By George: Is a George Burns resurgance coming?

I had a friend in high school who seemed to be a fan of George Burns. My friend's desire was to see George Burns perform on his 10oth birthday (not my friend but George) in Las Vegas. In those olden times, George was still alive and kicking. Just as he was about to celebrate his 100 years, his demise began. Well it actually it happened a few years before after a fall in the bathtub. The performances were cancelled. My friend never spoke of George again. But then again, I did not see him until my class reunion a number of years later. He may have spoken about George but who knows?

Well, Pixar put out the movie UP! this summer which features a character that seemingly looks a little like George Burns. It may just be that all old men look alike. Nevertheless, Carl Fredricksen is an older gentleman. Another old man gives him his voice, the venerable Edward Asner. I find it odd that he has a few Star Wars credits. None of the movies but he plays Jabba the Hut in the radio version of Return of the Jedi (John Lithgow plays Yoda, figuire that out.)

They have never appeared together in a film or TV show but both are Jewish.

So check out the images, see what you think.

Anyways, I am hoping for a George Burns resurgence. Like remastered versions of Oh God and Burns and Allen. But perhaps my plea is falling on deaf ears. I should probably petition the postal service to put on a stamp with the likeness of George on it. That may spurr interest. Actually my wish has come true.

P.S. My Star Wars remake video will be coming out soon. It's only 15 seconds.

Something to sit next to my emmy

While I spent the weekend in the Twin Towns and watched an incredible hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center (amongst other things), the film project which I worked on as part of Testudo Studio got a screening at the Forx Film Fest.
Testudo Studios filmed Mary Weatherby (MW) in late 2008 and early 2009 around the Go region. I was responsible for props and lended a hand as a gaffer occasionally during the shoots. Film making is a slow process. But if you film well, editing goes quicker. This movie featured the guy who played Brad Billups in Fantasy 10 from the 2008 48 Hour Film Project and a rabbi. Sounds like a joke, right? Nope. It's one of those behind the scenes things you'd only learn from the Royce Files. The rabbi in fact was very impressive.
MW's premiere took place in June.
Not sure who was responsible for getting MW into the Forx Film Fest, but I'd say it was an ex op even though it is hardly a blip on the map the way film festivals go. I can't find much about it online except some 3rd source created wiki without an entry for 2009. So I cannot prove that MW won best feature or audience favorite. I actually don't know what it won but reliable sources say it won something.
Now I have something to put next to that regional emmy I share with a boatload of other folks for Intramural Glory. And that sheet of paper for audience favorite for Fantasy 10. Woohoo!

Dastardly disguises - finale

Now we come to the finale of our show and we pull all the stops on this final scene but we meet some interesting guests in this scene

Finale- Gathering of the disguises- Clown man, Blindlike man with beads, Mr. Monopoly, Ron Burgundy, Poodle Skirter, Scary Hair (partially blocked), and Waldo. Why would this motley crew of peeps come together?

For the money! They are attending a costume contest and believe there will be a large cash reward for the victorious one. However, being the devious individuals that they are, they come together in order to swipe the prize money.

Unfortunately, Mr. Monopoly is named the winner and so decides to keep the prize for himself. Ron Burgundy will have none of this injustice amongst costumed crooks. So just as the prize is awarded, mayhem ensues and Mr. Monopoly runs away with the prize. Now the chase begins. Scary Hair lays the smack down on Mr. Monopoly but Waldo slips by unnoticed, swiping the prize. Using his unusual talent of hiding, Waldo cannot be found.
Fortunately, Jedis have been dispatched to foil the crime- a master and his apprentice. But which one is which? The Jedis using their special talents discover Waldo's hiding place and chase him into the ventilation shaft. The other disguised ones scramble to help but are no match for the Jedi. Even ol' Gil T. Robot is slain at the hands of the Jedi.

The prize is reliquished by the defeated Waldo and is then awarded to someone dressed like a lady bug.

The Jedi are rewarded with various sugar-free, organic, free-trade, treats.

(Many long time readers may recognize a former blog contributor, James, in the above photo. James' most famous contribution to the blog involved researching the buttload. He is not currently attending the Jedi Academy but is an "aide" to Yoda.)

Dastardly disguises- scene 6

Scene six- The Pinko
It may be hard to distinguish this Pinkerton Detective from some ordinary joe with a bowler and mustache for an earlier time. James McParland had infiltrated the Molly Maguires and he hopes to stop you from doing anything that might be illegal. Although he may not be able to infiltrate your peer group, he may use other methods to prevent you from comitting a crime. He would stop at nothing to get you behind bars. Like him or not, McParland always gets his man (or woman if that be you.) No doubt he is on the tails of all the other denizens we have met in the dastardly disguises series.
Cheers.

