"Santa Sessions"
BigBangVoiceover
For the last couple of months, my friend who is in the Producer’s Guild of America has been getting numerous Fed X packages marked “URGENT” and “OPEN IMMEDIATELY”. The other day he tore open a package marked “A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH” and inside was a DVD of Ratatouille.
You see my friend is one of the people that actually get to vote for the Academy Awards. (Note to Hollywood: Take it easy with the Fed X trucks door to door. The ice caps are melting). On the plus side of all of these “urgent” packages, this year will be the first year ever that I will see a majority of the soon to be nominated films. My friend makes me watch them with him so we can “discuss” afterwards. Sadly, I don’t go to the movies much these days. I always end up “having words” with some blabbermouth that won’t stop talking during the film, which is a major pet peeve of mine.
Anyway, of all the films that have arrived thus far… The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is our mutual favorite. It’s beautiful and is “the one to beat” to get my friend’s vote for Best Picture of the Year as well as Julian Schnabel for Best Director. Go see it. It’s an eye opener (wink wink).
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Truthful Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Cheerful Seasonal Holiday Event, etc.!
Hey, there’s a fini in the house!!
How ya doin’, guy?
Hi fini!!! How ya doin’?
Hi Donita
And Happy New Year. Hubby and I plan to see Diving Bell soon. Another not to be missed is Michael Clayton Wowser.
Hey Jayt, Elliot, Laura! I’m unfortunately STILL in the hospital waiting for my blood work to come back with the proper clotting factor number before they release me home. I reahed that number today, but it needs to be stable for 48 hours before they release me so maybe I will get home this weekend. Cross your fingers for me!
Donita and Fini! Hauole Makahiki Hou!
Hi everybody! Anyone dieting yet? I need some salad after the holiday overload.
Positive vibes to Mr. Finifinito in the hospital. He’s getting better, but still not home yet.
Fini! How are you?
Donita, I haven’t seen a new movie this year. I’m still catching up.
This looks interesting: The Orphanage, a Spanish ghost story.
link
crossing my fingers, crossing my toes, and crossing my heart!
{{{{{FINI}}}}} I didn’t know you were under the weather! Fingers, toes, eyes, all crossed. Here’s to a 2008 of health and peace to you!
Hi Laura, What’s Michael Clayton? I haven’t heard of/ seen that one yet.
Hey Donita! Hey Fini!
I tend to not go to the movies very often both because of the general aggravation involved and because I’m one of those types who talks back to the movie. It bugs the shit outta me when I see/hear something in the movie that is jarringly unrealistic.
So I stay away so that I don’t upset folks like you.
Donita,
It is a film starring George Clooney and it is about a ruthless lawyer.
It is on the top of some lists for best movie of the year.
-G
I saw Sweeney Todd this week. My what a bloody, bloody film. Quite dark. Quite emblematic of the dark times the nation is going through.
-G
Hi Margot, looks muy creepido! I’ll look for it in the Fed Xs.
Michael Clayton (the official site of). George Clooney. 4 GG nominations. A very taut thriller, with beautiful cinematography. Hubby saw it, dragged me there to see it next day, and I’d gladly go again. V. interesting.
I was just going to say I wanted to see this, but maybe not.
lol! That is decent of you.
I went home for the holidays and saw Sweeney Todd. The musical numbers drove away the rowdy teenagers about a third into the movie. Nice and quiet.
Hi everyone and happy holidays!
Nice video.
In response to Donita Sparks @ 0
Jackpot. No, don’t feel guilty about it. It’s not like you put up the movies for download.
In response to finifinito @ 5
That sucks. Get well soon.
In response to Donita Sparks @ 7
Not me. I can eat anything I want and still don’t get overweight. I love it. And I love to talk about it so people get envious. :-)
Well, I know how it bugs people. But when Isee movies that are supposed to have military types but no one salutes correctly, it bugs me to no end. And all sorts of those types of little gotchas.
I guess I’m too picky picky picky
Those drive me nuts too. Don’t feel bad, I get a litle crazy over that kind of lack of detail too. You paid for a frickin military adviser and he didnt teach your actors how to salute?!? CMON!
Then you should under no circumstances watch a sci-fi movie in cinema.
I’m super picky too. I hate when the clothes, hair and makeup are all wrong in a “period film”.
That’s the primary reason I used to watch the TV show JAG was because EVERYONE saluted properly, even the one week guest stars. It’s not that difficult to do either.
hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi !!!!!!!!
miss anyone?
Exactly. Or a period piece where they use technology that hasn’t been “invented yet”
We learned about that in school. There’s one of those in Julius Caesar where they use a clock that the Romans didn’t have yet.
I don’t go to movies often, but when I do they are either artsy or I go to popular movies in the afternoon when no one’s there. I am usually a quiet viewer, but I did laugh loudly at the ship shinking scene in Titanic when I saw that Carribean aqua water flooding into the ship in the North Atlantic. I understand the scale model was quite large, but it still looked like a toy boat in a bath tub to me.
Do I need to say that “special effects” leave me cold, well at least all of them after the first dozen Bond movies, when they were both novel & fun.
I enjoy anachronisms. Spotting them makes me feel smart.
But quite a lot of movie mistakes have an entertaining side to them.
or sensibilities we haven’t acquired
Good news!!
Hey Fini-weenie and Donita-wita!
Happpppy Neeeeeewwww Yeeearrr!
I just want to say thanks to the FDL family once again for pulling me through a difficult time. I’ve been in this hospital bed for 17 days now and the emails, messages on Facebook, phone calls and well wishes at my blog from you folks have meant a great deal to me and have kept my spirits lifted while I deal with these blood clots. Im going to be just fine knowing I have so many friends pulling for me, thank you all!
