Happy St Patty's Day!

I hope you have as much fun as this guy!

I loved this cartoon as a kid!

Vintage Chuck E Cheese (Part II)

 There were a lot of things fun at the old Chuck E Cheese's that didn't include the pizza!

 The robot stage shows were always fun for us as kids. The lights would go dim, the red curtain pulled back. You placed down your pizza and waited excitingly to see what they were going to sing and say next! Although I don't quite remember but I think there were 2 or 3 different shows they would do before repeating and we sat through all of them until they were done. Afterwards it was time to dive head first into a big pool of balls!

....I think that came out wrong.

 There were also side shows in other rooms if you didn't want to go to the main hall. I remember both of these very well. The King would sing Elvis songs. (obviously) and would always "Thank the crowd very much" after each set.

Next were the Beagles. I rip off of the Beetles, who sang songs and made an occasional joke. I never sat in any of these rooms to eat pizza (because back in the day it was blasphemy not to sit in the presence of the almighty Chuck) but I do remember occasionally checking in to see what shows they'd be doing at the time.

Do you have any memories of ye olde Chuck Esquire Cheese? Do tell...

Vintage Chuck E Cheese

Time to reminisce over the old Chuck E Cheese pizza places from back in the day!

 Sure they still have them around today but (to me) they're not as fun as they used to be. I mean, just look at all this fun prizes you used to be able to get!

 Not many people remember, Ole Chuck used to come with a cigar in his mouth. I still have a toy from that era. It was before the whole "smoking is bad and shouldn't be advertised from a friendly Rat selling us pizza" era. Ahh, the good old days...

 This is where my love of Skee Ball came from. I LOVED playing this game more than any other when I was a kid. (not too shabby at it either!)

 I remember one of the prizes we won was these stuffed animals. And they were better quality back in the day than you think! Not the cheap weird feeling stuffed animals you find at a carnival, these were stuffed with cotton. We had too of them. Looking at it now, the dang things are ugly as sin but back in the day, they were incredible to us!

K, more memories coming tomorrow!

Fun Fact Friday

Ah the Viking hat. Nothing quite like it right?

Except just one thing...vikings never had horns on the helmets.

In the 1800's composer named Richard Wagner put horns on the helmet for his Opera to give it a more dramatic effect and the modern day myth still lives on to this day!

Unless you're watching the History Channel series "Vikings" then you already knew that.

Have a great weekend folks!

Remember Magnetix?!

The sticker/magnet you placed on a pre-drawn background and...then changed the picture again until you...changed it again and then you...never wondered why you were so enarmored with it in the first place?

Yeah, that was me. I used to LOVE these things as a kid though I couldn't explain to you why. They literally were a lame idea that briefly caught on in the 80's and entertained me as a child. And though I still have fond memories of them as a child, I'm not about to revisit that part of my childhood again.

I want to keep those memories happy...not pointless.

Another hobby

Now I'm in to collecting vintage board games. I don't know what it is about them but I think they're super cool and very inventive back in the day.

There's so many out there that I hear about every day and never knew about as a kid. It's a fun hobby to have at the moment and eventually I know I'll get all the interesting ones and move on to something else but for now....fun stuff!

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for reviews on my vintage games in April! (gotta play them all first to see what they're about!

Pop Up Pinball

After months of starring at it on Ebay, I finally bit the bullet and bought it this tie around. And I love it!

Sure it's only worth a few plays every now and then but $20 I think was a fair price for what I got. The game is complete, works fine and I've had a lot of fun with it.

But I seriously need to stay away from Ebay so this doesn't happen again!

Fractured Fairy Tales ( Remember these?)

Fun Fact Friday

Remember these posts I used to make? Well I'm bringing them back for a short time with some brand new fun historical facts! (yeah for my college degree!)

Everyone knows Napoleon Bonaparte was short...or was he?

He was actually 5'7 in an age where 5'5 was the average height. So where did this rumor come from?

