thoughts : obsessions : & more obsessions

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark Locations

2012-02-19T16:46:00.022+10:30

Let’s take a trip back to 1988 and visit the town featured in the motion picture, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. For a few weeks in January 1988, Midwest Street at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank was portrayed as Fallwell, Massachusetts.

If you’ve never seen the movie you’ve certainly seen the street before. It featured as Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls and before that it’s been seen in The Music Man, The Dukes of Hazzard, East of Eden and even home to killer bees in Irwin Allen’s The Swarm.

When her Great Aunt dies, famed horror hostess, Elvira, heads to the uptight New England town of Fallwell to claim her inheritance of a haunted house, a witches cookbook and a punk rock poodle. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark stars, Cassandra Peterson, W. Morgan Sheppard, Edie McClurg, Susan Kellerman and Daniel Greene.

Firstly, much of the movie takes place on Mid West Street at Warner Studios in Burbank, however a few establishing shots were filmed on location. One such view was a home (where the reading of the will takes place) seen in such films as Willard and Ben. Obviously using the exterior was a nod to those movies. Also a nice homage was on the Welcome To Fallwell sign, population 1313 (of course the number of the house on The Munsters). All the interiors of Elvira were filmed at Raleigh Studios on Melrose Ave.

Mid West Street seen in Elvira

(above and below) The same street in 2010

The building with the red frontage was seen as the Men's Hairdresser, the building with the grey roof was Patti's Tidy Bowl Lanes Bowling Alley, the building with the awning was "Cindy's" and the building behind the tree was the local cinema. The office of Vincent Talbot is to the far left.

After Elvira arrives in Fallwell she's directed to the Cosy Cot Motel. The Cosy Cot exterior still exists. It's actually the side of one of the house facades at Warner's. In fact, it's the rear of the home seen on the TV series Growing Pains.

The Cosy Cot exterior in 2010.

After the reading of Morgana Talbot's Will, Elvira is driven to her new inheritance. Elvira mistakenly thinks this is her new residence. Wrong! This exterior still remains exactly as looked in 1988.

The same home in 2010 (just with a different coat of paint)

The actual home Elvira does inherit still exists on the Warner Lot. It's now hidden by a huge tree in the front yard and I've taken many trips to Warner's to try and get a good photo of it. I'm still not happy with what I've got but you can see it does still resemble the house from the movie. Although the tower has been replaced.

Vincent Talbot exits this building to be confronted by Fallwell's resident busy-body, Chasity Piriah.

The same building in 2010 (the building to the right was seen as Fallwell's local cinema)

Elvira mixes up some 'pot luck' at the local fete with an hysterical outcome. I have to say that this scene is one of my all time favorites and I often quote dialogue from this, "remind you of anything?". This scene was filmed inside Warner's in their lagoon section. The area has been seen in ER and even Jurassic Park (where the T-Rex chases the jeep). Note the transportable gazebo that normally sits in the town square at Warner's.

The same building in the background is still there in 2010.

Poor Elvira is about to burnt at the stake (that's technically not a spoiler since the movie poster featured Elvira tied to the stake and Chastity Piriah holding a lit match).

Photo © Warner Bros Studio

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a fun movie. It's made tongue-in-cheek and is currently available on DVD. Let's hope we can see a BluRay release with commentary, outatakes and a making of. It would also be nice if Elvira could return to Fallwell as a bonus feature.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

2011-12-29T15:55:00.003+10:30

If I had to pick my favorite movie as a child, it had to be Walt Disney's, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. After my parents categorically refused to take me to movies and have to sit through it again I'd go next door and con the neighbors to take me. I thought it was wonderful. When asked what I wanted for Christmas in 1971 (or was it 1972?) I asked for the soundtrack and I got it! Now, my parents were frugal at the best of times but when it came to records why pay $3.99 when you could buy a generic version with nameless singers for $1.50 from K-Mart.

Yes, you guessed it. I had the version by, The Living Voices. I know, you've probably never heard of them. In our family we owned A LOT of records by The Living Voices. They took modern songs and turned them into muzak. Actually, wonderful muzak. Credit where credit is due, Angela Lansbury is a great actress but I was never fond of her singing. The Living Voices divided up the tunes equally between the men and the women and gave the songs a unique twist. Needless to say this record was THRASHED over and over and over. The odd thing today, this version sells for more money than the original soundtrack. As far as I know it hasn't been released on CD. I've added it to my mp3 playlist for that hint of nostalgia. When the songs come on they take me back to a time long ago when I believed if you had a bedknob it could make a bed fly.

Ain't technology grand?!

2011-08-21T18:10:00.006+09:30

Can JVC deliver the goods or what!? A clock radio AND a televison! They sold me on the title, "the time machine."

Is this actress Marge Redmond?

2011-07-14T10:31:00.007+09:30

I need your help. I was watching Mad Men (Series 4, episode 9 - The Beautiful Girls) when I almost fell off the sofa seeing what I think is actress Marge Redmond. Marge was of course, Sister Jacqueline in The Flying Nun and so many other classic shows. I searched the credits and her name is not listed, searches on the internet have also proved fruitless. If you can help, it would be most appreciated. It looks like her....it sounds like her...what do you think?

Point Reyes Lighthouse

2011-06-22T23:19:00.010+09:30

Antonio Bay. The town in John Carpenters, 1980 thriller, The Fog. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d have a chance at visiting locations from The Fog.

The original Fog was filmed in Northern California, Inverness, Bodega and Point Reyes, all which helped become the fictitious, Antonio Bay. Interiors were filmed at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. The film starred Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman, Tom Atkins and James Canning.

Late last year I found myself in Bodega as part of a vacation. I was so obsessed with planning my visit to Bodega & the location of Hitchcock's, The Birds I didn’t think to plan surrounding possibilities. I saw a sign in Bodega for the Point Reyes Lighthouse. I knew it was in The Fog so I made a plea to Randy to go for a drive and check it out. Little did we know how far away it was.

Heading towards the lighthouse, just like in The Fog

After getting lost (so much for satellite navigation) and driving past countless farms, we finally ended up at the Point Reyes Lighthouse after what seemed hours of driving. Upon seeing the lighthouse it was instantly recognizable and looked as if time had stood still. It was radio station KAB Radio 1340 right before my eyes.

Then there was this sign...

Going down was easy...getting back a nightmare

It’s a long walk down the lighthouse, 300 stairs. There was such a sense of joy heading towards the lighthouse, once I was there I knew there was only one way back ...climb 300 stairs!

Climbing up the stairs I saw a crowd of people watching me. (I'll admit I had to stop a few times to catch my breath) humiliating to say the least. I soon discovered why they were watching. The park ranger had closed off the stairs as it was too windy and too dangerous to walk to the lighthouse. At least we arrived in time. Desperate to catch my breath I asked the Ranger about The Fog and where I could find the house featured in the movie. She said something about the “mushroom house”. Mushroom house hunting is extremely difficult when you have no idea what your looking for. I noticed some onion dome minarets on a house. Was this it? Was this the house from, The Fog.

After some Internet detective work, it IS the house used in The Fog. I'm so glad we stopped for a photo. Randy again can't be thanked enough for being so great that day. There are other local places around Inverness The Fog filmed but it was late in the day and we headed back to San Francisco. It was a perfect way to be introduced to the sights of Northern California.

Debbie Reynolds amazing collection for sale

2011-05-28T10:24:00.003+09:30

Years ago, actress Debbie Reynolds, amassed an amazing collection of costumes and props when MGM did a sell out of it's inventory. Through her connections in Hollywood she's also been able to own a variety of the screen worn items from various other studios. Debbie has, for years, tried to open a museum to display some of Hollywood's most seen (and beloved items) from Hollywood's history. Debbie was lucky to be offered many of Marilyn Monroe's screen worn gowns before the auction went public. Sadly, nobody seems interested in helping Debbie fund a museum to contain her amazing collection. So now Debbie has decided to auction her entire collection. Highlights are the dress worn by Barbra Streisand in Hello Dolly, Julie Andrews costumes from The Sound Of Music, Debbie's own costumes from Singin' In The Rain and the Unsinkable Molly Brown, and so many others. Sadly these costumes will now (most probably) end up in the hands of private collectors, never to be seen again. My hope is the Hollywood History Museum can obtain some of these treasures for future generations to see.

http://www.profilesinhistory.com/

A pictorial visit to Disneyland

2011-05-08T20:50:00.005+09:30

I have to admit that anytime I hear the word, "Disneyland" my ears prick up. Since I'm so far away from The Happiest Place On Earth, I treasure every photo I take. So here's a few holiday snaps taken on my last visit, Christmas week , 2010.

Farewell to the Sahara

2011-03-16T07:28:00.002+10:30

The iconic casino, The Sahara, in Las Vegas has announced it's to close its doors on May 16th. The Sahara was built in 1952 and has, for 59 years been apart of Las Vegas history. When I was in Las Vegas I went through the Sahara a few times, coming or going to the monorail station. It wasn't as busy as the other resorts so the closing has not really come as a surprise. Walking past Wynn's I over heard a conversation between a few men in their 20's.

Man 1: "What's down that way?"
Man 2: "Not much, just old school"
That pretty much sums up people's feelings about history and the Northern part of the Strip. People don't seem interested in the resorts that really put Las Vegas on the map. If your in Las Vegas go to the Sahara, reacquaint yourself with a this iconic casino. Take a photo for prosperity.

My visit to Bodega

2011-02-25T22:57:00.030+10:30

Finally, a dream come true. To visit Bodega Bay seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. I discovered a tourist web site offering a day visit to Bodega and the surrounding Sonoma Coast for a minimum of $500 per person. My dream of visiting Bodega finished right there. A few days before I arrived in San Francisco my good friend, Randy, offered to drive me to Bodega so I could fulfill my wish of seeing where The Birds was filmed.

The day started early (there was no way I was going to sleep in) catching up with Randy and driving to Bodega. It was a fun drive, from San Francisco catching up with our lives and the latest goings on with Hollywood celebrities past and present. The weather wasn’t very co-operative and it started raining on the drive to Bodega. I wasn’t too concerned, you don’t see a lot of blue sky in The Birds. The weather made it more atmospheric. Before I knew it, Randy said, “there’s the church!” At that moment the rain stopped. We were then driving up the same road towards the school house just as Melanie Daniels did! I was so excited but was trying desperately to keep it controlled and not freak Randy out. Needless to say, standing in front of the school house was pretty awesome and naturally I wanted to be attacked by any passing pigeon.

The school house (now a private residence) in 2010

Walking past where the schoolyard play equipment used to be, it's now covered with trees. Sadly there's no bench to sit on either.

The Jungle Gym in the school yard was once at this location.

However, a very odd moment was glimpsing a few bird cages in the yard. Luckliy, I'm easily impressed!

I wandered the street, totally in awe of being there. The house where Annie Hayworth lived was a facade built for filming , however a new stands there today.

The Annie Hayworth House (technically a facade)

The new house stands at the Annie Hayworth location

The home opposite is seen briefly as Melanie Daniels gets into her car. Again, it’s as if time has stood still. The house opposite the Hayworth facade

The same house in 2010

The original Druids Hall (only seen briefly) is now an antique store.

Druids Hall is now an antique store

There’s (I’m going to call it a Hitchcock museum) but it’s probably better described as a general store with Hitchcock items. The man who runs the store guessed pretty quickly why Randy and I were there. He promptly turned on a DVD of The Birds for us. It did feel super exciting seeing The Birds on the TV and looking out the window towards the schoolhouse. There were some wonderful items for sale and I could have purchased them all.

Next stop was lunch at The Tides. Yes, The Tides.

Although it’s been remodeled a few times I was impressed to see some Birds lobby cards inside the entrance. You now pass a huge Bodega souvenir shop where Randy promised me I’d find some Birds related items. Bodega is a small fishing community and naturally The Tides sells a lot of seafood in their menu. Not being a lover of seafood I chose a cheeseburger and promptly souvenired a Tides placemat as a memento.

Of course, the one thing any Birds fan wants to see outside The Tides is a gas station and phone box.

In the movie, these were standing sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. BUT, across the street from The Tides is a gas station! AND a phone box! Seeing a phone booth, a gas station AND The Tides was pretty nifty.

You can make out the "S" of the Tides in the distance

Sitting in The Tides you can see across the bay towards where the Brenner farm house was. We went for a drive around to visit the location. The actual property burnt down in the late 1960’s and the land is now owned by the Government but I snapped a photo of where the Brenner facade stood.

The former location of the Brenner home...the trees remain.

