Author: Rudy Panucci (Page 119 of 581)

JoJo Siwa

JoJo Siwa is a pop culture phenomenon. Chances are that, unless you have a pre-teen girl in your household, you may not have heard of her before, but the fact is she is HUGE these days with the kids. She has a loyal following who call themselves “Siwanators”

A Vlogger and singer with millions of fans, the 16-year old superstar first rose to prominence as a cast member on the Lifetime series, Dance Moms, before leaving that show and finding greater fame on YouTube, and now in a world-wide pact with Nickelodeon. In fact, she’s all over the Nickelodeon Gift Guide, but we’re going to spread to world to our PopCult readers, who may not keep up the kids.

JoJo is currently on her first headline tour – D.R.E.A.M. The Tour is sponsored by Party City – and will travel to more than 70 cities across the US & Canada. 2019 is JoJo’s Sweet Sixteen birthday year, and retailers nationwide will feature special-edition products for both her birthday and on the DREAM tour!

If you have a pre-teen girl on your holiday shopping list, there’s a good chance that you can’t go wrong with JoJo Siwa gifts. There’s plenty of them out there, so we’ll mention some of the best ideas for this holiday season, complete with suggested retail price links to where you can buy them online, where available.

TOYS

JoJo Hairdorables
JoJo Siwa is the newest member of the collecitble Hairdorables squad! Dressed in an outfit from her D.R.E.A.M. tour, each Special Edition JoJo Loves Hairdorables includes 10 surprises and captures JoJo’s bright personality and inspiring message to live “the sweet life.” The JoJo Hairdorables Dolls even feature JoJo’s signature bow and side-pony. Collect the JoJo Hairdorable Doll in each of her two styles. Ages 3+,  SRP $12.99. Available at Walmart, Walmart.com, Target, Amazon, and Meijer.

JoJo Siwa Singing Dolls – D.R.E.A.M
It’s JoJo with the bow-bow! Sporting her signature oversized bow, this 10” JoJo doll sings her hit song, “Boomerang!” This beautiful JoJo doll features poseable arms and le gs and looks just like the JoJo we all know and love! She also comes with a pink microphone, and a hairbrush to help young fans brush and style her flowing blonde locks! The Singing JoJo Doll will inspire young girls to be themselves through empowering and uplifting positive play! Ages 6+, SRP $19.99. Available at Walmart, Walmart.com, Target, Amazon, Kohls, and Meijer.

JoJo’s D.R.E.A.M. Car
Jojo is on the road and living the dream in her new fully customized convertible, featuring colorful stripes, stars, unicorns, and even a portrait of JoJo! Girls can place their JoJo singing doll into the Teal Blue driver’s seat and cruise around singing JoJo’s top hits! Jojo’s D.R.E.A.M. Car even features 4 different colored wheel rims, just like JoJo’s real car! Push the D.R.E.A.M. Car along and help JoJo spread her message inspiring young fans to be themselves through empowering and uplifting positive play! Ages 3+, SRP $17.99, Available at Amazon.

Continue reading

We go back to our back-up formula this week for Radio Free Charleston International, which you can hear at 3 PM Thursday timeslot on The AIR. You can listen at the website, or on this embedded radio player…

As is our new Thursday norm, we now have a replay of this week’s Radio Free Charleston at 2 PM, followed by a brand-new episode of Radio Free Charleston International at 3 PM. For you old-timers who remember the original broadcast incarnation of , this combination comes close to recreating the original experience, with your PopCulteer unleashed to play whatever he felt like playing, mixed with a generous helping of great local music.

You can read about this week’s episode of RFC HERE.

Radio Free Charleston International is the two-hour weekly show where Rudy Panucci (that’s me, by the way) gets to play whatever he wants. It’s our way of revisiting the golden age of free-format radio, which is sort of what inspired us to go into this medium in the first place.

Once again in this week’s new episode of Radio Free Charleston International, I’m going with a mimxtape presentation, so to find out what I’m playing, you’ll have to follow along with the playlist below.  This week we’re using this format because a combination of technical issues and really loud stuff happening in the neighborhood have made it difficult to record the host segments, and I’m still working on the show just hours before it debuts. Today’s show is loaded with great music from the team of Andy Partridge and Robyn Hitchcock, Eddie Jobson, Rick Wakeman, The Dukes of The Stratosphear and Mike McGear.

If you want to buy the opening track, which is a new collaboration between XTC’s former frontman, Andy Partridge, and Robyn Hitchcock, go to Burning Shed Records, who will ship it to you direct from Planet England. We’ll be mentioning them again in the Gift Guide very soon.

