PCA reviews the latest graphic novels, for people who wait for the TPB.

Afeter a shaky publication history, "Jinx," J. Torres and Rick Buchett's reimagining of the classic Archie "filler" strip, is finally available in an assessable collected edition!

Anybody who ever bought an Archie Digest has read a  Li’l Jinx comic.  She is the precocious little girl in the four panel gag strips that fill in the page count of the popular digests.  Not really an Archie character, Li’l Jinx strips have always seemed a bit out of place, but oddly familiar at the same time.  Created by cartoonist Joe Edwards, Li’l Jinx originally appeared in Pep Comics in 1947.  Jinx, her father Hap, neighborhood bully Charley Hawse, boyfriend Greg and rich girl Gigi was Archie’s answer to the Little Lulu or Little Audrey strips that were popular during the era.  However, by the early 1970′s Li’l Jinx was discontinued, although her strips would be recycled as digest filler to this day.  Well Li’l Jinx is back for a new generation.  Last year, as part of Archie’s 70^th anniversary celebration, J. Torres, Rick Burchett and Terry Austin recreated Li’l Jinx’s world by not only making her and her friends older, but putting them in a realistic world which today’s kids can actually relate to.  After what proved to be a shaky publishing history, the four part Jinx series is now finally available in one accessible collected volume!.

Lil' Jinx was created by Joe Edwards in 1947 for "Pep Comics" and a ran until the early 1970's.

Archie Comics announced last year that Jinx was going to be a four issue mini-series, and then it was slated to move to the extremely popular Life with Archie series.  However, after the first issue was published in Life with Archie #7, the rest of the series was banished to digital format.  Fine for the minority that have moved to that format for reading comics, but for traditional fans that want a comic book in their hands, the Jinx series went basically unseen.  As a result, collecting Jinx in a TPB form is the first time that most readers have actually been able to get their hands on the updated Jinx series, and it’s been a long time coming.

J. Torres successfully reimagines the original cast of Li'l Jinx by still keeping them the characters that readers remember, while Burchett makes them look like real teenagers, while still making them recognizable to the original character designs.

J. Torres has always had a knack for writing all ages stories featuring teenage characters.  From his creator owned projects like Alison Dare and Sidekicks, to his Johnny DC runs on Teen Titans Go and Legion of the Superheroes, to his superb work on the Scholastic series of Degrassi: The Next Generation graphic novels, Torres has become the expert at writing intelligent and fun stories aimed towards kids, but that are creative and thoughtful enough for adult readers to enjoy.  This is not an easy balance to achieve, but Torres just has this special ability to find a realistic voice for adolescent characters.  As a result, Torres is the perfect creator for the updated Jinx project.  Torres obviously took a good look at the source material and carefully lifted the original characteristics and inter-relationships of the Li’l Jinx characters and used it to flesh out Jinx’s world.  What helps Torres dramatically is the fact that Li’l Jinx comics were usually a single page, although on the rarest occasions ran for seven pages.  As a result there is little continuity or mythos to the series to stay true to, allowing Torres to have a much wider space to play with when reimagining the characters.  However, in most cases, the characters in Torres’ Jinx are very much the characters that readers remember, just older and, in many ways, far more endearing.

Still a head strong and clever tom boy, Blachett's facial expression for Jinx are priceless.

Each chapter in Jinx is a stand alone story, although it is loosely linked at the end with a continuity creating cliffhanger.  The book chronicles Jinx’s first two months in high school, going from Labor Day to Halloween.  Within the four chapters Torres reintroduces readers to her cast of characters, and establishes love triangles and relationship problems that manage to connect back to the original Li’l Jinx stories.  But what the new stories have is a sense of depth without ever getting too intense or dramatic.  What really is refreshing about Jinx is that while Torres decided to go down a far more realistic route then even the Archie series, he still keeps the Jinx stories light hearted and fun.  He doesn’t delve into the “heavy handed” issues like teen pregnancy or drugs or suicide or bullying that many teen publications feel that they have to get into.  There is enough platforms for such topics to be discussed in other forums, so it is refreshing that Jinx’s world doesn’t get any more melodramatic then trying to join the football team, kissing a boy and fighting with her friends.  Although the plots may sound trite, Torres is able to bring them out in a fast and fun way making them enjoyable for a wide range of readers.

Torres manages to recreate the inter-relationships of the Li'l Jinx characters in his new version, with special attention made to the father/daughter dynamics of Jinx and her single father Hap.

Possibly the best thing that Torres was able to do was reestablish the same relationship between Jinx and her father which appeared in the original comic.  One of the early single Dad’s in comic history, Hap always was forced to be stern by Li’l Jinx’s antics while the two tried to outwit each other, although the end result was often a bewildered amusement from Hap at Jinx’s ultimate cleverness.  Torres reestablishes this dynamic but adds a more realistic third dimension to their relationship, with Hap having to now face the new challenge of raising a teenage daughter and trying to be a supportive and understanding father while Jinx continues to be as headstrong as she was as a child.  Although the two are at odds throughout the series, the true closeness between father and daughter is beautifully captured by Torres as Hap confronts Jinx’s new found teenage angst in some of the books strongest moments.

A big part of what helps Torres’ stories keep their charm is the fantastic artwork by Burchett.  Burchett successfully updates the Jinx characters to look like real awkward teenagers while still being recognizable as teenage versions of the original Li’l Jinx characters.  Greg is tall and lanky, Mort has zits, Charley is ugly and Roz is plump.  It’s great to see kids that actually look like kids.  The confusing members of the cast to me is Gigi, who is suddenly turned into a Asian character and Russ who is just a little too well tailored for a jock.  But then we come to Jinx herself, who is the same spunky, wide eyed, tom boy from the original comics.  Burchett’s facial expressions, conveying a range of emotions, are simply classic and he makes the character far more endearing then she had ever been before.

Now I’ll be honest.  I have never been a fan of the original Li’l Jinx comics.  Even as a kid I found them to be sickening sweet and juvenile.  However while Torres, Burchett and Austin’s take on Jinx and friends is also sweet, it is in all the right ways.  I absolutely love their version of Li’l Jinx!  At the end of the book it states “The End…for Now” and I hope that Archie Comics keeps to this promise.  With three books being recently discontinued by the company could a regular Jinx book be on its way?  If not, then Archie Comics should at least put out additional volumes of Jinx graphic novels.  Perfect reading for today’s kids, and enjoyable for the adults that remember the original Li’l Jinx comics, this is a charming little book which leaves me wanting more.  Torres has breathed new life into what was a dead franchise, and Archie Comics should hold on and run with it!  The comic industry needs more all ages books like Jinx.

To order your own copy of Jinx click here.

REMEMBERS

JONATHAN FRID

1924 – 2012

– Lyrics from a 1960’s novelty record by The Vampire State Building

My favorite vampire: Canadian actor Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins in "Dark Shadows."

In the fall of 2011 I went on a hunt for my favorite vampire. With Dark Shadows having become an obsession of mine, the desire to score an interview with the show’s reluctant star, Canadian thespian Jonathan Frid, was just too great.  Furthermore, when I discovered that his home in the city of Hamilton, Ontario was just mere minutes from relatives of mine, it seemed just to close to not try.  But there was one thing that I knew I would not do.  I wouldn’t dare breathe the name Barnabas Collins when I made my interview pitch.  I knew that it would be a total deal breaker.

Finding Frid’s phone number was easy enough.  Almost too easy.  He was hardly in hiding, and just who would ever believe that one of pop culture’s most important gothic actors would be living in Hamilton anyways.  I dialed his number.  The phone seemed to ring forever and I was sure that it would go to an answering machine, but it did not.  Someone answered the phone and I heard the distinctive voice of Jonathan Frid on the other end.  He sounded older and gruffer, but it was hard not to recognize the eerie tone of his voice.

“Hello?”  He said.

“Hello.  Mr. Frid?” I said.

“Uh…no,” he replied.

“Could I speak to Mr. Jonathan Frid” I repeated.

He paused for a moment. “Uh….” he said, trailing off in thought.

“Is this Mr. Frid?” I said a third time, a little more authoritive this time.

“Yes it is” he finally said.

Underneith the fangs, makeup and fan hysteria, Jonathan Frid was a private man who put a wall btween himself and his most famous character.

“Hello Mr. Frid” I stated warmly, “My name is Sam Tweedle.  I’m a freelance writer and I was hoping that I could interest you in arranging an interview with you about your acting career, primarily your stage work.”  I wasn’t lying to him.  I had prepared an interview that would allow him to talk freely about his work at Stratford and on Broadway, but there would be no way I’d let him not talk about Dark Shadows.  It would have to come up.

“I’m afraid not.  No.” Mr. Frid said.  “But thank you for your interest.”

“Well thank you for speaking with me Mr. Frid.  Have a good day.” I stated.

“Goodbye” he said, and we hung up the phone.  I respected his privacy and never called again.

Jonathan Frid greets fans during the height of "Barnabasmania."

Some would call my brief personal encounter with Jonathan Frid a failure, but to me it was the ultimate Frid encounter.  The outcome really was exactly what I had expected it would be.  There was one thing that Jonathan Frid and his most famous role, Barnabas Collins, had in common.  They were both haunted by the curse of a vampire.  For Barnabas he was to to walk the Earth for eternally as a vampire when a scorned witch named Angelique put a curse on him.  For Jonathan Frid, he took what was to be a temporary role in a gothic soap opera that was doomed to be cancelled.  However, what he didn’t realize was that his role as pop culture’s first heroic vampire would capture the imagination of a legion of fans, and turn Dark Shadows into a phenomenon.  Barnabas Collins made him internationally famous, but it was a fame that Frid didn’t seem to be comfortable with.  From appearing on game shows, to finding himself featured in teen magazines next to pop icons like The Monkees and Dino, Desi and Billy, the frantic teenage fans that screamed for Barnabas Collins were far removed from the distinguised theater audiences that the forty two year old actor was used to.  Perhaps he found the frenzy over his role to be foolish, or maybe he was intimidated by the hysteria from his adoring public.  But as quickly as he became a television sensation, Jonathan Frid began to back away from his fan base, putting up a protective wall between himself and the public.

As Barnabas Collin Frid broke major horror conventions by being pop culture's first sympathetic vampire hero.

