mackinney29's Comments

Big Hollywood : Daily Gut: Stewart vs. O'Reilly

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 23:07:49 +0000

You are so right, Simon. I'm about 3/4 of the way though Liberal Fascism and although I consider myself something of a historian (amateur but well-read), I'm learning an incredible amount from Mr. Goldberg. I cannot recomment this book highly enough!

Big Hollywood : Leno vs. Conan vs. NBC: Who Cares? Save 'The Tonight Show'

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:51:35 +0000

Not a fan of late-night tv, except for an occasional bit of Craig Ferguson, but I always thought Conan was a dreadful replacement for Leno, who at least manages to interview interesting guests without acting like a hyperactive five-year-old. Of course, nothing would make me watch Letterman, who's the most condescending, annoying, ego-inflated host on tv - well, except for some of those "ladies" on The View. I'd say that NBC (aka Nothing But Crap) was done, except that there's still one bright spot on Monday night, which has sparked a new nickname - Nothing But Chuck! Hehehehehe.....

Big Government : Friday Free-For-All

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:41:14 +0000

Oh, wow - great story! And being a grandma myself, I'm totally down with this! Where's my umbrella? :D

Big Government : Friday Free-For-All

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:26:41 +0000

Cool bit of history there. Glad to see someone who's not blathering about what a righteous dude John Brown was. Sheesh. Don't people even read history any more? Facts, people! Cherish 'em. This puts me in mind of something I once saw when I accidentally turned on Charlie Rose one night. His guest was that heinous idiot, Quentin Tarantino, who was in the process of declaiming that the GREATEST AMERICAN WHO EVER LIVED - the one all schoolchildren should be taught to look up to and emulate - greater than Lincoln or Washington or ANYONE - was John Brown. Well, I always knew there was a reason I've never watched one of Tarantino's movies - apart from the gratuitous violence, of course - and this just confirmed it! The man is as nutso as John Brown, who was crazy as the original bedbug, and murderous as well. And heck, if I remember correctly, the first man he got killed at Harper's Ferry was a free black man! Some hero.

Big Hollywood : 'Where the Wild Things Are': Beautifully Realized By a Visionary Director

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:52:25 +0000

Hmmm... I'm going to see the film with a young friend (not THAt young, she's 21) tomorrow and I'm frankly curious now about just how dark it's going to be. Not that I mind the dark stuff. I just hope the film contains at least one of those wonderful moments (part of what Tolkien called the "eucatastrophe") that lift your heart and make your spirit soar. Such moments are rare and usually depend partly on marvelous music underlying the action but they do happen - heck, there was one in the recent film "UP!" And another which I've always remembered is in "The Dark Crystal" when Jen and Kira leap onto the Landstriders and race off to save their world from the evil Skeksis. Just for a few seconds, music and action and a sense of wonder literally take one's breath away!

Big Hollywood : Polanski Apologists Don't Speak for All of Us in Hollywood

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 21:49:07 +0000

Thank you, Mr. Bernero, for standing up for what is right. (Should I mention that Criminal Minds is my fave network show?) I'd sure like to know what my old high school buddy, the current editor of the Hollywood Reporter, thinks of all this, but she never answers her e-mail. *sigh*

Big Hollywood : Honoring September 11th: The Unavenged

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:02:23 +0000

You don't have the slightest clue about Islam, either. Because I don't have time to argue, I suggest that you go and read Brigitte Gabriel's new book, "They Must Be Stopped" and then come back and apologize for being an uninformed moron.

Big Hollywood : 'Taking Woodstock': Mythologizing the Worst Generation

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:00:12 +0000

THANK YOU! As a historian, I get rather annoyed with blanket judgments on an entire decade when, as you said, the target should be '68 and the next few years. Heck, during the early sixties, I was in high school and we had great music! Lots of soul and R&B and even great pop songs, many of which I have stashed on my MP3 player for when I need to listen to Really Good Stuff. And sorry to disagree, Robert and Ren, but there were some damn fine music that came out of the late '60s and early '70s - I know, I was listening! You may not "like" some of it but c'mon, let's not be like the libs and over-generalize, 'k?

