FIVE MOVIE COSTUMES I LOVE

Liberated this from The Girl with the White Parasol. If you choose to play along, let me know so I can check out your answers. Here are the rules:

1. Absolutely no costumes from an Alfred Hitchcock film.
2. No costumes worn by Grace Kelly.
3. No costumes worn by Audrey Hepburn.

Mine are all from the 1960s because it's the decade that had the greatest influence on my sensibility, and because I can't believe these movies are nearly 50 years old.

Natalie Wood in Splendor in the Grass. The outfit in her last scene provides the perfect visual coda. It's clean and white and fresh, indicating her rebirth and escape from the drab, repressive surroundings that caused her so much pain. (Anna Hill Johnstone)

Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. "Martha's Sunday chapel" pantsuit. It's so perfectly dreadful that it's perfect. It screams visually what she hollers literally, "I'm loud and I'm vulgar and I wear the pants in the house because somebody's got to." (Irene Sharaff)

Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. La Liz' contemporary, Julie Andrews was her complete opposite number, as the costumes in their iconic roles reveal. Mary's wardrobe reveals that she reveals nothing. Buttoned up perfection. I doubt that scarf really added much warmth, but she wouldn't have felt dressed without it. (Tony Walton: costume consultant for Miss Andrews)

Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Hey! You said "no Audrey Hepburn;" Kate wasn't mentioned in the rules at all! The pantsuit she wore said everything about the woman (both character and actress). It's casual, multi-layered, more about comfort than fashion ... and obviously of quality. (Jean Louise: Costume supervisor for women -- though it wouldn't surprise me if this came from Kate's closet.)

Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie's beret was so cool it's almost a character in the film. Idealized versions of the hat Bonnie Parker wore in real life, the berets are an inspired touch. The jauntiness they convey makes the inevitable carnage even more jarring. (Theoni Aldredge.)

It must be nice to a Beatle

Today at lunch I walked past a street musician who was playing "Here Comes the Sun" on the guitar. Two Asian businessmen in front of me were speaking animatedly in their native tongue until they picked up on the song. Then one said, in heavily accented English, "Here Comes the Sun." Together they sang a bit, "Little darling, it's been a long, cold, lonely winter ..." It was a lovely moment.

How satisfying it must be for Paul and Ringo to know how much joy they have brought generations, all around the world.


Yes, I know it's a George song, but I bet to these gentlemen it was simply, "The Beatles."

I read the news today, oh boy

My ex, the really bad one, is front page news. He was mentioned prominently and favorably in a feature story on the front page of a national newspaper. Happy to see that he can still be superficially charming when it suits him.

I hate how much space he still takes up in my life. Must battle to let this go. Feeling this way does no good.

Thursday Thirteen #157

THIRTEEN FACTS ABOUT TITANIC

The movie, not the ship. As we wait to see which film will be named Best Picture of 2011, let's look back on the new classic that was named Best Picture of 1997. (14 years ago! Suddenly I feel quite old.)

1) The movie had been scheduled for release in Summer of 1997, but it was nowhere near ready. Industry buzz was that it would be an expensive flop when it was released that Christmas.

2) Titanic is the most successful movie to ever win The Best Picture Oscar. Movie goers bought approximately 390 million tickets to see it at the theater. That doesn't count sales/rentals of the DVD or subsequent viewings on TV. It's impossible to guess how many people have seen it worldwide. (When you adjust for inflation, Gone with the Wind and The Sound of Music both made more money in the US, but those movies weren't as popular overseas as Titanic.)
 

3) The movie's massive popularity translated into TV ratings. The Oscar telecast in 1998 had a viewership of 87 million in the US alone, the largest ever.

4) It was nominated for 14 Oscars … Tying with All About Eve as the most nominated of all time.

5) … and won 11. Tying with Ben Hur as the most Oscared of all time. (I've seen Titanic more than once, but am somehow not remotely interested in Ben Hur.)

6) Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart have the distinction of being nominated the same year for playing the same character in the same movie. They both lost. Kate to Helen Hunt in As Good as It Gets, Gloria to Kim Bassinger for LA Confidential.

7) The movie studio pressured director James Cameron to hire Matthew McConaughey for the role of Jack, but he insisted on Leonardo DiCaprio.

8) Cameron trusted Winslet to ad lib. Memorable moments he credits to her were Rose spitting in Cal's face and saying to Jack, as the ship sinks, "This is where we met."

9) Obsessed with the real ship, Cameron has taken several dives down to the Titanic. Since the ship was only afloat for four days, Cameron believes it's possible that, over the years, he has spent more time with the ship than her original passengers did.

10) Much of the stateroom is historically accurate, but not the famous staircase. Men were taller in the 1990s than they were in 1912 and if the staircase had been built to scale, the actors would have looked disproportionately big.

11) That beautiful staircase actually was destroyed when literally ten thousand gallons  of water crashed down it. Obviously that scene was shot in one take.

12) The "ocean" that the extras "drown" in was really only 3 feet deep. They were, however, stuck in it all day long for several days.

13) Originally "My Heart Will Go On" was an instrumental. At first Cameron was adamant about not wanting a theme song. Composer James Horner went to lyricist Will Jennings himself and commissioned lyrics, and the two men had Celine Dion record a demo before presenting it to James Cameron. (And now I will have that damn song in my head all day.)

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

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Soul Questions

Liberated from Snarky Pants. If you answer as well, let me know. I'd love to check out your responses, too.

1. What is your dream job?

This job is close. I enjoy being a writer and I still get a lot of pleasure out of a job well done. My client is ethical, and not all financial services providers are. I have fantabulous benefits, and after the surgery last year, I appreciate that so much. BUT the politics get me down. If I could work from home two days a week, only showing up at the office three, I think that would be ideal. I'd have less face-to-face with people who get on my last nerve, and I'd have energy to do other things.

2. What fulfills you?

Helping, sharing, affection. Genuine exchanges. Ali Wentworth wrote in Glamour about knowing her husband (George Stephanopolous) was "the one." She said being around him is as comfortable as a quilt, that he "gets" her as though they had always been members of the same tribe, that she can confess the most intimate things to him and still feel safe. Spending time with a friend like that is the most fulfilling thing I can imagine. When I think back on the bestest moments in my life, it's these.

3. What’s your greatest fear?

Being helpless. Dependent. Completely vulnerable. Utterly unacceptable to me!

4. What do you want more of in life?

Resources. Time and money and energy.

5. What is your greatest accomplishment?

I am exceptionally good with animals. Part of it is natural, some of it has been learned over time. One of my greatest feline teachers was Tara. She bore the scars, both physical and emotional, of abuse when I first brought her home. Considering how she'd been treated, the dignity with which she carried herself was enormously touching. Helping her learn to trust humans again, giving her a second chance and a peaceful life through the end of her days, is one of my greatest accomplishments. As are the happy lives I've given every other animal entrusted in my care ever since.

6. What are you ashamed of?

My sloppiness/laziness. I don't just mean the paper that has a tendency to take over my dining room paper. My emotions can overflow sloppily all over the place. And I can be very lazy. I hate that.

7. What makes you sad?

That, while I love my family very much, I don't feel like I'm one of them. Family gatherings can be my loneliest, saddest times.

8. What’s the hardest thing you’ve experienced?

I feel like the woman in this scene. As a child and teen I was beaten by my older sister, once thrown so hard into the stove that the force of my body caused a gas leak. I was sexually molested and taunted by a relative. Then I wasted a decade with a very cruel man.

 

I used to think it was all my fault, that there was something wrong with me that attracted fists. But I learned that it wasn't my fault. I was just born into a really messed up family and there was no one emotionally available or equipped to protect me when I was young. I was unwittingly being groomed for that abusive "romance." Now that I understand all this, it's my life now. My past is not my destiny. I can make my own happy ending!

9. What’s great about you?

I'm smart. I think on my feet. I'm passionate. I'm loyal. And I can find the humor in just about everything.

10. Who are you?

As Wilbur the Pig eulogized Charlotte, I am a true friend and a good writer.

11. What/Who inspires you?

Strength and discipline. I've told this story before, and I'll tell it again here:

These two photos take turns on my desktop, revolving from one into the other, telling the story of the day in the life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis that provides just one example why I admire her so.

