Joseph Barbera Birth Anniversary

 

As one of the creators of some of the best-loved cartoon characters of the 20th century, Joseph Barbera enjoyed a long, fruitful, and faithful career in the animation world. He and long-time collaborator, William Hanna, brought such characters as the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Tom & Jerry, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and many others to colorful life every Saturday morning. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, Saturday morning was the most enjoyable part of the week, when kids would wake up, run to the TV, and eat cereal while watching all these characters do their own goofy thing. At least, that's what my siblings and I did! So, I am grateful to Joseph Barbera (and William Hanna) for making my childhood Saturday mornings totally blissful. Barbera was known as a genuinely nice guy in Hollywood and he enjoyed a truly remarkable working and personal relationship with William Hanna. No two partners were better suited to one another in their creative endeavors. They were a superb team of animators, cartoonists, artists, and directors; and gave 20th century entertainment its own special character.

 

"It will be very slow but noble television."

By Ryan Mahle from Sherman Oaks, CA, USA (Flickr.com - image description page) [CC-BY-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Firewood TV (Reuters). I totally understand the appeal of this TV show (NYT) - I could sit and watch it all day long!

Sound Tracks - Music Without Borders

Sound Tracks - Music Without Borders
from their Facebook page

Caught a great new program last Friday on PBS which explores and showcases world music with in-depth interviews of unfamiliar musical artists. The show actually aired a pilot in 2010, but has just now broadcast a new episode. A full series is currently in development and will be broadcast is 2013. The program has an interesting magazine-type format with interviews and samples of music by the subjects. Friday's program featured artists as diverse as Jazz great Wynton Marsalis, Scottish folk singer Julie Fowlis, Senegal's Youssou N'Dour, and Icelandic indie band Of Monsters and Men. We learn about their backgrounds, influences, and what makes their music compelling and intriguing. The show takes its theme music from Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks" which can be viewed at Youtube below.
Very catchy tune and inventive video!

 

The Beverly Hillbillies at 50




Granny and Uncle Jed
Wikimedia Commons

Here's another 50th anniversary of a 60's show that I remember watching and enjoying growing up, mostly in syndication. A classic fish out of water sitcom that you couldn't help but smile over, no matter how lowbrow it was deemed. It ran for almost ten seasons and clearly struck a chord since it was one of the top twenty most watched programs on television. The theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" is also one of the most recognized and memorized of TV music. Among the cast, Granny was a great foil to Jethro and sometimes Uncle Jed - a wacky but lovable family that anyone can relate to on some level. Have a look at the very first episode of the Beverly Hillbillies: