Star Wars: The Making Of The Movie

I recently rediscovered a favorite book from childhood which I had forgotten all about. This kids' book chronicling the making of the first Star Wars movie came out in 1980 right before The Empire Strikes Back came out. I used to check it out at my local library all the time. I work for the same library system today and I saw this beauty come through the other day. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same copy I used to read almost 30 years ago.





The book is aimed toward little kids so there isn't any real great info the average Star Wars fan doesn't already know but for a 10 year old kid in 1980 it was a revelation. It was the first time I had seen a lot of these behind the scenes pictures.





Needless to say I was thrilled to see this book again. It was very nice rereading it and remembering that great spring of 1980 when I was looking forward to the release of Empire while poring over any Star Wars thing I could get my hands on.

The Pacific Miniseries

I'm very excited about the new HBO miniseries from Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg chronicling the fighting in the Pacific during World War II. I thought the Band Of Brothers miniseries was fantastic and this one will probably be just as good. It's not supposed to be out until next year but this recently released trailer does a good job hyping up the series.



It looks like I'll have to subscribe to HBO again. I'm not sure I can wait until the DVD's come out.

U2 Tour Rehearsals

I'm very excited to hear that the U2 360 tour is about to start in a couple of weeks. The band is in Barcelona right now rehearsing on their awesome new stage, nicknamed the claw. I'm very impressed with the new stage.





The band is going to be playing a lot of their excellent new album and will probably bring out some classics that haven't been heard in a while as well. It promises to be a great tour and I can't wait to see them in October.

New Weird Al Yankovic

I was very happy the other day to find out that Weird Al Yankovic had a new song out. It's a fantastic Doors style parody featuring the Doors' original keyboardist Ray Manzarek on the organ. Check out my favorite humor artist skewer Craigslist in this fantastic video. It makes me want a new ALbum in a bad way!

The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien

I've been watching the new Tonight Show with Conan hosting off and on for the two weeks it's been on and I've come away from it a little disappointed. It seems like it's the same show he was doing from New York. He seems afraid to try new things. Hopefully the show will work itself out once it gets going. The ratings are already slipping and it would be a shame if the show failed because I really like Conan's style of humor and there have been numerous funny moments on the new show. I especially liked this bit from last week where Conan and Andy canoe the LA river.



I'm definitely going to keep giving the show a chance. I'm sure it will evolve into sometime different and unique. At least I hope so.

Plaza Theatre Kansas City, MO

One of my all time favorite movie theaters is the Plaza Theater in Kansas City, MO. Located on the famous Country Club Plaza shopping area, it served the Kansas City area for a little over 70 years. It opened in 1928 with a beautiful Spanish style architecture that fit in well with the rest of the area. It was a grand old movie palace with a beautiful interior as this shot of the auditorium from the 1940's shows.



It remained a single screen house for many years. It was twinned in the 1970's and triplexed in the 1980's. This shot from 1979 was not long after it was twinned.



I started going there a lot when I was in college. I loved the retro style of the place and it was still in pretty good shape. I was crushed when it closed in 1998 in order to put a Restoration Hardware into the building. It's a travesty that I'm still upset about over 10 years later. I did keep the ticket stub from the final time I went there.



I have a lot of great memories of this fantastic theater and it's a big shame that it's no longer there.

The Longest Day

Today is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the turning point of the war in Europe during World War II. It's one of the greatest moments in American history. The Longest Day did a great job chronicling this epic moment. Featuring an all star cast, it's a great tribute to the heroes of Normandy. I know what I'll be doing today.

Pizza Hut Postcard 1960's

I really love the design of the 1960's Pizza Huts. They bring back a lot of childhood memories of going there and actually eating inside the restaurant, which is kind of a rare experience these days. While I don't remember them looking exactly like this card, it was similar. The back of the card showcases Pizza Hut's long lost mascot, the great Pizza Hut Pete.



They definitely need to bring him back. He's one of the great restaurant mascots of all time.