Lenore Skenazy: When Movie Trailers Tell Too Much (Creators Syndicate)
"Yo, Luke. I'm your father." That's the kind of trailer we're seeing now. "Dorothy, you had a bad dream." "We'll always have Paris, even though you're going to go off and live with your boring husband instead of me, Rick, here in Casablanca."
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.
Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, in warm La Quinta, California, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel, a frequent Hollywood retreat also favored by writer-producer Frank Capra, although the Arizona Biltmore also claims the song was written there.
Irving Berlin's opening bars are often dropped in recordings, but are included on A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, sung by Darlene Love, on Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album, on The Carpenters Christmas Portrait sung by Karen Carpenter, on Bette Midler's Cool Yule, on Libera's Christmas Album and on Crash Test Dummies' Jingle All the Way.
The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway.
There's never been such a day
in Beverly Hills, L.A.
But it's December the twenty-fourth,-
And I am longing to be up North-
-Verse dropped from original version
Source
mj was first, and correct, with:
There's never been such a day
In Beverly Hills LA.
That's the seldom sung opening of White Christmas.
Proletariat Lois Of Oregon answered:
Oh lord, here we go again...some privilaged white swine,
sitting in his mansion in BEVERLY HILLS on a sunny beautiful
80 degree December day with the Santa Ana Winds blowing warm
delicious breezes...bitching about how he's dreaming of a
WHITE FUCKING CHRISTMAS, where no doubt the butler would
shovel the driveway so the chauffeur can drive him to the
country club for the annual "Christmas Dinner And Dance On
The Backs Of The Oppressed Workers Of The World", oh jesus
oh god how I hate them all!!! Ah, I mean, that would be
"What is the introduction to the immoral classic White
Christmas, Alex".
Leo in Maryland said:
(I'm Dreaming of a) White Christmas.
Alan J wrote:
White Christmas
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
White Christmas
Charlie responded:
"White Christmas"
I'm not so dreaming myself.
Adam answered:
The opening, and apparently oft-omitted, verse of 'White Christmas'.
Dale od de Springs of the Diamonds, Norwintercali replied:
Irving Berlin's "White Christmas". I hate that reeky song!
"American Hustle" is a flick well-worth seeing. Dazzling performances and a great twist on ABSCAM!
Sally said:
"The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway..."
First lines of the Christmas song, "White Christmas."
Singin' "White Christmas" for Charlie Brown...
PS: @Lois, I make really good stew, with all fresh vegetables (save the corn). I wish we lived closer, I would save some for you to sample when you came by - and we would laugh, and laugh... Actually, I would love to meet all of the trivia gang... :)
MAM wrote:
White Christmas
The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway.
There's never been such a day
in Beverly Hills, L.A.
But it's December the twenty-fourth,-
And I am longing to be up North-
And, Joe S answered:
White Christmas. I kinda thought that was it, like what else could it be? Also my magical powers were pointing to White Christmas too. But I looked it up anyway. Can't be too careful.
Nothing says Christmas like Victoria's Secret.
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a RERUN'The Good Wife', then a RERUN'The Mentalist', followed by a RERUN'Elementary'.
NBC fills the night with LIVE'Sunday Night Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe an old 'Dateline'.
ABC fills the night with the movie 'The Sound Of Music'.
The CW offers a RERUN'SAF3', followed by 2 hours of what passes for local news and other fluffery.
Faux has a RERUN'Bob's Burgers', followed by a RERUN'American Dad', then a (R) 'The Simpsons', followed by another RERUN'The Simpsons', then a RERUN'Family Guy', followed by a RERUN'Axe Cop', then another RERUN'Axe Cop'.
MY has an old 'How I Met Your Brother', followed by another old 'How I Met Your Mother', then an old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by another old 'Big Bang Theory', then still another old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by yet another old 'Big Bang Theory'.
