Oh Yeah...

...i've completely geeked out over this show again. Purchased the above tee at my local comic shop this morning and I don't feel even a shred of embarrassment over it. Owen, however, thought I should have bought a Batman t-shirt.

Ello, Kiddies!

Hey there, kids! I've been busy w/ toy-assembly, a cold, two kids w/ a cold and trying to take advantage of some of those after-holiday bargains. I've also been burrowing through the Doctor Who Season 1 and 2 DVD sets...starting Season 3 tomorrow.

Speaking of 'The Doctor'...this year's BBC X-mas special, 'The Next Doctor', in which Davids' Tennant and Morrissey battle evil Cybermen in snowy Victorian London was AWESOME. The story was great and both David Morrissey and David Tennant were flat-out magnificent. Highly recommend tracking it down online for those of you in the States...may just be my favorite X-mas episode so far.

That's all for now, please pardon the 'holiday decor' still present...I don't usually take down my tree/X-mas lights until after New Year. Whoot!

X-mas Rapping...

Well, we had a very successful X-mas in the Famous household...everybody was on the receiving end of some good loot from the fat man in the sleigh. The kids had a blast and we're headed to my folks to spend some quality x-mas time w/ them and my sister's brood. Hope yours was a good one too, i'll be back in a few days. Peace!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

From the entire AMBFAD Family to yours...HAVE A JOYOUS HOLIDAY! As always...

'Have yourself a merry merry Christmas

Have yourself a good time

But remember the kids who got nothin

While youre drinkin' down your wine'

Getting is good, but tis' better to give than receive...take some time today to do something (anything) for those less fortunate. God bless us, each and every one...Peace on Earth...Happy Birthday!

Hurry Christmas, Hurry Fast!

The Chipmunks classic 'Christmas (Don't Be Late)' down-pitched. Satan, I mean DAVE, I still want a hula hoop!

...OR, You Could Just Go Back to Whiskey.

Does it really 'solve your holiday problems' or just make you forget you have them until you wake up passed out under the Christmas tree? Well, if it works for 007, it's good enough for me.

HOLIDAY/WINTER BEER WRAP-UP!

I'm by no means any sort of connoisseur, but I do love kicking back w/ a really good beer during the holidays and subsequent Winter months. I gave a shout out to one of my favorite holiday traditions in Mickey Finn's amazing Santa's Magic in an earlier post, but here are some additional recommendations for this time of year:

SAMUEL ADAMS WINTER LAGER

As they always have it on hand in local grocer's refrigerated section, Sam Adams Winter Lager has become a staple around my hacienda this Winter. Luckily, I really do enjoy the hell out of it. Malty w/ some caramel, orange peel and cinnamon for a spicy and sweet beginning. Ends with a slight hop taste. Good stuff. Check out their website HERE.

SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION ALE
Again, pretty easy to find in most good groceries and liquor stores, Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale always tops the list. Great flavor, very hop-laden w/ a slight bit of a fruity taste...this year's batch REALLY hop-laden. If you don't like spice, look at something else. Me, I think it's the right blend of everything. Check out their website HERE.

GOOSE ISLAND MILD WINTER ALE
I'm not a big fan of their actual Christmas Ale, but Goose Island's Mild Winter Ale is some decent stuff. Made with a variety of specialty malts including roast barley and rye, this beer is a caramel forward, very slightly spicy ale that has a nice slight hop aroma. Very drinkable and, again, not nearly as overbearing as their actual holiday offering. Check out their website HERE.

BELL'S WHITE WINTER ALE
When they aren't on the outs w/ Chicago distributors, Bell's White Winter Ale has been a holiday favorite for the past few years. I usually go more for wheat ales in the Summer, but being it's a smooth and lightly carbonated beer w/ hints of clove, banana (!), and cinnamon...it serves as a nice precursor to the darker/heavier stuff i'll be imbibing Jan-Feb. Check out their website HERE.

BELL'S CHRISTMAS ALE
Bell's also stepped up w/ a delicious, but hard to find holiday brew...i've only been able to enjoy on tap at one of my local watering holes (DURTY NELLIES!). Taste has a nice clean malty character, moderate sweetness with some light fruit notes. A bit of citrus hop flavor and low bitterness for a a very drinkable and pleasant beer. See their website link above.

J.K. SCRUMPY'S HARD CIDER
I enjoy a good pint of cider every now and then, especially in the Fall. I tried J.K. Scrumpy's Hard Cider at holiday beer tasting at my favorite local liquor store (DOBBY'S!) and it wowed me so much I grabbed a few bottles to have on hand for the holiday. It's organic, so there are only two ingredients: Juice and Yeast. The resulting offering is sweet...literally. Good hot or cold as well. Check out their website HERE.

'BEER BELONGS...ENJOY IT!'

Beam. JIM Beam.

Wonder if he drinks it 'shaken, not stirred'...or straight from the bottle perhaps?

GRINCHED! HOLIDAY MIX MISHAP!

WARNING: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY HAVE DOWNLOADED MY HOLIDAY MIX, I SCREWED UP AND ALL OF THE TUNES THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON THERE...WEREN'T. I HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM AND THE LINK IN THE ORIGINAL POST BELOW IS GOOD TO GO! SORRY!

(ALMOST) THE NIGHT BEFORE X-MAS...

...and I finally present to you the ABFAD 2008 Holiday Mix! Better late than never and back w/ some new quasi-holiday classics and dollops of old favorites. Rock it around your Christmas tree at your Christmas party hop...maybe later, we'll have some pumpkin pie and we'll do some caroling. Or not.

'A RECESSION-PROOF X-MAS'
I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek - The Go Go's UK
One Christmas Catalogue - Captain Sensible
Christmas Christmas - Cheap Trick
This Time of Year - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Christmas - The Buzz of Delight
(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With the Bag - Kay Starr
Father Christmas - The Kinks
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Los Straitjackets
Christmas Kisses - Ray Anthony & His Bookends
Christmas Wish - NRBQ
Merry X-mas Everybody - Oasis
The Christmas Song - The Raveonettes
Last Christmas - The Fire Apes
The Night Before Christmas Song - Gene Autry & Rosemary Clooney
Waking Up On Christmas Morning - The Smithereens
I Believe in Father Christmas - U2
Little Drummer Boy - The Dandy Warhols
Jesus Christ - Big Star
What Child is This - Reverend Horton Heat
New Years - Asobi Seksu

MARS...NEEDS...SANTA

Not only one of my favorite MST3K episodes, but a sweet DELL comic book too. 'Hoo-ray for Santy Claus!'

Holiday Entertaining w/ BEER-NUTS...

Get her drunk in style w/ an ice-cold High Life ('The Recipe for Pleasure')...

...and she may just have enough holiday spirit to put your nuts in her mouth. HI-YO!

SANTA'S BEARD(ED LADIES)...

Looks like someone needs to put a thorough Brazilian Wax under their tree for X-mas. Makes you wonder if you actually saw 'Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' or experimenting for the first time since 'that one night in College'?

FREEZING MY **** OFF!

Man, what a freaking weekend of crazy-ass weather...and it ain't over yet. It's still feels like a bazillion degrees below zero w/ the windchill out there. We had a bit of a frozen pipe issue to deal w/ yesterday, but (luckily) nothing burst and it was contained to the upstairs bathroom.

Some more holiday poop as we enter the home-stretch towards Christmas. Stay tuned (and warm)!

I Don't Know If...

...these yeti/abominable snowman jokes are getting old yet, but all the freaking snow sure is. Damn.

Party All the Time X 3!

We've got our little office/team holiday party off site this afternoon. Nothing fancy...some free snacks...some free drinks...capped off by another expected winter storm warning starting an hour into it. Wish me luck.

Here Again, Christmas Time is...

Still working on that possible Holiday Mix, but in lieu of it actually showing up in your stocking on X-mas morn...let's enjoy some 'Holiday Cheer' courtesy of the Fab 4!

1963 / 1964 / 1965 / 1966 / 1967 /1968 / 1969

Avenging Disco Ghost of X-mas Past...

Rudy Ray, have yourself a Merry Christmas in Heaven and 'Put your weight on it, put your weight on it, put your weight on it!'

