Bye Bye BSG || Flight of the Conchords Finale

For many the love affair with Sci-Fi’s (arguably) best drama BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has spanned years. For me, it’s been all of 3 months. My man was persistent prior to last December that I would enjoy the series but the netflix rental of the 1st disc of the 1st series sat untouched for a couple weeks before we finally threw it in the Xbox and pressed play. I can’t give the exact moment that I fell head over heels in love with the show but I remember marathon watching the 1st disc which contained the full original mini-series. And voraciously wanting more.

We ended up buying the entire 1st season and borrowing the others from a friend. I was watching upwards of 4 episodes per day. I was certain that Lieutenant Gaeda was a cylon. We affectionately nicknamed the XO “Colonel Tigh One On” due to his drinking habits. I both loved and loathed Gaius Baltar and mocked Lee “Apollo” Adama when he packed on the pounds. Even though my relationship with BSG was shorter than most people I do feel that it was more intense at times. I went through a major crash course in anticipation of watching the final episodes in “real time.” I was only 1 week behind when I finally caught up.

The series was great because while the story was science fiction in nature, the drama was the real driving force in the show. Character relations were key; the underlying aspect of “is he a cylon” kept the viewer keen on clues and verbal or physical tells. I think this alone produced a more adept fan than your normal show would render. BSG spawned it’s own frakin’ language too which would immediately gain acceptance in fellow BSG company…so say we all! I don’t think I could personally side with the humanoids or the cylons because they were both fallible. When the final cylon was revealed I was let-down mostly because it was my least favorite character (and I wanted it to be Gaeda!!) but also because it was the beginning of the end of a well-written, well executed, exciting and interesting series. And it was consistently so.

But when the end arrived and all truths were revealed the feeling of being let-down did not subside. I was not blown away nor happy with the resolution of the remaining characters…I even felt anger about certain things. I have some MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven’t seen the end. But if you haven’t seen it yet, either you’re not a fan or a very lazy one!

++ Starbuck’s end was a major disappointment. The idea of nothing being explained does leave an awful lot to interpretation but it also screams “cop-out” to me. In some cases, especially when the character herself is questioning her existence, then a resolution is preferable. A disappearance almost literally in front of Apollo’s eyes just confused me – was she ever really real? I’ve heard talk of Starbuck’s father being a secret cylon – but where does this idea come from?

++ Colonel Tigh and Admiral Adama never say goodbye to each other. Their dynamic in the show was one of the most captivating and for that reason they deserved to have a final farewell.

++ I did enjoy the idea that cylon/humanoids are the fathers and mothers of the present earth inhabitants. “The Chief” Gaelin is hinted at heading towards Ireland (A true “Man of Gael” huh?) gives an extra treat to the audience.

++Great dramas do not always end joyfully, they often they end in tragedy with a multitude of death. I'm thinking of things like Romeo and Juliet or MacBeth here kittlings, I'm thinking of tales that resonate for ages on end. The BSG series ending crashes smack dab in the center of pandering to the audience; backpedaling from drama into a form of escapism that happily "tighs" up the plot lines at what felt like a breakneck pace. It lacks all the punch and promise of that very brilliant opening mini-series where the very existence of the humanity was counted down every episode and every death brought us one step closer to these characters and ourselves. Instead of making one final stand for human and cylon kind, we are told to believe that this small, closely woven space family just disbands-- walking to the far corners of our globe... and even evaporates into thin air? I may be be just a writing machine, but I choose to believe that our BSG heroes didn't abandon the fight, but clearly their creators did.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA began as a cheesy sci-fi series in the late 70’s that inexplicably used inferior technology and had an abundance of clunky metal robots. The new BSG transformed the idea of inferior technology into a positive (robots can’t control analog!) and disguised the enemy as ourselves. Add in a perfect cast and you have possibly the best series to hit TV in the last 10 years. And it was on the Sci-Fi channel of all places! Good on ya Sci-Fi and BSG…and fare thee well!
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It should be noted another series came to an end this past weekend with HBO’s folk comedy FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS. A slightly shorter season than the prior, this time around it was a slow burn into brilliance. A similar ending takes Bret, Jemaine and manager Murray back to their home country of New Zealand. While I felt the songs took a back seat this season I seemed to enjoy each episode more than the last. For FotC withdrawal, I highly recommend the BBC RADIO SERIES that aired before the HBO series but is basically the same plot line with a few differences in names, characters and situations. A great addition to any Ipod!

Ze Wretched Return || Mary Watches the Watchmen || BSG Anticipation!

Welcome back Kittlings – it’s glad to have you join me as I re-embark on my written journey through pop culture that I like to call NO REST FOR THE WRETCHED…

And oh…the places I’ve seen!

1st off, the anthology that I have been putting all my free time and effort into has finally come to fruition. SECRET PROJECT is now in the submission stage after making its debut at the NEW YORK COMIC CON this past February. A 72 page black and white anthology, SECRET PROJECT features work from fresh talent and established creators alike. With comics crafted by Jeffery C. Burandt, Ronald Salas, Thommy Melanson, Pat Loika, Will Swyer, Ziggy Blumenthal, Neil Vokes, Donal Delay, Sam Little, ZeeS, M. Sean McManus, Brian Quinn, Mary E. Brickthrower, Jeff Brown, Rob Reilly, Michael Woods, David Miller, and Tommie Kelly; SECRET PROJECT provides a vision of comics future stars. Art lovers will go gaga for the pin-ups by Dave Johnson, Taki Soma, John Broglia, Ernie Stiner and Tim Daniel while the cover by Michael Avon Oeming will blow them away. If you or someone you know might be interested in assisting us in the publishing process, please contact me!

Secondly, the east coast said goodbye to the wonderful couple of Taki Soma and Mike Oeming. As they were fellow residents of my quant New Jersey town it was especially hard to say farewell to such awesome neighbors. But the west coast seems to be taking good care of them as they’ve recently tied the knot AND saw their new project RAPTURE get some much-deserved attention. You can check it out for yourself here =====> MySpace Dark Horse Presents: Rapture!

Spring has sprung and so has the urge to bathe the interwebz with my keen observations on the stuff in pop culture that a geek like me digs! So let’s get started shall we?

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THE WATCHMEN – of course I have to mention this. After all it’s only THE MOST IMPORTANT COMIC OF ALL TIME EVER!!!! That’s what mainstream media wants you to believe and in some aspects that’s surely true. It helped to define “Superhero” and “Graphic Novel” for a lot of people in addition to just being a great story. This film has been much anticipated. I inadvertently avoided the 1st weekend crowds thanks to my best friend Loretta who visited Filthadelphia from Tampa opening weekend. Mr. McManus and I got Imax tickets for the following weekend and I was a bit surprised at how thinned the crowd was, although we did catch a matinee. I have to believe that the majority of people that check out my column already know the story of THE WATCHMEN like the back of their hand; I actually attempted to re-read the book the day we saw the movie but only made it about half-way through with an hour to spare and ended up skipping over the rest. Here’s a really quick synopsis: It’s 1985, superheroes are outlawed except those sanctioned by the government to virtually police the world. The Cold War is still imminent however and amidst this international terror is a “costume killer” who is slowly picking off the most famous super-people. Will nuclear disaster become a reality? Will the killer be caught? Find out all this and more in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons groundbreaking graphic novel turned to Zack Snyder’s blockbuster film!!!

What I liked: Rohrshach – I’m pretty amazed with this one as he never really appealed to me in the book. I felt his character really come to life and flesh out in the movie. Former child star Haley is simply amazing in his role. The colors are also eerily accurate to the bright brights and dark darks of the GN. Sometimes the music choices were obnoxious but Tears for Fears “Everybody wants to Rule the World” (in muzak!) and Jimi Hendrix’ “All Along the Watchtower” (despite it’s heavy use in Battlestar Galactica) were classic tunes that worked amazingly well. Dr. Manhattan, my favorite GN character, remained so in the film. He looked as impressive as you can only imagine a blue glowing naked super-hero to look in real life. Billy Crudup voiced the character in such a way as to both soothe and frustrate depending on the scene. And while my fanboy brethren may have taken offense to the change of what I like to call the “Main Ending” in the movie, I happened to really enjoy it. It is reminiscent of another recent comic book related film that was actually so darn good it earned an Oscar for one actor’s particular performance. I speak to thee of THE DARK KNIGHT, where in the end the hero must take the fall for the greater good. I felt this ending applied well to THE WATCHMEN, elevated it to a more mature story.