What Jonathan Frid didn’t realize is that he was making pop culture history.  Although Dark Shadows’ creator Dan Curtis was borrowing heavily from Bram Stoker’s Dracula lore, and the popular Hammer Horror pictures coming out of England, Frid’s portrayal of Barnabas Collins broke major horror conventions, and as a result became the prototype for the heroic sympathetic vampire.  Although his character started off as a menacing brute, as fan reaction grew favorable for the vampire, the Dark Shadows writers cleverly turned the character into a sympathetic hero. Whether they meant to or not, everyone from Anne Rice to Joss Whedon to Stephanie Meyer would find themselves creating vampires in Barnabas Collins’ mold.  If Dracula was the father of all vampires, Barnabas Collins was easily their favorite uncle.

After "Dark Shadows" ended in 1971, Frid's frustration over the attention he recieved for his role of Barnabas Collins eventually lead him to take plight to Mexico in hopes the interest would die down. It never did.

When Dark Shadows came to and end in 1971, Jonathan Frid thought that he could finally put the role of Barnabas Collins to rest.  However, the mark of the vampire lingered over him, and legions of fans began to show up at his stage productions clutching photographs of Barnabas for Frid to sign.  Eventually Frid became so frustrated with the public’s refusal to forget about the vampire that he turned his back on both the stage and a budding film career and escaped to Mexico where he lived in obscurity for a number of years, hoping that the Dark Shadows phenomena would finally die down and leave him at peace.  Frid would return to Canada, and finally the Broadway stage for a production of Arsenic and Old Lace in the 1980’s, but by then it was very clear that Dark Shadows was never going to die.  Although the fan base had grown smaller due to being off the air for over a decade, fan gatherings were still being held throughout North America.  Jonathan Frid knew that if he couldn’t beat them then he would have to join them, but even then his participation seemed reluctant, and he never really seemed to quite understand what kept Dark Shadows fans obsessed with his vampire character.

In a 2008 PCA interview with Dark Shadows' co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott, Ms. Scott said of Frid "He is actually a very simple fellow and he doesn’t put on airs at all."

Asking his Dark Shadows co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott about his reluctant behavior in a 2008 interview, Scott replied to me “Anything discouraging that [Frid] has said is total of his character.  He is actually a very simple fellow and he doesn’t put on airs at all.  I don’t think he got all caught up in the celebrity of it.”  In his declining years, Ms. Scott’s words seemed to hold true.  Despite his iconic status, Frid seemed to be just a regular man without iconic airs.  From an unsophisticated web-site fans were faced with photos of an elderly, almost frumpy Frid which lacked the elegant gothic overtones of Barnabas Collins that fans remembered.  However, visitors could order signed photos of Frid as Barnabas by sending a second party a money order.  Upon searching for the location of the address from the web-site during my quest for Frid I was surprised and amused when my search lead to a major Canadian hardware store chain location.  Was Jonathan Frid sitting somewhere between paints and automotive signing photos?  Unlikely, but it was just an unusual indication that Jonathan Frid was anything but Hollywood.  But in the final year of his life, Hollywood would come knocking for Jonathan Frid.

"Dark Shadows" alumnists David Selby, Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott join Jonathan Frid in London for a cameo in Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's "Dark Shadows" in 2011.

This spring I had the great honor of interviewing another of Dark Shadows’ most beloved icons, Lara Parker, who played opposite of Frid in the role of the witch Angelique Bouchard.  With anticipation of the brand new Dark Shadows film looming over us, it was only natural that our conversation would turn to the topic.  As one of his all time favorite television series, Dark Shadows has become a vanity project for actor Johnny Depp, who in collaboration with director Tim Burton, brought together an impressive cast of characters to dust off the franchise and put their own unique, if not controversial, spin on the series.  As part of the film, Burton and Depp flew original cast members David Selby, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Jonathan Frid to their London studios for a cameo in the film.  It would be the last time the four would be together again.  But as Lara Parker explained to me, Frid was still reluctant right up to the end.  According to Ms. Parker, on the morning of the shoot Frid was in the hotel lobby, his suitcases packed, and demanding to be flown back to Canada.  He had changed his mind and did not want to go to the studio.  However, his people eventually calmed him down and got him to the shoot.  Getting notice of their arrival, Johnny Depp  greeted Jonathan Frid in full make up as the new Barnabas Collins.

The two faces of Barnabas Collins - Johnny Depp and Jonathan Frid. Did Frid pass the curse of the vampire on to Depp before he died? According to multiple sources, Frid didn't even know who Johnny Depp was!

“This is an honor and a pleasure,” Johnny Depp said to Frid, and sweeping his arms to point to the massive set and crew that had been assembled, he continued “and none of this would be happening if it wasn’t for you.”  Did Johnny Depp’s grand gesture finally help Jonathan Frid understand extent of a legacy that he and his vampire character had created?  We’ll never really know.

Next month the new Dark Shadows film will open, introducing a new Barnabas Collins to a new generation of fans.  However Jonathan Frid will not be amongst those to see the next chapter to the sage of the vampire that followed him through his life.  On April 14^th Jonathan Frid passed away peacefully in a Hamilton hospital.  Did he pass the vampire curse onto Johnny Depp that morning in London?  Whatever the case Barnabas Collins will still walk amongst us, while Jonathan Frid can finally sleep peacefully for eternity.  Good vampires never die, but the men who create them remain in our hearts and minds forever.

REMEMBERS

WILLIAM FINLEY

1942 – 2012

“All my dreams are lost and I can’t sleep
And sleep alone could ease my mind
All my tears have dried and I can’t weep
Old emotions
May they rest in peace and dream
Dream a bunch of friends – rest in peace
And dream, dream it never ends – “Faust” from Phantom of the Paradise

Willian Finley in his opening scene as Winslow Leach in Brian De Palma's cult classic "Phnatom of the Paradise."

I first saw William Finley playing a piano on late night movie program.  With his round “coke bottle” glasses, his eyes closed tightly and his body swaying violently back and forth to the strange and haunting music, his odd screen presence made me stop channel surfing and watch.  The film was The Phantom of the Paradise and William Finley was Winslow Leech; a nerdy composer who was about to go through a nightmare transformation in a deadly struggle to save the music he composed and the woman who sang it from a demonic music producer.  Before the film was over, The Phantom of the Paradise would become one of my all time favorite films, and William Finley as the leather suited, silver helmeted Phantom would become etched into my sweetest nightmares.  Just as the Phantom was never the most iconic horror characters, William Finley never became one of the most iconic horror actors.  Instead, both character and actor would be vastly underrated, but find a devoted cult following as years went by.  Only in the current century has William Finley and The Phantom of the Paradise finally started to be truly appreciated.  Sadly, William Finley passed away after a long illness on April 14^th in New York City at the age of 69.

Brian De Palma and William Finley would remain together throughout their careers. Finley's most memorable roles would be in De Palma films.

Little seems to be publicly known about the life of William Finley.  Was he an enigma in life as he was on the screen, or was he just a private man?  In his career Finley made only a handful of films and television appearances, and always in the horror or thriller genre.  The lanky 6’4” actor had a distinctive creepy appearance to him.  He was not necessarily dangerous or imposing, but he had a wiry figure and bulging eyes that gave a sort of sinister and psychotic quality to his characters.  His characters were men who were quiet, but dangerous and unpredictable.  Finley also seemed to favor quirky projects, which could be why the majority of his career seemed to be aligned with that of director Brian De Palma.

Starting his acting career on the New York stage, William Finley befriended Brian De Palma when the two attended Columbia University where De Palma cast Finley in his 1962 film short Woton’s Wake.  Finley and De Palma remained friends, and in 1968 they collaborated again for De Palma’s experimental thriller Murder a la Mod.  This time Finley not only played the psychotic maniac Otto, but also composed and sang the psychedelic theme song to the film, proving that he not only could act, but had a natural singing ability as well.  In their next feature together, De Palma teamed Finley up with a young Robert DeNiro in the future Academy Award winning star’s very first feature film, The Wedding Party.  Finley would also appear as a member of The Performance Group in De Palma’s 1970 filmed stage production of Euripides’ Dionysus.

William Finley in the role of sinister Dr. Emile Breton in "Sisters."

Thus, when Brian De Palma’s career graduated from experimental film maker to mainstream Hollywood director, William Finley followed him to much larger and more memorable roles.  William Finley’s first break was as Margot Kidder’s creepy ex-husband in De Palma’s disturbing 1973 thriller Sisters.  Hiding under a slicked back hair cut, a small moustache and a French accent, Finley played Dr. Emile Breton, a French Canadian doctor who falls in love with one half of a pair of conjoined twins.  Separating the two so that he can be alone with the woman he loves, Breton unleashes a chain of insanity and murder.  Not quite a villain in the true sense, Finley’s performance seemed to hold many shades of grey.  Although he had a menacing and nearly perverse presence in the film, the audience could sympathize with Finley’s characters motives, although perhaps not his ethics nor his methods.  The role was perfect for what would come next.

Paul Willaims and Willaim Finley as rivals Swan and The Phantom in "Phantom of the Paradise."

Once De Palma completed Sisters, he started work on what would become his first major film for 20^th Century Fox, The Phantom of the Paradise.  Combining the stories of The Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Faustus and The Portrait of Dorian Grey into a psychedelic glam rock horror comedy musical sounds like a crazy idea, but De Palma brought together a great script, the music and presence of Award winning song writer Paul Williams, the beautiful Jessica Harper in her debut role and a cast of colorful and quirky character actors creating an unforgettable film.  But at the center of it all was William Finley as the film’s central character Winslow Leech, aka the Phantom.  Whether in his role of the nerdy musician, or the silver helmeted monster, William Finley brought both a sense of sensitivity and fury to one of horror’s strangest movie characters.

Despite being the film's "monster," Finley created a sympathetic figure in the Phnatom, making him also the movie's hero.

