Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to discuss an event that we all experience every year. This is something that we all grow up with, and no matter how old or young you are, it still has the same affect. What am I talking about you may ask? A little movie that we all love known as ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’! In 1965 ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ first aired on CBS, and thus started a Christmas tradition that would continue to enchant families for decades. The movie was commissioned by ‘The Coca-Cola Company’, which asked ‘Peanuts’ creator Charles M. Schulz and his team to create the special in 6 months, after they viewed an unaired documentary staring Schultz called ‘A Boy Named Charlie Brown’. This year ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ turned 50 so let’s discuss why this amazing movie has become engraved as a part of our Christmas tradition. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
Although there are so many things about this movie that we love, I think that the 3 main things that you can pinpoint that makes ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ different than other Christmas specials is: the characters, the music, and the risks that this movie takes. One of the most important aspects of a great story is for it to have amazing, memorable characters that we can relate to. The Peanuts universe has brought us a lot of beloved characters from Lucy (the girl we all love to hate), Linus (the intelligent and practical one), Sally (the little sister we all wish we had), Snoopy (the cool one we all wish we were), and of course the wonderfully hilarious and fun Charlie Brown who we can all relate to on some level. Of course ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without it’s amazing music. Whether you love more traditional sounding Christmas music such as ‘Christmas Time is Here’ and ‘Hark the Harold Angels Sing’, or music that brings a fresh feel to the season such as the unforgettable piano jazz number ‘Linus and Lucy’ (which you can check out in the video below), this movie will have you humming along to its’ diverse soundtrack long after Christmas is over. Finally, we need to discuss the incredible risks this movie takes. One of these risks is not using music in the style of what was popular at the time. A lot of times movies use catchy, modern sounds in order to easily win over an audience. ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ uses the opposite (and often risker approach) of using genres that weren’t necessarily in the forefront of the American public’s mind in the 60s, and thus makes very unique music that instantly mesmerizes you because it’s so different. Another risk that this movie takes is that it used actual child actors to voice the characters, and because of this adds a larger sense of authenticity to the roles. Shows/movies are notorious for using adults to portray teens and children, (because of legal, financial, and other reasons), so to use a cast that was primarily made up of children was very groundbreaking at the time (and is still VERY uncommon today). Using children actors also added a sincerity and innocence to the roles that really brought these characters to life on screen, and has set a bar that all Charlie Brown specials have had to try to live up to ever since. Because of all of these reasons, we can see why we love Charlie Brown so much, and why we’ll continue to sing, dance, and laugh along to ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ for the next 50 + years.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to talk about everybody’s FAVORITE subject…food! I thought that it would be cool to mix it up today (with a channel you may or may not already be familiar with) and discuss an AMAZING YouTube channel called ‘How To Cook That’ (featuring the culinary genius Ann Reardon), where you will learn how to make the coolest desserts ever. Whether you’re a pro in the kitchen, or you burn cereal (it’s ok, you can admit it…yup you right there…moving on…), you’ll love all the recipes on this channel. So now let’s get to the deliciousness! Just a quick note, some of these desserts are easier to make than others, so if you don’t see a video in this post that grabs your interest, check out the rest of the channel, and I’m sure you’ll find something awesome. Ready? Ok, then let’s go!!!
The first video that we’re going to talk about is the ‘Easy Macaroon Recipe’ video, which was uploaded on April 24th, 2012. I thought that this was a good video for us to kick this post off with because macaroons are a really popular dessert right now, so this is a great video to watch if you want to impress all your friends with this sweet treat. The video is very easy to follow, and you even learn how to fix common mistakes that may happen when trying to make this dessert. You got love a video that this user friendly and kind to culinary newbies. Ok, next up we have the ‘Mickey Mouse Cupcakes’, which was uploaded on February 15th, 2013 (you can check out the video below). Now this recipe is a little more time consuming, but once again the video is very easy to follow. What I loved most about this video is that you not only learn how to make really cool (and edible) Mickey decorations, but you also end up with the Mickey head symbol IN the cupcake. How cool is that!!! This is the PERFECT recipe for a class party, or if you just want a really cool dessert that will make you look awesome.
Now we’re going to talk about the ‘YouTube play button cake’, which was uploaded on May 23rd, 2014. This definitely looks like a difficult dessert to make (because there are A LOT of steps), but as always the video is detailed enough so you probably won’t get lost. I just thought that this was SUCH a cool video that is definitely worth trying out. Also, what would a ‘YouTube Wednesday’ post be if we didn’t include a YouTube themed cake. This is another dessert that is beautiful and delicious so you gotta love art that you can eat. Right? Right! Ok, the final video that we’re going to talk about is the ‘Inside Out Cake’ video, which was uploaded on August 14th, 2015 (you can check out the video below). Now don’t be intimidated by how the cake looks, because the video actually explains the process in such great detail, that it actually seems like something you can replicate. This recipe is time consuming, but if you can do it, then you will definitely be master of the birthday cake, because this cake is SO AMAZING. Also, the characters on the top of the cake are toys so you don’t have to worry about embracing your inner Picasso by trying to make the characters yourself. If you love cake, desserts with A LOT of sugar, the movie Inside Out, or all of the above, then you GOTTA try out this recipe!
Keep up with everything Ann (the mastermind behind the awesomeness you have just viewed) is doing:
YouTube: How To Cook That
Website: howtocookthat.net
Twitter: howtocookthat
Instagram: howtocookthat
Pinterest: howtocookthat
Facebook:howtocookthat
Hello people of the internet!!! For today’s ‘Monday Memos’, I thought that it would be fun to discuss some of the new shows that we will become addicted to this season. I wanted to create a list that would cover just about everyone, so you’ll be able to find something you like no matter what your personal tastes are. So if you’re ready, let’s countdown the top 4 must-see shows of 2015!
4) Marvel Agent Carter (ABC, premieres January 6th at 8/7c ):
First off we have a new series for all of the Marvel comics fans. The series centers around Peggy Carter, an officer with the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and Captain America’s love interest. According to press releases about the show, her character will be seen balancing work, going on secret missions for Howard Stark (the father of Iron Man, and head of a technological company that focuses manufactures advanced weapon and defense technology), and balancing the adventure of living life as a single woman in the 1940s (because Captain America is presumed to be dead at this point). Whether or not you’re a fan of the comics and superheroes (be it as a big fan of all the DC vs. Marvel analysis or just aware that they exist), I think that everyone will find something that they like about Agent Carter. This show will have romance, suspense, and action, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
3) K.C. Undercover (Disney Channel, premieres January 18th at 8:30/7:30c):
Now this show is the perfect new addition for the young and young at heart! K.C. Undercover centers around a teenage girl named KC, who gets recruited by her parents, to join their spy organization. K.C. and her family soon have to learn how to balance spy work and everyday life. This show stars Disney Channel veteran and Dancing With The Stars runner-up Zendaya Coleman (who previously co-starred on another successful Disney show called Shake It Up). This show sounds like a cool combination of Spy Kids meets Kim Possible, so it’s definitely a show that could quickly become a hit for the network.
2) iZombie (CW, premieres sometime during the network’s midseason lineup):
If you love the supernatural, then you will definitely get into this show. The CW has already proven that it can deliver highly successful shows within this genre (I mean seriously everyone loves The Vampire Diaries). iZombie is about a medical student named Olivia Moore who goes to a party and gets attacked by a zombie, thus turning her into a half-zombie. She then gets a job at the morgue in order to get access to brains that she can eat. When she eats the brains, she begins to receive memories from the person that the brain belonged to, and ends up helping her boss and a police detective figure out how the person died. The show is going to be executive produced by Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars fame (which was a hit and is definitely a plus for the future of iZombie). If you’re a fan of shows like Cold Case then you will definitely love this one.
1) Eye Candy (MTV, premieres January 12th at 10 /9c):
Wrapping up our list is MTV’s newest scripted drama, which stars Victoria Justice as Lindy Sampson, a 21 year old computer hacker who beings to think that one of her online dates is a serial killer. She begins to work with the New York cyber-crimes department to solve murders. Lindy is a street-smart girl who dropped out of college and moved to New York after her younger sister Sara was abducted. She then began using her hacking skills to find her sister and help other people solve their missing persons cases. Things get even more complicated for Lindy when she has to work with Ben, a detective in the cyber-crimes department who previously fell in love and arrested Lindy due to her “unlawful” ways of solving crimes. If you love drama, romance, and suspense then I think that this will be the PERFECT show for you. MTV has been on a roll in the past 3 shows with releasing hits, so that is definitely a plus for this show’s future.