Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

It's happened again. Kevin McCallister (Maculay Culkin) has, once again, been left behind by his family. In their haste to make a flight to Florida for the Christmas holidays, Kevin gets his father mixed up with another gentleman who has the same type of coat his father wears, not realizing this other gentleman is bound for New York City, the Big Apple. Kevin quickly finds out he's in the wrong city when looking at the skyline of New York.

Summary

-During a Christmas holiday vacation to Miami, Kevin accidentally boards a plane to New York and encounters the same burglars he met last Christmas. This time, they're planning on robbing a toy store on Christmas Eve

Cast

-Macaulay Culkin: Kevin

-John Heard: Peter

-Catherine O'Hara: Kate

-Joe Pesci: Harry

-Daniel Stern: Marv

-Devin Ratray: Buzz

-Hillary Wolf: Megan

-Maureen Elizabeth Shay: Linnie

-Michael C. Maronna: Jeff

-Gerry Banman: Uncle Frank

-Terrie Snell: Aunt Leslie

-Kieran Culkin: Fuller

-Tim Curry: Concierge

-Dana Ivey: Desk Clerk

-Rob Schneider: Bellboy

-Brenda Fricker: Pigeon Lady

Did You Know?

-Due to the cold temperatures in New York, several cameras literally froze during filming

-Director Chris Columbus stated that the production crew had spent considerable money on fake snow for Central Park. Then, New York had a blizzard with real snow

-The phone number given for the Plaza Hotel in the movie is the hotel's actual phone number

-This was the first film shot at the famous Carnegie Hall in 30 years

-After completing this movie, Chris Columbus wanted to start another film. His wish was granted when he received the script for what would become 1993's Mrs. Doubtfire

-When Harry and Marv are talking at the ice rink, the ice rink is Wollman Rink in Central Park

-The scenes that were supposed to be in Florida were actually shot in California

-At the time, Donald Trump owned the Plaza Hotel and insisted on being given a cameo in exchange for the crew film at the hotel. Director Chris Columbus considered editing out the cameo, but ran it against a test audience, who loved it

-The scene where Marv gets electrocuted with the sink made director Chris Columbus laugh so hard he couldn't yell "Cut!", even after Stern collapsed onto the floor

-The children who appeared in the toy store scene were allowed to take home a favorite toy as part of their pay

-The scene where Kevin goes to the pool was shot at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, Illinois because the Plaza Hotel doesn't have a swimming pool

-The bird woman, played by Brenda Fricker, was inspired by the "old bird woman" from 1964's Mary Poppins

-Real medical professionals were asked for their advice on Harry and Marv's injuries. They stated that three to four bricks to the face would cause "at best, brain damage, at worst, death."

-While out sightseeing, Kevin visits the once iconic World Trade Center. When the movie aired after 9/11, his visit to the World Trade Center was removed out of respect for those who perished in the terrorist attack. In 2018, the scene where he visits this building was restored

-Duncan's Toy Chest was loosely based on the flagship store of iconic toy store F.A.O. Schwartz

-The key icons on the uniform for concierge Mr. Hector (Tim Curry) are for the Les Clefs d'Or USA. This organization is for professional hotel concierges and is considered extremely difficult to get membership to. Earning these gold keys is a respected privilege, given only to the true professional, one dedicated to providing the highest level of service to the guests and the hotel in which they are employed. There are other requirements as well, which can be found on their website

-The turtle dove figures were created by artist John Perry, who is known for his sculptures of sea life

-There was a theory going around that Robert De Niro was one of the officers arresting Harry and Marv in Central Park. It's not Robert De Niro. It's an actor named William Dambra who plays the officer who fires a shot to scare the pigeons away and arrest Harry and Marv

-In the scene where Harry and Marv are stealing money from the toy chest, Marv says "Happy Hanukkah" to himself. In real life, Daniel Stern is Jewish

-The gun Harry pulls out at the end is a police issue Colt Police Positive

-When Mr. Hector (Tim Curry) attempts to find Kevin in the hotel room, Kevin uses an inflatable Bozo the Clown to fool the concierge into thinking someone is in the shower. This spooks Mr. Hector into leaving. Ironically, it was Tim Curry who played Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King's It

-The song "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols is the only non-Christmas song featured in this movie

-Originally the role of the Pigeon Lady was to go to Estelle Getty. Unfortunately, she couldn't do the role, as it would conflict with her schedule on The Golden Girls, playing Sophia Petrillo

