CURRENT STUFF La Floridiana Deadguy's Dementia Digital Divide Matt's Rail The Enlightenment Wake Up/Comics Mike's Rant (Links listed above indicate "final edition" status.) CONTRIBUTOR'S Homepages Michael A. Smith's The Omnipresent M. Smith homepage and Email                     Matt Drinnenberg's The Masters of Horror Terence Nuzum's Viddywell Productions William Moriaty's T.R.E.E., Inc.

	Established A.D. 2000, March 19.  Now in our third calendar year!    Number 116 (Vol. 3, No. 24). This edition is for the week of June 10--16, 2002.

More that slipped thru the cracks...
The stories I meant to comment on...

I was very behind in production this week, including formatting the writer's contributions (image-heavy and late arrivals). I didn't get everything uploaded until Friday morning. Believe me, it couldn't be helped, but I think it's under control now. I apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.

Last week as you recall, I started commenting on some issues that I meant to get to before, but forgot, fell behind, was exhausted (like now) or whatever. Here's some more stuff from that backlog.

The digital "Clones"
A few issues back, I related the story of how, at a digital exhibit of "Attack of the Clones" in Pinellas County, a group of us had an encounter with an "old gang" member we had long given up for dead: Tom Bowles. It was a great thing to happen. But it was such an unnerving experience to relive, I forgot to comment on what we thought of the digital projection of "Clones".

Well, I did say that Patty [G. Henderson] liked "Clones" as her favorite Star Wars entry ever. But Terence [Nuzum] and I had already seen it before at a regular film-projected theater (and our positive reviews are in PCR #113). This digital thing was a new experience and one we really wanted to be blown away by.

We weren't. Blown away, that is. Well, not exactly. Mike "Deadguy" claimed he could see pixelation artifacts in the opening text sequence, when he attended an earlier show. Terence and I saw no such thing, BUT I will say there IS a difference in the digital projection--it's just very, very subtle to me. Mainly, you become aware of small flaws you didn't notice before in the film version: scratches, timing blips, focus-shifting as the reel ends, you know, little stuff that doesn't appear in the digital version. There is a certain "sheen" or something digital gives the film I can't quite put my finger on, BUT, I certainly would NOT use this as a reason to pronounce the death of film! Mr. Lucas has to take all this just a weeeee bit farther before that happens.

X-Files: the repeats
HA HA HA, I'M JUST KIDDING!  No, I'm not starting this up again. I meant to use this gag a couple issues ago and just kept forgetting.

Status with Public Access
As of this writing, the voting by the Hillsborough County Commisioners on whether to fund public access is still approaching and it doesn't look good. Reliable sources say it is a foregone conclusion they will withdraw county funding. If this happens, public access TV will go on, but county residents will not be allowed to produce at the facility anymore, only city residents will. That will cut studio productions drastically. Louise Thompson, head of the Access Commitee, has vowed to sue the board for something like "coerced censorship" (that's not the legal term, believe me), in that this all resulted from one woman's (Rhonda Storms) vendetta against the station that she calls "publicly-funded pornography" (never mind that 75% of the shows on the air are religious). I'll keep you posted.

The Britton Theater's opening was in the paper after all...
The Nolmeister has to eat a little crow on this one, but just a little. Several issues back, I railed against the failure of "my alleged contacts" at the Britton theater--my lifelong "local bijou"--for not alerting me to its re-opening date---among other things, I told them I'd promote it in the PCR (which they said they read). I felt left out and discarded when I discovered strictly by accident that it had opened, with "nary a notice in the paper, or phone call from my alleged contacts".
   Well, I've heard from two people now, with newspaper section in hand, showing me that the theater's re-opening was announced in the Tampa Tribune--the Thursday "Attack of the Clones" opened. I don't get the paper, everybody knows that, so I'm still flummoxed that no one who does get it told me anything about it. Anyway, a typical communication breakdown of this type angers me no end, so I jumped to the conclusion there was no mention in the paper of the opening. I stand corrected.

That's all the catch-up for now. On with the show...

The Amazing Kreskin banned on Art Bell
This is a rare thing when I'm moved enough to write about an Art Bell show, although I've been a fan for years. As you may recall over the last several weeks, The Amazing Kreskin, performing magician and mentalist (and a childhood hero of mine), predicted the most amazing UFO sighting of the century would take place this past Thursday, 6-6-02, between the hours of 9:45pm and midnight in the skies over Las Vegas (where he just happens to be performing currently) and would be witnessed by hundreds--if not thousands--of people. Backing up his claim was the promise of $50,000 to charity should the UFOs NOT show up.

Hundreds of people camped out and watched the skies continually, most carrying cellphones, preparing to call in to Art Bell (and other media) when the event transpired. Art Bell himself set up a webcam aimed at Las Vegas to get his own photographic evidence.

Nothing happened.

In last Friday night/Saturday morning's appearance on The Art Bell show (Coast-to-Coast AM, 970 WFLA, Saturday morning, 6-8-02, 1:00am, Tampa time) Kreskin appeared in the opening segment of the program presumably to defend himself. What I learned about this hoax was shocking and possibly the worst career move of Kreskin's life. Apparently, during the day, he issued a press release, that Art read on the air, stating that the UFO sighting prediction WAS A TOTAL FABRICATION in order to prove people's suceptiblity to suggestion post 9/11. In other words, Kreskin claimed he was worried what a terrorist could do---with abilities as a "mentalist" similar to his own--if tempted to stage a similar stunt. So this was a cautionary demonstration of some sort. About the $50,000? Kreskin claims that at about 11:05pm, there was a sighting of a couple of "green glowing objects" spotted by some people AFTER ALL THE MAJOR CAMERA CREWS HAD PACKED AND LEFT, but that one object was photographed by a stray newsman. That footage was broadcast on the local TV station which was presumably viewed by "thousands of people". Kreskin claims that this validated his "prediction" and he owed nothing.

Art Bell was furious. He dismissed the whole stunt as "lame, lame, lame". He dismissed the "green glowing objects" story as an even lamer attempt to avoid paying the money to charity and reminded Kreskin that his own press release states that the whole event was a charade. Kreskin stammered excitedly about some point he was trying to prove about terrorism. Bell wasn't buying any of it. He accused Kreskin of "deception" over and over (I think he felt "used"). Kreskin continued to mumble excuses.

And then, Art Bell banned Kreskin--live on the air--from EVER appearing on his program again. There was a bit of a pause, and then Kreskin hung up on Art.

I think the last time I ever heard of anything like this--banning guests--was the David John Oates affair (once-frequent guest on reverse-speech who got wrapped up in that awful Art-is-a-rascist/child-molester hoax) years ago.

Was this supposed to be a publicity stunt by Kreskin? If so, I think it's backfired horribly. He could've saved face by giving the money to charity anyway. But, as of this writing, no.

This is a hideous way for a talented veteran performer and Las Vegas staple to mar his long career (he's close to 70). I've followed Kreskin for well over 30 years and am (was) a big fan. The skeptics who were never that thrilled with him to begin with (he claims genuine psychic abilities), are going to use this against Ufology (one more hoax everyone eagerly bought). Ufologists are obviously going to be offended with how little respect Kreskin pays to the field (he only used it for publicity). Other magicians/mentalists, who are likely scratching their heads over this incident (as I am) have got to be asking themselves "what the hell was he thinking?"

And I think Art Bell showed a lot of integrity in his handling of this matter.

Alas poor Kreskin. I thought I knew him well...

The above article was excerpted from a mass-emailing I wrote and sent out last weekend. Any replies/reactions I got were not addressed to the PCR (save one, in "Letters", this issue), so I'll summarize their reactions and additional input in my response there.---Nolan)

I may finally get in a birthday wish on time for once! My "little" brother, Ronald Canova, turns 44 years old Thursday, June 13th. We wish Ron a Happy Birthday and many happy returns. (Ron is also expected to do some announcing on my public access show this week!)