Sunday, July 6, 2008

An Ode To Cheese

by Caren Crane

(With many apologies to the lactose intolerant among us.)

I love cheese. Not only the traditional loves like cheddar, gouda, swiss, edam and monterey jack, but also the more exotic varieties like Camembert, Danish Havarti, brie, Stiltson, bleu and feta. I adore this milk-based product in many forms (some of them stinky, but all delicious) but this post is about something else: real cheese.

The cheese you are ashamed to love. The guilty pleasure you allow yourself only when you are all alone in the house or car. Or perhaps with a select few treasured friends who share your forbidden fantasy.

Here is a list of some of my all-time favorite cheese. Some I have admitted to before. Some represent ground-breaking territory that could totally be used against me in public. For the Banditas and BBs, I bare my cheesy soul:

1. Big Trouble In Little China - This movie stars Kurt Russell, who is one of the funniest, sexiest actors of all time. Kurt is a man's man and in no role is he more manly than that of truck driving, John Wayne channeling Jack Burton. Director David Carpenter made this movie in 1986 as a spoof of the old Westerns, except he set it in modern times. It was sort of a B-grade, Saturday matinee sort of movie with lots of kung fu, magic, monsters, enslavement of beautiful girls, and Chinese gang warfare in San Francisco's Chinatown. A young Kim Cattrall is exceptional as a nosy lawyer who is a spunky, feminist, world-saving cliché. ALL the characters are rather over-the-top, making the movie endlessly entertaining and a verifiable port wine cheese ball.

2. ELO - Yes, I mean the Electric Light Orchestra. For those born after 1980, ELO was the brainchild of British musician Jeff Lynne. He wanted to create pop songs with heavily classical overtones. Man, did he ever succeed! Out Of the Blue, a double album (yes, that was a PRESSED VINYL ALBUM, kids), was probably my favorite slice of ELO cheese. It contained such treasures as Turn To Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman and Mr. Blue Sky. Let's not forget, however, the McCheesy goodness of other hit singles such as Livin' Thing, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Evil Woman, Showdown, Telephone Line (extra cheese, please), and Strange Magic (which, when I was a girl, was about as close to an out-of-body experience as I could get). People love or hate ELO. But come on, they had 46 U.S. and U.K. Top 40 hit singles from 1972 to 1986. Forty-freaking-six!! Surely that proves that I was not the only one snacking on this particular slice of extra-creamy gouda.

3. Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book - From the inital admonishment inside the cover ("This Book is to be Read in Bed"), this classic bedtime book is a real childhood gem. It begin with the news that just came in from the County of Keck about a bug named Van Vleck who is yawning so wide you can look down his neck. It takes us from the peculiar phenomenon of the spreading yawn, to bedtime activities like the Herk-Heimer sisters brushing their teeth under a waterfall, through some rather odd sleepwalking, sleep-talking and sleep-biting rituals, to various sleeping habits, places and spaces. It leaves us with an assurance that when we turn out OUR light, the sleep tally will be ninety-nine zillion, nine trillion and three. It always made me extra sleepy (I was always ready to sleep!) and happy to be a contributor to the Whose Asleep Count. A special slice of American cheese.

4. The Sound Of Music - Two words: Julie Andrews. Two more: Rodgers & Hammerstein. Really, anything starring Julie Andrews ranks up there in my wheel of cheese, but TSOM has a special place in my heart. Just last night, at Deb Marlowe's Independence Day Bash, my two daughters, Sabrina Jeffries and I all spontaneously joined in a rousing version of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? while we burned sparklers. *sigh* A great moment of sublime oneness for us, a fond remembrance for the other women in attendance (especially darling Deb) and a complete and utter WTF moment for males of all ages who were in attendance. They totally don't get it. Deb said, "I'm coming to your house to watch Sound Of Music with you guys!" Yes, she is. I could never deny a woman in need of a cheese fix. And Sound Of Music is the very best sort of cheese fondue!

I could go on all day, but you get a sense of my kind of cheese. I love to be entertained and the cheesier it is, the better I like it. I could wax rhapsodic about the movies of Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser. Sing you my guilty music pleasures like ABBA and WHAM! The cheesy romance novels are far too many to count. Let me leave it at admitting that Lavyrle Spencer has a sacred segment of my Keeper Shelf all to herself! Just to be extra evil, I slid in the codes so you can click on any of the above images and buy that hunk of cheese for yourself. Hey, I never said I wasn't an enabler. *eg*

What sort of guilty, cheesy pleasure do you indulge in? We promise any information you reveal will never leave the Lair. Unless we all get together in, say, San Francisco and the margaritas are flowing freely. *ahem* Discretion, that's the word! So, what's your favorite kind of cheese?

153 comments:

Deb Marlowe said...

Bawk!

Margay Leah Justice said...

Hey, does it mean I'm a cheesehead if I like ELO and The Sound of Music? Okay, I used to like ELO, but I don't know if their music still holds up today, as I haven't heard it in a dog's age. And my favorite part of TSOM is the do re mi song and it gets boring after that, but still...I guess my contribution to the cheese-fest would have to be Full House. I love Uncle Jessie, so sue me! ;)

Deb Marlowe said...

Oh yeah! Come here, chookie, chookie! I can't believe how excited I get over this feathery fellow!


Ah, cheesy goodness. I live for it! I am the queen of corny. I could watch Dirty Dancing once a week, at least. "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."

I sing show tunes around the house, even though I can't sing a note.---Unlike the fabulous Helms and Jeffries quartet. (My neighbor joined in too, so what does that make it?)

My favorite inspirational quote comes from Lenny and Squiggy.

Basically, my almost-a-teenager lives in fear of what I will do to embarrass him next.

Now, I'm off to stuff the GR with macaroni salad and dirt cake! I need help with these leftovers! Then I'm going to take him over to watch The Sound of Music at Caren's house, with people who appreciate the value of real cheesy goodness.

Caren Crane said...

Deb!! Is it fair to claim the GR when you star in the blog post? *g* Maybe you can put him to work at your house today, looking for firework remnants.

Caren Crane said...

Margay, darling, there is NO SHAME in loving Uncle Jessie. Who didn't? Okay, the show as a whole was a huge, gooey cheese-fest. It was so darned cheesy, I think it was like the fake cheese they put on nachos at the movies. But people love those, right?

John Stamos had my heart from the General Hospital days. Talk about cheese! After the Luke and Laura quasi-rape-at-the-disco storyline, what could they follow up with? Blackie. And Jackie, you may recall, who was none other than Demi Moore in her first real role on TV. Those were the days!

Yes, Full House gets you in the Cheesehead Club. You may get a lifetime membership! *g*

Caren Crane said...

Hey, Deb, we were at Neo China last night and my youngest said, "Why do we always get seated in the corner?" There was a spontaneous breakout of, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!"

You and the GR come on over any old time. I'll be here all afternoon blogging and having a grand time. TSOM is definitely in the queue!

And I think with your neighbor it was a quintet. Of course, I can never hear anyone else when I sing. *g*

Gannon Carr said...

Hooray for cheese! I love The Sound of Music--I know every song--but my boys and dh think it is supreme cheese! Ditto for Dirty Dancing, but, hey, I'm entitled to that cheese, it's my right as a girl. ;) I pretty much love any and all musicals. Let me know when you ladies are having your next sing-along.

Speaking of real (edible) cheese, Caren, I work in a wine and cheese shop, and we have over 100 different cheeses! You would adore it! I dare say we may even have some cheese you've never seen. Come on over to the mountains, and I'll give you some free samples...and maybe a little wine to go with it. ;)

Oh, I just thought of some uber cheese. I still have my original Milli Vanilli CD!

Gannon Carr said...

I forgot to say congrats on the GR, Deb! It sounds like he'll be stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey with all of those party leftovers!

Deb Marlowe said...

Hey Baby, all's fair in love, war and the quest for the Golden Rooster!

I didn't KNOW I was going to be in the blog--I just logged on, nobody was here, so I went for it!

He would agree, I'm sure, but his beak is covered in oreo crumbs and creamy dirt cake. Also, he's hovering over the white chocolate cherry fruit dip, giving my mom the evil eye every time she passes by.

