Nostalgic G

It's Christmas time in Bel Air and the stuck-up attitude of most of it's residents is making Will and Ashley loose their Christmas spirit. That's the premise behind the first season Christmas special from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. All the grown ups seem to have forgotten what the season is all about so it's up to Will to help spread some good old fashioned Christmas cheer. After a quick visit to the Pick N' Grab, Will and Ashley load up on cheapo Christmas decorations and enough lights to make the Banks' residence noticeable from the closest highway. As a result a mob of outraged neighbors shows up at their door in protest against Will and Ashley's festive decor. The episode features a cameo appearance by Evander Hollyfield (year's before Tyson bit off a chunk of his ear), who drops by to put Will in his place after the Prince insults him over the the phone. The episode originally aired on NBC the night of December 10, 1990. The Fresh Prince of Bel-...

The Yule log is a traditional TV program in which audiences are treated to holiday music along with the image of a burning log in a fireplace. It has become a Christmas tradition and its origins date back to 1967 when it was first broadcast on New York's WPIX. The idea was originated by station CEO Fred M. Thrower, who was inspired by an animated Coca-Cola commercial a year earlier which featured Santa Claus at a fireplace. Thrower considered the idea of the yule log as a televised Christmas gift to those residents of New York city who lived in apartments and homes without fireplaces. In 1994 we got a special variety on the Yule Log tradition thanks to Mtv and its lovable slackers. Here it is for all to enjoy.

Originally released back in 1987, RUN DMC's Christmas in Hollis is one of the greatest Christmas music videos ever. The song was included on the 1987 A Very Special Christmas album, the first in a series of compilations to benefit the Special Olympics. The video is a great example of what made music videos in the 80's so much fun, it actually has a story and it plays like a short film. Plus the performers don't take themselves too seriously, unlike the over the top performance music videos we get nowadays which have no story elements to them and are nothing more than self gratifying junk. I love the look of the video, even the cheesy FX work for Santa's sleigh flying across the sky. Santa's control room with the Simon game used as a naughty or nice switch is awesome. The old school video composites and the colorful production design instantly take you back in time to the late 80s. Here it is in all its glory.

It wouldn't be Christmas time without Ralphie Parker and company. "A Christmas Story" has truly become a classic over the past quarter of a century, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. To celebrate the film's 25th anniversary tons of licensees have put out a wide assortment of toys, collectibles, and memorabilia featuring the film's memorable characters. Here's a run down of some of the best gifts you'll find this season for the "Christmas Story" fan on your gift list. Here's where it all began, in the writings of Jean Sheperd. This edition of "A Christmas Story" gathers together the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. You'll find young Ralphie Parker’s shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father’s pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphi...

"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window..." -Ralphie Parker It's been 25 years since Ralphie and the Parker family first made their way into theaters and moviegoers hearts. Curiously enough "A Christmas Story" was not a financial hit during its initial theatrical release. Far from it actually. Over the past two decades multiple broadcasts of the film during the holiday season have turned it into a Holiday tradition, just like it happened with "It's a Wonderful Life" many decades earlier. This weekend, about 4,000 people are expected to visit a convention celebrating the film's 25th anniversary in Tremont, Cleveland -- where the Parker family house still stands. The event will feature actors who starred in the movie, screenings of three documentaries about the film and the original 1938 fire truck that drove to the rescue in the tongue-frozen-to-the-flagpole scene. Th...

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the partnership between Toys R Us and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. New, and unwrapped toys can be donated now through December 7 at all Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores nationwide. Monetary donations will be collected at all stores and online (www.toysrus.com) through December 24. If you want to learn more about the Toys for Tots campaign or to find more drop off locations in your community please visit their site here . Many of us are very fortunate and will have everything we need and so much more this Holiday season. There are many families that won't be able to put toys under the tree this year, but we can all help out. You can buy new toys to donate or give extra packaged items from your collection. Please help out in bringing joy to a child in need this Christmas.

