A Little Publicity Update

Mmmm...a tasty new interview at Once Upon a Romance, and a lovely review from the ladies at Night Owl Romance. Yay that they loved Fernán! He was the absolute best surprise about writing SCOUNDREL'S KISS.

I've also scanned and uploaded the article I wrote for this month's issue of Romance Writers Report, titled "Writing by Committee: Exploring the Unsavory Side of Critique Groups." You can read it here.

My Holiday Films

After a quick three hours through Chicago, we arrived back from a lovely Thanksgiving with my parents and my brother's family. Our speed-of-light trip home made up for the 6 1/2 hours we spent on the road Wednesday afternoon. Mom cooked all of our traditional family favorites--so good! Then we watched the awesomeness that is Star Trek and the mediocrity that is Zombieland (review to come), and spent most of Friday playing Rock Band. Good times, people. Good times.

I also snuck in a viewing of White Christmas, which is way, way up there among my favorite holiday films. I decided to do a list so I won't forget any. Last year, because we spent three weeks in Britain and because I was busy promoting What a Scoundrel Wants, I missed out on a lot of the holiday to-do, particularly movies. (We made up for it in Britain by watching a zillion Christmas-themed programs, such as the glorious Big Fat Quiz of the Year and the Christmas episode of "Doctor Who". But I think I missed It's a Wonderful Life entirely!)

My list consists of three parts: favorites, tangential holiday movies, and ones I'll watch again now that the girls are old enough. The first category is simple--just the ones I cannot do without. The second involves movies set at or around the holidays but which aren't specifically Christmas movies. The third consists of movies that I plan to revisit; they're not my all-time faves but are worth seeing. These are ones that the girls may enjoy more than me. They've already watched "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman."

Favorites:
A Christmas Story
It's a Wonderful Life
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Nutcracker (starring Mikhail Baryshnikov)
Scrooge (1951)
Scrooged
White Christmas

Tangential:
Die Hard
The Family Man
Love Actually
The Shop Around the Corner
While You Were Sleeping

New to the Kids:
"A Garfield Christmas Special"
Home Alone
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Miracle on 34th Street
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Prancer
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
Santa Claus: The Movie
The Santa Clause
Scrooge (1970)

Oh, and look what I found on YouTube! It's the A Claymation Christmas Celebration, circa 1987. I loved this version of "We Three Kings" when I was in 6th grade and used it to try and teach my brother to sing harmony with me. That didn't work out so well...


And here's a bonus list of ones I have yet to see: The Lemon Drop Kid, Holiday Inn and The Polar Express. Do you have suggestions for ones I've left off?

SYTYCD Week #5

Hi! I'm ducking out of my revision cave (yay!) before ducking back into my family holiday cave (yay!) to do a recap of last night's SYTYCD.

Cat...wearing...giant...shoes!

Ellenore & Ryan (Carla Heiny; lindy hop): Benji did chorey for a lindy in Canada last season and it sucked. He needs to stick to West Coast Swing. This, however, was awesome. It had a great amateur feel, but then Ellenore went right into a perfect double pirouette. The stamina was sky-high. Very enjoyable.

Kathryn & Legacy (Sonya; jazz): DUDE. Loved it. This was the gorgeous and effective blend of jazz technique and b-boy tricks, without the tricks overpowering the story. I especially liked Kathryn's slow struts contrasted with Legacy's twitchy walks--yet still synchronized. Wonderful.

Karen & Victory (Tony & Mel; tango): Oh, those costumes! I can't think of another style of dance that would allow them to actually demonstrate sexual chemistry. I missed seeing some flick kicks and other really sharp moves, but those opening and closing poses were fantastic.

Mollee & Nathan (Jamal Sims; hip-hop): They don't really "do" unison, do they? They're both so immature (read: not the same thing as "young") and don't give up ground to find a common pocket. Nice body locks from Nathan, but overall too "twee," as Nigel said. Do Americans know what that means now?

Noelle & Russell (Tony & Mel; samba): I still have serious samba envy. The ending seemed off; it continued without music. Maybe the lift went on too long? Her chest shimmies were very tight and her hips restrained. I agree with Adam in that it needed to be down and dirtier. Nice, but not a keeper.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Sonya; lyrical jazz): His flexibility makes me feel icky, so maybe that's why I didn't connect with this one. Too many contortionist tricks. With Legacy and Kathryn, it was Kathryn doing the flexibility poses. Here it was reversed. Meh.

Ellenore & Ryan (Spencer Liff; Broadway): I liked the restrained gravity to this. It was tense and slow without being boring. Ryan's height and carriage really pulled off the character, and I'm liking Ellenore more and more.

Kathryn & Legacy (Jean-Marc & France; Viennese waltz): Uh-oh. *looks out from between fingers, fearing trainwreck* Truly, they did the best they could but it kinda sucked. Kathryn held it down for them both.

Karen & Victor (Laurieanne Gibson; hip-hop): Sucked. Mary got it right: there was nothing to latch on to here. Bad chorey, meh dancing, no chemistry.

Mollee & Nathan (Tasty Oreo; can-can): Do the can can can!! It was cute and well done, but again with the friggin' unison! Two out of the three places where they needed to be in synch--the side-by-side high knee kicks and the finishing matched splits--were off. I was expecting more can-can-ocity, but maybe that's coz I've watched Moulin Rouge! too many times.

