January 2, 2025

Tesla Annual Sales Slip for First Time as Competition Grows

Source: New York Times/gift link

By Jack Ewing
Jan. 2, 2025

Tesla sales fell slightly in 2024, the first annual decline in the company's history, as rivals in China, Europe and the United States introduced dozens of competing electric models, giving buyers more choice.

The company said on Thursday that it delivered 1,789,226 vehicles worldwide during the year, a slight decline from 1,808,581 in 2023. During the last three months of 2024, Tesla delivered 495,570 vehicles, up from 484,507 in the last quarter of 2023. The fourth-quarter sales were a record, according to the company.

Tesla shares, which have been buoyant in recent months, were down nearly 6 percent in early trading on Thursday.

Tesla and its chief executive, Elon Musk, largely created the market for electric vehicles when it began selling the Model 3 sedan in 2017, arguably the first battery-powered car with the price, performance and range to attract large numbers of mainstream buyers. Tesla still accounts for nearly half of all electric cars sold in the United States.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/business/tesla-sales-elon-musk.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mE4.hwlH.st-hLYvJsxF3&smid=url-share

---

A sales dip in 2024 was the first ever for Tesla, which pioneered the electric-car market in the United States. Credit...Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

January 2, 2025

If you are a Godzilla fan and have Apple on your computer or console....

On New Year's Eve, I was looking around and found, to my shock, that Apple had the digital box set of the Godzilla Showa-Era films for $34.99. The same set on Vudu was $99.99. The digital set has the same films as the physical blu-ray with the exception of Godzilla, King of the Monsters (the Raymond Burr version), and King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962). Both however are on YouTube. It also doesn't have any of the extras or the book that comes with the set. The price was still good last night when I bought it.

January 2, 2025

The Borowitz Report: 2025 Canceled by Popular Demand

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (The Borowitz Report)—In what experts are calling an unprecedented move, on Wednesday the year 2025 was canceled by popular demand.

“There was widespread support for this,” said Harland Dorrinson, who led the movement to dispense with the year. “One day in, it’s clear that 2025 was a terrible idea.”

“Let’s just move on to 2026 and see if that’s any better,” he added.

After the successful cancellation of 2025, there was growing support for scrapping the next four years.

---------------------

I'm all for this. Actually, cancelling the next four and bringing us to 2029 sounds better.

December 31, 2024

TCM schedule Saturday January 4, 2025 - Pal Joey, The Cincinnati Kid, Suspense, Barry Lyndon

January 4th At a Glance

TCM SPOTLIGHT: WAS IT ALL A DREAM?
Nightmare (1956)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
MGM Parade Show #23 (1955)
TCM DAYTIME: WEEKEND FEATURES
To Please a Lady (1950)
MGM Cartoons: Homesteader Droopy (1954)
Two Boobs in a Balloon (1935) (short)
Believe It or Not #8 (1932) (short)
Up in Smoke (1957)
Galloping Ghost Ch. 1: The Idol of Clay (1931) (TCM Premiere)
Popeye: Cops Is Always Right (1938)
Lord of the Jungle (1955)
Soft Drinks and Sweet Music (1934) (short)
Pal Joey (1957) (Musical Matinee)
Lusty Men, The (1952)
Cincinnati Kid, The (1965)
Sapphire (1959)
TCM PRIMETIME: DIRECTOR JOHN CASSAVETES
Faces (1968)
Shadows (1959)
NOIR ALLEY
Suspense (1946)
TCM LATE NIGHT
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Wedding in Monaco (1956) (short)

January 4th Full Day's Schedule

12:15 AM Nightmare (1956)



A New Orleans musician experiences a nightmare in which he sees himself killing a man and awakens to find blood on himself and bruises on his neck. Worried that it may have actually happened, he tries to reconstruct his actions to find out the truth.
Dir: Maxwell Shane Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Kevin McCarthy, Connie Russell
Runtime: 89 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: The second of two Cornell Woolrich films starring Edward G. Robinson, the first being Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948).