-Near the beginning of the movie, Uncle Frank takes Fuller's cola and tells him the rubber sheets are packed. This indicates that Fuller is still suffering from bedwetting

The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hack

This is a good book. I checked it out from the library a few years ago and loved it. I recently bought it from Amazon and am reading it again

Summary

Five strangers from all walks of life one day receive a mysterious invitation. It's inviting them to the Fifth Avenue Story Society. No one has heard of this mysterious literary society. Thinking it's some sort of practical joke, they all go, just to satisfy their curiosity. They talk and get to know each other and before they know it, they're coming back, week after week, to find out more about each other. Curiosity and loneliness keeps them coming back each Monday night to find out more about each other. In the process, they are able to rewrite their own lives and even write new stories into their lives

Night Court (1984)

This hilarious show from the 1980s, about a court room that took care of cases at night, has just been remade. The series debut aired last night; I, for one, can say that I'm not impressed. The new version is not all that funny. It's kind of ignorant. I prefer the original because it's funnier and just better. 

Supposedly, in the new remake of the show, Melissa Rauch, who is best known for playing Bernadette Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory, is the daughter of former judge Harry Stone and she's just been appointed to his bench. And she wants former attorney Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) working in her courtroom because he worked with her dad.

Summary

-A fun loving judge and his crew of odd employees preside over a night court and the misadventures that go on there

Cast

-Harry Anderson: Judge Harry Stone

-John Larroquette: Dan Fielding

-Richard Moll: Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon

-Charles Robinson: Mac Robinson

-Markie Post: Christine Sullivan

-Marsha Warfield: Rosalind "Roz" Russell

-Selma Diamond: Bailiff Selma Hacker

-Paula Kelly: Public Defender Liz Williams

-Florence Halop: Florence Kleiner

Did You Know?

-According to commentary on the season 1 DVD, it is mentioned in the first episode that Harry Stone is a big fan of Mel Torme. Friends and relatives of the legendary jazz/pop singer called Torme and let him know he was referenced on a TV show. He was so flattered that when the show contacted him about appearing on an episode or two, he didn't hesitate to do so. He gladly accepted. Torme also stated that with his appearance on Night Court, his audience was getting steadily younger and younger. He could state that his newfound popularity was because of the show.

-There's one episode where Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) is stuck in a motel with a woman with mental problems who acts out movie scenes. On the TV, an announcer states, "We'll return to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'". He responds, "Seen that already." He was the narrator in both the 1974 and 2003 remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

-After Selma Diamond, who played Selma Hacker, passed away after season 2 finished up, she was replaced by Florence Halop, who played Florence Kleiner. She was hired because of her very similar mannerisms to Selma. But Florence passed away after completing season 3. Producers decided to hire a younger actress and thus, they brought in Marsha Warfield, who plays Roz.

-When Richard Moll, who plays Bull, auditioned for the show, he had a shaved head because of his role in Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983). Producers liked the look, so they asked him to keep it.

-According to producer Reinhold Weege, when Harry Stone is appointed to the bench as a judge, it's loosely based on a real-life incident in Los Angeles. The then mayor of the city filled the remaining judicial posts with under qualified candidates in order to hurt his replacement, who was a bitter political rival. It was decided on the show that Harry would be appointed to the bench, despite having barely the required amount of experience practicing law

-When the final episode was completed on a Friday, the cast were sent telegrams telling them to have their dressing rooms cleared out by Monday or else their belongings would be thrown out

-Bull Shannon was said to have an IQ of 181

-Prior to the start of season 7, Markie Post discovered that she was pregnant. Rather than hide it like some TV shows, producers wrote her pregnancy into the script. It was a story involving Christine falling in love with and getting married to Det. Tony Giuliano (Ray Abruzzo)

-Series creator Reinhold Weenge named the hookers and pimps after his friends

-Prior to Harry Anderson being cast as Judge Harry Stone, the character was a huge fan of Mel Torme and loved magic and whose name was Harry

-The picture on the wall in Harry's office is actress Jean Harlow

-When Charles Robinson and Markie Post died, they both passed nearly a month apart. Charles Robinson was 75 when he died on 7/11/2021 and Markie Post was 70 when she died on 8/7/2021

-Prior to having occurring roles as Buddy Ryan (Harry's dad) and bum Phil Sanders, John Astin and William Utay often appeared playing different characters

