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Monday, May 16, 2011
Glee and Sewing (and Fat, Fashion, and Flamboyance)
I give you Exhibit A. Lauren bemoans that she can't find anything to fit her plus-size figure and says that she's considering making her prom dress because of it. The other girls practically recoil in horror. Brittany deadpans, "Don't, you'll look poor." So we never get to see the potentially awesome dress that Lauren would have made (I'm picturing something New Wave-inspired).
Exhibit B. The girls bring Kurt along on a dress-shopping trip. Lauren tries on a poufy yellow dress with a chic fur capelet and says, "I look like a lemon meringue pie." Brittany, with the line of the night: "I think you look delicious." I concur. Lauren looks pretty adorable, save the over-the-top skirt, which was obviously intended only as a punchline anyway. Kurt (who conveniently turns into a walking stereotype whenever the script calls for it) supposedly saves the day with some hackneyed advice about wearing a "slimming" darker color, and everyone applauds, including Lauren herself, who has never been ashamed of showing off her body. UGH. I hate this scene.
To be clear, it's not Kurt's flamboyance itself that bothers me. I love his colorful personality and I often don't think it's so out of the realm of reality. Plus, the show has done well showing a myriad of gay characters. It's when he becomes a caricature of the "gay sidekick" that I get a little uncomfortable.
Exhibit C. Kurt is super excited to bring ultra-dreamy Blaine to the prom. (Hello, who wouldn't be?! It's wrong how highly I, um, regard Darren Criss.) Being a long-established fashion history buff, Kurt of course can't just go with a half-price tux rental from his dad's buddy's shop. Instead, he whips himself up an ensemble inspired by the Royal Wedding and the late Alexander McQueen. LOVE.
Of course, the sewing nerd in me was saying, "I'm sorry, he WHIPPED UP a tailored jacket and kilt? Yeah, okay." But, yes, I can suspend my disbelief and enjoy a story. Blaine (who is out of the closet but a little afraid to rock to the boat) and Kurt's dad try to talk Kurt out of wearing something so flamboyant. Kurt declines, saying "prom is about joy, not fear." In a moment that any sewist would applaud, he declares, "I'm wearing this suit. I worked hard on it and I think it's fantastic." Go Kurt!
But . . . wait a second. Why is the show ultimately applauding Kurt's ostentatious ensemble while telling Lauren she should cover up and hide in something "slimming"? I'm happy to see Kurt express himself through sewing, but I want better for Lauren than to be given some dumb fashion advice and then made to wear a navy sack. (By Kurt himself, no less.) Kurt and Lauren both have larger-than-life personalities that create interesting storylines, but the writing so often forces them into the absurd and inauthentic.
Now, I always feel a little silly trying to analyze a show that doesn't seem to give much forethought to, you know, character development or consistency. But there's really so much to dissect here! Thoughts, readers?
47 comments:
I don't have any deep thoughts to add (It's 6am here, too early for deep) but I too hated the Lauren scene(s). I had that brief moment of hope that there would be a sewing scene and she'd create something AMAZING and plus-sized, and that brief hope made what came next that much more depressing.
And how much did it stink that we didn't get to see an Emma Pillsbury as Prom Chaperone dress???- ParisGrrlMay 16, 2011 at 7:09 AM
I guess whipping up an outfit is no harder than tossing together the music for each episode, no? Both are entertaining but give unrealistic expectations to the world.
ReplyDelete - KristaMay 16, 2011 at 8:01 AM
Being a curvy size 16 and I don't consider myself fat. My grandmother told me once that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 and considered a bombshell. Wouldn't it be great if Lauren came out in the infamous white flirty dress. I think we just need to love the body we have.
ReplyDelete - AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 8:21 AM
This is an example of the reason why I've never been able to warm to Glee. It promotes itself as being progressive and anti-prejudice and blah blah blah and it does wrap itself is a superficial veneer of that, but what actually happens under the rhetoric (how the characters behave, how the plot pans out, who can and can't do what and why) is precisely the opposite. And bigotry that passes itself off as "tolerance" is more damage, I think, than bigotry that can be easily identified and resisted. Glee just confuses people into believing that the same old stereotype-peddling narrow-minded crap is the best that we can hope for, or even that it really is something different. That's not what different looks like. Different is actually different.
ReplyDelete - JeannineMay 16, 2011 at 8:41 AM
I think it was poorly handled and really enforced stereotypes. Kurt gets to be fabulous because he's gay, but Lauren doesn't because she's big. Kurt sews something McQueen-esque, but if Lauren touches a machine, she'll look poor. Kurt gets his Pretty In Pink moment...Lauren doesn't.
Re: the sewing. Sewing is on a major rise with young people. Many girls make their dresses. That the Glee consensus of sewing is one of disdain is just another indication of how out of touch their writers have become with their target audience.
Great blog post. :) - AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 8:45 AM
My 18 year old daughter and myself loved Glee when it first came out. I gave up on it last year. I just couldn't take it any more. My daughter too has stopped watching it. She said that her and her friends all thinks it's lame now.
They had a good thing going and I believe they took it too far. Remember the first season when you waited anxiously for the one song at the end. Now I wish they'd stop singing. The story lines are ridiculous. It's all too much now. - atelierflouMay 16, 2011 at 8:52 AM
I have some ambivalence about "Glee," the episode in which the boys were making fun of Coach Beastie (sp?) was the worst, and why does the only black girl have to be soulful and fat, but Lauren looked ridiculous. The color, the skirt, everything was awful.
I'm glad she didn't make her dress. It might have been a horror akin to the one Molly Ringwald's character wore in "Pretty in Pink."
There are lots of movies in which the heroine's home-sewn clothes cause her to be an object of fun: "Alice Adams" with Katharine Hepburn, a movie whose name I forget with Elizabeth Taylor as a sixteen-year-old in which Mary Astor plays her mother. Home-sewn clothes did/do tend to make people look poor unless the sewer has incredible skills.
Kurt's had that critical fashion eye throughout the series. I didn't think it was stereotypical. I know gay men who are smart, interesting, well-rounded guys who are exactly like Kurt, with the fashion opinions.
The only thing I was offended by was the notion that Kurt could make a suit like that in a week or two, even a month or two. THAT WAS THE LIMIT! :-) - atelierflouMay 16, 2011 at 8:57 AM
It's been said many times: Marilyn Monroe had curves, but there is no way she would be a contemporary Size 16. I knew there was a reason I stopped watching this show despite the great music. I would, however, discourage anyone from making a prom dress if they didn't know what they were doing. (Like I said, I don't watch the show so I don't know if the character in question sews.) Then again, it's a tv show, so they could have whipped up something fabulous for her and made her a closet seamstress.
And I did actually like the yellow dress for her. Not sure about the fur shrug. (Guess that could link back to that other post you did about having larger girls cover their arms.) I say give the girl a great hair do and some bling and let her rock out!i hate, hate, HATE it when women of any shape are told what to wear to "fix" their "problem" areas.
i was just watching some old project runway, the one with the campbells soup challenge for heart surgery survivors, and the designers were moaning about the real shapes they had to work with... and the judges were picking apart the body "flaws"... the whole thing was about what should've been done to fix them. they were all strong, gorgeous women and absolutely nothing needed fixing (besides some whack ass trim choices). "i wanted to give her a waist"... i wanted to give them a lobotomy.This is why I don't like Glee. I really wanted to love it, but I only got through part of the first season. The fashion is fantastic, and the vibe of the show is fun but I'm always really disappointed in the writing. The characterization isn't consistent, and the way gender stereotypes are handled is depressing. I miss Emma Pillsbury, but I just can't watch the show.
(FYI, my mom's friend sewed one of my prom dresses -- it was inspired by Kate Winslet in Titanic & it was fabulous!)I hated the scene where Lauren was told to wear navy because it is slimming. Like you, I didn't think the lemon meringue dress was so bad aside from the punch line skirt.
I saw Bridesmaids yesterday. It was pretty hilarious, but I rankled at the treatment of Melissa McCarthy's character. I hate, hate, hate how in modern entertainment the size of the big characters is central to their story line. I hate that the big characters are constantly shown eating junk food or headed first to the buffet. I hate that they are always told that they could be beautiful if only they'd do something differently (eat less, wear navy, love themselves for who they are).
I also hate that modern entertainment promotes such extremes - Lauren and Megan (Melissa McCarthy's characters) are just SO overweight while the other characters are painfully thin. Why can't we have women of a truly NORMAL size? Why can't big women be shown eating healthfully and exercising regularly but still be big? Why must big-ness be always self-inflicted, something representative of self-hatred. Why can't it just be the way that it is?Oh I'm sorry, did things happen this episode BESIDES the return of my favorite bad boy? I may have only had eyes for JSJ...
No wait, I couldn't take my eyes off of the Brady Bunch era sailor dress Rachel wore at the beginning of the episode either. It was Pilsbury worthy.
