The Star Wars Holiday Special Brought Extra Weirdness To The Galaxy (Cool Weird Awesome 658)

Today in 1978, George Lucas's least favorite part of the Star Wars universe, "The Star Wars Holiday Special," aired on TV. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's the only one that has a Jefferson Starship video, a Bea Arthur-owned cantina and opening dialogue that's entirely in Wookiee. Plus: today in 1968, NBC cuts away from the final minutes of a nail-biter football game because it was time to show the movie "Heidi." 

By |2021-11-17T07:56:17-05:00November 17, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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Why A Stormtrooper Walked Helmet-First Into A Door In The Original “Star Wars” (Cool Weird Awesome 543)

Today in 1977, "Star Wars" premiered in movie theaters, and became a movie, pop culture and merchandising phenomenon. But how is it that, in one scene, an Imperial Stormtrooper walks helmet-first into an overhead door? Plus: in Kent, Ohio, there's a restaurant with a large-scale replica of an X-wing fighter out front. If you visit, stay on target! 

By |2021-05-25T09:15:11-04:00May 25, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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Happy Birthday To Closed Captioned Television (Cool Weird Awesome 497)

Today in 1980, the big U.S. TV networks began regularly using closed caption technology to serve Deaf viewers as well as hearing ones. That alone was a game-changer, but closed captioning has proven useful in some other big ways as well. Plus: in Russia, fans of a certain TV show set in a galaxy far, far away have built a replica of a certain ship that's home to a certain adorable baby puppet.

By |2021-03-16T09:27:08-04:00March 16, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
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25 Days of Holiday Songs: “What Can You Get A Wookiee For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb)” from the “Star Wars” Christmas Album

Today is a big day for Star Wars fans, so today's holiday song is from the Star Wars Christmas album. You know that there is a Star Wars Christmas album, right?

By |2019-12-20T09:40:59-05:00December 20, 2019|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , |
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Winnipeg, The Slurpee Capital Of Canada (Cool Weird Awesome 197)

As we get ready for the official start of winter, it's worth noting that some of us deal with this time of year in unusual ways. Like the people of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who spend their cold, cold winters drinking Slurpees. Plus: on this Star Wars premiere day, a visit to a German observatory painted to look like R2-D2.

By |2021-01-12T09:07:43-05:00December 20, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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Without The Washington Post We Wouldn’t Have Teddy Bears (Cool Weird Awesome 187)

Today in 1877 the Washington Post published its first edition. It brought us landmark coverage of Watergate, and John Philip Sousa named a march for it. But the Post's biggest achievement is helping to create the teddy bear. Plus: this weekend in Ashland, Nebraska, Santa Goes To Space!

By |2021-03-25T09:56:11-04:00December 6, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |
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