Like most people of my generation I grew up with the Star Wars franchise (1977-1983. It ends there, right?) as the single most defining pop culture event of youth. I did not, however, feel any particular need to have it as a continuing Force (heh) in my life, afterwards. By the time I was a teenager I had already moved on to the collected works of dramatic actresses as The Single Most Satisfying Form of Entertainment. So I'm kind of amazed still that in any given month on the internet you can find dozens of new articles or tumblr items or deviant art sketches or nsfw riffs or ANYTHING at all about the franchise. It just doesn't stop... even after George Lucas tried to kill it cluttering up the beautifully sparse frames of the originals with merciless revisionism and CGI accessorizing.
Yet despite my lack of continued love for the franchise to end all franchises (or, more accurately, the franchise to start all franchises -- that's all we get now!) I will admit that Luke & Leia still have a very special place in my adult heart.
Only the most surface reading of Mad Men would suggest that it's The Don Draper Show. His (forged) identity is, like most identities at some point or another, a prison. But it's also a prism and if there's a single best thing about the show it's the way in which he is reflected in his protege Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) and, to varying lesser extent, in the vibrant supporting cast. So it felt like a total gift when Mad Men's writing team chose to set their final scene (season?) together in a movie theater. Just for us, surely!
Don has had a rough week and heads there for solace only to find Peggy, who has recently flown his Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce coop already there. Don suggests it's far too early in her new job to be ducking out from work. To which she responds.
Just knocking out the cobwebs. Someone told me this works."
They say it's your birthday.♬ ♩♬♩♬ it's my birthday, too.
Herewith, in semi off the cuff order, the greatest peoplethings born on this day in history. Happy June 6th!
Honorable mention... Jason Isaacs -The impossibly hot 49 year old actor studied to be a lawyer but if he had stuck with it we would have never had his Captain Hook, or his Lucius Malfoy, or his bickering married screenwriter in Friends With Money, or even known who he is. Tragedy averted.
VC Andrews - not for writing the ridiculous "Flowers in the Attic" but for inspiring the ridiculous genius of Parker Posey's Waiting for Guffman scene in which the brilliant comic actress uses it for her small town theater audition.
"and who's on top and who's on bottom now? Huh?!"
TOP TEN JUNE 6TH BIRTHDAY PEOPLETHINGS!
10 Levi Stubbs From the Four Topps to Audrey II. I ♥ Little Shop of Horrors, don't you.
09 Chantal Akerman I feel such guilt that I still haven't seen Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
08 Billie Whitelaw She hasn't appeared in a movie since Hot Fuzz but the BAFTA winning actress and Samuel Beckett muse has been giving it on stage and screen since the 1950s in everything from Quills, to Hitchcock's Frenzy to Charlie Bubbles and was even the voice of crazy ass eyeball dropping muppet astronomer Aughra in The Dark Crystal.
Fun trivia: Billie Whitelaw played the evil nanny of that little toddler Anti-Christ in The Omen, whose birthday was also June 6th. Not So Fun Triva: When I was little I snuck into the living room to watch The Omen on TV by myself. I was so scared I could barely sleep for the next two nights and since I was also a June 6th baby, I had to search my scalp for the mark of the devil afterwards!
07 TETRIS! The video game turns 28 years old today. Nine time out of ten its geometric puzzle descendants are the cel phone apps that I accidentally become obsessed with. I would have placed it much higher but for all the months of my life it has consumed... and for what?
I'll never have those months back! Curse you Tetris.
06 Aaron Sorkin For A Few Good Men, The American President, Moneyball and especially The Social Network. If he cared a little more about writing great female characters to go with his tremendously interesting male characters he'd be just about the perfect screenwriter.
05 Aleksandr Pushkin For being such a crucial figure in Russian and, hell, world literature. The Russian noble and poet's legacy can't be denied. He even inspired one of the great Oscar Best Picture winners Amadeus (1984) with his short work "Mozart and Salieri"
04 Harvey Feirstein The inimitable croaksqueak voice, the great wit, the wonderful plays and movies, the multiple Tony Awards, the homo bravery. Such a trailblazer, such a great performer and man. Edna Turnblad (#2) forever! See: Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage Aux Folles, The Sissy Duckling, and more.
03 Sandra Bernhard For her Oscar nomination worthy brilliance in King of Comedy (1983). For one of the best and bravest concert films of all time Without You I'm Nothing (1990). And for just being her own inimitable self. The best stars are always irreplaceably singular.
