Television

Spooky Season Shopping

October 6, 2022 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Movies, Television

It’s October and for many of my readers “Spooky Season” is a bigger deal than the Christmas/Yule/Winter holiday season. And now that I’m an affiliate with Entertainment Earth, I thought it would be fun to showcase just a few of the diverse October themed items you can find on the site.

Entertainment Earth has been making Tiki style mugs for a while now, and they frequently sell out.

If you watched “WandaVision” you’ll remember how it was “Agatha all along!” This pin nicely captures the fun and menace of the memorable witch.

Camp Crystal Lake is an iconic slasher movie location and I thought this clock was creepy, but functional.

Maybe I’m weird, but I always thing of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as a Christmas movie, not Halloween. Either way, this fancy, high end Sally is beautiful.

I’m a fan of cuddly Cthulhu, and these slippers fit the bill!

Entertainment Earth carries a wide variety of playing cards, and “Beetlejuice” is the perfect fit for the Halloween season.

McFarlane Toys makes some of the best action figures/plastic based figurines on the market. I happen to be a big Swamp Thing fan so I couldn’t resist sharing this with you.

I’m not a huge fan of slasher movies, but even I cannot deny that this Michael Myers is ADORABLE!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a slice of what Entertainment Earth has to offer for the Halloween season. I’ll probably do themed Entertainment Earth articles like this from time to time. It’s fun to share pop culture goodies with you, and as an affiliate, you shopping based off of these recommendations helps support The Magical Buffet!

You can shop the entire website through my link: https://ee.toys/Buffet and you’ll receive 10% off any in stock purchase!

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! Https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

Fan Based Interior Design

August 25, 2022 by Administrator, posted in Books, Geek Stuff, Movies, Music, Television

In June 2022, Lombardo Homes surveyed 1,053 people to get their feedback about decorations for their homes. Respondents were 49% women, 48% men, 2% nonbinary, and 1% transgender. The average age of respondents was 37. 64% live in homes, 24% in apartments, 4% in townhomes, 4% in condos, 3% in mobile homes, and 1% listed other.

They also analyzed the Google search volume of more than 3,163 terms related to “nerdy house decorations” such as “Darth Vader mug,” “Mickey Mouse pancake maker,” and “Harry Potter string lights” to determine the nerdiest states. The rankings were based on states that had sufficient data available. The data they analyzed was from April 2020-April 2022 (the most recent data available at the time of this report).

And what did Lombardo’s survey reveal? Essentially that EVERYONE is a nerd for something. That my home state of New York isn’t even in the top 20 of nerdiest states based on their methodology and that Nebraska is number one. Apparently, 35% of the respondents say they like to decorate their home with “nerdy décor” and 43% own decorations or furniture based on popular television shows, movies, and games.

It is an interesting read, and I encourage you to read the whole report on the Lombardo Homes blog.

If you know me personally, or follow myself or The Magical Buffet on social media, you know I’m a fan of a lot of different genres and types of media. I have decorative figures and action figures of characters ranging from Penelope Pitstop to Osamu Dazai to Rick Sanchez. I have a standee of Mushu from Disney’s animated film Mulan, and a Dark Crystal lunch box. I’m absolutely a collector. Not necessarily of anything of value, or that will appreciate in value, but of things that remind me of things I love. Almost like souvenirs of the experience of interacting with a piece of media I enjoyed.

People will often ask me where I source my fangirl stuff, and more often than not, the answer is a website called Entertainment Earth. They cater to fans of just about anything by selling licensed merchandise in the form of nearly anything you can imagine.

A D&D slow cooker? Entertainment Earth.

An adorable Funko Pop of Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory? Entertainment Earth.

A Batman Beyond replica Red Batarang? I think you’re getting the picture.

I’m a fan of things, and I know many of you are too. That’s why I’m excited to tell you there is a new way to support The Magical Buffet, and it’s by shopping at Entertainment Earth! That’s right! Your girl is an affiliate for her favorite fan site! When you shop at Entertainment Earth through my link, I make a small commission at no additional cost to you! And until the end of the year, orders placed this way will automatically receive 10% off any in-stock purchase and free domestic shipping on orders $39 and up.

According to Lombardo Homes, “People are willing to spend a lot of money on fandom items to prove they’re the biggest fan in town. In our survey, Americans admitted to spending up to $10,000 on a nerdy item for their home!

