Category Archives: Television

Jennifer Garner and Her Real-Life Dog Martha to Star in Hit PBS KIDS® Series Martha Speaks – Feb. 4th on PBS KIDS

Jennifer Garner on all new Martha Speaks on PBS Kids®Click image to watch video preview on YouTube

Martha Speaks is one of the shows that my daughter has been drawn to.  She’s 6 and still enjoys Martha Speaks.  We even went to see a puppet show at a local theater here in Atlanta, based on Martha Speaks.  You could say she’s a fan!

The popular PBS KIDS series Martha Speaks continues its fourth season with a special episode featuring actress and super mom Jennifer Garner. Garner, mother to three young children with actor/director Ben Affleck, will be animated alongside her dog, whose name also happens to be Martha. Her appearance on Martha Speaks adds to her advocacy efforts on behalf of children’s literacy. Garner, whose mom was an English teacher, is an artist ambassador for Save the Children’s early education programs and has worked to promote legislation that ensures quality early education and literacy for children.

“Ms. Garner shares the same passion for reading and dogs we do,” says executive producer Carol Greenwald. ” We were thrilled to have her lend her talents to this episode.”

Martha Speaks on PBS KIDS

In “Too Many Marthas,” Martha is asked to sing at an animal rescue fundraiser and she’s thrilled. But on the day of the concert, Martha gets mixed up with another Martha – a dog belonging to a lady named Jennifer (Jennifer Garner). Can Martha help Jennifer locate her missing pup before it’s time to sing? Kids can tune-in and learn new words like number, aria, and a capella.

Also airing is the brand-new episode “Too Much Martha.” In this episode, Martha’s constant pursuit of snacks has added some extra pounds and the vet says she needs to lose some weight. The family resolves to help Martha control her portions and maintain a balanced diet, but when Martha learns what this means, she’s pretty fed up. No more late-night pizza?

Tune in for this brand-new Martha Speaks Monday, February 4, 2013 on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

PBS Kids’ Martha Speaks and Arthur Celebrate National Poetry Month

We are huge fans of PBS.  We’ve been watching PBS for 11 years and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without it.  I’m not just talking about the kid’s shows. We watch PBS nature shows and concerts too.

PBS Kids children's television

The Poetry Foundation and WGBH are teaming up to invite kids to celebrate National Poetry Month with Martha Speaksand Arthur. Tune in to PBS KIDS Monday, April 2, 2012 (check local listings) to join former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins and inaugural Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky in episodes highlighting poetry. Kids also are invited to create and publish their own poetry online with an all-new game, Martha’s Rhyme Time at pbskids.org/martha and Fern’s Poetry Club at pbskids.org/arthur.

“Martha Speaks and Arthur share a focus on literacy and actively encourage creativity and love of words,” says Carol Greenwald, Senior Executive Producer atWGBH. “Through this partnership with the Poetry Foundation, we hope to encourage and inspire the next generation of poetry readers and writers.”

“Children who are exposed to the joys of poetry at a young age are most likely to become lifelong readers of poetry as adults,” adds Stephanie Hlywak, Media Director of the Poetry Foundation. “How better to create a new generation of poetry lovers than to enlist the help of Martha, Arthur, Billy Collins, and Jack Prelutsky?”

PBS Kids' Martha and Billy Collins
PBS Kids' Martha and Billy Collins

Airing Monday, April 2, 2012, PBS KIDS will premiere the brand-new Martha Speaks episode “Billy Collins Speaks” (check local listings). In this episode, Billy Collins writes great poems about dogs, and Martha thinks she knows why. Obviously, the former poet laureate must be a canine himself! When Martha meets Billy Collins, she’s in for a few surprises…as is he. Tune in to learn words like poem, poet, prose, imposter, and metaphor. Then in the classic Arthur episode “I’m a Poet,” Arthur and his friends are challenged to write a poem for a contest—to be judged by inaugural Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky. Though intimidated at first, everyone comes up with a poem that reflects his or her own unique approach.

Two new Martha Speaks episodes highlighting parts of speech and featuring a visit from the Bookbots air on PBS KIDS Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3-4, 2012 (check local listings). Additionally, past episodes of Arthur celebrating creative writing will air on PBS KIDS Tuesday-Friday, April 3-6, 2012 (check local listings).

New Games Highlight Poetry and Creative Writing Online at pbskids.org!

Kids are invited to read, write, and share poetry online with Martha’s Rhyme Time at pbskids.org/martha and Fern’s Poetry Club at pbskids.org/arthur.

Martha’s Rhyme Time
In Martha’s Rhyme Time, kids can create rhyming couplets for Martha to perform. Building each from six different sets of words, there are—mathematically speaking—a bazillion combinations to create. Kids also can customize the performance stage and create a printed version to color and stick on the fridge. And, of course, with Martha being Martha, she’ll introduce and explain many new vocabulary words along the way!

Fern’s Poetry Club
Fern’s Poetry Club is a long-running, popular poetry feature on the Arthur website that encourages children to write and share their poems online. Fern’s Poetry Club contains information to help kids understand what poetry is, a description of different types of poems, and tips for kids on how to write their own poems—plus an archive of poems submitted to the site over the past 10 years. To celebrate National Poetry Month, new features will be added, including poetry-related video clips from Arthur. Kids will now see Fern, Arthur, and all their friends enjoying this wonderful form of expression!

Here is a cute video of Martha assuming that the real Billy Collins is a canine and causing some trouble.. as only Martha can.

Billy Collins writes great poems about dogs, and Martha thinks she knows why. Obviously, the former poet laureate must be a canine himself! When Martha meets Billy Collins she’s in for a few surprises…as is he. Don’t miss Martha Speaks, weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings). For more information, visit http://pbskids.org/martha.

Marry Me staring Lucy Lui – a Lifetime Movie review

Marry Me staring Lucy Lui - Lifetime MovieI don’t watch TV often.. at all. It takes a very interesting pitch, or really great reviews from family and friends for me to actually sit down to watch a TV show or movie.  My sister recently got me to watch Modern Family and now I’m hooked. I only watch it on Hulu though and on my own time, when I have a few spare minutes.. like at 1:30 in the morning when I can’t sleep.

Despite that, I am so glad I took advantage of the opportunity to review Marry Me, a Lifetime movie staring Lucy Lui.  What a great movie.  Realistic?  No.  Fairytale?  Absolutely!

Lucy Lui plays a single woman who throughout the movie obtains three fiances which creates one big fiasco.

Rae Ann Carter, played by Lucy Lui, is a social worker who despite her rocky love-life past has three men who are trying to win her heart and ask her to marry them.  Rae Ann seems desperate to settle down but sabotages her relationship with the one fiance that truly loves her.  That’s all I’ll say, so I don’t spoil the movie for you.

Marry Me airs December 12th at 9m EST so get the kids to bed, pop some popcorn, pour a glass of wine, and enjoy the 1st part of this two part movie tonight!

Watch a trailer of Marry Me below:

About “Marry Me” – from MyLifetime.com

Lucy Liu stars as Rae Ann Carter, a single aspiring-artist-turned-social-worker who always wanted a fairy-tale romance — to fall madly in love and live happily ever after. But when her two-year relationship falls apart, Rae unexpectedly falls for a new man, Luke (Steven Pasquale), who asks her to marry him after a few short dates. Just as everything seems to fall into place for Rae, her ex-boyfriend Adam (Bobby Cannavale) suddenly re-emerges into her life with a proposal of his own. Things get even further complicated when a third man (Enrique Murciano), smitten by Rae, enters the picture and asks for her hand in marriage, as well. With three men after her heart, who will be Rae’s Prince Charming?

When can you watch Marry Me?

The two night event premieres Sunday, December 12th and concludes on Monday, December 13, airing at 9pm ET/PT on both nights. Other stars include Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me), Bobby Cannavale (The Other Guys), Enrique Murciano (Without a Trace), Annie Potts (Law & Order: SUV), Vanessa Marano (Dexter), Elizabeth Bogush (Big Bang Theory) and Danielle Nicolet (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation).

Enjoy the movie.. let yourself go and enjoy the romance and humor of Marry Me on Lifetime TV.

Watch my ‘Picking out the right stroller’ segment on Fox 5!

Thanks to Jeff Hill, Jennifer, and the Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta team, I had a great time in the studio today. I featured 6 strollers in the segment, one for just about any budget and lifestyle. Watch the segment video below. Then take a look at my complete five part “Stroller Buying Guide” series below.

Can’t see the video above? Click here to watch the video.


Articles in our Stroller Buying Guide series

On The Oprah Winfrey Show today – texting, cell phones and driving

It’s America’s new deadly obsession and millions of people do it every single day – texting, cell phones and driving. On Monday, January 18, The Oprah Winfrey Show presents an hour of television that could save your life.

The Oprah Winfrey show texting and driving

You’ll hear stories of people who have lost loved ones in crashes caused by distracted drivers and also see what happens when drivers who text are put to the test.

It’s an issue that Oprah is passionate about. “Most people think they can text and talk on the phone and they can handle it, and it’s the ‘other’ people who can’t really handle it….Everybody thinks they can handle it. But you can’t. You can’t.”

Be sure to tune in on Monday, January 18th, to find out just how dangerous distracted driving really is, and how you can join the movement to stop it.

Useful links related to today’s The Oprah Winfrey – texting and driving show