LikeTelevision Blog

Back from Vacation

Phew... just back from a wonderful vacation in Florida where i stayed at a terrific spot i have visited since i was just wee lad of 8. The place is called the Hillsboro Club, and is located right next to the Hillsboro Lighthouse. Upon my return I remembered the LikeTelevision™ Video library actually has a video clip of the place, from like 30 or 40 years ago. If you watch the Hertz Commercial, you can see the lighthouse in the opening shot. Hahaha - wow, I realized how big our video library has grown, when we have vintage video from a place i spent on vacation. How crazy is that?

But now it is time to hit the video editing buttons and get back to work adding more cool movies, tv shows and videos. Next up in the queue - is an early performance by Jennifer Connelly (in this movie she is credited as Jennifer Convino) in Phenomena (1985), aka Creepers. A very cool movie with a lot in common with Stephen King's classic, Carrie. Also a lot like Dario Argento 's Suspiria - which makes sense, since Argento directed this creepy tale too. If you are afraid of insects - stay away. Off to the editing room... the film should be ready later this week. Check out Jennifer Connelly before Blood Diamond, and before Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind - in Phenomena - ready later this week.

Many thanks to Frank Random who took care of customer service while i was chilling in the sun.

Some Cash for Christmas?

Here's something we all could use right now - a little Cash for Christmas. And so - bring it on. Here he is - the man in black, Johnny Cash starring in The Pride of Jesse Hallam. Also features Brenda Vaccaro and Eli Wallach in major supporting roles. A terrific story - about an illiterate Kentucky coal minor who moves to Ohio so his daughter can get the proper medical care for her scoliosis. Check it out - it's a pretty good movie, especially if you are a fan of Johnny Cash. Count us in.

Bout with a Trout

In case you missed it, we included a cool new feature to the LikeTelevision™ library of media, a BLOG IT link on each page with media links. And so, for no good reason, I was curious to see how easily i could drop some Blog It code, into this blog and create a player. A Bout with a Trout, starring Little Lulu will do nicely.



Elasped time was about 2 minutes, but I am old. EZ to beat that if you are nimble. Just click the huge play button to watch it. Now go Swing on a Star with Little Lulu.

Mobile Media MPEG-4, 3GP and Doc Fu too

Got more Fu for the weekend, Dr. Fu Manchu that is. In this episode, Fu Manchu gives Hitler a new face by forcing a kidnapped plastic surgeon to operate on Adolf's mug. Need more - well how about an atom bomb plot to bring about global chaos? You'll find that too - in the Master Plan of Dr. Fu Manchu.

Also new - we added a bunch of MPEG-4 files for iPods and also a bunch of 3GP files for mobile users. Now available in the download section - mpeg-4 and 3GP files for these Andy Griffith episodes - Barney's First Car, High Noon in Mayberry, Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, Mountain Wedding and Aunt Bee's Medicine Man. Have fun downloading this weekend.

The Copper with Wally Cox and Ernest Borgnine

Jump back in time to October 1951 and a TV series called Goodyear Television Playhouse. Back in the day, companies would often sponsor entire shows. Some even included some serious product placement, like Carnation and The Burns & Allen Show. This episode of Goodyear Television Playhouse is called The Copper starring Wally Cox, Ernest Borgnine, David White and Pat Carroll. A crazy story about an accident prone police cadet who finds himself on the way to a date with Old Sparky at the pen. For more details - check out the addition - The Copper to the Classic TV library at LikeTelevision™. If you enjoy police stories told with a touch of comedy and corny jokes, you will love it. Quite entertaining.

How Do I Burn a DVD - Part 2

A few years ago, LT compiled some helpful info on How to Burn a DVD. The info is dated, check out the prices! The article, dated March 25, 2004 tells users how to make a personal DVD. So when I hear each week that site xyz is the first to offer DVD downloads, I just gotta laugh. Here's an snippet:

The easiest way to create a DVD from the download library is to search our site for DVD ISO. These titles have a DVD iso in the download folder for the title. Making a DVD from an ISO file is easy. Just download the file - which is massive, often a gig plus to your computer. Then open your CD/DVD DATA creation software, and create a new session that creates a DVD from an "image file" - which is an *.iso file. Select the iso file you downloaded as the image file, and ok. Boom! You just made your own DVD!

To create a DVD from the MPEG-1 files provided in the Download library - you will need to have a DVD-R burner... or a DVD+R burner - this is hardware that goes into a bay into your computer. Many new computers now come with a DVD burner as part of the package... if you are buying a new computer, by all means, it is worth getting a DVD burner as part of the package. You can also purchase one at Best Buy, Circuit City... or your friendly neighborhood computer dealer as an add-on device. They currently cost about $125-$400 (haha - now they cost $30), depending on the make and software bundle. We have used DVD burners from Sony, Pioneer, Philips, and HP. All of them worked fine for us.

Is the DVD burning software you have up to the task of transcoding the mpeg-1 downloads to the DVD spec? Find out, just download a free video sample mpeg or two, and try it. If your software does not obey gracefully, by all means - try this software, VSO ConvertXtoDVD (less than $40). It does a great job of transcoding the files quickly, and is an easy and inexpensive way to get your MPEG files to home made DVD Video discs, capable of playing in your DVD player hooked up to the TV.

But wait - in the end, here's the best solution. Just get the new Phillips DVD Players that can just play MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 files, (and a lot more, including plain old DVD video discs.) The least expensive model costs under $50, and offers excellent progressive DVD quality. Need more? there's the $90 model that comes with HDMI to hook up to your new High Definition TV. Basically - what makes this player different, is this. Just download the files, save them on a CD-R, DVD+R, DVD-r, or DVD-RW - and save the files as data. No transcoding mpeg-1 to DVD spec required. The player creates a little menu of the mpeg-1 or mpeg-2 files, select the video file to play, kick back and watch the movie on your tv. It has never been easier.

New Philips DVD Players Rock!

PLAY ALL THE LIKETELEVISION™ MPG DOWNLOADS ON YOUR TV!

We read some good things about the new Philips DVP 3040, especially that the unit could play so many types of DVDs, and in so many formats. So we decided, what the heck and went online to Best Buy's site ordered one for a little over $40 and picked it up. Our initial response, this Progressive DVD player is awesome! Why? Because, you can now download all the LikeTelevision™ mpeg-1 files and burn the *.mpg files to a DVD-R, or DVD+R, or even a CD-R, and this DVD Player will handle it no problem. No DVD authoring, no long transcoding conversions to get the video to DVD spec, HISTORY! Yes - you can watch all the downloads on your TV. Just burn it to a disc. Easy as pie. Download the MPG file(s) and record them to a DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, or CD-R/RW. Play the disc in the Philips DVP 3040 / 37. Under $50! order it online at Best Buy and pick one up while you can. Better still, there's has another model, Philips DVP 5140 / 37 - that offers a few more features. You can get this at Wal Mart for under $60. And for those TV afficiandos, yes, Philips has a new DVD player that does all this with video upscaling and HDMI output. Non-Geek speak for - it offers High Definition playback to your High Def TV with an HDMI input. Video upscaling means they take the existing signal, (i.e standard tv definition) and upscale it so it looks as good as possible on your High Definition TV. And so you can even watch LikeTelevision™ on your TV at High Definition. Today! The HDMI model is the Philips DVP 5960 / 37 - and costs about $75 bucks. Available at Amazon($83), Circuit City ($69, w/ $10 rebate $59), Best Buy ($74) and JR ($79). Prices change, incentives etc. As does inventory. But we thought we let you know - you can now just burn the MPG movies, tv shows and cartoons to a DVD (just about any DVD format, and CD-R discs too). And enjoy the content while kicking back on your sofa. Check out Philips.com for the latest details. Here's a link to compare the three DVD Players from Philips.

