Killer in the corn

What makes a cornfield so scary?  Last year I posted about scarecrows, but sometimes a field can be spooky looking even without the scarecrow.

 In Season 6, episode 12 of Bones, Dr. Brennan and FBI agent Booth discover
a grisly murder in a cornfield.

Recently I had the pleasure of hearing Brock Zeman perform  a crowd favourite,
his spooky song: "Killer in the Corn"


If you click on his name it will bring up his touring schedule.  He may be coming to a place near you!


In the Alice Sebold's novel, The Lovely Bones the main character, 14 year old Susie is murdered in a cornfield and she tells the story from her perspective as her soul lingers nearby her family while they try to cope with her loss.  Here is an excerpt of the first chapter which describes what happened to her.  (It is quite graphic so don't read it if it might disturb you.)

Saorise Ronan stars as Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones

A film adaptation was made from the book in 2009 and was directed by Peter Jackson.  (It just happens to be his birthday today! ) Here is an interview with Jackson where he discusses the movie.

Director Peter Jackson has just wrapped up filming of his 3 part adaptation of The Hobbit, starring Martin Freeman as hobbit Bilbo Baggins and none other than Richard Armitage as the heroic dwarven leader Thorin Oakenshield.  There have been many interviews since part 1, An Unexpected Journey hit theatres last December.  Part 2, The Desolation of Smaug will be this Christmas season's offering.  The interview I would like to feature here was a film screening, and an interview session from Sydney, Australia known as Popcorn Taxi.

View the photo gallery here!

There are quite a few videos of this interview on Youtube and even on the Popcorn Taxi site, but I like that they also have the transcript here.
I have enjoyed listening to this interview more than once, but this time it was this quote which stood out for me.  When asked if he considered himself a "method actor", here was his response:

We were always told, ‘Don’t bring the character to you, go to the character’. I always preferred leaving lots of myself outside the room and exploring the world through the eyes and the body and the mind of a different person who is ultimately better than you are. Even if they’re a mass murderer, they’re infinitely more interesting than you are. People talk about The Method, or whatever. I don’t think I’m a Method actor. I have a method but I don’t believe you have to be a mass murderer to play a mass murderer.

So there you go.  Thankfully, Richard Armitage is definitely NOT the killer in the corn!
(I know I'll sleep better tonight!...)

You can Bank on it!

The idea of Banking has certainly changed over the years.  The Banks used to be regarded as a venerable institution.  But now, Banks and bankers are seen as a greedy, gouging scourge on society.  It's not like they don't deserve that reputation either!

From the recent world-wide financial crisis, precipitated by deregulation and the institutions' own inability to police itself, to here in Canada where our Banking system remained relatively intact -- we have recently been disgusted with the Royal Banks' treatment of their employees who were expected to train their own replacements before being let go.
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2013/04/08/hamilton-rbc-facebook.html

Back when I was little, banks seemed like very respectable places. When I was in Grade One, our teacher sent a letter home to our parents stating that each child would need one dollar to open a savings account at our local bank.  When the day came and we all had our dollar bills, we marched en masse from our school down the street to the Bank of Nova Scotia.  Each one of us opened our first savings account.  What a perfect first lesson in civics and early economics.  I had the joy of watching my small deposits accumulate interest at quite a significant rate.

I used that account to save for buying Christmas presents for my family, and later to deposit my revenues from babysitting and other jobs.  My favourite teller had a head for numbers and knew my account number better than I did. She still remembered it, after I moved away and only came back for summer holidays! That branch (now known as Scotiabank) is closed now "in order to serve us better" so they said. (?)

This was all I knew about banking as a child.  You put money in the bank and as it acquired interest, the amount kept growing. If only it were still that simple!  That was also in the days before bank fees gobbled up more than the pittance of interest they are giving for savings accounts nowadays.

Ahhh!  If only things were like the good old days! 

British Bank Singalong from Disney's Mary Poppins

Two Scenes from Mary Poppins

Fidelity Fiduciary Bank Song

I guess some bankers were greedy back then too!


This commercial is a great portrayal of how the banking community is viewed today.

Capital One commercial "You've Got Bankers!"

