Widescreen: Four things I'm thankful for in entertainment this year
The new edition of 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'
John Hughes' Thanksgiving classic got a new 4K/Blu-ray release this week that includes a mother lode of deleted material, including extra scenes with John Candy and Steve Martin that fans have long heard about but never had the chance to see. The movie itself is perfect as it is, but seeing more of Del and Neal's travels, 35 years later? That's a treasure. (The deleted scenes come with the digital version of the movie on Vudu, too.)
Aly & AJ
The singer-songwriter sisters who hit it big in 2007 with "Potential Breakup Song" have reinvented themselves as a dreampop band with catchier hooks (and much cheaper concert tickets) than Taylor Swift. I saw them earlier this year at House of Blues, and plan to see them again at the Riviera Theatre in April.
'60 Songs That Explain the '90s'
Host Rob Harvilla won over so many fans with his hilarious, relatable monologues about the songs he grew up with that he didn't stop at 60. His podcast makes me feel like Harvilla was secretly listening to all the conversations I had in 1996 with my friends. The best episode, unquestionably: Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Trust me.
Bob Chapek's farewell
Disney said goodbye to their CEO after 999 days of disservice that ended with a brutal earnings report and a plunging stock price. Why do I care? Because Chapek also introduced the price-gouging, time-sucking "innovation" called Genie+ to the theme parks, which weren't exactly affordable to begin with. (Just ask my credit card statement.) I don't know if bringing Bob Iger back for another two years will solve Disney's problems, but getting rid of Chapek - a bean-counter greeted by boos from fans in attendance at his company's September convention - is certainly a good start.
• Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who can't wait to see the revised Fantasmic show at Disney World.