These photos were taken the same afternoon, moments apart, in autumn, 1971. The photographer who took the first shot and appears in the second shot is Ron Gallela. He hounded Jackie on a daily basis, dressing up as Santa Claus to shoot her while shopping at Christmastime, hiding in coat racks for photos of her dining and sometimes even smoking (gasp!) with friends, chasing her in a speed boat while she water skied, following her into movie theaters, etc. When her children were young they still had Secret Service protection and she would ask the agents to, "Please smash his camera," and usually they would. It got so bad that in 1972, just months after this incident, she actually took him to court and got a restraining order. I often wonder what would have happened if Princess Diana had been as ballsy as JBKO; perhaps she'd still be with us.

Anyway, Jackie was running a quick errand, crossing Fifth Avenue in front of her apartment building, when Galella sidled up near her and called her name. She reflexively turned and smiled. When she saw who it was, and that this time he had an accomplice with a camera, she simply slipped the dark glasses on (thereby making the subsequent photos he shot worth a little less), kept her face impassive and kept going.

She hated Galella. He was a stalker and he frightened and enraged her. Yet look at her control. Sure, she could have lost her temper with him (Marlon Brando literally punched his teeth out), but that would have given Galella a front-page shot he could have retired on. So she just withdrew into herself and kept going.

I wear my heart on my sleeve. I have a difficult time with my temper, which often hurts no one else as much as it does me.

I hope if I gaze at her long enough and remember the story, some of it will rub off on me. "Remember, Gal, just put on your sunglasses and keep going."

And, of course, faith in God. I always have God.

WWW.Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

This week, my answers have a veddy British flavor.


1. The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz. I got this book in 2005 when it first came out but I didn't really read it. I just flipped back and forth from the index to "the good parts." Now I'm reading it in a more conventional way and am struck by how quickly the Lads' saga blew by. I lived it in real time, and didn't realize the whirlwind I was witnessing. But they were really only the band we all know from 1962 to 1970. Not very long at all, when you consider the impact they had ... and continue to have. 

2. A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell. The memoirs of Princess Diana's butler, the man she called, "my rock." It was nice to revisit the Princess of Wales as she's been on my mind because of all the attention William and Kate are getting. It's hard to believe that "Wills" is now almost 30, and his mum was only 36 when she died. It was also a fun read because I'm watching Downton Abbey and it's always entertaining to peak "downstairs."

3. Oh, hell, I don't know. Last week I didn't expect to pick up the big (900+ page) Beatles bio and go through it. Whatever I choose, I think it's time to return home from Jolly Old and read something that takes place in the US of A.

Go here to play along and check out other answers.  

  

I Want Wednesday

I want to fake until I make it. I think I done good today. For when I read an email this morning from my oldest friend, detailing how unsatisfactory Monday's job interview went, I resisted my first impulse, which was to scold. I didn't say: "Why are you applying for jobs that would require you to pull your troubled daughter out of her high school at the very moment she's making headway, to move your son out of district so he doesn't even qualify for the most basic college tuition break, and break your lease and further damage your already seriously-compromised FICO score?"

Because even though I know that, when I say such things, I am trying to knock some sense into her so she will have a less chaotic, happier life, she may just hear, "Why didn't I think of that? I suck." So instead, I just responded with a nice, non-judgmental inquiry about her search for jobs closer to home. 

This was my last big revelation of 2011, and I'm hoping to be a better friend by taking it heart, today and every day.

Two Girls for Every Boy

Ah, Archie, why are you such an asshole?


Archie Bunker is a "gentleman" my oldest friend met through an online dating service. They had several phone calls before finally meeting for lunch before Christmas. She came back a smitten kitten. Like her, he likes to write (he has a blog). He's a minor celebrity (a local sportscaster but he hasn't been on air much). Like her, he has health problems (primarily diabetes, and he's been on disability for months, hence his low profile). He complimented her face, her smile, her smooth shiny hair.