Donita
this has to be one of the funniest videos you have ever posted. I was crying from laughing so hard. Thanks for this, you made my day
ps-Someone just gave me the book The Diving Bell and The Butterfly for X-Mas. can’t wait to jump in, as I too LOVED the film
take care and Happy New Year
Me too. I am a Jane Austen fan, so I lose it when the movie sucks. Hate it when they get history wrong. But I find it funny when medieval movies have actors wearing 18th c. armour and velvet. I think velvet is more 15thc. At any rate the princes in the tower were apparently wearing it.
I didn’t know you were sick or I would have sent you an e-card or something. I hope you feel better really soon!
Horror movies: in Halloween one of the victims slams her head back before the killer even has a grip on her neck.
Will blow best wishes your way.
Or the action movies where it is obvious that the “window” is shattered before the hero/bad guy is thrown through it.
I love this youtube too. Totally nailed it.
And it doesn’t take inside knowlegde to understand it. …yeah, I’m still struggling to find out the deeper meaning of that video linked in the first “Spin”. You know, the one with the vacuuming while David Bowie’s “Fame” is playing.
Yeah, I have a genetic blood disorder called Protein C Deficiency that every once in a while goes crazy on me and causes a bunch of blood clots to form. This time I had a few dozen clots form on my abdomen and lower chest area, combined with some associated thrombo phlebitises (infections of the surrounding vein area around the clots). I’ve been sitting here with an IV pumping anticoagulents in me 24/7 for 2 1/2 weeks. Been lots of fun (not). I did however, catch up on my last three months Rolling Stone reading, read a couple of books and wrote a handful of morphine-induced blog rants.
Hilarious. Which one? My signif other is a big fan of Hong Kong kung fu movies (going back to the 70s), being a HK patriot as it were. If I looked really heard I bet I could spot some wires or something that they use in a lot of the older movies.
Hey Donita, how was your christmas? This was the best christmas for me so far cause my parents got me a bunch of stuff from the L7 store!
Happy New Year Fini and Donita. Last year when I went to visit my friends in LA I was treated to the stack of nominated films on DVD. It was very exciting to have the discussions afterwards.
what’s the L7 store?
Remo Williams with Fred Ward. The scene where he and the “major” are being gassed and the bad guy with the diamond tooth comes in. The picture window is obviously primed for the shattering before the body comes through it.
Hi Young Jess.
Do they have those T-shirts from the “Smell the Magic”-tour again? Those seem to be out of store constantly.
hi donita
hope you did some rockin’ around the xmas tree
yeah–i hear The Diving Bell and The Butterfly was excellent. it is on my “must see list.”
look forward to seeing you in 2008!
al
Here is one reason I love my doggie.
Looked there the other day, still sold out
GOOGLE “L7 Store”
It’s magic!
Very astute of you Samson. There will be more where that came from very soon my friend.
http://www.smelll7.com/store/store_special.html
I love this old website. The best of course is this here: http://www.smelll7.com/loveadvice.html
Hey, my wife saw it and dragged me to see it the next day. Tom Wilkinson was especially fine.
I’ve been reading Peter straub’s Mystery. It strikes me as funny that one of the characters could suffer from serious smoke inhalation, enough exposure to the fire to cause damage and get up out of bed and put on his clothes, solve a mystery, without complaining of constant chafing you get when you’ve been even slightly burned.
What is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly about?
Hi Young Jess! My X-mas was good. I got to see my family and the weather and traveling were a breeze. No complaints here.
Your parents have excellent taste in gift giving!
they are both blocked. no one home to unblock. ackkkkkk!!!!!!!
Donita,Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was planning to go to LA for NYE to see you performing but could’n get off from work in time to get the plane tickets:( maybe in 2008 you guys could come back to NYC again!!!
Have a Very Happy New Year!!!!
Love,
Fabi
Finifinito: Get well soon!! :)
happy friday to you donita!
hope you had a merry merry xmas!
this video is hilarious!
haven’t been to a movie in ages—i’ll have to check out your suggestion.
my friend liked I Am Legend…..anyone see it?
love,
nora
Bravo is adorable, how could you not love that dog.
Well, if Barack Obama doesn’t make it in DC, there’ll always be Bollywood.
-G
Hi Fabianne! We will play NYC soon, I promise.
Thanks. I have been waiting for an opportunity to mention that video ( http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=-8101290972098380583 ) again for quite a while.
looking forward to that. :-)
Blocked?
LS-Thanks for those clips down memory lane. Like I said “best of” Harriet Miers empty chair, Patrick Leahy explaining how gov works to Sarah Taylor. Great stuff.
Donita,
How did your gig in Philly go in October? I’m sorry I missed it, I was sick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCF3ywukQYA
i have a stupid kid account, and my brother and my aunt have the password to unlock new pages.
Is it just me? Or do all the presidential candidates have rather pathetic little speeches in response to Bhutto’s death. The only thing I read that carried any punch, was Richardson saying Musharraf should step aside.
Our nations leaders are so used to pandering to absolute morons in the populace and the media that they don’t know how to act like adults anymore.
-G
Dem candidate statements on Bhutto (Never mind those Republikans they’re just worthless freaks.)
We hope everyone has a safe weekend. And a very good New Year.
lahoma and okk
Enjoy yourselves but be safe.
-G
Okie dokie, I’m off to enjoy a nice low carb, low sodium dinner. This hospital food is getting old quick. have great weekend!
Happy New Year everyone! Lady Jane’s upstairs.
See you next week.
Happy new year!!
fini — Here’s hoping for the magic blood numbers for you. Hang in there — I’ve been hoping you were out. Here’s to being home for the new year for you!
Isn’t our beloved Jane in the Producer’s Guild?