Then it was off to visit Taylor Street, another street seen in The Birds. There’s two locations seen in The Birds. Bodega and Bodega Bay. If the children had run from the school to The Tides they probably would have died from a heart attack. It’s a good six miles between the two locales. So, if you see the children running with the school behind them, they’re on Bodega Lane in Bodega. If you see the children running towards The Tides, they’re on Taylor Street in Bodega Bay. Ahh the magic of movies!

Running on Taylor Street in Bodega Bay

Taylor Street in 2010

Another location is the farm house Lydia visits. It's not too hard to see the trees still standing (although one farm house looks like another). In the movie it's Dan Fawcett's farm but it's still good to see it's still a farm property.

The farm property in 1962

The same farm property in 2010

I still can't belive that Bodega is the same as it looked in 1962 when The Birds filmed. It's well worth checking out if your ever in Northern California.

Loving McDonalds

2011-02-06T11:34:00.003+10:30

With Valentine's Day approaching, what better way to say "I Love You" than with a vintage McDonald's Valentine Day card. These vintage 1974 cards go great with a Big Mac and fries!

My true love

2011-02-05T12:14:00.004+10:30

I can not lie, my heart belongs to Clarabelle Cow. Clarabelle is one of Walt Disney's earlier creations. Clarabelle had minor roles in Walt's cartoons of the 1930's and even featured in Mickey Mouse's first color cartoon, The Band Concert.

She doesn't appear in the Park very often, although in a the last few years she's made a few appearances in a number of Disneyland parades. However, she's always fronted for the Christmas Fantasy Parade. Originally, her and Daisy Duck were positioned on the gingerbread float. Now she's part of the Gingerbread Treats unit where she performs the Nutcracker with the Gingerbread Men.

Clarabelle has (in the past) played a love interest of Goofy's, however she's normally paired with Horace Horsecollar. On Christmas Eve last year, I hung around the train station steps at closing time aware a few characters were coming out to wave goodbye to the guests as they left. I wasn't disappointed, Clarabelle AND Horace both turned up. I (along with the rest of the crowd) was thrilled to see them. Clarabelle is a good friend of Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck and shops at the same shoe store. She's decidedly feminine and proudly wears her cowbell as if it were fine jewelry. Just recently she and Horace were nominated by fans to appear the the Character Fan Days at Disneyland. When your over at Disney California Adventure stop by the Silly Symphony Swings and check out Clarabelle (and Horace) painted on the ride.

Clarabelle & Horace Christmas Eve 2010

A tale of a glass elevator

2011-01-20T22:05:00.011+10:30

Apologies, I've been vacationing in the United States, soaking up as much as I could in thirty-three days. I love America. It's been an obsession since I can remember and when I get there, I'm like a kid in a candy store. So...I got to visit beautiful San Francisco for the first time. Tons of movies have been made there and what did I obsess about...The Doris Day Show (I kid you not) and one of the most famous disaster movies of the Seventies, The Towering Inferno. ( I will admit to wanting to obsess about Vertigo but I'll talk about that later)...onto The Towering Inferno.

Going back to the seventies for a moment. The Towering Inferno (in case you didn't know) was a huge release. Huge! It was produced by the Master of Disaster, Irwin Allen, who scored big with The Poseidon Adventure a few years earlier. Inferno, was so big in Australia our local paper even offered a full color poster advertising the movie as a collectible. (Not quite sure where it ended up). The cast of Inferno was a who's-who of Hollywood. It's reported that Steve McQueen and Paul Newman actually had the same amount of dialogue in the movie so neither could be considered the "star". (Ahem, Diva!) Fred Astaire, Jennifer Jones, Faye Dunaway were known to me even as a kid but seeing Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady) in a role was damn cool. Over the years The Towering Inferno remains an important part of the DVD collection. So when I went to San Francisco I had to go see where it all happened.

The lobby of the Towering Inferno was filmed at the San Francisco Hyatt. I'd planned to visit, but, a few days before my flight to the US, my friend, Randy, had booked a room just so I could have a chance at riding the the glass elevators seen in Inferno. (You need to be a guest to actually use the elevators). To see the glass elevators was one thing, to ride in them, blew me away.

The first glimpse of the Glass Elevator in The Towering Inferno

I got the the Hyatt early and caught the escalator up to the lobby (it's on the second floor) just as Fred Astaire did in the movie. Riding the escalator and seeing everything appear before my eyes was a thrill. It was December and the lobby was decorated for the holidays and what they did with L.E.D lighting blew me away.

Fred Astaire arriving in the lobby.

In reality I was at the Hyatt but I knew where I really was, I was inside The Towering Inferno lobby. I turned and saw the elevators. I was in heaven. They were mesmerizing. I found a seat, sat down and just watched in awe. The elevators are also in another favorite movie, Mel Brooks, High Anxiety. It was so cool to be there. Randy came down and said, "let's go for a ride" at that point there has never been a happier tourist in San Francisco. I was on my best behavior, (although secretly I wanted to do a Jennifer Jones impression). I got to ride the elevators a few times, okay, I refused to get out.

The Jennifer Jones impression I secretly wanted to do

The elevators today..still going strong

In the movie, you only see one, however, there are five merrily going up and down taking guests to their room. They even had red and green lighting to help celebrate the holidays.

If you go to San Francisco go to the Hyatt, have a coffee and watch the elevators while humming, We May Never Love Like This This Again. It's just too cool!

How lucky can you get?

2010-12-12T19:32:00.003+10:30

Here's a first! I'm blogging "live" from Circus Circus here in Las Vegas. Ever since I can remember I've always wanted to see the Circus Circus clown! Obsessive as I can be, the obsession took a back seat for a number of years. When I made plans to visit Las Vegas there was only one option where I wanted to stay. Actually there were a few. I really wanted to stay in one of the older hotels from the 60's and 70's. There's not a lot left. They implode them all and build new resorts. So...the choice was between the Sahara, the Flamingo, Circus Circus and the Riviera. As luck would have it, I couldn't go past my old friend, the clown.

Imagine my expression of seeing him for the first time. I probably stood there for about five minutes taking it in. I'll admit I was really excited and he is HUGE! I knew he was big but he's a monster. In reality he's 123 feet high, designed by Dan Edwards and now has a new LED screen. I took a gazillion photos of him, (his name is "Lucky"). Although the hotel was opened in 1968, Lucky didn't arrive until 1976! There's another great thing, he's from the 70's! I immediately went on a hunt through the gift shops. Alas, there appears to be no Lucky merchandise. I did find a number of Circus Circus items but nothing with Lucky emblazoned across them. Too me he's part of the Las Vegas strip. I hope the owners don't try to update or modernize Lucky. He'd be lucky no more.

The Roustabout ferris wheel today

2010-10-30T08:18:00.010+10:30

If your a fan of Elvis Presley you pretty much know his 1964 movie Roustabout. Probably more than me. I've only seen the film once, basically to see the Ferris Wheel. That makes me sound like I have some unnatural obsession with ferris wheels. Far from it. I'm not a huge fan of riding them but for the sake of a good story, I did. A few years ago I heard that the ferris wheel from the movie, Roustabout, was now living in Australia.

The original exteriors for Routabout were filmed in Thousand Oaks, California. In a cow pasture! Luckliy the ferris wheel now has ocean views. When I found myself in Semaphore, I made a beeline and I just had to check out this movie icon. As I walked up I noticed the sign claiming it to be the real thing! Yes, it's even called, The Roustabout! Poor Barbara Stanywck doesn't even rate mention on the sign.

As I'm easily impressed I asked the operator if he knew any history and how it ended up half way around the world. He didn't seem interested in talking about it. I'm guessing he'd recounted the story so many times he was probably bored repeating it. The sign claimed it was in the movie, so I kept up my questions. I learnt that it WAS from the film. The original chairs were replaced a few years ago. The originals were unsafe and he didn't know where they were now. The only other fact I could muster was it shipped to Australia a number of years ago. I thanked him for having to deal with my questions and I hopped on for my three minute ride.

When visiting Semaphore in South Australia make sure to visit and ride the ferris wheel that Elvis rode in the movie, Roustabout. Book that vacation now!

halloween friends

2010-10-28T11:39:00.001+10:30

halloween friends
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Happy Halloween Everybody!

Hitchcock's The Birds

2010-10-16T10:04:00.006+10:30

I've touched on this before so think of this an extended version. I love the Alfred Hitchcock classic, The Birds. The basic premise of the movie is simple. The small coastal town of Bodega Bay is besieged by attacking birds. Birds do attack. I've been dive bombed by overly protective birds when walking past a tree where it's newborns are nesting. It is a scary feeling as you hear the clap of their wings and feel a peck on your head. I've even witnessed a bird fly into a window.

Universal backlot 1962

I've always dreamed of visiting the town of Bodega Bay in Northern California the second I saw the movie. One of my "must-do's" was to walk up the street where Melanie drives to find directions to the Brenner home at the general store and to have lunch at the Tides and make a phone call from the telephone box. All this was back in the early 1980's when I was much younger and stupidly naive. The dream of putting myself in The Birds died a sad death the day I purchased the DVD back in 2001. Watching The Making of The Birds (a great bonus feature I must add) there my dream died, much of Bodega Bay was the Universal Studios backlot.

Universal backlot 2005

In 2005 I was lucky enough to grab a capture of what I originally thought was Bodega Bay. The location looked remarkably the same all these years later. It was only after I returned home I discovered I'd captured the Birds location.

Universal Studios 2009

In 2008 Universal Studios suffered a fire losing much of their New York sets. The Birds location (one of Universal's original western sets) was spared. However, a decision was made and the black fish market facade was removed making way for a park. The facade of The Tides restaurant, phone box gas station no longer remain. The general store and saloon remain, a legacy of Hitchcock's, The Birds.

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

2010-10-04T13:59:00.020+10:30

I've always wondered what it must be like to live in a home that has been featured in a movie or TV series. Countless gawking tourists standing outside taking photos as a memento of their vacation to Hollywood USA. Yes, I am one of them and ironically I couldn't wait to do it. One of my first ever attempts at "property stalking" proved quite a buzz.

Thanks to the internet I was able to track down the address of the house used in the 1962 movie, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. If you haven't seen the movie it can be best described as; a thriller about an aging ex-vaudeville star (Davis) waging a psychotic reign of terror over her crippled ex-movie star sister (Crawford).

You really have to give it to these two ageing broads, they play their characters to the hilt. Bette Davis proves herself as a marvelous character actress as does Joan. The fact they appeared so grotesquely certainly proves you don't need beauty to have star power. Anyway...

Randy and I set out to stalk this real home in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles. It was surprisingly easy to find. Once we arrived at our location Randy opted to stay in the car but I had to get out and get as close as I could to the property. Considering the movie was filmed in 1962 the house looks virtually the same some 47 years later.

1962 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? appearance

2009

Actor, Victor Buono at the front door in 1962

The ornate gates in 2009

The neighbours house was seen briefly in a few establishing shots.

1962

Mrs Bates (the neighbor) was played by Anna Lee who would go on to play a nun in The Sound of Music and her daughter was played by Bette Davis real life daughter BD Merrill.

Filming Baby Jane 1962

All the interiors for Baby Jane were filmed at Raleigh Studios on Melrose Ave. While the real house was used on McCadden Place for exterior shots, a facade of the exterior was partially built on a soundstage at Raleigh.

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

2010-08-22T18:45:00.004+09:30

or...finding my big W!

In July last year I found myself in Long Beach California visiting the Queen Mary. I had planned to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific but decided against it at the last minute. With time on my hands I decided to take a walk around and discover the sights of Long Beach. I found myself a Starbucks and sat down. I noticed just down the street a city building with those all too famous external fire escape stairs. My mind started racing, could I find myself the movie locations of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World?

There was one enormous problem. I had no idea what scenes were filmed in Long Beach or even where any locations were. IAMMMMW filmed all over Southern California. Was I getting Long Beach and Santa Monica confused? It was frustrating to say the least. My first thought was the climatic scene on the fire escape. Walking around Long Beach EVERY building looked like it belonged in the movie.

They all have external fire escapes and lets face it...Long Beach has changed a lot since 1963. (I had totally forgotten all the climatic scenes were filmed at Universal Studios in what was called Kramer Square.)

Kramer Square at Universal Studios NOT Long Beach

At this point I recalled the scene where Spencer Tracey runs up a set of stairs. I knew the scene was filmed in an alley. The problem was Long Beach has lots of them. After walking down two of them I was ready to give up. I had no idea where I was. I had no map. It was hot and I was ready to throw in the towel. Just as I was about to ask directions where I could find the Metroline I looked up and saw what I now call my "Big W!". On the side of a building was a faded arrow pointing down. I remember thinking, if this was movie it would be pointing where I needed to be.