Check out the playlist:

RFC International 074

Andy Partridge & Robyn Hitchcock “Planet England”
Mike McGear “Have You Got Problems”
Rick Wakeman “White Rock”
Eddie Jobson “Resident”
The Clash “Justice Tonight/Kick It Over”
The Pixies “Daniel Boone”
Hawkwind “All Aboard The Skylark”
Marilyn Manson “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
ELO “One More Time”
Animal ДжаZ “Так надо”
Ray Wilson “Bless Me”
Dukes of the Stratosphear “Human Beans”
Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisted “Musical Box”
Jethro Tull “Budapest”
Dosed “Jam Song”
Jan Akkerman “Good Body Every Evening”
Moana “Promise”
The Brokedown Dukes “Hellbound”
Reverent Jukie “Creole Love Call”
Charlie P “Secret Survivor”

You can tune in to RFC International every Thursday at 3 PM on The AIR. If you miss it, you have plenty of chances to catch a replay: Fridays at 1 PM and 10 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM, Sundays at 1 AM and 2 PM, Mondays at 9 PM, and Tuesdays at 11 PM, exclusively on The AIR.

The 2019 PopCult Gift Guide will resume this afternoon.

The Chronicles of Don’t Be So Ridiculous Valley
by Mike Batt
Mango Books /London Street Books
ISBN: 9781911273837
£20.00+p&p

Our next pick in The 2019 PopCult Gift Guide is not yet available from retailers in the US, so you’ll have to order it directly from the publisher in the UK. That’s why I’m recommending it this early in the Gift Guide, so that you’ll have time to have it delivered. Luckily, because of the chaos over Brexit, the British Pound is at a low point, and that makes for the best exchange rate in US dollars in a long time. You can order this book in signed and unsigned editions HERE.

The book is The Chronicles of Don’t Be So Ridiculous Valley, an absurdist fairy tale written by Mike Batt, whose work as a musician I’ve been telling PopCult readers about for years. Batt first made his mark writing and performing songs for The Wombles, a mid-1970s children’s show in Britain which was about little creatures living in Wimbledon who picked up trash and recycled what they could, then disposed of the rest.

Batt then recorded a series of solo albums which brought him a cult following with music that somehow managed to combine full orchestrations with progressive rock and New Wave. Over the last thirty years or so Batt has guided the careers of artists like Katie Melua and The Planets as a manager and producer while also working on a myriad of other projects.

In the early 90s, to take his mind off of a very serious work-in-progress, Batt began writing what became The Chronicles of Don’t Be So Ridiculous Valley, a very clever, very silly fairy tale that shows the influence of Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, Shrek and The Young Ones, while remaining quite original.

The end result is delightful and whimsical without being so sweet that it makes you want to puke.

The book’s PR does as good a job as I can of describing the story:

Can a slug learn to play the piano, even though he has no hands? Can a slug defeat an army of nasty, evil Christmas-hating slug-squashing Pigfrogs? Can he trick a beautiful fairy into fancying him for long enough to marry him and live happily ever after?

Probably not, but if you don’t try…

Step with us into the crazy world of Don’t Be So Ridiculous Valley (which is actually a hill) and to Woodland Land, home of two married fairy helicopter pilots, Nigel and Dotty Farnsbarnes.

Yep, there’s a ton of fairies and slugs in this book, no question.

This is the first edition of The Chronicles of Don’t Be So Ridiculous Valley as a physical book, and it’s lushly illustrated by a team of artists led by John Golser, plus it’s just loads of fun. Batt’s writing style is very British, very silly and immensely entertaining.

This book will be the perfect gift for the young and young at heart, and I would suspect that it’s a good choice to read to children…who aren’t easily frightened by Pigfrogs (seen below). The story of Ergo (seen left), the slug with a dream, is sure to inspire and/or confuse kids everywhere.

Since this concept has been kicking around in the mind of the very busy Mr. Batt for probably close to a quarter century, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there has been talk of adapting it into other media. Rik Mayall recorded a large part of a proposed podcast starring Ergo before his passing, and you can hear some of that at this website devoted to a proposed film version.

Not only is this a delightful and very entertaining illustrated storybook, it’s also your chance to get in on what may well be the NEXT BIG THING!

And even if it doesn’t, at least you get an overwhelmingly enjoyable story out of the deal, and a book that you will treasure for years.

