Happy Birthday Spock!!!

Today Leonard Nimoy celebrates his 80th birthday - so I guess that Vulcan, Live Well and Prosper stuff has some truth to it. Anyway, since way back in the day, I have always been a BIG fan of Leonard Nimoy. And LikeTelevision is thrilled to offer a few very choice - pre-Spock Leonard Nimoy video clips. But first, an aside.

Back in the prehistoric days of streaming internet video, LikeTelevision was invited to NYC for a special soiree at Rockefeller Plaza, (yep, home of 30 Rock)... to the amazing Rainbow Room high up in the sky. It was for a special launch hosted by Real Networks of Seattle, and we were one of the guests, all publishers of content for Real's launch of a new internet feature on the RealPlayer called Take 5. Each day, the player would suggest some nifty content to check out. Back then, there was no flash, no html 5, no one used Windows mediaplayer, and there was minimal use of Apple's Quicktime because there was no bandwidth for such huge files. Remember... most folks had just 56k of bandwidth.

So why I am I sharing this history? Because, Leonard Nimoy was also there as a content publisher, and during the lunch of rubber chicken, I actually sat next to Leonard Nimoy. And got to see Annie Lennox sing and Dave Stewart play acoustic guitar, from like 25 feet away. I got to see Jon Stewart, and actually confirm for myself what Dick Clark really looked like in person. I even met Rick Moranis in the elevator, and told him people tell me I look like you Rick. (His reply? People tell me I look like you all the time too, and we hugged like long lost brothers. Holy Ghostbusters!).

But I digress. Check out these 2 cool video clips of the great Leonard Nimoy in celebration of his 80th birthday. And Mr. Nimoy, I am so glad you got to Live long and prosper. Couldn't have happened to a more interesting fellow. Happy Birthday Mr. Nimoy.


LikeTelevision Watch Movies and TV Shows

Oscar Nod in Six Categories?

One of my favorite movies at LikeTelevision is My Man Godfrey, starring Carole Lombard and William Powell. The film was nominated for six Oscars - including Best Actor (William Powell), Best Actress (Carole Lombard), Best Supporting Actress (Alice Brady), Best Supporting Actor (Mishca Auer), Best Director (Gregory LaCava), and Best Writing (Eric Hatch, Morrie Ryskind). And I think the performance by Eugene Pallette was also worthy of a Best Supporting Actor as Mr. Bullock.

Also of interest, a few years before the film was made, Carole Lombard and William Powell were husband and wife in the real world. The studio wanted another actress to play the scatter-brained Irene Bullock, but Powell insisted the role be offered to Carole Lombard. In any event, it is easy to see the deep affection they had for each other and it is indeed quite endearing. And so is the film - I bet you will enjoy it. Check it out if you have not seen it, or perhaps if it has been a while since you've seen. It is a great treat and always leaves you with a good feeling as many great movies do.

Valentine's Day Movies, Cartoons and TV Shows

We decided to make a short list of some fun video content for Valentine's Day, all about the wonderful and sometimes dodgy subject of love. First - here's a few movies for Valentine's Day. In the happy & romantic department, try My Man Godfrey starring Carole Lombard and William Powell, who were at one time married in real life, but when they made this film we no longer a couple. Great film, you can easily tell they had great admiration for each other. Another fun romantic love story is Frank Capra's Meet John Doe, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. And our third, happy romantic film is Made For Each Other, starring Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard.

If you are looking for a satirical film about love, look no further! We have two wonderful movies in this category. Jean Renoir's Rules of The Game is not only funny, it is also at hard hard to swallow, so biting is the sarcasm. Another classic in this vein, is Ingmar Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night. Really wonderful and funny too.

Next up - TV Shows! We suggest a few Mayberry classics, A Wife For Andy, Mountain Wedding, and Rivals, where Opie (Ron Howard) finds his first love. If you want a country and western love story, check out these 2 Bonanza episodes - Courtship, and the classic, Dark Star, where little Joe falls for a Gypsy girl. And by all means, check out a few Burns and Allen episodes, one of the greatest comedy duos of all time, who were also happily married and very much in love with each other.

A few cartoon selections - Bride and Gloom, A Date to Skate, and Nearlyweds with Popeye and Olive Oyl. We also enjoyed Cupid Gets His Man, Scrappily Married, Peter Sellers in Birds, Bees and Storks.

Winterize Thyself with Hockey Laughs

Long before the days of High Definition cameras for professionals, let alone consumers - there was a format called Hi-8. In its day, it was thought to be of decent quality and best of all, much easier to just go somewhere and shoot something fun. And so, back in the day we decided to write, shoot and broadcast a few comedy shorts with a hockey theme.

The first in the series was an informative yet silly piece on the Zamboni Ice Machine, only it was not a real Zamboni, the machine was a wanna be ice scrapper called an Olympia. The video was shot at the local rink in south Charlotte, North Carolina - which is anything but a hockey mecca. You can watch that video here.

The next comedy sketch in the series was about a hockey team's dentist - title Dr. Barre. Okay, now we are talking as the piece ventures into and explores the zone of weird. Or as Hunter Thompson used to say, the weird turn pro. Watch that here.

And then we went back to the rink to film a short called The Penalty Box, which sort of explains the lighter side of the rules of hockey. Complete with lots of cheap shots, cross checks, and high sticks aimed at causing injuries. You can watch that here.

And finally - the weirdest comedy short of all - At Home with Antoine, which tells the story of a retired hockey player who seems to have been checked and body slammed once or twice too often. It seems he thinks himself to be the poet laureate of the NHL, a new position granted by the commissioner of hockey himself. Think Alistair Cooke meets Andy Kaufman, this puppy is out there. If you think you can handle it, you can watch it here.

Jennifer Connelly in Creepers

The other day Jennifer Connelly was on Letterman, saying she was very nauseated in the first few months of her pregnancy. It seems morning sickness does not care if you are a famous actress and is an equal opportunity deployer. HA!

Well, many years ago, in 1985 to be precise Jennifer Connelly starred in a classic Dario Argento horror film called Phenomena (also released under another name, Creepers). And if you are afraid of bugs, or they make you skeamish - then this movie might make you nauseous, because she plays an odd girl, that has a special love and control over all kinds of bugs, who are her dear friends. YIKES! And Argento does not disappoint with a bunch of wonderful bug scenes, worthy of Jaws levels of scariness. Also stars Donald Pleasence, best known as they Doctor in the Halloween series of films. In case you missed it, we are featuring this movie again - check it out!

Christmas TV Specials & Movies

Though I am no fan of cold weather, or the winter months in general - Christmas is always a fun time of year. It is a time of hope and also renewal. It is a time and pause and to try and make sure all of us are doing our best to spread peace on Earth, and manifest this in one's effort to show Good Will Towards all.

For the Christmas season, we offer a bunch of terrific Christmas related video content, just search for Christmas to see most. But here are some of our all-time favorites. The original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is always a lot of fun. And there are also a few Beverly Hillbillies episodes too, my favorites are Christmas at the Clampetts and Home for Christmas. But my favorite Christmas TV special has got to be Dragnet's Big Little Jesus. Someone has made off with the baby Jesus from the church;s nativity scene, and Joe Friday has less than 24 hours to find it before the Christmas morning mass.

For movies, by all means check out the camp classic, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Another good film with a Christmas theme is a Frank Capra classic called Meet John Doe. If you enjoyed Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, you will enjoy this film.

Here's a few final staff picks to keep you busy when it's too cold to go outside. The Little Rascals' Tough Winter, Snow Foolin', Christmas Comes but Once a Year, Caste in Bronze, Jack Frost, and a Howdy Doody Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving, TV Specials & Cartoons

Thanksgiving is always a fun holiday. And yes, I think it is a good idea to stop and be thankful for whatever you have to be thankful for, in good times and difficult times even more so. It is easy to get too focused with things that are not perfect, challenging or downright difficult. But even then there is always something to be thankful for. In any event - we wish you all a joyful and happy thanksgiving.

Here's a few fun thanksgiving holiday related videos to watch. First, one of my favorites is from the Beverly Hillbillies, titled Turkey Day from 1962. It has just about everything you might want from a TV special for Thanksgiving - family, a turkey, pilgrims, Indians (native americans, but back then they were called Indians, which no one I can remember ever seemed to mind), and even a Rhinoceros. Huh? Well you will have to watch to understand.

Another fun Thanksgiving related classic is a cartoon from Tex Avery called Jerky Turkey. Made in the 1940s during World War II, it a feast of double entendres, silly visual jokes, politically incorrect asides and wicked puns. You know, like many of the old cartoons - a rich plate of satire for children and adults.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!