Mother's Day Savings

This Mother’s Day, you can “Get Mom what she really wants… at great prices” at amazon.com. You’ll find ideas for making Mom a Queen for a Day on May 10, or you can shop for the perfect gift for the Foodie Mom, the Gardening Mom, the Glamour Mom, and more. Click the widget below --

Free Comic Book Day 2009

It's almost Free Comic Book Day. Make sure you visit your local comic book shop this Saturday.


In the video above, Hugh Jackman, star of X-Men Origins: Wolverine talks about Free Comic Book Day, and the importance of comics in fighting illiteracy. This is followed by a theatrical trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Here's some of the comics you might be able to pick up for free --

Bea Arthur, R.I.P.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star in the hit shows "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and who won a Tony Award for the musical "Mame," died Saturday. She was 86.

Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, declining to give further details.

"She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for six years. "Bea will always have a special place in my heart."

Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series "All in the Family" as Edith Bunker's loudly outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining that producer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series.

In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, Arthur said she was lucky to be discovered by TV after a long stage career, recalling with bemusement CBS executives asking about the new "girl."

"I was already 50 years old. I had done so much off-Broadway, on Broadway, but they said, `Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series,'" Arthur said.

"Maude" scored with television viewers immediately on its CBS debut in September 1972, and Arthur won an Emmy Award for the role in 1977.

The comedy flowed from Maude's efforts to cast off the traditional restraints that women faced, but the series often had a serious base. Her husband Walter (Bill Macy) became an alcoholic, and she underwent an abortion, which drew a torrent of viewer protests. Maude became a standard bearer for the growing feminist movement in America.

The ratings of "Maude" in the early years approached those of its parent, "All in the Family," but by 1977 the audience started to dwindle. A major format change was planned, but in early 1978 Arthur announced she was quitting the show.

"It's been absolutely glorious; I've loved every minute of it," she said. "But it's been six years, and I think it's time to leave."

"Golden Girls" (1985-1992) was another groundbreaking comedy, finding surprising success in a television market increasingly skewed toward a younger, product-buying audience.

The series concerned three retirees — Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan — and the mother of Arthur's character, Estelle Getty, who lived together in a Miami apartment. In contrast to the violent "Miami Vice," the comedy was nicknamed "Miami Nice."

As Dorothy Zbornak, Arthur seemed as caustic and domineering as Maude. She was unconcerned about the similarity of the two roles. "Look — I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line," she told an interviewer. "What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting for something different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting."

The interplay among the four women and their relations with men fueled the comedy, and the show amassed a big audience and 10 Emmys, including two as best comedy series and individual awards for each of the stars.

In 1992, Arthur announced she was leaving "Golden Girls." The three other stars returned in "The Golden Palace," but it lasted only one season.

Arthur was born Bernice Frankel in New York City in 1922. When she was 11, her family moved to Cambridge, Md., where her father opened a clothing store. At 12 she had grown to full height, and she dreamed of being a petite blond movie star like June Allyson. There was one advantage of being tall and deep-voiced: She was chosen for the male roles in school plays.

Bernice — she hated the name and adopted her mother's nickname of Bea — overcame shyness about her size by winning over her classmates with wisecracks. She was elected the wittiest girl in her class. After two years at a junior college in Virginia, she earned a degree as a medical lab technician, but she "loathed" doing lab work at a hospital.

Acting held more appeal, and she enrolled in a drama course at the New School of Social Research in New York City. To support herself, she sang in a night spot that required her to push drinks on customers.

During this time she had a brief marriage that provided her stage name of Beatrice Arthur. In 1950, she married again, to Broadway actor and future Tony-winning director Gene Saks.

After a few years in off-Broadway and stock company plays and television dramas, Arthur's career gathered momentum with her role as Lucy Brown in the 1955 production of "The Threepenny Opera."

In 2008, when Arthur was inducted in the TV Academy Hall of Fame, Arthur pointed to the role as the highlight of her long career.

"A lot of that had to do with the fact that I felt, `Ah, yes, I belong here,'" Arthur said.

More plays and musicals followed, and she also sang in nightclubs and played small roles in TV comedy shows.

Then, in 1964, Harold Prince cast her as Yente the Matchmaker in the original company of "Fiddler on the Roof."