Make sure you check out the Specifications tab. The three DVD Players from Philips mentioned above, will play MPEG-1, MPEG-2 DVD and a ton of formats, including MP3 - yep, you can make masssive DVD playlists from all your MP3 files too. But to play our LikeTelevision™ MPEG-1 files, the DVD Player must offer MPEG-1 as a playback format. Not all DVD players do. We tested the DVP 3040 / 37 and it played great. I plan to get the HMDI version soon. Awesome DVD players. Two thumbs up!

Remembering Hal Smith

Yes - you might recognize Hal Smith as the actor who played Otis Campbell, the town drunk in Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show - but if you think about it for just a minute, you will remember Hal Smith for what he is really known for. Got it? Yep - His VOICE! Hal Smith was one of the most familiar cartoon voices in the history of animation, right up there with another great, Mel Blanc. Hal worked for many years as the "go to" voice for countless Hanna Barbara cartoons. Did you know Hal was also the voice of Goofy for many years, the dorky dog from Walt Disney? He was the voice of Owl in Winnie The Pooh, the voice of Santa in Casper's First Christmas and also on the Flintstones as Santa. For Warner Brothers, he sometimes was the voice of Elmer Fudd. He was Peter Potamus and Yapee. Did you know he was also the voice of Mr. Magoo after Jim Backus. Speaking of Jim Backus, who played Judge Stevens, the guy who was married to Joan on I married Joan... Hal Smith was on that show too, as Charlie. We could go on and on... Hal Smith was a legend. But here's a clip from LikeTelevision's video vault you might have missed - Hal Smith on a very bizarre 1960s game called Tight Squeeze. Really folks - this is MUST SEE LikeTelevision, you are not going to believe this game ever existed. We are certain it caused at least a few dozen marital spats with good folks who used to be good neighbors. hahhaha... watch the clip and you will understand. Who the heck thought up this game? You can also check out Hal Smith as Otis Campbell in one of the best Andy Griffith episodes ever made - Loaded Goat.

Today - we remember Hal Smith because it is his birthday. He was born August 24, 1916 in Petosky, Michigan. He died of a heart attack on January 28, 1994 in Woodland Hills, California.

Scary Stuff - Flying Axes and Joe Friday

Sorry for the slow blog posting - we've been busting out little data bits off. Here's a quick list of some of the titles we've added over the last week. Dragnet - The Big Seventeen, starrng Jack Webb as Joe Friday. In this episode, Joe is working Juve - that's Police talk for Juvenile Division, not to be confused with Vice or Bunko - can you tell I don't know bunko about Cop speak? Anyway - some high school kids are causing a lot of trouble in town, because they are all hopped up on assorted drugs. Someone has been supplying drugs for free, hoping to hook up with some new customers and build a repeat business in pharmaceuticals. Of course - this business endeavor is not to be confused with large global drug companies that offer doctors incentives to prescribe the higher margins products they carry. hmmmm. Anyway - the latest problem is that one of the young teens has killed his supplier and then ripped off a large cache of heroin. Not just any heroin, this is super pure, high grade heroin. Normally - the stuff the kids were getting was a weak grade, and if the boy starts selling this stuff, Joe rightfully fears that some kids are going to get killed. While not as classic as the "Blue Boy" episode (you know, the one where the kid paints his face blue and goes to a garden party with a hand grenade) this one is a classic. Check it out - The Big Seventeen. Want more Dragnet - got it. Or maybe a few classic police shows - got a ton of that too.

Do you need another funky scary movie? Well we got one... and we had to search way down under for this one, which was produced in Australia. The movie has been called The Forgotten, and also Don't Look in the Basement. It seems the rural Stephens Sanitarium is not a gentle pastoral place for crazy people anymore, now that Dr. Stephens has gone off for deep end. This one has a ton of blood, but I wouldn't really call it scary or anything. Many times - it is kinda funny. But my sense of humor is a wee bit twisted at times. Wanna sneak preview, check out the new Frank Random preview for Don't Look in the Basement.

Got a bunch more to add to this list - but I have to scoot off to a production meeting.

Behind the Scenes - Was Up?

We have lots of great content flowing down the pipeline - including a classic movie with Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, a few scary movies to add to the Halloween collection and yes - even more cartoons. But you will have to wait for next week - as we got bogged down in a video editing project.

Also made some edits to the database - including correcting an egregious error on Thursday's Game movie page (free video preview). You see, we had Nancy Walker as the character Madge, from Palmolive dish washing soap (that was Jan Minor of course - who played the role as Madge, the wise-cracking manicurist - for 27 years!). Nancy Walker played Rosie the waitress, always ready to clean up a spill with her role of thirsty Bounty Paper Towels. Remember - the quicker picker upper. Anyway - all fixed now, plus a bunch of other flubs.

Behind the Scenes - new mpgs

From time to time, we add new downloads to the library and post them in the blog. This week, we added 2 gems from the past. The Whole Lotta Mutton Tour - was a ridiculous concept back in 1999, and it was still just as stupid funny as it was 7 years ago. By all means, have a laugh. Another new download - is the classic No Smoking at LikeTelevision intro to one of the final Zim Zum episodes. A wee bit over the top, it has a bit of coarse language (not for kids) - check out No Smoking with Bill Hicks, Jimbo, and James Arness, who happens to be Peter Graves' brother. (Peter Graves is best known as Jim Phelps from Mission Impossible).

A few days ago - we changed the clips on the Johnny Carson page - and this trio of shorts will make you laugh. Clip one includes Don Rickles and a very dry and funny interview with Charles Grodin. Clip two offers a great moment with Johnny and a baby orangutan. (cute little fellas). Plus Drew Carey doing his first National TV Comedy display of genius. The clip closes with a most bizarre Stars & Stripes rendition. gotta see it to believe it! And clip 3 is loaded with goodies - including Stevie Wonder, Johhny has a little fight with a monkey (or an ape)... plus Loni Anderson and the incomparable George Carlin, from 1966 - as Al Sheets, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman.

Behind the Scenes

We just completed another major update to the software that makes LikeTelevision run. phew! We do our best to do this... behind the scenes - so that our users do not experience an interuption of service. And once again... we were blessed by St. Isadore, patron saint of the internet... no worries. Thank goodness. Most of the changes were for the benefit of our subscribers. We wrote all kinds of nifty code - that allows our subscribers to continue to view our content commercial free (subscribers enjoy just a video window with the content... and can full screen all the streams as an example). Many thanks to our favorite nerd, Brad Spivey for all his help. And Brad is not just a code jockey - why he's also an actor. Check him out in the dot com bubble classic - Urinal screen.

