Fires In the Night by David Eames

This is the latest book from my publisher Morning Sun Publications. It is a spiritual book about God and how to pray to him. According to the back of the book it says...It is the middle of the night. The house is quiet. And yet you are wide awake. Worries, hopes, thoughts about yesterday or tomorrow have pushed sleep away. Or perhaps you are simply a light sleeper and some sound has triggered your internal alarm clock once again. What do you do now? How do you spend those midnight hours? In this simple small spiritual book, Reverend David Eames gives you the tools to turn your sleeplessness into times of seeking and loving God - the One who never sleeps, the One who is always listening. 40 nights of prayer. 40 nights with God. Fires in the night. Takes this book and use it. It will change your life forever. And you will begin to thank God for every waking moment....... Fires in the Night is a small 5" x7 " comb-bound paperback book, designed to lay flat for repeated readings.
You can get a copy if you click on Morning Sun Publishing.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Pink Panther

Time for the Saturday Morning cartoons with the Pink Panther.

This Day In Music History: Paul Anka and Diana

For years I had heard that Paul Anka wrote this song about his love for his babysitter. That is incorrect. He wrote it about the crush he had on his little brother and sister's babysitter. She was 3 years older then him and turned him down. He poured his feelings out in a poem and then set it to music.
This however was not the Canadian natives first song. In school he read a book called Prestor John by John Buchan. In the book was a town named Blau Wildebeeste Fontaine. He wrote a song about the town and named the song after it. Paul was a fan of the group the Cadets and noticed that their label was in nearby Culver City. He took his song to them and played it for them. They liked it and signed Paul to a record it and release it with the Cadets singing in the background. At the age of 14 Paul Anka released his first song. The song didn't sell well and he returned home to Ottawa.
The next summer he entered and won a contest sponsored by Campbell's Soup. The contest required you to send in the soup wrappers from their cans. Paul scoured every garbage can he found for soup wrappers. He even took a job at a supermarket to be close to soup cans that were thrown away. The prize that he won was a train trip to Manhattan.
WIth $100 from his Father Paul went to Manhattan. The first person he went to see was Don Costa at ABC-Paramount Records. He showed Mr. Costa his songs. He was so impressed with the song Diana that he told Paul to have his parents come to New York to sign contracts.
ABC-Paramount released the song and on this day in music history, September 9th 1957, Diana was #1 on the Billboard charts for 1 week. England liked the song even more then America. In England the song was #1 for 9 weeks in a row.
If you like picture sleeves like the one above you can see more at the The Picture Sleeve and Album Art Museum.

Campbells Soup Ad Answers

Millie blog header contest

Well I reported earlier that the contest would end on Sept. 9th. the day is almost here. So far there have been no entries. If you still want to win either the Iron Man on DVD or on the Essential Defenders Vol. #4 just e-mail me the header and you win. Unless more then one enters at the last minute.
The specifics are that the header will have to be around 752 pixels wide and 215 pixels high. I am just guessing at the size right now but if you are the winner and there is a problem with the size I will let you know.

Campbells Soup Ad

Here is a Campbell Soup ad and it has some puzzles that are always fun to solve. Come back tomorrow for the answers. Then come back the next day to see what Campbell's soup has to do with Paul Anka.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Beatles in Good Day Sunshine

It's Saturday morning and time for the Saturday morning cartoons. Today is the Beatles in Good Day Sunshine.

In A World Where...There Is No Don LaFontaine

When I was studying broadcasting Don LaFontaine had the job that most of the guys wanted. He also had the voice that we all wanted. Today he died at the age of 68. For most of his career people only knew his voice. In recent years his face and name were becoming known to movie and TV audiences. I think that had he lived even greater fame was on the horizon. Still he left a wonderful broadcast and entertainment legacy as much as Mel Blank, Orson Welles, Paul Frees or Thurl Ravenscroft.
The person who is hired to do voice overs for the movies better not use his signature phrase "In a world..." Movie audiences will be too sad to hear it. He once said that he used the phrase as it was the beginning of the sentence that described the setting of the movie in one sentence. In another interview he said that his voice has been that way since it changed in school. He hated his voice till he and his friends realized he could call up the school and say he was their Father to get them all out of classes.
Rest in Peace Don LaFontaine.