In the role of Winslow/The Phantom, William Finley was able to flex all of his acting muscles to create a multi-dimensional character in just over ninety minutes.  As Winslow, Finley played a socially inept, but likeable man who becomes the victim of the powerful entertainment mogul Swan.  He is quiet, sweet and almost harmless as he naively watches his music get stolen and exploited by the pint sized demonic powerhouse.  However, as the leather clad Phantom, Finley is downright terrifying with his insane laughter, his sleek movements and his crazy eyes that bug out of the silver helmet.  But, what makes the Phantom a unique horror film character is that why he is the monster, he is also the film’s hero.  Although he screams and kills and causes havoc throughout Swan’s rock palace, The Phantom remains to be the only likeable character in the film who sticks to his own code, albeit extreme, sense of morality.  The sympathy that Finley creates for his character makes him a tragic figure, while Paul William’s smug and red faced Swan is the film’s true monster.   Finley’s ability to create a sense of pathos in his role is what gave the Phantom of the Paradise the emotional impact that it needed to capture the audience.  Yet, despite being one of the greatest horror films of the 70’s, Phantom of the Paradise was barely noticed by audiences upon its release, and would be eclipsed in popularity by the similar, but inferior, Rocky Horror Picture Show which was released a year later.  Perhaps the audience just wasn’t ready for Phantom of the Paradise.  It wouldn’t be until the late 1990’s that a film fans finally dusted off Phantom of the Paradise and truly began to realize the masterpiece it was, making it into a critically acclaimed cult favorite.  As a result, Phantom of the Paradise would remain to be William Finley’s best known work, and the standout performance of his career.

William Finley reanimated Brian Libby in "Silent Rage."

Through the 70’s and the 80’s William Finley made a trio of films for horror director Tobe Hooper: Eaten Alive, The Funhouse and Night Terrors and appeared in De Palma’s Fury.  However, his most unique post-Phantom role would be that of swarmy mad scientist Dr. Paul Vaughn in possibly one of Chuck Norris’ strangest outings, Silent Rage.  In an attempt to combine the slasher and martial arts films together, director Michael Miller pitted Chuck Norris against a reanimated  “Michael Myers like” killer who was brought back to life by three scientists.  While the three doctors differed in their ethics and morals, naturally Finley’s Dr. Vaughn was the more psychotic and strange of the three, playing into his ability to play seedy and creepy intellects.

An older looking Finley makes his final screen appearance as George Tilden in De Palma's "The Black Dhalia."

From the 90’s onwards William Finley seemed to be off the radar except for a few notable exceptions.  He made an appearance on Sabrina the Teenage Witch in 1998 in the role of a werewolf, and was in Mike Garris’ 2006 episode of HBO’s Masters of Horror.  It was fitting that Finley’s final screen appearance would, once again, be for Brian De Palma in his fictional account of the Elizabeth Short murder, The Black Dahlia.  In the role of the strange and obsessive George Tilden, Finley is eventually revealed to be the actual Black Dahlia killer.  A perfect menacing final role to what would be a career full of strange and creepy men.

It was prominent filmmaker Edgar Wright who broke the news of William Finley’s death on Sunday morning.  Famous for such films as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim, like most fans of Finley, Wright had discovered him in Phantom of the Paradise.  Coming across a piece of paper that he had lost with Finley’s e-mail address written on it, Wright had sent Finley an e-mail telling him how much he admired his work.  An hour later Wright received the following e-mail from Finley’s wife:

“Dearest Edgar,

Susan Finley here, William’s wife. I guess you must have had a very strong
connection to William. He was ill and just died today at 11:00AM.

William was a huge fan of yours and loved the Phantom references in your films.
Especially “Scott Pilgrim.” Our son Dashiell, who is just graduating NYU film and his dad have been passionate fans since “Shaun of the Dead.”

Wish I could have read him your e-mail.

All the best,
Susan”

The irony of Wright’s e-mail to Finley on the day of his death is eerie, as if Finley had whispered beyond the grave to him so that he could send a message to the fans that he had died.  He chose one of the film’s most famous advocates, who let the world know that a quiet man had left the mortal realm.

The Phantom of the Paradise is dead.  Long live the Phantom of the Paradise.

While she may be the quietest science fiction icon of all time, Linda Harrison had a natural ability to attract the attention of film fans everywhere.  With her long legs, auburn hair, soft features and large, expressive eyes, Linda Harrison became a sci-fi sex symbol as the savage woman Nova in the cult classic Planet of the Apes.  As Charlton Heston’s speechless mate, Linda Harrison has had three generations of fans fantasizing about being trapped on a planet ruled by monkeys with her.  While some might call living on the Planet of the Apes a nightmare, with Linda Harrison by your side it could just be a paradise.

But in real life, Linda Harrison’s roles went far beyond that of Nova.  Entering the industry via the beauty pageant circuit, Linda was discovered as a contestant in the Miss International Contest and signed to 20^th Century Fox.  It was at Fox that she caught the attention of one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, Richard D. Zanuck, and the two were married in 1968.  Yet, while she would find a cult following all her own, Linda Harrison’s life in Hollywood seemed to be interwoven with Zanuck’s career, giving her a unique behind the scenes perspective of the film industry as an outsider watching the insiders, and bringing her in contact with some of the most celebrated directors in modern film history including Franklin J. Schaffer, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Tim Burton.

Linda Harrison made her biggest mark on pop culture as Nova in "Planet of the Aoes," making her one of sci-fi's most noteable sex symbols.

As The Planet of the Apes became one of the most celebrated film franchises of all time, Linda Harrison chose a domestic role of wife and mother.  Making only occasional film appearances, Linda’s on-screen time was far and in between, but there was no doubt that the impact that she had made on the audience was enormous.  Although she would not be aware of her fan following for years after her appearance in Planet of the Apes, a legion of fans weren’t going to forget about her.

Warm and personable, Linda proves to have a unique insight into the history of the film industry.  With an intense working knowledge of the behind the scenes dealings of Hollywood’s elite, Linda spins an incredible narrative about an aspect of the industry rarely seen by others.  Thankfully for us, Linda Harrison is not as quiet as Nova, and she has a lot of fascinating stories to tell.

CONFESSIONS OF A POP CULTURE ADDICT PRESENTS

NOVA SPEAKS:

A CONVERSATION WITH LINDA HARRISON

Early glamour shot of Linda Harrison.

Sam Tweedle:  You started your in beauty pageant circuit.  What made you go into that venue when you were a young girl?

Linda Harrison:  Well I was always an entertainer.  I was an acrobat since I was five.  I was very good and I got the top prize.  In front of an audience is where I shined, so once I got to be nine or ten years old I wanted to be an actress.  Back then talent was shown through the contestants in beauty pageants and talent scouts would come and look for potential movie stars.  I was fortunate to have Mike Medavoy, who was a very successful producer, come up to me and say “You should be in the movies.”  So that’s why I got into those contests.  Plus, everybody wanted me.  I was attractive and vivacious and spoke well so it was a natural for me.

Sam:  So, in a sense, it worked out the way you wanted it to.

Linda:  Exactly.

Sam:  Today it seems that there is a negative stigma towards beauty pageants.  Has the circuit changed since you were in it?

Linda Harrison entered show business via the beauty pagent circuit: "We were the real, original beauty contests. Now it’s become more commercialized and sensational..."

Linda:  Yes.  We were the real, original beauty contests.  Now it’s become more commercialized and sensational with the costumes and the bathing suits.  The contestants seem to be very aggressive.

Sam:  So you left Maryland for Hollywood and were signed to 20^th Century Fox.  What was it like to be on the Fox lot?

Linda:  Oh, you just can’t imagine the thrill.  It was so exciting.  My dream was coming true!  The interview was great, and they said “Sign her up.”  They had to fix my teeth.  I had a space in the front of my teeth.  There was a drama coach, and she prepared you and tried to develop you as an actress.

Sam:  One of your earliest appearances was playing a cheerleader in an episode of Batman with Donna Loren and Cesar Romero as the villains.  I absolutely love watching you in that.   What was it like finding yourself on the set of Batman?

Linda Harrison (on right) with Donna Loren on "Batman" in 1966. The episode also featured guest villain Caesar Romero as The Joker

Linda:  It was the very first thing I ever did.  Of course, like all actors, you are looking for the big picture.  I was dating Richard Zanuck by this time.  It was early ’66.  I remember that they worked us from eight in the morning until five.  So I went up and said “Why don’t you try to conserve our energy, so by the time of the shoot we’ll be more fresh.”  Well I remember that they went and told the head of talent that I was a trouble maker.

Linda Harrison becomes the first woman to wear the Womder Woman costume in William Dozier's failed attempt to bring the heroine to screen. Linda played Ellie Walker Wood's double in the mirror.

Sam:  Well you must have made an impression with William Dozier because he brought you in for the Wonder Woman test film that he made.

Linda:  Yes.

Sam:  Now it wasn’t a successful project, but you have gone down into history as one of the first women to put on the Wonder Woman costume.  Do you have any memories at all about doing that test film?

Linda:  You have to remember that I was dating Richard, and we had a very full life, so there was not a driving ambition [in me], beyond landing that seven year contract.  So I did [Wonder Woman] because I was under contract, and they used their contract people and they thought I’d be good at it.

James Brolin and Linda Harrison as Cornelius and Zira in the "Planet of the Apes" test film, used to sell the movie to 20th Cenutury Fox.

Sam:  Now three generations of men have grown up having crushes on you as a result of your role as Nova in Planet of the Apes which is the role that will follow you forever.  But what isn’t known by a lot of people is that you also tested for the role of Zira, who was eventually played by Kim Hunter.

Linda:  Well that test was to see if they appliance of make up for the apes would work.

Sam:  Oh, I’ve seen that.  That is the little film that was done with Edgar G. Robertson as Dr. Zaius and James Brolin as Cornelius.

Edward G. Robinson as Dr. Zaius. Due to health reasons, Robinson would relinquish the part to Maurice Evans

Linda:  Yes.  They hadn’t cast anyone yet so they used their players.

Sam:  The test film was one of the final things that Edward G. Robinson ever did before he passed away.  Do you have any memories of working with him?

Linda:  Yes.  I met him at a party and they wanted him to play Dr. Zaius.  We noticed when we did the test that his health was failing so we had to make an adjustment with that.

Sam:  When did you first hear about the film?

Linda:  I’ll never forget it the evening that we were at Chez Jays in Santa Monica and Dick told me all about [Planet of the Apes.]  He was so enthusiastic about it and he told me “If it goes, you’re going to play Nova.”

Sam:  In Planet of the Apes you never speak, but you put forth so much emotion with body language and facial expression.  You become a fail range character.  How intense was it to do a role like that?

"Nova fit my personality and temperament."

