tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140025902024-03-15T18:09:42.261-07:00Jeff Sparkman's Siftin'Living in the past for a better tomorrow.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.comBlogger780125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-31203231351073048302012-04-16T00:36:00.001-07:002012-04-16T09:25:50.031-07:00The one that got away...<br />
This week's <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/this-weeks-league-topic-holy-grails-and-white-whales/">League topic</a> is one that haunts me.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We all collect something. What is a holy grail item you hope to find at a flea market, toy show, or comic convention? What else do you collect?</blockquote>
Well. This will be a little long-winded, but it will seem a little more epic if you know the whole story.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b6pmyW5FGaRdrUFAfzPiZFmfu8AtMDssd9O2KOdDNZujtCRLdBt-cJFUUZtESzIgWGFlK1E8koc-7TQXWfwH5yYGLp1sX1ON5yLuI-OydYRdux101Lk_jSxERWKUP-POUdQV/s1600/SuperPowerslogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b6pmyW5FGaRdrUFAfzPiZFmfu8AtMDssd9O2KOdDNZujtCRLdBt-cJFUUZtESzIgWGFlK1E8koc-7TQXWfwH5yYGLp1sX1ON5yLuI-OydYRdux101Lk_jSxERWKUP-POUdQV/s320/SuperPowerslogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Of all the toys I ever had, one series of them always will stick out more than any other: <a href="http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/archives/sp/figure.html">Kenner's Super Powers Collection</a>. The first four we got (I can't remember which two were first, but I remember that we got them at the Mervyn's in Dublin, California) were Green Lantern, Aquaman, Joker, and Robin. I want to say Green Lantern was one of the very first, but I could be wrong.<br />
<br />
At the time, Kenner was already occupying tons of shelf space with its Star Wars collection, but I hadn't seen any DC heroes since being tempted at a random Toys R Us by leftover pegwarmers from Mego. The novelty to the Super Powers Collection, aside from having my favorite heroes (I've always been more of a DC guy than a Marvel guy), each figure came with a mini comic book <i>and</i> a special power action feature. Most were activated by squeezing the figure's legs. It seemed like half of them were a punching action, but Green Lantern would swing up his right fist, Wonder Woman crossed her bracelets above her head, and Robin had a special karate chop. A few had features activated by squeezing their arms. Flash ran (duh), Aquaman kicked his legs to swim (double duh), and Brainiac had a special power action "computer kick."<br />
<br />
Brainiac was vac-metallized, so he looked all chromey, which was badass; but this particular figure didn't last very long. One arm squeeze too often, apparently; his arm busted right off.<br />
<br />
The first wave of figures covered pretty much the main heroes and villains DC had; I think the most obscure character in that was maybe Brainiac, and only in that I was more accustomed to his green humanoid look rather than his then-current robotic redesigned look. I remember needing Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and Penguin to complete the series right before Christmas. My brother and I freaked out when we opened up the Hall of Justice playset on Christmas morning, and even more ecstatic when those three chracters slid out of the box (my parents had sneaked them in there) when we opened it. We also had the Lex-Soar 7 (which I'm pretty sure I got for my birthday that year), Batmobile, and the Supermobile vehicles.<br />
<br />
The second wave of characters came out after we'd moved to Tracy, and I was in junior high school. Seeing an action figure of Martian Manhunter sitting on a peg at Thrifty after school one day was the sign I'd been waiting for that the figures were hitting the stores. I wasn't as familiar with this wave of characters; I'd just been introduced to Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters via the Superfriends cartoon in its penultimate season the year before, but that was just Darkseid, Desaad, and Kalibak. Mantis and Steppenwolf were new to me. But most exciting to me was Firestorm, my newest favorite hero.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGlgEebOX8JiYE6cwEJU940MgutgV1vJ95fb2ZPbCcp3422fZmMDsYOEmjsFfSr_rjF6VeTBoUkTm-mADb20OJPJfDeQGYhsoGLNlOLbcRY8sRoqgI4zGAZdYR1duT5C5pST5/s1600/firestorm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGlgEebOX8JiYE6cwEJU940MgutgV1vJ95fb2ZPbCcp3422fZmMDsYOEmjsFfSr_rjF6VeTBoUkTm-mADb20OJPJfDeQGYhsoGLNlOLbcRY8sRoqgI4zGAZdYR1duT5C5pST5/s640/firestorm.JPG" width="489" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, I totally sent away for that Clark Kent figure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our first Firestorm figure ended up on our carport roof after the flying mechanism we'd devised went awry. Green Arrow's three or four arrows vanished from his quiver very shortly after he was opened. The vehicles in this wave were all made up; at least the Supermobile and Batmobile existed in the comics in the last wave. We got the hero spaceship, the Delta Probe One, and we got the gigantic villain vehicle, the Darkseid Destroyer. We didn't get the other vehicle, the Kalibak Boulder Bomber until a year or so after the Super Powers series ended -- on the bargain aisle at a Montgomery Ward store in Modesto, of all places. Ten years ago, I picked up another Darkseid Destroyer at Comic-Con, and you can see my adventure putting the damned thing together <a href="http://siftin.blogspot.com/2006/01/im-your-vehicle-baby.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
In these pre-Internet days, we didn't know if and when another wave of figures was coming unless we happened to see an article in a magazine or heard from a friend. Our only recourse was to check out the toy section of any store that had one, wherever we went, especially if we were outside our usual sphere of retail establishments.<br />
<br />
I had actually heard about a third wave of Super Powers figures, but we hadn't yet seem them. Once while on our way to visit relatives for the weekend, my parents stopped at Kmart before we left town so they could grab some stuff they needed. It was only going to take a few minutes, so my brother and I were to wait in the car.<br />
<br />
"Check the toy aisle!" my brother and I said in unison. It was an ingrained habit. My parents rolled their eyes and headed inside. A short time later, they returned with a few bags, most of which went in the trunk. My mom kept one of them up front with her; I assumed it had snacks for the hour-or-so drive.<br />
<br />
"Oh, we got something for you guys," my dad said, gesturing for my mom to open the bag. She produced two figures from the third wave of Super Powers and handed them to us. After a few minutes of geek squeeing, swapping figures, and more geek squeeing, we started chatting about which figures we wanted to get next.<br />
<br />
My mom interrupted us by handing us <i>two more</i> third-wave figures. A few minutes later, two more after that. And then one more. We had seven of the 10 figures, and we had gotten them all in one shot! That's still one of my happiest memories of childhood.<br />
<br />
Over the next couple of weeks, we snagged the other two. Now this wave was generally more obscure, and I think that was part of why there wasn't a fourth wave. I think they should've spaced out these characters with some more better-known characters. Also, there were two characters that were complete mysteries to us: Cyclotron and Golden Pharaoh.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's make those bastards look for something that doesn't exist!</td></tr>
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Neither of them were in my issues of Who's Who, and unlike Samurai, who also was not in the comics, they were also not on the Superfriends cartoon (1985 ended the show's long run with the overly long title of "Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians"). They seemed to be completely made up. Cyclotron's power action was sort of the opposite of Red Tornado's: instead of squeezing his arms and his legs spinning, you squeezed his legs to activate his "twister punch." Oh, and he was a robot. With a removable faceplate. And he was "built by Superman and programmed by the Justice League of America's computers."<br />
<br />
Riiiiiight.<br />
<br />
We were taunted by two things. First, this wave didn't have comic books. Second, on the back of the cards, they showed the All-Terrain Trapper, a weird-looking He-Man-reject-looking vehicle with a clear ball on the front; and the Tower of Darkness, which appeared to be Darkseid's version of a Hall of Justice. No matter how high and low we looked, we NEVER found them. Turns out they didn't make it to production.<br />
<br />
Thanks for nothing, douches!<br />
<br />
But the biggest pain is that there was only one figure we never got from the whole series: Cyborg.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, yes, you *will* be mine...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To this day I still don't have one. I <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=super+powers+cyborg&_sacat=0&_odkw=super+powers&_osacat=0&_from=R40">see them on eBay fairly often</a>, but I can't drop justifying spending up to $300 for one. Over the years I've picked up other figures here and there, as has my brother. But that one figure still eludes me, and my only hope is to either magically be so rich that spending $300 on an action figure doesn't make me physically ill to contemplate or that I find one in a store somewhere for $30 or less.<br />
<br />
I actually have only one recurring dream, and I've had it for over 25 years: we go to a store, check out the toy aisle, and we see a smorgasbord of Super Powers figures shining on pegboard. Most of the time there are not only the rare figures like Cyborg, or ones that I needed to replace (Samurai met an untimely death when in a fit of rage directed at my brother, I hurled it against the wall, shattering him. Samurai, not my brother), but figures that they never actually made.<br />
<br />
If you want an idea of what that might be like, when I read <a href="http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/archives/sp/spfind/index.html">this story</a> about the near-mythical fourth wave of Super Powers figures, I had that same weird feeling. Or when I saw <a href="http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=69432">pictures of this guy's collection</a>.<br />
<br />
So while I've been able to procure almost every other coveted item from my childhood, that's really the only one that haunts me.<br />
Morning update to add links from around the rest of the League:<br />
<ul>
<li>TL at <i>Flashlights are Something to Eat</i> keeps educating us on the underground collecting circuit of <a href="http://mattandtimfunny.blogspot.com/2012/04/searching-for-non-existent.html">Mister Rogers toys.</a></li>
<li>I seriously want to go over to the <i>Sexy Geek’s House of Swag</i> and play with <a href="http://yankeesjetsfan.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-league-topic-holy-grails-and-white.html">his toys</a>.</li>
<li>Reis at the <i>Lair of the Dork Horde</i> had <a href="http://dorkhorde.blogspot.com/2012/04/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-weekly_11.html">a list straight out of the childhood</a> of any boy born in the 70′s. (I want them all!)</li>
<li>Ashley at <i>Life with Fandom</i> is on the lookout for <a href="http://www.lifewithfandom.com/2012/04/league-my-holy-grail.html">an epic plastic playset</a>.</li>
<li>Tommy at <i>Top Hat Sasquatch</i> joined the League this week and has <a href="http://tophatsasquatch.com/simpsons-muppets-action-figures">two ambitious toy lines</a> in his sights.</li>
