Live Tweet TV Movie Party?

Me-TV listed the first made for TV movie they'll be airing on their Made for TV Movie Friday! Looks like Perry Mason goes to bat for my favorite channel on September 6th at 8 PM with the 1989 flick The Case of the All Star Assassin.

Here's the plot, according Movies Made for Television:

"Perry takes on the defense of an injured pro-hockey star (Jason Beghe) who is accused of murdering an arrogant sports mogul."

It's got a wonderful and oh-so-80s cast, including Alexandra Paul, William R. Moses, Diedre Hall, Pernell Roberts and Shari Belafonte among others. And, Barbara Hale reprises her role as Della Street.

I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a Perry Mason movie, so I'm really looking forward to catching this film, which seems to have decent reviews.

OK, so here's what's going on: I'm on the East Coast feed and I'd like to do a live tweet screening. I'm not expecting a gazillion people to show up, but if one or two of you are even remotely interested, I think this would be a fantastically interactive way to share our love of the small screen. I've posted a poll on the right sidebar, please let me know if you'd like to join in the fun on September 6th at 8 PM EST. We can make up hashtags and stuff!

Oh yeah, and you can find me on twitter at @madefortvmayhem. Add me and I'll follow you back. Hope to see you hanging out in the twitterverse for the Friday Night Made for TV Movie! 

New Christmas Poll, Links and Other Sundries

OK, OK, I'm pushing it a bit with sundries. Indulge me. I've got a new poll on the right hand sidebar dedicated to Rankin and Bass Christmas specials. I think Rudolph and his red nose will blow the competition out of the water, or off of the sled, if you will. My vote goes to Nestor, cuz that's how I roll.

By the way, have you read the review I wrote about Nestor, the Long-Eared Donkey for Christmas TV History? He's the best.

And for the record, last month's Monkees poll ended in a tie. Daydream Believer and Pleasant Valley Sunday cleaned up!  Good picks, people!

Recently, I did a podcast with the Movies About Girls crew. This podcast is a spinoff called TV Shows about Girls. We reviewed the Avengers' episode A Touch of Brimstone and it was absolutely insane and amazing. I also just guested on another offshoot of the podcast called The MAG Down Under Variety Hour First Annual International Christmas-tacular. No links yet. This one goes up on the 24th, so I will post that link when it's available. I don't want to give too much away, but it's probably one of the dirtier holiday specials out there. Also, some of us did a rendition of Band Aid's Do They Know it's Christmas, and I got to be Simon LeBon. Be warned though... I was absolutely horrible. But it was fun and I don't regret it. There!

I've got some new stuff coming up, including movie reviews and a couple of articles about the love in the afternoon genre. What can I say? Tune in tomorrow.

Oh, and here we are singing Do They Know it's Christmas:

Viva La Monkees! New Poll

It's Monkee Mania time here at Casa By Night! I'm gearing up to see my favorite made for television musicians who are currently touring as a tribute to the late Davy Jones, who passed away quite expectantly this year. I'm seeing them this weekend (yay!), so I've been diving into their discography and unsurprisingly, there isn't a bad one in the bunch. Of course, they had some great writers behind them, including Neil Diamond, Carole King and Boyce and Hart, among many others. But I have to say I love what they did after the series, especially their 80s output, cuz I'm a feather haired pop lover at heart.

That said, It would be impossible for me to pick a favorite Monkees song. I'm pretty sure I love every single song. Depending where I am and what I'm doing, they always have a tune to suit my groovy scene.

Since I'm in the middle of a brain freeze I decided to base the list I used for this month's poll on a Billboard list of the Top Ten Monkees hits. They're all amazing! Which one do you like best? And I'm sure you have other faves, so please feel free to leave comments, lists, videos, whatever! Hey, don't people say we monkey around?

Finally... A New Poll!

OK everyone, here I am, making another sporadic appearance on my beloved blog. This semester has been nothing short of insane, so I haven't really had a chance to watch any movies, much less review them.

