I Don't Read (A Therapy Session in Blog Form)

I'm going to treat this blog entry like a therapy session.  Get ready.

I'm currently in the 10th week of a performance run at work.  It's a simple show and doesn't demand much of the crew.  We come in 90 minutes prior to curtain, spend about 5-10 minutes setting up and then we have time to kill.  The rest of the crew fill this time reading.  Currently they're all re-reading the Harry Potter books while I've been reading Batman: Court of Owls.  I never picked up the New 52 Batman series so now I'm catching up.

The other day someone asked if I'd read any of... some author.... I don't remember who.  I said "No." But then decided to be more honest and admit "I don't really read.  And when I do, it's usually comic books."  She looked SHOCKED.  She'd just assumed that since I'm a geek that I'm an avid reader.  I mean, it's true-- most geeks consume sci-fi and fantasy books like crazy.  But I've never read the Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, the Narnia books, Twilight, Stephen King novels.... just to name a few.  I started the first Harry Potter book but didn't finish it.  Same thing goes for Wicked.  I didn't even get out of the 1st chapter.  I have finished a few Star Trek novels and a hand full of other random non-fiction books and biographies.  

For years friends have suggested authors to me, insisted that I borrow books, and bought me books as gifts-- always saying "I know you Mike, you're going to love this book!  You won't be able to put it down!"  But invariably I do put it down.

I'm not proud of this fact.  Honestly, I used to lie about not reading.  I used to always have a book in my bag, one of my night stand, a full bookcase at home-- all because I wanted to be seen as someone who reads.  A few years ago I finally took my copy of Wicked out of my bag because I realized how torn up it was getting by being carried around all the time.  And the bookmark (now bent and torn) was still sticking out of chapter 1.

Anyway-- my point is I don't really read but I feel like I should, ya know?  I want to be a reader.  So what's stopping me?  Why don't I read more?   Let's take some time to explore some possible reasons.

1. I get distracted by my own thoughts.  Sometimes when I'm reading a find that haven't been paying attention.  I have to go back and re-read paragraphs because it's like I wasn't listening.  
2. I'm used to multi-tasking.  When I watch TV or a movie at home I'm also on the computer, surfing the web, writing blog posts like this, or working a project.  When I listen to podcasts or books on tape I'm also cleaning the house, scrapbooking, or driving.  But when I read I really can't do anything but read.  It's hard to fight the impulse to get up and fix a snack, check Facebook, throw the dog's ball... etc.  
3. This is related to #2, but I have a full on internet addition.  I have a bunch of e-books for my iPad but I can't ignore the "new mail" sound or the urge to flip to Tweetbot or Facebook and see what's going on in the world.  
4. Comic Books are a faster read and have a visual element that I really enjoy.  (Tumblr also feeds this desire for visual stimulation btw)
5. I find that I constantly check the clock.  Like when I'm reading I can't tell how fast time is passing.  Then I end up setting goals like "I'll read for 15 more minutes"-- then I look at my watch every 30 seconds like I'm going to be late.  I have no idea why I do this. 
6. If I've seen the movie it's really hard to read the book.  I can't get Daniel Radcliff's face out of my head when I'm reading Harry Potter.  And I constantly think "Was this in the movie?"  Then I end up just putting down the book and popping in the DVD.  
7. I'm a slow reader.  Or at least I feel like I'm a slow reader.  When I read I typically hear the words  in my head like a voiceover narrator is saying them-- basically I read at the speed that Morgan Freeman speaks.  
8. I have to fight the urge to move my lips.  I definitely move my tongue as if I'm speaking the words.   This instinct makes me feel stupid-- like only people who lack intelligence move their lips when they read.  
9. To be honest, 6 & 7 are probably related to my undiagnosed (or self-diagnosed) dyslexia.  I have been known to flip words-- especially when I'm "on book" in rehearsal feeding lines to an actor.  I have to be very careful to read the exact line and not change it.   I know I don't have a very strong reading disorder or anything-- I just flip words sometimes.  
10. I'm lazy.  #truth
11. Listening to audio books is so much easier!  And if I listen to an audio book I still credit myself for having read the book.  Is that a lie?
12. I get motion sick if I try to read on the subway or in any moving vehicle- so audio books are better there.  

Hmm... those seem to be the only reasons I can come up with.  #10 might be the real culprit.  Maybe I should stop writing this and load a book onto my iPad and read it!

Do have have any thoughts?  Comments on what I should read (or try to read)?  Advice on how I can get over some of these hurtles?  Leave a comment below or e-mail me! 

