Writing about consumer products is a large part of what I do here at THE ROCK FATHER™ Magazine. My opinions are always 100% honest and straightforward, and when something isn't right - I let people know about it. Whether I receive free product for review or pay for it myself, the standards are the same because bad products hurt consumers. I don't like seeing people being taken advantage of, and I'm certainly not going to put up with that myself. American families work hard for their money, and my wife and I are a prime example of that. What's very concerning is how short a lifespan many of our high-dollar purchases have, and frankly, I'm tired of being fleeced. Today I'm going to tell you about the worst purchase I've made in the last year or so - a heavily-advertised (remember those commercials with Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell?) Samsung Activewash Washer and Dryer Pair from Best Buy. Our "new" washer and dryer are essentially junk - products whose performance has defeated the reason they were purchased in the first place. It started with that infamous Samsung recall...

This past spring, I had the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of ABC's latest competition series, THE TOY BOX. Now, the series is back for a second season in which a new crop of inventors will present their toy concepts to a panel of judges in hopes of making it to the end, in which the grand prize winner will see their toy manufactured by Mattel, to be sold exclusively at Toys "R" Us. For Season Two, THE TOY BOX has been retooled - gone are the "industry mentors," and instead of facing just one panel of kid judges, contestants will face a rotating panel of five kids. The only returning judge from Season One is apparently, Noah Ritter. Like the first season, the episodes will be airing out of numeric order as they work toward the endgame, but for the purpose of my previews, I'll be labeling them by week. Curious what's on-deck for the first two episodes? Here's a preview...

On September 22, RCA will release the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE, and today we've got the official music video for Sia's new track, "Rainbow." Sung by Sia’s character, Songbird Serenade, in the upcoming film (in theaters October 6), the official video for the song was directed by Daniel Askill, featuring Maddie Ziegler, with choreography by Ryan Heffington. Check it out below...

RICK AND MORTY is one of those shows (like GAME OF THRONES, BREAKING BAD, etc.) that people keep telling me that I have to see, yet I just haven't caught an episode of. I know it's big, and I've seen the toys start making their way out to stores, but I'd never seen any of it - not even a preview - until this hit my inbox. I've written much about metal covers of popular themes in the past, but they're generally not officially-sanctioned. This one is. Check out the metal version of the RICK AND MORTY theme song below, created by Jason Suecof from Time + Space and Alex Rudinger. I dig it...

We all knew it was coming, and as I pointed out earlier this month, we know who's largely to blame: Iconic toy retailer Toys "R" Us has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, and will soon take similar steps (CCAA) in Canada. In the later hours of September 18, 2017, Toys "R" Us made it official, voluntarily filing for relief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond, and sharing the news via press release. It's important to note that while this news is serious, companies restructure and emerge from Chapter 11 all the time, though the companies with ownership stake in Toys "R" Us - particularly Bain Capital - leave much to be desired.

The Rock Father™ is a MEGA™Ambassador and Beyonder

MEGA Bloks® have been a part of our family since day one. In fact, I think it was at the baby shower for the first of The Rock Daughters™ when we received our first set - a Big Building Bag filled with those classic blocks that preschoolers have been building with for decades. Fast-forward a few years, and just as our kids have grown up, so has MEGA™ - recently making a nod to the past as they look toward the future with their ever-expanding line of MEGA Construx™ building sets for the entire family. From developing builders to kids ages 4+, from tweens to adult collectors, MEGA™ has something for everyone, and there’s no better time than the present to spend some time with the family, getting together to “Build Beyond.”

As I do every year, I just mentioned the 1957 release of Elvis Presley's Elvis' Christmas Album in an article in which I discuss how "Christmas Creep" is not a new thing, and thus isn't really a thing at all. That album was released 60 years ago - on October 15, 2017, and now, after countless collections and reissues, RCA Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will celebrate the 2017 holiday season with the release of Elvis Presley - Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday, October 6.

