Thursday, October 30, 2008

BOO!

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Happy Halloween!

More later,


Mark

Jon Stewart on 'Going Rogue'

A long clip from Wednesday's "The Daily Show" features the insipid "Joe the Plumber" and the his views on international affairs that will make you, at first, laugh, and then, tremble with fear that the McCain-Palin campaign has put such a dimwit on the campaign trail. Joe's views on Barack Obama are so incredibly wrong-headed that Fox News is forced to come to Obama's defense.



Fresh from his late-night appearance with Obama in Kissimmee, Bill Clinton hits town today for a campaign appearance. And our staff will provide pool coverage for John McCain's Youngstown appearance on "Good Morning America" Friday.

More later,

Mark

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Socialist Running For President



On Tuesday, Stephen Colbert interviewed Brian Moore, the Socialist Party candidate for president who, it turns out, does not back that "capitalist" Barack Obama. Shocking news (for the McCain campaign)!

Meanwhile in Youngstown, Ohio, the frenzy is getting whipped up as we hit the homestretch in Election '08. Tonight is the "Rock the Vote" concert featuring the Beastie Boys and Sheryl Crow and others at the Chevy Centre. Bill Clinton is here Thursday and John McCain will be live on Good Morning America a couple of blocks from The Vindicator office downtown Friday.

We know there will be more candidates and surrogates before Tuesday.

More later,


Mark

Monday, October 27, 2008

What You Get When You Combine Election Week and Halloween

Well, it's a little dated (might be from last Halloween) but I hope you at least find the casting inspired in today's video

It's another ditty from the fine folks at Jib Jab who allow users to put various people's real heads into comical creations. For me, it's a perfect opportunity for all kinds of mischief...

Hence, this is my attempt to combine Election Week with Halloween, two of my most favorite times of the year...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!


More later,


Mark

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Simple Message

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I think it'll be kinda political around here for the next week or so...

More later,


Mark

Sammy's Growing!

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We took advantage of the Bears bye week to tear out a toilet and take new pictures of Sammy. He seems to grow a couple of inches every day and he's already learned to beg for treats like his brothers/mentors Louie and Clyde. He's into EVERYTHING which makes it kinda fun ... for Mary.

Above, he's modeling for us in preparation for one of his many, famous, long naps. Below, we caught him in midst of one of his famous, long naps clutching one of his favorite toys.

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That toy mouse has seen a lot of the house as Sammy carries him from room to room. Usually, he piles all of his toys on our bed, for reasons we cannot comprehend.

The other night he was upstairs with us in the bedroom when he decided he needed to use the litter box. So, he grabbed his mouse, ran downstairs, did whatever he had to do and then came back, still clutching the mouse. We presumed he had put the mouse down to use the litter box because to imagine anything else made us feel yucky.

More later,


Mark

Friday, October 24, 2008

Opie, Richie are Pro-Obama

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die


Regardless of the politics, it's kind of fun watching Ron Howard dig deep into his acting roots to pull off reprisals of his "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Happy Days" roles. Of course he needed the help of Andy Griffith and Henry "The Fonz" Winkler. And both he and the Fonz needed the help of some wigs and makeup (although ol' Ang seems pretty au natural).

So, if you wanna catch up with Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham, click above...

More later,


Mark

Thursday, October 23, 2008

All-New Celebrity Wall of Fame

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With all of the autographs we scored this weekend, we've augmented the old Celebrity Wall of Fame from the old Illinois Rat Pack Bar with cool new folks for a soon-to-be unveiled project.

Looking from left to right, from the top to the bottom, here's who is now featured for permanent display:

• Adam West and Yvonne Craig
• Yvonne Craig
• Burt Ward
• Julie Newmar (in color)
• Julie Newmar (in black and white)
• Lee Meriwether
• Malachi Throne
• Noel Neill
• Robert Vaughn
• June Lockhart
• Don Adams
• Rose Marie (to block)
• Steve Allen
• Dawn Wells
• Alan Young and Connie Hines

On hiatus are Jim Nabors, Robert Stack, Harry Morgan, Donna Douglass and Pat Priest.

More later,

Mark

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

One More Bat-Related Video



Here's Adam "Batman" West discussing his role among 1960s icons during the Adam West Banquet which kicked off the Screaming Tiki Comic and Pop Culture Convention last weekend.

Of course, sadly, I missed shooting his "live" rendition of "The Adam West Song." Holy Amateur Videographer!

More later,

Mark

Screaming Tiki Hits YouTube!



I found a couple of fan videos from this past weekend's Screaming Tiki Comic and Pop Culture Convention on YouTube.Com. Above, a group of Batmen pose for a picture with Catwoman. Below, the Batcopter takes off!

Enjoy!



More later,

Mark

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

For My Sister

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ERIC AND MARK!

My sister Karen writes "I was really hoping for a photo of my 2 brothers reliving the good old days with bath towel capes safety-pinned around their necks!"

Well, here is the next best thing: Eric and I hanging out in the Rat Pack Tiki Bar after the Screaming Tiki event with our Bat-shirts on enjoying Bat-Tiki Punch.

More later,

Mark

Sunday, October 19, 2008

One Great Bat-Time!

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Yes, that's me and Yvonne "Batgirl" Craig, during one of the many memorable moments from this weekend's Screaming Tiki Comic and Pop Culture Convention in nearby Niles, Ohio at the Eastwood Expo Center.

I am going to really let my geek flag fly today. This was my first-ever con (a fact that amazes long-time friend Brad who still maintains that I have done much weirder things) and I was literally a kid in a celebrity candy shop all day Saturday.

Some observations:

• Julie Newmar is wild! I could not tell whether she was in character or just a character in general. Unlike the other stars, she sat on her table and beckoned fans over. She even dared them. Here's the original Catwoman with Eric and me.

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PURR-FECTLY PHOTOGENIC.

• Brad and I got to sit in the perfect recreation of the TV Batmobile. For $20, we also got a nice 8-by-10 of the moment that we pretended to drive the streets of Gotham City in search of evil-doers.

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ATOMIC BATTERIES TO POWER! TURBINES TO SPEED!

• Adam West is funny and polite and accessible, which means he is everything that his manager Fred is not. Fred was the one person at the con who seemed to rub absolutely everyone the wrong way. Fans told me of how he interrupted conversations, of how he was rude to those taking pictures (including The Vindicator photographer), of his general kill-joy nature in general. But I will still always cherish the fun times with Adam.

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WILD, WILD WEST

• The biggest bargain at the con was at Tiny Titans booth where genius artist Art Balthazar would do a drawing of you as any superhero for $1! He did me as the Incredible Mark Hulk, Eric as Batman and Brad as Kid Flash.

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MARK SMASH!

Here are some other images from the day (many shot by Mary who, oddly, was not photographed at the event).

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DANGER! DANGER! BRAD AND MARK MEET THE ROBOT!

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BRAD MEETS MALACHI "FALSE FACE" THRONE ... OR DOES HE?

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BRAD MEETS YVONNE "MARTA" CRAIG ... SECURING A STAR TREK AUTOGRAPH FOR HIS WIFE KATHY

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ADAM TRIES TO KEEP UP WITH JULIE DURING A PANEL DISCUSSION

Actually, I have a snippet of video from the panel. Here, Julie has just complimented Adam as the best Batman ever and he returns the compliment...



More later,


Mark

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Holy Bat-Week, Day 1!

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Wow! Here's the Batmobile on the floor of the Eastwood Expo Center as the Screaming Tiki Comic and Pop Culture Convention is under way. We had a busy evening last night, so here are some pictures.

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Brad, Eric, Mary and I attended the Adam West Banquet at the Avalon Inn Chop House. Here Adam is regaling the crowd with many of his stories, as Lee Meriwether looks on.

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I got Adam West to sign "The Adam West Song!" The crowd went wild!

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Back at the expo center, the Batcycle is on display...

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...and the Batcopter was in front of stately Wayne Manor.

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After dinner, I ran into Ms. Meriwether at the Superman 70th anniversary party...

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...as well as the original, coolest and best Lois Lane, Noel Neill.

Were having a blast! There is a full day of fun ahead of us!

More later,


Mark

Friday, October 17, 2008

Olbermann takes part in Bat-Week!



Even Keith Olbermann of MSNBC's "Countdown" has acknowledged this historic Bat-Week and on Wednesday he aired footage from Adam West's old "Batman" show which featured a debate between Batman and his arch-nemesis, The Penguin. Keith's point: Though about 40 years old, the clip sounded as if it could have plucked from debates today.

Worse, Burgess Meredith's Penguin sounds hauntingly like John McCain in recent weeks... "Wah!"

Anyway, Eric and Brad hit town today and will join Mary and me as we dine with Mr. West tonight. A full report will follow...

More later,


Mark

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Adam West Song!



I finally found a version of "The Adam West Song" on YouTube.Com that won't get the producers of "Family Guy" all litigious.

But if Seth McFarland wants a piece of me, anyway, he can look me up... Bring it on, McFarland!

In a couple of days, I will get to hang out a bit with the guy who really was a big part of my early (and ongoing) childhood. The "Batman" television show was the first TV program that I remember having a big influence on Mark's World (along with the venerable Bozo's Circus). I was 6 years old in 1966 when the series launched and soon all the guys in the neighborhood were captivated. Moms pinned towel capes to our backs so we could run around like mini-superheroes before, during and after the show.

Batman posters covered the closets in my Kankakee, Ill. bedroom. I remember a fit in a store and crying that my Dad was a "cheapo" because he didn't buy me a GIANT Batman fan club button that I just HAD to have (of course, he HAD purchased it secretly and I feel like a heel for my fit to this day). I remember, too, a model of the Batmobile that my Dad and I built "together" (though I am guessing that he did the most work). I remember getting a set of Topps Batman cards when we were shopping at the grocery store. I was feeling the effects of the flu but I hung on without throwing up until we made the toy aisle and the cards were secured. Dad then had to clamp his large hand around my up-chucking mouth and carry me out of the store. I was sick the next day and home from school and my wonderful Mom served me 7-Up, saltines and let me spend the day enjoying those wonderful cards...

I still remember my first Batman comic book (Batman No. 194 from 1967, "The Blockbuster Goes Bat-Mad"). I remember the night Dad came home from work and presented me a Signet paperback featuring black-and-white reprints of the very first Batman comic book adventures from the 1940s. I read that book over and over even though my first- or second-grade brain could not process all of the words.

Now, the show was mostly fun for the fights and the improbable cliffhangers which forced us to wait one whole day to discover Batman and/or Robin would escape certain doom. Moms and Dads everywhere were kept mildly amused by the silliness, famous star villains and double-entendres. I am sure they also dreaded the marketing onslaught that carried over in every visit to nearly every store.

Batman was not just a TV show or a pop culture event or a marketing ploy, however. He epitomized goodness, valor, serving a purpose bigger than just mere existence. Bruce Wayne was a millionaire. He could do whatever he chose (or chose not) to do. He chose to try to make things better; to take a stand against very bad things.

I am sure that parents, the church, schools, Cub Scouts, etc., all wanted to impart that very lesson to me and my impressionable peers back in the mid/late-1960s. The problem is that the world was filled with other images of that era, like the Vietnam War, political assassinations, racial prejudice, etc.

Batman called out to our better natures. Sure, he'd throw a punch or two if provoked (especially in the seventh or eighth minute of the show or the 23rd or 24th minute) but he was also as inclined to solve mysteries with his mind or an innovative gadget.

He could out-smart you or out-fight you. But, he'd rarely raise his voice.

Speaking for Batman was Adam West who always was the image of calm resolve and effortless dignity, no matter the situation, even to the point of self-parody. Amazingly, that did not seem to bother him in the least. He appeared unflappable when called upon to involve himself in all kinds of silliness. Imagine that: A man in his 40's having all sorts of weird fun and taking it in stride...

I am sure the show was as much of an albatross as it was a blessing in terms of his acting career. But he, like Dad and Dick Butkus, was an early hero of mine and something compels me to meet him.

Maybe he enjoys appearing in places like Niles, Ohio or maybe he'll lash out at all the geeks and tell them (but, curiously, not me) to get lives a la William Shatner in that terrific Saturday Nigh Live parody. I have a feeling he has a terrific sense of humor and of himself, otherwise Seth McFarland would never have convinced him to take over as the mayor of Quahog.

And "The Adam West Song" would never have been sung...

More later,


Mark

Saturday, October 11, 2008

It's Bat-Week!

Yes, many worlds will collide this week when Adam West arrives for the Screaming Tiki Comic and Pop Culture Convention in nearby Niles, Ohio.

Niles is uncomfortably close to Frasier, Ohio. OK, I made that part up. But, you can check the con out here:

Screaming Tiki Con

The highlight of the show is a reunion of the stars from the old Batman TV show from the 1960's. Mr. West will be joined by Yvonne "Batgirl" Craig, Julie "Catwoman" Newmar, Lee "Movie Catwoman" Meriwether and a host of others.

Good friend Brad and brother Eric are driving in for the weekend which commences Friday with the "Adam West Banquet." We are hoping the people-watching and kitsch-buying will be sublime...

I wonder if he'll sing the Adam West song from "Family Guy" where he serves as mayor of Quahog?

As the week unwinds, I will regale you with tales of my infatuation with Batman while growing up. During the big weekend, video- and camera-willing, I hope to capture the fun during the convention when a frustrated Adam West slugs me for asking one-too-many times if I can borrow the keys to the Batmobile (which will be there along with the Batcycle and the Batcopter).

I am ready to let the geek out!

More later,


Mark

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Now, THAT'S a Catch!

In case you missed Marty Booker's incredible catch from the Bears beat-down on the Detroit Lions Sunday, check this out:



We had a great time at Jillian's Sunday and capped the day off with some bowling! I haven't thrown a bowling ball for about 15-20 years (which my back and hips reminded me Monday morning). We really love this place! It's great place to watch the Bears ($2 for 23-ounce Buds and $3.99 for eight wings) and the staff is great.

On the homefront, the tree removal team showed up Tuesday to remove 11 trees. We spent last night stacking potential firewood (which my back and hips reminded me this morning) and it looks pretty bare out there but we are hopeful that the remaining trees (still about 20 overall on our property) will flourish.

I am just glad that the trees were taken out before the fall leaf bonanza!

More later,


Mark

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Cub, Uhm, Well, You Know...

A couple of e-mailers this past week wanted to know why I have not posted on the wonderful Chicago Cubs season and the prospects of a all-Chicago World Series...

Uhm, gentle readers, I have followed the Cubs since 1969...

Still, I know a source in Major League Baseball and he was kind enough to slide me some exclusive footage from Saturday nights Cubs-Dodgers game. Enjoy!



OK, that was kinda mean. But pretty predictable.

Me? Well, I had an interesting Friday. Todd Franko and I ducked out of work for about an hour to catch middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik spar in his gym as he prepares for his Oct. 18 bout against Bernard Hopkins in Atlantic City. Ever stand at ringside to watch a world champion spar just feet away? Me neither, until Friday. And with all due respect to the Cubbies, there's no comparison between the exhilaration of watching a champ prepare and watching the same athletic futility I've witnessed since I was 9 years old...

More later,

Mark

P.S. The fine folks at Jillian's convinced us Monday night to try them out for the Bears game, which is where we will be today...
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