Thanksgiving is a time for thoughtful reflection, to think solemnly about what we have to be grateful for in our lives.
It's also a time to party!
And party we will, 1980s style! I present an episode of the Philadelphia TV dance series Dancin' On Air, which aired on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1982 here in Philadelphia on WPHL-TV Channel 17. This show, a successor of sorts to that other Philly dance show, later aired nationwide later in the decade on the USA cable network as Dance Party USA. Dancin' On Air was a local cultural phenomenon here in the city and is remembered fondly today. There was a brief revival earlier this decade.
Enjoy! Get your groove on! And Happy Thanksgiving!
But wait, what's this?
YES! IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME! THANK GOD!
Oh yes I need a lot of Christmas, right this very minute! And if you do too, my blog is the place to be. I'll be providing Christmas goodies all season long. Stay tuned, and Happy Holidays!
After my article about new Christmas programming on Netflix this year, I had it in mind to do the same for other streaming services and TV channels. There's now no need for me to do so--someone has beaten me to it!
Tumblr user sleepykittypaws has created the most comprehensive catalog of Christmas programming you can imagine. Everything from streaming services to cable channels to broadcast networks and more are covered in this massive listing. This is one stop shopping for all your holiday viewing needs!
Click on this link and you're on your way to Christmas TV heaven. Ho ho ho!
Continuing my acknowledgment of the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street this past weekend, here is the very first episode to air on November 10, 1969 in its entirety. Matt Robinson stars as Gordon, introducing new neighbor Sally, and in turn viewers, to the street. In addition to Gordon, we meet Susan, Bob, Mr. Hooper, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch (he's orange!), and Bert and Ernie. The rest is history.
Sunday November 10th marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of Sesame Street. Not only is it one of the most impactful TV series on my life, but one of the most impactful in the history of television. No other series has the biggest sense of mission than Sesame Street has. For half a century, the show has provided education and entertainment for millions of children in the US and around the world.
In celebration of this great milestone for this great program, here are some of my favorite moments from the series.
We're less than a week into November, and already the holiday season is calling. While it may be too soon to celebrate the holidays, it's certainly not too soon to prepare for the holidays. Preparing and celebrating are two different things.
To get us into the holiday spirit, the showbiz industry is more than ready to put us in the mood for mistletoe and holly. Netflix is no exception. Here are Netflix's new holiday offerings for 2019!
First up is something that is already available as of Friday November 1st. In Holiday In The Wild, Kristen Stewart stars as a elite socialite who winds up spending her Christmas season in the African wilderness. Rob Lowe costars as a bush pilot who may or may not be her love interest.
He is.
Friday, November 8th brings the romantic teen comedy Let It Snow. Based on the best-selling young adult novel, several high school seniors in a small town explore their romantic feelings as Christmas Eve approaches.
Also on November 8th, the popular Great British Baking Show: Holidays presents expert bakers competing to make the best Christmas confections.
On Friday November 15th, the animated movie Klaus debuts. This is a Santa origin story detailing Klaus's first go-round at delivering toys to a small, poor village with the help of a snarky mail carrier. I'm especially looking forward to this one!
On Thursday, November 21st, The Knight Before Christmas bows. Vanessa Hudgens plays a high school science teacher who meets a 14th-century knight who is magically transported to modern day. A time-traveling Christmas romance ensues.
The next day, Friday, November 22nd, the second holiday-themed edition of the amateur baking series Nailed It graces our screens with feeble but well-intentioned attempts at elaborate holiday cakes.
Thursday November 28th, Thanksgiving Day, brings two new programs. Holiday Rush is a movie about a recently widowed father who makes up for the loss of his wife and mother of his children by spoiling his kids with gifts. The family learns that being together is the greatest gift. Merry Happy Whatever is a comedic series starring Dennis Quaid as an overbearing dad who hosts his daughter and her new boyfriend for Christmas.
Black Friday, November 29th, presents yet another baking series, Sugar Rush Christmas. If you can't get enough of holiday baking shows, this is for you.
Finally, the third installment in the enormously popular Christmas Prince movies debuts Thursday, December 5th, The Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby. The reporter who married the prince in the previous movies is now having his baby. That pretty much sums it up!
Not all of these programs have their own trailer yet, so here is a collective trailer for all of these programs and more premiering this holiday season on Netflix.
And that's a wrap on the 2019 Countdown to Halloween! I thank every one of you for reading and supporting the blog all month long. I appreciate your comments, tweets, and shares so much! It's been a genuine pleasure to do this, and I already look forward to next year!
I hope your Halloween season has been a great one. Mine certainly has. Highlights include:
--writing the blog, of course!
--featuring my kids in the Mountain Dew VooDew video
--taking my kids to our local pumpkin patch on Columbus Day, where we picked our pumpkins, rode a hayride, walked through a corn maze, and bought apple cider
--creating my mood table
--watching cool Halloween movies and TV specials
--digging some groovy Halloween music
--sharing my season with you!
And with my pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, I made this!
Don't be sad that the season is ending--be glad it happened! It's all good, really. We have great times ahead, Halloween or not.
I'll leave the Halloween theme on the blog for a couple more days, but then Monday I wipe the slate clean and look ahead with enthusiasm. Today I'll leave some last-minute treats to close out the season.
Today I present an audio adaptation of Marvel Comics' origin story for The Monster Frankenstein. The Monster is a real character in the Marvel Comics universe, and his title was one of several successful horror titles for Marvel in the 70s.
At the same time, Power Records, a small kids record label, made an audio adaptation of Marvel's version of the character, with a matching comic to be read while listening to the story. I had other Power Records as a kid and absolutely loved them. These records are always a lot of fun.
