Friday, August 31, 2007
colorful beauty
This flower is almost unreal looking. It is extremely lucious looking....And this is a combination of colors that I find incredibly pleasing.......
The colors here are soooo very beautiful....The flower itself, magnificent.....
This is a Bromeliad! And a gorgeous plant it is....
This plant was given to me as a gift about 15 years ago....it sits in a lovely big white pot on my patio, right outside the sliding door going from the Dining Room to the patio......
It only flowers about every two or three years....In actuality, I know very little about why or how, except that I have been told each head only flowers once, but then forms another head which can and will flower....That is as much as I know about this exoyic plant called The Bromeliad, except, that it is known as "Matchstick" and that it is fantastically beautiful....
I find this plant and flower so extrordinary that I must show you more pictures of it....So, here below....More of the fantastic "Matchstick" Bromeliad....
The combination of these colors, as I said above, just knock me out....And being as excessive as I am....I cannot get enough of them.....
And below, another shot of this exotic flower.....
And, once again below...Another view.....
And one more...(I know....really really escessive....lol).....
But, do you blame me? Click on the word Bromeliad and it will take you to a link that gives a lot of info about this amazingly beautiful plant....There are only two blooms, by the way.....There may be more pictures of these flowers cause, well....by now you "get" that this is who I am....So, there just may be more....lol
I just had to post the picture above.....!
I just had to post the picture above.....!More To Come.......
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 9:38:00 AM
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
emmy viewing - 3
So, the third categry in this marathon voting for the Emmy's was another "program" category...This one is:OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
This was an interesting category for a couple of reasons...There was somewhat of a spillover from the Outstanding Actor In A Minseries Or Movie, because two of the films I had to view I had watched for the acting category. I did watch them again because I now needed to consider these movies from the point of view of the 'whole', not just one performance....And just to remind you: I have already voted and sent in my ballot and my signed affidavit......So, here they are, in alphabetical order.
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE
This film was sent on two DVD's...though it was billed as a movie, it was more like a miniseries, to my way of thinking. It is the story of one particular Indian tribe's tribulations with the 'White Man's indifference in the early days of our country to the importance of their land being sacred ground, through the eyes of two different people of that tribe....I believe this was based on the book of the same name, though how closely this film mirrors the book, I honestly don't know. It is a disheartening look at how the United States treated the Indians in their own country. A sobering look, once again, though not any new information here....What makes this film interesting is that we become personally involved with the two story's.INSIDE THE TWIN TOWERS
LONGFORD
This was one of the two films I had seen because of the performances involved, and particularly in this case Jim Broadbent in the title role. This is based on the true story of Lord Langford, who supported a woman who had committed murder, based on his feeling that she was a reformed person and should be allowed to be paroled from prison, having served her time. It is really about redemption and forgiveness and "belief"....A powerful movie with a lot of twists and turns.THE RON CLARK STORY
A very inspiring film, based on the true story of Ron Clark, a teacher who worked in a school in Harlem, bringing a class of young people from the worst class in every way to the 'best'! It is the story of his struggle to inspire these young people and show them that they had so much more potential than they were ever given credit for....A wonderful story of hope and the value of learning.
WHY I WORE LIPSTICK TO MY MASTECTOMY
This was a surprising film because the name alone might make you feel it was just a lot of fluff....Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the story of one young woman's fight to survive, and her journey to deciding what was best for her through her own personal research and the courage to do what she finally felt was the right way for her....Another inspiring well written and well made film that was funny in places, yes, but was ultimately very moving in every way.
So there you have it. Let me say, that all these films are wonderfully written, have terrific performances by all the actors and each of these films is lovingly and beautifully directed. Again, the voting was based on the numbers ONE through FIVE.....ONE, being best, and giving each nominee one number...using each number only once....(That is the worst sentence I have ever written...lol)
So, how would you rate these films, assuming you have seen them...?
More To Come......
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 9:50:00 AM
Monday, August 27, 2007
emmy viewing - 2
The second Emmy category that I watched was:OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
And the Nominees are, in alphabetical order are....
JIM BROADBENT as Lord Longford in "LONGFORD".
Jim Broadbent is a really spectacular actor....I first became fully aware of him in "Enchanted April", (a wonderful wonderful film....). He is a most versatile actor playing in comedy and drama and equally comfortable in both....Most recently he was in "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Vera Drake", "Moulin Rouge" "Topsy Turvy" and The Bridget Jones films playing Bridget's father....His performance in this HBO Film is right up there with the best of all his very wonderful creative performances. An interesting film, too...based on a true story.ROBERT DUVALL as Prentice "Print" Ritter in "BROKEN TRAIL".
Duvall is the consummate actor....beginning back with 'Boo Radley' in "To Kill A Mockingbird" through "The Godfather 1 & 2" to this performance in this very touching miniseries, Robert Duvall is superb, as always. He has never given a bad performance. His playing of the 'simple man of the west' who possesses great values and integrity, is spot on....I had not seen this mini series when it was on so this was a pleasure to watch.Next.....
