R.I.P. Roger Ebert ~ Movie Lover and Progressive Hero

There are really no words. Did you know that Roger Ebert was the FIRST film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize? I think many people forget that because he was a humble person and didn't blow his own horn too much.

I grew up watching Ebert and Siskel on our local PBS station. Back then we didn't have 500 reviews online for every movie. You either read an odd review now and then in the newspaper or you had to buy Newsweek or Time. So thanks to television and PBS, Ebert and Siskel because THE movie critics of America, the only ones who really mattered. I always stayed up after 11:30 to see their show on Sunday nights, even when my husband grumbled or if I had to be at work early on Monday morning. I enjoyed it most when they disagreed and got fired up about movies they cared about - that's what a real fan does, and above all, they were movie fans.

Gene Siskel was more of a macho guy who liked "The Deer Hunter," "Raging Bull" and "Saturday Night Fever", while Ebert was the nerdy, intellectual guy who loved nostalgia and Stephen King movies. I remember his review of "Star Wars" back in the seventies, talking about the "old universe" it portrayed, and the classic coming of age story - I couldn't wait to go see it after hearing his review.



I remember when my kids were little how much I appreciated it that Ebert would seriously review movies like "Babe" and "Free Willy" and "Toy Story." Before there was an internet, he introduced his audience to the work of the Japanese master Miyasaki, showing clips of "My Neighbor Totoro," a movie I would never have chosen for my children at the video store without his review. My kids went on to become Japanese movie junkies, and they may not realize that it all goes back to Ebert.

I also remember when he praised "Dirty Dancing," saying it reminded him of being young and in love, and I used his review to help my husband understand why I liked that movie so much. I remember he usually loved musicals, unless Madonna was the star, LOL.

But Ebert was more than a movie critic. He was also a Kick-Ass Democrat who campaigned for President Obama tirelessly last year on Twitter, and who made time each day to push Progressive causes that mattered the most. That's his most lasting legacy, I think. Cancer had stolen his ability to speak on television, but Twitter gave him a new voice and a platform with millions of new readers and fans. And now we all mourn the loss of a a great writer, communicator and powerhouse Progressive. But above all he was a really, really nice guy, certainly someone you would love to see a movie with, and go for a hamburger afterward to analyze every scene.

And like the movie heroes he loved, he was brave - he stood up for what he believed, and he fought cancer like a boss. R.I.P., Dear Critic from Chicago - I wish we had hundreds more just like you.

Roger Ebert's Last Column: "A Leave of Presence"
 
Fans and Celebrities React to the Death of Roger Ebert 

LA Times Hero Complex: A Look Back at 5 Fan Favorite Reviews by Roger Ebert

Snark for Christmas

Here are some quotes to cheer you through the rest of the holidays, or at least let you know that you are not alone in this joyful, yet irritating, season. And if you are depressed, maybe something here will make you smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas: A holiday that originally was supposed to be for the birth of Christ, but after all these years, its just nothing but commercials, sales, and stress. What does a fat guy who hauls gifts down into your lifing room, and then flies away on a sleigh have to do with Jesus Christ? Jack squat.
~ Urban Dictionary

Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.
~ G.K. Chesterton

Santa Claus is poor this year, just like everybody else.
~ Olivia Walton (Patricia Neal) in "The Homecoming"

“Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it.
"Good thinking," said Luna seriously. "It's often infested with nargles.”
― from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Ralph Herdman: What did she says the play is called?
Leroy Herdman: "Christmas Pageant."
Ollie Herdman: That's no name. That's what it is.
Gladys Herdman: I know a name. I'd call it "Revenge at Bethlehem."
~ from "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"

Rats. Nobody sent me a Christmas card today. I almost wish there weren't a holiday season. I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?"
~ Charlie Brown, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”



Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.
~ Lucy Van Pelt in "A Charlie Brown Christmas"