Deb Marlowe said...

I forgot to say that I love Big Trouble in Little China! My sisters and I used to watch that over and over and laugh our hind ends off!


Gannon--original Milli Vanilli? You win!

Dina said...

I guess I'm an offical cheesehead since I live in Wisconsin, lol. Would While She You Were Sleeping count as cheesy, it has the leaning thing? It's one of my favs.

Louisa Cornell said...

Yankee Lady has captured the GR! Ane hey, for some dirt cake I think he LET himself get captured! The food sounds delish!

I have to agree, Gannon. A Milli/Vanilli CD should get its own BIG CHEESE award!

Caren, I LOVE Big Trouble in Little China! It is just too much fun NOT to watch!

How about Shaun of the Dead? Is tht considered cheesy! Too bad because I watch it at least once a week!

TSOM is one of my favorite movies of all time. If it comes on when I visit my Mom our entire visit is planned around watching that movie together. One of the first things I did when I moved to Germany (lived in Germany just across the border from Salzburg where I went to school. Germany was cheaper!)was take the Sound of Music Tour. If you ever get the chance do it. It is wonderful and YES! cheesy!

The steps where they sing the DO RE MI song are the steps that lead into the Archbishop's palace gardens. The gardens are between the Mozarteum where I studied and the palace. The gardens are AMAZING! And the gazebo where they filmed "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" is actually Mozart's gazebo. He used to hang out in there to write when the partying got too loud.

And Gannon I am tagging along with Caren to visit the wine and cheese shop! No wine for me, but I would be as big as two houses if I worked in a cheese shop! LOVE IT!

Tiffany Clare said...

OMG! Big Trouble in Little China is one of my favourite movies as a kid--so was teenage mutant ninja turtles--shh...don't tell anyone it's mine and my bro's secret!

I love cheese. But Mostly the creamy variety kind. Scamorza is my favourite--grew up on that with cacciatore and bread...hmmmm... My mouth is watering.

I love musicals and dance movies. It doesn't matter how bad the dance movie is I'll still watch it and love it! There was this one about the Paso Doble. A wallflower gets the opportunity to dance it with this guy she's been crushing after, God, wish I could remember the title. I watched it about a hundred times the year it came out on our movie network up here. If I owned it, it would be a close call with what was watched more, that or Dirty Dancing. :)

Christie Kelley said...

Caren, I'm so with you on cheese. My favorites, smoked gouda, brie and havarti with dill. All sitting in my fridge right now but it's still a little early in the morning for that. I'll stick to my coffee.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Oooooooo Deb snagged the bird! Congrats Deb...is he going to be dressing up like a Von Trap?

You know what my favorite sound of Music song is...okay there's two...Favorite Things and the Good Night song. (Don't ask me for actual titles...I'm terrible at them and lyrics too. Just ask my kids.)

Let's talk about the edible cheese. LOVE IT! My daughters told me once, anything is better with cheese poured over it! And they are soooooooo right.

Movie cheese: Did anyone besides me watch Ice Pirates with Robert Urich and Mary Crosby? hehehe I love that stupid movie! It's a futuristic play on pirate movies and romances...hehehe...Okay, I'm gonna have to find me a copy and watch it again!

I also LOVE Thouroughly Modern Millie. Mary Tyler Moore AND Julie Andrews! Highly underrated...can't get enough.

jo robertson said...

Great post, Caren! You gotta love all kinds of cheese, real and campy!

My favorite "cheese" musical is West Side Story. I first saw it when I was a girl off-off broadway and fell in love with the music, the whole Romeo and Juliet parallel, and the dancing. OMG, the dancing! I had the album and played it over and over until my parents threatened to smash it to a thousand bits!

"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way." Yay!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

oh, if we're talking cheesey TV...I have two:

Little House On The Prarie!! OMG, I just loved Pa and Half Pint!! And Nellie was sooooo cheesily bad!! Yep, loved it!!

And

The Waltons!! I mean, was there ever a cooler depression era girl than Mary Ellen? And I think I had the hots for Ben Walton way before he got his woman!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

And then there's Rogers & Hammerstein's South Pacific...

Sigh...

All those half naked men singing in deep male voices, "There Ain't Nothing Like a Dame"...(that song made quite an impression on me ahem...)

And "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out OF My Hair" navy nurses on a tropical island, and all those men....yep, such a hard movie to watch!!

Joan said...

Whew, my head is spinning with examples of cheese.

Cheese is in the eye of the beholder I guess. See, the 1950/1960 musicals I wouldn't consider cheesey. They are a reflection of the simpler times when entertainment did not have to MEAN SOMETHING. There was no reality, no gore, no need for violence (unless you discount the burning at the haystack scene in Oaklahoma. In fact, I'm going to go see "Kit Kittridge American Girl" a modern movie being touted as "quaint" but I'm betting it's going to be pure, relaxing enjoyment.

I like cheesy jokes:

Two muffins were in the oven. One said "Man, it's hot in here. The other said "OMG, a talking muffin!"

or

Why did Tigger drown in the toilet? He was looking for Pooh.

[grimace}

But ya did groan and laugh a little, didn't ya?

And the ultimate in cheese experience and not just because of the mouse....Disneyworld! No reality there, just pure fun, turkey legs and Mickey shaped ice cream. Oh, and maybe the cheesiest song of all "It's a Small World after all.." [join me} "It's a Small World after all...It's a Small World after all, it's a small, small world.."

If you find you can't get that song out of your head think of "Spiderpig, Spiderpig.." VBEG

As to real live cheese I like all kinds:parmesan, mozarella, cheddar and Velveta...ok so that last one may not "techincally" be a cheese but it makes some pretty good nacho sauce!

Gillian Layne said...

I am so cheesy, I don't even know how to recognize the difference. (Which goes hand in hand with the whole fashion-clueless thing, according to my teen and tween daughters.)

Rick Astley? I'm right there. Singing "Let's Hear it for the Boy" at the top of my lungs while I drive the kids around? Yup. And I thought "Hold on Tight to Your Dreams" by ELO was the writer's anthem. So it's gotta be cool, right?

Actual cheese? Pepperjack or nothing. I'm not much of a real cheese gal. Too much of the "Blue box" in my childhood. :)

Joan said...

Ok, a quick question. Is there a difference between cheesy and corny?

Christie Kelley said...

Joan, I don't think so. To me they're the same. But I'm still thinking about what type of cheese I'm having for lunch.

Joan said...

But I'm still thinking about what type of cheese I'm having for lunch.

I'm noshing on "Laughing Cow" swiss cheese. You know. Those little rectangles?

I'm pretending I'm on a plane going to SF, LOL

Oh! That reminds me. I LOVE the movie "Airplane"! Now that's corn wrapped in cheese

Terri Osburn said...

Joanie - cheese is creamier. *g*

I LOVE Big Trouble in Little China. Couldn't put a number on how many times I've watched that. But for real cheese, my sister and I got hooked on The Pirate Movie. Watched it at least a half dozen times. Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol in a spoof of Pirates of Penzance. (probably spelled that wrong)

Love the rest as well, couldn't pick a favorite TSOM song. They are all so great. And I doubt I could top Milli Vanilli but I still have my vinyl versions of Air Supply and Culture Club! Throw in my Adam Ant and Rick Springfield and I believe I come in second.

No real cheese for me unless it's on my pizza.

pjpuppymom said...

I'm definitely into cheese, both the edible version and the entertaining kind. I live 9 miles from a university that has an Ag Dept. that has won international awards for their bleu cheese. They sell it at the student center. Yummm.

Okay, I have to disagree with most of you on the movie musicals like TSOM and South Pacific, etc. To me, they aren't cheese. They're classics and I adore them. Oh, and I know all the words to the songs too. Yesterday morning we were packing the van to return home from the beach when my friend, her two daughters and I all burst into do-re-mi as we waited for the elevator. The lone male in our group just shook his head. lol

My cheese movies would be the old Elvis movie musicals like Blue Hawaii, Girl Happy, Viva Las Vegas, Fun in Acapulco, etc. Pure cheese but I could watch them over and over and over. Same goes with Dirty Dancing. I own the DVD and it is very well used!