2:00 AM Murder, My Sweet (1944)







Detective Philip Marlowe's search for a two-timing woman leads him to blackmail and murder.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley
Runtime: 95 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: For the scene in which Marlowe is drugged, Edward Dmytryk showed Dick Powell falling through a sea of faces. He borrowed a trick from Saboteur (1942) by having the camera pull back from the actor to make it seem like he was falling. He also had the camera accelerate as it pulled back, to intensify the horror. In order to make Mike Mazurki more threatening, Edward Dmytryk had the sets built with slanted ceilings to force the perspective. As Mazurki walked closer to the camera, he seemed almost to grow.

Trivia: Audiences initially stayed away, thinking that "Farewell, My Lovely", its original title, was yet another Dick Powell musical. After the studio changed the title to "Murder, My Sweet", box-office receipts picked up considerably. Dick Powell's portrayal of Philip Marlowe earned the approval of Raymond Chandler himself.

3:45 AM Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)







A newspaperman serves as key witness in a circumstantial murder case.
Dir: Boris Ingster Cast: Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet
Runtime: 64 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Trivia: Peter Lorre owed RKO two days on his contract and was given this role with a few scenes and some lines. He received top billing largely because his was the most recognizable name among the film's principal cast.

5:30 AM Short: MGM Parade Show #23 (1955)
Gene Kelly and Jerry the Mouse perform in a clip from "Anchors Aweigh"; George Murphy, Dore Schary and Richard Brooks show a short film about the making of "The Last Hunt." Hosted by George Murphy.
Dir: null Cast: Gene Kelly, George Murphy, Dore Schary
Runtime: 25 mins Genre: Documentary Rating: TV-G CC: N

6:00 AM To Please a Lady (1950)







A ruthless race-car driver falls for a crusading journalist out to clean up the sport.
Dir: Clarence Brown Cast: Clark Gable, Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou
Runtime: 91 mins Genre: Romance Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Trivia: Clark Gable was a serious racing fan who frequently attended races, including the Indianapolis 500.

Trivia: Being in Indianapolis was difficult for Clark Gable personally. The city had been the last stop on a war bond tour in 1942 for his second wife, actress Carole Lombard, before she was to fly back home to Los Angeles. Tragically, Lombard's plane never made it back. It crashed in Nevada killing everyone on board. Theirs had been a happy marriage, and it was a loss from which Gable never recovered. At the time of To Please a Lady (1950) Gable had finally remarried, this time to Douglas Fairbanks' widow, Sylvia Ashley. During filming he seemed happier and healthier than he had in years according to friends. Even so, Gable remembered his beloved late wife while in Indianapolis. He quietly made a point to visit the downtown locations where Lombard had made her final public appearances before meeting her untimely death.

8:00 AM Cartoon: Homesteader Droopy (1954)
Droopy and his family decide to build a homestead in cattle country but a local sheriff has other ideas.
Dir: Tex Avery Cast: Tex Avery, Colleen Collins, Paul Frees
Runtime: 7 mins Genre: Animation Rating: TV-G CC: Y


8:08 AM Short: Two Boobs in a Balloon (1935)
Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy take a flight in a hot air balloon. Vitaphone Release 1780.
Dir: Lloyd French Cast: Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Fred Harper
Runtime: 10 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:18 AM Short: Believe It or Not #8 (1932)
This entry in Robert L. Ripley's "Believe It or Not" series showcases such sights as the largest book in the world. Vitaphone Release 1362.
Dir: null Cast: Robert L Ripley, Alfred J. Goulding
Runtime: 7 mins Genre: Documentary Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:27 AM Up in Smoke (1957)





The Bowery Boys' leader sells his soul to the devil for help betting on the horses.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, David Gorcey
Runtime: 64 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: This film, and In the Money (1958), were the last two films in the Bowery Boys series. They were made because Huntz Hall still had two films left on his contract with Allied Artists.

9:32 AM Serial: The Galloping Ghost, Chapter 1: The Idol of Clay (1931) (TCM Premiere)



A gambling ring is intent on fixing college football games. Football star Harold "Red" Grange is a target for the gamblers, who try to eliminate him from playing.

The Galloping Ghost is a 1931 American pre-Code Mascot serial film co-directed by B. Reeves Eason and Benjamin H. Kline. The title is the nickname of the star, real life American football player Red Grange. Serial historian Raymond William Stedman lists Lon Chaney Jr. as appearing in Ghost in a small uncredited part as a henchman, but this has never been verified.

Dir: B. Reeves Eason Cast: Harold "Red" Grange, Dorothy Gulliver, Walter Miller
Runtime: 31 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-G CC: N

Trivia: The character of "Red Grange" is played by the real life Harold 'Red' Grange who, more than 75 years later, remains one of the most famous names in the history of football. The title of this serial was taken from Grange's famous nickname, "The Galloping Ghost."

10:02 AM Cartoon: Cops Is Always Right (1938)



Popeye's troubles start when his car unintentionally knocks down a traffic policeman, and he's given a ticket. He gets another ticket when he parks near a hydrant at Olive's house. A flurry of tickets follow, and in frustration, Popeye accidentally knocks out the officer. Picking up the cop, Popeye rushes to the jail, locks ...
Dir: Dave Fleischer, Seymour Kneitel Cast: Margie Hines, Frank Matalone, Jack Mercer
Runtime: 7 mins Genre: Animation Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: - Margie Hines voices Olive Oyl
- Cop voiced by Frank Matalone
- Final cartoon to feature the original "ship door" opening and closing titles
- Final appearance of the "Adolph Zukor presents" byline
- First Fleischer Popeye cartoon produced in Miami, Florida
- A new version of the "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" song opens the film

10:10 AM Lord of the Jungle (1955)





The jungle boy tries to stop a herd of rogue elephants.

Lord of the Jungle is a 1955 American adventure film directed by Ford Beebe and starring Johnny Sheffield. It is the 12th and final film in the Bomba, the Jungle Boy series, which were based on the Bomba series of juvenile adventure books. It was also Sheffield's final film. He died in 2010.

Dir: Ford Beebe Cast: Johnny Sheffield, Wayne Morris, Nancy Hale
Runtime: 69 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: For the original film in this franchise, 1949's Bomba the Jungle Boy, a second unit filmed about a dozen versions of star Johnny Sheffield swinging through the jungle on various vines. Those 12 takes were then spliced into each of the succeeding Bomba movies, saving Poverty Row studio Monogram Pictures untold thousands in production costs.

11:25 AM Short: Soft Drinks and Sweet Music (1934)



A soda jerk/songwriter dreams of performing his songs on Broadway. Vitaphone Release 1776-1777.
Dir: Roy Mack Cast: George J. Lewis, George Watts, Billie Leonard
Runtime: 22 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-PG CC: N


12:00 PM Pal Joey (1957)







Pal Joey is a 1940 musical with a book by John O'Hara and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The musical is based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in The New Yorker, which he later published in novel form. The title character, Joey Evans, is a manipulative small-time nightclub performer whose ambitions lead him into an affair with the wealthy, middle-aged and married Vera Simpson. It includes two songs that have become standards: "I Could Write a Book" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered".

The original 1940 Broadway production was directed by George Abbott and starred Vivienne Segal and Gene Kelly. Though it received mixed reviews, the show ran for 10 months, the third-longest run of any Rodgers and Hart musical. There have been several revivals since, including a 2008–09 Broadway run, and a 1957 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak.

Dir: George Sidney Cast: Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak
Runtime: 111 mins Genre: Musical Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
ART DIRECTION -- Art Direction: Walter Holscher; Set Decoration: William Kiernan, Louis Diage
COSTUME DESIGN -- Jean Louis
FILM EDITING -- Viola Lawrence, Jerome Thoms
SOUND RECORDING -- Columbia Studio Sound Department, John P. Livadary, Sound Director

Trivia: This was one of Frank Sinatra's few post-From Here to Eternity (1953) movies in which he did not receive top billing, which surprisingly went to Rita Hayworth. Sinatra was, by that time, a bigger star, and his title role was predominant. When asked about the billing, Sinatra replied, "Ladies first." He was also quoted as saying that, as it was a Columbia film, Hayworth should have top billing because, "For years, she WAS Columbia Pictures", and that with regard to being billed "between" Hayworth and Kim Novak, "That's a sandwich I don't mind being stuck in the middle of." As Columbia's biggest star, Hayworth had been top billed in every film since Cover Girl (1944), but her tenure was soon to end with They Came to Cordura (1959).

Trivia: Billy Wilder was the original choice to direct, with Mae West and Marlon Brando in the lead roles. He discussed it with Columbia studio head Harry Cohn over lunch one day. Not only did Cohn turn down him as director, but he later sent Wilder a bill for their lunch.

Trivia: Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn suggested Marlene Dietrich for the role of Vera Simpson. Dietrich turned down the part but suggested her friend Frank Sinatra for the role of Joey after Gene Kelly was denied the part. Cohn suggested Jack Lemmon before Sinatra was eventually cast.


2:15 PM The Lusty Men (1952)





A faded rodeo star mentors a younger rider but falls for his wife.

The Lusty Men is a 1952 Contemporary Western film released by Wald-Krasna Productions and RKO Radio Pictures starring Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy and Arthur Hunnicutt. The picture was directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by Jerry Wald and Norman Krasna from a screenplay by David Dortort and Horace McCoy, with uncredited contributions by Alfred Hayes, Andrew Solt, and Wald, that was based on the novel by Claude Stanush. The music score was by Roy Webb and the cinematography by Lee Garmes. The film's world premiere was at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.[3]


Dir: Nicholas Ray Cast: Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy
Runtime: 113 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: In the opening credits, filmed on Stone St. in Tucson, AZ, the Pioneer Hotel is briefly visible, and farther down the street, Steinfield's Department Store. The hotel was said to be "100 percent fireproof", a claim that was refuted in December 1970 when fire swept through the upper floors, claiming 29 victims - among whom were Harry and Margaret Steinfield, who lived in its penthouse. The building was repaired and is now a mixed-use apartment and office space.

Trivia: An early appearance for perennial old man Burt Mustin, who was already 68 (his character is 62).

Trivia: Co-writer Horace McCoy had earlier written the famous novel "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (in 1935), which was made into They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). Co-writer David Dortort later became the head writer (and sometime producer) for Bonanza (1959).

4:15 PM The Cincinnati Kid (1965)





The Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film directed by Norman Jewison. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best. This quest leads him to challenge Lancey "The Man" Howard, an older player widely considered to be the best, culminating in a climactic final poker hand between the two.

The script, adapted from Richard Jessup's 1963 novel of the same name, was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern; it was Lardner's first major studio work since his 1947 blacklisting as one of The Hollywood Ten. The film stars Steve McQueen in the title role and Edward G. Robinson as Howard. Director Jewison, who replaced Sam Peckinpah shortly after filming began, describes The Cincinnati Kid as his "ugly duckling" film. He considers it the film that allowed him to make the transition from the lighter comedic films he had been making and take on more serious films and subjects.

The film garnered mixed reviews from critics on its initial release. Joan Blondell earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Lady Fingers.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden
Runtime: 113 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Trivia: Edward G. Robinson wrote in his autobiography, "In the film I played Lancey Howard, the reigning champ of the stud poker tables...I could hardly say I identified with Lancey; I was Lancey. That man on the screen, more than in any other picture I ever made, was Edward G. Robinson with great patches of Emanuel Goldenberg [his real name] showing through. He was all cold and discerning and unflappable on the exterior; he was ageing and full of self-doubt on the inside....Even the final session of the poker game was real...I played that game as if it were for blood. It was one of the best performances I ever gave on stage or screen or radio or TV, and the reason for it is that is wasn't a performance at all; it was symbolically the playing out of my whole gamble with life."

Trivia: Edward G. Robinson said of Steve McQueen, "He comes out of the tradition of Gable, Bogie, Cagney, and even me-but he's added his own dimension. He is a stunner..."

6:15 PM Sapphire (1959)





A "light-skinned" black co-ed has a penchant for passing as white and hanging at London's bars at night. When she is found murdered, a number of suspects are considered, including the naive white architectural student who fell in love with her, never suspecting she was black.
Dir: Basil Dearden Cast: Nigel Patrick, Michael Craig, Yvonne Mitchell
Runtime: 92 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: The success of this movie, in spite of its controversial themes, encouraged Janet Green to write Victim (1961), and Basil Dearden to direct it.


8:00 PM Faces (1968)









Faces is a 1968 American drama film written, produced, and directed by John Cassavetes—his fourth directorial work. It depicts, shot in cinéma vérité-style, the final stages of the disintegrating marriage of a middle-aged couple, played by John Marley and newcomer Lynn Carlin. Cassavetes regulars Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, Fred Draper, and Val Avery also star.

At the 29th Venice International Film Festival, the film won the Pasinetti Prize and the Best Actor Award (for Marley). At the 41st Academy Awards, it received three Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (for Cassel), and Best Supporting Actress (for Carlin). Initial critical reception to the film was somewhat polarized, but it went on to gain widespread acclaim, and is now considered one of the most demonstrative and influential works of the New Hollywood movement. In 2011, Faces was added to the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Dir: John Cassavetes Cast: John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin
Runtime: 130 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Seymour Cassel {"Chet"}
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Lynn Carlin {"Maria Forst"}
WRITING (Story and Screenplay--written directly for the screen) -- John Cassavetes

Trivia: While filming a part on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963), John Cassavetes saw Steven Spielberg lurking around the set, as he was then in the habit of doing. Cassavetes approached Spielberg and asked what he wanted to be. When Spielberg replied he wanted to be a director, Cassavetes allowed the young man to direct him for the day. He later invited Spielberg to work on this film with Spielberg serving as an uncredited production assistant on Faces (1968) for two weeks.

10:15 PM Shadows (1959)





Shadows is a 1959 American independent drama film directed by John Cassavetes about race relations during the Beat Generation years in New York City. The film stars Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, and Hugh Hurd as three black siblings, though only one of them is dark-skinned enough to be considered African American. The film was initially shot in 1957 and shown in 1958, but a poor reception prompted Cassavetes to rework it in 1959. Promoted as a completely improvisational film, it was intensively rehearsed in 1957, and in 1959 it was fully scripted.

The film depicts two weeks in the lives of three siblings on the margins of society:[1] two brothers who are struggling jazz musicians and their light-skinned younger sister who goes through three relationships, one with an older white writer, one with a shallow white lover, and finally one with a gentle young black admirer.

Film scholars consider Shadows a milestone of American independent cinema.[2] In 1960, the film won the Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Dir: John Cassavetes Cast: Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd
Runtime: 87 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: John Cassavetes screened the movie in 1957 and 1958, but because of poor response he went back and re-shot about half of the film in 1959. The first version of the film was believed to be lost for almost 50 years. In the mid-1980s Prof. Ray Carney began his search for the film after talking to Cassavetes about the first version. Carney searched almost everywhere but was led to dead ends for 20 years. Finally, in 2002, he was contacted by a woman who said her father, a junk dealer, had a cardboard box with a film called "Shadows". It turned out to be the first version and not the second one. The print was in pristine condition.

Trivia: This film caused a stir in its day as it fairly explicitly showed an unmarried couple in a post-coital position and its suggestion that a young woman would actively seek out sex.

12:00 AM Suspense (1946)







The new manager of an ice show plots to steal the owner's business and his wife.
Dir: Frank Tuttle Cast: Belita, Barry Sullivan, Bonita Granville
Runtime: 100 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: Final film of jowly, gravel-voiced character actor Eugene Pallette, who was in more than 250 films during his decades long career. He is probably best remembered for his role as Carole Lombard's irascible millionaire father in the 1936 screwball classic My Man Godfrey (1936). He retired from acting after making this film.

2:00 AM Barry Lyndon (1975)







Barry Lyndon is a 1975 epic historical drama and black comedy film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray. Narrated by Michael Hordern, and starring Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard Rossiter and Hardy Krüger, the film recounts the early exploits and later unravelling of an 18th-century Anglo-Irish rogue and gold digger who marries a rich widow to climb the social ladder and assume her late husband's aristocratic position.

Kubrick began production on Barry Lyndon after his 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. He had originally intended to direct a biopic on Napoleon, but lost his financing because of the commercial failure of the similar 1970 Dino De Laurentiis-produced Waterloo. Kubrick eventually directed Barry Lyndon, set partially during the Seven Years' War, utilising his research from the Napoleon project. Filming began in December 1973 and lasted roughly eight months, taking place in England, Ireland, and Germany.

The film's cinematography has been described as ground-breaking. Especially notable are the long double shots, usually ended with a slow backwards zoom, the scenes shot entirely in candlelight, and the settings based on William Hogarth paintings. The exteriors were filmed on location in England, Ireland, and Germany, with the interiors shot mainly in London.[4] The production had problems related to logistics, weather, and politics (Kubrick feared that he might be an IRA hostage target).

Barry Lyndon received seven nominations at the 48th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning 4: Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design. Although some critics took issue with the film's slow pace and restrained emotion, its reputation, like that of many of Kubrick's works, has grown over time. In the 2022 Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll, Barry Lyndon placed 12th in the directors' poll and 45th in the critics' poll.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee
Runtime: 187 mins Genre: Epic Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
(*WINNER*) ART DIRECTION -- Art Direction: Ken Adam, Roy Walker; Set Decoration: Vernon Dixon
(*WINNER*) CINEMATOGRAPHY -- John Alcott
(*WINNER*) COSTUME DESIGN -- Ulla-Britt Soderlund, Milena Canonero
DIRECTING -- Stanley Kubrick
(*WINNER*) MUSIC (Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation -or- Scoring: Adaptation) -- Adaptation Score by Leonard Rosenman
BEST PICTURE -- Stanley Kubrick, Producer
WRITING (Screenplay Adapted from Other Material) -- Stanley Kubrick









5:25 AM Short: The Wedding in Monaco (1956)

The Wedding in Monaco is a 1956 documentary film covering the celebrations in Monaco leading up to the wedding of Prince Rainier III to Grace Kelly. The 31-minute Eastmancolor CinemaScope film was directed by Jean Masson and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Kelly's film studio before her retirement from acting.

Dir: Jean Masson Cast: Grace Kelly, Jean Masson, Stan Kenton
Runtime: 31 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Part 1:

Part 2:

British Pathe news report:

December 31, 2024

TCM January 2025 At a Glance -- Star of the Month; Tributes to Teri Garr, Kris Kristofferson, Elvis, Jeanette MacDonald

TCM January 2025 AT A GLANCE



TCM Spotlight - Was It All a Dream? (Fridays)
Memorial Tribute - Teri Garr (9th)
Memorial Tribute - Kris Kristofferson (13th)
Special Theme - Director Alfred Hitchcock (15, 22)

MUSICAL MATINEE Sat. Noon (ET)
4 - Pal Joey (1957)
11 - Footlight Parade (1933)
18 - Say Amen, Somebody (1982)
25 - Evergreen (1934)

WEEKLY SHOWCASES
3, 10, 17, 24, 31 - TCM Spotlight - Was It All a Dream? (Fridays)

SELECTED DAILY SHOWCASES
1- New Year's Music
2 - Classic Screwballs; London Calling
3 - Birthday Tribute - Marion Davies
4 - Director John Cassavetes
6 - 1940s Musicals; Julie Adams
8 - Elvis Presley's 90th Birthday
9 - Memorial Tribute - Teri Garr
11 - Judy Holliday
12 - Charles Bronson
13 - Birthday Tribute - Kay Francis; Memorial Tribute - Kris Kristofferson
14 - Stars From the 1930s
15 - Tennessee Williams Adaptations
15, 22 - Special Theme - Director Alfred Hitchcock
16 - Life on the Farm
17 - Swashbucklers
20 - MLK Tribute
21 - Opposing Fascism
22 - Director Mark Sandrich
24 - Gangsters and Bank Robbers
25 - Tales of the Mounties
27 - Holocaust Remembrance Day
28 - Somewhere In Time
29 - Birthday Tribute - Director Ernst Lubitsch; Cyd Charisse
30 - Jeanette MacDonald; Birthday Tribute; Gene Hackman
31 - Dealing With Criminals



NOIR ALLEY Sat. Midnight, Sun. 10 am (ET)
4, 5 - Suspense (1946)
11, 12 - Deadline at Dawn (1946)
18, 19 - Without Pity (1948)
25, 26 - Woman on the Run (1950)

SILENT SUNDAY NIGHTS Sun. Midnight (ET)
5 - Show People (1928)
12 - The Star Prince (1918)
19 - His Royal Slyness (1920)
Captain Kidd's Kids (1919)
A Sammy in Siberia (1919)
From Hand to Mouth (1919)
26 - The Outlaw and His Wife (1917)

TCM IMPORTS Sun. Late 2 am (ET)
5 - Un carnet de bal (1937)
As Long as You've Got Your Health (1966)
12 - (P) A Man's Story (2010)
19 - Silent Waters (2003)
The Music Room (1958)
26 - The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
Loves of a Blonde (1966)

- JANUARY TCM PREMIERES -
- FEATURE FILMS
Jan 6 - Tarawa Beachhead (1958)
Jan 12 - A Man's Story (2010)
Jan 20 - Nationtime (1972)
Jan 20 - Boycott (2001)
Jan 27 - Hitler's Executioners and
The Nuremberg Trials (1958)
Jan 27 - The Man in the Glass Booth (1974)
Jan 30 - The Domino Principle (1977)

December 29, 2024

"He thinks he's driving."

December 28, 2024

Big Lots strikes deal to keep hundreds of stores open and save jobs

Source: CNN

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN
Published 12:12 PM EST, Sat December 28, 2024

Big Lots, the discount chain that filed for bankruptcy in September, said Friday that it agreed to a sale transaction with an investment firm, allowing hundreds of stores to stay open by transferring its property to other retailers and companies.

The Columbus, Ohio-based company recently announced it was preparing to close its remaining 963 locations after an acquisition by private-equity firm Nexus Capital Management fell through. Big Lots’ new deal is with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, which will facilitate the transfer of its brand, stores and distribution centers.

Variety Wholesalers, which owns more than 400 retail stores including Bargain Town, Bill’s Dollar Stores and Maxway, will acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and up to two distribution centers, according to Big Lots’ news release.

(snip)

“This sale agreement and transfer present the strongest opportunity to preserve jobs, maximize value for the estate and ensure continuity of the Big Lots brand. We are grateful to our associates nationwide for their grit and resilience throughout this process,” said Bruce Thorn, Big Lots’ president and chief executive.



Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/28/business/big-lots-new-deal/index.html

---

December 27, 2024: (Press release) Big Lots Agrees to Strategic Transaction to Facilitate Preservation of Brand, Hundreds of Stores and Thousands of Jobs (PDF download link)
------------------------------


A Big Lots location in Austin, Texas. - Brandon Bell/Getty Images

December 28, 2024

Olivia Hussey, 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Black Christmas' Star, Dies at 73

Source: Variety

Olivia Hussey Eisley, a British-Argentine actor who was scouted to lead Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" and went on to star in the slasher classic "Black Christmas" and the 1978 "Death on the Nile," died Friday. She was 73.

Hussey's death was confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle by filmmaker Marc Huestis and announced on the actor's Instagram.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Olivia Hussey Eisley, who went peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on December 27th," reads the social media statement. "Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her. ... Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality and kindness towards animals."

Hussey is survived by her husband, David Glen Eisley; her children, Alex, Max, and India; and her grandson, Greyson.

Read more: https://variety.com/2024/film/obituaries-people-news/olivia-hussey-dead-romeo-and-juliet-black-christmas-1236261093/

---

-----------------

From Jesus of Nazareth:



---------------------------------


Everett Collection

-----------------

I feel very old all of a sudden. And that picture of her and Leonard Whiting on the movie poster ... I had a crush on her back then.

December 27, 2024

Trump asks Supreme Court to pause law that could ban TikTok

Source: MSNBC

Dec. 27, 2024, 2:09 PM PST / Updated Dec. 27, 2024, 2:23 PM PST
By Hayley Miller

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday urged the Supreme Court to pause a law that could ban TikTok nationwide on Jan. 19 if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell the popular social media app to an American company.

In a 25-page amicus brief filed with the court, Trump asked the justices to stay the Jan. 19 deadline — which is one day before Inauguration Day — so his administration could “pursue a negotiated resolution” that would “obviate the need” for the justices to rule on the case.

“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government — concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” the brief stated.

TikTok and its parent company, China-based ByteDance, appealed to the Supreme Court last week after lower courts rejected its challenge to the law. The justices agreed to hear the challenge and set oral arguments in the case for Jan. 10.



Read more: https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-tiktok-ban-supreme-court-rcna185605

---

Calling his SCOTUS buddies to come rescue him.

December 26, 2024

The calm before the Jan. 20 storm.

Maybe it's just not been reported yet, but I'm not seeing as much criticism as I expected from those who supported Trump and could be potentially affected by Trump's announced policies. (One exception in Latest Breaking News here.)

Granted, he really hasn't announced much yet. I suspect his "inaugural" speech will have a few choice comments that will scare the crap out of everyone. But why are the Trumpettes being so quiet? Are they too scared to say anything?