Me: It’s mah birfday!
Bryan: You’re mispronouncing that.
M: It’s mah?
B: No. Itsmah was the Prime Minister of Israel in 1979.
M: I don’t want to talk about this. Or things related to this.
B: But it sounds plausible right?
M: It does sound like something you would say.
B: See?
M: You do an awesome imitation of yourself.
Category: My Life
Today is My Birthday

I’ll be wrinkling in the tub, and a little around the eyes.
You go have a piece of cake. I’m pleased to be your excuse.
I’m on Martha! Sort of.
Have I told you I’m in a new book? I have not. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Twitter Wit:

It’s a collection of clever Tweets from famous people and commoners like myself. It was edited by Nick Douglas, who just appeared on Martha Stewart to promote it. I am fairly sure he’s wearing eye shadow. You be the judge:
Oof.

Hank: Wha’s that sound?
Me: That’s the neighbor upstairs.
Hank: Oh! He’s so happy.
Me: Is he? Why is he so happy?
Hank: He love his mama.
Highest Praise

“Hank, what do you want to watch before bed?”
“Weeeelll, Wall-E is a very good wobot, he’s a very good sharer!”
“You want to watch Wall-E?”
“YES!”
“Because Wall-E likes to share?”
“Yes.”
Would you spy on your sitter?
Top Ten Best Tap Numbers in Film
I’m sure all of you remember my tap instructor John Kloss?
Yeah, I bet you do.
If you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, you must attend his Bay Area Tap Festival, which features Friday and Saturday night performances by professional tap dancers from Broadway and film.
To celebrate the culmination of a whole lot of work putting the festival together, I asked Mr. Kloss if he’d share his top ten favorite tap performances on film. (Shockingly, mine did not make the list, but I’m climbing the charts with a bullet, you guys.)
Here they are, counting down to his favorite. Take it away, Mr. Kloss…
10. Savion Glover “Time After Time [Cadenza and Finale sections]”
“There is much Savion Glover material on film, and many clips, such as ‘Ribbon in the Sky’ with Stevie Wonder, could easily compete with this one. But I’ve been watching Savion’s performances — from backstage, from in the audience, on my TV, and on the big screen — since around 1995, and to me, this performance best crystallizes his technical wizardry, unquenchable passion, razor-sharp wit, and superb showmanship.”
9. Peg Leg Bates
“Peg Leg Bates could make it on this list for any number of clips of his work — a compilation of some of his work on film appears here.”
8. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers “Pick Yourself Up” from the film “Swing Time”
“Though Ginger’s taps routinely were later dubbed in by Astaire choreographer/collaborator Hermes Pan, she and Fred both are undeniably “in the pocket” in this righteously tasty morsel of their on-screen work. See 1:20-1:30 and 2:00-2:07 for examples of how Fred and Ginger were ‘serving up the funk’ long before that expression meant what it does today.”
7. Various Dancers, “Lullaby of Broadway” from the film Gold Diggers of 1935
“A huge cast, innovative camera angles, striking lighting effects, reverse motion film, remarkable sets, Broadway presentation, and raw hoofin’ all come together in this tour de force of choreography and cinematography courtesy of Busby Berkeley.”
6. Sammy Davis, Jr., Gregory Hines, et. al. “Challenge” Scene from the film TAP!
“HD footage of some of the greatest in Tap laying it down — opening dialogue provides essential narrative context, but dancing starts at about 1:57.”
5. Bill Robinson Stair Dance from Harlem is Heaven
“An ultimate classic — the stunning simplicity of rhythm tap, incredibly sophisticated compositional quality, and the unmatched clarity and precision of Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson.”
4. Gregory Hines with Sammy Davis Jr. from “Sammy Davis Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration”
“Not quite film, but an absolutely spectacular capture of the essence of Gregory Hines in a touching televised tribute to Sammy shortly after Sammy’s cancer diagnosis.”
3. Gene Kelly Singin’ in the Rain
“Of course, a classic. Close runners up for Gene Kelly entries to the list include the “Alter Ego Dance from Cover Girl (Cinematic Achievement); Live Action Gene Kelly with animated Jerry Mouse in Invitation to the Dance (Cinematic Achievement) (ed note: This video unfortunately also shows a Family Guy version on the right); and also “I Got Rhythm” from An American in Paris, which is pure fun.
2. Jimmy Slyde “On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)” from the Tap Documentary About Tap
“A quintessential recording of my favorite tap dancer of all time and an inspiration to so many other tap dancers at the top of his game.”
1. Nicholas Brothers “Jumpin’ Jive” from the film Stormy Weather
“Here we are at number one. Fred Astaire called it the greatest tap number on film — I have to agree.”
Well, if that last one didn’t put you in a good mood, you can’t be helped. Again, many thanks, to John Kloss of Stepology. If you want to get in on the action this weekend, tickets for the Bay Area Tap Festival are available here.
Young Love Unrequited, The Soundtrack
This is the last gift sponsored by Sandisk slotRadio, so I thought we might actually talk about music. Since John Hughes passed, I’ve been thinking about how much more I enjoy movies when a director is passionate about the soundtrack.
My favorite Hughes scenes are about the music that’s playing in his characters’ lives. Remember Duckie lip-syncing to “Try a little Tenderness?”
Or Ferris Bueller’s “Danke Schoen” cum “Twist and Shout” on the parade float:
And of course, The Breakfast Club dance scene:
Then there are the Hughes songs that knock you flat and replay footage of your bedroom ceiling, circa 1985.
“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds
“If You Were Here” by the Thompson Twins
“If You Leave” by OMD
So this present celebrates the music Mr. Hughes brought into our lives. If you win, I’ll send you everything you need for a nostalgic movie night.
The Ringwald holy trinity:
An absurdly large box of Watermelon Flavored Pop Rocks, (Purchased after I ate the packages I bought for you at the corner store. Taste the Explosion!):

And, of course, a Sandisk slotRadio:

It comes with a bunch of songs already, but also gives you the option of picking your own music. Before you load your workout mix, I’d like you to check into these:
The Ultimate John Hughes Playlist
John Hughes Movie Soundtrack Hits
Leave a comment below, bonus points if you tell me about your favorite music-related movie scene. Be sure to include your email address in the field provided (so I can reach you if you win) by August 14 at 5 p.m. PST. Just one comment, please — I have to delete duplicates for fairness. Random.org will decide who wins. I’ll contact the lucky via email, and I’ll also tell you who won here.
Danke schoen to Sandisk for making this gift project a go. It’s been fun.
Wicca-Wigitty-Wack
Actual thought I just had while watching the Mentalist:
“Oh, please. No moderately sane witch would cast a killing spell. It would come back on her double-whammy.”
It’s possible I’ve spent too much time in San Francisco.
What if your kid is gay?
http://blip.tv/play/gf9lgZWoMgI
I like this episode. Please watch it.