New Captain America Blog

Well today I start a new blog. I have always been a fan of many Marvel heroes. From the big guns of Spider-Man, Captain America and Iron Man to the lesser knowns of 3-D Man, Hawkeye and Werewolf by Night. Today being Labor Day I start one dedicated to Captain America.

Gaspar Saladino

Have you ever wondered who it is that designed these ads for the comic books? Well today at Dial B For Blog Robby Reed is doing 24 hours of special postings that brings one of those unsung heroes to light. Every 2 hours Robby will be putting up a new post

Yes this Labor Day you can read about Gaspar Saladino. Sadly it also gives us a look at the last issue of Dial B For Blog.

Trouble with family court in Kenton County in Kentucky

If anyone has ever had any troubles with the Family Court in Kenton County in Kentucky please sign this petition. I have started this as I know of a family that is having problems with the system. He is a teenager and the boy has tried to maintain a relationship with his Dad but he has constantly abused him physically. His Dad's new wife does the same thing. When his Dad and he were fighting she took the boys glasses and told him to "beat the shit out of him." When he has returned to his Mom he would have bruises on his arms, back and legs. His Dad once had the police called on him at an amusement park for being abusive to him and his Mom had to come and get him. One time his Dad kicked him between the legs with steel toed boots. When he saw his Mom she had to take him to the hospital and he had some internal bleeding. He doesn't want to be with his Dad but he goes as the court orders him and he doesn't want to cause any more trouble for him or his Mom.
In court the Dad lies about him and his Mom. Even though the Mom's lawyer proves they aren't true the court sides with the Dad. The Mom is a good Mom. The Dad tries to make her look like she isn't. He also tries to make it look like there is something wrong with his son. There is nothing wrong with him. He is a good boy. I want him to grow up to be a good man but with this all going on that will be hard. He tried to tell all of this to the court but they just seemed to ignore him.
Also, the GAL didn't do through interviews. The GAL is to represent the children but the information isn't correct. The Judge can't check out the information the GAL gives him. So he believes whatever they tell him.
This is not an environment for anyone to live in. If you have had troubles with the Family Court system in Kenton County Kentucky please sign the petition at iPetitions online. Reform is needed in family court.

This Day In Music History: Debbie Reynolds and Tammy

I can't believe I almost forgot this #1 song. I had been looking forward to posting it but kept putting it off. Only today did I remember it. Thankfully the song was #1 for 3 weeks. It was from August 26, 1957 to September 8, 1957 and returned for another week on September 16, 1957.
The song of course I am talking about is "Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds. It was the #1 song in the country on this day in music history.
The song broke a long run of male domination for the #1 spot on the Billboard charts. Gogi Grant was the last woman to have a #1 song on that chart. That was in July of 1956.
The song was helped to the top of the pops with it being the title track to the movie "Tammy and the Bachelor." It starred Debbie and Leslie Nielsen. Debbie sang the song in the movie and it was nominated for an Oscar. She sang it on the Academy Awards on March 26, 1958.
Debbie sang the song only accompanied by a piano. Not satisfied with that they added more before putting it into the film and added a Henry Mancini arrangement. Coral Records didn't have much faith in the song but released it anyway. When the song hit #1 it helped to boost the movie and a film franchise was born.
Debbie has had a professional and personal life that has been fodder for the tabloids ever since. In 1966 she became the first and so far only #1 artist to play the life of another #1 artist. She had the title role in the movie "The Singing Nun." It was about the life of Sister Luc-Gabrielle who had the #1 hit "Dominique" on December 7, 1963.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Wally Gator

I can't believe I almost forgot this. It may not be morning now but here is today's Saturday Morning Cartoon Starring Wally Gator.

Monkees Podcast

Here is a link to some remixes of Monkees songs that a fan has done. They are pretty good so you may want to subscribe them.

