Deja-Viewing: Jennifer Lawrence, Zombies and the Book of Job

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Kevin Walsh

jennifer-lawrence-oscars-fall-2013

Watching Jennifer Lawrence win her deserved Oscar last Sunday night–and better yet, seeing her respond so humanly to tripping on her crazy dress heading up the slippery stairs, I felt that she was someone that would be pretty great to know.  While she accepted her award, I suddenly flashed-back to another favorite of mine who won in 1989, Geena Davis, for The Accidental Tourist.  She too played a quirky, pushy character who knocks a self-pitying guy out of his funk.  In both cases, you’re siding with her over the guy, yelling at the screen for him, to quote Moonstruck, “Snap out … Read More… →

Harper High

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Robert Phillips

obama in chi (1)

For the past two weeks, “This American Life” presented stories revolving around Harper High School in Chicago. Last year, 29 kids attending Harper were shot, 8 died. 29 shot, 8 died. We all remember vividly Newtown, Ct, the Aurora theatre murders, even Columbine so many years ago. Harper represents a more gradual mass murder, and one that deserves more attention that it will likely get. Honor student Hadiyah Pendleton made news by being gunned down a few weeks after the presidential inauguration she attended. But the news died down.  I suspect no one will hear about Harper after TAL moves on … Read More… →

Oscar Rubber-Necking: Some Favorite Head-Shakers (with New Podcast)

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Kevin Walsh

GuySmiley_RedCarpet

We ran this post last year, but it still holds true today–unfortunately.  Take a listen to a 2014 Podcast with Oscar expert and contributor, Sheri Horwitz.

[powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/mymediadiary/MyMediaDiary_Oscars_Predictions_with_Sheri_Horwitz_Feb26_2014.mp3″ length=”10220734″ type=”audio/mpeg” /]

It’s like a family reunion, where the drunk uncle always shows up and upsets everyone’s big plans.  You all look forward to the event, then drive home wondering what happened.  

And somehow, you can’t imagine having a reunion without that drunk uncle. Here’s my list of favorite Oscar night annoyances.

1. Red Carpet Silly Questions:  Beyond the usual “Who are you wearing?” this slow train-wreck involving screaming bleachers and limousines moving at 3 miles per week is spear-headed by pretty people who seem so … Read More… →

My Fading Accent

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Robert Phillips

0

This December, a week before Christmas vacation, I flew to Philly alone. As often happens during my trips north, I thought of my friend “The Kid,” Chris Poulos. I had been out of touch with The Kid. There was no falling out; we drifted apart as people do when they grow families, when they move, when their lives get more and more complicated. Every time I went home to Philly, I would always think of him. My family was big and spread out all over the region, and all the family visits demanded all our time. I would never get a … Read More… →

The Netflix Workout

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Kevin Walsh

NFlixWorkout

It’s like a dream-come-true.  For $7.99 per month I can catch up on the 47 TV series I’ve missed and “not-ready-for-HBO” movies–the films that didn’t make a ton of money but they’re what I might have seen at the theater at a matinee or if someone else offered to pay.

I was a typical Netflix customer when it arrived on the scene.  I was too lazy to get in the car to drive to Blockbuster so I’d order a DVD, wait three days for it to arrive and then promptly set the little white sleeve on my TV for two or three weeks, hoping to get … Read More… →

Building a Mansion to Last Forever–or at least 8 years

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Kevin Walsh

This oddball-house that was torn down forty years ago keeps popping up–two years ago in a box of china and yesterday in an e-mail.

Henry Eastwood House in Ottawa

The certain things in life that Benjamin Franklin mentions, death and taxes, can also include another item–that certainty is anything but certain.  

In 1923 my great-grandfather Henry Kelly moved his law firm and large family to Detroit from Ottawa, Illinois where his Irish immigrant grandfather James had settled after helping build the Erie and Illinois canal systems as a mason.  

James had left Ireland with a conviction that he … Read More… →

Hold On To Your Friends

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Robert Phillips

Listening to one the more haunting melodies from Morrissey’s solo career, “Hold On To Your Friends,” my thoughts of course turned to Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. (Does listening to Morrissey ever fail to make you think about Brooks and Reiner?) Morrissey gives good advice, but anyone who knows me will know how ironic it is that I would offer such advice. To imagine me with strangers, think of your dog when the mailman arrives. I listened to separate interviews with the two comedy legends this past week, and they gave me a vivid sense of what I may be missing.

imageRead More… →

Oscar Shorts: Worth the Trip to See “Asad”

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Kevin Walsh

Asad

See the trailer or click on the link below.

http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/4/title/tt2136747/#lb-vi2136908569

It was always enough of a challenge for me to see the five nominated films for Best Picture.  The Oscars like their films all delivered around Christmas and just dribbling out into theatres slowly  until the nominations then hoping for the big bump in attendance once the nominees are announced.  Now there are 9-10 nominees, depending on their initial votes, so it makes it that much harder to catch them all before the end of February.  (The show used to be at the end of March, but the Golden Globes, … Read More… →

“Saturday Night at the Movies” at the Walsh house on Ward

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Joe Maguire

cone_title

When I was about 13, I lived with my Mom by the University of Detroit across the street from the basketball arena. Back in those days I was the babysitter of choice for Ann and Jim.  I used to give babysitting gift certificates for Christmas.  Apart  from that I was paid the going rate.  The truth is, I would have done it for nothing as I always loved interacting with Jim and Ann and the kids.  Jim would pick me up and I would grab Kilroy my cat and we would drive over to Ward St.  On the way we would stop by Doyle’s liquor Store.  Jim would get … Read More… →

Ever Want to Knock on Your Old House Door?

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Kevin Walsh

IMG_0163

I love this picture.   It was taken in 1966 in the basement of my parents’ home on Ward in Detroit.  It almost looks like a Norman Rockwell painting, the way my Uncle Bill is leaning back with the cue, my Uncle John is supervising in his vest, and my Uncle Joe is taking the shot with cousin Matt advising.  My dad is holding me and even my grandpa is watching from the booth.

It’s a perfect image of this nostalgic time that I can’t even truly remember.  We moved from the house in 1970 and those pre-6-year-old memories … Read More… →

WTF Podcast: Comedians Risking “Not-Funny”

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Robert Phillips

WTF

http://www.wtfpod.com/

At the risk of plugging a particular product, my iph–uh, my cellular phone is everything now. When I drive to and from work, which takes 1-1.5 hours out of my day, it navigates, it accesses IMDB for surfing during red lights, it gives me text messages from my wife about our need for milk (Kids, Don’t text and drive!), it plays any song or album I can think of whenever I want, and most often, it plays the podcasts I want to hear. Every Monday and Thursday, it plays the latest WTF, with Marc Maron, … Read More… →

Brother-Sister Relationships: Solid as a Bungee Cord

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Kevin Walsh

JeffersonMemorial

My daughter’s first sentence, “Aidan pushed me!” can accurately sum up most sibling relationships in the ebbs and flows of a life.   As a family historian and generally nosey individual, it’s been interesting to watch them grow apart, together, apart and together again–even before they’re out of high school.

The default setting of a new family member is encouraging–a two year old’s inquisitive look in the hospital and sloppy kiss.  Then the parents go through stages of trust and fear as the toddler gets close–but not too close to the baby.

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Downton Abbey: Bringing Characters to Life–and Death

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Kevin Walsh

[No Spoilers Below for those DVR and Netflix viewers]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, reportedly sick of his Sherlock Holmes, killed him off only to have to resuscitate him years later from his waterfall drop with Professor Moriarty.  The public outcry at their favorite character’s death was so severe (and the author’s writing in other areas not so popular) that the detective did, in fact, return.

Sunday night, millions of Americans had to suffer the terrible death of a fan-favorite on PBS’s Downton Abbey that the British already experienced a few months ago.  The next morning, people admitted to crying and going through the same stages we all go through in real life.

