Steve Prefontaine is known as the "James Dean of track" and is a legend among runners. A native of Coos Bay, Oregon, he was born in 1951 and died in a car accident in 1975 at the age of twenty-four. Though his life was short, he was a major star. Naturally, he's been immortalized in … Continue reading Go, Pre
Origins: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
I'll be honest: Godzilla isn't really on my radar. I mean, I know about the character and how he's a huge deal in Japan and all, but my experience with him amounts to this itty-bitty epic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R-rbzcEM8A Yep. Godzilla and Bambi were memes before memes were a thing. Anywhoo, on to the upcoming movie. It … Continue reading Origins: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Watch Closely
Okay, so my regular readers have probably noticed that things have slowed down a bit this month on Taking Up Room. Job stuff and the end-of-the-school-year rat race have gotten in the way, not to mention basically having no Internet for a week, but the current sluggishness is all about to change. For the next ten … Continue reading Watch Closely
One Week Until the Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon
One day, er, one week more. It's coming quick, everyone. Are you ready? And if anyone wants to join us, there's plenty of room onstage and lots of topics to choose from. For more info and suggestions, please check here. Thanks to everyone who's signed up, and see you next week...
Announcing the Wizard of Oz Blogathon!
This idea might be a wee bit ambitious, because how often do blogathons focus on a single film? Pretty much never. Then again, it's not often that an iconic film turns eighty, either. It's said that more people have seen The Wizard of Oz than any other movie. Baum's novel has been translated into forty … Continue reading Announcing the Wizard of Oz Blogathon!
Origins: Aladdin
Ah, yes, another live action Disney remake. Yay. The 1992 original, of course, featured the often-missed Robin Williams as the Genie, as well as Scott Weinger as the titular character and charming songs like the Oscar-winning "A Whole New World," sung by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane. It still holds up today, but Remake Fever … Continue reading Origins: Aladdin
My Five Flaming Hotties (Plus A Bonus!)
Surprise tag post time... A couple of years ago, Gill at Realweegiemidget Reviews and Catherine at Thoughts All Sorts did a Five Flaming Hotties tag, and Gill decided to resurrect it. She's tossed the idea around a few times on Twitter, so I thought I'd have a list ready. I think it speaks for itself, … Continue reading My Five Flaming Hotties (Plus A Bonus!)
Reading Rarities: Retro Housewife
There used to be kitchen store in Old Sacramento called the Solar Syndicate, and besides the vintage-looking stoves, novelty timers shaped like cheese wedges, and copper fish wall hangings, they sold a few books, some of which were the Collector's Press "Retro" series. I only had a chance to buy two of them: Retro Breakfast, which I'll … Continue reading Reading Rarities: Retro Housewife
My Five Favorite 50s Films
Happy National Classic Movie Day! Every year, Rick of Rick's Film and TV Cafe poses a question to the blogging world, and it's always a good surprise. Usually, but not exclusively, the number five figures into things somewhere, and this is one of those times. This year, Rick wants to know which films of the … Continue reading My Five Favorite 50s Films
Shamedown #4: The King’s Speech
Our fourth Shamedown, and this time we're getting an extra helping of shame. Not for us, though. For the king. If anyone wants to see the origins of the Shamedown, please visit Cinema Shame. Past 2019 Shamedowns can be found here. I learned a new word last week: Glossophobia. It's said that seventy-five percent of … Continue reading Shamedown #4: The King’s Speech
Stage To Screen: Show Boat
Street corners. Tourist traps. Flatbed trailers. Any place is fair game for an entertainer to ply their craft as long as there's an audience. Or even if there isn't. When I was with the Continental Singers, we once did an impromptu mini-concert in an old folks' home in Nebraska while waiting for our bus's air … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Show Boat
The Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon Is One Month Away
It's one month until curtain, and no doubt our participants are zealously rehearsing their parts in the Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon. Scripts memorized. Stages blocked. Kicklines formed, for those who are into that sort of thing. It's all coming together. I'm so glad to see people are enthusiastic about the blogging world's return engagement … Continue reading The Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon Is One Month Away
Taking Up Room 