That clock is counting down to New Year's Eve but there's still time to watch a film or two to get in the mood. We have two Smackdowns for you over at MOVIE SMACKDOWN! -- that's a whopping four films, all with something to do with New Year's Eve.
Our Oregon-based SmackRef, Mark Sanchez dives into a couple of romantic comedies that both have scenes bringing in the New Year in his Smack, Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) -vs- When Harry Met Sally (1989). Plus, as an added bonus, it's a chance to remember one of the most famous scenes on film, the time when Megan Ryan fakes a, well, you remember...
Meanwhile, down here in Hollywood, Sherry Coben takes us back to New Year's Eve 1959 with her Smack, Diner (1982) -vs- The Apartment (1960). That's right, both of these films go back to a simpler New Year's and it's a trip down memory lane that's not to be missed.
It's been a busy month over at the Smack. We have film-on-film competition with almost all of today's films like Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road, Valkyrie, Milk, Defiance, Marley & Me, The Wrestler, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Twilight, Doubt and Gran Torino. It's your last chance to check it out this year!
To see an entire site devoted to Movie Smackdown Comix! like above, go to www.MovieSmackdown.tv.
With the country wrapping up another bitter election cycle, our citizens mostly opposed to an overseas war, immigration forcing us to decide what an American is and isn't, and the current president about as unpopular as they come, we're about to celebrate another 4th of July. Because we're so divided, it seems, most of us are vaguely uncomfortable talking about issues like patriotism and it's easier to drink a Bud at the fireworks than to consider what any of it means. Which, if you think about it, is probably all the more reason to try. So, in that spirit, here goes...
The birth of the United States of America was set in motion 232 years ago and I'm glad it was. When the Founding Fathers committed us to this grand experiment by breaking with Great Britain, they did a bold thing for their time and for all times. If you'd like to read the Declaration of Independence (which is something everybody probably thinks they've done but haven't done in years and years), then CLICK HEREand read away.
Just fragments in the reflecting pool, or something special?
I was going to write a little blurb here about how Hollywood views patriotism and the things that go with it like the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner and the like, but then I realized that was probably career suicide in a red-blue polarized country where patriotism itself can be a hot-button issue. That essay will have to wait for another time, I suppose.
Take the red pill or the blue pill? Or maybe the red-blue pill?
Tim Russert had a few years on me but not that many and so, like a lot of Americans, I'm guessing his passing isn't just about the loss of his wit and humor in the political arena but also a heads-up about mortality.
Of course, it's doubly impactful because the "empty chair" on Sunday's Meet the Press came on Father's Day and Russert has become known for his own love for his father and his son.
Today, during this Father's Day that he never got to, I took a walk, went for a swim and thought about what I can do to stick around a little longer for my own family. There's work to be done but it's important work. Probably Russert would approve of using his untimely death as a chance to take stock. Can't write much more now, we've got some family time carved out...
The Smackdown. You certainly don't need to believe in Santa Claus to take inspiration from a good film that is either about the holiday or uses it as its backdrop. So over at our companion blog Movie Smackdown! we asked each of our critics to write a short blurb about a Christmas film that they have a special fondness for and submitted those choices and others to the dreaded blog poll treatment. Which holiday film or films do you think are worth repeat viewing to get in the holiday spirit? Humbug, you say? Read on...
No, we don't think that you will likely choose "Fred Claus" as the Christmas film you'd want to recommend to your friends to see every year or even, maybe, this year. On the other hand, the breadth of Christmas films out there is wide and many have their passionate defenders and detractors. We think Movie Smackdown! is the perfect place to sort this out.
Here are the films that our critics have decided to advocate as the one Christmas movie they think you should either see for the first time or re-visit during the holidays. We have, as you'll see, a wide diversity of opinion.
By the way, if you're one of those people who simply want to vote and get it over with, you can go to the bottom of this post and you'll find the polls there.
When I think of classic lines from Christmas movies, "Every time a bell
rings an angel gets his wings" isn't the first one that comes to mind.
And neither is "God bless us, every one." No, for me, the most
memorable line ever in a holiday movie is "You'll shoot your eye out,
kid!" from 1983's "A Christmas Story" -- novelist and screenwriter Jean
Shepherd's giddily cynical look at growing up in small-town Indiana in
the 1940s.
The
story line may not, at first blush, strike you as proper Christmas
movie fodder. It's all about a kid named Ralphie who passionately wants
to own... tin drum-roll, please... a Daisy Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine
Action BB gun. Oddly, everybody he talks to seems incapable of
discussing this potential possession without using those words, "shoot
your eye out." The world this film lives in no longer exists and that's
part of the reason it's so much fun to visit for a couple of hours.
This is truly the Little Engine That Could of holiday flicks. A
low-budget box-office flop featuring minor stars Peter Billingsley,
Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin, and directed by Bob Clark of
"Porky's" infamy, "A Christmas Story" began to pick up steam with
audiences when Ted Turner's WTBS began broadcasting it in the late
'80s. By the mid-'90s, Turner was airing 24-hour marathons of the film
on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The reason for the success? The
movie has an ear for how kids talk, and a heart for how they feel. It
manages to be nostalgic without being sentimental. And that's no mean
trick.
Our family tried to make "It's A
Wonderful Life" a Christmas tradition, but it never quite caught on.
Then, in 2003, writer Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral,"
"Bridget Jones's Diary") gave us the Christmas gift of "Love Actually"
as his directorial debut and it's been a once-a-year screening ever
since. The film is an ensemble romantic comedy set against the backdrop
of the holiday season and, by my count, there are over 20 main
characters and about nine separate romances. Some play out better than
others but, overall, it's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, you
never know what you're going to get.
Hugh Grant is wonderful, as usual, playing the newly elected Prime
Minister of Britain who happens to fall for a crumpet working for the
household staff (played by Martine McCutcheon). He's as appealing as
ever and his story really is the spine of the piece, if you think about
it. But you never really have the time because there's so much going
on. My second favorite bit is with Bill Nighy who plays an
over-the-hill rocker who's just scored a big hit by putting an old rock
standard "Love Is All Around" to Christmas lyrics and knows it's not
his finest work.
It works as a Christmas movie,
though, because Christmas really is all around. It's in the presents
people buy each other in this film, in the songs they sing, in the
plays they attend. It's about people who realize how much they need
other people and, even though this message begins the movie as a 9/11
reference, it's clearly developed as a holiday theme. Some critics have
tried to slam this film as being too busy but that has never bothered
me on the repeated viewings. I love these characters and if I could buy
them all a present, I would. Instead, just vote for them in our poll
and I'll be happy.
"Bad Santa" follows hapless Santa Claus impersonator
Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) and his elf impersonating sidekick Marcus
(Tony Cox). Every year the pair get hired at a new department store
only to rob the place blind after it closes on Christmas Eve. The scam
always goes off without a hitch, but this year things get a little
sticky. Willie's severe alcoholic indulgences are getting him into
more trouble than he can handle and store investigator Gin (Bernie Mac)
is hot on their trail. Also added to the mix is The Kid (Brett Kelly),
a young boy who befriends Willie and slowly manages to pull at his
heart strings.
When I first watched "Santa" a few years ago I could
not believe some of the things that came out of Thornton's mouth. I
certainly expected a bit of raunchiness, but this movie still managed
to surprise me with its verbal freedom. What I appreciated most was
that Thornton's Santa did not hold anything back -- characterizing, above
all, that Christmas is not always festive and cheerful. At some point
we have to recognize that it has become a colossal machine and the once
undulterated idea of Christmas is now buried somewhere between a stack
of Pokemon cards and a monogrammed money clip.
If you really think about it, Christmas is just
another day on the calendar. Just because it's the holiday season does
not mean that normal life is at standstill. That's where "Santa" steps
in. In my opinion this film details (in a rather exaggerated fashion)
that even though the holiday season is special and should be savored,
"raw" life continues to move forward. Even though that "raw" life
includes theft, gunshots, bullies, jail, sexual relations, and absent
fathers, "Santa" shows that everyone still has a motive and not
everything is picture perfect just because Santa Claus is coming to
town.
Though it has a tough exterior, "Santa" does manage
to expose its soft underbelly mostly via the relationship between
Willie and The Kid. What I truly love about "Santa" is that despite
it's very dark humor, the film still manages to teach a little lesson
at the end without making it an overly sappy encounter: Even the
biggest Scrooge has a heart that can be touched.
So if you want to forget about gifts and money for a
few hours and instead watch a Christmas flick that is not as much about
the fanciful idea of Christmas as it is about real people and their
relationships, then go out and rent "Bad Santa''... and don't forget to
give it a vote afterwards.
Ho...Ho...Horrors! I recommend this film unreservedly for all the contrary, hilarious impulses it throws at the holiday season. Hard luck cat burglar Gus (Denis Leary) decides to evade the cops on Christmas Eve night by abducting Lloyd and Caroline Chasseur (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis). Really bad idea. Lloyd and Caroline won't stop arguing, even at gunpoint: Spiky, lacerating, unrelenting. "I hijacked my f*****g parents!" Gus sputters.
For Gus, it's all downhill. Every member of the dysfunctional family comes for dinner: Lloyd's mousy brother brings his smug wife Connie (Christine Baranski), their kids and the matriarch from hell, Rose Chasseur (Glynis Johns). Even Lloyd and Caroline's son sneaks in from military school. Gus cannot maintain the fiction he's the marriage counselor, Dr. Wong. Cut by cut the adults are emotionally filleted as the forced holiday gaiety is scraped away. All resent Rose and it's payback time for years of toxic maternal abuse. She's tied up when there's a knock on the door, and the in-laws lay it on: "Go on, Mary.. gag your grandma" Connie tells her daughter.
The Ref offers an upbeat ending that gives story balance and acknowledges the obvious: That few people have the Christmas you'll see in It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol or Gift of the Magi. Sharp dialogue and a superior cast give the movie its zing. Ted Demme directed the script from Marie Weiss and Richard LaGravenese. Above all, The Ref suggests we can use a dose of honesty and forgiveness. That may be the best Christmas present of all.
Up until I saw Christian Carion’s French film, "Joyeux Noel," two years ago, Bob Clark’s "A Christmas Story" was my favorite Christmas movie –- ever, as my five-year-old loves to say. I never tired of seeing it, sharing it with my kids, or warning them not to shoot their eyes out with a Red Ryder Rifle! "Joyeux Noel," however, has stayed with me and become my favorite Christmas film, even if it’s too rough in places to yet share with my kids. Its story is simple and based on a real event too impossible to believe yet too irresistible to ignore. The log line might read, "On Christmas Eve 1914, a German opera star and his lover sing Christmas carols on a World War I battlefield resulting in French, Scottish and German troops calling a brief truce to erect Christmas trees along their respective trenches and share a moment of solidarity and simple joy before continuing on with the task of killing one another.”
The fact that this is absolutely true and that the opera star and his beloved, also an opera star, choreographed the event so that they would have one night together before his possible death, is even more amazing. That such a sequence of events could actually transpire during the middle of a brutal and demoralizing battle is the key to the film’s success. Writer/director Carion overcomes any obvious sentimentality or emotional overload by assuring us that even in the darkest hour, our own human need for love will not only triumph, but become a respite from horror for all those close enough to bathe in its wonder.
Every Christmas film story strives to show the true meaning of Christmas. Usually that's the argument that man’s nature is ultimately noble and that we should love thy neighbor or something like that regardless of who controls our earthly fortunes -- Bush, Allah, Time-Warner or George Steinbrenner. What is miraculous to me about "Joyeux Noel" is that it really does this. And does it by recreating the most beautiful “concert” in the middle of a devastated battlefield splattered with corpses representative of all the living participants who are now listening, enrapt and in tears, on Christmas Eve. This scene enabled me to appreciate my own nature as a man (in the universal sense); that love and beauty, in this instance in the guise of sublime voices and music, can not only reverse the cruelty of man but also convert it to compassion. No other Christmas film that I have seen conveys that simple tome in such a magisterial and compelling way.
To add a coda, the next morning, Christmas Day, each of the combatants agree to delay the killing a bit longer to give the other time to pick up their dead and comfort one another in their loss. It’s a scene of overwhelming sadness because we know, within hours, the field will once again be littered with bodies. We know that soon Christmas and this miraculous event will be a footnote to history and things will return, again, to horrific normalcy because of “orders” from above. "Joyuex Noel" should be required viewing of all leaders of all countries that require the sacrifice of their peoples for the greater good. Perhaps they should all be reminded that the greater good is, ultimately, man (in the universal sense). For that reason, more than any other, "Joyeux Noel" is now my favorite Christmas film. And in a few years I will let my children experience it. And in the future, my hope is that they will share it with their children. And so it goes.
If you were alive during the 1990 Christmas movie season, you saw this family comedy without the family, maybe even a couple of times, and can probably still conjure up the image of 8-year-old Macaulay Culkin, as Kevin, with his hands to his face. Definitely an indelible image. Culkin was a break-out in this film, and he was never as good in anything since. His believable, smart-ass kid attitude is endearing to the max.
Chris Columbus directs from a John Hughes script that focuses on a picked-on youngest of five kid who, with his large family bustling and hustling to make a Christmas flight to Paris, ends up getting overlooked and left... home... alone. Although Kevin initially gets off on his time to himself with no adults to bug him, the story is really about him having to fight off the efforts of two house burglars by booby-trapping his home. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are the self-proclaimed "Wet Bandits" who think it'll be easy duty stealing from a house where the family's in Europe. The plot isn't really plausible and it does get taken over by stunts and special effects, but it doesn't really matter. This film also supplies some unexpected charm, like mom (Catherine O'Hara) flying stand-by economy to get home, ending up stranded outside of Chicago, and needing to hitch a ride with a polka band led by John Candy. Ask any parent who's seen this movie: we've all been there in spirit, if not in deed.
Christmas infuses the film with its music and imagery but that could be said of many lesser films and imitations. "Home Alone" is a great Christmas film because, in addition to getting the emotion right, it's also got the spirit of our times all through it. As a little girl asks in this film, "Does Santa Claus have to go through customs?" You wouldn't find her asking that in Bedford Falls.
Like a lot of Americans, Frank Capra had just returned from World War II and he wanted this picture (based on a story by Philip Van Doren Stern) to be a celebration of our country's ordinary citizens. It wasn't really all that successful at the time nor was it perceived as a "Christmas movie." That happened when it fell starting in the 1970s when PBS stations used it as counter-programming to big network Christmas specials and gathered steam when a clerical error allowed it to fall out of copyright in 1974.
The audience has grown over the years and many families make it an annual holiday viewing, something that Capra himself in 1984 called "the damndest thing." In the 80s, a colorized version was released which, ironically, had no problem being copyrighted by has been savaged by film critics although average viewers seem to not be so bothered by.
The film takes place in the fictional town of Bedford Falls shortly after World War II and stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose attempted suicide on Christmas Eve gains the attention of his guardian angel, Clarence who is sent to help him in his hour of need. Most of the film is told through flashbacks spanning George's entire life and narrated by Franklin and Joseph, unseen Angels who are preparing Clarence for his mission to save George. Through these flashbacks we see all the people whose lives have been touched by George and the difference he has made to the community in which he lives.
Jay Amicarella recommends "A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES"
Does your local newspaper publish a special "Holiday"
pull-out of "seasonal" films and TV specials each year? (Sorry, the
tough, protect-free-speech-at all-costs print industry can't publish
the word "Christmas" any more.) Flipping through the pages of listings
and reading the synopses is just one of many of the Christmas rituals
I've developed over the years. "A selfish ad executive learns the true
meaning of The Holidays..." "A selfish stockbroker learns the true
meaning of the The Holidays..." "A selfish serial-killer learns the
true meaning of The Holidays."
The only things worse are the bizarre,
creepy "Specials," obviously filmed in mid-June, with titles like "A
Sweeny Todd Country Christmas, On Ice!" "The cast of 'Todd' joins Tim
McGraw, Faith Hill, and David Copperfield at the Tonya Harding
Memorial Rink for a true Country Christmas." This is not the sort of
fare that will give you any comfort when you stumble home from
gift-shopping, exhausted and irritable and hating humanity, ready to
chuck December and move right on to New Year's Day.
What will offer
solace, and renew your faith in the basic goodness of people is the
film version of poet Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales," a
quiet treat starring Denholm Elliot as 'Old Geraint,' an aging Welshman
recalling for his grandson the warm delights of the Christmases of his
youth. Thomas' beautiful poetic imagery, perfectly voiced by Elliot,
and complemented by on-location filming in Wales and Canada, whisks you
away from email greetings and electronic cards to a quaint, bygone
world of mulled wine, hearth-roasted chestnuts, handmade ornaments, and
familial bliss.
At just around sixty minutes in length, this a perfect
family film, with none of the morbid, ghost-story trappings of "A
Christmas Carol," that I believe Dickens put in just to scare the crap
out of kids (It certainly did me, 'though I love four separate movie
versions of that story.) Troubled genius Thomas reminds us that
Christmas is not about neurotic adults, full of life regrets, but about
faith, family, and the uncomplicated joys of childhood. Whether it's
hurling snowballs at neighborhood cats, or pretending to smoke candy
cigarettes, or simply waking up in the morning to a world gone suddenly
white, "A Child's Christmas in Wales" encourages us to embrace the
simple joys of the season, as a child. And it employs the most perfect
use of one of my favorite hymns, "All Through the Night."
Christmas Night, when you're starting to languish
from the excesses of the day and the physical and emotional demands of
the season, is the perfect time to view this gem.
Randal Cohen recommends "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" (1984)
This Charles Dickens novella was first published in
1843. No other piece of literature better captures the pure spirit of
the holiday. Deeply emotional without being sentimental; deeply
spiritual without condesencion or preaching. Obviously, the tale is
part of our cultural lexicon and doesn't need much recitation beyond the obvious: this is the one where Scrooge gets visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future and gets in the spirit of things by the end.
This "A Christmas Carol" is my
favorite adaptation of a story that's been filmed many times over the years and is a tradition in our house. Released theatrically in the U.K. in 1984 and
first aired on CBS television on December 17, 1984, it features a tour
de force performance by the late, great George C. Scott who received
an Emmy nomination for his turn as Ebeneezer Scrooge. Truly, this film is a wonderfully instructive experience for
older children dulled by the commercialism of the holiday (it may
frighten the very young). Forget Tim Allen's shallow comedies, this is
the ultimate cinematic Christmas experience.
To give you some perspective as to how this story has stood the test of time, back in 1843, the man in the red suit we're so fond of was wearing green and going by the name Father Christmas. Back then, Dickens was also feuding with his publishers so the very first edition of the novella was self-published, complete with lavish binding and hand-colored illustrations. He priced it at five shillings so everybody could afford it. These days the technology has changed, but the story remains the same, and this is the version you should see during the holiday season.
The film expands a story that can be read in under three minutes into a ninety-nine-minute movie, while remaining true to the visual style of the original. The "Hot Chocolate" production number was derived from a single sentence and a single illustration. The "Hobo," "Lonely Boy," and "Know-it-All" characters, the scenes on rooftops and on the locomotive, and the runaway observation car sequence were all new to the film.
"The Polar Express" tells the story of a young boy on Christmas Eve who is hoping for belief in the true spirit of Christmas. After falling asleep, a magical train called the Polar Express pulls up in front of his house and he is invited to journey to the North Pole. After reaching the North Pole, the boy is handpicked by Santa Claus to receive the first present of Christmas. He chooses a bright silver bell from Santa's sleigh which makes a beautiful sound. As the years go by, people around him notice that they can no longer hear the beautiful sound, even his parents and sister. But there are those who still can, those who still truly believe.
I don't know if you'll believe after you see this, but you'll remember what it was like when you did.
The Decision. Now for a little audience participation. You'll find two separate polls below.
Poll #1 from Vizu puts our critics' choices up against each other to see which of our favorites gets the nod. You can only vote once, and for one movie.
Some of you, of course, demand more choice in your life. For you we have another option:
Poll #2 from Poll Daddy lets you vote for as many films
as you want and as many times as you wish. It also includes films that
aren't in our critics' picks. It's a good way to measure passion, we
figure...
Of course, we know there is absolutely zero scientific validity to either of these polls, but we never claimed to be the Gallup organization anyway. Both polls will stay open until Christmas Day. However, we'll have some of our respective critics weigh in individually with their reactions to the winning film or films the week before.
With the country starting up another bitter election cycle, our citizens mostly opposed to an overseas war, immigration forcing us to decide what an American is and isn't, and the current president about as unpopular as they come, we're about to celebrate another 4th of July. Because we're so divided, it seems, most of us are vaguely uncomfortable talking about issues like patriotism and it's easier to drink a Bud at the fireworks than to consider what any of it means. Which, if you think about it, is probably all the more reason to try. So, in that spirit, here goes...
The birth of the United States of America was set in motion 231 years ago and I'm glad it was. When the Founding Fathers commited us to this grand experiment by breaking with Great Britain, they did a bold thing for their time and for all times. If you'd like to read the Declaration of Independence (which is something everybody probably thinks they've done but haven't done in years and years), then CLICK HEREand read away.
Just fragments in the reflecting pool, or something special?
I was going to write a little blurb here about how Hollywood views patriotism and the things that go with it like the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner and the like, but then I realized that was probably career suicide in a red-blue polarized country where patriotism itself can be a hot-button issue. That essay will have to wait for another time, I suppose.
Take the red pill or the blue pill? Or maybe the red-blue pill?
Everybody's patriotism is different anyway, and there are many ways to look at your country. On this 231st birthday, then, here's my state-of-mind:
We are deeply divided, but we've been deeply divided many times before.
We have many problems, but there have always been problems and we continue to work on them from one generation to another. Things aren't perfect, I know that, but I'm still proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. I've traveled the world a bit, and I love the diversity of this endangered planet we live on, but this is my home and I like it enough to stay involved with it.
