The Morning Delivery

Watch Out for Those April Fool's Jokes

 

 

Just a friendly reminder that April 1st is fast approaching, which means we all have to be on guard against falling victim to pranksters determined to pull off the mother of all April Fool’s jokes.

So don’t be surprised on Friday if someone asks if you wouldn’t mind picking up a coin on the ground; only to discover its been glued to the pavement.  Make sure also to think twice before kicking the hat lying aimlessly on the ground. It might, after all, have a brick concealed underneath it. And by all means make sure your spouse isn’t filling your morning coffee with a hunk of salt instead of a dash of sugar.

When I was a kid, I remember my sisters had cooked up an April Fool’s joke to play on my Dad when he got back from work. The prank went like this: My sister told my Dad he had a phone message from a woman named`` Myra Maines’’ and he needed to call her back. What my Dad didn’t know was that the phone number was the number of a funeral home and there wasn’t really any Myra Maines. So when my Dad asked to speak with Myra Maines, to the funeral director’s ear it sounded like my Dad was asking ``Is My Remains There’’?  After my Dad slammed down the phone, realizing a joke had been pulled on him; he blew his top, storming the house looking for my sister. It was a great memory, a classic April Fool’s prank; but at the time, my Dad didn’t quite find the humor in it until many days later. And of course, it didn’t help my sisters’ case that my Dad had an especially bad day at work; and the last thing he needed was to fall victim to an April Fool’s joke.

Speaking of pranks, I remember when I was a night clerk at The Plain Dealer many many moons ago, we would get bored with not much to do in the wee hours of the morning; so we would rearrange the phone lines on the reporter’s desks, so that the next morning whoever had extension number 4409 would receive calls that belonged to 4810, while the person with extension 4819, would get calls for those belonging 4816, etc etc. I don’t think we pulled this on April Fool’s Day necessarily, but we got a charge out of executing the amateurish prank, which seemed pretty funny to us at the time.

Getting back to April 1st, when exactly did the April Fool’s tradition start?

The day of chicanery, otherwise known as April Fool’s or All Fool’s Day, has such universal appeal, it’s hard to pin down exactly when it all started, but it appears it extends back to 1564, when Charles IX of France adopted the Gregorian calendar, moving the New Year from March 25 to January 1.

Under the Julian calendar, the French visited each other and exchanged gifts (Etrennes) on April 1, the final day of the old calendar's New Year's celebrations.

According to Nancy Cassell McEntire, writing in Western Folklore, `` eventually those conservatives who objected to the change of New Year's Day to January 1 were ridiculed with April 1 visits that mocked the original ceremony of visiting and through the exchange of foolish gifts.’’

In both France and Italy the term April Fish (poisson d'Avril; pesce d'Aprile) refers to a wide range of ritual pranks in which the fish, or fool, is often marked by the sign of a fish.  Children in French schools, for example, take great pleasure in fooling their classmates and teachers on April 1st by taping cutouts of fish on the backs of their clothing.

The fish prank is additionally practiced in Holland where children can be found placing a paper herring on the back of an unwitting victim or fool’s clothing; while in Sweden an April Fool’s tradition is to recite the following poem ``April, April, you silly fish, I can fool you as I wish.’’

So the trajectory of the April Fool’s tradition, at least by some accounts, appears to be that it originated with the French, then made its way to Scotland (Gowkie Day) and England; and from there to North America.

A German tradition holds that an important government meeting was scheduled to have taken place in Augsburg on April 1, 1530, but was canceled. Some citizens apparently wagered that the meeting would take place; when it didn’t, they were ridiculed for their foolishness; and before long an April Fool’s tradition was started.

But whichever country, these celebrations usually take place in late March or early April; with Mexico being the exception where All Fool’s Day falls on December 28th.

As the All Fool’s Day tradition became more popular especially with adults, the pranks, as you might imagine, became a little sharper and a bit more innovative.

In 1957, for example, a British television show Panorama introduced viewers to a family of Swiss spaghetti farmers who were harvesting" strands of spaghetti from "spaghetti trees." The BBC was flooded with a storm of calls from viewers, asking how to grow their own crops, only to learn they had been duped into an April Fool’s prank.

The United States, of course, has rolled out its fair share of pranks; the most original coming in an April, 1985 Sports Illustrated feature story about a new phenom, Sidd Finch, who could sling a baseball 186 mph.  Finch, unbeknownst to many readers, was merely a piece of fiction created especially for April Fools by journalist and actor George Plimpton.

For those interested in more creative pranks, you might want to check in with the Museum of Hoaxes Web Site which lists the top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time.

Some which caught my eye include:

• On April 1, 1915, during World War I, a French aviator dropped what appeared to be a huge bomb over a battalion of German soldiers, When the bomb never went off; some German soldiers slowly crept near the item, only to discover a large football with a note that read, "April Fool!"

• Well before ``Balloon Boy’’ there was  the ``Lung Meister’’ when in 1934 The New York Times published a picture of a German pilot named Erich Kocher, flying through the air powered only by the breath from his lungs.  The Times didn’t know the picture was merely a joke, which previously appeared in the April Fool's Day edition of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung.  A red-faced Hearst's International News Photo agency never realizing the photo was a hoax, distributed it to its U.S. subscribers.

• On March 31, 1940, the Franklin Institute issued a press release, stating that the world would end the next day at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time;  a stunning announcement broadcast by radio station KYW in Philadelphia which quickly became inundated with a flood of panic-stricken callers. The prank was orchestrated by William Castellini, a press agent for the Institute, who was promptly dismissed for his ill-advised hoax.

• In 1962, a broadcaster in Sweden announced to viewers that thanks to a brand new technology, viewers would be able to convert their black and white television sets into color by merely pulling a nylon stocking over their television screens. Although it sounded a little hokey, thousands of viewers were apparently taken in by this April Fool’s joke.

• In 1987 a disc jockey in Los Angeles announced the LA highway would close for repairs for an entire month, beginning on April 8th. Not only did the station hear from an avalanche of angry residents, the station also received a call from a representative from the California Department of Transportation, who voiced his displeasure and lack of amusement over the station’s April Fool’s prank.

• In 1994, PC Computing magazine published an article by John Dvorak in which he described a piece of legislation making its way through the halls of Congress that would make it illegal to use the Internet while intoxicated, or even to discuss sexual matters over a public network.  So outraged were voters of this proposed bill that Senator Edward Kennedy had to issue a press release, stating that there was no such bill; and that furthermore he wasn’t the bills’ sponsor.

• In 1966, the Taco Bell Corporation announced they had bought the Liberty Bell and were planning to change the name of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to the Taco Liberty Bell. The outrage from Philadelphia residents, venting their anger to operators at the National Historic Park in Philadelphia finally died down when Taco Bell issued a news release that it had only been a practical joke.

• In 1998, Burger King placed a full-page advertisement in USA Today, announcing the introduction of a ``Left-Handed Whopper’’ in which all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. Thousands of customers fell for the hoax, when they marched into Burger King the next day requesting the new Whopper specifically designed for southpaws.

• In 2000, CNN and the Fox affiliate WNYW were tricked into believing the 15th annual New York City April Fool's Day Parade was scheduled to begin at noon on 59th Street and would proceed down to Fifth Avenue. Camera crews realized they had been fooled when they arrived only to find no signs of a parade. The prank was the brainchild of Joey Skaggs, an infamous prankster, who had been issuing false press releases on April Fool’s every year since 1986.

• In 2002, a supermarket chain in Britain, Tesco, published an advertisement in The Sun, announcing the successful development of a genetically modified 'whistling carrot’. The ad explained when thoroughly cooked, airholes caused the vegetable to whistle.

So be careful this Friday not to fall for any stunts, spoofs, smoke and mirrors, and acts of artful subterfuge; you never know when someone might be yanking your chain.