Mary: (reading Christmas card) The crystal bells of Christmas bring love and cheer tonight, to wish for you--
Lou Grant: Nah, nah --
Mary: (opens card and takes out a check) Oh, Mr. Grant! I really can't--
Lou Grant: I don't know what to buy a girl. Just get yourself somethin'.
Mary: Mr. Grant, I can't accept this.
Lou Grant: Sure you can!
Mary: But a blank check!
Lou Grant: What? Huh? (surprised, he grabs check) It's a mistake. (taps pen on desk while thinking about amount)
Mary: Uh, why don't I just wait outside while you--
Lou Grant: No, no! All I have to do is fill in an amount here. (stares into space thinking while biting his lip)
(Mary stares at him, then smiles and Lou smiles back. He starts filling out check.)
Lou Grant: (while writing) Can I have the card back please?
(Mary hands him the card, which he holds under the desk so she can't see the check.
Mary: Here (Mary hands him the envelope.)
Lou Grant: If you don't mind. (Putting the card into the envelope, then he licks the envelope, puts it on the desk and taps it shut with his fist)
Lou Grant: Merry Christmas! (hands card to Mary)
Mary: Thank you, Mr. Grant. (she leaves the room)
Lou Grant: Uh, Mary! (picks up his coat and hat and follows her out). It's none of my business why you're working for Fred on Christmas Eve but--
Mary: It's your business - you're head of the News Room.
Lou Grant: I don't want it to be my business! Because if it is, then I have to feel responsible for you being here all alone.
Mary: Oh, Mr. Grant, thank you, but I'm not going to be alone. The cleaning crew will be coming around.
Lou Grant: No, they won't - they don't work on Christmas Eve.
Mary: Well, uh, then there's the night watchman.
Lou Grant: Uh uh, there's only one man on duty tonight and he has to stay downstairs in the lobby.
Mary: Well, it's, uh, comforting to know that someone else will be only twelve floors away.


Its easier to feel a little more spiritual with a couple of bucks in your pocket.
~ Craig Ferguson

Ah, come on, dad, this could be the miracle that saves The Simpsons Christmas! If TV has taught me anything, its that miracles always happens to poor kids at Christmas. It happened to Tiny Tim, it happened to Charlie Brown, it happened to The Smurfs, and it's gonna happen to us!"
~ Bart Simpson

Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.”
~ Philip Yancey

The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.
~ Johnny Carson

This is the worst Christmas ever. I had thought it was the one when our parents bought us hamsters and forgot to poke holes in the boxes, but at least that had a moment of suspense.
~ Brian in "Wings"

Clark Griswold: "Before we begin, since this is Aunt Bethany's 80th Christmas, I think she should lead us in the saying of grace."
Aunt Bethany: "What dear?"
Noah Griswold: "Grace!"
Aunt Bethany: "Grace? She passed away 30 years ago."
Uncle Lewis: "They want you to say grace. The blesssssing."
Aunt Bethany (after everyone has bowed heads for the blessing): "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands/ One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Clark: "Amen."
~ National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation"



Why did Santa spell Christmas N-O-E?
Because the angel had said,"No L!"
What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
Claustrophobic.
What do you do if Santa gets stuck in your chimney?
Pour Santa flush on him.
What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
Snowflakes.
~ Jokes via SantaClaus.com

Even before Christmas has said Hello, it's saying 'Buy Buy'.
~ Robert Paul

Season's Greetings, everybody, from KBHR, the heart and soul of Cicely, Alaska. This is Chris In The Morning. From where I'm sitting, I've got a great view of all the yuletide decorations going up all over town. That's right, everywhere I turn my head I see ebony birds roosting for the holidays. You know, twinkling colored lights are nice, and so are plastic Santas and reindeers and manger scenes, but I'll tell you something, friends... nothing like the sight of beautiful black-as-pitch raven to get you in the Christmas spirit.
~ Chris-in-the-Morning on "Northern Exposure"



That's the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me."
~ Jerry Seinfeld

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.
~ Erma Bombeck (I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression)

It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"
~ Dr. Seuss (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)

Roses are reddish
Violets are bluish
If it weren't for Christmas
We'd all be Jewish.
~ Benny Hill

