Month: December 2016 (Page 5 of 9)

It’s another video entry in the 2016 PopCult Gift Guide as your PopCulteer is joined by a renown gaming and military history expert, his nephew, Willy Margolis.

This pick in the 2016 PopCult Gift Guide features the special Waterloo Edition of the classic game of military strategy, Stratego. Playmonster has created an amazing way to relive the historic battle.

All the familiar players are here:  Napoleon Bonaparte, Wellington, The Prussians.

Play the Basic, Standard or Expert version of the game for a wide variety of action and suspense, and battle to sever your opponent’s lines of retreat and win.This all-new game adds more details and more strategy, for more advanced players ages 12 and up.

There are three ways to play: Basic play lets you become familiar with the game pieces and game board. Standard play adds extra terrain to the board, extra victory conditions and Maneuver cards. When you play the expert level, you have to follow extra rules and experience extra scenarios.

Since your PopCulteer is not well-versed in the ways of Stratego or Waterloo, for this video he called in an expert, ten-year-old Willy Margolis, who attempts to get his uncle to understand how the game is played and what actually happened at the Battle of Waterloo.

This is a perfect gift for gamers with an interest in history, or for history buffs with an interest in gaming. Available where specialty games are sold, or at Amazon.

Our next entry is a bit of an equal time suggestion. We’ve given you a few ideas for gifts for people who enjoy looking at the female form, but today we have a book for folks who enjoy looking at beefcake photos of men, particularly big, muscled-up tattooed men.

Ink ’N Guys
by Ákos Bánfalvi
Schiffer
SBN-13: 978-0764352010
$39.99

After two successful volumes of Ink ‘N Girls, photographer Ákos Bánfalvi has turned his lens to tattoos on the male form with this collection of hunky dudes with art all over their bodies.

Male tattoo models show off their dazzling body art and open up about their backgrounds, interests, and opinions in this impressive collection of studio, open-air, black and white, color, and art photography. Tattoo artists and shop owners, musicians, athletes, actors, and other models from around the world expose their sculpted physiques as well as their thoughts on their own ink, “the business” in general, and society at large.

These hunks and hipsters discuss their careers and hobbies, first tattoos, and feelings about being models in a world where women tend to absorb most of the attention and admiration. These thoughtful interviews are accompanied by eye-catching images taken by some of the best photographers in the industry.

Women may dominate the tattoo modeling circuit, but more and more male models are flashing their intricate designs, sleeves, and full-body suits for the camera.

This is the perfect gift for the person on your holiday shopping list who enjoys oogling tattooed men. It’s also a great gift for any fan or practitioner of fine body art.  This is currently out of stock at Amazon, but can be ordered directly from Schiffer. There is a chance that your local bookstore could get a copy in before Christmas using the ISBN code above.

Next up in the 2016 PopCult Gift Guide we have one of my favorite independent comics of the year, Forbidden Gallery. Like Cemetary Plots, this is the perfect gift for the comic-loving fan of horror and science fiction on your holiday shopping list.

There is a growing assortment of high-quality comic books that are making the rounds outside of the Diamond Comics Distribution loop, free from corporate interference and the tyranny of the direct-market comic shop mentality. We can add another brilliantly-executed, fun comic book to the list, with the first issue of Forbidden Gallery, published by ACP Comics. This is the brainchild of Editor/Publisher, William Mull, and Mull gathers together a diverse collection of veteran creators and newcomers to produce a very entertaining horror/adventure anthology.

With six great stories, including a brief intro, Forbidden Gallery successfully combines the feel of a 1970s color horror anthology comic book like DC’s House of Mystery with the spirit of Rod Serling’s classic TV show, Night Gallery. The stories are short, cleverly-constructed with twists and turns, and run the gamut from straight horror and gore to science fiction, weird war and mythology.

Behind a cool cover painting by comics veteran Josef Rubinstein, working over an original drawing by Paul Tuma, Forbidden Gallery opens with a two-page intro, written by Mull with art by Tuma, where we meet out host, Archimedes, who resides in a castle-like mansion. This sets the tone for the unexpected and mysterious stories that follow. Each story has its own cover-like splash page, and those are available as 11″ by 17″ prints from ACP at a very low price.

Forbidden Gallery #1 is a great, fun read, highly recommended and can still be ordered for the holidays. Not only are the stories so well written and drawn, but also the production, the lettering and coloring, are top-notch. If you need a gift for the fan of classic horror/sci-fi comics, or just anyone that you think would enjoy this, you can order the book, and the accompanying splash posters, along with some other cool publications, from ACP Comics.

The AIR is alive today with the spirit of Christmas. You can tune in at the Website or on this neato-keen little embedded player…

It’s Radio Free Charleston and The Swing Shift bringing you the holiday joy.

Today at 10 AM and 10 PM we have a two-hour Radio Free Charleston Xmas Special, loaded with tons of local artists singing the songs and having the fun of the holidays.

The second hour of this show is largely comprised of the 1989 Radio Free Charleston Christmas show, complete with holiday wishes and live, in-studio, interviews and performances.

RFC XMAS

Melanie Larch/Diablo Blues Band “Please Come Home For Christmas”
Marium Bria Naughty Christmas”
Frenchy and The Punk “All I Want For Christmas Is A Time Machine”
The Laser Beams “Up On The Rooftop”
The Bob Thompson Unit “Festival”
Charleston Gay Men’s Chorale “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
The Renfields “Merry Christmas To All”
Clownhole “Deck The Halls”
Prank Monkey “The Chipmunk Song”
Joseph Hale “Let’s Put The X in Xmas”
2012 Cast of “Mary” “Lord of Mercy”
Rowan Maher “Child, My Child”
Pepper Fandango and Lee Harrah “Baby It’s Cold Outside”
Todd Burge with Joseph Hale “Merry Methmas”

Continue reading

Cemetary Plots is a really fun horror anthology, published independently of Diamond Comics Distributors and as such, is delightfully free of corporate interference. There are two issues available directly from the publisher, and they make great stocking stuffers for the horror/fantasy/sci-fi fan on your holiday shopping list.

This twenty-eight page comic book has color covers and black and white interiors and manages to combine the tradition of classic EC Horror Comics with the energy and enthusiasm of the underground comics of the 1970’s.

Both issues feature a horror host, “D.O.Mann” who introduces the stories from his home in River Shore Cemetary. The book follows the tried and true formula of presenting short, clever horror/science fiction stories and fans of the genre will find plenty to enjoy here. This book is simply loads of fun. It’s a high energy throwback to the classic horror anthology format, which is seeing a major resurgence of late, outside of the influence of the traditional comic shop system.

You can order Cemetary Plots #2 directly from Empire Comics Lab, where you can also find other cool publications and online comics from this talented crew. This is the perfect low-cost gift for the person on your Christmas list who who wishes it was Halloween every day.

A couple of weeks ago in the 2016 PopCult Gift Guide we told you about Cabbage Patch Kids Baby So Real. Today we’re going to tell you about a new limited edition series of Cabbage Patch BIG Kids. There are 18″ tall Cabbage Patch Kids who are growing up. The line debuted last year and continues in 2016 with two new BIG Kids, Zoe Sky and Eden Joelle, who can be found exclusively at Amazon.

Limited to only 1,000 pieces of each style, these kids are a dream for collectors.  Now 18 inches tall with a soft torso and vinyl arms and legs, these Cabbage Patch Kids are growing up and aspiring to do great things. Each is dressed in deluxe removable fashions with matching themed accessories that showcase their own unique style and personality.

New for 2016, Zoe Sky and Eden Joelle will be joining their friends Sophia Lorraine and Violet Anne who were introduced for the 2015 holiday. Each 18” Big Kid is an extremely limited edition and will be retired after a short production run. For ages six and up, the suggested retail price is $99.99, but both dolls are currently available at a significant discount.  You can only find Cabbage Patch BIG Kids at Amazon.

For this next pick in the 2016 PopCult Gift Guide we are going to revisit an item that we first recommended last year. Stevo’s Toys is selling very high-quality toy horses, made from the original Marx “Thunderbolt” molds, and right now he’s having a remarkable sale.

