As someone born in the 1980s, my childhood was filled with hours spent playing Nintendo and watching cartoons. Some of those cartoons included He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Inspector Gadget. These cartoons, among others, captured my imagination and conjure up great memories. Totally Awesome: The Greatest Cartoons of the Eighties, a beautiful hardback book from Insight Editions, celebrates all of these cartoons, and more, with exceptional behind-the-scenes insights from the people who brought these shows to life. It is all lovingly presented with vivid imagery and delightful inserts that will bring a gleam to your eye and a smile to your face. Watch my video review below for more information and to see what it looks like inside. Cowabunga, dude!
Kiefer Sutherland is a man of many talents. He’s starred in iconic films and TV shows, for which he’s won numerous awards. And, Kiefer is an accomplished musician whose second album, Reckless & Me, was recently released to rave reviews from fans and critics alike. In addition to being in 100+ movies, Kiefer has performed more than 300 concerts over the past two-and-a-half years. His creativity and passions drive him to express himself in unique ways, and Kiefer was kind enough to let me interview him about his impressive career.
I just finished watching the pilot episode of Bosch on Amazon Instant Video where it can currently be viewed for free. This show, which is based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling books featuring the character Harry Bosch, has a stellar cast of top-notch actors that have appeared in shows such as The Wire, Lost and The Killing. The plot is compelling and extremely well paced, and the ending left me smiling because it was so well done. If you enjoy police procedurals, mysteries or thrillers, you absolutely must watch this show.
After doing so, please make sure to fill out Amazon’s survey. This is one of 10 pilots that was just launched by Amazon Studios and the shows that are the most watched and most well received will get the green light for a full season. The good news is – it’s completely up to us whether or not Boschlives to fight another day. Trust me, after watching it, you’ll be glad to fill out the brief survey and give the show a five-star review – it’s that good.
You can watch the show for free here, and you can fill out the survey here.
To whet your appetite, below are three clips from the pilot:
WWE, the iconic sports entertainment company that made professional wrestlers like The Rock, Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin household names, just announced WWE Network. This 24/7 streaming network, launching February 24, will provide subscribers with access to all 12 live WWE pay-per-views, including WrestleMania, as well as “original programming, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches and more than 1,500 hours of video on demand at launch.” The best part is subscribers only have to pay $9.99 a month for all this content, and it can be streamed through the WWE app on nearly every device you can think of (i.e., desktop/laptop computers, iOS and Android devices, Kindle Fire tablets, Roku, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Playstation 3/4, etc.).
What has me most excited about this news isn’t that I’ll be able to access every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view ever – although that is awesome – it’s that this service doesn’t require me to have an existing relationship with a cable provider like HBO GO does. WWE is the first cable content provider to cut out the middle man and provide its product directly to consumers through a paid streaming service. And unlike Netflix and Hulu Plus, WWE doesn’t need to pay movie studios large amounts of money to lease this content because they already own it. For WWE, this will be a huge revenue stream for the company and a smart way to provide pay-per-view content to fans at an extremely attractive price.
Needless to say, I’m very impressed by this announcement and excited to try out WWE Network on February 24. Check out the videos below for a taste of what’s to come.
If you’re in the market for a tablet and looking to save some money, Amazon has you covered. The company just launched a couple early Cyber Monday deals that you might want to consider:
Just a couple days ago I discovered a new comedy created by Amazon Studios: Betas. Similar to the significantly less funny Alpha House, Betas is exclusive to Prime Instant Video. The good news is anyone can watch the first three episodes for free, so hop to it. This is an excellent show featuring quirky and endearing characters that have a wonderful chemistry together. And the clever jokes, sharp dialogue and well-paced character development will keep you coming back for more. Take my advice – watch all three episodes, then decide whether or not you like it. Each episode gets progressively better, so you should be in love with it by the end of episode three.
Below is the show’s trailer, and you can check out the free episodes here. Enjoy!
Last week, I watched the series premiere of NBC’s The Blacklist – twice. I did so because it was an enthralling, fast-paced thriller that packed so much into one hour I felt as if I needed to view it again to make sure I caught everything. That, and it stars one of my all-time favorite actors, James Spader, who is exceptional as the show’s antihero, Raymond Reddington. Prior to this show, Spader’s most well-known role, and one for which he received three Emmy awards, was as Alan Shore on Boston Legal.
If the first episode of The Blacklist is any indication of the quality of what’s to come, then I think we’re in for a hell of a season. If you haven’t seen the first episode yet, make sure you do – you can check it out here. It has the makings of one of the most entertaining shows in quite some time, and it’s nice to see Spader back in top form.
Below is the show’s trailer, The Blacklist panel at San Diego’s Comic Con and the opening scene from the first episode:
This week it was announced that ABC is working on a television adaptation of Andrew Gross’ latest thriller, No Way Back. The pilot has been scheduled and is being produced by Jessica Sharzer, one of the co-executive producers of FX’s American Horror Story, and Francie Calfo. As you know from my review of No Way Back, I thought it was a very good read, so I’m eager to see how it translates to the small screen. I’ll keep you posted on additional details as they become available.
The first WrestleMania took place three days after I was born. Since then, it has gone on to become an annual extravaganza that generates nearly $75 million and attracts nearly 100,000 attendees, not to mention the millions of people watching it worldwide on pay-per-view. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enjoying WrestleMania from home. Next year, I’ll be there in person, in New Orleans, to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
In addition to the event itself, I’ll be enjoying WrestleMania Axxess, where fans get to meet wrestling legends, as well as the superstars of today, and engage in a variety of fun activities. I’m also attending the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, where the superstars of yesteryear are honored for their impressive body of work. And finally, the weekend will wrap up with WWE Raw, where I’ll get to see how the aftermath of WrestleMania plays out.
Being a lifelong wresting fan, I’m thrilled to have the chance to attend WrestleMania; and with it being the event’s 30th anniversary, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’m equally happy that it’s taking place in a vibrant, historical city I’ve yet to explore. It will be a fantastic weekend that I’ll remember for a long time to come.
For a taste of what WrestleMania is like, here’s a video of the “Top 10 Championship Changes” to take place at the event:
As someone born in the 1980s, my childhood was filled with hours spent playing Nintendo and watching cartoons. Some of those cartoons included He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Inspector Gadget. These cartoons, among others, captured my imagination and conjure up great memories. Totally Awesome: The Greatest Cartoons of the Eighties, a beautiful hardback book from Insight Editions, celebrates all of these cartoons, and more, with exceptional behind-the-scenes insights from the people who brought these shows to life. It is all lovingly presented with vivid imagery and delightful inserts that will bring a gleam to your eye and a smile to your face. Watch my video review below for more information and to see what it looks like inside. Cowabunga, dude!
