As soon as I had breakfast, I went right into dusting the apartment. It wasn't really that bad, but it had to be done. After I finished that, I pulled out the spring and St. Patrick's Day decorations. Most of what I have for St. Patrick's Day are cardboard cutouts of shamrocks and animals dressed as leprechauns. I also have a tinsel garland I picked up from Dollar Tree a few years ago and a shamrock-print Beanie Baby bear I found at a yard sale. Spring decorations include two small baskets of flowers (one actually came with one of Samantha's limited-edition outfits), a wreath draped with artificial lilacs that went on the front door, and two yellow wooden tulips with green raffia ribbon I hang on the knobs of the cookbook cabinet and a flower-print tin that I got from Mom when she cleared out her seasonal items a few years ago.
Ran the first two episodes of The Man from Atlantis while I worked. This short-lived show was apparently based on a series of TV movies made early in 1977 (which, unfortunately, do not come with this set). The title character is a young man named Mark Harris (Patrick Duffy) who has super-strength and the ability to swim like a fish, among other super powers. The show picks up with "Melt Down." A machine is using powerful microwaves to melt the polar ice caps and flood the world. Mr. Schubert (Victor Buono), a rich old industrialist who seems to be obsessed with Mark, claims he'll trade him for stopping the machine. But of course, he has no intention of keeping his word...
Schubert's back in "The Mudworm." This time, he's sabotaged an underwater computer, forcing it to sink ships and do his bidding. As it turns out, Mark can not only talk to water creatures, but computers as well...and he has to convince it to end the destruction.
Hurried off to work as soon as I finished with the decorations. Other than ending up in the register again briefly right after break, there were no problems all day. I spent the first half outside, gathering carts and the trash and recycling, and the second half bagging and shelving candy and the few returns that were around. We were quiet for most of the day, and never more than a little steady. Nice weather may have been one cause. While it was once again very windy, it was sunny and fairly warm when you could dodge the wind.
Picked up a few things after work. I mainly needed toilet paper; I just ran out. Grabbed the last of that Smucker's Natural Orange Marmalade off the clearance shelf. I love that stuff. Needed thin pads, and I fished You Only Live Twice (one of the Bond films that I never finalized, and thus, doesn't work with my current DVD player) out of the 5 dollar DVD bins.
Did research on classic movie blogs when I got home, then worked on some writing. Leia manages to dodge Vader long enough to arrive at one of the apartment buildings in Yavin Park, the Coruscant City equivalent of Greenwich Village in New York or South Street in Philadelphia. She finds a familiar pair working on the plumbing in the communal bathroom, handyman and plumber Rudy Detonski and his nervous translator friend Charlie. Rudy is the repair man and go-to gadgeteer genius of the Rebel League, and Leia wouldn't trust anyone else with delivering the precious tapes...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had the last of the leftover hamburger pie and green beans, then made Chocolate Chip Muffins while finishing out the Man from Atlantis disc. "The Hawk of Mu" is a strange hawk statue Mark discovers underground while investigating a power outage. To his surprise, the statue seems to be the cause of the outages, as it can suck the power from the area around it. He has to keep it from falling into Schubert's hands, with the help of his spunky daughter.
Finished the night with Singin' In the Rain after a shower. I go into more detail on what's likely the most beloved original movie musical of all time at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Singin' In the Rain
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Monday, March 11, 2019
You Will Believe a Man Can Fly
Kicked off a quick morning with two superhero-themed Backyardigans episodes while I ate breakfast. Uniqua, a flower seller in Garden City, pricks her finger on the thorn of a blossom that gives her "Flower Power!" Once she learns how to control her newfound abilities, she flies off to save the city and its citizens Pablo, Tasha, and Tyrone from the evil Gloom Meister (Austin).
Tasha's the superheroine in "Front Page News." She's a photographer who has been tasked by her publisher Pablo to get a photo for the front page. She also happens to be Super Snap, the super-fast hero who helps Bug Girl (Uniqua) and Bubble Man (Tyrone) figure out what a giant robot that's rampaging in downtown Bigopolis really wants.
Went to work even before the cartoon ended. The Acme was quiet pretty much the entire day. It did get a little busy around noon, but otherwise wasn't bad. There was plenty of help, including three baggers. I spent the first half of the day alternating between carts and shelving loose items, and the second half organizing the clearance shelves. The front-end manager was right that it was a real mess again. They just pulled a lot of jam, peanut butter (mainly powdered and organic), candy, and many drug products. I pulled everything to the front and found two metal hangers to hold smaller drug items.
Rushed home as soon as I finished. Charlie was supposed to show up with the inspector between 5:30 and 6:30. That still gave me plenty of time to change, make the bed, and tidy up around the apartment. I was already writing when they appeared around 6. They walked through the rooms, and Charlie told him what he was going to do inside (eventually, maybe).
Spent the next hour or so writing. Went back to my original idea. Vader is chasing "Force Girl" - aka Leia Ortega - across the skies of corrupt Coruscant City. Leia's barely able to dodge him and his jet pack-sporting Shadow Soldiers. She manages to get a good hit on his shoulder before heading towards Yavin Park, Coruscant's artistic enclave, and the little apartment buildings there...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftovers, then made Banana Cookies with butter, egg, and a white cake mix. Not bad. Not too sweet, very soft. Came out better than either of the pies, anyway.
Finished the night watching Superman: The Movie. A lengthy prologue introduces us to Jor-El (Marlon Brando), of the doomed planet Krypton. He sends his infant son to Earth before the planet explodes. There, he's raised by farm couple Martha (Phyllis Thaxter) and Johnathan Kent (Glenn Ford) under the name Clark. After his adopted father dies, Clark finds a crystal in the craft that brought him there that brings him north and builds his Fortress of Solitude.
He returns to Metropolis 12 years later as a reporter for the Daily Planet. He falls for sassy Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), saving her and half of Metropolis from various catastrophes. Criminal genius Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is less pleased with Superman, and realizes he's found a way to keep him from interfering with his latest scheme when a certain green, glowing rock is discovered in the desert...and seems to have an adverse effect on Superman's powers...
The Man of Steel's first full-length outing on the big screen takes forever to get moving, but when it does, it's a lot of fun. Reeve was the perfect Superman, Kidder's just as good as Lois, and Hackman's having a great time chewing the scenery to atoms as Superman's most infamous adversary. I just wish the story of Superman's origins weren't such a slog. I suspect they were drawn out only to justify that huge salary they gave Marlon Brando to play Jor-El. The Oscar-winning special effects still hold up pretty well, including Superman in the air.
While I prefer the two movies that came after it, the first film certainly isn't bad. Recommended for fans of sci-fi, the DC Universe, and Superman if they can get past that lethally dull first 20-30 minutes.
Tasha's the superheroine in "Front Page News." She's a photographer who has been tasked by her publisher Pablo to get a photo for the front page. She also happens to be Super Snap, the super-fast hero who helps Bug Girl (Uniqua) and Bubble Man (Tyrone) figure out what a giant robot that's rampaging in downtown Bigopolis really wants.
Went to work even before the cartoon ended. The Acme was quiet pretty much the entire day. It did get a little busy around noon, but otherwise wasn't bad. There was plenty of help, including three baggers. I spent the first half of the day alternating between carts and shelving loose items, and the second half organizing the clearance shelves. The front-end manager was right that it was a real mess again. They just pulled a lot of jam, peanut butter (mainly powdered and organic), candy, and many drug products. I pulled everything to the front and found two metal hangers to hold smaller drug items.
Rushed home as soon as I finished. Charlie was supposed to show up with the inspector between 5:30 and 6:30. That still gave me plenty of time to change, make the bed, and tidy up around the apartment. I was already writing when they appeared around 6. They walked through the rooms, and Charlie told him what he was going to do inside (eventually, maybe).
Spent the next hour or so writing. Went back to my original idea. Vader is chasing "Force Girl" - aka Leia Ortega - across the skies of corrupt Coruscant City. Leia's barely able to dodge him and his jet pack-sporting Shadow Soldiers. She manages to get a good hit on his shoulder before heading towards Yavin Park, Coruscant's artistic enclave, and the little apartment buildings there...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftovers, then made Banana Cookies with butter, egg, and a white cake mix. Not bad. Not too sweet, very soft. Came out better than either of the pies, anyway.
Finished the night watching Superman: The Movie. A lengthy prologue introduces us to Jor-El (Marlon Brando), of the doomed planet Krypton. He sends his infant son to Earth before the planet explodes. There, he's raised by farm couple Martha (Phyllis Thaxter) and Johnathan Kent (Glenn Ford) under the name Clark. After his adopted father dies, Clark finds a crystal in the craft that brought him there that brings him north and builds his Fortress of Solitude.
He returns to Metropolis 12 years later as a reporter for the Daily Planet. He falls for sassy Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), saving her and half of Metropolis from various catastrophes. Criminal genius Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is less pleased with Superman, and realizes he's found a way to keep him from interfering with his latest scheme when a certain green, glowing rock is discovered in the desert...and seems to have an adverse effect on Superman's powers...
The Man of Steel's first full-length outing on the big screen takes forever to get moving, but when it does, it's a lot of fun. Reeve was the perfect Superman, Kidder's just as good as Lois, and Hackman's having a great time chewing the scenery to atoms as Superman's most infamous adversary. I just wish the story of Superman's origins weren't such a slog. I suspect they were drawn out only to justify that huge salary they gave Marlon Brando to play Jor-El. The Oscar-winning special effects still hold up pretty well, including Superman in the air.
While I prefer the two movies that came after it, the first film certainly isn't bad. Recommended for fans of sci-fi, the DC Universe, and Superman if they can get past that lethally dull first 20-30 minutes.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Musical Memories
I was up late with Lauren last night...and it was even later when I awoke, thanks to Daylight Savings. It was so late, after wrestling with changing the time on my watch, I wrote in my journal, then went right into making Chocolate Chip Pancakes for what was now brunch.
