The Silver Screen Oasis

Bertha Kardashian.

You know King Rat...it has a ring to it.

Tennie.

I LOVE that name Sue x 2.

Betty. Betty hasn't broken the list I think since the 1930's.

My sister Patty rode a wave of Patricias in the late fifties. Could it possibly be thanks to: (?)



my aunts were named Aldene Arlene Mildred and Bernice. I don't think these names will be coming back.

Christy, Octavia has always been my favorite female name: very Roman and Patrician. In fact, If we'd had a daughter with my wife we would have named her Octavia. BTW, this has nothing to do with the fact that my father-in-law's second name is Octavio; it's just a coincidence. I was set on Octavia as my -future- daughter's name, since I was a teenager.

My name came because my Mum liked Peyton Place, Alison, I still don't know the connection.

Fanny is a rude word over here, I can't imagine it ever making the top 1000 these days despite it being a common name in the past.

Elizabeth remains popular but the derivatives vary, our Elizabeth is Libby and since we had a Libby it's become really popular, Beth is another popular version but I think Libby will change it to Lizzy for friends. Despite being known as Libby for the first few years of her life once she started school she decided she was Elizabeth and all her friends were really confused that she'd changed her name over the holidays.

Fanny is no better here. The Bride's grandmother was an Italian named Finalba but many called her Fanny. Someone tell me it is a nickname for something else as that seems a bit much for a child to bear.

When we were having children I told her the brothers could have the Italian names. We stuck with Anglo names. Maureen Victoria and Ian Christopher were decided after short and pleasant conversations.

My mother's name is Maureen, very common here in her generation, so not at all common in mine, give it 30 years and it will come around again. Victoria would have been a second daughter's name. Christopher is my hubby's name, we've no Ians though.

My oldest son and his wife are having a baby boy in about five weeks. They've decided to name him Oliver. My middle son -- who is Catholic on his mother's side -- chose "Victor" for his confirmation name. I can't complain about either choice. My youngest son's name is Felix, which I thought was a little iffy when we first dubbed him, but now we think it's perfect. All his cronies seem to like it too.

My son's middle name is Victor and all his class think it's a made up name, he's only 6 and no doubt it will become a nickname. I don't think you can go far wrong with good old traditional names, especially for boys. When I was choosing names for the kids I was the person who researched the traditional meanings too and looked into the history of the saints. I think names and how they develop from country to country and in time is a fascinating subject.

In teaching my little first grade class, I have come across some highly unusual names this year. I have had a Felix pass through my classroom, a Harvey, Santiago (unusual around here), Charles, and Amal. Fewer Coopers and Nathans this year. Proper staid family names seem to be on the rise, as witness Harvey and Charles.

Lots of Aidens this year around here. I'm glad to see one Andrew still in my class - my favorite boy's name which happens to be my husbands as well'. Nicholas also seems to never go out of style, nor Paul, Alex, or David.

Latest News Flash from Texas: My son, Coleman, is in the top five finalists in Houston's Funniest Person Contest.
Follow this link, and look for the tallest fellow in the first photo. That's my boy!

http://houstoncomedyunion.wordpress.com/

Congrats, Christy! That's great! He looks like a cutie too...

Thanks, Jackie! I just had to share.

Handsome and funny? What a devastating combo Coleman has, Christy.

I hope he has fun dipping his toe in the waters of the comedy world. (Do theatrical genes run in your family, or what?)

Thank you, dear Moira.

It all started in a little 5,000 watt television station, KHOU, in Houston, Texas. It was the last station Dan Rather was affiliated with before he went national. When Hurricane Carla blew through town in 1961, Dan barricaded himself in the Flagship Hotel on Galveston Island reporting about all the dangerous weather. But before that, I was appearing in the Houston edition of Romper Room where I met Dan about 6:00 a.m. one morning before I would help do the commercials on the show. Feed me chocolate milk and graham crackers, and I will do just about anything.

Mom was always pushing me to perform or play the piano for someone, and my folks were so naturally funny (apart and together) that it is either genes AND environment or genes OR environment.

And that son of mine is the culmination of a long line of show-offs, pranksters, and tall tale-tellers. (His father was in radio.)

And all his teachers always told me how shy he was. Go figure...

Of course he is funny. He gets it from his mother.