Housewife in Hollywood - housewifeinhollywood.com

I just couldn’t resist the title, but the list this week is all about:
America’s Fourth of July Favorites

And here they are:

1. Hot dogs on the grill.

America loves hot dogs and of course they would because they’re the perfect mass market product and they smell so darn tasty when they’re grillin!
I went on a search for America’s Biggest Weinie, you know something like the largest hot dog ever created, but all I could find was the Wienermobile. This is probably one of the best advertising schemes by Oscar Meyer, excluding their other healthful product BOLOGNA.

My bolgona has a first name it’s O S C A R, my bologna has

a second name its M E Y E R.

2. Going to the local 4th of July parade.

Nothing is more American than waving your mini flag while the police department, Girl Scout troop, and fire trucks proudly march the biggest street in town.

Check out one American that decided to be part of the parade right after leaving the local bar. Thanks to mrwizard33 for sharing this clip on Youtube, here’s the info he provides:

Indian Jeff riding his 1912 HD single in the Burien, WA 1991 Fourth of July parade. He was “busted” for “parading without a permit” near the end of the parade route. For many years he would ride the single through a local tavern and come out the front door to join the other “old junk” in the parade. Permit? I don’t need no freakin permit!

3. Lighting fireworks, firecrackers, and other fire hazard materials.

This is illegal in many of the 50 states, but in some you can throw down as many firecrackers, and fireworks that you can load in the back of your Ford pickup.

I couldn’t find any safety videos on how to light fireworks, probably because it’s not safe. I did find an old clip about summer forest safety from Smokey the Bear, with guest star Vaughn Monroe, one of my favorite singers and bandleaders from the big band era. This clip puts the camp in campy.

4. Dressing up in stars and stripes.

Not only do grown up patriots like to show off their red, white, and blue attire with pride but they love to dress up their kids and pets too. It’s almost like wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day. You don’t want to be caught out in public without wearing your dress blues, and reds. So grab a sparkler, and put on your red, white and blue Wal-Mart tank top! It probably wasn’t made in the US but they did roll back the price.

5. Watching fireworks.

Of course this would be the grand finale of The 5! After all those tri-colored Jell-O shooters, weinies on the grill, and sitting under the hot sun on the sidewalk block or crowded beach, it’s time to ooh and ahh at the marvels of an ancient American tradition. Wait a minute! China was doing this thousands of years before us. Oh well, that’s what America is folks, a melting pot of ideas, traditions, and people all stirred up together into one fine pot of yummy American stew.

Happy Fourth of July!

One of my favorite shows on television is Breaking Bad. It’s a series best watched from the beginning. Have you seen Seasons 1 & 2?

Schedule your recorder or get in front of the boob tube Sundays at 10pm on AMC. Visit AMC online for more info about Breaking Bad: Season 3.

Have you fallen down the rabbit hole yet to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie? I haven’t but I plan to.

I didn’t make it to the Ultimate Fan event but I did find a cool video via Hot Topic.

If you have seen the film tell us what you think about it.

For more on Johnny Depp, click here to read a great article by writer Lizzy Cline in EK One magazine.

If you’re like me, a lover of retro TV or you’re over 30 something you remember Mork. Do you?

Here’s the short version. Mork was an alien that landed in Colorado and was lucky enough to move in with Mindy a hot chick that was also super sweet and could rock overalls like nobody else. Besides all that out of this world retro nonsense I was searching for some Shazbot flashbacks the other day and found this clip that sums up my feelings about my website.

Check it!

See I don’t make money on this site. I don’t tally viewers or try to get more hits. I make friends, acquaintances, let off some creative steam and take a break from the dirty dishes. This little clip of Mork talking about workmanship made me think about my feelings towards this site and what I see happening in 2010.

I’ve been wrestling now for weeks over what to do here. I started this site as a creative endeavor and I’ve had a great time but last year it started to become somewhat of a part time job that I don’t get paid for. With housewife duties, homeschooling and general life it’s tough to fit in PR requests about George Clooney’s latest movie or the latest in organic snack products. I’m honored that so many PR companies wanted to let a little old housewife like me in on the latest happenings but it was all getting a bit much. I don’t want this site to feel like work.

Housewife in Hollywood.com is really my own personal blog, a blog that just happens to have some pretty cool interviews with fascinating people and is decorated with retro flashbacks and at least one or two Partridge Family tunes.

I inherited a great work ethic from my dad and so this site/blog will keep on keeping on but just so everyone understands I’m not keeping up with the internet Jones’s.

2010 is fast approaching. Let’s take a break and listen to ABBA sing Happy New Year, they also give us some handy advice.

Oh and Nanu Nanu to you and yours!

Congratulations to Scott McCrea! His family will be dancing & singing along to the Wizards of Waverly Place CD.

Scott’s name was “magically” selected out of my Wizard hat.

Speaking of magic, here’s a few HIH Reruns all with a little “magic” in them:

Magic Mushabooms

Message in a Bottle: My Interview with Mario Della Casa

Kiddo Cookbooks & Pop Concoctions

I have a long list of ideas sitting in front of me. I have a big pile of dishes in the sink. So I decided to take a look through Vimeo and see what I could find. Maybe something to take my mind away for awhile.

I found a wonderful video, directed and edited by Sebastien Abes called Sunspot. Music by Familiar Trees and images by J. Penninck.

Just what I need.

Familiar Trees – Sunspot from Sébastien Abes on Vimeo.

Del Shores is a writer, director, producer, actor, and activist. He’s written, directed, and produced for film, television, and stage performances. Del has won numerous awards and was honored with a star on Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 2004.

He’s one of those people that must have more time stored some place. Even with all his titles and interests, he still finds time to teach acting workshops and offer audition coaching.

Let’s find out more about Del Shores with some Q&A:

HIH: I’ve been an Olivia Newton-John fan ever since I watched the film Grease in 1978. It was an honor playing the role of Sandy on the playground during recess. You’ve worked with Olivia Newton-John  on Sordid Lives the film and Sordid Lives: The Series on the Logo Channel. What is it like working with this iconic actress?

Del: Olivia is her image. Sweet, gracious, beautiful inside and out. She is wonderful to direct, tries anything I ask and we laugh ourselves silly working on the accent. I also directed her in “The Wilde Girls” in Australia and it was a very special time.”

Olivia Newton-John performs against scenes from the hit TV show Sordid Lives: The Series. Complete soundtrack available on CDBABY.COM and soundtrack and individual songs available on iTunes.

HIH: Sordid Lives started off as a play and includes elements from your own life. Tell us a bit about those elements.

Del: Just watch the Ty/Latrelle pre-funeral scene. Not at my grandmother’s funeral, but most of that dialogue ripped right out of my mom’s mouth — and mine. And Ty’s therapy sessions were mine. I did wear Husky jeans and my mom did change the labels.

HIH: “A black comedy about white trash.” I laugh out loud when I read this tagline for Sordid Lives because there is something universally funny about southern white trash. Why do you think the idea of white trash is so entertaining?

Del: I don’t really consider everybody “white trash” in “Sordid Lives”. That was a marketing “bite” that 20th Century Fox coined when they launched the DVD. I think Southerners/Texans are just colorful and the small things become big (like the mink stole situation in the movie) and with conflict, the comedy becomes real and organic in crazy situations.

HIH: Writing, directing, producing, acting, what do you feel the most comfortable doing?

Del: Well, I will always be a storyteller first and foremost. But when I have the most fun is directing my writing in the hands of great actors.

HIH: Your play Daddy’s Dyin’ (Who’s got the Will?) became a film in 1990 starring Beau Bridges. He was also in Sordid Lives. This seems like a common theme for you having the same actors in more than a couple of your productions. Is this a conscious choice or does it happen by circumstance?

Del: It’s a choice. If I connect with an actor, I start writing for them. And if I’m lucky, they’ll agree to work with me again. Most of the time, I’m lucky.

HIH: Your GLAAD Award-Winning play Southern Baptist Sissies is being made into a movie. What are the challenges and benefits to telling a story on stage compared to on a movie screen?

Del: Well, because of the economy there has been a delay in bringing Sissies to the big screen. I love that play and it was a difficult play to adapt to screen. The screenplay feels more like a hybrid of stage and film — and it helps that I made “Mark”, the story teller, a playwright. So in the film, he gets writer’s block, flies to Texas and sits in the church where he grew up and writes. We push into his mind and see what he is writing.

HIH: Being a housewife myself I’m interested in your play Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife. I’ve read that it’s a tragic tale about abuse but your flair for funny helps keep the audience from getting too down. Will this production be made into a movie anytime soon?

Del: Probably not. But I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s a powerful piece, if I say so myself. The Samuel French playbook  just came out and it will now be done everywhere.

Visit Del Shore’s official website delshores.net for his itinerary, tickets to upcoming events and workshop information. For the Sordid Lives: The Series show schedule visit the Logo Channel online by clicking here.

When I was 8 years old I watched Return from Witch Mountain in the movie theater. I remember going home after the show pretending I had telepathic power and wishing my hair was the length of Tia Malone’s.

In the movies Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return from Witch Mountain (1978), Kim Richards  was Tia Malone and Ike Eisenmann  was her brother Tony Malone. Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson came out today and you can spot cameos with Kim Richards as Tina the waitress and Ike Eisenmann as Sheriff Antony.

Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann were two kids that were all over the small and big screen during the 70’s and 80’s. Both of them were in at least one episode of the TV show Little House on the Prairie. In fact they were all over the boob tube back in the day, from Fantasy Island to CHiPs.

After hearing the news of a remake I decided to take my kiddo to see Race to Witch Mountain. She’s the same age I was when I watched the second movie in this Disney series. She had a blast watching all the action, wondering what would happen next and of course right when we got home from the show she started to practice her telepathic power with our Chihuahua.

I thought the movie was action packed, and I loved the casting they did, including the appearance of Cheech in Stony Creek. It was fun seeing Garry Marshall as an alien expert author. Dwayne Johnson is perfect as the taxi driver turned action hero named Jack Bruno. My kiddo pointed out that the leading lady in the movie was the same actress from Night at the Museum. I responded by telling her she was correct, then I preceded to ask if she knew her real name is Carla Gugino and that she also starred in the film Watchmen. Sometimes a mom needs to show her kid she knows a thing or two.

Annasophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig play the roles of Seth and Sara, the two “alien” teens on a mission to save their planet. Race to Witch Mountain is a fun family film. This housewife gives the movie 4 out of 4 waffles!

Theodore Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904. Like so many children in the world, I grew up reading and reciting rhymes by Dr. Seuss. I wanted The Cat in the Hat to knock on my door on a bored and rainy day. I loved naming things Woozles, and Floozles or giant Shaznoozles. His writing inspired me to think out of the box, to contemplate eating Green eggs & Ham in a box, and of course to remember that no matter how small, a person’s a person with a voice after all.

I still love reading Dr. Seuss books, and watching Horton Hears a Who, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I have to say I’m a Seuss purist and don’t find remakes enjoyable.

My favorite Seuss story is probably The Sneetches.
What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss story?

Last night Mr. HIH installed a new microwave. Our old one stopped working weeks ago after an instant oatmeal incident.

He decided to buy the same exact model thinking it would be easy to install over the oven. Little did he know the manufacturer decided to change the outer design so that meant, realligning, and re-drilling holes in the cabinets. After hours of things not going well, Mr. HIH started to sound like the dad on A Christmas Story. Finally after a tough night of Tim the Toolman style work the new microwave is operational.

This morning we chose a bag of Orville’s microwavable popcorn for breakfast. We have an air popper but it’s just not the same thing. There’s no fake butter smell, and no artificial ingredients to savor. I could go into a rant about how much fiber popcorn has, even if it’s microwavable or how it can be used as part of your daily grain intake but it would never be as entertaining as Bill Cosby’s Chocolate Cake speech. Click here for Cosby’s Chocolate Cake vid.

Some of you might think using an air popper is Old School but I remember my mom popping corn on the stove.

All you cartoon and commercial voice over experts out there, who does the voice of that big popcorn piece? Anyone?