Best Christmas CD Ever?

By now readers of my blog know that I love Christmas. I kinda love most things about Christmas, (perhaps except for certain kinds of Christians-but that's another story), but the music is what makes the holiday most special to me. Each year I pick up one or two new cds (yes, I still buy cds - and vinyl LPs too!) of holiday music, but most usually get downloaded and quickly filed away. 


Last year I picked up the newly-released Joy to the World by Pink Martini - a pop jazz ensemble that I've been a fan of for the past dozen years or so. While I expected the disc to be good, I had no idea that it would quickly become one of my favorite holiday albums of all time. Unlike other recording artists, who seem to lazily approach Christmas music as some quick money-making chore, Pink Martini has embraced the task with the thoughtfulness and complexity that they would put into any of their fine recordings. The result is a true work of art that could possibly be the best Christmas album ever recorded. 


I mean what album could boast two versions of Irving Berlin's 1940s wartime chestnut White Christmas—one in English and one in Japanese? Additionally we have tracks in Ukrainian (Shchedryk or The Carol of the Bells, 1916), Hebrew (Elohai, N'tzor, 2000), Chinese (Congratulations - A Happy New Year Song, 1946), Italian (Le Vergine Degli Angeli, from Verdi's La forza del destino, 1862), German (Silent Night, 1816), Scottish, French and Arabic (Auld Lang Syne, 1788) and what I think is a Spanish Hanukah song (Ocho Kandelikas, 1981)! There are also gorgeous versions of Little Drummer Boy (1958), Do You Hear What I Hear? (1962), We Three Kings (1857) and a sweet and sexy cover of Santa Baby (1953).


An added special bonus for me is the guest appearance of a certain Patricia Costa Kim - from Sonseed. That's right, Sonseed - the Christian rock band that this very blog put back on the map back in 2008. Now, how weird and special is that???


Pink Martini was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1994 by Thomas M. Lauderdale with vocalist China Forbes, joining in 1995. Having grown into a 12-piece orchestra, they have performed with the Boston Pops, San Francisco Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Pink Martini’s brilliant first four previous albums have collectively sold over 2 million copies worldwide, and I'm happy to add this fifth extraordinary release to my collection. Check out out Pink Martini here. They are scheduled to be guests on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion this coming weekend.

Thanks for Tooning In (Again)

Everybody has seen A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING at least once. While not as popular as the other Peanuts holiday specials, it stands out as the most memorable animated Thanksgiving program ever created.
Since 1977, when the show premiered on CBS, we have all enjoyed the exploits of the Peanuts gang as they gather for the annual parent-free feast of popcorn, toast and candy. I've always loved pushy Peppermint Patty and her entourage and how they invade Chuck's holiday meal. Maybe it's because I've known a few people like Patty over the years - but she has always been my favorite Peanuts character. The one disturbing aspect of the show is that Woodstock, clearly a bird, carves and ingests a turkey - therefore becoming a cannibal before our eyes. Yikes!

Some other not-so-well-known specials include: THE THANKSGIVING THAT ALMOST WASN'T - not to be confused with THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN'T! This syndicated special first aired in 1972-and hasn't been seen since. It told the tale of Jeremy Squirrel who helped orchestrate the first Thanksgiving feast. Who knew? This special came from the guys over at Hanna-Barbera.
Another critter tale, THE MOUSE ON THE MAYFLOWER was first broadcast in 1968. It's a Rankin-Bass classic that was narrated by Bing Crosby. You can read all about it here.

Comic strip cavemen from Before Christ came to life in B.C. THE FIRST THANKSGIVING, which premiered on NBC in 1972. THE FLINTSTONES it's not. You can watch it in three segments here on YouTube.
Another comic strip came to TV in 1989. GARFIELD'S THANKSGIVING was one of the sourpuss cat's many CBS specials. I've never been a fan.
In 1980, NBC aired a compilation of old Warner Bros. cartoons mixed with a new Duck Dodgers episode and called it DAFFY DUCK'S THANKS FOR GIVING.
This was after CBS debuted the similar BUGS BUNNY'S THANKSGIVING DIET a year earlier to big ratings.
In 1980's THANKSGIVING IN THE LAND OF OZ , Dorothy Gale is carried back to Oz by a green turkey balloon to spend the holiday with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, who are moving to a nursing home! Along the way she meets Jack Pumpkinhead, a and Tic Toc, and must battle the evil Tyrone the Terrible Toy Tinkerer. Oh boy! This CBS Special should not be confused with the live action atrocity called THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ.
Also, it should not to be confused with 1974's JOURNEY BACK TO OZ, which was a theatrical feature from our friends over at Filmation (that actually took ten years to make it to the big screen). Liza Minnelli takes over her late mom's role and she's joined by such talents as Ethel Merman, Paul Lynde, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Danny Thomas and Margaret Hamilton! With special guest Bill Cosby as the Wiz! (A little Filmation cross-promotion there). It premiered on ABC in 1976.

So there you have it - my quick overview of that rare bird, the Thanksgiving special.

Enjoy!

PRETTY Season 3, Episode 2

PRETTY Season 3, Episode 1

Genie Francis and a bevy of guest stars turn up in the third season premiere of PRETTY!

Bil Keane (1922-2011)

Moving On...

Hey fans & readers, just letting you all know I've decided to move on over to tumblr. As this blog evolves and as my time to write becomes more and more limited, it makes sense to start anew on a different platform. Hope you will join me there. Thanks! - Doug

More Random TV Guide Ads: The Halloween Treat?

When I first came across this vintage TV GUIDE ad, I thought "Bing Crosby and his Family in GOLDILOCKS...The Halloween Treat?" How weird, I never thought of the story of Goldilocks to be a seasonal story...and though it does have some minor elements of fright, it would take some stretch of the imagination to consider it horror. Only after I scanned the ad did I actually realize that it's Sun-Maid® Raisins that are actually "The Halloween Treat." Not the Crosby family, not the Three Bears and not our young fair yellow-haired maiden...but some saggy old, wrinkly ass grapes. Well, either way cannot deny the grooviness of the GOLDILOCKS logo. It's actually so cool, I'm thinking of making myself a GOLDILOCKS tee-shirt! Hey come to think of it that one Little Bear's face peeping between the "G" and the "L" - just above the "O" is pretty freakin' scary.

Broom-Hilda

Here's a little post I ran last Halloween season on another blog, HELLO THERE CUTIE, about one of our favorite wacky witches in the world!Comic strip diva Broom-Hilda is a old hag in dire need of a makeover. With green skin, a wart on the end of her nose, and very stringy hair, she could use a bit of a Beverly Hills NIP/TUCK. She always dresses quite fashionably in a little black dress, and accessorizes with a flower on top of her hat. Hilda is rumored to be Attila the Hun's ex-wife(!) and is always unsuccessfully trying to land a new husband. Cougar. Originally Hilda smoked cigars and drank like a sailor, but she seems to have mellowed out a bit in her old age.In our world, Broom-Hilda is a classic newspaper comic strip that began on April 19, 1970. Created by Russell Myers (no relation to Russ Meyers) it is still distributed by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. You can read the strip every day here.

Scary TV: The Horror Show

Damn - I wish I had this on VHS tape. Anthony Perkins (who I once had the pleasure of meeting) hosts at look at 60 magical years of movie monsters, madmen and creatures of the night. Imagine of the networks still had the moxie to program stuff like this?

Scary TV:Dracula vs. Frankenstein

A low-budget 1971 shocker from Poland starring Lon Chaney, Jr. (in his last role), musical-comedy star Russ Tamblyn and DALLAS patriarch Jim Davis. A crappy movie, but a great TV GUIDE ad. I love that it aired TWICE - at 11PM for the adults then the next day at 4PM for the kiddies.

Scary TV: Alice Cooper--The Nightmare

Before Michael Jackson's THRILLER, Vincent Price helped Alice Cooper realize his wildest dreams in this late-night special. Not really familiar with Mr. Cooper's music, I'm assuming this special was a "concept" piece based on one of his albums. Vincent Price was quite a common TV guest in the 1970s - showing up whenever a flamboyant and/or creepy old dude was needed. Whether it be sitcoms like THE BRADY BUNCH, variety specials like THE BRADY BUNCH VARIETY HOUR, adventure shows like THE BIONIC WOMAN, mysteries like COLUMBO or cartoons like SCOOBY-DOO, Vincent would always show up, do the work and earn a paycheck. He died in 1993 at 82...or did he?

PRETTY Season 3 Trailer

Be prepared to get PRETTY all over again.

Return to PEYTON PLACE, Part 2

Yesterday I explored the "roots" of PEYTON PLACE, the hit primetime serial which debuted on ABC in the fall of 1964. I recently began watching the show on DVD and am becoming slightly obsessed with it.

The show originally aired twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30PM) for it's first season and and both half-hours ranked in the Top 20 and leading the expansion to three nights a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) in June 1965.

The lovely Dorothy Malone assumed the role of Constance MacKenzie (following in the footsteps of Lana Turner and Eleanor Parker), the single mother who ran the local bookshop and raised sweet, naive Allison (played by 19-year-old newcomer Mia Farrow).

In the very first episode Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) arrives from the big city to set up shop following the death of Doctor Donald Brooks. Turns out Rossi was present at Alison's birth and knows something about her absentee father. This freaks Constance out - and clues to the baby daddy's true identity are dropped.

Sweet innocent Allison is drawn to bad boy Rodney Harrington (Ryan O'Neal, wearing some very revealing trousers) and mama Connie is none to happy about this - mostly because Rodney already has a girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Rodney's father Leslie Harrington (Paul Langton) is about to enter into a torrid affair with his secretary Julie Anderson (Kasey Rogers), when Rodney walks in on them! We soon finf out that Julie's husband is an abusive salesman and she's much better off in her boss's arms.

Soon Julie's not-so-pure daughter Betty (played by future VALLEY OF THE DOLLS diva Barbara Parkins) is dumped by her boyfriend. Guess who? Rodney! Meanwhile Rodney's brother Norman (Christopher Connelly) is in love with Allison...

All these romantic entanglements and mysteries overlap and intertwine like the best of daytime soaps, though the show is not videtaped and scored with organ music, but filmed to look somewhat like a cross between a feature film and a sitcom.

The lush cinematic score and the gorgeous New England scenery elevate the show and give it a warmth and richness which I find very comforting.

The show ran for 5 seasons in total, and along the way it converted to color and featured great performers like Lee Grant, Ruth Warrick, Gena Rowlands, Ruby Dee, Barbara Rush, Mariette Hartley and even pre-AIRPLANE! Leslie Nielsen.

The show was canceled in 1969, but resurfaced on NBC in 1972 as the daytime series RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE. Several supporting actors returned in their original roles, but the major roles were recast. RETURN was axed in January 1974.

NBC aired MURDER IN PEYTON PLACE (1978) in primetime and it reunited many of the original cast members. Another NBC sequel, PEYTON PLACE: THE NEXT GENERATION aired in 1985 and was intended as a pilot for a new series, which never materialized. Maybe the CW has a revival up it's sleeves?

As a continue watching the first season, I look forward to future releases of PEYTON PLACE from Shout! Factory

Return to PEYTON PLACE, Part 1

I've often been accused of being out of step with the mainstream. While millions thrill to AMERICAN IDOL week after week, I long for the days of THE GONG SHOW. While others drool over DANCING WITH THE STARS, I reminisce about DANCE FEVER and while the masses were tuning in to watch the final season of LOST, I found myself watching season one of PEYTON PLACE.

 That's right, PEYTON PLACE, the grandaddy of prime-time soaps, which ran on ABC from 1964 through 1969.

PEYTON PLACE started life as a scandalous best-selling 1956 novel by Grace Metalious. Set in a fictitious New England town that appeared all prim and proper on the surface, but was full of dark and dirty secrets!

The book was adapted into a hit film in 1957 starring Lana Turner as Constance MacKenzie.

 A semi-star (as opposed to all-star) supporting cast included Hope Lange, Russ Tamblyn and Lorne Greene.

In 1959 Metalious was back on the best seller list with a sequel, RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE.

The second book was then made into a film in 1961, with entirely different (and less expensive) actors assuming the roles.

Eleanor Parker, Carol Lynley and Tuesday Weld were among the new faces.

PEYTON PLACE came to television in September 1964. For more on PEYTON PLACE... (as they say in the world of soaps) tune in tomorrow...

ALL MY CHILDREN 1970-2011, 2012?-?

PRETTY Season 3 Teaser

It's almost here...

We're Gonna Turn You On...

Celebrating the start of a new television season, I've decided to look back at some of my favorite shows of the past. Yawn - how many times have I done this already? Okay instead let's look at the porn versions of them.... (This blog post may not be safe for work - depending where you work.

First up, we've got THIS AIN'T GOOD TIMES - what happens when you take one of the best Norman Lear sitcoms (and a MAUDE spin-off) of the 70s and add in a bunch of women with large butts and this is what you get! As fake JJ would say "Din-E-Mite!"

Next up, we visit the Stone Age with THE FLINTSTONES, a live-action "homage" to the classic Hanna-Barbera animated series. Looks like you'll have a (not )gay old time in Bedrock! Check it out here. Perfect casting on Mr,. Slate!

Back to the 70s with WKRP IN CINCINNATI - and just like the DVD release of the original show, this parody also has to navigate around music clearance issues. Check it out the trailer.

Even Saturday morning staple SCOOBY-DOO joins in on the fun. Jinkies! See the live-action trailer here! Zoinks!

Another Norman Lear classic sitcom, THE JEFFERSONS gets the porn treatment too. Wonder what Mother Jefferson would say? Or Mr. Bentley for that matter.

And finally, everybody's favorite 80s family, the Huxtables gets a good once-over as well. Grab a pudding pop! LOL.
Has any show from my childhood escape the XXX parody craze? Well, so far no ELECTRIC COMPANY triple X. Yet.

The International Cave of Batwomen

As a follow-up to my post on DC Comics' Batwomen, here's a fun look at all the other Batwomen who have appeared in campy cult films over the years.

1966's THE WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN starring Katherine Victor. I've seen this (in 3-D) no less, and it's a giant bore.

From Mexico: 1968's LA MUJER MURCIELAGO aka THE BATWOMAN starring Maura Monti.

I believe this incarnation includes nudity, softcore sex and Mexican wrestlers.

The poster below is pretty awesome.

From The Philippines: 1972's BATWOMAN & ROBIN starring Robin Aristorenas.

This one also features Catwoman and key art that looks like it's directly take from a DC Comic.

And it even had a sequel (also from 1972): BATWOMAN & ROBIN MEET THE QUEEN OF THE VAMPIRES!

Love the oversized combined BATWOMAN AND ROBIN logo! I think I need to see these. Anybody out there have a bootleg copy to lend me?