Actor Alan Thicke and sportscaster Craig Sager die

Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey on March 1, 1947), a Growing Pains star, died of a heart attack at 65 years old just two days ago, but sportscaster Craig Sager  (born Craig Graham Sager on June 29, 1951) died today of leukemia at 69 years old.

TNT could be sad to hear about Craig's death. Many people have been sad to hear about Alan's and Craig's deaths this week.

I hope Alan Thicke and Craig Sager rest in peace! God bless them!

All I want Craig to do now is "make God score", since he should be good for God forever. Craig is now in a better place, but there may be a different one still on Earth, his son Craig Jr, but I'm shocked to announce that Craig Sr died.

I like audio description! (For Garrett Leach and other DVS fanatics!)

I first heard audio description in the mid 2000s, when I listened to various narrators in the DVS versions of Nickelodeon shows Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, and even Rugrats.

Too bad SpongeBob SquarePants didn't have DVS available a long time ago. It now does. I've heard various narrators in the past do DVS, like Joel Snyder, Wendie Sakakeeny, and her daughter Kria (the youngest DVS narrator of the 1990s).            

I heard Wendie during an episode of It's a Big Big World.

But Kria is a DVS narrator on very few more Dora episodes and a Blue's Clues episode. A narrator named Tom is a DVS narrator on a few episodes of Dora and one of Blue's Clues. Kria can be found on home video releases with DVS available such as the DVS VHS and 2010 DVD release of the 1995 film Toy Story and a few other DVS VHS's from the late 1990s to mid 2000s.

Wendie and Kria have been a mother-and-daughter team of DVS narrators at WGBH for over a decade. Kria should still do two jobs at once, at both WGBH and Oxfam America. She has already done two jobs at once, as a DVS narrator at WGBH and a news anchor and reporter at WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH.

I like many other voices of DVS now, such as Miles Neff, Leilani Jones-Wilmore, actress Adrienne Barbeau, Joel Snyder himself, and the DVS narrator I heard from LazyTown a long time ago. I want to hear Kria as a DVS narrator on the 2010 re-release of Toy Story on DVD and a few more DVD's that use her voice for DVS. Leave a comment about the narrators' use on DVS DVD's, and explain what other Dora episodes Kria is used on.

I actually found Kria from a DVS VHS of Toy Story itself, along with her voice from a DVS VHS of The Wizard of Oz, since TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies airings of that movie also use Kria's DVS track from the DVS VHS of Wizard. I know that she's also used on TCM's airings of the classic 1949 family film The Secret Garden.

One of Kria's first DVS narration assignments was the 1996 DVS VHS of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, but  I remember hearing her voice on the Dora episode "Fish Out of Water".

This is for Garrett Leach on YouTube!

Check out Kria's DVS presentations on Ray Starr's Descriptive Videos for the Blind website in the meantime!

Toy Story (from the 1996 DVS VHS; missing description of Walt Disney Home Video logo and reading of format screen)
The Wizard of Oz (shortened version of the 1999 DVS VHS presentation; the full DVS VHS version, with Kria's reading of the FBI warning, description of the 1997 Warner Home Video logo, and descriptions of the bonus features intact, also exists but in a ZIP folder with two MP3 files)
The Secret Garden (the 1949 film, from a Turner Classic Movies airing on its SAP channel)

Charter rebrands Bright House (and Time Warner Cable) into its Spectrum brand + free alternatives in the event of Spectrum service outages

I learned earlier this week that Charter Communications had rebranded Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable into the Spectrum brand. The brand was announced to Bright House and Time Warner customers back in May.

My mother's house, where I still live in, has all the equipment needed for our Spectrum services. The equipment was actually carried over from the previous Bright House brand, but Charter decided to replace the Bright House logo on its digital cable systems such as our living room cable box with a Spectrum logo because the equipment was carried over from the Bright House brand.

 If you have a future Spectrum service outage, you can use the following as free alternatives, like my mom and me.

• Home entertainment equipment such as a VCR or DVD player (for movies and TV shows such as those recorded from a pay TV system), or one or more digital over-the-air (OTA) converters and one or more digital antennas for your TV's. These are used as alternatives to pay TV.
• Media that was saved to a USB flash drive and a computer's built-in hard drive, such as videos, photos, music, and other audio files, used as a free alternative to media on the Internet. Those files should be downloaded from the Internet to the built-in hard drive on a computer (or to a USB flash drive).
• Cellphones; used as an alternative to home phone service.

GSN re-acquires Wheel of Fortune reruns with the 2013-14 season

GSN has re-acquired reruns of the nighttime syndicated Wheel of Fortune after it had been off the schedule since 2010.

The network will air the 2013-14 season of Wheel at 11:00 and 11:30AM.