And get ready for more terrific movies. Coming next - Kansis City Confidential, one of the best movies you might have missed. It stars a trio of actors who made their mark by playing the bad guy. And yes... all three are bad guys in this film too.... in fact, they did their job so well in Kansas City Confidential, it is probably why they got typecast as criminals and derelicts. Lee Van Cleef as the sleezy Tony Romano, Neville Brand as Mr Toughie, Boyd Kane, and Jack Elam as Peter Harris. The movie should be ready to watch by the weekend.

Gotta get back to the encoding workstation... This is a great movie. Everyone here really loved it! Believe it or not... each one of these actors was a guest star on Bonanza - and you can watch them all at LikeTelevision. Just click the links above for the three actors and have fun.

Hot Rod Girl

From 1956 - check out this muscle car classic - Hot Rod Girl, starring Chuck Connors, Lori Nelson, and Frank Gorsham. Lori Nelson is of course, the Hot Rod Girl - if she looks familiar, you probably remember her in Revenge of the Creature, the sequel to Monster from The Black Laggon. Check out her 1955 convertible Ford T-Bird - sweet! Chuck Connors plays Police Detective Ben Merrill, the good cop who is trying to keep the kids from drag racing in the streets. And Frank Gorsham plays Flat Top, one of the juvenile delinquents who gets goaded into a deadly game of chicken. A pretty decent movie - and terrific if you like the old school rides.

Behind the Scenes

Phew... the Halloween ScreamFest was once again a smashing success... as we enjoyed the best month ever for traffic, video views, and new subscriptions. Thanks to everyone who got their pants scared off - you looked fabulous. HA. And now... back to work. Frank Random has been pounding away at his video editing workstation... and has 2 new movies that are waiting ... umm.. on me. My job involves... transcoding the finished Betacam SP masters that Frank worked on (he gets the source on BetaSp, transferred from film.. blows it into his computer and goes blind cleaning everything up nice and neat.) Anyway... the inbox is filled and as such, this blog entry will be brief.

Also of note... we are working on a new interface, or as we call it... a skin, that should make the site even faster and more useful. New features include an improved search that will offer access to several thousand tons of pages and cross references. Our current search only includes title pages with videos, as we still like to focus on the media.... and not the blather of words. That said - we will be adding a terrific way to get to all that too. Wanna sneak peak - check it out. Yep.. we are basically using the best search tool on the planet, and letting you google LikeTelevision from our site. For those techno geeks interested in ancient history - check out this video ad we created way back in 1998... to tell folks about this cool site we loved to use. Oddly enough, way back in 1998 - most folks hadn't ever heard of google - so we felt compelled to tell you about it. The music bed for the ad comes from a song I co-wrote with Frank Random in 1995 called Turn me on Dead Man. The premise... the songwriter in the story asks for help from deceased John Lennon to assist in writing a new tune...so... if you understand that, the title, turn me on dead man makes sense.. well kind of. Wanna see a crazy blast from he past? Well check out this wild video from Zim Zum, episode 5 - featuring Frank Random on bass and lead vocals, Lenny Federal on rhythm guitar and Frank's son Jay playing lead guitar. And of course that's Ricky on drums, who makes all that back beat with just one leg (i think he lost it in a motorcycle accident). And yes... that's me, Paco Drop 'n scaleoff... a.k.a. Paco El Dropo as netork administrator. While I did a bunch of tech related stuff.. the guy who is mostly responsible for the slick and speedy backend of LikeTelevision is none other than Brad Spry, bestter known as the Assattackin Guy from The Urinal Screen. Ok.. enough musing about the past - but by all means, check out Zim Zum, the first musical comedy variety show made specifically for the internet. Here's a promo clip we made for the show. As you might of guessed, the comedy is more targeted toward grown-ups... with a twisted sense of humor.

Back to work... next up, a another killer classic from Fritz Lang.

Little Audrey, Mother Goose, and Cakeland

From the animation gurus at Famous Studios - check out a dazzling pair of classic Little Audrey Cartoons! First up, Goofy Goofy Gander starring Mother Goose and a couple of gangsters. Better still - Flowers and Tarts, one of the Audrey's best efforts - watch her bake a gingerbread man who comes alive. He hops out of the oven and runs off to Cakeland to meet his bride to be, Miss Angel Cake. It looks like it will be a terrific wedding - till Devil Food Cake decides to crash the party and run off with the bride. Great stuff! - Need more Little Audrey, check out Seapreme Court, complete with the electric eel electric chair. More? Try Land of Lost Jewels.

Coming Soon - Sept 2005

Here's the highlights of what is coming to LikeTelevision in September 2005. First up - a classic Marlene Dietrich film called Blue Angel, actually it is called Der Blaue Engel, since it is a German film. Yes... subtitles, not dubbed. Marlene Dietrich as cabaret singer Lola Lola is in top form, and just 29 years old. Directed by the great Josef von Sternberg, Blue Angel is a powerful story of a prudish school teacher who becomes caught in a web of sexual desire for Lola. Another great film for your viewing pleasure.

We will also be adding a few more classic films - Carnival of Souls, which is really bizarre, dark and strangely fascinating. Check out the original trailer for a free preview.

We received a lot of positive feedback regarding the Ingmar Bergman film Brink of Life which premiered on the web last month - so we decided to add another gem from the Swedish master director, The Magician. Illusion takes on Reality and gets all twisted like a Krispy Kreme cruller. HA!

Finally - some laughs from the great Woody Allen. We will be premiering a rare 1969 TV special starring Woody, Candice Bergen, Reverend Billy Graham, and more. Woody interviews Dr. Graham and asks... Whats your favorite commandment? HAHAHAHA Lots of fun. Or as the Four Seasons might say... See you in September!

A-Bomb's 60th Birthday!

On July 16th, 2005 - the atomic bomb celebrates its 60th Birthday - and you're invited! Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame will be bringing the yellow cake uranium, and Frank Random is providing entertainment with a wild re-mix of Duck and Cover. Bert the turtle gets all twisted up in a brutal edit of 1960s era civil defense films - and the end result is a montage of mushroom cloud misty eyed melodrama. Check out the vintage clips and see where WMDs got their start.

On a happier note - July 15 marks the birthday of Rembrandt Van Rijn. Please allow me to recycle a blog entry from last year - and by all means, don't miss the Dutchmaster's cigars and Saskia on the toilet. All kidding aside - Rembrandt was the best, True High Art - not to be confused with this or Watch this.

Download Rotations - New mpegs

Late last week we made some changes to the download library. No longer currently available - Ozu's Floatings Weeds (if you missed this one... stay tuned, it will be back. An awesome movie), Roger Corman's The Terror with Jack Nicholson, Ed Wood's Jailbait, (free preview) and Amazing Adventure with Cary Grant. From time to time - we remove titles from the download library and add other items. Basically - we are following the lead of the big boy studios - who do this with their movies, re-releasing blockbusters like Bambi, or The Wizard of Oz and shortly thereafter, pulling them off the shelves for some future release date. But - don't worry, we replace these downloads with other titles - sometimes with new additions or in other cases, movies our subscribers are requesting.

The top request is Seven Doors of Death, which we will be making available later this week. Just keep checking... and look for it over the holiday. And also later this week - we will be releasing for download and streaming, Evel Knievel starring George Hamilton. It's a very cool movie, which has that funky 1970s aura bigtime. Better still, part three features the super slow motion wipeout of all-time - Evel Knievel coming up short on the landing ramp at Caesar's Palace and breaking just about every bone in his body. It is an amazing spill - and thank goodness, he lived to talk about it.

