Movies+TV

Jack's Big Music Show CD.

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Jbms_cdOK. September's almost over and was mid-August the last time I posted. If you still check in on this blog from time to time, thanks. I know I've been neglecting it. (And thanks especially to everyone who's emailed me with stuff to post that I haven't responded to yet - thanks especially to you.)

Now that's out of the way, I kind of feel I have to mention that today the new Jack's Big Music Show CD was released. After finally finding it in a store (my local Borders - seriously, where do people buy CDs these days?) we came home and waited until the modern day mom came home to test it out.

The result? Success. Kind of. My two year old knows almost all of the words to the songs, but was kind of annoyed that there wasn't any video to watch with it. She still danced and sang, but reminded us between each song that it wasn't on the TV and we needed to listen for the next song.

While I definitely recommend it, my only criticism is that while it's got a good mix of music from season one, it could have more of the songs they actually play in the clubhouse (not just the music videos). And where is Cathy? The most frequent clubhouse visitor got stone-cold snubbed.

Get Jack's Big Music Show Season One CD from Amazon.com for $11.97.

Jack's Big Music Show merchandise scuttlebut.

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Schwartzman_quartetMany of us are big fans of Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin, and I've written about it more than once in this blog. Because of that I get a lot of people leaving comments and contacting me about how much they also love the show, and a lot of them (myself included) are wondering when we might be able to get some merchandise. You know, a puppet or a DVD or something. Well, MDD reader [name removed -ed.] just might have some inside info for us. She posted this the other day in a comment to one of the JBMS posts:

OK, I have good, reliable info for all of you.  #1 - me, my husband, and our 14-month old son are huge fans.  We have all of the episodes TIVO'd and I LOVE Bongo Bird!!!!  #2 - my dad is on the production crew of JBMS and that is how we discovered the show when my son was itty-bitty.  My "source" (dad!) told me that they are striking a deal with one of the big-box giants (I don't know if it's ok for me to say the name of the place...??) and that they will have videos, music, toys, dolls, & the whole marketing caboodle.  I think they are working on the line right now.  My dad has told me that I (meaning you, too) will not be able to find any of the JBMS stuff online or anywhere else until it is available at this store.  Also of interest is that they are shooting new episodes right now - they started a few weeks ago and crank one out every few days or so.  I got to go to the set one day and it was waaaay cool to see Jack, Mary, and Mel "in person."  They were rehearsing and setting up the scenes, but it was still cool.  I can't wait for the new ones to come out.  Hope this helps all of you other JBMS fans!!

"Big box store"? Target maybe? And I wonder when it might be. Christmas '06 would make sense, but who knows how long this stuff takes. Thanks for the info.

Further evidence of Laurie Berkner world domination.

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LauriedevotionSo the other day I was browsing the Top Sellers DVD list on Amazon (looking for Neflix ideas) and I noticed something that stuck out like a sore thumb. Right there, just after 24 - Season Three and right before Syriana Widescreen Edition at number 49 was We are... The Laurie Berkner Band.

Seriously? More people are buying that than Munich, Capote or the first season of Lost? Well, good for the LBB I suppose, but I hope somewhere Moose A. Moose is getting his ass kissed.

Buy We are... The Laurie Berkner Band for $10.99 at Amazon.com

(And yes, before someone comments, I know I've put up a bunch of links to Amazon in this post, all of which will make me a very small commission if someone clicks and buys. And whether I put this disclaimer in or not I still think it's a perfectly OK thing to do. So click and buy away!)

(And no, that's not my kid in the picture.)

Car seat meets gyroscope.

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AisafetyseatAlthough I am (I must admit) a fan of "reality" television shows, American Inventor on ABC isn't something that I've been watching. I'm sure you can pretty much guess the premise of the show - the inventor/contestants try to prove their invention is the best, thereby winning the prize of getting the invention produced and marketed. What I didn't realize was that one of the contestants has a new type of car seat for children (pictured above with his invention). This is what it says on the ABC website:

Spherical Safety Seat - A new kind of infant car seat where the baby sits inside nested spheres instead of the usual seat. In a collision, the spheres spin and automatically position the child's neck and back so that they are perpendicular to the impact force, thus shielding the baby from the destructive force of the impact.

