A Powell and Pressberger Blogathon!

The Classic Film & TV Cafe is hosting a March 25-28 blogathon featuring the stellar films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger (known collectively as The Archers). For a list of all participating bloggers and links to their posts, click here.

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CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon!

The CMBA participating blogs and the scheduled posts (so far) are listed below. Click on a blog's title to go to its web site.

Sunday 22 Jan

Ball of Fire and Oscar – Tales of the Easily Distracted

Road to Utopia - The Bing Crosby Media Archive

Sons of the Desert and Way Out West - Caftan Woman

Monday 23 Jan

Miss Tatlock’s Millions – Jim Lane’s Cinedrome

The Palm Beach Story - The Movie Projector

More Than a Secretary – Another Old Movie Blog

Tuesday 24 Jan

Easy Living – My Love of Old Hollywood

Gene Tierney and Her Classic Romantic Comedies - Noir and Chick Flicks

Pillow Talk - Classicfilmboy's Movie Paradise

The Producers - A Person in the Dark

Wednesday 25 Jan

His Girl Friday – All Good Things

Hips, Hips, Hooray with Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey - Distant Voices and Flickering Shadows

The Great McGinty - True Classics


A Night at the Opera – 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Thursday 26 Jan

Jean Harlow Tribute – The Scarlett Olive

Some Like It Hot – Twenty Four Frames

Ma and Pa Kettle - Dave's Classic Films

The Three Musketeers (1939) - Kevin's Movie Corner

Friday 27 Jan

BIll and Minnie: The Thin Man Movies and Beyond - Backlots

A Shot in the Dark – Classic Film &TV Café

Libeled Lady - Bette's Classic Movie Blog 

The Richest Girl in the World - Via Margutta 51

City Lights - The Great Entertainers Media Archive

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A Month of Vertigo

The Lady Eve’s ReelLife devotes January 2012 to “A Month of Vertigo.” 11 bloggers--10 guest contributors and the Lady herself--will blog on Alfred Hitchcock’s mysterious masterpiece throughout the first month of 2012. A slew of CMBA members will participate in The Lady Eve’s first real (reel?) blog event: John Greco of TwentyFour Frames, Whistlingypsy of Distant Voices, Flickering Shadows, Christian Esquevin of Silver Screen Modiste, Brandie Ashe of True Classics, Classicfilmboy of Classicfilmboy’s Movie Paradise, Allen Hefner of Bit Part Actors and R.D. Finch of The Movie Projector. They’ll be joined by Steven DeRosa, author of WritingWith Hitchcock, Michael Nazarewycz of ManILoveFilms.com (aka ScribeHard on Twitter) and Brandon K. Goco, age 20, of Brandon Kyle the Cinephile (who guest hosted Turner Classic Movies’ podcast series in October). With input from TheLady Eve, Brandon whipped up this one minute video clip about the event:

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Dueling Divas Blogathon

The idea for this blogathon, hosted by Backlots, came from a very clever movie marathon at the Castro Theatre a number of years ago, entitled the “Dueling Divas” marathon. Each day, the theatre would show a double feature–each film starring one lady of the silver screen who had a rivalry with the lady starring in the other. For example, they had an entire week devoted to Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, where they showed double features of Possessed/The Letter, The Women/All About Eve, Johnny Guitar/In This Our Life, etc.

So, drawing on that very clever idea, I am hosting the Dueling Divas Blogathon, which I have scheduled to take place between December 20-23. It’s a ways off, so as to leave enough time to plan your blogging schedules accordingly.

Participants may blog about any of the following types of Dueling Divas:
- Those who had a rivalry in real life, either over a particular film role or over a personality clash, e.g., Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

- Those who had a rivalry on the screen, ie Mildred and Veda from Mildred Pierce.

- Any dual role (see what I did there? Duel? Dual? Be proud.) played by an actor or actress in a classic film, e.g., Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap.

It’s totally free reign, you can write about the divas themselves, compare and contrast one of each of their films, and if you’re going to write about dual roles, you can talk about the differences in their characters or the actor’s technique in portraying them…you get the idea.

Ok, a select few rules and regulations:

1. You can write your entry whenever you want, but please do submit your entries between December 20 and 23, so I can keep track of them.

2. Drop me a comment on this post to let me know you would like to participate, and I’ll add your blog to the list of contributing blogs. I’ll be making an official post as the event gets closer, and to submit your entry, please comment with a link to your entry on the official post.

