A Groovy Afternoon with Ghoul-a-Go-Go!

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity, thanks to my good pal Kevin Maher (of Kevin Geeks Out fame), to take my progeny out to the ass-end of Long Island and experience the unique, retro, monster-kid style public access cable show known as Ghoul-a-Go-Go. It was a one-0f-a-kind day--I had a blast, the kids got to dance up a storm, and it took place amidst an aura of kitschy horror hipness that was impossible not to enjoy.

A favorite of the B-52s Fred Schneider and even the late, great Lux Interior of the Cramps, Ghoul-a-Go-Go is something that you have to experience to fully understand. It's like a journey back to the glorious heyday of monster mania on the boob tube, those halcyon days of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Your hosts on this journey are the sinister Vlad and the hideous yet lovable Creighton. There are live performances galore from bands like the 5,6,7,8s (the group behind "Woo-Hoo", that song from Kill Bill and those cell phone commercials), and tons of dancing.


But in the grand tradition of the old school horror host TV shows that Ghoul-a-Go-Go works to replicate, the dancers are all kids. And that's that one extra detail that pushes Ghoul-a-Go-Go over the edge from interesting artifact to bona fide pop culture gem. Watching a bunch of little kids and a gargantuan hunchback dance on stage using such classic moves as the twist, the monkey, and even the vaunted Bat-oosi, is something that cannot really be done justice in mere words.

Since Ghoul-a-Go-Go needed some kids to come out and dance, and my buddy Kevin had the hookup, I was more than thrilled to bring out little Zombelina and Wee-Sol to take part in the Cold War-era shenanigans. And boy, were they ever excited to step on to the stage and ham it up with the Ghoul-a-Go-Go gang, strutting their stuff to some vintage horror-themed rockabilly tunes (where did you guys dig up some of that stuff??) Think Romper Room, crossed with Tales from the Crypt, and you have the general idea of what Ghoul-a-Go-Go is all about.


I was very proud of my little ones for letting their inhibitions go, and not showing any fear at all in the face of the afternoon's gruesome hosts. Of course, they are my children, which means they've been exposed to enough that it would take quite a bit to spook them out. Anyway, the name of the game was fun, and there was much of it to be had by all before everything was said and done.

I have to applaud Vlad, Creighton and the rest of the crew for putting together a top-notch show, and if you're not privileged enough to reside in Suffolk county, that's OK, because you can see what Ghoul-a-Go-Go is all about on the show's YouTube page, and official website. If you're anything like me, and enjoy your horror with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek fun, then you should really seek it out. The buzz has been growing in recent years, and I was honored to finally cross paths with these guys, whom I had heard so much about for so long.

Tecno (Techno) Brega Style > Popular but not mainstream.How?

A musical movement from Belém do Pará - Brazil







What is interesting is that the artists do their "own" production, distribute this and make millions of followers without need TV or other...



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Tecno (Techno) Brega Style > Popular but not mainstream.How?

A musical movement from Belém do Pará - Brazil







What is interesting is that the artists do their "own" production, distribute this and make millions of followers without need TV or other...



[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Check Out Footage from Sunday's True Blood Finale NOW!

HBO's vampire drama True Blood has been building all season to a fever pitch, and even managed to reel me back in after apathy had begun to set in during some of the earlier episodes. And now, the premium cable network has made some brief video clips available which give some hints as to what we might expect this coming weekend, when the last episode of Season 3 airs.

First, we get some indication that there may be more to that whole fairies/aliens comparison than we originally suspected. Then, we've got a soap-operatastic scene between Tara and Sam, in which Mr. Merlotte seems to be on the verge of revealing a very important detail about himself. And finally, Hoyt's momma continues her overbearing ways, made even worse upon the discovery of a big ol' vampire hickey on her baby boy's neck. Check it all out below, True Blood-hounds...

Turner Classic Movies Will Blow Your Mind in October: Get Ready for a Month-Long Horrorgasm

As one who recognizes that pop culture actually existed prior to 1970 (hell, it's probably been declining ever since), I've adored Turner Classic Movies since I got my very first cable box. It's easily my favorite television channel, and I'm also a proud subscriber of Now Playing, the network's official monthly programming guide (and a steal at $12 per year).