I have no idea why, but I headed towards it. Nestled between a high rise and a Mexican restaurant was an alley. I crossed the road and started walking. It was then I let out a large squeal, alerting a security guard to my presence. I turned around and I was right in the middle of IAMMMMW. I still can't believe I found it. I was in total shock.

I then walked to the set of stairs that Spencer Tracey and the cast climb and let out another squeal. I'm surprised the location still looks remarkably the same some 47 years later.

As I was preparing this I looked at the photo with the arrow on the wall and my jaw dropped. The very top of the building looked very familiar indeed. They filmed on the rooftop with Spencer Tracey before cutting to the scenes filmed at Universal. The shells on the top of the building! Another discovery!

I can say without a doubt, Long Beach was a great place to visit. What I did wasn't on any tourist brochure but it just goes to prove, it is indeed a mad, mad, mad, mad world!

Fabulous Flintstones on Parade

2010-08-17T16:01:00.009+09:30

The Fabulous Flintstones on Parade was an arena show that toured Australia during 1979. It came sandwiched between Disney on Parade and Disney On Ice. The soundtrack for the show was evidently recorded in Australia, and it was disco all the way. A show was also filmed for a US TV Special hosted by Michael Landon evidently.

The opening night was heralded by a local TV station with a 30 minute extravaganza, with the host doing a meet-n-greet with some of the characters. Most of the characters were from the cartoon world of Hanna-Barbera. Hanna-Barbera culled most of their famous cartoons into life form. It seems the powers at be didn't want to spend on the fabrication of costumes. Fred Flintstone's head clearly had ventilation holes covered by a thin scrim that looked distracting to the eye. All said it was pretty cool to see Funky Phantom and The Banana Splits in front of you.

My memory of the show is vague. I recall Dino being scolded by Fred and Dino running away only to be found at a disco(!) which belonged to The Banana Splits. A large bowling ball that hit the pins and required a large band aid. Truly, the only memories I have.

The production standard was high from memory. There were high wire acts and special effects to ignite the audience. I'm sure there was merchandise available but all I have is a program. In 1979 it almost uncool to go see costume characters cavort around on a stage, but I'm glad I went. Would I want to see it again?...in a heartbeat! Here's some images from the program.

The Lucy Show The Official Second Season

2010-07-18T18:14:00.008+09:30

The second season of The Lucy Show is finally here

Above is one of my all time favorite shows, The Lucy Show. Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, Mary Wickes and Mary Jane Croft all feature in Lucy's hilarious second season. It's a true comedy classic. I purchased the first season last year and even told the girl behind the counter at Amoeba, that the second season was the one I really wanted. The second season of The Lucy Show was top of my list of wanted DVDs. (The second is the Sherwood Schwartz comedy, It's About Time.) The second season was the first Lucille Ball TV series to film in color. Production for the first eight episodes started filming four weeks after season one, allowing a head start on production.

The opening episode, Lucy plays Cleopatra is hysterical and laugh out loud funny, her ensemble cast who have never been better (or funnier). It's followed by the brilliant, Kiddie Parties Inc. As a child, the site of Lucy being carried away by balloons was one of the funniest things I ever saw. This was long before Pixar made, Up!. The second season is notable for the first regular appearance of Gale Gordon who would work with Lucy in every series she made until her death. I was never a fan of Gale Gordon as a child, all he seemed to do was shout. Today, I can see he's a master at his craft.

Vivian Vance again steals the show with her dry wit and total exasperation at Lucy's antics. This was her last full season. She misses six episodes of season three before bowing out. The Lucy Show was never the same. Vivian looks terrific in this season, finally escaping her frumpy Ethel Mertz persona. The Lucy Show is proof that Lucy liked working with familiar people. Her stand-in from the original I Love Lucy, Hazel Pierce is often seen in background shots, as is Desi Arnaz's stand-in, Bennett Green. Mary Wickes, Carole Cook, Mary Jane Croft even Kathleen Freeman has a few episodes as one of Lucy's friends.

There are plenty of bonus features on this release too! Carole Cook shares her memories about portraying the character, Thelma Green and living in Lucy's home. Carole is always a delight to see on camera. Plenty of original cast commercials, vintage openings and closings and also features a 1964 special, Mr & Mrs, something I've never seen before. CBS certainly deliver the goods when it comes to Lucy, so lets hope the fans support season two allowing for more Lucy Show seasons to be released.

Happy 55th Birthday Disneyland

2010-07-17T00:46:00.003+09:30

July 17th 1955 - July 17th 2010.

Photo © Disney

Disney On Ice presents Disneyland Adventure

2010-06-27T14:17:00.014+09:30

With Disney On Ice in town and a friends birthday it proved a timely excuse to go and check out the action. It was my first Disney On Ice since the 90's. The shows theme was a day in Disneyland. No one could argue with that. Our overworked hosts, Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Goofy decided to take the day off and check out the attractions in the park. Naturally, Donald got into mischief and ended up closing down a number of rides. The attractions included, a visit to The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain (including a very well-executed high wire appearance by Buzz Lightyear), Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, The Mad Tea Party, a Main Street Parade, It's A Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and an Electrical Parade.

Disney characters and artwork © Disney/Pixar characters © Disney/Pixar

Naturally nothing runs smoothly, the evil Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (who was mysteriously absent) made a timely appearance putting Donald & Minnie into a deep sleep.
Maleficent must have extraordinary powers as my friend had dozed off a few times during the first half. With no idea how to help, our friends call upon The Incredibles to help save the day.

On a technical standpoint the show was faultless. Great sound, lighting and choreography all helped keep the pace moving. Naturally, using the resort as it's setting gave the creators unlimited licence at incorporating a myriad of characters into the show. It was interesting seeing how the younger kids reacted to some of the older, less known, Disney characters. When Baloo (from The Jungle Book) appeared during The Jungle Cruise, a child behind us commented, "Who's the bear"? Our personal favorite was when Chip & Dale appeared and a child screamed, "Look! it's ALVIN!". Pluto and Donald received a good reaction, Goofy got a larger slice of the adoration pie, Mickey and Minnie's entrance was almost deafening. Daisy Duck, surprisingly, got deafening silence. Snow White & Cinderella received favourable applause and screams as did Buzz Lightyear & The Incredibles.

Disney characters and artwork © Disney/Pixar characters © Disney/Pixar

A personal highlight was seeing how the creators captured the fun of The Haunted Mansion on ice. The ballroom scene was captured perfectly, even Madame Leota made an appearance. Disneyland Adventure opened originally in 2005 and it's still running today proving that Disney along with Feld Entertainment know how to do it right.

Holy locations Batman!

2010-02-21T16:52:00.005+10:30

Batman. From comics, to television to movies, we’ve seen it all. For me there is only one Batman. Adam West. The camp 1966 TV series was my first introduction to the Caped Crusader. Everyday after school I’d rush home to see who the new villain was. Would Batman & Robin ever escape the nefarious plans of (insert your favorite villain)? Of course, but never in the cliffhanger episode, but always in the second episode. Everyone remembers The Penguin, The Joker, Catwoman & The Riddler, but for me it was all about Ma Parker, Egghead, King Tut, Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, The Siren…the more outrageous, the better. Here's a screencap of one very memorable cliffhanger, Batman & Robin being turned into giant Frosty Freezies!

It was my introduction to the acting talents of many a famous guest star, Ethel Merman, Victor Buono, Vincent Price, Van Johnson, Eartha Kitt etc. My mother would recognize the villain and tell me of some movie she’d remembered seeing them in. It made them seem all the more interesting.

So…some thirty years later I was able to finally see the George Barris built Batmobile. It’s in immaculate condition after all these years. Evidently, there were a few Batmobiles built, some for the TV series and some would be shipped out for promotional duties. I managed to see Batmobile one and two when I was in Hollywood. Pretty awesome. At the time of writing an original Batmobile is up for auction in Palm Springs. I've included a model I purchased as a souvenir.

There were two other locations I can finally cross of my “things to see” list. The exterior of Commissioner Gordon’s office. It featured in every episode with Batman & Robin racing up the stairs. However, it wasn’t Adam West & Burt Ward but their stunt doubles. It was also seen as the courthouse for the 1980’s sitcom, Night Court.

The familiar view from every episode, and below the facade in 2009.

The actual exit from the Batcave was another location I had to visit. Although I’d planned to visit the location, plans changed, and luckliy for me plans changed again after a friend drove me up to the site. Thanks Randy!. The cave has been used in a variety of different productions and naturally nothing survives from it's days on Batman. However, when I was there, a kid asked his father "is this really the Batcave"? I laughed. It's legacy lives on!

The exterior of the cave in 1966 and below in 2009.

Just outside the cave was the Gotham City 14 miles sign.

Although not technically Batman footage, Batman also used some stock footage of the New York World’s Fair in it’s pilot episode, luckily I managed to snap a today photo when I was there some 44 years later.

Above in 1964 and below 2009.

Batman locations can be found all around Los Angeles. The exterior of Commissioner Gordon’s office can be found on the Warner Bros Studios backlot. The Batcave is up in Griffith Park, the original Batmobile can be currently seen in the George Barris Showroom in North Hollywood. Batman filmed at three different studios over it's three years on TV so there's more to uncover but that will come in part two.

a walk down TV's most famous street

2010-01-06T13:07:00.008+10:30

I thought we could take an interactive walk down Wisteria Lane from the TV show Desperate Housewives. (By interactive I mean I've added photos...it makes it look nicer).

First, some history. Desperate Housewives is filmed at Universal Studios and Wisteria Lane is actually called Colonial Street. It got the name back in 1946 when some facades were added to a newly constructed street. The original Colonial Street (where they filmed Leave It To Beaver, The Munsters, Adam 12, and so on) were removed in 1981 when Universal Studios redesigned the backlot. The newly constructed street has a different layout and some of the homes were given different placement and some removed all together. So when you watch old TV shows this may explain a few differences you may notice when viewing the street today. Riveting isn't it!?

So, let's start our walk.

On our right we see homes not used on the show but appear normally every week in the background. These homes sit at the entrance and make it appear the street goes forever.

The first house is called House of the Seven Gables and has appeared a few times, if you know what your looking for you can catch a glimpse.

The next house was used on the TV series, Matlock with Andy Griffith. Today, security guards use this as a base camp keeping out pesky tourists with cameras. The worst thing you can hear a tour guide say is "we're heading into a quiet zone - they're filming and I have to go off mic". It simply means the housewives are filming and your not going to see Wisteria Lane. I've lost count of how many times I hear people groan at this.

Our third house was used on The Nancy Drew Mysteries with Pamela Sue Martin, it's yet to be given a resident on Desperate Housewives. I did see an episode once where someone was watering the lawn.

The first thing you notice, it's a lot smaller than it looks on television. As you enter and immediately in front of you is the house used on The Munsters. I'm getting ahead of myself but to your immediate left is the blue house, once used by Ida Greenberg. She's gone now...

Next, on the left is the home of Carlos and Gabrielle...this home used to resemble the Psycho House but Desperate Housewives have changed the appearance drastically from it's days when it served as the Simmons Mansion on The Ghost & Mr Chicken with Don Knotts.

Next, the house that won it's Hall of Fame as the house from The Munsters. Bob and Lee currently reside there. Betty Applewhite lived there back in season two.

On our right hand side we see the former home of Mrs Huber and now the home of Bree's son Andrew.

On the left is the home of Wisteria Lane's wacky resident Susan. Love her or hate her she has a nice frontage.(!) The Hardy Boys thought so in the seventies.

It's the former home of Mary Alice Young. It's the Bolens home now. Before Mary Alice went berserk with the carving knife it was the home of Leave It To Beaver. THE MOVIE! The actual home of the Cleavers is still on the lot but out of public view (and it's falling to pieces) I digress again. This was the house used in the remake. (sorry that kind of dulls the excitement for you).

The house on the left will make up for it. The Scarvo home has been around forever, Ronald Regan has "lived" there and so did Doris Day in The Thrill of It All. Speaking of Doris, according to Hollywood folklore she's the only actress to have 'lived" in all these homes (except the newer ones)

On the right is one of the newer homes. It belongs to Bree Hodge. It was on the TV series Providence before the Van De Kamps took over.

Next on the right (there are no more homes on the left) is a home built for The movie The 'burbs with Tim Hanks. Gale Gordon who played Walter lived there. On Desperate Housewives it was the home of Mike Delfino before it became the Mayfair residence.