3. Write on something you love and are interested in! Make funny posts! Make overly dramatic posts! This theme can elicit lots of crazy awesome entries, and it would be so much fun to see a diverse range of posts with many different tones and topics. One of the fun things about blogathons is that we get to experience the different tones of each individual blog, so make it your own! I’m so excited to read all the entries!

I’m leaving a a banner for you to use. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Nagging annoyances? Friendly reminders? Emotional outbursts? Drop me a comment! I look forward to reading all your entries come December!

Lara at Backlots

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"The Great Citizen Kane Debate" Hosted by True Classics

Greetings, fellow CMBA members!

November marks the two-year anniversary of blogging efforts for the crew at True Classics, and to celebrate, we're hosting "The Great Citizen Kane Debate." The question at hand ... does venerable critical darling Kane deserve its vaunted reputation as "THE" best American film ever made? Or is its value overstated/inflated by modern critics? And if Kane is not "THE" best film, which one is?

We're offering some amazing prizes for the three best entries into the debate, so we hope you'll join in what promises to be a spirited (and respectful!) discussion!

You can find the rules and sign up to participate here: http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/were-in-anniversary-mode/.

Thanks!

Brandie, Carrie, and Nikki
True Classics

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And the 2011 CiMBAs go to...

After two rounds of voting--and reading lots of terrific classic movie posts--the Classic Movie Blog Association is pleased to announce the winners in this year's CiMBA Awards. All the nominees should be proud of what they accomplished. The competition was fierce and it will be hard for next year to top 2011. Congratulations to all the winners!

Best Film Review (Drama)

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The Lady Eve's Reel Life, http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmba-movies-of-1939-blogathon-private.html

Best Classic Movie Article

Mobsters, Pals and Skirts -- The Golden Age Of Gangster Movies -- 1930-1949 (The Complete Series), ClassicBecky’s Brain Food, http://www.classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com/2011/04/mobsters-pals-and-skirts-golden-age-of.html

Best Classic Movie Blog Event

The Loving Lucy Blogathon, True Classics, http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/the-loving-lucy-blogathon-entries

Best Film Review (Musical or Comedy)

The Women (1939), My Love of Old Hollywood, http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmba-presents-films-of-1939-blogathon.html

Best Profile of a Classic Movie Performer or Filmmaker

Celebrating Women in Film: The Silent Directors, True Classics, http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/celebrating-women-female-directors/

Best Classic Movie Discussion (Tie)

The Final Scene of "The Heiress", Backlots,  http://backlots.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/the-final-scene-of-the-heiress-1949/

3 on 3 Panel Discussions: Disney's Animated Films, Gangster Films, Film Noir, and Hammer Films, Classic Film & TV Café, http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/search/label/three%20on%20three%20panels

Best Classic Movie Blog Design

Via Margutta 51, www.via-51.blogspot.com/

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The 2011 CiMBA Nominations Have Been Announced!

The Classic Movie Blog Association (CMBA) is proud to announce its 2011 CiMBA nominations. The CiMBA is the CMBA's award for excellence in classic movie blogging. It's a prestigious award because it's given by one's peers in the CMBA.

Online ballots will be mailed to CMBA members this week. The CiMBA winners will be announced on October 17th. Without further ado, here are the nominations for the seven CiMBA categories:

Best Film Review (Drama)

Double Indemnity: The Secret Life of Walter Neff, Tales of the Easily Distracted, http://doriantb.blogspot.com/2011/07/double-indemnity-secret-life-of-walter.html

The Heiress (1949): Her Mother's Presence, Java's Journey, http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2011/04/heiress-1949-her-mothers-presence.html

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Via Margutta 51, http://via-51.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmba-movies-of-1939-blogathon-hunchback.html

"I'm an advertising man, not a red herring." True Classics, http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/im-an-advertising-man-not-a-red-herring

John Huston, Montgomery Clift and "Freud", ClassicBecky’s Brain Food, http://www.classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com/2011/08/john-huston-montgomery-clift-and-freud.html

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The Lady Eve's Reel Life, http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmba-movies-of-1939-blogathon-private.html

Stagecoach (1939), The Movie Projector, http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmba-classic-movies-of-1939-blogathon.html

Best Film Review (Musical or Comedy)

Father of the Bride, The Lady Eve's Reel Life, http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/04/father-of-bride-1950and-reflection-on.html

The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950), Caftan Woman, http://caftanwoman.blogspot.com/2011/06/favourite-movies-happiest-days-of-your.html

