In Memoriam: July Through December, 2014

It's almost impossible for any of us to really pay attention to all those that have passed from the public eye.  Whether they are famous or not, every year we seem to lose those that have contributed to society in ways that we may never realize.  They are actors, musicians, entertainers, politicians, activists, scientists, and writers.  They enrich our lives through their works, and without them, our lives would be just a little bit more empty.  I would like to take this time to thank many of them for their contributions.  I obviously can't include everyone on this list, so I will let those I can include, stand in for those I can't.  Whether they are on this particular list or not, we owe all of them a big thank you.

Back in July, I tried to bring to your attention some of those that we lost in the first half of the year, January through June.  This post will be my attempt to do the same thing for the second half of the year, July through December.  I hope we will all take the time, as this year is wrapping up, to remember those that we have lost, whether they were in the public eye, or in our own lives, they will be missed.

July 2014

Louis Zamperini, 1917-2014.  American Prisoner of War during World War II & American Olympian. 

C.J. Henderson, 1951-2014.  American Author of Brooklyn Knight & Central Park Knight. 

Dave Legeno, 1963-2014.  English Actor, the Harry Potter movies. 

Philip Hurlic, 1927-2014.  American Actor, the Our Gang movies. 

Dick Jones, 1927-2014.  American Actor, the Our Gang movies, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Pinocchio.

Elaine Stritch, 1925-2014.  American Stage And Screen Actress.

James Garner, 1928-2014.  American Actor; The Rockford Files, Maverick, The Great Escape.

Alex Angulo, 1953-2014.  Spanish Basque Actor; Pan's Labyrinth. 

Margot Adler, 1946-2014.  American Journalist and NPR Correspondent. 

August 2014

James Brady, 1940-2014.  American White House Press Secretary and Gun Control Advocate. 

Robin Williams, 1951-2014. American Actor; Mrs. Doubtfire, Mork & Mindy, Good Will Hunting. 

Lauren Bacall, 1924-2014.  American Actress; The Big Sleep, Key Largo, Designing Woman. 

Jim Jeffords, 1934-2014.  American Politician; United States Senator from Vermont. 

James Foley, 1973-2014.  American Freelance Journalist.

Richard Attenborough, 1923-2014.  English Actor, Producer, Director; The Great Escape, Ghandi, Jurassic Park.

September 2014

Joan Rivers, 1933-2014.  American Actress & Comedian; Spaceballs & How to Murder a Millionaire. 

Richard Kiel, 1939-2014.  American Actor; The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, & Tangled.  

Bob Crewe, 1930-2014.  American Singer, Songwriter, and Manager; "My Eyes Adored You", "Lady Marmalade", "Walk Like A Man", and "Rag Doll."

Buster Jones, 1943-20147.  American Voice Actor; G.I. Joe, Super Friends, The Real Ghostbusters, and Defenders of the Earth. 

Polly Bergen, 1930-2014.  American Actress; Cap Fear, Cry-Baby, The Winds of War, & War and Remembrance. 

October 2014

Marian Seldes, 1928-2014.  American Stage & Screen Actress; The Haunting, Perry Mason, & If These Walls Could Talk 2. 

Jan Hooks, 19572014.  American Actress; Saturday Night Live, Designing Women, and Frosty Returns. 

Elizabeth Pena, 1959-2014.  American Actress; Jacob's Ladder, Blue Steel, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and Resurrection Blvd. 

Marcia Strassman, 1948-2014.  American Actress; Welcome Back, Kotter, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid.

November 2014

Larry Latham, 1953-2014.  American Animator and Director; TaleSpin, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. 

S. Donald Stookey, 191-2014. American Scientist and Inventor of CorningWare.

R.A. Montgomery, 1936-2014.  American Author of more than 50 of the Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Ken Takakura, 1931-2014.  Japanese Actor; The Yakuza and Black Rain.

Carol Ann Susi, 1952-2014.  American Actress; The Secret of My Success, Death Becomes Her, and The Big Bang Theory.

P.D. James, 1920-2014.  English Mystery Author; The Adam Dalgliesh series & Death Comes to Pemberley.

December 2014

Mary Ann Mobley, 1937-2014.  American Actress and Miss America; Diff'rent Strokes, Match Game, Perry Mason, and Burke's Law.

Norman Bridwell, 1928-2014.  American Cartoonist and Author; Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

Joe Cocker, 1944-2014.  American Singer & Musician; "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Up Where We Belong", and "You Are So Beautiful."

Leelah Alcorn, 1997-2014.  American Transgender Teenager.

Edward Herrmann, 1943-2014.  American Actor; The Lost Boys, Gilmore Girls, Overboard, and Big Business. 

Happy New Year!

Wishing You All, A Safe And Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Wishing You All, A Very Merry Christmas.

What Happened To These Products?

I know we are all crazy busy getting our Christmas shopping done, especially since there are only two more shopping days until Christmas.  For me personally, with everything that has transpired this year, I'm keeping the gift buying to a minimum.  I'm trying to enjoy Christmas in other ways; through the movies, music, decorations, and the general good feelings that the holiday time brings.

But that doesn't stop me from thinking about what my friends and family members will be getting for Christmas, what I may have bought them had I been in a shopping mood this year.  And with the way my brain works, that made me start thinking of all the products that were on shopping lists in the days gone by.

