Before moving to Connecticut in 1993, I was born and raised for the first 11 years of my life in Tidewater, Virginia. Here in Connecticut, we grew up knowing Bob of Bob’s Discount Furniture and his crazy mix of catchphrases, talking and dancing furniture and low-budget advertisements, but it of course was incredibly effective, given how much the company’s grown over the years. Virginia’s equivalent is Haynes. Continue reading
Category Archives: YouTube has everything
YouTube has everything: Clue’s 1+2+2+1
A quickie for Thursday: One of my favorite movie moments perhaps ever, featuring Tim Curry and Lesley Ann Warren in one of the most over-aired movies to ever show on Comedy Central, “Clue.” Continue reading
YouTube has everything: The Voyage of the Mimi
For many of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, we got our first taste of Ben Affleck as a child actor in this educational series that was shown in middle school science classes across the country. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: Fleetwood Mac documentary
I previously shared my giddiness about the “Rumors”-era Fleetwood Mac line-up finally reuniting in full and touring. It’s sparked a round of music sales of the act, and people are definitely paying attention as the group begins recording music and preparing to tour. Yet for almost 20 years Christine McVie wasn’t part of the act, and in 2003 “Say You Will,” the most recent studio album by the four other group members, was released. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: Chuck Woolery hosting Wheel of Fortune
For people of my age and younger (and really a bit older as well), Wheel of Fortune is Pat Sajak and Vanna White. It’s an institution, on nightly for more than 30 years now, and shows no signs of stopping (and its companion program, Jeopardy!, has held up equally well). But many don’t realize the history of the program, and that a different host and hostess could be the ones we’re still watching today, had things gone differently. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: The Richard Bey Show
At the height of the trash talk show mania, one stood out for me even amongst the many others: The Richard Bey Show. Produced by WWOR in the New York area and syndicated nationally, I became aware of it as a teenager once my family moved to the tri-state area, and for awhile, like many, I was hooked. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: The Chase
Occasionally a game show comes along that offers something a bit different, and it gets well-deserved attention. Fifteen years ago, that was Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Eight years ago, it was Deal or No Deal. Today, it’s The Chase. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: ‘Dance Mix USA’ commercials
When I was first getting into music, I was a fan of WKTU out of New York, and it led me to explore a number of dance compilations. A big name at the time was the “Dance Mix USA” series from Quality and Radikal Records. At their peak in the mid-90s, they were the go-to collection of dance hits, well mixed and put together, with a lot of great tracks that I recognized from the radio. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: Today’s Special
Children’s television in the 80s was experimental in some ways. While more established shows like “Sesame Street” had by a certain point long since found their purpose, the proliferation of channels offered the opportunity for a broader array of programming of all types to appear. As such, a TV Ontario-produced show, “Today’s Special,” made its way onto U.S. airwaves by way of Nickelodeon and PBS. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: Classic SCTV sketches
While Saturday Night Live has lasted for nearly 40 years now, there was a point, as the original cast was moving on, that another show was set up to potentially supplant it. It didn’t succeed, but the legacy of SCTV lives on, and thankfully some of the classic bits are readily available thanks to the Internet. Continue reading