Sometimes I forget how weird the culture of the Seventies was...

...and then things like this bring it all back.

Last minnit tree and cat

Holy infant, so tender and wild

"Thank you for this new toy"

Foulard got a late craving for an Xmas tree last weekend, so we got a fake one (discounted) at the drug store a block away from our apartment.  Now our place is very jolly!

***
And here's a little Christmas song:

More Xmas picks

I watched all 81 minutes of this last year, despite a stuttery video feed on the cable channel where I DVR'd it.  Luckily for Foulard readers, it's now available on Netflix--in HD, yet.

More normativity than you can shake a stick at

It's the story of an implausibly quaint small town in Alaska that does Christmas big time every year, until the heaviest Baldwin, Daniel, comes to town and starts cramping their style by invoking a little thing called separation of church and state.  What a cad!  He's a local boy who moved to the big city and has now returned to town to corrupt them with his "cosmopolitan" ways.  Ted McGinley plays the mayor, a solid family man who is weirdly fixated on setting up elaborate holiday displays in the town square, or any place that's city property.  He has a colorless wife, son, and daughter (she's the angel on the poster).  My favorite character is the guy played by "christian comedian" Brad Stine.  I originally thought he would turn out to be Jesus, because of his beard, but instead he's just some doofus brother-in-law to McGinley who does a "hilarious" rant against "the PC police" which was the highlight of the movie for me.   (He also has a concert video called "Tolerate This", which should show you where he's coming from)

Manic for Jesus

SPOILER ALERT:
It turns out that Daniel Baldwin is just causing all this trouble because he doesn't have a family to spend Xmas with.  That's right, he's the grinch.  And then he changes his mind and lets them put up their giant manger scene, or something like that.

Recommended for:
Masochists and people with an irrational paranoia about "the war on Christmas".

Foulard's holiday gift giving suggestions

You will be astonished at the looks on your loved ones' faces when they unwrap these little goodies on the holiday of your choosing.

The best version of "Jesus Loves Me" I have ever heard...

Family-Friendly

Here's a fun and stupid thing I found on the internets:

Watch Edited Movies With These
Edited Movies DVD Players

"Now we can finally watch Last Tango in Paris together."

Control the content of movies in your own home. Filter both profanity and offensive scenes while you watch. Without modifying the DVD. Works with over 4000 regular versions of movies that you already own or rent from any video store.

• Filter your movies from Graphic Violence, Suggestive Scenes, Strong or Vulgar Language.
• Filter popular TV Series like 24 and Lost.
• Control the rating of the movies allowed to be played.
• Password protected settings.
• No waiting for edited movies in the mail or letting someone else decide what you want edited... It's your choice!

What a fascinating and lame idea!  I'm sure you could have a wonderfully incoherent movies experience this way, if you pick the right film. 

However, what I'd really like is a DVD player that adds sex, violence, and profanity to boring family movies to jazz them up! Or at least a DVD with all the bits they edited out of those 4000 movies...

With Ted McGinley, how can it go wrong?

Gee whiz...this direct-to-DVD movie looks like it'll be crack for snarky, mocking people (like me).  I won't feel like it's really Xmas this year unless I get to see it!  I can't imagine it letting me down the way DC 9/11: Time of Crisis did.

My prediction: the guy with the beard turns out to be...Jesus.

Finally! The Catholic Church gets something right

"I see the light!"

Vatican endorses "The Blues Brothers"

By Eric J. Lyman Eric J. Lyman Thu Jun 17, 2:57 am ET

TAORMINA, Sicily (Hollywood Reporter) – When Jake and Elwood Blues, the protagonists in John Landis' cult classic "The Blues Brothers," claimed they were on a mission from God, the Catholic Church apparently took them at their word.

On the 30th anniversary of the film's release, "L'Osservatore Romano," the Vatican's official newspaper, called the film a "Catholic classic" and said it should be recommended viewing for Catholics everywhere.