<li><i>Jasonvorhee’s Blog</i> also joined the League this week and Jason writes about his quest for some great <a href="http://jasonvorhees.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/the-league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-holy-grails-and-white-whales/">80′s toys</a>.</li>
<li>As usual, Brian at <i>Cool & Collected</i> is on a quest for <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/talking-holy-grails-and-white-whales/">a giant gorilla</a>.</li>
<li>Charles at <i>Geek Show Ink</i> is looking for some incredible <a href="http://geekshowink.com/?p=204">original comic art.</a></li>
<li>Eric at <i>Toyriffic</i> is looking for <a href="http://toyriffic.blogspot.com/2012/04/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-holy.html">Godzilla’s flying pal. </a></li>
<li>Paxton at <i>the Cavalcade of Awesome</i> gets two bonus points for mentioning the <i>Misfits of Science</i> in <a href="http://blog.paxholley.net/2012/04/13/of-holy-grails-and-white-whales-call-me-ishmael/">his list of holy grails</a>.</li>
<li><i>Lefty Limbo</i> brought a tear to my eye with his tale of just missing <a href="http://www.leftylimbo.com/2012/04/the-league-holy-grails-and-white-whales/">his white whale.</a></li>
<li>Kevin at <i>Team Hellions</i> really likes <a href="http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/14/league-x-white-whales-and-yard-sales/">books and magazines</a> with scantily-clad oily men (and really, who doesn’t?).</li>
<li>Stacey at <i>Pendragon’s Post</i> is living the dream while looking for a <a href="http://www.pendragonspost.com/2012/04/15/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-holy-grails-and-white-whales/">Wonder Woman’s super foe</a>.</li>
<li>Jason at <i>I Fart Online</i> is looking for some candy that comes in a <a href="http://www.ifartonline.com/2012/04/holy-grails-and-white-whales.html">big, mean, and green dispenser.</a></li>
<li>Brad at <i>Sideshow Cinema</i> is hoping to find a creepy <a href="http://sideshowcinema.blogspot.com/2012/04/league-holy-grails-white-whales.html">Halloween mask</a> at a yard sale (but only of it has dreadlocks).</li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-77166504586761937272012-04-01T21:54:00.000-07:002012-04-02T09:31:48.046-07:00The perfect movie for Michael Bay to remake...<br />
This week, we <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/michael-bay-makes-everything-better/">leaguers were to ponder</a> the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We can all agree that Michael Bay makes everything better. After he’s done with the Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles movie, what should Michael Bay blow up next?</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admittedly, I'd probably see it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Plan 9 From Outer Space.<br />
<br />
Hell, yeah.<br />
<br />
In this updated remake of the Ed Wood classic schlockfest, Eros and Tanna are aliens who have been tasked with keeping Earth's scientists from creating an element that, if not handled properly, could destroy the whole system. Unfortunately, they are not the most competent among their peers in charge of keeping galactic peace.<br />
<br />
Their previous eight plans failed to prevent work from being done on the project, and while the weapon is still in development, they have only time for one more plan, so if they blow it again, there's going to be a big empty space where our solar system used to be.<br />
<br />
Plan 9 deals with the resurrection of the dead. In addition to having an instant army of zombie soldiers to do their bidding, Eros and Tanna also hope to sew chaos around the world by the mere presence of people's loved ones rising from their graves. And since this is the Michael Bay version, the technology that revives and controls the dead is unstable; the bodies can blow up at any time, which means the aliens need to get their act together as quickly as possible.<br />
<br />
The clock is ticking...<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="380" src="http://archive.org/embed/Plan_9_from_Outer_Space_1959" width="440"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
The rest of the League sounds off:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Chris Tupa was brave enough to admitting to enjoying MB films, and would like to see more. Some of <a href="http://ctupa.com/blog/?p=1228">his ideas </a>don’t sound that crazy!</li>
<li>The Claymation Werewolf was so excited for this week’s topic, that he actually wrote <a href="http://claymationwerewolf.blogspot.com/2011/11/buttonfor-corduroy.html">his response</a> last November. (He must have a Delorean with a flux capacitor in his garage.)</li>
<li>Brian at <i>Cool & Collected</i> thinks Michael Bay would have had an interesting take on <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/michael-bay-makes-everything-better/">hit films of the 80′s</a>.</li>
<li>Ashley at <i>Life with Fandom</i> has <a href="http://www.lifewithfandom.com/2012/03/league-assignment-7-next-childhood-gem.html">an idea</a> that actually sounds pretty cool. Bay couldn’t screw up a cartoon could he? oh wait.</li>
<li>Dex at <i>AEIOU and Sometimes Why</i> had <a href="http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2012/03/league-post-bay-day.html">another concept</a> that might actually work under the skilled tutelage of Michael Bay.</li>
<li>John at the <i>Revenge of the Cosmic Ark</i> wants to see how Bay handles some <a href="http://www.revengefromthecosmicark.blogspot.com/2012/03/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers.html">poppin’ and lockin’</a>.</li>
<li>Kevin at <i>Team Hellions</i> figures MB would be the perfect fit for <a href="http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/01/the-league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-viii-michael-bay-blows/">a wrestling movie</a> (but I’m not sure America could handle that much testosterone).</li>
<li>And finally, I guarantee that Tom at <i>Freak Studios</i> did more research than anyone else for <a href="http://freakstudios.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/league-business-michael-bay-fcks.html">his response.</a></li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-8145615312551769842012-03-25T22:07:00.000-07:002012-03-25T22:07:54.915-07:00Maybe the zombie apocalypse wouldn't be so bad<br />
This week's <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/this-weeks-assignment-from-the-league-zombie-apocalypse/">League assignment</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Which TV or movie hero do you want beside you when the zombie apocalypse arrives?</blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" /></a>Man alive, this is hard to choose. I mean, do you pick someone like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver">MacGyver</a> or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Hinkley">Professor</a> from "Gilligan's Island" for their resourcefulness? Do you pick House so he can eventually diagnose and cure the zombies? Hell, why not <a href="http://www.felixthecat.com/">Felix the Cat</a>? He's got everything in his magic bag of tricks. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wile_E._Coyote_and_Road_Runner">Wile E. Coyote</a> would be great at setting traps, and even if he blew himself up, he'd be back.<br />
<br />
After much deliberation (a good 45 seconds or so at least), my choice is <a href="http://www.thewb.com/shows/wonder-woman">Wonder Woman</a>.<br />
<br />
She's superhumanly strong, an excellent fighter and tactician, and well, she looks like Lynda Carter.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7QyuwytjSWKttPNyDusJZfK1xRjcA55d7AIEBXUjsi-9a0hn-LeYGWtSr4PsS2M_quGHtBt1OJ7JKjDU8DeQLO2hkrwUcV8f_-kjIrdnuUaVvnI5AxsnnojvkW8u4-et1wGc/s1600/lynda_carter_ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7QyuwytjSWKttPNyDusJZfK1xRjcA55d7AIEBXUjsi-9a0hn-LeYGWtSr4PsS2M_quGHtBt1OJ7JKjDU8DeQLO2hkrwUcV8f_-kjIrdnuUaVvnI5AxsnnojvkW8u4-et1wGc/s400/lynda_carter_ww.jpg" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"That tree ate my kite--and it's laughing!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Plus, we could just dick with the zombies by hanging out in her invisible jet and taunting them with chants of "Bite me!"<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-6187265319384880882012-03-12T12:02:00.001-07:002012-03-12T12:29:59.512-07:00The logical thing for me to geek out aboutThis week's <a href="http://www.coolandcollected.com/">League</a> assignment:
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" /></a>“What media announcement had you throwing fist pumps and doing roundhouse kicks in the air, and did the final result live up to your dreams?”</blockquote>
Generally speaking, I don't get that excited about things (and have been duly branded a killjoy or alien because of it), but if there was one thing that got me geeking out more than anything else, it was the announcement about "Star Trek: The Next Generation."<br />
<br />
Back then, though, there wasn't the day-by-day kind of updating we're used to now, where we'll see on multiple Web sites if the director of a project decides to dye his pubes chartreuse and how that indicates how he will totally ruin our favorite character.<br />
<br />
I'd heard rumblings about a new Star Trek show, and pretty much all I knew was that it didn't involve Captain Kirk and crew. But I didn't really hear much of anything else until I saw the trailer for the show on the "Star Trek IV" video release.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AayLwwvn77s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
I was 12, going on 13 when the show debuted, and I was heavily into all things Trek at the time, so this was really the perfect show at the perfect time for me. This was also around the time I was trying to emulate a certain Vulcan crew member from the original series (the logic involved there was that if I didn't have discernible feelings, they couldn't be hurt. Junior high school was the pits), but despite my cool demeanor, people still knew I was excited about it.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB73yfrXtXs9JcdoO22gx5sWMLR2_kV8w2EWxQU5uF0kexbS4RAwoIbl-sF221S6-InijU4SVl7xj8nFyJzi14w4xeigvJdzCIHmZc8XkjO0dwPnAE32l_mQ7LEhp5wUhRcBUK/s1600/trek_nerd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB73yfrXtXs9JcdoO22gx5sWMLR2_kV8w2EWxQU5uF0kexbS4RAwoIbl-sF221S6-InijU4SVl7xj8nFyJzi14w4xeigvJdzCIHmZc8XkjO0dwPnAE32l_mQ7LEhp5wUhRcBUK/s320/trek_nerd.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only wore a costume to a con once. Honest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Watching the show now, though, the first season in particular, is a bit cringe-inducing. But I still love it, because it reminds me of a time where I had yet to assimilate every bit of Trek <a href="http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Lore">lore</a> (no pun intended). <br />
<br />
I was telling a friend at work recently about being at a Trek convention after the first season of TNG had aired, but before the second had started, and getting news updates at one of the panels: Jonathan Frakes had <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GrowingTheBeard">grown a beard</a> after shooting the first season, and we didn't know if they would let him keep it for the second season of the show.<br />
<br />
A Star Trek convention in 1988 was sorta like having the Internet stuffed into a hotel. Often baseless speculation about your favorite shows, buying a bunch of useless crap you didn't need but coveted nonetheless, and of course, weirdos in and out of costume.
