Theater legend Stephen Sondheim passed away last week at the age of 91. The Broadway community gathered in New York City’s Duffy Square on Sunday (fittingly) for a tearful, goosebump-inducing performance of “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George. I couldn’t think of a better tribute.
At ten minutes and thirteen seconds, Taylor Swift’s new version of “All Too Well” is now the longest Billboard #1 in history, breaking Don McLean’s almost-fifty-year-old record (the album version of “American Pie” clocked in at eight minutes and forty-two seconds). McLean handled the news with grace, tweeting “Let’s face it, nobody ever wants to lose that #1 spot, but if I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor. Congratulations @taylorswift13!”
The Criterion Collection edition of Miller’s Crossing will be released on February 8, and I am so in love with this artwork.
Happy birthday, Jeff Bridges! Bridges is Hollywood royalty and something of a renaissance man; in addition to being an award-winning actor, he is a musician, writer, photographer, philanthropist and all-around cool dude. Bridges recently underwent treatment for lymphoma, and announced this past September that he was in remission. In celebration, here is The Dude himself in a scene from my fave Bridges flick, The Big Lebowski.
Frank Zappa died on December 4, 1993 from prostate cancer at the age of 52. Zappa was a prolific avante-garde musician and composer, releasing sixty-two albums in his lifetime. At a 1971 show at the Casino de Montreaux, a fire destroyed much of his band Mother of Invention’s equipment; the incident was immortalized in “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple (who were in Montreaux to record their upcoming album Machine Head). Zappa is probably best known for the 1982 top-40 single “Valley Girl”, which featured his fourteen-year-old daughter Moon Unit.
Zappa with wife Gail and baby Moon UnitFrank and Moon’s hit song “Valley Girl” – yes, I owned this 45
On this day in 1980, Led Zeppelin officially disbanded, a little more than two months after the tragic accidental death of beloved drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham. From the band’s press release: “We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.”
From left: Bonham, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul JonesBonham died of pulmonary aspiration after consuming approximately forty shots of vodka in 24 hours
Beatles for Sale was released on this day in 1964. Its best known track, “Eight Days a Week”, wasn’t even on the US version of the album; it was issued as a single and became the band’s seventh US #1. My favorite track? “I’ll Follow the Sun”, which was written by Paul McCartney when he was sixteen and features gorgeous harmonies by John Lennon. At one minute and forty-eight seconds, “I’ll Follow the Sun” is short and sweet, like all the best McCartney songs.
Shawn Corey Carter – better known as Jay-Z, or Mr. Beyoncé if you prefer – was born on this day in 1969. A rapper, songwriter, producer, record exec, businessman and philanthropist, Jay-Z has sold more than 125 million records and won twenty-three Grammys (more than any other rapper), and he holds the record for most number-one albums – fourteen! – by a solo artist. Recently, Jay-Z became the first solo living rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – and he did it on his first try.
Jay-Z in Los Angeles earlier this year at the kick-off of his new cannabis venture with TPCO Holding Corp.Mr. and Ms. BeyoncéJay-Z accepting his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The National Board of Review handed out their year-end awards this week; the winners are the best indicator yet of how this year’s Oscars could go. The big winners were Best Picture Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson also won Best Director), Best Actor Will Smith and Best Actress Rachel Zegler. We won’t know the year’s Oscar nominees until February 8, but there will be lots of awards activity in the meantime. Stay tuned to Peanut Butter & Julie for not-at-all-complete awards coverage.
Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, winners of the Breakthrough Performance Award, in Licorice PizzaRachel Zegler in West Side Story, her film debut!Will Smith in King Richard
I finally got around to watching Palm Springs on Hulu, and it’s as delightful as I’d heard. The film stars Andy Samberg and the divine Cristin Milioti as Nyles and Sarah, who are [SPOILER ALERT] trapped in a timeloop on the day of Sarah’s sister’s wedding. The less you know about this raunchy twist on standard rom-com AND timeloop tropes, the better; just sit back and enjoy the ride.
And finally, Spotify released their year-end “Wrapped” stats this week. Judge all you want, but I make no apologies for this:
I honestly don’t remember listening to Grizzly Bear’s lovely “Two Weeks” that much – but it is an awesome song
This is my 100th post, and I had something special planned for the occasion (100 of my favorite pop-culture fun facts) but it was taking too long to come together. I only posted six times in November, which is well below my goal of ten. I’m hoping to get back on track in December because I have some fun things planned. The holidays are upon us, so I’m hoping to share with you some of my seasonal picks in film, television and music, as well as what’s new in streaming. If there’s time, I plan to do retrospectives on the anniversaries of Ocean’s Eleven (twentieth), Father of the Bride (thirtieth) and A ClockworkOrange (fiftieth).
In the meantime, I want to thank all of you, my readers. It’s been a heckuva 2021, but writing this blog has been one of the highlights of my year. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Peanut Butter & Julie as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it, and I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.
Published in 2021, this post has been edited for content and clarity.
Calvin and Hobbes debuted in newspapers forty years ago today. My absolute all-time favorite comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes was the story of a bright, precocious boy and his tiger BFF. Was Hobbes a toy that magically came to life when no one was around, or was anthropomorphic Hobbes merely a figment of Calvin’s imagination? Refreshingly, artist Bill Watterson never resolved that question; Hobbes simply was what Calvin needed him to be. The other characters – Calvin’s exasperated, nameless parents; Susie Derkins, Calvin’s long-suffering crush and nemesis; Moe, his low-IQ tormentor; his teacher, Miss Wormwood; his babysitter, Rosalyn – gave us glimpses into Calvin’s life. But Calvin could only truly be himself with Hobbes. Watterson created a magical, larger-than-life, wickedly funny world (even while maintaining a notoriously private life). I still love exploring that world, almost thirty years after the final strip was published.
U2’s Achtung Baby was released on this day in 1991. With a grittier, edgier sound and introspective lyrics about love, sex, faith, and loss, the album was more intimate than anything the band had recorded before. As Steve Morse of The Boston Globe put it, “The songs focus on personal relationships, not on saving the world.” The new sound, which incorporated elements of industrial rock and EDM, alienated a few longtime fans, but Achtung Baby is still a triumph – and a hint of things to come.
FUN FACT: I was in the audience at this show. It was September 9, 1992, at the Pontiac Silverdome. My friend and I were pretty close to the stage, maybe fifteen rows back. We lost our minds. One of my favorite concert experiences ever. And yes, I set my VCR to record before we left.
Steamboat Willie, one of the first cartoons to use synchronized sound, premiered on this day in 1928 at Universal’s Colony Theater in New York City. The short was not Mickey Mouse’s first film appearance, but it was the first to be distributed, and the one that put Walt Disney on the map.
Malcolm X, the Spike Lee joint about the legendary civil rights leader, was released on this day in 1992. Based primarily on Alex Haley’s 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the film features a career-defining performance by Denzel Washington. In one of the biggest injustices in Oscar history, Washington lost the Best Actor award to Al Pacino for his hammy portrayal of Lt. Col. Frank Slade in the aggressively mediocre Scent of a Woman.
“We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us!”
Legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter received her first Oscar nomination for Malcolm X. She was the first African-American designer nominated for an Academy Award AND the first to win (for 2018’s Black Panther and its 2022 sequel). I highly recommend this clip of Carter breaking down her most iconic looks.
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the sixth studio album by Genesis and their final album to feature original frontman Peter Gabriel, was released on this day in 1974. Gabriel, who had always written the band’s lyrics, had taken time off from recording to spend time with his family and work on other projects; the remaining band members – Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Steve Hackett – were left to write and record much of the album on their own. To top it off, personal issues were beginning to impact the band’s work. The resulting album is kind of a brilliant mess and an important step in Genesis’s transition from art/prog rock to the poppier sound of the Phil Collins era (not to mention Gabriel’s transition into a brilliant solo career).
The loooooooooong-awaited final season of Stranger Things kicks off on Thanksgiving Eve with four new episodes. Netflix has released the final trailer, as well as a look at the first five minutes of episode one, which reveals more about what Will experienced on his first trip to the Upside Down. Three additional episodes will drop on Christmas Day, and the finale, which will also get a limited theatrical release, on New Year’s Eve.
And finally, A Christmas Story landed in theaters on this day in 1983. The film, based on the Jean Shepherd book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, was a sleeper hit that caught on with audiences – my own family included – upon its 1984 VHS release. Since 1997, TNT has aired “24 Hours of A Christmas Story“, so whether you’re an early riser or a night owl (and you still have cable for some reason), you can find a viewing time that’s right for you! For those without cable, you can stream A Christmas Story on HBO Max.
Disney+ launched two years ago yesterday, and the streamer celebrated the occasion with tons of new content, including – finally! – Enchanted and five new episodes of The World According to Jeff Goldblum, a series I highly recommend.
Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams in Enchanted
Drummer, songwriter and poet Graeme Edge, co-founder of prog-rock titans The Moody Blues, has died at the age of eighty.
Graeme Edge, center, with Moody Blues bandmates Justin Hayward and John Lodge
In a year (1967) full of amazing albums, Days of Future Passed was among the best.
Christa B. Allen, who played the thirteen-year-old version of Jennifer Garner’s character in 13 Going On 30, turned thirty this week.
Red Notice premiered yesterday on Netflix, and it looks like a blast. Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds seem like a comedic match made in heaven.
Grace Kelly was born on November 12, 1929. Glamourous and stunningly beautiful, Kelly was the epitome of Hollywood royalty and an absolute fashion icon. After graduating from American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1949, Kelly began her career in the New York City theater. Bit parts in films and episodic television led to Kelly’s big break, 1952’s High Noon. The following year, John Ford’s Mogamba yielded Kelly her first Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actress. In 1954, Kelly starred in five films, including two collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock (Dial M for Murder and Rear Window) and The Country Girl, which earned Kelly her only Oscar. In 1956, after making her final movie (High Society), Kelly retired from acting at the age of twenty-seven to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco; the Hollywood princess became a literal princess. On September 14, 1982, Grace Kelly died from injuries sustained in an auto accident the previous day; she was just fifty-two years old.
High Noon
Mogambo
With James Stewart in Rear Window
The incomparable Wallace Shawn was born on November 12, 1943. An actor and playwright, Shawn made his film debut in 1979, in Woody Allen’s Manhattan (he’s appeared in six Allen films total). Two years later, Shawn and his frequent collaborator André Gregory co-wrote and starred in My Dinner with Andre, playing fictionalized versions of themselves. In 1987, Shawn appeared in his most iconic role, as Vizzini in The Princess Bride. Shawn is also an accomplished voice actor, most notably Rex from the Toy Story series.
With André Gregory in My Dinner with Andre
As Rex in Toy Story
“This word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
On November 12, 1969, Julie Andrews married Blake Edwards. The two made several films together and remained married until his death in 2010.
Edwards directed his wife to her third Oscar nomination in 1982’s Victor/Victoria
The happy couple in later years
On November 12, 1955, lightning struck the Hill Valley clock tower, sending Marty McFly back to 1985 – but not before he helps his parents hook up by subbing for Marvin Berry & The Starlighters’ injured guitar player at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance.
Perpetual scene stealer Steve Zahn is celebrating his 54th birthday today.
As Lenny in That Thing You Do! with Giovanni Ribisi
As Sammy in Reality Bites
With Lisa Kudrow on Friends (“The One with Phoebe’s Husband”)
As Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. in Happy, Texas
Duel, Steven Speilberg’s feature film debut, debuted fifty years ago today. Originally aired as an ABC Movie of the Week, Duel later received an international theatrical release. Written by the late, great Richard Matheson from his short story of the same name, Duel pits Dennis Weaver’s David (in a 1970 Plymouth Valiant) against a mostly-unseen trucker with a terrible case of road rage. I watched Duel in high school, and I remember enjoying it, but I couldn’t say how well it holds up.
And finally, Britney Spears is free of the conservatorship that controlled her life, her finances and even her medical decisions for the past thirteen years.
Stranger Things Day wrapped up with this video filmed at the retail pop-up store in Los Angeles, featuring the adorable Randy Havens (he plays Scott Clarke in the series).
Dexter: New Blood premiered last night on Showtime. Star Michael C. Hall and showrunner Clyde Phillips, who left the original series after its spectacular fourth season, have promised to atone for the series finale (yes, it really is that bad). The bottom line for me, I will always be here for Dexter Morgan; Hall’s portrayal of the serial killer has been riveting from the start, even when the storylines were a mess. Anyway, the first episode of New Blood didn’t blow me away, but I still enjoyed being back in Dexter’s world.
Hall as Dexter Morgan
Hall with Jack Alcott as Dexter’s son Harrison
Joni Mitchell – born Roberta Joan Anderson – celebrated her seventy-eighth birthday yesterday. Mitchell is one of the most influential artists in the history of popular music, inspiring songwriters of ALL genres, from Bob Dylan to Bonnie Raitt, Prince to Björk, Tool to Taylor Swift. Mitchell is also a painter, and did the artwork for most of her album covers. Her 1971 masterpiece, Blue, is quite simply one of the greatest albums ever made – by any artist, in any genre.
