Morning News - Student Protesters Arrested

Student protesters arrested? What is this, the 60’s? Nope. It’s 2009. And these weren’t even teabag protesters! Well, they never get arrested, actually. Interesting. Continue reading »

Rich or Rehab: Lloyd Dobler’s Nephew

When most people think about the movie “Say Anything…,” they think about John Cusack, a boombox and Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Then they think about Lili Taylor singing “Joe Lies.” Then maybe they think about John Cusack, on a payphone in the pouring rain, proclaiming, “I gave her my heart. And she gave me a pen.”

But eventually, after they’ve covered all those things, they will eventually recall that Cusack’s character — the iconic, perpetually romantic kickboxer Lloyd Dobler — had a nephew. You remember this kid. He also did a little kickboxing. He had a mullet. His mom was played by Joan Cusack. And when Lloyd asked, “Hey, my brother. Can I borrow a copy of your ‘Hey Soul Classics’?,” the kid responded: “No, my brother. You have to go buy your own.”

Turns out little Jason Dobler was played by an actor named Glenn Walker Harris, Jr. And since 2009 marks the 20th (!) anniversay of “Say Anything…,” this seems like as good a time as any to find out what happened to him.

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How to Defend Against a Baby with A Knife

So important you watch this, guys.

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They Say: Maybe a Little Screen Time is Not So Bad

It seems that the recent refund offer by Disney was the spark that reignited the flame of a decades-old controversy:   Is television harmful to tots?   Are we a society of lazy, selfish parents that use the screen as a live-in babysitter?  And if so, are we creating a society of mush-brained mutants that call the remote “Daddy”?

Julia Pimsleur Levine, mother of 2 and creator of Little Pim, an educational foreign-language DVD series for the toddler set, has weighed in with the following letter:

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Rich or Rehab: Linda Blair

Of all the demonically possessed kids to ever show their devilish faces in a horror movie, Regan McNeill in “The Exorcist” is easily the most terrifying — and memorable. Is there anyone who grew up in the ’70s and wasn’t absolutely petrified by the sight of her freaky head spinning all the way around? Or later, when the footage was reinserted into the film, the image of her crawling, spider-like, down a staircase?

It seems only fitting, then, to bring this month’s Halloween-themed Rich or Rehabs to a close with a primer on the queen of the child horror stars, the actress who played Regan: Linda Blair.

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Kid Books Lose Battle to DVD Spread

The books in many kid’s rooms seem to be losing the battle for shelf space with kid’s DVDS.

In a survey in England, a third of parents admitted the flicks outnumber the books for their kids. What do you want to bet the numbers aren’t that far off on this side of the pond? Continue reading »

Rich or Rehab: Damien From ‘The Omen’

Imagine being four-years-old, auditioning to play the spawn of Satan and actually getting the part. In other words, a filmmaker and a casting director looked at you, as a child, and said, “Yeah, I can see this kid being the antichrist.”

That’s more or less what happened to Harvey Stephens, the young British child who played Damien Thorn in 1976’s “The Omen.” And, as part of our month-long Halloween-themed series of Rich or Rehabs, I have attempted to find out what that little son of a devil has been up to since.

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Is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ For Kids?

“Where the Wild Things Are” is probably one of the most hyped films of the year. I had reservations going in, but I was pleasantly surprised.

By almost any measure, this is a very well made movie. The visuals are terrific, the creatures look about as real as they can, and the kid who plays Max (real name Max Records, believe it or not) does a great job.

But is it a children’s movie? Continue reading »

Best and Worst Children’s Books Turned Into Movies

When I first read that Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are was headed for the big screen, I cringed.  I still haven’t recovered from what Simon Birch did to A Prayer for Owen Meany.   But then I saw the trailers and, well, you know the rest.  It looks breathtaking, and Maurice Sendak has put his stamp of approval on the project.

Sometimes when a children’s book is brought to life it’s a true treasure, exactly as you had imagined it … or sometimes even better.  And sometimes, it’s a terrible flop.  Hollywood.com recently share their list of the best and worst children’s book movie adaptions.  Check them out: Continue reading »

The Real Reason Abba is Still Making Money

I thought it was just my kid on the weird Swedish pop band-wagon until soccer practice a few weeks ago, when my friend’s daughter burst out in a tune from Mamma Mia. OK, the girls have weekly playdates - it could be her influence rubbing off.

Then this: SF Gate’s Amy Graff reported on a Mamma Mia sing-along for families. “Your daughter,” she warns, “might want to be Sophie . . . after seeing this movie.” Continue reading »