And I can't resist sharing Rick Mercer's take on Canada's Banks. 
Of course it's a few years old now, but still good for a laugh!

 Rick Mercer (2009)



 Here's an Australian spoof which attempts to explain 
The Reserve Bank:

Newstopia Explains the Reserve Bank (2008)



  Is it any wonder that with what has been going on in the world that someone would want to murder a banker? 
Here is an episode from the first season of the BBC's Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch which is about the murder of a banker.  But there is another reason I am showing you this clip. (Hint: it is in the last few seconds of the video)

Sherlock BBC: The Blind Banker / by GriddlePop


If you were watching closely, you would see a character in this episode is the same actress who starred with Richard Armitage in The Golden Hour.  In this program Zoe Telford plays Watson's girlfriend.

 Zoe Telford in The Golden Hour (top) and Sherlock (bottom)

In Spooks (MI-5) series 7 episode 5, Richard Armitage plays the role of a banker while the Grid is spying on a millionaire high roller who is toying with Britain's banking system so he can make more millions on the resulting mayhem.  RichardArmitageOnline.com has a great pictorial summary of this episode here.  Also on this website is a video clip of one of my favourite scenes. Ros and Lucas are posing as an engaged couple.  They certainly look lovely together!

The following is a fan made video of the same episode meant to be a spoof of an actual bank's commercial.  Their real life motto is "which bank?"

Which Bank [spooks] style / by DeltaTango45



Fans of Richard Armitage are familiar with his voice overs for Santander.  But this vidder has gone one further and turned another Spooks episode into a Santander commercial.
(Thanks to NotEvenanOuch for reuploading this video just the other day!)

Richard Armitage reads ''Santander" advert / by NotEvenAnOuch



And that's not all!
Fellow blogger CDoart wrote a fan fic about RA 
which begins in a bank.

My money is on Richard Armitage.  
I have certainly invested a lot of time admiring him! ;)

Cory Monteith - We hardly knew you...

I was so sad to hear the news that this talented young rising star had died. I didn't even realize that Cory Monteith was a Canadian.  I have been enjoying his work on GLEE on and off since it started, but had no idea of the personal lives of the cast.  Too bad I had to learn about him in this way.

Here is an article about what is known so far.

I wish I could find a video of him singing...

My heart goes out to all who knew and loved him. 

Canadian Steele

2013 is the 140th anniversary of Canada's national police force - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  Canada Day seems to me a fitting time to pay tribute to one of Canada's most well known symbols.

 Is there any more iconic figure of a Canadian than a mountie? Dressed in bright red, mounted on a horse, upholding  justice in the wild frontier.... it's enough to make a fan girl's heart go aflutter!

"When I'm calling you-oo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo-oo!"

Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald in Rose-Marie (1936)
Listen to Jeannette MacDonald sing!

An even more over-the-top version of this movie was made in 1954 

starring Howard Keel as Sgt. Bruce of the Mounties and Ann Blythe as Rose Marie.

I think that lady is laying across his big brass bed!

Who can forget Paul Gross as a Mountie in the television show Due South (1994-99)?

The Mountie Song /by the Arrogant Worms
has been nicely illustrated by clips from Due South
video created by Leony331

And a sillier mountie was never born than Duddly Do-Right!

Shown here with his commanding officer Inspector Fenwick

The problem with all these versions of Mounties is that they are all extreme caricatures of what a real mountie is supposed to be.

For a true-life example there is none better than Sam Steele, the unsung hero of the Klondike!

Here he is at Fort MacLeod, Alberta with his wife Marie Elizabeth Harwood.

Bruce Peel Special Collections Library, University of Alberta (2008.1.1.5.1.1)

A series of  commercials to honour special moments in Canadian history, called Heritage Minutes were broadcast on CBC several years ago.  Here is the one about Sam Steele.

A simple commercial is not enough to tell how special this man truly was.
Apparently there is a movie in the works, but not much has been heard about it for several years.

Might I suggest a certain actor for the main role?

He is extremely heroic

 and looks great on a horse.

But perhaps we need to see him with a moustache?

This graphic is my very untalented contribution.

 Also I have dressed him as a mountie once or twice before.

This graphic was shared with me awhile ago by a very talented friend!