Listened to the Donna Summer greatest hits collection On the Radio while I ate. Donna Summer's music holds a lot of precious memories for me. Some of my earliest memories are of Rose and me dancing around the house to Dad-Bill's old record copy of Bad Girls, belting the title song at the top of our lungs. I bought him On the Radio on CD as a Christmas present around 1999-2000. I kind of did it as a joke. He'd always been a fan of disco...and Mom was not a fan of disco. To my surprise, it was a hit when Dad played it for my sisters and their friends on Christmas night and became much-requested in my family during the early 2000's, even from Mom.
Ran out to get the laundry done as soon as I finished breakfast. While it was fairly busy, there were plenty of washers and dryers open. Good thing, too. I had a really big load, including towels. I read The Introvert Entrepreneur while ignoring soccer on TV and two Hispanic college kids running loud Spanish music on their smartphones.
Put everything away when I got home, then did some writing. Re-wrote the opening paragraphs. Leia Ortega is still flying over Coruscant City, but she now gets a call from the mysterious White Queen, her Charlie-like boss. She tells her that there's a fire at the Erso Scrapyards in the Scarif District that seems to have been started by the evil Darth Vader, fire-powered Father of Death, and his minions the Shadow Soldiers. The White Queen wants Leia to pick up a package that includes some very important tapes and blueprints, describing Vader's newest secret weapon...
Lauren came on early (she was watching wrestling). I took a shower first, then had a quick leftovers dinner while listening to a few more 70's items and chatting with her. I've been a huge fan of Billy Joel literally for as long as I can remember. Like him, Dad-Bill was from Long Island; Mom often spoke of seeing him play in clubs and bars in the early-mid 70's. His 52nd Street was one of the first records I remember listening to constantly; favorites from this album include "Honesty," "My Life," "Zanzibar," "Rosalinda's Eyes," and "Until the Night."
Finished the night with the soundtrack from Superman: The Movie. Superman has been one of my favorite superheroes since early childhood, likely due to Super Friends and the first three movies. John Williams' score for the first movie has become iconic in its own right, especially the opening credits Title March.
Listened to the Donna Summer greatest hits collection On the Radio while I ate. Donna Summer's music holds a lot of precious memories for me. Some of my earliest memories are of Rose and me dancing around the house to Dad-Bill's old record copy of Bad Girls, belting the title song at the top of our lungs. I bought him On the Radio on CD as a Christmas present around 1999-2000. I kind of did it as a joke. He'd always been a fan of disco...and Mom was not a fan of disco. To my surprise, it was a hit when Dad played it for my sisters and their friends on Christmas night and became much-requested in my family during the early 2000's, even from Mom.
Ran out to get the laundry done as soon as I finished breakfast. While it was fairly busy, there were plenty of washers and dryers open. Good thing, too. I had a really big load, including towels. I read The Introvert Entrepreneur while ignoring soccer on TV and two Hispanic college kids running loud Spanish music on their smartphones.
Put everything away when I got home, then did some writing. Re-wrote the opening paragraphs. Leia Ortega is still flying over Coruscant City, but she now gets a call from the mysterious White Queen, her Charlie-like boss. She tells her that there's a fire at the Erso Scrapyards in the Scarif District that seems to have been started by the evil Darth Vader, fire-powered Father of Death, and his minions the Shadow Soldiers. The White Queen wants Leia to pick up a package that includes some very important tapes and blueprints, describing Vader's newest secret weapon...
Lauren came on early (she was watching wrestling). I took a shower first, then had a quick leftovers dinner while listening to a few more 70's items and chatting with her. I've been a huge fan of Billy Joel literally for as long as I can remember. Like him, Dad-Bill was from Long Island; Mom often spoke of seeing him play in clubs and bars in the early-mid 70's. His 52nd Street was one of the first records I remember listening to constantly; favorites from this album include "Honesty," "My Life," "Zanzibar," "Rosalinda's Eyes," and "Until the Night."
Finished the night with the soundtrack from Superman: The Movie. Superman has been one of my favorite superheroes since early childhood, likely due to Super Friends and the first three movies. John Williams' score for the first movie has become iconic in its own right, especially the opening credits Title March.
Saturday, March 09, 2019
So Close to Spring
I slept in this morning and finished off The Sleeping Beauty. Since I was having leftover pizza for breakfast, I put on an episode of the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that revolved around the Turtles' obsession with that particular food. "The Case of the Killer Pizzas" has the Turtles chasing down a trio of aliens that hatch out of meatballs that were planted by Shredder and Baxter Stockman on free pies at a bake-off.
Headed out to run a few errands around quarter of noon. Since I was just staying in the area, I decided to do it on foot. It was an absolutely glorious day for a walk anyway. The sun was out, the sky was pale blue, and this time, there was no cold wind to diminish its warmth. The grass is getting greener in most people's yards. A few folks have St. Patrick's Day banners, but most seem to have settled for their just-awakening gardens.
First stop was the Oaklyn Library. It was just me and the librarian as I organized DVDs. Took a few out from there for the first time in a while. They carry several action shows from the 60's and 70's. I opted for one I vaguely remember seeing in re-runs, The Man From Atlantis. The Golden Child with Eddie Murphy is another action film from the mid-80's that Dad-Bill watched constantly when I was a child; thought it might be fun to see it again. Having enjoyed the female-based caper film Ocean's 8 last June, I thought I'd take a look at a darker take on a similar idea, Widows. Grabbed Challenge of the Super Friends from the kids' area for ideas for my current story.
Since it's only a few blocks from the library on the White Horse Pike, I headed to Dunkin' Donuts next for a treat in honor of my having finally finished the Han/Robin Hood story. They were only slightly busier than the library had been. I had no problems ordering a sweet and delicious frozen chocolate. (I like it much better than their Coolattas, which tend to be too sweet.)
Went a few more blocks in the opposite direction down to Dollar General. I was pretty much just there for pads. Also bought replacements for the hanging air fresheners in my closet. They were a little bit busy, but certainly nothing overwhelming, and I was in and out.
Strolled to Dad and Jodie's, which isn't that far from there. They were watching movies. Thankfully, Dad was up and about and seemed a lot better. On one hand, they don't mind Lauren coming down here to visit in May...but we're likely going to need to find our own transportation. Dad's no longer driving, and I can't always find people to drive me places. Lauren and I have already been discussing alternate ideas. We generally don't do as much down here as we do when I visit her, anyway. We take the bus to two malls and the train to the big Macy's in Philly, but we spend most of our time walking around in the local small towns. We also spend less on food. I don't mind making dinner and feeding Lauren. I wish I could do it more often.
Charlie was working on putting shingles on the overhanging roof as I arrived. I ignored his cursing and took down the winter decorations (which I'm just tired of seeing) and made the bed. When he finally left, I put out the two rugs to air, vacuumed, and washed the windows.
Did Challenge of the Super Friends as I worked. To my surprise, the opening credits seemed very familiar. Considering this show originally ran in 1978, I may have seen re-runs in my early childhood, or possibly on the USA Cartoon Express later in the 80's. Basically, it's the Justice League - Wonder Woman, The Flash, Superman, Batman, Robin, Hawkman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and new character Black Vulcan - pit against the Legion of Doom, aka a group of their regular villains lead by Lex Luthor. The episodes were apparently taken from the Wonder Twins-free second half of the show.
"Trial of the Super Friends" has Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern guarding a "liquid light" that can eat through anything, including a solid concrete dam. They're captured by members of the Legion of Doom, who put them on trial at their Hall of Doom and make them fight android versions of themselves. Meanwhile, the others fight off the liquid light, trying to keep it from destroying New York.
The "Monolith of Evil" is a jagged rock that supposedly gave zombie Solomon Grundy his powers and can enhance dark powers. The Legion of Doom trick Superman, Hawkman, and Black Vulcan into retrieving it for them by shrinking the United Nations and putting it with the Monolith. While Black Vulcan and Hawkman try to help get Superman away from a kryptonite chain, the others try to get the Monolith away from the Legion.
Bizarro, the "evil" version of Superman, creates a ray that can turn the Legion into the "Giants of Doom." They shrink the Super Friends and send them to Saturn...but they manage to escape and manipulate Bizarro's ray, letting Batman, Superman, The Flash, and Green Lantern grow to beat the Legion at their own game.
Time travel is the theme of "Secret Origins of the Super Friends." Actually, we really only get to see the origins of Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern. The Legion travels back in time to interfere with the past and make everyone forget about three of the Justice League's most famous members. The others find a tape of Luthor's plans and eventually do some time-hopping of their own to keep the Legion from interfering with history.
I actually ended up quite enjoying these. While the dialogue is stiff and the animation only so-so, it's colorful and fun, with some interesting stories that seem like they could have been lifted directly from the comics of the day. I especially like how they handled Black Vulcan. Unlike his fellow "minority" Justice League members Samurai and Apache Chief who come off as stereotypes, he's dressed and is treated no differently than any of the other Super Friends. He actually has pretty nifty powers - he can throw and handle lightning, which comes particularly handy when he stops Sinestro from messing with Hal Jordan in "Secret Origins."
I enjoyed this enough that I may have to dig around for the full season set. If you have fond memories of seeing it as a kid like I do or are a fan of the Justice League in animation, it's worth looking around for. (I'd also like to dig up The Legendary Super Powers Show, which I remember watching on TV when it was new. Rose and I were huge fans of that show and split most of the toys from that line between the two of us. I think I had Superman, Aquaman, Lex Luthor, and Hawkman, while Rose had Green Lantern, Batman, Robin, The Penguin, The Flash, and Darkseid.)