On average, fans are willing to drop about $103 for an item, but if there is something they’d really want, they’d be willing to spend an average of $160. The top decorations fans own are stuffed animals/figurines, wall decor, mugs, blankets, and Christmas ornaments.”

If you’re going to do that, why not support The Magical Buffet while you’re at it?

You can shop The Magical Buffet’s Entertainment Earth site via this link.

Marvel vs. DC: Who Prevails in Your State?

May 30, 2022 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Movies, Television

Travis Petersen and USDish wanted to try and figure out who the most popular superhero was in each state in the United States, but also the most popular superhero universe. To identify each state’s most popular superheroes, they used SEMRush keyword volume data. Once they had their list of 20 superheroes total (10 for DC Universe and 10 for Marvel Universe), they used Google Trends to see which state googled which superhero the most. For each state’s most popular comic book universe, they analyzed each state on Google Trends to find out which of the comic book universes they googled the most.

I don’t know if the results are surprising or not. Obviously some searching comes from buzz around upcoming releases. So, is Flash a true state favorite, or are just a lot of residents curious about the upcoming movie? I mean, is Morbius really Alaska’s favorite superhero, or did a lot of Alaskans just not believe anyone was going to make a Morbius film so they hit Google to find out? See what I’m saying.

Okay, no more stalling. Here’s what you want to know.

State     Most Searched Superhero     Most Searched Universe
Alabama               Flash               Marvel Universe
Alaska                Morbius	          Marvel Universe
Arizona	              Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Arkansas	      Flash	          DC Universe
California	      Captain America	  Marvel Universe
Colorado	      Deadpool	          DC Universe
Connecticut	      Flash	          DC Universe
Delaware	      Flash	          DC Universe
District of Columbia  Green Lantern	  Marvel Universe
Florida	              Superman	          DC Universe
Georgia	              Black Panther	  DC Universe
Hawaii	              Aquaman	          Marvel Universe
Idaho	              Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Illinois	      Superman	          Marvel Universe
Indiana	              Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Iowa	              Hawkeye	          Marvel Universe
Kansas	              Flash	          DC Universe
Kentucky	      Batman	          Marvel Universe
Louisiana	      Flash	          DC Universe
Maine	              Deadpool	          DC Universe
Maryland	      Black Panther	  DC Universe
Massachusetts	      Captain America	  Marvel Universe
Michigan	      Superman	          DC Universe
Minnesota	      Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Mississippi	      Flash	          DC Universe
Missouri	      Superman	          Marvel Universe
Montana	              Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Nebraska	      Deadpool	          DC Universe
Nevada	              Batman	          Marvel Universe
New Hampshire	      Flash	          Marvel Universe
New Jersey	      Flash	          Marvel Universe
New Mexico	      Harley Quinn	  DC Universe
New York	      Superman	          DC Universe
North Carolina	      Superman	          DC Universe
North Dakota	      Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Ohio	              Deadpool	          DC Universe
Oklahoma	      Batman	          Marvel Universe
Oregon	              Flash	          DC Universe
Pennsylvania	      Captain America	  Marvel Universe
Rhode Island	      Superman	          Marvel Universe
South Carolina	      Superman	          Marvel Universe
South Dakota	      Deadpool	          DC Universe
Tennessee	      Superman	          DC Universe
Texas	              Harley Quinn	  DC Universe
Utah	              Black Widow	  Marvel Universe
Vermont	              Captain America	  Marvel Universe
Virginia	      Flash	          Marvel Universe
Washington	      Captain America	  Marvel Universe
West Virginia	      Harley Quinn	  Marvel Universe
Wisconsin	      Deadpool	          Marvel Universe
Wyoming	              Deadpool	          DC Universe

What do you think? I can’t believe that Doctor Strange and Spiderman are nowhere to be found. I get Illinois going with Superman, because Metropolis is Chicago. However, New York also went Superman? Come on New Yorkers, Gotham is New York. Also, have we as a society decided that Harley Quinn is a superhero? I love Harley Quinn, particularly the cartoon on HBO Max, but a hero? Honestly, this list creates more questions than answers!

You can read the official write up here.

