Strollerderby : mister rogers

Mr. Rogers Talking Keychain

Brett Singer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Fred Rogers may be gone from PBS' airwaves but that doesn't mean you can't hear his soothing voice anytime you want to.

For only $10, 80stees.com will sell you a Mr. Rogers Talking Keychain. Press a button and hear Fred ask you to (please) be his neighbor, tell you that it is, in fact, a beautiful day in the neighborhood (and a neighborly day for a beauty), and also that he likes you just the way you are. There are a total of six sounds and you can hear them all on the site. If you want to really have some fun, you can press all six buttons at once and pretend you're having an acid flashback.

They also have a selection of Rogers-themed t-shirts, but they don't talk. (Unless you really are having an acid flashback.) I haven't actually seen one of these in person so I don't know about the quality but at least the price isn't too steep.

Image/source: 80stees.com

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Upcoming Sesame Street Guests

Brett Singer — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

If you can't stand to watch one more episode of 'Sesame Street' that you've already seen 250 times, help is on the way!

PBS might be killing off Fred Rogers, but at least the new season of 'Street' started yesterday, with special guests Jack Black and Feist. The Feist video has already racked up 750,000 views on YouTube since being posted about a month ago. Here are some of the other celebrities who will do time with Elmo and the rest:

* Neil Patrick Harris (8.12): I'm guessing more 'Doogie Howser' than 'Harold and Kumar', but who knows.
UPDATE: Here's a video preview of Neil as - hang on - the Fairy Shoe Person. No. Really.

* Heidi Klum (8.14): According to New York Magazine, Klum's exchange with Elmo is "Sexually charged," with the E man telling Seal's wife, "Ms. Heidi is very pretty." As far as we know, Seal did not whup his little monster butt.

* Jenny McCarthy (8.15): I have a question, and don't take this the wrong way. But if Jenny hadn't become an ambassador for autism, would she be appearing on 'Sesame Street'? I'm not saying that this is part of some master plan, just wondering. I also wonder if this is the first time a former Playboy centerfold has visited the Street. (Vanessa Williams doesn't count since she didn't plan on being in Playboy. Jenny was Playmate of the Year.)

* Will Arnett (8.18): 'Arrested Development' fans rejoice! According to Mike, 'AD' even had a character named Franklin in honor of the dearly departed Roosevelt Franklin, making this an above average booking.

* Jason Taylor (8.20): After 'Dancing with the Stars', this guy is really going places.

* David Beckham (8.22): This guy, who is he again? Maybe this will be what he needs to really break through to the big time.

* LL Cool J (9.22): I hope this is old-school 'I can't live without my RADIO!' LL. I would also accept 'Elmo said knock you out!'

* Chandra Wilson (9.30): I had to look her up, but that's probably because I don't watch 'Grey's Anatomy'. Since much of the rest of the country does, I'm guessing she was a good choice.

Other future guests include new mama Jessica Alba (OH YEAH!), Molly Shannon (amusing), Patrick Warburton ('The Tick' is the greatest fake-superhero-live-action-sitcom in the history of the small screen), Feijoo Sisters (Cuban ballet dancers I'd never heard of), Jonah Hill (wearing a moustache – this seems like an odd choice but I guess he's a big deal now; I would've preferred Seth Rogen), Brian Williams (who's actually fairly amusing), Gilbert Gottfried (who's f**king hilarious but will likely not be his usually filthy self), Megan Mullally (should be fun), Randy Jackson (Gee, you think he'll say "dawg?" - yawn) and Sandra Oh (who I like, despite the fact that everyone seems to think she's ugly). New sketches too, such as "30 Rocks," "Pre-School Musical" and "Are You Smarter Than an Egg Layer."

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Brett Singer — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Here's some more stuff that makes my kids say, "Daa-aad!"

1. Old Sesame Street episodes: I detect a theme here. These don't show up on television anymore, but there was a series called "Sesame Street: Unpaved" that ran when my oldest son was born and I taped them. The older Sesame Street episodes have a much more improvised feel than the current version. Big Bird looks thinner and sometimes rambles like he's been imbibing something much stronger than a birdseed milkshake. Hey, it was the 70's, and they were still finding their way. You also get Roosevelt Franklin (eventually cut from the show because people thought he was a racist character) and no Elmo (see below).

2. Grover and Cookie Monster: OK, more Sesame Street, I know. But Elmo and Zoe are just not as much fun as Grover and Cookie Monster. Thing 2 actually finds Cookie Monster to be a little bit "scary", although he seems to be willing to tolerate him for my sake. And there's nothing better than a good Grover sketch.

3. Transformers – The Movie: I rented this 1986 animated big-screen version of the Robots In Disguise and we didn't even get through half an hour before Thing 1 got bored. After seeing the 2007 live action Michael Bay 'bots in theaters, he consented to give it another try and we made it all the way through, somewhat under protest. I was a fan of the cartoon, but had never seen the 1986 film, which is great. Voice talents include Leonard Nimoy (!), Casey Kasem, Scatman Crothers (!!), Judd Nelson (!!!), Eric Idle and even Orson Welles (!!!!!!) as evil and enormous Unicron (um, typecasting? Never mind). It also has the song "Dare to be Stupid" by Weird Al Yankovic, and the original 80's hair metal version of the title song, which is roughly 12 billion times better than the lame-o remake played over the ending credits in the new movie.

image: Amazon.com

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Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

Brett Singer — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

One little discussed element of the entertainment industry making kiddie stuff that parents can enjoy as well is the idea that, on some occasions, the parents will like the kid stuff more than the kids. Here are a few things that are technically for my children, but I dig them more than they do.

1. Sesame Street Fever/Disco: these were both brilliant records – and they were records, the vinyl kind; as far as I know neither one has been released on CD. The first, Sesame Street Fever, featured Grover in a white John Travolta jacket on the cover, and included Bee Gee-ized versions of "C is for Cookie" (including a brief rap between Cookie Monster and Robin Gibb, who, according to the liner notes, "appears courtesy of his children - Melissa and Spencer Gibb"), and "Rubber Duckie". This was followed by the even more brilliant Sesame Disco!, which includes "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco" sung by "Cookie Monster and the Girls": "Me lost me cookie at the disco / Me lost me cookie in the BOO-GIE MU-SIC…" It's out of print, but you can listen to some of the tunes here, and also check out this video.

2. Born To Add: this one has had a slightly longer stay in our rotation than the Fever/Disco tunes, but I still get a "daaad" when I try to put it on in the car. Includes the Cookie Monster-as-Barry White "Me Going to Munch You, Munch You, Munch You", "(I Can't Get No) Co-Operation" by Mick Swagger and The Sesame Street Cobblestones, and the brilliant title track: "There's a lot of adders on the Jersey shore / I hear its the thing to be." (See below for video). This one is not out of print and you can buy it here.

3. Mister Rogers Neighborhood: I admit I didn't try that hard, but neither of my boys ever got into watching good ol' Fred change his shoes and venture into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to chat with Lady Aberlin. Maybe it's just too quiet for them, but I still find it soothing.

Here are a few more.

Any kids' stuff that you like more than your children? Go ahead, leave a comment. Come on, I won't tell anyone.

image: Muppet Wiki

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Mister Frickin' Rogers

Brett Singer — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:00:00 GMT

I've made no secret of the fact that I loved "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" when I was growing up. Even so, nothing is sacred, and funny is funny.

Case in point: this clip from Jimmy Kimmel's late night show. I guess he has a regular segment called "Unnecessary Censorship" where he bleeps words that don't need to be bleeped. So check this out, neighbor.

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