Big Hollywood : Open Thread Wednesday

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:06:07 +0000

Oh, puh-leeze! But hey, I heard a talking head (young Cuomo?) on GMA this morning talking about the Peepul's "right" to health care. Er... excuse me?

Big Hollywood : Open Thread Wednesday

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:59:52 +0000

My response to the news this morning? "Somewhere... Mary Jo is smiling."

Big Hollywood : Lonewolf Diaries: Hollywood Men, Grow a Pair and Marry the Dame!

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:25:47 +0000

"Saving money" - oh, you touched a nerve there! Maybe someone here can enlighten me? For years, I've been trying to figure out the rationale behind the sort of weddings where the families feel obligated to feed huge sit-down dinners to the guests who show up. (Is that a Yankee thing, maybe?) In my experience, here in the South there's usually the church wedding and then a reception with wedding cake, something to drink, and sweet stuff plus maybe savory finger food if someone wants to get fancy. The venue can range from the church hall (with food provided by the ladies of the congregation) to the county club with catering, but honestly, in 60+ years of attending or taking part in weddings, I have never sat down for a meal at a wedding! Maybe it's a hangover from the years of poverty following the Civil War, I dunno. But the idea that weddings should cost as much as a house? Insanity! Guests at a wedding should be celebrating the event - not lining up for free food! (And that's my first rant of the day - go me!)

Big Hollywood : Broadway Too PC for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' 'Rape' Scene?

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:32:37 +0000

LOL! Of course... Rahadlakum! Instead of the wonderful Richard Kiley singing "Night of My Nights", the film featured Vic Damone (who was actually pretty good) as the young Caliph. And Sebastian Cabot was the evil Wazir - a far cry from Mr. French. In fact, it was a pretty darn good movie - see the comments over on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048260/

Big Hollywood : Broadway Too PC for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' 'Rape' Scene?

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:37:40 +0000

"So why be stingy, it depends on what you pay..." Such a funny song about "rape" except not really. I always love the way Jerry Orbach rolled the word around on the cast album. But hey, let us not take a chance that we might possibly, maybe, just perhaps offend anyone. I swear, I sometimes wonder how that show ran for so many years in NYC!

Big Hollywood : Broadway Too PC for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' 'Rape' Scene?

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:10:26 +0000

Eeeeuw! That just sucks and I think your hat is safe. I know that Kismet wouldn never pass muster with the PC crowd nowadays, but damn, that score (adapted by Wright & Forrest from the music of Alexander Borodin) was - and is - brilliant! I think I memorized the whole thing from my Broadway cast album (yes, the 1953 version on vinyl, my dears) and in fact, I find myself humming the songs as I type this comment. Some things are just unforgettable!

Big Hollywood : Big Government, Big Mistake

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:46:14 +0000

C'mon, y'all... it's not about "fixing" health care/health insurance, or buying clunkers, or saving the environment, or any of the other zilliion and one things on the liberal agenda. "It's about POWER." End of story. (And yes, it's a quote from a Buffy episode - your point?)

Big Hollywood : Daily Gut: Thank You, Old People

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:39:01 +0000

Wow, a show of gratitude? Thank YOU, young Master Gutfield! We older folk are still relevant, dammit, and it's high time you youngsters realized it. Oh, and tell your mom she ROCKS! I'm sort of in the early stages of geezerette-dom (just barely eligible for SS but working instead of taking the guv'mint nickel). A friend starting sending out an informal newsletter to like-minded friends, relations and other reasonable folks. I do a lot of the research, which involves visiting BH and a bunch of other websites and blogs and sending her the best bits, which she then passes on to those who want to be informed but don't necesarily have the time or skills to find stuff themselves. And I have a group of nice folks I've met while working at Da Liberry, with whom I share the occasional political nugget and/or cartoon. And now those folks are sending stuff back to us, and we're sharing, and it's sort of a real grass-roots thing, and it's growing, and ya know what? IT WORKS! (And no one organized us - we organized ourselves. So there.)

Big Hollywood : Iâll Hump You, Man: How Far Will the 'Bromance' Go?

Tue, 4 Aug 2009 22:43:10 +0000

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, didn't mean to cackle so loudly but it's clear that the trend I've been watching for years in tv fandom has carried over to film. Men can no longer be "just friends." I became aware of all this from Highlander fandom back in '97. Discovered that for a lot of (mostly female) writers, Duncan McLeod wasn't just an action hero with great martial arts skills, a wicked way with a katana, and a habit of ending up in the sack with gorgeous ladies. He was - in fanfic, at least - the gayest of blades! And it goes on.... I mean, c'mon, how did y'all miss the "Isn't It Bromatic?" cover of Entertainment Weekly last spring featuring Hugh Laurie and Sean Patrick Leonard (House/Wilson)? I still think it was a big shout-out to the House/Wilson slash communities, since the "House" writers seem to take great delight in ttillating viewers with slashy innuendo. And it's retroactive. Don't believe me? Trying Googling "Holmes/Watson slash fic". Go on. I dare ya!

Big Hollywood : Review: 'Moon' Rocks!

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:36:45 +0000

*chuckle* Well, I know that the Master had his faults, but I still prefer "Mistress" to "Stranger" and some of his later (and more wackadoo) novels. And Manuel's friend Mike still beats 'em all when it comes to cool! Remember his delight in throwing rocks at Earth? Said it finally gave him a referent for the word "orgasm"? Woot! (For the Heinlein-deprived, Mike is a VERY sentient computer.)

Big Hollywood : Review: 'Moon' Rocks!

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:42:42 +0000

Great review, thanks, Jake. Just went and watched the trailer and got goosebumps. *shiver* Unfortunately, the film isn't showing anywhere in MS. *sigh* I have a feeling this is one that should be seen on a big screen in a darkened theatre, so will just cross my fingers and hope it comes here.

Big Hollywood : Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and Artifice

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:09:32 +0000

*snort* Gee thanks, Andrew - you're gonne get me kicked out of Da Liberry for hooting out loud!

mackinney29's Comments

Big Hollywood : Daily Gut: Stewart vs. O'Reilly

Big Hollywood : Leno vs. Conan vs. NBC: Who Cares? Save 'The Tonight Show'

Big Government : Friday Free-For-All

Big Government : Friday Free-For-All

Big Hollywood : 'Where the Wild Things Are': Beautifully Realized By a Visionary Director

Big Hollywood : Polanski Apologists Don't Speak for All of Us in Hollywood

Big Hollywood : Honoring September 11th: The Unavenged

Big Hollywood : 'Taking Woodstock': Mythologizing the Worst Generation

Big Hollywood : Open Thread Wednesday

Big Hollywood : Open Thread Wednesday

Big Hollywood : Lonewolf Diaries: Hollywood Men, Grow a Pair and Marry the Dame!

Big Hollywood : Broadway Too PC for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' 'Rape' Scene?

Big Hollywood : Broadway Too PC for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' 'Rape' Scene?

Big Hollywood : Broadway Too PC for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' 'Rape' Scene?

Big Hollywood : Big Government, Big Mistake

Big Hollywood : Daily Gut: Thank You, Old People

Big Hollywood : Iâll Hump You, Man: How Far Will the 'Bromance' Go?

Big Hollywood : Review: 'Moon' Rocks!

Big Hollywood : Review: 'Moon' Rocks!

Big Hollywood : Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and Artifice

Big Hollywood : Iâll Hump You, Man: How Far Will the 'Bromance' Go?