Blast from the Past: Best of Madeline Kahn!

I recently joined a group on Facebook called Hollywood Babylon. Each day, they have a topic, and invite members to post pictures or videos. Very, very often, Madeline Kahn comes up (often from me, admittedly). Kahn's heyday was the early 70s to early 80s, making a name for herself in movie comedies, especially those by Mel Brooks. She also appeared in other venues like The Muppet Show and Saturday Night Live. It was on SNL where she appeared with Gilda Radner, brilliantly melding Gilda's Barbra Walters parody Baba Wawa with Madeline's Marlene Dietrich impression. Interestingly, Madeline frequently co-starred with Gene Wilder and Gilda married him. Sadly, both actresses--who will always be linked in my mind--died ovarian cancer in different years, both far too young. In both cases, I and many others felt absolutely robbed of a favorite entertainer, and it for some reason felt personal. But it's great that we can replay our favorite performances whenever we want to.

So, here in no particular order, are some of my favorite Madeline Kahn performances. Enjoy!

And that's just a small slice of the genius that was Madeline Kahn. Hopefully, it puts a smile on your face to greet the week with. Happy Monday!

Frivolity Break: Abbottabad! President Obama and the Muppets

Okay, so calling this a Frivolity Break might stretch the meaning of the term. After all, this clip is based on the premise that President Barack Obama ordered the elimination of Osama bin Laden. Yes, the Obama/Osama thing is a very strange coincidence, and for the most part people should get a pass when they tongue-trip over the names. But the town in which Obama Osama was killed was called "Abbottabad," and sounds very much like a nonsense word. Kind of like Mahna Mahna, a catchy 60s tune adapted by the Muppets in the 70s. So a YouTube video mashup was inevitable.

Happy Belated Birthday, Cloris Leachman!

I missed her birthday yesterday, but I can't let today pass without passing on my best wishes. It's hard to believe that she's 82, since she seems so vibrant in every appearance. Here's hoping she has many, many more birthdays (and performances) ahead of her. Long live Frau Blucher (and Nurse Diesel)!

P.S. Sorry there aren't better YouTube clips available, but what can you do?