All that glitters is not always Golden Globes

This morning,the Golden Globe nominations for 2010 were announced,making some people's wake up call a joyous one,no doubt. The Globes are usually an award show that I enjoy,due to the fact that their choices can be more varied than the traditional Oscars or Emmys,plus they are a good gauge of what films/tv shows are going to get the nod from the bigger boys.

However,some of these noms are just not sitting well with me on a few fronts and I'm sorry to be a Negative Nellie but sometimes you gotta say what you feel,folks. Here,without any further ado,are some of the reasons why a few of these names bring an instant "Really?" to mind:



UP IN THE AIR LEAVES ME GROUNDED

This movie received six nominations,including two Best Supporting Actress spots(for Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick)and double nods for writer/director Jason Reitman as well. Granted,I have not seen this movie and wasn't a big fan of Reitman's previous film Juno after I did watch,Up In The Air just really seems overrated to me already.

All of the advance reviews are showering UITA with praise and muffin baskets,but let's be honest;who needs to see another story about a charmingly callous corporate gun for hire that finds the road to redemption by showing the sexy new kid on the block the way things work these days? Maybe some people,but I've been there,done that,bought the DVD and seen it at least twenty times on cable,okay?

With movies such as District 9(which got only one nomination),Star Trek(totally ignored here)and even Public Enemies(ditto ignored)that were given high marks from both critics and movie goers alike to be overlooked for some yuppie morality play is just sad,if you ask me:



BORING BEST SONGS



This category hasn't fared well over the last few years,altho we did have a brief moment of musical joy, thanks to Slumdog Millionaire. This year,not even the Disney animated musical The Princess and the Frog snagged a spot here(the Academy Awards may make up for that),quite a shocker.

The ones that are up for the GG don't seem to be very memorable. Don't just take my word,have a listen to "Cinema Italiano" from Nine. Since it's the only tune that was originally written for the movie,the choices were limited but this song is blander than canned spaghetti. All the sexy dancing girls in the world can't change that:



The biggest song out of the bunch is theme song from Avatar "I Will See You". While there's no video just yet,it is available for listening online and it does sound nice enough,yet nothing to write home about. It's getting to the point that I think there should be a new sideline to this category;Best Use of a Previous Song.

Why not? Some of the better movie musical moments lately have come from actors singing tunes made famous on Broadway and from what little I've seen,Fergie really brings down the house with "Be Italian". Why shouldn't she get the chance to strut her stuff for the Oscars,just because the song's been done before?:



Frankly,the most popular musical bit from the movies this year is the impromptu dance number from 500 Days of Summer,that has it's male lead celebrate his new found love via the Hall and Oates classic "You Make My Dreams Come True." It's a sweet scene and with the ever growing trend of using songs as a blissful blast from the past moment of cinematic spontaneity(thank you,Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow for that),this is an idea whose time has come:





TIME TO SAY SOMETHING NICE

On a more positive note,the TV section of the Golden Globes has actually peaked my interest this time around with the inclusion of True Blood amongst the Drama categories.

While I am happy that Anna Paquin is up for Best Actress,it would've been great to see a couple of her co-stars join her in the Supporting areas such as Rutina Wesley and Nelsan Ellis,who really pulled out all the stops for their performances in the second season. Take note,Emmy voters,these two are ones to watch for:



Glee also racked up some prime positions in the Comedy categories,with Matthew Morrison,Lea Michele and Jane Lynch taking Best Acting noms and being up for Best Series to boot. While the offbeat charms of this show faded quickly for me,I'm very pleased to see it getting the attention it deserves. No doubt everyone onboard the Glee train is walking on sunshine today:





Congrats are also in order for Mo'Nique and Gabrielle Sidibe for their riveting work in "Precious" getting them Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress spots,along with Sandra Bullock scoring a duo Best Actress noms for The Blind Side and The Proposal and Inglorious Basterds coming on strong with four nominations that include a Best Film in the Drama category.

Nice going,gang and the best of luck to you all. The Golden Globes will be presented on January 17, which has a instant effect on the Oscar nominations. That will keep things interesting as always and speaking of interesting,one thing that you can count on for the GGs is an acceptance speech that will be talked about for days. Part of the reason for that is the dinner party atmosphere of the show which includes a few open bottles of booze on the tables. A few drops of liquid courage tend to make some folks say some rather unique stuff there.

Of course,there's competition even on that level,with one of the crazier speeches given earlier at the Spirit Awards by Mickey Rourke. Too bad he's not up for anything this year,such off the wall antics are what make award shows worth watching in the first place:

Just how precious should we be about this rearrangement of The Lovely Bones?

Peter Jackson's film adaptation of Alice Sebold's stunning novel The Lovely Bones opened up in limited release at theaters this weekend,garnering a batch of mixed reviews in the process. Some of the negative critiques aimed at the movie seem reasonable enough,even to someone like me who hasn't seen it but did read the book,such as overwhelming F/X for the sections of the story where Susie stays in the afterworld that doesn't play out well with the down to earth plot of Susie's family coping with her loss.

What is not so understandable is the displeasure by fans of the book is that Peter Jackson chose to downplay the actual murder and rape of Susie onscreen. According to an interview,Jackson felt "morally conflicted" about getting that graphic and decided to simply allude to the act instead.



Now I can get heated up over a major change from book to screen like anyone else,but this doesn't seem to be a bad choice here. It's not like Jackson made it so that Susie just fell down a rabbit hole and woke up in Wonderland;he just didn't want to be all in-your-face about her death and violation at the hands of her killer.

The true harshness of the story is the aching pain of the Salmon family at her loss and Susie's own frustrations at being cut off from truly experiencing life to the fullest. This change from the book appears to be an artistic choice to me and one that was made with the best intentions towards the source material:





Over a month ago, just the opposite was being said about another movie based on a book featuring a young girl in peril. Precious has been both praised and condemned for staying true to the vicious reality of it's main character as it was written in the original novel Push by the author Sapphire.

Why is it that seeing one young woman's degradation is too much for some and not getting a front row seat for another one's is considered a disappointment? Granted,the theme and tone of these books/films are very different but they do share a common thread of focus regarding the vulnerability of young women and that each director chose to deal with that delicate element with respect for the characters as well as the author's vision:





That's not to say that no objections should be made to changes from book to film,especially if they affect the whole premise of the plot. We saw that this summer when Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper came to theaters with a major revision of the ending that outraged fans and may have caused the movie not to do so well at the box office(it also received lackluster reviews from film critics).

While Picoult was not thrilled about that,she did go along with supporting the movie but encouraged her readers to speak their minds to the studio. Director Nick Cassavetes insists that the new ending was better for the film and that the book's conclusion is still intact. That's true to some extent,but I can see why readers of the novel felt cheated there:



Accepting that a film based upon a well loved and read book will be somewhat altered in translation is something that everyone who adores both methods of storytelling finds a way to deal with. You can draw your own personal line in the sand regarding what you will and won't put up with from Hollywood on that front,but do choose your battles wisely.

Not all changes are bad and while some of them are just meaningless pandering to a target audience,just remember what James M. Cain said to a reporter who told him it was a shame that Hollywood ruined his books. He simply pointed to a shelf with all of his works upon it and replied,"No,they're still there."

An important thing to also keep in mind is that in this day of endless remakes and cannibalization of pop culture in order to satisfy the profit margin,any film that gets to stay true to it's source by the time it opens up in theaters is a winner already:

A snowy singalong for all holiday seasons

In continuing our look at holiday pop culture,we now turn to song. Christmas carols are a time honored tradition,just as important to some people as the trimmed tree,the stockings hung up with care and the milk and cookies left out for Santa. However,there are those who feel a bit left out of the festivities and while strides have been made to include everyone,it's hard to share the joy of the season with folks by only singing about your holiday instead of theirs.


Don't get me wrong,I have no intention or desire to cut off anyone else's holiday pleasure at the expense of another(that's the wrong way to go about it). What I do suggest for folks who want to bring cheer and goodwill to others outside of their faith is to pump up their musical playlist with songs about snow,something that everyone can agree on that is a delight of the season.

There are a handful of snow friendly songs out there and while you can mix and match other types of holiday music to your satisfaction,let's take a look at the most well known of the bunch and see why they still stand the test of time today:

WINTER WONDERLAND: Yes, it does mention a Parson Brown but other than that,this is a great neutral song for group singing. It's all about enjoying the snowy landscape with friends and lovers,plus snow men building is truly good clean fun:



LET IT SNOW: A lot of these snow songs have a very romantic vibe to them,such as this one about using a snow storm as an excuse to cuddle by the fire. It's subtle about the lovey-dovey,so even singing this one with the kids is okay and the theme carries over easily to other cultures:



BABY,IT'S COLD OUTSIDE: This darling duet is a charming courtship tune,playing with the age old debate amongst romantic couples about when the date is over. Maybe more for the grown-ups,it is nevertheless a fun and flirty tune suitable for many an office holiday party:



SLEIGH RIDE:I know,more snuggling with your sweetie stuff and yeah,it does reference a Christmas party but you can always switch out a word or two there if you want to. It's just such a fun song that even thinking about it gives you a warm,happy holiday feeling:



HAZY SHADE OF WINTER: Rather a stretch here,but finding strictly snow songs is hard and this version by the Bangles(from the Less Than Zero soundtrack) is a favorite of mine. It may not be the perfect singalong but it would certainly make your New Year's Eve party rock out big time:



With tonight being the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas only a couple of weeks away(plus other wintertime festivities),I thought it would be nice to unite everyone in song. No matter what you celebrate,this is a time of year to share your love with family and friends,which is the most important element of the season. Giving the gift of song is a great way to do it,even if some of your loved ones have names not easy to rhyme. Happy holidays to one and all!:

The winners of Top Chef and TAR,plus coming soon, The Worst Cooks in America

The big finale for Top Chef's Vegas season had plenty of high stakes and more than it's share of last minute twists tossed in for flavor. The Brothers Voltaggio and Kevin were tasked with making a three course meal that had certain requirements attached.

