The Star Wars Holiday Special

First Aired On: The CBS Network Reviewed by Melissa Minners             When I was a child, I remember watching a television holiday special featuring my favorite Star Wars characters in my bedroom on my Zenith black and white television.  Aptly dubbed The Star Wars Holiday Special, the show aired only once on CBS on November

The Thanksgiving Treasure

Written by: Gail Rock Published By: Bantam Books Reviewed by Dorothy Doremus             One of my favorite things about any holiday is the memories and the traditions.  Everyone can reminisce about a favorite food, music or a story.  One of my favorite stories is called The Thanksgiving Treasure.  It was my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Fitzgerald,

Birds of Prey

Produced By: Tollin/Robbins Productions First Aired On: The WB Network Reviewed by Melissa Minners             Once upon a time there lived a caped crusader known as Batman, guardian of the citizens of New Gotham.  By day, he was known as millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, but by night, Wayne became a vigilante, bent on ridding New Gotham

A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth

Author: Charles Dickens Published By: Barnes & Noble Classics Reviewed by Melissa Minners             Having seen several renditions of A Christmas Carol , but never having read the original by Charles Dickens, and having been inspired to do so by the recent Christmas article I wrote, I hurried to Barnes & Noble to purchase the

How Early Is Too Early?

Rushing the Holidays By Melissa Minners             When I was a kid, I looked forward to the beginning of the holiday season.  Just a week or two prior to Thanksgiving, my teacher would have us draw paper turkeys, using our hands as guides.  Holiday specials would begin to appear on television.  Snoopy and the gang

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Distributed By: Warner Home Video Reviewed By: Melissa Minners                 I’m a huge fan of Peanuts and have been since I was a little kid.  I’ve watched every animated feature, the animated television series, read the comic strips and compilation books, but I can’t seem to get enough of the animated holiday specials.  One of

Board Games

By Melissa Minners             As children, we can all remember playing board games with friends and family members.  Growing up, board games were an enjoyable way to pass the time, but they were also an important teaching tool.  They taught you how to follow directions, how to share and take turns, monetary denominations, strategic analysis,

Pac-Man Fever

By Melissa Minners             When I was a kid, I loved watching my Dad play softball.  His job had organized a softball team and he played the catcher position.  I didn’t get to accompany him often, but when I did, we always made a night of it, going to the local eatery, buying hot roast

Pizzamania

By Melissa Minners              Summertime and the living’s easy…and hot.  Who wants to cook this time of year?  Being on the run whenever we’re not at work…or even at work…we want something to eat that’s easy and has a lot of flavor.  Something that could just feed one person or a whole family and can

The Thrawn Trilogy:

The Trilogy Every Star Wars Fan Wishes George Lucas Would Make By Melissa Minners                 So, now that George Lucas has begun to work on the live action Star Wars television series, talk has resurfaced about whether or not Lucas will do another trilogy. Of course, people who are not Star Wars fanatics are probably