Traditions

Every family has their own Christmas traditions. Ours is watching Christmas sitcoms on Christmas Eve. This isn't a family tradition so much as something Alex and I do while Chase sleeps. We've been doing this deliberately for about four years, and only half the time have we been able to see our favorite Christmas episode of all time: the Fresh Prince of Bel Air episode where Will decorates the house in tacky stuff that enrages the neighborhood. It didn't come on this year, but another gem did.
This episode of Sanford and Son is called Ebenezer Sanford, and apparently you can watch it on Youtube. You can kind of guess the plot based on the title. Here's the wonderful ending, where Redd Foxx sings "Merry Christmas to You" while shuffling about the room.

Favorite Christmas Songs, Part 3

I know I already posted my all-time favorite song (not just for Christmas, but for always), Last Christmas by Wham!. I'm not going to post it again, but I AM kind of going to post it again. There are roughly one million covers of Last Christmas, most of which I have on my computer (just kidding, I only have about 45). This one is probably the best, though, for staying faithful to the original while still adding something new. Nothing is better than Wham!, but this is pretty close!

Favorite Christmas Songs, Part 2

Favorite Christmas Songs, Part 1

Now What's This?

Remember when you were just a small child, and Christmastime filled you with a sense of wonder? Well, I have a great way for you to recapture that feeling! Just watch this crazy Bob Dylan video for "Must Be Santa." Mostly you will be wondering what the hell Bob Dylan's doing.

In all seriousness, this is great. Sure, it looks like the worst party ever (is Bob Dylan a ghost or a monster or what? On NPR they called him "Tom Petty's Aunt" and I have to agree), but it definitely isn't boring. We need more confusing, sped-up versions of Christmas standards. Good job, Bob Dylan.

Thursday Night Jams

I'd always really liked the title of the Crystals song "He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)", but I'd never actually heard it. It's written by Carole King (which I know from reading Girls Like Us, which I would like to recommend once more!). Here's a Grizzly Bear cover, which has an entirely different sound (no Phil Spector) but is equally good in its own way.

F U, AV Club

The Talented Winfrey Family is a place for positivity, not negativity, so I'm not going to dwell on this, but the AV Club has a list of the Worst Films of 2009. I guess that's a great way to spend your time if you enjoy reflecting on all the things you hate! I don't, though, so you're not going to see any lists like that here (The AV Club wins this battle, though, by being the blog that's actually read by more than one person). It's one thing to take down a film that's on an undeserved pedestal, but to make some snarky comments about Paper Heart, a movie that didn't do all that well and that people seem to have largely forgotten about, just seems lazy. Of course, the reason I mention this is to remind you to see Paper Heart now that it's out on DVD.
Quoth The AV Club: "From the “what is love” premise to the “what is real?” structure, Paper Heart plays like a movie dreamed up by people who were very, very high at the time. Which would be fine if they weren’t also the kind of people who think of “love” in an elementary-school, passing-notes-at-lunch kind of way, and not in a way that has anything to do with commitment, responsibility, sharing, nurturing, and—not incidentally—sex. When they grow up (or sober up), Yi and Jasenovec ought to find this movie awfully embarrassing."
Well, okay. I'm sorry, you didn't like this movie because there wasn't sex in it? I don't know, go watch another movie. I feel like complaining because a movie isn't what you wanted it to be is pointless and silly. To be disappointed because a movie with potential did not reach said potential is understandable, but it's back to the Papa Winfrey's Pork Chop conundrum once more. That pork chop is always going to be a pork chop, no matter what you say about it. And Paper Heart is always going to be light, sweet, and funny. It isn't supposed to be deep, or sexy, or about "responsibility" and "commitment." The real life love stories were very sweet, and some of them were sad, but most importantly they all seemed honest. Maybe The AV Club writers need to watch Paper Heart a few more times and stop being such old grumps. Or maybe they just need to write their own movies since they hate all the other ones so much.
I won't talk about this anymore, I promise. But go ahead and rent Paper Heart. It's fun to watch and it won't make you sad, which is more than can be said for most of the movies I watch.

Eyes Without a Face

Our Only Reader Lauren told me about this great website, The Auteurs. You can watch Sisters by Brian De Palma for free! Also, Eyes Without a Face. I haven't watched it yet, but of course the classic Billy Idol jam Eyes Without a Face has been stuck in my head all week.

Which made me think of Lasagna Cat:

I'm still here.

Posting an old classic just to let y'all know I'm still around.

The Muppet Movie

I Netflixed The Muppet Movie because I hadn't seen it since I was a child, and because it is surprisingly hard to find. I had only fond memories, but it still managed to be far funnier than I remembered! The movie was ostensibly made for children, but it wasn't condescending in the least...there wasn't a single fart joke. Not that there's anything wrong with fart jokes, but...you know. Also, Muppets drank wine!
Winfreys enjoyed it, and we all had "Movin' Right Along" stuck in our heads all day. This song really comforts me, and I hope it does the same for you.

Z.Gaf

Zach Galifianakis still seems just as nice as he always has!. Some things (I hope) will never change.

Do They Know It's Christmas?

Of course by now we've all seen the Comedy Death Ray version of Do They Know It's Christmas? I'm not even going to bother linking to it because I trust you've seen it. I like it, it's funny, but does it have Boy George? I THINK NOT.
The original does.

Strangely enough, Boy George is the only one who doesn't looked stoned outta his gourd. Sting and Bono look awful! And everyone else looks like they would rather be somewhere, anywhere else. They are clearly TALKING to each other while they are supposed to be singing the chorus. It's almost like they really didn't want to be part of Band Aid, but their publicists told them they should. Oh wait.

No Small Affair

Right now I'm looking for a streamable Netflix movie that isn't depressing, so naturally I'm leaning towards romantic comedies. This isn't quite what I was looking for, yet in other ways it's exactly what I need.

I'm probably not going to watch this tonight, but I like knowing that it exists.

Book Club!

I've just read the first two stories in 20th Century Ghosts, but already I love it! Also, Alex reminded me of how it came to his attention...it was on the A.V. Club's list of Best Short Stories of 00's.
Here are a couple of links if you're interested in Joe Hill: there's Bookslut's glowing review of 20th Century Ghosts, and a really interesting profile from the New York Times.