YouTube has everything: Haynes Furniture commercials

haynes-furniture

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

YouTube has everything: Fleetwood Mac documentary

fleetwood-mac

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

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: ‘Dance Mix USA’ commercials

dance-mix-usa

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

todays-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

sctv-classics

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