Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To You

Image via WikipediaA Blog-o-rama Christmas!


If this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't think anything will.  Mariah Carey performs in her first Christmas special and it's a doozy.  


Not only does she look gorgeous, but the choice of songs is fantastic.  You could listen to this as well as watch it.  Mariah, by the way is pregnant with twins.  It seems her husband, Nick Cannon (Drumline, America's Got Talent) let the cat out of the bag.


Sit back, relax and enjoy this old-fashioned Christmas special that was originally shown on ABC and is now provided to the internet by Hulu.com.

It's not too late to get her new Christmas CD from Amazon.  Just click the link on the left.

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How Can You Help Make A Dream Come True?

Image via WikipediaI must admit that I am not any where close to being at the top of the heap when it comes to volunteerism, being a good samaritan, donating to charities, or even helping an old lady across the street.  Yes, when I was young I was a very bad boy scout.  


However, on rare occasions, when the opportunity comes, I find myself willing to do whatever I can in the name of making life better for someone in need.  And, this being the season of giving, I decided to do a post about someone that by all accounts seems to be very deserving of a very special wish that she has.


There is a page on Facebook entitled 'Get Cory Monteith to sing to Pamela Campbell Love on her birthday'.  I found the page when one of my friends sent a request asking that I like this page.  They are hoping that if there are enough likes on the page it will get noticed by the powers that be, whether Cory Monteith himself, Fox executives, or even someone from the cast and crew at Glee.


Cory is one of the cast members on the TV show 'Glee' and she is absolutely crazy about him.  I think having him sing to her on his birthday is a pretty simple request.  


From what I understand Pam has spent the last two years facing hard times after a robbery at work that left her hospitalized and surgery that she still hasn't recovered from.  Financially, she has been on a terribly rocky road.


Yet, all she asks for is a song from Cory Monteith.  Let's see if we can give it to her.


For most of you, all you would have to do is go to the Facebook page and click like.  Of course there is always a long shot that someone from Fox or Glee or someone of national recognition could possibly read this post and do something more.  You can get to the fan page by clicking on this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Cory-Monteith-to-sing-to-Pamela-Campbell-Love-on-her-birthday/167213623315217


Whatever, it is, let's try and get the number of likes up to an astronomical level and give Ms. Love the dream she deserves.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Amends

Image via WikipediaA Blog-o-rama Christmas!


Amends


With vampires being all the rage as of late, it would seem inappropriate to not include them in our celebration of Christmas.  And what better way to do that than to post an episode of the all time best vampire series - Buffy!


So, what goes on in this offbeat holiday episode? As the Christmas holiday approaches, Angel is tormented by visions of his past victims, including Jenny Calendar, who wanted him to kill Buffy. 


Watch this Christmas episode and fall in love with the series as I have.





And when you're finished, hurry and buy the entire series just in time for Christmas at Amazon.com

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Thor - Enjoy This First Trailer.

Image by Big C Harvey via Flickr

It looks like the hokiness that I thought would be a Thor movie has failed to present itself, judging by this first trailer.  It plays it straight with in your face action.

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the epic adventure, Thor, which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant 

 warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It's while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

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Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol - Watch It Here!

Cover of Mr. Magoo's Christmas CarolA Blog-o-rama Christmas!


Before 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer', 'A Charlie Brown Christmas', 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas', and all of the hundreds of other animated Christmas specials that you can think of,  one name stands alone as the first prime time animated Christmas special.  That, my friends, would be good 'ole loveable, crotchety, near-sighted Mr. Magoo, voiced perfectly by irascible Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island).


Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol


Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous short story A Christmas Carol. It was the first animated holiday special ever produced specifically for television, originally airing in December 1962, and the only one until Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was first shown in December 1964.

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol was produced by Henry G. Saperstein, the UPA animation studio in its declining days. Commissioned and sponsored by Timex, it first aired on NBC on December 18, 1962.

Audiences and critics consider this program to be a holiday classic, due in part to the original songs of the Broadway team of Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics), who collaborated on the musical Funny Girl soon after their work on the special. As recently as December 25, 2006, many listeners told the National Public Radio program Talk of the Nation that Mister Magoo was their favorite Ebenezer Scrooge.

The story is the familiar Dickens tale with Mr. Magoo (voiced by Jim Backus) cast as Scrooge, and Gerald McBoing-Boing (in a rare speaking role) as Tiny Tim. The cartoon is written as a Broadway theatre play, divided into acts with an actual stage curtain. In the often-cut opening and closing, the near-sighted Mr. Magoo arrives at the theatre, takes his bows with the other actors, and accidentally demolishes the stage scenery at the end. The 19th century English characters Ebeneezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, etc., are thus not seen directly, but instead are portrayed by fictional American actors playing their parts. They generally have no British accents. The comic song "We're Despicable" is set at the grimmest part of the drama, and self-consciously breaks into the story. -Source:  Wikipedia




Besides Jim Backus as Magoo/Scrooge, the show also had a celebrated cast of voice actors including Morey Amsterdam as James Brady, Jack Cassidy as Bob Cratchit, and Paul Frees as several voices including Fezziwig.  Frees, in case you weren't aware was a distinguished voice actor in roles too numerous to mention.  Perhaps his most memorable is as the voice of the narrator in Disneyland's and Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion.


Count me in as one of those who consider this the best of all Christmas specials.  I remember actually seeing this when I was growing up at a local movie theater in a special Christmas afternoon triple feature for kids.  


Amazingly for me, it is now on Hulu in it's complete, unedited version.  And yes, here it is for you on the Blog-o-rama.  So, if you haven't seen it scheduled this year on TV (I haven't) or don't already have the DVD, take the time to enjoy this treasure now.
Merry Christmas.

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