A Double Celebration

We are having a double celebration today as it is my birthday and the first anniversary of my site Mail It To Team Up. Come on in and have a good time. Luke of El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker and Being Carter Hall is taking the coats and hats. Passing out the soft drinks is Brian of Comics in Crisis. Taking care of the tunes is Kent of Forgotten Hits. Talking to Kent is Sleepy Jean of Love Is Only Sleeping. "Hey Jean! Make sure Kent plays some Monkees songs." Taking care of the grill is Robby Reed of Dial B For Blog and right now he is talking to Adama of Dispatches From The Arrowcave and Paul of Comicbook World. Rob is making like Aquaman out back in the pool. (When did I get a pool?) In the theater room Marty of the Ephemera site is watching some old movies. (I didn't know I had a theater room!) Out by the barn John of Pop Culture Safari is riding horses with David of Superman Fan.Net, Protos of Superhero CD and Jon of Random Acts of Geekery. "Wait a minute now! I know I don't have a barn or horses! Whose house is this anyway and how for the love of AOL did we all get here?" Well here comes my wife with the cake. I suggest we all eat it quickly and get out of here before the owners show up. Please don't break anything before we leave.

Pre-order the Hulk

Well it is finally here. I didn't get to see this at the movies and now I see that it is ready for pre-order at Amazon.com. I am going to order it and you can too if you click on the link below.

Contest Change

Due to some unexpected circumstances I must change the date that the Millie the Model blog head contest will end. I must conclude it on Sept. 9th. Everything else is the same. I am sorry for the change but this means you must get your entries in sooner then I am sure that you intended. Please accept my apologies for this sudden change.

Free On Line Superman Game

Here is a fun free on line game to play.

Superman Metropolis Defender .

Play more games on Miniclip-Games.net

Dinky the elf hopefully soon to be at a bookstore near you

So far everything looks like it is a go for my book Dinky the Elf. Above is the cover art that some friends at my church did for the book. Hopefully it will be coming out soon and in your local bookstores. I hope to continue writing children's books and maybe more adult ones like political thrillers, mystery, suspense, science fiction. For now I have to make sure that Dinky the Elf is a success. I will let you know more as my publisher tells me. Also I may be in the market for a new publisher as the one I am with is a small one person operation and this looks like it will be their last book due to health reasons. So if you are a publisher looking for a new writer then look no further then me.

New Jan and Dean CD The Complete Liberty Singles

When surf songs promoting life on the beach became big hits on the charts it spawned many new groups. Groups like the Atlantics, the Surfaris, the Beach Boys, the Tornadoes, Jan and Dean, the Ventures, etc. While the Beach Boys were the ones to shoot to super stardom, a close second in the surf music category goes to Jan and Dean. Many say that their fame was only because of their friendship with the Beach Boys. However, the two of them together make up one Brian Wilson. I am glad that the Beach Boys were a family band but I think Brian could have been a hit as a solo artist. Jan Berry was musical genisus and the high falsettos of Brian's could only be equaled by Dean Torrance. Here is what the makers of this CD have to say about their new Jan and Dean CD.
A big part of our job here at Collectors' Choice Music is to survey the pop music landscape (or in this case, seascape) for artists whose collections don't really do them justice, and we think there's a strong case to be made that Jan & Dean are at the head of the line. Sure, their classic Liberty recordings have been anthologized, but never comprehensively, and almost always in re-mixed stereo, NOT in their original mono. Well, not this time. We've gone back to the original mono single tapes of EVERY one of Jan & Dean's Liberty singles, both their A and B-sides, then checked and checked again to make sure they were the RIGHT tapes, to bring you the ORIGINAL MONO SINGLE VERSIONS of these songs, exactly as they were released and exactly as they sounded when they climbed the charts and blared out of your Woody's car radio. The package includes extensive liner notes by Ed Osborne and David Beard featuring interviews with those close to the action, like engineer/producer Bones Howe, Jan Berry friend/co-writer Don Altfeld and Dean Torrence himself, plus photos of Jan and Dean and shots of some of the single's label and jacket art.
Below is a listing of the songs on the CD

