Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Due to travel and a busy schedule, it's been over a month since my last link roundup! Lots to catch up on today, starting off with the news that the Barnes & Noble Criterion half price sale is underway now. It runs through November 28th.

...IMDb has sued to invalidate the California law forcing it to censor actors' birthdates. IMDb believes the law is an un-Constitutional prohibition of free speech, banning the dissemination of factual information, and the company also points out that the law attempts to police the internet beyond state borders, as the site is used worldwide.

...FilmStruck, the new streaming service from Turner Classic Movies and Criterion, is now up and running. It was originally scheduled to open for business in mid-October but had to push the start date back to early November in order to finish work on the site. The L.A. Daily News has an overview.

...Meanwhile TCM's Movie Morlocks site has morphed into Streamline: The FilmStruck Blog.

...The Broadway revival of SHE LOVES ME, which streamed live online in June, is coming to theaters December 1st. It was a wonderful show which I highly recommend. I hope to see it again on the big screen! It stars Zachary Levi, Laura Benanti, and Jane Krakowski.

...Prince Albert of Monaco has purchased his mother Grace Kelly's childhood home in Philadelphia. He said it may ultimately contain some museum space and/or offices for the Princess Grace Foundation.

...Greenbriar Picture Shows recently had a very interesting piece on the new book MISSION: JIMMY STEWART AND THE FIGHT FOR EUROPE by Robert Matzen.

...New book: THE ART OF THE HOLLYWOOD BACKDROP by Richard M. Isackes and Karen L. Maness.

...Here are some articles on the current state of the classic film scene, from Vox and the L.A. Times. Related topic: An article on millennials and streaming.

...Will McKinley has written about James Garner and Sally Field in MURPHY'S ROMANCE (1985) for getTV.

...Another new book: THANKSGIVING: THE HOLIDAY AT THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE by Melanie Kirkpatrick.

...Currently in my Kindle: A SQUARE MEAL: A CULINARY HISTORY OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION by Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe.

...At Silents and Talkies, Kate has reviewed the New York version of the TCM Classic Film Bus Tour. I wrote about the Los Angeles version in 2014.

...At Out of the Past, Raquel recently wrote about seeing the Argentinian film noir LOS TALLOS AMARGOS (1956), also known as THE BITTER STEMS, at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival. I was able to see it myself at the Noir City Film Festival.

...My latest ClassicFlix article is on last month's Lone Pine Film Festival.

...Coming to Netflix November 25th: the GILMORE GIRLS! Here is the trailer.

...Attention Southern Californians: One of my earliest childhood memories is a visit to Santa's Village in Skyforest, California, near Lake Arrowhead. It closed in 1998. It was recently announced it will reopen.

...Notable Passings: Lupita Tovar has passed away at the age of 106. Best known for the Spanish-language version of DRACULA (1931), she was reviewed here in THE FIGHTING GRINGO (1939), costarring George O'Brien. Her daughter, Susan Kohner, costarred in IMITATION OF LIFE (1959); grandchildren Chris and Paul Weitz are screenwriters. Chris cowrote ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016), due out next month...Robert Vaughn, star of TV's THE MAN FROM UNCLE, has passed on at the age of 83. His films included THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS (1959), for which he was Oscar nominated, and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)...Soap star Patricia Barry has died at 93. I especially remember her from a favorite MAVERICK episode, "Two Beggars On Horseback"...Gloria Fong, aka Maylia, who costarred with Dick Powell in TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (1948), has died at 90...Kathryn Adams, a '40s actress who was married for decades to Hugh Beaumont, passed away at 96...REMINGTON STEELE co-creator Michael Gleason has passed on at 78...Singer Kay Starr has passed on at 94...Disney Imagineer Oscar "Skip" Lange died last month at 70; his many accomplishments include being a key figure behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

...For even more classic film and other links, please visit my last link roundup.

Have a great week!