Wednesday, December 29, 2010

SHARKTOPUS: Swimming your way March 15th, 2011!






Just the title of the movie is EPIC, isn't it?  I mean, how can you NOT want to watch a movie called Sharktopus

Well, if the title hasn't sold you, maybe you might be swayed by the fact that Roger Corman is the man behind this mega film? 

If you are a Julia Roberts fan, you might want to run out and place a pre-order RIGHT NOW for this fine flick!  OK, so Julia Roberts isn't in it, but her brother Eric is and that is almost the same thing, right?

Well, then perhaps you should just watch the trailer.  This will get you excited and you'll definitely start counting the days until Sharktopus is finally released on DVD and Blu-Ray!!



 

Thursday, December 23, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS... EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?


While I am only one man, I hope to have made a difference over the years.  Every year at this time, the world is believing in and relying on me. But, in my heart, it's never been about me: it's always been about YOU.  For it is you that has filled this old soul with the wonderful joy that keeps pushing me forward.  It is YOU that puts a smile on my face, a laugh in my belly and absolute love in my heart.  I exist only because of you.  If you didn't believe in me, then I'd be nothing more than just a lost and lonely soul making his way through life with nothing to look forward to.  But because of you, I can make miracles happen.  Because of you, there is magic and electricity in the air.  Because of you, the joy of Christmas burns brighter than the colored lights on your magnificent tree.  So, as I prepare for this wonderful journey that I shall take tomorrow, I want to thank you for believing.  In me.  In life.  In love.  In magic.  And this Christmas, think and feel with your heart, for it has received and will continue to receive the greatest gift of all: unconditional love.  Feel it.  Live it. Don't ever take it for granted.  Even if you don't get Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Monopoly or Lite Brite under your tree this year, I have many surprises up my sleeve for you in the coming years.  Merry Christmas to all....
I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those deliciciousf fizzle wizzle cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa

Monday, December 20, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...BOW WOW WOW

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?




 
First things first: there was more to Bow Wow Wow than "I Want Candy"!  Did you know that the male members of the band were originally early members of Adam & The Ants?  Did you know that former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren was their original manager?  Did you know that they released oodles of great music besides "I Want Candy"? Well, while this double CD set doesn't take in all of their recordings, it does include their finest longplayer, See Jungle..... plus a bonus CD containing 10 additional tracks from the same period (including "I Want Candy").  While the band's releases can be quite confusing (import and U.S.  releases were often very different and/or exclusive to their respective countries), I must say that this fine release rectifies this period in their career (1981-82) and offers up 23 delicious slices of burundi-influenced New Wave Pop/Rock. The quartet did make another fine album after this, but I have to admit that THIS is the Bow Wow Wow CD you need. 

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...ONE NIGHT ONLY

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?



This band of young British whippernappers put out a fine album back in 2008 called Started A Fire, which blended right in with the rest of great music coming out of the UK during that period (like The Kooks and The Wombats).  But two years on, these boys have either learned their chops or have been replaced by music industry-created robots because this album is a HUGE leap forward from songwriting to production.  In fact, it could almost be an entirely different band!  Filled to the brim with great songs that sound great in the headphones and your car stereo, this self-titled release is a must-have for anyone remotely interested in modern British music.  Sure, at times, it may sound a little too polished and clean, but the songs and the energy of the album totally make up for it. Yours truly will be cranking this one up as I take my sleigh out for a test drive before the big day.

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious Russian Tea Cakes and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...ONE NIGHT ONLY

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?



This band of young British whippernappers put out a fine album back in 2008 called Started A Fire, which blended right in with the rest of great music coming out of the UK during that period (like The Kooks and The Wombats).  But two years on, these boys have either learned their chops or have been replaced by music industry-created robots because this album is a HUGE leap forward from songwriting to production.  In fact, it could almost be an entirely different band!  Filled to the brim with great songs that sound great in the headphones and your car stereo, this self-titled release is a must-have for anyone remotely interested in modern British music.  Sure, at times, it may sound a little too polished and clean, but the songs and the energy of the album totally make up for it. Yours truly will be cranking this one up as I take my sleigh out for a test drive before the big day.

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious Russian Tea Cakes and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...CROWDED HOUSE

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?



Arising from the ashes of Australian legends Split Enz, Crowded House was led by the enormously talented Neil Finn.  With drummer Paul Hester and bassist Nick Seymour at his side, they had a huge hit right out of the box with "Don't Dream It's Over".  For the next few years, the band was unstoppable.  Their career highpoint was when Neil's big brother Tim joined the band for their Woodface album and a slew of hit singles that made them superstars in Europe, Australia and elsewhere.  The band managed to squeak only one album out after Tim left and they broke up in the mid '90s. Thankfully, they've reunited and are creating music today, 25 years after originally forming.  This collection contains their most memorable hits and longtime favorites and is the perfect introduction to a band that really deserves more attention than you've given them in the past.  They are one of the most consistently magical bands on the planet and this is a release that should be stuffed in every stocking this year.
I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those cinnamon rolls and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa




Wednesday, December 8, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...MADNESS

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?