Worked on writing for the next few hours. Three little girls look up and see a streak of light in the sky over Scarif. It's not a bird nor a plane, but is Force Girl, aka Lelita Ortega, a fire-based superheroine. She's flying as fast as she can away from nasty supervillain Darth Vader and his own minions, who all dress in while and fly via jet packs. Vader doesn't need jet propulsion to fly - he has his own fire powers.
Broke for dinner at 7. I was originally going to make baked ziti, but since I had that second pie crust, I thought I'd try hamburger pie. I made the filling much too soupy. It did taste good in the end, but the inner crust never really cooked all the way. At the very least, it came out better than my lemon meringue pie.
Put on Hot Shots! while I ate. In this parody of Top Gun and other gung-ho military action films of the 1980's, Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is persuaded to return to fighting after he left the navy due to his independent nature. The base psychologist, Ramada Thompson (Valerie Golino) notes that he has problems with the death of his father "Buzz" Harley (Bill Irwin) years before and suggests that he doesn't fly. There's a reason Corporal James Block (Kevin Dunn) wants Topper in the air, and it isn't because of his fighting skills. Meanwhile, Topper's falling for Ramada, to the consternation of her boyfriend Lieutenant Kent Gregory (Cary Elwes), and the slightly senile Admiral Benson (Lloyd Bridges) is probably just wonder why all those people are flying around in the air.
Dad-Bruce actually took Rose and me to see this one when it came out in 1991. It was instantly a favorite of ours, and while I now prefer the sequel, this one also has much to enjoy. (I can never hear "Only You" without thinking of the spoof movie montage with Topper and Ramada.) If you love other genre satires from the 80's and 90's like The Naked Gun, you'll probably have just as much fun with this one.
Finished the night with Chicago, the most recent musical to win an Oscar. I go more into this cynical tale of murder and fame in the Windy City of the 1920's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Chicago (2002)
Headed out to run a few errands around quarter of noon. Since I was just staying in the area, I decided to do it on foot. It was an absolutely glorious day for a walk anyway. The sun was out, the sky was pale blue, and this time, there was no cold wind to diminish its warmth. The grass is getting greener in most people's yards. A few folks have St. Patrick's Day banners, but most seem to have settled for their just-awakening gardens.
First stop was the Oaklyn Library. It was just me and the librarian as I organized DVDs. Took a few out from there for the first time in a while. They carry several action shows from the 60's and 70's. I opted for one I vaguely remember seeing in re-runs, The Man From Atlantis. The Golden Child with Eddie Murphy is another action film from the mid-80's that Dad-Bill watched constantly when I was a child; thought it might be fun to see it again. Having enjoyed the female-based caper film Ocean's 8 last June, I thought I'd take a look at a darker take on a similar idea, Widows. Grabbed Challenge of the Super Friends from the kids' area for ideas for my current story.
Since it's only a few blocks from the library on the White Horse Pike, I headed to Dunkin' Donuts next for a treat in honor of my having finally finished the Han/Robin Hood story. They were only slightly busier than the library had been. I had no problems ordering a sweet and delicious frozen chocolate. (I like it much better than their Coolattas, which tend to be too sweet.)
Went a few more blocks in the opposite direction down to Dollar General. I was pretty much just there for pads. Also bought replacements for the hanging air fresheners in my closet. They were a little bit busy, but certainly nothing overwhelming, and I was in and out.
Strolled to Dad and Jodie's, which isn't that far from there. They were watching movies. Thankfully, Dad was up and about and seemed a lot better. On one hand, they don't mind Lauren coming down here to visit in May...but we're likely going to need to find our own transportation. Dad's no longer driving, and I can't always find people to drive me places. Lauren and I have already been discussing alternate ideas. We generally don't do as much down here as we do when I visit her, anyway. We take the bus to two malls and the train to the big Macy's in Philly, but we spend most of our time walking around in the local small towns. We also spend less on food. I don't mind making dinner and feeding Lauren. I wish I could do it more often.
Charlie was working on putting shingles on the overhanging roof as I arrived. I ignored his cursing and took down the winter decorations (which I'm just tired of seeing) and made the bed. When he finally left, I put out the two rugs to air, vacuumed, and washed the windows.
Did Challenge of the Super Friends as I worked. To my surprise, the opening credits seemed very familiar. Considering this show originally ran in 1978, I may have seen re-runs in my early childhood, or possibly on the USA Cartoon Express later in the 80's. Basically, it's the Justice League - Wonder Woman, The Flash, Superman, Batman, Robin, Hawkman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and new character Black Vulcan - pit against the Legion of Doom, aka a group of their regular villains lead by Lex Luthor. The episodes were apparently taken from the Wonder Twins-free second half of the show.
"Trial of the Super Friends" has Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern guarding a "liquid light" that can eat through anything, including a solid concrete dam. They're captured by members of the Legion of Doom, who put them on trial at their Hall of Doom and make them fight android versions of themselves. Meanwhile, the others fight off the liquid light, trying to keep it from destroying New York.
The "Monolith of Evil" is a jagged rock that supposedly gave zombie Solomon Grundy his powers and can enhance dark powers. The Legion of Doom trick Superman, Hawkman, and Black Vulcan into retrieving it for them by shrinking the United Nations and putting it with the Monolith. While Black Vulcan and Hawkman try to help get Superman away from a kryptonite chain, the others try to get the Monolith away from the Legion.
Bizarro, the "evil" version of Superman, creates a ray that can turn the Legion into the "Giants of Doom." They shrink the Super Friends and send them to Saturn...but they manage to escape and manipulate Bizarro's ray, letting Batman, Superman, The Flash, and Green Lantern grow to beat the Legion at their own game.
Time travel is the theme of "Secret Origins of the Super Friends." Actually, we really only get to see the origins of Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern. The Legion travels back in time to interfere with the past and make everyone forget about three of the Justice League's most famous members. The others find a tape of Luthor's plans and eventually do some time-hopping of their own to keep the Legion from interfering with history.
I actually ended up quite enjoying these. While the dialogue is stiff and the animation only so-so, it's colorful and fun, with some interesting stories that seem like they could have been lifted directly from the comics of the day. I especially like how they handled Black Vulcan. Unlike his fellow "minority" Justice League members Samurai and Apache Chief who come off as stereotypes, he's dressed and is treated no differently than any of the other Super Friends. He actually has pretty nifty powers - he can throw and handle lightning, which comes particularly handy when he stops Sinestro from messing with Hal Jordan in "Secret Origins."
I enjoyed this enough that I may have to dig around for the full season set. If you have fond memories of seeing it as a kid like I do or are a fan of the Justice League in animation, it's worth looking around for. (I'd also like to dig up The Legendary Super Powers Show, which I remember watching on TV when it was new. Rose and I were huge fans of that show and split most of the toys from that line between the two of us. I think I had Superman, Aquaman, Lex Luthor, and Hawkman, while Rose had Green Lantern, Batman, Robin, The Penguin, The Flash, and Darkseid.)
Worked on writing for the next few hours. Three little girls look up and see a streak of light in the sky over Scarif. It's not a bird nor a plane, but is Force Girl, aka Lelita Ortega, a fire-based superheroine. She's flying as fast as she can away from nasty supervillain Darth Vader and his own minions, who all dress in while and fly via jet packs. Vader doesn't need jet propulsion to fly - he has his own fire powers.
Broke for dinner at 7. I was originally going to make baked ziti, but since I had that second pie crust, I thought I'd try hamburger pie. I made the filling much too soupy. It did taste good in the end, but the inner crust never really cooked all the way. At the very least, it came out better than my lemon meringue pie.
Put on Hot Shots! while I ate. In this parody of Top Gun and other gung-ho military action films of the 1980's, Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is persuaded to return to fighting after he left the navy due to his independent nature. The base psychologist, Ramada Thompson (Valerie Golino) notes that he has problems with the death of his father "Buzz" Harley (Bill Irwin) years before and suggests that he doesn't fly. There's a reason Corporal James Block (Kevin Dunn) wants Topper in the air, and it isn't because of his fighting skills. Meanwhile, Topper's falling for Ramada, to the consternation of her boyfriend Lieutenant Kent Gregory (Cary Elwes), and the slightly senile Admiral Benson (Lloyd Bridges) is probably just wonder why all those people are flying around in the air.
Dad-Bruce actually took Rose and me to see this one when it came out in 1991. It was instantly a favorite of ours, and while I now prefer the sequel, this one also has much to enjoy. (I can never hear "Only You" without thinking of the spoof movie montage with Topper and Ramada.) If you love other genre satires from the 80's and 90's like The Naked Gun, you'll probably have just as much fun with this one.
Finished the night with Chicago, the most recent musical to win an Oscar. I go more into this cynical tale of murder and fame in the Windy City of the 1920's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Chicago (2002)
Friday, March 08, 2019
Never-Ending Battles
Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. While I'd seen more than half the episodes elsewhere, there were enough that were unique to justify taking the DVD out. "Daniel's Love Day Surprise" includes a heart-shaped pizza for dinner and hiding valentines for his Grandpere. He's upset when his baby sister Margaret finds one first, but Grandpere assures him that he doesn't mind, and Margaret is just showing how much she loves him.
Dan visits O the Owl at his and his uncle X's home in the tree house. They read a dinosaur book from O's vast collection, only to discover that the last page is missing. "Daniel Helps O Tell a Story" in order to finish the book.
The Tiger parents want Margaret to experience her first "Chime Time" - that is, the time when all the clocks at the factory where Daniel Sr. works goes off at once. On the way, they encounter Katrina and Henrietta, who are spending their own family time having a tea party and dancing together.
Headed to work as the episode was ending. It wasn't that busy when I came in, but I did pick up during the noon rush hour and stayed relatively busy. I got stuck in the registers twice, once to go in for someone going on break, but I was mainly either doing a full cart of returns, or outside gathering carts and recycling.
