Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2020

Happy 80th Birthday, Bugs Bunny!

in which I argue this is a hero of the people


Because parents are now largely concerned their children will experience any joy that doesn't have bumpers on it,* I don't think kids really know about Bugs Bunny.  Which is a shame.

Being a 1980's latchkey kid who had a Zenith for a babysitter, like most of my generation, I had WB cartoons blasted at me day and night for my entire youth.  From my earliest memories straight through college, Looney Tunes were not just a staple, but a constant.  In a way, the cheap programming of a thousand UHF channels and basic cable options may be the truest common denominator for 2-3 decades of Americans.  All of us know "Rabbit Season/ Duck Season".  We all know the weird, hilarious poetic tragedy of Michigan J. Frog and those who find him.  We all know the best thing to do when pursued is to dress as a coquettish young blonde and flirt with our pursuer.

It's printed on our DNA.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Happy Byrthday Lynda Carter


Happy birthday to Ms. Carter!  May it be a wonder-ful b-day for our own Amazing Amazon and Princess of Themyscira!

reigning supreme at the Met Gala in 2018!



Sunday, April 12, 2020

45

Keep the Car Running
Arcade Fire


Every night my dream's the same
Same old city with a different name
They're not coming to take me away
I don't know why, but I know I can't stay
There's a weight that's pressing down
Late at night you can hear the sound
Even the noise you make when you sleep
Can't swim across a river so deep
They know my name because I told it to them
But they don't know where, and they don't know when
It's coming
When it's coming
There's this fear I keep so deep
Knew it's name since before I could speak
Oh, oh, oh, oh
They know my name because I told it to them
But they don't know where, and they don't know when
It's coming, oh when
But it's coming, keep the car running
If some night I don't come home
Please don't think I've left you alone
The same place that I must go when they die
You can't climb across a mountain so high
The same city where I go when I sleep
Can't swim across a river so deep
They know my name because I told it to them
But they don't know where, and they don't know when
It's coming, oh when
Is it's coming?
Keep the car running
Keep the car running
Keep the car running




Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Action 252 - First Supergirl - Arrived March 31, 1959!




Action 252 is the first appearance of the second time DC floated a super girl,* but it brought Kara Zor-El to Earth, not from a dimensional wormhole or anything like we get in fancy, modern stories, but from a loose chunk of Krypton that was just hurling through space with a city and an atmosphere.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Everyone Wish Jamie/ @mcsteans a Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Jamie.  I wish you were not stuck in the house.  I wish I had thought to buy cake ingredients two weeks ago.  Frankly, I wish I'd bought you something for your birthday.

I can only make it better through the power of Greg Louganis in his prime.


Here's to a future where we can leave the house and not pretend we're on the International Space Station.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Happy Birthday To My Brother

Steanso rehearses for his next gig

Happy birthday to my brother, who is marginally older than me, and nowhere near as handsome (or smart, but let's not rub it in).

These days, I mostly just like his kids and wife, but he's okay, too, I guess.

It's a real kick in the crotch that we can't go out and celebrate his birthday, but that's what next year is for.  I got him a present, and when we're de-quarantined, I'm sure this cake I made will still be fine.  I'll keep it in the garage til whenever we see each other again.

Anyhoo... Happy birthday, dummy.  I hope you enjoy whatever it is you're up to for the day.



PS:  Mom likes me best.



Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Superman's Birthday


It's Superman's birthday!

Back in the day the editors of Superman comics decided to be cheeky and said the reason Superman didn't seem to age was that his birthday was on Leap Day.  So, now, we only get to celebrate Superman's birthday every four years, so you gotta take advantage.  Go out there and eat a pint of ice cream or a whole cake in honor of Superman's b-day.  It's only every four years.

Monday, February 17, 2020

100th Birthday of Curt Swan - comic book artist


Today marks the 100th birthday of the late, great Curt Swan.  For those taking any kind of deep dive into Superman as a long-running comic book character, it doesn't take long before you start producing your list of giants associated with the character's creation and adventures - and Curt Swan is top of the list. 

Siegel and Shuster created Superman, but eventually many of the art duties fell to first Wayne Boring, and then as we transitioned into the mid-Silver and Bronze Age, Swan became the primary pencil behind Superman.  For about three decades Swan drew covers and interiors of Adventure ComicsSuperman and Action Comics, and saw the end of his reign with the new era that began post COIE.  In his tenure he created such characters as Supergirl, Titano, Lucy Lane and many more. 