The next home is a new one. The former home belonging to Mrs McCluskey was totalled during the cyclone. Sadly it was one of Universals longest standing sets. (Remember that famous cry, Universal Studios is not a museum!) With it's demolition a new home takes its place.

The final two homes sit on land previously seen in just about everything prior to 2005. It was the area called Circle Drive. The Colonial Mansion (dating back to the 1920's), the Church and some small town city buildings were removed (back to that Universal is not a museum mantra).
A generic home now sits where the city buildings stood.

Built on the location of the former church was the home belonging to Edie Britt.

Colonial Street or Wisteria Lane is full of history and with Desperate Housewives it's given a new generation a chance to visit it's history and each week we can revel in the happenings of Hollywood's most famous facades.

Here's to the Bunch

2009-10-04T00:37:00.003+09:30

Back on September 26^th, The Brady Bunch turned 40. I’m old enough to have watched the Brady Bunch in its original once a week airing. However, I don’t recall waiting a full week between episodes. I do vividly recall the Brady’s in full syndication. Monday through Friday I would laugh along enjoying the antics of, what I thought at the time, was the traditional American family.

As I grew older so did the Brady’s. Remember 1977 when the Brady’s had their own musical variety hour? Then, as time passed, the Brady girls got married and scored another series. Skip forward a few years and it was a TV movie that reunited the Bunch, A Very Brady Christmas. Following this, you guessed it, another series, The Brady’s. No matter where I was in my life or what I was doing the Brady’s were there.

There isn’t many TV series that can claim so many reincarnations. With the Brady’s celebrating 40 years it was only fitting that I visited the Brady Bunch house in North Hollywood. The exterior of the house was only filmed once and used countless times on nearly every episode. I also visited Stage 5 at Paramount (where the Brady’s filmed the interior of their shows.)

The 40^th anniversary was officially recognized, not by a reunion special but by a new book, Love to Love You Brady’s – The Bizarre Story of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour. I was memorized by it. With only 9 episodes in total, who would have thought so much went on behind the scenes?! The book was written by Ted Nichelson, Susan Olsen (Cindy herself) and Lisa Sutton. It’s worth every cent.

du pont presents the wonderful world of chemistry

2009-06-08T15:59:00.010+09:30

"With Antron and Nylon and Lycra and Orlon and Dacron, the world's a better place. You know we all have a smile on that started with Nylon and stretches across each happy face."

The cast take us through a song and dance of duPont plastics found in the home.

These were the opening lyrics to a show presented at the New York World's Fair in 1964/65 by DuPont. There are some things in this world that astound me and this show is one of them. The presentation, The Wonderful World of Chemistry, was a ground breaking 28 minute musical by Michael Brown. The musical was performed no less than 48 times daily. The show featured 4 live dancers (2 male, 2 female) a narrator and three, 7 feet high projection screens. However, the show was seen in 2 rooms simultaneously thus bringing the cast to nine at any one time. The projection screens allowed the narrator and dancers to interact with filmed performers. The narrator and Mrs Weston would interact, the narrator on stage and Mrs Weston projected on the screen. (Mrs Weston was performed by Flying Nun actress, Marge Redmond - who at the time was married to Jack Weston). With Mrs Weston having filmed her sequence previous to the fair the narrator had to have split second timing for visual gags to work. The shows energenic chreography was by Buddy Schwartz and Ellen Martin and captures the sixties in dazzling movement.

Mrs Weston was projected on a screen and interacted with the live narrator.

The musical performers are best remembered today for a rose passing sequence: One of the filmed performers handed a rose to the live person, who then in turn passed it to another filmed person, who passed it to a live person, who passed it to a filmed person. The whole sequence was split second timing. This sequence was followed by a fashion parade with live cast dancing and interacting with filmed casts. The fashion parade fetured gowns by designers, by Donald Brooks, Oleg Cassini, Ceil Chapman & David Kidd of Arthur Jablow.

At the 1939 Worlds Fair duPont unveiled Nylon to the world, in 1964 it unveiled Corfam. The shows finale was all about Corfam. Corfam shoes had the ability to reshape themself to new after being worn. Corfam was discontinued by duPont in 1971.

The enthusiastic Corman Shoes finale

The show still holds up well when viewed today. I imagine somewhere in the duPont vault lies a pristine copy of the show. It should be remastered for a whole new generation to learn about the wonderful world of chemistry.

Psycho House & Bates Motel Timeline

2009-05-23T15:48:00.040+09:30

I'll try and keep it up to date as much as possible, with time permitting.

Upon completion of filming Psycho, Universal Studios, wasted no time putting the standing exterior sets to good use. In fact, Hitchcock, himself, used his house and motel facade in his own TV series. Using the former PsychoHouse group at yahoo and countless emails from eagle-eyed viewers we have managed to locate some obscure appearances.

1959 The Psycho House is constructed mostly from stock units originally used on Colonial Street. The Bates Motel is also constructed on the backlot in a vacant area off Laramie Street, next to (the then) Singapore Lake (which is now used as 'Jaws' on the tour). Originally the house was constructed with only 2 walls - the left and front facade.

December 1959 Filming commences for Hitchcock's Psycho. The Psycho House and Motel are left as 'standing sets' after filming completes.

1960 The house is used for exteriors in 'Boris Karloff's Thriller' TV program, "The Purple Room" starring Rip Torn, Richard Anderson and Patricia Berry. This is probably one of the first uses after Psycho.

1960 The house is seen in the TV series, The Quest in the episode, Whispering Smith.

1960 The Bates Motel features in the TV series, Thriller, the epsiode, The Big Black Out.

1960 The house features in background shots of the TV series, The Deputy, the epsiode, Palace of Chance.

1961 The house appears in the TV series, Thriller in the episode, The Hungry Glass.

1960 - 1962 The Tall Man was a TV series which ran from 1960 till 1962 that aired on NBC. As it was filmed in Universal's western section of the backlot the Psycho House was a familiar backdrop.

1961 The "Psycho" house was used in the episode, Masquerade, part of the "Boris Karloff's Thriller," Tom Poston and Elizabeth ("Bewitched") Montgomery played a couple whose car breakdown leads them to an old house...

1961 Again the house features in Thriller, the epsiode, An Attractive Family

1961 The house is used in Wagon Train, episode titled, Eleanor Culhane.. Flint McCullough finds his former girlfriend living alone in the house after she has become isolated from the town because they believe her husband has become a murderer. The episode starred Robert Horton and Felicia Farr.

1962 The house features in two episodes of Laramie, titled, The Runt and Hour After Dawn.

1962 The house features in two episdodes of Frontier Circus, titled, Coals of Fire and Mr Grady Regrets.

1963 The Bates Motel features on the show Arrest and Trial in the episode, Who's Little Girl Are You?.

1963 The House appeared in an episode of "Alcoa Premiere" from 1963 called "The Town that Died."

1963 The Motel appeared in an episode of "Kraft Suspense Theatre" in 1963 called "Are There Any More Out There Like You?" with Robert Ryan and Katharine Ross.

1963 A third wall is added to the right hand side of the house during this period. Possibly so the house could be used from the reversed angle for use in Westerns. The house still has no rear wall - and would remain so until the house was "boxed in" in 1982.

1964 The Bates Motel appears in the Ann-Margaret movie, Kitten With A Whip.

1964 Universal Studios open the studio tour on July 15th. One of the key attractions is the Psycho House. The Bates Motel is bypassed and is not seen by the original tour.

1964 The house features in the Yul Brenner western, Invitation To A Gunfighter.

1964 The exterior of the Bates Motel's office appears in the Ronald Regan film, The Killers.

1965 The exterior of the house was featured in the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "An Unlocked Window." Several nurses are trapped in the house with a psycho on the loose trying to get in. It has a very "Psycho" twist at the end.

1965 The original Bates Motel exterior is used in the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "Off Season." This was the final Alfred Hitchcock TV show ever made, and starred John Gavin.

1965 The house features in The Virginian, episode,” Farewell To Honesty”.

1966 The house is featured in The Virginian, Men With Guns, guest starring Telly Savalas.

1967 The house features in the western TV series Laredo, "Small Chance Ghost".

1971 "Night Gallery" episode, A Question Of Fear, Leslie Nielsen spends the night in a haunted house on a bet. For this, the Psycho house exterior was used.

1971 The house features in episode 14 of Alias, Smith & Jones, titled, Never Trust an Honest Man.

1972 Emergency! use the house in the episode. Brush Fire. John and Roy rescue an elderly woman and her sister living in the house.

1976 The house features in the television mini-series "The Captains and the Kings." It was for this production a veranda was added making the home appear larger. It remained attached to the house until the house was demolished in 1980.

1976 The house features on an episode of the Six Million Dollar Man called “A Bionic Christmas Carol.”

1977 Universal Studios airs a 25 minute TV Special about the Universal Studio Tour, called, Catch Hollywood In The Act. Hosted by Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman on the Six Million Dollar Man) it features footage of the backlot including the Psycho House, Jaws, Airport 77 Theatre, Runaway Train, Collapsing Bridge, Doomed Glacier, Parting of the Red Sea, makeup demonstrations, special effects stages and interior sets from the Bionic Woman.

1977- 1979 The Psycho House features in 3 episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. The Mystery of the Haunted House, The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom and The House on Possessed Hill.

1980 The house features in the Get Smart Movie, The Nude Bomb. (Maxwell Smart becomes a tour guide at Universal Studios.)

1980 The house features in the TV show, The Misadventures of Sherrif Lobo, in the episode, The Haunting of Orly Manor.

1980 The original Psycho House is dismantled around December 22nd 1980 with the Motel following shortly after.

1982 Jamie Lee Curtis hosts a movie, Coming Soon. The Psycho House is seen at the Universal Studios Mill before being moved to it's new location on the backlot. Interestingly the house is in mid-production with half the roof missing.

1982 It's decided to move the Psycho House to a new location on the backlot. Psycho II director Richard Franklin said at the time, "they built a tour around it, so we had to move it to a remote location". The house was rebuilt and placed opposite where the log cabin sits today. Only thirty feet of motel was built. The rest was done as a matte painting.

1983 A TV special, Australian Movies To The World, features a brief segment hosted by Psycho II director, Richard Franklin - he tours the inside shell of the Bates House and talks of directing Psycho II.

1983 The house is featured in the movie, D.C. Cab.

1984 Knight Rider episode titled, Halloween Knight which has a Psychoesque storyline.

1984 A two part episode of TV comedy, Diff'rent Strokes, Hooray for Hollywood, features the Psycho House with Arnold getting lost on the Universal Studios backlot and who opens the Psycho house door? Frankenstein of course!

1985 The Jan Michael-Vincent series, Airwolf, features the house in episode 15, Santini's Millions on 2nd February.

1985 The Psycho House is moved to it's current location on the backlot. The Motel is fully rebuilt for Psycho III.

1986 The House and Motel feature in an episode of Amazing Stories, Welcome To My Nightmare (filming must have coincided with Psycho III as Cabin one is fully dressed).

1987 With the Bates Motel TV Pilot in production, the Motel now has BATES MOTEL painted in white letters along the roof and the Motel is transformed with a more modern appearance. A cement rendered wall is placed around the Motel.

1988 Universal builds a new Psycho House and Motel in Florida for Psycho IV.

1990 A Bud Light beer commercial uses the house in a promotion.

1991 Murder She Wrote films an episode directly involving the House and Motel titled, Incident on Lot 7.

1995 The cement rendered wall surrounding the Bates Motel (from the TV Pilot) is removed.

1995 Janet Leigh hosts a segment titled, Celebrity Homes for E! Featured is the exterior and interior of the Psycho House.

1995 Universal Studios commissioned a parody of 1950s corporate/industrial films for Seagrams using the talents of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Angela Lansbury is seen painting the Psycho House.

1997 The house features in a few episodes of the TV soap Bold and the Beautiful.

1997 Filming commences for the Gus Van Sant Remake. During the filming of Psycho 98, the original house is masked with a new house used in the movie.

1999 Universal Studios, Florida, dismantle the house and motel built for Psycho IV The Beginning, to build an extension to a children's play area.

2000 Janet Leigh returns (along with journalists) to the Bates Motel for Psycho's 40th anniversary.

2000 Whoville from The Grinch That Stole Christmas is filmed partly behind the Psycho House. After filming is complete the Whoville Houses are moved behind the Bates Motel.

