Sandra and George Hit Venice for 'Gravity' Premier

it is by the way getting brilliant reviews.

'Divergent' Stars Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Theo James Explain the 'Factions'

it doesn't open till march 2014 but the push is on. the next 'hunger games'? that's the hope of the studio and the producers. and possibly the stars who might find themselves in a successful, thus lucrative, franchise.

at least i have kate's 'labor day' to look forward to on christmas day.

Washington 1963

peter, paul and mary sand 'if i had a hammer'. peter and paul sang it together yesterday. mary has passed on. so here we go 50 tears back to the future. it was all  about the future!

Darren Criss Previews First New Episode of “Glee”

Nature

'The Butler' ***1/2

the oscar season truly has begun. 'the butler' is a contender. it's american history from the perspective of afro-americans. finally! well yes you can argue that it has been done before by let's say spike lee. it just has not been universally accessible before. mr lee was just to angry for mass audiences. lee daniels has made an honest, tragic at times yet heartwarming film from the black man's perspective. it has dignity and that dignity comes from the heart and soul of the forest whitaker character cecil gaines. the real life white house butler's story takes us through five or so presidents (mr truman seems to have been left out) and the civil rights struggles and triumphs during their tenure. 

along with mr whitaker's cecil david oyelowo and oprah winfrey shine as son louis and wife gloria respectively. make no mistake i am not a big fan of ms winfrey but her performance here is oscar nom noteworthy as is mr whitaker's and mr oyelowo's. the rest of the cast which is large adds dimension and depth to both the black and white characters. this really is a must see. in the theater. now.

so you may ask why only ***1/2's? well there was a bit of stunt casting in the case of the president's depicted. they did not work. in fact they were a distraction in an otherwise flawless ensemble. and having two of hollywood's biggest liberals, john cuzak and jane fonda, portray richard nixon and nancy regan was just gimmicky. i admire both actors and i am a liberal but it ruined the flow of the film. nitpicking? not really. it just 'hurt' the film and knocked it off it's pace. that being said it is still a must see. now. today. this coming weekend. just go to a theater and support this film. it's a very welcome relief from the summer crap we are subjected to.

'Divergent' First Look

kate winslet hits a franchise film vs shailene woodley.

Get More: 2013 VMA, Artists.MTV, Music

R.I.P Julie Harris

broadway lost one of it's best. the most honored tony winner, 10 nominations with 5 wins in the best actress category. she received a sixth for lifetime achievement. i had the  privilege to see ms harris on broadway a number of times. amazing. a great loss.

many of you may remember her as lilimae clements on 'knots landing'. 

ms harris was 87.

50 Years Ago

it may me the day i started the journey to the moral center i own today. it may be the day liberal thinking entered my young mind. anyway it had an effect on this white guy and proudly admit this life changing moment.

we celebrate today as we move forward. now we just need to get the republican party to stop stop stop their hopes of turning the clock back with their insideous voting rights laws thet are determined to pass state by southern state.

Samantha Barks: 'Another Suitcase in Another Hall

from the soundtrack of my mind

from 'evita'

'Revenge Season 3 Promo

season 2 was a mass confusion with the 'initiative' et al. it gave me a migraine week after week. but i refused to give up. season 3 they promise will go back to the basic emily/amanda seeks revenge. well this promo certainly opens the door for just that.

R.I.P. What a Shame

lee thompson young currently on 'rizzoli and isles' was found dead of an apparent suicide. i feel like there is a barrage of youngdeaths coming from hollywood this year. why?

Prince George First Photo Released

'The Borgia Apocalypse'

for those who like me were, still are, disappointed that strarz cancelled 'the borgias' before it concluded you now have the opportunity to read neil jordan's two hour series conclusion via ebook. it's better than the nothing that starz offered us. it is a screenplay not a play and reads as such. though most of us are not used to reading screenplays it does give us a satisfying conclusion to the damned good series. and speaking of damned....starz be damned. this is not the first time that pay network has kept us hanging. remember 'camelot' anyone? and now 'magic city' joins the list of their premature cancellations. it is proving to be an untrustful network that does not give a damn about their subscribers. c'mon they could not give us the two hour 'borgias' movie? no they could not. time to unsubscribe. hit them where it hurts. their bottom line. money!

so if you want to see, well read, the end try neil jordan's ebook available at amazon and i'm sure other ebook sources.

and oh yeah...cancel starz!!!

Josh's Jukebox: 'Anything Can Happen'

from the soundtrack of my mind

a 'glee' moment

melissa benoist and kevin mchale

Documentary 'Obsessed With Vertigo' About The Making & Restoration Of Alfred Hitchcock's Masterpiece

i am obsessed with 'vertigo' the film about obsession. it is one of film's best and in my estimation hitchcock's best. starring james stewart and the wonderful kinm novak it was really a box office flop when it was released. since that time it has become a cinematic classic.

in 1997 amc produced a documentary, 30 minutes, on the making of and the 1992 restoration of this masterpiece. it is now on you tube and here.

finally 'vertigo' has been released in bluray format currently available. this is the doc.

'Never Forget'

they may be getting older, they may be infirm, they may be dying. but they are still complicit. they must be caught and brought to trial. never never forget.

Bingeing: 'Vikings'

with dvrs, netflix, huluplus and other streming sources 'binging' is the new way to watch tv. i binged on 'house of cards' and saw the entire brilliant series over 3 days while recuperating from surgery. i bing on each season of 'game of thrones'. i've binged each season of 'vampire diaries'. i binged the first four seasons of 'breaking bad'. i like binging. it's like watching great full length films. i turn them into events. mini-series. 

'vikings' sat on my dvr for months. i was avoiding it for some reason. once i started it by the end of episode 1 i could not stop. it became a daily event that i finished over 4 days and was damn glad i watched it that way. it is a really good series. it took me to a time and place i knew of but really nothing about. was it historically accurate? who cares! it took me to other lands, other places and peoples. it was like reading a good book. i can't wait for season 2. i'll dvr and spend a weekend with rangar lothbrok and his clan. their travels and escapades. but i won't watch it till the full season is recorded. then i'll sit down, put my feet up, open a bottle of wine and binge...on the series not necessarily the wine...i repeat not necessarily the wine.

travis fimmell plays ragnar. he embodies ragnar. he is wonderful. and damn those eyes. i repeat those eyes. he's as sexy as they come. actually he is truly hot. hot with a difference: he can act!!! 

get your hands on season 1. binge. you will not be sorry.

those eyes...damn!

Christina Bianco Sings 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' as Adele and 18 Other Divas!!

this woman is amazing. she is brilliant!

F.R. David: 'Words'

from the soundtrack of my life