Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!

BeansTalk is going on holiday (literally and figuratively) through 2 January, 2007. We'll (the ME and immediate staff) be out of the country so we won't be able to keep up our daily posts, but we'll be back with a vengeance right at the dawn of 2007.

As you might have noticed, we're trying to enhance our coverage with not only the what and where, but adding the whys. Translated, that means we're editorializing, with shades of reviews of many items we post here.

We hope you've had a fantastic year. It was very eventful for us, full of epiphanies.

Join us in welcoming the addition this year of two new staff members. PR reps: Please feel free to send them pitches (if your pitch is accepted, send text only with a lo-res jpeg).

Andrea Goodwin, associate editor (agoodwin@beanstalkbiz.com)
Beth Zerilli, contributing editor (bzerilli@beanstalkbiz.com)

Peace to everyone.

You can double click on the image above to see all the beautiful vintage holiday postcard images.

Happy Holidays From Our Classic TV Memory File

Gumby

We know. Most people now think of Eddie Murphy and "Gumby, damnit." But we really liked the show and had several Gumbys and Pokeys, although we have to admit we much prefered Pokey.

We actually are nearing the end of our (seemingly endless, we know) blog-walk through memory lane. We apparently watched a TON of TV. Here are some shows we didn't put on the original lists but that doesn't diminish how much we liked 'em.

Felix the Cat

Super memorable theme song, loveable cat. We were quite happy when Film Roman remade it in the early 1990s.

Mr. Magoo

We actually watched quite of bit of the myopic Mr. Magoo. And since he was the star of a "classic" Christmas cartoon, this image seemed appropriate. Jim Backus provided a great voice for the character.

Chip N' Dale

Could NOT be cuter. Loved how you could tell them apart by their noses. And the slight shade difference of their furs.

Archie

The one thing we clearly remember about the Archie show is that we liked Betty. She was the nice one right? We also watched the spin-off the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Archie was one of the very few comics we read on a fairly regular basis and remember both traditional style comic books and digests of Archie comics. That Jughead!

The Jetsons

Of course, being the canine cartoon fans, we loved Astro best. And maybe his boy Elroy next.

Chilly Willy

Apparently there were several versions of Chilly, at least several variations. This image depicts a rather older model, probably shorts from movie theaters. We don't remember a whole lot about him, except that he was cute.

Speaking of that, now that we think about it, there aren't many cartoon characters who were cute like these guys. There's a sappyness to the revival of Care Bears and the like, but nothing like the adorableness of a Chilly or a Jerry or a Bugs.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

We had the record, we had cartoons. We even had these marionette puppets that were really nice. Alas, we couldn't keep the strings from tangling. We bet we could find them on Ebay (well, not the exact ones, but similar).

Foghorn Leghorn

I say, I say...We very disrepectfully started calling a fellow tourist on our 1969 trip to Europe Foghorn Leghorn. He finally asked us to stop. He was on his honeymoon. They went on to have three girls and then he had a relationship with one of his students outside of the marriage. Our granny continued to get cards from the wife and kids for several years.

Huckleberry Hound

Blue or not, he was totally adorable. We had a thing for cartoon doggies.

Tom and Jerry

We adored Jerry. We always wanted to drink out of the jelly jar that featured Jerry on it. He is probably one of our favorite cute cartoon characters. We would root for the episodes where Tom and Jerry were friends. We never liked the uber violent ones where they were chasing each other. As friends they were fun. And, the all-important, cute.

Josie and the Pussycats

There's probably not a young girl in our generation who didn't want to be like them.

The Roadrunner and Wyle E. Coyote

Sometimes, we'd wish the coyote would catch him.

Rocky and Bullwinkle

Rocky was so cute and smart.

Woody Woodpecker

The laugh drives me crazy now, but loved it then.

Hey Boo Boo!

Yogi Bear. Loved his Pick-a-nicking.

L'Oreal and W Mag Celebrate

Too bad BeansTalk couldn't attend this event, held 9 December, at the Beverly Center L'Oreal store. Looks like lots of fun makeovers, make your own jewelry, and other fun goodies were to be had.

Blume was at the L'Oreal/W Mag Event, too.

Double Click on the above image to see the original event that W Magazine and L'Oreal Paris held. Sounds fun, doesn't?

FHI Heat's Latest Curling Iron

FHI Heat has launched three new products for consideration; FHI Heat Curling Iron, a gray curling iron, Nano Weight Pro 1800, a light pink blow dryer & Nano Salon Pro 2000, a grey dryer.

