Here’s a holiday treat that won’t add to your waistline…a cute Disney TV special called Prep & Landing.
Hulu gives this description of this roughly 20 minute animated story: “Learn the never-before-told tale of an elite unit of elves known as Prep & Landing, a high-tech organization that ensures homes around the world are properly prepared for the yearly visit from Santa Claus.”
I thought the whole special was very cute! I was impressed by the animation technology…especially how they used light and their continued improvement with texture. The story definitely answered some questions about how Santa deals with fires in fireplaces, unfriendly pets, and children waking unexpectedly. Another highlight for me was all holiday phrases. Some of my personal favorites include: “Oh, frost bite!” and “This is so tinsel!” I also found the call signs and codes entertaining.
Be sure to check this out before the end of the year because Hulu is only making it available until January 1st!
Have a Merry Christmas and think about those elves working hard on Christmas Eve!
As mentioned before in this blog, I love Christmas music. Over the years, I have made multiple Christmas mix CDs, and I now have the order of the songs memorized. Still, sometimes it would be nice to have a new and different song as surprise mixed in with all those songs I love.
This is where the previously featured site Pandora comes in. I have enjoyed the site for my everyday music, and recently had a festive thought: what if I created a new station by just typing in Christmas? Guess what? It worked! Now, I can enjoy a variety of Christmas songs with contemporary versions right along with the traditional songs.
I wonder if it works for other holidays…hummm… St. Patrick’s Day?
Since I took last week off for Turkey Day, I figured this website would more than definitely make up for it.
youshouldhaveseenthis.com is a list of 99 links that everyone should experience online. It is a collection of viral videos and websites that “you should have already experienced on the internet unless you’re a loser or old or something.”
Well, I don’t consider myself a loser or old so I guess I’m “or something” since I haven’t seen all 99. I have, however, seen numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 20, 27, 47, 50, 57, 77, 87, (why do so many of the ones I’ve watched have a 7?!), and 88. Wow, that’s only sixteen. I have some work to do. Do you?
Since there are so many links on Greg Rutter’s site, I’m counting it toward next week’s entry too!
Here is a random, entertaining clip from a 2007 interview Ellen did of the witty and charismatic Nathan Fillion.
In the video, he is promoting his appearance on Desperate Housewives, but stick with the interview because he is a great storyteller. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale about the cat. (Just trust me.)
The best, however, is when he shares tips from his first job on a soap opera. It’s what he calls the boot camp of acting. (If you want to jump to it, it is at 1:40.) Enjoy!
Daily Puppy is just that…every 24 hours you get to see photos of a super cute puppy! If you want to view past entries, you can easily click on the dates above the current photo. There is also a biscuit rating system of cuteness.
Daily puppy brightens my day. If you are feeling down, go to this site and find your good mood in the eyes of an adorable little puppy!
In honor of my Halloween costume (I was Lois Lane this year.), this month’s opening credits are from Smallville.
When the show first started, I was not that impressed with the title sequence. Check season 1’s opening.
Remy Zero’s “Save Me” was kind of an obvious choice for a Superman television series, but still offered that teen popular music feel. They still use that song today in the show’s 9th season, but that is not why I picked the Smallville opening. Something happened during the 5th season.
Suddenly, the opening took on an awesome quality. It now felt like a true superhero series. There were comic book elements to the transitions and during the actor highlights. This is the only show were having wind blowing on an actor seemed heroic and logical (Well, except for the bald Lex Luthor…no amount of wind could add dynamic to his hairlessness). I also like what they did with the speed. They don’t maintain the same speed, but offer changes and show two different rates of motion for the two different visuals happening at the same time. The credits from season 5 onward have offered this very cool punch.
It’s Halloween week, and I decided to share a treat (instead of a trick).
Now, this clip is technically from a different holiday’s movie, but I enjoy it too much around this time of year that I must show it!
There is just something about Tim Burton’s creepy visual style of stop-motion animation that gives chills. Plus I really enjoy the song (and I know my mom does too!)…especially the lyrics:
[SHADOW]
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn’t you like to see something strange?
[SIAMESE SHADOW]
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween
[PUMPKIN PATCH CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
[GHOSTS]
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It’s our town, everybody screm
In this town of Halloween
[CREATURE UNDER THE BED]
I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red
[MAN UNDER THE STAIRS]
I am the one hiding under yours stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
[CORPSE CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
[VAMPIRES]
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
[MAYOR]
In this town, don’t we love it now?
Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise
[CORPSE CHORUS]
Round that corner, man hiding in the trash cam
Something’s waiting no to pounce, and how you’ll…
[HARLEQUIN DEMON, WEREWOLF & MELTING MAN]
Scream! This is Halloween
Red ‘n’ black, slimy green
[WEREWOLF]
Aren’t you scared?
[WITCHES]
Well, that’s just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
[HANGING TREE]
Everybody scream, everbody scream
[HANGED MEN]
In our town of Halloween!
[CLOWN]
I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace
[SECOND GHOUL]
I am the “who” when you call, “Who’s there?”
I am the wind blowing through your hair
[OOGIE BOOGIE SHADOW]
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
[CORPSE CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Halloween! Halloween!
[CHILD CORPSE TRIO]
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life’s no fun without a good scare
[PARENT CORPSES]
That’s our job, but we’re not mean
In our town of Halloween
[CORPSE CHORUS]
In this town
[MAYOR]
Don’t we love it now?
[CORPSE CHORUS]
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everyone scream
Wont’ ya please make way for a very special guy
Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King
[EVERYONE]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
[CORPSE CHILD TRIO]
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
Two things come to mind when I think of this time of year: football and Halloween. Put those together, and you get this week’s featured site: Zombie Football.
This simple, yet addictive, game allows you to be a lone player against zombies in the Voodoo Bowl. Using your arrow keys or ijkl keys, navigate around the undead team and grave stones strategically placed on the field to reach the end zone. Have fun running down the referees, and don’t forget to have your speakers on!
A special, spooky thanks to Nick for showing me this site.
The sequence starts off with a classic howl at the moon and organ notes and then builds with a punk rock tune by Nerf Herder. I like how the credits bring together the two elements of the horror genre (many of the visuals) and high school (the song’s youthful nature). The song also provides a great background for demon fighting and vampire slaying. In the sequence, there are graveyards, vampires, black cats, tarantulas, and bubbling caldrons shown, but this show wasn’t just about it’s creepy supernatural elements. It had great emotions delivered through strong character writing and by talented actors.
Thanks to my brother-in-law I am now addicted to another online game.
This past weekend Nik introduced me to Bookworm, a game that involves linking lettered tiles to make words. The goal is to make as many words as you can: the longer the better. As you play, you are rewarded with bonus tiles worth more points. However as an extra challenge you must eliminate burning tiles. If these flaming tiles reach the bottom of the screen, you burn the library down and lose the game.
What I like about this game is its simplicity and its challenge. I like a little intelligence sometimes in my games.
Sharon's Bookmarks Weblog 