The Magic of Curious George & Curious George: Royal Monkey on DVD now!

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The Magic of Curious George & Curious George: Royal Monkey on DVD now!

By Erin

The other week we received a fun box of Curious George items from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment for the DVD release of Curious George: Royal Monkey. If you follow me on instagram then you have already seen some of this cuteness. Like myself, I am sure many of you grew up loving Curious George; reading the books and watching the cartoons. I was happy that we now had the perfect chance to introduce my niece Nora to the beloved Curious George! Her Great Grandma Pearl is shown above with Curious George as we celebrated the release of Curious George: Royal Monkey with her.
  

Curious George who we all know and love is filled with delightful antics, gentle humor and heartfelt emotion that has captivated the hearts of families around the world, is featured in a majestic film that follows George as he trades places with the royal monkey of Simiana by mistake! Taking audiences on a colorful grand adventure with exciting new locations and a fresh cast of adorable characters, Curious George: Royal Monkey features returning voice cast Emmy Award® winners Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo! franchise) and Jeff Bennett (“Johnny Bravo” TV series) and showcases five original songs including a single by award-winning recording artist and songwriter Andy Grammer. For a limited time only, Curious George: Royal Monkey on DVD also comes with an exclusive sticker sheet, available at all retailers nationwide.

Join your favorite monkey as he takes on his most regal role yet in Curious George: Royal Monkey. After disrupting a meeting with a stuffy royal family, George accidentally trades places with the king’s snooty monkey, Philippe. While Philippe puzzles Ted with his flawless manners, George travels to the castle where his fun-loving antics raise eyebrows and bring shy Princess Isabel out of her shell. Featuring all-new music from Andy Grammer, this king-sized adventure reminds us all that doing what you love is the key to happiness.

Curious George is a timeless character that was first introduced to the world of children’s literacy over 75 years ago. Created by Margret and H.A. Rey in 1941, Curious George remains one of the most beloved classics in children’s literature, television and film with more than 108 episodes of the Emmy® award-winning animated series on PBS and over 80 million books in print worldwide in 26 languages. Nora LOVED reading her new Curious George books and looking at all the pictures.

Curious George: Royal Monkey is the first film in the Curious George franchise to be comprised of a predominantly female music team, with Germaine Franco, the first female composer, and Michele Brourman and Amanda McBoom, the first female songwriters. The whimsical and joyous soundtrack transports the listener between George’s world and the royal kingdom of Simiana.

Given that Curious George is such a remarkable figure in the world of children’s literature, Franco was honored to take on the task of scoring the film. She detailed her process of developing the score: “I was asked to create a whimsical world of music from George’s point of view. The story involves a case of mistaken identity between George and the Simiana royal monkey, Phillipe. I wrote distinct themes for each monkey. George’s theme has a signature sound of plucked stringed instruments, while Phillipe’s theme involves muted trumpets and snare drums, as if it were written for a toy solider. The score alternates between lively rhythm instruments with hand percussion to denote a Caribbean influence from the island of Simiana, mixed with chamber and orchestral instruments to establish a royal sound. I truly enjoyed collaborating with the Universal 1440 Entertainment team to write the score for the newest installment of the iconic family franchise.” –Composer, Germaine Franco

Songwriting-duo Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman contributed 4 of the 5 original songs featured on the soundtrack: “We’ve written songs for baby dinosaurs, lunatic poodles, noble wolf-dogs, mythic heroes, and chipmunks – but George is our first monkey! We are thrilled to be a part of George‘s first female music team! In Curious George: Royal Monkey, we used songs to drive the action, and to express and heighten emotions during key moments. It was important to us to write songs that we felt could stand alone. We wanted to create tunes that we knew people could enjoy, dance, and sing to. Although we love them all, our favorite song is “Now You Know,” which is played during an exciting horse racing scene. It’s so joyous and really builds the action in the film.” –Songwriters, Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman

There is so much to love about this new Curious George film, so make sure to get your copy of the DVD if you have not already! I think we have another Curious George fan here! 😉 She was clapping for her new friend on the TV!

 

Black Angus Celebrating 40 Years in Lakewood!

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Black Angus Celebrating 40 Years in Lakewood!

By Erin

*I dined here as media for purposes of this post. I have been dining at this Black Angus since I was a small child though. 😉 All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

One of my favorite restaurants that I grew up dining at with family and friends is celebrating 40 years in my home town of Lakewood, CA. Black Angus is celebrating its 40th anniversary in the Lakewood community, and, to celebrate, they are giving away free meals and outrageous deals all day long on  Sunday, September 29th! So come on in and join the celebration! Try your luck and maybe you will win a free entree ($30 value) on your visit!