ABBA has released Voyage, their first album in forty years, and it is lovely.
The Wicked movie is finally happening! The adaptation will be directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians); Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will star as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively.
Ariana Grande
Cynthia Erivo
The trailer for the Station Eleven limited series reminded me that I’d never gotten around to reading the book. Now I’ve broken my COVID-era rule about avoiding post-apocalyptic pandemic material, but it’s incredibly well-written.
Days of Our Lives premiered on this day in 1965. Set in fictional Salem, Illinois, Days charts the lives and loves of the Brady and Horton families. I watched Days for many years after being turned on to it by my college roomie/bestie Shari; we’d schedule our classes around it when we could. My final semester in college, a group of friends and I would meet every Friday to eat lunch at noon, watch Days at one and then head to the bar at two. It was a simpler time. Days had a broader pop-culture moment in the mid-90’s when Friends character Joey Tribbiani got a job playing neurosurgeon Dr. Drake Ramoray on the show. Joey was fired for smack-talking the Days writers (Drake took a fall down an elevator shaft) but he returned several years later and played Dr. Ramoray for the remainder of Friends‘ run.
Joey’s Drake Ramoray returned to Days after receiving a brain transplant, which is no more absurd than most of the storylines on the actual show.
Alfre Woodard is celebrating her birthday today. Adept at drama and comedy, Woodard is one of my favorite actors, giving brilliant performance after brilliant performance. The winner of four Emmys, a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, Woodard has also been nominated for one Oscar, for 1983’s Cross Creek (she should have been nominated for PassionFish and Clemency, too).
With Miss Evers’ Boys co-star Laurence Fishburne
Passion Fish
Crooklyn
Clemency
Alex Trebek died one year ago today after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Minnie Riperton was born on this day in 1947. A singer-songwriter, Riperton was known for her four-octave voice, her bonkers whistle register, and the #1 smash hit “Lovin’ You” from her 1974 album PerfectAngel. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976, Riperton continued to record and tour; she died on July 12, 1979 at the age of just thirty-one.
Riperton with her family: husband Richard Rudolph, daughter Maya and son Marc
Mutiny on the Bounty was released on this day in 1935. Starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, Mutiny was the highest-grossing film of the year and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
This post contains some of my season four theories, which – if I turn out to be correct – could constitute spoilers. You’ve been warned.
Today is the fourth annual Stranger Things Day, and Netflix gave me ALMOST everything I was hoping for.
Why do we celebrate Stranger Things Day on November 6th? Because November 6, 1983 is the date Will goes missing in the series opener, “The Vanishing of Will Byers”. The first Stranger Things Day was observed in 2018; the show’s social media accounts shared a clip from the set of then-filming season three, with cast members wishing everyone a happy Stranger Things Day. Each year, Netflix gives us goodies to commemorate the event; this year, we hit the goody jackpot.
We kicked things off with the fourth (and final) teaser, released at 10 AM (all times listed are EDT).
The voiceover is Eleven writing a letter to Mike. El, living in California with the Byers family and making things sound much cheerier than they actually are, has plans to spend her spring break with Mike. But since this is Stranger Things, we already know this will *not* be the best spring break ever.
At noon, we got a peek at the first season four poster (all of the show’s art work has been done – brilliantly – by Kyle Lambert). This poster depicts locations and events from the three previous seasons, and front and center – adjacent to the junkyard, the pool and Starcourt Mall – is the Creel house. More on this in a minute.
At 2 PM, Netflix dropped the episode titles:
The Hellfire Club
Vecna’s Curse
The Monster and the Superhero
Dear Billy
The Nina Project
The Dive
The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
Papa
The Piggyback
Disappointingly, this trailer doesn’t contain an actual release date (like I said, I got ALMOST everything I wanted). Summer 2021 is all we have – for now. Hopefully, we’ll see a full trailer in the spring with the release date.
A few notes/questions on the episode titles:
“The Hellfire Club”, a reference to the exclusive, high-society gentlemen’s clubs of 18th-century Great Britain, is the name of Hawkins High School’s Dungeons & Dragons club.
“Dear Billy” clearly refers to Billy Hargrove, Max’s late step-brother who sacrificed himself to the Mind Flayer at the end of season three in order to save Eleven’s life. Billy’s portrayer, Dacre Montgomery, was seen on the season four set, but how will Billy appear? Did he somehow survive? Is he a doppelgänger? Is it a flashback? Or perhaps some sort of alternate timeline?