Behind the Scenes, Press, The Feed(s)

Lots to report... first, as we alluded to earlier, The Phantom of the Opera is ready to stream and download. The original from 1925 has a lot to offer and if worth the view, even though it can seem excruciating slow by today's film standards. Ahhh, but there is no super super super slow motion shots of people getting blown up or punched. And Lon Chaney is terrific. (no relation to Dick Cheney). Check out this funky Frank Random Trailer for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which like Phantom, stars Lon Chaney and Norman Kerry. I also found this page of action figures to be worth the wasted time.

Yep... i learn something every day... in this case, about a power broker at NBC named Dave Tebit, who is sitting next to Sid Caesar in This is Your Life Spoof. You can watch that segement here - and like me, learn a lot about Dave Tebit, who eventually ended up with Johnny Carson's production company. Dave Tebit died on Tuesday at age 91. Read more here.

One more note - LikeTelevision was mentioned in a press release - titled, AOL adds partners for video search engine. You can learn more if you like.

More cool stuff on the way - have a great weekend.

A Star is Born - Original!

Another new classic movie - the 1937 original A Star is Born, written and directed by William Wellman. This David O. Selnick production is slick, and the writers that contributed was good as gold. Robert Carson, Ben Hecht, Ring Lardner, Budd Schulberg and William Wellman.

Worth the view - the original A Star is Born.

Coming Attractions - May 2005

WOW - got some new mega media coming down the content pipeline. We'll be providing a bunch more new streams, downloads and images. Get ready for hours and hours of new fun stuff to watch.

Coming Soon to LikeTelevision (arriving in May 2005) - David O. Selznik's Hollywood classic on Hollywood behind the scenes - A Star is Born - which was nominated for SEVEN Academy Awards in 1937. You may have seen the 1954 version with Judy Garland - which was very good, or perhaps the version with Barbara Steisand and Kris Kristofferson, which was ok.... but William Wellman's original version in 1937 just rocks - old school. Starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March. And yes - it's great movie, worth watching, charming, funny and entertaining.

And after that - we will be offering one of Charlie Chaplin's best films - The Kid. The film is directed by Charlie Chaplin, who stars as the tramp character. It also features Jackie Coogan as the loveable kid. Ring a bell? It should - Jackie Coogan grew up to be Uncle Fester on the Adam's Family Tv Show.

Another literary classic comes to digital life at LikeTelevision in May. The Scarlet Pimpernel - perhaps the best novel about the French Revolution written by Baroness Emmuska Magdalena Rosalia Maria Josefa Barbara Orczy. (Read the book online). So what is a pimpernel you ask - well it is a flower, so a scarlet pimpernel is a red flower, which was the calling card of the hero, Sir Percy Blakeney who is the leader of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel - a group that fights against the Reign of Terror in Paris and helps save innocent people from getting killed by the brutal regime.

Yes... there will be more... but this should be enough to keep you busy. Go read the book - it will make the movie even more exciting.

behind the scenes - update city

Lots of work going on behind the scenes - basically what we might call digital janitor mode, where duty takes on a new meaning. But as in all things - making the site as tidy as possible is a noble enterprise and certainly helps out with the speed and quality of the experience. So - i hope you are enjoying the benefits.

Virtually all the work involved is things you as a user will never see - however, you can view the updates to the movie page, where we added a bunch more movie titles in the "slot machine" line-up. huh? you say.... well, spin the wheels by just clicking the movie channel. You can either refresh the page (Ctrl+F5) or just keep clicking the movie channel link, and you will see what we mean by the slot machine. We do our best to try and weight the selections by quality and what folks enjoy, as well as adding new titles when they become available.

yada, yada, yada - back to digital janitor mode... lots to do.

Escape From Sobibor

Sobibor was a Nazi death camp in Poland during World War II. Built around March 1942 - the Sobibor camp was created to kill Jews Most were of Polish decent, though some were from the Soviet Union and others were from Western Europe. The film is not just a story of horror and evil darkness. Why? Because on October 14, 1943 - there was the largest escape in the history of the concentration camps. Over 300 condemned men, women and children escaped on that glorious day. Escape from Sobibor tells this story of tragedy and triumph - and the unbeleiveable power of the spirit that refuses to give into despair and holds onto hope in the darkest of circumstances. Here's Frank Random's trailer - may God have mercy on those fools choose to follow the evil tyranny that this film conveys. And may all good and loving people be blessed with the hope that carries one through such darkness.

Escape from Sobibor is a very special film. It is rare when a movie can leave you weeping at one moment, and later, hoping with all your might - that the characters in the movie will make it out of their hellish nightmare. Honestly - i could not help weeping when I watched this. Not just crying - but full blown sobbing. It hurts to view it and to immerse yourself in this heinous reality, even just vicariously watching it as a film. No - there are no gratuitous and shocking photos of ematiated men, women and children. The film hits you in the heart - because you get to know the people and you like the people. You admire their courage and respect their strength in a place that is filled with total despair.

We will have this film ready to view in few more days - till then, read a bit more about the story and the people. Just google Sobibor.

Download Movie Vault, DVD Help

Behind the scenes... some changes in the download library. Ready for download - part one of Inagaki's Samurai trilogy. Also new - Suspiria has just been added to the download library. Several more... we'll report soon. Suggestions welcome.

For those who own a DVD recorder - please check out the iso files files offered in the download library. What's an iso file you ask.. well in this instance, it is an image file of a fully authored DVD disc... ready to play in your hardware hooked to you tv. To create a DVD - go to your DVD authoring creation software - and select, burn(record) a DVD from an image file - select the iso file you just downloaded, and record. Our favorite iso is either Owl Creek Bridge, or Hoichi the Earless, or maybe One Step Beyond, vol #1. More on the way. i s out.

Stalin Infamy -12/28/1934

Seventy years ago today - on December 28, 1934 - Stalin begins his purges. Exploiting the assassination of Sergei Kirov, Stalin goes on a killing spree - leaving most of the old Bolsheviks dead. For more background - search for czar, Potemkin, Russian Revolution or Soviet, or Stalin.

Also added a very cool free preview of Throne of Blood - Akira Kurosawa's epic Samurai movie based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The film is remarkable - great story, beautiful cinematography, and very well acted and executed. The special FX are so ahead of their time, especially the arrow scene - where strings were used to guide arrows to their designated targets.

Typhoon & the Tommy Gun

Over the Christmas weekend, a Tsunami slams into Sri Lanka - killing over 22,000 people. A sad and terrible tragedy. Typhoons are brutal. Remember Nov. 13, 1970?

For the menu page, Superman, Billion Dollar Limited was added with a link to a terrific sample of the animation quality. Watch Lois Lane pack heat as she squeezes the trigger on her Thompson sub machine gun, a.k.a tommy gun. And who could forget, Billy Mumy (Will Robinson from Lost in Space) hawking a snub nosed 38 and a Tommy Burst, which of course was a machine gun.

