Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of Claudette Colbert, born in France on Septenber 13, 1903. For a look back at her stellar career, please visit my 2011 birthday tribute, which has been updated each year with new review links.

...The Black Maria site has announced that beginning in mid-October, the site will be renamed The Retro Set, with a widened focus beyond classic film.

...Coming to Key Largo next month: the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival.

...Shout! Factory has released Seasons 1 and 2 of the early '90s series SISTERS on DVD. Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember, Swoosie Kurtz, and Julianne Phillips play the sisters. The actresses were reunited last year on NBC.

...Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood recently posted a wonderful interview with Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, the inspiration for the GIDGET book, movies, and TV series.

...Over at Outspoken and Freckled, Kellee chronicles her experience at the recent Capitolfest film festival in Rome, New York. This is a festival I'd really enjoy attending one day.

...Legendary actor Toshiro Mifune will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016. Mifune, whose work included many collaborations with director Akira Kurosawa, passed away in 1997.

...My favorite Hydrox Cookies, formerly made by Sunshine, had a short-lived revival in 2008. Leaf Brands is trying again, and the cookies will be available on Amazon later this month. Looking forward to trying them! I never eat Oreos but love Hydrox, which have a distinctively different taste.

...Amazon Prime now allows users to download programs to devices for viewing while offline, such as when traveling. In a silly interview, a Netflix exec said Netflix won't do that because consumers will be paralyzed with too many choices. Okaaaay. Netflix has also let go of many popular movies, which will be migrating to Hulu, in order to focus resources on its original programming.

...The Warner Archive will be repackaging previously released Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy musicals in two volumes.

...As I mentioned in August, a revival of one of my favorite musicals, SHE LOVES ME, is coming to Broadway. It's been announced that Zachary Levi, who voiced Flynn in Disney's TANGLED (2010), will star along with Laura Benanti, Rene Auberjonois, and Jane Krakowski.

...Late last month TCM announced a new brand campaign, "Let's Movie." The way the announcement was presented in an exclusive article at Deadline led to concerns TCM was preparing to show many more "newer" movies, especially as recent trends seem to be pointing that way, but TCM swiftly put General Manager Jennifer Dorian, host Ben Mankiewicz, and head programmer Charlie Tabesh on Twitter to quell fears. (I applaud TCM for being nimble in that regard.) Here's analysis from Will at Cinematically Insane and Jandy at The Frame.

...Coming on September 19th, the TCM Discoveries blogathon, hosted by Nora, the Nitrate Diva.

...It's fall cookbook season, and new releases include SIMPLY NIGELLA by Nigella Lawson, FRANKIE AVALON'S ITALIAN FAMILY COOKBOOK, and THE BLUE BLOODS COOKBOOK by star Bridget Moynahan along with Wendy Howard Goldberg.

...Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter recently interviewed centenarians Norman Lloyd, Patricia Morison, and Connie Sawyer.

...Tom Hiddleston, who plays villainous Loki in THOR (2011) and other Marvel movies, will be playing famed country singer Hank Williams in the new film I SAW THE LIGHT (2015), due out around Thanksgiving. Here's some video of Hiddleston singing in the role.

...A list of "The Best Movies You May Have Never Seen" at Classic Film & TV Cafe includes a recommendation by Caftan Woman, OUT THE BLUE (1947). It stars George Brent, Carole Landis, Virginia Mayo, and Ann Dvorak. I'd love to see that one!

...I had no idea before today that Eagle-Lion released a version of Louisa May Alcott's AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL (1949), pictured at the right, starring Gloria Jean, Frances Rafferty, Elinor Donahue, John Hubbard, and Jimmy Lydon. Another movie I'd love to see!

...VIOLENT SATURDAY (1955), reviewed by Kristina at Speakeasy, has quite a cast, headed by Victor Mature, Richard Egan, and Stephen McNally, along with many other fine actors.

...Raquel wraps up this year's Summer Reading Challenge at Out of the Past. For the first time I wasn't able to finish all of my summer reading list by the deadline, but I still plan to review the books here in the future!

...Notable Passings: Dick (Dickie) Moore, a one-time child star who married Jane Powell in 1988, has passed on at the age of 89. Moore had over 100 film credits, with his first role playing John Barrymore as a baby in 1927. His many credits included time in the OUR GANG series. As he hit adulthood, he played a key role as the attendant at Robert Mitchum's gas station in OUT OF THE PAST (1947), seen in the accompanying photo. Leonard Maltin and Will McKinley pay tribute...Another OUR GANG cast member, Jean Darling, has passed away at 93. As a young woman, Darling sang "Mr. Snow" while playing Carrie Pipperidge in the original cast of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CAROUSEL...Bob Farrell, the founder of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours, has died at 87...Law enforcement paid tribute to Martin Milner at his funeral on September 12th.

Have a great week!