Media Controversy

Crikey! It's the Crocodile Huntah!

I do miss Steve Erwin, one of the most passionate and entertaining naturalists who ever lived. Should footage of his final act and death ever be released to the public? I'm not sure I agree with him, but James Delingpole makes a compelling case.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2014/03/12/steve-irwin-final-moments-death-video

Classic Covers

Batman #207

Batman #207 is probably my favorite comic cover of all time. When I saw it in DC Comics house ads when I was a kid, it scared me to death. So violent, so realistic. Such a sense of urgency and dread. How could Batman and Robin possibly escape that death trap? If the machine guns don’t get them, they’ll drown! I bought this comic as an adult and the story, while not bad, doesn’t quite live up to that stunning cover.

Movies - 300: Rise of an Empire

What I learned from 300: Rise of an Empire:

1. The laws of gravity, centrifugal force and physics did not apply to Ancient Greece.

2. Ancient Persian women were totally liberated and empowered, serving as warriors, generals and all around butt-kickers. They also had a lot of cool smoky black eye makeup.

3. Oceans have hills that boats can come over in a slow, menacing way, just like tanks over a hill in a WWII movie or calvary in a Western.

4. Everything in Greece was on fire all the time.

 

5. Ancient Greeks did a lot of ab work.

Although “campy” would be kind, there is a lot of goofy fun in this sequel to 300. Taking place parallel to, then after the events in that film, Rise of an Empire continues the tale from history, as the Greeks face and defeat Darius of Persia’s navy at Salamis. Once the viewer realizes this is not an attempt at providing a historical document, they can turn off their brain and enjoy the bloody mayhem. And mayhem it is. Eva Green chews some scenery as Greek Admiral and war chief Artemisia fighting for the Persians. Lena Headey reprises her role as Spartan Queen Gorgo from 300. Will this poor woman ever be cast as anything but a belligerent, ill-tempered authoritarian? She’s certainly exploiting that niche for all it is worth. Some generic six-pack guy plays the Greek Admiral Themistokles. He does a great job looking tough and showing the results of 1700 hours worth of sit-ups. This flick does have something for everyone, as smart people can watch to point out historical inaccuracies and dumb people like me can just enjoy it for what it is: a sword and sandal romp through some unexplored historical territory.

Rating: *** stars out of 5

Classic TV Photo

Adam West & Burt Ward on the set of Batman

The 1966 Batman TV show must have been fun to shoot. I think Burt Ward was around 12 years old here. The entire series will be out on DVD this year. Can't wait!

Photo stolen gleefully from Val at http://valeriedorazio.com/.

When I Met Stan Lee

Stan "the Man"

At the same Fandomfest gathering where I met William Shatner last year, I also met up with the great Stan Lee. I first met Stan back in the '80s, when his autographs were free. Now they're $60 per. I had him sign a nice hardcover of the first Spider-Man Marvel Masterworks, now my most prized possession. Geeky but true.

It’s kind of ludicrous, but I admit I wanted to ask Stan for a "Stan Lee" nickname. During Marvel Comics’ heyday in the ‘60s, Stan used to give the creators a goofy nickname in the credits. For example, “Rascally” Roy Thomas, Jack “King” Kirby, “Jazzy” John Romita. Stan himself was Stan “the Man.” I guess I just wanted to tell people Stan Lee gave me an official nickname so I could run around calling myself "Joltin'" Jerry or something.

Stan’s line was around the convention hall and out the door. The convention staff were moving folks through quickly and the line moved fast. Still spry at 90 years old, Stan was all smiles, thriving on love from middle-aged fanboys like me. I approached Stan and handed him my book, which he signed.

“Hi Stan,” I said. “My name is Jerry Smith, would it be possible to get a Stan Lee nickname?”

While Stan’s health is great, in that crowded hall his hearing wasn’t so much. He misunderstood me and thought I wanted my autograph personalized. He smiled and said, "I'm not supposed to, but ... " He took my book from the security goon who had swept it up, intending to write "To Jerry" on it. The goon actually snatched it out of his hand and snarled to me, "Sorry, signature only."

Stan looked at me like he just ran over my puppy, very disappointed he couldn't get me what he thought I wanted.

I smiled back and said, “Don’t worry about it, Stan. There's always next year.”

You gotta love Stan the Man.

Around the ‘Net

One of the most informative sites on the ‘net is Skeptoid, created and hosted by Brian Dunning. I have a deep and abiding interest in “weird phenomena” investigation, and Brian is one of the finest experts in the business. Each week, he does a short podcast about unexplained phenomena or a famous urban legend. He investigates each subject as scientifically as possible and forms intelligent, rational explanations for some of the stories we’ve all heard. Particular favorites include Nostradamus (#66), ghost hunting (#81 and many others), Pope Joan (#353), 9-11 Truthers (#85), UFOs (#94 and many others), the Mothman (#159) and Astrology (#173). The Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter (#331) is a particular favorite, since it takes place in Kentucky. I heard the story years ago and it was so bat-crap crazy I couldn’t make heads or tails out of what really happened. Turns out no one else can either.

Brian Dunning, Head Skeptoid

Dunning also deals with food fads, the Men in Black, Area 51, local monsters, crop circles and hundreds of other subjects. Some of the most interesting are the “Real or Fictional” entries, which deal with incidents, historical figures and historical places. I consider myself knowledgeable about some of those subjects and can never get all of the “real or fictional” questions right. I listen to Skeptoid as a podcast—I’ve listened to all 404 episodes so far, with new ones each week—but it also comes as a weekly printed email if you would like to read it. It’s a quick and interesting way to stay informed on urban legends and unexplained phenomena from all over the world. Unexplained that is, until you experience Skeptoid.

Books - Donnybrook by Frank Bill

 

Donnybrook by Frank Bill is a fun (if dark and violent) first novel. An ensemble cast works its way across Kentucky and Indiana for a private bare knuckle fighting championship, the Donnybrook. No heroes here, but there are some sympathetic characters, and some evil SOBs. You’d think this would be a “fight formula” book where each match is described and the good guy overcomes overwhelming odds to win the prize. Nope. Each entrant (some unwilling) has a back story and the Donnybrook is a small part of the overall story. But fights? Boy are there fights. Brawlers, martial artists, boxers and other combatants compete in the streets, in houses, in the fields and in the ring as everyone fights to get what they want. There are more broken bones, crushed noses and fistfights per page than any book I’ve ever read. People are beaten, shot, kicked, stabbed, dragged by cars, and that’s just by page three! Characters take an enormous amount of punishment. The ending leaves room for a sequel (with the characters left alive), and that I would enjoy reading. Recommended if you have a high tolerance for violence. The characters certainly do.

Rating: *** 1/2 out of 5 stars