Either your browser's javascript has been disabled or it needs an update! Please re-enable your javascript program or update your browser to view this page as designed.

Home  |  Message Board  |  Creature Feature  |  Paranormal  |  Multimedia  |  Email Us  |  PCR Archives  |  Spotlight  |  Classics From The Vault
"The Lovely Bones"
Kingdom of the Spiders
Comic Book Craze Part 1: The Marvel Years
Toy Shopping in Japan: Toy R Us Osaka
Hypocrite Part Ii .... Movie Notes .... Passing On .... .... .... .... .... .... Mike's Record Shelf y
Nolan's Pop Culture Review 2010!
Assistant Editor / Co-moderator: Terence Nuzum
Established A.D. 2000, March 19. Now in our eleventh calendar year!
Number 512  (Vol. 11, No. 3). This edition is for the week of January 11--17, 2010.

B-r-r-r-r-r!!
The Haitian Earthquake
Leno Moves Back to Late Night
Other Stuff
Nationwide Coldspell
Readers' Comments

THE HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14. 2010

This is an especially tragic story. Tuesday afternoon, the island of Haiti experienced a 7.4 earthquake that struck just 10 miles southwest of its capital, Port-au-Prince. That city is now in ruins, the local hospital unusable. It is their worst earthquake in 200 years.

-- THE FIRST DECADE --
Crazed Fanboy's Most Memorable Moments, 2000--2009
As submitted by PCR writers, compiled by Chris Woods
THE DEBUT OF RADIOACTIVE TELEVISION
The debut of Radioactive Television on Public Access in 2000 featuring The Horror Writer.
This is a country that is already dirt poor, now they don't even have what little they had before. The loss is staggering, the death toll is still being counted. I don't know what else to say except to encourage everyone to help with relief efforts.


LENO MOVES BACK TO LATE NIGHT
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14. 2010

I feel bad for Conan O'Brien. Yes, he posted an update on his website saying not to feel sorry for him, but I do anyway.

The great experiment of moving former Tonight Show host Jay Leno to 10:00pm and giving Tonight Show hosting duties to Conan O'Brien has proven disastrous for NBC, so the reports go. Instead of the anticipated ratings jump putting Leno on before the news, the already fourth-place network experienced two ratings drops, one for the 10 O'clock spot with Leno and the other with The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien at the traditional 11:30pm spot, following the local news.

Their solution? Move Leno's show back to 11:30pm and bump the Tonight Show to midnight. The now 30-minute Leno offering would act as a "lead-in" to Conan O'Brien. Which, of course, also knocks Jimmy Fallon back a half-hour as well.

I can barely imagine how humiliating this has been for O'Brien, whose life-long dream it was to host The Tonight Show, seeing this crumble after only six months on the air (but also following many years on his own successful late-night talk show). On the aforementioned post, O'Brien, with typical self-effacing humor, very cordially accepts his career as "lucky", but also seems bitter that NBC did not give him the time to develop the show as they had Leno before him. And...that this move to delay The Tonight Show until after midnight is, basically, unacceptable. Since Leno, O'Brien, and Fallon all have contracts with NBC, all three must agree to these moves.

I imagine David Letterman must be laughing to himself right now, albeit sardonically. Long-time TV fans may remember the late-night wars that ensued after the retirement of the legendary Johnny Carson. Letterman pretty much assumed he'd earned the position, only to see it go to Jay Leno.


OTHER STUFF
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14. 2010

The new season of American Idol started Tuesday: Don't care. Simon Cowell quits American Idol after this season: Don't care. Racist remarks made by Harry Reid toward Barack Obama in 2008: Unfortunately-chosen words, already apologized for, gives Repugs unnecessary ammunition.



NATIONWIDE COLDSPELL
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12. 2010

The past two weeks' record cold temperatures have sorely tested everyone's mettle, to be sure, and in Florida where I am, even more so, and in Tampa, it's just been ridiculous. We've set new records for prolonged cold -- the past two weeks' lows have been in the mid-20s to low-30s every single day -- and many of us have older homes just not designed for this. Space heaters have sold out everywhere, and people have gotten dangerously creative trying to come up with ways to stay warm (you know who they are, you see their tragic tales on the news). Counties north of Hillsborough are routinely in the teens, and forget about adding wind chill factors.

Ye Olde Editor's delicate constitution has not held up well during this and my output has slowed considerably. Features meant to be installed on PCR earlier in the year have been delayed until I can thaw out.

Fortunately, the freak condition that spawned this -- the high pressure system over Greenland that's funneled Arctic air over the central and southern US for weeks -- is expected to weaken and move off and this weekend promises highs at or around 70 degrees in Central Florida. Much more conducive to productivity!

That's all for today. I'll have much more to talk about later in the week, but at the moment, I have one more log to put on the fire.




Readers' Comments

The Readers' Comments section for this issue of PCR is now closed. To continue to interact, please use the Message Board or write a Letter to the Editor! The comments below are listed starting with the most recent. Thank you.

Crazed FanComments -- We Welcome Reader Feedback on any article(s) on this page.
Nolan [19-01-2010 06:20] 
To Mike: Sounds like another chapter of "Everything Sucks Now?" may be in order!
Michael [19-01-2010 05:35] 
Steve, we obviously watched the same television. And speaking of "Rock Concert," our esteemed Editor in Chief does a killer Don Kirshner impression!

Is it me or was television better when there were only 3 or 4 channels?
Steve Beasley [19-01-2010 02:05] 
Hey Mike! Nice piece on Jackson Browne and Monty Python. In the early 70s, four must see TV programs were Shock Theater, Monty Python, The Midnight Special (one episode with Jackson Browne and Ted Nugent) and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert.

couch potato(retired) [17-01-2010 19:30] 
fyi, I did not post the 2012 comment.
the_last_days [17-01-2010 09:18] 
2012! 2012! 2012 is coming! The worst earthquakes in hundreds of years is only... the beginning.
Brandon [17-01-2010 05:27] 
There's been another earthquake, 6.3, off the southern coast of Argentina
Jason Fetters [17-01-2010 01:44]  
Glad that you liked the article. To go along with your Hello Kitty toast, may I recommend the Hello Kitty Pancake Pan? A recent Google search shows that the pan is still being sold online.
Hello Kitty Fan Lisa [16-01-2010 15:33] 
Jason -- OMG I actually own that Hello Kitty toaster you mentioned in your article!! Ha ha ha...I have a ton of H.K. appliances, products and household stuff. My apartment looks like a Sanrio showroom.

And now I've lost all my fangirl points with this admission. LOL Just wanted to let you know I enjoyed your article.
matthew [16-01-2010 06:32] 
letterman: "Jay Leno should be as gracious as Johnny Carson was. When Johnny Carson said that he was leaving The Tonight Show... He LEFT the Tonight Show."
ED [15-01-2010 20:34] 
LOL, Giant Spider Invasion has a demented charm all it's own. I remember that making the rounds of my local drive-in at least three times and once on a double bill with Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster. Talk about an evenings worth of entertainment!
Petrey [15-01-2010 18:57] 
Yes Ed, I will definitely check out the Shout Factory's edition of KOTS. I remember THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION when it came out a few years earlier. The TV ads looked good but...
ED [14-01-2010 15:33] 
Petrey - the soundtrack is mentioned in the commentary. Apparently by the 1970's these tracks were library queues that they liscensed. At least one of them is from Nightmare at 30,000 feet which also starred Shatner. As I keep saying, Shout Factory did an awesome job with this DVD and it is a must have if you like this film.
Petrey [14-01-2010 14:38] 
Ed- Thanks for the write-up on KOTS. Our town primarily had this one at the drive-in theatres and maybe one in-door theatre. What I want to know is how much they paid to get the licensing to have THE TWILIGHT ZONE score through the film? Creepy and effective. Tiffany Bolling I loved in CANDY SNATCHERS and BONNIE'S KIDS. The latter the hardest to find. Also you have to love Shatner's drunken persona in KOTS, Brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it.
ED [14-01-2010 05:10] 
Thanks Joel, glad you liked the article and I highly recommend you pick up this DVD when it comes out next week.

Chris/Joel - I agree about the comics. Most of what you describe started in the mid 80's when I was in out of comic reading. I took a hiatus for about five years but still had all my books from growing up in the 70's. This was around the time of the Dark Knight when it became fashionable for every hero under the sun to have emotional problems and stories were spread out over multiple titles to try and sell more books. It's very much like that today with stories padded to fill issues and huge "crisis" events that never actually amount to anything. I still love buying old comics with self contained stories that last one issue. They may not be as sophisticated as today's stories but they are more fun.

Mike - there's a reason we live in Florida man!
Chris Woods [13-01-2010 22:17] 
New Schlock Review posted: CHAIN GANG WOMEN
Chris Woods [13-01-2010 22:16] 
Joel - Thanks, glad you liked the article. The 60's, 70's and early 80's had the best Marvel comics ever. I'll have part two next month where I'll write about other comic brands I collected.
Joel D. Wynkoop [13-01-2010 20:54]  
Chris,
Awesome write up on MARVEL man. Good read. I think it was before I started Tampa Tech back in '81 I had gave up on the comics. Like you said it was to hard to keep track because you had to get five or six books to see what each charater was doing. Spidey would continue in Fantastic Four which continued in The Hulk and so on. Then they tried to say that when the Jackayl (?) through Pete's clone into the smoke stack they tried to say years later that was really parker and the clone was Spidey. That started to kill it for me.
Aunt May died, came back, died again and came back again in Civil War. Civil War I'm reading now and enjoying that. To see Spidey go up against Iron Man and even Captain America is a cool read. I didn't get them when they were single comics but I'm enjoying them in the books which contain 6 or 7 issues. If you get a chance check these out. When Spidey turns against Tony Stark is great! Nova is one I really enjoyed too. NUFF SAID.
Joel D. Wynkoop [13-01-2010 20:45]  
Ed, loved the write up on KINGDOM of the Spiders. I loved that movie. Shatner rules no matter what anybody says about Captain Kirk. Nice article buddy.
Michael [13-01-2010 18:49] 
Glad to hear Corey Haim is still around. Saw him at a Chiller Con a few years ago and he couldn't GIVE his autograph away. He also got into a shouting match with Linda Hamilton's rep because he claimed she was taking all of his business.

19 degrees? I laugh. This past Saturday it was 17 BELOW...not the wind chill, the actual temp. 45 today though. I HATE WINTER.
ED [13-01-2010 12:52] 
Thanks Lonnie, maybe One was just referring to Corey Haim's career?
Lonnie Dohlen [13-01-2010 11:46]  
Ed,Chris.Corey Haim IS NOT DEAD.I just verified this on IMDB.com.Who is ONE & shame on him.
Andy [13-01-2010 10:39] 
Saw "Gentlemen Broncos" last night. While I saw it in the campus theater, I don't think it received widespread release when it originally came out. It's by the same guy that did "Napoleon Dynamite." I didn't like that one, but this was enjoyable. It stars Jermaine from "Flight of the Conchords" as a pretentious science-fiction writer who plagarizes a kid's sci-fi novella.
Chris Woods [12-01-2010 21:42] 
NEWS FLASH! Corey Haim is NOT dead. Searched on line and there's nothing about it. Not sure where one got this information.
Chris Woods [12-01-2010 21:39] 
Will - I'm glad you enjoyed the article. Marvel had some of the best stories, characters, and art of all the comics I read when I was a kid.
Andy [12-01-2010 19:44] 
Very cold up here in Tallahassee. Too cold. I can't handle 19 degree mornings.
ED [12-01-2010 16:42] 
Wow that's kind of a shock about Corey Haim, Of course he looked pretty rough when I saw him at Screamfest a couple of years ago. I actually barely recognized him.
William Moriaty [12-01-2010 16:26] 
Hey Chris! Your article on Marvel comics was par excellent! Truly the essence of Crazed Fandom!
one [12-01-2010 13:30] 
R.I.P. Corey Haim. You were too young.
one [12-01-2010 13:29] 
R.I.P. Corey Hai. You were too young.
ED [12-01-2010 08:32] 
First! Now that is something to care about! :)
[31-12-1969 16:00] 
End of Comments    

Please consider making a donation to help support Crazed Fanboy! Click on the "donate" link below and give whatever you can. I sincerely thank you for any and all consideration.---Nolan
"Mike's Rant" is ©2010 by Michael A. Smith     "This Week's Movie Review" is ©2010 by Michael A. Smith     "La Floridiana" is ©2010 by William Moriaty    "FANGRRL" is ©2010 by Lisa Scherer    "Retrorama" is ©2010 by ED Tucker    "Growing Up Fanboy" is ©2010 by Chris Woods    "Sports Talk" is ©2010 by Chris Munger     "The Asian Aperture" is ©2010 by Jason Fetters     "Lampin' @ the 6th Borough" is ©2010 by John Miller      All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2010 by Nolan B. Canova    
Crazed Fanboy dotcom is owned and operated by its founder, Nolan B. Canova

Crazed Fanboy.com is a Tampa-based fan outlet for many creative endeavors, including, but not limited to, independent film, video, music, original artwork, and media commentary.

To send me anything like books, posters, VHS tapes, CDs, or DVDs for review or to simply correspond non-electronically through regular mail, please send all relevant material to:

CRAZED FANBOY
P.O. Box 13991
Tampa, FL 33681-3991

Search:
Keywords:
In Association with Amazon.com

Otherwise, if you have any questions, email me at nolan@crazedfanboy.com.
I appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
Nolan B. Canova


Crazed Fanboy® is based in Tampa, Florida. Webpage design and all original graphics herein are creations of, and copyrighted by, Nolan B. Canova ©2010.


Back to Top