“Papa” is obviously Matthew Modine’s Dr. Brenner. We already knew that Brenner was “Papa” to at least ten other children besides Eleven (we met Eight/Kali in season two). Based on a teaser released in May, it looks like we’ll meet at least some of those other children in season four. The creep factor of the children saying “Good morning, Papa” in unison is off the charts.
“The Piggyback” is the title I’m most intrigued by. Back in season two, I entertained a hypothesis that only the powers of all the children (Eleven, Eight and at least nine others) combined would be enough to take down the Mind Flayer. So I’m wondering if “The Piggyback” refers to their powers piggybacking on each other. The title could also be a reference to time travel, which the show has strongly hinted at, particularly with all the season three references to Back to the Future (nothing on Stranger Things is accidental). Or, it could obviously be something else entirely. I guess we’ll find out next summer.
Here’s what we know so far – for sure – about season four:
The Byers family, including Eleven, are living in California. The Wheeler family, Steve, Dustin, Lucas, Max and Robin are all still living in Hawkins. Steve and Robin are working at the video store.
Hopper is being held at a Russian prison (he is conspicuously absent in the teaser that dropped today, but we know this from the first teaser – released all the way back in February 2020, before production on season four shut down due to the pandemic).
Pennhurst Mental Hospital, mentioned briefly in season one, will be a major location.
Guest starring this season is horror legend Robert England, who will play Victor Creel, a patient at Pennhurst.
Another new location for season four is the aforementioned Creel house. From what I’ve pieced together, Victor is most likely the father seen in the third teaser that was released on September 25. My guess? The demogorgon kills Victor’s family; he is accused of the crime and offers up a story too fantastical to be believed. Convicted and ruled criminally insane, Creel is sent to Pennhurst. In 1986, Dustin and the gang seem to be trying to find evidence in the abandoned house, perhaps to help exonerate Creel? Speaking of Dustin, Gaten Matarazzo’s Sherlock Holmes impression gives me all the feels.
Brett Gelman, who plays Murray Bauman, has been promoted to series regular.
There are three more new series regulars: Jamie Campbell Bower will play Peter Ballard, an orderly at Pennhurst who will presumably interact with Victor Creel; Eduardo Franco will portray Argyle, a Spicoli-esque stoner who is Jonathan Byers’ best friend (I adore the idea of introverted Jonathan being friends with a dude like this); and Joseph Quinn will play Eddie Munson, the leader of Hawkins’ Hellfire Club.
“Remember, remember the Fifth of November.” It’s Guy Fawkes Day, which is a UK holiday; if you’re stateside, you could always celebrate by watching V for Vendetta (it’s available for streaming on HBO Max). For more information on the “Gunpowder Plot” that inspired the holiday, click here:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the class of 2021 last weekend. Honorees included The Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters and LL Cool J. The full ceremony will be available to stream on HBO Max November 20th.
The Go-Go’s (seriously, how much ass do these women still kick?)
Foo Fighters
LL Cool J
The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC on this day in 1956; it was the first network television show hosted by an African-American. Ratings were low, and a national sponsor was never found. Cole ended the program himself in December, 1957; when asked about the lack of sponsorship, Cole replied “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark”.
Gram Parsons (born Ingram Cecil Connor III) would have turned seventy-five today. Parsons, who popularized a country-rock-folk hybrid he referred to as “Cosmic American Music”, is one of the most influential American singer-songwriters of all time. He was an instrumental creative force behind Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the seminal 1968 album by The Byrds, and he co-founded The Flying Burrito Brothers with fellow Byrd Chris Hillman. He recorded two solo albums, the second of which – Grievous Angel – came out four months after his death (from a lethal combination of morphine and alcohol) at the age of just twenty-six.
Jon-Erik Hexum was born on this day in 1957. A model and actor, Hexum’s star was on the rise thanks to lead roles in two television series: Voyagers, a show I LOVED, and Cover Up, which debuted on CBS in the fall of 1984. During a break in filming Cover Up‘s eighth episode, Hexum began playing what he thought was a harmless game of Russian roulette with a .44 Magnum prop gun. Hexum, believing he had removed all six blanks from the gun, pulled the trigger; the wadding from the blank fractured a quarter-sized piece of his skull and propelled it into his brain, causing massive hemorrhaging. Hexum was taken to Beverly Hills Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery, but he never regained consciousness. He was pronounced brain-dead on October 18th and removed from life support; he was twenty-six years old.
