Long Day...Don't Wanna Post...arrrghhh...

Oh, okay. FINE!!! Just for that, I curse you, the viewer, with DISCO FEVER!!!



There! Y'happy? See what happens when I'm tired??

Dope out.

-TGWD

"The Muppet Show" Revisited...

Most of you young whippersnappers are looking at the title of this post and thinking, "Hey, don't you mean 'Muppets Tonight'", or better still, "What are Muppets?" - well, the truth of the matter is, before they got bought out by Disney and became as generic as Mickey Mouse is now, The Muppets were a fanciful creation of Jim Henson, and as funny as all get-out.

"The Muppet Show" came out in syndication through ITC Television in 1976 and ran through 1981, showcasing some pretty big-name stars in their time, too. And when it came to droll, sarcastic humor, nobody topped Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear.

This is how your average show started...



Kudos to Kermit, as always.



Love Miss Piggy...



And what bear was funnier than Fozzie Bear?



The Swedish Chef was always hilarious...



Ditto with Beaker...



Double-ditto with Animal...


But, years after "The Muppet Show" left the air, Jim Henson sadly died after a long bout with cancer. I find it fitting to end this posting with the Muppets themselves giving their creator this fitting tribute.



God, I loved that show.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Saturday Morning Cartoons Return!

I woke up this morning and, noticing the dearth of good old fashioned cartoon action going down, thought I'd do the rest of the world a favor and show you cartoons as they were supposed to be - no anime, no live-action, all fun!

I think we should just do the old Looney Tunes route today, okay?

First up, Bugs Bunny in "Rhapsody Rabbit":



Next we have Daffy Duck in "Duck Amuck"...



Bugs vs. Elmer Fudd: always a winning combo...



Sylvester vs. that darned kangaroo thing...



Did you know Daffy Duck was a commando during WWII? Neither did I...



And apparently Bugs fought the Nazis, too...



And to wrap it up, A Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf ' toon.



There, I feel better about Saturday Morning, now.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Monty Python 101

What is/are/were Monty Python, you may ask...if you're one of those scattered few who has no idea what comedy truly is? Well, I'll tell you:

In 1969, British television premiered a troupe of comic actors who, in and of themselves, comprised a group so named Monty Python's Flying Circus because...well, it was probably the first thing that came to mind.

That group had in its ranks no less than John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, all of whom went on to other successes after the show folded in 1974. Their brand of comedy was typically British; dryly cutting through the stiff-upper-lip mentality of their homeland with an occasional outbreak into song, animation, innuendo or outright slapstick (sometimes all at the same time).

Many comics and comedic groups today take much of what they have learned from the Python troupe, and rightfully so; if you're gonna steal, why not steal from the best?

Again, some of you may not know what MPFC is or what they've done. Therefore, as a public service to the world as a whole, I give you a crash course in some of Monty Python's Flying Circus' funniest bits.

Of course, we should start with how they (typically) began their show:



"The Dead Parrot Sketch" was always a classic...



This is their "Argument Clinic" sketch...no it's not...yes, it is.... ; )



Nudge nudge, wink wink....



Ladies and gentlemen, the Upper Class Twit of the Year....



Self defense is also important....



But then, NO ONE expects...well, you'll see....



And certainly no one expects it TWICE!



And I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay!



There you are. Now you're down with MPFC. Next time, we'll look into their movies.

Dope out, old chaps.

-TGWD

Yet Still More Great '80s Music - From The '80s!!

Three words, people: Wall Of Voodoo.



Dope out.

-TGWD

The Star Wars Holiday Special: The Phenomenon Continues....

November 17, 1978.



A day that will live in infamy...for all mega-Star Wars geeks like myself, anyway.



You see, this was the day when a project was released that George Lucas greenlit and, needless to say, is the reason why he nowadays oversees everything down to the teeniest detail on any and every thing that has to do with his creations, both big and small. Kind of like the time Roger Moore wore a tuxedo in Cannonball Run (1981) and was basically lampooning James Bond, so now no present-movie Bond can do the same thing, legally.



