Happy Monkees Day!

Yesterday was the birthday of two of my favorite entertainers, Mike Nesmith and David Jones of the Monkees. So in honor of their birthdays here is the first issue of the comic book series based on the Monkees TV show.

Video of the Week: George Burns Comedy Week: A Christmas Carol II

Here is a very funny look at the Charles Dickens classic tale.

Dinky the Elf on Kindle

If you want to get Dinky the Elf he is now available on Kindle at Amazon.com. Download it for $3.

Turkeys Away!

Being that tomorrow is Thanksgiving I thought that I would share a link to Hulu.com and give you WKRP in Cincinnati's most famous episode. From there first season here is Turkeys Away!

The Monkees Instant Replay (Deluxe Edition)

In true Marketing fashion in that nothing is milked dry till every single drop is gone Rhino records is releasing the Monkees Instant Reply Deluxe Edition. Now I am a big Monkees fan but how much more can the get out of those old recordings. Do us all a favor Rhino and send some of the Monkees back into the studio for new material. Still thanks to BookSteve we have this link to pre-order the above CD. http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/the-monkees-instant-replay-deluxe-edition

Sale: WKRP in Cincinnati the Complete First Season

Normally the price at Amazon is $29.98 but right now it is on sale for $17.49. That's a savings of $12.49. So buy it today and get what I consider the best season ever of one of the best sit-coms of the 70's. Makes a great Christmas gift.

For Sale: Great Deal for Monkee Fans!

For some Monkee fan out there my trouble is going to be your pleasure. I am laid off work and need at least $300 by the end of the month. So here's the deal. I will send you a framed and signed picture of all four Monkees, a signed first edition of Micky's book "I'm A Believer, my life of Monkees, Music and Madness", a DVD of the 1997 reunion of all four in England, my fictional book of the Monkees "Last Train to Murder" and a 1960's comic book of the Monkees.  The signed photo I bought from an autograph dealer. At that time it was only signed by Micky, Peter and Mike and came with a certificate of authenticy. Davy signed it for me in person after a concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. The book that was signed by Micky was gotten for me by afriend and given to me as a Christmas gift years ago. It pains me to have to sell them but I need the money more. So if you donate $300 I will send you all of these if you are the first person to donate and e-mail me that you donated it and give me your address. Otherwise they are $60 each and I will send you the one of your choice if it is still available. Thanks in advance for those who help and want to but can't buy them. What you can do in that case it post a link on your site to this post for those that would be interested.

Money, Money, Money...

...it's a rich man's world. You know it is if you owe for your health insurance. Being laid off and I just got a bill for my health insurance. So if you ever thought about donating to any of my sites now is as good a time as any. Please click on the donate button below or on the right.

The story of Samson

I thought this was an interesting video as it is the story of Samson told with action figures.

When the Monkees met Steve Skeates and Jim Aparo

I saw this over at http://jimaparofanclub.blogspot.com/. It seems that a teen mag back in the 60's was doing, at least for 2 issues, comics of the Monkees in their magazine. This was when Dell didn't have the rights to them. The story was by Steve Skeates and art by Jim Aparo. Being a Monkees fan I had to share it with you here. They worked in a lot of their song titles. See how many you can find.

lulu.com has books for sale at 20% off

Hope you all are having a great Labor Day. I just wanted to tell you that till Sept. 9th Lulu.com has my book Last Train to Murder for sale at 20% off. Above is a preview of the book. You can get it at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/last-train-to-murder-pb/14445916 and just type in SEPTEMBER305 when you check out to get the discount.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Thing in Lights, Camera Action

Well it's official. I was laid off yesterday for an undetermined amount of time.
In the meantime I just came across this cartoon on youtube.com. I never did watch the cartoon Fred and Barney meet the Thing but here is a segment of that show with the Thing as a teenager. It really kind of reminds me of the Archie gang. The voice of Ronald sounds like it was done by the guy who voiced Reggie Mantle on the Archie Show. When in the guise of the Thing the voice sounds like an impression of Jimmy Durante. I do have to give credit to the actor and the writers. As far as the character of the Thing it is one of the best transitions from comic book to TV screen I have ever seen of the character. They really got it right. Kind of odd to see a teenage version but it was enjoyable to watch.

layoff

Well I got word that I will be laid off from work for awhile after this Friday. So if you have considered donations to this site now would be a good time. Click the button to the right or below.