10 Questions with Heather Greene

January 6, 2022 by Administrator, posted in Books, Interviews, Movies, Television, Wiccan/Pagan

Today we’re talking with editor, author, and journalist Heather Greene about her latest book, “Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television.”

1. Your latest book is “Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television.” I guess the most obvious question here is, why explore this particular facet of history?

Stories of witches and witchcraft permeate so much of our culture across time and space. It is a fascination that is made of both adoration and fear, it would seem. In this study, I examined how American pop culture, specifically Hollywood and television, told these age-old stories and defined the character of the witch.

2. Your book discusses a dizzying volume of movies and television shows. Do you have any idea how much time you spent watching movies as research?

I could do some math based on the average length of shows and movies, but no, I do not have a number. In fact, in some cases, I watched the films or shows multiple times for analysis, and I also watched a good number of films not listed or mentioned. So basically, the answer is “a whole lot.”

3. How has the role of women in American culture been reflected by the role of the witch in film?

This is actually one of the main threads in the book. In short, witchcraft is more often than not an allegory for a woman’s or girl’s power. Therefore, the witch character reflects mainstream society’s relationship with that power at any given point in time. When her innate power is feared as in mid-century, the witch is an example of what not to be. When it’s celebrated as in the 1990s, witchcraft is a symbol of feminist expression or so called ‘girl power’. This is just a taste of a complex social history.

4. Overall, how has the witch in cinema evolved?

Again, this is the main thrust of the book itself. A quick answer: the witch began as a copy of stories and lore that had come before and expanded over time with a changing society. Her stories became more involved, more focused on her as a central character, and more nuanced in the definition of magic itself. The witch evolved into a uniquely Hollywood creation and a true reflection of American society’s negotiation of religion, gender, race, ethnicity, and power.

5. Has the portrayal of men as witches been a part of your research?

Yes. While women make up most of Hollywood’s witches, there are some standout male figures, and that needs to be discussed as well. Given that witches have long been associated with women within Western society in general, it is important to examine male representations and the roles that they play. There is a distinct difference and I discuss that point in the book.

6. Do you remember the first witch you saw in American film or television?

I would guess it would be Glinda and The Wicked Witch of the West. I loved The Wizard of Oz. However, it may have been Sabrina the Teenage Witch in her cartoon form or a Disney animated witch.

7. Who’s your favorite fictional witch?

The Wicked Witch of the West, although I’m partial to Looney Tunes’ Witch Hazel and Disney’s Maleficent.

8. Now that you’re done with this book, what are you watching on television?

I’ve been watching some wonderful British films that have absolutely nothing to do with witchcraft. British filmmakers have a wonderful way of telling compelling slice of life stories. The Beautiful Fantastic is one example. However, I did just start watching The Wheel of Time, which is in fact a great addition to the story of the witch on screen.

9. What’s next? Do you have any upcoming projects that my readers should be aware of?

As an acquisition’s editor at Llewellyn, I’m currently spending most of my time working with other authors on their books, which is something that I deeply enjoy. Helping authors go from idea to book-in-hand is fantastic. We like to call ourselves “book midwives.” I do post the books that I work on publicly in my photo library on Facebook. It is called My Llewellyn Book Shelf. https://www.facebook.com/heather.greene.165

I am also a religion journalist, covering predominantly witchcraft and pagan related stories. Readers can follow my work through my Twitter account @miraselena01.

For all my antics in one place, www.heathergreene.net.

10. Parting shot! Ask us at The Magical Buffet any one questions.

What is your favorite witch movie and why?

That is a really tough question. When I was young, I went through a pretty hardcore “Bell, Book, and Candle” phase. Then I had the prerequisite “The Craft” love affair. My last witch movie obsession was “Practical Magic”, and I think that may be my favorite. It’s a mature take on magic and witchcraft, with a fantastic cast (Stockard Channing for life yo!), and a Stevie Nicks heavy soundtrack.

About Heather Greene:
Heather Greene is an editor, author, and journalist living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is currently an acquisitions editor with Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd and a freelance religion journalist. She has a BA from Wesleyan University and an MA from Emory University both in Film Studies. Her work can be found at Religion News Service, Religion Unplugged, The Washington Post, Circle Magazine, and The Wild Hunt. Her book “Lights Camera Witchcraft,” tracing witches in American film and television, was released October 2021. She is a member of Covenant of the Goddess, Religion Newswriters Association, and Circle Sanctuary.

