"On this Day of Independence, on this Independence Day..."

I'm in production of directing two acting teams at the moment, (I'm prepping two casts for their presentations at Summer Sensation (what most folks refer to Vacation Bible School)), so I will make this short and sweet! Since next Wednesday is Independence Day, I will share with you a "favorite pick" on many levels. This film is not only one of my top favorite films, but features one of my favorite film dancers, as well as one of my top favorite dance sequences.  The film is Holiday Inn, and features the genius talent of Fred Astaire in a sequence called, "The Firecracker Number."  Happy Fourth, Everyone! And God bless America!  Say It with Firecrackers (from Holiday Inn, 1942)

Fred Astaire - "Say It with Firecrackers!"

                       

Pickin' Your Seat

Do you have a favorite spot to watch a movie? The best seat is the comfy one in front of the television set, but if you don’t have a large screen television or a movie theatre set-up in your home, that may not be the best choice. But I’m really talking about when going to see a first-run film – where do you like to sit?

I was thinking about this last night, as I was invited by my movie-theatre working son to attend an employee/family midnight showing of Pixar’s newest release, Brave.  Where did I sit? Well, I hadn’t been in that particular screening room of that theatre for a very long time (it had been 4 years since I had attended a midnight show), yet I chose my favorite spot - the back row corner aisle seat.  All the youngsters found themselves clustered together. One young lady, who knew me from her childhood & now worked at the theatre, turned around and kindly and motioned to me to join them.  I thought that was very sweet, and although it was a nice gesture, I told her that I really liked my “back seat.” And, I do wherever I attend the movies.  When I was young, I would sit just about anywhere, but after that “Uh, oh, we’re late!” night to see Silverado back in 1985, and we found ourselves in the front row of theatre, the leaning and craning of our necks to look up at the oversized cowboys, horses and gun-play was all she wrote!  Ever since then, I don’t think I’ve ever sat too close to the front.  There were times when my boys wanted me to traipse down front with them, but I loved it when they got old enough to sit alone and I could sit where? The back row.

I’ve learned the lesson that if you sit ‘down stream,’ you’re liable to have the spilled soda (and there will be one) come trickling down under your seat, find your purse and ruin the bottom of it, not to mention ooze up into the fabric of the sides, as well.  I’ve also learned that more young people who do talk more during a movie, tend to sit mid to front, so I find myself with the ‘senior citizen set’ in the back (I know, I’m not that far from it myself)!  We tend to be far-sighted, and it is easier to see the ‘big picture.’  But there is the risk of having a fellow-attendee be hard of hearing and talk too loudly with their neighbors.  So, for the most part, that’s the best spot to be – for me.  Hey!  I can get out without standing up in front of someone, and get back in without anyone noticing or being annoyed that I had to do the same in reverse! 

I do find that I need to get there early enough to be able to select that all-important coveted seat.  If someone else is already in it, I either have to go across to the other row and sit down with a relaxing exhale or else my little pea-brain has to do some fast masterminding for the second-rate seats.  Who would have thought that just going to a movie would be so much work? Too bad Mom isn’t around for me to joke that I finally have ‘picking me seat’ down to a science! But once it’s done, it can make or break that movie-going experience!

Make sure to leave me a comment if you have a favorite seat!

Who's Your Doppleganger...I mean, Daddy?

First of all, BlogSpot has changed my title fonts without notice & of course, those fonts which personalize our blogging in the 'special way' are no longer available - my apologies.  I would never pick this for my casual writing, and their reformatting has taken a turn for the worse.  Okay. Tiny soapbox time over.

On to topic -


Have you ever wanted to look like a celebrity?  If you’re reading my blog, you probably have some interest in the entertainment industry, and so I would wager that you, like me, would find it amusing to be asked if you were someone famous.

Since last week I wrote on “six degrees” and decided this week to write on the related subject – people you know who look like celebrities.  I love acting, and I always thought it would be fun to look like someone and either work independently or with a group, who sends out celebrity look-a-likes; but alas, the cards were not in my favor for this, and I just look like me.  I was told once I looked like Rosie O’Donnell, but I took it as an insult and quickly dismissed that thought entirely.  I also had a teacher in high school tell me that I “reminded her of Nancy Walker.”  You know, the housekeeper for McMillan and Wife and the Bounty™ paper towels waitress?  Say, huh?  Well, it was the ‘70’s – perhaps she had ‘something in her lunch’ that made her see me like that.  Again, another suggestive insult, and I haven’t had another since – good or bad.

But, here are a few friends I have that not only I think they look like their celebrity, but they have been told the same over the years by many others, as well.  I have not asked these folks for permission to post their photos, so please, just take my word for it!

In the ‘used to’ category:

A church friend (prior to weight loss) – Drew Carey (prior to weight loss, too!)

