I write and improvise at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC.
“You guys give up yet? Or are you thirsty for more?” Holiday Showdown Week: day1
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Last night, Taylor mentioned this chart from the webcomic XKCD that illustrates how most of the Christmas music we listen to on the radio is from the Baby Boomer’s childhood. Similarly, A Charlie Brown Christmas was released in 1965 (when my parents were 10 and 6 years old) became the longest running special of all time.
Watching it now, you can hear the bad audio production, see the corners cut in the animation, feel the melancholy and sarcasm typical of Charles Schulz’ work in Peanuts, and appreciate the anti-consumerist message that seems more prescient than before.
This special is far from perfect, but there is a genuine heart to Schulz’s writing that children remember for the rest of their lives. When they become parents themselves, they want to share this television program with their own children to bond and grow closer as a family. It becomes a touchstone, something they can have in common. Whether or not you are a Christian, Linus’ soliloquy about the birth of Christ is a calm, authoritative reassurance that life is a big, grand thing worth celebrating. It gives perspective in a time where we are concerned about purchasing the right things, filled with dread over possibly buying the wrong things, and developing ulcers over making sure the house is full of lights and presents and food. There is more to life than just this, and there is more to Christmas than things.
If you get a chance, read the Wikipedia article or this Top 10 List from TheFW.com chronicling the production of the special, and how it almost didn’t make it to air. CBS executives hated it, but Schulz was very insistent on the sacred message of Christmas being the focal point of the special. The amount of turmoil had convined the producers they had ruined the entire Peanuts franchise. CBS agreed to air it once, then forget about it forever.
Your art and your message is worth fighting for, because who knows how many other people feel the way you feel until you talk about it.
EASTERN BLOC INDUSTRIAL PENDANT
The former Czechoslovakia
Sleep Well Trailer
This is coming soon!
Directed by Morgan Evans
Cool. Very excited for Bluvband and everyone involved.
Actual Children’s Answers to The Question “What Is Love?”
“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” - Chrissy, age 6
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” - Terri, age 4
“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” - Danny, age 7
“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.” - Emily, age 8“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” - Bobby, age 7
“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” - Nikka, age 6
“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” - Noelle, age 7
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” - Tommy, age 6
“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” - Cindy, age 8
“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” - Clare, age 6
“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” - Elaine, age 5
“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.” - Chris, age 7
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” - Mary Ann, age 4
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” - Lauren, age 4
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” - Rebecca, age 8
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” - Karen, age 7
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” - Jessica, age 8
omg dying
Ah geez. These killed me.
(Source: harlemink)
