Friday, September 25, 2009

ങ THE MUNSTERS

 The Munsters is a 1960s American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. The show was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era, such as Leave It to Beaver. It ran concurrently with the The Addams Family. Although the Addamses were well-to-do, the Munsters were a more blue-collar family. The Munsters also had higher Nielsen ratings than The Addams Family.


The original Victorian home of the Munster family was at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in the fictional Mockingbird Heights. The town's location is not specified in the series, but in later incarnations is described as a small town outside of Los Angeles, California. In reality, the exterior shots were filmed on the Universal Studios backlot. The house was built in 1946 for the movie So Goes My Love. [wikipedia]



As a kid would not missed The Munsters especially love watching Herman, acted by the late Fred Gwynne (1926-1993). A tribute to F Gwynne, have long forgotten his real look as a person without the monster makeup. Always fascinated by the screw (not sure what its called) across his neck, flat head and huge body frame. People are strange as most kids would be scared of ghosts or monsters on the contrary Herman is so cool and adorable we all loved him. Guess it takes a bigger monster like me to love another munster like Herman. lol..

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ങ STAR TREK: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation (often abbreviated to TNG) is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after the original Star Trek, the program features a new crew and a new starship Enterprise. It premiered the week of September 28, 1987 to 27 million viewers with the two-hour pilot "Encounter at Farpoint". With 178 episodes spread over seven seasons, it ran longer than any other Star Trek series, ending with the finale "All Good Things..." the week of May 23, 1994.



The series was broadcast in first-run syndication, with dates and times varying among individual television stations. The show gained a considerable following during its run and, like its predecessor, remains popular in syndicated reruns. It was the first of several series (the others being Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise) that kept new Star Trek episodes airing until 2005. Star Trek: The Next Generation won 18 Emmy Awards and, in its seventh season, became the first syndicated television show to be nominated for the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series. It was nominated for three Hugo Awards and won two. The first-season episode "The Big Goodbye" also won the Peabody Award for excellence in television programming. The series formed the basis of the seventh through to the tenth Star Trek films. [wikipedia]
Of course can never forget the original cast of Star Trek in the 60's, the favourite pointed ears of  Mr Spock acted by Leonard Nimoy and Capt Kirk acted by William Shatner.  

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

ങ KOJAK

Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the eponymous, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973 to March 18, 1978 on CBS.  Kojak's Greek heritage, shared by actor Savalas, was prominently featured in the series. The series is set in New York City's Thirteenth Precinct. It revolves around the efforts of the incorruptible Lt. Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas), a tough, bald New York City policeman who was fond of lollipops and for using the catchphrase, "Who loves ya, baby?" Lt. Kojak displayed a dark, cynical wit and a tendency to bend the rules in order to bring a criminal to justice.



In the early episodes of the series, Kojak smoked heavily; in order to reflect the anti-smoking sentiment gaining momentum on American TV, the writers decided that Kojak had quit smoking. He began sucking on lollipops as a substitute, which became a trademark of the character (although Kojak is frequently seen smoking a cigarillo when he winds up a case by interrogation of the main suspect(s)).

The somewhat more well-known first Kojak theme, in two distinct arrangements is the work of Billy Goldenberg, who scored the early episodes. John Cacavas composed the second main title theme used throughout the show's 5th and final season. [wikipedia]

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

ങ GHOST ~ RIP Patrick Swayze

Ghost is a 1990 romantic drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg, written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker. It was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning for Best Original Screenplay, as well as Best Supporting Actress for Whoopi Goldberg. It has also inspired a musical stage version which will open in the West End in 2010.



Maurice Jarre (13 September 1924 – 28 March 2009) was a French composer and conductor. Although he composed several concert works, he is best known for his film scores for motion pictures, particularly those directed by David Lean: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984). All three of these scores won Academy Awards. Other notable scores of his include The Message (1976), Dead Poets Society (1989) and Ghost (1990). Jarre was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [wikipedia]

Patrick Wayne Swayze (Aug 18 1952 - Sep 14 2009) the hunky actor who danced his way into viewers' hearts with "Dirty Dancing" and then brought tears and broke them with "Ghost," died on Monday after a 20 months battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze passed away peacefully at age 57 with family at his side. A three-time Golden Globe nominee, Swayze became a star with his performance as the misunderstood bad-boy Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing."

Friday, September 11, 2009

ങ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Dee Wallace. It tells the story of Elliott (played by Thomas), a lonely boy who befriends a friendly extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.