-There were a lot of Star Trek references on the show due to Brent Spiner, who appeared on Night Court playing Bob Wheeler, the leader of a hillbilly family who was routinely brought in for the strangest reasons and on Star Trek: The Next Generation, playing Lt. Commander Data. The best-known reference to Star Trek is when a group of people attending a Star Trek convention get into a fight simply over what series is better: Star Trek or Star Trek: TNG. There is even one person in the group of people dressed like Data. Ironically, John Larroquette was also affiliated with Star Trek. He appeared in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He played a Klingon who Capt. Kirk promises to kill later, but doesn't

-Initially, Bull was supposed to be a man who was intimidating because of his immense height and high intellect. As time went on, Bull became more of a dim witted, kindhearted soul whose IQ was limited to useless information

-Four of the characters had names shared with the actor or actress who played them. The first two female bailiffs were Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner. The actresses who played them were Selma Diamond and Florence Halop. Judge Harry Stone was played by Harry Anderson. Court clerk Mac Robinson was played by Charles Robinson

-During the entire run of the show, Dan Fielding, played by John Larroquette, was supposed to be a real ladies' man whose broom closet was used for a bachelor's pad. He even had a nickname: Ever Ready. In reality, John Larroquette was married, only once, to a woman named Elizabeth Ann Cookson. He's been married to her since 1975

-Marsha Warfield, who played bailiff Roz, outlived Selma Diamond and Florence Halop. 3/5/2019 was Marsha Warfield's 65th birthday. Selma Diamond died at age 64 and Florence Halop died at age 63

Marsha Warfield

Florence Halop

Selma Diamond

-In the opening credits, the subway train seen is an R40 Slant A Train. This is the most common and, thus, iconic of all subway trains in New York

R40 Slant A Train

-The City Courts Building on the eighteenth floor, where Harry holds his court, is not a real building. The building fitting that description most closely is the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan

-There have been many cases where groups of school children have come before Judge Stone. As the New York Night Court typically operates from 5pm-1am, children seen in court would not be out of the ordinary, at least for the first few hours

-During the opening credits, there is a brief view of the World Trade Center prior to the destruction of them on 9/11

-As of January 2023, the only remaining cast members who are still alive are Richard Moll, who played Bull Shannon, John Larroquette, who played Dan Fielding and Marsha Warfield, who played bailiff Roz

-In season 2, Selma and Bernie (Selma Diamond and Martin Garner) had a light romantic relationship. They both also appeared in Twilight Zone: The Movie. They appeared as Mr. & Mrs. Weinstein in the second segment, "Kick the Can", where an old man gives a group of elderly seniors the chance to be young again for a short time

The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck

Recently released, this book is very good. I just finished this book last night before I went to bed.

Summary

-Five complete strangers- Coral Winthrop, John Wilder, Lexa Wilder, Ed Marshall and Charles "Chuck" Mays- all receive an invitation to the mysterious Fifth Avenue Story Society, which meets every Monday night in the Bower conference room. No one knows who sent out the invitations, but curiosity brings them together. They keep returning every Monday night and as time goes on, the five people start to develop feelings and trust in each other. They all are as different as can be imagined. They all come from different backgrounds, walks of life, each with their own problems. But, together in this society, they feel they can unwind and release their emotions and speak their minds freely.

-There's Coral Winthrop, the CEO of CCW Cosmetics, who's wondering why her company is failing and realizes there is someone embezzling money. Charles "Chuck" Mays is a divorcee with two kids trying to get custody of them. John Wilder is an assistant professor of English at NYU still reeling from the death of his brother and the revelation that one of his literary idols, Gordon Phipps Roth, is a fraud, that he claimed credit for stories written by a woman named Birdie Ainsworth. Lexa Wilder is an assistant at an up-and-coming fast food joint whose CEO, Zane Breas, is determined to keep her underemployed and his assistant forever. Finally, there's Ed Marshall, a 78 year old widower who works as the superintendent for the co-op he lives in. He's trying to write the greatest love story ever told- the story of his wife Esmerelda, aka Esmie and him, while trying to accept the fact that, in the end, Esmie had changed and thus, fallen out of love with him

Law and Order: SVU

 One of my favorite shows. I love watching shows about criminal justice. It's one of my biggest interests.

Summary

-This show follows the work of the Special Victims Unit, whose detectives are trained in the work of sexual crimes

Cast

-Mariska Hargitay: Olivia Benson

-Christopher Meloni: Elliott Stabler

-Ice-T: Odafin "Fin" Tutuola

-Richard Belzer: John Munch

-B.D. Wong: Dr. George Huang

-Tamara Tunie: Dr. Melinda Warner

-Dann Florek: Capt. Donald Cragen

-Kelli Giddish: Amanda Rollins

-Raul Esparza: Rafael Barba

-Diane Neal: Casey Novak

-Stephanie March: Alexander Cabot

-Danny Pino: Nick Amaro

Did You Know?