He has texted her repeatedly that he wants to see her again but can't because he's too sick. And, according to his blog, he has been in and out of the hospital for his blood pressure and diabetes. BUT through Facebook he keeps everyone up to date on his activities. First he worked on a float for the Rose Bowl Parade, and last week he posted a photo of himself, with a shit-eating smile, flanked by two blondes. Svelte, 35-to-40-year-old blondes. The one on the left is wearing a zebra print skirt and black hose. They are former coworkers of his from Pittsburgh, and he's showing them around LA.

My friend is a big girl. Like Lane Bryant/The Avenue big. It was mean of him to post photos of the float and especially those blondes, knowing he is leading her on, knowing he "friended" her and she can see the evidence of his feeble excuses.

I always thought he was an asshole. From his blog and FB page, I know he's forever angry -- at Obama, and OWS, and "coddled" young people, and (my favorite) angry people. My friend is a conflict-averse woman with a chaotic personal life, so I didn't want them to get together because I could only envision unhappiness.  

But I didn't want this, either. How could he be so thoughtless?  


I don't know know how she feels about this. I don't know for a fact that she's seen the photo, and I won't ask her because I don't want to embarrass her. But I do hope that I'll never have occasion to mention Archie again.

Marianne's Revenge

According to the Huffington Post, female voters in Florida "preferred Romney by 47-26 percent over Gingrich." Go figure.

But not for me

I love how Chanel No. 5 smells, but I don't think I'm allowed to wear it. Chanel No. 5 is the scent of choice of Nicole Kidman and Catherine Deneuve. Marilyn Monroe wore it proudly, even when she wore nothing else.

But, since I'm hiding behind a closed office door, waiting for the big wet spot on my blouse to dry a little because I somehow soaked myself with Coke simply by drinking from the bottle, I don't think I'm allowed in their Chanel club.

Let's hear it for the Gal!

On this, the last day of January, I made it! I reached my goal of 13 workouts/month. I defined a work out as at least 25 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of either floor exercises or weight machines. On days I didn't work out, I tried to remember to do a little cardio at home in front of the TV. I was more or less successful with that, though I didn't give myself credit for that as I worked toward my goal.

I realize that I'm still moving too little and eating too much to lose any weight. But I'm starting to feel different. I have more energy and want to go to the health club, want to make sure I have a serving of fruit or vegetable with dinner.

So, while I still look like a massive moo-cow, at least I'm a more fit one. And for that I am taking a bow.

  Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now this was scary!

I don't like Gwyneth Paltrow. Her murder didn't pack an emotional wallop in Seven, and it doesn't especially bother me that she's the first to go, early on in Contagion. My indifference to her suffering almost makes this thriller more thrilling, because my emotional involvement begins slowly and builds until I could not wait to see the end but could not bear to look.

The movie is about a virus that is spread by human touch. 20% of those who contact it will die within 3-4 days.

It covers the race to find a vaccine, how that work is corrupted by personal interest and money, how desperate we become when faced with something like this, how quickly our social order can dissolve when confronted with this kind of terror.

I didn't see this at the theater, nor did I rent it. My florist gave it to me. Her brother burns DVDs of movies and she hands them out to her favorite customers. When I accepted this, I told her to be careful because I don't want her to get in trouble, and I only watched it because I know she'll ask me about it when I come for this week's bouquet of mums. I'm glad I saw it.

I love this

Reminds me of my cat, Joey, who loves the carpet in the den. And my cat, Charlotte, counts these among her favorite treats.

Reynaldo is not included in this post about cat things that make me go, "aw ..." because he and I fighting. He's waking me up in the middle of the night again.

Moody Mondays: Blogging

What motivates you to blog? A couple reasons: 1) It gives me perspective on my own life. I'm a writer by occupation, and it helps me process things to throw words out. 2) I want to capture an honest snapshot of my life at any given moment.

How long have you been blogging? Since May 2006.

Why did you start blogging? I get to write all day at work, but I don't get to choose the topic. This blog is writing from the heart, not for pay.

Do you keep a journal offline? No. I'm nowhere near organized enough! I'm grateful to Blogger for keeping my ramblings in order for me.

 To play along yourself, click here.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme: Part 1

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.

"Baby, It's You" The Beatles

"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" The Beatles

"Spirit in the Night" Bruce Springsteen

"Helen Wheels" Wings

"Goin' Back" Dusty Springfield
"End of the Innocence" Don Henley

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Bill Clinton

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. 