We remain a country of great promise. We have done great things and more great things are in our future. We're not done. No matter which side you're on of a particular issue, if you think the country is going down the wrong path, we have shown the capability of re-generation and growth. Staying involved is the key.
Oh, say, can you see?
We've made mistakes (some big ones) and we will make more mistakes. But our long arc is still to the positive, most especially when compared to some of the truly horrific things that can happen and have happened around the world, both now and in the past. We aren't done but we are still going about the work of building a more perfect union and that's a very good thing.
To the men and women representing America overseas who aren't home with their families, thank you for your service. We hope to see you back home with us soon. I remain in awe of your courage and your spirit.
Don't mess with Uncle Sam!
As we said, the polls now say that most Americans aren't fans of President Bush. That's okay, too, our country is unique in the fearlessness with which our citizens can express such condemnations of their leaders. Disapproval of the current White House occupant, however, doesn't have to diminish love of country.
On this day, I would simply point out that there is still so very much to love about the United States. I'd ask us all to think a little less about demonizing the people who disagree with us on various issues and spend a little more effort treating them with respect. This applies to Democrats and Republicans. Like a lot of Americans, I'm sick of the hate-vibe that comes from the Michael Moores on the left and the Ann Coulters on the right. Listen up, people, let's knock this off and get to work solving problems. It's a dangerous world out there and we have enough to do without fighting so bitterly with each other.
This holiday my family will be doing some grilling,
catching some tunes and watching some fireworks. Embarrassing as it is, that would be me below with enough tri-tip on the BBQ to feed the neighborhood at our big early get-together last 4th of July. Hope you and your
family are together.
This land is my land, this land is your land.
So, Happy 231st birthday America... keep it comin'... we'll be there to help out...
At least that's my opinion -- For What It's Worth...
So today is my birthday and, no, I don't talk about the number although, if you read this blog, you can pretty much work it out for yourself. But I figure, I work in Hollywood, why make it easy for anybody? For a clue, consult the picture to the left for style references from an earlier birthday party... the hair itself is a precursor to Ed Grimley which is itself a precursor to... never mind...
For years, I got a collection of cards every year from all kinds of people. Then it dwindled down to family and a few close friends. Eventually, even my family stopped giving me a card.
Now I'm getting cards again but they're all coming from computers. Apparently, my birthday pops up on people's contact list, they send out an e-card and my mailbox gets some action. Some of them are really, really clever and funny. And, frankly, they're more environmentally friendly than even a recycled card so that's all good.
Now the only real, physical cards I get are signed by my stockbroker's office where everyone on the staff signs them. As soon as the edict about being more "green" comes down from corporate, I'm sure those will stop soon.
The Hollywood Cookbook is starting to break nationwide. Look to see and hear more about it from sources other than yours truly soon. It's back from the printers, moving through warehouses and landing in bookstores as of this very moment.
This weekend there's a launch party here in Hollywood at the Kitchen Academy (one of the book's official sponsors) where the food being served is straight from the book itself.
The party's kind of like the opening shot being fired to start the holiday season. It brings together booksellers, the charities, sponsors, chefs and media. Of course, that includes my wife, Jackie, who co-wrote the book with her friend Morgan Most.
They got all kinds of celebs to take part -- names like Ron Howard, Michael Chiklis, Esai Morales, Bob Saget, Ann Hathaway, Thora Birch, James Denton, Treat Williams, Brad Whitford, Jane Kaczmarek, Mark Dacascos, Michael J. Fox, etc. And some celeb chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali. Okay, I left people out and their reps will probably be mad at me. Point is, that's why you buy the book, right?
Anyway, back to the party. Even Greg Grunberg from ABC's "Heroes" will be there demonstrating his famous (or soon-to-be) "Grun-a-Mole" with a "secret ingredient" to go with his secret identity.
I can't say this often enough. $5 from each book goes straight to a fund to be divided among the 20 charities that have been highlighted by the 20 celebrities. It's a way to give a gift at the same time you make the world a better place. That's a great way to celebrate the holidays.
The first copies are back from the publishers and it will be in the major bookstores and Amazon.com will start shipping within the next week. I'm talking about "The Hollywood Cookbook." It's the best win-win I've seen in a long-time. Really... think of it as Good Cooking, Great Causes...
To paraphrase Martin Landau's Bob Evans character from HBO's "Entourage" -- "If
I told you there was a way to give somebody a modest gift for the
holidays that they might actually like and, at the same time, give
money to charities that help make the world a better place, would that
be of interest to you?"
Regular readers of "For What It's Worth" know that I've never asked you to buy anything in all the time this blog has existed. This one just seems like such a great idea that I want to help.