Great Dads

My father has been dead now for 10 years.  No worries, because he lived to the ripe old age of 90 and was more than willing to leave sooner.  He deserved a good rest.  I've written about him before.
 I think of him most around his birthday which is the day before Remembrance Day.

He was an interesting person, very witty, charming when he wished to be, but also extremely volatile -- perhaps not the best role model for a father.  So I was fortunate to have some great examples of  fathers provided by television shows that influenced me throughout my childhood, and provided great role models.  Sadly, in today's television wasteland there are a lot fewer examples of excellent fathers to point to.

Here were my favourite Dads on television when I was growing up.  But keep in mind, I only had one channel for most of my childhood, so not as many programs were available to me until much later.

The Andy Griffith Show, Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor

with Ron Howard as son Opie

My Three Sons, Fred MacMurray as Steve Douglas

Little House on the Prairie, Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls

The Cosby Show, Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable

The Waltons, Ralph Waite as John Walton, Sr.

These TV dads were calm and caring, always there when they were needed with exactly the right thing to say. (No wonder - they had great writers!)  I know that in reality, no real-life Dad could compete with these paragons, but I still think it's important to have something to aspire to, rather than settling for what modern television shows seem to reflect as the reality of today.  A growing child needs a role model, especially if there aren't many good examples close to home.  

I love this selection of great Dad moments from the movies, courtesy of Movieclips :

Here's a big hug to all the Dads out there.  Just keep doing the best you can.  

Your kids will love you for it!

The Penny...dropped

This is where Phylly gets all sentimental about  pennies.  Why?  Because as of Feb. 4, 2013 the Canadian penny will no longer be included in our national currency.  I can't say I didn't see it coming.  They've been talking about getting rid of it for years.  But being a history buff, I hate to see the demise of such a colourful symbol of our country.

The last Canadian penny rolled off the production line at the Canadian Mint in May of last year.  But the termination of the penny from use in stores was postponed until after the Christmas season. Apparently it costs more to produce a penny than it is worth.  It isn't even made of copper anymore (other than an thin outer coating) but is mostly just steel.

Although I can understand the practical reasons for doing this, it doesn't make it easy to accept.  I know that Australia got rid of their penny coin years ago and doesn't seem to miss it.  But change is not easy, and making change will be much more complicated... by rounding up and rounding down!

 I am not as happy about the situation as this guy obviously is, but

I certainly couldn't explain this situation any better than he does!

Since there will be no more new pennies minted,
I guess if you are a Penny Lover  you will have to get your Pennies from Heaven!

I'll never forget this unusual musical 
Pennies From Heaven 
starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters.

Pennies From Heaven
(Scene with Steve Martin and Vernel Bagneris)



This next video is my favourite song about a penny.  (I didn't think The Beatles' Penny Lane should count because it's about a place, not the currency.)  I do love the harmony of The Bee Gees and this song is from the almost unknown album Mr. Natural, but it has some great songs on it.


Throw a Penny / Bee Gees


I suppose what  saddens me the most is the loss of understanding of all those great sayings about pennies.  How will future generations understand them if they don't know what a penny is?
Here are some sayings about pennies.

The most well known saying became the plot of an episode of The Twilight Zone back in the '60s.

The Twilight Zone: A Penny for Your Thoughts



A penny for your thoughts Mr. Armitage

FAULT magazine photo shoot 2012

Here's a Penny that I'd like to see in circulation!

Priceless!

Phylly's favourite Austen

I very much enjoy the works of Jane Austen, and have read most of them more than once.  But my favourite is the most popular of her novels, none other than Pride and Prejudice. This year is the 200th anniversary of its publication.  Because of that, many Jane Austen fans (and fans of the novel) have banded together on a Blog Hop, hosted by Alyssa Goodnight and Stiletto Storytime.

My way of participating is to relate the story of how I came to be an admirer of Austen's works, and in particular - the novel we are celebrating now.  It's certainly not the usual way one might fall in love with an author, but then Jane Austen is not your usual author!

