Tribute: Eartha Kitt
Posted on December 27, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Eartha Kitt, who died this week, was an electrifying performer. The warm reminiscences about her incendiary performances on and off-stage are as entertaining as the legendary actress/singer was herself. The Washington Post had Will Haygood’s hilarious recounting of the most expensive — and mesmerizing — lunch of his life. Entertainment Weekly has a piece about a recent cabaret performance by the still-flirty octogenarian .
The obituaries mentioned the spirited attack on our involvement in Viet Nam at a White House luncheon that led to controversy, headlines, and years of difficulty in getting booked. The highlights of her performing career that were most often mentioned were her appearances in nightclubs, her performance as Catwoman in the “Batman” television show, and her unforgettable recording of “Santa Baby.” But today I am remembering her perfect casting as the villain in one of Disney’s most under-appreciated films, The Emperor’s New Groove
Everyone’s favorite Mousketeer was the 1950’s version of Miley Cyrus. The 1957-58 episodes featured here include all 20 episodes from her own TV series (“Annette”) and a new tribute to her career. The song she sang on the show, “How Will I know My Love,” was written by the Sherman brothers (who would later go on to write the songs for “Mary Poppins”). It became a hit and led to a successful recording career. Annette’s sweetness and unaffected charm is as winning as her talent.
completes the collection of Donald-ania and includes two Oscar-nominated shorts, “No Hunting” and “Rugged Bear” with Cinemascope cartoons on DVD in their original format for the first time. No one ever got madder better than Donald Duck and it is always a delight to see him bluster. 
is an exciting three-part miniseries starring Patrick McGoohan as priest by day/avenger by night, based on the novels by Russell Thorndike. 
(the original with Humphrey Bogart, not the remake with Sean Penn) is an off-beat Christmas story about three escaped convicts who end up solving the problems of a middle-class French family with the help of a pet viper.
They finally got Dr. Seuss right in this warm-hearted and heart-warming story of the elephant who is “faithful 100 percent” and the world on a little speck of dust that he rescues. 