The whole concept started a couple of years ago when my wife, Jackie, got this idea. She would find twenty celebrities, each one with a favorite charity, then ask them to supply their favorite recipes for a cookbook. Five bucks from each book would go into a pot to be distributed to the charities. She'd get the Entertainment Industry Foundation -- a group that has an outstanding reputation -- to divvy up the money. She'd sell the book, starting at the holidays, so that people could give it instead of a card saying "A donation has been made in your name." I mean, let's be honest, I'm always glad that a charity has gotten money in my name but it's a little disappointing. We'd like something tangible to go with it. Well, now you have the perfect compromise!
It's been a snowball effect of support. She's partnered with her good friend, Morgan Most, and together the two of them have practically willed this into existence. Celebrities like Ron Howard, Michael J. Fox, Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford immediately wanted to help. Charities were supportive and appreciative and put some of their key supporters in touch with the women of "Good Looking Cooking" (that's the name they came up with in order to publish the book). Later, as an added bonus, some very, very famous celebrity chefs also came aboard to offer some of their own special recipes. People like Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali (plus Mark Dacascos from "Iron Chef.")
The book is literally at the printer now, pre-orders are being taken, and it can end up in your hands before Thanksgiving, in plenty of time to wrap it, mail it and give it to friends and co-workers for the holidays.
Listen, I could go on and on about this idea. I work in Hollywood where so often everything is a problem and it's great to salute an idea where everything is a solution. You want to know what was the most significant problem to overcome? Figuring out how to get $5 guaranteed to charity, given all the costs that go into books these days. But Jackie and Morgan have been unyielding. $5 to charity. Not a penny less.
They have a superior web-site that explains the whole thing better than I can do in this blog. Check it out. Feel good this year about at least one of the gifts you give. Make a difference. You can see all the charities there and check out the links to their sites for yourself.
Let me put one other thought out there. After you've checked out http://www.thehollywoodcookbook.com, you'll probably agree it's a great idea, too. Now, let's do some math...
Say they sell 10-thousand books before Christmas. That means charities will get $50,000 to split. But if we can push that number up to 100-thousand books that would mean a $500,000 check going to charity in early 2007.
So, check out the site and if you catch "The Hollywood Cookbook" fever like I have, stick a link to it on your blog or website, write about it in your own words, send the URL to your local newspapers with a personal note of endorsement and send one of those e-mails to all your friends asking them to send it to all their friends. Even better, buy a book for everybody on your shopping list and be a force multiplier. Think of it this way: buy 10 books; give $50 to charity.
With the country starting up another bitter election cycle, our citizens mostly opposed to an overseas war, immigration forcing us to decide what an American is and isn't, and the current president about as unpopular as they come, we're about to celebrate another 4th of July. Because we're so divided, it seems, most of us are vaguely uncomfortable talking about issues like patriotism and it's easier to drink a Bud at the fireworks than to consider what any of it means. Which, if you think about it, is probably all the more reason to try. So, in that spirit, here goes...
The birth of the United States of America was set in motion 230 years ago and I'm glad it was. When the Founding Fathers commited us to this grand experiment by breaking with Great Britain, they did a bold thing for their time and for all times. If you'd like to read the Declaration of Independence (which is something everybody probably thinks they've done but haven't done in years and years), then CLICK HEREand read away.
Just fragments in the reflecting pool, or something special?
I was going to write a little blurb here about how Hollywood views patriotism and the things that go with it like the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner and the like, but then I realized that was probably career suicide in a red-blue polarized country where patriotism itself can be a hot-button issue. That essay will have to wait for another time, I suppose.
Take the red pill or the blue pill? Or maybe the red-blue pill?
Everybody's patriotism is different anyway, and there are many ways to look at your country. On this 230th birthday, then, here's my state-of-mind:
We are deeply divided, but we've been deeply divided many times before.
We have many problems, but there have always been problems and we continue to work on them from one generation to another. Things aren't perfect, I know that, but I'm still proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. I've traveled the world a bit, and I love the diversity of this endangered planet we live on, but this is my home and I like it enough to stay involved with it.
We remain a country of great promise. We have done great things and more great things are in our future. We're not done. No matter which side you're on of a particular issue, if you think the country is going down the wrong path, we have shown the capability of re-generation and growth. Staying involved is the key.
Oh, say, can you see?
We've made mistakes (some big ones) and we will make more mistakes. But our long arc is still to the positive, most especially when compared to some of the truly horrific things that can happen and have happened around the world, both now and in the past. We aren't done but we are still going about the work of building a more perfect union and that's a very good thing.