Don't Be Like Dewey

Recently I heard that the former manager of WHKK, Dan Hubbard, passed away in April of 2010. I didn’t know him well but from the little that I did know he was a very good man. For those of you who don’t know WHKK was a local Christian radio where I and many of my friends hung out and had part time jobs from time to time. For a while they played Southern Gospel music. When I worked there they played Contemporary Christian Music. Lately I find myself listening to some of the old songs that I played there. I have many wonderful memories of some good times there. But like all good memories there is always a sad memory associated with it.
Everyone I every worked with there was just wonderful. One of them I always felt sorry for. His name was Dewey. Now Dewey was a good man and, while I didn’t know it when I met him, he was a very smart man. For some reason he could only work cleaning offices but I later was told that he had a law degree and had a lot of law books. Why do I feel sorry for him? Because this smart man who cleaned the offices at a Christian radio station was…an Atheist. Dewey refused to believe in God. A lot of us tried to talk to him about God but I don’t think any of us ever got through to him. He would put road blocks up to every avenue that the Holy Spirit could get access to him. Only one did I ever see get close, the news director Jeff Eldridge. The more they talked Dewey started to stutter. After he left Jeff said there must be something that caused him to not believe. Dewey was there for years. He heard the music singing praises to the Lord and the sermons from the preachers telling how and why you should be saved. He seemed to pay little attention to them.
A few years later a company bought the trailer park where Dewey lived. Everyone was evicted so they could build a strip mall. Dewey had no place to go. In his depressed state of mind I heard that Dewey went to a bridge that spanned the Ohio River and threw himself into the river. His body was never found.
Dewey lost hope. No place to live and no hope of getting to Heaven because he didn’t accept God into his heart. He heard the Word almost everyday for years and will have to pay for that when he is judged before the God that he always denied. I feel sorry that one day he will be in Hell. He was a good and smart man but that alone won’t get you into Heaven.
If you are reading this please don’t be like Dewey. You may be a good and smart person but please accept Christ into your heart. Just pray to Him to let Him know that you know Jesus Christ died for you and you want to have him in your heart and He will come. But He won’t until you invite him in.

Thanks

Just saying thanks for those that have clicked on the donations button to the right. It has brought me a little closer to paying that bill.

Need Help

I hope someone can help me as I recently got a bill that I can't pay. I really hate asking here like this cause I feel like I am begging but if you like this site and want to donate anything please click on the Paypal link below. I have only delt with Paypal in cash in times past so I don't know what to do with credit cards or if I have to pay for anything if yo donate with credit cards but I will take what help I can right now.Thanks in advance.

Monkees.net Contest

Over at Monkees.net they are having a contest as part of their grand re-opening. Among the many prizes that any Monkees fan should have is a copy of my fictional novel "Last Train to Murder." You can see it in the photo above listed with the other prizes. Those other prizes are
■From Friday Music are re-issued Monkees classic CD’s for the first time with bonus track.
■The preeminent Monkees biographer Eric Lefcowitz has donated a copy of his fabulous new book Monkee Business with a special set of actual collectible Monkees Coins! Actual minted metal “Monkee Money” featuring the likeness of Micky, Davy, Peter and Michael – a true collectors item!
■One copy of the only complete biography of Michael Nesmith, “Total Control – The Monkees Michael Nesmith Story“
■One copy of the fiction book based on the Monkees, “Last Train to Murder” by Rick L. Phillips
■Multiple copies of magazines including “Monkees Monthly”.
■10 Gold Monkees Logo clothing patches
So click here to enter and do it now as the contest ends May 11th.

Thor Tales of Asgard

If you like the movie Thor that comes out at the end of the week you may want to order Thor Tales of Asgard. It will be released May 17th. You can get it at Amazon.com.

Help Save Someones Home

I know someone who is in deep financial trouble and may loose their home. So any money I get from the sales of my book Last Train to Murder PB will go to them. If you wish to help go to >Lulu.com.

Happy Easter Rise Again by Dallas Holm

Free shipping on Last Train to Murder

Buy my book & save on shipping. Go to Lulu.com Enter code APRILMAIL305 at checkout  and select Mail Shipping and receive single book shipping cost free. Maximum savings, $4.99. Print and tax amounts are excluded. You can only use the code once per account. Offer ends 4/30/11 at 11:59 PM

You are a survivor

If you were born in the 1950's or 1960's then you are a survivor. Here is the reason that I saw on the Official 60's Site,com. You can click on the title above to go to that site.
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL

Monkees sampler for sale today only

Hey Hey Monkees fans. If you want to get the Rhino sampler it is for sale on e-bay today only at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200589208273&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123 or just click on the title above.

Circus Boy

Here is an episode of Circus Boy starring a very young Micky Dolenz. I think this episode is called The Fabulous Colonel Jack.

Dennis the Menace Contest ends and the winner is...

Well the contest is over and the winner is...drum roll please....Michael LeBlanc. He had 19 answers to the 21 questions. The correct answers were as follows...
1.What was the date that the first episode of Dennis the Menace aired on TV? October 4, 1959


2.What date did Dennis the Menace comic strip first appear in the newspapers? March 12 1951

3.Who picked Jeannie Russell to play Margaret? Jay North picked her personally.

4.How many children do the Wilson’s have? None

5.What was the name of the policeman in Dennis’ neighborhood? Sgt. Mooney

6.After Joseph Kearns, the original Mr. Wilson, died what was the excuse given to explain his absence? He was on a trip to Ohio.

7.What actor replaced Joseph Kearns as Mr. Wilson? Gale Gordon

8.What is the favorite sport of Mr. Mitchell? Golf

9.What network did the show air on? CBS

10.What night did it air on? Sunday at 7:30pm

11.What was the address where Dennis and his parents lived? 627 Elm Street

12.What other TV show did Jay North play on after Dennis the Menace? Maya based on the movie of the same name that also starred Jay North.

13.What cartoon character did Jay North provide the voice to on Saturday morning TV? Bamm- Bamm Rubble on the “Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.”

14.Willard Waterman played Mr. Quigley on the show. What old time radio character is he also known for? The Great Gildersleeve

15.What was the date of the last original first run episode to air? September 22, 1963
(I started to over look this one as I realized this was the date for a re-run and everyone else gave a different date. Most of them were in June.)

16.What is the name of his dog? Ruff

17.What was the name of Mr. Wilson’s dog? Fremont

18.How old has Dennis always been in the comic strip? 5 and a half

19.How many episodes were there in the series? 146

20.What was Dennis’ catch phrase from the series? Hello Mr. Wilson!

21.What was Mr. Wilson’s catch phrase? Great Scott!

Last Day for Dennis the Menace DVD contest

If you haven't entered this contest you better hurry. Today is the last day to enter the contest to win the DVD set of season one of Dennis the Menace. To see more just click here.

Dennis The Menace: Dinosaur Hunter

Here is a Dennis the Menace movie that was on the Disney Channel a long time ago that I never saw. It's pretty good. If you are a Dennis the menace fan don't forget to enter my triva contest to win a Dennis the Menace Season 1 box set of the classic TV series. You can go there if you click here.

Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour

It wasn't long ago that the Monkees announced the dates for their tour of England. Today I heard these are the dates for their North American tour.
6/3/2011 Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA
6/4/2011 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL
6/5/2011 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FL
6/6/2011 Florida Theatre Jacksonville, FL
6/8/2011 Innsbrook Pavilion Glen Allen, VA
6/9/2011 The Community Theatre At Mayo Center For The Performing Arts
Morristown, NJ
6/10/2011 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT
6/11/2011 Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort Niagara Falls, ON
6/12/2011 Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort Niagara Falls, ON
6/15/2011 Lowell Memorial Auditorium Lowell, MA
6/16/2011 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
6/17/2011 NYCB Theatre At Westbury Westbury, NY
6/18/2011 Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa / Event Ctr. Atlantic City, NJ
6/19/2011 Filene Center At Wolf Trap Vienna, VA
6/20/2011 Hershey Theatre Hershey, PA
6/22/2011 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA
6/23/2011 Fox Theatre Detroit, MI
6/24/2011 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion Columbus, OH
6/25/2011 Aronoff Center For The Arts Cincinnati, OH
6/26/2011 Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN
6/29/2011 Genesee Theatre Waukegan, IL
6/30/2011 Star Plaza Theatre Merrillville, IN
7/1/2011 Minneapolis Zoo Minneapolis, MN
7/2/2011 Minneapolis Zoo Minneapolis, MN
7/5/2011 Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
7/8/2011 Pantages Theater Tacoma, WA
7/9/2011 Sleep Country Amphitheater Ridgefield, WA
7/10/2011 The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
7/13/2011 Majestic Fox Theater Bakersfield, CA
7/14/2011 Chumash Casino Santa Ynez, CA
7/15/2011 Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Cabazon, CA
7/16/2011 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA
You can visit http://www.facebook.com/monkeestour for tour dates, updated ticketing information and more.

21 Questions with Dennis the Menace

Thanks to Shout Factory I have a chance to give away a free copy of Dennis the Menace Season 1 on DVD. So here are 21 trivia questions about Dennis the Menace, the TV show and the comic strip. The person who e-mails me the most correct answers by March 12th at originalcaptainatom@gmail.com will be the winner. Now here are the questions.

1.What was the date that the first episode of Dennis the Menace aired on TV?
2.What date did Dennis the Menace comic strip first appear in the newspapers?
3.Who picked Jeannie Russell to play Margaret?
4.How many children do the Wilson’s have?
5.What was the name of the policeman in Dennis’ neighborhood?
6.After Joseph Kearns, the original Mr. Wilson, died what was the excuse given to explain his absence?
7.What actor replaced Joseph Kearns as Mr. Wilson?
8.What is the favorite sport of Mr. Mitchell?
9.What network did the show air on?
10.What night did it air on?
11.What was the address where Dennis and his parents lived?
12.What other TV show did Jay North play on after Dennis the Menace?
13.What cartoon character did Jay North provide the voice to on Saturday morning TV?
14.Willard Waterman played Mr. Quigley on the show. What old time radio character is he also known for?
15.What was the date of the last original first run episode to air?
16.What is the name of his dog?
17.What was the name of Mr. Wilson’s dog?
18.How old has Dennis always been in the comic strip?
19.How many episodes were there in the series?
20.What was Dennis’ catch phrase from the series?
21.What was Mr. Wilson’s catch phrase?

Here They Come Walking Down the Street Again

They didn't tour for their 40th anniversary but they are making up for that with a 45th anniversary tour. In May the Monkees begin what I hope turns into a world tour in England. Saddly it isn't a world tour as Mike is the usual holdout. But it is always fun to see Micky,Peter and Davy. Here are the dates for the UK tour and if anyone connected to the Monkees sees this please put Cincinnati,Ohio on the USA tour schedule.
THE MONKEES MAY TOUR DATES

May 12th Liverpool Echo Arena

May 24th Manchester Apollo

May 15th Newcastle City Hall

May 16th Glasgow Clyde Auditorium

May 19th London Royal Albert Hall

May 20th Sheffield City Hall

May 21st Birmingham NIA Academy

May 23rd Plymouth Pavillions

May 24th Cardiff CIAgoodma

May 25th Nottingham Royal Centre

Last Train to Murder is half off

My latest book, Last Train to Murder featuring the Monkees, is for sale at 50% off. Get it now at this great savings while you can at Lulu.com.

Happy Belated Birthday to Peter Tork

Peter's Birthday was on the 13th. He turned 69 that day and it was even mentioned on CBS in their Sunday Morning Almanac. Here is a segment of that video.

Last Train to Murder Reviewed

Michael D Hamersky at comic book collectors blog.com has reviewed my current novel "Last Train to Murder. You can read the review if you click here.

In memory of my Dad

Years ago, about 1976, I found David Jones first album. I bought it and for the first time I heard this song. I called my Dad into my room and played it for him. Then I told him I played it for him because this was how I felt about him but didn't know how to tell him myself. Today is his birthday and he would have been 81 years old today.

