Coast to Coast AM Predictions airing 12/30 and 12/31/2009

Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM airs the predictions shows over the next two nights. Here is 2009's list of predictions with some evidence that points to what almost came true and what did come true. Use the comments feature of this blog (screened for spam) to list your predictions if you don't get through to Art on the phone. Do you see any that you can prove that came true in 2009 below? If so, please enter links in the URL to show us all!:

Predictions for 2009

1. Alien spacecraft will land in Memphis TN (at airport area for landing on a special platform)
2. Nuclear device detonates in the US
3. Prince William will succeed Queen Elizabeth and take the throne (Eric from Alabama) [in actuality, there are rumors William is being groomed as the Shadow King as of Dec. 2009]
4. Dennis Kucinich is going to be hypnotized by Bud Hopkins to see what happened when he lost time
5. Major earthquake in a west coast city (Eric in L.A.)
6. US and Canada moving towards Communism. (Angela from British Columbia)
7. The economy will flounder and there will be a depression; marshall law declared in some cities (Rick in Arkansas)
8. an increasingly harsh winter; food shortages in the springtime (Brian in Portland, OR)
9. nuclear device goes off in the Saudi oil fields (Jason from Fallon, NV)
10. Obama honeymoon over by October (from Boston, MA)
11. Solid proof that Bigfoot exists (Patrick from Cleveland)
12. Coast to Coast fans are gonna form an insomniacs club (Bill from Toronto)
13. Year of the homicide - record number of homicides (Keith in Hamilton, ONT) - Not a fact in actuality
14. Commercial real estate sector is next to be hit (Mark in Oregon) - This is true
15. food and energy rise 12-15% and there will be price fixing by the govt.; food shortages (John from Chicago) - NOT true
16. Obama will nationalize electric power companies (from caller named Serge)
17. Sept. 15 2009 - nationwide pandemic possible global pandemic (David in Pueblo)
18. flooding for the south - This came true
19. discovery of life outside the solar system; through NASA spacecraft sent in Spring or by SETI (Tom from Salem OR)
20. govt. confiscates all gold and precious metals like in the 20s and 30s.
21. moon will be brighter because it is closer
22. the rapture - those that are deemed ready to go at the Rapture and the dead considered saints will be resurrected, we'll have a nuclear conflict on the earth and UFO contact; Sept.
23. Chrysler and GM will merge by Oct. (Joe in Corpus Christi) - not true
24. 1st dog will be a cocker spaniel - not true
25. all the forests in the Pacific Northwest will die
26. unions go under by March
27. sports will go up in smoke; due to low sales and no sponsorship
28. Russia will show its military might - this did surface as a real story here and here
29. intention experiment returns
30. earthquake around Orange County
31. tire accident with someone high profile
32. the year of full disclosure by the US on UFOs and Obama will be the disclosure president
33. Glendale AZ a bloodbath on the border before the end of April 2009; INS will be involved - the catalyst that will make the US gov
34. transportation interruption due to a catastrophic event and food supply will be in high demand
35. tsunami from a undersea geological eruption off the coast of Australia; not surprising after it occurs in looking back on it
36. global leaders design one global wage and one global currency
37. july 24 we'll see world peace
38. North America union declared this year
39. currency combining Canada, US and Mexico; the Amero
40. American Hotel company will have a fire; high loss of life and a couple of miracle rescues; through some miracle the people thought to be dead actually make it out
41. blimp crash
42. US govt will be overthrown
43. George Noory gets married in 2009
44. Rain gauge at the airport will read 8/10 of inch at least 5 times in Phoenix (Alden from Phoenix).
45. investigations into artificial manipulation of oil prices
46. auto production cut in half because of the unemployment (Chris in Detroit)
47. we're going to see changes in the GAT and NAFTA agreement; level the playing field (Rich in Las Vegas)
48. Obama is going to play a major part in bringing peace to the Middle East with the connection to Islamic Mujahadeen, the guy with the blue turban (Angela in Southwest desert)
49. first time America is not going to stand with Israel; [the Obama administration] will turn their back on Israel (Julie from Kansas)
50. All the paper currency of the world will be rendered useless; Marshall Law declared in US to secure food and fuel supplies and dispersion of military -- instant enlistment (East of the Rockies caller unamed)
51. A major terrorist event much like 9/11 in England or Western Europe area; President Obama will rally a coalition to attack the country responsible; he'll be the hero in retaliation; the people who were behind helping him come to power will be actually have orchestrated it (East Tennessee caller)
52. sometime in midsummer when it appears we're going into hyperinflation and instead we'll go into serious deflation, back to 1967 levels, but we'll come out stronger for it; it will be rapid -- take 3 mos. to roll back (Stu in Phoenix)
53. In February some cluster of meteors will hit the planet like hail stones on the ground (Tommy from Aurora)
54. US breaks up into regional countries; Atlanta as the capitol; redo of the old south without VA, FL, and TX (Jim from Guntersville, AL)
55. Hoover Dam breaks due to earthquake; Lake Mead will come rushing down CO river and fill the Salton Sea; there'll be a snowmelt (Jim from Twentynine Palms)
56. "the beginning of the end of the Mayan calendar" The events from the Mayan Calendar will be surfacing and a scholar will be understanding it; reading it and forecasting events before they occur in 2012 by February (Curtis from Tennessee)
57. Armed rebellion of the people against their own government. States will secede. (west of the Rockies unnamed caller)
58. The economy gets worse and Alvin Topler will be appointed president of the world bank. He'll rectify it and save the banks. (unnamed caller)
59. Obama's national healthcare plan will go through just when they will socialize employment; it will go downhill and become a socialist police state; socialist housing, food rationing, etc. by 2015 (from Oregon)
60. Disney is going to attempt to acquire Christmas because their revenues are going down and they want profit for next Christmas (Billy from Toronto)
61. Obama will be the big disappointment, the people will realize it
62. A natural disaster pushes US into Marshall Law (Todd from Sacramento)
63. Green gadget year; surge in entrepreneurship in the US pooling their intelligence and resources making small businesses serve their communities to move the economy; solar products
64. Rising death toll in everything in general; something big coming our way (Rebecca in Salem)
65. Amero is the new currency with North American union by the end of the year (Ray from Illinois)
66. N.E. Ohio will have a huge earthquake before October; Youngstown, Warren, that area
67. New World Order is announced in the middle of the year, embraced by Christmas
68. Genetic mis-engineering causes outbreak of food poisoning (Jan from Brooklyn)
69. There will be a scandal with Barack Obama in 2009 (Donald from TN)
70. We're gonna hear an announcement from the Exec. Branch of the White House and the trains are going to turn everything around; it will cost a trillion dollars (Tom in Ashland, OR) - this is true, somewhat, not in the trillions as of yet
71. Major seismic event in Yellowstone in 2009.
72. A new member to Art Bell's family either for Dolly the cat or for Asia (Michelle from WA)
73. Predict unity in the US through the US citizens; enforce federal law to remove the illegal immigrants through buses and pickup trucks; American teenagers picking crops like in the 30s & 40s
74. There will be some kind of major news about the Jon Benet Ramsey murder case, something to bring the case to the forefront again (Dan in Tampa, FL)
75. Mechanical, hands-on type toys will surge back as a concept for a more real and not simulated interaction; erecter sets and things manipulated with your hands
76. President Obama will be tested in the first half or three quarters of 2009 and will rally the people to put a stop to the downslide we're in
77. The Obama administration and, sponsored by Joe Biden, will expand the assault weapon ban (Daniel from Queens)
78. This will be the year that the Manning boys will meet in the Superbowl (James from Winnipeg)
79. Wonderful things are happening because the society is changing; consciousness is being raised; we are not being ruled by fear; there will be a shift in consciousness, not manifesting what we fear but what we have faith in (living in a state of love or bliss). things are more transparent; treachery and lies are coming to an end.
80. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem will be destroyed; Iran or another Arab nation will destroy it; the Temple will be rebuilt (from Orlando, FL)
81. Individual citizens will be growing its own food more; instead of getting the food from supermarkets and from fast food chains (Riverside, CA caller) - this is happening
82. Americans will help economy and housing values will begin improving in 2009 (Blair in Sedona)
83. Ark of the Covenant will be brought out from ancient Israel by caravan and contains a consciousness (Alexandra from Toronto)
84. Her husband predicts that the people disgruntled about President Obama for whatever reason is that one of the Watergate-esque setups will happen but they'll get caught and someone young, a Deep Throat person, will catch them; the American press will be reinvigorated to report the news (Deb Deb from El Sobrante, CA)
85. Black Panthers will try to come back to power in 2009 (Renegade from the Bohemian Mtns. in Oregon)
86. California doesn't sink into the ocean (John from San Diego) - Ding!
87. Mainstream media will admit that peak oil is a reality
88. It's going to be unusually wet and green in the desert; houses falling off of hills
89. Massive earthquake and volcanic event in Yellowstone between April and August
90. We're going to look at our junk DNA and find intelligence; science and religion will discover something in junk DNA (Karen in Houston)
91. This will be the year for alcohol as a fuel; we can cook our way out of dependence of foreign oil and convert our waste into alcohol (Randy in Aberdeen, WA)
92. Poseidon adventure; a rogue wave will hit one of these cruise ships
93. People will get together and create self-sustaining societies/communities who don't need to go outside only for taxes (Missy from CO)
94. There will be a new energy source in the coming year using high energy and static electricity (David from Georgia)
95. There will be more revelations on how we've come to the way we are; return to the golden rule, brotherly love and the morally upright way to be; more of a consciousness of taking care of one another (from Kansas City)
96. Heath Ledger will win best supporting actor Oscar (Don from Columbia Canada)
97. The year that we capture Osama bin Laden in early 2009
98. People in early teens and early 20s will start a movement to join a secret society, but won't draw attention of adults and then will soon find out and become concerned about it (catherine from Richmond, CA)
99. We're going to see mounting evidence that microbial life exists on Mars -this appears to be a ding!
100. Seeds and garden products will skyrocket as more people realize that they need to grow their own food, see #81
101. The precursor or the act itself of some disaster will bring us to the fascism we're headed to. The end of the Mayan calendar will lift the yoke of slavery that 450 years brought on S. America. Corporations and government will bring us closer to fascism.
102. Towards end of 2009 Art Bell will return to regular radio (caller from NY)

