20080929

RETRO COMMERCIALS MONDAY - Rare Paul Newman Japanese Commercial



Like most "A-List" actors, Paul Newman did very few commercials in the U.S., but - like many other big name actors - he did do a few commercials overseas. This is a Japanese commercial for Maxwell House that's really kind of cute! You know, I wouldn't have minded having Mr. Newman hand me a cup of coffee - or a cup of dishwater for that matter!

Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!

20080927

IN MEMORY OF PAUL NEWMAN

It is the end of an era in films. Paul Newman, the man with the piercing blue eyes, passed away early this morning after a long battle with cancer at age 83. He was surrounded by family, friends and the loving thoughts of millions of fans around the world.

For me Paul Newman was an icon. I grew up watching his films and being mesmerized by those blue eyes. Those eyes that we were all so in love with were, in fact, color blind. This kept Mr. Newman from becoming a pilot in the Naval Air Corp.

I think my favorite film of his was Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid but, frankly, it's pretty hard to choose a favorite film from an actor with his range and talent. I also loved him as Fast Eddie and I'll never forget him in Cool Hand Luke, who would?

He once said that he never read his reviews,
"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks,"
He was an actor, a race car enthusiast and driver and, according to those who knew him best, a great practical joke advocate. He once had a Porsche wrapped up in ribbons and parked in Robert Redford's hallway. According to one story I read he was (allegedly) was expelled for crashing a keg of beer into the president's car at Ohio University.

He was also a great humanitarian. He created Newman's Own, a food product company dedicated to natural ingredients where all the profits are donated to charity. Yes, All The Profits!

The only bottled dressings I buy are Newman's Own because they are absolutely the best and because, as the website says, it's "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good". Now, that is the best corporate slogan I've ever heard! Truth in advertising - add that to Mr. Newman's best qualities!

He loved beer, fast cars, making movies, good jokes and we loved him.

Read more about Mr. Paul Leonard Newman, his life and his career:

Paul Newman at IMDB

Paul Newman on Wikipedia

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83


Paul Newman, Star of `The Color of Money,' `Hud,' Dead at 83

Paul Newman, movie and racing icon, dead at 83

Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!

20080926

OLD SCHOOL FRIDAYS - Karaoke?? Ok, Have a laugh at PopArtDiva singing Retro Karaoke!

Today's Old School Friday Music is Karaoke. So I thought I'd share some karaoke I've done on MySpace for fun.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a singer, I am an artist so with that in mind have a laugh on me and enjoy (if possible with me singing!) some retro music!

My Rendition of Patsy Cline's CRAZY:


My Recording of the Theme from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND:


Hahahahahaha, hope you had a giggle!!!

Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!

20080924

Thursday Thirteen #8 - Thirteen things I liked about school

  1. New School Clothes for the start of each school year - always included 7 new pair of undies which I could have cared less about.
  2. A Brand New Box of Crayolas, also for the start of school. Oh I loved my crayons - the big box of 64 especially.
  3. A Brand New Set of Prang Watercolors, again at the start of the school year. The beginning of my life long obsession with art.
  4. School Paste (Yes, I ate paste once on a dare - it tasted good! No, I did not get sick but I never did it again!)
  5. Holiday Craft Projects - I was a whiz at crappy clay ashtrays and macaroni scultpure!
  6. A Few Teachers - but not my kindergarten teacher!
  7. Being on the Crossing Guard Patrol - absolute power corrupts absolutely.
  8. Thanksgiving Vacation - Food
  9. Christmas Vacation - Food and presents!
  10. Easter Vacation (What they call Spring Break now) - More food and chocolate bunny ears!
  11. Recess
  12. The Three O'Clock Bell!
  13. Summer Vacation!
And just to provide a good balance - here are a few of the things I hated about school:

Valentine's Day (the stress over possibly not getting any Valentine's at all was fierce!), the boredom, gym class, the Principal's Office, Dodge Ball (what evil villain ever thought that was character building?), clicques, bullies, having to eat my lunch alone in an empty school room when every other kid went home for their P,B & Js.