Now I know I titled this post, What Happened To These Products?, but to be honest, I don't think I care.  For the most part they were too gimmicky, or before my time to get into.  But it would be interested in seeing how many of you have received these during Christmases past.

The Ref - 1994

Synopsis From Back Cover:

An unfortunate cat burglar becomes trapped in a fate worse than jail when he takes a bickering couple and their annoying relatives hostage.  Before long, they're driving him nuts, and the line between who is whose hostage begins to blur.  His only hope for survival is to act as their referee and resolve their differences - or it's going to mean instate insanity for everyone.

My one Christmas guilty pleasure is watching The Ref with Dennis Leary.  It's crass, vulgar, and overtly crude.  There is a ton of swearing, talks of sex, and just plain naughtiness.

Leary is a cat burglar who, due to a botched job, ends up needing to hide out for a while.  It's Christmas Eve and he takes a couple hostage, makes them take him home, ties up their son, and they all have their lives changed in ways they never knew was coming.

Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are the feuding couple, and they just ooze disdain for each other.  You can tell the love is still there, but there is so much pain and anger overlaying it, that it's hard to see it.  I can't even begin to fill in all the details and the snarky comments that fly back and forth between the three of them, but it's a supreme pleasure to watch.  It's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen in my life.  I'm not normally fond of crass humor, but the intelligence that this cast, including Christine Baranski and B.D. Wong, does it with, makes up for the childish humor.

Underlying that humor though, is a wonderful commentary on what a family is, and what it takes to keep that family together.  It's about the decisions we make, the sacrifices asked of us, and what happens when those choices aren't fully communicated to everyone involved.  It's about finding the familial center again.  Despite all the pain and recriminations flying through the air, this is a family that truly loves each other, they just need to be reminded of what that means.

Tamales: Fast And Delicious Mexican Meals by Alice Guadalupe Tapp

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Tamales are a Mexican favorite, beloved year-round as well as at Christmas, when the whole family traditionally pitches in with the work of tamale preparation and assembly. Thanks to renowned tamalera Alice Guadalupe Tapp, it's now possible to enjoy these delicious treas with a lot less labor.  Tapp has worked her tamale magic to turn the classic process on its head by paring it down to three to four steps that can be done in as little as forty-five minutes using handy tips, products, and tools.  All sixty dishes in the book are naturally gluten free, and include both classic tamale recipes - such as Chicken Mole, Sirloin Beef, and Fresh Poblano and Potato tamales - and novel recipes such as Chorizo and Egg, Oxtail, and Baked Fig tamales.  With this book, tamales are fast and easy enough to enjoy every day, and delicious enough to serve at any celebration.

Tamales are one of my many addictions around the holidays.  It's this perfect Christmas present, wrapped up and ready to eat at a moments notice.  You can make a ton of them days in advance, and enjoy the fruits of your labors for days to come.  Other than the dumpling and the taco, I don't think there is a more perfect food.

I think what I love about all three of the foods, is how many different things they can be.  If you can think of something to stuff into them, you can do it.  And for someone like me, who is almost willing to try anything, the sky is the limit.  I'm dying to try the Wild Boar Carnitas, though I'm not sure where I would find the wild boar.  I'm also really intrigued by the Jalapeno Pesto Potato tamales and the Coconut Lime Corundas.  I think for this Christmas I'll be sticking to the more traditional ones, but I'm really loving the idea of some of the other ones.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books, for this review.

He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special - 1985

Synopsis From Back Cover:

When Orko accidentally winds up on Earth during the Christmas winter, he befriends two children who share stories of the goodwill and merriment that the holidays embrace.  When the finally return to Eternia, the holiday spirit is spread amongst the entire Royal Palace, but this overflowing goodwill attracts the unwelcome attention of Horde Prime and Skeletor.  Will the combined power of He-Man, She-Ra and the spirit of Christmas be enough to stop them.

I have to admit that when I came upon this little gem, some odd years ago, at Best Buy, I shrieked like a Justin Bieber fangirl.  I don't think you can be a true child of the 80s and not have a special place in your heart for He-Man and friends.  As cheesy and as ridiculous as the dialogue was, as juvenile as the names were, and as silly as the action was, the show was awesome.  He-Man is right up there with G.I. Joe, The Transformers, and Jem as far as 80s icons go.  So when they released the Christmas Special on DVD, I had to own it.

As you can imagine, the Christmas Special is even cheesier than a normal run of the mill show.  It's over the top in it's sentiment, and just a bit simple in it's story lines.  The twins, Adam and Adora, are getting ready to have their birthday celebration, and Orko has to go and mess it all up.  He climbs aboard the SkySpy, messes up the controls, and ends up on Earth.  By the time Man-at-Arms gets the spy plane back to Eternia, Orko has brought two kids along for the ride, and they in turn bring Christmas to Eternia.

The rest of the show involves Skeletor and Hordak, at the behest of Horde Prime, trying to kidnap the children to stop the spread of the Christmas Spirit.  The twins in their super secret identities of He-Man and She-Ra, do what they can to foible the evil plans, though in the end, it's Skeletor who comes to the rescue and saves the children.  And in true He-Man fashion they do it all in such a serious tone, that the action is made all that much funnier.

I have watched this every Christmas season since I bought it all those years ago.  It's a a sentimental piece of my childhood that I will never tire of, and every child of the 80s should own.