PopCereal Press: Peanuts Returns

For Immediate Release:

HAPPINESS IS A MONTHLY
COMIC BOOK SERIES, CHARLIE BROWN!

READ THE ALL-ORIGINAL
PEANUTS #0
INTRODUCTORY ISSUE
THIS NOVEMBER FOR ONLY $1
&
THEN GET PEANUTS #1
THIS JANUARY!

ISSUE #0 FEATURES A NEW
ORIGINAL STORY & A SNEAK PEEK
AT THE NEW KABOOM! SERIES
LAUNCHING THIS JANUARY!

August 24th, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA – Happiness is a monthly comic book series, Charlie Brown! PEANUTS debuted at BOOM! Studios' all-ages imprint KABOOM! this past spring with the first PEANUTS graphic novel HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN. Now, thanks to a recently signed partnership with Peanuts Worldwide, Snoopy and the gang are back in a monthly comic book series kicking off this November with a special #0 — for only a buck —featuring a new original story and supplementary material that will provide a sneak peek at the series launching in January!

“We were honored to publish the first PEANUTS graphic novel HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN this past spring and now we are doubly honored to publish a new PEANUTS monthly comic series,” BOOM! Studios Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ross Richie said. “The team at PEANUTS have entrusted us with these characters and we aim to do everything we can to honor the memory and the characters of Charles Schulz.”

"It's a daunting task to follow in the footsteps of a master," BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon said. "But with the team we have assembled and the guidance of the folks at Peanuts Worldwide and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, we're confident that we'll be delivering to fans the best PEANUTS monthly comic book series anyone could imagine."

Launched this past spring, KABOOM! is the brand new name for BOOM! Studios’ three year old all-ages imprint previously known as BOOM Kids! This year has seen KABOOM! launch with the premiere of the PEANUTS graphic novel, followed closely by an all new original series by fan-favorite Roger Langridge entitled SNARKED, and this month will see the release of Scholastic’s WORDGIRL.

PopCereal Remembers... Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (TV 1973)

Don't Be Afraid of the Marketing Schemes!

The remake phenomenon has taken another, odd twist this week.  It used to be that older films were remade to try and bring the classic story into a more modern age, making accessible, once again, to a new generation.  Lately, tough, the remake has become more a marketing scheme, trying to get the audience who grew up with the original movie or TV program to crawl back into their childhood clothes and enjoy another romp with their favorite characters (albeit a newer trendier, more adult oriented romp).  But with Guillermo del Toro's newly produced remake of the TV Movie of the Week classic Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, the original audience for this movie are way way out of the standard money-spending target audience range of 15-35 year-olds.  But, even with that said, I'm not sure the original audience is even much interested in seeing this movie remade.

But, maybe that's just me.  The plot of the movie is surely a creepy one: young bride in a new home starts hearing and seeing little creatures after opening a sealed up fireplace.  The movie was truly frightful for me when I saw it at 12 years-old.  And truth be told, it still was fairly chilling having seen it a few times as an adult.  But, do I need to see it remade?  No, not really.  Especially, seeing the trailers which make it look like so many of the other spookers about houses possessed.  The trailer actually looks like the American remakes of some of the better Spanish thrillers.

The fun part about the original Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, as well as many of the TV thrillers of that era, is that the setting of the story was decidedly ours.  The world was that of the everyday.  And the people who lived in them were all people who were familiar to us.  When the creepy things came out, they came into our world.  In the original TV movie, Sally Farnham (played by Kim Darby) was just like any other young newlywed, with the same joys and troubles any of the viewers would experience.  That is, until she dabbles in places where she shouldn't.  And then, the creepers come into her world... our world.  This is what made it so frightful -- that these little unseen creepy creatures, who no one knows of, and no one sees, could somehow come get us.  It sent shivers down our spines to think that one day, when all is fair and bright, that suddenly we are sneaked up on by the unknown.  What's worse is, who would ever believe you when you try and explain?

All of this "our world" stuff seems to have been drained from today's thrillers. The world we enter in today's horror is their world -- the world of the creepers.  The contemporary setting in these films are not so normal anymore, but ripe for sorrow and hurt, and the players seem resigned to the notion that misery is just around the corner. Contemporary horror seems so filled with dark and dankness that when the thrills and creepers finally arrive, the audience is already so overwhelmed with dread that the madness needs to be escalated by use of loud noises, thunderous clashes of music, and explosive violence.  Yes, many times that recipe has proved effectual, but more than often it hasn't. 

For me, however, I think the horror works better when our world of everydayness is suddenly invaded by the creepies.  

PopCereal Remembers... Winter of the Witch (1969)

Have yourself a tasty helping of blueberry pancakes.  Magical blueberry pancakes!!

If this looks familiar, you're a PopCereal Flake

If you were a television nut in the 70s, like I was, then you may remember this childhood treat -- Winter of the Witch.  It's a tale of  a boy who moves to a new house with his mother, only to discover they much share it with a crabby old witch.  The witch makes life miserable for the boy, until he learns about the one thing that will make her happy... making blueberry pancakes.  And not just any blueberry pancake -- they're magical (or rather, trippy!)

Many have seen this in school, maybe in their Social Studies class, but I remember it as one of my beloved afternoon/weekend specials.

PopCereal Blogger Alert! Freckled Derelict

Holy Batsnap!!  I came across this blooger by way of a link from Vintage Books My Kid's Love (who, by the way, you should be following too!) and went bananas poring over the fantastic collection of retro reads and oddities.

On her Golden Gems blog, there is a catalog of golden olden illustrated kid's books.  Not just discussed, but for full viewing!  There are also brilliant scans of vintage paper product, like Valentine cards and record albums. What a treat.

Over at Plenty 'O' Fun, there's more retro fun... and plenty of it, just as promised.  I love the groovie collection of romance comics, and TV related goodies.  Then at Fresh Meat, the Freckled Derelict displays her own works of fab vintage style works -- which is an unsquare treat for PopCereal kids!

Now, go have fun!

PopCereal Remembers... Taco Flavored Doritos

Do you remember when Taco flavored Doritos where the ONLY Doritos?

If you remember that, then you probably get called a dinosaur or old fogey... like I do.

Like any PopCereal family, we loved our snacks.  Popcorn was the ultimate TV time treat, but potato chips sure hit the spot on Sunday afternoons with the football games.  Being from western NY, we got addicted to Bison Sour Cream and Onion dip with our chips -- so, when flavored chips came about, we dug in as fast as we could.  [Not sure if Bison reaches out past the East Coast, but you folks are sure missing a treat, if'n you haven't tasted it.]

I'm not gonna lie when I tell you that I remember the moment I was introduced to a bag of Taco flavored Doritos.  My Dad bought them for our weekend treat.  And more, he introduced them as a chip that didn't need a dip!  Trust me, this is a big thing, because the only variety of chips in these days were plain or krinkle cut!!

A few years later in the early 70s came the Nacho flavored Dorito.  It was like gold had struck!!  Bags of Nacho Doritos couldn't stay on the shelves long enough -- which was fine with me.  I still loved the Taco chips.  Oh, I learned to love the Nacho, but the taco still had my heart.  Apparently, I wasn't among many, because the Taco flavored Dorito became all but extinct.  It came back in various recipe changes, or as part of special mix bags.  But, it looks as thou the silent legion of my youth has called out, and demanded the return of the Taco!!

I can only hope that this "limited" batch becomes a regular item.

POPCEREAL NEWS! Planet of the Apes back on comic stands!

Boom Studios has been putting out a number of great titles.  But this one blasted me off to outer space!!!

POP REVIEW: Home for the Holidays (TV 1972)

I've got your present for you. It's a pitchfork!! In your back!!!

