Cleveland Classic Media

This is  really neat. The Cleveland Classic Media Facebook page is sharing some old slides from a local Cleveland TV station. Here's the description from the page:

"Several years ago someone at TV 8 WJW-TV was kind enough to offer me hundreds of "slides" which were used to promote Local and CBS Shows, as well as just utility slides for various purposes. While I've posted some in the past, it's been well over a year since I've posted any of them. Tonight I went through some of them and picked out 82 of them, which I will post over the next couple of days..Some I may have posted before but I seem to have multiple copies of some..Some I don't remember seeing before even though I've had these slides over two years (possibly longer). These date from the late WJW days (1976-77) until WJKW (1977-83. Some have the old "ei8ht" logo which would date them late '76, early '77."

Be sure to check them out. Here's some of my favorites so far.

Sherman Hemsley, R.I.P.

I loved The Jeffersons when I was a kid. Rest in peace Mr. Hemsley.

From TMZ --

Sherman Hemsley, the actor who made the character George Jefferson famous in "The Jeffersons," has died, El Paso cops tell TMZ.

Hemsley died at his home in El Paso, Texas.

Hemsley, who was 74, became famous during his appearances on "All in the Family."  The spin-off, "The Jeffersons" was a monster hit.  He also starred in the TV show, "Amen."  He was also a professional singer and even released the single in 1989, "Ain't that A Kick in the Head."

Hemsley had no wife and no kids.

It's unclear how he died.

Meeting Joanna Wilson, Author of The Christmas TV Companion

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting author Joanna Wilson at a book signing at Square Records here in Akron. She's on a tour promoting her book The Christmas TV Companion: A Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials & Outrageous Oddities. Make sure you check out her blog for more info on the book, her in-store appearances and reviews of classic holiday programs.


Me and author Joanna Wilson

From the back of the book --

Christmas on TV is wilder, weirder, & more wondrous than you think! The Christmas TV Companion is a funny, engaging look beyond the same Christmas specials that air every year to the cult TV rarities, over-the-top made for TV holiday specials & bizarre, spacey shows that truly expand the notion of “Christmas spirit.” Loaded with pop culture references, this book is sure to please pop aficionados & TV junkies of all stripes. Its remarkable breadth of content covers the far-out gems of yesterday, as well as the irreverent & cutting edge Christmas material of today, from Arthur C. Clarke to South Park, and from Ed Sullivan to Squidbillies. This guide also contains practical examples for enhancing your own Christmas TV viewing.

The best inscription ever!

I really enjoyed meeting Joanna. We talked about blogging, Christmas on TV and other pop culture stuff. I've flipped through the first two chapters of the book, Macabre and Sci-Fi, and can't wait to read the whole thing. I highly recommend buying the book and meeting Joanna if you get the chance. Here's some of her upcoming appearances --

December 6 (Monday)
Mudsock Books and Curiosities, Indianapolis, IN
5:00-7:00 PM
http://www.indiebound.org/stores/mudsock-books-curiosity-shoppe

December 8 (Wednesday)
Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
7:00 PM
http://boswell.indiebound.com/

December 15 (Wednesday)
The Book Cellar, Chicago, IL
7:00 PM
http://www.bookcellarinc.com/index.php

December 18 (Saturday)
Blue Arrow Boutique
6:00 PM
16001 Waterloo Road
Cleveland, OH, 44110

Be on the lookout for her new book coming soon Tis the Season TV: The Encyclopedia of Christmas-Themed Episodes, Specials and Made-for-TV Movies.

And set your DVR's -- Joanna is scheduled to appear in two new upcoming TV specials.

The History Channel special The Real Story of Christmas scheduled to air Nov. 30th at 8pm

and TV Guide Network's 25 Most Hilarious Holiday Moments scheduled to air Dec. 5th at 8pm