I have to run; I’ve just been offered a fabulous deal from a real estate agent, who wants to sell me some swampland in Florida.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
March 29, 2011

Oscar Host(s) Suggestions for 2012

 

Anne Hathaway and James Franco; we hardly knew ye.

After television critics unleashed a battery of sharp arrows at the two young entertainers for falling flat in last night’s Oscar telecast; chances are this adorable twosome won’t be invited back next year.

Though the show did attract younger viewers; overall, preliminary reports are that the show dipped seven percent compared with last year’s telecast.

Is it really that hard to settle on an Oscar host?  Why is ABC so obsessed with finding hosts that meet a certain demographic, like they’re preparing for a presidential primary?

Here’s a novel thought: Why doesn’t ABC put away the demographic charts, the social networking tools, the iphone apps; and just land hosts that can poke fun at Hollywood newsmakers, who will come to the theater armed with material that can make young and old alike laugh, entertainers experienced enough to let viewers forgot how old they are:  only that they have one thing in common; which is their love of movies and their longing to revel in the nostalgia of Hollywood.

It doesn’t seem like finding hosts to fit that criteria would be hard to find.

But just in case ABC finds themselves scratching their heads for next year’s host or hosts, here are some suggestions:

Top 10 Oscar Hosts for 2012

1.) Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: If ABC is interested in bringing back glamour, entertainment and star power to the Oscar show-look no further.

2.) Nathan Lane: Why this ultimate song and dance man has never been asked to host the Big Show is beyond me.

3.) Tom Hanks:  This two-time Oscar recipient would be a natural to host.  You could pair him with any bosom buddy you like-the entire night would be a blast. Actually, Hanks was asked and agreed to get ready one year to fill in for an ailing Billy Crystal; but Crystal recovered in the nick of time.

4.) Tina Fey/Jimmy Fallon:  Another excellent choice, reuniting the former SNL Weekend Update hosts.  Who cares if they’re NBC products; so were Johnny Carson and Alec Baldwin.

5.) Kevin Spacey:  Often overlooked is that this superb Academy Award winning dramatic actor can showcase a smorgasbord of impersonations, including Johnny Carson, Jimmy Stewart, Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and a host of other show stopping impressions. It would be a shame for ABC to deny the television audience the talents of such a highly prized showman.

6.) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck:  This duo was hysterical on Oscar night after winning the statute for ``Good Will Hunting’’ No reason why their unique banter wouldn’t work equally as well as hosts of the Oscar show.

7.) Will Smith: If ABC wants to tap into a younger demographic and still offer some real star power- this two-time Academy Award nominee, former rapper, and former star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air might be just the ticket.

8.) Billy Crystal. Billy, just knock, and the door will always be open.

9.) Matthew Broderick and wife Sarah Jessica Parker:  Two words: That’s Entertainment!!!

10.)   Ron Howard and Rob Reiner: While these two have gone on to distinguish themselves as remarkable directors—to the television audience-they’re still Opie and Meathead. How could this engaging team possibly fail?

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
February 28, 2011

 

Christmas Traditions: A Historic Overview

 
This illustration by Thomas Nast appeared in the January 3, 1863 edition of Harper's Weekly

***

Now that we find ourselves wrapped up in the Christmas season, preparing for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, it's easy to get side-tracked and lose sight of the true meaning of season, focusing instead on the rush to buy gifts, attending one frenzied party after another, eating and drinking too much and just getting caught up in the extravagant commercialization of the holiday.

You might ask yourself, then, if Christmas is supposed to be such a solemn holiday, when exactly did the commercialization of the holiday take over?

According to Stephen Nissenbaum, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and author of ``The Battle for Christmas’’ (1996), ``the commercialization began (on a big scale) during the late 1820s. ``That's when Santa Claus was introduced into mass culture, when shops began advertising Christmas presents in the newspapers, when Santa Claus began to be used as an advertising device, and even when the first complaints appeared about how difficult it was to find good presents. ``Christmas trees started appearing in the U.S. in the mid-1830s, and by the 1840s they too were being used in advertising. ``Before 1850, Nissenbaum notes, Christmas trees themselves were being sold commercially. ``By then, too, it's possible to speak of a "mad rush" for presents, although of course everything is relative here.’’

Since Christmas, as Professor Nissenbaum notes, didn’t really take hold in the United States until the 19th Century, at least the Christmas season as we know it, with Santa Claus and decorating Christmas Trees and the mad sprints to the stores and malls, I thought I would put together some historic facts about the origins of some our most popular Christmas traditions in the United States.

Origins of Christmas Traditions in the United States

• The earliest known reference to observing the birth of Christ on December 25th is in the Roman Philocalian calendar of ad 354. Soon after this date, provincial schisms led to different Christian calendars. The Orthodox Church in the Eastern (Byzantine), for example, half of the Roman Empire fixed the date of Christmas at January 6th, commemorating simultaneously Christ's birth, baptism and first miracle.

• In 1510, the first historical record of a decorated Christmas Tree comes from Riga, Latvia, where men of the local merchants’ guild decorated a tree with artificial roses, danced around it in the marketplace and then set fire to it. The rose was used for many years and is considered to be a symbol for the Virgin Mary.

• The first use of the word ``carol'' in English denoted a round dance, from the old French carole and, before that, the ancient Greek choros. The first printed collection of carols came from the press of Wynkyn de Worde in 1521. It included the "Boar's Head Carol," a feasting song with roots in the Viking custom of sacrificing a swine to the god Frey.

• On December 24, 1822, while traveling home from Greenwich Village in New York City, Professor Clement Clark Moore wrote a new poem for his six children about a jolly white-bearded man climbing down chimneys with a sack full of toys titled: "A Visit from St. Nicholas'', later changed to ``The Night Before Christmas." which included the famous line: 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." The poem was first published in the Troy (New York) Sentinel on December 23, 1823.

• It is from the Dutch for Saint Nicholas (Sante Klaus) that we get Santa Claus, which grew in popularity in the United States during the 19th Century, particularly in New York State, where Dutch immigrants would put out their shoes to be filled by Santa Claus on the eve of St Nicholas' feast day: December 6th. Over time, this custom was moved to Christmas Eve.

• Poinsettia plants are named after Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who brought the red-and-green plant from Mexico to the United States in 1828.

• According to Daniel J. Foley, author of "The Christmas Tree," the first mention of a Christmas tree in a U.S. newspaper was from a York Pa. newspaper in 1830, when the Darcas Society of York published a notice inviting readers to an exhibition of decorated Christmas trees.

• In 1836, Alabama became the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.

• The first department store to feature a Santa Claus was in Philadelphia on December 24, 1841 at the J.W. Parkinson's store. The next Santa Claus wouldn't be spotted again until 1890, this time accompanied with his own white beard at the Boston Store in Brockton, Mass

• When Charles Dickens published ``A Christmas Carol'' in 1843, it became an instant best-seller with six thousand copies selling out instantly. Since the book became so popular and heralded for sparking a Victorian interest in holiday celebrations and later hailed as  a ``national institution'' and national benefit, the Dickens classic has spawned a number of motion picture adaptations, beginning with a silent film in 1901; in 1938, MGM released another version starring Reginald Owen. In 1951, Alistair Sim played Ebenezer Scrooge in a black and white version. Then in 1971, Sim played a voice-over for an animated film. Albert Finney starred as Scrooge in 1970; while George C. Scott played Scrooge in a made for television movie, ``A Christmas Carol’’  in 1984. The Muppets also came out with a Christmas Carol in 1992. Most recently, Jim Carrey starred in an animated version of ``A Christmas Carol’’ in 2009.

• In 1848, when the Royal Family were pictured in the Illustrated London News , along with five children with their parents and grandmother surrounding a fully decorated Christmas tree, the tradition began to take hold throughout Britain as a family custom.

