Susie, Jack, and the Christmas Eve Coffee That Never Was

This Christmas Eve my mind wanders to a Christmas Eve past. It was the late eighties, in Seattle. Musician Jack Baker (Jeff Bridges) had just asked singer Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) out for coffee after the two of them played a Christmas Eve gig with Jack’s older brother Frank (Beau Bridges). Strictly business partners up … Continue reading Susie, Jack, and the Christmas Eve Coffee That Never Was →

Year End Stuff

It’s almost the final week of the year, an appropriate time to take inventory around here. I don’t usually spend much time viewing the site’s stats, but I just did and noticed one major thing: I’ve had more than twice as many posts this year, compared to last year. In the last three months alone … Continue reading Year End Stuff →

Have Yourselves a Bewitching Little Christmas

Ever since childhood, when I watched a steady diet of Bewitched reruns, I’ve held the belief that Elizabeth Montgomery is one of the most beautiful humans to ever grace this earth. While certainly a stunner, Montgomery also exuded great warmth and true inner beauty, both on and off screen. In old fashioned parlance, she was … Continue reading Have Yourselves a Bewitching Little Christmas →

Christmas on Film

I love the look of Christmas season. The more bright, colorful lights strewn about the better, in my opinion. Mistletoe and holly and candy canes, oh my! Keep it coming. So I thoroughly enjoy when Christmas movies go all in with their yuletide vibes. In the best Christmas movies, the seasonal trappings are a key … Continue reading Christmas on Film →

The Art of the Ad: Sex, Lies, and Video Games

The 1970s-1980s arcade ads are so gloriously retro now that you can almost see the console lights blinking and flashing, smell the acrid odor of teenage boys working up a sweat gunning for high score on Centipede, and hear the myriad sounds of bleeps, booms, and other onomatopoeia bouncing around the room. The later, home … Continue reading The Art of the Ad: Sex, Lies, and Video Games →

Forty Years of Fast Times

If you grew up at a certain time—the 1980s—and in a certain place—suburban America—then there’s a better than average chance Fast Times at Ridgemont High means an awful lot to you. Earlier this year the movie celebrated its fortieth anniversary, which feels like the right time to express my undying love for it. In his … Continue reading Forty Years of Fast Times →

Bad Girls We Love: Joan Collins in Everything

Normally, I select one character to spotlight in the Bad Girls We Love posts, but this time I’m throwing all the love at one legendary actress who has made a career out of playing the bad girls we love: Dame Joan Collins, or Joan Fucking Collins, as her fans affectionately call her. Or maybe that’s … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Joan Collins in Everything →