Month: February 2014 (Page 4 of 5)

This week the RFC MINI SHOW is devoted to the horror-punk juicy goodness of The Big Bad. The band will be playing at The Empty Glass Saturday, February 15, with The Jasons, from Crystal Lake, and The Station(s) from Huntington. In this show, you will hear The Big Bad perform “Fright Night” and “The Omen,” both tunes based on classic horror movies.

We recorded both of these songs last year at ShockCon, and brought them to you previously on our Halloween episodes last October, but now you can hear them back-to-back as they were performed, with some between-song banter intact.

Of late, Zack from The Big Bad has been teaming up with Foz Rotten, another guest on our Halloween shows from ShockaCon last year, to do a podcast about horror movies, “Wish Every Day Was Halloween” (named after the Big Bad song that was seen and heard in RFC 85 back in the day). You can check out the podcastt here.

Last year in the Popcult Toybox I sort of downplayed the significance of the New York International Toy Fair, since most of the retail deals that made the fair important in the past were now worked out weeks or months in advance in private meetings between the largest toy companies and the big two toymakers, Hasbro and Mattel.

However, this year Toy Fair takes on a renewed importance because the industry is in flux. Sales are flat. Some catagories are growing a a rapid pace while others are spiraling downward. Recent layoffs at the big two mean that there are a lot of experienced and capable toy industry professionals out there to start up new companies or revitalize minor players.

Over the next week and a half, PopCult will be running a lot of items on Toy Fair and the toy industry in general. We will have news on new products, reviews of new toys and some speculation on what the future may bring.

GI Joe turns fifty, and some fear that all he’ll get is this T Shirt. Actually, it’s not even a Hasbro item. The Shirt (and photo) is from Patches of Pride and The Joe Report, your online source for 12″ GI Joe news.

One key item of interest is in the action figure segment, which is not doing well. GI Joe, the first action figure, is celebrating fifty years since his introduction this year, and the anniversary is extremely low-key. In fact, while Hasbro is promising some kind of observation of GI Joe turning 50, it’s not clear what that will entail. We should have some details this weekend, but they may save some announcements for the Official GI Joe Collector’s Convention, which takes place in Dallas in April.

Either, Hasbro is doing very little at retail to pay tribute to GI Joe, or they’ve kept their plans so close to their vests that nobody has any inside information yet. What I’ve heard is that retailers have resisted what Hasbro has pitched, so it’s likely that whatever product we see will be modest and possibly a store exclusive. Hasbro is playing this so low-key that the news stories, which have been circulating for the last week, did not originate from Hasbro, but from a museum promoting a GI Joe-themed exhibit.

The only movie sure to sell toys this year.

Construction toys, on the other hand, are experiencing very healthy sales, and that will only be helped by The LEGO Movie. We have lots of news coming from that area too.

The Fashion Doll and Die Cast Car segments continue to be ruled by Mattel. We will bring you the latest news on Barbie, Monster High and Hot Wheels.

So, for the next week or so, expect PopCult to be heavy on the toy news. Our regular features will also be in place, and the next episode of Radio Free Charleston might just drop early to tie in with a special weekend surprise, which we can’t tell you about yet. So, stay tuned…

As many regular readers may know, you can leave comments on the posts in this blog. Right down there at the bottom of each post (when you click on the headline or “read more” first) is a block where you can leave a comment. We need a name and a valid email address, and once moderated, your post will be on display for all the world to see.

However, there are rules. You must provide a working email address. it will not be published, but I may need to contact you about something you have posted. If you wish, you can link to a website, too. I moderate all comments with a heavy hand.  I do not allow comments to be used for personal attacks. If you try to post something that is demonstrably false I will not be party to libel on your behalf.

A few years ago a madwoman took exception to something I wrote and left a 4,500-word comment that, while hilarious in a very poor-taste way, had no place being seen by the public. It was deleted with extreme prejudice, and I reserve the right to do that to any other comment that veers outside the realm of sanity.