The film was nominated for nine Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.  It won four Academy Awards—Best Original Music Score, Sound, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects. At the Golden Globes, the film won Best Picture in the Drama category and Best Score; it was also nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best New Male Star for Henry Thomas. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarded the film Best Picture, Best Director and a "New Generation Award" for Melissa Mathison. The film won Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Writing, Best Special Effects, Best Music and Best Poster Art, while Henry Thomas, Robert McNaughton, and Drew Barrymore won Young Artist Awards. In addition to his Golden Globe and Saturn, composer John Williams won a Grammy and a BAFTA for the score. E.T. was also honored abroad: the film won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Blue Ribbon in Japan, Cinema Writers Circle Awards in Spain, César Awards in France, and David di Donatello in Italy.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

ങ GHOSTBUSTERS

Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or Ramis with headliner Bill Murray. It was produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, who also directed Stripes, and stars Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Ernie Hudson. With inflation adjustments, the film's original release grossed over $500 million US dollars counting sales in just the U.S., making it domestically one of the highest-grossing films of 1984 and also domestically the 31st highest-grossing film.



The American Film Institute ranked Ghostbusters 28th in its "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs" list of movie comedies. The film score was composed by Elmer Bernstein, notable for its use of ondes martenot (a staple of Bernstein's 1980s work) and also the Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer. Orchestrators contributing to the film were Peter Bernstein, David Spear and Patrick Russ.
The hit theme song, "Ghostbusters", written and performed by Ray Parker, Jr. sparked the catchphrases "Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" and "I ain't afraid of no ghost(s)". The song was a huge hit, staying #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and #1 for two weeks on the Black Singles chart. The song earned Parker an Academy Award nomination for "Best Original Song". [wikipedia]

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

ങ THE SIMPSONS

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society and television, and many aspects of the human condition.



The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 24 Primetime Emmy Awards, 26 Annie Awards and a Peabody Award. In a 1998 issue celebrating the 20th century's greatest achievements in arts and entertainment, Time magazine named The Simpsons the century's best television series. On January 14, 2000, the Simpsons were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [wikipedia]

Sunday, September 6, 2009

ങ SHOGUN

Shōgun is an American television miniseries based on the namesake novel by James Clavell. As with the novel, the title is often shown as Shōgun in order to conform to Hepburn romanization. The miniseries was broadcast over five nights, between September 15 and September 19, 1980 on NBC in the United States. To date, it is the only USA-based TV show/miniseries to be filmed entirely on location in Japan. Even the studio shots were done in Japanese studios.



The story is based on the adventures of English navigator William Adams. The series follows Pilot John Blackthorne's experiences in Japan in the early 1600s. After his ship is wrecked along the coast of Japan, Blackthorne must juggle his identity as an Englishman associated with other Europeans, namely Portuguese traders and Jesuit priests, and the Japanese culture into which he is thrust. The miniseries, with narration by Orson Welles, starred Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne (Anjin-san), Toshiro Mifune as Lord Toranaga, Yoko Shimada as Lady Toda Buntaro a.k.a. Mariko, John Rhys-Davies in one of his first major roles as Portuguese Pilot Vasco Rodrigues and Michael Hordern as Friar Domingo. Music by Maurice Jarre. [wikipedia]

Friday, September 4, 2009

ങ BEWITCHED

Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), Agnes Moorehead and David White. It is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife. Bewitched continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication and on DVD and was the longest running supernatural themed sitcom of the 1960s–1970s era. [wikipedia]

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

ങ A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

A Fistful of Dollars (Italian: Per un pugno di dollari) is a 1964 western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood alongside Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, José Calvo and Joseph Egger. Released in Italy in 1964 then in the United States in 1967, it initiated the popularity of the Spaghetti Western film genre. A Fistful of Dollars was shot in Spain, mostly near Hoyo de Manzanares close to Madrid, but also (like its two sequels) in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in Almería province.



The film's music was written by Ennio Morricone, credited as Dan Savio. Morricone recalled Leone requesting him to write "Dimitri Tiomkin music" for the film. The trumpet theme is similar to Tiomkin's El Degüello theme from Rio Bravo (1959) (that was called Un dollaro d'onore in Italy) while the opening title whistling music recalls Tiomkin's use of whistling in his Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). "Some of the music was written before the film, which is unusual. Leone's films were made like that because he wanted the music to be an important part of it, and he often kept the scenes longer simply because he didn't want the music to end. That's why the films are so slow - because of the music." [wikipedia]