2001 The Backlot Murders (filmed on the Universal Backlot) uses the Psycho set as part of the movie.

2001 The red letters (Motel) that sat on the Bates Motel roof in the 1998 remake are removed.

2001 The house appears in a black & white television commercial for DiGiorno Pizza.

2001 The House is briefly featured in the Frankie Muniz comedy, Big Fat Liar

2002 The House featured in the Psycho 98 remake is removed.

2004 The house has a refurbishment.

2004 During 2004 the church seen in the original Psycho is demolished by the Universal backlot department - a restructure of Circle Drive necessitates changes to the backlot and it’s decided the church isn't worth saving.

2005 With the Region 1 DVD re-release of Psycho II and Psycho III, the Bates Motel is refurbished. A number of set pieces make a familiar return, the icebox from Psycho III, Marion Crane's car (complete with body in the trunk), a suitcase, mop and bucket sitting on the Motel's veranda and a cardboard cut-out of Norman Bates stares from the window of Cabin 1.

2005 The Motel and house are filmed as part of the TV series, Fear Factor.

2008 Puddle of Mudd feature inside the Psycho House for their single, Psycho.

2008 Universal Studios host Halloween Horror Nights and offers guests a rare night view and a chance to walk past the Psycho House and Bates Motel.

2008 The Universal Studios Tour now features a Norman Bates look-a-like stepping out of Cabin One, carrying a body to the trunk of the car, noticing the tram, he raises his knife and walks slowly towards it. If Norman is not at the motel a cardboard cutout of Anthony Perkins stands looking out the window of the Motel Office.

2010 Jonas LA film a segment of the show on the Universal Lot using the Psycho House and steps as a background.
© copyright - not be used without written permission

google earth

2009-04-14T21:29:00.005+09:30

I'll admit it. I'm an armchair traveller. It's cheap, and I can go anywhere in the click of a mouse thanks to Google Earth. I'm addicted to it. It's fun cruising down a street and checking out the world that's outside my door.

But how recent are the street views I'm looking at? When I was in in LA in 2005 (Sunset Blvd to be precise), I saw a billboard for a show called The Triangle. It sounded good so as not to forget the title I snapped a photo. So this morning I noticed the same billboard in 2009. It got me wondering how often it updates. At the same token it was thrilling, if only for a second to see the same billboard.

vintage games

2009-04-05T21:23:00.001+09:30

bang box game
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

There was something simple about the old board games of the 1960’s. They didn't require electricity or plugging in to the TV, you didn't need super human co-ordination. You simply had a dice or a spinner (if the game was slightly deluxe.) You'd roll the dice and move your plastic marker across the board. Fun huh!?

Games got slightly more sophisticated as time progressed. You'd place a balloon under a box and start to hammer nails in. Sounds stupid but it made an enormous amount of money. Imagine building a mouse trap as the game goes along and in the end catching a plastic mouse! Oh the frivolity.

Games were manufactured by Ideal, Milton Bradley, John Sands to name a few. Those companies ruled when we were kids. The box graphics are what grab me today. The art on KerPlunk and Poppin Hoppies are fantastic. Christmas morning was always special when you spied a big box under the tree. You knew Santa had delivered another fun high class game to your home. I got the games alright but with mother cooking the Christmas lunch, father working in the shed - a game requiring 2 or more players, the games got pushed aside. Maybe I would have been better off with a computer game?

lets play a game

2009-04-01T09:44:00.003+10:30

I'll talk more about some vintage games soon but until then let's hop in our time machine and check out these wonderful old TV ads.

lucy and the double dose

2009-03-28T11:19:00.004+10:30

Later this year we see a double DVD dose of Lucy. Both her series, The Lucy Show (1962-1968) and the follow up, Here's Lucy (1968-1974) are coming to DVD in first season sets.

I grew up with Lucy. I most probably remember her from daily re-runs, I don't recall ever having to wait a whole week to see a new episode. I personally love, The Lucy Show. Her days in Danfield were great fun. Lucy was joined by Vivian Vance in the first three years and their madcap adventures were still a riot to witness. Vivian grew tired of the series and departed only to appear in occasional guest spots. Lucy carried on and relocated to Hollywood. Gale Gordon stayed with the series till the end. Mary Jane Croft was added as Lucy's new partner in crime.

Following the sale of her studio to Paramount, The Lucy Show had to end (as per the contract of the sale.) Lucy had to change locals again and also change her surname. She went from Lucy Carmichael to Lucy Carter. Her two real life children joined the cast - keeping Gale Gordon as her new brother-in-law, Harry.

I’m looking forward to these new season sets. The release dates are pending.

cartoon treasures

2009-02-15T11:08:00.003+10:30

Finally, we are being treated to some classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons for the first time on dvd! Two separate volumes; Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960's & Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970's.

Content includes; Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960's Volume 1 features a collection of 14 episodes taken from 12 rare and popular cartoon series on two discs. Disc one includes Top Cat, The Atom Ant Show, The Peter Potamus Show, The Secret Squirrel Show, The Flintstones, The Porky Pig Show and The Quick Draw McGraw Show. Disc two includes The Jetsons, Marine Boy, Space Ghost & Dino Boy, Herculoids, Frankenstein Jr. & the Impossibles, The Magilla Gorilla Show and The Quick Draw McGraw Show. This collection will also include newly created enhanced content featuring Quick Draw McGraw, Herculoids, and Frankenstein Jr. & the Impossibles.

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970's Volume 1 includes a collection of 12 episodes from 12 different cartoons on two discs. Disc one features The Jetsons, The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, Hong Kong Phooey, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Speed Buggy and Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch. Disc two features Yogi's Gang, Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Roman Holidays, Josie and the Pussycats, The New Scooby-Doo Movies and Funky Phantom. This collection will also include newly created enhanced content featuring Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan and Funky Phantom. Release date is May 19th.

it's about time

2009-02-08T12:28:00.003+10:30

Originally uploaded by spacepotato

From the creator of Gilligan’s Island comes, It’s About Time. Yes, pure comedy at it’s best!

With Gilligan receiving massive ratings during it’s final year, CBS asked, Mr Schwartz for another show. The premise? Two clunky astronauts travel back in time to the Stone Age. Whop-Ding – perfect idea! This live-action show filmed in color and lasted one season back in 1966/67. It’s About Time, filmed at the same studio as Gilligan’s Island. They filmed on a separate stage to Gilligan but, on occasion, would wander over to the Gilligan set and film there. It’s About Time borrowed music cues from Gilligan as well. But to be fair, Gilligan borrowed the Space Capsule for an episode and for an episode called, The Secret of Gilligan’s Island, they even had a caveman dream sequence filming on the It’s About Time set.

Besides the Gilligan’s Island lagoon making the occasional cameo (albeit slightly re-dressed) another Gilligan icon makes a cameo. Remember the large black Morning Spider that frightened the inhabitants of the Island? He returns for a scene stealing bit of action high up on the berm (also seen on the occasional Gilligan episodes.)

To save the flagging ratings the show switched premise half way through the season (always a sure fire sign the show is going to tank) and took the astronauts (along with the stone age stowaways) back to the 20^th century. Yes, more priceless comedy as the stone age dwellers have to deal with modern day (make that late 1960's) living. It’s hard to pick which premise worked better. Both had merits, but I guess the ‘modern day’ would suit more classic sitcom writing using the ‘fish out of water approach’.

The show was last seen on Australian TV back in 1978. Mr Schwartz has evidently made it clear he wants everyone to forget about this show. Well, sorry, I can’t. Sadly, the show will never see light of day with an official DVD release (if Sherwood has his way). Which is a shame, Imogene Coca (Shad) is hysterical. I was thrilled to see all 26 episodes again – I just wish the world had a chance to laugh (and on occasion, groan along, as well.)

the parade turns 40

2009-01-23T00:04:00.010+10:30

Anyone remember Disney On Parade? Long before Disney On Ice was a touring mega-hit we (the older generation) had the privilege of watching Disney On Parade. Disney On Parade received it’s first preview on December 16^th 1969 in Long Beach, California, before it’s official opening in Chicago on December 24^th 1969. It was an instant success. Walt Disney Enterprises joined forces with TV’s NBC and formed a company called Nawal Productions to oversee the production. The show itself was a major breakthrough in family entertainment, combining screen performances of Disney classics before characters would flood the stage in song and dance. Over the years four separate units were produced each featuring different aspects of the Disney legacy.

Each Disney on Parade would be slightly different to the previous. Naturally, the main focus remained, the Disney movie legacy. The final three units all featured a similar finale, It’s A Small World, but all slightly different. Alice In Wonderland, Jungle Book and Cinderella & Dumbo were the main attractions in the first unit. Pinocchio featured in the 2^nd unit , while Fantasia and Snow White took a sizeable chunk of the 2^nd act. Sleeping Beauty and the Three Caballeros were major players in the third. Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks were the popular choice for the final unit.

Australia was lucky enough to receive the first two units, Alice and Snow White productions. The Alice unit performing in 1971/ 1972 and the Snow White unit performing through 1975/1976. Australia was the first country to receive the shows outside of the United States and Canada. Mr Brian Treasure, then general manager of TVW-7 in Perth, started negotiations with Nawal Productions to bring the show to Australia. Nawal Productions joined forces with TVW-7 and Michael Edgely International Pty Ltd and Bullen Bros to present the show to the audiences ‘Down Under’. Department Store, Myer was the official Disney On Parade “headquarters” offering official, “fashions, toys and accessories” – advance characters were sent out for in store appearances, Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto helped advertise the show to the young audience.

While the show toured arenas in the United States, Australia (at that time) had no such venues – the largest circus tent ever seen in Australia – was imported. Seating was divided into four different sections – Mickey Mouse Seating or Donald Duck Seating (each side of the stage) or Goofy Seating or Pluto Seating (directly in front of stage). The stage measured 140 feet by 56 feet, the tent covered 2 acres and supported over 8 tons of canvas. In Adelaide, a gust of wind ripped a hole in the canvas during the Alice In Wonderland production number causing a flying rig to crash to the ground injuring a number of performers. As they say, the show must go on.

Today, Disney On Parade seems to be a forgotten part of the Disney legacy. The concept of taking the characters "out of the park" was obviously a huge success, Disney On Ice is still giving children of today the same kind of thrill I had when I was young. The final word comes from some Disney On Parade publicity: "Although it is all very bippity-boppity-boo and cynics may scoff at those giant cartoon characters bobbing about on the enormous stage, the kids love it. So do most of the parents".

****

If your interested in Dosney on Parade, I started a separate blog at http://disneyonparade.blogspot.com/

the ritchie family: the best disco (group) in town

2009-01-04T11:30:00.004+10:30

My all time favorite disco group was The Ritchie Family. Remember them? You should, they were responsible for the mega-hit, The Best Disco In Town. Let’s look at who this family was and what happened in their time-span.

The Ritchie Family (who were not related) consisted of Cheryl Jacks, Cassandra Wooten, and Gwendolyn Oliver. The group took its name from creator, Ritchie Rome with tracks written by the same team responsible for The Village People. Their musical debut came in 1975 with the album, Brazil. It fared well on the dance charts across the world.

Their second outing is probably the most famous. The album, Arabian Nights contained, The Best Disco In Town. The track consisted of two parts, easily broken down for a single release. With the single number 1 in various countries the group embarked on a world-wide promotional tour, even including Australia. The concept album was heavily hyped and saw moderate success.

In March 1977 the group released their third album, Life Is Music, with the title track being released as a single, it received heavy radio airplay, the song reached Top Ten in Australia. The album fared less well.

At this time, Producer, Jacques Morali took total control of The Ritchie Family with his partners: Henri Belolo, Phil Hurtt, and Horace Ott. Ritchie Rome was removed from the creative team. The group was rushed into Sigma Recording Studios for a fourth album to be released in August the same year, African Queens. Very much a concept album, the three women sang about the lives of Nefertiti, Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba.

Following African Queens, the group changed record labels State-side. Sadly with all the changes it was decided to move the Ritchie Family in a new direction. Out also were Cassandra, Cheryl and Gwendolyn.

To this day, it remains a mystery as to what actually happened. The new “family” went on with moderate success for a few years. None of the original albums have found their way to a CD release. A few generic compilations have surfaced. The Sigma Sound Studio was closed in 2003, with the majority of tapes becoming the property of Drexel University Music Archive.

The original line-up have never reunited or appeared together since 1977. It’s also unknown if they have stayed in contact. I love the original Ritchie Family. They left us with some wonderful music.

silver jet - 28 hits for dancing

2009-01-01T14:47:00.001+10:30

silver jet
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Flashing back to the late 1960’s, our family record player was on it’s last legs, so my parents trotted off to Savery’s to buy a new 3-in-one stereo system (record player, radio & cassette player). This was serious furniture! All housed in a huge cabinet that, at first glance, looked more like a buffet dresser than a stereo system. I think my mother was sold on that idea. The salesman must have made some good commission because he told us to take three albums “of your choice from a vast selection of modern recordings”. We ended up with this…28 Hits For Dancing by the Fred Silver Band. (I’ve always loved the odd “Stereo-Dancing” addition to the title.) I haven’t heard this album in years…but it was perfect for stereo dancing on your new 3-in-one system!

This was my introduction, oddly enough, to songs by The Beatles. Although instrumentals, I’d always think The Beatles were singing songs from “28 Hits For Dancing”.

MEDLEY
These Boots Are Made for Walkin"
Dandy
Can't Buy Me Love
MEDLEY
I was Kaiser Bill's Batman
Pretty Woman
There's A Kind of Hush
MEDLEY
Groovin'
Monday, Monday
Silence is Golden
MEDLEY
Okay
Sloop John B
She Loves You
MEDLEY
Winchester Cathedral
Barbara Ann
MEDLEY
Supergirl
A Hard Day's Night
All My Loving
MEDLEY
Paperback Writer
I'm A Believer
Don't Ha Ha
MEDLEY
Yesterday Man
To Whom it Concerns
MEDLEY
No Milk Today
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Dear Mrs. Applebee
MEDLEY
Penny Lane
Happy Together
Michelle

Bedknobs & Broomsticks

2008-12-31T09:35:00.001+10:30

HPIM2019.JPG
Originally uploaded by shazammy

One of my all time favorite children’s films is Walt Disney's, Bedknobs & Broomsticks. I was most probably 8 or 9 when the film was released, so I was the target audience. I was hooked immediately. The songs were terrific, the story was, well, enthralling & the cast were perfect in their roles.

Over the years I’ve revisited the movie a number of times and still think it’s an enjoyable piece of art. Originally Walt Disney had planned to do this movie as early as 1964 (the film wasn’t made until 1971. Author, P. L. Travers was proving difficult during pre-production of Mary Poppins so Walt quietly was planning Bedknobs should Mary Poppins fall through.

Occasionally, out of the blue something will catch my attention…I discovered that the Walt Disney Studios Archives occasionally display a number of movie props at the offices. I was surprised to see the actual bedknob and book, The Isle of Naboombu (vital to the movies plot).

A few years ago the movie was restored to its original running length with many deleted sequences restored for the first time since the movies original preview. If your looking for some light weight entertainment…revisit Disney’s, Bedknobs & Broomsticks.

dreaming of jeannie no longer!

2008-12-25T08:08:00.001+10:30

santa's magical delivery
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Santa was spot on this year! Santa arrived (dressed suspiciously like a person working at FedEx) with the complete series of I Dream of Jeannie. So what!? The packaging from Sony is the famous genie bottle. I’ve been toying of buying a replica bottle for years – but I’m glad I held out. The US packaging is so well designed and thought out it was hard to refuse. The episode guide is clever as it’s all printed on special trivia cards, again with rare photos. Should I lift the cork and see if Santa gave me Barbara Eden as well? It’s all too much!

my work gets creative

2008-12-22T07:56:00.003+10:30

Every year at work I seem to assume the role of “person in charge of Christmas festivities”. I don’t mind. It’s fun to keep coming up with creative ways to keep the staff amused and merry. Last year I initiated a Christmas Coloring Competition. It was to help celebrate our Christmas Pageant’s 75th anniversary. They were giving an outline of one of the Pageant horses to colour, or, to be as creative as they like. One lady had clipped her dog and glued dog hair all over the horse. She didn’t win but won something special for being so creative! Skip forward one year…staff approached me with the question, “what are we coloring this year?”…somehow I think I seem to have started a tradition. Bearing in mind that these people are adults, I was more than shocked (and secrtetly delighted!). I decided this year would be a choice of colouring a tree, an elf or a goofy Santa hat. Nearly everyone participated, and again, brightened up our work environment with some great artwork.

Being that my work is incredibly tight with money, we needed a fresh approach to decorating the office. I found some small DIY cardboard trees for $2.00. I gave the staff the concept that it could be decorated “in a creative style of your choice”. They were perfect to decorate the office with. Surprisingly, some of the trees found their way into the boardroom for the AGM. The board had no idea the staff had created them. Once they knew, the board took a walk around admiring the other staff made trees.

I was pretty impressed with their talents. I wonder what I’ll have them do next year?

it's christmas time

2008-12-14T22:02:00.002+10:30

How do bloggers do this everyday? I suppose I should blog more often but I never really know what to say that people might find interesting. In a desperate attempt to say something...anything I'll talk about ...umm...well...Christmas.

If you've found this through my flickr site you might get the vague notion that I like Christmas. It's nice to give a house a complete makeover for a few weeks (or months in my case)...it's okay putting everything up, but removal is a thing I detest. Today the tree came down. Sad but true. The cat found the aluminum (or aluminium, depending on what country you live in) tree just a little too delicious. Metal in a cat's stomach don't mix. Fearing the worst, I decided I love the cat more than the tree. A lot more. For the first time I'm tree-less. I refuse to put up the big tree. It takes three days to decorate and with Christmas so close it means it would come down about 3 weeks later. That's not going to happen....maybe I should buy a real tree. That would be a first for me.

it's back!

2008-11-21T21:37:00.001+10:30

its a small world after all...
Originally uploaded by ManFromNor

After a long nine month closure for refurbishment, Disneyland has started soft openings for It's A Small World. It's my favorite ride at Disneyland. I thought I'd hate it - anamatronic dolls whirling and twirling didn't sound like my cup of tea. But I was surprised and delighted. The Christmas overlay was breathtaking. It introduced me to the work of Mary Blair - and for that I'm thankful. The much rumored rainforest scenes were due to be removed but public backlash won and the rainforest stayed (if slightly downsized). The much rumored invasion of Disney characters has yet to be unveiled. For now It’s A Small World is back – brighter and happier than ever.

coming to flickr this christmas

2008-10-18T17:35:00.004+10:30

Today I got around to starting the Christmas photos for flickr. I haven't thought much about what I'm doing this year. Last years photos were surprisingly popular, so I feel there's a certain amount of "festive pressure" to live up to, or to out shine last years attempt. Today was quite successful, I managed to do about fourteen photos. Again, the kitchen table became the make-shift studio. One of the photos is a stocking holder by Hallmark. It's an old favorite that will feature amongst the new series this year. It was a simple enough idea, a penguin sitting in the snow resting from all his festive duties. A simple white shopping bag became the frozen rock. You'll have to wait to see the finished concept. It won't be too long, Christmas uploads will begin October 25th.

goodbye sky streak elevator

2008-09-17T17:26:00.001+09:30

Observation Towers and Tent of Tomorrow
Originally uploaded by IrishNYC

Ever since the New York World's Fair closed on October 21, 1965, the Sky Streak Elevator from the observation towers from the New York State Pavilion has been suspended as if time stood still. Until now. In the last few months the elevator has been removed for "safety issues". Sure the towers are rusting away and are probably unsafe but I really liked the idea of the elevator being there. The NYC Parks have said the elevator is safely stored away so if at anytime the towers are restored (please don’t laugh) they have a blueprint to work from. I’d love to see them restored, since nobody has seen the view since 1965 it would make a wonderful reason to head to the park today and soak it in.

royal show memories

2008-09-06T23:14:00.001+09:30

royal show memories
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

The Royal Adelaide Show is here again. Always a good sign that the warmer weather is on it’s way. I don’t go to the show much anymore. But when I was a kid, it was a different story. My father always had to man his companies stand in the Motor Pavilion. Due to the Royal Show being held in school holidays I got to go whenever he was working. It didn’t take long for my father to get sick of me moaning how bored I was, so he’d dive his hand into his pocket, pull out some cash and tell me to go find something to do.

Not many kids would be allowed to roam the showgrounds on their own – I was a lucky one. I think I spent most of my time in the Show bag Pavilion. I was never one for the rides. They were for the older kids. I’d walk around seeing how much things cost – trying not to impulse buy – and then return to get what I wanted. If I was tired I wander to sit and watch the fashion parades or back to my fathers stand only to unload my purchases before heading out again on another shopping spree.

When my father wasn’t working he’d have his Standard 8 movie camera with him, he filmed some things at the show, (these screen captures from the mid 1970’s) without his films I doubt I’d remember The Wombles helping the Kesab (Keep South Australia Beautiful) campaign.

The showground’s have seen many changes over the years. Who remembers the Rothman’s Theatre, Hamilton Hall, The Alpine Chair Lift, the original Motor Pavilion (demolished to make way for the Jubilee Pavilion), Centennial Hall, The Savings Bank of South Australia with the giant Humphrey Bear sign?

The best part of Sunday

2008-08-24T16:19:00.001+09:30

sunday afternoon
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

The best part of Sunday has always been watching the Sunday afternoon movie. Channel 10 would always show something crappy from about 2.00pm (before they decided to show sport all day along). Since, as many would love to say, all I own is crappy movies...I'm in heaven. Mostly it's a case of I never know what to watch...something where I don’t have to think is always a good choice. If I had to compile a list of my top 10 movies, I couldn’t. It’s hard when there’s so many films out there.

bad luck for some

2008-08-17T16:17:00.001+09:30

talking out your ass
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

This, believe it or not, was my works mascot for a number of years. It was deemed ugly by just about anyone who looked at it. Then, its worse fate came when someone called it a bad luck omen. We'd put it on people's desks (or close by) and the day would usually be a disaster for them. He was about to thrown out when we moved, naturally I nabbed it because when someone least expects it...it's going back to work so its reign of terror can begin again!

cooking like mom used to cook

2008-08-13T17:08:00.001+09:30

perfect cooking
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

For many years this book has been in hiding. My mother purchased this book in the early 1970's. I grew up looking at the pictures often asking her to make something that caught my tiny eye. I'd forgotten how many recipes she used from this book - many more than I thought. Although my mother passed away in 1976, I can now sample some of the food I grew up with. It's the funny thing about food, the taste can instantly bring back long forgotten memories. I doubt it will ever look as good as the pictures, or taste as good as my mother made, but hopefully it can come close. If not, I will always have the pictures to look at and a chance to recall dinners past.

Have you ever checked out old cookbooks? You should, the food, the pictures, the typeface, it’s all classic and often quite comical.

here today...gone tomorrow

2008-08-03T12:44:00.001+09:30

here today...gone tomorrow
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Today (the 3rd August) I thought I'd go and have one last Starbucks coffee before it was too late. I was too late. Starbucks recently announced that 61 Australian stores would close forever. Evidently, they must have stated they'd be closed "by" the 3rd. Today there was no sign of Starbucks ever existing. Blacked out windows, signage all removed, just a rather large FOR LEASE sign sitting in the window. Ho hum, looks like I'll have to travel to Sydney for a coffee from now on.

bye bye starbucks

2008-07-29T20:21:00.001+09:30

bye bye starbucks
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Australian subsidiary of US company Starbucks Coffee Company, Coffee International, said it would close 61 "underperforming'' stores of its 84 locations leaving only 23 stores in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Much like the American downsizing it seems as though Australia is now affected by Starbucks closures. I'll miss my local Starbucks, mercifully, Sydney Starbucks seems to be still alive & kicking, it'll make trips there extra special.

I feel sorry for the staff.

universal studios burns

2008-06-02T19:26:00.001+09:30

AVE-K NEWS SERVICE UNIVERSAL STD 062
Originally uploaded by NEWSMAN91

What an awful way to wake up...I open my email to find numerous friends all telling me that my favorite studio is burning to the ground. Immediately my first thought is disbelief...but suddenly memories emerge of a time I had forgotten. Back in 1990 I heard the same thing, Universal Studios was burning. Sadly, the very same area. I would never have expected to see the very same thing happen eighteen years later. Both times the facade of Back to the Future seems to have survived. King Kong who suffered only minor damage last time, this time he was engulfed in flames. Gone. Also a casualty was Universal's Film and TV vault. So sad. Hopefully, this time, Universal WILL learn from mistakes and make these facades fire proof. Such a sad, sad day.

play loud

2008-06-01T19:05:00.001+09:30

play loud
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

The B-52’s have released their ninth album, Funplex. I have to admit, it’s been a long time coming. 1992 was the last original album. We’ve since had 2 ‘best of’ releases, one featured 2 new songs but it’s nice to have an album with 11 new tracks. They haven’t lost their touch for great party music. Grab it and party the night away.

what a carry on

2008-04-19T15:20:00.001+09:30

what a carry on
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

It's been years since I sat down and watch a Carry On movie. For some unknown reason I stumbled across a delicious box set of 18 movies - all fully restored and with amazing bonus features. Each film has its own commentary track - 13 episodes of the Carry On TV series from 1975 - on set photographs - trailers and so much more. The set was advertised on Amazon.co.uk for ₤125.00 but I managed to find it on hmv.co.uk for only ₤17.00. Well worth buying at that price!

luna park

2008-03-30T08:32:00.003+10:30

Whilst in Sydney I purchased the Luna Park DVD - Spirit of the Carnival and Just For Fun a book by Sam Marshall. Both were a wonderful insight into the history of Luna Park. I discovered it started it's life in Glenelg, South Australia, but with constant moaning from the local government and residents, it was packed up and moved to Sydney.