Linda:  There is a saying that when you get a role that you are ninety nine percent the right person.  You are one percent just doing it.  Really, Nova fit my personality and temperament.  People who can’t speak are very animated.  They may be doing sign language, but they are putting in all the different kind of things that they are trying to say by expressing themselves.  When I had an interview with the producer and the director, I just worked off of two emotions; fear and love.  Charlton Heston’s character was my mate and I didn’t quite know what to do with him, but obviously he was kind and I gravitated towards him.

Sam:  You and Charlton Heston had an incredible chemistry on screen.  What was it like working with him?

Linda Harrison with leading man Charlton Heston: "Well every day I couldn’t wait to get to work. Just to be close to him was an honor."

Linda:  Well, the extraordinary thing was that ever since Ben-Hur, in the scene when the mother and daughter and healed when Christ transcended, [Charlton Heston] became my idol.  So on the first day of shooting I told him that.

Sam:  And how did he react?

Linda:  He thanked me.

Sam:  So did that give you a more intense emotional connection of sorts to Charleston Heston as a result?

Linda:  Well every day I couldn’t wait to get to work.  Just to be close to him was an honor.

Sam:  Nova also seems to be a physically demanding role.  I think about all the scenes of you running through the fields and being dragged around by apes.  Did you do a lot of those scenes, or did you have a stunt double?

Linda Harrison doing her own stunts in "Planet of the Apes": "Everybody was fighting over who was going to catch Nova coming down the mountain."

Linda:  No.  If I wasn’t on a horse, we were running.  We had these little tiny mesh shoes to wear, but they didn’t help much.  I remember crossing a field, and going fast and they had men at the bottom to catch me.  Everybody was fighting over who was going to catch Nova coming down the mountain.  I was psychically inclined anyways.  I was an acrobat and I was in shape.  But when that camera roles, it doesn’t matter what obstacle was in the way.  You were on camera and you could handle it.

Sam:  Do you have many memories of working with Kim Hunter or Roddy McDowell?

"Planet of the Apes" stars Maurice Evans (Dr. Zaius), Roddy McDowell (Cornelius) and Kim Hunter (Zira): "The apes tended to stay together, and the humans had their own camp."

Linda:  It was an interesting thing that happened during the making of Planet of the Apes.  The apes tended to stay together, and the humans had their own camp.  Yes, I did get to talk to them, but it was very hard for them to talk through the masks.  These people had to get up at three in the morning to get all the [make up] done.  But the reason that Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowell and Maurice Evans were picked was because of their great acting ability.  You had to have that to get the emotion through the make up.

Sam:  And they all manage to make those characters come very alive.

Linda:  Yes they do.  Its an interesting thing.  Once you take some of the senses away, like not being able to speak clearly, something else happens in you and makes the performance better.

Sam:  It’s like taking away one of your senses.  When Planet of the Apes came out, were you surprised it became such a cult phenomena?

"Planet of the Apes" opened on April 3, 1968, beginning one of the most important and beloved sci-fi franchies of all time. However, Linda Harrison barely noticed: "I didn’t realize I had a following until I was in my fifties."

Linda:  Well, I was onto greener pastures.  I was twenty-one.  I was looking for my next job.  I didn’t realize I had a following until I was in my fifties.

Sam:  Are you kidding?   Were you surprised?

Linda:  Well, everywhere I’d go they’d say “You were in Planet of the Apes,” but I never knew that it had such an impact on the mass audience.

Sam:  Well, those films are films that just stick with you.

Linda:  Remember that we were the flower children.  We were the baby boomers.  We were at war.  Viet Nam was a very unpopular war and we were changing and making transitions.  We planned [the film] to be entertaining, but the subconscious of the people writing and making the film was an experience of global consciousness.  They took [the film] from the book but there had to be changes.  [In the book] they had a much more advanced civilization and in order for Dick to make this movie he had to keep it under five million, or else he had to take it to the board of directors and they would not have bought this kind of film.

Taylor (Heston) and Nova (Harrison) encounter the ruins of The Statue of Liberty in "Planet of the Apes'" iconic ending: "We were at war. Viet Nam was a very unpopular war and we were changing and making transitions."

Sam:  Well the post-apocalyptic setting went with the political climate at the time the film was made.

Linda:  Yes.  The civil rights and the greed of man.  Man makes war.  These are still issues today.

Sam:  That could be an indication of why Rise of the Planet of the Apes was such a big hit.  They explored a lot of those issues again.  As a society we can relate to it.

Linda:  Oh.  It was a terrific film.

Sam:  Was there a different feel on the set when you were making Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

Linda:  Oh yes.  The first one had a top director and cinematographer.  You couldn’t beat Franklin J. Schaffner.  He went on to win best director for Patton.  In the second film we made it for less.  [Director] Ted Post was fabulous to work with, but I could get away with murder with him.  Ted was an actor’s dream so there was a little more make-up on me.  I was actually very comfortable because I had done [the first film.]

Linda Harrison teams up with James Fransiscus in "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" in which Nova finally speaks: "I knew it would be a standout moment."

Sam:  Probably the biggest moment in that film is when Nova finally speaks her first line.

Linda:  Well it was hardly a line.  It was a word.

Sam:  But it is the biggest moment of that film.  Did you realize it was going to be a standout moment, or did you see it as just a line?

Linda:  I knew it would be a standout moment, but we working with it.  Nova would have vocal chords, but undeveloped.  How would she say it?  So it ended up “Tay-lor.”  Charlton teased me about it.

Sam:  The film has such a bleak ending.

Linda:  Well you know why?  Charlton didn’t want another sequel.  Dick had to bribe him to do five minutes of film.

Sam:  How did he bribe him?

Linda:  Well, Dick was very good friends with Charlton and he said “All you have to do is be on film for five minutes” and he probably paid him a lot of money.

Sam:  When they went on with the Planet of the Apes series, you pretty much done with it?

Linda:  Yes.

Linda Harrison relinquished a role in "Jaws" for one in "Airport '75:" "They said that Roy Schneider couldn’t get a girl as beautiful as me."

Sam:  Another film that you were in that became a cult classic was Airport 1975.  That has an amazing ensemble cast, and you were back with Charleston Heston again.  It is an incredible film.

Linda:  There is a funny story of how I got Airport 1975.  Dick and I were thrown out of Fox, so he went on to form Zanick-Brown with his partner David Brown.  Well we had discovered Stephen Spielberg.  He had done Duel as a TV movie and we had a movie called Sugarland Express.  So Spielberg did that and [Zanuck and Brown] recognized his incredible talent.  Then Jaws came along, and I was in the throws of two little babies.  My creative side wasn’t being used.  So I said to [Dick] “Get me a part” and he said “I’ll get you the part as the wife of the sheriff in Jaws.”  So they were in New York talking about who they were going to cast and Dick said “I want the part of the sheriff’s wife to go to Linda.”  Spielberg said “Oh no.  I promised that part of Loraine Gary.”  So Dick called me and said “Here’s the situation.  Lorraine was promised the part, but I promised it to you so it’s yours.”  Well just like me, I give everything away so I said “Give her that part.”  So they said we’ll find you a part, and I got a part of the gal Friday in Airport with Gloria Swanson.  Spielberg mentions this all the time in articles, that I was up for the part and Lorraine was up for the part and he didn’t know what to do and he was young.  I would have loved to have had that part in Jaws.  But they said that Roy Schneider couldn’t get a girl as beautiful as me. (Laughs)

Sam:  (Laughs)  Poor Roy Schneider.   Now there was a ten year gap in your career between Airport and Cocoon.  Why did you seem to disappear from the radar for a decade?

Linda:  I was raising my children, which has always been my top priority.

Linda Harrison as Susan in "Cocoon."

Sam:  How did you get involved in Cocoon?

Linda:  Well, I was studying at an acting school and we were giving a presentation of work we had done, and invited agents to see us.  Dick came and I had a couple of scenes.  Well he said “There might be a part for you in Cocoon.”  So I had an interview with Ron Howard and he said “You got the part.”

Sam:  Is Ron Howard as nice and easy going in real life as he seems to be on television?

Ron Howard directing "Cocoon": "He wanted you to be you. If you were authentic, and coming from the inside of you, he’d call you on it."

Linda:  Yes indeed.  He is a very good soul.  We would walk into the hotel and a lady would say [to Ron Howard] “Come and say hello to my son.  He’s such a fan” and Ron would take the phone and say “Hello, how are you” and have a conversation.  If someone wanted his autograph, he would give him an autograph.  He is such an exceptional man.

Sam:  Cocoon was Ron Howard’s first successful film.  What was it like working with him during the early part of his directing career?

Linda:  The thing I liked about him was he wanted all your mannerisms.  It’s like if I were talking to you, maybe my hand is going up and down to express myself.  He wanted you to be you.  If you were authentic, and coming from the inside of you, he’d call you on it.  He’d say “That’s fake.”

Sam:  Out of all the films you did, which is the one that you are the most proud of.

Linda:  Well they were all unique.  The first film I did was Way…Way Out, with Jim Brolin, and the second film I did, A Guide For the Married Man, was directed by Gene Kelly.  It was all these vignettes about how to cheat on your wife and not get caught.  That was fun because my scene took me all over the world.  I was in limousines and on a donkey and on a camel and then they catch us.

Sam:  Well while you’ve only been in seven or eight films, but while some people appear in a hundred films, the films that you did seem to have had a giant impact on the people who have seen them.

Linda:  I know.  Wasn’t I fortunate?  (Laughs)  On the personal side I was married to Dick, we had an amiable divorce and remained friends, and we raised two wonderful sons and their marriages are beautiful.  We have four grandchildren.  I am very proud of that, and my boys are very down to earth with no falseness or aggressiveness or obnoxiousness.  They are good and sound.

Sam:  What was it like for them to have Nova as their mother?  Where they aware growing up that their mother was a science fiction sex symbol?

Linda Harrison and Richard Zanuck with son Dean on the set of "Sugarland Express":

Linda:  Well when I was raising them they were such boys.  It was all boys and they weren’t thinking of girls.  My house was a club house where everybody came, and they had their friends.  They would plan in the morning what they were going to do all day, and I was just there to feed them and make sure they were safe.  But what hit them was that thirtieth anniversary of Planet of the Apes, and they were actually seeing the film for the first time as young men.  I mean, they saw excerpts all the time because it was always playing and Dick would always say to them “There’s your mother.  There’s your mother.”  But during the thirtieth anniversary they were young men and their eyes would get real big because I was young and in my prime, and they felt lucky to have me as their mother.  But my sons are so low profile.

Sam:  How did you get involved with Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes?