The English.

You see in French measurements he was 5'2. Which is the same as our 5'7 measurements. But the English started a rumor he WAS actually 5'2 to mock the would-be conqueror and quell the fear of his onslaught throughout Europe.

Looks like it worked too, because the common person on the street still believes it to this day!

Have a great weekend folks!

The Flop (rewrite)

The comedy I wrote nearly 2 years ago is delayed AGAIN. But this time it's my fault. I have to travel for business up north and won't be available this month to perform the show.

Strauss Theatre kindly moved the date back to June which should end up working for everyone. I'm also thankful because it gave me the chance to give the script a minor overhaul. I added 5 extra pages of dialogue and polished a few scenes making the overall product much sleeker.

I love this script. I'm excited about the show and I can't wait to start on it.

Now if only I can get a move on over that next script...

M&Ms Little League Commercial (1985)

Classic Doublemint Gum Commercial (1985)

Leap Day!

It only happens once every 4 years but does anyone really celebrate it?

Give it time...over the next few years I'm sure retailers will figure out a way to do it.

I'm going to work.

Have a good EXTRA day of the year folks! (and a good weekend as well!

1988 Flintstone Vitamins commercial

Old McDonalds Commercials 80's Compilation

1988 Chips Ahoy and Striped Chips Ahoy Commercials - Betcha Bite A Chip

Ghostbusters Cereal Commercial (1986)

Cereal Commercials 80's and 90's (1-10)

80's Golden Grahams Cereal Commercial

Cheerios Commercial (1986)

Cap'n Crunch commercial soggies 1986

Lucky Charms cereal commercial 1980

80's Trix Cereal Commercial

Well be back...

Remember back in the day, you hated commercials. They were repetitive, came on all the time and interrupted your favorite shows? Well these days, I look back on them with fondness. (even the ones I hate) And I hope you do too!

For the next few weeks I plan on playing a few old commercials from way back in my youth. Who knows! Maybe some of you will remember one or two of them as well!

The fun starts next week. Hope it puts a smile of nostalgia on someone's face!

Have a good weekend folks!

Noah's Ark Playset

 Here's a blast from my past! It's the Noah's Ark playset from the 70's!

 Surprisingly enough, a lot of the toys I had in the 80's were actually from the 70's and I never really knew it. It makes sense now, knowing that back then, people just handed it down to the next person instead of throwing things away.

 But this set I remember vividly! The Ark, the animals, everything. We played with this thing for hours at my old church back in Mississippi!

If you ever get bored, ebay search "70's toys" and see what pops up. You may be surprised!

Album to look forward to in 2016

Weezer is coming out with the "White" album April 1st and I'm pumped to listen to it! My favorite band and they're still cranking out tunes. Gotta love it!

And since it looks like New Found Glory's still sitting 2016 out we can always hope for next year!

Any albums you're excited about this year? Do tell!

Books to look forward to in 2016

 My favorite author Kevin J Anderson has 2 books coming out the same day on September 13th! The first one is his final book in his latest sequel trilogy to "Saga of the Seven Suns"

And the next one is the conclusion to the "Schools of Dune" trilogy. I've waited FOREVER for this series to wrap up! I think I'll read Eternity's Mind first and save Dune for last since it will most certainly be my favorite!

Any books you're looking forward to this year? Or am I the only nerd in the room here?

Chipmunks fan

I can't believe this, but after 25 years, things have come full circle for me and I'm listening to the chipmunks once again!

Ever since Megan got me that record player for Xmas I've done nothing but look for interesting albums to find. Mainly older children's records because those were the ones less likely to get a reprint.

It started with grabbing one of my old chipmunks records from my house, now I have 4 more I LOVE listening to because it sends me WAY back! My favorite album is one from the old 80's cartoon show because that's how I know them the best.

I'm telling you! With the records blaring and Intellivision hopping it's like 1983 up in my house!!

