Hey there Popsters! I’ve been slammed these last few weeks and I know it’s been awhile since we’ve done a Pop Blitz, so, without further yada, yada, yada, let’s get it on!

• The Pop Bitez Christmas Special Schedule for 2011

I know it’s hard to believe but Christmas is just around the corner! Mind you, I’m not grumbling or humbugging at all, it happens to be my absolute favorite time of the year! That being said, I am ill prepared for this year’s festivities and expect to be playing catch up all the way to December 25th. I suspect many of you are in the same boat so I thought it might make sense to give you the schedule for the best of this year’s Holiday Specials. After all, what would Christmas be without Rudolph, Charlie B, Ralphie and Clarence?

The times listed are all EST, be sure to check your local listings for your time zone.

NOVEMBER
– Nov 24, 9:00AM: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC)

– Nov 24, 8:00PM: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (FOX)

– Nov 24, 8:00PM: Elf (USA)

– Nov 24, 8:00PM: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (ABC)

– Nov 24, 8:30PM: Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (FOX)

– Nov. 25 8:00PM: Hoops & Yo-Yo Ruin Christmas (CBS)

– Nov. 25 8:30PM: Elf on a Shelf (CBS)

– Nov 28, 8:00PM: Shrek the Halls (ABC)

– Nov 28, 8:00PM: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC)

– Nov 29, 8:00PM: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS)

DECEMBER
– Dec 1, 6:00PM: Mickey’s Christmas Carol (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 1, 6:30PM: Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 2, 8:00PM: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 3, 8:00PM: It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC)

– Dec 5, 8:30PM Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (ABC)

– Dec 5, 7:00PM: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the Island of Misfit Toys (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 5, 8:30PM: The Polar Express (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 5, 9:45PM: A Christmas Carol (1938) (TCM)

– Dec 5, 10:30PM: Mickey’s Christmas Carol (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 6, 6:00PM: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 6, 8:00Pm A Michael Buble Christmas (NBC)

– Dec 6, 9:00PM: A Christmas Story (TCM)

– Dec 8, 7:00PM: Frosty’s Winter Wonderland (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 8, 8:00PM: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 9, 8:00PM: Frosty the Snowman (CBS)

– Dec 9, 8:30PM: Frosty Returns

– Dec 12, 6:00PM: A Flintstone Christmas (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 12, 8:00PM: I Want a Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown (ABC)

– Dec 13, 6:00PM: Merry Madagascar (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 13, 6:30PM: Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 13, 8:00PM: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 15, 8:00PM: A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC)

– Dec 17, 8:00AM: Pinocchio’s Christmas (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 17, 2:00PM: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 18, 7:00AM: A Chipmunk Christmas (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 19, 6:00PM: Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation (ABC FAMILY)

– Dec 24, 8:00PM: A Christmas Story (marathon begins) (TBS)

– Dec 24, 8:00PM: Miracle On 34th Street (1947) (TCM)

– Dec 25, 12:00PM: Disney Christmas Parade (ABC)

• Another Reason Why I Will Always Be a Mac Man

I stumbled on this video the other day, much to my horror. A group of young ladies decided to put their…ummmm….talents(?) to use and created this rap tribute to the Windows7phone, it’s almost worth as much of your time as the device itself.

Watch at your own peril, it’s really painful.

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• The Return of the Munsters

NBC has announced they will be teaming up with Bryan Fuller for a reboot (Lord, I’m starting to really hate that word) of the popular 60s television series, The Munsters.

Fuller is best known for ABC’s cult favorite Pushing Daises, while NBC is best known for…questionable concepts.

Previous attempts were made to resurrect the ghoulish family in both the 80s and 90s but failed to generate much interest. Of course, the pop culture climate is very different today and with the right approach, (think “edgier”), this third time might be the charm. No casting has been announced as of yet but it might be fun to see Ray Romano or Brad Garrett take a shot at playing Herman, if either have the patience to sit in the make-up chair for a few hours a day. Stay tuned, this could be interesting!

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• Scott Weiland Agrees, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Scott Weiland, former front man for the angsty 90s band Stone Temple Pilots, has released a Christmas album this year. The reviews from critics and fans alike are decidedly mixed. Weiland, known as much for his vocal talents as his repeated bouts with heroin addiction, calls this new album one of his “passion projects” and adds, “I hope this music, a labor of love from all of us, finds you and touches your heart and soul”. Spin Magazine has described it as “a very classy affair” while other STP fans online have voiced their concerns with comments that are less than supportive or constructive, as an example, one youtube post reads; “we’ve got to get this guy back on drugs!”

Having heard the album myself recently, I have to say, it’s a really weird and mixed bag.

Here’s the first video from Scott Weiland’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. As much as I want to like it, for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, it kind of creeps me out. It looks a lot like a Bing Crosby Christmas special directed by David Lynch. Kinda cool, kinda creepy.

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• More Fleshed-Out Fairy Tales?

For reasons I still haven’t quite figured out, the fairy tale projects just keep coming. Usually when there’s an onslaught of a particular trend it’s based on the success of a previous box office or television ratings winner. As an example, movies and T.V. both weren’t focused much on outer space until the Star Wars saga single handedly resurrected the sci-fi genre. What exactly has inspired the major television networks and movie studios to throw their collective weight behind classic fairy tales is a mystery to me. Are they somehow drawing parallels to the success of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Narnia? Maybe, it’s a bit of a stretch but I suppose it’s possible. If anything all of the properties deal in the big fantasy themes that include, “good vs. evil”, “true love conquers all” and “they all lived happily after”. I suppose there may be a market for that these days though, in what I see as an increasingly cynical world, I’m not convinced.

At the very least it’s escapist entertainment and, Lord knows, we could all use a little…or a lot…of escape these days.

Two new trailers made their debut online this week that both focus on the legend of Snow White. The first, Snow White and the Huntsman, has an all star cast and looks a bit like Lord of the Rings meets HBO’s Game of Thrones, I’m mildly intrigued by this one.

The second is, Mirror, Mirror, which also includes a stellar collection of talent and looks like…a hot mess. Mirror, Mirror may turn out to be a major career low for the once dominating female actress of her generation, Julia Roberts (her performance alone in the preview is cringe inducing). I will never review a film based solely on it’s trailer but all I can say is, this preview does not inspire me in any way to rush out to see the film. In fairness, I doubt I am the target demographic for this one. It looks like they may be going for a Princess Bride feel but, judging from the trailer, it looks like they’re missing that target by a country mile.

Check em out!

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• Batman VS. Occupy Gotham

Comic book legend Frank Miller, best know for his comic rebooting of Batman with a primary focus on a Darker Knight, as well as the films Sin City and 300, was recently asked in an interview how Batman would respond to the protests taking place on Wall Street, Miller responded by saying that Batman would “respect the first amendment” but was inspired later to express his own thoughts in his blog, Frank Miller Ink.

What follows is Frank’s take on, what I like to call, the Flea Party. (Oh no! Scott! You’re a pop culture columnist! You can’t have views that aren’t in keeping with those of Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn and Willie Nelson! Umm, yeah, I actually can and I do. For the record “paying more taxes” has never really been the issue, whether it’s the 99% or the so-called 1%. The real issue is, HOW ALL OF OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT. Writing a never-ending blank check for ALL of those idiots in Washington is far from what any sane person would consider reasonable. There is definitely a reason to protest but screaming you want to “bring an end to capitalism”, ain’t it.)

That’s MY rant, here’s Frank’s.

Everybody’s been too damn polite about this nonsense:

The “Occupy” movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment. “Occupy” is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.

“Occupy” is nothing short of a clumsy, poorly-expressed attempt at anarchy, to the extent that the “movement” – HAH! Some “movement”, except if the word “bowel” is attached – is anything more than an ugly fashion statement by a bunch of iPhone, iPad wielding spoiled brats who should stop getting in the way of working people and find jobs for themselves.

This is no popular uprising. This is garbage. And goodness knows they’re spewing their garbage – both politically and physically – every which way they can find.

Wake up, pond scum. America is at war against a ruthless enemy. Maybe, between bouts of self-pity and all the other tasty tidbits of narcissism you’ve been served up in your sheltered, comfy little worlds, you’ve heard terms like al-Qaeda and Islamicism. And this enemy of mine — not of yours, apparently – must be getting a dark chuckle, if not an outright horselaugh – out of your vain, childish, self-destructive spectacle.

In the name of decency, go home to your parents, you losers. Go back to your mommas’ basements and play with your Lords Of Warcraft. Or better yet, enlist for the real thing. Maybe our military could whip some of you into shape. They might not let you babies keep your iPhones, though. Try to soldier on. Schmucks.

• Happy Thanksgiving Popsters!

I just want you all to know how thankful I am to have you all as good friends and Popsters. This is our second Thanksgiving together and I can’t tell you how much your support means to me. I wish you all a very Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving and I look forward to sharing many, many more with you in the future! Cheers!- Scott