Arthur's biggest Broadway triumph came in 1966 as Vera Charles, Angela Lansbury's acerbic friend in the musical "Mame," directed by Saks. Richard Watts of the New York Post called her performance "a portrait in acid of a savagely witty, cynical and serpent-tongued woman."

She won the Tony as best supporting actress and repeated the role in the unsuccessful film version that also was directed by Saks, starring Lucille Ball as Mame. Arthur would play a variation of Vera Charles in "Maude" and "The Golden Girls."

"There was no one else like Bea," said "Mame" composer Jerry Herman. "She would make us laugh during `Mame' rehearsals with a look or with a word. She didn't need dialogue. I don't know if I can say that about any other person I ever worked with."

In 1983, Arthur attempted another series, "Amanda's," an Americanized version of John Cleese's hilarious "Fawlty Towers." She was cast as owner of a small seaside hotel with a staff of eccentrics. It lasted a mere nine episodes.

Between series, Arthur remained active in films and theater. Among the movies: "That Kind of Woman" (1959), "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970), Mel Brooks' "The History of the World: Part I" (1981), "For Better or Worse" (1995).

The plays included Woody Allen's "The Floating Light Bulb" and "The Bermuda Avenue Triangle," written by and costarring Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna. During 2001 and 2002 she toured the country in a one-woman show of songs and stories, "... And Then There's Bea."

Arthur and Saks divorced in 1978 after 28 years. They had two sons, Matthew and Daniel. In his long career, Saks won Tonys for "I Love My Wife," "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues." One of his Tony nominations was for "Mame."

In 1999, Arthur told an interviewer of the three influences in her career: "Sid Caesar taught me the outrageous; (method acting guru) Lee Strasberg taught me what I call reality; and ('Threepenny Opera' star) Lotte Lenya, whom I adored, taught me economy."

In recent years, Arthur made guest appearances on shows including "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Malcolm in the Middle." She was chairwoman of the Art Attack Foundation, a non-profit performing arts scholarship organization.

Arthur is survived by her sons and two granddaughters. No funeral services are planned.

Marilyn Chambers, RIP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A friend of adult film star Marilyn Chambers says the actress has been found dead at her home in northern Los Angeles County.

Peggy McGinn says the 56-year-old Chambers was found by her 17-year-old daughter Sunday night and the cause of death has not been determined.

Chambers starred in the 1972 film "Behind the Green Door," which was more widely distributed and attracted a more mainstream audience than the usual adult fare.

Chambers, whose given name was Marilyn Briggs, was once a model for Ivory Snow. She was among the first porn superstars when the stag films of the 1940s through 1960s gave way to the more polished sex films of the 1970s.

Hopping Down The Bunny Trail...

I didn't make a new mix for Easter this year, but you can still download the one from last year here.

Happy Easter!

Monster Squad TV Show Coming To DVD

TV Shows On DVD is reporting that the 1976 Saturday Morning show Monster Squad is coming to DVD.

The cast included Fred Grandy (Love Boat) as Walt, Henry Polic II as Dracula, Buck Kartalian as Bruce W. Wolf and Michael Lane as Frank N. Stein.

Plot Synopsis: Walt was a college student majoring in criminology. To help pay for college, he took a night job working in a wax museum after hours. While tinkering with his crime computer one night, he managed to bring the wax statues of Dracula, the Wolfman and the Frankenstein monster to life. The monsters used their unique skills to help Walt solve crimes and mysteries.

The show shared many similarities, as well as cast and crew members, with the Batman series of the 1960s.

Notable guests included Alice Ghostley (Bewitched), Billy Curtis, Jonathan Harris (Lost in Space/Space Academy), Marty Allen, Julie Newmar (original Catwoman on Batman), Geoffrey Lewis, Sid Haig (Jason of Star Command), Vito Scotti, and Avery Schreiber.

The 2-disk DVD featuring all 13 episodes will be released on June 23 with a SRP of $29.99.



You can pre-order it from Amazon --

An Evening With George Takei

CANTON, OH - The Players Guild Theatre will present "An Evening with George Takei" on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 begining at 8:00 p.m. as part of the KIMONO events surrounding the Canton Museum of Art's blockbuster exhibit, "KIMONO as Art, the Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota."

