Around the Blogosphere This Week
...Now I really wish I could go on this year's TCM Classic Cruise. Additional participants have been announced, including Margaret O'Brien, Illeana Douglas, and the Film Noir Foundation's Eddie Muller.
...I would have loved to be at the Cinecon Festival in Hollywood this weekend! Susan King of the Los Angeles Times interviewed some of those involved and discussed what's being shown.
...Raquel just reviewed CAGNEY BY CAGNEY at Out of the Past. I enjoyed the review and agreed that there were some things I would have liked to have heard more about from Mr. Cagney. That was one of the earlier film books in my collection -- I first read it around the time it came out.
...The oldest grandchild of Princess Grace of Monaco, also known as Grace Kelly, has just married. Princess Caroline's son, Andrea Casiraghi, and his new wife became the parents of a son last spring.
...It's no surprise that Hollywood filmmakers make it up as they go, but some of the fact to fiction changes in THE BUTLER -- oops, make that LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER (2013) -- seem particularly egregious. Four biographers of Ronald Reagan teamed to write this Washington Post article, "What 'The Butler' Gets Wrong About Ronald Reagan and Race."
...Last weekend I mentioned that Vin Scully will return to the Dodgers for a 65th season in 2014. Love this article, "Why You Need to Listen to Vin Scully Call a Game."
...Seen via Elisabeth on Twitter last week: "School is No Place for a Reader." A lot of the anecdotes in this article rang true for me, based on both my own experiences and those of my children prior to homeschooling.
...Heading my way in the mail: a 1981 Citadel by Marilyn Henry, THE FILMS OF ALAN LADD. Tomorrow, September 3rd, is the centennial of Ladd's birth! Check back tomorrow for a Ladd tribute. (Update: Here's the link!)
Enjoy the holiday, and have a great week!
posted by Laura @ 12:00 PM
10 Comments:
Thank you for putting up Leonard Maltin's piece on To Be Or Not To be and especially The Washingtom Post article on The Butler. You have really done a great job.
Thank you, Barrylane, I'm pleased to be able to share some of interesting things I read here each week, and it's nice to know they're enjoyed by others!
Best wishes,
Laura
Thanks for the link on schools and reading, even if it did make me really depressed. I'd say 90% of my own (homeschooled) education was simply reading - literature, biography, historical fiction - and then learning enough textbook history and science to put it all in context. Seems like everything I read lately is encouraging me to try to homeschool Karina.
Hi Jandy!
I'm glad to know you found the article of interest. It really struck a nerve with me as so much was familiar -- one notable example being a 7th grade teacher who was angry my daughter had already read THE HOBBIT, rather than encouraging her interest. How dare our daughter have already read a book that was part of that year's curriculum! It was utterly bizarre. That was one reason among many I decided I was tired of being a "squeaky wheel" and switched to something positive, homeschooling.
One of the other big issues with public schools right now is the Common Core program which is now setting the standards (I use the word advisedly) in many states. Common Core includes what I call "pattycake math" which we struggled against when my oldest was in elementary school in the '90s. In this kind of math program you don't have to have the correct answer if you "show your work"; it's more about feelings about process and "teamwork" than objective correct answers. The concerns we expressed to the school and school board were tut-tutted as being out of touch, yet it proved to be a ruinous program which our district finally ditched a couple of years after our daughter had moved on. Now the better part of two decades have passed, the failure of Mathland and its ilk has been forgotten, and I see the exact same kind of math is coming back in Common Core.
Common Core is also deemphasizing exposure to quality classic literature and literary analysis in order to focus on "technical reading." My feelings about this would take pages so I won't even attempt to start to express them, LOL. There's a lot of information about this out there on the internet for anyone who'd like to know more.
Best of luck to your family as you make your future decisions on Karina's education!!!
Best wishes,
Laura
Thanks for the shout out Laura.
I too wish I could go on the TCM Cruise! I've been fortunate to drop in on the festival because it is in my own backyard, but doing the cruise would be a big expense - not even counting the fact of finding a babysitter for those cruising days! But, I can't imagine any cruise more fun than a cruise loaded with fellow classic movie lovers :)
Hi Robby! You're very welcome, I sure love your location photo posts!
I've never wanted to go on a cruise but the TCM Cruise -- on a Disney ship, no less -- is one that makes me change my mind. Given that I love Jane Powell, Margaret O'Brien, and Eddie Muller, and some MGM and film noir movies are bound to be shown, it should be an amazing trip.
Best wishes,
Laura
Thanks for the mention. I hope you do get to try a TCM cruise sometime. Sounds fun.
You're welcome, Jacqueline, and thanks! Based on how much fun the TCM Fest was, I'm sure the Cruise will be amazing. :)
Best wishes,
Laura
Thanks for the link to Robby's Music Man (1962) locations.
Although I have quite a lot of material on this, one of my very favorite musicals, I've never seen these pictures before.
I'm glad you enjoyed that link, Mel! Robby does such a great job with his location posts.
I've been fortunate to visit the Warner Bros. lot on a few occasions and it's kind of a thrill walking where "76 Trombones" was performed. If you're ever able to visit California, the tour is a must!
Best wishes,
Laura
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