Cleveland Rocks!

I watched the trailer for the new Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show this afternoon. You can take a peak as well right here.

I can't really tell which characters are real and which were just Family Guy inspired jokes. Will Cleveland really live next door to a family of bears? Am I an idiot for asking? Am I supposed to understand how the Seth McFarland universe works or just accept it?

But you know what saved the whole thing? The little ditty Cleveland sang at the end. I don't know if it's the theme song, but if anything from this ridiculous trailer gets kept, that's it.

I'm cautiously optimistic. I will root for this show because:

1. That damn song is so catchy.
2. I always liked Cleveland.
3. I support shows with strong minority leads. If I have to take them animated form, then so be it.

Whistling A Legacy

If you can whistle the theme to The Andy Griffith Show or bop along to jazzy swing of the Dick Van Dyke theme then you have Earle Hagen to thank. Hagen was one of the most prolific composers for TV themes and scores in 1960s and 70s. He passed away yesterday at 88.

About his prolific career and love for composing, Hagen said, " I was addicted to the ultimate narcosis in music, which is the rush you get when you give a downbeat and wonderful players breathe life into the notes you have put on paper."

Sweeter words were never spoken. Here's to you in Mr. Hagen.

And a one, and a two:

Killing Time On The Interweb

I've come across some amazing links the past few days. Who would I be if I didn't share these nuggets with the edubTV public? A jerk that's who.

• Thank you PEOPLE Magazine.com for making this bad-ass Gossip Girl vs. Golden Girls quiz. Do I feel like an idiot for getting half of them wrong? Perhaps. But who knew Blanche never flashed a bartender to get free drinks? I bet I could find that in a deleted scene or two.
  

• NERD ALERT: Someone took the time to put every LOST flash-forward in chronological order. I watch this show every week and I cannot wait until it makes sense.
  

• Like a compass pointing towards magnetic north I was pulled towards YouTube today and my fingers crisscrossed the keys as if guided by the hand of a higher power. Where did I land? Pepper Ann. I used to love this oft-forgotten Saturday morning ABC cartoon and today I realized just how similar I was to this mop-topped, spectacled awkward teen...still. I might make the theme song my ringtone. Too much?
  

Bloodier Than The Original: The 300th Post

It's the 300th post! Like the 100th and 200th before it, I will ring in the excitement with an obnoxious list. This go-round we're talking about my favorite 1980's theme songs.

Theme songs were different back then. They were a minute long, catchy and inspiring. My first attraction to TV came in the form of the Punky Brewster theme song and its been a love-affair ever since.

#5 Empty Nest (1988-1995)
This show was only okay but nothing beats watching old man Richard Mulligan stroll on the beach with his dog.

Favorite lyric: Sometimes the answers can be hard to find/That's something I will never be.


#4 Gimme A Break (1981-1987)
This theme song sucked until season three when they picked up the tempo and let Nell Carter sing it. And nothing beats her trying to strangle a bathroom scale.
Favorite lyric: Playing with fate/And not a moment too late/I'm showing the whole world nothing can get me down



#3 Growing Pains (1985-1992)
Let me clear: The theme song was always great, but it reached its peak in season 6 or 7 when it went acapella. It gave the long-running show a reverence BJ Thomas and Dusty Springfield just couldn't provide.
Favorite Lyric: Baby you and me/We've gotta be/The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreaming



#2 Just The Ten Of Us (1988-1990)
Fittingly, this Growing Pains spin-off comes in at number two. The show only lasted three seasons but it provided some pretty amazing moments along the way. Why the Lubbock Babes never caught on is beyond me.
Favorite Lyric: I'm always bringing home second places/At the end of every one of my days/ Look out because all of that's changin'



#1 Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)
This is not only a great theme song, it's a great song period. It's almost impossible to watch or listen to it without feeling amazing...or at least ready to watch 22 minutes of amazing comedy. Think the other shows can compete? Don't be ridiculous!
Favorite Lyric: It's my life/And my dreams/And nothing's gonna stop me now

Gimme Less. A Lot Less.

Not only do I use the sleep timer on my TV while I fall asleep, but I use the on-timer to wake up. For those of you not familiar with this device, it's essentially a clock-television. Should my 3 cell phone alarms not do the job, at 6 AM on the nose I am woken up by series of progressively louder beeps and then TBS for the opening chords of the Saved By The Bell theme song. Other than the smell of freshly cooked bacon, it is the best way to wake up.

Last night, instead of setting the TV for TBS, I accidently set it for MTV-Hits, MTV's annoying kid sister that only only plays shitty pop videos.

So imagine my surprise this morning when the piercing beeps weren't the only shrill noise blasting my ear drums. Instead, the first thing I saw this morning was Britney Spears' gyrating pelvis. Color this my worst morning in recent memory.

I don't want anymore of that. No thank you.