Haystacks

Get your TV geek on

I think I know how that first Neanderthal felt when he clicked two pieces of flint together and saw sparks fly. As the tiny spark grew into a burning flame, he probably thought, 'This is the coolest thing in the history of the world. " Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is the coolest thing in the history of the world.

Fancast.com offers hours of episodic television. Name your poison: Star Trek: The Original Series, Adam-12, Alfred Hitchcock, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Twilight Zone, Perry Mason. Besides the classics there are those from the 'We Hardly Knew Ye' category: Bionic Woman (2008), Journey Man. Monk, Medium, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and all the CSI incarnations are among the available current shows.

Did I mention it's free?

My new favorite magazine

RISEN: The Spiritual Edge of Pop Culture is a must read.

I received my first issue yesterday and I am hooked. Pop icons such as Paul McCartney, Stan Lee and Peter Max discuss their careers, their beliefs and their influence on the culture.

RISEN posted this mission statement on their site: Risen is committed to   exploring culture through the prism of faith, transformation, and truth. I have waited  for years for a magazine like this one . RISEN is not a fundamentalist Christian attempt at mimicking mainstream media success. The articles are on par with any other pop culture magazines like Entertainment Weekly.  I enjoy reading about pop culture. I like to know the opinions and thoughts of creative people. I do not want the content sanitized for my safety. I do not want it censored because I am a Christian.

Check out their free trial subscription offer. Read some articles on line. Give them a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Thanks I Get

Wilco has sold their collective voice to VW. This ad began running last week.

According to a press release from the band, this is simply an avenue to get their sound out, as it has become more and more difficult to get their music played on mainstream radio.  Artists selling a song to an ad campaign is nothing new. However, this isn't a hit from the past. What Wilco is selling is off their latest studio release. You could hear the songs first in an ad campaign. So, is it an ad for VW or an ad for Wilco? Does it matter? Tweedy explained, "...And we feel okay about VWs. Several of us even drive them."

I admit when I saw this ad for the first time I chuckled. "Man! The die hard, alt country Wilco fans are going to freak!" Nazi accusations aside, I'm wondering if people are accusing Jeff Tweedy of selling his soul to the devil.  I'm a Wilco fan. I drive a VW. I'm likely not the target audience, but I can tell you that song has been running through my head since I saw the ad. Mission accomplished.

When you get into Wilco, it gets into you.

Releasing my inner geek

iTunes is now offering the complete Season 1 of the origninal Star Trek! I am so buying this! 

"Marley was dead..."

It is that time of year for me; time to settle in my oh-so comfy couch with a blanket and Charles Dickens. Every year, a few days before Christmas, I break out my copy of 'A Christmas Carol' and lose myself in the story of Scrooge's redemption. It is a holiday tradition I look forward to.

Things are getting rather hectic, so I'm cheating this year. I won't be reading, I'll be ristening. There are dozens of readings of Charles Dickens available on CD. I have listened to several very good recordings. My favorite is by Patrick Stewart.

What began as a reading to friends in someone's living room, grew into a one man show boasting a sold out run on Broadway. Following the studio recording, in which Stewart voices 75+ characters of Victorian England, came the film version. The film version is not without merit, but the real treasure lies in his voice recording. The recording runs just over two hours and is carefully abridged. Having read the book several times, I give you my word, nothing is lost in the edit. Find it here.

For film versions of the Christmas classic, I favor the George C. Scott television production. Scott's sympathetic portrayal of the original Christmas villain softens the piece, but not to the point of loosing the characterization. We see Scrooge as a man made evil by a life of loneliness rather than a man born vile and corrupt. When Scrooge sputters the famous line, "If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!", we feel pity rather than scorn. It is somehow easier to forgive him and applaud his redemption in the end.

All that being said, I encourage you again this year to meet up with the characters of Olde England. After all, what is Christmas without Scrooge?