Hard to believe that another Comic-Con International is in our immediate futures but 'tis. If you're thinking of going, it would be a good idea to register in advance. Otherwise, there's a very good chance you won't get in, especially on Saturday.

Any day you go, there will be loads of fun things to do and see. The convention crew has posted the Programming Guide so you can see what events you won't be able to attend because they're opposite other events you want to attend. Here's the guide for Thursday. Here's the guide for Friday. Here's the guide for Saturday. And here's the guide for Sunday.

But to save you time, I've prepared a guide of the events you really want to see. They're the ones I'm hosting. Here's that all-important list.

Even if you don't like Michael Moore, you might enjoy eleven minutes of him ripping CNN's Wolf Blitzer into teensy, tiny pieces…

There's a Canadian TV show called Fanatical that profiles folks who are just nuts about their favorite TV show to the extent that it invades their lives. You can watch episodes online here and you might especially enjoy the one about my pal Andy Mangels, who's passionate about Wonder Woman, and my pal Scott Shaw!, who's not only a fan of Fred Flintstone, but all the time I've known Scott, I've watched him slowly turn into Fred. (That's not a complaint. When we go out for ribs, you should see the size of the portions we get.) The one about Scott features an appearance by our mutual amigo, Sergio Aragonés.

Hello from my natural habitat: In my computer chair in my office in my home. I realized too late that I should have posted something this morning when we were in Pittsburgh for the sheer novelty of having posts up here from three different states in one day.

I also didn't think that typing the phrase "All Northwest flights seem to be running on schedule today…" on my weblog would be bad luck. About three minutes after I posted the previous message, our flight home was delayed an hour…which then turned into two hours.

Several of you have explained in layman's terms what's happening with Northwest Airlines and why they're suddenly on schedule again (for the most part) after a week or two of cancelling flights the way that big bottle of Raid cancels cockroaches. The pilots work under a contract that stipulates a maximum number of hours per month that they can fly. Northwest has cut back and does not have enough pilots, especially when they're exerting a little negotiating pressure by all calling in sick at judicious moments. Ergo, near the end of the month, there aren't enough pilots available and flights must be cancelled. The problem went away when a new month started so the early part of July has been relatively happy. The end of the month may not be as pleasant.

I have stuff to do and stuff to unpack. Good to be home.

We're coming to you, largely because we can, from a Northwest Airlines WorldClub lounge in the Detroit airport. All Northwest flights seem to be running on schedule today but I still sympathize with those of you who wrote to tell me that your recent trip on this carrier didn't go as planned.

Nothing much to add to my Anthrocon report except that after four days there, it's unsettling to be among crowds where no one is dressed as a puma. I hope I didn't sound like I was suggesting that everyone rush to attend a "furry" convention, especially this one next year. Not only are they not for everyone but the Anthrocon management would dearly appreciate it if their gatherings didn't get much bigger and, therefore, less intimate. I have nothing against big conventions and when folks complain that the Comic-Con in San Diego has lost "something" as attendance totals have reached five and now six digits, I always say, "Yes, but there are other conventions and maybe you'd be happier at one of them."

I want to thank all those who responded to my request for a scan from a Simon-Kirby Fighting American comic book. I got what I needed, thank you. I also got ten more messages telling me the Blue Rabbit is Stitch.

The next time you hear from me, I should be in my natural habitat. Catch you later.

The last hit record Allan Sherman made was his 1965 "Crazy Downtown," a parody (of course) of the even-greater hit by Petula Clark. In fact, it was Mr. Sherman's second-best selling single of all time, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" being numero uno. An associate of Sherman's once told me that the high fee he had to pay to secure the rights to rewrite "Downtown" and the hassle he had getting the song's composer to okay his silly lyrics dissuaded him from attempting many more spoofs of current hits. That was kind of a shame since his career crashed and burned soon after that.

One of many reasons his version did so well was that he made the rounds of every TV program that would let him on to perform it. Here he is on Shivaree, which was a syndicated music show in 1965 hosted by a gent named Gene Weed. Allan is lip-syncing to the record here and I'm guessing this is when it had just come out because he doesn't seem to know the lyrics and looks like he's reading them relentlessly off the cue cards. Still, it's Allan Sherman and some great dancers. What more do you want?

22 messages telling me the Blue Rabbit in the photo I took at Anthrocon is probably Stitch from the film, Lilo and Stitch. Okay, so sue me. I didn't see the movie.

I'm a member of the Magic Castle, the famed club for magicians in Hollywood. To be a member is to frequently (like, every year, it seems) have to follow and endure the club's current financial crisis or challenge to its very existence.

So far, it's survived 'em all and it looks now like it will survive the latest. The land on which the Castle is built was put up for sale by the family that has owned it for a very long time. No buyer has been selected but according to this article, the terms of any sale will stipulate that the Magic Castle (and Yamashiro, a Japanese restaurant just up the hill) must remain. We're leery of what they may do with the surrounding turf but it's good to hear that the Castle is not likely to disappear.

