2024 Halloween TV Schedule

Look I don't know why this stupid site won't let me post pictures anymore and I'm kind of getting sick of it ...... it just says "sorry we can't upload your picture" with no explanation or anything so if you want this stupid calendar hit me up on twitter (which I refuse to call "X"  here ... sorry it's a pain ... trust me I know .... ARGH! 

BEASLMA on Twitter 

Jumping on my soap box early this season I guess. I don’t understand why Hollywood doesn’t own a calendar. I mean they must right cause they have their fall premiers so they know when fall is….yet there is  Halloween stuff starting in SEPTEMBER.. and CHRISTMAS MOVIES starting in October …. Like what?! How .. Why…. When… I repeat … WHAT?! It boggles my mind honestly. It’s a ready made series of fun and they just dismiss it every year and well that’s just not ok! It’s time we stand up and demand more … or watch what we are given and sit down. I mean you guys do you I’m gonna be over here with Micheal Myers seeing if he finally catches Jamie.  

The point is … once again my Halloween calendar is being over run by the main stays, the OGs if you will. I’m thankful for the networks who not only understand this but embrace it. Looking at you Freeform, Syfy, TMC, AMC, and I appreciate your efforts to keep the fun in Halloween …. Yeah ok fun isn’t in the word Halloween but we all know it’s implied. So just … let me have this ok!

These are networks that understand this time of season and what the viewers want to watch. , I did discover a few new offerings from Hallmark that might have people interested. One in particular called Haunted Wedding that I will admit I have already marked on my calendar cause it sounds … interesting. I’m sure it’s got the same formula as all the other Hallmark movies but I guess I can’t be mad at that. If it aint broke, well make a kabillion of them apparently.

 We don’t want candy canes …. Yet…. we want apple spiced stuff or for some of you pumpkin spiced things. We don’t want presents with pretty ribbons we want candy and in some cases gore. HECK make a scary Halloween Chrismas movie if you must just slow your fraking roll and let us enjoy the holiday please and thank you! I’m looking at the stores too who have already started pushing the Halloween stuff to the smallest possible shelf they can in order to make room for Santa and his gang.

For those new to this party, and there are several of you, I will re-state the rules, for those veterans out there please forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow your attention to wander freely if you’d like. (thanks for that line Albus! – 10 pts for your house if you can tell me which Harry Potter book that’s paraphrased from).

The Rules:

• I live in the central time zone, the times on this calendar reflect that, adjust accordingly if you have traveled north of the Mason Dixie Line or spread your wings out West. Don’t call me cause you missed your “favorite” show/movie, that’s not my mess. Be a big girl or boy and crank up that DVR and find out when it comes on again cause odds are it will. It is about perspective people!
• Time Zones are hard and sometimes I screw up the conversion from Eastern Time Zone to Central. See Note above for how I feel about you finding a mistake on the calendar.
• Unless otherwise stated the times are PM, this calendar is also geared towards the after work hours cause that’s mostly when I can watch. My office seems to think it’s a distraction if I watch while at work, I mean I still do sometimes. For those WFH peeps or stay at home moms feel free to check out these channels throughout the day for more spooky goodness.
• Lastly this calendar shows things I want to see, movies and specials that take me back to my childhood or that just make me happy. Some are kid themed, and some are more adult oriented. PLEASE be mindful of that before you sit down with your little and they can’t sleep cause Freddy might get them. That’s your mess not mine but Kudos to you for showing them a classic. Seriously don’t be that person and there’s always one. This is supposed to be for fun, if you make it not be for fun well you won’t get it next year. PS if you don’t get this one you don’t get the Christmas one either so be sure that’s what you need/want before firing off that e-mail. This isn’t the internet where you can say whatever you want without consequences. 

If you are a digital user the easiest way is to saving it to your phone so you can check it on the fly, I mean who hasn’t gone to the bar keep at the local restaurant to ask them to switch from the game to Friday the 13th ? Just me …. Yeah, the crowd didn’t think it was a good idea either, but I stand by the request and will likely make it again. When I print it, and I do, I print it 11X17 but 8.5X11 is often good enough, especially if you can use one of those cool work printers … not that I do that.

Now I must warn you … these networks have some kind of dyslexia cause I have noticed that they will show the movies and their sequels but often in not any kind of order that makes sense in any world that we live in.  In the case of Halloween or Friday the 13th or even Nightmare on Elm Street when there are more sequels than the Queen had jewels (RIP Liz) they really got dumb. Like I honestly think they are throwing darts at a board and just showing whatever the heck they want. Which if i think about it is their prerogative. If it’s a full night of say Halloween fun I just put Halloween Marathon and it’s up to you to find what you want to watch, that’s right you don’t get out of doing some work on this thing too. If you pick Halloween Three we can no longer be friends.  

A few shows of note:

• Freeform – is once again bringing their 31 nights of Halloween to the party. Just about every night there is fun and laughter and lots of animation that satisfies both adults and little’s alike. So sit down relax and fall into the fun of your childhood. The joy starts October 1st.
• AMC is where you go for all out gore …. Fear Fest starts October 1st and it is not to be messed with and is to be revered and loved for the wonder that it is. Lots of classics on the list and marathon on top of marathon. Lots of theme nights.
• Hallmark channel is showing up for their “Fall into Love” event with “new” movies to offer which mostly premiered in September but I guess if you haven’t seen it then its new to you. There are likely others on the schedule but I focused on those offered for 2024. I admit I’m interested in Haunted Wedding cause there’s just so many things they could do with hat and I can’t wait.
• SYFY is also having a 31 days of Halloween and I admit I was working on this letter when I realized I had forgotten them completely, and well we can’t have that I mean this channel gives so much love to the leprechaun series, Child’s Play and all the classics and shame on Marcy for forgetting them.  Sadly the SYFY schedule only takes us through mid month … so there’s more out there than what I’m showing. In my defense I’m mad at SYFY for cancelling Reginald the Vampire and they deserve what they get.
• Food Network – for some reason another year has come and Food Network started their Halloween programing in September. So they aren’t on this calendar but the main programs include Halloween Wars, Halloween Baking Championship, Kids Baking Championship, and really the only one you need to be aware of is Outrageous Pumpkins. This year they are having an “all star” cast from previous seasons (who knew they had been on long enough to do that!)
• Disney Channel is once again having a Monstober starting October 1st … which isn’t dumb at all, however the craziest thing about it is that they have very little to offer. As you know this calendar is not about established shows that are having Halloween theme shows and with the entirety of Disney+ at their disposal it’s insane to me how little they have to offer. However They are showing Wizards Beyond Waverly Place which I have featured on the calendar cause I’m intrigued by it.
• Tuner Classic Movies (TCM) is back for an entire October of Horror Films and they are back on the calendar if only cause of the variety they bring to the table. Even though I no longer have this channel which makes me both sad and a little angry. Thanks a lot TED!
• Charlie Brown - Apple TV+ is still the home for all the Peanut’s specials …. Like last year they are opening up free access to non-subscribers so they can watch their favorite holiday specials but only for limited windows of time. This includes:
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown   Streaming free on: Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Streaming free on: Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24
• A Charlie Brown Christmas   Streaming free on: Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15.
• Fox: The Simpson’s Treehouse of Horrors will air the first Sunday of November cause that’s not dumb at all … between football, baseball, and NASCAR Fox has over extended themselves but they really should keep this special during the month of October.

Of course, there is streaming but even I can’t get up the energy for that rant tonight …. You know what to do …. Huluween, MAX, Prime, Disney+, and of course the almighty Netflix, to only name a few, will have various offerings of Halloween fun. Just so you know HULU does have the Garfield Halloween Adventure and it’s well not as good as my childhood remembers but it’s better than some of the junk out there and I can’t wait to watch it again and again.

So enjoy a scare, carve a pumpkin, eat all the good candy and buy some more for the little beggers who grace your front door just do whatever you need to in order to keep Mariah at bay a little bit longer. IYKYK.

Marcy

Memoirs …. Memories …..

My father is turning 80 this year and has spent the better part of the last few months writing his memoirs. He’s talked about his marriage, his kids, his grandkids, his career (40+ years as a transportation engineer for the same company), growing up, going to college, being in the service. All of it. It’s all been kind of fun to read and listen to him talk about. I’ve learned a lot about him, I’ve pushed him to write more than I think he had originally planned. I admit I wish he put more of himself in there. Not “I had a kid in 1979, she was a girl.” As an Engineer he’s a facts guy. Facts are good but what did you think about these facts. Were you terrified to have a daughter. Is there anything you wish you had done differently? How was it going from a son to a daughter? What was it like the first time you saw mom ? How did you decide that you wanted to marry her? Did you buy the ring on your own? Had you all talked about it .. did you know she would say yes? … you know stuff like that.  There’s also things in the book that I’m not sure belong, but it’s his book and if he wants to list every camera he’s ever owned who am I to tell him differently. However, as he has gone through this process it has made me think that not only, do I not have enough to write my memoirs, even if I did I don’t have anyone that would be interested in reading them.

I mean I just turned 45 so maybe there is time for me to develop those core memories, but I feel like there’s not much to what I have going on. I mean I was born in the late 70s, grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, was an adult for the 2000’s but it was all pretty … basic. Nothing too earth shattering. I played with awesome toys, listened to even better music, watched some good TV shows (some that are still on the air today in either reruns or on streaming services). I am part of that generation who remembers life before our phones and the internet took over and yet also remember when all those things took over and the pros and cons of both. I remember the birth of social media and dropping one for the next “fad” many times over. I remember when it actually used to be social and not what it is today. I remember seeing the NKOTB in concert several times and admit it cracks me up that they are still making music, still touring. I have also been blessed over my 45 years in seeing a lot of really great bands, in a variety of venues, but many in my generation can say something similar. I remember being obsessed with MTV and would watch for hours waiting on my favorites to show up. I think that’s why my musical tastes are so varied cause for a while they played just about every genre under the sun. It didn’t matter the label behind the band or what they were selling at that moment. If they had a video it was played and a jazz number would follow a pop hit, which was followed by rap, and then an alternative band, followed by a county artist, then R&B…. rinse and repeat all day and all night long with some news scattered around for flavor. I also credit limewire, Napster, and other file download sites for opening up my musical world with a click or two of a button and hours of watching a blue bar praying the internet would hold long enough to download the whole thing only to have to reset it cause it didn’t. Then the sadness of clicking on the file and it not being what you downloaded in the first place. The mixtapes after these services were so much better than they were before. I do admit not being able to rush to a store and get a CD and the fun of listening to said CD on the way home from the store is something that I really miss.

I was in the generation that hoarded VHS, then DVDs and still have them all cause like I don’t want to just toss them. Ironically my first VHS was ET gifted to me by my Grandmother who bought all the grandkids the movie for Christmas one year. I also had a Blockbuster card and a card for Movie Gallery and often visited both in an effort to find the movie I wanted. I remember my brother renting Thriller so many times my mom banned him from getting it for like 6 months. When they started having games my trips became far more frequent. The birth of gaming consoles really altered my life and robbed me of hours of time and money but also gave me so much joy I am an ATARI fan for life and am lucky I started with such a “simple” system. Over the years we had many consoles including Nintendo NES, Sega, Gameboy, X-box, X-box one, Nintendo Switch, and others I’m sure I’m forgetting long before I started being obsessed with playing games on my phone. Oh and computer games … I remember when we got our first home computer and logging into Prodigy and message boards and having a great time until someone needed to make a phone call.

I also played a crapton of sports, until my knee decided to stop being a knee my Senior year of high school. I played baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics, ballet all of which took a toll on my body after years of play. I also went away to college, living in the dorm all 4 years and in an apartment one summer when I needed to play catch up in order to graduate on time.  I remember playing intermural sports trying to stay in the game until my knee was like hey I thought we were done with this! And my knee was right we were. I still play sometimes but it takes a few days to recover and it just isn’t as wroth it to me now. I do miss those days.

I remember vividly the death of John Paul II … or JP Dos as Golden calls him. I am not Catholic but for that week or so we all kind of were. Waiting on smoke to come out of a chimney seeing the outpouring of love for a man who just wanted to do good things while he was here. He’s the first Pope I really remember paying attention to … and also I guess the last. I hope he is finally resting knowing he did good while he was here.

I also lived through some pretty large events in my lifetime … including the Challenger explosion which left a group of elementary school kids very confused. I remember having 9 planets and don’t care what anyone says Pluto is still on my poster so he’s a planet (sorry Golden). I remember seeing all the animals covered in oil after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on TV and thinking what a waste of resources just cause a ship wasn’t up to code (if memory serves me correctly). I recall little Baby Jessica falling into the well and mom and I staying up wayyy to late om a school night to finally see her emerge out of the well, again on TV, and be rushed off to the hospital and never really heard from again except on yearly checkups. I remember the LA Riots and how they pretty much let LA burn and the looting, oh so much looting. As a kid I thought you are just destroying your own stuff… what are you accomplishing here. Speaking of LA I remember that horrific earthquake where sections of interstates collapsed on cars and people and being glad that Earthquakes were not a thing here in the South. I remember when the wall came down in Berlin, but didn’t honestly understand what it meant or frankly why there was a wall to begin with. I remember the Gulf War but mostly cause the guy across the street went and we’d be checking on him. I remember Afghanistan and thinking well here we go again … knowing we hadn’t really finished the first one. I remember the day Bin Laden was shot in the eye which still makes me chuckle. They had a full on 6 foot man and chose to shoot him in the eye. Good on them. Sad for the fishes that used him for food and have wondered many times if they too became evil cause you are, after all, what you eat.  That is the Spongebob episode I wanna see.

The event that affected me the most was the Oklahoma Bombing cause it just really seemed so unnecessary. My best friend actually ran away from home that day (for reals) and I was home sick and watched CNN like a crazy person until my mom took away my TV a few days later. Physically removed it from the wall so I couldn’t turn it back on. My bother wasn’t a fan. I remember sitting on our porch crying cause there were all these families in Oklahoma missing families and my friend just bolted cause her mom was “mean to her.” (she eventually came home but after spending the weekend at a family member’s house to “cool off”). I remember sitting on our porch crying with my mom that night and so many nights later for people I never knew but felt awful that they were gone in such a violent way. I also remember watching the trial and calling my mom and crying to her again on the day they put McVey to death and recall thinking how he just destroyed so many lives and at the end of the day still got to be in control of his fate. It just seemed so unfair. That being said I am glad he’s gone. I remember the OJ trial and the verdict and the feelings that it all evoked and the first time I ever felt well I guess the justice system is just a waste of time. The 2^nd time I felt that way was after the Oklahoma Bombing.

After the Oklahoma Bombing I started being more weary about being in public and what others around me were doing … or not doing. It was a stressful time, but like all things eventually I moved on cause I had to. I was just a little wiser. Then school shootings one after another after another which then turned into parks, theaters, malls, airplanes, sport venues, and left me feeling like there were no safe spaces on this planet anymore. I recall kids jumping out of windows to escape Columbine … I remember wondering how bad was it going to get before we did anything to try and make it better. I’m sad that we still haven’t reached whatever imaginary goal we have to get to for something to change. I was glad to be out of high school cause I really don’t think I could have continued to attend classes. I was nearly finished with college and had the freedom to just leave class or skip all together when I needed to. I kept in close contact with my professors and stayed on top of my assignments, so they were really awesome about working with me. I really got to the point where I hated to leave my house, hated to leave the places that I felt safe cause the truth was I wasn’t safe anywhere and that was not a good feeling. Panic attacks are just the worst.

Being in the south hurricanes have played a large part in shaping me over the years. I remember being told as a baby that I slept through Frederick which devastated where I live. I was almost one when it hit. I remember us packing up and leaving the house on numerous occasions not sure what we’d come home too and each time we’d come home clean up and move on. When dad bought our house, he bought it on a huge hill. I remember once being worried about flooding and he took me into the yard and said if we flood water is the least of our problems. I rested easier after that, and storms didn’t scare me as much anymore even when we were packing up to run from one. I remember the devastation left by Katrina and watching the coast of MS get wiped right off the map while the focus remained on New Orleans. A story that never would have happened had the levees held. However that’s how events like that happen .  . . . one thing fails and it leads to a bigger story.

