Hi, everyone!
“There’s no need to fear… Jammin’ with Jamie is here!”
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“Jammin’ with Jamie”: Interview with Matt Hansel!
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“Jammin’ with Jamie” 200th Show
Hi, everyone!
On Saturday, November 2, Jammin’ with Jamie celebrated its landmark 200th show on 89.3 WNUR FM!
Since this show’s so special (and because there’s no copyrighted music in it), I posted it on my YouTube channel, along with bonus content.
So let’s get started!
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Thoughts On: “The Man Who Invented Christmas”
Hi, everyone!
Whew, what a year I’ve been having! But more on that in a post I’ll put up just before the new year…
Anyway, without further ado, last Sunday, December 17, I saw a film that inspired me to pen another installment in my series on holiday/Christmas/winter movies and specials.
What film was so special that it woke me out of my writing reverie (in terms of this blog, anyway)?
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)!
I do not own any of the following images or videos!
Here’s the trailer:
No, Mr. Dickens, I wasn’t trying to read over your shoulder! Don’t mind me!
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
Plot: Charles Dickens, after a rush of inspiration, tussles with writer’s block, deadlines, and personal struggles as he strives to crack his latest work… A Christmas Carol.
There have been nigh countless adaptations of A Christmas Carol, from film, to TV, to stage––– from verbatim, to musical, to modernized, to gender-flipped––– from live action, to animation, to The Muppets! If you like A Christmas Carol at all, you have your favorite version or versions. You have your favorite ghost, your favorite scenes, your favorite lines… this story touches the hearts and souls of so many. Some may say such nearly-universal appeal cheapens it: I say, it enriches it. How special to be able to take a singular story about one person’s extremely personal journey and make it accessible and even relatable to so many.
Full disclosure: I’ve loved A Christmas Carol and so many of its adaptations for as long as I can remember. In fact, my very first acting role was as The Ghost of Christmas Present (my favorite ghost in the story)! Even though I was twelve at the time, I still remember so many of my lines, and would love to be involved in another adaptation of the tale someday.
Since The Man Who Invented Christmas is still in theaters as of this writing, and I do highly recommend it, I’ll do my best to avoid any spoilers of surprise moments. However, everyone has different definitions of what counts as a “spoiler,” so I shall still include my traditional warning…
Spoilers lurk beyond this point!
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Christmas/Holiday Movies: “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie”
Hi, everyone!
I had a pretty hectic Halloween season this year, so I wasn’t able to continue my series about Halloween movies. However, I know that my subsequent series on holiday/Christmas/winter movies (and specials) only had half the amount of entries… that is, only two. Yikes.
So, I’m going to rectify that this year, starting…
… now!
For those of you who are new (or just don’t remember), this is how this series works…
This month, I’m going to watch (and, in some cases, re-watch) some movies that are perfect for the holiday/Christmas/winter season. These are not reviews, because I’ll only be writing about films I love and recommend. There’s no plan, method, or scientific algorithm to what movies I’m going to watch or how I’m going to structure these entries. I’m just going to have fun with it, and I hope you will, too!
First up, a TV movie that I believe is ridiculously underrated…
It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)!
I do not own any of the following images or videos!
Here’s the trailer:
It’s ALWAYS a merry Christmas with The Muppets!
It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
Plot: The Muppets are putting on a big Christmas show to save their theater, but when everything goes wrong and Kermit the Frog’s spirit seems broken, an angel comes to show him what the world––– and his friends––– would be like if he’d never been born.
I also have a very personal connection to this movie, which you’ll have to read on to find out about!
Spoilers lurk beyond this point!
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Thoughts On: “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday”
Before we get started, follow Pee-wee Herman’s adventures on his official website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and his new YouTube channel, and join his FREE Premium Diamond Platinum Fan Club!
I’ve written about Pee-wee Herman twice before. Both times, I predicted I’d end up writing about Pee-wee’s Big Holiday when it was released on Netflix.
… I’m psychic!
I was so excited for Pee-wee’s Big Holiday that I stayed up until 12:00 am PT––– 2:00 am my time––– to watch it the second it premiered!
