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Animation

“Transformers Prime” final season preview: Executive producer Jeff Kline speaks

Transformers Prime final season (Season 3) begins Friday, March 22, at 7:30pm ET on The Hub. (A four-hour marathon precedes the premiere, beginning at 3:30pm ET) I try to go into every interview remembering those lessons in journalism school about objectivity. Just how in sportswriting there’s no cheering in the press box, it’s a bit unprofessional to let your fan flag fly when talking to actors, writers and producers, even when they might be involved in something that strikes a deep chord from childhood. So when I get Jeff Kline on the phone to talk about Season 3 of Transformers Prime […]

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Animation

Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Adventures serves up Huckleberry Pie in Season 3

Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Adventures Saturdays, 8am ET The Hub Strawberry Shortcake, the food, may not have a long shelf life. But the toyline that bears the name of the tasty treat has been entertaining children — many of whom have now grown up and had their own children — for more than 30 years. The latest incarnation, Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Adventures, returns for its third season at 8am Saturday, and longtime viewers will notice a new face. Huckleberry Pie, who has been a part of past versions of Strawberry Shortcake, will finally come to Berry Bitty City and […]

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Animation

Animaniacs marathon Presidents’ Day on The Hub: Tress MacNeille reflects

Animaniacs began airing on The Hub in early January, and fans of the beloved series — which originally ran on Fox Kids from 1993-98 — rejoiced. Finally, Wakko, Yakko and Dot would have a regular home back on television, their hyperactive, and often hyper-literate, antics on display for a whole new generation to discover and appreciate. This Monday, The Hub is offering Animaniacs fans an embarrassment of riches with a Presidents’ Day marathon, running from noon-8pm ET. Being Presidents’ Day and all, they’ll about have to include this song, right? Tress MacNeille — a superstar in the voiceover world whose […]

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Animation

Dan Vs. preview: Maurice LaMarche guest stars in Vegetables episode Feb. 16

Throughout his three seasons of waging war against anything that enrages him, Dan of The Hub’s animated hit Dan Vs. has had some pretty justifiable targets: stupidity, traffic, reality TV, Canada. But I dunno, he might be reaching a bit in his latest episode, “Vegetables,” during which his anger is fueled by Burgerphile’s decision to eliminate french fries to make way for healthier options like — gasp! — broccoli. It gets pretty ugly, even by Dan Vs. standards, so much that eventually military-grade toxic chemicals are introduced, and Dan must eventually deal with his inadvertent creation of a giant broccoli […]

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Animation

My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic princess coronation: Twlight Sparkle earns her crown

On the heels— er, hooves, of last year’s successful Royal Wedding, residents of Ponyville — and the rabid fan base that follows their equine adventures on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic — are bracing for another major event. In “Magical Mystery Cure,” airing at 10:30am ET Saturday, Feb. 16, Twlight Sparkle will finally become a princess. It will conclude a morning marathon of My Little Pony episodes, beginning at 6am, in an event dubbed the My Little Pony Princess Coronation, which will be hosted by Miss America 2013 Molly Hagan. But all that princess stuff comes only after Twilight […]

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Awards Shows

The Hub lets fans pick the “Naughty or Nice Awards”

The Hub is getting in on the awards season by launching its first-ever “Naughty or Nice Awards,” which will allow fans to pick their favorite moments from the network’s 2012 programming. Voting opens Saturday and runs through Dec. 16. The winners will be announced Dec. 22, and featured from noon-2pm ET in a two-hour marathon of episodes from their shows. Voters can head to http://www.hubworld.com/NaughtyOrNice to make their selections. Here are the categories: The Hub’s Naughtiest of All: ·         Alakshmi (Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters) ·         The Biskit Twins (Littlest Pet Shop) ·         Dan (Dan Vs.)   Most Villainous Laugh: ·         Dr. Mangle (R.L. Stine’s The Haunting […]

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7 Questions With...

“7 Questions” With … Rico Rodriguez

Rico Rodriguez has no reason to be scared these days. The 14-year-old star just started his fourth season on Modern Family, where he is a vital part of one of TV’s best and most successful shows, and there appears to be no end in sight for his potential. Yet act scared he does in the new episode of R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour. In “The Weeping Woman,” which airs at 6pm Saturday, Rodriguez plays Chi, who must contend with “La Llorona,” a vengeful spirit that feeds on negative energy. Boy, that’ll ruin your sleepover real quick. Rodriguez took some time to […]

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Family

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” star Robert Capron returns for more “Haunting Hour” chills

Something just comes over Robert Capron whenever he signs on to do an episode of R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour. The sweet, kindhearted moppet we see as Rowley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies all of a sudden becomes a callous jerk who doesn’t care what happens to anyone else as long as he gets what he wants. Having played a ravenous ice-cream junkie in last year’s “Catching Cold,” Capron returns to the spooky anthology series for “The Cast,” which premieres at 6pm Saturday on The Hub. In it, his character Rex takes trying to fit in way […]

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Drama

“La Llorona” legend featured in two spooky Halloween TV episodes

I had been unfamiliar with the Latin American legend of “La Llorona” (“The Weeping Woman”) until compiling our list of this year’s Halloween programming. In doing so, I came upon two episodes of TV series that will feature this ghost story that apparently has deep roots in Latino culture. The legend of La Llorona tells of a distraught mother who drowned her children and then herself. The ghost of the mother emerges from the water and is forced to return to haunt and terrorize the living — mainly children, from the sounds of the descriptions of these two episodes featuring […]

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Game Shows

“Family Game Night” adds “Battleship,” Community Chest round to Season 3

Here’s a wild guess: Battleship will be much more popular on Family Game Night than it was on movie screens. The classic search-and-destroy game is part of the revamped Family Game Night, which begins its third season on The Hub Sunday. Battleship is something viewers have been wanting to see since “Episode 1, Season 1,” says host Todd Newton, and now they’ll get their chance. Between that, more families competing and the addition of a Community Chest round where a chance to win a new car is at stake, the show that brings beloved Hasbro games to life can legitimately […]