This week, the longest-running children’s animated show, Arthur, concluded its 25th and final season. If you’ve been jammin’ with us for a while, you’ve jammed to several songs from and based on the show. I always hear great feedback from you, my fellow Jammers, when you hear songs you haven’t heard in forever, or songs you’ve never heard from characters you’ve known forever!
Longtime loyal Jammin’ with Jamie Jammers know that I’ve loved Arthur my whole life. In fact, when the show celebrated its 20th anniversary, I was chosen by the production team to make a video talking about what Arthur means to me, which I was more than excited to do!
I recently attended a virtual Q&A with Arthur author and creator Marc Brown and executive producer Carol Greenwald… and they answered my question (at 41:45)!
So, given all of this, it should be no surprise that we’re going to celebrate and pay tribute to this landmark phenomenon with an avalanche of…
For the safety of its DJs, 89.3 WNUR FM is operating on a very limited basis for the foreseeable future. For Jammin’ with Jamie, this means our shows will have to be remote and prerecorded.
Some of you know that my computer was in and out of repairs for months, requiring me to work from various backup hard drives. Then, one of those hard drives very suddenly failed before I was able to update my other backups. Trying to restore my library of music and videos has been a daunting, painstaking task, and I’m not out of the woods on it yet.
When we do resume our more musical jam sessions, I will do what I can to announce themes in advance so everyone can get their requests in beforehand.
But, in the meantime, we can still jam!
This week, we’re featuring another Jammin’ with Jamie interview, with…
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/wintermoviesandspecials.
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…
I had a pretty hectic Halloween season this year, so I wasn’t able to continue my seriesaboutHalloweenmovies. However, I know that my subsequentseries 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!
Christmas (and the holiday season in general) is, obviously, about giving to others, especially those less fortunate than us. It’s also a time to reunite with friends and family. Mix generosity with friends and family, and you have the perfect recipe for craziness and fun. And who has more crazy fun than Pee-wee Herman?
So “come on in, and pull yourself up a chair,” because it’s time for…
Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)!
I do not own any of the following images or videos!
Here’s a treat: a promo for the special from 1988! Check it out:
If you like Pee-wee Herman, you’ll love Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special! Not one bit of the show’s trademark anarchic insanity or subversive nature was sacrificed to create this double-length episode.
This special has everything you’d expect to see in a traditional Christmas special: guest stars galore, seasonal music, almost every Christmas/holiday/winter symbol you can think of, and even a reminder of why people celebrate Christmas in the first place.
If you need something to make you laugh, something to show to kids, or something to make you stand out when it’s your turn to pick in the Christmas movie marathon, look no further than Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special!
You’re invited to the coolest Christmas party EVER!
As with anything Pee-wee Herman-related, if you’ve never seen Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special before, it’s best to go into it without knowing too much about it. Think of it this way: would opening Christmas presents be as fun if you knew what every single gift was beforehand? The answer is no. The surprise is part of the fun!
Go watch Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (which is streaming on Netflix), and then come back here to read the rest of this post.
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…