Soylent Green

I am toying with the idea of making this site dedicated to reviews of movies,tv shows, comic books and music that I read,see and hear. I did one of the TV shows, WKRP in Cincinnati and recently Dark Skies. Today I am doing one of an old sci-fi film Soylent Green. The movie came out in 1973. I like seeing movies fromthe late 60's and early 70's as you get a good but sometimes odd pairing of the movies golden age of actors with the then new age of actors. As many people know this film starred Charlton Heston with Leigh Taylor Young, Chuck Conners, Josepth Cotton and Edward G. Robinson. This cast is a good examploe of odd casting that worked. I espically liked the scenes that had Mr. Conners and Mr. Robinson opposite Mr. Heston. What you may not know about this film is that this film was based on a book called "Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison. I haven't read the book so I won't discuss that here. This was also the last movie to star Edward G. Robinson. He died before it came out. It seems odd but approiate that he passed away in the film. Kind of gave movie fans closure to some of his fans.
The film was actually an answer to the population explosion that the world was experiencing in the 60's and 70's. Overcrowdind in every country and mjor city was and still is a concern. How would we feed them all? Real food is now gone in this bleak future world. Only the manufactured food called Soylent is able to sustain us. They are identified by different colors and the most popular is the one is Soylent Green.
A man is murdered by a hired killer. We aren't told who or why at first. In this way the film is really murder mystery. Heston is a cop and he investigates the murder. As he peels back the layers he finds that the food company is behind it and, as most movie fans know by now, that Soylent Green is really made from corpses of dead people. Soylent Green is people.
If your only exposure to this ending is the one they spoofed on Saturday Night Live then you will be disappointed. Heston doesn't run through crowds shouting that famous phrase at the end. He is shot and carried out. He raises his hand soaked in his own blood saying the phrase and trying to warn them that one day they may breed us like cattle.
With the excepton of this taking place in the future and food being manufactured form people, there is very little to associate this in the science fiction area as it has been for decades. It is more of a cop drama then anything else. A pretty boring onw too. The acting is great but not enough to save it for my money. Still if you want the movie, book or the poster you can get them at Amazon. The on good thing about this movie was that it showed that Chuck Conners was a good an actore as Charlton Heston. More famous for his heroic roles on TV like the Rifleman and Branded, Conners was even better in films as the villian. I wish he had as big a film career as he had in TV.

Slap Happy Pappy

Here is a good example of a cartoon from the 1940's. Very funny spoofs of the celebrities from that time.

Last Train to Murder

My new book Last Train to Murder is now for sale on Amazon.com.

Dark Skies on DVD

Thanks to an advance copy of this DVD set from Shout Factory I am able to give you a review of the TV series Dark Skies.
The 1990’s was a decade of change for television. Programs that the big 3 networks normally wouldn’t have touched with a ten foot pole in earlier decades were now making their way to the broadcast airwaves. One of the biggest and most enlightening of the decade, broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 1997, was Dark Skies. Fact and fiction merged as it told the history of the United States of America from 1947 to the present. Well at least they would have gotten to the present if it was allowed to run longer. The fact that just a single season of the series aired at all on a major network was and still is to this day a major accomplishment.
It starts in the early sixties. Young John Loengard and his girlfriend Kim Sayers arrive in Washington DC. He has a job as a Congressional aide and she gets one working in Jackie Kennedy’s office. Together they find out the truth about what happened that involved the UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Since then aliens have been involved in every major and even some minor events of our country and the rest of the world. John becomes involved with a secret government organization that is battling the alien takeover but in a belief that everyone should know the truth he quits and now he and Kim are on the run from them as well as the aliens known as the Hive. No one can be trusted as the Hive have deep undercover operatives everywhere.
This is one of the best sci-fi conspiracy shows that ever aired. The two hour pilot episode alone is worth the price of the DVD set. It was directed by veteran film director Tobe Hooper and released as a movie in the foreign market.
Eric Close and Megan Ward do a great job playing our heroes John and Kim but the standout performances are from J.T. Walsh as Frank Bach and Tim Kelleher as Jim Steele. This is one of the last performances by J.T. Walsh and may be his best job ever. Frank Bach is the head of the secret organization named Majestic that is fighting the aliens and trying to keep the public and most government officials in the dark about the invasion. He and Loengard are always at odds with each other. The scenes with them together are some of the best. They may be enemies but they respect each other on how they battle the aliens and sometime even help each other out.
Tim Kelleher as Jim Steele has one of the thankless roles in the series. He is the main alien who has taken over the body of a Majestic agent. This character is put through the ringer with losing sight in one eye, needing to change his identity from time to time, always getting captured and then escaping. I doubt he thought this was the direction his character would take during the run of the show. But Kelleher handled it well and proved to be an actor’s actor.
One thing this series is well known to science fiction fans for, even those who have never even seen one episode of the series, is the introduction of actress Jeri Ryan to television audiences. Her first appearance comes in the episode titled “The Warren Omission.” It is an introduction to a character that you won’t forget. She comes in kicking and knocks an agent, Kim and John to the ground and warns him what will happen if he tells the truth.
Another thing that I loved about this series was taking events and people of the time and working them in to the story. The aliens were responsible for everything from the murder of JFK to the Watts riots. Characters of that era that play parts in the series range from Robert Kennedy and John Lennon to Jim Morrison and Carl Sagan. James F. Kelly plays Robert Kennedy so well you would almost think he really was Robert Kennedy. He’s on so many episodes he should have been given star billing with the others.
The extras in this set are wonderful. There is the two hour pilot that is shown the way it was overseas. There are interviews with the stars and the creators Bryce Zabel and Brent V. Friedman. One of the selling points of the series was, not knowing if the series was based on fact or fiction. During the interview with the creators they told something that blew my mind and made me wonder again if it was real or not. I’m not going to tell you what that is because I want you to buy this DVD set and see for yourself.
The sad thing is that the series was canceled too early. We will never see how the Hive ties in with Watergate, Iran-Contra or the Gulf Crisis. There was an attempt for renewal to bring the series up to 1997 in season two but it didn’t save the series. In my opinion this is one of the great science fiction series. Any science fiction fan needs to add this to their DVD collection. It took guts for NBC to air even a single season. It took a long time to get the series to DVD due to musical licenses for the songs in the series. Shout factory took the risk and the series is here with all of the music. Don’t let them regret producing it on DVD. Buy it so more series of this quality will be release for us to enjoy.
Look for it in your local store on January 18. Even better you can order it now at Shout Factory.

Watch the drummer

See more funny videos and TBT at Todays Big Thing.

Watch this drummer go crazy. It is great.

Bringer of Light

I have an old College friend, Randy Wallace, who is the Pastor at Oak Ridge Baptist. Most of his life Randy liked to write and record his own music. I ran into him the other day and he told me that he is still doing it and his most recent album is Bringer of Light. Well I have listened to it and it is great. The music is positive adn uplifiting just like Randy himself. The cover is seen above in the screen capture. You can buy the CD and hear previews of some of the songs if you go to his record company site CDbaby.com.
Here what it says on the album notes. Many diverse styles are covered on this CD, ranging from Modern Country to Traditional Southern Gospel to Easy Listening and even Light Rock...but, beyond the styles is the optimistic message of hope and joy that are always evident in Randy's live performances.
This is Randy's fifth recording, and among his best. His first album, "Deliver the Young Musician," was mentioned in the book, "Vintage Vinyl:A Decade of Jesus Music," by Ken Scott.
Writing, singing, and playing about everyday things and situations and their deeper dimensions has always been Randy's forte, and in this collection of songs both old and new, it comes to the front once again. From the song for his wife ("Unvoiced Tribute") to his tribute to his parents ("The Moral"); from the contemporary Gospel feel of "His Hand" and the Van Morrison-like "God's Got a Hold on Me;" and the Jimmy Buffett-style "Believe in Yourself," all the way to the uptempo bluegrass "Gerald Brock Hill," this highly anticipated release will brighten your day and touch your heart.

The Church Snuggie

Short Break

Just an FYI that I will be taking a short break for awhile. But I will be back soon with a review of the soon to be released on DVD TV series Dark Skies. Thanks to Shout Factory for the review copy.

Merry Christmas from On My Mind:The Monkees Screen test

Merry Chirstmas and Happy New Year. To all Monkees fans here is a screen test video that was recently pointed out to meby Booksteve. I always heard that Micky and Peter's weren't shown on TV because theirs was silent but in Peter's case that doesn't seem to be why. The one here by Micky looks like it was from a call back since there are others with him.

Wreck the Halls by the Three Stooges

Here is a song that always gets me in the Christmas mood. Wreck the Halls by the Three Stooges.

Davy Jones Christmas Ad 2008 Merry Christmas

Here is a 2008 ad for Davy's song "It's Christmas."

Monkees Christmas Medley 1986: Merry Christmas

Monkees Christmas is my Time of Year: Merry Christmas

Monkees Sing Deck the Halls Merry Christmas

From the same show as yesterday's video here are the Monkees singing Deck the Halls.

Monkees Riu Chiu Merry Christmas

For Christmas here is a video of the Monkees singing Riu Chiu. If you are interested here is the english translation.
River, roaring river, guard our homes in safety,
God has kept the black wolf from our lamb, our lady.
God has kept the black wolf from our lamb, our lady.

Raging mad to bite her, there the wolf did steal,
But our God almighty defended her with zeal.
Pure he wished to keep her so she could never sin,
That first sin of man never touched the virgin sainted.

River, roaring river...

He whos now begotten is our mighty monarch,
Christ, our holy father, in human flesh embodied.
He has brough atonement by being born so humble,
Though he is immortal, as mortal was created.

Rhino | Video - Bee Gees - Jive Talkin'

Rhino | Video - Bee Gees - Jive Talkin'
If yoiu go here you can see a video of the Bee Gees playing Jive Talkin'.

Dennis the Menace Season 1 coming soon

I just heard that Season 1 of Dennis the Menace is going to be produced by Shout Factory. This is one of my favorite series from my childhood. Even though I liked the most beloved TV show Leave it to Beaver, it is Dennis the menace that was my favorite between the two. I found these pictures while surfing the net. I loved them both but being this is the Christmas season I had to put the more Christmas looking one up top. If any pictures are used in the DVD set I think the color one will be in it but I doubt it will be the black and white one. I like how you see an old fashioned church in the background. With many trying to take Christ out of the Christmas season when we celebrat His birth it made me feel good to remember a time when we did our best to keep Him in it and attend Christmas Eve services. There is no cover available yet But I read that there will be extras included.

Last Train to Murder

Want to get a book for that Monkees fan in the family. Well here is a wonderful murder mystery that involves the pre-fab four called "Last Train to Murder." It has them tracking a killer while on the way to a TV network executives meeting. It takes place in 1967. Why am I so high on this book? Is it because I too am a Monkees fan? Is it because I like mystery novels? Yes but mostly it is because I wrote it. It is published by Lulu.com. You can order it if you click on the button below.

Now I still haven't seen the proof copy but I wanted to get the word out asap.

Police Squad! Ring of Fear

Here is one of the funniest TV shows in history. It was a flop on TV but they got 3 blockbuster films out of it. In honor of Leslie Nielsen's passing here is an episode of Police Squad!

White Christmas Cartoon

I love this cartoon. Very funny.

Human Bomb Music Video

For comic book fans here is a music video I created after I came across this homemade song about the Quality/DC comics character the Human Bomb.

Mike and Jason Nesmith Interviewed

Davy Gets Blown Away

I just saw this on youtube and thought it was funny.

Green Lantern Trailer

If you haven't seen it yet here is the trailer to the movie "Green Lantern" that comes out next summer.

Torked Up

Here is a great segment of a show by the AARP on PBS that featured Peter Tork of the Monkees.

For A Friend by The Bugaloos

I know that The Archies had a hit from their TV show and Jack Wild did well thanks in part to his Saturday morning show H.R. Puffnstuf. It was years later that I heard the Bannana Splits had one in England. Now I find that the Bugaloos also had one. It too must have been a hit in Europe because I never heard of it. Cna't fault the songwriters. The song is a good pure pop 70's tune and Hirshhorn and Kasha had a long list of popular tunes to their credit by that time.

