Three Days of Halloween

Some years, we've given tons and tons of holiday specials. Some years, we just do a few recommendations. But, we're so close to Halloween already, this time around we're just doing three days and listing only television specials, not movies. And, yes, we agree that Wednesday looks very sparse... not sure why! If you know of other specials airing, let us know!

And, remember, times given are for the Pacific Time Zone.

Pixar

Tuesday, October 29th

7am: Henry Hugglemonster “The Halloween Scramble” (Disney Jr.)
7am: Kickin’ It “Boo Gi Nights” (Disney XD)
8am: Imagination Movers “A Monster Problem” (Disney Jr.)
8am: Lab Rats “The Haunting of Mission Creek High” (Disney XD)
8:30am: Charlie & Lola “Halloween” (Disney Jr.)
8:30am: Little Bill “The Halloween Costume” (NICK Jr.)
8:30am: Billy & Mandy “Wrath of the Spider Queen” “Jacked up Halloween” (Cartoon Network) 
8:30am: The Funky Phantom "Ghost Grabbers" (Boomerang)
9am: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse “Mickey’s Treat” (Disney)
9am: Team Umizoomi "The Ghost Family Costume Party" (NICK)
9:30am: Sofia the First “Princess Butterfly” (Disney)
9:30am: Rolie Polie Olie “Queen of the Pumpkins” (Disney Jr.)
10:30am: Henry Hugglemonster “The Halloween Scramble” (Disney)
10:30am: Higglytown Heroes “Higgly Halloween” (Disney Jr.)
11am: Bubble Guppies “Haunted House Party” (NICK) 
Noon: Cheers "House of Horrors with Formal Dining and Used Brick" (TVGuide)
1pm: Dora the Explorer “Halloween Parade” (NICK)
12:30pm: Handy Manny “Sounds like Halloween” (Disney Jr.)
1pm: Fish Hooks “Halloween Haul” (Disney XD)
2pm: Special Agent Oso “Pumpkin Eyes” (Disney Jr.)
2pm: Tiny Toon Adventures "Stuff that Goes Bump in the Night" (HUB)
2:30pm: Jungle Junction “Lance and the Jumpy Pumpkin” (Disney Jr.)
2:30pm: Tiny Toon Adventures "Hare Raising Night" (HUB)
2:30pm: Spookley the Square Pumpkin (Cartoon Network)
3pm: Michey Mouse Clubhouse Minnie’s Masquerade” (Disney Jr.)
3pm: Animaniacs "Scare Happy Slappy" "Witch One" "MacBeth" (HUB) 
3:30pm: Little Einsteins “Little Einsteins’ Halloween” (Disney Jr.)
3:30pm: Dear Dracula (Cartoon Network)
3:30pm: Oddities “Vampires of Philadelphia” (Science)
3:30pm: R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour "Punpkinhead" (HUB) 
4:30pm: Bill & Mandy “Jacked Up Halloween” (Cartoon Network)
5pm: Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy’s Boo-haw Haw (Cartoon Network)
5pm: Lab Rats “Night of the Living Virus” (Disney XD)
5:30pm: Lab Rats “The Haunting of Mission Creek High” (Disney XD)
5:30pm: Back at the Barnyard “The Haunting” (NickToons)
5:30pm: Adventure Time “The Creeps” “Bad to Worse” (Cartoon Network)
5:30pm: Jake and the Never Land Pirates “Night of the Golden Pirate Pumpkin” (Disney Jr.)
6pm: Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy (Cartoon Network)
7pm: Toy Story of TERROR! (Disney XD)
7:30pm: Laverne & Shirley “Haunted House” (HUB)
8pm: Big Time Rush “Big Time Terror” (TeenNick)
8pm: Laverne & Shirley "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express - Part 1" (HUB)
8:30pm: Laverne & Shirley "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express - Part 2" (HUB)
8:30pm: Big Time Rush “Big Time Halloween” (TeenNick)
8:30pm: Henry Hugglemonster “The Halloween Scramble” (Disney Jr.)
8:30pm: Kickin’ It “Wazombie Warriors” (Disney XD)
9pm: The Goldbergs “Who Are You Going to Telephone” (ABC)
9:30pm: Trophy Wife “Halloween” (ABC)
9pm: Wild Grinders “Wild Zombies” (NickToons)
10pm: Special Agent Oso “Pumpkin Eyes” (Disney Jr.)
10pm: Crash & Bernstein “Health-o-ween” (Disney XD)
10:30pm: Crash & Bernstein “Scaredy Crash” (Disney XD)

Wednesday, October 30^th

Midnight: Laverne & Shirley “Haunted House” (HUB)
12:30am: Laverne & Shirley "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express - Part 1" (HUB)
1am: Laverne & Shirley "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express - Part 2" (HUB)
1:30am: Laverne & Shirley "The Ghost Story" (HUB)
6am: Animaniacs "Scare Happy Slappy" "Witch One" "MacBeth" (HUB)
6:30am: Animaniacs "Hot, Bothered & Bedeviled" "Moon Over Minerva" "Skullhead Boneyhands" (HUB)
7am: Tiny Toon Adventures "The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain" (HUB)
7:30am: Tiny Toon Adventures "Toons from the Crypt" (HUB)
8:30am: Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures "Nothing to Fear but Berries Themselves" (HUB)
9am: Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures "The Berry Scary Fun Adventure" (HUB)
Noon: Pound Puppies "Nightmare on Pound Street" (HUB)
2pm: Tiny Toon Adventures "The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain" (HUB)
2:30pm: Tiny Toon Adventures "Toons from the Crypt" (HUB) 
3pm: Friends "The One with the Halloween Party" (TBS)
3pm: Animaniacs "Draculee Draculaa" "Phrankenrunt" (HUB)
7pm: Step by Step "Something Wild" (HUB)
7:30pm: Step by Step "Dream Lover" (HUB)
8pm: The Middle “Halloween IV” The Ghost Story” (ABC)
8pm: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "A Halloween Story" (HUB)
8:30pm: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It" (HUB)
8:30pm: Back in the Game “Night Games” (ABC)
9pm: Modern Family “Open House of Horrors” (ABC)