Yojimbo - Kusosawa's Classic

Yojimbo - one of Kurosawa' best films - just got a major data upgrade. For the past few weeks we've been working on Yojimbo - cleaning up the subtitle text, major audio improvements, and so sweet, 450kps streaming media files of the movie, plus new mpeg 1 files are ready in the download library. (~1.8 GIG). Check out this sample - free preview or this 6 sec promo, or how about this..

Walken & Cox, Military Mind Melt

Coming soon - The Mind Snatchers starring Christopher Walken (his 2nd movie) and Ronnie Cox, who makes his film debut. Imagine a movie that grabs from Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, throw in a dash of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and add one part Crazy Doctor, with two parts evil military experiments.... and you'll have a good idea of what this movie is about. Check the latest Frank Random preview - who threw in a pinch of Frank Zappa's Brain Police just to spice up the mix. This movie should be ready to rhumba sometime early next week... this trailer is offered to tease you and get your brain washed. Go on... Push That Button!

Also - we did a bit of tweaking behind the scenes and added some holiday related shorts that are randomly inserted into the Watch It play lists. Wanna see a few? ok... here's one, and here's another. Or how about Jed in some Capri pants... so ahead of his time, what fashion sense. Got to get back to work - we should have the four long form Chrysler commercials for The Forward Look ready for the weekend.

One final note of irony - December 2 - marks the anniversary of the first nuclear reaction - and also the release of Frances, starring Jessica Lange....so December 2 is the kind of day that marks science goes haywire and wacky doctors... Perhaps a good time to revisit the Frank Random re-mix of Duck and Cover. Now that's insane!

Download Rotations - MPEG City

Lots of new download rotations to report - recently added to the download library - White Zombie, Knife in the Water, The Outlaw, The Terror and Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage. White Zombie features Bela Lugosi as the head zombie in the original 1931 classic. Roman Polanski's debute film Knife in the water features some semi psycho folks enjoying a tormented sail on a private yacht. Loads of tension on the little sailboat - as a thirty something couple in the midst of falling apart - bring a young hitchhiker along for a sailing trip, who has eyes for the girl.

Moving right along - The Terror stars Boris Karloff and a Jack Nicholson as a young soldier... a Yute as My cousin Vinny used to say. The film also stars Jonathan Haze, who played Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. And yes - that's Dick Miller from a Bucket of Blood.

And there's more too - Howard Hughes mega dollar saga of Billy the Kidd, The Outlaw starring Jane Russell is ready for your downloading pleasure. Features a very young Jane Russell (discovered in this film no less)... and a special bra made by Hughes Aircraft engineers, that used cantilevered structures to enhance... lift and separate... as only the aircraft industry might be expected to fully understand the nuisance of the bernouilli applied lift. OK - perhaps i am embellishing a wee bit....

More on the way.... oh yeah... don't forget - we also added one of Hitchcock's finest films - Sabotage, which offers Sir Alfred tension and some old school terrorists. next up - a classic French Gangsta film from back in the day.

Cool Jodie Foster Movie

Ready for the weekend - another new movie to download - plus a ton of cool images in the library to boot. Mesmerized (Color, 1986) is based on a true story (or so they say... you'll have to ask John Newland from One Step Beyond for further clarity.) Jodie Foster plays Vicotoria - the girl raised as an orphan - till one day - a wealthy guy named Oliver Thompson (John Lithgow) shows up - and asks her to marry him. At the time the girl is maybe 17 or 18 - perhaps even younger.

And you guessed it - Oliver turns out to be a real brute - like this image of Lithgow as a peeping tom. Better still - check out the full description of Mesmerized or download mpegs of the movie and burn a DVD for your personal use. Pretty cool movie - kinda strange.

Happy Birthday Kemosabe

Today is Clayton Moore's birthday - best known for his role as The Lone Ranger, though he also was terrific as a villian in Radar Men From the Moon and a bunch of Film Noire classics. He was born in Chicago, Illinois - as Jack Moore and spent much of his youth as an aerialist in the circus. In 1938 he moved to Hollywood hoping to be a star only to find small roles as a bit player or a stuntman. His first break came when he won the part of Zorro in 1949. When the Lone Ranger moved from radio to the new medium called television, Clayton Moore won the part for the masked man that nobody knew. His faithful companion Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels always called him Kemosabe... which most folks thought was an Indian phrase. The evidence for Kemosabe being an Indian word is spotty - Apache and Navajo have words that sound kinda like Kemosabe - but they translate as White Shirt in Apache and Soggy Shrub in Navajo. Others suggest the word might be derived from Ojibwe word "giimoozaabi" which roughly translates as Scout. (in the show - they said it meant Faithful Scout). But another theory explains that the word is rooted in the Spanish phrase - "Quien Sabe", which means - Who Knows? ... as in nobody knew who this guy was. But hey... Quien Sabe.... who knows for sure.

Clayton Moore is the only actor who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with his name and his characters name (it reads, Clayton Moore The Lone Ranger).

In the real world - Clayton Moore was very active in working for the common good - and made countless appearances as the Lone Ranger to kids around the country promoting the Lone Ranger's code of moral conduct.

On Dec 28, 1999 - just a few short days before the next millennium... Clayton Moore died of a heart attack. We will remember him fondly - he seemed like a terrific man and like most kids of my era, he was a hero for me growing up.

LikeTelevision Updates

All yesterday was spent working behind the scenes to build out the random channel suggestions on the Classic Television Channel display. Basicially - every time you go to the movie page or the classic tv page - a random selection of suggestions appear. Try it out - just click the Classic TV page, and refresh or click it again. new entires appear for the 5 suggested titles. I added over 100 differect suggestions for this feature - and i am still way behind. Sorry - use the drop down or better still, read the blog to keep posted on new additions to the library.

Also made a few changes in the commentary for the movie - The Harrad Experiment starring Tippi Hedren, Don Johnson and James Whitmore. One of our users from Washington DC named Mike pointed out that Don Johnson had a torrid relationship with Melanie Griffith some years back, and that Melanie was Tippi Hedren's daughter. What makes this weird or noteable - is that in the film, Johnson tries to seduce Tippi Hedren (the mother of a gal Don went out with in the real world). Anyway... it is worth noting - and creepy.

gotta scoot - some terrific weird and funky commercials coming next... see the blog for details.

2 New Funky Shorts

Yee Haw - a new pair of funky shorts - just what the doctor ordered. First up - a terrific singing commercial with some Ajax Cleanser elves who scrub away in the bathroom while belting out a very cool doo wap kinda jingle. Love those lens flares on the shiny fixtures. Next up - a vintage brewski ad from Carling Black Label. This one also features cartoon characters - a husband and wife team - where the wife does all the chores around the home while her husband relaxes in a hammock and requests a beer from his hard working wife. Great stuff... totally politically incorrect by today's standards - you'll love it.