Hope all of you dear readers have had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with your loved ones. Let's make sure we don't forget the true meaning of this day and the holiday season, and let's take a moment to give thanks for the many blessings in our life. The Holiday season has officially begun and we will be posting tons of articles on our favorite Christmas movies, music, and traditions. We'll also be looking back at some of our favorite Christmas memories, and our first installment of the annual Nostalgia Factory gift giving guide. We'll also let you know about some pretty amazing organizations you can lend a helping hand to this season in true Christmas spirit. Hope you can join us in the celebration and may this season be filled with joy and peace to us all.

The ABC Television Network will celebrate the start of the holiday season with the classic half-hour animated Thanksgiving-themed PEANUTS special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, airing tonight at 8:00 P.M. A special bonus cartoon from Charles M. Schulz, This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers, will air with the PEANUTS classic. In the special, history comes to animated screen life in a captivating and informative program about the Mayflower voyagers. In the 1973 special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown wants to do something special for the gang. However the dinner he arranges is a disaster when the caterers, Snoopy and Woodstock, prepare toast and popcorn as the main dish. Humiliated, it will take all of Marcie's persuasive powers to salvage the holiday for Charlie Brown. In This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers, the year is 1620. After 65 grueling, sea-tossed days, the Pilgrims are in view of ...

Probably the most popular episode of "W.K.R.P. in Cincinnati" was their first season Thanksgiving episode in which a publicity stunt featuring a turkey giveaway goes terribly wrong. The entire crisis stems from a little misunderstanding regarding what turkeys can and can't do. Even though they are considered birds turkeys can't fly, a fact the staff at WKRP didn't really consider. Here's a clip of the famous Turkey catastrophe scene featuring ace reporter Les Nessman live from the scene describing the horrors of mass turkey genocide to the listening public. A classic moment from one of the most underrated sitcoms in TV history. Mr. Carson's last line at the end of the episode is the perfect punchline -- pure comedy genius.

Paramount has just released an exclusive version of the new Star Trek trailer through Ain't it Cool News. The new edit features a brief look at Leonard Nimoy's long awaited return as Spock. To check out the new trailer head on over to AICN .

Feeling deeply disappointed with all the latest Trek comics from IDW I decided to spend some time revisiting some of the older DC Comics adventures from the 80s and 90s. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how well so many of these storylines hold up. One of my favorite tales from the Star Trek The Next Generation comic series was published as a 4 part extravaganza leading up to the book's 5oth issue. The story aptly titled "The Worst of Both Worlds", shows us what might've happened if the Federation had not been able to defeat the Borg during the battle of Wolf 359 in the TNG 2 part episode "The Best of Both Worlds". During a mission that takes Picard and company back to the scene of their past confrontation with the Borg, a mysterious anomaly sends the Enterprise to an alternate universe where the events of Wolf 359 played out differently and the crew was never able to rescue Picard from his Borg captors. Locutus and the Borg proceeded to defeat Star...

One of our all time favorite toy lines here at the Nostalgia Factory is Playmates' Star Trek Universe collection which ran from the early to late 90s. This toy line was massive and it covered all the shows and most of the movies. Not only did we get some great looking action figures but we also got role playing toys, ships, and even playsets. For 2008's Star Trek relaunch Playmates toys is back as the master toy licensee for the film. Today multiple online retailers, including the fine folks at big bad toy store revealed the full lineup from Playmates and many have already started taking pre-orders. The first wave of toys should be available in late March, even before th film hits theaters, with a second wave in September to coincide with the film's DVD release. Here's a breakdown of some of the plastic goodness we'll be getting: 3.75" Action Figure line: These are sized just like the Star Wars, G.I.JOE, and Indiana Jones action figures. They include multip...

A big part of Star Trek fandom is collecting memorabilia from our favorite shows and films. For some fans its comic books and action figures, for others autographs and authentic props, and for a few its pretty much anything and everything Trek related. As we get closer to the May 8th release of the new film more and more items will be hitting the marketplace. It seems we've had a bit of a Trek merchandise drought over the past six years or so, but things are looking up. Here's a look at some of the items available now and a couple of others to keep an eye out in the coming months. The Star Trek complete comic book collection from GTI is an amazing item and a must have for any fan. It includes every single Star Trek comic book ever published (with the exception of the current IDW series) in convenient PDF file format. There are literally hundreds of issues here covering every TV show and most of the movies. I've had this for a few days now and can't even begin to tell yo...