These are trying times, indeed.

I did get a new poll up and I chose the same October scary movie theme that I tend to choose every year. Please vote for whatever you think is the scariest of the scary movies I have listed. OK, KISS Meets Phantom of the Park is scary for all the wrong reasons, but it made the list, so there! And of course, I'm sure I missed something uber-important, because that's my MO. So please feel free to let me know in the comments. I can't add anything though, but I will tally it. All voices are heard at Made for TV Mayhem. Deal with it!

Also, last year I did something that was akin to the 31 Days of TV Movie Horror or some such, and you can find the titles I chose by clicking on this link. Some other stuff got tagged in there, so... bonus, right?

And for more October scary movie goodness, here is a list I put together for Film Threat a few years ago. I link to it every year so you may have seen it...

I also have a theme coming up and I am thinking it will last around 2 weeks. Hopefully, I can cram some other stuff in there, but this theme is a co-op effort with myself and several other bloggers/writers and awesomely cool people. So keep your eyes peeled for it!

1986: Machismo on a Stick

The Year was 1986 and beautiful men were entering our living rooms every night… Now that’s what I call a good year! TV Guide compiled a list of The 10 Most Attractive Men on TV, which was put together by the ladies who were voted The 10 Most Attractive Women on TV in 1984. Some of the lovely ladies polled were:

Joan Collins
Linda Evans
Diann Carroll
(Go Dynasty!!!)
Stefanie Powers
Jane Seymour
Connie Selleca
Shari Belafonte-Harper

I have to tell you that I adore this list of women, and wish I knew who the other three rounding out the list were. Of the names I have, the youngest was 31 (Selleca) and as you can see, most of these women were not just beautiful but seasoned as well. Represent!

The ladies gladly pulled out their white hot meters and came up with a pretty great list (One of the rules was that they were not allowed to vote on men appearing on their own shows). The Top 10, in order were:

10. William Devane
10. (tie) Jack Scalia
8. Robert Urich
7. Bill Cosby
6. Pierce Brosnan
5. Bruce Willis
4. John Forsythe
3. Robert Wagner
2. Tom Selleck
1. Don Johnson

Don't worry Tom, you'll always be #1 on my list
The famous actresses drooled over their choices. Stefanie Powers loved that John Forsythe was “a solid, real human being.” And Linda Evans said Tom Selleck was “amazing looking. He’s tall, he’s beautiful and he takes your breath away.” Although I would gladly put Mr. Selleck at the top of any list I had, Don Johnson is just sooooo 80s, and oozed sex out of every pore. I know that sounds gross, but it's really not...

The runners up were pretty varied as well. TV Guide said that votes also went to Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Gross, Parker Stevenson and Robert Guillaume, among others. What’s interesting is that I didn’t see James Brolin on the list at all. Not one vote for the most gorgeous man who ever ran a multi-million dollar hotel? Wow. Also, I’m just gonna put it out there – I’d like to see Peter Scolari on this list. Honestly, I’d like to see him anywhere. Rawr! Ah, glad to get that off my chest!

And where are my Riptide guys? All three of them, please!

Yowza!
Even Charles Bronson had turned to the small screen in 1986 to make a film that allowed him to show that he had just as much power as an actor as he did in his fists. Bronson starred in a made for HBO movie titled Act of Vengeance and he told TV Guide, “I have often thought how lovely it would be to lean on a mantelpiece with a cocktail in my hand and let the dialogue do the acting.” Bronson was one sexy cat, that's for sure.

Oh, yeah.
This poll was also conducted just months before LA Law hit our sets. Talk about some hot guys, Harry Hamlin and Corbin Bernsen gave a new, sexy life to the three piece suit.

Was 1986 the pinnacle of TV machismo? I’m starting to think so…

And check out this CBS TV Spot for the 1986 lineup. Hunkadelic!



Lest we forget the hottest game show host of 1986:

Stuff and Nonsense!

OK, I finally put up a new poll. This month is dedicated to the desert heat! Check out your options and exercise your right to party... oh, I mean vote! Lots of good choices. I'm not sure exactly who I plan to give my love to.

I've reviewed a few of these bad land flicks. You can read reviews for:

Weekend of Terror
Gargoyles
Dying Room Only
Pray for the Wildcats
China Lake Murders

Get to clicking!

And here's a great clip from The Neon Ceiling:



Last month's women in prison poll went really well and Born Innocent came in first with the Charlie's Angels episode Angels in Chains giving little Linda Blair a run for her money! I was pleased to see every film in the poll got at least one vote. I'm glad to see we still enjoy chicks behind bars!

I also have a new review up at Retro Slashers for The Fan, which is a truly underrated little thriller.

Hopefully, this will keep everyone busy until I can get some new reviews up!

Update! It's a Scorcher!

I would like to say there is lots going on here at Made for TV Mayhem, but what I mean is I wish there was lots going on. Not sure it's the exhaustion from the move or just the damn heat, but I feel like I am swimming in glue. Sexy, no? Unpacking has also added to my woes, as I find that although my TV movie collection has found a home in my new office, the rest of the stuff refuses to unpack itself. The nerve! So tonight I have links and a new poll!

If you look to your right you will see I chose this month as Women in Prison month. There have been some surprisingly gritty small screen WiP flicks and I'm currently working on a review of one. I fudged it a bit and added Charlie's Angels because the episode Angels in Chains is so damn iconic, it just can't be left out. I also decided to skip the newer Lifetime-esque films, even though I love them because that's a whole other poll! The wheels are turnin'...

As for last month's poll, it's no surprise that Don't Be Afraid of the Dark didn't just walk away with top honors, it ran down the street and into another county! This House Possessed was a distant second and almost all of the films got at least one vote, except for poor Bay Coven, which is really quite good. I was surprised by that one!

If you are looking to escape the heat (and aren't we all?), please stop by Joanna Wilson's Christmas TV Companion blog where she is having Christmas in Joo-lie! She is concentrating on our favorite holiday TV from the 90s and has oodles of guest bloggers lending her a hand. Please stop by often to see all of her updates. Who knows, maybe you'll even catch a chill!

I have some new reviews at Retro Slashers, so please stop by and read my thoughts on The Boogens and Silent Rage. And if you are so inclined, please join RS's Facebook page. We try to post there daily, so if you are all nostalgic for slice and dice, this is the place for you!

And finally, I will be returning to the Movies about Girls podcast this Saturday at 8 pm EST where we will be talking about those awesomely bitchy Heathers! Turn in, turn on and drop out!

New Poll: Flying High

Since I missed adding Horror at 37,000 Feet in last month's Shat-tastic poll, I thought I'd find a way to squeeze it into the next one. Lo and behold, I thought, why not have a poll on TV movies that feature airplanes? I mean, what's better than cramming several familiar faces into a tiny area and letting them freak out on each other? Oh, the drama! There were just enough of these movies to make me feel smart, so I went with it. OK, so I bent the rules a bit with Columbo: Swan Song, but it's a fantastic episode starring Johnny Cash, where a plane figures prominently... and like I said, it stars Johnny Cash!

I am pretty sure Seven in Darkness is going to get my vote because it's not only one of the first made for TV movies I saw, my revisit of it recently proved it's just as good as my memory of it! But there are some excellent movies on this list and I hope everyone comments on why they chose the movie they did.

As for last month's poll, The Babysitter walked away with it! I should say, it left all the other titles in the dust. I thought for sure Pray for the Wildcats was going to give that sexy babysitting nymph a good run for her money, but it actually came in a far third, after The Tenth Level! Whodathunkit?

And finally, I am sorry I've been so MIA, and I probably will continue to be that way until finals are over, which is only about a week and a half away. I have one half written review waiting to be finished and I am hoping for at least one theme week over the summer. I'm counting the days guys!

Some Non-TV Goodness!

Got a few fun things going on at Casa By Night, so I thought I'd spread some good cheer!

Check me out tomorrow night when I return to the Movies about Girls podcast! We'll be discussing Streets of Fire, which I finally saw for the first time, thanks to this looming discussion we will be having. No doubt I adored it, so stop by tomorrow (Saturday, April 9th) at 8 pm. When the podcast is archived, I will add the links to both this one coming up and the one I did a couple of weeks ago (where we talked about A Vacation in Hell). It's been great fun thus far, so I am excited about tomorrow night!

And speaking of podcasts, I was listening to Hysteria Lives podcast #4, where they interviewed Curt Ayres from Mortuary and it turns out he was also in Midnight Offerings, which is mentioned. Also, there is a shout out to Deadly Lessons! If you love 80s horror, especially slashers, this is the podcast for you!

Also, I wrote an article on Slaughter High and bullying called When Push Comes to Shove. I had no idea how relevant this oddball slasher was! OK, maybe not totally relevant, but unfortunately bullying is way too universal for my tastes!

Don't forget to vote on the William Shatner poll! It's up all month! YAY!

New Poll - It's Shat-tastic!

Since Bill just turned 80 years young on March 22nd, I thought I'd celebrate the right way by making him the star of this month's poll. I've listed some of the best Shatner TVMs from 1970 1980 on the right. Polling will go through the month. He made some good films and I'm going to have a tough time deciding! If you need a Shatner-esque brush up, you can read my reviews of Horror at 37,000 Feet, Pray for the Wildcats and The Babysitter.

And check it, you can watch all of Sole Survivor at Google Video!

As for the last poll I did in February, the hottest studs of 70s sitcoms were John Amos and Haywood Nelson, who tied for first! Demond Wilson was one vote behind, taking the second spot. Mmmmm-mmmmm-good choices folks!

Update: Ugh! How could I forget to add Horror at 37,000 Feet?!? If you want to vote for that one, just leave a comment (I can't edit it since there have already been votes). My apologies to scariest airplane this side of the Airport series!

Black History Month: 70s Sitcom Stud Poll!

Sitcoms featuring black actors were a mainstay in our household when I was growing up. I had a crush on each and every one of these guys at some point in those formative years, so I thought I'd make a poll to celebrate the hotness of the decade!


Whether John Amos was on The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Good Times, he was machismo on a stick! I really adored his relationship with Florida (Esther Rolle) on Good Times and loved how even in the worst conditions, they always found something to laugh at. John just turned 71 in December and he's still as handsome as they come!










I actually began crushing on Clifton in the 80s when he starred on Amen with Sherman Hemsley. I always liked his positive, upbeat nature and thought he looked pretty amazing in a three piece suit! I only recently discovered his 70s sitcom, That's My Momma, but let me tell you, I am hooked. He's hilarious and looks oh-so-good in bell bottoms!






Although I liked both Lionel's on The Jeffersons, Mike Evans was always the most handsome and charismatic, making my heart pitter patter whenever he graced the screen. Mike sadly passed away in 2006 at 57 years old. It wasn't until he died that I found out he was one of the co-creators of Good Times. Apparently those were tumultuous years for him and is probably at least partially behind the reason he dropped out of show business. But I will be forever grateful to the contribution he made on The Jeffersons... and to those beautiful brown eyes!





Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs was always my favorite Sweathog on Welcome Back, Kotter. Whenever he'd say, "Mr Kot-tee-air," I always giggled. I admit it. He had amazing comic timing, and the fact that he was also in Cooley High only strengthened my crush. Eat your heart out, John Travolta!









Ted Lange was so adorable as Isaac Washington on Love Boat and while his subtle and extremely likable presence made it the show to watch on Saturday nights, his turn as Junior on That's My Momma is truly something to report! "Who-weee!" That man is hot... and he's still looking good!







I really know Scoey through his many hilarious appearances on Match Game, but he also starred in a TV adaptation of Barefoot in the Park. It was a short lived series and as it turns out, extremely hard to find, and that's too bad, because the more of Scoey to go around, the better!







