STAR WARS is returning to it's roots... with production returning to the UK. While all of the previous six "episodic" films all had production activites take place in the UK at one time, the original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) had a major connection there. The kid in me (who as an adult, sits under the shadow of an AT-AT in his office) is pretty excited.

This past Monday, you might've caught the first installment of a three-part video series that chronicled the casting of a new Hispanic Neighbor for SESAME STREET. As of today, the news is out that actor Ismael Cruz Córdova has joined the cast of SESAME STREET as Armando (or “Mando” as the gang on the 'Street has dubbed him) for the forthcoming 44th Season of the show. Armando is a writer from Puerto Rico who will join Maria (played by Sonia Manzano), Luis (Emilio Delgado) and Muppets™ Rosita and Ovejita (Carmen Osbahr) as part of SESAME STREET's bilingual community. Check out the video below for the full scoop, and keep your browser pointed at The Rock Father for more news from SESAME STREET very, very soon...

Kids love trains. This is a fact I get to see in action on a daily basis, as over 50 trains pass by Rock Father HQ during each 24-hour period. Yes, there's a high-traffic set of tracks that runs right along our neighborhood, and with each passing train comes a familiar and comforting rumble. For awhile, my oldest would tell us that her "Silly Uncle" was on each passenger train - a side-effect of dropping him off at the train station once. At the local park, kids wave as the massive trains whiz by. In fact, as I'm getting to this sentence right here, another freighter is passing by and the coffee on my desk is vibrating like Jack Lemmon's in THE CHINA SYNDROME. For those that love trains, this Saturday (May 11, 2013) is NATIONAL TRAIN DAY, the sixth annual holiday that celebrates all the good that trains provide.

I'm going to be 100% honest here... but Mother's Day is three days away, and I'm still not sure what we're going to do for my wife here at Rock Father HQ. It's been an exceptionally busy week (we're always busy, but this one had some extra challenges), and as many of you know - my wife works long hours at her office while I take care of the kids. She works hard... doing a job that I could never do, and I always feel that she's not appreciated enough. One idea floating is the possibility of a special breakfast, and with that I've been looking at some recipes.

The folks over at Disney Interactive just hit The Rock Father with new details on the forthcoming launch of their multi-platform game, DISNEY INFINITY. Today brings an inside look at the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Play Set. Pirates of the Caribbean is included with the Disney INFINITY Starter Pack (out August 18) along with MONSTERS UNIVERSITY and THE INCREDIBLES. Check out the new goods below...

I don't normally cover a lot of sports here on The Rock Father, so when I do, it has to be something special. Case-in-point? The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are taking place right now, and with the hometown Chicago Blackhawks in the mix, I'd be a bad Chicagoan not to throw some love their way. After all, this is the team that once had mighty industrial rockers MINISTRY present them with a fight song - "Keys to the City." Now, with the playoffs in full-effect, the folks at Enterprise Rent-A-Car (the official Rent-A-Car of the NHL) and The Rock Father want to help YOU rock your playoff party, and one lucky reader will get all the tools to pull it off in style.