Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum

I'm not a Faith Hill fan, but this rendition of "Little Drummer Boy" is so good, it brings tears to my eyes, thanks in large part to the Morgan State University Choir that's backing her...

October Round-Up

It's kind of hard to remember October when Christmas is breathing down my neck, but I will give it a shot...

Movies Seen: Twelve, with none in a theater. (Although I did watch four Marilyn Monroe movies in a class that was held in a theater. But I'd seen all the movies before, and the teacher's inability to un-squash the DVD image on the big ass movie screen made the entire "movie going experience" almost unbearable. So I'm not counting those.) I think my fave was probably "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains," which is hadn't seen since I was a kid. I had no idea Ray Winstone played the hottie punk rocker in the movie. In fact, I had no idea Ray Winstone was once a hottie! If you've never seen it, I highly recommend a rental.

I saw a lot of bad movies in October, so the least favorite prize is a tie between "Chapter 27," the movie starring Jared Leto's horrible southern accent as Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's assassin; "The Happening," in which Mark Wahlberg spends most of the movie trying to think; and "Last House on the Left," which despite my being a die-hard horror fan as a youth, I had never actually seen. Now I now why. It is a exceedingly unpleasant movie watching experience. I understand its historical importance when it comes to the horror movie genre, but that doesn't mean it's any fun.

Books Read: Once again, I only finished one, while starting and abandoning about three...Well, technically that's not true, as I read several volumes of the comic book "Y: The Last Man," which didn't leave a lot of time for real books. So that one "real" book was "Snow Angels," which I got from the library on a whim after watching the movie version. It was about as good as the movie, which is to say pretty good, but not great.

Fancy Dinners Out: None. I think my fears about money and the economy started to curb my frivolous spending in October, as there also weren't any...

Live Shows Seen: Nor...

Shoes Bought: Alas.

It's Romance!

This week's Tube Tops is now up on the SFGate Culture Blog!

Wow. I can't believe the Thanksgiving weekend is basically over. Christmas will be here before I know it....I think I need a nap.

I Guess I Was Just Too Blind To See

I can't believe I missed this. I sat through almost every minute of the two painful hours of the Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning, but I guess during the ten minutes I was washing my face and getting dressed, this happened.



There were at least 268 marching bands featured during the parade, and I chose this moment to leave the room. Epic FAIL.

Tom Turkey Ran Away, But He Just Came Home!

There aren't very many Thanksgiving songs out there, so I'm going to go ahead and name "Turkey Lurkey Time" the one and only official Thanksgiving song. Even though it's actually about Christmas.

It's from the 1968 musical "Promises, Promises," which was written by Neil Simon, with music and lyrics by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and is actually based on the movie "The Apartment." I think it's due for a revival. There are other memorable songs in it (including "I'll Never Fall In Love Again") but "Turkey Lurkey Time" is easily my fave, both because it's pretty dumb, and because the musical number in the play has some INSANE choreography. (I'm glad to know I'm not the only person obsessed with the song, as Brock over at SFist has linked to it more than once. This guy also has a funny take on the number.)

So, in honor of Thanksgiving and mini dresses, I present you with three versions of the song...

First up is a performance from the 1968 Tonys. Video quality is for crap, but you can still experience the insanity and potential whiplash inducing movements of the choreography.



Next is a TV performance, but I have no idea where from. Seems to be about the same time as the above, though.



And last is from "Camp," which was a good little indie movie about a performing arts summer camp. (That's why the number kind of blends into other stage performances at the end of the song).



Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! And if you want to burn off some of those unwanted calories, I suggest you learn the Turkey Lurkey dance. You'll be slim by Christmas.

Peanut Butter and Spherical Olives

This week's reality TV locals post is now up on SFist!

Come ooooonnnnn Thursday!

Elves...They're Just So Silly

I've mentioned David Sedaris's short story "Six To Eight Black Men" before, as it's one of my favorite things ever. (You can listen to it in three parts on YouTube.) I love it because it's hilarious, but also because my mother is Dutch, and she speaks of Sinterklaas and his helper "Zwarte Piet" (Black Pete) like it's no big deal.

American Christmas may be crass and overly commercialized, but at least it doesn't involve dressing our children in blackface, and forcing them to eat chocolate coins while singing Christmas songs about little boots and little stockings. To wit:

It's Broccoli!

This week's Tube Tops is now up on the SFGate Culture Blog!

You guys, next week is Thanksgiving. Next week! How did that happen? Remember when you were a kid and once Thanksgiving came around all you could do was think about Christmas and wish the days would go by faster so it would just happen already? Well, my Christmas excitement remains, but it is now coupled with anxiety about how quickly the days are going by because before I know it it will be Christmas already.