Shop your local indie bookstore <---This is an affiliate link to IndieBound, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Demon in the White House

November 24, 2021 by Administrator, posted in Paranormal, Television

Um, buckle up kids, we’ve got a wild ride incoming. “Is it possible two grieving mothers, dabbling in seances inside the presidential residence, conjure something other than their beloved sons?” Is it? I mean, is it? Discovery+ and the Travel Channel set out to answer the question that I feel certain no one before now had asked with the “shock doc” “Demon in the White House.”

Per the press release, “The seat of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may be the most haunted site in the world. New Shock Doc, ‘Demon in the White House’, launching Friday, November 26 on Discovery+, uncloaks the historic origins of the horror of two grieving First Ladies. Did they unwittingly invite an evil presence with a malevolent agenda that may still torment America’s presidents, as well as their families, visitors and closest advisors?

President Franklin Pierce and First Lady Jane Pierce lost their son Benjamin at age 11. President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd’s son, William, died at the same age. Both children perished during their father’s administration. The Shock Doc thriller opens archival papers, correspondence and diaries to document a timeline of supernatural events that unfolded after these grieving families sought solace in the fashionable new spiritualism and seance movement – and the potential catastrophic consequences that followed.

As new presidential families moved into the White House over the past 150 years, there continued to be supernatural activity and strange happenings within the walls of this famous residence. One of the presidents most vocal about paranormal activity was Harry Truman who wrote several letters to family members explaining the disturbances. Historians count nine separate occasions that he wrote about the ghost of the White House, and once said, ‘sure as shooting the place is haunted.’

It is believed that renovating a building can stir up ghostly activity. When the White House was being gutted, Truman hired National Park Service photographer Abbie Rowe to document this historic process. One ordinary photo shows a bulldozer and three men standing in a corner. On the other side of the frame, is a figure that appears transparent The three men standing at the same distance are obviously solid, their shirts and ties are identifiable, and the other figure has no discernible articles of clothing. This enigmatic photo may be the first documented ghost photo at the White Ho

For centuries, spirits have been reported in the White House. ‘Demon in the White House’ aims to uncover if the presidential home is haunted by something demonic, and if so, what it could possibly want.”

Obviously, I don’t share EVERY press release for a paranormal television show or series. If I did, given the rate that Discovery/Travel Channel churn them out it would be all I did. However, I think we can agree that this just the right amount of “out there” that it had to shared. So, thoughts? Are you going to check it out?

The Top Halloween Episodes in America

October 25, 2021 by Administrator, posted in Television

Do you watch specific Halloween episodes of television? I don’t really think to do that. Watch specific movies around Halloween time, yes? In fact, my husband and I just re-watched “To Cast a Deadly Spell” because hey, it’s the Halloween season! This is why although perhaps not the most scientific of surveys, I couldn’t resist diving into the results from USDISH’s report “The Top Halloween Episodes in America.”

As I mentioned in the above paragraph, USDISH isn’t doing super in-depth research. As outlined in their report “The team at USDISH looked at the top 15 episodes on IMDb that were tagged ‘Halloween,’ produced between 1990 and 2020, had over 1,500 votes, and had a rating of 7.5 or higher. From there, we found the episode premiere’s viewership in the TV by the Numbers archive and ranked the shows from most to least popular based on viewership.

To find out each state’s most popular TV show during Halloween, we looked at Google Trends data from October 1–October 30, 2020, to find which show had the greatest search volume in each state.”

If you were going to watch television for Halloween, what would you watch? For me, any “Treehouse of Horror” from The Simpsons. If I was feeling bold AND daring, I’d go with any American Horror Story season. Below are the top television shows for Halloween by state:

Alabama                 Friends
Alaska	                Stranger Things
Arizona	                The Simpsons
Arkansas                The Big Bang Theory
California              The Simpsons
Colorado                Friends
Connecticut             The Simpsons
Delaware                The Big Bang Theory
District of Columbia	Stranger Things
Florida	                Stranger Things
Georgia	                Stranger Things
Hawaii	                Criminal Minds
Idaho	                Stranger Things
Illinois	        Friends
Indiana	                Criminal Minds
Iowa	                Friends
Kansas	                The Big Bang Theory
Kentucky	        The Big Bang Theory
Louisiana	        Friends
Maine	                The Big Bang Theory
Maryland	        The Simpsons
Massachusetts	        Friends
Michigan	        Stranger Things
Minnesota	        The Simpsons
Mississippi	        The Big Bang Theory
Missouri	        Friends
Montana	                Stranger Things
Nebraska	        The Simpsons
Nevada	                The Simpsons
New Hampshire	        Friends
New Jersey	        Friends
New Mexico	        Friends
New York	        Friends
North Carolina	        Stranger Things
North Dakota	        Criminal Minds
Ohio	                Stranger Things
Oklahoma	        The Simpsons
Oregon	                The Simpsons
Pennsylvania	        Criminal Minds
Rhode Island	        The Simpsons
South Carolina	        Stranger Things
South Dakota	        The Big Bang Theory
Tennessee	        Friends
Texas	                Friends
Utah	                Stranger Things
Vermont	                Friends
Virginia	        Stranger Things
Washington	        Stranger Things
West Virginia	        The Big Bang Theory
Wisconsin	        Criminal Minds
Wyoming	                Criminal Minds

You can view the whole USDISH report here.

The Most-Searched Hulu Original Series

July 26, 2021 by Administrator, posted in Television

As some of you might remember, from time to time the folks at USDish put together an interesting report that I want to share. This one, “The Most-Searched Hulu Original Series, by State”, I thought I would be ignoring, but then I read it and it prompted feelings in me. Feelings I had to share.

The team at USDISH.com gathered a list of Hulu original television shows from their website. Next, they used the website analytics tool Semrush to collect the average monthly search volume of each Hulu original series. Finally, they used Google Trends to track the search volume for the ten most popular Hulu series in each state and the District of Columbia.

I was pleased to see the reboot for “Animaniacs” came in at the top of list. Although not as good as the original, it definitely had some great bits, and I was pleased to see the gang together again. My state, New York, apparently went with “A Teacher”, which the report says is a series that spurred controversy, but I have not even heard of it. Which is one of the things I wanted to ask? Do people get excited for Hulu originals? Do people get excited about any streaming network originals? The marketplace is SO saturated with content, original or otherwise, it seems hard for the United States to come together and get truly obsessed with a series. It happens. For instance, can you all shut up about “Bridgerton”?

Also, while discussing Hulu originals, I was happy to see that “Solar Opposites” came in first in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. Who knew those states had such excellent taste? Please, if you have Hulu and have not watched “Solar Opposites” yet, go watch it. Give it a few episodes, I think you’ll be pleased.

Curious about the other states? Here is how it broke down.

Alabama	        A Teacher
Alaska		Animaniacs
Arizona		Animaniacs
Arkansas	A Teacher
California	Animaniacs
Colorado	Castle Rock
Connecticut	The Handmaid's Tale
Delaware	Animaniacs
D.C.            Mrs. America
Florida		A Teacher
Georgia		A Teacher
Hawaii		Animaniacs
Idaho		Solar Opposites
Illinois	Animaniacs
Indiana		Animaniacs
Iowa		The Act
Kansas		Animaniacs
Kentucky	Animaniacs
Louisiana	A Teacher
Maine		The Handmaid's Tale
Maryland	Animaniacs
Massachusetts	The Handmaid's Tale
Michigan	Animaniacs
Minnesota	The Handmaid's Tale
Mississippi	A Teacher
Missouri	Animaniacs
Montana	        Solar Opposites
Nebraska	Animaniacs
Nevada		Animaniacs
New Hampshire	The Handmaid's Tale
New Jersey	A Teacher
New Mexico	Animaniacs
New York	A Teacher
North Carolina	A Teacher
North Dakota	A Teacher
Ohio		Animaniacs
Oklahoma	Animaniacs
Oregon		Animaniacs
Pennsylvania	The Handmaid's Tale
Rhode Island	Little Fires Everywhere
South Carolina	A Teacher
South Dakota	Solar Opposites
Tennessee	Animaniacs
Texas		A Teacher
Utah		Animaniacs
Vermont	        The Handmaid's Tale
Virginia	Animaniacs
Washington	Animaniacs
West Virginia	The Handmaid's Tale
Wisconsin	The Handmaid's Tale
Wyoming	        The Act

You can view the report and all its details here.

eDNA Proof of Bigfoot?