AMC offers the movie 'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York', followed by the movie 'Home Alone', then the movie 'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BANG GOES THE THEORY - Season 5 - Episode 4
[6:40AM] BANG GOES THE THEORY - Season 5 - Episode 5
[7:20AM] BANG GOES THE THEORY - Season 5 - Episode 6
[8:00AM] PLANET EARTH-Ep 3 - Fresh Water
[9:00AM] PLANET EARTH-Ep 4 - Caves
[10:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED UK - Season 2 - Ep 2 - Revisited: Momma Cherri's
[11:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 3 - Ep 9 - Le Bistro
[12:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 1 - Ep 8 - Peter's
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 2 - Ep 5 - J Willy's
[2:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 14 - Episode 5
[3:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 14 - Episode 6
[4:00PM] TOP GEAR SEASON 16 SPECIAL
[5:30PM] HIGHLANDER
[8:00PM] STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER
[10:30PM] RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
[12:30AM] RESIDENT EVIL
[2:30AM] RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
[4:30AM] TOP GEAR SEASON 16 SPECIAL (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', then a FRESH'Thicker Than Water', and 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Scary Movie', 'Tosh.0', another 'Tosh.0', 'Kevin Hart: Seriously Funny', and 'Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain'.
FX has the movie 'Thor', followed by the movie 'Iron Man 2', then the movie 'Iron Man 2', again.
History has 'Pawn Stars', another 'Pawn Stars', 'Ax Men', followed by a FRESH'Ax Men', and 'Shelby's Greatest Hits Vol. 1'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Bunk
[6:30AM] The Birthday Boys-Skewered!
[7:00AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Old Mrs. Old
[7:30AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Krelboyne Girl
[8:00AM] Malcolm in the Middle-New Neighbors
[8:30AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Hal Quits
[9:00AM] Malcolm in the Middle-The Grandparents
[9:30AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Traffic Ticket
[10:00AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Surgery
[10:30AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Reese Cooks
[11:00AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Tutoring Reese
[11:30AM] Escape From Alcatraz
[2:00PM] The Matador
[4:00PM] Shanghai Noon
[6:30PM] Blazing Saddles
[8:30PM] Mystery Men
[11:00PM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Zach Galifianakis Wears a Santa Suit
[11:30PM] The Birthday Boys-Dumb Public
[12:00AM] Mystery Men
[2:30AM] Shanghai Noon
[5:00AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Zach Galifianakis Wears a Santa Suit
[5:30AM] The Birthday Boys-Dumb Public (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] Fantastic Mr. Fox
[7:45AM] Lost in Translation
[10:00AM] Meatballs
[12:00PM] The Returned-Camille
[1:15PM] The Returned-Simon
[2:30PM] The Returned-Julie
[3:45PM] The Returned-Victor
[5:00PM] The Returned-Serge et Toni
[6:15PM] The Returned-Lucy
[7:30PM] The Returned-Adèle
[8:45PM] The Returned-La Horde
[10:00PM] JFK
[2:00AM] The Deer Hunter (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Pitch Black', followed by the movie 'The Matrix'.
Legendary musician Fats Domino is named "Honorary Grand Marshall" of the Krewe of Orpheus, the star-studded Carnival club that traditionally parades the night before Mardi Gras, Friday, Dec. 20, 2013 in New Orleans. Michael Murphy II of the Krewe of Orpheus presents a medal to Fats Domino.
Photo by Doug Parker
A day after a judge's surprise ruling overturned Utah's same-sex marriage ban, at least one county clerk intended to open early Saturday to issue licenses.
About 40 minutes north of Salt Lake City, about 300 hundred people showed up at the Weber County Clerk's Office on Saturday afternoon but were later turned away without marriage licenses.
Clerk Ricky Hatch apologized and said that county officials had told him that opening for special circumstances may violate constitutional guarantees of equal protection. Hatch told The Associated Press he was also told that the county's standard security requirements were not in place for a Saturday opening.
On Friday, more than 100 couples rushed to wed in Salt Lake County shortly after the ruling was released. State officials slammed the decision and moved to stop licenses from being issued.
The state has given notice that it will appeal the ruling and has asked for an emergency stay to stop gay couples from getting marriage licenses. But legal experts say that even if a stay is granted, the licenses that have already been issued will likely still be valid.
The druid Merlin walks towards the stones as he celebrates the winter solstice at Stonehenge in Amesbury, southern England December 21, 2013.
Photo by Kieran Doherty
Years after being exiled to New York City's sidewalks by a ban on smoking in indoor public places, some smokers relished electronic cigarettes as a way to come in from the cold.
Now they're down to their last few puffs after the City Council voted 43-8 Thursday to expand the ban to include the devices.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to sign the measure before leaving office in a few days. The ban would take effect in four months.
Speaker Christine Quinn said before the vote on e-cigarettes that scientists can't say yet whether the nicotine inhalers, which are tobacco-free but still deliver a vaporized dose of nicotine vapor, are truly safe.
