Thursday, March 20, 2014

Top 5 science fiction shows




5.Battlestar Galactica original


I saw this when it was originally airing. Then a year or so later one of the local channels was showing it each Sunday night at 11pm. My parents would let me stay up to watch it. Sure it is kind of cheesy. And a bit of a Star Wars rip off. But most of it holds up really well decades later.


4.Lexx


Late one night in the late 90s I was looking for something to watch. And on Showtime I found Tales of a Parallel Universe. I was hooked. This was the anti-Star Trek show. Loud brash and in your face. And none of that nicey nicey bullshit Star Trek had become. Saw that there was 3 more of the films. So recorded them. A few years later I see that SciFI Channel is airing a new show named Lexx. Which was season 2 of Tales of a Parallel Universe. I made sure to see each episode. Thankfully 2 years ago Echo Bridge Entertainment re-released all 4 seasons on DVD. And if you dig around you can find them extremely cheap. My midget Aunt got me all 4 for X-mas and I marathoned them in a week.


3.Red Dwarf


I had seen the ads in Starlog for years. Where they were selling vhs of this show. But it wasn't until 1999 that I got to see it. The Houston PBS channel was showing it each Saturday. Red Dwarf is a great blend of comedy and Science Fiction. And it has such a simple premise. The last living human is stuck on a mining ship with a hologram of his arch nemesis, a lifeform evolved from his cat and a wacky android. I watched every season. Then it ended. Since then the UK channel Dave has broadcast 2 more seasons.


2.The Prisoner


This is another one I had heard about but never seen. Once the SciFi Channel hit the airwaves they were showing one episode each Sunday night. I got lucky and caught it with the first episode. And the mystery and mythos of the show had me hooked. It is about a former spy who quits. And then is gassed unconscious and taken to this village where every one has a number for a name. Each episode is mostly about him trying to escape. It is only 17 episodes long. Recently AMC did a remake of it. Which wasn't that good. But the original is still not only one of my favorite Science Fiction tv shows but one of my top 5 TV shows ever.


1.Battlestar Galactica remake


When  I heard about a remake of BSG I was leery. I watched the mini series and didn't care for it much. When the series proper started I just skipped it. Then in 2008 SciFi Channel was showing the first 3 seasons to get people ready for the premiere of season 4. I recorded those 3 seasons and over a few weeks watched them all. What a great show. Sure lots of fanboys bitched about it. "They made Starbuck a woman!" was the most common complaint. The ones I know that have said that only watched a few episodes. If they had stuck with the show they would have seen sure BSG remake takes parts from the old series but is respectful of that show also. When it ended with season 4 again the fanboys were bitching. All because they either didn't understand or like the ending. I personally loved the ending.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Coast Con 2014 day 1

Slept in,Well got 4 hours,fuck it. As usual I do most of my shopping the first day.

 Some used book dealer had a weird selection of paperback cheap. Saw novelizations of "The Incredible Hulk","Spider-man" and "Spider-man 3".Which are all written by Peter David. I think I got Spiderman already. But he also has the novelization of "Catwoman" movie with Halle Barry. But instead of any of that I grabbed the above. The Martin Caidin novel that became the TV film "The Six Million Dollar Man". I am sure this will sit in the "too read someday stacks" for years. But the price and the cover had me.




Last year I grabbed a book from NOLA author Rob A.Cerio. So I got the sequel this year. The first was a mixture of Hitchhiker's guide,Red Dwarf and Lexx. It'sfairly short so I will get it read before August. Plus is an odd size. Which makes it not fit in my Stacks of unread books. So I will read it fairly soon and shelve it. Got Rob to sign it. As has happened at the last 2 cons he would later co-host a panel on Comic books in other media.



If it is in decent shape and a 70s DC horror,weird,sci fi anthology series I will grab it. Plus this is a 100 page giant. Total reader copy,but was so dam cheap. Checked it out some and some great art. Think some Infantino in this one. Also all the following were 25% off the sticker on the bag. The dealer gave all the following to me for a good deal..












I also love the 70s Marvel horror stuff.I recognize the cover art but can't think of the artist's name.Still a neat find.
Issue 1 of Prez. I knew him from I think Who' Who until his appearance in Sandman. So finding this was a nice surprise.

Yeah I know the wrinkled a fuck bag obscures the great art.Also got the next issue.
I think there is a DC Showcase Presents with this entire series but I wanted these in color.
And now the best comic book cover I have seen in my entire life.
I can't wait to read about a talking ape that can conquer the world with knowledge from Treasure Island,Moby Dick and Robin Crusoe.I am sure I saw this on some list of strange covers. And I had never heard of this series. The dealer had a bunch more but at much higher costs.

Since he cut me a deal on the above I saw he had mystery grab bags of comics.10 or so in each pack and only $2. I took a chance. Figured it would be 90s glut stuff,it is. But it is decently written and draw 90s glut.
3 early Wally West as Flash Mike Baron written issues. So that right there is 2 bucks to me.

3 issues of the Impact version of the comet. Might be decent reads. Been kind of collecting the short lived Impact line.
And 4 issues of Impacts The Fly. They will go in the fairly large "comics to be read one day" stack.

One dealer had at least 500 different buttons for around 60 cents on average. Got a bunch that got added to my backpack.

Always loved the Hydra symbol. So grabbed it first.

Starting on the top left and going to the right I got. Clockwork Orange logo,Greatest American hero logo,The Spirit,Hawkeye,Planet of the apes,Pistols Bullocks album cover,Baroness from GI Joe,Snarky antiApple button, Black SPiderman symbol,Ultra man,Another Clockwork logo,and finally Nikola Tesla.The Cap America shield I have had for a long time.



Got this Star Trek Choose your own adventureish book mainly cause I love the various choose your own adventure ripoffs.











                                                                                     

        Finally got the unrated 2 dvd version of Troma's Terror Firmer. Same dealer had Citizen Toxie,but it was the R rated cut.

Hit up the annual comic books in various media panel. And while I did record it. It is taking forever to upload.

So that is all for now.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Powerslam Productions Spring Bash 2014 March 1st 2014

Powerslam Productions Spring Bash March 1st 2014
Amite County Elementary School


Collin and I hit the road about 2 hours before the show was suppose to start. Mostly so we could find the school it was being held at. And then grab a quick bite to eat. I didn't think that because Liberty is a small town finding a meal that a vegetarian can eat might be an issue.

We pull into the school parking lot and see the normal group,Philip,Koby,Stephen and his 2 kids plus Christina and her kids. We all hang around until the doors open just bullshitting. Once the doors are open every grabs their tickets. Collin and I opted to sit in the bleachers. After buying tickets we head out to eat. Our two choices are some roadside dinner that we ate at after last years Powerslam Productions Slamfest show and Wards.Now I haven't been inside a Wards in at least 20 years. I wasn't really hungry so just grabbed an order of chili cheese fries. Collin got a baked potato. We get back to the school and head over to the gimmick table. Which as always was ran by Casey. I got the Powerslam Spring Bash 2013 and Slamfest 2013 shows. Gotta say David Nguyen did great work on the covers.We head up to the very top of the bleachers and take a seat.

Brett comes out to get the show started. And quickly introduces out first match. Princess Kristen gets a rematch with Mr Sockitoome.The crowd seemed to really love Kristen. And hell I love Mr Sockitoome. Reminds me of all the masked wrestlers that I use to see in Memphis and Mid South back in the early 80s. Like their last match back in January there was a bunch of matwork which I loved.


After a fun back and forth match Kristen gets the win.


Match 2 Danny Flamingo vs WildCard J Spade

Both guys I saw for the first time at Winter Warfare and was majorly impressed by them. Flamingo was great on his walk from the locker room to the ring he managed to get the entire crowd booing him.
Wildcard was super over.

 I love how I had no clue at all who was going to win. Many WILD CARD chants were started by the crowd. It was a neat match because Wildcard works a fast paced high impact style,and Flamingo is slowed paced more methodical style. After a great match Hardbody Harper and the House of Harper came out and caused Wildcard to lose the match. They were beating down Spade when Reggie Matthews hit the ring cleared it out and challenged The Future Foundation to a tag team title match tonight. With Wildcard being his partner. Reggie mentions that Future Foundation member Kool J Steele isn't there so Flamingo will be his substitute.






Brett grabs the mic and lets us know it is now time for the Champagne Lounge. Which as always is hosted by Shane Champagne. Shane comes out to lots of boos.
Gets in the ring and talks about how Mississippi is the fattest state in the nation. I yell out that we are now #2.Last year I think it was Texas beat us in being the fattest. Shane talks about how he got in great shape thanks to his trainer. So out comes Tarryn the traveling trainer.
They end up arguing and we get an impromptu match. With the highlight being when Tarryn yanks the wig off Shane's head. Tarryn gets the pin and the crowds goes nuts.

Match 4 Retro Tibadoe vs Bu Ku Dao

I have never seen Retro before. But since he was wearing things with the Slayer logo on him Collin had to cheer him.
I am not a huge Slayer fan,and once Bu Ku Dao's music hit I went nuts.
Retro worked a slower mat based style. Where as Bu Ku was his normal fast high flying major impressive self.
No idea how many people in the crowd had seen Bu Ku Do before but he was super over. As I have said before he is just like Rey Mysterio Jr,well Rey Jr before his knees went to powder. After what was one of the fastest paced matches I have seen in a long time Bu Ku Dao got the win.

It was intermission time. So I grabbed my two DVDs and a pen. Figuring I would get some of the wrestlers to sign it. Wes Adams and Princess Kristen had a huge crowd around them,so I walked over and talked to Wildcard for a few minutes. Who was a super nice guy. Once the group cleared around Wes and Kristen I got them to sign my Slamfest DVD cover. Then saw Big Ramp,who as always is a blast to talk too. Got him to sign it. Saw Reggie was at ringside got him to sign it and was heading back to the bleachers when I saw Bu Ku Dao. We bullshitted for a few and he signed my DVD.As I am heading up into the bleachers I see Kool J Steele enter the gym.

Intermission ended and it was time for our next match.

Match 5 Reggie Matthews/Wildcard J Spade vs Lukas Frost/Kool J Steele with manager Hardbody Harper and Danny Flamingo

Frost and Steele are the  current PSP Tag champs.
Having won the belts at the Winter Warfare show. It is always hard for me to boo Frost. I know I should,but he just brings so much to the ring. The crowd was solidly behind Reggie and J. J started the match and Frost and Steele kept him cut off from the corner with Reggie. So when J finally made the tag Reggie hit the ring and went wild taking out everyone. The crowd went apeshit. I so loved this match it had a great pace to it.






Finally thanks to interference from the House of Harper Frost and Steele got DQed. So Reggie and J won the match. But of course belts can't change hands on a DQ,so the Future Foundation is still the PSP Tag team champs.


Match 6 Wes Adams vs Calvin Rose for the Powerslam Productions Heavyweight title

This match was set up at Winter Warfare,Wes won a battle royale to get a shot at this title. After that battle royale the House of Harper cut Wes's hair. Now I have never seen a bad match from either guy. They always bring it all to the ring.






Wes was the fast quick guy,Calvin was doing more of a classic 80s southern style heel thing. When the match started I figured Wes would win. But after a few minutes I wasn't so sure. Then Skippy,the best ref on the indy scene,got crushed in the corner and knocked out. Wes goes for a pin on Calvin but since Skippy is out he can't count it. So Kristen grabs Skippy's hand and uses it to make the three count. And we get a new PSP Heavyweight champion. The House of Harper hit the ring and start beating down Wes and Kristen. So out comes Reggie and Wildcard to even the odds. Reggie grabs the mic and challenges Rose,Frost,Steele and Flamingo to a 8 man tag team match.

By this point I realized I had plenty of space left on my camera's memory card. So I stood up and videoed the 8 man tag. I apologize in advance for how it gets a bit shaky. My hand tremors acted up. And it isn't the best picture quality. I had no idea how long the match would run. So I did it in SD. I should have done HD. But enjoy the match everyone.




After the show we hung out for a bit talking to Casey and others. Then Reggie invited us to meet them all at the Waffle House to have dinner. Collin,Philip,Nathan,Koby and I hung out in the parking lot for almost an hour. Just bullshitting. I so wish I had recorded the conversation. But it was a great show and a great night.This was my 6th Powerslam show and each one has been more than worth what I had to pay to get in. Plus all the talent is so nice. Thank you to all the wrestlers and other Powerslam workers for bringing good indy wrestling to the state of Mississippi.