tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-158904332024-03-13T20:27:46.292-07:00PopCultPop Culture Observations from Charleston, W.Va.
Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.comBlogger615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-41421055988358920902016-07-17T04:23:00.000-07:002020-06-10T09:19:21.917-07:00Test Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii303kUrfLqCG_9XkbAjeJ4y1I8Q-ppl2VGXZ3yVJN6290pzx72N4V6OS6iymtNJ2ml57s_oT9pFPJm4N5uSZmDgTiDj5UiqXx2UHbbvHt1Yjjyu4kCd0r69aQt2Oh0XW79jCu/s1600/BB+6+10+FEATURE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1200" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii303kUrfLqCG_9XkbAjeJ4y1I8Q-ppl2VGXZ3yVJN6290pzx72N4V6OS6iymtNJ2ml57s_oT9pFPJm4N5uSZmDgTiDj5UiqXx2UHbbvHt1Yjjyu4kCd0r69aQt2Oh0XW79jCu/s320/BB+6+10+FEATURE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="215" src="https://voa.airtime.pro/embed/player?stream=auto&title=Now%20Playing" width="280"></iframe>Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-22695714877818654292012-12-04T20:45:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:06.626-08:00The 2012 PopCult Gift Guide Day Three: Television SeriesBetraying my age here, when I was growing up, the idea of owning a collection of TV shows was incomprehensible. There was no way for a consumer to purchase movies or TV shows because home video hadn't been invented yet. Even in the days of VHS, the limitations of the format pushed the practicality of selling an entire long-running television series just out of reach.<br/><br/>DVD and Blu Ray has changed that. Now, if you're a die-hard fan of a television series, you can buy each season as they become available, or wait until the series has ended and buy a boxed set of the entire run. Today's gift idea is five suggested boxed sets of complete runs of TV shows. The links will take you to Amazon (this blog, unlike others, does NOT get a cut of any purchase you make), but you may find better prices at other retailers such as Best Buy, Sam's club or Costco.<br/><br/><strong>Smallville</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/81WoqSAywaL._AA1500_.png"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-9779" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/81WoqSAywaL._AA1500_-300x162.png" alt="" width="300" height="162" /></a>This retelling of the pre-Metropolis days of Clark Kent, before he became Superman, wrapped up ten seasons on the air in 2011, and was highly regarded as one of the best live-action depictions of The Man of Steel. With Tom Welling as Clark, and a cast that included Annette O'Toole, John Schneider, Michael Rosenbaum,Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk, with guest appearances by Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder and Michael McKean, Smallville turned out to be a first-class television series that brought a lot of DC Comics characters to a mainstream audience for the first time. You can relive those ten seasons with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Smallville-Complete-Tom-Welling/dp/B004XWLN20/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354696212&sr=1-1&keywords=smallville">Smallville The Complete Series.</a><br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>This giant 62-disc set brings all ten seasons together, with commentary on many episodes and all the extras from the individual season sets, plus it adds over 5 hours of new special features including a never-before seen Superboy pilot from 1961, a 90 minute series retrospective with all new interviews, from 2010, the final Comic Con panel, an unsold spin-off Aquaman Pilot, and a Paley Festival featurette.<br/><br/>Exclusive to this boxed set is a Daily Planet newspaper written by DC Comics that highlights the important storylines developed during the 10-year run of the show. The discs are packaged in two lay-flat picture books that hold the 62 discs. Also included is an episode guide with never-before-seen production art (storyboards/sketches) and behind-the-scenes photos.<br/><br/>The best price I've seen on this outside of flash sales is around $150.<br/><br/><strong>Desperate Houswives</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/910EK1TKzGL._AA1500_.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9780" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/910EK1TKzGL._AA1500_.png" alt="" width="230" height="170" /></a>Fans of this dark soap-opera/comedy can be treated to an elaborate and clever boxed set, designed to look like an old trunk full of secrets. Inside this exquisite replica box from the title sequence, is a treasure trove of guilty pleasure. The full title is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Desperate-Housewives-Complete-Collection-Deluxe/dp/B007WWRGAQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354696232&sr=1-1&keywords=desperate+houswives">ABC'S DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION</a>.<br/><br/>This special collector's set is a must-own item for true fans of the remarkable series and includes all eight seasons. That's nearly 7,700 minutes on 45 discs. Plus this set includes an additional disc full of exclusive bonus features. Revisit the ladies of Wisteria Lane and stroll down a memory lave of sexy, dangerous and scandalous behavior.<br/><br/>The prices on this set are all over the place, running as high as the full list price of $295 to <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/20894623?adid=22222222227015059745&wmlspartner=wlpa&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=13737428590&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem">Wal Mart</a>, who occasionally have it for under a hundred bucks. Best to shop around on this one.<br/><br/><strong>COMBAT!</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/6183P5CZVFL.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9781" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/6183P5CZVFL.png" alt="" width="230" height="261" /></a>Running from 1962 to 1967, COMBAT! is an underrated TV classic. This WWII drama featured an amazing cast, lead by Vic Morrow, and boasted some of the best writing,directing an acting of any series in the 1960s. The show-runner for the first season was Robert Altman, who wrote and directed many episodes and set the tone for the series.<br/><br/>This boxed set, COMBAT! The Complete Series, presents the groundbreaking program that offered a gritty, unflinching look at American soldiers battling in Europe during World War II. Vic Morrow and Rick Jason head a stellar cast in the longest-running war series in television history, featuring a surprising rost of A-list guest stars from Hollywood's Golden Age as well as top directorial talent.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Combat-Complete-Series-Vic-Morrow/dp/B000BC8SXI/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1354677902&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=combat">COMBAT! The Complete Series</a> includes over 30 Hours of Special Features. Each Season is packed with extras, including Photo Galleries, Commentaries, Oddities & Bloopers by Jo Davidsmeyer and more! "Memories of Combat!"is an all-new documentary featuring cast members, guest stars and directors. You'll also get audio commentaries by Tom Lowell, Michael Caffey, Robert Altman, Joseph Campanella, Ben Cooperand, Sutton Roley, Ted Post, Richard Donner, Esther Mitchell, Pierre Jalbert, George Fenady, Shirl Hendryx, Jo Davidsmeyer, Warren Stevens, Conlan Carter and Steve Mitchell, plus archival Interviews with Vic Morrow, Pierre Jalbert, Rick Jason, Ben Cooper and Anthony Call.<br/><br/>Rounding out this box are featurettes, "The Big Picture," narrated by Vic Morrow, "Combat! Directed by Vic Morrrow" (a 27-Min Documentary) and "This Season in Color," a Two-Part Featurette.<br/><br/>At the moment, Amazon has the best deal: $165 for this 40-disc set.<br/><br/><strong>Get Smart</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/e4ac81b0c8a07bec81a6d110.L.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9782" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/e4ac81b0c8a07bec81a6d110.L.png" alt="" width="230" height="190" /></a>Another sadly-forgotten TV classic, besmirched by a crappy remake movie, Get Smart - The Complete Series Gift Set, reminds us how cool the original spy spoof, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and starring Don Adams, was. Long before Austin Powers, Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 were mining the spy genre for comedy gold.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Get-Smart-Complete-Gift-Set/dp/B001E0O8DA/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354696284&sr=1-2&keywords=get+smart">Get Smart: The Complete Series Gift Set</a> brings together all five seasons of the show, which ran from 1965 to 1970. Don Adams is known to a later generation as the voice of Inspector Gadget, but they can see him here in his definitive role.<br/><br/>In this box, you get 138 episodes on 25 discs, and this set can be found for under fifty-five bucks. Not too bad for all the secrets of CONTROL!<br/><br/><strong>Barney Miller</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/91IVpqaS3xL._AA1500_.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9783" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/91IVpqaS3xL._AA1500_.png" alt="" width="230" height="230" /></a>A classic from the 1970s, Barney Miller was a top-flight sitcom with sharp writing and a brilliant cast. Set mainly in New York's 12 District Precinct Station, Barney Miller followed the daily goings-on of Miller, a police Captain, played by Hal Linden, and the cops under his charge. While a standard sitcom, Barney Miller is credited as an influence on many dramas that followed it, including Hill Street Blues and Rescue Me.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BUA1JY/ref=dvd_DailyDeal_BarneyMiller_Dec4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-2&pf_rd_r=4A9A445B331E4E36A0D9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1438530042&pf_rd_i=2921749011">Barney Miller: The Complete Series</a> collects all 168 episodes of the show, plus the entire first season of the spin-off, Fish, starring Abe Vigoda. There's also a 32-page book, new interviews with Hal Linden, Max Gail and Abe Vigoda, commentary on some episodes by the writing team and the original unaired pilot.<br/><br/>Best of all, this 25-disc set can be found for under sixty-five dollars.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-45539370071323810682012-12-03T20:16:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:06.416-08:00The 2012 PopCult Gift Guide Day Two: Bond...James Bond<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/91KmEe4mCdL._AA1500_.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9771" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/91KmEe4mCdL._AA1500_.png" alt="" width="300" height="263" /></a>This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the quintessential spy, James Bond, on film. Theater-goers have reacted very favorably to the latest entry in the long-running franchise, "Skyfall," and new or lapsed fans can catch up instantly with the "Bond 50" box set, which collects every "official" entry in the James Bond film canon.<br/><br/>Starting with 1962's "Dr. No" and fizzling out with 2010's "Quantum of Solace," this set brings you all the highs and lows of the Bond franchise. "Never Say Never Again" is missing because, like the first "Casino Royale," it's not one of the EON Productions Bond movies.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/81oM7wuSW6L._AA1500_.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9772" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/81oM7wuSW6L._AA1500_.png" alt="" width="220" height="131" /></a>Now, oddly enough, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bond-50-Complete-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B006U1J5ZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354585837&sr=8-1&keywords=james+bond">Blu Ray version</a> of this set, which contains an extra disc, is availalbe for much less than the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bond-50-Sean-Connery/dp/B006U1JD5G/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1354585837&sr=8-13&keywords=james+bond">DVD version</a>. At least that's the way it is at Amazon, where the DVD version is nearly three hndred dollars, while the Blu Ray is a little more than half that. The bonus Blu Ray is an hour-long overview of the Bond Franchise.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/bond-books.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9773" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/bond-books.png" alt="" width="250" height="217" /></a>If you don't want to dump that much money supporting a British secret agent's martini habit, you can actually go back to the source material with Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels, which can be found in nifty new editions for around fifteen bucks a pop. If your ordered them now from a local bookseller like <a href="http://www.taylorbooks.com/">Taylor's</a>, you should have them in plenty of time for gifting.<br/><br/>And if you really want to go on the cheap, at most area Big Lots stores, you can find really good DVD editions of most of the James Bond movies for five bucks a pop. At that price, we're talking stocking stuffers.<br/><br/> Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-12862058235136580972012-12-03T14:04:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:06.218-08:00The RFC 2012 Sampler Looks Back At A Great Year For Local Music[HTML1]<br/><br/>Radio Free Charleston 175, "Dunbar Lanes Shirt," is a sampler of just a tiny amount of the great local music that we brought you in 2012. We'll revisit songs from Red Audio, In The Company of Wolves, Godmode Broadway, and The Charleston Light Opera Guild production of "The Color Purple."<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/RFC-175.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9760" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/RFC-175.png" alt="" width="220" height="197" /></a>Our title shirt this week comes to us from the newly reopened Dunbar Lanes, the area's coziest little bowling alley, tucked away in the heart of the hub of the Kanawha Valley, Dunbar. After the previous owners retired and left for Florida and the bowling alley lay dormant for a few months, the Dunbar landmark reopened last Friday and the new management promises to turn it into the hippest bowling alley in the state.<br/><br/>Host segments were shot at Joplin Park in South Charleston early Sunday morning before the gloomy clouds and rain blew through.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>We decided to do something with this episode that we haven't done since our very first year, and that's take a quick look back at some of the memorable performances that we've been lucky enough to have on our show.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image4.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9761" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image4.png" alt="" width="220" height="123" /></a>First up, we have Red Audio from Summersville, whom we recorded during FestivALL at the Smoke On The Water Chilli Cook-off at Haddad Riverfront Park. For this video, we used live footage of the band and combined it with a studio recording of their song, "Girl From Outer Space." These guys were so tight that it took very little editing to make it work.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image7.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9762" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image7.png" alt="" width="220" height="122" /></a>In The Company Of Wolves, from Hurricane, has been one of the fastest rising bands in recent memory. We've had them on the show a few times this year, first recorded at Kanawha Players Theater, then later at the St. Albans City Park Ampitheater during Tribute To The Troops II. For this episode of RFC, we're bringing you a recording of the band from Tribute To The Troops, performing the song that we recorded them doing at Kanawha Players Theater. This performance has not actually been on Radio Free Charleston this year, but we used it as a teaser for the three part Tribute To The Troops II special and thought it was deserving of a special encore. Special thanks go out to Dave McClenahan for the amazing audio mix on this song.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image8.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9763" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image8.png" alt="" width="220" height="135" /></a>Back in the spring, we had the great pleasure of being invited to Godmode Broadway's rehearsal space to hear them before they played an official show. We went back to shoot a futuristic surveillance style music video and the result is the video for "Surfboards and Broadswords." Since they debuted on Radio Free Charleston, this genre defying progressive metal unit has become one of the area's hottest live bands.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image14.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9764" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image14.png" alt="" width="220" height="174" /></a>We wrap up the show with a number from The Charleston Light Opera Guild production of "The Color Purple." "Push Da Button" is a showstopper featuring Nakeila Killing as Shug Avery, the juke joint singer who steals the heart of Celie, along with several other members of the cast. This amazing production was the first community theatre production of the musical "The Color Purple." We were privileged to be invited to record a rehearsal without the benefit of the full orchestra. We were still treated to a stunning performance that was only topped a couple of weeks later when we witnessed the full production onstage at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater.<br/><br/>That's the story behind this episode, our 2012 sampler. Our next show, the Radio Free Charleston Christmas special, will magically appear under your Internet tree sometime before the actual holiday and will be the last Radio Free Charleston of 2012. Don't worry though--we're already making plans for next year's shows.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-46134839315742900762012-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:05.867-08:00The 2012 PopCult Gift Guide Day One: The Beatles<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/beatles_vinyl_stereo_box_set.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9752" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/beatles_vinyl_stereo_box_set.png" alt="" width="300" height="205" /></a>We're kicking off our 8th Annual PopCult Gift Guide today and we're doing it with The Beatles. This year, there's one huge gift that the die-hard Beatle fan will definitely want. It's The Beatles complete box set of studio recordings on vinyl.<br/><br/>This is the vinyl debut of the digitally remastered versions of The Beatles albums which were released on CD and on iTunes just a couple of years ago. Even if you have the original vinyl, you should be able to detect subtle differences in these new pressings. All the albums are restored to their original packaging, which includes the inserts with the "Sgt. Pepper" album, the posters and photos with "The White Album," and the twenty-four page storybook that came with "Magical Mystery Tour."<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>This is not for the faint of heart. List price is around five hundred dollars. You can find it online for a little more than three hundred at places like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Beatles-Stereo-Vinyl-Box/dp/B0041KVW2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354503893&sr=8-1&keywords=Beatles">Amazon</a>. However, if you buy locally, they may cut you a break. Still, at that hefty price this box, which includes fifteen discs plus an illustrated book, it'll be easier to buy if "baby, you're a rich man."<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image15beat.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9753" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Image15beat.png" alt="" width="220" height="106" /></a>If you do not want to be so extravagant in your gift-giving, you have the option of buying the albums individually at prices starting around twenty dollars for a single album or thirty for the double albums. This set also marks the vinyl debut of the "Past Masters" double album, which includes all the singles and stray tracks that were not included on the original British album releases.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/beatles5.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9754" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/beatles5.png" alt="" width="250" height="143" /></a>Other options if the Beatles fan in your life already owns multiple copies of the entire Beatles catalog would be the newly remastered Blu-Ray (and DVD) releases of "Magical Mystery Tour." "Magical Mystery Tour" is notable for having a stunningly clean print for the first time ever (most people have seen transfers from a 16mm print which was copied off the original British 35mm print, and was beat all to hell.) "Magical Mystery Tour" also includes extras such as deleted scenes and interviews with cast members which are equal to the length of the original film. It's still basically an incomprehensible jumble of prehistoric music videos strung together with amateur comedy bits, but it's still The Beatles. You can get just the movie on Blu Ray, or youcan spring for a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mystery-Deluxe-Blu-ray-double-vinyl/dp/B008RTE066/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354527962&sr=1-3&keywords=Beatles+magical+mystery+tour">deluxe boxed se</a>t, complete with Blu Ray and DVD versions of the film, plus a 60 page book and a reproduction of the original double-EP set with the storybook. The boxed set is around ninety bucks, while the Blu Ray is a mere twenty.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/yellow_submarine_knexa.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9755" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/yellow_submarine_knexa.png" alt="" width="180" height="193" /></a>If it's a real completist that you're buying for, for a mere ten bucks you can find the just-released "Yellow Submarine" Knex figures at Target in the Mega Blocks aisle. These are cute little two inch high representations of the cartoon Beatles from "Yellow Submarine." Also available as KISS figures, if your giftee is so incline.<br/><br/>Check PopCult every weekday for the next two or three weeks for more entries in our gift guide.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-54650147248033634292012-12-02T16:01:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:05.664-08:00Monday Morning Art: Balls<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Img_6021f.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9746" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/12/Img_6021f.png" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>Today's art is a digital painting over a digitally-assaulted photograph of one of the bowling ball racks at the newly-reopened Dunbar Lanes. It doesn't look like that in real life. Click to enlarge.<br/><br/>Dunbar Lanes reopened under new management last Friday, and they also supplied the title shirt for RFC 175, "Dunbar Lanes Shirt," which will hit PopCult later tonight. Also later, <strong>The 2012 PopCult Gift Guide</strong> kicks off. So just keep hitting "refresh," okay?Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-67227104993126360642012-12-02T10:01:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:05.463-08:00Sunday Evening Video: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Daleks[HTML1]<br/><br/>This came up in a conversation this weekend...Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-59799790661048299152012-11-29T16:01:00.000-08:002020-06-10T09:42:02.592-07:00750 Words About Dick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZWO6djYF6pkcUugZoh7mBddZctamiorWPe2eoJTbLXLWc2cIIM63RC1uGbD_qZyildO7OqwtS3UXVDhWkH1-dlmzgOzwp07ygSEMT3LurknJImg7e0rwr6q4qqK6dVKHeIz4/s1600/6972547830_d7b3ca1b4f_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZWO6djYF6pkcUugZoh7mBddZctamiorWPe2eoJTbLXLWc2cIIM63RC1uGbD_qZyildO7OqwtS3UXVDhWkH1-dlmzgOzwp07ygSEMT3LurknJImg7e0rwr6q4qqK6dVKHeIz4/s1600/6972547830_d7b3ca1b4f_o.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The PopCulteer</b><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>November 30, 2012</b></span><b> </b><br />
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This week we're devoting the PopCulteer to a review of a digital download. In April of this year, over four nights at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, Eric Idle staged his original play, <a href="https://whataboutdick.com/">"What About Dick?"</a> with an all star cast of Brit expatriates performing a fairly undescribable but hilarious evening of conceptual comic theatre.<br />
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Rather than go for television or theatrical release, "What About Dick?" is a digital download that combines the best of those four performances. The plot is indecipherable. The best I can come up with to explain it is that "What About Dick?" combines elements of Monty Python with the stream of consciousness storytelling of The Firesign Theater into an hysterical hybrid where even the cast members have a hard time keeping a straight face.<br />
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The cast members in question are quite notable. Aside from Eric Idle, "What About Dick?" stars Tim Curry, Russell Brand, Eddie Izzard, Tracy Ullman, Billy Connolly, Jane Leeves, Jim Piddock, and Sophie Winkleman. Many of the performers take on multiple roles.<br />
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This is facilitated by the oddball presentation where we essentially have a stage play presenting a vintage radio broadcast of an original radio play. The result is a much lower budget for the production and some very funny strange situations, such as when Eddie Izzard's character, Depak Obi Ben Kingsley, is involved in an in-depth discussion with another character, also played by Izzard.<br />
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Eric Idle describes "What About Dick?" as "Oscar Wilde on acid or like 'Downton Abbey', only funnier."<br />
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We have the radio performers struggling to tell a story that jumps back and forth in time and involves upper-crust British nobility, a cursed piano, and, in a flashback, the invention of a sex toy.<br />
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Much like classic albums by The Firesign Theater, the story rambles, but in a most hilarious way. Populated by Python-esque characters, the narrative spans three continents and forty years. Though it promises to tell the story of the decline of the British Empire as seen through the eyes of a piano, it never really quite does.<br />
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One of the most entertaining bits of this production is that the cast members find the material as amusing as the audience does. Billy Connolly in particular delivers his lines as Inspector MacGuffin with an accent so thick that everyone onstage is reduced to tears or other forms of bodily moisture.<br />
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Tracy Ullman kills as the slightly crazed Aunt Maggie, but also has a memorable turn as an ill-fated, lower class mystic who tells people's fortunes by reading their butts.<br />
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The cast was clearly hand-picked by Idle to best handle "What About Dick?" and there are too many other memorable fall-on-your-ass laughs to list here without providing a transcript of the entire play.<br />
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This is not a production for the easily offended or for people who enjoy an evening of theatre but expect it to make any kind of sense. It's basically ninety minutes of very funny British accents, saying very silly things, and cracking more than a few dick jokes.<br />
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Idle's "Spamalot" collaborator, John DuPre, provides incidental music and a few musical numbers and also leads the onstage orchestra. The sound effects guy is also onstage, which makes for quite a few funny sight gags as he confuses some of the sound effects.<br />
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"What About Dick?" is a must-see for fans of Monty Python and cutting edge British comedy. Since it's not likely to be staged again, at least not with as impressive a cast, the digital download is your best way to go. The best part about "What About Dick?" is that being a digital download, which requires no packaging, parking fees, concession stands, gas money, or sales tax, it's a very affordable six bucks.<br />
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That buys you a completely DRM free download which you can move from computer to computer or burn to DVD or view however you wish on any media device, with no restrictions. Louis CK did this last year with a stand-up special and wound up making more money than the budget for an entire season of his show on FX. Clearly, this could be the wave of the future. You can purchase and download "What About Dick" at <a href="https://whataboutdick.com/">this website</a>.<br />
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At one point, I considered including "What About Dick?" in the PopCult Gift Guide (which kicks off next Monday), but since it is a digital download and not a wrapable object which you can toss under a tree, I decided to simply recommend it wholeheartedly in this week's PopCulteer.<br />
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Next week in PopCult, you can look forward to our regular features, plus a new episode of Radio Free Charleston, plus the PopCult Gift Guide, which will run weekdays for two or three weeks.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-60094402500447048502012-11-29T05:49:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:05.054-08:00Don't Forget "Mary"[HTML1]<br/><br/>Up above you see a special video of the Trio that ends the first act of "Mary A Rock Opera." You still have four more chances to see this Dan kehde-Mark Scarpelli homegrown Christmas classic, tonight through Staruday at 8 PM, and Saturday afternoon at 2 PM at the WVSU Capitol Center Theater.<br/><br/>The story of the nine months prior to the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of a young girl destined to be the most important woman in the Christian tradition, MARY has become a family friendly holiday tradition throughout the greater Charleston area, and continues to give audiences new insight to the days and months leading up to the first Christmas. New to this Contemporary Youth Arts Company production this year is the introduction of a second cast of young performers who will take on the principle roles during the matinee.<br/><br/>The above video is a performance of the stirring "Trio" that ends the first act, with both sets of actresses portraying Elizabeth, The Archangel Gabriel and Mary combining to form a "Double Trio" of six wonderful voices. As Elizabeth we have Lo Mallory and Susanna Tucker. Singing the role of Gabriel are Maddy Gourevitch and Susanna Morris. In the tile role of Mary are Katie Shaver and Rowan Maher.<br/><br/>The piano is played by composer, Mark Scarpelli. Speical thanks to Lee Harrah for the camera assist.<br/><br/>The WVSU Capitol Center Theater is located at 123 Summers Street, Charleston. Tickets are available at the door prior to each performance: $10.00 for adults. $6.00 for students and seniors (65+). Call the WVSU Capitol Center Theater office at 342-6522 for advance ticket sales and group rates.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-42346321532137527412012-11-29T05:44:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:04.857-08:00It's Time For The Tacular Of Joy!<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/joytacular2012-790x1024.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9721" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/joytacular2012-790x1024.png" alt="" width="500" height="648" /></a><br/><br/>Joey Stapp, the Magician, starts at 6:45 PM, so get there early!Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-17254655677142964302012-11-25T16:01:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:43:04.613-08:00Monday Morning Art: Stark Charleston Revisited<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Photo11021253_21.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9711" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Photo11021253_21.png" alt="" width="500" height="237" /></a>This week we kick off with a couple of pieces that harken back to my "Stark Charleston" series of surreal animated travelogues. Does this mean that a new installment is in the works?<br/><br/>Maybe.<br/><br/>Click to enlarge.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/mma-11-27-001.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9712" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/mma-11-27-001.png" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-74874712970795518442012-11-22T16:01:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:12.541-08:00The Cheesy Knockoffs Return<span style="font-size: large"><strong><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image11.