Switched to Split Second after the cartoon ended. I came in mid-way during the first episode. Unlike the episodes from Tuesday, the kid who won had been winning pretty much the whole time, on the first episode and the second. He never did find the car and opted to return both times.
Put up the Valentine's Day decorations while the show was on. I don't really have that much, and I don't have the room for some of it to go out. Two candy boxes that were too pretty to throw away went on the entertainment center and on top of the DVD shelf. The shorter red tinsel garland went on the window; the longer white tinsel garland with red hearts filled in the area in front of the TV. My Valentine Webkinz Amoura the Love Frog and Valentina the Love Penguin went on book shelves in the front room. Hung three thick cardboard hearts on a satin ribbon on a door. Had room to hang a large red cardboard and mylar heart and two vintage cardboard decorations, a young pioneer miss getting a kitten from an adorable puppy and a bear holding a heart. The tin in the shape of a bear in pink holding flowers went on a book shelf in my bedroom.
Went for a short walk after the show ended. I originally planned on being inside all day, but it wasn't raining by 2 PM. It was much warmer, humid, and foggy in places, but not raining. The snow has almost entirely vanished from all but the most heavily-clogged spots, but it also made everything slightly greener than usual for this time of year. I dropped a box at the kiosk on the other end of the block, slid my late birthday card for my nine-year-old niece Lilah into the mail box, and bought pretzels for lunch at the pretzel shop on the White Horse Pike.
Had lunch (including a delicious cinnamon tea latte I made myself) while watching Wild Wild Winter on YouTube. I go further into the wackiest of the winter-based Beach Party musicals at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Did job hunting, including dropping an application for a data entry job at a toy and hobby distributor in Magnolia, while watching more second season WKRP In Cincinnati. It becomes "A Family Affair" when Venus takes Andy's sister out for the day, then doesn't bring her back until late. Andy's angry, but reconsiders his stance when Venus claims that he's angry because of the color of his skin.
Andy's not the only one having family trouble. "Herb's Dad" (Bert Parks) turns up at WKRP after escaping the Shady Rest Retirement Home. His son is furious, and isn't much happier when his salesman father tries to get him in on some big deal in California.
Jennifer finally decides to "Put Up or Shut Up" when Herb's wife goes on vacation and he asks her for a date. Herb's more interested than she is when they actually go through with it. Jennifer tries to convince him that there's really no feelings between them.
Worked on the Wild Wild Winter review for a while, then broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game '79 while I ate. The first episode begins with Paul Williams showing off his t-shirt that says "Support Your Local Cathouse." The second brings in Daryl Anderson and Donna Pescow, who see Gene try to get the marker off producer and cue card boy Roger Dobowitz.
Finished the night at The Roku Channel with the two episodes of Jim Henson's The Storyteller I hadn't watched yet. A young prince is so upset when he releases "The Heartless Giant," he vows never to trust anyone again. He goes after the giant when his brothers vanish and becomes his caretaker in order to find where he keeps his heart. The giant keeps it in a very obscure place, but the boy has help from three animals he aided on his journey. Though he does find the heart, he also learns a lesson in keeping promises when his brothers would rather eliminate their tormenter than make friends. (This is also the only episode of the series directed by Jim Henson himself.)
"A Story Short" is the only time the Storyteller himself is a character in one of his own tales. He starts off as a beggar who tricks the king's cook into using a stone to make the day's soup. Instead of boiling him like the cook wants, the king will give the Storyteller a crown if he tells him a fairy tale a day. This works well for the Storyteller, until he realizes on the very last day of the deal that he can't come up with a single story. Another beggar, however, uses a little magic to give the Storyteller an adventure that allows him to come up with the most compelling tale of all.
I really wish Muppet Workshop had been able to continue this series, even after Jim Henson died. Apparently, NBC found it too violent and wouldn't run the four episodes based around Greek myths. Too bad. Dark though they may be, they're also fascinating and beautifully filmed adaptations of lesser-known European tales that don't often turn up in North America. If you love the darker side of fairy tales or appreciate some of Henson's more fantasy-oriented ventures like Labyrinth, you'll have an equally fine time with the Storyteller and his sometimes magical, sometimes macabre world.
(Oh, and it did finally start raining...around 10:30-11 PM, when I was long online. I think it's just supposed to be warm and foggy again tomorrow.)
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