Halloxmasween

Okay okay. I finally got a pic of me in a sort-of costume as Radical Red the Riding Hood. Here:

Now please don't tell me I look like the emperor in Star Wars -- his cloak thingy was black. Of course, I forgot the red around the dead fox's neck to indicate my bloody nature. But there are skulls and bones in the basket, too. And I'm holding the sword wrong. But it's as costumey as I ever get.

And happy holidays to all.

RIPs Missed

Cal Worthington, car dealer, LA area, very tall, dressed in western gear, known for ads featuring exotic animals. I'd forgotten all about him butwhen I lived in LA in the early 70s I thought he was a hoot.

Annette Funicello
Roger Ebert
Bonnie Franklin, of One Day At A Time tv series
Harry Reems, of Deep Throat
Joyce Brothers
Jean Stapleton, of All in the Family
Esther Williams -- she couldn't act worth a damn but she sure could swim
Slim Whitman
George Jones
Deanna Durbin -- I had no idea she was still alive
Ray Price

RIPs

Joan Fontaine, actress
Peter O'Toole, actor
George Rodrigue, painter (of Blue Dogs)
Doris Lessing

Been a busy few weeks.

On a personal note, nothing new has happened or is projected to happen.

Hope all have a nice holiday, xmas or otherwise. Stay home and drink on Amateur Night (New Year's Eve).

RIP

Eleanor Parker, actress

She was 91. Best known (at least to me) in her role as the Baroness in the movie The Sound of Music. She was gorgeous and had the most perfect posture I've ever seen.

Costumes & Books, oh my

I'm still trying to get it together to get a pic of my halloween costume. Very very late is okay, right? The dog has taken over the prop animal, the sword has been retrieved, pieces of the costume are out of the dirty laundry. Now all I have to do is put it all on, fix the basket with gruesome goodies, and get someone to take the picture. Soon. Promise.

Just read the autobiography of Hal Needham. Who, you say? Just the greatest stuntman ever, the one who created airbags for stuntmen to land on, and who directed such gems as "Smokey and the Bandit," "Cannonball Run," and many more. His mantra was "if you're waiting on me, you're backing up." Yes, he had a very high opinion of his own cleverness, stamina, manliness, etc. But he did some amazing things and much of what you see onscreen nowadays came from his fertile brain. An interesting read.

Am reading "Provence, 1970," a fascinating book by the nephew of M.F.K. Fisher, one of the best food writers ever. It's about a summer when Fisher, Julia Child (and husband), Simone Beck (Child's co-author), James Beard, and a few other well-known foodies, hung out and basically created the food culture we know now -- local, seasonal, adventurous. I'm not sure the nephew's writing is up to his aunt's standard but it'll do, and the discussions of food and cooking and life are worth it.

And if you want to read another good food writer, try Elizabeth David.

Radical Red

the Riding Hood was my costume at last night's Halloween party. I was complete with a long hooded red robe, unzipped so it would billow when I strode along; black clothes, including boots; a willow basket stuffed with real skulls and a newly dead (stuffed) animal resembling a wolf (actually a fox); and brandishing a humongous ornate broadsword.

The outdoor party had two firepits and lots of folk in fabulous costumes. Amy went as a mummy, Mateo was a blood-spattered medical person, and Tillman was his usual 30's gangster type. Ed's costume was Daisy Duke -- I said, where are the short shorts? -- too cold, she said.

One guy saw me coming and spun some fancy colored lights at me -- "it may not stop you but it'll slow you down!"

Had gone to play cards earlier at Hazel & John's. Mary Jo was there as was Ernie. She stomped us all with only 40 points going into the final hand. No Blair. Then off to the party.

A fun evening.

Ip Man: The Final Fight

A rash of biopics has come lately about Ip Man, the grandmaster of Wing Chun whose most famous pupil was Bruce Lee. Tonight I went to see "Ip Man: the Final Fight." Interested though I am, I probably wouldn't have gone to see the movie, in part because of high movie prices, but I won a pair of tickets through the blog Ashevegas by knowing the name of an obscure style (xingyi).

The movie is full of known names in the HK film world. It portrays the last years of Ip Man's life, from the time he arrives in HK and begins to teach (late 1940s) to his death in 1972. There's a lot of time spent eating and smoking and teaching, and there are a few set pieces of martial arts battles. The real purpose of the film is to impart Ip Man's philosophy of life, especially as a martial artist.

I enjoyed the film very much and thought the lead actor (Anthony Wong) did a really fine job of portraying the nuances of the character. As a recreation of a particular time in Hong Kong, it was excellent.

One jarring scene was when Ip Man met with "Bruce Lee" in a restaurant. This was after Lee had gone to the States and started teaching his own version of a martial art and also teaching non-Chinese. I don't know who decided that the guy they had playing Lee was suitable, but I'm here to tell you that he didn't look anything like Lee or move like him. In short, the whole scene rang false. But it was only one scene in an otherwise good movie.