--------------------------------
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


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I REMEMBER WHEN - The Baby Boom Generation Grows Up

Some time ago I created a video for my PopArtDiva YouTube page entitled "The Baby Boom Generation Grows Up- Part One". It was a compilation of the things from my childhood that had a great impact on my life, from pop culture icons to the heroes of my youth. I thought I'd post that today to take you down Memory Lane with me.

How many of these things do you remember?



I created this video by animating some of my own Pop Culture Art from PopArtDiva.com:

The Fifties - Sock Hop, Be Bop
The Sixties - Peace Out, Love In
The Seventies - Funkadelic Boogie

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20080923

DID I WEAR THAT? Platform Shoes, Five Inch Heels, Pointy Toes = Sore Feet!

I spent nearly 30 years putting my feet into torture devices! I am woman, hear me roar - in pain!

Yes, starting at the tender age of 15, foot fashion became an obsession with me and I left the world of Keds and bare feet to enter the "Dark Shoe Ages" of high heels, stilettos, platforms and triangle toes.

Pssst! Don't tell anyone but this obsession really started when I was about 8 and I got my first Barbie doll. Do you remember the little black sling backs that came with those Barbies? Well, around the same time some company got the bright idea that little girls might like to have their own pair of Barbie style shoes and marketed a line of little plastic sling back toy shoes. I whined enough and got a pair for my next birthday. I then spent the next year or so proudly clomping around the neighborhood - falling around the neighborhood would be a better description! My first pair of high heels! I was officially a Shoe Diva!

My obsession with shoes was monumental. My motto was:

"There's no such thing as Too Many Shoes!!!" and I spent most of my adult life on a quest to own every possible type of shoe in every possible color from every top designer. I had pumps, spectators, espadrilles, sling backs, high heels, stilettos and, yes, I even had a pair of high heeled sneakers! I could retire on the amount of money I spent on shoes, and this was in the days before Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos! Those two designers would have put my shoe budget in the same catagory as the National Debt!

Do you remember that Barbies foot was permanently frozen into a painful arch to match those shoes? Yeah, after 30 years my foot ended up in the same situation! The first thing I would do at the end of a day of wearing most of these shoes was walk in the door, sit down, take my shoes off and rub my feet for half an hour. But this did not stop me from buying more and wearing them ten hours a day - oh no!

Want to know how bad my obsession was? I had purchased a pair of gorgeous, turquoise suede high heels for my 10th high school reunion. Oh, these shoes were bee-you-ti-ful! Soft, supple, made me tall and the color matched my hand painted jacket perfectly! Then a week before the reunion I tripped over a parking block and bone bruised my big toe on my right foot. I was told to elevate my foot and not wear shoes at all - Excuse me? Not wear those shoes? Guess what I did? I wore those shoes, you betcha!
I am somewhat older, wiser - and in possession of a big fat toe - now. I no longer buy shoes that cost a fortune to own and can create a fortune in doctor's bills. I am not as fashion obsessed as I used to be, and I have a wardrobe of more practical shoes now. But don't think I don't have those in every color and design too!

Today, tucked away in my closet, nestled in a box, are a few of my most favorite shoes from those years and every once in a while my obsession overtakes me. I dig that box out and spend a few moments with those gorgeous torture devices of yesteryear. Once a Shoe Diva, always a Shoe Diva.

20080922

RETRO COMMERCIALS MONDAY & Congrats to TOMMY SMOTHERS!

Yes, it's Retro Commercials Monday again but I just had to say how happy I was to see Tommy Smothers get an Emmy for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 40 years after the fact! Congratulations and it's about time! This was a big win for all Smo Bro (Smothers Brothers) fans!

Okay, and now a word from our sponsors! This video is fun because it has clips from multiple commercials that have some great legends of television - all selling something. Keep an eye out for William Bendix, Rod Serling, Roy Rogers, Morley Safer, Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and others:



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20080919

OLD SCHOOL FRIDAYS - Road Trip Songs, Route 66 Here I come!

