http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/index/ The best in family-friendly movies, books, toys and games - the whole kit and kaboodle en tom.raymond@gmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-13T16:26:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/movie-review-of-them/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/movie-review-of-them/#When:16:26:00Z Movie review of the classic ‘giant bug’ monster movie of the 1950’s "Them!" - where radiation has turned a nest of ants into gigantic monsters - starring young James Arness (Gunsmoke) and James Whitmore movie review of Them! (1954) There are certain movie clichés, and the 1950’s is possibly best known for the science fiction “giant monster” movie.  It often served as a morality story, about the dangers of atomic energy, unexpected consequences, and fear of the future, using ordinary animals that have been mutated to giant size to tell the story.  It’s been told many times since, but never better than in the first movie of its’ type, Them! Them! is almost impossible to enjoy as it was meant to be viewed, since everyone now knows the plot of the movie which was originally a mystery, being unfurled as the movie proceeds.  Something has devastated a small town, killing several of the inhabitants, and rendering a young girl, one of the only surviving eyewitnesses, in a catatonic state.  An elderly scientist is investigating, along with his lovely daughter, as well as more traditional police investgation (with James Arness, best known for his role as Matt Dillon on TV’s long-running Gunsmoke series, and James Whitmore as well). It’s an extremely well-made movie, that stands the test of time well—except for the special effects of the giant ants themselves.  It’s an enjoyable movie, which I enjoyed watching with my family.  I wouldn’t recommend it for children younger than ten years old, however—I intentionally waited for my eight year old daughter to be in bed first, since I know it would have given her nightmares. Movies 2010-03-13T16:26:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/batman-vs-dracula-dvd-review/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/batman-vs-dracula-dvd-review/#When:03:41:00Z DVD review of ‘Batman vs. Dracula’, an animated movie that’s definitely *not* for children.  It’s an entertaining horror film, but not meant for young kids. The Batman vs Dracula: The Animated Movie (2005) - DVD review The basic premise of Batman vs. Dracula is pretty much given away by the title - Bruce Wayne, who uses darkness and mystery to protect Gotham City, tries to defend it against a newly-revived Count Dracula.  The film is surprising on several levels.  In many ways, this is a horror film in the style of Christopher Lee’s Dracula movies made for Hammer Films in England.  It is not something that you want to let young children watch, as they will be guaranteed nightmares.  Several of the scenes are ghoulish, such as when the Penguin, searching for hidden treasure in a cemetery, accidentally cuts his hand and a single drop of blood falls on the skeleton of Dracula in his coffin, causing his withered heart to start beating and the flesh to gradually reform on his bones.  Throughout, the cinematography is excellent, and scarily appropriate.  This is a horror film featuring the Batman, not a cartoon featuring Dracula. There are some very interesting subplots binding the story together - Bruce Wayne’s relationship with reporter Vicki Vale, the comparison, and contrast, between Batman and Dracula, the underlying history of Bruce Wayne’s murdered parents, who in one sense take center stage in this film, and make the Batman more human in his portrayal.  It’s also interesting to see his self-doubt, as he finds himself hopelessly outclassed after a physical confrontation with Dracula. There are some drawbacks to the film.  It’s set in the cartoon The Batman - The Complete First Season (DC Comics Kids Collection), which I personally am not a huge fan of; especially it its’ portrayal of the Joker and the Penguin, two of the main characters in this movie.  The Joker’s appearance is bizarre, to say the least, although his character portrayal is dead-on right.  The Penguin, however, is portrayed as a comical buffoon, which is too bad—he’s all too dangerous as he’s portrayed in the comics, a vicious, intelligent, cruel man.  