I Love Lucy - Sentimental Sunday No. 55

“I Love Lucy” was one of my favorite shows growing up. During the summer months it was on television every weekday morning at 9am. I watched all the episodes with my Mom. Those are happy memories.

The show never fails to make me laugh, no matter how many times I’ve seen the episode.; and I’ve seen ALL the episodes at least five or six times. (All 194 of them)

It is difficult to choose my favorite episodes, but some are  “Vitameatavegemin”, “The Chocolate Factory” and of course “The Grape Stomping” episode. But there are many that are less well known that tickle my funny bone. For example, the one when Lucy and Ethel buy a walk in freezer and a side of beef – without Ricky and Fred knowing about it – and Lucy gets locked in the freezer and nearly freezes to death. Or the time they decide to live in “pioneer days” and Lucy bakes the loaf of bread that is huge and comes out of the oven and pins her against the cabinets – because she thought the recipe said 13 cakes of yeast, rather than three.

Especially dear to my heart are all of the episodes when they are travelling to California, and then when they are in Hollywood. Who could ever forget the girls stealing John Wayne’s footprints from in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater? Or, when Lucy is asked to be in a fashion show, but she gets so sunburned… and then has to wear a 100% wool suit on the runway. Her agony was palpable.

I am always instantly happy whenever I watch an “I Love Lucy” episode. She was a genius - and so was Desi Arnaz. He invented the 3-camera sitcom and was an incredible visionary when he had the show filmed, rather than recorded on kinescope.  I Love Lucy was the first television show to be shot in front of an audience on 35mm film.  It is because of his vision that we have all of these treasures more than 50 years later. What a gift they left us all.

I loved Lucy when I was young – and to this day I still do. I own the entire collection on DVD and watch them while walking on the treadmill. And, as I’m watching episodes I can almost hear my Mom’s laughter – because she loved Lucy too. 

Lucille Ball was credited with many clever quotes – but I’ll leave you with my favorite, “The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.”

Who doesn’t "love Lucy" - she was FABULOUS!

Date Night

We had a fun impromptu date night when Richard picked me up from work tonight.  Started with a cocktail and some delicious Purple Peruvian Fries with Cumin Scented Ranch Dressing at Prudence Uncorked.  Both the drink and the food were delicious!

After our brief trip to see Prudence, we went to Salem Cinema to see the Italian film, "Mid-August Lunch".

What a delightful film!  We highly recommend it.  The original release date in Italy was 2008.  I believe it may be available on DVD.  It's a short (75 minutes) sweet and precious story about a man who takes care of his Mother - along with the Mother's of some of his friends.  Adorable!

Afternoon at the Movies

We saw the movie "Ondine" this weekend, starring Colin Farrell.  It was quite good. 

Neil Jordan wrote and directed this enchanting Irish film about a fisherman who makes a discovery that may or may not be magical.  It was a sweet tale, and we really enjoyed Colin Farrell's quiet performance.  A change of pace from other movies we've seen him in. 

I Was So Happy

on Sunday night.  The series "Mad Men" returned for the fourth season. 

image from allmoviephoto.com

We abolutely LOVE this show!  Extremely well written and the actors do a fine job portraying their characters.  We will be looking forward to Sunday nights on AMC at 10pm.

If you aren't already hooked on this show, put the first few seasons on your "Netflix" list!  It's great! 

Live Aid Anniversary

image from www.apeculture.com

This week marked the 25th anniversary of Live Aid.  What a spectacular world event it was all those twenty five years ago.  It was a wonderful day of music and fellowship, but more importantly a day for the world to become more aware of the tragedy happening in Africa.  Unfortunately, things are still not perfect on the beautiful continent.

image from www.bobgeldof.info 

Sir Bob Geldof was the primary organizer for Live Aid.  He continues to work for aid in Africa and stopping poverty around the world.  I think he's a pretty incredible man, and I'm in awe of him and his humanitarian efforts.

Richard and I are remembering Live Aid by watching our DVD set of the day.  So many fun performances and really great music.  And, some of the things we laugh at because they are "just SO 80's"!  All in all the day holds happy memories for us and we're enjoying reliving some of them this weekend.

Robin Hood - The Movie

Although the reviews haven't been stellar, we saw "Robin Hood" starring Russell Crowe & Cate Blanchett last night.

I must say that I completely disagree with the reviews. I love that Ridley Scott did not make another movie about the same Robin Hood cliches we seen time and time again.

It was a wonderful story and enjoyable film. Both Richard and I really liked it!

Have You Seen...

photo from the Guardian.co.uk

...the new NBC show, "The Marriage Ref"? I had heard from a friend that it was really funny. We watched it for the first time last Thursday night. Madonna, Ricky Gervais & Larry David were on the panel. The show is freakin' hilarious! Married couples submit videos of a particular ongoing argument that they are having. Then the ref, Tom Pappas, along with the guest panel decide who should win the argument. Some of these couples are "crazy"! And, I thought Richard and I had stupid arguments!

Catch it on Thursday nights at 10pm on NBC. It's quite funny - at least the one episode we saw was.

Go See

the movie "Crazy Heart" starring Jeff Bridges.

photo from blog.80millionmoviesfree.com

He absolutely deserves all of the accolades and awards he has received thus far. Loved the movie; loved his performance; Maggie Gyllenhall was really good too.

The Golden Globes

are today. I can't wait. We've seen almost all the nominated movies and performances. I will be firmly planted in front of the television from 3pm on. (Have to catch the Red Carpet arrivals, don't ya know!)

Award Season...