WILLIAM H. MACY as Clyde Umney & Sam Landry in 'Umney's Last Chance', part of the Nightmares & Dreamscapes from The Stories Of Stephen King.
I was completely unfamiliar with this whole series...and in fact I don't have a clue to what the other stories in this series are.....William H. Macy never gives a bad performance and this particular episode is very interesting because he plays two characters....the writer who is writing this story, and the lead character in the story itself---kind of a 'film noir' detective type, which takes place in a different time period....There is always a bit of a twinkle in his eye no matter what part he is playing....And then.....
MATTHEW PERRY as Ron Clark in "THE RON CLARK STORY".
And last but not least, by any means.....
TOM SELLECK as Jesse Stone in "JESSE STONE: SEA CHANGE".
Another actor that rarely gets the accolades he deserves...This is the latest film in a series of, I believe, three films based on this character Jesse Stone, none of which I had seen before. So, again, it was a pleasure to watch this movie....This is an interesting character for Selleck....He plays a small town alcoholic policeman who cannot seem to get over the end of his marriage, among other things. Selleck was excellent in this very interesting and absorbing movie.
So, of the five performances in this category, I had only seen one of them when it first appeared on television...Jim Broadbent in 'Longford'. This was a very difficult category because the performances were all of such high caliber. The voting sheet is as follows: You give each actor a number from One to Five..."one" being best, and you can only assign each number once.....a difficult task, let me tell you. But, I made my choices and have mailed in my Voting Sheet and my signed affidavit stating that I have watched each DVD completely.
So, if you had the chance to cast your vote by this rating system, assuming you have seen the performances, who would be your number one choice....? (There is only one winner in this category....)
More To Come......
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 11:00:00 AM
Saturday, August 25, 2007
anther fun meme
Judy, over at Imagine, tagged me for this Meme....And the first thing you have to do is post the rules of it before you do anything else...So, here they are:1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Okay. I have been using my middle name as my last name for about 35 years, so I will choose another name for my 'middle name'. A name I have always liked a lot and even used for the main character in a play I wrote called 'The Dressing Room', is "Clarissa". There are 8 letters in Clarissa, so here are the words or facts that apply.
C - CATS:
Well, there is no surprise here, I am sure....I have had cats in my life for over forty years....my cat Sweetie is very very important to me as he is my constant companion and as sweet as his name. (That is not Sweetie above....he comes later...) My longest most enduring intimate relationship was with my cat 'Baby'...(That is Baby above.....) She lived to be 20 1/2 years old, and died in my arms right here at home! Cats are much much deeper than people who do not have a cat give them credit for being.....They are The Best!L - LYRICS:
The other half of a song....and I write both music and lyrics when I am writing alone as apposed to writing with a collaborator. (Above, "One Hand, One Heart", Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Music by Leonard Bernstein...'West Side Story", but of course, Sondheim writes both Lyrics and Music and I might add, BRILLIANTLY....) When collaborating I write the music to someone else's lyrics, as in the case of writing with Betty G....Writing a song is a truly wonderful challenge because it is like writing a play in 32 bars....you have to tell a whole entire story in this very prescribed and limited time, plus....it has to be singable. And there sure have been some fantastically talented composer-lyricists....This art form has been such an important part of my life.....A - ART:
Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows how important and meaningful 'art' is to me....as an artist myself and as a collector....Art is food for the soul. Above is a small painting of mine that I painted in 2001....it is part of a series...and this is acrylic on canvas...This next image was the brochure for a one person show that I had at Ankrum Gallery in 1978....
Sometimes I look at photographs of my work, or the work itself and think to myself...'Did I really do that?' It's mine I know, but then the feeling years later is...that somehow these 'works' just came out of me through some other entity....some other person....Like 'automatic writing'....(Are any of you familiar with 'automatic writing'??) It is so very hard to explain this strange feeling I get, because I can look at this painting above and know exactly where it came from inside me but at the same time be in awe of the person that actually painted it....I know this sounds nuts, but....it is true. The 'art' of creation is so wonderfully mysterious and so deeply satisfying, too. Well, sometimes...lol!R - REALITY:
Well, I like "reality" and think it is a very important component to living an authentic life....Now, 'reality tv'...that has absolutely nothing to do with 'REALity'...it is probably more scripted than any other kind of television and there is just too much of it on the airwaves for my taste, PLUS, it has taken away so very many jobs from actors. That is the 'reality' of reality tv, I am afraid.I - "INDOCHINE":
I don't know why but this is the first thing that popped into my mind. This film was a gorgeous work of art...(we are back to that again....). It is a French Film starring the stunningly beautiful Catherine Deneuve....This film is about the dissolution of French Indochina, or what we now know today as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, through the eyes and sensibilities of two women---a mother and her step-daughter....it covers around a thirty to thirty-five year period and is so very beautifully filmed it takes your breath away....