"... her high pitched, shrill voice. The conversation was so loud, even I could hear."

4) What do you think about most?
According to my label cloud, my friends.

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?

In the cab (In response to my text: Where are you?) You know, texts never are very interesting.

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Depends.

7) What's your strangest talent?

I'm fabulous at canasta. I don't know how strange it is, but it certainly is useless.

8) Women.... (finish the sentence); Men.... (finish the sentence)

Women respond. Men react.

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Paul McCartney wrote "I Will" about me. He just doesn't know it.

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Never

11) Do you have any strange phobias?
No. My phobias -- air travel, squirrels and clowns -- are all completely sensible.

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Nope. Everything that goes up there is strictly American.

13) What's your religion?

Unitarian Universalist because I believe strongly in our seven principles. Though I'm so sick of listening to the GOP candidates try to out-religion one another that I'm tempted to say, "None of your damn business." Remember the story of Jesus entering the temple and overturning the tables of the money-changers? He didn't care for the crass promotion of faith for personal gain, and neither do I.

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Walking.

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind it. I'm such a big, fat moo-cow these days that photos of myself make me sad.

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

The most predicable answer I'll give: The Beatles

17) What was the last lie you told?

"I can't come over because I have too much to do."

18) Do you believe in karma?

Yes.

19) What does your URL mean?

"Universal resource locator," same as yours.

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Bad temper ... the ability to think on my feet.

21) Who is your celebrity crush?

My TV boyfriend, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS.

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Nope.

23) How do you vent your anger?

Saying harsh things very loudly.

24) Do you have a collection of anything?

Stuff regarding the 1960s.

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

The phone!

Right now

I found this here.

RIGHT NOW:

1. I am thinking … about  making room for the new sweaters I got at Macy's

2. I am thankful for … my health

3. From the kitchen … I should pick out something for dinner before it gets too late

4. I am wearing … a t-shirt my niece gave me

5. I am creating … a blog post

6. I am going … to watch Jimmy Fallon on SNL

7. I am reading … a biography about Princess Diana I got years and years ago. I can't believe how long it's taken me to get to it in my TBR pile.

8. I am hoping … I put all that laundry away before I go to sleep

9. I am hearing … a commercial for Chase Bank

10. Around the house … there is a lot of paper (tax time)


11. One of my favorite things … is whiskers on kittens (no, really)

12. A few plans for the rest of the week … I want to work out and gets lots of cardio in

13. A picture to share …Because Kerry Wood and all the other pitchers/catchers will report in just over two weeks (February 18)

I Feel Pretty

Today we tried something new with my hair for the first time in almost five years. My stylist added blonde highlights! They are subtle, just as I wanted. They catch the sunlight and camouflage any gray hairs. (I currently only have a couple over my right ear, but as I understand the process, once they begin their take over they don't stop.)

It's not often that looking in the mirror makes me happy, but today it does.

Buzz Kill!

This is why I avoid Mr. B., my deaf-as-a-stone old neighbor. Coming back from getting my hair done -- streaked blonde, I was really happy with it -- he was standing in the vestibule for no particular reason. Except maybe to stalk and annoy me.

"How have you been, Stranger?"

"Fine, and you?" I ask, being polite as a reflex, even though I was afraid asking how he was doing was an invitation to annoying, frustrating conversation.

"Really? You sure you feel fine?" he persisted, looking at me as though I had just wandered off the set of Contagion.

"Yes," I snapped. "I just got my hair done and thought I looked good. Apparently not." Maybe if I press the elevator button a few more times, it will come faster.

"So why don't you come to the condo owners meetings?"

"Because you have them at 5:30 and I can't get home from work by 5:30. I have told you that if you want me there, you should have them after 6:30."

"So if we had it at 7:00, you would be able to come?"

AAAAAARGH! WHERE'S THAT ELEVATOR?

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart

1. How did you cope with your biggest heartache? There's an old Garth Brooks song that sums it up, "I'm calling every friend I have, I wake them up and make them mad, just to let them know that I'm OK ..." I also drank a lot and cried a lot. Isn't this how everyone copes?

2. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? I met my nephew when he was a newborn.

3. How many jobs have you held in your life? How many of those were part of your chosen career field? Two secretarial, 9 (gulp!) as a writer. That 9 would be even higher if I count promotions/title changes as different jobs, but let's not do that because having this complicated a resume was never a goal of mine.

4. How did you discover Saturday 9? I don't remember for sure. I guess through Mimi at Mimi Writes. Or perhaps Miss Kwiz at Kwizgiver. They both remain my blogging buddies, both were supportive of me through my health woes of 2011 and I'm so grateful.

5. If you could take the train from anywhere to anywhere, where would 'anywhere' be? I would love to just get on the next Amtrak out and see where it takes me. You know, let fate decide where "anywhere" is. I don't know how wise or safe such an adventure would be, but train travel does hold considerable allure for me. Me and Joe Biden, we like Amtrak.

6. When was the first time you cooked for someone else? The most recent time is more interesting. I am endlessly proud of the Christmas Cookies I made for my best friend this year. They tasted good and were aesthetically pleasing. We nicknamed them "Pippa Middletons" because the backside was perfect.

7. What is the worst beverage you've ever tasted? I really hate coffee. Everything about it. Taste, smell, the way it clings to the cup and you have to really scrub when you do the dishes. Yech. Blech. (Since Starbucks' CEO earned $65 million last year alone, I realize mine is a minority opinion.)

8. Is there anything in life you are "certain" about? Firm in your beliefs? Strong in your convictions? I am strong in all my convictions. That's why they're my convictions. It's tiring, though, not only for me but for those who have to listen to me blather on. My best friend memorably told me he wishes he cared about anything as much as I care about everything. That's why I reward him with perfect cookies. I tend to wear other people out.

9. Do you know anyone who has as very unusual pet? No. Sorry. Whenever I skip a question, I feel I've disappointed you all.

Just looking at her makes me happy

There's a card shop in the lobby of the massive office building where I work. I pass the shop a couple times a day. For the past few weeks, a Muppet Abby Cadabby has been in the window. I find myself going out of my way to look at her. I don't know why, exactly, but she's a most reliable smile-inducer.

Thursday Thirteen #156

THIRTEEN FACTS ABOUT 

WEST SIDE STORY

As we wait to see which picture wins the Oscar for 2011, let's look back at the one that won 50 years ago -- The Best Picture of 1961: West Side Story. 

I personally like this movie well enough but I don't love it. Still, many people do. Recently, when we were gossiping about Natalie Wood's death, one of my coworkers sighed and confessed how much he loved her as Maria. Now 32 years old, he was only a toddler when she died. But West Side Story is still shown in high schools every year as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet. So I guess boys not yet born will see it and fall a little in love with Natalie Wood, too.

1) Director Robert Wise originally wanted Audrey Hepburn as Maria. Ms. Hepburn, then 31, didn't think she could credibly play a Puerto Rican teen and besides, she was pregnant.

2) Marni Nixon did all Natalie Wood's singing. Coincidentally, you can also hear her as Eliza Doolittle, singing for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

3) Like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Natalie didn't know she wasn't doing her own singing during filming. On set, both women sang their hearts out. It wasn't until later that producers decided to bring Marni Nixon, who had to synch her vocals with their lips. 

4) Director Robert Wise wanted Elvis Presley to play Tony. I would have loved that. As it is, Richard Beymer kinda sucks.

5) At least Elvis could have done his own singing. Beymer's vocals were done by a singer named Jimmy Bryant.

6) Rita Moreno won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Maria's friend and Bernanrdo's lover, Anita. A usually strong singer, her voice was dubbed for one song, "A Boy like That," because she had a cold and was struggling with the deeper notes.

7) The "slum" where the movie opens is really the west side of Manhattan, where Lincoln Center stands today. In 1960, buildings were demolished to make room for Lincoln Center and the film makers decided to use the rubble and chaos to lend authenticity to the scene.

8) In the stage play, the Jets' oath was brotherhood that lasts "Womb to tomb, sperm to worm." Hollywood censors changed it to, "Womb to tomb, birth to earth" for more sensitive movie audiences.