Where was Lauren's normal sassiness when it came to assessing Kurt's advice? It was begging for the line "Who said anything about slimming? I want a dress that fits all my best places!"The very fact that they don't put much forethought into character development, as you say, makes the analysis all the more relevant. Because when they don't think carefully about what they are making their characters say, that is when all these unspoken presumptions about gay people, plus-size girls, gender roles, consumption, etc. come out without being filtered. And as people watch it for light entertainment, not prepared to challenge what they are about to see, they don't filter or critique the messages either, unless they happen to be the analytical type, or the portrayals happen to contradict the individual's important values. For all the people watching at home who DO believe that anything hand made (unless made by a gay guy who, presumably, inherited the high fashion gene along with the homosexuality gene) will make you look poor, or that fat girls should always wear something slimming, these moments will have gone unnoticed and will subconsciously reinforce their existing opinions.
It is interesting though how your analysis shows that the show ties in with a consistent theme in women's history - that the same skill, performed by a man or by a woman, is more valued when performed by a man. If Lauren sews her dress she will look poor - and women's sewing skills have always been undervalued and underpaid - but Kurt whips up a suit which is edgy and avant-garde, OK it makes people uncomfortable, but it groups him with McQueen or Galliano rather than Susie Home Seamstress.
I don't even watch the show but I love your dissection of it!One of my best girlfriends considered making her identital wedding dress and received a similar reaction from her fiance and friends ("What?! On your WEDDING day?!") and she ended up buying hers. It's horrid when people assume that a handmade outfit is somehow inferior to the identical made-in-China togs passed out at H&M or Topshop. When friends find out I've made whatever I'm wearing, the creative ones are impressed, whereas the less-minded tend to respond along the lines of "Oh... that's... nice." Whatever! And as much as I love Glee, I didn't like how they treated Lauren's size issue... personally, I thought she looked fabulous in yellow!
ReplyDeleteI have been following your blog for over a week now and would like to say how much I love it..and love you! I now believe this is one of the best things I read! I love your tips and tricks on sewing but I also love how you are able to relate sewing to the real world. You share so much of yourself in this blog and I love it! You are beyond inspiring!! Thank you for spending so much effort on this blog! I am so addicted and cannot wait until your book comes out! Sign me up for one! :0)
ReplyDeleteI too found the Lauren scene uncomfortable, it seemed really out of character for her. Although, I do think Kurt's comment was justified in terms of the characters so far - we have seen his interest in sewing before (I think) but we haven't from Lauren.
However, on a side note, did you notice that mercedes was wearing a sleaveless dress (and of course looking amazing)? Huzzah! Lauren wasn't, but we'll get there one day.- AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 11:10 AM
When Kurt said he just whipped up that Prince Charlie jacket and kilt, I laughed. Those jackets are REALLY complex and require special buttons. And kilt-making is really an art. Having done Highland Dancewear for years I was thrilled he was wearing a PC Jacket and kilt (but no sporran, sadly)but was amused at the idea of him making something like that overnight.
As to the size-ism - just sad. I could never get into this show. All of these problems of stereotyping characters have been there from the beginning, but seem to be getting worse. I make exceptions for guest stars (Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth), the skating episode (my friends were in that episode!), and Rocky Horror (just because). Every episode I have seen has the same problems cited for this one, but to varying degrees.
Also, I suppose the tailored suit could have been a TNT with slight alterations... so that would save him some fitting time. But still.... I suppose he must have Maria von Trapp Sound of Music speed on his side (I mean, the lady made 7 multi-piece play outfits from curtains in a single night!). In any case, if Kurt had the time and skillz to "whip that up," why couldn't he just throw together a fabulous fitted frock for his friend Lauren? I mean, surely a long drapey gown shouldn't take any longer than that insane (in a good way) coat of his.Krista, Marilyn Monroe was not a size 16, or at least not a modern size 16. she was actually about four pounds away from being underweight. Sorry, but this is a major pet peeve of mine. But the rest of your comment is right on. Vintage fashion, so much kinder to the plus size figure. :)
Meg, I agree we need women of all sizes in the media, not just the skinny and the fat. But your comment hurt me a bit. I am fat, and my body is normal. And there is nothing wrong with it. Though I am all for fat girls on tv that don't eat all the time.
anyway, I don't watch glee, but what I have heard about it makes me want to head desk. Its really awesome that the show has two fat girls, and not hollywood fat girls, no those girls are for real fat. And that thrills me, but they have the same problems most magazines do. Mixed messages. Love yourself, if you wear black. Love yourself, if you always have shape wear on. Love yourself, but only if you are on a diet.
I am really am rather sick of it.
Wonderful post GertieI hate that Glee is so poorly written a lot of the time, that the characterization is so inconsistent and that they peddle such damaging stereotypes but I love that there are people who watch the show who care as much about all that as I do.
It's really tough to be a smart, thoughtful feminist and a gleek.I hated that scene with Lauren for so many reasons and I hated the line about sewing your own clothes making you look poor but there at least they were being consistent I guess - we all know what these kids think about cucumbers after all. It would just have been nice to see a girl prove them wrong (instead of Kurt who, with the show's massive pro-gay bias) is always allowed to be fabulous.
The things that really annoyed me, and I'm saying this as someone who isn't a very skilled sewer but then that's why I read your blog because I'm hoping to become one, were Rachel's and Mercedes' supposed $5 thrift store dresses. I wish they had chosen inexpensive (if a little more than $5 dresses, perhaps something widely available in the $20-50 range) and altered and embellished to show that you don't need to buy a $400 Betsey Johnson gown to have something fabulous and that with a little bit of creativity you can actually end up with something unique and maybe even better suited to you.
I think that would have been a truly inspiring and realistic message and I'm really disappointed they didn't take the opportunity to make it. I know Lou Eyrich does an amazing job with the costuming but I would love it if she had done that.While I agree with Zoë that Monroe was not a modern day size 16, she wasn't plus-sized, either. The problem with the so-called plus-sized clothing is that many who fit in it have the Marilyn Monroe hourglass figure, with the larger hips and backside combined with a smaller waist. For this reason it is difficult for us to find clothing that fits well. Vintage clothing addressed this issue well but only because a girdle was still considered de rigeur for women.
Being of Scottish descent, I kind of take offense at the idea that a Prince Charlie jacket and a kilt would be considered someone's idea of an homage to Alexander McQueen, when in fact it's traditional formal wear for Scottish men and, without the boots or whatever Kurt is wearing under his kilt, he looks pretty much like every groomsman I've seen at a Scottish wedding. Not really so McQueen, to my way of thinking. JMHO. And unless you're a fantastic tailor, the idea that anyone could whip one up in a week and have it look so good is, as others have remarked, kind of incredible, particularly given the fact that many tux places have them for rent. My husband wore one when we got married, though we decided to buy it. Generally it comes with a vest, though.In response to the idea that having a home-sewn prom dress is a bad idea - I have to say that when I was in HS I made the dresses I wore to 2 homecomings, 1 Valentine's dance, and Senior prom (i went with something vintage for Junior prom). I loved all my dresses and still do. For Glee to promote the idea that sewing one's own dress would make her look poor is just stupidity. You'd think they'd do more to celebrate creativity and make it seem as though sewing one's own clothing is normal, rather than making it a stereotypical "weird" thing by having only one person do it. Yes, those who sew their own clothes in school don't usually follow the crowd, but I think they missed an opportunity to go somewhere else by having only Kurt be the one who made his prom attire.
I made my wedding dress, as well and 4 of my 5 bridesmaids' dresses, plus the outfit my aunt wore to do the readings. I couldn't have bought a dress as wonderful as mine for the $300 I spent to make it and my veil. My husband's outfit cost more in the neighborhood of $800! So much for women's clothing costing so much more than men's. That was 14 years ago.
In 2003 I made a beautiful red silk gown from a Tom and Linda Platt Vogue pattern to wear to a military ball. Everyone wanted to know where I got it and was shocked to know I'd made it.Just wanted to note two things:
First, Lauren herself was the one who didn't like the yellow dress. The other characters did needlessly suggest slimming colors but it was in response to her initial dislike of the look.
Second, I am amazed in reading these comments at how frequently the word "hate" is used in regard to this scene, this program, etc. I understand that people do get emotional about social issues, but let's get some perspective. It's just a television show with all the attendant absurdities, not a set of commandments by which we must live our lives.
And I have to agree with one of the other commenters - I waited the whole show to see an Emma Pillsbury look and she never showed up at the prom!- AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 12:45 PM
the dress issue bothered me too. Especially when Rachel and Mercedes bought theirs at a thrift store (and have awesome fitted dresses? um, yeah RIGHT), yet a sewn dress would look poor?
and as a complete aside and full-on snark... wouldn't this have been an awesome opportunity to give a shoutout to donatemydress.org or projectprincess.org or to other charities that give girls who don't have much a lovely dress and accessories (some also throw in hair and makeup sessions too)?
Personally I figured Kurt had been working on his prom outfit for months, but then that's me ;) (he rocked that kilt!)
