@TCM Summer Under The Stars Every Day In August #SUTS

Tomorrow is the first day of TCM's Summer Under The Stars. Each day in August a different star will be the focus of an all day marathon of their films. Up first is the amazing Jane Fonda, including her recent AFI Lifetime Achievement Ceremony. 

If you are tight on DVR space I recommend Sunday In New York, The China Syndrome, Klute, and of course the AFI. Below is the entire schedule for the exceptionally hardy. If you are a tweeter (as in one who is on Twitter) folllow the #SUTS or #(Last name of star of the day) TCM , as seen below #FondaTCM. 

See the entire list of featured actors at TCM Summer Under The Stars site.

James Garner Tribute On TCM 7/28 @TCM #JamesGarner #RIP

TCM will be airing a marathon of James Garner films, tomorrow, Monday July 28. He was such a great actor and I know I was one of many really sad to hear of his passing last week. For years I had been suggesting he be invited to the TCM Film Festival and each year he didn't show. I tried to believe this was through some negligence on TCM's part but deep down I knew he probably wasn't healthy enough to come.

Even though I never got to meet the man I have seen enough of him in TV, film and interviews to know he was pretty swell. Just look at the picture of him and his daughter above. That's a good guy! I hope he's somewhere fun now with race cars and all the reefer he can handle.

Here's the line up for TCM tomorrow, the times are all eastern. I've put * next to three of my favorites. Further, if this just isn't enough Garner for you, and who could ever get enough, you can stream The Rockford Files on Netflix!

TCM Remembers James Garner – Monday, July 28

6 a.m. – Toward the Unknown (1956) – starring William Holden, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Leith and James Garner

8 a.m. – Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957) – starring Randolph Scott, James Craig, Angie Dickinson and James Garner

9:30 a.m. – Grand Prix (1966) – starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Bedford and Yves Montand

12:30 p.m. – Cash McCall (1960) – James Garner, Natalie Wood, Nina Foch and Dean Jagger

2:15 p.m. – The Wheeler Dealers (1963) – starring James Garner, Lee Remick, Phil Harris and Chill Wills

4 p.m. – Darby's Rangers (1958) – starring James Garner, Etchika Choureau and Jack Warden

* 6:15 p.m. – Mister Buddwing (1966) – starring James Garner, Jean Simmons, Angela Lansbury and Suzanne Pleshette

8 p.m. – The Thrill of It All (1963) – starring Doris Day, James Garner and Arlene Francis

* 10 p.m. – The Americanization of Emily (1964) – starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Melvyn Douglas and James Coburn

Midnight – The Children's Hour (1961) – starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner and Miriam Hopkins

* 2 a.m. – Victor/Victoria (1982) – starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston and Lesley-Ann Warren

4:30 a.m. – Marlowe (1969) – starring James Garner, Rita Moreno, Sharon Farrell and Bruce Lee

Mad Men Podcast Talks Emmys and New Shows #Manhattan #HaltAndCatchFire #MadMen #AtoZ #YoungDoctorsNotebook

I had a great time on The Mad Men Podcast last night. We talked about Mad Men's Emmy nominations, new shows and films you can see some of the cast in in the coming weeks, and new shows we think Mad Men fans might want to check out.

As we all know Mad Men will come to an end next year and we all need to try and find something to fill the hole that will leave. I'm sure as Mad Men fans all of our first instinct is liquor, smoking, and sex, but maybe give some of these shows a try too!

Due to a little technical snafu this installment of the podcast is audio only. Seems the camera loves me so much it neglected to ever switch to Jeremiah. oopsy!

Here's the link to the show Mad Men Podcast Episode 79

The Book Of Life This Halloween #BookOfLife #Halloween

I was very excited to get to see some clips from this Halloween's The Book Of Life last week. Both producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Guttierrez were in attendance and their enthusiasm, especially Guttierrez's, was palpable. I loved how excited the director was about the soundtrack, many of the songs are reworked hits but there are also a few original songs by none other than Paul Williams.

Here is the studio's description of the film:

THE BOOK OF LIFE, a vibrant fantasy-adventure, tells the legend of Manolo, a conflicted hero and dreamer who sets off on an epic quest through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to rescue his one true love and defend his village. Cast: Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Ice Cube, and Danny Trejo.

I know this sounds like helpless maiden stuff but trust me when I tell you she is a strong female character who speaks her mind.

Set to open OCTOBER 17

We Will Rock You at The Ahmanson #LA @CTGLA

We Will Rock You Opens at the Ahmanson tonight and I'm excited to be invited. It will run through August 24. This play was a long running hit (11years) in the West End and won the Olivier Audience Award in 2011. It features 24 hits from the Band Queen

I get the sense there is a carnival atmosphere to this show as audience members are encouraged to wear their concert t-shirts, download lighter apps, and drinks are allowed to be brought into the auditorium. The show is described as "set in the future on a planet once called Earth that is now controlled by a big corporation. Computer-generated music reigns, no rock music is heard, all musical instruments are banned and conformity is enforced. A pair of young renegades, Galileo and Scaramouche, dare to break free and bring the power of rock back to the people."

This instructional video will tell you everything you need to know.



