And that's one to grow on...
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
That sounds familiar!
OK, I noticed this the other day while perusing TV show openings on YouTube uploaded by my new hero, bobcnn.
Go to about 4:30, when you get to the theme song for Today's FBI. Listen to that song.
Then listen to the main theme for one of my favoritest movies ever, Stripes.
They sound more than just a little similar. They both came out the same year, 1981. And they were both the work of Elmer Bernstein, if IMDB is to be believed. I wonder why the themes are so similar. I mean, it's like the Stripes theme turned around a little, really.
Just struck me odd; thought I'd share. You're welcome.
Go to about 4:30, when you get to the theme song for Today's FBI. Listen to that song.
Then listen to the main theme for one of my favoritest movies ever, Stripes.
They sound more than just a little similar. They both came out the same year, 1981. And they were both the work of Elmer Bernstein, if IMDB is to be believed. I wonder why the themes are so similar. I mean, it's like the Stripes theme turned around a little, really.
Just struck me odd; thought I'd share. You're welcome.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Photographic proof!
If you've always wanted to see part of my desk, boy oh boy, are you in luck. Check out the latest edition of CNET's Buzz Report.
Oh, and this totally happened.
Oh, and this totally happened.
Trying out a few things
Blogger is offering a few new gadgets and whatnot, so I thought I'd give a few a try.
1. If you just can't live without me...
Now you can easily subscribe to the blog (or the comments) with the click of a button. Chances are you already know how to do this, but every time is someone's first time, so I thought I'd add it.
2. Blogger Play
It's just a box that cycles through the latest pictures to be added to Blogger. I dunno. Some people like pretty pictures. When it bores me, I'll probably remove it. Unless I forget about it. Buh-leeted. Let's see if that was the one bogging it down...
3. Search the site
Now, with the help of the little box at the bottom, you can search anything mentioned on the site, or linked to from the site. I haven't had a chance to try it out, so let me know if it's worth keeping.
4. New YouTube vids at the bottom
I usually have the video feed at the bottom pull in stuff tagged "classic commercials," but I've updated it to pull in videos uploaded by bobcnn, a YouTube user who has uploaded tons of sheer TV awesomeness. Check it out.
5. Publish in the future
Finally. Sometimes, I actually have "real-life" stuff to do, so I don't get a chance to post a blog until the very end of the night. Now if I get ahead, I can just set it and forget it. I'm actually testing this right now. This should publish the morning after I'm writing this.
So, if you have any requests or comments, just let me know, and if you aren't a jerk, there's a good chance that you'll get what you ask for. Thanks again to everyone who reads and comments and doesn't tell me how much I suck.
1. If you just can't live without me...
Now you can easily subscribe to the blog (or the comments) with the click of a button. Chances are you already know how to do this, but every time is someone's first time, so I thought I'd add it.
It's just a box that cycles through the latest pictures to be added to Blogger. I dunno. Some people like pretty pictures. When it bores me, I'll probably remove it. Unless I forget about it.
3. Search the site
Now, with the help of the little box at the bottom, you can search anything mentioned on the site, or linked to from the site. I haven't had a chance to try it out, so let me know if it's worth keeping.
4. New YouTube vids at the bottom
I usually have the video feed at the bottom pull in stuff tagged "classic commercials," but I've updated it to pull in videos uploaded by bobcnn, a YouTube user who has uploaded tons of sheer TV awesomeness. Check it out.
5. Publish in the future
Finally. Sometimes, I actually have "real-life" stuff to do, so I don't get a chance to post a blog until the very end of the night. Now if I get ahead, I can just set it and forget it. I'm actually testing this right now. This should publish the morning after I'm writing this.
So, if you have any requests or comments, just let me know, and if you aren't a jerk, there's a good chance that you'll get what you ask for. Thanks again to everyone who reads and comments and doesn't tell me how much I suck.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
In case you have an hour or so to kill
I'm always checking on Hulu to see what's been added, and much to my surprise, there's a bad movie there!
And because I'm thatlazy helpful, I'm just embedding the thing right here.
It's called Cutting Class. I'd be willing to bet the only reason this thing has been added to the lineup is because Brad Pitt is in it before, you know, he was Brad Pitt.
That said, he's not horrible in this; I mean, he does what he can with what he's got. Martin Mull, who I love, plays the lead girl's father, and there's a running gag that involves him getting injury upon injury. Alas, it's really not funny, and it just doesn't seem to fit.
Still, if you, like me, are a fan of cheesy horror movies, you could definitely do worse. Give it a shot. It is rated TV-MA, on account of language, gore, and, if memory serves, a boobie or two. You've been warned.
And because I'm that
It's called Cutting Class. I'd be willing to bet the only reason this thing has been added to the lineup is because Brad Pitt is in it before, you know, he was Brad Pitt.
That said, he's not horrible in this; I mean, he does what he can with what he's got. Martin Mull, who I love, plays the lead girl's father, and there's a running gag that involves him getting injury upon injury. Alas, it's really not funny, and it just doesn't seem to fit.
Still, if you, like me, are a fan of cheesy horror movies, you could definitely do worse. Give it a shot. It is rated TV-MA, on account of language, gore, and, if memory serves, a boobie or two. You've been warned.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Yes, I'm a geek.
Some prankster slapped these signs up on the restroom doors here.
I'm not saying who.
I'm not saying who.
Guest post alert!
While the layout here is extra-wonky today for April Fool's Day, there is actual serious content over at my pal Genevieve's blog, Momologue, where I am the first guest poster for her observation of Autism Awareness Month.
If you're wondering why I might possibly have an interest in this, you might want to go check it out. (I swear this is not a rickroll. Honest.)
Monday, March 31, 2008
I pity the April Fools!
I know a lot of you are thinking that because it's April Fool's Day, it's going to be nonstop shenanigans around here.
Well...
And completely unrelated, but it happened today, and I didn't want to wait until tomorrow: I finally found a YouTube clip of one of my favorite commercials.
Well...
And completely unrelated, but it happened today, and I didn't want to wait until tomorrow: I finally found a YouTube clip of one of my favorite commercials.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
CBS 1974 Saturday morning cavalcade
And now it's CBS' turn in the Saturday morning spotlight. While it offered the longest lineup, it started things out with a few repeats.
8 a.m. Speed Buggy
Yet another Hanna Barbera cartoon with yet another anthropomorphic car, with yet more generic adventures. At least they had Mel Blanc doing the voice for Speed Buggy, so it had something going for it.
8:30 a.m. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
If you're reading this blog, I'm going to guess you're at least familiar with the concept of Scooby-Doo shows. Since you've all seen this intro likely a skrillion times, here it is in Polish!
9 a.m. Jeannie
Another law of the 70s was that a portion of the Saturday morning programming had to be an animated version of an old live-action show. NBC already had The Addams Family and Star Trek; here's another. I saw this a lot in syndicated packages, and I remember liking it a lot. Instead of blonde Jeannie and Major Tony Nelson, we had a decidedly nonblonde Jeannie and surfer dude Corey Anders, not to be confused with a later, curvier Kory Anders. Corey found Jeannie's bottle on the beach while on his way to Tosche Station to get pick up some power converters or something. Yes, voice artist supreme Mark Hamill provided Corey's voice.
Along for the ride with genie was Babu (I don't know if he was sweet), voiced by former latter-day Stooge, Joe Besser. Babu's job was to never get his magic to work right. And while Barbara Eden didn't return to portray Jeannie, Julie McWhirter did a fine job.
9:30 a.m. Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
Dear God, why? Why couldn't this have just been a Jetsons spinoff as it was originally planned? And even if that fell through, how did it end up being the Partridge Family? That would be like taking Fonz and the gang from Happy Days, teaming them up with a cutesy alien and sending them on adventures through time and space. Oh, wait. Um, never mind.
If you don't believe how awful an idea this is, just watch for yourself.
10 a.m. Valley of the Dinosaurs
Watch the intro first and see if you notice anything, um, unusual.
So let me get this straight: a family gets stranded in a strange land where there are dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures? Wasn't this just on at 9 a.m. on NBC?
I don't think I ever saw this, even in the days of independent stations. I weep.
10:30 a.m. Shazam!
The live-action tales of Captain Marvel, who was given his great powers by the wizard Shazam. In this TV incarnation, Billy Batson traveled with Mentor in a Winnebago, helping out where they were needed. One of the coolest episodes was a crossover with Isis, which was a later episode, but still pretty cool...
11 a.m. The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine
This is why I'm bummed out that I was only an infant when this was on. How can you beat that name? And how can you beat the Globetrotters? This had to be all kinds of awesome; much better than the crappy cartoon version.
11:30 a.m. Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show
Another one I would've liked to see, if only because it featured Rod Hull and Emu. Singers The Hudson Brothers hosted this variety show for kids. The theme song is pretty catchy. Five years after this show, Bill Hudson's daughter Kate was born. I wonder if he had copies of this to show her when she was little. That would've been a trip.
Noon The U.S. of Archie
Everyone was gearing up for the bicentennial in 1976, so there was tons of shows with an American history theme. And who better to tell kids about history than Archie, Jughead and the gang?
12:30 p.m. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
As a rule, I distrust cartoons with a laugh track. If nothing else, it just shows how dumb they think the target audience is. So why this ostensibly educational show had one is beyond me. Still, there is a soft spot in my heart for this show. I bet if they tried making it today, he wouldn't be able to be called Fat Albert.
As a bonus, here's an authentic elementary school Fat Albert joke:
What did Fat Albert say when he was sitting on the toilet?
Hey, hey, hey, bombs away!
Well, that about does it for a look at the various network offerings for the fall of 1974. Hopefully before too long, I'll be able to tackle 1975. The cartoons just keep getting better--and worse.
8 a.m. Speed Buggy
Yet another Hanna Barbera cartoon with yet another anthropomorphic car, with yet more generic adventures. At least they had Mel Blanc doing the voice for Speed Buggy, so it had something going for it.
8:30 a.m. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
If you're reading this blog, I'm going to guess you're at least familiar with the concept of Scooby-Doo shows. Since you've all seen this intro likely a skrillion times, here it is in Polish!
9 a.m. Jeannie
Another law of the 70s was that a portion of the Saturday morning programming had to be an animated version of an old live-action show. NBC already had The Addams Family and Star Trek; here's another. I saw this a lot in syndicated packages, and I remember liking it a lot. Instead of blonde Jeannie and Major Tony Nelson, we had a decidedly nonblonde Jeannie and surfer dude Corey Anders, not to be confused with a later, curvier Kory Anders. Corey found Jeannie's bottle on the beach while on his way to Tosche Station to get pick up some power converters or something. Yes, voice artist supreme Mark Hamill provided Corey's voice.
Along for the ride with genie was Babu (I don't know if he was sweet), voiced by former latter-day Stooge, Joe Besser. Babu's job was to never get his magic to work right. And while Barbara Eden didn't return to portray Jeannie, Julie McWhirter did a fine job.
9:30 a.m. Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
Dear God, why? Why couldn't this have just been a Jetsons spinoff as it was originally planned? And even if that fell through, how did it end up being the Partridge Family? That would be like taking Fonz and the gang from Happy Days, teaming them up with a cutesy alien and sending them on adventures through time and space. Oh, wait. Um, never mind.
If you don't believe how awful an idea this is, just watch for yourself.
10 a.m. Valley of the Dinosaurs
Watch the intro first and see if you notice anything, um, unusual.
So let me get this straight: a family gets stranded in a strange land where there are dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures? Wasn't this just on at 9 a.m. on NBC?
I don't think I ever saw this, even in the days of independent stations. I weep.
10:30 a.m. Shazam!
The live-action tales of Captain Marvel, who was given his great powers by the wizard Shazam. In this TV incarnation, Billy Batson traveled with Mentor in a Winnebago, helping out where they were needed. One of the coolest episodes was a crossover with Isis, which was a later episode, but still pretty cool...
11 a.m. The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine
This is why I'm bummed out that I was only an infant when this was on. How can you beat that name? And how can you beat the Globetrotters? This had to be all kinds of awesome; much better than the crappy cartoon version.
11:30 a.m. Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show
Another one I would've liked to see, if only because it featured Rod Hull and Emu. Singers The Hudson Brothers hosted this variety show for kids. The theme song is pretty catchy. Five years after this show, Bill Hudson's daughter Kate was born. I wonder if he had copies of this to show her when she was little. That would've been a trip.
Noon The U.S. of Archie
Everyone was gearing up for the bicentennial in 1976, so there was tons of shows with an American history theme. And who better to tell kids about history than Archie, Jughead and the gang?
12:30 p.m. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
As a rule, I distrust cartoons with a laugh track. If nothing else, it just shows how dumb they think the target audience is. So why this ostensibly educational show had one is beyond me. Still, there is a soft spot in my heart for this show. I bet if they tried making it today, he wouldn't be able to be called Fat Albert.
As a bonus, here's an authentic elementary school Fat Albert joke:
What did Fat Albert say when he was sitting on the toilet?
Hey, hey, hey, bombs away!
Well, that about does it for a look at the various network offerings for the fall of 1974. Hopefully before too long, I'll be able to tackle 1975. The cartoons just keep getting better--and worse.
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