Latest Targ's Up!

And we're back!

I'm back home in Athabasca, because I just wanted a day to lie around the house and relax and unwind before heading back to work on Monday morning. Plus, I wanted to get a podcast up!

This week's episode of U62: The Targ is available for download. This week, I've got Episode 79: My Christmas Scrapbook. This one is a collection of clips I recorded live on location at various locales throughout my Christmas vacation.

Give it a listen!

And now, I'm going to go buy some frozen burger patties...I want to break in this George Foreman Grill I got for Christmas.

God, It's Good

Back from another lovely outing in the city. All my outings in the city are lovely.... got me some new Star Trek action figures for the collection, and I even bought a couple of calendars. It's weird. Last year, I was hoarding calendars...every town in Athabasca that was offering a free one, I would snatch it up. But there were a lot less free calendars this year. And now, with the new year just a scant 4 days away, I am calendar-less. Well, they're all half-price now anyway, so i bought two.

Anyway, I just knew that Christmas vacation wasn't going to get away until I went to see a movie. I saw Sweeny Todd, because nothing says "Christmas" like a musical about killing people and serving them up as meat pies! That, and, it's the latest from Tim Burton, and I do love his films.

Sweeny Todd is an amazing film. I loved it. It's definitly the most gory musical I've ever seen. and Johnny Depp spends a lot of time looking pained and tortured. It does have it's frightening moments, and I did cover my eyes a few times. But yup, it's defintly the best filmed version of Sweeny Todd since Jersey Girl.

There'll be a proper review on the official site in the next couple of days.

Bored on Vacation

I'm bored.

'tis a terrible thing to be when on vacation.

I'm at home at my parents' house in Entwistle right now. Ma and Pa have the tv tuned to their judge shows and they're down for the afternoon. I'm not a fan of the judge shows. I've played almost all the games I like to play online...I'm so bored, I just might have to start reading the book my sister loaned me.

I've got to be careful. Borrowing books from my sister might be the only books I'm borrowing for a while. I've been alluding to this in my Facebook page for most of this week. As I was leaving Athabasca...literally, my final minutes before leaving, I went "Hey, where's my library card?" and I suddenly went nuts, tearing apart my house looking for my library card. Never did find it, and it's been bugging me this whole week. I guess I've got a touch of the OCD.

So, I'm just here, goofing around on the computer, looking at Wikipedia...in fact, I read a pretty interesting article in today's Edmonton Journal about the state of Wikipedia. Seems that some thing Wikipedia has gotten too big, and a group of Wikipedia's volunteer administrators, citing quality over quantity, have gotten a little too militant in deleting entries they deem irrelivant. Even Wikipedia's founder was at the centre of this debate, as his one-line entry about his favourite meat shop got deleted as soon as it was put up.

I got caught up in the debate. A few months ago, I created an entry for Tusker, this Dreamworks computer animated film that got cancelled. I created it mainly because I wondered whatever happened to it and spent an afternoon looking for information...and then stuck all this information on Wikipedia. But yet, there it was, just a few hours later, flagged for speedy deletion. Why? "Lots of films get canceled, and they don't have entries." I was given one week to beef up the article, and if I didn't it would be deleted. As it's now almost three months later and the article's still there, I'm guessing it's safe for now.

I also keep threatening to improve the Wikipedia entry for Athabasca. I mean, the history section in that article actually has very little to do with the history of the town. I've even gone down to Athabasca's library and gotten the town's self-published history book. (Just about every town in Alberta has a self-published history book.) I can make that Wikipedia entry just so much better. I mean, just look at the entry I wrote for my home town.

But first, I need to get that book out of the library again. But before that, I need to find my library card.

Amazing how this all comes full circle, eh?

Anyway, I brought along Clippy, so I think I'll hit Entwistle and record this week's podcast live on location.

My Christmas Gift to You: the Ghostbusters Christmas Episode

So, another Christmas is winding down. I guess I'm officially a bacehlor...I got me a George Foreman Grill. Oh, the interesting things you get when you're difficult to shop for...

Anyway, before officially calling Christmas done, I had to share this with you, all six people who read my blog.

