The Pop Culture Addict presents... Miscellaneous

So I must admit that I’ve been feeling pretty run down lately. I think all the excitement over the summer caught up with me. Between going to LA, the Toronto comic con, and transcribing all the new PCA interviews I suffered a case of burn out, which resulted in me wanting to do nothing but lay around on the couch watching movies for weeks on end. But then again, watching movies could be considered research…right? Anyhow, this week I pulled myself back up off of my butt and got back to work, which means our next PCA interview is now ready and on line!

In August I had the opportunity to visit with cult movie superstar Sid Haig! Although he is most famous these days for playing the psychotic Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s insanely popular House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, Sid has had a colorful career in films that have spanned four decades. Sid and I talk about his films with Rob Zombie, as well as my personal favorite of his films, Jack Hill’s Spider Baby. Sid also reflects on his memories of Lon Chaney Jr, Pam Grier and Lee Marvin. And what did I bring up that he didn’t want to talk about? The answer to that question will probably surprise you. Check it all out at

Now it’s been a while since we dipped into the PCA mailbag and our inbox is overflowing with e-mails so I thought perhaps we’d take some time to read some reader mail this week. Remember, we love hearing from your comments, memories, questions and opinions on everything we’ve covered here at PCA, as well as any other pop culture subject you’d like to talk about. Also, I personally answer every e-mail sent, so always feel free to write us at popcultureaddict@gmail.com.

Okay. So our first letter comes from Francisco Perez Mora from Chile who writes about our look at the music of Charles Manson. Francisco writes:

"First of all, English it's my mother language. I'm from Chile.

I would like to thank you and congratulate you for the great article on Manson's music, I just downloaded the CD and it's such a beautiful piece of music.

I was talking' with some friends of Manson's music and they said I was crazy. I played "Look At Your Game Girl" in a party, and the people just smile and keep smiling', After that I said, "that was Manson music, you know guys?", all was shocked up, LOL.

We shouldn't hero him that much, but sometimes the most beautiful things, grew up of the despair and the horror, I think the most demented human being have something to say or to teach, like a visionary of outer space or something. But only a few times, it comes in such wonderful forms. Anyway, Manson was a terrible human being after all.

Well Francisco, English may not be your native language but you nailed exactly the way I feel about Charles Manson’s music and you totally understand why I love his worlds, voice and melodies so much. Yes, Charles Manson was one of the evilest men of the 20^th Century, but you can’t keep a good song down. I am glad that through our article on Charles Manson’s musical career that people are still seeking his recordings out of curiosity, and discovering that they like them.

BTW – when I was in LA in August I took a fantastic tour of some of the more sordid locations that the city has to offer via Dearly Departed Tours and one of the locations that we went to was 3301 Waverly Drive where Charles Manson accompanied six members of his family, which resulted in the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca on July 26^th, 1969 – one night after the murder of Sharon Tate and her friends. As we drove away, tour creator Scott Michaels played Cease to Exist on the radio. I can’t explain the eeriness of driving through the same residencal neighborhood where Charles Manson once stood, listening to his music. It was a real experience. I should also mention that Scott Michaels does a tour dedicated completely to the Manson murders called The Helter Skelter T our which I plan to go on when I return in 2009. Anyhow, Scott’s tour was the best thing I did the whole time I was in LA, and anybody who is going to LA for a visit should check his tours out. Pop culture fans WILL NOT be disappointed.

Anyhow, thanks again for your great letter Francisco, and I hope you’ll be in touch with us again.

Now we get letters about our popular Lamest Superheroes of All Time article all the time, but in our mailbag recently we got two that I particularly enjoyed. The first one comes from Jeremy Patterson who is a regular writer to the PCA mailbag. Jeremy writes:

"Here is one of those suggestions for the Lamest Superheroes of All Time lists! U.S.1 This is another attempt of Marvel cashing in on fads. This one debuted in 1983, a full five years after the CB. radio fad peaked. The hero was a trucker who is chasing a madman for killing his brother. The madman sold his soul to the devil in order to have Satan power his rig. Our hero did have one minor superpower: Due to a head injury that occurred at the exact same crash that his brother was killed in, he had to be saved by having his skull reinforced with a huge metal plate that also functioned as a C.B. radio. Marvel also had the identical Razorback around the same time!

I hope you like this morsel of lameness!

J.A.P"

Your right Jeremy. That is indeed lame. Sounds like Convoy meets Faust. Now if it was actually put out in 1977 it might have been sort of cool, but 1983 was really late making it lame. I wonder where U.S.1 is now. Now that CB radios are obsolete, U.S.1. is probably just a bitter trucker with a metal plate in his head sitting in a truck stop somewhere in Omaha, drinking coffee and eating pie, listening to Red Sovine on a jukebox and saying to a waffle waitress names Flo “I swear to you doll face! I WAS a superhero! I had a Two-In-One team up with the Thing and everything!” Meanwhile Flo just snaps her gum and rolls her eyes and says “So if ya were a superhero an all, why haven’t the Skrulls tried to replace you?” Poor U.S.1. Anyhow, thanks for reminding us about this totally stupid creation Jeremy! I hope you'll keep writing to us.

But while we focus on how lame U.S.1 is, a reader calling himself Cow Exploder (which sounds like a lame superhero itself) puts a new spin on Matter Eater Lad. Cow Exploder writes:

"I came upon your site when I had an argument with someone this past week. There have been a number of superhero movies that have come out recently, including Iron Man, The Hulk, Hancock, and of course The Dark Night. I stated that one of my favorite superheroes was Matter Eater Lad, from planet Bismoll, because he had the most ridiculous power of any real superhero. He said that I made it up ("...the name of his planet is what gave it away...") and I stated that it was real. A Google search turned up your page (among many others, and thanks for helping me win five bucks) but it made me question your criteria for lamest superheroes. I'll admit that Matter Eater Lad has every right to be on the list (even though he was in one of the only cool story arcs of the Legion of Superheroes, when they fought Omega). Yeah, he could probably beat Kobayashi and Chestnut and Sonya Thomas in the hot dog eating contest every 4th of July, but it's not the greatest superhero power. Maybe if you're trying to break into the super villains' hideout and the door is indestructible...

Superman: I can't break it down, even with my strength. It must be magically shielded.

Dr. Fate: Its magic is beyond my understanding. There must be additional factors at work.

Dr. Strange: The Eye of Agamotto reveals other powers that cannot be overcome by my skill.

Hulk: GRRRRRRR!!!!!

Matter-Eater Lad: Sorry, must've dozed off... you were saying... Hey, I thought we were getting lunch! Why's this door in the way? Hmmmm..... can you say... appetizer!

Anyway, a few comments (and additions) I'll add to your lists...

Green Boy (my name, his name was never stated since he was only a rejected applicant for the Legion of Superheroes):"I injected chemicals into myself to make me and everything around me temporarily green! It would be great for camouflage!" (His only lines in comic-book history.)

Dishman: The power to wash and dry dishes and teleport them to their proper places in the kitchen (possibly only one or two issues from an independent comic publishing company)

Elongated Man: A second-rate Mr. Fantastic/Plastic Man. DC invented him before they knew they had the rights to Plastic Man. Basically, he's Mr. Fantastic without the brains, or Plastic Man without the sense of humor and the ability to change into different shapes. Also, his powers aren't permanent; he has to eat a gingko fruit to maintain them.

Also, I liked Infectious Lass (I thought she was hot, and the idea of getting a disease from her that wasn't permanent was appealing). The Greatest American Hero was cool because his girlfriend (Connie Selleca) was hot (she was also a doctor in the failed TV attempt to get Captain America off the ground). Also, George Costanza on Seinfeld used "Believe it or Not" on his answering machine. And, it's been rumored that Captain Caveman inspired the Phil Hartman sketches on Saturday Night Live with Caveman Lawyer (some of his last true classics). "Your world is frightening!"

And of course, my power is the power to explode cows.

Cow Exploder "

Wow Cow Exploder. You convinced me. Matter Eater Lad just might be THE GREATEST SUPERHERO EVER CREATED! Who would have guessed? Its almost an injustice to comic fans everywhere that he has never gotten his own book. Next time I'm talking to Paul Dini I'll make sure I mention this.

As to your additions, is Green Boy a real character? When did he appear? What year? There is a character worth investigating. He injected himself full of chemicals to turn himself green? You know, there are words for people who inject t

hemselves full of chemicals – junkies. How much you wanna bet he shared a room next to Speedy in rehab.

And as for Elongated Man, there has been a lot of folks on the net saying Ralph Dibney was lame lately. Now as a kid who grew up reading satellite era Justice League books I’ve always had a fondness for Elongated Man. I mean, sure, he was a guy who was obsessed about being like the rubber men in freak shows and got his power from drinking a soda pop, and he did have a nose that twitched when he “smelt” a mystery, but I think I liked the old Elongated Men stories because he and his wife Sue reminded me a lot of Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man series, which could be my favorite film series of all time. If I had a choice between Plas and Elongated Man, I’d pick Elongated Man every time. Of course...that was before they killed them off. Anyhow, thanks for your letter Cow Exploder. I got a good chuckle out of it. You got a knack at writing satire. I hope we’ll hear from you again.

Finally, our last letter comes from Dawn Wakefield who writes to us about our interview with former Hardy Boy band member Norbert Soltysiak.. Dawn writes:

Just went searching the Net for the 34^th time trying to figure out if there’s a source for locating one of Chicago music legends, Carl Bonafede…and your article came up first because Norbert Solystiak mentioned that Carl was the manager for the group he was in, The Delights. I enjoyed reading every line in your article because it also mentioned several of Chicago-area groups from the 60s music scene. Norbert did a great interview and I was really glad to read what was there. I remember several of the folks you’ve done stories on and it’s always great to read “the rest of the story”…I am a fan of Internet detectives to find out the facts rather than rely on the StickiWikipedia versions of the story, full of errors. You’re a solid researcher.

Wondered if Carl Bonafede was still alive and around Chicago, and the only person I can think to ask would be Norbert. Bonafede had hustle, enthusiasm, and was responsible for a lot of great music at the Holiday Ballroom. Would you mind helping me by passing on my question to Norbert regarding if he knows whether or not Carl Bonafede is still alive and well in Chicago and where I might be able to reach him for an interview?

Well Dawn, I want to thank you so much for your letter and I hope that we might be able to help you. Unfortunately I haven’t been in touch with Norbert “Nibs” Soltysiak in a number of years. I sent him an e-mail with your letter, but the e-

mail address I had is no longer in use and the e-mail was sent back. Thus I am afraid that is a contact that I have lost. I did a bit of my own research as well, but unfortunately there are a number of people in the US named Carl Bonafede - some both living and dead, so I am afraid my research wasn't much good. However, I have sent your letter to a few other contacts that probably know more about the Chicago music scene, not to mention 60’s music in general, then I ever will in my life and hopefully they’ll know more information. But, of course, if any of our readers have any information on Carl Bonafede please drop us a line and let us know. Carl Bonafede was an important part of Chicago’s music scene in the 1960’s. Chicago had a real unique music scene at the end of the decade with some really interesting bands coming out of the windy city with some of the most famous being The New Colony Six, The Buckinghams (which Carl Bonafede

managed) and, of course, Chicago. Carl Bonafede also managed a girls band called The Daughters of Eve which had a few regional hits, as well as Norb Soltysiak’s original band The Delights, which is featured on a brilliant CD called The Quill Records Story featuring some of the best recordings to come out of Chicago during that 1960s by bands that never really made it out of Chicago. The Quill Records Story is a great CD and really worth looking at. Anyhow, if anybody can help Dawn out with any information about Carl Bonafede please contact us. And thanks again Dawn for your letter. I’ll be in touch if I hear anything, and I hope you’ll visit our site again soon.

Anyhow folks, I’m starting to feel that run down feeling again and I think I’m gonna slug back to the couch and watch another movie.

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MUSIC, INTERVIEWS, COMMENTARY, PRIZES AND CONTROVERSY FROM ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED BRITISH INVASION BANDS FROM THE 1960'S.

DON'T MISS THE CHANCE TO HEAR BARRY WHITWAM, WHO IS BECOMING ONE OF THE BRITISH INVASIONS' MOST CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES, TELL HIS STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS. WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO CALL THEMSELVES HERMAN'S HERMITS AND WHY DID PETER NOONE AND HIS FANS TRY TO SHUT THIS INTERVIEW DOWN? TUNE IN AND LISTEN FOR YOURSELF. YOU MAY BE VERY SURPRISED ABOUT WHAT YOU HEAR.

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Hope your still keeping your head over water. We barely are over here at PCA, but if we drown we are drowning in excitment. Just if your gonna send a life guard to save me send David Hasselhoff. I'm sure he and I would have a lot to talk about. Anyhow...lets not go there. This has been an eventful week. The other morning I met for a breakfast meeting with Candace Shaw, PCA's founder and site manager, who has just finished another successful summer of organizing the Peterborough Folk Festival and filming the Shelter Valley Folk Festival and now that things have gone from a breakneck insane busy to just a crazy busy for the two of us, we had a few moments to discuss the direction that PCA is going and brainstormed some exciting things that may develop towards the end of the year. Meanwhile, I have confirmed another two major interviews in the weeks to come. Wont reveal their identities yet, but I’ll give you a hint. Both of these gentlemen are major sci-fi icons….and not involved with Star Trek in anyway whatsoever. Let the guessing start now. However, the biggest news of the week is, without a doubt, the debut of my interview with the one and only Henry Winkler. It is a short interview, but one of the highlights of my career to date, and I am very proud of it. I hope you won’t dare to miss

Now I would like to introduce you to a man that, over the last few months, I’ve become friends with. His name is Mason Ramsey. Mason and I have a lot in common. Both he and I are writers. Both he and I love classic rock n’ roll. Both he and I dream of a revolution in the quality of the entertainment media. However, the thing that brought me and Mason together is that he and I have both been associated with, and interviewed, original Herman’s Hermits drummer Barry Whitwam, and as a result have been harassed and bullied by Peter “Herman” Noone and his Noonatics.

Based out of Colorado, Mason Ramsey is the man behind rockandrollheaven.net, a quickly growing web-site which streams the best in classic rock n’ roll oldies. A veteran syndicated radio personality, Mason turned his back on terrestrial radio in 2006 when he felt confined to the parameters of the stations’ programming. Mason had a vision to not only go beyond the small play list of “hits” he was mandated to play, but to expand to rarely heard and more obscure rock n’ roll classics, as well as current music being recorded by the greats of the past, and music that shares the enthusiasm of a bygone era recorded by the artists of today. Mason also had a desire to bring together a larger music fan base from all over America, and beyond, by taking listener calls from wherever they may be listening. Mason took his talents and vision and went into the ever expanding world of internet radio. Although you can hear great music via rockandrollheaven.net 24 hours a day, Mason hosts two live call in programs: Saturday Night at the Oldies and Jukebox Sunday Night. Since 2006 Mason’s site, as well as his listenership, has expanded and Mason is a man with much vision for the future of entertainment broadcasting.

However, Maso

n found himself in a sea of controversy this summer, and it happened to be a controversy we are all too familiar with at PCA. When Barry Whitwam brought his Herman’s Hermits to the US for a handful of concert dates for the first time in years, knowing that a large chunk of his listenership was Herman’s Hermits fans, Mason approached Barry to do an interview. Barry agreed, and when Mason announced that he’d be talking to Barry the shit really hit the fan. Mason quickly received calls and e-mails from angry Noonatics criticizing him for his decision. Insults aimed towards him began to appear on public forums and talk of a boycott of rockandrollheaven.net was rumored. Eventually the news got back to Peter Noone himself who, referring to Mason as “Mason whats-his-name,” publicly stated that he did not want Mason playing his music on his station if he was interviewing Barry. Yet, despite the negative reaction, Mason went through with his plans to do the interview, but as he dug deeper into the history of Herman’s Hermits he realized that it was so dipped in controversy that he decided to make a three hour radio special out of it! Compiled of music, history, commentary and interviews, Mason’s Herman’s Hermits special will be airing on Saturday September 20^th and repeated on Sunday September 21^st. As one of the only writers in North America ever to interview both sides of the feuding Hermits, and for my similar involvement in the battle between Peter Noone and Barry Whitwam, I am very honored to be one of the people being interviewed on Mason’s special. Thus, I decided that I would do a small interview myself with Mason, and talk more about what’s been going on.

Sam: Well Mason, it sounds like you’ve had your hands full with Herman’s Hermits these days. So let’s start at the beginning of this whole thing. What is your history with Herman’s Hermits fandom?

Mason: Well, when I was working at a satellite network, a bunch of Peter Noone’s fans started listening to me on-line across the country. They are called the Noonatics, and I started really started playing their requests and they started coming to me in droves so we kind of picked up a little bit of Peter’s fan base and we were playing his music and while I was at the other radio station I found myself carting in basically two suitcases of my own music and stepping outside of the boundaries [of the networks play list]. That was one of the problems I had with the satellite networks. So I would always play a lot of Peter Noone’s music outside of Herman’s Hermits because you just don’t hear that music outside of terrestrial radio stations. Songs that he’s not really known for like "I’ll Never Dance Again" and some of the songs that never made it outside of Herman’s Hermits fans like "No Milk Today." Things like that. I would always play that stuff as part of the format and it kind of evolved from there. Well it was only about a month or so ago that I found out that there were some things going on about the original drummer, Barry Whitwam and I started picking up the details around him and the feud going on with Herman and I started delving into the background of Herman’s Hermits and researching it and becoming more and more involved in some of the facts about the band and the original members.

Mason: Well I received some materials from Barry out of Manchester and I had mentioned it on the air and the next thing I know Peter Noone’s fans were up in arms! Not all of them, but the more die hard Noonatics were pissed! They were pissed off that I had the audacity to speak with Barry Whitwam who they consider is not a Hermit. It ultimately lead to a couple of e-mails back and forth and it lead to a couple of people writing to me saying that they would never listen to me again and that their would be a boycott of rockandrollheaven.net if I did an interview with Barry and how dare I stab Peter in the back.

Sam: But of course you didn't stab Peter Noone in the back. You were doing nothing more then doing an interview with another member of the British Invasion.

Mason: Well that was the way I looked at it. I mean, when I looked behind the facts I knew that Herman’s Hermits were part of the British Invasion from 1964 to 1971, and then in 1971 Peter Noone left the group to go out on his own. There is nothing wrong with that. But Karl Green, Keith

Hopwood, Derek Leckenby and Barry Whitwam went forward and hired Peter Cowap, who was the new lead singer replacing Peter Noone, just kept going with Herman’s Hermits and toured and kept that image and legacy of Herman’s Hermits alive. Later on Peter kind of wanted to come back after a while and now we are having to step up for people like Barry in a common sense approach that Herman’s Hermits was Herman’s Hermits. It was a group effort of five individuals. Granted, Peter Noone is the focal point and the face of the group. Even Barry Whitwam will tell you that. But it seems that the fans consider Peter Noone as being Herman, which they should because he has adopted that fictional persona, but they really look at Peter as being only Herman’s Hermits. But in my mind he is only one fifth of the band. And by being one fifth of the band, granted, he is the face and the voice of the band, but he is still part of the group effort and for Peter to try to thwart Barry ove

r an issue of an issue of not recording on the discography and listing himself as the drummer for Herman’s Hermits….well HE WAS the drummer for Herman’s Hermits! That’s one of the biggest issues, and it’s all just a big mess now.

Sam: Well was it a big shock to you when you suddenly found yourself in the middle of this whole controversy?

Mason: Yeah. When the Noonatics basically started barraging me with the fact that they were mad for talking to Barry Whitwam it originally kind of shocked me because he is the original drummer from ’64 to ’71 and he’s got every right to the legacy and to perform as does Peter.

ason: I thought that Barry is a very down to earth individual. He seems very polite. I thought he was very open to talk to. Very upfront. I asked Barry if he had any problems with Peter during the band days and said “No, not at all.” Primarily, this really only came to head when Derek Leckenby passed away in 1994 because, as you know, Derek was basically the number two man in the band. So Peter Noone feels that Barry is out there stealing their thunder and how dare he perform as Herman’s Hermits when there is no Peter Noone performing in front of the band. So they have adopted that idea that Barry is not really Herman’s Hermits. But if you look at it, while the members of Barry’s band are not Herman’s Hermits, neither are the members of Peter’s band. But when Barry was here [this summer] in the United States and he played the concert venues out here there, of course, were some nasty articles and nasty comments from Peter Noone’s fans calling people like [Barry’s lead singer] Eddy Carter a clown, and I don’t think Peter has even met Eddy!

Sam: Well you’ve had indirect contact with Peter Noone since this mess went down.

Mason: Peter Noone has never contacted me. I’ve been to three or so of Peter’s concerts and Peter is a great performer. He really commands an audience and he takes over. After a concert in 2004 I wrote an article for the Noonatics Heartbeat Magazine and it just reminded me, as a professional, that Peter made that concert. Peter’s band was the band that stood out and I wrote the article about it and I just seem to think that Peter has, in turn, responded to an interview or understand that we are out here starting this company, America’s Coast to Coast and rockandrollheaven.net to give a wider array of oldies and to play music you just don’t here on terrestrial radio stations and he never once responded. Never. The most I ever got from Peter was that I stood in an autograph line and he signed a t-shirt for me. He never responded to me until the latest round of flack he’s been throwing at me recently through third parties.

Mason: I don’t mind because it’s a matter of record. There was a response from Peter through Kent Kotal’s Forgotten Hits pretty much stating if I had the “balls” to ask Barry a few questions and Peter doubted if I had the “balls” to do that.

Mason: I did ask those questions. As a matter of fact I pretty much tried to tell Barry that, well, I’ve seen his web-site and I’ve seen what was going on and I was going to question him about some of the antics that were going on between himself and Peter and in the fact that even on Barry’s side some of the way that Barry has phrased some of his responses seem to be a little negative and I was trying to get the emphasis across that what we say now and do is going to live with us forever. Because, quite frankly Sam, this music is going to live for more then a thousand years. And what we say and what we do we can never take back. We can make amends for it, and that’s why I asked Barry if there were any hard feelings while they were in the band together, and he said “Not at all.” It all started after Derek died because Peter felt that he could get away with it.

Sam: Well in a nutshell, what are your feelings about Herman’s Hermits these days?

Mason: Well I like the music and I think that with Peter and Barry being as talented as they are that they should get out there and create music that is just as good and just as favorable as those days. They should get out there and write new stuff with the same flavor and enthusiasm as the oldies of yesterday. What I think is happening now is that Peter is trying to rewrite history! About two months ago the original recordings were supposed to be released in the UK. Well if it was released in the UK then it should have been released as "Herman’s Hermits,: NOT "Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone" but they re-released it [under the title] "Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone." He changed the cover art [to only pictures of himself] and he’s putting a new face on the original Herman’s Hermits and trying to put himself out in front. But he’s always been in front Sam! He’s always been in front! Nobody’s questioning that. Barry’s not questioning that. Mot of the responses I get from the Noonatics is that Peter is Herman. We are not disagreeing about that.

Mason: Right. But as for Herman’s Hermits starring Barry Whitwam, well Barry has just as much right to play that music as Keith Hopwood or Karl Green. Now you can’t give Peter Cowap, if he were still alive, that same opportunity of being Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Cowap because he wasn’t one of the original members. I mean, who cares if John Paul Jones or Jimmy Page played the drums. They were paid their compensation and that was it. The minute they walked out of the studio their involvement was over. But my thoughts is that we’re here on America’s Coast to Coast rockandrollheaven.net and we’re playing music that was part of our memories that we were subjected too and influenced by and it’s not over yet. It’s not over. We’re still living and we are still being influenced by music that was made famous in the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s and even music in the 50’s and 40’s. That’s why I don’t have a problem playing that music.

So, make sure to tune into Mason Ramsey’s controversial Herman’s Hermits special, featuring an interview with Barry Whitwam, at rockandrollheaven.net on Saturday September 20^th and Sunday September 21^st airing at 7 pm EST, 6 pm CST, 5 pm MST or 2 pm PST. And we have a special treat for you PCA readers! Barry sent Mason ten copies of his CD to give away on his show, and Mason has offered five of those CDs to PCA! So, the first five people who write me at popcultureaddict@gmail.com with your name and mailing address, we’ll get you a free copy of Barry Whitwam’s Herman’s Hermits CD sent to you. Also, so that you know, all adresses sent will be kept private and not published. Nobo

dy will show up at your door, send you unwanted junk mail or order you unwanted pizzas. This is a rare opportunity to own a CD that is not available in North America by a controversial oddity in the pop culture journey.

But finally, I just want to wish Mason luck with the special, and also the future. Mason Ramsey is a man with big dreams and a great vision that finds a revolution in the entertainment industry. I find his e-mails to me to be truly exciting and inspirational. His company, America’s Coast to Coast, is in the ground stages of big things for the future. I hope that PCA will work with Mason again in the very near future, and we look forward to being part of Mason’s vision.

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Wow. This could be the busiest time that PCA has ever seen. I haven't even had a chance to catch up and recover from my trip to Hollywood and I'm already back on the road on PCA business. This past weekend I attended Toronto's FanExpo! FanExpo is the biggest convention of its kind in Canada, and the third biggest in all of North America! I saw friends, spent way too much money and got some great original comic art, but this year I had a far different experience then in previous years. This year I went as part of the press and it was all about business. As a result I not only met up with a number of pop culture icons and their management/agents, but I did another four interviews for PCA! Remember when I said I was going to blow your minds? Well get ready folks because I'm going to make one of the most exciting announcements in the history of PCA.

But before I do that, the first of my LA interviews is ready. My visit with former teen idol and DeFranco Family front man Tony DeFranco is now on-line. Tony gives a very nostalgic and blunt talk about the highs and lows of teen stardom that can very well serve as a warning to today's teen stars, proving that while trends may change, the music business stays the same. I hope you'll read Tony's story at

Okay, now on to the big announcement. I was going to save this for last but I can't hold it in. You ready for this? Are you sitting down? Okay...

That's right! Not a dream! Not a lie! This weekend I managed to secure a short audience with Henry Winkler, who is without a doubt one of the most important cultural icons of the 20th Century. Henry WInkler is a very special man, and has the uncanny ability to make everybody he meets feel important. Henry is easily one of the most intense and positive cultural icons I have ever met, and I am very very proud of my interview with him. I will be rushing it onto our site in the next week or so, so get ready for the Fonze. What is the appeal of Fonzie? When did Happy Days jump the shark? How does Henry Winkler deal with fame? What's the deal with his series of children books? What's the story on the Arrested Development movie? How does Henry feel about typecasting? And at the end of the interview Henry Winkler said something to me that not only kept me up all night with my head swimming in pop culture bliss, but is possibly the greatest compliment I've ever recieved in my life! What did Henry say? All is revealed in my interview next week! Stay tuned!

This weekend I also did interviews with other major cult film figures: controversial Italian film director Ruggero Deodato, whose film Cannibal Holocaust has gone down in the record books as being banned in more countries then any other film in history, and even had him arrested in his home country of Italy when it was rumored to be a snuff film; character actor Sid Haig, who is probably most famous these days for playing Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and The Devils Rejects, but also appeared in such cult classics as Spider Baby, Foxy Brown, Coffy and Point Blank; and one of my personal favorite icons, Tura Satana, whose portrayal of the dangerous and sexy Varla in Russ Meyer's classic Faster Pussycat!....Kill!....Kill! has made her both a sexual and feminist icon! This fall is going to be a HUGE for interviews friends. Don't forget that we still have our interview with Lost's Daniel Roebuck on the way, and this weekend I also secured two more future interviews - one with a much beloved science fiction icon and another with one of the important men in todays comic book industry. On top of that I have another couple of interviews being negotiated. This is the most action we've had here in the two and a half years that PCA has been operating and we couldn't be more excited. Big things are happening so I hope you'll be along for the ride.!

But if you were unable to make the Toronto FanExpo this weekend, its not to late to meet a bonafide pop culture icon. Don't forget about Bob Kotsopoulos' Show of Shows on Sunday September 21st at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, 300 Javis St. in Toronto, Ontario. This year Bob's guest is going to be none other then Buck Roger's star Gil Gerard! Gil will be meeting fans and signing autographs from 10 am to 5 pm amongst a sea of collectables, vintage posters and other pop culture items for sale. For more information check out The Show of Show's web-site at www.theshowofshows.com. Bob's show is always a great show so make sure to stop by.

Anyhow, I'm keeping this brief because I have a lot of work to get done to get these interviews on line and up for you.

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So I'm back from my pilgrimage to Hollywood! Actually, I’ve been back for a little over a week now, but I haven’t had much of a chance to get reorganized, and I had a pretty bad run in with jet leg. Man. That was dreadful! Jet leg will kill ya, I tell you. However, I’m ready to get back to work, and let me tell you friends, I have tons of work to do! This fall is going to be one of our busiest and most productive times ever at www.popcultureaddict.com.

Now since I’ve been back I haven’t had a chance to write any new material, so it could be a week or so before any new articles appear on our site, but in the meantime I’d like to share a bit about my experiences in Hollywood and make a few announcements about things that we have in the works.

Now I want to thank a number of folks for making my trip to Hollywood so memorable. Warm thanks goes out to Tony DeFranco, Daniel Roebuck, Paul Dini and Misty Lee (as well as Little Rashy a

nd SuperRica), Erin Feeney (who brought me to a place that sold Coke in bottles, and there is nothing like an ice cold bottle of Coke after spending an hour standing in the sun), Janet Hetherington, Scott J. Michaels of Dearly Departed Tours (easily one of the best three hours I spent in Hollywood), Ed and Michelle Sapatino of the Westside Rentals Hollywood Hotel, Lorelle at Pinera Bakery in Burbank (which served the only decent breakfast I had the entire time I was in California) and the guys and gals at Hooters on Hollywood Boulevard. It was because of you folks that I had a happy and successful trip! I also want to send my apologies to our good friend Geri "Fake Jan" Reischl who kindly invited me for a day at Disneyland, but due to conflicting schedules I was unable to go. I do regret not seeing you Geri, but hopefully our paths will cross next time I come to LA.

So Hollywood was different then I expected, but more then I could have imagined! I spent every single night on Hollywood Boulevard, got locked in Marilyn Monroe’s graveyard, went to The X-Files: I Want to Believe red carpet ceremony (and saw the film at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre when it opened to the public two days later - and I liked it. Don't believe what the critics say), stood in the foot prints of my icons and idols, visited Universal Studios, saw the Los Angeles production of Wicked (which was absolutely…well….wicked!), climbed the marble staircase at the Roosevelt Hotel where Bill Bojangles and Shirley

Temple danced on my way to peer into Marilyn Monroe's mirror, attempted to eat cake in the rain at MacArthur Park (didn't work. It never rains in California, you wouldn't want to be in MacArthur Park in the dark and I couldn't find a cake with green icing. I had to settle with a Hostess Cupcake. Jimmy Webb must have been on acid when he came up with those ideas) and even watched a hobo urinate on Pat Sajak’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star! All this, and experienced that earthquake which you all saw on CNN. And what would Hollywood be without a few celebrity sightings? While there I saw Brandon Frasier, William Katts, Martin Landau, Tia Carrer, Amanda Peet, Amanda Bynes, Cuba Gooding Jr., Howie Mandell, Laura Vandervoort, Bai Ling (who positively would NOT get off the red carpet at the X-Files premier and nearly fell out of her dress. The woman is a total ham), Frank Miller, Madeline Zima and Lindsey Sloane. I also had the great pleasure to have a short chat with the always brilliant Simon Pegg and his co-hort Jessica Hynes who, along with director Edgar Wright, did a signing at the LA location of Kevin Smith’s comic shop Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in order to promote the DVD release of their 1990’s Brit-Com Spaced. Spaced is a brilliant watch and is also one of the reasons I haven’t written anything since I’ve returned from Hollywood. I’ve been totally transfixed to it. If you haven’t seen it make sure to go out and purchase a copy today.

But probably the most memories were created by those celebrities that took time out of their busy schedule to sit down and talk to me. As I announced before I left for Hollywood, I managed to secure a few interviews while there.

First I spent a fantastic morning with character actor Daniel Roebuck. Many will remember Dan in the role of Cliff Lewis in Andy Griffith’s series Matlock. Others will remember him as the annoying Leslie Artz who came to an explosive end in the first season of the hit series Lost. Well Dan Roebuck has had his fingers dipped deeply in the pop culture honey pot for over two decades appearing in more than 130 productions and playing other memorable roles as Spock’s Vulcan buddy Jaron in Star Trek:TNG, Richard Bettina on Nash Bridges, Cody Banks’ father in Agent Cody Banks, and, my personal favorite, giving a memorable monologue in the role of “male sex addict” on HBO’s Six Feet Under. Dan gave me a short tour of Burbank and brought me to his horror memorabilia filled museum/office where we had a lively and interesting discussion of different aspects of his career. Dan is truly one of the people who keeps this pop culture journey alive and kicking, and I am proud to be able to feature him at Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict. Stay tuned later in August for his interview.

Mow I hinted at our next interview a few months ago when I said we had a 70's pop star on his way to PCA. Well, I spent a memorable afternoon talking to 70’s pop star and former teen idol Tony DeFranco at his Westlake Village office. In 1973 Tony, along with his brothers and sisters Nino, Benny, Marisa and Merlena followed the pop music trail blazed by the Jackson Five and the Osmond Brothers and scored big with the hit Heartbeat (It’s a Lovebeat). The group became a mainstay in Tiger Beat Magazine with fourteen year old Tony, acting as lead singer, gaining the majority of the attention. If you aren’t familiar with the DeFranco Family check out them singing Heartbeat by clicking here. Anyhow, Tony talked to me about the rise and fall of fame, stories of his days as a teen idol and his advice to today’s teen superstars. Being a 70’s bubblegum fan, my time with Tony DeFranco was a real thrill and Tony was one of the nicest and down to earth guys I met in California! My time with Tony truly was one of the highlights of my trip to California. Tony’s interview will also be ready soon for you to read.

But these two interviews are just the tip of the iceberg! Currently I am sitting on more interview opportunities then

I ever have since we began PCA nearly three years ago, and Tony and Dan are just the first two of what may prove to be a very productive fall with some of the biggest names in pop culture history dropping by to talk with us. You have no idea how excited I am about the future of PCA. I’m not ready to reveal anybody’s identities yet, but I know the stars we have lined up are going to blow your mind!

Yet visiting Hollywood wasn’t without connecting with some of the folks we’ve already featured at PCA! On my final night in Hollywood I had dinner with Paul Dini and Misty Lee, who brought their sock monkey friends Little Rashy and SuperRica along for the ride. I couldn’t hold in my thrill about having dinner with the two monkeys who sat at either side of me. It was sort of like sitting between Charleston Heston’s stone tablets from The Ten Commandments and the Maltese Falcon. Paul and Misty had just returned from

four days at the San Diego comic con and came with news of the development of a Little Rashy and SuperRica animated program! And while we wait for the program to become a reality, Paul and Misty are inviting all of us to get in on the fun at www.GoAnimate.com where you can make your own Rashy and SuperRica cartoons featuring Paul and Misty as well as a diverse bunch of characters like Barack Obama, John McCain, Osama Bin Laden, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and other groovy characters. Make sure to sign up and check out all the fun, and hopefully we’ll see more Rashy and SuperRica, featuring Paul and Misty, soon on the small screen.

Wait. What’s that? You want to meet a pop culture icon too? Well I’ve got good news friends. You don’t need to go all the way to Hollywood to do it. If you live in the Toronto area you may just get your chance. When I was in Hollywood I got an e-mail from our friend Bob Kotsopoulos who let me know that he is bringing his annual collectables extravaganza The Show of Shows back to Toronto on Sunday, September 21^st. This year Bob is bringing Buck Rogers star Gil Gerard to the show to meet and sign autographs for all of us pop culture freaks and sci-fi fans. For more information go to Bob’s site at www.theshowofshows.com and stay tuned to this space for more information on Bob’s show and your chance to meet Gil Gerard in the weeks to come a

s this event grows nearer. Mark September 21st on your calendars folks. I have it marked on mine.

Finally, as I was preparing this column, I was saddened to hear about the sudden and premature death of popular comedian Bernie Mac. I must admit that Bernie Mac only barely crossed my pop culture radar, but I was shocked to hear about his death today, and PCA want to send our most sincere condolences to his friends, family and friends.

Anyhow folks, that’s all for tonight. I have some more Spaced to watch. Yet stay tuned because there is much much more to come.

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There is nothing new up at PCA this week, and this will possibly be the final new material on this web-site until August 2008. The reason? Well, I will be spending the rest of July in Hollywood, CA! That’s right friends! Part business trip/part holy pilgrimage I’ll be going to the birth place of pop culture for ten days! I’ll be spending my days and nights on Hollywood Boulevard, soaking up the sun at Venice Beach, visiting the final resting place of my icons and idols, standing in the footsteps of my heroes at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Walking through the hallowed gates of Universal Studios and visiting such odd ball land marks as Sunnydale High, the site of the Manson murders and the real life Morrison Hotel! And what would Hollywood be without some star watching. Well friends, as I said, I’ll be hard at work conducting, at this time, two confirmed celebrity interviews, with a few others still in the works. That doesn’t include meeting up with some friends of PCA which we’ve already featured. Now I’ve always had bad luck when it comes to preannouncing interviews so the identities of these celebrities will remain a secret until I come back. This is an exciting time for PCA.

However, before we say goodbye, I have a bit of business to discuss. Over the last few days my e-mail inboxes, both my business one and personal one, has been FLOODED with e-mails and links about the controversy revolving around Mattel’s upcoming Black Canary Barbie. As many long time PCA readers know I am an obsessive Black Canary collector, and not only have a near complete Black Canary archive, but even have the character tattooed on my leg! Heck, I am pictured reading a Black Canary comic book in my publicity photo, featured on our home page! Well it may not be any surprise to you that I had a number of Black Canary Barbies on preorder long before this scandal took (one for me, and another two as gifts). Well earlier this week a radical British religious group known as The Christian

Voice released a press release against Black Canary Barbie, stating “Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far. A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible – it’s filth.” The statement was reported by the British tabloid The Sun in a headline renaming Black Canary Barbie into the more sensational S&M Barbie and offered no explanation about who or what the character was outside of the fact that she was a DC Comics superhero. Despite the fact that The Sun did report that the doll was a Black Canary Barbie, the name S&M Barbie stuck, and soon media all over the world began to make similar unresearched reports The controversy finally gained North American wide coverage when it was used as one of the “Hot Topics” on the mind numbing daytime gossip fest The View in which View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck had a “holier the thou” hissy fit about the doll. Despite the fact that she obviously had no knowledge of who or what the Black Canary was, Elisabeth ranted about “positive role models” and stated that “any adult that buys that doll has something wrong with them.” Personally, these comments not only enraged me, but hurt as if a knife had cut me. As a Black Canary fan, Elisabeth Hasselback's comments became personal. Now everybody knows that you never get between a geek and his favorite superhero but for the sake of professionalism, I am going to try to keep the geek in me pushed down so that I can deal with this in a far more intelligent way then the mass media who have never read a Black Canary comic has.

Now if there is one thing I have absolutely no tolerance for it is radical fundamental Christian groups. I truly believe that as a result of their closed minds and prudish ways that they cower in fear of anything they do not understand, and use the Bible to try to justify their own demented ideas. A quick look at the Christian Voice’s home page paints a scary picture of a sea of hatred and intolerance, with sections dedicated to censorship, homophobia, anti-abortion propaganda, racism and prejudice against Middle Eastern cultures. I’m sorry, but a group that preaches this type of hatred has no right to dictate what filth is. Yet, I personally would like to thank the folks at the Christian Voice for centering out the Black Canary Barbie and creating all this controversy. Why? Well, thanks to them they have not only created an odd footnote in Black Canary history, but ensured that the collectability of the Black Canary doll increases. I mean, with all the controversy and news coverage Black Canary Barbie is going to fly off the shelves, making her an instant collector’s item. Furthermore, curious buyers may even go so far as discovering who the character actually is, thus increasing the popularity of the fishneted siren. The controversy surrounding Black Canary Barbie is the most publicity the character has ever gotten in the 51 years she has existed. Only problem is, the name S&M Barbie has become more of a house hold name then Black Canary Barbie as a result of sensational

ist journalism but the image of the character is probably more recognized as a result of this scandal then ever before. So thank you Christian Voice for increasing the Black Canary's popularity.

Yet what about the women at The View? What do I have to say to them? Well it’s a mixed bag. I do feel that not enough research or knowledge of the background of the doll was put forth before the ladies on The View voiced their uneducated opinions, but I have different messages for different members of the panel.

First, I think we should all lift our hats to Whoopi Goldberg for being the only level headed member of the panel, who made the point that Black Canary Barbie was not intended for c

hildren and was made for the fans of the DC Comics character as well as pointed out that the appearances of other comic book characters, such as Hellboy with his huge codpiece, could be taken just as offensively. Unfortunately her voice of reason was silenced by the premenstrual chattering of Elisabeth Hasselbeck who pretty much said Black Canary fans have something wrong with them.

Hasselbeck dominated the conversation by talking about positive role models for little girls, and stating that the look of the Black Canary in leather and fishnets does not back up the positive values that little girls should be exposed to. However, if Hasselbeck had any clue about the character she would realize that the Black Canary has been fighting evil with a quick drop kick and a sonic scream far longer then Barbie has even existed. Sure, she may wear leather and fishnets, but she is also smart, independent, strong and compassionate, which has made her one of the most beloved super heroines in the history of comics. Superheroes are not just for little boys. Little girls need heroes too and if there is one character that embodies the positive traits to inspire little girls it is the Black Canary. She is not a knock off of a male hero such as Batgirl or Supergirl, and she even wears more clothing then Wonder Woman! What hinders the Black Canary is the fact that she is not as universally know

n as Batgirl, Supergirl and Wonder Woman and if

it was one of these characters I’m sure that Hasselbeck may not have been as quick to comment. The thing is, Hasselbeck did not have her facts and did not do her research, which is just bad journalism.

But Elisabeth. Lets talk about role models for a minute here. I’d rather that little girls be looking up to a courageous, independent and compassionate woman in fishnets and leather then say…oh….I dunno….a moronic conservative cow who is not only a pro-lifer and a creationist, but supports George W. Bush’s war on Iraq and who’s only legacy will be being a contestant on a reality program. I also feel sad for your child to be raised by a woman with a big mouth and a closed mind, and you make me realize how lucky I was that my mother, who, by the way is a child care professional, was open minded enough to allow me to read the adventures of the Black Canary when I was a small child, which is one of the reasons that I grew up to be respectful of women, and to know that women are just as strong as men. The irony of this, Elisabeth, is that long after you are gone and forgotten their will still be the Black Canary for another generation of children to love and be inspired by.

And while we’re talking about comics, lets move onto something a little more light hearted. Over the years since our always popular Top Ten Lamest Superheroes of All Time article was published, one of the most popular characters featured in the article has been Arm Fall Off Boy. I have received more mail about Arm Fall Off Boy then nearly any other character (well, perhaps only tied with Dogwelder) proving this obscure Legion of the Superheroes cast off to be incredibly popular with fans. Anyhow, Arm Fall Off Boy returns to comic books this month in the pages of Superheroes in the 31^st Century #16 in his very first solo story! Written by Matthew K. Manning and drawn by Shawn McManus, the book features, for the very first time, the origins of this fun character in a touching and funny tale about a boy who’s only ability is to detach his left arm. Manning provides a back story, some new powers and even a bit of romance and heartbreak in this full length tale. This is the first time in comics that we finally get to learn something about Arm Fall Off Boy. And, since the book is part of the Johnny DC line, Legion of Super Heroes in the 31^st Century is not only kid friendly, but comes at the super low price of $2.25! So if you love Arm Fall Off Boy like I know you love Arm Fall Off Boy (and believe me…I have the correspondence to prove that you love Arm Fall Off Boy) don’t miss this special issue. It really is a fun little book and a great read. It's on sale now, so rush down to your local comic book shop and buy it before it sells out.

Anyhow folks, I am out of here for a few weeks. I’ll be back in the first week of August with pictures, stories and new exciting announcements to make! Hollywood here I come!

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Hope everybody is enjoying their summer and that all of our Canadian and American friends had a wonderful long weekend (be on July 1^st of July 4^th, depending on which geographic location you live in). I’ve decided to take the day off today to catch up on some correspondence, writing and research after a few busy weeks. There is a lot of stuff to share, but before I do I want to announce our latest original article.

Many of you may have heard of the film Zabriskie Point by Michaelangelo Antonioni but few of you probably have ever seen it, and those of you who have seen it probably didn’t really like it very much because the film is pretty terrible. So why would you want to read an article about it? Well let me tell you why. When famous European film maker Michaelangelo Antonioni came to America to make a movie he searched for two unknown actors to play his all America boy and girl. He found a beautiful flower child from San Francisco and an angry revolutionist from Boston. Bringing them to the barren desert of Death Valley magic happened at Zabriskie Point. The hippie and the drifter fell in love. This is the story of the rise and fall of their love affair and the story of their lives - one which ended in tragedy and madness and another that continues to embody the creativity and spirit of the 60s to this day. Their story has it all. Set in the front lines of the counter culture movement of the 1960's Daria and Mark's story features love and sex, madness and manipulation, revolution and aggression, tragedy and redemption.

You may have never heard of Mark Frechette or Daria Halprin, but I truly believe that Return to Zabriskie Point is the best article I have ever written. It is much better then the 10 Lamest Superheroes for sure. If you only ever read one of my articles this year Return to Zabriskie Point is the one”

Anyhow, I received an exciting update from Sam Johnston who we featured in this section last month concerning his comic creation Geek Girl. Geek Girl won second place in Small Press Idol ’08 and is being published! Sam writes:

The contest rankings haven't been fully-finalized yet as the judges' veto talks are going on now, where they can bump up or pull down a project if they feel it should be in a different position, based on quality of the project, fan base, etc... but this won't change the slot we have.

In order to have time to build an audience base for Geek-Girl, the MVA cover slot is the one we wanted and that's the slot we've got! :)

We also got the second highest number of voters of all twelve contestants that made it through to this final public vote round!

The contest has been a blast, and a great launch for Ruby! I've now created the new Geek Girl MySpace, which is gonna be the place for all new Geek-Girl Updates and news--kicking off with a new GG versus Mr. Mash-Up Pin-Up coming soon--and you can check out the MySpace and send Ruby a friend-request at www.myspace.com/geekgirlcomic

And if you haven't already seen the Geek-Girl preview pages, you can now check them out there, too!"

Great news Sam, and we wish you and your team lots of luck with Geek Girl. I hope that we were able to help in bring your project to life.

Keep an eye on this space for more information about Geek Girl as it comes out. Also, we are always interesting in promoting new projects by folks in the music, comic or film and if you want us to feature your project, contact us at popcultureaddict@gmail.com. If we find your material interesting or if it fits into our web-site we’ll be glad to talk about featuring you at PCA.

Now, there has been a bit of business I’ve been meaning to take care of for a while now, but thanks to getting busy and having more culturally important things to discuss, it has been placed on the shelf for a while now. Yet, perhaps this has been a good thing because it has given me time to reflect, analyze and organize my thoughts on what could be a delicate subject.

You see, over the last six months I have gotten a number of e-mails from readers and friends asking me the following question – “why do you hate Ben Mulroney so much.” That’s right. They have found in my writing and my comments many references expressing a deep dislike for Canadian entertainment personality Ben Mulroney. Well, it is no secret that I am not a fan of Ben, and I thought that perhaps it might be time to explain a few things, and to clear the air a bit.

But before we begin, for our friends who do not live in Canada, and who are the lucky ones who do not know who Ben Mulroney is, perhaps we should explain for their sake. Canadians can’t escape Ben Mulroney. He is everywhere. I mean, every time you turn on your television the friendly faced chisel jawed frat boy seems to be staring back at you. Son of former politician Brian Mulroney, who was Canadian Prime Minster from 1984 to 1993, Ben Mulroney is the host of Canadian tabloid “news” program eTalk Daily, which is basically the Canadian version of Entertainment Tonight, as well as fills Ryan Seacrest’s shoes on Canadian Idol. Ben Mulroney is one of Canadian television’s most recognizable faces, and most ambitious TV personalities. Basically, his father bought him an entertainment column at the Toronto Sun, which lead him to a job on CTV’s Canada AM and brought him where he is today. Privilege and money has given him

a career as Canada’s poster boy for entertainment journalism.

So why do I hate him? Well, first let me explain that I don’t hate Ben Mulroney the man. I don’t know Ben Mulroney and I have never met Ben Mulroney. In fact, I have never spoken to anybody who has ever had a run in with Ben Mulroney. He could be a very nice guy for all I know. He has personally done nothing to me, thus I don’t “hate” him. However, what I do hate is what Ben Mulroney represents and Ben Mulroney has become the symbol of, or perhaps the scapegoat, for everything that is wrong with entertainment journalism in my opinion, and it is individuals like him who not only make my job harder, but is crippling the pop culture journey with pot holes, road blocks and car crashes. Ben Mulroney, and people like him, are the true enemies of the pop culture journey.

In many ways B

en Mulroney is like my personal Emmanuel Goldstein from George Orwell’s novel 1984. In the novel the futuristic colony of Oceania is daily shown a picture of a man named Emmanuel Goldstein, who possibly might not even exist, and participates in what is called “the two minute hate.” Emmanuel Goldstein is the symbol of the enemy and an image for the public to latch onto to hate. The people don’t necessarily hate the man himself because it is abstract what he has done, but they are told to hate what he represents. In a similar fashion Ben Mulroney represents the enemy of the pop culture journey, and eTalk Daily is my personal two minute hate (representing the amount of time I can stomach watching that drek). The truth is, all over this world there are Ben Mulroneys. Each country and each nation has a charismatic, well dressed, good looking, inoffensive, opinonless so called entertainment journalist who reports middle of the road non-stories that do nothing more but litter the cultural sub-conscious that are rarely interesting nor culturally relevant. Now I’m not saying that my material is always important or culturally relevant, but at least I have an opinion and a story to tell. This is not the case for shows such as eTalk Daily. So is Ben Mulroney to blame? No, but because he is the most accessible to me he becomes my personal scapegoat and he is the face of eTalk Daily.

This is the problem with a program like eTalk Daily. In its attempt to be inoffensive and middle of the road it does not express any sort of real opinion nor does it report any real important news. Thus, little critical thinking is used in these programs. The stories are also usually unnewsworthy. Despite the fact that the Sex in the City movie may be a hit, a feature on the woman who picks out their shoes and purses is not news. Following celebrities around town so that they can plug their new movie is irrelevant. Where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie go is not important. Am I saying that these people are not important or interesting? Not at all. An in depth interview with these people is far more culturally important then a four minute featurette. That’s why I respect folks like Tom Snyder or Larry King. But what happens is that the average audience member of eTalk Daily has about the attention span of a flea and they are unable to hold on for an in depth discussion, thus shows like eTalk offers only the shallowest and most unimportant stories and features possible. This is what clutters the pop culture journey with unimportant, uninteresting and culturally irrelevant litter that may take decades to clean off of the path. All this…and everybody is doing great. That’s right! Everyone is doing great. Ben Mulroney can not express an actual opinion because he is not allowed to ruffle feathers. The idea is to never ruffle any feathers. You see, if you ruffle some feathers you may be unable to do an interview later on. You need to try to stay in everybody’s good books. So as a result Ben Mulroney’s opinions go only as far as

his teleprompter. Personally, my credo is that a man without an opinion isn’t worth a damn. Take away my right to an opinion and you castrate me, and all critical thinking is based on proving and defending your opinions.

However eTalk will often report negative stories, but only after another news source has reported it first and that the controversial behavior of a celebrity is now “common opinion.” Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan and Miley Cyrus have all been victims to this type of reporting. As a result, no critical insight is actually used to look at the lives or the actions of these individuals. Thus, guys like Ben Mulroney, who have the power to actually defend our pop culture icons and make a difference in their public personas, do nothing but dig the pit deeper for them and spread more negativity to tarnish their reputations. For most of the year I have been dedicated to lifting up, dusting off and defending the celebrities which programs like eTalk kick down. They make my job more difficult, but what is really sad is the fact that they are not coming up with the scoop themselves. They only reiterate the actual opinion of another news source.

So basically it comes down to this. Ben Mulroney comes out and will give the following kind of speech:

“Hi! I’m Ben

Mulroney and welcome to eTalk. Today we catch up with Ryan Reynolds on the set of his new movie and he’s doing great. And later we talk to Alanis Morrisette about her new album, and it’s great. And what was Hillary Duff doing in Toronto? Doing great! And Amy Winehouse. Isn’t she a crack whore? Next on eTalk!”

So what you have here are three middle of the road performers plugging something and who will not be given time to actually discuss something interesting, insightful or culturally important, and then the trashing of a fallen star. This is the sort of entertainment journalism that makes me sick, and it is the type of journalism that Ben Mulroney represents.

But what really makes Ben Mulroney the villain is the fact that he actually has the power to do something good for the pop culture community. If he would only express an opinion, report a real story, defend a fallen celebrity or have a little bit of substance he could be truly great. Instead, Ben Mulroney has used his privilege to get close to the stars and use it as nothing more then a popularity contest. This is why I don’t like the guy.

But then you can say, “Hey Sam Tweedle. Could it be that you’re just jealous because Ben Mulroney is better known and successful then you are? Could it be that you want what he has?” Well, I’d be a damn liar to say I wasn’t jealous. Obviously I would love the opportunities that he has, the people and resources that are available at his fingertips, the celebrity contacts that are in his rolodex and the fame he has gained. However, would I want to be him? Would I trade what I have accomplished and the work I’ve done for that opportunity? No. What I believe is that if I had Ben Mulroney’s job is that I could do a far better job at it, and I would use the resources to create a far more culturally important body of work and strive to reform the type of shallow journalism that hinders us. A revolution needs to be created in entertainment journalism and with Ben Mulroney’s resources I would attempt to bring the field to a new height of quality and substance. That is what I would do if I were in Ben Mulroney’s shoes. Sure, I am not as good looking, well dressed or rich and I probably will never achieve his level of fame. However, to give up what I have done to become a shallow opinionless tabloid entertainment journalist would be as bad as selling my soul.

So the bottom line is this. Ben Mulroney has the power and the resources to do great things, but he chooses to waste it on unimportant stories that will have no cultural importance in three months time. That is why Ben Mulroney is the enemy, and that is why I have such little respect for him.

So I hope that has cleared up some questions. Perhaps you won’t agree, but at least I am a man with an opinion. And to Ben, if you read this, this is no slight on you as a human being. I am sure you’re a very nice guy, but I hope I’ve given you a bit to think about. You have the power. Use it.

Anyhow, that’s it for tonight folks. Stay tuned because there is more to come.

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Hey there friends and readers,

So another year has gone and hockey season is over. You know what I don't get? Just as we enter the first heat wave of the year in Canada, with the temperatures at an all time record high, hockey is JUST getting over. I mean, isn't hockey a winter sport? Don't you need ice and snow and for it to be cold? I never can understand this, but then again, I don't watch hockey. I know, I know. What kind of Canadian guy doesn't watch hockey? Isn't it a prerequisite to be Canadian and watch hockey? When people find out I'm not interested they look at me like I have two heads, like the other day for instance. I get in an elevator and there’s another guy standing there and as the doors close he looks at me and says "so, what do you think of Crosby?" I reply, "He was a pretty good singer but I prefer Sinatra a lot more, and Crosby wasn't ever gonna get the father of the year award." As the guy is looking at me in utter confusion I get to my floor and walk off.

However, despite my lack of interest in hockey, we'll get to hockey later on in this column. I have other things to talk about first, not to mention a few articles to announce.

First up, our newly renovated House of 100 Horror Reviews is now complete. Over the years our House of 50 Horror Reviews was one of our most popular features so I decided to expand the article to an impressive 100 film reviews, with the help of a group of film buffs and horror experts whose opinions I trust and respect, including Verne Pickford, Ronn Sutton, Ralph Townsley and Joe Caruana. What made our final 100? Check it out for yourself at...

And then, our latest comic book interview is up. Last month I had the great pleasure to talk to Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler who are the founders of Zenescope Entertainment and the creators of their flagship titles Grimm Fairy Tales and Return to Wonderland. We talk about their books and future plans at

And btw, if you've never read a Zenescope comic you really should. I am currently purchasing every book under their banner. Some of the best independent comics being written today.

And talking about independent comics, not long ago I became aware of a brand new comic that is in the works by a young upcoming comic writer named Sam Johnson called Geek Girl. Being one of the finalists in a contest called Independent Press Idol, being run by Dimestore, Geek Girl is a premise that really appealed to me and that I was willing to throw myself behind and have our site promote and back. Just as many people have helped us, I am always willing to promote new writers, so I contacted Sam and asked what we could do to help Geek Girl to become a reality. Last week Sam called me from his home of Sheffield, England and we did a short interview so he can tell you in his own words all about Geek Girl and Independent Press Idol:

PCA: So you’re doing a comic book called Geek Girl which is part of Small Press Idol. Tell us about your book and a bit more about the contest, and how we can help Geek Girl become published.

Sam Johnson: Well Small Press Idol is run by Dimestore Productions. Dimestore Productions is a small press comic company and they have an anthology book called Mysterious Visions which comes out very regularly. Basically, what this contest is, is that we’re on round three which is the public vote round. What has happened is that twelve people have gotten to this round. There were two rounds previously. The first round you submit the cover and the pitch and the judges select who gets through that round, and then whoever gets through that is the first public vote round where we submit details about the characters and then we got through that. We came in fifth in that round. And now in the third round the top three get a #0 issue published, the next three get a cover feature in Mysterious Visions and the four below get a back up in Mysterious Visions. So basically what is going on now is that you need to pimp people to vote for you to determine what level that you get published at. The fact that you are in this round means that you are getting published.

Sam Johnson: Yeah. I don’t know how soon because that depends on the schedule of Mysterious Visions if that’s where we end up, and the cover issues get first priority. But if you get the top three and you get a #0 issue that’ll come out in July. The final round of the contest is who can sell the most of the #0 issue and whoever sells the most gets prize money and a four issue mini series.

PCA: So let’s talk about your book. Tell us about Geek Girl! Give us your pitch.

Sam Johnson: Well, basically what it’s about is a “Little Miss Popular” named Ruby Kaye who’s a not quite “it” girl at the obnoxious level of Paris Hilton, but she’s at college and is one of the cool kids. So she hangs with all the beautiful people and she has a kinda cliquey, trendy girlie crowd. So they cross with these brainiac geeks that invented these super tech glasses that endow the user with super strength and flight and because they sort of play these guys in a game of strip poker and because the guys are drunk they loose the glasses to Ruby. So the initial intention of these glasses, which were invented by a guy named Trevor, was because he had a crush on someone and were created so he could compete with her boyfriend and to give him an edge. So he looses them to Ruby and she is donning the glasses, but there is a glitch in them and including giving her super powers they also make her super klutzy and the result of that is that it alienates her with her clique and she finds out who her true friends are.

Sam Johnson: Yeah. Well you see in the story that there are levels of bitchiness and she’s not a bitch. She’s just basically in this group because she’s hot. A lot of the people are horrible. Some are not and this comes out once

her social mechanisms are somewhat detrimentally affected by these glasses and the true sides of everyone comes out.

PCA: So could you say that it’s sort of a spandex and cape version of the 80s movie Heathers?

Sam Johnson: In some ways it is. In some ways it’s a flip on the Clark Kent thing because the tradition is that the geek becomes super strong and perfect, but Ruby is perfect but her super powers makes her loose all her social skills and popularity so it’s kind of a twist.

Sam Johnson: I’ve created comics for a while. I’ve had a number of things picked up and then fall apart but this year is when things have really started to happen. I’ve got something coming up in the next issue of Negative Burn in issue 20 (by Desperado). I have a story in that called Gold Town which is about a daughter who is off to become a big movie star and gets sucked into the world of porn and her dad, who kind of looks like a big black bad ass, but isn’t, but uses the look to throw his weight around to try to track her down. I also have a story coming out called Cabracini Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman that got picked up by Brainscan to be done as a web-comic. She’s this ex-crack head hit woman. It’s quite queer.

PCA: So let’s go back to Geek Girl for a minute. Now you have a character in your book named Karen Carpenter. As a Carpenters fan, I found that to be really funny. Was that unintentional or will you have some in-jokes about the Carpenters in the book.

Sam Johnson: No, that was absolutely deliberate. Basically, she got the name because her Mum was an obsessive Carpenters fan so she got the name Karen Carpenter and she is trying to distance herself from it. She has changed her name to Karin with an “I” because she has no time for it at all. As I said in the character pitch that she sees people as Victoria Beckham as a role model. She doesn’t appreciate anyone drawing any similarities to Karen Carpenter. Karin is the uber-bitch of Ruby’s clique and part of that is because she has had to constantly deal with Karen Carpenter cracks since she was a kid and that’s why she’s twisted.

PCA: I think that’s brilliant! Why Karen Carpenter? Why not Toni Tennille?

PCA: Well I love the way you think. I laughed out loud when I read that. So tell us about the series villain. He sounds pretty intense.

Sam Johnson: Well one of the things the judges have particularly liked is the villain named Mister Mash Up. He has seemed to have caught their imaginations. He’s from another dimension. His father is a kind of demonic type and he’s the result of his father having a very short affair with a goddess so he’s the bastard son of Satan in a way. He’s a kind of black sheep. So since he was the weak link of the family and got picked on a lot his Dad gave him the power to turn into the clone of anyone so basically he can turn into anyone he wants because the idea is that he can kick ass guy that can take on anyone and he won’t have any problems. However, his Dad hates him so the twist is that he is really brittle, so even if he turns into a kick ass guy, if he gets whacked he just cracks. So this has left him very twisted and he’s left his dimension and come to Earth to take out his venom by tapping into peoples minds and find out who they hate and basically turn this vessel into a clone of them and torment the hell out of them and he uses it to makes peoples a misery. Also, being that he is an albino he wears a brimmed hat to protect his delicate complexion.

Sam Johnson: There’s James Reed who’s a professional letterer who I worked with on Cabracini as well and Sally Thompson who is the colorist and the artist.

Sam Johnson: The best thing to do this is to go to this link and vote. You can also go to www.fanbabes.com and you’ll also all kinds of pin ups and stuff about the characters and all you need about to know about the comic.

So there you go folks. Geek Girl needs your help so make sure to click here, sign up to Dimestore Productions and vote for Geek Girl and support Sam and his team. You have until June 13th to help out, so let’s make Geek Girl a reality. Good luck Sam and let us know how things work out.

Finally, let’s go back to hockey for a momen

t. Now as I discussed above, I have no interest, knowledge or love for the sport. However, if you live in Canada, and perhaps even if you don't, you may be aware of the news that the CBC has given up the classic theme song to Hockey Night in Canada. Now if you're not a Canadian this concept might be a little abstract, but the theme song to Hockey Night in Canada is not only one of the most recognized songs in Canada, after possibly only the national anthem, but by being used by the program for over forty years, the song has become, in a way that I can't even explain, a part of our cultural identity. Even for me, who couldn't give a damn about the sport, has a nostalgic love and understanding for the Hockey Night in Canada theme. Everybody who has lived in Canada, being a hockey fan or not, understands the meaning and emotion behind that song, and the majestic uplifting melody is enough to raise a sense of excitement in anyone. When I read the news that CBC was ditching the song because they didn't wa

nt to pay for it anymore, just like many Canadians I thought "what the hell! They can't do that!" It was odd, because while I have no strong feelings about the sport, I immediately wanted to don a hockey jersey and make my way over to the CBC building in Toronto to join the protest. It's strange really. Over the last week I have read with interest, and had numerous conversations with people about this subject and everybody, both hockey fans and people like me, all have the same strong emotions connected to the Hockey Night in Canada theme. I have

never seen such passion, not to mention cultural identity, connected to a television theme song. It has been unreal.

So by now most people have heard that CBC's rival network CTV has saved the Hockey Night in Canada theme song by purchasing it under CBC's nose and will be using it for their hockey broadcasts. While many purists are not happy with this, I don't care as long as the song is saved, being used for hockey broadcasts and owned by a Canadian network (rumor had it that an American network was making bids for the song as well). However I have another proposal. I think we should do something else with the song. I personally feel that the Canadian government should scrap Canada’s national anthem, O Canada, and officially replace it with the Hockey Night in Canada theme song. I'm serious! It’s a far better

song and O Canada has never, ever, seen the outpouring of love by the public like the Hockey Night in Canada theme song has. Oh Canada is a dull and lame song which is embarrassing to sing. The Hockey Night in Canada song kicks major ass. Also, I think more people would agree that we are joined by a nation through the Hockey Night in Canada song more then O Canada. I mean, O Canada has never, ever, sparked so much passion in the hearts of Canadians like the Hockey Night in Canada theme song has in the past few weeks. So, even as someone who probably will never watch a hockey game in his life, I totally feel this is something that should be done. It'll make sure the song lives forever...and it'll be played before every hockey game that way too.

I'm not kidding folks. This is not a satirical piece. I really think this.

Anyhow, now that you all think I'm mental I'll stop here.

Stay tuned because there is more to come...

Uh...great. Now I got the Hockey Night in Canada song stuck in my head. Doo doo doo doo doooo. Do doo doo doo da doo. Doo doo doo da dadada da dadada daaaaaa....

Sam Tweedle
Pop Culture Addict