Happy Birthday, John Cleese

 

    If you ever seen any "Monty Python" skits.... then you would know John Cleese. Born today in the year of 1939, John was born in England and was an only child as well. He started his career around the time he was a child throwing pranks around middle school. He used to play Crickett in his childhood before going into comedy.

   He did a few comedy shows that were popular around the seventies called "Monty Python"; think of a Saturday Night Live skit in Britian, where they are hilarious. You have to enjoy the humor to understand the skits they perform. But it's not just only skits, they've done a few movies as well. His most comedic skit is the 'Ministry of Silly Walks' where he shows the audience different styles of walking.

    There were other hilarious skits that made John Cleese famous in Monty Python. Him complaining that is 'parrot is no more; it had ceased to be....' It's a skit that involves John Cleese in a pet shop returning a bird that was dead and stuffed. One of my favorite skits ever in Monty Python. They also have done movies like 'Life of Brian', 'Meaning of Life' and my favorite, 'The Holy Grail.' He's in every one of those skits.

     When Monty Python ended, he decided to appear in some movies and tv shows. My favorite being 'A Fish called Wanda' it's a story about two crooks (Kevin Cline and Jamie Lee Curtis) finding a way to get some jewels by pretending to be siblings, although they are in love with each other. John Cleese tries to put the moves on Jamie's character named Wanda. It's a funny movie and it does have a happy ending. 

      He has done other movies and tv shows. Some that aren't highly rated or watched. Adventures of Pluto Nash, Feivel goes West, Out of Towners, Pink Panther 2 and many more. His tv credits are Cheers, The Muppet show (where he performed with Muppets), Will & Grace, 3rd Rock from the sun and much more. He's still acting today, but not as much as he used to.

   John Cleese has family. A few sons and daughters that are more writers although his daughter Camilla is trying to get into acting like her father, and both are by their sides even though she hasn't been in anything big, but they raise lemurs during their documentary on BBC called In the Wild: Operation Lemur. The Bemaraha Wooly Lemur is a lemur named 'Cleese's wooly lemur' 

   We celebrate not only his birthday, but today is my dad's as well. John Cleese celebrates with others even a deceased president. But today, John is now 84 years old and still acting. Amazes me he is still with us and is making people laugh from Monty Python to today. Happy Birthday to him and everyone who has anyone born on the 27th of October.

Trick or Treat- POEM

 

Candy,

pumpkins,

a full moon,

are we in the mood,

to trick,

or

get a treat?

Fill the buckets and bags,

with goodies,

that rot the teeth within,

this night,

all Hallow's eve,

tricks arrive,

before treats,

come to houses

spooky jack-o-lanterns,

the cold crisp night,

we see different costumes,

on children,

wanting Hershey bars,

to Reese's Pieces,

Parents behind,

with flashlights in their hands,

as they wait,

for their children,

to come home

Ghosts,

witches,

Frankenstein's monster,

a princess,

and many more,

waiting to fill their bags,

with candy galore

Houses decorated,

to lure children,

to candy inside,

as outside,

huge balloons, 

spiderwebs,

graves crocked enough,

to lure anyone,

to enjoy

Inside,

a party,

bobbing for apples,

decorating,

costumes,

appropriate or not,

as haunting music plays

Autumn festivals,

leaves falling,

Autum arrives,

and it will get colder,

once Halloween dies

Have fun,

this Halloween,

since this is the night,

fear strikes,

and candy is free,

Trick or Treat

Whatever happened to Mello Yello?

 

   Never been much of a soda drinker, but ever heard of a drink product called Mello Yello? It's like a Mountain Dew drinks wannabe. It came around the 1970's and is part of the Coca Cola Company. Mello Yello started out in 1979 and is banned in certain countries like Australia where they named their version Lift.

    Mello Yello is an ok brand. How did they get the name? I guess from the people who created. Since it had a lemony taste, they thought of the color yellow, and there was a song called Mellow Yellow. They have versions like Mello Zero, Cherry, Melon, Red and much more. 

 Jim Varney was in ads when he was Ernest back in the 80's He would pick Mello Yello over Mountain Dew which was pretty popular back then. Now, it seems Mello Yello has vanished and hasn't been around since the 80's ended. Where did it go?

   It hasn't gone anywhere, but it hasn't been heard of very much since the 90's. It has rebranded itself many times, and with Mountain Dew being more popular it seemed to have faded in the limelight (or lemon light) It's still available, but you find it at many places like grocery stores. Mello Yello is staying since 1979 and now...it's coming back with vengeance. Ok not vengence, but you get my drift.

