Have you ever heard of Hoagy Carmichael? Well I’m sure you’ve heard many of his songs. He was a songwriter back in the “old days”, say 1930’s to the 1960′s. I love so many of his songs, Stardust, Georgia On My Mind, and one that I’m in the mood for today, Up a Lazy River.

With the sun shining, and the birds singing, I’d like to just lounge up a lazy river myself. Searching for some footage of old Hoagy I found some great nuggets of pop culture history. The one I just had to post here should really get us in the mood for some Spring Swingin’. Forget about being lazy, get on up and do the Watusi!

Here’s a more upbeat version of Up a Lazy River made for the Scopitone, also known as the Visual Jukebox:

After seeing what the celebs went through during treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center, I’m interested in what happens next on their journey to continued sobriety.

Some of Dr. Drew’s patients from seasons 1 & 2 will be living together at a sober living house in the Hollywood Hills. Rodney King, Steven Adler, Nikki McKibben, Amber Smith, Mary Carey, and Seth Binzer are joined by Andy Dick  who wasn’t part of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab but signed up for “Sober Living” to battle his alcoholism.

Jennifer Gimenez  is the house manager, also referred to as the house mom. She has the challenging job of managing celebs while they balance their newfound freedom away from rehab and their goal of staying sober.

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Memorable moments are being posted on entertainment and news site. Here at housewifeinhollywood.com I’m doing something a little different. We’re asking you the viewer to leave your comment about last night’s show.

Did you see Johnny Depp presenting the award to Sally Hawkins? Were you too busy making dinner and doing the dishes to watch the show? Are you irritated that your favorite movie, actor or actress didn’t win?
Were you as shocked like some of the celebs, when Sacha Baron Cohen’s sense of humor took “hits below the belt”?

Leave a comment and let us know.

While wandering around Target last night looking for a new shower curtain liner, I found a little gem of a book called Jim Henson’s Doodle Dreams. The front cover says, Inspiration for Living Life Outside the Lines. Being the Jim Henson admirer that I am, I just had to pick one up for myself.

The featured art is by Jim Henson while the text comes from writer/producer Jim Lewis. Lewis was a former Jim Henson Company staff writer.

According to Muppet Wiki:

“Lewis was the Muppets’ primary in-house writer, contributing to countless interviews, promotional material and Muppet appearances. He was responsible for a large amount of web content and a great many of the press quotes attributed to the Muppets, and he also wrote much of the Gonzo/Rizzo/Kermit material on the Muppets from Space DVD commentary. In this capacity, Jim Lewis contributed a great deal to maintaining the tone and consistency of the Muppet characters in the years since Jim Henson’s death.”

Jim Lewis has written for Kermit, Miss Piggy, and various other Muppets for more than 20 years. He helped Kermit the Frog with his recent, top selling autobiography, Before You Leap: A Frog’s Eye View of Life’s Greatest Lessons.

Doodle Dreams is a great stocking stuffer for any Jim Henson fan, and anyone who is inspired to live life outside the lines. Click me for more inspiration from two pop culture icons, Kermit & Debbie Harry.

“Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.”-Jim Henson

One of the coolest things about this animated film is the Carl Douglas song Kung Fu Fighting. The mix of 70′s, disco, and marital arts mystique has made this song into a classic.

So run out tomorrow and pick up your own copy on Blu-Ray or DVD! Tell them housewifeinhollywood.com sent you. They won’t have a clue who you’re talking about, but do it anyway.

As Oingo Boingo would say… Who do you want to be today, who do you want to be?”

I’m going to be a comic book villain created by my kiddo. She named her The Mist of Doom.
Tell us who you’re going to be today. Have fun everyone!

Because of my bad hair day situation, I’m taking a little break. I’ll be back soon with fun interviews, and more trivial dribble.

Feel free to browse the archives. Read one of my very first interviews with writer Arvid Nelson here.

Last year, I probably would not be interested in seeing this movie, unless the kiddo was begging me to. July 2007, we rescued a Chihuahua from a local shelter, and ever since then I’ve been a Chihuahua admirer. Yes they can be mean, ours isn’t mean but possibly schizophrenic. Yes they are just a bit bigger than a large city rat, but they have big personalities.

This film has an impressive cast including George Lopez, Drew Barrymore, Salma Hayek, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Edward James Olmos. The director Raja Gosnell directed another dog related flick, Scooby Doo. RUTT RO!

50% lover, 50% warrior, 100% Chihuahua. They couldn’t have written a better description of our little Chi Nash. He isn’t your typical Hollywood style Chihuahua, he won’t put up with being carried around in a Chanel bag and he doesn’t like wearing shoes.

He’d fit right in with a Chihuahua revolution.

Many of you might cringe at the sight of these dancing pooches on Disney’s official site but you have to admit the song is quite catchy.

I know a little about Sinatra’s personal life. I know he was called Ol’ Blue Eyes and he was part of the Rat Pack. He captivated the hearts of bobby soxers, and he was married to the beautiful and talented Ava Gardner. He was married more than once, including his marriage to a much younger Mia Farrow. I think the whole world was aware of his surveillance by the FBI because of alleged mafia ties, and friendship with John F. Kennedy. What I didn’t know was that he won 11 Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film, From Here to Eternity. I was clueless about the Empire State Building glowing blue to honor his 80th birthday, or that the US Postal Service issued the Frank Sinatra postage stamp.

I dig this duet with Frank and his daughter Nancy doing her hit Downtown. She’s even wearing pink boots made for walkin in this clip. Only the truly hepcats know what I’m referring to here.

What is your favorite Sinatra classic? Good thing I got a decaf mocha or I’d be up all night learning more about Ol’ Blue Eyes.

Check out the great gallery pics on the official Sinatra website:

www.sinatra.com

The popcorn is not the only thing golden, check out the guest list. Charlize Theron, Robert Downey Jr., Sarah Jessica Parker, Will Smith, Megan Fox, Brendan Fraser, Jack Black, Coldplay, and even a rumor floating around that Johnny Depp will be a presenter. This is one of those rumors most likely started by someone who understands how to get people to tune in. Marketing ploy or not, I’ll be tuning in just to see if it’s true. See how good that works?

Mike Myers will be the host, and I assume he’ll be plugging his upcoming film The Love Guru.

This year, Adam Sandler receives the MTV Generation Award being honored as a comic legend. Is he really that old already?

The difference between the MTV awards and other ceremonies isn’t just the cool people who show up, or the younger audience. They have categories like Best Kiss and Best Fight that we’d never see on other more grown up awards. I have a love/hate relationship with these ceremonies. I love looking at the celebs walking the red carpet like a runway, waving to the fans and being caught off cue by reporters. I hate the fact that there are a bazillion awards shows now so if you miss one there is probably another one on next week. How much recognition do these people need?

The MTV Movie Awards has some outrageous moments on the red carpet, on stage and off. I like the movie parodies they come up with like this one starring The Partridge Family cast doing a spoof on Speed. Remember that one from 1994 starring Keanu Reeves? Did you know Johnny Depp turned that roll down? Maybe that’s just a rumor too.

Click here!

I decided to look into Carl’s Jr. and the Famous Star logo; you know the happy yellow one with the big smile. I was quickly reminded of the Carl’s Jr. ad debated around water coolers throughout the nation when Paris Hilton soaped up a Bentley, bit into a burger and proclaimed her famous star tagline, “That’s Hot!”

I vaguely remember the Hugh Hefner campaign where Hugh explains he likes variety. This commercial also ends with a signature bite of a hamburger but instead of a line by Hugh, the announcer says, “Because some guys don’t like the same thing night after night.”

I learned there was another controversy with the Flat Buns campaign, when Carl’s Jr. introduced the “Patty Melt Sandwich” in 2007. With a parody version of Sir Mix A Lot’s Baby Got Back I’m sure you can imagine what the ad must have looked like. If not, I bet you can find it on Youtube if you search diligently. In fact, while I conducted my own search I found more than a few more Carl’s Jr. ads featuring mechanical bulls, and even a cameo by a Dr. 90210 Beverly Hills surgeon, Robert Rey.

I’ve been a bit naive and never noticed anything past the Famous Happy Star logo, and the uncomfortably full feeling I get after eating way too many French fries.

Check out this commercial parody from very serious comedic actors Dennis Hemphill and David Money:

What do you think Carl’s will cook up next for their sexiest burgers in Hollywood?

According to Wikipedia, federal agents seized over 10,000 copies of Tommy Chong’s documentary, a/k/a Tommy Chong. In a statement released to the press, Tommy Chong stated “It’s (the seizure of the DVDs) a way to punish the distributor financially. There’s no way to get the DVDs back until the investigation is over.” Chong also stated that he has no ownership in the film.

The film was the official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival. You can watch the trailer and purchase DVD’s, and other merchandise at the film’s official website.  

Take a look at Tommy Chong’s classic character, Chong, via this retro trailer to Up In Smoke. This clip is intended for an older audience due to the R movie rating. Thanks to youtube for the video.
You can purchase Up In Smoke the Special Collecter’s Edition on Amazon.com

Happy Birthday Man!

 1. In the number one spot we have War, Inc. starring and written by John Cusack. War, Inc. is in limited release so I’m driving out to the Landmark Theater in LA to see it on Sunday.
This is the kind of movie that won’t go mainstream unless they get enough viewers like you, so check out  John’s official myspace page for more detail.

2. Iron Man, yeah I know it’s been out for awhile but did I mention I’m a housewife! I’ve got a “to do list” people and it’s more than one sticky note! I can’t wait to see this movie but War, Inc. is in limited release so go check it out at The Landmark in LA or the Angelicka in NY if your closer to the East coast!
 
3. Kung Fu Panda, this one isn’t out yet but the animation looks great and who doesn’t love Jack Black? Did you see him on the Nickelodean Kids Choice awards? Celebs are quickly finding out the power of the tween demographic.
 
4. Sex and the City, opening on the 30th. This is a must see for anyone umm, my age. Where else do we get to see over 35 year old woman being sexy, besides a Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, or Madonna concert?
 
5. The Incredible Hulk at number 5. As a kid I got all choked up watching the ending of The Incredilbe Hulk starring, Bill Bixby, for those of you who don’t remember this actor take a look at these retro clips from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and The Incredible Hulk 70′s style. Ahh I’m getting teary eyed just hearing the heart wrenching theme song.

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The new movie, opening June 13th, stars Ed Norton which should make the film a bit edgier than the last one. Hopefully they’ll stay true to the Marvel Comics character and storyline. I know how much comic book lovers appreciate that.