Captain America Shield Tart

I found a great recipe for a simple berry tart that's shaped like Captain America's shield over at Maryland Mamma's Rambles & Reviews.  What a perfect idea for a Marvel or Avengers themed #DisneySide @Home Celebration, right?  I'm not much of a cook much less a baker, but the recipe seemed simple enough to me.  Plus my matinee was canceled today due to snow so I had some time on my hands. :)

You can find the full recipe HERE.  You can also see what the tart is supposed to look like- haha.  But here was my attempt.  It was SO YUMMY!!  I bought enough supplies so that I can make a second one for our party.  I'm not sure that it will fit in with our theme-- but it's still a fun treat.  It also makes me think of Summer, which is nice on a cold Winters day.

I can't wait to host our #DisneySide house warming party!  We've set a date and sent out e-invitations already! We used Frozen theme over at www.punchbowl.com.  It was very simple to set up and I can manage the guest list, see who's RSVP'd, send out additional messages, etc. Check it out!

**DISCLAIMER**

 I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration.  The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Parks, or MomSelect.

Getting Impatient!

I've been obsessed all week about My Disney Side @Home Disney Celebration kit which is supposed to arrive sometime before the end of the month!   Each kit is supposed to be a little unique, but that hasn't kept me from obsessing over what other people have posted online about their kits!  Check out what these other hosts have posted here, here, and here!  AMAZING, RIGHT?

Now that Tim and I have finally found our new apartment, our Disney Side celebration will be a house warming party.  A few of our friends have kids, but this will be mainly an adult party.  I haven't settled on a theme yet.  At this point I'm just brainstorming.  Here are a few random thoughts from my notebook:

• Decorating with printed out Vintage Disney Attraction Posters? 
• Encouraging our guests to wear fun geeky Disney related costumes or t-shirts. I know our friends have Star Wars,  Muppets, & Marvel shirts!  
• Giving out pins as party favors?  We have a bunch from our last pin trading experience!
• Giving out Disney hotel soaps and shampoos guest gifts.  
• Recreating some park food like Popcorn, churros, mickey bars, Lafew’s Brew, Dole Whip
• Have Disney music playlist running in the bathroom ipod dock
• Have Disney movie playing in living room? 
• Vintage Mickey cartoons from a youtube playlist playing on an iPad in the kitchen? 
• Everyone gets to wear an ear hat from our collection for a fun photo op! 
• Play Disney Apples to Apples

Ohhh the possibilities!  

Well, as soon as my kit arrives I'll make sure to post lots of pictures!  :) 

Just Like Earth

I've been watching a quite a bit of Star Trek (The Original Series) recently on Netflix and I've noticed something.  The USS Enterprise sure does visit a lot of planets that are "just like Earth".  The producers of the show did this for a number of reasons but mainly because it was cheap.  Why spend a ton of money creating an alien landscape or city when you can just film on the studio backlot or on a location in sunny southern California?  All you have to do is throw in some lines where the crew marvels at finding a planet that's just like Earth.  Something like this scene from The Paradise Syndrome...

MCCOY: Look at those pine trees.
KIRK: And that lake.
MCCOY: I swear that's honeysuckle I smell.
KIRK: I swear that's a little orange blossom thrown in. It's unbelievable. Growth exactly like that of Earth on a planet half a galaxy away. What are the odds on such duplication?
SPOCK: Astronomical, Captain. The relative size, age and composition of this planet makes it highly improbable that it would evolve similarly to Earth in any way.

And there you have it.  We can then film our alien planet scenes near the Franklin Reservoir just north of Los Angeles.  Just hope you don't bump into Andy and Opie going fishing.  That reservoir also served as the filming location for the lake near Mayberry in the Andy Griffith show.  The episodes Miri & City of the Edge of Forever were actually shot on the same backlot as the Andy Griffith show!  You can see Kirk and crew walk right past Andy's courthouse, Floyd's Barber Shop, etc.  Here's a whole web site dedicated to this fact.

Convenience isn't the only reason the writer's used Earth like planets in Star Trek.  Roddenberry wanted to use Star Trek to tell morality stories.  He felt that science fiction is at its best when it holds a mirror up to society and teaches us a lesson. So whenever he wanted to make a political statement about the world we live in-- the Enterprise would just go visit a world like ours to tell the story.

But it seems silly to think that there could be so many other Earth like planets in the universe, right?  Apparently not!  According to a recent article on io9.com,  There might be 2 million planets similar to Earth in our galaxy alone!  Here is a quick excerpt from the article:

 Based on the data from [NASA's Kepler probe], the JPL scientists estimated that 1.4 to 2.7 percent of all stars with the same basic properties as our Sun are home to Earth-like planets. That means a planet between 0.8 and two times the mass of Earth that lies within the habitable zone of its star. When you total up the amount of sun-like stars in the galaxy, that gives you two billion stars. And, of the hundred or so sun-like stars within a few dozen light-years of Earth, at least two of them should be home to habitable worlds.

JPL researcher Joseph Catanzarite points out just how many Earth-like planets there might really be:

"This means there are a lot of Earth analogs out there - two billion in the Milky Way galaxy. With that large a number, there's a good chance life and maybe even intelligent life might exist on some of those planets. And that's just our galaxy alone - there are 50 billion other galaxies."

So there!  The fact that the Enterprise bumps into Earth like planets all the time is suddenly not so far fetched!  As Spock would say, that's fascinating. :)

Star Trek vs Star Wars

Hatfields and McCoys.

Capulets and Montagues.

Boxers and Briefs.

Some rivalries are ages old and none is greater than the battle between Star Trek and Star Wars.  Nerds have been arguing over the finer points of these scifi franchises for over 30 years now.  It all started when the hugely successful Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope premiered in 1977.  Lucas's film a reached wider audience than Star Trek had been able to.  Since Trek's 3 year run on television had ended 8 years earlier, the show had found a strong fan base in re-runs and even prompted the production of an Emmy Award winning animated series.  Avid trekkies were organizing conventions, publishing fan written fiction and generally living in their mom's basements (hey-- these are my people I'm talking about here).   Then this new "Star" came onto the scene.  Star Wars was popular with nerds, cool kids, your mom... everyone.  It basically revolutionized the film industry and proved that a scrappy little space opera can make a TON of money.  Soon all the Hollywood studios were clamoring to compete.  Our friends over at Paramount realized that they already owned a scifi franchise with a built in fan base that might be able to match Star Wars spaceship for spaceship (and dollar for dollar).  They were in the process of developing a new Star Trek TV show called "Star Trek: Phase II".  The pilot episode of which was quickly transformed into Star Trek The Motion Picture and thrown into theaters in December of 1979 (5 months before Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Backwas released).   The gauntlet had been thrown.  It was to be all-out war between these two franchises.  They competed for our attention, devotion and for our allowance money all thru the 80's, 90's, & 00's.   Here is a quick breakdown of the dates

1966-1969 - Star Trek (The Original Series)

1973-1974 - Star Trek (The Animated Series)

May-1977 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Nov-1978 - Star Wars Holiday Special

Dec-1979 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture

May-1980 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Jun-1982 - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

May-1983 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Jun-1984 - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Nov-1984 - Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure

Nov-1985 - Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Nov-1986 - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

1987-1994 - Star Trek The Next Generation

Jun-1989 - Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Dec-1991 - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

1993-1999 - Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Nov-1994 - Star Trek Generations

1995-2001 - Star Trek Voyager

Nov-1996 - Star Trek: First Contact

Dec-1998 - Star Trek: Insurrection

May-1999 - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

2001-2005 - Star Trek Enterprise

May-2002 - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Dec-2002 - Star Trek Nemesis

2003-2005 - Star Wars: Clone Wars (animated series)

May-2005 - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Aug-2008 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars

May-2009 - Star Trek (JJ Abrams)

May-2013 - Star Trek 2 (JJ Abrams)

I totally understand why the Hollywood types behind these franchises love the competition. It's a friendly rivalry that generates press and sells more tickets.  How can we really have an opinion about which is better if we haven't seen them both?  So let's all go out to the movies so we can compare and contrast them fairly, right?  Who wins in this scenario?  Well, everyone does.  The producers sell their films and merchandising. The actors get paychecks and future contracts. And we get some amazing Science Fiction films and TV shows (not to mention toys, books, comic books, models, games, clothes...).  So yes-- rivalry is good for business.

But why do some fans get all bent out of shape over "which is better"?  Maybe it's because to most of the world they're the same thing!  I don't know how many times I was given Star Wars birthday cards when I was a kid by well meaning relatives who had no idea I was really a Trekkie.  For that matter, they had no idea there was a difference between Star Trek and Star Wars.  "Isn't that the one with Darth Vader and Dr. Spock?"   I've been dealing with this for years.  You see, I got into Star Trek when the Next Generation premiered in 1987.  But I didn't see a Star Wars movie until A New Hope was re-released in theaters (with added scenes new special effects) in 1997!  I grew up thinking of Star Wars as "that other space show"-- far inferior to my beloved Star Trek.  You see, Star Trek was beamed into my living room 5 times a week (well, once a week for TNG and 5 times for reruns of TOS).   To me, Star Wars was just a movie at the video store that I never asked my Mom to rent.  Aside from references to it on The Muppet Babies, I wasn't really aware of it.   But the Star Wars merchandising was (and is) EVERYWHERE!   That's one thing the Lucas people do much better than the folks at Paramount.  They licensee the hell out of their product and make it very easy to find Star Wars candy, comics, underwear, etc etc at any big box store you walk into like Wal-mart or Target.  As a Trekkie I can find this infuriating.

BUT-- do I really hate Star Wars?  Of course not!  Now that I've matured a little I can watch those Star Wars movies (especially A New Hope) and appreciate them as really good films.  There are some rich characters in Star Wars.  George Lucas created a fascinating reality and it's fun to get lost in.  I see Star Wars as different that Star Trek.  Not better or worse-- but just different.

Recently, there's been a lot of Youtube traffic from some of the Stars of these franchises going back and forth about the rivalry.  It all started over on William Shanter's youtube channel. He randomly started talking trash about Star Wars.  Carrie Fisher responded to which Shanter fired back.  Finally George Takei stepped in to talk some sense into the two of them (after all, he can't let Shanter get all the press).  Watch and enjoy George's response...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvTCr5Z-0lA]

Batman Knows Santa Claus?

For some reason I'm in a Batman kind of mood today.  Maybe it's because we're deep into the Christmas season.  You see, when I was a kid, Christmas time usually meant it was time for me write a letter to Santa asking him for Batman action figures or other toys.  I've closely associated Christmas with the Dark Knight for years.  But this association goes back much farther than me.  Batman and Santa Claus are old friends!   Saint Nick appeared in a Batman comic book over 50 years ago.  (see the cover to the right)  He also made a cameo on the Batman TV show.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4_5jngpLkY]

Of course those examples are from a time with Batman was a little more light hearted.  But once Batman turned more serious, Santa stuck around:



I'm not sure if Kris Kringle is going to make an appearance in the current Batman comic books, but we have been given a little Bat-present this season!  The 2nd trailer for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises was just released.  Check it out----

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gFwvozMHR4]

Batman & Robin Gay??

I read a fascinating blog the other day on the Comics Code Authority.  I HIGHLY suggest that you go over the Dork Forty Blog and read it!   You see, back in the 50's Dr. Frederic Wertham wrote a book called Seduction of the Innocent that was highly critical of the comic book industry and it's potential influence on the youth of America.  One of the many claims that he made in the book was that Batman & Robin's relationship implied an improper or homosexual intimacy and that Robin’s costume might stir gay feelings in young boys.  Well... I'm not saying that comic books made me gay, but I could say that as a gay kid I might have been drawn to Batman and other chiseled heros in tight tight costumes for a reason that I was totally unaware of at the time.

But, for the record,  Batman and Robin are certainly not gay!   But I can see how one might get a confused.  Taken out of context these clippings (mainly from the pre Comics Code era) do feed the imagination a little.  Check it out for a good laugh :)

Ok, so they tan together.  In Jersey this isn't gay at all.

Well.. Batman loves Robin.. right?  I mean.. well...

Haha!  I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation...

This one really makes me laugh!  I'm not sure what they're talking about but I think you can get it on Christopher St. In fact, I know you can.  ;)

Oh now they're getting Superman involved.  This seems like a very bad idea.  How old are those boys?

I have no explanation. Haha!

You'd think Wayne Manor would be big enough for Dick to have his own room!

It's um.. milk?

I.. I can't explain this.

My Life With Batman 1989-1992

Ok.  Confession time.  I've never been much a reader.  While I say things like "I always more of a DC comic book can than a Marvel reader when I was a kid", I honestly didn't read comic books at all until I was in 5th grade.  I was always much more interested in TV and grew up watching 80's cartoons like the Smurfs, the Thundercats, He-man, & Shera.   Why read comic books when there are all these awesome adventures on my TV every afternoon?  It took the introduction of Batman into my world to get me into reading comic books.  Here's the story. 

I was 10 years old in June of 1989 when Tim Burton's Batman was released in theaters.  But I didn't go down to our local 8 screen multiplex by Foothills Mall to see the movie that summer.   My parents stopped going out to the movies when they bought their first VCR back in the mid 80's.   But even if my parents had offered to take me to the movies back in '89 I would have asked them to take me to Ghostbusters II instead.   I was OBSESSED with the Ghostbusters at that point and watched The Real Ghostbusters cartoon every Saturday morning.    Whenever a commercial for Batman would pop up (it happened a lot while watching cartoons) I would scoff and say "Show me a Ghostbusters II commercial!!)  I had no interest in the Batman movie.

