'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy

Despite having grown up in an era when the Smurfs had considerable cultural cachet, I'm far from a Smurfs aficionado (a Smurfionado?). Every time I revisit the Smurfs' canon I seem to encounter characters that I have absolutely no memory of. Wild Smurf? Sassette? Grandpa Smurf? Who are these Smurfs? Sure, like most Smurfs, their names pretty much tell you everything you need to know about them but I was still kinda holding out for some of the Smurfs that I remember to get some time in the spotlight. And while Brainy and Hefty get a few moments to shine, Papa Smurf is practically MIA for the bulk of this special's run time. And, once again, Gargamel is nowhere to be found. What the Smurf? 

Rating: Half a bushel of Smurfberries%

(Image from beyondrudolph.wordpress.com)

The New Hockey Night In Canada Theme

If there's one thing you should know about Canadians, it's that we're cheap bastards when it comes to sports. We couldn't keep the Nordiques. We couldn't keep Gretzky. We can't afford the Montreal Grand Prix. Worst of all, CBC, despite being the greatest television network in the world, couldn't even cough up the money to hang onto the famous Hockey Night in Canada theme that they've been using since 1968. Fortunately, the new theme is pretty awesome too--we Nova Scotians are suckers for bagpipes. I hear in the version broadcast in Ontario, you can hear a cash register go ching-ching right when everyone throws their arms up and shouts, "Hey!" (In the Alberta version, there aren't even any hockey players, just a bunch of coked up rig pigs beating a prostitute.)

RATING: 79%, which is a B+ where I'm from.

(Image from www.hockesportswagers.com.)