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9672" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image11.png" alt="" width="200" height="511" /></a>The PopCulteer</strong><strong> </strong></span><br/><span style="font-size: large"><strong>November 23, 2012</strong></span><strong> </strong><br/><br/>So it's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a day where hardly anybody's going to bother going on the Internet to read anything. Yet, the PopCulteer always comes on Friday and with the bonus of knowing that not too many people are going to bother reading this, I'm going to take this week for a self-indulgent visit to my own past as a nationally published columnist.<br/><br/>Back in the late 1990's, I was the action figure columnist for Toy Trader Magazine. Toy Trader was a competitor to Krause Publications' Toy Shop and thanks to having several pages of high quality articles each month, we were rapidly eating away at Toy Shop's readership. This came to a sudden end when Toy Trader's parent company was aquired by Toy Shop's parent company and our magazine was assimilated into theirs. Since Krause only paid one-tenth as much as we were getting from Toy Trader Magazine, none of the writers made the leap to the new publication. I continued covering action figures for <a href="http://www.mastercollector.com/">MasterCollector.com</a> for a few years, but then moved on to this here PopCult blog of which you should already be aware.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>The column I wrote for Toy Trader was "Facts On Figures," which I took over from <a href="http://www.fullyarticulated.com/">John Michlig</a>, who left to work on the Masterpiece Edition GI Joe book/reproduction set. Filling John's shoes was a huge task, but I quickly came to enjoy babbling about my hobby for what remains the best paying gig I ever had in the hobby journalism business. <a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image22.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9673" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image22.png" alt="" width="200" height="235" /></a><br/><br/>One of the features I added to the column to put my own stamp on "Facts On Figures" was "Cheesy Knockoff Of The Month." Longtime readers of this column probably know that I'm a toy collector, but one of the things I love about the toy industry is the way small manufacturers come out of the woodwork to create slapdash imitations of hit toys. I enjoyed writing about cheesy knockoffs because I could rip into them with the snarkiest, unrestrained glee, and not worry about hurting anyone's feelings. It was so much fun that I continued that portion of the column, writing "Cheesy Toy Knockoff" for MasterCollector.com up until a few years ago.<br/><br/>But it's been a while since I have unloaded a verbal barrage on a worthy, crappy toy. Luckily for you, while I haven't written about cheesy toys for a while, I never really stopped accumulating them. So this week, I'm going to dive into the toy vault and pull out an impressive load of crap to share with you. The funny thing is, we're going to start off with a cheesy knockoff that's actually pretty well done. Get yer wadin' boots ready. Here we go...<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9675" align="alignright" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/pMAT1-13980075reg.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9675" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/pMAT1-13980075reg.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="220" /></a> Monster High dolls, one of the big hit toys of the year[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Midnight Magic</strong><br/><br/><strong></strong>Probably the hottest toy on the market right now is Mattel's Monster High line. These are fashion dolls with a horror angle. Monster High is the high school where the offspring of classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolfman gather during their awkward teen years. For some reason, this toy line has clicked with young girls and has even reversed a twenty year demographic trend. For a long time, girls have been abandoning fashion dolls at earlier and earlier ages. Right now, few girls above the age of nine have any interest in Barbie. However, Monster High is selling not just to young girls, but to teenagers and even college age women. Perhaps this is a side effect of Hot Topic stores becoming mainstream. I don't know, but it's a rare bright spot for a very troubled toy industry.<br/><br/>And as such, other toymakers are scrambling to imitate the success of Monster High. The makers of Bratz have created Bratzillas, which are just a direct swipe from the Monster High concept, and Novi Stars, which put an alien spin on the fashion doll concept. But our eyes were drawn to a cheap "five bucks a doll" knockoff line available only at Family Dollar stores called Midnight Magic. This line comes from the makers of Barbie's fourth rate wannabe, Lovely Patsy.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9676" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/home_02a.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9676" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/home_02a.png" alt="" width="500" height="532" /></a> The Midnight Magic Girls[/caption]<br/><p style="text-align: left">The premise of the <a href="http://midnight-magic.com/main.asp">Midnight Magic</a> dolls is that four high school students stayed late after school one day and drank an experimental potion left behind by a teacher, which turned their skin different colors and gave them powers and abilities and all that hooty hoo, and essentially made them look like space prostitutes.</p><br/>The remarkable thing is that this is a high quality knockoff, well worth the five bucks. I guess it's a sign of the power of the internet age that this cheesy knockoff has its <a href="http://midnight-magic.com/main.asp">own website</a>where you can learn the storyline and find out more about the characters, Adele, Mila, Kayley, and Pippa. The figures come packaged in a slightly coffin shaped box and are built along the lines of the Monster High figures, missing a couple points of articulation.<br/><br/>The fact that the premise of the toy line has hints of inappropriate after school behavior with a professor and drug abuse makes it all the more entertaining. The reason the line is called Midnight Magic is that the girls turn into their new personalities at midnight and then turn back at dawn. So we can also add split personalities and all night carousing to the list of behaviors which this line encourages in young ladies. As knockoffs go, this is a pretty darn good one.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9677" align="alignright" width="240"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5979.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9677" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5979.png" alt="" width="240" height="357" /></a> "I was created by under-achieving aliens to come to earth and, just hang out. Y'know."[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Super Hero</strong><br/><br/>Now we've got something really cheesy. Super Hero, which was acquired years ago from some forgotten retailer, is not a superhero. He's a knockoff of a giant anime style robot, possibly a Gundam. His name is Super Hero because he was apparently made by people for whom English is not their primary language.<br/><br/>Super Hero features a mere four points of articulation, meaning his arms move at the shoulders, his legs move at the hips, but that's it. He's molded in gray plastic with gold paint and stickers and comes with a sword and shield which plug into holes in his fist. The figure is about a foot tall and is blister packed on a huge, full color card which is adorned with what are possibly bootleg images from anime.<br/><br/>One of the lovely things about this knockoff is the legends printed on different parts of the card as fine print. One of them says, "SPECIFICATIONS COLOURS AND CONTENTS MAY VARY FROM ILLUSTRATIONS", but the winner down at the bottom of the card is "ALL KINDS OF TOYS ARE SELECTED FREELY BY YOU". Thank God that we finally have a toy that we are not forced to purchase at gunpoint!<br/><br/>This winner gets extra cheese points for combining an illogical name with a lame toy and goofy fine print.<br/><br/><strong>Action Figures Fighters</strong><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9680" align="alignleft" width="240"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5984.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9680" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5984.png" alt="" width="240" height="386" /></a> Speaking of under-achiving creators[/caption]<br/><br/>This is a special half-assed knockoff because it's a toy line that has been running at least ten years and can still be found occasionally at Rite Aid, among other places. It is a line of action figures called "Action Figures." They come in all shapes and sizes, with minor variations over the years. But they all have this weird backing card with a green and orange border and a blue and yellow geometric design. This is a product of Jaru, a company that specializes in cheap "rack toys."<br/><br/>This particular example is a five inch tall figure and it's pretty clearly supposed to be Rambo. The figure itself looks like hell, with Godawful sculpting and poor articulation. This is pretty typical of the Action Figures line of action figures, though they range in size from two inches tall to eight inches tall, depending on what hot toy they're trying to imitate. This one gets special cheese points for the generic packaging, the lousy sculpting, and the fact that it was bought at Rite Aid.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9682" align="alignright" width="240"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5986.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9682" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5986.png" alt="" width="240" height="365" /></a> "Warning! I Suck!"[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Police Force 2002</strong><br/><br/>Police Force 2002 is a three and three quarter inch action figure purchased for ninety-nine cents at Big Lots. It is remarkable because it claims to be a S.W.A.T. figure playset but is in fact a knockoff of RoboCop in silver plastic, wearing a tiny gold vest. His accessories include a large, unrealistic looking gun and a police shield. So in this line we have a movie knockoff, re-purposed as a regular police S.W.A.T. figure with five points of articulation and it sold for less than a dollar.<br/><br/>However, the big cheese factor for this toy has nothing to do with it being swiped from RoboCop or re-purposed. The cheesiest thing about Police Force 2002 is that it was released in 2005.<br/><br/><strong>Just Hero</strong> <a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5989.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9683" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5989.png" alt="" width="300" height="632" /></a><br/><br/>Technically, this one is "Marvel Just Hero." As you can clearly see in the photo, it's Spider-Man. There is a button on Spider-Man's back that lights up a red LED in his chest for no reason.<br/><br/>This ten inch tall action figure was purchased at the late, lamented Silver Dollar store in Barboursville, which was a treasure trove of outright crap. Sadly, it has been replaced by a Dollar Tree, with its slightly more respectable assortment of outright crap. But like Dollar Tree, everything at Silver Dollar cost a mere buck.<br/><br/>For a dollar, you got a ten inch action figure of Spider-Man who could only bend at the hips and shoulders. But he did have that pointless light-up feature.<br/><br/>The remarkable thing about this toy is the backing card. Even though it says Marvel at the top, clearly visible in the background are Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, the Power Rangers, and Ben Affleck as Daredevil, also a very large "No Turn" traffic sign. Just Hero is more a bootleg than a cheesy knockoff, but the cheese factor is just so high I had to include it.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9685" align="alignright" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5991.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9685" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5991.png" alt="" width="220" height="327" /></a> You can do a double-take now[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Space Power Warrior</strong><br/><br/><strong></strong>Sometimes you come across a cheesy toy that just makes you squeal "WTF?"<br/><br/>Space Power Warrior, purchased more than a decade ago at Fruth Pharmacy, is one such toy. This is very clearly a Star Wars knockoff. There's a painting of a TIE Fighter and The Death Star on the backing card, no manufacturer is listed, the figure is eight inches tall, and is a very cheaply made knockoff of Darth Vader. He even has a light sabre.<br/><br/>And when I say cheaply made, I'm not exaggerating. This thing is made of very thin, blow molded plastic. The articulation is at the shoulders and hips and he has some paint and sticker details. In fact it's not an exact knockoff of Darth Vader, as you can probably tell by the photo. You see, he does not have a cape. His boots are painted silver. Oh, and one other thing. He has Superman's head.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9686" align="alignleft" width="250"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5992.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9686" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5992.png" alt="" width="250" height="347" /></a> "Please Kill me. I'm not natural." Check out that snazy paint job on the chest panel![/caption]<br/><br/>I'm not talking about just any Superman's head. He has the head from a mid 1990's Kenner Toys Superman line where Superman had longer hair than normal. And that head is parked on top of Darth Vader's body.<br/><br/>That's pretty messed up. It's not often that you find a knockoff that swipes the mold from a completely different action figure line and slaps it on a totally unrelated character.<br/><br/>What's more bizzare is that there is a variation of this figure, with the body molded in red.<br/><br/><strong>Hunting Set</strong><br/><br/><strong></strong>Heading back to Big Lots we find another classy ninety-nine cent item, Hunting Set, which is a knockoff of a series of popular Matchbox playsets that included exotic animals with die-cast cars. This set was apparently designed by people who had no concept of what constitutes politically correct. The backing card depicts a hunter with a rifle, along with two leopards, which are an endangered species. The set itself includes a die-cast Range Rover type vehicle, a palm tree, a sign with a lion on it that says "Wildlife Danger," a tiny figure of a hunter with a gun, a tiny figure of an elephant, and a blue plastic rifle which, if it's supposed to be in scale with the hunter, would be about twelve feet tall.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9688" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5996.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9688" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5996.png" alt="" width="300" height="356" /></a> Well isn't that cute...BUT IT'S WRONG![/caption]<br/><p style="text-align: left">Where do we start with this set? First, you've got the out of scale rifle. Second, you've got a palm tree, which I don't believe you will find many of in the African plains. There's the sign, which is the type of sign you would find at a wildlife preserve, and there's the fact that hunting elephants is pretty much illegal worldwide. And this particular elephant must be a baby because it's only slightly bigger than the hunter.</p><br/>You gotta admire the anonymous toymaker behind this set for providing so many wrong things for under a dollar.<br/><br/><strong>Goozilla</strong><br/><br/><strong></strong>Goozilla. What more can I say about this monstrosity? It's blow molded, the parts don't fit together well, and it's just a complete mess. I had to have it in my collection.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9689" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5998.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9689" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5998.png" alt="" width="500" height="631" /></a> Admit it. You're jealous![/caption]<br/><br/><strong>The Pirates</strong><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9691" align="alignleft" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6000.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9691" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6000.png" alt="" width="220" height="674" /></a> Yeah, this looks just like Johnny Depp[/caption]<br/><br/>In the wake of the success of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, stores were flooded with tons of generic pirate toys. One of the most interesting toys with one of the least interesting names was The Pirates. This was a poly bagged dollar store item that I picked up at a novelty store in Madison, WV a few years ago.