Tootsie (1982)

This film was actually funnier than I initially thought

Summary

-Michael Dorsey is an out of work actor. The only way he can get work is to disguise himself as a woman to get work on a daytime hospital drama

Cast

-Dustin Hoffman: Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels

-Jessica Lange: Julie Nichols

-Teri Garr: Sandy Lester

-Dabney Coleman: Ron Carlisle

-Charles Durning: Les Nichols

-Bill Murray: Jeff Slater

-Sydney Pollack: George Fields

-Geena Davis: April Page

Did You Know?

-Initially, Dorothy Michaels did not speak with a Southern accent. While doing research, Dustin Hoffman felt his voice fall more closely into a female pitch while doing the accent

-Most of the dialogue from Bill Murray was improvised

-In a 2014 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Geena Davis told him that Tootsie was her very first movie and that she was young and inexperienced. Dustin Hoffman acted as a mentor to her. He gave her advice. One tip he said was "I know you're going to move to Hollywood and be successful, and your co-stars are going to hit on you, and you should not sleep with your co-stars. It's a bad idea. So here's what to say. When they hit on you, say 'I would love to', be very flattering, 'but I'm afraid it would ruin the (on-screen) sexual tension between us.'" Geena Davis used that on Jack Nicholson later when he hit on her and he was impressed, wanting to know where she had gotten that line

-When the crew had bad news to give Dustin Hoffman, they would only give it to him when he was dressed as Dorothy Michaels, because they said he was "much nicer as a woman"

-At her parents' evening at school, Dustin Hoffman passed himself off as his daughter's Aunt Dorothy. His performance was so perfect that no one suspected anything was out of the ordinary

-The clothing Dorothy Michaels wore almost always covered Dustin Hoffman's 16'' neck and Adam's apple

-The insane ways that Michael Dorsey gets fired or quits from a production were actual events that happened to Dustin Hoffman

-After playing the role of Dorothy Michaels for the first time, Dustin Hoffman went home and burst into tears, confessing to his wife that playing the role of a woman forced him to face his own sexist perceptions of women that he didn't even realize he had

-Director Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman fought intensely over the littlest things that even Hoffman suggested Pollack playing his agent George Fields so they could use that energy in the film, and perhaps give Pollack a chance to vent

-The first time Michael Dorsey is waking up to play Dorothy Michaels, there is a photo of Dustin Hoffman's mother next to his alarm clock

-To do research for his role, Dustin Hoffman watched the 1978 film La Cauge aux Folles and the 1963 TV program General Hospital

-The breasts Dorothy were prosthetics that had came from a shop specializing in post-mastectomy care and cost $175 each

-Cher and Olivia Newton-John were considered for the role of Julie Nichols

-Sir Michael Caine, Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers were offered the role of Michael Dorsey

-When Michael Dorsey is auditioning for roles, he says he can do shorter. In real life, Dustin Hoffman is only 5'6''

-The film got its name from Dustin Hoffman's mother Lillian Hoffman, who gave her son Dustin the nickname "Tootsie" as a child

-Despite smoking indoors being a banned act today, at the time the film was released smoking was still permitted indoors where it is now banned

-Artist Andy Warhol appeared as himself and went uncredited

A Very British Christmas by Rob Temple

Just when you thought the laughing ended, now Rob Temple has done it again. He's come out with a how-to guide on surviving the holidays, referencing Christmas, Boxing Day and even New Year's Eve

Read this how-to guide on surviving the holidays with a dash of wit and humor to keep your sanity intact as you watch relatives turn a simple game of Monopoly in to the next world war, how relatives take over your kitchen and make their food like they are a chef with their own cooking show or even who sits next to who so as to avoid awkward questions or handling the Christmas shopping in such a way that either no one gets arrested by the police or no one gets a gift that they will later give away or re-gift to someone else

Very British Problems: The Most Awkward One Yet

This is another standalone book from Rob Temple, the same hilarious mind who brought Very British Problems to life

