The first time I heard Pittsburgh Slim was back in 07 when his huge single Girls Kiss Girls dropped. It was amazing. Not only was the song fun and danceable but relatable as well. A radio DJ did mention that he was from Pittsburgh but I didn’t pay much heed. I was in super party mode back then. On a random visit to a Target I saw his album Tastemaker. I was so jazzed. I bought that sucker in a minute. I proceeded to turn everyone I knew into a Slim fan whether they were aware of it or not (I was fond of making mix CDs/playlists for parties and I always would shove a couple of his tracks in). You don’t even know how much I love that album.
Since then time Pittsburgh Slim has additionally went by the moniker Slimmie Hendrix. He’s put out various mixtapes/LPs, Downtown Wednesday Night, Nolita Nights and Steezington Ave. (yes, go find and download them!). His 2009 single My Bitch is Crazy is also fantastic.
Now he is back in the Burgh and has a new mixtape, Pittsburgh Slim’s Excellent Adventure. So I nerdily contacted him and wound up with this kick ass interview with the legendary Pittsburgh Slim.
When did you first start singing? I wrote my first rap in 8th grade
Who inspires your music? oh man. Everyone from Nirvana to Robert Johnson to Biggie to Gessaffelstein
What songs of yours are you most proud of? The Skinny Bitches Have More Fun, Lifestyles of the Broke and Fabulous, and Hide the Liquor are my favorites
What artists will you be collaborating with on your forth coming mixtape, Pittsburgh Slim’s Excellent Adventure, that will be released this May? DVNNY SETH, Beedie, and Ron Noodles
Do you have a life philosophy? Yes, sex drugs and alcohol.
You’ve recently partnered with Clique Vodka, what is your favorite cocktail? Clique and pineapple,
What are your go to guilty pleasure songs? lol. ummmmmm I’m Too Sexy, Holiday, and Electric Avenue
Where would you love to perform? Consol Energy Center
What artists would you love to collaborate with in the future? A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Jack White, La Roux, Kanye West
What are your favorite bars and restaurants to hang out at in Pittsburgh? Mad Mex, Soba, Spice Island, S Bar, Shadow Lounge, and Jack’s
What artists are you currently listening to? Jack White, Mickey Avalon, Mac Miller, A$AP Rocky, and Schoolboy Q
What are some of your all time favorite albums? Nevermind, Uptown Saturday Night, and Thriller
Are you collaborating with Chris Mintz-Plasse on something? (missemmamm’s note: That’s McLovin’, in case you’re unaware) no, he’s just my boy haha. We like to get wasted here and there
When fans meet you do they ever kiss their girlfriends to try to impress you? Yes, and it does
How fun is it to make music with Dirt Nasty? (missemmamm’s note: aka Simon Rex) So much fun. He’s one of the funniest people I know. All we do is laugh.
If you could have been born in any other time period when would you choose? Definitely the late 60’s
What were you arrested for in Atlantic City? drunken nonsense with my girlfriend
Do you have any good revenge stories about difficult customers from when you were working as a waiter? hahahah. the worst lady evvvvvvvvvvvver got her ravioli smooshed before it went into her to-go box. No boogers or spit or anything.
What was it like to open for 50 Cent? It was fun. The good old days lol. Very surreal.
What celebrity are you most attracted to? Amanda Seyfried
Are you kinky? What do you think?(missemmamm’s note: I sure as hell hope/assume so, lmao)
I read on twitter that you’re a fan of the game Clue, what is your favorite weapon in the game? Do you have any other board game favorites? Clue is GREAT! I love the movie. I’m down with the revolver and the candlestick
Do you have any future plans to tour this year? yes definitely!! need to make money and meet my supporters face to face!!!
(His answers are in bold. This interview was conducted via email. I have not edited his answers.)
Go download his new mixtape for free right here. My favorite tracks on his new album are Lifestyles of the Broke and Fabulous, Walk of Shame, Jackpot, Sex Tape & Hide the Liquor.
American Rose ANation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbot published by Random House released on December 28, 2010 (hardcover) and March 13, 2012 (paperback) provided by NetGalley
“America was flying high in the Roaring Twenties. Then, almost overnight, the Great Depression brought it crashing down. When the dust settled, people were primed for a star who could distract them from reality. Enter Gypsy Rose Lee, a strutting, bawdy, erudite stripper who possessed a gift for delivering exactly what America needed.