-Mariska Hargitay, who plays Det. Olivia Benson, is a fully trained rape crisis counselor when she's not acting

-In 2004, Mariska Hargitay created a foundation called The Joyful Heart Foundation. This organization is dedicated to help heal survivors of sexual crimes and start testing the overwhelming amount of untested rape kits and processing the overwhelming amount of unprocessed rape cases

-In an article in TV Guide, many survivors of sexual assault/abuse have approached cast members to personally thank them for showing their stories correctly on TV

-Richard Belzer, who played Det. John Munch, has carried his character over from Homicide: Life on the Street, from 1993, the 2000-era film called Homicide: The Movie and on Law & Order, where he played Det. John Munch. He had several crossover appearances as this character, ranging from an episode of The X-Files to an episode of The Beat, to an episode of Law & Order: Trial by Jury to the season three finale of Arrested Development and an episode of The Wire.

-Originally contracted to only appear in four episodes, Ice-T enjoyed appearing on the show so much he asked to become a permanent member of the cast

-Mariska Hargitay's real life husband, Peter Hermann, who plays Defense Attorney Trevor Langan, appeared in 33 episodes

-On Mariska Hargitay's desk is a photo of her real life mother, Jayne Mansfield

-Prior to landing her role as Det. Amanda Rollins, Kelli Giddish appeared as a rape victim named Kara Bawson in the 2007 season 8, episode 12 "Outsider"

-Det. Fin Tutuola's last name means "the gentle one" in Yoruba

-Two years prior to appearing as Casey Novak, actress Diane Neal appeared on the show in an episode as a woman accused of raping a male stripper

-Out of all the assistant district attorneys the show has had, which were all female, Raul Esparza, who plays Rafael Barba, is the first male assistant district attorney

-Season nine was said to have the largest number of main cast members in the show's entire history. The cast consisted of Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer, Diane Neal, Ice-T, Adam Beach, B.D. Wong, Dann Florek, Tamara Tunie

-This show is the longest running spinoff of the original 1990 Law & Order series. Other shows in this large group include Law & Order (1990), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001), Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005), Law & Order: UK (2009), Law & Order: LA (20107), Law & Order: True Crime (2017)

-Olivia and Elliott were named after producer Dick Wolf's children

-From season one to season twelve, episode four "Merchandise", the precinct scenes were filmed in North Bergen, New Jersey. After this episode aired, the precinct scenes started getting filmed to the Chelsea Piers section of Manhattan, which was where the precinct scenes for the original Law & Order were filmed

-Several of the main characters had served in the military at one point or another. Dr. Warner (Tamara Tunie) had been in the Air Force, Det. Stabler (Christopher Meloni) was in the Marines, Captain Cragen was in the Green Berets, which was mentioned on an episode of Law & Order and Det. Tutuola was an Army Ranger

-Gary Sinise was the first choice to play Det. Elliott Stabler. But Christopher Meloni accepted, freeing Sinise to later appear as New York City crime scene investigator Det. Mac Taylor on CSI: NY and later as Senior FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jack Garrett on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

-In season fourteen, Det. Olivia Benson is seen wearing a necklace that looks a little like a small dogtag of a design seen earlier in the show. She received it from her psychiatrist after she was kidnapped and tortured, where the original model had been kept in evidence

-Longtime viewers often wondered about the sexuality of the show's resident psychologist, Dr. George Huang (B.D. Wong). His homosexuality was not confirmed until the episode "Hardwired", from season eleven, episode five.

-In real life, New York City does have a Special Victims Unit, but it's called Special Victims Division

-The show bases many episodes on real life events. One episode, "Glasgowman's Wrath", was based on the 2014 case "The Slenderman Stabbing" in Wisconsin. The show also brings awareness to concepts such as fat shaming, anti-vaccine people, cyberbullying, teen pregnancy pacts, human trafficking.

