 Star Gazing
HOLLYWOOD—Leave it to Hollywood to come up with a classic
Christmas tale. Walt Disney’s 3-D animated movie technology and Jim
Carrey, get you in the spirit with “A Christmas Carol.” The animated version of
the 19th century Charles Dickens ghost story is based on the novel
that took place in England, where the traditions of celebrating Christmas
began, and now influences all of the countries in the world. The issues of
economy, simplicity and responsibility are affected and changed by the customs
of Christmas celebrations demonstrated by Charles Dickens in his novel. The
book, which became an instant success, sold over 6,000 copies in one week.
Although originally written under financial pressure to help Dickens pay off a
debt, the tale has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas
stories of all time. “A Christmas Carol “was written during a time of decline
in the old Christmas traditions. Dickens changed the customs of Christmas
celebrations through simplicity. The message that Dickens is trying to persuade
is that the public only cares what will interest themselves rather than the
welfare of others.
The “Christmas Carol” star Jim Carrey began tweeting for
the first time on October 28, and hasn’t stopped since. On November 3, he
tweeted, “I just heard that the living relatives of Charles Dickens love the
film, I’m thrilled! What a life.” Carrey who is infamous for playing multiple
personalities in so many movies like “The Cable Guy” and “Me, Myself and
Irene,” shines as the voice and image of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge.
Now, with Thanksgiving just a few days away, the stars
are lining up to march. Right up there with turkey, yams and pumpkin pie is the
traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Believe it or not, this is its 83rd
year and it will feature appearances by Andy Williams, James Taylor, Kristen
Chenoweth, Miley Cyrus and David Archuleta. The parade which will be aired on
NBC will kick off at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.
Just call it a musical Thanksgiving. ABC says Paul
McCartney and Beyonce will star in back-to-back one-hour specials Thanksgiving
night. The evening starts at 9 p.m. with a Beyonce concert that was taped back
in the summer in Las Vegas. That will be followed by a McCartney special that
includes highlights from his July concert at Citi Field in New York City. It
will also feature footage from 1965 where the Beatles rocked at the height of
Beatlemania. The specials will offer interviews and personal glimpses of the
two mega-stars.
In other news, Hollywood A-listers such as Sarah Jessica
Parker, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and talent agent Bryan Lourd, were named as
members of U.S. President Barack Obama’s Committee on Arts and the Humanities on
November 3, Reuters reports.
The panel focuses on arts and humanities education,
cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization through the arts and humanities,
and special events. Also on the list were actors Edward Norton and Alfre
Woodard and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The list of 25 from the world of arts and
entertainment also included Vogue editor Anna Wintour, philanthropist Teresa
Heinz, architect Thom Mayne and ballet dancer Damian Woetzel. The committee
will be led by George Stevens Jr., executive producer of the Kennedy Center
Honors and founder of the American Film Institute, and Broadway producer Margo
Lion.
Rose’s Scoop: Britney Spears’s Twitter account that
boasts more than 3.7 million followers was apparently hacked on November 12,
along with her MySpace account. A handful of unusual messages were deleted by
her management team after regaining control of her account. Finally, the Divine
Miss M, Bette Midler, plans to plant a million trees in NYC by 2017 through her
group New York Restoration Project.
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
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