I'm kind of fudging with Greg Morris, because he really didn't do much in the world of television comedy in the 70s, aside from showing up on random episodes of shows like Sanford and Son and Love Boat, but he was also one of those fabulous guests on Match Game and he was so completely hilarious and likable (and gorgeous), that I wanted to include him on this list. I have to admit, my love for Greg has to be one of the longest running crushes in my life. He passed away in 1996 and I still think of him often. He was truly one of the most wonderful men ever to grace the small screen.





Hey, hey, hey! Haywood Nelson is absolutely adorable. Dwayne's character on What's Happening embodied all the things in a sitcom man I like. He was shy but funny and had the world's sweetest smile. He still does in fact. Based loosely on Cooley High, What's Happening was a great show about being a teenager in the 70s. It had some of the best physical comedy of the era and Dwayne just sweetened the pot with that smile. **Swoon**



I'm not sure which is hotter, Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap on WKRP in Cincinatti or his wardrobe on the show. I always loved Venus' laid back persona. WKRP could be hilarious, but it could also be deeply moving and one of my favorite episodes is when we find out Venus was a deserter from the Viet Nam war. He tells a harrowing story and if they had cast someone less talented than Tim it would have not have been nearly as effective. What can I say, sensitive studs rule!



Like Greg Morris, I have been in love with Demond Wilson for about as long as I can remember. Not only was Sanford and Son a great show, but Lamont seriously made me giggle as a little girl. Shoot, he still does. There's something so cool about him, even when he's really put out by his pop. Also, I used to dream that I'd live near him and his hot neighbor, Julio. Mmmmmm, I am sure I would have imploded!






This poll runs to the end of the month. Please vote for your fave man, or let me know if I missed someone!


Update (2/11/11) - Yikes! How could I have missed Ron Glass? His wardrobe and smile (and mustache!) were to die for. I still want to find a copy of Blood on the Badge, which was the novel his alter ego wrote on Barney Miller. Please forgive me Ron, because truly you are unforgettable. And thank you Propagatrix for righting my wrongs!

By the by, I cannot add Ron's name because the poll cannot be edited, if you want to give Ron a vote, just leave a comment and I'll add it to the mix! Thanks!

Yet Another Faboo Poll!

Just in case you missed it and were curious, The Night Stalker blew away the competition in last month's John Llewellyn Moxey poll! At first, it looked like Home for the Holidays might create some waves, but then the Kolchak fans came to the rescue and left the rest in the dust!

The Night Stalker is back and this month's theme is The ABC Movie of the Week! I did my best to narrow it down to the 10 I felt were the most famous and/or popular. I won't even try to guess how this one turns out! This poll runs through the entire month of November. That gives you just enough time to revisit any film you may not remember!

New Poll!

OK, this new poll might not star Bert, but it does feature him (Ebony, Ivory and Jade)...

Since it's Halloween and since John Llewellyn Moxey is my favorite small screen director, I thought I'd conduct on a poll on his movies from the 70s. I have a sneaking suspisicion that Night Stalker is destined to win big, but you never know what could happen when you enter my world of Made for TV Mayhem... That was me being creepy... Did it work?

Here's some clips full of Moxey-ness:

The House That Would Not Die


A Taste of Evil


The Night Stalker


The Strange and Deadly Occurence


Nightmare in Badham County

A Dan Curtis Poll!

I've decided that it might be fun to have a poll on my blog. And check it, who is cooler or more influential in the world of TVMs than the great Dan Curtis? I only added movies he directed, which is why you won't see the Night Stalker listed, which he produced but John Llewellyn Moxey directed. Please choose one, and if I forgot a title, leave it here in the comments section. My vote is going to go to The Norliss Tapes. I adore that Roy Thinnes and the movie is absolutely creepy!

I love you Dan!

(This poll runs until the 24th of August!)

If this little guy ever had feelings for anyone, it's Dan!