Halloween: The Monster's Ring

Halloween 

             We dip back into the "CBS Storybreak" specials, which for those that don't know was like CBS' version of ABC Weekend Special, these were specials that were based off books, because why read books when you can watch them?  Anyway, today's post for our Halloween looks is  based off a book called The Monster's Ring written by Bruce Colville.  

         The Monster's Ring the special first aired on October 10, 1987.    

mmmm cupcake 

      Our main character is a boy named Russel who is being bullied by a boy named Eddie, his friend, I guess, Mindy says he needs to stand up for himself, but he says he can't. Anyway, when he runs from Eddie he ends up at a random shop where he's convinced to buy a ring for 25 cents. It comes with a chant (as all good rings should)  The chant says there's friend in the ring there to help, he says the chant to the wrong and he says it would be great to turn into a monster to scare Eddie. He thinks it's fake but ends up turning into a monster. (Always be careful what you say around magic rings) 

Next time, Gadget, next time 

             He then jumps out of his window as one does to do off screen stuff. (glad he doesn't need his glasses a monster, those are expensive) The special comes back and he thinks he had a dream until he finds out he's still a monster. (Some people are that way in the morning) Well now he's nervous that his father will find out and he pretends to be sick, of course father needs to check him out. 

Monsters aren't real, quoth the monster 

            He then reads the paper ,that he read before to see how to turn back to normal. (convenient)  It works and he can go to to school now, and his dad can drive him.  Mindy talks about how people heard about a maniac running around causing a mess around town. (Wow the same night as Russel running out and being a monster, oh wait.)

      At school Eddie decides to spend his time looking for Russel because reasons. Russel turns back into a monster and scares Eddie. Eddie runs like a coward. At lunch, Mindy is talking about the maniac  and Eddie shows  up again (because he's annoying) and decides to take Russel's glasses and stick them in his food. (At least he's not breaking them?) Then he pours milk on it because that makes sense. Then Russel dumps the food on Eddie's head.  (mm Eddie and Spaghetti)  

Ah silly 80's and their silly hair styles 

      Eddie goes to chase Russel and then finally gets to turn into a monster to scare Eddie. He gets in trouble and so does  Russel because of dumping the food on Eddie.  Later, the father's reaction to Russel mentioning Eddie is like, make friends with him. Which is an interesting reaction. Eddie brought two guys to help him take down Russel because sure. (Weak) 

They are dressed scarily 

           Eddie and the other guys grab him and Eddie thinks he has a bodyguard. The other guys think Eddie is weak since the 'bodyguard' doesn't show up. They leave, Eddie takes his bike and now Russel has a plan. 

        You might wondering why am I doing this as a Halloween post? Yeah it has a monster in it , but it's not  really Halloween set? Well that's where you are WRONG.  (aggressive) There's a Halloween thing see. The school let the kids dress up in costumes, nice.   Anyway, Russel has a plan.  Also Russel's dad continues to really just be there.  The other two guys from before think Eddie crossed him and want to do something to him. Now, Russel has become mon-Russel again and thankfully people think it's a costume, good.  Then he somehow grows a tail and horns and stuff. (Something going on) 

Plastic Surgery, of course. 

          

            He goes to Eddie and takes his bike back and flies away.  He can fly now. Eddie tries to tell the teacher and few others that Russel took HIS bike and flew away. Then he's forced to admit that it was Russel's bike.

                  Anyway, Russel flies back down and thinks it's time to get back to normal.  Later, he sees Eddie being bullied by the other guys he called earlier.  Russel decides to help Eddie, but the ring is gone, he decides to stand up for Eddie himself and it works. Russel realizes he needed the ring and doesn't need it now.  Eddie decides to be friendly and yeah that's it. 

That's how Bazooka Joe found a friend 

             This is a very simple story and that's fine.  Russel is being bullied and it becomes a wish empowerment story where he ends up being a monster to stop his monster. I like that he doesn't seem to go too far and get power mad.   The characters are flat, but we get simple goals and story and it works . It's barely Halloween and that's only there to have Russel be able to use his monster form at school and nobody going and trying to pitchfork him or something.  I like how it ended up having Russel help Eddie, it was a nice touch. It's simple, sweet, effective, not really spooky, but kind of fun. That's it though. Pretty good to see, read the book too. 

       That's it for now , tune in next when grrrrr wowowowwowowow  

                

                    

One Shot Posts: The King of the Hill Spinoff That Didn't : Monsignor Martinez

One Shot Posts

            Welcome back to "One Shot Posts" or posts I don't know where they go otherwise, this time, we have a little something different.  So "King of the Hill" was an animated show on Fox that ran 13 seasons, and most people who went this post already knew that probably.  There has been some talk about bringing it back, which I have thoughts on, but not really going to bring up. The series was a fun well written animated show without falling into the traps of other shows in the same space around the same time.  Today's post has to do with something from KOTH.  For the viewers of the show they would be aware of Monsignor Martinez, from the series the Hills sometime watch, that priest seems to be caught up in shooting people and stuff and less on doing boring stuff. There's even an episode based around him.  

       There was more.  Apparently, there was enough popularity or someone really liked the idea that there was interest in making a show based around this character. That's what we're talking about today.  There was a pilot made, that seemingly didn't have light of day and was lost media ,until it's not lost media. (You could have written about it without the pilot somehow?)  

        For King of the Hill knowers (that's a word) it was written by Jim Dauterive, Mike Judge, and Greg Daniels from King of the Hill, so that's how you know.   According to a King of the Hill fan site, Fox wanted pilot in 2001, but decided not pick up as a series (why not?)  The thought is that FOX didn't want a show where a priest shoots people.  (Oh now FOX has standards)  Which is why live in this time instead. 

       The pilot and I guess if there had been a series was in live-action, which isn't a bad thing. Monsingor Martinez was played by  Ivo Cutzarida.  Also it's in English, so that ruins the fun a little, you you know, oh well. 

    

        Martinez is on plane and annoyed by Kevin Nealon , which is the most random thing ever, the woman next to him asks him why he's going to San Diego and the monsignor says he's going to kill a guy. (which makes sense)  He then tells a story and it does play to the randomness of the stuff you'd see on the episode clips in King of the Hill, it's really just randomly great.  If you like shootouts  in a church this would be your series.

   

          He's in SanDeigo, and I'm not explain everything, moistly because it's fun to watch, and you should be checking it out.  It's pretty much everything you'd expect in a  series based on the telenovela on King of the Hill.  Ironically, it's very cartoon like.  David Herman plays a good straight man, named John Smith, (great name) to the Cutzarida's character;  he thinks everything going on is kind of insane.  Which makes him letting loose at the end where they are setting up for a series even more fun.    

I bring you no Cadillac 

            It all caps off to a shoot out at the climax because that's what this needed, I'd expect nothing else.  It's also a fun start  to what looks like what would have been a fun series, setting up the cast and an on-going story.  As a pilot, it's great hook and now it's a shame that it never became a series, even a one season series, It's just wrong that we don't get more.  I'd rather they take a stab at this again, than trying to bring back King of the Hill. 

Cool Car, Cool guy,  the partner, a lady, a kid , the show has a whole cast we need let's go! 

       The only reason for to not check out this pilot is the disappointment that there's more to watch, but otherwise it's fun trip. Everything about it feels like the show Hank and Peggy would be watching, and from the segments we see in the main series. It really was that fun. It's a comedy, but grippingly interesting and the  premise is weird but well done.  It's cheesy, but the kind of cheesy, but the writing was great, the acting was well done and playing what exactly they needed to do and really want more do you want? 

   That's it for now, tune in next time, when we answer the door and oh no.... 

Weekendering: Weekenders: Season 2: Episode 3: The Invited/ Real Fake

The Weekenders Disney 

 Previously,  Tish's Diary is the next great novel... read here 

Episode 3a: The Invited 

            The cool kids, who are depicted alot in this series, named Bree and Colby have invited Tino to a party.  They just call him blonde kid, so that helps show that they know him well. Bree and Colby are kind of funny characters in how they are cool, but we don't know how or why they are cool and they are just kind of there.... but anyway they've invited Tino but none of his friends, they tell him this. (Important) 

            

            Tino doesn't want to tell his friends, but does want to tell us, because he doesn't want to hurt them  and that he doesn't want them to know because they planned to do stuff together. Ah F-R-I-E-N-D-S.  They show up and Tino has do weird moves to keep them from finding out what he's doing like shopping for something to wear for the party. He runs into Tish and he finds out that Tish was invited.  (Pay attention, folks, ooh nickel)

        They don't want Lor and Carver to find out, because it would hurt their feelings or something.  (Tino spends $20 on a mask, he didn't have to) Tino's mom comes in and tells him that he should just tell them. (She's like the audience surrogate of things they would tell at them)    He choses to build up lies instead when he's covering for Tish.  It's awkward and funny. 

       Tish and Tino (wait hold on) work together to make their costumes.  They don't do the best at making costumes. It is party night and they find out that Carver and Lor were invited and to add another thing, it was a prank by Bree and Colby to have Tish and Tino show up in costume, whilst it wasn't a costume party.  So they should have been talking to each other a little more.  

    

        Good episode, kind of can figure that the cool kids invited all of them, but the main twist of it being just two of them being told that it was a costume party.  Yep very simple moral of them just telling each other what was going on and could have saved Tino and Tish a little heartache and embarrassment.  7/10.

More after the jump

CNN Makes Primetime Changes (For Now)

CNN TV NEWS Cable TV News 

         Last week, CNN announced a new morning show is coming soon.  Part of that shift was that Don Lemon will be leaving his show Don Lemon Tonight  which leaves a 2-hour gap in CNN's line up. The cable news network has announced that, for now, they will have CNN Newsroom anchor Alisyn Camerota 

 and  CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates to share hosting duties for  CNN Tonight, going back to that name from October 10 to November 11th, the midterms. 

        The Lead anchor Jake Tapper, will be doing hosting duties for CNN Tonight during the same period,   each weeknight at 9PM ET.   Tapper's program will be shortened an hour, current New Day hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar will host The Lead, rotating.  The 5pm ET hour will be Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room .   The rest of the line up between 4pm-12amet are un changed, meaning "Outfront" and "AC360" still air their normal slots with their normal hosts. 

    CNN says this is for the midterms, but alot could be read into the ideas going on here, CNN said that Berman and Keilar were going to gave new roles at the network and Jake Tapper being tried, again, in primetime could also noted as maybe a test try. CNN could still hold off on finding new primetime hosts for while, the 9PMET hour has been still mostly CNN Tonight  since Cuomo's firing last year in December.  

    The new morning show's launch date , name, and other details haven't been announced. 

Full press release

The Flashback: Yogi's Great Escape

The Flashback  Hanna-Barbera 

         We've dipped in to the "Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10" before with some Scooby-Doo specials and "The Flinstones Meet the Jetsons" but there's still more specials out of the 10 to get to, and haven't done this in awhile.    Might as well go with the very first one of the list with "Yogi's Great Escape" which first aired on September 20, 1987. 

   

      For the quick refresh of what I'm talking about  Hanna-Barbera's Superstars 10 was a series of 10 made-for-tv films for syndication based off H&B properties like Yogi Bear, The Flinstones (when the are meeting the Jetsons) , Scooby Doo  etc.  These films ran between 1987 and 1988 over the two television seasons. 

      

              Now we go to the very one, which is about Yogi Bear. 

         It's springtime and that means it's time for the bears to wake up, because that's how bears work. (Also Boo-Boo is a mor...spring person, calm down) Whilst on the quest for a picnic basket, Yogi finds three young bears sleeping in the basket. (is he a cannibal?)  There's a note that tells Yogi to please take care of the bears, which is random. The bears are named Booper, Buzzy, and Bitsy.  (It's a Yogi finds out he's a father movie but nevermind, so here's 3 orphans instead, weak)  To get this story, whatever this story is, going the bears decide to take in the children bears. 

Ah, what kind of winter did I have? / Copyright Discovery I guess, the heck?

   

        Yogi finds out they are out of food and the young bears are hungry. (and annoying)  Jellystone park is open and people are coming and Yogi has to do his thing where he steals food from people.  This is a strange world where bears can talk to people and yet they are still bears - living as bears, I had to say that here because I had too.  He's able to trick a family into getting their picnic basket after they said he wouldn't be able to trick them into getting the food again. 

        I don't know why people in TV shows and movies yell at the phone when it's ringing, it's not like the person can hear you... can they?  Finally, some plot going here: the commissioner calls and and tells Ranger Smith that the park is over budget and has to close. (Yeah that's how national parks and government works) Smith worries that he's going to have to tell Yogi he's going to have to move to zoo. (I'm going to have to turn logic off for this thank you: logic off) 

I'm sorry Yogi, they are turning the park into a mini-mall/ Copyright Discovery

            Smith tells Yogi that the park is going to have to close.  He tells Yogi that he's moving Yogi to the bear. (I like the line about a bear mate or two, that's funny)  Also notice the music sometimes over takes the words.  Yogi doesn't want to go to the zoo, he'd rather be free and kind of starve and than be not free and get free food handouts, bold. 

            

              The title of this is called "Yogi's Great Escape" it's time for him to start doing that.  That's his plan, he's going to take Boo-Boo, the 3 bears, and himself out of the park. The first plan is building a car and driving away from the park. (makes sense) The ranger doesn't like this idea and this becomes the great chase, apparently.  Honestly, why would you put a bear who can put an entire working car together in a zoo?  I mean really, yes I mean talking bear but this is even more impressive. 

That's a cool car/ Copyright Discovery 

                (Don't try the cartoon stunts you see in the cartoon, it's a cartoon)  I kind of want this whole thing to be a giant car chase movie, just going insane with a long car chase, like it's a long Wacky Races movie, which we didn't get darn you H&B where's my..(cut back on track).  He built a car that can drive underwater, I mean really, the ranger should be in the zoo, not him.    

        It's not a car chase movie, but it is kind of fun how the evade from being caught.  There's a group of boys called the Bike Brigade (ooh the bike brigade, I'm scared ohh) These boys don't have names, the credits say  Chubby Kid, (fun fact: he was voiced by Dustin Diamond of "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" and "Saved by the Bell"),  Skinny Kid, and Leader Kid. (I didn't name these kids go yell at H&B, not me)  The bears are sleeping in their club house that looks nicer than your house. (Why are we calling you out? I'm sorry) 

We invade North Carolina in the morning/ Copyright Discovery

            The kids are worried that an intruder is in their clubhouse and they were right, it's a bear.  It's like Goldie Locks and three bears but in reverse and more bears.  Wait those are water pistols, not murder pistols, rude. If these were were real bears, they would just eat the kids.  (I'm saying Yogi should eat the kids)  The three kids drive our plot because they tell the news they saw the bears, the news tells the ranger, and the ranger can hire an assassin. (what?)   The news thinks that it's creatures from space because logical. (but media accurate)  The subtle mud slinging joke is great.  

More after the jump

CNN to Revamp Mornings Again (Again)

CNN   TVNEWS 

image: CNN PR 

            CNN has been through a lot of change this year: they've lost Jeff Zucker, and they have new owners (again!)  The new head of CNN, Chris Licht, has decided that mornings needs to be reshaped, again.  "New Day" which was started by Jeff Zucker in 2013 to replace the last morning show that CNN did that replaced a morning show before it, is now being replaced. 

        So far there's no name , but there is talk of  a fresh name (ooh) , fresh format, and fresh set (picked freshly hopefully)  but they have announced whom shalt be the new hosts of this program.  Well, that will be Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins.  Licht says they have a 'rare and palpable chemistry' I hope that's good.   The show is start 'later this year'. 

      Don Lemon currently hosts the primetime two hours of "Don Lemon Tonight" he started in that time slot in 2014, he'll be leaving that slot to come to this morning show, now CNN has to find something for those two hours, along with 9pm ET hour they have yet to fill. Poppy Harlow currently co-anchors "CNN Newsroom" from 9-11amET. 

    The current "New Day" hosts  John Berman and Brianna Keilar will continue for now, and CNN says they will be given new roles at the network in the future. 

      The idea is that a new CNN president wants to eschew stuff from the old president and since "New Day" was the main baby it's gone.  Licht has also indicated he wants CNN to move closer to the center, though that does make the opinionated Don Lemon getting the morning co-host slot interesting.  Collins was a White-House correspondent for CNN during the Trump years and also there was some fire between her and the administration.  

     The only consistent thing is how inconsistent CNN been with mornings.  "American Morning" was their first morning show that wasn't in hometown Atlanta ,but flashy New York, and that show went host changes.  Then in 2012, "Starting Point" took the slot, then Zucker came in and launched "New Day" which revamped a few times, here we go again!

 Meanwhile, their sister network HLN  has one of the longest running cable morning shows and consistency with Robin Meade. 

 

Press release from the jump

The Lookback : TNBC

The Flashback  NBC 

    This another re-write edition, where I take an old post and re-do it to see how it can be improved. I originally did the the TNBC block post in back in 2014, but I also combined it with UPN Kids. This time,  I'm going to just focus on TNBC, and there's something  big to tell. TNBC, is not as well known, but it's place in history is important, not just for the block but what it was a sign of in the future.

            Our story begins in 1988, the idea of concept of giving up Saturday Morning cartoons was bubbling up. Even a rumor in 1987 about deciding to drop the concept themselves. The idea is that the ratings were slipping, or the real reason: business. NBC was #1 in ratings on Saturday Mornings, but being #1 doesn't matter if you aren't making money on that.  Around this time, syndication (so not really cable affecting anything just yet) was booming for kids programming.  Kids had more options beyond Saturday morning and also content that might have made it to NBC, CBS, and ABC weren't and showing up on UHF 53 or something instead.  Around that time, the average cost of a Saturday morning cartoon episode was $300,000.   

       Brandon  Tartikoff  was running NBC at the time, he was one of the most  successful NBC presidents in their history. He had said there was other potential for Saturday Morning, beyond cartoons. He was thinking about news  (more on that later) travel shows, and well anything else. A think of note here is that Saturday Morning , along with other day parts, were produced by outside companies. Hanna and Barbera, for example. Why not have NBC Studios make stuff instead, in house is cheaper than paying some cartoon to make a cartoon that'll last maybe 13 episodes. 

        

         (source:  https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/19/business/the-media-business-nbc-considers-scrapping-saturday-cartoons.html) 

           That didn't happen. Well, in 1988, or 1989, or 1990, but it was coming. Funny enough, Tartikoff left before TNBC was launched, but there is something we have to do before we get to TNBC. (This is a long story)   Tartikoff had tasked a man named Peter Engel (get used to him) to work on a new series for NBC primetime, back in 1986.  That brings us to a series that first pilot aired in 1987.   

        Let's take Hayley Mills and make her a teacher. (Wonderful!) That's fine enough but she needs some interesting students. Let's see, how about a boy who is kind of mischievous and scheming named Zach Morris. Let's  also have other characters named Lisa Turtle,  Samuel "Screech" Powers  and Mikey. Maybe some more to round it out. The pilot of this series aired in June of 1987 and NBC decided that no never mind we don't want it.  

          "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" was the name of this proposed series, but even though, NBC passed it over, it did get to have 13 episodes that aired on The Disney Channel (back when Disney Channel had a The like it thought it was better than everyone else)  Disney was going to air more, but the show was retooled and they passed up on it. 

    

        Now, the spark to help begin the TNBC story!  This is when Tartikoff felt taking this series and redoing it with new elements, new time slot, and different spot.  That's right this  is "Saved By The Bell" .  Saved by the Bell was launched in primetime in 1989, but it's main drive would be part of Saturday Morning as a way to get older kids who NBC felt they were losing in ratings.  This was new, usually any live-action on Saturday morning for kids would be those teen shows, or those specials programming.  

more after the jump

The Lookback: Fox Kids Fall 2001

The Flashback 

    The 2001-2002 season of TV was an interesting one for FOX Kids since it was to be the last season of FOX Kids.  In July 2001, Fox announced they were selling  Fox Family Worldwide to The Walt Disney company, FOX Kids was moved to the oversight of Fox TV. This was going to be the last season of Fox Kids with two big endings happening.  

   

      In January of 2002, FOX has washed their hands of the entire thing and let a company called 4 Kids buy their Saturday block hours.  FOX  Kids had been a successful block, causing the WB to make their own, let NBC give up on kids shows in 1992, and made Disney nervous. But it's reign near the end started to change completely.  

     Disney's One Saturday Morning seemed to issue the first blow, though I could add that cable and Nickelodeon in direct answering wouldn't be making things better for FOX Kids. Warner Brothers had left the network, but that was more a road bump than a real blow. Kids WB was a force though, a diversion for kids' attention. More choice isn't really the concept of a good thing, it just makes us feel better. All the kids programming blocks and networks were in competition  for the choice. FOX Kids  in 1998 had to compete against ABC, CBS(uhhh) , UPN (uhh) , Kids WB, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, the newly non premium Disney Channel, the final ashes of syndication, other forms of entertaiment for children,  new government rules,  Pokemon (which was in syndication then later Kids WB),  Sleeping, their own stations, and themselves (Fox Family).  That's a different landscape than they had when they entered the market.  

   

            They were seeing the writing on the wall with making Fox Family, they kind of wanted to have a children's /family network to compete against Nick, when that failed, they were ready to give up.   

   Back to January 2002, Fox Kids had it's death row date ready and this is our look at FOX Kids' final season.

 

     Weekdays!  Uhh 

 

     This is where is FOX was more at odds with it's own stations, FOX local stations felt that the weekday hours should not be kids' programming anymore.  Before 1998, FOX and the FOX stations co-owned Fox Kids, they also cut the weekday block to two hours.  Two reasons: 1. The new E/I rules and 2. their local stations wanted to expand in the morning with more profitable to them, local news.   FOX local stations, in general, felt  they didn't want kids programming in the afternoon. (there's more to this but that's a longer more annoying thing to bring up so, nah)  The other big stations affiliated with CBS, ABC, and NBC didn't do that and why should they? They aren't a small network, FOX is the big 4, so time go. More on that though as I go through the weekday block.

     

  The weekday block on some stations were moved to other stations, in New York and LA they moved the block to their new UPN sister stations (FOX bought stations of the former UPN co-owner, long story not for this post)  so that's a sign.  

        

       The  weekday block was two hours and to help their stations comply with E/I rules, help meaning eh here you go one show. They ended up with "The Magic School Bus" in 1998. It was a PBS series and PBS was done with it , so why not air that?    The Magic School Bus later would move to TLC. 

   If you don't know what "The Magic School Bus" is (insert joke here) it was 1994 TV series that ran on PBS based off books of the name, about a magic school bus. (duh?)  The series about a class, a small class, and their quirky teacher, being quirky deciding the best way for her students to learn science stuff was to take them on a magical living bus, and take them into the human body, space, anywhere to learn about science. That's why FOX aired it as a E/I show. The show had 52 episodes, they were airing them 5 days a week, so every 11 ish weeks they'd reset. 

        More after the jump