Estimating how valuable a celebrity can be is no easy task. While it is simple to look up how much actors, actresses, or directors have received for certain projects, it's more difficult to assess the annual value that a person adds through the sum of his or her activities. But in the 1950s, the studio system actually did compensate Hollywood stars in that manner, rather than through a fixed series of contracts.
By assembling a massive graph of connections that displays personalities, movies, initiatives, projects, and everything else that makes money in Hollywood, the Hollywood Creative Graph is used to determine the annual value each big name brings to the table. Let's take a closer look at the top 10 names on the Numbers Bankabiity Index - the most valuable names in Hollywood.
In order to crack the top 10, you need to have an annual value of more than $18 million, just like Kathleen Kennedy. Though not by any means the most famous name on the list, Kennedy has been a producer on many Hollywood hits, including Jurassic Park, The Sixth Sense, and War of the Worlds.
A child looks at ice sculptures of Wolverine, Spiderman, Thor and other comic strip characters at the Brussels Ice Magic Festival December 21, 2013. Some 20 artists from all over the world made sculptures out of 420 tonnes of ice depicting characters from comic strips. The festival runs from December 20 to February 9, 2014.
Photo by Eric Vidal
A trove of 85 works by Spanish surrealist master Joan Miro acquired by the Portuguese government from a failing bank is up for auction with an estimated value of 30 million pounds ($49 million).
Christie's auction house said Friday the collection is "one of the most extensive and impressive offerings of works by the artist ever to come to auction," and covers seven decades of Miro's career.
The Barcelona-born artist was influential in the surrealist movement in the 1920s and developed his signature colorful style, full of squiggles and symbols, during a long career that lasted until his death at 90 in 1983.
The auction includes the 1968 oil painting "Women and Birds" - two recurring motifs in Miro's work - which has an estimated sale price of 4-to-7 million pounds ($6.5 million to $11.5 million); and the 22-by-197 centimeter (8 1/2 inches by 78 inches) oil-on-canvas "Painting," valued between 2.5 million and 3.5 million pounds ($4 million to $5.7 million).
A United Methodist pastor defrocked for officiating at his son's same-sex wedding has appealed the decision, a move that offered the latest evidence of a split in the nation's largest mainline Protestant denomination and came as yet another state legalized gay marriage.
Frank Schaefer, who lives in central Pennsylvania, said he was shocked and upset that he could be punished for showing love for his son. He said he believed the penalty was meted out reluctantly by members of the church's regional Board of Ordained Ministry.
"So many of them came to me and they shook my hand and some hugged me, and so many of them had tears in their eyes," Schaefer said. "They said, 'We really don't want to do this, you know that, don't you?'"
Although the church accepts gay and lesbian members, it rejects homosexual acts as "incompatible with Christian teaching" and bars clergy from performing same-sex unions.
Yet hundreds of Methodist ministers have publicly rejected the doctrine, and some face discipline for presiding over same-sex unions. Last month, in a public challenge to church rules, a retired Methodist bishop officiated at a wedding for two men in Alabama.
Students hold portraits of China's late Chairman Mao Zedong during a commemorative event ahead of December 26, which marks the 120th anniversary of Mao's birth, at a university campus in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, December 21, 2013. According to local media, Zhang Ruiqi, an actor impersonating Mao, recited the speech Mao delivered on the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China while other participants sang revolutionary songs and recited patriotic poems during the event.
Photo by Jon Woo
John Hinckley is ready for more freedom from the mental hospital where he has lived since shortly after he shot President Ronald Reagan in a failed assassination attempt in 1981, a federal judge ruled on Friday.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman accepted a recommendation from St. Elizabeths Hospital that Hinckley be allowed to leave for 17 days a month, up from 10 days a month, to stay with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.
As part of his therapy and reintegration into society, Hinckley has been allowed since 2006 to visit Williamsburg, a city about 150 miles south of St. Elizabeths in Washington, D.C.
During the visits, Hinckley volunteers in the cafeteria of a local mental hospital, sees a music therapist and is observed by clinical staff before returning to spend the balance of each month back at St. Elizabeths.
Spain's center-right government moved to make it harder for women to get an abortion on Friday, restricting a law that had allowed the procedure on request within a 14 week term, in a bid to rally core conservative support.
The proposed new rules will make Spain one of the most restrictive European countries on abortion and goes against the regional trend of greater ease of access, after Ireland legalized abortion under limited circumstances this year.
