This time it’s what Lis says is a seasonal treat, that won’t be available after Halloween supplies run out. I’m not sure what Halloween is, except that some humans dress up funny for it.
As always, I tested whether I could get the package open myself, and as always, I couldn’t. I had to ask Lis. She got it open quick, and says it was easy to reseal.
You maybe saw on the package that these are the “petite” size. What that means is, really for dogs bigger than me, as much as 13 pounds bigger! Like, bigger than me by as much as I actually weigh! Normally, I get the “teenie” size, which is for my proper weight class.
The size really confused me at first. I sniffed and examined it with great suspicion. Why is it so big? Does it smell a little different than the regular, nonseasonal Blueberry Flavor Greenies?
After a couple minutes, though, I decided it only smelled a little different, and the difference was nice. Also, it would be pretty silly to complain about getting a bigger treat than usual! So I settled down and went to work on the important part — chewing it. It chews every bit as nicely as the regular Greenies.
Lis says I should be embarrassed at finishing it off even faster than my regular “teenie” size Greenies, but I don’t see why. It was tasty, a good chew, and a Seasonal Treat I won’t get again after Halloween is over!
By Daniel Dern: According to an article I read in today’s paper, some series and movies and books will do their best to cope with reduced budgets. Here’s an advance — and still tentative — partial list:
Cider’s friend in the Netherlands, another Chinese Crested dog named Menina, recommended rabbit treats, and Cider asked to try them—strictly for review purposes, of course!
I got more mail today, a new package of treats. They’re called Vital Essentials Rabbit Bites. I don’t know what that “bites” is about; they didn’t try to bite me or anything. Very nicely behave treats; I did all the biting.
The packaging, as you can see, is pretty dark. Lis says they want to look Very Serious, because they are pitching themselves as “healthy treats.” She says that’s a bit much, but as one-ingredient rabbit treats, they’re better than some treats, and dogs who are allergic to other things (like chicken! imagine being allergic to something as wonderful as chicken!) can usually eat rabbit.
So, this is where I inspect the package. You can almost see the package:
As usual, I could not find my way into it by myself and had to let Lis do it.
She got into it pretty easily this time, and the place they said to cut actually did leave enough space that it was easy to both open and close. That’s a win over the Max and Neo packaging, but let’s check out the treats.
Lis offered me one and managed to get a picture (barely!) before I had it in my mouth.
Tasty! Couldn’t wait to eat it.
And, turns out, these are training treats. Small ones, which means you can keep getting more, as long as you keep turning out Behaviors Lis likes. Or, sometimes, just get several because she wants to treat you! (Can you tell I love training treats, even when they aren’t rabbit?)
Here, I got three just for sitting still so Lis could get a picture of me sitting next to them.
Okay, a picture of my feet near them, but it’s really hard to sit near treats like that. Lis had to move fast and didn’t quite get the shot she wanted.
Here’s a picture of me with a little pile of them, after I didn’t dive on the ones Lis put near my feet till she told me I could.
These are really good, tasty treats. The package is easy for Lis to manage, so that’s something you credentials of any meat-eating species can tell your humans. Yes, they do make rabbit treats for cats, too!
…First up is a stellar mashup poster created by artist Sean Longmore. 24 x 40 prints are available to purchase for $40. The poster has a retro look that has Cillian Murphy from Oppenheimer in the left corner of the poster as Margot Robbie’s Barbie poses next to him. The left further contrasts the right as an explosion can be seen around Murphy’s head as the bright and vibrant Barbie Land can be seen bleeding through in the background of the right side. Various side characters from both films fill out the bottom with Ryan Gosling’s Ken placed smack in the middle.
…Created and shared by Bosslogic on Instagram, the crossover poster imagines Margot Robbie’s Barbie spectating an appropriately pink atomic blast on the far horizon of Barbie Land. In the bottom right corner, a mashed-up title reads “Barbie: The Destroyer of Worlds” in reference to Oppenheimer’s infamous quotation of the Bhagavad Gita as he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon – “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”…
…”I think it’s a great opportunity to put some positivity out into the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids,” Robbie said of the film in a 2019 interview.…
In honor of the Oppenheimer poster being released, I created something for all my fellow Barbie fans!!! pic.twitter.com/50hm59DWH2
New fan art imagines Barbie and Oppenheimer as one mythic movie in the style of a classic Hollywood poster. Both movies, which release in theaters on July 21, hail from acclaimed directors in Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig and feature starry ensemble casts led by Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy as their titular characters. However, the two movies themselves are actually quite different, as one is a comedy set in the glitz and glam of Barbie Land, while Oppenheimer is a bleak, partially black-and-white biopic chronicling the creation of the first nuclear weapons….
…Doing God’s work, Twitter user Shadow Knight has curated a Twitter thread (above) of the best examples – and some of them are truly, er, something. From a La la Land inspired dance-off to a Drew Struzan-style painted character collage, a few of these fictional posters would definitely be enough to coax us into the cinema – if only out of sheer curiosity….
By Cat Eldridge: Ice cream. I’d like to say that everyone loves it but I know better. However I do and Our Gracious Host has allowed me to do a taste testing of peanut butter ice creams. Lots of them. No, I didn’t gain weight. In fact, I lost weight during that period. Go figure that.
I ended up with five that I considered worth telling about — Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups, Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter, Halo Top Peanut Butter Cup, Hannaford’s peanut cup with PB cup pieces and chocolate chips and Tillamook’s Chocolate Peanut Butter.
I look for a good but not overwhelming peanut butter taste, a really not too sweet aftertaste and a definitely milky feel on the tongue.
Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups has been a decades-long favorite of mine. Great peanut butter taste.
Though the picture on the pint shows chopped up peanut butter cups throughout the ice cream, all the pints I’ve had are full or halved pieces in the middle of the pint and no smaller pieces throughout. Points off for this.
Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream is described on their site as “Ridiculously rich chocolate, ridiculously decadent peanut butter, just a bit ridiculous.” Points for using the word ridiculous twice. It gets lots of complaints on its site for having no peanut butter. Which if you’re looking for visible peanut butter, it doesn’t. Unlike most such ice creams, it blends the peanut butter into the product. Does it work? For me, yes as I like it very much as it makes for a product with a distinctive peanut butter taste and a very smooth feel on the tongue. For other others, the lack of visual peanut butter chunks means they think there’s no peanut butter here.
Halo Light Top Peanut Butter Cup. I never even heard of this brand until I was seeking out different ice creams for this taste testing. (Urrrp!) They make a lot, and I do mean a lot of keto offerings, but also some regular dairy as well. This is a chocolate peanut butter ice cream with some bits of peanut butter throughout the ice cream. Now there really isn’t much of a chocolate flavor here as the peanut butter is very overpowering. Definitely not one I’d pick up again as I’d like one where the chocolate was more there. And more dairy as well.
A store brand, Hannaford’s peanut cup with PB cup pieces and chocolate chips, is not one that you’d expect to be great, but you’d wrong in this case. This one actually was the best of these, period. It was sweet but not too sweet, an excellent peanut butter taste to it and used a fantastic chocolate chip and was perfect for eating.
Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream is damn fine too. Out of Oregon, a friend in Portland recommended it. It’s got a very nice balance between the chocolate and the peanut butter. Now what’s neat here is that the peanut is distinctly salted, yes salted, which I’ve not seen in any ice cream before. It really makes the ice cream taste different and in a good way.
By Rogers Cadenhead: The Canadian actress Tara Spencer-Nairn was born on January 6, 1978, the same day that Mike Ronald Reuel Glyer delivered a bouncing baby fanzine. Despite this coincidence and a long list of credits that includes genre roles, Spencer-Nairn has never appeared on File 770 in her 45 years. Until now.
Spencer-Nairn began acting after she was expelled from high school. “I had a chip on my shoulder and I don’t know where it came from,” she told the Vancouver Sun in 2000. “I got kicked out of classes and I kicked a few holes in walls.” She ended up at a better school where she was encouraged to try drama instead of being it.