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.
~ Garrison Keillor


Christmas is awesome. First of all you get to spend time with people you love. Secondly, you can get drunk and no one can say anything. Third, you give presents. What’s better than giving presents? And fourth, getting presents. So, four things. Not bad for one day. It’s really the greatest day of all time.
~ Michael Scott on The Office






Dwight Schrute: Merry Christmas! [lays dead goose on Pam's desk]
Pam Beesley: Merry Christm-- No! Why... why did you bring that here?!
Dwight Schrute: Don't worry she's dead. Oh wait, ['checks'] he's dead.
Pam Beesley: Dwight, Wha-
Dwight Schrute: I accidentally ran over it. It's a Christmas miracle.
~ The Office

SpongeBob: [to Squidward, who is disguised as Santa Claus] I knew you would come, Santa! Hey, Santa, where's your big, round belly?
Squidward: Uh, that is a part of, um, undersea pressure on my body.
SpongeBob: Where's your reindeer and your big flying machine?
Squidward: Uh, I loaned them to the Easter bunny.


SpongeBob: Hey, Santa, where's your big nose? [pulls down Squidward's nose] I knew you were supposed to have a big one, but that thing's gigantic! [laughs]
Squidward: [holds his nose] Alright, alright, I'm Santa!
SpongeBob: Santa! This is the greatest gift you could have given me. Thank you, for bringing Christmas to Bikini Bottom.
Squidward: I didn't bring Christmas to Bikini Bottom, Spongebob. You did. [pats Spongebob]
SpongeBob: I...did? Ohhh... [faints, he is taken back home by Gary]
. . .
[After "Santa" Squidward gives away all his possessions]
Squidward: What was I thinking? I gave away all of my stuff, just so Spongebob wouldn't be sad. Am I insane?
[A knock sounds on the door]
Squidward: You might as well take the door. That's all that's left.


Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.
~ Dave Barry

I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.
~ Bernard Manning


From Seinfeld episode "The Strike"
Frank Costanza: “Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.”
Cosmo Kramer: “What happened to the doll?”
Frank Costanza: “It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!”
Cosmo Kramer: That must've been some kind of doll.
Frank Costanza: She was.
Kramer: Is there a tree?
Frank: No. Instead, there's a pole. Requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting.

Bye-Bye to Best Buy?

The Best Buy company is in big financial trouble these days. I can't really remember the last time I shopped there - it's been years. I never enjoyed the feeling of being in a big warehouse with loud music blaring. I'd rather be able to think straight while making purchases . . . but that's just me.

My kids were the ones who usually begged to go there to look at the latest video games, and we would indulge them. The problem is, we could get the same game for half the price at Target, and even less on Amazon. I figured out quickly that Best Buy "sales" weren't really sales.

Their dvds and cds are always overpriced and not stocked well, and when we had to buy a refrigerator we chose the local neighborhood appliance store where we could get a better deal, a good warranty, and same day delivery. Also, while I know they have great sales around Thanksgiving, I hate to get in line at 4 a.m. and fight with other shoppers, so I just stay home and get the exact same half-price deal on Amazon with free Super Saver shipping. And no loud music - just Christmas Carols.

To me this is a problem very much like Netflix causing Blockbuster to lose business. Convenience matters, and service matters. And greed is not that good if your sales are making customers walk out the door without buying anything. I can't tell you how many times we used to go to our local Blockbuster with money in our pockets around Christmas, but nothing was discounted except used movies, and those don't make great presents. I wasn't even surprised when our BB closed down - corporate jerks.

This is more bad news for cities across the country. Each Best Buy store provides lots of local jobs, and they are talking about closing down 50 locations (see story below). That's a shame. I'm sure the corporate overlords are preparing their golden umbrellas, while the kids that work at Best Buy have to go work at fast food restaurants or Home Depot. And the adult employees with families face an uncertain Christmas season with only unemployment pay. Sad.

From Wall Street Journal

Best Buy Co....may be running out of time to turn around its troubled electronics business after posting a 91% plunge in quarterly profit Tuesday and suspending its annual earnings forecast heading into the holiday shopping season.

The world's largest electronics chain reported second quarter earnings fell to $12 million from $128 million a year earlier. Its business eroded by almost every measure, from revenue to gross profit margins to same-store sales, as gains in smartphones and tablets failed to make up for computer and television declines.

Story from CNBC

Best Buy's problems have been compounded by "dinosaur (store) formats that we just don't need any longer," Widlitz said.

Critics have complained that Best Buy has become a showroom for Amazon.com Inc and other online retailers as shoppers go to its stores to check out electronics like high-definition televisions, then buy them elsewhere for less.

Ending the practice of showrooming is a top priority, Best Buy said in June.

The company has also said it is working to improve its online business and wants to reduce retail square footage further than a March plan to close 50 of its 1,100 large U.S. stores. Many investors were looking for deeper cuts to turn around the chain.

"The Campaign" Movie Lampoons the Koch Brothers

Ebert and Siskel used to say that when the movies lampoon something broadly enough to be thought hilarious by most viewers, that's the death knell for whatever it is. For instance, the zany "Blazing Saddles" was the end of western movies for the next fifteen years. The outrageous "Airplane" movies were the end of epic disaster films like "Airport" and "Towering Inferno" that once dominated theaters.

It would be nice if the new flick "The Campaign" could cross over into reality and signal the end of the Tea Party in right-wing politics, but we probably aren't that lucky. However, this is parody at its best, nearly indistinguishable from real politics. We've all seen political ads with nearly identical staging and statements as the ones in the movie. Seriously, this is good stuff!



It's sweet to see filmmakers holding a mirror up to Wingnut-World, which they did before with "Game Change" and the McCain/Palin debacle. This time around, we even have a version of the Koch Brothers, those masterminds of election-buying, and the backers of Scott Walker's union-busting takeover in Wisconsin.



In the film, the Koch brothers become "The Motch Brothers," played by Dan Ackroyd and John Lithgow.




From the Milwaukee Express Review

. . . the real villains are the Machiavellian Motch brothers (John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd), stand-ins for the real-life plutocrats called Koch. Terming their economic scheme "insourcing," the brothers are conspiring to move their Chinese factories with their 50-cent-an-hour child labor to North Carolina. They'll save millions on shipping costs—providing the federal government suspends minimum wage, workplace safety and environmental regulations. They will spend whatever it takes to purchase victory.
. . . Huggins and his frumpy family are given a makeover by order of the Motch brothers' sinister political operative. The cardigan-clad schlep is put into a tailored blue suit with an American flag pin, and his home is furnished with an oversize Bible for the coffee table and an oil painting of an American eagle for the fireplace. Huggins probably believes that Jesus was "the greatest American who ever lived," but before long he crosses his own line of integrity, even unearthing Brady's second-grade coloring book as evidence for his Marxist economics.

Frankly, I don't see much fiction there. Sarah Palin spent plenty of time harping about flag pins and Jesus during the 2008 election, and now in 2012 we have Mitt Romney, proponent of outsourcing and gaffe-prone Ted Baxter, as the candidate of the right. Many Republicans can't write a sentence without adding "Marxist" to Barack Obama's name.

When actor Zack Galifianakis was interviewed by the NY Daily News, he talked real politics and brought up one of the problems with our system today ~ the influence of big money thanks to the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court.

This is the part that got the attention of the Koch brothers:

“We really wanted to highlight the ridiculousness that politics has descended into,” Galifianakis says. “Whether you are on the right or the left, everyone can agree that there are a lot of outside influences in American politics that are not good for the system. There’s just too much money.”
To emphasize money’s influence, the film also features Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow as the Motch brothers, billionaire benefactors intent on manipulating the political process to increase their wealth.
“I think it is pretty obvious that the Motch brothers represent the Koch brothers,” says Galifianakis, referring to the industrialists known for supporting conservative advocacy groups. “I disagree with everything they do. They are creepy and there is no way around that. It’s not freedom what they are doing.”

The Koch's decided that instead of being classy and just ignoring the opinion of an actor about a movie, they would make a point of insulting him.