With her superb narrative skills and eye for detail, Karen Abbott brings to life an era of ambition, glamour, struggle, and survival. Using exclusive interviews and never-before-published material, she vividly delves into Gypsy’s world, including her intense triangle relationship with her sister, actress June Havoc, and their formidable mother, Rose, a petite but ferocious woman who literally killed to get her daughters on the stage.
Weaving in the compelling saga of the Minskys—four scrappy brothers fromNew York City who would pave the way for Gypsy Rose Lee’s brand of burlesque and transform the entertainment landscape—Karen Abbott creates a rich account of a legend whose sensational tale of tragedy and triumph embodies the American Dream.”
When I first started reading this book I hopped right on Goodreads and exclaimed how awesome it is. I had never heard of Gypsy Rose Lee before reading this book. I chose it based on the cover and a sentence about the plot. I was immediately intrigued by her life.
Gypsy Rose Lee was a famous burlesque dancer. Not only did she live an interesting life but the history of her family is also fascinating. Once I dug into the book a couple of things bugged me about it.
The book also includes a huge amount of info on the history of burlesque including a ton of info on the Minsky Brothers of NYC. While this was cool to learn about it detracts from Gypsy’s story. During the first 100 or so pages it seems like you’ll never really get into Gypsy’s story because the author is providing the backstory on everyone else. This reminds me of the quote from the movie Wonder Boys, “even though you’re book is really beautiful…it’s very detailed. You know, with the genealogies of everyone’s horses, and the dental records…”. I would guess that the author was having difficulty editing herself but I bet that she was simply so enamored with all of the details that she felt compelled to include them.
My other issue with the book is that it jumps around back and forth between different time periods constantly. This combined with all of the extra info makes it a confusing read, especially when you are first starting the book. I once read a review of a film that used nonlinear storytelling and it said that if your story is interesting enough (and the format isn’t a part of the plot) then it’s unnecessary to format media in this way. I tend to agree.
I wanted to mention these issues in case you also went into the book a blank slate. Plus I wanted you to know why I took away 1.5 stars. Other than those issues I found the book fantastic. I particularly enjoyed how the author included slang from that time. The author also reconstructs scenes and tried to make you feel like you were there as events were happening. I think that she did this through a combo of investigation and assumption. This doesn’t bother me but some sticklers may take issue with it.
Gypsy herself, is amazing. Like my favorite movie heroine Nomi Malone, Gypsy is described as being untalented. Yet she was able to find a way into the spotlight. To give you a small amount of back story on her, her mother Rose was considered the ultimate stage mother who took Gypsy (then Rose Louise Hovick) and her younger sister June Hovick (then Baby June) on the road doing vaudeville as children. June was considered extremely talented, she was a natural dancer who also put a ton of effort into becoming even better. Meanwhile, Rose Louise was considered to just be there, basically, so she just did whatever was needed in an act. Their mother, Rose, often had an unpaid bevy of young men or young women who toured with them.
Eventually, June went off on her own. Rose and Rose Louise continued to tour during the ebbing of vaudeville and found themselves smack in the middle of burlesque. Since there was money in it they created a burlesque celebrity out of Rose Louise, aka Gypsy Rose Lee, despite her mother’s initial objections to what she considered a tawdry profession. The book deals with all of this and the complex familial relationships between Gypsy, her mother, and her sister both before and after Gypsy’s rise to fame.
Some describe this book as racy. It definitely goes there. You learn all about the behind-the-scenes workings of burlesque. I particularly enjoyed the nuggets on how the stripteasers and vaudeville acts pulled off some of their tricks. There are also several suspicious deaths. Plus you find out about the decency crackdown in NYC that affected burlesque and a few nuggets here and there about prohibition.
The story of Gypsy’s mom, Rose is crazy, as is her family history. The changing of her daughters’ names and personal histories is also disconcerting (example-cannibalism).
I was so intrigued by this book that I had to watch both film adaptations of the musical Gypsy that was somewhat based on her life (the next remake will star Barbra Streisand!). I also intend to read Gypsy’s autobiography in the future.
If you are interested in burlesque, vaudeville, and Gypsy Rose Lee (and her family) you should read this book.
Note: I was able to read a galley of this book for free via NetGalley and Random House. This doesn’t affect my opinion on it.