All Saints Evening in Diguise

Late Hallows' Eve, I took for the downtown in search of disguises after donning myself in yet another costume. This time I went old timey: suit, bow tie, mustache, and bowler. Downtown I had a few people think I was Charlie Chaplin (wrong type of mustache) or Harry Houdini (never had a mustache). I thought I looked more like a Pinkerton Agent although I can find no photo evidence to prove it. Behind me you can see Brad Childress taking a break for love. Lots of sports oriented costumes. I think I saw England soccer stud Wayne Rooney, basketball players, Brett Favre. Zombies were pretty common too. As has been the trend the last few years, women are wearing less. I am surprised they are even out because of the cold. Some men too were also seen wearing less. Not any elaborate costumes from what I saw. I did see one abandoned costume- Chinese Take -Out. If you can't handle the bulk don't put it on. Easier said than done.














I saw an odd electronic like piece of something that looked akin to a bomb in the gutter. A lady aiming for the gutter almost hit me with vomit.
Saw numerous women having difficulty in high heels.
Zach Morris (of Saved by the Bell fame) was in town but didn't give me a high five.
However, Drew Carey was and gave me a slightly off low five.

A troupe of Emmett Kellys passed me and Mr & Mrs Incredible were trying to keep warm a few meters form me.



















Finally a nearly full moon beamed down upon the city. And that's it from Halloween for 2009. No treats or tricks.

Dastardly disguises - scene 5

Scene 5- Gil T. Robot
This robot (or should I say android) has a penchant for entering people's home and drinking their beer. This robot was caught in Phil's garage attempting to pilfer any beer. Unfortunately the robot ended up drinking diesel and picked up a slight flutter. He began berating us for getting him lost and marooned in a garage then warned us to not trust any little hooded creatures. Phil directed the robot into the closet.
Eventually, Gil left but not after making a sparkling mess everywhere. He also doubled as Treepio in my part of Star Wars: Uncut. But that's another story, far, far away.

There might be more dastardly disguises coming but that will depend on whether I go out tonight searching for them.

Dastardly disguises - scene 4

Scene 4 of the continuing series of dastardly disguises.
And now scene 4- Dr. Hitech
Though some may call him a mad scientist that is not entirely accurate. He is just mad at science. He tries the bend the rules but they just don't want to bend. Like his x-ray vision device he is holding. It's nothing but a bunch of plastic and an old Mountain Dew bottle. Probably the only thing you have to worry about from him is an accident. And you can't predict accidents. If you run into Dr. Hitech make sure you keep a safe distance.

Dastardly disguises - scene 3

Now for the 3rd installment of Dastardly Disguises.
Scene 3- Chauncey the Hit Clown
These days clowns don't get much respect. However, this clown does. Chauncey the Hit Man does freelance work for the mob ever since his fortunes under the big top went south. I've been told Chauncey only carries a toy gun and instead uses bad jokes and gags to get even with the people who have crossed his employers. Chauncey knows 3 kinds of mime and has tickled victims into submission. He favorite drink is the Lon Chaney, straight up, one cube of ice. He frequents rodeos where he attempts to recruit henchclowns.

Whoops- the 1951 Pontiac Chieftain

When you prowl around the Pontiac Chieftain barefoot, you may want to stay out of the trunk. Its liable to close suddenly and unexpectedly upon your body. Ouch!

Sort of reminds me of the scene from Back to the Future where Marty was thrown in the trunk. Of course he was fully inside but you get the idea.
It's a really large trunk. You could fit many people in there if you desired which I do not. That's not my kind of gig. Instead we fit chairs, a cooler, a spare tire, umbrellas, and a table in there. Up front there is space for some fair young ladies and a backseat for another cache of friends, relatives, or acquaintances.

The 1951 Chieftain is rare according to my non-scientific study of car shows. Usually you will find maybe 1 or even 2 of this model. In fact pre-muscle Pontiacs are scarce on the car show scene too. I usually end up photographing the Pontiacs at the shows. At the behemoth Back to the Fifties, I think I may have maxed out at a dozen out of something like 11510 cars.

Dastardly Disguises - scene 2

The second installment of the disguises series. New one everyday until the Eve of Hallows.
Today- Disco King.
The Disco King is a leader of a rogue organization - The 70's Preservation Society- which is bent on utilizing disco terrorism to control the world. The Disco King rules from his lair deep below the surface of an Andy Warhol warehouse. The King captures intelligent individuals and makes them create intricate maps of transit systems and walkways of major world cities. Utilizing a hypnotic disco beat he lures unsuspecting individuals to the the lair. The sounds of the Bee Gees, Village People, Boys Town Gang, and Rose Royce play constantly ensuring captives do not escape and makes for a pretty mean dance party.

Dastardly Disguises- scene 1

The following series is a collection of disguises that could be used for the upcoming day of disguising. There will be short blurb about the character and perhaps even a description of the attire.
Scene 1: Luchadorvis
He scrambled through the apartment looking for Rey Mysterio but instead gave me the piledrive and raided my fridge of bananas and peanut butter. He left singing "Are you lonesome tonight" but not before applying the double claw on my wearied body.
Some would say this is the reincarnated Honky Tonk Man with his Elvis-like jump suit. However, this grappler doesn't want the attention a pompadour will bring and masks his visage.