1. A Sunday Kind Of Love

2. Poor Little Puppet

3. Tennessee

4. Your Heart Has Changed Its Mind

5. My Favorite Dream

6. Who Put The Bomp

7. Frosty The Snowman

8. She's Still Talking Baby Talk

9. Linda

10. When I Learn How To Cry

11. Surf City

12. She's My Summer Girl

13. Honolulu Lulu

14. Someday (You'll Go Walking By)

15. Drag City

16. Schlock Rod (Part 1)

17. Dead Man's Curve

18. The New Girl In School

19. The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)

20. My Mighty G.T.O.

21. Ride The Wild Surf

22. The Anaheim, Azusa And Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review And Timing Association

23. Sidewalk Surfin'

24. When It's Over

25. (Here They Come) From All Over The World

26. Freeway Flyer

27. You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy

28. It's As Easy As 1, 2, 3

29. It's A Shame To Say Goodbye

30. The Submarine Races

31. I Found A Girl

32. A Beginning From An End

33. Folk City

34. Norwegian Wood

35. Batman

36. Bucket 'T'

37. Popsicle

38. Fiddle Around

39. Surfer's Dream

40. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)

41. The Universal Coward

42. Can't Wait To Love You

You can order it by clicking on the Amazon link below. All sales go to the upkeep of this site.

Night Gallery Season 2 On DVD

Prepare for the unexpected as Season Two of Night Gallery comes to DVD! This 5-disc DVD set contains 61 stories, created and hosted by the master of mystery: The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling. With guest performances by Hollywood legends that reads like a roster of Who’s Who in Hollywood, you’ll be sure to see sights to amaze. Featuring audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a gallery presentation of the paintings from the series, this collector’s set is the classic anthology of timeless, spine-tingling entertainment you don’t dare to miss!

My Ephemera Guest Post

A few weeks ago Marty of Ephemera asked me to do a guest post. For those of you who didn't get to read it here is what I wrote.
Recently, I was honored when Marty asked me to write this guest post for his site. I asked him when he would need it, and what he wanted me to write about. He gave me the deadline and said the subject was up to me. I love the freedom of choosing what I want but freedom at times is a double-edged sword. There was so much to write about that I didn't know where to start. I mean, I have so many things that I have collected over the years. I have Baseball cards, books, music (mostly about the Monkees), comic books, photographs, etc.

Finally, I decided on comic books.

One reason I decided on them is that I have four, yes, I said four, sites dedicated to comic books. Marty and some readers here are more familiar with my pop culture site called On My Mind. However, I also have Comic Book Letterheads Museum, Mail It To Team Up, Millie the Model and Plastic Man Platitudes. So, as you can see, I am deeply in to comic books.

Now, what should I write about them?

I had recently purchased and was reading an old copy of Marvel Team-up. It was issue #4, and normally, I would see it going for $10 to $20, but I was able to get it for $1. Sure, the cover was torn but even in this condition I thought it would be worth a little more the $1. Since it was bagged when I bought it, and I didn't notice something when I bought it that soon came to my attention when I opened it at home. The cover was no longer attached to the book. Not only was the book not worth $10 it probably wasn't even worth the $1 I paid for it. Yet, I was still happy to have it, not as much as I was before but still happy, and I enjoyed reading it. This got me to thinking. Why do we still happily collect anything even if we know it is worthless? I am applying my thinking to comic books but it can apply to anything you collect.

I started collecting comic books before I could even read them. My Dad sold comic books in the local Mom and Pop shops in my area. He and my Mom would let me look at the pictures and hoped that it would spark me to want to learn what the characters in the books were saying. It worked too well, I fear, as it sparked a life long hobby.

To say that I have kept collecting by purchasing back issues for nostalgia is keeping it simple. That is only part of it. The other part is for history. To buy a book means that I have a part of history. If I could afford to buy a copy of Action Comics from the 1940's that was coverless and read to death but in still readable condition that someone was selling for an affordable price, I would feel lucky as I had a part of publishing history from the 1940's. Sure, it may never be worth a lot, but I have something that has been part of something larger then I am. Who knows where this book has been? It could have been book that a GI read during the war. It could have been a book that a family member once owned.

My Dad thought he had saved Superman #1 to give to me, till he found out his Mom threw out his collection when he left home. Remember comic books were just ephemera that could be thrown away without a second thought. There was even a back issue that I bought that had a mark on the bottom of the front page. I recognized it as one that my cousin would put to brand his books. It turns out he gave it away when he was younger, and it made it back full circle into the family. Actually, it made it full circle. I gave it back to him when I was done with it.

Another thing I find interesting about buying cheap back issues is when I find the name of person written in them. Unlike what happened with my cousin, they are usually names of people I have never met. Some times if they have filled out a coupon in the book but never used it then I will have their old address. It lets you know how far this book has traveled just to be in my hands so I can read it, too.

So, yes, I do collect comics of fun, nostalgia, and possible profits in the future, if I may need the money. But that is just a small part of the picture. It is also a way to see how this art form has touched the lives of so many people over the decades.

Dr. Who: The Infinite Quest

This may not be new to you but I have just heard of it. In November there will be a direct to DVD release of Dr. Who. It stars the voices of David Tennant and Freema Agyeman. It is called Dr. Who: The Infinite Quest and it is a fully animated movie. You can pre-order it at the Amazon.com link below for $9.98 plus shipping. Any that you buy from this link goes to fund this site.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Hillbilly Bears

It's Saturday morning and time for the Saturday Morning Cartoons. Today it is the Hillbilly Bears.

Six Flags Old Man Bust

Remember when they had those commercials for Six Flags with an old man dancing? Well I saw on e-bay where they also sold a bust of him. It was so odd to see it I had to share it here. Also, you can see one of the commercials below.

Contest ending soon

Hey Plastic Man fans! Just a reminder that this Friday is the deadline in the blogger head contest at Plastic Man Platitudes. So if you haven't e-mailed one in you better do it soon. You don't want Plas to think you are Woozy and catching a few Winks now do you?
Also a similar contest is being held at the Millie the Model fan site. Send an e-mail to that one and you will win a free Iron Man movie on DVD. So on either of these do not delay and enter today.

The Donna Reed Show Season One

Just letting you know that Season One of the Donna Reed Show is coming to DVD on October 28, 2008. You can pre-order it if you click on the Amazon link below and any orders go to the funding of my family of sites.
The show revolves around housewife, Donna Stone, and her family--husband Alex who is a pediatrician, 14 year-old Mary, and 11 year-old Jeff. The Stone family reside in the midwestern town of Hilldale. Donna was the perfect American housewife and mother. She was always neatly-groomed, lovely, good-natured, thoughtful, and capable. The episodes involved the usual family problems and adventures, with Donna usually saving the day in her quiet, capable way.

Create Your Own Superhero

Ok I have done nothing but talk about the contests I am holding on other sites all week long. I am sorry if I bored anyone about that. Now I will tell you about a contest that someone else is having. It is NBC and Sprint for the show Heroes to choose your favorite new hero for their on line series. Now I will be honest I have never seen the on-line series and I really don't like the TV show Heroes.
I tried to like it. I wanted to like it. I only saw the first 3 or 4 episodes and decided not to watch it. It seemed like the heroes were just as bad as the villains. I usually like my heroes wearing white hats all the time. For a time I liked Wolverine and the Punisher in the comic books but that wore off. As you can tell from reading any of my comic sites I am more a silver age and early bronze age fan.
Still I had to check out the contest. I read the heroes profiles and voted for Santiago. You can go to NBC.com here and vote for the one you like.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinxs

This one I am posting in memory of my Uncle Jim. He always thought Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinxs were funny.

Monkees Viewmaster

When I see something like this I wish I still had a Viewmaster. Since I don't I wanted to tell any Monkees fan who still does. You can get this today for a good price on e-bay but only if you act now. Click here to go to the auction site.

Millie the Model Contest Update

Ok I have ironed out one of the wrinkles on the Millie the Model blog head contest. The prize will be the two disc DVD of the movie Iron Man. The contest will end on September 20th. So get those entries in soon and get your free Iron Man movie on DVD.

Magicman Archives Vol. 1

Vietnam, 1965: U.S. Army Private First Class Tom Cargill seemed like most soldiers to the men in his squad, but little did they know that he was in truth an immortal! More than two hundred years old, the son of the alchemist and sorcerer Cagliostro, Tom Cargill was the most powerful magician in the world. When Red Chinese soldiers threatened American lives in Vietnam, Cargill donned a mask and costume to battle evil as the supernatural superhero Magicman!

* Magicman Archives Volume One collects the long-unavailable complete run of the American Comics Group superhero in an affordable format.

* Co-created by Golden Age legend Pete Costanza, longtime artist throughout the 1940s on Fawcett's Captain Marvel Adventures, Magicman was one of American Comics Group's premier superheroes.