Linda Harrison with Mark Whalberg in Tim Burton's reimagining of "Planet of the Apes": "Sometimes it’s a blessing to have less money, and it makes you very creative, then to have a whole lot that you just spend on costumes and beautiful shots, but you don’t hone in on the script."

Linda:  I remember that it was during a time when things weren’t best in Dick’s career.  It was my oldest son’s Harrison’s birthday and we always did something special for the boy’s birthdays.  Well I was at this thing at 20^th Century Fox and the head of the studio was there, and he came up to our table and introduced himself because he was a fan of mine.  Its one of these things that all these different professionals are now fans.  Well he said “Guess what.  We signed Tim Burton to do a new Planet of the Apes movie.”  I said “I hope they’ll use some of the [original stars]” and he said “Oh, he’s good about that.”  That evening when we were out for Harrison’s birthday I was telling Dick about this and he said “Well did you tell him you were married to me?”  The boys took me aside and said “Dad would really like to produce that picture because he was on the ground level.  He made it happen.”  It was true that without Dick Zanuck Planet of the Apes would never have materialized.  So the very next day they were having lunch at a tennis club and when [Dick] got back there was a call from the head of the studio that said “We want you to come on as producer.”  For the last twelve years he’s been Tim Burton’s producer.

Sam:  What did you make of being part of that production?

Linda:  Well if you blink you miss me.  They showed my shots all over the place, but it got cut out.

Sam:  What are you thoughts of the Tim Burton film?  A lot of fans aren’t fond of it.

Tim Burton directing "Planet of the Apes": "You feel like his mind is overworking. He has a creative mind, and underneath he is always thinking."

Linda:  Well they were when we were making it, and Tim was a big fan of Planet of the Apes.  They gave him such a huge budget.  I think they gave him a hundred and forty million.  The thing about the original was that we didn’t have a lot of money so our dialogue had to be sharp and everything had to work real well.  So sometimes it’s a blessing to have less money, and it makes you very creative, then to have a whole lot that you just spend on costumes and beautiful shots, but you don’t hone in on the script.  But it made a lot of money.

Sam:  And that is what the studio likes in the end.

Linda:  Oh yes.  But I have to say that growing up with Dick [I leart] that there was nothing like a hit and they were few and far between.

Sam:  What is Tim Burton like to work with?  Is he as strange as his films?

Linda:  No.  He’s a very gentle.  You feel like his mind is overworking.  He has a creative mind, and underneath he is always thinking.

Sam:  You haven’t acted in a long time.  Are you finished with that aspect of your career?

Linda:  I think so.  I really have no desire to act.

Linda Harrison and Richard Zanuck: "You have to understand that I was involved with a very powerful man...He could make or break people back then.

Sam:  Was there any kind of things that you didn’t get to do that you would have liked to have done?

Linda:  Not really.  You have to understand that I was involved with a very powerful man, and I loved what I learned because I learned a lot about the business.  I learned about what happened behind the scenes and what it took to make a great script.  I knew his father Darryl Zanuck.  He and Dick were very close.  So I had this incredible life.  From the age of twenty years old I went from a little town of two thousand to going to eating caviar.  Some people said it was just too much for a young person.  Dick had a lot of power.  He could make or break people back then.

Sam:  That must have been intimidating for a lot of people.

Linda:  Yeah, but he was very good with people.

Sam:  So it sounds like you have been able to really maintain a strong family unit to this day.

Linda:  Yes.  We are very family.  I see Dick once a week.  The boys talk to their father every day, so Dick knows what’s going on in my life, and I know what’s going on in his life through the boys.  We are very respectful to one another and when we go out everybody is very civil and excited and grateful.  That is something we are most proud of.  That’s our real anchor.

While the fans will always love her as Nova, Linda Harrison has had far more roles in life: model, pageant contestant, actress, icon, sex symbol, wife, mother and grandmother.  She has had a unique journey that has gone beyond the usual human experience.  But as Linda points out, during her career she only made a handful of films.  While some of those films have become some of the most popular films in Hollywood history, there is something about Linda Harrison that has stuck with film fans.  Perhaps it is her beauty, but maybe it goes beyond that.  In the role of Nova, Linda Harrison only uttered a single word, but perhaps we saw something deeper, and more raw, in her being.  Something in her beauty and gentleness and those deep soulful eyes.  Linda Harrison found her way into the hearts of fans without saying a word, but that feat in itself says so much.

PCA NOTE:  I’d like to thank Carol Summers for arranging my interview with Linda Harrison, and for all her friendship, advice and friendship over the last three years.  You’re a real gem Carol.  Thanks for everything.

Hey there friends and readers!

Oh man.  I have a comic convention hangover.  You know that morning after you go to a convention and you still feel a bit sore and dopey from all the excitement of two days of comics, cosplay, celebrities and celebration of everything that makes our subculture great?  The feeling where you just want to stay in bed and read all the comics that you bought and watch sci-fi movies all day?  Well if you don’t know what that feeling is like then you really haven’t been to enough comic book conventions.  A comic convention hangover is the best kind of hangover of them all.

Comic fans young and old come to Wizard World to celebrate everything excising about pop culture!

This weekend Wizard World brought their traveling convention to the Toronto Convention Center for Toronto’s first major convention of the year.  Now I don’t say this about every event I go to, but I will proudly go on record as saying that Wizard World puts on the most enjoyable conventions that I’ve ever been to.  I say this for many reasons.  First of all, it isn’t the biggest convention;  but that is part of the appeal.  The result is a far more relaxed and laid back experience, where celebrities, comic professionals and fans have an actual chance to intermingle and talk to one another.  Wizard World is a convention without giant lines, without volunteers yelling orders at you to hurry along, and without the massive crowds pushing you through cramped aisles of merchandise.  It is an event where people can really get a chance to meet with old friends, network with new friends, and actually come together like a true community.  While the crowds at some shows can often be hostile and bitter, the Wizard World shows have a whole different vibe to them.  The fans are having fun, the guests are happy and it really becomes a true celebration of pop culture.

Amongst a full house of celebrity guests. Wizard World brought "Quantum Leap" stars Scott Backula and Dean Stockwell to Toronto for a reunion!

And small doesn’t mean that Wizard World doesn’t bring in the talent.  Along with over one hundred artists and writers from the world of comics, this year Wizard World Toronto welcomed pop culture favorites like Scott Backula and Dean Stockwell from Quantum Leap, Star Trek sex symbol Jeri Ryan, Wheonverse favorites Sean Maher and Amy Acker, Vampire Diaries heartthrob Paul Wesley, the cast of Being Human, Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch, 80’s sci-fi favorites Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stewart, Eureka star Colin Ferguson, wrestling legends The Edge and The Honky Tonk Man and many more.  What was different to this show compared to other conventions was that in most cases the guests were absolutely assessable to the fans.  You could actually go up and have a real conversation with the stars.   They were not surrounded by security or managers and the atmosphere was so friendly that the stars actually opened themselves up to the fans,  These face to face interactions are the most important part of a convention and Wizard World had the most relaxed environment I have ever experienced when it came to allowing fans to interact with their icons.

Unlike many conventions, Wizard World provides a safe kid friendly environment, helping to develop the inner geek in the next generation, and making Wizard World a family friendly event.

The size and friendly nature of Wizard World also made it a perfect place for people to actually bring their children to experience the convention for themselves.  Look – pop culture is generational, and in order for fandom to survive the youngest of children need to be just as involved as the older fans.  It was great to see so many kids dressed up in costumes, and interacting with celebrities and, especially, cosplayers which seemed to be such a big hit with the kids.  In some cases entire families were coming together in costumes.  In fact, Wizard World had their own masquerade contest on Sunday afternoon for the kids which was judged by Angel co-star Amy Acker!  Wizard World had a real family feel to it, reminding us that fandom is really about harnessing that big kid in all of us.

I never did catch their names, but these two cosplayers had to listen to me talk at them for a good long while. I actually used the phrase "So Paul Dini is a friend of mine and...." while talking to them. I should be punched for name dropping like that. If you're out there reading somewhere, thanks for being such good sports.

But the biggest part of a conventions success is the people behind the show and a convention is only as good as the integrity of the organizers.  Based out of New York City, Wizard World has a great team of people that bring conventions throughout North America.  Although they have cut down on the amount of shows that they do this year, Wizard World brings their conventions to seven cities – Toronto, Philadelphia, Chicago, Ohio, Austin and New Orleans.  For more information on a Wizard World show in your area, visit www.wizardworldcomiccon.com.  If you are in the Philadelphia or Chicago area you are in for a real treat this summer because the guest list for those shows are the best yet.

Now I’m going to be bluntly honest here.  I’ve been going to conventions for fifteen years and I usually go to about four events a year.  I’ve been to the good and the bad, the big and the small.  But out of all the shows I’ve gone to I have never been to a convention that has a more respectable and ethical team of organizers then Wizard World.  The unfortunate reality of a lot of conventions are that they become about money, ego and status, which often leads to an often aggressive and unhappy atmosphere at their event.  But Wizard World finds their success by creating an intimate and positive environment for fans and guests.  And I’m not the only one who agrees.  Over the weekend I heard that both Colin Ferguson and Jeremy Bulloch called Wizard World the best run conventions they’ve ever been to as well.  The staff make themselves very visible throughout the day and available to guests, press and attendees.  I had a chance to quickly meet Wizard’s new CEO John Macaluso on three different occasions.  Always moving a million miles a minute, John’s main concerns were to make sure that the guests had everything they needed and that everything on the floor as running smoothly.  John seemed to be all business, but that business was that the fans attending the show were having a good time.  A huge difference from other organizers who lock themselves away in an office counting the daily receipts.

My personal favorite cosplayers of the weekend - Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers. You gotta admit these two are bloody adorable together! Now if I could have met myself a Kim Pine.

