Lucille Ball Part of Quilt Exhibit

From the Dodge City Daily Globe, Rebekka Seigel creates a tribute quilt as part of an exhibition that tells the lives of 13 influential women. The exhibit is currently on display at the Stauth Memorial Museum in Montezuma, Kansas.

"The seventh quilt in my paper doll series evokes the most nostalgia from my childhood," said Seigel in a press release. "The Lucille Ball tribute is a collage of things that represent images that describe Lucy's life on screen and off."

The quilts are "paper doll quilts," complete with tiny, quilted outfits that symbolize the defining moments in each of the women's lives. The clothes are attached to the main quilt, but can be maneuvered to dress the doll.

"Three of Lucy's outfits represent my favorite adventures from (I Love Lucy)," said Seigel. "The maternity outfit makes note of the fact that she was the first woman to be allowed to be 'with child' - the word 'pregnant' was not allowed by the censors - on a television show.

"This wonderful clown was also the first female head of a television studio when she got control of DesiLu (Productions) in her divorce from Desi Arnaz, and that accomplishment is acknowledged with an outfit as well."

Each quilt in the "Women's Work" series is different and each is dedicated to a different woman. Maya Angelou, Lucille Ball, Pearl S. Buck, Rachel Carson, Babe Didrikson, Ella Fitzgerald, Martha Graham, Barbara Jordan, Lucy Martin Lewis, Margaret Mead, Louis Nevelson, Jean Ritchie and Eleanor Roosevelt are each represented in the series.

Joining the "Women's Work" exhibit will be a display of 40 quilts created in all parts of the state of Kansas. The quilts were stitched in a wide variety of patterns and materials, including cross-stitch, scrap and Stack 'n' Wack, Christmas and samplers. Some of the quilts were made as long ago as the mid-1800s, while others were finished just this year.

The exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. The exhibit is closed on Mondays and all major holidays. "Women's Work" will be on display through Jan. 6, 2008.

Exclusive Mattel Ethel Doll Released for Christmas

Mattel released another doll and this time it was an exclusive version of Ethel Mertz! I believe this one hit above everybody's radar. This version is a Platinum I Love Lucy series, which means less than a 1,000 were made. It has Ethel in the Christmas episode, which is the same episode that was last year's exclusive Lucille Ball Mattel doll release. This is Mattel's 14th in their I Love Lucy series.

The Plantinum label edition is truly rare. There are only three other classes of dolls produced by Mattel; Gold which produces 25,000, Silver which produces 50,000 and Pink which is your normal everyday release.

This Mattel Platinum Label I Love Lucy, Ethel Doll is truly rare and will not be found in stores anymore. This is the first-ever solo Ethel Mertz doll released by Mattel. The Christmas Show, also known as Jingle Bells, first aired on Christmas Eve, 1956. This episode featured flashbacks woven with newer Christmas-themed footage, in which all four main characters, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo and Fred and Ethel Mertz, all dressed as Santa Claus only to be surprised by a visit from the real Santa at the end!

I Love Lucy Square Dedication

The late comedian Lucille Ball and the owner of Lucy's El Adobe Cafe were recognized for their contributions to Hollywood with the renaming of an intersection to "I Love Lucy Square."

Lucille Ball and Lucy Casado shared the honor Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard near Paramount Studios. Lucille Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, started Desilu Productions at the cafe in 1951.

Lucy's El Adobe Cafe has become a popular campaign stop for politicians. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown, now the state's attorney general, first met singer Linda Ronstadt at the cafe in the 1970s.

Councilman Tom LaBonge unveiled the square's new sign during an afternoon ceremony.

Lucille Ball Honored in "The 50 Greatest TV Icons"

TV Land and Entertainment Weekly have picked late-night king Johnny Carson as Top on the list and Lucille Ball came in second. Pictured here is Lucy with Johnny Carson in the early 1960's. Johnny Carson also appeared with Lucy in her series "Here's Lucy" in the episode, "Lucy and Johnny Carson". You can also find the Video Clip of Lucy with Johnny Carson on the "Everything Lucy" website.

TV Land aired their choices in a two-hour special at 8 p.m. Friday. Entertainment Weekly will share the list in its edition that's out Friday. Want to draw up your own list? TV Land has established Icon Challenge.

You can find the List posted on the Associated Press.

Here are the top names:

50. Larry Hagman
49. Calista Flockhart
48. Jimmy Smits
47. Simon Cowell
46. Lassie
45. Sarah Michelle Gellar
44. Susan Lucci
43. Flip Wilson
42. James Gandolfini
41. Jon Stewart
40. Sally Field
39. Jennifer Aniston
38. Bea Arthur
37. George Clooney
36. Diahann Carroll
35. Michael J. Fox
34. Bob Barker
33. Ellen DeGeneres
32. Henry Winkler
31. Sarah Jessica Parker
30. Alan Alda
29. John Ritter
28. Howard Cosell
27. Regis Philbin
26. Farrah Fawcett
25. Heather Locklear
24. Michael Landon
23. Barbara Walters
22. Milton Berle
21. Kermit
20. Carroll O'Connor
19. Andy Griffith
18. William Shatner
17. Bob Newhart
16. David Letterman
15. "Not Ready for Prime Time Players"
14. Ed Sullivan
13. Jackie Gleason
12. Dick Van Dyke
11. Roseanne
10. Dick Clark
9. Homer Simpson
8. Jerry Seinfeld
7. Mary Tyler Moore
6. Carol Burnett
5. Walter Cronkite
4. Bill Cosby
3. Oprah Winfrey
2. Lucille Ball
1. Johnny Carson

My say - "Where's Carol Burnett? And Why is Lucy No. 2??"

Lucille Ball - I Love Lucy Box Set Review

Although old news to all Lucy Fans, I post this article from The London Free Press on I Love Lucy: The Complete Series Box Set which came out this last October.

For the I-want-it-all collector, this is absolutely it for Lucy, the holy grail or "the whole McGillicuddy," as the box cover declares. Anyone who already owns season-by-season sets might be annoyed by this more desirable mega-set, but this is now the pattern with TV on DVD. Plan ahead.

The new gift box, shaped like a giant heart, contains six seasons of I Love Lucy and three of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, taking them to April 1, 1960. The shows are all in proper full-frame and vintage black-and-white.

In addition, you get the rough kinescope version of the so-called "lost pilot" of 1951 -- first aired in 1990 -- along with the filmed feature, I Love Lucy: The Movie. It was constructed in 1953 out of three first-season episodes connected by a new intro, exit and various tidbits.

There are other gems, too, including Lucy and Desi's three-minute skit on The Ed Wynn show in 1949, ads from sponsor Philip Morris (Lucy, Desi and co-stars Vivian Vance and William Frawley all smoked like steam locomotives on air, too) and excerpts from the 1954 Emmy Awards.

You can also watch a separate colourized version of the 1956 Lucy Goes to Scotland episode.