Early in the film, when he escapes from the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, we see a slight glimmer of his potential. Product description of Batman vs. Dracula Gotham City is terrorized not only by recent escapees Joker and Penguin, but by the original creature of the night, Dracula! Can Batman stop the ruthless vampire before he turns everyone in the city, including The Caped Crusader, Joker and Penguin, into his mindless minions? DVD Features: Featurette:"Science vs. Superstition”: Batman’s computer gives light to the legend of Dracula and all its rumors. Other:1) “City of Knight”: Click on a map of Gotham and discover behind the scenes and hidden buttons with short video clips of the making of. 2) “Voices in Close Up”: Multi-window montage with pop-up trivia boxes and interview footage give intimate interview looks at the voices behind Batman vs. Dracula. Movies 2009-12-12T03:41:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/fantastic-four-movie/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/fantastic-four-movie/#When:13:22:00Z Movie review of the ‘Fantastic Four’ movie, starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon - read to find out what was good, what was bad, and what was downright ugly. There are several things that the Fantastic Four movie got right, and several things that they got very wrong.  First, the positives: Casting - the casting was spot-on; All of the lead actors are very good, and give good performances, especially Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, aka. the Thing.  It’s amazing how well he was able to project emotional depth while wearing his heavy ‘Thing’ costume.  He brought pathos to a role that a lesser actor would have made comical. Special effects - amazingly well done.  When Johnny Storm “flames on” it’s incredibly realistic - it’s the way you would expect a flaming man to look.  Likewise, when Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic stretches, it’s as though the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby comic pages were come to life. The pathos of Ben Grimm—in addition to the excellent acting job by Michael Chiklis, the writers did the original story one better, by having Ben Grimm being engaged to “Debbie”, a young lady that he’s truly in love with—who breaks off their engagement after his disfigurement. There are also, sadly, quite a few things that the Fantastic Four movie got very wrong: Characters - the Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm characters were spot-on (yes, in the comics Johnny was significantly younger, but that’s a minor quibble—the basic characterizations were completely on target), which made the glaring mistakes in the other characters so obvious: Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) - I have no complaints about the actor playing the part, although he’s probably a little young for the role, so the writers came up with the silly idea of having him “mutate” with gray hair at his temples.  The character, however, is written totally wrong.  He’s a financial failure, even though he’s supposed to be one of the leading minds of the 21st Century.  He’s not a natural leader, but seems to be someone who allows himself to be run over by stronger characters, notably Victor von Doom and Susan Storm. Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) - Jessica Alba is a very capable actress, as she demonstrated on the Dark Angel TV series.  Unfortunately, the writers/producers of Fantastic Four seem unaware of this fact, and contrive scenes to show her off in her underwear, or have her keep her protective suit (made of the classic “unstable molecules") unzipped down to her navel to show off her cleavage.  LIkewise, the reason given that she broke up with Reed Richards is that she wanted to take their relationship to “the next level”—by moving in with him.  Why did Reed Richards not take her up on this?  Because, Braniac that he is, he knows that the vast majority of people who live together before marriage never actually get married.  The “real” Sue Storm actually has too much self-respect to treat herself like this. Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon) - first, the actor did an excellent job of portraying the vainglorious Von Doom.  Many people complain that the origin of Dr. Doom was so drastically different from the comics, and there’s some truth to this; in the comics, Victor von Doom has a tragic childhood, losing both of his parents, with his father saving Victor at the cost of his own life, causing Victor’s bitterness and motivation to attempt to gain control.  In the movie, what’s the motivation of multi-billionaire von Doom? “I’ve always been attracted to power.” That’s it.  Surely, that’s enough reason to become a callous murderer, isn’t it? Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington) - the blind sculptress who falls in love with the deformed Ben Grimm, in the comics was a redheaded Caucasian woman, and in the film is African-American.  I actually don’t have a problem with that, since it really doesn’t matter as far as the movie goes.  One thing that does matter is the line that she gives when she meets Ben Grimm for the first time and replies to his line about how God must hate him with ”She’s not into hating ...”—it’s a politically-correct “inclusive” line that pulled me out of the movie, and reminded me about how opposed to traditional American values that Hollywood has become—all for no reason.  It happens several times in the movie (i.e. capitalism is *evil*, “God” is whatever we want Him/her/it/them/etc. to be, etc.) and destroys the carefully-built suspension of disbelief. The reason for the trip into space - in the original comic story, there was a grand reason for the trip into space; the four were attempting the first interstellar travel.  Here, there’s a “cosmic storm” coming toward Earth, that Reed hypothesizes has to do with the evolution of life on Earth, and he wants to observe it from von Doom’s orbiting space station.  So, why do they need to be there first hand?  What can they realistically expect to learn by being there that couldn’t be learned from various recordings?  It seems a much smaller vision, and that ‘grasping for lesser’ feeling permeates the film. Movies 2009-11-10T13:22:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/miss-piggy-the-muppet-show/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/miss-piggy-the-muppet-show/#When:02:14:00Z Not technically a ‘biography’, since the wonderful Miss Piggy is a fictional character, but as close as we can get ... Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing her, although Frank Oz did not officially retire until 2002. She was voiced by Laurie O’Brien in the television cartoon Muppet Babies and Hal Rayle in Little Muppet Monsters. Miss Piggy began as a minor character in the first season of The Muppet Show TV series, but she gradually developed into one of the central characters of the show. She is a singing and dancing pig who is convinced that she is destined for stardom, and nothing is going to stand in her way.  She puts on a public face of the soul of feminine charm, but can quickoy fly into a rage when she thinks she’s insulted or thwarted. Kermit the Frog has learned this all too well since he is the usual target for her karate chops. When she isn’t sending him flying through the air, she is often smothering him in (usually unwanted) kisses. The first known appearance of Miss Piggy was on the Herb Alpert TV Special, Herb Albert and the TJB - broadcast October 13, 1974 on ABC. Miss Piggy’s voice was noticeably more demure and soft, as her agent gets her an audition with Herb singing I Can’t Give You Anything But Love. The first draft of the puppet was a blonde, beady-eyed pig who appeared briefly in the 1975 pilot special, The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, in a sketch called, “Return to Beneath the Planet of the Pigs.” She was unnamed in that show, but by the time The Muppet Show began in 1976, she was recognizably Miss Piggy – sporting large blue eyes, wearing a flowing white gown, and jumping on Kermit, the love of her life. Miss Piggy soon developed into a major character, as the Muppet creators recognized that a lovelorn pig could be more than a one-note running gag. Frank Oz has said that while Fozzie Bear is a two-dimensional character, and Animal has no dimensions; Miss Piggy is one of the few Muppets to be fully realized in three dimensions. She spawned a huge fad during the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s, and eclipsed Kermit and the other Muppets in popularity, selling far more merchandise and writing a book that (unlike any of Kermit’s books) wound up on top of the New York Times Bestseller List. Miss Piggy’s personality and voice has been seen and heard in some other female characters Frank Oz performed before the character’s debut. For instance, a Sesame Street Muppet skit from 1971 featuring Snow White had the titular character performed by Frank Oz and acting (as well as sounding) like Miss Piggy, while another sound-alike came from a rather hysterical contestant from a Guy Smiley sketch called, “The Mystery Mix-Up Game”. In an interview with the New York Times in 1979, Frank Oz outlined Piggy’s biography: “She grew up in a small town in Iowa; her father died when she was young, and