* Includes covers by legendary Superman and Lois Lane artist Kurt Schaffenberger and an introduction by Scott Shaw

* You can pre-order by clicking on the Amazon link below.

Plastic Man Platitudes Contest

Just a reminder that the contest at Plastic Man Platitudes has till next Friday August 22nd. We have two entries so far. Remember you can make as many entries as you like so get them in soon. The prize is the hardcover book the Metal Men by Duncan Rouleau.

School PSA

The new school year starts today in my area. In honor of that and to remind us why we need a good education here is a DC Comics PSA from 1962.

Millie the Model contest prize

If you are thinking of entering our contest over at Millie the Model here are two things that have been suggested as possible prizes. One is the Essential Defenders Volume 4. It reprints an issue where Millie the Model visits Patsy Walker. Another suggestion is to give an old issue of Millie the Model. After all that is who the site is about. e-mail me at originalcaptainatom@gmail.com and let me know which prize you would prefer. Unless I can think of a better prize one of these may be it.
The specifics are that the header will have to be around 752 pixels wide and 215 pixels high. I am just guessing at the size right now but if you are the winner and there is a problem with the size I will let you know. Perhaps you could do one with Millie being supported by her friends. Also, you must on your site put a link to the Millie the Model site. All you have to do is post a link saying that there is a contest there and what the prize is.

Plastic Man Contest

Just getting out the word that I have received the first entry in the Plastic Man Platitudes header contest. No it isn't the one above. That is the current header. The entry looks pretty good but lets give it some competition. Don't want it to win by default now. You can enter as many times as you like. So enter now and enter often.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Abbott & Costello & The Tomfoolery Show

Since I didn't get to post a Saturday morning cartoon last week I am posting two this week. The first is Abbott and Costello. It doesn't have an ending but when I found it the video brought back some memories and I thought others would like to see it.

Another one that brought back memories was the short lived "The Tomfoolery Show." You can click on and view the episode below.

Video of the Week: Paul McCartney Lifelong Passion (Sail Away) video

Here is a new music video from Paul McCartney for his new song Lifelong Passion (Sail Away).

Meanwhile At The Beatle Photo Blog...

This week at the Beatle Photo Blog we got a glimpse of what Paul McCartney likes to do with his free time. With all the time Paul has to travel when playing in concert he still likes to travel on his own time. The photo above was taken when Paul stopped at a mini-mart in a small town while driving through the American countryside a few days ago.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull DVD 2 disc set

Just giving a shout out that you can now pre-order the DVD Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull from Amazon starting today.

Fast Food Memories...with Hawkman

For those of you who have fond memories of the Red Barn restaurant you can go to this post at Boomer Twilight.
Also for the comic fans here is a new site by my friend Luke. It is called Being Carter Hall. It is all about how he is a fan of Hawkman.

Roy Rogers Archives Vol. 1

Here is another Dark Horse Archives that is available for pre-order at Amazon.com. I love it that Dark Horse is reprinting these old series for all of us to enjoy once more. Click on the link below to pre-oreder the book.

Herbie the Fat Fury Archives Vol 1.

I just saw over at Dark Horse.com that they are going to release the archives of Herbie the Fat Fury. Here is what they had to say about it.
Make way for the Fat Fury! The unlikeliest superhero of all time makes his mark in this new Dark Horse archival series. Coming from the strange, wry imagination of classic comics scribe Richard Hughes (writing as Shane O'Shea) and artist Odgen Whitney, Herbie Popnecker looks like a plump lump, but with his collection of supernatural lollipops, there is pretty much nothing that he can't do.

* Herbie Archives Volume One is the first of a new archive series collecting the finest works of 1960s comics publisher ACG.
I loved Herbie when I was a kid and now more generations can read about him. You can pre-order it at Amazon.com if you click on the link below. Also below is the free preview that Dark Horse had on their site.

A Letter from Martin Pasko

I love finding letters in old comics that are from people who went on to become professional writer or artist in comic books years later. Here is a letter from future comic book writer Martin Pasko from World's Finest Comics.