 


Last year, the lads in Madness released a new album and achieved more accolades and acclaim than they have in years. While the band have not been a full-time, prolific unit like they were in the early '80s, they have managed to chalk up quite a few tours since reuniting in the mid '90s.  Wonderful, released in 1999, was their first studio album since 1985's Mad Not Mad and was an absolutely brilliant return to form for them.  It's a shame that nobody actually noticed! You see, many folks love the whole nostalgia thing and they want to hear the hits (and believe me, Madness have plenty of them) so a 'new' Madness album didn't matter to the general public.  But for the Madness fan, it was a dream come true. Living up to it's title, Wonderful was perhaps the band's best album since the 1981 album, 7. Now, a decade later, we have an expanded two CD edition to cherish.  Enanced with videos and bonus tracks (a whole CD of them), they should have changed the title to Wonderfuller!

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious sugar cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...THE COLOURFIELD

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest these?


Let me start out by saying this: I have NEVER given Terry Hall a lump of coal in all the years I've been delivering gifts to him, so I have no idea why he seems so miserable all the time! Well, those of us that love him know that his dour demeanor hides a wicked sense of humor, so all is forgiven.  While many in the mainstream may not know him by name, you'd be surprised at how much wonderful music he has released over the past three decades. He fronted The Specials for two albums before leaving to form Fun Boy Three.  After two albums with them, he split and formed The Colourfield.  Originally a trio, the Colourfield's wonderful 1986 debut album, Virgins & Philistines, was a wonderful mixture of '60s Folk Pop and '80s modernism.  Great tunes and a fairly positive vibe made it the most upbeat of his recordings thus far.  This CD edition adds loads of bonus tracks, making it a must-have for Terry Hall and intelligent Pop fans alike.  By the time Deception was released in 1987, The Colourfield was essentiall Terry with backing musicians.  While the album is not as half-heartedly cheery as the debut, it's still a wonder to listen to. Far more 'modern' sounding than Virgins..., Deception's cold atmosphere sounds more refreshing nearly 25 years later. Besides, the album contains some of Terry's finest vocal performances.  Again, loaded with bonus tracks, this is a near-essential purchase.

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious oatmeal raisin cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa


Monday, December 6, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...RED BOX!

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?







Well, I must admit that I never thought I'd ever see an honest to goodness NEW Red Box album! Their majestic debut album, The Circle & The Square, was released in the mid '80s, and it took another four or five years for the second album, Motive, to hit the shops in 1990. Since then, myself, the missus and most of the elves have been hoping for a third album, which is finally here!  Leader Simon Toulson-Clarke still writes fantastic melodies that are filled with melancholia, joy and wonder.  While the band has mellowed with age, they are also more focused.  This is an album that feels like a complete whole as opposed to just a batch of songs that were thrown together.  It's an emotional album that is warm and inviting, honest and moving.  P.S. There's also a two CD version that contains an additional 6 tracks so jump on that one if you can!


I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious gingerbread cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...RED BOX!

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?







Well, I must admit that I never thought I'd ever see an honest to goodness NEW Red Box album! Their majestic debut album, The Circle & The Square, was released in the mid '80s, and it took another four or five years for the second album, Motive, to hit the shops in 1990. Since then, myself, the missus and most of the elves have been hoping for a third album, which is finally here!  Leader Simon Toulson-Clarke still writes fantastic melodies that are filled with melancholia, joy and wonder.  While the band has mellowed with age, they are also more focused.  This is an album that feels like a complete whole as opposed to just a batch of songs that were thrown together.  It's an emotional album that is warm and inviting, honest and moving.  P.S. There's also a two CD version that contains an additional 6 tracks so jump on that one if you can!


I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious gingerbread cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa

Friday, December 3, 2010

SANTA RECOMMENDS...THE BEE GEES

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?





For as far back as I can remember, every single one of my summer vacations has been soundtracked by music that keeps the 'ho ho ho' in my heart even when I'm not preparing for my Christmas journey.  Inevitably, the music of The Bee Gees is always there somewhere.  Whether it's "Nights On Broadway", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "One" or a few dozen other titles, the Bee Gees add that extra 'ooomph' to the good times.  This DVD manages to put the brothers Gibb's career into perspective, offering up plenty of music, performance clips, interviews and more.  It's the ultimate documentary on Barry, Robin and Maurice (plus Andy) and offers up triumphs, heartbreak and plenty of emotions in between.  While I have delivered many gifts to all of their households over the years, the Gibbs never fail to amaze me with their natural talents. I believe that one watching of this documentary will bring some much-needed love into your life!
I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious M&M cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!



Ho! Ho! Ho!
Santa