March 8, 2021 by Administrator, posted in Creatures, Paranormal, Television

It may surprise you to know that I receive press releases regularly from the Discovery Channel. I rarely share the info because most of the time it is just alerting me to the start of their assorted paranormal-esque show’s seasons. However, occasionally one of them catches my eye, which is what we have here. Last week I received this press release from Discovery:

NEW YORK (March 3, 2021) – The EXPEDITION BIGFOOT team collected surprising DNA evidence while in the field searching for the most famous and elusive cryptid, Bigfoot. Throughout their two-month journey, the team – Bryce Johnson (expedition operations), Dr. Mireya Mayor (primatologist), Russell Acord (ex-military/survivalist) and Ronny LeBlanc (Bigfoot researcher) – used the latest in advanced technologies to narrow their search within the designated target zones, beginning in Kentucky and then switching mid-expedition to Washington State. As the investigation intensified, possible evidence that Bigfoot may be in the area began to surface – vocalizations, unexplained structures commonly described by Bigfoot witnesses and massive 16-inch footprints that no man could have left behind.

During filming deep in the wilderness of Kentucky’s Appalachian highlands, eDNA collected from soil under a massive tree structure found by Dr. Mayor and LeBlanc produced surprising and exciting results. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is the genetic material naturally left behind by animals in the environment. Scientific analysis of these samples helps generate a snapshot of any living creatures. This revolutionary new tool is increasingly used to confirm the presence of elusive animals.

“This scientific expedition may have finally taken one of the world’s greatest mysteries out of the pages of legend and lore and into reality,” said Dr. Mayor.

Miroslava Munguia Ramos, project manager at the UCLA California Environmental DNA program, has analyzed the eDNA sample from the tree structure. Following are her observations.

• “We received soil samples from your team and took a few months to get them processed. What we’re looking at are the unique organisms that we were able to identify. Our software does what’s known as metabar coding. So, it’ll match up all the DNA sequences that we were able to detect and try to cross reference them with the thousands of genomes that have been published and it’s pretty common that when we’re looking at environmental DNA samples, we detect humans, because there’s going be human traces almost everywhere.”

• “But what I found very interesting was that, yes, we have detected human DNA in these areas, but we’re still seeing different primate DNA. There wasn’t just one human primate, there are several different primates, some sort of primate relative that exists in the data.”

• “Pan troglodyte is a species of chimpanzee, which you would not see in the areas you’re at. It’s a real head scratcher. It’s important to note that the higher the detection, the more confidence we can say that whatever organism, whatever taxonomy we’re looking at was apparent in the area. And in this case, we’re looking at the Pan genus, or the chimpanzee genus…. there’s 3000 reads.”
• “The technology is constantly improving, it’s getting more accurate, and now it just really comes down to making sure we have enough samples and we’re confident that whatever we’re studying is a unique species.”

Dr. Mayor expanded on this unique discovery.

• “Finding what appears to be a very large structure, seemingly created with intention and requiring great strength as well as foresight, is interesting. It is not unheard of for primates to stack sticks or rocks, although for me, the jury is still out as to what that was. There is no guess work in science. It is great is that eDNA was collected from that site. That may give us the answers we are looking for.”

• “The process of describing and confirming a new species is difficult. DNA is absolutely essential in the scientific community to prove that something is a new or recognized species. You have eyewitness accounts from tens of thousands of people who say they have encountered Bigfoot, some coming forward with blurry videos and photographs. But that is just not going to cut it. What we need is indisputable genetic evidence to really put this mystery to rest. And there’s no doubt in my mind that we are headed in the right direction.”

When it comes to “big” discoveries, such as definitive “proof” of a paranormal creature’s existence, I won’t be hearing about it only on the season finale of “Expedition Bigfoot” on Discovery+. That news will be EVERYWHERE IMMEDIATELY. Now, that’s not to say that this isn’t interesting, and credit where it’s due, Discovery didn’t pitch this to me as THE proof. Still, I can’t help but feel like they want us to be overly excited about something that’s more of a, “Huh. That’s interesting,” type of thing.

If you are interested, “Expedition Bigfoot” is currently streaming on Discovery+, with the season finale being Sunday, March 28, 2021.

