Let's Take A Somewhat Grim Look Back, Then Say Goobye To 2016!

So, how was your YuleChristmaHanukkah? Hanukkah's still being celebrated (if memory serves me right), in addition to Christmas. 

Don't forget that Orthodox Christians don't celebrate Christmas Day, until January 7th.

The Orthodox Christians are somewhat lucky because all their presents will be on clearance! 

You may be wondering, "Anna, what did you get for Christmas?"

Shoes, candy, clothes, jewelry, a snow suit and rain boots like I wanted for having to shovel up all our snow, 4 pairs of ear buds and head phones, an Abstract Art painting by Kersten Hackney (college best friend of nearly 15 years), glycerin bar soaps, another cordless mouse for my other laptop, and another winter coat for this Christmas.

Hopefully, you were able to enjoy the holidays despite all the tragedies we keep learning about in the news. 

Lately, I dread turning on my TV and laptops because it feels like there is a celebrity death toll almost everyday.

This most definitely applies to legendary actors, actresses, and talented music icons.

I am sure many of you will probably roll your eyes at me for continuously mentioning Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland. 

Even though Scott died last December, I believe his demise triggered a domino effect because mostly iconic musicians died, throughout this year.

Speaking of dead music icons and legends, the death of Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister on December 28, 2015 was a brutal segue into this year. 

At the very beginning of 2016, we all lost David Bowie, who was mostly a HUGE musical influence on the late Scott Weiland and so many others.

Very much like Lemmy Kilmister died 4 days after his birthday from Prostate Cancer, Congestive Heart Failure, and Cardiac Arrhythmia, David Bowie privately died from Liver Cancer 2 days after his birthday.

Then, the day after Valentine's Day, Prince's protegee Vanity died from Renal Failure. Literally 2 months later, HE died!

Everyone knows that people die everyday by the seconds. However, I have NEVER in all my life ever heard about so many LEGENDARY entertainers dropping like flies literally by the nano second the way they have in 2016.

2016 has been a really cruel and shitty year for so many of us, that we can't wait for it to be over. Without a doubt, 2016 EXCEEDED my expectations of being a horrible year. 

So many lives have been taken, during this year. Lately, I have even cried about it.

Whether it was just the average man, woman, child, or an iconic celebrity, loved ones have been in mourning. 

All these deaths will surely make grief counselors and funeral homes richer, if not already.

Let's all hope and pray that we can survive 2017 without there being so many deaths in general. 

To end this year, I was going to publish 1 Song Saturday and 1 Cartoon Sunday blog but I changed my mind. These last 2 weeks have been extremely exhausting. If I have ENOUGH time and energy, I will publish more blogs at the start of 2017. 

With that being said, RIP George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and to all those who lost their lives in 2016! 

I wish EVERYONE a very happy, safe, and more prosperous new year!

Cartoon Sunday: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol By Richard Williams

How's it going lurkers? This Cartoon Sunday, I have a rare Christmas Classic for you. Today, I have Richard Williams' animated adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

It wasn't until last week that I watched this version of A Christmas Carol. It aired on ABC in 1971 and won the 1972 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

I wonder if my mother ever had the chance to watch it. Chances are great that she and the rest of my immediate family did not. 

They were probably living on a military base in The Philippines by 1971, since my late grandfather was in the Air Force and they had busy childhood lives.  

Aside from those details, the art illustrations for Richard Williams' animated adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol look fantastic!

As I watched this animated adaptation, I could NOT  help noticing just how authentic the illustrations appear. This particular animated adaptation also has multiple pans, zooms, and random scene transitions. The illustrations even look hand drawn. 

This is something that can't be said for most of today's animation, which mostly consists of gratuitous CGI. Therefore, I have a much better appreciation and respect for Williams' animated adaptation. 

This is along with the fact, that I have NEVER seen this version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, until recently. Richard Williams' adaptation was NOT  meant for the younger demographic. 

Supposedly, the emphasis of darkness and shadows appeared as having Horror qualities.

Williams' animated adaptation was considered to be "the most frightening of the many dramatizations of the Dickens classic."

This could explain WHY  I never saw Richard Williams' animated adaptation, when I was growing up during the 1980's and '90s. As much as I enjoy watching Peanuts' Christmas Specials on TV, it wouldn't hurt local and/or cable networks to show this 1971 classic of A Christmas Carol.

I have watched at least several live action movie adaptations of it. Stumbling upon this animated adaptation is most definitely a rare gem. With that being said, here's Richard Williams' adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol for Cartoon Sunday.

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol By Richard Williams (1971)