Thursday, October 31^st

Midnight: Step by Step "Something Wild" (HUB)
12:30am: Step by Step "Dream Lover" (HUB)
12:45am: King of Queens "Ticker Treat" (TVLand)
1am: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "A Halloween Story" (HUB)
1:30am: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It" (HUB)
3am: Roseanne “Skeleton in the Closet” (TVLand)
3:30am: Roseanne “BOO!” (TVLand)
4am: Roseanne “Trick or Treat” (TVLand)
4:30am: Roseanne “Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down” (TVLand)
5am: Roseanne "Halloween IV" (TVLand)
5:30am: Roseanne "Halloween V" (TVLand)
1pm: General Hospital Halloween Episode (ABC)
6am: Animaniacs "Hot, Bothered & Bedeviled" "Moon Over Minerva" "Skullhead Boneyhands" (HUB)
6:30am: The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow (HUB)
7:30am: Animaniacs "Scare Happy Slappy" "Witch One" "MacBeth" (HUB)
8am: Animaniacs "Draculee Draculaa" (HUB)10am: The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow (HUB)
11am: Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery (HUB)1pm: Home Improvement "The Haunting of the Taylor House" (Hallmark)
1:30pm: Home Improvement "Crazy for You" (Hallmark)
2pm: Home Improvement “Let Them Eat Cake” (Hallmark)
2:30pm: Home Improvement “I Was a Teenage Taylor” (Hallmark)
3pm: Home Improvement “A Night to Dismember” (Hallmark)
3pm: Goosebumps “The Haunted Mask (HUB)
3:30pm: Home Improvement “Bewitched” (Hallmark)
4pm: Goosebumps “The Haunted Mask 2” (HUB)
4pm: Little House on the Prairie “The Monster of Walnut Grove” (Hallmark)
5pm: Little House on the Prairie “The Halloween Dream” (Hallmark)
6pm: Little House on the Prairie “The Ghost Story” (Hallmark)
7pm: Little House on the Prairie “The Nightwalker” (Hallmark)
7:30pm: ALF "Some Enchanted Evening" (HUB)
8pm: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "Good Will Haunting" (HUB)
8pm: Parks and Recreation “Recall Vote” (NBC)
8pm: Deadtime Stories “Little Magic Shop of Horrors” (NICK)
8pm: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (ABC)
8:30pm: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "Episode LXXXI: The Phantom Menace" (HUB)
9pm: Grey’s Anatomy “Thriller” (ABC)
9pm: Everybody Loves Raymond "Halloween Candy" (TVLand)
10pm: Frasier “Halloween” (Hallmark)
10:30pm: Frasier “Tales from the Crypt” (Hallmark)
11pm: Frasier “Boo!” (Hallmark)
11:30pm: Frasier “Dark Side of the Moon” (Hallmark)
11:30pm: Secret Squirrel "Which Witch is Which" "Bold Rush" "Squiddly Double Diddley" (Boomerang)
11:35pm: Jimmy Kimmel Live “Half & Half Halloween Pageant” (ABC)
11:45pm: King of Queens "Ticker Treat" (TVLand)

Last Man Standing: Ryan or John?

Kristin being faced with temptation was interesting, and completely believable, given that John is successful and polite, whereas Ryan is argumentative and sassy. Plus, many Home Improvement fans would like nothing more than for the Jonathan Taylor Thomas - Tim Allen reunion to continue! However, Kristin being able to control herself and remain loyal to her babydaddy was admirable, even if undesirable. With Kyle AND Ryan working for Outdoor Man now, though, it seems likely that more episodes will cut out Eve, Boyd, and Vanessa in favor of showing the characters who are all in the same location... no? Let's hope not, as Eve has some interesting plots from time to time... though not this "chip clip training" stuff!

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Last Man Standing "Ryan v. John Baker" (S03E04): Ryan is picketing, and has been for a while, but at least Kristin is excelling at managing John's restaurant. Mike, Vanessa, and Mandy go to dinner at Kristin's restaurant, and soon Boyd joins them when there's a meeting called by the union. [why not drop off Boyd with Eve at the Baxter home?] Ryan then decides to make a few comments about restaurant workers being underpaid and not receiving sick days, making Kristin uncomfortable. [I would have been SO LIVID at him!] Later, John flirts with Kristin, and goes to kiss her until she pushes him away. At home, she finds out that Ryan didn't accept the union deal, and convinced the others to turn it down as well. [troublemaker!] Mike tells Ryan that he needs to support Boyd, so he decides to get another job to tide them over... and he begins as a night janitor at Mike's store for minimum wage. Mandy goes to ask Kristin about her relationship with John, then takes her to see Ryandoing something he doesn't want. [I don't appreciate Mike using Vanessa to flush out Eve.]

