Currently Watching - Anything Goes (1956)

Anything Goes is a 1956 musical film adapted from the Cole Porter, Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse stage production of the same title. The book was drastically rewritten for the second film version, also by Paramount, released in 1956. Though this movie again starred Bing Crosby (whose character was once more renamed), Donald O'Connor, and comedian Phil Harris in a cameo, the new movie almost completely excised the rest of the characters in favor of a totally new plot. The movie features almost no similarities to the play or 1936 film, apart from some songs and the title. Showbiz partners Bill Benson (Crosby) and Ted Adams (O'Connor) some 20 years Crosby's junior, each travel to Paris to sign a dancer to star in their new show. The problem? There is only one role, and the men have unknowingly cast two dancers, Patsy Blair (Mitzi Gaynor) and Gaby Duval (Zizi Jeanmaire). It is up to the men to sort out their mess on the cruise back to America.

Currently Watching - 3 Day Weekend (2008)

Blah...this is just another typical "gay friends gathering in the country house for the weekend" movie. Lots of sex and drama.

Long-term couple Simon and Jason, along with daddy-ish Cooper and his boy du jour, escape to a mountain cabin for a three-day weekend away from their hectic city lives. Looking to spice up this long-standing tradition, they add a special twist to this years retreat - each of them must invite one attractive single friend to their mountain getaway. Arriving are a frisky former college roommate, a constantly naked yoga instructor, Jason's uptight co-worker and a high-priced rent boy who do indeed stir up the weekend. But this combination of new and old friends creates more tension than anyone ever anticipated. After 72 hours and multiple sexual couplings, new relationships form while others are cast onto shaky ground.

Currently Watching - Naked Fame (2004)

This is an interesting documentary about former Colt model and porn star Colton Ford left the skin flick business at 40 to return to a musical career along with his partner Blake Harper.

As far as his singing I have thought it is OK. For me he sings too much in his head voice but, his videos are usually stunning. He is a very attractive man and they are smart enough to show him off.
Also, I have watched The Lair on here! and he is not a bad actor for a former porn star. He is actually better than most of the guys on that show and they always have him in tight sweat pants that show off that hot ass. BONUS! lol

Currently Watching - Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Ahhhhhh...I do love the holidays. There are so many great old movies to watch and this is one I never miss.

Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is indignant to find that the person (Percy Helton) assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated. When he complains to event director Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), she persuades Kris to take his place. He does such a fine job that he is hired to be the Santa for Macy's flagship New York City store on 34th Street.
Ignoring instructions to steer parents to goods that Macy's wants to sell, Kris directs one shopper (Thelma Ritter) to another store for a fire engine for her son that Macy's does not have. She is so impressed, she tells Julian Shellhammer (Philip Tonge), head of the toy department, that she will become a loyal customer. Kris later informs another mother that archrival Gimbels has better skates for her daughter.
Fred Gailey (John Payne), an attorney and neighbor of Doris, is babysitting the young divorcee's six-year-old daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) and takes her to see Kris. When Doris finds out, she asks Kris to tell Susan that he is not really Santa Claus, but Kris surprises her by insisting he is.
Doris decides to fire him, worried that he is delusional and might harm someone. However, Kris has generated so much good publicity and customer goodwill for Macy's that a delighted R. H. Macy (Harry Antrim) promises Doris and Shellhammer generous bonuses. To alleviate Doris's misgivings, Shellhammer has Granville Sawyer (Porter Hall) give Kris a "psychological evaluation". Kris easily passes the test but antagonizes Sawyer by questioning Sawyer's own psychological health.
The store expands on the marketing concept. Anxious to avoid looking greedy by comparison, Gimbels implements the same referral policy throughout its entire chain, forcing Macy's and other stores to respond in kind. Eventually, Kris accomplishes the impossible: Mr. Macy shaking hands with Mr. Gimbel (Herbert H. Heyes).

