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Today is Halloween. Know that I'm not a big fan of All Hallow's Eve. After all, it's hard to get excited about a night of spooks and specters when you're constantly haunted by the vengeful ghost of an angry Crusader Saint. That's life, I guess.

Still, I was pleased to see this year's DC Universe Halloween Special. It warmed my heart in a way no "Holiday Special" could. You see, kids still remember me:

Yes indeed. This is Thursday. That, of course, means Thursday Night Thinking! Who is the most common Thursday Night Thinker? Why, that would be Superman!

Classic.

Huh. It looks like Checkmate did get canceled without me noticing. Oh well. That last story was awful anyway. They probably should have ended the series as soon as Rucka left anyway. Checkmate was his baby.

Luckily, he's coming back for some more Checkmate next week with Final Crisis: Resist. Goody. I really liked what Rucka did with Checkmate (even if I still hate the Great Ten). It looks like we're going to get a lot of the same fun stuff we got in "classic" Checkmate, too. Plus, Snapper Carr.

But here's the particularly fun bit to me: the Resist solicit says that Checkmate must "awaken an evil from a Crisis past." Assuming that it's not from the original Crisis, I take it that means Infinite Crisis. And since this is Greg Rucka I take it that means Brother Eye!

At least, that's my guess. So the question becomes: what happens when you've got a populace enslaved to Anti-Life, half of them are infected with the OMAC virus, and then Brother Eye turns it on?

Boom.

Legs! That's what Cyd Charisse was known for! Her real name was Tula Finklea & contrary to popular belief she was born in Texas! She is considered one of the greatest dancers of the Silver screen. Her father loved ballet & encouraged her to learn to dance. She was soon part of the Ballet Russe at the early age of 14! She came home to the States when her Father became ill and she ended up in Los Angeles. She soon married her dance instructor, Nico Charisse, in Paris in 1939 and she kept that name even after her short marriage ended.

Cyd started out in Hollywood doing very small roles and she felt that she found her true calling. She loved it & was determined to become a star. She became one of MGM's greatest box office draws! A star indeed :)

Cyd worked with some of the most glittering stars in show business, Judy Garland, Kirk Douglas, Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Fred Astaire, & Gene Kelly. Once, when asked who she would prefer to dance with, Astaire or Kelly, she sheepishly replied "It's like comparing apples to oranges, they're both delicious"! She had an intense romance with the legendary Howard Hughes but ended up in a happy marriage to a singer named Tony Martin. Cyd wanted a family more than she wanted fame & gave up the lead role in "An American in Paris" (one of my faves) to have a child with Tony. An interesting side note...Cyd was working on "Something's Gotta Give" with Marilyn Monroe, however, the film was never completed because Marilyn was fired from production & shortly after passed away.

Cyd Charisse had longevity in Hollywood and continued to make films, do ads, and star on the small screen. She is know today for her glittering musicals and sparkling dance moves. Fred Astaire once described her as "beautiful dynamite". Her dancing is fascinating to watch & her films a delight.

Some of her films are:

Ziegfeld Follies

The Harvey Girls (with Judy Garland)

Fiesta

On an Island With You

Brigadoon (Gene Kelly)

The Band Wagon (Fred Astaire)

Easy to Love (Esther Williams & Van Johnson)

Singing in the Rain (with Gene Kelly among many other big stars)

East side, West side (Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck)

Silk Stockings (Fred Astaire)

And many, many more!

Interesting tidbit!...Cyd was in Janet Jacksons "Alright" video.

Cyd and her husband Tony Martin were married for over 60 years until her death this year (2008). A rare thing in Hollywood! She had two sons. Another interesting tidbit...Cyd is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records (2001) for having the "Most Valuable Legs" from an insurance policy MGM reportedly took out on her legs for $5 million! WOW! Charisse was admitted to the hospital on June 16, 2008, after suffering an apparent heart attack. She died the following day, aged 86.

OK, I know she is not French but still dazzling & fun to learn about! I hope you enjoyed it, I think I'm going to go watch "Silk Stockings" now, I love the sets, they are so opulent & the fashion is fantastic!

Photos via LEGS a tribute to Cyd Charisse & The Cyd Charisse Appreciation Page

Fred Astaire once remarked "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with."

Bisou Mon Amis!

So yeah. Today has been one of those days... One of those days when I don't get any done but feel exhausted by 9:15. One of those days where I very well might be coming down with something. Now, before I take evenings like this off I like to ask my closest adviser what he thinks about the idea.

And what do you think of that idea, Wild Dog?

That's all I needed to hear. G'night everybody.

Who all is going to end up as Black Lanterns? Is it just going to be dead super-heroes? Or is it going to be anyone who's dead in the DCU?

I ask because there are clearly a lot of dead characters running around in the DC Universe. Sure, characters like Blue Beetle and The Rolling Head of Pantha seem to be givens. But are we going to see Thomas and Martha Wayne flying around with black rings? How about Pa Kent? That would be pretty tasteless...

What about real historical figures? There are a lot of dead people in a lot of places on the world. And heck, other worlds as well. But really, I'm mostly worried about our world. Specifically, politicians. I mean, can you imagine anything more terrifying that Richard Nixon, Black Lantern?

Me neither...

Bonjour friends! I wrote a post last week about the hair of the French court in the 18th century & it got me wondering about the make~up. I have heard stories of the lead used in the make~up causing deaths and various other horrid stories but, I ran across this one and thought it charming, enjoy! I believe it is about the Queen's make~up artist & the Kings sister.

From the 2006 movie

I couldn't resist adding this one in

The photo of from the Marie Antoinette movie reminded me of a little tidbit of useless info I have retained...

I have all of my life heard that Peacock feathers in your home were very unlucky and so I always avoided them. However, on a trip to Versailles it came up that the wall coverings and fabric used in the Queen's room had a Peacock feather motif on it (easily seen in the photo). Well, apparently that led to the superstition of the feathers being bad luck because of the fate of the Queen.