Plastic Man Header Contest

Just giving a heads up that I am thinking of doing a contest for a new header at Plastic Man Platitudes.
The specifics are that the size should be 706 pixels wide and 215 pixels high. Of course it must include Plastic Man. I don't care what shape he is in but, and I know this seems odd considering what my header has now, but I am tired of seeing him with his neck stretched. If possible please try not to have him like that. Now I don't know what I can give as a prize. There is nothing new that DC is coming out for Plastic Man and I was hoping to have the contest over by the end of September. So if you plan to enter the contest and have an idea. What I can offer leave a comment or e-mail me. I may decide on something else but I will at least have some options.

Millie the Model Revived

While searching the internet I came across an interesting item. It showed that Marvel almost revived Millie the Model in 1997. For more info you can go to my other site, Millie the Model.

Save the Aquaman Hoodie

Over at Aquaman Rob has been talking about the above Aquaman Hoodie. The company stopped production on it as they didn't have enough pre-orders as they needed between 150-200. Well Rob's Aquaman site directs you to It's A Cold Day in Atlantis. There you can indicate if you want to pre-order the hoodie and therefore save the coat.

Videos of the Week: Weird Al with My Bologna and The Knack with My Sharona

I actually wanted to only showcase the Weird Al song but some may not get it without hearing the real song that he is spoofing. So here are Weird Al with My Bologna and the Knack with My Sharona. By the way the Weird Al video is an amateur video but it is pretty funny.
First is The Knack with a clip from the film Reality Bites.

Next is the amateur video with the Weird Al version of the song.

Barry Allen's Coming Back Tonight!

Have you heard the news?
It's all over town!
If you ain't heard it boy you better sit down!
Grab a hold of something and hold on tight!
Barry Allen's coming back tonight!
All the villains are getting ready to fight!
Cause Barry Allen's coming back tonight!

He was sad!
DC got mad!
But now DC says that it's all right!
All the villains are getting ready to fight!
Cause Barry Allen's coming back tonight!

Ok so he isn't coming back tonight but the parody of the Bob Seger song wouldn't have made sense without saying tonight. Actually according to what I read on Comic Coverage who got his info from Newsarama.com Barry will be brought back next year in a mini-series called The Flash:Rebirth and written by Geoff Johns with art by Ethan Van Sciver.
I, and many other fans at the time, hated it when Flash was killed off in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Supergirls death in that series made the news but to me the really sad news was Barry Allen died. He did die a heroic death as all would have died if he had not sacrificed himself. I hope his rebirth doesn't detract from that but even if it does I am happy. I read Flash for years so I kind of grew up with him. To me I will be reunited with an old friend. In the interview with the creators over at Newsarama.com they say they want to make Flash a pillar of the DC Universe. That strikes me as odd because I always thought he was one.
While Wally West was a good Flash he never became a pillar of society like Barry Allen did. In fact Wally was closer to that ideal as Kid Flash more then when he became the Flash.
Still Flash fans can rejoice. The greatest of the Flashes is soon to return. Barry Allen is coming back! I hope he decides to stay.

The Brave and the Bold Trailer

You may have already seen this but here it the trailer to the new Brave and the Bold series. I can't wait to see this. Especially the one with Plastic Man.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Wacky Races in Real Gone Ape

The Saturday morning cartoon this week is an episode of Wacky Races.

Pre-order these on DVD

Pre-Order Iron Man the movie

At Amazon you can pre-order the movie Iron Man on regular DVD in the two disc special edition or as the regular single disc edition. They also have the DVD two disc special edition in Blu-Ray. Or you can order other Iron Man collectibles. They have comic books, action figures and signed movie memorabilia. So click away and order today.