Cassondra said...

Does Monty Python count?

The Holy Grail in particular?

The Muppets. Hmmm. I'm fairly certain they count as cheesy.

Christie Kelley said...

Joan, I loved Airplane too. And Vacation and Christmas Vacation...all definitely cheesy.

Joan said...

Christmas Vacation is the BEST!

Cassondra said...

My cheese movies would be the old Elvis movie musicals like Blue Hawaii, Girl Happy, Viva Las Vegas, Fun in Acapulco, etc

THIS is what I consider cheesy. Films made by people who weren't actors just cuz they were famous? Yup. Cheese.

I think Jackie Chan films are cheesy. But I love them. Also Chuck Norris films--but I love those too. Those are my kind of cheese. Some of the Ahhhhhnold films are cheesy. Like those too.

I don't think ELO is cheese. I think they were brilliant, and cutting edge for their time. I don't think Dr. Seuss is cheesy. Same brilliance and cutting edge. And I love the old movies and most of those I don't think are cheese.

I love Sandra Bullock films too, and I don't think they're cheesy--although her role in Demolition Man probably came close.

But those Elvis movies---yup. Those were cheese. And BTILC--Yup. I saw it only recently because my husband made me. He was laughing like a loon through the whole thing. I kept looking at him and going, "this is the stupidest thing I've ever watched." I did laugh some, but not nearly like he did.

Dirty Dancing---PURE CHEESE.

Shaun of the Dead--Yup, I'd say that qualifies as cheese for me, but I'm not crazy about it.

Now REAL cheese--myzithra, sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, brie, goat cheese....just about ANY cheese, as long as there's a glass of wine nearby.

Gilligan's Island--Cheese.

But I think the ultimate cheese might just be The Brady Bunch

Fedora said...

Mm... cheese... I even like the fake kind, the almost plastic kind you have on nachos from the mall ;)

Anyway, Suz, I loved Little House on the Prairie, too! I'm reading the books to my kids right now, who are totally fascinated, but I might have to also find the videos so they can see some of it in full color :)

Congrats on the GR, Deb! And thanks for all the cheesy fun, Caren! Mmmm....

Louisa Cornell said...

Christmas Vacation! Can't get any cheesier than that! And Monty Python! "It's just a flesh wound!" "Run away! Run away!"

Joan said...

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia....

I mean, Cassondra, Cassondra, Cassondra.

The Brady Bunch MAY have been cheesy but ya gotta love their clothes. Hey! I had some of those when I was uh, VERY young!

Gilligan, yeah, no disputing that. And Hogans Heros which is running on TVLand this weekend. Really, a POW camp where they were able to build an airplane IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAMP and then take off! All with Schultz saying "I saw nudthing"

I'm getting hungry....

Cassondra said...

gannon carr said:

Speaking of real (edible) cheese, Caren, I work in a wine and cheese shop, and we have over 100 different cheeses!

Gannon, I want your job. For real.

pjpuppymom said...

Cassondra, Jackie Chan films are definitely cheese but I love them too. They're silly and fun and they never fail to make me laugh.

Cassondra said...

What about Flashdance?

Was that cheese? It does register at least a blip on my cheese-o-meter.

It's interesting though, as it's all sort of a matter of perspective for a lot of things. Like the original Star Trek series. Then, we sat on the edges of our seats. NOW, since we've experienced modern special effects and the brilliant acting of Patrick Stewart in the later series, it turns Captain Kirk into absolute undiluted Limberger. (Okay I have no clue how to spell that particular cheese)

So I think what we consider "cheese" is flexible maybe?

Still, Caren, I think ELO's music holds up even under todays hot digital production. It was, and IS good music. But that's just me.

Joan said...

Hey, now. You really can't argue against Captain Kirk's passion.

"Beam me up Scotty!"

Anna Sugden said...

Oh Caren - what a great post - and what a lover of cheese I am. Both real stuff (except for the blue stinky kind) and TV, movies, music.

Love it all! Starsky & Hutch, Dukes of Hazzard, Alias Smith & Joens, Brat Pack movies, ELO *grin*, Flashdance, Fame and Footloose ... *happy sigh*

Some people might find the old musicals like Kiss Me Kate and Seven Brides cheesy - love them too. Can't beat those songs and dance numbers. Brush Up Your Shakespeare is one of my all-time favourite numbers! But then I'm a classic movies fan too.

Beth Andrews said...

Caren, I am proud to be a Cheese Lover! Although I've never seen Big Trouble In Little China.

But with three kids, I've watched my fair share of cheesy TV. Pretty much anything on Disney or Nickelodeon could be considered Cheesy - except the Nick cartoons like Spongebob (older Spongebob, the newer ones aren't very good) and Disney's Phineas and Ferb (hilarious!)

As for Cheesy movies, how about Grese? Pure cheese. But the kind that gets you singing (you're the one that I want... ooh... ooh... ooh...honey!)

When I was a teen, we'd rent this one cheesy movie - Maximum Overdrive. It starred Emilio Estevez and it was about how everything mechanical came to life and took over the world and Emilio and a few other people were stuck in a diner/gas station. We loved that movie *g*

Great post, Caren!

And congrats on the GR, Deb!

Caren Crane said...

Gannon, you may be my new best friend! I really adore cheese. When you mentioned the GR was going to work with you at the wine and cheese shop, I was so jealous!

I had a great time in Switzerland, where there really are cows EVERYWHERE. Cows and all milk products are thick on the ground. I had some fabulous cheese there, most of which doesn't travel well and is hard to find outside Switzerland. Same with the chocolate. The very best ones simply don't ship well and can only be found regionally. All the more reason to go back to Switzerland!

You'll have to e-mail me (caren AT carencrane DOT com) and give me the name of the shop. I want to make sure to stop by when I'm next in the mountains. Or maybe make a special trip!

As to Milli Vanilli, they definitely qualify. Matter of fact, they are in a special category: fake cheese. *g*

Caren Crane said...

Deb, I have trouble believing there is dirt cake or cherry dip left for the GR. Of course, there won't be when he leaves. *eg*

If the GR and your mom start wrestling, will you take pictures?

Caren Crane said...

Dina, I would say While You Were Sleeping is like a mellow muenster cheese. It goes down easy and is great with fruits and nuts. *g* I love a cheeseball romance!

Caren Crane said...

Louisa, Shaun Of the Dead definitely qualifies! Especially if you're compelled to watch it once a week. It's a Sign Of Cheese, you know. Must be watched/read/listened to on a periodic basis or you get the DTs. *g*

I long to go to Salzburg and take the TSOM tour! I'm sure I could totally leap around Mozart's gazebo like Liesel did. Except, you know, I'd probably get arrested.

Caren Crane said...

Oh, Tiffany, we'll never tell about your TMNT addiction - really! *eg* I have a son who's 22, so I saw every form and iteration of TMNT in existence. We even had some special episodes of the cartoon that you could only get at Burger King. It was like that.

Scamorza sounds delectable. And with cacciatore and bread? Yummy. Of course, I feel like I'm getting fatter everytime creamy cheese passes my lips. Like I should just smear it on my thighs and bypass the middle man, you know?

And I LOVE Simply Ballroom!! It is the quintessential cheesy dance movie. It will make you a fan of the paso doble, as well, if you are not addicted to Dancing With the Stars like Joan. *g*

Caren Crane said...

Um, Tiffany, I forgot to mention that I OWN SIMPLY BALLROOM! Come on over!

Caren Crane said...

Christie, I'm a bit ashamed to admit I've had cheese WITH my coffee. Usually part-skim mozarella sticks, but still...

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Deb, clearly all that SOM made you run faster. I can see yet another reason for why that film is a classic. Congratulations! Hey, did you know it featured as one the first MY FAVORITE THINGS on my website? And I'm serious - I think the Captain is SOOOOO sexy and I just love the way he and Maria fall in love completely against their wills. Sigh.

