Entries in the 'entertainment' Category

Spin City

I had a crush on Michael J. Fox, through the Back to the Future movies, followed his Republican bent on Family Ties, and then as he became a Democrat on Spin City. The chemistry between Michael J. Fox, and the entire cast of Spin City was a brilliant mix of comedy and irony that’s missing in today’s network TV.

For the first time, Shout! has released the entire first season of Spin City on DVD. Spin City: The Complete Season 1is a collectible 4-DVD box set, packed with all 24 addictive episodes featuring all-new interviews with Michael J. Fox, the cast, show creators and more. The disc set includes behind-the-scenes-workings of City Hall, and include stars like,  Carla Gugino (Chicago Hope, Karen Sisco), Barry Bostwick (Law & Order: SVU), Richard Kind (Mad About You, Scrubs), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Michael Boatman (Law & Order), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), and Alexander Chaplin (Scrubs), alongside notable guest stars Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Garner, Woody Harrelson, Marlee Matlin.

This 4-DVD set is a collectible, priced at $25.99, that won’t break your bank.

They’re jamming to the Chipmunks again

The CD arrived just a couple of days before Halloween.  As soon as the boys saw those familiar rodents on the CD’s cover; they pulled down the CD player from their bedroom, and gave it a new home in the kitchen.  Now, I’m forced to jam to Alvin & the Chipmunk’s latest CD, Undeniable, while I cook listening to  “Shake Your Grove Thing”,  Journey’s Steve Perry for “Don’t Stop Believin” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.”  My 5 and 6-year olds are in rock-n-roll heaven, spinning this CD around to their favorite tunes, while their big brothers jockey for their turn at the controls.

I love this CD; it has just the right amount of kick to keep the kids busy and happy, at just the time the weather’s turning colder, the nights are getting longer, and Christmas is still a ways off.

But don’t take my word for it, check out this video.

Oh yeah, and Chipmunk auditions?  Right here.

The CD, Undeniable, is available November 5, 2008; election day. The witching hour will never be the same. Special thanks to Walter Schmidli from Special Ops media for the afternoon’s entertainment.

Graham Nash: Songs For Beginners

After his break up with Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash wrote several poignant songs, (“Better Days,” “Simple Man” and “I Used To Be King”), and Nash was inspired to keep writing.

“I realized I could craft something special that you could listen to and could help you in your own life,” he says. “At the time I wrote those songs, they were very hopeful. There was bleakness, but I tried to put an opening of light at the end.”
The album, Songs for Beginners[CD/DVD-Audio], was first released in the spring of 1971, which is his emotionally charged solo debut that follows his permanent break with Mitchell, and his temporary split with his bandmates, David Crosby and Stephen Stills. The album was a decisive hit, peaking at #15 on Billboard and spawning the Top 40 hit “ Chicago .”

Songs for Beginners is written and performed in a conversational tone of voice, often just above a whisper. It is tender in its honesty, warm and calm in its pace and determination. “Yes, it was quiet,” Nash admits. “But I wanted it to be straight from my heart to whoever listened to it. What I’m saying has survived pretty well.”

Rhino remasters this legendary musician’s first album for a landmark CD/DVD reissue that features 5.1 Surround Sound and High Resolution mixes of the original, along with a 2008 interview with Nash, photos and lyrics. SONGS FOR BEGINNERS is available from Rhino Records and all physical and digital outlets,for a suggested list price of $24.98.

Two New Kid DVDs

The stars in this latest DVD, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Storybook Surprises from hit Playhouse Disney are none other than Mickey and his pals Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. This fun-loving gang takes on some classic fairytales, giving each their own individual twist. From enchanted spells and 100-year sleeps to magical frogs, the ingredients are all there for a thrilling journey through your very own storybook.

  • Label: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
  • Genre: Preschool
  • Suggested Retail Price: US 19.99, Canada 24.99
  • Running Time: Approximately 96 Minutes
  • MPAA Rating: TV-G
  • Sound: Dolby Digital Sound
  • Language: English, Spanish, French audio

The second is, My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt,; four Halloween-inspired stories and a bonus Halloween Disney Handy Manny episode, Hundred Acre Wood haunt is the perfect gift for all little trick-or-treaters this Fall.

  • Label: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
  • Genre: Preschool
  • Suggested Retail Price: US 19.99, Canada 24.99
  • Running Time: Approximately 88 minutes
  • MPAA Rating: Not Rated, TV-G
  • Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
  • Language: English, Spanish, French audio
  • Bonus Features: Bonus Super Sleuth Fall Harvest Festival

Special Thanks to Brooke Schneider, Junior Account Manager at Special Ops Media.

Goose-bump exciting

Starting Monday, September 8, 2008, Oprah is giving 175 Olympic medalists a “Welcome Home Team U.S.A.” celebration in front of thousands in Chicago’s Millennium Park.  Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, Nastia Luikin, Shawn Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Lisa Leslie, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, and other Olympic greats will be on hand to answer questions about their Olympic dreams, achievements and what’s in store for the future.

This is my favorite part:  Oprah will go behind the headlines to find out the Olympic stories you haven’t heard. Get some goosebumps: watch the pre-opening here.

Looking for some smooth music

to glide you into fall this year?

Four time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein has just released The Sinatra Project, his first CD release since 2005’s Hopeless Romantics.

The new album is a tribute to The Chairman of the Board himself, Frank Sinatra and is Feinstein’s first recorded tribute to another performer. With the help of producer-arranger Bill Elliott, Feinstein realized they wanted to record an album of great romantic songs that had been sung by Ol’ Blue Eyes.

The release was recorded the old fashioned way: the entire band in one room, drums next to the trumpets and saxes, using only a handful of microphones to capture the warmth and depth of the music added Elliott.

The album includes classics such as “Fools Rush In,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” “At Last Love,” “Exactly Like you,” and many more. Feinstein not only pays homage to Sinatra, but to many of his contemporaries, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Rosemary Clooney and other great singers of the post-war, pre-rock years. They even called upon Sinatra’s favorite songwriting Alan and Marilyn Bergman to consult as Feinstein recorded “The Same, Hello, the Same Goodbye” originally written for Sinatra.
Special thanks to Randi Kraemer at Special Ops Media.

Discovery Toys Slide & Shoot Digital Camera

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My son, is very creative, and a perfectionist. He used the Discovery Slide and Shoot digital camera and software. to make this project. He’s 11 — and he taught himself how to do it. With the Slide and Shoot Camera, he will never be bored.

My boys are constantly trying to sneak my camera into their hands so they can take pictures. When that doesn’t work, they grab my phone and take shots of me while I’m frantically trying to make dinner or drive them to sports practice.kids_digicamera_hi.jpg

To feed their insatiable desire to point and shoot, and save my own camera and phone, I usually buy those disposable cameras for them at the grocery store. They go crazy snapping pictures. The problem with this is that they can’t see their handiwork right away — they can’t learn that pictures of knees and the tops of shoes really don’t make great pictures. And, of course, the roll of film is wasted. The problem with my method, is they can’t see, right away, that pictures of knees and toes really don’t make good pictures. And a roll of film is wasted.

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And they made this one, for their little brothers

Discovery Toys just came out with a kid camera, Discovery Slide and Shoot digital camera. - Not a toy camera that lights up when you press the button — a REAL kid camera. This one takes digital photos, with a color preview screen, and a webcam to take live video. It is small and compact and easy to for their little hands to maneuver — and it really works!! So far, this camera appears to be durable enough to get dropped and knocked around and still continues to good shots. (Yes, the camera has been dropped several times, and is still clicking away.)

Designed for ages 8 and up, this is the perfect gift for that “inbetween” child who is too old for “toys,” too “young” for the car keys, yet still wants some excitement under the tree. The slide and shoot digital camera keeps reinventing itself — it’s a toy that offers so many options — video (yes a built-in webcam too), publishing, and of course taking pictures.

Now, the boys can instantly see their shots on the camera’s built-in 1″ LCD color screen. They can delete them and try again. Still, the camera’s built-in memory holds up to 93 photos. Once they’re satisfied with a batch of photos, they can load the photos on my computer via the camera’s software that came in the package.The software comes with its own “activity center” with stickers for each of the holidays so they can create cards, artwork and scrapbook pages, using the graphics that comes with the software, as well as their own photos. This software is a built-in publisher system of its own that puts my boys in charge of the creation. My boys tends to be “perfectionist” and this lets them re-edit and try and try again.The boys can store their photos with the software with the built-in “tags” — so they can sort by event, sport or person.

This camera also has a built in web cam so they can take live video of their brothers. The camera is small enough to slide into their pocket, for easy “spy” videos on their brothers. They are having a blast with this camera. They’re now working on creating their own versions of home movies to match the ones I’m working on.

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This is a great learning toy. What better way to let your kids learn the ins and outs of photography with a durable little digital camera that lets them see their results instantly. My only disappointment is the color. We have a pink one, and I checked on-line and didn’t see any other color options. Also, the 1″ LCD screen is small — and takes some getting used to seeing the image that is so tiny.

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Here, he drew the sketches, photographed them with the camera, and used the camera’s built-in software to create the lay-out for this print.

 

But, if you’re still looking for the perfect gift, check this camera out. Discovery Toys, known for kids and knowledge, has reached out to give my kids a chance to learn something about photography — and it is definitely an open-ended toy. They can continue to play with this again and again, each time, creating and learning something new.
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The Daring Book for Girls

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The Daring Book for Girls is a great gift for any child, and don’t like the title fool you — it’s for girls AND boys. This wonderful book opens a child’s imagination, creates a sense of autonomy and self-confidence, and is a welcome alternative to our society’s push for passive entertainment.

My boys (ages 11, 9, 5 and 4) have both The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys. I’ve noticed they are more likely to read The Daring Book for Girls. Why? The The Daring Book for Girls is written in an engaging style, with simple to follow instructions for fun projects and activities that appeal to both boys and girls. Sure, my boys skip over the pages on “how to press flower,” hop scotch, and “how to tie a sari” pages, but this book has stimulating facts and activities boys want to know too. Who can blame them? What boy wouldn’t want to know how to make a lemon-powered clock. With the instructions outlined in a step-by-step format, they were hooked on this book.

As a parent of four very curious boys, I’m grateful to have this book. The Daring Book For Girls is full of projects, topics and activities I could never think of on my own. It’s really an encyclopedia on how to have fun as a kid.

This book is full of of technical information (salary negotiations), history (Queens of the Ancient World) and facts (Famous Women Pirates). Yet, the information is presented clearly in way that is not over my 9-year-old’s head, and doesn’t talk down to my 11-year old. It’s an easy read, and they are absorbing the book’s facts easily and readily. I learned this when I was out in the canoe at the lake, and my 9-year-old called out to me, “Mom, remember to row in the shape of j!” A handy fact he gleaned, and remembered, from The Daring Book for Girls.

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Rowing in a “J” pattern, in perfect Daring Style

Don’t let the title fool you. It’s really the Daring Book for Kids. Here are a few of the gender-free activities you can find in his gem of a book:

  • Five Karate Moves
  • Rules of Bowling
  • How to make a flashlight
  • How to make a quick fort
  • Math Tricks
  • Clouds, and how to read them
  • How to build a snowball

Boys will be impressed learning about famous females, such as female pirates, female war spies and warriors. This is an inspiring treasure for any kid who wants to learn “cool things” to know to make his own fun. More importantly, The Daring Book for Girls is a great book for any parent who’s looking for a way to engage their child in anything that doesn’t involve the TV.

To read more about what other parents think of this awesome book, visit The Parent Bloggers Network to see more parent reviews of this book.

Do you like to get free stuff

in the mail? Something besides that one diaper wrapped in cellophane with coupons? A new service by the Procter & Gamble Company, Vocal Point, wants your feedback. They want your ideas to help them refine their marketing campaigns and enhance their products. To get your thoughts, they’ll send you free product previews of their latest products. These products will cover entertainment, fashion, music, food, and beauty.

Vocal Point is actually an ingenious new P&G marketing tool — they’ve given us an open forum to voice our complaints, praise and ideas. Smart companies know the best place to get insight from their products is from the user. The service is free to Moms with children ages newborn to 19 years old.

To sign up and start receiving your samples, simply fill out a short survey by clicking here. You can opt our any time. While you’re a member, they will contact you about twice a week via e-mail to tell them what you think about a certain product.

I just joined last week — so hurry up and join so your mailbox will start filling up with surprises too.