Author: Francine Brokaw

‘Lucy’s School’ opens on August 12

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


Lucy, Linus, Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Pig Pen, Franklin, Violet, Patty, Schroeder, Marci, and even Snoopy have an all-new special on Apple TV+. This is a great way to get kids ready for the upcoming school year.

The Peanuts gang are anxious about starting at a new school in the Fall, inspiring Lucy to start her own school instead, but teaching isn’t as easy as it sounds. Lucy’s School is a love letter to teachers, and an appreciation of the impact a teacher can have on a child. It explores the fear of change, and shows how Lucy, supported by her friends, faces and overcomes her own fears.

Sneak peek at Season 7 of ‘TrollsTopia’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


In TrollsTopia anything is possible with a little teamwork, glitter and a lot of FUN! When Val’s vacation doesn’t go to plan and R&B’s pancake breakfast falls flat, Poppy and the Trolls get creative. And when Cloud Guy is accepted to Cloud College he embarks on a hunt to find a replacement to annoy Branch in his absence. But does one even exist?

Now that Poppy knows there are other musical trolls scattered throughout the forest, she bottles up her endless positivity and invites delegates from every troll tribe in the forest to live together in harmony in a grand experiment she calls TrollsTopia!

All new adventures begin with new episodes of DreamWorks TrollsTopia arriving on Hulu and Peacock August 11, 2022.

Episodes: 7 episodes
Voice Actors:
● Skylar Astin as “Branch”
● Amanda Leighton as “Poppy”
● David Fynn as “Biggie”
● Ron Funches as “Cooper”
● Kenan Thompson as “Tiny Diamond”
● Megan Hilty as “Holly Darlin’”
● Jeanine Mason as “Minuet”
● Kevin Michael Richardson as “Smidge”
● Sam Haft as “Chaz”
● Glozell Green as “Grandma Rosiepuff”

‘Work it Out Wombats!’ is coming to PBS Kids

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

Work it out Wombats! is a new animated series for kids ages 3-6  coming to PBS Kids February 6, 2023. The show focuses on Malik, Zadie, and Zeke, three marsupial siblings who live in a treehouse with their grandmother, Super, who happens to be the unofficial mayor.

The series teaches kids concepts that will help them solve problems in their lives.

“The Wombats are all about exploring the world around them and, much like preschoolers, their curiosity and love of adventure know no bounds,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS. “Computational thinking is a way of approaching problems in strategic ways, helping young children respond and adapt to the world around them. We’re excited for viewers to explore these foundational skills and mindsets while having fun with their new marsupial friends.”

The setting for the show is Treeborhood, a huge treehouse with plenty of fun amenitities like gondolas, rope swings and even secret passageways. Along with the trio and their grandmother, moose, kangaroos, iguanas, snakes, fish, and eagles combine to bring to light several ways of thinking and solving problems.

“Malik, Zadie and Zeke are passionate about their goals, but they don’t always know the best way to go about meeting them,” said Marcy Gunther and Marisa Wolsky, executive producers, GBH Kids. “But in every story, we see the Wombats using computational thinking, a powerful toolkit, to work it out.”

The three siblings are full of curiosity and energy. They each have a different personality, as do all siblings. Malik is thoughtful and considerate. Zadie is like a whirling dervish spewing one idea after another. And the youngest, Zeke, loves to explore and to get cuddles.

“Work It Out Wombats! strikes a perfect balance of telling stories for preschoolers that are educational, fun and engaging. Bringing an exciting world filled with diverse characters to life has been incredibly empowering for our artists and technical talent,” said Luis Lopez, executive producer, Pipeline Studios.

Each episode includes two 11-minute stories, accompanied by a 90-second music video, featuring the Wombats as they demonstrate their computational thinking skills, learning as they go.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ cements Sonic’s new family

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (streaming on Paramount+ and available on Blu-ray and DVD August 9) cements Sonic’s relationship with his new parents, Tom and Maddie. This little fellow not only realizes Earth and living in Green Hills with his new family is where he belongs, but he eventually feels comfortable bringing his new friends into the fold.

Sonic has completely settled in and wants to prove to everyone he is a real hero. When the evil Robotnik returns along with a new partner, an alien echidna named Knuckles, Sonic realizes he is in for a tough ride. But the little blue fellow has a sidekick in Tails, an alien fox who comes to Earth to help Sonic. Robotnik and Knuckles are after the great emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations, which is what Robotnik wants to do.

While all their efforts go into stopping Robotnik, Tails and Sonic form a kind of sibling bond. And when Knuckles realizes he is on the wrong side and joins forces with the two, the threesome becomes a strong force and a new family. They are each alone but thanks to the love and caring of Tom and Maddie, they now have a family unit and a place where they can call home.

