Origami Unicorn

"The Longest Night"

If you live in the northern hemisphere, tonight is the longest night of the year; tomorrow the day will be just that little bit longer.

The player is Soulresonance, AKA Tim Bertsch, and, if you like this, his site offers lots of MP3 downloads, plus information on when and where you can see him play live.

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen...

The video is eleven years old, although the Trans-Siberian Orchestra continues to perform the music in concert. It' s a lot more fun watching the (very slightly) dated short story than blurry shots of light shows. The medley is "Wizards in Winter," available on their albums.

The Royal Channel

The British Monarchy now has a YouTube channel. Embedding is disabled, but the link takes you to a short clip showing the wife of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, accepting flowers as she visits the Haymarket. That would be Liza Doolittle's territory. The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Special Solstice Gifts

So you've ready to give chocolate, books, perfume, software, hardware, cashmere sweaters, silk socks, a wide-screen TV, and one combination riding-lawnmower/off-road racer done up with a big red bow, but haven't found that special thing for someone on your list. The H. P. Lovecraft Society is eager to help out. Make it a solstice he, she, or it will never have time to forget. The recipient will barely launch into the "Oh Cthulhu Chorus" before

Deckart Is a—

—replicant. Even though Ridley Scott told Harrison Ford otherwise. Which makes perfect sense if you've read the Philip K. Dick original.

The End of the Year

Of course, not everyone thinks of the same thing when they hear the same music. From Fantasia, Disney, 1940, music from The Nutcracker:

Jack Zander, 99, Animator and Producer

Jack Zander started his long career at Warner Bros. and MGM, among several others. He was one of the animators for Jerry the Mouse in the early Tom and Jerry cartoons.

In the late forties Zander started his own studio in New York to produce TV spots. He became known for hiring and mentoring animators just out art school. He also employed several blacklisted artists under other names in the early fifties.

He produced animated TV specials, including Gnomes and Popeye and the Man Who Hated Laughter.

His friends remember him here and here and quite a number of other places.

The NYT is expected to publish an obituary.

The Nutcracker

What show could be more of a seasonal perennial? This is the Bolshoi Ballet, in a technically stunning, traditional interpretation of the dance of the Sugarplum Fairy and the Pas de Deux that follows.

MGM unites Jackson and New Line

After about a million lawyer man-hours of negotiation, it has been announced that Peter Jackson's dispute with New Line has been settled and that he will produce two films based on The Hobbit. MGM knows there's more gold than just one gold ring in the franchise. It's not clear, with the writers' strike still in progress, how the projects will move forward, but most of the major stars have indicated informally that they want to be on the team again. A director has yet to be named, but the films will be done at the same time, with releases in 1210 and 1211.

“Seasons Greetings in the Park” 2006

Back when it all began, this scene would have been strictly fantasy, or even science fiction. Here from Hong Kong Park: