Blog Archives
Happy Monday!
That Awkward Engagement: Round 2.
Donna Laura Prepon and Kelso Ashton Kutcher were not only fictional best friends in that famously non-famous Wisconsin suburb of Point Place, but they are best friends in the non-fictional world.
Or so they thought…
Humorously, Laura and Ashton are strikingly similar when it comes to dealing with their real world engagement announcements. As a fan of the late ’90s-early ’00s sitcom about the ’70s, it’s great to see the cast members are still friends after all these years. One can tell if the chemistry on screen is genuine and the friendly back-and-forth between the two was reminiscent of their magic from That ’70s Show.
They’re still hanging out, down the street, just not doing the same old thing that they did last week.
Have an Awesome Week!
Thank You for Being a Trend
Superman, Batman, Ninja Turtles and the almighty…
Golden Girls?
Yes, you read that right. Rose, Dorothy, Blanche and Sophia are entering the super club of superheroes by way of action figure alley.
(Funko)
“The response to our ‘Golden Girls’ products has been wild.” Funko marketing director Mark Robben told ABC News. “We almost weren’t prepared for the excitement. We created these as a passion project initially, and were blown away when it started trending on social media.”
The four-figure set costs $25 or ships to the UK for £21.50, which converts to about AU$35. It’s only available from participating Target stores and New York Comic Con.
–Bonnie Burton, CNET Gadgets
When you consider the Millennial outpouring of a nostalgic persuasion for Betty White (which was a leading driver for her TV resurgence in recent years), molding Ms. White and her fellow “Golden Girls” into pop-culture icons as action figures was inevitable. Perhaps not foreseeable, but inevitable all the same. A sitcom about elderly women living in the same house in Miami, FL has generated enough of a cult following and place in the hearts of those young and old that these four women continue to positively influence our lives 24 years after the show’s series finale on May 9, 1992.
That’s a golden legacy.
Most of all, this toy set is yet another reminder that great friendships impact us forever.
For that, we’re thankful to Rose, Dorothy, Blanche and Sophia.
Our Heads Should Be Full of Dreams
Charlie Chaplin established himself as an actor during the Silent Film Era of the early 20th century, yet his speech from The Great Dictator (1940) should be anything but silenced.
Coldplay had the terrific insight to insert the aforementioned Chaplin speech over the opening minute sequence of the “A Head Full of Dreams” music video. While the music video premiered back in August (featured in a blog), that speech continues to overwhelm in its wisdom and inspiring charge.
In an election season covered by the media (“journalism”) on a relentless basis, we have certainly heard it all from all sides, haven’t we? Interestingly, the speech from The Great Dictator (irony at its highest when you hear the speech) provide us the only things we haven’t heard during this presidential election:
An inspirational, tactful vision for a bright future for everyone.
It may take a fantastical adventure for Mr. Chaplin’s words to reach today’s influential leaders, but it’s worth a shot. Embracing the ingenuity, resolve and promise of the people instead of centralizing control to the powerful few…
Imagine that.
Some New Laughs for Thee to Enjoy
This is the real (wait, fake) debate of the 2016 presidential election we’ve all been waiting for in this weekend’s premiere of the 42nd season of Saturday Night Live.
Comedy has its place in politics and Saturday Night Live (SNL) is that epicenter. The in-house legend Lorne Michaels, fully aware of his institution’s role in highly contentious elections, sought outside help to gently assist in a (potential) ratings bonanza by convincing longtime friend Alec Baldwin to play Donald Trump opposite hilarious cast member Kate McKinnon (Hillary Clinton). Throughout SNL’s esteemed history, creating caricatures of major political candidates and powerful leaders has been an entertaining trademark of the show. Particularly this election cycle, the major question isn’t determining whether there will be ample material from both sides.
Or material from the third candidate: Aleppo…Aleppo…Aleppo?
The concern is how much of the material has to be written?
The craziness, anger and, yes, sadness, of this presidential election has reached new lows that people never thought possible from the two major (well, all of the) candidates for the White House. And politics has always provided a steep curve. Still, scandals and new reasons for anger erupt on a seemingly daily basis, frustrating voters across the political spectrum. “These are our choices?” In this time of great trepidation, let’s take comfort in the words of the late Mark Twain:
“Humor is tragedy plus time.”
SNL is banking on five days being enough time from the tragedy of that first presidential debate.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 