A Look at Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! ("Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's Superman!")... Yes, it's Superman ... strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman ... who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!

Superman is THE man. I always said that Green Lantern brought me to comic books, but it was Superman that made me fall in love with them. It's not just because he can fly and has really cool powers. It’s his whole attitude that makes him likable. With his powers he could rule the world, but does he? Of course not, he helps people and does so expecting nothing in return. This time of year we talk about Santa Claus, and he and Superman have a lot in common. So much so they actually met once in a comic book, who knew that? It was a great issue to. Besides having a home base in the North Pole, Superman and Santa have a love for people which is remarkable. Where Santa expresses that love by giving of himself with no expectations, Superman does it by helping them. They are both symbols of hope, which we desperately need at times.

So, I thought I would list off some of the people who have made this character come to life. But first, let's discuss my favorite comic book version. Superman has been brought to life by some legendary people including Curt Swan, Marv Wolfman, and Jerry Ordway. However, this is my favorite:

 

My Christmas Best/Worst List

My Christmas Best/Worst List

For my final Christmas related article, I thought I would just simply break down things I really like and the things I don’t like so much in the holidays. Since I have already talked so much about some of these things I will try to make this a simple list without a lot of exposition.

I can’t stress enough, this all my opinion.  When I say worst, I mean I don’t like it. If someone else does, fantastic. Just because I don't care for it doesn't mean there aren't millions who do (or vice versa).

Let’s do the stuff I don’t like first.

Worst Christmas Sitcom Episode-I don't mind shows that present a negative view of Christmas, but some get carried away. One episode of Becker called "Santa on Ice" had Ted Danson's character checking out a body in a morgue who was dressed as Santa, while his friend Reggie dragged a Christmas tree through the city trying to get it home. The tree was destroyed, and the episode just sucked.

Worst Christmas Movie-I can stand Once Upon a Christmas (with a fast forward button). Never saw Elf so I can't really judge it. I guess the worst would be Santa Claus: The Movie. I can't even bring myself to watch it. I never saw Jingle All The Way, Deck The Halls, or Four Christmas’s but I am sure they stink.

Worst Christmas Movie Everyone Else Loves-A Christmas Story

Worst Christmas TV Movie-To Grandmother’s House We Go (then why do I watch it every year?)  Actually, I could have said “anything on ABC Family”, but I already complained about them.

Worst Disney Christmas Movie (or direct to video DVD)-Twice Upon A Christmas. The stories are just lousy.

Worst Rankin/Bass Special-The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Just to dark, to different, and in the end to boring.

Worst Disney Christmas Cartoon-Don’t hate me Moviefan12, but the Silly Symphonies one about the night before Christmas, with Santa Claus and the toys that come to life. I just hated that cartoon as a kid, and still hate it. The music is annoying and Santa is creepy. Plus, how he can have time to goof off and play with the toys like that? There is another set in Santa’s workshop which isn’t as bad. Second place, anything that Disney puts on that involves ice skating but not Christmas. Why does Disney do this? Just because characters are ice skating does not make it a Christmas cartoon!!

Worst Christmas Song-Baby, It's Cold Outside. I mean, let the poor girl leave already! It’s like the Christmas stalker song.  It's not cute or fun to sing, it just sucks. Second place, Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey. Why is this popular? As for Christmas Shoes, I’m not even going there.

Worst Animated Christmas Special-Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. Um, nice try guys. I watched the Family Circus one which I didn’t cover in my blog earlier. It was sweet, but real boring.

Worst Christmas Moment in a Christmas Special-Santa finding Karen crying next to a puddle in Frosty The Snowman.

Worst Christmas Special-Star Wars Holiday Special (do I need to explain why?). Alf is second place, just waayyyy to sad. Pee-Wee was bad, real bad.

Worst Christmas Commercial. I did a whole list of Best Christmas commercials, but here is one I don’t like. I get the joke; I just don’t find it funny:

Ok, now the good stuff:

Best Christmas Sitcom Episode-Wow, what a tough one. I rattled off most of my Bests in the Christmas cliché article, but if I had to pick one episode it would probably that Family Ties one I mentioned way back where Alex plays Santa in a mall. It's corny, but something about cold as ice Alex being moved by a little girl always gets me. Home Improvement would be a runner up I think. Night Court is also a Best, that episode about the toys which were meant as evidence being delivered to an orphanage is great. If you never saw it, try to check it out.