It was... just such a letdown. I dunno. I want to know what's so out there about wearing a kilt and jacket to a formal occassion? So, yes he might not be scottish but wouldn't most of the people just assume he was? I've seen loads of kilts at weddings so there really shouldn't have been such a big deal wearing one to a formal prom.
ReplyDeleteOn a completly different note. I hate Hulu, which isn't working outside the US. And of course they don't say so openly on their homepage (so no one who links to it knows). Just load an show and then be disapointed. (I'm just a bit bitter since I've tried to legally stream -and pay for - a lot of shows and movies without results. So no Glee for me).
Glee itself is somewhat a very American (stereotype) show and - even if whimsical and uptight - much more on the positive side of America from the view of us outsiders (the rest 6 and a half billion in the world).Yet another reason for me to never tune in. Penis can do no wrong! He can conquer all! And overnight! But vagina...BAD! No custom dress for you! Shame, SHAME! Please. I can't stand scripted network shows. I watch adult swim because if something stupid happens, it's a cartoon. Not an scripted drama trying to pretend it's plausible.
And size 16 in Marilyn's time was more like a 8 or a 6. Our sizes have grown as a country because everyone gained so much weight.- AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 1:14 PM
I agree with everything Jen said
Also, I like your take on it. You make very good points.
I've apparently come to offer nothing and agree on everything :) - AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 1:52 PM
A real live gay sidekick would have whipped up a lemon meringue dress for his gf, and both of them would have danced them all under the table. Sheesh. I guess as a fat lesbian I should be happy that some small part of me is getting more acceptable :-)..
ReplyDelete - RachelMay 16, 2011 at 4:39 PM
Hold up, aren't teenagers more savvy than this? Granted, the Prom episode hasn't aired on free TV in the UK yet, so I can't comment on what has piqued so much interest on this forum, but I can't believe that teenagers watching this actually believe it all. Isn't just a bit of fluff? I find it funny that commenters are lamenting the role of Lauren and Kurt, but there is no mention (in what I've read) of how stupid Britney is portrayed, or how Sue misuses the adoration of one of the students (forgive me, I don't know her name)...I just take the whole show with a pinch of salt and laugh at the ridiculousness of it at times.
ReplyDelete - NatashaMay 16, 2011 at 5:48 PM
Thanks for summarizing the scenes you linked! Those of us outside the US can't watch Hulu clips, and I really appreciate you taking the time to provide the context and summary needed to follow the rest of the post.
ReplyDelete You bring up an excellent point about the inconsistent messages for Lauren and Kurt. It seems that this show is all about celebrating the gay and all about booing the fat. It seems if they are going to preach a message of acceptance it should apply to all differences that other might have.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you decided to blog about these scenes because I was struck by the messages they sent, but for slightly different reasons. I'm always fascinated how different people can perceive the same thing in different ways. I think the point of the scene with Lauren was to address what many teens feel, which is that none of the dresses look on them like they do on the models in Teen Vogue, etc. The fashion "diagnosis" offered by Kurt was that the problem was not Lauren but, rather, the dress, which would not look good on anyone larger than a size 2. He also tried to steer her in a more sophisticated direction, which I thought was interesting because the "lemon meringue" dress was not particularly sophisticated. Further, Lauren did not like the way she looked in the yellow dress and wanted another option.
In contrast, Kurt LOVED his freshly sewn ensemble (I KNOW, LIKE, WHO CAN SEW THAT EVER, LET ALONE A TEENAGER IN HIS SPARE TIME???), and was disappointed that everyone did not share his enthusiasm, not necessarily for the outfit, but for the appropriateness or suitability to the occasion. I think it is a hard lesson for anyone to learn that there is a time and place for everything. It is hard for a kid like Kurt to balance being who he is without pushing the envelope so far as to risk exposing himself to unnecessary vulnerability. Blaine for a date? I loved that there was never a question as to whether that was okay, and the school did not try to stop him. But the over-the-top outfit? Perhaps Lima, OH is not quite ready for that. I thought it was an important thing for him to consider, and I loved that he ultimately decided to wear the outfit anyway. The final scene in the episode said it all. Awesome.having just finished altering a kilt for my hubby, I can say that it's not something one "just whips up" I spent a week working on it & I didn't even have to do the pleating! The Prince Charlie jacket would be a whole other story!
As for Lauren, seriously? she's got such personality and I can't even recall what her character ended up wearing! so tragic!
I was however, amused by Rachel & Mercedes buying dresses at the Goodwill and looking so awesome- that was totally my junior homecoming! spent 10 bucks on my dress and no one knew I hadn't spent 200.Girl, I so agree with you. I love Kurt, but sometimes his scenes are either over-the-top flaming or just self loathing. They could totally make him a more lovable character if they didn't stereotype him SOOOO much. As for Lauren, I was disappointed she didn't make her prom dress. I made mine, and I was proud of it. No one else had what I had, and I didn't look poor at all.
-BethanyI work in theater and I'm always picking apart aspects of Glee. I'm glad someone else thinks about these things too.
I didn't pick up on this aspect of Kurt getting to be himself but Lauren hiding in a slimming color.
I have often thought it was funny how they seem to "whip" everything up. They get their assignment for the week and by the end of the week they have costumes and sets. I remember the Umbrella/Singing in the Rain number from a different episode and there was a rain curtain and it made my backstage head spin with knowing how much time actually goes into teching a rain curtain scene.I made my youngest sister's senior prom dress--ombré sunset yellow at the bottom to pure white at the shoulders, rayon crepe A-line with peek-a-boo back. She loved it, and looked fabulous. And I'm a guy. (And for the record, Molly Ringwald's Pretty in Pink dress was classic, mature, and beautiful. Better than a prom dress deserves to be.)
And it used to be that custom made wedding dresses were chic.
This episode of Glee is just another example of how they're readily willing to bend reality to make witty dialogue for dramatic situational context. All they're doing is demonstrating how little they know about what they're writing about... Which really makes me doubt the veracity of the series as a whole, making it feel "hollow". Hard to believe in a message when the delivery system is so riddled with holes.
It's cute, but in an "empty calories" way. And we all know what they say about that.
Perhaps it's time to turn it off and enjoy a good audiobook while you create something fabulous at your sewing machine? That's what I'd do. Maybe you could review some great books you listen to? That would be really cool! : )
Keep up the good work! Enjoying all your posts!Funny story: I recently bought that EXACT same style vintage dress that Lauren tried on (only this one was in a light powder blue) at an estate sale for $1! My dress was also in a large, but I re-sized it to fit my much smaller frame. I think it was actually originally made in my size, but someone else had carefully added matching fabric panel inserts to the bodice and straps in order to make it larger.
ReplyDeleteI think the comments to Lauren were normal. When I graduated from High School I wanted to wear the vintage Vogue suit I had worked on in my sewing class (more like slaved). I had found a vintage pattern did all the sizing, cutting, sewing, tailoring and my mother and grandmother would not hear of me wearing something I made, as it would make me look "poor". (Snobbery of a private all girl school). So I bowed to the powers and wore a god awful sheath monstrosity leaving my beautiful new look suit in my closet.
the idea that sewing make one look poor is frustrating and a stigma that all of us who sew strive to overcome.- AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 1:03 PM
Okay, I know I've hit the effin trifecta (Female, Fat, over-Forty), but in my day, Ducky loved Molly for making her own dress. He would never have dreamed of telling her to wear navy (not that there's anything wrong with that) when she wanted to wear pink.
There was a lot to be said for pink, WIWAG (when I was a girl) that doesn't seem so important these days. Sometimes, that makes me sad. The Lauren scene was terrible. She's supposed to be so badass, so why is she accepting "wear navy, it's slimming"? I would expect her to punch Kurt in the face for a comment like that. (I do think it's believeable that a teen girl would say "you'll look poor" if you make your own dress. Many teens are very concerned with labels.) As for Kurt: he's become the most inconsistently written character on that show. Remember that episode where his boyfriend tells his dad to talk to him about sex because he's apparently ignorant about it? That was weird because Kurt has always been the most sophisticated and worldy character of all the kids. Plus he's highly theatrical...yet he found it impossible to act sexy? The whole thing was ridiculous and inconsistent. That Fleetwood Mac episode, however....I love me some Rumours.


text:
Pygmy phoenixes are perhaps the most adorable creatures to waddle the halls of this ancient castle. They are rare in that they never reach adulthood. These bird are content to remain in their hatchling form for the entirety of their lives. Their energy is that of the young, too; they are active little creatures, constantly hunting for food or inventing new games. If left alone for too long, they become quite melancholy, and require a good cuddle to return to their former selves. In the wild they travel together, and will search endlessly for one another if separated. Because they do not grow to adulthood, pygmy phoenixes do not mate or produce eggs. Eggs only appear in the stream, and cannot be found in the wild. This is a mystery that has puzzled many a magi, and has yet to be figured out. Magi who have these birds as companions generally have more than one, as it is obvious they are social creatures. The more pygmy phoenixes a magi has, the happier the birds will be. When pygmy phoenixes gather in groups, they make quite the rainbow. Pygmy phoenixes come in a myriad of colors, all as bright and diverse as the springtime flowers. Along with the more sedate colors of peach, tan and grey are vibrant shades of purple, blue, yellow and green.
