Festivus for the rest of us

    Being a fan of Seinfeld, there are some things that the show has given us that became actual holidays or even quotes that were memorable. One memorable thing was a holiday that was made up by one of the writers, because when he was a child, it really happened to him. It's called.... Festivus.

   In an episode called "the strike", it seems during the holidays, George Costanza gets a card from his parents that celebrates a holiday created by his father called "Festivus." Costanza's father created the holiday after he was trying to buy a toy doll for George. Instead of having a tree, they would have an aluminum pole that requires no tinsel or decorations.

   There's also a famous saying called: "Festivus for the rest of us." What does it mean? I don't know, but it's fun to say. How did this holiday happen? Well, a couple of years after the show ended, someone decided to make this holiday a real holiday. Starting before Christmas Eve, December 23rd is not only a day for luminaries, but also to air your grievance.

. 

   There's even a book about the holiday and how it was created. All from an episode of Seinfeld. The writer of this episode said that his father, Daniel O'Keefe created the holiday because it was a commeration of his first date with his wife Deborah, or something like that.

    If you ever have heard of the Human Fund, it's a fake charity created by George Costanza because he feels it's best to steal money from his boss. I think it's best to say.... Costanza's an idiot. However, he is found out when the accounting department cannot find any charity called the Human Fund and he has to tell his boss the truth and that he celebrates...Festivus. 

   Apparently, Dan O'Keefe, the writer of the Strike episode, wanted to make his father's idea of a holiday into something that would turn into the 'feasts of strength afterwards.' What are the feats of strength? After you finish your meal, it seems the father, Frank Costanza decides to fight George until he is pinned down and surrenders. 

    You also know what else happens in that episode, Kramer goes back to his old job working with Bagels until he strikes again. After learning what Festivus is all about, he wants to take the 23rd off. Without that happening.... he goes on strike. Elaine also meets a good-looking guy at a Hannukah party and gives him a fake phone number.

  

   Jerry even meets a nice girl at the same party only...she's very different the next time they meet. Elaine also gets an ugly surprise, or what Kramer calls "A Festivus miracle" when two guys she knows tries to explain the fake number situation using their business number as the fake. It seems the two men want to date her as well. Jerry eventually breaks up with his girlfriend.

   So....what does "Festivus for the Rest of us" truly mean? Well... it actually has a meaning. It means.... "Joyous holiday and feast day." I guess it means enjoying the day and eating food. Like every day, this particular day is a holiday. You don't have to celebrate it, but it does mean a holiday that only can be explained through the eyes of a Seinfeld writer. And Frank Costanza would agree that it's the one holiday where you can fight your son in the feasts of strengths.

Christmas Story 40th Anniversary

 

    It has been 40 years since a certain young boy tells his story about the Christmas where he gets a bb gun and shoots his eye out. 40 years later, it's one of the most watched Christmas movies ever next to a few others. Some of the actors are still alive and some....well, here is the story of a young boy from Indiana and the best Christmas he ever had.

   The movie came from a book written by the late Jean Shepard. He even narrated most of the story in the movie since he loved the book so much and would read it to his children around the holiday season. He even had a cameo in the movie near the end where Ralphie and his brother are waiting in a long line to see Santa. 

    The Characters of the story are interesting. Ralphie is the main character played by Peter Billingsly who is still acting as well as producing movies today. His little brother, Randy is played by Ian Petrella who is still alive today. What is he doing now? Well, somewhat acting, but isn't seen much in the Entertainment industry.

  The old man, as Ralphie would call his father, was portrayed by the late Darren McGavin. This is what he is known for more than any other role he has been in. Passing away from cardiovascular disease at the age of 83, his story is told as how Ralphie's father can be hard to get along with and at sometimes scary but could have a heart as well.

    The mother of Ralphie was portrayed by Melinda Dillon. Just like Darren McGavin, Melinda was only known for the role of the caring mother who would comfort Ralphie at the same time scowl at him if he swore. She sadly passed away recently, but she had long retired then. 

   There were many characters from Ralphie's friends Schwartz and Flick to the bully named Scut Farcus. Scut was a similar image to my own cousin and well...the actor that portrayed him, Zack Ward, is still acting. From horror flicks that failed to the recent Christmas story sequel called (Christmas story Christmas)

   Christmas story franchise had some failures like a sequel starring Daniel Stern and even Christmas Story Live with Matthew Broderick. It was as if they were trying to kill a Christmas Story movie and bury it. The original author of the story, Jean Sheppard, was long dead by the time these were made. Eventually, it would be saved thanks to Ralphie's actor Peter Billingsly.

   When I found out they were going to make another Christmas story movie called "A Christmas story Christmas", I was hesitant at first. Yes, I loved the original with all my heart, but I was wondering if it was a smart idea for them to do this. Well, I gave it a watch and....it brought back the magic of the original.

 Ok it's not 100 percent gold, but it is worth the watch. Peter Billingsly plays an adult Ralphie who has a family, but he also is a failure at being a writer when his sci-fi story has been rejected by another publisher. He soon finds out the old man (who was portrayed by Darren McGavin) had passed away. He decides to go back home to visit his mother.