The draft law allows abortion only in the case of rape or if the pregnancy poses a serious physical or mental health risk to the mother. It eliminates the option of abortion on request in the case of malformation of the fetus.
The majority of European countries offer abortion on request, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with 88 percent allowing the termination of pregnancies if the fetus is thought to be impaired or in cases of rape or incest.
Vandals in Sweden have burned down for the 27th time a giant straw goat meant to symbolize Christmas spirit.
The 13-meter (43-foot) high and 3.6-ton heavy straw goat was engulfed in flames early Saturday after unidentified assailants attacked it in the Swedish town of Gavle, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Stockholm.
The straw goat is a centuries-old Scandinavian yule symbol that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts.
Since 1966, when the tradition of erecting the giant straw goat in the town square was introduced, Vandals have burnt it down 27 times.
The Earth's surface slid sideways by as much as 10 inches (26 centimeters) before collapsing into a still-growing toxic sinkhole in Bayou Corne, La., a new study reports.
"This was unusual for us," said Cathleen Jones, a radar scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Usually at a sinkhole, we expect to see vertical movement at the surface, some sort of subsidence," Jones said. "This horizontal motion is actually a new indicator people should be aware of."
The Bayou Corne sinkhole sits in the Napoleonville salt dome, an upwelling of salt that was being mined for brine by injecting freshwater in wells and extracting the dissolved salt. State officials and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) think the sinkhole appeared when an underground salt mine cavern collapsed. Strong earthquake swarms starting June 8, 2012, preceded the sinkhole.
The subtle surface changes revealed in the new study, published in the Dec. 13 issue of the journal Geology, could improve models of how the sinkhole formed, Jones said. "I think this can tell you something about the path between the cavern collapse, which is about a mile deep, and the surface," she said. The sideways flow was like water slipping into a bathtub drain, Jones said. "The fact that the movement was toward a center point might tell you something about the geometry of the path that went down to the void," she said. The subtle flow forms a pattern like a two-leafed clover, consistent with a cavern sidewall collapse as suspected by the USGS, Jones and NASA colleague Ronald Blom report.
The pit also opened into a natural underground oil reservoir, releasing oil and toxic gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide. Louisiana declared a state of emergency, evacuating 350 people from the nearby town of Bayou Corne after the sinkhole appeared on Aug. 3, 2012. A class-action lawsuit against mining companies Texas Brine and Occidental Chemical was filed in federal court in May 2013, as residents still cannot return to their homes. The sinkhole is still growing, gobbling up trees and threatening Highway 70 south of Baton Rouge.
A doll that won't stay in the same location and other strange happenings are giving a St. John's family goosebumps.
Judy Ryan, her partner and her four sons moved into a home in the East Meadows neighbourhood in the east end of St. John's last month. The house - built in the 70s - is an ordinary home in a nice neighbourhood, but Ryan's son Julian noticed strange things happening shortly after the move.
A small yellow doll that Julian, 17, made in Home Ec class ended up on his pillow instead of in the nightstand where it was usually kept.
"I tried to talk to Julian, it's nothing, maybe he's hallucinating. I came downstairs because he was afraid to come down and I came in his room and you have to understand his doors were locked into his basement in-law apartment right?" Ryan said.
"When I came down and I shook the bed covers looking for the doll, underneath the pillow and I couldn't find it, so I looked under the bed. It wasn't under the bed so I started opening the drawers and it's back in the drawers, so I took the doll. As I entered the room I had these shivers come up my spine and it was just really creepy, you get goosebumps like I have right now cause I'm in his room."
A pair of flamingos might be the last to leave Betfair Hollywood Park when the Inglewood racetrack finally closes Sunday.
The bright pink birds were supposed to make the move to Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero, Calif., last week with 10 other flamingos that lived in the infield lake at the 75-year-old track.
But when a crew from Los Angeles Zoo arrived to capture them, five stealthy birds were able to flee through a hole in the mesh trap.
On a second attempt, zoo officials were able to wrangle up three of the escapees.
But two remain, and zoo officials said the birds will likely be the last to leave the famed racetrack when the place clears out. They might even get to ring in the new year in the place they've called home for the last two decades.
A bird rests atop a bush during a snowstorm in Quebec City, December 15, 2013. Between 15 and 30cm of snow are expected to fall on the different regions of eastern Canada today, according to Environment Canada.
Photo by Mathieu Belanger
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