Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Honor the Easter season


There are plenty of Easter Egg Hunts planned in our area, and that's great.
But if you want to attend an event that will help you honor this holy season, don't forget the annual dramatization of the last week of Christ’s life, presented by Central Schwenkfelder Church, at 8 p.m. Friday at Freddy Hill Family Fun Center, Sumneytown Pike, Towamencin.
The presentation encompasses the Last Supper and other events leading up to the death of Christ, and features a cast of costumed actors, live narration, and choral accompaniment.
The performance is free to the public; no offering will be taken.
Don't forget to take lawn chairs or blankets to this special Good Friday commemoration.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Remember Twiggy?



OK, you probably don't remember Twiggy unless you're over a certain age.
If you remember the '60s, though, you know this twig of a girl with the huge eyes and great eye makeup.
And the tiny figure all of us wanted.
But according to an interview with the Associated Press, Twiggy wanted curves -- Marilyn Monroe curves.
Now she's 60 -- how can that be? -- and lists singer, dancer, actress and author on her credits.
And she's heading to HSN with her Twiggy London line of skinny jeans, ruffled blouses, gypsy skirts, jackets and accessories. They're supposedly affordable ... AND she's including people who do have curves ... the clothes go up to size 20.
Thanks, Twiggy...

Monday, March 29, 2010

hey, you can blog, too!

Everyone has something they'd like to say and at The Reporter, we'd like to help you share your thoughts.

Community journalism is an important aspect for The Reporter, and who knows the community better than you do?

We certainly are not the experts — sometimes people like to point that out to us, and that's fine.

We try to do our best to cover as many aspects of the community as we can, but it's impossible to be everywhere at every conceivable time.

And we certainly can't pretend to know everything about everyone's individual interests.

So we hope that those of you who have something you're passionate about — whether it be youth sports, music, an adult sports league, politics, you get the idea — will join us in the community conversation.

A community of local bloggers is our goal — giving you a voice to share your viewpoints and knowledge with our readers. You can include photos, videos and sound files; really, the options are wide open.

You do have to be willing to blog a few times a week, but don't be intimidated by that. Blog entries can be short, they can be links, they can be photos or videos.

Check out some of The Reporter blogs already being manned by our staffers and you'll get the idea. You can find them on our Web site, www.thereporteronline.com, under the blog area.

No, there won't be any pay for the blogging; this is your blog, we're just the host. But you'll become part of our online community and help add to the conversation.

If you think you're interested, we'd love to hear from you. A wide variety of interests, ages, backgrounds would all enhance this endeavor.

Our online editor, Chris Stanley, is standing by — well, he might be sitting — to receive your e-mails, answer your questions and help decide if all of this would be a good fit for you.

E-mail your name, town, e-mail address, daytime phone number, a bit about want you would like to blog about and some information about yourself to cstanley@thereporteronline.com.

Then we'll contact you to discuss the idea and, we hope, get you all set up for blogging.

vote for your fav flick



OK, maybe "Crazy Heart" won't be your pick, but at least you can have a say in the MTV Movie Awards, unlike many of those wonderful "best of" shows.

Just can log on to movieawards.mtv.com and you can cast your vote in 13 categories. You have until April 9 to do so.
It's great -- you can vote for any film, or performance from 2009... and categories even include things like best kiss, best fight and best villain.

There are also a few that aren't PG rated, so I won't mention them here... Just check out the Web site and judge for yourself.
But hey, it's all in good fun, right?
You can also help pick the winners of the Golden Popcorn Trophy in voting that runs online from May 11 to June 5.
The awards are then presented June 6..
Have fun ... vote!

Friday, March 26, 2010

This blog has moved


This blog is now located at http://bychancelansdale.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
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why do i love cats??



Hey, it's Friday.
Sit back and enjoy this video... if you have cats, you've probably seen a lot of this in your own home.
I know I have...
Gotta get a flipcam and make MY kitties famous!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

cross alaska off your list



Well, I won't be planning to "visit" Alaska anytime soon.
Thanks a lot, TLC.
Yes, the cable network has provided an outlet to the ever-lovely Sarah Palin -- you know, the one who couldn't hack completing her term as governor.
She'll be hosting a travelogue series about Alaska, with filming set to begin this summer.
At least it will be only an eight-part series, so it won't be too hard to avoid.

Pity that she is hosting, because Alaska could be a lovely state to be featured.
But looking at Alaska's fantastic features through her eyes --- no, no, no!
If only she could be edited from the series.
This stint should help keep her in style for a while -- supposedly TLC is paying $1 million an episode.
Golly, gee, wow...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Not Robert Culp!



First Peter Graves and now Robert Culp!
ah, my youth....
My spies are dropping, well, like flies!
It was sad to hear that Culp, who starred with Bill Cosby in "I Spy" -- and maybe you remember "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" -- passed away today. Apparently he collapsed and was taken to a hospital, where he died. He was 79.
I loved "I Spy" ... and I hope this doesn't mean the "men from UNCLE" will be next!
RIP, Bob...

get a 'life'!



Finally, a show worth watching. You're not lost on an island for years or left trying to figure out why an annoying mother of eight still is on TV.
No, just check out The Discovery Channel's latest nature project, "Life."
Obviously a lot of people have been doing just that, because according to the Nielsen ratings, it has garnered the network's best ratings for a new series in a decade.

The huge undertaking was four years in the making. When you tune in, you'll see footage shot in high definition. That pulled in 11.8 million viewers during the first episode at 8 p.m. Sunday. The second episode immediately followed and reached 11.5 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Co.

So give it a try. It's far better than enduring a lot of no-talent chumps attempting to sing or dance.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

oh, this should be good...