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!

Egads! Is the Easter Bunny taking advantage of the weak economy to make a power-play for a hostile takeover of Santa's operation? My guess is that said match-up would not end well, as illustrated in Todd Schorr's awesome 'Clash of the Holidays'...

More Chicagoland Holiday Icons...

Yesterday, I posted up w/ that animated 'Frosty the Snowman' short that was a staple on Chicago-area TV in the 50's. Because i'm a semi-completist, i'm posting up w/ the other two shorts that, w/ Frosty, formed sort of an 'X-mas Trinity' for a lot of folks who grew up in the area.

On December 28, 1953, Chicago-area anklebiters were introduced to Jack Frost's stop-motion honeydip, 'Suzy Snowflake' on 'Garfield Goose & Friends' then on WBBM-TV. Three years later, on December 18, 1956, the Goose (then on WGN-TV) introduced kids to Santa Claus' three favorite dwarves (shouldn't that be Elves?), 'Hardrock, Coco & Joe'. Before my time, but the retro-whore in me loves 'em!

You can get them all on DVD from Museum of Broadcast History and, even better, the proceeds go to support their efforts. Fun stuff, but who knew Santa used to be Asian?

Speaking of Music, More Gift Ideas...

Plus, w/ the iffy economy, you can just fill out the form w/ a false name like 'Chris K. Ringle' and give out the FREE albums to family members. Well, it worked in College.

An AMBFAD Holiday Programming Update...

Hey Gang, due to recent 'market conditions' and some resulting craziness at both work/home, i'm crazy behind on posting up w/ my annual Holiday Mix and, unfortunately, may have to forgo it this year due to cutbacks. I'm going to try and slap one together, but if I can't...i'll at least 're-up' last year's.

Until then, have a Fresca and 'Sing Along w/ Mitch'.

Speaking of Snow, Man...

We're getting dumped on again this afternoon/evening, so that's it for me. I see a fun-filled evening of shoveling in my little slice of the 'Marshmallow World'. Be safe, kids!

The Relatives Frosty Doesn't Talk About...

You know how it is w/ celebrities...they've all got crazy family members to make them look bad. Somebody really pissed in whatever snow these guys came from. Whoa!

YOU THE (SNOW)MAN!

The boys are really getting into the whole Christmas thing. Owen pointed out this morning that Santa will be bringing him 'tasty sweets and toys' on X-mas morning (tasty sweets?)...Logan will excitedly point outside at each snowfall and say 'Look! Christmas!'...both are now pointing to things in ads/TV commercials and asking 'Daddy, tell Santa I want that?'...and 'Hi, Daddy!' has been replaced w/ 'Merry Christmas, Daddy!'

Anyhow, as I stated earlier, Frosty the Snowman seems to be even more popular than Santa in our household right now...like at Superman and Batman levels of coolness (no pun intended). The cartoon...the book...the song itself...everything. That may change next year once they better realize that the fat man from the North Pole is the one actually distributing the loot, but until then...this post is for my boys. SING IT!

Yet Another AMBFAD Holiday Tip...

...from a kinder, gentler time in Hollywood where TAPE wasn't prefaced w/ the word SEX. Good thing too, seeing a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby three-way would be liable to screw up Christmas for me forever. *Shudder*

ICE COLD ICE!

Yikes! Watch your step out there and drive carefully! Not only does 'DC need you', but so does AMBFAD.

I Have Absolutely No Idea...

...what's going on in this picture, but it's giving me some great ideas for a better version of 'The Night Before Christmas' I can read to the kids.

HAVE GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY, MORE HOLIDAY GOODIES NEXT WEEK!

BETTIE PAGE 1923-2008

Wow. The passing of a key figure in 1960s sexual revolution and icon to this day. Thank you, Bettie and God Bless.

Another AMBFAD Holiday Tip...

The gift that keeps on giving...at least until that wreath has so many layers of paint, it looks like a donut. Maybe your Great Aunt Gertrude visiting for the holidays could use a spritz as well?

Spend Some Holiday GREEN...on (RED)!