To me a Road Trip always brings to mind the car trips my family took when I was a kid. We would pack our bags, load our road snacks (and the dreaded Folgers Can) and pile into our '55 Chevy and head out for the "open road" on our summer vacation to visit relatives or see the nation and get educated.

One of the most memorable car trips for me was our drive from Kansas to California in 1963. My father had been transferred and we were moving to California! My folks decided that the cross-country drive would be a nice vacation and a great way to see the country. I believe they may have regretted that decision afterwards because my brother - hereinafter referred to as Butthead - and I sang "California Here I Come" almost the whole trip. I think my parents wanted to kill us or at least tape our mouths shut. We were annoying little travelers, but we saw the country!

We took the famous "Mother Road", Route 66, for much of the journey as part of our trip. We stayed at motels that are now a part of history, ate at diners that were part of Americana and saw the fading glory of what had been, and still is, the most famous road in America. Roadside attractions beckoned and we stopped at them all. We saw the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon and we bought obligatory souvenirs to mark the memories. Butthead always wanted something that would shoot or make noise, the better to bug me with during the rest of the trip.

What made this trip infinitely more "cool" for Butthead and myself was one of our favorite television shows during this time (1960 - 1964) was "Route 66". Butthead and I pretended we were Buz and Todd - we were in our Chevy (not the red Corvette but it was a Chevy!) gettin' our kicks on Route 66! When we weren't singing "California Here I Come" we were singing or humming the theme from the "Route 66" TV series. My poor, poor parents.

Here for you are some singers infinitely more pleasant to listen to performing the "Route 66" Theme:





Buz and Tod in their Red Corvette:



Here's the theme music I remember from Nelson Riddle and some of the sights I saw along the famous Mother Road:




1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participantsIf you want to join in on the fun, click here.

20080918

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - 13 of My Favorite Appetizer Recipes!

This week I'm giving you links to recipes for some of my favorite "Tiny Foods" (what I call appetizers and finger food). Many of these are based on the comfort foods of my youth, especially the Pigs in a Blanket, the Chex Mix and the Blue Cheese Dip which was my Dad's recipe!

Most of these posts from my Diva of Tiny Foods blog include a free recipe card for you to download and keep for your recipe files too!

I'm hungry so I was inspired to post about food! Let me know what you think about the recipes!

Stuffed Olived To Die For

Parmesan Bites

Pigs In A Blanket

Crunchy BBQ Chicken Pizza

Grilled Chocolate Sandwich

Confetti Ham & Cheese Roll Ups

Traditional Chex Mix

Blue Cheese Dip

My Favorite Crab Salad

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Shrimp Rumaki

Black Bean Salsa

Honey Glazed Chicken Wings

Curried Chicken Tea Sandwiches

--------------------------------
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


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20080916

DID I WEAR THAT? The Big Look and Big Shoulder Pads of the Eighties

The image above is from my upcoming "Comic Graphic Novel" about growing up as a baby boomer! See I do cartoons too!

Was it just me or did the eighties seem to have the word "big" stamped all over them? Big sunglasses, big jewelry, big money, big credit card debt, big crimped hair and especially big shoulders!

Every suit jacket and blouse came with shoulder pads built in. We owned several sets of foam rubber shoulder pads too - just in case the shoulder pads weren't big enough! If you looked down the street during the era of the Dynasty soap opera years you saw clones of Joan Collins and Linda Evans by the truck loads! If you were getting a view of the backside these clones looked like football players in drag, those big shoulders of fashion rivaled the shoulder pads worn by any quarterback of the day!

I was just as big an offender as anyone else when it came to the "big" look. Not only did I wear big jewelry in the eighties, I designed it! I developed and sold a line of paper jewelry throughout the U.S. and even internationally, adding to the epidemic. Mea Culpa, but it was very profitable. I loved the big hats too, hats are still a weakness of mine. I'm also ashamed to admit I crimped my hair!

