Celebrating Annette Funicello

Musique - "I Love You" by Annette Funicello

I was very saddened this morning to hear of Annette Funicello's passing today. However, I'm sure living with MS was very hard and so it's probably the very best thing for her to have passed. So, I won't be sad about it. But I will pout. Because I will miss her. She was such an inspiration and such a talent and such a beauty. Her movies and music are classic and I hope will be enjoyed for centuries to come.

I first fell in love with Annette when I saw Babes in Toyland as a young girl. I thought she was so pretty and perfect and wanted to be just like her. We also had the Disney channel growing up, so I was able to watch re-runs of The Mickey Mouse Club. I remember that we named one of our kittens after her.

My favorite Annette movie of all time is Back to the Beach. It's just so hilarious and such a product of its time. Nothing quite brings the 80s to life like this movie. It has an amazing cast and so many great musical numbers. My sister and I constantly quote this movie—it's one of our favorites of all time.

In 1992, I was sad to hear about Annette having MS, but after reading her autobiography, A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: My Story, I knew I didn't have to feel sorry for her. She was a very strong, positive, loving person who was just as wholesome and wonderful as her persona. She might have a debilitating disease, but she wasn't going to bemoan her fate—she was going to think positive and enjoy her life. Many of her values are so in tune with my own.

This quote about Annette's passing seriously makes me tear up:

"Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mousketeer, and a true Disney Legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney's brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends, and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life."
- Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company

To celebrate a couple of my favorite Annette moments, here she is in Babes in Toyland singing "I Can't Do the Sum" and in Back to the Beach performing "Jamaica Ska" with Fishbone:

I Heart Buffy

Musique - "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme" by Nerf Herder

I love Buffy. Love, love, love it. I love it for the magic, the ass kicking, the romance, the friendship, the hilarious lines, the theme song (the most amazing concert experience I've ever had was when my sister convinced Parry Gripp of Nerf Herder to play that song live when they played the KGRG Summer Riot—I still get all tingly remembering hearing the first notes of the song and screaming my head off). And about a billion other reasons.

I am rewatching season one and in the "I Robot, You Jane" episode, Giles explains why books are better than computers and having forgotten all about his lovely speech, I fell in love with the show all over again:



I love how Joss Whedon makes you get so involved in his characters' lives (much like Julian Fellowes does with Downton Abbey and J.K. Rowling does with the Harry Potter series). And then he kills them (also like Fellowes and Rowling). But you forgive him because you can just rewatch the series and your favorites come back to life.

So, here's to Buffy. I heart you so!

 

I Love The Bouncing Souls!

Musique - "Hopeless Romantic" by The Bouncing Souls

I'm sure if you have read my blog before, you know that I absolutely love The Bouncing Souls. They are by far my favorite band EVER. And so I bring you some of my very favorite pictures of the Souls over the years so you too can share in the love of this amazingly wonderful band!

And here's a video of them performing my very favorite song, "Joe Lies (When He Cries)" in 1993:

Favorite Fictional Couples

Musique - "I Only Have Eyes for You" by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler

I regularly post fictional couples that I love (as well as real life couples) on my Pinterest Love Board, but here are some of my very, very favorites:
Katniss and Peeta, The Hunger Games
C.K. Dexter Haven and Tracy Lord, High Society
Vaughn and Sidney, ALIAS
Scotty Blair and Bea Thorne, Footlight Parade
Buffy and Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Donald and Daisy
Jefferson Jones and Elizabeth Lane, Christmas in Connecticut
Amanda Woods and Graham Simpkins, The Holiday
Sybil and Branson, Downton Abbey
Mary and Matthew, Downton Abbey
Bates and Anna, Downton Abbey
Gomez and Morticia, The Addams Family

Amélie and Nino, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre
Logan and Veronica, Veronica Mars
Scarlett and Rhett, Gone with the Wind
Hermione and Ron, the Harry Potter books and movies
Nick and Nora, The Thin Man
Mary Hatch and George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life
Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones's Diary
Lucky Jackson and Rusty Martin, Viva Las Vegas
Princess Ann and Joe Bradley, Roman Holiday

I Totally F***ing Love "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain"

Musique - "J'y Suis Jamais Alle" by Yann Tiersen

As part of the "I Totally F***ing Love This Movie Blogathon" at The Kitty Packard Pictorial and as part of my own month of love, I am writing about my absolute and undying love for Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain.

My sister introduced me to this movie sometime in 2004 or 2005 and I immediately fell in love. I'd only been to Paris once before (in 2000) and now I was sorry that I hadn't paid more attention to how incredibly magical Paris is (I was more impressed with being able to buy crepes on the street corner). This movie is, above all else, a love letter to Paris—you can tell by how lovingly Jean-Pierre Jeunet shot and re-colored each frame to be his ideal vision of his beloved Paris.

As someone who used to be pretty darn shy, I identified quite a bit with Amélie. And I too take great joy in simple pleasures (mine include feeling the breeze coming up from the underground bus tunnel in Seattle, gazing at the Puget Sound, and the feel of a kitty's whiskers tickling my face). I really love how the narrator points out everyone's likes and dislikes, because really, that does tell you a lot about a person!
 
Amélie obviously has quite the imagination and is perfectly happy being in love with Nino from afar. Oh yes, I feel you, Amélie. The Glass Man's comments about her preferring to relate to an absent person really struck a chord with me. However, I must say, Amélie does connect with her neighbors at least somewhat. I don't even know most of my neighbors' names! This movie makes me want to live in a little Parisian flat with quirky neighbors.

I get an undescribable feeling of bliss when Amélie decides to be a do-gooder and reunites Dominique Bretodeau with his long lost tin of childhood playthings. When he starts crying, I start crying too. Jeunet perfectly captured the feeling of doing good for others with the scene that comes after helping Bretodeau:



I get goosebumps! And it makes me want to help others—especially in unique, thoughtful ways.

Every time I watch this movie, I am tempted to cut my hair like Amélie's. And in fact, many, many times, I have actually done it. This movie has also inspired me to take French lessons and become pretty much obsessed with Paris. I've watched it so many times that I no longer need the subtitles.

I totally f****ing love this movie because it brings Paris to life for me, I identify with Amélie, it restores my faith in people's inherent goodness, it's a honey of a love story, it makes me laugh and cry, it has one of the best soundtracks EVER, and because Audrey Tautou is pretty much the cutest person in the whole world.

Check out the rest of the "I Totally F***ing Love This Movie!" Blogathon on The Kitty Packard Pictorial, February 22–24.

Romantic Postcards

Musique - "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" by Lee Morse

I love vintage tinted postcards and I especially love the ones featuring couples. I have hundreds of them saved, but here's a small selection of some really good ones. One day when I get married, my engagement and wedding photos will look as much like tinted postcards as possible!

I've found these pictures all over the internet, but I must admit most of them probably come from this Flickr collection. Apologies for stealing them!!