I know; I was one of them.<br />
<br />
My fellow leaguers weighed in on this as well:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Chris Tupa was thrilled to see the <a href="http://ctupa.com/blog/?p=1143"><i>Star Wars</i> re-release</a></li>
<li>John at <i>Revenge of the Cosmic Ark</i> was excited to see Hollywood reboot<i> <a href="http://revengefromthecosmicark.blogspot.com/2012/03/league-of-extraordinary-bloggersthings.html">Tron Legacy</a></i></li>
<li>Kevin at <i>Team Hellions</i> takes a nostalgic look at <a href="http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/09/the-league-goes-whoah-reflecting-on-image-comics/">Image Comics</a></li>
<li>Dex at <i>AEIOU and Sometimes Why</i> was blown away at the never before seen footage from <i><a href="http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2012/03/league-post-whoa.html">Star Wars</a></i></li>
<li>Reis at the <i>Lair of the Dork Horde</i> is the only one besides me who loved<i> <a href="http://dorkhorde.blogspot.com/2012/03/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-weekly.html">Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</a></i></li>
<li>Justin at <i>GeneralsJoes</i> likes the edgier<i> <a href="http://generalsjoes.com/2012/03/07/with-g-i-joe-it-takes-a-lot-to-make-you-go-woah/">G.I. Joe Resolute</a></i></li>
<li>Brian at <i>Cool & Collected</i> was made a believer by the commercials for <i><a href="http://coolandcollected.com/the-halo-3-believe-campaign-made-a-believer-out-of-me/">Halo 3</a></i></li>
<li>Shawn at <i>Branded in the 80′s</i> bought up all the <a href="http://brandedinthe80s.com/the-league-week-four-g-i-joe-figures-that-made-me-go-whoa-">G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary action figures</a></li>
<li>Jon at <i>Double Dumbass on You</i> was blown away by the <a href="http://www.doubledumbassonyou.com/2012/03/10/the-league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-iron-man-made-me-a-believer/"><i>Iron Man</i> trailer</a></li>
<li>FijiMermaid at <i>Sideshow Cinema</i> finally mentions an old friend with <i><a href="http://sideshowcinema.blogspot.com/2012/03/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-things.html">Alien Vs. Predator</a></i></li>
<li>The <i>Sexy Geek’s House of Swag</i> had three – <a href="http://yankeesjetsfan.blogspot.com/2012/03/things-that-made-me-go-woah.html">Superman, Spider-Man, and something about baseball</a> </li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-37466815214961580422012-03-01T23:16:00.000-08:002012-03-01T23:16:21.605-08:00Mr. Jones and me<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobZ95yLNxGB1demcp5sEu_xLUe3e5Hau_9012yKkw5FJhowIWNPUzjpUy6nRmKgFJv0qNeF6YFQCEcHfpWVGaiz-4kOF-SA0y0M_giFhRAKdCLGmsMDaNslZSq93eG3_V5Cu3/s1600/davy_jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobZ95yLNxGB1demcp5sEu_xLUe3e5Hau_9012yKkw5FJhowIWNPUzjpUy6nRmKgFJv0qNeF6YFQCEcHfpWVGaiz-4kOF-SA0y0M_giFhRAKdCLGmsMDaNslZSq93eG3_V5Cu3/s400/davy_jones.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scanned from my copy of "The Monkees Go Mod. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Barring plague, pestilence, or a trip to a toy store, you could always find me in the same place every weekday at noon when I was almost 5 years old: watching "The Monkees" on Channel 44 (KBHK, represent). Sometimes I'd be eating lunch, sometimes not, but by God, I was not missing my favorite show.<br />
<br />
I had a brief panic when I started kindergarten; after all, what if I was in the late class? I'd miss my chance to catch my favorite song. Fortunately, I was among the "early-birds" and was done with my crushing courseload by 11:30. Even walking home with my mom, that still gave us enough time.<br />
<br />
Not long after the school year started, my mad reading skillz caught my teacher's attention. So did my penchant for following instructions too literally and pointing out errors, but the reading thing was at least <i>good</i>. As a result, a girl in my class and I got to spend time in Ms. Wilson's first-grade class for some advanced reading. First-graders, of course, put in a solid school day of work, and they didn't get to reading time until later in the morning, so while we didn't have to stay all day, we'd be there for an extra hour, getting out the same time as the late-birds. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5o7ZcXjbPjkvZwGFL5ux3Rhb2bn4v3GzIO7qk5P9Ex0rmDPPx88nJxJM3adgUbcgZsrukyGOa2FbVJRdXRHgzg3Q5Lf0zKv7qiKhyphenhyphenWsCimb9c-dixHNFon2QOncT2ZzfrqZg/s1600/ffffuuuu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5o7ZcXjbPjkvZwGFL5ux3Rhb2bn4v3GzIO7qk5P9Ex0rmDPPx88nJxJM3adgUbcgZsrukyGOa2FbVJRdXRHgzg3Q5Lf0zKv7qiKhyphenhyphenWsCimb9c-dixHNFon2QOncT2ZzfrqZg/s200/ffffuuuu.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual photo from the moment I realized it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
12:30.<br />
<br />
Just barely 5 years old--and if this happened before November, not even 5--and I'd already learned something about school that would come back to haunt me: being "smart" meant extra crap to do. Instead of being excited about the extra attention, all I could think about was missing "The Monkees." After that, I only was able to catch the show on holidays and sick days; it ran in that noon slot until October 1981 (I just looked in my TV Guide collection in the Siftin' Archives). After that, I don't remember catching it at all until the big revival in the mid-80s on MTV.<br />
<br />
As a little kid, my favorite Monkee was <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.davyjones.net/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Davy Jones (actor)">Davy Jones</a>, and for two reasons: he was short and the girls didn't mind. I was already on the losing side of elementary school height wars, and though I ended up a gargantuan 5'7 ("Hey, I can can see my house from up here!"), I was often among the shortest kids in my class and almost always shortest among the boys. But Davy was short, and it didn't seem to bother him.<br />
<br />
Hell, he even called it out at the beginning of "Daydream Believer":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Know what I mean, like don’t get excited, man. It’s ’cause I’m short, I know.</i></blockquote>
A third semi-reason was that, being a huge Beatles fan, I was fascinated with British accents. I thought one of my classmates had a British accent; when I asked him if he was from England "like Davy Jones," he looked at me with that "WTF are you talking about" look I'd already grown accustomed to from people. He didn't clip his R's because he was British. He had a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhotacism">speech impediment</a>.<br />
<br />
By early 1986 when MTV brought back the show, I was briefly ecstatic. Ecstatic when I was at my cousin's place watching it on MTV, but bitter because our town had yet to get MTV. We got 2-13 (fortunately Channel 44 was cable channel 12) and Showtime or some nonsense. But I still got the compilation album that summer, "Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees," and I listened to it constantly. Davy had "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" and "Valleri," the latter of which was among my favorites. "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round" probably got the most repeat play on my little stereo, primarily because the title was pretty much <a href="http://sadtrombone.com/" target="_blank">how I felt about junior high school at the time</a>, but "Valleri" would often cheer me up.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QWTa9CE51sA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>So if he was okay with it, I'd deal with it, too. <br />
<br />
I got really big into The Monkees' music (since no one played the show anymore) near the end of high school when I inexplicably found a presumably 80s-reissued "More of the Monkees" album at my local Payless Drug for a few bucks. As a result, my very first CD box set was Rhino's "Listen to the Band," which was not just four CDs of songs, many of which I hadn't heard since I was a kid (it seemed like a long time then) or stuff I'd never heard at all, but a book filled with liner notes. Shortly after that, Rhino reissued the individual albums with even more extra tracks and info, and I've worn most of those out, too. Now I'm on the latest re-releases. <br />
<br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sandoval" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Andrew Sandoval">Andrew Sandoval</a>'s awesome book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592233724/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sif-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1592233724">"The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation"</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sif-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1592233724" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
is everything I wanted back when I was getting obsessed after high school, and even now, I've read it more than twice. And now recently I've been watching it on <a href="http://www.antennatv.tv/" target="_blank">Antenna TV</a> with my kids.<br />
<br />
I guess this is all just a long way of saying that when I found out yesterday that Davy Jones died, it saddened me more than I expected. Probably since he, Micky, Peter, and Mike have been such a large part of my pop-culture-drenched life, I suppose. Or that it reaches my narcissistic Tootsie Roll center and reminds me that I'm getting older. <br />
<br />
Or maybe it's because he was short, you know?<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-72900994087453675912012-02-26T23:50:00.000-08:002012-02-27T09:14:28.486-08:00The ideal 80s movie sequelThis week's assignment for <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/introducing-pop-culture-pundits/">The League of Extraordinary Bloggers</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" /></a>The '80s and '90s were filled with kids and teens in the movies. Which movie would you like to see a sequel made in 2012 with the original cast members, who have aged the same as you and me.</blockquote>
You're probably thinking I'm going to say "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="The Goonies">The Goonies</a>."<br />
<br />
I don't want a Goonies sequel because, well, I'm a pessimist. There's no way it could please everyone, and the big problem is that the movie would have to try anyway. Had this question been asked before the Super Bowl ad in which Matthew Broderick riffed on "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Ferris Bueller's Day Off">Ferris Bueller's Day Off</a>," my answer might have been different. But between that and this year being my 20-year high school reunion, I just think of how I was in 1985 and how puffy and old I am now. Do I really want to be reminded of how old I'm getting?<br />
<br />
And aside from the idea that Andy would be married to Mikey rather than Brand (it would make sense and provide some conflict), I don't know what else I would want. Because for something like this, it's almost like it's not enough to do a straight sequel. You'd need to add something unexpected, or at the very least, try something that is just completely out of left field. That way, even if it fails, it would be a semi-interesting failure. And once I wrote that sentence, I had my idea for an 80s movie sequel.<br />
<br />
"Shermer, Illinois."<br />
<br />
It's a documentary about a small Chicago suburb during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of its incorporation. The documentary crew interviews the town's inhabitants, past and present, about what living in Shermer means to them. This way, you get to see what happened to your favorite characters from most of the John Hughes movies without having to frame a whole new story you end up not caring about to frame around it. Because isn't that the part most people are interested in anyway? Whatever happened to <i>that</i> guy? Here are a few ideas. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088128/"><b>Samantha Baker:</b></a> I know I'm a cynic, but did anyone really think Jake Ryan and Sam were going to stay together? I'd like to think that she got married to someone else. How about...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091790/"><b>Phil "Duckie" Dale:</b></a> Sure, he was initially attracted to Sam when they met because she reminded him so much of his friend Andie Walsh (not to be confused with the possible Andy Walsh of the aforementioned Goonies sequel), but they found they had a lot in common once they really got to know each other.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085995/"><b>Clark W. Griswold:</b></a> He canceled plans for a vacation with his family so they'd be in town for the celebration.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088847/"><b>Andrew Clark:</b></a> He's the high school football coach, and his wife, Allison, is the art teacher there.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/"><b>Ferris Bueller:</b></a> Recently moved back after serving time in prison for insider trading. Lives with his sister, Jean, and her husband, Jake. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099785/"><b>Kevin McCallister:</b></a> Marketed a safety product that uses a GPS signal to keep tabs on children. He lives by himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090305/"><b>Gary Wallace, Wyatt Donnelly:</b></a> Rich off their asses with a Siri competitor that can actually manifest in holographic form.<br />
