The Friday Link for 7/29/22

TV is great but TV today is a far cry from TV in my youth.  

Not because it was better.  No, not at all.  A lot of TV back then was absolute garbage.  Just in the last month, I've watched 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' 'Stranger Things,' 'Umbrella Academy,' 'The Boys,' 'Ms. Marvel,' and 'The Only Murders in the Building.'  Point, modern TV!

TV in the 1970s and 1980s was still BIG time entertainment.  There were three networks and PBS (this in the days before FOX came about). The TV season kicked off in September with all the new and returning shows having their premiers.  Trying to explain this to a kid today is impossible ('Why did they release everything in September and only one episode at a time?  That's stupid!').

The TV Networks would buy five-page spreads in magazines and newspapers to advertise their new lineup.  There was panache! There was style!  There was a real Hollywood feel to the new TV schedules you don't get today. 

There was a promo!

Each year the networks would put out a promotional video for their upcoming season.  A lot of times on CBS and NBC there were just clips from the upcoming shows to get you enticed, but ABC put together a special video that was a call back to the glory days of Hollywood, where a studio would pull together their biggest stars for a photo op or quick video, just because they could!

The Friday Link for tonight is revisiting these new network season promos, and nothing is better than the 1980 ABC promotional video for the 80/81 season. All the stars from 'Happy Days,' 'Lavern and Shirley,' 'Threes Company,' 'Fantasy Island,' 'Benson, 'The Love Boat,' 'Barney Miller,' and Ted Freaking Knight were there, but keep an eye out.  Danny Thomas is there, Debbie Reynolds is there, Burgess Meredith is there, and see if you can spot a young Tom Hanks, whose show 'Bosom Buddies' debuted in 1980.  

OUTSTANDING!  The 1981 version was not nearly as good, but you do get to see a young Scott Baio before he became a loon, and Greatest American Hero and Hart to Hart shows up.

And here is a clip-heavy NBC promo video from the 1982 season. Speaking of pre-loon ball loon balls, Ricky Schroder shows up, and how young do Pierce Brosnan and David Letterman look?  JUST WATCH US NOW!!!

Finally tonight, in commemoration of Comic-Con wrapping up, here are the trailers they released at the event.  There are some good-looking ones in there. 

Please get vaccinated and wear a mask in any crowded area, especially indoors.  I don't want you dead, sick, or bankrupt for life.

Have a good weekend everyone.

The Friday Link for 7/22/22

This week I found a fantastic video that really highlights a stunning historical find, a story that I hardly believe even after watching this sensational video.

The video from Simon Whistler of SideProjects is about a story I'd heard about, the search for King Richard the III's body.  No, I will not explain much, as this video does an amazing job at telling the full history, as well as the history surrounding the find itself, but take away this main fact; the first hole they dug revealed the late King's body.  It has to be the luckiest archeological dig of all time!

And Whistler is so darn entertaining with his videos; exceptionally laid out.  Enjoy! 

Also tonight, Honest Trailers finds a real gem to break down, the 1988 Hulk vs. Thor TV movie, and is it horrific! (Warning, a touch of rougher language.)

Have a great weekend everyone.

Remember to keep safe from COVID.  Get vaccinated, boosted, and wear a mask in large crowds.  It could be the difference between a mild case and a trip to the hospital! 

The Friday Link for 7/15/22

Another busy week for me, with the added joy of a 45-minute drive to a soccer tournament, multiple times! Sweet Lord!  I haven't shaved this week because I quite literally could not find 20 minutes to do it. 

But I regress, the Friday Link is not for me to complain, but for you to enjoy some good videos I've found this week.

I'll start with a beauty from Jordan Klepper and the Daily Show folks.  This video actually came out while I was on vacation and I wanted to eventually post it.  It's another trip to a Trump rally but there is a twist.  He confronts these people with video evidence that Trump is horrible, and two young women seem truly stunned at the truth.  I'm not sure if they left the rally (the blonde certainly seemed bothered by the videos of Barr and Ivanka talking about reality while the brunette seemed to want to just end the interview) but there seemed to be someone off camera who got incensed when they started to believe what their own eyes were showing them.  Watch the whole thing for yourself. 

Also tonight a very cool science video from Physics Girl.  She visits a tunnel in Alaska which is the world's only research facility for permafrost, any part of the underground that is permanently frozen for two or more years.  In Alaska, some areas have been frozen for thousands of years.  This is a very cool visit to a part of the Earth we rarely get to see. 

Finally tonight, the trailer for the new Lord of the Rings TV series on Amazon is out, and it looks spectacular. 

BA.5 is out and it is starting to surge.  Be careful!

Make sure you're vaccinated and boosted, and make sure you start wearing masks in large crowds. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Friday Link for 7/8/22

Howdy, everyone.  

This week we start with a fantastic scene from The Umbrella Academy, the Netflix show based on a very strange comic book.  It's back for its 3rd season and it starts off with a humdinger of a scene. 

First, a warning.  If you watch The Umbrella Academy thinking it'll be a lot like this scene, it's not.  This scene is basically one of the members of the Academy (Diego) being infected with a toxin that causes delusions.  This time the delusion ends up being an epic dance-off. 

Luther does a great job starting this off, and everyone there is dancing wonderfully, but truly one of the best elements of this show is the character Klaus (the guy says "get him, Luther").  Klaus could be an all-time top 10 TV character.  I encourage you to watch the show from the beginning.  This season is great, but the highlight so far is this dance-off.

Also tonight, in commemoration of the newest Thor movie coming out, Thor: Love and Thunder, I present the Thor/Hulk fight scene from Thor - Ragnarok.  Earlier this year I placed Ragnarok as the best Marvel movie yet released, and this fight scene is one of the reasons why. 

Here are 5 minutes of what every comic book fan really wants to see, Thor and Hulk in a battle arena. 

The pandemic is not over.  Please get vaccinated, wear a mask in crowded indoor places, and be careful.

Have a nice weekend.

The Friday Link for 7/1/22

It is Independence Day Weekend, and I will ALWAYS post Sam the American Eagle from the Muppets. 

Also tonight, it's the return of the Auralnauts, the brilliant guys who have a very different (and hilarious) take on the Star Wars movies  They have a new video where they do their thing to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, something they call Larry (watch the recap at the beginning).  By the way, turning those guys into "influencers" is brilliant! 

To give you an idea of what the Araulnauts are all about, I'll post their take on the original Star Wars movie too.  Warning, there is some naughty language involved! 

Happy Canada Day to my friends up north! Happy Independence Day weekend everyone here in the USA.

Arrest the traitors who tried to overthrow the government on January 6th! 

Get vaccinated, boosted, and wear a mask! Thanks!