Noelle & Russell (Tasty Orea; contemporary): Katee is Tyce's assistant! Cool! Oh, this one brought me to tears. Isn't that funny, how routines affect each person differently? Absolutely beautiful.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Jean-Marc & France; cha-cha): I love Jean-Marc in very small doses. Judging for SYTYCD Canada is just...too much. Hated the make-me-barf spinning camera work. So distracting! The dance was cute, fun, and well done, although no one has better strutting cha-cha walks than Heidi, and no one can do sexy cha-cha better than Anya.

Bottom three: Ellenore & Ryan; Karen & Victor; Mollee & Nathan. Home...Karen and Victor. I'm looking forward to Shakira tonight. What did y'all think?

Have a great Thanksgiving if you're in the US!

Imagine My Surprise

Kensington sprang for a full-page ad in Romantic Times to promote three hot historicals coming out in January...including SCOUNDREL'S KISS! I love that they used my cover for the background image. Praise be to the cover gods!

SYTYCD Week #4

Cat's wrapped in aluminum. Wait, she's British. Cat's wrapped in aluminium.

Funny that they're looking back at when these dancers were kids. Ha! Some of their home videos are dated from when I was in college.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop): Quality number. First I've really enjoyed of theirs. The choreography was sharp and edgy, and they delivered the emotion very well. I'm still not getting all the love for these two, because I don't connect with either, but at least I don't hate them anymore.

Karen & Kevin (Spencer Liff's Broadway): I wish they'd intro these choreographers, let us know what they've done or where they come from. Sometimes I know, but in this case I don't. Anyone? The cartwheel flip that Spencer and his assistant demonstrated in the package was left out, but K&K have always had trouble with lifts. That's where the packages do the dancers a disservice. It was cute but far too restrained. Very...ordinary? You could see the concentration on their faces. Bottom three.

Noelle & Russell (Eddie Simon's foxtrot): This was playful, charming, and featured a gorgeous lift sequence. Very nice. Russell's fouetté pirouette, which Nigel pointed out, was the highlight for me--he's so much more than "just a krumper." However, I'm afraid that even Russell's star power may not be enough to keep them out of the bottom three with such a (merely) pleasant number. The drama was high and very flashy tonight, which leaves their foxtrot at a disadvantage.

Channing & Victor (Tasty Oreo jazz): I completely agree with Adam regarding the song. It was distracting. The choreography was gorgeous, especially that jump sequence where she dropped down to him. Their double pirouettes matched beautifully, which proves that they're both excellent contemporary dancers. However, this particular routine is a great demonstration of the divide between jazz and contemporary dancers. True jazz dancers would've made it sharper, more exaggerated. Channing is this season's Caitlyn: athletic, beautiful, but fundamentally lacking in confidence. Bottom three is my guess.

Kathryn & Legacy (Tony Meredith's paso doble): Did Tony forget Melanie at home? Legacy's shoulders were a little hunched toward his ears, but his overall frame and shape were great. Very commanding. I wish they could've done without the final lift sequence because they had trouble there. The drama was fantastic. I loved the portion where he grabbed her skirt, she flew up into his arms, and they went straight into the close-hold promenade. And I like, too, that Mary pointed out that exact sequence. I'm not a schlub!

Ellenore & Ryan (Travis's contemporary): Travis can do no wrong. OMG. The boy is stellar. And Jamie from S3 was his assistant! She trained at his mom's studio for years and years, so that makes sense. As with Ashleigh and Jakob, this is the first time I haven't disliked them! But dude, Ryan's first performance as a kid? Wearing bunny ears and a tail is why dads don't let their boys go into dance!!

Mollee & Nathan (Laurieanne Gibson pop-jazz): Adam mentioned the synchronized movements but I didn't see that at all. They were all over the place, with a complete lack of confidence. The producers may have created a "dream team" in pairing these two, but they did them both a serious wrong. Neither has the maturity to help the other through. I can't imagine Nathan practicing in the lunchline, as they mentioned with Legacy. Both M&N wore expressions that read: "We're embarrassed by these old people."

Then again, maybe the judges were taking a different tactic. Last week's lambasting didn't work (a la S3's Cedric), so maybe some faint praise will do the trick. I wish these two were in the bottom three over either Channing & Victor or Noelle & Russell, but I just don't see that happening. Teen favorites are only eliminated in later weeks when grown-ups quit splitting the vote.

Your thoughts?

Four Stars for Gavriel & Ada

Yay! SCOUNDREL'S KISS got a four-star review in the December issue of Romantic Times. Happy!!

With its atypical setting and unique characters, Lofty's latest sweeps readers into a historical plot that tackles many contemporary themes in a meaningful and thought-provoking way. Kudos to Lofty for her innovative approach.

You Can't Take it With You (1938)

Jean Arthur (Alice), Lionel Barrymore (Grandpa), James Stewart (Tony Kirby), Edward Arnold (Anthony P. Kirby)

Directed by Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life)

IMDB: Alice Sycamore, the only normal person from a zany family, falls in love with her boss, Tony Kirby.

Hijinks ensue!

I rented this one on the recommendation of Leslee. I didn't even look up what it was about--just knew that it was more Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur and Frank Capra.

