Episode 133 - WINTER WONDER-THON 2018

Before we enter holiday hibernation, we're gifting our listeners another stockpile of seasonal delights in our third annual Winter Wonder-Thon, including six scratch-off cards, five lumps of clay, four ninja teens, three father figures, two chocolate morsels, and a singing turd on your TV.  And this time, we're snowed in with that manifestation of merriment himself, Nate Tapp.  (You all must have been extra good this year!)

Come celebrate the season with this collection of clips, commercials, sitcoms, and specials all liberally sprinkled with holiday cheer.  We'll be back again in 2019!

Featured in this episode:

Clips and Shorts
Gumby Adventures - "Humbug" (aired 2/20/1988)
Pennsylvania Lottery commercial - "Snowfall" (1992, 2012)
M&M's commercial - "Faint" (1996, 2017)

TV Episodes and Specials
Full House - "A Very Tanner Christmas" (aired 12/15/1992)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: We Wish You A Turtle Christmas (1994)
South Park - "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" (aired 12/1/1999)

Episode 132 - HOME ALONE / HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK

The first two Home Alone movies didn't just give us ideas for inflicting pain and suffering upon hapless burglars. They affirmed the importance of familial bonds, turned Macaulay Culkin into a prepubescent celebrity icon, and sold kids a dream of heroic self-sufficiency via jury-rigged deathtraps and handheld voice changers. More than just a slapstick romp, Home Alone has blossomed into an essential holiday tradition.

Join us for a yuletide double feature as we thoroughly unpack the McAllister mythos, from its homespun John Hughes-ian roots to its emergence as an unstoppable--and unchanging--comedic force. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals! (And a happy new year!)

Home Alone (1990)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Written and produced by John Hughes
Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, and John Candy

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Written and produced by John Hughes
Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Tim Curry, Dana Ivey, Rob Schneider, Eddie Bracken, and Brenda Fricker