The Penultimate French Tearjerker: Les Parapluies De Cherbourg, Classic Film & TV Café, http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/2010/11/penultimate-french-tearjerker-les.html 

Return of the Firebird -- Blazing with Beauty, ClassicBecky’s Brain Food, http://www.classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/return-of-firebird-blazing-with-beauty.html

The Women (1939), My Love of Old Hollywood, http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2011/05/cmba-presents-films-of-1939-blogathon.html

Top Hat, Classicfilmboy, http://www.classicfilmboy.com/2011/08/fred-and-ginger-top-hat.html

Best Classic Movie Article

Bing Sings the Oscar Songs, Caftan Woman, http://caftanwoman.blogspot.com/2011/05/bing-sings-oscar-songs.html

Censorship and a Streetcar, Part 1 (http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/censorship-and-a-streetcar-part-one/ ) and Part 2 is http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/censorship-and-a-streetcar-part-two/ ), True Classics

Free, Female and 21, A Person in the Dark, http://flickchick1953.blogspot.com/2011/03/flappers-free-female-21.html

Mobsters, Pals and Skirts -- The Golden Age Of Gangster Movies -- 1930-1949 (The Complete Series), ClassicBecky’s Brain Food, http://www.classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com/2011/04/mobsters-pals-and-skirts-golden-age-of.html

Three Classic Hitchcock Killers, The Lady Eve's Reel Life, http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/01/cmba-hitchcock-blogathon-three-classic.html

Warren William Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood by John Stangeland, Warren-William.com, http://warren-william.com/2010/11/09/review-warren-william-magnificent-scoundrel-of-pre-code-hollywood-by-john-stangeland/

Best Profile of a Classic Movie Performer or Filmmaker

Celebrating Women in Film: The Silent Directors, True Classics, http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/celebrating-women-female-directors/

Father and Mother Were Movie Stars, The Lady Eve's Reel Life, http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/08/father-and-mother-were-movie-stars.html

Joan Crawford: I Will Prevail, A Person in the Dark, http://flickchick1953.blogspot.com/2011/02/joan-crawford-i-will-prevail.html

John Dall is the Café’s Underrated Performer of the Month, Classic Film & TV Café, http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/2011/02/john-dall-is-cafes-underrated-performer.html

Judy Garland vs. Deanna Durbin, Java's Journey, http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2010/11/judy-garland-without-oz-vs-deanna.html

Lou Costello and His Tragedy, The Great Entertainers Archive, http://greatentertainersarchives.blogspot.com/2011/05/lou-costello-and-his-tragedy.html

Best Classic Movie Blog Event

Bond Is Forever (Sept 2010 – Aug 2011), Classic Film & TV Café, http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/search/label/bond%20is%20forever

The Loving Lucy Blogathon, True Classics, http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/the-loving-lucy-blogathon-entries

Blogathon: The Oscars -- Best Actress 1963, Classicfilmboy, http://www.classicfilmboy.com/2011/02/blogathon-oscars-best-actress-1963.html

If I Had to Keep 4, Via Margutta 51, http://via-51.blogspot.com/search/label/If%20I%20had%20to%20keep%204

Queer Film Blogathon, Garbo Laughs, http://garbolaughs.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/queer-blogathon/

A Weekend with the Oliviers (Days 1 through 4), Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier, http://www.vivandlarry.com/tag/a-weekend-with-the-oliviers/

 Best Classic Movie Discussion

The Final Scene of "The Heiress", Backlots, http://backlots.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/the-final-scene-of-the-heiress-1949/

Have You Ever Slept With the Lights On, My Love Of Old Hollywood, http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2011/06/have-you-ever-slept-with-lights-on.html

She Wasn't Wearing That A Minute Ago, Was She? ClassicBecky’s Brain Food, http://www.classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com/2011/07/she-wasnt-wearing-that-minute-ago-was.html

3 on 3 Panel Discussions: Disney's Animated Films, Gangster Films, Film Noir, and Hammer Films, Classic Film & TV Café, http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/search/label/three%20on%20three%20panels

We're Diggin' Disney, True Classics, http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2010/09/11/intro-disney-series/

Best Classic Movie Blog Design

ClassicBecky's Brain Food, http://www.classicbeckybrainfood.blogspot.com

A Person in the Dark, http://flickchick1953.blogspot.com/

The Scarlett Olive, http://www.thescarlettolive.com/

Via Margutta 51, www.via-51.blogspot.com/

Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier, http://www.vivandlarry.com

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CMBA Gulity Pleasures Movie Blogathon - September 2011

You watched a movie. You knew it wasn't very good. But you loved it anyway!