My Old College Buddy...Kwicky Koala

Recently I was reading an old comic book and I saw an ad for the Saturday morning cartoon show Kwicky Koala. Now why does Kwicky Koala remind me of college? It was 1981 and I was a Sophomore at Northern Kentucky University. I was majoring in Radio, Television and Film Communication and one class said we had to design TV Station for Louisville, Kentucky. I don't know why they didn't give us Cincinnati, Ohio. It was only a half an hours drive from the school and Louisville was about two hours.
Anyway part of the project was to get copies of the major local stations program guides. So one day I drove to Louisville. My friend Chuck came along for company. At the first station I was shocked to get a glimpse of the more seamy side of broadcasting. We were greeted by a very pretty receptionist and waited for the program director. Out came a middle aged balding man. He seemed a bit full of himself. He took us into the meeting room and gave us a copy of the program guide and answered all my questions. At some point the receptionist and another pretty woman came in and while he talked to us both woman caressed him on each side as if he was James Bond. Later when we left I passed the receptionist and thanked her. She said "You're welcome!" Then gave me wink. As I left I made a mental note to not work for that station if I was offered a job.
At the next station the program director was a woman and everything was going fine. That is till I started mentioning some of the network shows I thought they had on TV. I was in such a hurry to get there that I mixed up the shows and was mentioning shows that were on their major competition in town. We got all the information I needed but was very embarrassed when I left.
The last station the program director wasn't able to see us. However, the station engineer said he could get us the information that we needed. He only had a few minutes and we had to get there soon.
Oh! I forgot to mention that we had parked the car and were walking all over the city to the stations.
Anyway Chuck and I checked our watches and noticed that we only had a short time till then and we started running. We started running faster and faster and it started to become a race. Chuck was about a foot or two in front of me. Suddenly, as we came to an alley, Chuck came to a sudden stop. I saw this as a chance to take the lead. As I stepped into the middle of the alley street I saw an armored car barreling down the alley. He came to a sudden stop and it jolted the man in back with the gun. I half jumped away from the armored car. I didn't want to do a full jump as that would have put me in the middle of the busy street and I still could have gotten hit by a car.
I was half in a daze as I walked towards Chuck and didn't realize I walked past the gun port. Chuck had closed his eyes and flattened himself against the building. Later he said he was stunned when I had came over and grabbed his arm. When I jumped to avoid being hit he thought that the car actually did hit me. Later Chuck told me about the gunport and he hugged the building so he wouldn't get shot.
We went our way and joked how about what our families would have thought if we died and made the papers. Headlines would have read "Two Men Die In Daring Armored Car Robbery!"
We had a good laugh at that. Then we checked our direction and noticed we were going the wrong way. We had to turn around and run even faster to make up the time. We made it by the skin of our teeth. As we got there and asked for the engineer he came off the elevator. He asked if we were the two who called him and gave us the information. The three of us were all smiles as we said goodbye. Chuck and I rushed back to the car and headed back home as Chuck had to be at work that night.
Oh! I almost forgot. Why does Kwicky Koala remind me of this college project? While Chuck drove back I looked at some of the program information and for the first time I saw the name of the Saturday morning program "The Kwicky Koala Show." After such a stressful day that name seemed funnier to me then it should have and I laughed as hard as I ever did. Chuck got a good laugh too. To this day I have never forgotten that day and Kwicky Koala has always reminded me of it. I have never seen the show but I may get to one day.

Give A Show

Before you could buy cartoons for the kids to watch on DVD. Before you could buy them on VHS. Even before you could buy them on Beta there was the Give-A-Show Projectors. The item that would take a strip of celluloid and project the images on the wall or a screen. Kids would read the story from the words on the bottom of the strip. Eventually they started to come with a record that had actors telling the story. Well there is a site dedicated to this old art form called The Give-A-Show Projector Blog. It's a fun site that wasn't started by me but by Jon of Random Acts of Geekery fame. Click on the link above and check it out.

Video of the Week: The Beach Boys and Forever

They are preforming it live on July 2, 1971 in Central Park in New York City.

Mail It To Team-Up Blog Head Contest

There is still time to send in your entries to the blog head contest at Mail It To Team Up. Just follow any of these links for a chance to win the DVD set of Filmation's DC Superheroes cartoons that aired on the Superman/Aquaman Hour in the mid 1960's. Some of these were the first time any of the characters appeared on a cartoon like the Teen Titans or the Flash. Contest ends on July 26th. The winning entry will be the blog head of Mail It To Team-Up for 2 weeks and will get the DVD sets. Go to Mail It To Team Up for more specifications.

Comic Book Letterheads Museum

The above letter page letter head is from DC Comics Presents 1979. The book had Superman team-up each month with a different superhero to solve a crime. If you love comic books and the art that use to be on the letters pages then check out Comic Book Letterheads Museum. You'll find more and even better looking ones like these on that site.