Ah, cheese! What a great post. This is turning into "I am Spartacus!" but I AM THE QUEEN OF CHEESE! Two words! THE NANNY!!! And Dirty Dancing. Hmm, embarrassing things in the record collection? What about Human League? What's with those hairstyles?

Hey, Tiff, you're talking about the all-time classic, STRICTLY BALLROOM! Best Aussie movie ever made, in my humble opinion. And the guy was so hot in his singlet dancing around the clothes line. He never did another decent movie, but this one is FANTASTIC! It was on for months in a cinema up the road from me and I went to see if every Sunday afternoon for weeks. Now, how's that for cheesy?

Jo, West Side Story isn't cheese! It's genius! "A boy like that, he kill your brother. A boy like that, go find another!"

Suz, I love Thoroughly Modern Millie but don't you think it was a little too knowing to count as cheese? I mean, they really knew they were sending stuff up, didn't they?

Caren Crane said...

Suz, my sistah! "So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu. Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you-oo!" Love it!

Mm. Cheese sauce. When I was little, that was the only way any of us would eat broccoli. My mother would make cheese sauce and liberally applied to cooked broccoli. These days, the thought makes me slightly nauseous, but I remember it so fondly! It's like comfort food.

And I COMPLETELY MISSED Ice Pirates. Now how in the world did that happen? Usually I'm like a compass and cheese is my magnetic North! I'll have to throw that one in the Netflix queue and zip it to the top.

Oh, and I OWN Thoroughly Modern Millie, too. I love it! The updated Broadway version that was out a few years back was GREAT! Even without Julie Andrews and MTM.

Caren Crane said...

Oh, Jo. "Everything's free in A-mer-i-ca, For a small fee in A-mer-i-ca!" I loved WSS so much that I skipped some party my family was going to and stayed home by myself to watch it while eating a small pepperoni pizza my mother had ordered just for me. That was a BIG DEAL for a kid with lots of sibs, let me tell you. WSS will always have a special place in my heart! *sniff*

Caren Crane said...

Suz, I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder so bad! I had read all the books when I was little and then got hooked on the show in elementary school. Melissa Gilbert is almost exactly a year older than I am. And yes, she had buck teeth just like I did! I loved her and everything about LHOTP.

The Waltons. In my house, we often yelled out, "Goodnight Ma! Goodnight Pa! Goodnight John Boy!" It was awesome. I think my father wished we lived in some earlier time. Lots of chopping wood, gardening and composting at our suburban house in Nashville. *sigh*

Caren Crane said...

Joan, it's true that cheese is in the eyes (or ears) of the beholder. But you have to admit, some things simply don't age gracefully. My kids and I watched Holiday Inn recently. Yeah, the whole Bing in blackface and Mammy singing about Lincoln on President's Day felt a little uncomfortable. But in context, understandable.

And White Christmas is the cheesiest movie EVER. Case in point: the song SNOW. Just look it up and listen to it. Actually, it's a great song (with Rosemary Clooney, whom I adore!) but the cheese is thick and ripe. Slice off a hunk and enjoy.

Joanie, sweetie, "quaint" is often "cheese". Embrace your inner cheesehead. And, um, seeing "Kit Kittredge" puts you in the front row at the Cheesehead Clubhouse, just so you know. I'll be at the podium, awaiting your arrival. *g*

Caren Crane said...

Suz, South Pacific was always a Very Special Treat. They didn't show it often and when it came on, we got to stay up late to watch it! I thought "Bali Hai" was the most gorgeous song about the most swell place on Earth. Golly!

Caren Crane said...

Gillian, it's okay, you're among friends. There are no preteens or tweens here to mock you. That we know about.

I'm afraid your daughters have accurately diagnosed you as a Cheesehead. Rick Astley is a large hunk of Velveeta. But "Never Gonna Give You Up" is one of the greatest songs of all times. I DARE you not to sing along when you hear it at Walgreens or the grocery store.

My BFF was mortified when I broke into song at Walgreens a few months ago. I had no choice. They were playing Backstreet Boys' "That Way". Come on, wouldn't you have sung along, too?

Caren Crane said...

Gillian, forgot to say that pepperjack totally counts! I'm glad to see you have overcome the Blue Box. *g* Next step: cheddar.

Caren Crane said...

Joan and Christie, between the cheese and the corn, y'all are making me hungry. I agree with Christie, there's not much difference EXCEPT "corny" usually means kind of old-fashioned and "cheesy" can apply to brand new things, too. But it's a very slight shade of meanting most people wouldn't bother with.

Now I want a corn dog real bad...

Caren Crane said...

Joan, yes, the "Airplane" movies are exactly corn wrapped in cheese. Perfect! Lesley Nielsen was a riot in those. So wrong and yet so addictive.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Caren...you MISSED Ice Pirates...it has the greatest scene...wherethe hero and heroine make love then pass through a time warp......you have to watch this movie!!

pjpuppymom said...

Speaking of Leslie Nielsen, he went straight from cheesy Airplane to even cheesier Naked Gun and I love them all. "Don't call me Shirley!"

Going back to Leslie's younger days, how about the Tammy movies? Talk about cheesy but, again, I've never been able to resist them. Still can't. They show up every so often on a Sunday afternoon movie and I always get hooked. Always. "The ole hootie owl hootie-hoo's to the dove. Tammy! Tammy! Tammy's in love!"

Anna Campbell said...

PJ, I LOVE the Tammy movies! As you say, corny as all get out, but such fun. Actually I must admit I have a great fondness for Italian sword and sandal epics. Seven Against Thebes. Girl Gladiators. Now, that IS genius. Forget West Side Story! Actually my true guilty pleasure is the Harlequin movies. Has anyone else seen them? They're truly terrible but somehow compulsive viewing.

Caren Crane said...

PJ, I adore musicals. I can't imagine a world without them. I'm sure at one time it was entirely masculine for men to watch them. Now, however, we have moved past the era where it was uncheesy to suddenly burst into song as one is, say, walking down a street or working on the farm.

Hence my painful conclusion that the musical, as an entertainment form, is inherently cheesy.

But it's cheese we love! Cherish the musical for its cheesy goodness. Live happily in the knowledge that while no man will likely sweep you into a ballroom dance whilst crooning into your shell-like ear, it happened once upon a celluloid and will happen again every time you pop it into the DVD player. *sigh*

Oh, and Elvis was The King. Of cheese.

Caren Crane said...

Terrio, LOL on cheese is creamier. Even creamier than creameed corn? ;-)

I have to admit, I haven't seen The Pirate Movie since it ran non-stop on HBO in the mid-80s. I loved it and thought it was a hoot!

And yes, I think you are firmly in second place and could possibly overtake Gillian due to the sheer volume of your cheese collection. *g*

Caren Crane said...

PJ, I'm coming to your house for the bleu cheese. I love bleu cheese and my husband can't even stand to smell it. It's a cosmic joke, I tell you!

Caren Crane said...

Cassondra, Monty Python was made for the cheese lovers. It's the most cheesy, funny spoof-a-thon ever. Lurve the MP boys!

The Muppets, too. I have some old VHS tapes of The Muppet Show. OMG, Statler and Waldorf cracked me up. I watched every episode just waiting for them to rag on the rest of the cast. Ha!

Caren Crane said...

Christie and Joan, I'm with you on Christmas Vacation! I loved all the National Lampoon Vacation movies. Not everyone gets Chevy Chase, but I thought he was hysterical in those movies. Kind of like Adam Sandler. People love or hate both of them. I love them!

Caren Crane said...

Cassondra, I'm a huge fan of Jackie Chan movies. Again, a brilliant comedian who knows exactly how to parody himself and the things he loves. With Chuck Norris, I'm not sure the cheese was intentional, but there it is. And can we add Walker, Texas Ranger to the list? *g*

I think sometimes things begin as cheese, like the intentionally cheesy send-up to cheese in Enchanted and sometimes they age into a fine cheese after years on the shelf. That, I think, it what happened to ELO. I always loved them and always will. But try to tell a 15-year-old boy today why, exactly, they are brilliant. Some things have their moment, then the moment passes. We still love them, but their relevance is lost and they become a ripened, aged cheese that only true fans enjoy fully.

