Of previews and blogathons

Last time on the blog, I highlighted a few of the movies that I was able to watch during a Starz/Encore preview weekend AT&T U-Verse was kind enough to offer us this past March 21-23…something that I’m sure came as a surprise to some who were no doubt thinking: “Doesn’t he ever watch anything from the 21st century?”  Well, I did some more snooping on the U-Verse Messaging Center and learned that the upcoming weekend of April 4-7 will bestow upon us an embarrassment of riches in a gratis HBO/Cinemax preview…so if I find anything there that I’ve been anxious to see, it will no doubt be the subject of a blog post coming soon.  I mentioned the free HBO/Max news to the ‘rents, and joked to Dad that he would be able to catch up on Game of Thrones via On Demand.  Stony silence followed…which I sort of expected, since I have yet to install the new Hip Parents software update.

I know I’ve been meaning to post more regularly but I’ve been working on a couple of Radio Spirits projects…and since they’re responsible for groceries on the table now and then they get to be at the head of the line.  Believe you me, no one is more anxious than I to open up some of the DVDs and Blu-rays that I’ve recently purchased because when Mom sees them lying around in an unopened state she starts singing a little ditty we call “Dem Ol’ eBay Blues.”  (I shudder to think of the consequences.)

The Classic Movie Blog Association—or as we informally refer to it, the CMBA—has the first of two yearly blogathons scheduled for this May 22-26 (sorry about the lack of a link—they’ve only got as far as the above banner) that will spotlight Fabulous Films of the 50s.  Yours truly has already RSVP’d to official blogathon coordinator Page, so Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is going to tackle one of its all-time favorite cult films, Johnny Guitar (1954).  Son of a gun, we have big fun on the bayou.

In other blogathon news, Margaret Perry will host a tribute to four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn from May 10-12, in the appropriately titled The Great Katharine Hepburn Blogathon.  (As opposed to the Not-So-Great Katharine Hepburn Blogathon, which was such a dismal failure I’ve been asked not to talk about it.  Look, I just don’t think it was a good idea for everybody to write about Dragon Seed [1944], that’s all I’m saying.)  TDOY will be participating in this event as well (Margaret asked me, and I said yes) and have chosen my favorite Kate-Cary Grant feature, Holiday (1938) as the entry.  (I considered doing Sylvia Scarlett [1935]…but I wasn’t certain I could locate my copy, which is somewhere lurking in Entertainment Centerland.  Don’t ask me to explain this joke.)

And just this morning, I received word that The Lady Eve’s Reel Life (positively the same dame!) and They Don’t Make ‘em Like They Used To are joining forces (Patty and Patti, which amuses me because stuff like that just does) to host Power-Mad, a celebration of actor Tyrone Power on what will be his centennial birthday May 5.  TDOY has asked to be dealt in, and will discuss Nightmare Alley (1947) for the blogathon…only because I knocked over a few women and children to be the first to do so.  (I’m not proud of this…but I do love that movie.)

To the many reader who inquired as to whether or not I ever plan to get back to Panamint and wrap up Riders of Death Valley (1941)…the answer is yes; Chapter 14 will be discussed not this Saturday but the next (the plan is to watch it before the free HBO/Max weekend), and if you’re especially good and keep mum about how I let you eat ice cream in the car I’ll jump-start Doris Day(s) the following Monday.  As always…thanks for encouraging my behavior.