From the Koch Brothers Spokesman via Think Progress

Last we checked, the movie is a comedy. Maybe more to the point is that it’s laughable to take political guidance or moral instruction from a guy who makes obscene gestures with a monkey on a bus in Bangkok…We disagree with his uninformed characterization of Koch and our beliefs. His comments, which appear to be based on false attacks made by our political opponents, demonstrate a lack of understanding of our longstanding support of individual freedom, freedom of expression, and constitutional rights.

I guess they don't understand that parody is protected under the law, and everyone has freedom of speech and expression, not just Republicans. The United States is famous for that - "justice for all," not for "the conservative 1%."

But here's the thing - satire is a subtle thing, even when it's nonsensical and silly. That's why sometimes on the internet you have to put "snark" tags around words so people will understand that you aren't being serious. If the Koch brothers were sophisticated enough to understood that "The Campaign" is a comedy, they still missed the main point, which was that their megabucks have only helped turn our political system into a circus sideshow, and attracted lame candidates in their own image, rich automatons who creep most people out - guys like Eric Cantor and Mitt Romney.

They've basically destroyed whatever credibility they ever had as "kingmakers" by betting on third-rate cuckoos with draconian agendas that nobody wants for their states. Oh, and ruined their own party, possibly forever, by leaning too far to the right.

The subtle part of satire is in knowing when the joke is on you. The Koch brothers don't get it, anymore than Sarah Palin ever got it. But I think most voters get it, which is why Obama is going to win in November. Even the Koch Brothers plus Sheldon Adelson with his billions can't put Humpty-Dumpy Romney back together again, nor can they make him more likable. Justice for all, indeed.

President Obama Speaks in Aurora

"Scripture says that 'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. For the former things have passed away.'"

The Antidote to the NRA

Seriously, every NRA member who thinks their right to bear arms is more important than the freedom of other people should have to watch videos of the victims of the senseless Colorado massacre. It should be mandatory that gun owners should understand that other people have rights too - just like Trayvon Martin, for instance. We have a right to go out for a walk or to a movie without fearing that some vigilante or absolute terrorist armed to the teeth is lurking around. I hope everyone in the country is as angry and fired up about this as I am.



 

The Dark Knight Massacre in Colorado

Horrible story still unfolding. My prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones. You'd think that people could at least feel safe in a movie theater on a summer's day, one of life's simple pleasures. But evil has a way of taking those away from us, unfortunately. More innocence lost.

Most recent update from MSNBC

The apartment of the suspect, identified as James Holmes, 24, had been booby-trapped with what police described as sophisticated explosives or flammable materials, and officers were trying to determine how to defuse them, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said. The area was evacuated, and police were expected to remain on the scene "for hours or days," he said.

Oates initially said 14 people had been killed, but the figure was later revised to 12.

Holmes, a former graduate student in the neuroscience program at University of Colorado medical school, put up no resistance when he was arrested in a parking lot at the theater, police said. They said there was no evidence of other suspects.

"We're pretty confident he acted alone," Officer Frank Fania told TODAY.

The victims, who were being treated in at least six hospitals, included a 6-year-old. A 4-month-old baby also was treated and released. The oldest reported patient is 45.

Story from ABC News

Witnesses in the movie theater said Holmes saw smoke and heard gunshots that they thought were part of the movie until they saw Holmes standing in front of the screen, aftetr entering from an emergency exit. Holmes methodically stalked the aisles of the theater, shooting people at random, as panicked movie-watchers in the packed auditorium tried to escape, witnesses said. "You just smelled smoke and you just kept hearing it, you just heard bam bam bam, non-stop. The gunman never had to reload. Shots just kept going, kept going, kept going," one witness told ABC News. "I'm with coworkers and we're on the floor praying to God we don't get shot, and the gunshots continue on and on, and when the sound finally stopped, we started to get up and people were just bleeding," another theatergoer said. . . . A San Diego woman identifying herself as James Holmes's mother spoke briefly with ABC News this morning. She had awoken unaware of the news of the shooting and had not been contacted by authorities. She immediately expressed concern that her son may have been involved.

