2009 - A good year for 80's DVD's!

Even with all the cable channels and DVD releases, a bunch of great 80's TV shows still remain unseen. But soon, some of the best will be coming to DVD...

Tales From The Darkside: Season 1 will finally be released February 10th. I consider this series equally as good as The Twilight Zone. I watched all four seasons when they originally aired and can't wait to see them all again. Especially some of the fun ones from season one like "Djinn, No Chaser", "The Madness Room", "The Tear Collector" "The False Prophet", "In The Cards", and "Snip, Snip".

Friday The 13th - The Series: Season 1 was released a few months ago. That's the season that had my absolute favorite episode of the series - The Quilt Of Hathor. It was a two-parter where they had to track down a cursed object in an Amish-like community. Season 2 also had some great episodes, including one with a cursed radio ("And Now The News")! The 2nd season comes out February 10th. I'm guessing the 3rd and final season won't be too far behind.

Mr. Belvedere: It ran for six seasons and rarely gets rerun anymore. But that won't matter now that seasons 1 & 2 will be out on DVD March 17th. If it sells well, maybe the releases will continue and I'll finally get to see the ten episodes from the final season that never aired. Life would be very good then. Amazon doesn't have it listed yet, but here's a look at the package art.

California Dreams: I know this wasn't an 80's show, but it was close. I don't care what anyone says, this show was way better than Saved By The Bell. It debuted in 1992 and lasted 78 episodes. You can see the first 31 very soon - seasons 1 & 2 are coming to DVD March 31st. Amazon doesn't have this listed yet, but here's the package art.

New Year's Eve in Pennsylvania...

Most places drop a traditional New Year's Eve ball tomorrow night. But Pennsylvania is never normal and they'll prove that many times over tomorrow night.

Here's some of the strange things that will be dropping tomorrow night in Pennsylvania cities...

Dillsburg, PA: A pickle.

Mechanicsburg, PA: A wrench.

Harrisburg, PA: A giant strawberry.

Elizabethtown, PA: A huge M&M.

Bethlehem, PA: A 25-pound fiberglass illuminated "marshmallow" Peep.

Shippensburg, PA: An anchor.

Falmouth, PA: A stuffed goat.

Lebanon, PA: A 120-pound, seven-and-a-half foot edible bologna!

(Click on the city names for either the event's official website or Mapquest directions from Buffalo.)

Merry Christmas!

I'm probably eating banana cream pie right this very second.

I hope you are too...

More Christmas videos...

Here's one of our huge requests on Star 102.5. It's Lou Monte's Dominick The Donkey set to video from the Shrek movies.

Just as exciting, the awesome Crazy Frog with Jingle Bells (from the Crazy Frog CD Crazy Christmas Hits).

On that same CD is a remake of Wham's Last Christmas! Here's the video for that one.

Finally, the original Last Christmas and the 1984 video from Wham.

Merry Christmas!

Jingle Bells as sung by microwaves???

This is strange. And I'm thinking the people that put this together are stranger still!

You know the "ding" a microwave makes when it's done cooking? Imagine putting together a bunch of different microwaves with different "dings" and timing them just perfect so that they sing out Jingle Bells.

A group of people actually did just that and it's already been watched by over half a million people. See the unbelievable excitement here...

Animals are smarter than people...

In honor of Gina and Rob's Christmas song / nightmare coming up tomorrow morning at about 8:40am, I thought I'd post some animal videos.

First up is a lazy cat that finally does something for its owner.

The second video might be proof that dogs are smarter than humans. Especially some humans I saw while Christmas shopping this past weekend.

In another cat video, see what what happens when you let your cat watch too much TV. It's scary, but it's nothing compared to the next video.

Get ready for the Ninja Cat. He will will get you when you're not looking. And you won't even know what's coming.

By the way, if you love animals, I sure hope you have the 2009 Star 102.5 SPCA Calendar! If not, find out where to get it here.

Another batch of Christmas videos...

Because I love the 80's, I've got to include the 1984 classic Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid. I consider this the greatest charity record to date. And the video is a classic that I remember watching over and over on MTV. Wikipedia has the listing of artists that participated (taken from the original record sleeve).

Judge Penny Wolfgang will be very excited to see this one (she requests the song constantly). It's Madonna's rendition of Santa Baby. Here's the video from 1987.

Can you tell I'm missing the 80's hour? I'm happy to say the 80's After Work will be returning very soon on Star 102.5!

Lost - Season 5 trailer...

Lost - Season 4 was released on DVD today. Perfect timing for us to catch up on what happened in those 14 episodes before the new season begins.

Season 5 will start Wednesday, January 21st with a three-hour premiere on ABC. The first hour will be a clip show, followed by two new hours.

The timeslot this season will be Wednesdays at 9pm and the new season should run 17 episodes. That leaves 17 episodes remaining for Season 6, supposedly the final season.

Here's the trailer for the 5th season - watch out, there may be some spoilers. Although with Lost, nothing is ever as it seems anyways.

ABC.com has some additional previews too!

California Dreams on DVD???

Remember this teen NBC show in the 90's about a California band trying to make it big? It was the perfect successor to Saved By The Bell.

Even though it lasted five seasons and did well for most of its run, it's completely disappeared from TV. Until now - maybe.

A California Dreams fansite has learned that DVD's are being worked on for the series. TVShowsOnDVD has even reported on it, which usually means it'll be happening. I'll let you know when something is officially announced.

The set (if it comes out) is supposed to contain both the first and second seasons. Which is good, because the first season was very different from the rest of the series, as it was more of a family sitcom. The band became the focus starting in the second season and lasting through the rest of the series.

I actually liked this show better than Saved By The Bell, so I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

For now, here's a season four episode I found on YouTube. There's also a CD that was released in 1992.

Amazing Race - Season 13 finale...

If you missed any part of it, you can see the full episode (and all the other episodes from this season) on the CBS website.

There's also lots of extras including the Elimination Station videos, Phil's Diary, and pre-race interviews.

Without revealing the winners of the season, check out this finale picture of everyone at the finish line...


Toni & Dallas aren't there. They weren't able to leave Russia with the rest of the crew after Dallas left his passport in a taxi. Read a post-race interview with them explaining exactly how the passport was lost (the show didn't accurately portray that).

Michael McDonald now...

I just played his recent Christmas hit Deck The Halls / Jingle Bells on air. Before playing it, I took a peek at his website and was stunned at how he hasn't really changed at all since the 80's!

I know you remember his big hits in the 80's - Sweet Freedom and Yah Mo B There were my two favorites.

See his recent picture as he gets a star on Nashville's Walk Of Fame on his official website.

An angry mob???

We're halfway through the Christmas music season.

I think I might be close to losing my mind.

Maybe that's why I find this video so hysterical...

When two awesome shows collide...

Wonderfalls was one of my favorite TV shows ever. Yeah, I know, it only aired 4 episodes. But 13 were made and I love the DVD set.

The episodes got funnier and crazier as the series went on. One of them that didn't air was called "Muffin Buffalo". In it, Jaye takes the advice of a talking buffalo on a neighbor's apron and ends up annoying her neighbors but also setting in motion a string of events that eventually helps everyone involved.

This Wednesday on Pushing Daisies (another all time favorite show of mine), we find out what's become of MaryAnne Beattle, one of those neighbors. The character will be the focus of the "Comfort Food" episode (the star of Pushing Daisies also played Jaye's brother on Wonderfalls).

I'm still annoyed that ABC cancelled Pushing Daisies, but at least it's looking like they'll continue airing it through the end of the year. It might even make it through all the episodes made for this season.

The show's creator is hoping to wrap up all the season two storylines in comic book form. After that, he's planning on doing a Pushing Daisies movie, which will continue the storyline.

This is most likely not an empty promise. He's done it once already (another of his series - Dead Like Me - has a reunion movie coming out this February).

Don't forget - Pushing Daisies this Wednesday at 8:00pm on ABC!

Look up tonight...

If we're lucky and we get starry skies tonight, look up and you'll see something that isn't going to happen again until 2052.

It'll be a crescent moon with two planets (Venus and Jupiter) appearing close by.

In reality, there's millions and millions of miles seperating these objects, but from our perspective, they'll look nice and close.

Here's an article that details all of this. The picture above shows the alignment as it was in 2004. The illustration below (from space.com) shows how it'll appear tonight.

A couple more Christmas videos...

Here's Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) from their TV series. This is definitely one of our biggest requests throughout the holiday season. Now see the video that goes with it.

Along the same lines, the Muppets (with John Denver) and The 12 Days Of Christmas. The quality is pretty bad, but it's better than nothing I guess.

Enjoy!

The best Christmas song ever!

Last year I was obsessed with Dominick The Donkey. The year before I couldn't get enough of The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen. This year, I think I've found something that topped both of them.

It's "A Very Silent Night", a Christmas song that only dogs can hear!

It was released by the SPCA in New Zealand, with proceeds going to a charity set up by the SPCA there. See the video for the song here (only your dog will be able to hear it).

Gift idea: Gas neutralizers!

I'm not making this up.

Garment Guard, the company that came up with a way to avoid underarm sweat-stains, has now come up with something even more ingenious...

Subtle Butt - disposable gas neutralizers! (Okay, I'll just say it, fart protectors.)

They're only $9.95 and would make a perfect Christmas gift for any fan of beans, broccoli, cauliflower, or apples.

Visit their website to see the Subtle Butt in action (yes, there's actually a video) and read the instructions for how to use Subtle Butt.

Gift idea: For your goldfish...

If you've got a goldfish, I'm guessing it usually gets overlooked at Christmas.

Don't let that happen this year! Get your goldfish something it can have fun with. Train your goldfish to play sports and run through an obstacle course!

The training course is called R2 Fish School. You can buy it on amazon.com (where it's gotten positive reviews) or buy it from the official website.

And if you've got a bunch of bored yet exceptionally talented goldfish, try training them to synchronize swim! See a goldfish swim team here.

Gift idea: Chocolate-covered bacon!

Chocolate is good. Bacon is awesome. So together they should be awesomely good.

This cool gift is from a store called The Meadow in Portland, Oregon. The product description touches on world peace, cultural enrichment, and a sensory journey - all can be achieved apparently thanks to the chocolate-covered bacon. So you must buy it!

Just think how happy and excited your friends, family, and co-workers will be when they open this up.

It's $7.40 and can be purchased at The Meadow's website.

Gift idea: A flying lawn mower!

The picture to the left is not real. It's from an absolutely brilliant Sid & Marty Krofft TV show called Wonderbug from 1977 (click on the picture to see the opening theme song).

The picture to the right is real. It's actually a flying lawn mower!

Well, sort of. It's an RC airplane shaped like a lawn mower.

Buy one for $149.99 (or $109.99 without the covering material) at the FlyingThingZ website.

Black Friday 2008 ads!!!

Are you ready for the giant battle coming up next Friday? You better have a plan of attack set before then or you're going to miss out on all the big deals!

I've already found something I plan on buying Black Friday. Circuit City is going to be selling all the Futurama season sets for $14.99!!! I'm getting them all!

Here's some websites that'll help you plan your shopping strategies for Black Friday...

black-friday.net

bfads.net

theblackfriday.com

tgiblackfriday.com

blackfriday.info

blackfriday.gottadeal.com

bargainshare.com

Christmas videos!

And so it begins again. Over 41 days (almost 1002 hours) of Christmas music.

If you're having trouble getting in the holiday mood already, this'll help - the original Snow Miser / Heat Miser video (from the TV special The Year Without A Santa Claus). The 2004 version by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is great, but nothing can ever top the original.

Then you can never forget the I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas song! The video doesn't match up with the song, but it's a cool looking hippo, so it works for me.

I'll post more as the season goes on. And on...

Bacon!!!

I love bacon.

So naturally, I love this blog featuring "Daily Updates on the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon".

Recent updates include bacon & meat gift packages, the turkey bacon debate, bacon songs, bacon apparel, Diet Coke with Bacon, and bacon cinnamon rolls.

And there's also some recipes for things like bacon sugar cookies and bacon brownies (guess what my contribution to the family Christmas party is gonna be this year).

Mmmmmmmm...

Even more failed sitcoms...

I got a few e-mails of other failed sitcoms...

Teen Angel (1997, ABC) - A teenager eats a six-month old hamburger, dies, and ends up a guardian angel to his best friend. Can't get much stranger than that. Here's a clip from the show. It's the best I could find.

I Married Dora (1987, ABC) - A guy marries his housekeeper to keep her from being deported. The series ended with the series being cancelled. Really. It was actually written into the storyline of the final episode that the show was cancelled. Here's the opening credits from the show.

Do Over (2002, WB) - A freak electrical accident makes a 31-year old go back to 1981 when he was 14. Here's the first episode.

E-mail me if you think of any more...

More failed sitcoms...

Throughout the morning show today, I got a few other suggestions for the failed sitcoms list. Here's the ones we talked about on-air that I was able to find...

Herman's Head (1991, FOX) - Pam called in to suggest this one. Even though it constantly had poor ratings, it managed to stay on-air three seasons thanks to the fact that it was the early days of the FOX Network. But it's probably those poor ratings that make this a lost show, rarely appearing in syndication and never making it to DVD. It was the story of Herman and the four separate identities that lived inside his head and helped him get through each day. Check out the first episode here.

Greg The Bunny (2002, FOX) - A brilliant sitcom suggested by Carrie about a world where humans and puppets live together. Don't ever call the puppets "socks" by the way - they don't like that. The full series has been released on DVD - buy it here.

Stella (2005, Comedy Central) - Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain star in this failed sitcom / sketch comedy. I never heard of it until I got a call about the show this morning. It's described online as a strange and sometimes surreal show. Okay, that sounds interesting. The first (and only) season can be purchased on DVD here.

That 80's Show (2002, FOX) - Seems failed FOX sitcoms are really popular. Producer Kyle liked this one. It wasn't a spin-off of That 70's Show, it was more like a companion show created by the same people. A companion show that didn't come close to lasting even a tenth as long as That 70's Show. Here's one of the episodes from That 80's Show.