Can someone bring me up to speed?

[Hollis]

Hi to everyone...

Due to circumstances which I was unable to circumvent, I've been offline since the early part of June and I'm just now getting back and trying desperately to catch up. Can someone tell me what's happening with regard to the TCM guest programmer competition? Unless it's hiding out in the open, I didn't see any mention of it on the home page. Is the competition over? Has a winner been chosen and announced? If so, was it won by anyone that we know and when is it scheduled to air? Thanks in advance for the info! I certainly hope everyone is well and in good spirits and doing even better than the last time we spoke. I'm happy to be back and hope I'll have something worthwhile to contribute as time goes by. (Sorry for the pun, it really was unintentional!)

All my best,

Hollis

[Mr. Arkadin]

I'm not the best one to bring you up to speed, but welcome back! We missed you.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Hollis,

I had wondered what happened to you......

This board is slowly coming around and there are more and more contributors.
TCM message board has a very few of the old gang hanging on but I have abandoned it. Slow and cutting out constantly and too many negative posters.
Once a board gets onto the 'gay and homosexual outing' of everybody and their dog, I'm outta there. No kidding - - the IMDb board has a question, "Was Rin Tin Tin gay?".... Honest...

I hope you have your computer working now and can post some good, sane, insightful contributions as I know you have in the past...

All the best,
Larry

[Hollis]

Thank s to both of you gentlemen. My PC was never the issue, but other things were. They've since been attended to and with any luck should never be a problem again. I found out from Social Security that even though I'm disabled, I am allowed to supplement my income as long as I don't exceed a certain threshold. I found something that in 23 hours a week takes me just short of that threshold. That means I can earn the maximum allowable amount in only 12 days per month and without doing anything too awfully strenuous that would jeopardize my physical condition. Best of all is that my physician gave me his OK and even provided me with a letter to my employer explaining the presence of a controlled substance in my system and explaining that it would in no way inhibit my performance. I was starting to feel like I had cabin fever! This will not only make things a whole lot better financially but will go a long way toward restoring my self esteem and allow me to meet a lot of new people (especially women!) at the same time. Next Friday I meet with a neurologist at the VA in Biloxi and explore the possibility of having a neural stimulator implanted on my spine which will basically short circuit the pain impulses caused by the injury to my spine and keeps them from reaching my brain. If the procedure is approved and then works as advertised, it may mean the end to the pain medication or at the very least, a major reduction in the dosage and frequency. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. They'll perform the procedure at Tulane University and it'll be done by a civilian and not a VA doctor. That reduces my apprehension to a great degree! so let's hope...

Neither of you said anything about the guest programmer contest. Is ti still on? I'm hoping that someone from this cast of characters wins.

Thanks again for the kind words. Take care of yourselves!

Hollis

[Lzcutter]

Hollis,

Welcome back! You have been missed here at the Oasis. If Klondike weren't away (likely on some long Alaskan run) he'd be offering you a chair on the porch and the chance to get caught up.

The month of November is Guest Programmer month. Every day will highlight a different Guest Programmer. As part of this, the winner (whose name escapes me ) is a guy from back East who loves film and seems to know alot about film history.

Again, welcome back!

[Moraldo Rubini]

Welcome back! You have been missed here at the Oasis. If Klondike weren't away (likely on some long Alaskan run) he'd be offering you a chair on the porch and the chance to get caught up.

The month of November is Guest Programmer month. Every day will highlight a different Guest Programmer. As part of this, the winner (whose name escapes me ) is a guy from back East who loves film and seems to know alot about film history.

I didn't know the winner had been announced yet. How was it announced? Did Robert Osborne utter the name after a fanfare and drumroll? I'll have to look to see if there's an article at the TCM homepage...

And yes, welcome back Hollis!

[SSO Admins]

Welcome back!

[pktrekgirl]

Good to have you back, Hollis!

I don't know anything about the guest programmer contest. I fast forward through all of that stuff. But it's clear that others know about it, so I hope they are able to give you the info that you want!

[moira finnie]

Hi Hollis,
I'm so glad to see that you are posting again and that there might be some financial and medical alleviation for you in the near future. Here's hoping for the best for you.

I rarely read anything on TCM related to the Guest Programmer issues since it--*shockingly*--seems to be one more thing for posters to whine about, but I learned from a former poster there this morning that the guy who won was named Paul, he is from NY, and his handle is scribesmith. According to my friend, "His entry was titled 'a tribute to Robert Osborne' or some such and he talked about how enamored he was with 'An American in Paris'". Maybe they oughta give the guy a chance. I haven't found anything much on the TCM site about him yet, despite this info. Hope this helps answer some lingering question. Here's a link to 2 posts that the poor guy placed on the website. A little exposure to the angrier types over there must've sent him away, alas.

Take care of yourself Hollis.

