It has come to my attention that there are those among you who are not tracking comments. This means that unless I point them out, you are missing new comments on old posts.
If you are browsing with either Firefox 2 or Internet Explorer 7, click “Comments” under “Feeds.” You should see something interesting. If you see a lot of stuff that looks likes computer code, you’re using a browser that doesn’t do RSS and you should get updated!
Dave Moncur has written to tell me the great news that yesterday the PETition to request Petula Clark be granted the title of Dame passed the 1000 mark! Thanks, Dave, and thanks to everybody who signed!
At the moment the signature count is 1010, and the list includes writer Alan Moore, creator of V for Vendetta, and other comic book stories that have been adapted into movies. His graphic novel from 20 years ago, Watchmen, superbly illustrated by Dave Gibbons, is currently in production. Moore can be seen in Jonathan Ross’s documentary for the BBC, In Search of Steve Ditko. You’ll find it in seven parts here on DogRat.com, starting at this link.
Something I’ve discussed previously about Petula Clark are the many styles and persona she has assumed in her career over the years. She suited herself perfectly in whatever the era was she performed. I like to think that Pet is more than merely versatile — she’s multi-faceted, even complicated. And for me that’s a big part of her appeal, because it’s always been there, enhancing her performances. It’s an understatement to say there’s always been more to Pet than meets the eye.
Here are a couple of pictures of Pet you can click to enlarge. She’s the picture-perfect wife next door, as if anybody could ever hope to have her living next door …
… and here Pet presents two other sides of herself. One more business-like, the other decidedly show business-like.
Petula was an adorable child star, then later she was an ingenue in film, but we knew nothing of that when she first appeared in America. In Paris she was sultry and sexy, and we didn’t get to see that either in America. Yet here in the States she fit in perfectly with the go-go fashions of the Swinging Sixties teen music scene, and from there she gracefully transitioned to a more adult audience, as seen in the Dean Martin shows, and her own TV specials. I would suggest that men of the adult married variety were particularly interested in her during this phase of her career. I consider Pet’s appearance in the video I posted here to be one of the sexiest, and most contagiously fun, performances I’ve ever seen.
Good Ol’ Mike Dobbs, author, editor, and animation expert, has a new book out called ESCAPE! How Animation Broke Into The Mainstream. Click the picture to read an article about it.
On Saturday I drove out to Springfield for a talk Mike gave about animation in general, and the book in particular. He gave a great introduction to the history of animation, providing a clear and concise explanation of how we got where we are today. It was fun seeing The Dobbster (no relation to Lou Dobbs, that I know of!) in person after many years. Mike mentions my visit in his blog, at this link.
I spotted this commercial recently. Maybe you’ve seen it.
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Hey, good to see they’re hanging onto the LPs!
Real estate agents must be very scared right now. The good ones that have been around a while know there are market slumps, but this one is particularly bad, because it’s everywhere and not just regional, and it seems likely to be around for a while.
The wording of this commercial is, of course, self-serving. But what do they mean by saying, “family conditions often outweigh market conditions”? Are they talking about families that have to move for one reason or another? That part of the market is always present. What’s changed is the disappearance of speculators who “flip” properties, and the market being flooded with foreclosed homes that marginal buyers couldn’t really afford. But the market is such a mess right now, and credit is so tight, that even many of the families this ad is targeting are frozen out.
The ad refers to the “millions of homes that will be sold this year,” as if the market is still a go-go thing, and it assures buyers they’re “making a good move” financially. Maybe, but if it hasn’t reached bottom yet, in the short term it would be a bad move.
I recall one Realtor asking me how much money I made. My reply was, “I’ll pretend you didn’t ask that question.” She wisely backed down immediately. Realtors represent the SELLER and not the buyer. That’s the #1 thing to keep in mind when talking to them. It’s to their advantage to get you into a more expensive house, because their commission will be bigger. Ten years ago, when I applied for a pre-qualified mortgage before house-hunting, I had to provide full financial information, of course, and the salesman said I could afford a much bigger mortgage than what I’d requested. “No thanks,” I said.
Realtors and banks need to accept the blame for the mess we’re in. I really resent the tone that conservative commentators make, that the fault is with the suckers who went for these deals. It reminds me of a joke in the movie “Airplane” that made fun of the old “Point/Counterpoint” segment on 60 Minutes — “They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say let ’em crash!”
One more Garfield parody from Lasagna Cat, and for the rest go to the link and watch in Quicktime. Stay with this one to the end. Eric and I laughed so hard at the last two quotes that our stomachs hurt.
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In-the-know son Eric has directed me to Lasagna Cat, a collection of Garfield parodies. I haven’t watched all of the videos at the link yet, but this is a good one.
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