I mentioned it briefly in yesterday's post and i've posted up about it numerous times before...if you haven't finished your holiday shopping (or, really, even if you have), think about buying a little (RED). Again, each (RED)partner company creates a product with the Product (RED) logo. In return for the opportunity to increase their own revenue through the (RED) products they sell, a percentage of the profit is given to the Global Fund for AIDS/HIV awareness/relief.

I've been involved w/ (RED) as both a partner and a consumer since it started. The past few year's, i've always made sure at least a few of our gifts are from (RED) partner companies, even if they're something small. Considering you can do you part via purchases w/ American Express, Apple, Starbucks, Converse, Motorola, Gap, Armani, Hallmark, Microsoft, Dell and even GIRL Skateboards...there is an opportunity to do something good, regardless of your budget. Plus, really, it's cool stuff you'd think about buying anyway.

Get more info at joinred.com and enjoy another classic U2 holiday cover while you're at it...

Blue Christmas...

Hey gang, kind of having a tough day...week actually...some work stuff, general malaise about the economy and the whole BLAH-GOJEVICH thing is making me throw up in my mouth a little.

Luckily, my 'go-to band' for times like these just happened to release a brand-new cover of one of my favorite holiday tunes. It also goes towards a good cause, as it's promoting a new music 'e-zine' where the proceeds go to the (RED) initiative.

I'll try and snap out of it, but until then...enjoy U2 doing ELP.

Speaking of Gifts, Don't Forget...

Please. Help out and keep a brother employed. Thanks!

I Think Kay Martin May Have a Better Gift Idea...

Chestnuts roasting by an open fire anybody? Check out 'Santa's Doing the Horizontal Twist' in the jukebox...oh the delicious double entendre.

'Gift Ideas For Him' or Recipe for Disaster?

Hopefully, after 32 oz. worth of 'holiday cheer' from that lowboy blender, Dad doesn't light up more than his smoke w/ that fan-forced firestarter (twisted firestarter!) or carve up carolers demanding figgy pudding w/ the automatic slicing knife. Eh, at least his shoes will be nicely polished as they haul him off to jail...too bad Hermie went into dentristy versus law school.

Speaking of The Misers...

Mother Nature's bastard children, both 'Heat' and 'Snow', will return to TV (we won't count that bunk live-action joint on NBC a few years ago) for the first time in over 30 years! 'A Miser Brothers' Christmas' will premiere on ABC Family this Saturday (13-Dec) during the network's 25 Days of Christmas holiday programming.

Seems Santa gets caught in the cross fire between the feuding Miser Brothers and ends up on the injured list for the holiday. In actuality, his sleigh was sabotaged by the North Wind, who frames the Misers for the accident and they eventually end up having to run Santa’s route on Christmas Eve.

Yeah, not too sure if this will turn out good or another piece of my childhood sullied by corporate greed. Whatever the case, it's going to be hard to top the original...

The Aisle of (Awesome) Misfit Toys?

We really got a jump on our holiday shopping this year and i've been waiting for weeks to post up about the incredible display of awesomeness I saw at my local Toys 'R' Us. Right near the front they had and ENTIRE WALL of toys and ornaments from the always-classic Rankin Bass stop-motion masterpiece 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'!

I mean they had everybody from Rudolph to Yukon Cornelius to Hermie to The Bumble to...well, they had just about EVERYBODY. They have individual figures, entire sets and some sweet looking clip-on ornaments for your tree as well! These are all really well done too and look like they hopped right out of the TV. This will very soon be adorning our mantle above the fireplace...

It's perfect timing too, as the boys have just gotten old enough to start appreciating not just Christmas...but Christmas TV Specials! Right now, they seem a little more partial towards the animated Rankin Bass 'Frosty the Snowman', but (barring a few freakouts over the Bumble) they seem to be warming up to 'Rudolph' too.

Just wait 'til the boys get a load of the Burgermeister Meisterburger, Winter Warlock and the infamous Miser Brothers. Yikes!

WE INVENTED THE RE-GIFT!

Before we get too far on our magical sleigh ride of dumb, I posted up LAST YEAR w/ some fun little e-lumps of coal worth sharing again...