Best Christmas Movie-Either the George C.Scott Christmas Carol or The Santa Clause, hands down. As I said before, The Santa Clause does everything a good Christmas movie should. Plus, Tim Allen was a surprisingly good Santa Claus. And of course, George C. Scott WAS Scrooge. For those screaming "what about the Muppet Christmas Carol?" sorry, I liked it but it's lower on the list after Home Alone.

Best Christmas Movie Everyone Else Hates-Christmas with the Kranks, I don’t know why. You have to treat it as a farce and not take it seriously.

Best Christmas TV Movie-A Very Brady Christmas (it’s ok, argue with me. I don’t care)  ;)

Best Christmas Disney Movie (or direct to video DVD)-I love Mickey’s Christmas Carol, but I really loved Once Upon a Christmas. The three stories are real solid. First is "Christmas Every Day" where Huey, Dewey, and Louie experience Christmas every day until they learn to appreciate it. Then we get a great Goofy story, I believe this was originally a Goof Troop episode but it is a very touching story about a father and son not wanting to disappoint each other. Finally, Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi is a very honest interpretation of the O Henry story. I love how there is no cop out where they get the gifts anyway, it ends the way the original story ends. My only complaint is how Mickey and Minnie were drawn, they didn't look quite right to me.

Best Rankin/Bass Special-The Year Without a Santa Claus. It's corny but enjoyable, and has a really good story. The songs are just great, from "I Believe in Santa Claus" to the title tune, just a very well done special.

Best Disney Christmas Cartoon-The one where Mickey and Pluto get their tree, which just so happens to have Chip and Dale inside. Love that cartoon!

Best Christmas Song-Another tough one. I listed five of my Bests in another article. For traditional I think Hark the Herald Angel Sings wins the award because I like it no matter who covers it, even Mannheim Steamroller. For more non-traditional, Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas and that cool Christmas Wrapping song.

Best Animated Christmas Special- Tough choice. Olive, The Other Reindeer is a Best. I was surprised to like this but it is cute even if it kind of misses the meaning of Christmas. It's another one of those "if Santa can't deliver presents we can't have Christmas" stories which kind of misses the point of the holiday though not as badly as that horrible Twas the Night Before Christmas cartoon. There's always A Garfield Christmas.

Best Christmas Moment in a Christmas Special-Linus reciting the true meaning of Christmas in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.

Best Christmas Special- Muppet Family Christmas is great. It’s hard to really come up with an answer because that is such a broad category. Bob Hope’s Christmas Specials in the 80’s were great.

Best Christmas Commercial-I did a whole blog full of them already.

 My 12 Favorite Christmas Commercials Ever

Finally, I wanted to end this by posting a Christmas video I just love. Boney M's Mary's Boy Child is a video I posted before, but I feel like posting it again. I had never seen the video, and watching it was like rediscovering the song all over again. You gotta love how the group took a boring song and put a 70’s spin on it. It is just so well done and no surprise why it’s so popular.

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It has been so much fun working on these blogs. I have some ideas for where I want to take these articles, and just hope I get the chance to continue to write and read them well into the New Year. You're support has meant a lot to me, that is one gift I am truly thankful for this year

My 12 Favorite Christmas Commercials Ever

I love Christmas commercials! Just the amount of work put into them is enough to be impressed by. I know younger folks can't appreciate the cool ads we had in the 80's and 90's (yes, and probably the 70's, but I'm not that old!). Here are a few of my favorites.

Cheese. This is such a simple, yet very effective ad. Ah, the power of cheese!

Coca-Cola. I had the choice from dozens of great Coke commercials (seriously, every one of these could have been Coke ads, they are always great!), but chose this one as my favorite. It's such a beautiful ad with a great melody.

Jello Jigglers. I love this commercial. It's really nothing fancy, just Bill Cosby and a couple of kids. What makes it a favorite is the end, it always makes me laugh. The clip kind of cuts off the very end, but I think you'll get the idea.

Oreos. What a sweet little ad this is

M&M'S. They had some pretty ads but this is the famous one. This first aired in the 90's and became such a classic. I think it's still playing. It's a great setup and a funny pay off.

McDonalds-Amazing how few of these there are. However, this one is a true classic. If you are my age, or older, than you have to be familiar with this one.

Fruity Pebbles. Yes, I know the Flintstones celebrating Christmas makes no sense. However, you have to like this ad

Honey Nut Cheerios. This ad has a great actor playing Scrooge. Strange as it may sound, which is why I think this ad works

7-UP. Gotta love this ad using the red dots or whatever they were. It's got a lot of action for a little ad, but is real cute.

Folgers. This sweet little ad is one of the first Christmas commercials I remember seeing. Just love it.

Hershey. Well, here it is. I think this may be the most famous Christmas commercial ever. Started over thirty years ago, It STILL PLAYS TODAY! Hershey came up with a simple, yet effective little ad and it's great

KixAnd finally this ad is adorable and simple you almost forget the product they are advertising sucks

There is just something about these commercials. They become part of our Christmas memories, reminding us of when we were young and what we loved about the holiday. I really enjoyed putting this together, I hope you enjoyed reading it and reliving these memories. Did I miss your favorite?

A Very Brady Christmas Review

Today is my birthday, so I thought I would treat myself by talking about one of my favorite Christmas movies. I have loved it for years and watch it all the time. Of course, I am talking about A Very Brady Christmas.

I hear groaning! I know, I know. This movie is about a corny as you can get. It is pure 80's cheese. However, I grew up watching the Brady Bunch. It was an idealized perfect family, and I loved it. I never understood why the show is so mocked, what is wrong with seeing a happy family on TV? The worst is when people make fun of Jan. FYI, you are doing an impression created on Saturday Night Live, not how Eve Plum actually acted on the show. No wonder she has nothing to do with this show today.

When this movie premiered in 1988 I was so excited. This was before the internet, so I had no idea where these actors were or what they were doing (today I can find out in seconds).

I will concede, as I get older I do understand why this is so made fun of. It really is, well, corny. And the ending....but we'll get to that. Let's take a look at this perennial holiday favorite (for me anyway).

Top 5 Annoying Things ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas Does Every Year

25 Days of Christmas is a fantastic concept. A whole month of Christmas specials and shows, how can this possibly miss? However, as great as this is it seems like ABC Family does do some very annoying things. I am not saying this spoils what they are trying to do, but it does make me wonder. Here is a look at them:

Top 5 Annoying Things the 25 Days of Christmas does ever year

#5.November Preview-I love Christmas specials, but before Thanksgiving? Every year they decide to roll stuff out before we've even carved the turkey. Does anyone watch this stuff early? Then again, it’s better than showing this stuff in July, which just infuriates me! Christmas in July????? Don’t get me started on that!

#4.Non-Christmas Movies-I loved the Pixar films, Willy Wonka, and the first Harry Potter film. However, I am pretty sure that these movies are not Christmas movies. So why do they show up on this schedule every year? I understand that they are trying to be family friendly, of course, but there aren’t other Christmas shows they can put on instead? I can imagine people may argue with me on this, but I can watch Toy Story any day. I want something Christmas-related now.

#3. The same things over and over-I love the old Rankin/Bass cartoons as much as the next guy. However, how many times are we supposed to watch them? I swear every time I look at the program guide, Mickey's Christmas Carol has popped up a half dozen times by now!  Then other things hardly appear, they play it during the day to almost no promotion. If you don’t keep a sharp on the schedule you’ll miss it. Speaking of that.....

#2. Where are....?-How many movies and specials could this network air, but they don't? For example, they show virtually every Rankin/Bass special but "The Little Drummer Boy". Why? They show Nestor, the Long Eared Donkey and The First Christmas Snow which are very religious. Even if we just limit to Disney stuff, there is still a ton of stuff they never show. Why is Mickey’s Christmas Carol on a million times but Winnie The Pooh and Christmas Too is hardly shown?

#1. Original Corny movies-It amazes me they keep coming out with these every single year. This year its "12 dates of Christmas" which is another Groundhog Day rip off. We've had Santa Baby with Jenny McCarthy, Three Days about a woman getting run over on Christmas Eve, and a few Christmas Carol knock offs. They are all so sappy and contrived, with basically the same story. There is a girl dating someone or just out of a relationship, who meets a new guy and by the end of the movie they are in love.  Or the main character is an angry, career driven type who turns around into a warm loving person by the end. These sappy stories will give you a cavity. The plot for Christmas in Boston was four friends meet up in Boston on Christmas Eve. Wow, riveting! Ok, there is a little more to it but, still! These movies are silly, far fetched, and I watch some of them every year.

Of course, this is all for fun. I am just being nitpicky; the truth is I totally respect ABC Family. I love that there is a station around which shows something Christmas every day. In this day and age of political correctness where people are afraid to even say the word Christmas in public, that's a pretty remarkable thing.