Artie (Billy Crystal) is the sports announcer for the Fresno, CA minor league baseball team. At the end of the season when he is suddenly let go due to the team’s reorganization, he and his wife Diane (Bette Midler) get a call from their daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei) in Atlanta. She and her husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott), a computer application inventor, are going away for several days and want the grandparents to take care of their three children.... Read more
Millions of people have seen the musical “Les Misérables” since the English version premiered in London in 1985 and New York in 1987. Countless others have read the original 1862 novel by Victor Hugo or seen the more than 70 film adaptations in 15 languages. (My personal favorites are the 1978 British telefilm starring Richard Jordan and the 1998 feature film with Liam Neeson, both playing Jean Valjean.) The tale of the suffering poor of France in the years... Read more
Thanks to my sister who sent me this I discovered that Marc, over at Bad Catholic, has written an authentic and insightful piece on the zombie apocalypse. It’s too good not to share. This is the conclusion but be sure to click through to read the entire post “concerning the zombie apocalypse.” Marc obviously spends more times with the walking dead than I do so read on, on this day when the world did not end. Again. The... Read more
The Voice is a terrific show and as Season Three marched on these final three singers, Cassadee, Nicholas David, and Terry McDermott were voted through over and over. The judges didn’t nit-pick (as much) as in Season Two and the show was always entertaining (especially watching a recording to skip commercials.) I think most of the singers that the judges “turned around for” during the audition/selection process could have made it; there are so many people “praying twice” out there, singing their... Read more
This wonderful collection of animated classic stories is a perfect stocking-stuffer for children of all ages. Created by Billy Budd Films in New York City, the films are child-friendly and most are done in wonderful claymation. The entire collection runs for 247 minutes allowing for variety and guaranteeing return visits by youngsters. Of all the films “Martin the Cobbler” by Leo Tolstoy is my favorite. Tolstoy’s daughter Alexandria, is the narrator. The Christmas stories on the DVD are:... Read more
Today, December, 14, a gunman killed 26 people in Newtown, CT, including 20 elementary school children. “Wreck It Ralph” opened in November I didn’t have a chance to see it until today. I was driving home from seeing the film and listening to the news on NPR. The newsperson described President Obama as wiping away tears as he spoke words of comfort to parents, his behavior noted by many news outlets. 2012 has been a year marked by gun violence tragedies. On August... Read more
In the time before the great contests recorded in “The Lord of the Rings,” the Shire, hobbit zone of Middle Earth, is a gentle place, and hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is comfortable in his hobbit hole home. He loves his books and appears to be rather fussy. Enter the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), who tries to entice Bilbo to come on an adventure. Bilbo is reluctant, but Gandalf has invited a band of 13 dwarves, led by... Read more
Here is the trailer for the new television series on The Bible from producers Roma Downey (Touched By An Angel) and Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice) comes THE BIBLE, an epic ten part mini-series that will debut on The History Channel on March 3, 2013. This new epic 10-part miniseries will premiere on The History Channel on March 3, 2013 (just two weeks or so into Lent!) It is produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice) and... Read more
According to the Mayan Calendar the end of the world is to happen on December 21, 2012: 12/21/12. But it did not happen on all the other dates that have foretold this terrible, cataclysmic event. It is already 12/12/12 and so far, so good. We’re still here. Earlier this year I was invited to give a presentation at a local parish on “Apocalyptic Themes in Cinema”. I wondered why people are so fascinated by the end of the world and... Read more
Here is a link to John Monahan’s excellent interview with Mona Golabek, star of the one-woman play “The Pianist of Willesden Lane.” It appeared on Boston’s Catholic TV last Friday, December 7 and can now be seen online. The interview is at the 18″ minute mark of the half hour program “Clear Voice”. It is an excellent interview and introduction to the play, that I believe, can change lives. You can still purchase tickets to “The Pianist of Willesden... Read more
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