This egg is pink, with what appear to be zigzag stripes along it.
These small birds never grow up fully, but remain forever as hatchlings. It is thought that this is because they prefer to be young; phoenixes do possess powers over aging, after all. Like their majestic phoenix cousins, these birds never age or die, but are reborn if they become injured or sick. Like almost all companions, pygmy phoenixes become more adept at controlling their magic as they age. Their powers are much like those of other phoenixes; the ability to call on fire and control it with ease. This power is obvious when they first hatch, for they have living flames trailing from their tails and the long feathers along their faces. This flame is warm to the touch, but does not burn or set anything on fire, unless the bird desires it to. In the wild this is their best defense, and if one of these birds is attacked, the others will join together and form a wall of living flame. Obviously, most animals know better than to approach a pygmy phoenix with violent intentions. The flames these birds summon could be quite the problem if they ever went out of control. Forest fires are dangerous things, and even magi cannot completely stop them. But these birds can control their fires perfectly, and the flames quickly dies down as soon as the threat is gone. As there are no dangers to pygmy phoenixes at The Keep, these little birds use their powers to aid in research, or help kindle fires in the winter. One or two can always be found in the kitchen, helping warm stoves to cook meals, or begging for a treat. Commoners sometimes ask for their assistance in clearing fields, as fires can break open old seeds and enrich the soil.
Obtained from: Event, Spring, Retired
Breeding: No
Renaming cost: 200 gold
Release date: April 27th 2011
Element: Void
Sprite art: GlassWalker | Description: Damien

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Public Housing Agencies (PHA) listed below deal with specific housing programs of the Federal government including Section 8 and Low Rent Housing. Section 8 is also known as Housing Choice Vouchers. Please make sure you check what services each location in the city you have selected offers, so as not to make unnecessary visits.
If you need more information about what specific programs cover as far as assistance goes try starting with our general housing assistance page – the page also includes information about help with your utilities.
Being better educated about what assistance is available and where can save you a lot of time and frustration. If you find any errors or know of additional locations please let us know here.
Mullins |
244 Blanton Court
Mullins, SC 29574 Telephone: (843)464-9822 |


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The bid submitted by a Sacramento group seeking to buy the Kings does not measure up, in dollar terms, to the deal the Kings owners have with Seattle, NBA Commissioner David Stern disclosed Friday night during a press conference at Oracle Arena in Oakland, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Stern wasn't specific about the shortfall. Developer Chris Hansen has offered a reported $341 million to the Maloof family for a 65 percent share of the team valued at $525 million. Stern has been in contact with the Sacramento group, led by 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov and Southern California billionaire Ron Burkle, and said he believes the Sacramento group will increase its bid in the coming weeks.
"The counter bid has got very strong financial people behind it, but it is not quite there in comparison to the Seattle bid," Stern said. "There is a substantial variance."
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson issued a statement immediately after the commissioner's press conference, saying he remains confident the local group will prevail. He characterized the moment as the fourth quarter.
"We appreciate the commissioner's observation that Sacramento has made a 'Herculean effort' and his expression of confidence in Sacramento's bid," Johnson said. "We are confident that the we are well positioned given the quality of the ownership group bidding, the clear path forward we identified to build an arena and the fact that our market is one of the best performing markets in the league."
Stern said he has set up an April 3 meeting in New York to bring some league owners in to review where the bids stand.
He said he wanted to use that meeting to avoid the sort of "chaos" that has accompanied the Kings situation in each of the last two years at the annual postseason board meetings.
The board of governors is scheduled to vote April 18 on whether to accept the Seattle purchase and permit the relocation.
Stern hinted there may be more than one bid from Sacramento investors but he did not mention names. He said he did tell current Kings minority owner John Kehriotis to "go for it," if Kehriotis feels he can mount a competitive bid.
The commissioner was in town to visit with Warriors officials and said Mastrov was at the tgame and he would talk with him. Stern said the Mastrov bid will have to increase "by dollar amounts" for the NBA to consider it seriously as an alternative to the Seattle deal.
Stern's decision to publicly poke the Sacramento bid now could be seen as a way to assure that the bids will be benchmarks not only for this sale but future franchise sales.


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Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous Autumn day in Melbourne (maybe a little windy in the afternoon), but whilst taking some photos of the quilt on the clothesline I noticed how lovely the back of the quilt looked with the sun behind the quilt highlighting the seams and the colors of the quilt!
Thank you for stopping by!
The finished Gelati Log Cabin Quilt


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NEW YORK — Flu is now widespread in all but three states as the nation grapples with an earlier-than-normal season. But there was one bit of good news Friday: The number of hard-hit areas declined.
The flu season in the U.S. got under way a month early, in December, driven by a strain that tends to make people sicker. That led to worries that it might be a bad season, following one of the mildest flu seasons in recent memory.
The latest numbers do show that the flu surpassed an "epidemic" threshold last week. That is based on deaths from pneumonia and influenza in 122 U.S. cities. However, it's not unusual — the epidemic level varies at different times of the year, and it was breached earlier this flu season, in October and November.
And there's a hint that the flu season may already have peaked in some spots, like in the South. Still, officials there and elsewhere are bracing for more sickness.
In Ohio, administrators at Miami University are anxious that a bug that hit employees will spread to students when they return to the Oxford campus next week.
"Everybody's been sick. It's miserable," said Ritter Hoy, a spokeswoman for the 17,000-student school.
Despite the early start, health officials say it's not too late to get a flu shot. The vaccine is considered a good — though not perfect — protection against getting really sick from the flu.
Flu was widespread in 47 states last week, up from 41 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. The only states without widespread flu were California, Mississippi and Hawaii.
The number of hard-hit states fell to 24 from 29, where larger numbers of people were treated for flu-like illness. Now off that list: Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina in the South, the first region hit this flu season.
Recent flu reports included holiday weeks when some doctor's offices were closed, so it will probably take a couple more weeks to get a better picture, CDC officials said Friday. Experts say so far say the season looks moderate.
"Only time will tell how moderate or severe this flu season will be," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said Friday in a teleconference with reporters.
The government doesn't keep a running tally of adult deaths from the flu, but estimates that it kills about 24,000 people in an average year. Nationally, 20 children have died from the flu this season.
Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone 6 months or older. Since the swine flu epidemic in 2009, vaccination rates have increased in the U.S., but more than half of Americans haven't gotten this year's vaccine.
Nearly 130 million doses of flu vaccine were distributed this year, and at least 112 million have been used. Vaccine is still available, but supplies may have run low in some locations, officials said.
To find a shot, "you may have to call a couple places," said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, who tracks the flu in Iowa.
In midtown Manhattan, Hyrmete Sciuto got a flu shot Friday at a drugstore. She skipped it in recent years, but news reports about the flu this week worried her.
During her commute from Edgewater, N.J., by ferry and bus, "I have people coughing in my face," she said. "I didn't want to risk it this year."
The vaccine is no guarantee, though, that you won't get sick. On Friday, CDC officials said a recent study of more than 1,100 people has concluded the current flu vaccine is 62 percent effective. That means the average vaccinated person is 62 percent less likely to get a case of flu that sends them to the doctor, compared to people who don't get the vaccine. That's in line with other years.
The vaccine is reformulated annually, and this year's is a good match to the viruses going around.
The flu's early arrival coincided with spikes in flu-like illnesses caused by other bugs, including a new norovirus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, or what is commonly known as "stomach flu." Those illnesses likely are part of the heavy traffic in hospital and clinic waiting rooms, CDC officials said.
Europeans also are suffering an early flu season, though a milder strain predominates there. China, Japan, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Algeria and the Republic of Congo have also reported increasing flu.
Flu usually peaks in midwinter. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, head and body aches and fatigue. Some people also suffer vomiting and diarrhea, and some develop pneumonia or other severe complications.
Most people with flu have a mild illness. But people with severe symptoms should see a doctor. They may be given antiviral drugs or other medications to ease symptoms.
Some shortages have been reported for children's liquid Tamiflu, a prescription medicine used to treat flu. But health officials say adult Tamiflu pills are available, and pharmacists can convert those to doses for children.


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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Reitherman Reruns
One of my students, Agnes Salek, pointed this compilation out to me. It is skillfully cut together, showing all the Disney re-use, most of which was the work of director Woolie Reitherman. It seems he never saw a scene he couldn't reconfigure. I think that only the material re-used for Beauty and the Beast is from the post-Reitherman era.
71 comments:
- Unknown said...
- March 17, 2009 9:42 PM
- Michael J. Ruocco said...
Seeing recycled animation both annoys & interests me. They're hard to watch, easy to catch & funny to see the comparisons side by side.
By the way, they did reuse a bit of animation of Bambi's mother in the opening shot of Beauty & the Beast, where she's eating grass & looks up. The exact same animation that they reused in Sword in the Stone, Jungle Book & The Rescuers (all Reitherman's films) - March 17, 2009 11:18 PM
- Thad said...
You could make a longer video if you showed all the times Bob Clampett reused animation!
- March 18, 2009 12:06 AM
- spokeshave said...
When I talked to John Ewing, (Lounsbery's assistant) he worked on the chase seq from Jungle Book he said they worked from the Wind in the Willows chase storyboards and stuck too the exact timing from the toad seq.
- March 18, 2009 6:29 AM
- paul said...
it goes beyond animation, James Horner, film composer, constantly rips himself off when scoring films, chord for chord.
- March 18, 2009 8:02 AM
- Michael Sporn said...
I think most animators probably rip off classic bits. Dick Williams had me go through The Band Concert and had frame enlargements done xerographically from the twister that pulls the band up into the air. This was reworked for Raggedy Ann. I have to admit that Dick and I were doing it out of fun more than trying to make our jobs easier.
As for Paul's comment, James Horner isn't the only one to steal from himself. John Williams hasn't heard a piece of music he wouldn't rework. Sondheim, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Mozart. They all stole from themselves. - March 18, 2009 8:24 AM
- Ignacio Ochoa said...
My question was always, ¿WHY?. Time?, budget?, to walk on insurance?, ¿why?
- March 18, 2009 9:28 AM
- Mark Mayerson said...
Sleeping Beauty lost money and many animation artists at Disney were laid off as a result. I'm sure that management made it clear to Reitherman that he had to keep costs down if the animation department was to continue making features. One of his solutions was to re-use animation wherever he could in order to save time and money.
- March 18, 2009 10:37 AM
- Pat said...
Yes, the reason Reitherman recycled the old animation was time and budget. Disney had to.
This story is like a FOX News alert. Glad you cleared it up in your comment Mark. - March 18, 2009 11:13 AM
Well, Reitherman began the practice early, as his scenes in "Sleeping Beauty" reuse animation from "Snow White" and fron within "Sleeping Beauty" itself, though this is not, I think, noticeable without study of the film draft.
So even in a movie that costly and prestigious (whatever one thinks of it, that's not the point here), he reused (and he had done so already in "The truth about Mother Goose", where Mary queen of Scots coming down a staircase looks to me suspiciously like Cinderella while losing her slipper).
What can one say ? He turned reuse into an art, perhaps ? - March 18, 2009 4:43 PM
- Thad said...
My favorite Disney reuse, unfortunately, is not in this video. It's the shot of the classroom with all the kids creating chaos in "TEACHERS ARE PEOPLE", reused from "ICHABOD". Love seeing the dogfaced kids morph briefly into colonial human children!
- March 18, 2009 4:46 PM
You know, I wonder if some of the animal casting in the Robin Hood film was decided on so a lot of animation could be reused with as little re-drawing the characters as possible.
Also, I like the way that dog-thing Marian is dancing with has really weird proportions, because he was originally two little guys standing one on top of the other. :) - March 18, 2009 10:00 PM
- Yeldarb86 said...
There's a lot more than what is featured in the video.
A chunk of Mowgli's animation from The Jungle Book was reused for Penny from The Rescuers and Christopher Robin from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
No matter what the circumstance though, it's pretty damn lazy. - March 18, 2009 10:46 PM
- Kenneth Tam said...
never have guess so many reuse hahaha
- March 19, 2009 4:26 AM
- Megan Kearney said...
A few other students and myself were watching this video when Agnes posted it elsewhere. We all agreed that, rather than annoyed, we felt relieved! Little human things like this help clear the mystique away, and offer a bit more perspective.
I think that Marian's dance is on twos and Snow white is on ones.... - March 19, 2009 8:48 AM
- Ignacio Ochoa said...
Thanks by your answer Mark.
Of all ways, re-draw all those animations should have been a very hard work. - March 19, 2009 10:42 AM
- David said...
The Mowgli animation shows up again in the short film "The Small One" . (starting at about the 0:24 mark in the linked clip, and "Lady & the Tramp" chickens scattering at around the 0:05 - to - 0:08 mark ).
And there's animation and character designs from "Lady & the Tramp" re-used in "101 Dalmatians".
Effects animation (rain, snow, smoke , fire, etc.) is frequently re-used . Who would know the difference ?
People may want to put down Woolie Reitherman for this practice, but try being in his shoes. He was trying to save a buck here and there, not from laziness , but from the cold hard reality of the lower budgets and the constant threat to close down the animation department in the post-Walt era. We forget now , but it all hung by a thread for a while. I think Woolie (and the other old guard) were just trying to keep it going as long as they could and they made compromises where they thought it wouldn't matter. (although the practice had actually started to creep in earlier than the post-Walt era films)
This was all in the pre-VCR/DVD home video era. They never considered that anyone would have access to these films to watch over and over, and to step through them frame-by-frame for comparison.
I know the re-use is considered a cheap trick, but if anyone has ever had the experience of trying to clean-up animation that is off-model/off-proportion then one would have some healthy respect for the skills of the people who were able to transform Snow White dancing into Maid Marian or change the Mr. Toad characters into Baloo and King Louis. It obviously saved time in not having to figure out the timing of the animation (which is the hardest part) but it wasn't easy to re-draw that animation and turn it into a new character. Try it sometime .
The scenes that are straight re-use like Bambi's mother eating grass, or the bird flying and landing on it's nest that show up in "The Rescuers" tend to be for generic actions that wouldn't necessarily be any better if animated from scratch, and again : who would ever have noticed with these movies being released once every 7 or 8 years for a mostly juvenile audience ? Sharp-eyed animation fans may have spotted the re-use , but without the home video market no one in the general public audience would ever remember that there had been re-used animation in those later films. - March 19, 2009 12:44 PM
- Pat said...
Cinderella was a "low budget" film made cheaply to recoup studio loses. So it's not surprising that animation was re-used. Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Rescuers were also relatively cheaply made with a minimal staff.
It's great that people are looking for these scenes but wrong to call them lazy. - March 19, 2009 6:58 PM
- Thad said...
Sorry, sugarcoat it all you want: reuse is just a sign of cheapness and/or laziness.
- March 19, 2009 7:37 PM
- JPilot said...
"Sorry, sugarcoat it all you want: reuse is just a sign of cheapness and/or laziness."
Pardon me, Thad, would you happen to have any Grey Poupon? - March 19, 2009 8:32 PM
- Glenn. said...
Thad, as an animation scholar with a blatant disregard for "the man", I don't expect you to understand what it's like to work on an animated feature film for a major studio.
Call it lazy, but until you, yourself, are in the situation where you have only "X" budget; "X" many people; and "X" feet of animation to complete by "Friday", you won't have a clue.
Even on recent films, films I've worked on, it's not uncommon for animators to "lift" older animation or live action scenes in order to get their work done in time. You either keep your numbers up or you get the boot.
It's as simple as that. It's a business.
They don't call it the Mouse Factory for nothing. - March 20, 2009 3:48 PM
The problem with the straight re-use of Bambi's mother scenes is that the animation style is not very compatible with the Reitherman-era style.
- March 20, 2009 8:04 PM
- Floyd Norman said...
So many opinions from those who weren't even there.
Woolie was our director on "The Jungle Book." Reuse was just Woolie's thing. He never did it to save money. I really don't think the "Old Guard" ever had any interest in saving money.
I was never a big fan of reuse, but it wasn't my place to tell these old guys what to do.
One final thought. It never seemed to bother Walt, and I never heard him complain about reuse. So, there you have it. - March 20, 2009 10:35 PM
- Thad said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 20, 2009 10:41 PM
- Thad said...
So how does that scenario you've described, Glenn, bely the label of "cheap"? (I'll refrain from commenting on how quick you were to assume I didn't already know about things like that.) I'm not blaming the animators who have to reuse footage to keep their jobs, I'm blaming the studios and the system that create cheap environments.
And thank you, Floyd, for confirming what I knew from reading interviews and asking other old timers: that this reuse was a creative decision of Reitherman!
Look at the films he was directing before the features... Truth About Mother Goose, Goliath II, Aquamania... Reuse heaven! So I have to say, from a critical viewpoint, in this isolated case, that Reitherman's decision to reuse really was "lazy".
This era of Disney films always brings out some mighty flimsy defenses of their shortcomings. - March 20, 2009 11:11 PM
I agree with Glenn and David.
All due respect to Mr. Norman, it was about saving money. Staff is often out of the loop on financial details. Sleeping Beauty cost a fortune and it nearly bankrupted the studio. The years after Sleeping Beauty were very lean years and Woolie knew what was at stake. He looked for ways to cut costs to keep the studio running. Trim the animators work load and you save money. It might not always be the best choice to reuse animation but what is the alternative? Put animation on fours?
Not at Disney.
Thad says, "I'm blaming the studios and the system that create cheap environments". Please! Where does Thad think the money for films comes from? Does he think there is an unlimited budget?
Every studio looks for ways to cut costs - especially in these times. Start a studio Thad. See how difficult it is to work with a budget, meet a deadline, and hold on to staff. Or give yourself a year and make your own film. See if it turns out exactly as out visioned it. - March 21, 2009 11:51 AM
- Brian said...
As much as I hate to agree with Anonymous, they're right. Studio animation is a business just ike any other business.
Walt hated the Xerox process, he thought it cheapened his movies. But it had to happen. He didn't have the money to make lavish films anymore. The shorts and films Rietherman worked on were during the time when the studio was really low on cash. They had to crank out stuff and meet budgets to stay in business.
A perfect example is Richard Williams. He worked on 'Thief and the Cobbler' for something like thirty years, refusing to cut corners to meet a deadline, and he lost the film to the "suits".
Do you blame the suits? It sounds cold but how can you? He more or less defaulted on a loan.
Few people can afford to buy what they want (I can't even afford a Ford with all the bells and whistles) because they have a budget.
So many animation studios are closing and so many talented people are losing their jobs. What's sad is that many people are surprised that their jobs suddenly vanish. They think it is the studios' responsibility is to keep them employed. That's wrong.
If they want to create art they should do it at home on their own time. If they become a success, more power too them. - March 21, 2009 1:07 PM
- Thad said...
"Make your own film." "Do it yourself." Love when that card is drawn. It always is.
By the way, the excessive reuse picture Truth About Mother Goose was made in 1957. Which I believe may have been before Sleeping Beauty was released. - March 21, 2009 2:37 PM
- Thad said...
And regardless of the politics involved, there is also the concept of reusing footage creatively and effectively. The reuse in Reitherman's pictures is neither. I agree with the comment that a lot of the character designs in "Robin Hood" feel like they were made as such so footage could be easily reused. (Come on, another Phil Harris bear? Does it have to be spelled out?)
- March 21, 2009 2:57 PM
You're correct Thad. Reitherman was lazy.
In fact, when I see anything with limited animation I think to myself, "how lazy are those guys!"
When i see a color card instead of a fully painted background I think, "lazy background painters!"
When I see cheap looking cg models I say to myself, "low budgets are not the reason, it's those lazy riggers!"
Not enough rain, it should be a squall those lazy effects animators!
Five characters instead of fifty, lazy cleanup people!
Held cels, come on! Lazy, lazy, lazy!
Flash animation is the laziest!
Only thing that tops all of them are people who ask for dvd donations instead of getting a job and buying dvd's with their own money!
They're the laziest of all! - March 21, 2009 3:49 PM
- Brian said...
"another Phil Harris bear? Does it have to be spelled out?"
Jack Black's voice? Does it have to be spelled out?
John Ratzenberger's voice? Does it have to be spelled out?
Robin William's voice? Does it have to be spelled out?
Tom Hank's voice? Does it have to be spelled out?
Jim Carrey's voice? Does it have to be spelled out?
Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, John Goodman, David Ogden Stiers, Mel Gibson...
Someone stop me! - March 21, 2009 4:53 PM
- David said...
Floyd Norman:
"Reuse was just Woolie's thing. He never did it to save money.
I really don't think the "Old Guard" ever had any interest in saving money."
"thank you, Floyd, for confirming what I knew from reading interviews and asking other old timers: that this reuse was a creative decision of Reitherman!"
So if I'm reading that correctly Floyd is saying Woolie Reitherman could have chosen to not go down the road of reusing old animation , but he just preferred it that way because it was "his thing" . Pragmatic budget/time restrictions and trying to save money did not effect Reitherman's decision to reuse animation, but rather it was a creative decision.
Then it would seem that it wouldn't be true that he did it because of a company mandated environment of cheapness to keep the costs down. He just liked it that way.
I admit that's a new one on me. Hadn't heard that explanation of the reused animation before. - March 21, 2009 4:58 PM
- Jon said...
It's new to me too David.
Reitherman was hand picked by Walt himself to take over directing and overseeing the animated features. In John Canemaker's fantastic, but at three hundred pages still too short book, "Walt Disney's Nine Old Men" Canemaker writes, "Walt died during production (of Jungle Book); Reitherman and his crew had to complete it by themselves. Reitherman followed Walt's dictates regarding the film's budget and his approach to entertainment. "Walt says you just gotta keep the costs down because [feature cartoons are] going to price themselves out of the business."
Another interesting point is that by the late 60's only four of the nine old men were still working on features (Thomas, Johnson, Kahl and Lounsbery). The rest were neophytes. And, according to Glenn Keane, Reitherman had little confidence in the young animators. So, perhaps Reitherman, having been Disney's master animator of action scenes (Monstro in Pinocchio, the dinosaurs in Rite of Spring, the dragon in Sleeping Beauty) felt it best to reuse animation because there was no one experienced enough available to animate the action sequences.
Jungle Book made thirteen million dollars - "a record for a Disney cartoon feature that stood for ten years." The Aristocats, "kept Disney's animation department alive" said Reitherman.
After The Aristocats, "Reitherman continued to produce box office hits, such as Robin Hood and The Rescuers." writes Canemaker. - March 22, 2009 1:09 PM
- Thad said...
Only thing that tops all of them are people who ask for dvd donations instead of getting a job and buying dvd's with their own money!
They're the laziest of all!
Dunno who you're referring to but it's sure as hell not me. That Pinocchio DVD took a lot out of my minimum wage paycheck from Starbucks. - March 22, 2009 3:52 PM
- Zartok-35 said...
See Woolie Reitherman steal ideas from himself, as well as Wilfred Jaxon and Jack Kinney!
- March 22, 2009 6:33 PM
I am happy to receive any copies of DVDs, books, or music you think would be appropriate for review here.
Sounds lazy to me. - March 23, 2009 10:03 AM
- Brian said...
Working for the man Thad?
I can't believe everyone is arguing with this double grande Reitherman hater? - March 23, 2009 10:38 AM
- Thad said...
Yeah well the man has such control over us ya gotta conform sometimes! >Sniff< (And besides, it's a great way to take 'em down from the inside! And to get those free double grandes! Nomn.)
Sounds lazy to me.
How so, coward? Whenever a company/author sends me something, I am binded legally to review it.
I apologize to Mark for polluting his blog with comments. - March 23, 2009 11:52 AM
- Thad said...
BTW, Woolie hater? Not so... anyone who could animate the end of Goofy Gymnastics is a great in my book. That's how I'd like to remember him... not for Robin Hood.
- March 23, 2009 1:19 PM
- Brian said...
He was just lazy.
- March 23, 2009 1:29 PM
- Floyd Norman said...
Besides our four lead animators, including Milt, Frank. Ollie and John, we had a team of experienced, seasoned animation professionals. Neophytes?! I think not!
Guys like Hal King, Eric Cleworth, Fred Hellich and Walt Stanchfield to name a few. These talented animators were hardly neophytes in anybody's book. - March 23, 2009 3:26 PM
Actually Floyd, it's Fred Hellmich.
- March 23, 2009 4:58 PM
- Floyd Norman said...
Oops! Freddy Hellmich and I were old pals. I was simply typing too fast.
Another talented animator on the film was John Ewing. John's son, Sam Ewing also became a Disney animator at the Disney Florida studio. - March 23, 2009 8:06 PM
Someone said:
"Another interesting point is that by the late 60's only four of the nine old men were still working on features (Thomas, Johnson, Kahl and Lounsbery). The rest were neophytes."
That is not true. Do some research.
In the late 60's the crews of Jungle Book, The Aristocats , Winnie the Pooh & The Honey Tree, and Bedknobs & Broomsticks boasted such expert animators as Eric Larson (also one of the "NineOldMen™" with Thomas , Johston, Lounsbery and Kahl) , Hal King, Eric Cleworth , Hal Ambro, John Ewing , Cliff Nordberg, Walt Stanchfield , Julius Svendsen, Jack Boyd, Dan MacManus, Dick Lucas, along with Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery, , and Milt Kahl .
None of those animators were "neophytes" . - March 23, 2009 8:31 PM
- Jon said...
I apologize for making the "neophytes" quote out of context. The "neophytes" was a reference Glenn Keane had made about his group of "young" animators, around the Fox and the Hound. I was too quick to type, and, I have limited budget and staff.
I do agree with Mr. Norman, there where several character animators, including John Ewing and Dick Lucas, who could have animated the action sequences. Hal King was a great animator. Eric Cleworth left, I think, around 1970.
But for some reason Reitherman would rather re-use old animation rather than give it to them animate from scratch.
Budget? Definitely.
Lack of trust in animators other than the remaining four old men? Perhaps, it was just a theory.
"Laziness" doesn't make any sense - there's nothing to back that up and it only sullies Reitherman's reputation. And saying that "it was just his thing" is a flippant answer. - March 23, 2009 8:36 PM
- Cartoon Crank said...
Hey, why don't some of you try sitting through Robin Hood some time and then defend it. I did this afternoon, and it's as lame as ever. I wish they just made a live-action version of it with its first rate cast, because the animation adds nothing. The xeroxed walk cycles are lazy, they had to have used that Pat Buttram wolf skip about a dozen times. The movie itself sullies Woolie's reputation enough. Sorry to break it to you.
- March 23, 2009 9:18 PM
- Cartoon Crank said...
And put down the pitchforks against Floyd (especially) and Thad. It's obvious to me that hearing things you don't want to (like the fact that any of the NIIIIIIINE OLD MEN could make a lazy creative decision) has got you guys sucking your thumbs like Prince John.
The movie sucks people. The old guys cheated big time on everything (not just animation) and it shows. Lay off the Disney kool-aid. - March 23, 2009 10:50 PM
- Zartok-35 said...
I always liked Robinhood...Not the same way I like things from before 1955, though.
Is it just me, or was Dick Lucas Woolie's favortie animator? - March 23, 2009 11:45 PM
How did this get off on a discussion of Robin Hood ?
I don't think anyone here has been "defending" Robin Hood as a great film or even defending the practice of recycling animation , but some people who have had more professional experience as animators are perhaps a bit more understanding of the conditions that led to the practice that's all. The fanboys and purists can afford to safely throw stones at Woolie Reitherman from where they sit. Yawn. - March 24, 2009 1:39 AM
Well said fellow Anonymous. No one said Robin Hood was great. But if it wasn't for Robin Hood there might not be a Disney Feature Animation.
- March 24, 2009 9:54 AM
- Cartoon Crank said...
So you're defending shitty work because you personally had to work with even shittier budgets and in a shittier environment? Shit! No wonder this industry's in the shitter if we're all defending what the other one shits out. Shit, I wrote shit a lot.
But if it wasn't for Robin Hood there might not be a Disney Feature Animation.
Given much of what followed and what it is today, is that really something to be proud of. - March 24, 2009 10:26 AM
- Floyd Norman said...
No disrespect to the talented old guys who worked on the movie, but "Robin Hood" was a truly dreadful film, and a lot of us knew it at the time.
The cost saving thing was silly. Actually, it would have been easier to animate from scratch instead of reworking the older material.
Like I said, it was Woolie's thing -- and I mean no disrespect because I really liked Woolie. - March 24, 2009 11:29 AM
Wow, someone's cranky.
That's a great question though.
I agree with you that most of the animated films after Robin Hood are hard to look at, but in the long run I'm happy Reitherman and the boys kept Disney alive.
I'm glad we have Milt's scenes of Medusa and Snoops; Ollie's underrated scenes of Little John; Glenn Keane's Marahute etc.
A lot of terrible films but a lot of inspiration for animators. - March 24, 2009 11:39 AM
- Mike Matei said...
I think the Jungle Book and Robin Hood are both terrible. I don't like the story for either movie. I don't like the characters, or the design of them. I'm not impressed by the animation on Shere Khan. As we see here, the animation was repeatedly re-used. And not only re-used in the same film, but swiped from other films like Snow White. I don't know why people have to defend the nine old men like they could do no wrong. How long do we have to hear about these two crappy flicks? It's the year 2009. Get over it. I seriously hope to never have to hear about them again. There's nothing more to be said. They are bad. End of story
- March 24, 2009 3:54 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
The Jungle Book was the style that Disney would reuse again and again and again. We've seen Mogli and every single awful character design that horrid film spawed for decades afterwards. Jungle Book, along with Robin Hood, was the precursor to the Saturday Morning dreck that would emerge not too long afterwards.
"I'm not impressed by the animation on Shere Khan."
Shere Khan's animation has been rotoscoped for every Disney villian afterwards. - March 24, 2009 4:38 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
"Given much of what followed and what it is today, is that really something to be proud of."
Excellent point. I would not be crying over the fact that The Little Mermaid would have never been maid. - March 24, 2009 4:44 PM
if every animator coming out of school is like rick and mike, animation is doomed.
- March 24, 2009 5:02 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
Wow, a snipe from a wimp who dosen't even bother to give an identity.
- March 24, 2009 5:12 PM
- Floyd Norman said...
My apologies to those who didn't care for "The Jungle Book." I never considered the film a masterpiece, but it was the story the "Old Man" wanted. And, what the hell -- it was his studio after all.
I encourage all of you to go out and make your own masterpiece. Of course, in twenty years, some kids will beat up on you. - March 25, 2009 12:14 AM
- Yeldarb86 said...
Given much of what followed and what it is today, is that really something to be proud of.
You make it sound like Disney Feature Animation should've died when it had the chance. I could see if it was 1984 and all we had to look forward to was The Black Cauldron. - March 26, 2009 10:31 AM
Rick Roberts : "I would not be crying over the fact that The Little Mermaid would have never been maid."
You mean she should never have been a virgin ? - March 26, 2009 4:26 PM
Hey Mike "I'm not impressed by the animation on Shere Khan" Matei and Rick "the maid" Roberts...
You boys should go to this...
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/academy-tribute-to-milt-kahl.html - March 26, 2009 6:00 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 26, 2009 9:49 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 26, 2009 9:52 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
By the way, Milt Kahl couldn't stand animating bland characters like the ones in The Jungle Book and Robin Hood. He much rather animate a character that was actually easy to move like Brer Rabbit from Song of The South.
- March 26, 2009 9:54 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
"Hey Mike "I'm not impressed by the animation on Shere Khan" Matei and Rick "the maid" Roberts...
You boys should go to this..."
Those are two incomplete sentences. - March 26, 2009 9:57 PM
- Grammar Girl said...
Actually Rick, you're wrong again. "Anonymous" used ellipses so they are correct sentences. The ellipsis can be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence.
However, "Anonymous" should have put a space between the word and the elipsis itself.
Here is an example:
Rick couldn't tell good animation if it bit him on the ... - March 27, 2009 2:05 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
Yes, "Grammar Girl" is telling me I don't know about good animation. Just stick to what you know little girl.
- March 27, 2009 7:03 PM
" Just stick to what you know little girl."
Sexist. - March 29, 2009 3:36 PM
- Ricardo Cantoral said...
You damn right I am. Women should just stay home and mind their pots and pans.
- March 29, 2009 6:59 PM
- Mark Mayerson said...
Comments on this thread are now closed.
- March 29, 2009 7:19 PM


text:
Huge Makeup Contest Giveaway #2
The contest was such a huge success how could I not do another one? I've gotten a few requests to do another one, so here goes!
This contest is going to be a bit simpler than the first one.
-You must be a Makeup By Ren Ren YouTube Subscriber...if you aren't already, just hit the yellow button on my YouTube page to subscribe.
-Leave a comment on this entry with your YouTube name telling me you would like to enter.
-Make a video response to this video. It should be a makeup tutorial with a look you think Iwould rock...you know my personality...my preference for colors...pick one you think i'd like to wear!
-The makeup tutorial can be a live video or a picture video. Last time I didn't allow picture entries and I wanted to give those an opportunity to enter who couldn't because of this restriction last time. The only thing is that you must have a full face pic...no picture stealing! If you don't have a full face shot, your entry will be disqualified.
-List the makeup products you used in the description box.
-You have till Wednesday, February 25th, Midnight at eastern standard time to submit the entry. if you know you may have issues with uploading, please don't wait till the day before...I want to make sure I enforce this fairly. Last time I let a lot of late entries in and this time there will be no exceptions.
-I will announce the winner on March 11th and will mail out the package soon after.
-There will be one grand prize winner
-I'll wear the look in the results video!
-You'll win $100 worth of makeup! Leave me suggestions of products you want on my video comment wall or on this comment wall and I'll pick them out. Just make sure to be reasonable so that I can purchase a decent amount of products with the $100.
Good luck!
Atlanta Makeup Artist


text:
WASHINGTON — If Adrian Peterson can do it, maybe Robert Griffin III can, too.
Peterson set an incredible standard this season for NFL players returning from major knee surgery, nearly breaking the NFL single-season rushing record. Griffin need look nowhere else for an inspiration as the Washington Redskins quarterback begins the road back from an operation Wednesday on two ligaments in his right knee.
"I think it gives motivation to everyone," said Russ Paine, a physical therapist in Houston who worked with the Peterson as the Minnesota Vikings running back went through rehab.
Griffin had his lateral collateral ligament repaired and his ACL reconstructed for a second time. The surgery was performed in Florida by orthopedist James Andrews, who was optimistic that Griffin would be back on the field this fall.
"We expect a full recovery, and it is everybody's hope and belief that due to Robert's high motivation, he will be ready for the 2013 season," Andrews said in a statement released by the Redskins. "The goal of his treatment is to give him the best opportunity for a long professional career."
But no two athletes — or knee surgeries, for that matter — are exactly alike, so pinning down a date for Griffin's return is an inexact science. Complicating matters is that Griffin tore the ACL in the same knee in 2009 while playing for Baylor.
University of Maryland head team physician Craig Bennett said football players typically need seven to 11 months to return from a second ACL reconstruction, but that it often takes up to a year for the ligament to be fully healed.
