PB & Julie + Julie C. Trivia

Badass Women of Survivor

Initially published in 2022, this post has been edited for content and clarity.

***** CONTENT WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS REFERENCES TO A SHOULDER DISLOCATION, CANCER, AND DRUG USE *****

Survivor is a brutal game. Lack of food, the stress of gameplay, and exposure to the elements can all cause a contestant to crack under pressure. But not these badasses. The following women are among the best to have ever played the game, and many people have played it (733, to be precise). So, without further ado, here are my picks for the most badass women to ever play Survivor.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick – Palau, Guatemala, Heroes vs. Villains

Few players have gotten a rawer deal than Stephenie LaGrossa in her first Survivor outing, Palau. Assigned by chance to the underdog Ulong tribe, Stephenie watched in frustration as her tribe lost every single immunity challenge, desperately waiting for the tribal merge that never happened. The last person standing on her tribe, Stephenie spent a night alone at her camp before she merged with the still-intact Koror tribe. She even managed to survive two more tribal councils before being ousted. She returned the following season for Guatemala, where she experienced what it felt like to actually win a challenge once in a while. Stephenie made it all the way to the final tribal council, where she lost to Danni Boatwright. Steph competed once more in Heroes vs. Villains, and right off the bat, she had the opportunity to prove what a badass she is: she dislocated her shoulder in the very first challenge and KEPT COMPETING UNTIL THE ROUND WAS OVER! She then had the medical team pop it back in (do not watch the video below if you are squeamish about such things). Although Steph was the second person voted out of Heroes vs. Villains, her badass reputation had already been cemented. Stephenie will be returning for Survivor‘s 50th season, which is set to air next spring.

Parvati Shallow – Cook Islands, Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains, Winners at War

Generally considered one of the greatest Survivor players of all time, Parvati Shallow knew how to use her assets to her advantage. But Parvati was so much more than a beautiful flirt, and her strategic dominance helped her make it deep into her first three seasons: she placed sixth in Cook Islands, won Micronesia, and came in second behind Sandra Diaz-Twine (more on her in a bit) in Heroes vs. Villains. Parvati was the mastermind behind Micronesia‘s “Black Widow Brigade”, which successfully eliminated the men left in the game. And on Heroes vs. Villains, in one of her most badass moves ever, she used two hidden immunity idols to protect her alliance mates Sandra and Jerri. In doing so, she surprised even her closest ally, Russell, WHO HAD GIVEN HER ONE OF THOSE IDOLS (he thought Parv herself was in trouble). Parvati returned once more for Winners at War, and though she had her worst finish ever (15th place), Parvati’s legacy as an absolute badass was already sealed. Parvati was one of just two women to be selected for the inaugural class of the Survivor Hall of Fame in 2010 (the other woman was the aforementioned Sandra). With 149 days under her Survivor belt, Parvati is surpassed only by Rob Mariano for most days played.

The funniest part of this sequence is that JT had given Russell his hidden immunity idol in the hope that Russell would use it to eliminate Parvati. Russell instead gave the idol to Parv, who then used the idol to vote JT out. Absolutely badass.

Amanda Kimmel – China, Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains

Sweet, adorable Amanda Kimmel never got the respect she deserved for her accomplishments. Not only was she was the first person to make it to the final tribal council in two seasons, but she did it in CONSECUTIVE seasons with just a short break in between. In China, Amanda was the first player to orchestrate the flushing of a hidden immunity idol, which sent James Clement home with two idols in his pocket. In the final immunity challenge, Amanda’s ingenuity secured her a crucial win and ensured her position at the final tribal council. In Micronesia, Amanda was a member of the “Black Widow Brigade” with Parvati and Cirie (more on her in a moment) and played a hidden immunity idol at just the right time, when the fans were targeting her for elimination. And while Amanda was never able to convince a jury that she deserved the title of Sole Survivor, her performance was enough to convince the producers to bring her back for a third season two years later (Heroes vs. Villains).

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is s34_cirie_fields.jpg — Amanda Kimmel

Cirie Fields – Panama, Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains, Game Changers

A self-acknowledged couch potato with no prior camping experience, Cirie has played four seasons of Survivor and is one of the most beloved castaways of all time. In Panama, Cirie was immediately targeted for her perceived weakness, yet she found a way to avoid elimination. She made it to the final four, where Danielle beat her in a fire-making challenge (she did win the season’s Fan Favorite vote, though). In Micronesia, Cirie pulled off one of the most badass moves of all time by convincing Erik Reichenbach to give up individual immunity – and then promptly voting him out. Cirie made it to the final three in Micronesia, with Amanda voting her off because she (correctly) believed Cirie would beat her for the million dollars. Though Cirie only made it to day eleven in Heroes vs. Villains, she returned once more for Game Changers, where she became the first person in Survivor history to be eliminated without receiving a single vote (see the clip below for a breakdown of the craziest tribal council ever). In my opinion, Cirie is the best Survivor player to never win the game. She will also be returning for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

❤️❤️❤️

Eliza Orlins – Vanuatu, Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites

One of the most intelligent Survivor contestants ever, Eliza Orlins is a personal favorite of mine. She finished in a respectable fourth place in Vanuata, but got caught in Parvati’s crosshairs in Micronesia and was the ninth person voted out of the season; crucially, she became the first member of the jury, and what a jury it was. I call Eliza “Queen of the Tribal Council reaction shots” and believe me, she has earned that title. Eliza graduated cum laude from Fordham University Law School; after graduating, she found work as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society, where she continues to advocate for criminal justice reform. BADASS.

All hail Queen Eliza (I know this clip is terribly edited, but it will give you the idea)

Jenn Lyon – Palau

One of the few women on this list to play only one season, Jenn Lyon nonetheless earned her place in the Survivor badass hall of fame with her courageous and ultimately unsuccessful battle against breast cancer. On January 19, 2010, Jenn became the first former Survivor contestant to pass away, at the age of just thirty-seven.

Aubry Bracco – Kaôh Rōng, Game Changers, Edge of Extinction

Aubry Bracco’s first Survivor appearance was on Kaôh Rōng, where the tribes were divided (bizarrely) into Brains, Beauty, and Brawn; Aubry, a self-professed nerd, was on the Brains tribe. She is one of the smartest and most strategic players in Survivor history. Aubry came in second place in Kaôh Rōng; Michelle Fitzgerald beat her because she was perceived to have played a stronger social game than Aubry. Aubry returned for Game Changers, where she made it all the way to fifth place; in Edge of Extinction, her status as a returning player made her an early target for elimination, and she was the third person voted out. Aubry will also appear on Survivor 50.

I just adore her

Sarah Lacina – Cagayan, Game Changers, Winners at War

In her first Survivor outing, despite an alliance with eventual winner Tony Vlachos, Sarah finished in eleventh place. But Game Changers was hers to lose; she had control of the game from day one, finding idols and advantages, winning challenges, and orchestrating blindsides. Though she was chastised at the final tribal for her backstabbing ways, Sarah was rightfully crowned the winner. Returning one more time for Winners at War, the first all-winner season, Lacina finished a respectable fourth against some of the titans of the game, including Rob Mariano, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Kim Spradlin-Wolfe, and the eventual winner, Sarah’s Cagayan ally Tony.

Sarah helped orchestrate Sierra’s blindside but pulled off an Oscar-worthy performance so Sierra would leave Sarah her legacy advantage, and it worked perfectly. BADASS.

