"Claremont's X-Men" by Jason Powell

Long-time readers of this site are likely familiar with Jason Powell, a fellow X-blogger and Chris Claremont aficionado who literally wrote the book on Claremont's X-Men run. But they (or you) may not know that Jason is also an accomplished stage actor and songwriter (having crafted at least one superhero-themed opera), and he has combined all these various areas of expertise into an epic musical ode to Chris Claremont's X-Men run, recapping, via song, the characters, events, and, yes, writerly tics that comprise Claremont's 15 years writing about the X-Men.  

Enjoy! 

Force in Focus: Star Wars in Concert

Thanks to a birthday present from my wife's aunt last year, my wife and I recently attended "Star Wars in Concert", an event in which the Minnesota Orchestra plays the complete score to Star Wars while the film unfolds above it on a big screen. As both a huge Star Wars and film score fan, this was a supremely fun & unique experience ("concert films" are somewhat in vogue these days; the Minnesota Orchestra alone has done or will be doing similar performances of everything from Jurassic Park to Prisoner of Azkaban to Star Trek Into Darkness; when my wife and I were discussing what performances would be fun to see in this setting, I basically settled on "most anything"). Here's a few observations and reactions I had during the performance.

Opera, TV and Comics. Yes, Opera.

First of all, I'm once again here to ask you for money.

Not for myself of course (but feel free to mail either me or Dr. Bitz checks or loose change if you're so inclined), but for another cool Kickstarter project, this one to help out Jason Powell, the internet's foremost Chris Claremont scholar and author of the most insightful X-Men reviews you'll ever read (not that you shouldn't also read mine). Back in 2012, he wrote and staged an original superhero opera, and is now hoping to raise funds to put it onto CD. Check out his Kickstarter page here.

As a fan of both superheroes and musical theater, this seems like a win-win, so I'll be helping out. The world needs more superhero operas.

Secondly, a new TV website was recently brought to my attention, What to Watch, a site which is basically an engine to help you pick new TV shows to watch based on your current tastes. The database of the site is chock full of current and popular programs, and I hear tell that the creators of the site hope to eventually expand the selection to include more classic shows and one-season wonders.

It's a neat little site, and even if your TV viewing schedule is full (like mine), it's still fun to see what kind of shows get matched up with your favorites. Check it out.

Finally, Dobson, a frequent commenter on this blog, has launched a new blog, The Pouch Files, with the aim of examining the highs and lows of comics in the 90s on an issue by issue basis, celebrating and mocking comics' decade of excess, with an emphasis on the books from that era which don't get much love elsewhere on the 'net. I've already both laughed and sighed fondly with nostalgia during several of his posts, and am looking forward to more.

Countdown to Christmas #9: Snoopy's Christmas

 
"Snoopy's Christmas" is a Christmas song recorded by the Royal Guardsmen in 1967 as a follow-up to their hit "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron." The song chronicles a Christmastime aerial duel between the World War I Flying Ace and Germany's most notorious aviator and illustrates the power of Christmas to bring even the bitterest of enemies together, if only for a brief moment.

It is one of the best Christmas songs ever.

11 Things For Which Teebore Is Thankful

The bacob club chalupa, Frankenberry cereal, and Cranberry Splash Sierra Mist. 
In a perfect world, I'd be able to get all three year round.

The new Avengers cartoon, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Retro Review: The Simpsons Sing the Blues

Or the One Where: The Simpson characters sing R&B and rap songs.

The Setup: Released at the height of the Simpsons initial merchandising boon, intending to cash in on the similar growing popularity of rap and R&B. 

Notable Notes: Released in September of 1990, The Simpsons Sing the Blues reached #3 on the Billboard 200 chart (making it the highest charted Simpsons album; yes, there are more). In 1991 it was certified double platinum.

Land of Confusion

On Monday, March 24th, 2008 the Twins signed Joe Nathan to a 4 year contract at approximately 12 million dollars per year. Yes, THOSE Twins. The very same Twins who were so cheap they didn't try to sign Torii Hunter and traded away the best pitcher in baseball. Apparently they felt that a good closer is worth paying for despite this team most likely not being in many save situations at the end of games.
Also on Monday I went to a concert. It was the Breaking Benjamin/3 Days Grace concert at the Target Center. It was good considering all I really wanted to see was Breaking Benjamin while 3 Days Grace and Seether do little for me.
Halfway though Breaking Benjamin's great performance Benjamin Burnley, the lead singer of Breaking Benjamin, stopped to introduce "two of his friends." Benjamin said that his friends were going to sing a song while he passed out a case of bottled water. So his friends sang and Benjamin Burnley walked around the stage and into the crowd passing out bottles of water.
I view the Twins signing Joe Nathan and Benjamin Burnley handing out bottled water in the middle of his set the same way, with complete and utter confusion.
I don't know why Benjamin thought passing out water was good idea. Does his throat get tired so he needs to rest it? Did he just want to 'give back to the fans' and felt the one thing the fans would really want is water? Did he just want to give his friends a chance to sing in front of a crowd? I just don't get what the bottled water was all about.
Why did the Twins sign Joe Nathan? Did they feel it would increase his trade value? Did they want to appease fans who have the audacity to call them cheap? (Who would do a thing like that?) Do the Twins really feel that Joe Nathan will help them win and that signing him is a good investment for the future? I just don't understand.
It's not like I'm opposed to these things. I've been begging the Twins to spend money and keep good players since this blog started. And it's not like I'm against the lead singer of a band giving out free stuff. If I was dying of thirst in the desert I'd certainly want to come across Benjamin Burnley rather than this guy! But why break up the flow of a concert just to give out water?
As far as the Twins are concerned, I've always felt that a good closer was more 'the final piece' of a puzzle that will take a baseball team from good to an elite level. The Twins seem to consider Nathan one of the first pieces you make sure to keep while entering a rebuilding year.
I'm not sure what to make of either of those things. But perhaps the Twins and Breaking Benjamin are simply just smarter than me. Feeling like I'm missing something is definitely not a new sensation for me. So, for now, I guess I'll just keep wondering the land of confusion...whoa-oh-oh.