And yes, The Brady Bunch is classic American cheese. "Pork chops and applesauce," as Peter said. *g*

pjpuppymom said...

Oh Caren, you haven't tasted bleu cheese until you've eaten Clemson Bleu Cheese. I've been spoiled for life. I haven't bought a bottle of bleu cheese dressing since I moved here. I make my own. Oh, and I have a great recipe for Bleu Cheese-Walnut Spread. Yummylicious!

http://www.clemson.edu/foodscience/bluecheese.htm

Caren Crane said...

Oh and double YES on Gilligan's Island. The laugh tracks make it extra cheesy! Also Dusty's Trail. And let's not forget where Bob Denver's cheesy goodness began: as Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis. That's one I never saw except in retrospectives. I think I would have dug it, man. *g*

Caren Crane said...

Fedora, just remember the next time you have your nachos: fake cheese = Milli Vanilli. You may be tempted to sing "Girl You Know It's True". *g*

pjpuppymom said...

I'm old enough to remember Dobie Gillis and, yes, it definitely qualified as cheese but it was cheese I happily devoured every week! :)

Helen said...

Well done Deb have fun with him

Great post Caren I too love ELO any of Kurt Russell's movies and TSOM the best.
Not that I watch many movies or much TV these days but some that I could watch over and over is
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
Jaws
Jaws 2
I have all of the above movies on DVD and have watched them heaps of times my kids can't understand why neither do I but they are movies I really love and another lot of movies I have watched endless times and will watch lots more is all of the Harrry Potter movies gotta love them.

Have Fun
Helen

Caren Crane said...

Louisa, as we were reminded in the fabulous movie Sliding Doors, "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. ;-)

Terri Osburn said...

I LOVE old movie musicals. That's not cheese, that's ART! If you loved South Pacific, you might want to venture over to the pirate ship this Tuesday when we borrow a little song and dance from that one. It's going to be a hoot!

Caren - I sing whenever the urge strikes and I can't carry a tune to save my life. I was singing showtunes at work the other day and they all thought I was crazy.

And on the cheesy vinyl collection, I didn't even mention Toni Basil or Lionel Ritchie..

*Hello? Is it me you're looking for?*

Caren Crane said...

Cassondra, Flashdance - okay. ALL dance movies - have a special place in the Cheesy Hall Of Fame. I bought a special two-pack movie: Flashdance and Footloose. OMG, the leg warmers! The big bangs! Kevin Bacon dancing in a granary!

Throw in Dirty Dancing and we have a who's who of 80s cheese. I LOVE CHEESE!!

(But really, Cassondra, crank up Mr. Blue Sky at a stop light where lots of windows are down and see what happens. Especially in front of a high school. *g* But I adore it!)

Terri Osburn said...

Beth - I saw Maximum Overdrive at the drive-in back in the day. That movie is supreme cheese! LOL!

Caren Crane said...

Joan, I agree with you about Kirk's passion, but Cassondra was dead on about the series not aging well. Yes, it was incredibly compelling at the time (even 'The Trouble With Tribbles' *g*), but now seems like ham and cheese.

My favorite thing about William Shatner is that he completely embraced his cheesiness. If you haven't heard his CD "Has Been", click over to Amazon and BUY IT NOW. He is hilarious! And they regularly play tracks on the local college stations. His embracing his own cheese has revitalized his career. "Denny Crane!" Hey, maybe that's why I love him so. He's a crazy Crane like the rest of us!

Caren Crane said...

Anna S. wrote: Love it all! Starsky & Hutch, Dukes of Hazzard, Alias Smith & Joens, Brat Pack movies, ELO *grin*, Flashdance, Fame and Footloose ... *happy sigh*

Ah, yes. Anna S. has invoked the Triumvirate Of F!! You can automatically classify a film as "cheese" if Irene Cara sang the theme song. Or Kenny Loggins, I suppose. *g*

I adore classic films and Joan hit it on the nose when she said that movies back then were simply entertainment. These days, movies get no respect for being simply fun.

The Incomparable Claudia Dain highly recommended Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day as a fun, fun, fun movie that hearkens back to the old movies. Everyone was so carefree, even if they were stranded in the jungle or stuck in the middle of a war or something. You have to admire that!

Fedora said...

Oh Caren! As if I could sing! (Oh wait, that's the whole problem Milli Vanilli had, too, wasn't it? ;))

p226 said...

I love blue cheese. A good sharp cheddar. Yeah, that's good too. But this other kind of cheese? The Sound of Music kind of cheese?

No.

Uh uh.

I'd rather file my toenails with a wood rasp. Floss between my fingers with concertina wire. Drive a screw into my skull.

Just HEARING any song from "Grease" makes me run for my guitar, turn my amp up loud enough to rattle the neighbor's windows in their frames, and play death metal until my fingers bleed.

Though... watching Olivia in her prime with the TV muted.... I can handle that... I just need a cardboard blinder for when Travolta appears on screen, lest I find myself sprinting for my axe again.

p226 said...

lol

Conversation with my wife after reading comments here...

"hey, why'd Tigger drown in the toilet."

"I don't know."

"He was looking for Pooh."

"I hate you."

bwahahahah

p226 said...

The Muppets. Hmmm. I'm fairly certain they count as cheesy.

No!

NO WAY UH-UH OH NO YOU DIIIIII'N!

The muppets rule!.

Rolf > *

Swedish Chef!

PURE AWESOMENESS!

Caren Crane said...

Beth, you need to put Big Trouble In Little China in your Netflix queue or rent it forthwith. Your kids will like it a lot. Heaven knows they've subjected you to enough cheese, you can foist some on them. *g*

Oh...GREASE! Grease reached some pinnacle of cheesiness other movies can only dream of. A couple of months ago, my daughter and I went to see it on the big screen at a movie theater! I hadn't seen it on the big screen since 1978, when I was an impressionable 13-year-old, so I was prepared for the worst. It was just as fun as ever!

Grease is at once popular, appealing and completely covered in gruyere. Good one, Beth!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

p226 said:Just HEARING any song from "Grease" makes me run for my guitar, turn my amp up loud enough to rattle the neighbor's windows in their frames, and play death metal until my fingers bleed.

ahem...."Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee, bursting with virg...." Okay won't torture you too much...hehehe

Caren Crane said...

Anna C., yes, we bow before your greatness, Highness. *g*

The Nanny kind of clinches it. Anyone who could stand to listen to Fran Drescher's nasal whine droning through those Velveeta-covered storylines deserves a tiara. And yet, I too felt a certain fascination when The Nanny was on. Her clothes, the hair, the overabundance of make-up. It was like watching a train wreck. Horrifying, yet compelling and fascinating all at once. *sigh*

Oh, and I almost wrote that, in my opinion, Simply Ballroom is the best Australian film ever made. Then I realized I haven't seen enough to make such a statement, so I deleted it. Nice to know at least one Aussie shares my opinion. ;-)

Caren Crane said...

Anna C., as to TMM, I think knowing cheese is still cheese. Think of Monty Python or Benny Hill. All done with a wink, but no one would deny the cheesy goodness. *g*

Anna Campbell said...

Caren, what I loved about the Nanny was that it was knowing too. I loved the fact that it was like a panto. Everybody knew it was stupid but you just had a good time. It lost that innocence in later series but those first three or four series were life affirming in a weird way I can't really explain. I think because there was so much love there. Oh, no, now I'M cheesy!!!!

Caren Crane said...

Suz, I went to put The Ice Pirates in my Netflix queue and realized I DID see it back in the day. I remember loving Mary Crosby and being glad to see her in something besides the "Goldilocks" special Bing Crosby narrated. *g*

I popped it in the queue for future watching. Man, will that be a treat when it hits the mailbox!

Caren Crane said...

Oh, and who loves Buckaroo Bonzai? Talk about snarky, funny super-cheese. All the Bigbootays. Ha!

Caren Crane said...

Oh, PJ, that recipe sounds evil! I do have access to good bleu, but would lurve to scoot down to SC and glom onto the Clemson variety! IMO, bleu cheese and walnuts are a perfect complement for each other. *sigh*

Caren Crane said...