It is the story of these two women, Deneuve, who is a French landowner living in Indochina and her adopted daughter and the man they both love. But it is so much more than that. It is a kind of history lesson told from a very human point of view. Catherine Deneuve should have won the Academy Award that year, (1992), but did not, though the film did win the Best Foreign Language Film of 1992 and deservedly so....Another wonderfully beautiful authentic part of this film were the costumes. The clothes that Deneuve wears----Oh My, utterly gorgeous and perfect for the period, too. If you have never seen this film, do rent it. 
This is a film I could watch over and over, and have, many many times....And in fact, it is time for me to see this film again.....It is a true work of art in every way. More food for my soul here in this stunning film.....S - SWEETIE:
Ahhhh there he is, my dear dear Sweetie....my dear beautiful beautiful cat as already mentioned above, and here he is in all his glory. I think he is the most beautiful cat I've ever seen...and such a dear comforting presence who also makes me laugh all the time. I adore him, and all the many dishes of food that await his approval, every day. One day I will post a picture of all those dishes, (it is a bit embarrassing, I have to admit...) but for now, here he is again....
Looking at you with such deep understanding.....Cats know everything. Indeed, I think they know so much more than humans in the ways of intuition and the unspoken.....And the unconditional love they give...Well, let's just say it warms the heart like nothing else....S - SENECIO:
One of my very favorite plants in my garden...it is lush and beautiful in the winter months, and grows so easily that the little white puffs that are left after it flowers get blown to the ground by a gentle breeze and just lay there on top of the soil and root....
This plant is one of natures works of art....more art, more beauty that warms my heart and feeds my soul.....there is something about this particular plant that from the first time I saw it, I was in love...that was twenty-one years ago, and it has never lost it's luster, as far as I am concerned.....
And I cannot imagine that I will ever tire of this very beautiful lush person....And doesn't he look pretty with that Bougainvillea in the foreground....A - ABUNDANCE:
I love this word. It sounds exactly like what it is, to me. Full, round, generous.....a feeling of fullness and beauty.....a positive force .....all good things.....like these things in the photo's I have posted...
I feel I have an abundance of so very many things....loving friendships, creative juices, a garden filled with beautiful plants and creatures,....
....a home that cradles me in every way imaginable, which you have seen many times along with those wonderful friends as well.....what more could a person want or need? Such abundance makes me feel very happy.
There it is. This was really fun and interesting to do....I added the pictures because it pleases me to do so, but it is not required by any means.....I don't usually tag people but I am going to this time round....And they are----in no particular order, people who have nothing to do with the letters in my 'made-up' middle name, though a few fit the bill for some of the letters and there are eight people just as there are eight letters in "Clarissa"....And here they are.....Crimson, Deana, Loving Annie, Jamie Dawn, Rachel, Renny, Shephard and Sonia.....Do let me know if you do this meme cause I would love to read what you have to say....
Do go visit Judy if you get a chance...her dear husband, Mr. Kenju has had a bit of a scare medically....and she can use all of our support and great good wishes for his speedy recovery.....
More To Come......
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:45:00 AM
Thursday, August 23, 2007
emmy viewing
I am still viewing DVD's, but I am gaining on the four category's that I signed up for. It is very interesting and also a big time commitment...but it is something I truly enjoy doing....The first Category that I voted on was:
Outstanding Special Class Program...This is a new category this year and I think it certainly helps to have put these particular shows in one category....And in this particular case, there could be more than one winner---that is new, too. The shows are, in alphabetical order:
1) The 79th Annual Academy Awards
2) The 64th Golden Globe Awards
3) Prince-The Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show
4) Jerry Seinfeld: The Comedian Award
5) The 60th Annual Tony Awards (2006)
You are asked to say which of these shows deserves an Emmy...and you check 'yes' or 'no', and as I said, you could say YES to any or all of them, depending on how you felt after watching them. It doesn't matter if you watched them at the time they were broadcast, you must look at them again, or for the first time, as the case may be, and then vote. I found it really helpful to watch the ones I had seen before...And I had already seen four of the five shows nominated.....(After the Emmy's are over, I will share my vote(s) with you all.)
You then sign an affidavit stating that you have watched ALL of the DVD's in that category and then mail in your voting sheet along with your signed affidavit. This category was am extremely time consuming one to watch...The Academy Awards alone, was a little over three hours of viewing....without commercials...(Thank God)...lol). I am finished with this one and I already mailed in my voting sheet and signed thingy, too....Your vote had to be in at the Accounting Offices by August 24th...not postmarked the 24th....but there, at their offices by that date....I have a bit more time with the three other categories, I'm happy to say.
So, which of these above shows, (if you saw them), do you think deserves an Emmy? Do leave your answer in a comment......More To Come.....
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 1:02:00 AM
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