What I didn’t like: I felt it was a little long but that was going to happen no matter what (Snyder was trying to please the fanboy brethren as much as he could; I did find that his ability to take out unneeded scenes was pretty spot-on). Speaking of Snyder, his sped-up, slowed-down MUCH USED technique for capturing action is so OVER! I’m seriously done with it. I was bored with it within the first 20 minutes of 300, having to endure yet another film with his “signature” action capture is torture at this point. Ozymandias’ very fake hair was distracting to the nth degree. For a movie that had countless money to spend on special effects I feel they could’ve done better in hairpieces for the dramatic actors. You can see I’m kinda grasping at straws. The truth is I liked most of this movie but the only other thing I can negatively comment on is the size of Dr. Manhattan’s junk! I’m totally serious! It was not accurate to the graphic novel and way more distracting than any wig! I know they had to show him naked, that’s not my issue. That junk was borderline porn star…just sayin’.

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While next week I plan to regale all of you with my BATTLESTAR GALACTICA tales of the series, the end, and what it all means in the grand scheme of things I must remind you all that the series finale is coming on this Friday at 9pm – a 2 hour special to end this epic sci-fi drama. What’s your opinion? Can this season still shock and satisfy with only a measly 2 hours left? I feel that I really want my socks knocked off and I am weary that this will happen. But I hold fast that my little faith will be wrong and next week I will be waxing poetic on the BEST SCI-FI (Dramatic?) SERIES EVER!+++++++++++++++++++
~Till Next Time Kittlings.

The WRETCHED Hiatus

Hello Kittlings ~

I am in the midst of putting together an awesome new comic book anthology entitled SECRET PROJECT, scheduled to drop sometime next year.

This editing job is taking up all my free time, so until I can commit fully to NO REST FOR THE WRETCHED, I will be on extended hiatus.

Keep reading HiddenRobot.com and stay tuned as I plan to make a triumphant return in March of 2009!
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~Till Next Time Kittlings!

Come for the Paradise Con - stay for the grub! Toronto is for restaurant-tourists!

This past weekend Toronto, Ontario hosted the PARADISE CON, Canada's gem of a comic book convention. I was invited by my friend and co-writer for Hidden Robot, Jeff "Boss Hogg" Brown, along with my bestest Jersey friend, M. Sean McManus of THE LAST SIN OF MARK GRIMM writing fame. As both of us are fans of the Ontario metropolis it seemed a comic-con was a great excuse to check out that city up north once again.

My last excursion to T.O. was several years ago for the CANADIAN NATIONAL EXPO, a con that was both huge and disappointing whereas Paradise con always aims to please and usually does. The convention was held in the Holiday Inn on King Street, a mere few blocks from the CN Tower and Lake Ontario as well as the hippest street in the land, Queen Street West.

While I wish I could say my column this week focuses on the convention goings-on, it really doesn't. I used this vacation to take an eating tour of Toronto, with stops to various restaurants around the city. While my FOO (Friends of Oeming) bretheren was out full force, I leave the real con details to my fellow columnist Boss Hogg to relay to the Hidden Robot readers while I whisk the rest of you hungry lot to the best food in Canada's most awesome city. Bon Appetit!

DAY ONE - We arrived in T.O. late afternoon and checked into our very hip hotel, THE REX which is an inn above a very popular jazz and blues bar. The room was small but rather modern with a glass shower and newly tiled bathroom and a flat screen TV mounted to the wall. The window looked directly onto Queen Street west, a strip known for it's many hip shops, restaurants and overall trendy vibe. The REX has musical acts from noon until midnight and is almost always packed. It's hard to pass by and not want to stop in for a drink and listen to the bands. The rooms upstairs can be rented daily, weekly, and monthly for as little as $500 Canadian a month!! If only I could come up with a good excuse to hi-tail it to Toronto for a month. Ah well...tis something to strive for.

After a nap and freshening up Sean and I hit the streets in search of dinner. We walked west down Queen street and happened upon THE BLACK BULL, a bar and outdoor patio that seemed pretty darn popular so we decided to stop and try it out. The Bull is right across from THE SILVER SNAIL, one of the most popular comic shops in the city. They had a huge HELLBOY display in their window; a street artist was putting "THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING" in chalk on the sidewalk; the weather was beautiful and we were about to partake in pub fare with a delightful twist.

