The Legacy Award Goes To...

Warning: This post is all things sappy and sweet. If you are allergic to either of these things, please run.

I'm sure by now you all know that Robin Williams has passed away. When I heard the news, I wanted bawl my eyes out watching Dead Poets Society before shedding happy tears with The Birdcage. Williams was part of many a childhood across the country starting in 1978 with "Mork & Mindy" all the way to the 90s with Hook and Jumanji. He wasn't just a gifted comedian. His dramatic work was incredible too. Look no further than Society or his Oscar-winning turn in Good Will Hunting. 

Meeting Genie and Abu in 2007 at the Pirate & Princess Party. Wow.

His legacy lives on at Disney of course through his voicework as the Genie in Aladdin (and to a lesser extent, its second sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves). Aladdin isn't my favorite of the "Golden Age" movies, but there's no denying Williams is a key element to what makes that movie so memorable. The Genie is also still a beloved character at the Disney parks. Today's generation of kids love to meet him. It's fun to see their faces light up when he pops up during Magic Kingdom's Move It Shake It Celebrate It Street Party.

So thank you, Robin Williams, for the memories and the many laughs. Your legacy will live on forever.

I want to take this time to commemorate some people who were and still are very special to me. They are definitely very much with me today. I didn't update at the time of their deaths so here goes nothing.

Ann Caldwell, lovingly called Miss Momma by her family, was a wonderful woman full of life and love. She got her nickname when my mom was a kid. Mom had a friend over and introduced her parents as Momma and Diddy. So her friend, ever the southern belle, said, "Hello, Miss Momma. Hello, Mr. Diddy." The names stuck forever.

Miss Momma and a young Joe Moore

In 1986 Miss Momma was diagnosed with MS. She never let the disease get her down though. Even as her body deteriorated she was determined to very much be a part of her childrens' and grandchildrens' lives. She taught all of her grandchildren piano. (That's right, folks. I got some skills though my fingers have a good 10 years of rust on them.) She went to church every Sunday and Wednesday night. She was always there for any special event: birthdays, graduations, ballet recitals, etc. She even visited Disney World three times!

There's actually a pretty humorous story about Miss Momma that I don't think I've ever told anyone. Back when I first started writing, I would let her read my stories. (They were awful Harry Potter ripoffs by the way.) I used a thesaurus to find other words for the basic "said", "replied", and "exclaimed". So you can imagine the look of horror on this Christian woman's face when she read the following:

"Run! He's coming for us!" Dawn ejaculated.

Poor, poor Miss Momma. She calmly told me, "Joseph, you shouldn't use that word." That's all she had to say. Very matter of factly. That's how she was, and I never questioned her. I didn't even find out what the word meant until my teenage years. Good job, me.

Ray Moore. What can I say about Ray Moore that hasn't already been said? He's kind of a big deal. Yes that's an Anchorman quote. Very fitting because Ray Moore was an anchorman. He interviewed Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Frost. He hired Tom Brokaw. Click here for more of his fascinating broadcasting career.

Even with all his success in the news, he was simply Granddaddy to us kids. Like Miss Momma, he loved spending time with his family. Every time we visited his place, he always had something for us to do. We went to the park or the pool, and for dinner we would either have pizza or Chinese food with some Vienetta (sugar free of course) for dessert. Despite his age, he loved taking us to Six Flags every summer. He even took us on our first ever trip to Walt Disney World! That's the thing about Granddaddy. His body may have been old, but his mind was sharp as a tack! It must have been the journalist inside him.

There's a video Grandddaddy made when he was nearing the end of his career. He wanted to write a piece on grandparenting to show Atlantans he was a real person with a real family. WSB loved the idea and suggested that his son, my dad, shoot and edit the piece and that a young yours truly should be the star. Click here for that lovely three-generation feature, and grab the tissues if you haven't already. (It's on Facebook so I apologize if you are unable to view it.) There's also a great forward from my dad you can read, some of which I liberally borrowed just now. Thanks, Dad!

There's one more person I want to say good-bye to, and that's Marie Brinson, my father's mother. She was Grandma to us. We didn't know her very well. I vaguely remember her visiting us when I was very young, and that memory is probably from old VHS viewings. She and her husband Joe owned a lot of farmland not too far from our place, and we visited there a few times during my teenage years. I set one of my screenplays at that farm. It was based off a dream I had, and that dream was inspired by watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers earlier that night. While that might not be the most pleasant memory of Grandma and her farm, it's still a memory, and it still makes me smile.

So what do we have here? One celebrity whose life inspired millions around the world, and three family members who touched many lives during their time on this earth. It just goes to show that no matter who you are, you always leave behind a legacy. Whether you're a famous celebrity or more family-oriented (or in Granddaddy's case, both) there's always somebody out there that loves you. 

I hope you've enjoyed this sugary side of Joe Moore. He doesn't come out to play very often. Everybody have a good hump day!

The In-Betweener

I have three blog posts scrambling around in my head. Of course I'm never by a computer when the urge to write strikes. That's why I always carry around a handy dandy notebook. I've been keeping notebooks since high school. I mostly use them to write screenplays. When I hit a roadblock, I flip to the back of the book. That's where I doodle or write playlist ideas or other randomness that has nothing to do with anything. I love looking back at my old notebooks. It makes me laugh.

ANYWAY on to the three update ideas! 

1) Write a California blog, even though my sister has already gone above and beyond in that respect. Check out her version of our California Adventure! There's at least five stories from all the different shenanigans.

2) Write about how awesome Guardians of the Galaxy is, and how everyone should see it... yesterday. Also about how I'm obsessed with the soundtrack (surprise surprise).

3) This last one is more of an emotional update, which is saying something because I'm such a complacent guy. Losing Robin Williams last night was heart-wrenching (because we were bffs). Then I realized it's been two years since the family lost my grandmother, Miss Momma. So I'm suddenly reeling from that all over again. I should probably write this one while the emotions are still fresh in my mind.

I'll get one of these written before I leave for work tonight. That's the goal anyway. I always get distracted when I'm writing, either because I listen to music and end up throwing a dance party or because I hit a roadblock. You see, I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my writing. If it isn't perfect the first time, I can't stand it. I know the first time is never perfect. That's what drafts are for. I've never been good with drafts. It always has to be airtight the first time around. Even writing this brief in-between blog has taken me two hours. Just ask my pff bff, Andie. She can totally vouch for me. Totes.

Okay, enough of this. Gotta get writing!

All I Ever Wanted

No need to panic people, but I am freaking out right now!! You may be asking yourselves, "Why? Should we be concerned? Joe Moore does not freak out. It's against his complacent nature." You would be correct on those points. However I just saw the most magical thing I've seen in years: next week's schedule. I wish I could post the picture. Alas, I'm typing this post from my phone, and it isn't allowing me to post pictures sooo imagine looking at your schedule for the following week and seeing mostly one word:

VACATION!!!

Now surely you understand why Joe Moore is practically having a panic attack. But wait! There's more! Joe Moore is going on vacation. With his family. To California!!! That's right folks. The Moore Weiss crew is gonna have Moore fun for the next 10 days than you will. Let me just dig that knife in a little deeper. 

I am SO EXCITED!! In the 27 years of my existence, I have never been further west than Texas. I was only 2 years old when that trip occurred so that probably doesn't even count. So let's say the further west I remember traveling is Louisiana. Wow. I can't even... 

We're hitting LA, Disneyland, San Fran, and whatever else we feel like/have time for/can afford. We will also be seeing one of the adopted Moore kids, none other than Laura Williams or Wi, as she has been lovingly called since our GYB days.

So yeah, I can't believe this is finally happening. This week is going to be the longest week ever. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go. As per my buddy Joshua, I have lots of hugs to give.

Kick Rocks

MJJ.

Some of you just shuddered a little bit. Others probably got a little emotional. No matter what you just felt, one thing is for sure. Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade is gone... forever! Mwah ha ha!

I remember the first time I ever watched MJJ. It was 2007. I was a brand new College Program kid, and as all new CPs do, I was playing at Animal Kingdom with some of my training group friends. We had just gotten soaked on Kali River Rapids and were heading toward Africa when our path was blocked by some random procession heading down the street. Yes. That procession was Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. Maybe I was annoyed because it stopped our fun, or maybe because I was drenched, but I thought it was a piece of crap. Little did I know, I would get trained in that piece of crap a few months later.

May 2007 is when my life forever changed. Getting trained in MJJ meant that Disney's Animal Kingdom (or DAK for short) would be my new home. I was nervous at first because I'm a shy guy. It takes me a while to make new friends. There was no reason to worry though. The people there quickly accepted me as one of their own, and I was officially a DAKian. Chilling at Tamu Tamu with Baloo and King Louie before rocking it out with them in parade became my new life. Sure it was summertime, and it was HOT. AS. BALLS. but the old school people took care of me, and I am forever grateful for their generosity.

Top L - clockwise: Baloo and Louie being foolish buffoons; full-timers saying farwell to the best CPs ever; Face Rope and Water with Bernadette and Jamaica Jen; Katie and Christy, I'd be a lost Papa Bear without all their help

After a very brief hiatus when I thought I was going back to school, I returned to Disney in summer of 2008 as a seasonal cast member. These 2-3 years of 4-hour calls (working parade only) are definitely NOT missed. During my broke years I learned a few other roles in parade. Not only was I jammin' with Papa Bear. I had the pleasure of driving the parade floats, causing a ruckus with Br'er Bear, and I guess I enjoyed a few select days having a wing-ding of a time with Goofy.

During my time at MJJ I made lifelong friendships that still last to this day. Some of these people have moved on to bigger and better things, but had it not been for MJJ, I wouldn't have met some of my nearest and dearest friends. We stuck together through the good times and the bad, and we always rocked that jungle no matter how we were feeling backstage. So thank you MJJ for creating some of the best memories a guy could ask for. I wouldn't trade all the shenanigans for anything.

The best of friends causing all the shenanigans!! (Yes I know there's a repeat picture. Sorry it's so AWESOME!)

May 31, 2014 was a bittersweet day for me. Yes, it was the last day of MJJ. Yes, I shed a few tears. Yes, it was past time for parade to go. Out with the old and in with... Avatar... oh wait that's old too. Good job staying current, DAK! (Yes, I know there on sequels on the way. I'm not a fan. Sue me.) I didn't get to work the last day, but thanks to some scheduling finagling I got to watch as my closest friends performed their little hearts out. It was definitely the best I've ever seen parade. Great job to you all!

So after seven years, MJJ is gone. My life is not going to be the same, but I can't say I'm going to miss the parade. I will miss performing in it, especially when I got to jam with my bffs! I'm also grateful for all the friends I made at DAK. I'm glad we were able to close out parade properly: sweating profusely in the hot as balls sun. You all are like a family to me, and I look forward to the next wild adventure life brings our way.

I leave you with this delightful CatPaint

#BYE

My Spidey's Back!

Let me preface by saying I consider myself a huge Spider-Man fan. Comic book nerds may find that statement hypocritical because I've never read any of the comics. I've done enough research of the comics to know about Peter Parker and his amazing adventures, but that's it. I am thoroughly a fan of the movies. To get a little insight of my slightly biased love for Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man flick, please peruse this vignette in Joe Moore's life.

Okay on with the review!

Since everyone is asking, the answer is yes. I have seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Yes, I enjoyed it. Do I think it's the best of the films? Not at all. I don't understand why the critics are trashing it though. It's better than its predecessor, and it's certainly better than Raimi's Spider-Man 3, a film that also had one too many villains and numerous plot threads.

The best part of AS2 is the romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Both Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are excellent, and the chemistry between them is dynamite. If you thought they were good in the first film, you will fall in love with them here. They are so cute! They're so good anytime the action starts up, you wish it would stop just so the pair can bicker or gaze longingly into each other's eyes. They even made me shed a tear or two so thanks a lot, you two! No really, thank you.

Speaking of the action scenes, they are much better this go-around. Maybe the first flick was just a practice round for director Marc Webb because he feels a lot more comfortable handling the action. There's some very nifty slow-motion that I dug a lot. The only downside is there's not really a standout action set piece. They're cool, but nothing pops out like either the Aunt May ping-pong or the runaway train sequence in Raimi's Spider-Man 2.

Now for the other downside: the villains. Jamie Foxx's Max Dillon is slightly nerdy with no self-confidence and no friends. We're supposed to feel sympathy for his fate, but the way Foxx played him made the character kinda pathetic and unlikable. Then after the incident that turns him into Electro, he decides to go bad so people will notice him? Dude, you're blue and shooting electricity everywhere. People are noticing you. Then there's Dane DeHaan as Harry Osburn. He makes for a great brooder, but his slide into madness is unfortunately rushed. He is creepy as the Green Goblin though. Don't even get me started on Paul Giamatti's Rhino. His role is a cameo. He's a good fit for the role though so hopefully he'll be better used in part 3 or the rumored Sinister Six movie.

A lot of people are complaining about the mid-section being dull. I don't think so. The mid-section has Peter finding out the truth behind his father's research. That's one plot-line I found the first film threw away halfway through so I was more than thrilled to see it continued and resolved here. Oh, and before I wrap up, can I just say how much I love Sally Field as Aunt May? She and Garfield have a terrific scene halfway into the movie, and I almost cried. Almost.

So no the latest Spidey installment isn't perfect. There's still a part of me that wishes Sony had just left well enough alone, and these two flicks shouldn't exist. However they do exist, and I'm okay with that. Sure, the villains needed a bit more development, and there's no standout action sequence, but as long as you have Garfield and Stone being ADORABLE, that's okay. I wouldn't say the film is a must-see, but it is entertaining. Check it out for yourselves, and let me know what you think!