LikeTelevision on Broadcast News

Kudos to LikeTelevision's massive marketing department - for a getting a boatload of marketing air time - for nothing. While it is true - you usually get what you pay for it, in this case we actually got a lot for no cost. In July, LikeTelevision was contacted by a very nice fellow named Mike Goldfein, who has a cool TV News segment for Belo called Tech Files. (you can google it and learn more). Anyway - Belo owns a ton of media assets including a couple dozen broadcast tv stations in many different major markets including Charlotte, New Orleans, St. Louis, Phoenix, Seattle etc etc... basically their tv stations reach about 20% of the US market. So - to make a longer story short, we talked briefly with Mr. Goldfein and about a month later we started getting all kinds of additional phone traffic from all across the US. And then we watched the story about LikeTelevision on WNCW, Belo's Charlotte NBC affiliate. WOW, finally - my kids were impressed! And we also got a nice bump in traffic and sign-ups. (which allows us to get more nifty content for our subscribers). Anyway - check it out if you missed the story on television. But hey.. you can still catch it at LikeTelevision.

August 16th -the day Elvis Died

On August 16th, 1977 - Elvis Presley dies in his home in Memphis Tennessee. Like most, i was always a fan of Elvis - so why not do a search of the media library for Elvis related videos. Also - search for other blog entries. Finally - go to google and do an advanced search for elvis (and for the domain selection - Only at liketelevision.com - as the filter) - and you get over 110 pages. And so - even in 2004 - the search for Elvis continues.

Grant Wood American Gothic Musical?

I always loved Grant Wood's classic painting on wood called American Gothic. The wife's look was just too perfect, don't you think? So imagine my surprise - when i saw this Kelloggs tv commercial for a new cereal - called NEW Country Corn Flakes - where the characters from the painting come to life - and start singing a jingle for New Country Corn Flakes. HA! The tune really has the authentic feel of a rustic rendition - complete with a Jew's Harp twanging in the background. Of course over time, this cereal wasn't new anymore - so they lost the new AND the country - to become good old Kelloggs Corn Flakes.

Next up - The Brain that Wouldn't Die - an all time classic. Considered by many experts to be one of the worst films ever made, every bit as bad as Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space. Oh - those Wood boys - Grant and Ed are two American Classics, though i doubt many bring them up in the same paragraph. It will be ready to view over the weekend - but till then, make sure you check out Frank Random's preview - featuring the original Bessie Smith version of I ain't got nobody. Watch the preview - she ain't got nobody either.

More Classic Commercials

Holy smokes - we're working like dogs adding more fun stuff. Check out this 4 pack of classic tv commercials - a personal favorite, Noxzema Medicated comfort Shave. Take it off - take it ALL off. Or watch this old Heinz lady say shove it when a restaurant has soggy pickles. Wanna check out Charlotte Rae, before Facts of Life - acting psycho in a shower? And top it off with a brewski and enjoy a cold colt 45.

Do you remember the David Lee Roth song - I ain't got nobody... well, long before Dave was in diapers, Bessie Smith did a killer version of the song. Anyway, Frank Random thought it really worked for a new movie coming up next called The Brain That Wouldn't Die, coming real soon. Watch a preview now. Gotta get back to work.

Coffee, Coke and Krispies

Here's a three pack to keep you going through the weekend. Coffee, Coke or Krispies. First up - coffee - with Virginia Christine, better known as Mrs. Olson easing some backyard BBQ tension between spouses with some Mountain Grown Folgers. Next up - Willie Mays, Arnold Palmer and other great names in sports line up for a classic coke commercial. Finally - how about a Fleischer Studio animated Cereal Classic from 1938. Featuring the debut of Snap, Crackle and Pop for Kelloggs Rice Krispies. Have a great weekend.

Classic Commercials - Alka Seltzer

Oh no - how could we give you just ONE Alka Seltzer commercial... just a plop? i don't think so. So ladies and gents - here's a pair of Alka Seltzer classics, PLOP and Plop. (sorry, neither tv commercial has the classic jingle - Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, oh what a relief it is... but I know you will love them.

First up, the Tummy Poke - where a myriad a mid-sections are marked, a plethora of pot bellies are poked... and even some taught tummies are touched. My favorite shot is the jiggling belly running a jack hammer. This one is a classic.

The next Alka Seltzer commercial is terrific - and a tongue in cheek tribute to another Hall of Fame tv Commercial. (the answer is below... but test yourself and see if you can figure it out for yourself first. The spot features a professional pie eating content... where the players go to the medicine cabinet for some relief. Yes... it looks like cherry pie, but in fact, it is blueberry - or so they tell you. Anyway... as promised - the commercial is offering tribute to another commercial - yep, the Mean Joe Green, the kid and the bottle of Coke. Think about it... it was right in front of your nose... i missed it too, and then it came to me in a flashback. When the ad aired - the Mean Joe Green Coca Cola commercial was getting all kinds of Kudos. I wonder if it was the same agency? Any advice from our users and guests would be appreciated. And in case you were wondering - the fellow who bumps the vet is indeed Curly Joe, the final third stooge of the three stooges. His stage name was Joseph DeRita and his real name was Joseph Wardell. He was born July 12, 1909, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died on July 3, 1993.

Despotism or Democracy?

Despotism - a film made in 1945 to assist the masses to help determine if they were living in a society that was a free democracy or a despotic tyranny. We edited the film for length.. and for irony... to make it more suitable for today's jaded viewers. (and subtitled the film - We Should Have Watched! - HA).

Even with the passage of time - this film is pretty interesting - especially the trends mentioned - which detail whether your society is heading toward democracy and freedom or sinking into tyranny. We hope it gives you pause to consider the arguments, reflect on your won country's political leadership, and hopefully find time for a chuckle. Check it out. Despotism - 1945.

More cool media on the way for later this week. Watch the blog for details.

Pepsodent -Now with I.M.P.

Yes - It's New and Improved! You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent. Now with IMP - no, not Instant Messaging Protocol, it's has the "dots", I.M.P. - now with Irium. Irium was a big deal in the day - Pepsodent was a very popular toothpaste because of the glowing whiteness you got when you brushed with Pepsodent. The ad was originally made for radio for Amos and Andy which was sponsored by Pepsodent.

This is just a teaser of more nifty tv commercials from way back when. There's a lot of stuff to encode and i need to get back to work. Or if there's time to spare, by all means - see Dr. Barre and check out the dental collection here at LikeTelevision.

Live Television Whoops!

Yee Haw - a new batch of hilarious comedy from the king of Late Night Television - Johnny Carson. Check them out - Free for all our guests.

Clip One features a young tike named Drew Barrymore - who takes out her teeth and plops them on Johnny's desk. PLUS - Tiny Tim sings a little tiptoe through the tulips and marries Miss Vicky on the show. Bob Hope closes out clip one with a classic.

WOW - clip TWO is funny, funny stuff - including a personal favorite, Ed Ames throwing the Axe! If you've never seen what transpired on LIVE TV in 1965 - you must check it out. Johhny calls it a "Frontier Briss" (for those who do not know what a briss is - well, it a Jewish celebration of a young (usually young anyway) man's circumcision. The tradition goes back all the way to Moses. Anyway - while doing some research at google, I found this party page for a briss, offering a bright and shiny theme. Sorry... bad joke). Clip Two It starts off with Rosanne's debut on National TV, followed by the classic ED Ames Axe whoops, then Raquel Welch gets a few zingers from Johnny, and it closes with Madeline Kahn who has an odd phobia. The clip also offers an interesting historical insight into how comedy about sexual innuendo can be funny without being disgusting or course. Of course, at the time this aired.... it was shocking, just shocking.

And clip 3 is also terrific. Bette Davis kills me. Followed by Albert Brooks using some prehistoric techo props in a comedy bit. Dolly Parton tells Johnny whether or not "they" are real.