I have lived through many presidents (Carter, Reagan, Daddy Bush, Clinton, Son Bush, Obama, Trump and currently Biden to be specific). I can’t recall any of them filling me with the passion to really get behind a president. I guess the Clinton administration is the first one that I got to Vote for, but I can’t recall if I voted for him or not. I used to enjoy politics the back and forth, the discourse around what was best for the country not just for that election. I’m currently sad to where we are right now and very disenchanted with the entire process if I’m being honest. The president I remember the most is Carter but I think that’s cause he’s from Georgia and I have enjoyed watching him do all his work for the Habitat for Humanity. I like that after leaving office he still did good things and I guess the others are too I just don’t hear about it as much. I remember people talking about the Royal Wedding between Charles and Diana … I didn’t get up for it but remember my mom and her friend watching it before we were taken to school. I do however visibly remember the death and funeral of Diana all those years later and how sad it seemed. I remember the death of Queen Elizabeth and the spectacle that resulted from her death. She was a very interesting lady and seemed to really care about the country. All the words said about her seemed hollow to me … not enough to capture what a remarkable life she had led but after so many years I guess what more was there to say.

I was part of the Harry Potter generation that was able to experience the books before the movies and am grateful for that. I credit Golden for that. She read the Sorcerer’s Stone and talked about it so much that I read her copy and then her copy of the Chamber of Secrets which irritated me to no end. I felt like I had just read the same book twice. However, the Prisoner of Azkaban was to come out in like the next week or so and I was hooked after that one. I’m confident had I waited more than say 2 months I wouldn’t have read anymore of the series. I’m glad I did. I’m glad I got to watch the movies too, but there’s just something special and magical about that series that the movies just can’t give you, especially on that first read through not knowing what to expect.

I graduated from College not too long after 911 and remember how for a brief moment the country came together as one united and focused on a single goal. It was a brief moment, then we all went back to what we do. I only remember having that feeling one other time and it was right as Covid was hitting and we were all doing our best to help each other out and listening to people and united with the Government that many of us didn’t pick or agree on but listened and for another brief moment did what they asked. It’s true we can come together but I’m sad we don’t do it often.

Finding a job after the uncertainty around 911 made life difficult but I tempted some and finally found a place that feels stable and secure. I’ve been there 21 years this September and while there is a lot about the place at the moment that feels me with dead and sadness there were many good times, and the times now are good on paper but I fear that is all it is. The good outweights the bad … right … sure it does … let’s not go down this rabbit hole right now.

I’m not in a good place mentally but after reading this post again it’s been an interesting life but it mostly been things I’ve witnessed not really lived. I have no children of my own but feel like my nephews are as good as mine. I have been lucky enough to always have a roof over my head, food in the pantry, a decent car to drive, a warm bed to return to every night and so I really have very little to complain about. My parents are both still alive and doing ok heath wise. They are still together a feat not many of my friends can say about their own. I have a good job that pays me well, I should use my PTO more often for fun than doctor appointments but I’m working on that. I often feel I’m wasting my time at said job but see the sentence about it being a good job that pays me well so what do I really have to complain about ? I’m on the downhill side granted I’m still towards the top of that hill but I am no longer climbing. I guess what I’m saying is life could be way worse and I need to suck it up and get on with it. Maybe spend the next 40 years living the things that will create my memories that can one day fill a memoirs that someone might want to read one day.

 

Heck I can’t even get people to read a blog so what do I know.

Marcy (@beaslma)

 

Halloween Movies - Specifically Hocus Pocus

It’s October … which in my head means it’s finally officially FALL! I know fall has an official start date and I frankly don’t know when it is but for me it’s always first of October when I want to throw the windows up, turn off the AC, settle into the couch and watch some scary movies. Then I remember I live in the South and it’s still so fracking hot. So I shut the windows, crank the AC back up, pop some popcorn, settle into the couch and watch some scary movies.

Golden is trying to do 31 days of Halloween watching at least one Halloween themed show/movie a day for the entire month. Her recent eye surgery will make that a little more difficult but she will do her best to catch up I’m sure.

So far this month I’ve watched Thirteen Ghosts, Trick R Treat, Friday the 13^th, Halloween (the original), Hubie Halloween, Halloween 4 The Curse of Michael Myers, Beetlejuice, and Ghostbusters from 2018. I am also counting Hocus Pocus 2 in there cause well I watched that Sep 30^th, again on Oct 2^nd and will likely watch it one more time this week. It is that good people.

When the original Hocus Pocus came out I was in the 8^th grade. I watched it like everyone else, even enjoyed it but was kind of underwhelmed by it. There were pieces and parts that I was like wait isn’t this a kids movie ? Did they really just say that?! Little moments like that ripped me out of the fantasy world and I never really got to run a mock with it (ha! Get it?). I still watch it every year cause I mean you have to, I think it’s an amendment in Walt’s will or something, but it was always more I’d put on while I cleaned or wrote a blog, worked, or played on my phone. It was on, I was in the room, but I guess I wouldn’t say I’m always really watching it. There were pieces I didn’t want to miss and would look up from whatever I’m doing to watch. The first time the sisters take flight on their new “booms” always makes me chuckle, when they wake up Billy for the first time and the butterflies/moths fly out of his mouth. When Binx transforms at the end (Spoiler alert) and reunites with his sister.  I found the Dani character annoying, I found Max to be a pushover and Allison always reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite put my finger on which I found annoying.

A few months ago I was walking through a bookstore and came across a book that had both stories in it. The original and the new upcoming Hocus Pocus and I was like I’m in. I bought it and immediately took it home to start reading. I skipped right to the middle of the book for the 2^nd story and dove in. To say I was underwhelmed was a huge misstatement. I was down right pissed off. If that’s what I have to look forward to I’m not going to see it. Then the news articles started coming out and the anti Disney people started making their voices louder and I was like well damn now I have to go watch if only to support the darn thing. You guys know me …. Anything that’s original Halloween content I’ll happily sit in front of for hours, that’s how starved I am for that kind of thing. Then it got a Disney+ only release and I was like oh that’s not good. So, a friend of mine decided she was going to set up her big out door screen and we could all watch it as a group. I was like ok I’m in but didn’t have high hopes for the movie.