My biggest offense, however, was the big shoulder. I would actually add foam pads to the ones sewn into my blouses and jackets. In my defense, it wasn't all a fashion choice, I have really sloping shoulders and shoulder purses were the bane of my existence until the advent of shoulder pads. I was always pulling my purse strap back over my shoulder and I've spent most of my life holding a purse strap in place. When shoulder pads came into fashion I experienced a sense of freedom and relief that is only rivaled by taking off five inch heels at the end of a long day!

The other thing I liked about shoulder pads was the fact they made my shoulders bigger than my hips! For once my hips and butt were not the widest part of my body! I was shameless with shoulder pads, I even put should pads into my tee shirts. I would have stuck them in pajamas too, if I thought anyone would have seen me in pajamas!

I guess you could have called me the Linebacker of Fashion Big in the eighties. Bring 'em back, bring 'em back! Sis Boom Bah. Shoulder Pads, Shoulder Pads, Rah, Rah, Rah!

FIND REALLY COOL RETRO ART OF THE FIFTIES, SIXTIES, SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES AT POP ART DIVA.COM!

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20080915

RETRO COMMERCIALS MONDAY - The Home Perm of Yesteryear, Disaster Waiting To Happen?


"Home Perm" is a term that gives me the shivers to this day. You see, my home perm experiences were not fun or successful!

I experienced home permanents at two separate times in my life; first my mother gave me several perms when I was under the age of ten and then I tortured myself with them in the seventies when "afros" were in style.

The perms from those days were tricky, smelly, drippy and as unpleasant as smearing rotten eggs all over your head. The only reason the perm was something you did voluntarily was to get curly hair. More often than not, I would often end up with a head of dry and frizzy hair that was totally out of control making me look like a midget mad scientist.

Taking fine, thin and straight hair like mine and attempting to artificially turn it into a glorious mop of Shirley Temple curls usually resulted in a look that could easily have been duplicated by sticking my finger in an electrical socket. Something I was tempted to do after a couple of episodes - the tears that stemmed from my bad hair fiasco would have been an excellent conductor to hurry the process along!

At least when I was a kid I could blame fashion fads and my mother's desire to keep me in style. In the seventies, when I was in my early twenties, I had only myself to blame for the follicle fiasco I perpetrated. Not only did I attempt a home perm by myself, but I did it to my dyed red hair! Please cue the musical theme from the Bozo Show and Send In The Clown (me!)

20080912

OLD SCHOOL FRIDAYS - Girl Groups of the Sixties

When I think of girl group pop singers I naturally go back to the greats from my youth - The Shirelles, The Ronettes, Martha and The Vandellas, The Crystals, The Chiffons and, of course, The Shangri-Las. These are those groups and the songs I loved most. Not a complete list of course, but some that were my favorites!

The Shirelles - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow:


The Ronettes - Be My Baby:


Martha and the Vandellas - Dancing in the Street:


The Crystals with the Classic Da Doo Ron Ron:


The Chiffons - One Fine Day



The Shangri Las - Leader of the Pack:



Pop Art Diva Dot Com - Where Retro Meets the New Millennium
Retro Pop Culture Inspired Art, Comfort Food & Martini Recipes, Trivia and Nostalgia for All!

Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!

This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participantsIf you want to join in on the fun, click here.

20080911

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - 13 Reasons Why I Don't Want To Work Today

1. I work all the time, every day. I need a break.

2. I just in a pissy mood and everything is bugging me!

3. I believe I am the reincarnation of Maynard G Krebs (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) who's beatnik philosophy made him screech the word "work?"

4. I woke up with hot flashes at 3 a.m. and never got back to sleep.

5. It's finally cooling down here near Sedona and I want to go on a picnic.

6. I have 80 hours of stored programs on my DVD and need to watch them to clear some space for the start of the new Fall TV season.

7. I'm self employed and no one's forcing me to work today.

8. I'd rather paint my toenails and read a book.

9. I'm not inspired - as you can see from this Thursday Thirteen.

10. My right pinky finger hurts --- see? Owee! I had to type that "p" with my left hand!

11. The fresh sheets on my bed are calling to me.

12. Work is a four letter word and I promised to clean up my language.

13. It's too much work to think up another excuse for not working.

Oh, crap I just worked posting this blog!