 

The story is about love, friendship, and family and is a fun way for adults to relive their days playing the game and for kids to discover the genuine goodness and comedy of Sonic.

In 1991 the world fell in love with the Sega Genesis arcade character Sonic the Hedgehog. He was as popular as Mario and Pac Man. Sonic is the first video game character to be a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is a positive message in a time when video games portray violence and sex.

While The Angry Birds and Pokemon, two other video games geared for kids, have been reimagined and turned into feature films, these franchises do not portray the family bond that is now strongly attributed to Sonic.

 

The blended family Sonic has joined, along with the other two little space critters, is akin to the family little Stitch joined when he came to live with Lilo and Nani. While it took a little time for Stitch to settle in with them, they eventually became a strong family unit. With his experiment “cousins” as well as Jumba and Pleakley, they formed an endearing Ohana. And as we learned in that film, Ohana means family – and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. By the way, this is the twentieth anniversary of Lilo and Stitch.

Sonic has found his Ohana. Along with Knuckles and Tails, this new family has a lot of adventures ahead. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is on the horizon. This will undoubtedly be another story enforcing the family bond.

There are plenty of bonus features including a fun new animated short with Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. Deleted scenes and bloopers are also included, and you know with this fun cast they are definitely worth checking out.A few additional features make up the bonuses adding to the enjoyment of this disc. Quite frankly, this movie and all the bonuses are even better than the original! If you have access to 4K, opt for this version as the colors are vivid and Sonic’s blue is bright and beautiful.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

 

Photos courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.

Platinum Jubilee Pudding Competition – can you say ‘delicious?’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

 

To celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, a contest was launched to select the official Jubilee Pudding. For those in the U.S., when they say “Jubilee Pudding” they mean “Jubilee Dessert.” So with so many amazing sweet delicacy recipes submitted, it was difficult for the judges to whittle it down from over 5,000 recipe entries to the final five. These five would be brought to London from the far reaches of the United Kingdom and create their desserts under the eyes of the judges. That in itself was nerve-racking, but think about the winner. The winning dessert would go down in history and become the official Platinum Jubilee Pudding.

The contestants also had in the back of their minds that the Coronation Chicken created for the actual coronation is still a viable dish today. Everyone in Britain knows about this dish, as well as the famous Victoria sponge, a creation for Queen Victoria. So, the new Platinum Jubilee Pudding will become part of British history as well as desserts at Garden Parties, street parties, and in people’s homes. The stress was on the five finalists who came to London to create their original desserts.

The chairwoman of the judging panel was Mary Berry, a famous chef and baker and part of The Great British Bake Off show. It would take a very special recipe to impress this woman.

One of the things the judges took into consideration was the ease of the recipes. They wanted to make sure everyone was able to recreate this delicious dessert in their own homes.

So the contestants were off and running, in a well stocked and completely up-to-date kitchen. For Kathryn, Jemma, Sam, Shabnam, and Susan, they put their hearts and souls into their baking. When they were all done and had presented their dishes to the judges, they were in for a special treat. The Duchess of Cornwall arrived to announce the winner. How cool is that?

To watch this contest play out and see the five final desserts, check out the documentary on True Royalty TV. It is a fun show that brings these women and their talent to life, not to mention the mouth-watering dishes.

Warning- before watching this amazing competition on True Royalty TV, make sure you have already eaten. All the scrumptious desserts will definitely make you hungry. To avoid any spoiler for those who do not already know which recipe won, no recipes will be included here. You can search online to download the official recipes from the contest.

Enjoy watching and hopefully later creating your very own Jubilee Pudding.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

‘Reinventing the Royals’ on True Royalty TV

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

 

The House of Windsor has been through some major disruptions and turmoil the last few decades. Reinventing the Royals is an educational documentary explaining how their relationship with the media has had its ups and downs and how they managed to survive some of the tragic events.

First of all, the death of Diana was a shock to the world as well as the royal family. This unexpected tragedy shone a spotlight on the relationship between the press and the royals. While being chased by paparazzi Diana’s car crashed and she subsequently died from her injuries. The set of circumstances surrounding the crash led her two sons to blame the media for their mother’s death. The hatred toward the media mounted not only in their own lives, but also in the UK.

Camilla’s relationship with Charles was brought front and center as a result of this tragedy. So how did the family and indeed the Commonwealth come to accept her? It was all done through careful and cunning planning by Mark Bolland, a spin-doctor hired by Charles to help Camilla’s public image thereby winning the affection of the people.

The press also had a pact with the royals to lessen their intrusion into the personal lives of the young members of the family, namely William and Harry. This was carefully crafted and allowed William to enjoy a pretty normal life in school.

To see how all of these events were staged and how the public was given enough information about the family without going over the line but also granting them personal privacy, watch this documentary. It is a good lesson in crafting image as well as mediating agreements to shelter –to some degree – the people who have had their lives scrutinized both personally and publically. With the advent of the Internet things have changed even more, but there are still rules in place that were agreed to long ago by the British press. In this age where everyone has a camera and can post truth and lies online, it is difficult to have total privacy. With public interest at a peak, it behooves everyone to have perspective on what they put out into the world.

Reinventing the Royals is available on True Royalty TV.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

Bring home ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is an animated feature film that includes all of the characters from the beloved series. In the movie the Belcher family is struggling to save their beloved restaurant. With the rent and no signs of the bank lending them money, they must hustle to sell enough hamburgers in a week to make enough money to survive. But all of a sudden a sinkhole forms smack dab in front of the restaurant. What else can happen?

Well, for starters, little Louise accidentally discovers a skeleton at the bottom of the sinkhole. So the kids begin a journey to solve the mystery of who was this person and what happened to him/her and why did he end up buried way down in the earth?

When it is revealed that the dead body belongs to Cotton Candy Dan, one of the carnival workers, the Belcher’s landlord is arrested for the murder. But the kids think he is innocent. Can they find the real murdered?

While this murder mystery is unraveling, all kinds of antics arise with the family. There are plenty of fun and dangerous aspects to this mystery, but it is all done with the love and affection of the family members.

In the end, everything turns out well for the Belchers and their restaurant. Plus, Louise loses her fears, Tina becomes brave enough to tell the boy she likes that she likes him, and Gene and his band get a small gig. So all’s well that ends well.

This is a cute film for followers of the TV series. It is peppered with songs and the love of this family. While it is rated PG-13 for rude/suggestive material and language, if your family already watches the series then there is nothing new in that regard.

Bonus features include some deleted scenes and animation extras. There is also a featurette about the making of the film.

The Bob’s Burgers series has been running on Fox since 2014 with a TV-14 rating.

The movie is available on digital, Blu-ray, and DVD.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association, was a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club, and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

Eat Me Guilt Free – product review

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

When I was sent a package from Eat Me Guilt Free, the high protein low carb products, I was a bit skeptical.  I received the following:

1 loaf of protein bread

1 chocolate cake mix

1 package of protein tortillas

1 box of assorted low carb brownies

Of course I ripped open the brownies immediately. Not knowing what to expect – they looked delicious – I took a bite. It was a little dry however it tasted good. So I put the remainder of the box in the refrigerator and the next day when I tasted a couple of the flavors, they were not as dry as my original bite. I do not know why this made a difference, but it did. I tasted several flavors that were included: 2 of each PB Bliss, Tuxedo, Red Velvet, Chocolate, Galaxy, and Birthday Cake. All I can say is “Yummy.” My favorite is the Birthday Cake. It is not chocolate yet it is really delicious. The chocolate flavors are good too, however do not expect Hershey’s super sweet chocolate. These are wonderful replacements for anyone who is watching their calories and/or carbs and boosting their protein intake (which is what my doctor advised me to do!) and still want something sweet.

The package of tortillas was a little different experience. Normally I love to eat a flour tortilla by itself or heated with butter and salsa, but for this test I tried the tortilla alone. The flavor was a little bland. Heating it in the microwave and spreading salsa on it helped. And knowing it is low-carb with zero sugar is a bonus.

The chocolate cake mix was easy to make, although I chose to make 12 cupcakes instead of one large cake. And it does not come with frosting so I added some along with sprinkles. By adding the frosting I did add a bit more calories and carbs but not too much. The cake itself without frosting is tasty but with the frosting no one could tell it was a low carb high protein cupcake. And I gave them to several people for honest opinions. Here is what these women said: “It’s delicious.” “It’s a bit dry but very good.” “It’s delicious and not too sweet.” “I would make it.”  “Dry, but OK.” So in the end, the cake (cupcakes) was a hit. When they learned the cupcakes were low carb and high protein they were amazed. This was especially important to those who were watching their sugar intake too.

 

The bread, on the other hand, was not my favorite because I do not like textured bread and this bread is nutty and requires biting a lot. I spread some butter on the top and it tasted good, yet I was still not happy with the texture. People who are used to grainy bread probably won’t mind this, and knowing it is high in protein and low in carbs will help.

Parents will undoubtedly gravitate to these products for the health of their children. High carbohydrates are not healthy and neither are foods high in sugars. Also, adding protein to a child’s diet is always encouraged.

 

In these days when everyone is watching their carbs and even going Keto, with the Eat Me Guilt Free products as replacements for grocery shelf items, it is easy to stay on low carb high protein regimen. Without giving up flavor you can still have cake (or cupcakes), brownies, bread, and tortillas. And like it says in the name, they are guilt free.

 

About the Reviewer

Francine Brokaw writes about products, books, travel, and entertainment. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. Follow her on Twitter.