"Tales From the Darkside" Season 1, Episode 9. My Take

Meet Grandpa- he's got the titular "Case of the Stubborns" that makes for the plot of this 1984 episode of "Tales From the Darkside." If you don't recognize the actor playing stubborn old grandpa, it's Eddie Bracken who once famously gave Kevin McCallister a pair of turtle dove Christmas ornaments, when Kev was Lost in New York. 

Anyway, the real star power is on display here in the form of fifteen year old Christian Slater! I love how these old anthology shows are always so star studded! That's one reason we need to bring them back, but that's just my take. 

Oh yeah, the story: Seems Grandpa died last night but the old coot is so damn stubborn he won't lay down and leave everyone else the hell alone! But wait, there's more, including a Star Trek superstar . . . 

Cicada Memories

If you're in the part of America currently celebrating the return of the cicada, you may want to listen back to Cliff and Kendall's classic cicada episode!

Click HERE to listen to "Episode 187 - Cicadas in the Rye"






We hosted the 'Cicadas in the Rye Festival' in Busheltown two years ago. The episode features Mrs. Potterbutter Butterchurn (that year's Queen of the Rye), Bad Jokes, Dear Cliff and Kendall, and Would U Rather?  It also features 1,000's of cicadas!

Pee-wee's Gift to You!

As a special Christmas gift to all his pals, Pee-wee Herman is streaming his Christmas special on his website for free! I'm guessing it's through the day itself, but who knows. Regardless! You should avail yourself of this opportunity!

Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special is probably THE BEST Christmas special ever. Definitely the best "variety" special of all time. There are so many favorite parts, I simply can't count them!

So- I won't try. But I'll say: fruitcakes, Cher, and Grace Jones accidentally being delivered to the Playhouse in a huge wooden crate. (Okay, I guess I sort of tried- but there are so many more!) Countless guest stars (Oprah, Whoopi, Magic Johnson, Charro, Dinah Shore, et al) and your old compatriots Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, Cool Cat, Chicky Baby, and the Puppet Band.

*Have I mentioned how good this is and how you should watch it?

Punky Power!

I've been watching numerous episodes of "Punky Brewster" on Youtube, and have had so many A-ha moments while doing so!

First, I was shocked to find a proto-Cliff and Kendall in Punky's obese cousin Louise. She was a wisecracking fatso that never let a minute go by without a self deprecating fat joke. (Sound familiar?) She even arrived in a canary yellow sweat suit that shouted "I Brake For Donuts."**

But of course after a few life lessons in "Punky Power" she resolved to shed the weight! (And she did, in an epilogue Louise returned newly slimmed down). "What is Punky Power?" I hear you asking. Well, Punky describes it as Believing in yourself, never giving up, having faith that things will turn out okay, and knowing you can do anything you want if you really try. I wish you Punky Power today! Of course if YOU use it, you can insert your own name. Fat cousin Louise used "Louise Power" to shed pounds, for instance.

Another A-ha moment occurred when I saw an episode entitled "Reading, Writing, and Rock'n Roll." In this episode Punky was forced to sit out a rock concert by the Pop-Gods DeBarge and made to write a book report instead. Through a believable series of events, Henry (Punky's adoptive father) impersonates a rock journalist and gets into DeBarge's backstage area and convinces the guys in the group to drop by and teach Punky a lesson about the joys of reading. It was an A-ha moment when I realized Henry had used "Henry Power" and reached his goal of instilling a love of reading in Punky, by way of having pop royalty drop by.

They also drop a cassette into the stereo and lip-synch a few numbers for Punky who had to miss the show, but is now reading one of the group's favorite books: Tom Sawyer. And this blond guy is named Chico. From what I can tell he's not really in DeBarge, but just kind of comes on the side like a dinner roll. And he dressed like that. And people accepted his heterosexuality. (He has five children! And was stabbed in 2003, but is very alive). It was the 80's.

See, even Henry was won over and became a huge DeBarge fan! Punky Power to all!!! If you feel like revisiting Punky, start with THIS episode. It's the one where she gets boobs!!

**really.

Happy Birthday Betty!

Today the internet's hottest babe, Betty White- turns 29! Oh, I mean 89! Happy Birthday Betty!!

Just a reminder I loved Betty waayyy before it was cool! I loved her when I was 8 years old and stayed home to watch "The Golden Girls" each Saturday night (oh the party invitations I must have turned down!).

I also loved her all over again in the 90's when Nick at Nite began airing reruns of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" back to back weeknights at 9pm. Oh who would I be without Sue Ann Nivens or Rose Nylund?

Greatest Christmas Gift #10

The 10th Greatest Christmas Gift ever given on screen comes from that great black and white classic, "Miracle on 34th Street. " In the movie, a young and disbelieving, firmly stuck in reality, Natalie Wood comes to know the real Santa Claus. And as a child might do- she asks for a HOUSE from Old St. Nick.

It's a tall order- and not one Santa could fill for every child. Yet in order to prove to little Natalie (and her similarly level-headed Mom Maureen O'Hara) that Santa is real, and so much of life's meaning is derived from those wonderful "intangibles," Santa makes good and delivers a house.

A house is huge and a great gift, right? Then why is the house not #1 on the countdown? Well, because the house (while being the exact one asked for) was only for sale, and it was up to Mom and new Daddy to foot the bill- and in this economy! It's a great gift, but like the cars won by Oprah's studio audience, it was a gift with a few strings attached.

Shop Macy's!

Guess I Can Die Now

Season 7 of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" has finally been released!!! This completes my collection and fulfills most of my childhood dreams. Thank You Universe!

Mr. Grant Opens Up

Click HERE to read a nice interview with Ed Asner about his work these days, including voicing the lead character in "Up" and apparently touring with a one man show about FDR!

In addition to "Mary Tyler Moore" (my personal obsession) he's played Santa Claus at least four times- what's not to love?

Too Much Twilight!

Now I am in favor of Robert Pattinson's big mop of greasy hair just like all the other girls I'm in sixth grade with- BUT! This "Wuthering Heights" tie-in is too much! Must classic literature be sold upon the basis of these (watch out) not very good books???

Now in the interest of fairness and transparency, I will admit I've never read "Wuthering Heights"- but I did read "Twilight" and . . . didn't care for it! It wasn't horrible- I just read through 400 pages where NOTHING happened and even though I had another 100 pages left I found I couldn't possibly care less what happened to these people. No offense!

Now I do like vampires well enough, and maybe I didn't care for "Twilight" because I already had a vampire series to read: Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books (the basis for HBO's 'True Blood')- which, I will have you know, I read BEFORE they became a show. I bought the first book "Dead Until Dark" from an old dude selling paperbacks on a card table outside Walgreen's beneath the Astoria-Ditmars subway stop in Queens. I believe I paid $1.25 for it.

Now I've gotten this out of my system. Is everybody as ready for Halloween as I am? All this vampire chatter has me excited!

Now I Remember!!

After watching "Transformers Part Deux" yesterday, I kept trying to think of this quote from "The Wizard of Oz." It's what the wizard originally says when the Tin Man approaches him. Can YOU guess why this sprang to my mind in the middle of the Shia La Boof movie??

"You DARE to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of kaligenous junk!"

TV Right into Your BRAIN- 10 yrs Away!

Okay so follow THIS LINK to read somebody who says that contact lens TVs are TEN YEARS AWAY!!! So on the way to my twentieth high school reunion I can watch TV in my eyes. They also say that there are receptors (or some technical mumbo jumbo) that will adhere to you and relay the emotions of the characters to your brain! They use the example of James Bond- but I'd rather not feel as though I'm falling from a helicopter.

My ONLY concern with this- who needs an imagination or break from TV?? Not your grandkids!!- concern: can these Eye-TVs play my old dvds?? Can I watch Lucy under my eyelids? Can brain receptors tell me what it feels like to try and catch up with the candy machine? Taste Vitameatavegamin? Be continually told I can't be in the show at the Tropicana??? Godspeed scientists!!!

Today is the King's Birthday

Yes today was born unto you, in the city of Tupelo, a babe which was Elvis the King. Rock and Roll, etc. You gotta give propers!! Above is a video which my grandmother says will "kill ya" and was on the radio incessantly after Elvis' death in '77. It's called "The King is Gone" but long may he reign!