   There has been a cast change with the mother. Julie Hagerty, who was in Airplane!, filled in for Melinda Dillon. She did pretty well despite they were desperate to get Melinda back from retirement. It seems Ralphie has to write an obituary on the old man. He is filled with not only sadness for the loss of the old man, but he also has writer's block.

     Peter Billingsley narrates his adult Ralphie voice as he does everything to have the perfect Christmas. Although things go wrong along the way, he almost gets arrested by a familiar face...Scut Farcus. He lets Ralphie go in the spirit of Christmas. Eventually, he does write something, that isn't just about his father, but his whole childhood as well.

   We all have memories of 'A Christmas Story' movie and how amazing it was. Sadly, the director of the movie died as well. We still have some of the actors that came back in "A Christmas Story, Christmas." Like Schartz and Flick as well as Randy, who is only seen near the end of the movie. I feel that the sequel (not the horrible one) captured as much of the spirt of the original as it could. All I can remember is... "you'll shoot your eye out."

Worst Christmas gifts ever

 

    Christmas is coming. We can't stop that, but there are some things about the holiday that can be stopped, only if.... people weren't cheap on the gifts...or forgot. This thing is.... horrible Christmas gifts. Last minute stocking stuffers or even gifts that look as if they made from a nightmare. Here are some of them.

    I'm not going to diss rocks, but unless it's a painted rock with Christmas theme or messages on them that tell the giver how they feel about them, it's just a rock. Finding one of those rocks as a last-minute gift...seems cheap, I just feel finding a rock in your backyard to give to someone just because you forgot the actual gifts, seems kind of like...you cheated them out of a great gift.

   I don't know who invented underpants for your hands, but they should be drugged out into the street and shot. This is a horrible Christmas gift that I wouldn't give to my worst enemy. We have gloves to keep us warm of course. This was just...what was it? An excuse to give a shitty gift to someone. To me, these are a waste of a gift.

 Unless you have a friend that has a green thumb, this is one gift that is skippable. They might have been popular back in the 80's along with the clapper (which also is a pathetic gift for Christmas). Now it's the same as watching paint dry. Boring and useless. Sometimes, they didn't even work. They would have annoying song singing... Cha-cha-cha Chia! This is Pa-pa-pa pathetic.

  Ever had an ugly sweater for Christmas? Well...some people make it a Christmas tradition making tacky Christmas Sweaters to deem which one is the ugliest at Christmas Parties. I would never be caught dead wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Dawn we now our gay apparel? In the words of Brian Griffan from Family Guy: "doesn't get much gayer than this." 

   Ever loved Bacon so much that you want to make a wallet out of it? Some people are freaks about bacon that they would even wear it in their pockets. I think some people need to get help. This would not be a Christmas present worth giving unless you have someone in the family that is addicted to bacon 24/7

  Ok, this is just stupid. If you really think buying things off the TV would be a perfect way to give as a Christmas gift...you might want to rethink your life. Even though all AS SEEN ON TV ads aren't 100% useless, it doesn't mean you should get a gag gift to someone so you can laugh at them. Changes are, they won't use it much and just stash them into the closet forgetting about it though the other 11 months we have.

   Even though, every year the holidays come and go, there's always a gift that is considered either a last-minute gift, or something that is considered horrendous that no one in their right mind would buy unless they were desperate. Gift cards have been very useful for last minute gift ideas. Till then, good luck and pray you don't get coal this year.

A day which will live in infamy- POEM

 

December 7th,

1941,

In Hawaii,

America changed,

as souls,

perished,

in Pearl Harbor

many lives perished,

boats bombed,

by the Japanese,

and why?

The only answer,

is war

82 years of history,

under the seas,

as an American Flag,

drifts underwater,

82 years,

of history,

underwater

Japanese soldiers,

bombing ships,

as we watch,

and listen in horror

some have survived,

and still remember,

that dark day,

some still alive,

and always remember,

the day,

that changed their lives,

forever

Before that day,

the seventh of December,

it was a day,

that was known,

for getting everything ready,

of Christmas,

not yet know,

a day,

which will live,

in infamy

a day,

which is now known,

as a day,

that changed America,

FDR's speech,

rings out,

on this day,

every year,

even after his death

The history,

burned in our mind,

as one of histories,

tragedies,

82 years later,

and it is still rememberd,

even today,

a date,

which will always live,

in infamy

Best Bob Seger songs

 

   Bob Seger is known for a lot of his hits. But what are the stories behind these songs?  Robert Clark Seger was born on May 6th in 1945, and his music is still being played today. From hits like "Old time Rock n Roll", "Against the Wind" and many more. Here are some of my favorite hits from him that might hold some history in them.

     In his greatest hits album, there are some songs that are memorable and have a story behind them. Roll me Away is one of them. What is the song about? To Bob Seger, it is considered an "anthemic" song that just has a meaning of peace. What does it mean to me? I always thought of it as a stone rolling away down a hill and into the streets of emptiness. I guess we have different interpretations of of the song.

     Another song from his greatest hits album as well as his 1972 album fifty-one years ago, is called "Turn the page" Bob Seger would play this song mostly live in concerts where you could hear people screaming. It is a hippie era song where Bob explains the meaning of the words 'turn the page'. To him...it means traveling from one place to another. He was thinking of the song as he was driving to Dubuque, Iowa. To me...I always think of a book. 

  If you have never seen Risky Business, then you would not remember Tom Cruise in a pink shirt and underwear (although some people thought the shirt was white) dancing and lip syncing the song "Old Time Rock n Roll." Another one of my favorite Bob Seger songs. It became AFI's 100 years...100 songs list. Every time I hear that song, or anyone does, we think of Tom Cruise (or someone staging the Risky Business scene) sliding with their socks and dancing and lip syncing the song in memory.

     Hollywood Nights is another song that is considered one of my favorites by Bob Seger. What does the song mean to me, or to Bob? Well, to him...it's a song about a guy from the Midwest traveling to Hollywood and getting caught up in bizarro things. To me, when I hear that song, I think of people in Hollywood doing drugs, having sex and enjoying the night that won't last long.

   Night Moves, another song by Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet band, is another one of his songs from his greatest hit album. What is the song about? Well... Bob Seger was going through a loneliness period when he wrote the song. He was thinking about his own teenage romances. What does this song make me think about? Well, night romance and sex with teenagers that feel passionate romance.

    Bob Seger hasn't stopped ever since. In his late seventies, it seems he is still active and making new songs. Are they as great as his most memorable ones? Well....you have to listen for yourself. He even guest voiced on an episode of the Simpsons where Homer and Chief Wiggum wanted to see him in concert as they left their wives to deal with their kids. Bob Seger decides to give them both a lesson in love using some of his song names to help.

   How have some of his new songs weigh in with his more memorable songs? I wouldn't know. I just remember the classic songs that he was known for. Bob Seger is still singing, mostly solo or with his Silver Street Band. He has been married twice and has grandchildren now. Bob Seger is still known for his memorable songs and has come out of retirement with a new song "She Drew a broken heart" 

   Keep Rockin' Bob, we'll listen to anything you sing to us.

The Dark side of Nick Shows

         Nickelodeon is known as a kid friendly network. However, if you ever look behind the curtains, you will see and hear dark stories being told. With child actors' lives being destroyed to even creators of shows doing things that would make all of us cringe.

    

    Dan Schnider was one of Nickelodeon's golden treasures that gave us "All That", Kenan and Kel", "Amanda Show", "Drake & Josh", "iCarly" and even "Sam and Cat" 

    He was seen in some of his skits and others never heard of him till now. Why? Well...

   Before his dark past was revealed, he would be seen on some of his shows as a nice guy. That nice guy image would soon be tarnished.

Ever since Harvey Weinstein's arrest, many actors have come forward saying what a creep Dan Schnider was to them. He even had a foot fettish, and loved showing feet on some of his shows. Some of the actors would even say he would go too far by massaging some of the female actors without asking and even other stories were told.

   He ended up getting fired by Nickelodeon and his shows of the past will never feel the same again

   Even child actors on Nickelodeon would end up going downhill after their time on the Network was over. 

  Amanda Bynes fell into drugs and ended up getting arrested and going into rehab many times. Jamile Lynn Spears got pregnant at a young age and was fired. Drake Bell, from Drake and Josh also had a downward spiral when women started coming forward saying things about him that turned out to be true. 

  Josh Peck ended his friendship with Drake and went onto to other things. He has been one of the few Childhood actors on Nickelodeon that had a blossoming career after leaving the network.

 

   Jenette McCurdy's career ended as well and wrote a book about how her mother was considered a control freak to her and was blessed that had died of cancer. She too also had negative things to say about Dan Schneider as well. 

    Ariana Grande's music career exploded after she left Nickelodeon and also told a lot of negative things about Dan Schnider saying that he made her uncomfortable and was considered a sexist pig as well. Thank god her career is getting better, even though she had some bumps in the road as well.

   The creator of one of my favorite cartoons, The Loud House, was fired from Nickelodeon after allegations of sex with minors became true. Chris Savino eventually confessed that all the sexual assaults really did happen, and Nickelodeon decided to keep "The Loud House" and kick out the creator. There are more episodes coming out now, but it would not be one of the cartoons to go on without their creator.

 As we all know about SpongeBob and the creator, the late Stephen Hillenberg. The thing about it is...he left the show to Nickelodeon after the first film was made. He ended up getting sick and left SpongeBob SquarePants in the hands of Nickelodeon. Unlike Loud House, it seems the show has milked al the money it is worth today. SpongeBob went downhill.

   Even their toys have a dark story. Well one of them. Gak was considered a very popular slime that was created in the 90's. I always wanted one but never got it. Maybe I was glad. Marc Summers, who used to host Double Dare, revealed that Gak was a slang term for heroin.

    Nickelodeon might not be amazing as it once was, but with all the stories of #metoo movements and dark past it led, and with some of the child actors having skeletons in their closet, it seems Nickelodeon has a dark reputation that it revealed recently. Does it mean it's over? No, unlike Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon is here to stay and with Paramount+ owning the rights to it, all the tv show and movies are there to watch.