PJ, what are these Tammy movies of which you speak? It rings a very vague bell, but I'm sure I never saw one. It sounds like I need to head over to Netflix again...

Caren Crane said...

Anna C., you have access to movies most of us don't, I think. I admit I didn't pay much attention to the sword-and-sandals type. They were often on as "filler", I think, but I wasn't compelled to watch them when there were Barbies to torment...I mean, dress up. *eg*

And Harlequin movies?! Where do you see such things. Do we have those in the US, guys?

Ken Hatch said...

Big Trouble in Little China's best line ever "I feel great, don't you feel great? I feel kinda invincible" and then they get their butts kicked. One of my favourite movies of all time.

Anna Campbell said...

Debbie Reynolds as a backwoods hick who gets taken to civilisation. She's REALLY sweet and always looks on the bright side and is always opening her mouth inappropriately with the snobby people she's now hanging out with. But of course, eventually goodness and light win out and she gets the handsome rich boy. The awful thing is they're utterly COMPELLING!!! I know I'm being manipulated and I don't care.

limecello said...

Heh - I like some cheesy things- sitcoms, certain teen movies... scenes in books - in small doses, they don't bother me. And I've never thought of Sound of Music as being cheesy, but i supposed it can be. Foreign dramas are excessively cheesy- but so very addicting!

Anna Campbell said...

Oh, Caren, hast thou not seen the glory that is a Harlequin movie? They're AWFUL! They have really bad production values and the scripts were phoned in - and usually they only have a nodding acquaintance with the often fantastic book they're based on. Try LOVING EVANGELINE based on a Linda Howard classic. And in most cases, they cast the ugliest man in the universe as the hero. Go figure! There's a cute Irish guy in an African one though. But they are CHEESY!!!! Surely someone has seen these disasters?

Caren Crane said...

Helen, I hear you on the obsessive viewings. Man, I could wear OUT a VHS tape. I currently have three different versions of Moonstruck (complete Parmigiano-Reggiano!!) and wore out a VHS of it.

As to the ultra-addictive Harry Potter movies, my daughters are watching a marathon of them for the SECOND DAY on TV. Not cheesy by any means, but certainly addictive!

Caren Crane said...

Terrio, you may get a special sort of award for Most Vinyl-Clad Cheese. Lionel Richie. So addictive. So seductive. So WONDERFUL. "That's why I'm easy. I'm easy like Sunday morning." *sigh*

Caren Crane said...

Beth and Terrio, I totally missed Maximum Overdrive. In 1987, I was in engineering school and didn't see any movies. At all. I think my husband may have rented it sometime in the early-to-mid 90s, but I have few memories from those years (kids, you know). Looks like I'm back to Netflix. Again.

Caren Crane said...

Fedora, yes! Milli Vanilli was put together by some german music producer and the boys who were "Milli Vanilli" didn't actually sing the songs. They lip-synched and danced. Because, you know, they were there to look cute. *g*

One later committed suicide and the other produced an album that did poorly. I'm sure they never expected anything to COME of the guy's great idea...

pjpuppymom said...

Caren, here is what Wikipedia says about the Tammy movies: "The Tammy movies are a series of light-hearted American films about a naive 18-year-old girl from Mississippi produced by Universal between 1957 and 1967. The main character of the movies is Tammy Tyree, portrayed as a sweet and polite country girl looking for romantic love. Some elements common to each film are: Tammy falling in love; Tammy singing about being in love; Tammy being hurt by sophisticated city folk; city folk learning something from Tammy; Tammy "puckering up" and then comparing the kiss with her first kiss; Tammy praying to God and her grandmother; Tammy quoting from the Bible; and Tammy relating the wisdom of her grandfather, a lay-preacher and moonshiner."

TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR (1957) starred Debbie Reynolds and Leslie Nielsen.

TAMMY TELL ME TRUE (1961) starred Sandra Dee and John Gavin, who was truly superb eye candy, imo. My mom met him in person and said it was the only time in her life she came close to swooning.

TAMMY AND THE DOCTOR (1963) starred Sandra Dee and Peter Fonda.

Caren Crane said...

Oh, Ken, after they drank the potion Egg gave them and they're all in the elevator? I love that scene!

One of my favorite quotes from Jack: "Lo Pan? Which Lo Pan? The little old basket case on wheels or the ten foot tall roadblock?"

That movie is such a B-movie sendup. It's awesome!

Caren Crane said...

P226, this is my take on guys and musicals. Except some older men, who grew up in the era of musicals, and this one dude who was a co-workers husband.

One day, I heard this co-worker introducing someone to people down our row of cubes. I heard the guy's voice and thought, 'Oh, it must be one of the guys from the Santa Clara office, because he sounds gay.'

Uh, no. It was her husband. Other co-workers and I just raised our eyebrows when she told us he liked to sing showtunes while he baked muffins. Seriously. They are happily married and have a child, but deep down, that man is gay.

Not that all men who appreciate musicals are gay, but my husband immediately leaves the room if people on a movie are singing and/or dancing. Even 'The Sound Of Music', which he watched as kid. Or 'Mary Poppins' or something. He sort of winces when exposed to it.

So, I feel your pain.

Caren Crane said...

Oh, Anna C. Tammy must go in the queue! My family members may not see any of their selections for quite a while. Mwahaha...

I think my girls will like tammy, though. They loved Gidget when I forced them to watch it. We had to go to Blockbuster (we were on vacation) and get all the Gidget they had!

pjpuppymom said...

Caren, had to lol at your co-worker's husband. That was my husband - 6'2" of complete jock, 20 year Air Force vet, cried at chick flicks, knew all the words to songs in movie musicals and sang along, was a fabulous cook, sewed and ironed and kept house better than I could ever hope to. He was totally hetero but if I had ever described him to someone who didn't know him they would have thought Gay, all the way, I'm very sure. He was of that older generation that grew up in the midst of 40's musicals so maybe there's something to that thought.

Joan said...

It will make you a fan of the paso doble, as well, if you are not addicted to Dancing With the Stars like Joan. *g*

Hey! Some things are WORTH the addiction.

OK, now Holiday Inn and White Christmas do NOT register on my cheese-o-meter. No, nuh uh, Nope.

I can sing EVERY song from WC including snow (and the harmony parts)


p226 said: The muppets rule!.

Rolf > *

Swedish Chef!

PURE AWESOMENESS!


Doink adunka donka hebee....You are SO right, P226! The Muppet Show was on a cerebral level all it's own! Move over Fozzie Bear I gotta watch some Tammy movies!

Christine Wells said...

Hey, PoshT, I think you took some of my cheese! ELO, Sound of Music, WHAM! Great minds think alike.

Also--Ally McBeal, Roxy Music (I don't know, I think it's classic, other people say cheese) The Matchmaker, Thoroughly modern Millie (for the clothes, of course!) OMG, I just looked down the comments and Suz mentioned Millie. How weird is that? Bing and the boys singing Christmas carols. Dean Martin's Sway and Cha Cha D'Amour were lullabies for my boys.

The sin is not in liking the cheese, the sin is if you don't know the difference, IMO.

LOVED your post, PoshT. WHAM! Bam, thank you ma'am!

Deb, congrats on the GR. Now he's a rooster who is too cool for even a passing acquaintance with cheese.

Anna Campbell said...

Roxy Music isn't cheese! It's Shakespeare!

Tiffany Clare said...

Shhh, on that TMNT it's so top secret... I was SOOOOOOO Excited when it came on TV so my son (who is seven) could see the REAL version... [coughs, tmnt addiction? I don't know what you are talking about]

And don't want to bypass the middleman and smear the cheese on your thighs, you can't taste it through your skin!

Thank you for the name of that movie! Woohoo! I'm gonna have to crash with you and watch it a gazillion times! Damn, might have to just go buy a copy of it now on amazon!

Anna C... he was totally hot, and made me (as a young impressionable teenager) swoon...sigh... must get hands on that movie.
I do remember it being Aussie now that you mention it

Suzanne Ferrell said...

