"Outrageous" and the Mitford sisters

If you have Brit Box and haven't seen it already, and love the era of Downton Abbey, I highly recommend giving the original series "Outrageous" about the infamous Mitford sisters, it's quite good! You can also check out the episode from History Tea Time about them below for more info:

Trailer 

The Outrageous Mitford Sisters

Royal Blood Podcast ep. 264

Stranger Things season 5 trailer

The time has come for the end of another era: this month brings the final season of Stranger Things, and of course, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all goes down, though it's naturally bittersweet...

Vol. 1

Vol. 2

Finale

"Wednesday" season two trailer

She's back! Everyone's favorite misanthrope returns for season 2, and naturally, I'm here for it...season 3 has also already been confirmed!

"Downton Abbey" The Final Chapter

After 15 years, 6 seasons, and two feature films, the Crawleys are saying farewell, and tears will be flowing...😥

Interview with the Vampire season 2

It's back! Season 2 of AMC's adaptation of Interview with the Vampire has begun...🩸🦇🧛🏼🧛🏽🧛🏽‍♀️

Season 2 trailer 

The Help

One of those books and films I enjoy, do check them out if you haven't already and enjoy the subject!

Mayfair Witches trailer

Another adaptation of another Anne Rice series is on it's way apparently...hopefully it'll be as good as it should be!

My Best Friend's Exorcism

One of my favorite books of the past 10 years is My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, and now it's been made into a film by Amazon Prime, so do go check them out if you're so inclined, and you're welcome! 😊😉

Interview With the Vampire trailer

As a bit of an Anne Rice purist, I'll admit it doesn't look quite as bad as I feared, but we shall see...I'll better pass judgement once I see it, but until then, here's to hoping it doesn't *ahem* suck (at least not too bad 😉)

Wednesday and The Munsters

Just in time for spooky season, Tim Burton finally does The Addams Family with "Wednesday" while horror king Rob Zombie gives us his take of The Munsters...I will of course be watching both with equal glee...

Downton Abbey A New Era trailer

I've just seen the trailer for the next Downton Abbey film, and needless to say, I'm quite excited...

Dark Shadows

The legendary Tim Burton strikes again, this time taking on the cult classic of the 60s/70s. For those who may not know the story, cast regular Johnny Depp stars as Barnabus Collins, an 18th century fishing scion who unknowingly spurns the wrong woman: a witch named Angelique (played by Eva Green) when he becomes betrothed to his "true love" causing her to kill his parents, the fiance, and turns Barnabus into a vampire. She then turns the town named after his family against him and they bury him in a chained coffin. Fast forward 200 years... it's 1972, and Barnabus is dug up by some unwitting construction workers. He makes his way back to his old home and discovers that not only is it being lived in by family descendants, but his old nemesis, having made herself more or less immortal like him, is alive and well, and ready to battle for control over the town she has bought out, and for Barnabus's love (which he still refuses her). I found the film to be better than expected, and thought it a bit of a step up from Burton's last film, Alice in Wonderland...the cheesy schlock of the '70s and the macabre, horror, and supernatural aren't something you would think would mix well, but to me he manages to walk that fine line as well as can be expected, and while there's definitely some rather cheesy moments, the infamous Burton bite remains intact. It made for fun viewing, and I want to see the original show now! I give Dark Shadows 3 out of 5 stars.
Ps: should you be musically inspired after viewing, click  this and revel in 1972 hits bliss! :-p
1972 from ITunes Essentials

Earworm of the Day: Fave TV Theme Songs Pt. 1

Yes, part one...I'm sure I'll add more at various times as we go along lol. For now though, a few classic theme songs from some cartoons I used to watch as often as possible as a kid. For those who may not remember, back in the early '90s there was a two hour block of cartoons given the catch-all of The Disney Afternoon that aired every weekday at 3 pm. As a 9/10 year old, I was absolutely obsessed with making sure I was home after school in tie to watch them...especially Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers....if I missed them, there was no appeasing me. The line up changed a bit during it's run (Darkwing Duck and Goof Troop being two famous later additions, but those are two stories for another day), but the spirit remained the same, at least for awhile, and was always enjoyable. For some reason (don't ask why) my mind took a time trip (as it usually does) and thought about the shows as well as their catchy theme songs. Here now are the four original show's themes for your enjoyment in the order I remember them airing no less...why? Because I can! ;-)

Barbie Does Dancing With The Stars

I happened to be browsing the Barbie Collector's site and found something that made me lmao and exclaim OMGDS! Seems like America's sweetheart is also celebrating the hit reality show with three new dolls:

Paso Doble

Samba

Waltz

Here's two couples that aren't DWTS related, but made me think of it immediately:

Tango Barbie & Ken

The Waltz Barbie & Ken

Congrats again to this year's winner J. R. Martinez, and see everyone back in the ballroom next year!