Last Man Standing: Vanessa and Eve

It comes as no surprise that in the Baxter family, not all of the daughters bond with each parent equally. Like in many households, one gravitates more toward her father while the others seem to favor their mother. Yes, this can lead to hurt feelings, but it really is par for the course, both on television and in real life. On Tim Allen's previous show, Home Improvement, Brad definitely bonded more with Tim, while Mark and Randy both tended to turn to their mother. Over on Boy Meets World, Eric and Cory both had strong relationships with their father, but in different ways - Eric's being more buddy-buddy while Cory's was deeper and more philosophical. The big lesson that the Matthews family takes away from exposing those differences is that family relationships need balance. Bringing that back to the Baxters, Mike and Vanessa just want Eve to be able to get along with both of them, even if it is in different ways. Mike pointing out how Vanessa talks about her work in a boring way when it can actually be exciting at times was just a cherry on top to make it all come together.

Last Man Standing "Driving Lessons" (S03E02): Mandy and Kyle are headed out on a date, but Mike asks Kyle to help with a car repair. Apparently, Mike has Kyle doing all sorts of household chores, and Kyle's time being monopolized upsets Mandy. So, she tries to get her boyfriend to say "no" to Mike, but Mike also tries to get Kyle to say "no" to Mandy. The kid eventually wises up, to mixed reactions. [Kyle is rather clumsy... why would Mike want him working with his personal stuff?]

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Mike teaches Eve to drive (in a classic truck, of course), but Vanessa is lonely and wants to bond more with her youngest daughter, so Mike has Vanessa give Eve another driving lesson. But, Vanessa doesn't think Eve is taking it seriously, and their time together is cut short. [what teen has road rage?!?] Mike confronts Eve about her attitude, and says that she might need to work harder at a relationship with her mother. Eve immediately tries, accompanying her mother on a work trip. [to blow up a mine. but, baby steps. also, I hated Mandy's jacket at the very end of the episode. grey with neon pink edging?]

Oh, and so that Kristin can make an appearance, she runs into the house purely to check Boyd's backpack for his missing hamster, Snickerdoodle. It's not there. [Trophy Wife AND Last Man Standing have dead hamster storylines the same week?]

Top Ten Animated Openings for Live Action Shows

This was a fun list to create because it took a lot of thinking... I struggled to come up with anything in the past decade that fit this category, though it seemed to be pretty prevalent in the 80s and 90s. I included youtube clips so that you could see the intros, in the event you haven't seen a few of the more obscure ones, like Even Stevens. In brainstorming and researching, I was surprised at how many of these I was already aware of... perhaps more shows should consider doing these types of openings - they're pretty memorable, apparently!

10. Batman (1966). Here we have a live-action drama based on a comic book, and they kept the original incarnation's feel in the opening titles, even incorporating the written sound effects like "WHAP!" and "POW!" The cape lives up to expectations, the relationship between Batman and Robin is clear, and the batmobile makes an appearance as Catwoman is mentioned but not seen. What more could you ask for?

9. The Partridge Family. How could I not include such a classic? The opening starts with a rumbling egg that hatches a partridge, which grows a family as you hear the song about the family. In between we have monochromatic portraits of the actors in a simple but fashionably photographed way. I like to watch the Mama partridge walk.

8. Desperate Housewives. Admittedly, this is one that I didn't know about before I started brainstorming for this post. Having never seen the show, I didn't know what to expect and was rather taken by the opening. I particularly liked the portraits of women through time, with stops in The Garden of Eden, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, the Rennaissance, and the twentieth century to today. Still not enough to make me tune in, but cute nonetheless.

7. Cheers. An iconic theme song with an old-time feel. Sure, we see a couple of modern cars in the opening two seconds, but then we're swept away to the world of horse-drawn carriages, the men at a bar all wearing suits, and the intermingling of black-and-white, sepia, and color. The still pictures cut into one another, zooming in and out on those before us who have had good times with those who know their names. The images changed throughout the series' eleven-year run, but the classic look did not.

6. The Mickey Mouse Club. Digging way back, this black-and-white opener even has the sponsored product depicted in animation! It's a longer intro but features the classic characters performing adorable marching band antics. This one holds a special place in my heart because it was a bedtime song what I was young, 

5. Bewitched. This one stands out in my memory because it was likely the first animated opening I ever saw for a series that wasn't actually a cartoon. I always found it funny that Sam would dress like a "traditional witch" and fly around on a broomstick in the opening when she didn't do that on the series. I particularly like the sparkly stars

4. Even Stevens. This one is technically stop-motion animation (or "claymation," if you will), but I think that's what makes it special. That, and the fact that it depicts how competitive Ren and Louis are from the time they get up until they're relaxing at home that night. The other family members only get tiny moments but they still encapsulate those personalities - Donnie is athletic, Steve is bewildered by his children's antics, and Eileen is constantly working.

3. I Dream of Jeannie. Some local station always had Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie back-to-back in syndication when I was a kid, and so I often caught the opening of Jeannie but didn't stick around to watch. I think the fact that her head came out of the bottle separately from her body freaked me out. The first season didn't have the very first part, with Major Nelson in the space capsule, but otherwise the sequence remained the same to my knowledge. This is the colorized version, rather than the original, because I found the quality better than any originals on YouTube.

2. The Nanny. Growing up, the only thing about this show's opener that I didn't like was the "joie de vivre" line - I hated that there was French in an English theme song! However, I was stunned at how much Niles, Mr. Sheffield, and Fran looked like their animated counterparts, so that made up for it. I think the funniest part of the sequence is that "she was there" and hence was hired in one of those "right-place-right-times" situations.