OMG funnies t Tammy moment ever? When Sandra Dee is playing her and working as a candy striper in the hospital, and is assigned to bathe the babies....uhm...she took off all their name bracelets!!! OMG...now that is a nightmare more than one nursery nurse has had in her life, but on the movie, toooooo funny!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

And Christine, it isn't weird, it's karma!!

Caren Crane said...

Christine and Anna C., all I have to say about Roxy Music is "Oh, oh. Catch that buzz. Love is the drug I'm thinking of. Oh, oh, can't you see. Love is the drug for me." I adore Roxy Music! However, I had many friends and acquaintances who thought them the gooiest sort of extra-cheesy fondue. Come on, people, it's Bryan Effing Ferry!!

Roxy Music is the purest, most undistilled of the 80s New Wave. (Even though other people think they are coated in Cheez Whiz).

Caren Crane said...

Oh, Tiffany, never fear. Plenty of the cheese finds its way into my mouth. Sadly, I end up sitting on ALL of it. Ah, well.

Aren't the kids the best excuse ever to get to watch cartoons? I have to say, I was especially fond of Donatello. I'm not sure why, but I had a tender spot for him, maybe because he was the brains of the outfit. *sigh*

Caren Crane said...

Oh, and come on over for repeated viewings of Simply Ballroom. My faves are the judges. They are so over-the-top and pompous!

Anna Sugden said...

Fo! My fave cheese - Panto!! Love it! I took my BFF to her first one years ago and she adored it. How can anyone resist all the hissing and "He's behind you!"? Kind of like "Rocky Horror" for kids (and adults).

And on that theme - Basil Brush. I don't know if anyone outside the UK has heard of this fox puppet - but he cracked me up *grin*. Even now I hear his laugh and giggle.

As for Roxy Music *swoon*. Did I tell you I had dinner in the same restaurant as Bryan Ferry? Sadly, he'd passed his sexiest days by then - but still ... *sigh*

Anna Sugden said...

Okay - you made me go and look him up.

Go to this link and click on 'laugh':

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/basilbrush/index.shtml

*giggle*

Pat Cochran said...

My contribution: Princess Bride, not putting it down, we all love it.
Three generations of my family can
quote the dialog word for word! My
daughter used to watch it every night
as she went to sleep. Her youngest son goes around saying "My name is
Inigo Montoya ................"

Favorite real cheese: Smoked Havarti!

Pat Cochran

Anna Campbell said...

OMG, ANNA!!!! I ADORE Basil Brush! He's such a sexy fox! And that tail??!!! Do you remember Mr. Derek who then went on to star in Yes, Minister? Do you remember BB's laugh? Boom boom! You can get him on DVD, did you know? I can't wait!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, did I tell you a friend of mine got Bryan Ferry to sign CTC for me? It's in silver pen and apparently he was really sweaty after a show when he did it, so I'm hoping there's a bit of genuine BF DNA there. Um, does that sound a bit odd? I think it might!

Anna Campbell said...

Actually, Caren, Roxy Music were 80s New Wave in the '70s. Didn't BF strike you as a perfect Regency Rake? That wonderful, heavy-lidded, sexy, lounge lizard look, the deep voiced growl with the clipped consonants. Oh, be still, my beating heart! That's the Price of Love! The Price of Love!

Cassondra said...

P226 wrote:

The muppets rule!.

Hey, dude. I totally AGREE!

There is no better film on the planet than The Muppet's Christmas Carol. And it's NOT cheesy. I swear. Y'all think I'm lying like a rug here, but it's not cheesy. It's a GREAT film. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll be singing the Paul Williams tunes forevah...

BUT...the Muppet Show......was CHEESY.

Okay, P226, it's time. Fess up. You LIKE Muppet-flavored cheese.

Hey. I still have my stuffed Kermit The Frog from college. I'm a die-hard muppet fan.

And there has not been a greater creative team since the beginning of time than Frank Oz and Jim Henson.

But still, I say...Cheese.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Speaking of cheese....oh heck, it's not cheesy just wanted to show of the "Manga me"

Caren Crane said...

Panto: a thing we do not have in the USA. Do we? I think not. But it sounds like something I would have adored!

As to Basil Brush, I didn't know him, but am already a fan! This clip was hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mtUxN-eqAo&feature=related

Caren Crane said...

Pat, you are a woman of fine tastes! Smoked Havarti is heavenly and there is no finer movie than The Princess Bride. I saw it again in recent months and was struck anew at its awesomeness.

Hey, Pat, www.thinkgeek.com has a t-shirt that looks like it has one of those HELLO name tag stickers on it (in the nametag area of the t-shirt, no less). Under the HELLO it says: My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. I HAVE to get one!

Caren Crane said...

Anna C., you have Bryan Ferry DNA? On CTC?! I hope that's going in a case somewhere. Or is it staying very...close to you? Bedside table, perhaps? *g*

Btw, I've decided Basil Brush could give the GR a run for his money. I'm just saying...

Caren Crane said...

Anna C., I meant to say that the Regency rake is always and ever the image I had of Bryan Ferry. MTV almost killed me, he was so sexy! And it was in the transgender days when the guys were wearing puffy shirts with lace cuffs hanging out of the sleeves. *sigh*

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cheese, glorious cheese! All mighty Gouda...

Caren, I with you on everythign but the Stilton. Oh, and I so envy you Neo China. LOVE that place.

I'm with everyone on TSOM, and Tiffany, if it's a dance movie or a martial arts movie, I'm there too. :>

Cassondra, my evil twin, the Muppets count as cheese esp. if you watched them as an adult *raises hand, grins* But yes, P226, the Swedish Chef RULES! And Oscar at the end of the first Muppet Movie, after the credits role: "You still here? GO HOME!"

Caren Crane said...

Cassondra, I see you understand the nuances separating Muppet art from Muppet cheese. I went to see A Muppet Christmas Carol in the theater and also bought it (and still have it) on VHS. I will have to buy it on DVD soon. AMCC was really and truly my favorite version of the Dickens classic. Kermit made a wonderful Bob Cratchit. Frank Oz was a genius, as was Jim Henson. Together, they created something that will be imitated forever and never duplicated. *sigh*

And yes, Fozzie eating a meatball prop they found in the storeroom was cheesy. As were the prairie dogs popping up randomly as they sang "Blue Skies" and countless other skits. I adored Kermit singing "It's Not Easy Being Green". Rita Moreno singing "Fever" with Animal always cracks me up.

But come on, P226, Cassondra is right It's major cheese. Adorable, lovable, hilarious and unrelenting cheese. Even your boy the Swedish Chef. Bork, bork, bork!

Caren Crane said...

Jeannie, I have watched all the Muppet movies many, many times. I was still interested LONG after The Boy outgrew them. Then I had to make sure the girls got addicted to them. Pure evil!

My least favorite era in the Muppets cadre was the unfortunate, animated Muppet Babies. While it had cute moments, it was mostly annoying. Lots of sweetness and no snark at all!

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

THE PRINCESS BRIDE!!! Cheese that knoweth it is cheese, is that cheese? Or not?

"I do not think that means what you think it means."

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Yeah, Caren, I agree. Skip the Muppet Babies. Bleeeh. But the prairie dogs. I forgot those. To me the Muppets were Monty Python for kids. Grins. Get 'em young, train 'em up right. Bwah-ha-ha!

Minister of Silly Walks, anyone? Or do you want me to whip out my copy of A Fish Called Wanda? "I Wanda, I Wendy, I Wonder..." Could that courtroom scene have been any funnier?

Caren Crane said...

PJ, I KNEW there were men like your husband in the world. Or at least there used to be and may still be some around somewhere. I think for men born and raised in the 60s and beyond, musicals have a bit of the "faggelah" (to quote Zohan) about them. They are, somehow, a threat to the masculinity of heterosexual males.

Not sure why that is, but a loss of "elegance" in our society probably has something to do with it. We have discarded manners and social niceties that used to be a way of life. Now, when an older man holds a chair or door, it is quaint and charming. *sigh* No wonder I love Regencies so much. All the manners were intact and THEN SOME.

Caren Crane said...