To the men and women representing America overseas who aren't home with their families, thank you for your service. We hope to see you back home with us soon. I remain in awe of your courage and your spirit.
Don't mess with Uncle Sam!
As we said, the polls now say that most Americans aren't fans of President Bush. That's okay, too, our country is unique in the fearlessness with which our citizens can express such condemnations of their leaders. Disapproval of the current White House occupant, however, doesn't have to diminish love of country.
On this day, I would simply point out that there is still so very much to love about the United States. I'd ask us all to think a little less about demonizing the people who disagree with us on various issues and spend a little more effort treating them with respect. This applies to Democrats and Republicans. Like a lot of Americans, I'm sick of the hate-vibe that comes from the Michael Moores on the left and the Ann Coulters on the right. Listen up, people, let's knock this off and get to work solving problems. It's a dangerous world out there and we have enough to do without fighting so bitterly with each other.
This holiday my family will be doing some grilling,
catching some tunes and watching some fireworks. Embarrassing as it is, that would be me below with enough tri-tip on the BBQ to feed the neighborhood at our big early get-together before the 4th. Hope you and your
family are together.
This land is my land, this land is your land.
So, Happy 230th birthday America... keep it comin'... we'll be there to help out...
At least that's my opinion -- For What It's Worth...
Well, it's Father's Day, 2006. My dad, Harvey Zabel, grew up in the Great Depression, fought the Japanese in World War II, and came home and married Mom. He taught American History in high school, paid his bills on time, lived simply, had a few heart attacks but still managed to live a long, full life. He wasn't perfect, but he tried to be a good man and he kept our family afloat and safe. He died a few months before 9/11.
Harvey Zabel, 1922-2001
Harvey was born in Nebraska during the Roaring 20's, but he came of age on a farm during the Great Depression. He first saw the west coast where he later moved the family as a member of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) back in 1941. After Pearl Harbor, he joined the Army when he was 19. If he hadn't gotten the measles, he would have ended up in a unit which included glider pilots in the D-Day invasion. Instead, he ended up repairing aircraft in Guam. To the end of his days, his favorite thing was to attend the annual 33rd Troop Carrier re-unions.
With memories of the Pacific Northwest, he moved his young family to Oregon in 1950 to teach school, and did just that for over 30 years. I became the first Zabel in our family to be born here on the west coast.
As an educator, Harvey was one of the toughest teachers any high school student ever encountered. A lot of them hated him at the time but, over the years, I have had these grown up students tell me that, looking back, he was the best teacher they ever had.
I remember in 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated, being ashamed of my middle name, Harvey. We were fighting a lot then, and parents used the belt instead of "time-outs." Besides, I didn't like the idea that Bryce Harvey Zabel had anything in common with Lee Harvey Oswald. I never, ever used the name Harvey. It is a little out-of-fashion, but I actually don't mind it like I used to. He must have been pretty proud of me to give me his own name, right?
When I was 14, we had a real "Wonder Years" moment that you can read about by CLICKING HERE. My dad, who I seemed to always in conflict with in those days, really came through for me when the chips were down on the day Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
I also remember that he went fishing in the ocean one day with friends and came home late. Apparently their boat has capsized in the ocean and he'd spent over three hours hanging on to the side of the boat wondering if they'd be rescued and, I suppose, if he'd ever see his family again. He barely talked about it that day, and he never spoke about it after. That's the way those World War II vets were.
Later in life, he got a mini-political bug and got himself elected to the Cornelius City Council. It was small potatoes but he really enjoyed the experience even as he complained heartily about it. He died two weeks before I won the election that made me the Chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He'd have gotten a kick out of seeing that.
On the other hand, being a proudly committed Democrat, he was also spared seeing Bush elected to a second term and Arnold winning the California governorship.
I resented him, I guess, almost until the end. In those final years, he just never seemed to prioritize making any time to see my kids. When he died, they barely knew him. I tried to discuss this with him, but it was just one of those things that he never seemed to understand. Did I love him anyway? Yeah, I did.
So, that's my dad. Hard-ass, disconnected, responsible, civic-minded, historian, Democrat.
These days I have my own kids and Sunday I'm gonna hang out with them. We were planning a pretty physical family day but my youngest is nursing a broken arm so plans have changed.
I guess I have no profound insight here other than the bottom line: even when you fight with your dad, he's still the most important man in your life. I'll try to keep that in mind and walk just a little lighter around my kids.
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