Halloween is almost upon us again.
Me, I love All Hallows Eve. If there truly is one holiday that belongs to kids, this – even more so than Christmas – is it. But unlike waking up on December 25th, reasonably assured Santa stopped off the night before, delivering the requisite gifts, there’s always an unsettling uncertainty about October 31st’s grand finale.
Stop and think about it – you can watch a scary movie anytime, buy yourself a bag of candy corn at your tummy’s convenience, throw a costume party whenever you choose, even carve a pumpkin when the mood hits you, but trick or treating? Uh uh – there’s a very small window of opportunity for THAT activity – roughly a couple of hours on the last night of each October – and when it’s over, baby, it’s OVER!
You were too sick to go out gathering candy with your friends? Sorry, pal – there’s no do-overs on November 1st. You’re just gonna have to wait – AN ENTIRE YEAR!!
A torrential downpour? Oh, well – just gotta hope for better weather next time around.
Yeah, Halloween can be cruel.
It rained the night of my daughter Julie’s initial trick or treating expedition. Happily, while it was a steady rain, it wasn’t enough to keep us off the streets – or enough to give us pneumonia either! She was only three at the time, and the truth is, I got just as big a kick – maybe more – of roaming the streets in search of sweets as Julie did. We were living in the smallish city of Kingston then, where there was a rather early curfew of 7 o’clock, and I can still vividly recall the last house we visited that night as we headed back home. It was maybe five minutes past seven, and as we climbed up onto one final porch, and rang one last doorbell, I saw the women come from down the hallway towards us. Initially, all she could see was my weatherbeaten countenance, and frankly, she looked pretty disgusted, but as soon as she got close enough to spy the adorable two foot ghost accompanying me, her expression changed entirely. It was a lesson that would serve us well in the selling of Girl Scout cookies – it’s hard to say no to “cute”.
Well, maybe that evening’s precipitation was our trial by fire (such as it was), and we passed, because ever since, we’ve been lucky enough to have had rain free Halloweens, several of which were downright balmy for upstate New York. When we moved here to our new home ten years back, we also moved into a curfew-free environment. Generally, the rule of thumb around these parts is that the costumed ghouls and ghosties take to the streets somewhere between 5 and 9, with most of the heavy activity falling between 6:30 and 8. Of course, that doesn’t preclude teen-agers banging on your door at 10:45 as they did the first year we were here. I answered the door, but expressed a bit of surprise that they’d even consider stopping by at that late an hour. The teens were quick to point out that we had left all our outdoor lights on, and to them, that was clearly a signal that we were still actively in the candy-doling business. Well, I gave then their Baby Ruth’s and sent them on their way, quickly turning off our lights, and have made a point of extinguishing our outer illumination shortly after nine each year since, meaning we’ve had no further late-night visits.
Which is not to say that we haven’t been on the OTHER side of the coin ourselves. For a number of years, we’d go out with the next door neighbors, a pair of sisters and their mom. We’d head out as close to six as possible, and then just keep going, making big looping circles around the area, stopping in at home mid-way through to drop off our booty and maybe down a refreshing drink. Year in and year out, the kids next door would inevitably poop out about a half an hour before us, calling it a night while Julie and I trudged on, covering several now ever more deserted streets. One was a dead end where the folks way at the furthest end always put way too much effort into making their home Halloween friendly, as not nearly enough trick or treaters ever made it down there to fully appreciate all the cobwebs, skeletons, and carved pumpkins gaudily on display.
But we always made it, always alone, always near the end of our journey. HOW near the end? Well, I’ll never forget the one time, after our annual visit to the aforementioned Spooktacular, we headed on over to the house next door. Since the outdoor lights were still on – meaning it was fair game (no lights mean stay away, sorry, not home, or, done for the night) – we went up and rang the door bell. We waited patiently for a few seconds, and then through the large picture window in front, I saw a man, toothbrush still in mouth, dressed in pajamas, grab his robe, and head towards the door. By the time he’d opened the door, he had managed to put aside the toothbrush and bruskly gave Julie her treat.