• In 1850, Louis Prang arrived in the United States and quickly established a printing business. By 1870, the German immigrant owned an estimated two-thirds of the steam presses in America, having perfected the color printing process. After seeing how popular his greeting cards were becoming after distributing them at an international exposition in 1873, Prang introduced Christmas greeting cards to United States consumers, beginning in 1875. The cards were such an instant hit; he had difficulty keeping up with the demand.

• 1851, Mark Carr opened a retail Christmas Tree lot in New York City, the first in the United States.

• In 1856:  Franklin Pierce became the first U.S. President to decorate the White House Christmas Tree.

• Christmas trees had become popular in the decade before the war, and in the early 1860s, many families were beginning to decorate them. Illustrations from national weeklies helped popularize the practice by putting decorated table-top Christmas trees in their drawings.

• According to Robert C. Detweiler, a historian from California Polytechnic State University. ''During the Civil War, President Lincoln held Christmas parties, soldiers celebrated Christmas in their camps by decorating trees and singing hymns and songs, and people on the "home front" celebrated with prayers, carols, decorations, and feasts (not unlike today's popular celebrations).  ‘’

• It was during the Civil War, when many of the Christmas songs we still cherish today, were first written and became  popular, including "Christmas Bells," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "Jingle Bells," "We Three Kings of Orient Art," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "Up on the Housetop," and "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.

• In 1862, The editor of Harper's Weekly, Fletcher Harper, assigned Thomas Nast to draw a ``special Christmas picture’ that would blend the holiday celebrations to the ongoing war efforts for the newspaper's front page. Nast, however, found himself struggling to come up with an appropriate picture until he settled on Santa Claus, dressed in a patriotic Stars and Stripes outfit, mixing with soldiers in camp and distributing Christmas gifts from his sleigh. The historic Christmas edition of Harper’s Weekly hit the stands on January 3, 1863.  Every year until he left Harper’s Weekly in 1886, Nast would create an elaborate Christmas drawing.

• On June 26, 1870, Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States.

• In 1883, Sears, Roebuck & Company began offering the first artificial Christmas trees – 33 limbs for $.50 and 55 limbs for $1.00.

• In 1891, Captain Joseph McFee in San Francisco set up the world's first Salvation Army kettle to collect money for charity during the Christmas season.

• In 1897, an 8 year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon, who lived at 115 West Ninety-Fifth Street in New York City, wrote a letter to her local newspaper, The New York Sun, asking if there really was a Santa Claus after some of her friends told her there is no such thing as Santa Claus. The editor, Francis B. Church, responded to her letter, which was published on September 21, 1897, with the heading: ``Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus.’’’ Church wrote: `` Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age....No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.''
NOTE: The original response to O’Hanlon’s letter went unsigned. It wasn’t until his obituary was published in 1906, did readers learn that Mr. Church was the author of the reply. The ``Yes Virginia’’ editorial was so popular, The Sun reprinted it every year until 1949.

• On December 24, 1898, former editorial writer for the Philadelphia Record, Edgar Nash, writes an account of the origins of Christmas customs in The Saturday Evening Post where he worked as an associate editor.

• By 1900, one out of five Americans was estimated to own a Christmas tree.

• In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge starts the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony now held every year on the Ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument.

• In 1926, a giant sequoia in King's Canyon National Park was officially designated the nation's Christmas tree by President Coolidge. By the 1930s, the Christmas tree had become an integral part of the American celebration.

• The First Rockefeller Christmas Tree in New York City first appeared in 1931; and the first tree lighting to be televised came in 1951 on the Kate Smith Show.

• The First Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show was launched in 1933.

• In 1939, Chicago retailer Montgomery Ward introduced Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

• In 1942, Bing Crosby sings Irving Berlin’s``White Christmas'' in the motion picture ``Holiday Inn. The song turned into a smash hit that year, where it spent 10 weeks in first place on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.

• Bob Hope's annual Christmas tours first began in 1948 when he traveled to Berlin to entertain GI's during the airlift. His last tour was in 1990 during Operation Desert Shield.

• In 1962, the first U.S. Christmas postage stamp was issued.

• In 1949, ``Rudolph-the Red Nosed-Reindeer’’ is recorded by Gene Autry.

• In 1966, The National Christmas Tree Association began its time-honored tradition of having the Grand Champion grower present a Christmas Tree to the First Lady for display in the Blue Room of the White House. That year, Howard Pierce of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, presented a tree to President Lyndon Johnson and First Lady Bird Johnson

• In 2010, approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas Trees are sold each year in the United States. Almost all of these come from Christmas Tree plantations.

• In 2010, there will be 29 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, one more than last year.

• According to the National Retail Federation, holiday gift sales in 2010 are estimated to total $447.1 billion, an increase of 2.3 percent from last year.

-Bill Lucey
December 2, 2010
[email protected]

Source: Civil War Times Illustrated, Dec98, Vol. 37 Issue 6,, Antiques & Collecting Magazine December 1, 2008; British Heritage, Jan2009, Vol. 29 Issue 6, American History, December 1, 2006; AMERICAN PLACES by Jim Benes Christmas at Marshall Field's, Scrooge and Albert: Christmas in the 1840’s by Christine Lalumia, History Today, December 1, 2001; ``The story of Christmas’’. By: Murray, Colm, In Britain, Dec95, Vol. 5, Issue 12; ``Christmas in 19th-century America’’ By: Restad, Penne. History Today, Dec95, Vol. 45 Issue 12,; WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO AT CHRISTMAS By: Edgar S Nash in the  Saturday Evening Post, Nov/Dec93, Vol. 265 Issue 6, ``A Christmas Carol’’ By: Thornton, Zita. Antiques & Collecting Magazine, Dec2005, Vol. 110 Issue 10, National Christmas Tree Association.

 

Creative Halloween Costume Requests for 2010

 

Don’t look now, but with Halloween fast approaching, many children are making their final decision on what to wear on one of the scariest night of the year.

Did I say children? Make that children and adults.

Actually, there was a time in the United States when Halloween was strictly for children. In the 1930’s, for example, the little tikes liked to dress up as hobos and tramps in keeping with the sign of the times as the country was mired in the Great Depression.  Then as Walt Disney took the country by storm in the 1950’s, children were likely to be cloaked in Mickey Mouse costumes, Tinker Bell, and an assortment of other animated characters.

Adults really didn’t enter the picture on Halloween until the 1970’s.  Thanks largely to active gay communities, a Halloween Parade for adults was first introduced in San Francisco's Castro District in the late 1960’s, at Greenwich Village in New York City in 1973 , then in Key West, Florida in 1978.  By 1980, one out of every four adults were reportedly wearing costumes as adult costume parties grew in popularity. And the holiday for adults keeps getting stronger. By 1999, an estimated 44 percent of 25-30 year-olds attended Halloween parties, with 62 percent of 18-24 year-olds dressing up in Halloween costumes.

In 2010, the National Retail Federation reports that 69.4 percent of young adults (18-24) say they will dress up in a costume this Halloween, 55.4 percent in that age group will attend a Halloween party; while American consumers will spend $66.28 on costumes, candy and decorations with total spending estimated to reach about $5.8 billion for the holiday.

As in past years, adult Halloween costumes pretty much reflect the times.

Last year MJ (Michael Jackson) costumes were the rage; this year, Lady GaGa and cast members from MTV’s reality hit show ``Jersey Shore’’ seem to be topping the list.

According to NRF’s annual survey, Witches, Vampires, and Pirate’s are the three top costumes for adults, while Princesses, Spider-Man, and Witches are the leading favorites with children.

So with Halloween only two weeks away, I thought I would check in with some top costume shops from around the country in order to get a better sense of what types of costumes are being requested by adults.

What follows are some of my findings.

• At Ricky’s NYC  they’re rolling out an exclusive ``Angry Steward’’ costume that comes complete with a shirt, tie, and band aid for the baggage inflicted head wound; so that you can storm out of your party in a classic tirade, holding two Blue Moon beers, much like the Steven Slater meltdown aboard JetBlue Airways Flight 1052 on August 9th on a flight from Pittsburgh to New York City.

• At the Creative Costume Company in New York City, which has maintained a thriving business for the past 28 years, they’re beginning to get some requests for mining helmets, sparked no doubt by the heroic rescue of the 33 miners in Chile. And as in previous Halloweens, they’re receiving a number of requests for period costumes, Bedbug costumes; while one woman in addressing the political climate wanted to parody the bloated federal budget by dressing as a pregnant Statue of Liberty.

• Daniel Hazen, owner of Ozzie Dots in Los Angeles, said Zombie costumes rule the day as far as most popular requests go.  Marie Antoinette, lots of wigs, vampires, Pirates (a la Johnny Depp), sailor suits and mermaids also continue to be popular. As far as originality goes, Hazen said he received a request from someone who wanted to dress as an iphone. And a new twist this year, according to Hazen, is having two costumes rolled into one. So, for example, if a woman shows up at a Halloween Party and notices someone else dressed in the same costume, she can immediately pull a string, which quickly changes into another costume.

• Gillian Gardner, aka, ``The Costume Doctor’’ at Show Off! Las Vegas Costumes  tells me that although she primarily makes costumes all year long for casinos and professionals, including a special showgirl costume she designed for Mariah Carey , Gardner has been known to make Halloween costumes for adults, which consumes much of her time through the month of October. But a design by Gardner doesn’t come cheap.  They start at $800 and her consultations are by appointment only.  Last year, Gardner informs me, she made one the day before Halloween in the middle of the night and FedExed it overnight to arrive on Saturday just in time for Halloween.

• Besides the infatuation with Lady GaGa costumes, Ren Matney, Showroom Manager at Halloween Mart in Las Vegas, said they’re getting requests for lots of colored hair, glittery costumes, faces full of wild makeup and tall, tall shoes.  To underscore just how big a day Halloween is in Las Vegas, Matney impressed upon me that ``we are a city where the glam side of life is showcased to the highest extreme.  With the world famous strip within our lovely city, we see images of celebrity and "costume" on a daily basis’’.  ``Add the holiday of "Halloween" to this concept’’ Matney said, `` and it's no wonder it's a huge holiday to celebrate here.  ‘’

• At the Garment District in Cambridge MA, the most creative Halloween costume they’ve seen so far was a customer requesting a headless Marie Antoinette costume using a mannequin head, a gown from their costume room, adorned with their theatrical makeup and fake blood. The customer was planning to rig her costume in such a way that it looked like she was holding her decapitated head in her hands. The Garment District is also seeing a number of pop culture costumes requests, Coco Chanel (French fashion designer) costumes using garments from their Vintage section, along with Dwight Schrute (from NBC’s ``The Office’’) look alike costumes, using items from their men’s contemporary and glasses sections.

• At the Costume Company in Arlington, MA, they are fielding a number of requests for big masquerade balls (especially 18th century), period pieces, flees, bees, animals, rats, Alice in Wonderland; and of course, a ton of requests for ``Jersey Shore’’ characters and Lady GaGa. The Costume Company additionally specializes in costumes from the Roaring ‘20s along with Roman and Medieval costumes.

• At the Buffalo Exchange in Tucson, Ariz, they are getting a fair share of Classic Zombie requests, Batman, Alice in Wonderland, robots, Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie’s epochal figure) , used handmade super heroes , and a considerable number of ``Jersey Shore’’ requests, especially the star of the show, Snooki.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]

Prime Cuts: Movie Scenes Left on the Cutting Room Floor

 

As was widely reported last week, real estate mogul and reality show star Donald J. Trump had a brief scene in Oliver Stone’s new box office smash ``Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,", but as luck would have it-The Donald’s vignette was mercilessly left on the cutting room floor. Stone told the N.Y Post the reason he cut Trump’s cameo was because  he found it ``distracting’’;  and structurally out of place since it came near the tail end of the movie.

The deleted scene involved Trump  and Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko) sitting in barber chairs in which Trump suggests to Gekko that he drop his gel look and get his hair done like his.

But all is not lost. Stone said Trump’s expunged scene will resurface in the DVD version of the movie.

The hair-challenged Trump shouldn’t take the deleted scene to heart. After all, even the mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg had his cameo cut from the motion picture ``Sex and the City’’ when the final version hit the theaters.

``It turned out that they wanted more sex and less city. That’s fine. Their loss.’’ Bloomberg joked with a crowd during a speech delivered at the World Science Summit at Columbia University in 2008.

So as I took a quick dip into the archives, I pulled out some other scenes over the years which also were found on the cutting room floor, including

  ·  In King Kong (1933) one deleted scene which was never to be found again involved Kong shaking four sailors off a log bridge, where they fall to their death after being eaten alive in a ravine by giant spiders. The movie was previewed in San Bernardino, Calif., where viewers either walked out or talked about the gruesome scene for the remainder of the movie.
 
·    In the Seven Year Itch (1955) the movie originally included a scene of Marilyn Monroe in the bathtub getting her toe stuck in the faucet. Although the blond bombshell remained covered by bubbles, the scene was rejected by the Hollywood censors, and had to be cut by director Billy Wilder.

 ·    In the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962) the film ended with Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) being attacked by crabs before being  rescued by Bond, played by Sean Connery. The crabs moved too slowly to look threatening, so the director reshot the ending without them.

 ·   In Woody Allen’s ``Every Thing You Always Wanted to Know about Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask’’ there is a segment of the film ``What makes a man a homosexual?  which stars Allen as a common spider eager to date a black widow (Louise Lasser) in which he does a mating dance on Lasser’s web.  Allen ends up making love to the widow, only to be devoured by her afterward. The scene was deleted because Allen couldn't come up with an appropriate ending for the vignette.

 ·   In The Big Chill (1983) a film directed by Lawrence Kasdan, there was a scene with Kevin Costner (playing Alex) that was shown at the first screening, but ended up being deleted from the final version. The scene was a flashback. Directors described it as embarrassing, made worse by bad wigs and makeup. Even in the DVD version of the film, released in 1999, which included deleted scenes, Costner’s flashback scene was nowhere to be found.

  ·   After a third of ``Back to the Future’’ (1985) had already been filmed, Director Robert Zemeckis and his team of writers realized that actor Eric Stoltz, who had been cast in the lead role playing Marty McFly wasn’t working out and had to be replaced by Family Ties mega-star Michael J. Fox.  Zemeckis had the painful task of informing Stoltz he was being dropped from the film, but he reportedly accepted it like a real trooper.

·  In another film directed by Zemeckis, Death Becomes Her (1992); scenes filmed with television actress and comedienne Tracey Ullman in which she played Toni the bartender were removed completely before the final version was released. In addition, after the film was sneak-previewed in Phoenix-the entire ending of the movie had to be reshot.  Zemeckis told Cinefex Magazine that Ullman’s scenes appeared to slow down the picture; and that fact she was known for her signature outrageousness and had to play a restrained level-headed character ``sent the story in a whole different direction. ‘’

 ·  In Oliver Stone’s Nixon (1995) there was a scene in which Nixon (played by Anthony Hopkins) is talking with businessman Jack Jones (played by Larry Hagman) who are looking at a bull and talking privately outside his Texas ranch.  The scene, Hagman’s only appearance, was sliced from the final version.
 
-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
 
Source: ``The New Book of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information’’ By David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace; ``Cutting Room Floor: Movie Scenes Which Never Made It To The Screen’’ By Laurent Bouzereau

Angelina Jolie joins a long list of Female Spies

Marlene Dietrich

As the motion picture, ``Salt’’ starring Angelina Jolie opens in theaters on Friday, I thought I would do some digging and rummaging through the archives to find other films involving female spies and their dangerous espionage activities.

As you might imagine, there seems to be a bottomless supply of women spies in motion pictures. And of course, when you talk of women spies, treachery and deceit can’t be far behind.

The first movie I could find about a female spy is titled appropriately enough,`` The Female Spy’’ (1906), an 8-minute story with Louis Paglieri as the only cast member listed in which a woman spy is tied by her hair to a horse and dragged behind it.

Female spies in supporting roles, of course, are quite common, including France Nuyen in ``Dimension 5’’; (1966); Dorothy Provine in ``Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die’’ (1966); Joanna Petit in ``Casino Royale’’ (1967) and Sharon Tate in the ``Wrecking Crew’’ (1969).

Of course, the femme fatale, would- be- assassins come thick and fast while looking through any number of motion picture reference books,  including: Luciana Pauluzzi in ``Thunderball (1965); Daliah Lavi in the ``Silencers ‘’ (1966) ; Elke Sommer in ``Deadlier Than the Male’’ (1966), Erika Blanc in ``The Spy Kills Silently’’ (1966), Rosella Falk in ``Modesty Blaise’’ (1966) ; Karin Dor in ``You Only Live Twice’’ (1967); Carol Lynley in ``Danger Route’’ (1968), Nancy Kwan in the ``Wrecking Crew’’ (1969), and Gloria Hendry in ``Live and Let Die’’ (1973).

Recurrent throughout the catalog of the James Bond films are the duplicitous female spies, including  Daniela Bianchi in ``From Russia with Love’’ (1963), Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton in ``Goldfinger’’ (1964), Claudine Auger and Luciana Paluzzi in in ``Thunderball ‘’ (1965), Mie Hama in ``You Only Live Twice’’ (1967); Dianna Rigg in ``On Her Majesty's Secret Service’’ (1969);, Jill St John and Lana Wood in ``Diamonds are Forever’’ (1971); and Jane Seymour and Gloria Hendry in ``Live and Let Die’’ (1973).

American actresses hardly have a monopoly when it comes to engaging in espionage on film. Several lesser known European actresses starred as spies, including:  Erika Blanc in ``Operation Atlantis’’ (1965); Dominque Boschero in ``Fury in Marrakesh (1966), Helene Chanel in ``Ring Around the World’’ (1966); Margaret Lee in ``Secret Agent Super Dragon’’ ((1965); Helga Line in ``Mission Bloody Mary’’ (1965); Beba Loncar in ``Some Girls Do’’ (`1969); Rosalba Neri in ``Upperseven, The Man to Kill’’ (1965); Janine Reynaud in ``The Spy Who Came From the Sea’’ (1966); Sylvia Solar in ``Danger!  Death Ray (1967); Yoko Tani in Goldsnake; ``Killers' Company (1966); Marilu Tolo in ``Espionage in Lisbon’’ (1965) and Ira Von Furstenberg in ``Matchless’’ (1966).

And there have been plenty of clunkers when it comes to females starring as spies.

Model Andrea Dromm played agent Jill Parsons  who is sent to the island of Jamacia to stop a madman from blowing up a U.S. carrier in ``Come Spy with Me’’ (1967), a film described in the Encyclopedia of American Spy Films as a ``weak comedy with bland songs.’’

Fathom (1967) starred Raquel Welch as the beautiful skydiver tricked into retrieving the ``Fire Dragon, which she thinks threatens U.S. security, but is actually a stolen piece of art.

 Caprice (1967) featured Doris Day, who plays Patricia Fowler, the daughter of spy who was killed in pursuit of drug smugglers.  Fowler is determined to find out who killed her father.

And considered by many as one of the worst motion pictures ever made, Lola Lane plays a Russian agent in ```Miss V From Moscow’’ (1942) in which she is dispatched to Nazi occupied Paris, posing as a German spy and told to work in concert with the French underground in order to learn the whereabouts of enemy submarines that have been threatening Allied supply ships. Lane successfully dupes the German high command long enough to gather vital information; and with the help of an American agent, escapes back to Russia

Going through motion picture archives, shows that female spies set during the American Civil War was a popular theme with a rich history.

The first popular spy film series of 1909-1910 consisted of the ``Girl Spy'' movies, starring Jean Gauntiett as a Civil War heroine fighting on behalf of the Confederacy.  In ``The Girl Spy before Vicksburg’’ (1911), the heroine of this short silent film disguises herself as a member of a munitions convoy and destroys the wagon, while  in ``Madam Who’’ (1918), a silent drama, Bessie Barricade, a young Confederate, engages in a dangerous act of espionage by traveling to Washington as a Confederate Spy and is invited to a reception attended by a number of important Northern generals and political leaders, including Abraham Lincoln (Clarence Barr) who addresses the crowd.

And In ``Operator 13’’, Marion Davies plays a secret agent working for the North to spy on Gary Cooper, a Confederate Spy.  Cooper soon catches on to Davies real identity and plans to have her court-martialed; but Cooper’s own life is saved by Davies when Union troops suddenly appear. The two decide to part ways so they can serve their respective causes; but are reunited, at long last, after Robert E. Lee’s surrender when they both vow to put the ravages of the war behind them.

Love and betrayal; honor, and duty to one’s homeland repeatedly shows up in films involving female spies.

In ``Her Beloved Enemy (1917), Dory Gray stars as a girl who falls in love with the Secret Service man who has killed her father, a spy. Based on a stage play, ``The Girl from Downing Street’’ (1918) was a British film with Peggy Marson as an accomplished female spy who's stolen vital German plans.

Diane Allen in ``The Amazing Lovers ‘’(1921) is a French secret agent infiltrating counterfeiters who escape to the United States. To disguise her identity, a fake marriage is arranged with an alcoholic young man who she naturally ends up falling madly in love with.

Merle Oberon played a Norweigan baroness in ``First Comes Courage’’ (1943) in which she marries a Nazi officer so she can funnel information back to England. In ``Five Steps to Danger’’ (1957) , a female secret agent, Ruth Roma,  gets a hold of secrets from the Reds in Europe and escapes with the help of a fisherman (Sterling Hayden, an actual veteran of the OSS).

The more prominent actresses starring as female spies on the brink of World War II, included Greta Garbo  in ``Mati Hari’’ (1932, ) who plays a notorious World War I German spy, posing as a dancer in Paris and her romantic machinations with a Russian general (Lionel Barrymore) who she dumps for a young Russian lieutenant (Roman Navarro). Garbo eventually stands trial in a French court where she’s convicted of espionage and sentenced to death in front of a firing squad.

In`` Dishonored’’ (1931) Marlene Dietrich plays an Austrian agent, X-27, where she goes on to expose an Austrian officer (Warner Oland) as a double agent and traitor; she then manages to capture an elusive Russian spy (Victor McLaughlin), Colonel Kranau, Russian agent H-14, also known as ``The Fox’’, but Dietrich falls head over hills for the Russian lug and allows him to escape.  Dietrich’s lapse of sound judgment results in her being put to death in front of a firing squad.  Her last gestures before the shooting begins, shows her lighting a cigarette and adjusting her garter.

In a remake of the 1932 German film ``Unter Falshe Flaggen, Fay Wray stars as a Russian spy in ``Madame Spy’’, who marries an Austrian diplomat (Nils Asther) in order to spy on him. Two Austrian agents, meanwhile, are in hot pursuit of a Russian spy, known only as B-24, who lo and behold turns out to be Asther’s wife.

In Dark Journey, 1937, Vivian Leigh is a W.W. I double agent, posing as a German sympathizer, working as a fashion designer, who is responsible for feeding information back to French and English authorities. Leigh ends up falling in love with a German soldier, Conrad Veidt, but in the end, unlike Dietrich, she puts duty and honor above love and has the German soldier captured.

Ilona Massey in ``International Lady’’ (1941), plays Carla Nillson, a Nazi spy who uses tonal phrases and musical notes in songs during her radio broadcasts to feed vital information back to Nazi U-boats. Massey is chased through the streets of London and New York City as agents from the F.B.I. and Scotland Yard join forces in order to uncover a dangerous international spy ring.

Constance Bennett and Gracie Fields star in ``Paris Underground’’ (1945), a film about an American and Englishwoman and their surveillance in the French underground in which they help more than 250 Allied airmen escape from occupied France, all while being pursued by the Gestapo, eventually captured, and finally rescued by Allied troops.

Not all motion pictures involving female spy females were pure fiction.

Ann Dvorak starred in the real life experiences of Claire Phillips during World War II. After Miss Phillips husband is killed in the Bataan death march in the Philippines  (1942) Mrs Phillips joins a band of guerrillas, masquerading as an Italian national and operates a Manila nightclubs, where she learns of important information which she conveys back to the leader of the guerillas movement (played by Gene Evans.) Phillips was eventually exposed and imprisoned, but is rescued by Evans and his forces before she is executed. Phillips, as it turns out, was the recipient of the Freedom Medal for her espionage activity.  ``I Was an American Spy’’ was based on ``Manila Espionage’’, a novel written in collaboration with Myron B. Goldsmith.

More recent female spies was Rosalind Russell in ``Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971), a widow who volunteers to spy for her country in which she’s sent  to Mexico City to get her hands on some highly sought after microfilm. Russell is captured by Communist agents and taken to Albania. Russell uses her charm and duplicity to free herself and her companion (Darren McGavin) from her captors.

Finally, ``In the Littler Drummer Girl’’(1984), based on a spy novel by John le Carré, Diane Keaton plays a pro-Palestinian actress living in London, where an Israeli intelligence unit plots to get her to fall in love with an Israeli. After some prodding, Keaton agrees to help the Israelis when she poses as a Palestinian agent and travels to Germany to hunt down a Palestinian terrorist, Sami Frey.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]

Source: ``Encyclopedia of American Spy Films'' by Larry Langman & David Ebner; ``Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage’’ By Wesley Britton; ``The Great Spy Films’’ By Leonard Rubenstein

Oscar Coverage on the Web

 
The clock is now ticking.

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, ABC will televise the 82nd annual Academy Awards from the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

If you find yourself away from your television set and still want to catch the live experience of Hollywood’s big night, don’t stress, there’s plenty of available options to you online. This is the age of the Internet, after all; when all things are possible as long as you have access to a computer or a smart phone.

At Oscar.com , for instance, the official site for the 82nd Academy Awards, users will be provided with an interactive Red Carpet experience through ``Facebook Connect’’, beginning Sunday from 3:00 to 5:00 pm PT, an online event which will be hosted by Lisa Guerrero and Brett Chukerman, along with “Modern Family” star Rico Rodriguez (‘Manny’), who will be reporting live from the Red Carpet Bleachers waiting anxiously for the arrivals and the crowds’ reactions.

In addition to watching stars parade down the Red Carpet, users will be able to read what other viewers are saying about the event through Facebook’s Connect application, while sharing their comments with other Facebook members.

And during the Sunday night ceremony, those logging on to Oscars.com will be able to view exclusive footage of backstage coverage of the night’s events from the ``Backstage Cam’’, capturing behind-the-scenes action,; a ``Thank You Cam’’ which allows Oscar winners an opportunity to thank their supporters immediately after they’ve left the stage; along with the ``Press Room Cam’’, featuring winners in the press area after they leave the stage.

As usual, The New York Times have rolled out a banquet of online coverage for viewers to feast on.

For beginners, The Carperbagger, Melena Ryzik is out in LA, and will be blogging throughout the weekend; as will A.O. Scott and others; and just on Friday, The Times launched an impressive interactive graphic that shows users all the major winners stretching back to 1975.

For those who like to compete, The Times has posted an interactive ``Oscar Ballot’’ , that let’s viewers see how they’re doing with their picks compared with other Times' users.

The Times also will be featuring their robust Twitter module in which staffers like David Carr, Dave Itzkoff, Ryzik, Scott and others will providing up to the minute updates, comments, and observations.

Meanwhile, The L.A. Times, has raised the curtain on a new celebrity blog,``Ministry of Gossip’’ in which a group of bloggers provide users with the latest from the Red Carpet, inside tips during the ceremony; and slices of gossip from the Oscar parties.

The Times additionally unveiled a new film blog ``24 Frames’’, which features the latest Hollywood news, videos from staffers, Oscar predictions and a ton of other useful tidbits.

The Times has assembled a striking blog `Gold Derby’’ in gathering links to some of the best Oscar reporting from not only the Times but from other national publications as well. Viewers will also want to pop in on Pete Hammond’s ``Daily Dose of Awards’’  for the latest Oscar buzz.

The Washington Post will be feeding readers with Red Carpet updates and chime in about things as they happen on their Celebritolgy blog

And for those who only watch the Oscars to see which designers the celebrities chose, both The Washington Post and L.A. Times will be featuring fashion galleries on Sunday night.

While Hulu.com won’t be providing live streaming, they do have a collection on of ``Oscar Picks’’ on their homepage; and on Monday they will feature Barbara Walters Oscar special, including Red Carpet footage provided by E! and TV Guide as it comes in. A small collection of short clips will be streamed live on Hulu as early as Sunday night; with the longer versions available on Monday.

E! Online have a fun new gallery,  Real Men Take (Red Carpet) Risks; and a Prediction Quiz, which allows user to find out  they’re a Box Office Brainiac, Red Carpet Rebel or Total Indie Nut . And beginning Sunday, E! Online will begin posting their TwitPics.

Finally, the popular entertainment blog, Gawker will be blogging away beginning on Friday night.

If you’re miffed I missed pointing out any other major Oscar night blogs, write your Congressman or Congresswoman; I did my best.

Enjoy the show!

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

***

Oscar Footnotes:

• Douglas Fairbanks Sr. served as host when the first annual Academy Awards was held at the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929.
The winners had been announced three months prior to this black-tie awards ceremony, where approximately 300 guests were in attendance.

• In the 3rd year of the Academy Awards (November 5, 1930), a new selection criterion for selecting nominees had been established: winners would now be chosen by the full members of the Academy, numbering over 400, instead of a handful of judges. This policy would continue until 1936

• Song and Film Editing were introduced as new categories beginning with the 7th annual Academy Awards (February 27, 1935).

• Cinematographer Hal Mohr became the only write-in Academy Award winner during the 8th year of the awards (March 5, 1936). Write-ins on the ballot were discontinued the following year.

• Best supporting actors were recognized for the first time during the 9th annual Academy Awards (March 4, 1937) --but the awards came in the form of plagues, not full-sized statues. The first winners were Walter Brennan in Come and Get It and Gale Sondergaard in Anthony Adverse. Full-sized statutes for supporting roles would not be handed out until 1943.

• Beginning with the 13th annual Academy Awards (February 27, 1941), the winners were not made known to anyone in advance, except a select few from the certified public accounting firm of Price Waterhouse & Co, until the envelopes were unsealed on the night of the awards. Thus, the Oscar tradition: ``The envelope please!'' came into being.

• During the 13th annual Academy Awards presentation (February 27, 1941), FDR addressed the Academy through a piped in radio address that lasted 6 minutes, making him the first U.S. president to address the academy.
NOTE: In order to give the Republicans equal time, Wendell L. Wilkie, the Republican nominee during the 1940 presidential election, was the principal speaker at the Academy Awards the following year.

• On March 13, 1947, for the first time in the Academy's history, the general public was allowed to buy tickets and attend the awards ceremony, which was held at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

• During the Academy's 25th Anniversary show (March 19, 1953), the awards were broadcast on television for the first time.

• Sophia Loren earned an industry milestone during the 34th annual Academy Awards (April 9, 1962), when she became the first Hollywood actress to win an Oscar in the best actress category for a non-English speaking film, for her role in the Italian film (Two Women).

• Make-up artists were recognized in a new category beginning with the 54th annual Academy Awards (March 29, 1982). The first film honored in that category was An American Werewolf in London.

Showstoppers

• April 9, 1962: During the 34th annual Academy Award ceremony, Stan Berman, a notorious gatecrasher, managed to slip past 125 police guards and presented MC Bob Hope with a hand-made Oscar.

• March 27, 1973: During the 45th annual Academy Awards, a shocked worldwide television watched as an Indian woman: Sachen Little-Feather (later identified as actress Maria Cruz) stepped to the podium and informed the audience that Marlon Brando, whose name had just been announced as best actor for his role playing Don Vito Corleone in the Godfather, was turning down the award due to the film industry's distorted depiction of American Indians.

• April 2, 1974: During the 46th annual Academy Awards, Ropert Opal, 33, came on stage directly behind presenter David Niven and dashed naked across the stage in front of an astonished auditorium and live television audience. As if on cue, Niven shot back in what is considered to be one of the best ad libs in Academy history, when he replied: ``Isn't it fascinating, to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off his clothes and showing his shortcomings.''
NOTE: Opal was found murdered five years later in a paraphernalia sex shop in San Francisco.

Crimes and Misdemeanors

• When Zbigniew Rybczynski won an Oscar during the 55th annual Academy Awards (April 11, 1983) for an animated Short Film (Tango), he became the first Oscar winner to spend time in jail the night of the Oscars. Rybczynski got into a fight with security guards after he tried to re-enter the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion after stepping out for a cigarette break. He was arrested and sent to jail. It was a brief stay. Once he was identified, charges were dropped.

• The 60th annual Academy Awards (April 11, 1988), made history for having a nominee on the ballot, who was actively being sought by police for grand theft involving an extensive collection of library books. Gustav Hasford, who was nominated but didn't win in the screenplay division for Full Metal Jacket, was either a no-show or he didn't make his presence known.

• On March 20, 2000, two employees of the Roadway Express Co., in Bell Ca., Anthony Keith Hart and Edward Ledent, both 38, were arrested for stealing 55 Oscar statutes. Willie Fulgear, a junk salvager, eventually found 52 of those statutes as he sifted through a garbage bin in L.A.'s Koreatown.

Other Oscar Records:

• Wings is the only silent film to win an Academy Award (1927-1928).

• Cimarron (1930-1) was the only western ever to win best picture.

• It Happened One Night became the first comedy to win best picture; and additionally became the first motion picture to sweep all 5 major awards.

• Gone with the Wind (1939) was the first motion picture in color to win an Oscar.

• Haitti McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar (Gone With The Wind, 1939); and Rita Moreno, the first Latina to win an Oscar (West Side Story. 1961).

• The only person to actually go home with an Oscar for playing a character who lost at the Academy Awards was Maggie Smith for California Suite (1978.)

• Ben Hur (1959) became the only remake to win Best Picture.

• The Apartment (1960) was the last black and white film to win an Oscar.
Note: Schindler's List (1993), another Oscar recipient, was partially shot in black and white

Oscar Primer

Who makes the Oscar?

R.S. Owens Co. of Chicago

Dodge Tropy Co., in Carson Calif., about 20 miles from Hollywood, originally began manufacturing the statutes in 1931 until it closed its operations in 1984.

How big is the statute?

13 and one half inches tall; it weighs 8 pounds and one half pounds

What is it made of?

The exterior is gold plated.: 92.5 percent tin and 7.5 percent copper

What happened to the statutes George C. Scott and Marlon Brando refused?

In reality, their names were never engraved. They were immediately returned and put back in stock.

Are the statues copyrighted?

Yes. As of September 2, 1941, when the statute officially became copyrighted, Oscar winners were prohibited from selling their statute without first offering it back to the Academy for $10.00.

Also, since 1949, the statutes were issued a number, which started with the number 501.

-Bill Lucey

Source: 70 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards'' By Robert Osborne

Recalling a Few New Year's Eve Traditions

Ring out the grief that saps the mind.
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor;
Ring in redress of all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manner, purer laws.

``New Year's Eve'' a poem written by Lord Tennyson, 1850

***

The year dismally known as the Great Recession is almost behind us; (or so they say);  let’s hope 2010 is more prosperous, less stressful, with expectations less people lose their homes and more, many more, find new jobs after such a dreadful year.

As we prepare to ring in the New Year, here are a few historic facts we can mull over while waiting for the ball to come down on a wet frigid night at Times Square in New York.

• In medieval times, the beginning of the New Year was celebrated on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation or Lady Day until Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar in 1582, a system used to this day which configured the 365 days of the year to accommodate a seven-day week. It wasn't until 1752, however, that England and America recognized this new system.

• The month of January gets its name from the Roman god ``Janus'', or 'Januarus, a god said to have two heads and two sets of eyes, each facing the opposite direction., one looking back the other forward. From this, the New Year tradition of welcoming the future and saying goodbye to the past was conceived.

• The most popular song associated with New Year's Eve ``Auld Lang Syne'' (which translates to ``old long ago''), was originally an anonymous 15th century poem, when it first turned up in a book of Scottish poetry by George Bannatyne under the title ``Auld Kyndness Forgot''. Another version was published in 1711, ``Old Long Syne'' (believed to be Francis Sempill), and in 1724, Allan Ramsay turned it into a song, Auld Lang Syne'' in the "Tea Table Miscella''; before Scottish poet Robert Burns added two verses (3 and 4), which was then published 5 months after his death in 1796 in a collection entitled Scots Musical Museum.

• In 1837, Charles Dickens ruminating on the ringing in the New Year wrote in Sketches by Boz: ``We measure man's life by years, and it is a solemn knell that warns us we have passed another of the landmarks which stand between us the grave. Disguise it as we may, the reflection will force itself on our minds, that when the next bell announces the arrival of a new year, we may be insensible alike of the timely warning we have so often neglected, and all the warm feelings that within us now.''

• Beginning in 1886, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers while parading through the streets of Pasadena, Calif., in celebration of the ripe orange crop, which was then followed by a polo match, a tug of war, or greased pig-catching competition.

• In 1901, after the Tournament of Roses Association created the idea of having a college football game, Michigan and Stanford squared off on the campus of Throop Polytechnic Institute on January 1, 1902. The Wolverines crushed the Cardinals 49-0. It was such a lop-sided game that polo was once again brought back the following year; and from 1904 through 1914, Roman style chariot races were held.
College football returned to stay beginning in 1916.

• The New Year's Eve tradition of sipping champagne at the strike of midnight is thought to have originated with the French

• Another tradition holds that Wassail, a drink served on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, comes from an old Gaelic word meaning "good health.’

• Christmas and New Year's eve prior to dawn of the 20th century were closely linked; so much so that in 19th century New York, legend has it that Santa Claus often arrived on New Year's Eve and would leave by wishing Happy New Year, not Merry Christmas, according to Stephen Nissenbaum, professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts and author of the book, "The Battle for Christmas." ``What's happened over the past 175 or so years is that alcoholic public revelry once associated with the entire season (including Christmas Eve and Day) has become isolated from the rest of the season and is now limited to New Year's Eve.'' Nissenbaum said.

• December 31, 1906 Adolph Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, dropped an illuminated globe from the top of his new building, Times Tower in Times Square on New Year's Eve. This public relations innovation marked the beginning of an annual ritual.

NOTE: The only time the ball didn't drop from Times Square on New Year's Eve (since 1907) were two years during World War II: 1942 and 1943 due to a wartime dim-out.

• December 31, 1929: Guy Lombardo, age 37, and his band, the Royal Canadians make their debut at the Roosevelt Hotel Grill in New York City, a two-tiered room with a second dance floor while reviving ``Auld Lang Syne; and from that point on, it becomes America's signature song on New Year's Eve. The venue would become a mainstay until the Roosevelt closed in 1959; and Lombardo and the Royal Canadians moved to the Waldorf Astoria.

• December 31, 1948: CBS broadcast's the first televised presentation of a New Year's Eve celebration from Times Square.

• December 31, 1972: For the first time in television history, Guy Lombardo has competition on New Year's Eve, when NBC and Dick Clark, the worlds oldest teenager, debut with New Year's Rockin’ Eve with guests the Three Dog Night, Blood Sweat and Tears, Billy Preston, Al Green, and Helen Reddy.

• December 31, 1976: Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians perform on New Year's eve for the final time; he died November 5, 1977 age 77 from kidney and heart failure.

December 31, 1995: The New Year's Eve ball in Times Square for the first time goes high tech, when a laser lowers the ball, replacing the six man crew using a pulley.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]

Will MJ Rule the Night this Halloween?

 Before long, it will be time to crack open the hot apple cider (with cinnamon sticks, of course); and wait for the rush of creatures of the night, goblins, ghosts, and skeletons to creep up to your front door and howl: "Trick or Treat!

Others will be heading to their Halloween parties, dressed as, if history is any guide --Elvis and Priscilla, vampires, zombies, their favorite Superhero’s, and 80’s rock characters, among others.

Halloween, a secular name taken from the religious feast ``All Hallows' Eve’’ (now All Saints Day) became associated as a popular folk tradition in the mid-19th century, when Irish immigrants began flooding major urban cities after the potato famine and to escape political prosecution; and with it they brought their traditions and customs, including masquerade parades, and the carving of pumpkins. So that by the early 20th century, Halloween evolved into largely a secular celebration for children.

By the 1930’s, an assortment of clothing companies began manufacturing apparel for children, including the U.S. Mask Company in Woodhaven, New York, Bland Charnas Co. in Long Island N.Y., Halco in Pennsylvania, and E. Simons and Sons in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Prior to World War II, in addition to the manufacturing of many ghosts and witches’ costumes, popular costumes included: Little Orphan Annie and Mickey Mouse; by the 1960’s President John F, Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline became fashionable, as did the musical group, the Beatles and Apollo astronauts, according to Phyllis Galembo’s book: ``Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade’s ‘’

So as we prepare for another Halloween, The Morning Delivery conducted its own survey in hopes of finding out which costumes will likely be in style this year. As you might have guessed, the former ``king of pop’’ will rule the night. Michael Jackson costume requests appear to be going through the roof, according to a majority of costumes shops contacted by the Delivery.

For those interested in knowing the most popular outfits being requested, here is a sampling from costume shops in different select U.S. cities. 

Ricky’s Halloween

375 Broadway
New York, NY 10013

Most Popular Requests:

a.) Ricky’s NYC Weedies: The Costume of Champions ($29.99) includes a swimming cap, goggles, fake jumbo ears, eight Gold Medals and a faux bong.

b.) Ricky’s NYC Womb Rader Baby Sash ($29.99) includes only the black sash with eight plastic babies attached to it.  No, Brad Pitt is not included

 c.) Ricky’s NYC Whack the Ponzi Schemer ($49.99), includes a two piece orange jumpsuit, full face mask, a set of handcuffs and a blow-up Super Striker Hammer.

 d.) Kim Jung Il ($49.99): This hilarious costume set includes a two piece dark khaki jumpsuit, square-rimmed glasses and a wig.

Ozzie Dots

4637 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

 Most popular requests: Big craze is ZOMBIE, followed by vampires. Other favorites include Mad Hatter, ``Queen of Hearts’’ (character from ``Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’’. Celebrity requests include: Farrah Fawcett, Paris Hilton, and Michael Jackson (dead & alive). A representative is counting his lucky stars that Ozzie Dots hasn’t fielded any Sarah Palin requests. Not yet anyway.

Mallatt Pharmacy and Costumes

3506 Monroe St.
Madison, WI 53711

Most popular requests: Harry Potter has flown out of the store for boys. Second are black Ghoul robes.  Young girls are swooning over the Mermaid costumes. Older girls go for Fairies and pretty witches. Adult women are buying Greek togas, flappers and hippies. Men like the adult size animal costumes with Skunk being the most popular. Parents are buying the toddler size cozy animals especially Dinosaurs and Lions.
 
New Orleans Party and Costume

705 Camp St
New Orleans, LA 70130

Most popular requests: Vampires; and ``Stimulus Package'’ attire; that is, anything having to do with money, such as a dollar sign

Backstage, Inc. 

The Performing Arts Store

545 8th Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Most popular requests: Batman (Watchmen comic series), Catwoman (hoping to look like Holly Berry), 80's rock (think punk, heavy metal, blonde wigs); X-Men Storm costumes, and caterpillar accessories with green tights

Easley's Costumes and Fun Shop:

509 W. McDowell Rd., (at 7th Avenue), Phoenix, Ariz

Most popular requested: Elvis, Star Trek characters, Michelle Obama; most popular group requests, include: ``Wizard of Oz'', ``Alice in Wonderland'' and ``Gilligan’s Island

Landes Costumes by Rachel

811 N Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN‎

Most popular requests: Vampires, Tim Burton's gothic adaptation of ``Alice in Wonderland’’, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

Disguises Costume Superstore

9797 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, CO 80215

Most popular requests: Michael Jackson, vampires, adult women are requesting anything sexy; while Mario and Luigi (Nintendo video game) seem to be popular for young and old alike

Chicago Costumes

1120 West Fullerton, Chicago, IL 60614  

Most popular requests: Boys: Mario and Luigi; Girls-popular princesses; Men- Michael Jackson, Women-Silk Specter from the Watchmen.

Masquerade Halloween Adventure in Times Square

311 W. 43rd Street (Between 8-9th)
New York, N.Y., 10036

Most popular requests: Michael Jackson for kids and men, flappers for women. Gi Joe for boys. ``Oh and vampires are big again. True blood. "

Pierre's Costumes

211 N 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Most popular requests: Michael Jackson; Pirates; and an assortment of costumes that hark back to Colonial Philadelphia

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]

Elvis vs. Michael Jackson: Let the Comparisons Begin

Michael Jackson Update       

                The autopsy report on Michael Jackson released by L.A. County Corner�s office says the cause of death has been ``deferred�� pending the results of the toxicology tests, which will take to 4-to-6 weeks to complete.

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     TMZ has just posted the audio of the 911 call yesterday from Michael Jackson's house in Holmby Hills, Ca at 12: 21 p.m.

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        The Texas Medical Board's profile of Michael Jackson�s physician, Dr Conrad Robert Murray, who was reportedly living with the pop star at his rented mansion, shows him with an active license, no disciplinary action, no malpractice citations, and no prior criminal history.
 
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     The comparisons over whether Michael Jackson eclipsed the iconic stature of Elvis Presley will undoubtedly begin soon.   
        Michael was the King of Pop, Elvis, the King of Rock �n�Roll; both died from what appears to be a cardiac arrest; both were loners; Elvis had the Graceland Mansion, Michael had the Neverland Ranch; Elvis danced with the gyrating hips, Michael had the Moon Walk; and both had connections with Lisa Marie

***

    Did CNN fall asleep at the switch once again?
    First, they got caught off-guard with the storm over the Iranian presidential election on June 12th
    Today; the most trusted name in news took what seemed like an eternity to confirm whether the pop icon was indeed dead.
    While trying to confirm the breaking story independently, CNN took much longer to report on an L.A. Times confirmation than other networks. MSNBC reported the L.A Times story at least 10-15 minutes before CNN. 
        It's fine to be cautious, but the fact the Times posted the story of his death on their Website should have been reason enough for CNN to at least make mention of it.

    -Bill Lucey
    [email protected]