1. Home Improvement. The best of so many worlds... blueprints, collages, drawings, video games, sticks & stones spelling things, flashy graphics, and fade-ins all appear throughout the five different intros this series used over the course of its eight seasons. I always loved the gaming moments as a kid, but I think the quickly flashing collage for the look of the house most intrigues me now! The video for this one has the first 1:15 for the first season, then 2 & 3 until 2:30, then 4-6 until 3:23, then 7 until 4:15, then season 8 until the end. Also, be aware that the quality on this one isn't the greatest.

Comment below and let us know which animated titles are your favorites, especially if we left some out!

December 25th Holiday Recommendations

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but consider DVRing things on Christmas Day instead of watching them live. You're missing time with loved ones. Not to say you don't need a break, so maybe you could just time your escape accordingly. ;) This is the final installment of holiday recommendations from us, though you can follow our entire holiday schedule through January 2nd. Below is our highly-recommended list for Sunday, December 25th below. As always, times are Eastern and Pacific to the best of our knowledge (except when noted otherwise), but it's always good to double-check with your own provider.

5:21am: Home Improvement "'Twas the Flight Before Christmas" (TVLand)
- I really enjoy the Home Improvement holiday episodes, but this one is one of my favorites. Tim and Al are out of town on business and are trying to return home on Christmas Eve. This leaves the boys to decorate the house on their own, in an attempt to win the neighborhood decorating contest. Between Tim and Al having a terrible time traveling and the fact that the house's brightness can be seen from the plane, there are some wonderful jokes in this episode!

7:34am, 3:34pm: Three's Company "Three's Christmas" (TVLand)
- Well, it's honestly a pretty typical plot for this show. The trio plans for a great Christmas party, but it doesn't work out, so they're happy going to the Ropers' place. But, then they get a last-minute invitation to a "better" party, and they have their continual problem of whether to honor their initial obligation or go to something that seems to be better. I think you know what happens. Especially in a Christmas episode...

9am: Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade (ABC)
- This isn't live like some parades are, but it's still pretty magical. Various music groups, marching bands, and Disney characters take part. This year, the Muppets and Jennifer Hudson will be in the parade (which was taped a few weeks ago), along with talent from Switched at Birth and Phineas and Ferb, among others.

12:44pm: The Jeffersons "Father Christmas" (TVLand)
- Tom and George don't want to go caroling with their wives, Florence, and the neighbors, so they stay home and decorate the tree together. Although they normally don't share much personal stuff with one another, the guys end up talking about their childhood Christmases.

9pm: Everybody Loves Raymond "The Christmas Picture" (TVLand)
- What do you do when you want to take a family picture but one grandmother doesn't want the other one in the photograph? Well, as you might imagine, that's what happens here. And, as you probably hypothesized, it's Marie who doesn't feel that Debra's parents are "family." It's not that original, and not even the funniest episode, but it's a little different.

Seven Shows that Change(d) my Life

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yeah. I know. With a title like that, you're expecting an awe-inspiring list. notsomuch. Instead, I'm going to talk about seven shows that I have moved my life around for, so I could catch them at their original airing.

I think I should have realized I was destined to be a TV junkie when I was nine years old.

In the 4th grade, on the first day of school, we filled out little surveys about ourselves. Birthday, favorite color, favorite food, if we had siblings, etc. One of the questions on there was "Favorite Day of the Week." I answered Tuesday.

Fast-forward to sometime in the spring (we read our lists to the class on our birthdays, and my birthday is the end of January), when my class was walking to the computer lab. A girl in my class asked me if Tuesdays were my favorite day because it was computer day (and in the 4th grade, that meant Oregon Trail!!). I said no, and told her why: "the new episodes of Full House come on on Tuesdays." She thought that was weird.

So, Full House was the first show that I ever revolved my life around. When I first started watching it, my bedtime was 8pm, so I'd have to connive my dad into making it 8:30 on Tuesdays. My brother and sister weren't big fans. And not only did I watch it, but I recorded all of the episodes. By the time the finale rolled around, I had 8 VHS tapes' worth of Full House. My brother later taped WWF & WCW stuff over them.

Now, on to the list of other shows that I shuffle my life around. We're gonna go chronologically today.

- Full House. See above, LoL.

- Home Improvement. Another Tuesday night staple. I was one of the many teenage girls infatuated with the male stars on this sitcom. I watched every second, just in case they showed Wilson's face, LoL. The only episode I ever missed after I started watching the show was the last two parts of the finale (I was breaking up with a boyfriend that night and he wasn't taking it well... it dragged on and on and I missed the finale live, LoL).

- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? This one was especially difficult. When I was into it, it was on four or five nights a week. For two weeks. This happened like three times in a couple years. The biggest problem was that it ended up running against other things I was committed to watching, so I'd have to tape the regular show in the living room and watch this in my mom's room, LoL.

- Boy Meets World. I thought the first two or three seasons were so-so and watched when I was available. But after that, Friday nights were for this show. If I was over at a friend's house, we'd watch it. There was a few months where I skated on Friday nights so I had to tape them. And there were a few special occasions where it was missed (the first weekend of the County Fair every February, for instance), but for the most part, I watched it.

- ER. While many people went out drinking on Thursday nights, I was home at 10pm watching ER. I'd have a friend or two over most of the time in the later seasons. When I lived in California, my husband would watch it with me (this is only notable because he does not care for 95% of the shows I like). I even had to work out a schedule on vacation twice to watch this one.

- 7th Heaven. This was probably the easiest one to plan around. When I had jobs that required evening shifts, nobody ever wanted to meet on Mondays so it was available. Still, I sometimes had to shuffle things around to make it happen. During the final-final season (you may remember that it ended twice), I'd save my most brainless tasks for Sunday night to do while watching (you know, alphabetize 180 papers or grade 5-question quizzes, etc.).

