Hey don't forget -tonight is the fourth night of Hanukkah -

As always, we here at ACME want to help spread hope, peace, joy, and other marketing buzzwords









Hopefully you haven't overeaten this Christmas, but if you have, perhaps you'll get a visit from  -



( Remember, it isn't really Christmas until you hear his Hidey Ho.)

Your Christmas gifts are starting to arrive (we'll be keeping a count.)

(Remember, we are going to count this as a unit and not as two individual gifts.)


December 25, 1962 –
Robert Mulligan's adaptation of  Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck and Mary Badham opened on this date.



The first scene that Gregory Peck shot showed him returning home from his character's law office while his children ran to greet him. Author Harper Lee was a guest on the set that day, and Peck noticed her crying after the scene was filmed. He asked Lee why she was crying, and she responded that Peck had looked just like her late father, the model for Atticus. Lee explained that Peck even had a little round stomach like her father's. "That's not a pot belly, Harper," Peck told her, "That's great acting".


December 25, 1990 -
Francis Ford Coppola's much maligned sequel, The Godfather III starring everyone you would expect (except Robert Duvell, who couldn't come to an agreement about his salary,) went into general release on this date.



Francis Ford Coppola once admitted that he was still unhappy over the final result, because of lack of time on working with the script. According to him, he wanted six million dollars for the writer, producer, and director fee with six months work on the scriptwriting. The studio instead gave him only one million dollars in fees and six weeks to work on the script, in order to meet the Christmas 1990 release. He also regretted that the character of Tom Hagen had to be written out of the script because the studio refused to meet Robert Duvall's financial demands. According to Coppola, with Hagen gone, an essential character and counterpart for Michael Corleone was missing from the movie.


December 25, 1992 -
Richard Attenborough epic bio pix about the the world famous comedian Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Dan Aykroyd, Penelope Ann Miller, and Kevin Kline went into limited release in the United States (the anniversary of Chaplin's death) on this date.



Geraldine Chaplin recalled that when she first saw Robert Downey, Jr. in full costume, she was so awestruck on how much he resembled her late father, that she needed a moment to collect her thoughts to even speak.


December 25, 1999 -
The Sci-Fi parody (of Star Trek), Galaxy Quest, Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell premiered in the U.S. on this date.



The scene when Tim Allen is in a men's room overhearing how the cast of Galaxy Quest are nobodies and all the co-stars can't stand him mirrors an actual event in William Shatner's life. He discovered the exact same things about himself when he attended a 1986 convention.


December 25, 2009 -
Guy Ritchie's twist on the iconic Victorian detective, Sherlock Holmes, starring  Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law went into general release in the U.S. on this date.



After Guy Ritchie signed on as the director, he insisted that the two most common clichés of Sherlock Holmes, the "Elementary, my dear Watson" quip, and Holmes' deerstalker, be dropped entirely.


It's just too late to just be naughty and save Santa the trip.


Once again, we here at ACME once again want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday by sharing this Christmas poem:

Let us all be Noticers today.

Let us notice our children’s gifts rather than their flaws.

Let us notice what our spouse does right, not what he or she did wrong.

Let us notice the sacrifices our parents made, rather than all the times they messed up.

Let us notice how hard people are working not how quickly they are providing service.

Let us notice where our love and kindness is needed, rather than spew criticism and scrutiny where it is not needed.

Let us be Noticers. Love others right where they are. Love others just as they are. Someone is just waiting for us to notice what’s blooming or wilting inside that could use a little undivided attention.

… The one who notices and responds with empathy can create a ripple effect. Because compassion spreads . . . compassion is contagious!”

“… finding Glimmers of Goodness within a day is possible – even when you are irritated, annoyed, or frustrated. Try taking each not-so-pleasant experience or feeling and thanking it for its hidden gifts.

Thank you, growing older. It is in finding another gray hair and another laugh line that I appreciate the gift of another day.

Thank you, pang of guilt. It is in wishing that I did things differently that I appreciate the opportunity of Second chances.

Thank you, disappointment. It is in experiencing letdown that I appreciate the fact that I had the courage to try.

Thank you, daily challenge. It is looking straight into the face of sorrow, struggle, fear, frustration, heartache, and worry that I appreciate the fact that I keep showing up. And I will keep showing up.

Because even on the hardest days, even in the most challenging moments, I can see tiny glimmers of goodness if I look closely for them.”



And so it goes


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