Holiday Film Adventure!

Every year in my house, we get excited for the holiday film collection. This year is no different, We are very much looking forward to spending time watching our favorites with our little girl. I have taken the liberty of composing a list of pure holiday enjoyment that will be airing, to get everyone in the spirit of the season! The only thing missing from the list is A Garfield Thanksgiving and Christmas - good thing I own them! So grab your family and remote and get ready to go on a fun family holiday themed adventure!

It's time to set your DVRs. Here's the highlights of the holidays:

Thursday-November 24th
"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (8 p.m., ABC): Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving feast is imperiled by the caterers, Snoopy and Woodstock, who make toast and popcorn as the main dish. With a bonus cartoon, "This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers."

"Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" (8 p.m., Fox): Christmas quest amid the glaciers.

"Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" (8:30 p.m., Fox): Peanuts gang tries to break Linus of the blanket habit.

-Friday November 25th
"Jingle All the Way" (8 p.m., Hallmark Channel) It's the story of a homeless Husky pup trying to adopt a family, while dodging the dog-catcher's net.

"Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas" (8 p.m., CBS): Pink kitty Hoops and green bunny Yoyo become accidental stowaways on Santa's sleigh.

Monday November 28th
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8 p.m., ABC): Dr. Seuss's classic children's book narrated by Boris Karloff.

"Shrek the Halls" (8:30 p.m., ABC): Everyone tries to cheer up a grumpy Shrek at the holiday.

Tuesday November 29th:
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (8 p.m., CBS, Channel 3): Burl Ives narrates the story of the oddball reindeer.

-Thursday December 1st:
"Mickey's Christmas Carol" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Mickey plays Bob Cratchit, Uncle Scrooge plays Ebenezer.

"Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too" (6:30 p.m., ABC Family): Pooh and Piglet rush to get Christopher Robin's letter to Santa.

"The Santa Clause" (7 p.m., ABC Family): Tim Allen stars as a single dad drafted into Santahood.

Friday December 2nd:
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8 p.m., ABC Family): Jim Carey's live-action adaption.

Saturday December 3rd:
"It's a Wonderful Life" (8 p.m., NBC): Guardian angel shows a suicidal man, played by Jimmy Stewart, why life matters in this 1946 classic.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (Midnight, ABC Family): Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's Pumpkin King, becomes fascinated with something called "Christmas."

Monday December 5th:
"Rudolph's Shiny New Year" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Rudolph must find the runaway Baby New Year.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys" (7 p.m., ABC Family): Evil Toy Taker steals Santa's toys.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (8 p.m., ABC): Peanuts gang and a scraggly tree celebrate the holiday.

"The Polar Express" (8:30 p.m., ABC Family): Tom Hanks narrates the children's classic story.

Tuesday December 6th:
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Joel Grey narrates Clement Moore's poem.

"Home Alone 2" (8:30 p.m., ABC Family): Lost child finds crooks are planning a toy store heist.

Wednesday December 7th:
"A Very Pink Christmas" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Pink Panther gets in competition with Big Nose to sell trees.

"Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale" (8 p.m., ABC Family): Mouse family finds shelter on Christmas Eve.

-Thursday December 8th:
"Jack Frost" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Jack Frost becomes human.

"Frosty's Winter Wonderland" (7 p.m., ABC Family): Jack Frost tries to ruin Frosty's wedding.

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (8 p.m., ABC Family): Fred Astaire narrates the story of Kris Kringle, voiced by Mickey Rooney.

"Year Without a Santa Claus" (9 p.m., ABC Family): Santa says he won't do it; Mrs. Claus steps in.

Friday December 9th:
"Frosty the Snowman" (8 p.m., CBS): Magic hat enlivens a snowman in tale narrated by Jimmy Durante.

"Frosty Returns" (8:30 p.m., CBS): And he's back! Jonathan Winters narrates; John Goodman is voice of Frosty.

