Back in 1982, Tron was a cool sci-fi film. Of course, this was before all the new micro sd technology, computer upgrades and visual effects. So now Disney is planning on making a new Tron.
In the original movie, a computer programmer (Jeff Bridges) gets sucked into a computer program and finds his counterpart (Bruce Boxleitner). In the new film, the star will get sucked into the Internet!
Here is the original trailer:
When I was at the movies the other day, I noticed a man being questioned by the security guard. It seems that he wanted to take his laptop into the movie. The guard politely informed him that it was not allowed as he could potentially film the movie and make a pirated copy. The man insisted it was for work (Please!). Who brings their work to a movie? At least he wasn’t brazen enough to bring a camcorder in the theater and claim that was for work. Sheesh!
The top most pirated movies of 2008 were:
1 The Dark Knight
2 The Incredible Hulk
3 The Bank Job
4 You Don’t Mess With The Zohan
5 National Treasure: Book of Secrets
6 Juno
7 Tropic Thunder
8 I Am Legend
9 Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10 Horton Hears a Who!
TLC was running a series entitled Half Ton Mom. Renee Williams was over 900 pounds. She was heavy as a child and then had a car accident as an adult that caused her to gain more weight since her mobility was limited. I don’t think any amount of diet products would have helped at this point. Instead, Renee opted to have gastric bypass surgery to help her lose weight. Unfortunately, she died 12 days later of a heart attack and left behind two small children.
It is too bad that she didn’t get help before she reached 900 pounds.
My mom loved to watch the television series The Prisoner. That is where I first say Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan was born March 19, 1928 in Astoria, Queens, New York, but was raised in England and Ireland. He attended Ratcliffe College where is excelled in mathematics and boxing.
When he was sixteen, McGoohan quit school and worked at several different jobs before becoming a stage manager. When one of the actors become sick, McGoohan filled in and started his own acting career. In 1951, he married another actor, Joan Drummond and they had three daughters.
McGoohan worked for a production company in England, but was not thrilled with the work there and the contract was eventually dissolved. He was approached to do a television series called Danger Man. McGoohan insisted that the character use his brains instead of brawn first and there would be no kissing scenes. The series lasted one year.
McGoohan was hired by Disney to star in The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) and Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. He had previously turned down the role of James Bond and Simon Templar (The Saint) on moral grounds.
Danger Man was given another try and lasted for three seasons. McGoohan didn’t want to do another season, so producer Lew Grade asked if he would work on a new series about an ex-spy who wakes up in a prison disguised as a holiday resort. McGoohan agreed and The Prisoner was born. Unfortunately, McGoohan was always compared to the character on The Prisoner. He was stated “Mel Gibson will always be Mad Max, and me, I will always be a Number,” referring to his character’s name – Number Six.
McGoohan has appeared in numerous films including, Ice Station Zebra, Silver Streak, Braveheart and A Time to Kill.
In 2000, he appeared in an episode of The Simpsons and Number Six. His last appearance was the voice of Billy Bones on Treasure Planet. He tried several times to produce of movie of The Prisoner, but it never came to fruition.
McGoohan died on January 13, 2009 in Santa Monica, California. He was recently retired and living with his wife of 57 years. He has five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Did you get a chance to see any of the top movies of 2008? You might be surprised to learn that the top movies are not always the most rented movies. If you have more than one television and tv stands at your home, why not host a movie night and show a bunch of films at one time? That way you will have something for everyone.
The Top Movie Rentals for 2008 are:
When I think of blinds, I often think of those old metal blinds that were put together with string. There were very noisy and seemed to break often. But, did you know that the first blinds were probably made by the Egyptians out of reeds strung together to cover the windows so that bugs and dust could not get in. Ancient Chinese cultures did the same thing with bamboo. Both of these must have looked similar to the bamboo blinds that are popular today.
In the 18th century, blinds were used to cover wooden shutters. In the 1950s, they were made of metal and today you can find blinds made from vinyl, wood, bamboo and other materials.
For Christmas I received the musical Meet Me In St. Louis starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien. Margaret O’Brien was a great child actress. She was born Angela Maxine O’Brien on January 15, 1937 in San Diego, California. Her father, a circus performer, died shortly after her birth. Her mother was a well-known flamenco dancer.
Her first film appearance was in Babes on Broadway when she was just four years old. In the 1944 movie Jane Eyre, O’Brien played a young french girl and spoke and sang convincingly with a French accent. She was six years old. The same year she appeared in Meet Me In St. Louis as the precocious five year old Tootie. She was awarded with an Academy Junior Award in 1945 for outstanding child actress of 1944.
In 1949 she appeared in Little Women as Beth and The Secret Garden as Mary. After 1949, her film roles became few and far between. She did not make the transition well to adult roles.
She has been married twice and has one daughter, Mara Tolene Thorsen born in 1977.
Featured Margaret O’Brien Movies:
