Category: Episodes

There are two bits of book related silliness to cover this week. A tiny group of outspoken activists are trying to cancel J.K. Rowling — again. And the corporate juggernaut Studio Canal+ has succeeded in canceling the wild-eyed parody of Paddington Bear that was featured on the revived comedy show Spitting Image.

This is a film adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, but I have to say I’m not very excited about it.

I recently saw a teacher blow his stack in public, and I couldn’t help but feel that if he wasn’t just a bully, maybe it was time for him to get a different job.

My friend Miguel Lopez joined me to record a commentary track for the silly and fun film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is based on the mashup novel by Seth Grahame-Smith that was based on the classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. You can play this commentary track while you watch the film:

Miguel spent twenty years in the United States Air Force, retiring with the rank of Major. He did a tour in Iraq and is now working on a PhD in History, focusing on World War II. He has a lot of great insight into the military situation in Jane Austen’s time and gives his opinion on the military prowess (or lack thereof) shown in the film.

Later we got together again to chat about the film and give it a Snape Score as well as a military ranking:

Please enjoy this Fireside reading of “The Raven.” As always, I have two versions — one with my commentary (and a roasted pumpkin!) as well as the poem on its own with no blah blah blah.

 

First, we start off with some MORE tedious Harry Potter book drama.

Then you get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a Fireside Fairy Tale. I always test stories on my kids and their friends, and I don’t mind that there are interruptions and a bunch of noise. Asking questions means they are interested, and the kids always ask questions about things I take for granted, which helps me give better commentary for all of you.

We start off with some book drama about a hilarious, not-safe-for kids parody of Paddington Bear on the comedy show Spitting Image as well as an unneccessary freakout over a url printed on children’s books leading to a spicy site.

In the main story, the biggest surprise for me this year is the amount of faith-based book adaptations that are . . . really good? Stories like this aren’t my usual thing, but I will enjoy a well told story no matter what it’s about, and a new web series doing a comedic adaptation of the Book of Exodus in a mockumentary style has got me hooked.

In this Fireside Fairytale, I share the first published version of Rapunzel, which was recorded by the Brothers Grimm for their famous 1812 collection of German folktales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Find out why this early version was offensive to 19th Century morality, and also why it really wasn’t as racy as pearl-clutching Victorians thought it was.

In this Fireside Fairytale, I share the first published version of Rapunzel, which was recorded by the Brothers Grimm for their famous 1812 collection of German folktales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Find out why this early version was offensive to 19th Century morality, and also why it really wasn’t as racy as pearl-clutching Victorians thought it was.

Also, I test out one of those super sized marshmallows to see how they toast up. It was . . . a lot of marshmallow.

If you would like the “story only” version of Rapunzel with no commentary, you can find that on my second channel, Storytime with T.Q. Townsend:

 

In June, the United States Supreme Court ruled on the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor. A group of Maryland parents had sued their local school district, asking for the restoration of their rights to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ curriculum that they felt undermined their First Amendment rights to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

So what was in the ruling? Find out what Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion, what Justice Clarence Thomas had to say in his concurring opinion, and what Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in her dissent. Also, now that school has been in for several weeks, we can find out how this ruling has affected American schools across the nation.

There are rumors — unproven rumors — going around that HBO is auditioning women for the role of . . . Lord Voldemort? Nobody wants this, and this isn’t just a nerd meltdown. The story will actually be broken in pretty significant ways if Lord Voldemort becomes Lady Voldemort.

Also, we’ve been reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and I explain how we grew Po-ta-toes to celebrate Hobbit Day on September 22. It’s easier than you think and you could easily do this at home or at school!

In the video version of this episode, I’m back in charater as Dolores Umbridge to give a good scolding to the idea that massive changes can be made to a story without destroying it.