With Voyagers co-star Meeno Peluce
The Harder They Fall premiered on Netflix today. Starring Idris Elba, Regina King and LaKeith Stanfield (among others), the film is a revenge-Western/action hybrid, and it looks ridiculously entertaining.
Regina King saying, “My boss? Clearly, you don’t know me.” is <chef’s kiss>
And last but not least, happy birthday to Jonny Greenwood, who turns fifty today! Legendary multi-instrumentalist for Radiohead, Greenwood is also an accomplished film composer, and a personal favorite of mine. Welcome to Club 50, Jonny!
Greenwood, second from right, with his Radiohead bandmates
Greenwood’s gorgeous, Oscar-nominated score for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread
In the early hours of Halloween morning, 1993, River Phoenix died of “acute multiple drug intoxication”. At the age of just twenty-three, Phoenix was poised to be one of the greatest actors of his generation. Phoenix began performing as a child and made his first film appearance in 1985’s Explorers. Three years and five films later, he received his first (and only) Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, for Running on Empty. On the night of his death, after apparently getting high on heroin, Phoenix showed up at the Viper Room, the Hollywood club co-owned by his friend Johnny Depp. After he arrived at the club, some cocaine was passed around. The combination of heroin and cocaine – referred to as a speedball – proved lethal; Phoenix began convulsing and eventually lost conciousness. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and pronounced dead at 1:51 am.
Phoenix, second from right, with Stand By Me co-stars Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell
Running on Empty
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
On October 31, 1981, Donald Pleasence hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Fear. It…didn’t go well. The band played that evening at the request of fan John Belushi. Before their three-song set was over, slam-dancers were destroying the set; a producer cut the segment short and Fear were subsequently banned from the show.
Adam Schlesinger was born on this day in 1967. Oscar- and Tony-nominated, Grammy- and Emmy-winning songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist, co-founder of power pop icons Fountains of Wayne (as well as Ivy and Tinted Windows), Schlesinger also wrote songs for films like That Thing You Do! and Josie & The Pussycats, and television series like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Sadly, Schlesinger died on April 1, 2020, of COVID-19 complications; he was fifty-two years old.
Schlesinger, far left, with Fountains of Wayne
Schlesinger, right, with Jack Dolgen and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star/creator Rachel Bloom.
Schlesinger’s masterpiece, the Oscar-nominated title track from That Thing You Do!
“Creep” by TLC was released on this day in 1994; the song would become the group’s first #1 hit.
John Candy was born on this day in 1950. Co-star of some of the most iconic films of the eighties and nineties, including Stripes, Splash, Spaceballs and JFK, Candy rose to fame as a member of the Toronto troupe of Second City and its television sketch comedy offshoot, SCTV. My favorite Candy role? Del Griffith, shower curtain ring salesman. Candy died of a heart attack on March 4, 1994, at the age of forty-three.
Candy in the iconic Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Two of my biggest late-80s crushes, Adam Horovitz and Larry Mullen Jr., are celebrating their fifty-fifth and sixtieth birthdays today, and now I feel very, very old.
I am in the midst of my first annual “Twelve Nights of Halloween” celebration. Halloween is my favorite holiday – y’all can have your Christmas and your Thanksgiving and your Easter, but leave me the season of tricks, treats, thrills, chills, bonfires, corn mazes and horror movies. I typically spend a couple of nights watching scary and/or sci-fi movies and television, but this year, I’ve decided to try something a little different. Because I want to revisit some familiar favorites (Stranger Things, Poltergeist) AND experience some new-to-me media (Hush, The Hunger), I’m spreading it out over twelve nights. You can keep your leaping lords, your milking maids and your swimming swans; I’ll take the things that go bump in the night.
Poltergeist
I have some pretty specific rules about what types of horror I will – and won’t – watch. I will always say yes to monster stories (Alien, A Quiet Place, Jaws), serial killer thrillers (The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Zodiac), horror-comedies (Tremors, Gremlins, Shaun of the Dead), and psychological horror (The Shining, basically anything directed by Alfred Hitchcock). I will always say no to demonic possessions, torture porn, and splatter/gore. Other subgenres are case-by-case: I typically enjoy ghost stories and I typically don’t care for body horror. If I’m not sure about something, I’ll err on the side of caution and skip it; I don’t need another reason to lay awake at night.