Who needs the radio when you can go outside and listen to this floating speaker in the smog with a gas mask on? (screencap by Mary Miracle)
When I was a child the Sci-Fi Channel played lesser known, older films. “ZPG” stands out in my mind as one of the most intriguing. I remember seeing it and thinking that it was disturbing, campy, and interesting. I finally managed to rewatch it recently and it’s still all of those things.
“ZPG” was filmed in 1971 and released in 1972 so it’s a very 1970’s, jumpsuits and all, version of the future. I recall the now defunct Disney’s Horizons when I visited there in the mid-1990s as totally reminding me of this movie, as that was the early 1980’s vision of the future.
ZPG’s main plot line concerns the title, zero population growth, which is how a country limits the population when it becomes too great to sustain. Though the film is billed as a British science fiction film it was shot in Denmark. There is a very aristocratic British feel to the film but most of the characters do not speak with a British accent.
The exact date of the future depicted in “ZPG” is unclear. The beginning mentions a 30-year ban on having children but they don’t say what year it is and then the film picks up about 8 years after that. You get the feeling that the film is supposed to be set far ahead from the 1970s, but because they were in the 1970s that is what is constantly referenced.
Some parts of the film are most likely because the UK had recently passed the Abortion Act of 1967 and approved contraceptive birth control in 1961..
“ZPG” head tattoo, screencap by Mary Miracle
Babies are marked with this blacklight head tattoo when they are born so there isn’t a way to get away with just having a kid and saying that he or she is a certain age. So what happens if they find out that is exactly what you did? I’m glad you asked because they fucking gas your entire family in this thing.
The film focuses on Russ McNeil and his wife Carol McNeil who work in a museum that displays all of the things that no longer exist in the current smog-filled, baby-scarce present. They are part of the swinging 1970s dinner date display.
“ZPG” museum, screencap by Mary Miracle
screencap by Mary Miracle
Check out this little rebel, that flower is federal property!
Well, what if you still want to bone your husband? Easy, just abort that fetus with the abortion machine that is conveniently located in your bathroom.
“ZPG” abortion machine, screencap by Mary Miracle
If you are feeling a little blue about this state of affairs you can call your psychiatrist on your home video phone. He gives out superb advice that includes watching porn, which reminded me of THX 1138 and buying creepy fake children to satisfy that mothering urge.
Things aren’t all bad though. I mean at least you get an allotted amount of food calories, which come in tubes, and you can visit your parents in the senior museum.
“ZPG” food tubes, screencap by Mary Miracle
ZPG’s Senior City, screencap by Mary Miracle
Plus, they have a personalized Home Shopping Network.
home shopping in “ZPG”, screencap by Mary Miracle
“I thought you wanted a tree, not a tree salesman.” He’s dry but it’s kinda working for him.
As you can imagine, his wife is not satisfied and decides that she will keep her baby. So she hides in the basement for 9 months and they say that she left him. It makes it very hard for him to fight off her friend since they had been swingers before. When he needs to learn how to deliver a baby he just goes to this modern library with video machines that you can learn things on. Of course, learning about childbirth is illegal but he has a great cover and gets to act like this.
video learning in “ZPG”, screencaps by Mary Miracle
Well, when their friends find out about that baby they decide that they should all just share it. I mean they were all sharing each other before that anyway. So, why not?
couple friends in “ZPG”, screencaps by Mary Miracle
How does it end? Well, I don’t want to give that away. I recommend viewing it for yourself.
These are the episodes of Sex and the City that I consider to be the best. I didn’t choose them to gel the storyline together. It’s more about how much I enjoy these episodes. I have chosen less episodes from seasons 1 and 5 because those were shorter. It was very hard to narrow season 2 down. It includes many excellent episodes so you may want to watch it from start to finish if you have time. I, unlike many, was a big fan of the LA episodes.
For full info on all episodes of the series, I recommend visiting the Sex and the City series page on epguides.com
SEASON 1
Season 1: Episode 4 “Valley of the Twenty-Something Guys”
Sarah Jessica Parker and Timothy Olyphant in “Valley of the Twenty-Something Guys”
“Sir, we’re talking up the butt. A cigarette is in order.”–
-Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie, Samantha, and Miranda try dating guys in their 20s. Even in this early episode, you can see that Big and Carrie were gonna have some drama. Some highlights of this episode are Timothy Olyphant guest starring as Carrie’s young lover and the classic Charlotte up the butt taxi scene.
Season 1: Episode 6 “Secret Sex”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Secret Sex”
Carrie wears the “naked dress” which leads her to have sex with Big on their first official date. Carrie then starts to believe that Big is keeping her a secret from his friends.