It's a pretty cool idea and according to some fan websites I've read, he's the front-runner in the contest. I guess he's not the first person to play spin-the-baby in a car seat (also be sure to play the Safety Egg demo), but if he does win I'll be very interested to check it out.

Watch the finale of American Inventor tomorrow night at 8/7c on ABC [via my Goddaughter Megan - thanks!]

New Jack's Big Music Show shows.

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Jbms_sillyFor those of you visiting MDD looking for info about Jack's Big Music Show, I've got two pieces of good news. Thanks to a tip from MDD reader Tom Thumb, Spiffy Pictures has listed on their website info about the long awaited thirteenth episode of JBMS called "Silly Show" (pictured). From the website:

In a vaudevillian romp, Jack, Mary and Mel count through seven of the silliest things that could possibly happen on an otherwise boring day.

It was originally promised for April, but my Tivo hasn't recorded it yet. If I figure out exactly when it airs I'll add it to the comments.

But the thirteenth isn't the last. Thanks to a tip from Bill from TVforTots.com, Noggin has announced they've purchased an additional season (13 episodes) of JBMS. The shows will begin production in May and will air in the fall of 2006. There's no other real information from the press release, except that they call JBMS "TRL for the Preschool Set," which I think is dumb.

JBMS page at Spiffy Pictures
Second Season of Jack's Big Music Show on the Way [TVforTots.com]
NOGGIN Commences Production On Season Two of Jack's Big Music Show - TRL for the Preschool Set [Yahoo PR Newswire]

Mel the Dog Pez dispenser.

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MelthedogpezIt seems like all I write about these days is stuff on Noggin, particularly Jack's Big Music Show. To be honest, I'm not finding a lot to blog about these days. And the older Madame gets, the busier I am and (although I hate to say it) the less interested in blogging I am.

But all that aside, this is definitely blog worthy. MDD reader Jon made a custom Mel the Dog Pez dispenser. It's up on eBay right now (bidding ends February 19th).

Mel the Dog fantasy PEZ Dispenser JACK'S BIG MUSIC SHOW [eBay]

Where the hell are Oobi's parents?

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Oobi "...Grampoo loves them all. Ooobi. Oobi. Oobi. Oobi. Oobi. Ooobi..."

For those parents who aren't aware (either by choice or luck), Oobi is a TV show on Noggin where the puppets are just hands with some eyes clipped to the middle finger. At first I thought that would be the thing that really annoyed me, but it isn't really. To be honest, I kind of have to admire the makers of the show - it's not as simple as you might think. The hands not only "talk" but they pick stuff up, throw stuff, point etc., and it all kind of works in a weird way.

No, the part that has burned a hole in my head is grammar. Oobi not conjugate verbs. Ever. Oobi never met a "he," "she," or "I" Oobi liked.

And then there's the "Grampoo" (he's the one with the curled-in denture type fingers). Grampoo takes care of Oobi and his sister, but they never mention what happened to their parents. Is Grampoo's son or daughter a good-for-nothing drug addict? Or maybe they died in a horrible car accident. And where the hell is Grammoo? Has she passed away too? Are they divorced? I can't think of a single senior on television who has more responsibility since Henry stopped taking care of Punky Brewster back in the 80s.

Oh. And it's the only show Madame has ever laughed spontaneously out loud to. Such is modern day dad luck.

Jack's Big Music Show. The lost episodes and product info.

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JackmaryIt's always great when the MDD army readers get to the bottom of the random questions I occasionally ask here in this blog. (Great because they end up doing my job for me.)

I posed the question back in this post that if there are supposed to be 13 episodes of Jack's Big Music Show, where are the last two? Fortunately two readers have come to the rescue and got the straight dope about what's going on in the clubhouse. First, Bill from TVforTots.com contacted some people he knows at Noggin/Nick, who told him that a new episode "King of Swing" featuring musician Buddy Guy will air on February 6th.