Clips from other past seasons of Wheel can be found on the Internet, such as closing credits on Dailymotion.

QVC dropped from Bright House analog cable lineup

I'm sorry to report that QVC has been dropped from Bright House Networks' analog cable channel lineup. QVC Plus can be found on digital channel 162.

QVC is also dropped from my grandmother Zoe Ann Clark's channel lineup for less than a decade.

For those of you who don't have QVC on analog cable anymore, check out the QVC live webstream on their official website.

Click here to watch QVC live!

Shannon Fox replaces Lesley Ann Machado as Guy Yovan's co-host on HSN Today

At HSN, Guy Yovan stays the same on HSN Today, but with Shannon Fox replacing Lesley Ann Machado as Guy's co-host. The change would officially take effect today, resulting in Lesley moving to sometime after HSN Today.

Garry Marshall dies of pneumonia at 81

Garry Marshall, the creator of ABC's Happy Days, died yesterday of pneumonia at 81!

I used to watch Garry's creation even before school, during the last year or so of grade school at Northwest Elementary, and Happy Days ran on ABC from 1974-1984.

Kathy Wolf leaves HSN

After 24 years, HSN host Kathy Wolf has left the network. She decided to retire and HSN will really miss her!

Charter is done acquiring Time Warner Cable and Bright House

Charter Communications, a US cable company, has finally acquired Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for a lot of money. The three companies will merge into one sometime soon, and in the Tampa Bay area, Bright House's TV, Internet, and home phone services will be available under Charter's Spectrum brand.

The Tampa Bay cable company is still called Bright House as of now.

Our cable company will soon have a different name: Charter Spectrum!

HSN gets two new show hosts, Tracey and Valerie!

Geoff Cowan, a man from Sydney, Australia, joined HSN just last month as a new show host. This month, two new show hosts have arrived, Tracey Kane and Valerie Stup.

Kane made a first appearance on HSN on The List with Colleen Lopez, but in fact, Valerie Stup joins HSN as another new host.

Most Rhonda Shear shows in my VHS collection!!!

I have most shows of Rhonda Shear's visit at HSN to celebrate her 13th anniversary of selling shapewear to the network, recorded from an old JVC VHS tape. Here's what the tape contains.

• A 1997 Cinemax airing of the 1996 Trimark Pictures film Sometimes They Come Back Again.
• A few Cinemax promos from late winter or early spring 1997.
• One cartoon from the modern cartoon era of Disney's Mickey Mouse on Disney Channel.
• Clips of presentations of all of Rhonda's items shown on the April 21, 2016 edition of 10 FAVES with Shannon Fox hosting.
• A clip of a partial rerun of the first 13th anniversary show of Body Solutions by Rhonda Shear, with Suzanne Runyan and Rhonda herself.
• Clips of models Regina, Kara, Annette, Nikita, and Emilie modeling for the Today's Special, actually pre-recorded from the first hour of Rhonda's visit, and reused on that day's HSN Today with Guy and Lesley.
• A presentation of the TS with host Lesley Ann Machado and Rhonda, but with different models. (The other models would return in the 11AM show.)
• Parts of a show with host Shivan Sarna, Rhonda, and models like Regina and Kara.
• And finally: Parts of a show with host Bobbi Ray Carter, Rhonda, and the models.

I never recorded the 5PM show with host Callie Northagen and Rhonda, because I was still asleep at the time. Sorry about that.

Prince dies of an unknown cause of death at 57

Music star Prince has died at the age of 57. He performed songs such as 1999, from 1982. He died of a then-unknown cause of death. He died in Chanhassen, MN.

FOX 13 sports director Chip Carter retires

WTVT Fox 13 knows that sports director Chip Carter has left the station. He's been replaced by a new sports director named Scott Smith. He'll do sports in place of Chip from now on.

Chip retired from Fox 13 after having been with the station since 1988.

Art Ferguson, nicknamed Charlie Tuna, dies of liver cancer at 71

Art Ferguson, whose nickname was Charlie Tuna, died of liver cancer in his sleep at his home in Tarzania, California at the age of 71 on February 19, 2016.

He was a disc jockey, radio voice, and announcer on the 1984-90 and 1993 versions of Scrabble. Both of these versions starred Chuck Woolery. Other game shows that Charlie Tuna announced on were Dick Clark's $25,000 Pyramid and $100,000 Pyramid, John Davidson's Time Machine, the 1983 revival of Battlestars, The Quiz Kids Challenge, and Scattergories.

I believe Charlie Tuna was the nickname of Ferguson.

C-Span, TV Land, LMN, and E! removed from Bright House's analog cable lineup

Basically, I have some bad news for all of you in the Tampa Bay area watching C-Span, TV Land, LMN, and E! They've all been removed from Bright House Networks' analog cable channel lineup, and can still be found if you already have their Premier TV service. I had deleted those channels from both of the TV's in my mother's home that have had analog cable connected to them. You'll still watch the aforementioned channels. All you need is a digital device!