- um, Mondays. I word it that way because if I'm not home on Monday nights, most of the time I'm gonna be missing something. There are times of the year when I watch FOUR programs at 8pm on Mondays. DVR can only handle two. The two my husband also watches get those slots. This leaves me to watch one online (since ABCFamily has that option) and watch one at its second airing (most of the time, TLC has that option). But, since those two options aren't the most reliable, I try to be home.

I know a lot of people who re-arrange things to watch Lost. And I had a very good friend who pretended he played intramurals so an organizational meeting would be scheduled after 24 every week. What shows have changed the way you live your life?

Favorite Episodes: Home Improvement

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I do love this show. I've mentioned how cute I thought the actors were. I've named great holiday episodes multiple times. I've even taken note of how much I love their house.

Today, we look at my favorite episodes not already mentioned elsewhere on this blog. Season 5 and 7 are my favorite... 5 has a lot of funny ones, but I like the boys as they get older, so that's probably why 7 is interesting to me.

Season 1: "Off Sides." A very early episode in the series (#3), I found it hilarious when Jill gets a magician to babysit the boys while she and Tim go out. Not only must that have cost a fortune, but the fact that the guy locks himself in a trunk is downright hilarious. Tim's behavior at the restaurant is also amusing.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 2: "You're Driving Me Crazy, You're Driving Me Nuts." Time and Jill are on their way to a wedding, but end up in Ohio. Tim refuses to ask for directions, and things just keep getting worse.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 3: "Reality Bytes." Randy pretends to be 32 years old so he can have an internet romance. He even uses love letters that Tim wrote Jill long ago. However, the plan backfires when the woman shows up at the house. Plus, astronauts on Tool Time.
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Season 4: "The Route of All Evil." Brad's paper route is too overwhelming for him, and he is contracting Mark to do his chores, and Randy to do his homework. It's only a matter of time before it all starts turning sour. This one does not seem to be online for some reason.

Season 5: "A Taylor Runs Through It." Jill is supposed to give a speech at her cousin's wedding, so she's busy writing and stressing about it. Tim wants to have a fun vacation with the boys, so they're running around fishing, playing golf, and having a good time. Jill joins in the merriment, and gets hurt.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

"Chicago Hope" was a close runner-up. That's the one where Tim and Jill go to Chicago, but Tim has meetings to be in while he's supposed to be spending time with Jill.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 6: "Whose Car is it Anyway?" Jill decides to buy a car with the money she inherits. She purposely chooses a British one so Tim can't work on it, and she won't let him drive it, either. But he takes it without her knowledge, and ends up with his photo in the paper. This one apparently isn't online, either.

Season 7: "Losing My Religion." Randy volunteers at a hospice center, and that causes him to question what he believes. Tim freaks out about his son not wanting to attend church services. AND, Wilson plays a clown. :-D Drat, no video here, either.

Runner-up in this season is "Tim 'The Landlord' Taylor," since I think Tim being Al's landlord is pretty funny. And Brad and Randy fighting over shirt style is hilarious. and nada on a video clip.

Season 8: "Chop Shop 'Til You Drop." When Brad's first car gets stolen, Tim and Al go undercover to expose a chop shop. Al recognizes the manifold because of the jelly his donut dripped on it during Tool Time. not online as far as I can tell.

It seems that the early episodes are much easier to find than the later ones. I kinda have a theory on that, but I'm not going to get into that, haha.

Final Set of Thanksgiving Favorites!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I know that there is another Monday after today that takes place before Thanksgiving, but I'm going to be out of town, so I can't guarantee anything. And, I honestly am tapped out as far as good Thanksgiving episodes go. There's a ton more that I could throw on a list, but I wouldn't be backing them fully. So, without further ado, here are the final five Thanksgiving episodes that you should try to catch this season.


Home Improvement: "A Frozen Moment." While Jill is making Thanksgiving dinner, Tim goes overboard building a Christmas village for the family to take a Christmas card photo in. He even makes the kids dress as elves! I couldn't find any clips of most of the episode, but I did find a short segment featuring the Tool Time part of the show: The Man's Bathroom.


Cheers: ''Thanksgiving Orphans." The gang all goes to Carla's for Thanksgiving. Diane wasn't invited, but she shows up anyway, in a pilgrim costume. The first half of the episode actually isn't all that special, but the second half is hilarious. First, Diane's list of things she's thankful for is good, the food fight is fun, eating while covered in food is even funnier, and the icing on the cake is the chance at seeing Vera, but her face gets smashed with a pie as soon as she arrives.

Family Ties: "No Nukes is Good Nukes." The conservative kids (and the grandparents) can't stand that the parents want to go to an anti-nukes rally on Thanksgiving. Jennifer makes some good jokes. THe ongoing gag about Grandma being a bad cook was funny, too. Definitely a different holiday when Elyse and Stephen are arrested at the protest. It's on CBS's website, watch it in full here.

Friends: "The One Where Ross Got High." Ross tells Chandler that the Geller parents don't like him because Ross blamed pot on him once. Rachel makes a trifle with beef. Joey and Ross are trying to get to a party. Monica and Ross end up telling on eachother for all kinds of things... truly a great clip. But, you get the spliced trifle storyline here. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to catch the whole thing on TBS on Thanksgiving Day, LoL.

Friends: "The One with the Late Thanksgiving." Monica and Chandler don't want to host Thanksgiving, and then when Monica is challenged, everyone comes really late. The guys go to a game, and the gals take Emma to a beauty pageant. Monica gets really upset and locked them all out. Joey gets stuck in the door. The adoption agency calls. In the end, all is well. Check out the first part of the episode.

Start out with these 5 Thanksgiving Episodes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Continuing with the holiday theme, here are five Thanksgiving-themed episodes to get you started on thinking about the Turkey holiday. No particular order here, and stay tuned next Monday for more suggestions!

The Cosby Show: ''Cliff's Wet Adventure". It's a downright hilarious episode. It's later in the series, and as the family is preparing the Thanksgiving meal, they keep sending Cliff out to the store in the pouring rain. He forgets items and keeps having to go back out. Meanwhile, Denise invites Martin's ex-wife to dinner, in a kind gesture that ends up filling her in on why the marriage ended. Here's a clip of just the Cliff scenes:


The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: "Talking Turkey." This season one holiday episode features Will's mom coming out to visit, and the boys' professor coming for dinner. When Will's mom sees that the children do no work around the house, she gives all of the help time off, and forces the children to come up with a way to cook the holiday meal. Well, obviously this is not ideal, so it gets funny to the point of ridiculousness. (couldn't find a clip of this episode)

Home Improvement: "Thanksgiving." (even Wilson and Willow are going out of town!) while Tim schemes about how to ask if they can spend it elsewhere. When he finally asks, Jill is really happy that she can sleep in and not cook, so the Taylors go to see the Lions game in a box seat for Thanksgiving. While Tim manages to black out all the lights, the rest of the family has a good time hanging out with Rodney Dangerfield and a few other random celebrities.


Roseanne: "Home is Where the Afghan Is." There's a lot of funny jokes in this one... the final season's Thanksgiving. THe house has been redone, caterers are doing the dinner, and Bev comes out of the closet. Merriment continues as the Connor family realizes that money isn't everything and they donate a lot of food to the needy people of Lanford. Here's the opening:

Frasier: "A Lilith Thanksgiving." The Cranes go to visit Lilith and Frederick for Thanksgiving. Not a bad premise, until Lilith and Frasier go to meet the dean of a prestigious school (so Frederick can get the best education). They continue trying to make a good impression while making fools of themselves time and again. Meanwhile, Martin is playing with Frederick and he keeps getting hurt. And, Niles is making the turkey... hahahahaha. The whole thing always gets me rolling. The clip included begins with Frasier and Lilith's THIRD trip to see the Dean, and keeps going until the end of the episode (I truly believe you should watch the entire thing tho, it's so good. Part 1 and Part 2):

Catch These 5 Halloween Episodes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The first five holiday-themed episodes are debuting today. Since Halloween is this week, that's the theme. They're not numbered since I just wrote about them in the order I remembered their greatness. I included a few clips, more (of most of these) can be found on YouTube! Please, share your own favorites with me, as I'd love to add some new favorites to my list!!

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: "Someday Your Prince Will Be In Effect." Hilary throws a lavish Halloween party, and the family must find costumes. While shopping at the mall, Vivian sings, Phillip shops for unneeded junk, Ashley and Hilary are accused of shoplifting, and Carlton and Will race to find a date. Between the costumes, the party, and the surprise turn-of-events (both Cinderella and the Burglar), it's a laughter-heavy, hour-long episode.


Home Improvement had Halloween-specific episodes in seven of its eight seasons. A few of them are hilarious, but my favorite is the final one, "Bewitched." Halloween pranks are famous on the series (and in Roseanne for that matter), and in this one, Tim is finally gotten good. Wilson is allegedly dating a witch, and after he goes missing (and then his body is found), Tim is the main suspect. (couldn't find a video clip)

Friends: "The One with the Halloween Party." There are some great one-liners (e.g. Joey making fun of Halloween for being just about dressing up as something you're not, then Chandler points out that Joey's an actor; Phoebe joking about Rachel's pregnancy after she gives everything to a girl who says she loves her; Chandler being "maxed out" on embarrassment; "I'll prove it like a theorum!"). But the costumes are hilarious and so cleverly in-character... Joey as Chandler, Ross as Spudnik, Catwoman vs. Supergirl, and Chandler as a big pink bunny... Oh, and how about Rachel giving out the candy/money/anything to the trick-or-treaters?!? haha.


Frasier: "Halloween." Nearly halfway through the long run of the show, Frasier had one of the most farcical Halloween episodes ever. Confusion abounds as the various characters overhear and miscommunicate with one another. Roz confiding in Frasier that she's waiting for a call from her obgyn eventually amounts to Frasier announcing to a roomful of guests that he is not the father. Niles is especially entertaining in this episode, but I definitely should point out that some of the humor is best appreciated by people who are familiar with some great literature.
(embedding disabled, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyMGAqdse5M)


Third Rock from the Sun had an episode, "Scaredy Dick," where the Solomons discover the intricacies of the holiday. While some of the characters are out learning about egging houses and checking candy for poison, Dick has a storyline going about being afraid of a doctor's physical... and ends up making some great jokes (pirate-themed at times!). The costumes are only partially amusing (in comparison to the extent other shows dress up) but the whole shebang is just such a knee-slapper!


Note, the famous Boy Meets World episode "And Then There Was Shawn" (the Scream episode), was not a Halloween feature... it originally aired in February! And that's the only reason it didn't make the tip-top of any list I could ever create!

The Top 10 Unseen Television Characters

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

you know. the characters which never appear, but are often referenced. They might even speak, but no face is ever given to the name. Some shows use this convention more than others, but there are definitely some memorable characters which have no formal physical appearance.

10. Charlie Brown's Teacher (Peanuts), whose voice is created by a trombone (although someone once told me it was actually a muted trumpet, so that may also be the case). She's the one animated character to make the list, and I think it may be because the "voice" amused me from a young age.

9. The Gooch (Diff'rent Strokes), Arnold's foil. Bet you forgot about him, eh? Well, he was mentioned plenty of times... teasing Arnold, daring Arnold, fighting with Arnold, all sorts of childhood mischief.

8. Cousin Jeffrey (Seinfeld), the one that Uncle Leo is always bragging about. He was rumored to have kissed one of Jerry's girlfriends. He worked for the Park (Central Park, maybe? I'm not sure) and once got Jerry some concert tickets. Considering how often other members of Jerry's family were seen, I'm completely unsure as to why we didn't see Jeffrey even once.

7. Dr. Kahn (Salute Your Shorts), the camp director whom none of the characters seem to have seen, either. His voice was heard over the loudspeaker (almost) every episode, and Counselor Ug seems quite afraid of him.

6. Vera Peterson (Cheers), Norm's wife. You might argue that she shouldn't be on this list, since her legs are on camera, and I believe her torso is seen once as well. But Norm speaks of her semi-regularly, and the other characters seem to have a grasp of her as well, so she still counts as unseen.

5. Heather Sinclair (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Holly J's older sister, who is pretty much everyone's enemy. Paige specifically doesn't like her, but many of the characters talk about Heather in an unpleasant tone throughout the show.

4. George Steinbrenner (Seinfeld), George Costanza's boss while he worked for the Yankees. We see the back of his large office chair, and hear him speak almost constantly (his voice is not by the real George Steinbrenner). I wonder if that's why we don't see him... because he is an actual person and didn't want to be on the show.


3. Stanley Walker (Will & Grace), Karen's rich and obese husband. Technically you see his feet and hands at separate times, but he's talked about a crazy amount of time without actually ever being seen. His character ends up with quite the storyline, including jail, (faked) death, divorce, and financial difficulties.

2. Maris Crane (Frasier), Niles' first wife. She's spoken of throughout all eleven seasons, although she and Niles divorced several years into the show. She specifically was never seen because it became too difficult to properly portray her due to all of the crazy attributes which she gathers throughout the series.

1. Alma Borland (Home Improvement), Al's often-ridiculed mother. Since Al and his brother Cal look so much alike, and it's made clear that one takes after the mother and one takes after the father, mom & dad must also look quite similar. That, and Tim's frequent teasing of Al about his mother's size (among other things) really made me want to see how they'd cast her. Alas, it never happened, despite the fact that Al had two planned weddings.


The other major contenders: The Gibblers (Full House), Kimmy's family, that includes two parents, an older brother, and possibly three sisters. Dr. Claw (Inspector Gadget), the guy always plotting against Inspector Gadget. Nanny (Muppet Babies), although we do see her striped socks. Mr. & Mrs. Urkel (Family Matters), Steve's parents. Sparky (M*A*S*H), the radio operator. The Ditmeyer Family (Brady Bunch), the neighbors to Mike, Carol, and family.

Top Ten Television Houses

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Today's list will feature my favorite television show homes.

10. Family Ties: The Keaton Home. It was actually unique in comparison to many of the other two-story homes of the 80s sitcoms. You could come in through the front door and have a couple steps (like a miniature balcony) and go upstairs from the living room. Or, you could come in through a hallway into the kitchen (and I loved their kitchen), then into the living room.
Video for this one, shows a lot of the house:

9. The Torkelsons: The Torkelson Home. It was SO BIG when you consider how little the family made. I loved the antiquey look, and Dorothy Jane had such a beautiful room and a great oriel window. The furniture was old and some was even repossessed in the first season of the show. Of course, the entire house was only in the first season... the second season took place in Seattle, not Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma. And it was also changed to Almost Home... but that's a different story.

8. The Cosby Show: The Huxtable Brownstone. Talk about a huge living room. And tons of rooms upstairs. And a basement from the kitchen and another from the back hallway towards the front of the house, where Heathcliff did his office appointments. And a nice yard with a privacy fence out back. There were a lot of neat props throughout the house, and I always loved the multiple fireplaces. Plus, the artwork that Claire had was nice, and even changed a bit over the years. Additionally, the idea of I found a great floorplan of the place, but it was only available in Italian and Spanish, so here you go. It's done really well... a lot of detail went into the furniture placement and such.




7. Friends: Monica's Apartment. While the apartment itself isn't all that great (I hated their bathroom setup, and both bedrooms were rather tiny), they did seem to have a great location within the City (I think they were in the West Village?), and always having people surrounding you is nice. I found this great artsy drawing that's purchasable in poster format.

6. Full House: The Tanner Home. While the backyard is unrealistically large for the home, it's nice. I love the stairs that have a balcony at the top (which served the purpose of DJ's egg-twinkie experiment AND the great TV-fall of trying to watch two programs at once), and the attic apartment is rather amazing. Plus, have you ever seen an alcove that well utilized before?? Let's not forget the garage, which became a bedroom, which became a studio. All that AND four bedrooms. There were several makeovers of various rooms throughout the series, most notably the remodeling that Vicki's mother did for Stephanie and Michelle.


5. 7th Heaven: The Camden Home. While the exterior doesn't match the interior (no balconies in any of the bedrooms, yet the facade indicated that there should be two), the place is LARGE. I especially enjoy the dining room AND the large kitchen table, the "garage apartment" that we never see the downstairs to, the multitude of rooms yet rarely is there only one person in each, and the gigantic attic situation which they really should have always had. And let's not forget Ruthie's Hello Kitty decor.

4. Home Improvement: The Taylors. First, two points for not being a standard set-up. You enter the front door and have the choice to go upstairs or through a faux-hallway which leads by the dining area to either the living room or kitchen (which are completely unseparated which is unusual). You can go out into the side yard through three different glass doors. And with all of Tim's household improvements (intercom system, central vac, etc.), tons of extras!

3. Beverly Hills, 90210: The Walsh House. There were a ton of sets for this show, dear God. Res Hall rooms, apartments, parents' houses, parents' offices, schools, stores, beaches, workplaces, it's really and truly ridiculous. Please point out another show that utilizes as many different spaces! But the Walsh House remained in use even after Brenda, Jim, Cindy, Brandon (and even Valerie) are gone. I loved the arched door. The kitchen was cozy. The twins had large rooms. Heck, they hosted multiple weddings there, so obviously it was spacious!

2. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Banks Mansion. First of all, who has a poolhouse that large? While there are some structural discrepancies through the years, the place was still rockin'. Nobody had to "bunk in" with a sibling when company came, plus Geoffrey had his own room, too... so that's AT LEAST six bedrooms, easy. And while we never see the garage (to my knowledge), unless they frequently bought new cars, they had at least six of those floating around someplace! And then there's closet space... at one point Hillary lists her purse/coat/hat/shoe wardrobe, and it seems large enough to warrant a few closets alone!

1. Boy Meets World: The Matthews Place. Another house that doesn't even remotely match its facade (this might be one of the worst ones out there, actually). Still, I loved their staircase (I've always been a fan of the twisty ones). And I always thought it was nice that they had some sort of "office area" behind the living room, that allowed for two entrances into the kitchen. Let's not neglect their cool treehouse (which was accessible from Cory & Eric's bedroom), AND the fact that the neighbor was Mr. Feeny. This is a darned funny episode. The first clip shows the living room and Cory's room, while the second shows the backyard and the kitchen.

My Top Ten Television Crushes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

10. Jesse Spencer.... he plays Dr. Chase on House, MD, and he's the only one on this list which I didn't crush on as a teenager, but instead a twentysomething. But with that hair and the Aussie accent, I can't help but think he's cute.







9. Leonardo DiCaprio... I was in high school when Titanic was big. I wrote a paper on the costumes in Man in the Iron Mask. I loved him in Romeo + Juliet. But before that, this heartthrob first caught my eye as Luke in Growing Pains, playing one of Mike's students. I think it's his eyes that truly capture my fill attention.





8. Lee Thompson Young... He played Jett Jackson in the eponymous show. He made a later appearance in Akeelah and the Bee, and was also in Johnny Tsunami, a Disney Channel original. I love his face... the structure is just beautiful, his skin is lovely, and his smile lights up a room.

7. Jonathan Taylor Thomas... many people would have placed them higher in this list. And although I loved his antics in Home Improvement, I'll Be Home for Christmas, Tom and Huck, Wild America, and Man of the House, I think it's funy he was still doing voices in 2000 (The Tangerine Bear). He's not higher in my mind because, as a fourth-grader, every other girl I knew also crushed on him, and that would ruin my chances... so I decided to focus on hotties I'd have a better chance at actually having to myself, haha.

6. Brian Austin Green... the flaw here is that he's got ten years on me. And although he wasn't as "famous" as Jason Priestly and Luke Perry on Beverly Hills, 90210, I thought he was definitely cuter. And he was so talented (I fall for musicians, what can I say?). He did sleep around though, and that hurt his chances at being my #1 crush.

5. Erik von Detten... not sure that many others really thought he was hott. Most recently he was in Princess Diaries (although that's kinda old now), and the voice of Lawson in Recess (he also was the voice of Sid in Toy Story for that matter). He was also in that junky So Weird that I mentioned last week. But, he attracted me in Brink!, even though he was an airhead, he was an airhead who could skate (and in 1998, skaters were hott). And I've seen that movie at least 25 times (and I don't actually even own it!). Oh, and he was in Escape to Witch Mountain, too.

4. Mark-Paul Gosselaar... first of all, he's only attractive as a blonde. He's also only cute as a young actor. So aside from his roles in Good Morning, Miss Bliss and the later Saved by the Bell (College Years) series, he does nothing for me. But, he fulfilled that desire to want a trickster. And he aged well, from 14 to 20 anyway.





3. Zachery Ty Bryan... he was my preferred crush on Home Improvement, and I could never get enough of his hair. In the final seasons he was pretty much ideal, being a soccer player and all. IMDB shows that he has done a lot since his childhood days, but the only thing I've seen him in is ER, where he played a frat boy who got a pledge drunk or something. He had a great role as First Kid, but that's pretty much the only big thing he aside from playing oldest brother Brad (also a hott name) on Home Improvement for over 200 episodes.


2. Matthew Lawrence... you can see him as a tyke in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and as a young teen in Mrs. Doubtfire. But it was really in Brotherly Love (and a few movies where he starreds alongside his cute brothers Joey and Andy) that he began to shine. His character was easy to like in Angels in the Endzone. As Jack Hunter in the final three seasons of Boy Meets World, he was just adorable. I loved his hair and smile and clothing.

1. Rider Strong... yep. Absolutely adorable. From day 1 on Boy Meets World, I was hooked. His hair was the epitome of beauty to which I judged all other male heads for years. He also had great lips. And lovely eyes. And great lines in the show, for that matter. ;)