I became familiar with his work through a mish-mash of back-issues and collections of Silver Age comics, and he's very much locked in my mind as one of the best of the best.  It's astounding to see the care put into every panel of his art and how his own style evolved to meet (and often exceed) the times.

More about Curt Swan from Comic Vine and Wikipedia

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Happy Birthday, Ida Lupino


Today is the birthday of Ida Lupino, born this day in 1918.

A phenomenal actor, she also went on to direct and produce - while continuing to act.  While kinda unknown to the general public these days, she has her die-hard fanbase among film fans.

Be cool.  Get to know Ida Lupino.

get you a girl who can do it all

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Happy 90th to Gene Hackman


Today is the 90th birthday of noted American actor Gene Hackman. 

I am unsure if the kids really understand what a big deal Hackman is in movies, but he was one of the most solid actors of the second half of the 20th Century.  He was in top-flight movies and elevated the B-movies her appeared in, always bringing something great to the part.

For my Super-Pals, of course he played Lex Luthor in three Superman films, but the role I'll always love best is Royal Tenenbaum, the guy I will surely age into. 


Sunday, January 19, 2020

Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton



Here, playing Jolene in 1973

And, in 2019, playing with The Highwomen (check out that Highwomen album, btw.)



Saturday, December 28, 2019

Happy Birthday, Nichelle Nichols


Happy birthday to Star Trek phenom Nichelle Nichols, who is a pioneer of television and pop culture as well as a pioneer in making a 10 year old The League's heart go pitter-patter.

And a 44 year old The League's heart go pitter-patter.  But I digress.


Here's to one of the greats on her b-day!  May she have cake, family and friends!

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Happy Birthday, Claude Rains


Today marks the 130th birthday of Claude Rains, one of the best that the movies ever saw and will ever see.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Happy Birthday, Edith Head


Happy Birthday to one of the great artists of Hollywood, Edith Head.  If you don't know Edith Head, I highly recommend at least looking at her Wikipedia entry and imdb page.

"Yes, I am that damn good"

Happy Birthday, Elsa Lanchester


Elsa Lanchester was born this day in 1902. 



Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Happy Birthday, Una O'Connor



I believe today would mark the 139h birthday of Una O'Connor, a character actress who appears in a number of movies in the first half of the 20th Century.  Born in Belfast in 1880, O'Connor made her way to Hollywood where she was in dozens of pictures.  Just last weekend I re-watched her in The Invisible Man

I *always* find O'Connor hilarious, and frankly find her a great reason to watch anything.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Happy Birthday, Cassandra Peterson


Today is the birthday of Cassandra Peterson, who you may know better as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Happy b-day to the hostess with the mostest!

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Today is the 31st Anniversary of Siouxsie & The Banshees' "Peepshow"



As was noted today by Post-Punk (srsly, follow these people), and our own JimD (follow Jim, too, he could use the emotional support), today is the 31st anniversary of the release of Peepshow, the 9th album by Siouxsie and The Banshees.

Peepshow was one of those albums that, as the kids would say, got me through high school.*  While I liked the single of Peek-a-Boo when it debuted on MTV, I didn't actually buy the full album til the following year.  In practical terms, I listened to this album over and over, nurtured a fanboy crush on front woman Siouxsie Sioux, and felt things deeply while listening to said album on tape, which I was in danger of wearing out when I got my first CD player.



I tend to think of Peepshow as a very complete album.  It's more than a smattering of songs from a band, and it's not just that every song is single-worthy, or so I believe, but that the band found a flow to the songs that takes you from point to point.  It isn't a "concept album" nor does it tell a story, really, but it just clicks, track after track.  And, mostly, makes me miss the thing where you just lie on your bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to a record.

Here's to Peepshow, the first sexy depressing album with a dollop of S&M and pop fun that got me to hang posters of a woman on my wall that I know my mother did not approve of at all.

I did see Siouxsie and The Banshees in 1991 at the first Lollapalooza in Dallas, TX when they toured in support of Superstition, which also had some great singles.  And, yeah, they were pretty great despite the fact it was 98 degrees when they hit the stage.




*one day I suppose we should tackle this notion of "got me through high school" on the podcast with Maxwell and MRSHL.