A Bunch Of Stuff

I was planning to write a post about one particular thing today. However, quite a few topics have came up worthy of attention. One popped up this morning.

NCAA On Sky!

I woke up to the news that ESPN and Sky Sports have reached an agreement to air college football and basketball over here in the UK.

Incredible news. 

College football had been a staple on British screens for years. However, the sports was pulled this year following BT Sport and TNT Sports' rebrand over the summer.

We were able to catch Notre Dame home games on Sky Sports, so that was fine by me considering - of all the college teams - that's the one I have followed the most over the years.

Anniversary I

Yesterday was the forty-fifth anniversary of the craziest Star Wars spin-offs that exists.

Some would like it not to have existed, though!

I am, of course, referring to the Star Wars Holiday Special which was made in-between Star Wars and the Empire Strikes Back films.

I had heard of its legend, but it wasn't until the Christmas of 2015 when I finally released I could watch it on YouTube.

There is a cartoon within this special which, if I am not mistaken, was the first introduction of my favourite Star Wars anti-hero: Boba Fett. If I am mistaken, he may have appeared in comics but it would have surely been his screen intro. I don't think I am wrong, though. I think this would have been the first-ever time he was introduced to Star Wars fans.

I suppose that means Happy Birthday to the GOAT of bounty hunters.

Anniversary II

The second anniversary I want to mention is the one I was planning to be the only topic of today's post.

Today is the fortieth anniversary of when A Christmas Story premiered in US cinemas. 

I find it quite serendipitous - of sorts - that this film came out a little over a week after my grandmother passed away. As if it was left out there in the world waiting for me to find it.

The movie and I took its time to find one another, though.

It wasn't until 2013 when I caught it on TV. I wasn't completely blown away when I first watched it, but then - as I learned more about its legend - I became not only a fan of the film, but also of its creator - Jean Shepherd. I own every book Shepherd has published and regularly listen to old radio shows of his online. 

An online friend introduced me to A Christmas Story. She passed away in the spring of 2014 - a few months after I first watched it. I believe I would have eventually found A Christmas Story because of how much content I seek by doing the annual Diet of Christmas Films posts. BUT.. I absolutely found it sooner thanks to her.