So anyway, I got the October issue in the mail the other day, with the earnest visage of Fredric March blazoned upon the cover, when what do my eyes notice in the lower left-hand corner... "Also This Month: Hammer Horror". But of course, thought I--finally TCM is doing something special for Halloween, filling in for the once-outstanding AMC, which dropped the MonsterVision ball a long time ago. After all, if anybody could deliver for Halloween, it would be Turner Classic Movies.

And I'm proud to report that not only was I right, but I couldn't have possibly anticipated just how right I would be. TCM is ready to bring the noise next month, people. Allow me to elucidate. You'd better sit down...

First, we'll start with the Hammer extravaganza. Turner plans on showing a total of 20 Hammer classic throughout the month, with four-movie blocks each Friday:

October 1
Horror of Dracula
Brides of Dracula
Dracula, Prince of Darkness
Dracula Has Risen for the Grave

October 8
The Plague of the Zombies
The Devil's Bride
The Reptile
The Gorgon

October 15
The Mummy
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
The Mummy's Shroud
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

October 22
X: The Unknown
Five Million Years to Earth
These Are the Damned
The Stranglers of Bombay

October 29
The Curse of Frankenstein
Revenge of Frankenstein
Frankenstein Created Woman
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!

OK, still breathing? Well good, because I didn't even really get to what they have planned for the entire Halloween weekend itself. For the entire three-day period from Friday, October 29 through Sunday, October 31, they're pulling out all the stops. It'll be non-stop horror classics as only a channel like has the grapefruits to showcase. In addition to the Hammer Frankenstein flicks showing on the Friday, the weekend will feature the likes of:

• The Mystery of the Wax Museum (later remade as House of Wax)
• Isle of the Dead (Val Lewton's amazing Karloff vehicle)
• The Corpse Vanishes (underrated Lugosi Monogram flick)
• White Zombie (the first zombie movie!)
• Curse of the Demon (sublime British devil-worshiping gem)
• 13 Ghosts (seminal William Castle original)
• The Tingler (more Castle goodness--this time with Vincent Price!)
• Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (every gay man's favorite horror film)
• Cat People (Lewton psycho-sexual thriller)
• Freaks (future cult classic that wrecked Tod Browning's career)
• The Terror (Karloff meets Jack Nicholson!)
• The Raven (Corman/Poe greatness!)
• House on Haunted Hill (the best of the Castle/Price collaborations)
• The Haunting (greatest haunted house movie ever made)
• Poltergeist (a little too recent for the channel if you ask me, but I'll take it)
• The Phantom of the Opera (Lon Chaney's iconic turn)

Cool? Well, that's less than half of all the horror films being shown by Turner Classic Movies for Halloween weekend. In short, folks, October on TCM is the kind of thing for which DVR was invented. Not that I'd know, since I still tape shows on my handy Reagan-era VCR, but you get my point. This channel will be doing it right the entire month, and I encourage everyone who has it on their cable lineup and loves good horror to enjoy those 31 days of bliss. I know I'll be.

Hump-Day Harangue: Walking Dead Cast Takes Shape...

Not really much of a literal "harangue" this week, if you must know the truth--more of a cautiously optimistic nod of approval, as the anxiously anticipated AMC series adaptation of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series becomes more and more of a reality.

Yesterday, rumors of Brandon Routh being cast in the show were debunked by the actor himself. I'll admit, I couldn't quite figure out who he was going to be playing anyway, especially since two of the prime roles had already been cast.

Speaking of those two roles, it's very interesting to see that AMC is going with relative unknowns for the most part in this, its first wholly owned TV property. The basic cable channel has been on fire lately with shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men (my personal fave on TV right now), inheriting the throne of TV excellence once firmly inhabited by HBO. And those are both shows which have benefited greatly from having some fresh faces in key parts, so it's understandable that AMC would continue the trend.

As is our wont, we geeky internet types had a ball speculating as to which recognizable actor could take on this or that role. I know I recently conducted a poll which asked who should play lead character Rick Grimes, with choices like Lost's Josh Holloway, Supernatural's Jared Padalecki and Parenthood's Peter Krause (my choice at the time.) In the end, AMC went with British actor Andrew Lincoln (pictured), perhaps best "known" for his supporting part in the 2003 ensemble pic Love Actually. Playing his cop buddy Shane will be Jon Bernthal, an even less known commodity whom I mainly recall from his part as Al Capone in the sequel to A Night at the Museum (hey, I have kids, it comes with the job.)