Lucky that opinion quickly changed and I have the TV to thank.  You see,  Michael Keaton wasn't they only Batman popping up on my parents 23" cabinet TV set that summer.   Adam Wests's iconic Batman series from the 1960's was making a come back!  I'm sure Fox was trying to cash in on the new movie by dusting off these classic TV shows and airing them on cable.  Well, I just fell in love this show!  I watched it every chance I could get and was soon recording it onto blank VCR tapes so I could watch it over and over again!


Fast forward a couple months and the Tim Burton movie came out on VHS, which my parents quickly rented from our local mom & pop video store down the road.  I remember my Dad warned me about the movie before we watched it.  "Now Mike, this Batman is really different from one on TV.  I've heard it's really a dark movie so you might not like it."  I wasn't discouraged.  I plopped down on the floor in front of the TV and commanded "Start the movie!!"  Of course I LOVED IT!  I learned a valuable lesson that day.  A really well crafted character like Batman can stand the test of wildly different interpretations and still be good!  I promised myself then that I'd see Batman Returns in the theater when it came out.  :)

I totally had this!!  Cool right?

I was soon begging my parents for Batman action figures and wearing my Dracula cape along with a improvised mask with Bat ears around the house claiming to be Batman's new assistant (who I named Batkid).  My 11th Birthday was sort of a Batman-Birthday.  I got the movie on VHS along with a Batman action figure (the one with the cool belt/retractable rope), the Joker, & the Penguin along with a really cool Batmobile that fired little rockets!  I wanted everything related to Batman that I could get my hands on. I did chores around the house, mowed my Grandmother's yard, fetched the newspaper for our neighbor-- all so I could earn some money to spend on Batman merchandise.  I had trading cards, cereal, magazines and... of course... comic books.  When shopping for Batman gear it doesn't take long to realize that the more economical thing to spend your allowance on is the comic book!

Death of Robin II (Jason Todd)

I remember the first Batman comic book I bought!  I was so excited to find more adventures of my favorite hero!  What I didn't know was that a lot had happened since the 60's.  Dick Grayson had out grown his Robin suit and was now fighting crime under the name Nightwing.  Bruce had taken on a new side kick named Jason Todd.  Todd was a scrappy kid on the edge of going down the wrong path when Batman caught him trying to steal the tires off the Batmoble.  He took in this orphan, trained him and made him the new Robin.  But the fans didn't like Jason as much as they had liked Dick (I mean, with a name like that what's not to love!) so DC did something monumental.  They let the fans vote on whether Robin should live or die.  Dark right?   The fans voted for the latter and the Robin II was killed off in a saga called "Death in the Family".

Robin III (Tim Drake)

Soon a new Robin was introduced.  His name was Tim Drake.  So, This is where I started reading Batman comic books.  During this whole transition between Robin #2 and Robin #3.    Can you imagine my shock?!  I was totally confused.  They killed Robin?!?!  Who is Jason Todd?  Where is Dick Grayson?  This IS NOT the Batman I know from TV or from the movie!  It took some time for me to sort it all out.  Luckily a story arc called "A Lonely Place of Dying" was a big help.  Here is a TV Guide style synopsis: "After Jason Todd's death, Batman begins to go on a rampage taking unnecessary risks and actions. Only Dick Grayson or a very young boy named Tim Drake can calm him."   I found these comic books to be an even more adult view of Batman than the 1989 movie.   I enjoyed these comics but in my heart of hearts, I preferred the campier TV version of Batman.  So I never really committed to buying every issue of Batman or of Detective Comics.  I became a casual reader, only picking up an issue a couple times a year.  

Lucky for me, there was more Batman on it's way to TV!  In 1992, Bruce Timm's Batman the Animated Series starting airing on Fox!   This show was somewhere in between the 60's TV show and the modern comics.  I was very happy that it featured Dick Grayson as Robin again.  And no one was going to die a horrific death the Fox Kids line up!  It was a fun show!  Dark, bruting, but ultimately a good kids show.  Timm and team were inspired by the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940's and created a stylized look for Batman TAS that made it seem timeless.   These shows still hold up today.  As I mentioned in my last blog entry, I just picked up season 1 on DVD.  I can see the Warner Brothers animation style in those early episodes (think Anamaniacs).  But there is something very different about the overall feel of Batman TAS.  The artists painted onto black backgrounds-- something that was unheard of before then.  this made all the colors really pop off the page and made Gotham City look eerily dark.

I really can't write about my childhood bat-fandom without mentioning my favorite character.  One day I was sitting in front of the TV watching Batman (the 1960's TV show).   I had the opening title sequence memorized.  "Batman!! Nanananana Batman!!"  Something happened that surprised me.  Instead of seeing Batman punch the villians a 2nd time a new hero swung in a rope and kicked them.  WHO WAS THAT?!  I mind raced.  What is going on here?  Then, at the end of the title sequence a figure sped across the screen on a motorcycle.   It happened so fast I didn't get a good look at her.  I settled in and watched the episode entitled "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penquin".  I was suddenly in love with Batgirl-- in the only way a gay 10 year old boy could be.  I wanted to be her.  Forget "Batkid"-- the side kick I'd invented.  Batgirl was way cooler!

But why wasn't she in the comic books?!  What happened to this fabulous crime fighter?  It took some research, but I soon found out that Barbara Gordon / Batgirl was a character in the comic books.  But much like Robin, the comics weren't so nice to her.  She had been shot by the Joker long before I ever started reading comic books and had been confined to a wheel chair ever since.  This paralyzed Barbara Gordon continued to fight crime however, under the name "Oracle".  She used her amazing mind, photographic memory and librarian skills to become a computer wiz fighting crime one mouse click at a time.  Hmm.  Not quite as cool as Batgirl, huh?  I didn't want to read the adventures of Oracle-- I wanted more Batgirl!  So I had to seek out used comics and collected stories like "Batman in the 60's" to get my Batgirl fix.  The folks at DC introduced more Batgirls like they did more Robins over the yearss, but Barbara Gordon's Batgirl is still my favorite super hero.

So-- that sums it up.  That is a quick overview of  my childhood (pre high school) obsession with Batman, Batgirl, and the like.  As you can see it was 75% TV, 15% movies and maybe 10% comic books. Thoughts?  Please comment!

I Wanna Ride Batman!!

Tim is spending the day with Lauren at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey!  He's been texting me photos of super hero inspired roller coasters like Superman: Ultimate Flight.   This coaster looks SCARY but I'm still kind of attracted to it!  Why?  Well, I love Superman.  I love comic book superheros!  But ultimately, I'm not a roller coaster fan so I'd probably never get on Superman: Ultimate Flight.  I just don't like the feeling of my stomach sinking as the coaster decends a drop and then goes into a roll.  Ugh.

This isn't to say that I hate all thrill rides!  I actually love simulator rides.  My favorites include Mission: Space at Epcot and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal Studios, Florida.  These rides give me the thrill and exhilaration that some people get out of roller coasters without actually dropping me 60 feet or making me feel like I might die.   They actually do much more than that-- they immerse me in a totally believable adventure.  It's easy to believe that you are really flying on a broomstick behind Harry chasing a dragon!   And Harry Potter isn't the only hero with a cool simulator ride at Universal Studios.  The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is another top notch ride and it has comic book appeal as well.  I've never been the biggest Spiderman fan though.  Don't get me wrong-- I read Spiderman comics as a kid but I was always much more into Batman.  But there is no Batman simulator ride at Universal.  This is mainly due to the fact that Universal Studios has a contract with Marvel (now owned by Disney) for their characters (Spiderman, Captain America, Hulk, Ironman).  Batman and his "super friends" like Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman are all DC / Warner Bros. characters.

As far as I know, here in the US you can only find the DC characters in Six Flags parks.  Six Flags is known for their gut dropping / death defying roller coasters and NOT for simulator rides.  So instead of a Harry Potter or Spiderman like ride, there are only Batman Roller coasters like Batman: The Ride and The Dark Knight Coaster (both at Six Flags in New Jersey).   I did some internet research, however, and found that there IS a Batman simulator ride out there in the world!  Batman Adventure: The Ride 2 can be found at Warner Brothers Movie World in Austrailia!  Check out the video below of this really cool attraction!  The best part is that you're riding in a batwing piloted by Batgirl!!!  I wish I could ride it SO BAD!  But I'll just have to settle for watching Batman: The Animated Series (I just picked up season 1 on DVD).  Here is a bit of trivia.  The voice of Batman that you'll hear in the ride video below is Kevin Conroy.  He has voiced Batman since the early 90's and is best known for Batman: The Animated Series!  :)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEKcAFVncKU]

Vintage Star Trek Comics!

Friends of mine stumbled onto a set of Star Trek comic book volumes at a local thrift store. Knowing that I would love such a fun pop culture find, they quickly snatched them up for me. I'm now the proud owner of the first 4 volumes of Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs published by Golden Press. Each volume contains 8 original Golden Press comic books. According to Ebay, these volumes are going for as much as $50-$60 now-a-days. Seeing as Jon & Amanda paid a dollar for each of them, I'd say they got a great deal! I read a few Star Trek comics growing up when DC Comics held the rights to publish Star Trek. I loved the movie era Star Trek TOS (The Original Series) comics back then. I've never read any of the old original comics from the 60's and 70's though. Now's my chance!

I dove into volume 1 with the eagerness of a school boy! Right off the bat I could see the differences between the comics and their on screen counterparts. The introduction was an "Identi-Fax Psycho File" on James T. Kirk. Right away I could tell Gene Rodenberry didn't have creative control over this comic. The "Identi-Fax" was drawn to look like a file folder with a paper clip in the upper corner. Roddenberry would have insisted that computers had long since replaced paper files. But moving onto the story-- the Enterprise crew are exploring "Galaxy Alpha" and report that so far they haven't found any life in the galaxy. The terminology immediately makes me cringe a bit. In Star Trek intra-Galactic travel isn't really possible. But, whatever. It's a comic book. So, let's move on. The crew goes on to explore a hostile planet ran by plants. These plants feed on animals and keep them as livestock. They see our heros as food and treat them accordingly. They also have the ability to take animals and transform them into more plant monsters-- maybe it's how they reproduce.

The idea of sentient plants is also addressed in the Star Trek Animated Series episode "Infinite Vulcan". However there the plant race, known as the Phylosians, are highly intelligent and communicate easily with the Enterprise crew. Kirk and company treat them with respect. However, in the comic book the enterprise crew see the walking plants as simply dangerous. They make no attempt to communicate with them or determine their intelligence level. They just.. well.. they kill them. They kill them all. (See image to the right).

Um.. WOW. How could this be Star Trek? The Enterprise crew's mission is to seek out new life. Well they found it! And what did they do when they found it? THEY KILLED IT! How could Gene Roddenberry have let this happen? Well, I can only assume that money had something to do with it. Paramount/Desilu owned Star Trek and could basically do what they want to with it. I bet the studio sold the comic book rights to Golden Press and gave no additional input. I did some quick wiki-reasearch on this topic and found this:

The first Star Trek comics were published by Gold Key between 1967 and 1978. Originally they were illustrated by Alberto Giolitti, an Italian artist who had never seen the series and only had publicity photos to use as references. These comics were highly stylized and diverged wildly from the TV series continuity. Writers included George Kashdan, Arnold Drake and Len Wein. (Wikipeadia)

So THAT explains it! This guy didn't know ANYTHING about Star Trek! And no wonder some all the terminology was off. Just check out this technobable:

"Laser Beam Destruct Ray"??? Don't you mean "Phasers".  "Materialize us aboard"???  Don't you mean "Beam us up". And why is Captain Kirk talking into his tricorder instead of his communicator??  It's like I'm in some kind of weird Bizaro-world where everything is slightly wrong!

*Breath*



Ok. So it's not really "Star Trek". But it is fascinating! It's a total 60's kids comic book take on the Star Trek franchise. And I love classic comic books. I mean, the Dick Tracy comic strips from the late 60's were full of "ray guns" and fun 60's pop culture ideas. The bright "POW!" "WACK!" style Batman books from the 60's gave us Batgirl (my favorite comic book heroin). So maybe if I get over the non-Roddenberry ideas in these old comic books I can really enjoy them. I mean, Star Trek can use a little of this fun child like adventure, right? After all, look how cool the transporter room (sorry, I mean the teleportation chamber) looks!

 **UPDATE**
More info about the comic: http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Planet_of_No_Return

Talky Blog! Mike's Star Trek Birthday

Uhura is judging me for not blogging.

Weight Watchers Update

I've lost 6 pounds! 

I know that doesn't sound like much but I'm still very happy about it.  In fact, I did a little dance when I hopped off the scale this morning.  So far Weight Watchers seems to be working really well for me-- I don't starve.  I just make smarter choices and still eat my fill.  At the end of the day I have more energy and feel better.  The weight loss is like a bonus. 

