MORE TIPS FOR SENIORS

Or your iPhone, for that matter!

When you get older...you notice a few odd things!

THE VOLCANO IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING PANTS!

It is no mystery your body goes through many changes during your lifetime...but that doesn't mean you have to understand what's going on there!

THE NEW LAUREL & HARDY BLU-RAY!

FROM AMAZON:

A world premiere for all the Laurel and Hardy fans!

Deluxe 2-disc Blu-ray Edition

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy first appeared on film together in 1921, after an initial period in their careers spent apart. The two would formally team up in 1927 and found success by following a simple comic formula that displayed the hilariously ambitious and anarchic qualities of their joint personality. Laurel & Hardy: Year One, The Newly Restored 1927 Silents, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley and Blackhawk Films, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to observe the evolving partnership of the slapstick comedy team that would reach enormous popularity. Featuring all new restorations sourced from

best available materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world restored by Blackhawk Films and Lobster Films in Paris, this comprehensive deluxe Blu-ray 2-disc collection features thirteen extant films produced in 1927 and two additional films from before they were officially a team.

It includes new scores from some of the best silent film composers working today, such as Neil Brand, Antonio Coppola, Eric le Guen, and Donald Sosin. Arthur Stanley Jefferson for a time understudied Chaplin in England and the US, meanwhile Oliver Norvell Hardy was a talented actor in comedies and melodramas, yet neither had reached the status of movie star.

It became clear upon their merging together that their contradictory physiques and personalities complimented each other perfectly. The team would go on to produce numerous projects together that reached wide acclaim, eventually becoming nearly unanimously considered by film critics, scholars, and movie fans alike, the funniest comedy duo in film history.

The GET SMART comic books!

 On September 18 in 1965, TV comedy GET SMART created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and starring Don Adams as agent Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and Edward Platt as The Chief premiered.Get Smart immediately won over audiences with its witty satire of the secret agent genre. Starring Don Adams as bumbling spy Maxwell Smart, aka Agent 86, and Barbara Feldon as his brilliant partner Agent 99, Get Smart followed their laugh-out-loud misadventures as they battled the evil forces of KAOS. Created by comedy legends Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart was an instant hit thanks to its slapstick humor, clever spy parodies, catchphrases like “Missed it by that much!”, and gadgets like the famous shoe phone. For 5 seasons, Get Smart kept viewers in hysterics every week with Agent 86’s hilarious attempts at espionage, close calls with danger, and comical interactions with The Chief (Edward Platt). Now over 50 years later, Get Smart remains one of the most beloved and iconic sitcoms of all time. Its legacy lives on through syndicated reruns and an enduring comedic influence still felt today. 

In 1966, GET SMART was published as a comic book by Dell Publishing Co. 

These are the covers plus an ad for Aurora Model Motoring cars 

which appeared on the back cover of several other issues as well.

FYI: I'm Deactivating Accounts!

I have nothing against Elon Musk personally but Twitter, now X, has become too toxic, too full of hate and bigotry, too irrelevant, too stupid and too superfluous in my life that I have no choice but to deactivate my accounts there. Nothing will be lost, no one will miss me there and I won't miss anything therein either. So, farewell, ex-X!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE REALLY OLD WHEN...

As you get on in years, you find yourself a little clumsier, a little more absent-minded and a little more klutzy in every way there is. Don't worry! As an old man, you're expected to drop things, fall constantly everywhere, make inappropriate comments and generally, making a nuisance out of yourself. In short, you become a master of low comedy. That's life!

Sightseeing at the Big Apple!

The Digital De-Aging Process in Movies

Watching the fifth and last Indiana Jones movie, you can spot one of the latest developments in SFX, namely, the digital de-aging process. According to Wikipedia: "In motion pictures, whether for film (cinema), television, or streaming, de-aging is a visual effects technique used to make an actor or actress look younger, especially for flashback scenes. This is often accomplished via digitally editing the image or using computer-generated imagery (CGI) overlays or touch-ups."

In cartoons, the process is very easily achieved, as you can see here:

In real life pictures, the process is more complicated, but the results are similar:

However, the question remains: why can't they create something like this on real human beings?

INDIANA JONES GOES OUT WITH A BANG!

The new and last INDIANA JONES adventure has been released to rather lukewarm reviews from the critics but also, to generally delighted audiences and the franchise starring Harrison Ford has apparently ended its run with the fifth installment which I think is a wise decision. In my opinion, in spite of a few misses here and there, the series goes out with a bang.

FAREWELL, INDY!

When the pandemic lockdown was declared, some people freaked out and went on a toilet paper hoarding spree. And toilet paper became as valuable as anything Indiana Jones might search for. 

Thus, this 2020 cartoon:

I vaguely recall I once played an Indiana Jones inspired character on a comedy stage play many years ago. Can't remember the plot or the play's title but I can say it had a very successful run since we went past the 100 performances mark.

I was never the Harrison Ford type but since this was a screwball comedy, nobody cared!

Happy Fourth of July!

THE FLOOR IS LAVA!

Recent activity from the Popo volcano, about 32 miles from my home, have set the red alert warning all over the area. Of course, no lava yet in my living room which, incidentally, is on a third floor.

Stan Laurel - Born on this day, 133 years ago.

SENIOR ROAD RUNNER

Try running after your four year old granddaughter when you are 71 and you will immediately

 sympathize with Wile E. Coyote's efforts to catch the Road Runner!

Al Jaffee, King of the Mad Magazine Fold-In, Dies at 102

 Al Jaffee, a cartoonist who folded in when the trend in magazine publishing was to fold out, thereby creating one of Mad magazine’s most recognizable and enduring features, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 102.

The news comes from the Twitter feed of Tom Heintjes, dedicated to Eisner Award winner Hogan's Alley. "I'm very sad to report that the great Al Jaffee has died," the tweet reads. "He had celebrated his 102nd birthday just last month. An incredible legend. RIP to a giant of cartooning." Along with being known for Mad Magazine, Al Jaffee also contributed to Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, which would eventually become the publishing juggernaut Marvel Comics. His longest-running Mad Magazine feature was the Fold-In, which featured a piece of artwork that had to be folded vertically and inward to reveal a new image. 

The First Fold-In appeared in MAD # 86!

HAPPY EASTER 2023!

I thought the Easter Bunny came to hide the Easter Eggs but as it turns out, there's also an Easter Egg who delivers Chocolate Easter Bunnies!

But never fear...the Easter Bunny is still here!