FAN LETTER FROM ACTOR STEPHEN MACHT!
Nolan,
Thanks, to Mike Smith for his tip of the cap to me -- when reviewing my son, Gabriel.
Best,
Stephen Macht
Mr. Macht, we are honored you took the time to read our online 'zine and, of course, am happy to support your family efforts. I have forwarded your email to reviewer Michael Smith for comment. --Nolan
MIKE SMITH RESPONDS:
I referenced Stephen Macht in my review of "Because I Said So" when I
commented on the performance of his son, Gabriel. Stephen Macht has been a
television and film staple since the mid-1970s. Among my favorite
performances are roles in "Raid on Entebbe," "The Choirboys" and a short
stint on "Knot's Landing."
Our major fanboy readers will remember him from roles in such series as
"Highlander," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Babylon 5" and "Sliders."
Michael Smith
Lee's Summit, Missouri
ED TUCKER ON ODDSERVATIONS #358
Andy,
I just got done reading your review of FX and I have to say I was little perplexed. You seem to prefer Megacon over FX for a number of reasons that don't make a lot of sense to me. They are both held at the same facility, the both charge about the same price for admission and FX clearly had the superior guest list this year. While it is true that Megacon may have more vendors, you pointed out yourself that many of these are fluff dealers like bootleg DVDs and a lot of it is pure crap.
The FX shows this year was one of the best they have ever had in terms of guests and merchandise and what they lacked in quantity compared to Megacon they made up for in spades in quality.
Megacon is essentially a comic book and anime convention with a ton of bootleg DVDs thrown in. FX is a collectibles show featuring vintage and modern toys, games, books. magazines, and movie memorabilia. There were also more comic book dealers there this year than ever before.
You may only pay $5 to get into the show in Tampa but how many tables do they have at that show? I didn't count the number at FX but it was obviously several hundred. If you divide that number by four is it still more than the one in Tampa? I personally spent several hundred dollars at this years show (much more than the past couple of years and far more than I have ever spent at Megacon) on both collectibles and autographs ($20 has been the going rate on autographs for years by the way). In case you haven't noticed lately, almost any hotel, convention center, movie theater or sporting event charges outrageous prices for food and beverages. That's why I never by them there. Also, it was only $6 to park AT the convention center which was much closer than walking from the dirt lot.
My own review of the FX Show will appear in next week's PCR.
- ED -
Jax, FL
ANDY LALINO ON AUDIO PHILES TOP 20 ALBUM LIST
Hi, Nolan;
Andy Lalino here. This correspondence is in reference to an effort entitled "The Top 20 Best Albums of 2006" by Terence Nuzum in PCR #356. I really hope I don't come off as too brash, as my intention with this letter is not to criticize Mr. Nuzum's substantial writing skills. Let me be clear that my agenda is to hash out some type of explanation as to how, and why, Mr. Nuzum gave serious consideration to chronicling a subject such as this in the first place.
In this era of Britney Spears, American I-dull, Justine Timberlake, and Hillary Duff, it's glaringly senseless to seriously consider "rock & roll" a relevant topic for sane discussion; I'd even go as far to say that there's really no reason for it to exist as a "form", "type" or "genre" of music anymore, given the climate. Yet, Mr. Nuzum has chosen to roll the snowball uphill, in an admirably futile gesture, to try and convince us that there has been a few shreds of substance worthy of our iPod's hard drive space. I ask you: Is this the labor of a great white hope, or a court jester?
I was beyond confusion as my eyes shifted like a tennis gawker from future coaster to future coaster upon reading the article. The very action of analyzing the music of 2006 is kind of like trying to derive artistic fulfillment from the Holly Hobbie franchise. I was especially amused by the raucus rockers known as 'Wolfmother' and their "Frazetta-like cover" that "says it all". Terence, they're no Molly Hatchet, and are flirtin' with disaster. I dutifully noted the inexplicable absence of Scritti Politti's "White Bread, Black Beer" and Bananarama's comeback CD, which featured a remix by Marc Almond. Guess they just don't play those videos on Fuse these days.
There are a lot of us Stegosauri out here who actually do recall everything from Led Zep to Hipsway, and it's quite knee-slapping to view this parade of saturnine hopefuls who clamor to be the next Menudo in a world where the next pop star is chosen by a 1-800 number. Were I to give these young musicians some sage advice, it'd be to pack up your electric twangers and take up a career as a Jolt-cola swigging pixel wizard at ILM, as to spare the trauma of seeing your CD on the dollar rack at Pinellas Park Gun-N-Pawn.
What's more intensely disturbing than the actual subject matter is the fact that Mr. Nuzum presumably had to have taken several hours out of his life to absorb and thus analyze the spotlit "rock albums". It leaves me as melancholy as maimed mourner to see Terence spit his time away like a disintegrating daffodil. I'd like to remind the young master that those precious moments are now indefniately eviscerated, and are now simply specks of crust in the netherworld called time and space. In that time he could have been watching "Fangs of the Living Dead" or doing The Safety Dance.
Andy Lalino
Clearwater, FL
Andy, thanks for writing. Terence's list got a little more attention this year than in past years. Even a message board thread got started over it. ---Nolan
TERENCE NUZUM RESPONDS:
Seriously, Andy...no, seriously. We have been back and forth on this. I don't think U2 is good anymore. Bono once said that he'd only break up the band when they became a "crap band". So why are they still together? Even the most die-hard U2 fan can hardly defend their last forgettably tepid albums. Depeche Mode has lost it and will never likely again make my list. As for any other stuff you cite, well, you know I despise that music. To me, the music of the '80s is the underground stuff like Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, etc., where punk rock DYI finally took over again. I hate crappy pop synth. Very few bands did it right. Echo And The Bunnymen, The Cure, Depeche Mode at times, and of course Sisters of Mercy. But that's about it. Why don't you make your own list which consists of nothing but '80s rockers' new releases? That's sad. I know if I'm still writing these lists 20 years from now, I won't have the same tired bands unless they are good. Difference is I won't fool myself, it'll really have to be good. You can't really say my list is bad as I can tell by your usual predictability that the only new music of which you have working knowledge is what you glean off MTV or the radio and that's all crap anyway. Do you mean to tell me you really know who TV On The Radio is? Seriously. You probably think they sound like Blink-182. Stick to what you know, Andy. That's my say.
Terence Nuzum
Tampa, FL
WILL MORIATY ON ANDY LALINO
To Andy,
At this point after reading your past two Oddservations (#356 and #357), Andy, I gotta say
that when it comes to today's State of the Union's Pop Culture
Environment...
I AGREE WITH YOU!
Don't even get me started on the shitty shape our once mighty airlines
are now in.
William Moriaty
La Floridiana,
Plant City, FL
VINNIE BLESI SPEAKS!
Hi, Nolan,
They are treating me very nicely here at the Institute. With daily shock therapy, they ensure me I will be a normal consumer within the next year. I have a comfortable room with cold concrete walls and a nice bunk with a 1-inch mattress to sleep on. I am not allowed sharp objects so I cannot write in my journal, but I am learning to knit.
NASA improves moon conspiracy with CGI:
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,72567-0.html?tw=wn_index_3
Set your phaser on stun:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10805240/
DC superheroes stamps:
http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=16810&productId=26251&langId=-1
Vinnie Blesi
Vinnie, I cautiously and judiciously welcome you back into the fringes of the PCR universe.
Re: "NASA improves moon conspiracy with CGI." NO THEY DIDN'T, this is a documentary on the space program.
Re: "Set your phaser on stun." Yes, I saw this intriguing story in the newspaper. It regarded new military weapons categorically called "beam-type" weapons and, at least as far as the paper went, focused on heat output to disable the enemy, not necessarily on vaporization. But the potential is there.
Re: "Superhero stamps". Yeah, saw that online. Those are cool.
Thanks for writing! Take care. ---Nolan
To send an email to Letters to the Editor write to: Crazedfanboy1@aol.com. Any emails sent to this address will be assumed intended for publication unless you specifically instruct me not to. I can and do respond privately, if that is your preference. Frequently, it's both ways.---Nolan
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