Is the new Addam's Family movie ok?

     I have explained before about my likeness for the Addams family clan. Coming from a comic, to a tv show to many, many movies some good and some god awful. I have explained which one was my favorite and which ones despise me. 

    Then again, watching the 2019 version of the Addams Family recently, I came to ask myself....is it just ok?

   I've talked about how much I enjoyed Addams Family Values that was created back when I was only eight, maybe nine years old, and it's celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Raul Julia will always be my Gomez; God rest his soul. Anjelica Houston, although doing alright for herself...will always be Morticia to me. And you know how the rest goes on. 

  So, is the 2019 version better than this one? Not by a long shot.

   It's a typical Addams Family movie where they move into a new neighborhood and stay hidden from everyone. The voice acting is hit and miss. The voice actress from the kids is good, but for Gomez and Morticia.... I love Oscar Isaac, don't get me wrong, but I feel Raul Julia was the better Gomez. 

    This movie, I feel, is meant for kids and preteens. But let's talk about it.

    I believe every character in this movie has a focus, but Wednesday's is stronger. Tired of being cooped up, she eventually meets a girl named Parker. Her mother, voiced by amazing Alison Janey, designs and fixes houses in her neighborhood.

  Parker's mother, Margeaux, feels that it's best to destroy the Addam's family home so the whole town can be perfect. Her daughter, Parker, is an outsider and gets picked on by the perfect school bully. In other tropes you would see in junior high school settings.

   Wednesday makes Parker's life lively and they even switch places (ok they don't) but Parker turns Goth while Wednesday starts wearing pink which doesn't please Morticia at all.

     Pugsley has to go through an Addams Family tradition that involves becoming a man. I don't really pay attention to any of his scenes, but he does manage to save everybody by the end of the movie when Margeaux decides to take matters into her own hands.

   Another failure of this movie that I liked more in the 90's version is Uncle Fester. He's cartoony. Ok it is a cartoon movie, but the movie makes his character less dimensional than Christopher Lloyd's portrayal in the 91/93 version.

       Here's something interesting for this movie. In the 91/93 version, the hairy Cousin Itt is portrayed by an actor who was a villain in the Children of the Corn movie. Here, Snoop Dogg voices him. I don't hate Snoop Dogg but...really. I mean his scenes are short, but they play some of his rap music int he backgrounds whenever he is featured.

    Going with the original 91/93 version. 

       This movie wasn't horrible. I did enjoy the scenes with Wednesday in it. Having Alison Janey portray a mother who will go to great lengths to destroy the Addams Family home and even put cameras in other homes of the citizens makes her become a stalker, but at least she doesn't die at the end.

    I think of Margeaux as the want to be Joan Cusack character Debbie from Addams Family Values, just light on the homicidal maniac who kills to make her more...threatening to demolish homes.

    I think I love the Addams Family values more than I would the 2019 version, but it is an upgrade to the sequel they had afterwards which bombed in theaters. So... I'll put somewhere in the middle as an Addams Family movie that is enjoyable, but not the best. I'll give it a 6 or 5 out of 10 stars. More worth to have your kids enjoy that one than the 1993 version I enjoyed when I was a kid.

      Anjelica Houston and the late Raul Julia will always be my Morticia and Gomez Addams (not forgetting John Astin of course from the tv show) Sorry Charize Theron and Oscar Issac, you didn't make the cut.

Autumn is here- POEM

 

Autumn,

the time where you crunch leaves,

with your feet,

the air is cooler,

pumpkin and cinnamon,

are the norm

Summer is gone,

do we miss it?

Are we praying,

for a winter 

with no snow?

piles of leaves,

for us to jump in,

as you feel a chill in the air,

school has started,

Halloween is coming,

and so is....

the holidays

spooky spirts,

of Hallows galore,

pumpkins glow,

ghost,

witch,

and devil,

they all,

want candy

Smiling pumpkins,

evil pumpkins,

showing glows in the night,

leading trick-or-treaters,

to their candy delight

Halloween parties,

haunted decorations,

scary movies,

as October ends,

the Holidays soon begins

The Bewitching hour,

of movies,

to give you nightmares,

Autumn,

shows its fear,

throughout,

one month of the year

Colors of the leaves,

beautiful,

as they fall,

symbolizing,

the death,

of the trees

don't feel cold,

as Autumn symbolizes,

a change,

from warmth,

to chill

Autumn is here,

and it will stay,

as we will soon pray,

for it to come back,

when winter,

makes a scene,

enjoy,

for now