Big Bang Theory Gives Fun New Vocab

We don't have cable TV nor even network television (old house, crumby antennae and not a priority). We watch Netflix online and a few DVDs but we're way behind the times with regular shows.

So I've only just discovered "Big Bang Theory"--I know, you long-term fans are gasping. "What?? It's been on for years and you just now found it?? What rock do you live under?" Like I said, we're pretty medieval. Anyway, setting our TV barrenness aside, try Big Bang Theory for a laugh a minute.Thank You, Big Bang Theory for Fun New Vocab
 

Best Non- Scary Halloween Movies for Kids (and Adults!)

I am self-confessed coward when it comes scary movies. Don't like 'em, didn't let my kids watch them. But Halloween is the time when all those old creep shows start up. Looking for some non-scary Halloween movies? Here are some you're sure to enjoy. We watch them every year and howl--with laughter! Best Non- Scary Halloween Movies for Children

Try Blackpool for a Brit Flick Fix

I'm a self-avowed US British telly lover. (See, Brit friends I even used the anglicized term telly, aren't you proud?
). My particular favorite it Brit mystery. We've never had cable TV, digital, that blue-ray thingy or any fancy-schmancy TV. Just an old junk pile rescue that doesn't even pull in regular stations (defunct antennae--not worth fixing). So we get our TV fix from the internet.

Well, I blew through all the Poirots, Marples, Sherlock Holmes (every incarnation), Lord Peter Wimsey, Ngaio Marsh, Foyle's War, Campion, Lewis, Rosemary and Thyme (most of those I've written about too). And I was plumb out of ideas. I started watching "Blackpool" on a whim and am liking it. I love the way they've made it like a musical and use schmaltzy American tunes for dialog. Pretty creative.  Need a Brit Flick Fix? Try Blackpool 

TED Talks Provide Intellectual Stimulation

I've been a fan of PBS POV and Independent Lens for awhile. It satisfies my need for cerebral stimulation. Or more correctly, it doesn't--it whets it. I find my thinking refined like grain in gristmill. And it makes me realize how ignorant I really am and how much I have to learn.

I found a new source for sense-sharpening: TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks. www.ted.com/. Huffington Post is doing a TED Weekends series. I liked the premise--"Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form." I like to think of thought as plastic--moldable but also reshapable. We can reframe our minds. Knowledge is fluid. Concepts are bigger than our tiny, possibly closed-ended view of them.  TED Talks, Moonies, Cultism--My Newest Cerebral Addiction

New 2013 Miss Marple Movies on Youtube, Oh Delicious Death!

Psst...Agatha Christie lovers, yes you. I know your guilty pleasure--delicious death. Mystery a la murder. Makes your toes tingle in wicked anticipation. Guess what I found on Youtube to feed your grand obsession? Yep, two new Miss Marple movies for 2013. This new batch casts Julia McKenzie as fluffy spinster-sleuth Jane Marple.

"A Caribbean Mystery" is elegantly set on St Honore, replete with gorgeous reggae soundtrack. Miss Marple is holiday to recuperate from a turned ankle and encounters a plethora of quirky characters. An uptight canon, garrulous major, a reclusive curmudgeon paralytic, a drunk lecher, a daffy vamp, an anal retentive married couple, a voodoo priestess, engaging locals, an affable host couple. And a murderer. Now run along children. Death waits for no man (or viewer!) Read on  New 2013 Miss Marple Movies on Youtube - News - Bubblews

Youtube Movie Find: Ragtime 1981--E.L.Doctorow

I love old movies. And I love how you can sometimes find old movies uploaded to Youtube. Newer ones are pay but a lot of the older ones are available free. We've enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock, Sherlock Holmes, gangster flicks, westerns and other old favorites. Yesterday, our Youtube old movie find was "Ragtime" (1981). This is a Milos Foreman Jazz Age film based on the eponymous 1975 book by E.L.Doctorow. I read this book about the same time the movie came out, but never saw the film. With a few parts deleted for nudity, it would make a great film for 20th Century U.S. History classes.Youtube Movie Find: Ragtime 1981--E.L.Doctorow

Watch Free Full Alfred Hitchcock Movies and Shows

I'm pretty out of the loop when it comes to modern or American entertainment, but I love me some vintage and British TV. I particularly love mystery. Dame Agatha Christie, Dame Ngaio Marsh, Father Brown, Poirot, Miss Marple--love 'em. I enjoy Twilight Zone, but my favorite for short mysteries is Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Those are old American shows by British mystery master (best of both worlds!). I just found places to
watch them free. Here's how  Full Alfred Hitchcock Movies and Shows on Youtube, Netflix