Writer, director, actor, truly talented and focused are just some of what defines Ed Burns. He has delivered another tremendous film wearing his usual three hats of writing, directing and acting with “The Fitzgerald Family Christmas.” The film opens in selected markets tomorrow. Mr. Burns also was highly entertaining, informative and truly pleasant during and after a “Q and A” with the fine film critic, Marshall Fine at a screening of “The Fitzgerald Family Christmas,” recently held at Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck, New York.
The movie about a family with seven children, whose history is dominated by their father’s departure from home, resonates with laughter, interesting characters, and deep, realistic emotions.
The entire cast was excellent. Burns plays Gerry, who helped raise his younger siblings when his father departed. In the question/answer session Burns talked of the different “takes” on parenting from the older and younger siblings as fertile ground for his writing. Again the entire cast excelled and among the children, I will cite Michael McGlone, a veteran of previous Burns films, “The Brothers Mc Mullen” and “She’s the One,” by name, for his role as the middle brother. There are four girls and three boys in the Fitzgerald clan.
Finally, it was great seeing some familiar faces from days past as Anita Gillette, of game show fame, played Rose Fitzgerald and Ed Lauter was the estranged father. Add Joyce Van Patten as a friend in a key scene with Gillette, as all three gave inspired performances.
I highly recommend that people go see “The Fitzgerald Family Christmas.”
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/thefitzgeraldfamilychristmas/
While the Atlanta Falcons not only clinched the NFC South and moved closer to the NFC top seed, the other three NFC divisional races tightened.
Without playing on Sunday, having dispatched the Saints on Thursday night, Atlanta clinched the NFC South when the Denver Broncos beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta gained ground in their bid to be the NFC one seed for the second time in three seasons, when the other three NFC division leaders lost.
In the East: the Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles, who have lost eight straight games and fell to (3-9). On Monday night the Washington Redskins edged the division leading New York Giants. The Giants, with a (7-5) record, lead the Cowboys and Redskins, both of whom are (6-6). Comment: watch out for Dallas at Washington to be the Sunday night game in the final week.
While the Green Bay Packers went to (8-4) beating the Minnesota Vikings by nine points as a touchdown favorite, the Seattle Seahawks helped tighten two NFC division races by winning in overtime vs the Chicago Bears. Both the Packers and Bears are (8-4) and clash a week from Sunday in Chicago.
As stated, the Seahawks won at Chicago and that coupled with the St. Louis Rams’ win vs the San Francisco 49ers leaves Seattle just a game and a half behind the Niners in the NFC West.
New feature: A Super Bowl match up prediction that might change each week. Right now the prediction is a redux of the 1998 season Supe as I will predict the Atlanta Falcons vs the Denver Broncos. There is a is long way to go, but Atlanta a very likely one seed. Denver has some intangibles, and obvious talent.
As Hebrew National does with its hotdogs, I expect “not only higher” but truly exemplary “standards” from Bob Costas. Even in these times that are devoid of real sports passion, he so often meets and exceeds those “standards.” Bob, in my opinion, did it again in his halftime commentary this past Sunday. He did so before “halftime” of his commentary.
His comments about perspective and daring to say them during one of our sporting exhibitions was akin to Jimmy Foxx’ upper deck home run hit long ago, at Yankee Stadium. Bob really hit it “out of the park” with his commentary. Both Bob and for that matter, Jason Whitlock, are preaching to the choir about gun control as far as I am concerned. The constitutional amendment about the so called “right” to bear arms is as outdated as a zoot suit and unlike the former, has no place in our society. Yet to me the perspective about tragedies, the fact these stories dominate our local news and far deeper, our culture’s lust for such stories is a truly big issue.
Back to Bob and this is what he said about perspective. Concerning the events in Kansas City where a “linear” tragedy occurred: an innocent pregnant woman killed by a “troubled” man, who happened to play football. Bob Costas said “In the aftermath of the nearly unfathomable events in Kansas City, that most mindless of sports cliches was heard yet again. Something like this really puts it all in perspective. Well, if so, that sort of perspective has a very short shelf life since we will inevitably hear about the perspective we have supposedly again regained the next time ugly reality intrudes upon our games. Please, those who need tragedies to continually recalibrate their sense of proportion about sports would seem to have little hope of ever truly achieving perspective.”
He then went on to quote and paraphrase Whitlock’s column. Whitlock felt and I agree that with no gun involved the ultimate tragic circumstances that manifested last Saturday in Kansas City would have been prevented. There are many situations in which clearly a gun meant death and no gun would have prevented tragedy. I despise guns, the gun culture, killing innocent defenseless animals for “sport”—did I make my point?!!