Have you ever found yourself in these types of situations? Broken out in hives at the suggestion that you 'introduce yourself' over Zoom? Been extra dramatic while rubbing in the shop's hand sanitiser, so everyone knows how thoroughly decent you are? If you answered yes, Rob Temple firmly believes you are suffering from Very British Problems

He takes the quirkier things in life and adds a dash of humor to it. Some of the things he mentions are quite relatable. You'll be laughing in no time

Britain According to Very British Problems by Rob Temple

This standalone book is from the same comedic genius who brought the world Very British Problems

Rob takes every region of Britain and describes them with loving and hysterical humor. This A-Z road map of Britain will have you laughing from beginning to end. He says Britain is a maze of unique and eccentric sights, even going as far as to describe The Shard in London as "The Eye of Sauron". He takes everything Britain is known for and adds a dash of humor in it, saying things to the effect of "Birmingham being known for Black Sabbath", "Platform 9 3/4-after a few hours waiting in a railway station, have your photo taken next to a brick wall"

Very British Problems Volume III by Rob Temple (3 of 3)

The third installment in the highly successful (and hilarious) Very British Problems series

Here Rob tackles random things that can turn in to full scale arguments and regards them with a dash of hysterical humor. He also references his Twitter account @soverybritish regarding random polls he's posted. Also, he now has a Facebook page called Very British Problems where the hilarious situations continue

More Very British Problems by Rob Temple (2 of 3)

The second book in this highly successful (and hilarious) series by Rob Temple

Read about very relatable travel woes that we've all experienced at least once or see when going on vacation or holiday. I especially love it when he describes different kind of accommodations. It's all about the various travel woes we've all faced at one point or another. He describes all inclusives as all drunks

Very British Problems by Rob Temple (1 of 3)

This book series caught my eye when I was browsing the Humor section on the Amazon Kindle store. The title caught my eye. When I read the description, it sounded funny and interesting. After reading it, I realized I have never laughed this hard in a while.

What the book is essentially about is sarcasm regarding every aspect of life. How being socially awkward is a common thing, how to combat being odd in more ways than one and trying to make it day to day with your sanity and dignity intact. Some of the things he mentions are very relatable

Here is a link to it on Amazon

Hey Arnold! (1996-2022)

This popular cartoon was on in the mid to late 1990s

Summary

-Arnold is a typical 9 year old kid growing up in the city of Hillwood, Washington, who lives in a multi-ethnic boarding house and has a unique assortment of friends and neighbors

"Stoop Kid"

"Four Eyed Jack"

"Eugene's Bike"

"Arnold Betrays Iggy"

"Heat / Snow"

"Arnold's Christmas". This is a sad, but good episode, where you find out Mr. Hyunh had to give his daughter to a soldier during the fall of Saigon

"Downtown Fruits"

Cast

-Francesca Marie Smith: Helga Pataki / Sheena

-Jamil Walker Smith: Gerald Johanssen

-Dan Castellaneta: Arnold's Grandpa

-Justin Shenkarow: Harold Berman

-Christopher Walberg: Stinky Petersen

-Sam Gifaldi: Sid

-Anndi McAfee: Phoebe Heyerdahl

-Craig Bartlett: Brainy / Radio DJ

-Olivia Hack: Rhonda Wellington

-Tress MacNeille: Arnold's Grandma / Miss Slovak

-Kath Soucie: Miriam Pataki / Marilyn Berman

-Spencer Klein: Arnold (voice)

-Maurice LaMarche: Bob Pataki

-Steve Viksten: Oskar Kokoschka

-Dom Irrera: Ernie Potts

-David Wohl: Principal Wartz / Jerry Berman

-Ben Diskin: Eugene Horowitz

-James Keane: Marty Green

-Adam Wylie: Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe

-Ashley Buccille: Lila Sawyer

-Nika Futterman: Olga Pataki

-Dan Butler: Mr. Simmons

-Baoan Coleman: Mr. Hyunh

Did You Know?