Born in Montreal and raised in Vancouver, Spencer-Nairn is best known in the land of Tim Horton’s and three-down football for her role on the muggle comedy Corner Gas in its live action, animated and movie forms. But she’s done some memorable work in science fiction and horror.
In 1997-98, Spencer-Nairn starred with Ryan Reynolds and Ron Rifkin in a two-episode story on the Showtime remake of The Outer Limits. She played one of six graduate students who is lured onto a 60 million-year-old spaceship with the promise of extra credit. This ends up being a trick. Their real assignment is to repopulate humanity, a scheme they should’ve sussed when their professor Rifkin chose his class by requiring members of the student body to disrobe (did I mention this was on Showtime?) The episodes are free on the Roku Channel so I just watched them because I spare no expense in my reporting. They’re notable mostly for a very thin plot, deliciously cheesy 1990s TV CGI and the inability of the 21-year-old Reynolds to convincingly frown because his skin is as unblemished and wrinkle-free as a newborn’s.
Spencer-Nairn leveled up to a starring role in the 2002 direct-to-video film Wishmaster 4: The ProphecyFulfilled as Lisa, a woman who releases a demonic Djinn that grants her three wishes (good) but wants to unleash his kind from Hell and rule the world (bad). When Lisa frees the demon, he takes the form of her lawyer. There’s a joke in there somewhere.
Lisa spends wish one to help her boyfriend Sam win a personal injury lawsuit and wish two to let him walk again. Before her third wish can be granted and bring about Geniegeddon, the Djinn decides he wants to understand human relationships so he can make Lisa love him. This is a terrible plan and he ends up in a place more inescapable than a bottle: the friend zone.
In 2011, Spencer-Nairn followed up six seasons on Corner Gas with 30 appearances on the TV series The Listener, which is about a mind-reading paramedic. Because it’s set in Canada, he doesn’t have to use his telepathic powers to determine before treating someone whether they’re insured. Spencer-Nairn played a nurse, which had its perks. “Scrubs are basically pajamas,” she told the Owen Sound Sun Times, “so hello, I get to wear pajamas to work. I don’t think it gets much better than that.”
Two months ago, she appeared on the otherworldly funny CBS sitcom Ghosts as scoutmaster Pete’s wife Carol in a big-haired ’80s flashback.
Spencer-Nairn married publicist Josh Glover in 2008 and they have two sons. For Mother’s Day last year she wrote on Instagram of her boys, “Proud of these little stinkers and the incredible humans they are becoming. … Here’s hoping they learn to flush a toilet before they’re 18.”
She also has a good sense of humor about her place in the hierarchy of celebrity. “Five year old just asked if I was famous,” she tweeted in 2017. “I’d rather explain how babies are born than explain the Canadian star system.”
By John A Arkansawyer: “In the future, there was a nuclear war. And because of all the radiation, cats developed the ability to shoot lasers out of their mouths.”
On this dubious premise, Laser Cats was founded. By its seventh and final episode, the great action stars and directors of the day had contributed their considerable talents to this highly entertaining, yet frankly ridiculous enterprise. From James Cameron to Lindsey Lohan, Josh Brolin to Steve Martin, Laser Cats attracted the best in the business.
Being part of Saturday Night Live undoubtedly helped.
The SNL Digital Short series ran from 2005-2012 with over a hundred episodes. Laser Cats appeared in all seven seasons. It’s a story within a story. In each episode, Andy Samberg and Bill Hader approach SNL producer Lorne Michaels with a brilliant idea. In the first episode: “We decided that there were two things that everyone loves.” “Cats and lasers!”
Whereupon they pop in a VHS labeled “Laser Cats”, in which Admiral Spaceship (Samberg) and Nitro (Hader) fight bad guys like Doctor Scientist and Mayor Tophat with their trusty laser cats.
In the outer stories of the first three episodes, Samberg and Hader approach Michaels on their own. Beginning with the fourth episode, Hollywood heavy hitters accompany them to Michaels’ office for the pitch, and the inner stories become more parodies rather than simple spoofs. It’s worth noting the third inner story is in 3D(*) and the sixth is a musical.
On one hand, the CGI work is dated and wasn’t any good at the time. On the other hand, the practical effects are even worse. On the gripping hand, the low budget and terrible production standards ensure that you will see Steven Spielberg act, direct(**), and do his own Foley work(***) at the same time. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Samberg and Hader contributed writing for these sketches, along with Jorma Taccone, Akiva Shaffer, Jonathan Krisel, and Lorne Michaels. Taccone and Shaffer directed the sketches, working both together and individually. (Samberg, Taccone, and Shaffer also work as The Lonely Island.)
If you aren’t familiar with the sketches, the viewing order I recommend is watching the first one first. If you love it, you’ll love the rest; if you hate it, you’re done. I’d then watch each of the next two individually, because the omnibus video of episodes 1-3 has a major spoiler in the intro. Then watch the omnibus video of episodes 4-7 because episode 6 is not available standalone.
By Daniel Dern: I’m committed to watching at least the full first season of Foundation on Apple+ because, if nothing else, enough friends — some old-skiffy-savvy, others not — will, I know, want to chat about it, either to share their opinions and thoughts or who knows, ask for mine.
Whether I would otherwise, too soon (two episodes) to tell — my eval may have to wait until at least the full season has run. Is it well done? Visually? You bet. Does it have action? You bet. Does it include a fair amount of Asimov’s original framework? Yup — certainly (based on memory) far more than, psigh, I, Robot (which felt like a good-nuff version of a different Asimov book). Will it be satisfying, or will I want my time back? We’ll see…
(Other people are already chiming in, including Rob Bricken’s review Gizmodo review.)
Meanwhile, it’s none too early to start snarking. (Hey, I did it for Amazon’s LotR plans!) I don’t have as much for this, so let comments carouse.
I’ll start:
The (Expanse’s) protomolecule shows up in Episode 4
Terminus has (Arrakisian) sandworms, which initially manifest as sudden humongous desert sinkholes
Salvor Hardin has midi-chlorians, or at least nano-chlorians
Arkady Darell inherits the One Ring from her grandparents
It will turn out that Amazon is funding the Encyclopedia Galactica project.
Right after the Fourth of July might not be when I shop for Christmas ornaments, but somebody does, because that’s when Hallmark runs its Keepsake Ornament Premiere.
If the timing is for the convenience of retailers, there is also a certain logic in picking a spot on the calendar that is as far away as you can get from a date associated with Christmas trees. It’s plain some of these ornaments are intended for a Halloween or Thanksgiving tree, while others probably are destined never to decorate a tree at all but to remain pristine in their original wrapping on collectors’ shelves.
Although this first one has nothing to do with the Christmas season other than that’s when four of the Harry Potter movies came out, if you believe there’s an omniscient Santa Claus who knows when you’ve been bad or good, then this might work for you, too:
“There’s nothing hidden in your head the Sorting Hat can’t see…” Relive the Sorting Ceremony, one of the most eagerly anticipated traditions for first-year students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This Christmas tree ornament features the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat, which moves and says lines about each house: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff (battery-operated).
And Hallmark also caters to a sort of counter-Christmas clientele with these next two items.
Be sure to give Old Man Parker’s “major award” a glorious spot on the tree this year! With its lampshade fringe and fishnet stockings, this premium porcelain Christmas tree ornament will have you reminiscing about the hit holiday movie “A Christmas Story” all season long. Year dated 2021.
Spread the spirit of Halloween Town to even the smallest of Christmas trees with this miniature ornament. The stylized design features Sally holding one of her potion ingredient jars. For a spooktacular display, pair it with our coordinating Lil’ Jack and Lil’ Oogie Boogie mini ornaments (each sold separately).
Then, if you call yours a Halloween or Thanksgiving tree, Hallmark has you covered.
Make it a Halloween of legendary proportions when you display this cute ornament! The diorama-style jack-o’-lantern design features an adorable Bigfoot creature with its iconic pose wandering in front of a moonlit forest.
Yes, it’s hard to imagine a more sacred holiday memory than this —
Relive one of the most hilarious moments from “Friends” when you display this Christmas tree ornament. In an effort to cheer up Chandler, Monica wears a turkey on her head—complete with a fez and sunglasses. When you press the button to play the audio clip from the show, you’re sure to proclaim your love…just as Chandler did on that fateful Thanksgiving Day.
But it’s a complete mystery what occasion Hallmark thinks people are celebrating when they buy creeptastic ornaments like these two:
After her sister’s demise, the Wicked Witch of the West harbored villainous hope for getting her hands on the Ruby Slippers. Relive the climactic scene inside her castle as the Wicked Witch of the West demands that a frightened Dorothy turn over the enchanted footwear. Fans of the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” will love adding this Christmas tree ornament to their collection.
And I think the most suitable tree for decorating with the next ornament would be something like Old Man Willow, who tried to turn the hobbits into mulch.
Considered one of the most powerful Disney villains, the dark and sinister Chernabog first reared its wicked head in the classic 1940 film “Fantasia.” Pay tribute to good versus evil with this striking likeness of the menacing character ferociously emerging from Bald Mountain with his giant wings extended. Insert the bulb of a standard miniature light string through the rubber grommet on the ornament to create a special lighting effect.
Otherwise there are literally dozens of Keepsake Ornaments that commemorate popular movies and TV shows.
If they’re serious about selling these, quit fooling around, call him “Baby Yoda.”
The legend continues with The Child named Grogu (often called “Baby Yoda” by fans) from the Disney+ original series The Mandalorian. This Christmas tree ornament features the mysterious Force-sensitive alien playing with a shifter knob—from Din Djarin’s ship, The Razor Crest—as he sits atop a Stormtrooper helmet from remnants of the Galactic Empire.
Ordinarily, when I see a robot it’s not my first response that “He needs a few square meals under his belt” like I do with this one:
Loyal to the Rebel Alliance, K-2SO carried the markings of his former programming as an Imperial security droid, allowing him to effectively infiltrate Imperial installations and outposts. Rebellion hero Cassian Andor undertook the difficult task of reformatting K-2SO’s personality, leaving him with a blunt disposition that cemented his place as a favorite character. Fans of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will love displaying this metal Christmas tree ornament of the versatile droid.
There are quite a few sci-fi TV shows with ornaments. There’s even an entire series of alternate-universe crew from Star Trek: TOS’ “Mirror, Mirror” episode, including the iconic Spock.
A striking departure from his prime-universe self, Spock’s discipline toward logic and science not only made him an inscrutable presence aboard the I.S.S. Enterprise but also led him to discern Captain Kirk’s most dangerous secret. Plug the ornament into Hallmark’s Keepsake Power Cord (sold separately) for constant illumination, then press the button to start a sound and light show based on the classic original Star Trek series episode “Mirror, Mirror.” Connect all of the Star Trek Storytellers ornaments—Captain James T. Kirk, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, First Officer Spock and Ensign Pavel Chekov—and the U.S.S. Enterprise Tree Topper (each sold separately) to unlock additional interactive performances.
Likewise, many movies and other characters. I think it’s the inclusion of the comic book that I like best about this one.
Eighty years ago, “Man’s World” changed forever with the first appearance of Wonder Woman. This Christmas tree ornament celebrates the legacy of one of DC Comics’ most powerful and beloved Super Heroes—a steadfast symbol of truth, justice and equality—alongside cover art from the Wonder Woman No. 1 comic book.
Want to bet there are a couple of Filers who will soon own this item?
Originally constructed from a single enchanted stone in the shape of a giant Power Skull, Castle Grayskull protects the hidden power of the Universe and the secrets of Eternia. He-Man and his foes struggle to hold the mysterious, timeless powers of the mighty fortress. This Christmas tree ornament is a nostalgic tribute to “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” for fans of all ages.
In the end I admit that this ornament, which relates to no holiday and needs no tree to justify its existence, affords me so much amusement that if I’m not careful I’ll wind up owning it.
He’s not Sheldon Cooper, he’s The Flash! Relive the hilarious events as the gang dresses up like the Justice League of America for a New Year’s Eve costume party with this Christmas tree ornament. Press the button to play some of Sheldon’s phrases from that unforgettable episode of “The Big Bang Theory” (battery-operated).