Then MDD reader Andrew contacted Spiffy Pictures (producers of JBMS) who told him that the 12th episode will indeed be in February, the 13th will be in April, and another 13 episodes will air in the fall. He also asked about merchandise, and was told that there will be Jack-related items in the stores before next Christmas.

So big thanks to Andrew and Bill for getting the answers (and making the phone calls I should have made). [Insert "you sure are swell" comment here.]

It's a big, big world.

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BigbigworldNow that the holidays are over, it's time for America to collectively settle in for another season of American Idol and "24". But in case bad singing and the misadventures of super-anti-terrorist-permanently-undercover-super-agent Jack Bauer isn't your pre-schooler's cup of tea, there's a new PBS Kids show to check out called "It's A Big Big World."

Last fall brought us Jack's Big Music Show, and while I'm not as hopeful for this one, with a combination of puppets and animation it does seem worth checking out. Bill over at TV for Tots got a sneak peak at the first episode and posted a positive review.

Speaking of Jack's Big Music Show, MDD reader Brian brought up a good point the other day in a comment to this post. If there are 13 episodes of the show, where are numbers 12 and 13? I'll let you know if I find out anything.

All About It's A Big Big World [TV for Tots]
It's A Big Big World [Official Site]

"Lazy Sunday" for the laziest work week.

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Back when I used to work for the man, I used to love working between Christmas and New Years. If I didn't have any place special to be, then I would never take these days off, because working this week meant not really working much at all. Most people were away, and there was lots of time to troll around the Internet looking for diversions.

If you're one of those people (and you - for some impossible reason - haven't seen this yet), check out this unbelievably funny skit from Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago.- "Lazy Sunday" or probably better known as the Chronic-WHAT?-cles of Narnia rap. I just saw it last night off the Tivo, and it's probably the funniest thing I've seen on SNL in years and years.

Apparently I'm not alone, because this morning my friend (who actually tipped me to it a week ago) found this article about it in Slate. Every now and then something that's funny stops being just funny and transcends into something just awesome. That's what this is.

"Lazy Sunday" - SNL [You Tube.com]
The Chronicles of Narnia Rap [Slate.com via Matt]

Holiday gifts. Kids. Jack's Big Music Show.

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Milkshake_cd_I've written a couple of posts about Jack's Big Music Show already, and though I'm not obsessed, I am into it probably more than I should be. Fortunately that's still not more than my little girl is into it, which is a good thing (I think).

Anyway, from looking at the comments in my posts, it seems a lot of people are looking for JBMS toys to give this year. Unfortunately, there aren't any. I can't imagine a scenario where they'll never start making the toys (since the show is now also on Nick Jr. and looks like it's a hit), but they're just not available now.

About the best you can do this year is get the CDs from some of the artists who play music on the show, which isn't as good as a plush Mel the Dog, but it's better than nothing. Music for Little People.com has a collection of CDs for $45.44, or you can always get them individually from Amazon.

Laruie Berkner Band - Under A Shady Tree (many of the songs featured on JBMS are from Laurie Berkner)
Rebecca Frezza - Road Trip
Music for Aardvarks - Grumpy
Milkshake - Happy Songs
The Dirty Sock Funtime Band - Mr. Clown and the Day the Sun Got Wet (from CD Baby.com)
Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell - Catch the Moon
The Persuasions - On the Good Ship Lollipop (includes the song "I'm So Glad I've Got Skin")

Also on MDD:
Jack's Big Music Show. (09-29-2005)
Jack's Big Music Show sure is swell. (11-02-2005)

Jack's Big Music Show sure is swell.

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Jacksbigmusicshow_2About a month ago I blogged about Madame's favorite show, Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin, and that post has generated the most comments I've had so far on this blog. People love the show, and with good reason, it rules. Anyway, I thought I'd try to give out some more links to stuff related to the show. LET'S ROCK THIS CLUBHOUSE!

Also on MDD -
Jack's Big Music Show (09-29-2005)
Holiday gifts. Kids. Jack's Big Music Show. (12-01-2005)

Jack the Cuddly Dog.

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JackthecuddlydogLooking for an alternative to those Baby Einstein videos? This morning Madame and I watched Jack the Cuddly Dog, a home-brewed kid's DVD from self-proclaimed "baby dudes" Max Reynal and Doug Morrione. Similar to Baby Einstein, it's a very mellow, soothing show, with colors and shapes and classical music. But unlike Baby Einstein, the baby dudes are going for something a little more organic. The music is played on a real piano; a lot of the video shows real footage of animals, flowers, parks and beaches; and throughout the whole thing a hand drawn Jack the Cuddly Dog pops up to wave hello.

The video says for ages 6 months to 2 years, but for my daughter (almost 15 months now) it was way too mellow. She did enjoy the shape animations and the video of the animals (she's a big fan of ducks) but the DVD seems really geared towards infants. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that if watching someone else play with toys while synth-Mozart plays in the background calmed her down eight months ago, this video would too. And personally, I'd rather listen to a real piano.

Jack the Cuddly Dog [website]

Jack's Big Music Show

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Jacksbigmusicshow_1Has anyone else noticed how awesome Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin is? The show is about three puppets (Mary, Jack and his dog Mel) who have a band in a clubhouse behind Jack's house (Mel the dog plays the drums of course). They play songs, encourage kids to dance, and are visited by all kinds of non-puppet people. Some are musicians who come over to play music with them, and some are people like the "music fairy" who grants music wishes  The show kind of reminds me of the puppet/human interactions of Sesame Street (apparently two of the creators used to work on Sesame Street), combined with the wackiness of Pee Wee's Playhouse. The music is fun and playful without being annoying, and my Madame loves it (though she'll dance to anything, even the music on a freaking car commercial).

With a lot of average shows for preschoolers out there, it's great having one I don't mind sitting through.

Jack's Big Music Show [Noggin.com]
'Sesame Street' alums add zip to 'Jack's Big Music Show' [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

Also on MDD -
Jack's Big Music Show sure is swell (11-02-2005)
Holiday gifts. Kids. Jack's Big Music Show. (12-01-2005)

Meet Mister... oh crap.

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Where the hell have I been? I guess enjoying the summer, because as I was settled down last night watching my Red Sox and their American League cohorts beat up on the National League, I saw an ad for what might be (at least from my perspective) the worst show ever - "Meet Mister Mom" on NBC. Then I look it up on the Internet, and I find Dad bloggers already talking about it, so I'm sorry I'm late to the party. Zero Boss Jay wrote about it in Blogging Baby (which is the first result if you search "Meet Mister Mom" in Google I'm happy to say) and he pointed me to Rebel Dad, who wrote some pretty succinct reasons why it's a bad idea. I can't link to his article directly, so I'm just going to re-"print" them here:

I Could Write All Day about what a dumb idea Meet Mr. Mom is, but let me try to break down the dangerous/wrong assumptions that that show seems to make (in 100 words or less):

  1. It assumes that raising kids is a terrible job. But most of the working dads I know would see a week alone with their children as a good (if exhausting) opportunity.
  2. It assumes that men suck at caregiving. Because if dads are just as good as moms, where's the humor.
  3. It assumes that parenting can be judged.
  4. It assumes that mothers enjoy seeing their husbands flounder with the kids.
  5. It assumes Americans will watch super stereotypical dreck. (Actually, this is probably the only correct assumption. What was it that Mencken said about the intelligence of the American people ...)

Rebel Dad. Friday June 17, 2005.

For me I think it's going to suck the most because for the time the show is on, when I tell people I'm a stay-at-home-dad I'm going to have to hear - "Just like that show huh?" or "What do you think of that show?" or "I saw that Mister Mom show last night and it was hilarious. Is that what your life's like?". All I can hope for is that it's a colossal flop. Either way I'm going to have to watch at least the first episode so I can bash it. Goddamn it.

Worth the sleep loss.

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I'm happy to report that Star Wars Episode III was great, and seeing it at midnight with the other freaks fans was a lot of fun. This is of course all prelude to a weak excuse for a weak blog post today. I'm tired, which is really lame because my wife managed to get the same amount of sleep I did and she's at work now, which must suck way more. Have I mentioned recently how much she rules?

Quick review? There was more action and less boring plot exposition. Basically it ruled and was the movie everyone pretty much wanted to see two movies ago. It's also very much PG-13, so be wary of bringing your small kids to see it, no matter how much they love C3PO and R2D2. I'd recommend checking it out first to make sure it's OK for your own Jedi younglings. You won't mind seeing it twice, trust me.

In the mean time, check out the Star Wars Photoshop contest at Worth1000.com (via Boing Boing).

Pancake Mountain.

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You know what I hate? I hate it when someone shows me something so cool I'm pissed I didn't know about it before. Seriously, where the hell have I been?

A friend sent me a link yesterday to an article in the Washington Post about this unbelievably cool public access kids show in Washington DC called Pancake Mountain. It was started by an indie filmmaker who wanted to make fun TV shows for kids that didn't include a barrage of product tie-ins and, more importantly, that didn't suck. The result is a pretty awesome mix of skits, animation, and lots of great musical guests. Check out The Arcade Fire clip with the kids rocking on stage with the band, and also check out the clip from the Evens (with Ian MacKaye of Fugazi and Minor Threat) and their song "Vowel Movement." Since I don't live anywhere near DC, I'm ordering my copy of their DVD today.

On TV's 'Pancake Mountain,' Hot Bands Playing With Hip Tots [Washington Post]

Pancake Mountain web site. Be sure to check out the clips section.

Oscar got the better of me.

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As it turns out, going to adult parties and drinking adult beverages still has adult consequences. Modern day mom and I went to a fancy Oscar party last night, and as a result I'm nursing my first stay-at-home-hangover. If I went to a job I'd probably "work from home" today, which is to say I'm going to do as little as possible this morning. And even though I wrote this post a while ago about how I wasn't interested in the Oscar's this year, I still managed to come in third in an Oscar pool. Plus we got our picture taken with this guy, which pretty much was the bizarre cherry on top of a great evening.

More dad stuff tomorrow.

Kind of ignoring Oscar.

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I was looking at this list of Oscar nominees yesterday, and it occurred to me that I haven't seen (almost) any of the movies. People told me before the baby but goddamn if it isn't true - once you have a child you can forget about ever going to the movies. But that sad fact wasn't the biggest self-revelation I had. The fact is, before the baby arrived I would try to see at least all of the best movie nominees before the awards. It usually made the show more fun to watch and more importantly talk about at work the next day. But looking at the list I realized that not only had I seen only a couple of the movies, this is the first year in a while that I just don't give a crap.

Anyway, here's my 2005 Academy Award breakdown by movie and where/how I saw it, and if I did or would like to see it. I'm going by not just the best movie nominees, but all the movies associated with a nominee on the nominees page - a total of 57 by my lazy count.  Continued for those that give a crap...

Movies I've seen:

  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. (DVD)  It didn't change my life, but I enjoyed it.
  • Shrek 2 (DVD). I thought it sucked.
  • Spiderman 2 (Theater). Good movie for a PG-13 action movie, but I'm not rushing out to buy the DVD.
  • I, Robot (Theater). I'm a sucker for Will Smith action movies, but seriously, the CG looked as good as my XBOX. This was the last one we saw before the baby.

Movies I would like to see but don't really care if I do any time soon:

  • Hotel Rwanda - Cheadle.
  • Sideways - Paul Giamatti rules and got robbed of his own nomination this year. At least that's what I want to believe.
  • The Aviator - If it wasn't for DiCaprio, I'd probably actually try to go see this soon. It seems like the sort of movie you should see in the theater.
  • Ray - I know, it's a whole lot of Jamie Fox, but I usually like musician biopics - especially when the actor actually plays the instrument.
  • Collateral - Just seems like a good rental.
  • Supersize Me - I actually half-heartedly tried to see this in the theater before the baby was born.
  • The Incredibles - I figure there will be a time in my not so distant future when I end up seeing this over and over again, but it still sounds good.

Remaining number of movies I don't give a crap about: 46