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Hey everyone!
Episode 20 is a small collection of Christmas and Wintertime music from independent artists and bands we've put together for your enjoyment as a small token of our thanks. We appreciate your being with us as we close this first calendar year for The Zen and Peace Show. We're a very small show put on by two guys with no experience and we work hard each progressive episode to get better and better, and we can't thank you enough for sticking with us.

2010 looks to be bigger and brighter and we plan on bringing you even more in the coming year!

For now, enjoy the tunes!

List of songs, in order:

• Clip from A Charlie Brown Christmas
• The Peace Carol - Darrell Smith
• I Believe in Santa Claus on Christmas Eve - Atomsplit
• Snow Day - The Numbskulz
• It's All About the Toys - Echo Voodoo
  

• Would Be Goods
  "Christmas in Haiti" (mp3)
  from "Merry Kitschmas"
  (El Records)
  Buy at iTunes Music Store
  More On This Album

• Chiron Beta Prime - Jonathan Coulton
• Bloody Bloody Christmas - Neil Murray
• Clip from A Christmas Story (visit Ralphie's house)

  
  
  

(Download this episode as an mp3. Direct link at the end of the show notes)

Merry ChristmaHannaKwanzaakuh to All on this Happy Festivus Season. In this episode, we share a few select Christmas memories from our childhoods, as well as discuss our favorite Holiday tunes, tv specials and movies. Reminisce with us over your preferred holiday beverage and hopefully we'll have you too saying, "Fra-gee-lay . . . hmmm, must be Italian!"

We begin, as always, with Good, Bad and Ugly.

Kevin's good: Rifftrax.com
Bad: Christmas Creep The retail practice of putting Christmas out in October . . . or earlier!
Ugly: Worker killed on Black Friday last year at Wal-mart.

Zen's Good: Nobody was killed this year on Black Friday. This article best describes our feelings on the savages who walked on a man last year.
Bad: Picking on Santa just because he's fat. The writer of this story, even if it is tongue in cheek, needs to pick on someone else. Oprah, maybe. Not St. Nick.
Ugly: Walmart charging extra to ship to APO addresses.
Update!Since our recording, Walmart has changed their APO rates, but declined to comment. Hand caught in the cookie jar. Shame on you, Wal-Mart.

Podsafe musid for this episode:

Intro Song:

Undercover Christmas
"Deck the Halls (feat. Di Johnston)" (mp3)
from "Undercover Christmas: Chapter One"
(Undercover Culture Music)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3

Break Song: Linus and Lucy by J.E.L.L.i.

Outro Song: Christmas Wish by Gidgets Ga Ga

After the break we get right into what our favorite Christmas themed and/or Christmas related tv specials and movies are. We proceed in no particular order, but boil it down to two favorites:
Kevin likes:

Zen likes:

Honorable mention:

We also mention our least favorites . . .

Kevin dislikes:

Zen dislikes:

Dishonorable Mention:
The Star Wars Christmas Special

Picks for this episode:

Kevin picks: Christmas Vacation

Zen picks: Peppermint Patties

Enjoy the show!

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(Download this episode as an mp3. Direct link at the end of the show notes)

Two grown men review a book and movie series written for adolescent girls. What could go wrong? Before you decide not to download this episode (we're talking to the men, here) be aware that listening to a Twilight review will NOT change your sexual orientation. It may, in fact, enlighten you a little when all is said and done. Although, we doubt it.

For Good, Bad and Ugly Kevin ties his picks in with the topic of obsession and how a little can be a good thing, a lot can be a bad thing, and some people have obsessions that are just plain ugly.

Zen's G,B&U deals with a topic very much in the news these days, Tiger Woods. Zen thinks it is good that his life is spiraling out of control in a mix of mistresses and drugs, because it confirms that Zen does indeed have the power to curse celebrities who talk smack about Hockey. For his bad, Zen picks news headlines that proclaim Tiger's wife, Elin, is somehow in some national crisis-level nightmare compared to the millions of other women around the country dealing with the same problem.

Finally, for his Ugly, Zen goes off topic completely to pay tribute to, and say farewell to, one of the greatest movie review podcasts ever to grace the Interwebs: Scene Unseen. We at the Zen and Peace Show wish Chris and Jimmy nothing but success as they pursue work inside the film industry.

Before the break, Zen challenges Kevin to this quiz based on the Judy Blume book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." The reason for this is explained in the podcast. The premise for this game quickly falls apart and, thankfully, the quiz is abandoned only a few questions in.

Music for this episode cleared by and provided by the good folks at Mevio.com and found at MusicAlley.com.

Intro song: Hey Little Goth Girl by Roadside Attraction.

Break song: Vampire Strippers by The Astronauts

Outro song: A Whiter Shade of Pale (Live) by Procol Harum

After the break, we begin our review of the Twilight series of books and movies, concentrating mainly on the first movie, "Twilight." We won't divulge our decision here on the blogpage. To find out what we really thought about the film, you'll just have to listen to the podcast.

Media Picks for this episode:

Kevin picks: Salem's Lot by Stephen King.

Zen picks: Let The Right One In

If you enjoy the show, and haven't done so already, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes using the handy link at the top of the right hand side nav bar. Also, please leave a five star review while you're there!

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