<br />
Feel free to add your own. I could do this all day, but it's almost bedtime, so I have to stop.<br />
<br />
Update, Monday morning. Here's what my fellow leaguers came up with, as listed on Cool and Collected.. There's some awesome stuff in there!<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Reis O’Brien at the <i>Lair of the Dork Horde</i> wants to see an intergalactic rematch in <i><a href="http://dorkhorde.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-weekly_22.html">The Last Starfighter</a></i>.</li>
<li>Shawn Robare, of <i>Branded in the 80′s</i> would love to see more hairy situations with a sequel to <i><a href="http://brandedinthe80s.com/there-s-only-one-solution-to-the-newest-league-assignment-the-peanut-butter-solution-">The Peanut Butter Solution</a></i>.</li>
<li>Christopher Tupa thinks David Bowie still has what it takes and wants to revisit <i><a href="http://ctupa.com/blog/?p=1106">Labyrinth</a></i>.</li>
<li>Dex at <i>AEIOU and Sometimes Why</i> also wondered whatever happened with the <i><a href="http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-post-where-are-they-now.html">Labyrinth</a>.</i></li>
<li><i>Michael May’s Adventureblog </i>thinks Tom Cruise should make a followup to<i> <a href="http://michaelmay.blogspot.com/2012/02/lxb-jack-and-lili-from-legend-where-are.html">Legend</a></i> (maybe they could call it “<i>Legend-wait for it-ary”</i>).</li>
<li>TL at <i>Flashlights are Something to Eat</i> wonders whatever happened to the kids from Shermer High’s <i><a href="http://mattandtimfunny.blogspot.com/2012/02/gutless-turd-of-sequel.html">Breakfast Club</a></i>.</li>
<li>Brian at <i>Cool & Collected</i> (that’s me!) was also curious about how the <i><a href="http://coolandcollected.com/the-breakfast-club-where-are-they-now/">Breakfast Club</a> </i>spent the last 30 years.</li>
<li>Iok from <i>That Figures</i> chooses to forget the Crystal Skull even happened, and wants to see another <a href="http://that-figures.blogspot.com/2012/02/feature-league-of-extraordinary_23.html">Indiana Jones</a> movie.</li>
<li>Paxton Holley at the <i>Cavalcade of Awesome</i> imagines Matthew Broderick as a top NSA cryptographer in the sequel to <i><a href="http://blog.paxholley.net/2012/02/24/i-ponder-a-modern-day-wargames-sequel-with-the-original-cast/">War Games</a></i>.</li>
<li>The Claymation Werewolf was surprisingly the first to chime in on <i><a href="http://claymationwerewolf.blogspot.com/2012/02/monster-squadrevenge.html">The Monster Squad</a> </i>(but not the last!).</li>
<li>Soon after,<i> Double Dumbass on You</i> quickly turned in his report on <i><a href="http://www.doubledumbassonyou.com/2012/02/26/the-league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-where-are-they-now/">The Monster Squad</a>.</i></li>
<li>And Kevin over at <i>Team Hellions</i> also imagined a sequel to <i><a href="http://teamhellions.com/2012/02/26/league-assignment-where-are-they-now-the-monster-squad/">The Monster Squad</a></i>. (Hollywood, make this happen!)</li>
<li>Fiji Mermaid at Sideshow Cinema wants to revisit those nice young boys from <i><a href="http://sideshowcinema.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-where.html">Kids</a></i>.</li>
<li>Tom at Freak Studios was the only one brave enough to tackle a <i><a href="http://freakstudios.blogspot.com/2012/02/never-say-die.html">Goonies</a></i> reunion.</li>
<li>I haven’t seen Olivia Newton John in a while, but John at <i>Revenge from the Cosmic Ark</i> would love to see a modern sequel to <i><a href="http://revengefromthecosmicark.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-where.html">Xanadu</a> (he also had a couple of honorable mentions:Message from Space</i> and <i>Star Crash</i>).</li>
<li><i>The Sexy Geeks House of Swag</i> wants to go <i><a href="http://yankeesjetsfan.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-assignment-where-are-they-now.html">Back to the Future</a></i> a fourth time…</li>
<li>While Colin at <i>Fairplaythings</i> looks into the future 30 years, in anticipation of a <i><a href="http://fairplaythings.com/blog/?p=4715">Kick Ass</a></i> sequel with a 75 year old Nic Cage.</li>
<li>BubbaShelby at Toyriffic also cheated a little and wondered what <a href="http://toyriffic.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-of-extraordinary-blogger-where.html">Scott Pilgrim</a> would be up to in 30 years. (That’s okay guys. The League encourages cheating. We call it “being creative!”)</li>
<li>Harley at the <i>Eidetic Memory</i> tackled the only animated entry this week in choosing <i><a href="http://myeideticmemory.blogspot.com/">Hey Arnold</a>!</i></li>
<li>And finally, Jeff at <i>Siftin’</i> came up with a documentary idea that absolutely NEEDS to be made: <i><a href="http://siftin.blogspot.com/2012/02/ideal-80s-movie-sequel.html">Shermer, Illinois</a></i>.</li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-86042647218040748332012-02-13T21:53:00.000-08:002012-02-13T21:53:03.119-08:00Meet my fellow leaguers!Hey, to follow up on <a href="http://siftin.blogspot.com/2012/02/movie-ive-seen-more-times-than-any.html">last week's post</a> about "Superman II," in case you want to see what other pop-culture junkies picked as their go-to movies, go check out these posts from my fellow leaguers, as listed on <a href="http://coolandcollected.com/">Cool and Collected</a>.
<br />
<ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF34DeIcpup54XiIp13L36y_-cEoGjNun-ijOut802QZDkt2ccqvMCL_gX7GbWCxdptKalPuZQOes1yNE_ITiNPydovQ8Vufw_qaTHI82iNLp3oWQyXUn9SkWj3xiuGG2KIbN/s1600/league_logo3.png" /></a>
<li>Christopher Tupa is still searching for One Eyed Willie’s treasure. <em>Be sure to check out his illustrations! </em><a href="http://ctupa.com/blog/?p=1059">(Goonies)</a></li>
<li>TL at the “Flashlights are Something to Eat” blog came up with one of the more obscure choices that instantly flooded me with nostalgia for summer camp. <a href="http://mattandtimfunny.blogspot.com/2012/02/color-war-is-declared.html">(Poison Ivy)</a></li>
<li>Charles Raymond at Geek Show Ink likes <a href="http://geekshowink.com/?p=150">Raiders of the Lost Ark</a>…</li>
<li>…while Stacey Raider of Pendragon’s Post prefers the <a href="http://www.pendragonspost.com/2012/02/10/my-saturday-matinee-a-league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-special-assignment/">Temple of Doom</a>.</li>
<li>Jeff Sparkman at Siftin’ gets brownie points for dressing up in tights in support of his pick. (<a href="http://siftin.blogspot.com/2012/02/movie-ive-seen-more-times-than-any.html">Superman II</a>)</li>
<li>Jason Wilson at I Fart Online was of the same mindset, but didn’t wear the tights. (<a href="http://ifartonline.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-favorite-movie-of-all-time.html">Superman</a>)</li>
<li>Justin at Generals Joes also likes his superheroes, but he’s more of a Marvel fan. (<a href="http://generalsjoes.com/2012/02/07/the-best-saturdays-were-amazing-spider-man-saturdays/">Spider-Man TV series</a>)</li>
<li>I thought for sure that Predator was going to be the choice for Fiji Mermaid over at Sideshow Cinema but another horror movie took the honor. (<a href="http://sideshowcinema.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-favorite-go-to-saturday-matinee.html">Fright Night)</a></li>
<li>Monsterfink’s Midnight Monster Spookshow totally surprised me for NOT choosing a horror movie. (<a href="http://tomkrohne.blogspot.com/2012/02/geek-blog-alliance-saturday-matinee.html#more">Yellow Submarine</a>)</li>
<li>“I know you are but what am I?” Michael May’s Adventureblog chose a true icon for his movie: (<a href="http://michaelmay.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Pee Wee’s Big Adventure</a>)</li>
<li>I swear, sometimes I think Shawn Robare and I were separated at birth. Branded in the 80′s chimed in with one of my all time favorite movies. (<a href="http://brandedinthe80s.com/boys-avenge-me-avenge-me-">Red Dawn</a>)</li>
<li>Bantor2 over at Eidetic Memory brought back some serious testosterone-fueled nostalgia with his movie. (<a href="http://myeideticmemory.blogspot.com/2012/02/league.html">Bloodsport</a>)</li>
<li>The Claymation Werewolf never disappoints with his unique take on pop culture. Any Johnny Utah fans out there? (<a href="http://claymationwerewolf.blogspot.com/2012/02/fond-memories-of-point-break-radio-show.html">Point Break</a>)</li>
<li>Paxton Holley at the Cavalcade of Awesome chose a movie that I was sure would get several mentions. “Marty, we have to go back!” (<a href="http://blog.paxholley.net/2012/02/09/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-favorite-go-to-movie/">Back to the Future</a>)</li>
<li>The Sexy Geek’s house of Swag also has fond memories of MJ and Doc Brown. (<a href="http://yankeesjetsfan.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-future-ultimate-popcorn-movie.html">Back to the Future</a>)</li>
<li>In true form, Jeremy at Geek Chunks had a truly weird selection. (<a href="http://www.geekchunks.com/movies-and-tv/good-ol-saturday-matinee-weirdness/">Weird Science</a>)</li>
<li>Dex1138 at the AEIOU and Sometimes Why blog has seen his “Go to” movie a lot. A whole lot! (<a href="http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2012/02/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-movie.html">Star Wars</a>)</li>
<li>The doubledumbassonyou blog picked a trifecta, and I can’t argue with any of them. (<a href="http://www.doubledumbassonyou.com/2012/02/11/of-big-trouble-autobots-and-saviors-of-the-universe-my-ideal-saturday-matinee/">Big Trouble in Little China, Transformers: The Movie, and Flash Gordon</a>)</li>
<li>Another fan of those fighting robots: Fairplay Things: (<a href="http://fairplaythings.com/blog/?p=4685">Transformers</a>)</li>
<li>And in closing, CT from the Nerd Lunch crew has the distinction of selecting the only movie on this list that I just don’t understand. (<a href="http://nerdlunch.blogspot.com/2012/02/buckaroo-at-midnight.html">Buckaroo Banzai</a>)</li>
</ul>
We've got another topic to work on for next week, so at the very least, I'm moving back up to weekly blog updates! Miraculous!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-80114182768725057452012-02-06T23:02:00.000-08:002012-02-06T23:02:44.879-08:00The movie I've seen more times than any otherBrian Adams of the cool pop-culture blog <a href="http://www.coolandcollected.com/">Cool and Collected</a> had a pip of an idea in which pop-culture-obsessed bloggers each weigh in on a topic every week. The working title right now is The League of Extraordinary Bloggers, which, I have to say, is pretty catchy.
<br />
<br />
Being one of those said bloggers, and one in need of regular updates, I thought this would be perfect, so I joined up. This week's topic:
<br />
<blockquote>
"What movie is, or was, your "go to" Saturday matinee — the comfort movie you always popped into the VCR on a rainy Saturday afternoon, the movie you watched over and over again, driving your parents crazy while you recited the lines along with the characters on the screen?"</blockquote>
Well...
<br />
<br />
Before I annoyed the crap out of my wife by watching old TV commercials on a loop (though to be fair, I can watch for a few days without having to repeat), my brother and I had a movie that we watched incessantly.
<br />
<br />
"<a href="http://siftin.blogspot.com/2005/09/dracula-on-drugs.html">Blood Freak</a>."
<br />
<br />
Just kidding.
<br />
<br />
"Superman II" was always either in or right next to our top-loading behemoth of a VCR. Actually, it shared the most-watched stat with one other movie, but I'll get to that in just a second.
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlkJ0Se0MAYEO-Qak9FDwLnUmPwwCIJW4Ni1scTsr2Bs4UZ01iLDq4g29t25NWo5T8VAyyxvImbSdYe8t4hBSwI6qtIg655M6X_D1Q4XrNl-7ZEP3jtusrBFvwDx6k0ZMJAuE/s1600/halloween_1981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlkJ0Se0MAYEO-Qak9FDwLnUmPwwCIJW4Ni1scTsr2Bs4UZ01iLDq4g29t25NWo5T8VAyyxvImbSdYe8t4hBSwI6qtIg655M6X_D1Q4XrNl-7ZEP3jtusrBFvwDx6k0ZMJAuE/s400/halloween_1981.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead center. Underoos, tights, and red knee socks over cowboy boots. Win.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I was about 7, my mom babysat one of the girls in my class every day after school. Since I was supposed to share and be considerate of other people (even girls), we struck a deal in which we would alternate which movie we'd watch after school. I considered this a small victory on my part, because not only was she taller than me, but she was a grade above me, too.<br />
<br />
My film of choice was "Superman II." Hers?
<br />
<br />
"Xanadu."
