CURRENT STUFF La Floridiana Movie Review The Enlightenment 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 140  (Vol. 3, No. 48). This edition is for the week of November 25--December 1, 2002.

The holiday season and a few loose ends...

		HAPPY THANKSGIVING! PLUS: "Hey Nolan, whatever happened with...?" •  The Public Access thing? •  The Movie Thing? •  The 7-Eleven Thing? AND...    Will Moriaty's TV Update

I know, I know. I haven't been as communicative as I should've been with a lot of of you, because frankly, the way things turned out, there wasn't a lot to report. After one of the most wonderful and eventful Springtimes I ever had, I suffered through one of the worst Summer/Falls I ever had (which I predicted would happen), and it became difficult to focus on what I was doing. Although I usually save my most personal diatribes and praises till the end-of-the-year issue, there are a few situations I should take the time right now to update.

Tampa's Public Access Television
After suffering a series of near-lethal setbacks caused by the legal maneuverings of sexually-repressed and hysterical County Commissioner Ronda Storms this year, we nearly lost public access in Tampa as we knew it (or what she calls "publicly-funded pornography"). Last August, the Commission voted away over $300,000 in operating costs. I was so discouraged, I basically left the station after the summer run of "What's It All About?", a series I was tech-director on following my own spring series, "The World of Nolan". I announced to a few folks I was likely not going to return. (A little add'l background on all this can be found on the still-as-yet-not-quite-adequately-updated World of Nolan TV homepage. Another one of a zillion projects time has eluded me for). Last I knew was PA was suing the county.

THE GOOD NEWS. Public Access is back in action and the victory is sweet. Earlier this month, US District Judge James S. Moody granted a preliminary injunction against the county, keeping funding for the facility in place. As part of his order, the judge ruled that Speak Up Tampa Bay (the managing operators), has a good chance of prevailing in its lawsuit. What this means is what the county saved in PA operating costs, it would likely have pissed away fighting a lawsuit it does not have a good chance of winning. Undaunted, Storms has vowed to appeal (natch), but her train has derailed badly after this. Public Access will live on. And I may return next year.

The Movie Thing
I know I promised everyone copies of "The Horror Writer" over 2 years ago. I'm sorry it didn't materialize. It will. I don't know when. I didn't know how complicated it was going to get. I didn't know the Pop Culture Review was going to consume every waking useful second of my existence when I started it (not that I regret it, mind you. It was necessary to hone my writing/editing/webmastering chops and establish a web presence--which it certainly did--and made connections I never would've had otherwise). And I certainly didn't plan on changing jobs in mid-course this year.

HOWEVER. There is hope on the horizon. The aforementioned job change tested me like no other phenomenon in recent history. I decided I must act or perish. The Crazed Fanboy website is going through some serious changes and I've begun consolidating all my resources into making it a success like never before. And the how of that, my friends, is an announcement I will make closer to year's end. And, speaking of the current job...

The 7-Eleven Thing...
OH SWEET MERCIFUL GOD IN HEAVEN, DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. Ha ha ha. No, just kidding (sort of). I'm OK with it now. The monumental cultural shock from earlier in the year when the current dismal economy delivered me into a living hell made of Slurpees and microwave burritos has eased somewhat. For someone as anti-corporate as myself, the fiercely independent typical "starving artist" type, I wouldn't really recommend it, but as a temporary remedy, it could've been worse, and I'm working with a supportive crew.
Pictured at left is a photo-scan of my actual name tag. Thought you'd get a kick out of it.