The Wizard of Oz

The rally today at school is a Wizard of Oz theme, and since the campus is buzzing with Oz fever, I thought I would give some trivia about the classic film. What are your fondest memories of The Wizard of Oz?

--When Aunt Em tells Hickory that "she saw him tinkering with that contraption" (after Dorothy falls in the pigpen), she's referring to a wind machine that Hickory is trying to invent, which is focused on in a deleted scene. This machine, consisting of a boiler, funnel, wires, tubes, etc. is intended to break up winds in order to prevent tornadoes.

--The "tornado" was a 35-foot-long muslin stocking, spun around among miniatures of a Kansas farm and fields in a dusty atmosphere.

--Although it has been long believed that Lorraine Bridges dubbed Billie Burke's singing voice in the film, she actually did not. Ms. Burke did her own singing as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

--At the time that CBS purchased the television rights to The Wizard of Oz (1939), MGM had sold most of its pre-1950's film library to individual stations across the U.S. The two major films they had not sold were Gone with the Wind (1939) (which MGM controlled the rights to) and "The Wizard of Oz". It would be twenty more years before "Gone With the Wind" would come to television.

--While filming the scene where Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland got the giggles so badly that they had to take a break in shooting. The director, Victor Fleming, took her aside, gave her a quick lecture, and then slapped her. She returned to the set and filmed the scene in one take. Fleming was afraid that this would damage his relationship with Garland and even told a co-worker he wished that someone would hit him because of how bad he felt, but Garland overheard the conversation and gave him a kiss on the nose to show that she bore no hard feelings. In the film she can still be seen to be stifling a smile between the lines "Well, of course not" and "My, what a fuss you're making".

--In 1898, Dorothy Louise Gage was born to the brother and sister-in-law of Maud Gage Baum, wife of author L. Frank Baum. When little Dorothy died exactly five months later, Maud was heartbroken. Baum was just finishing "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and, to comfort his wife, named his heroine after Dorothy, changing her last name to Gale in his second book. Dorothy Gage was buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois, where her grave was forgotten until 1996 when it was rediscovered. When Mickey Carroll, one of the last existing Munchkins from the movie, learned of the discovery, he was eager to replace her deteriorated grave marker with a new one created by his own monument company. The new stone was dedicated in 1997 and the children's section of the cemetery renamed the Dorothy L. Gage Memorial Garden, in the hope that bereaved families would be comforted in thinking of their lost children as being with Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz".

--When the wardrobe department was looking for a coat for Frank Morgan (Professor Marvel / The Wizard), they decided they wanted one that looked like it had once been elegant but had since "gone to seed". They visited a second-hand store and purchased an entire rack of coats, from which Morgan, the head of the wardrobe department, and director Victor Fleming chose one they felt gave off the perfect appearance of "shabby gentility". One day, while he was on set in the coat, Morgan idly turned out one of the pockets and discovered a label indicating that the coat had been made for L. Frank Baum. Mary Mayer, a unit publicist for the film, contacted the tailor and Baum's widow, who both verified that the coat had at one time been owned by the author of the original "Wizard of Oz" books. After the filming was completed, the coat was presented to Mrs. Baum.

--The name for Oz was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."

--In 1939, Montreal lifted its law restricting minors under 16 from admission to theaters, presumably without an accompanying adult. This lift was done exclusively for this film and apparently sent a rush of children to theaters, according to a 1939 issue of Variety. Earlier that year, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) unsuccessfully attempted to lift the ban.

--A recent study claimed that this is the most watched movie in film history, largely due to the number of television screenings each year as well as video which has enabled children of every generation to see it.

--The Tin Woodsman costume worn by Jack Haley was reportedly so stiff that he had to lean against a board to rest. Thirty-eight years later, Anthony Daniels (who played C-3PO in the Star Wars movie series) had the same problem with his costume.

--The shot of Dorothy's house falling from the sky was achieved by filming a miniature house being dropped onto a sky painting on the stage floor, then reversing the film to make the house appear to fall towards the camera.

--In the first take of the scene when the Wicked Witch of the West leaves Munchkinland, the smoke that was supposed to go up around her came early, and started forming before she stepped on the platform she was supposed to be on. On the second take, part of Margaret Hamilton's cape became caught in the platform when the burst of fire appeared. Her make-up heated up causing second- and third-degree burns on her hands and face, and it was later discovered that one of the key components in her make-up was copper. The producers used the first take. You'll notice the early appearance of the red smoke.