This was how I looked just before 2:00 am on March 18.
Thank goodness I was on a different floor with the door closed… otherwise, my constant laughter would’ve woken everybody up!
All of the following images, videos, and GIFs belong to their respective owners!
Here’s the poster…
That’s about how high I jumped every time I heard news about “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.”
Here’s the trailer…
Pee-wee’s Big Holiday is written by Paul Reubens and Paul Rust, directed by John Lee, and produced by Judd Apatow. (You all know how much it means to me to see someone who’s both a writer and a performer!)
Let’s do this!
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Christmas/Holiday Movies: “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
I had so much fun writing about Halloween movies, I decided to extend the series and write about films perfect for Christmas/the holiday season! Most will probably be about Christmas, but I’m leaving myself wiggle room for other holidays and general winter movies.
Remember, these are not reviews: I’m writing about films and TV specials that I love and recommend.
My favorite Christmas movies generally have a nice mix of humor, fun, wackiness, and heart––– and some good music doesn’t hurt, either.
This first film has all of that, and more. Warm up your voices, because it’s time for…
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)!
By the way, if you like the Muppets, make sure you check out The Muppets on ABC!
I do not own any of the following images or videos!
Here’s the trailer:
I’m not sure why there’s music from Beetlejuice in the trailer, but it works.
I’m smiling already!
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Plot: Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, bitter businessman, despises Christmas and all forms of kindness and charity; but this Christmas, he just might get a chance to redeem himself…
Spoilers lurk beyond this point!
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Halloween Movies: “The Monster Squad”
This month, I’m going to watch (and, in some cases, re-watch) some movies that are perfect for the Halloween season. These are not reviews, because I’ll only be writing about films I love and recommend. There’s no plan, method, or scientific algorithm to what movies I’m going to watch or how I’m going to structure these entries. I’m just going to have fun with it, and I hope you will, too!
The one promise I’ll make is that I’ll only include spoilers after the jump.
For this inaugural entry, I’m going to write about a movie I just saw for the first time––– well, all the way through, anyway…
The Monster Squad (1987)!
I do not own any of the following images or videos!
Here’s the trailer…
I’ve known about The Monster Squad for a while, though I don’t know exactly how long. When you love the Universal Monsters as much as I do (and I’m sure many of you do), you read a lot about them and other films that reference or utilize them. I was bound to come across The Monster Squad at some point. And I did. I read about the plot, found out some trivia, and watched some clips. All signs pointed to this being a film I’d love.
So recently, I finally ordered the twentieth anniversary DVD online. I watched it with my family, who had never even heard of it until I told them about it. Luckily for all of us, my gut instinct turned out to be a bullseye: we loved every minute of it––– and if you love monster movies, you will, too!
Here’s the basic, spoiler-free rundown…
The Monster Squad (1987)
Plot: Some young friends obsessed with monsters suddenly find themselves face-to-face with the Universal Monsters and must stop Dracula’s plan before it’s too late.
Monsters: Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman, the Gillman, and the Mummy
Scare Factor: It may be scary to kids about five years old or younger, but it all depends on the kid. If this kid has already seen some monster movies, especially ones with the Universal Monsters, he or she will probably be fine. For everyone else, watch it and have fun!
Gore Factor: The gore’s pretty minimal.
Family-Friendly Factor: There’s some scattered swearing and some suggestive comments. Some people may find a couple of words offensive.
Look out! Behind you!
ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK! Spoilers lurk beyond this point!
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“The Loneliest People…”
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Thoughts On: “Frozen”
Hi, everyone!
This is the first of what I hope to make a series of posts in which I write down and share my thoughts on various films. Some will be new releases you can experience in theaters, while others will be films you can check out on DVD. No matter which film I’m writing about, I will always take great care in regard to spoilers: if I feel compelled to write about one or more spoilers, I will mark them very clearly so you can choose to skip them and come back to read them later. (You’re welcome.)
