Search Results for: blog anna and the king 1999

The King and I (1999)

You all know how much I love the story of “The King and I.” The multitude of times I’ve mentioned it here on Families.com is a testament to that. When I saw that an animated version of the film had been done, I was curious, but skeptical. After watching it this last week, I’m no longer curious, and the skepticism was proven to be well-founded. Of course we have the basic elements of the story. Anna Leonowens, a young widow woman, is hired to travel from England to Siam to teach the king’s children. She takes with her Louie, her … Continue reading →

Hannah Polling, Vaccines, and Autism

Let me say first that this blog is my opinion on the situation. I have researched at length the various issues, the Hannah Polling case, as well as the Vaccine Compensation program. With that said, I’m not a doctor. I would encourage all parents to be fully informed about the vaccinations their children are receiving, and to consider all the evidence. Here are some things to know, as I understand the case. What is the Hannah Polling Case? Hannah Polling is a little girl who began exhibiting autism symptoms right after immunizations she received at her 19 month old well … Continue reading →

Brad Renfro Results and CW Gives WWE the Smack

The toxicology reports are back on both Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger and sadly, both are very similar. A statement from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office was released which said that Brad Renfro died of “acute heroin/morphine intoxication” or in other words, an accidental heroin overdose. The 25-year-old actor was found dead on January 15th in his apartment. The coroner on the Heath Ledger case has also ruled he died of an accidental overdose. When the young actor was found dead, he had six different prescription drugs in his system. The drugs were a mixture of painkillers (hydrocodone and … Continue reading →

Anna and the King (1999)

As I mentioned when I reviewed the Yul Brynner version of “The King and I,” much of the story of Anna Leonowens and her relationship with the King of Siam was embellished. However, that doesn’t keep this movie from being stunning. Anna (Jodie Foster) was hired to teach the Crown Prince of Siam about the ways of the English, including the language. Part of the agreement was that she would have a house of her own off the palace grounds where she could raise her son, Louie, anyway she liked. After a long journey, Anna and Louie arrive in Siam, … Continue reading →

Mansfield Park (1999)

Jane Austen’s books are primarily romances between persons of a genteel class, and the movies that are made from the books contain emotional drama. But “Mansfield Park” takes us on a different journey, as we touch on slave trading in England during Victorian times. Fanny Price is a poor girl who has many brothers and sisters. Her mother, desperate for a way to feed all of her children, sends Fanny to live with a relation, who is the housekeeper at a grand house called Mansfield Park. The master of Mansfield, Sir Bertram, agrees to let Fanny live in the main … Continue reading →

Hannah and the Seven Dresses – Marthe Jocelyn

I’m fascinated by the many different mediums children’s book illustrators use as they create pictures. In “Hannah and the Seven Dresses,” we see a clever way to show texture and color – the author, who is also the illustrator, made cloth collages and used them for the pictures. This is perfectly suited to the story, as the story is about clothes. Hannah sometimes has a hard time making decisions. You see, she has a closet full of lovely dresses, which she loves to wear, but it can be very hard to decide what dress to wear on what day. All … Continue reading →

New Time Shares Coming to the Animal Kingdom

Do you enjoy vacationing regularly at Disney World? Well, you’re in luck there is a plan in the works for 458 time-share units to be opened at the Animal Kingdom. This is the sixth such time share type of property to open in the Disney World area and will include some new construction and renovated accommodations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and will feature the African details popular at the lodge as well as views of the Savannah. The new time-share property will be called Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas. There are over 19,000 time-share units available in Orlando and according … Continue reading →

Michael Jackson’s Family Tree

The family of Michael Jackson has been in the news lately. There are plenty of news articles speculating what the future of his three children will be like. Many news articles have been about the trial of Michael’s doctor, Conrad Murray. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Michael Jackson’s family tree, since he is still very much in the public eye. Michael Jackson’s mother is Katherine Esther Jackson, and his father is Joseph “Joe” Walter. Katherine and Joe had a total of ten children. Maureen Reillette Jackson, “Rebbie” was born in 1950. Sigmund Esco Jackson, … Continue reading →

Kate Gosselin’s Show Cancelled

Could it be that the first mom of reality television is seeing her 15 minutes of fame come to an end? TLC decided this week to pull the plug on “Kate Plus 8,” leaving Kate Gosselin showless. TLC tried to put a nice spin on the cancellation, releasing a statement which read, “By the end of this season Kate Plus 8 will have hit the 150 episode mark (including Jon & Kate Plus 8); an exceptional milestone. TLC hopes to check in with Kate and the family periodically with specials in the future.” So while the show has not been … Continue reading →

More Celebrity Divorces

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged that it is “It’s a revolving marital door in Hollywood” and this week, the door shut on a few more marriages. The first celebrity split I learned about this week was Laura Dern and Ben Harper. Harper filed for divorce last Friday, stating irreconcilable differences. He also asked for joint custody of the couple’s children, son Ellery Walker, 9, and Jaya, 5. Dern and Harper started dating shortly after her then-boyfriend Billy Bob Thornton married Angelina Jolie while Dern was away shooting a movie. Dern and Harper dated for five years before marrying … Continue reading →