For a couple of weeks now I’ve been walking by the station on Babcock St. saying one day I’d snap a picture of the holiday balloons. They always bring a smile to my face — though the big one on the left reminds me a little too much of President Bush. Anyway, I figured what better day than today, with a nice snowfall, to take their picture?
Snowy Balloons
4 DecA Couple More Inches
4 DecJust a quick plug to tell y’all that I’m in the Globe again today, in Adam Gaffin‘s “Blog Log” column. To see the mention, click here and then scroll down to “Not Again.” It’s basically the entire original posting, which was pretty short to begin with.
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
2 DecIn addition to a 2006 Extreme Ironing calendar (no kidding) that came courtesy of my old friends at Rowenta, I also received some valuable info in the mail today about staying warm during the winter.
It seems that taking hotter, longer showers will not keep you warmer. According to Dr. Stephen Webster, Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, the shower may make you feel warm, but not for very long. More importantly, as soon as you step out of the shower, your skin begins to lose moisture because hot water removes natural oil from the skin, making it dry and itchy. You’re supposed to bathe in lukewarm — not hot — water, and limit the shower to five or 10 minutes. Now you know. And as G.I. Joe used to say, “Knowing is half the battle.”
That info was much more valuable than the anti-fungal liquid, medicated foot cream, and hand balm it came with. For all of that, I thank the kind folks at Flexitol.
Do Me a Favor
2 DecIf you have something against bathing, and you don’t bathe because you’re going for an earthy dreadlock hairstyle thing (or at least, really bunched up hair) and therefore you smell unpleasant … and you are waiting for the T and see the train approaching is packed to the gills with practically no breathing room … and you’re not going to work so therefore not in any huge rush to get somewhere … and you have a tendency to talk to yourself, or to others who would rather not talk to you … well then, please do me a favor and don’t get on the train and stand next to me. Wait for a less crowded car. Thanks.
Smart Girl
1 DecFrom today’s Boston Globe:
Danielle Calo, the 19-year-old Ohio State University student who made headlines when she claimed Nick Lachey hit on her while at a high school football game in Columbus, Ohio, in September, told the syndicated TV show Extra that she doesn’t think she’s the reason Lachey and Jessica Simpson broke up. ”There’s no way I had that much of an effect on their marriage. No way,” she said of the breakup of the glam couple. Continue reading
SAM I Am
1 Dec
A bit of self-promotion: If you’re interested, the new issue of SAM has been posted online. As you can see, this is the issue that includes my afore-mentioned interview with Jason Lee, star of (among other things) My Name Is Earl, which is one of the funniest shows on TV these days — and apparently moving to Thursdays at 9 p.m. in January.
To read the story, go to sam.com, click on “Current Issue,” and wait for the PDF to download. Continue reading
What’s Next? ‘Holiday Candlesticks?’
1 Dec
There’s been a bit of controversy here in Boston this week because city officials had the nerve — the sheer audacity — to call a giant tree erected on Boston Common a “holiday tree” instead of a “Christmas tree.” Imagine that: government folks wanting to be fair to everyone. I mean, have you ever heard of anything so wrong?
But seriously … In an interview with Fox Television (sigh), Reverend Jerry Fallwell said, “There’s been a concerted effort to steal Christmas.” And Donnie Hatt, the Canadian who grew the tree, told a Canadian newspaper that “If they decide it should be a holiday tree, I’ll tell them to send it back. If it was a holiday tree, you might as well put it up at Easter.”
Now, I might be Jewish, but I love Christmas as much as the next person (maybe you’ve heard me mention something about it). Still, despite being really bothered by both the tone and message of folks like Fallwell and Hatt, I have to say that I think on some level, they’re right. Christmas is the only one of the December holidays that is associated with a tree. There’s no reason for the city’s tree to be inclusive of Hanukkah, for example. It’s a misguided attempt to be P.C. and all-inclusive. I can see officials deciding next week to erect “holiday candlesticks” instead of a “menorah,” and that would be totally wrong on so many levels.
The city should just call their tree a “Christmas tree,” even if it has no religious decoration on it. (Most people will do so anyway.) I would bet that no Jewish person in Boston would ask for a representation of Hanukkah to be added to the tree. For the record, I’m not asking for either of these things, but if Mayor Menino and co. really wanted to be fair, they’d either not have a tree at all (which, of course, would never fly), or they’d also put up a similarly large menorah, and something representative of Kwanzaa and any other holidays, in the same place. And maybe in addition to tomorrow’s tree lighting ceremony, they’d even have lighting ceremonies for all those other festive symbols (yes, one for every night of Hanukkah). My guess is City Councilor Mike Ross would support something like that. After all, as any smart politician should know, when it comes to religion and pleasing the public, it’s all or nothing — and the general populace is too smart not to know what a “holiday tree” really is.
If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It
30 Nov
The Good News? The Producers is great. Just like the show, it’s funny, the songs are catchy and memorable, there’s priceless chemistry between Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, and you want to leap to your feet with applause throughout.
The Bad News? Did I mention it’s just like the show? More so than even the movie of Chicago was, The Producers is basically a filmed version of the show. It’s like there was a camera on stage documenting the whole thing. There’s no attempt to make it more real by filming in real locations (aside from some quick scenes in Central Park), and with many of the characters performing right to the audience/camera just as they would on stage, there is no pretense that it’s anything more than a film of the show. It’s just bigger (more dancers, larger sets, etc.).
So yeah, that’s the mixed news. But I have to emphasize that while The Producers: the movie is almost exactly like The Producers: the show, it is a really well done filmed version. As I said, it’s bigger in scope, really funny, and I was actually tempted to burst out in applause more than a few times. I mean, let’s be honest: The Producers is a great show (it did win 11 Tony Awards, after all). And what’s different about the movie version — some new jokes, Will Ferrell, fun cameos — is generally really enjoyable. (Then again, Uma Thurman is not so good. The first scene with Leo and Max goes on a bit too long. And by the way, what happened to the “King of Broadway” song?) I really enjoyed the movie, so I’ll give The Producers a B+ and highly recommend it.
(And by the way, when you see the movie, make sure you stay all the way to the end, after the end credits.)
… So Falls Witchita Falls
28 Nov
It’s entirely possible that I wasn’t in a movie-going mood yesterday, but despite that, I went to see The Ice Harvest. I’m not sure exactly what the movie was about; it was something about stolen money and Christmas Eve. Oliver Platt was his usual boorish self, there wasn’t enough Billy Bob Thornton, and nor was there enough nasty holiday humor. I was kind of under the assumption that the movie would be more along the lines of Bad Santa, though not so holiday-specific. Anyway, the film really didn’t do anything for me. Still, I’m giving it a C-.
Quote of the Day
27 Nov“You always do that.”
— a woman to her boyfriend at Shaw’s, as he tried to put his credit card into the “Insert Cash Here” slot in the self-service check-out line
… it could also apply to me, since I always seem to end up behind stupid people like that, especially when the line is short and should move quickly (and of course, it never does).
Martin's Musings 