The first Austen novel that I encountered was given to me as a present by my best friend, when we were in our early teens.  I doubt that my friend had ever read it - she was into horror novels like Stephen King's.  She must have thought I would like it because of my love of "romantic fiction".  It was Emma (certainly not your typical type of romantic fiction), and although I tried to get to know our heroine, you must admit, she isn't really all that "likeable" at first.  Several times throughout my teen years, I attempted to plough through it, but I would get bogged down by all the gossip and tea times and long walks.  I couldn't really see the point of it all, and as I wasn't fond of the main character, there was nothing to keep me going.  Fast forward to me in college.  I was taking a course called a Survey of English Literature (or something like that).  It was just a simple introduction to a huge range of classic literature taught by a not unhandsome man of a certain age with a dreamy English accent!  I am not so sure I would have had such a perfect attendance record for those 8:00 am classes had they been taught by someone else!  So when he posted a list of authors we had to pick from to do a book review and I noticed Austen's name there, I figured it was a good opportunity to finally read Emma from cover to cover!

My favourite adaptation of Emma

So at last I finished it, and lo and behold, I liked it!  Once I got past the reason for all the gossip, I could see that the plot was as tight as any Agatha Christie mystery!  I must admit I was pleased when Emma got her comeuppance delivered most nobley by the heroic Mr. Knightly. That was probably the turning point for me, after that scene I was truly hooked.

The perfect P&P pairing

Years later when I saw the wonderful miniseries with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle on television I knew I had to read Pride and Prejudice. Not long after, we decided to purchase our first home computer.  I had heard of the Gutenberg project so I looked up what books were available to read online.  I probably tried to read a couple of books that way, but it was rather uncomfortable to sit too long at the computer, so I didn't get very far.  Then I saw Pride and Prejudice listed and noted that the chapter lengths were rather short.  So I thought that it would be a good idea to read just a couple of chapters in a sitting, then get up and do something else, and return to it later.  Turns out, it was so engrossing that I had no trouble reading more than a couple of chapters at one sitting.

The story enthralled, entertained and enchanted me from beginning to end.  I think that had Miss Austen written none other than this one book, she would still be as famous as she is today.  It is a perfect jewel of a book, polished to perfection.  Each word is well chosen and serves its purpose perfectly.  After that experience I headed to our local public library and was overjoyed to find that their collection contained most of Austen's works.  I discovered that even though I truly enjoyed Sense and Sensibility, followed closely by Persuasion -- it was still Pride and Prejudice that I returned to over and over again.  Perhaps it was because I came from an all-girl family with a long suffering father that I related to it so well?

Whatever the reason, I am very glad I finally did succumb to the pleasures of Jane Austen's universe. If I could sum up my reading experience with Miss Austen I would have to say...

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice

This isn't the first time I've written about my interest in Jane Austen's works. 
See this previous post about my trip to Bath, UK, where I seek out 
the Jane Austen Center despite all odds!

Scarecrow

by karichristensen

Do you find scarecrows frightening? They are supposed to scare the crows away from farmers' fields, but they manage to frighten more than just the birds!  At this time of year when darkness falls ever sooner, and the air turns to chill, an encounter with a demonically smiling effigy mounted on a stake and dancing in the wind is bound to send anyone running for cover!

I love this song by Canadian singer/songwriter Brock Zeman.  This vidder obvious agrees.

Scarecrow Blues / Brock Zeman

Occasionally in my research, I stumble upon little gems, but this one really amazed me!  

I have always been a HUGE fan of Elton John, and especially of his songs with Bernie Taupin as the lyricist.  Well, here is the first song that Elton John ever composed from Bernie Taupin's lyrics which is entitled... Scarecrow!

To learn more about this song, please click on the video which will open on the Youtube page and read the notes which accompany this video. 

This scarecrow is definitely terrifying! 

In the movie Batman Begins, Cillian Murphy played Batman's arch enemy The Scarecrow.

Path - Scarecrow Tribute / by Allure75

I almost forgot about this television show from the 1980s starring Kate Jackson  and Bruce Boxleitner.


Scarecrow and Mrs. King

It wasn't really about a 'scarecrow' though.  That was the code name for Bruce Boxleitner's character.  He played secret agent Lee Stetson.  Kate Jackson was a divorced mother with 2 sons who gets caught up in one of his adventures.  She eventually becomes a spy herself!