Best Jim Carrey movies

Jim Carrey USED to be good. And today I'm going to remind you why.

5) Dumb and Dumber

Out of all the man's comedies, this one reigns supreme. I still laugh seeing it today (and cry when I think about the sequel) It doesn't hurt to have the perfect wingman Jeff Daniels either! The 2 of these together was comedy gold! (emphasis on "was")

4) The Truman Show

Such a smart idea for a movie and Jim Carrey's acting just made it that much better. Carry's cliche humor went out the door for this movie and a whole new adorable one took it's place. Showing the world he wasn't so one-sided when it came to taking on different roles.

3) Man on the Moon

Carrey never wanted a role worse than he did this one and it paid off too. This movie pulls us into the insane world of the late comedian Andy Kauffman, whom Carrey's perfect portrayal of, really set the tone. Right down to the facial features, this comedian played ANOTHER comedian unbelievably well! Andy would be proud.

 

2) The Grinch

I saw this movie when it came out in 2000 in the theater, bought it the next year and have watched it every Xmas since then. I thought about stopping the "tradition" a few years back but Megan and Charity won't let me and I'm glad. This flick still gets me laughing every time!

1) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Words cannot describe how good this movie truly is. Carrey with Winslet is the perfect match and it's got to be his best performance ever. An incredible movie that Carrey should be thanking his agent for, till the day he dies. This is THE movie to see with the one you love.

Well? Questions? Comments? Anyone want to get up and dance?

Best Val Kilmer movies

Yep, I'm a Val Kilmer fan too. Shoot me.

 5) Thunderheart

One of his earlier movies about an FBI agent investigating a tribe, this movie came with a bunch of humor and an interesting plot to move it along. I remember renting this at Blockbuster hoping it wouldn't suck (the plot REALLY sounded dull) but it ended up being one of my favorite Val movies ever!

4) Felon

One of his later films (yes I still watch every one!) was actually one of his greatest. Kilmer plays an inmate and is almost unrecognizable in the film (thanks to his size) Again, I ended up loving this film more than I thought I would and talking about it again has me hankering for a 2nd viewing!

3) Heat

Now we're getting to the Top Tier movies. Heat was probably in my Top 5 greatest movies of all time when it came out. (it has since fallen) but I love this film. Kilmer is at his coolest in it and the ending is just heart breaking. Another movie I need to add to my "re-watch" list for this year.

2) Willow

Easily Kilmer's most famous role (next to Top Gun) Face it folks, Val MADE this movie! He had a charisma equal to Jack Sparrow. This movie's in my collection and was re-watched last year. Besides weak special effects (which you can't really fault it for) this movie is excellent and worthy to stand in my collection!

1) Tombstone

Surprised I didn't put Top Gun? I like the movie but Val really was so-so in it. However, as Doc Holiday he out-shown every actor in Hollywood in this role. I'm not the biggest fan of westerns but this is a film I LOVE! Sad to say but I don't think he'll get any better than this. But that doesn't mean I'll stop watching them...


 

Best Edward Nortan Movies!!

Edward Norton is probably my favorite actor. I LOVE all of his movies. So to make a Top 5 is hard but I'll give it a try!

5) The Score

This must have been a dream come true for Norton. Getting to work with some of his idols really made for a great film. I got this movie as a gift and have watched it a few times since. It's smart yet forgettable when you mention it to others. Regardless of all that, I love it!

4) Rounders

C'mon! Who's top 5 DOESN'T consist of this film?! It's a classic! I have a buddy who met Edward Norton and says he's a really great guy in real life and reads all the time! Kinda good to know when you're such a fan of his movies like I am.

3) Red Dragon

The prequel to Silence of the Lambs it didn't disappoint with Norton's performance of the young detective on the case. Anthony Hopkins was of course good but this was the 3rd movie in a group of films some folks thought had died out with the 2nd one. It turned out not to be true of course, hence it's on the list!!

