TCM presents movies for kids - The Essentials Jr.
Way back in the early 1970’s, when I was a kid (I’m not that old!), I remember seeing some amazing movies on the CBS Children’s Film Festival. It was on either Saturday or Sunday afternoons and I vaguely recall my mother encouraging me to watch. Kukla, Fran and Ollie introduced the movies and to this day, I can still remember seeing classic foreign films that were made for children like The Red Balloon (French), Hand in Hand (British) and Skinny and Fatty (Japanese). I think those movies may have been the first that really got be interested in film.
Turner Classic Movies seems to be providing a similar service for kids today, albeit by presenting great classics from Hollywood’s golden era. TCM started a new series called Essentials Jr. Grey’s Anatomy star Chris O’Donnell (Scent of a Woman) co-hosts with Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Together, they provide introductions and discuss the films, movies that are picked to be just right for kids. According to TCM, “The chosen films are ones that any cinema-literate child should know about and be able to enjoy with family and friends including grown-ups.”
It’s the same idea as Essentials, which currently features Robert Osborne and Rose McGowan. Among the pictures slated for Essentials Jr. are Meet Me in St. Louis, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Harvey, and even comedy classics like Laurel and Hardy’s The Music Box and Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr. Every single one of these titles are kid-appropriate and damn entertaining.
In addition to hosting this TCM series, Chris and Abigail are playing father and daughter in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl which opens July 2. It’s logical to assume that their involvement in Essentials Jr. is a great way to promote Kit Kittredge, but it’s also another quality bit of programming by TCM. We can add it to my list of reasons I love Turner Classic Movies.
Stone Thrown Over "Karma" Comments
UPDATE: Sharon Stone’s mea culpa isn’t going over too well on the other side of the Great Wall. Organizers of the Shanghai International Film Festival have permanently banned the actress and her films from any future involvement in the fest.
_____________________
Sharon Stone wasn’t wrong about karma. She was just wrong about who exactly would be on the receiving end.
The loose-lipped actress has apologized for comments made on the Cannes red carpet last week, insinuating that the devastating earthquake that rocked China, which so far has claimed more than 68,000 lives, could be chalked up to karma for its treatment of Tibet.
“Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people,” the 50-year-old firecracker said in a statement. “I am willing to take part in the relief work of China’s earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people.”
Relief may be the only type of work Stone can get in the country for quite some time. The actress’ mea culpa came on the heels of haute couturier Christian Dior’s announcement that it has dropped spokesmodel Stone from its ads in China, where she serves as the face of Dior’s Capture Totale skin care line.
“We just want our customers and fans to realize that her personal comments are not related to the company and of course we don’t support any type of commentary that will hurt the feelings of our customers,” the company said in a statement.
Stone’s comments caused an immediate uproar in China, with the nation’s state-run Xinhua News Agency calling her the “public enemy of all mankind,” while the Beijing Times reported that China’s already strict censors for foreign films would not allow any of the actress’ movies into the country.
Which, considering Basic Instinct 2, isn’t really a bad deal.
Stone got into this mess in the first place following a very briefthough apparently not brief enoughinterview with Hong Kong’s Cable Entertainment News, which asked for her thoughts on the earthquake at the French film festival.
“I’m not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else,” she said. “And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?”
Guess what goes around really does come around after all.