Topic: letters

Employee of the Month: Passive-Aggressive Disney Animator

Employee of the Month: Passive-Aggressive Disney Animator

Did you know that the original title for the Disney classic The Great Mouse Detective was Basil of Baker Street? Me neither, but apparently this is true. I kind of dig the Basil of Baker Street title; it’s a nice nod to the literary Sherlock Holmes that the titular Mouse Detective was based on, as well as to Basil Rathbone, who might possibly be the most famous actor to have played him. But of course, when you’re making a children’s movie, there’s always the chance that so sophisticated a title will go right over your target audience’s tiny little heads, so in early 1986, Disney executives decided to change the film’s title to the much less ambiguous The Great Mouse Detective.

This did not please everyone. More »

A Letter from Roald Dahl

A Letter from Roald Dahl

Did you guys read Roald Dahl when you were kids? I sure did. Matilda was my favorite book, and somehow, I managed not to end up terrified of every teacher I ever had, even after reading it. Now, elementary-school-me didn’t really know that much about the author of my favorite book, but frankly, I didn’t really care. It was only when I got older that I found out that Roald Dahl was REALLY, REALLY WEIRD. I suppose the types of stories he wrote should have been an early indication of his weirdness, but much is lost on the young. Anyway, I’m probably lucky that by the time I started reading his books, he was dead, which meant that I couldn’t try to send him letters. These kids weren’t so lucky. More »

Look At This Awesome Letter Phil Hartman Sent To A Fan

Look At This Awesome Letter Phil Hartman Sent To A Fan

Phil Hartman, the comedic genius and SNL cast member whose life was tragically cut short in 1998, was by all accounts a pretty great guy. This was especially notable in a group of people not exactly known for their sanity or civility. Hence, it comes as no surprise that when a fan and aspiring comedian sent him a tape of his work and a letter asking for feedback in 1996, he actually responded. Even so, the level of care and thought he put into giving this random guy constructive criticism went way above and beyond what a fan could reasonably expect of a busy actor and comedian. It’s really sweet!
More »

Snap This: Sean Connery Writes a Letter to Steve Jobs

Snap This: Sean Connery Writes a Letter to Steve Jobs

Circa 1998, Sean Connery wrote a letter to Steve Jobs stating in no uncertain terms that he would never, under any circumstances, appear in any Apple advertisements. Okay, so he didn’t really– it’s a small spoof which is in actuality part of a bigger spoof– but it’s still pretty funny. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy the image of Sean Connery yelling “I am f**king JAMES BOND!” at Steve Jobs. More »

Lessons from the Other Side of 21: Failing To Imagine Others Complexly

Lessons from the Other Side of 21: Failing To Imagine Others Complexly

In this new column, a recent college grad getting her footing in the world gives advice to her teenage self.

Dear JJ:

“A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.” Laugh all you want, but by the time you get to my age, the backlash against Titanic will have faded and you will be free to enjoy the movie with only the tiniest degree of irony. (The real irony being, of course, that you missed the phenomenon altogether because you were 12 years old when it was released in the theatres. Our parents wouldn’t let you watch PG-13 movies until you were 13. 13! You were six months away! The unfairness of it all! And no, you still haven’t forgiven them.) I only mention this because yes, a woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets, or at least, it seems that way to all the boys you know. More »

Lessons from the Other Side of 21: The Little Things

Lessons from the Other Side of 21: The Little Things

In this new column, a recent college grad getting her footing in the world gives advice to her teenage self.

Dear JJ:

To be frank it’s hard to think of advice to give you. It’s partially because you disdain the advice of “wiser heads”, but also because I’m reluctant to affect you coming to conclusions about life on your own. People will comment on what they perceive as your well-adjustedness, but I maintain our well-adjustedness is simply a product of perspective. Ours. More »

Joss Whedon Kicks Off ‘The Avengers’ Shooting with a Funny Letter to Fans

Joss Whedon Kicks Off 'The Avengers' Shooting with a Funny Letter to Fans

Today’s the first day of shooting The Avengers, Joss Whedon‘s superhero ensemble film that Iron Man and other Marvel movies of the past few years have been hinting at. It’s got an excellent cast, many reprising previous roles: Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson. In honor of the mammoth project officially getting off the ground, Whedon posted a tongue-in-cheek letter to fansite Whedonesque. More »

Crushable Quotable: Dave Eggers Lets Kids Go Nuts On Michelle Obama

Crushable Quotable: Dave Eggers Lets Kids Go Nuts On Michelle Obama

826National is a program created by Dave Eggers, with a mission to get kids more involved in creative writing. Remember, they auctioned off that chance to collaborate with James Franco on a film? Well, the latest venture of the 826 involves capitalizing on the adorableness of children and their somewhat creepy letters to our first lady for a new book, called I Live Real Close to Where You Used to Live: Kids’ Letters to Michelle Obama (and to Sasha, Malia and Bo). Our three favorite excerpts below. More »