AUDIO: SUSPENSE – “Russian New Year”

This thrilling tale recounts an attempt to assassinate the tzar.  An attempt which took place during …

“Russian New Year” originally aired on “Suspense” on January 13, 1957.

Photo: Proof that Santa is Real!

This photo,  taken by local pharmacist Hiram Baxter, shows Santa’s sleigh with its characteristic glitter trail, flying over Shickshinny, Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve, 1955.  As if you needed any more evidence.

HAPPY! HAPPY!

And, for the chronologically-challenged, Happy New Year!

This begins our fifth year of operation.  Five years?!?  How time flies.  We’ve been thrilled how the blog continues to grow.  But we are not going to rest on our laurels.  We hope to make 2012 the most exciting year yet on  GR.  In addition to continuing to bring you our unique brand of news and commentary, we will also be launching a lot of original content on the blog this year.  This will be rolled out slowly over the next few months.  We think you’re really going to like what we have planned.

But the success of a blog isn’t just about what we do.  It’s also about you.  And though we’ve been overwhelmed by the success of GR.  We have had one major disappointment.  We don’t get as much commenting as we’d like.

So, in addition to all the traditional content, and the new content, we are going to offer regular posts seeking your opinions.  Posts designed to elicit your thoughts and views.  Because as much as we love our own ideas and attitudes.  We find yours much more exciting.

Here’s to an thrilling New Year!  And, as to you time travelers, well, you already know what a thrilling year it’s gonna be.  That’s why you’re here.

“Terra Nova” Ratings Drop Again!

Halloween wasn’t kind to the dino-ducking Shannons of Fox’s “Terra Nova”.  The series dropped 25% over the previous episode to a new series low rating of  2.1 with the 18-49 demo.  However, let’s assume this family show suffered from conflicts with Halloween festivities and check back in a week to see how things stand.

This Year’s Best April Fools Jokes!

The origins of April Fools Day remain somewhat hazy.   But its popularity seems to be growing year by year.  Now not only does it lead to school yard and office pranks, but the largest companies get in on the act.  Companies like the BBC, Google, Disney and others have regularly been involved in large scale April fools jokes.  And the Internet has embraced the holiday, creating some of the best April Fools Jokes in recent memory.

Here’s some of this year’s better April fools jokes.

Gmail Motion.  Google loves April Fools Day and always goes the extra mile to produce some good jokes.  This one has some great deadpan video which is likely to fool more than a few people.

Helvetica Gag.  This another one from Google.  Type “helvetica” in a Google search window.  And let the fun begin.  We don’t want to spoil this one.  It’s quite clever.

True Mobile Wallet Service.  Mobile Industry News offers this breathless take on tech acquisitions.  Will this fool anyone?  Who knows.  But it’s pretty funny for people who have read stuff like this every day.  Like us.

Do You Know Groucho?  Linkedin offers some easier to spot fun with offers for links to profiles for Grouch Marx and Robin hood.

We’re Just Sooo Excited.  The Guardian has favorite so far.  A “live blog” for the Royal Wedding.  Still 29 days away.

Would You Like this Dance? Our pals at Dread Central have rebranded their site for the day (above).

We’ll update this post throughout the day and into tomorrow as we encounter more jokes we feel worthy of mentioning.  If you see any worthy ones that we’ve missed, list the in the comments section.  We can’t be everywhere!

Gordon-Levitt’s DARK KNIGHT RISES Character Announced!

Warners has finally announced that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play villain “The Holiday Killer” in the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight Rises.  This character is a recent addition to Batman’s rogue’s gallery.   He was created by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale for their 1996 maxi-series “Batman:  The Long Halloween“.

Interestingly, in this series the identity of “The Holiday Killer” is never identified.  Though both “Alberto Falcone” and “Gilda Dent” claimed part of the character’s role in the story.  Alberto Falcone’s father Carmine Falcone appeared in Batman Begins. He was portrayed by Tom Wilkinson.

Comics is so confoozin’, ain’t they?

Video: DOCTOR WHO 2011 Series Trailer!

This exciting preview of series six of “Doctor Who” trailed last night’s Christmas special.  Enjoy!

Hmmm … the Doctor in a cowboy hat … that’s new.

Audio: Chris Eccleston Reading “The Signalman”!

Another one of these great spooky Christmas readings from BBC featuring Chris Eccleston.  This time it’s one of the greatest spooky stories of all … Charles Dickens’  “The Signalman”!

Audio: Chris Eccleston’s Spooky Christmas Tale

This comes from a series of demonic Christmas stories that former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston recorded for the BBC in 2008.  In this installment, Eccleston reads the John Kendrick Bangs story “Thurlow’s Christmas.”  A tale about a writer who struggles to finish a story in time for Christmas, and the demonic forces behind his struggles.

Audio: Christmas Eve Ghost!

An intriguing Christmas yarn from the series “Front Page Drama” originally broadcast on Christmas Day 1951.