Went straight into grocery shopping as soon as my shift ended. There's a lot of really good sales this week. Skippy Peanut Butter and McCormick Grill Seasoning were $1.50 each. I had a paper coupon for the former and an online coupon for the latter. Butter, frozen vegetables, and frozen pizza were cheap, too. Found bone-in chicken thighs and ground chicken for good prices. Found Smucker's Natural Concord Grape Jelly on the clearance racks. Restocked pears, oranges, bananas, an onion, skim milk, pancake mix, cereal, white flour, and canned mandarin oranges.
My schedule this week is not bad, and in fact is one of the best I've had in a while. Only one early day, on Wednesday (the head bagger's day off), Sunday, Thursday, and next Friday off. That means I'll be able to get some job research done and start my next story.
Finished out Daniel Tiger while I put everything away. It's "Tiger Family Fun" when the Tigers pick fruit and vegetables for dinner from the Enchanted Garden. They eventually join Lady Elaine, Miss Elania, and Music Man Stan for their own dinner.
Went into Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle while I baked the Five-Cheese Pizza I got for dinner. Had it with a basic green salad. The first episode covered the Golden Age of Superheroes from Superman's debut to the creation of the Comics Code in the mid-50's. As someone who was born 40 years after the first Superman comic was released, I don't really know much about this era. Along with the big names - Superman, Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Sub-Mariner, and Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel) - the late 30's and World War II produced an endless parade of lesser-known cosmic or god-like do-gooders who saved the day from Nazis and gangsters. The stability of the 50's not only ended the need for such heroes, but made them look quite suspect to many intellectuals of the day, with their violence and heroes running around in tights, with random young men by their sides.
Worked on a little writing after dinner. I was tired and didn't get much more done than setting the scene. Coruscant City in 1977 is a corrupt landscape made up of many districts. Most of the rich folk live in Naboo Heights, while the Corellia Wharfs are known for their crumbling warehouses and rampant crime and drugs. Bespin is the major entertainment and nightclub district; Mos Eisley in the outer borough town Tatoonie is basically the seedier, low-rent desert version. Hosnia Square is the home of the city government, including Mayor Steven Palpatine and his mysterious enforcer, Darren Velder - aka, the super villain Darth Vader.
Into this den of crime and corruption flies what to most citizens of Coruscant City appears to be little more than a streaking star...but is really Force Girl, aka Lelita Ortega, flame-powered superheroine, who is doing her best to escape Vader's goons and get a message to safety.
Broke for a shower at 8. Finished the Superheroes documentary after I got out. As the 60's dawned, superheroes were basically considered to be silly kid's stuff, the Comics Code and the conformity of the times having banished darker or scary elements. All that began to change with the revival of Marvel Comics and their new breed of slightly darker, more angsty heroes. The Fantastic Four, Spider Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D, and Silver Surfer were far more human (or human-like) than previous superheroes. DC rewrote their older characters like the Flash, The Green Arrow, and Green Lantern to bring them closer to the changing times. The rise of the Civil Rights Era and Women's Liberation movement returned Wonder Woman to her roots at DC and created the first black superhero, Black Panther, along with Ms.(now Captain) Marvel, Valkyre, Black Cat, and the amoral mercenary Luke Cage.
We open the last segment with the arrival of the first Superman movie on the big screen. Superman: The Movie was the blockbuster hit of 1979. The first three movies and Supergirl were part of the backbone of my early childhood, and Christopher Reeve was one of my first crushes. The success of Superman on the big screen and Wonder Woman, Hulk, and Spider Man on TV (along with small-screen originals The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) proved that anyone, from psychopaths to children to mutated pet turtles, could be super.
I preferred those campier shows and Reeves' earnest performance to the darker and more violent comics of the 90's. The Tim Burton Batman may have been the smash hit of 1989, but it was too much for me (and still isn't a huge favorite of mine). I just couldn't get into 80's and 90's anti-heroes like Blade, The Punisher, Spawn, The Watchmen, Lobo, The Crow, and Hellboy. Though I would become a fan of Deadpool, Wolverine, and the X-Men later in life, as a teen, the only superheroes who even remotely interested me were The Rocketeer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As I've previously mentioned, what I'm most enjoying about the current superhero boom is learning more about characters I'd either never heard before the turn of the 21st Century (the female Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man) or had only vaguely heard of or known a little bit about (Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Deadpool,and the X-Men, Aquaman, Cyborg, the Teen Titans). It's also interesting to note how the popularity of superheroes has tended to go up whenever there is a lot of unrest in the world, which would explain their creation in the depths of the Great Depression...and their huge popularity with everything going on now.
Dan visits O the Owl at his and his uncle X's home in the tree house. They read a dinosaur book from O's vast collection, only to discover that the last page is missing. "Daniel Helps O Tell a Story" in order to finish the book.
The Tiger parents want Margaret to experience her first "Chime Time" - that is, the time when all the clocks at the factory where Daniel Sr. works goes off at once. On the way, they encounter Katrina and Henrietta, who are spending their own family time having a tea party and dancing together.
Headed to work as the episode was ending. It wasn't that busy when I came in, but I did pick up during the noon rush hour and stayed relatively busy. I got stuck in the registers twice, once to go in for someone going on break, but I was mainly either doing a full cart of returns, or outside gathering carts and recycling.
Went straight into grocery shopping as soon as my shift ended. There's a lot of really good sales this week. Skippy Peanut Butter and McCormick Grill Seasoning were $1.50 each. I had a paper coupon for the former and an online coupon for the latter. Butter, frozen vegetables, and frozen pizza were cheap, too. Found bone-in chicken thighs and ground chicken for good prices. Found Smucker's Natural Concord Grape Jelly on the clearance racks. Restocked pears, oranges, bananas, an onion, skim milk, pancake mix, cereal, white flour, and canned mandarin oranges.
My schedule this week is not bad, and in fact is one of the best I've had in a while. Only one early day, on Wednesday (the head bagger's day off), Sunday, Thursday, and next Friday off. That means I'll be able to get some job research done and start my next story.
Finished out Daniel Tiger while I put everything away. It's "Tiger Family Fun" when the Tigers pick fruit and vegetables for dinner from the Enchanted Garden. They eventually join Lady Elaine, Miss Elania, and Music Man Stan for their own dinner.
Went into Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle while I baked the Five-Cheese Pizza I got for dinner. Had it with a basic green salad. The first episode covered the Golden Age of Superheroes from Superman's debut to the creation of the Comics Code in the mid-50's. As someone who was born 40 years after the first Superman comic was released, I don't really know much about this era. Along with the big names - Superman, Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Sub-Mariner, and Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel) - the late 30's and World War II produced an endless parade of lesser-known cosmic or god-like do-gooders who saved the day from Nazis and gangsters. The stability of the 50's not only ended the need for such heroes, but made them look quite suspect to many intellectuals of the day, with their violence and heroes running around in tights, with random young men by their sides.
Worked on a little writing after dinner. I was tired and didn't get much more done than setting the scene. Coruscant City in 1977 is a corrupt landscape made up of many districts. Most of the rich folk live in Naboo Heights, while the Corellia Wharfs are known for their crumbling warehouses and rampant crime and drugs. Bespin is the major entertainment and nightclub district; Mos Eisley in the outer borough town Tatoonie is basically the seedier, low-rent desert version. Hosnia Square is the home of the city government, including Mayor Steven Palpatine and his mysterious enforcer, Darren Velder - aka, the super villain Darth Vader.
Into this den of crime and corruption flies what to most citizens of Coruscant City appears to be little more than a streaking star...but is really Force Girl, aka Lelita Ortega, flame-powered superheroine, who is doing her best to escape Vader's goons and get a message to safety.
Broke for a shower at 8. Finished the Superheroes documentary after I got out. As the 60's dawned, superheroes were basically considered to be silly kid's stuff, the Comics Code and the conformity of the times having banished darker or scary elements. All that began to change with the revival of Marvel Comics and their new breed of slightly darker, more angsty heroes. The Fantastic Four, Spider Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D, and Silver Surfer were far more human (or human-like) than previous superheroes. DC rewrote their older characters like the Flash, The Green Arrow, and Green Lantern to bring them closer to the changing times. The rise of the Civil Rights Era and Women's Liberation movement returned Wonder Woman to her roots at DC and created the first black superhero, Black Panther, along with Ms.(now Captain) Marvel, Valkyre, Black Cat, and the amoral mercenary Luke Cage.
We open the last segment with the arrival of the first Superman movie on the big screen. Superman: The Movie was the blockbuster hit of 1979. The first three movies and Supergirl were part of the backbone of my early childhood, and Christopher Reeve was one of my first crushes. The success of Superman on the big screen and Wonder Woman, Hulk, and Spider Man on TV (along with small-screen originals The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) proved that anyone, from psychopaths to children to mutated pet turtles, could be super.
I preferred those campier shows and Reeves' earnest performance to the darker and more violent comics of the 90's. The Tim Burton Batman may have been the smash hit of 1989, but it was too much for me (and still isn't a huge favorite of mine). I just couldn't get into 80's and 90's anti-heroes like Blade, The Punisher, Spawn, The Watchmen, Lobo, The Crow, and Hellboy. Though I would become a fan of Deadpool, Wolverine, and the X-Men later in life, as a teen, the only superheroes who even remotely interested me were The Rocketeer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As I've previously mentioned, what I'm most enjoying about the current superhero boom is learning more about characters I'd either never heard before the turn of the 21st Century (the female Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man) or had only vaguely heard of or known a little bit about (Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Deadpool,and the X-Men, Aquaman, Cyborg, the Teen Titans). It's also interesting to note how the popularity of superheroes has tended to go up whenever there is a lot of unrest in the world, which would explain their creation in the depths of the Great Depression...and their huge popularity with everything going on now.