In the end, I have to give kudos to AMC for resisting the allure of "name-brand" actors, although I'm sure the lower price-tags may have been a crucial factor in the decision, as well. Much like Mad Men, this is the kind of a show that will benefit greatly from a cast of relatively unrecognized talent (although it should be said that Lincoln is fairly known in the UK for his television work.) This shouldn't be something like a CSI or Law and Order spin-off, packed with familiar faces and big-time movie stars slummin' on TV. One of the selling points of The Walking Dead is its dedication to presenting a "believable" zombie apocalypse, as much of an oxymoron as that may be, and the presence of famous celebs would no doubt be a bit distracting.

Kirkman himself seems to be excited, although if I were in his shoes I'd be excited if they had cast Jerry Stiller and Fyvush Finkel in the leads. Nevertheless, I think The Walking Dead has lots of potential to be something very special, and as location scouting kicks off and shooting is almost ready to begin, I gleefully await the realization on screen of one of the strongest comic book series I've read this decade.

What Am I Most Looking Forward to in 2010?

Yours truly was called upon by Iloz Zoc, fearless leader of the League of Tana Tea-Drinkers, to participate in the latest LoTT-D "Pick-a-Post" blog carnival. The question: What are you most looking forward to in 2010? Well, I thought long and hard about it, and lo and behold, it turns out that the one thing in horror I'm most looking forward to is not a movie, but a TV show. See, although there are some solid releases coming out in theaters this year, there isn't one single film I'm looking forward to more than the Walking Dead television series.

When it was announced some months ago that AMC had picked up the property to be developed into a series, it was literally like a fanboy dream come true for me. I've had my issues with the original Image comic book by Robert Kirkman, but I had always wanted to see it on the small screen in series format. And I wasn't the only one--lots of fans of the book always liked to speculate as to how it would play out on TV. And now, after all the fantasizing, it's finally going to be a reality.

The zombie craze has been with us for some years now on the big screen, and now, at long last, those undead bastids are poised to invade our living rooms. How the hell did it take so long to happen? And while I'm sure there will be copycats galore--MTV is already developing a Dawn of the Dead TV series (*douche chills*)--I have no doubt the Walking Dead project will trump all.

This is for a few reasons. One is that AMC is developing it. Now, I had always felt The Walking Dead would be tailor-made for HBO, and I still feel that premium cable is really the ideal place for this material. But AMC has proven itself to be serious about good television, what with Mad Men and Breaking Bad. While the gore quotient will probably suffer a little bit compared to what it could've been on HBO, I don't have much problem with that--partly because the quality of the show is what's most important, and partly because the gore was never a huge part of the original book to begin with.

As I said, I've had issues with Kirkman's series, and i actually no longer read it. Haven't in years. But I was there at the very beginning, back in the summer of 2005, when the book debuted, and I continued reading it for the first three years. I was eventually driven away thanks to sub-par artwork (which is a non-issue for the TV show), as well as by Kirkman's meandering, often-dull and remarkably zombie-less narrative.

But those early years were often quite good, and I'm hoping that's what the TV show will be drawing on. Once Kirkman got so pretentiously caught up in the day-to-day soap opera turmoil of his human characters, I lost interest. He seemed to be killing time with each issue; filling space. And while some have told me the story plays out better when read in collected form, I couldn't help but be driven away by a terrific premise that seemed to be eventually squandered.

But I don't see this happening with the show. In fact, I see the show exceeding the comic book. We have the brilliant Frank Darabont on board as producer, bringing his keen eye for genre entertainment and compelling drama to bear. We also have one hell of a great concept. So great, it's amazing it's never been done before--a weekly ongoing series following human survivors as they make their way through the zombie apocalypse. Think of every zombie movie you ever saw in which the story just ends and we never find out what happens to our remaining surviving protagonists. Well this time, the story will continue--we will get to see how they get by, how they live their lives in the midst of hell on earth.

There hasn't been much talk of casting, although I have heard fans clamoring for Josh Holloway (a.k.a. Sawyer from Lost) to play the lead part of police officer Rick Grimes, and I have to say he would indeed be a fine choice.

