Norma Jeane might have fit right in with the Mayberry folks We've talked before about the odd juxtapositions that fate sometimes brings, but in researching topics for today, we came across one that struck us as so odd that we were compelled to note it: On June 1, 1926, both Marilyn Monroe and Andy Griffith were born. The two would seem to have little in common, but both were born into poverty (Monroe was a ward of the state, and Griffith slept in dresser drawers until his parents were able to afford a bed for him). And after a period of struggle, each achieved show business immortality -- she as a sex goddess and he as a down-home sheriff/philosopher. Obviously, Monroe had the tougher time. She battled personal demons while juggling three marriages (and who knows how many affairs) with an acting career that pigeonholed her as an empty-headed sex symbol. Griffith's career had its own bumps. Despite his dramatic performance in "A Face in the Crowd," he was typecast as the folksy Andy Taylor, and his film career never really took off. He failed in four other television series before hitting big in Matlock -- as, yes, a folksy lawyer. While there's no indication that the two ever met, there are enough intersections in their lives -- two examples: composer Earle Hagen wrote the whistling theme to "The Andy Griffith Show" and was also nominated for an Oscar on one of Marilyn's last films, and Monroe had an affair with Elia Kazan, who directed Griffith in "Crowd" -- to make the idea of a meeting of these two icons of the 1950s just plausible enough. One can only speculate what their conversation might have consisted of, but we'd bet it wouldn't have been about football. Suggested Sites... Monroe Online - fansite with tons of photos and information about Marilyn. Wikipedia: Andy Griffith - overview of the actor's life and career. "What It Was, Was Football" - the comedy routine that made Andy Griffith a star. Wikipedia: Marilyn Monroe - biography and facts, from Norma Jeane to the Kennedys. Taylor Home Inn - fans in Wisconsin who have recreated Andy Taylor's home as a B&B.

Directory categories: Andy Griffith, Marilyn Monroe, The Andy Griffith Show, Classic Hollywood Actors, Television Comedies

Archived under: 1950s, Actors, Andy Griffith, Birthdays, Celebrities, Comedians, Entertainment, Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, Movies, Sitcoms, TV

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Let's celebrate something! (Photo by ShipBoy) Everybody needs a month -- or so it would seem. Aside from the obligatory commercial promotions by various industries, every month of the year finds itself besieged by a barrage of organizations, causes, and hobbies. Now, far be it from us to say who can and cannot have a party, but here at The Spark we're all feeling a little national-monthed-out. There's only so much preposterousness one can take, and the following have pushed us to our limits and beyond: January - Prune Breakfast Month (a.k.a. Work From Home for the Sake of Others Month) February - Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month (ummmm...) March - National Frozen Food Month (at least these folks are upfront about the holiday's purpose) April - Fresh Florida Tomato Month (advertising ideas, anyone?) May - National Sweet Vidalia Month (onions need love, too) June -National Accordion Awareness Month (people are perfectly aware of this instrument, whether friend or foe) July - National Baked Beans Month (we again kindly request that you remain at home) August - Studious Behavior Awareness Month (we're pretty sure this one doesn't even exist, but several websites happily include it on their holiday calendars) September - Hug a Texas Chef Month (see also How to Get Punched Month) October - National Toilet Tank Repair Month (by the time you've made it through months of prunes, tomatoes, and beans, chances are that sucker's going to need some help) November - National Georgia Pecan Month (since those Florida tomatoes stole April) December - International Calendar Awareness Month (and it coincides with holiday shopping!) Still haven't had enough? Well we have, and we're officially declaring June Give Us a Break Month. Suggested Sites... Holidays on the Net - find holidays to your heart's content. Wikipedia: List of Commemorative Days - possibly the genesis of many a dubious observance. Commemorative Observances - the Congressional Research Service's list of national observances.

Directory categories: Holiday Humor, Holidays by Month, Holiday Calendars, Holiday Entertaining

Archived under: Calendars, Events, Fanatics, Festivals, Holidays, Society and Culture

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Fleming's Thunderball In honor of the genius behind an entertainment icon, today we salute Ian Fleming on what would have been his 100th birthday. After all, where would modern spy fiction or action movies be without his most famous creation, our favorite secret agent, James Bond? We'd have fewer cool gadgets, lower standards of villainy, and the numbers "007" wouldn't be the indelible digits they've become. The Bond films have made superstars out of six men and pin-ups of numerous Bond Girls. They've left us with memorable (and sometimes unshakable) musical tracks. And their impact has shaken (not stirred) the espionage genre for many generations. With plots from the Cold War through the present, many of the storylines remain timely, if sometimes tongue-in-cheek. While it's true that Fleming only penned the novels for 12 of the 22 Bond films, his fans insist the series is progressing in the same vein he created. In honor of his centenary, Sebastian Faulks has written a new James Bond novel, "Devil May Care." And with the upcoming "Quantum of Solace" movie, 007 fans will have plenty to chatter about. Personally, we're looking forward to hearing an explanation of the silly title of the next film. Suggested Sites... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - official site for the movie -- also written by Ian Fleming. Ian Fleming Biography - by John Cork, of the Ian Fleming Foundation. Licensed to Kill - the ultimate James Bond Wiki.

