THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY ...

Here we are, almost into spring, getting ready to leave the cold winter behind us.
I said to my friend, "Nothing is going to be the same anymore..."
and he said, "Yes it is, the elk will still migrate, the geese will still be honking,
nothing will change." And I thought he was right, the basics will still be there,
we can make the most of them, as we wait for the great insurrection
these troubled times may bring upon us.

Some people have begun to call our new government the Bush/Obama government,
meaning that it appears to be much the same, wasteful spending, continuation of war,
empty promises. The inability to understand a free economy.

I tend to live in a bubble of my own making, hanging with friends who do the same.
Living in a dream of beauty and intelligence, yet going to the meetings, just in
case there is work that might help bring us back to a freer, independant America.
Sometimes it only takes a moment of will and perseverance to wrought change.
Not change we can believe in, but change that actually happens.

I don't wish to be owned by my government, I yearn to breathe free,
like it says at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

God bless America, may freedom be her song.


Jiva

LAST NIGHT AT THE OSCAR'S ~ KATE WINS !!

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE OSCAR'S, THERE WERE NO JOKES, NO LAUGHS, BUT A LOT
OF SERIOUS MOMENTS OF LAUDING ACTORS AND THEIR TALENTS BY FORMER ACTORS.
THIS HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, AND YOU COULD SEE IT BROUGHT EXCITEMENT
AND THRILLS TO THE NOMINEES TO BE SO COMPLIMENTED BY ICONS OF FILM.

For each category of actors, best, and supporting, a group of famous
winners from the past stepped forward, and each one personally addressed
one of the nominees, as a one on one so to speak, and told them of how
impressed they were with their work. You could see the thrill of
the words on the nominees faces. It was a brilliant stroke by the
director of the awards. It is something that each actor will carry
with them for the rest of their lives, to be personally complimented
by someone famous as Shirley MacLaine, or Robert DeNiro, a different
star for each nominee and seen by the millions of viewers.






































Because of the lack of a comedic host, song and dance man Hugh Jackman did his best
to entertain the audience of celebrities and their families, but a little humor might
have gone a long way to quicken the pacing of the show, and keep the excitement going.
As it was, I found myself drifting off, changing channels, watching scenes from a film
playing on TCM, watching bits of Oliver Twist on PBS, and then coming back to the
awards. Not my usual habits at all! But that's how it was for me. For you, it may
have been more to your liking. I was very happy to see Kate win her Oscar, god
knows she deserves one, and I had to laugh when she told Meryl Streep she'd just have
to "suck it up," commenting that godesses like herself couldn't believe they were in
the same company with Meryl.

Slumdog Millionaire and it's director Danny Boyle won the prize.
Kate Winslet and Sean Penn won best actor.
Penelope Cruz and Heath Ledger won best supporting actor.
Steve Martin and Tina Fey had a nice little performance,
and Heath Ledger's family accepted the award on his behalf.
Beyonce` and Hugh Jackman did a musical number with dancers.

The best part of all for me, was that towards the end of
the show, for the first time EVER as far as I can remember,
there was plenty of time for each performer to thank all the
people they wanted to thank, without any music or "hurry up"
people waving them off. Which proved that it CAN be done!

Jiva

ROAD TO THE OSCARS 2009 ~ SUNDAY NIGHT

80 YEARS OF OSCARS ~ 80 YEARS OF FILMS









Tomorrow night at eight o'clock EST, The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences will present once again, the awards for movies made in 2008. It's one of my favorite nights, not so much because it's fun to see the Red Carpet arrivals, although I certainly do enjoy that, but what has always fascinated me about the awards (and I've been watching them ever since they came on TV), is the emotional effect that films have on the viewers. Just like Gone With The Wind, [I'm watching it right now on Turner Classic Movies], what we learn from films can be transforming to our souls, to our lives. Indeed, certain films do earn the right to be awarded the highest honors for the emotion and stimulation they bring to us, sometimes changing the way we see the world. Film is the medium through which all things are possible.



HERE IS A MONTAGE OF THE 80 BEST PICTURES


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Oscar Nominees:

Best Picture
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
'Frost/Nixon'
'Milk'
'The Reader'
'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Director
Danny Boyle 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Stephen Daldry 'The Reader'
David Fincher 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Ron Howard 'Frost/Nixon'
Gus Van Sant 'Milk'

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins 'The Visitor'
Frank Langella 'Frost/Nixon'
Sean Penn 'Milk'
Brad Pitt 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Mickey Rourke 'The Wrestler'

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway 'Rachel Getting Married'
Angelina Jolie 'Changeling'
Melissa Leo 'Frozen River'
Meryl Streep 'Doubt'
Kate Winslet 'The Reader'

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin 'Milk'
Robert Downey Jr. 'Tropic Thunder'
Philip Seymour Hoffman 'Doubt'
Heath Ledger 'The Dark Knight'
Michael Shannon 'Revolutionary Road'

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams 'Doubt'
Penelope Cruz 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
Viola Davis 'Doubt'
Taraji P. Henson 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'


Jiva

JULIE ANDREWS GETS HER VOICE BACK

THE NEWS IS OUT... JULIE SINGS AGAIN !





JULIE SINGS HER FAVORITE SONG MY SHIP BEFORE SHE LOST HER VOICE... SO BEAUTIFUL...




THIS VIDEO ACTUALLY HAD ME IN TEARS...
Recorded August 12, 2008.

Such wonderful news... I happened to do a search to see what the news was, if any, about Julie's voice, as I had heard rumors that her voice was returning! And apparently this is true, although not the range she once had, more like a very low range, but that could change, as she is seeing voice coaches, and trying not to go beyond the limited range she now has, so as not to injure her vocal chords further than they already were damaged by the disastrous surgery she had twelve years ago to remove a non malignant cyst in her throat. She was supposed to be well with a voice better than ever within two weeks of the surgery, but alas, her voice did not return. She quips at The Hollywood Bowl, "I can sing the hell out of Old Man River."
But just the fact that she can sing at all, after this long silence, is a miracle. Everyone is cheering her on. God bless that sweet woman, her voice was her life, and now she has her life back.

To see the article about the return of her voice, click HERE.




Here is a clever clip put together by Nesha1987 on You Tube,
showing how IMPOSSIBLE THINGS ARE HAPPENING EVERY DAY !!
Thank you Julie for not giving up. You are an inspiration.
Julie is an amazing 73 years old this year.
It just flies, the time, doesn't it?


Jiva

SO LONG ESTELLE, SING YOUR SONG IN HEAVEN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ESTELLE AND RONNIE





ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2007 ~ THE RONETTES INDUCTED


THE ORIGINAL HIT ~ BE MY BABY BY THE RONETTES

Ronettes star Estelle Bennett dies at 67 yesterday at her home in New Jersey.

Always sad to see them slip away... Deepest sympathies to you Ronnie...


Jiva

I'M FEELING STIMULATED BY PORK, HOW ABOUT YOU?

I cannot deny that I am diametrically opposed to this stimulus bill that is passing in the Senate today.
I don't think it will stimulate anything except the pockets of a few
people who are without ethics.
If any of the money actually gets where it's supposed to go,
I'll be really surprised.

I have a link for you, from a web site that has the audacity to explain why this bill
will not work, why it will do very little to stimulate anything, and why it is a bad idea.

MORE SIMPLE ARITHMETIC

Other than that, the only thing that comes to my mind is this:



I rest my case.

Jiva

SULLY GETS AN OVATION AT SOUTH PACIFIC

The pilot of the US Airways flight that landed in the Hudson River,
attended SOUTH PACIFIC last night, and at the end of the show,
Kelli O'Hara stepped forward and announced that Sully and his
family were in the audience.

He received a STANDING OVATION, which was richly deserved.
The Associated Press sent the story around the world.

Sully and his family are in New York this week to not only
see a Broadway show, but to be regaled by New Yorkers for
his heroism in bringing in that plane with 155 survivors
all due to his quick thinking and aero expertise.

Mayor Bloomberg will give Sully the key to New York City.

Tonight, he will be interviewed by Katie Couric on CBS 60 Minutes at 7 o'clock.

I will be watching for sure.

There are not enough good words to praise this man,
he came along at a time when America needed a hero,
and a hero he is.

AND HERE IS A POSTSCRIPT TO THIS INCREDIBLE STORY:
Sully had checked out a book from the U of C at Fresno Library.
It was in the Cargo Hold of the plane in the Hudson River.
Sully contacted the library asking for an extension and waiver
of fees.

"Fresno State library officials said they were struck by Sullenberger's sense of responsibility and did him one better: they're waiving all fees, even lost book fees, and placing a template in the replacement book dedicating it to him.

The book's subject? "Professional ethics."

AND NOW, IF WE COULD ONLY HAVE EVERYONE IN CONGRESS READ THAT BOOK,
AND ALL COMPANY CEO'S, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD IT WOULD BE.
This is why Sully is a hero, because he represents everything
that is lacking in America today. He is a man of Integrity.

Story from The Associated Press.


Jiva

BEAUTY IS AS BEAUTY DOES... DOROTHY DALE KLOSS

On January 15, 2009, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet declared that day to be "Dorothy Kloss Day" for residents and visitors of Palm Springs, California. Dorothy is in the Guiness Book of World Records as The Oldest Still Performing Show Girl. She is 85 years old. She performs daily at the Plaza Theatre show, Palm Springs, California, in The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

This is particularly significant to me because Dorothy is a former Merriel Abbott Dancer,
just as I was once, a group of girls who trained their bodies to be strong, beautiful,
and apparently long lasting! As you can see from the photos, Dorothy Dale Kloss is one of
those very beautiful girls.


Jiva