"An Evening with George Takei" will focus on Mr. Takei's experience as one of the most famous Japanese American actors in the world. As a guest speaker, Mr. Takei will take the audience on a journey through his life. Starting with his childhood experience of being placed in a United States internment camp at the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Takei will share his rise to fame through his successful theatre, television and film career.

Best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the Star Trek series, Takei is currently a recurring guest star on NBC's Heroes and he can be seen in the newly released film, The Great Buck Howard starring John Malkovich. Takei's film and movie career includes six Star Trek motion pictures, Disney's Mulan and Mulan II, Trekkies, Return from the River Kwai and many more. Takei earned a Grammy nomination (1987) in the Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording category, a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame, and the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan.

Tickets for this one-night event are $30.00 and can be purchased at the Players Guild Box Office, or by calling: 330-453-7617, tickets are also available online 24 hours a day; Online Box Office .

This event is being sponsored in part by these generous supporters: Arts In Stark, and the Canton Repository.

The Players Guild Theatre, currently celebrating its 77th season, is a volunteer-based, professionally directed theatre producing staged productions which stimulates, enhances, and uplifts the quality of life for both its audiences and volunteers. The Players Guild Theatre also exists to offer instruction in theatre arts through production experience, classes, workshops, special programming and outreach activities. At The Players Guild Theatre, volunteers work side by side with professionals in order to maintain the highest standards of production, encourage individual creativity, and enhance their understanding and appreciation of live theatre.

Danny Boy Super Mega Post

St. Patrick's Day is almost here. So to celebrate here is a Danny Boy super mega post!

22 versions of the song --

1. The Irish Rovers
2. Rosemary Clooney
3. Deanna Durbin
4. Elvis Presley
5. Mario Lanza
6. Harry Belafonte
7. Johnny Mathis
8. Andy Williams
9. Daniel Rodriguez
10. Johnny Cash
11. Harry Connick, Jr.
12. John McDermott
13. Conway Twitty
14. The Chieftains with Diana Krall
15. Roger Wittaker
16. The Irish Tenors (Anthony Kearns, Finbar Wright, Ronan Tynan)
17. Celtic Woman
18. Judy Garland
19. Frank Parker
20. Slim Whitman
21. The Irish Tenors (John McDermott, Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan)
22. Bing Crosby

Click the link below to download --

--> Danny Boy <--

Here's the lyrics so that you can sing along --

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

From glen to glen, and down the mountain side

The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying

'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow

Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow

'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow

Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying

And I am dead, as dead I well may be

You'll come and find the place where I am lying

And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me

And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be

If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

And here's a great version of the song by the Muppets --

Jimmy Boyd, RIP

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Jimmy Boyd, the child singer and actor best known for the original rendition of the Christmas novelty hit "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in 1952, has died. He was 70.

Boyd died of cancer Saturday at a Santa Monica convalescent hospital, longtime friend Eleanor Pillsbury said Tuesday.

"I Saw Mommy" shot to the top of the Billboard charts three weeks after it was released. It sold 2 million records in less than 10 weeks. It has since been interpreted by such artists as the Jackson 5, John Mellencamp and Amy Winehouse.

Boyd, who was 13 when he recorded the song, told Time magazine soon after its release that he was surprised by its success.

"I like it personally," he said, "but I didn't think anyone would buy it."

Boyd was born in McComb, Miss., on Jan. 9, 1939, and grew up on a ranch near Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, where be started playing guitar at age 4. After winning a TV talent contest, Boyd appeared on "The Frank Sinatra Show" and was signed to a recording contract with Columbia.

His first recording success was with a country song, "(The Angels Are Lighting) God's Little Candles." Later hits included "Dennis the Menace," sung with Rosemary Clooney, and several duets with Frankie Laine.

His TV work included appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the early 1950s and roles in the situation comedies "Bachelor Father" from 1958 to 1961 and "Date with the Angels" in the late-1950s.

In 1960, Boyd married Yvonne Craig, an actress he met while making the Bing Crosby film "High Time" who would go on to play Batgirl in the 1960s TV series "Batman." Their marriage ended after two years.

In his later years, Boyd became an avid sailor and for years lived on the Southern California coast on a sailboat he named Unplugged.

He is survived by a son.

Howard the Duck on DVD

The George Lucas classic Howard the Duck came out on DVD today. How did I not know about this? Despite what reviewers might say, I think this movie was fun.

Click here to download the soundtrack.

You can order the DVD from Amazon --