Pierce (James Seay), the doctor at Kris's nursing home, assures Doris and Shellhammer that Kris's delusion is harmless. Meanwhile, Fred offers to let Kris stay with him so he can be closer to work. Kris makes a deal with Fred – he will work on Susan's cynicism while Fred does the same with the disillusioned Doris, still bitter over her failed marriage.
Kris learns that Sawyer has convinced a young, impressionable employee, Alfred (Alvin Greenman), that he is mentally ill simply because he is generous and kind-hearted (Alfred plays Santa Claus at his neighborhood YMCA). Kris confronts Sawyer and raps him on the head with the handle of an umbrella. Doris and Shellhammer only see the aftermath; Sawyer exaggerates his injury in order to have Kris confined to Bellevue Mental Hospital.
Tricked into cooperating and believing Doris to be part of the deception, a discouraged Kris deliberately fails his mental examination and is recommended for permanent commitment. However, Fred persuades Kris not to give up.
To secure his release, Fred gets a formal hearing before Judge Henry X. Harper (Gene Lockhart) of the New York Supreme Court. Ordered by Mr. Macy (who is determined to stand behind Kris "even if he failed twenty examinations") to get the matter dropped, Sawyer pleads with Fred not to seek publicity. To Sawyer's dismay, Fred thanks him for the idea. As a result, Judge Harper is put in an awkward spot – even his own grandchildren are against him for "persecuting" Santa Claus.
Fred quits his job at a prestigious law firm to defend Kris and has a falling out with Doris, who calls his resignation an "idealistic binge" over some "lovely intangibles." He replies that one day she might discover that they are the only worthwhile things.

At the hearing, District Attorney Thomas Mara (Jerome Cowan) gets Kris to assert that he is in fact Santa Claus and rests his case, believing he has prima facie proven his point. Fred stuns the court by arguing that Kris is not insane because he actually is Santa Claus – and he will prove it. Mara requests the judge rule that Santa Claus does not exist. Harper is warned privately in chambers by his political adviser, Charlie Halloran (William Frawley), that doing so would be disastrous for his upcoming reelection bid. The judge buys time by deciding to hear evidence before ruling.
Fred calls R.H. Macy as a witness. Mara pointedly asks if he really believes Kris to be Santa Claus. Macy starts to equivocate, but when Mara asks him point-blank, Macy remembers the expressions on the faces of small children upon seeing Kris and firmly states, "I do!" On leaving the stand, Macy fires Sawyer. Fred then calls Mara's own young son to the stand. Thomas Mara Jr. testifies that his father had told him that Santa was real and that "My daddy wouldn't tell me anything that wasn't so. Would you, daddy?" Outmaneuvered, Mara concedes the point.
Mara then demands that Fred prove that Kris is "the one and only" Santa Claus on the basis of some competent authority. While Fred searches frantically, Susan, by now a firm believer in Kris, writes him a letter to cheer him up, which Doris also signs. A mail sorter (Jack Albertson) sees it and realizes that the post office could clear out the many letters to Santa taking up space in its dead letter office by delivering them to Kris.
Kris is uplifted by Susan's letter. Fred learns that Kris has received over 50,000 pieces of mail. He presents Judge Harper with three letters addressed to "Santa Claus", which the U.S. Post Office has just delivered to Kris. When Harper demands that Fred produce "further exhibits", the judge finds his bench inundated with 21 bags of letters. Declining to dispute the Post Office's "legal recognition" of Kris as Santa Claus, Harper dismisses the case. Afterwards, Doris invites Kris to dinner, but he reminds her that "It's Christmas Eve!"
On Christmas morning, Susan is disillusioned because Kris was unable to get her what she told him she wanted most. As they are about to leave, Kris gives Fred and Doris a route home that avoids traffic. Along the way, Susan is overjoyed to see the house of her dreams (exactly matching the drawing she had given Kris earlier) with a For Sale sign in the front yard. Fred learns that Doris had encouraged Susan to have faith, and suggests they get married and purchase the house. He then boasts that he must be a great lawyer, since he managed to do the seemingly impossible. However, when he notices a cane leaning against the fireplace that looks just like the one Kris used, he wonders, "Maybe I didn't do such a wonderful thing after all."

Currently Watching - Circuit (2001)

It has been many years since I saw this movie and it is just as I remember a disturbing story with lots of eye candy.