Still with me?



Okay, the CBS suits thought it would be great to do a special about Star Wars for the holidays, maybe throw in some SW toy ads at the end, really give the kids something to pine for 'round Xmas time.



But what can you say about a show with SW characters, in the SW universe that has time for musical interludes, Harvey Korman doing slapstick, a cartoon and Carrie Fisher singing her little heart out? AND was co-written by Bruce Vilanch??



Part of me rabidly hates this thing, with its obvious contempt for any and all things Star Wars while they play to the lowest common denominator for Mr. and Mrs. Prime-Time. Yet another part of me loves it because, yes, it is in fact a (red-headed stepchild) part of the SW universe and is kitschy as all get-out; very much a product of '70s television.



But why explain it to you, the skeptic, when I can just SHOW you what I'm talking about?



(...yeah, like you didn't know I was getting around to this sooner or later....)



Here is the opening of the whole thing:







Here is a cartoon shown half-way through (to some, the best part of the whole show):







A cantina scene like in the movie, only this one is showcasing both Harvey Korman AND Bea Arthur, ladies and gentlemen! Huzzah!







Any "South Park" fans out there? Remember that Christmas special they did which had some news reporter guy talking about "fighting the frizzies"? Well, Matt and Trey got it from this show (actually, it was one of the commercials that also got copied with the show, and is now part and parcel with the SWHS legend...) Anyway, here's the original commercial:







And, as mentioned earlier, Princess Leia "sings"!

(Yes, the quotes are there for a reason. You'll see...)







Well folks, you have now seen what few people have. In bits and pieces to be sure, but you now get the essence of what the "Star Wars Holiday Special" is all about. Go now, and share the good news with others. And the next time someone complains about how bad Attack of the Clones was, just smile, shake your head and tell them they have no idea what "bad" is.



We certainly do, don't we?



Dope out.



-TGWD

Even MORE Of The Best Music From The Best Period For Music - The '80s

Alan Parsons Project. Ooo-rah.


Dope out.

-TGWD

Mr. T - He's Absoludicrous!

I was there watching Mr. T back in the day. Back when he was still Clubber Lang and B.A. Baracus and Bruise Brubaker (remember, from "The Toughest Man In The World"?). Now? He's a cultural icon, on the same level as Chuck Norris, though in comparison, no one cowers when Chuck growls. Mr. T growling? Well....

But let us celebrate the phenomenon known as Mr. T, shall we?

"A-Team" goodness - he hates flying, you know.



He does ads, too. For car wax...



...burgers...



...and your local cable channels!



He was so cool, he even had his own cartoon show! Just like Muhammad Ali!



Then he made a thing of legend. A video called Be Somebody! Or Be Somebody's Fool! And let me tell you something, not only does Mr. T have fashion sense...



...the man can SING!!



And we leave Mr. T with a song (I just can't get enough of that golden voice).



So here's to you, Mr. T; and I for one pity the fool who doesn't appreciate you.


Dope out. Fool.

-TGWD

More Classic Music From The Classical Era - The '80s

Blondie. What else is there to say?



Dope out.

-TGWD

In Praise Of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Part I

NOTE - sorry about the late post today. Long day, don't wanna talk about it....

Many of you unwashed heathens out there have never had the pleasure of knowing what "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (or MST3K, for short) is all about. In short - it rocks.

MST3K is the brainchild of a small group of comedians and comic writers hailing from Minneapolis around 1988 in a small TV station called KTMA. Their idea was a simple one: take a poor sap stranded in a space satellite with two wisecracking robots, subject them to really lousy movies (the worst they could find) and have them make fun of them as we watched. For some of these flicks, it was a pretty easy task.

But it was indeed a success, and sprawled out through 11 seasons altogether (the creators don't recognize their KTMA time as a season, so it's usually referred to as Season 0, the remainder as 10.), making heckling a high art.