Directory categories: James Bond Movies, Ian Fleming, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig, James Bond Video Games

Archived under: Actors, Authors, Entertainment, James Bond, Literature, Movies

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Fresh farm food like this nearby? (Courtesy of USDA.gov Photo by Scott Bauer) When you're cooking dinner, you probably consider the tastiness of the meal, the healthiness of the ingredients, the calories, and the cost -- but do you consider the mileage? The local food movement is all about eating closer to home. The philosophy is simple: Food that is shipped long distances isn't as fresh, and therefore isn't as flavorful or healthy. Such foods also have a bigger carbon footprint than those produced locally. Each ingredient on a North American's plate typically travels 1,500 miles to get from field to table. To help reverse that trend, and to get more in tune with the local ecosystem, local food advocates -- or locavores -- look closer to home: often a 100-mile radius from where they live and eat. The movement is also about community responsibility. Buying from local farmers and food producers supports local economies instead of corporations that run factory farms and long-haul shipping lines. Many shoppers also find big discounts at local farmers markets -- or save even more by eating homegrown veggies from backyard gardens. And foodies know that the fresher the ingredients, the tastier the meal. Gourmet restaurants featuring local menus are cropping up all over. Obviously, there are challenges and limitations to eating local produce. You're not likely to grow avocados in Alberta or produce maple syrup in Arizona. Some locavores make exceptions for region-specific foods, or to supplement limited midwinter diets. In the spirit of health and moral spending, they'll pick organic non-local foods if they can't buy local, family farm products over corporate, and local retailers over supermarket chains. Whether you're a hippie, a foodie, or just a frugal shopper, making an effort to put more local products on your table can have a positive impact on your community, the environment, and your taste buds. Suggested Sites... 10 Reasons to Eat Local Food - from the environmental to the epicurean. Locavores - a group of Bay Area foodies and environmentalists who attempt to eat only foods produced within a 100-mile radius of San Francisco. Seeing Red: Eating Locally and Debunking the Red-Blue Divide - Barbara Kingsolver, author and avid gardener, recounts her family's efforts to eat only local food for a year. Local Harvest - find local and organic foods close to home.

Directory categories: Local Food, Bioregionalism, Environmental Movements and Philosophies, Sustainable Eating, Sustainable Development

Archived under: Environment, Food and Drink, Global Warming, Health, Issues and Causes, Locavores, Sustainability

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House Un-American Activities Committee Dissent is as American as apple pie. The Founding Fathers even enshrined the idea in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. But about 150 years after them (and 70 years ago today, in fact), Congress panicked, started seeing threats everywhere they looked, and established the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC. The men who ran HUAC had an interesting idea of what constituted "un-Americanism." Committee member John Rankin (of Mississippi, it must be said) refused to investigate the Ku Klux Klan -- it was "an old American institution." Meanwhile, the Federal Theatre and such long-dead playwrights as Christopher Marlowe and Euripides were seen as imminent threats to the Republic and democracy. Interning American citizens of Japanese descent in prison camps was just fine, but almost any Communist anywhere had to be rooted out (the notable exception being committee member Samuel Dickstein, who was himself on the payroll of the Soviet Union as a spy). HUAC hit its height (or depth) in the 1940s and 50s, when members became convinced that Hollywood was not only a hotbed of Communist activity, but that writers, directors, and actors were sneaking subliminal messages into films and TV shows that were designed to convert Joe and Jane McDoakes into hardcore Reds. Thanks to HUAC's relentless hounding, the careers and lives of scores of innocent victims were ruined. When Senator Joseph McCarthy's similar smears were finally recognized for what they were, HUAC's influence waned -- to the point where, in the 60s, Yippies Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman openly mocked the committee when subpoenaed to appear. HUAC was finally disbanded in 1975, but left a decades-long legacy of infectiveness, destroyed lives, and suicides. Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: House Un-American Activities Committee - overview of HUAC and the men who ran it. Blacklist: A Different View of the 1947 HUAC Hearings - history of the Hollywood hearings. Third World Traveler: HUAC and the Rise of Anti-Communism - information about the committee and friendly and unfriendly witnesses. Humphrey Bogart: "I'm No Communist" - Bogie takes to the pages of Photoplay to explain that being anti-HUAC didn't make him anti-American. CNN Cold War - excerpts from HUAC testimony by Gary Cooper, Ronald Reagan, Walt Disney, and Ayn Rand.

Directory categories: House Un-American Activities Committee, Red Scare, Hollywood Blacklist, McCarthyism, Congressional Committees

Archived under: Actors, American History, Censorship, Communism, Communists, Entertainment, Fanatics, Government, HUAC, Hollywood, Yippies

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