On a professional note, I can’t express enough how much I appreciate the work Wizard World’s public relations guy Jerry Milani does with the people from the press that attend the shows.  I cover a lot of shows and have dealt with a lot of PR people, but nobody is as personable and professional as Jerry is.  With over twenty years PR experience, and coming from a background as a freelance sports journalist, Jerry just seems to “get it” more then other PR agents do.  I can tell you horror stories of dealing with people that run press at various shows, but Jerry actually takes the time to know who each person working press at the show is and what they want to cover, and then takes the time to personally introduce you to the stars and make sure that everybody is on the same page.  Jerry even takes the time to make sure that the media will properly represent the celebrities at the show.  Jerry told me one horror story about one nameless media personality who said he wanted to interview Firefly star Sean Maher by saying “How about that Sean Maher guy?  What did he do?”  Needless to say, the reporter didn’t get the interview.  But one thing I really respect about Jerry is how straight up and honest he is with you.  He doesn’t lie to you, and he doesn’t make things up.  He either tells you that your media request is possible, or it isn’t.  This is a huge different from other PR agents who keep you in the dark as a way to control situations.  The respect that Jerry gives the media, the celebrity guests and Wizard World itself is above and beyond most public relations professionals I’ve dealt with, and I can’t thank Jerry enough for what he does.

I also want to give a big shout out to Wizard World’s convention manager Khandyce Menard.  I only met Khandyce briefly, but she was the one that invited me to moderate The Last Starfighter reunion and Sean Maher’s Q&A.  It was such an honor for me to be part of the Wizard World experience this year on a larger scale, and I think everybody had fun at our panels.  I know I really enjoyed doing them and I’m looking forward to working with Wizard World again in the years to come!  Thanks for putting your faith in me Khandyce!  You made Wizard World extra special for me!  I can’t wait until next year!

This year's Wizard World volunteer staff was easily the most knowledgeable and well organized group of people I've ever encountered at a convention. If only the governments of the world were run by Wizard World...

Finally, I want to mention the crew of volunteers that Wizard World brought together to make this convention work.  Once again I am going to be blunt.  At other, larger, conventions it seems that the organizers just put a volunteer shirt on random nerds and tell them to stand around looking important.  This can often create problems because if you give a nerd a shred of power they suddenly think their Captain Kirk, leading to stupid and obnoxious volunteers.  Well the team of people that Wizard World brought together in Toronto were amazing.  Simply amazing.  They were intelligent, well spoken, respectful, knowledgeable, and articulate and if you asked them a question they could actually answer it.  Also they were not the type of people I’d call nerds.  They had real social skills, and were such an important part of the positive atmosphere of the show.  I don’t think I have ever seen a convention that has had a better crew of volunteers ever.  I would really like to know who was responsible for bringing this crew together, and how they selected and trained them, because every convention should be doing exactly what they did.  Thank you to all the volunteers that I encountered that made this show so great.

"The Last Starfighter" star Lance Guest is currently appearing as Johnn Cash in the off-Broadway production of "Million Dollar Quartet."

So what’s coming up at PCA in the weeks to come out of Wizard World?  Well, I am proud to be able to present interviews with the stars of the 80’s sci-fi hit film The Last Stafighter!  Lance Guest, who starred as Alex Rogan, and Catherine Mary Stewart, who played his romantic interest Maggie, talk about their careers both past and present.  I want to thank Convention All-Stars’ Sean Clark for bringing Lance and Catherine to Toronto and for being a treasure trove of information about The Last Starfighter and other 80’s film in general, which helped greatly in my preparation for Saturday’s reunion that was attended by approximately a hundred eager fans.  Sean is bringing a host of your favorite celebrities from cult franchises from the 80’s and 90’s to Wizard World shows this year, including a special reunion of Boondock Saints stars Sean Patrick Flannery, David Delta Rocco and Norman Reedus in Philadelphia and Chicago; Charmed co-stars Holly Marie Kraus and Brian Coombs and Twin Peaks’ bad girl Sherilyn Fenn to Chicago and “Brat Packer A”nthony Michael Hall to Austin   Sean also gave me a scoop about a big, once in a lifetime celebrity appearance he is planning, which I’ll be keeping under my hat for the time being, but let me just say that Sean Clark has something really exciting in store for one special city later this year.  Check out www.conventionallstars.com/ in the months to come for more details.

Sean Maher talks about "Firefly," "Much Ado About Nothing" and being in the closet in Hollywood in an exclusive interview for PCA!

As moderator for Sean Maher’s panel, I got to talk a lot with the popular leading man over the weekend, and really got immersed into Firefly fandom.  Although it’s been a decade since it premiered and was quickly cancelled, Firefly has become one of the most popular and beloved sci-fi franchises ever.  The fan base is passionate about Joss Whedon’s post apocalyptic western, as seen by the great group of people that made it out to Sean’s panel on Sunday.  But later that day Sean and I retreated to the bar at the Intercontinental Hotel to discuss another more personal topic.  Last fall, while doing press for The Playboy Club,  Sean Maher revealed to the public that he was gay.  Sean and I talk about being in the closet in Hollywood, and how coming out changed his life. Sean also talks about Joss Whedon’s highly anticipated Much Ado About Nothing film in which he plays the villainous Don John.  Sean Maher takes us far beyond Dr. Simon Tam in a very personal interview which I am very proud of presenting.

Ed the Sock and Liana K are heading back to Canadian television with "I Hate Hollywood" this May on CHCH-TV.

Two of my very favorite people in Canadian media, Ed the Sock and Liana K are not only convention favorites throughout North America, but have come back on Canadian television in a big way.  As the controversial winners of last years Canadian Comedy Awards, Ed and Red beat the odds when they proved to the television executives that once tried to squash them that they are marketable, relevant and are still fan favorites.  This spring, for the first time ever , Ed the Sock and Liana K are coming to prime time television with their latest show I Hate Hollywood.  What Ed describes as being a “documentary,” Ed and Liana expose the Hollywood conventions and politics as the bullshit they are, and calls out everything stupid and manipulative about the entertainment industry.  I absolutely love talking to Ed and Liana because they are so smart and funny and speak a truth that most people in the media are scared to tell.  They are a relief from the mundane and mind numbing garbage that the mass media want the public to suck up.  It is no wonder that the mainstream media are afraid of them, but the good folks at CHCH obviously understand the importance and popularity of Ed and Red.  I Hate Hollywood premiers in May, and stay tuned to PCA for my intense and lively discussion with the people that are bringing it to you.

Wrestling superstar The Honky Tonk Man is coming to PCA in our very first feature ever about sports entertainment!

For something completely different, PCA is proud to welcome wrestling legend The Honky Tonk Man as its very first feature based on sports media!  As one of the colorful figures of the 1980’s wrestling industry, The Honky Tonk Man was the WWF’s longest Intercontinental Champion title holder, and had prolific feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Ultimate Warrior.  Furthermore, Honky Tonk Man had one of the most memorable wrestling gimmicks of all time as a jeering Elvis impersonator who claimed that Elvis had stolen his schtick.  With his giant sideburns and greased black Elvis hairdo, the Honky Tonk Man came out in a jeweled jump suit and would finish his fights by bashing a guitar over his competitors.  I had the great pleasure to speak with the Honky Tonk Man who proved to be a very insightful and well spoken guy, and had some interesting comments on his career in wrestling.  Something totally different for the PCA audience, I am very excited to bring The Honky Tonk Man’s story to PCA!

Friends, it has been a crazy time over the last few months, and as a result there is a lot of stuff coming up at PCA in the weeks to come.  Currently I have fifteen interviews in various stages or preparations – many with entertainers I haven’t even announced yet.  This is the most interviews we’ve had at one time in our history of  PCA!  Some of them are for PCA’s newest feature “PCA Playlist” which we’ve been featuring for a few months now.  Bringing some of the most talented musicians you haven’t heard of…yet.  These are the musicians that make me believe in music again.   PCA Playlist has had an overwhelming response thus far, and I am so glad to be able to help promote good musicians by talented people who deserve to be heard, instead of the bland and blasé music that pollutes the airwaves.  My goal is to have all fifteen interviews on-line within the next eight weeks.  With a bit of hard work and focus on my end this is a realistic goal, meaning that things will be fast and furious in the weeks to come.  I hope you’ll stick with us in the weeks to come.  Things should get exciting.

Stay tuned because there is more to come -

Sam “Support Your Local Wizard World” Tweedle

PCA BONUS:  Check out some of these great photos from Toronto Wizard World!  Thanks to Raymond Santos, Bob Vanderbank, Leonard Kirk, Jerry Milani and Corey Andrews for sharingg thier photos with PCA.

Jeri Ryan shone at Wizard World Toronto n Saturday, despite the fact that her airplane was struck by lightening the night before.

"This is not the droid you're looking for."

"Angel" star Amy Acker signing for fans.

Mol and Venessa, who were running conference room A on Sunday for the Sean Maher panel. When I talk about smart volunteers with personality, this is exactly what I'm talking about!

The Sailor Scouts attend Wizard World. Obviously Sailor Mercury stayed home to study. Her loss...

PCA goes to the Dark Side.

Prince Adam of Eternia makes a royal appearance at Wizard World.

The girls at the "Cabin in the Woods" booth, promoting Joss Whedon's up coming horror film.

Cosplay for the whole family!

“Do I have pizza on my face?” this super cute Sailor Jupiter asked her boyfriend before I snapped this photo. What can I say? I love Sailor Moon….

And speaking of Dr. Who, check out this TARDIS fashion! The fascinator is a great touch!

PCA's Sam Tweedle and Firefly star Sean Maher at the bar. One of them has had too much to drink. Give you a hint which one. It's the one who hasn't met Joss Whedon....

The guys from Toronto's 501st Legion raising money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Who said the Empire were all evil?

Zatanna and Catwoman - what fanboy dreams are made of! Meow!

Interviewing "The Last Starfighter" and "Weekend at Bernie's" actress Catherine Mary Stewart!

More sci-fi fashion....more cool fascinators. Costumes inspired by R2-D2 and R%-D4 (and if you knew the name of the red droid off the top of your head I'm impressed).

Cutter than Barnabas Collins and cooler than Edward Cullen, "The Vampire Diaries" Paul Wesley was a huge hit....especially for female fans!

Sean Maher takes time to pose with a group of Firefly cosplayers for a special photo shoot.

PCA reviews the latest graphic novels, for people who wait for the TPB.