Saturday December 10th:
Flight Before Christmas" (9 p.m., CBS): Animated story of flying reindeer tryouts.

Monday December 12th:
"A Flintstone Christmas: (6 p.m., ABC Family): Fred steps in as Santa.

Tuesday December 13th:
"Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special" (6:30 p.m., ABC Family): Po faces a conflict as host of the Winter Feast.

-Thursday December 15th:
"A Chipmunk Christmas" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Alvin gives his harmonica to a sick boy.

-Friday December 16th:
"Mickey's Christmas Special" (6 p.m., ABC Family): Disney holiday tales.

Monday December 19th:
"Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation" (6 p.m., ABC Family Channel): Phineas and Ferb build a rest stop for Santa.

Tuesday December 20th:
"SNL: A Very Gilly Christmas" (9 p.m., NBC): Holiday sketches from "Saturday Night Live" including Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, Kristen Wiig, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg.

 Wednesday December 21st:
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (9 p.m., CW): A child sets out to find his missing grandmother and show that Santa exists.

Saturday December 24th:
"A Christmas Story" (8 p.m., TBS): 24-hour marathon of the Jean Shepherd story about Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB gun.

Storm Warning

Recently I had someone turn my ear to the sounds of Hunter Hayes, I must say his sound is a storm that I welcome.

This young man comes shooting out of nashville like a tornado, spreading his musical talent from Country to pop. He has penned a few songs for Rascal Flatts and been on tour with Taylor Swift, wowing fans and critics alike.

20 year old Hunter has a never ending talent that is sure to deliver, from the soulful sound of his voice to the 30+ instruments that he has mastered. He has been performing since he was 3 years old and playing a few of those instruments since then as well.

His self titled album has hit after hit, each song making it clear why Hayes is burning up the charts and making a lasting name in the music world. I look forward to many more years of seeing his talent and sound grow.
Listen to his first hit, Storm Warning

Fairy-Tales For All

This season the alphabet channels are getting Fairy-Taled! ABC's new show, Once Upon A Time, is a treat the whole family can enjoy.

It centers on a woman with a troubled past who is drawn into the small town of Storybrooke, Maine where the magic and mystery of fairy tales just may be real. From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Jiminy Cricket and Rumpelstiltskin, this show has all of our childhood tales brought together as one big happy, well maybe, not-so-happy story.

Flip flopping back and forth from the land of happy endings to the most horrible place anyone can think of (our time) Once Upon A Time will have you excited to learn new and interesting things about the beloved tales we grew up with.

Our whole lives we have been told the stories stop after the wedding because they live happily ever after. Ever wonder what really happens after they ride off into the sunset? Well this is your chance to see that life gets really interesting after the honeymoon is over.


                                                      Next up NBC gets Grimm!

Here is the part where you can send the little ones off to bed and jump into the world of the evil minds that is brother Grimm. Set in present-day Portland, Oregon the series puts a new twist on the stories of the Brother Grimm in which a homicide detective learns that he is a descendent of a group of hunters known as "Grimms", who fight to keep humanity safe from the supernatural creatures of the world.

The show brings some of the same fairy tales to life that Once Upon A Time focuses on, the only difference is these ones are eat-your-child, kill-a-cancer-patient mean.

From the opening scene where a lady gets ripped to shreds, the show has you locked and gripped waiting for more. From the big bad wolf who wants to eat your children to the scary zombie faces that are more than happy to take out cancer patients, Grimm will not leave you disappointed with its story lines.

 I will admit, the acting is a little off and the scary zombie things do look like they just had a stroke but it's a new show that has the full potential to keep us wanting more for years to come!

Death Labels

So, I have been hearing alot of people even non-smokers saying that the new labels that will start being used fall of 2012 are too much. I say Bravo!

It is about time the FDA is making people see what they are doing, no longer being able to be out of sight out of mind. It is now in-your-face-nasty, just like the second hand smoke has been for us all of these years. I do not think it will stop people from smoking who have been doing it for 30 years+, However I do think it could help younger minds see what happens and keep them away from it.