While I doubt that any Capra/Stewart film will ever touch my love of It's a Wonderful Life, which has been ingrained in me since my childhood, this film was a great bundle of monkey laughs. The family was absurd and lovable. The jokes came from both obvious and subtle places. And of course, Jean Artur and Jimmy Stewart were just fantastically charismatic.

However, the show belonged to Lionel Barrymore--his timing that spurs the comedy, his character's decisions that motivate the plot. I've only ever known him from his role as Potter, so this performance came as quite a delightful surprise. Lovable, whimsical, unconcerned with money, and generally adorable, he's the Anti-Potter!

The plot comes together very slowly, building up to the big showdown between the cops and the family on the night they meet the Kirbys. We saw it coming, but it was hilarious nonetheless. And of course the courtroom finale is overblown and smile-worthy.

Watching this movie, as with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I kept seeing flashes of what would become It's a Wonderful Life. The courtroom scene when everyone comes forward to financially rescue Grandpa is like a practice run for the George Bailey finale. And here, Jimmy Stewart's performance is subdued. He's emotional, he's charming, and he's funny, but he's also third-fiddle to Arthur and Barrymore. His full potential as a leading man came to fruition with George Bailey. Here, again, is more practice.

Lovable practice! But gosh, all these oldies are making me so so so so so keen on re-watching my favorite old Christmas movies. Bring on the holidays!!

Ilsa the Sickie Monster

Ilsa stayed home today and I took her to the doctor this afternoon. She has an ear infection, bronchial inflammation, and pink eye. Whee! After a trip to the pharmacist and $105 later, I got her home and stuffed her full of medicinal goodness. Her pediatrician says she'll be a completely rejuvenated kid by Thursday, which is, I'm guessing, the earliest she can return to school.

Ah, my week, how unpredictable you've become.

Hopefully we'll be all cleared up and better by the time we want to visit the Ritzemas in Milwaukee this Saturday, and if not by then, at least in time for Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, after returning from the doctor, the entire living room was made of cloud. It had transformed into a sauna while we were gone. I thought that the air vent must've become clogged, but it turned out to be a disconnected dryer hose. Back to Walgreens for duct tape!

Few people on this planet hate DIY chores more than I do, but it turns out that Juliette is one of them. Like father, like daughter! I asked her to hold the hose and help me with the tape. Five minutes proved enough time for her to ask three times if she could return to watching her show. I had to phrase things like: "Set the tape down and don't leave" or "Bring me the scissors and don't leave."

But now the dryer's fixed too. I keep patching and repairing today. Leaves little time for my big long to-do list. *sigh* Maybe tomorrow.

Oh, and if you haven't seen last night's episode of "Doctor Who," you'll be in for a treat once you do. It was brilliant.

A Tale of Two Weddings

Yesterday morning at 3am, Ilsa came into our room and said that her ear hurt. Uh-oh. Never good. I got up and gave her Tylenol and a decongestant, because her cough has become more aggressive over the last few days. Tomorrow will actually mark the three-week point since it began. Again, not good. What was worse: we planned to drive to Ohio yesterday for my friend Kerry's wedding. This wedding was postponed from August when a cousin of hers died the week before. I was very much looking forward to seeing my friends from college, so the thought of missing this rescheduled date was really upsetting.

But when morning came, Ilsa said her ear felt better, and both she and Juliette were keen on going. Okay, I guess we're a go. We scurried around and got out the door by 8am, eventually arriving in Bowling Green by 3pm. Karen and Art just happened to be in the adjoining hotel room, so that was exciting. Later Art would re-enact the squeeing that Karen and I did when we opened the adjoining doors and hugged.

We went out to a late lunch because the wedding reception wasn't schedule to begin until 7. That's when things started to go downhill. Ilsa basically...melted. All of her energy went. Her sinuses were a mess. She had no appetite. Keven finished off his meal and went back to the hotel with the girls, putting Ilsa down for a nap. That helped. She slept for a good hour. Eventually we all go dressed and headed to the chapel.

Ilsa continued to go downhill. We weren't half-way through the sweet, low-key, rather brief service--a separate tale of two weddings when compared to the very elaborate bilingual Catholic ceremony that Steve and Silvia had in June--when Keven and I began making plans to compensate for Ilsa's illness. I would take Juliette to the reception while Keven took Ilsa back to the hotel; he had some documentaries about Nazis on his iTouch, which meant he could look after her and not lose his mind while she consumed three episodes of iCarly.

So I had a date with Juliette.

This was always going to be the better deal--heading to a reception with a well child rather than to hotel room exile with a sick one--but Juliette is particularly adept at an event such as a reception. She loves food and is not afraid of trying new things, she's social and older and more easily self-contained, and she doesn't get tired as easily. In other words, we had a great time.

She was stoked that she could eat, basically, anything she did or didn't want. What she wanted was lots of fruit, Sprite, and three pieces of cake: white, chocolate, and carrot. She also ate about ten chocolate party favor squares. While I talked with my friends, having a good time catching up, she went exploring in the giant ballroom. Funny, but the last time I was in that ballroom was for a Halloween dance in 1994, where I danced to "American Pie"; last night I was there with my seven-year-old.

