James Lipton Merges with The Infinite

In the 1990's, James Lipton burst onto the basic cable scene with Inside the Actor's Studio, a TV interview show where Lipton interviewed name-actors.  It was a fun program, not devoid of talk-show cheesiness, but also occasionally insightful and felt like actors sort of let their guard down, but also basked in the attention of starry-eyed young actors.

Lipton became a household celebrity himself, his mannered approach and just off-center style entertaining on its own.

James Lipton has passed at the age of 93.


I was never an aspiring actor, but I was always fascinated by the 10 final questions Lipton would ask as he closed down an episode.  So, here are my answers:

• What is your favorite word? -  howdy
• What is your least favorite word? - abbatoir
• What turns you on? - intelligent curiosity
• What turns you off? - lack of empathy
• What sound or noise do you love? - dog feet on the stairs or the crack of a bat on ball hitting a homerun
• What sound or noise do you hate? - beep of medical monitors
• What is your favorite curse word? -  Fuck (it's so flexible!), but especially in the context of JFC
• What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? - K9 officer
• What profession would you not like to do? - flight attendant
• If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? - "all the dogs you ever had are over there with those books you never got around to reading"

Feel free to drop your own in the comments!  Do it for Lipton!

Western Watch: Shane (1953)

Watched:  03/02/2020
Format:  Alamo Mueller
Viewing:  Unknown - more than 5
Decade:  1950's

It was a delight to see Shane (1953) on the big screen at Alamo Mueller this evening with SimonUK.  Si had never seen it, so that was kind of cool. 

Back in 7th grade my Reading teacher, Ms. McDowell, had us read the original novel, and then we watched the movie.  I've been a fan ever since and am not objective in any way about Shane.  I will say, seeing it on the big screen was stunning - the Grand Tetons loom large in the background and Wyoming's magnificent landscapes provide epic sweep to the story. 

And while it's no mystery that Shane is largely about violence, the impact of the sound in the theater versus confined to my TV speakers provided an intensity to the film I wasn't expecting. 

If it's been a while or you've never seen it, give Shane a shot.  It's been endlessly ripped off and borrowed from, but the original holds up amazingly well.

Catch-Up Watch: Ford v Ferrari

Watched:  03/01/2020
Format:  Amazon Streaming
Viewing:  First
Decade:  2010's

My biggest surprise was that Ford and Ferrari both had a mom named "Martha".

Heist Watch: The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Watched:  02/29/2020
Format:  HBO
Viewing:  Second or third
Decade:  1990's

Back in the 90's, in an era where not every movie needed to kick-start a franchise or go for Oscar gold, sometimes you'd just have an entertaining movie.

It's been years since I last saw The Thomas Crown Affair remake from 1999, then 31 years after the release of the original - which I didn't see until the last ten years, but I recalled liking the 1999 edition, even if I did not feel like I needed to have it in my DVD collection.  Stars Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo are charismatic and effortless in their parts, the story isn't a mind-bender, but engaging, and the supporting cast - while distinctly 90's-ish in stance and dialog, works well around our leads.