I was intrigued that most of the cast came back for the sequel. That hardly ever happens after such a long gap, I mean 29 years is a long time to step back into a role. For those of you that haven’t seen it yet I’ll not give too much away here cause I mean it really is a good stand alone movie that if you know the original you laugh a little harder at some of jokes. I really would suggest watching them both but if you only make time to watch one this year I’d borrow someone’s Disney+ account and make it the sequel.

Here's the plot for those that only read the news and think they know what this movie is about.

A young lady named Becca is turning 16, and her birthday happens to be on Halloween. She and 2 friends Izzy and usually Cassie, have a “birthday” ritual where they go to a place in the woods light a candle and “chant” but really they are just some teens that are laughing and having a good time before going back to one of the houses for a movie marathon and snacks. The entire town seems to know about this ritual. Turns out this year the candle they are given is well the famous “Black Flame Candle” and it wakes up the Sanderson Sisters once again. The rest of the movie is them trying to “save the town.” In the middle of all this drama Becca and Izzy have grown apart from Cassie and are starting to drift into two different friend groups and teenage drama takes center stage.

There are several side stories and mishaps that tied the story together for me but I’ll not bore you with those right now. I will just say sit back, snuggle on the couch get some popcorn and throw everything out of your head and just enjoy the movie for what it is. A really good Halloween movie. You will thank me for that!

Happy October … what have you been watching !?

Marcy

This is Halloween ......

       EDIT : Due to my awesomeness the powers that be have decided to air the Great Pumpkin on PBS Oct. 24th at 7:30 Eastern which is of course when most families are sitting down to watch TV not rushing home or preparing dinner. Sigh ... anyway you will have the opportunity to watch this beloved special but don't always count on that ..... 

  

n    Now back to our originally scheduled shenanigans! 

       Attention fellow lovers of Halloween TV fun …….let’s get some unpleasant business out of the way first … In case you missed it last year, Peanuts anything has moved exclusively to Apple TV + and thus you won’t find our beloved Great Pumpkin on this year’s calendar, or I guess any future calendars. For the record I believe I’ve been predicting this for over a decade so I’m not going to say I told you so but ……… I mean I totes did. I was really hoping the powers that be would come to their senses and realize what a missed opportunity this was but well if they had any senses we’d have less “reboots” or “remakes” than we do flavors of Oreo’s. I was going to bore you with my reboot rant but I’m going to spare you … this time! However can we talk about how they will show say Friday the 13^th part 3, 4, 2, and then 1 ? Like that’s so messed up …. Or they will show Halloween 4 but not Halloween. What’s up with that?!

 

       That being said I’m kind of super excited about the new Child Play SERIES “Chucky’ that will be on Syfy this year starting October 12^th. However, since that’s a series and not a special it’s not on this calendar but should be, cause it looks AWESOME! …wait …where was I … oh yeah, the move of Peanuts to Apple TV+ … If you have it log on…..pull it up and enjoy … the rest of us will just grab our DVDs while we still can. For you old schoolers your VHS might need to be dusted off before you insert it but should still be good to go too. God love ya if like me you are still rocking the old school VHS machine. I myself got me a little VHS/DVD combo, when my former VCR died a horrible, horrible death after eating my copy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a super sad day for sure. Dad still says was a waste of money. Who is laughing now Dad ?! well….me….I guess ….. just me, but I stand by my decision that day at the Best Buy to pay a little extra for the luxury of being able to choose my format when watching goodness on my TV instead of upgrading to that Blu-Ray fad.  

 
So now that that’s taken care of ……. I present to you the 2021 Halloween Calendar. It’s back guys! I’m going to keep it going until the universe says we’ve had enough.  Or until you guys stop asking about it … in August.
 
A few items of note ….
FreeForm is doing 31 nights of Halloween – this is the place that your littles will need to land but note that just cause it’s on this channel this time of year does not mean it’s “Halloween” fun and what’s with their new alignment with Fox that allows them to show not only the Simpsons but now Family Guy as well? I do admit that at some point FreeForm tried to take over the calendar but I think I held them at bay … somewhat but good try FreeForm.

SYFY is also doing 31 days of Halloween – That’s the place to go for some fun, gory, good times!

AMC Fear Fest begins October 1^st – Classics are all over the place here with some walking dead sprinkled around for flavor. Tune in to see Pet Sematary, The Shining, Scream, all the Final Destinations, and of course the OG …. Michael Meyers in Halloween.

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXXII airs on FOX on Oct. 10^th. It’s Must See TV. This year’s special will be 5 segments instead of the usual three.

TCM is trying to get back on my calendars by throwing a Halloween Marathon starting October 29^th at 7 through October 31^st. That’s 32 classic movies guys ….  Spooky, creepy, horrifying, and humorous over the course of 48 hours. This includes movies starring the likes of Vincent Price, Linda Blair, and even Mel Books in Young Frankenstein, a MUST see if you haven’t seen it. 

Food Network is still in the corner cause like last year they started most of their programing in the middle of September (cause that’s when I want to get my Halloween Wars on of course). They slightly redeem themselves by bringing back “Outrageous Pumpkins” with Alyson Hannigan starting Oct. 3^rd and airing every Sunday at 9 and Kids Baking Championship “Oh My Gourd!” (Seriously get in the corner Food Network and likely make a nest you are going to be there for a while). KBC OMG (which is truly what they are calling it btw) will air Monday at 7 starting Oct. 18^th. I’m not even going to rant about the fact that Halloween Wars removed the “pumpkin” aspect of the show and how the host is only appearing via prerecorded videos .. I mean just cancel the damn thing already and put it out of its misery.

There is also exciting news on the “streaming” front …… Disney+ will have a new “Lego Star Wars” called “Terrifying Tales” or something like that but the real exciting news is that they will be debuting the “Muppets Haunted Mansion” on Oct 8th. Peacock will be showing the brand-new Halloween Movie “Halloween Kills” starting Oct. 15^th will Jamie finally kill him or nah … my guess is nah but I’m thankful for Universal and Peacock for making this happen. Peacock will also air a “Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween” starting Oct. 14^th and if that’s not worth getting Peacock well nothing is. Peacock is free yall …. Go get it ! Hulu is having a Huluween (seriously can’t make this stuff up) with a special Halloween section featuring both classic movies and “Halloween episodes” of favorite shows. ! Netflix has some new “specials” as well such as Sharkdog’s Fintastic Halloween, Escape the Undertaker, Scaredy Cats, and Nightbooks. All kinds of good stuff on Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Disney+, Peacock and *cough* AppleTV+ this year … plus some amazing classics so check em out. 

Hallmark – Hallmark is doing some “Fall Harvest” thing with some “new” movies so I threw them on the calendar if only cause Freeform was taking over. Might be a good fall alternative to gruesome and scary, or a mind-numbing bore to fall asleep to after a stressful workday.  

As this is the 12th (give or take) year of doing this …. I’m not going to bore you with the rules …. Just know ….. If your kid is easily skittish and couldn’t sleep after watching say Texas Chainsaw Massacre don’t blame me … as some have done in the past, it’s not my problem. I’m in the Central time zone, if you aren’t then adjust accordingly. Check your own listings as yes sometimes I make mistakes and conversion from Eastern Time Zone is hard yall.
 
The intention of this calendar is to get your family to pause and spend some time together making memories. Maybe carve a pumpkin while watching, create some fantastic Halloween Treats from your various Social Media sites, or work on your costume – don’t forget the props - and RELAX with your family, friends and loved ones (sometimes those overlap). This years must see special will be next year’s Peanuts only available via streaming if we aren’t careful ….. so, let’s not let that happen again. 

       **NOTE ** if you save the image below it will not be cut off, but if I share it as "normal" it makes it really small and basically unreadable. 

 
So, sit back, scare yourself, and have a GREAT Halloween! It’s fall people enjoy it!
 
Marcy 

Thankfulness Challenge – Christmas Movies

Tonight I happened to be flipping around looking for something to watch and saw that ET was coming on at 7. On a whim I said we should watch ET! Now we are all in my living room watching ET and what I really want to do is change the channel. My father came down to join me and my mom and the first words out of his mouth was “don’t yall have this on DVD why are we watching it on TV” and of course mom got all defensive cause now she thinks he’s here but doesn’t want to be. He also likes to watch TV in total darkness which my mom hates. So one light is on and it’s driving him nuts.

ET was one of the first movies I ever remember seeing. It was definitely the fist VHS I ever owned. My grandmother went to the store one year and got all the grandkids their very own copy for Christmas. I still have that VHS. She was so very proud to be able to give us those. I think it was the most she had ever spent on Christmas. I guess that’s why I always feel like this is a Christmas movie even though it’s totally not. I can’t remember the last time I watched this movie but the ending never fails to make me cry.

This weekend’s plan is to finish my Christmas calendar. I found a few things that I was missing and I think I found some of the AMC line up even though they didn’t want to share. Ingrates. I’d like to send it out prior to Thanksgiving next week. One of the guys that recently left our firm came by just last week to make sure I had his new e-mail address. It always cracks me up when they do that. He said he realized towards the middle of October that he didn’t get my Halloween calendar and he was going to make sure he got the Christmas one.

The office next door to ours in our building plays non-stop Christmas movies from 8-4 (when their receptionist is in the office). I love walking by to see what’s on. I have a tendency this time of year to go to the bathroom more. My boss jokes that he’s going to find me in the hallway one day sitting in the floor, laptop in my lap, one eye on the TV the other on my screen. He’ not wrong. I think it’s great that they do that. She watches far too much Hallmark for my taste but it’s her TV I’ll let her do her thing. Today she watched Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story my two favorites. Yesterday she watched It’s a Wonderful life. Our Thanksgiving lunch was a success and now I feel like I can actually listen to Christmas music without making myself want to vomit. Damn I love this time of year. However all this means is that I’m wwwwaaaayyyyy behind on my Christmas shopping. That’s future Marcy’s problem.

We’ll I’m going to watch the movie, have a great weekend, stay safe out there!

Marcy

Thankfulness Challenge – Guilty Pleasures

I spend a lot of my day in an organized chaos. At work I’m pulled in several different directions in a very short timeframe, then at home I’m helping to take care of my parents. It’s like a second job, they would both hate to hear me say that but that’s how I feel. So on those rare moments that I have the time to enjoy some Guilty Pleasures here’s what I go for …. 