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**Retro Inspired Pop Art, Comfort Foods, Martinis and Trivia **


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----------------------------------
1. (leave your link in comments)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



20080910

WEDNESDAY - I REMEMBER WHEN: Father Knows Best - Kitten, Princess and Bud

As a little girl I loved the show Father Knows Best. Probably because I closely identified with that family - my own family also consisted of the oldest girl, the middle boy and the baby girl- which happened to be me! I often identified with Kathy/Kitten in those days.

Though my Dad did not call me Kitten, nor my sister Princess, I do remember having quite a strong bond with him growing up. I remember when I was a Blue Bird (that's the Camp Fire Girl equivalent of Brownies in the Girl Scouts), we often had Father-Daughter dinners. Weeks before the upcoming dinner, we little Blue Birds would take a shoe box, wrap it in a pretty colored paper then decorate it up with felt and other materials. Then our mother would help us fill those boxes up with a box dinner to take to our Father-Daughter event! I loved those dinners and was very proud of my Father. To me in those days my Father Did Know Best!

P.S. In getting the link for the Camp Fire "Girls" I found that this organization is now called just "Camp Fire" and includes boys and girls! Yes, times have changed!

Please enjoy the very first episode of The Father Knows Best Show "Bud Takes Up The Dance" from Hulu.com!



---------------------
Would you like to join in on my Wednesday
I REMEMBER WHEN Meme?

GREAT! Here's the rules:

1. Write a NOSTALGIC blog post with the theme of I REMEMBER WHEN
and INCLUDE A LINK BACK to this blog using this url: http://www.popartdiva.blogspot.com
(If you need the code to insert my link e-mail me at RememberCode@popartdiva.com and I'll send you the code to insert!)

2. Then come here every Wednesday, read my post, make your comment and include the link back to your post! We'll all have some nostalgia and retro fun and enjoy some increased blog traffic!

3. Post these rules at the bottom of your post.

3. Please no profanity, idiocy or meanness - I'll delete your post and you'll be grounded until you become an adult!

I will do my best to answer all comments made on my blog and I'll read yours and post a comment whenever I can!
-----------------------------------
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20080909

DID I WEAR THAT? The Mod Look, Twiggy Eyes & White Lipstick


In the sixties American fashion became heavily influenced by the "British Invasion". With the arrival of the Beatles in the United States in the early sixties, and other English Pop/Rock bands quickly following behind them, American teenagers wanted to emulate the cool British Mod look from across the Pond - especially teenybopper American girls. At thirteen years old I was a big Beatlemaniac and wanted badly to look "mod".

I was also being bombarded by fashion ads dominated by Twiggy, an ultra thin waif with big black eyes and pale lips, wearing the latest Mary Quants and Andre Courreges! Added to this mod mix was the beginnings of the hippy influence ala "Pre Surgery Cher" of Sonny and Cher fame. I'm convinced Cher's eyeliner was modeled after the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti!


So, in 1964 and 1965, looking Mod for me included the make-up fads of heavy black eyes and white lipstick. This was a look that, if taken too far, could result in a pretty deadly look! Add a pair of ugly black glasses to the mix and the final fashion faux pax was truly hideous! But I thought I looked cool. Go figure.

I don't know why white lipstick was so hot in the early sixties but, trust me, every girl who had an ounce of desire to be hip had a tube of it in her purse. I'm talking pure white here - not light pink - white! I must have spent a fortune on eyeliner and mascara as well, my eyes could have rivaled any Egyptian Queen's exotic kohl darkened eyes!

Fashion looks come and go. Hip Huggers, platforms, tie die and even paisley have wound their way back into a fashion line up over the years. Straight hair and bangs go in and out of fashion. Every once in a while you'll see the black eye look return. But I've yet to see pure white lipstick crop up again as the latest "new look". Thank God - maybe we can learn from history after all!

FIND REALLY COOL RETRO ART OF THE SIXTIES AT POP ART DIVA.COM!