The Most Popular Thanksgiving TV Episodes

November 26, 2020 by Administrator, posted in Television

Do you ever binge specific television episodes during the holidays? I do. Every Christmas my husband and I watch every American Dad Christmas episode because they are seriously good. I swear. The series is streaming on Hulu, do yourself a favor and watch them. However, I never gave much thought to Thanksgiving television episodes. So, when USDish reached out to me with their findings on the most popular Thanksgiving television episodes, I was intrigued.

Let me tell you up front that America is missing out on great Thanksgiving television because The Cleveland Show did not end up on this list at all, and that show has the most EPIC Thanksgiving episodes. (Again, streaming on Hulu, watch them.) Obviously this omission leads me to the methodology that was used to compile the list.

To find the most popular TV episodes on Thanksgiving they analyzed the top fifteen holiday episodes for each holiday using IMDb data.

To qualify for the analysis, each episode had to meet the following criteria: contain the keyword “Thanksgiving”, be produced between 1990–2020, have over 1,500 IMDb votes, and achieve a rating of 7.5 and above.

Once they narrowed down their search, they found each episode’s viewership count using the viewership archive on TV Listings. Then they ranked each episode from most popular to least-popular based on viewership. To find the most-searched TV show in each state for November they analyzed Google Trends data.

With that out of the way, with no further ado, here are the results:

1. “The One with the List” Friends
2. “The Mom and Pop Store” Seinfeld
3. “The One with the Football” Friends
4. “The One with Chandler in a Box” Friends
5. “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister” Friends
6. “The One with the Rumor” Friends
7. “The One with All the Thanksgivings” Friends
8. “The One Where Underdog Gets Away” Friends
9. “The One with the Late Thanksgiving” Friends
10. “The One Where Ross Got High” Friends
11. “The Thanksgiving Decoupling” The Big Bang Theory
12. “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs” Friends
13. “Ignorance Is Bliss” House
14. “Belly Full of Turkey” How I Met Your Mother
15. “Pilgrim Rick” This is Us

I do find it interesting that in New York, the state where the dominating television series Friends is set, it was not the most searched show for Thanksgiving.

If you found this interesting, I encourage you to check out the full report, where you can read more about this, and it will be updated to include Christmas and New Year in December!

The Midnight Gospel

April 27, 2020 by Administrator, posted in Buddhism, Magic/Occult, Mythology, New Age, Religion, Reviews, Television

If you know me, or follow me on social media, you know that I am a lady that loves herself some “Adventure Time”. What is there not to love? A cast of loveable characters, having quirky adventures, and underneath the humor, topics like love, loss, friendship, family, and the nature of evil are examined. So, obviously when I heard the creator of “Adventure Time”, Pendleton Ward, had a new animated series for adults coming to Netflix, I was all in.

I knew nothing about the series, “The Midnight Gospel”, before I watched it, other than it was animated and Pendleton Ward was a part of it. This show did not just meet expectations, it blew any expectations right out of the water. Buckle up, it’s an amazing ride!

What is “The Midnight Gospel”? A question more easily asked than answered. It follows spacecaster Clancy, as he drops into various alternative Earth simulations via an illegal multiverse simulator, to interview beings he finds. It turns out the show is based off Duncan Trussell’s podcast “Duncan Trussell Family Hour”. Ward is a fan of the podcast and thought of the idea of animating it. What happens when you smoosh Ward and Trussell together? A mind blowing, psyche changing, legitimately magical experience.

Trussell interviews a who’s who of people Buffet readers know, or should know: Caitlin Doughty, Ram Dass, Damien Echols, Anne Lamott, and more. They discuss topics such as magic, forgiveness, death, drugs, and yes, more. Every episode is magic, but it is hard to deny the power of the episode “Mouse of Silver”, that features an interview Trussell did with his mother, Deneen Fendig, as she was dying of cancer. All of this is paired with Ward’s dreamy, psychedelic art that is so rich with symbolism that you’ll want to watch it again and again.

I know all of this may sound like a downer, but to the contrary, it is seeded with humor and overall, a life affirming experience. I am definitely not an expert on magical media, so this is just my personal, limited experience, opinion. “The Midnight Gospel” is one of the most magical, and magickal, things you can view on a television screen. Watch it now. Then watch is again.

“The Midnight Gospel” is available on Netflix.

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