Luna Park is probably the one park in the world that can claim to have been opened, closed, opened, closed, bulldozed, rebuilt, closed, opened all in the space of 73 years .

The Spirit of the Carnival was a great accompaniment to the book with much historical footage and great interviews with people who helped shape the park. Both the book and DVD are highly recommended. You don't need to travel to Sydney to purachase these, they are available from the Luna Park Web Site: http://www.lunaparksydney.com

sydney, australia

2008-03-24T03:53:00.002+10:30

sydney, australia
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Sydney was great. I found everything really easy to navigate & the people very friendly. Sydney Harbour was just beautiful - so photogenic. Hyde Park was a nice place to relax after long treks around the city. We worked it out that I covered approximately about 50km on foot on the first day. I needed to rest. The Opera House is incredible up close. Wandering over the bridge was great - you can really appreciate the work that went into building it. Luna Park was quiet, but mercifully it was open so I got to see most things. I even got to witness the bats flying around at dusk – pretty cool!

And did I manage to photograph everything I wanted? I sure did!

my amazing race

2008-03-18T20:11:00.000+10:30

Sometimes with me things may take a while. I’m now hooked on The Amazing Race. It’s exciting, fun, stressful and highly entertaining - & I’m just watching. I seriously doubt Australia will do its own version…so I’m going to have my own. But with my rules. Okay, it’s nothing like the Amazing Race to anyone but me. I’m heading to a location that’s wildly foreign. I’m giving myself a goal to photograph a number of items in a short time frame. Besides photographing the icons I’m going to do a few that are out of the city limits. And there’s really where the race begins. It’s going to be fun. The limited time frame is a problem but its all part of my very own Amazing Race. Where am I going? Check flickr after Easter for the answer.

northern lights

2008-03-14T14:28:00.000+10:30

the amazing race

2008-02-24T21:05:00.002+10:30

Since New Years Eve I've become hooked on The Amazing Race (it was my show to watch on New Years Eve when eveyone else was out seeing in the New Year.) It's possibly one of the best reality shows around. Sure, some of the contestants get testy, some downright annoying, but mostly they are a joy to watch. It's a show where age is no barrier (unless it's something extremely physical - but hey, look at Gretchen, in Season 7 - she abseiled a wall in no time)

Other countries have hosted their own version. Why can't we? I want Australia to have their own version. I want to be on it. I want to be testy and down right annoying!

going nowhere

2008-01-05T10:45:00.000+10:30

Funny thing the new year. You can never expect when life will throw one of those unforeseen twists. The holiday that was planned for August and September has now been postponed until July 2009. On the positive side I’ll get to be in the States for Independence Day. This is good.

On another positive note, with current temperatures being the hottest on record, I splashed out and got an air conditioner! Finally no more fans circulating hot air. I can now sleep at night.

So, out of bad things come good things. Half full or half empty? I reckon it’s half full.

That Girl

2007-12-27T13:34:00.000+10:30

If I had to describe that ultimate "look" of the late 1960's woman I would instantly pick, Tina Louise (Ginger on Gilligan's Island) and umm..."THAT GIRL!" Yes, Marlo Thomas and Tina Louise hands down. The wonderful flip-do hair and the ultra heavy black eyeliner with tons of fake eyelashes.

Why would I even bother to mention this is 2007? Well, I recently purchased the first two seasons of That Girl. (I already own all the Gilligan episodes). Unlike Gilligan, the archives of That Girl have well and truly been opened and floods of material are available as bonus features.

The show itself is hardly comedy slapstick - it does have it's fair share of moments but it relies more on the talent of Marlo and her wonderful chemistry with co-star, Ted Bessell. Marlo herself looks simply fantastic.

Season Three has just been released and going on the strengths of Season One & Two, I'll make sure to pick it up.

it's all about marketing

2007-12-22T12:53:00.000+10:30

You might not be able to stop the beat but it's also hard to stop the Hairspray DVD purchases. In a clever marketing ploy American retailer, Wal-Mart, have optioned a bonus DVD if you buy the single disc edition from them. So, what to do if you can't get to your local Wal-Mart? Buy it from eBay at a much higher price.

So, is it worth the extra cost? Well yes, and no. Some features are "extended versions" from the Shake and Shimmy 2 disc edition. But the real "wow factor" comes from the ShoWest preview in Las Vegas. At a preview launch for the film, the cast assembled for a "live" performance. It's pretty cool - a number of council members perform with the cast in front of the giant screen. There's amazing footage of Nikki Blonski being told she has the part of Tracy - her reaction is funny and heart warming.

The three Tracy's, Ricki (original), Marrisa (Broadway) & Nikki (2006) are interviewed and seen recording the song, 'Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now'. It's all great footage.

Is it worth getting both discs? If you love Hairspray and want to see everything! Yes!

yup, it's that time of year

2007-12-17T17:53:00.000+10:30

It's that time of the year when all good plans go terribly wrong - in the best possible way. Christmas shopping was supposed to be done and finished by now - but it isn't. I never have an action plan to just get what I want and leave - no, I have to wander around in a daze with no idea of what I'm doing.

The food I've bought with the intention of saving for the big day has been attacked and crumbs remain.

The shops all look terribly festive - each trying to out-do each other and grab your attention - except mine. I just wander from shop to shop, no worse off but coming home with the frustration of knowing I have to go back and do it all again - hopefully buying that perfect gift. I wouldn't have it any other way.

New purchases

2007-12-08T13:05:00.000+10:30

While most people seem busy with Christmas 2007, I'm well ahead and planning for 2008. While I've always had a fondness of the aluminium or aluminum (depending on where you live) tree. I've been after one for years - I do have an original but it's seen far better days and is missing most of the tinsel. The other day I found a brand new one - I had no idea they were making these here in Australia - so I bit the bullet and grabbed it. The only problem, it's not green and lush and it's going to take some getting used to.

I think I'll decorate it the true minimal style and most probably red baubles. God only knows where I'm going to find a color wheel.

And in the true spirit of Christmas when I was in the city today they were marked an extra 30% off. Why do shops always do this once I've bought something!

Lucy turns 2!

2007-12-04T21:26:00.003+10:30

It's hard to believe I purchased this ornament at Universal Studios two years ago today. It's hard to believe that the USA holiday was two years ago. Sometimes it feels as though I was there yesterday, the memories are still so vivid. Like an episode of I Love Lucy, I was held up at the counter purchasing some Universal souvenirs (this being one of them)...my VIP guide came rushing in and grabbed me and we literally had to run from one side of the studio to the other to get me to the Waterworld Spectacular so I wouldn't miss it. Lucy would have been proud of the madcap carry-on across the Studio.
Ahh, happy memories!

festive time

2007-12-03T21:31:00.003+10:30

It's hard to believe it's less than 3 weeks to Christmas. The tree is up, cards are being mailed, once I can find everyone's address that is. Presents are nearly done, just a few more to get. I'm exhausted - not from Christmas festivities but from a hard year. I'm looking forward to my two weeks off over Christmas. I'm not really in a festive mood. I need to relax, watch a couple of Christmas movies - and get me some good old fashioned Christmas cheer. Maybe I'll add some Shortbread, Egg Nog, Christmas music all followed by maybe, the classic TV special, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to my list of things to do. If that doesn't do it - nothing will !

back to Hairspray again...

2007-11-22T21:51:00.000+10:30

Hairspray arrived today. And I'm pleased to say that the DVD is pretty awesome. The quality is brilliant - the sound faultless. As expected the bonus features are terrific. The cast and crew talk about the film with relish and excitement. It certainly comes across a great set to be on.

If you've seen the film or haven't had the pleasure...keep your eyes out for the council member, Shelley (Sarah Jayne Jensen) . She's one of those characters who has no lines but manages to steal almost every scene she's in.

I can see this being staged a s a concert one day. Hopefully the film cast and Broadway cast can appear together, it would be a concert you wouldn't want to miss.

I'm off to watch the commentary. (With 2 to choose it may take a while!)

new book

2007-11-11T09:44:00.001+10:30

Anyone living in Adelaide has most certainly attended the Magic Cave or Christmas Pageant at least once. And during the Christmas Pageant 75th anniversary lead up, a book has been released chronicling the 75 Pageants and the 111 year old Magic Cave.

The Legendary Magic Cave and Christmas Pageant is by Lee Lennan, is a 310 page, hardbound, coffee table sized book. The book lovingly looks at all facets of these two local icons. Nine chapters delve into the history of John Martin’s Magic Cave from it’s design and creation to the changes it saw over the years. The author has spoken with many key people who designed and built the cave every year – so you can expect some wonderful behind the scenes stories.

The Pageant is also lovingly looked at (16 chapters in all) – from float design and construction, the media coverage from early radio to today’s satellite TV broadcast, a definitive history of Nipper and Nimble, costumes, carpentry, certainly nothing is overlooked. Countless colour and black & white images convey a great sense of time travel through Adelaide history.

I personally think Lee’s book will become a bible over the years for anyone wanting to know about these two iconic events. The $69.95 price may deter a few people but it’s certainly great value for your money. This book was well overdue and a pleasure to read. Available at all South Australian bookstores now.

possessed candy corn

2007-10-28T21:08:00.001+10:30

possessed candy corn
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

Okay..so I'm ready for halloween. I'm too old for trick or treating - so that's out. I've eaten all of Candy Corn. Hmmm....doesn't really leave a lot to do, does it!? Maybe I'll watch a movie. Or at least an episode of Bewitched! Geez...maybe I should have done all this when I was younger.

It's Hairspray!

2007-10-06T10:25:00.000+09:30

Today's post is brought to you by Ultra-Clutch Hairspray. Being a fan of the original 1988 John Waters movie, I have tried my best to avoid the Broadway play and now the new movie. I seriously doubted it would be any good. Could Michelle Pfeiffer out-do (no pun intended) Deborah Harry? Could Nicki Blonski be better than Ricki Lake? Well, I have to admit they came pretty close. The soundtrack was superb. Certainly a soundtrack to own. The subtle differences from the original film worked and to the movies credit, it was pretty darn good.

There seriously isn't really anything you can find fault in. From start to finish it kept my attention (always a good sign). I'm looking forward to the DVD release. The bonus features seem very impressive...check them out...

Two-disc "Shake and Shimmy" Edition special features

Feature-length audio commentary with director-choreographer Adam Shankman and star Nikki Blonsky
Feature-length audio commentary with producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron
Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary with Adam Shankman and Nikki Blonsky (9:30)

Never-before-seen musical number I Can Wait
Edna Gets Arrested
Welcome to the '60s Alternate Street Segment
You Can't Stop the Beat" Alternate Version
Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise) Velma-Only Version

You Can't Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of Hairspray documentary (80:00)
Step by Step: The Dances of Hairspray featurette offering how-to-dance instruction
Hairspray Extensions featurette, giving viewers dance breakdowns (36:42)

The Nicest Kids in Town (4:11)
The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs (5:16)
Ladies' Choice (5:16)
Welcome to the '60s (6:21)
Run and Tell That (5:49)
You Can't Stop the Beat (9:49)

Jump to a song with optional sing-along feature
The Roots of Hairspray featurette (40:00)
Interactive menus
Theatrical trailer (2:25)
16x9 widescreen (2.40:1) version of the film
English 2.0 Stereo Surround
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Ex (on feature, deleted scenes, and interactive menus)
English and Spanish subtitles
Closed captions

I now can't wait to get back to New York to check out the Broadway production.

Decorating for Halloween

2007-10-01T14:27:00.001+09:30

pumpkin soup
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

This year I've taken a plunge and decorated for Halloween. Very limited but I've done my best with what I could find. I found a few old fashioned honeycomb things that look kinda cute. I've always thought of doing it, but cobwebs around the house would just annoy me. I have no idea when a good time to decorate is...so one month seems good enough.

However, Trick-Or-Treat is not gonna happen!

BOO!

Christmas Lighting

2007-09-23T15:31:00.000+09:30

For years I've been a fan of the 1960's & 1970's Christmas "bulb" lighting. You know, the traditional Christmas globe. Now with L.E.D flooding the market, older style lighting seems to be fading out. I haven't seen the old style of lights for years and was thrilled to find it's made a return. So thrilled I bought 3 boxes. Did a quick test run and there appears to be about 8 - 10 lighting options. Gone are the days of the old blink every thirty seconds or so. These are great for the retro look (providing that's what your going for). These are very reminiscent of the American C-10, C-7 style of lights.

So the lights have been purchased. All we need is the season to commence. Roll on November 1st.

Revisiting that familiar address

2007-08-04T19:51:00.000+09:30

Today I had the pleasure of revisiting Number 96. Would I like it? Would I hate it? Would I remember anything? It's been a long time since I saw an episode (or the movie for that matter). I was most certainly never allowed to watch the show in it's original run (being young my parents were dead against me seeing such filth!) I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. It was great fun to see many familiar faces. While the story lines were new to me the faces were like old friends. Most I recognized from The Restless Years, which aired a few years later (and was more child friendly). The bonus feature, a 90 minute, 1976 TV special, was great quality, as was a new "look back" special, made for the DVD. Highly recommended, I just wish I was able to watch the show during it's original run.

withdrawl

2007-08-01T20:53:00.001+09:30

It's amazing how much you can become addicted to television. With Big Brother 2007 now a distant memory I have nothing to do at 7.00pm. A tad dramatic, but life evolved around 7.00pm for over 3 months. For some reason this Big Brother was fascinating. Great housemates (I nearly called them kids!) The only ones I missed were the "spider task" episodes. I did watch a few seconds of one while clutching a trusty can of Mortein, should a spider jump out of the TV set! I didn't pick the winner (as usual) but was more than happy with Aleisha taking out the prize. It was a shame I missed on seeing the house and auditorium when I was up at Dreamworld. The house and eviction stage were being readied for the show (it started the week after we left.) So thanks to everyone involved with the show - it gave us heaps to talk about at work. Bring on the next one!

flying kangaroo

2007-07-24T17:33:00.002+09:30

Everyone knows I love to fly. I should do it more often (if it wasn't for the high cost) I'd fly a lot more. Today Qantas unveiled their new logo (or branding) a "softer version" of the famous Flying Kangaroo. The logo has been revised four times since – in 1947, 1968, 1984 and 2007. I never knew it was changed so often.

They also unveiled a new plane, a Airbus A380 aircraft. It has wider seats (which is a bonus). I read somewhere that they are introducing the new aircraft in August 2008, I'll be flying home from New York in September 2008, hopefully I'll get to try out this new 19.4 inches wide seat! With a 9-inch incline too! As I can’t sleep on a plane incline isn’t that important. Let's hope they increase leg room (being tall it's awfully cramped on a long flight.)

10 (random) things about me

2007-07-07T19:26:00.001+09:30

1. I detest mess
2. I love the USA
3. Without animals in my life I'd be lonely
4. I need my daily fix of coffee
5. My greatest gift is making people laugh
6. I believe in fate
7. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year
8. I love to watch
9. Fitness is not always my friend
10. There's no place like home
1. morning sun, 2. statue, 3. glamour puss, 4. simple coffee art, 5. turtle neck gufaw, 6. dice, 7. baubles, 8. great nite in, 9. weighty issues, 10. festival & space theatre & hyatt

dandelion

2007-07-01T17:17:00.001+09:30

dandelion
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato

The joys of photography (or any art for that matter) are people see different things in the same image. Personally I love this shot. I love the fragility of the flower. The translucent quality of natures perfect sphere. It's one of my favourite shots I've taken this year. And to think it’s now considered a weed!! I could have picked it and blew, giving nature a helping hand but I resisted. I walked past it again this morning and it’s gone….just a stem remaining.

NYWF (again!)

2007-06-02T10:33:00.000+09:30

During the week I was pleasantly surprised by a mail delivery. Dave from New York, sent me a parcel containing some wonderful memorabilia from the NY Worlds Fair. It's always fun to receive something unexpected and the contents were a great look into the past. It's certainly been a week of obsession relating to the World's Fair. A number of things arrived I nabbed off eBay as well. Adding to this, The Supremes seem to be in vogue with me as well. Bring back the 60's!!

Holy Stock Footage Batman!

2007-05-27T12:06:00.000+09:30

Remember the old 1960's Batman TV series? Ever wondered what the first images were in the very first episode? Well, chances are you haven't, but the very first scenes were of the 1964 New York World's Fair. I ran across it last night and grabbed some screen caps of it. Naturally, the producers want the viewer to believe it was actually in Gotham City, but there's no doubt as to where it really was. While I'm still not an expert on naming the pavilions, you can see Johnson Wax, Eastman Kodak, Bell System, the Brass Rail refreshment stands (thanks to Michael for helping me with those), Better Living Center, General Electric, Pepsi-Cola, and I think the people entering are from the main entrance. Keep an eye out for episode 1 of Batman (Hey Diddle Riddle). You just never know where the Fair will pop up!

Observation Towers

2007-05-26T12:39:00.001+09:30

Originally uploaded by duggy

Last weekend was spent totally obsessing about the New York World's Fair...the New York State's Towers still stand in much neglect. You can even see the “Star Streak” elevator stuck midway (to stop vandalism). The towers stand next to the New York State Pavilion (aka The Tent of Tomorrow). Each Observation Tower has a platform that is 64' diameter. There are 3 observation towers; the tallest is 226 feet high, giving a magnificent view of the Flushing Meadow site. It's just a shame no-one's been able to see it since 1965. There’s talk of refurbishing the towers and pavilion but after 42 years of talk it seems unlikely.

Worlds Fair Relics

2007-05-17T22:21:00.001+09:30

Worlds Fair Relics
Originally uploaded by Seth W..

So we're back to the 1964 /1965 New York Worlds Fair again. Something keeps pulling me back. This photo is what's left of the New York State Pavilion and observation towers. The NY State Pavilion was also known as the "Tent of Tomorrow". It had (or has) the world's largest suspension roof, made of translucent colored plastic and hung from sixteen 100-foot concrete columns. On the main floor the Texaco Oil Company inlaid a mammoth map of the state in terrazzo. The map while still there, has broken into many pieces and the coloured roof removed in the 1970's. It was supposed to be bulldozed following the fair but still remains today - now a derelict remnant. The towers (of which there are 3) are still there but no longer operational. Then there's the Unisphere as well…

The Birds is coming!

2007-05-01T20:55:00.000+09:30

I always thought it should have been The Birds ARE coming! I guess Hitchcock knew better. My latest obsession (if you could call it that) you have to go back to 1963. That year saw the release of Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds. While at Universal Studios I was eager to photograph any location from any movie I'd seen. Naturally, I had The Birds, in mind. I had no idea if the sets were still standing. One of the scenes is where Melaine Daniels (Tippi Hedren) arrives at Bodega Bay and asks directions to the Brenner home. Later in the movie, poor Melanie gets trapped in a phone booth while the birds are attacking. It wasn't until tonight that I discovered, I did indeed take a photograph of the location. And it thrilled me no end. Yes, a tad geeky, but I don't care. I'm really happy the Universal lot still has buildings that have survived all these years. It's in a pretty generic area - so it can be used for countless different movies and TV series. But it will always be Bodega Bay for me. The photo would have been taken where the infamous phone booth would have been...just outside The Tides restaurant facade (which is also no longer there.)

moo!

2007-04-27T18:39:00.000+09:30

I'm totally addicted to moo! Moo are small (28mm x 78mm) matte laminate cards printed in the United Kingdom that you can access with your flickr account.

They are totally cool. Mine arrived yesterday and I'm thrilled with how well they turned out. You can use them as business cards - some people even use them as trading cards - I haven't quite decided what to use mine for.

LAX

2007-04-22T23:00:00.001+09:30

LAX
Originally uploaded by kaszeta.

With Queensland now and truly buried in the past, I get to look forward to the next holiday. The mighty USA! As I'll be there longer this time, I need to start saving now, (18 months just flys by!!). I loved flying into LAX. The old control tower was one of the first things I saw when we landed and one of the last things I saw as I took off on my way home. It looked just as it did in the Here's Lucy episode I saw as a kid. It's now a restaurant and although we didn’t have time to eat there last time, I plan on doing it on the next trip.

morning sun

2007-04-15T21:12:00.001+09:30

morning sun
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato.

The Aegean apartment...it all seems like it was years ago. (I was there this time last week). Funny how life falls into a routine so quickly. I'm still trying to live by my holiday motto - do something that you normally wouldn't do at home, do something that scares you, do something you enjoy etc. So today I braved a glass elevator. HATE THEM. I got to live another day. Is that a good thing?

surfers paradise

2007-04-10T00:31:00.001+09:30

surfers paradise
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato.

Ahh holidays...you look forward to them for ages and in no time quick the holiday becomes a distant memory. This memory was all good! So much happened, good friends, fun, excitement, personal growth, could you ask for anymore? The only down side was playing Putt Putt, I came third (out of 4). I got to do things I normally wouldn't do. Which is one of the things I love about going away. Surfer's Paradise was great, far better than expected. Certainly a very eclectic town but there is always something to do, whatever your taste. The Aegean Apartments (our home base) was fantastic - an amazing apartment with breathtaking views. Sadly, with so many new apartments springing up, you loose your view pretty quickly. But we had no problem with ours. Check my flickr site over the next few weeks for heaps of holiday snaps. So many highlights, some were, cruising around the Gold Coast in a red convertible was pretty cool. Riding the Tower of Terror at Dreamworld was something I swore I'd never do. But I did it twice. 0 to 160kph in 7 seconds was pretty much an awesome ride for a huge coward like me. Riding the City Cat on the Brisbane river on Easter Sunday evening was awesome too. Brisbane is a lovely city and I'd love to explore it more later. But for now, I need some sleep!

glamour puss

2007-04-07T10:09:00.001+09:30

glamour puss
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato.

Happy Birthday to Sheebs! She was born 7th April 1997 and today she celebrates her 10th birthday. Although I can't be with her on her special day, I know she's in good hands and hopefully having a great day at holiday camp.

Today I'm out & about with the camera! So expect the flickr account to be bombarded with my holiday pics on my return! Sea World tomorrow. Then Monday after spending the day here, I'm heading home in the evening.

Gold Coast

2007-04-06T21:08:00.001+09:30

Q1 Tower
Originally uploaded by Komshiki.

We arrived safely in Brisbane this morning and made our way down to the Gold Coast as soon as we touched down. I ended up sleeping in, forgetting to set the alarm. Ooops! We went to Warner Bros Movie World, named Hollywood on the Gold Coast. It wasn't as bad as I expected. The Scooby Doo Rollercoaster was fun as was The Wild West Rollercoaster mine ride. It was a mini-America which was fine by me. We then drove to the apartment. We are next to Q1 - the highest residential apartment block in the world. We are on the 29th floor of a 32 floor building - breathtaking views. Tomorrow I get to rest by the pool. And I'm really looking forward to it.

when vegetables dress up

2007-04-04T19:14:00.001+09:30

when vegetables dress up
Originally uploaded by SpacePotato.

Vegetables playing dress up! Yup, dress up! This wonderfully odd little item, comes from Louise. I've met Louise twice. She's dating one of my work colleagues, Peter. From what I was told, Louise saw this and thought it would be a perfect gift for me. Quite an impression I must have left on Louise after two short meetings. Truth be known, I LOVE IT!
There's Wunda-Witch, Hia-Mato, Coco-annibal, Kool Karrot, Chief Turn-Up & Marshal T Apple (complete with a banana canon). It now sits in my kitchen (where else would it go?!) Thanks LuLu - it's now a treasured item...& no I'm not going to flog it on eBay :)

The Unisphere

2007-04-01T17:37:00.002+09:30

What's my latest obsession? Far too many to count but The Unisphere in Flushing Meadow, NYC is top of the list. Why the fascination? Dunno really! It looks good, seems a lame response. It was actually built by US Steel for the 1964/65 World's Fair in New York, it's theme, Peace Through Understanding . The fact it remains where it originally stood impressed me. It's over 12 stories high is the largest man made earth in the world. The original fountains work periodically but when not operational it gives you a chance to get up close and personal with the Unisphere. I'll be heading there on my next NY visit.