HAPPY HALLOWEEN! MJ style!

  It just isn't Halloween without it!



   What 80s kid would I be if I forgot to post Thriller!  I was so afraid of this movie when I was little. I thought the warewolf had hurt MJ and I was scared of it!  I didn't like how evil Vincent Price sounded. However, the song was fine. The video is what scared me half to death. I'd go over friends' houses and it would come on HBO late at night. I'd get so scared. I'd cry and say " I wanna go home". I thought the monsters were coming to get me..  I never said i was a normal kid. I was a nerd. I am okay with being a nerd though. Thanks Mike, you really got me!
  I was at family picnic when I was brave enough to watch it. It was on a 12 inch black and white TV and in the daytime, but after I saw it all together, I loved it! We had a Beta vcr and that's all we would play. LOVE YOU MJ FOREVER!

   I also wanna say if you  haven't seen " Michael Jackson's This Is It" please do! It was wonderful and beautiful and I hope that fans, the curious, the old fans, and the new fans will enjoy it as much as I did. MJ was ready for this. He wanted to show his fans a good time. He was particular and intenional about what he wanted. He wanted the sound just right. He needed things to look the way he wanted, so that he could convey the message he was so clearly here to put out to those who would listen. He was a genius and if you just listen, you can hear that. I dont know how people cannot understand.  MJ was funny, he was genrous and he was in a word: love.  Michael Jackson was the embodiment of Love.  I had so many different emotions during the film but the one I felt throughout was LOVE.  I love you MJ, and I love you more today than I ever thought I could love you before. 
I plan to see it one more time before it leaves theatres. It is only out for 2 weeks so please go see it!



You will want to dance in the aisles!  "It's all for love - L-O-V-E"- MJ

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

I'd like to say "Happy Halloween" to those who celebrate it! There are only a few things I actually do for Halloween.  I always watch Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and watch the MJ Concert from 1992 .  The other thing I must do every year is watch " It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" I love Charlie Brown. Poor kid, he just cannot catch a break! Everybody loves Snoopy!  My favorite character was Marcy because she always called Peppermint Patty, " Sir".
  I love Linus in this particular cartoon the best. "Every Halloween the Great Pumpkin rises out of the Pumpkin Patch..."  Right! 
  I love the ABC network for running all the Charlie Brown specials. It's just not a holiday time without them.

  I am on my way to seeing Michael Jackson in "This Is It!"  today. I am going to keep this short.  Happy Halloween to all. I hope you trick- o treat safely.



 The Great Pumpkin On DVD

Somewhere Over Reading Rainbow...

Hiya Everybody!  I am sorry I have not written in a few days. Mr. Belvedere was away for a few days at the Butler Convention. He just got back yesterday, so WELCOME to the 80s Mansion again. Have a seat, get some cereal. I recomend the Corn Pops.
    As promised, I have a treat for you today.  Do you all remember Reading Rainbow? I sure do. I think i was 8 or 9 when It came on. I loved it! That show had everything. The theme song was amazing, (the original not the new one they tried to put on in the 90s). The host, Lavar Burton, was friendly, personable, and he knew a lot about books. The show encouraged kids to get a library card, check out a book, and explore with your imagination.  According to Wikipedia; Reading Rainbow ran from June 6,1983 to November 10,2006. They showed reruns up until the last time on air August 28,2009. Sniff Sniff.


 I think I just woke up the neighbors. I love singing this song. I get goosebumps every time i hear the beginning of the song come on. 

  I will never forget the first episode of Reading Rainbow. I was at my grandmother's in Detroit. As soon as the theme song came on- I was hooked!  They read us "Miss Nelson is Back" by Harry G. Allard Jr. and James Marshall. They even had a great musical number called " Check It Out" to encourage kids to go to the library.
 AND ITS ON YOUTUBE! SHUT UP!!!! -"Check it out.. don't shout!"

   When I was in school, we had a library in the building. I think you had to be in the 1st or 2nd grade to get a library card. It was free. I loved having my name printed on my little card. If you were in grade 2-4 you could check out one book. If you were in the 5th grade you could check out 2!  I was an avid reader. I love to read. I love to go on adventures and meet new friends.  I think children should be read to at an early age.
  I am sad that earlier this year, Reading Rainbow was taken off air. It was a great run!  A child never forgets their childhood friends. PBS has always done a great job helping grade school children learn to read.
  The other good part about Reading Rainbow that I remember was when they let real kids tell you their reviews on books they read.  The kid would review the book and at the end they'd say " but you dont have to take my word for it. " I remember they talked about "Where the Wild Things Are" , by Maurice Sendak. I went and got the book the next time we were able to check out books at the school library. You can get it too at Amazon.com Where the Wild Things Are .  Maurice Sendak also created "Little Bear " and "Really Rosie", among other things.
 
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    Coincidently,  "Where the WIld Things Are"  has been turned into 2009 live action Motion Picture.  It comes out in theatres  October 16,2009. Take your kids and have a great time. I think this may be a little scary for your kids under age 7. But you know what your kid can and cannot handle. Otherwise, go celebrate it! The preview looks cool doesn't it?


  Another fantastic set of books that became a PBS staple is "Arthur". I loved "Arthur". The first book I ever heard about the cute little aardvark and his friends, was " Arthur's Eyes". I liked the book because I wore glasses. back then. any kid, or cartoon with glasses, I loved.  We seemed to connect somehow. I read all the Arthur books and I love the cartoon. I have a favorite episode called " It's Only Rock N Roll". The Backstreet Boys actually took time out to come and do voices of themselves in the cartoon in 2001.  I still think it is AWESOME!

 

Here is the backstreet Boys Version :


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   Since PBS was such a great platform for Childrens' Television, we cannot forget Sesame Street, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood ( RIP Fred Rogers), The Electric Company, Square One and 3-2-1 Contact!
    Every kid I know, grew up with Sesame Street as a babysitter. Sesame Street was a  melting pot for everyone of all races and ages to interact. I loved it. I mean, I was kinda mad when people didn't ever see Snuffy for the longest time, but I loved it. I learned a lot of songs and letters and numbers because of Sesame Street. I am going to share a few favorites with you as well as the theme song.  My personal favorite Sesame Street Puppets ( not to be confused with the Muppet Show Muppets ) are Big Bird, Grover, Oscar, Guy Smiley, Forgetful Jones, Cookie Monster. and Snuffy. I also loved Ernie.  As the years went by, I saw and fell in love with Elmo too,(until he became too much of the focus of the show). I love that they also let my favorite Muppet of all, Kermit the Frog, have his little News Flash.  And who could forget that welcoming song. This is the one I grew up hearing. They keep changing it every so offten or messing it up as i like to call it)








I LOVE KERMIT!

   Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood is going to be reviewed on another day because I really have to give Mr. Fred Rogers his props. He was an amazing man who really wanted children to use their imaginations. Sometimes he creeped me out, but He was still Mr. Rodgers.  I was really scared of that Lady Elane Puppet. Was that even a lady?

  I know that the Electric Company started in the 70s, but I  remember it. I will never forget  the beginning to the theme " HEY YOU GUYYYYYS"  Come on. You know you remember it too!


 
  I have to include these two clips because If I don't I'd kick myself.  One of my favorite charters on Electic Company was "Easy Reader". He just happens to be one of my most favorite actors, Morgan Freeman.   Sorry Mr. Freeman, i have to do it to ya. Much love.. Much groovey love.  You know it was the 70s. And thats his excuse. Ha ha!



This will make you laugh. It has to. Everybody does.

 
As Fozzy Bear would say" Waka Waka Waka".

  Square One was for older kids. It helped with multiplication and Division. I loved the little segments called Mathnet and Mathman the little pac-man like game. Ha ha.


 Last but never least is 3-2-1 Contact. The Theme Song was catchy. I can't really remember if this was a science show or what. I just remember the sketch " the Bloodhound Gang" and that theme and how much fun it was.



The bloodhound Gang was cool!



    I hope you all got a fresh blast from the past right now. I am gonna get going. Lots to do and see. Please come back soon.  Today's blog has been brought to you today by the numbers 3 and 9 and the letter 'H' . Like Lavar Burton said at the end of Reading Rainbow .  " See ya next time".

* Some of the TV shows that we discussed today are available on Amazon.com in selected editions on DVD or Audio CD. You may enjoy these with the kids. " But you don't have to take my word for it".

Reading Rainbow Selections
Sesame Street Audio & Video
Mr. Roger's Neighboorhood
The Electric Company DVDs

New Feature*Theme Song of the Day!*

Shy Violet from Rainbow Land is visiting the 80's Mansion today!  ( she is my favorite of the Color Kids) *Courtesey of http://www.rainbowbrite.net/

Good Morning 80s Kiddos!
  I am sorry for not making this blog more exciting. I have tons of TV things to chat about.  I won't be silent so long anymore. Thank you for accepting my apology.
   Whenever I am not writing something huge, I will be posting a new feature. THEME SONG OF THE DAY!!!! YAY!!!!   Everyday, you will see a new video of a TV Theme song. You may know it, and you may say  "What in the world is that?" But it's all good. You'll get some knowledge along the way.
   Today's Theme Song is one you all should know and love. Let's do some dancing and singing along with Alvin & The Chipmunks!  *applause applause*

 


  I loved this cartoon! My sister and I loved the way they talked and sang. They were our friends. I love the fact that they used current music (current as in, the 80s ha ha). They all had different personalities. And let's be real, being a girl, I loved the Chippettes. My favorite Chipmunk is Simon (he had glasses and when I was little, so did I). I love them all, though. I also loved Janette :-) for the same reason I loved Simon. But I loved how Alvin and Brittney were competing all the time, and Theodore was so adorable and sweet. I love when him and Elenore would cook together.  I loved  the voice of Dave. I love the way he would exclaim, "My boys!" Hilarious. I also loved the sweet and bumbling Ms. Miller, who took care of the Chippettes.
   I have a few favorite Chipmunk episodes.There are probably more but these stick out.
 1. The one where they tell you how Dave got the Chipmunks ( which features my favorite song "Witchdoctor." I love how they jazz it up in the 2007 movie, which if you love Chipmunks you GOTTA see it. I loved it and wasn't sure i would. It's now a Christmas Favorite".  You can check it out here on Amazon.com  Alvin & the Chipmunks the Movie (2007)
 2. The one where Alvin and Dave switch places, so that Alvin can learn responsibility. So funny!
3. The one where they meet Michael Jackson (I'd pick this higher, except he wasn't even on there but they drew his clothes and glove! ha ha).
4. "Dreamlighting" Where they parody "Moonlighting" and did it so well. I actually found it on YouTube and had a fit!
5. The one where the Berlin Wall comes down. It really did air right after the wall fell. My sister and I didn't understand how they did it. It aired like the week after the wall came down. It was freaky and COOL! It's a historical event that I was able to remember.

 The Chipmunks are popular with boys and girls and adults. This cartoon was wonderful. If you have kids and don't know what to let them watch, I recommend checking out these other awesome  Alvin and the Chipmunk videos/DVDs  Chipmunks at Amazon.com
    I also would like to say that for me the TV theme song was Everything to a TV show.  If I missed the theme song, I was so mad. I had to be ready before the show started. There are so many shows I watched because I liked the theme song and got hooked in. One of the shows that hooked me in because of the song is called "The Courtship of Eddie's Father." I don't remember the show very much, but I know I watched it and loved the theme song. I will add it here because my Mom said as a toddler I would go around singing the song. I sang at an early age. Love it. I remember every theme song to every show I have ever watched. I really do. You shall soon see.


  I still tear up over this one.  Okay now you guys have 2 themes for today!  ( this is more 70s but i was still a kid)

  Enjoy the little TV Gems for today, boys and girls. Tomorrow I will be talking about Reading Rainbow, the importance of learning to read with your kids; and the importance of Childrens' Television and how its gone completely down hill. "No Child Left Behind" my foot!
  Okay pals, bring a friend to the 80s Mansion sometime. We have plenty of room and lots of cereal.  Shy Violet has to get back to Rainbow Land. So, I am gonna go with her to help make some coloring books!  See ya soon! And keep spreading the Rainbow Brite Love.

Watching Good Morning Miss Bliss

Hello 80s kids!
  I am so sorry that I haven't written in a while. I promise that I am just having a lil witter stumble and I will have something up by the end of the week.  I am watching "Good Morning Miss Bliss" right now on Netflix!  It's really fun. I haven't seen these in a long time.  Good Morning Miss Bliss is Saved By The Bell, but Hayle Mills is thier teacher and Zack, Lisa, and Screech  are best friends and really little. So cute!
   I remember when "Saved By The Bell" premiered on NBC in 1989 ( the weekend before my first day of 8th grade), I thought for SURE I had seen those kids before and I felt like I knew them. I loved it right away.  Then when tney showed the first "flashback" episode I KNEW I wasn't crazy.  It happend to have been on Disney Channel back then.  Well, when we were kids, Disney wasn't cable friendly, you had to pay for it. My parents were NOT paying for it, but i got my fill during the preview weekends they'd have.
    Well I am going to go on and enjoy this. I will not be going into much Details about GMMB because thats gonna be when i feature SBTB. I PROMISE!

:)  ... ooh thats the bell.. gotta get back to class! :)

P.S. In a week or so, i am getting Punky Brewster season 1 on DVD  and I will be dong a very SPECIAL report about it. It's one of the shows closest to my heart! :)