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Bates Motel Recap: Episode 1, "First You Dream, Then You Die"

Late Movies

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18 Facts About Your Favorite Christmas TV Specials

Here are some behind-the-scenes tidbits about a handful of holiday small-screen favorites. Rudolph the Red-Nosed... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Terry Gilliam's Animation

Terry Gilliam is now a renowned director, but he got his start in illustration and cut-out animation -- most notably for Monty Python. In the roundup below, I've collected some favorite Gilliam animated shorts. Warning: they are often crude and naughty. And Now for Something Completely Different A classic opener, featuring Conrad Poohs and His Dancing Teeth. Oh yes. This had a huge influence on my childhood. The Dance of Venus The Birth of Venus gets funky. Apparently from one of... READ ON
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Terry Gilliam Explains Animation in 1974

Terry Gilliam started out as the only American* member of Monty Python, and he was responsible for the absurd animated sequences seen throughout Monty Python's Flying Circus as well as their later films. Gilliam went on to direct some of my favorite movies (The Fisher King, anyone? Brazil? 12 Monkeys?). But way back in 1974, Gilliam appeared on Bob Godfrey's Do-It-Yourself Animation Show explaining how to make cut-out animations. If you're interested in Python history or actual animation, this is well... READ ON

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That Horrible Star Wars Holiday Special

Most Star Wars fans are at least peripherally aware of the Star Wars Holiday special, but almost no one has seen it because it was never released on home video. The special aired on November 17, 1978. Ever since then, everyone involved has been trying to forget about it, destroy it, or at least deny that they did it willingly. But today, dear readers, you'll get a taste of how bad it really was. (Plot note: the special revolves around a holiday called "Life Day" which is a sort of intergalactic... READ ON

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Sesame Street's Hurricane Coverage

Way back on March 26, 2001, Sesame Street aired an episode explaining that a hurricane was moving up the eastern seaboard, headed for Sesame Street. Kermit the Frog, correspondent for "Sesame Street News," explained the storm, and even called on real meteorologist Al Roker for details. The episode was focused on explaining the notion of hurricanes and disaster preparedness for kids. Predictably, Oscar the Grouch tried to ride out the storm in his trashcan. That original episode was re-aired when... READ ON

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Heil Honey I'm Home: The Nazi-Themed Sitcom Canceled After One Episode

File under Things That Actually Happened: On September 30, 1990, British Satellite Broadcasting aired a single episode of Heil Honey I'm Home, a Nazi-themed sitcom featuring fictionalized versions of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. The couple inexplicably live in a Berlin apartment building, across the hall from the Jewish couple Arny and Rosa Goldenstein, whose goofy antics infuriate the Führer, leading to weirdly unfunny 1950s-style sitcom setups. In this patently offensive parallel comedy universe, the... READ ON

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5 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets From Cheers

Thirty years ago tonight, an ensemble comedy set in a Boston bar debuted on NBC. Cheers didn't exactly set the Nielsens on fire at first, but luckily the network gave the show a chance to find its audience. Thanks to consistently great scripts (Kurt Vonnegut Jr. stated in a 1991 interview "I would rather have written Cheers than anything I've written") and a quirky set of characters, the Bull and Finch Pub (the setting for the series) has joined Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church as must-see... READ ON

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43 Sesame Street Facts for the 43rd Season

Today Sesame Street kicked off its 43rd season. We're big fans of the Street, and to prove it, here are some of our favorite Sesame facts from previous stories and our Amazing Fact... READ ON

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