The Weekly Links: Pee-Wee's On Netflix, Pets Recreate 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', Pac-man Themed Restaurant Opening In Chicago

Welcome to another edition of The Weekly Links, your weekly source for the best '80s content on the web! Less than a week away from Christmas and I've watched just about every TV special already. I knocked out several earlier this week when I came up with the 6 times cartoons should've left Christmas alone. Rocket launchers, kidnapping, extortion, villains helping the good guys...yeah, these specials definitely warped Christmas.

I also got word this week that NBC setup a new website and social media outlets for its NBC Classics. Glad to see they are taking the initiative to keep their classic TV shows available and helping us not to depend on the ever-changing availability on streaming services like Netflix. I also wanted to thank my lovely wife for a pre-Christmas present that I've been playing with the last day or so. I love National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and she found me the hard-to-find Clark Griswold magnet set! If you've got a Books-A-Million nearby, you might find it there. Otherwise, good luck finding it in stock online.

Had a good selection of videos this week, but the one I choose as my favorite is just plain fun to watch. Mark Pyper emailed me earlier this week to tell me about his nostalgic video tribute to Christmas in the '80s. The one-minute video is a TV special/action figure commercial for his original concept named "Cyber Claus". Ho-Ho-Hooooooooooo!

TWL Video of the Week

"CyberClause - 80s Cartoon Tribute" by Mark Pyper

Check out the rest of this week's links before heading out to do your last minute Christmas shopping...

MOVIES

Indiana Bones and the Raiders of the Lost Bark - Neatorama

'The Empire Strikes Back' Live Read Surprises With Mark Hamill, Ellen Page - The Hollywood Report

25 Years Later, Revel in the Nostalgia of The Wizard - People

18 Facts You May Not Know about Steven Spielberg - Neatorama

30 years later, you must not fear 'Dune' ... Fear is the mind-killer - Stuck In The 80s

First Posters for Pixels Are the Greatest Things Adam Sandler Will Ever Be Connected to - Topless Robot

8-Bit Cinema: A Christmas Story - Neatorama

Could We Be Getting Two Ghostbusters Movies In The Near Future? - io9
What's The Most Fun Movie From The 1980s? - io9
Paul Feig Has a Wonderfully Specific Vision for His All-Female Ghostbusters - Vulture
Michael Keaton Tells It Like It Is: “I’m Batman.” - io9
Disney wants more Indiana Jones, has to get through this Star Wars thing first - The A.V. Club
30 years ago, 'Starman' showed us two truly star-crossed lovers - Stuck In The 80s
Celebrating The Wizard!!!! - Horror Movie BBQ
Beetlejuice 2 "closer than ever", says Tim Burton - Den of Geek
Everyone Should Get These ‘A Christmas Story’ References - UPROXX
Harrison Ford Says Blade Runner 2 Script Is Best Thing He's Ever Read - Gizmodo
18 Magical Gifts For "Labyrinth" Lovers - BuzzFeed Rewind
10 Horror Trailers From the 80s That Are So Bad They're Good - moviepilot.com

TV

‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ Arrives on Netflix Including ‘The Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special’ - Laughing Squid

Flashback: Buck Owens Gets Trapped on 'The Dukes of Hazzard' - Rolling Stone
25 Facts About The Simpsons Celebrating Their 25th Anniversary - Neatorama
11 cartoon Christmas specials you forgot existed until now - Hitfix
Charlie Sheen to guest star on 'The Goldbergs' as his character from 'Ferris Bueller' - Mashable
'Ferris Bueller,' 'Big Lebowski,' 'Rio Bravo' Enter National Film Registry - The Hollywood Reporter
Is A Muppet Family Christmas the best holiday special ever? - Den of Geek
From the Depths of the '80s, Here's the Greatest Christmas TV Special Ever Made - Pajiba
'Arrow' Casts 'Beastmaster' Star Marc Singer - The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Oz to voice Yoda in Star Wars: Rebels - Polygon

MUSIC

Back to the 80s: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas - Kickin' it Old School

Ranking ZZ Top's '80s Videos - Houston Press
Instant Classics: The 10 Best Christmas Songs of Our Generation - UnderScoopFire!
If '80s Songs Were Written Today - Huffington Post
Slowed way down, Wham’s “Last Christmas” becomes an ambient stunner - The A.V. Club
“We Didn’t Start The Fire” was an accidental hit that captured craziness - The A.V. Club
Heaven knows we’re miserable now: The Smiths snubbed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Slicing Up Eyeballs

VIDEO GAMES

Pac-Man themed restaurant coming to Chicago - Flavorwire

Giant Pac-Man invades Spain - Polygon

Pac To The Future - An Old School Gaming Adventure - Neatorama
‘NES My Life’, T-Shirt Designs That Depict Everyday Real-Life Challenges as Classic 8-Bit Nintendo Video Games - Laughing Squid
NES controller soap by Nerdy Soap - Retro To Go
Which "Back To The Future" Video Game Character Are You? - BuzzFeed Rewind
The Smithsonian Voluntarily Added One Of The New Mexico Atari ‘E.T.’ Cartridges To Its Collection - UPROXX

CULTURE

1980s Slang Poster is Righteous - Neatorama

50 Greatest NBA Players Of The 1980s - Hoops Habit

Ugly Christmas Sweaters Gone Geeky - Castle Geek-Skull

5 Ways Christmas Was Better in the 80s - Like Totally 80s
Do you heart the 80s? Here's your dream store - 9News.com
Stalker GI Joe Jumbo 12" Figure - Toy News International
Garbage Pail Kids Puke-tacular! Relive the 80s In This Gross-Out Meta Comic - Bloody Disgusting
G.I.Joe Comic Solicitations From IDW For March 2015 - Toy News International
Dukes Mania - Plaid Stallions
8-bit Fantasmic transforms classic Walt Disney World show into '80s Video Game - Inside The Magic
Rubik's Cube on steroids: 'The Pillow' makes classic 80s toy look like child's play - Yahoo! News
21 Problems Only 80s Kids Will Understand - WhatCulture
Transformers Masterpiece Bumblebee and Spike MP-21 Overview & Stop Motion Video - Toy News International
The Top Five Christmas Toys of 1984 - It Goes To 11
The 10 Coolest Skull-Themed Knock-Off Action Figures of the 80s (& All Time) - UnderScoopFire!
Steve Jobs Imagines 'Nationwide' Internet in 1985 Interview - Gizmodo