Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Nick Park

I love Wallace & Gromit! From Wikipedia: “Wallace & Gromit is a British claymation comedy franchise created by Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations. The series centres on Wallace, a good-natured, eccentric, cheese-loving bachelor inventor, and Gromit, his loyal and intelligent anthropomorphic dog.” 

I’ve seen their first three short films, which I have on one DVD: A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993), and A Close Shave (1995). They are great and I’ve seen them repeatedly. 

But obviously, I have fallen behind on my W&G viewing. So my wife and I went to a free showing of the 2005 film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit at Proctors Theatre on a Saturday afternoon.

“Wallace [voiced by the late Peter Salis] and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest.”

The enterprising duo’s humane pest-control outfit, Anti-Pesto, is booming, thanks in part to the patronage of the competition hostess, Lady Campanula Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter). But what do they do with all those captured bunnies overruning their home? Wallace has an idea. 

Totty’s would-be suitor, Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes), is irritated by the attention she is showing Wallace. Meanwhile, there is a sudden attack by a large and voracious creature, first seen by the town’s superstitious vicar. Eventually, Gromit discovers the secret of the Were-Rabbit.

Notes

The movie is very funny, though slightly padded for its 85-minute run time. I read that Dreamworks kept sending Nick Park notes about making the film accessible for an American audience, which reportedly annoyed him.

My wife said this G-rated movie had a couple of suggestive bits, which may be true. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film and several other accolades. Rotten Tomatoes has it 95% positive with the critics, though only 79% with audiences.

I will have to see the 2024 film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

September rambling: Snollygoster

Measles and Polio Down In The Schoolyard

Word of the Day: Snollygoster –  A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.

Pity the Nation, a poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (2007)

Anti-Intellectualism Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit by Rev. Benjamin Cremer

You can’t worship God and money

A.Word.A.Day: kleptocrat – A politician or an official who uses their position to enrich themselves.

United States Boycotts UN Human Rights Review. The move sets “a terrible precedent that would only embolden dictators and autocrats and dangerously weaken respect for human rights at home and abroad.”

SCOTUS ruling allows ICE to use racial profiling in Los Angeles raids.

Israel’s Attacks on Seed Banks Destroy Millennia of Palestinian Cultural Heritage, and Israel Bombs Hamas Ceasefire Negotiating Team in Doha

Lysenkoism Comes to America: As RFK Jr. purges the CDC and cancels billions in research grants, Americans need a refresher course on what happened to Soviet biological research during the Stalin years.

Are You Ready for Measles’ Wrath?

Submit Your Official Comment Against the EPA’s Plan to Rescind Its Ability to Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions Created By Any Industry and Gut Vehicle Standards Needed to Fight Climate Change

Tax cuts helped health giants dodge billions while patients faced higher costs and denials.

FOTUS vs. Higher Education and The Baileys: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The Attack on the Smithsonian Previews His Presidential Library

How math turned me from a D.E.I. skeptic to a supporter

Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Plummet as “MAGA Former Dancer” Takes Over Dance Program. Upcoming ballet performances are between only 4 and 19% sold.

FOTUS steals $400b from American workers

Information

Internet Archive Designated as a Federal Depository Library

The National Archives Recovers Rare Logbook from the Pearl Harbor Attack

The Return of Plundered Belongings Offers a Chance for Healing to a Grieving Lakota Community 170 Years After a Long-Forgotten Massacre

Giorgio Armani, Fashion’s Master of the Power Suit, Dies at 91

CBS News’ Mark Knoller, veteran White House correspondent, dies at 73

Davey Johnson, an Orioles infielder before becoming the manager of the Mets, including their 1986 World Series win, died at 82

High Greens, Chip Ordway– now and forever

The game was perfect. The call, more perfect. Sept. 9, 1965 -Sandy Koufax, Vin Scully

You Know More Finnish Than You Think

Reviews, Ratings, and Pointless Surveys by Seth Meyers

The Beetle Bailey book celebrates 75 years in the funny pages

Spider-Man’s first live-action TV run was on PBS, and I watched it

Now I Know: The Worst Movie Money Couldn’t Buy, The Problem With Faking a Smile, and The Human Traffic Cone?

The latter box should read: “$893 million in 30 graduated annuity payments”
MUSIC

Bottle Up Magic – Rebecca Jade (feat. Eric Darius)

Measles and Polio Down In The Schoolyard – Marsh Family parody of Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio” on RFK

In Memoriam: Mark Volman of the Turtles (1947-2025). From Stuart Mason: The masterpiece of the album The Battle of the Bands was ‘Elenore,’  simultaneously an absolutely deathless sunshine pop classic and a not particularly subtle middle finger to White Whale Records.

Supertramp co-founder, singer, and keyboardist Rick Davies died at the age of 81 after a 10-year battle with Multiple Myeloma. 5 standout Rick Davies tracks by Supertramp.

Bohemian Rhapsody, isiZulu version – Ndlovu Youth Choir

Everybody’s Song– Robert Plant and Saving Grace

Moonlight, one of Four Sea Interludes from the Benjamin Britten opera Peter Grimes

One Tiny Flower – Jeff Tweedy

Song To The Moon from Rusalka, Act I, by Antonín Dvořák

Better Broken – Sarah McLaughlin

Coverville 1547: Van Morrison Cover Story IV and 1548: The Aimee Mann Cover Story I

Dead – Sudan Archives

Big Money –  Jon Batiste

Letter To My 13-Year-Old Self and Lover Girl – Laufey

Am I Born To Die – Billy Strings, 12/13/24 ACL

Surf’s Up – The Beach Boys

The Boys Of Summer -Don Henley

Hot Fun In The Summertime – Sly & The Family Stone

September Morn – Neil Diamond

I Started A Joke – Ruby Leigh

The Power Of Love – Huey Lewis and the News

Thunderstruck + It’s a Long Way to the Top – Goddesses of Bagpipes

Burning Down The House – David Byrne ft. Olivia Rodrigo – Live at Gov Ball 2025

Is AI Ruining Music? | Dustin Ballard | TED, and AI-generated music sparks industry concern, and  AI music takes on a life of its own: Walking Away –Sadie Winters

K-Chuck Radio: Billy Joel gets pitchy and The Out-Of-Phase Stereo Series

Stairway, Denied

Pope Leo XIV is 70

born Robert Francis Prevost

I have been fascinated by the fascination with Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff. Even though I’m endlessly fascinated by the papacy and even watched the movie  Conclave early in its release, I did not foresee that Cardinal Robert Prevost of Illinois and Peru would be selected.

Here are some of the analyses I’ve read. He’s the first Augustinian pope. Noblemen, enslaved people, freedom fighters, slaveholders: what the complex family tree reveals. The DC Report on the issues as of his ascendency. He studied under a pioneer in Jewish-Catholic relations, the Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, when he attended seminary in Chicago.

From Catholic Social Teaching in Action (CAPP-USA):  “His chosen name puts Him in a particularly close relationship with the Social Doctrine of the Church and our Foundation’s activities at a time when the Church is called upon to provide hope and moral leadership in a world of divisions, conflicts, and disorder.”

Is he hiding his light under a bushel? Lost in translation: Should US-born Pope Leo XIV speak in English more often? When he “praised migrants on July 25 amid… mass deportation policies, causing unrest in Southern California and throughout the country, few Americans knew what he was saying. Until his comments were translated into English.” 

But the remarks WERE translated, and quickly. Still, “there are an estimated 1.5 billion English speakers in the world, compared to 68 million Italian speakers… Like his predecessor, Leo has preferred to speak Italian in public settings. “

At least early on, “He is keeping his cards close to his chest.” The Augustinian emphasis on unity, listening, community, and collaboration appears to guide the new pontiff. Still, he has condemned the brutality of the Gaza war.
It matters little, so far.

The fact that he’s from the Chicago area and roots for the baseball Chicago White Sox has won over most Americans. He’s getting unsolicited deliveries from Windy City pizzerias. 

“‘Our new pope has aura’ read one comment on a Tik Tok video about the newly elected pope. 

“‘I’m an atheist and I started liking this guy,’ wrote another user.

“And with tens of thousands of spectators gathered in front of the Vatican with social media posts, reporters’ notebooks, and vlogging cameras in hand, awaiting the Conclave’s decision, Pope Leo XIV has already gone viral.

“‘As the first-ever pope born in the United States, Leo has especially garnered attention among U.S. spectators. While the number of religious folks in the country has consistently dropped over the past couple of decades, it seems the Conclave revealed an underlying interest in religion — even among the nonreligious.'”

At the end of July, he gave content to Catholic Digital Missionaries and Influencers (!). Then, in early August, he held a Youth Mass, telling the gathered, in English, “The Lord is gently knocking at the window of your soul.” He told a million Catholic youths they were a sign that a “different world is possible.” He is a rock star! 

So it is not surprising that Leo has made Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint, although it should be noted that if Francis had lived long enough, he would have elevated him.

How long will the glow last? I have no idea. But I can wish Pope Leo XIV a happy birthday. 

Sunday Stealing Pretends It’s Wednesday

Every lock that ain’t locked, when no one’s around

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week, all eyes turn to Mary, who long ago played Wednesday Medley, which she credited to Terri D (Your Friend from Florida), who originally came up with the questions.

A Wednesday meme on a Sunday (Sunday Stealing Pretends It’s Wednesday)

1. Name five songs that you have completely memorized.

I’m sure there are hundreds of them from when I was growing up, kids’ songs, Christmas carols, hymns, and the like.

The Boxer—Simon and Garfunkel (but not that “after changes upon changes, we’re more or less the same” part that was excised and later re-added). This song fed right into my teenage angst.

