We will miss you, Catherine O'Hara

       On January 30th a famous actress from Canada passed away from a brief illness. I know some kids today wouldn't know whom she was, but she was a part of my childhood. She made movies memorable for starring in them. She would have guest roles in certain shows and come back to TV on a show made by Eugene Levy's son.

    Her name.... was Catherine O'Hara.

   She started out in Canada with a Canadian SNL skit tv called SCTV. She starred with other actors like the late John Candy, Eugene Levy and many more. She was considered hilarious as many people thought she would be great for movies and other tv shows.

   One of her first appearances in movies was "Beetlejuice" She played Winona Ryder's stepmother who wanted to decorate the house and have parties. The thing was...the house they lived in...is haunted by two ghosts and Beetlejuice is another.

   The most memorable scene is when she and a few others are sitting around the table and all of the sudden...Harry Belafonte's Day-O comes out of her mouth, and everyone starts dancing.

   What I remember her more in is Home Alone. Macaully Culkin had a tough life as it is. Especially when it came to his father. He would treat Catherine O'Hara like an actual mother figure than his own mother.

   She played Kevin's mom who accidently left him home alone. Ever since then...there had been sequels of that movie, and she was in the first sequel.

  Home Alone 2 was fine, but not great. She starred as the mother again, but this time.... Kevin is in New York. 

   The movie is some of a cut and paste redo of the first movie. It was good... but not great.

   In the early 2000's, Catherine O'Hara teamed up with Eugene Levy for a few Christopher Guest mockumentaries. One being Best in Show where she is married to Eugene Levy and they have a Norwegian Terrier that won the show.

    Recently, in honor of her memory, the recent dog show that took place in New York did a tribute in her memory showing scenes from that movie.

   She was actually not bad at singing. She did some Tim Burton movies that involved her voice. She even sang songs from A Nightmare Before Christmas. She did very well in that. She also voiced in other movies like Frankenweenie, The Addams Family, Over the Hedge, Wild Robot and many more.

    Sad that we lost her at the age of 71.

    She came back to TV in a show called Schitt's Creek. Involving a family that went from rich to poor. Starring her as a soap opera actress who recently retired.

   Eugene Levy starred as her husband while his actual sone Dan Levy was in the show as well playing the son who doesn't like to get dirty and finds a lover at the end of the series. I loved this show. It was hilarious and Catherine brought a lot of the comedy in that show.

 In 2023, I can't believe it's already been three years, Macauly Culkin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

  Catherine O'Hara was there since he had cut off all ties with his actual mother. She was very proud of him and was grateful for him to receive Hollywood's highest offer. Happily, Macauly has a wife and two boys today.

   It seemed she passed away from a brief Illness and was starring in a few shows as cameos from "The Last of Us" to "The Studio" which is a Seth Rogan comedy that I don't see since I don't have AppleTV+

   Many people mourned for her like I did. I was heartbroken. First of all,...I thought somebody was doing a prank, but...it was sadly true. We will miss her, but we will never forget the comedy she gave us from Canada to the US. Rest in peace, Catherine. Say hi to John Candy for us

What's turning 40 years old

 

    I can't believe that time is rally flying by. It's already February and it got me thinking.... what movies, tv shows and even events are turning 40 this year? Having a 40th anniversary? My cousin will be 40....I'm already 41 so...let's find out.

  Sadly, 40 years ago... when I was only a baby, the Challenger space shuttle exploded. It took the lives of a few spacemen and a teacher.

    First, they wanted Big Bird from Sesame Street to go on the shuttle...but his suit was too big. They decided to go with a teacher. OMG... what would it have been if Big Bird was on that shuttle?

  When it comes to movies...there is a few of them. One being Ferris Buller's day off. Matthew Broderick, who is an ok actor, stars as the lead in a John Hughes movie where he ditches school to enjoy a day in Chicago. 

   However, the principal believes he's getting out of school to ditch and tries to catch him.

  

   Other movies turning 40 are Alien, Crocodile Dundee, Platoon, Pretty in Pink (which is also another John Hughes movie), Highlander, Maximum Overdrive, Little Shop of Horrors, Labyrinth...the more I list, the older I feel.

    It's true....40 years have gone by and even prices back then were cheap compared to what are now.

   Who's turning 40? I can't believe I'm older than these people. We got Lady Gaga, the Olsen Twins, Robert Pattinson, Drake, Unsain Bolt, Lindsey Lohan, Emilia Clarke and many more.

