Cat Attic Cafe in Seoul, South Korea

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

How's this for a great idea? There's a new trendy South Korean coffee shop that serve's up feline company along with a cup of Joe.

That's the point of Seoul's newest cat cafe: Why just caffenate when you can indulge with a purring tabby or Russian gray on your lap?

"Mom and pop cafes are everywhere and there's a Starbucks on just about every corner in Seoul, but this is different," said one college student who frequents the Cat Attic Cafe.

In South Korea's capital, which in recent years has felt the buzz of the coffee-house craze, entrepreneurs know that it's not enough just to serve up drinks. If you want to stay in business you've got to separate yourself from the crowd.

Unlike coffee houses in other cultures, many of Seoul's themed caffeine cafes are bereft of customers in the morning. It's only in the evening that the crowds come out. But in Kwon Hyuk-jin's Cat Attic Cafe, the customers come as soon as he opens his doors at 1 p.m. A cat lover, Kwon saw the success that a friend had introducing cats and coffee drinkers and opened his own business last month.

"Some customers come for the coffee, but most come for the cats," he said happily. "A lot of women lead their boyfriends here by the hand."

Most tables include a lint roller. Customers must take off their shoes and pass through a safety door to guard against cat escapes.

The Cat Attic Cafe has rules: Don't wake up sleeping cats or grab a passing feline. You can't feed the residents and the menu also politely asks, "Please don't tap the cat's behind."

"This is a place where you can make friends with the cats," a sign reads. "However, cats are not toys."

"Tron" Trounces the Box Office

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The much-hyped sci-fi sequel "Tron: The Legacy" trounced its closest competition at the box office this weekend, notching $43.6 million in an opening weekend some 28 years after the original cult hit debuted. It's $200 million budget let filmmakers "do some incredible things," says the director of the original.

Rounding out the top 5, according to the Hollywood Reporter:

2. Yogi Bear- $16.7 million

3. The Chronicles of Narnia- $12.4 million

4. The Fighter- $12.2 million

5. The Tourist- $8.7 million

Tangled - $8.7 million (virtual tie).

"Marty" (1955)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"Marty" is a brilliant film. It stars Ernest Borgnine as Marty Piletti, a heavy-set Italian American butcher who lives in the Bronx with his over-bearing mother. Unmarried at 34, the good-natured but socially awkward man faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married. Not averse to marriage but disheartened by his lack of prospects, Marty has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood.

"Ma, sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts. And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like...I ain't go it."

After being harassed by his mother into going to the Stardust Ballroom one Saturday night, Marty connects with Clara--a plain school teacher who has been nastily abandoned by her blind date. Spending the evening together, Clara and Marty realize their emotional connection. The two part with Marty's promise to call the next day.

Fearing the romance could spell her abandonment, Marty's mother belittles Clara. Likewise, Marty's friends are unimpressed because of her plainness and try to convince Marty to forget about her. Harangued into submission, Marty doesn't call Clara.

But back in the same lonely rut, Marty realizes that he is giving up the chance at love with a wonderful woman. Over the objections of his friends, he impulsively dashes to a phone booth to give Clara a call. When his friend Angie asks what he's doing, Marty bursts out saying,:

"You don't like her. My mother don't like her. She's a dog and I'm a fat, ugly man. Well, all I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees and I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me. If we make a party on New Year's Eve I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad."

Upon release, the film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Ronald Holloway of Variety wrote, "If Marty is an example of the type of material that can be gleaned, then studio story editors better spend more time at home looking at TV." Time described the film as "wonderful." At a budget of $343,000 the film generated revenues of $3,000,000 in the USA alone, making it a box office success.

In 1994, "Marty" was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Bits of film trivia:
1. The film's plot was remade in the 1991 film "Only the Lonely."
2. One line of dialogue, "I don't know. What do you want to do tonight, Marty?" was often satirized and became a catch phrase during the 1950s.
3. Comedian and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Jeff Garlin is a huge fan of "Marty" and his 2006 film, " Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" contains numerous references to it, including a subplot involving a studio remake of the film starring singer Aaron Carter as the title character and actress Gina Gershon as Marty's mother.

'The King's Speech' leads field

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"The King's Speech" is precisely the kind of film that has long appealed to awards voters: It's historical, focuses on royalty, depicts a character overcoming physical adversity and features a classy cast.

So it should come as no surprise that it received the most Golden Globe nominations Tuesday with seven, including best picture, on a morning when there were few surprises to be found. The film's director, Tom Hooper, was also among the nominees, as were stars Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter.

Other top nominees were David Fincher's: "The Social Network," which traces the origins of Facebook and David O Russell's "The Fighter," inspired by the true story of Boston-area boxer "Irish" Micky Ward. Both films received six nominations, including best picture and best director.

According to actor Geoffrey Rush, "When I look at the films that have been nominated and the films that have been emerging through the festivals in the last couple of months, it's fascinating to me. Somebody actually did comment online that maybe we're going back to the great old days of the '70s where films had a bit of meat and a bit of bite and a bit of social commentary," he said.

"Three Golden Globe nominations for 'The Tourist' is a dream come true," said German director Florian Hencket von Donnersmarck, who was also a Golden Globe nominee and Academy Award winner for his 2007 debut "The Secret Lives of Others." "No one is more fun to watch than Johnny Depp and Angelina. They are great artists and in my book, they deserve every nomination and award on the globe."

Two songs from the guilty-pleasure "Burlesque" were nominated, ones sung by Cher and Christina Aguilera. Other glamorous surprise nominees include Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal for "Love and Other Drugs" and Halle Berry for "Frankie and Alice." Meanwhile, the Coen Brothers' acclaimed remake of the Western "Tru Grit" was oddly shut out.

"No Problem Orchestra" to rock Royal Wedding bashes

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A band formed by mentally disabled music enthusiasts will perform at two royal weddings next year according to The Austrian Times.

The "No Problem Orchestra," an eight member music group formed by six Styrians and two people from Vienna, will take to the stage at the wedding party of Prince William and Kate Middleton in London on April 29 before performing for Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee' Charlene Wittstock on July 2 and 3rd.

The extraordinary band, who have played gigs in the United States and across Europe, gave a private concert to Queen Elizabeth II at Highgrove House in the British county of Glouchtershire eight years ago.

Ferrell, Reilly parody classic Christmas duet

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have added a comedic twist to David Bowie and Bing Crosby's classic Christmas duet.

The video was posted Monday by Funny or Die. It's a remarkable, comedic imitation of Crosby and Bowie's beloved 1977 Christmas special in which they sang "Peace on Earth.The Little Drummer Boy." In it, Ferrell plays Bowie and Reilly performs as Crosby.

The mimicry is impressive, with almost every line exactly repeated. Reilly fittingly dons a V-neck sweater and Ferrell sports Bowie's blue blazer and a British accent. The two stay faithfully in character until the end, when they curse at each other and Ferrell knocks over a Christmas tree.

The video had gotten 135,000 hits by Monday night.

Putin Serenades Celebs at Cancer Benefit

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Like something out of an acid trip or perhaps an alternative universe, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin showed up at a benefit concert in St. Petersburg Friday to perform "Blueberry Hill."

Putin played the piano, then sang the Fats Domino hit to a crowd that included Sharon Stone, Kevin Costner and Mickey Rourke.

They were gathered at an ice hockey arena to benefit children with cancer.

"The Odessa File" (1974)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The Odessa File is a film adaptation of the thriller novel by Frederick Forsythe about a struggle between a young German reporter and the ODESSA, an organization for ex-Nazis. The film stars Jon Voight and Maxmillian Schell.

The plot opens on November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Peter Miller, a young German reporter, happens to see an ambulance on a highway. He chases the ambulance and discovers it is en route to pick up the body of an elderly Jewish Holocaust survivor who had committed suicide, leaving behind no family.

The reporter obtains the diary of the man, which contains information on his life in the WWII Riga Ghetto and the names of members of the SS who ran the camp. Miller is startled to read in it that an SS officer, Eduard Roschmann, (Schell),had in anger fatally shot a Wehrmacht officer whose description and rare military decorations matched those of Miller's father who was killed in the war.

Now determined to hunt Roschmann down and get revenge, Miller dares to go undercover to join and infiltrate the ODESSA and find Roschmann. The word ODESSA mentioned in the film is an acronym, which translated from the German means the Organization for former Members of the SS.

This is what good espionage movies are all about; a strong bases for the storyline, a simple objective and an intriguing plot. The climatic scene between Jon Voight and Max Schell is absolutely brilliant. Schell's scenery-chewing deliciously evil cameo makes this worth the watch by itself.

The movie's theme song was "Christmas Dream," sung by Perry Como.

"Confessions of a Nazi Spy" (1939)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Ed Renard is a G-man investigating a huge Nazi spy ring in the United States. Contacts are discovered in the U.S., Latin America and Europe.

"Confessions of a Nazi Spy" is a spy thriller the first blatantly anti-Nazi film produced by a major Hollywood studio prior to WWII. The film stars Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders and a large cast of German actors, including some who had emigrated from their country after the rise of Hitler.

Though the film can be seen as propaganda, it was based on the articles of former FBI agent Leon G. Turrou, who had been active in investigating Nazi spy rings in the U.S., prior to the war and lost his position at the Bureau when he published the articles without permission.

Despite its controversial subject, the film was a major worldwide box office hit for Warner Brothers. "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" was banned in Germany, Japan and many Latin American and European countries.

"Amadeus" (1984)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The winner of 8 Academy Awards and a genius film in it's own right, "Amadeus" tells a story of both fact and fiction, proof and heresay, about the greatest composer who has ever lived. Directed by Milos Forman the story is based loosely on the lives of Mozart and Salieri, who lived in Vienna during the latter half of the 18th century.

So incredibly talented was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, that nearly 300 years after his death, the world still has questions pertaining to his life, his death and most certainly, his music.

Amadeus is narrated by Antiono Salieri (according to rumor), who was both immensely enamored and insanely jealous of Mozart. Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), lives and breaths music and aspires to be a great composer. He promises God his utmost service if he would only bestow on Salieri the gift of music.

Unfortunately, Salieri's talent is only mediocre, and a man by the name of Mozart seems to have been blessed by God himself. The film portrays Mozart as a pompous punk who doesn't compose music because he feels it's a divine gift, he composes music simply because he can.

As the film progresses, Mozart becomes more and more infamous for his talent, while Salieri becomes more and more invisible. Salieri ponders Mozart's talent, as does the rest of Vienna.

Tom Hulce as Mozart is brilliant as is F. Murray Abraham's performance as the envious Salieri. The costumes and set decoration are vibrant and stunning and it's interesting to see what the city of Vienna looked like in the 18th century.