The US Constitution protects freedom of religion. In my opinion, having a Christmas tree or wreath, Kwanzaa candles, a Hanukkah menorah or (generic) holiday lights are expressions of that freedom as is being wished a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa. Those are GOOD things, not something to be offended or angry about. I'm mystified by people who can't take those greetings/wishes in the spirit they were given. Who cares if you celebrate the holiday? Holidays are good things. If someone hopes you have a pleasant one, what's the problem? Happy Holidays is a fine substitute, but most of us aren't brought up that way. Our first inclination is to wish someone the same thing we celebrate and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Forcing people to be so PC that no one can say Christmas or Hanukkah without being criticized negates our right to freedom of religion. Years ago, I worked for a mostly Jewish firm with a mostly Jewish clientel. I was often wished a "good sabbath". I'm not Jewish and was often tempted to correct the person, but didn't because I reasoned they were actually wishing me something very positive. Just because I celebrate the sabbath on Sunday and they celebrate it from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday is no reason to embarrass the other person. If he/she was left with the impression that I was Jewish, what difference does it make more than 20 years later? None that I can see, but the spirit of their good wishes remains. Jay Leno recently did a joke on The Tonight Show saying that to be PC, the title of Miracle on 34th Street had to be changed to Coincidence on 34th Street. Very funny and a true analysis of the problem. See how very different that is from the real title? It robs the entire story of its point. To those who feel "offended" by religious symbols for religious holidays, I say BAH HUMBUG! Even Ebenezer Scrooge and The Grinch learned that there was more to Christmas than they expected and that can be extended to all celebrations/holidays of all religions. Our world needs more acceptance and inclusiveness instead of more political correctness. Happy Holidays just doesn't cut it.

Ok, so this is a movie, but it's being shown on tv, so technically it fits on tv.com. Anyway, a couple of years ago, Stan Kirsch made a horror movie called Shallow Ground and it's finally being shown on SciFi this Saturday night (December 17) at 9pm. He plays a former NYC cop who's a small town deputy. :D I wish they'd pick up the other independent film he made, Deep Rescue. Oh well, one thing at a time. ;)

We've finally gotten everything in place (well, still working on guests!), so we're completely live now for our 2006 event. You can get details at the Fan Odyssey website (the link will take you directly to the 2006 page). If anyone's interested in attending, PM me with your name (first and last) and your email address - or you can use any of the email links on the website to email me. I can arrange a discount for you off the website price. :D You're under no obligation to attend if you give me the info and your information will never be sold. If you have any questions, just give me a shout.

In her blog, angelsxo quotes lyrics from The House of the Rising Sun. How many of you know what that song is about?

When I was a child, one of the local tv stations (WOR at the time, now WWOR and part of UPN) broadcast movies pretty much all day. Correction: they broadcast the same movie over and over pretty much all day. The broadcast was called The Million Dollar Movie and used Tara's Theme from Gone With the Wind as the theme music. Anyway, when I was about 3, WOR showed the original King Kong on The Million Dollar Movie and I watched it every single time I could (barring eating, sleeping and cartoons during that week). My father was convinced it would give me nightmares (it didn't), but my mother just left me alone since I was mesmerized during the entire film. I've loved that movie ever since. I was mildly interested in the news the Peter Jackson was remaking the classic. The other remakes never approached the original despite better special effects. I didn't write off Jackson's version immediately. He did a great job with the LotR triology, so why not give Kong a try? That was until I read that he's been fascinated by the original movie since childhood. I don't know when I'll get to see his version, but I'm certain he did it justice. What do you expect from a man who came to the premier holding the Kong model used in the original movie? :D

For a limited time, get a coupon for 10% off an order of $25 or more just for signing up! :D Holzheimer's Online

Today I watched part of the parade, all of the dog show and Miracle on 34th Street. Kudos to NBC for showing it in its glorious original black and white! The colorized version is nice, but the original is the original. I've loved this movie since I was a kid. It's one of my favorites. The movie "starred" Maureen O'Hara and John Payne, but was completely stolen by Edmund Gwenn (who won an Oscar for his role as Kris Kringle) and a 9-year-old Natalie Wood. I love the story, the outlook and especially the wonderful twists at the end which gets the characters out of what seems to be an impossible situation and prolongs the puzzle at the center of the story. Sadly, most (if not all) of the other stores mentioned during the film are gone. Gimble's is no longer on 32nd Street. Macy's is still there as evidenced by the yearly Thanksgiving Day parade. For a few months, I worked for Macy's in that very building. It's also where Miracle on 34th Street was filmed. Although there is no "Mr. Macy" (he died LONG before the movie was made), the building you see in the movie is the real store... right down to the employees' locker room, the medical office and cafeteria. I doubt many people know that unless they worked in the building like I did, but it's pretty cool that they were able to use the entire building as the set.

As some of you know, I'm a programmer and I webmaster on the side. I just finished redoing a friend's online store. I'm not asking you to buy anything (there may be an infomercial about something else in a week or so. See the logo/personal image next to my level;)). I'd just like some feedback. I'm thinking of changing the header on the site. I'm also in the process of knocking down the HTML site I did for her a while ago. Feel free to poke around. Please remember I'm not expecting or asking you to buy anything. I just need to know what people think of the site. Thanks! Holzheimer's Online.

For a change of pace, I thought I'd blog about something more positive and help toot someone's horn a bit as well. ;) The movie Deep Rescue is finally out of post-production and the people behind it are looking for distribution. There's a trailer and some production stills available. Depending on your connection, the trailer can take a long time to download. It requires QuickTime (free download available). The movie stars Tamara Davies (The Bold and the Beautiful), Dale Midkiff (Time Trax) and Stan Kirsch (need I say more? :D).

I got my guide back! All of my submissions have been processed! None of the remaining ones were rejected! YIKES! I'm an editor!!!