You're Never Too Old for Toys!

Merry Christmas, friends! I know there's a bit of geek in all of you, or none of you would read a damned thing I had to say. So this (originally intended to be) short post is for the geek in all of us. 

My sweet, crazy sister apparently spent three months looking through every 'trading post' that Disney had set up for their Vinylmation Park line of figurines. Earlier this fall, she sent me an article about the Steampunk Mickey figurines and I responded by hinting very broadly (and several times) that Christmas was coming. Every time they went  to the park (which is a lot - they have a timeshare on property) my sister and brother-in-law searched for one of them. Sis said that in some places when they asked about it, the 'Cast Members' looked at them like they had three heads. Finally, in an unlikely Trading Post the 'Cast Member' said "Yeah. Sure. You have to trade up for it." So the B-i-L went and bought a random figure to trade up for the striking and oddly sinister Steampunk Micky 3" Vinylmation Park figurine you see in the picture at the top of this post. And as an added bonus, she literally stumbled upon the T-shirt with a graphic of the very figure, itself. Double-plus Good!

Now, I have to be honest and tell you how conflicted I am about Disney some day, but you have to admit, these are an aging Film/Sci-Fi/Animation Geek's perfect gifts, sent by a self-professed Disney Dork (no that's not her blog, but I know she reads it). Santa bought some very excellent stuff (like the Tom-Tom with infinite map updates; a new pair of my favorite "comfortable" shoes and an exceptionally clever and useful tripod LED flashlight) and I really loved them all. Still, Sis also got the number three and four spots with my (shamefully) first personal copy of Evil Dead II on DVD and an astonishingly soft and luxurious faux-lambskin throw. I'm telling you, this thing is softer than a baby's cheek and cozier than a snuggle with a teddy bear. My presents to them were good but their presents to me were better. I love getting toys for Christmas and I hope all of you got at least one, yourselves!

Today is Boxing Day, but I didn't get any gloves this year... Sorry, lame pun attempt... I'm on a carb high  followed by an Asti Spumante chaser...

Anyway, if this post comes off as bragging, it's bragging about my little sister who spent three months looking for a 3" piece of useless plastic because she knew it would geek me out and make me smile. Double-plus Double-Plus Good. 

And there was (thank goodness) only one case of this last night (via):

Though I won't tell you who had it. 

I have every intention of attempting to finish the first draft of the screenplay I've been working on for almost a year while I'm off from the day job this week and we're supposed to get some significant snow here in the Delaware Valley tomorrow into Monday, so it's a good time to sequester myself a bit and figure out the rest of Act II and the segue to Act III. If I don't post over the next few days, it means I'm toiling. If I do, it means I'm flying along, happy with every word I write... (as if). 

Okay, so spill. What is/are your favorite present(s) this Christmas? Make me jealous so I stop thinking these exceptionally geeky gifts are complete "geek chic" and more than appropriate for a man old enough to have witnessed Nixon's resignation. 

And now a private message to my sister - you may skip a paragraph ahead, if you like :

Love ya, Sis! Miss you lots! See you in April! Remember what kind of cake I want (and yes, it can be low-carb, as long as it's delicious). Simi-tata; bwooouussccchh; "Canons to the left of me!" and Owl Hootsey to you, Silly Girl. Never stop making me laugh and smile and I'll never stop making you. Oh, one more thing - "CAMILLE!!!!!!!!!!!"

Now to those of who did read the above paragraph: You're undoubtedly shaking your heads and completely agreeing that what you have suspected all along is true and that your dear old Uncle Prospero is completely bonkers (which I have never denied, btw). But I promise you all, Uncle P's sister will probably be convulsing in laughter when she gets back to her day job and finishes reading that paragraph. I could have gone on with at least several dozen more non-sequiters and nonsense words that have meaning to her and me only. Of course, when she reads the Revenge, she emails her responses directly to me. Let's all encourage her to reply here, instead. She can be pretty funny when she wants to be...

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Tell me what your favorite present(s) was/were and tell the little baker lady to speak up. I know she has a Gmail account, so it's not like she can't... (Think she's getting the hint?) By the way, she can even create a secret identity to reply and I'll know it's her, because she'll use the other Pee Wee quote (on Letterman) that has equal effect on both of us.

More, eventually.

Prospero

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Finally, a Movie Worth Re-Making

In 1979, Disney was in trouble. After Walt died, the studio's standards had fallen and they hadn't had a hit in ages. In a desperate attempt to capitalize on the Sci-Fi craze that had been generated by Star Wars and Close Encounters of the The Third Kind, they assembled a crack team of B-List stars, a former sit-com director (whose only hit movie was the original Freaky Friday, starring the reason Reagan was shot) and a script from a couple of aging TV hacks. The plot revolves around the discovery of the USS Cygnus, missing for 20 years, now perched perilously close to the event horizon of the largest known black hole in the universe, mysteriously immune to the supposedly irresistible gravity. The crew of the rescue ship, The Palomino (lamest spaceship name ever!), boards the Cygnus to discover an army of very cheap-looking Stormtrooper-wannabe robots under the command of the only human on board, mad genius Dr. Hans Reinhardt, who believes his anti-gravity device will protect the Cygnus as he takes her (and the Palomino's crew) into the titular hole. The cast includes Maximilian Schell; Anthony Perkins; Robert Forster; Joseph Bottoms; Yvette Mimieux; Ernest Borgnine and the voices of Roddy McDowell and Slim Pickens as the C3PO and R2D2 of the movie. And of course, there was a "menacing" red, silent hoverbot also named Maximilian. Cheap, silly and loaded with some of Disney's worst dialogue, The Black Hole is a terrible movie:

Well, from those Sci-Fi geeks over at i09 comes the news that Disney has green-lighted a remake of the Black Hole from the team that is about to give us the long-awaited Tron sequel. Given that Disney had been in the business a lot longer than George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg, one might think they would have embraced the new technologies being created by folks like Douglas Trumball and Rick Baker. Instead, they skimped on bad physical effects and cartoonishly anthropomorphic robots. So, for the first time in a long time, comes happy news of a remake of a bad movie that should have better than it was. in the first place. It pleases me to say that I can get behind The Black Hole remake (it also makes me giggle 'cause it sounds so deliberately dirty, which it is). And trust me when I tell you how hard it was not to make more dirty jokes about this movie's title...

And since I went there (talk about segues), as I write this, there are 46 minutes left of World AIDS Day here on the East Coast. If you read me regularly, you know that I am a founding board member of the James Tolin Memorial Fund. We produce an annual benefit featuring a performance of an LGBT-themed comedy and a gala reception and silent auction to raise funds for local AIDS and Arts Education charities. And while it may be the "official" World AIDS Day, it saddens me to think that we need such a day. Every day should be "Stop Being a Selfish Prick and Do Something to Help Someone in Need Day."

Yes, the economy is bad. Yes, you all have bills to pay. So do I. I don't always have money to give. But I do have time. So skip the game next Sunday and deliver a meal to someone not only in need of food, but a smile and a friendly word or two. Attend a local fundraiser (you don't have to spend a whole lot of money) or start one of your own. Why should MLK Day be set aside as a Day of Service? If everyone did just one thing to help someone else, every day -- just one thing -- imagine how much nicer everyone's lives would be. At the risk of repeating myself: Think Globally; Act Locally. Donate. Volunteer. Take Action. Now.

Okay - the rant really is over, as is this day.

More, anon.

Prospero

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Disney Dorks

This post was almost entitled "...an' she Black." And I will tell you why in a moment.

My sister, who lives just outside of Tampa, is a self-described "Disney Dork." She loves all things Disney; especially weird, behind-the-scenes stuff (to which I must admit a fondness of my own). I sent her a link to an NYT story about how Disney is displaying rare and long-unseen artifacts at what they hope will be their ComicCon, the D23 Expo, and she writes back how she's been reading about it for months on the official Disney Newsletter she gets. Then I found out that a Facebook friend (and one-time castmate) is attending said Expo and Facebooking about seeing Betty White and Robin Williams. Betty Effing White, ya'll! Who doesn't love Betty White? And you won't see BFW at ComicCon, I'll promise you that.



Anyway, it all seemed rather synchronicitous that just Saturday, a friend related an amusing story about Whoopi Goldberg on "The View"* from Disney World. She was introducing a clip from this movie:

Ms. Goldberg, whom I love and admire as both a performer and a human being, finished her intro with the words: "...an' she Black!" which just seemed so silly and superfluous and completely contrived. And please don't get me wrong, it's high time Disney had an African American Princess (though I have other issues with the whole Princess thing...), but it seems to me that the way to make it work is not to make a big deal out of it. Big deals shouldn't have to be made about social progress. Social progress should speak for itself and no one should have to say "Look at what a progressive inclusionist I am!" But I digress.



* In full disclosure and further Mouse-influenced programming, "The View" appears on the Disney-owned ABC television network.

To complete the cycle, this morning I was trolling my usual sites and I came upon a clip from an animator who was better and more creative than Walt would ever be, Max Fleischer. The clip (I believe it was here) was linked because it features a vocal performance from the late, great Cab Calloway. It caught my eye because of the subject matter. Four years before Disney made his masterpiece, Fleischer gave Betty Boop the lead in his version of "Snow White." Watch it here. You can see why Danny Elfman and the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo (link may be NSFW) loved Fleischer's work. Just in case you are some musical Philistine or under 30, and aren't sure who or what Oingo Boingo was all about, here is their biggest hit. Oh, Kelly LeBrock, where are you and your lips, now. And yes, Dharma is his sister-in-law.



Personally, I'm torn. I (as most Americans today did) grew up with Disney. The classics are forever ingrained into our psyches. The artistry, if often repetitive, was undeniable. And there's no villain like a Disney villain... And Beauty and the Beast is the only animated movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture. Still... "Beauty and the Beast" started the Disney-fication of Times Square...I suppose I have a love/hate relationship with the Mouse. As I do with many things. Chocolate, beer, fried foods... men... sigh...



I still prefer Universal Studios, anyway. So now my question to you is: If my sister is a Disney Dork, does that make me a Universal Unicorn? Unitarian? Unionist? U2? UB40? R2D2? Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi! You're my only hope!



Please respond with your own alliterative suggestion in the "Comments" section. I always want to hear what you have to say!



More nonsense, anon.

Prospero

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More On my Other Obsession

As you must know by now, my other mania is for all things related to Cirque Du Soleil. The last show I saw of saw of theirs was "Kooza." The tickets were a combination Christmas/Birthday gift from my dear friend and fellow Cirque enthusiast Kathy (who just happens to be directing the show I am currently rehearsing).



While trolling my favorite blogs, I came across a post on BoingBoing which featured a link to a 1929 Disney cartoon called "Skeleton Dance," which only reminded me of the amazing skeleton dance number in "Kooza."



Here's a clip of from "Kooza." I hope you are as astounded and as I was in seeing the show live.

Oh, to be able to run away and join that circus...

More, anon.

Prospero

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