And though the Sandra/Madonna days are long gone *sniffle* I just have to share my single favorite talk show appearance of all time... I watch it at least once every couple years. It is serving up 1988 authenticity. It is time machine realness.
02 The drive in movie theater! For reals. On June 6th, 1933 the first one opened for business. Thank you New Jersey. I have rarely been to the drive-in in my life but I love the concept and I love drive-in scenes in movies even more than the concept.
The first movie I ever saw at a drive-in was this (incidentally the only time I ever remember my mom and dad taking me to the drive in *sniffle*) and the best time I ever had at a drive-in was this (college was so fun. sigh) and the last one I ever saw was this. Point being: it's hard to forget going to the drive-in.
me, plotting eternal youthful middle age01 Me I'm turning 40 (ugh). Again! I'm so happy that people can legally discriminate against me in the job market now. Wheeee. If you'd like to soften the blow, take the subscription rush challenge and I'll see you again on June 30th.
Since Wisconsin's citizenry tried to ruin my birthday last night I'm turning to actresses for solace, as I am wont to do: An Evening with Jane Fonda tonight and Jane Krakowksi live this weekend. Yes.
My time has been atypically divided lately and I've missed the social interactions that are part of blogging full time, whether that's rapidfire tweeting or IMing or whatever. So in the absence of your comments (seriously a Les Miz dropping without comments? first time for everything!) I thought I'd share some brief movies notes from friends/readers via text, facebook, twitter and such that made me giggle this past week about topics you just might have been texting your own friends about.
1. Titanic is a really long movie and friends get impatient when you're watching it and are supposed to meet them.
He forgot to type "Spoiler Alert".
•
2. Readers know from Kidmania. Respect the actressexuality!
Jei Dee is psychic. Love this I do. Honestly I haven't been this excited for a Nicole Kidman performance (Cannes entry Paperboy) since the musical Nine. Not that that one turned out spectacularly well but I'm talking about preemptive enthusiasms. shut up. I loved Nine on stage. What can I say?
•
3. One of my friends likes to torture me with incessant Chloe Moretz related messages. Stop it!
I can't keep blogging about the Carrie remake but yes, Julianne's involvement would make it SO CONFLICTING somewhat confusing for me. If only because my Julianne Completism would force me to actually see the sure to be stillborn movie. If you missed the post about why I'm already in hate with the movie, that's here.
Hee. Weirdly Josh Hutcherson is winning said poll. I guess you're all cat people (yay!)
•
5. "Chloe" himself Drew Droege responded to my "nineties" nostalgia article dedicated to him.
Unexpected shout-outs are heartwarming. This was almost as exciting as that time on Oscar night live-blogging when Sandra Bernhardt tweeted me about my strong [ahem] feelings about her snub in the 80s for The King of Comedy.
Name Dropping for the Finale!
That's all.
We need a dumb catchy word like "sexting" that's about movie texts, don't we? Nothing works. "Flixting"? pues no. Let's come up with one, shall we?
Matt Patches gives us the best news of the day for New Yorkers. The Alamo Drafthouse is coming. Lists of Note Preston Sturges "11 rules of box office appeal" Tee hee. Cinema Blend new details on Matt Damon's Promised Land. It involves fracking. Scanners a wonderful interview with Bette Davis circa 1988. She would have turned 104 this weekend.
Pajiba the highest grossing female led action films (not adjusted for inflation) akslkgkdsl The Awl unanswered questions about teen movies. Here's a sample:
Say Anything…: How many times did Lloyd use the boombox trick in future relationships, and was his song selection always “In Your Eyes,” or did it change to reflect the current hits?
Tom Shone on the Titanic 3D conversion. I love Tom Shone.
Finally Boy Culture reminded me of this year old interview with one of my favorite character actresses (and incidentally one of my favorite lesbians) Miriam Margolyes. I love her in everything -- remember how fun she was lusting after The Bening in Being Julia?. She is hilarious and she was totally dissing the Oscars for their big stars in supporting categories problem.
It was a very good film called The Age of Innocence and I was marvelous in it. I was! The reason I wasn't nominated was because of WINONA RYDER AND I DON'T LIKE HER! What happened was she was nominated as a supporting actress instead being nominated as a leading actress. If she'd jolly well kept herself to herself and been a leading actress, they would have nominated me as supporting. I was livid."
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 2:22PM 