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20080908

RETRO COMMERCIALS MONDAY - Cigarette Ads, The Danny Thomas Show

Unlike today, when I grew up cigarette ads were common on television, many cigarette and tobacoo companies were the major sponsors of televisions shows! Below is an ad featuring Danny Thomas as the spokesperson for the American Tobacco Company and 2 videos of the pilot episode for The Danny Thomas Show. Note the tobacco leaf behind the credits and on the first part of the pilot. Later, they even have Ogden Nash selling Lucky Strikes. How times have changed!

BTW, for you younger visitors, Danny Thomas is the father of Marlo Thomas of "That Girl" fame. Danny's daughter was played by Angela Cartwright (younger sister of actress Veronica Cartwright) who later starred as Penny Robinson in Lost In Space!



In this first part of the pilot for The Danny Thomas Show listen for a reference to the Hopalong Cassidy show!



Part 2 of the pilot episode:



For Fun Contemporary Retro Art, Trivia, Comfort Food and more nostalgia visit POP ART DIVA DOT COM!

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20080905

OLD SCHOOL FRIDAYS - DISCO (sucks?)

The only disco song that I loved and still love to this day?



No, I was never a big fan of disco, not even a big fan of the seventies except for lava lamps and a few righteous pairs of platform shoes. Overall in the seventies the fashions were horrible (think leisure suits and skads of gold chain covered hairy chests!) and I looked like Bozo the clown for years because of the afro fad. So, I have decided to go funny and post a few of the more humorous disco videos:







HaHaHaHa! Won't you take me to Funky Town??

The only real cool things about the seventies are the retro objects in my Funkadelic Boogie pop culture art below!
This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participantsIf you want to join in on the fun, click here.

Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!

20080903

Thursday Thirteen - 13 LEGENDARY FILM STARS WHO NEVER WON AN OSCAR FOR BEST ACTOR

WOULD IT SURPRISE YOU TO KNOW THAT THESE 13 LEGENDARY FILM STARS NEVER WON AN OSCAR FOR BEST ACTOR?

Though some of these thespians won Academy Awards in other catagories including Director, Best Supporting Actor, The Irving J. Thalburg Award, etcetera not one of these icons of Hollywood ever won an Oscar for Best Actor:

Richard Burton (7 nominations)
Peter O'Toole (7 nominations)
Montgomery Clift (4nominations)
Robert Redford (1 nomination)
Kirk Douglas (3 nominations)
Richard Harris (2 nominations)
Morgan Freeman (3 nominations)
Harrison Ford (1 nomination)
Cary Grant (2 nominations)
Steve McQueen (1 nomination)
Albert Finney (5 nominations)
Clint Eastwood (2 nominations)
James Dean (2 posthumous nominations)

An interesting fact, James Dean was the first actor ever to receive a posthuous nomination for Best Actor and the only person to date to have received 2 posthumous nominations.

There are, of course, many more talented actors who have, to date, not won this award. This list includes but is not limited to Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Jeff Bridges and John Hurt to name a few. It is highly possible that Heath Ledger will receive a posthumous nomination as the Joker in Dark Knight.

However, in making my list I was going for icons of film, legends of the silver screen who, either by the weight of their acting or by the iconic films they took part in, have become part of movie history and a piece of American pop culture.

See you at the movies.
--------------------------------
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



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WEDNESDAYS RETRO MEME "I REMEMBER WHEN": Did YOU ever go watch the Submarine Races??

When I was much younger - a few decades or so,
and my hormones boiled up to "Overflow",
my boyfriend and I would make-out by the ocean
where the car would be parked, though still in motion!

The windows would drip from the steam we created,
the result of endless hours "making out" unabated.
Our legs and arms were tangled up in the car,
that gear shift was the most unpleasant by far!

We told our parents, in a white lie of disgrace
that we had been watching the Submarine Race!
This tale did not fool them, our folks knew the score
For they had been to this race a few times before!

It's been many a year since I've been to the races
of submarine boats in those make out places,
Today no windows get steamed on balmy nights
and no gear shifts or steering wheels poke or bite.