Dirk Shafer's "Circuit" is an extremely disturbing and powerful film. Everything that one could hate about gay life in America stars in this movie. Jonathan Webster, a college-educated gay man living & working as a police officer in a small Illinois town, realizes that he has no future there, and so moves to Los Angeles. John is muscular, athletic, and stunningly attractive, and soon becomes socially popular in the West Hollywood world where youth & beauty mean everything. He is slowly seduced by the colored lights and glitter into the vacuous world of the circuit party, where young, beautiful gay men waste their lives flailing in a stupor of drugs, alcohol, promiscuous & unsafe sex, and sleazy electronic techno-pop disco music. John's increasing substance abuse eventually erodes his judgment and strains his friendships. This movie frankly confronts many issues that gay men won't or can't address: the gay cult of youth worship, body fascism and negative body image, rampant drug & alcohol abuse, the internalized anti-gay bigotry and the concomittant corrosion of self-esteem that fuels the whole ugly mess, and the business people who have a vested interest in making sure that none of it changes.

High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail

If we can make this happen I would be so happy! Being able to take quick trips down to Austin or up to Oklahoma City and Tulsa would be fantastic. We have fallen behind in our rail system.

The Administration has placed a new emphasis on building high-speed and intercity passenger rail to connect communities and economic centers across the country. A fully developed passenger rail system will complement highway, aviation and public transit systems.
With the successful completion of the original phases of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Improvement Project offering Amtrak's maximum 150 mph Acela train service between Washington, New York, and Boston, efforts to develop high-speed intercity passenger rail service have expanded beyond the NEC. However, just as the Interstate Highway System took 50 years to complete, the true potential of a fully integrated high-speed intercity passenger rail network will not be achieved or realized overnight.
The Department of Transportation is working with States to plan and develop high-speed and intercity passenger rail corridors that range from upgrades to existing services to entirely new rail lines exclusively devoted to 150 to 220 mph trains. Implementing these corridor projects and programs will serve as a catalyst to promote economic expansion (including new manufacturing jobs), create new choices for travelers in addition to flying or driving, reduce national dependence on oil, and foster livable urban and rural communities.

Currently Watching - The Adventure of Shirlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)

I just adore this movie but it seems like most people have never heard of it.

After co-writing and starring in Mel Brooks' smash hit Young Frankenstein, Gene Wilder graduated to his own directing debut with another spoofy take on a cultural icon. The 1975 Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother gives Wilder some great trademark meltdowns, even if the movie doesn't sustain its initial comic energy. Wilder plays Sigerson Holmes, third (and bitterly resentful) brother to the more fabled Sherlock and Mycroft. Two Young Frankenstein co-stars help bring the game afoot: Madeline Kahn, as an opera singer with a problem in distinguishing truth from lies, and Marty Feldman, as a Scotland Yard man with "photographic hearing." The long early sequence that introduces all three characters to each other--and culminates in a lunatic song-and-dance number, "The Kangaroo Hop"--is truly funny, and Dom DeLuise summons up some broad yoks as a singer with a bad toupee. The British are represented by Leo McKern and Roy Kinnear, as well as a mysterious cameo by Albert Finney. (Mel Brooks isn't around, but you can spot his unmistakable pipes in a moment of voiceover.) Things become routine fairly quickly, and the last half-hour is something of a slog, so you'll have to be a Gene Wilder fan to love this one. Still, the rapport of Wilder and Kahn is something to behold: two expert comedians who always suggested an undercurrent of melancholy beneath their clowning.

Currently Watching - Dark Victory (1939)

I thought I had seen Dark Victory but I was confusing it with the 100 other movies Betty Davis did around 1939-1940. lol