After a while, the music started and, to my vast surprise, Juliette wanted to dance. She never dances other than a bit of goofing around. At first I thought it was just something she wanted to do to occupy some time, being a bit bored. But she kept going. Eventually I joined her, in solidarity, despite the song being "Come On, Eileen." Not my favorite in the world, but now it has a whole new set of memories: me and Juliette alone on the dance floor.

Other songs followed: "Single Ladies," "Runaround Sue," "What I Like About You," "Billie Jean," and "Living on a Prayer." We took breaks, but for the most part Juliette danced for two hours. We borrowed a rubberband to get the hair off her neck--she'd left it down, princess style--and she kicked off her dress shoes. I'd worn flats because my ankle is still swollen, but I managed to overdo it.

Then came that part that all partygoers fear: Juliette puked. Too much Sprite, too much cake, and too many dances. She took it all in stride, sat another dance or two out, and then was back at it again. I see shades of her college years.

Even Cinderella gets tired, though. It got to be 10:30, so Art drove Juliette and I pack to the hotel. Ilsa was kinda awake and very emotional, but Keven said to go back and enjoy myself. Art and I went back to the reception and we all stayed another 90 minutes, catching up and having a great time. Kerry and Brandon looked intensely happy, and all their families were out in force to celebrate.

I got back to the hotel room around midnight to learn that Ilsa had thrown up too. She was feverish, so I think that was the culprit. Keven punched out as parent in charge and took the side of the bed farthest from Ilsa. He'd more than earned it. I was up about four times for the rest of the night when her coughing got the better of her, and so I could push the fluids. We learned our lesson in Britain last time, that Ilsa cannot afford to become dehydrated.

Our trip back today revealed that Ilsa not only had a cold but a nasty case of pink eye. Ew. We stopped by Meijer on the way our of Bowling Green and got decongestant, more Tylenol, pink eye relief (not a cure but a symptom reliever), and some electrolyte stuff to add to her water. And cookies. Gotta have cookies. She slept for about 90 minutes through Chicago, and we made it home this afternoon at roughly 3:30--at which point I doused her with the pink eye cure we have leftover from last time. I still think all of this confluence of snot and weeks-long cough will deserve a trip to the doctor tomorrow.

So there it is, the tale of two weddings. Aside from some lingering guilt and obvious worry over Ilsa, I had a fantastic time spending it with my party girl. At least she didn't have to suffer the long drive and a bout of boredom because of Ilsa's condition. As Karen and Art said, Keven is 50% their parent too--he just got the shitty end of the 50% this time. I owe him big.

Meet Ellen Connor

In the middle part of last year, my friend Ann Aguirre and I teamed up to co-write an apocalyptic paranormal romance called NIGHTFALL, the first of three in our proposed "Dark Age Dawning" trilogy. Lo and behold, after many months of waiting and contract thorns, we sold the trilogy to Penguin this afternoon. I am too happy for words. It really has been an amazing experience so far, and Ann and I are super excited to get back to work on writing MIDNIGHT and DAYBREAK. No word yet on release dates, but you can be sure that I'll keep you posted.

Why Ellen Connor, you might ask? We took our pseudonym from Ellen Ripley of Alien and Sarah Connor of The Terminator. Yes, we love our Old Skool heroines. May we kick ass for many years to come.

Our website is live. Go browse around its utter awesomeness, including book blurbs, excerpts, and a little more about how Ann and I have clicked creatively, such as this montage of our favorite pop culture inspirations!

Tiny Post for a Great Day

In the future, looking back, I'm going to regret not blogging about days like this. It's been wonderful: productive, smooth, healthful, happy, full of laughter and dance and friends. Maybe this is just enough for now. Imagine that this short like post is a bookmark for a day really well lived.

SYTYCD Week #3

Cat looked wrapped in a lizard. Weird. Perhaps I was just in a grumpy mood last night because I'd lost work on a new scene, but the whole show was lackluster. I don't know if I'll keep any of these performances.

Karen & Kevin (Maria Torres' hustle): My favorite hustle was S3's Maria Torres' number with Lacey and Kameron, and this one didn't come close. The opening was a bit...boring? I kept waiting for it to happen. It finally came together at the end with a great finale (before the OOPS! recovery). They are both glorious hams, and he partnered her very well.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Mandy Moore's jazz): Mandy does love her 80s! Can't fault her there. Have I mentioned before that I hate props? Yes, I have. It felt inorganic and forced, and Nigel was very wrong about comparing it to the table number. Why do I dislike Ashleigh so much, a feeling in direct disproportion to how much the judges love her? And for those of you who can't let anything go when it doesn't compute, I had to look up the psoas muscle that Adam brought up. He's still incredible.

Pauline & Peter (JT & Tomas's quickstep): Oh, thank goodness we have new blood. I'm missing the old guard choreys something fierce, but it's always cool to see what new people bring to the show. This was an aggressive quickstep; they didn't pull punches when it came to close holds and footwork. Too bad the dancers couldn't deliver much more than a wink and a smile to do it justice.

Kathryn & Legacy (Andy B's Broadway): K&L should open a happy shop together. They just seem so genuinely sweet. The program was adorable (I think that was Adam's word too), but I won't be keeping it. To use an Aussie term, it was a bit "under." Awesome trust in the neat-o tricks, great energy, but not stellar.

Channing & Victor (Stacey's contemp): Lovely, as always. However unless Stacey gets dancers with a real sense of connection, her chorey just comes across as pretty and enjoyable, not moving. Compare the judges' reaction to these two as opposed to Kathryn and Legacy last week.

Ellenore & Ryan (Lil' C hiphop/krump): I smile to think what Russell would've done with this. E&R threw it on the ground and peed on it. Not good. But then, I can't remember a Lil' C routine I've ever adored.

Mollee & Nathan (Gustavo Vargas's salsa): Yay! Gustavo's here! He, like Stacey, comes to us from Canada, creating my favorite SYTYCD CA Latin numbers (Nico & Arassay's salsa and last season's Top 3 Guys). Good to see him here as a nice change of pace from Melanie & Tony. That said, trainwreck!! OMG, I don't remember the time I've seen dancers duff chorey so badly. That was just hideous. If they're not in the bottom three, we'll know how rabid their fans are.

Noelle & Russell (Sean's afro-jass): Yay! Sean's here! Another Canadian. He did TJ & Everett's awesome tap Braodway number last season. He's also done afro-jazz in Canada before, which I always enjoy. This was quality stuff--slinky, sharp, entertaining. Perhaps I'll rewatch it later to see if I was just overly grumpy and didn't give it enough credit at the time.

I wonder if this means they'll have US1's Blake McGrath, choreographer and occasional judge in Canada, back for a reunion with the US show sometime soon. Only if he does something fiery hot or super naughty.

If there's any justice, the Bottom Three will be Ellenore & Ryan, Channing & Victor, and Mollee & Nathan. Your thoughts?

The Battle of the Bulge (1965)

Henry Fonda (Lt. Col. Kiley), Robert Shaw, (Col. Hessler), Robert Ryan (Gen. Grey), George Montgomery (Sgt. Duquesne)

Directed by Ken Annakin (The Seekers)

IMDB: In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent this occurrence, Hitler orders an all out offensive to re-take territory and capture the major port city of Antwerp. "The Battle of the Bulge" shows this conflict from the perspective of an American intelligence officer as well as from a German Panzer Commander.

Everyone's favorite American winter campaign during WWII, the Battle of the Bulge, was poignantly brought to life in the episodes "Bastogne" and "The Breaking Point" from the miniseries Band of Brothers. It was a time of extreme hardship, heroism, and near misses that permanently turned the tide of the war, highlighting how far Hitler had slipped toward incompetency and madness.

However, aside from one particular scene I'll mention below, The Battle of the Bulge didn't illustrate much of that grief and hardship for me. Perhaps it was Telly Savalas and his antics. Perhaps it was the cocky, unlikeable way many of the Americans were portrayed--as much reckless cowboys as soldiers. I didn't come away with a genuine sense of scope or emotion, the heart of what this battle meant for the war and to the men who survived it.

This isn't to say that the movie is unwatchable. On the contrary I enjoyed it quite a bit, and particular performances stood out. Henry Fonda was likable, as always, but ultimately too flawless. His every hunch was plays out perfectly, but he's Henry Fonda so I forgive him. He's too nifty not to. Charles Bronson was actually very cool as Maj. Wolenski--not overblown and not too brash. He presented the ideal blend of resignation (receiving orders that were, in effect, a death sentence) and duty (carrying out those gut-wrenching orders to the very end).


The film dips its toe into the early stages of 1960s revisionism, presenting the "other side" with various shades of culpability. Col. Hessler, portrayed by a creepily icy and blond Robert Shaw, is a maniac. We don't realize that until the finale. No, he seems like a soldier's soldier: he eats what the crew eats, he understands tactics as well as morale, he hates how sloppy his commanders have become, and he disdains some of the decisions coming out of Berlin.

Only during his discussion with his aide, Conrad, does his madness leak out:

Hessler: Our column has made the farthest advance! We have outrun the other Panzers! The eyes of Germany are on us! The Fuhrer himself will decorate me. We have done it Conrad! We have done it!
Conrad: Then I was wrong. We have won the war.
Hessler: No.
Conrad: You mean we have lost?
Hessler: No.
Conrad: I don't understand. If we have not won, and we have not lost, than what is happening?
Hessler: The best thing possible is happening--the war will go on.
Conrad: For how long?
Hessler: Indefinitely. On, and on, and on!
Conrad: But it must come to an end.
Hessler: You're a fool Conrad. Those of us who understood knew in 1941 that we could never win.
Conrad: You mean Colonel for three years we have been fighting without any hope of victory?
Hessler: There are many kinds of victory. For the German Army to survive, for us to remain in uniform--that is our victory. Conrad, the world is not going to get rid of us after all.
Conrad: But...when do we go home?
Hessler: This is our home.
Conrad: And my sons? When do I see them? What will become of them?
Hessler: They will become German soldiers, and you will be proud of them.

Conrad's face falls. He knows the truth the moment we do, that those in charge of the German army's remains are no longer to be trusted. They are lost to their own delusions.

I'm glad I saw this. I never had the patience for it before, although I've known about it for years and years, back from the days when my dad would watch it during the holidays. It's as integral to those childhood memories as Dad singing "The Old Man" from White Christmas. But if I'm going to revisit the Bulge on screen, it'll be with the 101st in Band of Brothers.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Jean Arthur (Clarissa Saunders), James Stewart (Jefferson Smith), Claude Rains (Senator Paine)

Directed by Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life)

IMDB: A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down.