-The show never really said where Arnold lives. You strongly suspect it might be in New York because of the shots of what looks like the Brooklyn Bridge. But actually the city in which Arnold calls home is a blend of Seattle, Brooklyn and Portland. There also hints that the city is called Hillwood because of the Hillwood Medical Center or Hillwood Zoo. That it's referencing the city of Hillwood, in Washington State

-The girls on the show were based on girls that creator Craig Bartlett knew and liked when he was a kid

-This was said to be the first animated show for children using actual children to provide the voices

-Initially, the show started out as claymation-type animation, one of which appeared on Sesame Street. And, also for a short time, it started out as a Simpsons-style series

-The only person who provided a voice who was not a child between the ages of nine to fifteen was creator Craig Bartlett, who voiced the character Brainy

-This show and The Simpsons have quite a lot in common. Craig Bartlett, who created Hey Arnold! is a brother in law to The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Also, Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson, also provided the voice of Arnold's grandpa. And even Gerald's tall hair resembles Marge Simpson

-It was a running gag throughout the show that Arnold's last name was never revealed. His grandpa always called him "short man". It was eventually revealed in the made for TV movie The Jungle Movie that Arnold's last name was Shortman

-The 2017 made for TV movie The Jungle Movie revealed what happened to Arnold's parents

-Mr. Green is the local neighborhood butcher. His character was based on the Ernest Borgnine character in the 1955 film Marty

-In the episode "Arnold's Halloween", he and his friends make a fake broadcast about a potential alien invasion. The "UFO" ends up being a nearby water tower decorated with lights. The name of the place where the UFO will land being Well's Ridge. This is a reference to Orson Wells, who did an actual broadcast, which was mistaken for an authentic alien invasion, for the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds, where aliens came to Earth

-Former Nickelodeon executive Geraldine Laybourne was the inspiration for Helga Pataki's middle name. It was a running joke throughout the series about Helga's name being Helga G. Pataki. This was confirmed by Craig Bartlett, who verified that he wanted to pay tribute to Laybourne by giving Helga the name Geraldine as her middle name

-On the outside of the Sunset Arms Boarding House, there is a sign that reads "No Children, Pets OK." This sign is also seen at other places, especially at the public pool Arnold and Gerald try to get into in the "Heat / Snow" episode

-The radio DJ in this program is a guy known as Nocturnal Ned who works at the local radio station MJZZ. This is actually a caricature of Craig Bartlett, who also lent his voice to various episodes

-According to the show's creators, Arnold's teacher Mr. Simmons was said to be homosexual

-The character Sid was voiced by two brothers named Sam and Taylor Gifaldi. Taylor for one time and Sam for the rest of the time

-In the episode where Stinky Peterson (Christopher Walberg)  makes a commercial, he walks into a studio called Snee-Oosh Studios. This is the actual name of the studio that made the show

-One of the boarding house residents is an always out of work man named Oskar Kokoschka. The name was taken from a 19th century Viennese painter, whose personality was completely different than this character

-Initially, Ruth P. McDougal was a sixth grader and the object of Arnold's love. Gerald tells him constantly that she is in the sixth grade and that it's hopeless. When Lila was introduced in the episode "Ms. Perfect", Ruth was phased out and reduced to being seen as a background character

-Dino Spumoni was an aging crooner based on Dean Martin

-This program is considered unique in that the music is comprised mostly of instrumental jazz. The show's composer Jim Lang said that the music was inspired by jazz legends such as Kenny Burrell and Thelonious Monk

-Seasons 1-3 were created with traditional cels. Around Season 4, the animators had switched to digital ink and paint, resulting in a slightly different look

-Jamil Walker Smith, who voiced Gerald, was allowed to continue voicing his character, even as he hit puberty. In post-production, his voice was pitched up several levels to sound like a younger voice

-"Eugene the Jinx", a severely unlucky kid whose name was Eugene Horowitz, got his name from actor Michael Landon's actual birth name Eugene Orowitz

-In the episode "Curly Snaps / Pre-Teen Scream", PS 118's resident psychopath Curly locks himself in the principal's office with a bag of kickballs and says "I'm mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" This is a tribute to the line "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" from the 1976 film Network