Tickets for “We Will Rock You” are available by calling (213) 972-4400, visiting online
at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or in person at the Center Theatre Group box office at the
Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $25 - $120 (ticket prices are subject to change).

The Ahmanson Theatre is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A.
90012.

MANH(A)TTAN On WGN America July 27 @WGNAmerica #Manhattan

Manhattan premieres on WGN America July 27th. As you might guess from the photo it isn't about a magical city that never sleeps. Or maybe it is, that city just happens to be in New Mexico and instead of night clubs and Broadway shows people are up all night working on developing the atom bomb.

It is definitely dark subject matter, but it is balanced with office intrigue and the families who have come with the scientist to live on "The Hill" AKA Los Alamos. Set against the WWII race against time to be the first with the bomb our male lead, Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey-The Big C) is under just a little bit of pressure to succeed. While his wife and daughter are frustrated with the necessary imposed secrecy about his work.

Abby Issacs (Rachael Brosnahan-Blacklist and House Of Cards) is new in Los Alamos and just learning how to get by on a top secret military instillation where no one knows what's going on, or if they do their not talking.

I'm really hopeful this series will take off. The premise is intriguing and I do love my retro shows.

Dixie's Tupperware Party at The Geffen Playhouse #LA @GeffenPlayhouse

Dixie's Tupperware Party opened last night at The Geffen Playhouse. Here's our review by Audra Crane.

Join fast-talking Dixie Longate for a raunchy romp wrapped in a Tupperware party. Dixie rocks peak 50s fashion as a thrice divorced Alabama mother of three, including little Absorbine, who has found her power and passion through throwing the world’s best boozy Tupperware parties. The intimate size of the Geffen Playhouse's Audrey Skirball Kenis Theathre allows Dixie to interact with the audience- both to tease a few select audience members and to share with them her insights into the ambition and resilience symbolized by her product. This 2008 Drama Desk nominated show is an irreverent riot and yet does make the audience think about the communal and humanizing nature of parties as well as the significant contribution that Brownie Wise, inventor of the Tupperware party, made to the women cut adrift when the end of World War II cast them (temporarily) out of the workforce. The show was consistently hilarious with only moments between laughs. Dixie has a fantastic presence on stage and improvises flawlessly. Some of the unscripted banter with the audience were real highlights of the show. Be prepared for some snorts and spurts of laughter from her off-color humor. I’d be happy to attend another one of Dixie’s parties anytime!

Playing July 9 through August 3 at the Geffen Playhouse-10866 Le Conte Ave. LA, CA 90024 geffenplayhouse.com 310-208-5454 dixiestupperwareparty.com

You can purchase all the containment needs of your wildest fantasies after the play- no pressure though!

Young Doctor's Notebook Season 2 @OvationAYDN

I'm very excited about the second season of A YOUNG DOCTOR'S NOTEBOOK on Ovation August 19th. It is an incredibly odd show about the same character in two different times of his life playing out simultaneously. The first season of A Young Doctors Notebook aired last year and was as good you you would expect with stars Jon Hamm And Daniel Radcliff.

The network describes the second season as "Your past will always catch up with you. Sometimes your future does too. Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe return to star in a second series inspired by the works of Russian novelist Mikhail Bulgakov. Revisiting the small village of Muryevo in 1918, we find the Young Doctor battling an all-consuming morphine addiction. Under the critical gaze of his older self, the Young Doctor struggles to cope with life in the hospital and the efforts of his medical staff, the Civil War and the distractions of a beautiful young aristocrat, Natasha. With brilliant performances from the ensemble cast, A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories provides a unique and lively take on Bulgakov's works. "

The Hundred Foot Journey + Recipes #100FootJourney #FoodieFriday

The Hundred Foot Journey open August 8th. It's a FOOD movie. I love a food movie. It also stars Helen Mirren. I love Helen Mirren. So we're off to a really good start!

The studio describes the film as the story of Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), gets wind of it. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own, escalate to all out war between the two establishments – until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine and for Mme. Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), combine with his mysteriously delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Mme. Mallory cannot ignore. At first Mme. Mallory's culinary rival, she eventually recognizes Hassan's gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.

It looks and sounds like a fun ride. Until it opens next month the studio has been releasing great recipes on Fridays. You can see all the recipes on The Hundred Foot Journey facebook page. Here are 3 of them that I think look particularly yummy! I only have one suggestion in Scalloped Potatoe recipes I always substitute thyme for nutmeg.

Now, who do I know who might have a Madeline pan???

@PBS History Detectives The Disappearance of Glenn Miller #TCMparty

PBS will be airing a HISTORY DETECTIVES SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS--The Disappearance of Glenn Miller on Tuesday, July 8th at 9:00 pm ET. If you aren't familiar with the circumstances of the famous band leaders death, this is a great opportunity to get caught up on all the mysterious details!

Miller was doing shows for soliders in world war II along with a fair amount of propanganda aimed at big band loving Germans. He died on December 15 1944, or did he, or how did he. He was flying to France and never arrived nor did they ever find any wreckage???

There are many theories about friendly fire, a secret mission, and more... My favorite is that he died from a heart attack with a French prostitute and it was all a cover up. I look forward to tuning in to this and seeing their new information about the pilot, the weather conditions and the Norseman aircraft that Miller boarded on that fateful flight 70 years ago....