Happy Turkey Day!

Yes, today is Thanksgiving - or, more commonly known, "Turkey Day".

As a very special treat on the blog - via YouTube - an annotated episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Enjoy!

Pre-Turkey Day Marathon

Thanks to the power of the Internet, you can enjoy the Thanksgiving activities of young people 20ish years ago, when they would gather round to watch reruns of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Ironically, I'm also planning an MST3K/Doctor Who meetup crossover event for next year. Details to follow.....

A Rather Pulp-Toned Week....

This week has seen me attend two - count them, two - job interviews. (OK, so they were phone interviews, but they count). This has seen a jump-start in both my professional and writing life (after yesterday's news, heartened that another pitch was accepted, and have two stories "in the queue" for future publication)....but you're not here to read all that. In that spirit, here's my weekly summary of all my online shenanigans:

• This week's Zone 4 focuses on pulp stuff, whether it is Mark Waid's Rocketeer/Spirit crossover for IDW, his Green Hornet for Dynamite, or BBC's Sherlock. If you want to know more, download and listen....and please like us on Facebook if so inclined.
• Speaking of Sherlock Holmes (and I may have missed this last month), here's my latest post for the Baker Street Blog
• And for the social media "gurus" who read this blog - for the both of you, my latest from One Cause At A Time
• If you would like a chance to meet me up close and personal, please feel free to join me for this really cool Doctor Who-themed event (via Facebook);
• In addition, please come in October when franchises collide!

Two Chances to Meet Doctor 1.5

Many people are unaware that, in the 1960s, two spinoff films were made from Doctor Who featuring Peter Cushing as the title character.

Although many a fan wonders about how "canon" this Doctor is, I'm happy to announce two opportunities for Chicago area fans to view the film. (If you live elsewhere, make travel plans).

First, on July 17th, the Chicago Doctor Who Meetup group is sponsoring a viewing of Dr Who and the Daleks at Third Coast Comics. Please check out the details and if you can make it - RSVP.

If you can't, well, the Doctor Who and Chicago MST3K Meetup groups are doing a joint "official" screening of the Rifftrax version on October 19th at the Irish-American Heritage Center. (Yes, there's a cost involved, but it involves licensing). To express your interest in the event, head on over to the event page and RSVP.

And now, back to job seeking!

RIP Lakeshore Theater

As many of you are aware, the Lakeshore Theater will close its doors this weekend. In tribute, please feel free to view this slideshow of events I attended there...and where I got to meet several of my favorite performers.

Yes, it will be missed. And I'm glad I made it before it closed.

A Very Special Thanksgiving Present from Blog This Pal

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions would be the Mystery Science Theater marathons of bad movies. As a blogger, I feel it is important for me to help further this tradition, especially with kids today, what with their YouTube and their energy drinks....

...but here's my unique little riff courtesy of Rifftrax. (Apologies in advance for the questionable sound - blame their software).

Enjoy, and have a great Thanksgiving!



P.S. If you would like some great Christmas music to listen to, consider this podcast from two years past.

To My Coworkers....

...posture is important in the workplace. I am providing this educational film to support our partners...but more importantly, to improve our posture.

Enjoy!

A Titanic Saturday Night Adventure

Right now, the weather outside is more cold and frigid than Dick Cheney's dark heart, but right now, I'm feeling relatively warm inside.

Last night, I had a chance to not only hang with some new friends, but to meet some individuals who had a great impact on my life.

First, making my way through the snow and yucky weather, I made my way to the Chicago Comics Meetup group at a north side comics shop. Admittedly, I tended to play Mr. Quiet-and-Eavesdropping -On-Other-
Conversations, although at one point, I got to check out some French comics. (They're actually rather impressive - although the only French I know is omelet du fromage, the layouts and art actually help carry the story along). In all honesty, I had to behave myself - I was so tempted to give Terry (a relatively new pal) a hard time - the first time I met him, he had a hard time telling these two characters apart.

But the highlight of the evening was a chance to see Cinematic Titanic perform live riffing at the Lakeshore Theater for one of their upcoming DVD releases.

To be honest, MST3K played a relatively minor role in my life - I watched it in college, but I can't honestly say that I was a fan (at least, until a girlfriend/fiance helped me see the humor in it), and now I can't imagine my life without it (although I can - have been - living it without that particular girlfriend. It was riffing on one of their upcoming releases, and it was a great opportunity to see four of my favorite performers onstage...and to thank them. (The fifth...well, I never really caught that first year of MST3K, so sorry, Josh).

Fortunately, I had purchased a VIP (meaning "front row") and had sat right at the stage...and although tired enough to nod off if not careful, I stayed awake to enjoy every single joke during the badly made Italian horror movie. However, the real surprise came when I decided - totally at the last minute - to get something signed, and to thank the cast for their efforts.

Whenever I've met someone whose work I've admired, I get a little tongue-tied. It's happened repeatedly - Bob Mould (in college), Gail Simone, Bruce Timm, Greg Rucka - call it nervousness or fanboy gushing, but my normal reserve of cool slips away. I end up stammering and quiet, with a nervous deer-caught-in-the headlights look. Such was the same with our intrepid crew, except that they were so....amazing nice and considerate. Whatever is in the Minnesota water, we in Chicago need more of it.

As the long line progressed to the point where my photo was being signed (wasn't sure I wanted to have my new copy of Doomsday Machine signed, so I settled for the generic 8 x 10 glossy). Making my way towards the front, I merely just kept quiet, not wanting to seem extraordinarily goofy...as I approached TV's Frank, the gentleman in front of me removed the cellophane from his DVD, remarking a smart alecky "Aw, you ruined its collectability" from my lips. After Frank, I mumbled a "thank you for getting me through college" to Trace, and almost revealed to a newly married Mary Jo Pehl that I had a crush on her. (Don't judge me!). A casual "thanks/you're welcome" back and forth to Josh emerged, and then I came upon Joel.

What I wanted to say could have taken hours, and the professorial-appearing Mr. Hodgson came across as...well, nice. All I could do was shake his hand and say "thanks." It nearly makes up for me not asking him for a picture (which - since there was no one to take it, and I didn't want to hold up the line - seems like a dumb move).

Making my way into the bitterly cold Chicago air, I dug my car out, and drove home. Except for a need to dig my car out of a snowbank (long story), I made it home effortlessly, and went to sleep. It's hard for me to describe the encounter...so I've included a flickr slideshow, and remarked on my luck this year.

Meeting several of my favorite creators in the same year? If that isn't being fortunate, I don't know what is.

Hey, It's Dance Party Friday!

And here's a little something for you, dear reader:



And at work, I and several of my colleagues will be doing this:

Get Stuffed This Holiday Weekend!

As many of you know, today is Thanksgiving, where we celebrate being grateful for what we eat by basically binging on high-calorie, artery clogging foods.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...but since I'm going to be away from the keyboard for a few days, here are some video goodies for you to enjoy.

The first is Christopher Titus, sharing with us the family warmth that happens throughout the holiday:



Also, Thanksgiving is noted by watching the cult classic Mystery Science Theater 3000. Hopefully, Rifftrax's coding willing, here is a little piece of MST3K meta-weirdness:




Also, Friday marks the 44th anniversary of the debut episode of Doctor Who. If these two posts don't motivate you to celebrate it, consider this little 40th anniversary montage:



Finally, here's Freddie Mercury to put it all in perspective:



Have a great holiday - see you guys on Sunday.