So-- wish me luck!  I think I'm hooked now. :)

Ophelia

Ophelia
Originally uploaded by The Mike Jones

I was playing in my little photography studio this morning when Ophelia decided to pay me a visit. She was nice enough to sit still long enough for me to snap a quick shot. Isn't she beautiful? :)

Converting the sun room into a studio

Hey!  I'm VERY excited about this--- I've decided to convert my sun room into a photography studio.  I've already done one photo session in here already and it worked so well that I decided to permanently rearrange some furniture, move the litter box and create a little work space for my photography.  The sun room is perfect because I love using natural light and plenty comes in thru the windows here midday.  I've added some studio lighting for fill or sessions on cloudy days.  The windows are useful in other ways.  The blinds create a great effect when needed and the curtain rod at the end of the room can be used to hang back drops.  Here is a snap shot of my little studio as I was setting it up: 

Weight Watchers Update

So I've been on Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks now.  Honestly though, the first week doesn't really count.  I tried to just eat like normal and see how many points it added up to.  It was great- I learned a lot about where I spend my points.  I'll usually be on track (unless I go to Chipotle for lunch) until the evening when it all goes out the door.  In that last hour before bed I have a tendency to binge on foods with a high point value and blow the whole plan out of the water. 

With this problem in mind I headed into the 2nd week.  And I was doing pretty well until the dinner break of our 1st 10 out of 12 tech rehearsal.  Our director's wonderful mother brought food to the theatre to feed the cast and crew-- and oh my God it was delicious!  I jumped off the diet wagon and into the buffet line faster than  you can say gastric bypass!   Later I was munching on my 3rd sandwich from the Mom buffet when I decided: tech is like Christmas-- no one should be on a diet during tech. 

So once tech was over I jumped back on the wagon and so far have been doing pretty good.  So far I've lost 2 pounds, gained one back and now I'm on my way back down.  One thing that's actually helping me is my lack of social interaction.  You see, my favorite thing to do with friends is to eat-- but in Cincinnati all my friends are so busy and I'm always at the theatre so I've been eating out MUCH less often than I did in grad school.  At one point I was up to eating out a least once a day. 

Anyway- Wish me luck!

Talky Blog

Topics covered:
- Shows
- Weight Watchers
- Jay Brannan

MyFace... or FaceSpace... or MyBook... or...

It's Friday afternoon at 12:30.  I'm on day 4 of my 15 days without a day off-- don't get me wrong it's my own fault.  I'm currently working 2 contracts at once-- which was my choice.  Nevertheless, as rehearsals for The Seafarer start next week while Grey Gardens continues to run I will have little free time.  Strangely, I thought I would take this-- one of my last free hours, to blog about online communities. 

I know I've talked blogged about this before- but I'm addicted.  I've been on LiveJournal, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo (not to mention a few more 'adult' social networking sites) for years now.  Well I'm hearby parring it down.  I recently had a conversation with my friend Keven who told me that he is officially "offline".  Well, not really-- he still has a professional web page as an actor-- but he canceled his MySpace, Facebook and all that.  He sounded so liberated and free!  I kind of envied him and felt inspired to do the same.  Don't get me wrong- I'm not going cold turkey like he did.  But do I really use Friendster anymore?  Nope.  CANCELED.   LiveJournal?  Nope. ABANDONED.  What about MySpace?  Uhh... well... I kinda use it.  I mean, I check it every day.. but dont' really post anything there anymore.  I don't blog there or anything.  Let's come back to MySpace later.   Next?  Facebook.  YES!  I use facebook.  In fact, it seems to be a perfect resource for keeping in touch with colleagues I've worked with on shows in the past, a communication tool really.  I almost use it like a big online address book.  Oh wait-- doesn't that exist?  It does!  It's called Plaxo!  So why don't I just use that?  Well- most of my friends are not on Plaxo (yet).  So for now Facebook stays.  Plaxo will also stay. 
...  ...
So.. what about MySpace?  Ok- first let me direct you to a link.  Read the number 10 commandment in this list: The Ten Commandment of Facebook.  As the article says, MySpace is kind of glitter filled and juvenile.  I mean, Facebook does seem a little more "grown up".  Of course, is being "grown up" all that important?  Maybe I need some wimsy in my life and MySpace is just the right place for that.  I'm not sure.   What do YOU think?  Should I get rid of MySpace?? 

Grey Gardens is up & running!

Grey Gardens opened Wednesday night.  It's a great production on a really wonderful show.  I've been obsessed with Little Edie ever since I saw the documentary 2 years ago.  Doug Wright, Scot Frankel, & Michael Korie have done an amazing job of creating a musical based on that cult classic documentary.  Our production is one of the first regional productions of this Broadway hit. 

More info: www.cincyetc.com
September 10 - 28, 2008

Talky Blog - Update