Kim Spradlin-Wolfe – One World, Winners at War

In what was perhaps the most impressive performance by a Survivor winner, One World‘s Kim Spradlin-Wolfe absolutely dominated every aspect of gameplay: physical, social, and strategic. It was as close as you can get to a perfect game (although it made for a rather boring season). Kim returned for Winners at War with nothing left to prove; her ninth-place finish did nothing to tarnish her reputation as one of the biggest badasses in the history of Survivor.

Sandra Diaz-Twine – Pearl Islands, Heroes vs. Villains, Game Changers, Island of the Idols, Winners at War

Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Sandra Diaz-Twine is one of the biggest badasses to ever play the game of Survivor. She was the first person to win two seasons (after Winners at War, she is tied with Tony Vlachos for the two-time winner trophy). As one of three former winners on Game Changers, Sandra had a huge target on her back but managed to make it farther in the game than the other two (Tony and J.T.). Sandra appeared on season 39 (Island of the Idols), but not as a competitor; she and Rob Mariano served as mentors to a new group of castaways. The following season, Winners at War, Sandra competed once again; this time, she was the fifth person voted out after Denise Stapley (more on her in a minute) orchestrated a brilliant blindside. No matter; Sandra has appeared on more Survivor seasons than any other woman. The queen stays queen. Is she the most likable Survivor contestant? Absolutely not. But Sandra never gave a shit about being likable; her only goal was to win.

Denise Stapley – Philippines, Winners at War

Denise Stapley would make this list regardless of her appearance on Winners at War, where she coordinated Sandra Diaz-Twine’s ouster. In her first season on the show, Philippines, Denise managed to outwit, outplay, and outlast several key opponents, including returning players Russell Swan, Jonathan Penner, and Michael Skupin, Facts of Life actress Lisa Welchel, and Stapley’s beloved ally Malcolm Freberg. In doing so, Denise became the oldest woman to ever win a season of Survivor at the age of 41. Denise returned for Winners at War, where she pulled off one of the most badass moves of all time by using a hidden immunity idol to slay the queen, Sandra Diaz-Twine.

Ciera Eastin – Blood vs. Water, Cambodia, Game Changers

In her first Survivor outing, Blood vs. Water, Ciera Eastin made history by VOTING OUT HER OWN MOTHER (Laura). The politics of Survivor are always tricky to navigate, and I’m sure Ciera never imagined she’d need to vote out her mom, but she and Laura were the last set of loved ones left in the game, and they were being targeted for it. Laura, for her part, was prouder than shit of her daughter. Ciera was a dangerous player, and the other players knew it; she made it to the top five before she was deemed too much of a threat to win and was voted out. She placed tenth in Cambodia, only after forming an alliance known as the “Witches Coven” (BADASS), and she was the first person voted out of Game Changers for being a social and strategic threat.

Sophie Clarke – South Pacific, Winners at War

Challenge beast and strategic mastermind Sophie Clarke was just twenty-one when she won South Pacific, making her the third-youngest Survivor winner ever. Known for her forthrightness and acerbic wit, Sophie was a brilliant medical student who “played dumb” to keep herself under the radar until it was far too late for the other contestants to catch on. By the time Sophie played Winners at War, she was an M.D. (she’s an OB/GYN, which by itself is pretty badass) and as bright as ever. She made an early alliance with one of my all-time favorite players, Yul Kwon; Sophie called Kwon her “nerd shield” so she wouldn’t be considered the smartest player in the game. She also befriended Sarah Lacina, which Lacina’s Cagayan ally Tony Vlachos couldn’t tolerate. Tony sent Sophie packing on his way to becoming the second two-time winner; Sophie finished in tenth place.

Natalie Anderson – San Juan del Sur, Winners at War

I’m the first to admit that I didn’t love Natalie when she made her reality television debut in The Amazing Race 21, in which she competed with her twin sister Nadiya. They were hypercompetitive and referred to themselves as “Twinnie” and spent most of their time yelling at each other – “Hurry up, Twinnie!”, “You can do it, Twinnie!”. It was all a little much. So when I heard the sisters were going to compete on Survivor‘s twenty-ninth season, my expectations were low. But then came the twist: the loved ones were placed on opposing tribes. Nadija was the first person voted out of the game, and from that moment forward, Natalie had only one goal: to kick the ass of everyone who eliminated her Twinnie. And kick ass she did; her dominance in the physical, social, and strategic elements of the game made her the obvious choice for the win. In Winners at War, Natalie was immediately targeted as one of the biggest threats and was the first person to be eliminated. She spent a record thirty-three days at the Edge of Extinction, where eliminated contestants awaited the opportunity to re-enter the competition. Natalie used her time on Edge of Extinction to accrue advantages, and on day 35, she was back in the game. She ended up in second place, finishing only behind Tony Vlachos. Absolutely badass.

Erika Casupanan – Survivor 41

COVID delayed season 41 of Survivor by a year, but for Erika Casupanan, it was well worth the wait. Erika was an early target for elimination, with her tribe even attempting (and hilariously failing) to throw a challenge so they could vote her out. Post-merge, she became a force to be reckoned with, controlling the vote in the background and using various advantages to further her game. By the time her fellow castaways realized how dangerous Erika was, it was too late to stop her.

Maryanne Oketch – Season 42

Just two episodes into season 42, we already have a fan favorite, and her name is Maryanne Oketch. Actually, two MINUTES into the season, she was already my favorite. Oketch’s exuberance and positivity are infectious, and she has a giant heart full of love. When her tribemate, Jackson, had to be medically removed (see video below, content warning for drug use) from the game on day three, Oketch’s reaction was genuine and raw. Only time will tell how Oketch will fare in the game, but no matter the outcome, this young woman has a place in my heart forever.

*** Updating this piece in 2025, I am happy to say that Maryanne won Survivor 42!! ***

Emily Flippen and Dee Valladares – Survivor 45

Emily Flippen had a much different start to her Survivor experience than eventual winner Dee Valladares. Whereas Dee was a member of the season’s dominant alliance, Emily spent her first days as the social outcast on her tribe because she just couldn’t chill. With an assist from unlikely ally Kaleb, Emily outlasted all five of her Lulu tribemates – including Kaleb himself – and became one of the most endearing players of the season. Meanwhile, Dee commanded all aspects of the game (including showmance partner Austin). Dee is one of just two winners competing in Survivor 50 (most recent champ Kyle Fraser is the other), but Emily is also returning.

Genevieve Mushaluk and Rachel LaMont – Survivor 47

Genevieve Mushaluk and Rachel LaMont were archenemies on Survivor‘s 47th season; Rachel emerged victorious, but Genevieve proved herself a devious strategic threat and was eliminated at the final five as a result. Fortunately, Genevieve will get a second chance by competing in Survivor 50.

FUN FACT: In researching this post, I discovered that Rachel is from my hometown of Dexter, Michigan!

Eva Erickson – Survivor 48

Eva Erickson, the runner-up on Survivor 48, had the season’s most compelling storyline. Autistic and athletic, Eva is as adept at physical challenges as she is at pulling on our heartstrings. A PhD candidate in Engineering and Fluid & Thermal Sciences at Brown University (badass), Eva is also the only woman to ever play on the Georgia Tech men’s hockey team (BADASS). She entered the game as a physical and strategic force, but it was her openness about her autism (and her sweet bond with her Survivor father figure Joe) that we’ll remember most.