The Walking Dead TV series was, until a few months ago, the subject of fan fantasy, the ultimate wish of hardcore zombie-heads. It always seemed to make perfect sense to do it, but for some reason, no one seemed interested. That's now changed. And I'll be anxiously waiting for Rick and the zombies to join Don Draper and the gang at Sterling Cooper in giving me reasons to tune in to AMC in 2010.

Vic Mizzy 1916-2009

The composer of this, one of the most recognizable TV theme songs of all time, passed away on Saturday. God love these old-school songwriters. We're really missing something without them...

The Tuesday Top 10: Favorite Twilight Zone Episodes

You don't need me to tell you how important and how incredible The Twilight Zone is. And I'm talking about Rod Serling's original here, not that decidedly average 1980s incarnation, or the recent abortion hosted by Forrest Whittaker. The original 1950s/1960s program is arguably the finest science fiction series of all time, rivaled in my opinion only by the original Star Trek and the new Battlestar Galactica. Yet it was also a horror-themed show, and in that category, nothing EVER touched The Twilight Zone.

During its run of only five years, the show produced one unforgettable episode after another, and pinning down ten faves is no mean feat. But here are the ten I most look forward to during the much-anticipated Fourth of July marathons on TV. You might agree, you might disagree, but remember, these are only my personal favorites, amongst a sea of classic eps...

10. Kick the Can (2/19/62)
In an episode recreated in inferior syrupy Speilberg fashion for the 1986 movie, a man in an old folks' home discovers a way for he and his friends to be young again. Their one bitter and cynical comrade ridicules them, and only realizes the error of his way when it's too late and he is left behind as an old man.

9. Living Doll (11/1/63)
How can I forget the great Telly Savalas, as an insecure stepfather being tortured by a vindictive, evil little doll? Legendary Looney Tunes/Jay Ward voice actress June Foray provides the creepy voice of "Talky Tina".

8. It's a Good Life (11/3/61)
Taken from an original short story by renowned sci-fi author Jerome Bixby, this is another one adapted in lesser fashion for the movie. Lost in Space's Billy Mumy plays the omnipotent little boy who wreaks havoc in a rural town. Has the distinction of being the only episode with a sequel, which appeared in the recent reboot series. Bixby also wrote several Star Trek eps, including "Mirror, Mirror".

7. To Serve Man (3/2/62)
Pulp sci-fi workhorse Damon Knight penned this one, a classic that's still grim, despite being parodied to great effect in the movie Airplane. Aliens come to Earth with a book entitled "To Serve Man"--but unfortunately, "IT'S A COOKBOOK!!"

6. The Midnight Sun (11/17/61)
Al Gore's worst nightmare, as the Earth begins to boil under the heat of an enlarging sun, moving closer in its orbit. The sense of claustrophobia is so palpable. And of course, we have one of the all-time classic twist endings, as our main character discovers she was only dreaming--in fact, the Earth is getting colder. Doh!

5. A World of Difference (3/11/60)
I always had a soft spot for this installment, about a man who really believes he is the character he plays on a TV show. In one of the classic openers, we approach it from his perspective, as his normal daily life is interrupted by a film crew yelling, "CUT!" Great stuff, and definitely pre-figured things like The Truman Show.

4. The Hitch-Hiker (1/22/60)
Adapted from a radio play originally performed by Orson Welles, this one always had a kind of Hitchcock feel to it for me. After a nasty car accident, a woman begins spotting the same mysterious hitch-hiker everywhere she drives. Turns out the hitcher is really Death, and the woman never survived the accident.

3. Eye of the Beholder (11/11/60)
For many, the most iconic episode of the series. A beautiful woman turns out to actually be disfigured in a world in which everyone appears as what we would consider to be hideous monsters. Such a classic summation of what The Twilight Zone was all about. Have to love this one.

2. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (10/11/63)
Bill Shatner plays a terrified passenger who discovers a monstrous gremlin on the wing of an airplane in this, maybe the series' most famous episode. It was adapted from Richard Matheson's first published horror story, and probably the only episode that was actually improved in adaptation for the 1986 Twilight Zone movie.

1. Time Enough at Last (11/20/59)
Maybe it's because I have such a love for Burgess Meredith, or the fact that I always related to his character, being an avid reader mysef. This one will always be my favorite. Meredith's character is so sympathetic, and the horror of losing the one thing that would make the apocalypse bearable for him is truly gut-wrenching. There's something about the sad cruelty of it all that makes this episode stand out for me above all the others.