Monday, August 30, 2004

Scientist Action Figures


A great article about the present and possible future of Scientist Action Figures:

  • Lorenzo Romano Amedeo Carlo Avogadro: "What a mouthful! But you've got his number now--you'll have 6.02x1023 hours of fun with the man who figured out that equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules. No, really, you will."
  • Check out the whole collection.

Albert Einstein in the house (or on eBay at least):


Friday, August 27, 2004

Spaceballs vs. It Happened One Night

You ever have one of those moments when you're watching a late night old movie and suddenly a little light comes on in your head and you realize that something you saw 15 years before in a comedy turns out to be the over the top parody you're embarrassed you never got it in the first place. So I'm watching It Happened One Night, best picture 1934, and I'm thinking "I've seen this ending somewhere before." Nothing like finding parody by seeing the original last.
VS
Thank you Mel Brooks and Spaceballs. Clark Gable turns down the $10,000 reward and takes only $39.60 for his trouble to buy gas money. Lonestar turns down Dick Van Patten's (King Roland) reward at the end and only asks for money for gas & tolls. How the hell I made this connection I have no idea. I never picked up the parody through dozens of Spaceballs viewings, but seriously, how many 17 year-olds had seen It Happened One Night in 1987...how about now?

Now let's get crazy with google:
1. Daphne Zuniga starred in Spaceballs as Princess Vespa and also, from imdb.com:
"Spin City" (1996) playing "Carrie" in episode: "It Happened One Night" (episode # 3.5) 20 October 1998

2. Both movies are listed on this comedy page

3. Even this reviewer of Anastasia is light years ahead of me:
"The story isn't bad, either. I understand it's something of a remake of an old, live-action Anastasia movie. (Which didn't stop them from lifting the ending device--the same one parodied in Spaceballs--from It Happened One Night.) In fact, outside of the evil-sorceror subplot, which feels tacked-on at times, there seems little reason to have used animation for Anastasia."

4. More Daphne Zuniga. What? Read on about The Sure Thing:
"A kind of modern take on Capra's "It Happened One Night," Rob Reiner's second movie has charming underachiever John Cusack sharing a cross-country ride with prim, pretty Daphne Zuniga. She's heading out to see her tea-drinking preppie fiancé and he, to a "sure thing" -- a night of sex -- set up by his pal Anthony Edwards. Of course, love conquers all."
Site 1
Site 2

5. Apparently this is common knowledge. Even snikrdoodle knew.

6. This site lists One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest as the first film to sweep the big 5 Academy Awards since It Happened One Night in 1934. Inexplicably, listed below Spaceballs. These films are linked everywhere.

Other forums smarter than I am.