From there, their show went to the Comedy Channel, then the Sci-Fi Channel. Then, sadly, to cancellation. But MST3K's fans keep spreading the word, circulating the tapes and making known the names of Joel, Mike, Tom, Crow and Gypsy.

As a starter for those who know not of these creatures and the wonderful universe they inhabit, here's a great page that chronicles their genesis and evolution:

MST3K - In The Beginning

Now, to start with, here's the beginning credit roll for their KTMA season:



Here's a clip from the show's pilot that no one has ever seen in its entirety except for an excerpt at conventions and such (the movie they're doing is The Green Slime).



Here's a random clip; Joel gets nabbed!



Robot abuse!



And their last show before going on summer hiatus. Little did they know what a difference one summer would make....



Next time, highlights from the first couple of seasons. And don't worry; they get funnier.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Play Some Games; You Deserve It!

Hey, you've had a hard day and you owe it to yourself to play every once in awhile, don'tcha? Of course. So play, then.

What games, you ask? Just click the link text below and go to the game page (I was lazy today).

BTW, you'll most likely need to have Java on your PC to play these.

* Use a giant magnifying glass and fry an entire city! Watch out for the tanker trucks.

* Ooh! A Superman Returns tie-in! Gotta love those!

* I remember BattleTank! Kinda updated though; I HATE that.

* This one's kind of addictive; play at your own risk.

* Q*Bert! I used to rock at Q*Bert! Me love Q*Bert! Q*Bert cool! Uh...sorry.

* Sonic the Hedgehog!! Well...kinda.

Okay, okay; that should do for now. I was busy playing with each game as I loaded it; this would have taken weeks!

Now go and have fun! You're welcome.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Movies As You (Don't) Remember Them: The Final Chapter

As I bring this resoundingly successful series of reimagined filmic previews to a close - for now, awnyway - I can only hope that perhaps there are some enterprising young minds in the big studios that see these trailers and, with a litle judicious editing on their end, maybe can bring the cinematic imaginings you've seen here to fruition. Let's keep our fingers crossed....

First, a decidedly darker version of a recent blockbuster - and on the plus-side: no singing!



I always thought Rita Moreno would make a fetching member of the undead, haven't you?



And finally, this is a film you're probably more familiar with if you've watched "Mystery Science Theater 3000" but the twist this time - it looks GOOD!



Well, that's it. Until next time, save me the aisle seat!

Dope out.

-TGWD

An Examination of "Two-Tone" Ska Music...

Most all of you know what ska is; a style of music inidigenous to Jamaica. You've heard it if you've ever listened to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Peter Tosh.

But have you ever heard of two-tone ska?

To quote Wikipedia directly, two-tone ska is "named after the label 2 Tone Records, founded by Jerry Dammers, keyboardist of The Specials. The Two Tone sound combined Jamaican ska rhythms and melodies with punk rock's uncompromising lyrics and aggressive guitar chords. Two Tone recordings are characterized by faster tempos, fuller instrumentation and a harder edge than original 50's and 60’s ska."

There are many examples of just this kind of music out there, especially in the late'70s - early'80s, all of whom have had varing degrees of success. But there is one rock group that personified two tone ska and was also very successful and greatly entertaining in its own right.

Maybe you've heard of them...?



That was a long way to go just to otherwise say I wanted to post a video by Madness, but hey - you just learned something today, so shut up and enjoy the song, willya??

Dope out.

-TGWD

News Time! Kinda....

It's news, and it's bloopers! Two good things that go better together!



Next report!



Blooper wrap-up!



...and that's all your info-tainment for today!

Dope out.

-TGWD

Putting A Face On The Internet...

Have you ever wanted to just poke someone in the eye? Tweak their nose? Hit 'em in the mouth with a mouse?

Well, you can't; you'd get arrested, more than likely. Unless, of course, you do it electronically.














This is Dominique, the Inter-Face. Just click her face and you will take part in one of the most bizzare interactive 'Net activities since they had that blonde woman in a black bikini bouncing downwards off of huge bubbles.

Have fun - you sickos.

Dope out.

-TGWD

The Most Perfunctory Ending In Motion Picture History, Period.

We've all been there; a movie is dragging, nothing's happened in the last six reels and the acting is about like watching bales of hay drying in the sun. Zip, zilch, nada.

Then the moment comes for the grand denouement, where everything is to be wrapped up and the action picks up 10-fold. But...does it?

No. It just causes confusion, anger, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and vomiting. If you're lucky.

The examples of this are endless and we all have our own personal examples of this horrid phenomenon. As do I:

Mine is Time Walker; you remember, I reviewed back when the earth cooled and dinosaurs once roamed free. But seriously, it came out in 1982 and...oh heck, you can read all the details by clicking the "archives" link on the right. But THIS is what really sends me over the edge to pure seething hatred - its ending. In the last 90 minutes or so, nothing of consequence happens, then...THIS.

So here it is, such as it is:



Y'see?!! See what I mean??!! ARRGHHH!!!

There. I'm vindicated. Dope out.

-TGWD

Disco Fever Lives Forever!

Well, maybe not, but for awhile it was the dominant dance music for a generation...then they wised up and went back to rock and roll.

I wa but a young lad when this craze was in full swing. The '70s; you know, the polyester-clad dudes and poofy-haired girls in sequins and rhinestones, all dancing the night away and trying to act cool and live up to the standard that John Travolta had set in Saturday Night Fever. But the thing is that disco was all through the '70s, not just '78, when Fever came out.

Be that as it may, there were some...let's just say...interesting music that came out in this era.

Oh sure, there were old standbys like ABBA...



The Bee Gees, 'natch...



Oh yeah, The Village People were in their glory, too. And don't blame me for the subtext, here....



Then there were also-rans like John Paul Young...



Gloria Gaynor (leading to the inevitable joke, "whatever happened to her??")...



And then, of course, came the one that should have weathered the storm, and still been playing to sold-out crowds this very day, maiking millions of dollars and sweeping every Grammy nomination ever awarded: The Seebach Band.



So yeah, disco still lives...even if it is on life support now.

Dope out, man.

-TGWD

Box Man - The Hero, The Legend!

This has been on the 'Net for a long time, and has built up a following (among the fringies of the WWW, at least) due to the amount of ingenious mechanics, creativity and concealment used and, to quote Monty Python, how not to be seen.

This is Box Man, a creature who lies waiting in abandoned alleyways the world over, waiting for his chance, encased in corrugation until the time is right...then HE STRIKES!

Just click on the picture up above and behold the wonder, the man, the legend, the cardboard known as...Box Man!

...okay, it's a slow day, I admit. What can I say?

Dope out.

-TGWD

Superman, in general....

Let it be known that I probably won't see Superman Returns, if only for the petty fact that I don't think Brandon Routh is a shade on Christopher Reeve.

I know; I'm judging a movie before I see it and that's wrong and Routh probably dores a good job, all things considered. Maybe, but Superman: The Movie was my intro to The Man Of Steel, cinema-wise, and it shall remain my personal brick wall against any other incarnation of Supes. It had the whole deal, after all - his childhood, the destruction of Krypton, his travel to Earth, his assumption of his reason for being here and all his heroic deeds thereafter.

Yes, I love Superman: The Movie. Sue me.


Let's see Brandon Routh get a trailer half as impressive as that.

Dope out.

-TGWD

The One With The Bunnies...

For years I've been searching for one particular commercial. A commercial that surpassed all others in quotas of cute, horrifying, agonizing and just plain good. And I had been without success.

...until now.

I now share my victory with you, who has probably been searching for the same commercial yourself. And if you are that person; glad to help you. :)



Another whole year till Easter. Siiiiiighhh....

Dope out.

-TGWD

My Interests In Paranormal Research And Studies

NOTE: I'm sorry the post's a little late today, work and all....