• Chips - Of the potato variety. I like flavored chips, like sour cream and onion or BBQ but I also like tortilia chips, corn chips, Doritos, cheese curls, cheese balls, really anything with a crunch. Anything that I can snack on while working, or while watching TV.
• Games on my phone – I’ll admit these are definitely a guilty pleasure cause even on those times where I say I’m not paying for anything I usually end up buying something to get through a level that’s stupid hard. Sometimes I spend far too much on these games, but they are fun. Until they aren’t then I just download a new game and move on. I get real obsessed with the games then one day will forget that it exists then 6 months or a year later I’ll accidently click on it and I’m right back into my obsession.
• Books – I love books, of all kinds. Children’s books, young adult books, adult books, comic books, autobiographies, fiction, mysteries. All of it. I used to want to be a writer. I guess in some ways that dream still exists but often I look around the shelves in my room and realize that I’ll likely never write something as good as those and instead of writing pick up a book and get lost in someone else’s imagination.  
• Pepsi – ok let’s be real ….. WILD CHERRY PEPSI …. I take a sip of Wild Cherry Pepsi and I can immediately feel my blood pressure go down, the world shift back into focus, and I can take on anything ahead of me. It shocks me how people don’t embrace this drink. Don’t get me wrong Sweet tea, Coke and regular Pepsi do the trick in a pinch but if I’m standing in front of a cooler I’m going to reach for Wild Cherry Pepsi before I reach for anything else.
• Sleep – Sleep is a definite guilty pleasure cause lately I’m not getting any of it. I am averaging about 3-4 hours a night and that’s a GOOD NIGHT. It is usually closer to 2 hours every other night if I’m being honest.
• Movies – I love going to a movie theater. I love the popcorn, picking out seats, sitting in a room with a bunch of other people and having an experience together. I wish I did this more often. I really want to see the Mr. Rogers movie coming out this month, there’s another one with Chris Evans I saw advertised the other day that I’d also like to see. However I know me I won’t. Then they will be in the stores and I’ll buy the DVD and never watch it. So maybe movies are not my guilty pleasure. 

This is a short list and I’m sure there are more and I’m just not thinking about them at the moment. A guilty pleasure is something that makes you happy but it’s also something that doesn’t happen daily so you enjoy it when you can. Maybe I don’t fully understand guilty pleasures. Ha! 

Marcy

@beaslma

Happy 2016!

Hello all! Happy 2016!
So far my 2016 is going much like my 2015.
Work, sleep, be sick, repeat.

It's the worst recycling program EVER! A rut I tend to get myself stuck into far too often. I can tell you there has been a pretty big lifestyle change that's already taken place in the beginning of this year. A change that I'm not sure I should admit out loud, but I guess I will. Any of you that follow me on twitter know of my dedication and leadership in the "no pants" lifestyle. It is one of my founding principles. However, this year I have been introduced to the world of the fuzzy onesie and must admit that I, Golden "Pants free" Dean, am a fan. I know...I know...Hear me out...Please don't revolt yet. I still support the utopia of a pants free society as passionately as ever. I've always said, you No Pants at your own level of comfort, and I stand by this. But when the temperature is reaching a high of below freezing, having an ass of fuzzy angelic style warmth, well that's just tops! But fear not! I'm still living a healthy 90-92% pants free life. So I guess a couple of weeks in to this new year has brought at least that one change.

Like everyone else, I have been asked REPEATEDLY, "What are your New Years resolutions?" So far the only answer I have given anyone was "To not die" followed by an awkward amount of silence in order to not be asked again. Setting resolutions is totally fucking worthless. I think this year I will set some goals.

What's the difference in 'Resolutions' and 'Goals'?

Nothing other than a mental block. To me a goal is something I aim for, but to call it a resolution seems...well pretty resolute. It becomes a mandate or a chore. And nothing triggers my childish 'fuck you, I don't give a damn' attitude like a chore. (Trust me, deep down I'm an obstinate disobedient temper tantrum throwing child in a slightly taller package.) 

So please to enjoy some of my 2016 goals...

~See more movies in the theater- there was a time that I saw everything the week it came out, even if no one else cared to see it and I had to go alone. But for a few different reasons I haven't been as dedicated, and I miss the big screen experience. Plus 2016 has some amazing must see movies for a weirdo like myself... Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts, Assassins Creed, Star Trek 3, and on and on ...

~Read- I go through phases with reading. As long as its for fun I can't read fast enough. But make it a chore and well....obstinate child. But even when I'm in a phase of not reading I'm still buying as though I'm reading a book a day, which leads me to the situation I'm in now. Huge stacks of books piling up everywhere longing to be read. So it's time to knock that stack down a bit.

~Do more- It can be extremely hard to plan activities when you live with a chronic illness. It's getting harder and harder to travel and having a compromised immune system makes it hard to be around large crowds. Plus when I'm "up" and feeling good I make all the plans, but then the date of the event comes around and it seems that the pain sets in and I just have to forgo my plans. I've got to get better at taking advantage of when my body is in a healthy phase and also take advantage of local adventures.

~Look up- This isn't some spiritual or metaphorical realization but a literal one. I spend so much time looking down when I walk, at work, when I'm out and about, that I miss so much of the world around me and it can become a self imposed isolation. So just by looking up more often maybe I can find ways to engage with the world around me.

~Cook more- I like to cook and I'm not too bad at it but I just don't do it. Instead I exist on mostly heat up frozen or fast food. So not healthy.

So there we have it, 5 goals for me to aim for in 2016. What about you guys? How are you handling your New Year? Join in and let us know. If your goal is cool, I'll probably steal it and do it myself!

-golden (@theonlygolden)

2015 New Year’s Resolutions

HAPPY 2015!!!!!! It’s here … a new year, a new calendar on the wall, a time to reflect and prepare for the next 365 days. So …. Here’s my obligatory New Year’s Resolution post. I don’t normally “do” New Year Resolutions cause all it really becomes is a list of shit I didn’t accomplish. This is because I always put things on it that just frankly don’t pan out. Losing weight, traveling more, relax more … that kind of crap just doesn’t pan out for me. It’s not that I don’t want to do those things they just don’t end up happening, so this year I’m going with things I can actually accomplish. . . .

1.     I want to read more…new books, old books, digital books…. Just books in general. This will definitely be helped as the sequel to Game.Set.Match by JenniferIacopelli called Losing at Love which should come out very soon. The series focuses on an elite group of tennis players at the Outer Banks Tennis Academy and their lives on and off the court and especially how those two worlds collide more than they would like. I can’t wait to find out what happens to these characters next! If you are looking for something to read I can't recommend Game.Set.Match enough, especially if you are a Tennis fan but honestly a non-tennis fan will love it as well!