One of my most vivid memories of Christmas time TV wasn't a Christmas special, but a Christmas episode of one of my favourite cartoons. I'm talking about the Christmas episode of The Real Ghostbusters.

Here's the story: the Ghostbusters are coming home from a job on Christmas eve, when they drop through a rift in the space/time continuum, and wind up in Victorian London. Their PKE meters go off the charts, and they managed to save an old man from three ghosts. When they back to the future, they discover they've done something horrible. The old man was Ebenezer Scrooge. The three ghosts they captured where the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. By catching the three ghosts, Scrooge never learned the true meaning of Christmas, and Christmas as we know it no longer exists. So, the solution: Egon builds a special suit, and goes on a dangerous journey into the Ecto Containment Unit to retrieve the three ghosts. Meanwhile, the rest of the Ghostbusters initiate "Plan B," which is return to Victorian London, and try to teach Scrooge the true meaning of Christmas themselves.

So please enjoy The Real Ghostbusters in X-mas Marks the Spot, written by J. Michael Straczynski.

The new Knight Rider

I've been wanting to blog about this for a while now, and since I'm just relaxing at my sister's place, counting donw the last two sleeps until Christmas morning, now seems like a perfect time and place to do it.

For those who haven't heard, they're bringing back Knight Rider!





Yup, the success of the live-action Transformers has led Hollywood to believe that there's still interest in talking super-vehicles. So, they've decided to try a new, updated Knight Rider.

But this show is shaping up to be Knight Rider: The Next Generation. It is a flat-out sequel to the original, and is filled with many references and homages to the original series.

The new driver is a man named Mike Tracer, a former Army Ranger who's had a failed career as a race car drive. But then, he's contacted to drive a new talking super-vehicle called the "Knight Industries THREE Thousand," or "KITT." And then he's off to save the world from all kinds of bad guys.

Should I give the big spoiler? Sure. It's revealed at the end of the pilot that Mike Tracer is actually the long-lost son of Michael Knight. Hence the whole "next Generation" aspect.

But who cares about that? We all want to know about the new KITT. KITT is now a customized Ford Mustand Shelby GT 500. KITT's new voice is being done by Will Arnet, still best remembered as GOB [Jobe], the failed magician, smarmy Bluth brother on Arrested Development.

What's interesting is that this is being done as what they call a "backdoor pilot." First, they're making a 2-hour TV movie. If the ratings on the TV movie are good enough, it'll be given the go-ahead to become a series. They just finished filming the TV movie, and it'll air in February.

So, if you want a new Knight Rider on the air, check out that TV movie in February!

As you probably know, this isn't the first time they've tried to bring back Knight Rider. Here's a rundown of previous attempts:

Knight Rider 2000 - This reunion movie from 1991 was actually also the backdoor pilot for a new TV show. In the distant future of the year 2000, the Foundation for Law and Government (the folks who gave us KITT and Michael Knight), are back with their new supercar, the Knight Industries Four Thousand. Michael Knight is called out of retirement to pilot the Knight 4000, but Michael Knight refuses, saying that KITT is the only supercar for him. But, when a dangerous seriel killer gets out of prison, Michael Knight breaks KITT's computer units out of storage, and installs KITT in his ol' 57 Chevy to track him down. But, after sustaining heavy damage, Michael Knight finally has the bright idea to install KITT in the Knight Industries Four Thousand body. This is on DVD actually...it was inclused as a bonus episode in the Knight Rider: The Complete First Season boxed set.





Knight Rider 2010 - In a post-apocolypic, Mad Max future, a lone road warrior fights for law and order on America's highways, with the spirit of his dead partner installed in his car's AI. This was on in 1994, as part of Universal Studio's "Action Pack" of TV movies...the same series of TV movies that spawned Hercules: The Legendary Journies and TekWar. I never saw it, but my brother did, and told me it was "very weird."

(it's so bad, I can't even find a clip on YouTube)

TKR: Team Knight Rider - A syndicated TV show that lasted for one season in 97/98. The Foundation for Law and Government is back with a team of FIVE talking supervehicles, and they travel the world in a talking C5-Galaxy, fighting all manner of superthreats. Again, the only person I know of who's actually watched this is my brother, who described it as "Bad. Very bad."





And don't forget, there's still a movie version of Knight Rider in the works as well. As I've been told, they can have the new TV show and still work on a movie version because Universal Studios, the makers of the original TV show, still own the TV rights, while the creator of Knight Rider, Glen Larson, personally owns the movie rights. Larson's movie is currently in development at the Weinstein Company.

But now, would someone PLEASE bring back Airwolf?

Latest Targ's Up!

Wow! Last week's episode was a day late, and now, next week's is TWO DAYS EARLY! What gives?

Well, last week's was late because I was off on a supersized weekend. And now, I'm heading off to spend Christmas vacation in Red Deer, so rather than do a repeat, I decided to be all keener and get it up early!

Anyway, next week's is Episode 78: Christmas with my Brother and Sister. I share some wacky tales about...Christmas with my brother and sister. Weird how that works, eh?

Give it listen!

Hellboy II Trailer

Out of all the summer blockbusters coming next year, here's one that's been rather low on my radar. Hellboy 2!



Hee hee! They actually put "From the director of Pan's Labyrinth" in it! And it actually is from the director of Pan's Labyrinth!

Blade Runner on DVD

I've been doing a ton of blogging today, so I guess I should take a moment to acknowledge the biggest DVD release of the day.

I know I'm Captain Sci-Fi Guy and all that, but I've never been able to get into Blade Runner. When I finally rented it and sat down and watched it a few years ago, I walked away with a resounding "Meh." However, I do acknowledge it's impact on sci-fi films, respect it for that, and admit that the film has its die-hard fans.

So, at long last, Blade Runner finally gets the super-mega-ultimate DVD edition that it deserves. But not just any edition. Director Ridley Scott had never, ever been able to finish the film to his liking. So, the studio finally gave him a chance to sit down, clean up some of the special effects, and finally re-edit and finish the film the way he wanted. The end result is Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which finally represents Scott's vision of the film. The Final Cut even got a limited theatrical release back in October.

Anyway, Blade Runner is out in a slew of editions to suit your needs. What do we got here:

Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 2-disc Special Edition - OK, so you got The Final Cut on disc 1, and disc 2 contains a bazillion featurettes on the making of the film.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 4-disc Collector's Edition - So, you get the two discs listed above. Disc 3 contains three other known versions of the film (the original theatrical edition, the European version, and 1992's Director's Cut), and disc 4 contains a feature-length documentary about the film entitled Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition - If there's a person in your life that loves Blade Runner, then this is what you want to put under the Christmas tree for them. So, you get all 4 discs listed above. The fifth DVD contains a fifth version of the film...the "Workprint" version. This was the version shown for test screenings way back in 1982. It got leaked to theatres in 1990, and its unexpected popularity led to the creation of the 1992 Director's Cut. But that's not all! It comes packaged in a replica of the briefcase that Harrison Ford wields in the film, and in addition to the 5 DVDs, you also get a series of art cards, a lenticular image of Harrison Ford, a letter from Ridley Scott explaining the creation of the Final Cut, a little sketch that Ridley Scott drew, a replica of the origami unicorn that Harrison Ford gets at the end of the film, and a Hot Wheels version of a "spinner" -- the film's famous flying police car.

And this is all available in regular DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray.

Also out today and notable is The Simpsons Movie. There's also The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Volume II - The War Years. Many say that these episodes, with Young Indy in the trenches of World War I, is when the series really took off.

The Hobbit: coming Christmas 2010

We're finally getting our movie version of The Hobbit...by the same creative team that brought us The Lord of the Rings.

They're actually going to do two Hobbit movies...the first one will be a straight-up adaptation of The Hobbit. For the second one, they're going to cull through all the notes, appendices, and annotations that JRR Tolkien made to create something that bridges the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Peter Jackson and his partner (both creatively and romantically) Fran Walsh have signed on to executive produce...no word yet on whether Jackson will direct, although we have been promised that Jackson will be involved creatively.

They want filming to begin in 2009. Just like Lord of the Rings, the two films will be made simultaneously, with The Hobbit due out Christmas 2010, and The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Filler in Christmas 2011.