Everyone's favourite scarecrow has got to be from The Wizard of Oz!

The famous movie version starring Judy Garland, had Ray Bolger in the character of the Scarecrow.

Do you think they would ever make an updated version of that movie?
Of course you can guess who I would suggest to play the part of the Scarecrow!

Superman!

(This post was begun August 17, 2010!  I am so glad to have finally finished it. I haven't really said all I could about Superman, but at some point - I've just got to stop, take a breath, and press that annoying button "Publish Post")!

Thanks to the folk who bring us Comic-Con for the much needed impetus!

Is there any hero more fantastic than a comic book hero? Superman was  my favourite hero. I also liked The Flash for a brief period, but always Superman was the one for me. (I guess I like fast men?) :)

Let's see, what was it about Superman that intrigued me so much?  Well, he started out in a small town with older than normal parents -- I guess we had that in common! But that wasn't it.  He was an refugee alien from a dying planet who came to earth as a helpless infant and was lucky enough to find loving foster parents. (That's quite a story, isn't it? Very intriguing!)  In order to appear like a normal Earthling, he has to hide his super powers under an alter-ego. Now that's where things get complicated! Although his real name from his parents on the planet Krypton was Kal El, on Earth he goes by the name Clark Kent, the name given to him by his adoptive parents. Because he is such a good person, he can't help but use his powers of flight, super speed, super strength, xray vision, imperviousness to bullets or any other known human threat --  to help save those who are threatened by any danger. I actually used to wonder sometimes when I heard about disasters on the news about how Superman would have been great to have around. He seemed very real to me somehow. Thinking about it as an adult I can see what an awful obligation it must have been to be always on duty. Unless...oh yeah, there was that Legion of Superheroes group. I guess they could have given him a break now and again?

The history of Superman is told in "Look, Up in the Sky!: The Amazing story of Superman".

(The previous clip keeps disappearing as the uploaders' accounts get challenged by those who hold the copyright.  I wish therefore to let it be known that I actually now own a copy of this DVD, which I would not have even known about had I not first seen this clip on Youtube.  So that means, that by repressing this video clip, the company is actually limiting possible future sales!)

Siegel and Schuster were the team who created the comic book hero. Canadians love to lay some claim to Superman as Joe Shuster was originally from Toronto, Ontario and a cousin to another famous Canadian of the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster. Here is a commercial from the CBC network in a series called Heritage Minutes which celebrates Joe Schuster's creation.

This next video is from the CBC Digital Archives (which I hope you will be able to view) with lots of great background information including Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's long struggle to win compensation from DC comics and their parent company.

There were many actors who portrayed the caped superhero over the years on screens both large and small.

 Kirk Alyn (1948)

George Reeves (1951)

Unfortunately, George Reeves believed himself to be typecast as Superman and was never able to move beyond that role.  He had a string of bad luck which eventually ended with his own mysterious murder.

George Reeves was portrayed by Ben Affleck

in the biopic Hollywoodland

The most famous Superman of them all -- Christopher Reeve became a superman in real life by showing what great strength and fortitude really is, even at the worst time in his life.  After a horse back riding accident caused him to become a quadriplegic, Chris never gave up fighting to walk again.  He began a crusade for new treatments to help regenerate nerve tissue which has helped countless people so far and will help even more in the future.  Unfortunately, his struggle finally ended nine years later with his death on October 10, 2004.

Christopher Reeve (1978)

Here is a tribute to Christopher Reeve, a true superman on screen and in spirit. The video is set to the song Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five for Fighting.

What was I saying again...?

Oh yes, what intrigues me about Superman the most, was how he was able to handle his real persona, and his alter ego (who seemed to be such a wimpy guy). Well, I actually liked Clark Kent (of course I was in on his secret). But he was still the same hunky guy, just hiding(?) behind a pair of glasses. I never could understand how Lois Lane couldn't see the resemblance between the love of her life -- Superman, and her best friend and colleague -- Clark Kent!  Sheesh! "Go for Clark!", was what I was always thinking. Of course, he made himself seem unattractive by acting as cowardly as possible. I remember reading a certain issue of the Superman comic which was all about various scenarios where Lois marries Superman and / or Clark. I read and reread that issue more than any other. I think I must have finally decided I had read it enough and traded it for a newer issue (yes, I used to trade comics with my friends). I usually could trade a comic and get it back later, which is probably what I thought would happen. Well, I never saw that issue again...  (The things I go on about!)

