Costume Dramas: The Ruby Slippers

Dorothy's magical slippers in The Wizard of Oz already got a makeover once. Originally, the shoes that Judy Garland was to wear in her iconic role were going to be silver, as in the original L. Frank Baum story. However, once MGM head honcho Louis B. Mayer realized that they would look better in Technicolor, they became ruby. And a legend was born.

Now that legend is getting a new look, courtesy of the trendiest footwear designers this side of Carrie Bradshaw's shoe rack.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz next year, Warner Brothers is gearing up for a special promotion in honor of the occasion. Twenty different redesigns of the classic clogs will be created and tour fashion shows around the country prior to being auctioned off next fall to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Designers working on the project include Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Oscar de la Renta and Diane Von Furstenberg.

MD Poll: Fantasy Tops Drama

The American Film Institute chose it as its #1 fantasy film of all time, and you agreed: The Wizard of Oz topped the latest MD Poll, which asked you to pick your favorite of AFI's #1s from their recent 10 Top 10 countdown.

But it wasn't an easy victory, with Dorothy and friends facing some tough competition from the courtroom: To Kill a Mockingbird placed a strong second. Rounding out the top five were the mysterious Vertigo, the gangsta classic The Godfather and sci-fi favorite 2001: A Space Odyssey. See the comments section below for the complete rundown and stats.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: AFI's Best of the Best

Wrapping up our coverage of the American Film Institute salute to their 10 Top 10 (which recently named the ten best films in ten classic genres), this week's MD Poll asks you to pick the best of the best.

Snow White, Dorothy Gale, Vito Corleone, HAL 9000, Ethan Edwards, Jake La Motta, Madeleine Elster (or is it Judy Barton?), the Tramp, Atticus Finch and T.E. Lawrence all want to know: of the AFI's ten #1 movies, which one is your favorite?

Cast your vote in the poll located in the sidebar to your right, and check back here in two weeks for the results.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

AFI's Top 10 Fantasy: #1

The Wizard of Oz - 1939

Countdown to AFI's 10 Top 10: Fantasy

"Still round the corner there may wait,
a new road or a secret gate."
-- J.R.R. Tolkien

Giant apes, talking pigs, flying nannies, sword-fighting skeletons ... these are among the many fantastic elements that make up the next genre in the Movie Dearest countdown to AFI's Ten Top 10: fantasy.

Ranging from 1924's The Thief of Bagdad to 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the fifty films nominated (see the comments section below for the full list) range from the obviously fantastical (anything based on Greek mythology) to more subtle variations on the theme (Being John Malkovich, The Purple Rose of Cairo). Fitting into the former category is the original King Kong, while the holiday perennial It's a Wonderful Life covers the latter; both are strong frontrunners for this top ten due to the fact that they have both been honored by the AFI five times in past 100 Years ... 100 Movies lists. But topping them both, with seven previous mentions, is a sure thing: The Wizard of Oz.

The other multiple honorees from the past countdowns are more recent: Field of Dreams and Ghost, plus The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (representing the entire trilogy), which placed in last year's top movies list and also won an AFI Award; Spider-Man 2 is the only other nominee that also won the annual award. Single list honorees also nominated this go round include Babe, Batman, Beetlejuice, Big, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Groundhog Day, Harvey, Mary Poppins, Miracle on 34th Street, The Princess Bride, Superman and Topper.

It is most likely that the final ten will be culled from these past honorees, but don't count out some potential first-timers, such as Brazil, Jason and the Argonauts, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Potter, here represented by The Prisoner of Azkaban.

The results will be revealed when AFI's 10 Top 10 airs on CBS on June 17.

Plant Food for Thought

Here it is Arbor Day, and I have nothing to plant ... except this list of "The Top 20 Pop Culture Plants", courtesy of Retro Crush.

The list includes those creepy apple trees from The Wizard of Oz, Ents, the killer tomatoes, Swamp Thing, Triffids, the Whomping Willow and, of course, Little Shop of Horrors' Audrey II.

What's missing? Well, how about James Arness as a walking carrot from space in The Thing from Another World? And don't forget the Katharine Hepburn tree from that infamous Barbara Walters interview.