9) Shooting lasted 6 months. Most movies in 1960 were filmed in 6 weeks.

10) The cast went through 200 pairs of shoes.

11) Once it opened in Paris, it played for 249 consecutive weeks, making it the most popular Hollywood movie in French history.

12) 50 years ago, it was nominated for 11 Oscars and won 10. The one it didn't win? Best adapted screenplay.

13) Natalie Wood went to the Oscars that night as a Best Actress nominee but not for West Side Story. Instead she was nominated for Splendor in the Grass. She's shown here in the audience with her date and Splendor costar, Warren Beatty. She lost to Sophia Loren, the first and (I think) only actress to win in a foreign language role (Two Women).

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

"How can you not be romantic about baseball?"

I really enjoyed Moneyball. It's a baseball movie, but it depicts very little action on the field. I'm not a big Brad Pitt fan, but he's very good in the role of Billy Beane, the GM of the Oakland A's, who successfully introduced an approach to the game that has been adopted to a great extent by the Cubs' new GM, Theo Epstein.

When you play the Moneyball way, there's less emphasis on stars and more on stats, less on the glitz and glam of homeruns and more on grinding it out and getting on base, any way possible. It's about hating to lose even more than you want to win.

Most of all, it's about looking at familiar things in a new way. "Adapt or die." 

Through it all, baseball remains the eternal, mysterious, infectious metaphor for life. When one player gets an unlikely second chance to stay in the game after every other team else has written him off, you smile. When another is told his career is over and sent packing, your heart breaks. As Billy asks at one point, "How can you not be romantic about baseball?"

What is the universe trying to tell me?

It's only Wednesday, and so far this week I have ridden to and from work with more physically challenged people than I think I saw all autumn. People in wheelchairs or using crutches, some in casts while others are amputees, they are in my car on my train every morning.

Is this a coincidence? Have they always been there, but I haven't been sensitive to them before? Or is someone trying to tell me something? And if so, what's the message?

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three questions… • What are you currently reading? • What did you recently finish reading? • What do you think you’ll read next? My answers:

1) I'm currently reading A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell's decade-old memoir about his time with Princess Diana. I can't believe that I'm just getting to it now!

2) Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell was much, much better than I expected. One of the best Scarpetta books I've read in years! The beginning is rather slow, with a lot of exposition, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

3) Mmmmm .... maybe the very popular 11/22/63 is next. I also have a Meg Cabot/chick lit mystery (Size 14 Is Not Fat) that appears interesting, as well as a thriller (L.A. Mental). I just don't know. So many books, so little time!

Go here to play along and check out other answers.

I Want Wednesday

I want to watch movies and not see Robin Wright. First I'm stuck with her in the The Girl with Dragon Tattoo, now I find her in Moneyball. She has small parts in both and I have no idea why I hate her so much. She's aging gracefully, delivers her lines competently. I've never liked her, though. Not since she was Buttercup in The Princess Bride.

A Stolen Movie Meme

Mark Hughes' 50 "The Best Films Never Nominated For The Oscar For Best Picture"

Hughes goes into detail on the first ten in his article, then lists the others. I wonder which of my readers have seen these films, so I'm going to color the ones I've seen in RED, and invite you to do the same. If you do, leave a message in the comments!

And thanks to Endomental for turning me onto this. Here's her list.

 A Hard Day's Night (1964) My addition

Metropolis (1927/28)
North by Northwest (1959)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972)
Mean Streets (1973)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Sling Blade (1996)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) The Dark Knight (2008)
Notorious (1946)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
The Searchers (1956)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
The China Syndrome (1979)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Blade Runner (1982)
Sophie’s Choice (1982)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Blood Simple (1984)
Brazil (1985)
Matewan (1987)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Die Hard (1988)
Glory (1989)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Thelma and Louise (1991)
The Player (1992)
Malcolm X (1992)
Germinal (1993, foreign language film)
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Seven (1995)
Rob Roy (1995)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Magnolia (1999)
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
King Kong (2005)
Syriana (2005)
Children of Men (2006)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Shotgun Stories (2008)
Che (2008, foreign language film)
Shutter Island (2010)