FHI Reps tell us: These FHI Heat products are the first to feature all 5 technologies, including Ceramic and Tourmaline technologies to produce gentle moist heat and three Nano technologies which remove bacteria, toxins, static and reduces unwanted smells in the hair. In addition, these products have the highest heat range on the market, making them ideal for all hair types. Quality and made to last for years, the products range from $150-$275 for the dryers and $195 for the curling iron. www.fhiheat.com.

All Curled Up!
Fhi Heat Launches New Ceramic Tourmaline Curling Iron Featuring Nano-Fuzeion™
Technologies With Triple Function, Easier To Hold Handle, 360-Degree Swivel Cord,
Lcd Display & Adjustable Temperature Of Up To 410 Degrees In Slate Grey

FHI Heat unveils a new ceramic tourmaline curling iron available in spring grip (with a Marcel version launching in 2007) for consumers and stylists. “What hairdressers and customers love is the FHI Heat curling iron’ s advanced heating capabilities that allow it to heat up rapidly and stay on all day without overheating, combined with the beautiful slate grey color and aerodynamic shape that blends form and function,” states Les Haverty, artistic Director for FHI Heat, Inc. a manufacturer of ceramic styling irons since 1996.

The new FHI Heat curling iron features an advanced PTFC heater, a digital LCD display, an adjustable temperature control ranging from 212° to 410° F (100° to 210° C) with temperature hold feature, a spring grip, a 360-degree swivel cord, built-in safety features that prevent overheating, and a cool touch tip.

The curling irons feature FHI Heat’s patented Nano-Fuzeion™ technology, a unique combination of Nano-Titanium, Nano-Titanium Oxide and Nano-Silver particles. Together the triple function of the Nano-Fuzeion™ technology removes bacteria, toxins and static, producing superior conditioning and shine, while providing unmatched health and purification benefits for the hair. The iron is available in the following sizes: 3/4 inch; 1 inch; 1 1/4 inch; and 1 1/2 inch. Each size retails for $195.00.

“Given that hairdressers today stake their reputations on achieving perfect and precise forms, FHI Heat offers four sizes to achieves loose to tight locks,” says Haverty.

Additional Benefits: Other benefits for the user include: tourmaline crystals that enhance the ionic effect and produce moist heat; ultra-rapid heating; damp to dry styling; protecting color and retarding color fading; and sealing the cuticle to lock in moisture and repel humidity, which helps eliminate frizz.

The new technologically advanced FHI Heat curling iron is available at fine hair salons and beauty stores nationwide, and also via toll-free number 877-FHI-HEAT (877-344-4328) and at www.FHIHeat.com. Other products offered by FHI include ceramic tourmaline styling (flat irons), carbon combs, heat conditioning hair products, ceramic tourmaline blow dryers. For more information, FHI Heat at 877-FHI-HEAT.

BeansTalk Review: We received the Nano Fuzeion Intelligent Computerized Heat Setting Curling Iron, 1 1/4" First off, it's an impressive looking tool, very substantial. The quality is apparent. We were told about the iron that heats up to 410-degrees, but the one we sampled only went to 210-degrees. We can't find it available on-line so this may be an older model.

We have a CHI Ceramic Curling Iron that's also considered very top of the line and quite honestly, they work similarly (altho our CHI heats up to 356-degrees). The FHI Heat's distinction is that it has the digital readout. The barrel is very different than any other iron we've tried and potentially it looks like it might work quite well, with the right kind of hair.

We have super long hair, and all we can expect is a little curl at the bottom, if we're doing it ourselves. We've had our hair done professionally and it's possible to get more significant curls. Our other issue with the iron is that the up and down buttons (to change the temperature from the start to the high of 210-degrees is right in the way when you're trying to use the iron. I found myself, continually having to readjust the temperature. That awkwardness of accidentally and inadvertently hitting the button can get annoying. That's a design issue.

The bottom line: An obvious quality curling iron, the model we sampled didn't quite suit our hair and the awkward design of the temperature buttons placed them in the way of actually using the curling iron without inadvertently pushing them.

We recommend: You go to a stylist or supply who'll let you sample the newer models of FHI Heat and see if it will work for you. When you're spending big bucks on such an important hair implement, examine all the elements. We sure do. The quality of FHI Heat isn't in question. See if it works for you.

Caribbean Dream

By Andrea Goodwin, BeansTalk Associate Editor (agoodwin@beanstalkbiz.com)

BeansTalk is dreaming of a blue Christmas. Our ideal winter getaway involves swirling blue waters and pristine glassy waves. You know, we’re thinking of that impossibly luminescent blue that can only be produced by Mother Nature. It makes the beaches of the Caribbean look and feel like they have never been touched by humans. It is the blue that defies description; you have to see it, for it cannot be reproduced – sorry, Tiffany.