The four Morgan sisters reunite, after nine years, as they visit their ailing father.  There is the youngest, Christine (played by a young Sally Fields, fresh off her run as The Flying Nun), an naive innocent college girl, who still depends on her big sisters; Jo (Jill Haworth) the feisty socialite, Fred (Jessica Walter, who was killer in Play Misty for Me, just a year earlier) along with her bottles of vodka, and Alex (Eleanor Parker) the older, mother-hen spinster.

Don't look at him, whatever you do

They've been summoned to their childhood ranch estate by their father (the ever enjoyable Walter Brennan), who is convinced that his new wife (the creepy Julie Harris) is trying to poison him.  Her first husband died under mysterious circumstances, and now the sisters are worried that she is targeting their father's money.  To make matters more difficult, there is a terrible December thunderstorm a-brewing.  Trapped in their secluded childhood home, the sisters keep an eye open for their suspicious stepmother, and open some scabbed over wounds from their own dysfunctional past.

Killer Graphic Tee

Oh... and let's not forget the maniacal killer, dressed in a yellow rain slicker and boots, and red rubber gloves, carrying a pitchfork!

Produced by the dream team of Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, this TV Movie is already a must see. But then you throw in John Llewellyn Moxey -- the best TV Movie of the Week director ever(!), well, then you just have a hit on your hands.

Oh yeah, Michael Myers.  I got your number.

I can still remember the first time I watched this Yuletide creeper.  It's probably the first slasher flick I ever watched.  Sadly, though, in the pantheon on modern horror, there is no mention of this small screen gem.  Halloween has already been established as the original slasher flick, and has been widely credited for setting the standards and motifs.  Horror buffs will also look back a couple years previous to Black Christmas, and credit that film for establishing the guidelines for all others.  But, no one ever talks about Home for the Holidays.  Clearly, HFTH is well set in the Made for Television vein, with the old fashioned "ladies in distress" theme, and Gothic thriller overtones.  It doesn't compare to the youthful. angsty and lusty predecessors, with their shocks and sex.  But, check out the killer donned in the slasher style garb!

If we all know one thing about slasher flicks, it's that the killer is always masked, his/her identity hidden from the viewer.  HFTH has that motif down pat, and it predates Halloween by a half dozen years (Black Christmas by two years).

Actually, this argument is somewhat of a moot point, seeing that the Italian Giallo pictures had killers running around in rain slickers and gloves long before Spelling and Goldberg decided to make this film

Best of TV That I Watched in 2010

I don't watch a crud load of TV, meself.  I'm way too picky (and, yes, uppity), and don't just veg on "whatever's on."  I also don't like to get into a bunch of shows that have endless mythology and loads of twists and secrets to uncover throughout 5 seasons.  I guess it's because I come from the old school 70s TV world, where the show's adventure of the week wrapped itself up at the end of the hour.  Sure, they have their ongoing quests -- Land of the Giants crew had to get the hell outa Giant Land; The crew of the Star Trek needed to get home;  Starsky had an insatiable journey to date and fall for every Mob boss' daughter -- but these goals weren't the main focus of every episode... Or, any, if that!!  What was of utmost importance was telling a great tale in that one hour each week.

I do get into some of the serialized shows, if'n they're well written, and the great characters arcs are worth the wait (or weight) of the story arcs. And, especially, if you get a beginning/middle/and end form each episode.  These TV shows with season long story arcs are also a lot more tolerable when their seasons run is 6 to 13 episodes.

There were a number of shows that I didn't get to watch, that I wish I did get to watch -- but, that's what NetFlix is for.  Then, there were shows that I didn't care to watch, no matter who said it was brilliant or wonderful.  But, this list is a list of the shows I did care to watch, and thought were absolutely wondrous.

• 11.) SURVIVORS/THE WALKING DEAD
• I put these two together, because they have similar themes and equally moving writing. 

• 10) THE INCREASINGLY POOR DECISIONS OF TODD MARGARET
• So so so wrong and politically incorrect.  I'll often laugh, and then look around to make sure I've not been seen.

• 9.)  JUSTIFIED
• Timothy Olyphant is part Dirty Harry grit, part John Wayne swagger.

• 8.)  THE IN-BETWEENERS
• An insanely filthy little bugger of a comedy.  Picture the boys from Porkys in a British prep school.

• 7.)  DR.WHO
• I have never been a big Dr. Who viewer, but for some reason, I decided to watch this latest incarnation of the series... and I love it!

• 6.)  MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE
• Ray Ramano takes his Ray Barone character and moves him to a dramedy.  Thank God that Andre Braugher is back on TV!!

• 5.)  MY LIFE AS LIZ
• I haven't watched anything worth while on MTV since Austin Stories, but followed the buzz to this winner of a show.  Part John Hughes smartness, part My So Called Life angst.

• 4.)  SKINS (BBC)
• The show lost a little flare after the original cast moved on, but there is still the solid, unapologetic writing.

• 3.)  RAISING HOPE
• One of the best sitcoms since Roseanne. I haven't laughed this hard at a sitcom in a long time.

• 2.)  LOUIE
• I didn't much care for Louis C.K.s (yes the title spelling "ie" not "is") HBO show, but it did demonstrate Louis' irreverence.  This new FX show is plain killer.  Risky, vulgar, bombastic, thoughtful, and full of genuine pathos.  Oh yeah... and hysterical.

• 1.)  MAD MEN
• Hands down, my favorite show on television for the past few years.  It gives wide berth to serialized plot cliches.  The characters are the most unique, unpredictable, and solid of any show going.  The acting, writing, and directing is just brilliant.

As I said before, this list is culled from the shows I watch.  There are programs like Breaking Bad, Dexter, or Boardwalk Empire that are tops on other critic's list that I just have not gotten to see.  And then there are other list toppers that I just don't get, like Lost (yaaaawn),  Pretty Little Liars (seriously -- it made several lists!!), and Friday Night Lights ( I've only watched one episode of this supposed touching family drama, that of which portrayed the rape of a young student with copious and gratuitous close ups of the female victims flesh and curves. Way to demonstrate the pain and humility of rape -- with a li'l old fashioned T&A!!)

And, then some shows just fell short.  Sorry Modern Family.  Sorry Big Bang Theory.  Sorry Amazing Race and Survivor...

As a side note, I'd like to beg the networks (cable included) -- please let Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick create more programs for television.  They are sorely missed.

Don't Be Afraid of the TV!

What were you watching this week, 37 years ago?

Like a step into the Time Machine, I can tell you exactly what I was doing 37 years ago this week. I happened upon a bunch of old TV Guides at a household sale I was helping out with. Amongst the many issues, which spanned the decades of the 60s through to present day, I found one dated Oct. 6-12, 1973, and took a look see to find if I could recall what I watched on the tube that particular week. I almost spit out my Fruity Pebbles when I came across the listings for Wednesday night, October 10.

And that's exactly what this 11 year old kid was doing that very night.  It would become one of my all time favorite TV Movies.  What a blast.

Then, a flip of a couple pages brought me to Friday night, Oct. 12.  This is the the treat that was in store for a creepy little kid, who was looking for more Halloween season treats:

Surprisingly, the write up doesn't mention that this little monster flick was produced and directed by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis.  Jack Palance seems an unlikely candidate for the role of the Casanova of all monsters, but I don't know that I even recognized him back then.  I may have seen him in some westerns or something, but hell, it didn't matter.  The guy was absolutely creepy (but not as creepy as the 1968 version of Dr. Jekkyl & Mr. Hyde, also directed by Curtis).

I think maybe I'll put my DVDs of these movies in the Time Machine and experence them all over again.

Get On Board: The Double Deckers!

Best Clubhouse Ever!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- One of the coolest shows ever.

I got my early Christmas present -- a DVD package from Second Sight in the UK, with 17 fantastic episodes of The Double Deckers.  Not only have I been enjoying this blast from my childhood cathode ray past, but my two little girls are digging it just as much (although my youngest thinks Doughnuts and Brains are ridiculously silly).

The Double Deckers originally aired in the UK in 1971, and then enjoyed a syndicated run in the US for several years after.  This show was a fantastic mix of comedy and adventure, featuring a group of children who do a bit of detective work, a bunch of singing, and find themselves knee deep in hilarious hi-jinx.  Most memorable for me was the fuly loaded double decker London bus clubhouse.

Not visible from the London street, the kids had to enter with a secret password and a combination, which would set of a Rube Goldberg-like series of contraptions that would unlock the secret door in the wooden fence facade. Then, once inside, the bus held a cache of cool rooms and high-tech trinkets.  Man, did I ever wanna live in that bus!!

I'm always on the lookout for DVDs like this, because I really enjoy sharing the kind of entertainment I enjoyed as a kid with my kids. Not only out of nostalgia, but really for the wholesome, good humored fun. There's not a whole lot on the TV these days that doesn't depict kids as egomaniacal whiners, and tech-needy twits, or parents as soooo-cool and trendy hipster wannabes, and who can be just as sexy as their kids (oy!).  It's either that or the so-wholesome-it-shrinks-my-teeth Barney episodes, or the redundently-challenged (but admittedly cool) monsters of  Yo Gabba Gabba.

Besides, the title song is so catchy!  My oldest is even teaching it to her kindergarten friends!!

Dear Santa -- Get Me the Double Deckers!!

Just learned that The Double Deckers is on DVD in the UK. Lets hope it makes it across the pond to the US!!

Check it out at Second Sight.

Goodbye Mitch Miller!!

Mitch Buddy!! Gonna Miss You...

bad ronald is watching!

Go check out the new blog by PopCereal -- Bad Ronald.  He watching..... movies.









He's a pretty creepy guy, and he likes to watch... horror movies.  He reviews them, too.  As well as comics, TV, paperbacks.  Anything horror.  Catch up on the latest horror news, while your there.

happy earth day!

Keep America Beautiful or Make an Indian Cry


And Please, Give a Hoot!


Make America Sparkle City!

who cares about summer!

One of the finest times of the year for little Mr. Miller was, undoubtedly, the Fall Season of television. I could barely contain my joy whenever that Fall Preview issue of TV Guide was awaiting me in our mailbox. And the impending end of summer never seemed so horrible when it meant that all three Major Networks would soon be airing their Fall Preview Shows.

The Fall Preview seems to be a lost art these days, what with the new show seasons being scattered out along September through November. And with new shows debuting in mid-winter, spring, and even summer!

Mr. Miller here would sit there in front of the tube, with a pad and pencil clutched in my hungry fist, waiting to scribble down the names of the shows and the night and times they'd be airing. Then I'd go to my room and plan out my schedule for the upcoming months.

1971 was a pretty good TV season for ABC. They aired new seasons of The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Bewitched, Monday Night Football, The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Love, American Style. They debuted Longstreet, Getting Along, Owen Marshall, Shirley's World and The Man and the City.

There's also a really great promo in the preview show for the ABC Evening News, complete with some wild psychedelic 70s graphics.

It may be a far fetched claim to many ears, but with only 3 Networks airing original programs, there was easily more good quality, fun stuff to watch back then, on any given night, than there is with 200+ channels today. And you can take that to your Mickey Mouse Gumball Bank.

stan the man

Good news for all you Silver Age comic freaks... our man Stan is back!

STAN’S BACK REVEALED

Posted using ShareThis

good eats!

Having gone Manly Gaga over the Double Deckers on my last post, Mr. Miller realized that I had jumbled my memories of that show with another show that was on at the same time?

After going through all the youtube videos of Double Deckers, I realized -- hey! wasn't this an awful lot like Mulligan Stew?

Well... yes... and no. They were both shot on film -- yes. And they both had a gang of kids -- yes. And they had a lot of action take place in somewhat urban locales -- yes. But, only Double Deckers had goofy, wild, kid adventures, and Mulligan Stew was more like a glorified segment of Sesame Street or Zoom!, with lessons and music.

Compare with the links from Mr. Miller's previous blog entry...



Both shows were highly entertaining, and full of great kid-friendly action. Mr. Miller really wished they had shows like this these days for his mini-Mr. Millers to enjoy.

Meanwhile, they can watch these links...

come on board

Holy chimollies!! This one took me by surprise. I haven't even thought of this show in decades, but instantly remembered it all once the moment I clicked play and the junk yard doors opened up to reveal the kids dancing in front of their awesome double decker bus.



HERE COME THE DOUBLE DECKERS originally aired in Great Britain, but then was picked up by ABC for their Saturday Morning lineup. I was just fascinated with the show I guess because I dug the idea of being a kid who has a double decker bus for his hangout.

The logline from IMDB reads: The adventures of a gang of seven kids whose clubhouse is an abandoned double decker bus in a London junkyard. Usually involves a bit of singing, a bit of dancing and general fun times.

There's a call for the show to be rereleased for Saturday Morning fans at the fan page for HERE COME THE DOUBLE DECKERS.

There are also episodes of the Brit kid comedy on youtube (God bless 'em). Start your Saturday Morning off with "The Pop Singer."



A bit o' trivia... the show features Peter Firth as one of the kids. Not the biggest name in the world to be dropping, but he did make a splash in several prominent films and productions.

Now, enjoy part 2 of "The Pop Singer":

where's the leg warmers at!

I’ll tell you this much, Mr. Miller enjoyed the chance to once again watch a PYT prancing around in clinging high waist jeans, a plaid blouse and rockin’ a feathered Farrah hair-do. It brought me back to my days (the 70s, that is).

I was hoping to catch a glimpse of some leg warmers and a pair of lady workboots, too, but no luck this time.

Can't be too picky...

80s fashion isn’t the only retro-action going on in Dark Sky’s much anticipated THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. Writer/director Ti West (previous of the THE ROOST) not only modeled his film after the pre-HALLOWEEN/FRIDAY THE 13^TH era of 70s horror, but he also physically placed the story in the early 1980s, before the modern age of communications – you know, back when you used to have to let the phone ring a dozen times before anyone would answer. No cell phones, no Internet, no texts messaging, and barely even an answering machine could be had. What’s a girl to do when she’s stranded in a creepy old house out in the middle of nowhere? Why, snoop around, from room to room, until you find trouble!

After committing to renting an apartment she can’t afford, Samantha (played by relative newcomer Jocelin Donahue) finds a babysitting job posted on a job board outside her dorm. When she arrives at the creepy old house on the outskirts of town, she questions her good luck. Her paranoia is fueled once she meets the people inside: the insanely tall and quiet Mr. Ulman (played by the insanely tall and quiet Tom Noonan – the original Hannibal Lector from MANHUNTER), and his wife (cult icon Mary Waronov). It isn’t enough that they’ve lured Samantha out there under false pretenses – it’s not a baby she’s being asked to sit for, but an elderly mother locked away upstairs – or that the well-weathered Mrs. Ulman tries to seduce her, but there have been reports on the radio of weird goings on around the area. But none of that is cause for concern after Samantha is offered a couple hundred bucks for the job. Bad idea!

Up to this point West keeps the pacing admirably old school. He expresses his appreciation for Polanski’s genre films, and he’s attempted to model his own after ROSEMARY’S BABY and REPULSION. But the pacing of those tap more into the inner turmoil of the characters, whereas HOUSE rather adeptly reflects the pacing of many of the other suspense flicks from the era. Films like PLAY MISTY FOR ME , or TV movies like BAD RONALD and THE SCREAMING WOMAN that would offset the approaching nastiness by grounding the first act in real world minutia, instead of pouring on the gloomy foreshadowing .

It gets fairly tedious in the middle act. The characters, though well played, never develop beyond their archetypes, and, let’s face it, the fear of murderous cults and Satanic slayings may have added to the audiences unease back in the days of the Manson Family and Son of Sam, but it doesn’t really work up much but nostalgic spookiness for todays audience. Fear not horror fans (and gore fans, you get the payoff you deserve in thecrazy, bloody climax.

