Christmas Time is Here

Happy Holidays! Christmas Time is Here. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

YouTube:
VinceGuaraldiVEVO

Back to the Future starring Eric Stoltz

For those who remember the '80s time-travel movie "Back to the Future", can you imagine another actor playing Marty McFly? I mean Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly. Fast talking, smooth, cool, nice guy. The role is tailor-made for Michael J. Fox. It's hard to believe anyone else playing the part but apparently, there was another actor who had a brief stint as Marty McFly.

(in an alternate reality where Eric Stoltz stars in BTTF - Fringe episode)

When filming began for BTTF, Michael J. Fox was busy with his sitcom "Family Ties". So, although Fox was Robert Zemeckis' first choice, another actor was cast. Enter Eric Stoltz. For those who are not familiar with Eric Stoltz, he portrayed Rocky Dennis, a kid with the rare disorder lionitis, in the biographical drama film "Mask", which also stars Cher.

He was also in the John Hughes film "Some Kind of Wonderful" (my all-time favorite movie) starring alongside Lea Thompson and Mary Stuart Masterson.

There was four weeks of filming done with Stoltz. But the director felt that his performance wasn't appropriate for the film. Eric Stolz's acting style is serious and dry. He is more of a method actor. He isn't very funny. Very different form Michael J. Fox's style.

Eventually, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg decided to go with Michael J. Fox, their original choice. Luckily, Fox was able to negotiate splitting his time between the film and "Family Ties". Hence, he replaced Eric Stoltz and the rest we know is history.

References:

Gazette Review - What Happened to Eric Stoltz – 2016 Update

Video:

Youtube clip uploaded by Arthur Bluvstein

Photos: From all over the internet

The Smiths - Guitar Cover

Here's me with a guitar cover of The Smiths song, "This Charming Man".

Backing Tracks - How to play a guitar
Guitar lessons - anyonecanplayguitar.co.uk

The Smiths - Guitar Cover

Souvenir

OMD cover by Brittle Stars

Brittle Stars - Souvenir

Can't Help Falling In Love

Here's Celtic folk band, Lick the Tins, with their cover version of the Elvis Presley original, "Can't Help Falling in Love" from the movie Some Kind of Wonderful, written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch.

“Think everyone over 17 has forgotten what it’s like to be 16? Filmmaker John Hughes (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink) hasn’t. Now Hughes delivers another funny, savvy, crowd-pleasing look at adolescence in this story about a high school misfit (Eric Stoltz-Mask (with Cher)), who falls head-over-heels for the senior class siren (Lea Thompson-Back to the Future) that he’s blind to the charms of his beautiful and devoted best pal (Mary Stuart Masterson-Fried Green Tomatoes, Bed of Roses, Benny & Joon, Heaven Help Us). Some fun, some heartache, Some Kind of Wonderful!”

The Kiss

Credits:
Paramount Classics DVD
chezajp
vistavizion
Check out also http://www.somekindofwonderful.org/ for a definitive guide to SKOW.

Soundcloud Album

Here are some tunes I made. Hope ya like it folks.

Pinstriped

Pinstriped Rebels
Something is Squeezing My Skull (Morrissey)
Don't Wave Goodbye (Pinstriped Rebels)

Falling Down

Music video by Chapterhouse performing Falling Down.

Credits: ChapterhouseVEVO

The Days

Those were the days. When we were the young ones, the cool ones. When the world was our oyster. When everything and anything seems possible and when every new experience fills us with wonder (parang Oreo commercial lang :)). Alas, such days are long gone for me. Nowadays, it seems as though nothing could excite me. In the words of BB King, "The thrill is gone". Maybe Calvin was right. Becoming an adult is probably the dumbest thing you could ever do. I wanna be like Peter Pan who never grows old. I wish the Fountain of Youth were true so that I could drink from its restorative waters.

But these are all pipe dreams. In reality, there's nothing you can do about growing old. Time stops for no one and all you can do is to suck it up and be thankful that you're still here on earth. "Don't complain about growing old, many, many people don't have that privilege. Try your best to age gracefully. And who says you stop dreaming when you grow old. As C.S. Lewis puts it, "You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream". Just be cool about growing old. When young people laugh at you and think that you're no longer cool, don't get offended. Just think "you'll grow old too". Tatanda rin kayo. :)

"Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth".

Throwback pics:

Meet The Peanuts Gang

I was lucky to see The Peanuts Movie the other week. I liked it a lot. I was just a casual reader of the newspaper comic strip. I never realized before that the Peanuts characters were actually deep. Take for instance Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is always anxious and depressed, is insecure and views himself as a failure (kinda dark for a character from a comic strip for children, don't 'ya think?). He can't fly a kite, can't win a baseball game and can't kick a football. He also constantly worries if he is liked by his peers. He needs constant validation. He has a perpetual crush on the Little Red-Haired Girl but he doesn't have the courage to talk to her (unrequited love, I could totally relate to that).

Good ol' Charlie Brown has some positive traits though. He genuinely cares about those around him. This was displayed in the movie when he decided to help his younger sister Sally during a talent show, sacrificing his chance to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl in the process. Charlie Brown is also hopeful and resilient. He knows that someday he would fly that kite, would win that baseball game and would kick that football. He never gives up.

With that, let's take a look at some of the other characters from Peanuts.

Linus - The philosopher of the group. Charlie Brown's best friend. Often depicted with a blue security blanket in hand. He is alawys there to encourage Charlie Brown.

Lucy - is bossy and loves to mock Charlie Brown. She finds it hard to believe that Charlie Brown could ace a test. She is also Charlie Brown's psychiatrist. She gives out 5-cent advice from behind her "psychiatry booth".

A recurring gag in Peanuts is Lucy pretending to hold a football for Charlie Brown to kick, and then pulling out at the last minute. Charlie Brown falls and Lucy laughs.

Snoopy - Charlie Brown's dog and pal. He is friends with Woodstock, a bird named after the '60s music festival. Snoopy flies gallant missions against the Red Baron in a setting which only he could see. He's also a would-be best-selling author.

Schroeder - The musician of the group. Associated with a toy piano. Lucy's crush. Plays classical music.

References:

The Charlie Brown Theory of Personality | Psychology Today
Meet the Gang - FiveCentsPlease.org

Credits:

The Peanuts Movie
Photos from all over the internet

"Sheila Take A Bow"

Is it wrong to want to live on your own?
No, it's not wrong - but I must know
How can someone so young
Sing words so sad?

Sheila take a, Sheila take a bow
Boot the grime of this world in the crotch, dear
And don't go home tonight
Come out and find the one that you love and who loves you
The one that you love and who loves you
Oh...

Is it wrong not to always be glad?
No, it's not wrong - but I must add
How can someone so young
Sing words so sad?

Sheila take a, Sheila take a bow
Boot the grime of this world in the crotch, dear
And don't go home tonight
Come out and find the one that you love and who loves you
The one that you love and who loves you

Take my hand and off we stride
Oh, la...
You're a girl and I'm a boy
La...
Take my hand and off we stride Oh, la...
I'm a girl and you're a boy
La...

Sheila take a, Sheila take a bow
La...
Throw your homework onto the fire
Come out and find the one that you love
Come out and find the one you love

Credits:
RHINO