Jeanne, I have "A Fish Called Wanda"! It took a while for my kids to appreciate it. Now that they "get" Monty Python they do!

My husband has pajama pants covered in quotes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". "It's a flesh wound!" "Come back here and I'll taunt you a second time!"

He also has the Killer Rabbit with flashing red eyes, a Tim the Enchanter hat and the Trojan Rabbit. *sigh*

Oh, and did you like Terry Gilliam's "Brazil"? I thought it was brilliant!

Cassondra said...

Caren said:

I adored Kermit singing "It's Not Easy Being Green". Rita Moreno singing "Fever" with Animal always cracks me up.

Yup. And there's an episode with Alice Cooper as the guest. Alice Cooper and the Muppets. GO FIGURE!.

They had EVERYBODY on as a guest, and I don't think there's an actor or actress who wouldn't go on the show if asked to do so.

Genius.

I wish it still came on tv. I would watch it to this day...reruns...bring them ON!

Loves me some muppets.

They did cheese ON PURPOSE BABY!

Oh, and speaking of that...Austin Powers does modern day cheese like nobody else dontcha think?

I haven't seen Get Smart yet, but I'm assuming it has its share of intentional cheese...

Caren Crane said...

Cassondra, Mike Myers is the King Of Modern Cheese. He really is. He somehow takes all "our" ephemera (we 40-somethings) and boils it down to something insanely, outrageously funny. I guess we get to laugh at ourselves and all the things that define us.

We saw "Get Smart" last week and my husband and I were rolling in the floor. It's not only a send-up to the old show, but a send-up to geeks, number crunchers, underdogs, the overweight, the under-represented. I mean, name a group and it will somehow appeal to them. It is smart, funny and respects the show. Perfect! Also, I think Steve Carell is hysterical. The ultimate in self-deprecating humor.

Believe it or not, the "Get Smart" people didn't pay me to say any of that. I plan to see it again - in theaters, which costs serious money . It's that good.

Tiffany Clare said...

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) I'm there with you in the martial arts movies. I love them... especially Jackie Chan, who is such a doll and signed a movie for my son when he was like two. (hubby worked with him).

But I love martial arts movies too... goes hand in hand with those tmnt shows. :)

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

"Fetchez la vache!!!" Need I say more, you silly English king?

I haven't seen Brazil (Noting for next movie run) but I've seen (and loved) Big Trouble in Little China. And The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. And Escape from New York.And...did I mention I like Kurt Russell too?

Blazing Saddles. Young Frankenstein. History of the World, Part I.

The Muppets with Carol Burnett. I laughed until I hurt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jecz3S8DsR0

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Caren, my son has that Inigo Montoya shirt! And Princess Bride is a family quoatable movie around here!

Caren Crane said...

Tiffany, my TMNT fan son took Japanese in high school. He loved it! He made us watch "Seven Samurai" in Japanese. Once with no subtitles, once with. *sigh*

I appreciate the art form of Japanese films and manga, thanks to The Boy.

Caren Crane said...

Jeanne, you know Kurt is MINE, so back off. I don't care what Goldie says!

*ahem* On other topics, I can't believe it took until now for Mel Brooks, the Duke of Delirium, the King of Kamp to get a mention.

Blazing Saddles still holds up as an insanely funny film. Personally, I love The Producers. History Of the World, Part 1 slays me. Ethiopian shim sham, anyone? "I have fifteen...(drops a tablet)...no, ten. Ten commandments!"

Mel Brooks gets no love except among rabid fans, really. Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety. Those are comedy classics and just as cheesy as they come. I really enjoyed Marty Feldman, who made regular appearances in Brooks's films. So creepy!

Mel never aspired to high brow stuff. He liked schlock, so he made schlock. Lots of other people liked it, too. *sigh*

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

My fav from History of the World? "Oh, Captain, Do I have any openings this man might fit?"

SNORK!!!

And High Anxiety. Good lord what a side-splitter. I loved Kloris Leachman in that one as well as Young Frankenstein. ("What knockers!") And Blazing Saddles..."Mongo just pawn in game of life."

Schlock lives. And was I ever glad to see it make a comeback in The DIrectors. "Springtime, for Hitler, in Gerrrrrrrmanieeeeeeee!"

p226 said...

The muppets aren't cheese. :(

They're quality cerebral entertainment.

I have three seasons on DVD.

Not cheese.

*fingers in ears*

lalalalalalalala not cheese lalalalalalala

Cassondra said...

Jeanne said:

I haven't seen Brazil (Noting for next movie run)

NO!!!!!

DON'T DO IT!!!!

There's not enough zoloft in the freakin universe! I swear.

You'd have to be perpetually perky to not get depressed at this movie. I saw it ONCE because it's my husband's favorite film--that was YEARS ago, and I've still not gotten over it. It's AWFUL. OMG! Red Dawn multiplied by like--a gazillion and three.

I'm serious. This is not a fun film. Cult film? Yes. Fun? No. Not by ANY stretch of the imagination. Happy endings are all killed--at once--for all time--by this film.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Okay, if it's Red Dawn cubed, I am SO not going there. I hate movies where everyone I like dies. (Think Legends of the Fall, Red Dawn, etc.)

*scratching Brazil off the list*

I've been meaning to see Strictly Ballroom for years, so thanks everyone for reminding me of it.

*grabbing P226's finger, prying it from his ear*
"Cheeeeeeessssseeeee glorious cheeeeesseeee, thy name is MUPPPET!"

Cassondra said...

"And if you DON'T tell me where it is, I'll nail your t*ts to the table!"

Anybody know where that one comes from?

Oh, and BTW: I got to watch Paul Williams sing It's Not Easy Bein' Green" from back stage at the RYMAN three years in a row. Yeah BABY!

That, and the theme to the LOVE BOAT, which is about as CHEESY as it gets--except for Fantasy Island "Da Plane! Da Plane!"

OMG.

Okay, we have to do some deprogramming on 226. He REFUSES to admit he likes anything even remotely CHEESY.

Cassondra said...

Jeanne said:

Okay, if it's Red Dawn cubed, I am SO not going there.

Trust me. DON'T go there.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cassondra said: Okay, we have to do some deprogramming on 226. He REFUSES to admit he likes anything even remotely CHEESY.

Thats because he believes they're too gouda to be cheese. :>

Joan said...

I've got your back 226! Muppets rule. Muppets make cheese CRY.

Muppets are for real...men! And charge nurses!

Christine Wells said...

Slave to Looooove, nah nah nuh nuh. Oh!

Gets me every time. In fact, it's my theme song for my current WIP. From the very first beat, I'm there.

Should have known Fo would mention them, too. I swear I didn't copy! As Suz said, it must be Karma.

Christine Wells said...

Oh, heck yeah, Muppets rule! No, Muppets are not cheese. The spit on cheese!

And Joanie, I bet Animal is your favourite. Mine's the Swedish chef. He's related to Sven, you know.

Pat Cochran said...

Caren,

Thanks for the link to the Inigo shirts. I know a bunch of folks who
would love to have them!

Pat Cochran

Sabrina Jeffries said...

I love me some cheese, yes I do. And almost all of the cheese on your list is on mine. I adore Kurt Russell, but I've never seen the China movie. I like Overboard myself.

And Sound of Music is my first and last romantic movie ever. I have all the songs memorized.

Deb and Margay, I LOVE Full House! And the Nanny. Does that count as cheese?

Anna Campbell said...

Jeanne, EDAM that P226, he's stubborn! Snork! Too Gouda! Snork!

Sabrina, sadly the Nanny is most definitely cheese!

Hey, what fun we've had in the lair today.

Christine Wells said...

Hey, Fo, I forgot the cheesiest of all--Peter Russell Clarke saying "Where's the cheese???"

Natalie Hatch said...

I love Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz by those brilliant Brits Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, that's total lampooning.

Kate Carlisle said...

Wait. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is cheese??? Nooooo!! That's high quality genius entertainment! Come on!

On the other hand, my favorite movie CARRIE might be considered the tiniest bit cheesey. :-)

Caren, sorry I'm late but still loved the post and all the comments!

Congrats, Deb! Hope you had a lovely day with the feathered one!