[Fantastic Five Friday] Five Favorite TV Shows From Childhood

If you thought I was a mixed bag of random crazy before, you're definitely in for a treat today.  Thanks to The Weekly Enthusiast for this awesome meme of Fantastic Five Friday so I could take this trip down Memory Lane.  I feel this list will be very revealing into what it's like Growing Up Nerdy.

Starting with the most obvious:
1. My Little Pony/Strawberry Shortcake
Why did I combine 2 into 1?  For purposes of including more than 5 shows (technicalities FTW!) and also because I don't remember watching the TV series for these shows, only their standalone TV specials.  As a child, I referred to them as "movies" anyway.  According to legend, I would line up my Ponies on the sofa and watch their "movie" with them.  Reasons why I love the Internet?  The entire MLP episode is ON YOUTUBE.


As for Ms. Shortcake, here's a clip from "The Baby Without A Name," which I provide for its inclusion of The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak.


2. Rainbow Brite
Now, there was a movie for Rainbow Brite that I loved, but this one did have a TV series!  And I loved it too!  I always thought that, as a wee Jeskuh, I looked like an IRL version of Rainbow Brite.  Sans yarn hair, of course.  For your enjoyment, here's a kind of awesome video of Rainbow Brite set to "We Are All Made of Stars" by Moby.  (Did I mention already that I love the Internet?)


3. Misfits of Science
AND now begins the random.  Have you heard of this show??  I'm guessing no.  It's cheesy 80s awesome, and it's a must-see for anyone who loves super hero shows.  My dad loved it, and he was apparently one of the only ones, because it never made it past Season 1.  However, he recorded them all (on VHS, natch), so I pretty much wore the tapes out watching them over and over and over.  I wanted to be Gloria when I was a kid.  If I ever get a chance to meet Courteney Cox, I should tell her that.  It'll blow her mind.


4. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
I think this show might be the reason I love Spider-Man.  He was sort of a celebrity in our house since he taught my brother to read.  If you thought Misfits of Science was cheesy... man, you don't even know what awaits you in the clip below.  The Hubs can't abide this show because Ice Man and Firestar constantly and consistently cancel each other out.  He thinks Spider-Man is better than that.  Bonus: Stan Lee narrates many of the episodes, and he has the BEST voice!


AND FINALLY
5. Family Feud (but only with Ray Combs)
Every summer of elementary school, I would wake up to The Feud.  My brother and I would watch the two episodes, then immediately get our pool stuff ready to spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and playing basketball and swinging during Adult Swim (not to be confused with Adult Swim).  We had a FF game on our PC too, and each team had a Father, Mother, Brother, Sister... and Boy.  If you were the visiting family and you got a Strike, the Father put his finger up his nose.  Oh, the 80s.

Reason Eleventy-Billion Why I Think My Hubs Is the Best

I adore my husband for many countless reasons, most of which revolve around the fact that he's not only my hubs but my very best friend in the world who totally and completely gets me.

Below is a direct quote from The Hubs to me sent just a few minutes ago via email:


"Did you know that Glenn Beck plans to create a tv show that's going to be an "anti-Glee"?  He says "it's horrifying some of the things that they're teaching high schoolers."  Then he says, "but it's brilliantly done. It's produced, brilliantly. Its music, brilliant. Its acting, brilliant. Its cinematography, brilliant. All of it!"

I wonder if he's ever actually watched the show...

In response I've decided to start my own anti-Glee.   It will still deal with all the issues in Glee and have all the gayness Beck fears, but will be devoid of plot holes, actually have a driven story, have far less over production on the music, get rid of any mid-western white guy rapping, and do away with the cumbersome theme episodes that cram seven songs into an episode for the sake of itunes sales."

Why do I love this?  
Well, it's hilarious, but also, for someone who claims to dislike Glee so much, he certainly does know a lot about it... I'm guessing someone's paying far more attention than they let on on Tuesday nights.
(Side note: Oh, Glee.  You big steaming pile of hot mess.  I wish I knew how to quit you.)

That Time I Met John Green at BEA aka Why Can't Jessica Shut Her Yapper?

I am a storyteller.  It's one of the major reasons I blog.  I feel I have a lot of good stories, and I enjoy sharing them.  What follows is a story of epic proportions, one that I will not be able to replicate in awesomeness for a long, long time.  Buckle up and prepare for what will forever be known as...

The Star Penis story.

It's been clearly stated on this blog that I am a John Green fangirl, or rather, a nerdfighter.  If you are a nerdfighter, you know that John's son Henry LOVES sing-a-ma-jigs, and they have made their way into the vlogbrothers videos and thus into vlogbrothers lexicon.  On our recent trip to Japan, I found a miniature sing-a-ma-jig, so I bought it to give to John at BEA.  Of course, I didn't snap a picture of it before this happened, but essentially, it looks like this.

It should also be noted that the one I got in Japan had a couple of tags on it, specifically a purple star-shaped tag RIGHT in the sing-a-ma-jig's... nether regions.  Hubs stated to me on multiple occasions that I should make sure to point out what he called the sing-a-ma-jig's Star Penis to John Green.  Then, he would giggle.  A lot.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I'm at BEA, Day 1.  It's a madhouse of books and totes and people and Gandalf for President buttons, and I'm loving every second of it.  At one point, I'm waiting in line to get a book signed, and JOHN GREEN himself walks right past me.  I shout, "OmiGOD it's John Green!" and proceed to stare at him.  Unabashedly.  With my mouth wide open.  Frozen to the spot.

Smooth.

That afternoon, I walk through the Penguin booth, and there he is again.  John Green out in the wild like a normal person who does normal things.  I figure, this is my chance to make up for the silent staring moment, so I wait patiently for John to finish his conversation.  And then this happens:

Printz Award Winning Author: (leaning toward bag on table) I bet you want me to sign that for you.

Me: No, I just want you to have it. (holds sing-a-ma-jig out toward PAWA like a talisman)

PAWA: (slightly shocked) Really?  That's so nice.

Me: (excitedly and without abandon) My husband would like me to point out to you that since it has that star tag on its crotch, it looks like it has a little star penis.

Yes, my friends.  That is a direct quote from my mouth to John Green's ears.  Not, "Hello, it's nice to meet you."  Not, "I am such an ardent admirer of your books."  Not, "The Fault in Our Stars is one of the most amazing novels I've ever read, and it affects me even months after I read it."

Nope.  I said star penis.

Thankfully, he laughs out loud (LOLed, if you will) and agrees with me.  THEN, he TAKES THE VLOGBROTHERS CAMERA out of his bag and RECORDS MY PRESENT.  THEN HE RECORDS MY FACE.  My initial reaction is to half-cover my face and say, "Oh, it's not going to be in the video, is it?"  to which John's editor, the incomparable Julie Strauss-Gabel hilariously replies, "You really brought this on yourself, you know."

I am such a nerdfighter that I fangirl Julie Strauss-Gabel.

My new BFF John and I share a few more laughs involving him being a Jeffrey Eugenides silent starer, the John Green/Chris Colfer fanfic and how nothing is sacred, and the Author Breakfast the next morning, and then I get a picture with him.

Thank you Susan for capturing the moment so perfectly.

When he put his arm around me to pose, I lose the little bit of cool I've been able to maintain up to this moment because I know how much John Green does not like to touch people, and my hands start shaking uncontrollably.  In fact, they're shaking so much so that I've never been so aware of anything except that he must be aware of it.  Because I'm crazy like that.  So, I smile and thank him and then I RUN LIKE THE WIND from that spot.  Why?

Because I don't want him to see me doing this:

Yeah.

So that's my story.  Hopefully, you'll see my nerdy mug on John's video on Tuesday, but if not, I still think I'll be dining out on this one for years to come.

UPDATE:
The video has been posted.  And I think the 1:30 mark speaks for itself.

In conclusion, I think I'm dead.  Holy smokes.  French the llama.  

"The darkest clouds seem to be gathering right above my building, so I assume that's where Zuul is."

It's a scary rainy near-apocalypse outside right now.  I tweeted the title of this entry to Sarah Enni once she mentioned the tornado warning(!!!).  She responded WE'RE NOT READY.  I did this at my desk.

I'll be out of town all next week at Book Expo America (more commonly known as BEA).  This is my first time attending this conference, and I am WICKED EXCITED to go!  To entertain you while I am away, I leave you the following videos.


The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!  A great web series turning Lizzie Bennet into a video blogger.  I love all version of Pride & Prejudice, but this one is so original and fun.  I love it.



The latest vlogbrothers video!  Which, if you don't find this funny, then a- you shouldn't watch any more vlogbrothers videos and b- we MAY not be able to be friends.  Also, you should click on the Outtakes video link that pops up at the end.



Dan Bern singing Tiger Woods aka the song that's been stuck in my head all day.  This is kind of a silly warning, but some of the words to this song have been deemed "inappropriate for daytime hours" by the former student managers of my college radio station, so... now you know.



The teaser trailer for Les Miserables.  Look, there's a lot of controversy among Les Mis fans about this trailer, mostly surrounding Anne Hathaway's singing.  Personally, I love it.  I have yet to make it through a viewing of this trailer without getting a bit verklempt.  Also, I have yet to look at this picture without loudly singing, "Valjean at laaast we see each other plain..."

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

The newest trailer for Magic Mike aka the movie that needs no plot.  I mean... honestly.

AND you're welcome.