More badass women of Survivor:

Kelly Wiglesworth – Runner-up, *Borneo*; 11th place, *Cambodia*

Tina Wesson – Winner, *The Australian Outback*; 18th place, *All-Stars*; 4th place, *Blood vs. Water*

Amber Brkitch-Mariano – 6th place, *The Australian Outback*; winner, *All-Stars*; 20th place, *Winners at War*

Jenna Morasca – winner, *The Amazon*; 16th place, *All-Stars* (quit to take care of her ailing mother, who died eight days after Jenna returned home)

Danni Boatwright – winner, *Guatemala*; 19th place, *WInners at War*

Candice Cody-Woodcock – 8th place, *Cook Islands*; 8th place, *Heroes vs. Villains*; 16th place, *Blood vs. Water*

Monica Culpepper – 14th place, *One World*; Runner-up, *Blood vs. Water*

Word Prompt: Bridge

WordPress began a new feature for March, a “Blog Prompt of the Month”, and I’ve decided to give it a whirl. This month’s word is “bridge” and while that doesn’t immediately bring to mind pop culture, it didn’t take very long for my gears to start turning.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

I’m going to admit right up front that I’ve never actually seen The Bridge on the River Kwai. But, like many people, I can instantly recognize the iconic song the POWs whistle in the film. The tune, titled “Colonel Bogey March”, was originally composed in 1914 by British Army bandleader F.J. Ricketts. The march was popularized during World War II when a song called “Hitler Has Only Got One Ball” was set to its tune. A sample lyric:

“Hitler has only got one ball,
The other is in the Albert Hall.
His mother, the dirty bugger,
Cut it off when he was small.”

For his Oscar-winning River Kwai score, composer Malcolm Arnold wrote a counter-march called “River Kwai March”, but it’s “Colonel Bogey March” that everyone remembers. By the way, The Bridge on the River Kwai was the highest-grossing film of 1957 and went on to win seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Alec Guinness.

You can hear both “Colonel Bogey March” and “River Kwai March” in this clip

Like many Gen X-ers, I was introduced to “Colonel Bogey March” through The Breakfast Club

“Bridge over Troubled Water”

Simon and Garfunkel’s masterpiece, from their 1970 album of the same name, came to Paul Simon so quickly that he later asked himself, “Where did that come from? It doesn’t seem like me.” Simon was partially inspired by the sacred hymn “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”, which was famously adapted by J.S. Bach for movement 54 of his St Matthew Passion. Listen here for comparison:

In 1970, the vast majority of pop songs still clocked in at three minutes or less, but despite its five-minute run time, “Bridge over Troubled Water” spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 13th Grammy Awards, the song won Record of the Year and Song of the Year. “Bridge over Troubled Water” is not only one of Simon and Garfunkel’s most enduring songs, it is simply one of the greatest songs ever written. Fun fact: one of the issues that led to the duo’s breakup was Simon’s disgruntlement at having allowed Art Garfunkel to sing the lead vocal on “Bridge over Troubled Water”.

Bridge to Terabithia

Katherine Paterson’s Newbery Medal-winning novel was inspired by her son David and his childhood friend Lisa, who died at the age of eight after being struck by lightning. The coming-of-age tale is about the friendship between former running rivals Jess and Leslie, who create an imaginary kingdom called Terabithia, the “bridge” to which is a rope swing that takes them across a creek. While Jess is away on a school trip, Leslie attempts to go to Terabithia on her own, and tragedy strikes. Bridge to Terabithia is frequently banned or challenged, for offensive language, Jess’s use of the word “lord” outside of prayer, the death plotline itself, and allegations that it promotes occultism or satanism (insert eyerolls here). Bridge to Teribithia introduces young readers to the concepts of death and grief in a thoughtful, sensitive way. I haven’t seen the 2007 film adaptation; though it looks charming enough, too many of my childhood favorites have been made into terrible movies.

AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson in the film adaptation, which was co-written by David Paterson, the author’s son

“Under the Bridge”

“Under the Bridge” started life as a poem written by Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis. Blood Sugar Sex Magik producer Rick Rubin found the poem in Kiedis’s notebook and insisted the Peppers record it. Kiedis was concerned that the subject matter – addiction and loneliness – didn’t quite fit with the band’s usual style, but he needn’t have worried: “Under the Bridge” became the Peppers’ biggest hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the Gus Van Sant-directed video won the group two MTV Video Music Awards.

A View from the Bridge

Arthur Miller’s interest in writing about dockworkers’ union corruption was sparked by the real-life story of Pete Panto, a longshoreman and anti-union activist who was murdered in 1939. In 1947, Miller collaborated on an unproduced screenplay with Elia Kazan, who eventually told a very similar story with his Oscar-winning On the Waterfront. Miller himself revisited the topic in his 1956 tragedy A View from the Bridge. Over the years, several successful revivals have been staged in both the US and London. Four actors have been nominated for the Best Actor Tony for portraying the play’s doomed protagonist Eddie: Tony Lo Bianco, Anthony LaPaglia, Liev Schrieber and Mark Strong. Only LaPaglia won, and his is the version of the play I’d most want to see: LaPaglia’s co-star was the extraordinary Allison Janney, who was two years away from becoming a household name.

Tony winner Anthony LaPaglia and Allison Janney in the 1997 revival of A View from the Bridge

By the way, reading about Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan led me down the rabbit hole of the House Un-American Activities Committee’s witchhunt into Hollywood’s supposed Communist sympathies. Kazan famously named names to the committee, something the film industry never let him live down (see the picture below, which was part of the chilly reception Kazan received at the 71st Academy Awards, where Kazan received a Lifetime Achievement Award). Miller was subpeonaed but refused to name names, and was held in contempt of Congress as a result.

My Fair Lady

The title of Lerner and Loewe’s musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is derived from the nursery rhyme “London Bridge Is Falling Down”. The bridge connection may be tenuous, but who needs an excuse to watch this enchanting 1964 film? Not me; I am unabashedly a fan of big-budget musicals, and My Fair Lady is one of the best. My Fair Lady was the second-biggest grossing film of 1964, behind Mary Poppins (more on that in a bit). My Fair Lady received twelve nominations at the 37th Academy Awards; it won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for George Cukor, Best Actor for Rex Harrison and Best Costume Design (more on that in a bit, too).

Fun fact: Julie Andrews, who portrayed Eliza Dolittle on Broadway, auditioned for My Fair Lady. In fact, Andrews was lyricist Jay Lerner’s top choice for the part. Jack Warner, whose Warner Brothers studio was putting up a then-record $17 million for My Fair Lady, wanted a name that movie-goers would know, so Audrey Hepburn ended up with the role. That left Julie Andrews free to play the starring role in Mary Poppins, her film debut. Andrews ended up winning the Best Actress Oscar that year; Hepburn, whose singing in My Fair Lady was dubbed by Marni Nixon, wasn’t even nominated.

Now, about those My Fair Lady costumes:

Jeff Bridges

No list of pop culture bridges would be complete without Jeff Bridges. Bridges was born into a show business family and made his film debut in The Company She Keeps at the age of one. He became a star – and an Oscar nominee – at the age of just twenty-two, when he co-starred in The Last Picture Show. Over the years, Bridges has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, taking home the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Otis “Bad” Blake in 2009’s Crazy Heart. In addition to acting, Bridges is a musician, writer, photographer, philanthropist and, most recently, cancer survivor.

*Crazy Heart*, which earned Bridges his first and only Oscar

“The Crunge”

“Ah, excuse me
Oh, will ya excuse me
I’m just trying to find the bridge
Has anybody seen the bridge?
Please
Have you seen the bridge?
I ain’t seen the bridge!
Where’s that confounded bridge?”

Jay Baruchel’s Almost Famous character, Vic, is a huge Led Zepellin fan; his jersey pays homage to “The Crunge”

Vertigo

The Golden Gate Bridge is featured in dozens of films and television series: Full House, Interview with the Vampire, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Futurama. Often, the bridge is being destroyed (Superman, The Core, San Andreas and Monsters vs. Aliens, to name just a few). My personal favorite depiction of the Golden Gate is in Vertigo. Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece of psychological obsession was criminally underrated at the time of its release; it bombed at the box office, and at the 31st Academy Awards, Vertigo received zero nominations, not even for Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score. Over time, appreciation for Vertigo grew, and it is now appropriately ranked as one of the greatest films ever made.

Fun fact: Vertigo was the first film to use a dolly zoom, an effect that relies on perspective distortion to convey Scottie’s vertigo. It’s a technique that’s subsequently been used by directors like Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas) and Sam Raimi (The Quick and the Dead).

Graffiti Bridge

Prince’s 1990 album is the soundtrack to the film of the same name, which was a standalone sequel to Purple Rain. Unlike its predecessor, the movie bombed, effectively ending Prince’s film career. But Graffiti Bridge, the album, is a delight. The album was the first to feature The New Power Generation, which would be Prince’s backing band for the next several years. Graffiti Bridge also includes collaborations with George Clinton (“We Can Funk”) and Tevin Campbell (“Round and Round”). The album’s standouts are the top-ten hit “Thieves in the Temple” and the bluesy slow jam “The Question of U”.

A Little Romance

Venice’s legendary Bridge of Sighs factors into the story of our young lovers, Lauren (Diane Lane) and Daniel (Thelonious Bernard), who fall in love in Paris and sneak away to Venice to seal their love with a kiss in a gondola under the bridge. This charming 1979 film, directed by George Roy Hill (The Sting), won French composer Georges Delerue the Academy Award for Best Original Score (the film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay). Lane and Bernard, both making their screen debuts, are darling, and Laurence Olivier is wonderful as the kids’ matchmaker/chaperone.

Okay, the trailer is pretty cheesy, but how adorable are these two?

Quick Hits: March 10

The Joshua Tree was released thirty-five years ago yesterday, catapulting U2 to superstardom. Inspired by the band’s fascination with the mythical American experience, and their disillusionment with the “real America”, The Joshua Tree is steeped in Irish and American roots music and represented a substantial leap forward for U2 both musically and lyrically. The Joshua Tree was one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums of 1987, winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and selling more than twenty-five million copies worldwide. The album is jam-packed with bangers: #1 hits “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “Bullet the Blue Sky”, “In God’s Country” and “One Tree Hill”, just to name a few.

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You was released fifty-five years ago today. The album was Aretha Franklin’s commercial breakthrough and featured the #1 smash “Respect”.

Andy Gibb died on this day in 1988, five days after his 30th birthday. Gibb, the younger brother of Bee Gees Barry, Robin and Maurice, found musical success while still in his teens. He recorded three #1 hits in the late 1970s, “I Just Want to Be Your Everything”, “(Love is) Thicker than Water” and “Shadow Dancing”. But fame came with a price – a cocaine addiction – and his career had faltered by the mid-eighties. His family implored him to seek help for his addiction, and by 1988, Gibb seemed to have beaten his cocaine dependence. But years of abuse had left his heart weakened, and two days after his birthday he went to a London hospital complaining of chest pains. Before all the necessary tests could be completed, Gibb slipped into a coma and died. His official cause of death was myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart that the doctors directly linked to Gibb’s cocaine abuse.

Happy birthday, Edie Brickell! Brickell first came to prominence in the late 1980s with her band New Bohemians and their top-ten album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. Brickell continues to record music as a solo artist and with New Bohemians. In 2013, she collaborated with Steve Martin on a bluegrass album titled Love Has Come for You.

Brickell’s daughter, Lulu Simon, is also a recording artist; her focus is synth-heavy pop rather than the folk sound of her mother

Jezebel held its NYC premiere on this date in 1938. Bette Davis’s performance as New Orleans belle Julie Marsden earned her a second Best Actress Oscar in four years; Jezebel was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Score.

Bette Davis and Henry Fonda in *Jezebel*

The Incredible Hulk premiered on CBS on this day in 1978. Starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as his angry alter ego, The Incredible Hulk ran for five seasons and was a commercial, if not critical, success. It was certainly a hit in my house!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on this day in 1997. Described by showrunner Joss Whedon as “My So-Called Life meets The X-Files“, the series starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular slayer. The series ran for seven seasons and was a ratings success for the fledgling WB Network. The “Buffyverse” eventually grew to include a spin-off (Angel) and tie-in products like novels, comic books and collectibles.

The Adam Project comes to Netflix tomorrow. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Walker Scobell as Adam Reed, a time-traveling fighter pilot who teams up with his twelve-year-old self to save the future. Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy directed the film, which co-stars Zoe Saldaña and features a 13 Going on 30 reunion, with Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo portraying Adam’s parents.

Quick Hits: March 6

March 6 is the Day of the Dude, the high holy day of Dudeism. For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday, it is the anniversary of the release of The Big Lebowski, which stars the incomparable Jeff Bridges as “The Dude”. So smoke a joint, drink a White Russian (but use American vodka), go bowling, or just stay home and watch the movie; however you celebrate, I wish you a very happy Day of the Dude.

Bridges with his *Lebowski* co-stars Steve Buscemi and John Goodman

Shining Vale premieres tonight on STARZ.

The new season of Survivor premieres Wednesday on CBS and Paramount Plus. Here are the castaways explaining the one thing they don’t want the other players to know.

Happy 75th birthday to Rob Reiner, creator of my favorite five-movie run of all time.

Kim Walker died on this day in 2001 of a brain tumor at the age of just thirty-two. Walker is best known for her portrayal of Heather Chandler in Heathers, where she delivers one of the greatest line readings in the history of cinema:

Also celebrating a birthday today is David Gilmour, legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist for Pink Floyd.

Gilmour, second from left, with Pink Floyd bandmates Richard Wright, Roger Waters and Nick Mason

Verdi’s La traviata premiered at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice on this day in 1853.

Teatro La Fenice – The Phoenix Theater – is so named because it has risen from the ashes of three separate fires, in 1774, 1836 and 1996. This is how the theater would have looked in 1853 when *La traviata* premiered.

The trailer for Bullet Train has been released, and it looks entertaining as hell.

Quick Hits: March 2

March is Women’s History Month, and to honor the occasion, I’ll be posting new entries in my “Badass Women of…” series (last year’s entries: https://peanut-butter-and-julie.com/2021/03/30/badass-women-of-action-flicks/, https://peanut-butter-and-julie.com/2021/03/20/badass-women-of-hitchcock-films/, https://peanut-butter-and-julie.com/2021/03/15/badass-women-of-rb/, https://peanut-butter-and-julie.com/2021/03/12/badass-women-of-rock/).

Season 19 of Top Chef, filmed last fall in and around Houston, premieres tomorrow night. My pre-premiere favorite is Sarah Welch, who was born in my hometown of Ann Arbor and is the executive chef at Marrow in Detroit.