her mother wasn’t that nice to her. She had to enter beauty contests to survive, as many single women do. She has a lot of vulnerability which she has to hide, because of her need to be a superstar.” In The Muppet Movie, she has just won such a contest (Miss Bogen County) when she first meets Kermit and joins the Muppets. In The Great Muppet Caper Piggy proves she has a talent for tap dancing, seemingly without knowing it. She and Kermit also kiss (on the lips, yet slightly covered) while Miss Piggy is a prisoner in jail, turning out Miss Piggy is wearing Kermit’s fake mustache, and Kermit has X-marks on his upper lip. Eventually in the films, Kermit started returning her affections and (unwittingly) married her in The Muppets Take Manhattan (though subsequent events suggest that it was only their characters in the movie that married, and that their relationship is really the same as ever.) Miss Piggy, along with Kermit, was featured on a pair of Adidas shoes under the “Adicolor” line first introduced in 1983. The shoe is generally pink and features Miss Piggy on the side along with her signature. Unlike Kermit’s Adicolor shoes, Miss Piggy’s doesn’t have a quote. (Kermit’s feature the quote, “It’s not easy bein’ green”.) In 1987, Miss Piggy was a guest star on Dolly Parton’s musical variety show, Dolly, singing and performing with Parton, while at the same time, secretly attempting to steal the show from her host (mostly by sabotaging Parton’s musical segments and attempting to trick producers into giving her more solo spots). Parton, annoyed at being undermined by Miss Piggy, told another of her guests, Juice Newton that they might be “having ham sandwiches after the show”. Miss Piggy recently starred in the TV-movie The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, appearing as all four witches. She also played a significant role in the 2002 Weezer music video Keep Fishin‘. Miss Piggy was featured on NBC’s Today Show on Meredith Vieira’s first day. Miss Piggy told Vieira to keep her hands off Matt Lauer, and Vieira jokingly made a reference to bacon and ham. Miss Piggy has a pet poodle, Foo-Foo. Baby Piggy was one of the cartoon characters featured in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. Miss Piggy sang with the Jonas Brothers as ‘Joan S. Jonas’; with Ashley Tisdale during the number Bop to the Top dressed as Sharpay from High School Musical; and The Cheetah Girls performing ”Dance Me If You Can” from The Cheetah Girls: One World as a part of Studio DC: Almost Live. A running gag from those first two episodes involved Miss Piggy looking for “Zacky” Efron. In 2008 Miss Piggy was included as one of the many people quoted in the Qi book - Advanced Banter. In The Muppet Show episode 106, Piggy is referred to by the full name “Piggy Lee”; and in episode 116 Piggy tells guest star Avery Schreiber that Piggy is short for “Pigathius,” which is “From the Greek, meaning ‘river of passion’.” However, there is no evidence to support that this is part of her name. It is more likely that this is an intentionally made-up name on Miss Piggy’s behalf as part of her plan to make Kermit jealous. In another instance, Piggy explains that her first name is actually the more feminine-sounding version of Pigathius, “Pigathia”. When she was asked what sign she was born under, she replied: “I wasn’t born under a sign, I was born over a sign. Beckers butcher shop. I moved as soon as I could."[citation needed] On September 2, 2009, Kermit and Miss Piggy made a guest performance on the NBC talent show, Americas Got Talent. (courtesy of Wikipedia) The Muppets 2009-11-10T02:14:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/notes-on-a-cowardly-lion-the-biography-of-bert-lahr/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/notes-on-a-cowardly-lion-the-biography-of-bert-lahr/#When:01:36:00Z biography of Bert Lahr, best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, written by his son, John Biographies 2009-10-25T01:36:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/biography-of-bert-lahr/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/biography-of-bert-lahr/#When:00:56:00Z Bert Lahr (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967) was a Tony Award-winning American actor and comedian. Lahr is best remembered today for his role as the Cowardly Lion and the farmworker Zeke in the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, but was well known during his life for work in burlesque, vaudeville, and Broadway. Early life of Bert Lahr Born Irving Lahrheim in New York City, Bert Lahr grew up in the Yorkville section of Manhattan.  