Okay, back to reality. BeansTalk’s Christmas will be right here in L. A., with our muddy beaches and brown water. Still, we can dream. It is a little easier to get in the spirit when we are able to look down and get lost on the blue, blue richness of Larimar jewelry by Marah Lago.

Those who wear Larimar are sure to be noticed. Because of its rarity, few people have ever seen Larimar. It comes from a remote mountain in the Dominican Republic, on a single kilometer to be exact. Twenty times rarer than tanzanite, it is one of the world's rarest gemstones.

Marah Lago is the creation of Marah Lago and Adrian Nixon. These visionaries and artists have combined their passion for this rare stone to design and create a line of high quality and remarkable jewelry that is currently the talk of Hollywood as well as the rest of us whose imaginations have been captured by the exquisite Larimar stone. Celebrity fans include Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Marcia Cross.

From their website:

To look upon Larimar is to see the swirling seas of the Caribbean captured in an ocean's palette of blues and greens. Quality stones are difficult to obtain, and MarahLago mines only the best: each stone hand-picked and polished to evoke the luscious range of color and variation unique to each stone. Luckily, Larimar's volcanic heritage gives Larimar a powerful strength and durability. Nature also ensures that no stone is alike. MarahLago settings are designed to celebrate the distinctive hues, patterns and natural wonder of each beautiful gem.

BeansTalk saw the entire line at the Showtime Emmy Suites last summer, and became particular fams of the Marina and Surf Collections which have embedded Larimar. In these pieces, the swirling waves of blue in the stones are complemented by wave patterns in the polished silver. Just amazing. The blue stones are sublimely beautiful.

For holiday, we are fans of the Ice Collection. As a big hint to the man in our house, we especially admire the Ice Pendant on the Sterling Silver Chain. ($66.00) It features a round cabochon Larimar stone set in a simple and elegant setting, and is accented with brilliantly faceted white Topaz. Wow!

To check out the rest of the line, which includes the stunning Portofina and Mezzaluna Collections, visit www.marahlago.com. From there you can type in your zip code to find a dealer.

Hollywoodland on DVD

Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Pearl Harbor), a Golden Globe Award nominee* for his performance in Hollywoodland, stars in a story of scandal, corruption and a star’s mysterious death during Hollywood’s Golden Era. Hollywoodland comes to DVD and HDDVD/DVD Combo format on February 6, 2007 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Academy Award® winner Affleck, along with Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (King Kong, The Pianist) and Oscar® nominees Diane Lane (The Perfect Storm, Unfaithful) and Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), lead a cast in the critically acclaimed account of the strange demise of actor George Reeves, known to a generation of Americans as television’s Superman. The price of celebrity is viewed in a stark light in this compelling retelling of Tinsel Town’s most infamous real-life mystery.

Allen Coulter (The Sopranos, Sex and the City) makes his feature film directorial debut with a thriller set against the glamour and corruption of 1950s Hollywood. Affleck is the increasingly desperate Reeves, a performance that earned him Best Actor honors at the 2006 Venice International Film Festival. A murder mystery with a twist, Hollywoodland dramatizes a search for the truth that will keep audiences guessing at every turn. The DVD includes exciting bonus features that take viewers inside classic Hollywood for a glimpse of the toxic effects of celebrity.

In Hollywoodland, low-rent private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) is hired to investigate the premature death of Hollywood striver George Reeves (Ben Affleck). Haunted by his own success and unable to shed the superhero image created by his popular television show, Reeves is found dead, apparently by his own hand. As Simo probes the circumstances surrounding the actor' s death, he finds tantalizing suggestions of foul play involving Reeves' fiancée, his wealthy lover and her movie mogul husband - and puts himself at risk. The DVD is priced at $29.98 SRP. The combo disc is priced at $39.98. Preorder close is January 9, 2007.

Intriguing Bonus features

The Hollywoodland DVD contains more than a half-hour of exclusive bonus features including:

* Deleted Scenes

* Recreating Old Hollywood - In this piece, the production team demonstrates how they re-created the glamour of the Hollywood of yesteryear. Interviews include ones with the film> ' s production designer, set decorator, costume designer, make-up artists and hair stylists.

* Behind the Headlines - Director Allen Coulter, screenwriter Paul Bernbaum, and other members of the creative team reveal which elements of the film story are based on fact, and what creative liberties they had to take in order to tell the story of the unsolved mystery surrounding George Reeves’ death.

* Hollywood Then and Now -- With help from historians, filmmakers, actors and other experts, explore how Hollywood has changed in the last 60 years, as the similarities and difference between “classic " Hollywood and today’s big city are examined.

* Feature Commentary with Director Allen Coulter

SYNOPSIS

Based on the true story of Hollywood’s most notorious unsolved mystery, Hollywoodland is a tale of glamour, scandal, and corruption in 1950s Los Angeles. When George Reeves (Ben Affleck), star of TV’s Adventures of Superman, is found dead in his home, millions of fans are shocked by the circumstances of his death. The police and the studio bosses want the case closed as a suicide, but rumors linger. Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a private investigator, picks up the trail and begins to piece together the actor’s last, tension-filled days. Who pulled the trigger? Was it the seductive yet scheming fiancée, the spurned lover (Diane Lane), the enraged husband (Bob Hoskins), or was it Reeves himself? Simo must find out before the truth is buried forever.

For more information: www.hollywoodlandmovie.com

CAST & FILMMAKERS
Director: Allen Coulter
Written By: Paul Bernbaum
Produced By: Glenn Williamson
Director of Photography: Jonathan Freeman
Film Editor: Michael Berenbaum
Production Designer: Leslie McDonald
Costume Designer: Julie Weiss
Music By: Marcelo Zarvos
Cast: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Lois Smith, Robin Tunney

Two Beloved Shows We Forgot!

Winky Dink

We can still remember most of the theme song for this one. It was also one of those super rare shows in which we were able to convince our parents to buy us the accoutrements of the series. In this case, it was a "special" plastic thing you attached to the TV and you had these "special crayons" in which you did what Winky Dink told you to do -- draw certain things for them to cross or something to help them get out of some troubles. Anyway. We haven't seen this in a long time, but remember we loved it.

Oh my god. HOW CUTE ARE BEANY AND CECIL!!!!

Beany and Cecil!!!!!

Here's what Wikipedia has on it:

Beany and Cecil was a cartoon that ran from 1962 to 1967. It was created by Bob Clampett. Clampett created Cecil as a boy after seeing the top half of the dinosaur swimming from the water at the end of The Lost World. Clampett originally created the series as a puppet show called Time for Beany, which ran from 1949 to 1954. Time for Beany featured the talents of veteran voice actors Stan Freberg and Daws Butler. Clampett revived the series in the 1960s in animated form, though Freberg and Butler did not reprise their roles.

Beany and Cecil, the animated version, ran in prime time during the 1962 TV season, and the 26 shows (including 78 cartoons) were then repeated on Saturday mornings for the next five years. The cartoon featured Beany, a boy, and Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent embarking on a series of adventures, often to discover ancient civilizations and artifacts. These escapades were rife with cartoon slapstick and countless puns.

The show was revived in 1988 by DiC. Only eight episodes were ever made, and only five episodes ever aired. This incarnation of the show was produced and directed by John Kricfalusi, who would later create Ren and Stimpy.


BeansTalk Note: We never saw the "new" version, even though we were covering animation at the time. At any rate, even though we were very young, we have very fond memories and had the ephiphany that perhaps the inspiration for the Chairman of the Board's nickname had some resonance here!

The 80s Beany and Cecil

Yuck. No Wonder why we never watched it.

Mr. Peabody!

Loved, loved Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman. I know, the animation was very rudimentary, but the show was so great.

Tennessee Tuxedo

We were fond of him.

Heckle and Jeckle

Ok, there were more than two shows. I can't remember why I liked them so much. They were always arguing. But one had a British accent, the other a Brooklyn one:).

Fashion News….

Actresses Anjelica Huston (L) and Sharon Stone attend the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in honour of Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh in Oslo December 11, 2006. Sharon Stone worn an evening gown by Los Angeles based designer David Meister, his elegant black stretch satin evening gown for her one of her on-stage looks. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger (NORWAY)

Stacy Keibler attended Hollywood Life Breakthrough Awards wearing a dress by David Meister. Stacy wore a black and silver bubble dress, accentuated with black bow at the bust and black halter straps.

Kerry Washington attended the December 8th The New York Botanical Garden Winter Wonderland Ball carrying a clutch by Daniel Swarovski, a clear crystal Arielle evening bag.

Tia Mowry attended the PRISM Awards. Mowry, who is the tar of the CW’s The Game, accessorized her vibrant blue dress with Sharon by Daniel Swarovski– a black French brocade clutch with gorgeous baroque embroidery in silver, blue and purple.

Marv Mary

Mary Elizabeth Winstead attended the Hollywood Life Breakthrough Awards and accepted a Breakthrough Award for her performance in Bobby, added a touch of glam to her gown with ZOE – a gold French brocade origami folded clutch with hand-cast gold, topaz and smoky quartz Swarovski crystal Hurricane jewel. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Teri Totin' Nortin

At the Dreamgirls premiere, Teri Hatcher wore a pair of super long Platinum and diamond earrings by Neil Lane. She carried a handbag by Mary Norton, Tycoon– a black smooth shimmer sueded leather minaudiere with cast-resin jewels in onyx, hematite, mabe pearls and crystal accents. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)