-Arnold's weird cousin Arnie came as a result from a joke people had made about the bad animation they had gotten from another studio

-Many of the stores in the city take their names from writers or directors of the show. Such as Viksten's Pharmacy

-During the first season, the boarding house is home to a mysterious character known only as "Mr. Smith." The creator said he moved out, which is why he was never referenced in later episodes

-Originally Ruth McDougal was meant to have dark blonde hair. But, because it too closely resembled Arnold's hair, it was modified to be more dark red, almost brown

-Arnold's school is PS 118. There is a real life PS 118. It's located in New York City. The one in the cartoon, however, is not a depiction of the actual school

-People think that Arnold is wearing a skirt under his shirt. It's actually a long sleeved plaid shirt with the tails hanging loose under a sweater

-Eugene Horowitz was inspired by Martin Short's character in the 1991 film Pure Luck. He's hopelessly optimistic, but always finding himself on the receiving end of bad luck

-In the beginning of Season 2, Arnold's teacher Miss Slovak was replaced by Mr. Simmons because the principal, known only as Principal Wartz, mentions that Miss Slovak has decided to play golf for a living

-One of Harold's frequent phrases, that he often directs at Helga, is "Madame fortress mommy!" He usually says it under his breath. Justin Shenkarow, who voices Harold, said it one day during a recording session. The show's creator Craig Bartlett asked what it meant and Justin didn't know. Everyone loved it so they kept writing it into the scripts

-Early in the show, the character Lila Sawyer appeared with red hair. Eventually, it was changed to brown hair

-While Lila appears to be sweet and kind, she does develop a slightly darker side. She starts dating Arnold's cousin Arnie in front of Arnold. Fans of the show have considered her to be the most unlikeable character, along with Iggy

The Grinch (2000)

This was one of my all time favorite PlayStation games

Summary

-It's your job as The Grinch to undo all of the holiday cheer for the Whos of Whoville. With your sidekick Max, you'll steal presents and decorations. But, watch out for those Whos that are determined to stop you!

Levels

-Each area has a specific set of tasks that need to be accomplished. Once accomplished, you'll see "Mission Complete" scroll across the screen. There are blueprints to collect in each level, which will need to be assembled to gain new powerups. You'll also need to leave the areas and come back with the powerups to do later missions

-There will be blueprints you need to pick up and assemble to gain new gadgets

Rotten Egg Launcher. Your most effective gadget

Marine Mobile. Explore the underwater world

Slime Shooter. Slime anyone for a short time

Jet Spring. Reach new heights

Grinch Copter. Fly around

Octopus Climbing Device. Ascend / descend walls

Whoville

-The main city near The Grinch's home. Explore the city, learn your way around and look for items you'll need later on, such as mission-related items, blueprints for inventions, etc.

-Some of the missions here include: Shuffle the Mail. This involves going to the post office and sneaking past security. Use Max to go into the air shafts to unlock the doors to shuffle the mail in each room. By door 4, the security has been turned off. Modify the Statue involves going to City Hall and using a hammer and chisel to modify the statue of Mayor Whovier. Painting the Mayor's Posters involves using a paint bucket to vandalize the posters. Smashing the Snowmen involves butt dropping them to smash them. Egging the Houses involves using the Rotten Egg Launcher to shoot rotten eggs into all of the open windows. Advancing the Countdown Clock will require the Jetspring, to give you the power you need to reach the hatch to the upper levels. And then you'll need to solve a few puzzles to get to the top

Vandalize the Mayor's Posters

Watch out for kids and other Whos

Modify the Mayor's Statue

-The blue prints here should allow you to assemble your first powerup, the Rotten Egg Launcher and the Jetspring

Who Forest

-The mountainous ski resort outside of Whoville. Explore the city, learn your way around and look for items you'll need later on, such as mission-related items, blueprints for inventions, etc

These chimneys are where you put the beehives

Shoot the swirling target to activate the lift

Shoot the snow above the dog to trap it long enough to enter the area

-Some of the missions here include: Putting bees in cabins. Use the jet spring to take hives you have collected (you will be timed on this otherwise the bees will attack) and you will shake the hives and put them down the chimneys. For the cabin in the center of the resort, it is situated on a tall tree top. You will need to ascend the cliff across from it and use the Rotten Egg Launcher to activate the lift to reach it. From then on, you can reach this high house. Droop the Trees simply involves breathing on them. Replacing the Candles on the Cake with Fireworks involves picking up fireworks from the White Mountain Civic Center and replacing the candles on the massive cake with them

-Here you will collect blueprints for your next powerup, the Slime Shooter

The Dump

-The place where all Who trash goes to

-This is, by far, one of the trickier areas to navigate. Some of the missions here include: Collect Parts for Computer, Take Food from Birds, Conduct the Stinky Gas to Who Bris' Shack, Shave the Dump Guard, Infest the Mayor's House with Rats, Short Circuit the Power Plant. To do the Collect Parts for the Computer, shoot a red egg (easy to pick up) at robots and pick up the glowing parts left behind. To do the Take Food from Birds, shoot a rotten egg at the bird with the pizza in its mouth and it will drop. The collect it. There are pipes you need to shoot using the Rotten Egg Launcher because this is part of the Conduct Stinky Gas Into Who Bris' Shack mission. There will be pipes you need to enter to access new areas, but they are blocked with electricity. You'll need to use the Jetspring to enter small tunnels and hit buttons, which will show you which tunnel has been deactivated. Run through the tunnel before the timer runs out. Conduct the Stinky Gas into Who Bris' Shack involves shooting pipes in and around the dump to send the gas into the resident Who's shack, behind a wall of steam. There will be a chess area behind a fence. Look at the house to see the arrangement the chess pieces should be in. Once correctly assembled, the garage door will open to reveal sleigh parts

-Short Circuit the Power Plant involves entering the Power Plant and either getting rid of or eluding the pesky security guards. Once inside the plant, shoot buttons to deactivate power lines, which you can use to access new areas. Hit buttons to deactivate generators. Work your way to the top, solving puzzles until you turn off all of the electric to Whoville. Once done, all of the electricity will be out in the Dump

-Infest the Mayor's House with Rats involves using Max to lure rats into a tube that will send them into the Mayor's house. Shave the Dump Guard involves traversing a minefield. Use the Rotten Egg Launcher to shoot down hanging mattresses and use the Jetspring to hop from item to item. Use the Slime Shooter to slime the orbs and try to safely make it across the minefield to the guard's house. Enter the garage to find Scissors and tiptoe into the house and up to the guard. Once that mission is complete, you can just hit the minefield, which will send you back to the beginning

-Here you collect blueprints for the Octopus Gadget, which allows you to climb walls. You will need this to ascend the wall to enter the Power Plant

WhoLake

-A tranquil lake where all Whos go to relax

-This is, by far, the trickiest level in the game. There are many missions and items to collect here. Most of the blueprints you'll be picking up will be for your Marine Mobile, a submarine. Some of the missions here include Flatten Tents. Do the butt drop on the tents to flatten them. Shoot thistles into boy scout uniforms. There will be small brown porcupines running around. Shoot them using the Rotten Egg Launcher and pick up the thistles. Find clothes lines and shoot the thistles at the uniforms. There will be a hut on top of a massive tree, that can only be accessed by swinging your way from the bottom branch to the top. This is where you'll get your Scout Uniform to enter the North Shore. There will be a changing booth nearby that will allow you to change into the costume, to access the North Shore of the lake. Now, once in the North Shore, you will not be able to use any of your weapons, since you're in disguise.

Right outside the Mayor's Villa is a changing booth that will allow you to remove your costume. Inside the North Shore, one of your missions is to Drill Holes in the Boats. You will find a drill in a small cove near the entrance to the North Shore. One of the trickiest missions in this area is Hook the Mayor's Bed to the Motorboat. For this, you'll need a hook from a local pirate, who lives in a cave. He will give you his hook if you bring him five scout scarves. Sneak into the Mayor's Villa, avoiding the carpet and hit the action button when prompted to hook his bed to the motorboat