Thursday, March 07, 2019
Dolls On a Windy Day
I was still feeling a bit nostalgic this morning after watching Top Gun last night, so I put on the original She-Ra while I ate breakfast. "The Laughing Dragon" is Sorrowful, a scrawny fellow who is good-natured, ticklish, and a major coward. He has to find his hidden courage when his new friends in the Great Rebellion are attacked by the Horde and several of Hordak's boys.
Dressed the dolls for the month after the cartoon ended. Most of them are in green for St. Patrick's Day. Ariel borrowed Molly's navy argyle meet outfit sweater (which does have some green in it) and wears it with wide-legged jeans and Josefina's riding boots. Josefina is in her Harvest Outfit with the sage-green skirt and the long-sleeved camisa (shift) with the pretty embroidered flowers on the neckline. Whitney swiped the navy skirt from Molly's meet outfit with the green-sprigged turtleneck that came with the 90's Girl Scouts outfit, white tights, and blue flats. Felicity wears her friend Elizabeth's celery-green "Summer Gown." It has a quilted petticoat that really makes it more appropriate for spring. Molly wears a shamrock-print dress I found at a yard sale with white tights and the black strap shoes from Samantha's current meet outfit. Jessa's in an emerald-green wrap blouse I picked up at a doll clothes booth in the Deptford Mall, the jeans from the mid-90's modern collection, and Springfield Collection sneakers. Put Samantha in her mint-green Special Day Dress that just retired last year, with white tights and her red strap shoes.
Headed out to run errands as soon as I finished with the girls. Ran into Charlie working on the siding on the house as I headed out. He mentioned an inspector would be coming around at 5:30 on Monday. Ok, that's fine.
The first stop on the list was The Square Meal on West Clinton Avenue for lunch. They're a sandwich shop that specializes in sustainable, seasonal-based dishes. They'd updated slightly since the last time I was in there, with a changed menu and remodeled seating area. I had half of a roast chicken sandwich, the broccoli and edamame pasta salad, a soft ginger snap cookie sandwich with citrus cream filling, and a can of La Croix grapefruit sparkling water. Yum! The sandwich was tasty, but very messy. (The chicken was shredded and wouldn't stay in the ciabatta bun.) The salad was amazing, tangy and earthy, and the cookie sandwich was so nice and soft! I enjoyed my meal while chuckling at a father and his two young children by the window.
Next stop was the Haddon Township Library. It flurried a little on my way over there, but it mostly remained cloudy and cold (if not as bitterly cold as yesterday). They weren't that busy and were saving most of their DVD returns for other volunteers. I just shelved the adult DVDs. Lauren mentioned that she watched Rear Window last night. I hadn't seen that in ages and thought I'd give it another look. Grabbed more Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, this time with a Valentine's Day/love theme. Also grabbed the PBS special on the history of superhero comics from 2013 in preparation for my next fanfic.
I had to stop at Target on my way home. My computer mouse is dying. The scroll wheel will only scroll downwards, and that erratically. It was time for a replacement. Alas, the cheapest wireless mouse they had was gone; I went with the second-cheapest. I needed sugar anyway; also bought a frozen pie crust and lemon juice to make Lemon Meringue Pie.
Dodged the rush hour traffic on Cuthbert and headed straight home. Finally finished out The Adventures of Han of the Hood when I got in. Vader finally admits that he's Sir Andrew of the Skywalking Clan, and yes, he murdered the Jedi and killed Han's father and destroyed his family's manor for Palpatine. He agrees to turn himself in...just as King Bail returns from the Crusades. He lingers long enough to pardon Han and the others, make Leia the new queen and Han the Sheriff, give Luke land for a monastery on the Irish island of Atch-To, and toss Vader in jail.
That took way longer than I'd planned, or it really should have. I was going to do more with the second half, but I think I just lost interest. The vast majority of the stories I've done since late 2017 have been fantasies in one way or another, many of them fairy tales or set in medieval times. I think I need to switch things up a bit. The next story I have planned will be a little more sci-fi oriented than fantasy. Leia Ortega, Harris Arietta, and Lucas Skyman fight for truth and justice in the corrupt Coruscant City in 1977 as part of the superhero group known as the Rebel League. Their main villain is Darran Veder, the city's mysterious Chief of Police, and the town's mayor, Steven Palpatine.
At any rate, here's The Adventures of Han of the Hood, for your reading enjoyment!
Archive of Our Own
My Writing Blog
Fanfiction. Net
It was past 8 PM when I finally finished writing. I had a quick banana-strawberry smoothie for dinner, then made that Lemon Meringue Pie. Or I tried to. I didn't realize how much went into making lemon meringue! I had to cook the custard-like base, then make the meringue. I didn't want to turn on the noisy mixer, as it was late by then, so I beat it by hand. Which was a mistake. It never set. I gave up and put it in the oven. Not only did it take much longer to cook than it should have, but I ended up with very sweet egg-topped lemon pudding. I guess I'm just not suited to meringues.
My musical review tonight went better than my baking. Here's my take on the 1968 Oscar winner Oliver!, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Oliver!
Dressed the dolls for the month after the cartoon ended. Most of them are in green for St. Patrick's Day. Ariel borrowed Molly's navy argyle meet outfit sweater (which does have some green in it) and wears it with wide-legged jeans and Josefina's riding boots. Josefina is in her Harvest Outfit with the sage-green skirt and the long-sleeved camisa (shift) with the pretty embroidered flowers on the neckline. Whitney swiped the navy skirt from Molly's meet outfit with the green-sprigged turtleneck that came with the 90's Girl Scouts outfit, white tights, and blue flats. Felicity wears her friend Elizabeth's celery-green "Summer Gown." It has a quilted petticoat that really makes it more appropriate for spring. Molly wears a shamrock-print dress I found at a yard sale with white tights and the black strap shoes from Samantha's current meet outfit. Jessa's in an emerald-green wrap blouse I picked up at a doll clothes booth in the Deptford Mall, the jeans from the mid-90's modern collection, and Springfield Collection sneakers. Put Samantha in her mint-green Special Day Dress that just retired last year, with white tights and her red strap shoes.
Headed out to run errands as soon as I finished with the girls. Ran into Charlie working on the siding on the house as I headed out. He mentioned an inspector would be coming around at 5:30 on Monday. Ok, that's fine.
The first stop on the list was The Square Meal on West Clinton Avenue for lunch. They're a sandwich shop that specializes in sustainable, seasonal-based dishes. They'd updated slightly since the last time I was in there, with a changed menu and remodeled seating area. I had half of a roast chicken sandwich, the broccoli and edamame pasta salad, a soft ginger snap cookie sandwich with citrus cream filling, and a can of La Croix grapefruit sparkling water. Yum! The sandwich was tasty, but very messy. (The chicken was shredded and wouldn't stay in the ciabatta bun.) The salad was amazing, tangy and earthy, and the cookie sandwich was so nice and soft! I enjoyed my meal while chuckling at a father and his two young children by the window.
Next stop was the Haddon Township Library. It flurried a little on my way over there, but it mostly remained cloudy and cold (if not as bitterly cold as yesterday). They weren't that busy and were saving most of their DVD returns for other volunteers. I just shelved the adult DVDs. Lauren mentioned that she watched Rear Window last night. I hadn't seen that in ages and thought I'd give it another look. Grabbed more Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, this time with a Valentine's Day/love theme. Also grabbed the PBS special on the history of superhero comics from 2013 in preparation for my next fanfic.
I had to stop at Target on my way home. My computer mouse is dying. The scroll wheel will only scroll downwards, and that erratically. It was time for a replacement. Alas, the cheapest wireless mouse they had was gone; I went with the second-cheapest. I needed sugar anyway; also bought a frozen pie crust and lemon juice to make Lemon Meringue Pie.
Dodged the rush hour traffic on Cuthbert and headed straight home. Finally finished out The Adventures of Han of the Hood when I got in. Vader finally admits that he's Sir Andrew of the Skywalking Clan, and yes, he murdered the Jedi and killed Han's father and destroyed his family's manor for Palpatine. He agrees to turn himself in...just as King Bail returns from the Crusades. He lingers long enough to pardon Han and the others, make Leia the new queen and Han the Sheriff, give Luke land for a monastery on the Irish island of Atch-To, and toss Vader in jail.
That took way longer than I'd planned, or it really should have. I was going to do more with the second half, but I think I just lost interest. The vast majority of the stories I've done since late 2017 have been fantasies in one way or another, many of them fairy tales or set in medieval times. I think I need to switch things up a bit. The next story I have planned will be a little more sci-fi oriented than fantasy. Leia Ortega, Harris Arietta, and Lucas Skyman fight for truth and justice in the corrupt Coruscant City in 1977 as part of the superhero group known as the Rebel League. Their main villain is Darran Veder, the city's mysterious Chief of Police, and the town's mayor, Steven Palpatine.
At any rate, here's The Adventures of Han of the Hood, for your reading enjoyment!
Archive of Our Own
My Writing Blog
Fanfiction. Net
It was past 8 PM when I finally finished writing. I had a quick banana-strawberry smoothie for dinner, then made that Lemon Meringue Pie. Or I tried to. I didn't realize how much went into making lemon meringue! I had to cook the custard-like base, then make the meringue. I didn't want to turn on the noisy mixer, as it was late by then, so I beat it by hand. Which was a mistake. It never set. I gave up and put it in the oven. Not only did it take much longer to cook than it should have, but I ended up with very sweet egg-topped lemon pudding. I guess I'm just not suited to meringues.
My musical review tonight went better than my baking. Here's my take on the 1968 Oscar winner Oliver!, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Oliver!
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
Mighty Wings
Began my morning with my second early work day in a row. It was a little busier during the noon rush hour, probably due to a 3-day seafood sale we're having in honor of Lent. I also spent a little bit more time outside this time. The head bagger always takes Wednesdays off, and another bagger didn't come in until noon. And today was as cold as everyone had said. Yes, the sun was warm, but it was harder to avoid the blasts of freezing cold wind.