This just in! The rundown of the guest programmer's choices are being broadcast on Thanksgiving Day by TCM:

8:00 PM The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
A circus ringmaster and an egotistical trapeze artist vie for the love of a pretty acrobat. Cast: Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, James Stewart. Dir: Cecil B. DeMille. C-152 mins, TV-PG, CC

10:45 PM The Happy Time (1952)
A Quebec patriarch fights to keep his wayward son from leading his grandson astray. Cast: Charles Boyer, Louis Jourdan, Bobby Driscoll. Dir: Richard Fleischer. C-94 mins,

12:30 AM The Crowd (1928)
In this silent film, an office worker deals with the simple joys and tragedies of married life. Cast: James Murray, Eleanor Boardman, Bert Roach. Dir: King Vidor. BW-93 mins, TV-G

2:15 AM Westward The Women (1951)
A frontiersman leads a wagon train full of mail-order brides. Cast: Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, John McIntire. Dir: William A. Wellman. BW-117 mins, TV-PG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey, The Happy Time is one I haven't seen in decades though I recall thoroughly enjoying it and The Crowd is, of course, a true silent classic. Not a bad rundown, though Cecil B. DeMille movies such as The Ten Commandments and this corny but entertaining extravaganza certainly seem to have a lock on some holidays at times, don't they?

[Hollis]

Hey all,

I'm not one for silent films except for the occasional Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd outing, but... "The Greatest Show On Earth?' 1952 must have been a slow year for film if this was the Best Picture winner! Where would one find out what the other nominees were? I'd give it no more than 2 out of 4 stars at best. If it weren't for Betty Hutton (and not one of her better roles) I wouldn't watch it at all! Your feelings, anyone? And again , thanks for the welcome back from all of you that were nice enough to say so! It means a lot to me, my extended family!

All my best,

Hollis

p.s. Since my subscription to "Now Playing" expired, all I use TCM for is to see what's coming up. The boards remain a joke! Every once in a blue moon, there will be an article of some interest, but that's a rarity.

[Moraldo Rubini]

I'm not one for silent films except for the occasional Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd outing, but... "The Greatest Show On Earth?' 1952 must have been a slow year for film if this was the Best Picture winner! Where would one find out what the other nominees were?

Right here:
The Greatest Show on Earth -- Cecil B. DeMille, Producer
High Noon -- Stanley Kramer, Producer
Ivanhoe -- Pandro S. Berman, Producer
Moulin Rouge -- Romulus Films
The Quiet Man -- John Ford and Merian C. Cooper, Producers

[Mr. Arkadin]

Hey all,

I'm not one for silent films except for the occasional Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd outing, but... "The Greatest Show On Earth?' 1952 must have been a slow year for film if this was the Best Picture winner! Where would one find out what the other nominees were? I'd give it no more than 2 out of 4 stars at best. If it weren't for Betty Hutton (and not one of her better roles) I wouldn't watch it at all! Your feelings, anyone?

I feel the same way except I would insert Gloria Grahame into Betty's place!

[mrsl]

I'm one of the weirdos who love The Greatest Show on Earth, but besides that, I would recommend Westward the Women for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. Set you recorders for it if necessary, because its's one of those strictly for fun movies that will make you feel good on a bad day. Just watching the women preparing for the trip is great film and Hope Emerson gives a wonderful performance as the 'strong' woman on the wagon train.

Anne

[Hollis]

Hi again,

I've long had a problem with the Best Actor/Actress categories and their relationship to the films they received their nominations for. Granted, I'm far from the most sophisticated of film viewers, rarely looking beneath the surface for hidden meanings and social commentary, preferring to enjoy the movie for what its' worth. It seems to me that the vehicle that produced the Best Actor or Actress in a given year should almost be a lock for the Best Picture award as well.. I don't see how a poorly scripted or filmed movie can produce a role that's worthy of Best Actor/Actress consideration. It would seem to me that the film would detract from the individual's performance no matter how god or memorable they may be. Similarly, I fail to see how a film that boasts either the Best Actor/Actress or Screenplay awards doesn't walk away with the Best Picture award. For instance, would "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" have won for Best Picture had it not been for Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher? Or without Milos Forman's direction? Substitute any other actor/actress/director and undoubtedly the film would have taken on an entirely different flavor. It seems to me that the actor and actress in the starring roles, the screenplay, direction and cinematography are linked in such a way that they combine to produce the finished product. How can a director win the Oscar for best direction or the screenwriter(s) for their screenplay and not have the film win for Best Picture or vice versa? Perhaps one of my more sophisticated brethren can educate and enlighten me.

Thanks as always good people,

Hollis

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Hollis,

My unsophisticated expanation:

Actors & actresses vote for Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Actress.
Directors vote for Best Director catagory.
Writers vote for Screenplays.

Then everybody in the Academy votes for Best Picture.

Of course, during the studio system you voted for your studios product no matter how good or horrible.....
Today, I don't know how it works without studios dictating who to vote for.
It was all studio politics - if Greer was up for actress, then everybody at MGM was told to vote for her. (Not that she didn't necessarily deserve to win!)....

Therefore, many best directors didn't necessarily get a win for their picture. Etc. for writers and actors.

Larry