Lois and Clark (sans glasses) in Superman II.

Lois chooses Clark over Superman

After Christopher Reeve retired his cape, the best representations of Superman 

were to be found on television.

Lois & Clark (1993-1997)

Starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher

 Smallville (2001-2011)

Starring Tom Welling

I guess besides my fascination for the main character, my main interest is the love story between Lois and Clark.  This next fan video does a great job showing highlights from their relationship in various recent movie and television portrayals.  The song is Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional.

Lois and Clark over the Decades - Vindicated / by KEakaCK

 

Don't we all wish we could fly like Superman?

Well, apparently he wasn't always capable of this feat. Originally in the comic books, he was described as being able to "leap tall buildings in a single bound".  But when Fleischer Studios began to make the first animated series of Superman movies in the early 1940s, they realized that merely jumping around wasn't nearly as impressive for a superhero as flying!

(Fly Like) Superman / The Kinks by TrenRojoCruzandoo

If you'd like to enjoy some great fan art and retro comic book covers here's another video featuring the original version of the song later covered by R.E.M.  It's the 1969 version by The Clique of (I Am) Superman.

There has been a renewed interest in making Superman movies  in the last few years.

My son is a fan of the comedy writer/director Kevin Smith and not long ago he showed me this monologue about how he was hired to write a script for a Superman movie (which thankfully was never made!). It is a hilarious portrait of the craziness of Hollywood and a producer who is clueless about the importance of the Superman legend to pop culture tradition.

If swear words offend you, then you won't like this clip.  But if you are at all interested in this topic, it is well worth watching!

Thank G*d that movie never got made!

I was quite excited when Superman Returns came out. I can't say I didn't like it, but it did leave something to be desired, and I can't even put my finger on what exactly that was. Perhaps it just didn't live up to the hype.   

Superman Returns (2006)

Starring Brandon Routh

I have heard a lot of buzz about the newest Superman movie, Man of Steel which is due to arrive on movie screens in June next year.  It looks good, I think I'll like it.  My biggest problem with this movie is that Amy Adams is playing Lois Lane.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Amy Adams, and I would watch her in almost anything.  But wouldn't you think her lovely auburn tresses would make her more suitable to play Lana Lang (Superboy's early love interest) than the raven-haired Lois Lane?   Well, they messed around with that in Smallville too, where Lana had the dark hair and Lois was a dark blonde.  I did love it in television's version of Smallville that Mrs. Kent was played by the original red-haired Lana Lang from Christopher Reeve's Superman movie - Annette O'Toole.



On the left, here she is with Christopher Reeve in Superman 3, and on the right she plays Martha Kent, (Superboy's mom)!




Man of Steel (2013)

Starring Henry Cavill

Nothing was more disappointing to me then when they had a comic book storyline for the Death of Superman.  Although I hadn't been a reader of the genre in years, just the idea of it saddened me. The following song by the Canadian band Crash Test Dummies, was written before this storyline appeared in print.

I love this song so much.   
This video is my whole excuse for this post. 

Superman's Song / Crash Test Dummies

Here is another sad Superman song by the Stereophonics.  It is also a fanvid about the character of Lucas North in Spooks/MI-5.  He was a hero that turned out not to be one after all.

Spooks -- Richard Armitage - Superman / by utubeacct2008




But I'm holding out for a hero. Luckily John Porter from Strike Back fits the mold very nicely!

Lucas North & John Porter - I Need a Hero / by Tassuett

But this got me to thinking about Harry Kennedy who could easily pass for Clark Kent.  Could he have a hero hidden inside him?

What if our dear Harry Kennedy had an alter ego?

See that phonebooth in the back there? 

After removing the glasses and changing outfits...

Yeah, I know.  It won't happen. But a girl can dream...

 Just in case anyone thinks I am taking this Superman thingy too seriously -- have a look at this video: Superman Song That little kid is very entertaining!