LA FLORIDIANA The Return of a Local Television Legend (well, almost)....Where the U.F.O.s in Florida are: 2004  by Will Moriaty
THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW "Shark Tale"  by Mike Smith "Shaun of the Dead"  by Nolan B. Canova
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Concert Review: THE CRAMPS, w/The Chesterfield Kings, and The Downshifters   by Terence Nuzum
COUCH POTATO Fanzine Memoirs, Part 5, the Gazette Period   by Vinnie Blesi
ODDSERVATIONS A Message to the Kiddies Who Contributed to "A Shark's Tales" Box Office Take....Professor Paul Bearer Debuts this Saturday....Goodbye Janet Leigh  by Andy Lalino
SPLASH PAGE Dead at 77!  by Brandon Jones
MATT'S RAIL Debated and Debatable....Thanks, Cheney!....Rodney Is Gone  by Matt Drinnenberg
MIKE'S RANT Get Well Soon....The Next Logical Challenge....No Mas....Do Not Pass Go....Passing On....Meet The Beatles, Part 37  by Mike Smith
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Dead At 77!

It almost sounds like an Alice Cooper album, but it’s a sad coincidence in early October. We’ve lost two iconic individuals: actress Janet Leigh and Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper. Both were 77.

Studying film requires at least one thing – the shower scene. No matter where you are, from New York to Berkeley, all film majors examine the famous shower scene. A scene that is so well known, that I knew “of” the scene before I ever saw the film. As a Hitchcock fan, I can never stop “seeing” scene.

Janet Leigh’s role in “Psycho” haunted her for forty plus years, and will live on forever. It will haunt her no more. When I read her book and the countless accounts of “Hitch”, her incredible energy and zest for life made me love her.

From “The Manchurian Candidate” to “Touch of Evil” Leigh reached many fans, but it was her faithful demise that received the most attention. An academy award and a Golden Globe award sit on her resume so a character that only lasted halfway through the picture. But she was so much more that all of this.

A brilliant woman, who skipped grades to graduate high school at fifteen, she was an early version of the “fanboy”, spending most of her spare time at the movie theater. When she spoke of her career, the eyes were bright, the smile was broad and her soul was there for everyone to see.

So, while watching the scroll on the late night CNN, I was delivered another blow – Gordon Cooper has also passed away -- eerily, at age 77.

Among the original seven Mercury astronauts, Coop was larger than life to me. “The Right Stuff” only nips at the bud of legacy I cannot put into words. He was a pilot that was a pioneer and integral to the space program as were his six comrades. Of course, most speak of Cooper as a brilliant engineer and not just a flyboy.

When you’re a young man, astronauts are heroes and nothing less. So, in a manner of a couple of days, I’ve lost a love of my life and one of my heroes. I know I’m not alone, but I also know that they’ll on forever.

Thanks Janet. Thanks Gordo.