To anyone who might not feel humiliated enough on the dating scene, here is a new opportunity for you.
Jerry Springer is going to be the host of a dating game series.

According to the Associated Press, "Baggage" will debut next month on cable channel the Game Show Network. It gives three contestants the chance to win the eye of a prospective date. The hitch: The contestants have to reveal their faults and foibles.
Hmm... isn't that what eventually happens?
But of course most people don't have Springer on their dates...

The lucky players will carry suitcases onstage to represent the baggage they'll confess to and defend. Among the planned suitors: a shoplifter, a woman who gets advice from psychics and a control freak.
Hey, just like real life!
Look for the half-hour show to debut April 19.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Help me help the MDA


Hey everyone ... I'm going behind bars on April 14, as a way to raise money for MDA..
Can you help "bail" me out with a donation?

Lansdale Lockup 2010: nona breaux

I'm representing The Reporter for this fundraiser.
You can check this all out at the above link....
Thanks for any help for this great cause!
Or for more information in case you want to send a check instead of using the MDA site, just email me at nbreaux@thereporteronline.com

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

tiger's coming back...




Tiger Woods is returning to golf next month at the Masters.
We all know that he's been out of golf, after the infamous sex scandal.

According to the AP, Woods noted: "The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta."

Was it long enough? You be the judge...

The Masters begins April 8.

Monday, March 15, 2010

mission accomplished...




I guess this is the "number 3" -- you know, celebrities die in threes.
Last week it was Corey Haim and Merlin Olsen, now it's Peter Graves.
He was terrific in the TV show "Mission Impossible," and who could forget him in the "Airplane" films?

And if you're a real baby boomer, you may remember him from that great Saturday morning show "Fury," about a kid and his black stallion.

Graves died Sunday just a few days before his 84th birthday.

He'll forever be known as Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents on "Mission: Impossible." And as airline pilot Clarence Oveur in "Airplane!" -- well, just a master. Some may not know that he also was the brother of James Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke."

Sorry, Tom Cruise, but the original "Mission" will always be the best. We all knew that Phelps and his crew would take on the dangerous mission, after listening to the tape that warned them that, if captured, "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

Then the tape self-destructed. And the spine-tingling adventure was on.

Thanks, Peter, for so many great memories

just be comfortable

No one will ever accuse me of being on the cutting edge of fashion.
Although I’d be a prime candidate for the show “What Not To Wear,” the hosts would undoubtedly kick me off for my loyalty to the concept of “comfortable.”
If you’ve ever watched the show, you know that Stacy and Clinton have no time for people who utter those words.
Forget comfort, you have to look good. You have to wear pointed-toe shoes. You have to dress up to go to the supermarket. There is no excuse for clinging to those old T-shirts, not even for sentimental reasons.
If you want the $5,000 and a makeover, you are at their mercy. And they’d have a heyday with me.
But there are occasions when I realize that I was ahead of fashion trends.
WAY ahead.
That struck me again when I was reading an article recently about the hoodie, which apparently is being threatened in some area school districts.
In case you really aren’t in on fashion, a hoodie is simply a hooded sweatshirt. But it’s become the trademark of hip-hop, skaters and, unfortunately, those who often find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
So some school districts already have banned hoodies or are thinking about it. They can hide students’ faces. They can send the wrong message.
There are any number of reasons that they’re inappropriate, school officials say.
Back when I was growing up, you didn’t have to worry about kids wanting to wear them to school. They weren’t called hoodies and they weren’t socially acceptable.
I lived on a small farm, so a hooded sweatshirt was a necessity on cold, windy days for working outside or heading to the barn.
We’d wear them to sled and ice skate, too, because the hood was great for keeping your neck warm.
But we’d never wear them “in public”; after all, no “normal” kid would be seen dead in them back then.
We also were ahead of the curve when it came to jeans, only then they were called dungarees.
Yes, dungarees. Again, they were essential for farmwork and, in later teen years, they did became a lot more popular for leisure time.
You couldn’t wear them to school because of dress codes, so again, they weren’t the everyday outfit of most teens.
When you became a bit more refined and fashion conscious, you no longer called them dungarees.
But since there was one brand far more popular than others, most jeans were simply called by the Wrangler brand.
You had to have Wranglers — yep, I loved those Wranglers.
So, I suppose I could claim that every now and then I’m a predictor of fashion.
But I doubt that Stacy and Clinton would buy that — especially when decades separate the era in which I wore something like a hoodie and when they finally become a fashion essential.
Guess I’ll just stick with being comfortable.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

thank you very much...



.... Newseum, for hosting an exhibit dealing with The King ... yes, Elvis.


Presley will be featured in the exhibit that opens March 19 at the the U.S. journalism and free speech museum in Washington.
Hey, who can argue that he loved freedom of expression?
According to a report by the AP, Newseum President Ken Paulson says negative newspaper coverage of Elvis helped make him the king of rock 'n' roll. Critics initially hated his music and his moves, but teens went wild.

The turning point came when Elvis served for two years in the U.S. Army. Parents could not hate him anymore, and the news media eventually came along, too, the AP notes.
So make your plans now to head to D.C. You'll even get to see Elvis' 1957 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Way to go!


It was great to see that "Hurt Locker" won for best picture at the Academy Awards....
I'm sure Kathryn Bigelow has to be just a BIT happy to win over her former husband, James Cameron, and his entry, "Avatar."
And hey, kudos to Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges, as well.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Gotta love this kitty...



Remind you of anyone you know?
And if you like this critter, check out
http://www.simonscat.com

the countdown...



...to spring is on...
anyone care to join in?

(and thanks to Reporter photographer Mark Psoras for this inspirational flower!)