-Jeremy Irons started appearing as Dr. Captain "Cap" Jackson, a self-proclaimed sex addict who was changing his ways and tried and later succeeded in earning trust from Benson and Stabler. He helped them in a child molestation/murder case. The character admitted he slept with his lesbian daughter's object of affection, who came with them on a summer vacation. This similar situation also happened in the 1990s film Lolita, where he played a character named Humbert. He was a well-educated man with a strong, uncontrollable lust for his teenaged stepdaughter

-Many times during the trial, the person on the stand is asked if they recognize the person they're there on behalf of. The ADA will then say "Let the record reflect the witness has identified the defendant." In real life trials, the person testifying is asked to identify where the defendant is sitting and what they're wearing to provide accurate information

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

This is my all time favorite scary movie. My sister likes it for this reason and the fact that Johnny Depp is in it, lol

Summary
-A skeptical Colonial-era inspector, who relies on science and fact, is dispatched to a sleepy, mainly Dutch farming hamlet in the Hudson Islands called Sleepy Hollow that have been seeing a series of mysterious beheadings.

Cast
-Johnny Depp: Ichabod Crane
-Christina Ricci: Katrina Van Tassel
-Miranda Richardson: Lady Van Tassel
-Michael Gambon: Baltus Van Tassel
-Casper Van Dien: Brom Van Brunt
-Jeffrey Jones: Reverend Steenwyck
-Richard Griffiths: Magistrate Phillipse
-Ian McDiarmid: Doctor Lancaster
-Michael Gough: Notary Hardenbrook
-Christopher Walken: Headless Horseman
-Marc Pickering: Young Masbath
-Lisa Marie: Lady Crane
-Steve Waddington: Killian
-Claire Skinner: Beth Killian
-Mark Spalding: Jonathan Masbath
-Jessica Oyelowo: Sarah
-Alun Armstrong: High Constable
-Sir Christopher Lee: Burgomaster
-Peter Guinness: Lord Crane
-Sean Stephens: Thomas Killian

Did You Know?
-When Johnny Depp heard that Goldeneye, the horse who played his horse Gunpowder, was going to be put down, probably due to age, he adopted the horse to save its life
-Christopher Walken, who played the Headless Horseman, admitted to Tim Burton after being cast as this role, that he didn't know how to ride a horse

 

 

 

-Johnny Depp found the idea of Christina Ricci being his love interest odd because he's known her since she was nine years old

-The character Ichabod Crane was a rather unattractive man, with eccentricities and a probably geeky personality. Johnny wanted to add prosthetics to make him unattractive but Tim Burton wanted this character to be based more on Crane's personality traits, like his eccentricities and squeamishness
-Johnny Depp did all of his own stunt work. The only stunt work he didn't do was the final scene where he was being dragged by the horse. He wore bulletproof clothing underneath his clothes
-The story mentions that the Headless Horseman was a Hessian who had lost his head from a cannon blast during one of many battles of the American Revolution
-To give the movie its spooky grayish tint, the cameras all had a blue filter on it. To make the blood appear bright red, the liquid used had to be bright orange
-The town of Sleepy Hollow was completely built from scratch for filming and dismantled when filming was done

-Casper Van Dien, who plays Brom Bones, has actual family members named Van Tassel, which is the name of a prominent family in Sleepy Hollow

-The concept of the Headless Horseman dates back to Celtic and German folklore. Despite the fact that Washington Irving, who wrote the story originally and is best known for the Headless Horseman, most areas of the US claim to have their own headless horseman running around. Irving's story is said to be based on the headless body of a Hessian Jager (German sharpshooters and horsemen). These Hessians were found in Sleepy Hollow, most notably a headless Hessian Jager found in Sleepy Hollow. The real Van Tassels buried this figure in the Old Dutch Burying Ground in an unmarked grave

-Michael Gough, who had retired from acting, had come out of retirement to play Notary Hardenbrook

-Tim Burton was a fan of the Hammer horror films and the films of Mario Bava. He brought Michael Gough, a Hammer movie veteran and Sir Christopher Lee, of both Hammer and Bava fame, in for cameos
-The haunted Western Wood was completely built on a soundstage so everything, such as lighting, weather, could be controlled

-This is only the second movie that Tim Burton has directed that has received an R-rating for the blood and gore and the occasional sex scene
-The windmill, which figures into the movie largely, had to be constructed on a soundstage as it was over five stories high and the sails were over two tons
-Despite the fact that Casper Van Dien's character is nicknamed "Brom Bones", his character's full name is Abraham Van Brunt
-This was the last live-action film of Michael Gough before he passed away
-In the story, Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher, not a police officer
-Michael Gambon has a sense of humor as he wanted to keep his severed head and send it to interviews and dinner parties as a joke