Mother’s Day is around the corner (it’s Sunday the 13th, don’t forget), which makes this a good time to look at some of movie’s best mothers.

I’ll admit, coming up with this list was harder than it should have been. There are plenty of questionable moms in movies—just look at Mommie Dearest, Gypsy, Serial Mom, Mother—or there are moms who get the short end of the stick, like in Sophie’s Choice or, yes, even Bambi.

But what about the good moms? Surely, there must be some movie matriarchs who exemplify the caring and nurturing mothers we all know and love. There are, and not only are these moms caring, they also possess that essential motherly instinct: the ability to kick ass when it counts.

Mrs. Gump in Forrest Gump 

Sure, her son may not be the brightest bulb in the box, and he might get into trouble and cause many embarassments (he showed what to LBJ?), but Forrest Gump’s mom stuck by her boy through thick and thin. Sally Field was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Mrs. Gump, the stern but loving mother to Tom Hanks’ simple-minded country boy. Mrs. Gump helps develop her son into the kind-hearted man he becomes, all while dishing out now-classic bits of wisdom. While life may be like a box of chocolates (you never know what you’re gonna get), we know that we’ll get a great mom with Mrs. Gump.

Mrs. Brisby in The Secret of NIMH

How far would you go to save your dying child? Would you go so far as to deal with rats, owls, and mysterious experiments? You would if you were Mrs. Brisby, a country mouse determined to save her son from sickness and her home from a menacing plow. The animated feature was made by Don Bluth, who also did An American Tail, and provided a grown-up antidote to classic Disney fare. Some parts of NIMH are downright scary, but be brave like Mrs. Brisby and you’ll experience a great adventure.

Meg Altman in Panic Room

Don’t mess with Jodie Foster. She’s Clarice Starling, after all. It turns out the three burglars in David Fincher’s Panic Room didn’t know this, and they got more than they bargained for when they break into Meg Altman’s New York brownstone. When she realizes the intruders have arrived, Altman takes her daughter Sarah to their panic room, an ultra-secure hideout that the theives can’t get into. The only problem is that Altman and her daughter can’t get out, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues. Foster, fierce and protective, tries turning the tables on the villains. It’s a tight thriller about tight spaces, and also about one mother’s determination to keep her daughter safe.

Ellen Ripley in Aliens

Technically Ellen Ripley (Sigorney Weaver) isn’t a mother in Aliens. But she becomes a de facto mom when she finds Newt, a girl orphaned on a mining planet decimated by those pesky xenomorphs, or what we simply call aliens. Newt’s family (and the rest of the mining operation) has been offed by the spiky, acid-spitting alien monsters. And not just two or three, more like two or three hundred. Poor Ripley just can’t get away from the vicious beasts, and she and some space Marines must battle through the hoardes of aliens and try and get out alive. Ripley turns into one tough mutha when she fights the alien queen, another mommy in her own right. You know she means business when she steps into the cargo-loader suit and goes mano-a-mano with the big baddie. Her famous line, “Get away from her, you bitch!” is a rallying cry for protective warrior moms everywhere.

Name your favorite movie moms (good or bad) in the comments!

And don’t forget to call your mother.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
06/13 – Webster Hall – New York, NY*
09/14 – Comcast Center – Mansfield, MA**
09/15 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY**
09/16 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY**
09/18 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ***
09/19 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD***
09/21 – Raleigh Amphitheatre – Raleigh, NC**
09/22 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA*
09/25 – USF Sun Dome – Tampa, FL**
09/26 – BankAtlantic Center – Sunrise, FL**
10/01 – Starlight Theatre – Kansas City, MO**
10/04 – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre – San Diego/Chula Vista, CA***
10/05 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA*
10/06 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA*
10/07 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA***
10/10 – Hard Rock Casino Presents: The Pavilion – Albugquerque, NM**
* Headlining | **with Florence and the Machine | *** with Florence and the Machine & The Weeknd

I was (and am) very happy to have as my first guest Steven Brown President and CEO of The Greyston Foundation

Part One at PCTV in Pleasantville
The first part focuses on what makes Greyston great and how they are helping Westchester

Part Two at the Greyston Bakery in Yonkers (starts at the 20:24 mark)
We focus on Steven and his path plus a few “fun” questions where we find out Steven’s favorite article of clothing, music in his life and we finish with “Simple Questions with Chris Bro” (Simple Questions at SXSW, Beer Brewers (Captain Lawrence and Goose Island), CMJ, Pleasantville, Black Taxi, Bright Light Social Hour

Or if you prefer a link
Chris Bro on Giving with Steven Brown the President and CEO of Greyston Foundation

If you know of anyone doing good in Westchester please let me know.