Judith Traherne (Bette Davis) is a young, carefree, hedonistic Long Island socialite/heiress with a passion for horses, fast cars, and too much smoking and drinking. She initially ignores severe headaches and brief episodes of dizziness and double vision, but when she uncharacteristically takes a spill while riding, and then tumbles down a flight of stairs, her secretary/best friend Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald) insists she see the family doctor, who refers her to a specialist.
Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent) is in the midst of closing his New York City office in preparation of a move to Brattleboro, Vermont, where he plans to devote his time to brain cell research and scientific study on their growth. He reluctantly agrees to see Judith, who is cold and openly antagonistic toward him. She shows signs of short-term memory loss, but dismisses her symptoms. Steele convinces her the ailments she is experiencing are serious and potentially life-threatening, and puts his career plans on hold to tend to her.
When diagnostic tests confirm his suspicions, Judith agrees to surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. Steele discovers the tumor cannot be completely removed, and realizes she has less than a year to live. The end will be painless but swift - shortly after experiencing total blindness, Judith will pass away.
In order to allow her a few more months of happiness, Steele opts to keep the diagnosis a secret and assures Judith and Ann the surgery was a success. Ann is suspicious and confronts Steele, who admits the truth. She agrees to remain silent.

Judith and Steele become involved romantically and eventually engaged. While helping his assistant pack the office prior to their departure for Vermont, Judith discovers her case history file containing letters from several doctors, all of them confirming Steele's prognosis. Assuming Steele was marrying her out of pity, Judith breaks off the engagement and reverts to her former lifestyle. One day, her stablehand Michael O'Leary (Humphrey Bogart), who for years has loved her from afar, confronts her about her unruly behavior and she confesses she is dying. Their conversation convinces her she should spend her final months happy, dignified, and with the man she loves. She apologizes to Steele, and the two marry and move to Vermont. (Throughout the film Judith and O'Leary engage in arguments about the prospects of a colt, Challenger. O'Leary insists Challenger will never make a racehorse while Judith sees him as a future champion, and just before her death O'Leary admits she was correct.)
Three months later, Ann comes to visit. She and Judith are in the garden planting bulbs when Judith comments on how odd it is she still feels the heat of the sun under the rapidly darkening skies. She realizes she actually is losing her vision and approaching the end. Steele is scheduled to present his most recent medical findings (which hold out the long-term prospect of a cure for this type of cancer) in New York, and Judith, making an excuse to remain home, helps him pack and sends him off. Then, after bidding Ann, her housekeeper Martha (Virginia Brissac), and her dogs farewell, she climbs the stairs, lies down on her bed. We see her face and the image blurs to grey.

Awesome Birthday!

I had an amazing birthday yesterday. I knew I wanted to do something special for my 40th so I did a little shopping, took myself to Fort Worth, went out to dinner and then saw the amazing Miss Joan rivers at the Bass Hall. On my way home I stopped at the bars and ran into some friends. 4 shots of Tuaca, a shot of Jack, a vodka 7 and some strange grape flavored shot and I was ready to either party all night or go home. I decided on home and while crossing the street i stepped in a pot hole and smacked face first into the pavement. The day just isn't over if I don't get hurt. LOL

Meeting Meredith Baxter

In my blog about the Jane Lynch book signing I mentioned how i enjoyed meeting Meredith Baxter more but i just realized that, although I posted it in Facebook I never did a blog on it. Sorry!
Meredith Baxter or of you are of a certain age MBB was at Nuvo on Cedar Springs here in Dallas on Oct 26. I met my friend Grant down there for coffee before the book signing and I was keeping an eye open for a crowd that never came. when we entered the store there were more employees than customers. I felt kind of bad for her but once I grabbed a book and went up to the table i could see that she was not troubled by the turn out. She really seemed to be having a good time chatting with a few locals. She was just as sweet as she could be and I have to admit I was more starstruck than i thought i would be. i believe it was seeing a character from my childhood. I loved Family Ties when I was a kid.
Anyway, I gushed for a minute and made a fool of myself I am sure but it was a great experience and a pleasure to meet her. The one thing I noticed was that she was my height which surprised me because i always thought of her as being short and then i realized that it is because she was with Michael gross on Famly Ties and he is 6'4". Who knew?

Art in October - Dallas Arts District

A month of great events will wrap-up with costume-festivities and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Monsters of Film. Admission will be FREE to the museums. Throughout the district., there will be a variety of food vendors, street performances, tours, and activities. The evening will conclude with the district's first come-as-a-zombie, audience participation “Zombie Walk”.
To see all the photos click here.