Just What ARE Those Extra Ingredients, Anyway?

Here's another hilarious vintage commercial that was featured on "The Bonnie Hunt Show" the other day.

30 Rocks

I'm thinking I should start watching "Sesame Street" again...In fact, why'd I ever stop?

Something Every Guy Should Know

There's a brief piece on Jezebel about modern chivalry, (and some of it is pretty dirty, so beware), but there's one bit that I think every guy should know and practice: The bit about getting into a cab first.

Seriously, I know it SEEMS like the chivalrous act is to hold the door open, but it's not. Especially when the lady you're with is wearing a dress or a skirt. That just means she has to crawl in, try not to flash you as she does so, and then slide over and probably get her dress all scrunched and wrinkled in the process. And then she'll have to do the same thing when it's time to get out. Not fun.

So dudes. Get into the cab first. Always.

Au Revoir Marjorie

This week's reality TV locals post is up on SFist, now with more food!

It's Lady Astor!

This week's Tube Tops is now up on the SFGate Culture Blog! Read it. READ IT!

I think the freakishly warm weather is on its way out, and good riddance, I say. I have drawers full of handmade scarves that need some wearing.

Popotamus! Et Cocodrie!

Shockingly, the latest Internet star is not a cat with a bag on its head, but a little French girl dubbed "Amelie Jr." Her real name is Capucine, and her mother, Anne, clearly knew she had a star on her hands at a young age, as she has been documenting la petite gamine for quite a while on Vimeo.

Here's the video that's sweeping the nation. But warning: If you are a woman, it may cause spontaneous ovulation and the uncontrollable urge to marry a Frenchman and get pregnant tout de suite.



This is an earlier video in which Capucine and her mother have eaten too much candy, and fear the repercussions should Papa find out.



Mon Dieu. Il est juste trop mignon!

Get It Off Me!....Get It On Me!!!

By now I'm sure you've seen Maru, the cat who likes to jump into boxes and other things. This is probably his most famous video...



But I think this one is even better....



Is there a name for this kind of pathology? And if so, can one request it from a cat breeder? Because I think it's a must have in any future cat adoption I may make.

Going Dutch

This week's reality TV locals post is now up on SFist!

Gimme my weekend back!

It's an Old Dutch Master!

This week's Tube Tops is now up on the SFGate Culture Blog!

And it's a special all reality edition! But don't let that scare you away. There's actually some good stuff in there.

...Yes, But Sum Change Not So Grate, Akshully

Thanks California, for totally harshing my high over Obama, with the news that Prop 8 is winning.

This is a pretty black-and-white issue for me. If you voted yes on 8, you are a small-minded bigot. Thanks for shattering any illusions I had about California being safe from the prejudiced views of the religious right and the just plain stupid. Because of them, we now get to have discrimination written into our state Constitution.

Bravo.

I Can Haz Change?

Yeah. I'm happy.

And a word to Morrissey--because when do I not feel like sharing with Morrissey?--I think you'll either have to stop performing this song, or at least give it a bit of a re-write. W00T!

Ya Vote!

They had one computer ballot machine at my polling place tonight, but I steered clear of it. And for good reason.

And It's Not Just Because Barack Obama Sounds Like a Cool Star Wars Name

This morning as I walked towards my neighborhood polling place and saw the line snaking half-way up the block, I burst into tears. Not out of frustration that the line was so long that I'd have to wait until after work to cast my vote, but because the line was so long. I've voted in every election since I turned 18, and I have never, ever had to wait in line more than 15 minutes to do it. And while San Francisco isn't exactly apathetic when it comes to politics, it still gave me hope that these predictions of record turn-outs will prove true all across the country. I burst into tears because for the first time in 20 years I have genuine hope and excitement about the result of a presidential election. And I also bust into tears because it has been a long and frustrating presidential campaign, and I have been doing my best to keep my shit together and not freak out for most of it, and I finally just cracked.

But I will try my best to keep it together for the rest of the day and night.

I hope so, Barry. I really do.

Amster-daaayaaaam

This week's reality TV locals post is now up on SFist!

Bring on the rain!

It's the Boats That Glide On the Sleepy Zuider Zee!

This week's Tube Tops is now up on the SFGate Culture Blog!

I think I will savor that extra hour of sleep for the rest of the day and go back to bed. Yeah. That makes sense.

Well...See Ya Later

Bonnie Hunt showed this commercial on her show yesterday, and it's a hoot.



*Sigh.* I'm gonna miss "Mad Men."