<br/><br/>The figure cost a dollar and you get what you pay for. Basically, this is a twelve inch doll with a blow molded Ken knockoff body, articulated at the hips and shoulders and neck. Atop this body sits a crudely sculpted, yet charming pirate head. There were several different styles.<br/><br/>The figure is wearing clothing made of a bizzare, thin, nylon type material that almost seems like Tyvek, only less durable. Closures are cheap, velcro style and his boots are left over GI Joe knockoff boots that won't even stay upon his dainty feets. He also comes with a hard plastic pirate hat, a flintlock pistol, and a sword which is molded into the scabbard. Not having gripping hands, he can't hold the sword or the pistol.<br/><br/>Still, this is a knockoff with a lot of potential. The head can be transplanted to other twelve inch bodies and some of the accessories are salvageable. Plus, let's face it--it's not that hard to put together a scurvy pirate outfit.<br/><br/>The cheese factor on this one is the overall chintziness of just about everything but the head sculpt and the generic name. I will say it was well worth a dollar.<br/><br/><strong>Bubbly Chubbies</strong><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9693" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6005.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9693" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6005.png" alt="" width="500" height="660" /></a> What's sicker, the fact that we exist, or the fact that Rudy has had us in his collection for more than a decade, waiting for just the right time to spring us on the world?[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9694" align="alignright" width="200"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6003.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9694" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6003.png" alt="" width="200" height="270" /></a> "I'm cute and adorable and at night, while you're sleeping, I'm going to eat your pancreas!"[/caption]<br/><br/>This one's been in my collection for a long time. God only knows why. Bubbly Chubbies is a knockoff of Teletubbies. The figures look essentially like Teletubbies with more human faces, the TV sets removed from their stomachs, and their head appendages taken away, perhaps with the use of a rusty hacksaw.<br/><br/>The Teletubbies were nightmarish and horriffic enough on their own, but the cheesy knockoffs, with their eyes that follow you everywhere and the odd artwork on the packaging, elevate the creepiness level even higher. It's appropriate that something this perverted looking shares its name with a euphamism for an erection.<br/><br/><strong>Special Section GI Joe Knockoffs</strong><br/><br/>Longtime readers of this column are probably aware that I collect twelve inch action figures like Captain Action, Johnny West, and the grandaddy of them all, GI Joe. As such, I have a large assortment of cheesy knockoffs of the twelve inch GI Joe and his accessories. We're going to take a quick look at four of those right here.<br/><br/>First up, going all the way back to the 1960's for Combat Man's Equipment Case. Combat Man was a cheesy knockoff of GI Joe that was offered in the Sears and JC Penney's Christmas catalogs, among other places. The figure itself is unremarkable, but this one accessory brings cheesiness to a new level. For the parent who was too cheap to buy their kid a Jeep for their twelve inch military figures, Combat Man's Equipment Case came to the rescue.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9695" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6011.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9695" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6011.png" alt="" width="500" height="340" /></a> "Cool! Is your Jeep iin that box?" "Uh...no. My Jeep IS the box."[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Combat Man's Equipment Case</strong> was a rather typical carrying case of the day, constructed of cardboard covered with vinyl, with metal clasps. But this carrying case had a difference. Printed on each side of the carrying case was a painting of a jeep. In the middle of the case, on each side, was a transparent, vinyl window. And inside the case, there was a little shelf where you could seat your action figure.<br/><br/>Imagine being the kid who showed up with the other neighborhood kids to play with their GI Joes and while they had official jeeps, fire rescue vehicles, or amphicats, you got to push a box around. But it wasn't just any box. It was a box with a drawing of a jeep on the side. I'll bet a few kids who got this for Christmas eventually wound up in the bell tower with a sniper rifle.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9697" align="alignleft" width="250"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6006.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9697" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6006.png" alt="" width="250" height="396" /></a> "Hi. I don't really suck enough to be here."[/caption]<br/><br/>In the mid 1990's, there was a revival of the twelve inch action figure and that meant there was a revival of the inexpensive twelve inch action figure knockoff. I literally have a small mountain of these. So I just picked one at random and unfortunately for you, it's a pretty good figure. I can't really go off on <strong>Action Team Action Figure</strong> because, aside from the generic name, it gave you a pretty good bang for your buck.<br/><br/>This figure was five bucks at either Dollar General or Family Dollar (I forget which) and for your money, you got a very nicely made, well-articulated action figure with a good head sculpt, a decent cloth uniform, a decent rifle, a cool but weird looking beret, and a bandolier where his belt ought to be. There's really nothing much to complain about with this figure. He's comparable to the GI Joe Classic Collection figures that were coming out around the same time.<br/><br/>Sorry for picking such a decent figure out of the pile. They can't all be losers.<br/><br/>We wrap up our GI Joe section with two carded uniform accessory sets. Both of these came from Dollar Tree and both of these share the distinction of looking like a really good value...until you open them.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9698" align="alignright" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6001.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9698" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6001.png" alt="" width="220" height="303" /></a> Are you amused at the fact that Rudy is bitching about the quality of something he got at Dollar Tree yet?[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Rescue Team</strong> is a ski outfit. It comes with a jumpsuit, two skis, two ski poles, a rifle, and a pair of boots. Sounds great for a dollar, doesn't it? However, the material used on the ski suit is that same weird, thin nylon that I told you about on the pirate figure. When placed on an action figure, it looks sort of like he's wearing clothing made of garbage bags.<br/><br/>So the jumpsuit, which looks good in the package, is crap. The skis are about an inch too short and only work with the included boots. The included boots are made of very hard plastic and will not fit the feet of most twelve inch action figures. They are so rigid that in order to put them on any figure, you have to pry them apart because each boot is molded in two pieces. Also, the ski poles are warped and the rifle is way too small, not being the proper scale. But aside from that, it only cost a dollar.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9700" align="alignleft" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6002.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9700" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6002.png" alt="" width="220" height="361" /></a> From the people who brought you plastic Kleenex...[/caption]<br/><br/>Also a dollar is the <strong>Soldier Military Uniform Playset</strong>. Back for an encore performance in this set is a thin nylon jumpsuit, this time in camoflauge, and the rigid two piece boots. This is advertised as a twelve piece set and to get that number up, they include a belt which will not fit the figure, an M-16 which is so tiny that in real life it would be about fourteen inches long, a Western revolver, a hard plastic helmet, a walkie-talkie, watch, flashlight, pouch, and canteen, none of which are particularly well made. Also, there's no way to attach any of the accessories to the belt that's included with the jumpsuit. And yet, like the Rescue Team set, at least it was only a dollar.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9701" align="alignright" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6017.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9701" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_6017.png" alt="" width="220" height="292" /></a> Every time this movie is watched, an angle slits their wrists[/caption]<br/><br/><strong>Cars Life 2</strong><br/><br/>I will apologize in advance if you were not previously aware of our final knockoff. I hope the knowledge of its existence does not leave you permanently emotionally scarred. We're going to leave the realm of toys and venture into the world of cheesy knockoff DVD's. "Cars Life 2" is a cheesy knockoff of Pixar's "Cars 2."<br/><br/>Let me explain that "Cars" and its sequel are my least favorite Pixar movies. Yet they were merchandising powerhouses. You can't really blame somebody for trying to get a piece of that action. You can, however, blame the producers of this direct to DVD animated feature for creating what may well be one of the worst movies ever made.<br/><br/>I'm not talking about a movie that's "so bad that it's good." This is a movie that is so bad that it goes beyond having any entertainment value whatsoever and enters into a realm of awfulness comparable to the lower levels of Dante's depiction of Hell.<br/><br/>Lest you think I'm being a little harsh, you should be aware that the reanimated corpse of Ed Wood, Jr. could very well claw his way out of his grave, hunt down the producers, and murder them with a hatchet for making the worst movie in the world and not a single person would be surprised.<br/><br/>"Cars Life 2," and yes, it's a sequel to an almost equally bad movie, sports animation that is not quite good enough to be used in local cable television commercials. The ineptitutde in the character design and animation leaves the viewer wondering if this is actually a comedy bit where people were hired to do something this horrible on purpose. If that's the case, this is the type of wretched art that can only be produced by misguided performance art.<br/><br/>We know that's not the case, though. This is a cynical attempt to cash in on Pixar's "Cars 2" by producers determined to spend as little money as possible. There is one absolutely entertaining and hysterical feature of this movie, but it's not actually in the movie. The slogan for Engine 15 Media Group, LLC and Sparkplug Entertainment, the people responsible for this crime against humanity is, "The Entertainment Alternative for What the World Wants to See."<br/><br/>Let that sink in for a moment. The world wants to see something? Here, look at this instead! If you think I'm exaggerating, take a look at the trailer...<br/><br/>[HTML1]<br/><br/>Are you traumatized yet? Do you want to know how worthless this DVD is? I only got a copy because when I found it at Drug Emporium, usually a source of grand cinema, it was shrink wrapped with a three disc set of cool public domain cartoons. So for five bucks, I got three DVD's of Popeye, Betty Boop, and classic cartoons directed by Ray Harryhausen and Ub Iwerks. Plus, I got "Cars Life 2."<br/><br/>The three DVD set alone was easily worth five dollars. "Cars Life 2," due to its excretionary wretchedness, is worth at least a negative twenty dollars. So I'm basically out fifteen bucks on the deal.<br/><br/>And if you don't believe me about the worthlessness of this horrrid film, which could possibly be used to drive demons out of possessed children, consider this: the ENTIRE MOVIE is posted on YouTube by someone who does not own the rights and loudly proclaims that he's only posting it to show how awful it is. The producers of the movie have yet to file any complaints with YouTube.<br/><br/>Still don't believe me?<br/><br/>[HTML2]<br/><br/>So I saved the worst for last. If you actually watched any of that horrible thing, I need to take a moment to remind you that the phrase "bleaching my eyes" is only figurative and should never be done literally, no matter how much you feel it's necessary.<br/><br/>Thank you for indulging me as I backslid into my role as the purveyor of cheesy knockoffs. I hope that you were more amused than traumatized, but I can't guarantee that.<br/><br/>I have made a late decision to delay the next Radio Free Charleston for one week, but you can still check PopCult for our regular features and get ready, because we will be gearing up the PopCult Gift Guide very soon.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-14524311527767621152012-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:12.333-08:00Qiet, "Mary," Farnsworth, DEVO Hats and breakfast cereal on RFC 174[HTML1]<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image21.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9658" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image21.png" alt="" width="220" height="228" /></a>Up top you see RFC 174 "Mark Wolfe Design Shirt." This week's episode of Radio Free Charleston features music from <a href="http://qietmusic.com/">Qiet</a> and <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/farnsworth">Farnswort</a>h, plus a special performance from the Dan Khede/Mark Scarpelli rock opera, MARY. We also have some fresh DEVO hat animation and part of a complete breakfast. Host segments were shot on the river side of our beautiful State Capitol Building. Our titular shirt comes to us from our good friend, Mark Wolfe, and plugs <a href="http://www.markwolfedesign.com/">Mark Wolfe Desig</a>n, pretty much the hippest design firm in town.<br/><br/>We start the show with something childish and hysterical and we're not going to say anything more about it.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9659" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image31.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9659" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image31.png" alt="" width="500" height="277" /></a> QiET[/caption]<br/><br/>Our first musical guest, <a href="http://qietmusic.com/">Qiet</a>, is an eclectic musical phenomenon from Huntington, West Virginia, whom we've had on the show a couple of times before, but never at full strength. We finally got a chance to record the full band at The Empty Glass a couple of weeks ago and in this week's show they bring us "Dionysian Dream." Camera work is by Lee Harrah, Melanie Larch and Rudy Panucci. Sound recording by Greg McGowan.<br/><br/>Qiet just wrapped up a successful mini-tour of North Carolina, and can next be seen and heard December 7 at Jackie O's in Athens, Ohio and December 15 Marietta Brewing Company in Marietta. We will alert you loudly<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9660" align="alignleft" width="158"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image61.png"><img class=" wp-image-9660 " src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image61.png" alt="" width="158" height="129" /></a> Blue Dome[/caption]<br/><br/>the next time they play in the Charleston area.<br/><br/>Our animation this week is "Blue Dome," surprisingly, it's yet another DEVO energy dome cartoon by <a href="http://www.frankpanucci.com">Frank Panucci</a>.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9663" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image7.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9663" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image7.png" alt="" width="500" height="281" /></a> Rowan Maher, "MARY"[/caption]<br/><br/>Next up we feature Rowan Maher, accompanied by Mark Scarpelli. This is our fifth year bringing you a clip from Dan Khede and Mark Scarpelli's holiday institution, MARY: A Rock Opera. For 2012 the Contemporary Youth Arts Company is trying a different approach with two sets of principal cast members trading off during the run of the show. It'll be almost like having the chance to see two different productions of the same musical at the same time. This week we bring you Rowan Maher, who plays the title role, Mary, in the evening cast, performing "Child, My Child," recorded at composer Mark Scarpelli's home.<br/><br/>You can see "MARY: A Rock Opera" at the WVSU Captiol Center Theater November 23, 24, 29, 30 and December 1 at 8 PM, and November 24, 25 and December 1 at 2 PM. Tickets are ten dollars, six for students and seniors. You'll want to check out both the evening and matinee performances this year to compare the casts.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9664" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image8.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9664" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image8.png" alt="" width="500" height="283" /></a> Farnsworth[/caption]<br/><br/>For our final musical guest is <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/farnsworth">Farnsworth</a>, we dive into our video vault, all the way back to Budget Tapes and Records where we recorded a late summer performance by Farnsworth. Farnsworth will be playing with Morgantown's The Phantom Six and Tofujitsu Friday, November 24th at the Boulevard Tavern. We wrap up the show with Farnsworth and their song "I'm Not Your Kind of Guy."<br/><br/>If you watch RFC on a regular basis, you're familiar with Tofujitsu, but here's a new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/LiveatTrackside">Live From Trackside</a> video by The Phantom Six.<br/><br/>[HTML2]<br/><br/>That's it for this week's show. We will probably be back with another show next week, but we don't know what's gonna be in it yet.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-77675316191788967162012-11-18T20:39:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:12.128-08:00Monday Morning Art: Ragnarok<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5964.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9644" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5964.png" alt="" width="500" height="667" /></a>The theme for last night's edition of <a href="http://www.drsketchy.com/branch/charleston">Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School</a> was Ragnaok, which is the term for the end of the world in Norse mythology. It was chosen as the theme because of the predictions of the end of the world thanks to the Mayan Calendar ending.<br/><br/>Because the Mayans and The Norse are just like two peas in a pod, or something. But it was a fun night, and prizes included John Hodgmen's new book, the "Cards Against Humanity" game and, yes, Twinkies.<br/><br/>Anyway, today we have some quick digital paintings of Vorel Sarkany as C'Thulu(above), Penny Maple as The whore of Babylon and Molly Tilly and Cornelius Dapperdu as John Hodgeman and Jonathan Coulton. As always, click to enlarge. And remember, tonight in PopCult, it's time for a new episode of Radio Free Charleston.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5909.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9646" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5909.png" alt="" width="500" height="397" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5881a.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9648" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5881a.png" alt="" width="500" height="519" /></a>Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-69208857530643121712012-11-16T01:38:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:11.925-08:00The End Of The World, Zombie Baby Boom and The Wayward Girls<span style="font-size: large"><strong><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5779.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9619" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5779.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="405" /></a>The PopCulteer</strong><strong> </strong></span><br/><span style="font-size: large"><strong>November 16, 2012</strong></span><br/><br/>We've got just a few short items for this week's PopCulteer and then we're going to wrap it up with a photo essay featuring the Wayward Girls School of Burlesque. It's a little weird not having an ArtWalk on the third Thursday of the month, but in November they always have it on Black Friday. Your PopCulteer is still trying to figure out a way to photograph the exhibits next week without setting foot in a retail establishment on Black Friday. Stay tuned to see how that works out.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/><strong>Dr. Sketchy's At The End of The World</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/211067_193338600800607_854054989_n.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9617" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/211067_193338600800607_854054989_n.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="271" /></a>The November edition of <a href="http://www.drsketchy.com/branch/charleston">Dr. Sketchy's</a> takes place this Sunday at Kanawha Players Theater on Beauregard Street. Admission is $8 in advance, $10 at the door, and the theme this month is Ragnarok, the end of the world. They wanted to get it in early just in case the world really does end in December.<br/><br/>Models include Vorel Sarkany (left) , Cornelius Dapperdu and Molly Tilly and from what I hear, we can expect appearances by C'thulu and Jonathan Hodgeman.<br/><br/><strong>Save the Zombie Babies</strong><br/><br/>West Virginia's horror auteur Eamon Hardiman, fresh off successfully wrapping the "Porkchop" trilogy, is set to revisit the serious themes and deep matter of his earlier film "Zombie Babies," which is available at major retailers and garnered a mention in Entertainment Weekly. "Zombie Babies 2" is currently in the pre-production and fundraising stage and you can help out by kicking a few bucks their way via IndieGoGo<br/><br/>[HTML1]<br/><br/><strong>Stuff To Do</strong><br/><br/>Friday and Saturday, musical theatre fans can catch the West Virginia State University production of "Hairspray" at 7:30 PM at the Davis Fine Arts Theater on the WVSU campus. It's free for students, $10 for everybody else.<br/><br/>Cover free music Friday night includes the acoustic rock of Revolution starting at 7:30 PM at Bridge Road Bistro. Also at 7:30, Kerry Kean will be performing at Taylor Books. The Bark-O-Loungers take the stage at 9 PM at Bruno's on Leon Sullivan Way. Also at 9 PM in St. Albans, Devin Hale begins playing at Crumpecker's Bar on West Main Street. Finally, Marshall Petty brings his jazz/blues saxophone to the Upstairs Lounge at Little India at 9 PM.<br/><br/>Cover free music on Saturday includes the 2-Blue Band performing from 6 to 8 PM at the Bluegrass Kitchen. Roger Yeardley will kick off at Taylor Books at 7:30 PM.<br/><br/>Comparsa will take the stage at 11 PM at The Empty Glass with a $7 cover ($5 if you get there before 11).<br/><br/><strong>The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque</strong><br/><br/>Below you will find a brief photo essay devoted to the first photo shoot for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/waywardgirlsburlesque?fref=ts">Wayward Girls School of Burlesque</a>. Some of the images are photos, some are digital paintings, and some of those are still in progress. You will see more images from this shoot in the future. This is just part of the fun from that night. The Wayward Girls and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pepperfandangoband">Pepper Fandango</a> can be seen tonight at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Theemptyglass">The Empty Glass</a> as part of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chemical-Valley-Rollergirls/52913383733">Chemical Valley Rollergirls</a> Birthday Bash, starting at 9 PM.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9622" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5748.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9622" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5748.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="410" /></a> Elle Xombeah, and Penny Maple, with Penny telling Kitty Killton something juicy[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9623" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5630.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9623" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5630.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="481" /></a> Penny Maple, Lilli Lugosi, Suzie Sketchman and Kitty Killton[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9624" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5655.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9624" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5655.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="876" /></a> Elle Xombeah and Penny Maple[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9625" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5740b.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9625" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5740b.png" alt="" width="500" height="433" /></a> Penny and Elle in stark black and white[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9626" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5731.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9626" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5731.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="445" /></a> Elle, Lilli and Pepper Fandango[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9627" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5850.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9627" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5850.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="393" /></a> Kitty, Elle and Suzie, in the kitchen[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9628" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5815.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9628" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5815.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="778" /></a> Pepper Fandango[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9629" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5824.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9629" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5824.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="906" /></a> Suzie Sketchman[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9630" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5715.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9630" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5715.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="1018" /></a> Pepper Fandango[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9631" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5728.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9631" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5728.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="457" /></a> Elle and Lilli[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9632" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5754.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9632" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5754.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="839" /></a> Kitty Killton[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9633" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5688.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9633" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5688.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> Pepper and Kitty[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9634" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5663.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9634" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5663.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="415" /></a> Suzie and Penny[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9635" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5660.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9635" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5660.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="334" /></a> Kitty and Elle[/caption]<br/><br/> <br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9637" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5717.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9637" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5717.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="537" /></a> Pepper and Penny[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9638" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5792abpng.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9638" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5792abpng.png" alt="" width="500" height="547" /></a> Suzie and Pepper[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9639" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5694.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9639" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5694.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="381" /></a> We wrap it up with the whole gang[/caption]<br/><br/> <br/><br/>That's it for this week's PopCulteer. Check back for our regular features, plus a brand-new episode of Radio Free Charleston next week.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-55693087847808080422012-11-11T16:03:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:11.722-08:00Monday Morning Art: Hello Kitty<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/hello-kitty.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9611" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/hello-kitty.png" alt="" width="500" height="874" /></a><br/><br/>This week we kick off PopCult with a digital painting of our own Kitty Killton misusing a couch, based on a photo taken last week at a shoot for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/waywardgirlsburlesque?fref=ts">The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque</a>. You will be seeing way more images from this photo shoot in the coming weeks. As always, click on it to see a bigger version.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-40356123332575011652012-11-11T06:28:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:11.504-08:00Sunday Evening Video: Veteran's Day[HTML1]<br/><br/><img class="alignright" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/08/Image91.png" alt="" width="132" height="185" />In honor of Veteran's Day, we re-present the three-part Radio Free Charleston special from the "Tribute To The Troops II" concert, held last August at the Amphitheater in St. Albans City Park. Thanking veterans and active duty military for their service to our Democracy.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-83466506870382343022012-11-08T17:20:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:11.218-08:00The Great Rock And Roll Swindle 2012<span style="font-size: large"><strong><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/investorsa.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9596" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/investorsa.png" alt="" width="220" height="297" /></a>The PopCulteer</strong><strong> </strong></span><br/><span style="font-size: large"><strong>November 7, 2012</strong></span><br/><br/>It's finally over. Months, and in some cases years of campaigning for control of the White House, came to an end Tuesday as voters, even despite successful attempts at voter suppression by Republican governors and legislators, chose to give Barack Obama four more years to dig us out of the hole that the previous administration had placed us in.<br/><br/>There has been a small amount of gloating and taunting, some of it richly deserved. And on the losing side, a laughable amount of despair and hysterical panic and doomsaying, but at least it's over. Now we can study the aftermath and assess the damage.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>It's time for the Monday Morning Quarterbacking to begin.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9598" align="alignleft" width="250"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/rove-001png.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9598" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/rove-001png.png" alt="" width="250" height="156" /></a> That wonderful moment[/caption]<br/><br/>In this week's PopCulteer, I am going to focus on the man whom I believe may be mistakenly seen as the tragic figure of this election, the King Lear of lies and propaganda, Fox News pundit and former campaign guru Karl Rove.Mitt Romney may have lost his bid for the White House, but he still has hundreds of millions of dollars and a mansion with separate elevators for his cars, his servants and his dancing horses to console him. Rove, on the other hand, seems to have lost everything.<br/><br/>Rove, the Illsbury Doughboy with his Crossroads GPS Super Pac, raised and spent over one billion dollars to support Mitt Romney and a slate of right-wing extremist senatorial and congressional candidates, and for the most part, the campaigns he supported failed miserably.<br/><br/>Karly-boy, a disciple of the late Lee Atwater, and possibly Satan, is being seen as a man who has lost his touch. People are wondering how this master of Nietzsche's "Big Lie" theory, a man whose skills at spreading propaganda have been compared to that of Hitler's PR man Joseph Goebbels, seems suddenly lost at sea. It was as if someone busted out the Blue Kryptonite and erased his superpowers. His meltdown on Fox News, where he refused to believe that the election could possibly have been called as early as it was, is both sad and hilarious. Never has a human being both looked and sounded so much like Porky Pig.