Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...DVD Savant pointed the way to a fascinating autiobiographical letter by actor Robert Ryan. It's a wonderful piece of history, discovered by Ryan's daughter earlier this year; click the title of this post to read it. The Chicago Reader published an interesting accompanying article. It's all "must" reading for Ryan fans.

...Robert Ryan's movies will be featured on TCM in November, celebrating the centennial of his birth on November 11th. More details have been posted by Moira at Skeins of Thought.

...The new issue of Disney Twenty-Three was just released. Articles include Christmas at Disney theme parks, the ZORRO TV series just released on DVD, the 20th anniversary of THE LITTLE MERMAID, Disney's relationship with Hallmark cards, and the new film THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG.

...The Classic Maiden pays tribute to Joel McCrea, born November 5, 1905. Motion Picture Gems celebrated McCrea's birthday with a post on his film STARS IN MY CROWN (1950), which is in my mile-high stack of movies I'd love to watch...

...Here's an interesting rumor that actor John Ratzenberger is considering running for a Connecticut Senate seat in 2012. Ratzenberger, incidentally, was one of the speakers at the Capitol protest against the government takeover of healthcare last Thursday.

...The Washington Post and New York Magazine each ran columns in praise of the BETSY-TACY books this week.

...The Self-Styled Siren, along with Lou Lumenick of the New York Post, created the "Shadows of Russia" series which will be featured on Turner Classic Movies next January. The idea began when the Siren posted her thoughts on the 1943 Warner Bros. film MISSION TO MOSCOW. I'm especially looking forward to THE NORTH STAR (1943), starring Dana Andrews and Anne Baxter.

...Steven Sample, President of the University of Southern California for the past 19 years, retires next summer. Under Sample's leadership, USC has become one of the nation's most prestigious universities.

...What the Pelosi Health Care Bill Really Says: Quotes directly from the bill.

..."This Time It's Personal": Mona Charen on how the taxation of medical devices in the pending healthcare legislation will directly affect her family and her son's future.

...Amazing what's out there on the internet...here's a tribute site dedicated to one of my favorite actors, Jack Kelly of MAVERICK. He's pictured at the right with his television brother, James Garner. Kelly died 17 years ago today. A book on Kelly's life is coming next year from Linda Alexander, author of RELUCTANT WITNESS: ROBERT TAYLOR, HOLLYWOOD, AND COMMUNISM.

...Amazon has an attractive, well-organized Christmas Corner...and isn't it nice it's not a "Holiday" Corner?

...It's really not fair for a President to share his little girl's test scores with the entire country -- make that the world. I thought they wanted their daughters to have privacy?

...A new cookbook: THE COMPLETE AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN TV SHOW COOKBOOK, with every recipe from the show's decade-long run. Alternatively, the SEASON 10 cookbook is also newly available, as is MORE BEST RECIPES.

...Borders is closing 200 Waldenbooks stores in January.

...Al Lutz has provided his annual repost of his highly informative article on Disneyland's Main Street Christmas Music Loop. If you want to know anything about Christmas music heard in Disneyland, this is the article to read. My post on this topic from last year is here.

Have a great weekend!