Needless to say, I hurried straight home and didn't go anywhere else. Had a snack, then cleaned the kitchen. That needed to be cleaned pretty badly, too. I do a lot more baking and cooking in the winter, and I've been at home more.
Watched another episode of Wonder Woman while I worked. Computer data is being stolen by a strange man in a fake mustache. The IDC's computer is worried that it will be next. When "IRAC Is Missing" and the computer does, indeed, disappear, Diana needs the help of the tiny robot Rover to track him and the other missing computers down.
Started writing and doing research at 4. Vader reveals that not only is he Luke and Leia's father, but he also was the one who carried out Palpatine's orders to burn Han's family manor to the grounds and turn their lands over to Baron Du Hutt. When Palpatine tries to attack the younger people, Vader finally throws him out a window to his doom. Leia and Luke help what's left of Vader to his feet. But the surprises aren't over yet as Lando and Thomas arrive and say there's someone who wants to see them in the courtyard...
Didn't break for dinner until past 7. Since I did The Sound of Music last night, I watched the Rick Steves episode on Saltzburg while I finished off the leftover meatballs and pasta and defrosted green beans and almonds. While he does explore those famous hills, Rick mainly sticks to the real Saltzburg old town and to the lovely little villages along the near-by lakes. The area is still as beautiful as in the movie, including lots of romantic old buildings that look as lovely as they did when Julie Andrews and the kids romped around them.
Did Angry Birds Star Wars after dinner. I'm still trying to get three stars on as many rounds as I can. I'm really enjoying this. I'm going to have to look for the original Angry Birds Trilogy on Wii as well.
Finished the night with Top Gun. Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) are two of the best fighter pilots on a major aircraft carrier. They're recommended for Top Gun, a Navy flight school for advanced weaponry, despite Maverick's penchant for heroics and doing what he wants. He tries approaching a lady in a bar the night before his first class...and is a bit surprised to discover that she's his teacher, Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGinnis). She's impressed with some of his fancier maneuvers, even when they annoy his head instructor Viper (Tom Skerrit) and make a rival out of the school's best student, Iceman (Val Kilmer). He and Iceman are neck-in-neck for the prestigious Top Gun Trophy, until a maneuver ends in tragedy. Now Maverick has to regain his confidence and prove to everyone that he has what it takes to become the greatest pilot the US has ever known.
Wow, this was a major blast of nostalgia. This was one of Dad-Bill's favorite movies in the mid-80's, and we saw it a lot. I think we had the soundtrack, too. I had all the songs memorized. Mom liked it for one of Meg Ryan's earliest roles as Goose's wife Carrie and because of all the men walking around shirtless, especially in the famous (and gratuitous) volleyball scene.
Honestly, as I kid, I had no idea what was going on, other than a lot of guys showing off in big planes to the sounds of great 80's and 60's pop. Even now, a lot of the military jargon goes over my head, and for all the fun scenes (you've never lived until you've seen Anthony Edwards and Tom Cruise belting "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" in a bar) and incredible flying work, it's collapses in a pile of cliched melodrama towards the end.
Your mileage may vary, depending on how fond you are of 80's action, director Tony Scott, and Cruise's early work. Me...I may end up buying this one, if only for the memories it brought back.
Needless to say, I hurried straight home and didn't go anywhere else. Had a snack, then cleaned the kitchen. That needed to be cleaned pretty badly, too. I do a lot more baking and cooking in the winter, and I've been at home more.
Watched another episode of Wonder Woman while I worked. Computer data is being stolen by a strange man in a fake mustache. The IDC's computer is worried that it will be next. When "IRAC Is Missing" and the computer does, indeed, disappear, Diana needs the help of the tiny robot Rover to track him and the other missing computers down.
Started writing and doing research at 4. Vader reveals that not only is he Luke and Leia's father, but he also was the one who carried out Palpatine's orders to burn Han's family manor to the grounds and turn their lands over to Baron Du Hutt. When Palpatine tries to attack the younger people, Vader finally throws him out a window to his doom. Leia and Luke help what's left of Vader to his feet. But the surprises aren't over yet as Lando and Thomas arrive and say there's someone who wants to see them in the courtyard...
Didn't break for dinner until past 7. Since I did The Sound of Music last night, I watched the Rick Steves episode on Saltzburg while I finished off the leftover meatballs and pasta and defrosted green beans and almonds. While he does explore those famous hills, Rick mainly sticks to the real Saltzburg old town and to the lovely little villages along the near-by lakes. The area is still as beautiful as in the movie, including lots of romantic old buildings that look as lovely as they did when Julie Andrews and the kids romped around them.
Did Angry Birds Star Wars after dinner. I'm still trying to get three stars on as many rounds as I can. I'm really enjoying this. I'm going to have to look for the original Angry Birds Trilogy on Wii as well.
Finished the night with Top Gun. Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) are two of the best fighter pilots on a major aircraft carrier. They're recommended for Top Gun, a Navy flight school for advanced weaponry, despite Maverick's penchant for heroics and doing what he wants. He tries approaching a lady in a bar the night before his first class...and is a bit surprised to discover that she's his teacher, Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGinnis). She's impressed with some of his fancier maneuvers, even when they annoy his head instructor Viper (Tom Skerrit) and make a rival out of the school's best student, Iceman (Val Kilmer). He and Iceman are neck-in-neck for the prestigious Top Gun Trophy, until a maneuver ends in tragedy. Now Maverick has to regain his confidence and prove to everyone that he has what it takes to become the greatest pilot the US has ever known.
Wow, this was a major blast of nostalgia. This was one of Dad-Bill's favorite movies in the mid-80's, and we saw it a lot. I think we had the soundtrack, too. I had all the songs memorized. Mom liked it for one of Meg Ryan's earliest roles as Goose's wife Carrie and because of all the men walking around shirtless, especially in the famous (and gratuitous) volleyball scene.
Honestly, as I kid, I had no idea what was going on, other than a lot of guys showing off in big planes to the sounds of great 80's and 60's pop. Even now, a lot of the military jargon goes over my head, and for all the fun scenes (you've never lived until you've seen Anthony Edwards and Tom Cruise belting "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" in a bar) and incredible flying work, it's collapses in a pile of cliched melodrama towards the end.
Your mileage may vary, depending on how fond you are of 80's action, director Tony Scott, and Cruise's early work. Me...I may end up buying this one, if only for the memories it brought back.
Tuesday, March 05, 2019
Man's Best Friend
Started the day with early work. It was once again on-and-off steady. I alternated between doing carts and doing returns, shelving candy, and bagging for most of the day. It actually wasn't as bad outside as I thought it would be. The sun was warm when you could get out of the chilly wind. I went to work and back with no trouble.
Cleaned the bathroom when I got home. The sink in particular needed it; between weird weather and my financial problems, I've been at home a lot more often lately. Watched Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero while I worked. Stubby is a stray dog who follows a young World War I doughboy named Robert Conroy (Logan Lerman) to basic training. He's determined to stay by his human, even marching and training with him. Not only do the head of the base eventually let him stay, but they make him the unit's mascot. He sneaks on board Robert's transport and follows him to war-torn France. He remains with Robert and stays by his side and that of his partner, older French soldier Gaston Baptiste (Geraud Depardieu). Gaston calls them "The Three Musketeers" as Stubby helps sniff out gas attacks, chases rats away, finds wounded soldiers, and even unmasks a German spy. The two stay together through thick and thin, with Stubby hurrying to Robert's side even after he's wounded. Stubby eventually becomes the most decorated dog in American history, and the only one honored with the rank of Sargent.
I thought this was so sweet! The relationship between Gaston, Stubby, and Robert is genuinely touching, and there's some nice animation later during the war scenes.It's too bad this opened to heavy competition last April, including Rampage and Isle of Dogs, and later in the month, Avengers: Infinity War. If you have older kids with any interest in dogs or history, this is a really interesting movie that deserves far more than it got at the box office last year.
Did a quick Popeye short that also involved dogs while I finished. He has to "Proteck the Weakerest" when Olive makes him take her pampered Pekingese for a walk. He's embarrassed to be seen with such a small dog...until they run across Bluto and his tough bull dog, and Fluffy proves that even pooches can benefit from a can of leafy greens.
Moved to writing around 4. Han and the others find Luke being thrown around by Vader and Palpatine in Palpatine's palatial rooms. Vader reveals to Leia and Luke that they're siblings, and his children. While Luke tries to keep his newly-discovered sister from killing their father, Yoda holds off Palpatine.
Broke for dinner at 6. I had leftovers, then turned a mushy pear into Vanilla Pear Cookies from the one-bowl cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a few years ago. Ran one of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music, while I baked, and later as I went online after a shower. I go into further details at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Cleaned the bathroom when I got home. The sink in particular needed it; between weird weather and my financial problems, I've been at home a lot more often lately. Watched Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero while I worked. Stubby is a stray dog who follows a young World War I doughboy named Robert Conroy (Logan Lerman) to basic training. He's determined to stay by his human, even marching and training with him. Not only do the head of the base eventually let him stay, but they make him the unit's mascot. He sneaks on board Robert's transport and follows him to war-torn France. He remains with Robert and stays by his side and that of his partner, older French soldier Gaston Baptiste (Geraud Depardieu). Gaston calls them "The Three Musketeers" as Stubby helps sniff out gas attacks, chases rats away, finds wounded soldiers, and even unmasks a German spy. The two stay together through thick and thin, with Stubby hurrying to Robert's side even after he's wounded. Stubby eventually becomes the most decorated dog in American history, and the only one honored with the rank of Sargent.