<br />
<br />
Yes. This is mostly why I own the movie in multiple formats, have two copies of the soundtrack album, <i>and</i> the sheet music book. Well, as far as <i>you</i> know, anyway. I have to admit that I do like the movie in a weird kind of way. I mean, just a few minutes into it, we see the sun rising from the west. How can you not love that? Or rollerskating to disco? Or legwarmers?
<br />
<br />
Right. Well, anyway...
<br />
<br />
We had taped both Superman movies off of TV. This was the magical time before "Superman III" or "IV" when there was no reason to be embarrassed about telling my friends I liked Superman movies. Well, I guess 7-year-old me wouldn't apologize anyway, but you know what I mean.
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<br />
How much did we love this movie? Well, we still use dialogue in everyday conversation:
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"That's funny--I've never seen garbage eat garbage before." </li>
<li>"Why do you say this to me when you know I will kill you for it?" </li>
<li>"Hey, you hippies! Get your butts off the road!" </li>
<li>"These humans are beginning to bore me." </li>
<li>"That's why they call them 'terrorists,' Kent." </li>
</ul>
<br />
and of course,<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"Come to me, son of Jor-El, kneel before Zod!" Adding "snoochie boochies" is optional.</li>
</ul>
<br />
We loved it enough that for years (after my brother was old enough to talk) we spent a lot of time making excuses and giving mulligans to the scenes in the movie that didn't <i>quite</i> ring true for us.<br />
<br />
General Zod lifts a guy up in the air with a beam of light from his finger.
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa5CDUsZwKbGujBQWK_-W4qLAXVQt3YVb_i0gxS7-l-5PaW6WXbJQ2x9ND1d-g-EjWkS43s2dlIPS0-Y2wX3zrzt0erIk4ZwZ6L7BG-joPXN_fPcNqrE8pdqaszeIV1y0tWsD/s1600/superman_2_shoop_da_whoop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa5CDUsZwKbGujBQWK_-W4qLAXVQt3YVb_i0gxS7-l-5PaW6WXbJQ2x9ND1d-g-EjWkS43s2dlIPS0-Y2wX3zrzt0erIk4ZwZ6L7BG-joPXN_fPcNqrE8pdqaszeIV1y0tWsD/s400/superman_2_shoop_da_whoop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I’MMA FIRIN’ MAH LAZER!!" </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote>
We figured that the Phantom Zone villains could've been exposed to something (red kryptonite, maybe) in the Phantom Zone or the violent trip from the Phantom Zone to our dimension altered them somehow to give them extra powers. </blockquote>
From the fight at the Fortress of Solitude alone, there's this:
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uS9GJNETHsw" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
What the hell is that, a Fruit Roll-Up?
<br />
<blockquote>
Our explanation was that all of it was stuff Superman had at the fortress in case of attack. We couldn't think of what exactly the giant Saran Wrap S-shield was supposed to do, but we allowed it. I even tried to make one of my own to throw at my brother, but my markers didn't really stick on the plastic well enough.</blockquote>
and this:
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UGVrqf_IP7ALW8EYs65WOaHXN0JiRsiEz4Svga5Up3DzNgcyBqhATQvPQdv8490cdOiGX_on5EO61nZAdURGQuyXhv4dwc-DGvNd5pGFyscPQGdRcKs1sqz0bUToHLiXRrOk/s1600/superman_2_fortress_decoy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UGVrqf_IP7ALW8EYs65WOaHXN0JiRsiEz4Svga5Up3DzNgcyBqhATQvPQdv8490cdOiGX_on5EO61nZAdURGQuyXhv4dwc-DGvNd5pGFyscPQGdRcKs1sqz0bUToHLiXRrOk/s400/superman_2_fortress_decoy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, "clever" might be overstating it just a bit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My dad actually came up with the excuse for this one. I asked, in all the indignant comic-book-geek rage my little prepubescent body could muster, since when can Superman teleport, let alone be in multiple places at one time?
<br />
<blockquote>
They were running so fast, it just <i>looked</i> like they were teleporting. And all the other Supermen were holograms.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Okay, except for the statue that magically appeared for Non to crash into.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bKr_vCrelvo1r-W_Hw7LVgq6lwYtHjCgdBofFNRTmo8F4xX_BVFsG8H1YLeekwiO7Zi7mDWHKTfjYyxk0n3ldzlHWpnnYjltPctYUe9YaniTxZhPH2UzqsvIDzGjkATiUlxA/s1600/superman_2_statutory_assaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bKr_vCrelvo1r-W_Hw7LVgq6lwYtHjCgdBofFNRTmo8F4xX_BVFsG8H1YLeekwiO7Zi7mDWHKTfjYyxk0n3ldzlHWpnnYjltPctYUe9YaniTxZhPH2UzqsvIDzGjkATiUlxA/s400/superman_2_statutory_assaul.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*insert "statue of limitations" pun here*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once the bad guys were gone and Superman realized he couldn't leave Lois with the knowledge of his secret identity, he had to make her forget. How? The kiss of amnesia. This was before "date-rapey" was an adjective, and certainly not one we'd have thought of anyway, but we at least realized that it was bovine excrement of the highest order.
<br />
<br />
Unless...
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpfacictyJyzDqosm_HYh5kbtB8JoxpAquoKtqX1vyovvP3gNtqFWgTo_bGTAAvgJxMC8FOx6_VfuS1_4TWlrGM0WJ_j9ILbpYUa5STF-aT6tlrOmXq6p9Co9zngFqgEhnU_0/s1600/superman_2_amnesia_chapstic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpfacictyJyzDqosm_HYh5kbtB8JoxpAquoKtqX1vyovvP3gNtqFWgTo_bGTAAvgJxMC8FOx6_VfuS1_4TWlrGM0WJ_j9ILbpYUa5STF-aT6tlrOmXq6p9Co9zngFqgEhnU_0/s400/superman_2_amnesia_chapstic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Come here and make me feel like a woman. Come on, give me a nice, wet, lickery kiss." "What, Clark?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote>
He was wearing like amnesia-flavored Chapstick. Brilliance!</blockquote>
My brother and I are in our 30s now, and we still watch the movie from time to time. Superman II, not Xanadu. Well, <i>he</i> doesn't watch it. And we still find more things to pick on, and we still come up with increasingly convoluted rationalizations.
<br />
<br />
This treatment, I should add, is not given to the two movies that followed. We might say nice things about "Superman III" on a good day, but "Superman IV," with the scene in which Superman rebuilds the Great Wall of China with what appears to be his rebuild-the-Great-Wall-of-China vision was just too much.
<br />
<br />
And don't even get me started on "Batman and Robin."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-40739255258479806552011-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:002011-12-25T06:00:01.162-08:00Merry Christmas from Siftin...Merry Chriiiiiistmaaaassss....<p>
Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who sent this my way last year!
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XJeqzK7eeRk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-64451547888036290852011-12-12T21:51:00.000-08:002011-12-12T21:51:49.942-08:00Me and the Cap'n make it happen<p>
This is how I know I'm moving up in the world: Cap'n Crunch replied to a question I asked on <a href="http://twitter.com/cleverusername">Twitter</a>. The Oops! All Berries cereal had been a semi-regular offering but labeled "Limited time only!" The last box I polished off didn't have that caveat on it anywhere, so like any other normal 37-year-old, I asked the mascot on Twitter (whom I was, of course, already following. What? Shut up!).
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOY-y2G9kvIAtbYSNdPHMkweG4XqxRp7sHm-y9oMGOfj_fxR7f_604mEFL90EO-vq2cfHFG2JmVLUNsecYvI2ktXn-N59zlckLY-rB8SvOmPHhwJ3gEi90-Wt1-ofXYX810du/s1600/capn_crunch_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="77" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOY-y2G9kvIAtbYSNdPHMkweG4XqxRp7sHm-y9oMGOfj_fxR7f_604mEFL90EO-vq2cfHFG2JmVLUNsecYvI2ktXn-N59zlckLY-rB8SvOmPHhwJ3gEi90-Wt1-ofXYX810du/s400/capn_crunch_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpytXLJXHOXMrQV4UkQL_FRkhKIOKrQfjcBBhZzK4SxWB8e6reNcUfW-abuvTOCqJ35Ay3S3MSlhqKr5PSmoaS2ZXcBfo4vTDH2R2pwEAIFea8vtDnWt0yS1M41DNBdXrWhSM3/s1600/capn_crunch_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="55" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpytXLJXHOXMrQV4UkQL_FRkhKIOKrQfjcBBhZzK4SxWB8e6reNcUfW-abuvTOCqJ35Ay3S3MSlhqKr5PSmoaS2ZXcBfo4vTDH2R2pwEAIFea8vtDnWt0yS1M41DNBdXrWhSM3/s400/capn_crunch_2.jpg" /></a></div>
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But then of course, I had to overdo it with the nerdiness and ask for more.
</p><p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3H1vxSXu-vD_YikafxnrPoj_4fHY5fa3u1ZwFQqVOXzEBlPyK80MmYnXE_5vcji9iztsZM0SHKp6KklhXULmDDwFk9mzu98Kv834OxwhCoX-lqm7aImFXzVCldmLDgyRuUJjH/s1600/capn_crunch_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="84" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3H1vxSXu-vD_YikafxnrPoj_4fHY5fa3u1ZwFQqVOXzEBlPyK80MmYnXE_5vcji9iztsZM0SHKp6KklhXULmDDwFk9mzu98Kv834OxwhCoX-lqm7aImFXzVCldmLDgyRuUJjH/s400/capn_crunch_3.jpg" /></a></div>
</p><p>
Don't remember Punch Crunch and Vanilly Crunch (insert Milli Vanilli joke here, 1990)?