One course had to be made up of items given to each chef in a mystery box(they all got the same stuff),another one could be chef's choice and the last one was mandatory dessert. Hard to dislike dessert,even if it's something you have to have,but that course has plagued many a contender here.



One of the surprises sprung on the Final Three was a visit from their mothers,who became the inspiration for a last moment fourth course;create a dish based on your mom's cooking from childhood. Kevin aced this one,with a southern fried chicken skin with squash casserole and tomatoes. Judge Tom loved the squash,praising the variety of flavors that popped up with every bite.



Unfortunately,Kevin's dessert didn't get much love. Some of the dinner guests(which included the likes of Donatella Apria)hated bacon being part of the dish.

Granted,bacon is an odd choice for dessert but I can understand him using it to accent the roasted banana with chocolate mousse and toasted peanuts-sort of an Elvis vibe to the plate.

Sadly,folks were also not thrilled with Kevin's third course of slow roasted pork belly as well and while the judges liked that he stayed true to himself as a chef,he did not win. Maybe if he had gotten some different sous chefs in the knife draw early on(Kevin had Preeti,who slowed him down during the first half of prep and Ash for the second quarter)or kept up the momentum from his mom inspired course,Kevin might have taken the prize. Oh well,he has a long and prosperous career ahead of him and we all wish him the best.



Byran V had better luck in picking his sous chefs(he got Ashley and Jen)and while his first two courses were considered rather bland,his chef's choice of venison saddle with orange juniper sauce received rave reviews from everyone at the table.

His dessert of white chocolate cheesecake with goat's milk and fruit was considered the best last course of the night. That wasn't enough to get him a win here,either,which is too bad since he was a pretty nice guy throughout the whole competition and very consistent with his food,too.



That leaves Michael Voltaggio as the Season 6 winner of Top Chef. He did wow everyone with his mom inspired dish of "reinvented broccoli" and his mystery dish entree(which was made up of rockfish,crab,Meyer lemon and matsutake mushrooms)seemed to be the best out of three.

His dessert course,however,came out wrong due to overcooking the cakes(plus,his sous chef Eli filled up the baking portions of the pan too high)and he still served them up,anyway. Judge Tom was very familiar with that cake-chocolate caramel coulant-and pointed out that it needed to be served quickly before the caramel hardened it up. Why a guy who screws that up gets the win is weird to me but then again,I didn't taste the food,so there you go.

Congratulations,Michael-you are a great chef,but you do need a dose of humility. I know you meant to be funny when the judges asked you why you deserved to win and the first words out of your mouth were "I don't want Bryan to be Top Chef",but it still went down wrong. On the other hand,you certainly weren't an Ilan type and did make outstanding dishes.

Next week is the Top Chef Reunion,which should be fun but not announcing the Fan Favorite on that show(they're saving it for Watch What Happens on the following day)is not cool,people! Kevin looks like a shoo-in for that,so maybe nice guys can finish best when last.



Congrats are also in order to Megan and Cheyne,the winners of The Amazing Race for season 15. I was rooting for Brian and Ericka,who did have a strong lead at one point but crashed and burned during a Cirque de'Soleil challenge. As long as Sam and Dan didn't win,it's all good(sorry,boys,but cheaters never prosper).

Megan and Cheyne do seem like nice enough kids and they did run a clean race,so kudos to them on their victory here. I do have to say that this finale was quite the nail biter;with so many twists of fate and wrong way going at times,it did put you on the edge of your seat wondering who would make it to Wayne Newton's house first(where else would you have a Las Vegas finish line at?):





As other reality competition shows end,more begin. One of those that will be cropping up in January of 2010 is The Worst Cooks in America on Food Network. Two chefs(Anne Burrell and Beau MacMillan)will each lead a team of culinary misfits thru a number of challenges in order to win a grand prize of $25,000.

It sounds like an interesting series(WCIA has a six episode run)and the critics who will be judging the final round are real tough cookies,including Alex Guarnaschelli from Chopped and Jeffrey Steingarten(who has become a mainstay on the Iron Chef America panel). The show starts on January 3 and I intend to keep it on my dial to warm my cold winter nights with:



RANDOM NOTES:

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER: More new episode goodness awaits this weekend,as Richard and friends decide to teach a group of peaceful villagers how to take back the night from marauding slave traders. Looks like a regular sword slinging fest of fury to me:

The glory of Lady Gaga

I'm not a big music person(greatest hits albums were created for the likes of me)but I do like listening to tunes by someone who is both crazily creative and actually talented,a combo that's hard to find in any artistic medium.