Early next week - i will be out of town for a little rest and relaxation in Milwaukee. If possible, i hope to take in a baseball game between the Brewers and the Cubbies in Miller Park. Hang in there if you need some technical help - i will be back Wednesday morning. Have a great weekend. Got some great stuff coming next week... a few monster tv commercials and a re-tweaked government film - about the differences between a free society and a society run by a dictator. Frank Random did a little retooling to the original, very funny AND odd! - see ya next week for the Premiere.

Barney's Birthday Bash - Fife is 80 today

On July 21, 1924 - Don Knotts, best known as Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith Show was born in Morgantown, West Virginia. So - we thought we'd provide a short list of our favorite episodes featuring the delightful Barney at his Best. 1) Barney's First Car - featuring special guests Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton) as a scam artist and Allan Melvin (Sam the Butcher, Alice's boyfriend on The Brady Bunch) as a thug. 2) Mountain Wedding - which features Denver Pyle, The Darlings, Ernest T. Bass and Barney dresses in DRAG! 3) Big House - features special guest George Kennedy as a Fed. Barney compares Mayberry's jail to The Rock. Awesome episode! 4) Dogs Dogs, Dogs - a personal favorite which has the classic lecture Barney offers Opie. 5) Loaded Goat - with Otis Campbell, the local sweet drunk, some dynamite and loads of laughs. 6) Aunt Bee's Medicine Man - with John Dehner as the man offering the miracle cure hooch. The opening scene features Barney combing his hair in an effort to look like Rock Hudson. Yikes!

Also of note for Andy Griffith Fans - tonight on TV Land is an Andy Griffith Show Special - featuring folks from the show offering their views of their favorite episodes. Sounds cool.... Here's the list from TV Land's show, airing tonight at 10 PM EST.

"Manhunt": Andy cons an escapee into taking a leaky boat.

"Goodbye Sheriff Taylor": Barney takes over for the absent Andy.

"The Darlings Are Coming": First appearance of the bluegrass hill folk.

"Barney's First Car": Barney buys a lemon.

"Andy on Trial": Barney's bragging gets Andy in trouble.

"Convicts at Large": Barney and Floyd are hostages to escapees from the women's prison.

"Barney and the Choir": Barney's solo is trouble.

"The Pickle Story": Aunt Bee's kerosene cucumber pickles.

"Mr. McBeevee": Opie's friend who walks in the trees.

"Opie the Birdman": Opie must raise birds after he kills the baby bird's mother.

July 20, 1969

July 20, 1969 - Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon - hard to believe it was 35 years ago. Which means - in just 10 years, less than half the people on this planet were alive when it happened. In Amercia - virtually everyone was watching it on tv. Around the world - about a quarter of the planet was watching. It was such an incredible and cool moment. I was just 9 years old & thought it was pretty nifty, but had not fathomed its importance. However the adults were just totally absorbed. They had seen what came before and saw the feat of man walking on the moon as a new age. Thirty five years later - not much has changed, lots more channels on tv, cell phones, microwaves - lots more noise. Oh well - turn off your devices.

For more video on the moon - check Radar Men from The Moon, Felix the Cat Finds Out how the moon shines, the toy Major Matt Mason, Astronaut. And let's not forget Cosmonauts (no relation to Kramer on Seinfeld) and learn about the first Lady of Space, Valentina Tereshkova.

Also of note - July 20 is the birthday of Gracie Allen - born (Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen) on 07/20/1906 in San Francisco- She died 08/27/64. Check out some Gracie - She Rocks! Let's not forget - Diana Rigg, the actress who played Emma Peel on the Avengers with Patrick Macnee, as Steed. Lady Diana Rigg was born July 20, 1938 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, UK. And finally - Natalie Wood (Natasha Nikolaevna Gurdin) born July 20, 1938 in San Francisco, CA USA. Dies: Nov. 29, 1981 in Santa Catalina Island, CA (from Drowning).

The Future is Now

Recently, LikeTelevision heard from a major league media guy named Doug from Chicago - who was working for one of his clients, Intel. His job was to produce a video press release - to announce a cool new chip set that Intel developed to make convergence a reality. The solution uses cool software recently deployed by Microsft as the operating system. Convergence? what's that you ask? Well - it is a little hard to explain - but basically it means the convergence of computers, television and the high speed internet to create a new medium for broadcasting, entertainment, and fun. Over 5 years ago - we created this short interstitial commercial for LikeTelevision that proclaimed - That Someday... is Now. Yes.... we made more too - like this one, we call kindness in the hard drive. Or this one - LikeTelevision - Only Better. And oddly enough - we found ourselves laughing at this old philco ad - that was plug and play(like the Intel/Microsoft motto), and encouraged folks to throw out their rabbit ears (antennaes). Anyway.... Intel got a very cool video press release - and woo woo... LikeTelevision was featured in the press release as a cool application that was here today on the internet. Yes... faster than you can say - five years is a long time - convergence is here. And the future is now. LikeTelevision would like to thank the Anderson's - a very cool family that subscribes to LikeTelevision for their help in creating the video press release for Intel. The video press release was sent to all the major broadcasters of news around the world - we'd be interested to hear from folks who saw it on TV News. So in case you were wondering why we picked LikeTelevision for the name - it's because we always felt that Someday - the computer would be LikeTelevision. Of course lots of people saw this age coming for a long time - in fact, Bill Gates said that phrase - Someday the computer will be LikeTelevision at a dog and pony show sometime last century. And now - the hardware needed to make it plug and play is here. COOL! And in case you were wondering - do i need all this new stuff to watch LTi content on my computer? No... of course not. We've been doing this for over 5 years now. You can watch it on your computer anytime you want, anywhere you want. But - our vision has always been to see our subscribers kicking back on a couch... and accessing our massive media library - just LikeTelevision. Well guess what - the future is now!

Happy Birthday Rembrandt Van Rijn

Happy Birthday to Rembrandt Van Rijn, born July 15, 1606 in Leiden, Netherlands. (dies Oct 4, 1669 in Amsterdam). In the history of art - a few names stand out, Picasso, da Vinci, Michealangelo, and yes - Rembrandt, though few folks know his last name, Van Rijn... fewer still his full name - Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn. Phew - that's a mouthful. So what makes Rembrandt so great? A few things stand out - perhaps first and foremost was his gift of understanding light, and the devotion to exploring how light dances in the real world. Scholars call this chiaroscuro - which is Italian for light dark. When an artist masters chiaroscuro, objects have a delightful 3 dimensional quality, as the reflected light and shade give the flat paint on a canvas depth. Leonardo da Vinca and another Italian painter named Caravaggio were the early developers of chiaroscuro - of the 3, i am most impressed by the work of Caravaggio, but not many remember him today. Another reason why Rembrandt remains well known - is that he created a remarkable series of self portraits throughout his life that show a man aging gracefully and honestly depict the wrinkles and character that develop with age. In addition, his etchings of religious scenes were nothing short of stunning.