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UbfBIp9SjRM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Time will tell...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-50330131550924028162011-11-02T11:45:00.000-07:002011-11-02T11:45:03.331-07:00NaNoWriMo 2011, Day 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcA0Run71q2b1r5CdeEomAWVPCm6i6PJTMWNGaMakgJwgIrG2nIvD8foc8gYXY-SAleLPsURrFSz2EFDPlFTa9pXiJo1psj9_v80ratoD24p5xrfPBxCd8wDM8IAbe1ZRvLKB/s1600/FFFFFUUUUU.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcA0Run71q2b1r5CdeEomAWVPCm6i6PJTMWNGaMakgJwgIrG2nIvD8foc8gYXY-SAleLPsURrFSz2EFDPlFTa9pXiJo1psj9_v80ratoD24p5xrfPBxCd8wDM8IAbe1ZRvLKB/s400/FFFFFUUUUU.png" width="400" /></a></div>
It's only the second day of <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/en/participants/jeff-sparkman">National Novel Writing Month</a> and I'm already behind.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-25684603087464872572011-10-19T12:09:00.000-07:002011-10-19T12:09:34.962-07:00Unhampered amusementMy wife and I were in the living room last night investigating the wide selection of sod-all that comprises Netflix's streaming library when I heard something from one of the kids' rooms.<br /><br />"Dad!"<br /><br />It was my son. Probably trying to scam his way out of having to go to sleep.<br /><br />"Daaaaad!"<br /><br />Okay, a bit more urgent. I got up to investigate. As I approached his room, I heard, "Dad, I'm stuck in the hamper!" I opened the door, and sure enough, all I could see of him was his legs sticking out the top of the cylindrical hamper.<br /><br />My wife did the actual extraction because I was still busy laughing. When we asked what happened, my son said that he couldn't see where he was going. He must have crawled in a straight line off his bed to manage to hit the hamper, which lies at the end of it.<br /><br />Amazingly, this wasn't the first time something like this happened. When he was a wee nubbin, he managed to slip out of his crib head first into the bin of stuffed animals.<br /><br />Kid is part ostrich, I'm telling you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-50409131635558703372011-10-06T23:13:00.000-07:002011-10-06T23:13:11.205-07:00The voices behind the Superfriends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINxX0Y1sRJQGjZK8Wtjqpr82qNNuVkkOJok0cvU0_cmIOxSKrw31YjmD_lr2h9mQ105iqhio5Y34POLDDq4qW51S2nuYcMezXnmAawGQZkWbuGV_6ypkTI43eKYeMQQCpa1Rg/s1600/hall_of_justice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINxX0Y1sRJQGjZK8Wtjqpr82qNNuVkkOJok0cvU0_cmIOxSKrw31YjmD_lr2h9mQ105iqhio5Y34POLDDq4qW51S2nuYcMezXnmAawGQZkWbuGV_6ypkTI43eKYeMQQCpa1Rg/s400/hall_of_justice.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>
Years ago before I even started blogging, I considered writing a book about the various incarnations of the Superfriends cartoon, because amazingly, it hadn't been done yet. There were books about Saturday morning cartoons, yeah, but nothing specifically about the Superfriends. My running title for it was "WonderTwin Powers, Activate." Shortly after I gathered up as many of the episodes as I could find--they weren't on DVD at that point--and started watching them, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0201282/">Danny Dark</a>, the voice of Superman, died.
</p><p>
Without slighting the rest of the voice cast, one of the reasons I wanted to write the book was to talk to Mr. Dark about his announcing/voice acting career in addition to being--for some people my age--the voice you heard when you read a Superman comic book. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815825/">Olan Soule</a>, who did the voice for Batman for all but the final two seasons, had died back in 1994, so that left me more or less without Superman or Batman to talk to. And at that point, finding the other voice actors would've required more detective work than I was capable of.
</p><p>
Even though I'd given up on the book idea, I still wanted to know about the rest of the cast. For the most part, you never really got to see what they looked like. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP_Crvfn-Kc">Adam West</a>, who voiced (duh) Batman on the last two seasons of the show, I'd also grown up with, so I knew what he looked like. And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDYK2H0ldbo">Casey Kasem</a>, who did the voice for Robin, was no mystery, either. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017491/">Norman Alden</a>, who did Aquaman for the first two seasons, was a regular character actor (he played Frank on "ElectraWoman and DynaGirl" and was Lou the cafe owner in "Back to the Future"), so I'd seen him a number of times. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068407/">Michael Bell</a>--Zan (among a billion other voices on Saturday mornings)--was Groppler Zorn in the first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
</p><p>
But that still left all the other characters and the actors who voiced them. What did they look like? Little by little, it became easier to find the few episodes of TV that featured one actor or another. Danny Dark appeared as a TV anchor in the comedy "Tunnelvision," and I recognized him the minute he started speaking.
</p><p>
But it wasn't until last week that I learned a lot about the majority of the voices of the Superfriends. And that I owe to author <a href="http://noblemania.blogspot.com/">Marc Tyler Nobleman</a>, who in addition to being a prolific author, also has a kickass blog in which he has a <a href="http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2011/07/super-70s-and-80s-original-interviews.html">section of interviews</a> with a number of Superfriends cast members. Even more amazing, he has talked to actors from Hanna-Barbera's oft-mocked live-action "Legends of the Superheroes" shows. The legwork he had to do to find many of these people astounds me. It was really neat to get to hear about the people whose voices were a large part of my childhood.
</p><p>
And while I was even further amazed to read about the people who were in the Sea World superheroes water ski show that I saw advertised but never witnessed in person, I think my favorite interview is <a href="http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2011/09/super-70s-and-80s-superman-moviebo.html">the one</a> he did with actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0748513/">Bo Rucker</a>, the guy who played the pimp in "Superman: The Movie." You know:
</p><p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/USi7DS9vUKk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p><p>
HELLS YES.
</p><p>
That was one of the most-quoted lines on the playground (by me, anyway) back in the day, and it never in a million years would've occurred to me that I'd ever read an interview with him. He seems like a cool guy, too.
</p><p>
The Internet amazes me. In this case, in a good way. Not like one of those "things you can't unsee" kind of ways.
</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-35691909553291683692011-09-28T23:38:00.000-07:002011-09-28T23:44:20.893-07:00TV Guide crosswords make me feel smart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojUnEcXukVQHxxlEGM4NX9vBRp_LsI3gU-pa8UXUyMgA3L6YJP8tOX0GspisWzxrV1pSjrJF0KTmUxGVucWSJQ2tT_AoJHMoFCwToAvTJNfKBi4PT-gOQKD52TU5kKw4zY1I6/s1600/tv_guide_puzzle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojUnEcXukVQHxxlEGM4NX9vBRp_LsI3gU-pa8UXUyMgA3L6YJP8tOX0GspisWzxrV1pSjrJF0KTmUxGVucWSJQ2tT_AoJHMoFCwToAvTJNfKBi4PT-gOQKD52TU5kKw4zY1I6/s1600/tv_guide_puzzle.JPG" /></a></div><p>
I've been on a TV Guide crossword puzzle kick lately, partly because of an ongoing research project I'm trying to tame (it's mentioned in the penultimate post before my hiatus), and partly because it's awesome that in any given puzzle, Abe Vigoda is apt to be one of the clues.
</p><p>
Seriously.
</p><p>
I have the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Book-Crossword-Puzzles-Ever/dp/B004LJNNM8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317277272&sr=1-2">gigantic TV Guide crossword puzzle book</a>, which spans entire decades, and I also have a small pocket-size compilation I picked up in 1992 and promptly stored for almost 20 years. I've just about filled that one up during the train ride portion of my commute.
</p><p>
Aside: My commute consists of a 15-20 minute drive to a park-and-ride lot, a hour-to-hour-and-a-half bus ride to <a href="http://www.bart.gov/">BART</a>, and then 45 minutes to an hour on BART to the <a href="http://www.cnet.com/">office</a>. Round trip, that's close to 6 hours a day. So if I seem punchy in a blog post, I may have written it while commuting. You have been warned.
</p><p>
The older puzzles from the 1950s are probably the hardest, not just because I'm not as familiar with the shows, but because they don't contain as many slow-pitch clues and answers. A recurring pair of clues are like 33 Down: A comedy program | 6 Across: Host of 33 Down. Was there really <i>that</i> little on back then? I think not. The puzzles from the 70s and 80s are the easiest, since damn near every clue reminds me of something I used to watch as a kid. It's weird; I read TONS of books as a kid, and I remember playing outside a bunch, but the amount of 50s-80s TV programming that is locked in my brain breaks some kind of math.
</p><p>
Over the course of doing dozens of puzzles, with clues both hard and easy ("'Magnum __ (abbr.)"), there are certain "crossword words" that stick out, like eel, alee, alit, oleo; filler words that no one outside of puzzle circles has probably encountered.
</p><p>
But these being TV Guide puzzles, there are certain TV-related standbys as well. Abe Vigoda is one, mostly for his first name, though occasionally for his character's name (Fish, of course). Actress Sue Ane Langdon came up an awful lot, almost always thusly: "Actress Sue ___ Langdon." Ane is great for filling spots in your puzzle. While the name sounded familiar, I couldn't figure out exactly why. I looked her up on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0486057/">IMDB.com</a> and saw that she'd been in scores of TV shows since the late 1950s. But then I saw the one credit that explained why I recognized her name.
</p><p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Zapped! (1982) </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rose Burnhart
</b></div>
</p><p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0I8qo5a3isDP4tp0xh_ukClZxLLNON1lHeY0SxcxeIbi9G6o5eEIfnjLbB2-RuFFfLon2v-2FA70zllgZ4q5q-80tGJjwvR-bOotoFo8pZbIXYZTqiay8k5ac2UawTvuvYbG/s1600/miss-Burnhart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0I8qo5a3isDP4tp0xh_ukClZxLLNON1lHeY0SxcxeIbi9G6o5eEIfnjLbB2-RuFFfLon2v-2FA70zllgZ4q5q-80tGJjwvR-bOotoFo8pZbIXYZTqiay8k5ac2UawTvuvYbG/s1600/miss-Burnhart.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Do I have to, Miss Burnfart?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</p><p>
Ah, yes, the teacher from the classic cable-TV mainstay of the early 80s with the dream team of Scott Baio and Willie Aames. I have a soft place in my heart for this movie, presumably with a soft spot in my brain to match. You've seen it, I hope? Baio plays a nerdy kids who accidentally gains telekinetic powers after a lab experiment. Imagine if "Carrie" had been melded with "Charles in Charge" and you're pretty much there, except during the prom at the end, telekinesis is used to remove girls' clothes instead of killing everyone.
</p><p>
It is, I must say, the best film to ever incorporate a dream sequence that involves Scatman Crothers (no relation to anyone involved with the "Human Centipede" movies), pot, Albert Einstein, and salami. You doubt me?
</p><p>
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ISw20pQtL7U" width="420"></iframe></center>
</p><p>
It's even better if you close your eyes and imagine it's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Phooey">Hong Kong Phooey</a> talking to Einstein.
</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-71338729576406637692011-09-26T23:12:00.000-07:002011-09-26T23:12:55.139-07:00Look what the cat dragged in...<p>
In retrospect, it wasn't a huge surprise. I knew I was risking burning out when I blogged every day in 2008. Sure enough, little by little, fewer posts until finally, I stopped entirely in 2010. It's been almost a year and a half since I eked out the fifth of five posts in 2010.
</p><p>
Besides getting burned out, I kept finding a lot of what I was interested in being written better by others. Yeah, maybe no one can work in a fart joke out of left field the way I can, but still, it made me wonder why I was bothering. In addition, all that grown-up, real-life stuff was happening, making me, for lack of a better expression, not in the mood for writing.
</p><p>
So now I'm trying again. There are still people doing stuff better (in fact, a future post will feature one such site), but like Ben Folds said, there's always someone out there cooler than you, so what the hell, right?
</p><p>
Here's something I <i>should</i> have blogged about from last summer:
</p><p>
So back in July 2010, the Rifftrax folks had a contest in which fans could submit jokes for specific scenes in the cult classic "Reefer Madness" to be included in the live riff event that would play in theaters across the country. I dutifully knocked off jokes for each of the scenes in the contest video. The show itself was going to be in August.
</p><p>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cTzudZfnnE0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p><p>
August rolls around, and I get an e-mail that includes the following: "Hi Jeff! We used your ninth riff in the movie, where would you like your swag mailed?"
