Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Here's a fascinating photo tour of actress Gene Tierney's childhood home in Connecticut. It's currently on sale for $3.25 million. (Via Gene Tierney Movie Page.)

...The next Hallmark Hall of Fame movie coming to CBS on November 28th: NOVEMBER CHRISTMAS (2010), starring Sam Elliott, John Corbett, Karen Allen, and Sarah Paulson.

...As of next week, the Hollywood Reporter ceases to be a weekday publication and becomes a weekly magazine. As a onetime subscriber, when I was a young film fan in the late '70s and early '80s, I find the news rather sad, although certainly not unexpected in today's changing media environment.

...Reviews, reviews, and more reviews: Clark Gable and Ava Gardner in LONE STAR (1952) was reviewed at Riding the High Country. I watched it a lot growing up; it wasn't all that good, but it was Clark Gable. (It airs on TCM November 26th.)...Cinema OCD reviewed JUPITER'S DARLING (1955), which I think was Esther Williams' strangest movie...Another Old Movie Blog takes a detailed look at NIGHT MUST FALL (1937), which has an Oscar-nominated performance by Robert Montgomery...the history of STRANGE BARGAIN (1949) was discussed at Just a Cineast. (It's on TCM tomorrow, November 1st)...Lou Lumenick reviewed -30- (1959) and FIVE STAR FINAL (1931).

...Apparently some opinions expressed by NPR reporters continue to be more acceptable to this publicly funded network than others.

...Lime and black pepper cookies, anyone?

...Over at 50 Westerns From the 50s Toby spotlights one of my favorite Westerns, WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951). This gritty William Wellman film was based on a story by Frank Capra, of all people. It airs on Turner Classic Movies November 17th, 2010.

...Amazon recently won an important court fight. I'll never understand why those who want "tax fairness" think the only way to achieve that is to tax ever more entities. Why not lower or eliminate taxes elsewhere to level the playing field? That's a rhetorical question, of course, because doing that won't feed government's insatiable desire for control and our money, although it would help revitalize the economy and give sellers and consumers alike far greater freedom and purchasing power.

...Lou Lumenick spotlighted the "appalling quote of the month" by Sony Pictures head Michael Lynton, who claimed "If you had shown, for example, someone back in the 1950s an edit where there is a woman crying and there is an image of a gravesite, they would not have understood what we as a modern audience understood, which is that the woman is grieving over someone who has died." Apparently folks back in the '50s were dunces or something...and as Lumenick points out, this man -- who apparently has a total lack of understanding of film history and audiences -- controls the release of the Columbia classic film library onto DVD!

...Raquelle reviews the Humphrey Bogart Essential Collection at Out of the Past -- complete with a video "tour" of the set, which was a fun touch. Nice job, Raquelle. :)

...Attention Southern Californians: the Ruby's Diner at South Coast Plaza has been completely made over; now it rather bizarrely looks more like a Coco's. If only they could instead improve the service and the french fries, which were ruined when the company went "trans fat free."

...Speaking of trans fat, do we really want to live in a nation where restaurants can be ticketed for cooking with margarine? Really?

...Hollywood Heritage tours sound very interesting...

...Christmas decorations are tiptoeing into Disneyland.

...London's Daily Telegraph in its 4-star review of THE KING'S SPEECH (2010): "...it’s an uplifting audience pleaser that also showcases film-making arts and crafts at an exalted level."

...Notable passing: those of us of a certain age may not know the name James Wall, but we certainly know the name "Mr. Baxter," along with Mr. Green Jeans, Mr. Moose, and Bunny Rabbit. Wall has passed away at the age of 92.

...Esteemed historian Victor Davis Hanson sums up the current state of politics and Democrat governance and concludes: "Vote on Tuesday with a passion as if you have never voted before." November 2nd should be a most interesting -- and possibly historic - Election Day.

Happy Halloween, and have a great week!