Season 1: Episode 9 “The Turtle and the Hare” Samantha inexplicably dates and tries to change a man. It seems very out of character but interesting. Charlotte gets her first sex toy, the Rabbit.
SEASON 2
Season 2: Episode 1 “Take me out to the Ballgame”
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
“Miranda was a huge fan of the Yankees. I was a huge fan of being anywhere you could smoke and drink at two in the afternoon without judgment.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
“How does it happen that four such smart women have nothing to talk about but boyfriends? It’s like seventh grade with bank accounts!”
-Miranda Hobbes
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
Carrie happily rebounds from her breakup with Big by dating “The New Yankee”. All seems well until she cries in his mouth. Miranda is mad at Carrie for obsessing about her breakup until she also runs into her ex.
Season 2: Episode 4 “They Shoot Single People, don’t They?”
Bradley Cooper in “They Shoot Single People Don’t They”
Carrie gets made a fool of at a magazine shoot and is thrown for a loop. Miranda tries to teach an ex how to give her the big O. Both Bradley Cooper and Mark Feuerstein guest star.
Season 2: Episode 12 “La Douleur Exquise!”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “La Douleur Exquise!”
“Have another drink, woman”
-Big
Samantha does the publicity for a new S&M place. Big springs the news that he may be moving to Paris on Carrie. At first, she is angry but then tries to be supportive. They break up. Charlotte gets free shoes from a cashier with a shoe fetish. Miranda has sex with a guy who likes to have sex like it’s “Outward Bound”. Stanford has an underwear fetish. He goes out to meet “BigTool4U” at an underwear party. Will Arnett (BoJack Horseman) guest stars.
Season 2: Episode 17 “Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women”
Sarah Jessica Parker in Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women
The group head to the Hamptons. Charlotte meets a young guy and pretends that she too is in her 20s. He gives her crabs. Samantha’s young assistant steals her business contacts and invites them to a party. Carrie runs into Big and his new girlfriend who is in her 20s.
Season 2: Episode 18 “Ex and the City”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Ex and the City”
Carrie tries to be friends with Big, despite his new relationship, until she finds out that he is marrying the girl. Carrie tries to come to terms with this by the end of the episode. This episode references the film “The Way We Were” which caused me to rent and then become a fan of it as well. Samantha finds a guy whose penis is actually too big.
SEASON 3
Season 3: Episode 3 “Attack of the Five Foot Ten Woman”
“I’ve talked to her twice. Once I was in a cowboy hat and once I was in my bra. I’m like friggin’ Annie Get Your Clothes On.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie has to confront her “Natasha Specific Complex”. Samantha tries to get busy with a masseuse with a reputation. Miranda hires Magda.
Season 3: Episode 9 “Easy Come, Easy Go”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Easy Come, Easy Go”
“Whatever you say, I’m your booth bitch”
-Carrie Bradshaw
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Easy Come, Easy Go”
Carrie cheats on Aiden with Big after running into him at Aiden’s furniture show. Charlotte proposes to herself. Steve starts seeing another girl while he is still living at Miranda’s after their breakup.
Season 3: Episode 10 “All or Nothing”
“Until he says “I love you”, you’re a free agent.”
“What is this? The Rules According to Samantha?”
“See? I’m more old-fashioned than you think.”
Carrie continues to cheat on Aiden while he gets increasingly invested in the relationship. Samantha gets sick and acts like a love-starved woman.
Season 3: Episode 13 “Escape from New York”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Escape from New York”
Carrie thinks it’s a great way to escape her problems when she goes to LA to find out if her columns will be optioned for a movie. Unfortunately, she writes about her love life and is now subjected to a dissection of it. Samantha dates a dildo model who turns out to be a sappy poet. Miranda wants to be sexually free. Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Michelle Gellar guest star.
Season 3: Episode 14 “Sex and Another City”
“Sex and Another City”Sarah Jessica Parker in “Sex and Another City”
“One woman’s pornographer is another woman’s spiritual leader.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie hooks up with a guy who pretends he’s all that but is just a house sitter. Miranda meets up with an ex who seems to have become less angry and more fulfilled but just has an eating disorder. Charlotte joins them in LA because she’s sick of grappling with Trey’s impotence. The ladies attend a party at the Playboy Mansion. Vince Vaughn, Hugh Hefner, and Carrie Fisher are all guest stars.