Grand Ennui- Michael Nesmith Live at the Roundhouse 1974

Here is a live version of Mike Nesmith preforming his song the Grand Ennui. Before that he explains how he created it and how it was part of how he felt after leaving the Monkees. Good stuff and a good preformance.

Adventures of Superman on sale

Amazon is haveing a DVD sale and what caught my attention is that all of the Adventures of Superman, starring the best actor to ever play the character, George Reeves, is on sale for 60 per cent off or more. You can get them all in one click but it saves you some money if you buy then seperately. I recently ordered Season 3 and 4. If you want any or all of them click on the links below and this site gets a percentage of the purchase.

The Flintstones - Alvin Brickrock Presents

For Halloween here is one of my favorite episodes of the Flintstones with their spoof of Alfred Hitchcock.

HEaven and Hell

HEAVEN AND HELL



While walking down the street one day, a Senator was tragically hit by a car and died. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the Senator..

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator. "I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell..

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?" The devil smiles at him and says,



"Yesterday we were campaigning ...






Today, you voted."

Vote wisely on November 2, 2010

The best song the Brady Bunch ever recorded

Ok it isn't the Brady Bunch but the animater had to have them in mind when he did this video.

The Dick Van Dyke Show "Uhny Uftz"

This isn't really a Halloween episode but I think it fits with season. Sit back relax and watch.

The Three Stooges "If a Body Meets a Body"

Rocky Burnette "Tired of Toein' the Line"

Here is an early 80's rock-a-billy hit by Rocky Burnette. A great song called "Tired of Toein' the Line."

Suzi Quatro "Stumblin' In"

Remember this song? This is probably the only hit Suzi had. At least it's the only one I remember. This came around the same time as her appearances on Happy Days. Her future looked bright but then she dropped off the radar. However, I recently found her site and you can see it too if you click here to find out more.
This is from an episode of a show that she and Chris Norman did on a TV show in Europe. They seem to really be enjoying themselves. The crazy thing is that this showed up on youtube.com when I was really searching for the cartoon show the Hillbilly Bears. Maybe they thought Chris Norman looked like Pa Rugg from that show.

Marvel Super Hero Squad Ornament from Hallmark

If you are already thinking of Christmas and wanting to get your annual ornament for the tree consider the team up of Marvel and Hallmark with the Super Hero Squad Ornament. Have Captain America, Iron Man and Wolverine protect your presents this year from early sneak peekers.

Rod Serling Host of a Game Show?

This is a 1969 game show called "The Liar's Club." Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling hosted this episode. I don't remember him as the regualr host but he does a pretty good job here. The show had celebrity guest describe an unusual object but of the 4 of them only 1 is telling the truth. Can you guess which one?

Dinky is Reduced

As you can see Amazon has reduced the price of my book Dinky the Elf. Before it was $10.95 now it is $9.86. Buy now and save money on a book that you can read to your children for Christmas or before if you so wish.

Happy Anniversary Terrific Ten

Around this time every year the big 3 TV networks placed 2 page ads for their Saturday morning shows in the comic books. This ad is from 1972. It starts with shows that were classic TV even by that time. Underdog, Pink Panther and the Jetsons. The rest are shows I barely remember. I did watch the Roman Holidays from time to time. The same for Sealab 2020. (We're almost there now aren't we.) The Barkleys is an obvious try at making All in the Family a cartoon series. Around the World in 80 Days was a show that I liked and wish it would be available on DVD. Those that I haven't mentioned are because I don't remember them at all. As you can see today is the anniversary of the day these shows were to premiere on the air. So Happy Anniversary to the Terrific Ten!

Meet me in the stairwell (What some went through on Sept 11, 2001

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you . But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

Micky Dolenz and King for a Day

I heard a few days ago that Micky Dolenz was recording a solo CD and you could pay to see him record it. You could even play on it with him. I coiuldn't afford to pay but I am happy to find that it is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want you can buy it to if you click on the link below.