Dropping out of school at the age of 15 to join a juvenile vaudeville act, Bert Lahr worked his way up to top billing on the Columbia Burlesque Circuit. In 1927 he debuted on Broadway in Harry Delmar’s Revels. Bert Lahr played to packed houses, performing classic routines such as “The Song of the Woodman” (which he later reprised in the film Merry-Go-Round of 1938). Bert Lahr had his first major success in a stage musical playing the prize fighter hero of Hold Everything! (1928-29). Several other musicals followed, notably Flying High (1930), Florenz Ziegfeld’s Hot-Cha! (1932) and The Show Is On (1936) in which he co-starred with Beatrice Lillie. In 1939, he co-starred with Ethel Merman in DuBarry Was a Lady. Biographies 2009-10-25T00:56:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/put-the-blame-on-mame/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/put-the-blame-on-mame/#When:02:41:00Z Song lyrics to ‘Put the Blame on Mame’, originally from the film ‘Gilda’ (Allan Roberts / Doris Fisher) (from the movie The Fuller Brush Girl starring Lucille Ball and Eddie Albert) When Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked the lantern In Chicago town They say that started the fire That burned Chicago down That’s the story that went around But here’s the real low-down Put the blame on Mame, boys Put the blame on Mame Mame kissed a buyer from out of town That kiss burned Chicago down So you can put the blame on Mame, boys Put the blame on Mame Song Lyrics 2009-10-08T02:41:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/so-long-oo-long-how-long-you-gonna-be-gone-song-lyrics/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/so-long-oo-long-how-long-you-gonna-be-gone-song-lyrics/#When:11:38:00Z Song lyrics to ‘So Long! Oo-Long (How Long You Gonna Be Gone?)’ by Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby, 1920 Ming Toy loved a boy, Happy little Japanee; Oo-long was his name, Set her heart a flame. One day he say, “Soon I gotta go away;” When he leave Ming Toy grieve; Everybody hear her say: Days fly quickly by, Turning into lonely years; Tho’ the nights are long, Ming Toy’s faith is strong. She kneels and feels, That she doesn’t pray in vain; Whispers “Oo I love you, Ming Toy wants you back again.” Song Lyrics 2009-09-24T11:38:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/my-sunny-tennesse-song-lyrics/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/my-sunny-tennesse-song-lyrics/#When:11:22:00Z Song lyrics to ‘My Sunny Tennessee’, by Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby / Herman Ruby, 1921 When the shades of night are falling Tennessee, I hear you calling; My thoughts just roam Back to home, sweet home. Every day my heart grows fonder, Of the folks I left down yonder; I wonder when I’ll be there again. Every dream and every vision, Simply strengthens my decision; To go back home Never more to roam. When I hear the ‘Swanee River’ My poor heart begins to quiver; It’s then I miss Mammy’s goodnight kiss. I wanna be in Tennessee in my Dixie paradise, An angel’s voice I hear, I mean my mammy, dear. I’d give my soul if I could stroll down among those hills again; For all the world would not be dreary then. I’d love to go to sleep and know, that tomorrow I’d arise, Beneath those Southern skies, Where song birds harmonize. Lawdy hear my plea, Make me what I wanna be; A rolling stone just rolling home to my sunny Tennessee. (from the musical Three Little Words starring Fred Astaire and Red Skelton) Song Lyrics 2009-09-24T11:22:00-06:00 http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/where-did-you-get-that-girl-song-lyrics/ http://www.kitten-kaboodle.com/index.php/site/where-did-you-get-that-girl-song-lyrics/#When:01:35:00Z Song lyrics to ‘Where Did You Get That Girl?’ - words by Bert Kalmar, music by Harry Puck Where Did You Get That Girl? (Words by Bert Kalmar / Music by Harry Puck, 1913) (sung in Three Little Words, starring Fred Astaire and Red Skelton) Lonesome Johnnie Warner, sitting in a corner of a swell cafe, eating his heart away because he had no girl, at another table, sat a girl named Mable with a fellow who Johnnie knew and his brain began to whirl The girl had caught his eye and John began to cry. Johnnie found a corker, started in to walk her down the avenue. Down to the parson who would make them man and wife, Parson Lee received him, and when he relieved him of the marriage fee Parson Lee said never on my life, have I seen such a miss say Johnnie tell me this. Song Lyrics 2009-09-11T01:35:00-06:00