Sadly remembering Brittany Murphy

I remember Brittany Murphy best in the movie Girl, Interrupted in which she played a girl institutionalized and shown to have rehabilitated. She had a pet cat with her and she was the object of much torment by a character played by Angelina Jolie. Murphy played this role excellently and touched my heart. She has won awards for her roles, most notably for her character of Luanne on "King of the Hill". Try to catch an airing of an episode and remember her genuine, heartfelt voice as Luane; the warmth that brings out so many great moments in this character.

R.I.P. Vic Mizzy

R.I.P. Vic Mizzy, theme music creator for TV show "The Addams Family."

Halloween Music is back on Music Choice

October means Music Choice channel "Sounds of the Seasons" is playing Halloween music. It began on October 15. I've even heard more than I used to hear including "Halloween Scarols" where they take Christmas Carols and change the words to be Halloween-themed. I've heard sound effects, which really are excellent if you find a way to record it into a program on your MP3 player and play them when you drive around the rural areas. The sound of someone being murdered coming from your open top car, driving down a two-lane highway without streetlights... classic way to freak out the distant hermit living in a remote cabin. Here's the complete 2009 schedule in PDF format. The rest of the Music Choice channels can be found on this page.

tickets on sale for The Addams Family Musical on Broadway

In case you missed it, tickets are on sale for The Addams Family Musical set to hit Broadway in spring of 2010. I've already got my ticket for March. I read about the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Yelp.com before purchasing a ticket and went for a 4th row front mezzanine seat. It is not cheap, but I am not holding out until I get to Times Square in hopes to finding a half-price, same-day ticket. When I searched Yelp, I noticed someone commented, paraphrasing, that if you sit below the mezzanine in the rear orchestra, you may not have a full view of the area high above the stage. This fact may or may not matter, depending on how the show is using any stage scenery. I'm not taking my chances.

If you cannot wait that long, then you can see it in the Windy City sometime between Nov. 13-Jan. 10 during its pre-Broadway world premiere run at the Ford Center/Oriental Theatre.

Who's playing Wednesday? Krysta Rodriguez - you can find her in videos online. I have to be objective that the director wants great singers who have great stage presence and from what I've seen, I have no problem with Rodriguez playing Wednesday. It's a separate production from the television shows and the movies and I hope Rodriguez can bring a part of her own dark humor to her performance as Wednesday.

{Article} Edgar Allan Poe finally getting proper funeral

See this article about the Edgar Allan Poe funeral ceremony this weekend in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun had a larger article late last week which includes a few quotes from Poe funeral officiator John Astin.

I once worked with a person who insisted on reading the end of a book first or on finding out from someone the end of a movie before seeing it because they wanted to know how it ended before they got invested. It pissed me off. Well, now comes "The Vampire Diaries" on one of those lame teen TV networks and, though I don't know her any more, I really think this is a show written for someone like her. She would easily predict what will happen and be glad that everything will have a happy ending just like it says on the site for L.J. Smith, the author of the books for which the series is based.

I promise you I hated the show. Here's why: unless you never watched or read a book (aside from the Stephanie Meyers crap) about vampires, you'll know what will happen. At some point I just started to watch the clock and figured out very quickly that the script is perfectly timed. I never noticed this in shows well written. Here's the timeline I noted:

0:00-0:08 Narration a la brooding confession combined with lots of perfect hair, dark wet streets, beating into your head that the lead female dark teenager, Elena, lost both her parents in recent times, heavy amounts of pressure on her to be happy.

At 8 minutes in: Vampire Stefan glamours a person of authority a la Obi Wan Kenobi Jedi mind tricks.

At 9 minutes in: Vampire Stefan and Elena are eye-to-eye, AWKWARD! ...but he's no "Angel."
Sometime in the next ten minutes we're supposed to be all mystified by a crow in a cemetery, fake dry ice fog... are you goths still with me?

At 17 minutes in: Object of importance is planted... the diary.

At 19 minutes in: first ironic joke between human and vampire (aw, if she only knew he was a vampire and how much that is so ironic), gag, cough, gag.

Group scenes with Stefan and the teens involve lots of silent gawking and ditzy blonde comments from the female teen named Caroline, who's no Cordelia Chase.

At 20 minutes in: Elena feels the bond. Oh, yes, Vampire Stefan writes a diary too. Utterly phenomenal stuff, really. More moments of dumb gawking.

At 23 minutes in, we are shown a woman from Stefan's past that, guess what, looks just like Elena!

At 35 minutes in, you see Elena thinking Stefan is kind of weird, big HMMMMMMMMM.

At 36 minutes in, the first attempted kill (damn) of a somewhat disposable character. If you didn't know that walking alone in the dark in a suburban forest well lit by set lights was dangerous, well, bad girl sex addict, you will soon find out. The character is named Vicki (played by "Freaks and Geeks" alum who did 3 episodes, Kayla Ewell), whom by the way is close friends with Elena's brother whom is way too mothered by Elena that it's almost like incest.

At 42 minutes in, we meet the big bad guy of the series, Vampire Damon, played by the botoxifull Ian Somerhalder, remember Locke's "friend" from "Lost"? Yeah, that guy. Sad that he was bearing a completely expressionless face. BUT, and a big but, he was mocking Vampire Stefan referencing the mystical fog and spooky crow! One point goes to Vampire Damon!

At this point I am nearly in tears that it isn't nearly over yet and that I committed to reviewing the pilot episode for this blog, but finally, 51 minutes into the goth-forsaken episode, we see a fight between Damon and Stefan, like some real physical action for about 10 seconds. But Vampire Damon doesn't even growl for real, it's recorded! Damon even needs some special effects to move his face into a frightening sneer! Lots of "men beating chest" and "I'm stronger," and "No, I'm stronger."

At 54 minutes in, the word "vampire" is uttered for the first time by the victim of the attack while recovering in a hospital.

At 59 minutes in, Elena invites Vampire Stefan in... fade to black.

If reading this was sheer agony for you, then try watching this pilot, or rather, don't and spend that time making an effort to do something really important like dye some pretty lace outfit from bright white to midnight black and wear it out on the town with your hair all wild for a drink of some delicious dark red wine with your favorite buddy. Life is too short to spend a minute watching "The Vampire Diaries."

new book: Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman

If you're digging the young adult novels or are seeking something fun to read, check out Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman, his follow-up to his first book King Dork. You may just see him singing in a bookstore soon. He's on tour to promote Andromeda Klein.

Portman, aka Dr. Frank, was the singer in the '80s pop-punk band The Mr. T Experience. In 2006, his first book King Dork was published by Delacorte Press. It went so well that they wanted him to write some more books and songs. His words are brilliant just like the band names that the King Dork character, Tom Henderson, invented, which include Tennis with Guitars, The Mordor Apes, Ray Bradbury's Love-Camel, and The Underpants Machine.

If you are a young adult/teen reader, you can volunteer at one of the signings or by contacting him ahead of time to plan which passage you want to read from in either book.

Here's an article from The East Bay Express.

video: Peter Murphy sings with NIN on "Reptile"

You cannot see much:


Or watch this.

video: Charlie Rose Interview with Guillermo del Toro

If you are nearly through with reading The Strain, by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro then watch the Charlie Rose Interview with Guillermo del Toro. It won't spoil it.

I really loved so many passages in this book. It's not as dense as I have seen some horror stories. The Strain makes for a great summer read if you just want some meaty vampire fiction.

Del Toro and Hogan's shrewdly chosen details of each scene is filmlike. You see the landscape, the toy that the child is touching and the food that they're eating as part of the physical setting and then, WHAM!, their entire fate comes into question in seconds and then its over.

Taking a slower pace at the beginning helps the reader grasp a sense of the characters whom are genuine humans they would personally know. The intro is a contrast to the faster paced action towards the middle and end of the book by its careful unfolding mysterious occurrence on a TransAtlantic Flight, following a planetary event, when suddenly chaos begins to develop on the tiny island of Manhattan. The beginning takes a little too long, for my short-attention mind wanting instant action. At first I became increasingly concerned I would not find it unpredictable, but it actually kept me really surprised and I loved even what I knew was about to happen.

"It's as sexy as rectal cancer," del Toro says to Charlie Rose. Yeah, there were definitely parts of the story that made me question if I should be reading during the part of lunch where I enjoy a snack. Somehow the gory images got to me. Milk is definitely a metaphor... pretty cool, too.

I hope it does have a sequel. Del Toro hints at it in the interview.

Caution, if you check out the book's trailer, you should have already gotten to the chapter titled "The Second Night" or what you see could dampen your own imagination from adding more to the image of the "beast" in the book.

True Blood Paper Dolls!

True Blood paper dolls!. Designer and cartoonist Andy Swist has debuted a printable paper-doll collection based on characters from the series. There's a contest, too, and a hilarious video explaining their plans to do more paper dolls.

Jerichow in theatres now

Jerichow is one of my favorite films from the 2009 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival. Read the review of the film I added to Netflix. It is German language, subtitled in English.


Lead actor Benno Furmann has also starred in The Princess and the Warrior and in the film Joyeux Noel.

Michael Jackson's accident during the Pepsi shoot revealed

Unearthed graphic video (you've been warned) of the pyrotechnics injuring the 25-year old Michael Jackson while shooting a Pepsi commercial.


I have a theory as to why Jackson must have not felt the burning flames until the stage crew started to put it out: the alcohol in the hair product he used burned off initially before the flames scorched his scalp and face. The look on his face as he is picked up off the floor and escorted out is of shock from the pain. But I think he smelled the burning by the time he hits the main stage where he begins singing because he begins to take off his jacket, which he didn't do in the first take. He may have thought his clothes caught fire. It is quite obvious that safety precautions were not taken such as wearing non-flammable products and having a Michael Jackson stunt double first rehearse it several times to test the timing of the pyrotechnics before using pyrotechnics with the real Michael Jackson. The recovery from 2nd and 3rd degree burns is not always smooth; a risk of infection is always possible and the scarring can still cause pain to the touch while it is healing. The unfortunate fact is that he may never had become addicted to pain killers if this preventable accident had not occurred.

Enki Bilal - Animal'z on exhibit and up for auction in France

Here is a Google translated interview with graphic artist, writer and filmmaker Enki Bilal by Alexandre Phalippou of the La Tribune where Bilal explains why he "will be exhibiting at Artcurial the 350 cases of [his] latest BD, Animal'z from 8 July to 10 September. They will then be auctioned on 19 September."

worst faux pas, bad man Joe Jackson using his son's death to plug label

Joe Jackson plugging his label... no way, shut up!??? Yup, I watched him do it on the red carpet, too.

Whether people are sad or not about Michael Jackson suddenly dying before his 50-date concert event, no one seems to ponder for a minute that fans and his family would have been traumatized at seeing him collapse to his death on stage while performing. The media would have gotten hold of footage of it and endlessly replay it to the horror of the family and young fans.

Rolling Stone magazine blogged the new rehearsal images where you can tell from the light shining silhouetting the dark shirt under the yellow sleeves (possibly the sleeves were tailored for his ease of movement) how painfully thin Jackson was and couldn't have weighed more than 120-130 lbs. at 5'10".

In addition, I'm guessing that he had been on and off addicted to pain killers that were prescribed following his surgeries. Anyone withdrawing from pain meds will go through headaches, vomiting and diarrhea, which can account for significant weight loss. Following withdrawal, you may feel well, but putting your body through perspiring and daily heightened physical activity while being 50 years old... the heart just cannot take it unless it is closely monitored every day and the person is eating and hydrating enough to withstand the calories they're burning and the fluids that they're losing.

No one is talking about whether or not he had his vitiligo condition dealt with via depigmentation therapy with Monobenzyl Ether of Hydroquinone. It is applied topically for lightening the skin, killing the melanocytes. Side effects are skin irritation and inflammation, however its ingredients are found in disinfectants, germicides, condoms and rubber aprons. Just makes you wonder how the body can tolerate these chemicals along with repetitive use of anesthetics for cosmetic surgery.

I listened to Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM on Friday night and he said that he never would have revealed this info while Jackson was alive, but he was living in Pahrump, NV, up until recently. It makes sense that Pahrump would be a secluded and sparsely populated town to hide out, but also the dry climate is better for people who have health problems including muscle aches and aching bones or sore joints. It is a little over an hour between Pahrump and Las Vegas and he could have retained the doctor, who is based out of Las Vegas, and who was with him when he died, while he was living in Pahrump.

While I hear the media speculate on whether or not he was given meds in the 24 hours leading up to his death, no one is mentioning how much we learned about prescription drug abuse from Heath Ledger's accidental overdose.

If Jackson was given any prescriptions to treat anxiety, aching muscles, and insomnia, the "cocktail mix" of these medicines even at prescribed dosages could be intolerable for someone with no food in their stomach and for someone with a lightweight build. Breathing will slow first. Without lung function, the heart slows and then stops. Why individuals are not able to be resuscitated could be because the toxicity level was far greater than understood before CPR is administered.

His entire life is a duality of great success and a very long, sad story. I am not re-watching the rebroadcast of "Living with Michael Jackson" story that aired in 2003. It's too difficult to watch him feed Blanket aka Prince Michael II while his legs are shaking the baby on his lap. Jackson hated this documentary. I hope the family finds closure soon and that the media finds some way to evolve past the scandals (the media never will, but I can hope). I choose to enjoy the pre-90s era of his career because I can appreciate the effects and influence his dance and music had on many pop and non-pop artists to follow. His use of costume in his changing image and his media stunts have all been repeated but never could be duplicated. I did tear up at seeing an emotional Janet Jackson followed by Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo's duet of "I'll Be There."

Tetro Q&A with Coppola on June 26, 2009

It's not really a "Wednesday" type of movie, but Tetro will be presented with a Q&A to follow by Francis Ford Coppola on Friday, June 26, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Sundance Kabuki in San Francisco.

{article} There's an art to writing on Facebook or Twitter -- really

A while back I posted about Twitter. Today I read a new article relating to the nonsense people choose or not choose to read from their tweeting friends. The entire left panel of this article lists the DOs and DON'Ts. I especially agree with "DONT: Tweet like some celebs"... EXACTLY: They don't know how to write!... They leave out crucial facts. One wonders if there will be a revolution from this instant message madness where Twitter and Facebook accounts will require the "joiner" to write a complete sentence that makes sense and actually contains something of substance in less than 15 seconds.

NPR: Joss Whedon - Slayers, Dolls and Singing Villains

Three months ago I wrote this below entry about "Dollhouse" and I want to state here that I'm glad I stuck with it and that Fox is sticking with it!

original post on 3/10/09 at 6:26PM
This is an excellent conversation that Joss Whedon has with NPR's David Bianculli about his new show "Dollhouse" which airs on Fox on Friday nights.

Watching the first four episodes of "Dollhouse" I am not sold on it, but I'm sticking with it. I was eager to love it, but then the constant flesh-sploitation of the women characters was a turn off for me. I care more about what's often going on with the characters that have two lines such as Amy Acker's Claire Saunders.

The interview also extensively covers Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog with samples of the musical commentary that can be found on DVD as an audio commentary musical track.

(SNL) Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals

It is very TV Funhouse-like to use live animals so in a way it is a nod to Robert Smigel's twisted sense of humor except the sketch is missing the puppet characters. Andy Samberg is a perfect soundalike and lookalik to Mark Wahlberg.

(SNL) Giraffes!

I found this and remembered that I loved it the first time and I love it even more now! It's made by the Dudes aka The Lonely Island

{interview} John Bergin on Spoiler Alert Radio

If you are a filmmaker or graphic artist turning art into film, listen to artist/musician/filmmaker John Bergin being interviewed on Spoiler Alert Radio. It covers a great deal about his work including his making of the movie From Inside.

Addams Family Musical news

Since the last post, more news has come in which includes casting news. The website for Addams Family Musical is using portraits of the Charles Addams-drawn characters so when you mouseover each one, you see which actor is playing the character. If you click on "tickets", you can subscribe to updates. I was able to find a ticket for the Oriental Theatre shows (Chicago) in a search today although it says public sale is 5/29/09. The musical is scheduled to begin previews on Broadway (NYC) on March 4, 2010 and to open on April 8. I would rather wait to see it on Broadway so I can visit friends in NY and take them to a show.

Not looking good for the show Reaper

Some are predicting that "Reaper" is not going to be renewed. It's a shame. It barely had a chance and it's really a very hilarious show. Actor Tyler Labine, whom plays Sock, will likely be seen again, maybe as soon as Fall 2009 on Fox's "Sons of Tucson". Ray Wise plays the Devil and will have no shortage of work.

She played the girl in the hood...

...actually a little red riding hood. Finally!!! The short film starring Christina Ricci as Little Red Riding Hood will soon be available to watch on DVD. It was back in 1997 that the award-winning film played several film festivals. Those who caught it then, and later on the Sundance Channel, swooned at the site of Ricci being hunted down by a beautiful wolf creature played by dancer Timour Bourtasenkov. Narrator Quentin Crisp eloquently told the tale of a teen's first exploration into danger. It's available on June 16, 2009, so don't hesitate on adding this one to your collection.

Berkeley, CA's The Bone Room will be on Mythbusters

Store owner Ron Cauble has just reported that The Bone Room will be on Mythbusters in an upcoming episode.

Here's a video recently made about the store.

opening this weekend Isabel Samaras: Into The Woodz in San Francisco

One of Wednesday's top 5 favorite artists in the world is has a show opening at the Shooting Gallery this weekend. Saturday, 5/9, from 7pm-11pm stop by 839 Larkin St. in San Francisco to meet the artist, Isabel Samaras. Plus you can buy some art, her book called On Tender Hooks, postcards, limited edition items which includes her art on a limited edition plate and get into her twisted take on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

UPDATE: preview the show where you can see incredible detail of the paintings unframed. The paintings are beautifully framed and at least two are framed in wood frames that have bear bites in the wood. The opening on Saturday was very well-attended with so many fans and newcomers squeezing into the modest space to take in Isabel's extraordinary artwork. I bought her book, On Tender Hooks and the postcard book. Both items contain the painting that I acquired in 2003 called "Wednesday the Destroyer." That particular painting is done with the idea that the heads of the dolls Wednesday owns are hung around her neck much like Kali's garland of fifty human heads.

this weekend: Dennis Nilsen Crimes That Shook The World

Dennis Nilsen will be on Investigation Discovery for the show Crimes That Shook the World. Tonight's airing is a repeat so I'm so glad I found it on the schedule and there are a few airings of it in the future. I had mentioned him before on the website.

Nilsen is the least covered on shows such as the ones found on Investigation Discovery. There are many other documentaries about so other serial killers. I think it is the most fascinating case because he preceded Jeffrey Dahmer. While living in London, working as a civil servant, he killed 15 men whom he befriended at the local pubs and, in each case, the book depicts his acts of disposing the bodies over a period of five years. Author Brian Masters wrote about Nilsen in the book Killing for Company. As the title indicates, Nilsen was, for several reasons, a victim of loneliness while at the same time his diary documents his guilt over the accumulation of victims. I remember when Dahmer was thought to be a unique case. He was saving bodies like Nilsen. Then trying to dispose of them in pieces. I don't keep the details in the front of my mind as they're very grim. They were both necrophile serial killers, but one difference is that Dahmer practiced cannibalism on his victims. You can see an excellent docu-drama titled Dahmer with Jeremy Renner expertly portraying Jeffrey. I'll post a review of it after viewing it. 

UNEDITED REVIEW of the episode: The video matches what I imagined while reading Masters's book. The English accent provides authenticity to the vivid details of evidence found in the plumbing. The actor who plays Nilsen was very understated and he looks very similar to Nilsen. I think it is remarkable that they put Nilsen in the back seat of the car without handcuffs and when he admits to how many more victims there are, the driver nearly drove off the road. The episode's x-ray graphics of the crime scene and the lighting of the re-enactments were well done. Nilsen's story is a modern day Jekyll and Hyde story where he'd wake up after a drunken stupor and discover he had killed again. He confessed that the decision to kill came from inside him. It took him over. Masters says that he fused love and death when he saw his dead grandfather. I think the most poignant moment was from the guy that survived who says that Nilsen tried to revive him. "Was he my killer or my savior?" The authorities don't state this but they discovered that Nilsen's first victim was a 14-year-old boy. Couldn't this also classify him as a pedophile if he had sex with him before he killed him?

R.I.P. Andy Hallett

I am devastated at hearing of the passing of the superb actor Andy Hallett. He played one of the best characters in the Whedonverse on television: "Lorne" from "Angel". He was an owner of a nightclub, able to read any person by having them sing for him. One of many memorable performances includes the song "Lady Marmalade" he sang in the "Vegas" episode called "The House Always Wins". He says in this interview that this was his favorite episode on "Angel."

I attended an event where he appeared as a guest. He mentioned briefly that he was ill earlier that year, but performed for us as if he was on top of the world. We never wanted him to leave. His presence in the room was obvious, but he was also generous and kind to his fans.

Like his fans, his fellow cast members must be just in shock. My thoughts are with Andy's friends and family; I wish them strength in saying farewell to whom they all must feel touched their souls.

Addams Family Musical - Broadway date set for April 2010

'Addams Family' musical sets date and here's a description, "Wednesday, eighteen years old and finally feeling what it means to be a woman," oh, that ought to be funny in a dark sort of way.

Official site for the Chicago premiere

I just hope it is a musical dark comedy, emphasis on dark, and that it honors Charles Addams, as it should.

Enki Bilal - Animal'z

My favorite European comic book artist is Enki Bilal, his new book is called Animal'z. I found an excellent documentary posted on Youtube that dates back to 1986.

This is a look at Animal'z.


I am working on the English translation.
the beginning contains a quote by Jean Baudrillard:
L’eau en poudre: il suffit de rajouter de l’eau pour obtenir de l’eau.
Water powder: just add water to get water.

I was able to find a translated interview with the artist, Enki Bilal.

If you are reading this and can read, write and speak French and would like to help me with the English translation of the book, please post in the comments a way to contact you on Myspace or using a format such as name {at} domain {dot} com.

Edited 2013/8 January
The comment from one of the kind Korner readers alerted me to find the link where you can obtain the Heavy Metal magazine January 2012 issue and the sample PDF on that page allows you to see 3 pages that are translated in English, but the entire issue is available for purchase. March 2012 also has 3 pages in the sample PDF, whole issue is available for purchase. Shipping to non-US addresses is possible.

THE PEOPLE VS GEORGE LUCAS trailer/teaser

Looks really good, from a fan perspective of loving the Star Wars IV, V, VI and not loving I, II, III. People this obsessed are fun to laugh at, but then I can look back at when I cringed at seeing Jar Jar and go, yeah, I felt ripped off. Jar Jar is not made of a miniature, human-operated, mechanical action figure we can touch and we missed that realism. We liked the scrappy methods of the 70s with the first movie; stop-motion animation in those grand scale scenes.

I understand, though, fans have a right to feel cheated after investing mostly their own money into the first three movies. They lost the joy in continuing on the path of collecting memorabilia. I agree, you have to constantly assess where your heart's at and draw a line at where it won't go.

Bye Y'all, "This is It"

Michael Jackson mocked on the new Late Night with Jimmy Fallon blog.

Victoria, Australia's wild life suffers terribly from the wild fires: please help!

Video of Sam the Koala drinking from a water bottle, found by a fireman

Kangaroos, possums, wombats and reptiles are scorched!

Help is needed and you can donate to the Bush Wildfire Appeal. Almost a million animals have perished but more are starving and showing up on the doorsteps as they are docile creatures, unafraid of humans. People are bringing them to the animal sanctuaries and the shelters need donations to keep them safe and healthy until they can be released back into the wild. Sacrifice your week's worth of cappuccinos, burritos, pizzas, takeout or snack foods and use the money to donate and save the wild animals.

The currency exchange from US to Australia dollars favors the US dollar. You can use a credit card to make a tax deductible donation online.

Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe

I went to Baltimore, MD, the weekend of January 30, 2009, to see a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe.

I enjoyed the songs masterfully and beautifully sung by Paula McCabe which included "Annabel Lee," "Amazing Grace," and "Auld Lang Syne."

The first act was a comedic play by John Spitzer of Fraudulent Productions, "Some Words With A Mummy," adapted from Poe's short story and it was particularly fascinating to learn about the Scarabaeus tribe, where Poe's short story describes "...all the Scarabaei embalmed accidentally while alive, are alive now. Even some of those purposely so embalmed, may have been overlooked by their executors, and still remain in the tomb."

The highlight was seeing John Astin on stage performing the poems of Poe and offering his eloquent perspective on Poe's writings, particularly surrounding the demons that haunted Poe throughout his life. Works we heard were "Alone," "The Conqueror Worm," "The Masque of the Red Death," "To Helen," "Annabel Lee," "The Raven," "Eureka," as well as others. Astin's stage presence was breathtaking and energized by the content of the poems. His sensitivity to the verse and meanings behind the words was profound. I hung on every word of "The Raven" as Astin added understated hand gestures, drawing us deeper into the story: "Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor."

He closed with the mentioning of Poe's "Eureka" and explaining that the book Darkness at Night: A Riddle of the Universe devotes chapter 13 to Poe ("The Golden Walls of Edgar Allan Poe") because of "Eureka". Astin paraphrases some of Eureka -- the part in its entirety here: "If I venture to displace, by even the billionth part of an inch, the microscopical speck of dust which lies now upon the point of my finger, what is the character of that act upon which I have adventured? I have done a deed which shakes the Moon in her path, which causes the Sun to be no longer the Sun, and which alters forever the destiny of the multitudinous myriads of stars that roll and glow in the majestic presence of their Creator." Astin goes on to state that the author of Darkness at Night found Poe's words to be quite ahead of Einstein's time and his theories.

When the show concluded, John Astin sat and met the members in the audience, including myself pictured with him above.

I have to commend the organizers of the events for doing a wonderful job of paying tribute to Edgar Allan Poe. The ability to purchase the Poe postage stamps and other memorabilia made it quite convenient for Poe fans to enjoy the author and be in the company of other fans. The Poe Historical Society members were all dressed in period costume and the raffle at the end of the night included as a prize a cake with Poe's image. You can read more about what took place at the events on their blog.

For more events taking place in Baltimore, bookmark the Edgar Allan Poe Baltimore, Maryland Bicentennial Celebration website.

{article} Poe passion hasn't waned: John Astin keeps his memory alive

The Baltimore Sun did a wonderful write-up of John Astin's tribute to Edgar Allan Poe.

Tickets are available for John Astin appearing at Westminster Hall on January 31 and February 1. Go to: poebicentennial.com.

The Powerpuff Girls Special to air January 19

Set your TV tuners to January 19 for when "The Powerpuff Girls Rule" will air on The Cartoon Network. The one hour show will focus on Mojo Jojo, portrayed by Roger Jackson. Mojo Jojo sings two songs. One of the songs is "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," originally by Tears for Fears. Tom Kenny, whom plays The Mayor and the narrator among other voices on the 10-year old show, attended the premiere event that took place in Los Angeles. He said that Mojo Jojo stole the show, that when Mojo sang "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", it brought down the house.

UPDATE: Here's the full article about the broadcast and marathon of episodes preceding the special airing.

If you catch the new episode, feel free to leave comments under this post. I do moderate comments just to weed out the spam.

Roger Jackson's Robot Chicken episodes

Here are two of the three Robot Chicken episodes that star Roger Jackson

Robot Chicken's tribute to Star Wars #2

Adult Swim recently aired Robot Chicken's 2nd Star Wars tribute episode. I commented after the 1st episode aired in the Adult Swim Robot Chicken forum that the part of Star Wars I wanted to see satired in a Robot Chicken special was the scene where they are being taken to dinner by Lando Calrissian and they are surprised with seeing Darth Vader waiting for them. Here's the way they did it:

And here are two other Robot Chicken funny segments:

Christina Ricci in beautyLIGHT - GQ

Christina Ricci seen in this photo as part of GQ's piece about Matthew Rolston.

more Robert Smigel at SF Sketchfest

Adding to the prior post about SF Sketchfest, tickets are on sale for "The SF Sketchfest Comedy Writing Award: Robert Smigel in conversation with Dana Carvey". You can spend your $32.50 ($25.50 plus the $3.00 order fee plus $4.00 fee for something not described) to attend; seats are general admission. I'm not a fan of the "2 drink minumum" enforced policy at the venue. Easily you can spend $10 on nothing but soda and the tip. They hold your credit card hostage, too.

Have a prediction for 2009?

Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell 2009 Predictions show airs Tuesday and Wednesday, December 30 & 31. How many of 2008 predictions get "bonks"? how many "dings"? I'm gonna try to re-listen to the shows I downloaded last year and, if any have come true and he misses it, I'll use the "fast blast" option to tell him. Do you have any predictions? You can't call in with death or assassination predictions. We all must quiet our dark under-used minds and search our pitiful souls for real predictions for 2009.

(updated 12/8/2020 to remove the call in link)

IFC Documentary: Goth Cruise

Wednesday's worst nightmares: 1) visiting tropical destinations, 2) standing still for more than an hour in the sun, 3) a cruise vacation. Yet, 150 goths did it and IFC is showing the documentary in January 2009.

TV Funhouse and Harold and Maude - SF Sketchfest 2009

SF Sketchfest tickets went on sale today. I'm looking forward to the tribute they're doing for Harold and Maude's Bud Cort. They also have the greatest Comedy Central show live on stage: "TV Funhouse Live with Robert Smigel, Dino Stamatopoulos and Doug Dale featuring the Anipals and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog with Birthday Boys".

No, really, Britney?

The controversy about "If You Seek Amy" song by Britney Spears to sell her album, major groan. I can't believe that she's a mom and seeks this attention after all the crap she has been pulling. There's a San Francisco-based teen coach speaking about it on her blog. What's with the "flirty" pop song now not being so innocent. Is sweet innocence so lame? Let's just give it away, all you girls are worth nothing, give away your sweet innocence! Yeah, be into the material stuff. Look at where it got us?

Stains, the Fabulous Ones

There's this really cool guy that loves the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, in fact, he is THE expert that Rhino Entertainment contacted in preparation for the DVD release of the movie. They didn't budget for a commentary so he recorded one and posted it online. And, yes, there's a blog on Myspace explaining the details of how it all came to be that he recorded a commentary. It's probably the best gift you can give a music fan for the holidays or any occasion.

Edgar Allan Poe - Bicentennial Events

Wednesday's heart doth skipped a beat having wondered if she possibly missed the tickets-on-sale date to any of the 2009 Bicentennial Events honoring one of her favorite writers, Edgar Allan Poe. The events in her deeply-focused mind feature John Astin, yes, the famous John Astin whom portrayed Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family" and whom has starred in one-man shows portraying Mr. Poe.

In her careful analysis of flight options from the West Coast to Baltimore, she notes that major inaugural events are occurring near this time, therefore, it may be difficult to cheaply fly to the ones taking place Jan. 17 and 18. Perhaps many other travelers are using those flights to get themselves as near to DC as possible.

Then, with much more curiosity and desire for honoring the much celebrated writer, she spies further down the events page that it states, "The major event after January will be the funeral for Edgar Allan Poe complete with a horse drawn hearse with period coffin and body. This promises to be the big event of the bicentennial. The date will be Saturday, October 10, 2009. Due to the high level of interest two services will be held." Most intriguing, but not surprising, "John Astin has shown great interest presiding over the funeral." Oui, mon amour, how does one not take great interest, indeed!?

Edgar Allan Poe will also be celebrated outside of Baltimore, mostly for the fact that he spent 13 years in Richmond, Virginia. Poe wrote in a letter, "I am a Virginian--at least I call myself one, for I have resided all my life, until within the last few years, in Richmond." The Poe Revealed 2009 events page has many offers of ways to celebrate Mr. Poe.

Other cities with events include, Philadelphia, Boston, Eagle, Wisconsin; possibly The Bronx, NY.

And there's an RSA Conference using Edgar Allan Poe as the theme of their event because Poe was interested in crytography.

"Good Dick" is big screen-worthy

I saw Good Dick tonight. It's completely self-distributed and worthy of being seen in the theatres because you're not giving money to the big honchos running any studios. The story is refreshing especially for anyone completely disappointed in the "instant love shit" on the big screens nowadays; recycled stories year in and year out. In Good Dick you witness friends looking out for each other, a dark character escaping into her head, a good guy that wants to save her from herself, and nothing cliché about relationships, thank you.

Marianna Palka is the "Woman" whom also wrote and directed the film. Her whole persona emits "outcast," "can't deal with people," "hate anyone who pays her any attention," it is hopeless if they even breathe in her direction. She gives credit to the damaged people cast out from the everyday cliques, ridiculed as outsiders by the "in-crowd"; called rejects, losers, and pathetic. But the video store clerk relentlessly tries to get her to open up to him. He sees a real person and not someone weird as his friends call her. Any inch she lets him have only encourages him and it scares her; she bosses him around in return and calls him ugly. I felt for her because she was crying out for kindness but rejected every notion that he's good to her.

"Man" is played by Jason Ritter, son of the late, wonderful actor John Ritter. "Man" is truly faithful, loyal and takes the other path that is not of least resistance. We see a character, for a change, embrace selflessness.

Jason Ritter, holds his own, he doesn't need a famous last name to carry him. He's one of the most truthful actors that I have faith will not sell out, does not want the fame. I can count on one hand the genius actors not using publicity stunts to get themselves noticed. He spoke after the film with so much passion for "the work" and, in watching his character, you can feel that he loves the "Woman" and takes pride in his movie knowledge. He has some really comical moments that had the audience laughing at the pain he's enduring to show this woman how much he cares.

I asked the two actors who appeared for a Q&A what it was like working with the great Charles Durning and Marianna said that he decided to do the movie from reading the script. He told dirty jokes that they couldn't use in the movie, but funny jokes. Jason Ritter tried to see that line between off camera and when they call action; he said Charles Durning is seamless. He's in the frame of mind and ready when the director is ready. He used his own physicality to convey what he was saying and brought so much to this role to flesh out his character's wisdom. There's a history to this person just walking in off the street. His character says something memorable and validating to the whole "quest" that you've been on with the "Man."

The story's "Man" tells her, "I care about you," after she has just said something mean. He isn't chasing her to "win" her; he's standing by her and helping her to be a person again. I look at scenes like this and recall these conversations overheard in public and almost want to say to some woman, "Give me his number, if you're going to be so mean to him." Women are so high maintenance and I always think, no wonder men are just so burnt out that they remain bachelors because they just want to go from one woman to the next. The newness never gets old and is more fun than someone that takes them for granted a few months into the relationship. If they can notice the quiet people who are overlooked, see them as real people capable of loving them, maybe these guys would be less inclined to give up. Women, too. At the end of the screening, Ritter says, "You are not going to live forever and to live without knowing real love between you and someone else, you truly haven't lived."

I predict that this will not be the last we heard of Good Dick. I predict it willl do well with IFC's Independent Spirit Awards. In fact, it is rather curious that Marianna Palka said "Cassevetes" in describing what they're doing by self-producing, self-distributing the film.

Martin Starr is also another reason I wanted to see this film. I have a soft spot for all "Freaks and Geeks" stars because they were short-changed in having that series end way too soon. He played Bill Haverchuck so perfectly in that series. He looks so different all grown up and has a unique subtlety that makes everything he does appear natural.

If you go to the film's website, turn "Sound" to "OFF" so that you can play the trailer without the music that is on the website.
_________________________

I can't go further without having to say that I cringed, when walking home, at hearing some people of the "TRL" generation right behind me refer to the last series John Ritter worked on with the wrong title (it was "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter"), and then, not even acknowledge "Three's Company". I power-walked away from these fools making me feel old.
_________________________

On a side note, the screening didn't start out too well for me because I got up to use the bathroom, leaving a tent-like flyer on the seat to hold it for myself along with my notebook, popcorn and cup of water on the arm of the chair. It looked like it was all intentional on holding a seat. I do it often. I return and some people right from "The Hills", a yappy large group, arrived while I was away. They moved my stuff to the row in front of them--too close to the screen--taking my seat on top of four more. When I ask them if they moved my stuff and they told me in this unapologetic tone, "Oh, we thought someone left it there." I was looking on the floor to check at their feet for anything that fell and there was the flyer on the floor. Some girl asks, "Is there anything you left there?" Yeah, I friggin' marked my spot so I could come back to it... I didn't intentionally leave my stuff abandoned to never return to it. Oh, man, fucking idiots, typically all you get in San Francisco under 30 now, that feel entitled, act self-centered and don't give a shit about anyone. I moved across the aisle where I had to view the screen at an angle with the exit sign screaming into my eyes. Fortunately, the film was much better than anyone I loathed at the moment so I enjoyed it anyways.

video test

I'm testing the ability to upload a video I captured and edited in Quicktime from The Castro Theatre on October 18. The pre-show organ performance always closes with the tune "San Francisco" from the same-titled Clark Gable movie. I was using my Powershot Canon S330 video function.

Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott

This pic is from October 18 when both House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows played at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. Rarely has the Castro had such a large turnout of fans on a beautifully, summer-like Saturday night. Left in photo is Lara Parker who played Angelique on "Dark Shadows" and Kathryn Leigh Scott was famous for playing Josette and Maggie Evans.

They told some really great stories about the mishaps and low-budget filming techniques they endured. Like the time that Lara Parker's eyebrows were burned off from the excess lighter fluid when she lit the house of cards, which she built for an incantation. instead of a slow fire, there was a tiny burst of fire and it was gone. They patiently took questions and were kind to spend the best part of the weekend with us.

We were very excited to see rare footage being restored of Night of Dark Shadows.

Fans are waiting for the day that Johnny Depp brings Barnabas Collins "back to life."

Halloween songs highlighted this week on Music Choice's Sounds of the Seasons

I discovered that Halloween music has its own Music Choice channel. I was just listening to artists such as Laverne Baker from one of several Elvira compilations, nearly every song from her comps have appeared in the mix I caught. Now Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" from the New Wave Halloween album. Definitely material we would hear if listening to Dr. Demento. The other night there was an interpretation of "The Addams Family" theme song by someone I never heard of and then tonight "Addams Groove," by MC Hammer, likely from the first movie soundtrack (it's from Drew's Famous Halloween Party Music 2). Just as I type is the John Carpenter score "Michael's Sister" from Halloween II Soundtrack. It's pretty great. Twilight Zone by John Williams/Boston Pops Orchestra. Nice.

Plus they have trivia statements from news, people born on Halloween, movies, vampire facts, and little to do with the song itself. Halloween cities: Transylvania, NC. Gee, what's it like there!? Yeah, some are downright hoaky.

I heard the worm song the other night. "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, The worms play pinochle on your snout." So some of it is great for kids, like from the Chipmunks voice: Andrew Gold's, "Trick or Treat" song. But some might be scary. It's very random. The dates of some of the music can be obvious. Lots of bad crap from the 80s and 90s. Twice I've heard "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper (Elvira comp. again with her voice over the song near the end). 'Weird Al' Yankovic's "Nature Trail to Hell" is a cheesy high point. Yankovic is a vegetarian, according to Music Choice.

Cheesy goth music: Song called "Druids" by some musicians that call themselves Midnight Syndicate with a website that makes you click twice before you can find a menu that tells you much of anything.

But the stuff from the 60s and 70s can be remarkably cool. The Ran-Dells doing sugary harmonies on a novelty pop song called "Martian Hop" in 1963. It is much less predictable than incessantly playing "Monster Mash".

I love that they will play the theme from Psycho by Bernard Hermann. I have a Bernard Hermann collection on vinyl but no way to play it.

Dave Edmunds' "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" is a good saloon song, from 1979.

They also have scary sound effects, literally, that's the title of the album, song is "The Phantom Theremin Orchestra," which really is creepier than it sounds. Like you're spinning in a tornado of mosquitos.

And, indeed, it helps me stop the channel surfing for a while. This is what one should do on a Monday night anyways.

The Powerpuff Girls 10th Anniversary Collection and the upcoming TV Special

"The Powerpuff Girls" 10th Anniversary Collection will be released on DVD January 20, 2009
Stay tuned for the Cartoon Network's schedule because sometime in December they will air "The Powerpuff Girls" TV special in which Roger Jackson plays Mojo Jojo singing two songs. One of the songs is "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," originally by Tears for Fears. Roger says that it was a lot of fun making this special and he looks forward to seeing it on TV.

Patti Smith: Dream of Life movie by Steven Sebring

San Francisco's Lumiere theatre was packed with people on October 19 for the special appearance of Patti Smith and Steven Sebring as their documentary Patti Smith: Dream of Life was about to screen. In the film she says when someone asks me, "How does it feel to be a rock icon, it makes me think of Mt. Rushmore." That's the wit we're dealt by this poet-singer-artist as she talks about her life.

She travels to places across the globe including Rome, Jerusalem, the graves of Gregory Corso, Arthur Rimbaud, and William Blake. Some precious moments are of her with her family and of her feeding a cemetery cat.

She's gentle in person and ferocious on stage whether it be footage of her live performances or of her war protests. Every time her live performances were shown, my hair stood on end. This is the effect she has on me live.

Guest appearances in the film include Philip Glass, Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, and Flea (the latter compare peeing in a bottle stories).

We get to watch her paint as she confesses that she always wants to touch the paintings in museums, especially de Kooning's. She talked about Pollack's inspiration from Picasso's Guernica and that the drip from the tooth of the tiger in that painting is where he found a technique that hadn't been done before.

She had just came in from Australia and was terribly jetlagged, but wanted to answer questions for us. Someone asked her about how she met Robert Mapplethorpe. She said that he was her boyfriend and that they had met at Pratt College in Brooklyn. They found a way to continue to work together and remain friends until he died.

In a request for her to talk about her late brother Todd, whom had died from a rheumatic heart, she proudly exclaimed, "Isn't he handsome?" She recalled the time she came off stage in 1978 and backstage were Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and her brother Todd. They were all the same age and she said that we all knew who was the hottest guy in the room.

Filmmaker Steven Sebring said that there was more music in the film, but those scenes that included music on the radio that was too expensive to obtain the rights to, had to be cut. In no way did they plan the filming around having to obtain rights of books used in the film or music that was naturally playing in the background in cafes or other locations. They let the filming process be as natural as possible and then worried about copyright permissions later.

Afterwards, Smith was signing the book that was released to go along with the film.

Into The Unknown with George Noory schedule

Into the Unknown with George Noory will air for one week on the SciFi Channel
schedule
full week airing dates below

DESCRIPTION:
(from Sci Fi's press release) Into The Unknown with George Noory, a late night television special exploring the realm of the unexplained. George Noory is host of Coast to Coast AM, a radio program nationally syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. The show is the most listened to overnight radio program in North America, heard by nearly three million listeners each week on approximately 500 stations in the U.S. and Canada.

Check your local cable tv station listings:
11/16/08 (Su.) 11:00 PM SCI FI (#101) REINCARNATION
11/17/08 (Mo.) 11:00 PM " (#102) WITCHCRAFT
11/18/08 (Tu.) 11:00 PM " (#103) MONSTERS
11/19/08 (We.) 11:00 PM " (#104) UFO'S
11/20/08 (Th.) 11:00 PM " (#105) LEGENDS & LORE

Movie Review - From Inside at Dead Channels 2008, San Francisco, CA - Oct. 3 & 5 screenings

Wednesday attended the two screenings of From Inside as part of the Dead Channels Festival at the Roxie Theatre, Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The audience members were a mix of tattooed-hair-dyed goth punks and average looking 30-something fans of animation wanting to see the "new blood." In total about 25-30 people were in attendance. Ironically, San Francisco experienced its first rains of autumn within hours following the first screening, as if in honor of From Inside's torrents of blood raining from the sky. However, the second screening fell on a bright balmy Sunday severely contrasting any dour outlook you have when the movie is over.

The graphic novel From Inside, written, painted and inked by John Bergin, was published in 1992 by Kitchen Sink Press. It has remained timeless in showing how vulnerable humans are to the whims of the people around them as they are the only survivors of a nuclear attack. Its characters are traveling on a train, just barely holding onto life. The main character, Cee, faces bleak prospects, being in her last trimester of pregnancy. She's dealing with some denial about what's to come. In the transformation of page to screen, the drama unravels steadily with a subtle narration by Corryn Cummins, balanced by a dark, ominous score from Jeff Rona and a sound design by Dustin Blegstad that draws us into the post-apocalyptic journey. Bergin's panels become richly animated with flowing rivers of blood and billowing caustic black smoke. Faces of fellow passengers beckon for hope in some of the most vivid images of despair. Bergin chooses to use animation techniques that delay the action and hold onto moments, which honors the quiet doom that permeates throughout the story. Some scenes from the book have more of an impact when animated such as when they come upon the herd of buffalo. Unfortunately, the story reveals all too well that perseverance is futile.

The novel-to-film process began for Bergin in mid-2005 and is well detailed on his blog. In order to stay updated on the movie's festival run, follow John Bergin's blog and Wednesday's Korner using Google Reader to subscribe to the blogs in order to view all the new posts.

Pilot for Cartoon Network

Roger Jackson phoned and informs me that he was recently in the studio working on a pilot called "The Regular Show" for the Cartoon Network. "Guess who was in the studio with me!" says Roger. "Oh, I don't know," I answer. "Mark Hamill." Roger says he's a great guy and really fun to work with. Roger plays the Evil Voice and the Groundskeeper, while Hamill plays the Yeti. This is a show currently in production so there's no word on when it will ever air, but the blog will provide updates if there's any news.

We recalled a show we loved, that also had a Yeti, with superheroes comprised of marionettes. It was a scrappy version of Thunderbirds Are Go. Unfortunately, canceled by MTV before it even had a chance. It was called "Super Adventure Team," created by Robert Cohen and Dana Gould was the executive producer. The only identifiable real name actor is Daran Norris, but all the other actors had to fake their names in the credits. So it's been ten years since the show was on MTV and we both have a bootlegged DVD of all the episodes. Of course, Roger pulls a quote from it right out of thin air.

If anyone ever wondered what it is like to talk to Roger, the Ghost Voice from the Scream movies, on the telephone, well, I'll tell you. If you don't have caller ID, it's even more of a treat as he impersonates all sorts of people when you answer. This time, I saw it was him calling, so when I answer I just say, "Hi!" He was doing his Arnold Schwarzenegger voice which is Dana Carvey's impersonation skills multiplied times 100. He called just before The Sarah Conner Chronicles show (we both admit that we watch to see how great Summer Glau is on screen, though feel she deserves a better show). He tells me the news about his recent work, then goes back to the Arnold voice while the show is on, so I say, "This is just so much better than MST3K, but you should do Arnold a la Beavis and Butthead." The next five minutes is exactly that, Arnold's voice coming out of Roger's mouth with the stoner humor of Beavis and Butthead. "Oh, geez, that's a big haüs, heh-heh. They needz to vater their graz. Vhere'z the Terminator?! I vant to see the Terminator! Oh, yah, there she izz!" But it was funnier because his mind is so quick, I was laughing too hard to keep track of it all.

We're both fans of "Weeds," too. The announcer on the Mucinex commercial (where Roger is the voice actor playing the green guy) just so happens to be Andy Milder who plays Dean Hodes, Celia's husband. "Andy Milder and Elizabeth Perkins," says Roger, "have got great chemistry on screen."

Other shows we both watch are "Dexter," "True Blood," "Entourage," and "Lost."

Another chance to see John Bergin's From Inside

From Inside, the movie is playing at the Dead Channels Film Festival in San Francisco on Oct. 5 at 2:00 PM Sunday at the Roxie!! It screened first on October 2, Friday, which went perfectly with the storm clouds that brought us the first rains since April.

As previously mentioned Bergin's 71 minute film follows a pregnant woman on a train after a terribly destructive world event. It's tragic, sad and inspires haunting contemplation with unforgettable scenes of bleak landscapes and death. Dead Channels' week-long festival ends October 10 and will show films in San Francisco and in Oakland, CA. The film Latchkey's Lament screens with From Inside and fans of intricate animation and gloomy Sci-fi stories should make this a not-to-be-missed excursion into the City.

Read Dennis Harvey's summation of other movies shown during Dead Channels, which are also fantastically full of dread.

From Inside screens during Dead Channel's Festival of Fantastic Film

From Inside, the movie is playing at the Dead Channels Film Festival in San Francisco on Oct. 3 and Oct. 5!! John Bergin spent thousands of hours inking, painting and numbering the limited edition graphic novel and dedicated even more tedious hours animating it into a 71 minute film. The story of From Inside follows a pregnant woman on a train after a terribly destructive world event. Its tragic, sad and inspires haunting contemplation with unforgettable scenes of bleak landscapes and death. Dead Channels week-long festival begins October 2 and ends October 10 and will show films in San Francisco and in Oakland, CA. The film Latchkey's Lament screens with From Inside and is not a light-hearted screen 'toon about inanimate objects, rather a lively dark tale bounding with the struggle to survive and the quest for vengeance. The big screen is well-justified for both films, well-paired for fans of intricate animation and gloomy Sci-fi stories.

Dexter Season 2 on DVD

take the Dexter Test

Dexter's Psycho Therapy

then get the DVD of Dexter Season 2!

Captivating documentary on HBO

HBO Documentary Film series has featured Heidi Fleiss, Roman Polanski, and another must-see is Rory Kennedy's "Thank you Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House". I just loved the scenes they had of Nixon and Clinton. Really amazing that the White House Press Corps. tries to keep the President of the U.S.A. honest, yet the president's aides are actually telling the president not just what to say but what he cannot say. Who is really leading the country? What I saw here in the documentary makes a shadow government seem evermore possible.

TNT's Saving Grace is the next foray into television for Christina Ricci. Ricci's Emmy nominated work on Grey's Anatomy and work on Ally McBeal appears to have put her on the drama series track. She's playing a detective whom teams up with the series' lead character played by Holly Hunter. The first episode of the 2nd season has already aired and you can find it online or on your cable system's "On Demand" channel under TNT.

Roger Jackson, working all the time

My latest conversation with voice actor Roger Jackson brings excellent news. Coming from Electronic Arts on June 17 is a free downloadable demo called Spore, which is really something to behold. "It'll be revolutionary," says Roger, who plays lots of creatures in this game that will be known as a "Universe in a box." The demo will also be included in the The SimCity Box, which ships on June 23. The full retail version of Spore for PC and Mac launches on September 5, 2008 in Europe and September 7, 2008 in North America and you can import the creatures and worlds you made with the demo into the retail version. It means some more opportunity to use YouTube because, according to the press release, "Gamers can then share these creations with their friends, including seamless uploads to YouTube." Read more about it. He says that he finished the session for The Powerpuff Girls anniversary episode which is for a one-hour time slot, probably will air in the Fall of 2008 on the Cartoon Network. A song will be sung by Mojo Jojo; there's only one song in the episode. He can finally talk about the American McGee project called Grimm where he plays all of the voices. "It's puppet theatre meets animation," says Roger. Watch new game episodes weekly, released through Game Tap starting July 31. Listen for Roger's voice in a new release of My Sims in Fall 2008 that will be called My Sims Kingdom. In EA's Dead Space Roger plays a lot of different mutants. Hope the fun jobs keep going to him!

No fear, Reaper is back (midseason) 2009 on CW

The CW network did the smart thing by renewing "Reaper" which I hope remains true because it is not coming back until probably early 2009 as a midseason replacement. The writing is done well and I love the characters played by the actors I've loved in other short-lived series, namely Tyler Labine (Invasion), Ray Wise (Twin Peaks), and Christine Willes (Dead Like Me).

new Portishead album Third releases on 4/29

check out the band's You Tube channel.

Sugar, Spice, and Cartoonstitute

Famous for creating the girls known for "saving the world before bedtime" aka The Powerpuff Girls, creator Craig McCracken and Dexter's Laboratory creator Rob Renzetti have formed Cartoonstitute, "a new initiative designed to dramatically increase the animation development slate" for the Cartoon Network. I hope it really means it will create a lot of new jobs for people in the U.S. and not use cheap labor in foreign countries. I do love the shows that use this cheap labor, however there are so many promising animators-in-training in the U.S. eager to work for a television network like The Cartoon Network. I'll be watching for any developments so check back at Wednesday's Korner for word of any new shows.

 

Update: 11/08/2020 the above link is updated to shed light on why it wasn't developed beyond the formation.

EW interviews Speed Racer filmmakers

Check the latest Entertainment Weekly interview with the Wachowski brothers on Speed Racer due in theatres on May 9. Page 2 of the article shows a link to exclusive photos from the film. Christina Ricci plays Trixie and the exclusive photos can be found of her here and here. Several trailers can be viewed from this site.

Whedon's on Track with Dollhouse

Not really intending the track home community pun, but if you think about it, that'd be a sweet way to set up a loft consisting entirely of track home-style dollhouses. "Little boxes on the hillside..." Anyways, there are newsbits all about Joss Whedon's new TV project called "Dollhouse". I'm looking forward to it and it best damn well not be cancelled after ten shows air.

Penelope Review

Penelope has finally found its opening weekend and my review is as simple as this: Go SEE it in the theatre because it is a rare, wonderful, sharply comedic and quick-moving film. Support a movie in a theatre that uses great set designs which includes art by Joe Sorren and includes music by Sigur Rós. Chase scenes are not predictable. Penelope covers, in a few comical moments, what else would a person do who was confined to one house their entire life? I enjoyed the "who's real" and "who's fake" process of elimination and how one copes when you only find the latter. The characters are well-crafted and played by some of my favorite people, obviously Christina Ricci, but also minor characters played by Burn Gorman (Torchwood), Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead's Nick Frost, and the ever-watchable (getting all the laughs when I saw the movie) Peter Dinklage which you've seen in The Station Agent and Death at a Funeral, plus Marianne Faithfull is in it and she really is as great looking as I remember her from the brief appearance she made in BBC's "Absolutely Fabulous". The story's moral is powerful: embrace individuality. It's as simple as that and I would love a poster of this phrase on every street corner to remind those people that forget to do it.