I had The Black Bull's "classic" fish and chips which was done just right. A lightly fried cod with perfectly fried fries - Yum! Sean had the appetizer sampler that came with fries of its own along with mozzerella sticks, and pierogies. These were the gem of the Bull - made with feta cheese instead of the typical base. Amazing! The feta did not overpower but instead provided a great little twist to the rather simplicity of the potato.

After dinner we met up with some of our fellow FOO and headed to Gabby's on King Street. While Sean and I did not partake in food there, our cohorts enjoyed the menu with no complaints. Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo artist) particularly enjoyed Ricketts Red beer. I cursed myself for being on a wine kick and not really being in the mood for beer. After some catching up with our friends, we made a cameo at the Holiday Inn where the Paradise Con was being held, shared a celebratory shot (or 2) with BIONICLES artist STUART SAYGER.

We took a walk North of Queen St and found THE VILLAGE IDIOT PUB, a semi-swank little spot where we had a couple drinks. In truth I was sad I was so full because the specials looked absolutely boss. One drink later and we were ready to retire in anticipation of the next day's comic book events.

DAY 2 - We rose early for the convention and found a greasy spoon on the way to the convention thanks to a local that we passed by as we were loudly lamenting about our hunger. In truth, this was the 2nd time a local helped us after loudly lamenting about a problem we were having. I have never had this happen in the states let alone twice in a 24 hour period. Breakfast consisted of dippy eggs, toast and sausage for me while Sean tried piemeal (basically Canadian bacon) that Boss Hogg had recommended to us the day before. A great way to start the morning!

The convention was in full swing when we made it into the hotel and our first stop happened to be the EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL booth. McManus was fortunate enough to see the show on Broadway in NYC during its run and after conversing with the booth boy about "splatter zone" tickets that go on sale at 5pm the night of the show, we decided to check out the show that night. A 11pm showing sounded like fun especially when combined with splatter zone tickets!

We traipsed around the con, found some hip tank tops designed by artist ANDREW FOERSTER (rew.foe@gmail.com), and before I knew it lunchtime was upon me. A pretty little block of Baldwin Street was discovered filled to the brim with restaurants of the Italian and Japanese variety. KON-ICHI-WA SUSHI caught our eye, so we made our way into the little raw fish merchant.

Sean and I decided to share the "lunch special" consisting of the chef's discretion based on the fresh catch of the day along with miso soup and the house salad with ginger dressing. I noshed on the salad while Sean had the soup. Both were excellent. For the main course we had a small selection of the classic sashimi spread (salmon, tuna) and several sushi rolls (salmon, yellowtail tuna, shrimp). This was my first taste of yellowtail and MAN ALIVE! I was in love! Everything was tasty. It inspired me to order another 2 pieces of sweet shrimp but I was let down to find out that the sweet shrimp was not in stock. I was feeling sushi adventurous and decided the salmon caviar would be a decent substitute. I was wrong. =(

Beautiful huge eggs wrapped plainly in a seawood roll sans rice. I dived in, and within 2 bites could not stomach the texture of the large eggs as opposed to the smaller garnish roe I enjoyed on other sushi pieces. I did the unthinkable: I spit the food out into my napkin. I would be surprised if my face was not bright red in shame. I lurved the food - I really did! The experience was great. The space was charming as was the street. We had a nice little window seat/bench that looked right out onto Baldwin. I enjoyed the salad and the sushi prior. I HIGHLY recommend this place. My palate just couldn't take the texture. It's not you KON-ICHI-WA, its me!

In between lunch and dinner we had a light antipasto snack at the KIT KAT, an Italian restaurant that was only seating reservations. The wait was 40 mins at 4pm in the afternoon. Pretty impressive! We got in by taking up at the bar and some crudites, bread, cheese and meats was a nice light snack. The Kit Kat was situated on King Street amidst many a restaurant but none of them chains, which was a nice surprise. I wouldn't have felt touristy going into any one place.

Our excursion into Asian cuisine was not yet finished that day as we made our way to Chinatown for dinner that evening. Chinatown is located mostly on Spadina Avenue, Northwest of the CN Tower. LEE SZICHUAN was our dinner spot, a typical looking Chinese restaurant but with extraordinary food. Chicken with almonds was my choice while Sean opted for the General Tso's chicken. We also had pot stickers and steamed buns as well as fried rice and brown rice. So much food! Sean's Tso's Chicken was not too spicy like the dish I'm used to in the states, and the steamed buns were hot and tasty. While we waited quite a long time it was all worth it.

Before we knew it the time for EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL was upon us....
=====STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 of my TORONTO VISIT!!!====
~Till Next Time Kittlings!

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE...

<=====ROB REILLY and BRYAN GLASS prepare for battle.
See Mary Move!
Hello all - it's been a crazy couple months but Ze Brickthrower is now in a new state (uhh...COUGH dirty jerz COUGH!), a new apartment, a few months into a new job...I just wanted to give a shout out to my awesome EIC - T Daniel for rocking the wbz like no one can. And a big thanks to the Oeming Message Board who helped a weakling like me raise a bloody couch up a one story via a metal coil, some rope and some spare 2X4s!!! You guys rock!!! And now, onto some POP CULTURE goodness!

WATCHING -- NINJA WARRIOR on G4. This show is already a fave in many a mind of the urban fanboy. I recently was introduced to it by my dearest friend Loretta Gogetta (that's 1967 to you!) and I must say that while THE UNBEATABLE BANZUKE is a tad more insane in skill, NINJA WARRIOR is the perfect combination of reality and video game. 100 contestants are pitted against 3 manic courses atop the lovely MOUNT MIDORIYAMA in Japan. Each course grows progressively harder, it is rare for more than 10 to make it past the 1st round (WARPED WALL kittlings!) and to watch the pure strength, agility and sometimes pure dumb luck will take this competitors to the most absure and entertaining challenge available on TV today. G4 plays this in excess...and I just can't get enough!

LISTENING TO -- FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - the BBC RADIO SESSIONS. 3 part series on CD that pre-dates the HBO show but is basically the same thing. I am in complete awe how these guys can be doing the same thing for literally YEARS now and I am still rapt on every folk novelty song. Be delighted as FotC has 2 fans, instead of 1 obsessive girl, a manager named BRIAN NESBIT but still Murray through and through. And oh - that little Bret...he is the cutest, especially when dressed up like Legolas...YUM~!

BUYING -- SPACED, the complete series - FINALLY available in the US dvd format!!! I have had bootlegs of this show for a couple years now and have shown anyone that stops long enough around me and a tv, or now my laptop. EDGAR WRIGHT and SIMON PEGG, prior to SHAUN OF THE DEAD fame teamed with JESSICA STEVENSON to create a comic book/pop culture based sitcom about 20-somethings with some witty banter. Spot NICK FROST as military-centric best pal "Mike" and a short cameo by Mr. Brit-Com 2000, RICKY GERVAIS. This is my favorite sitcom EVER. And I'm glad it was only 14 episodes. AND I'm staunchly AGAINST an Americanized version. Dammit!!!

(((Finally - here is the intro to my Thursday column, a little food tour of my favorite city to the North, Toronto, Ontario!)))
Come for the Paradise Con - stay for the grub! Toronto is for restaurant-tourists!
This past weekend Toronto, Ontario hosted the PARADISE CON, Canada's gem of a comic book convention. I was invited by my friend and co-writer for Hidden Robot, Jeff "Boss Hogg" Brown, along with my bestest Jersey friend, M. Sean McManus of THE LAST SIN OF MARK GRIMM writing fame. As both of us are fans of the Ontario metropolis it seemed a comic-con was a great excuse to check out that city up north once again.

My last excursion to T.O. was several years ago for the CANADIAN NATIONAL EXPO, a con that was both huge and disappointing whereas Paradise con always aims to please and usually does. The convention was held in the Holiday Inn on King Street, a mere few blocks from the CN Tower and Lake Ontario as well as the hippest street in the land, Queen Street West.

While I wish I could say my column this week focuses on the convention goings-on, it really doesn't. I used this vacation to take an eating tour of Toronto, with stops to various restaurants around the city. While my FOO (Friends of Oeming) bretheren was out full force, I leave the real con details to my fellow columnist Boss Hogg to relay to the Hidden Robot readers while I whisk the rest of you hungry lot to the best food in Canada's most awesome city. Bon Appetit!

STAY TUNED FOR THURSDAY'S FULL COLUMN!!!!!

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~Till Next Time Kittlings...

RIP Michael Turner.

I met him a couple times, but he was one of the few creators that actually made me starstruck. I usually just walked past his table several times a con to get a glance at him.

He was on my list of CUTE COMIC CREATORS (4 if I'm not mistaken) but he was more than that...he was a fighter and gave a lot of writers and artists an opportunity/alternative to "the big 2" with ASPEN COMICS.

While you either loved or hated his art, the bottom line he was a stand-up bloke.

He will be missed.
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[[[EXCERPT FROM MY ORIGINALS "CUTE COMIC CREATORS" STORY THAT APPEARED A FEW YEARS AGO FOR THE REST CLICK HERE!~!!]]]
Michael Turner-Turner is almost too good and too cute to be true. He began his professional career as a background artist at Top Cow but made a name for himself with the co-creation of Witchblade in 1995. Turner has since developed and has sole creation rights to the immensely popular Fathom and most recently Soulfire. It is his recent DC covers (more accurately a particular Batman/Superman cover that featured Supergirl) that have sent fan-boy's hearts aflutter. Fan-girls, on the other hand, can get a thrill of their own by catching this gorgeous man's pearly whites and baby blue eyes at their nearest convention. Now at DC and cover artist for the critically acclaimed Identity Crisis, this is one creator that draws people that are "almost" as breath-taking as he is.

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~Till Next Time Kittlings...

Stephen T. COLBERT DE MAYO / Cocktail Time with IRON MAN.

Cinco De Mayo proved to be quite festive for me ... but no margaritas were consumed. After more than a year of attempts, Goddard finally secured tickets for a live taping of THE COLBERT REPORT - which besides LOST and my recent obsession with FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, is probably my most watched TV show. I was going to be in the same room with Stephen T. Colbert, and I wasn't sure how I was going to react.

I don't get that starstruck usually. I've met my fair share of celeb and pseudo-celeb. I've interviewed some of the most important comic book creators in the biz today. But when it comes to Colbert, all rules go out the window. All bets are off. You might call it a crush - but honestly it's just an absolute admiration to Colbert and his craft. He has taken the idea of "gravitas" to amazing new heights, has lampooned some of the biggest names in the political "right," and has also voiced one of the funniest cartoon characters that Cartoon Network's Adult Swim ever offered (Harvey Birdman's Phil Ken Sebben).

May I make an admission? I used to despise Colbert's character on The Daily Show. Thinking him far too pompous and not at all funny, when the news came that he would have his own show I would have to say that I was slightly annoyed. And to pronounce the "Colbert Report" with a silent "T"? UGH! I can't recall what finally did get me watching the show; I think hearing about his speech at the 2006 White House Correspondent's Dinner was the first inkling I had that maybe this bloke really did have some brass balls. Watching the show was soon to follow with his voice work on Harvey Birdman being the icing on the cake. Bespectacled, appearing as a staunch Republican to the point of shocking ludicrousness, and the ego the size of his home state of North Carolina was enough to count me as a fan. The man is easy on the eyes as well (it had to be said!).

The day came and Goddard and I headed into New York City around 1pm. We found a bar near the studio and had a couple drinks before heading over to the line. It wasn't an INSANE line, but people had been waiting for awhile, sitting on the canopied concrete ground reading and waiting patiently for the time we were allowed in. The staff was personable, I inquired about the guest but was only given the statement that we were "in for a treat." We were ushered into the holding area for bag checks and metal detectors. The wait was longer than an hour which only built up the anticipation to a crazed fever pitch in my head. The audience coordinator came out to announce that Colbert was re-writing some things after rehearsal and that this was a common occurrence for him. We were allowed to ask questions of the audience coordinator (A.C.) and learned some interesting tidbits - most importantly to me was that Colbert's middle name is Tyrone.

Finally the doors opened and we were led into the room where the "magic happens." We were given cards with numbers on them and this is the order in which we entered the studio. While on TV the set seemed on the larger side, the truth is the studio was teeny tiny and the audience was only 107 strong. A nice surprise as the intimacy level proved pretty damn high.

If you watch both the Daily Show as well as Colbert, you know that sometimes there is a "toss" from the Daily Show to Colbert where basically Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert banter for a few seconds to segue from one show to the other. This is not done all the time (they're lucky if they do it twice a week we were told by the A.C.) but we were going to get to see one. This meant that before Colbert's Q&A with the audience, before the stand-up comic that would be "warming the crowd up," Colbert came out in all of his glory to record the toss since the Daily Show is filmed directly before they tape the ...Report. 2 bleachers on either side were divided by a "backstage" area that without warning, Colbert came bounding through. He ran around, slapping high fives to the people on the outside of the rows (we were on the inside...:sigh:) and this is where I STARTED CRYING. Yes, tears were shed as I sprang from my seat, screamed and clapped maniacally. I felt my throat constrict from all the yelling I was doing. I seriously felt that I was going to lose my voice.

