PCR past banners Now in our sixth calendar year
PCR #258  (Vol. 6 No. 9)  This edition is for the week of February 28--March 6, 2005.

LA FLORIDIANA
A Case of Microwave Mayhem or Misinformation in Northwest Florida? Part 2 of 2
 by William Moriaty
THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW
"Be Cool"
 by Mike Smith
ODDSERVATIONS
MegaCon '05: Brief Encounters, Missed Lunches, and Loads of Fun!
 by Andy Lalino
SPLASH PAGE
MegaCon and Beyond....Oscars Still Doesn't Have a Sense of Humor...."Gay" a Naughty Word in the NFL?....The Crazed Fanboy is Pronounced as Cool
 by Brandon Jones
CREATURE'S CORNER
Movies: Million Dollar Baby vs The Aviator vs Hell's Angels....Comics: The Utimate Iron Man....The Seventh Shrine
 by John Lewis
MATT'S RAIL
The Oscars....Mega Conned Again....Latest Kong DVD News
 by Matt Drinnenberg
MIKE'S RANT
I Didn't catch The Name....Captured....Oscar Notes....Yo Adrian, You're Dead....Am I Blue?....Movie Notes....Jaws: The Story, Part 8
 by Mike Smith
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MegaCon and Beyond

Overwhelmed would be a slight understatement. The crowd burst into the doors at 10:00 and I meandered along absorbing the sheer size of the show: typical, yet on a grand scale. This only makes me jealous of those lucky enough to make San Diego or Chicago Cons. Up first was Billy Tucci, who self-published the title Shi into stardom. He was just an amazing man to meet, offering me a seat as we discussed his film aspirations and how he’s an inspiration for both Indy Comics and Indy film. I hope to talk to him again soon.

Being able to meet comics artist legend George Perez (r) was a highlight of MegaCon
At the top of the list of reasons for me to go to MegaCon was to meet George Perez and Marv Wolfman: two of the most influential creators for me PERSONALLY in my comic reading life. The “celebrities” are fine, but the comic creators are much more accessible and don’t charge a fee to fuel their overblown egos.

Perez and Wolfman were gracious with their time and it’s always a pleasure hearing these talents speaking on their works. Wolfman was discussing his upcoming novel on Crisis which is from the Flash’s point-of-view, so I asked about Crisis more directly:

Crisis was pitched that some characters would die, some would not. I was told to kill Flash.” He went on, but didn't mention Flash again. Interesting since Flash will be the centerpiece of this new story and I'm not clear of DC's influence on this new novel.

Ethan Van Sciver has blown up into a “Comic Con” pop-star because of his outstanding artwork on Green Lantern. He remembered this website and discussed his pending appearance in Tampa – always a treat.

Hawkman and Hawkwoman, my favorite costumed guests
I want to echo the sentiments of Nolan, Ed Tucker, Andy Lalino and others as it is a great opportunity to meet and greet. From the filmmakers sharing a table with Andy, seeing the Josh Montgomery, Jason Liquori & The Icon boys again, meeting Debbie Rochan & Terry Cronin for the first time – all key to a wonderful time.

Meeting Katherine Leis was quite a treat as I’ve seen all of her work, enjoyed Andy’s PCR article, visited her website, yet never met her face-to-face. No offense to the other filmmakers, but I feel she’s the most underrated.

Of course MegaCon is full of a colorful range of guests dressed up and my favorite was Hawkman (Christian) and Hawkwoman (Kimberly) who look like the came right out of a '70s live action show. Outstanding.

My fellow fanboys met and took photos of the “stars”. Erin Gray is still hot and Richard Hatch has held up well. Gil Gerard, well, Gil...er..um...anyway, did I mention I think I insulted George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost by not shelling out the $10 minimum for a signature. I was just trying to figure out who he was and I broke MegaCon etiquette.

The pinnacle of the weekend, as well as the centerpiece for Nolan’s yearly pilgrimage, is the PCR gathering. Finally meeting Scotty Van Sickle, Lisa Zubek, Ed Tucker and Lonnie Dohlen was only triumphed by talking Fanboy Shop.

A sad discovery at lunchtime, but UNO's next door filled the bill nicely. In the reflection of the sign you can just make me out holding the camera up close, while Josh Montgomery looks on in the background.
Yes, Will, you were missed and I wanted to capture the closure of Darryl’s to turn the page. Uno’s proved to be an adequate watering hole to host our Pop Culture rantings and debates.

Lisa’s children, Autumn and Gage, were just amazing. In fact, I’m sure is shocking to hear that Lisa and I shared a great time, full of wonderful ideas (yes, even in civil debate). In fact, the climactic ending was for Lisa to meet Felix Silla. I knew him from Buck Rogers, but I wasn’t aware of the countless others roles he played. It was such a pleasure talking with Felix and I can only hope we can get him into Tampa sometime.

Imagine the photo I’ll get next time…

Oscars Still Doesn’t Have a Sense of Humor

Well, they’re laughing at Marin Scorsese right now. Each year the Oscars become a bigger and bigger façade of what’s good out of Hollywood. They scoff at the public with complete disregard for what we actually watch and want to see.

Chris Rock seemed nervous as he delivered a diluted version of his comedy. Rock pointed out that Jude Law was in about six films, he’s British, he’s not – pretty good jab. Sean Penn, with all seriousness, attempted to jab back about an hour later – moronic and no sense of humor.

Likewise, the comedy “Sideways” got snubbed. They take themselves way too seriously, so a nomination “should be good enough”, right? Rock said it best with the joke that no one would make “Passion of the Christ” but had made six “Police Acedemy” movies.

Exactly.

“Gay” a naughty word in the NFL?

NFLShops.com offers a service to buy a customized NFL jersey of your choice. You may want your nickname on the back, a player that isn’t offered by the local retailers, or you’re a fan of the Super Bowl Champions New England Patriot player Ryan Gay.

Problem. “Gay” is on the “naughty” list of 1,100+ words that you CANNOT get on the make of your jersey.

“Nazi”, “Hitler”, “Bin Laden” – okay, “Gay” – no. “Stupid”, “Slimeball” are banned, but curiously enough, I could get “Dingleberry” on a jersey.

In fact, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan admitted to the Hall of Fame to represent the team is nicknamed “Big Nasty.” He had to call the NFL as he was blocked from getting an updated jersey.

How do these things keep happening?

The Crazed Fanboy is Pronounced as Cool

“Nolan’s cool!” – Taylor, Illustrious 5 founding member started the raging conversation that Nolan, not just the website, is cool. When I pressed for the proverbial why, they simply agreed that “he talks about stuff people care about.”

Well folks, they’re smarter than the Acedemy.

Amen! And thank you, Taylor Jones, and all other members of the "Illustrious 5" for the kind support. I'm humbly honored! ---Uncle Nolan


"Splash Page" is ©2005 by Brandon Jones.   Webpage design and all graphics herein (except where otherwise noted) are creations of Nolan B. Canova.  All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2005 by Nolan B. Canova.