MST3K Conquers 'Santa Claus Conquers the Martians': HERE
Offbeat Holiday Music Recommendations: HERE
The Ballad of K. Gordon Murray and MST3K Does Murray's 'Santa Claus': HERE
MORE K. Gordon Murray Celluloid Insanity: HERE

Unlike Eggnog, if the links are still working...these posts don't go bad. Now, on w/ the new holiday poop already in progress.

Another AMBFAD Holiday How-To...

Yo, Tannenbaum.

So, Here It Is...

...everybody's having fun and, actually, it has only just begun.

TIS' THE SEASON...

That's right folks, the holiday season is upon us once again and we're kicking off our celebration starting TODAY! Santa may use elves, but (as Child Labor Laws don't apply to the Dalek Nation) we've got the AMBFAD Labs in full-tilt w/ wayward orphans from all over the globe...each and every one of them working their little fingers to the bone to provide you w/ the very finest in yuletide goofiness.

So, please, hang those tube socks by the chimney w/ care and...LET'S GET STUPID!

If You See Me Getting Smaller...

Wow. What a bummer. Steve Dahl, a Chicago radio LEGEND for more than 30 years, told his WJMK-FM 104.3 listeners that he was leaving the CBS Radio outlet after yesterday's broadcast. I always caught bits and pieces of shows w/ former partner, Garry Meier, as a youngster downstate on faint AM signals when they were with WLS and AM1000.

More importantly, he started his long-running afternoon show on WCKG roughly the same time I moved up to Chicago in 1996...i've been a loyal listener since then, 12 freaking years, even when he switched back over to mornings. After saying 'Aloha' one last time on WJMK, Dahl played Jimmy Webb's 'If You See Me Getting Smaller, I'm Leaving.'

While he's come back even stronger from numerous splits w/ previous stations, it seems he'll be holding CBS to the 2 1/2 years remaining on his current contract...meaning he may be off the air just as long. A sad commentary on the state of radio today, i'll miss him while he's gone...but will remain hopeful this isn't the end of his story.

Aloha, Stever...and thanks for making each and every car ride to work and back one of the best parts of my day.

SNOW DAY (sort of)!

So, yeah, all you are going to get out of me today is a really bad picture of Tina Turner. I'm home w/ the Venture Brothers today and don't have much time for anything else. That said, next week we'll kick off our AMBFAD HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA...ho. ho. ho.

Beyond Thunderdome...

...or beyond a freaking horrible idea. Holy. Balls.

How Good Does this Look?!

It's pretty well documented on here how much of a fan I was (still am?) of Professional Wrestling, especially the old school stuff from the 70's/80's. WWF on USA, WCW on TBS, AWA on ESPN and even World Class syndicated out of Texas...PWI magazine and others that have since gone by the wayside...you name it. I'll still tune in to it on TV every so often for something to do, but it just isn't like it used to be. Seriously, I actuallly got a little misty last year when Ric Flair retired.

Anyhow, I had heard about this flick a while back and just now finally got around to catching the trailer. Wow. He's led a pretty fucked up life, but i'll be damned if Mickey Rourke doesn't look to shine again in 'The Wrestler'. Scripted by former Onion writer Robert Siegel and directed by Darren Aronofsky ('π', 'Requiem for a Dream'), this just looks phenomenal.

Randy "Ram" Robinson (Rourke) is a professional wrestler from the 80's, forced to retire after a heart attack threatens to kill him the next time he wrestles. He takes a job at a deli, starts to form a relationship with a stripper (Marisa Tomei) and attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). Things change when he is drawn to the prospect of a rematch with his old wrestling nemesis...even though the fight may cost him his life.

Rourke has had his share of roles in horrible films, but he's also had those rare moments of brilliance in flicks like 'Diner', 'Barfly' and his recent turn as Frank in 'Sin City'...he's really parlayed his own personal life as a semi-washed up anti-hero into some decent roles where art seems to imitate life. 'The Wrestler' looks like another one of those type of roles and, for one, am stoked about it. Bonus of a new Springsteen tune of the same title. Film opens in select theatres 17-Dec, check out the trailer...