The toss was interesting to watch b/c Stewart and Colbert talk live via satellite (they do not tape in the same building) for a few moments before recording...and Colbert is completely out of character. Only being in his presence for a few moments is all you need to sense that he is NOTHING like his TV persona but as soon as that camera went on and the stage manager relayed to Colbert that he was on, it was like a switch of truthiness was flicked and Colbert improved a tirade to Stewart in regards to them being "linked" publicly (referring to them as ColWart) and that it needed to stop. It was hilarious. It only lasted 5 minutes and he was gone again. We had a stand-up comedian that was pretty darn amusing "warm us up" but the damage was done and we were fired up with the taste we had just received.

Colbert came out for the 2nd time and answered a few questions. I was too embarrassed to utter or come up with anything so Goddard rose to ask him if Colbert was taking blame for how well the Philly sports teams were doing since he had visited our fair city. Colbert laughed (as not being in character meant that he was down to earth and not pompous at all) and said yes, he took full blame. He answered a few more questions and then we got down the business: the taping of the show.

Rock music such as The White Stripes blared between takes, Colbert mouthing the words and pointing to people in the crowd. He started shooting his trademark "wriststrong" rubber bracelets into the crowd and one headed straight out way. It bounced off Goddard's leg and I snatched it up before anyone had time to see it. This was as close as I got to the man - yes, he touched my "wristrong" bracelet and I resisted the urge to put it in a plastic bag and put it under my pillow. Instead it is proudly worn on my right hand with my other bands.

The show was hilarious. Colbert only flubbed once, in regards to the Korean pop star Rain that he has had an ongoing "feud" with that culminated in a pre-recorded sketch of him and Rain battling it out on a DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION video game console. The guest was author Carl Hiaasen, who took Colbert's jokes in stride. (I didn't necessarily feel that this was the "treat;" that rather the female intern was referring to the Rain appearance).

In half an hour it was all over but the feeling of elation lasted a good 24 hours afterwards. Colbert fed off the audience's intensity and I think that a good set of people were in for the show and rocked it hard for him. I highly recommend checking the web site once a week and attempting to get yourself to a taping. If you're in the NYC area you can do "stand-by" which we saw quite a few people make into the taping without tickets. Colbert may seem overrated to some but he is a funny and kind man that deserves all the hype. I may have to wait 6 months until I can go see him again...but I do plan on making it to another taping asap.

And now, you can check out the "Rain Dance-off" but what directly precedes that is a wave from Colbert to the audience, if you look below and to the right of Colbert's elbow - you can see me and Goddard, I have my hands raised high clapping - 2nd to last row. YAY!


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About 2 months ago I began whining every day or so. "I want to see IRON MAN. " It became a bit of a mantra for me as I have been enamored with Tony Stark since reading Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's THE ULTIMATES. Warren Ellis' and Adi Granov's THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN helped the love of the raven-haired, hard drinking,goateed millionaire even more. The trailers looked amazing and hearing the the movie was over 80 minutes was a good sign.

Ok, it's been 2 weeks and this movie has been touted as one of the best Super-hero films made. I'm going to have to agree. I'm not here to review something that you've probably already seen (and seen again). What I am here to tell you is this: I really really liked this movie. I think that it has the potential to be a better telling of the super-hero than BATMAN BEGINS. It may be a better film than THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS but it's too early to tell. What can be said is that in its 2nd week it has successfully beat out the SPEED RACER debut. This is not a fluke. Robert Downey JR. is always an impressive actor but puts aside the fast mumble to personify the Tony Stark character; he is whip-smart, a ladies man, but also a man without a heart. Until he gets a metallic one with pretty blue lights. Another note - STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS. You ULTIMATES lovers will get a special treat that gives the promise of a sequel...and yet another Millar creation that will appear on the big screen much like WANTED. Congrats my Scottish Rogue! =)
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Finally, if you haven't seen the trailer for MAY 30th's THE STRANGERS, check it out below. As a horror fanatic, I am wiggling with excitement and fear over this thriller that is supposedly "inspired by true events." I'll be in the theater opening night for this one. Make sure you save me a seat.


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~Till Next Time Kittlings.