Judges Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio

The Screen Actors Guild Awards were held Sunday evening. The results threw the Oscar race into further disarray, especially in the Best Supporting Actor category, where Golden Globe winner Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) lost to CODA‘s Troy Kotsur (the first deaf actor to win a SAG!). CODA‘s cast also took home the night’s top prize. Will Smith and Jessica Chastain earned the lead acting honors for their performances in King Richard and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, respectively. As expected, Ariana DeBose took home the supporting female award for her turn in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. On the television side, Squid Game, Succession and Ted Lasso were the big winners. And Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dame Helen Mirren.

Marlee Matlin and the cast of *CODA* accepting their award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

From the barrel roll onto the stage to the heartfelt end, Michael Keaton (accepting Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for Hulu’s Dopesick) gave the best speech of the night.

The Sound of Music premiered on this day in 1965 on its way to becoming a five-time Oscar winner and one of the most beloved movies of all time. Adapted from the Rodgers & Hammerstein stage musical, The Sound of Music received wildly mixed reviews from the critics. Moviegoers, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough. Not only was The Sound of Music the highest-grossing film of 1965, it is in the all-time top ten when you adjust for inflation (just over $1.4 billion at 2019 prices). The American Film Institute (AFI) listed the film as the fourth-greatest movie musical ever (for the record, one through three are Singin’ in the Rain, West Side Story and The Wizard of Oz).

Julie Andrews as Maria in *The Sound of Music*

Christopher Plummer, far right, as Captain von Trapp with his chidren

This sequence was filmed at Mount Untersberg in the Bavarian Alps, one of the film’s shooting locations in and around Salzburg

On this day in 1977, Bette Davis became the first woman to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award.

Porky Pig made his film debut on this day in 1935 with the Merrie Melodies short, I Haven’t Got a Hat.

Joni Mitchell’s third album, Ladies of the Canyon, was released on this day in 1970.

Rolling Stone has given us the first look at Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna in Roku’s “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic, which I assume will recreate the genesis of “Like a Surgeon”. By the way, Yankovic will be portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe and Rainn Wilson will co-star as Yankovic’s mentor Dr. Demento.

Not only did Madonna give her blessing for “Weird Al” to parody “Like a Virgin”, she allegedly came up with the title as well

Speaking of Madonna, she will be co-writing (with Diablo Cody) and directing a biopic about her own music career. Apparently, Madonna had her heart set on Florence Pugh for the role (a casting decision I support 100%), but other actresses have been auditioning for the part so Pugh likely turned it down or wasn’t available. Among the actresses who have auditioned are Ozark‘s Julia Garner and Euphoria‘s Sydney Sweeney and Barbie Ferreira. I think any of them would be lovely in the role. I also think this movie is probably going to be a train wreck but I’m absolutely still going to see it.

And finally, today would have been Lou Reed’s 80th birthday, and now I’m off to listen to some Velvet Underground.

Whitewashing & Blackface

CONTENT WARNING: DEPICTIONS OF BLACKFACE. Casual depictions of racism in movies are a result of institutionalized white supremacy. Racial stereotypes are reinforced by pop culture and it causes harm. I do not wish to cause more harm by posting the following photos, but I think it’s imperative that we (white people) confront these images – and our complicity in the institutionalized racism that allows these depictions to thrive – head-on. Doing the research for this piece made me profoundly uncomfortable, and it should make you uncomfortable to read it.

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February is Black History Month, a time set aside to honor the history and contributions of black Americans. The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson proposed that the second week of February should be “Negro History Week”. That week was chosen to coincide with the birth dates of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Woodson’s hope was to encourage the teaching of black history in schools; several state departments of education and city school administrations chose to participate that first year, with more joining in later. The first Black History Month took place at Kent State University in 1970, and over the next several years, Black History Month was celebrated in educational institutions and community centers around the country. In 1976, President Gerald Ford formally recognized Black History Month.

Last year for Black History Month, I wrote a piece about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ failure to recognize the accomplishments of black artists both in front of and behind the camera (https://peanut-butter-and-julie.com/2021/02/25/black-history-month-and-the-oscars/). This year, I’ll take a look at whitewashing and blackface in cinema.

Whitewashing, the practice of hiring white actors to portray non-white characters, can apply to characters of any ethnic or racial group (for now, we’ll specifically look at the whitewashing of black or biracial characters). Blackface is the use of dark theatrical makeup by people of non-African descent, often to present a caricatured version of a racial stereotype (for example, “happy-go-lucky slave” or “sassy maid”). While blackface is used less frequently these days, for obvious reasons, the insidious custom of whitewashing is unfortunately still quite prevalent (the most recent film on this list is just five years old).

The Birth of a Nation

In the early days of cinema, it was commonplace for black characters to be portrayed by white actors in blackface. The most infamous example of this practice is D.W. Griffith’s 1915 silent epic The Birth of a Nation. One of the earliest blockbusters (it’s earned an estimated $1.8 billion, adjusted for inflation), The Birth of a Nation was essentially a KKK recruitment film; the rebirth of the Klan took place just a few months after its release. If there was any doubt about the filmmakers’ intentions here, the name of the novel on which The Birth of a Nation is based is The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan. And in case that’s still too subtle, here’s another “fun” fact: Griffith’s father Jacob was a colonel in the Confederate Army. The NAACP spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to ban The Birth of a Nation; Griffith was so incensed by the effort to censor his work, he titled his next film Intolerance.

Show Boat

In 1951’s Show Boat, Ava Gardner (who is of English, Irish and Scottish descent) was cast as biracial character Julie LaVerne. Initially, Lena Horne (herself biracial) was to have played Julie; Horne had already played Julie in 1946’s Till the Clouds Roll By, a fictionalized Jerome Kern biopic. But MGM executives were nervous about casting a glamorous black woman in such a prominent role, so Gardner – who was under contract with MGM at the time – was given the part.

Lena Horne in Till the Clouds Roll By

A Mighty Heart

Unlike the other films on this list, A Mighty Heart is a true story. Based on the Mariane Pearl memoir of the same name, A Mighty Heart is about Pearl’s relationship with her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel – and Daniel’s grisly death at the hands of Pakistani militants. Mariane, who was born in France to an Afro-Chinese-Cuban mother and a Dutch Jewish father, is played by Angelina Jolie. Mariane herself made appearances with the cast and crew at events for the film; whether this implies her approval of the casting is not for me to say. Either way, seeing Jolie decked out in a curly wig and brown contacts is disconcerting (see featured image).

Mariane and Daniel Pearl on their wedding day in 1999

Jolie and Mariane Pearl at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where *A Mighty Heart* premiered

Trading Places

Comedy classic Trading Places, starring Dan Akyroyd and Eddie Murphy, is a product of its time (1983): equal parts hilarious and cringeworthy. Although the story itself (two men of opposite social status are swapped for a nature vs. nurture bet by billionaire brothers) is still a winner, some of the film’s elements – use of the n-word, the implied rape of a character by a gorilla – have aged poorly. In one particularly cringe-inducing scene, Dan Aykroyd’s character dons blackface and a fake Jamaican accent to avoid detection by the brothers’ henchman.

Wanted

Oh look, it’s Angelina Jolie again. Wanted is very loosely based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. In the comic book, Jolie’s character “Fox” is biracial, inspired by Halle Berry. Which begs the question, if a character is inspired by Halle Berry, why not just cast Halle Berry?

Soul Man

1986’s Soul Man stars C. Thomas Howell as Mark Watson, whose wealthy father reneges on his promise to pay for Mark’s law school education. Mark finds out that the only scholarship still available is earmarked for an African-American student, so he takes a large dose of tanning pills (WUT?) and off to Harvard Law he goes. The filmmakers genuinely seem to believe they’re making a profound statement about racism, but the whole affair is awkward and embarrassing and extremely unfunny.