By 1634, Rembrandt was a very wealthy man - who was paid well to paint portraits of "beautiful people" - that is, folks with the big bucks who could afford to have a Rembrandt. He married Saskia van Uylenburgh, one of his favorite models in 1634. In the days before Supermodels and anorexia, woman such as Saskia who had a curvy and voluptuous shape were seen as very attractive. Today, many folks might advise her to go to the gym or do some brisk walking. Oh well - examine a classic Rembrandt rendering of his wife - Saskia at Her Toilet, from the Dresden Museum and decide for yourself. I think she is beautiful.

On a lighter note - some folks might remember the old Dutch Masters cigar tv commercials - which featured the men in Rembrandt's painting - The Syndics of the Clothmaker's Guild, coming to life and lighting up a stogie. Also - by all means, check out the Masterpiece Game Tv Commercial. Created by Parker Brothers - it was dubbed, the greatest game since Monopoly - and of course, the game featured paintings by today's birthday boy - Rembrandt Van Rijn.

Storm The Bastille!

Just 215 years ago - the French were storming the Bastille, a notorious prison that probably treated prisoners with the same gentleness as Sadaam Hussein did. (please, no Abu Ghraib ironies - since the folks involved in the torment there are being punished and the US Army was the one who relayed the news of the atrocities in the first place, on their web site for journalists - over 4 months before traditional media decided they could use the story to feed the I hate Bush disease (humor might cure it)....though you'd never know that if you read the N.Y. Times or watched mainstream network news). And what makes July 14th so special? Well that's the day France celebrates their Independence Day, with fireworks and parades no less. Also - lots of folks think the French Revolution happened before our the American Revolution - not so, July 4, 1776 happened thirteen years before - and America became the first true democracy on planet Earth. Ok... we really are not a democracy - huh? Nope, we are a Republic, which means that the winner is chosen by the electoral college, not the one who gets the most votes. (darn those lame schools - there's a ton of people who still think Bush stole the election - but in many cases in US history, the guy getting the most votes did not win the election for President. America is a Republic, not a democracy for a good reason. It was done to protect those who lived in less populous states - because we all know that those city slickers would someday want to tax us stupid bumkins in rural areas, and take all the money for the big cities. But i digress... today we celebrate the French Revolution - that began with the storming of the Bastille. While most folks think the good people did this to release the prisoners - the actual reason was to get the guns in the Bastille- and fight the monarchy that was ruling the people like a bunch of thugs. Since many French soldiers fought for America in the 1776 revolution - Independence, Freedom and Liberty became one of our first major exports. Yes - i realize that many people in Europe, the Middle East and even in the USA think the US Army invaded Iraq to loot and pillage - i suggest you take a chill pill and examine the history of our country. Deep in our hearts - most of us in America really believe in freedom, equality, treating people fairly, and in the God given right to allow people to govern themselves.

As I think back to the morning of September 11, 2001 - everyone here at LikeTelevision was busy filming a video for an incredibly talented fellow from France named Bruno Frascone. Bruno has devoted most of his adult life to perfecting his skills as a marionette operator and creator. Years ago he lived in Charlotte, NC and i met him and his charming wife Darlene through a mutual friend, Dr. Barre. (he's not really a hockey team dentist, but he played one at LikeTelevision). Anyway - Bruno went back to France to ply his craft, where he is viewed as a French National treasure. Over a decades passed ... and he was returning to the USA for a tour in San Francisco that included a private party for Robin Williams. (cool!) Dr. Barre asked us if we could help Bruno put together a promtional video for him and we were happy to comply. What a great time we had and the experience was wonderful - full of love, hope and laughing children. A perfect foil to the atrocities that were taking place that morning on 9/11. Unlike most of America - i never watched the planes crash into the towers. I knew it would be a bad thing to inject in my mind. Yes... i know it played over and over and over on the news - but i never watched it, always turning away before the planes hit. Several weeks later - the news networks figured this out for themselves - that replaying this horror over and over like a news byte was terrible thing to do, and in fact playing right into the hands of men seeking to wipe us off the face of the planet. Years from now - i suspect that most people will look back on how the mainstream press covered this war and turn away in disgust. Imagine if they covered D-Day the same way? Or Pearl Harbor? Sometimes i wonder if all the noise involved in living in large US cities or across the world for that matter - whether Paris or Berlin or London... sometimes i wonder if the daily grind of the city somehow erodes common sense. It seems like a fair question.

By the way - if you were wondering about the painting - it is perhaps the best known work of a brilliant Frenchman named Eugene Delacroix, and is titled - Liberty Leading the People. The painting was created in 1830 and can be viewed in the Louvre. Or at google.

Happy July 4th - Video Vault

We hope everyone has a happy July 4th holiday - filled with friends, family, and fun. And be safe with the fireworks.. but by all means, set off a bunch of roman candles, bottle rockets and light up some sparklers!

To Celebrate the holiday - we created a July 4th Video page with links to videos related to the July 4th holiday. A cool sci-fi show called One Step Beyond recounts a Night in December with the father of our country - George Washington. Or how about The Andy Griffith Show episode called Andy Discovers America. And lots more stuff to watch in the July 4th video vault.

And to top it off - check out Kate Smith, as she introduces a new song during the 1940s - called God Bless America! Have a terrific July 4th holiday from everyone at LikeTelevision.

Tribute to William Wyler

One of the greatest directors of film history - William Wyler, celebrates his birthday (b. July 1, 1902 d. July 27,1981). He helped launch Betty Davis' career in 1938 with Jezebel. He directed on the best romantic films ever made - Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Wyler won the Best Picture Oscar in 1946 - besting Frank Capra 's It's A Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed for The Best Years of Our Lives, which remains one of the best war movies ever made. William Wyler won Best Director honors with Mrs. Miniver (1942), and of course - Wyler's best known film - Ben-Hur(1959) starring Charlton Heston. The Urban Legend - that the stuntman in the chariot race died during the making of this 1959 film is not true. The source of the legend relates to the original Ben-Hur movie was made in 1926. Yes - in the 1926 film, a stuntman dies - learn more here. Oddly enough - William Wyler was assistant direct on the 1926 version.

In 1944 - the same year he was rendered permanently deaf in his right ear filming a bombing mission - he directed Memphis Belle, one the best WWII documentaries - plus it's in color!. Check out Memphis Belle - and this free preview from Frank Random, made in 1999.

NEW - Cool, Weird and Funky!

Anyone who has been with us a subscriber knows... when it looks like it is getting "quiet" at LikeTelevision (that is, not as many new additions as usual).... something is happening behind the scenes ... something cool.... and weird is brewing in our little heads... and yes... once again - this is the case. Part of what makes LikeTelevision so different (the oddball charm) - is that we just love funky video content. The kind of whacky media that is lost to time, because it is just to bizarre for all the men in gray flannel suits walking about from dusk to dawn looking to make a buck. Well, we are certain that there is no money to be made from this new library of insane content - but for us, it is a treasure. We hope to offer you a few choice samples in the coming weeks that will cement in your minds, once and for all - that we have totally lost our minds. But - the catch 22 applies, unless you become nuts in the upside down nature of our world... if you stay normal - well hey, then YOU are the one who is insane. If you can stay normal... well that's just crazy. Go read Joseph Heller's epic novel on the subject - Catch 22 if you need more background on the theory.

Come back later this week for a taste of the new library additions - that take you back to the days, when weird was cool. We will as always - keep you posted of new additions in the LikeTelevision Blog