Season 3: Episode 15 “Hot Child in the City”
Kat Dennis and Sarah Jessica Parker in “Hot Child in the City”
“I’m scootin in heels.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
“You know what I was buying when I was thirteen? Nothing! I couldn’t afford anything, I was serving dilly bars at Dairy Queen.“
-Samantha Jones
“I’ve been trying to diagnosis myself on the Internet….Just type in your symptoms, hit enter, and wait for the word cancer to appear on the screen.”-Miranda Hobbes
Carrie starts dating an immature guy (played by Cane Peterson) she meets at a comic book store. Samantha runs the PR for a spoiled rich girl’s bat mitzvah. Kat Dennings guest stars as the privileged teen. Miranda because insecure due to her new braces. It’s a hilarious episode.
SEASON 4
Season 4: Episode 1 “The Agony and the Ex-tacy”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “The Agony and the Ex-tacy”
“You don’t even have a name?”
“Well I’m single, I don’t deserve one.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
“Don’t laugh at me, but maybe we could be each others soulmates? And then we could let men be just these great nice guys to have fun with?”
-Charlotte York
“You’re late.”
“Not really, I’m on London time.”
“London is five hours ahead.”
“In that case, I’m really fucking late.”
-Carrie and Big
Carrie turns 35 and her birthday dinner is a disaster when everyone else is a no-show. The delectable Costas Mandylor guest stars as a sexy but unattainable priest. This is one of those absolute classic episodes of Sex and the City.
Season 4: Episode 2 “The Real Me”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “The Real Me”
“When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
Kim Cattrall in “The Real Me”
“Oh, my god, she’s fashion roadkill!”
-Stanford Blatch
Carrie is chosen to be a model for a fashion show. She declines at first but then is swept away into the fantasy. She is perturbed when it turns out the other “real people” models are actually more accomplished writers. She gets nervous and drunk and falls on the catwalk.
Charlotte is diagnosed with a depressed vagina. She says she’s never seen it and thinks it’s ugly which doesn’t match up with an earlier episode where she models her vagina for a huge painting done by an esteemed artist.
Samantha starves herself so she can get a sexy photo taken. She says it’s for herself but is upset when, at first, men don’t fall all over themselves about it.
Miranda is nervous so she overcompensates and a man ends up calling her “full of herself”.Alan Cumming, Margaret Cho, and Heidi Klum guest star.
Season 4: Episode 3 “Defining Moments”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Defining Moments”
“Carrie likes a jazz man.”
-Big
Carrie and Big start hanging out as friends. Big gets jealous when Carrie gives her number to a hot jazz player while they are out together. Trey now wants to have sex with Charlotte everywhere, but their apartment since they are separated. Samantha meets a female artist who has a crush on her. Samantha ends up dating her. While out at dinner with Carrie and her jazz player and Big and his date, Samantha warns Big about hurting her friend again. This episode guest stars Craig Bierko and Jim Gaffigan.
Season 4: Episode 6 “Baby, Talk is Cheap”
“His words said no but his kiss said yes.”
“Ok, that’s a defense invoked by date rapists.”
-Carrie and Miranda
Carrie decides that she still has feelings for Aiden. She tells him and at first, he is very upset but then comes around. This episode features one of my favorite Aiden moments when he screams “YOU BROKE MY HEART!”. Miranda and Samantha experiment with fake nipples. Charlotte and Trey decide to have a baby. Miranda sees a fellow runner who likes analingus.
Season 4: Episode 10 “Belles of the Balls”
“Stop it! Stop it! You’re middle-aged!”
-Carrie Bradshaw
Aiden is upset about Carrie still being friends with Big. Big invites himself out to visit the couple at Aiden’s cabin. He is trashed and lovesick over an actress. The next morning Carrie suggests that Big make nice with Aiden and play basketball. This turns into a muddy fight. Yay! Steve goes to see a doctor for a prosthetic testicle. Samantha meets Richard.
SEASON 5
Season 5: Episode 3 “Luck Be and Old Lady”
“Luck Be an Old Lady”
“We’re talking about the other kind of pearl necklace. You know, when a guy decorates your neck?”
-Samantha Jones
Charlotte is turning 36 but has decided not to celebrate and to stay 35. Carrie wants to celebrate because she wants all of the girls to hang out together. Samantha is going on a trip to Atlantic City with Richard and invites the girls along. Charlotte wears a sexy dress in Atlantic City to combat her fears of becoming an old maid. Samantha is so suspicious of Richard, due to his previous infidelity, that she drives herself crazy and then dumps him. Carrie decides to give up on love until she sees an elderly couple and wants what they have.
