of Impossible Colour
2. Beth of Beth at Finding My Voice
3. J. Marquis at Major Conflict
4. Raquel at Out of the Past (and) Thoughtful Eating
5. Toby at Inner Toob
6. Jeremy at Popped Culture
7. Snave at Various Ecstasies
I heartily recommend that you visit each of these blogs, as they are some of the finest on the Net.
Now for the rules:
1. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. Kate skipped this part. I tracked down the original logo, but it looked, well, too girly for a red blooded Anglo-American male to put on his blog....
2. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Done (see above)
3. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. Done, although if they are interesting is actually debatable.
4. Nominate 7 other bloggers, and post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. Done..
5. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated. Done
6. Make Kate happy by starting to call this the Creative Blogger Award as you pass it along!! Done (I'm a stickler for spelling too).
Of course, this award has rules, one of which is to list seven things people might find interesting about oneself. I don't know that anyone will find these things interesting, but here goes:
1. I have written two novels. The first when I was in college (that one will forever remain unpublished) and the second last year during November and National Novel Writing Month (that one might be published after extensive revision).
2. I was on television once when I was very young. KRCG, the local CBS affiliate, had a children's show called Showtime that aired for years (from before I was born to when I graduated high school). When I was about four they were doing a remote at one of the local malls and my family was there. As a result, I wound up on TV on Showtime. I don't remember much about it.
3. The first movie I can remember watching all the way through was Jason and the Argonauts. I think I was about four at the time. I think it had an irreversible effect on my tastes in movies. I've loved fantasy films to this day.
4. I can sight read Old English.
5. I must confess that I am addicted to classic television, especially the American and British shows of the Sixties. I have seen every single episode of Bonanza, Danger Man, The Prisoner, Star Trek, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and The Wild Wild West. I've seen every single surviving episode of The Avengers and most of the episodes of The Saint.
6. I can't tell you what I had for dinner on any given day, but I can remember the most arcane facts of television, comic book, and pulp magazine history.
7. I was born amidst the homes of giants. My hometown is only an hour or less away from La Plata (home of Doc Savage creator Lester Dent), Marceline (home of Walt Disney), Slater (home of the King of Cool, Steve McQueen), and Hannibal (home of Mark Twain, Molly Brown, and Cliff Edwards).
Another rule is that one had to nominate seen blogger pals. So here goes again:
1. Andrea of A Cat of Impossible Colour
2. Beth of Beth at Finding My Voice
3. J. Marquis at Major Conflict
4. Raquel at Out of the Past (and) Thoughtful Eating
5. Toby at Inner Toob
6. Jeremy at Popped Culture
7. Snave at Various Ecstasies
I heartily recommend that you visit each of these blogs, as they are some of the finest on the Net.
Now for the rules:
1. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. Kate skipped this part. I tracked down the original logo, but it looked, well, too girly for a red blooded Anglo-American male to put on his blog....
2. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Done (see above)
3. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. Done, although if they are interesting is actually debatable.
4. Nominate 7 other bloggers, and post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. Done..
5. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated. Done
6. Make Kate happy by starting to call this the Creative Blogger Award as you pass it along!! Done (I'm a stickler for spelling too).
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