Pay It Forward

This terrible 2000 flick, based on a terrible 1999 novel, is manipulative and mawkish. Of its many sins, the worst is that the book’s black teacher named Reuben St. Clair becomes a white man named Eugene Simonet for the movie. Casting a black man in the role wouldn’t have made Pay It Forward better (yes, it really is that bad, just take my word for it), but the whitewashing of the role is completely unnecessary.

Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment in *Pay It Forward*

The New Mutants

The New Mutants, Marvel’s attempt at an X-Men reboot, was a bomb both critically and commercially. In another case of absolutely needless whitewashing, Bobby de Costa (AKA Sunspot) went from an Afro-Brazilian comic book character to a just-Brazilian movie character played by Henry Zaga.

The Jazz Singer (1927 and 1980)

The 1927 version of The Jazz Singer is notable primarily as the first motion picture to use synchronized sound, with Al Jolson’s Jakie Rabinowitz proclaiming, “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” The Jolson version of Jakie dons blackface in the horrifying minstrel tradition. The 1980 remake could have removed the blackface subplot, but the filmmakers doubled down instead. Neil Diamond looks like Greg Brady was left out in the sun for the summer (but it’s the picture of Jolson that will haunt my dreams).

Imitation of Life

Douglas Sirk’s 1959 melodrama Imitation of Life features a storyline about a black mother (Juanita Moore) and her light-skinned daughter (Susan Kohner) who fervently wishes to pass for white. Kohner herself is Mexican, Irish and Austrian. This instance of whitewashing is particularly galling to me because the plot literally hinges on her race.

Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner were both nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar

The Human Stain

In another “passing” plotline, Anthony Hopkins plays a disgraced former college professor who resigns following an accusation of racism. Turns out, Hopkins’ character is a light-skinned black man who has been passing as a white Jew. The weird thing is, they got the casting right for the younger version of the character: Wentworth Miller, who has African and Jamaican roots on his father’s side.

Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman in *The Human Stain*

Silver Streak

Silver Streak, the 1976 buddy comedy/murder mystery starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, was a critical and commercial hit. The pairing of this duo proved so popular, they would make three more movies together. Yet even this beloved film is not without flaw. In Silver Streak‘s most notorious scene, Wilder’s character needs to disguise his identity; naturally, he does so with face paint and a wildly caricaturish “shuck and jive” routine.

Hud

Hud, based on Larry McMurtry’s 1961 novel Horseman, Pass By, is a highly regarded film and the winner of three Academy Awards. One of those Oscars went to Patricia Neal, who won Best Actress for her performance as housekeeper Alma Brown. In the novel, however, the character is a black cook named Halmea, whom Hud rapes. The movie spares us the rape, as Hud assaults Alma (seen below) but is interrupted before he can rape her. Director Martin Ritt asked for the character to be rewritten as a white woman because he didn’t think moviegoers would buy a relationship between a white man and a black woman. In the words of the film’s screenwriters, “Neither American Western film nor American society was quite ready for that back then”.

Paul Newman and Patricia Neal in *Hud* and no this is not a love scene

The Beguiled

The Beguiled, Sofia Coppola’s 2017 adaptation of Thomas P. Cullinan’s 1966 novel, contains two separate instances of whitewashing: a biracial character named Edwina is portrayed by Coppola’s longtime muse Kirsten Dunst and a black slave named Hattie is excised entirely. In fact, the Civil War-set film essentially erases slavery altogether. When BuzzFeed News asked about her controversial choices, Coppola didn’t help her cause much: “I didn’t want to brush over such an important topic in a light way. Young girls watch my films and this was not the depiction of an African-American character I would want to show them.” I would argue that there are other options besides “brushing over” slavery and pretending it didn’t exist.

Tropic Thunder

What can I say about Robert Downey Jr.’s Oscar-nominated performance as method actor Kirk Lazarus that hasn’t already been said? It’s a brilliant performance in a hilarious movie, and the use of blackface is definitely intended to satirize method actors. But is the average movie-goer capable of making that distinction? To make matters worse, in a 2020 interview with renowned racist Joe Rogan, Downey said, “And I thought, ‘Yeah… I’ll do that after Iron Man.’ And then I started thinking, ‘This is a terrible idea; wait a minute.’ Then I thought, ‘Well, hold on, dude, get real here, where is your heart? And my heart is, a), I get to be black for a summer in my mind, so there’s something in it for me. The other thing is, I get to hold up to nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they’re allowed to do on occasion—just my opinion.” In the same interview, Downey stated that the movie was a hit with 90% of his black friends; of the other 10%, Downey said, “I can’t disagree with them. But I know where my heart was.”

It’s worth noting that with one exception, these films were all directed by white men. The exception? Sofia Coppola. A white woman. A white woman who is the offspring of Hollywood royalty. An exceedingly privileged white woman. And like most of the filmmakers on this list, Coppola probably had the best of intentions, but good intentions just aren’t good enough anymore. We need to do better, and that starts with owning up to our white privilege, committing ourselves to diversity, and disavowing these harmful depictions of racial stereotypes.

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This post is dedicated to Danny, who had a heart full of love and light and hope, and who believed in equality for all. I will treasure and miss you forever, Danny.

Quick Hits: February 19

Stranger Things 4 FINALLY has a release date, or rather, two release dates. The season will be split into two parts; volume one will be released on May 27, volume two on July 1. The Duffer brothers have also confirmed that season five will be the final season. POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT: there has been internet chatter since the beginning of the show, but especially after season three, that time travel might end up being a plot point on the show, and this season four tagline – “Every ending has a beginning” – has me thinking it’s a strong possibility. We already know Eleven can travel through space using her powers, so it’s conceivable she could travel through time as well.

This poster is actually a composite of four separate posters (the phenomenal Kyle Lambert has done the artwork for the show from the beginning)

The trailer for Showtime’s The First Lady has arrived. Should we just hand out the Emmys now?

A fun fact I learned while researching my post about Ivan Reitman: back in the early ’80s, there was a Batman project in development that would have been directed by Reitman and starred Bill Murray as Batman, David Niven as Alfred Pennyworth, William Holden as Commissioner Gordon, and – wait for it – David Bowie as Joker. Niven and Holden died before the project got off the ground and the script never came together for Reitman, so he left the project and was replaced by Gremlins director Joe Dante. The film never got made, obviously, but hoo boy would this have been an interesting flick. When Tim Burton was casting 1989’s Batman, Bowie was again in consideration for the Joker role (as were John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Ray Liotta and James Woods); Jack Nicholson ended up with the part on the studio’s insistence.

Fan art, including this piece by Shishkina, pays tribute to what might have been

On this day in 1995, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee got married on a beach in Cancun after a whirlwind four-day romance. The cemeromy was recreated for Hulu’s Pam & Tommy.

Bon Scott, then lead singer for AC/DC, died on this day in 1980. In 1979, AC/DC released Highway to Hell, their first album to hit the US top 100; the band was on the verge of a commercial breakthrough. While in London visiting friends, Scott died from acute alcohol poisoning at the age of thirty-three. The remaining members contemplated disbanding but ultimately decided to go on with a new lead singer (Brian Johnson). Back in Black, released later in 1980 and dedicated to Scott, became one of the ten-best-selling albums of all time.

The Yes Album, the third album by English prog-rock group Yes, was released on this day in 1971. It was the first album to feature Steve Howe, whose guitar work would become instrumental to the band’s evolving sound. At the time of the album’s release, Yes was on the verge of being dropped by Atlantic Records due to the commercial failure of their first two albums. Fortunately for the band, The Yes Album was a critical AND commercial success, reaching #4 on the UK album chart and #40 in the US. The album features one of the band’s most enduring songs, “I’ve Seen All Good People”, the first part of which – “Your Move” – became the band’s first US top-forty single.

William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. is celebrating his birthday today. Robinson got his nickname from his favorite uncle, Claude, who called him “Smokey Joe”; by the time he was twelve, he had dropped the Joe and no one called him anything but Smokey. Just seventeen when he met Berry Gordy in 1957, Robinson and his group, the Miracles, were one of the most successful Motown acts; they recorded sixteen top-twenty singles, seven top-tens and one number-one, “The Tears of a Clown”. Robinson left the group in 1972, embarking on a solo career that yielded catchy singles like “Cruisin'” and “Being with You”. He has one of the best falsetto voices of all time; his voice has inspired songs by other musicians, among them “Pure Smokey” by George Harrison and “When Smokey Sings” by ABC. In 1987, Robinson was inducted into the sophomore class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (sans the Miracles, an oversight that was corrected in 2012) along with artists like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, B.B. King and Roy Orbison.

Also born on this day, in 1957, was Austrian musician Falco. Born Johann Hölze in Vienna, Falco became the first German-speaking artist to have a US #1 single with 1985’s “Rock Me Amadeus” (the previous record-holder was Nena, whose “99 Luftballons” peaked at #2 in 1983). Sadly, Falco died from injuries he sustained in an auto accident on February 6, 1998. He was just forty years old.

Goddess bless the eighties!

Ivan Reitman

Ivan Reitman has died, and the film world has lost another legend.

Ivan Reitman was born in Komárno, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), on October 27, 1946. His parents were both Hungarian Jews; his mother had survived Auschwitz and his father was a member of the underground resistance. The family arrived in Canada as refugees when Ivan was four years old; they eventually settled in Toronto. Reitman attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he earned a BA in Music in 1969. While attending McMaster, Reitman discovered a love for filmmaking.

Reitman found work at a Toronto television station, CITY-TV, where he met Dan Aykroyd (at the time, Aykroyd was the station’s announcer), a professional relationship that would last for decades. Reitman found work as a theater producer and eventually moved to New York City to work on a musical called The Magic Show. Reitman produced two early films directed by David Cronenberg, Shivers and Rabid, before segueing into comedy with National Lampoon’s Animal House.

Members of the *Animal House* cast (L to R: Bruce McGill, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, John Belushi, James Widdoes)

In 1978, Reitman got his first directing gig. The resulting film, Meatballs, starred Bill Murray in his first leading role. Meatballs started life as a raunchy teen sex romp but morphed into something else: the sweet story of a 12-year-old boy named Rudy (My Bodyguard‘s Chris Makepeace, in his film debut) and his friendship with Camp North Star head counselor Tripper Harrison (Murray). Post-production, some additional scenes were filmed that played up the touching father-son dynamic between the two. Meatballs was a surprise hit, and Reitman had his ticket to Hollywood. Reitman reunited with Murray for his second feature, Stripes, the story of a misfit platoon of Army recruits. Reitman’s concept for the film was “Cheech and Chong join the Army”. Stripes was the fifth most popular movie of 1981, and allowed Reitman more creative control as well as a bigger budget for his next feature.

Chris Makepeace and Bill Murray in *Meatballs*

Next up was Reitman’s most successful film ever and a pop-culture juggernaut: the deliriously entertaining and endlessly quotable Ghostbusters. It’s impossible to overstate the extent to which Ghostbusters dominated pop culture in 1984. It was the second-highest-grossing film of the year (behind Beverly Hills Cop) and yielded a #1 single. There were Ghostbusters action figures and Ghostbusters Lego sets and Ghostbusters lunch boxes and Ghostbusters Halloween costumes. Ghostbusters was nominated for two Oscars, Best Original Song (it lost to “I Just Called to Say I Love You” from The Woman in Red) and Best Visual Effects (it lost to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), but its cultural reach is far greater. Ghostbusters launched a franchise that includes two sequels and a reboot, an animated television series, theme park attractions, video games and comic books.

Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Murray and Dan Aykroyd

*Ghostbusters* costumes were popular that Halloween, as portrayed in *Stranger Things 2*

“Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick.”

Reitman also directed the video for “Ghostbusters”, which went to #1 on the Billboard 100 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song

Although Ghostbusters represents Reitman’s commercial peak, he continued to direct solidly entertaining and financially successful comedies throughout the ’80s and ’90s, among them Twins, Ghostbusters II, Kindergarten Cop and Dave (a personal favorite of mine).

Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger in *Twins*

Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline in *Dave*

Reitman only directed four movies in the 21st century: Evolution, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, No Strings Attached and Draft Day. He also served as producer on a number of other notable films, including Space Jam, Oscar nominee Up in the Air (directed by his son Jason), 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot and 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife (also directed by Jason).

Bill Murray and Michael Jordan in *Space Jam*

George Clooney and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air

Reitman with Kate McKinnon on the set of *Ghostbusters* (2016)

In 1976, Reitman married Geneviève Robert. The couple had three children: Jason, Catherine (who is a writer, actor and producer in her own right), and Caroline. On Saturday, February 12, Reitman died in his sleep at his Montecito, California home at the age of seventy-five. May his memory be a blessing.

Quick Hits: February 13

The results of Bob Saget’s autopsy have been revealed. His cause of death was head trauma. In a statement, his family said “The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep.”

Super Bowl LVI will be played tonight at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Scheduled to appear at the halftime show: Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30; coverage begins at noon on NBC and Peacock.

Starz has released the full trailer for Shining Vale, its upcoming horror-comedy series starring Courteney Cox. I’m super excited for this one.

Cabaret was released fifty years ago today. Directed by Bob Fosse and starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey, Cabaret was based on the stage musical by Kander and Ebb (which itself was based on the autobiographical novel The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood). Cabaret opened to glowing reviews and was a box office success despite its X rating. Come Oscar time, the film received ten nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Minnelli and Best Supporting Actor for Grey. Cabaret won eight Oscars (Fosse, Minnelli and Grey all won) but lost Best Picture to The Godfather, making it the film with the most Academy Awards to not receive the Best Picture honor.

Ian McDonald, co-founder of King Crimson and Foreigner, has died of cancer at the age of seventy-five. King Crimson’s debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, is a prog-rock classic. McDonald left the band shortly thereafter, apparently due to disagreements with co-founder Robert Fripp over the direction of the band. After moving to New York City in the mid-70s, he co-founded Foreigner with fellow Brit Mick Jones and appeared on their first three albums. The trailer for an upcoming King Crimson documentary was released just a week before McDonald’s death.

Speaking of prog-rock classics, today is Peter Gabriel’s 72nd birthday. Gabriel began his career as lead singer and primary songwriter for Genesis. Gabriel was as much a performance artist as a singer; his outlandish costumes and makeup lent an air of theatricality to his concert performances. By the mid-70s, a disillusioned Gabriel departed Genesis to embark upon a solo career. His first solo album came out in 1977 and featured the single “Solsbury Hill”, which detailed his departure from Genesis (“I was feeling part of the scenery/I walked right out of the machinery”). Gabriel’s first four albums were top ten hits in the UK, but it was his fifth album, 1986’s So, that made him a superstar in the US. So‘s lead single, “Sledgehammer”, reached the top of the Billboard 100 and won a record nine MTV Video Music Awards. Gabriel has also composed music for films like Birdy and The Last Temptation of Christ, and earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing the song “Down to Earth” (from WALL-E) with Thomas Newman. He is simply one of the most inventive artists of all time, an activist and a humanitarian, and a personal favorite of mine.

