The PopCulteer
November 11, 2022

It’s Friday and we have a few suggestions for STUFF TO DO in Charleston, and points all over WV for the next few days. That’s pretty much all we have on the agenda for this week’s PopCulteer because your humble blogger is toiling away on The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide.  Later today we’ll have some music gift ideas.

Before we jump into local events, I need to tell you about a really cool online auction that benefits an important cause.

This November monster fans from around the world will have a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind painted figures of the most famous movie monsters ever in an online auction to benefit planned parenthood.

The Monsters vs Madness auction is the brainchild of author, pop culture expert, producer and co-chair of the Monsterama Convention, Anthony Taylor. Last summer, outraged by the misguided Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case, Taylor decided to do something to help correct this disastrous overstep from the court.

Taylor says, “I’ve decided that expressing my dissent of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade by preaching to the choir here on social media isn’t enough, so I’ve organized a benefit auction to support Planned Parenthood. Later this year, I’ll be auctioning off movie monster figurines hand-painted by some amazing artists! All funds raised will benefit Planned Parenthood to help them support reproductive rights.”

The figures in question are newly-minted, using the original Marx Toy Company molds, and are being painted all over the world by a dazzling array of notable artists, including Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop, Don Maitz, Howard Berger from KNB Effects, Chris Walas, Mitch O’Connell, David J. Skal, Steve Wang, Joseph Michael Linsner, Tom Taggart, Kirk Thatcher, Ed Repka, Bob Eggleton, David Fisher, Kerry Gammill, and many more!

Creators from the world of movies, television, comics, literature and more are donating their efforts to raise funds and awareness to help our country cope with the desires of a fanatical minority of radical politicians who have put their personal ambitions ahead of the health of women, and in the process have endangered the medical freedom of every American citizen. In order to bid, you must register at the Auction Page (https://bit.ly/3MS54DT) where you can also donate without bidding, view the auction catalog and learn more about the cause. Bidding began at midnight November 11, just a few hours ago, and ends November 27.

Check it out, it’s a cool auction for a very important cause. You can find more details and photos at their Facebook Page.

Let me take another moment to mention that, if you create a simple graphic that includes the details of your event–what’s happening, where it is, age restrictions and admission fee–then I’m far more likely to include it in a post like this in PopCult. It’s free advertising. Just meet me halfway and put your information where I might find it on social media. Even better, email it directly to me at rudypan@protonmail.com.

Live Music is back at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and shows start at 7:30 PM. Friday it’s Shawn Benfield. Saturday sees donations being accepted for Our Future WV as Swingstein and Robin play at Charleston’s beloved Bookstore/coffeehouse/art gallery institution.  We have a graphic for it below, but I want to mention that Deni Bonet, formerly of the legendary Charleston band, Stark Raven, is returning to her old stomping grounds this Sunday to appear on Mountain Stage.

Please remember that the pandemic is not over yet. Many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out.

If you’re up for going out, here are a few more suggestions for the rest of this week, roughly in order.

FRIDAY

 

 

SATURDAY

 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY

That is it for this week’s PopCulteer. Check back for our regular features and come back later today and every weekday for the next three weeks as we continue The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide, which kicks off Monday.