--When The Witch tries to get off the Ruby Slippers, fire strikes her hands. This "fire" was actually dark apple juice spewing out of the shoes. The film was sped up to make it look like fire.

--When it first opened in 1994, the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas had extensive decor related to this film decorating the casino and various parts of the resort, including life-sized statues of the main characters (including Toto) near the casino entrance. In 2000 nearly all of this decor was removed in a major renovation, and the casino is now generically themed around motion pictures.

--In the song "If I Only Had A Heart", the girl who says, "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" is Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

--MGM paid $75,000 for the film rights to L. Frank Baum's book, a towering sum at the time.

--Multiple styles of ruby slippers were tested by the MGM wardrobe department before they settled on the low schoolgirl-style pumps with bows. One proposed style had curled up toes, known as the "Arabian" slippers (created by designer Adrian), which now belong to Debbie Reynolds. Another proposed style, the "Bugle Bead" shoes, are without bows and have yet to publicly surface. An entire book was published with trivia and history of the numerous test styles: "The Ruby Slippers of Oz" by Rhys Thomas (Tale Weaver Publishers, 1989) Thomas speculates that there were seven pairs, and the whereabouts of five are known. Each has an estimated value of $1.5 million, making them the most expensive Hollywood memorabilia. They have been dubbed by some as "The Holy Grail" of all Hollywood nostalgia. One pair was sold to Hollywood memorabilia collector David Elkouby for $666,000.00 in a May 2000 auction. The pair in the Smithsonian are mismatched.

--Walt Disney was the unwitting impetus behind getting the film started. Louis B. Mayer was determined to come up with something that would equal the success of Disney's runaway smash, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) which had become the most successful film of all time in a matter of months. Walt originally wanted to make ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ after ‘Snow White’ but MGM owned the rights to the book. In the 80's the Disney studios made a semi-sequel Return to Oz (1985).

--The ruby slippers were silver (like in the book) until MGM chief Louis B. Mayer realized that the Technicolor production would benefit from the slippers being colored.

--The film started shooting on 13 October 1938 and was completed on 16 March 1939 at a then-unheard-of cost of $2,777,000. It earned only $3,000,000 on its initial release.

-- If you look very closely at the Wicked Witch that Miss Gulch transformed into while Dorothy looks out her bedroom window during the tornado, you will see a shimmer from her shoes-she's wearing the Ruby Slippers. That means that she is the Wicked Witch of the East, who is soon to be killed when Dorothy's house falls on her. Margaret Hamilton has never been credited for playing this role (which is practically a cameo). This shimmer from her shoes is even more obvious when watching a better-quality copy of the film, such as the 1989 50th anniversary laserdisc version or the 1999 60th anniversary Warner Bros. DVD restored version.

--The Munchkins are portrayed by the Singer Midgets, named not for their musical abilities, but rather for Leo Singer, their manager. The troupe came from Europe, and a number of the Munchkins took advantage of the trip to immigrate and escape the Nazis. Professional singers dubbed most of their voices as many of the Midgets couldn't speak English and/or sing well. Only two are heard speaking with their real-life voices - the ones who give Dorothy flowers after she has climbed into the carriage.

--The horses in Emerald City palace were colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick it off.

--When filming first started, Judy Garland wore a blond wig and heavy, "baby-doll" makeup. When George Cukor assumed the role of intermediate director (after MGM fired the original director and before they found a replacement), he got rid of the wig and most of the makeup and told her to just be herself.

--According to lead Munchkin Jerry Maren, the "little people" on the set were paid $50 per week for a 6-day work week, while Toto received $125 per week.

--Although Judy Garland was always the favorite to play Dorothy, there were many other actresses in Hollywood who were also considered to play her. Among them were Shirley Temple, who was closer to the actual age of Dorothy and extremely popular at the time. Since she was under contract to 20th Century Fox, a deal was offered to trade her to MGM in exchange for Clark Gable and Jean Harlow, which was voided by Harlow's untimely death. Temple's vocal talents were deemed by producers Mervyn LeRoy and Arthur Freed to be inadequate for the scope of the role. Deanna Durbin, the operatic rival to Garland, was also a consideration, as was Bonita Granville.

--The original concept for the Wicked Witch of the West was to have her resemble a strikingly beautiful woman much in the same way the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was conceived. Producer Mervyn LeRoy originally cast MGM beauty Gale Sondergaard in the role as a sleek, sexy Wicked Witch of the West. However, the presence of a sexy Wicked Witch left a large plot hole within the script, for it played against the idea that bad witches were ugly. Convinced that the point was important, LeRoy retested Sondergaard as an ugly witch. Looking hideous in the make-up, she immediately declined the role and was replaced with Margaret Hamilton.

--Judy Garland had to wear a painful corset-style device around her torso so that she would appear younger and flat-chested.

--Many of the Wicked Witch of the West's scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely, as Margaret Hamilton's performance was thought too frightening for audiences.

--Margaret Hamilton, a life-long fan of the Oz books, was ecstatic when she learned the producers were considering her for a part in the film. When she phoned her agent to find out what role she was up for, her agent simply replied, "The witch, who else?"

--Throughout the rest of his career, Jack Haley denounced the idea that the making of this film was enjoyable. He frequently quipped "Like Hell, it was; it was work!"

--George Cukor not only changed Judy Garland's physical appearance in the film to the way it looks in the finished version, but also modified the Scarecrow's makeup. Later, when Victor Fleming had been assigned to direct, Jack Haley began filming his first scene as the Tin Man, the scene in which Dorothy and the Scarecrow first discover him. Buddy Ebsen, who had been playing the Tin Man, had to back out because of an allergic reaction to his makeup, and never filmed this scene; he had only filmed scenes that take place in the second half of the film, after the four travelers have been to the Wash and Brush Up Co. at the Emerald City. Haley had been filming his first scene for three days before anyone realized that he had no "rust" on his "tin" costume, even though in the story he was supposed to have been standing rusted for an entire year. The rust was immediately applied to it.

--Judy Garland's dress and blouse were in reality not white but pale pink. True white did not photograph properly in Technicolor and made the blue of her checked dress seem too bright.

--Margaret Hamilton said that whenever she saw the scene where Frank Morgan as the Wizard is giving Dorothy's friends gifts from his "black bag" (a diploma for the Scarecrow, a ticking heart for the Tin Man, and a medal for the Cowardly Lion), she got teary eyed, because "Frank Morgan was just like that in real life - very generous".

Have a great weekend friends!

More Disney Trivia

Went to Disney again last night and was inspired to give you some more fun trivia. So here goes:

--The ornate base of the Town Square flag pole was discovered in 1955 on Wilshire Blvd. at the scene of a traffic accident - a car ran into a lamp post and the base was bought for $5.00.

--The cannons in Town Square are actual cannons used by the French Army in the 19th Century.

--The organ in the “Haunted Mansion” is the same one used in the movie “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.”

--Club 33 is a secret club inside Disneyland. It's at 33 Royal Street by the Blue Bayou and Pirates of the Caribbean ride. You can see it on the way out of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride-- look at the second level of the Blue Bayou restaurant. Club 33 has about 400 members and waiting time for a membership is about 3 years. Membership fees range from $9,500 to $25,000, with annual fees an additional $3-6,000.

--In the early years of the park, the Rivers of America were stocked with catfish and visitors were allowed to fish off the docks of Tom Sawyer Island.

--Pirates of the Caribbean Facts and Figures: Opening Day: March 18, 1967 Ride Time: 14.5 minutes Capacity: 3,400 guests per hour Audio-Animatronic Figures: 66 pirates and villages, 57 animals and birds Amount of Water: 750,000 Main Lift Pumps (2 operating): 20,000 gallons circulated per minute (maximum) 18,000 gallons circulated per minute (maximum) First Drop: Length - 52 feet Angle - 21 degrees Second Drop: Length - 37 feet Angle - 21 degrees Lift: Length - 90 feet Angle - 16 degrees Structural Data: Number of Buildings: 2 Number of Levels: 3 (Blue Bayou, upper caverns, and basement) Maximum Height of Ceiling: 40 feet.

--Few people know that the comedian Steve Martin worked at the Mad Hatter Shop in Disneyland's Fantasyland when he was younger. Steve enjoyed magic and was a natural who excelled there as a salesman.
There is hidden magic in the Mad Hatter Shop. Take a look into the oval mirror inside the Mad Hatter. There is an animatronics Cheshire Cat character from Alice in Wonderland that is hidden behind the mirror.

Visitors see their own reflection in what appears to be a regular mirror. Then mysteriously all of a sudden the Cheshire Cat appears next to them in the mirror. Guests are shocked and surprised to see the Cheshire Cat appear suddenly next to them in the mirror and turn around to see it. However, the cat is not behind them.

--While riding on the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin in Toontown, your "car" passes through a market-type scene. In this section you have the impression of nearly careening through a fruit stand selling "wishing apples." This was the name the evil Queen/Witch gave to the poison apple she gave to Snow White. It has nothing to do with Roger Rabbit and is a reference to the movie Snow White.

More to come in the future friends!

Alice in Wonderland 2010

The clock is ticking! "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date." March 10 debuts the new Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland. Of course, I have to see it, not only because it looks AMAZING, but because my boyfriend Johnny is in it. I found some great photos of the film and some fun trivia to go along with them. Tell me what you think. Have a great day friends!

--Casting auditions for 250 extras were held in the British city of Plymouth on 6th and 7th August 2008. Requirements were for people with a 'Victorian look' and for applicants to have no visible tattoos, piercings or dyed hair.

--Actress Mia Wasikowska beat out several candidates for the role of Alice, including Amanda Seyfried and Lindsay Lohan, who lobbied for the role.

--This film marks the 7th time Johnny Depp has worked under the direction of Tim Burton and the 6th time for Helena Bonham Carter.

--Principal photography of this movie took 40 days.

--Dakota Blue Richards was going to audition for the role of Alice, which is her dream role, until she found out Tim Burton wanted a adult actress for the part. Ironically, Mia Wasikowska who plays Alice, is only four years older than her.

--Despite the fact that there have been many other Alice in Wonderland films, Tim Burton have said that he never felt a emotional connection to it and always thought it was a series of some girl wondering around from one crazy character to another. So this is an attempt to give this a framework, an emotional grounding, which he felt he never really had seen in any version before. Tim said that was the challenge for him - to make Alice feel like a story as opposed to a series of events.

--Tim Burton and Johnny Depp worked hard to give the Mad Hatter more depth and presence than in past portrayals. In fact, the pair swapped sketches and themes for the character prior to creating this new version.

--Johnny Depp, who says that he likes "an obstacle" whilst filming, admitted that he found the process of filming on a green screen "exhausting", and that he felt "befuddled by the end of the day".

--Danny Elfman scored the film to green screen footage.

Great Giveaway, New Award, and Thank You!

Just a couple of things to share with you. First my friend Amanda aka "Scientific Housewife" is hosting a fabulous giveaway for a Sephora gift card. You must head over to her blog to check her out. She always has something really interesting to say! Tell her I sent you.

I've created a new award for you all to spread around. I love awards. They make me happy. I wish more of us would create them so there are new ones always circulating. If you don't like them, don't share lol. But the newest is here and these are the wonderful blogs I'm handing them out to:

1. Kimber Doll
2. Bechind Blue Eyes
3. Lily Lemontree
4. A Blonde Walks Into a Blog
5. For the Love of Stilettos
6. Brown Eyed Belle
7. A Blonde Ambition

No rules, just pass the award on if you want and tell the person you awarded! Congrats ladies!

Lastly, thank you so much to all of you for following me and your wonderful comments every day. I truly love blogging and look forward to hearing from each of you every day! I'm so impressed with so many blogs out there that it was hard to choose for the award. I try to award different blogs so everyone feels the love! Have a great night friends!

True Crime: The Menendez Brothers

Although I don't like giving attention to convicted murderers, I find many of these true crime cases fascinating. One of these cases is the murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez.

The Menendez's were a very successful family in Los Angeles. Jose Menendez was a successful music producer who later became involved in the film industry. In 1989, he was making roughly $500,000 annually.

Jose and Kitty had two children, Lyle and Erik. The boys were very spoiled, and used to getting anything they wanted. They drove expensive cars, attended the best private schools, and were given lessons on their tennis game. This wasn't enough.

In 1988, the boys were caught stealing $100,000 worth of money and jewelry from their neighbors Calabasas home. Jose paid off the neighbors and made younger brother Erik take the fall so Lyle wouldn't ruin his reputation for possible enrollment at Princeton. Because of this incident, the family moved to Beverly Hills to avoid embarrassment.

"By that same winter, Lyle had been kicked out of Princeton for cheating on a psychology 101 exam. He returned home with his tail tucked between his legs. His father was furious. He started to believe that his sons would never amount to anything. The brothers worried that they might be kicked out of their Beverly Hills home and forced to work for a living. They also feared they would be dropped from their father’s will. Jose Menendez was worth $14,000,000."

On August 17, 1989, Lyle drove to San Diego and purchased two sawed-off shotguns. Three days later Jose and Kitty were murdered. "Just days after the murders, the Menendez brothers went on a shopping spree purchasing new Rolex watches, a new Jeep for Erik, a Porsche for Lyle and tennis lessons for both of them. They stayed at $2,000-a-night hotels and claimed to be hiding from the Mafia. Lyle even bought a chicken wing restaurant in Princeton.

Lyle seemed nonplussed about the murders and kept quiet. Erik, on the other hand, could not keep his mouth shut. He blabbed to a friend that he had killed his parents. He also told his psychologist of the deed."

Because of this, the psychologist told his girlfriend, and the girlfriend went to the police. Their first trial was a mistrial. The second they were convicted.

I took a tour of Hollywood that took us to the home of Jose and Kitty Menendez. It is very eerie to picture the horrible things that took place there. In an interview with the brothers, Lyle says that no one came or called the police after they murdered their parents. They couldn't believe that in Beverly Hills no one would report gun shots. Because of this, they made up the story that their parents had been murdered. Scary...oh, as a side note, both men got married while in prison.

(All information provided by ID: Hollywood Crimes)

Disneyland Secrets

As promised, here are some secrets or facts about Disneyland that you might not know of. Hope you enjoy them!

1. Walt's private apartment--When Disneyland was being constructed Walt Disney wanted to be able to stay nearby to supervise. Anaheim where Disneyland is located was about an hour away from where he lived so Disney had an apartment built above the fire station on Main Street where he could spend the night.

Everyone knew when Walt was there because of the light left on in the window of the apartment. After Disney died a light has been left on in the apartment window in his memory. The apartment has been left the same way it was when he died but it isn't open for public viewing.

Next time you go to Disneyland look for the light on above the fire station. The fire station is located on Main Street near the entrance. The fire station like all of Main Street resembles what it would have looked like in 1910 Middle America complete with an old time fire engine and Dalmatian dog.

2. Coca-Cola only--
Coca-Cola products are the only soft drinks that you can buy at Disneyland. Coca-Cola made a deal with Disney to sell their products exclusively. Coca-Cola gives Disneyland all their Coca-Cola products for free as long as they don't allow any of their competitors to be sold at Disneyland. So don't try to order a Pepsi, Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew because you won't find any Pepsi products sold at Disneyland.

Disneyland makes pure profit from their Coca-Cola sales and they also get other products free with similar partnerships with other companies.

3. Hidden Mickey's--Disneyland is all about taking care of the details. Walt Disney supervised every detail and included many special surprises to add to the magic. When you first enter Disneyland you enter a tunnel. There is a plaque on the top of the tunnel that reads, "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy." Walt wanted to take park visitors to a new world of fantasy. After guests pass through the tunnel they enter the magical world of Disneyland.

Part of creating a fun and magical land was installing hidden Mickey Mouse Ears all over the park. There is at least one hidden Mickey in each land. Sometimes guests might notice the shape in a wrought iron railing has a Mickey Mouse ear shape or a hedge might be pruned to resemble Mickey Mouse Ears. Make a game of it and see which one of your friends can find the most hidden.

4. Club 33--In Disneyland there is a private members only club called Club 33. It is located in New Orleans Square on the second floor near the Bayou Restaurant.

Walt Disney wanted to provide a private place to entertain his guests. Unfortunately he died before it was completed. When it was completed it was instead opened up as a private club with limited membership.

There are about 400 members and the annual membership is about $1,000. There is a long waiting list to join that usually takes more than 5 years for an opening to become available. Recently the cost of joining was between $7,500 to 20,000 depending on the type of membership.

Members who have reservations for Club 33 are given free passes to enjoy Disneyland for the day of their reservation. They also have a special parking area and of course are treated as VIPs.

Club 33 is decorated in early 20th Century style and some members have been amused by the bordello red velvet decor. There are special Club 33 emblazoned items all over the club that many members take as souvenirs such as the napkins and other items that can be purchased such as club rings.

Club 33 is also the only place at Disneyland where alcohol is served.

5. Main Street--The buildings of Main Street, USA, were built with one idea in mind: leaving the park. All the buildings on Main Street were built using an optical illusion that utilizes making one end of a building slightly shorter than the other end. By using this method of construction, Disneyland created an effect that you don't notice until your tired family leaves the park. The next time you enter Disneyland, make note of the distance that it appears you have to travel to get to the "Partners" statue. Then look at the exit of the park from the statue. That's correct. The distance appears to be shorter entering the park than exiting. The intention was to keep guests from wanting to take the long walk out. Try this the next time you are there.

