possessed candy corn

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!

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)

1. Never-before-seen musical number I Can Wait
2. Edna Gets Arrested
3. Welcome to the '60s Alternate Street Segment
4. You Can't Stop the Beat" Alternate Version
5. 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)

1. The Nicest Kids in Town (4:11)
2. The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs (5:16)
3. Ladies' Choice (5:16)
4. Welcome to the '60s (6:21)
5. Run and Tell That (5:49)
6. 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.

Christmas Lighting

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

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

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!

10 (random) things about me

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

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.