    God, I feel old.

   Speaking of old, when it comes to music..."You give love a bad name" by Bon Jovi is truing 40. So are songs like...

   "Walk like an Egyptian", "If you leave", The Master of Puppets album by Metallica, "Don't dream it's over", "Papa don't preach" and many more. Another Album turning 40 is Somewhere in Time by Iron Maden

   Comparing prices is comparing apples to oranges. Things are becoming too expensive. Back in 1986...gas prices were pretty cheap. Buying food at grocery stores were also cheap, now they cost an arm and a leg.

   Time was similar 40 years ago. Hell...even 30 years ago...time was easy, and I was only 12.

      For me...42 years has gone by in a flash. I can't believe it already. When I was two.... many things happened. From people being born to movies being made and prices being cheap from gas to groceries and much more.

   Even malls were still around. Now....kids today would ask "what is a mall?" Well...sometimes I wish I was back in the 80's when I was little. I guess we can't relive the past. Just enjoy what we have today.

The Lighthouse (POEM)

 

A foggy day

Near the pier

a lonely lighthouse,

a light,

shines through

In the darkness,

the light shines,

in the lighthouse,

who's inside,

what goes on,

does anyone live there

Near the waterfront,

The light is off,

in the day,

and in the night,

a light shine

Boats are attracted,

to the light,

when it is dark,

to reach the land,

they often seek,

but mysteries,

haunt the light house

The waves crash,

near the rocks,

as the lighthouse

stands on rocks,

and grass,

and waits,

to turn on the light

Many lighthouses,

look haunted,

but the mystery,

of what lies beneath,

is just in our mind,

as stories,

make us believe,

every lighthouse,

holds a mystery,

we cannot solve

All Martin Scorsese films

 

    I recently saw a movie called 'Shutter Island' and it was pretty good. It starred Leonardo DiCaprio and had a twist ending. It was directed by Martin Scorsese. Who is he? Well....he is known as a pretty good director, and he has directed some gold when it came to certain movies. Some of them were based on true stories.

  THE AVIATOR- Based on Howard Hughes life and madness, the aviator is about Howard Hughes, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his life and childhood. Learning about aviation as well as the madness that would soon consume him. He was considered a germophobia and would be locked in his room peeing in jars. Sadly...it is based on true life.

GOODFELLAS- In the early 90's Joe Pesci was known not just as one half of the wet bandits. He also was known as a gangster. The late Ray Liotta narrates the story saying that he always wanted to be a gangster.

    There are some memorable quotes, and the story focuses on what happens after Ray's character experiences the mob life and what happens afterwards. It was pretty good.

SHUTTER ISLAND- This is movie I recently saw. It was good. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as two detectives looking for a missing woman in a mental ward on an island. It was pretty good...but then, strange things started to happen that involves Leo's character.

   It seems the missing woman was a palindrome of another woman who was Leo's dead wife and he is considered the mental patient they are looking for.

  CAPE FEAR- I only remember the Simpsons parody involving Sideshow Bob. They got the idea from this movie where Robert DeNiro is a mad man that is following a family around. 

   They assume a new identity, but it doesn't work. Agan...I saw the Simpsons version. It kind of mirrors the movie with Bart feeling threatened and the family going under another name, only to be found by the killer. 

  GANGS OF NEW YORK- I remember this movie very well. Long but worth seeing. Should have won the Oscar that year.

    Leonardo DiCaprio portrays a young man on a mission. To seek revenge on the man that killed his father in a fight. Some of this movie is based on a true story on what happened many years ago. Daniel Day Lewis played the antagonist and hated the hairstyle so much that he shaved his head off after the movie ended. Worth the watch; only criticism...Cameron Diaz as the woman. 

 THE DEPARTED- Another movie based on a true story staring Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. I vaguely remember this movie...but it was ok. It involves an Irish mob Boss and the Massachusetts Police. 

   It gets crazy as Jack portrays the mob boss Mark Wahlberg is also involved and ends up killing Matt at the end of the movie after Jack's character dies. That's all I can remember.

  KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON- This movie was based on a book that stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart. Based on a true story also starring Robert DeNiro. This movie was nominated for many awards. One being for best actress that was for Lily Gladstone. She was the first Native American actress nominated for that award. 

    Sadly, she didn't win it. I didn't see much of this movie. But this was one of the recent works by Marin Scorsese and it looks pretty good. It is a long one, but it could be worth seeing.

   Martin is also known for making movies like the Irishman, Hugo and others that he has directed. He likes to put Leonardo DiCaprio as well as Robert DeNiro in many of his works. He even acted in a few tv and movie roles. 

   He even has starred in commercials and directed a few short films and documentaries. He's still strong today, but he's around his eighties. It doesn't mean he'll stop any time soon. Some of his movies are worth watching. Shutter Island and Gangs of New York are the best in my opinion. 

Happy B-Day to Jason Bateman

     Today we celebrate an actor on his birthday. Who is Jason Bateman? Why is he in those State Farm ads with Batman? Well, let's go back to when he was young and how he became a great actor, and still is today...with certain rolls

 

  Jason was born on January 14th in 1969. He didn't really get his start in acting until he was a kid. He is a younger brother of an actress named Justine. His first start in acting was a cameo in Little House on the Prairie.

. 

  Jason and his sister Justine are considered talented actors. Although Jason has continued on, his older sister has backed away from the fame for now.

    However, their relationship had seemed strained as she doesn't see him as much of an actor, or a big fan of him.

  

   He stared as Ricky Schroder in "Silver Spoons" when he was a teenager. He was in the show for a few years. He even appeared in other TV shows like It's your Move, St. Elsewhere, A taste for Killing, this can't be love, and Arrested Development

   His first movie starring was in Teen Wolf Too. A sequel to a teen wolf movie that stared Michael J. Fox back in the 80's. I don't think I've ever seen that movie. He did ok in that, but he was other movies like Love Stinks, The Breakup, Mr. Maginoum's Wonder Emporium and many more. Some I've seen...and some I didn't.

   I wish I got into a show that he was known for and brought back his star power. He starred in a hit show called Arrested Development. It was a black comedy starring him as a son of I guess a businessman, and it involved some scandals that make his life worse.

    It was canceled but picked up in another station and finished out the series. However, allegations on a certain actor of the show tarnished what little life it had left.

  

   Jason starred in a lot of movies from Horrible Bosses to Dodgeball. Another was Starsky and Hutch which I did see.

   It followed the 70's show which I never saw about two detectives. Jason played a sidekick to Vince Vaughn's villain who is smuggling cocaine. It was actually pretty good. An interesting Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson movie. But Jason only had a side roll.

   He started getting more roles for movies. Another being Horrible Bosses. He played a character who wanted to deal with his horrible boss (portrayed by Kevin Spacey). He isn't alone. Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day are his friends that have to deal with their own boss problems.

    Eventually, it works out for them. They had a sequel where they plan to kidnap the son of a boss (played by the hot Chris Pine), but it backfires for them in many ways. Both movies were very good...but I could only watch the sequel more.

   Jason eventually started to do some voice acting as he got a role of a fox working with a bunny to stop crime on a Disney/Pixar movie called "Zootopia" Jason voices a fox who helps stop a crimewave going around.

   Eventually, they solve it and save everyone. He recently voiced him again in the sequel which did ok. However, I haven't seen it yet.

  Jason also went back to TV to star in a show called "OZARK' Jason portrays the lead and it involves a Mexican Drug Ring that went horribly wrong. Jason does a pretty decent job on this show. Sadly, I never got into it, but it made his comeback to TV pretty strong. 

    Today, Jason turns 57 and he's still acting today. He has a wife and two daughters and has been nonstop with acting as well as activism as well.

     Jason's star hasn't dimmed or brightened...it just is glowing as bright as it was when he came back to TV on Arrested Development. Want to wish him the happiest of birthdays. Enjoy it, Jason.

The year so far- POEM

 

A week has past

the new year is still fresh

but it seems

it's starting to get

worse

as the days go by

Riots

are growing stronger

as someone

is slain

in Minnesota

Football 

is near its end

as it seems

February

is getting closer

who 

will 

make it

to the end

It hasn't even been mid Jan

and yet

it feels as if

time

is going by faster

as everything

feels rushed

 People feel stressed

with games going on

and wondering

what else they have to do

by the end 

of the month

Feeling colder

as the winds

bring out a chill

mostly

in our town

one day,

it's nice,

the next day....

freezing

The flu

gets stronger

and this year

more are sick

few die

vaccines help

only if you want

to survive

TV brings back shows

some new

some old

some recycled ideas

that wasn't meant

for TV

So far

some good

some bad

only through 11 days

The year will go by quick

and we

will just wonder....

where does the time go