Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. Last week my novelist and I did something we have never done before. We went to the famous Twede’s Café in Snoqualmie Falls. The café is famously known as the RR Diner featured in the television show Twin Peaks. The show used both the interior and the exterior for scenes. I do not know how they got a film crew in there as it is narrow, but they indeed managed it. The booths, however, are large and comfortable.

We did have to get on a waiting list even though we went mid-week. So, we do recommend if you visit the place to plan accordingly. Our wait time was about twenty minutes. My novelist ordered a Garden Salad which is generous and a coffee with cream and sugar. I ordered a side of bacon. For dessert, we both enjoyed a slice of their famous Cherry pie. We both agree the pie is outstanding. We took pictures so you could get an idea of what the restaruant looks like. The place is very much like a mid-twentieth century diner. And they do sell magnets and stickers if you would like souvenirs. Unfortunatley, we were so excited about the pie we ate it before we could take a picture.

However, we purchased our Twin Peaks souvenirs from a couple of stores down at DT Vintage & More. We strongly recommend stopping here as well. They have a section of the store dedicated to Twin Peaks merchandise done by local artists. They have pins, earrings, metal signs, coasters, mugs, T-shirts, tote bags and more. My novelist and I were impressed, and the prices were very reasonable. So, if you do visit the restaurant, make sure you also visit that store as well. There is also a great looking little bakery next to DT Vintage and More.

We also took in a matinee of Coyote Vs Acme early this week. If you watch the trailers for the other animated movies out there (the new Shaun, the Sheep movie excluded) this one is a breath of fresh air. Most of the new films look like a hot mess. We believe Coyote Vs Acme, though part animation and part live action should be eligible for an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film despite not having the film be 75% animation. This is a stupid rule. Not only should it be eligible for the nomination for being a smart entertaining movie, but also because of the ridiculous journey it had to take to get to the big screen.

Warner Bros. might just be the stupidest Hollywood studio on the planet. How can you own Looney Tunes and not figure out how to make money with them? Warner Bros. even had their own brick and mortar stores at one time which were outstanding and successful. Better designed than the Disney Stores. And yet AOL, run by mentally inept turnips, could not figure out how valuable they were and sold them all off.

Paramount, who now unfortunately owns Warner Bros., also run by mentally compromised cabbage heads, did not think that they should merchandise the film. If you go to Warner Bros. store online, there is no Coyote vs Acme merchandise you can purchase. None. Zilch. Nada. When we attended the theatre, my novelist wore a Tweety shirt, Roadrunner Earrings, and a Wile E. Coyote necklace. All of whom are in the film. We saw someone else in a Wile E. Coyote T-shirt. But none of this licensed merchandise came from the now Warner Bros. online store because they did not sell any. What a bunch of maroons! If a small town with a restaurant that was in a once popular television show can figure out how to merchandise, how come a big corporation is too stupid to figure out how to do the same thing?

The only intelligent party here is Ketchup Entertainment who bought the movie for fifty million dollars and released it. They should receive an Oscar for merely having common sense, sadly a rare trait these days in Hollywood and quite frankly everywhere else as well. If you get a chance, go see Coyote vs Acme. It is worth the ticket. Until next week, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

You can check out my books Chicane and all five installments of the Musicology book series Musicology: Volume One, Baby!, Musicology: Volume Two, Kid!, Musicology: Volume Three, Twist!, Musicology: Volume Four, Sweetie! and Musicology: The Epiquad on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback editions. You can also check out Musicology’s web site at www.musicologyrocks.com and vote for who you think will win Musicology!

STREAM OF THE WEEK: 9 TO 5 (1980)-AMAZON PRIME, NETFLIX, HULU

In honor of Dolly Parton, our Stream of the Week is this terrific women’s liberation comedy for which she received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Song. The film was directed by Colin Higgins who co-wrote the smart and funny WGA nominated original script with Patricia Resnick. The movie was later made into a 2009 Broadway Musical for which Dolly Parton wrote several new songs, and AFI rightly named the movie one of the 100 Best Comedies of All Time.

The story takes place in an unnamed city in California, where recently divorced Judy Bernly (well-played by Jane Fonda) who has spent most of her adult life as a homemaker, gets her first job as a secretary for the company Consolidated Companies. There she meets the smart and witty senior supervisor Violet Newstead (wryly played by Lilly Tomlin) who shows her around the rat race. They both work for sexist, bigoted all-around narcissist, Vice President Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman who drolly steals just about every scene). Violet warns Judy about Hart’s bootlicker mole Roz (Elizabeth Wilson), and Hart’s cheery sexy secretary Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton in her breakout performance) whom the whole office believes is having an affair with Hart.

Hart often calls on Violet to do his bidding when Doralee is out of the office, a job which Violet tolerates because she is up for a promotion after working at the company for twelve years. But when Hart gives the promotion to the less-qualified Bob Enright, things begin to unravel. Hart viciously chews Judy out for a mishap with the copier and Violet and Judy find Doralee has not been having an affair with Hart but instead has been the victim of his constant sexual harassment. The three women meet at the nearby Charlie’s Bar and gleefully share their Hart revenge fantasies. But their seemingly innocent conversation takes an unexpected turn when Violet is asked to do one too many errands for her unappreciative boss.

Rounding out the cast is Sterling Hayden as board member Tinsworthy and Marian Mercer as Harts unsuspecting wife Missy Hart.