Support the Troops and Their Families — Christmas 2012

Posted on December 15, 2012 at 8:00 am

Please take a moment during the holiday season to remember those who make great sacrifices to protect our freedoms.  You can send Christmas boxes to the troops or even Christmas stockings.  And Operation Ensuring Christmas cares for the families of fallen military, to let them know they are not alone.

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Gift Guide from UltraViolet: Freeing Kids from Gender Stereotypes

Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:00 pm

McKenna Pope, a 13-year-old from Garfield, New Jersey, wondered why she saw men cooking all the time on television but the Easy-Bake Oven was being marketed as though it was just for girls.  She started a petition on Change.org and has gained widespread support, including the endorsement of male chefs.  So it was great to find this list of toys and other gifts that are marketed free from gender stereotypes from UltraViolet, including great movies like Whale Rider.  Bravo!

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A Gift for Harry Potter Fans: Limited Edition Books About the Making of the Films

Posted on November 30, 2012 at 8:00 am

For the Harry Potter fan in your life — there’s a new 3000-copy limited edition book series about the making of the films: Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey (Collector’s Edition), with eight books, each a replica of one of the Hogwarts textbooks.  My favorite is the one based on the Monster Book of Monsters, complete with sharp teeth.  All the behind-the-scenes details are here, from the stories of the props and costumes and special effects to the stories of the friendships that developed on the cast and crew over the course of 8 films.  Prepare for sticker shock — it lists at a steep $1000, but you can pre-order it on Amazon for just $600.  Or, you can get the one-volume version for $75 (currently more than 40% off on Amazon).  Both open the doors to Hogwarts castle and the wizarding world of Harry Potter to reveal the complete behind-the-scenes secrets, techniques, and over-the-top artistry that brought J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed novels to cinematic life. Developed in collaboration with the creative team behind the celebrated movie series, this one-volume deluxe, 500-plus page compendium features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and concept illustrations sourced from the closed film sets, and rare memorabilia. As the definitive look at the magic that made cinematic history, Page to Screen is the ultimate collectible, perfect for Muggles everywhere.

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Father’s Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day Gift Guide

Posted on June 14, 2010 at 8:00 am

After breakfast in bed and hand-made Father’s Day cards, let Dad settle back into his favorite chair with a great new DVD. My suggestions:

Foyle’s War The 6th set of this superb British miniseries has just been released, with Michael Kitchen (“Enchanted April” and “To Play the King”) as Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Foyle, a police investigator in the British coastal community of Hastings. Set just after World War II, Foyle had hoped to retire. But he finds himself once again caught up in superbly crafted mysteries and intrigue involving a Russian POW, racism faced by African-American soldiers, and a young traitor whose biggest mystery is his resolve not to defend himself.

My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story Utterly simple and utterly compelling, this is a documentary about people who love their dogs. Former poet laureate Billy Collins, actors Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Edie Falco, Lynn Redgrave, Richard Belzer, and Christopher Meloni, designer Isaac Mizrahi, columnist Cindy Adams, playwright Edward Albee and more introduce us to their canine best friends and tell us why they love them.

Life Oprah Winfrey narrates this stunning documentary from the same people who did the sensational Planet Earth. Once again, this is filled with “how did they get that?” intimate footage of our planet’s life forms, from tiny insects to powerful top-of-the-food-chain predators. Filmed over four years, with more than 100 stories of struggle, triumph, devotion, and, yes, love, this is one Dad and the whole family will enjoy together.

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