Zodiac
Of course, Halloween-themed media doesn’t have to be horror; whether Halloween episodes of your favorite sitcoms, Halloween-themed baking competitions, animation or a Tim Burton movie marathon, there’s a little something for everyone.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Here’s a peek at my “Twelve Nights of Halloween” watchlist (asterisks indicate a first-time viewing for me):
Double feature: Poltergeist and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Heather O’Rourke and the most terrifying clown doll of all time
E.T., pretending to be Gertie in a ghost costume, is intrigued by a kid’s Yoda costume.
While Poltergeist might seem like the more obvious choice for Halloween, the holiday is an important plot point in E.T. And these films make a natural double feature for me: the two opened just a week apart in June of 1982, both feature otherworldly beings upending a suburban family’s lives, and both were developed by Steven Spielberg (the level of Spielberg’s involvement in the production of Poltergeist has been hotly debated for almost four decades). It’s hard to overstate the impact this pair of films have had on me, and I doubt I will ever tire of them.
You can stream Poltergeist on HBO Max; E.T. is available on Peacock.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Tim Curry as Frank N Furter, the “sweet transvestite from transexual Transylvania”
What can I say? I grew up in the era of the Rocky Horror midnight movie phenomenon. A tribute to the sci-fi and horror “B movies” of the 1950s and ’60s, Rocky Horror is a horror/comedy/musical hybrid that’s campy as hell and absurdly entertaining. The film was panned by critics upon its initial release in 1975 and struggled to find an audience. But on April 1, 1976, Rocky Horror had its first midnight screening at the Waverly Theater in Greenwich Village, and a cult hit was born. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has the longest theatrical run (forty-five years and counting) of any film in history, but you don’t need a midnight showing to see it – you can stream it on Hulu or Amazon Prime.
“It’s just a jump to the left/And then a step to the ri-i-i-i-i-ight”
Hush*
Since finishing Midnight Mass a week ago, I’m interested in experiencing more of Mike Flanagan’s work. Many of his projects seem too scary for me, so I’m wading in cautiously, beginning with 2016’s Hush. Starring Flanagan’s frequent collaborator – and spouse – Kate Siegel, Hush is the story of a deaf writer named Maddie who has retreated to a remote house in the woods to work on her novel. And since nothing good ever happens at a remote house in the woods, Maddie soon finds herself being stalked by a masked killer. Clocking in at just eighty-one minutes, Hush is barely longer than a television episode, so finding a spot on my schedule for it should be easy (but I’ll probably watch it during daylight hours).
Hush is available for streaming on Netflix.
Stranger Things and Firestarter
Stranger Things‘ Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown)
Firestarter‘s Charlie McGee (Drew Barrymore)
At the heart of both stories is an extraordinary – and extraordinarily gifted – girl being hunted by government baddies. Stranger Things was pitched as “What if Steven Spielberg directed a Stephen King movie?”, and Firestarter was clearly a huge influence on the Duffers. The CIA-sanctioned human experiments, the children born with special powers, the use of the ITC Benguiat font, even the dreamy, synth-driven soundtracks (Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein are obviously Tangerine Dream fans): the reverence for Firestarter is everywhere in Stranger Things.
The original cover for the Firestarter novel was one of several 1980s King books to feature the ITC Benguiat font, used to create the Stranger Things logo
This poster for Stranger Things was an homage to Firestarter
Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix; Firestarter is on HBO Max.
The Hunger*
A Twitter friend rewatched The Hunger last week and I commented that I’d never seen it, so I decided to remedy that. Generally speaking, vampire stuff isn’t my favorite, but there are exceptions – The Lost Boys, for example. The Hunger was Tony Scott’s directorial debut, so I know it will be visually striking. Plus, David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve are the absolute fucking coolest looking vampires I’ve ever seen. I’m setting my expectations low so I can just sit back, enjoy and wonder how they could fit this much hotness into one movie.
You can stream The Hunger on HBO Max.
Double feature: The Shining and Doctor Sleep*
The Shining is an undisputed masterpiece of horror (though Stephen King famously hated it). Doctor Sleep, based on King’s follow-up novel, finds a grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) recovering from alcohol addiction, working as a hospice orderly (Dan uses his ability to “shine” to comfort dying patients), and attempting to quell his childhood demons. Like Hush, Doctor Sleep was directed by Mike Flanagan and features members of his acting troupe Henry Thomas and Robert Longstreet. Doctor Sleep even contains snippets of The Shining, as Dan returns to the Overlook Hotel and relives the horrors that occurred there. Released in 2019, Doctor Sleep is on the list of “things I just haven’t gotten around to yet”; Halloween seems the perfect opportunity to cross it off my list.