6. Indiana Jones--Another "secret" in the Indiana Jones Adventure - Temple of the Forbidden Eye is that near the end of the attraction the vehicle appears to move backwards. Really, the walls are moving forward. It is easy to see this if you turn around and look backwards during this portion of the attraction.

7. Haunted Mansion--The ride portion of the Haunted Mansion actually is outside the Disneyland park. You unknowingly leave the boundaries of the park after taking the elevator down (the stretching room) and walking to the Doom Buggies.

8. Mad Hatter--The oval mirror in the Mad Hatter's Shoppe will reveal the Cheshire Cat (from Alice in Wonderland) every few seconds. This effect is achieved by using a type of mirror, widely used by law-enforcement, known as a "50%" mirror. The representation of the Cheshire Cat, a solid animatronic piece, is in a room behind the mirror which is left dark. To expose the cat, the room is slowly lit. The image of the cat comes through the mirror and then the room is slowly darkened, making the cat diappear. If a forgetfull cast member forgets to cover the back of the mirror you may just catch them changing the bulbs in the light from the other side of the mirror.

More Disney facts later...

The Goonies

"Good enough, for you it's good enough..." I have always loved, loved, loved the film, The Goonies from 1985. I was 9 years old when it came out and would have died to go look for that pirate ship. Anyone else relate to this film? I still get a kick out of watching it every time it comes on! Here are some fun facts about the film. Hope you are having a great weekend friends.

--The pirate ship was entirely real. All the shots were filmed in the ship. After the film, it was offered to anyone who would take it. No one wanted it, so the ship was scrapped.

--Richard Donner kept both One-Eyed Willie's head and a model for the ship.

--When the boys are sitting in the living room watching MTV, they weren't actually watching the Cyndi Lauper "Good Enough" video, which was developed six months after filming wrapped up.

--When the Fratelli brothers argue Anne Ramsey really slaps Robert Davi. She was told to hit him as hard as she could.

--Jeff Cohen got the chicken pox after he got the role of Chunk. He showed up to the set anyway, afraid that they would have replaced him otherwise.

--The cast was not allowed to see the pirate ship before the scene was shot. When they did see it, some of the kids said "Holy shit!" The scene had to be re-shot without them cursing.

--When Chunk and Sloth head down through the grate to follow the gang and the Fratellis, Sloth is wearing an Oakland Raiders T-Shirt. John Matuszak, who played Sloth, was a former Oakland Raiders football player.

--The kids who played the Goonies were allowed to bring some of their families into the final scene where they are reunited.

--According to Sean Astin, he was allowed to keep the treasure map used in the film. Several years later his mother discovered it, thought it was just a crinkled piece of paper, and threw it in the trash.

--One Eyed Willie's ship, The Inferno, was 105 feet long and took 2-1/2 months to construct. It was modeled after Erroll Flynn's ship in The Sea Hawk (1940). The sails required more than than 7,000 square feet of material. Some of the ship's rigging was recycled from the Pirates of the Caribbean ship at Disneyland, which was being renovated at the time.

Celebrity Apologies

Ok, so Tiger issued a statement of apology for his behavior in November today. Who cares? I'm so over this story. Yuck. But, I found an article on E Online that reviewed the top celebrity apologies. This is too funny. Here they are:

1. Mel Gibson--apologized for his crazy behavior in Malibu. Remember this? He was drunk and saying racial slurs, which weren't great for someone who just created The Passion of the Christ.



2. David Letterman--apologized for cheating on his wife. He addressed the audience directly while on his show. People seemed to forgive him because of his sincere delivery.



3. Alec Baldwin--remember that awful conversation with his daughter, where he called her "a little pig?" He went on the View of all places to apologize.



4. Hugh Grant--apologized on the Tonight Show for his indiscretions with prostitute Divine Brown.



5. Michael Richards--apologizing for saying the "N" word doing his standup routine.



6. Kanye West--apologized for interrupting Taylor Swift's speech on the MTV awards.



7. Christian Bale--apologized for his rant on the director of Terminator.



8. Kobe Bryant--apologized for cheating on his wife while in Colorado and later brought up on rape charges. This apology was a good one, he gave his wife Vanessa a $4 million dollar apology ring.



9. John Mayer--most recent apology. Apologized for all the douche bag (sorry, but it's true) things he recently said in Playboy. He even cried while saying sorry.