by John Walters
Tweet Me Right
Joel Embiid finished 0-11 from the field on Monday evening and finished with 0 points, unlike another former seven-footer from a Philadelphia NBA franchise, who once put up 100.
Starting Five
SFA?!? STFU!
At Cameron Indoor Stadium, Stephen F. Austin comes in and becomes the first non-conference school to beat Duke on their home court since 2000. And wow, the manner in which they did it. Watch:
“Nathan Bain, this is your life!”
Love it.
I wish the camera had just panned to the student section as soon as this layup fell. Maybe it did. We weren’t watching. Now I know how otherwise disinterested fans feel when Notre Dame loses a football game.
Duke becomes the third No. 1 hoops team to fall this month.
“O” and 1
Remember when Clemson, fresh off a 59-7 beatdown of Boston College and having been ranked in the Top 4 in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls the week before, somehow fell to 5th in the first week of the CFB Playoff Rankings?
Well, it happened again last night as LSU, No. 1 the past two weeks and having destroyed “Our Kansas”, as Herbie put it last night, 56-20, fell to No. 2 behind THE Ohio State University.
As Jesse Palmer put it so plainly and succinctly, nobody wants to be No. 2 (or No. 3) because that most likely means you’ll be playing Clemson in the semi.
So how close will that game up in Ann Arbor be this Saturday?
Saving Paris
In a heel-turn move that only Amazon-putting-up-a-brick-and-mortar-bookstore can appreciate, Netflix signed a long-term lease at one of New York City’s most beloved movie houses, The Paris (on 58th Street, just across from the Plaza Hotel) so that it would not close. The Paris opened in 1948.
The move also allows Netflix to screen its own Oscar-hopeful films first (they must be released on the big screen for a certain period of time to gain Oscar eligibility) without having to work with an outside distributor before putting them onto the streaming site.
Great. Now will someone buy The Oak Bar (inside the Plaza Hotel, where Cary Grant was having a drink just before the bad guys kidnapped him in North By Northwest...I’m NOT Richard Thornhill) and reopen that? Pretty please.
Sun and Moons
We remember when “blowing sunshine up your ass” had an entirely different meaning…
Five Films: 1964
- My Fair Lady: The story of Pygmalion set to music with an enchanting Audrey Hepburn (wasn’t she always?) in a role that Julie Andrews originated on Broadway. See it again if you haven’t in years and notice the subtle digs at the working-class lot in “With A Little Bit O’ Luck” 2. The Train: Burt Lancaster stars in this black-and-white World War II drama that we only saw for the first time last year and loved. There’s a famous scene in the middle of the film in which Lancaster did his own stunt and it’s pretty impressive. One of, if not THE, greatest athletes to ever be a veritable Hollywood star (who didn’t come in as a known athlete first). 3. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb. Peter Sellers, George C. Scott and Slim Pickens in the blackest comedy ever made to that point. “Gentlemen, you can’t fight here: This is the war room!” 4. Mary Poppins: Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews and the boundless imagination of animators. It won’t be Andrews’ best role as a governess, but it was the one for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. In her acceptance speech she thanked the producers of My Fair Lady for snubbing her, which gave her the opportunity to do this film. Audrey H., by the way, was not even nominated in that category. Hollywood had the knives out. 5. Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Olivia de Havilland in an incredible southern Gothic tale of intrigue and forfeited romance and murder. Another film we only saw in the past year but were wowed by.
Okay, so yeah, we left some Susie B-worthy films off the list and will acknowledge them here: Goldfinger, The Night Of The Iguana, A Hard Day’s Night, all came quite close. We’ve never seen The Umbrellas of Chambourg nor, Kurt, have we watched Mutiny On The Bounty in its entirety (we do love that Marlon Brando scrapped the director midway through the film over creative differences and finished it as the director himself, which is Peak Irony as far as we’re concerned).