2) Fight Club

Everyone's #1 will be my #2 (though barely) No doubt about it, I love this film. It was one of the first DVD's I ever bought and it's tied for the most viewings of an Edward Norton film for me! On the "All-Time Movie" list, I'm pretty sure my brother Jeremy would have this one close to the top. So what's #1?

1) Primal Fear

No movie twist was ever as big as it was for me in this film. This was Norton's breakthrough role and it was here that he caught my attention and added another die hard fan to his ever growing list. His performance as the alter boy is flawless. Richard Grere should thank him for having the one bearable film of his I can stomach to see over and over again. Edward stole the show from the seasoned actor and has seen his career take off ever since.

What about you? Any Norton fans out there with me?

Best Johnny Depp movies

This was a hard list to put together because he's made so many brilliant films, but I'm going to try and narrow it down to a Top 5!

5) Edward Scissorhands

I can't imagine a list not including this film. It practically defined who Depp is today as an actor. Such a silly concept that was delivered in such a marvelous way makes me wonder how he ever nailed this role down so well in the first place!

4) Once Upon A Time in Mexico

I'm pretty sure this woul be on no one's else's list but mine...and I don't care. Depp is outstanding as the villain which gave Banderas' "Desperado Trilogy" legs for one more round. I can't think of a single film where Depp is portrayed any cooler than he is here.

3) Pirates of the Caribbean

I loved him in the first 3 but to be specific we'll just say the first movie. Jack Sparrow is a character that has changed the way people view pirates. It's one of his most famous scenes and Depp even carries a costume of the beloved Captain everywhere he goes, just in case there's a charity, school or children's hospital to attend. Rumor has it that he has to approve any "Jack Sparrows" at the Disney Parks by video audition sent to his agent but I'm not so sure that's true.

2) Ed Wood

Not familiar with it? Rent it today and thank me later. Depp's incredible performance of the late Hollywood director is magnificent! I've seen this movie several times over and enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. Not many movies can claim bragging rights such as that!

1) Sleepy Hollow

But #1 hands down is this one. I've seen it the most out of all his films. (thrice in theaters) I was expecting garbage when I walked into the theater and came out asking friends who wanted to see it with me again. Depp's BEST performance in my opinion and with the help of Tim Burton's direction this film stands proud on my short list of films I own.

Well.... what'd I miss? Agree or disagree? Lemme know in the comments!

Best Arnold Movies

This week I thought I'd give me Top 5 favorite movies from some of my favorite actors starting with the former Governator himself! Here goes:

5) Kindergarten Cop

Arnold had it going for him on both sides of the action and comedy realm. His endless movie quotes lasted decades among our friends and some are probably still with you today! Kindergarten Cop is a good example of this. "It's not a tumor" and "Thanks for the tip" are still quoted among my brothers today!

4) Last Action Hero

Good gravy I love everything about this movie. It's smart, it's funny and Arnold really looked his best in the 90's in my opinion. If you haven't watched it lately, you should. Since it was a farce from the beginning it still holds up today! And the magic movie ticket is still Cinema GOLD!!

3) True Lies

Great film from start to finish, no question about it. It had heart, it had action, it had you thinking Jamie Lee Curtis was the hottest chick in Hollywood with that dance scene. By the way, when googling images for blog posts, be prepared to explain to your wife why racy images of the Scream Queen show up.

2) Terminator 2

I don't even think I have to explain this one. Perfect in every way it's a movie that will never get old for me. The moons aligned for this sequel and as I've said in earlier post, from the non-stop action to the music video by GNR this movie HAS IT ALL!

1) Predator

But my #1 has to be with this one. Arnold is ripped, guns are mowing down a forest, punch lines are abundant and the supporting cast is nothing but perfect. I love everything about this film and it's also why I love these movies more than the Alien franchise!

What are your Top 5 Arnold movies? Did I miss any that weren't on your list?