Some classic comics age well like vintage wine.  Others, like Robert Crumb’s classic comic strip Fritz the Cat, don’t.  However, while the content of Crumb’s “funny animal masterpiece” is easy to criticize under the scrupulation of modern sensitivities, when looked at through a historical point of view, Fritz the Cat becomes a daring and risqué look at America, satirizing sex, politics, education, celebrity culture, race, the cold war and hipster culture.  Furthermore, despite its many flaws, it is still an interesting look into the underground comic industry of the 1960’s.  Although the Fritz the Cat strips from 1965 to 1972 have been reprinted many times over the decades, Fantgraphics Books has just re-released their 1993 Fritz the Cat collection, The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat in a new, low priced hard covered edition.  Collecting nine of Crumb’s essential Fritz the Cat stories, The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat is a solid over view of Crumb’s most famous character.  However, readers should beware of what they are getting into.  Those familiar with the world of Fritz via his successful 1971 animated feature (the world’s first X-rated cartoon) may not be prepared for the comic strips, which include jokes about rape, violence, misogyny and incest.  Those sensitive to these issues should proceed with caution.

Robert Crumb (depicted in this slef portrait) explored a series of taboo topics via comics when the art form was still considered a medium for children. As a result, his material was, and continues, to be controversial and is not for every reader.

During an era where the comic industry was still ruled by the Comic Code Authority, and believed to be strictly for children, Robert Crumb became the superstar of the underground comic movement, changing the way that comics were read forever.  Inspired by Walt Kelly’s Pogo, Robert and his brother Charles began to draw their own funny animal strips filled with adult themes such as sex and politics.  Eventually Fritz the Cat would easily become Crumbs’ most recognizable creation.  Fritz made his earliest appearances in homemade comics by the Crumb Brothers around 1959.  Based on their family cat Fred, the earliest Fritz stories were tales about what they thought Fred did when he didn’t come home at night.  A horny hedonistic drifter, totally void of ethics and morals, like real life cats Fritz’s primary concern is his own survival.  Despite a keen intellect, Fritz lacks the common sense of the other animals around him, but due to his chrasima, seems to trick others into believing that he knows what he is doing.  Possibly the most curious thing about Fritz the Cat is that the character is a total asshole, but via charm and a bit of pathos, Fritz wins over the reader no matter how badly behaved he is.

Hedonistic, horny, arrogant and self centered, Fritz the Cat was comics first likeable douche bag.

None of the early homemade Fritz the Cat strips appear in The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat, which instead begins with Crumb’s first published full Fritz story from 1964 which portrays Fritz as a down and out “Jack Kerouac” type who returns home to his mother after years on the road, but spends the visit trying to have sex with his sister.  Although crudely drawn, the strip holds a certain nostalgic charm despite the subtext of incest.  Crumb would take liberties with Fritz’s position in life depending on his needs, making Fritz into a college student, a magician, a rock idol, a secret agent, a drifter and a movie star throughout the various strips.

Fritz the Cat's discussion with a black crow about race relations is one of the highlights of "The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat."

The highlight of The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat is definitely the third story (second full length chapter) which depicts Fritz as a heartbroken college student caught between exams and revolution.  Rooming with Fuzzy Bunny and Heinz the Swine, Fritz begins the story mooning over his ex-girlfriend Winston (a brainy liberated fox).  Fuzzy wants to get laid, while Heinz just wants beer, leading Fritz on a series of misadventures as he tries to discover his path in life.  Highlights of the story includes Fritz deliberately burning down the dorm, talking race relations with a crow (which represents African Americans), going to a crow party and discovering marijuana, and his eventual reconciliation and disastrous road trip with Winston.  The third Fritz story is easily Crumb’s funniest and most charming, filled with suedo-intellectual discussion on political topics which seem to often cross between a grey area of satire and sincerity.  Furthermore, his rendition of his characters are at their cleanest, and as a result most charming.

Fritz and Winston reunite in one of the rare sweet moments in "Fritz the No Good," the most disturbing and violent of all the "Fritz the Cat" stories.

But as Crumb’s success rose in the underground comic scene, Fritz the Cat seems to take a darker turn, as evident in the seventh Fritz the Cat story, Fritz the No Good.  Down and out and unemployed, Fritz, now married to Charlene, the folk singing hippie cat he has a one night stand with in a previous strip, Fritz and Fuzzy are seen joining a terrorist organization that plans to blow up a bridge.  Although Crumb’s art is at its most interesting caliber by this point, Fritz the No Good strips Fritz the Cat of any potential charm he had earlier by presenting Fritz as a directionless loser, Heinz as a blind and homeless drunk, and Fuzzy as an angry radical who beats up his hippopotamus girlfriend before sitting on her face while Fritz tortures and rapes her, which caps off with a gang bang punch line.  Although Crumb may have been shooting for some sort of satire, the entire sequence is violent, misogynistic and depressing.

Unhappy with the "Fritz the Cat" film, Robert Crumb notarizes Hollywood and celebrity culture in the final Fritz the Cat story, "Fritz the Cat, Superstar."

Thankfully Crumb finally pulled the plug on Fritz in his next strip, 1972’s Fritz the Cat “Superstar.”  Unhappy by the Fritz the Cat film, and angry of his lack of control over the sequel which was currently being produced, Crumb drew what would be the final Fritz the Cat story ever.  Living off of the success of the film, Fritz is now a Hollywood megalomaniac living on a diet of liquor, drugs and sex.  With his ego finally hitting its peak, the always arrogant and thoughtless Fritz uses and abuses everyone around him, until he scorns an obsessive ex-lover who gets the final upper-hand on him.  In a shocking ending, Crumb makes a bold statement on the film industry, Hollywood sub-culture as well as stardom, sex, drugs, death and obsession.  Despite the success of Fritz’s pair of films at the time Crumb published Fritz the Cat “Superstar,” Crumb never drew another Fritz the Cat feature again.  Although Fritz lacks any sort of charm within his final strip and is nothing but a hateful and angry character, the social commentary in the subtext ends Fritz the Cat on a high note.

Charlene serenades Fritz, who just wants to get laid.

The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat is a decent reprint collection, but what it lacks are any notes on the material within the book.  Perhaps an introduction to the collection was not included in order to keep the cost low, but Fritz the Cat reads far better when framed in a historical context.  For the casual reader, The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat may not be your best selection and you might be better off getting a hold of the animated film which seems to hold up just a bit better.  The comics can be embarrassingly dated and the overwhelming misogyny and violence against women is disturbing.  However, for someone interested in the works of Robert Crumb, the history of underground comics, or is studying the history of comics in general, The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat, for better or for worse, is essential to your comic library.  .The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat isn’t for everyone (including myself to be quite honest), but the imagination and innovative style of Robert Crumb is undeniable, and his methods of exploring taboo subjects via cartoon animals continues to be extremely groundbreaking.

To order your own copy of The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat click here.

In one of Crumb's most exciting sequences, Fritz the Cat discovers marijuana at a crow party. Robert Crumb at his best.

The beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the way that fans love to remember them.

Since1984 the story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one that is known by fans all over the world.  The tale of four turtles that mutated into humanoid creatures due to being contaminated by nuclear waste; brothers Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael live under the streets of New York City where they were raised and trained by their sensei/father Splinter, a mutant rat.  Together, with the aid of reporter April O’Neil, the “heroes in a half shell” battle the evil Shredder and his legion of foot soldiers, while scarfing down pizza and making bad puns.  One of the most successful comic book franchises of all times, the Ninja Turtles were a major marketing phenomena during the late eighties and into the nineties, spinning off from their cult comic book series by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, into a mega-successful cartoon series, a toy line, video games, three live action movies and a plethora of products to numerous to name.  For billions of people worldwide, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or TMNT as the fans call have christened them, became an important part of childhood memories which are now being shared with a second generation of fans who share their parent’s enthusiasm for the strange amphibious heroes.

But now the Ninja Turtles have a enemy more threatening then Shredder, and more powerful then a billion foot soldiers.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now must face the mighty fist of filmmaker Michael Bay.

Michael Bay wants to turn the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into aliens. Thats right. Aliens. What a douche...

One of the biggest douchebags in Hollywood, Michael Bay has tainted the film industry since 1995 by creating giant blockbuster films which emphasize special effects and explosions over character, plot or coherency.  Although he is critically despised by film fans and critics alike, his films still seem to attract a certain audience, which has not only made Hollywood billions, but made Michael Bay one of the most powerful and wealthiest film makers in the world.  But in recent weeks Bay made a new set of enemies in the pop culture community when he announced that he not only has acquired the rights to make a brand new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie, but that he plans to do away with the original plot and turn the Ninja Turtles into aliens.

That’s right.  The Ninja Turtles are going to be aliens.

As both the hard core Ninja Turtles fans, and even a more passive group of pop culture fans, stammered together in a stunned silence at the stupidity of this development, one man has risen from the ashes and has thrown down the gauntlet as a defender for Ninja Turtle fans everywhere.  That man is Robbie Rist.

That’s right.  Robbie Rist.  The guy who played Cousin Oliver.

Hey Michael Bay! Robbie Rist is calling you out!

Although best remembered for his role as the bespecled “harbinger of doom” on The Brady Bunch, actor/musician/music producer Robbie Rist has had a long career in Hollywood in a variety of different roles, with one of his most successful venues being a voice actor.  In fact, in 1990, Robbie Rist voiced Michelangelo in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and continued the role through all of its sequels.

Earlier this week Robbie Rist woke up to the news about Michael Bay’s idiotic plans and wrote the following people letter to Bay on his facebook page:

“You probably don’t know me but I did some voice work on the first set of movies that you are starting to talk about sodomising,  I know believing in mutated talking turtles is kinda silly to begin with but am I supposed to be led to believe there are ninjas from another planet? The rape of our childhood memories continues …”

Now the Ninja Turtles are facing thier greatest challange - Turtlegate!

Within hours TMZ had gotten hold of Robbie’s message and before anybody could say “Cowabunga Dude,” Robbie had put forth the first challenge in what fans are now calling “Turtlegate.”  Suddenly Robbie Rist was at war with Michael Bay.

So now two legendary figures of the pop culture industry stand at opposite ends of at battlefield where one of the weirdest conflicts in pop culture will be fought.  Robbie is armed with his wits, his sense of humor, his keen intelligence and a legion of devoted Turtle fans.  Michael Bay is on the defensive with his money, his power, and the fact that he just doesn’t seem to give a shit.  Furthermore, Robbie Rist is a friend of mine.  Michael Bay is just an asshole.  Is this Armageddon or is it something far, far stranger.

CONFESSIONS OF A POP CULTURE ADDICT PRESENTS

TURTLEGATE:  BAY VS RIST:

A PCA COMMENTARY FEATURING ROBBIE RIST

Actor/musician Robbie Rist has stepped up as the voice of reason, leading the charge against Michael Bay: "If I can help out the fans and the people who like Turtles, I’ve done my job."

Sam Tweelde:  So let’s talk about Turtlegate.

Robbie Rist:  Is that what they are calling it?

Sam:  Yeah.  Some sources have deemed this Turtlegate.

Robbie:  Sweet!  They’ve named it already! That’s great!  That’s so terrific!

Sam:  What was your first initial contact with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Robbie:  A guy I was in a band with was a comic book guy and he said “Hey, this is kind of a funny thing I’m reading.”  It was this black and white comic and I thought “This is kind of grim.  [The turtles] are swearing for God’s sake.”  A couple of years later I hear their doing a cartoon of it and thought “Really?  That seems like really dark material for children.”  Then I noticed that was kind of getting big, and then I read for the movie.

Sam:  And you became the voice of Michelangelo for the three live action Ninja Turtle movies.

Robbie:  Yes.  It’s an interesting thing.  A lot of things I’ve done have entered the cultural bloodstream.  There was the Brady thing, and then this.  One of the things that happens when I meet Turtle fans is that every one of them has a story about how this film fundamentally changed them somehow.  Some of [the stories] are really really beautiful.  Some of them are amazing.

Sam:  So now you are battling it out with Michael Bay.

Robbie Rists' so called battle with Michael Bay was inspired by a feature on his radio show, The Spoon, called "Sodomizing a Legacy."

Robbie:  Well, how this started is that I have my radio show, The Spoon, and we cover things like this all the time.  We have a segment on our show called “Sodomizing a Legacy.”  We’ve done Jerry Lewis, George Lucas…we’ve done so many.  So, all the time we are bagging on people who bug the shit out of us.  Well just that morning I’d read [about Michael Bay and the Ninja Turtles] and I just jokingly wrote the letter to Michael Bay on my facebook page.  I was just joking around, but TMZ said “We just read you thing.  Can we use it tomorrow.”  I said “Uh…yeah.  I guess.  Sure.”  So I woke up the next morning and suddenly I’m at war with Michael Bay.  I’m like “Oh.  Well, if that’s what we’re doing I’ll make it into a bit of theater…I guess.”  At that point I knew that if this was going to get bigger then what it is, I have to at least be somewhat serious about what I’m saying.  What I thought was of all these people that I’ve ever met that love those movies so much and have told me all those crazy stories and they don’t have a chance to be loud enough for [Michael Bay] to hear them from up the block.  It’s entirely possible that by me acting like a loudmouth that maybe they get heard a little louder.  Here’s the thing.  Ultimately we’re talking about guys in rubber suits.  That’s all we’re talking about.  However, fans got [him] where [he is].  You can tweak it.  By all means, be an artist.  But don’t just get the property and go “Well, it’s not that anymore.”  Look at it this way.  Batman and Robin is a terrible Batman movie, but at least Batman and Robin are still guys that are crime fighters.  They aren’t suddenly house painters from New Jersey!

Sam:  Well I can tell you, personally, that I have a sort of hatred for Michael Bay as a filmmaker.

Robbie:  (Laughs)

"I can’t believe that (Michael Bay) is telling the people that put him their “Sit down. You’ll eat it anyway. You’ll eat whatever I give you.”"

Sam:  I think of Grauman’s Chinese Theater being a holy shrine.  It is a religious experience for me to go there.  But the fact that Michael Bay’s feet and hands are at Grauman’s is a desecration of that temple.  Now honestly, on the record, what are your true feelings about Michael Bay?

Robbie:  Before we get into that, at the end of the day, if I can help out the fans and the people who like Turtles, I’ve done my job.  As a guy who feels like I got burned by [the remake of] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, nobody was there for me.  I want to be there for them.  Just like I say in the thing I wrote on facebook, “The rape of our childhood memories continues.”  I may be overstating things.  Again, we are talking about guys in rubber suits beating each other up.  To compare the two is totally “for shock” metaphor.  But, for me, it shows flagrant disregard for anything but [Bay’s] own jollies.  Why change it?  Peter Laird wrote a thing over the internet saying “Let’s say the slime is from a different planet.  Doesn’t that make them aliens?”  They are doing a tremendous amount of back pedaling.  It’s pretty interesting.

Sam:  I don’t understand how Michael Bay feels that he can alienate the core audience and thinks that he can get away with it.

Robbie:  But that’s my point.  He did it with Transformers and he still made a billion dollars.  That blows my mind.  How is that possible, to take something that people really really like and make a really bad version of it.  With just a little bit of talking with a fan it could have been so much better.  One of the people who told me an awesome story was this woman named Michelle Ivy.  She’s arguably the biggest Turtle fan on the planet.  Well get her and then some guy from another Turtle camp and another guy from another Turtle camp and lock them in a room for a week and say “You get one shot at this.  Just give us a story, we’ll give it to a screen writer and we’ll make it.”  They’ll argue amongst themselves, but that will be beautiful because in the end they’ll make one bitchin’ movie.  I can’t believe that [Michael Bay] is telling the people that put him their “Sit down.  You’ll eat it anyway.  You’ll eat whatever I give you.”

"Maybe (Michael Bay) has never felt an attachment to something. Or if he did, maybe he just doesn’t remember."

Sam:  It’s just arrogance on the highest of levels.

Robbie:  Well they don’t look at it that way.  They don’t know.  Maybe [Michael Bay] has never felt an attachment to something.  Or if he did, maybe he just doesn’t remember.  But for a long time, when I was making records and stuff I was trying to evoke what I do, what made me feel that way in the first place.

Sam:  You haven’t heard from Michael Bay’s camp, have you?

Robbie:  Heard what?

Sam:  Anything.

Robbie:  Oh no.  No.  Are you kidding?  I’m not even on the radar.  They are probably saying, “Oh yeah.  Which guy?  Oh…him?  Okay. Who cares? His career is over.  It’s fine.”  (Laughs)  But what’s hilarious about it is that this whole kafuffle has so many elements to it.  Now it’s drawn into camps and Judith Hoag is on the side of Michael Bay and so is Corey Feldman and Brian Tochi.  I stand alone…with Townsend Coleman.  Townsend Coleman wrote on my page “You can talk for us anytime Mikey.”  Yeah.  It’s hilarious.

Sam:  Do you remember a few years ago, when a script for a Green Lantern film starring Jack Black got leaked, and fan response was so negative that the film was retooled?  Do you think something like that could happen in this case?

"I’ve been saying to people “Stay loud and stay proud.” Just keep letting them know you’re out there and say “I pay your bills.”"

Robbie:  Well, I guess we would have to have the leak first off.  Oh, how hilarious would that be if someone actually goes in and gets it?  (Laughs)  This thing is so ridiculous.  I’ve been saying to people “Stay loud and stay proud.”  Just keep letting them know you’re out there and say “I pay your bills.”

Sam:  Since the TMZ article have you gotten much media attention?

Robbie:  Yeah, some.  A couple of radio stations here or there.

Sam:  How about from the fans?

Robbie:  Oh man.  I’ve gotten a tremendous amount there.  They [write things like}, “Thank you.  Somebody said something.  Terrific.”  A lot of people have come forward.  I’ve received some hilarious fan art.  I’ve got some hilarious memes.  This thing could totally be won by Photoshop.

Robbie Rist's latest voice acting gig has been playing Stuffy the Dragon in the new Disney series for pre-schoolers, "Doc McStuffins."

Sam:  You’ve been doing voice overs since you were a kid, haven’t you?

Robbie:  Yeah.  Well, voice overs didn’t become my thing until I was probably in my twenties.  I did a little bit here and there before until I was in my twenties.

Sam:  I was watching some clips of your latest show, Doc McStuffins on YouTube and I could barely recognize your voice for Stuffy the Dragon.

Robbie:  Really?

Sam:  Yeah.  It doesn’t sound like you.  It’s that good.

"(Doc McStuffins) is about taking just a little bit of fear out of little kids’ lives, and that’s bitchin’."

Robbie:  Well that’s terrific!  Thank you.  I always wonder about that because when I watch stuff where I do voices I just think it sounds like me.

Sam:  How has the show been doing?

Robbie:  Well I’m going to a party at the producers’ house in about an hour.  She seems very optimistic and I’m already getting e-mails saying “My five year old flipped out over it.”  I hope it’s a real thing that’ll go on.

Sam:  It’s gotten great reviews over the internet.

Robbie:  I read one article where Chris, the creator, said that she was trying to come up with something like Cheers for pre-schoolers.  Somewhere where you’d go to every week and instead of going into a bar it’d be this little doctor thing.  Yeah.  But I am grateful and cautiously optimistic.  If this works, it’s not only a really cool job but I think its being part of something more then being just a ridiculous comedy show.  This show is about taking just a little bit of fear out of little kids’ lives, and that’s bitchin’.

One of the most discouraging truths about Michael Bay’s plans to turn the Ninja Turtles into aliens is the fact that no matter if the fans reject the idea; Bay has the success, the money and the power behind him to do it.  The reason is because despite the fact that his movies just aren’t very good, the public goes to his films like lemmings off a cliff, creating another lackluster summer blockbuster year after year, giving him more power in the Hollywood industry.  The reason that Michael Bay is where he is, is because we, the public, have put him there.  Robbie Rist is just one man and one voice, and unfortunately the opinions expressed by even a thousand Ninja Turtle fans will not be enough to stop Michael Bay’s diabolical plans.

Lets ban together and join the fight. This summer Boycott Bay! Together, we can stop Michael Bay where it hurts most...his pocket book.

There is only one way to stop Michael Bay, and that is to hit him where it really hurts – his pocketbook.  It is time for the pop culture community at large to ban together and boycott Michael Bay.  Stop going to his movies.  Stop buying his DVDs.  Stop supporting any project remotely connected to Michael Bay.  By boycotting Michael Bay perhaps we will finally send a real message that he can’t jerk around with beloved franchisees like the Ninja Turtles on a whim.  Together, we can send a message to Michael Bay and the people in Hollywood who don’t care about the fans.  Its time for the fans to take back the power.  It is us who put individuals like Michael Bay where he is, and together we can take it away.  It is time to stop being apathetic, and stop giving into mundane summer blockbusters.  That is why PCA is saying Boycott Bay in 2012.  Join the movement to Boycott Bay.  We may not be able to save the Ninja Turtles, but perhaps we can stop Michael Bay from wrecking another beloved franchise in the future.