Well, MAYBE if Audrey had done her own singing…
Have not seen The Train & it goes on The List!
As written on this site previously, Mary Poppins is special to me & goes on MY List as #1. The year 1964 itself was a pretty pivotal year for me film-wise as it was the 1st year where I started going to the movies on a regular basis AND I actually remember seeing the films in the theatres! (Unlike Shaggy Dog – the only reason I know it was my 1st film seen in a theater is that my older sister has told me this repeatedly).
And guess what – I have some MORE 1964 films for your consideration! :
Fail Safe – a nuclear crisis flick starring Henry Fonda. I saw on TV sometime in the early 70s & it gave me nightmares for weeks!
Father Goose – starring Cary Grant & Leslie Caron. Yes, the age difference between the romantic leads makes me gag but when I was a kid, there were SO MANY MOVIES with old men & young women that it barely registered.
The Incredible Mr. Limpet – possibly the 1st live action-animation mashup? It starred Don Knotts in both human & fish form. It’s actually sweet & funny.
The Moon-Spinners : Disney flick starring my idol Haley Mills now in her mid-teenage years. I LOVED this movie as a kid & have wanted to visit Mykonos (the film’s location) ever since. This is not a comedy but a mystery/action/romance film.
2 Jerry Lewis films – The Disorderly Orderly & The Patsy.
Send Me No Flowers – Doris & Rock once again, with Tony Randall, once again, in support.
The Unsinkable Molly Brown – starring Debbie Reynolds & Harve Preston. LOVED this movie as a kid. “He’s my friennnnd to the bitter ennnnd, even though the bitter end’s a million years awaaay”. And that song classic that YOU jdubs, as an occasional bartender should hold dear – “Belly up, belly up to the bar, boys! Let your money be seen!” 🙂
VIVA LAS VEGAS! – Come on jdubs, Elvis & Ann-Margret!
The Three Lives of Tomasina – a Disney flick about a cat. Not a “great film” but personally impactful to me – the only cat I ever personally “owned” on the farm was a yellow tabby I named Tomasina as she looked EXACTLY like the cat in the film. Unfortunately, my Tomasina did not have a happy ending. I have to now skip on to my next comment or I’ll start to tear up. 🙁
You already mention A Hard Day’s Night above but I have a little personal comment. For those who don’t know – this is a black & white Beatles movie. 1964 was PEAK BEATLES MANIA. I went along with my older sister (as I did most movies until I was 12 or so) & to THIS FREAKIN DAY, I remember this movie experience & NOT fondly. The entire audience was girls, girls, girls & EVERY SECOND ONE OR MORE OF THE BEATLES WAS ON SCREEN, THESE GIRLS SCREAMED! THE ENTIRE MOVIE! And not just when the Beatles sang! OMG – the sound hurt my ears so badly that I started bawling. My sister was furious at me & swore she’d “never go to a movie with that baby again!” Yeah, well, she HAD to let come come along on future movie trips or my Aunt wouldn’t take her so nah-nah-nanan-nan-nah. 🙂
As it’s soon to be Thanksgiving, it’s time to give my annual thanks to you, jdubs for writing every week day on this site. Your effort is NOT taken for granted! I look forward to coming here every morning to “catch up on sports & the world’s events”. Whenever a post is, er, delayed, I mentally pace around in my head, like a tiger in a cage.
Also, this year, I have ANOTHER thanks to say – for your daily Listing of 5 classic films. Not only do I LOVE thinking back on all these great films & reading your take, but it’s taken me back on “memory trips” to my childhood & other happy times. So, thanks again, jdubs. 🙂
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you, jdubs & to all the readers of MH.
Ooh, one more thing. I heard a ‘turkey joke’ on the radio this morning : What sound does a turkey’s phone make?
“WING, WING,WING”
🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m thankful for this site and that John actually reads and responds to comments. Thank you, good sir.
You’re certainly welcome, Kurt. I appreciate them.