Please read/listen/watch Costas’ comments about perspective. Most people will not commit violent acts. Far too many people do not have perspective regarding sports. Almost all of society says or does little to help improve it. Oh but the rage involving these type tragedies until the coach uses the “wrong” quarterback. Being blunt you think the guy or gal who lost his bet on Dallas hours after Costas’ eloquence, gives a damn about two dead people visa vi his bet. The answer is no.
Sadly, for the most part I avoid sound when watching sports and the main reason is I can not tolerate the pain of knowing how truly insulting almost all of the verbiage spewed by so called “announcers” really is. It is admittedly compounded exponentially by the fact “announcing” is what I wanted to do, had a great aptitude for and failed to do. That failure is exacerbated, also in exponential terms by knowing that the greats I could only aspire to be: Ray Scott, Harry Kalas and Marty Glickman to name three, have gone the way of the dinosaur.
There are a few good, younger ones and Marv Albert still excels but only Costas could inspire a younger me. He showed again in #3 of a div series (St.Louis/Washington) that he excels at play by play but it is in these type of messages, Costas displays the greatness that places him with the all time greats.
At a “NY Times Talk” last year, questioned by Bob Lipsyte, Costas talked of the violence in the NFL, the networks that promote it (one he pointed out had a feature “he got jacked up” celebrating the most violent “hits”) and most of all the inevitable gathering of players from both teams around an injured player. As with the tragedy in Kansas City, there is little done about it, little real perspective and a ridiculous process that will be repeated.
A third great Costas work is lighter but far from fluff. It never fails to inspire me and as Bob once joked about having a Mickey Mantle card, his eulogy at #7’s funeral should be watched as “a qualification for citizenship.” Great work, Bob and whether it is your dad, Mantle, or the “higher standards people” involved in making certain hot dogs, people from above are looking down and applauding you. I do so from my perch here on earth.
The Houston Texans still have a one and a half game lead in a bid to be the AFC top seed for the first time in franchise history. A touchdown favorite, the Texans won by two touchdowns vs the franchise, the Tennessee Titans, that played in Houston as the Oilers from (1960-1996).
In the movie, “Cast Away,” Tom Hanks’ character, who had been shipwrecked, is informed that not only does Tennessee have a pro football team but that they came within a yard and subsequent extra point of forcing overtime in a Super Bowl. Mike Lupica, once erroneously said on one of his many radio shows, that the Titans came within a yard of winning the Super Bowl.
Next week, Houston visits New England, one of two AFC teams to clinch a divisional title yesterday, in a game that figures to be important in conference seeding.
Both the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos clinched division titles yesterday. Each team features a quarterback who has had remarkable success in winning the current “one eighth” NFL divisional titles in the past ten seasons. The Patriots won their fourth straight divisional title and ninth in the past ten seasons. In all nine seasons in which New England quarterback Tom Brady played as much as a full game (Brady was injured in the season opener in 2008, the one year New England did not win the division and they did battle until the season’s final day before Miami grabbed the division title) the Pats have won the AFC East title. This is Denver quarterback Peyton Manning’s first year with the team and the Broncos’ second straight “div” title. Manning has now won eight division titles in the nine years he played over the same ten year span (2003-2012). Manning won seven “div” titles with the Colts and has been in the playoffs the last ten seasons he played. He was injured last year and did not play for the Colts, who failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Speaking of the Colts, they and their former city’s team had opposite results yesterday. The Baltimore Ravens (of course the now Indianapolis Colts played in Baltimore from (1953-1983) still lead the AFC North by two games (there is no clear leader in the potential tiebreakers so we will call the lead two games) despite a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This despite Pittsburgh, more than a touchdown underdog, playing without starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Meanwhile the Colts led by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, who of course replaced Peyton Manning, (to this point it has worked out well for both men) pulled out a (35-33) win at (4-8) Detroit (Lions), in a game in which the now (8-4) Colts were a one touchdown underdog. “Indy” has a one game lead over both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in the wild card race. There are two wild card berths to be determined.
Tom Hanks, Cast Away
Random thoughts: some serious, some light, and others take your pick. Of course the game between the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs will be played as scheduled. Chiefs’ linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and then himself yesterday. I am not saying the game should be postponed just that I knew it would not be postponed. Alas, this is the league that played football two days after President John F. Kennedy was killed over 49 years ago. The league suspended Paul Hornung and Alex Karras for gambling that season but again played football two days after the President of the United States was killed. Some things and their inherent hypocrisy and lowering of standards causes a pain that does not easily subside.
It is sad that Rick Majerus, an excellent college basketball coach, who had a great view about life passed away. I met him once and told him how bad his “friend” Mike Francesa was at picking results of games and how arrogant he was in doing so. Majerus, very politely, said nothing. As callers consoled Francesa on his “friend’s” death I “ask” Francesa (from here so he can not hang up on me) to start considering what people will say or do say about him now.
The movie “Back to the Future” really holds up, certainly as an entertainment vehicle but also in offering life lessons. In the movie, the interesting “Doc” character goes ahead thirty years to 2015. This was after the lead character, “Marty,” goes back thirty years to 1955. If the world is still here and Hollywood is viable three years hence (this future status is very likely) perhaps a “Back, ahead and stay” regarding the future is in order. Where did 27 years go since 1985? In the 1985 movie, there was surprise that an actor had become president and a character scoffed at the idea of a black mayor. That was 1985 going back to 1955, there is fertile ground just regarding the presidency for 1985 to 2015. I wonder if “Doc” who “invented” many things was “ahead of the curve” when it came to mobile phones?
Just as we will go one team at a time in our review of likely division champions, the Atlanta Falcons, who twice before failed to win a playoff game despite being the NFC one seed, are not “counting their chickens” even if as is likely, they gain the NFC one seed.
Right now the Falcons are on the precipice of a second NFC South title in three seasons. Atlanta also will have at least a one and a half game lead at the NFL “three quarter pole” in the battle for the NFC one seed. They are not regarded as the conference favorite, have struggled in many of their wins and their stellar young quarterback, Matt Ryan has yet to win a playoff game.
It is ridiculous to make predictions and while it is unlikely Atlanta will fall below a two seed, the bye and home game did not matter for Ryan and the Falcons in their loss to the Green Bay Packers when they were the NFC “one seed” two years ago. It is noteworthy that in each of the last two seasons, the Falcons were ousted by the eventual Super Bowl champion; the Packers in 2010 and the NY Giants last year.
Speaking of the Giants, they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion in both 1984 and 1985 before winning their first Super Bowl in 1986. Maybe the same pattern will emerge regarding the Falcons. Time will tell, but for now you take any one NFC team other than Atlanta, while I will take Atlanta to make the Super Bowl. In other words, I am not saying they will win the NFC, but in my opinion their chances to do so are better than any other team. Hence the “gentlemen’s bet” suggested above.
Hold the phone! Unlike most of the reviewers I felt that Lindsay Lohan gave a nice performance in “Liz and Dick,” the television movie that aired recently on the Lifetime network. I truly have paid no attention to Lohan and have no vested interest. It was a role as Elizabeth Taylor that she could relate to and her performance opposite Grant Bowler, who stood out as Richard Burton was, in my opinion, a good one.
My perspective is unique in that I really knew little about Lohan nor would I have recognized her before seeing the movie. My taste is no better nor worse for not having known of Lohan, while I did know a bit about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, therefore felt the movie was worth watching.
One scene leads to a way to sum up my feelings regarding the movie and Ms. Lohan for now. Lohan/Taylor and Bowler/Burton are “post coital” when the obligatory televised banter commenced. Lohan/Taylor wants “more” and Bowler/Burton thinks that is “her favorite word.” Lohan/Taylor responds by asking if he prefers “less.” My hope is for some amount in between for Lohan. I am glad I “met” her and while not all that anxious to see her perform again, doing so in the future is fine with me.
Lindsay as Liz
Since tonight’s game matching the (2-8) Carolina (Panthers) and the (3-7) Philadelphia (Eagles) is virtually meaningless in the standings, let’s begin our weekly NFL Review a day earlier than usual. As the weeks wind down, (only five left) after this review, there will be both NFC and AFC reviews the rest of the season.
After meaningful play this past weekend, while not as pronounced as the AFC, three of the four division leaders in the NFC have at least two game leads and all four current “div” leaders gained ground. Surely never before and this is the 12th year of the current eight division configuration have seven of the eight leaders enjoyed leads of at least two games. Six leaders have more than two game leads and five lead by three games or more.
