Archive for July, 2008
Blue Ribbon Release
July 31st, 2008Jerry Beck reveals the special features included on the sixth and final Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set (via Something Old, Nothing New). While it’s sad that this will be the last set, I can understand the reasoning behind it. Warner Home Video still plans to release restored vintage WB cartoons on DVD for the […]
With a Smile and a Song
July 30th, 2008C. alerted me to the death of Harriet Burns, the first female imagineer hired at Disney. I think I saw her in a few old Wonderful World of Color TV specials, but didn’t know who she was. What a fascinating woman, one who made important contributions to Disneyland at its peak.
Twittering Our Lives Away
July 28th, 2008I’m on Twitter now. I know. This seems like one of those trendy social networking sites that everybody flocks to, then abandons after a year or two — but it’s actually pretty fun. Since I don’t own a mobile, I’ll end up using it to post little observational bits that are too short to make […]
Weekly Mishmash: July 20-26
July 27th, 2008Today I want to give a shout out and a happy birthday to Christopher, the youngest 49 year-old I’ve ever known. Briefly incapacitated by a bug, the mishmash pickin’s are on the slim side this week. Here we go …
The Black Book (1949). Loquacious one Vince Keenan raved about this gothic thriller on his blog, […]
Bunnies, Comic #13
July 25th, 2008New Two Bunnies and a Duck posted today. I love coming up with gags for the comic, but I have to admit that the drawing, scanning and coloring is very tedious. I’m not skilled enough to make the characters look at all consistent (this week they look a bit elongated) — a redesign might be […]
Unidentified Persons Bureau
July 24th, 2008Locally speaking, last week’s Phoenix New Times had an interesting story on the Maricopa County Medical Examiners Office and one woman’s efforts to get an unidentified body database going on the county’s website. Apparently Maricopa is one of the few counties in the U.S. to have one of these features online, and it has resulted […]
World of Tomorrow
July 23rd, 2008A couple of decades ago, I remember seeing a cool documentary on the 1939 New York World’s Fair on PBS. It was narrated by an old guy looking back upon a special family trip to the Fair as a child. In the end, the man concludes that the Fair symbolized the mixture of optimism and […]
Weekly Mishmash: July 13-19
July 20th, 2008Craig’s Wife (1936). I’ve been wanting to see this Dorothy Arzner directed melodrama for years now, and was delighted when it turned up recently on the TCM schedule as part of their Rosalind Russell film fest. Mostly I was interested in seeing how it compared to the 1950 remake with Joan Crawford in the same […]
Eight Years of Scrubbles.net
July 17th, 2008Psst. I never notice these things until they’ve gone and went, but over the past week this very weblog has entered its ninth year of operation. Happy birthday to Scrubbles.net! To celebrate the occasion, I put on my best metaphorical party dress and cherry picked a few of my favorite vintage (don’t call them old!) […]
It’s Called Poetic Justice
July 16th, 2008Futility Vehicle — faced with escalating gas prices, a New York Times blogger wonders why she bought a huge SUV in the first place. This is funny and sad, but mostly sad. It’s a bit nice that this lady is seeing outside her myopic little suburban bubble and finally understanding the greater consequences of the […]
Barry’s Blitz
July 14th, 2008Oh dear. What’s up with the controversial New Yorker cover depicting radical Barack and Michelle Obama fist bumping in the Oval Office? Artist Barry Blitt immediately went on the defense, but unlike his previous covers this one misses the mark. Good satire needs an element of truth to work. This one’s not based in truth […]
Weekly Mishmash: July 6-12
July 13th, 2008Last Orders (2001). A recommendation from our dental hygienist. Michael Caine heads up a sturdy cast of old pros as a simple butcher who wants his ashes strewn at a favorite seaside resort after he dies. It’s up to his old buddies (Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings), his son (Ray Winstone), and his wife […]
Favorite American Songs, and Illustrations
July 12th, 2008Last February, I came across a vintage fifties paperback called Favorite American Songs at a huge book sale. It looked like a neat little sheet music collection, but what immediately struck me were the illustrations. The artwork had that perfect stylized retro Americana look, reminiscent of the movie musical Meet Me In St. Louis. Or […]
Pebbles, Shells, Lennons and Kings
July 10th, 2008Patrick’s kinda now, kinda wow sunshine pop compilation Just Beyond The Sunshine is putting a smile on my face today. Highlight: The Lennon Sisters’ zombie-like “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.” There’s also Brian Hyland, Nick DeCaro, The Cyrkle, Ronny & The Daytonas and so much more. Great job, Patrick!
Chalk Full of Extras
July 8th, 2008Attention aspiring writers — Christopher has a good post illustrating why spell checker is not enough. I actually got this promo email from MGM Home Video a few weeks ago and had to laugh. Shame on the spaced out, Starbucks-fetching office intern who made that mistake.