Oops. You never want to be answering the door on Halloween in your jammies…
I accompanied my daughter on her annual moonlight treks from ages three right on up to eleven, but was then politely informed that y’know, maybe she was getting a wee bit too old to be trick or treating with her daddy. I had to agree, however reluctantly. The following year was pretty rough – I had street walking withdrawal (if you know what I mean), but at least these days I get to stay at home and hand out goodies to the costumed cut-ups who knock on our door. It’s not quite the same as the magic of being out in the thick of things, but I guess it’s gonna have to do me. No doubt about it, I really treasure the time I put in on past Halloween expeditions. More than once, I’d stop Julie and tell her to take a look around and consider what was going on: right then and there, in every town, on every street, and at every house, kids dressed up in funny outfits were going door to door to stranger’s houses, requesting candy, and – oboy! – getting it!! Wow! What a wonderfully crazy idea this was!
But it only lasts for a few ephemeral hours on one specific night each year, and if you missed it, you missed it. And even while we were amassing our booty – and it was more the thrill of the hunt than it was the bagging of the game, trust me – I could always sense the minutes ticking inexorably away, the magic of the night slowly evaporating, until the raucous crowds of kids criss-crossing each other on our suburban streets was reduced to merely occasional far-away echoes of stragglers as Julie and I headed home, rarely seeing anyone else still making out the rounds. All too soon, it was over, and everything was back to normal. Dull, unmagical normal….
Some folks don’t dig the trick or treating, and I respect that. Look, I was lucky enough to grow up in a Halloween friendly area, and the same can be said for now 16 year old Julie. But I suppose there are places where going out in the dark of night, angling for sweets, well, that may NOT be the best of ideas. That’s a dirty shame, because trick or treating really is a uniquely special custom, one I’m happy to take part of in any way possible!
One other personal tradition I’ve maintained growing up was rereading my various Little Lulu Halloween giants at the end of each October, especially in those years after I myself was deemed a bit too old to go trick or treating. This was a way for me to properly capture the spirit of the season, as these were the only comics I’ve ever encountered that acknowledged there was far more to Halloween than just telling hackneyed old ghost stories and the like. I’ve shared some random images from those late fifties, early sixties classic issues here to accompany my ruminations, and I hope I didn’t trick you into thinking this week’s episode was actually going to be about comics! Now, THAT would’ve been a treat! Maybe next time…
Happy Halloween, friends!
Hembeck.com – live from ghost to ghost all year round!
-Copyright 2006 Fred Hembeck
Check out the preview to the Image comic Jeff writes…
tired of hearing the same songs on the radio. “Both of us are parents and it concerned us that most songs don’t talk about things anymore,” Rasmussen said. Reflecting on the music of yesteryear, they were frustrated that the lyrics in music have become so watered down. “There was a time when an artist’s songs talked about things that were going on in the world and inspired its listeners,” Shapter added, “now the industry is not investing in prolific writers,.” In search of the reason behind authentic music’s apparent demise, they allowed their quest to be the fuel behind creating an insightful documentary to pass on to their children, and other future generations to come.
She then, after partying with us, drinking, having fun, doing whatever with my friends, and then announced that she is doing an article”¦she’s a Page Six reporter. And then, when I heard that, I said, “Oh, you gotta help me out over there. They’re so mean. They’re constantly raking me over the coals. You can see we’re just having fun, we all are, we’re laughing, we’re having fun.” She’s laughing, she’s having fun, she’s flirting with my guy friends, she’s pretty much slutting her way around my dressing room, like I said, holding court with all my guy friends.
Now, I didn’t need any help to figure out I needed to sober up. I was taking a break, I had just finished months before the roast, Less Than Perfect got cancelled, and I was taking what I call a mini-vacation. I was drinking, taking a vacation, and I knew I was going to sober up before I started working on the Comedy Central pilot. I didn’t need any help from this girl. I can take myself down to my own bottom.
CS: Let’s talk DANNY ROANE: FIRST TIME DIRECTOR.
For what I shot, and the amount of money I had, DANNY ROANE is as good as it can be or I wouldn’t have stopped. I edited my little heart out till I said this movie isn’t going to get any better for what it is and for what I have shot. I can keep going back to add a little more, edit a little more but I can’t because I don’t have the money. You just have to stop. And that’s when the director becomes the artist. He has to make that creative decision. “Ok, now we’re done folks.”
I have a relationship with Howard Stern and he”¦we already did a pilot episode [on Sirius] that was an hour long, and that was two Tuesdays ago, at 10 o’clock at night or something like that. And it went really well and they were trying to make a deal with me but the money is so low, it’s laughable.
For the most part the time runs out really fast, I never want it to end, and the whole time the musician is acoustically playing background music and by the end we talk about what’s coming up for them and then they play one or two songs from their album. They can play covers. It’s really an awesome show.
They’re like, “Really Andy Dick it up! Andy Dick it up! Bigger!”
FOR THEM, I offer the humble alternative: fake trivia, and fellowship, and also BRANDY.
Check out the preview to…
One of my favorite games from last year finally gets the handheld treatment this year with GUN SHOWDOWN hitting the PSP. Taking the core gameplay and spicing things up a bit with mini games and wireless multiplayer, the developers attempt to breathe new life into what is normally a short title, as well as expanding on the story in the main missions for fans of the original to have something fresh to play.
Okay, by now, I’m sure many of you have read about BOMBERMAN ACT: ZERO and how MOST fans of the series are angered by it. How the game’s style has been changed, taking away the cute cartoon character and setting him in a futuristic cyber inspired setting and removing most of the advances the multiplayer games have made. And I can understand that. And while the game does have its faults (for some, there are many) it does have at least one thing going for it: good multiplayer.
DS fans are starting to get a good deal more RPGs for the system, and old school genre fans will have something to enjoy this week once CONTACT is released. With a style reminiscent of EARTHBOUND for NES, the game takes a leisurely pace through islands and worlds as you help guide a boy in his quest to get a scientist back to the future (among other oddball revelations). The player actually plays an active role in the story too, even so far as being addressed outside of the main game, breaking the fourth wall between gamer and game, making the title essentially about three characters: the boy, the scientist and you. Combat is a unique hybrid between turn based and real time that includes steady attacks and real time movement and even includes mid-fight leveling. It’s a interesting title to be sure, and one that old school RPG fans should really check out.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for RENGOKU II: STAIRWAY TO H.E.A.V.E.N. on PSP. Usually most sequels, especially ones in which the original did not do well, try to improve on the ideas and gameplay styles of the original. Not this one. Everything is the same, from the clunky control, to the horribly ugly randomized backgrounds. For those not familiar with the original (and count yourselves lucky) you are a battle cyborg trapped in a tower who must fight other creations like you. When you win, you obtain their weapons, which you attach to either your arms, head or back to augment your fighting powers. Each room and level of the game is completely randomly generated, making multiple playthroughs the aim. Sadly, when each background looks as dull and crummy as this, it doesn’t matter that they’re randomized. The combat is also horrible, with sloppy lock on and just bad tiny animations. I gave the first game a chance, but this one, which should have at least improved something in someway, is just more of the same crap.
Has the fine art world’s growing interest in comics and cartoons achieved critical mass? If not quite yet, it is certainly rapidly getting closer, as evidenced by the surprising number of shows devoted to comic and cartoon art this fall in New York City, the capital of the American art world, and its vicinity.
I SHOULD HAVE SHINGLES BY NOW.
yndicated TV, save for “Charles in Charge.” More likely, though, is that the whole thing is just an elaborate ruse by the armed forces aimed at keeping their most inept recruits busy with their most incompetent foe while the grown-ups get on with the real work of defending the country. That would go a long way to explaining their piss-poor marksmanship, not to mention how William “The Refrigerator” Perry wound up in their ranks.
this is true) something called BET, which GI Joe is testing out at the start of the film. How exactly Black Entertainment Television figures into world domination is never made explicitly clear, but it’s a safe bet that it involves the mobilization of several hundred Wayanses and possibly a WHITE GIRLS sequel.
hese days? Somebody needs to tell Falcon about tequila shooters. They’re easier to get your hands on, and that way it’s two people at most who are likely to end up brain damaged, not the entire human race. But we all know how little brothers are…
While most know her from her role as Jerri Blank on Comedy Central’s cult hit Strangers With Candy – or her numerous guest appearances on David Letterman and Sex and the City – friends and family know Amy Sedaris as a hostess par excellence, famed for her parties and dinners, and her fantastic home-cooked cuisine. Seeing the simple act of entertaining guests as an art quickly atrophying in this fast-paced digital age, she’s crafted the ultimate guide to throwing your own shindigs – I Like You: Hospitality Under The Influence (Hachette Book Group, $27.99 SRP). Although written with the same wit and delightfully bent perspective that informs her comedy, the book should in no way be taken as a “joke cookbook” – it’s a legitimate presentation of party suggestions (leave marbles in your medicine chest to signal the telltale sound of a nosy guest), hints (like the fact that doing dishes after a party can be a cathartic exercise), recipes (I can’t wait to try her “Crosscut Stump Stew”), and crafts (plastic googly eyes make anything fun) sure to inspire even the most slothlike of hosts and hostesses to send off some invites, fill up the ice tub, fire up the oven, and lay out the welcome mat. An audiobook version read by Sedaris and featuring additional recipes is also available (Hachette, $29.99 SRP).
After seeing the ads for Big Love (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) in the build-up to its premiere, I was completely nonplussed. Why would I want to watch a drama about an unconventional American family – members of a religious cult who believe in polygamy. Well, I tried to resist watching it, but it stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of the Henrickson clan – which includes 3 wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, & Ginnifer Goodwin) and a passel of kids – who owns a thriving home improvement center in suburban Salt Lake City. I did wind up watching the premiere, and like The Sopranos before it, found that instead of clichés, what I got instead was a nuanced drama filled with the kind of realistic human comedy that shows like Desperate Housewives try desperately to manufacture. And it’s got Bill Paxton. The 5-disc box set contains all 12 first season episodes, plus a pair of audio commentaries and a behind-the-scenes look at the credit sequence.
Of all the regional children’s presenters who rose to national prominence in the 50’s & 60’s, once of the most beloved – and delightfully anarchic – was Soupy Sales. From the originator of the infamous “take a dollar out of your parents wallet and send it in” gag to the endless pie fights, Soupy was a true TV legend. Thankfully, his hijinks have wound their way to DVD via a pair of releases – the 3-disc The Soupy Sales Collection: The Whole Gang Is Here (Morada Vision, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) and Soupy Sales: In Living Black & White (Morada Vision, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). The former contains Sales’ later color work, which was aimed towards adults, while the Black & White disc features the classic kiddie shows that marked a generation of kids.
As Kevin Costner has his Dances With Wolves, Warren Beatty also has a masterpiece of a film on his résumé – and that film is Reds (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Based on a true story, Beatty stars as the American communist, journalist, and activist John Reed, whose love affair with writer/feminist Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) plays out as the titanic events of the Russian Revolution unfold around them. It’s an incredibly epic tale, and much-deserving of this 2-disc 25th anniversary edition, featuring 7 in-depth featurettes charting the making-of the film, as well as the events that inspired it.
If the first season of Wonder Showzen was a surreal experiment that somehow worked comedically, the second season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) was a confident, brutal, hilarious parody of those classic PBS kiddie shows that filled the youthful minds of the children of the 70’s and 80’s (I weep for the pop culture deficit of modern kids). The 2-disc set features all 8 episodes, plus a pair of commentaries, outtakes, and exclusive Beat Kids featurette, games & time wasters, and outtakes.
Even though Eric has presented Donna with a ring, does that mean she’ll actually say yes? And will Jackie’s secret relationship with Hyde escape Kelso’s notice? Or is he too preoccupied with the idea of becoming a cop after the high school job fair? And can Fez find love at the DMV? Granted, if you watched the fifth season of That 70’s Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) when it aired, you know the answers to all these questions. The 4-disc set features all 25 episodes, plus promo spots, a 70’s flashback with Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson, and a 5-minute retrospective of the season.
The Master of Suspense returns with 39 more classic episodes in the 2nd season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 5-discs are packed chock full of guest stars, including Vic Morrow, Rip Torn, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, and many more. Have a “Good evening…” indeed.
If you want to support a pair of fantastic New Orleans charities – the Louisiana Children’s Museum & Habitat For Humanity’s Musician’s Village Project in New Orleans- and add some wonderful music to your collection, pick up New Orleans Playground & New Orleans Christmas (Putumayo World Music, $15.98 SRP each), a pair of discs featuring some legendary luminaries from the Crescent City, including Dr. John (whose take on “Row Row Your Boat” is memorable, to say the least), The Meters, Buckwheat Zydeco, Fats Domino, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, and many more.
When the somewhat dim, disconnected president of the United States (Dennis Quaid) decides to reconnect with the public by getting involved in the live finale of the hugely popular network reality show American Dreamz (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Imagine an even more tacky and wildly popular version of American Idol, where the finalists are an opportunistic middle American sweetheart (Mandy Moore) and a naïve, showtunes-loving young Arab boy – who just may inadvertently cause the night to completely derail in the most unwanted kind of fireworks you can imagine. The flick is actually a very sly satire (I’ll leave the interpretations up to you) and an enjoyable night in front of the TV. The DVD features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Take an obscure Japanese game show from the early 90’s that placed teams of contestants in unbelievably awkward and dangerous stunts, dub over it with an incredibly funny commentary from your “hosts” Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship (not to mention field marshal Captain Tanneal and sideline reporter Guy LaDouche) and you have the sublimely brilliant MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (Magnolia, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). This 2-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, plus select episode commentary, the original sales presentation for the show, a reel of the most painful eliminations, and even an episode of the show in its original Japanese form (known as Takeshi’s Castle).
In terms of British sitcoms, the long-running My Family is an anomaly. Unlike most Britcoms, which are usually written by a single writer or a writing duo, My Family had an American-style writing staff headed up by former Larry Sanders and Seinfeld exec producer Fred Barron. It certainly brings a slightly different flavor to this family comedy about a pair of hapless but loving parents (Robert Lindsay & Zoe Wannamaker) at the mercy of their children. Check out the complete first and second seasons (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each) and see if you notice the difference a Yank makes.
Her Fox sitcom never really knew how to properly utilize Wanda Sykes. When you check out her caustically hilarious stand-up special, Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), you’ll understand why no mainstream network could be capable of using her correctly, and why she’s the perfect fit for things like her frequent guest appearances on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. The DVD features 15 minutes of additional footage, plus an audience Q&A and a radio interview.
A series of unfortunate events needs an equally gothic soundtrack, and Stephen Merritt’s The Tragic Treasury: Songs From A Series Of Unfortunate Events (Nonesuch, $18.98 SRP) is exactly that, with songs from each of the 13 books comprising Lemony Snicket’s chronicle of the trials and tribulations of the Baudelaire orphans.
Never really a fan of the CSI franchise, I have found that whenever I run across an episode of CSI: New York, I’ll find myself drawn in – not by the increasingly overplayed procedural aspects, but by star Gary Sinise as Detective Mac Taylor, whose forensics team faces a bit of a shake-up in the show’s sophomore season, plus a crossover with David Caruso’s Miami contingent. The 6-disc complete second season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP) features audio commentaries on 5 episodes, and 5 behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Loaded with gore and a low-budget energy, Feast (Dimension, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is the winner of the last Project Greenlight, which found John Gulager at the helm of a horror film. The final product should make many Fango fans happy, as it has many of the elements of the genre’s heyday. The unrated DVD features deleted scenes, outtakes, commentary, a making-of featurette, and a look at the practical effects.
Peta Wilson’s turn as the sexy secret agent codenamed Josephine wraps up in the fifth and final season of La Femme Nikita (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring the resolution of her long-standing quest to find out exactly why she was chosen for her most dangerous position within the spy network Section. The 3-disc set features all 8 episodes, plus deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and an internet teaser by director Jon Cassar.
Like death with a typewriter, Angela Lansbury’s crime-solving novelist Jessica Fletcher returns in the complete fourth season of Murder, She Wrote (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Joining her these season (and nimbly avoiding the scythe) is Tom Bosley – gotta love Tom Bosley. These season also features one of my favorite Fletcher death run, with guest star Frank Gorshin. The 5-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a bonus episode from season 5 (“Snow White, Blood Red”).
Comfortable that they’ve become a long-running supernatural soap that has made it past cast changes and behind-the-scenes dust-ups, the sixth season of Charmed (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) was one of wild abandon. Our witchy trio become Valkyries to take on an island full of Amazons, travel through time (via go-go power), fight a spider-demon, and even handily handle Phoebe becoming a genie. As with previous sets, there are still no bonus features – unless they require a magic key to find them which, sadly, I do not possess.
In the mood for a trashy horror flick to pass a chilly October evening? Why not try Rest Stop (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), a gorefest about pretty people making an ill-fated stop along the road. Bonus features include alternate endings, galleries, and a trailer.
CSI: NY was forged in the wake of 911, with its central character Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) tortured by the fact that his wife died in the terrorist attacks. This first season was considered dark, with its heroes dwelling in a dank, dark office space, and most of its cast being very New York and angry and accented. Apparently word came from the top that to go forward the series must “lighten up,” literally. As season two begins the medicals are moving upstairs to glass walled open offices, and there is also some cast housekeeping. This is the season in which Vanessa Ferlito’s Detective Aiden Burn is fired and replaced by Detective Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap), a wholesome girl from Montana who has some of the aspect of Pam from The Office. Later, Aiden dies violently. Also added is Hill Harper as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes. CBS shows ideally like to have both a male brainiac and a kooky female tech person, and Hawkes represents the addition of the brainiac.