Black Angus will be celebrating by picking up the tab (up to $30 value) for one lucky guest’s entree every hour from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There will also be unbeatable deals all day long, including $4 beer and appetizers available to guests throughout the restaurant.

Offer Details:
  • Valid only at the Lakewood location on September 29, 2019
  • $4 beers include: Bud Light drafts, Coors Light drafts, Budweiser bottles, Miller Lite bottles, and Michelob Ultra bottles
  • $4 appetizers include: Three Cheese Garlic Bread and Crispy Fried Garlic-Pepper Zucchini
  • Maximum $30 value on the free entree deal

I HIGHLY recommend getting the Crispy Fried Garlic-Pepper Zucchini! It was delicious! I want some more now, just thinking about it. Yum.

Other seasonal items currently being offered for you to enjoy while you celebrate!

Steak & Lobster Mac & Cheese

Your choice of 6 oz. Center-Cut Filet Mignon or 8 oz. Certified Angus Beef® Top Sirloin, paired with rich and creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese, with chunks of sweet lobster and five cheese sauce under a crispy breadcrumb crust. Served with a Classic Sidekick and warm molasses bread. If you love mushrooms, make sure to get this as an add-on, I love the flavors it adds to the Filet Mignon!

Pink Pomegranate Punch

Bacardi Lime, Patrón Citrónge, pomegranate, and fresh orange, garnished with sugared rosemary and pomegranate seeds.
Drink Pink! In October, $1 from each Pomegranate Punch will be donated to the Breast Cancer Charities of America. I loved this drink! It was very refreshing and not overly sweet.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

The perfect way to end your meal! Spiced pumpkin bread pudding, served warm with vanilla ice cream. So good! Even though we were stuffed, we managed to devour this one. There wasn’t a drop left of it on the plate. That’s how good it was. 🙂

Hungry yet? Make plans now to come join in the anniversary celebration this Sunday, anytime from 11AM-9PM at the Lakewood location!

 

Disney’s Aladdin (live-action) and Aladdin Signature Collection on Digital & Blu-Ray Now!

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Disney’s Aladdin (live-action) and Aladdin Signature Collection on Digital & Blu-Ray Now!

By Erin

I am sure I am not the only one out there who grew up watching the animated classic Aladdin over and over and over again. I am thrilled that Disney created a  live-action adaptation of Aladdin, and it has now landed in homes on Digital, Movies Anywhere and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD! Starring Will Smith, Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud, the release includes all new bonus features, such as deleted scenes, a blooper reel and more!

The release of the live-action adventure coincides with the addition of the original animated classic to the highly celebrated Walt Disney Signature Collection, granting Aladdin fans everywhere the opportunity to own both magical movies. In 4K for the first time, the new release features all new bonus content, including alternate endings! We celebrated this release with some JAMS! FIG Jams that is! Special thanks to Disney for this fun little package. 😉 We made some tasty Chicken and Fig Jam Sandwiches with them. They were delicious.

If you’d like to make a sweet treat to wash that down with, try making these Fig jam Cookies! YUM!

Disney’s “Aladdin,” the thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic will delight fans of all ages and will enjoy the exciting, humorous tale of the lovable “street rat,” Aladdin (Mena Massoud), courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and the larger-than-life Genie (Will Smith) with all-new bonus features. The release of the live-action adventure coincides with the addition of the original animated classic to the highly celebrated Walt Disney Signature Collection  —  granting “Aladdin” fans everywhere the opportunity to own both magical movies.

Extras explore elements of “Aladdin” that audiences adore, from the film’s treasured, iconic award-winning music to its beloved characters and their hilarious antics on and off screen. Viewers get the first look at an all-new song “Desert Moon,” deleted from the final film, written by eight-time Academy Award® winning composer Alan Menken and Oscar®-and Tony Award®-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“The Greatest Showman,” “La La Land”). Features document Guy Ritchie’s joyful, easy-going approach to directing that led to movie magic; Will Smith’s fresh take on the infamous shape-shifting blue entity confined to an oil lamp; Naomi Scott’s powerful performance as the spirited princess who yearns to lead the people of Agrabah; and the indescribable feeling of playing Aladdin chronicled personally by Mena Massoud. Deleted scenes and a blooper reel round out the fun.

In addition, early owners of “Aladdin” gain access to exclusive bonus features. Fans who pre-purchase will receive a feature showcasing the making of the massive musical number “Prince Ali,” and those who bring home the film first on Digital will secure an exclusive extra detailing the creation of Jasmine’s new song “Speechless.”

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