Season 5: Episode 3 “The Big Journey”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “The Big Journey”
Carrie accepts an appearance to do a reading of her book in San Fransisco because she wants to have sex with Big. Samantha is bored and accompanies her on her train ride. They think it will be fun but are disappointed. Charlotte has hot sex with her divorce lawyer Harry. In California, Big doesn’t want to sleep with Carrie because he says while reading the book he realized how badly he’d hurt her and didn’t want to do it again. The next day he changes his mind and they have sex.
SEASON 6
Season 6: Episode 2 “Great Sexpectations”
“Great Expectations”
“Hi, I need something that’ll make a guy cum in his pants as soon as he sees me.”
“You talk to salespeople like that?”
-Samantha Jones and Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie and Berger can’t get their act together in the bedroom. Samantha meets Smith. Miranda skips dating in favor of Tivo. Charlotte becomes Jewish.
Season 6: Episode 9 “A Woman’s Right to Shoes” or “No Shoes, No Service”
Blair Underwood and Cynthia Nixon in “A Woman’s Right to Shoes”
Carrie is forced to remove her shoes at a married friend’s house for a party so her children won’t be exposed to germs. When Carrie gets ready to leave her shoes have been stolen. Then she is repeatedly insulted by her friend about both her desire to spend a lot of money on footwear and for actually caring about the state of their friendship. Eventually, Carrie convinces her that they are equal and she is gifted a replacement pair. Miranda meets Robert. Charlotte nitpicks over Harry’s habits at home.
Season 6: Episode 11 “The Domino Effect”
“I love a cute Candy Stripper.”
“It isn’t about stripping, it’s about striping.”
-Big and Carrie
Carrie finds out that Big has a heart problem and needs an angioplasty. This episode makes me cry. Carrie plays nursemaid to him but when he feels better he goes back to being gruff. Miranda is dating the sexy Robert. Steve has a nose bleed that Robert treats with a tampon which embarrasses him.
Season 6: Episode 19 “An American Girl in Paris: Part Une” and Season 6: Episode 20 “An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux”
“An American Girl in Paris”
“You’re the loves of her life and a guy’s just lucky to come in fourth.”
-Big
“It took me a really long time to get here, but I’m here. Carrie, you’re the one.”
-Big
In part one, Carrie moves to Paris with Petrovsky. Carrie loves wearing gorgeous fashions in Paris but doesn’t love Petrovsky’s neglect.
In part two, Big goes to Paris to bring Carrie back to New York. Charlotte and Harry adopt a baby girl from China. Steve’s mother moves in with Miranda and him due to memory loss.
I do not watch many children’s films because I am not a parent. When I do, I prefer them to be like this one, without any cursing, double entendres, or a bunch of pop culture references. This film succeeds on all counts. The only thing I would make sure to make clear to children is not to feed dogs candy or cookies. Most importantly it features adorable puppies and a Christmas story.
It’s your basic “We need to save Christmas story” but with a twist, told from the perspective of puppies. The protagonist is Puppy Paws, soon-to-be successor to his father Santa Paws. Santa Paws is Santa’s (George Wendt) right-hand dog. Puppy Paws is bored with North Pole life and decides to see how normal puppies live.
These “normal puppies” are the infamous Buddies. I’ve only seen one other of these series of films (so far), the not as good but still adorable Space Buddies. However, if you’ve never seen any of them you still get a brief introduction to the characters. They are Budderball (likes to eat), Mudbud (likes to get dirty), B-Dawg (enjoys rap and dancing), and Rosebud (fashionista). Human co-stars include Christopher Lloyd as the evil dog catcher and Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld) as an Elf.
Puppy Paws tries to fit in and make friends but stirs up trouble. Of course, Puppy Paws learns that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t about toys. I smiled a lot and even laughed out loud at some of the puppies’ antics.
Many movies tend to drag in the middle, including the aforementioned Space Buddies but this one was pretty entertaining all the way through. I could be nitpicky and mention that the film didn’t include enough reindeer screen time and that I’m not sure of Wendt as Santa. Why complain about an awesome holiday movie though? The film clocks in at 88 minutes so if it isn’t your thing, you won’t be bored for too long.
Note: This review originally appeared on the Yahoo Contributor Network on November 5, 2009.
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