Just a few of Gabriels’s Genesis personas

Gabriel’s first four albums were all self-titled and are commonly referred to by their cover art. From L to R, 1977’s *Car*, 1978’s *Scratch,* and 1980’s *Melt*

And finally, the cast of Survivor season 42 has been revealed. The season premiere will air on CBS and Paramount Plus on March 9.

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-season-42-cast-photos-bios/?slide=dd003fcf-2b5f-4e7a-8a10-d2eb4ce90f33#dd003fcf-2b5f-4e7a-8a10-d2eb4ce90f33

Quick Hits: February 8

The full trailer for Lightyear debuted today:

The teaser for the upcoming Starz series Gaslit is here. Gaslit stars the incomparable Julia Roberts as Martha Mitchell, the outspoken wife of Nixon Attorney General John Mitchell. Inspired by Leon Neyfakh’s podcast Slow Burn, Gaslit tells the story of Martha’s attempts to raise alarm bells over the Watergate scandal – and the lengths to which Nixon and his henchmen would go to silence and discredit her. The supporting cast, featuring folks like Betty Gilpin, Shea Wigham, Allison Tolman, Chris Messina, Hamish Linklater and Anne Dudek, is wonderful. No doubt, though, the main event will be Roberts in a rare television appearance. Her Martha Mitchell looks like an absolute boss. If I can get past Sean Penn’s astonishingly awful makeup (if I can just get past Sean Penn, period), Gaslit looks like it could be a fun romp.

Hubby and I started watching Amazon’s Reacher and Hulu’s Pam & Tommy this past weekend. Based on Lee Child’s debut novel, 1997’s Killing Floor, Reacher is big, bone-crunching fun. Alan Ritchson is affable and charming (not to mention buff in an “I can’t believe he’s not CGI” kind of way) as the titular military police major turned knight errant. The supporting cast is solid and the storyline is engaging enough, if a little unoriginal. I’ve never read any of the books, nor have I seen either of the Tom Cruise movies, but Reacher feels like a good introduction to the character. Pam & Tommy is wildly entertaining. The story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s whirlwind romance, which culminated in a beach wedding four days after they met – and a honeymoon sex tape – Pam & Tommy stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the pair, as well as Seth Rogen and Nick Offerman as the men who release the sex tape to the internet. It’s a pulpy blast, and I’ll never get over how much James and Stan resemble their real-life counterparts.

Alan Ritchson (right) with Malcolm Goodwin in *Reacher*

The Academy Award nominations have been announced. The Power of the Dog leads the pack with twelve nominations. The Oscar broadcast will take place on Sunday, March 27. Here’s the list of nominations:

https://ew.com/awards/oscars/2022-oscars-nominations-full-list/

Good Times premiered on this day in 1974. A spin-off of Maude (which itself was a spin-off of All in the Family), Good Times starred Esther Rolle and John Amos as Florida and James Evans, who live in a Chicago housing project with their three children, James “JJ” Junior, Thelma and Michael. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (at a time when few people of color found work behind the camera), Good Times was one of the first programs to present an authentic portrait of a working-class black family. The series was also notable for kick-starting the career of an eleven-year-old Janet Jackson. Good Times is available for streaming on Peacock.

Taxi Driver was released on this day in 1976. Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro as Vietnam vet turned vigilante Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver was a critical and commercial success but not without controversy. Not only was Taxi Driver shockingly violent, it co-starred twelve-year-old Jodie Foster as Iris, the child prostitute Bickle vows to protect (more controversy was generated five years later when John Hinckley Jr., inspired by the film and obsessed with Foster, attempted to assassinate President Reagan). At the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, Taxi Driver was booed by the audience for its graphic depiction of violence – then won the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or. At the 49th Academy Awards, the film received four nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor for DeNiro, Best Supporting Actress for Foster, and Best Original Score (posthumously) for Bernard Herrmann. You can stream Taxi Driver on Netflix.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee premiered on TBS on February 8, 2016. Bee, The Daily Show‘s longest-serving correspondent (she appeared in 332 episodes!), departed the show in 2015 just before Jon Stewart stepped down as host (if TDS had been smart, they’d have given Bee his job). Bee brings a distinctly feminine – and feminist – perspective to a genre almost completely dominated by men. Full Frontal has been a ratings success and recently began airing its seventh season. The show has also won plenty of awards, including an Emmy, a WGA Award and a GLAAD Media Award. With a quick wit, a foul mouth and an endless supply of pantsuits, Bee is the leading lady of late night.

James Dean was born on this day in 1931. Dean grew up in Indiana and moved to Los Angeles after his high school graduation. After studying pre-law at Santa Monica College and then UCLA, Dean changed his major to drama. In 1951, he left UCLA to work full-time as an actor. Commercials, television roles and uncredited bit movie parts led to Dean’s big break, playing Cal Trask in Elia Kazan’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. East of Eden was the only one of Dean’s movies released during his lifetime. He starred in two more iconic films, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. On September 30, 1955, Dean – who had developed a passion for car racing – crashed his Porsche 550 Spyder into another vehicle on U.S. Route 466. He died instantaneously at the age of just twenty-four. Dean received two posthumous Oscar nominations for Best Actor, for East of Eden and Giant. He left an enduring cultural legacy, inspiring actors like Martin Sheen, musicians such as Bob Dylan and generations of misunderstood teens. Popular culture is riddled with references to Dean and his films (see a few examples below). Fun fact: at the time of his death, Dean was set to appear in Somebody Up There Likes Me as boxer Rocky Graziano. Paul Newman, whom Dean had beaten out for the role of Cal in East of Eden, ended up playing Graziano.

Martin Sheen channeled Dean for his performance in *Badlands*

Rizzo the Rat as “James Jeans” in a 1998 Muppets calendar

John Williams is celebrating his 90th birthday today. Williams was born in Flushing, Queens. At sixteen, Williams moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he attended North Hollywood High School. In 1951, he joined the Air Force, where he played piano and arranged music for the U.S. Air Force Band. After completing his service, Williams moved back to New York City to attend the prestigious Julliard School. His original goal was to become a concert pianist, but while at Julliard, Williams decided to focus on composition instead. He returned to Los Angeles and began composing music for film and television. He received his first Oscar nomination for 1967’s Valley of the Dolls. In 1974, Williams was approached by an up-and-coming filmmaker named Steven Spielberg to score his debut feature film, The Sugarland Express. In the almost fifty years since, Williams has composed music for a total of twenty-eight Spielberg movies, including the Oscar-winning scores for Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler’s List. In 1976, Spielberg introduced Williams to his friend George Lucas, who needed a composer for Star Wars. Williams has scored a total of six films in the Star Wars franchise; he received an Oscar nod for every single one. In fact, Williams has earned a total of fifty-two Oscar nominations (and five wins); he is the second-most nominated person in Oscar history, after Walt Disney (he’s also the only person to have secured Oscar nominations in seven consecutive decades). He has been nominated for six Emmys, twenty-five Golden Globes, seventy-two Grammys and sixteen BAFTAs. Williams is an absolute legend, and nothing less than the most iconic film composer of all time. Happy birthday, Mr. Williams!