Horses, complete with saddle and tack, are only $36. Steve offers them in a variety of styles and with different colors of saddles. Shipping is very reasonable (the more you buy, the better the shipping deal).  Thunderbolt was, of course, Johnny West’s faithful steed, and now this majestic horse has galloped back into action thanks to Steve Corn and Stevo’s Toys. Stevo also has a limited number of horses made using the old Marx “Flame” mold.

Stevo has put Thunderbolt back into production with the trusty steed and his saddle and gear once again made in the USA, sporting details painted by Stevo, himself. The horses are now available in different paint schemes, with white horses, black horses and Palaminos. As I mentioned, he’s got a terrific sale going on right now.  This is a great deal and shipping is very reasonable. Stevo also sells the tack separately and has other 1/6 gear available on his website.

These horses are the perfect gift for anyone who collects Marx action figures, or anyone who collects 1/6 scale action figures of any kind, like GI Joe, Dragon, World Peacekeepers or even Barbie.

The Langston Hughes’ gospel song play, Black Nativity is back in southern WV for a second year. You will have an opportunity to experience this spectacular musical celebration December 16 and 17 at 7 PM and December 18 at 6 PM at WVU Tech Beckley. This is another wonderful theater experience that would make a terrific gift for the theater or music lover in your life.

When the name Langston Hughes is mentioned, one immediately thinks of the brilliant American poet, social activist and leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Least mentioned have been his body of work in the field of playwriting. “Black Nativity” is a retelling of the classic nativity story with an all black cast. Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style with a few songs created specifically for the show. It was one of the first plays written by an African American to be staged at the Lincoln Theater. The show had a successful tour of Europe in 1962 and has been performed annually by theater companies and churches across the country. It is rightfully described as a hand-clapping, foot stomping, unapologetically joyous celebration of the gospel!

This is a family show for all ages produced by the Simply Jazz and Blues Festival! The Simply Jazz and Blues Festival preserves and presents America’s “roots” music, the blues as well as jazz and gospel while honoring our African American musical heritage!

Black Nativity is directed by Doris A. Fields (Lady D) with Musical Direction by Charlotte Harbison and Crystal Tucker Carey. For more information, call 304.590.1042 or email info@simplyjazzandblues.com.

Tickets are $8 Advance for all ages/$10 at the door for adults and children over 12 years old.

The Charleston Light Opera Guild will once again present “A Christmas Story” in December 2016. The Guild’s 2015 production of the musical version of the popular film classic was well-received with several sold-out audiences. The 2016 production is slated for evening performances on December 16, 17, 18, 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 PM. There will also be matinees on December 17 and 18 at 2 PM. All performances will be held at the Norman L. Fagan State Theater at the Culture Center.

This is sure to be a wonderful experience and a great gift that will mean more than any random trinket that you wrap. Tickets are $20 and can be ordered online or purchased at the door.

The musical received rave reviews on its Broadway run. The book is by Joseph Robinette with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It is based upon the Warner Brothers motion picture written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark and upon the book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” written by legendary radio humorist Jean Shepherd.

Set in the 1940s in the fictional town of Homan, Indiana, the musical follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts – an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. The musical is the hilarious account of Ralphie’s quest to ensure that this most perfect of gifts ends up under his Christmas tree.

The versatile score varies from ballads to show-stopping full ensemble numbers. All the popular scenes from the movie are here: Ralphie’s friend, Flick, getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole; his brother, Randy, getting dressed in his snowsuit; the bullies, Farkus and Dill; the leg lamp award; bar of soap in the mouth; the bunny suit; the Chinese restaurant; Christmas dinner and many more.

Welcome to a new week here at PopCult. This is the final week of The 2016 PopCult Gift Guide. We’ll be dribbling and drabbling out our last remaining gift ideas later today, but we kick off the week with a digital Impasto painting of the water tower in Senoia, Georgia. Senoia is the town where they filmed the Woodbury sequences in the hit AMC drama, The Walking Dead, and this trademark water tower is quite possibly the town’s most famous resident.

So I decided to do a close-up and make it all painterly. Your PopCulteer and his wife were in Georgia for Thanksgiving, and we captured all kinds of cool images. Click to enlarge, and come back for more of the 2016 PopCult Gift Guide later today.