
MUTTS Sunday Funnies: Why Patrick McDonnell Belongs Among the Greats
Patrick McDonnell’s new MUTTS Sunday Funnies Volumes 1 and 2 collect his Sunday comic strips from 1994 to 1998 in beautifully presented hardcover editions.

Patrick McDonnell’s new MUTTS Sunday Funnies Volumes 1 and 2 collect his Sunday comic strips from 1994 to 1998 in beautifully presented hardcover editions.

The BBC withheld four Star Trek episodes for years and rejected Sesame Street, even as British children watched the surreal favourite The Magic Roundabout.

Why was The Transformers: The Movie soundtrack so unusual? From Stan Bush and Weird Al to Orson Welles, its strange mix still works 40 years later.

Howie Noel, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Dick Tracy and Charles Schulz reveal how legendary comic strips keep going after their original creators are gone.

Anna Kodé’s Unseen Places explores observation, curiosity and the hidden stories of everyday life, from Italian construction watchers to bonobo apes.

David Byrne’s Sleeping Beauties explores forgotten ideas, overlooked inventions and artists who waited decades or centuries to be rediscovered.

Martin Mull was more than a television actor. From comedy and music to painting, his unusual career made him impossible to put in one box.

Harvey Ball created the iconic smiley face in 10 minutes for $45. Here is how a simple insurance-company design became a global symbol and an Acid House icon.

Old cookbooks weren’t always harmless. Some mixed food, medicine and household chemistry in ways that can make Grandma’s apple pie look downright safe.

During the Siege of Paris, starving Parisians ate zoo animals. Here’s the bizarre story behind elephant, camel and kangaroo appearing on a Paris menu.

That stupid little pocket in your jeans has a long history, from pocket watches and the real 5th pocket to its cheeky modern reputation as the condom pocket.

Why did missing children’s faces appear on milk cartons? We look at the strange history behind the campaign, the kids who recognized themselves, Milk Carton 2.0 and Canada’s famous milk bags.

Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926, but he wasn’t alone. Explore the famous figures who died on October 31 and Houdini’s final escape pact.

When did 81 become young? A funny look at aging, retirement, baby boomers and how our idea of old age keeps changing.

Scratch-and-sniff was once everywhere, from Raspberries albums and MAD Magazine to John Waters’ Odorama. Now the strange little fad is making a comeback.

Matt Kirkland has a strange solution for giant books: chop them into smaller, manageable volumes. Chop the biggest books and why it might make sense.

Talk about cashing in. Collaboration between Authentic Hendrix, LLC; Sony Music’s merchandise wing, The Thread Shop; and retail platform Rock And Roll Beauty want you to be a Foxy Lady. The range includes the Voodoo Child Artistry Palette (which comes in a guitar-shaped compact), the Purple Haze candle, Foxy Lady matte lip duo (of lipstick and liner) and (seemingly, not quite done with the song name) the Purple Haze brush set.

Out this week is The Criterion Collection: Walker on Blu-ray. This movie not only has Joe Strummer as an actor but Strummer also composed the whole soundtrack. Inspired by the music of the area where the movie was shot, this is a fine film to add to your collection. It takes liberties as a timepiece movie to play with accuracy. An unconventional retelling of the life of William Walker, a 19th-century American mercenary leader who became the president of Nicaragua. All can be forgiven for a great little film.

I got TCM as my go-to station. My PVR is working overtime recording each week movies that matter. I value all the host’s information about the movies that are about to show. Alicia Malone is a welcome addition to the station. Her keen movie sense brings a unique spin each week to movies we cherish. I am very excited to know she just released, Girls on Film: Witty Life Lessons from Alicia Malone from Mango Publishing. I am a fan of the hosts on TCM, nice to see Alicia share a bit more about herself through the movies she watches. Life imitates art some will say, Alicia, is just as glamourous as the film’s actresses that she showcases each week. She is a jewel in the TCM family. This is one book you will not want to miss.

It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown is the Peanuts Earth Day TV special which will be streaming on Apple TV+. It will be released on April 15, 2022. The special will also feature an original song by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds.

For the first time in over 20 years, 20 of the Sex Pistol’s recordings from 1976 to 1978 are collected together to tell the story of one of the world’s most influential and extraordinary bands.

Vinyl Nation digs into the crates of the record resurgence in search of truths set in deep wax: Has the return of vinyl made music fandom more inclusive or divided? What does vinyl say about our past here in the present? How has the second life of vinyl changed how we hear music and how we listen to each other? The documentary features Judy Mills, Ashley C. Ford, Kelly Stacy, John Vanderslice, Kutmasta Kurt, Alyson Baker, Kelley Stoltz, Ben Blackwell, Billy Fields, Roz Lee, and Ashleyanne Krigbaum.

I recently heard an old podcast Stuff You Should Know titled How Grimm’s Fairy Tales Work. I was treated to the origins of the Brothers Grimm’s true stories. The Brothers Grimm stories have been around for such a long time that they have embedded themselves in Hollywood and pop culture more than ever since it was first published. Walt Disney sanitized most of the stories to stockpile their fortunes. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a 1962 fantasy film directed by Henry Levin and George Pal. The film was one of the highest-grossing films of 1962. It won one Oscar and was nominated for three additional Academy Awards. Several prominent actors—including Laurence Harvey, Karlheinz Böhm, Jim Backus, Barbara Eden, and Buddy Hackett—are in the film.

John Barry is a man of mystery to most people outside England. Barry scored perhaps the top movies and TV shows ever known to the human ear in the 60s and 70s. You knew there was magic when the theme song for Beat Girl screamed from the screen in 1960. There was more magic to follow. Ace Records collects some of his best works from 1968-to 1973 with a new offering called The More Things Change – Film, TV & Studio Work 1968-1973. Nobody was doing it better than him at the time. You might also want to buy, Music By John Barry”, a 500-page book covering his greatest scores by Redcliffe Press.

There is more to a library card nowadays. You can download books, audiobooks, music, stream, and graphic novels without setting foot in a library. My favorite freebie from my local library is Kanopy. The avantgarde streaming service is a welcome addition for unusual classic movies that you will not find with other streaming services. You stream thousands of films for free, thanks to the generous support of your public library or university. I am allocated 5 movies a month. This weekend I am watching The Torment by director Claude Chabrol from 1996. The French title is L’enfer. I do not know why they do not translate it as Hell. The movie stars Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, and Nathalie Cardone.

Aquaman: King of Atlantis is a kaleidoscope of underwater adventure that will delight all ages. Finally, the King of the Seven-Seas is getting the respect that he deserves. Warner Bros. Animation has a winner with this new Aquaman offering. The animation is a delightful romp to view.

The history of the Hollies is enigmatic at best. Their squeaky clean images kept them out of the spotlight. The Beatles hogged the British scene in the 60s, while The Rolling Stones thrived on their enfant terrible image. This might be the reason why not much is written on The Hollies. The Hollies: Riding The Carousel by Malcolm C. Searles promises to shed light on perhaps of the greatest 60s band.

The cult classic science fiction series Space: 1999 has legions of fans around the world and has been researched and documented in comprehensive books and documentaries, so fans can be forgiven for thinking there’s nothing new … This book takes you back to the beginning, to the genesis of the series, and to early themes, characters, and story outlines.