Is it from the 1930s or 40s? Does it tangentially connect to my WWII research? Then it's movie time!

I'd never seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in its entirety until last week. What a treat. I've already talked about my vintage crush on Jimmy Stewart--the man flew B-24 Liberators over Germany, for Pete's sake!--and this did nothing to dissuade my affection. He plays bumbling, sweet, righteous, naive, determined, angry, and turned-inside-out to a tee.

But nothing Stewart accomplishes on screen by himself compares to his rapport with Jean Arthur, who actually earned top billing here. Her role as Saunders, Mr. Smith's quick-witted secretary, is priceless. She's snarky, witty, jaded, and in desperate to believe in something great. Their scene together when discussing how to draft a bill steals the whole movie. Her best attempt to prove how hard it will be doesn't dent his enthusiasm, as he wears the expression of an eager puppy. Precious.


Claude Rains, who rollicked and smoozed his way through Casablanca as Bogey's corrupt French sidekick, is amazingly transformed here, serving as Mr. Smith's nemesis and mentor. He portrays a man who is deeply conflicted, fearful, and ultimately very ashamed of having turned out the way he has. His character is a fascinating study of one's moral death by a thousand little cuts.

The "OMG I LOVE DEMOCRACY" montage was a little overblown, as was the finale, but the movie provides evidence as to why Capra was so greatly sought after for wartime propaganda. Mr. Smith also highlights his skills as a film maker and Stewart's subtleties as an actor when they re-teamed in 1946 to create It's a Wonderful Life. Seven years went a long way toward perfecting both of their abilities to capture the heart of American optimism.

Greatest Note Ever

Ilsa gave this to me today. It reads (translated): "Hi Mommy, I love you. I love how you write. I love your sweater. I just love you." And no, she's never read anything I write, but it's pretty damn nice to be on the receiving end of that much unconditional appreciation!

Casablanca (1942)

Humphrey Bogart (Rick Blaine), Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund), Paul Henreid (Victor Laszlo), Claude Rains (Captain Renault)

Directed by Michael Curtiz (White Christmas)

Summary: Set in occupied Africa during the early days of World War II, an American expatriate meets a former lover who must choose between her duty and her heart.

I can't believe I've never discussed Casablanca on my blog! Many of you may know that we were inspired to name our second daughter, Ilsa, after Ingrid Bergman's character in this classic film, and yet I haven't seen it in its entirety since roughly March of 2003. While riding high on my WWII kick of late, I thought I'd revisit it and see how it holds up.

It's held up brilliantly. Good news for Ilsa!

The romance actually takes up considerably less screen time than I remember, even though it remains the main thrust of the plot and the heart of of Rick and Ilsa's character development. What stood out for me this time around was the humor. Claude Rains, in particular, is hilarious--as much a foil and partner to Bogey as Bergman is. Their quips and cracks liven the film with the gallows humor that typifies WWII comedy. It's all very dark and resigned to what cannot be changed, while maintaining an underlying earnestness of purpose that marks it as a product of a war that could yet be won.

However, with regard to the romance, I believe what resonates with me is that we get to bear witness to Rick's suffering. We get to see him drenched and crestfallen at the train station. We get to see him drinking himself into oblivion and listening to "As Time Goes By" for the hundredth time since Ilsa walks back into his life. "If she can stand it, I can! Play it!" I can't name a film from this era where the man's suffering is so painfully laid bare. It would be the equivalent of watching Rhett Butler sloshing back drink after drink because Scarlet O'Hara was twisting him into knots. The 1940s version of machismo didn't allow much of that brand of love moping, yet Bogey pulls it off with masculinity to spare.

Ilsa's desperation made me cry. "I can't fight it anymore. I ran away from you once. I can't do it again. Oh, I don't know what's right any longer. You have to think for both of us. For all of us." And of course, Rick does. He rips out his heart again and sends her off to be with the man who needs her more--even if he isn't the man who loves her more. Damn, what a good ending. I'm not one for unhappy endings, but you know what you're getting into with Casablanca. If you want happy Bogart, you have to turn to To Have and Have Not instead!

One line that stood out for me this time around came from Victor Laszlo regarding his role in the resistance against Nazi occupation: "And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds, thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't kill that fast." Sorry, Victor, but you're three years too early to make a definitive statement of that kind--one that history proved wrong.

SYTYCD Week #2

Ah, here we go again with the judges in charge. Can anyone doubt that the results would've been different had the audience had a say? Cat was gorgeous in her shimmery gold nightie dress, and I hate, hate, hate the new opening sequence where they dance each other out of center stage. Lame.

Noelle & Russell (Jamal Sims; hiphop): I dislike props because they're radically distracting. The routine seemed long...like really long. He was very sharp and she kept up for the first minute, but then her lack of isolation really began to show. The duffed cartwheel was the final straw. Adam Shankman is just about the sanest, most awesome guy on the show. He gives marvelous critiques with such sincerity, and his intentions always come from an honest place of wanting the dancers to get better and better.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Mel & Tony; Viennese waltz): Where is Jason G? Where are Pasha and Anya? I'm getting tired of Mel and Tony doing two shows per week. Jakob's turns where he was on the outside and she spun on one leg seemed very hesitant, but the lifts were elegant and flowing. I didn't like all of the Latin flair accents because they interrupted the floating style. Jakob needed to lead with more command.

