Saturday, March 15, 2008

G.I. Moe

You know, I wish there was a place on the Internet where you could see the form on which famed Stooge Moe Howard registered for the draft for World War I. But I suppose that's asking too much.

[CORRECTION: No, it isn't. Thanks to James H. Burns for making my dream come true.]

• Posted at 11:46 PM · LINK

How I Spent Today

I spent most of today down at Wizard World, a packed gathering at the L.A. Convention Center, where I dutifully signed my name in lots of copies of Kirby: King of Comics.

Let me get my complaints out of the way first, and note that none of these are complaints about Wizard World. I don't like the L.A. Convention Center. The parking is confusing (and twelve bucks) and I still don't understand why the food at convention centers has to be so bad and so overpriced. I was also annoyed that the city is tearing up Olympic Boulevard east of Alvarado...a fact I mention to aid anyone who's thinking of attending the convention tomorrow.

If they go, they'll see a lot of people dressed in costumes, a lot of semi-celebrities selling autographs, a lot of exhibitors selling toys and video and fancy superhero-related merchandise and even some comic books. Most of the attendees seemed to be having a very good time. I was especially struck by the high quality of the artists in Artists Alley...some real good folks there doing sketches and/or selling small press publications.

They won't see me as I have an important engagement tomorrow...one that will also keep me from blogging all day, I expect. But there's so much happening down at Wizard World, I know I won't be missed. Here's info on the event.

• Posted at 11:42 PM · LINK

Today's Video Link

Fans of classic cartoon voices will be interested in this 1989 news clip that reports on the pending death of Mel Blanc and the recent death of Jim Backus. That all sounds morbid, and it is, but I'm linking to it because it includes a clip of Mr. Backus telling a great anecdote I'd never heard about working with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Check it out just for that.

• Posted at 1:06 AM · LINK

Mel's Monster

I've been curious about the financial fate of Young Frankenstein, the Mel Brooks musical. I saw the show last November and enjoyed it but apparently a fair amount of theatergoers haven't liked it and many who might have attended haven't gone. Tepid reviews are one reason but according to this article, a lot of folks have been scared off by high prices. The prices are no longer high and there are now TV commercials that emphasize the point...but audiences still don't seem to be flocking to it.

• Posted at 1:05 AM · LINK