I thought this was so sweet! The relationship between Gaston, Stubby, and Robert is genuinely touching, and there's some nice animation later during the war scenes.It's too bad this opened to heavy competition last April, including Rampage and Isle of Dogs, and later in the month, Avengers: Infinity War. If you have older kids with any interest in dogs or history, this is a really interesting movie that deserves far more than it got at the box office last year.
Did a quick Popeye short that also involved dogs while I finished. He has to "Proteck the Weakerest" when Olive makes him take her pampered Pekingese for a walk. He's embarrassed to be seen with such a small dog...until they run across Bluto and his tough bull dog, and Fluffy proves that even pooches can benefit from a can of leafy greens.
Moved to writing around 4. Han and the others find Luke being thrown around by Vader and Palpatine in Palpatine's palatial rooms. Vader reveals to Leia and Luke that they're siblings, and his children. While Luke tries to keep his newly-discovered sister from killing their father, Yoda holds off Palpatine.
Broke for dinner at 6. I had leftovers, then turned a mushy pear into Vanilla Pear Cookies from the one-bowl cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a few years ago. Ran one of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music, while I baked, and later as I went online after a shower. I go into further details at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Monday, March 04, 2019
Winds of March
I slept longer than I planned this morning and had just enough time for an episode of The Backyardigans and breakfast before heading to work. Did another episode revolving around straightforward and occasionally bossy hippo Tasha. She's in her element as a spoiled Egyptian princess who holds "The Key to the Nile." She and her servants Tyrone, Austin, and Pablo set off to find the presents that'll convince the Sphinx (Uniqua) to tell them how to refill the river. The boys help Tasha find the items, but she never thanks them for it or acknowledges their contributions. Uniqua finally points out that the real secret to anything is being polite and treating others as we'd like to be treated.
Work was pretty much the same it's been for the past few weeks - between quiet and mildly steady. I did some returns this morning and gathered baskets, but I was mainly outside, rounding up carts and doing the outside trash and recycling. While it was chilly and very windy, it wasn't quite as cold as it's supposed to get starting tomorrow. The sun was nice, when you could get out of the wind.
When I got home, I tightened my bike seat (it had gotten loose again) and went upstairs to change and make chocolate muffins. Did a longer Backyardigans episode while I worked. Pablo is an "International Super Spy" in the first of three hour-long specials. This parody of the James Bond/Avengers-style spy capers of the 1960's takes the crafty penguin around the world to find three containers that may hold "a recipe for disaster!" He must them out of the hands of the Lady In Pink (Uniqua) and her hench-moose Tyrone.
Did some writing for a while after that. It's Artoo (and his nose) who leads Han, Leia, and the others upstairs. Chewie's big fist gets them into Prince Palpatine's rooms. They walk right into a fight between Sheriff Vader and Luke Scarlet. Leia runs to Luke when he's thrown against the wall, while Han and the others move to defend their friend.
Didn't break for dinner until 7. Had roasted broccoli and cauliflower with a meatball sandwich while watching a couple of Danger Mouse episodes. "Rogue Robots" was the very first episode of the series. DM and Penfold have to figure out who's been sending robots to attack agents DM's worked with. The duo head north in "Ice Station Camel" to figure out how Greenback has stopped the Earth's rotation and get it moving again.
Moved on to Angry Birds Star Wars after dinner. The Boba Fett Missions return to Cloud City for 10 rounds that involve having to set the Fett pig off and let him crash into things. Most of them weren't that hard, and there were only ten rounds. With all of the rounds having been open, I went back to the Tatoonie rounds to see if I could get three stars on some of the earlier ones.
Finished the night with Attack the Block. This British sci-fi action film involves a group of hoodlums in a British tenement who attack young nurse Samantha (Jodi Whittaker) on her way home from work. She manages to flee when they see a meteorite hit a near-by car. Turns out that was no meteorite; it was the home of a small but fierce alien. They do manage to kill that one and think they'll be famous. Turns out there's a lot more aliens coming, and these are far larger, with sharp glowing teeth and fur that doesn't reflect light. Samantha joins them as they run from the cops, then from an angry drug dealer (Juamayn Hunter) whom they'd brought the other alien to. After she treats one of the boys for a bite on the leg, Samantha decides she's better off working with these kids than against them...and that they may be the only ones who can stop this extraterrestrial menace from killing everyone in their entire neighborhood.
Intense and weird little sci-fi movie, with Whittaker and John Boyega stand-outs as the fed-up nurse and the leader of the gang. Very violent, with lots of swearing and blood (alien and human), but also quite funny in spots, with a not-bad hard rock and rap soundtrack. Too heavy and violent for kids, but older teens who love sci-fi comedy or wacky and violent British action-horror comedies like Sean of the Dead will really enjoy this one.
Work was pretty much the same it's been for the past few weeks - between quiet and mildly steady. I did some returns this morning and gathered baskets, but I was mainly outside, rounding up carts and doing the outside trash and recycling. While it was chilly and very windy, it wasn't quite as cold as it's supposed to get starting tomorrow. The sun was nice, when you could get out of the wind.
When I got home, I tightened my bike seat (it had gotten loose again) and went upstairs to change and make chocolate muffins. Did a longer Backyardigans episode while I worked. Pablo is an "International Super Spy" in the first of three hour-long specials. This parody of the James Bond/Avengers-style spy capers of the 1960's takes the crafty penguin around the world to find three containers that may hold "a recipe for disaster!" He must them out of the hands of the Lady In Pink (Uniqua) and her hench-moose Tyrone.
Did some writing for a while after that. It's Artoo (and his nose) who leads Han, Leia, and the others upstairs. Chewie's big fist gets them into Prince Palpatine's rooms. They walk right into a fight between Sheriff Vader and Luke Scarlet. Leia runs to Luke when he's thrown against the wall, while Han and the others move to defend their friend.
Didn't break for dinner until 7. Had roasted broccoli and cauliflower with a meatball sandwich while watching a couple of Danger Mouse episodes. "Rogue Robots" was the very first episode of the series. DM and Penfold have to figure out who's been sending robots to attack agents DM's worked with. The duo head north in "Ice Station Camel" to figure out how Greenback has stopped the Earth's rotation and get it moving again.
Moved on to Angry Birds Star Wars after dinner. The Boba Fett Missions return to Cloud City for 10 rounds that involve having to set the Fett pig off and let him crash into things. Most of them weren't that hard, and there were only ten rounds. With all of the rounds having been open, I went back to the Tatoonie rounds to see if I could get three stars on some of the earlier ones.
Finished the night with Attack the Block. This British sci-fi action film involves a group of hoodlums in a British tenement who attack young nurse Samantha (Jodi Whittaker) on her way home from work. She manages to flee when they see a meteorite hit a near-by car. Turns out that was no meteorite; it was the home of a small but fierce alien. They do manage to kill that one and think they'll be famous. Turns out there's a lot more aliens coming, and these are far larger, with sharp glowing teeth and fur that doesn't reflect light. Samantha joins them as they run from the cops, then from an angry drug dealer (Juamayn Hunter) whom they'd brought the other alien to. After she treats one of the boys for a bite on the leg, Samantha decides she's better off working with these kids than against them...and that they may be the only ones who can stop this extraterrestrial menace from killing everyone in their entire neighborhood.
Intense and weird little sci-fi movie, with Whittaker and John Boyega stand-outs as the fed-up nurse and the leader of the gang. Very violent, with lots of swearing and blood (alien and human), but also quite funny in spots, with a not-bad hard rock and rap soundtrack. Too heavy and violent for kids, but older teens who love sci-fi comedy or wacky and violent British action-horror comedies like Sean of the Dead will really enjoy this one.
Sunday, March 03, 2019
Brides, Birds, and Men of Steel
Began a cloudy morning with Banana Pancakes two musicals by director Stanley Donen, who passed away last week. Began with the soundtrack from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which I have on the B-side of an LP with the 1954 Rose Marie. While there isn't enough space for "The Barn Raising Ballet," all of the other songs from the film are included. This tale of a feisty lass who marries an Oregon farmer and eventually encourages his six younger brothers to marry as well is a long-time favorite in my family, especially with my brother and late stepfather. My favorite numbers are Jane Powell's "Wonderful, Wonderful Day," "Goin' Courtin'" for Powell and the brothers, and "Spring, Spring, Spring" for the brothers and their ladies when they're celebrating the end of the snow and the arrival of new life.
Decided to do something different with Singin' In the Rain. I have the deluxe 2-disc CD edition that includes the original versions of the songs in the film on the second disc. These are the music from the films the songs were taken from, ranging from Charles King performing the title song of The Broadway Melody to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney's spirited "Good Morning." I also like Jeanette MacDonald's rendition of "Would You" from the early disaster film San Francisco and June Knight and a surprisingly decent Robert Taylor having fun with "I've Got a Feelin' Your Foolin'" from The Broadway Melody of 1936.
Played some Angry Birds Star Wars next. The Wii comes with 10 "Bonus Rounds" representing each world...but not with the rounds for Return of the Jedi, which apparently came out online after the disc was released. Bummer. There's only 10 rounds for The Boba Fett Missions as well, but I'm going to move on to them next time anyway, if only to finish out the game.
Finally headed to the laundromat around 1:30-2 PM. I should have gone earlier. They were packed when I got there. For once, I actually had a harder time finding a dryer than a washer. I worked on story notes and half-listened to the New York Rangers-Washington Capitols game that was on the TV. (The Capitols eventually won, by the way, 3-2.)
Put everything away that I could (some things still needed to dry), then went on the computer to start winding down my Han/Robin Hood story. Instead of going straight upstairs, he and Yoda are surrounded by Admiral Piett and a squad of guards. They're rescued by the arrival of Chewbacca, Leia, Thomas, Artoo, and several diminutive but aggressive peasants from the fair. It takes Artoo's nose to figure out where Vader has taken Luke and lead the others to him...