</p><p>
This was pretty much my response:
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOcPVPND8abXyClxxqfA5wkLLxz44WKrNZ8SET63O3ZQI4jDESo5coFUOp2erK3WgV3YbD1Xo5myqOFtGwVPu5zVL6sjmidFHiwN1_FrxOCu0ZR6kU0PI5YOvi_rHJGXsFcPf/s1600/i-just-shat-myself-with-surprise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="263" width="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOcPVPND8abXyClxxqfA5wkLLxz44WKrNZ8SET63O3ZQI4jDESo5coFUOp2erK3WgV3YbD1Xo5myqOFtGwVPu5zVL6sjmidFHiwN1_FrxOCu0ZR6kU0PI5YOvi_rHJGXsFcPf/s400/i-just-shat-myself-with-surprise.jpg" /></a></div>
</p><p>
So in addition to all the swag, which included a signed Mike Nelson bobblehead (it stands next to Count Chocula on my desk), a T-shirt, and a mess of buttons and stickers, MY NAME would be in the end credit roll. My name. On a movie screen. Eight-year-old me was proud of aging-nerd me.
</p><p>
I'd planned on going anyway since it was going to be streamed to a theater in my town, but now I <i>had</i> to go. And it didn't occur to me till I was sitting in the dark theater, waiting for it to start, but I'd get to hear an audience react to something I wrote. One of the things I get to do at work is help write for <a href="http://cnettv.cnet.com/buzz-report/">one of our shows</a>, but I don't really get to see how the jokes are received.
</p><p>
When my joke came, delivered by Bill Corbett, it got a respectable amount of laughter, and I have to admit--it felt good. The whole show was hilarious; if you get the chance to catch a live event, you really ought to. As the movie ended and the parting comments commenced, I waited for the credits to roll.
</p><p>
Instead, the feed just stopped. I think my theater had started playing the feed a bit late (yeah, it's not LIVE live in California, but what else is new?), so that might have been part of it. Regardless, I had missed my chance to see my name on the big screen. Yeah, I can watch the DVD at home, where my name is indeed present, but it's not the same, you know?
</p><p>
I guess this wasn't just in my theater, as Rifftrax released a short video on YouTube that listed the winners a while later.
</p><p>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zJQVpW-EBUM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p><p>
So everyone in sixth grade who constantly told me I wasn't funny can <strike>go suck it</strike> see where their encouragement got me.
</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-83055250477058761642010-04-24T19:59:00.000-07:002010-04-24T20:01:24.128-07:0018 Years of TV: 'The Greatest American Hero'<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Show: </b><a href="http://www.tv.com/the-greatest-american-hero/show/586/summary.html">The Greatest American Hero</a><br />
<b>Original run:</b> March 18, 1981 to February 3, 1983</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Network:</b> ABC</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Premise:</b> Extraterrestrials give high school teacher Ralph Hinkley (William Katt) a suit that grants him super powers and a mission to fight crime. The suit comes with an instruction manual, but Hinkley loses it minutes after receiving it. He reluctantly teams up with FBI agent Bill Maxwell (Robert Culp) to secretly foil plots of various criminals, which wreaks havoc on Ralph's love life with Pam Davidson (Connie Sellecca). </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_DgiNlV8sRe_cqP9jOiRlql6D5F-V1DCCFX8nDAzawxGTEqN4NBjM3Z0NT4kza2cw_OtvOgAnLQgdc0EFWlCfaolzWEC0CXt9psTXmcpMCHmy22gpLJOrwiyVlBr9emxtUfV/s1600/greatestamericanhero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_DgiNlV8sRe_cqP9jOiRlql6D5F-V1DCCFX8nDAzawxGTEqN4NBjM3Z0NT4kza2cw_OtvOgAnLQgdc0EFWlCfaolzWEC0CXt9psTXmcpMCHmy22gpLJOrwiyVlBr9emxtUfV/s320/greatestamericanhero.jpg" width="320" /></a>This was just about my most favorite TV show as a kid. I loved the idea that a regular guy who suddenly got super powers wasn't automatically an expert. He couldn't fly very well and crashed more often than not. And since he lost the instruction manual, he discovered the suit's powers by accident.<br />
<br />
This was when I started scrutinizing the listings in TV Guide, because over the show's three-season (sort of) run, it was bounced around the schedule, pre-empted, etc., before finally canning it without showing four episodes that had been produced, so I needed to keep track of when it was on.<br />
<br />
The show had difficulties almost right out of the gate; two days before the second regular episode aired, <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/john_hinckley_jr" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hinckley%2C_Jr." rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="John Hinckley, Jr.">John Hinckley, Jr.</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_assassination_attempt">shot President Reagan in an assassination attempt</a>. Not wanting a main character whose last name was just about the same as a guy who tried to kill the president, Ralph Hinkley became Ralph Hanley. But the change was so abrupt that they covered the Hinkleys at first with sound effects. They changed it back to Hinkley when the second season began.<br />
<br />
Warner Bros., parent company of <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/dc_comics" href="http://www.dccomics.com/" rel="homepage nofollow" title="DC Comics">DC Comics</a>, sued ABC and show creator Stephen J. Cannell over the show, saying that the character of Ralph was too similar to Superman. You can actually <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/720_F2d_231.htm">read about it here</a>. Most interesting aside from not pursuing the greater similarity to Green Lantern (regular guy given something wearable that gives him amazing powers to fight evil), was the revelation that the first design for the costume, which was rejected by Cannell, was "a beige and yellow outfit with a white collar and 'fold-up wings.'" Of course, I suppose they could've gone after them for being too similar to Hawkman. In any event, the lawsuit was dismissed.<br />
<br />
The show was a bit of a departure for Cannell, who had a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_J._Cannell#Television">long track record of crime dramas</a>. But even though the main character was a guy flying around in a pair of red underwear (or as Bill called them, the "magic jammies"), Ralph--who never had a proper superhero name--tackled relatively mundane terrestrial-based crime. As Cannell said on one of the DVD commentaries, there was a constant struggle, because he wanted it to be more grounded in reality, and the network wanted more fantastic, superheroey stuff.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VV2MlRrT3Fc&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VV2MlRrT3Fc&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="385"></embed></object>Among the problems Ralph faced were Armageddon ("Operation: Spoilsport"), a possibly dirty pro football player and former classmate, ("The Price is Right"), drug runners ("Captain Bellybuster and the Speed Factory"), and even a space monster ("The Shock Will Kill You").<br />
<br />
When the show first came on, I was a clumsy kid who desperately wanted to be a superhero, so I idolized Ralph. I couldn't wait to see each episode. In fact, I even badgered my mom into sewing me a cape to wear while I watched. I even bought the 45 of the show's theme song, "Believe It Or Not," by Joey Scarbury.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGv-vg-TmuoEar2vr3SUt4uMsuO4dvSb2q5UddMuxQ10DSNuaOR89BYKoSpQy-Z_Fd5MTqfFUebLlMwQlzdBwRQT5QKEh-_6As97b9y-VumiVecApDlH7KODhjk6-J0TJlfzR/s1600/connie_sellecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGv-vg-TmuoEar2vr3SUt4uMsuO4dvSb2q5UddMuxQ10DSNuaOR89BYKoSpQy-Z_Fd5MTqfFUebLlMwQlzdBwRQT5QKEh-_6As97b9y-VumiVecApDlH7KODhjk6-J0TJlfzR/s200/connie_sellecca.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">::sigh::</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When I watched the show in syndication, I took more notice of Connie Sellecca as Pam Davidson. Rawr.<br />
<br />
And now when I watch the DVDs, I pay the most attention to Robert Culp's portrayal of hard-nosed Fed Bill Maxwell. His overuse of the word "scenario," and his penchant for eating dog biscuits from the box, and his badass attitude crack me up. I was saddened to hear of Robert Culp's recent passing; he was awesome in everything I've seen him in, but Bill Maxwell will always be my favorite.<br />
<br />
While the show's ratings dwindled, people continue to love the idea. Heck, in 1986, they even made a pilot for NBC of a follow-up, "The Greatest American Heroine," in which Ralph is exposed and eventually gives in to the resulting fame and fortune. The aliens who originally gave him the suit don't want their hero to be a colossal douche, so they take it away from Ralph, saying that now that his identity is exposed, he can't be as effective. He is charged with finding a replacement.<br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=sif-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003BGZ61S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>He finds that replacement--a woman named Holley Hathaway (played by Mary Ellen Stuart), who wants to save the world. Bill was charged to teach her how to use the suit, with comedic hijinks ensuing. The pilot wasn't picked up, and the episode was re-edited as a regular episode and stuck at the end of the syndication package.<br />
<br />
There has also been a comic adaptation, co-written by William Katt. Talks of a remake have been flying around seemingly since the show left the air, but so far, nothing has materialized. Nathan Fillion ("Firefly," "Castle," "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog") <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/">mentioned in an interview</a> that he wants to play Ralph in a movie version, which would be pretty awesome. But who could play Bill Maxwell? The only actor I can think of who's close would be Bruce Campbell.<br />
<br />
If you want all the TGAH information you can handle, check out the long-running site, <a href="http://www.the-greatest-american-hero.com/">www.the-greatest-american-hero.com</a>. It is made of awesome and win.<br />
<br />
Feel free to share your memories of the show in the comments.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/687c2e29-eb2b-47fd-a4fb-251205db5be2/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=687c2e29-eb2b-47fd-a4fb-251205db5be2" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
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<br />
The project I mentioned a while back is an exercise in insanity. My goal is to watch at least one episode of every prime-time show that debuted during the first 18 years of my life. And since this kind of brazen stupidity should be documented, that's what I'll be posting here.<br />
<br />
I'm hoping to make this a weekly thing, but that may be biweekly depending on my ever-growing busy schedule.<br />
<br />
To clarify, this includes all shows that debuted from fall 1974 to fall 1992. It doesn't include shows that were already on (like "M.A.S.H.," for example), which I guess helps me a tiny bit.<br />
<br />
The format will probably change here and there in the following weeks, but in general, I'll lay out some basic stats, a brief synopsis, and then whatever memories I have of the show, as well as a general review.<br />
<br />
Some of these shows are old favorites; some I have no recollection of seeing. I'm not going in chronological order, so you never know which show will be next. I'm sneaky that way.<br />
<br />
I'd love for this to be interactive, so by all means, please share your memories in the comments of each entry.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-53004681596094331582010-04-13T18:04:00.000-07:002010-04-13T18:04:00.260-07:00'The Human Centipede' brings new meaning to 'creepy-crawlie'You know, some times it seems that just about everything has been done in horror films. Killer snowmen? Check. Guy with papier-mache turkey head? Check. But then you hear about a flick like "The Human Centipede: First Sequence," and your faith in the creative depravity of mankind is renewed.<br />
<br />
