louise on the left (coast)

Very sweet animated short ~ beautifully done: Watch --

And now, Flash Back Monday : One of the cutest moments ever to come from Sesame Street's Kermit and the little girl who pranks him with her alphabet singing. Watch -- BUT FIRST: ANNA LILY SAID I HAVE TO GIVE HER CREDIT FOR FINDING THIS FOR ME TODAY! THANKS AL! XO

One of my daughters and I went to see this tonight -- and both give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Mama is our favorite kind of horror story: The ghost story. Haunting, sad, scary, moving and never quite what one expects. A story as moving as it is unnerving, but one that engaged our imagination and heart from beginning to end. Note, the two child actors in this film deserve oscars for their work. And the this film proves that it is still The Year of The Woman in film for 2012/2013. I should also note that this film is another unintentional commentary on the problem of having too many guns in our midst. Especially guns in the hands of the emotionally overwhelmed and unstable. Something which is going to be even more of an issue in our post Sandy Hook world. Interesting that this film and the trailers of so many other films we saw tonight were all connected to the issue of tragedy at the hands of gun related violence. A sorry commentary on our times, I fear. But

Watched this film for the 7th time with my girls who were watching it for the first time. But we all cried at the same time, here. Watch:

Daughter   (London based band, formerly solo work of Elena Tonra) performs 'Youth' exclusively for The Amazing Sessions 

Aimee Mann singing about my current "Home Town Buffet:" The Big OC, a place she clearly has great affection for. -- Not that I'd ever fault Mann for her dead pan, deadly accurate observations about this funny old world. Gotta hand it to her, she gets it just right so very often. And now? -- I'm off to drive on one of these things…Enjoy. You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway The road to Orange County leaves an awful lot of leeway Where everyone's a doctor or a specialist in retail They'll sell you all the speed you want if you can take the blackmail You know it I know it Why don't you Just show it? You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway You got a lot of money, but you cannot keep your bills paid The sacrifice is worth it just to hang around the arcade You found yourself a prophet, but you left him on the boardwalk Another c

This find's from Sigur Rós. They're an an ambient/post-rock band from Reykjavík, Iceland: The fellow on lead vocals is Jonsi who did the soundtrack to We Bought a Zoo (Great soundtrack.) [English Translation:] You tried everything Yes, a thousand times Experienced enough Been through enough But it was you who let everything Into my heart and it was you who once again Awoke my spirit I parted, you parted You stir up Emotions In a blender Everything in disarray But it was you who was always There for me and it was you who never judged My true friend I parted, you parted [hopelandic] You sail on rivers With an old oar Leaking badly You swim to shore Pushed the waves away But to no avail You float on the sea Sleep on the surface Light through the fog [hopelandic]

" One Today " -- by Richard Blanco One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies. One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story told by our silent gestures moving behind windows. My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day: pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper -- bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us, on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives -- to teach geometry, or ring up groceries as my mother did for twenty years, so I could write this poem. All of us as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day: equatio

I thought this was kind of cool. This map isn't based on anything particularly scientific, it's simply based on people moaning to Facebook they have the flu. (In other words, the map is based on social reported flu tracking.)

(Update.  Can't believe I wrote this in 2013) Frankly, while I have in the past identified strongly with "those on the left," hence the title of this blog,  the reality is -- I'm pretty much also "Louise on the right," too. I'm now a somewhat right-leaning, formerly all left-side leaning leaner.  Maybe not quite like Teddy Roosevelt, but I like his style. So  really  "Louise on the Left" was about being inclusionary to all people -- of all walks and talks.  But, I'm pretty much an "old school Republican" about some of the other stuff.  I think.   (Your thoughts, please.) I do believe in conservation.  I think it's a global issue.  We need to get everyone on board with this. (Easy to do, right?) This used to be a Republican concept. It isn't anymore.  Can't understand this.  It makes good sense financially to live healthier. I do not like fundamentalist think

Anna Karenina should have been nominated for best adaptation or best screenplay…At the very least. Other than not digging up Vivien Leigh for the part of Anna, it was a perfectly cast film. And the dramatic device used to economically trim a brilliant, perfectly written novel of such scope into a 90 minute film narrative, such as seen in this year's film Anna Karenina , was entirely overlooked this year. Not cool.   I loved this film for it captured some of what Tolstoy intended us to know.  NOT ALL OF IT, but some of it, and for that I am so grateful. A beautiful film:  Even if it was overlooked by the Academy this year. Vivien Leigh:  The best casting of Anna Karenina , in the history of film, to date.   Tolstoy would have approved. Link to a blogger who shares my P.O.V.    "Everything else is just noise at this point – but I wanted to give Tom Stoppard some kudos for his tight  Anna Karenina  script. Even though I’m sure it was

I have to give a shout out to a my new favorite Facebook Group called  Decaying Hollywood Mansions  where I found these rare photos of some iconic Hollywood talent and beauty. Check these out these rare photos below: Fred Astaire using his svelte to tame cats      Greta Garbo.  Glorious and make-free.      James Dean in his hometown with his first cousin Dean and cousin in hometown shooting hoops in barn. James Dean's timeless iconic beauty Rock Hudson and James Dean messing about on film set of Giant ,  James Dean pretending to punch Rock Hudson in his man junk. I'm guessing this photo never  made it into Look Magazine at the  time. Marlon Brando lost in a book. Or showing us he is. Jimmy Stewart in some very disco-y ice skating attire. Robert Mitchum.  Gorgous and 100% guy.