Anyway, for years I've been interested in paranormal research, or studying ghosts and poltergeists and stuff. Like a lot of others my age, I got interested in these things after watching movies like Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror and such.

It wasn't until later that I got into the more realistic takes on this, probably about the same time that my grandmother had died and, about a year or so after, I have vivid recollections of seeing a blue light in what used to be her room one night in our house. Ever since then, suffice it to say, I can say that I do believe in spooks.

There had been various other sites that I've found on the 'Net that are also like-minded, such as The International Society for Paranormal Research, which even goes as far as to offer others to go on research weekends in "ghost towns". Another site promotes the Paranormal Research Organization, a similar group in the United Kingdom. And yet another site, Miller's Paranormal Research even posts pictures of their own studies in and around Missouri. There are several other sites like this all over. The thing is to watch out for the fake ones.

I even found a couple of videos of paranormal studies and similar phenomena. Pretty cool stuff.

This is from Ghost Finders Scotland, who recorded some unusual phenomena in their homeland.



Sorry about the lousy quality on this one, but this video is supposed to show a ghost running (or floating) next to a car. And whoever shot this supposedly commented near the end, but for the life of me I couldn't make out a word. Hopefully your computer can pick it up better than mine does; I'd really like to know what he's saying.



Dope out.

-TGWD

Oh My God, *I'M* Kenny!

I've gotten several letters asking to know what I look like, recently.

...okay, NO ONE asked what I look like. That's just a segue to introduce the true intention of the post. Which is, to show you this realistic interpretation of what I, in fact, look like.


Ready? Okay:





















Yep, that's me - more or less. As far as looks, shape, proportion, anatomical correctness and so on. Yeah, I know; I look like Cartman with a henna rinse.

Maybe you'd like to do one of you? Just go here: South Park Character Maker.

Here's hoping yours turns out more attractive than mine.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Welcome to Blooperville!

It's been a lousy, rough, uncomfortable day. How about some laughs at someone else's expense?



Ahhh...that's better, ain't it?

Dope out.

-TGWD

It's Saturday Morning - Time For Cartoons...One More Time!

The day of the week I (or any other young-at-heart-type) look forward to more than any other. It's Saturday in the A.M. and time to plop down in front of the TV and not budge until after noon. Bring on the good stuff; the non-ainme stuff, the old-school good-type stuff. The cartoons!

We start today with "The Secret Lives Of Waldo Kitty". And yes, as a matter of fact I do remember this one quite well.



Argh! I missed that animated "Star Trek" show! Oh well, at least I caught the end credits....



Okay, maybe there was room for a little anime in my Saturday morning; at least when it's "Speed Racer".



Once again, it's "Time For Timer"....



Yeah! It's "The Ghost Busters"! And no, not Bill Murray; think more Larry Storch....



I don't know about you, but I always though Archie Bunker needed a cartoon doppleganger.



Siiighhh...another stupid PSA...oh wait, what's that thing; Mister Yuck???



Ooh! "Schoolhouse Rock"! Time to get your adverbs.



...and 3 is a magic number.



Yeah, it's winding down; they're tyring to educate us now.



More commercials...hey, who's the Indian?



Poor Fred; he just can't hold onto his breakfast cereal....



Oh, looks like a commercial for what they have coming up..."Hong Kong Phooey"? Who's he??



Well, this was fun. If I come across any more Olde Time Saturday morning goodies, I may have another of these. Until then, I hope you enjoyed reliving my (and hopefully your) weekend rituals.

Dope out.

-TGWD

A Special Commercial Presentation...

I'm not going to say anything about this commercial I have here. It's been on TV many times before, you've probably caught it yourself and enjoyed the heck out of it. But if you're one of the few that haven't, then here's you're chance to catch it now.

Can you tell what it is from the screen grab? No? Good. It'll be better that way if you don't see it coming. Trust me.

And don't worry, it's not one of those scary ones that make you jump at the end. Quite the contrary.



Yeah. I know.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Missing "Star Wars" Footage...Missing No More!

You've no doubt heard, if you're a Star Wars geek such as I, that there ws some footage that George Lucas shot for the first SW film back in '77 that never made it into the finished product.

Some of it found its way into the legendary "Star Wars Holiday Special", but then even more was lost to the ages, only to be collected by the myriad SW fans, geeks, conventioneers, what-have-you.


But here we have the scene that was only found prior to this in an early script treatment and the Marvel comic adaption: where Luke runs into Toshi Station and comes across Camie, Fixer and his good friend Biggs who is off to fight in the Rebellion against...oh, you know.

Here, then, is the scene that was previously lost until now. Thank goodness for the 'Net, eh?



You're welcome, and Dope out.

-TGWD

The Golden Days of PBS...

(gets comfy in old rocking chair on front porch)

Now back in my day, when I was in grade school, we'd have a period or two in the day when the teacher would wheel out a TV on a tall stand. And we'd snuggle in 'cause we knew we were going to watch something; we didn't know what, but we KNEW it was going to be from PBS (that's Public Broadcasting System, for the two of you who didn't know).

'Course back then we didn't have all the flashy shows you do now. We had bare-bones shows that taught us bare-bones stuff. And we were grateful to get it!

And as for me, watching clips from those shows again gives me a great feeling of school nostalgia; throwing spitballs, getting called to the principal's office, detention....

Anyway, on to the clips:

We start with the classic PBS bumper with the heads. Kinda scary but it got your attention.



"Inside Out" was a show I remember watching quite well; it taught us morals, good manners, etc. And it was brought to us by a grant from Exxon, so how could it miss?



"Mulligan Stew" taught us nutrition and the four basic food groups, the nutrition pyramid, all that stuff. Isn't this all obsolete now? (BTW, the show wasn't in black-and-white, just this clip.)



And of course there was "The Electric Company", which taught us words, vowels, conjunctions, all the important stuff. And hey, it had Bill Cosby for a season and Morgan Freeman as Easy Reader (which he's probably still sick to death from hearing about).

Remember its '71 intro? Me neither.



But what I remember most are the cartoon interludes in the show. They were funny and got the point across. For instance....

Want a sweet roll?



How about some dinner at the diner?



There's no more ROOM in ths ROOM.



...and be steady, Freddy!



I know, I know; I didn't post anything fom "Sesame Street" or "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". Next time, okay?

Dope out.

-TGWD

Happy Fourth, Y'all!

Seeing that today's the 4th of July, the celebration of the U.S. of A's independence, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate with a Porky Pig cartoon.

Of course; how do YOU celebrate it?



Happy Fourth, and Dope out.

-TGWD

Scary Trailer, Lousy Movie: The Second Coming.

Well, here we go again, delving into the sadistic mind of the big-shot Hollywood producer who thinks that if his movie is about as scary as a bag of blueberry Jell-O, you might as well have Mr. and Mrs. Joe Schmoe from Kokomo get freaked out by the trailer, at least. If it works for a week or two, great. Then, the word gets out.... Hey, how do you think Steven Seagal movies did so well their first weeks out: great trailers.

Let's dig into the first one; Tourist Trap came out in 1979 and for what it was worth, the flick had some shocks here and there but nothing very memorable. When Chuck Conners is your mad killer, you might need more than a scary trailer. Though I do remember this one freaking me out quite nicely while I was innocently watching afternoon TV.

As a result, I've hated mannequins ever since.



Amityville 3-D marked a turning point in the Amityville series of films...from bad to worse. "The technology of terror" - ooh, scary!



Any movie with the late, great Anthony Perkins should be scary, shouldn't it? Not if it isn't the first Psycho or if it's any other movie wherein he'e apeing Norman Bates again. And especially not if it's Edge of Sanity. They tried, though.



They told the story of The Exorcist within the first movie. Why make a sequel? money, dear reader - MONEY. That's the only reason Exorcist II: The Heretic was made, then. But the only problem with that is - it didn't make money.



A bit of history here: the movie Magic came out in 1978 and though it was a lackluster psychological drama (NOT a horror movie), it did gain a notoriety of sorts in that the first commercial for its initial release scared nearly every defenseless child who saw it out of their wits (and yes, I proudly raise my hand in that company). I remember flipping out, changing the channel and/or running out of the room, hands over my ears whenever it came on. Again, the movie itself does not contain a murderous ventiloquist dummy on a rampage, so caveat emptor.

And for those of you who were scared you-know-what-less when this commercial first came out, I apologize...and you may not want to click the arrow on this one (...unless you're just a masochist).



Welp, that'll do 'er for this time out. Until I find some more examples of falseness in advertising, go rent something good, willya?

Dope out.

-TGWD

"Badi - The *Turkish* E.T." !!

Yes, you recall a long time ago, way back in 1982, when Steven Spielberg still directed fun action films, before he was caught up in the angst of advancing years. He'd already given the world Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws and 1941 (which I shall defend to my dying breath).

But then he went and created E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, a film that seemed to define the sense of lost innocence, youthful hope and the awesome wonder of discovering a being from another world. It made millions, spawned at least double that in toys and other such merchandising, people sang songs about the little alien (Remember Neil Diamond's "Heartlight"?) and E.T. even made Reese's Pieces a hot commodity. Spielberg's world vision of youthful wonder had never been better envisioned.

As you are well aware of such a situation, however, no such a blockbuster goes on without having at least ONE film ripping it off in part or whole. Needless to say that several films jumped on this bandwagon and were made, usually to lesser effect...but then came one in particular.

Badi, a.k.a.; The Turkish E.T.

Now, of all the other films I could be talking about that have been also-rans apeing Speilberg's midset, why mention a Turkish film none of you have probably even heard of? Well, trust me, friends, there's a method to my madness.

The Turks have a long, proud history of ripping off American films every which way they can, and they continue it here, making the most they can out of every scene, every nuance and every other thing that Spielberg put into his master work. But they did it Turkishly, so therein lies its uniqueness.

I have not fully seen this little beauty but there are those who have, whom I shall not direct you to. First of all is the sage Seanbaby who reports of this maddening experience over at thewavemag.com - needless to say, required reading.

And then there was the guy who posted this video over at Youtube.com. And bless him for this. Mere words cannot convey, so just click "play" already....



Just remember that the next time you think you have seen the worst movie ever. Chances are, according to that clip you just saw, you haven't.

Long live Turkey. And Dope out.

-TGWD

Saturday Morning Returns! - MORE Of The Golden Age Of My (And Your) Youth!

Ah yes, Saturday Morning yet again; the time of the week every right-minded youth looks forward to, when you camp out in front of the TV and watch what it is every child's God-given right to watch: cartoons.

But not the tripe they call "cartoons" today, where everything is white-washed, watered down forms of what came before. Nope, these are cartoons straight from the well, right from the source, baby - '70s cartoons!

So, get your Alpha-Bits and wrap up in your Superman robe: it's time to relive our youth yet again!

We start out with "The Pink Panther" - the cool, '70s Pink Panther.



Oh yes, "Space Academy" is on! What luck!



Time for Timer again!



The Brady Bunch kids had their own cartoon show, didja know that? Oh, you did.



Ooh! "Archie's Funhouse"! I LOVE "Archie's Funhouse"!!



You know what I loved about the '70s? Live-action kid's shows were the exception, not the rule. Like "Ark II"...



..."Big John, Little John"...(yeah, you remember this one...don't cha?)



Ahh, "The Kids From C.A.P.E.R." - awesomeness....



Errgh, darned commercials....



Wha...ANOTHER commercial??!



Well, fun's over now; sport's are coming on.



That's all for this Saturday. Catch you a week from now? Don't forget the orange juice.

Dope out.

-TGWD