Michael's Musings

Today I Turn 60...Happy Birthday To Me!
Michael Shinafelt

I turn 60 today, it's not anything like I thought it would be. It's better! 

Of course I talk to myself. I need expert advice, that's all

You're so weird, don't change

Yesterday I had a Pre-Birthday celebration lunch with my friend Julie at The Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills, the more you know

Don't forget getting a tree and decorating it is witchcraft, not to mention all sorts of fun!

What's my favorite Period film? "Carrie" think about it, but not too much

Stop pretending you're not magical, right here, right now

I got a really cool Wicked T-Shirt in the mail from my friend Karen for my Birthday yesterday. It has embroidered Flying Monkeys on it! And aren't you happy? I know I am!!!

Woman Crush of the Week - Amanda Seyfried I love her for standing her ground and refusing  to apologize for calling Charlie Kirk hateful

Speaking of Amanda seeing The Housemaid with her and Sydney Sweeney tomorrow, can't wait!

Gomez Addams was the best television Dad. He had nothing but love and support for his whole family. Fight me.

No one is too old for fairy tales. Trust me at 60 I can honestly state this.

I was today years old when I realized it's called DisnyLAnd because it's in LA and it's called DisneywORld because it's in Orlando

Today I am hitting the historic Bob's Big Boy in Burbank, CA for a Birthday lunch. I've never been and I'm going to get my photo taken with the Big Boy.

Celebrate "Sexy 60" with me here -

https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en

https://bsky.app/profile/michaelshinafelt.bsky.social

https://www.tiktok.com/@michaelshinafelt  

Hump Day & Chill

Dawn Davenport Is Angry

"My parents better get me them cha-cha heels I asked for, that's all I can say..." ~ Dawn Davenport in John Waters Female Trouble

John Waters Female Trouble is a Christmas movie, fight me! After all Dawn Davenport (Divine) asked for cha-cha heels for Christmas and gets angry enough to throw a tantrum when she doesn't get them by stomping on all the other gifts and throwing her mother into their family Christmas Tree (now that's entertainment!) What is more heart warming than that? I ask you? Yeah, I know you don't have an answer.

Thus let us Hump Day & Chill and bask in the glory of the season with Dawn Davenport and her Christmas Spirit! 

IYKYK

"Please, Dawn! Not on Christmas!" - Mrs. Davenport (Betty Woods)  

Female Trouble on IMDb -

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072979/  

Rob Reiner

I am still shocked about the death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle. It's a hard thing to process. 

He meant so much to his loved ones and the world. 

This photo posted by Cary Elwes who played Westley in Reiner's film The Princess Bride is the perfect tribute to him. 

RIP 

His body of work and activism will always be remembered. 

Westley: "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while" - The Princess Bride 

Rob Reiner on Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Reiner

It's Not Christmas Until...

Phoebe Cates
in
Gremlins

It's not Christmas until you hear Phoebe Cates as Kate Beringer in Gremlins (1984) talk about her Christmas trauma.

This monologue is so wonderfully random that it's genius! With only 10 more days until the "Big C" let's get this celebration started!

Hit the monologue after the jump!

Kate: The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas. Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was 9 years old. Me and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple hours went by. Dad wasn't home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing. So the police began a search. Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. That's when I noticed the smell. The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out my father. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He'd been climbing down the chimney... his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus.

Gremlins on Rotten Tomatoes -

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gremlins 

"Euphoria" Season 3

Hunter Schafer
as
Jules Vaughn

Euphoria is headed back to HBO for it's third (and I suspect final) season in April. The first looks are out and while I love me some Zendaya and felt she deserved the two Emmys she won for it. It's Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn first look that has me most intrigued...

The show is smartly spring boarding five years ahead and Jules looks to be an artist based on the images above. Perfection!

Here are some key details of what to expect April 2026...I CAN'T WAIT!

Key Details:

• Release: April 2026.
• Time Jump: A five-year jump, moving beyond high school into young adulthood.
• Cast: Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow all returning; new cast includes Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, Kadeem Hardison, and Sharon Stone.
• Plot Snippets: Rue is in Mexico trying to pay off debt to Laurie. Cassie and Nate get engaged and married.
• Crew: Creator Sam Levinson returns, with music by Labrinth and Hans Zimmer. 

What to Expect:
The show will tackle "adulthood is wild," as the characters navigate life after college, with creator Sam Levinson avoiding a return to the high school setting. Expect new storylines as the characters face new challenges and relationships in this new phase of life. 

 Euphoria on IG -

https://www.instagram.com/euphoria/?hl=en  

Snakes On A Plane

On January 20, the iconic airborne action/adventure Snakes On A Plane makes its worldwide 4K UHD debut. This is the movie that broke the internet when actor Samuel L. Jackson delivered the classic line, “I have had it with these mother****ing snakes on this mother****ing plane!” The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration of the film, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. There is also a Blu-ray release.

FBI agent Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson, Pulp Fiction) escorts a key eyewitness (Nathan Phillips, Wolf Creek) against a major crime lord on a red eye flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles. He’s tightened up security to prevent any hitmen or explosives from getting on board. What Flynn didn’t count on was the mobster setting an “organic” booby trap in the cargo hold. Nearly a hundred venomous snakes are released midway across the Pacific Ocean. They are eager to make their way to first class and won’t be stopped by a persistent stewardess. What chance does Flynn have of protecting his witness from so many slithering assassins? Fighting back against the fanged menaces is an all-star cast including Julianna Margulies (Ghost Ship), Kenan Thompson (Good Burger), Lin Shaye (A Nightmare On Elm Street), Terry Chen (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever), David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), and Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; brand new audio commentary; archival cast and crew audio commentary with director David R. Ellis, actor Samuel L. Jackson and others; a brand new mini-documentary exploring the movie tie-in novelization phenomenon; archival featurettes on the making of the film, the snake wrangler, the CGI used to bring the snakes to life; the online hype and making of the music video; music video; gag reel; trailers; TV spots; image gallery; Easter eggs; a South Pacific Airlines safety instruction card; and a collectors’ booklet.

Watch the trailer for Snakes On A Plane here: https://youtu.be/r6gv98Cugfw?si=e0Ivp-_2xs2iXynq

Order Here: https://customers.mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV798

Wine Not?

Photo:
Michael Shinafelt

It's the most stressful time of the year...let's face the Holiday Season is not always the most wonderful time of the year. It has elements of wonderful, but not all the time, stress is a major part of the season as well.

Well Minions it's Friday and I pose this question to you: "Wine Not?" 

"Yes" it's time for some wine to sooth your jingled nerves and to keep the bells from ringing in your head.

As you can see I am already working on my bottle of Chardonnay and quite enjoying not being amongst the masses on the busy sidewalks etc.

TIGF! Imbibe with me, won't you?

Cheers!

Wine Not on the WWW -

https://winenots.com/