This Wednesday afternoon The AIR, presents a special new episodes of Beatles Blast and Curtain Call.  You can listen at the website, or on this embedded radio player…

At 2 PM Beatles Blast brings you another hour of The Lost Beatles Project, which combines rare cuts, studio outtakes and musical rarities into a nearly-60 minute mixtape of little-heard Beatles gems.

Beatles Blast can be heard every Wednesday at 2 PM, with replays Thursday at 9 PM, Friday at 11 AM, Sunday at 5 PM and Tuesdays at 9 AM, exclusively on The AIR.

At 3 PM Mel Larch presents a new hour of great musical theater on Curtain Call. This time it’s another looke at Jukebox Musicals, those musical stage shows and revues that use existing hit songs to tell their stories. The show opens with David Byrne and the cast of American Utopia performing a classic Talking Heads number, and continues with songs made famous by The Beatles, Green Day, Elton John, Gloria Gaynor, Meatloaf and more. Check out the playlist…

Curtain Call 075

“Once In A Lifetime” from American Utopia
“Wake Me Up When September Ends” From American Idiot
“Come Together” from Boom (Live at Birdland) with Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway
“True Love Ways” from Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (London Cast)
“I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” from Promises Promises
“Your Song” from Moulin Rouge
“Since I Lost My Baby” from Ain’t Too Proud –The Life And Times Of The Temptations
“I Will Survive” from The Donkey Show
“Heaven Is A Place On Earth” from Head Over Heels
“I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” from Jim Stienman’s Bat Out of Hell
“War” from Motown The Musical
“Summertime” from A Night With Janis

After the new hour of Curtain Call, stick around for two additional episodes from the Curtain Call archives. Curtain Call can be heard Wednesday at 3 PM, with replays Thursday at 8 AM and 8 PM, Friday at 10 AM and Saturday at 5 PM. An all-night marathon of Curtain Call episodes can be heard Wednesday nights, beginning at Midnight, and an additional marathon can be heard Sunday evenings from 6 PM to midnight..

Tonta [A Love & Rockets Graphic Novel]
by Jaime Hernandez
Fantagraphics
978-1-68396-205-2
$19.99 (less at Amazon)

The latest hardback collection from Jamie Hernandez is a fun compilation of previously-published short stories starring Tonta, a minor character from his expansive “Locas” universe in Love ^ Rockets.

Tonta (Spanish for “Stupid,” a name given to her by her mother), is a high-school girl with a family made up of a distant mother and a large collection of half and step-siblings. She’s brash and reckless and oblivious to some of the more sinister things happening in her life.

This story is set in a modern corner of the “Locas” world. Maggie shows up in one panel, and Tonta’s half-sister, Vivian, has been featured in other stories before, but Tonta is notable for being the first major work starring characters who are not around the same age as Hernandez. After depicting characters that were roughly his own age (and aged in real time over the last forty years), this is a bit of a departure and shows that Jaime is still a master storyteller even when his characters are from another generation.

You don’t need to be familiar with the Love & Rockets canon to enjoy Tonta, and that makes it a great entry-level story for comics fans who haven’t been exposed to to the work of Los Bros. Hernandez before. This is a brisk read, still with the complex plotlines and realistic dialogue that fans of Love & Rockets are used to.

Let’s check the publisher’s description:

Summer’s here, and all Tonta wants to do is go swimming, hop on her skateboard, get drunk, and listen to her favorite punk band, Ooot. But her idyllic weekend is disrupted by a botched burglary that forces her to confront her dysfunctional family history. Through it all, from Tonta’s teenaged angst to her half sister Vivian’s drama to the thrills and chaos of an underground lucha libre match, Tonta showcases Hernandez’s brilliant characterization, storytelling, and mastery of the form.

A standalone graphic novel that shines a light on the family tree of one of Hernandez’s most memorable characters of the past several years, the teenager Tonta.

In this graphic novel, teenager Tonta is staying for the weekend with her half-sister, the self-absorbed Vivian. At home, Tonta’s stepfather is shot during a botched burglary, which leads to the discovery of family secrets that require Tonta to confront some unpleasant truths that she previously managed to suppress or remain ignorant of. Through it all, Tonta showcases Hernandez’s brilliant talent for character, weaving a host of characters and milieus from his vast arsenal. Meanwhile, back at school, Tonta and Gomez discover that Coach Angel harbors a secret of her own (can you say, “lucha libre?”) while local punk band Ooot provides the soundtrack for a summer not soon to be forgotten. Black & white illustrations throughout.

Tonta is a great gift for fans of Love & Rockets, but is also perfect for the graphic novel newbie who hasn’t yet become a fan.You can probably order it from any comic book store or book store using the ISBN number, or use the links above.

Our next pick in the Gift Guide is a cool litle patch designed by Charleston Actor/Musician/Artist Ann Magnuson, inspired by her conversation with David Scott, one of the Astronauts who walked on the moon. It comes with a download of her song, “I Met An Astronaut.” The patch reads “Endlessly Fulfilling,” which was his description of what it was like to walk on the moon.

Ann also asked me to pass this along, “Tell Folks I’m also working on some special handmade “hillbilly stash bags” for the Xmas shopping season. They will feature the patch and other homemade sewing touches my grandmother taught me -when I was a kid spending summers in Morgantown (where she lived.) A good stocking stuffer and perfect for stashing whatever it is that makes one feel Endlessly Fullfiled’”

You can order the patch and song, and eventually find the “hillbilly stash bags” at her Bandcamp page, where the price is very reasonable for a cool memento from our space program. You can also find some of her other solo albums there as physical copies or downloads.

You can hear the song in this week’s episode of Radio Free Charleston (It’s the first track), and you can follow an Instagram account for #endlesslyfulfilling that shows the patch in various nature settings.

It’s a great gift for fans of Ann, or fans of Astronauts and the space program.

While The 2019 PopCult Gift Guide is in full swing (posts begin Tuesday after noon), we’ve also got a full slate of our specialty music programs today on The AIR. One of them even ties in to a Gift Guide suggestion.

Tuesday on The AIR we deliver new episodes of Radio Free Charleston, Psychedelic Shack and The Swing Shift to our loyal listeners. You may point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay on this page, and  listen to this happy little embedded radio player…

It all kicks off at 10 AM (with a replay at 10 PM– all times EDT) with a brand-new edition of Radio Free Charleston.

A very special Radio Free Charleston opens with a new track from Ann Magnuson, which you will read more about later today in the Gift Guide. It wraps up with two rare live tracks from Tyler Childers, recorded at The Empty Glass. In between we have our usual impressive selection of great local music.

Check the playlist…

RFCv4123

Ann Magnuson “I Met An Astronaut”
Time And Distance “On My Own”
David Synn “Picasso’s Disembodiment”
Fletcher’s Grove “She”
Mediogres “Lady Goldenhair”
Emmalea Deal “Ghost (Robby B Remix)”
The Mucklebuck “Miles”
Karma To Burn “Patty Hearst’s Closet Mantra”
Mark Beckner “Exit Our Hero Stage Right”
Tom Rader “Angels”
Ovada “Blood of the Sun”
Tyler Childers “Grinning In Your Face” “Whitehouse Road”

Radio Free Charleston can be heard Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM, with replays Thursday at 2 PM, Friday at 9 AM and 7 PM, Saturday at 11 AM and Midnight, Sunday at 1 PM and the next Monday at 8PM, exclusively on The AIR.

If you can’t listen to the stream on The AIR, we are now uploading the RFC radio show to YouTube (by popular demand). So you can listen to it here…

Continue reading

Back in 2011 I recommended the Criterion Collection 4K Blu Ray/DVD combo of the classic Beatles movie, A Hard Day’s Night. That 3-disc set is still available, and has tons of extras that will thrill and delight any fan of The Beatles or the film’s director, Richard Lester. It will run you around forty bucks. Now we’re going to recommend it again at a lower price.

A Hard Day’s Night is, of course, the first movie starring The Beatles. It was much-imitated, never equalled and is considered one of the classic, if not THE classic Rock and Roll movie. If someobdy says they don’t see the appeal of The Beatles, and you show them this, and they still don’t, then they are beyond hope.

However, if you’re looking for a gift for under fifteen bucks, you can go with the DVD-only version of the film, which still has the incredible transfer and the soundtrack remixed by Giles Martin, along with the following extra features:

• New 4K digital film restoration, approved by director Richard Lester, with two audio options, a monaural soundtrack and a new 5.1 surround soundtrack made by Apple Records
• In Their Own Voices, a new piece combining interviews with the Beatles from 1964 with behind-the-scenes footage and photos
• You Can’t Do That: The Making of “A Hard Day’s Night,” a 1994 documentary program by producer Walter Shenson
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic Howard Hampton

It’s a bit odd that there are so many different versions of this movie available, some expensive, some not, but this particular edition has the lowest price and best transfer, combined with a healthy dose of bonus materials, and the music and comedy of The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania is something that should not be missed.

So I’m recommending it again. This Criterion DVD is most affordable from Amazon.

As has become tradition, our first entry in the 2019 PopCult Gift Guide is the new Hess Truck. Even though they got out of the retail petroleum industry a few years ago, the Hess Oil Company has continued to offer up their annual Christmas Truck for die-hard collectors. We also suggest this first because you can only order it through their website, and most years it’s sold out long before our Gift Guide wraps up.

Not only is this a great toy, but it’s also a collectible with well over fifty years of history behind it. These are toys that will be cherished for years to come, and it’s really cool that the HESS Truck is still being made, years after the HESS Oil stations were sold to Speedway.

This year we get a double dose of Tow Trucks, as Hess brings back the sound features that were missing last year, and offers an impressive Rescue Team set. Hess Trucks are always solidly-built, sturdy and very cool playthings for kids and collectibles for adults. Check out the description:

With the 2019 Hess Tow Truck Rescue Team, help is just a click away this holiday season! This powerful pair of roadside-assist vehicles is an extraordinary, multi-purpose duo, packed with rich features: triple towing action, 4 realistic sounds, over 60 brilliant LED lights, and a speedy push-friction motor. This first-of-its-kind Hess toy is designed for infinite imaginary play and unmatched versatility that will handle the toughest towing challenges!

The big rig is a mighty flatbed carrier that transforms into a heavy-duty wrecker outfitted with 2 different towing options! Embedded in the carrier bed is a rugged, 2-tier extending tow arm with a double-hook tough enough to manage the biggest recovery jobs! A separate, wheel-lift tow extends out from the rear chassis. Roof mounted buttons activate 3 realistic sounds (engine, horn, and backup alert), and a there’s a hidden, pull-out ramp that triggers an additional authentic hydraulic sound. This, innovative, multi-function tow truck is strikingly styled in a white and green color palette and sparkles with brilliant chrome-look accessories and 45 LED lights that work in flash or steady mode.

The nimble towing partner is powered by a speedy, rev-up, friction motor and is equipped with a 3-tier telescoping tow arm with double-hook end. In coordinating white and green colors, the compact, cab-forward designed tow truck also has 21 LED lights that work in steady mode, multi-terrain tires, and shiny chrome-look accessories.

The 2019 Hess Tow Truck Rescue Team is sold exclusively at HessToyTruck.com, for $35.99 plus tax. 6 Energizer® batteries and free standard shipping are included.

Features:

Heavy-Duty Tow:

Transforms from flatbed carrier into integrated tow truck
Two distinct tow features:
2-tier extending tow lift with jointed swing-out tow arm
Pull-out t-style wheel lift tow bar
3 button-activated realistic sounds: Engine Run, Horn, Backup Alert
Pull-out ramp with realistic hydraulic sound
45 lights that work in flash or steady mode
Chrome-look accents
Measures 11.3″ long x 4.5″ wide x 4.5″ high
3 Energizer ‘AA’ Batteries included and pre-installed

Light-Duty Tow:

3-tier telescoping tow arm with swing-out tow hook
Rev-up, push friction motor
21 lights that work in steady mode
Chrome-look accents
Measures 6″ long x 2.75″ wide x 3″ high
3 Energizer ‘A76’ Batteries included and pre-installed

Like I said before, this is pretty much the coolest toy truck you can put under the Christmas tree. This year you get double the fun with two tow truck with working tow arms, and plenty of light and sound features. Check out the commercial…

The 2019 PopCult Gift Guide begins today. This year, due to the shortened holiday shopping season (there are only four weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas) we’re going to wrap up the Gift Guide on Thanksgiving, with our master list appearing on Black Friday. We’re also just going to call it “Gift Guide” in the headlines because long headlines don’t look great in the “Recent Posts” log at the right of this blog.

We’re also shaking up the format a bit. You can expect between two and five Gift Guide posts each day from now until November 26. Some posts will be detailed reviews, while some will include multiple gift ideas in a capsule format. We’re also going to mix in a few “Gift Guide Flashback” posts, where we remind you of some of ideas we suggested during the previous fourteen or so PopCult Gift Guides.

Today we’re just giving you our first gift suggestion, and a Flashback idea. Tuesday we’ll kick into high gear.

As usual, you can expect us to suggest music, movies, toys, small appliances, local eateries and other cool things that can be tangentially related to pop culture.

The PopCult Gift Guide is one of the most popular features of this blog, and readership more than doubles during the time we post these, so I hope we live up to our reputation. Look for our first post within half an hour of this one going live.