Lady Gaga wasn't a singer that I warmed up to at first but now,I can't get enough of her. Her brillantly bizarre wardrobe choices,elaborately staged videos and vibrant onstage performances where she takes time out to showcase her true vocal range have made me a full fledged fangirl.

Plus, Gaga(aka Stefani Germanotta)acted like a real lady when she was presented to the Queen of England recently. She not only curtsied but even toned down her stage act upon request from Her Majesty's people. Pretty classy,if you ask me:





It can be easy to dismiss Lady Gaga as yet another flash in the pan shock rock/pop singer but if you look a little deeper beyond the costumes and suggestive dance routines,there is a determined mind set there that wants to dazzle the world with some much needed flair and buoyancy that has a true connection to celebrating the outsider in today's society.

In other words,she owns her weirdness-not as easy as it sounds,folks. You can try to market to the offbeat crowd all you want but they know when they're being catered to and when one of their own is speaking to them loud and clear. Fake wacky never wins out over the real deal and the fact that she's already being goodnaturedly satired shows her time has come,indeed:





Oddly enough,it was hearing her first big hit song being sung by someone else that made me come around to giving Gaga a chance. Chris Daughtry's version of "Poker Face"(written by Gaga and RedOne)proved that her lyrics could have substance and poignancy as well as sly innuendo.

Not every sexy song out there can be turned into a power ballad by a former American Idol contender,which says something to me about the skills of the original artist:



The clincher for me was catching one of her televised performances where she sat down at the piano and played her heart out. Don't get me wrong,not every singer has to be able to play an instrument but after seeing so many pumped up pretty faces gyrating to oversexed lip syncing for the past few years,having a glitzed up gal just hitting the ivories and showing her inner passions thru song is extremely refreshing:





Yes,she can be over the top at times,which is an essential part of her charm,and perhaps not quite PG rated enough to suit the musical requirements of your next formal gathering but a little bit of Gaga goes a long way there,folks. Not many faces on the music scene can say that and actually live up to the hype. So,let's just dance and enjoy the ride on this disco stick because goodness knows,we need any good excuse to shake and shimmy off the stress these days. Thanks,Lady Gaga,for giving us a funky new beat to party with:

What literary dish could be the next Julie & Julia?

Debuting on DVD this week is Julie & Julia,the scrumptious summer movie based upon blogger Julie Powell's memoir of her year of cooking every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking which starred Amy Adams and Meryl Streep.

The film did well enough that not only did the J&J book reappear on bestseller lists,so did Julia Child's own memoir about her time in Paris(which was also adapted into the movie's screenplay)and the original Mastering the Art cookbook as well. As I await upon my Netflix rental to arrive in my mailbox,I was wondering what would be the next hit foodie memoir to make mental mouths water.


While Julie Powell does have a new food related memoir out,which is an interesting read,the flavor of that book is way spicier than the first one. Not that any other female food focused book has to be all sweetness and nicey nice,but for those seeking out a similar flavor profile in their reading,a milder tone might go down better. So,without any further ado,here are my three best guesses for the newest taste sensation amongst the book group set:



TRAIL OF CRUMBS/KIM SUNEE

I got to meet Kim Sunee briefly at a BEA convention when her book was due to come out in hardcover and she was very sweet in a truly natural way,not simply showing me a sugar coated version of herself. That down to earth charm shows in Trail of Crumbs,which is now in paperback,and is making the book club rounds as we speak.

Trail of Crumbs is her story about how food became an integral part of her life and her search for self,a theme that resonates well with everyone and provides plenty of food for thought. She's also getting more media time,with her successful debut as an Iron Chef America judge and her online "Kim Eats The World" series,so she has a real shot at being the next big player on the foodie circuit:





I LOVED,I LOST,I MADE SPAGHETTI/ GUILIA MELUCCI

This memoir showcases that old saying about a man's stomach being the best way to his heart in a dishy fashion,with Guilia going over her love life by flipping thru the recipes she used to win them over in the kitchen. Think of this as a savory Sex and the City,only with real sauciness to it.

The book is due out in paperback next year,but the real selling point is the sense of humor that Guilia serves up her story with. One of the best things about sharing a meal is sharing the laughs and the same goes for a good book as well:





UNDER THE TABLE/KATHERINE DARLING

The subtitle of this book is "Saucy Tales from Culinary School",a subject that peaks the interest and appetites of the food curious quite a bit. Katherine Darling writes about her days as a student at the French Culinary Institute,with a mixed batch of fellow students and a number of challenging courses to conquer.

The paperback version should be out by April of 2010,but I think the intrigue around cooking school itself might draw folks into it's pages sooner than that. One of the key ingredients of the film version of J&J was Child's time at the Cordon Bleu and with shows such as Chef Academy getting small screen air time,Under The Table may wind up on top of many bookstore displays:





Mind you,these are just my slightly educated guesses;if I had any real luck in picking winners,I'd apply that to this week's Lotto drawing. As it is,this tasty trio of insights into ladies of the culinary world should and have done decently on their own merits without having to ride on anyone's coattails,but a little extra spotlight on the subject in pop culture land never hurts.

What ties all of these books together is the love of cooking and how it can be empowering to women,no longer a "chained to the stove" life sentence but a real liberating feast for the soul. That alone is worth exploring in any medium:

Is SNL's Tiger Woods parody just par for the comedy course?

It's been awhile since I've watched Saturday Night Live but even those who are not long time fans of the show shouldn't be completely shocked that the Not Ready for Prime Time players would take a shot at the Tiger Woods scandal.

The skit featuring Tiger(Keenan Thompson)and his wife Elin(special guest host Blake Lively),along with Wolf Blitzer(Jason Sudeikis)mocked the increasing press coverage of the story as well as the wrath of Elin about her husband's apparently numerous affairs. A lot of folks thought it was in poor taste,making fun of spousal abuse,not to mention that the musical guest that evening was Rihanna,who understandably might not find that skit quite so funny:



While I do hope that Rihanna wasn't upset about this,I don't really think this bit was trying to gloss over the realities of relationship violence. The point of the piece seemed to be more about how overblown the attention from the media has been about this whole thing,plus the time honored comedy trope about a woman scorned.

It's also a typical SNL tact to mock celebrity scandals or even scandals that give celebrity to those who don't deserve it. The show's opening bit had a send-up of the Salahis,those White House party crashers who have yet to be charged with anything for that serious breach of security stunt,and no one's talking about that as much,even tho one might wonder just how funny a couple of dubious folks getting that close to the President is:



The fine line between up to the minute social satire and inappropriate humor has always been an unsteady one. There are those who may feel that it's best to strike while the iron is a hot button issue and some who would rather wait until the subject is not as sore to poke fun at before making it a punchline. Just how long a wait can be debatable,since there are some things that certain folks will never feel right about laughing at(along with plenty that do without any hesitation):



In the end,these things are really personal judgment calls for the most part. If comedy plays it safe all the time,there won't be much to laugh at. That doesn't mean that you can't get giggles only by playing nice but you do have to be a little discriminating about who you throw your poison darts of wit at.Sometimes,it's best to back off a celebrity in crisis while others are truly in need of a reality check,no matter where it's from:

Five golden Christmas movies

In the spirit of the holiday season,I thought it would be fun to take a gander at some of the movies,TV specials and songs that get constant replay on the airwaves to figure out why their appeal hasn't faded over time. Is it merely tradition to put these films into holiday viewing rotation or a real need to renew your Yuletide love?

Let's start with the movies-while there are tons of flicks that celebrate Christmas,I narrowed it down to five generally agreed upon standard films that have stood the test of time for at least a decade or so. Also kept this strictly focused on movies that have had a theatrical release(nothing against the made for TV features,I might want to go over those later)before becoming commercial/cable TV fare.



MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

This fanciful fable about the "real" Santa Claus going to work for Macy's and making a difference in lives of several folks connected there has been remade more than once,but I prefer the original version the best.

Part of the charm of the 1947 film was in the cast which included a hearty mix of big names like Maureen O'Hara and John Payne,future starlet Natalie Wood and even actors destined for TV greatness in minor roles like William Frawley(aka Fred Murtz of I Love Lucy).

Of course,the best cast role of them all was Edmund Gwenn,who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor that year for his portrayal of Kris Kringle. Gwenn's innate warmth and whimsy really came out in full force,making his character's claims to be Santa seem very reasonable indeed. The main appeal of the movie is wrapped up in just how much you'd want to have this nice old man be the real deal-with so much of the holiday fixated on consumerism that brings out the worst in some people,it would be nice to have a true champion of what Christmas is supposed to mean in our corner:






A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Hundreds of stage and screen(both silver and small)adaptations have been made from Charles Dickens' tale of Scrooge and how he got his soul back,thanks to the ghosts who show him the horror show that his life has become. My favorite one is the 1951 film starring Alastair Sim as the lead and that's a good one to go with for the purposes of this discussion.

My father introduced me to this film,loving just how mean and nasty Sim is at the start of the story and how his emotional transformation builds up over the course of the story in a truly moving and meaningful way. Scrooge is the Anti-Santa,if you think about,a man who is just as determined to spread misery and despair as St. Nick is in handing out presents and good cheer.

Seeing Scrooge's redemption gives us hope that even at our worst,we can still reach out to others and be loved and accepted. Everyone has their own particular Ebenezer that they love to hate and mine will always be Alastair Sim,but no matter who you like to see save Tiny Tim from his premature fate,he's as welcome as that fellow with the eight reindeer on Christmas Eve:






IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

You couldn't have a complete overview of holiday movies without this Frank Capra classic and interestingly enough,it owes it's status as a pop culture icon due to television rather than the movie going audiences that the film was intended for.