Help! – The Beatles. I belonged to the Capitol Records Club from 1966 to ’68, in large part to get all of the Beatles’ albums. I owned none before this. Help, BTW, was a song that my daughter and a friend sang at a church musical.

King Of The Road -Roger Miller. One of the CRC items sent to me because of the negative option—you get the item unless you let them know in a timely fashion—was Roger Miller’s Golden Hits on Smash Records. I liked it. It helped that he had a great first name.

So Soon In The Morning – Joan Baez. This song was on the Green Family Singers’ repertoire from this album. I sang it once at my former church with a soprano named Laura.

Go Where You Wanna Go – the Mamas and the Papas. It was also in the Green Family Singers song list, but it was just my sister Leslie and me.

Time Has Come Today

2. What takes up too much of your time?

I’m whittling down my emails. My email triggers me to work on booking speakers for the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library every Tuesday, writing blog posts, paying bills, and engaging in personal interactions. 

3. What TV show or movie do you refuse to watch?

I generally avoid movies and television shows with a lot of violence. I can’t give you names because if I don’t watch them, I don’t remember them. However, I made an exception this year for the movie Sinners, which my daughter recommended. 

4. What’s worth spending more on to get the best?

The first thing that came to mind was some breakfast cereal. I bought a box of ersatz Cheerios  30 years ago, which tasted like cardboard. 

5. Share something you did last week.

Yesterday, I went onto my front porch to pick up the morning newspaper. Yes, we read a daily physical periodical. I saw this cool spider web. I’m not a guy who takes a lot of pictures, especially on my phone, but this called to me. So I got closer, but the sun washed out the look. I tried from the street side, but that didn’t work either.

Finally, I returned to the entryway, snapped the photo, then trimmed it by about 90%. (The picture below is similar to the shot above before trimming; see the spider in front of the tree.) I’m glad I took it when I did because, a half hour later, the spider was gone. 

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

Hot Country Singles of 1985, part 1

Ray and Willie

These are the Billboard Hot Country Singles of 1985, part 1. Why only part 1?  Because 51 songs made it to #1 that year. And it wasn’t just 1985 but the whole decade. There were 33 #1s in 1979. In the ’80s, there were, in chronological order: 43, 47, 47, 50, 50, 51, 51, 49, 48, and  49, #1 country hits. In 1990, 24, and never more than 32 in any year for the rest of the century.

Why was that? From this music forum: “I just received a response to my question from Joel Whitburn himself, who sheds some more light on the issue.” The late Whitburn was the publisher of the Record Research books that line my bookshelves.

“I’m well aware of the different methodologies Billboard has used in compiling their charts. I was told by Billboard’s chart manager back in the mid-70’s that the Country charts were tabulated mostly by airplay and that the record companies wanted fast turnover at the top of the charts, so that more artists (and labels) would share in the bounty of a #1 hit. He said the promotional staffs of the record labels worked with radio so that as soon as a song hit #1, it would be pulled from their hot playlist and another song would peak at #1, etc.

It’s a different story today, as the Country chart is compiled by a combination of monitored airplay and sales data.”

This created a dizzying list of songs where only two, Have Mercy – The Judds, and Lost In The Fifties Tonight (In The Still Of The Night) – Ronnie Milsap, led the charts for even two weeks. BTW, In The Still Of The Night was a hit single by the Five Satins as early as 1956 (#3 RB, #24 pop).
First half, in chronological order, all one week at #1
The Best Year Of My Life – Eddie Rabbit
How Blue – Reba McEntire
A Place To Fall Apart – Merle Haggard (with Janie Frick)
Ain’t She Something Else – Conway Twitty
Make My Life With You – Oak Ridge Boys
Baby Bye Bye -Gary Morris
My Only Love -The Statler Brothers
Seven Spanish Angels – Ray Charles with Willie Nelson; the one song I recognized straightaway
Crazy – Kenny Rogers; yes, this is the cover of the Willie Nelson song that Patsy Cline took to #2 CW and AC for two weeks, and #9 pop in 1961/62
Country Girls – John Schneider, Bo Duke on the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard 
Honor Bound – Earl Thomas Conley
I Need More Of You – The Bellamy Brothers
Girls Night Out – The Judds
There’s No Way – Alabama; this is classic country rock harmony.
Somebody Should Leave – Reba McEntire
Step That Step – Sawyer Brown
Radio Heart – Charly McLean
Don’t Call Him A Cowboy – Conway Twitty
Natural High – Merle Haggard
Country Boy – Ricky Skaggs; Ricky can really pick it
Little Things -the Oak Ridge Boys
Note that some artists had consecutive #1s (Reba, Alabama, Twitty, Haggard, Judds), and if you see the list of the previous or subsequent six months, you’ll find the same pattern.
Ramblin' with Roger
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