So what I’m saying is that I invite you to comment on the posts here in PopCult. I welcome intelligent discourse, but please remain on-topic and civil. I will not hesitate to wish unpleasant people into the cornfield.

This week’s art is a tribute to the great Finnish artist, Kari Leppänen.  It’s title is deeply descriptive of the work. Click to enlarge.

Check PopCult later today for the next RFC MINI SHOW, featuring The Big Bad.

Jason Myer is working on a documentary, “The Sweet Taste of Freedom,”  that will show the world the immediate economic and emotional repurcussions of the Freedom Industries chemical spill that contaminated the water supply here in the Kanawha Valley.

I haven’t gone overboard covering the water crisis here in PopCult because there are reporters at work who are far more qualified that I am, and also I don’t want to trivialize such an important matter by writing about it in my silly little pop culture blog.

However, it is important that this film be made, so I wanted to get the word out. You can purchase a very clever T Shirt and help finance this film. Follow this link and help.

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The British Invasion at Timothy’s at 7 PM with Rubber Soul!

The Thursday night Comedy Open Mic at Mojo’s Sports Bar in South Charleston, behind the Mound, has become a real boon to Charleston’s comedy scene. Dozens of area stand-up comedians are getting the chance to hone their craft before a local audience for the first time.  Up until Mojo’s decided to showcase local comedians on a weekly basis, if you had dreams of doing stand up you either hoped for a talent contest to come along, risked life and limb trying to open for a local band or most likely, you left town.

Our video clip this week is a stand up set from Patrick Felton, who explains, “Over the last year 50 comedians have performed at Mojo’s. We’ve done a show every Thursday for the last year without exception (actually I think we did skip Thanksgiving, but other than that we’ve been there every time.) I took the show over in May from Tim Hoover who decided to move on.” Patrick is being a little humble here. In addition to developing his chops as a comic, he’s also nurtured the local comedy scene, earning the disctinction of, if not being the father of comedy in Charleston, at least being a possibility until the results of the DNA tests are revealed.

This Thursday night at Mojo’s you can help celebrate a year of comedy at the Mound with the first anniversary blowout comedy show featuring performances by Charleston’s original Superheroes of Comedy including: Patrick Felton, Andy Frampton, Thomas Mac, Ryan Carrier and many more of our area’s funniest people. Plus they promise lots of surprises, prizes, drink specials, and special guests.

The big things tonight are an adults-only No Pants Players Show at The Alban, and your last chances to see “Metropolis” at the Clay Center and “Lincoln” at the WVSU Capitol Center Theater.

Rudy with Joseph Hale (Henry at the time) and John Radcliff

The 60th episode of Radio Free Charleston, our post-Valentine’s Day 2009 valentine to Taylor Books, is back online. The music, host segments, and 60 Second Art Show were all recorded at Taylor Books and/or the Cafe and Annex Gallery one night in February 2009. The music was recorded on consecutive nights in January 2009. For some reason, this episode is called “Viva Mexico Shirt.”

Our music this week was from Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen, Joseph Henry (now Hale) and John Radcliff. The “60 Second Art Show” features a quick look at the work of Taylor Book’s Annex Gallery regulars Eric Pardue and Charles Jupiter Hamilton. Our animation this time is by the mystery man known as P-Dox.

Taylor Books, of course,  remains a cultural oasis in Charleston. Original production notes can be found here.

If anybody tells you that there’s nothing going on in this town, you pick up a stack of lunch meat and THROW IT RIGHT IN THEIR FACE!  Here’s what’s happening tonight in Charleston. We will post a guide to the rest of the weekend later.

Metropolis at The Clay Center

Tonight and tomorrow. I told you all about it here. Six bucks. It starts at 7 PM.

Spencer Elliott and Sean Sydnor at Timothy’s

Starting at 9:30 PM and free-of-charge. Sean goes on first, then Spencer comes in and they trade off sets of virtuoso guitar. Spencer is in the latest episode of RFC, doing this tune…

Previous RFC guests, Mark Bates and Jeff Ellis will also be tag-teaming it with no cover at Bruno’s, starting at 9 PM.

Continue reading