Saturday, December 25, 2010

first noel

Hoping you had a great Christmas Day with family and loved ones.

I am taking a couple of days break to spend with family and friends and will be back on 2 January 2011.

JUST FOR FUN

 

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CHRISTMAS COOL IMAGES

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MORE CELEBRITY CHRISTMAS

Claudette Colbert next to her image on a Christmas decoration near Hollywood and Vine.

Claudette Colbert next to her image on a Christmas decoration near Hollywood and Vine.

ANN SHERIDAN 1940SANNE SHERIDAN

June Marlowe http__thesilentmovieblog_files_wordpress_com_2010_12_12-16-nine-days-til-christmas_jpgJUNE MARLOWE

Rita Hayworth   RITA HAYWORTH

tumblr_ldfmp5um1H1qa70eyo1_500ELIZABETH TAYLOR

QUOTABLES …

 

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CHRISTMAS TREES

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LADY GAGA MOST CHARITABLE CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR

 

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Lady GaGa has beaten Alicia Keys to lead the list of the most charitable celebrities of the year. The "Poker Face" hitmaker's outspoken support for gay rights and her tireless efforts in the campaign for the repeal of the U.S. military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy placed her at number one, just ahead of Keys, who led the charge against HIV and AIDS in 2010.

The ladies are at the top of the Celebs Gone Good countdown, compiled by teen charity DoSomething.org. Country sweetheart Taylor Swift, Hollywood couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Matt Damon and Justin Bieber all feature in the top 10.

VINTAGE … THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

 

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CHRISTMAS MOVIE TRIVIA … WHITE CHRISTMAS

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1.    The first film produced in Paramount's wide screen process "VistaVision".

2.    The TV camera in the Ed Harrison Show scene is a real one (a classic RCA monochrome; the cameraman is hiding the telltale logo with his hand), but the call sign atop it was real as well - it was that of Channel 4, NBC's (and thus RCA's) flagship station in New York, which changed its call sign to WRCA-TV the year of the film's release. (They adopted their current WNBC-TV calls in 1960.)

3.    The original idea was to reunite Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby, as they had been successful in Holiday Inn (1942). Astaire refused, as he had "retired" at the time, so the part was reworked for Donald O'Connor. O'Connor pulled out, and the part was reworked for Danny Kaye. 

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4.    The Vermont inn is the remodeled Connecticut inn set from the movie Holiday Inn (1942) which Bing Crosby also starred in singing songs written by Irving Berlin.

5.    The song "Snow" was written by Irving Berlin a while before the film was made but with a different lyric and title and indeed subject (it had nothing to do whatsoever with snow): it was called "Free" and it was recorded by the composer. 

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6.    The "Sisters" comedy act that Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye perform was not originally in the script. They were clowning around on the set and the director thought it was so funny that it was written in. 

7.    Even though Betty was the elder of the Haynes sisters, Rosemary Clooney was actually seven years younger than Vera-Ellen in real life. 

8.    Vera-Ellen did not actually sing any of the songs for the movie. Trudy Stevens sang all her songs. Vera's own voice is heard singing only in the "arrival in Pine Tree" scene at the railroad station where the quartet reprises the opening lines of "Snow". 

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9.    For The song "Gee, I Wish I Was Back In The Army" there is a small section which say's "Jolson, Hope And Benny all for free" This is a reference to three wartime entertainers; Al Jolson, Bob Hopeand Jack Benny. The original words were "Crosby, Hope and Jolson all for free", with Bing Crosby in the film it would seem rather weird and it would most likely break the mood. 

10.    The song, "What Can You Do with a General?", which Leonard Maltin calls Irving Berlin's least memorable tune, was originally written for an unproduced project called "Stars on My Shoulders". 

11.    According to Rosemary Clooney, the "midnight snack" scene in which Bob Wallace expounds on his theory of what foods cause what dreams was almost entirely improvised. 

12.    Many of Bob Wallace's more unusual turns of phrase were lifted straight from Bing Crosby's own speech patterns. 

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13.    The train scene had to be shot at Fox, the only studio to house a standing train set. 

14.    Although this movie musical has been a beloved favorite for decades - especially at Christmastime - there has never been an official "original soundtrack" album released in any form. Decca controlled the soundtrack rights, but Rosemary Clooney was under exclusive contract to Columbia, who would not allow her to appear on a competing label. As a result, Decca and Columbia each released their own White Christmas albums in 1954, although neither is an official soundtrack. Decca's album featured the movie cast minus Rosemary Clooney, with Peggy Lee taking over Clooney's part. Columbia's album had Rosemary Clooney singing 8 songs from the film. Both albums have been issued on CD in recent years. 

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15.    The "Ed Harrison TV Show" that Bing Crosby appears on is a reference to the "Ed Sullivan Show" that featured known stars, new talent and vaudeville acts. Ed Harrison was played by Johnny Grant who did not have a long acting career in the movies, but was the honorary Mayor of Hollywood, California who officiated over the unveiling's of Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame from the early 1960's until his death in 2008. 

16.    Cast members Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney both have descendants in the Star Trek series. Bing's granddaughter, Denise Crosby appeared in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), while Clooney's son, Miguel Ferrer appeared in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984).
 

VINTAGE … CHRISTMAS BOOK COVERS

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CELEBRITIES … BETTE DAVIS

 

Merry Christmas from Bette Davis MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BETTE DAVIS

DEGENERES DONATES FOOD FOR STRAY PETS

 

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Animal lover Ellen DeGeneres has given America's stray pets a Christmas boost by teaming up with bosses at dog food firm Halo to deliver one million meals to unwanted pooches. The comedienne and TV personality launched a campaign to raise awareness about pet adoption with Halo bosses earlier this year and now she's making sure dogs awaiting homes get a good meal this Christmas.

She says, "At Halo we want to promote healthy living for pets and good food is a big part of that. So, we agreed to donate one million meals of Halo to shelter pets. I mean, imagine, an animal in a shelter, in a cage, lonely - a good meal is kinda all they have to look forward to, until you adopt them!"

VINTAGE … CHRISTMAS POSTCARDS

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CHRISTMAS CAKES AND BISCUITS

 

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MADONNA AND CHILD

 

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BIEBER URGES FANS TO DONATE TO ILL KIDS

 

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber urged fans to embrace the Christmas spirit as he wrapped up his U.S. tour on Thursday, December 23 - by parking a bus outside the Atlanta, Georgia venue so the audience could donate gifts for sick children. The "Baby" hitmaker ended his trek at the city's Philips Arena and teamed up with local radio station Q100 for the Stuff Bieber's Bus campaign, which called on the pop star's followers to hand over toys and games for ill kids at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta centre.

Bieber visited the medical facility after the show to hand out the gifts - and the star insists he felt compelled to use his fame to give back at Christmas. He says, "I have such a big platform, it would be silly if I didn't do something positive with it. I got contacted by their radio station... (and they) asked us if we wanted to be involved ... and it was just something I thought would be really cool."

QUOTABLES …

 

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Friday, December 24, 2010

JUST FOR FUN …

 

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ALBARN: “GLEE DO NOT USE MY MUSIC”

 

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Gorillaz and Blur star Damon Albarn has warned "Glee" producers not to contact him about using his songs on the TV show - because he can't forgive them for stealing The Beatles' U.S. pop chart record.

Albarn has yet to be asked to be a part of the hit musical show but he insists he'll never agree to let his songs be a part of the programme. The Brit is still upset by the fact the cast of "Glee" toppled the Fab Four's record for most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 by a non-solo act earlier this year. Albarn says, "Those songs won't last like the Beatles... They'll be forgotten in a few years time."

TRIVIA BITS ... IRISH GREETING

 

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The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to yourself."