"Typically your first season back from an ACL reconstruction, there's a tendency to have some struggles from time to time," Bennett said.
That's what made Peterson so remarkable. He tore an ACL in late December 2011 and was the league's best back in 2012.
Paine said Peterson's focus and intensity in rehab and natural athletic gifts made the quick recovery possible. Many say Griffin has those same qualities, and he was sounding an upbeat tone on Twitter even before the surgery began early Wednesday morning.
"Thank you for your prayers and support. I love God, my family, my team, the fans, & I love this game. See you guys next season," Griffin tweeted.
While Griffin heals, the debate will continue as to whether he should have been on the field when he hurt the knee for a final time in the fourth quarter Sunday's playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Griffin reinjured his knee in the first quarter and was obviously hobbled, but he stayed in the game after convincing coach Mike Shanahan that all was OK.
"People can limp around; people can be hurting," Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Steve Young said Wednesday. "Some of the great John Wayne hero things that have ever happened in football happened because people play hurt."
The first major injury to Griffin's knee was the torn ACL in the third game of the 2009 season with Baylor, when he was hurt on the opening drive against Northwestern State but kept playing until halftime. Griffin missed the rest of the year but returned in 2010 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2011.
Griffin's first notable injury in the pros was a concussion early this season, which led the quarterback to learn to protect his body better while running the ball.
But last month, at the end of a 13-yard scramble, he sprained the LCL when he was hit by Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Griffin missed one game and returned to play in three more while wearing a bulky knee brace, his mobility clearly hindered.
On Sunday, Griffin hurt the knee again as he fell awkwardly while throwing a pass late in the first quarter against the Seahawks. He was mostly ineffective the rest of the game, completing only four passes after that drive.
Griffin finally departed with 6:19 to play in the game, after the knee buckled while he was trying to field a bad shotgun snap.
The No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, Griffin was one of several rookie quarterbacks to make an instant impact on the NFL this season. He set the league record for best season passer rating by a rookie QB and led the Redskins to their first NFC East title in 13 years.
Griffin's knee has kept the nation's capital on tenterhooks all week. He was hurt Sunday. Then Shanahan announced Monday that a second opinion was needed.
Then on Tuesday came word that surgery would be taking place. Wednesday was the actual surgery. While it was taking place, District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray said he will invite Griffin to watch President Barack Obama's inaugural parade on a reviewing stand outside the district government building later this month.
"I'd love to have him come, but ... he obviously may be unable. His mobility may be impaired somewhat at that point," Gray said. "My focus right now is on having him successfully get through the surgery."


text:
Founded in 2004, Installatron has a history of industry-first innovations. Notably, Installatron Plugin was first to provide control panel independent application automation, first to support Microsoft Windows servers, first to offer application backup and restore, automatic upgrade, clone/duplicate and migration functionality, first to support multi-lingual applications and international domains, and first to offer an open application packaging SDK. Installatron Server was first to provide a comprehensive API and the ability to deploy applications over a standard FTP, NFS, or SSH layer.
Installatron Server introduces official support for RockyLinux and AlmaLinux.
Installatron significantly refreshes the Installatron application catalog to add over 50 new applications, and support for applications that are incompatible with current PHP versions is discontinued. As a policy, only applications that are actively maintained and compatible with current PHP versions will continue to be available.
Installatron Server introduces improved High Availability and Scaling across large clusters of servers.
Installatron Plugin introduces native and seamless support for cPanel Jupiter and DirectAdmin Evolution.
Installatron Server introduces support for Amazon Linux 2 and CentOS 8.
Installatron introduces Sync and Staging functionality across all products. Sync overwrites an installed app with the content of another installed app, and Staging is used to create a copy of an installed app for development and testing purposes.
More than 200 of only the best web applications are now supported by the Installatron platform, with the majority supporting the author's available language packs.
Installatron Server improves scalability with new options to cluster multiple Installatron Server instances for high availability and increased capacity.
Installatron Plugin support for Plesk Linux/FreeBSD and Plesk Windows is updated to improve customer experience.
Installatron partners with 1&1 Internet to provide click-and-build application machine images and templates for 1&1's freshly revamped 1&1 IONOS cloud platform.
Installatron Server introduces new security features including the ability to encrypt customer data and operate without any cached passwords or authentication keys.
Installatron Plugin and Installatron Server backup functionality is expanded with additional remote backup options, including Amazon S3, Google Drive, and Rackspace Cloudfiles.
Installatron Remote and Installatron Server introduce performance enhancements and support for managing installed apps through secure socket shell (SSH) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) connections.
196 of only the best web applications are now supported by the Installatron platform, all supporting the author's available language packs.
Installatron partners with Amazon Web Services to bring one-click application machine images to Amazon EC2 customers.
Installatron Server introduces support for Amazon Linux.
Installatron Server introduces support for Debian.
Installatron Plugin 9.1 and Installatron Server 4.1 add support for creating and managing Application Templates, and the backup system is improved with the ability to restore backups to any location. WordPress-specific features are also enhanced with the addition of Single Sign On (SSO) support.
Installatron Server introduces a simplified installation process.
Installatron partners with Clef to bring two-factor authentication to WordPress.
Installatron Plugin 9.0 adds support for remote and scheduled backups, new My Applications and My Backups views, and optional automated WordPress plugin updates. Application changelogs are also integrated to highlight changes between each version, spreading awareness of security-related changes.
170 top web applications are now included in the Installatron catalog with over half supporting all available language packs.
Installatron Server 4.0 improves system scalability by overhauling the underlying database architecture. FTP-layer compatibility is also improved with support for new FTP server configurations.
Installatron Server 2.1 adds background processing support to all APIs and boosts FTP connection performance by an average factor of 5x.
Installatron Plugin 8.0 and Installatron Server 3.0 refresh the UI and UX, introduce the ability to automatically update, edit, clone and migrate installed applications, and significantly improve administrative configuration flexibility with a revised user group system.
Installatron Remote 2.0 introduces the ability to edit and clone installed applications and SSH is now a supported file transfer protocol.
Revised Installatron Plugin Partner Program and a new Partner Directory introduced.
Installatron Server 2.0, formerly known as the Installatron Integration API, introduces an improved programming language independent JSON API.
95 of only the best web applications are now supported by the Installatron platform, with over half supporting all of the author's available language packs.
Installatron Plugin Distributors are introduced.
Installatron Remote 1.0 is launched to enable web applications to be installed and maintained over a regular FTP connection from Installatron.com.
Installatron Plugin 7.0 introduces a one click task workflow and overhauls the task system to execute tasks as background processes.
Installatron Integration API 1.1 introduces all of the API improvements released in Installatron Plugin 6.1.
70 of only the best web applications are now supported by the Installatron platform. Applications that are no longer maintained by their authors begin to be replaced.
Installatron Plugin 6.1, drawing on business feedback surveys, introduces a refined application browsing workflow and full HTTP-API capable of performing any task. Support for the cPanel Enkompass and InterWorx control panels is also added.
Installatron Plugin 6.0 introduces a simplified user-interface that utilizes a new wizard-based workflow for increased ease-of-use.
Installatron Integration API 1.0, an open API that enables any web hosting infrastructure to incorporate the Installatron platform, is introduced with support for application management over a regular FTP connection.
Installatron Plugin pricing was also re-calibrated to make the product more affordable for server providers with large numbers of servers.
Installatron Plugin 5.2 introduces support for Microsoft Windows servers with the introduction of support for the Parallels Plesk Windows control panel.
Installatron Plugin 5.1 introduces a free version that is fully-featured but limited to use on a single domain.
Installatron Plugin 5.0 introduces application backup and restores. An AJAX user-interface and next-generation open application packaging format is also added.
Installatron Plugin 5.0 beta testing is initiated. 5.0 is a complete code rewrite from the ground up incorporating everything learned over the years.
An Installatron Application Package Editor is deployed on Installatron.com, enabling application packages to be created using a simple GUI in the new 5.0+ format.
Installatron Plugin 3.4 introduces the ability to install and upgrade applications from the SSH command-line either in a human-friendly or API format.
Installatron Plugin 3.3.1 introduces installing applications in different languages. 60 applications in total are now supported.
Installatron Plugin 3.3 introduces an open application packaging format. The ability to extend and modify application packages through an application customization system is also added.
Installatron Plugin 3.2 introduces support for the Parallels Plesk Linux/FreeBSD control panel. 50 applications are now supported, and user-interface translations are available for 10 languages.
Installatron Plugin 3.0 introduces support for the cPanel/WHM control panel.
Installatron Plugin 2.4 introduces a more robust application packaging system with support for upgrading applications. 40 applications are now supported, and user-interface translations are available for Dutch and Polish.
Installatron Plugin 2.0 introduces the ability to limit applications based on control panel package or username.
Installatron is founded and Installatron Plugin for the DirectAdmin control panel is released with support for just Invision Power Board, PHP-Nuke, and Coranto.
Development begins on the concept that would later be named Installatron Plugin.