In case you don't understand why this is so huge, The Hobbit has been involved in a legal quagmire, that was only made worse when The Lord of the Rings was a huge hit and thus everyone wanted to make The Hobbit.

Quagmire run down: OK, so New Line made Lord of the Rings. Movie rights to The Hobbit were owned by MGM. They started suing each other for The Hobbit. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson felt that he got screwed out of some of the profits for The Fellowship of the Ring. That eventually degenerated into Jackson and New Line suing each other. But they assure us that all legal stuff is now resolved, and there's nothing stopping them.

In case you don't know, despite the fact that I've never been able to plow through the exposition-dense Lord of the Rings, I do count The Hobbit as one of my favourite books and have read it several times. And based on the climactic battles that each LOTR film had, I can't wait to see the Battle of Five Armies.

Letters to Santa

This news story came down the wire at work today, and I just had to share it with the world, cuz I found it interesting.

The Universal Postal Union has released their statistics on letters to Santa. The UPU is the department of the UN that co-ordinates post offices the world over to assist in the delivery of international mail.

According to the UPU, Santa is getting over 6 million letters this year. Santa has five million helpers in 20 countries to make sure that every letter gets an answer. That comes out to 660,000 post offices that receive Santa's mail.

For some odd reason, most letters to Santa get sent to Finland. Finland receives letters to Santa from over 150 countries.

But we all know that Santa lives in Canada. I know it, because the CBC said so. Canada gets the second-most letters to Santa, and those Canadian helpers send out replies in 26 languages.

Latest Targ's Up!

Got this week's episode of The Targ!

It's a day late because I had my super-sized long weekend, and I was too busy relaxing and goofing off to make one. So, I quickly threw one together this afternoon. It's a slapdash effort, which is why I call it Episode 77: Slapdash II.

Give it a listen, if you please!

My New Star Wars Action Figure: A Photo Essay

So, I returned to Athabasca to take on the new week and, being the workaholic that I am, my first stop was the office, to download all the news releases and stuff I missed while I was gone.



I threw open the door to my office and there was a big surprise waiting for me. There was a FedEx box on my desk!



I took the box home, and began to ponder what could be inside.



Hey, give me a break. I hadn't freshened up from the trip.

Then I realized a better way to figure out what was in the box was to actually read the shipping label, and/or open the box.

The return address on the box read:

Lucasfilm Ltd.
20100 Vermont Avenue
Torrance, CA
90502

Lucasfilm! That meant it could only be one thing.



for those who haven't been listening to the podcast, let me clue you in.

Several months ago, I was doing some window-shopping at the Star Wars online store. And there it was, the coolest and rarest Star Wars action figure of them all. The McQuarrie concept R2-D2 and C-3P0. Ralph McQuarrie is the artist who came up with a lot of the designs for Star Wars, and this year they'd actually been releasing action figures of the original McQuarrie designs. The McQuarrie R2-D2 and C-3P0 were available only to those who went to Star Wars Celebration Europe...the massive, official Star Wars convention in England. Or, available to members of Hyperspace...the section of the official Star Wars website that you have to pay to get into.

And, lo and behold, my best friend pays for Hyperspace!

One quick e-mail to my best friend later, and I was waiting the 6-8 weeks to get my McQuarrie concept R2-D2 and C-3P0.



I still have to find out why it got delivered to the office, and not my home. It matters not. It was the perfect end to a super-long weekend!

My Thoughts on Pirates of the Caribbean, and some childhood nostalgia

As I was finishing up my Chrismtas shopping the other day, I did deviate a little bit and buy a present for myself. It was sparked by a nostalgia for my youth.

Remember being a kid, and how they made those read-along books? You'd have the storybook, and then the book would come with a cassette of some guy reading the story. And then you could listen to the story and read along in your book. In fact, I'm old enough to remember them as records and books. And the really good ones had a song at the end of the story. Yeah, those were a seminal part of my childhood, but they kind of faded away sometime in the 90s as CDs became more prevalent. I guess the CD and book never caught on....

Until today! As I was Christmas shopping in Zellers, I couldn't help but notice a whole slew of them on store shelves. All CDs and books. I was quite tickled as I remembered fond memories of these. Obviously, it's Disney who's leading the charge, as they were all Disney titles.

So I decided to dip into my pocket and get a three-pack...three books, and the accompanying stories on one CD. And what three pack did I get?

Why, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, of course!

And what am I going to do with this? Why, rip the CD and put it on my MP3 player, so I can have Pirates wherever I go!

Actually, while I'm doing this, I would like to take a moment to clarify my thoughts on the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. At the recent company Christmas party, I drew the DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End out of the big pile of gifts for everyone. At which point, one of my co-workers had to announce to everyone that I hate the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Let me make it clear.

I don't hate the Pirates of the Caribbean films. However, I find that they have one fatal flaw that prevents me from loving them the way the rest of the world does. What is that flaw?

I can't get into the mythology. I just don't buy it.

I think the mythology in the Pirates films that they start setting up in Dead Man's Chest is just much bigger and more convoluted than it needed to be. Eventually, the entire trilogy just collapsed under the weight of the mythology, forcing it go to what I thought was an unsatisfying conclusion.

Now, don't get me wrong. I've followed some rather convoluted mythologies in the past. Hell, I stuck with The X-Files for all nine seasons. But they had nine years to set it up. With something like Pirates, you only get three films. And when you start bogging those films down with exposition...people sitting down to explain the rules of the universe, well, that annoys me.

I think, in a future blog entry, I'll lay out what I think are the rules for a good mythology. And a rule that will most definitly be on that list is: not everything needs to be explained. If your film has to have a conference scene, where all the main characters sit around and explain how the fictional universe works, well, that's a danger sign right there.

That's why I prefer the the Lord of the Rings films over the original novels. I've tried many times to get through the books, but I just can't because every three chapters there's another "conference" chapter where the rules of the universe have to be laid out. However, in the movies, Peter Jackson seemed to know which conference scenes could be left in the books.

Do such conference scenes help flesh out the universe, and make for a rich and detailed experience? Yes. But, if it doesn't advance the plot or develop your characters, it does not need to be in your movie.

And that's why I can't fully embrace Pirates of the Caribbean the way the rest of the world has. The whole darn mythology of Davy Jones and Calypso and Pirate Kings just required too much explaining. And, in At World's End, where the characters are having their conference scene and they have to go so far as to pull out a rule book...right there. I was done. If your characters don't even understand the mythology, then that's a clear sign that it's convoluted.

Some people like their convoluted mythologies. Hell, thanks largely to its convoluted mythology, my best friend will still tell you that The Matrix Reloaded is THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!! But not me. After years of Star Trek and X-Files, I'm just done with trying to keep up.

New "Dark Knight" Posters!

The "posted items" feature on Facebook has gone all wonky on me, so I'm going to have to go old school and post the new posters for The Dark Knight here on my blog.

First up, this new poster featuring the Joker. I'll say this...Heath Ledger looks the part from behind.



And not to be outdone, here's the new one featuring Batman.



The new trailer is in theatres this weekend, in front of I Am Legend. If you go to see I Am Legend in IMAX, you'll even get to see the first 6 minutes of the film!

Rumor has it the new trailer will be online Sunday or Monday.

Movie Review: Futurama: Bender's Big Score

So here I am, all safe and sound in my beloved home of Entwistle. I'm here because of a "bank error in my favour." The company ran some numbers and figured I was owed a lot more days off this year than we all thought, so they figured that this was the best time for me to use them up!

So I'm chilling, relaxing, and getting all the Chrismta shopping done. However, while I was Christmas shopping yesterday, I couldn't help but pick up a DVD for myself that I'd been wanting to get for a couple of weeks now.

So, let's review this straight-to-DVD gem, shall we?

Futurama: Bender's Big Score

Directed by Dwayne Carey-Hill

Starring the voices of Billy West, Katey Segal, John diMaggio, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom, David Herman, Coolio, Mark Hamil, Al Gore, Tom Kenny, and voice acting legend Frank Welker.

Backstory: When Family Guy made its miraculous resurrection thanks to strong DVD sales and incredilby high ratings in reruns, many wondered when Futurama would be making a similar comeback. After all, Futurama suffered pretty much the same fate as Family Guy. The plan was announced that Futurama would be making its comeback in a series of four straight-to-DVD movies. Of course, the grand plan is to eventually chop up these movies into 4 episodes each, giving a long-awaited 16-episode season 5. And the first of those straight-to-DVD movies, Bender's Big Score, came out a couple of weeks ago.

Plot: After getting (their delivery license) renewed, the Planet Express crew makes a delivery to the Nude Beach Planet. While taking some time to enjoy the sun, they notice that Fry has a tatoo of Bender on his ass. Also, they unwittingly sign their personal information over to a gang of nude Internet scammers. The scammers then use this info to take over Planet Express. That's also when they discover the secret of Fry's tatoo: it holds the key to paradox-free time travel. Using this, the scammers reprogram Bender to loot of all history, all the while using their insidious spam to con all of Earth! Can Fry, Leela, and the rest of the Planet Express crew save Earth from the scammers and restore the timeline? Oh, and throw in a great homage to The Terminator, and the latest monkeywrench in the Fry/Leela romance in the form of a man named Lars Filmore.

What I Liked: Ye gods, this thing makes tons of in-jokes and references to Futurama episodes. It's neat to see the origins of certain things, even if they are treated as throwaway gags. And, it's just funny as hell. Mark Hamil piloting a TIE fighter. How Al Gore lost the 2000 election. Again with Gore: "At last! I get to save the world with deadly lasers, and not deadly slide shows." And, best of all, four words: solid gold Death Stars.

What I Didn't Like: As part of the grand scheme to eventually chop this up into 4 TV shows, it is a bit episodic.

Final Verdict: Funny, funny, funny.

3.5 Nibs

DVD Bonus Materials: In this straight-to-DVD package, you get all this to enhance the film:

• Running commentary with the voice cast and crew
• Futurama Returns! - A live reading of one of the comic books, by the voice cast.
• Everybody Loves Hypnotoad - A complete episode of the 31st Century's favourite sitcom
• Deleted Scenes that never made it past storyboards
• A Terrifying Message from Al Gore - the special trailer for An Inconvenient Truth that starred Al Gore and Bender. This also has a running commentary featuring Gore and Futurama's creators.
• Bite My Shiny Metal X - A lecture from a math professor that demonstrates that most of the equations and math jokes in Futurama are actually legitimate math equations!
• The first draft of the script
• Character designs for the new characters in the film
• 3D models and turnarounds of the spaceships
• The special 5-minute trailer whipped up for the San Diego ComicCon.

And, just one last reminder that the second film, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs, comes out this spring.

First poster for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

Nice.



First trailer's due in February.

If you're a total movie nerd like me, then I'll point out that the poster was drawn by veteran movie poster artist Drew Struzan, who did the movie posters for every Indiana Jones and Star Wars movie.

It actually reminds me of the Temple of Doom poster, which is still one of my favourite movie posters of all time.

Latest Targ's Up!

Got this week's episode of The Targ up!

In Episode 76: The Backwards Sign, I ramble about Star Wars, DXing, and Christmas!

Ah, Christmas! Time to get the tree up! Weird thing is though, I've got no room in my living room, so I'm putting it my bedroom.

You go listen while I go decorate

Here comes Speed Racer

From the creators of The Matrix, and based on the beloved anime.



I dunno...I get a whole live-action Thunderbirds vibe from this.

A Very Good Day

Something very cool happened at work today. I'm still kind of tingly about it.

Today, my co-worker and I were mystified when our little old radio station in Athabasca got a letter from Sweden. We opened the letter and inside was a message from the Swedish fellow.

He said he listens to our radio station.

This guy in Stockholm listens to this little old radio station in Athabasca.

The letter said that his hobby was something called DXing, which is when you get a high-powered antenna and try to pick up distant radio signals. And this guy, he picked up 850 the Fox.

Well, actually, he picked it up on January 3, 1999. Something about the postcard from Stockholm triggered something in my mind. I went and looked at our big bulletin board of thank you notes from all the community groups we helped. And yup, on it were a half-a-dozen postcards from Stockholm. All from this guy. He's been writing the station for almost 9 years, trying to confirm that he had picked up the Athabasca radio station.

I figured this guy deserved an answer.

I fired off an e-mail to my bosses in Edson. After all, we don't keep records from 1999. My bosses told me that things like this are actually quite common, and that they just answered a similar letter from Italy in regards to the Edson station. But yup, my bosses asked around and found the folks who were working here almost 9 years ago, and the things that this Swedish guy listen in his letter were consistent with what we were playing 9 years ago.

So I"m going to respond this guy. He's been trying to get an answer out of us for almost 9 years...he deserves one.

I've just been giddy about this all day. Someone in Sweden heard our station. This is it. This what radio's all about. Reaching someone so far away.... This is just very cool.

---

Ah, Snake-Eyes. Truly the most popular and best known member of G.I. Joe. Just about everyone knows his story.... An unnamed soldier, horribly disfigured and rendered mute when he did a dangerous rescue of one of his teammates. in Vietnam. He returned home to the States to find his parents and beloved twin sister had been killed by a drunk driver. Without a home, he joined his friend Storm Shadow in Japan in Storm Shadow's family business...a ninja clan. But Snake-Eyes excelled in his studies, and soon was competing with Storm Shadow for the Hard Master's favour. But then, when it appeared that Storm Shadow killed the Hard Master, Snake-Eyes returned to the States and lived in seclusion in a cabin in the woods. But, he was sought out by General Hawk to join America's daring, highly-trained special missions force.

And then things got complicated....

So, with a live-action movie version of G.I. Joe, who's going to be playing the Joes' silent badass? Who will be the best there is at what G.I Joe does?

How about...Darth Maul?

That's right...the fanboys' wet dream has come true! Ray Park is playing Snake-Eyes.

---

And speaking of movies, we've got a few more cast members for the upcoming long-awaited X-Files 2.

Amanda Peet, Xzibit, and Billy Connolly have just joined the cast! Peet and Xzibit play fellow FBI agents...Connolly's role hasn't been disclosed yet.

Filming starts on Monday, and it comes out in July.

But once again, I implore you please...bring back Robert Patrick as Agent Doggett.

Blogger's Guilt

I frequently lament that I don't use my website for something...beneficial. You know, when those monks were protesting in Burma a few months back, it made headlines how people were getting the word out via blog. One friend of mine recently finished a days-long dissertation on feminism and women in pop culture. My best friend has a blog, but he only makes entries when he "has something worth saying." As such, he hasn't made an entry in 7 months.

And me? What do I use my website for?

Here's what I want for Christmas

Bob & Doug on DVD

Wow! Here's a DVD that came out last week that completely escaped my notice.

Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Aniversary was shown on the CBC back in May. Made to commemerate the 24th anniversary of Strange Brew, the special was a documentary about the origins of Bob & Doug McKenzie, it's impact on pop culture in the 1980s, and interviews with celebrities about how Bob & Doug McKenzie influenced them...including Ben Stiller and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. It was narrated and hosted by former Prime Minister Paul Martin. But the highlight was Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis getting into character one last time to give us some new Bob & Doug McKenzie segments, as they riff on the 21st Century and beyond!

Anyway, Bob and Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary was released on DVD last week, in what they call the "True Hoser's Collector's Edition." Instead of the one hour special that was shown on CBC, this is an "unrated director's cut," expanded to a full 94 minutes. For bonus materials, you get:

• Seven classic Great White North segments from SCTV
• Two tracks off the classic Great White North album
• Extended interviews with the aforementioned celebrities about Bob & Doug McKenzie
• Footage of celebrities and groups across the land performing the Bob & Doug McKenzie theme song (when first aired on CBC, this footage was used for promos and commercial bumpers)
• A Q&A with Bob and Doug McKenzie
• Some Pizza Hut commercials that Bob and Doug McKenzie did in the late 1980s.

And, each DVD comes with a special commemerative bottle opener.

It's available in stores now.

Latest Targ's Up

Got this week's episode of The Targ up!

This week, we've got Episode 75: Mascot Mania, where I offer up all my thoughts on the Vancouver 2010 mascots, and share some tidbits of mascots past.

Plus, as it's now December, I start playing Christmas songs! So, listen for my first Christmas song of the season!

Listen to it!