I’m starting this series because I saw a film entitled, Frozen, and felt so strongly about it that I wanted to share it and my thoughts on it with anyone and everyone I could. This is why these posts are not intended to be “reviews” or summaries, as well as why I will neither be going out to see every single new release so I can post about it here, nor writing about every movie I do end up seeing. None of those prospects is why I started this series.
When the credits began rolling on Frozen when I saw it for the very first time, I had an overwhelming feeling (one of many, actually) that I just couldn’t shake, and didn’t want to, anyway: I have to tell everyone I can about this film. That feeling inspired not only this post, but this entire new series of posts, and I want to stay true to it.
All images belong to Walt Disney Pictures.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to our inaugural “Thoughts On” post! The film: Frozen, from Walt Disney Animation Studios, originally released on Wednesday, November 27, 2013: Thanksgiving weekend. (You can check out Frozen‘s very “cool”––– pun intended––– official website here!) To start off, let’s get one thing straight…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “New Beginning Beats (2022)”!
Hi, everyone!
First of all, I know a couple of shows have been skipped. What happens is I write, record, and edit my shows, and send them to a database for remote shows. Then, someone at WNUR uploads them to the station’s software to play. There have been some errors recently in that second process, which has affected many shows, including our jam sessions. So, if you hear some songs and timely references that are out of date in the coming weeks, please enjoy the flashback!
This week, we have a rare occurrence: a Jammin’ with Jamie jam session on New Year’s Day!
So let’s start the New Year right (hint hint) by ringing it in with a batch of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Seasonal Celebration Songs (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
This week, we have a rare occurrence: a Jammin’ with Jamie jam session on Christmas Day!
So, it’s high time to unwrap a sack of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Haunting Holiday Harmonies (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
No matter how much you may love the holiday season, there are always certain things about the holiday season that we don’t love so much. So this week, it’s time for a jam session I get a sick and twisted sense of joy out of putting together!
Our seasonal spooky jam sessions for Halloween are gone and buried, but those haunting happenings, creepy creatures, and macabre moods and moments don’t get killed off so easily. We’ve just dug up a heap of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Santa Songs (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
Now that we’ve kicked off the holiday season, it’s time to kick it into high gear! Bundle up, because we’re heading up north! How far north? All the way north… to the North Pole! We’ll be traveling on our holiday road trip as we jam to a sack of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Christmas and Holiday Kickoff Choruses (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
It’s officially December, which means we can officially deck our jam session halls and unwrap our first set of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Food Follies (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you all had a happy one! And if you don’t, I hope you had a happy Thursday!
While we’re still digesting everything we ingested on Thanksgiving, let’s fill up even more on a feast of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Timely Tunes (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
It’s officially Daylight Savings Time!
… Although, depending on where you are, just how much daylight time we’re saving is up for debate…
But whatever the case, we’re going to use our hour to the fullest by jammin’ to a ton of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Haunting Halloween Hangover Harmonies (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
Let’s be honest: our pumpkins are still holding strong, the leaves are still folding, and the monsters, ghosts, and other freaky fiends haven’t crawled back into the crypt yet! So why end the season just because of the silly calendar when clearly, it wants to be resurrected and live on? And hey, this way, while other people are revving up their holiday cheer, we can still be cheery by holding on to the spooky season!
So this week, let’s purge some of the excess spookiness with a stream of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: ““Haunting Halloween Harmonies (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
All Hallow’s Eve is right around that creepy corner… are you ready?
And this time, I don’t mean “ready” as in garlic, silver, spellbooks, beakers, etc.
I mean: do you have your costume ready? Your giant bag or pillow case ready? Your route all planned out? If you do, let this jam session be your tunes to jive to as you trick-or-treat! If you don’t, then let us motivate you to start getting ready now with a host of…
“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Macabre Monster Melodies (2021)”!
Hi, everyone!
Our jam session of spooky sci-fi songs that was originally scheduled to air October 9 ended up playing last Saturday, October 16, at 6 am ET/5 am CT, just before our regularly-scheduled jam session. If you’d like the recording of that jam session (or any other jam session), let me know!
This week, grab your stakes, silver, crucifixes, and any other protection you can think of, because we’re walking through the woods and heading down into the crypt for a mash-up of…