Christmas is here!

We hope you're ready for all the merriment and that you have cookies selected to leave out for Santa!

Happy birthday to Agam Darshi!

Born in England and raised in Canada, actress Agam Darshi has enjoyed a busy career on the small screen since making her professional debut in 2004. She is perhaps best known for her leading roles in the sci-fi series "Sanctuary" (2009 - 2011) and the crime drama "Played" (2013), but her resume is brimming with supporting and guest-starring roles in series and made-for-television movies, including recurring roles in everything from sit-coms to sci-fi adventure series.

Darshi turns 35 years old today. Here are a few pictures in celebration!

'A Trap for Santa Claus' is a cute little drama

A Trap for Santa Claus (1909)
Starring: Marion Leonard, Gladys Egan, Henry B. Walthall, John Tansey, William J. Butler, and Mack Sennett
Director: D.W. Griffith
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

After a deadbeat husband and father (Wathall) abandons his wife (Leonard) and children (Egan and Tansey), the woman inherits a mansion and a fortune from her aunt. They are all unexpectedly reunited on Christmas Eve when the man tries to burglarize the home that, unbeknownst to him, his family is now living in.

"A Trap for Santa Claus" is a fast-moving short film from a filmmaker who helped create the visual language of cinema. Although less innovative than works that would follow later, this cute little Christmas film is full of scenes that are framed and performed by actors who are more effectively blocked and directed for film than was typical in films of this vintage. 

As should be expected, there are aspects that have not aged well. Among these are some pantomiming by adult stars Marion Leonard and Henry B. Wathall, as they successfully convey plot points and emotions with gestures. This aspect of their performances will not seem as annoying as it might in some films, because it's balanced out by the effective blocking and more natural gestures and subdued character interactions than was common during this period. The two child actors featured also give performances that feel less overblown than one might expect -- and they even server as effective comic relief as the story moves into its climactic sequence. (John Tansey even does a pratfall with a style that one wouldn't think an 8-year-old would possess!)

I was torn between assigning this film a Six or Seven Star rating. I eventually decided to go with the lower of the two, because, although I appreciate the quick pacing of the film and the universally good performances by the entire cast, the pat happy ending that arises from a Christmas Miracle of coincidences was just a bit much for me. I know this is a Christmas story, so I expected there to be redemption and forgiveness for the deadbeat dad before the film was over, but it felt unearned and too easy. The ending isn't terrible, but I think the century that's passed since this film was released, and the many Christmas movies that have followed, have upped expectations from fare like this. (Of course, with its running time of 15 minutes, there also wasn't a whole lot of time to fit in a proper redemption arc.)

In the final analysis, though, this is a film that's still worth watching, and we've embedded it below for your convenience. Pour yourself a glass of eggnog, sit back, and enjoy!

Christmas is coming...

 ... and Dorothy Lee is getting annoyed at the daily reminders floating around the Shades of Gray offices.

Meanwhile, Loretta Young is getting ready to help delivering gifts to all the good boys and girls as this year's Santa's Helper!

Christmas is coming...

 ... and for one young lady, it won't just be the weather that's frightful. Because she's spending Christmas in... the Twilight Zone.

Musical Monday with Yello

Yello is duo who've been making wild electronica for more than 40 years. At this point, they're like the cool grandpas we wish we all had... AND they dress their ages!

It's a shame they've been lost in the void between the universes as they followed their buddy Stephen Strange into the Multiverse of Madness.

The Festival of Lights Begins Today

It's Milla Jovovich's birthday!

 No bars can hold her, because this is a day of no-holds-barred partying!

 
 

(Milla also wants everyone to be aware of the unifying theme here at Shades of Gray!)

We're making sure Santa stays on schedule!

All of us here at Shades of Gray have taken part-time jobs at Santa's Workshop to ensure that all the toys for the good girls and boys are ready for the Big Guy's Christmas Run.

Clara Bow has been given what is perhaps the most important task of all of us: She's the Lead Quality Control Inspector, making sure that none of the rest of us are accidentially making dangerous toys!

Lana Morris asked an important question

"Since we have Christmas in July," she began, "can we have Nude Day in December?"

Other than suggesting that it might be a little too cold, we had no good answer. So...