We have always heard what it could cause and every once in awhile you see someone with a trachea hole and it would freak us out a little. Until now, once they walked away it was a joke. Simply out of sight-out of mind, now everytime you reach for a smoke you will be staring into your future. Even worse you will have to look at the harm you are causing not only yourself or me but your child! Those sweet little pink lungs being blackened because you feel like poisoning yourself with no regard or reminder of what you are doing to those sweet babies who can not tell you to not smoke around them.

You say it is to much and that it is your body so no one should be able to tell you how to treat it, that you shouldn't have to see images like these when you feel like having a smoke. Well I say this is my body and I shouldn't have to suffer from your nasty second hand smoke and that you should consider yourself lucky. If I were in charge you all would have to sit through an autopsy of a smokeer and also of someone who was so rudely not given the choice of second hand smoke!

Paranormal Let Down!

I am a true believer in paranormal activity. Everytime I hear a noise late at night, I look over at my wife and give her the "OMG did you just hear that?" look.  I am so certain of it that I have convinced myself that there is a ghost or maybe even a demon assigned to mess with just me. So the thought of Paranormal Activity 3 was a bit freaky yet intriguing. I mean come on now, who wouldn't believe that if their house is haunted and they set up a camera to catch it in action that it wouldn't get worse? After watching the previews and seeing the grab-you-in quote of "the last ten minutes will mess you up" made me super excited and a little nervous to watch it. My wife Ty and I get all set up by shutting down the house and making it all dark and download the movie (yes I cheated and watched a boot leg). Finally we can start the horrish nightmare screams I am sure to let out for one of the scariest movies of the year.
The movie is about Dennis, the boyfriend of a mother of two daughters who decides to shoot the strange things happening in his very average house. Convinced something odd is going on after he spots a strange dust swirl that took place during an earthquake (I didn't see it even after they pointed it out), Dennis installs cameras in every room. He even devises an automatic-pan device by taking apart an oscillating fan. The result is a sadly taped piece of voyeurism. We experience the footage as a running piece of real-time footage. Making it even more exotic is the fact that the footage is from the ’80s. A box of  VHS tapes is dropped off at the start of the movie, and then stolen. We know they are old, because the phones have a long antennae, the clothes are silly and the kitchen table is the one every household from the late 80's had in it.


The writers were good at making it seem like there were a few good laughs in the movie, but they only seem funny, because you’ve been holding your breath waiting for the next shriek. Which I will admit there was a few that made me jump, one even made me slap Ty's arm for some reason. Not really sure what abusing my wife while I was freaked out is going to accomplish, but hey, it worked!


There is a part that we were really looking forward too, which was them playing Bloody Mary! I am sure everyone has at one point in their life tried or chickened out of playing this game. ( I still refuse!) Sounds scary right? Well it's not! It is more of a boring attempt to make us fear the everyday. Paranormal Activity 3 proves Hollywood can make endless, mind numbingly, steal a few hours of your life away movies, with no real acting or storyline over and over again, while making mountains of money from them. All they have to do is hype up the previews and give a somewhat visible boogyman, put it out at the right time of year, and the crowds will pour in. After wasting my time and part of my day off on this movie all I can walk away with is at least I didn't throw away money and pay to watch it. After all, I have more scary stuff happen in my own home than they did and you don't see us making a movie about it and trying to sell it do ya? Although I did just hear my floor squeaking. Where is my video camera again?

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Hello and Welcome to TruReview! Here you will find reviews on everything from Movies, Food, Music, Books and everything else we can think of. You as well have a chance to have us try or do anything you would like to see a review on. I made this page as a way to get a Tru opinion on things, a good, honest review. Not one that is paid for or clouded by the influences of the media. So sit back and get ready to laugh as I journey through life and review all of my experiences! Don't forget to check back as I will be updating as much as possible. If you would like to submit something to be reviewed feel free to email me at bellstrureview@gmail.com