The Shining is available on HBO Max; Doctor Sleep isn’t included with any subscriptions, but you can rent it on Amazon.
Muppets Haunted Mansion*
BECAUSE MUPPETS.
Muppets Haunted Mansion is available to stream on Disney+.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jack Skellington
Though the film has the word “Christmas” in the title, The Nightmare Before Christmas has always been a celebration of Halloween for me. Our hero, Jack Skellington, is the “pumpkin king” of Halloween Town. Jack has grown weary of Halloween, so when he stumbles upon Christmas Town, he decides Halloween Town will celebrate Christmas this year instead. Featuring Henry Selick’s brilliant stop-motion animation, voices by such greats as Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara and William Hickey, and music by Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a delight from beginning to end. Fun fact: The Nightmare BeforeChristmas was the first animated feature film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects (Jurassic Park took home the prize).
You can stream The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+.
“The Slutty Pumpkin” (How I Met Your Mother), “The One with the Halloween Party” (Friends) and “Employee Transfer” (The Office)
Every year, Ted wears his “hanging chad” costume and attends the same rooftop party in the hopes that a woman he met in 2001, known only as “The Slutty Pumpkin”, will recognize him. And this year, Marshall and Lily intend to win MacLaren’s costume contest with their adorable (and weirdly hot) pirate/parrot couples costume. This early episode epitomizes so many of the characters’ defining traits – Ted’s desperation to find love, Marshall and Lily’s insistence on being the world’s cutest couple and Robin’s reluctance to be part of a couple at all.
How I Met Your Mother is available to stream on Hulu.
The only overtly Halloween episode of Friends came in the eighth season when Monica and Chandler decide to throw a Halloween costume party. Highlights include Ross’s “Spudnik” costume, which the gang agrees looks like space doody, and Chandler’s pink bunny (selected by Monica because The Velveteen Rabbit was Chandler’s favorite childhood book). The episode loses points for the icky subplot where Phoebe finds herself attracted to her sister’s fiance (played by Sean Penn) but I love Joey’s Chandler costume.
You can stream Friends on HBO Max.
The Office has several notable Halloween episodes, but the cold open for season five episode “Employee Transfer” – where Creed, Kevin and Dwight all show up as Heath Ledger’s version of The Joker – is pure Office gold.
Runner-up: Season nine episode “Here Comes Treble”, in which Dwight gets his head stuck in a pumpkin.
Duran Duran released a new album today, titled Future Past. The band’s latest clip is “Anniversary” (their self-titled debut was released in 1981). The lads still sound great, and this party looked like an absolute blast!
Peter Scolari passed away today from cancer at the age of 66. Scolari was well-known to television fans for Bosom Buddies (co-starring Tom Hanks) and Newhart, for which Scolari earned three Emmy nominations.
Scolari as Michael Harris on Newhart
Scolari worked with Hanks again in 2012, in the late Nora Ephron’s play Lucky Guy
The Last Picture Show, adapted from Larry McMurtry’s novel of the same name and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, was released fifty years ago today. The film went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations; it won two Oscars, Best Supporting Actor (Ben Johnson) and Best Supporting Actress (Cloris Leachman).
Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd
Ben Johnson
Cloris Leachman
Yesterday would have been Carrie Fisher’s 65th birthday, and people were rightfully honoring the legend on social media. YouTube reminded me of the existence of this clip of Fisher roasting George Lucas at his AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony. What an absolute boss.
Joan Fontaine was born on this day in 1917. The only person to win an Oscar for acting in an Alfred Hitchcock film (Suspicion), Fontaine was also the younger sister of Olivia de Havilland. The two were a mere fifteen months apart, and allegedly had a pretty severe case of sibling rivalry: de Havilland, having found success in Hollywood and not wanting to share the spotlight, encouraged her sister to change her name (Fontaine was their stepdad’s name) and Joan married one of Olivia’s ex-boyfriends. But the two are best remembered for their respective acting careers, and they remain the only siblings to win leading-role Oscars (de Havilland won two, for To Each His Own and The Heiress).
Fontaine with Suspicion co-star Cary Grant
Fontaine and de Havilland at a party in 1967
And finally, happy 69th birthday to Jeff Goldblum!
PB & Julie + Julie C. Trivia 