What You Didn't Know About A Charlie Brown Christmas

If you've always wanted your very own sorry looking Charlie Brown Christmas tree, I'm happy to report that I'm seeing these 18" tall artificial renditions for sale just about everywhere this year, from Target to Sears. Walgreen's has one of the lowest prices at $9.99 but CVS has it on sale this week for only $7.99 (which, let's face it, is pretty much all that it's worth.) Or you could save yourself the eight dollars by just gathering a few twigs from outside, attaching them to a couple of pieces of wood, and hanging an old bulb from it.



Despite its awfulness, I'm still tempted to buy one of these for the novelty value. The program still remains my favorite holiday special and after viewing it I really get into the holiday spirit. It's pretty remarkable that it's still showing some 45 years after their debut, because A Charlie Brown Christmas was not supposed to be the lasting success it turned out to be. Some reasons why (pulled from Wikipedia, of course):

*The program's soundtrack was poorly edited. In one scene where Schroeder stops playing his piano, the characters keep dancing for a few seconds more.

*TV executives originally didn't want Linus delivering his soliloquy about the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. Bible passages were considered controversial, but the Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz insisted, "If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?"

*If the character's lines sound choppy in their delivery, that's because they were. In particular the child actor who voiced Sally couldn't read, and needed to be cued line by line during the soundtrack recording. Executives had wanted adults to play the parts.

*The special was supposed to have a laugh track, which Schulz wanted left out, explaining that audiences should be able to enjoy the show at their own pace and decide when to laugh.

*The executives didn't like the jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi, fearing that it wouldn't work for children's programming.

As a result, when the head honchos saw the final product they were horrified, and were certain the show would flop; the rest as we know is history, and the special remains a timeless classic.

ABC is showing A Charlie Brown Christmas this Tuesday night - December 1, at 8 PM and repeating it on December 8. The jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi remains one of my favorite Christmas albums.

Juniper Rose for Donna Karan Jewelry

Every fashionista should be eying for Juniper Rose's creations for Donna Karan jewelry. Juniper Rose created some of the most must-have accessories for this season. Her designs will make you look tough and chic at the same time. I can associate Kristen Stewart's current fashion style with these leathers and crystals.

The Necklace costs $895 and Cuff is $595 at Donna Karan New York. Know more about these accessories from Net-a-porter's interview with Juniper Rose.

Bad Cover Art: The Yuletide Edition

What a find! I pulled most of these doozies from a great site that you've probably seen before, called BizarreRecords.com. I could easily post 25 album covers, but I'm not because I think some of these are meant to be savored in smaller servings, and I want to spread them out during the month of December. I'm sure you've seen some of them or posted them before on your own blog but, hey, this stuff was meant to be recycled and shared. Had to throw in the Wham! album at the end because it's so delightfully cheesy.

Christmastime is Here!

Now that Thanksgiving has been properly celebrated, I can begin getting ready for my favorite holiday, Christmas. This is such a great time of the year to be a fan of all things retro, since there's no shortage of holiday-related vintage topics to explore. In December I hope to highlight some of them - ornaments and trees, traditions, movies, music, and more, as time allows. Let the Christmas season begin!

Agent Provocateur New Comic Book Features Venus Fly Trap and More!

The second comic book of Agent Provocateur are out in the market. If you have seen some of the super heroines in the first comic book, you'll meet other super heroines in the second one. Venus Flytrap, Miss Pony Tail and The Red Baroness wear their Agent Provocateur's lingerie outfits in reality.






Source: Fashionising.com

New Moon Stars at Entertainment Weekly December 2009 Issue

Your favorite New Moon characters will be on the cover of Entertainment Weekly's December 2009 issue. Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Jacob Black will recruit you as their allies. Which team are you in? Team Edward, Team Bella or Team Jacob?



Check the rest of the entry for bigger images!




Source: Just Jared

Much to Be Grateful For

Happy Thanksgiving from GoRetro to all of my readers, both regular (now 41 and counting - whoo hoo!) and new ones! For those in the U.S. who celebrate this holiday, may you all find plenty of things to be grateful for this holiday...and if you don't celebrate, may you still have a lot to be thankful for. I know I do. I decided to post a quick list of the many things I am grateful for in my life...

* My health. I've never had to have an operation, have never even broken a bone, or had to stay in the hospital for any tests or for an extended amount of time. I'm extremely fortunate to have enjoyed tremendous health and a complete body that works well for me. I thank it by eating healthy food, drinking water, exercising regularly, not smoking, and getting plenty of sleep. And, I'm grateful for happy mental health, too.

* My family. Although I could never be best friends with certain members I'm lucky to have a family that is basically supportive and to spend the holidays with.

* My friends. Ahhhh...friends truly are God's way of apologizing for your relatives. In the past 18 months I've attracted several good friends who are supportive and non-judgemental into my life, in addition to my old friends. All are worth more than their weight in gold.

* My job. I know I'm beyond lucky to have a paying, full-time job with benefits in this economy, and most of the time I'm doing fun marketing projects that I enjoy.

* My writing. I'm grateful that I have a hobby I'm passionate about that feels like it's improving day by day, and that has helped me earn a little extra dough. I've been able to publish a few articles through Helium.com this year and last year (if you're an inspiring writer, check the site out.) That little bit of extra money once in a while is like manna to me. But more importantly, I'm grateful for a working creative mind that helps me put the right words into the right sequences of sentences and paragraphs to communicate effectively.

* My cat. Life just wouldn't be the same without animals.

* This blog, and the never ending chasm of vintage pop culture topics to talk about. Needless to say, I'm grateful to you readers out there who pop in from time to time and leave comments.

I could go on and on waxing sappy poetic, but you get the idea. Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

Michelle Obama Wears Naeem Khan Dress at State Dinner

First lady Michelle Obama channeled her fashion side during the first state dinner of U.S. Pres. Barack Obama. She pulled a strapless, silver-sequined, cream-colored gown by Naeem Khan, an Indian-American designer. The gown was accentuated with beads that form an abstract floral pattern. Michelle completed her fabulous look with a stack of bangle bracelets and dangling earrings.


Photo Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Top Black Friday Fashion Sales

November 27 is a Black Friday. In the United States, the Friday after Thanksgiving is referred as Black Friday, the day that officially starts the traditional Christmas shopping season.

Checkout the Top Black Friday Fashion Sales that you must checkout as you start your shopping spree.

Ashley Greene In Bottega Veneta's Red Resort 2010 Collection

Ashley Greene who plays the character of Alice Cullen in the Twilight Saga: New Moon, guested at David Letterman Show. She appeared in red striped suit number from the Resort 2010 collection.

Photo Source: style.com & fabsugar.com

Michael Kors Will Open A New Store In Germany

It's official! Michael Kors will be opening his first ever store in Germany this coming February. The 2,400-square-foot boutique will display accessories such as eyewear, handbag and watches, fragrances as well as clothes for his own line.

Source: http://cocoperez.com

Twilight Saga: New Moon Movie Fashion Guide

Bella's Birthday Dress
The green dress that was supposed to be given by Alice for Bella's birthday was designed by Tish Monaghan. Bella's look was also completed with an old navy sweater.


Bella Swan's Everyday Fashion
For regular days, Bella Swan wore pieces from Band of Outsiders, J Brand and lot of sneakers from Nike, Keds and Converse.


Alice Cullen Fashionable Look
The Cullen's most fashionista member, Alice, sported crimson-hued Gala gloves and accessories from Banana Republic, Ray-Ban and Lacoste.


Jacob Black's Tranformation
Jacob wore tailored t-shirts and shoes with lifts to emphasize his body and weight.


Jane
Jane wore custom-made black cloaks.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2009 Photos

The Fashion Show featured the following models wearing lingerie from Victoria's Secret's 2010 collection:

Abbey Lee Kershaw, Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros, Anastasia Kuznetsova, Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Anja Rubik, Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel, Caroline Trentini, Caroline Winberg, Chanel Iman, Dorothea Barth-Jorgensen, Doutzen Kroes, Edita Vilkevicuite, Elyse Taylor, Eniko Mihalik, Erin Heatherton, Heidi Klum, Isabeli Fontana, Izabel Goulart, Julia Stegner, Lily Aldridge, Lindsay Ellingson, Liu Wen, Lyndsey Scott, Marissa Miller, Maryna Linchuk, Mia Aminata Niaria, Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Selita Ebanks, Shannan Click and Tatiana Kovylina.


View the photo gallery!

Hairball and Hairbrain

I love cats, so it's always bothered me to see them get sh*tted on in various movies and TV series throughout the years. Some examples: Ripley dropping and banging Jonesy around in his cat carrier as she runs from the monster in Alien; the Tanner's family cat constantly trying to avoid being eaten by the title character on Alf; the cat who electrocutes himself in National Lampoon's Christmas, etc. I could on and on, but the truth is, the entertainment industry hasn't treated felines very well on-screen. If they're not being the butt of jokes or tortured by brats and dogs, they're also pretty much being neglected in ways that would be considered animal abuse today.

And perhaps the worst example of this, and one that really got me riled up this weekend, is an old Art Carney movie called Harry and Tonto that PBS aired. This 1974 film is about a widower named Harry who lugs his poor cat Tonto (a Morris lookalike) across the country as he visits relatives and old girlfriends as well as new people, after his Upper West Side apartment building is demolished and he has no other place to go. It's a good thing this movie was released in the 70s, because if it came out today PETA and the ASPCA would be all over its behind. Here are some of the ridiculous myths about cat care that this movie propagates:

MYTH#1: Cats love to travel

FACT: OK, so some cats - like Cleveland Amory's Snowball in the 1987 non-fiction hit "The Cat Who Came for Christmas" - don't mind being lugged around in trains, planes, and automobiles and staying in strange motel rooms and apartments. However, that's the exception and definitely not the rule - most are smart enough to know that pulling out the cat carrier means they're going to be taken someplace they don't want to go. You also cannot bring a cat in a movie theater, a book store, a casino, or just about any other public place like Harry does in the movie.



Not to mention that not once in the film did I see Tonto using a litter box, a required accessory of any trip involving a cat. They cannot tolerate a long drive for hours at a time.

MYTH #2: Cats can survive on nothing but milk and water.
All throughout the film, Harry feeds Tonto nothing but milk and water. "Drink your milk, Tonto" he drunkingly slurs at one point outside of a Las Vegas casino. "It's got proteins and vitamins and minerals for you."

FACT: The classic scene of giving a cat milk in a movie or TV show just drives me insane. Cats are carnivores. They need MEAT and cat food (and not just the dry stuff either; that can damage their intestinal track if they receive nothing but dry food.) Certainly in the 18th century cats had to forage for their own food and were the household's official mousetrap but by the 70s we knew better - and we had the 9Lives commercials to prove it!

MYTH#3: You can walk a cat on a leash.

FACT: The cat will walk you. "Walking" a cat does not so much mean leading one, but following him or her around as they investigate their surroundings.

I don't recommend this movie for any cat lover - at the end of the film, Tonto dies. Alone in what looks like an awful mini prison for cats while Harry sings an Irish drinking song to him. We don't even see Harry bringing Tonto to a vet to find out what's wrong - and it takes one of Harry's chess mates to point out to him that "Tonto doesn't look so good." Well of course he doesn't - he hasn't been feeding him! Some concerned pet owner.

What's weird is that the critics loved this movie. This poster is full of glowing comments including a headliner from Today Show movie reviewer Gene Shalit. One critic even goes so far as to say that Harry and Tonto is "One of the best movies of the seventies so far"! In fact, Carney won an Oscar for his performance in the film, which I'm guessing was the Academy's way of recognizing him late in his career.



And poor Tonto? Well, I hope he fired his agent or at least clawed him after this dog of a movie.

Whatever Happened to...Waiting Until *After* Thanksgiving to Celebrate Christmas?

There's no easy way to say this: in recent years, Thanksgiving is really getting pooped upon. There's no respect for the holiday anymore. The proof is in overzealous advertisers running Christmas campaigns, retailers playing Christmas music and average American citizens who jump the gun on putting up Christmas decorations before we've even had a chance to finish off the Halloween candy (well, I realize some people don't finish up the Halloween candy until Easter, but I'm just saying...)

I'll admit that Thanksgiving may not be the most exciting holiday. We don't dress up (well, unless you have a nutty relative or two around your dinner table) and we don't exchange gifts. However, it's a day to practice gratitude and celebrate what I consider to be the end of the fall season, before the snow starts flying.

I am not a grinch, by the way. Christmas is my favorite holiday - I look forward to the day after Thanksgiving, when I can start playing my favorite Christmas music, decorating, watching the old Christmas TV specials, and planning my list of greeting card recipients.

However, the key word in that last sentence is "after" - *after* Thanksgiving (and, as you noticed, not *after* Halloween.) So why, then, do retailers and advertisers insist on running holiday campaigns before we've had a chance to begin wearing our winter coats? Why are Christmas decorations for sale in most major stores by the beginning of October? Do they really think by rolling the merchandise out nearly three months in advance, that they're somehow going to make more money, especially during a lousy economy? It's bad enough that Halloween advertising seems to begin the minute the kids are back in school.

And it isn't just companies trying to capitalize on the holiday - one radio station that I listen to started playing LOTS of holiday music regularly as soon as Halloween was over! It just feels wrong - listening to such songs before Thanksgiving gives me no emotional enjoyment whatsoever, because it's simply too early. When I was a kid, it was an unspoken rule that radio stations couldn't play any holiday music until the day after Thanksgiving. And on the day after Christmas, they removed them from their playlists. There's something to be said about delayed gratification and for me, it always applies to Christmas music.

But if all this isn't enough to get my panties in a bunch, I've noticed, while driving home from work at night, that a lot of people have decorated their houses already and are displaying lights and lawn nativity arrangements. I guess if people want to jack up their electric bill so soon it's their prerogative, but how about a little more respect for Thanksgiving, please? Like the Byrds once sang, there's a time for everything...and that should include a time for Thanksgiving as well.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2009 Highlights

The Victoria's Secret 2009 Fashion Show was held in New York City and hosted by Heidi Klum. As we all know, the five new VS Angels walked in the runway together with the other Angels as Black Eyed Peas serenade them.

The models sported splashy jewels like diamonds, crystals and other bling. Some wore faux fur and thigh-high boots, two of the most top fashion accessories for the season. The outfits of the Victoria's Secret Angels can be classified in to four categories: star trooper with breast palets, pink planet, enchanted forest and romantic journey with laces.

Here are some of Miranda Kerr and Heidi Klum's photos on the said event.





Photos from Just Jared

Bar Refaeli In Passionata's New Lingerie Ads

Photo Source