'What If Sonny Corinthos Met Erica Kane

maurice benard is one of day-times best actors. as sonny corinthos (general hospital) he plays the mafia boss with a heart of gold. in this 'waht if' he is paired with one of day-times biggest personalities susan lucci. and a personality she may be but an actress she is not. no hate mail please. it's just my opinion. because of her overacting and that her character still acts like she's 16 years old as an absurd 50 something is one of the main reasons i gave up on 'all my children' a decade ago.

Oscarbation: 'The King's Speech'

it's getting praise and winning prizes on the festival circuit.so is colin. maybe the oscar he should have won last year is now within reach.

in wide release

the trailer

teaser

Song of the Day: 'I Just Want To Be Your Everything'

andy had talent and was as sexy as hell. another talent that died way to soon

Happy Birthday Matt

there are a handful of 'younger' actors today who are reaching the heights and reputation of classic actors past. one of them is matt damon. as an actor matt keeps learning and growing. he's come along way since 'good will hunting' and i don't see him stopping any day soon.

'Secretariat' Opens Today

i have a feeling this is not just another horse story. i'm hearing good things about it. and i love diane lane so i'm giving it a shot.

'City Island' Rates ***1/2stars

'city island' opened this past april with little or no fanfare and where it did open it disappeared quickly. unfortunately this is the fate of many films especially those labeled as 'art house' films. but thank the cinematic gods that they get a second life on home video.

'city island is a 'slice of life' film that begins and ends in a matter of days. at it's core is secrets. secrets kept and secrets exposed. at the center of it all is the brilliant performance of andy garcia in his best role to date. he is the dad in a secretive family. their secrets are non-malicious. they are kept out of love or just because the other characters think they are no big deal or because the owner of the secret thinks they are, simply put, silly.

this film is charming and delightful. that julianna margulies has her best film role to date makes it worth seeing even more. but have no doubt that this is andy garcia's movie. and he deserves an oscar nomination for it. in fact with the best picture field still at the ridiculous ten nominations the movie itself deserves a nom.

rent this film. you will hopefully be as pleasantly surprised as i was. i love finding these small gems. in an otherwise slim film year so far this small gem is a diamond.

trailer

 

Song of the Day: 'Vienna'

i feel in love with linda eder when i saw her in 'jekyll and hyde' on broadway.

'vienna', not from the musical, is just a beautiful song delivered by a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice. but i warn you: in concert she is a total bore. she has zero stage presence. buy her cd's and listen to them at home.

Song of the Day: 'Jambalaya'

i have no ides why i find myself humming and singing this song as much as i do. it was a catchy tune the first time i heard it.

 emmylou harris

the first time i heard it was this recording by jo stafford and the version that is gladly stuck in my brain

Remembering Carole Lombard on Her Birthday

carole lombard was the zaniest film comedianne of all time. she died too young in a plane crash while selling war bonds during world war 2. she lives on film forever.

my two favorite lombard films

'Dorian Grey' rates 1/2*

this 2009 film went virtually unnoticed when released in the fall of 2009. and no wonder. 'the picture of dorian grey was always a dark tale. this version goes beyond dark. it is now a lurid tale with absolutely no merit whatsoever. run as far from it as you can.

my only question is what the hell was colin firth thinking when he took the second lead in it. really i ask seriously who the hell did he owe a favor. this is the biggest piece of junk i've seen in a long time and that includes every anne hathaway movie i've ever suffered through.

Get Out and Vote on November 2nd

Song of the Day: 'What If'

happy birthday kate and yes you are the 'song of the day' although i sing your praises everyday

Happy Birthday Kate

Rejoice Rejoice for on this date in 1975 a new star burst forth that would  shine with beauty and brilliance and she would be called Kate

Well I'm rejoicing. I first came to Kate by way of 'Sense and Sensibility' in 1995. I was impressed. So in 1996 when 'Jude' was released I went to see it. I am becoming more impressed. Also in 1996 I went to see 'Hamlet' because it was a sort of Julie Christie comeback. And there was Kate playing 'Ophelia' and I know longer needed more impressions. I knew then and there that Kate would be an actress to be reckoned with.

Then comes 1997 and the titanic 'Titanic'. The STAR was born. From that moment on Kate would rise to the heights of super stardom. But Kate would also amaze. Being offered a lot of major Hollywood movies Kate opted to do smaller independent films. This is how she really learned the craft. Kate became an actress not a "movie star". Thank god.

She had five Oscar noms with no win. I could quibble with three of them. I can really accept one: that being Jennifer Connelly in 2001. Kate in 'Iris' lost to Jennifer's 'A Dangerous Mind' and even I say that was correct. The lose to Helen Hunt in 1997 was a sham. Truth be told Julie Christie and Judy Dench also should have won over Hunt that year.

The real robberey was in 2004. Kate lost for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. WHAT? And to Hillary Skank, typo intended, for 'Million Dollar Baby'. Ridiculous, Absurd, Embarrassment. MADDENING!. Hillary snuck in with the rest of the Clint Eastwood's film awards. Highway Robbery.

I do have things to say about her 2006 lose for 'Little Children' but I'll deal with that another time.

But Finally At Last Kate won the Oscar for 'The Reader'. Just desserts justly served.

Happy Birthday Kate. Thanks for acting. Thanks for the choices. Thanks for the Work.

revisiting two videos i made awhile ago on her birthday

   

Song of the Day: 'Midnight Blue'

'Caprica' Returns October 5 on SYFY

get the first season on dvd. 'caprica' is the best that syfy has to offer

Song of the Day: 'The Tide Is High'

blondie.........i love blondie and i really love this song

'What If' Jason Met Greenlee

steve burton on 'general hospital is the acting pro here. and he just happens to be the HOTTEST guy on daytime television.

rebecca budig from 'all my children' is mediocre at best and annoying as hell.

Song of the Day: 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts'

dylan at his best. baez doing dylan even better. both versions are masterpieces. i love songs that tell a story. when they are done well they are brilliant. this is one of the brilliant one's. i give you two versions. joan and bob.

joan

dylan

Passed September 2010

Song of the Day: 'Whistling Away the Dark' from 'Darling Lili'

written by henry mancini for the film 'darling lili' the under appreciated julie andrews and rock hudson 1970 vehicle. julie's performance was also underestimated and under appreciated at the time of it's release. perhaps it still is.