A few days ago, the girls and I were over at The Home Depot - picking up our first round of fall flowers, and scoping out the new assortment of Halloween decor that THD has to offer. They've upped their game this year, and I could do some serious damage if set loose in there. Truth be told, Home Depot can be a dangerously-tempting place, and I'm still paying off our last project loan from when we gutted the bathrooms here at Rock Father HQ and rebuilt them from the bare studs. When it comes to the "Big Two" on the holiday front - Halloween & Christmas - I'm all over the decor, so it was a nice coincidence when The Home Depot sent us their new WindowFX Plus Projector for review.

I've mentioned it before - the first big concert I ever attended was The Oak Ridge Boys at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merriville, Indiana way back when it was still the Holiday Star Theatre. That said, I've continued enjoying their music for the past 40 years, and now comes news that the Country Music Hall of Fame members and five-time GRAMMY winners have recorded a new album with producer Dave Cobb (Shooter Jennings, Zac Brown Band), set for release in the first quarter of 2018. The as-yet-untitled album is the second that the group has worked on with Cobb, who also produced The Boys Are Back in 2009.

Who was "the Kanye West of clowning?" That's just one of the questions answered in the first episode of PBS Digital Studios' Origin of Everything - The True Origin of Killer Clowns. With a modern reimagining of Stephen King's IT scaring up big box office, Yale Doctoral Candidate, Danielle Bainbridge looks beyond Pennywise and back through a rich history of clowning that's served up legendary scares from Killer Clowns from Outer Space to American Horror Story and Bozo's Circus. Okay, maybe not Bozo, but Cookie and Wizzo always seemed "off" to me. 

It's taken a few months of of fan deliberation, but now the decision is official - Crayola announced "Bluetiful" as the name of its new blue crayon. Bluetiful will be the nineteenth active blue color, replacing the previously retired Dandelion in the 24-count box and across the entire Crayola portfolio. Bluetiful received over 40% of fan votes to score the win and was officially unveiled this week at a blue-themed event in NYC. Additionally, there's a brand-new version of "Big Blue" - the world's largest crayon, which we previously visited when we road-tripped to the Crayola Experience back in 2014.

There's a new problem for PEG + CAT to solve, and tomorrow, September 15, 2017, they'll tackle it in an all-new episode premiering nationally on PBS KIDS! The Mariachi Problem features an appearance from the internationally-acclaimed Latin Grammy-nominated Mariachi Flor de Toloache, the first and only all-women mariachi band to hail from New York. The seven members of Mariachi Flor de Toloache play themselves in their first-ever animated appearance, and sing original counting songs as they help Cat serenade his lady love, Rosana, on a fun road trip to Mexico. The episode premiere is timed to the launch of Hispanic Heritage Month, and today The Fred Rogers Company and The Rock Father™ are pleased to give you an exclusive look at a brand-new clip!

There's a new Netflix hack that just hit the scene, and it's one that parents and kids alike are gonna dig. Netflix Birthdays presents birthday songs and messages from popular kids characters including those from DreamWorks All Hail King Julien, Barbie, Beat Bugs, DreamWorks Dinotrux, Las Leyendas, LEGO Friends, LEGO Ninjago, Luna Petunia, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Pokemon, Project Mc2, Skylanders Academy, DreamWorks Trollhunters and Word Party - all available by simply searching "Birthday Songs." Check out a preview below, and keep reading for a look at how we got in on the birthday magic right here at Rock Father HQ!

Grammy-winning country icon, best-selling author, actress, and in-demand speaker, Naomi Judd is set to release the paperback version of her new book, “River of Time: My Descent Into Depression and How I Emerged With Hope” on Dec. 5. Judd will be promoting the paperback release with multiple television, radio and online interviews, including an appearance on the TODAY Show Dec. 5.

I've always enjoyed the Foo Fighters, but over the past few years I've really started digging them. Something changed in the dynamic, and I can't really peg what - maybe it's just that we're all older now - but everything they've been doing just sounds right to me. Now we have a pairing of two bands that are not only loved by yours truly, but also by The Rock Daughters™. Check out this excellent BBC Radio 1 performance of the Foo Fighters covering the AC/DC classic, "Let There Be Rock."