I'm older and wiser, my hormones in stasis,
but the memories linger of Submarine Races.
And now, when I think of the beach and the sand,
I remember those races from way back when.

The Submarine Races copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Would you like to join in on my Wednesday
I REMEMBER WHEN Meme?


GREAT! Here's the rules:

1. Write a NOSTALGIC blog post with the theme of I REMEMBER WHEN
and INCLUDE A LINK BACK to this blog using this url: http://www.popartdiva.blogspot.com
(If you need the code to insert my link e-mail me at RememberCode@popartdiva.com and I'll send you the code to insert!)

2. Then come here every Wednesday, read my post, make your comment and include the link back to your post! We'll all have some nostalgia and retro fun and enjoy some increased blog traffic!

3. Post these rules at the bottom of your post.

3. Please no profanity, idiocy or meanness - I'll delete your post and you'll be grounded until you become an adult!

I will do my best to answer all comments made on my blog and I'll read yours and post a comment whenever I can!
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20080902

RETRO FASHION TUESDAYS: Did I wear that? Switches, Falls and Hair Pieces of the Sixties

Yes, that is me in all my 15 year old glory from my yearbook picture in freshman year at Tustin High. Gawd, I was young and goofy looking - and thin.

In 1966, during my freshman year of high school, there was a hair fashion fad that was probably the first use of "hair extensions" for the general population. All of a sudden girls with short hair or thin hair were showing up with thick buns and long trailing ponytails overnight! How did we manage to do this? By a nifty little thing called a "switch".

The switch was, for most of us, a bundle of synthetic "hair" that had been matched to your hair color at the local department store or beauty salon. There was a knot at the top and then a long flowing pony tail of wondrous long "hair" which you then manipulated into all sorts of fancy "up dos"!

As you can see from the photo above, the prevailing style was to create a bun on top of your head, with a bit of the "hair" left to flow enticingly over your shoulder. You also had the option of leaving out the free flowing strand to appear more sophisticated - ala Audrey Hepburn.

For me this was a boon to my beauty regimen because my own hair was somewhat thin, baby fine and had a tendency to split ends. A fact I didn't help because I ironed my hair to get the fashionable "straight" look of the era. I suffered many a bad hair day in my teens and twenties! Probably why I came to love hats so much.

I'm sure Hollywood had been using these little tricks for years, but for the common folk wigs were rare, let alone the various hair styling utilities that are available today. Shortly after high school I remember buying a "fall" - a hair appliance that was sort of half a wig where you attached it to your own hair via a comb in the front, brushed your own bangs or hair at the crown over it and added length and fullness to your hair style.

Now you can get weaves, colored extensions to "pop" your hair, and a multitude of hair pieces that can change your look in a minute. Oh, what I wouldn't have given for a few more of these and a pair of contact lenses!

Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!

20080901

RETRO COMMERCIALS MONDAY - Andy and Barney and Sanka!

One of the shows I always watched growing up was The Andy Griffith Show. Though I wasn't greatly fond of Andy Griffith and Barney drove me nuts (and still does for some reason) I loved the show! Go figure! Maybe it was Aunt Bee - I did love Aunt Bee, but most likely it was because I was about the same age as Opie (Ron Howard), who I still like and admire to this day as you can see from a past post here.

This video is such a typical exchange, but done as a commericial for Sanka coffee - a coffee powder to which you added hot water for "instant" coffee!

BTW, the first instant coffee was introduced by Nestlé and was called Nescafe! It was created by Nestlé in 1938 in a freeze-dried process when Nestlé was asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses! Postum? No, folks, Postum was not coffee it was made from bran, wheat, and molasses and developed as a coffee substitute!

There's your little pop culture history on instant coffee, and here's your Monday Retro Commercial starring Don Knotts as Barney Fife and Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor hoping to get you to buy more Sanka:



Get my Retro Inspired Pop Culture Art on Cool Stuff like Cups, Tees, Cards, Aprons and more at the POP ART DIVA BOUTIQUE!