Brooklyn Hilary

A Tree Grows in BrooklynHilary!

On February 28, 1945, the film A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (directed by Elia Kazan) opened in US theaters.  The novel, by Betty Smith, was published two years earlier.  It's a coming-of-age story about a girl living with her impoverished family Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 1900s.

I've never read it or seen it.  Have you?

Once in a while, I mess up on the dates of something and so have to make a decision about what to do with it.

I took this photo thinking that the movie Be Kind Rewind was released on February 28, but it was released on the 22nd!

So I looked at the other possible dates for the film and picked the release date in SWEDEN!

As you know, if you've seen Michel Gondry's film, Jack Black's character accidentally erases every single video in a rental shop.  The easiest possible fix to this solution was to re-make all the films himself!  Right? The process, they claim, is called "sweding".

The first film they re-make is Ghostbusters.

Here I am sorta sweding the sweded version of Ghostbusters - specifically the library scene. I ain't afraid of no ghosts.

Thassright.

Rick made my awesome costume with aluminum foil and duct tape.  I made the Ghostbusters sign with construction paper.  The book is hanging from a hook in the ceiling with fishing line and a fish hook.

This was FUN.

Happy birthday to John Harvey Kellogg (born February 26, 1852)!  He was the American physician who developed dry cereal!

I asked Twitter & Facebook what cereal they think of first when they think of Kellogg's...here are the results!

Frosted Flakes - 8 (They're g-r-r-r-eat!)
Corn Flakes - 6
Special K - 4
Raisin Bran - 1 (Two scoops!)
Rice Krispies - 1 (Snap Crackle Pop!)
Froot Loops - 1 (Follow your nose!)
Honey Smacks - 1

I watched a bunch of old commercials on YouTube.  Remember when Honey Smacks were called Sugar

February 25, 1997 marked the first official re-release of "Black Monk Time" by The Monks.

This date was suggested to me by my friend Mike Fornatale, who was promoted by The Monks from "fan" to "singer" in 1999, when Gary lost his voice. Mike describes himself as their "Organist and Hitter of High Notes".

I know Mike Fornatale through Loser's Lounge. Don't miss out on a chance to hear that man sing!

Oh, I was going to try to be Larry in this Monks photo:
www.diskull.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/01monkspr...

I put on a fake mustache, but it looked decidedly wrong.

On February 24, 1979, swine breeder Russ Braize of Stamford sold a pig (named Glacier) for the highest price ever recorded at the time: $42,500. Glacier held the world record for the most expensive boar of all breeds for 18 years.

That's some pig!

Thanks to Rick (silav) for drawing my ears and snout! :D

On February 23, 1968, Cool Hand Luke opened in theaters in...Finland! (The US release date was November 1, 1967.)

Nobody can eat 50 eggs. Except, of course, Paul Newman! You can see the egg scene from the film here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNyl6gXLMLQ

I went to Costco today and purchased 60 eggs for $6.05. I hard boiled a couple dozen. Cracked another dozen raw because the shells from the uncooked eggs looked better for the photo.

I ate 2.5 of them. That was quite enough! Perhaps I'll post an outtake of a real reaction to having that egg in my mouth. Yuck! :)

On February 22, 1987, Andy Warhol died at the age of 58.

There are lots of ways to make these "pop art" images online! If you want to do one like this, check out FotoFlexer.com! You're just a click away... ;)

On February 20, 1965, Vic Dana performed "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" on "American Bandstand."

I just happened to have some blue face makeup and my Valentine's Day roses.... :D

If you want to hear the song, you can do so here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_67zLhbEs

After many weeks of careful excavation, on February 16, 1923, British Egyptologist Howard Carter opened the inner chamber of KV62 - Tutankhamun's tomb. It was on that date that he first saw the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. (It was conveyed to the public by H. V. Morton, the only journalist on the scene.)

I, of course, got MY inspiration for the photo from Steve Martin. You can see his Saturday Night Live performance here:
www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/king-tut/976141/

"Born in Arizona...moved to Babylonia...King Tut!"