Since I had a little bit of extra time, I wound down with a bath. Ahhh. After everything that's gone on in the past month, never mind the past week, I seriously needed it. I looked over some of my self-help books while listening to my George Shearing Quintet Black Satin/White Satin CD.
Finished off the night online with something unique on YouTube. Musicals and superheroes are not normally the best combination - witness the failure of Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark about a decade ago. An earlier musical, It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, did even worse, shuttering after three months. For some reason, they attempted to do it as a 90 minute TV film in 1975. On one hand, there's a terrific cast, including Leslie Ann Warren as Lois Lane, Kenneth Mars as egotistical columnist Max Mencken, Loretta Swift as his secretary Sydney, and David Wayne as mad scientist Dr. Abner Segwick. The by-then offensive villainous Chinese acrobats were replaced by goofy mobsters who aren't any fonder of Superman (one of them is Al Taliferro of Happy Days and The Odd Couple).
On one hand, there's a couple of decent numbers. The gangsters get the one new song written for the show, the hilarious "It's a Free Country," while Mars and Warren have a great time with "You're the Woman for the Man." Mars and Wayne make great villains, too, especially in their reprise of "You've Got What I Need."
Alas, some of the songs (including the only standard from this score, "You've Got Possibilities"), are marred by attempts at updated tempos. Warren is too gushy and gosh-golly, and the Superman, David Wilson, is skinny, bland, and annoying whether he's the Man of Steel or Clark Kent. No wonder Lois doesn't see him. Not to mention, the sets are ridiculously cheap, with Superman easily breaking through them (though this does lead to a decent gag when bricks spill out whenever he leaps into the obviously thin paper).
If you're a fan of musicals, Superman, or anyone in the cast, this is worth a look once for curiosity's sake if you can handle the cheese.
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!
Incidentally, it started raining lightly on my way home. By the time I was writing, the rain had turned into a downpour, and then into about an inch of snow. It switched back to rain sometime around dinner, and from what I can hear, has been rain ever since.
Decided to do something different with Singin' In the Rain. I have the deluxe 2-disc CD edition that includes the original versions of the songs in the film on the second disc. These are the music from the films the songs were taken from, ranging from Charles King performing the title song of The Broadway Melody to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney's spirited "Good Morning." I also like Jeanette MacDonald's rendition of "Would You" from the early disaster film San Francisco and June Knight and a surprisingly decent Robert Taylor having fun with "I've Got a Feelin' Your Foolin'" from The Broadway Melody of 1936.
Played some Angry Birds Star Wars next. The Wii comes with 10 "Bonus Rounds" representing each world...but not with the rounds for Return of the Jedi, which apparently came out online after the disc was released. Bummer. There's only 10 rounds for The Boba Fett Missions as well, but I'm going to move on to them next time anyway, if only to finish out the game.
Finally headed to the laundromat around 1:30-2 PM. I should have gone earlier. They were packed when I got there. For once, I actually had a harder time finding a dryer than a washer. I worked on story notes and half-listened to the New York Rangers-Washington Capitols game that was on the TV. (The Capitols eventually won, by the way, 3-2.)
Put everything away that I could (some things still needed to dry), then went on the computer to start winding down my Han/Robin Hood story. Instead of going straight upstairs, he and Yoda are surrounded by Admiral Piett and a squad of guards. They're rescued by the arrival of Chewbacca, Leia, Thomas, Artoo, and several diminutive but aggressive peasants from the fair. It takes Artoo's nose to figure out where Vader has taken Luke and lead the others to him...
Since I had a little bit of extra time, I wound down with a bath. Ahhh. After everything that's gone on in the past month, never mind the past week, I seriously needed it. I looked over some of my self-help books while listening to my George Shearing Quintet Black Satin/White Satin CD.
Finished off the night online with something unique on YouTube. Musicals and superheroes are not normally the best combination - witness the failure of Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark about a decade ago. An earlier musical, It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, did even worse, shuttering after three months. For some reason, they attempted to do it as a 90 minute TV film in 1975. On one hand, there's a terrific cast, including Leslie Ann Warren as Lois Lane, Kenneth Mars as egotistical columnist Max Mencken, Loretta Swift as his secretary Sydney, and David Wayne as mad scientist Dr. Abner Segwick. The by-then offensive villainous Chinese acrobats were replaced by goofy mobsters who aren't any fonder of Superman (one of them is Al Taliferro of Happy Days and The Odd Couple).
On one hand, there's a couple of decent numbers. The gangsters get the one new song written for the show, the hilarious "It's a Free Country," while Mars and Warren have a great time with "You're the Woman for the Man." Mars and Wayne make great villains, too, especially in their reprise of "You've Got What I Need."
Alas, some of the songs (including the only standard from this score, "You've Got Possibilities"), are marred by attempts at updated tempos. Warren is too gushy and gosh-golly, and the Superman, David Wilson, is skinny, bland, and annoying whether he's the Man of Steel or Clark Kent. No wonder Lois doesn't see him. Not to mention, the sets are ridiculously cheap, with Superman easily breaking through them (though this does lead to a decent gag when bricks spill out whenever he leaps into the obviously thin paper).
If you're a fan of musicals, Superman, or anyone in the cast, this is worth a look once for curiosity's sake if you can handle the cheese.
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!
Incidentally, it started raining lightly on my way home. By the time I was writing, the rain had turned into a downpour, and then into about an inch of snow. It switched back to rain sometime around dinner, and from what I can hear, has been rain ever since.
Saturday, March 02, 2019
Tonight, Tonight
I'd been up for a half-hour this morning when the phone rang. Yes, it was the Acme. When could I come in? They'd had a call out. I originally said noon, but they talked me into 11:30.
That at least gave me enough time for leftover pepperoni pizza and strawberries for breakfast and an episode of Wonder Woman. It's "A Date With Doomsday" when a man who stole a vial containing a deadly virus from a government research lab turns out to have recently been to a certain dating service. Diana Prince checks out the service after the older cleaning lady who works at the lab reveals they also tried to brainwash her and Diana becomes concerned that they have something even more sinister in mind for the vial.
Headed straight to work as soon as Diana ended. To my surprise, work was on-and-off steady all afternoon. The way the manager talked this morning, I thought it would be a lot busier. I got stuck in the register all day. I spent half the day standing around, especially early-on. The manager said I was fine, but I'm not so sure. I felt frazzled, stressed, and even more tired afterwards than I ever was pushing carts. Dealing with people constantly is really wearying for me. I bought a few things for dinner, including a loaf of Italian bread that was free with a coupon from the Monopoly game, and a set of Gene Kelly musicals that included one I didn't have, Brigadoon.
Did some writing when I got home. Han and Yoda head upstairs, trying to find Luke and Leia. Han hears Luke shouting and rushes to Palpatine's suites, where he proceeds to smash the door down.
Broke for dinner around 7. Had a meatball sandwich and salad while watching an episode of Sailor Moon from the fourth season. In "Makoto's Friendship: A Girl Who Admired Pegasus," she reveals to the Guardians that she had known the author of a popular novel about a girl who loves a Pegasus in school and had encouraged her to publish her work. When they visit her, they learn that the young woman has lost her inspiration and her muse and believes she'll never write again. Makoto is determined to prove that inspiration can come from anywhere, and to protect her friend when she's targeted by Tiger's Eye.
Played Angry Birds Star Wars for an hour and a half after dinner, while sipping hot chocolate for dessert. Cloud City adds vents of steam that can direct your bird upwards and let them hit higher objects. This made for a couple of especially difficult rounds, including the "boss round" where you have to use each character to break barriers and get to Vader. Leia also gets an upgrade and is now able to pull apart larger structures.
Ended the night on a more sober note with West Side Story. I go into further details on this tragic romance on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
West Side Story
That at least gave me enough time for leftover pepperoni pizza and strawberries for breakfast and an episode of Wonder Woman. It's "A Date With Doomsday" when a man who stole a vial containing a deadly virus from a government research lab turns out to have recently been to a certain dating service. Diana Prince checks out the service after the older cleaning lady who works at the lab reveals they also tried to brainwash her and Diana becomes concerned that they have something even more sinister in mind for the vial.
Headed straight to work as soon as Diana ended. To my surprise, work was on-and-off steady all afternoon. The way the manager talked this morning, I thought it would be a lot busier. I got stuck in the register all day. I spent half the day standing around, especially early-on. The manager said I was fine, but I'm not so sure. I felt frazzled, stressed, and even more tired afterwards than I ever was pushing carts. Dealing with people constantly is really wearying for me. I bought a few things for dinner, including a loaf of Italian bread that was free with a coupon from the Monopoly game, and a set of Gene Kelly musicals that included one I didn't have, Brigadoon.
Did some writing when I got home. Han and Yoda head upstairs, trying to find Luke and Leia. Han hears Luke shouting and rushes to Palpatine's suites, where he proceeds to smash the door down.
Broke for dinner around 7. Had a meatball sandwich and salad while watching an episode of Sailor Moon from the fourth season. In "Makoto's Friendship: A Girl Who Admired Pegasus," she reveals to the Guardians that she had known the author of a popular novel about a girl who loves a Pegasus in school and had encouraged her to publish her work. When they visit her, they learn that the young woman has lost her inspiration and her muse and believes she'll never write again. Makoto is determined to prove that inspiration can come from anywhere, and to protect her friend when she's targeted by Tiger's Eye.
Played Angry Birds Star Wars for an hour and a half after dinner, while sipping hot chocolate for dessert. Cloud City adds vents of steam that can direct your bird upwards and let them hit higher objects. This made for a couple of especially difficult rounds, including the "boss round" where you have to use each character to break barriers and get to Vader. Leia also gets an upgrade and is now able to pull apart larger structures.
Ended the night on a more sober note with West Side Story. I go into further details on this tragic romance on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
West Side Story
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