Official Statement from President Obama:

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 20, 2012 Statement by President Barack Obama on the Shooting in Colorado Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come.

More remarks by the President in Colorado:

On a day on which he and Republican presidential candidate withdrew negative advertising in Colorado, Obama urged the country to come together, saying it “reminds us of all the ways that we are united as one American family.” “If there was anything to take away from this tragedy it's the reminder that life is very fragile. Our time here is limited and it is precious,” Obama told an audience in Florida. “What matters at the end of the day is not the small things. It's not the trivial things which so often consume us and our daily lives. Ultimately, it's how we treat one another and how we love one another.” The president said he was also heartbroken as a father. “My daughters go to the movies,” he said. “What if Malia and Sasha had been at the theater, as so many of our kids do every day? Michelle and I will be fortunate enough to hug our girls a little tighter tonight and I'm sure you will do the same with your children. “For those parents who may not be so lucky we have to embrace them and let them know we will be there for them as a nation,” he said.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Farewell, Ernest Borgnine

Oh, this is sad - another favorite actor is gone! :(

ABC News Obituary

Borgnine died of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife and children at his side.

Borgnine, who endeared himself to a generation of Baby Boomers with the 1960s TV comedy "McHale's Navy," first attracted notice in the early 1950s in villain roles, notably as the vicious Fatso Judson, who beat Frank Sinatra to death in "From Here to Eternity."

Then came "Marty," a low-budget film based on a Paddy Chayefsky television play that starred Rod Steiger. Borgnine played a 34-year-old who fears he is so unattractive he will never find romance. Then, at a dance, he meets a girl with the same fear.

"Sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts," Marty movingly tells his mother at one point in the film. "And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it. I chased after enough girls in my life. I-I went to enough dances. I got hurt enough. I don't wanna get hurt no more."

The realism of Chayefsky's prose and Delbert Mann's sensitive direction astonished audiences accustomed to happy Hollywood formulas. Borgnine won the Oscar and awards from the Cannes Film Festival, New York Critics and National Board of Review.

Mann and Chayefsky also won Oscars, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hailed the $360,000 "Marty" as best picture over big-budget contenders "The Rose Tattoo," ''Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," ''Picnic" and "Mister Roberts."

RIP Nora Ephron

Norah Ephron has died of leukemia. She was 71.

Journalist, Writer, Director, lover of Jane Austen, and all around Empress of Snark. RIP.

It seems fitting to quote from her ex-husband Carl Bernstein's old haunt, The Washington Post

Born into a family of screenwriters, a top journalist in her 20s and 30s, then a best-selling author and successful director, Ephron was among the most quotable and influential writers of her generation. She wrote and directed such favorites as “Julie & Julia” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” and her books included the novel “Heartburn,” a knockout roman a clef about her marriage to Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein; and the popular essay collections “I Feel Bad About My Neck” and “I Remember Nothing.”

She was tough on others — Bernstein’s marital transgressions were immortalized by the horndog spouse in “Heartburn,” a man “capable of having sex with a Venetian blind” — and relentless about herself. She wrote openly about her difficult childhood, her failed relationships, her doubts about her physical appearance and the hated intrusion of age.

. . . As a screenwriter, Ephron was nominated three times for Academy Awards, for “Silkwood,” ‘’When Harry Met Sally ...” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” and was the rare woman to write, direct and produce Hollywood movies. (Carrie) Fisher and Meg Ryan were among the many actresses who said they loved working with Ephron because she understood them so much better than did her male peers.

Happy Place Diversion ~ Monsoon Wedding

Enjoy a clip from Mira Nair's addictive movie, Monsoon Wedding, one of my all-time favorites.

Happy Place Diversion ~ La Bella Luna

The moon was nearly full last night! So gorgeous!
The Old Farmer's Almanac gives facts about the April Full Moon:

Full Pink Moon, heralds the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox—one of the first spring flowers. It is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon.

Happy Place Diversion ~ Beanie Hunger Games

As irritating as the original story, but much cuter!