The film is based on a skit from "Saturday Night Live." In the story, Jake and Elwood -- played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, respectively -- embark on an unlikely road trip featuring concerts, car chases, clashes with the police and neo-Nazi groups, and attempts at revenge from a spurned lover, all, ostensibly, to raise money for the church-run orphanage where they grew up.

But aside from a brief appearance from Kathleen Freeman as a wrist-slapping nun referred to as "The Penguin" and the brothers' periodic claim that they were on a mission from God, spirituality does not play a significant role in the film. [I beg to differ! See the still at the top of the post]

In addition to Belushi and Aykroyd, the film featured an all-star cast including musicians James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, and Chaka Khan, in addition to noted actors John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Charles Napier, and Henry Gibson, and cameo roles for Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg, Landis, Mr. T, and Paul Reubens.

With the recommendation, "The Blues Brothers" joins the list of dozens of films recommended by Catholic authorities that includes Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," "Jesus of Nazareth" from Franco Zeffirelli," Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ," Victor Fleming's "Joan of Arc," and "It's a Wonderful Life" from Frank Capra.

The weird death of Dick Shawn

Best known as 'L.S.D' from The Producers, and the Heat and Snow Misers from The Year Without a Santa Claus, oddball comedian Dick Shawn also went out in a strange way.

From Wikipedia:

On April 17, 1987, while performing on stage at UC San Diego's Mandeville Hall, Shawn began a comedy bit about himself and the audience surviving nuclear war. At one point in the act, Shawn portrayed a politician reciting campaign clichés, including: "If elected, I will not lay down on the job"; later, when he collapsed face down on the stage, the audience thought it was part of the act, unaware that he had actually suffered a massive heart attack.

After some time had gone by, there were catcalls. Finally, someone appeared on stage, kneeled down to examine Shawn, stood up and asked: "Is there a doctor in the house?" Another person came on stage, turned him over and began administering CPR. The audience was told to go home, but almost no one left since it appeared to be part of Shawn's act. When paramedics arrived, bewildered audience members began leaving, still unsure of what they had witnessed. A notice in the following day's San Diego Union newspaper clarified that Shawn had indeed died during the performance. Dick Shawn was only 63.

Know your Christian Militia

Aren't they a charming bunch?

This combo of eight photos provided by the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday March 29, 2010 shows from top left, David Brian Stone Sr., 44, of Clayton, Mich,; David Brian Stone Jr. of Adrian, Mich,; Jacob Ward, 33, of Huron, Ohio; Tina Mae Stone and bottom row from left, Michael David Meeks, 40, of Manchester, Mich,; Kristopher T. Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, Ohio; Joshua John Clough, 28, of Blissfield, Mich.; and Thomas William Piatek, 46, of Whiting, Ind.,. Nine suspects tied to Hutaree, a Christian militia that was preparing for the Antichrist were charged with conspiring to kill police officers, then kill scores more by attacking a funeral using homemade bombs, federal prosecutors said Monday.

(AP Photo/U.S. Marshall)

Grab it while you can!

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, but it's never been issued on CD. I don't know why, because every song is pretty great, and everyone loves Johnny Cash these days. But a French (I think) blogger posted the whole out-of-print album a week ago here. I found a copy on vinyl about 20 years ago, but it got away from me at some point. Check it out!

Fast Food (regional edition)

Beebo's post about McDonald's ('s?) new breakfast sandwich started me thinking--what kind of fast food do I still like? In general, I've been over it for many, many years, but a few items still get my mouth watering: Arby's roast beef sandwiches, Ivar's fish and chips, the Dick's Deluxe with fresh-cut fries, and this little item:The mighty (tasty) Chick-fil-a sandwich! I can never really get my hands on one of these, since I live in Seattle, and their restaurants are pretty sparse in this part of the country. However, I'm going deep into the heart of CFA country in March, so I plan on having a few of these babies while I have the chance (and when I'm not eating barbecue).

By Request

Jot the Dot who fears Gott...

Plus a promo for Insight: