Halloween With The New Addams Family (1977)

Welcome to the weekend! Weekends are always awesome, but are even awesomer during the Halloween season, and that's totally a word! I'm kicking this weekend off with the 1977 TV-movie Halloween With the New Addams Family.

This stars most of the cast from the TV show in their old roles celebrating that most Addams of holidays, Halloween. However, Gomez is away on a business trip, and his brother Pancho is visiting the family. Pancho has been jealous of Gomez because Pancho and Morticia once were an item, and...OK, the plot doesn't really matter. It's the Addams Family and Halloween put together, what more is there to say?

I only saw this once as a kid late at night some Halloween season in 1980-something (I don't think I saw it when it debuted on NBC on October 30, 1977), but I enjoyed it then, and I hope I enjoy it now, as I haven't seen it since and only have memories of a couple of scenes here and there. I'll be experiencing this one right along with you.

Enjoy! Have a great weekend! The Countdown to Halloween is just getting started!

Underdog, "Batty Man"

Today at the Countdown, I feature an unusual episode of the 1960s cartoon series Underdog.

In this episode, our fearless hound goes up against the nemesis Batty Man. Not Batman, the duly deputized Caped Crusader--Batty Man, criminal vampire.

That's correct. A criminal vampire. A vampire who doesn't suck victim's blood, no. He steals things. Clothes, fruit, baseballs in play, and police cars.

A creature with the powers of a vampire, and he uses them to steal things. Things that eventually include the gold in Fort Knox, but still.

Enjoy Underdog battle the world's most underachieving vampire now! Thanks!

Tuesday's Overlooked Film: "Christine"

For those new to the blog, I occasionally take part in another multi-blog event called Tuesday's Overlooked, in which blog writers spotlight a movie, TV series, or audio series that may be obscure but nonetheless deserves more love from the public. The feature is curated by my friend Todd Mason at his blog Sweet Freedom. Check it out!

For the Countdown to Halloween, I always devote my Tuesday's Overlooked selections to horror/thriller and similarly related offerings. Last year, I decided to go by a theme, "crawling hand" movies. This year, I've chosen another theme--killer cars! Because--well, why not? For the first Tuesday's Overlooked of the Halloween season, I am going with what is likely the most famous killer car--Stephen King's Christine.

Actually, it's Stephen King's Christine by way of director John Carpenter. The story involves nerdy Arnie Cunningham, your standard bullied geek who has no game with the ladies. One day, he becomes mysteriously enamored with an old 1958 Plymouth Fury nicknamed Christine, which he buys for cheap and refurbishes himself. As he spends more time and effort with Christine, Arnie undergoes a strange personality change--more arrogant, aggressive, and eventually, murderous, all under the influence of Christine.

The movie, an adaptation of King's novel, wasn't a hit with critics--or, reportedly, even Carpenter--but it has a niche following today. Here is the film's trailer. Enjoy!

My 2016 Halloween Playlist!

Hey gang, I hope you had a great first weekend of the Halloween season. You want to make sure to start it off right. A great way to do that is with an awesome Halloween music playlist. If you're in the hunt for just such a playlist, look no further!

Here is my very own Halloween music list for the 2016 season, courtesy of Spotify. With over 100 songs and six hours of music, it's sure to get you toe tappin' and dancing the night away in no time. There are the usual favorites along with what I hope are some surprises. If there is a song not included that you think would add to the fun, please feel free to leave a comment.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the Countdown to Halloween 2016!

HOWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome, one and all, to the 2016 Countdown to Halloween! Today through October 31st, this blog will feature nothing but the frightening, the scary, the terrifying, and most importantly, the most fun you'll find anywhere!*

*Your mileage may vary.

If this is your first time here, thank you for trying it out! And if you're a longtime reader, welcome back! I've got some great things lined up: Halloween TV commercials, movies, music, and lots and LOTS of cartoons. Updates will usually be Monday through Friday, with weekends a chance for you to catch up on stuff you may have missed.

Please please leave comments on my posts and let me know what you think. I want to make sure you're having a blast.

Today acts as an introductory warm-up for the not-so-long month ahead. Don't rush it--savor every pumpkin-spiced bite! November will be here before you know it.

Of course, be sure to check out the main Countdown site so you can enjoy all the awesome blogs taking part in this years-long tradition. Special thanks as always to John Rozum for organizing this monster shindig. He continues to do an outstanding job. We are all in his debt.

And with that, let the 2016 Countdown to Halloween begin!

List O' Links for Friday, September 23, 2016

Hello one and all! It's the first official weekend of autumn, and the forecast says that it will feel like it. Before you put on that light jacket you've been wanting to wear and go on your fall foliage tour, get warmed up with these hot links!

TV stunt woman Jessie Graff made a splash this summer with the audience of NBC's America Ninja Warrior. Here, Jessie tells DC Comics about her love of Wonder Woman and Supergirl, and how these characters inspire her to do the things she does.

Some of the funniest moments of Saturday Night Live have been when actors accidentally break character by laughing at their own mistakes. Here are a few hilarious examples!

One of the best parts about the fall season is the aromas: pumpkin spice, crisp newly fallen leaves, and apple and cinnamon, just to name a few. But sometimes, the genuine articles aren't available and you have to improvise with the fake stuff. Glade has released an exquisite set of fall scents that are sure to tantalize your sensory glands!

If you love autumn that much, you might be like this guy.

Pumpkin spice is everywhere of course, but that doesn't mean every product is enhanced by it. Popsugar helps you out by identifying 22 pumpkin spice offerings, ranked from worst to best. Pumpkin spice kettle corn, anyone?

Finally, this week's last link is the most important of all--the Countdown to Halloween! Yes, it's coming back yet again, and I will be a part of it! Both this blog and my Tumblr site will be featuring nothing but spooky-related fun all October long. If you're new to the Countdown, please visit the main site to find out what it's all about--you can even participate yourself! It all starts Saturday, October 1st.

Have a great first weekend of fall! Enjoy a football game! Feel the leaves crunch under your feet! Buy a Halloween costume! Do fall stuff!

August's Underappreciated Music: Various Artists, "Am I The Same Girl/The Soulful Strut"

Growing up on oldies radio as a kid, I would often come across this 1960s instrumental by the soul group Young-Holt Unlimited, appropriately titled "Soulful Strut."



Then in 1992, British group Swing Out Sister released their hit "Am I The Same Girl," which featured the same music arrangement but with lyrics.



Hearing their version threw me for a loop. I wondered what made them add lyrics to this classic instrumental (as good as the vocal version is)? I've since learned earlier this year that Swing Out Sister did not, in fact, create these lyrics, but that these lyrics have been part of the song from the beginning.

The version recording of the song was by Barbara Acklin in 1968, with her singing these lyrics along with the music that became "Soulful Strut." However, for whatever reason, the producer/record label, stripped Acklin's vocals from the recording, added the piano solos, and released the song under the artist name Young-Holt Limited (who actually had nothing to do with the recording) in 1968. Acklin's recording "Am I The Same Girl" was released in its original form in 1969, and it is this version that Swing Out Sister covered.

Here is the original by Barbara Acklin. You can easily tell that the music track is exactly the same one released as "Soulful Strut" minus the piano solo.



Here also is a blue-eyed soul version of the song by the legendary Dusty Springfield.



As NBC would say, the more you know. Thanks!