Bianca & Victor (Tasty Oreo...was it jazz or Broadway?): Bianca's performance sold it for me again. And Victor shouldn't do a split jeté after Jakob just did one! He can't compare. But overall...meh. Not bad and not memorable either. Did I mention how awesome Adam is? What other judge has gotten off his or her own high horse long enough to reference classic dance pieces, all in an effort to really educate and improve the dancers? Only Adam.

Mollee & Nathan (Nakul; Bollywood): Nathan did 13 pirouettes. He's mental. He had her on sharpness, but she had on a wonderfully believable serious face. I loved her performance quality. The ending was lovely (if only she hadn't hit her head on the sword on the way up). Mary said it was hard not to compare them to Katee & Joshua's Bollywood, but she obviously forgot Caitlyn and Jason from last season, which was also very good.

Channing & Philip (Mel & Tony; samba): If I could do one Latin dance, I'd do samba. I have cha-cha and rumba rhythm, but it would be seriously awesome to learn samba and see if my hips would cooperate. Oh, I feared for these two. Those lifts were awful. She had massive amounts of spaghetti arms, which made it difficult for him to lead. Blech.

Karen & Kevin (T&N; hiphop): Whoa, awesome. Karen is crazy good flygirl chic. They have wicked chemistry and their unison was magnificent. I hate it, though, when solid, masculine partners don't get the credit they deserve. I mean, could Karen have vamped it up with such convincing sexuality had she been dancing with Jakob? Or Philip? Nope. She needed a man, not a boy or a dishrag or a smiley dude, and Kevin delivered.

Kathryn & Legacy (Stacey; contemp): Oooooh, very nice. I had fears that it would be too much like Mia's amazing addiction piece from last season, but she and Stacey are very different in the lines they create. Legacy was beautifully convincing, and their partnering was perfect. Just stunning. I look forward to these two and Karen & Kevin next week. No one else has really grabbed me.

As an aside, I'm glad to see that the judges express their appreciation to the choreographers as it's warranted, such as their praise here for Stacey. Contrast that to how they critiqued Mel & Tony or even Wade, and how the Canadian judges "give a shout out" to every single choreographer for each routine. The judges here have been doing very well this season. They please me.

Pauline & Peter (Wade; jazz): Wade? WTF? No thanks. This didn't work for me on any level. Peter has no sharpness and he really doesn't connect with me, personality wise.

Ellenore & Ryan (Miriam and Leonardo; tango): Her center was off in a couple places, but I couldn't tell if it was her fault or his partnering. She also held her shoulders up in a way that looked stiff and unconvincing, so I couldn't go with the judges in saying that she nailed the tango attitude. For being such a tall, strong dude, Ryan seemed to mince along with some of his steps when he should have been striding. I will give mad mad props to their ability to stay with that routine despite her costume malfunction. Holy moly!

Noelle, who specializes in back bends...Victor, who specializes in being tall...Bianca, who specializes in being noisy and awesome...and Philip, who specializes in being noisy and bland. I hate how they're putting mics on the tappers. I mean, we get it. They tap. I don't need to hear the clicks at the expense of the music. I thought for sure it would be Noelle and Philip going home. Anyone doubt that Bianca would be staying had fans been voting? Boo.

But if you want to see a wicked tap number, you have to check out Everett's very risky "Oh...Canada" solo. Both Bianca and Philip were missing "and the crowd goes wild!!" factor that Everett provided with every performance.

Roosevelts on Unusual Historicals

I'm over at Unusual Historicals today talking dynasties, specifically the Roosevelts. Do you know how Teddy and FDR were related? I didn't, not really, until I researched this little essay. I found it all very interesting, especially the Roosevelt sons' wartime records!

The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

James Stewart (Glenn Miller), June Allyson (Helen Berger Miller), Harry Morgan (Chummy MacGregor)

Directed by Anthony Mann (The Far Country)

Summary: Tells the story of big band leader Glenn Miller's inauspicious beginnings, his marriage and family, and his eventual worldwide success before his unfortunate death by a plane crash in December 1944.

After all this big bang music I've been listening to, I had to see The Glenn Miller Story. I mean, Jimmy Stewart! He's dreamy and awesome--the ultimate good guy. This was one of four movies he completed in 1954, including a favorite in the Lofty house: Rear Window. He was roughly 45 years old at the time, while Glenn Miller died at age 40. This made some of the "just starting out" scenes from Miller's youth a little implausible. You could practically reach out and touch the technicolor pancake make-up on both leads.

But these minor points didn't get in the way of my enjoyment. Stewart portrayed Miller as determined and gifted but somewhat...lost. He knew what he wanted from his music and heard it clearly; he just didn't know how to bring about the reality of it. Much credit for his success is given to his wife, Helen: she scrimped and saved for the "Glenn Miller Band Fund," prodded him into taking more chances, and inspired several of his most lasting tunes. I came away with the impression that there wouldn't have been a Glenn Miller, as the world came to know him, without his wife.