When IAWL was first released in 1946,it received a batch of mixed reviews which lead to a rather dismal box office take. However,after numerous replays on TV and many reevaluations by film critics over the years,It's a Wonderful Life has become the ultimate Christmas movie.

Not only does it have the aura of "small town boy makes good" and grassroots support by devoted fans who watch it once a year,IAWL's strength of story is in it's saga approach to the plot. It's sort of a male soap opera,with George Bailey as the spunky yet low on the social ladder lead who struggles against the odds and the oppression of the evil overlord in the area.Mr. Potter,who would love to take him down a peg. Not implying anything slash fiction wise,folks,but in some ways,this movie goes along the lines of such female centric films such as Gone With The Wind or even Titanic:





A CHRISTMAS STORY

Another film that wilted in theaters and blossomed on TV,A Christmas Story brings both the old school and new style take on the nostalgia of the season by blending some home truths with the starry eyed glow of the good old days.

Jean Shepard's humorous look back at his small town childhood(taken from two of his books) was well served here by of all directors,Bob Clark,who was best known for the teen sex romp Porky's at the time.

Turns out that Clark's bold brand of humor was a perfect match for this material that ultimately connected with audiences later rather than sooner. Young people can easily relate to Ralphie's plight for the Christmas gift of his dreams while the older generations fondly remember a time when having Chinese food as your holiday feast would be considered exotic and everyone gets to have a goodnatured laugh at the whole hullabaloo together:





HOME ALONE

This movie may seem to be nothing more than a live action Looney Tunes cartoon at times,but it did hold sway over a generation of young people who grew up with this film as their starting point for Christmas movies. Macaulay Culkin made his major film debut here,for better or worse,as Kevin,the left behind little kid with the smart mouth and appealing adaptability of many a sitcom character.

Actually,the whole plot of the film has a very sitcom feel to it. Kevin not only survives an assault on his household by (fortunately for him)inept burglars but also learns to appreciate his raucous family,make friends with the cranky old man of the neighborhood and not burn the house down. It's fitting that such a fantasy approach to child abandonment is set in the sparkly suburbs;in a more urban environment,the ending might not have been as happy.

Don't get me wrong,I do like Home Alone. It's just meant to be a fun family flick and it does deliver the goods. The inevitable sequels never truly captured the goofy slapstick joy of the original,with it's delight in Kevin's discovering that he can handle life's challenges by himself ,thanks to what his family taught him and some ingenious inventions of his own:



So,as you and your loved ones gather around the tree on Christmas Eve,no doubt one of these movies will be on your TV as a great excuse to share some quality time together. No matter how many times you've seen this one or that,it's an easy way to share the joy of the season without too much effort and a lot less messier than baking cookies or reading Christmas essays out loud to each other. A bowl of popcorn and a comfy place to sit is all that you need to make this movie night memorable and right:

Top Chef's Final Four,TAR's Final Three and we say farewell to a major player on Heroes

Top Chef: Las Vegas left the strip and went to Napa Valley for the start of the finale,bringing the Brother Voltaggio,Kevin and Jennifer together at a train station where a very pregnant Padma(congrats there,hon!)and guest judge Michael Chiarello(a contender on the Top Chef Masters series)were ready to give them their last Quickfire challenge of the season.

The challenge was to make a grape based dish while onboard a train and since this was also the last high stakes QF,a shiny new car was added on as yet another incentive to do well. Michael V wound up getting those car keys for his stuffed grape leaf plate,which pleased both Padma and Chiarello very well:



For the Elimination challenge,all of the chefs had to cook for a "crush party",which celebrates the grape harvest,using only locally grown and produced foods. Salt and pepper were the only exceptions to that rule,plus they each had to make two dishes;one vegetarian and one protein based.

As expected,the Brothers Voltaggio did well here. Michael's turnip soup with foie gras and pears was enjoyed while his poached egg with veggie pistou had a couple of problems with it. The vegatables were cut up so finely that they became lost in the dish and Padma's egg wasn't served correctly.

That's probably why Byran was chosen as the winner here,even though both of his plates needed some more seasoning. His goat cheese ravoli was well liked and the braised short ribs with fig glaze had a nice texture to it:





Joining them for the second half of the finale will be Kevin,whose brisket was tough or "toothsome" as he preferred to call it,but wowed the judges with a seemingly simple plate of roasted beets and carrots. I was so glad to see him get to the Final Three,he's been such a nice guy and a great chef this season. Also,I think he defended the brisket politely yet firmly,pointing out that since the meat was being served on top of a pumpkin polenta,too much tenderness might've turned the whole thing into mush.



That left Jennifer as the one to pack her knives and go home. I knew she was in trouble when the judges tasted her cherve mousse with mushrooms and found it extremely salty. Her duck meat and squash puree went over well,with Judge Tom saying the meat tasted very "ducky"(he meant that in a good way)but Jen had originally planned to grill her proteins but let the fire die out in the kitchen before she could do so.

A minor point to be sure,but someone had to leave and Jen's nerves have been getting very unsteady lately,so perhaps this is for the best. Next week is a showdown between the Brother V and Kevin,and my fingers are crossed for Kevin,big time. Byran winning would be okay,too,especially since his brother is such an overly competitive creep:





Heroes ended their fall season(the show will be back on in January)with a long overdue swan song from Nathan Petrelli,who has spent most of this volume as a hybrid of ghost and possessed personality trapped within Sylar's body. Peter tried to force Sylar to release his brother's spirit and take control but Nathan knew it was a losing battle.

I've never liked Nathan to begin with(he's a devious character,just like his mom)so having him take his final bow here is fine with me. I do have to admit that show creator and writer Tim Kring certainly did give him a nice moment of tender tragedy in saying his farewells to Peter. Maybe this will strengthen Peter to go on and be a true hero on his own:





The Amazing Race is down to it's Final Three and sadly,the Globetrotters will not be amongst that number. What did the guys in was an early Roadblock that had one team member trying to figure out a word puzzle in a Kafka themed challenge and Big Easy agreed to work with Sam in working it out.

Sam got the answer first and then told Big Easy,"It starts with an F,that's all I'm saying." What kind of backhanded behavior is that? If you don't want someone to get ahead of you,don't offer to help them out and then renege on it later. Not cool,guys!

Big Easy and Flight Time wound up taking a four hour penalty,which set them way too far back in the pack:



The Globetrotters were great contenders and I'm sure that I'm not the only one sorry to see them go. Since Sam and Dan have been playing dirty pool for the last few legs and Megan and Cheyne don't impress me much,my allegiance is now fully with Brian and Ericka for the win. The two of them seem to be a really great couple that balance each other out nicely. I didn't think I would like them at first,but they grow on you after awhile. Good luck,Team Yellow!:



RANDOM NOTES:

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER: While other shows are packing up for a winter break,LOTS is moving onward with more new episodes. Coming up this weekend,Zed has a bout of 18 Again-itis as Shota turns him back into a younger version of himself. Troublesome to be sure,but ,then again, it gives Richard a chance to try out his techniques on dealing with rebellious teenagers with magic powers:

How brightly does Twilight's New Moon shine on the big screen?

No doubt,many of you who are big fans of the Twilight saga have seen the latest film adaptation several times over and have formed several opinions about which aspect of book vs. movie details worked best.

I managed to see Twilight:New Moon over the holiday weekend and found it to be pretty much what I expected it to be-a rather faithful retelling of the story with some interesting visual tricks that helped to enhance the plot. Since there have been plenty of straightforward reviews of the film already,I thought it would be more interesting to talk about it by focusing on three major elements that most of the fans would be keeping an extra sharp eye on how they were brought to life on screen:

THE VOLTURI



The ancient order of vampires who still keep to the old ways,especially when it comes to the traditional bloodsucker's menu,had their brief debut and came off as ones to watch out for,indeed. While there was plenty of hype surrounding the casting of Dakota Fanning as paingiver Jane,she really didn't have much to do here but does give off a nice menacing aura that makes you hope she comes back for the later films.

Michael Sheen as Aro,the charismatic leader of the gang who delights in the powers of those under his wing,does make the most of his time onscreen. He portrays Aro very much as I imagined him while turning the pages of New Moon and brought an eerily lively air to his scenes:



THE WOLVES



The emergence of the Quileute werewolves is a key plot development and the film did showcase that well,maybe with not as much depth as the book did but as they say,a picture can be worth a thousand words of explanation.

Jacob's fears of being lead into an unknown destiny at first and then his wholehearted yet reluctant acceptance of the situation(particularly where Bella is concerned)was convincingly done by both screenwriters and the actors.

As to werewolf transformations,I like the quick change artist approach taken here. The weres are supposed to be larger than real wolves to begin with and they do look amazing. I also like the moments when Bella's reflection is caught in Jacob's eye during his wolf state,it adds a touching pathos to his struggles with his torn emotions towards her. The action sequences between the weres and vamps were just hints of what's to come in Eclipse but I'm looking forward to seeing just how far those will go:



TEAM JACOB



Taylor Lautner has to take center stage here as Jacob becomes a major player for Bella's heart and despite whatever doubts some of the producers had about him that made them reconsider replacing Taylor in the part during pre-production,he clearly has the acting skills for this role and proves himself to be as irreplaceable as either Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson.

Jacob's sweet crush on Bella goes from being the best friend ready and willing to pick Bella up after Edward's abrupt departure sends her down a swirling sorrow spiral to hesitantly wanting her as part of the new phase of his life right into fierce jealousy and protectiveness when the Cullens come back into Bella's world. Lautner makes these emotional twists and turns as smoothly as the CGI turns him into a giant wolf and shows why the camp for Team Jacob is just as firmly devoted as Team Edward is for their guy to win out in the end:





The flaws in the film as I see them are that Director Chris Weitz takes a rather detached tone in dealing with Bella's despair,altho I like the sequence where her months of brooding are framed in a Mobius strip style. Having Edward appear in a ghostly form whenever Bella takes a physical risk does work on screen but lends itself to being a little too gimmicky as time goes on.

Also,the film doesn't bother with a lot of exposition that would allow someone who didn't see the first movie to get much of what's happening and who is who for the second one. That's fine,I guess,and other sequels have done the same thing but in a way ,it does leave a newcomer out in the cold there.




Overall,Twilight:New Moon does justice to the book and sets the stage for Eclipse,which is very action packed and may actually draw more of a male audience at the multiplex next time around. Even if it doesn't,it is clear that the Twilight saga will be a strong force to reckon with on the pop culture scene for awhile longer.

My only request is that we get a snazzier selection of tunes for the Eclipse soundtrack-sorry,folks,but most of the songs on the New Moon playlist are not as toe tapping as the ones on the original Twilight one. The best of the bunch to me is Muse,with their remix of "I Belong to You",it's got a funky little rhythm there worth listening to again. Oh,well,maybe Adam Lambert will do us the honor of giving us a song for Eclipse(I can dream,can't I?). Until then,enjoy this romp under the serious moonlight,Twilight believers:

The Other Queen leads to other looks at Mary,Queen of Scots

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's historical novels,especially the ones regarding the Tudors from Henry the VIII to Elizabeth the First. So,having The Other Queen, her latest in paperback arrive at my door,courtesy of Booksfree(it's the Netflix of books),was a great delight and it's been my constant companion over this past holiday weekend.

The alternate monarch of the title is Mary,Queen of Scots who has just been overthrown in her homeland and now takes refuge in England,hoping for support from Elizabeth in regaining her throne. Instead,she fights charges of murder and adultery and is forced to become the "guest" of the Earl of Shrewsbury,a man feeling honor bound to obey his queen and cousin but torn in his loyalties to the enchanting young woman who may or may not be the next ruler of the realm.



Another major player in this story is Bess of Hardwick,the Earl's wife who has managed to rake a rather large fortune of her own from her first three husband's estates and is determined to keep that wealth at all costs.

Bess is also very aware of the attraction her husband has for their most unwelcome guest and fears that his softhearted approach to the increasing dangerous situation with Mary under their charge will lead to their ruin,not to mention a beheading or two.

That's what I like about Philippa Gregory's books,her focus on strong female figures from the past who strive to endure despite whatever circumstances and limitations are placed upon them. She also tries to make the outcome of certain historical events feel fresh and alive with tension,with the possibility of what else might have been brimming in the minds of the characters as motivation for their actions:





I'm still reading the book as we speak,but am intrigued by all of the plots within plots as Mary struggles to be as free as she can be with many friends and enemies surrounding her in equal numbers,along with Bess's grim resolve to keep her money safe no matter who wins in the end.

Since my knowledge of Mary,Queen of Scots begins and ends with her execution and the highly disputed fact that she and Elizabeth never had a face to face,I decided to remedy that by watching a couple of classic films on the subject. I know,I know,movies are not always the most accurate when it comes to delivering the goods here,but it's definitely a fun excuse to catch up on old school flicks about ye olden times.

First up on the block is the 1971 version of Mary,Queen of Scots that stars Vanessa Redgrave as Mary and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth. Casting two major divas of the English stage was quite a coup and the whole thing seems to play out like a royal soap opera,which should be entertaining indeed:





After that,Mary of Scotland from 1936 is next on my list. Katherine Hepburn plays Mary,with Frederic March as her second husband,the Earl of Bothwell and Florence Elderidge as Elizabeth. The movie was actually a major flop at the box office in it's time but has gained some critical recognition over the years.

Interestingly enough,Hepburn was related to an ancestor of Bothwell's and his given name(James Hepburn)wasn't used in the film in order to quash any talk of favoritism in the casting. Katherine Hepburn always did have a regal bearing onscreen and off,so it's not completely surprising to find out that it was passed down to her via bloodline:





There's several other films about this regal rivalry but I think that just rounding things out by finally watching Elizabeth: The Golden Age(which has been on my Netflix queue for awhile now)will do the trick nicely.

Some revived interest in Mary,Queen of Scots surfaced over a year ago,with talk of Scarlett Johansson taking on the role in a remake of the 1971 film,however that project doesn't seem to have gotten the greenlight so far. If she or any other starlet out there does have the chance to bring Mary back to the big screen,I do hope that they make the most out of that opportunity. While her reign may have been short and sharply cut off,Mary's legend in both art and history is elaborately lengthy for good reason and deserves to be prominently featured on both fronts: