Wow. Just wow. Wow. Wow.
A light show marking the anniversary of Ukraine's independence last week.
Via Open Culture
So, last night, my favourite show Mad Men started with the closing clip from the 1963 movie musical Bye Bye Birdie. Video here.
This flick made a huge impression on my friends and me back then. We practiced all of Ann-Margret's moves and, I have to say, while watching Mad Men last night, I found myself on my feet ''throwing myself at the (imaginary) camera,'' as Don Draper said.
Yes, I was alone.
Bye Bye Birdie hit the big screen just before Beatlemania, and it came on the tail end of the Elvis worship. But it wasn't the singing idol(s) aspect we loved. It was the depiction of what we imagined teenaged life to be, the going steady, the parties, the dancing, the whole Barbie & Beach Party & Betty & Veronica thing.
Then came the Pill and pot, psychedelic music and a radical shift in pop culture.
But for just a few months, we lived in this glorious bubble, dying to be Ann-Margret, who was so much sexier than the perennial Disney star Annette Funicello.
Anyway, I am not embarrassed to admit that this bit below was my favourite scene and song, one I performed in front of the mirror, with one of my dad's sweaters. I still sing it every once in a while, just to make friends cringe.
And I still came out a feminist.
By the way, here's my treeware take of last week on the instructive value of Mad Men today.
(Jezebel and Feministing have their takes on last night here but be warned, there are spoilers.)
As a kid, I was a sucker for fairy tales. I had the complete set of Classics Illustrated comics (including the ''adult'' ones), all the Read-aloud paperbacks plus some beautifully illustrated hardcover collections of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson stories. Unfortunately, all were lost when our family cottage burned to the ground.
When we saw Disney's Cinderella, my sister Irene and I got those plastic ''glass slippers'' with the elastic holders -- and it's a wonder we didn't break our necks in them. Since then, I have taken my nieces to most of the other ''princess' movies, and to this day one of them still lists The Princess Bride, which is not quite in the genre, as one of her favourite movies of all time. (On my list you will find Ladyhawke, a sentimental fave highly recommended if you haven't seen it.)
Anyway, the princess thing has been big for little girls for a couple of generations now. One of the girls in Father Knows Best was called ''princess'' by her dad Jim Anderson. All sorts of princess toys and accessories have been made and marketed. And of course, every Halloween, there's a parade of little princesses up my walk looking for treats.
As of every little girl knows, princesses always have it made in the end. They kiss their prince, mount his white charger and ride off into the happily ever after horizon.
As if that's what life is all about.
Vancouver artist Dina Goldstein decided to look beyond the fairy tale ending with her gallery of ''Fallen Princesses,'' a collection focusing on what happens to Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and the rest of the girls in real life land.
Here's an example:
Says Goldstein:
I explored the original brothers Grimm's stories and found that they have very dark and sometimes gruesome aspects, many of which were changed by Disney. I began to imagine Disney's perfect Princesses juxtaposed with real issues that were affecting women around me, such as illness, addiction and self-image issues.
Now, I hate to shatter a little girl's dreams, because goodness knows I had many fantasies of my own, so I wouldn't show this to your daughters.
That said, as a wicked stepmother myself, I must say I resent how these guys all portrayed women as either totally evil or as pure as Snow White.
Antonia Zerbisias has been a Star columnist since 1989 but has been telling people what she thinks ever since she could open her mouth. Her career ambition as an opinionator dates back to Grade 9 when a cartoon commentary on a teacher resulted in her suspension from high school. The principal sent her home with a note calling her "rude, obstreperous and bold." Her parents were neither amused, nor surprised. Once she was punished for being that way. Now she makes it pay. And, because she can take it as well as dish it out, she wants to hear what you have to say. Fire away!
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