2.     I want to see more movies in the theater. I’m horrible about seeing something and wanting to see it but then never thinking about it again. I don’t like to go to movies alone and with Golden so far away I’m going to have to find others to sit next to me while I eat delicious popcorn. I’m starting this weekend by going to see Into the Woods with a friend of mine at the Crescent Theater here. An old school theater with a single screen which is a great atmosphere. So check! :D

3.     I want to procrastinate less. Mostly so I’m not spending my entire weekends catching up on things that I should have accomplished days before.

4.     I want to write more. Not just write but actually finish a story and be proud of it.

5.     I do want to lose weight cause I think it will help my knee from deciding at random intervals to stop being a knee. There are times that I am walking along then all of the sudden it buckles and I’m not so much walking as wishing for death. I know that my weight doesn’t help this however I also really like food.

6.     I’d like to travel more, even if it’s just to Birmingham to see Golden. On the bucket list include… New York, Atlanta (maybe for DragonCon), New Orleans, Los Angeles is a long shot I know.

7.     I want the people in my life to have better health in 2015, from my friend still battling breast cancer, or my other friend who has beaten Leukemia (knock on wood), to my “Medical Marvel” I hope my friends have better luck health wise in 2015.

8.     I want to spend more time with my nephews, quality time not just sitting and watching them play sports. I miss them and frankly it’s time life take a back seat while these boys still want me around.

9.     I want to take advantage of my vacation time more, even if it’s just a day or here and there for sanity purposes. This is actually necessary cause i'm soon going to be in that danger zone of use it or lose it and frankly losing vacation time is NOT something I believe in.

10.  TBD meaning I might add to this list as the year goes on ….

 So what are your plans for 2015 or are you more like Golden …

Happy New Year thanks for spending part of it with us!

Marcy

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 15

I am writing this to you all from the cozy tissue littered sick nest of my bed. Please consider this my last will and testament. Well, ok so I may not be dying, but I'm close to it. Ok, so I may not be close to it. It may just be the flu and I'm a dramatic fevered bitch. Either way, I totally feel like ass! Ok. Ok. Ok. I will shut up with my bitching before you turn the blog channel. Plus this month is supposed to be about being thankful not about boring the shit out of people with my snotty lifestyle.

My past few blog contributions have been about the importance of the chill. And how it does a body, mind, and soul good.

Marcy is a huge music fan. Music allows her to mellow out and melt away. I like music, but my taste in music is really bad. I admit that freely. Plus relaxing is not how I use music. Music tends to pep me up, but it could be because the type of music I prefer is fast with a beat. So I usually lean on music to get me revved. Like while I'm getting ready to go out, or while I'm trying to meet a deadline, or even that one time I went to the gym. So music doesn't really soothe my soul. But movies, movies totally do!

I love going to the movie theater. Especially the older classic theatres that you can still find across the U.S. The ones that play "The Wizard of Oz" or "It's a Wonderful Life" and allow you to melt away into a past life.

I even love curling up on the couch and watching a movie. I crave movies the way some people crave food. Being sick recently, I've been craving my "Sick Time Movie Playlist". It has such great hits as "The Labyrinth", "The Princess Bride" "Stardust" "Flight of Dragons". You know excellent movies that don't work against the cold meds but instead enhance the experience.

Have you ever gone to a proper theatre and been so drawn into the production that your peripheral falls away and you are completely focused with such tunnel vision, that you forget where you are when you snap back to yourself? I love that feeling. And I love it when that happens when I'm watching a good movie. As the holiday season is starting i, like most people I'm sure, have a "Seasonal Movie Playlist" so you will probably get tired of hearing about my love of movies. So I will do my best not to bore you with my love of Movie Playlists. I am so thankful for the creative people who create these movies and hopefully you too can extract some of the beauty and movie magic that I am so thankful for. Because movies, especially some of the classics, are magical and I am thankful that they allow me to suspend my mind and journey to places and times that would otherwise be impossible for me to reach.
 

I know that there exists a type of person that doesn't like "old movies". Hey, you like what you like. So I'm not trying to tell you that you are wrong to feel that way, but yeah....you're wrong to feel that way. Just kidding (no I'm not). But if you find yourself with time on your hands and you need a movie to escape to, here are a few of my favorites.
 

Please to enjoy...

§  Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (Peter Sellers is comedy gold in the absurd)

§  Cat on A Hot Tin Roof (I can't turn away from the beautiful perfection of Liz Taylor and Paul Newman.)

§  To Kill A Mockingbird (I cry every time. "Miss Jean Louise, stand up, your father's passing")

§  Guys and Dolls (You just can't beat Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. Brando was gorgeous before he went all nutters.)

§  Harvey (I dare you to not believe in a giant 6ft, three and a half inch tall invisible rabbit after you see this)

§  The Goonies (Because come on we all are Goonies at heart. Plus, Hello? Cyndi Lauper soundtrack)

§  Jurassic Park (Because you can't get much cooler than dinosaurs. Well you could if you put them in space!)

§  Mothra vs. Godzilla, 1962 (I. Love. Godzilla! And mothra is the only kaiju I know that comes with her own tiny bitches)

§  Godfather (which has Brando during his nutters period and Robert Duvall who also plays Boo Radley from "To Kill A Mockingbird". Connections are fun.)

§  The Birds (I'm not sure what's most impressive, the fact that this movie is frightening no matter how many times I see it or the fact that Tippi exists in that same outfit all weekend long through numerous bird attacks and still looks fly!)
 

-golden (@theonlygolden)