From September 18-20, the Classic Movie Blog Association paid tribute those guilty pleasures with a movie blogathon.

The lineup is (click on blog title to to visit the blog site):

September 18

Can’t Stop the Music and The Apple – Tales of the Easily Distracted

Cinderella Jones – True Classics: The ABCs of Classic Film

Jailhouse Rock – Twenty Four Frames

Mame – Backlots

Three on a Match – A Person in the Dark

The Devil Bat – Kevin’s Movie Corner

How to Murder Your Wife – Java’s Journey

Xanadu – The Great Entertainers Archive

The Shanghai Gesture – Noir and Chick Flicks

September 19

An Ache in Every Stake – Another Old Movie Blog

Count Your Blessings – Waitin' on a Sunny Day

Flight to Mars – The Movie Projector

Gone With the Wind - The Scarlett Olive

The Greatest Show on Earth - Caftan Woman

King Kong(colorized) – My Love of Old Hollywood

Lover Come Back – Bette’s Classic Movie Blog

What’s Up, Doc? – Classicfilmboy’s Movie Paradise

No Down Payment – The Lady Eve’s Reel Life

September 20

Lifeforce – Classic Film & TV Cafe

Voodoo Man – Grand Old Movies

The Most Dangerous Game – Dave’s Classic Films

The Oscar – Silver Screen Modiste

Paris When It Sizzles - Via Margutta 51

Brenda Starr, Reporter – Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

A Summer Place – Comet Over Hollywood

The Wizard of Oz – 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

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"Loving Lucy" Blogathon Coming this August!

August 6, 2011 marks legendary comedienne Lucille Ball's 100th birthday, and the bloggin' crew at True Classics: The ABCs of Classic Film is celebrating by hosting a "Loving Lucy" Blogathon!

Some wonderful bloggers have already signed up to participate, and we welcome you to join us that day as we commemorate Lucy's memorable life and career. The rules are simple: sometime prior to or on August 6th, post an entry on your blog discussing something Lucy-related. That’s it! Obviously, as we're all a bunch of classic movie-loving nuts here in the CMBA, we would love to see a lot of entries discussing Lucy's many wide-ranging film roles (she wasn't called "the queen of the Bs" for nothing!). But you can write about anything in the "Lucy" category that piques your interest—her television shows, her radio career, fashion, aspects of her personal life, her behind-the-scenes role as the first woman to head a major production studio … anything about Lucy that you find particularly fascinating. You can do a photo post, a podcast, an interview—let your imagination (and your ambition!) run wild.

You can find more information and promotional banners here: http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/blogging-for-lucy/. And if you're interested in participating, leave a comment or shoot us an email and we'll add your blog to our growing list of contributors!

(Please note that although True Classics is a CMBA member, this is not a CMBA-sponsored blogathon.)

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Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier Appreciation Blog-a-thon

Announcing the Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier Appreciation Blog-a-thon! The goal is to celebrate Vivien Leigh’s and Laurence Olivier’s films and their lasting impact on popular culture. The chosen dates correspond with the anniversaries of both their deaths (July 7 and July 11th, respectively). This will be a great way to show some love for the Oliviers, as well as to become more familiar with the film blogging community at large.

When: July 9-10, 2011

Where: The internet! Hosted by vivadlarry.com

Rules: This blog-a-thon is open to all film bloggers (and readers) around the internet. You can write about their films, theatrical contributions, your love of their beauty, fashion, etc., any aspect of Vivien Leigh’s and/or Laurence Olivier’s careers or lives. As per the usual blog-a-thon protocol, posts should be made to your own blog on the dates listed above, and a running list of links will be posted here at vivandlarry.com. Note: You do not have to write about a film that starred both Larry and Vivien. If you just want to write about Vivien, or just Larry, that’s totally fine.

One other thing: Although participants are welcome to write about any film or aspect of Vivien and Larry’s lives, it would be great if we can get posts about a variety of films rather than just the ones that are the most popular today such as Gone with the Wind.

Also find it on: Facebook

Not sure which films Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier starred in? Check out their imdb profiles below:
Vivien Leigh
Laurence Olivier

More info can be found at: http://www.vivandlarry.com/events/announcing-the-vivien-leigh-laurence-olivier-appreciation-blog-a-thon/

(Please note that although vivandlarry.com is a CMBA member, this is not a CMBA-sponsored blogathon.)

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