In the NFC, the closest race is in the NFC North where after (8-3) Chicago with Quarterback Jay Cutler back in action gained on the (7-4) Green Bay Packers, the margin is only one game. The Packers won the second week clash vs the Bears so if Green Bay wins in Chicago on December 16th they would have the tiebreaker advantage so this one is far too close to call. The next closest race is in the NFC East where the New York Giants gained on the Dallas Cowboys and now lead both the Cowboys and Washington Redskins by two games. Washington defeated Dallas in Dallas on Thanksgiving day. Elsewhere the (8-2-1) San Francisco 49ers gained on the Seattle Seahawks and lead them by two and a half games. Meanwhile the (10-1) Atlanta Falcons reduced their magic number to two, gaining ground on both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.
In the AFC, it is all over save the shouting as far as the division races are concerned. All four leaders have at least three game leads. The (9-2) Baltimore Ravens gained ground and now lead both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals by three games. Both the (10-1) Houston Texans and (8-3) New England Patriots secured “Turkey Day” wins and maintained three game division leads. As with the Falcons in the NFC, the (8-3) Denver Broncos reduced their magic number to one for a divisional title as they now lead by four and a half games with five games remaining.
When the iconic television show, “Dallas” was “ruling the ratings” in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s, I was not a viewer and complained when the show and not the live NBA playoff games aired in prime time on CBS television on Friday nights. However, I became as big a fan of “Dallas” as there is (Ch 9 Sunday night reruns brought me up to date) falling in love with the show’s family dynamic and with one of the great television character portrayals ever by Larry Hagman as “J.R. Ewing.”
People said my dad looked like Larry and I feel a tremendous loss with this superb actor’s death. I knew and liked Larry Hagman before I loved him as “J.R.” Now older, and somewhat more knowledgeable, I marvel at Larry’s performance as the President’s (played by Henry Fonda, who praised Hagman’s performance) aide in “Failsafe.” He stood out in “Harry and Tonto” playing Art Carney’s son in the film which netted an Academy Award for Carney. A scant few days before Larry’s death, I happened to “catch” his telling scene with John Travolta in Primary Colors. His work in “Nixon” was also outstanding.
Of course his greatest fame came as J.R. and to me the character’s need to please his overwhelming father is the aspect of the show that resonated more than any. Hagman delivered great lines whether it was “that is called playing the come Senator” when double dealing “J.R.” was being investigated by a Senate committee or essentially spitting out the coffee his lover “Kristin” (his wife’s sister, who eventually shot him as part of pop culture history, played by Mary Crosby) made and easing in “that girl just can’t make a decent cup of coffee.”
When Patrick Duffy’s “Bobby” “died” at the end of the 1984-1985 season, notice Hagman as J.R. pleading “Don’t leave me Bobby” and there are other emotional scenes that will live on. I hope the new “Dallas” can somehow convey the love characters Bobby and Sue Ellen (played by Larry’s dear friend, Linda Gray, who was at his side when he died) actually had for “J.R.” despite their “knock down, drag out” battles. It mirrored the real life love they felt for Larry.
I met Larry Hagman only once when he and “I Dream of Jeannie” co star Barbara Eden were promoting a “Jeannie” dvd. Days before news of Larry’s death, I recalled it as one of my most important “meetings.” I mentioned to Larry that I was a friend of another J.R. and recalled the answering machine (’twas machines, not voice mail then) message he personally recorded for our mutual friend, the “other J.R.” In full “J.R.” twang: “This is the real J.R. here that other rascal is out looking for Sue Ellen” and then the incredible laugh.
Hypothetical or real heaven (take your pick) has a “primer” in how to enjoy and live a full, good, productive and meaningful life. After a brief rest to get acclimated to his new surroundings, Larry Hagman is teaching that “primer” right now. Few humans would be more qualified to do so.
During the annual Ohio State/Michigan regular season finale game, a graphic posted by ABC-TV indicated that on four previous occasions Michigan had beaten Ohio State to spoil a perfect season for the Buckeyes. The information was not accurate. In 1973, one of the four times indicated in the graphic as a year Michigan beat Ohio State, The Wolverines tied–that is not beating–Ohio State (10-10).
The factual mistakes continued on ESPN2 when Mark Jones working the Penn State/Wisconsin game decided to embellish on a graphic indicating years USC spoiled unbeaten Notre Dame seasons. He said his favorite moment was when Anthony Davis scored six touchdowns vs “The Fighting Irish” in either 1970 or 1971. The correct year was 1972.
At night on ABC-TV, studio host John Saunders was doing the highlights of the UCLA/Stanford game. Saunders said “Stanford trailing 14-10” when actually Stanford was ahead 14-10.
Mark Jones