Quoth <a href="http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/human-centipede">the film's official site</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>During a stopover in Germany in the middle of a carefree roadtrip through Europe, two American girls find themselves alone at night when their car breaks down in the woods. Searching for help at a nearby villa, they are wooed into the clutches of a deranged retired surgeon who explains his mad scientific vision to his captives' utter horror. They are to be the subjects of his sick lifetime fantasy: to be the first to connect people, one to the next, via their gastric system, and in doing so bring to life 'the human centipede.'</blockquote><br />
<br />
Check out the trailer below.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9wmTv2nqTHo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9wmTv2nqTHo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Apparently this doctor has never heard the old adage, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO6q7EiNPaA">You never go ass to mouth</a>." It will be interesting to see if the movie maintains the horror or if it relies solely on the admittedly disturbing premise. It will also be interesting to see if there's any videogame tie-in.<br />
<br />
(via <a href="http://nerdbastards.com/2009/10/04/the-human-centipede-the-film-to-get-sick-about/">NerdBastards.com</a>)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-59751602355827738702010-03-22T11:08:00.000-07:002010-03-22T11:08:14.197-07:00Coming soon...Working on a big project set to debut here soon. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.<br />
<br />
Hints:<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j2V7dD6Kyaw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j2V7dD6Kyaw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZNoO7Wx5JBY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZNoO7Wx5JBY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mhiv9YXyvg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mhiv9YXyvg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-2309974399408048142010-01-04T01:13:00.000-08:002010-01-04T01:14:36.097-08:00Oh jeez, it's 2010 already?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzlJxm8ZLNz5GoOoSWOKZak0SPdSjggwPp8aQWlhdf-0d9CHnoUyDCtuwgWuOHowshwZfPxTDCphT_Vv5zuRw8eYSecQplO2XwRsmS3y4TNl4s6WhYp-PbAL99bChZkEnXgm3/s1600-h/wienermobile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzlJxm8ZLNz5GoOoSWOKZak0SPdSjggwPp8aQWlhdf-0d9CHnoUyDCtuwgWuOHowshwZfPxTDCphT_Vv5zuRw8eYSecQplO2XwRsmS3y4TNl4s6WhYp-PbAL99bChZkEnXgm3/s400/wienermobile.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Well, it's the start of another year, and I've been going through all the stuff I have yet to organize.<br />
<br />
One of the things I found was this picture of me with the Wienermobile. And no, the hat wasn't mine.<br />
<br />
This was the result of one of the only reportery things I did during my time as a newspaper copy editor. I heard a call over the police scanner that the Wienermobile was finally on its way to one of the local supermarkets after having had a spot of road trouble.<br />
<br />
Realizing that as a copy editor, I had a working press pass, I hopped in my hoopty and hightailed it over there, pen and notepad in hand. (Not while I was driving, though. That would've been unsafe. You know what I mean.)<br />
<br />
This would be perfect fodder for my weekly humor column. I mean, how could I pass that up, really?<br />
<br />
I spoke with Des and Robin, the two college students in charge of this particular Wieniebago, and they gave me a tour of the inside. I'd always thought it would've been cool to drive around in the Wienermobile--imagine picking up a date for the first time--but once I found out that there was no air conditioning, I realized I was probably better off.<br />
<br />
Before I left to think of suitable-for-publication wiener puns, they took a Polaroid of me wearing a goofy hat so I'd have a souvenir of my tour.<br />
<br />
Fortunately I didn't have to sing the Oscar Mayer jingle.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-71236282603159065272009-11-04T12:06:00.000-08:002009-11-04T12:06:57.306-08:00Things we said todayToday, I wanted to share a sad story with you. It's about the breakup of a relationship.<br />
<br />
As told with Beatles songs. Some are covers, but all were performed by the Beatles. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
"Martha, my dear."<br />
"Oh, Darling..."<br />
"Love me do."<br />
"I will."<br />
"Why don't we do it in the road?"<br />
"You can't do that!"<br />
"Wait..."<br />
"Leave my kitten alone!"<br />
"I want you."<br />
"I should have known better."<br />
"Honey, don't!"<br />
"All <i>you</i> need is love."<br />
"Don't let me down."<br />
"I'm so tired..."<br />
"Tell me why."<br />
"Because."<br />
"That means a lot."<br />
"You like me too much."<br />
"It's only love!"<br />
"We can work it out..."<br />
"Hold me tight!"<br />
*No reply*<br />
"Julia..."<br />
"What goes on?"<br />
"Honey Pie!"<br />
"Another girl?"<br />
"Help!"<br />
"How do you do it?"<br />
"I want to tell you."<br />
"Everybody's got something to hide except me and my monkey."<br />
"She came in through the bathroom window. I saw her standing there."<br />
"She loves you?"<br />
"Tell me what you see."<br />
"I've just seen a face."<br />
"I'm a loser."<br />
"Bad boy."<br />
"Baby, it's you!"<br />
"Don't bother me."<br />
"I need you!"<br />
"Getting better..."<br />
"I wanna be your man!"<br />
"If I needed someone..."<br />
"I'm happy just to dance with you!"<br />
"That'll be the day."<br />
"I'll get you."<br />
"When I'm 64!"<br />
"I'll keep you satisfied."<br />
"Boys."<br />
"Any time at all."<br />
"Get back."<br />
"Long, long, long..."<br />
"It won't be long."<br />
"I'll be on my way."<br />
"Good night."<br />
"I lost my little girl..."<br />
"You won't see me."<br />
"I'll cry instead."<br />
<br />
<br />
The EndAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-79760317784377237912009-10-27T11:41:00.000-07:002009-10-27T11:41:53.567-07:00Why I don't work for Marvel...I would have killed for something like this when I was a kid. Well, okay, I would've killed for the Internet when I was a kid. But I saw that Marvel has <a href="http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic">a little create your own comic app</a> on the Marvel Super Hero Squad site. <br />
<br />
It's a pretty simple drag-and-drop design, and you can scale the graphics and word balloons. You even get a choice of cool comic fonts to use as well.<br />
<br />
If you don't feel like you have an epic comic book story to tell, you can start with a single comic strip. I gave that a shot, and I was surprised how quickly you can put something together. Click to embiggen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy-Hx-qulPMqBiqfmpJ2PFHYYMEUzbb0T7x0ejxdn8p55m4wBlGnx8ZWnlGP6tuepXg41AaUrxleSSC2Jf3yoz_r_LlmCUYcT7fv4P-KUvGaY6pJvsNiVtszoW0WOIlospzrk/s1600-h/olive_garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy-Hx-qulPMqBiqfmpJ2PFHYYMEUzbb0T7x0ejxdn8p55m4wBlGnx8ZWnlGP6tuepXg41AaUrxleSSC2Jf3yoz_r_LlmCUYcT7fv4P-KUvGaY6pJvsNiVtszoW0WOIlospzrk/s320/olive_garden.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Yeah, I think we can see why I don't work for Marvel...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-42840081245951847152009-10-25T21:41:00.000-07:002009-10-25T21:41:32.086-07:00When you care enough to print the very best...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuQGboKPGGiKYsLM-5eQjwYriUqHQ_AMTUJQ3bVApxYS1JbeP2HYc2vM6P0AM3y48mnyO1OC9Bd22wx07-VNPQ_xLwqTPqLR10IFSCJ4q47p81FXJ5eOxFSgSF9-QS2w8aNXY/s1600-h/print_shop_small_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuQGboKPGGiKYsLM-5eQjwYriUqHQ_AMTUJQ3bVApxYS1JbeP2HYc2vM6P0AM3y48mnyO1OC9Bd22wx07-VNPQ_xLwqTPqLR10IFSCJ4q47p81FXJ5eOxFSgSF9-QS2w8aNXY/s400/print_shop_small_1.jpg" /></a>You old people like me may remember laboring over making a banner in Print Shop on your Apple II or your Commodore 64, picking the perfect graphic and selecting the right font, only for the damn thing to rip in half when you actually tried to hang it.<br />
<br />
This is, of course, assuming you didn't accidentally tear it when you were taking off the pinfeeds.<br />
<br />
Do you find yourself feeling oddly nostalgic when you hear the sound of a <a href="http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=44707">dot-matrix printer</a>? I inherited our old Commodore 128 (we used it almost exclusively in C64 mode) and discs, and while I was moving the storage bin around the other day, I poked around the inside and found the old reference card for Print Shop.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6y9jSBBypoGg5S-xBnLuTKJb272vRDeJhXBTMdqJozLiRSgzLGuVllYInoB3zJ2_A1bY8Z89zhWEodlRU4NNLtj8Ptsl22Zcal94bjlb-h1Y9HBfjyHVRmev_u_-SxQSXLb5/s1600-h/print_shop_small_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6y9jSBBypoGg5S-xBnLuTKJb272vRDeJhXBTMdqJozLiRSgzLGuVllYInoB3zJ2_A1bY8Z89zhWEodlRU4NNLtj8Ptsl22Zcal94bjlb-h1Y9HBfjyHVRmev_u_-SxQSXLb5/s400/print_shop_small_2.jpg" /></a>There were a few years there in the mid-80s when I thought Hallmark was going to fold because I was making so many birthday cards myself. With eight fonts and 50 graphics, I'm surprised with the number of different cards, posters and banners I was able to make. And once we got Print Shop Companion, I had even more options.<br />
<br />
My font of choice was Tech. Surprise, surprise. Least favorite: Party. Even to this day I hate that font--and fonts like it. I call it Dingleball.<br />
<br />
And my favorite among the graphics? No. 26, the skull. I was told after a few times that while cool, it was not necessarily the best choice for birthday cards. Whatever.<br />
<br />
Just looking at this thing brought back so many memories of spending time in front of my trusty Commodore or in front of one of the Apples in my junior high school's computer lab. I liked my Commodore better, of course, since it had a full-color monitor; those Apple monitors were a pain in the ass for me to see, either because they were overused or because of my mild color-blindness.<br />
<br />
Plus, one of our neighbors down the street was an avid C64 junkie, and he'd hook my brother and me up with all sorts of games, from Space Taxi to Impossible Mission. It makes me wonder if in the future, my kids will look at the tech of today with a bit of nostalgic love, or if they'll regard it as just another ubiquitous appliance like a toaster.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/c05a32cd-389c-4a52-b74e-743290599619/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c05a32cd-389c-4a52-b74e-743290599619" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related more-info pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
The Top 13 Wrong Ways to Eat a Reese's</b></span><br />
13. Atom by atom.<br />
12. Sharing it with a piranha.<br />
11. On a hamburger.<br />
10. Off the blades of a whirling blender.<br />
9. Flambe.<br />
8. While knowing you're allergic to peanuts.<br />
7. In front of Batman. Mofo loves him some Reese's.<br />
6. During your tristate killing spree.<br />
5. When you're expecting guests in R'lyeh; the chocolate gets all over your face tentacles. (Note: This only applies if you are Cthulhu.)<br />
4. While running naked through PetSmart (that's according to the cops, anyway).<br />
3. Off a hooker's ass (according to my wife).<br />
2. Like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MDFan__QXg">Brundlefly</a>.<br />
1. Rectally.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/b323a1f8-1114-4411-b689-bc4f16adf0e2/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b323a1f8-1114-4411-b689-bc4f16adf0e2" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related more-info pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14002590.post-91133534424581815302009-09-29T14:54:00.000-07:002009-09-29T14:54:42.845-07:00Face for podcastsEric Franklin and Dong Ngo host the always-entertaining <a href="http://www.cnet.com/inside-cnet-labs/">Inside CNET Labs podcast</a>. This week, they asked me to be a guest, and since I never say no to being in front of a microphone,<a href="http://www.cnet.com/8301-17914_1-10362957-89.html"> I happily agreed</a>. So now you can hear my James Earl Jones-like voice pontificate about various nerdery. If you're not already listening, you'd better start. It's like a nerdy Knights of the Algonquin Round Table.<br />
<br />
Plus, I discovered that we can say "boner" in the podcast.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14677437103597081445noreply@blogger.com2