... is looming large. The Golden Globes are next weekend, and the Screen Actor's Guild awards the weekend after that. We've been trying to see as many nominated movies as possible. It's an exciting time of year around our house.

photo from moviewatchingonline.info

Last night I saw "Precious" with my friend Jenn. Richard really wasn't interested in seeing it. I will say he probably would have hated it. Very tough movie to watch. To see a mother allow her daughter to be abused in that way, and to watch the mother abuse her as well - it was heart breaking. However, that said, there were definitely some award winning performances in the film. In particular Mo'nique deserves all of the nominations she has received thus far, and I hope that she wins those awards. She was amazing as the mother.

We Saw...

photo from upintheairtrailer.com

The movie "Up in the Air" today. It was really quite good. Of course, I'm very partial to George Clooney. (Known to all my family and friends as "my George"!)

Richard and I enjoyed the movie and our visit to the newest theater in Salem, Cinebarre. We liked the service and the food. We will definitely go back to this theater again.

Wishing "my George" good luck at the Golden Globes this awards season.

Movie Time

photo from moviecarpet.com

We saw the movie "Avatar" today. When I originally saw the previews I wasn't very interested in seeing the movie. But having heard from people that saw it - and hearing all of the reviews, we decided to go. Well worth the time and money. It was quite a bit better than I expected. I think it's another "win" for James Cameron. It should most certainly win all of the Visual Effects awards this year.

Amelia Earhart

photo from empire pictures

I saw the movie "Amelia" this week. What a fascinating lady she was. I learned things about her from the movie that I had not known before. And, although I certainly knew her fate going into the film, I found myself hoping for a happy ending, complete with a rescue or safe landing on Howland Island.

photo from wikipedia

This was quite a good film and I think that Hilary Swank did an impeccable job in her portrayal of this famous aviatrix. I am not sure why the critics have not given the movie good reviews. I really liked it and recommend it as a movie to see.

"This Is It"

I saw the Michael Jackson movie, "This Is It" today. I went to the movie expecting to enjoy it. I expected that his talent would shine through the film. I expected to be sad that he is no longer with us. What I didn't expect was that I would be so blown away by the film. The producers did a beautiful job of capturing Michael's brilliance and genius.

I was never really a fan of Michael Jackson "the man". I believe he was eccentric and odd. I've never really been sure if he was guilty of what he was accused of. I don't think he was - but only a very few people and God really know that for sure. However, I was always a fan of his talent. From the time he was a little boy he continued to amaze, perform and entertain. We all knew he was talented. What I don't think I really respected until today was what a perfectionist he was; a showman and so knowledgeable about his craft. He was truly unique.

I think the concerts that were set to be performed last summer would have been incredible. The concept for the concerts, the amount of work put into the production pieces, were original and brilliant. Michael surrounded himself with equally talented people. The performers, the choreographers, the musicians and the producers all shared a vision and the unique honor of working with M.J. What a shame that their vision never came to fruition. What a shame that he left us so soon. And how sad for his family and his children. For us Michael was a performer - but he was their Dad and now all they have left is memories.

Julie & Julia

What a delightful movie. Meryl Streep is so perfect as Julia Child. I was enthralled with her performance, but more so by the food - the recipes - the wine and the cheese. I'm hungry... and it's almost 11pm! I want to get in the kitchen and "whip something up". But I'll satisfy myself by highly recommending this movie.


It was so enjoyable. (and savory!) It's funny and sweet and you'll probably walk away wanting to get Julia Child's cookbook and make a few recipes. I love to cook - if you've never checked out my food blog - please stop by. Gumbo Ya Ya loves company and hopefully I have some recipes for everyone. Click HERE to come by and sit a spell!

T.V. Time with Daddy – Sentimental Sunday No. 24

I loved the times I had alone with my Dad. They were special times, and memories I will cherish forever. We didn’t have to be doing anything special… just spending time with my Daddy was all I needed. I loved crawling up in my Dad’s recliner chair with him; we would cuddle and watch television. I don’t really recall what shows we watched, but I know I was always happy and safe when we were together.

I do have one standout memory of us watching “Combat” together. It was on for five seasons from 1962 to 1967. I couldn’t tell you what episode it was; or when it aired. But, I can tell you that I enjoyed it – because it was time I spent with my Dad.

A Good Movie?? - Sentimental Sunday No. 22

When Richard and I had been dating only a short time, my Mom called me and told me that she and my Dad had seen the BEST movie and we simply MUST rent it. I asked her what the name of it was and who was in it. "It's called Breathless, and it stars Richard Gere," she replied. Ok great Mom! Thanks for the recommendation... and I went to the video store to rent it.

I told Richard that my Mom had recommended this movie to us - so after dinner we sat down and prepared to be "wowed!" We watched... and we kept waiting for the movie to get "good"... and we watched... and it really wasn't going ANYWHERE. In fact, there was one scene that I was a little embarrassed to be watching with my beau, and I got the giggles, because that's what I do when I'm embarrassed. Both Richard and I agreed that it was probably the worst movie we had ever seen.

The next day I called my Mom and told her we had rented and watched the movie and we both thought it was really awful and wondered what she and my Dad could have been thinking. She started laughing hysterically and said, "yup... it was pretty bad wasn't it!" She just thought it would be funny to make us suffer through the movie like they did and make us think it was going to be GREAT!

That was my Mom in a nutshell... probably the funniest person I've ever known.

Saturday Movie

Richard and I saw "Angels and Demons" today, starring Tom Hanks. It was a very well done movie. I have not yet read the book by Dan Brown. I typically don't like to read the books before the movie. Usually, when I read the book first, I am disappointed in the movie. So, this time I waited. However, Richard did read the book first. Although he enjoyed the movie - he says the book was better. Big surprise! I tried to warn him. We do both still recommend the movie. A lot of action, great story line, excellent directing and acting. and an enjoyable 2 hours and 20 minutes.