P.S. Every time I mention here that I'm a member, I get e-mails from strangers begging for guest passes. I'm sorry but the answer is no. And when you then write me again and tell me of the wonderful, deserving person you know whose only dream in life has been to visit the Magic Castle and could I please make an exception in just this one case, the answer will still be no.

Byron York, who has pretty solid credentials as a Conservative, says that George W. Bush's legendary "base" is pretty unhappy with the guy.

The pictures above are of a Hawaiian Anteater, a Blue Rabbit (I guess) and some sort of Big Cat. They're three of more than 350 "fursuits" that have been parading around Anthrocon here in Pittsburgh the last few days. "Fursuit," it had to be explained to me, refers to any full body animal costume, regardless of whether the animal is furry. Someone was wearing a whale fursuit, for instance. But most are furry. Most are of cats, dogs, wolves, foxes or some sort of indeterminate canine midway between domestic and wild. Most are also beautiful and lovingly handcrafted either by the wearer or some skilled artisan for no other goal than to show off and please other con attendees.

They were one of the features of Anthrocon. Another was the sheer friendliness of almost 3000 people who gathered this weekend and had, like my friend Carolyn and me, a very good time. It's a bit difficult to explain what goes on at a "furry" convention. Unlike your big comic conventions, it's not about commerce. The Dealers Room is small and the sellers mainly have furry costume parts (good place to get an extra tail) or handmade artifacts with an animal theme. There are a lot of artists around doing animal sketches for small fees and many of those artists are quite gifted and well encouraged by the experience. There's an art show. There are programming items. (Today, I did a panel with cartoon voice superstar Rob Paulsen on animation voicing and later, another with Carolyn on Pogo and the work of her father, the late Walt Kelly.) There are games and films and puppet shows — there are a lot of splendid puppeteers here — and parties. Mostly, I guess it's about seeing one another. Though this is the largest convention of its kind, it's still small enough that everyone almost seems to know everyone else.

Presiding over it all is a man of remarkable energy and good will. He goes by the name of "Uncle Kage" (rhymes with "foggy") but I have it on good authority that he's really an actual scientist-type named Dr. Sam Conway. His title I believe is Chairman of the Board but he's more of a Superhost and just watching him in action was worth the trip to Pittsburgh. I've been going to comic conventions and s-f conventions and film conventions since 1970 and, completely omitting consideration of monsters like the one they have each year in San Diego, I've never seen a more expertly-run con…or one run more benevolently. The volunteer staff (no one, including Uncle Kage, is paid a nickel) is phenomenal in its efficiency and politeness. And as a Guest of Honor person, I've never been made to feel more welcome or treated with such luxury.

I've received a few e-mails asking if I could explain why these folks like to dress up like animals or adopt animal nicknames or write tales of anthropomorphic animals. No, I can't. Just as I can't explain why people in this world do a lot of things that don't coincide with my tastes or interests. I don't understand why people get tattoos or pierce body parts or eat cole slaw or ride roller coasters or vote for George Bush or sleep with some of the people they sleep with…or do any of a thousand other things I could name that I cannot conceive of myself ever doing. I am, however, capable of appreciating that some who find joy in such activities are fine, good people and I would be doing myself a disservice to erect any sort of needless barrier between them and me. With the exception of the ones who vote for Bush, they do me no harm…and maybe, when they're not doing whatever it is I don't "get," they're doing something I can learn from or even want to emulate.

The folks I've met here at Anthrocon — with fewer exceptions than you'd imagine — have been decent, bright, creative and charming people. Does dressing up occasionally in a furry suit make you that way? Maybe not. If it does, I can think of a lot of people who ought to be in chipmunk costumes this very minute.

Two more articles about the Mort Sahl Tribute you've heard so much about here: One from Paul Krassner and one from Mark Groubert.

I just figured something out. For several weeks now, every time I go to Google, the ads in the margin are all trying to sell me Bobby Darin ringtones. I'm not sure if anyone in the world wants Bobby Darin on their cellphone but I sure don't…and I couldn't imagine why the Google people thought I'd be interested. They're supposed to have "targeted" ads, meaning that the ad relates in some way to you or your browsing habits, but I couldn't recall ever Googling the name of Bobby Darin.

So suddenly it dawns on me: My cousin David Evanier wrote a book about Bobby Darin. It's linking the name Evanier to Bobby Darin and that translates into some hyperspace assumption that I care about him. Mystery solved.

David also wrote a book about Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. I don't want them on my cellphone, either.

The last few days, I've been linking to potato chip commercials with Bert Lahr. Here, from earlier in his career, is one of the comedy songs that made him famous on the stage. I'm not sure what film this is from and I really don't understand much of the number. But boy, is he good at it.

I will be on or moderating fourteen (14!) panels at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego. The convention's full programming schedule (and mine) will be up in a few days but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek. And while it's not on there, yes, we will be playing Quick Draw! on Saturday morning and there will be Cartoon Voice Panels on Saturday and Sunday.

As I've mentioned before (here, for instance) I'm a fan of the 1954 movie, White Christmas which starred Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. The film has just about the sappiest, most contrived plot in the history of movies but thanks to the charisma of its stars and that great Irving Berlin score, it works. Or at least it works enough that if you can turn off a certain portion of your brain, you can have a pretty good time watching it.

So I was intrigued a few years ago when I heard that someone had made a stage musical out of it, using the plot and some of the dialogue from the screenplay, along with many of the songs and some others from the Berlin catalogue. I was curious to see what they'd done to it, how it worked, what the adapters had decided didn't work, etc. Unfortunately, the show only played around Christmas time and never near me.

Then, shortly after I agreed to come here to Pittsburgh to appear at a convention, I found out a production of the musical would be playing within walking distance of the con. I'm not sure why they're doing White Christmas in July. Maybe fate just wanted me to see it. But well before I realized how much fun Anthrocon could be and how I might regret missing an evening of it, I bought tickets. Carolyn decided to stay at the con to tend to some business, attend an event she wanted to see and work on some drawings she'd been asked to do…so I went alone down to the Benedum Center which is, I have to say, one of the most attractive theaters I've ever seen in my life. People of Pittsburgh: Take care of that place. It's a treasure.

So how did I like the stage version of White Christmas? I thought they took this sappy, contrived storyline and made it sappier and even more contrived…to the point where very little of it is coherent. I honestly don't understand why they changed what they changed from the screenplay. Remember how in the beginning of the film you see how much the soldiers love the general and how much he does for them? Well, most of that's gone. Remember how Danny Kaye saves Bing Crosby's life and they become a team and we see them grow into big stars? Most of that's gone, too. Remember how protective Rosemary Clooney was of Vera-Ellen and how that was stopping her from having any sort of love life, which was the justification for so much about the romantic storylines? Gone. Remember how when they first all meet, Kaye and Crosby dress up as the girls and lip sync a number as the girls to save them from a crooked sheriff? Gone…but for no visible reason, they do that in the second act anyway.

And so on. The plot is still about Wallace and Davis (the Crosby and Kaye roles) trying to save the Vermont Inn of their old general. In the movie, the inn's manager lady overhears the plan and thinks Wallace and Davis are planning to embarrass the general as a publicity stunt, and when she tells Clooney's character, Rosemary walks out on Wallace, with whom she's nurturing a romance, and on the show. In the stage version, the manager lady is told something which she misunderstands. She thinks Wallace and Davis are secretly arranging to buy out the general and decides this is a terrible, evil thing even though the inn is bankrupting the old guy. She tells the Clooney character who decides to walk out on Wallace and the show but not to tell her sister why. In the meantime, the manager lady doesn't warn the general or do anything to stop this awful plot she thinks she's uncovered. She and the sister even sing a forgettable Berlin tune called "Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun" to congratulate the Clooney lady for leaving…and by now, if this doesn't make a lick of sense to you, welcome to where I was about a third of the way into Act Two.

It may not have been that way in earlier versions. During intermission, I got to talking to a gentleman sitting behind me who said he'd seen it three or four years ago in San Francisco and that this production was "cheaper and they cut a lot of stuff." He said in S.F. it was "a little less illogical but not enough." He didn't like the show tonight and I didn't like it…but I have to admit ours was the minority viewpoint. Most of the audience seemed to be having a very good time, largely (I think) because you can't do all that much damage to a dozen or so of Irving Berlin's best tunes. They sing "I Love a Piano" and "Blue Skies" and "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy" and "How Deep is the Ocean?" and the title song and others. Many involve a very energetic troupe of young dancers just dancing their hearts out on stage and having the greatest time doing it. It's hard not to love a show during such moments and I guess there were enough of them for most of those in the house.

One other problem: When you turn a great movie into a stage musical, there's usually and unavoidably a bringdown in the cast. Only occasionally do you replace a Zero Mostel with a Nathan Lane. Most of the time, it's Lou Lipsitz trying to fill the shoes of Gene Kelly. The two gents carrying the show weren't Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby — these days, of course, no one is — but the book didn't give them a lot of help. They did their best and their best might have been just fine for a better show. (The only cast member you're likely to have heard of was Stacy Keach, who played the general. He did what he could with what they gave him.)

I was shown to my seat by a charming older woman who looked like she'd been at that theater since it opened in whenever it opened. I was turning off my cell phone and she said, "Good…I hate those things. The other night, someone had one that went off right in the middle of 'Blue Skies.' I wanted to get a shovel and whack the guy in the head." On the way out after the show, she saw me turning my phone back on and she said, "Thanks for not making me use my shovel." So I guess the whole experience could have been worse. I certainly enjoyed the show a lot more than I would have if a little old lady had whacked me in the head with a shovel.