I’m always amazed by the gift of good writing that can not only … Read More… →

When Bad Quality Meant Good Times: Drive-In Speakers

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Kevin Walsh

photo

We took the kids on a trip to the Detroit Historical Museum today.  After its amazing renovation, there’s even free admission for a full year.  Well worth the trip and a great place to bring visitors to the Motor City.

On the floor dedicated to the “Mo” part of Motown, near the Cadillac assembly line demo and some great old photos of Woodward avenue during its cruising days of the 50’s and 60’s, I spotted an ugly old sight that warmed my heart–the drive-in speakers.  You know, the ones you might find accidentally tagging along with you at 2 … Read More… →

Hi-Tech Meets Low-IQ: The Lions’ Titus Young, Sr.

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Kevin Walsh

http://www.freep.com/article/20130125/SPORTS01/130125018/detroit-lions-titus-young-twitter?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

‘If y’all going to cut me let me go’ (Detroit Free Press, 1/25/13)

titus

We’ve all wanted to have the last word.  We’ve all bit our tongues, taken deep breaths and counted to ten.  It’s one of the more taxing aspects of parenting–training your kid to self-edit.  During one of my less-patient moments, I believe I said:  

“No one really cares what you have to say at this moment.”

The Detrot Lions have a knack for looking over that giant draft board in April and landing the perfect candidate year after year.  With every Calvin Johnson along comes his polar … Read More… →

Compulsive Sing-Alongs: What’s Yours?

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Kevin Walsh

redbone

It was the last day of high school exams and I was in charge of the playlist. My class ran the morning announcements and also was given permission to play music on the PA during the passing-time between the first two classes and right after school.

The daily one-song DJ for 2,000 students became a popular job and students would often sign-up days in advance. The songs needed to be G-rated, and most of the times they were. Once a wrong lyric slipped through my radar and the phone rang within 5 seconds of the violation and I needed to issue a general e-mail apology to the building.

Successful songs included … Read More… →

Philanthropic Trash Day

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Kevin Walsh

snowblower

It should be gone in an hour or so.

Our neighborhood has three pickups on Wednesdays, two of them are legitimate. Prior to the recycling and the trash, you’ll see a few beat-up pickups slowly trolling the streets looking for valuables–either for resale or scrap. Everyone knows this, so the more caring donors will put their items out in the daylight the day before trash-day, giving the collectors ample time (and warmth on a 4 degree day in Michigan like today).

My donation this morning was a 1979 Craftsman snow blower I purchased with my paper route money after … Read More… →

Beware of Grandpas Bearing Reptiles

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Kevin Walsh

Abby_GrandpaKnox_web

Abby’s upstairs studying for her sophomore year mid-term exams right now but it seems like I just took this picture on a trip to visit Patrice’s parents at their winter home in Arizona.

It completely captures both of these kind souls, Bob having fun with a toy snake bringing himself down to his two-year old grandchild’s level while Abby’s sense of fun and permanent smile completely loves her grandpa–even if he is carrying a snake.

You take for granted the walks, laughs and card games you have with parents and grandparents. It seems such a constant that it’s hard … Read More… →

Ann and Jim’s Wedding

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Kevin Walsh

My parents were married at Precious Blood parish in Detroit on June 22, 1963. For years, on their anniversary, we’d haul out the 8mm projector and watch the film, hoping that the burning bulb wouldn’t choose that moment to set the precious footage in flame.

We’d gather in the dining room and were unable to stop the film due to the dangerous bulb. Instead, we’d crouch near the screen and point out blurry faces quickly–many of them passed.

With the advent of video I was thrilled to move the footage to VHS, then to DVD and finally to YouTube. The fear of the bulb was gone and now you can just hit “pause” or even use a screen-shot to make a quick photo like below.

… Read More… →

Nuisance Becomes Nostalgia

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Kevin Walsh

Dude Prints

When you’re painting an entire living room while attempting to also live in that space things can get a little messy. I’d ignored that little voice in my head that I’ve been ignoring for so many years that told me to cover the paint tray. I wasn’t going to be painting the second coat of blue on the wall for at least two hours. Instead, I just pulled the tarp over the tray and forgot about it.

There are certain genetic traits that cats have that draws them to paper bags and … Read More… →