More Chris Bro on PCTV
The Roadhouse with Scott Vaccaro at Captain Lawrence Brewery
The Roadhouse with Chris Bro

Finding new music years before anyone else
Case in point Meiko, Black Taxi and the many, many more still to come (I hope) as I continue my quest in becoming Grandpa New Music.

Craft Beer
Especially IPAs.

Live music
It’s good for your soul

Record Store Day
April 21st (also our Charity concert too). But here in Westchester NY there are no record stores. WTF? Really? I have an idea of turning a RV into a mobile record store. Someone want to fund it?

Grilling
All year. Especially in the snow.

A child’s laughter

The DVR
What’s not to like. You can FF through adverts. Watch when you want. Hit pause. Get a beer. Take a potty break.

Margarita
Handmade. With fresh limes. Never a mix. Never.

The “Princess Bride” is the perfect family movie.

Big fucking bonfires

Second chances
and proving your worth after “they” cast you aside. “They” suck. “They” don’t deserve what they got. Don’t turn into “them”.

Family ski trips
Not cheap but honestly one of the best family trips. I love that you wake up. Have breakfast. Ski all day. Eat Dinner. Hang out and go to bed. It’s a re-wakening to our natural Circadian rhythms. Time well spent.

Camping
Backpacking is my favorite but I’ll take car camping. Especially with kids.

Hiking
especially with my kids.

Lightning bugs

The World Cup
Going with my brother. I invite friends and family. They say they are coming. They don’t. It’s just my brother and me. We wake up. Have breakfast. Go to the match. Drink beer. Head to a pub to watch the rest of the days matches. Drink beer. Go to bed. Wake up and doing it all over again.

Taking that perfect photo

Not bringing your camera

Movies
At the theater. At Home on DVD or streamed. I know the popcorn is bad for me but I still like it.

Friends
Old. New. And the surprising ones. The ones that come at the perfect time.

Breakfast for Dinner.
Especially huevos rancheros.

Coffee

Thanks for reading. More later. Please add yours. And if you love someone hug them right now.

via Lifehacker

via the must read Brain Pickings

Thankfully the guys from Electric Touch took some time before a larger interview with a radio station to give me some insght on the new album ‘Never Look Back’ as well as share news of what is to come for the band. Listen below for the bands take on SXSW, hanging out with Billy Corgan, and what to expect from the album.

As the band plugged numinous times in the interview the album comes out today March 20th and will have an album release party in New York at Pianos. This is a show that if you are in the area you have to stop in and get all dance sweaty with the guys. Tickets are only $8 and well worth it if you liked the video above.

Find Never Look back on  iTunes on Spotify and catch the band on tour with Hot Chelle Rae through May.

The 14-date tour will kick off Saturday February 18 in North Carolina and continue through, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, Florida, before coming to a close on March 31 during Final Four weekend in New Orleans.

Asher, will be performing music off his debut album Asleep In the Bread Aisle as well as new music from his Pabst & Jazz Sessions mixtape (available for free download), and his upcoming Def Jam debut, Is This Too Orange?, which is scheduled for release this Spring.

• Sat, February 18th: Chapel Hill, NC – Club Pulse (UNC Chapel Hill vs Clemson)
• Sun, February 19th: Iowa City, IA – Blue Moose (University of Iowa vs Indiana)
• Weds, February 22nd: Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater (Syracuse vs USF)
• Fri, February 24th: Columbus, OH – Skullys (Ohio State vs Wisconsin)
• Weds, February 29th: Lafayette, IN – La Parranda Night Club (Purdue vs Penn State)
• Fri, March 2nd: Louisville, KY – Expo Five (Gerorgia vs Kentucky)
• Sat, March 3rd: Milwaukee, WI – The Rave (Marquette vs Georgetown)
• Thurs, March 8th: Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater (Big 12 Tournament)
• Sat, March 10th: Missoula, MT – Rail Jam
• Sun, March 11th: San Antonio, TX – Alzafar Shrine Auditorium (Sneakerpalooza)
• Sat, March 17th: Tempe, AZ – The Clubhouse
• Fri, March 23rd: Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live
• Sat, March 24th: Nashville, TN – Ariel ( Elite 8 )
• Sat, March 31st: New Orleans, LA – Howlin Wolf (Final Four)