Friday, June 13, 2008

St. Anthony - June 13th



Saint Anthony of Padua was a very interesting man and his feast day is June 13th. His birth name was Fernando Martins de Bulhao, and he was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195. He died a young man of 36 on June 13, 1231 st the Poor Clare Convent on his way back to Padua, Italy. Originally in the order of St. Augustine, he switched to being a Franciscan during a time when many Franciscan monks were being martyred in Morocco. He met St. Francis of Assisi, who was his boss at the time. Learn more, here, here and here, As you probably know, St Anthony is best known as the patron saint of lost articles. You pray to Saint Anthony to help find your lost keys, a camera, lost jewels, lost symphonies, or whatever.
St. Anthony, St. Anthony
Please come down
Something is lost
And can't be found

Also cool, Hieronymus Bosch was a big fan of Saint Anthony, and made a lot of scary paintings, like this one, called The Temptation of St. Anthony, which is part of a three panel altar work of art called a triptych.

Today is also Friday the 13th - there's a funny Popeye cartoon on the subject, and some spooky superstitious videos, like The Addam's Family, Day of Wrath, Dario Argento's Suspiria, or Horror Hotel to name a few fun horror movies. There's a massive collection of scary movies to choose from, have fun.

But nothing is more scary than a dysfunctional family, right? Check out the first few episodes of a terrific TV show from a few years ago, Arrested Development. If you're new, start with the Pilot episode, Top Banana, Bringing Up Buster, and Key Decisions to watch the first four episodes in order. Lots of cheeky fun, if you're funny bone is a little twisted like mine seems to be.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Elia Kazan's Boomerang



Elia Kazan was one of Hollywood's greatest directors and also known as a bit a rat for giving out names in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. One of the names he mentioned was John Garfield, whose career took a dive after the hearings. Oddly enough, Garfield stars in a movie called They Made Me a Criminal.

But enough of the dark side, there's a ton to admire about Elia Kazan, including s2 amazing Marlon Brando movies - On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire. But a few years before that, He made this gem about political corruption, money and the legal system titled Boomerang. It stars Dana Andrews, Lee J. Cobb, and Jane Wyatt. Also look closely for the writer Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible) who appears in the line-up of suspects for a few seconds. He was also married to Marilyn Monroe, after Marilyn and Jolting Joe DiMaggio broke up.

If drama doesn't do it for you, try some comedy. Check out a new arrival from The Addams Family called Lurch's Grand Romance, where Lurch (Ted Cassidy) falls in love with Morticia's old school chum, Tina Trivia. Morticia, played by Carolyn Jones speaks a lot of French in this episode.