Lady Gaga says a line to the Super Bowl crowd after singing national anthem

Electro-pop singer Lady Gaga sang the national anthem at Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. After singing the anthem, she said "God bless you, America".

This was Gaga's first rendition of the national anthem with an instrumental accompaniment. In this case, it's a piano accompaniment. She was introduced to the crowd by CBS' #1 NFL play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz.

James Brown announces the death of NFL Films composer Sam Spence

Today, CBS' NFL pregame show host, James Brown, announced that NFL Films composer Sam Spence had died yesterday at the age of 88 at a Texas nursing center. My thoughts are with Spence's family and friends!

Lady Gaga to sing national anthem at Super Bowl; NFL confirms

I really wanted Lady Gaga to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl 50, and the NFL has confirmed it! Many people have wanted music stars to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl! The NFL told the Associated Press about Lady Gaga's upcoming rendition of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Lady Gaga sang songs such as Applause, Venus, and Paparazzi.

Important announcement about HSN schedule change for tomorrow

HSN has made an important change to its January 28 schedule. The network will air Cold Weather Fashions at 6AM tomorrow, because Rhonda Shear's first visit of the year at HSN is already over. I don't know when she's back on the network.

Women who sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl from 2008-2015

Many people have known the women who sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl from 2008-2015.

The singers were:

• R&B and pop singer Jordin Sparks at Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, AZ
• R&B, soul, and pop singer and actress Jennifer Hudson at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, FL
• Country singer Carrie Underwood at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, FL
• R&B, soul, and pop singer Christina Aguilera at Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, TX (Christina got some of the words wrong at that Super Bowl)
• Pop and rock singer Kelly Clarkson and the Indianapolis Children's Choir at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, IN
• R&B and soul singer Alicia Keys at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, LA
• Opera singer Renee Fleming, with backing vocals by an armed forces chorus and instrumental accompaniment by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, NJ
• Broadway and pop singer and actress Idina Menzel at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, AZ

HSN to air special presentation (Up All Night with Rhonda Shear) this Thursday!

I have become a fan of legendary actress and shapewear designer Rhonda Shear, and HSN will preempt The List with Colleen Lopez this coming week for a three hour HSN special presentation called Up All Night with Rhonda Shear.  HSN should record all three hours of the special presentation to upload to their official YouTube channel shortly after its airing, for all of Rhonda's fans to enjoy.

The special presentation should actually feature all of HSN's models who model for Rhonda's shapewear line, such as Regina and Kara.

The three-hour special presentation airs Thursday night at 9PM ET on HSN!

Rhonda Shear should upload future HSN appearances to her YouTube channel!

Rhonda Shear is back on HSN next Thursday, and she should be uploading future HSN appearances to her YouTube channel!

Rhonda should also upload footage from the HSN studios that never airs on HSN, as well as the entire three-hour HSN special presentation titled Up All Night with Rhonda Shear (split into three parts), to her  official YouTube channel. HSN should upload their own copy of their special presentation, also split into three parts, to their official YouTube channel as well.

Up All Night with Rhonda Shear airs Thursday at 9PM ET after Beauty Report on HSN!

HSN cancels Be Jeweled with Bill and Connie

HSN has canceled Be Jeweled with hosts Bill Green and Connie Craig-Carroll. All the episodes of the show can be found on HSN's official YouTube channel after the show's cancellation!

HSN canceled Be Jeweled in October 2015.

Great 38 resumes airing NewsChannel 8 newscasts

Yesterday, WTTA (Great 38) resumed airing newscasts produced by WFLA-TV (NewsChannel 8) under the title NewsChannel 8 at 8 on Great 38,

As a result, Great 38 moved My Network TV to 9-11PM after the news!

What I would have watched during the 2015 holiday season!

Here's what TV show marathons I would have watched during the winter break!

Christmas Eve - King of the Hill and Family Guy marathons
All of season eight of King of the Hill, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for Fox, and all of season ten of Family Guy with Peter Griffin (Seth McFarlane).

Christmas Day - Simpsons Christmas
A series of Christmas episodes of The Simpsons, featuring Homer and Marge Simpson as everyone's best-loved characters!

New Year's Eve - Simpsons season 13 marathon
All of season 13 of The Simpsons!

New Year's Day - Simpsons season 14 marathon
All of season 14 of The Simpsons!

Lady Gaga should sing the national anthem at Super Bowl 50!

I want Lady Gaga to sing a rock rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl 50, and she should sing it for the future AFC and NFC champions who will go on to that Super Bowl! Lady Gaga is an incredible rocker!