My nephew – Daniel Radcliff as ‘Harry Potter’ (made for some fun Halloweens)

Restaurant Servers:

Applebee’s in Auburn - Kirstin Dunst

Sierra Smokehouse in Auburn  - Paul Sorvino (I DID sneak this man’s photo)

Chili’s Roseville – Emma Stone

  and consequently, a friend’s daughter looks like these, two also.

Associates:

Camp instructor for my students & now FB friend– Ioan Gruffud (I think this poor "20 something" thought I was a ‘cougar’ for staring, until I told him why I was staring!)

My manicurist -Kourtney Kardashian

Friends:

Ed Harris

Shelley Duvall

and our 'chameleon' who can take on Bill Murray / Michael Gross / Ryan Stiles / Liam Neeson – depending on how you look at him!

But the winner is – my dad!  

Often while growing up, we would hear Dad be asked, “Are you someone famous?” or more directly, “Are you Cliff Robertson?” I think he had fun with that, and he still looks like a movie star!

Okay, now it’s your turn. Do you look like someone in the movies, or do you know someone who looks like a celebrity?  Don’t forget to write and let me know!

I know a guy who knows this man who knows a gal who...

1) Last week, I watched the movie Taking Chance. 

2) It stars Kevin Bacon.

3) Lately, everyone all of the sudden is a big fan of bacon.

4) Comedian Jim Gaffigan even has an entire routine based on bacon, “Even the frying of   bacon sounds like applause; Yay, bacon!...You can’t tell me the success of Kevin       Bacon isn’t somehow tied to his name!...”

5) Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. **

6) Six degrees of separation.  ***

Whew! I made it to my topic for the week!  

Everyone knows someone who’s “somebody”  – either directly or within six relationships. 

I know you do, too!  Please bear in mind these are only “movie celebrity six degrees” (most of these are just in 1º or 2º) - Each one of these names can be found on the IMDB.

Here are just a few that come to mind:

·My dad worked with Toni Tennille’s dad

·One of my brothers-in-law was in the high school class behind Kevin Costner at 

     Villa Park High School

· My sister was on “Entertainment Tonight” with Dorothy Hamill

· My brother-in-law met Jane Seymour

·A woman at our church was a teacher to young actors (including Wil Wheaton)

·Our real estate agent in Washington State is married to Dinah Manoff  & son-in-law to

          Lee Grant

· Kim Krizan, writer of Before Sunset and Before Sunrise, was a high school classmate

          of mine

·Terri Douglas is my godmother’s niece, and we also went to high school together.

· John Pardee was a high school classmate, as well as executive producer & writer on several

          television series

·A church friend dated Robin Williams

·This same friend and her husband were also car drivers in the “American Graffiti” street

       cruising scene, as well as security for George Lucas

·I attended church with Tom Hanks’ Aunt Hilda, and I had the pleasure of publicly

         reading some of her poetry.

·A former company I was employed with was a business associate of 

          Anthony Edwards’ brother.

· My aunt’s father played the shofar in The Ten Commandments (as well as other noted

       celebrity elbow-rubs)

·A former student is a shirt tale cousin with Johnny Depp.

·My daughter-in-law’s grandmother babysat many Hollywood children, as well as being

     friends with Lawrence Welk

· I recently worked with Net Lott, director of Howl’s Moving Castle

· I sat with Patricia Barry on a PSA flight (see my blog of February 17, 2012)

· A high school friend’s father-in-law was Sonny Fox, the host of “Wonderama”

            (New York version)

· She is also a close friend with Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning writer of Toy Story 3

· Two of my cousin’s daughters sang at the 2012 Academy Awards Ceremony.

· These same two girls sang at Disneyland with Fess Parker

· My massage therapist was a stage manager for Hollywood award shows & rubbed

           elbows with the likes of Frank Sinatra

· My church’s music director went to college with Gary Trousdale

· A friend of my parents was a Disneyland hostess/tour guide, and often requested 

         by Mr. Disney himself

· Another church friend’s aunt married Michael Cole

· A gentleman in our church was the pilot for Air Force One when post-Hollywood 

         actor Ronald Reagan was president

Well, I will stop there – I’m sure there are more, and as I have mentioned in past blogs, something always comes to mind once the initial thoughts are out there to view.  And again, as you read these, I am sure you have your own list of  “Six Degrees.”  Is it in your head? Perhaps take a few minutes and write it down.  You might be surprised at how close we all are to celebrity! Perhaps it is even yourself…

*** “Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularized by a play written by John Guare.” (Wikipedia)  

** Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a trivia game based on the concept of the small world phenomenon and rests on the assumption that any individual involved in the Hollywood, California film industry can be linked through his or her film roles to actor Kevin Bacon within six steps. The name of the game is a play on the "six degrees of separation" concept. The game requires a group of players to try to connect any individual to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible.