During my internet travels this week I found an article at starcostumes.com called “The 12 Greatest Costumed Rock Bands Ever”.

Click here to check it out.

I have to admit I don’t know most of the bands listed except the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper and KISS.

What costumed bands do I know besides the ones above? Check out this 5 on Friday and find out!

5 Bands in Costume

1. Let’s a “Go-Go” to this Hulla Baloo dance party with Paul Revere & the Raiders! Anyone know who the cute guy is that introduces them? I do.

Visit Paul Revere & the Raiders to see them still rocking in costume http://www.paulrevereraiders.com

2. Move over Paul Revere & the Raiders because Adam & the Ants are riding through. Stand & deliver artsy fashion, also known as cool costumes.

Adam Ant still delivers his New Romantic style, check him out at http://www.adam-ant.net

3. Uno, dos, tres, quatro…Wooly Bully time with Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Watch it now!

Find out what Sam the Sham is up to, visit http://www.samthesham.com

4. Cher! Okay so Cher is a singer and not really a band but it’s my site and I can post what I want to.

See what Cher is wearing these days… http://www.cher.com

5. Need an idea for a costume? Look no further than The Village People. They’re like a costume catalog on stage.

Click here to watch everyone’s favorite group dance song, YMCA.

Wow, 35 years of The Village People on their official site! Visit http://www.officialvillagepeople.com today!

I was at Henry’s Marketplace the other day, shopping for protein powders and healthier junk food. They always have a fun music list playing in the store and this time it was a whole lotta Rockabilly. I was practically dancing in the aisles. This got me thinking that I haven’t been listening to Rockabilly music lately.

I’ve always had a thing for 50’s and 60’s music. I have a thing for most music in general no matter the decade but my favorite activity when I was a kiddo, besides reading & watching TV, was blasting my mom’s 45’s in my room. She didn’t have every rockabilly record but she had enough to get me interested. By the time the Stray Cats strutted their way on the radio in the 1980’s, I was amped with rockabilly excitement.

“The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock (from rock ‘n’ roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style’s development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. While there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern United States.”—Wikipedia

So I’ve been rockin rockabilly style again, seems like a perfect reason for an HIH Five on Friday post.

Here are 5 of my Fave Rockabilly Tunes:

Eddie Cochran— C’mon Everybody

Bill Haley—Rock Around the Clock

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps— Be-Bop-a-Lula

Elvis Presley—That’s All Right Mama

Stray Cats—Stray Cat Strut

What are your favorite Rockabilly tunes?

Check out the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, click here.

If you grew up in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s then you know Gumby. A little green slab of clay that turned into a pretty cool dude, he could jump into books, shape shift and do a lot of fun things. He also had a good heart and kind nature. It’s no wonder why I loved tuning in to see what he and his friends were up to.

There’s a lot of fun trivia to be found about Gumby via cyberspace. Did you know they tested audition reaction by showing Gumby for the first time on the Howdy Doody Show? Did you know that Art Clokey created Gumby just after finishing film school? I bet you knew that Art Clokey also created another one of my favorite TV shows, Davey & Goliath.

Click here to watch Art Clokey’s first stop motion clay animation, Gumbasia.

In honor of what would have been Art Clokey’s 90th birthday, Oct. 12, 2011, Google created a Google Doodle in the style of his Claymation characters.

Visit the official Gumby World site for all things Gumby & friends. http://www.gumbyworld.com

Are you a Gumby fan?

Not that I need to be online anymore than I already am, but I tripped over a cool site the other day called pinterest.com .

It got me thinking about my denim vest in the 80’s all loaded up with fun pins, a.k.a. buttons. You remember those don’t you?

I had so many pinned to my vest, showcasing everything I was interested in. From Prince, to Prince and the Revolution, to Purple Rain, alright so maybe I didn’t have a diverse bunch of buttons but I had a lot of them. It was fun wearing my interests for the world to see, or at least my closest circle of friends.

These days, pins are making a comeback. Walk into a Hot Topic store and you’ll see what I mean. Here’s a few on my daughter’s denim vest.

If you stop by pinterest.com you’ll see something very similar in the form of images. You can create “boards” and add “pins” to them. You can pin images via links or upload from your computer. Here are a few of mine.

In my “MUSIC” category:

In my “DECADES” category:

None via Suzanne on Pinterest

Books:

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Fashion: I call it What I Wear:

Source: hottopic.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Sharing is easy with an automatic post to Facebook and you can embed code like I did above.

The fun thing about pinterest.com is you can see what other people are interested in and then re-pin them yourself. The interests that is, not the people.
Are you pinning & re-pinning at pinterest.com? Follow me htpp://pinterest.com/suzannehih

Leave your pinterest url so we can follow you!

I’ll be day trippin’ tomorrow with the kiddo and her friend at Disneyland. The idea has me strolling down Main Street’s past with some retro videos. Like many Disneyland fans, I miss the discontinued rides and attractions. Here’s a few I miss the most:

Country Bear Jamboree:

Sadly, the one and only original Country Bear Jamboree, isn’t at Disneyland anymore. Luckily we can still experience the attraction at Disney World & Tokyo Disney. At the Disneyland Park, the Winnie the Pooh ride took over the spot that was home to Henry, The Five Bear Rugs, Teddy Beara, Gomer, Big Al and the rest of the bear bunch.

“Give me a little intro there Gomer!”

America Sings

I loved music when I was a kid, I still do, so it made sense that I always rushed into the rotating seating section of America Sings. Talk about American patriotism, I felt like standing at a salute the entire show while Sam the Eagle and other animal cast members sang tunes through America’s history. Of course standing wasn’t the best idea in The Carousel Theater. The theater literally went round and round like a carousel.
After America Sings closed in 1988, much of the cast made their way to Splash Mountain. You can check out some of the images and find out more about America Sings, click here.

Sing it Sam! Clap with us!

Adventure Thru Inner Space

Have you ever been “miniaturized” to the size of a snowflake with electrons spinning all around you? I have while on the Adventure Thru Inner Space ride. This attraction was sponsored by Monsanto. Yes, Monsanto, a name we see in various debates these days.

I found this animated simulation on YouTube. Take a ride!

Adventure Thru Inner Space opened in Disneyland in 1967 as part of the New Tomorrowland project. It occupied the space that previously housed the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walk-through and the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry. It closed in 1986. The space is now occupied by Star Tours.—yesterland.com

What Disneyland attraction of yesteryear do you miss?

Visit yesterland.com for lots of great information and images about discontinued Disneyland rides and attractions.

Sometimes it takes a little something to shove me back into internet action. Watching these videos from The Avalanches did just that.

http://www.theavalanches.com

Here at the Housewife in Hollywood household we do “homeschool”. Homeschool is not for everyone but it works for us.

Since embarking on our homeschool adventure years ago, one thing I’ve learned is that I don’t think of myself as a teacher. I am a facilitator, guidance counselor, driver, cafeteria worker… it’s a long list that can be summed up with one word…MOM.

Like most parents I do my fair share of teaching but I don’t like to be called a teacher. I believe the role of teacher is reserved for those that are either experts in their field or teach to the masses.

As a homeschool parent my role is to be sure my kiddo gets a great education. Sometimes I teach a thing or two, but most of the time I set the stage for active learning. So let’s add set designer into the mix. I design goals and set the stage so the kiddo can shine. I find classes, activities, books, online curriculum, TV shows, movies, other resources and then we use them.

We are all students and teachers in this curious world of ours but I like to leave the designated title of Teacher to the professionals.

Let’s watch Disney’s classroom spoof starring none other than their number one Goof:

Are there any teachers or homeschool parents in the HIH classroom today?

Written by HIH Houseguest Lizzy Cline

Tim Burton’s name is synonymous with words like genius, dark, quirky, strange, eccentric and yes even to some scary. But none can deny his influence on pop culture and film today. His persona can be a bit intimidating, but unlike the stereotype some may have, I found him to be fun and cheerful and a glimmer in his eye of mischief.

His most recent inspiration is in the form of art at the LACMA museum in Los Angeles. This exhibit is full of past works from Burton himself and spans his whole career. Tim was on hand for the opening and to meet and greet a few hundred lucky fans who stood in line for hours just to gain a signature and a copy of his book, The Art of Tim Burton. The day after the opening he was off to continue his work in England on the new film Dark Shadows with of course his partner in crime, Mr. Johnny Depp and his most beautiful wife Helena Bonham Carter. There wasn’t much time for a lot of questions but any time this icon can spare is precious to be sure…

Lizzy Cline: Do you feel a bit like your work is coming full circle with this exhibit?

Tim Burton: To be sure a long way from Cal Arts. The exhibit if full of work that spans a long period of time.

Lizzy Cline: What does this exhibit mean to you personally? What do you hope people gain from experiencing it?

Tim Burton: The curators found a lot of stuff I had forgotten about (and some I don’t remember at all). It was an unsettling trip down memory lane, but ultimately a good way to reflect and in some ways reinvigorate. I’m not sure what others will gain. Hopefully they won’t run screaming.

Lizzy Cline: Could you say one thing you feel is important for the young people (children) that look up to you and your art?

Tim Burton: When I was younger, people like Vincent Price helped keep me alive. He was an outlet, being able to watch him express in dramatic fashion so many of the feelings that kids have, that were shunned as abnormal in 60’s suburbia. If my art can act as that to people of current generations, a way to connect to an outlet lacking in society, then I’m glad.

Lizzy Cline: Do you find yourself feeling more as an artist at times? Maybe from your Disney roots?

Tim Burton: Well sometimes I just want to draw. It’s kind of a mind expanding thing for me.

Lizzy Cline: Do you feel your inspiration for characters have changed since becoming a father?

Tim Burton: I don’t feel like it’s changed anything, though I may end up seeing some stuff I normally wouldn’t watch. I still pursue the projects I can connect with and that present a challenge.

Lizzy Cline: You are working right now on the Dark Shadows film with Johnny. Can you talk about meeting him? Your friendship?

Tim Burton: I had an immediate connection with him. I didn’t know him. I had never watched him before. He just felt right for “Edward Scissorhands.” Now we’re friends and also colleagues. There’s a good sort of non-communicative communication, you know. Like our own language, an understanding. More of a psychic kind of connection.

Lizzy Cline: Dark Shadows can be viewed as an American cult piece; can you give us a peek inside your thoughts as the creative process takes place? How will you approach this piece?

Tim Burton: It’s a real ethereal tone we’re trying to go for and I don’t know yet how it’s going to go, it’s so early yet. We are still trying to get the feel, vibe for it. Every piece has its own feel. We’ve barely started, so your guess is as good as mine.

Lizzy Cline: You aren’t doing this film in 3D is there a reasoning behind that?

Tim Burton: Well I loved doing Alice in 3D, the experience was just great, but I don’t think every film should rely on a certain base. There just doesn’t seem to be a place for 3D in this piece. With film your whole energy is based on your passion for doing something. I’ve found it’s important to stay with the original feeling you have for a project.

Lizzy Cline: Many people have said you have found your comfort zone working with Johnny, what can you say about that? More projects to come?

Tim Burton: Well you know it’s not just a comfort thing, I think as the work allows you go with who and what you know. He gets me and he is passionate about a lot of the same ideas I am. Yes, there’s a connection there, but a lot of directors work with the same actors over and over again. If it works so be it.

The Burton Art exhibit will be in LA through the fall month of October. All kids get in free!

Dark Shadows is set to release this winter in the US Starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins and Helena Bonham Carter as Julia Hoffman. His newest 3D project Freankeweenie will be premiered at the D23 Expo August 19-21.

For more information on his exhibit or to order one of his books visit the LACMA site, http://shop.lacma.org

Many thanks to Miranda Carroll at LACMA.
Pictures from Richard Maldonado.

My two favorite rides at Disneyland have always been Pirates of the Caribbean & the Haunted Mansion. When I was just a little kiddo I was afraid of those grim, grinning ghosts but once I realized they came out to socialize I felt much better. Have you been on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland?

Let’s watch Walt Disney and his Imagineering Department tell us about it.

Thanks to doombuggies.com I found out Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride celebrated their birthday on August 9th. I was born in 1970 and the Haunted Mansion ride opened in 1969.

Let’s  honor the hauntingly happy ride with some Haunted Mansion music.

If you’re a foolish mortal like me then you need to visit doombuggies.com for all things Haunted Mansion.

Don’t we all love Lucy?

Lucille Ball (August 6, 1911-April 26, 1989)

Visit the Lucy Desi Center site for all things Lucy! http://www.lucy-desi.com/