Fairy Tale Theater

Two shows I've been enjoying very much that have come out in the last few weeks have taken the classic Grimm's fairy tales and turned them on their ear (s?) are NBC's Grimm and ABC's Once Upon a Time. Grimm follows police detective Nick Burkhardt who sees things others can't. He learns from his cancer stricken aunt that he's one of the last Grimms...a race of people that can see and track down supernatural creatures. With the help of his partner Hank and one of the supes named Monroe (who's the only one other than his aunt that knows who knows about Nick's ability), Nick does his best to solve strange cases and keep his "talent" from everyone else. In Once, we discover that every fairy tale character we know has been transported to a small town in Maine named Storybrook by an evil queen. The problem is, they can't remember who they are. So it's up to a bail coordinator named Emma Swan to help break the spell and come to terms with the fact that she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. These shows somehow make their premises believable, and I highly recommend checking them out if you haven't already. Happy Viewing!


Grimm site
Once Upon a Time site

An album I found that makes a great warm up to viewing:
Nox Arcana's Grimm Tales

Emmy Wins I Love

Tonight was the 63rd annual Emmy Awards and quite a few historical dramas scored the coveted statue. Boardwalk Empire won 8: HBO news, Mildred Pierce won 5: HBO news. The Kennedys won 4: 

• Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie,
• Makeup For A Miniseries Or A Movie (Non Prosthetic)
•  Hairstyling For A Miniseries or A Movie 
• Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or A Movie

Mad Men scored two: Hairstyling For A Single-Camera Series and Outstanding Drama Series for a record fourth time in a row (and while not historical, another one of my faves, The Walking Dead, also got one for Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special). And Downton Abbey walked away with 6: 

• Outstanding Miniseries Or Movie
• Directing For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Dramatic Special
• Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
• Writing For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Dramatic Special
• Costumes For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
• Cinematography For A Miniseries Or Movie

Congrats to all the winners!

Mid Century Madness

Barbie and Ken do Mad Men

It's no secret that I LOVE the 60's...the clothes, the music, the culture, and it seems that lately there's been a resurgence of interest in that time...in TV at least. Thanks to one of my favorite shows Mad Men, not one, not even two, but three new shows this year are set in the 50's or early 60's. First there's the BBC show The Hour which contains two things that intantly got me: the 1950's and London...1956 London to be exact and is about an aspiring, up and coming news team (is it me or does lead gal Bel look a bit like Drew Barrymore?). I've yet to see the first episode, but I will tomorrow, and will deliver my verdict after I do. Next up is NBC's The Playboy Club which has it's series premiere next month on the 19th. For those that haven't yet seen the ads that have been airing relentlessly on the network, the show takes place in the early 60's in one of the infamous Playboy clubs founded by Hugh Heffner. From what I've seen from those ads so far, a murder is involved along with plenty of back stabbing and intrigue I'm sure hahahaha. Last but not least, there's ABC's Pan Am which premieres the following week on the 25th. For this one, we take to the skies as we follow a group of Pan Am stewardesses in the early 60's. Another thing I find awesome? That it stars one of my favorite actresses Christina Ricci. While I love her in her darker roles, I'm interested to see how she'll take this one. Of course, I can't wait for the return of M M, especially since the premiere episode will be directed by Don Draper himself, Jon Hamm. Needless to say, I'll be digging out my garb inspired by and books  about the era and enjoying the view...if only I'd been quicker on the walk on part on M M draw though...

Barbie does Pan Am, 1966

The Hour:
BBC America site
Mad Men:
AMC site
Pan Am:
ABC site
The Playboy Club:
NBC site
Happy Viewing!