It’s a treat to see a film that isn’t afraid to be just plain creepy. There’s none of the not-so-clever twists or any over analysis of stuff that doesn’t need analyzing. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is great late-night viewing, just like you used to enjoy.

And check out the great 70s style zooms and freeze frames in the HOUSE trailer! This flick is sure to be a treat for all fans of retro horror.

christmastime is here!

Don't know about you ladies and gents, but Mr. Miller is puttin' this at the top of his Cul Yuletide Presents list.

From the press kit: "Are you tired of the same old Christmas TV specials? Popular culture author and researcher Joanna Wilson has written a new book, The Christmas TV Companion: a Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials and Outrageous Oddities that will add a twinkle to your holiday viewing entertainment. She has collected the most unusual, overlooked and often bizarre episodes with a Christmas theme to add to your regular holiday TV schedule.

We all look forward to watching Christmas specials on TV. But, our best Christmas entertainment doesn’t need to depend on whatever happens to air in a particular year. There’s a lot more interesting Christmas programming out there than what actually broadcasts. You can choose and control your viewing schedule according to your own unique tastes. For TV junkies and pop culture aficionados, this book offers suggestions as well as commentary for an expanded array of holiday material. The Christmas TV Companion includes science fiction episodes, macabre Christmas-themed installments, off-center animated programming, extraordinary musical experiences from variety series, and a miscellany of dark-themed installments and stylized films that are surprisingly antithetical to traditional Christmas. The listings are specially selected for their unusual interest as well as their accessibility. There is something here for every TV viewer looking to watch something different this holiday season.

Loaded with pop culture references, Wilson’s book is an engaging survey of fascinating Christmas programming from television and film history, as well as the cutting-edge, irreverent material of today. The book is filled with summaries and commentary written with the enthusiasm of a true pop culture lover. Wilson’s passion for this unique subject is infused with humorous dry wit and insight which is contagious for her readers.

Not only does Wilson uncover interesting cult themed chapters of the most unusual Christmas material, but she also makes the book a practical guide. She includes family-friendly suggestions for each themed chapter for children to participate along with adults. And, there are nine Make Your Own Marathon (MYOM) recommendations to help one schedule their own holiday viewing. Of the nine, there are MYOM lists for each themed chapter (i.e., sci-fi, macabre, variety, animation, and dark). Have you ever considered watching a Star Trek-inspired Christmas marathon? There are also MYOM lists between each chapter that provide additional unique viewing opportunities. For example, Wilson compiles a marathon on the coolest and hippest of our culture who appear in Christmas material. Did you know Steve McQueen stars in a Christmas episode of the classic TV western Wanted Dead or Alive?

Another example of a MYOM features overlooked Christmas specials of the past that deserve a second chance for a wider audience. Additionally, the book’s appendix offers readers some guidelines for creating their own holiday viewing marathons on a theme befitting their own tastes.

The Christmas TV Companion provides every TV junkie and pop culture fan a new source of Christmas joy. Readers will be surprised at the depth and breadth of the amount and diversity of Christmas material produced for film and television in the past six decades. These installments are accessible because the book is organized into chapters by themes or genres familiar to TV fans.

Wilson’s book is a one-of-a-kind assemblage of pop culture research and commentary. It is sure to be a must-have Christmas book for every TV junkie and pop culture fan.

Author Joanna Wilson is a bona fide popular culture expert and researcher. She draws upon her education in film and philosophy to create insightful commentary on pop culture of all kinds. The Christmas TV Companion was carefully drawn from research materials Ms. Wilson has gathered for a larger, forthcoming project: a more comprehensive TV encyclopedia of Christmas-themed episodes, specials and made-for-TV movies which is due for release in 2010. This is her first book.

The Christmas TV Companion: a Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials & Outrageous Oddities
by Joanna Wilson"

Go here to the website get it for me, Santa... er, for yourself, I mean.