<br/><br/>[HTML1]<br/><br/>But it hit me when viewing that clip for the twentieth time today that it might have been an act.<br/><br/>A lot of people think that it's over the top to compare anyone in politics today to a member of the Third Reich, and in retrospect, I think maybe the comparison to Goebbels could be wrong. Also, the perception of Karl Rove as a gigantic, whining loser who now looks like South Park's Eric Cartman all grown up, might also be wrong. Karl Rove might just be the smartest man in the room.<br/><br/>He's not trying to be Joseph Goebbels. The Karl Rove that we have seen in action during this political campaign is equal parts Malcolm McLaren and Max Bialystock.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9600" align="alignleft" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/mclaren-article_1612819c.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9600" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/mclaren-article_1612819c.png" alt="" width="220" height="138" /></a> McLaren[/caption]<br/><br/>McLaren of course, was the mastermind behind the Sex Pistols and other musical acts in the heyday of punk. He was famous for stressing form over content. It was all about the packaging. While the Sex Pistols did manage to create one all-time classic album, they are remembered today as the cartoonish, loutish, dim-witted, crude thugs who ran wild across the country, disappointing crowds and, in the case of Sid Vicious, possessing little or no talent. Bear with me as I stretch a bit for this analogy. Imagine if the Sex Pistols were entirely made up of Sid Viciouses. Now imagine that instead of playing rock and roll, they all were far right-wing, poorly-educated aspiring politicians.<br/><br/>Tell me that doesn't sound like the Tea Party.<br/><br/>However, foisting a bunch of ignorant, talentless, ideologically abhorrent automatons on the country is not the part of Rove's plan that is genius. The genius, and this is where the comparisons to Malcolm McLaren become apparent, is that, just maybe, Rove managed to successfully exploit this collection of political hooligans and keep all the money for himself.<br/><br/>And this is where the comparison to Max Bialystock comes in.<br/><br/>Max Bialystock is the character portrayed by Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks' classic movie, "The Producers" (the same character brought to life by Nathan Lane in the musical adaptations of "The Producers".) His great scheme as a Broadway producer was that he came to the realization that a play that flopped could bring him much more money than one which was successful.<br/><br/>You see, a successful Broadway play eventually has to pay back money and dividends to its investors. But a flop...a flop is written off as a loss by everyone, no matter how much money is raised to finance it. Nobody gets paid back.<br/><br/>In "The Producers," Bialystock sets out to create the most repugnant musical production in the history of Broadway, "Springtime For Hitler." The plan is that it would be so horrible and offensive that it would close after one night and Bialystock, who had raised far more money for the production than he could have possibly spent, would write off the play as a loss and keep all the excess money for himself.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9599" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Zero-Mostel-2.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9599 " src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Zero-Mostel-2.png" alt="" width="500" height="300" /></a> "Well, Karl, what say we promenade through the park?"[/caption]<br/><br/>You have to wonder if Karl Rove saw the movie and had a lightbulb go off over his head. As a master fundraiser, Rove, simply on his track record alone, could easily raise hundreds of millions of dollars from the usual right-wing suspects: the Koch Brothers, Richard Scafe, Richard Adelson, etc.<br/><br/>But if he supported candidates that couldn't possibly get elected, his investors would simply write it off as a loss, knowing that there would be no political payback since their candidates never took office.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9602" align="alignright" width="250"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/cute-kittens1.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9602" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/cute-kittens1.png" alt="" width="250" height="266" /></a> I was going to try and do a mash-up of "Springtime For Hitler" with Mitt Romney, but the results just looke moronic, so here's a picture of a cute little kitten instead.[/caption]<br/><br/>I'm certain that Rove was paid quite well by his own super PAC for consulting on each campaign. Judging from his appearance on Fox News, he doesn't appear to have missed many meals lately. You see, the deep dark secret in the life of a political consultant is that they get paid whether their candidate wins or loses.<br/><br/>Keep in mind that this is pure speculation. But you have to wonder how much of the more than one billion dollars that Karl Rove raised for Crossroads GPS was paid to Rove himself for consulting or to companies in which Rove may have an ownership stake.<br/><br/>Somebody has to own the production houses that cranked out all those commercials. Somebody has to own the media outlets that ran those ads. Hell, somebody even owns the catering companies that provided hors d'oeuvres for all those fundraising events. You have to wonder how much of that one billion dollars that Karl Rove raised and spent wound up in his own pocket.<br/><br/>How much money are we talking about here? Who knows? It's clear that Rove's reputation as a political genius should be completely shot by now. But he may have made enough money to easily retire. Plus, he works for the Republicans, who tend to have very short memories when it comes to gigantic political failures.<br/><br/>So Rove may not be the tragic figure in this tale after all. He's not the hero, but he may not be the villain either. Maybe he just figured out how to be some perverse Robin Hood, who steals from the rich white people and keeps the money for himself. For years, Democrats have hated and villified Rove because it's clear that, simply by virtue of getting George W. Bush elected President, he has inflicted a great harm upon this nation. But maybe he's not as evil as we thought. Maybe that was all part of a master plan. He's like the protagonist in a caper film. Just when you thought he was committed to delivering the country into the hands of evil, he pulls a triple-cross and makes off with a trainload full of gold.<br/><br/>So that's my big political analogy for the week. I've compared Karl Rove to Malcolm McLaren and Max Bialystock.<br/><br/>I have another analogy for Karl Rove, based on his Fox News meltdown on election night. There is one other movie character that Rove reminds me of. Perhaps he's like Milton in Mike Judge's "Office Space." He's burned down the Republican Party and now he's going to skip town with all that money, plus his red Swingline stapler.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/original.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9601" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/original.png" alt="" width="500" height="281" /></a>Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-25219241637970392742012-11-05T14:22:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:11.000-08:00Punk Cabaret, Cool Jazz and Hot Rock on RFC 173[HTML1]<br/><br/>Above you should see RFC 173 "Calvin The Spiffy Spaceman Shirt" This episode of Radio Free Charleston features music from <a href="http://www.frenchyandthepunk.com/">Frenchy and the Punk</a>, <a href="http://www.amandabridgette.com/">Amanda Brigette</a> and <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/thenankerphelge">The Nanker Phelge</a>, plus a hilarious outtake from Felix Baumgardner's Space Dive and a look at the newest Olympic sport, Spumling.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9589" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image42.png"><img class=" wp-image-9589" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image42.png" alt="" width="500" height="279" /></a> Frenchy and the Punk[/caption]<br/><p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://www.frenchyandthepunk.com/">Frenchy and Punk</a> are featured on the show in advance of their November 7, 2012 gig at The Empty Glass in Charleston, WV, where they will be appearing with Qiet. While the goth/cabaret duo are promoting their new CD, "Hey, Hey, Cabaret," we have them on the show this week with the song "The Magician and The Dancer" from their 2010 CD, "Happy Madness."<a name='more'></a></p><br/>We recorded the band in the summer of 2011 at The Empty Glass and featured three songs from them back on RFC 143. However, we have plenty of material left over from that evening and were able to dig deep into the vault for this previously unseen gem. We hope Charleston's music fans don't miss out on their chance to catch the unique music of Samantha and Scott, Frenchy and The Punk.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9582" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image6.png"><img class=" wp-image-9582" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image6.png" alt="" width="500" height="279" /></a> Amanda Bridgette[/caption]<br/><p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://www.amandabridgette.com/">Amanda Bridgette</a> makes her RFC debut with her lovely Contemporary Jazz song, "Fondly," in a music video directed by <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/emilyburdette">Emily Burdette,</a> whose talents as a singer/songwriter were on display in <a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/2012/09/24/great-music-strange-film-and-a-very-dark-mound-on-rfc-169/">RFC 169</a> . This tune also features Charleston jazz icons Bob Thompson, Ryan Kennedy and Tim Courts. The music video was produced by Lisa Bragg and filmed in Charleston, West Virginia at the State Capitol.</p><br/>Bridgette recently released “Daydream”, her debut album featuring seven of her original tunes. The album spotlights her vocal versatility as well as her songwriting with tunes ranging from big band to jazz ballads to modern groove. Amanda debuted selections from the album at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV and was recently selected as a Tamarack Artist by the Tamarack Cultural Arts Center.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9583" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image16.png"><img class=" wp-image-9583" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image16.png" alt="" width="500" height="283" /></a> Mark Beckner of The nanker Phelge[/caption]<br/><p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/thenankerphelge">The Nanker Phelge</a> perform "Bankrobbers," recorded live at Shocka Con at the South Charleston Mound. They will be performing at The Empty Glass November 10, 2012, with Deadbeats and Barkers and The Suede Brothers.</p><br/>The Nanker Phelge is one of our RFC "favorites," appearing as recently as our <a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/2012/10/22/halloween-2012-on-rfc/">previous episode</a>. Stephen and Mark Beckner and Dave Roberts recently welcomed new bassist Joey Lafferty into the fold; in fact I think our video from September's Shocka Con was Joey's first official gig with the band. Stephen and Mark have been all over Radio Free Charleston throughout its run since Stephen's solo turn way back on episode 2. Drummer Dave Roberts is no stranger to the show either, having appeared with Eva Elution, TriElement, and Pepper Fandango. The Nanker Phelge recently released an excellent CD of original music and will soon begin recording a second.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image2.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9584" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image2.png" alt="" width="500" height="274" /></a>Of course, our major coup this week is our exclusive outtake from Felix Baumgartner's space dive. It's a little known fact that this worldwide sensation was actually a well rehearsed stunt and things didn't always go as planned, as you will see in this hilarious blooper.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9585" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image5.png"><img class=" wp-image-9585" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image5.png" alt="" width="150" height="178" /></a> A Spum[/caption]<br/><br/>Also in this episode of the show, sports videographer <a href="http://www.frankpanucci.com">Frank Panucci</a> brings us an in-depth look at the exciting new Olympic sport, Spumling. This is sure to be a worldwide phenomenon when it's officially unveiled at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image1.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9586" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image1.png" alt="" width="180" height="239" /></a>Our host segments this week were shot at the Southridge shopping development off Corridor G south of Charleston. The reason was we wanted to look for toys, but they didn't have the ones we wanted. But we got other toys anyway. Our titular shirt is "Calvin the Spiffy Spaceman," an absolutely stunning rendition of Spaceman Spiff from "Calvin and Hobbes," done up in the style of legendary Flash Gordon artist Alex Raymond by <a href="http://captainribman.com/">Captain RibMan</a>. This one was another <a href="http://www.teefury.com/">TeeFury.com</a> special.<br/><br/>That's the dirt behind this episode of Radio Free Charleston. Please check <a href="http://www.facebook.com/RadioFreeCharleston">our Facebook fan page</a> and just like the living crap out of it. RFC will return in two weeks with a show featuring the awesome talents of "yet to be determined."Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-14781174513515760912012-11-04T16:00:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:10.801-08:00Monday Morning Art: The Wayward Girls<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5790b.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9575" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Img_5790b.png" alt="" width="500" height="570" /></a>Over the weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to be one of the photographers for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/waywardgirlsburlesque?fref=ts">The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque.</a> It was a fun evening, and I got a lot of great pictures of the ladies, but production of RFC 173 (coming tonight to PopCult) kept me from processing and editing the photos, so this week our art is just the first taste from the session, a digital painting of Elle Xombeah, Susie Sketchmann and Pepper Fandango are in the back row, with Lilli Lugosi, Penny Maple and Kitty Killlton in front. Stay tuned to PopCult for news of the Wayward Girls' next performance, and for more photos. Click to enlarge.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-14047647768402395112012-11-04T12:14:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:41:10.600-08:00Sunday Evening Video: Frenchy and the Punk[HTML1]<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image41.png"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-9570" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/Image41-300x168.png" alt="" width="300" height="168" /></a>Our buddies from New York, <a href="http://www.frenchyandthepunk.com/">Frenchy and the Punk,</a> will be coming to The Empty Glass Wednesday to perform songs from their brand-new CD. Also on the bill is Huntington's Qiet, so it should make for a wild night of original music, and the RFC crew will be on hand. Our video tonight is RFC 143, which focused on Frenchy and the Punk during a summer, 2011 visit. Wednesday night could well be the show of the year, and you can get a taste of Frenchy and the Punk here.<br/><br/>You will get an andditonal taste of the band this week on Radio Free Charleston 173, where we will bring you an unseen performance from Frenchy and the Punk's last visit to The Empty Glass, along with new music from The Nanker Phelge and Amand Bridgette, plus a ilarious outtake from Felix Baumgartner's Space Dive. Look for RFC 173, "Calvin The Spiffy Spaceman Shirt," Monday night in PopCult.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-68134614005537342282012-11-01T17:00:00.000-07:002018-02-01T14:41:10.395-08:00November Randomosity<span style="font-size: large"><strong><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/pc-1-2-12-01.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9557" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/pc-1-2-12-01.png" alt="" width="230" height="194" /></a>The PopCulteer</strong><strong> </strong></span><br/><span style="font-size: large"><strong>November 2, 2012 </strong></span><br/><br/>This week, your PopCulteer is all over the map. We're just gonna present short, random items about a variety of topics of which we are not certain as we write this introductory sentence. Part of it is because the weather has sort of scrambled our brains and upset our routines. Part of it is because there's just so darn much stuff to talk about this week. Most of it is because we put off writing this column until the last minute and had no idea what we're going to do.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/><strong>The Mouse Swallows The Force</strong><br/><br/>The big pop culture news this week was that Disney bought LucasFilm. The House of Mouse is now the proud owner of the Star Wars franchise, as well as Indiana Jones. This was a bit of a shock, because nobody expected George Lucas to give up control of his creations, and because Disney seemed to have their intellectual property plate full with Marvel Comics, The Muppets, ABC/ESPN, Pixar, and all the creations of Walt Disney.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/pc-1-2-12-02.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9558" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/pc-1-2-12-02.png" alt="" width="230" height="174" /></a>Once the shock wore off, the wringing of the Facebook hands started. People were worried that Disney would somehow screw up the Star Wars franchise. I don't think they can do that. George Lucas beat them to it. Look at it this way--is the Star Wars franchise better off in the hands of the man who gave us Jar Jar Binks and the "Howard The Duck" movie? Or is it best entrusted to the people who gave us the Marvel Comics movies that led up to "The Avengers." True fanboys know the answer to that question.<br/><br/>Disney should do a fantastic job with Chapter VII, even though their press release indicates that it will be an original extension of the trilogy of trilogies and not follow any of the post-Chapter VI storylines as laid out in the comic books and novels. One popular rumor has Chapter VII starting forty years after the end of "Return of the Jedi," so that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford can reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. This would be really cool, but it could also be sort of like hiring Adam West to play Batman's grandpa.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/121030084034-star-wars-disney-story-top-1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9559" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/121030084034-star-wars-disney-story-top-1.png" alt="" width="500" height="307" /></a>The real meat of this four billion dollar deal lies in the merchandising and licensing. It's possible that Disney might let their toy deal with Hasbro expire and then shop the property to other toy makers to "freshen up" the line. Hasbro has a great track record with the Star Wars toys, but they've suffered along with the rest of the industry as there has been a massive downturn in action figure sales over the last five years. It's also probable that once their license expires, Dark Horse Comics will wave goodbye to The Force as Star Wars returns to their original comic book publisher, now a Disney subsidiary, Marvel Comics.<br/><br/>One other not-so-far-fetched prospect is the idea of a Broadway musical based on the original Star Wars movie. This could be an innovative success, like director Julie Traymor's "The Lion King" or an unmitigated embarassment and disaster, like director Julie Traymor's "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark." To be fair, the Spider-Man musical seems to be earning money, although it's not clear if all the lawsuits involved have been paid off yet. We only hope that if Disney takes this route, they retain Bill Murray's memorable vocal treatment of the Star Wars theme from "Saturday Night Live."<br/><br/>[HTML3]<br/><br/>All in all, the deal makes sense. Disney gets a franchise that has a lot of miles left in it, but one which needed refurbishing and Lucas gets four billion dollars to either give to charity or spend developing a machine that will erase everyone's memories of Jar Jar Binks and "Howard The Duck." The only real surprise here is that Lucas let his company go as cheaply as he did.<br/><br/><strong><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/d3minigiant_I121031203709.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9560" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/d3minigiant_I121031203709.png" alt="" width="250" height="245" /></a>The Plugging of The Band</strong><br/><br/>Nick Harrah has been a huge inspiration for us here at PopCult and Radio Free Charleston and has turned us on to many cool local bands. This week in The Gazz, Nick has a profile of Miniature Giant, a rare case of us getting to the band before he did. We first had them on Radio Free Charleston back in <a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/2011/11/07/rfc-147-with-giants-nerds-volts-and-superheroes/">Episode 147</a>. Check it out.<br/><br/>[HTML1]<br/><br/>Now check out <a href="http://www.wvgazette.com/Entertainment/201210310248">Nick's great profile</a>. You can catch Miniature Giant tonight at 10 PM, with The Tom McGees, Dinosaur Burps, and Beggar's Clan at The Blue Parrot, with a $5 cover.<br/><br/><strong>Walking The Zombie Walk</strong><br/><br/>We did it last Saturday. Here's the video.<br/><br/>[HTML2]<br/><br/><strong>Incoming Cool Toys Alert!</strong><br/><br/>Die-hard collectors should be advised that the next entry in the Captain Action line, Dr. Evil, as well as uniform sets based on Marvel Comics Thor and Loki, are starting to turn up at Toys 'R Us and hobby shops nationwide.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9561" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/TRU-SCOTTSDALE.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9561" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/TRU-SCOTTSDALE.png" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> Photo by Craig Hedges from the Captain Action YahooGroup[/caption]<br/><br/>You can expect a detailed review in this blog as soon as we get our grubby little mitts on them.<br/><br/><strong>Mini TV Review</strong><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/AHS-2x01_01.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9562" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/AHS-2x01_01.png" alt="" width="200" height="202" /></a>We are three weeks into the new season of "American Horror Story" on FX. This year, the series takes many returning cast members and tosses them into entirely different roles in a new setting. Jessica Lange returns chewing up the scenery with a vengeance, using a different exaggerated accent this time and the series is filled with shocking and disturbing events. Also, the guy from Maroon 5 gets his arm ripped off, which is always good for a laugh. Creator Ryan Murphy has concocted a horrific stew that includes insanity, demonic possession,pinheads, Nazis, aliens, ghouls, Catholics, lesbians, and the guy who took care of the cute little pig in the movie "Babe." Thus far, it's been a thoroughly enjoyable, thoroughly disturbing roller coaster ride.<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/american_horror_story_10-17.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9563" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/american_horror_story_10-17.png" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a><br/><br/><strong>Stuff To Do</strong><br/><br/>Friday night, in the cover free category, singer-songwriter George Brackens will be performing at Taylor Books at 7:30 PM. At 9 PM, Dugan Carter and friends bring classic jazz to Bruno's on Leon Sullivan Way. In St. Albans at 9 PM, Hogan's Goat takes the stage at Crumbpecker's Bar. And also at 9 PM, Marshall Petty toots his jazz/blues saxophone at the upstairs lounge at Little India.<br/><br/>If you're not broke, the highly recommended band, The Ultimatums take the stage at The Empty Glass at 11 PM. Cover charge is $5 before 11, $7 after the band takes the stage.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9564" align="alignright" width="220"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/p.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9564" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/11/p.png" alt="" width="220" height="330" /></a> Diablo Blues Band[/caption]<br/><br/>Free music Saturday evening includes Jeffrey Thomasson at the Bluegrass Kitchen at 7 PM. Mike Bennett will be performing at Taylor Books at 7 PM. You can experience the Vinyl Village with Mark Davis from 8 to 11 PM at Tricky Fish.<br/><br/>Our pick for a show with a cover charge Saturday night is our old friends The Diablo Blues Band, with Luna and The Mountain Jets kicking off at 11 PM at The Empty Glass, with the usual $5/$7 split for the cover.<br/><br/>Earlier in the evening, there is a family friendly No Pants Players show at The Alban Arts Center in St. Albans. It's scheduled to begin at 6:45 PM. Adult tickets are $10, children's tickets are $8. This is a family friendly improv comedy show, with magic by Joey Stepp prior to the show and at intermission.<br/><br/><strong>That's All, Folks!</strong><br/><br/>With that, we shall throw in the towel on this week with a reminder that you should check out this blog frequently, if not obsessively, so that you can catch our regular features including Sunday Evening Video, Monday Morning Art, and if all goes according to plan, a brand spankin' new episode of Radio Free Charleston sometime Monday evening.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-42195483197657633502012-10-28T17:00:00.000-07:002018-02-01T14:41:10.083-08:00Monday Morning Art: Halloween Thrills<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/001.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9534" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/001.png" alt="" width="500" height="434" /></a>In today's art, we are going back to<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/2012/10/22/monday-morning-art-vamping-it-up-for-halloween/"> last week</a>'s edition of <a href="http://www.drsketchy.com/branch/charleston">Dr. Sketchy's</a>, which focused on Vampirella. This week I've digitally assaulted seven photos to approximate the look of the black-and-white artwork that was featured back in Warren Publishing's Vampirella magazine when I was growing up. You will see Penny Maple as Vampirella, Elle Xombeah as Adam Van Helsing and Lilli Lugosi as Lilith.<br/><br/>Click the images to see them larger. Be warned that some of the images after the jump may not be safe for work. We will likely have more images from this edition of Dr. Sketchy's next week.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/002.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9535" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/002.png" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/003.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9536" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/003.png" alt="" width="500" height="667" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/004.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9537" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/004.png" alt="" width="500" height="667" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/005.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9538" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/005.png" alt="" width="500" height="619" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/006.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9539" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/006.png" alt="" width="500" height="667" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/007.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9540" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/007.png" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-33545651808392537052012-10-28T04:34:00.000-07:002018-02-01T14:41:09.841-08:00Sunday Evening Video: 2012 HallowEast Zombie Walk[HTML1]<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5479.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-9472" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5479-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="224" height="300" /></a>The clip you see at the top of this post is our PopCult Instant Video of the 2012 HallowEast Zombie Walk, which took place less than 24 hours before this was posted. This year's Zombie Walk started at Moxxee, the East End's ultra-hip coffee shop, and meandered down Lee, Bradford, and Quarrier Streets before ending at the HallowEast Costume Crawl on the corner of Elizabeth and Washington Street. As always, it was tremendous fun seeing all the ghouls and zombies and zombie hunters come out for the annual shamble. One nice addition this year was that the route took our undead friends through a residential section and the residents played along just fine.<br/><br/>In this clip, you will see the Cemetery Knights hearses, Carl from "The Walking Dead," a zombie chain gang, a zombie alien on a leash, a few zombie hunters, and a few wholesome zombie families. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you watch closely, you may even see East End Main Street's Ric Cavender and HallowEast's proud papa, Mark Wolfe, sprinkled among the rotting crowd.<br/><br/>Our music is part of a contest this year. The first person in the comments section who can identify the source of our music will get a free Basil Wolverton "Space Hawk" comic book, worth an estimated fifteen cents. Since YouTube now lets us get away with murder in terms of running times, in the next day or two we will probably post all our unedited raw footage, with no background music, so you can enjoy the unedited Zombie Walk experience and overhear all the inappropriate conversations that our cameras accidentally picked up.Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15890433.post-33780451935825825332012-10-25T17:00:00.000-07:002018-02-01T14:41:09.471-08:00HallowEast IV and ArtMares<span style="font-size: large"><strong><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5588.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9471" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5588.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="307" /></a>The PopCulteer</strong><strong> </strong></span><br/><span style="font-size: large"><strong>October 26, 2012 </strong></span><br/><br/>It's the weekend before Halloween and there's just way the hell too much stuff to do in and around Charleston. Your Popculteer will be at the ArtMares reception tonight at Contemporary Galleries from 6 to 10 PM, where there will be beer, wine, and horsd'oeuvres, plus live music from Sean Sydnor. In addition to my work, nearly thirty other local artists (like Olivia Burch and Rebecca Recco, seen right) will be showing off their dark side with macabre, horror-themed works. The bulk of this week's column is a photo essay devoted to the ArtMares exhibit.<br/><br/>But that's not all that's going on. It's the fourth year for HallowEast and this year, they have combined with Festivall Fall to make sure that there are more really cool things going on at the same time than any one person could humanly attend. Tonight, while the ArtMares reception is going on, there will be a special Live On The Levee encore featuring Radio Free Charleston guests The Tom McGees and Qiet, plus two of Columbus' ships. At 10 PM, the No Pants Players bring their filthy, dirty adult comedy to Timothy's, downstairs at the Quarrier Diner.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5479.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-9472" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5479-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="224" height="300" /></a>That's not all going on this Friday night. Nelson Illusions Vaudeville and Magic Show will be at the Davis Fine Arts Theater at West Virginia State University at 7:30 PM. "Animal Farm," presented by Charleston Stage Company, will be staged at the WVSU Capitol Center Theater, also at 7:30. The Charleston Light Opera Guild presents "Hello, Dolly!" at the Clay Center at 7:30. At 8 PM, the Alban Arts Center in St. Albans presents "Greater Tuna."<br/><br/>Holy Cow will be performing a free show at Taylor Books at 7:30 PM. Blue Million will be performing a free show at Bruno's at 9 PM. Marshall Petty will be at the Upstairs Lounge at Little India at 9 PM. And finally, at 11 PM with a $7 cover, the Hybrid Soul project rolls into The Empty Glass.<br/><br/>That's just Friday night.<br/><br/>Saturday, the last East End Bazaar of the year takes from 9 AM to 2 PM with live music and cool crafts, plus some artisans will be on hand to do zombie makeup for people. That'll come in handy because the Zombie Walk kicks off at 5:30 (lines start forming at 4:45 PM), starting at the Moxxee Coffee parking on the corner of Lee and Morris Streets in Charleston. You can see a map of the Zombie Walk route at the HallowEast website. Among the zombies, "Walking Dead" fans might want to indulge in a game of "Where's Carl?"<br/><br/>The Zombie Walk will end where the HallowEast Costume Crawl begins. The Zombie Walk is free, the Costume Crawl is not. The Costume Crawl will last until 11 PM, whereupon it will mutate into The Empty Glass' Halloween Hootenany, featuring The Renfields and The Big Bad. The Costume Crawl is $20 and the Halloween Hootenany at the Glass is $7.<br/><br/>Many of the same theatrical events from Friday night are also taking place Saturday.<br/><br/>With our pre-Halloween weekend rundown out of the way, we now present our photo essay of ArtMares at Contemporary Galleries. Please come out and support your local artists in spite of all the other millions of cool things they scheduled at the same time. We're including most of the artists involved in the show, but some of our photos didn't come out well, and none of them do justice to seeing the art in person.<br/><br/><strong>ArtMares</strong><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9473" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5476.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-9473" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5476.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> This year ArtMares, the horror-themed art exhibit moved to cool new digs on the third floor of Conemporary Galleries...you know, that photo doesn't really look spooky enough...[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9474" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5476b.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9474" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5476b.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> ...there, that's better.[/caption]<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5477.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9476" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5477.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="598" /></a><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9477" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5512.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9477" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5512.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="342" /></a> Art being taken in by patrons of the arts.[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9478" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5513.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9478" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5513.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="380" /></a> Big wigs, making plans.[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9479" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5545.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9479" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5545.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> Clay Sayre[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9480" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5481.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9480" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5481.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="659" /></a> Rob Cleland[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9481" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5482.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9481" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5482.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> Glen Brogan[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9482" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5483.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9482" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5483.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="533" /></a> Sandra King[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9483" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5485.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9483" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5485.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="675" /></a> More Sandra King[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9484" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5488.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9484" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5488.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="461" /></a> Emily West[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9485" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5489.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9485" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5489.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="379" /></a> Sarina Parker[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9486" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5491.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9486" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5491.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="761" /></a> More Sarina Parker[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9487" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5493.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9487" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5493.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="269" /></a> Rhonda Sarcone[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9488" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5495.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9488" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5495.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="546" /></a> Blake Wheeler[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9489" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5497.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9489" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5497.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="685" /></a> More Blake Wheeler[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9490" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5498.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9490" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5498.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="1451" /></a> Stacie Marie Leech-Cornell[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9491" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5499.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9491" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5499.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="409" /></a> Chase Henderson[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9492" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5500.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9492" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="461" /></a> Dale Morton[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9493" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5584.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9493" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5584.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> Rebecca Recco[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9494" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5502.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9494" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5502.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="636" /></a> Rebecca Recco and Olivia Burch[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9495" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5503.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9495" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5503.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="646" /></a> Betty Gay[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9496" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5505.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9496" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5505.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="373" /></a> Lee Harrah "Bloodmoon"[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9497" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5596.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9497" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5596.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="1117" /></a> More by Lee Harrah[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9498" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5511.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9498" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5511.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="898" /></a> Tani Bergins[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9500" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5514.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9500" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5514.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="495" /></a> Kelly Bryant[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9501" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5516.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9501" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5516.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> A close up of Amy Williams interactive graffiti piece[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9502" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5517.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9502" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5517.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="1123" /></a> J.J. Deakins[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9503" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5518.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9503" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5518.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="339" /></a> Ian Bode[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9504" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5519.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9504" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5519.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="633" /></a> Audrey Beckner[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9505" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5520.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9505" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5520.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="391" /></a> More Audrey Beckner[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9506" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5523.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9506" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5523.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="563" /></a> Even more Audrey Beckner[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9507" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5524.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9507" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5524.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="924" /></a> Bernice Deakins[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9508" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5526.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9508" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5526.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="706" /></a> Elle Xombeah[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9509" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5528.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9509" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5528.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="684" /></a> More Elle Xombeah[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9510" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5533.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9510" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5533.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="827" /></a> Matthew Thompson[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9511" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5534.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9511" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5534.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="809" /></a> Charly Hamilton[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9512" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5536.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9512" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5536.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="405" /></a> Chet Lowthar[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9513" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5538.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9513" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5538.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="729" /></a> Gary Needham[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9514" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5539.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9514" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5539.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="667" /></a> Erin Creelman[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9515" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5540.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9515" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5540.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="644" /></a> Mark Wolfe[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9516" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5542.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9516" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5542.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="443" /></a> Somehow, this stuff got into the exhibit. "Monster Faces" by Frank Panucci and Rudy Panucci, and "Ghouls Night Out" by Rudy Panucci[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9517" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5544.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9517" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5544.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="415" /></a> I admit it. I'm happy with how this one came out.[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9518" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5546.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9518" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5546.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="656" /></a> More by Clay Sayre[/caption]<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5551.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9519" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5551.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="407" /></a><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9520" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5557.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9520" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5557.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> These pices by Eric Holstine really caught my eye[/caption]<br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5553.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9521" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5553.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="445" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5554.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9522" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5554.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="394" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5555.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9523" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5555.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="730" /></a><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_9524" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5558.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9524" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/popcult/files/2012/10/Img_5558.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> A parting shot of some of the folks at Wednesday's early opening. The big shindig is Friday night, and half the proceeds go to East End Main Street[/caption]<br/><br/>That's it for this week's PopCulteer. Stay tuned for our regular features and other cool stuff, and Happy Halloween!Rudy Panuccihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09341095698030616056noreply@blogger.com1