Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Just in time for the indulgent holiday season, PBS KIDS GO! and Boston creative group CloudKid, invite early elementary school kids to join the hilarious animated adventures of Professor Fizzy and friends in FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB (PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab) as they prepare tasty snacks, investigate the difference between good and bad food, and learn what happens once the food you eat goes into your body. FIZZY’s LUNCH LAB experience features funny characters in a variety of short video segments and interactive games and is designed to bring kids and parents together to help plan meals, make snacks and team up to make healthier eating choices for the entire family. The site will also feature extensive resources on PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org) and PBS Teachers (PBSTEACHERS.org) to further the learning.

“Childhood obesity is a growing problem and we realized that in order to start reversing the effects of our fast food culture, we’d have to employ some of the same tactics that fast food giants have historically used to attract children”, said FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB co-creator, Evan Sussman. “By creating fun, animated personalities, our hope is to keep families entertained, engaged, and interested in healthy living. When was the last time you received your recipe instructions from a bellowing measuring-cup drill-sergeant?”

“At PBS KIDS, we focus on guiding children to adopt healthy habits through our positive role models, great storytelling and engaging games. FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB is a perfect addition to our menu – it is interactive content that empowers children to make the right choices and advance their knowledge about healthy eating and exercise,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Director, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! Interactive. “PBS has been increasing its commitment towards original Web-only properties and video online. With an average of 1.3 million streams per week, kids are eating up video on PBSKIDSGO.org, and we are confident they will love meeting Professor Fizzy and his friends there, too.”

The FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB Web site at PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab will feature animated and live-action shorts, fun interactive recipes, interesting food facts, and exciting interactive games that guide children towards making smarter food choices. At a time when healthy eating and nutrition are more crucial then ever, FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB gives children a chance to play with their food, and eat it too. Co-creator Dave Schlafman explains, “We don’t want to force-feed the information, so we try not to use kid-phobic words such as ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritious’. We created the Lunch Lab to get everyone excited about cooking. The educational component is our way of slipping the broccoli in with the dessert. Evan and I also wanted a ‘trickle-up’ effect – getting kids so excited about the content that they want to share it with their parents.”

Showcasing a vibrant cast of original characters, FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB stars Professor Fizzy, the Lunch Lab’s funny and fabulous host. Warm, engaging, and just a little bit scatter-brained, Fizzy is an energetic, effervescent culinary genius who loves to educate kids and families about the importance of nutrition, physical activity, and a good laugh. Also joining Fizzy is his trusty sidekick, Mixie-Bot; Sully the Cell, our guide to the human body; Corporal Cup, the kitchen’s drill sergeant; and finally, Fizzy’s greasy nemesis, Fast Food Freddy. While The Lunch Lab may suffer from Fizzy’s absent-mindedness and misadventures, the gang never loses their excitement and curiosity about food, and look forward to every fun experiment. Laughter is Fizzy’s favorite ingredient and his friends are always cooking up something tasty.

The Lunch Lab content will rollout over the course of 10 months (40 weeks). Each week, PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab will launch a new animated video with a fun printable recipe for kids and parents to enjoy. Monthly food and nutrition themes will help guide the message and menu, while each animated short will teach new concepts pertaining to the featured theme.

Dr. Toy, aka Stevanne Auerbach Ph.D,, a KIDS FIRST! /Advisory Board member has released her annual  report featuring 100 wonderful new toys and other products. The products selected meet Dr. Toy’s high standards for design, durability, price, quality, safety, and value.
We often hear about products that fall apart after minimal use, a frustrating and expensive experience. In addition, products that do not meet safety standards can be dangerous. Dr. Toy endeavors to select products that are structurally safe and sound. But while focusing on those aspects of a product, let’s not forget that “play is children’s work” and should be respected and understood by all adults. We should be thinking: What products or “tools for play” can we obtain to provide wholesome experiences for children and provide plenty of positive play interactions?

Dr. Toy spends a great deal of time reviewing many products created by myriad manufacturers and designers to make sure her selections are safe and lasting, valuable and fun. And certainly durable products, properly designed, and developmentally correct are always worth the money.

Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products – 2009

Millions of fans will have a new source of inspiration when select episodes of the critically acclaimed and landmark series TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL make their DVD debut in two specially themed collections. TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: INSPIRATION COLLECTION – HOPE and HOLIDAY each feature four thematic episodes specially selected by series executive producer Martha Willamson. Both debut on DVD November 10 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment
Starring Roma Downey and Della Reese in their Emmy-nominated roles and John Dye, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL chronicled the missions of a group of angels sent by God. An audience favorite, the series ran for nine years on CBS and was nominated for numerous awards including 11 Emmyâ awards and two Golden Globes. Now Martha Williamson hosts two special DVD releases filled with the messages of faith and optimism. Each episode includes all-new personal introductions by Williamson, who provides her unique perspective and insight. Other extras include segments from the broadcast special More True Stories From Touched By An Angel and free music downloads, both of which can be accessed via eBridge Technology. This technology allows consumers to unlock segments by placing their DVD into their PCs.

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: INSPIRATION COLLECTION – HOPE includes the DVD debut of three episodes – including the series milestone 100th episode, “Psalm 151,” in which the angels celebrate Monica’s 100th assignment with a cake in the park — and features stellar guest stars such as Wynonna Judd, Rosa Parks and Mandy Patinkin.

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: THE INSPIRATION COLLECTION – HOLIDAY includes the DVD debut of the beloved “An Angel On The Roof” episode, following the angels as they try to perform a Christmas miracle by bringing the residents of a small Texas town together. The collection also includes two episodes featuring the most requested and frequent guest star, country music legend Randy Travis in his recurring role as Wayne.

It’s summer vacation, but the Pearson family kids are stuck at a boring lake house with their nerdy parents. That is until feisty, little, green aliens crash-land on the roof, with plans to conquer the house AND Earth! Using only their wits, courage and video game-playing skills, the youngsters must band together to defeat the aliens and save the world — but the toughest part might be keeping the whole thing a secret from their parents! Featuring a hilarious cast including comedy veterans Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), Andy Richter

(“The Conan O’Brien Show”), Kevin Nealon (“Weeds”), Tim Meadows (Mean Girls) and Gillian Vigman (The Hangover), as well as rising young stars Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), Robert Hoffman (Step Up 2: The Streets), Carter Jenkins (“Surface”) and Austin Robert Butler

Based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott, the acclaimed author of “Little Women,” An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving is the holiday story of family and forgiveness debuting on DVD October 27 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In this #1 Prime Time original period drama from the Hallmark Channel, Jacqueline Bisset (The Deep, Latter Days) stars as Isabella, a wealthy widow who visits her estranged daughter and three grandchildren, who have recently lost their father and fallen on hard times. She befriends her spirited granddaughter, Tilly (Tatiana Maslany), and helps her budding romance with Gad (Kristopher Turner), the son of the local landowner. Bisset was nominated for a Satellite Award as Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television for her role in this film.

Recently widowed Mary Bassett (Helene Joy) and her 3 children have hit difficult times on their farm. Things are so bad this year that they cannot even afford a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. Suddenly, Mary’s wealthy and estranged mother Isabella (Jacqueline Bisset) comes to visit. Although she finds a kindred spirit in Mary’s eldest daughter, Tilly (Tatiana Maslany), Mary resents her mother’s attempts to help them out of their financial difficulties. In the end, more than money will be needed to heal the emotional wounds that exist between mother and daughter in this moving period drama. An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving was directed by Graeme Campbell from a screenplay by Shelley Evans. Michael Prupas served as executive producer, with Steve Solomos producing.

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, the awe-inspiring film from National Geographic was hailed by critics* and audiences alike and became the second most successful documentary ever.
March of the Penguins is narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman
(Million Dollar Baby) and chronicles the lives of the emperor penguins and their remarkable journey to find a mate and start a family. The film is an all-age, true-life adventure touched with humor, with breathtaking photography that puts you in the middle of the drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the face of fierce polar winters, take turns guarding their eggs and trekking to the ocean in search of food. They will risk starvation and attack by dangerous predators, under the harshest conditions on earth, all to find true love and guard their adorable chicks.

March of the Penguins Limited Edition Giftset features an all-new feature-length documentary, On the Wings of a Penguin, a fascinating look at the lives and adventures of another breed of penguin: the African penguin. With the dedication of people devoted to their survival, this warm-weather species (also known as “jackass penguins”) thrives and inspires the joy of living. From oil spills off the coast of Africa to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, witness the fun-loving spirit of these penguins as they continue to overcome life’s challenges. In the wild and at aquariums and zoos, the African penguins’ quirky and endearing behavior delights fans all over the world.