Today, instead of me going on about how great Annie Lennox is, I've just decided to post the ultimate Lennox video. This is friggin' brilliant. If you already like Annie Lennox, you'll love this. If you love Annie, your head will explode. Thanks to Peleg and Ricky for turning me on to this, naturally. For more awesome DJ Earworn mixes go here.
One of the best shows currently on network TV is a little something called BETTER OFF TED. TED premiered on ABC last season and has had me hooked from day one. The series features a strong ensemble cast led by the handsome and charismatic Jay Harrington as series' narrator Ted Crisp. Ted is the savvy and somewhat sensible head of research and development at a soulless conglomerate called Veridian Dynamics. The cast also includes the attractive and hysterically funny Andrea Anders as Linda Zwordling, Ted's coworker and possible love interest; the amazing Portia deRossi (in "the Ann Magnuson role") as Ted's cold-as-ice supervisor Veronica Palmer; my friend (and fellow vegan) Jonathan Slavin as Phil Myman, half of a co-dependent duo of lab resrearchers; Malcolm Barret as Lem Hewitt, the other half and sweet Isabella Acres as Ted's young, but wise daughter Rose. Ted's wife left him to raise Rose by himself, but sometimes it seems Rose is raising Ted. The sight-gag heavy, but smart and truly unique series revolves around the day-to-day doings at Veridian Dynamics and is exemplified by the brilliant mock commercials that run during almost every episode. Veridian is the kind of company that allows experiments on it's employees and stops at nothings to achieve it's selfish goals which range from creating faux cow meat in a lab to building pumpkins that explode. They also cryogenically froze Phil and designed a cyborg that accidentally shoots children - and all this in the first three episodes alone! Season One is currently available on dvd, and the second season is being "burned off" by ABC while they decide to renew it of not. I personally feel the show is a much better fit with NBC's Thursday line-up, but hopefully ABC will find a good home for it. TED is the kind of show that gets better every time you watch it. There are so many great lines delivered so pitch perfectly that you sometimes need to rewind because you are still laughing at the previous line. You can check out Ted and watch episodes at ABC.com and learn more aboutVeridian Dynamics here. You can also join the Save BETTER OFF TED Facebook group. Watch TED and spread the word about our TV family at Veridian Dynamics...before it's too late. Family. Yay.
Life at the turn of the 20th century was always great entertainment for me as a child. Stories about how people with simple lives were adjusting to the changes that the new century was bringing were fascinating to me. Perhaps because I knew actual people who were alive at that time and could relate stories if how they went from horse & buggy to motorcars and how they cranked up the Victrola or how exciting it was to listen to their first radio. THESE ARE THE DAYS was a short-lived (16 episodes from 1974 to 1975) Hanna-Barbera animated drama series set during this time period. The show was set in a town called Elmsville and told the story of the Day family (hence the clever title). Father Day had passed away and widow Martha (voiced by June Lockhart) was raising her three children (Danny, Kathy and Ben) with the help of her widowed father-in-law Jeff Day (Henry Jones). This was pretty serious stuff for Saturday mornings considering it came from the same folks who brought us THE FLINTSTONES, JETSONS and SCOOBY-DOO. Grandpa Jeff ran the local General Store and their dog Homer rounded out the family. Inspired by the success of the Depression-era prime-time hit THE WALTONS on CBS, this ABC series stressed similar family values and conveyed that warm folksy feeling that you get from watching films like MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS or TV shows like LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. There has never been nothing like THESE ARE THE DAYS on Saturday mornings since it left the air in 1976. Reruns sprung up on Cartoon Network for a brief period in the early 90s, but for the most part it just lives on in my memories. There is a chance that the series could resurface one day on DVD via the Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection or the Warner Archive Collection. I look forward to seeing it again some day.
In days like these when good news is hard to find, it's good to know that a month from tomorrow (February 16, 2010), SMALL WONDER finally arrives on dvd! Dougsploitation is sure to have some fresh posts about the show, but in the meantime, he's another rerun of my post from a while back. Enjoy!
SMALL WONDER was a syndicated sitcom that from 1985 to 1989. In New York, where I lived at the time, it aired Saturday nights on Channel 5, WNEW (or WNYW) - around the time the station became a FOX affiliate.The show felt like an awkward throwback to the 1960s, especially with it's cheesy theme song. The premise was this: some nerdy scientist guy secretly builds a robot that looks like a 10-year-old girl, but she really is designed to perform house work at superhuman speed. The Robot is named Vicki, and this guy and his wife pass her off as their adopted daughter–even though they make her sleep in the box she came in!!! Very creepy!Complicating things are the guy's bastard of a boss, who lived next door with a nosy, bratty daughter. It was like THE JETSONS meets BEWITCHED meets MY LIVING DOLL (which I've never seen - but am dying to!) I can recall watching several episodes of this show just out of disbelief that it actually got "greenlit". It must have had some loyal fans because it lasted FOUR seasons!Of course, now I wish it was airing somewhere. Hello, TV LAND? Here's an ambitious fan site dedicated to the show. I'm sure the show is even (unintentionally) funnier as seen through 2008 eyes. I say "give me SMALL WONDER over over-hyped crap like GOSSIP GIRL any day!"
Apparently, after four seasons, yes, wonders do indeed cease.
Presenting the return of a popular Dougsploitation feature (popular with me at least) – my ongoing tribute to the talented women who I turn to as an antidote to many of overrated cookie-cutter disposable “divas” in today’s music industry. I have been a fan of Canadian songstress Holly Cole for over 15 years now. I don’t know where I first heard her intelligent and sophisticated voice, but it has left a lasting impression on me. What I love most about Holly is that she has the ability to take a well-worn standard and make it seem brand new. It’s almost like she deconstructs the lyrics and discovers new ways to sing them, in ways that others singers just don’t have the insight to do. Her voice is both sensuous and innocent at the same time. She has a sense of honesty in her delivery that really makes you understand these songs even though you may have heard them a hundred times before. The influence of jazz legend Betty Carter can be heard in many of her early recordings. Her 1990 album with the Holly Cole Trio, “Girl Talk” featured covers of Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares for Me” and Petula Clark’s “Downtown”. These takes are so unique, they don’t even feel like covers. 1993’s “Blame It On My Youth” is a jazzy outing with the Trio and included songs by such diverse writers like Tom Waits and Lyle Lovett , as well as show tunes like as "If I Were a Bell" from Guys and Dolls and"On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady and even a cover of "Trust In Me", from Disney's The Jungle Book. My favorite track is Holly’s version of “Calling You” from the film BAGDADCAFÉ. “Don’t Smoke in Bed” (also 1993) brought us Holly’s iconic version of “I Can See Clearly Now” as well as the most sobering version of “Que SeraSera” ever recorded. In 1995, “Temptation” covered 16 Tom Waits songs. “Tango Til They’re Sore” is the stand-out track. 1996 brought us “It Happened One Night,” a wonderful live recording highlighted by Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind.” Holly went more contemporary in 1997 with “Dark Dear Heart” - featuring a eclectic mix including “Onion Girl” – which was used in the wacky Elisabeth Shue film MOLLY. You can read my review of MOLLY here. “Romantically Helpless” followed in 2000, mixing Paul Simon with standards by Sammy Cahn, Stephen Sondheim and Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer. “Shade” came in 2003 and the self-titled “Holly Cole” arrived in 2007- including a collection of standards like “Charade”, “Reaching For The Moon”, “I Will Wait For You” as well her first self composed song entitled “Larger Than Life”. Each one of these albums is a gem, a fine blend of jazz, pop, folk and other influences make them a smart alternative to the tired screeching divas that crowd the pop charts today. I’ve been privileged to see Holly perform live a few times, and look forward to the day when I can be in her presence once again. You can check out more Holly here.
DC Comics announced today the return of BIRDS OF PREY, a long-running title that folded last year when the company decided to kill off Bruce Wayne (he'll be back this Spring too). BIRDS grew to be one of my favorite titles mostly because Gail Simone's sharp writing. Some of my favorite female DCU characters appeared in BOP during it's initial run including Barbara Gordon (former Batgirl, now known as Oracle), Black Canary, The Huntress and Lady Blackhawk. Others cool chicks who passed through over the years include Vixen, Gypsy, Power Girl, Manhunter and Black Alice. From the cover of the first new issue, it looks like most of the Birds are back with two new additions. I hope to do a more in-depth report on the series in time for the relaunch later this year.
I am pleased to announce that PRETTY - the new web series that I am one of the producers of, has reached over 500 fans on Facebook- and the show doesn't even premiere until February 1! Also it is now available for votes on PRETTY OR DIE! So please go there and watch it and vote "Funny"!!! Feel free to share it, link to it, embed it, become a fan, whatever you feel comfortable with. Or just watch it below and laugh. The more fans, the prettier we ALL are!
A final Christmas gift to my loyal readers. The world premiere of the PRETTY trailer. PRETTY is a new web series that I am one of the producers of. It will premiere February 1. Enjoy! And visit prettytheseries.com for much more on PRETTY!
The show felt like an awkward throwback to the 1960s, especially with it's cheesy theme song. The premise was this: some nerdy scientist guy secretly builds a robot that looks like a 10-year-old girl, but she really is designed to perform house work at superhuman speed. The Robot is named Vicki, and this guy and his wife pass her off as their adopted daughter–even though they make her sleep in the box she came in!!! Very creepy!Complicating things are the guy's bastard of a boss, who lived next door with a nosy, bratty daughter. It was like THE JETSONS meets BEWITCHED meets MY LIVING DOLL (which I've never seen - but am dying to!) I can recall watching several episodes of this show just out of disbelief that it actually got "greenlit". It must have had some loyal fans because it lasted FOUR seasons!Of course, now I wish it was airing somewhere. Hello, TV LAND? Here's an ambitious fan site dedicated to the show. I'm sure the show is even (unintentionally) funnier as seen through 2008 eyes. I say "give me SMALL WONDER over over-hyped crap like GOSSIP GIRL any day!"