The music was great, the war time settings very apropos of my current mood, and the ending made me cry. Imagine having to listen to your husband's music on Christmas Day knowing that he wasn't there to conduct it, and that his band members were carrying on in his memory. And then imagine that he'd planned a special surprise song for that performance as a Christmas gift--only he wasn't around anymore. *sniff*

Gah. So sad!

The saddest part, however, was the line Harry Morgan had about how "kids are gonna be dancing to Glenn's music for years to come." That was somewhat true in 1944 when Miller disappeared, but it was certainly less true when the film came out ten years later--the same year Bill Haley recorded "Rock Around the Clock." Kids wouldn't rediscover big band until roughly 1997 with Brian Setzer and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's brief resurrection of the genre. In many ways, The Glenn Miller Story was nostalgic from the start, an ode to what it was to be young in the 40s and an attempt to hang on to the last vestiges of that age.

Halloween 2009

Both of the girls went on school field trips to autumn harvest places, Juliette to Borzinski's Farm and Ilsa to Apple Holler. I went with Ilsa this time, my first trip to Apple Holler even though she's gone three years in a row. It was cute and the kids had a good time. Great chocolate chip cookies! But I don't think I'd ever go there without a field trip. They've become so popular that they charge for parking and get super crowded, especially on the weekends. We lucked out in that our rescheduled day in mid-October was muddy but clear and sunny.

Ilsa wanted to use the same witch costume that she wore last year, a cool black and purple goth dress, but she wanted a wig too. Simple. We bought a black and white witchy wig. Ta-dah! Costume done. Juliette also wanted to be a witch and settled on the exact same style of costume, only hers was black and dark red. She also put out her own money to buy a giant witch hat rimmed with feathers. Both girls have black boots, tights and turtlenecks, so they were good to go. We even used my dark purple and dark red nail polish to match their dresses.

Juliette's school had a costume parade on Friday. I didn't go because Ilsa wasn't feeling well and it was raining out. Then on Saturday, Keven took the girls trick-or-treating while I made use of the citywide lack of kids and families in order to go grocery shopping. Good plan! They only trick-or-treated for about 90 minutes and came away with huge buckets full of candy. A good haul.

Then that night we went to Armitage's annual Terror on the Square. They made use of all the floors and both buildings, including the basements, to put on a really awesome haunted house, complete with strobe lights, musicians, and volunteer zombies from the upper grades. We skipped the family friendly first hour of the event--probably a mistake, in retrospect--and went to the full blown haunted house after 7pm. Mind you, both girls were going into and coming out of colds and had spent the afternoon running around for trick-or-treating. In other words they were tired.

And freaked out.

Granted, it was a damn spooky set-up! Ilsa lost it about a third of the way through, just when the first zombies appeared. She was hysterical, swinging wildly between laughing at them (when I tried to tickle them) and crying. The school's principal met us halfway and said she'd go ahead of us, telling the volunteers to tone it down as we came through. The guy manning the exist elevator even turned the lights on so that Ilsa would stay calm. Ah, well. Lesson learned. We'll just consider the admission fee our contribution to the school!

Afterward, Juliette was exceedingly quiet and Ilsa wouldn't stop talking. "The zombies were just Armitage kids dressed up. The mice in the corner were just toy mice. I wasn't scared." Ha! Hahahahaha! Juliette admitted to being scared and remained relatively quiet for the rest of the night. They just about passed out when we got home, with all of the day's resources used up. If we go back to Terror on the Square next year, we'll go during family hour--and probably on a different day than trick-or-treating, so they're not entirely exhausted.

Sicky Roundup

Last Tuesday, the girls and I stood in line for two hours so that the girls could get the H1N1 FluMist vaccine. Originally Kenosha County had scheduled something like a dozen free flu clinics to vaccinate against H1N1, but the nationwide shortage necessitated a change of plan. Turns out that last Tuesday's clinic was forecast as the last opportunity to get the vaccine until mid-December.

Rather than regret it later should one of them come down with H1N1, I decided to take the girls out there. I'm glad I didn't wait until Keven got out of work at 5pm; the parking lot at the high school was nearly full when we arrived at 4:30. The clinic was only going to give it to people 2-24 unless they were health care workers or had infants at home. This angered a lot of people who grumbled that they should have the vaccine too. I mean really, people! You'd rather vaccinate yourself first rather than leave enough for little kids? Idiots.

We endured standing outside in the cold, although the ongoing joke in line was that we'd wind up with pneumonia rather than the flu. Then we made it indoors and waited another hour. Afterward, I delivered on my "please be patient" promise and grabbed McDonald's take-out. The girls will need a follow-up FluMist dose in three weeks. Who knows if it will even be available at that time.

I'd think that their current illness was related to the live vaccine except that they both had mild coughs on Monday. Ilsa was at her worst on Thursday or Friday; Juliette hit her low point yesterday with a 102F fever and eyes that wouldn't stop leaking. She has such a strong histamine reaction when she gets sick that it looks like she's crying constantly. She hasn't had a fever since last night, so I'm hoping that means she'll be ready to head back to school tomorrow.

Otherwise, I have another round of injections for my foot on Thursday, which means I'll be out of commission, walking wise, until late November. It just hurts afterward, as if I have needles poking the outside arch of my foot. But it needs done. I haven't had a treatment since April. And I need to have a cavity filled tomorrow morning. Blech. Not the way I wanted to spend my week!