To help celebrate the release of their new album, “Sonic Boom,” superband of the land KISS decided to undertake a rare publicity move, issuing some kitschy merchandise to help create an ambiance of gotta-have-it excitement. The price? Well, to retrieve luxury items such as $5 T-shirts, Mr. Potato Heads, and fleece blankets required a trip to Wal-Mart, the satanic figure of Western mass merchandise stores. The horror. The horror.
For some reason, I really enjoyed this…
The Spooky Empire Ultimate Horror Convention has come to Orlando this weekend, bringing a mass of celebrities, uncomfortable beards, and smiles to town, thrilling horror fanatics who wait all year for this event. To kick off the festivities, there’s a Zombie Walk, encouraging undead fans to dress up as decrepitly as possible and march (or drag) a harrowing 1/2 mile to the front door of the host hotel. It’s a community of fun-loving, grotesque participants, and there’s a clear love for the macabre tradition.
I adore Dots. Those little gumdrop knobs of goodness have been a friend for a mighty long time, dating back to my moviegoing youth where it was the candy of choice. The tooth-melter above all tooth-melters. Amazingly, eating a lime-flavored Dot today provides a sense of time-travel back to those salad days of matinees and PG-13 classics. Actual movement from such a small button of sugar. Few confections can claim the same sensation.
50 favorite animated films with some Terry Gilliam commentary (Time Out)
This Halloween, go as Jabba the Hutt (Star Wars Blog)
There’s a Chris Klein commentary on the “Street Fighter” DVD (AV Club)
Don’t ever think you can beat the gate (Fail Blog)
Adrien Brody and Topher Grace are seriously in “Predators” (Moviehole)
Brighten your day with a Yes Guy montage (YouTube)
Gonzo and Animal visit “Dancing with the Stars” (Muppet Newsflash)
No “Simpsons” sequel for now (Variety)
Fantastic “Star Wars” pumpkin carving designs (Sci-Fi Wire)
Adam Carolla talks to glorious kook Bai Ling (Adam Carolla Podcast)
Last year, I stumbled upon Sea World Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular by accident. While making a routine visit to the park, I wasn’t immediatley aware that a holiday blow-out was in progress over by Shamu Stadium and Bayside Stadium, leading me to wonder why “pumpkin fish” signage and strange costumed characters were suddenly around every corner. Turns out Sea World has their own variation on a theme park Halloween celebration, and get this: it’s free with admission.
Gatorland is an iconic Central Florida institution dating back to 1949, and has remained a popular roadside attraction ever since, providing visitors a flipside experience to the Disney routine. It’s Florida with the sleeves cut off: part zoo, part redneck oasis. While my initial desire to visit the park hovered around personal energy levels normally reserved for church and costume drama press screenings, I have to admit that Gatorland puts on one heck of a show for those willing to embrace its small, boiled peanut charms.
Character dining at Walt Disney World is always a mixed bag. Elementary culinary experiences aimed toward the Duggar crowd of mass appeal, these family feasts are a chance for broods to chow in total chaos while costumed icons roam the floor encouraging photo and autograph interaction. It’s really never about the food at these establishments, only the easy-peasy face time with characters that would normally be a hassle and a half to tackle within a theme park. Still, Disney does cough up a little extra effort for these daily events, leading me to visit the restaurant Chef Mickey’s, located in the Contemporary Resort.
Learn all about the making of the 1980 masterpiece, “Flash Gordon” (CBR)
The “Star Wars” stars visit “The Mike Douglas Show” in 1977 (YouTube)
Visit the crazy-violent 1995 CD-Rom game, “Phantasmagoria” (I-Mockery)
X-Entertainment visits the dollar store for Halloween treats (X-Entertainment)
Behold, the KFC Double Down Sandwich (AV Club)
Wil Wheaton is ready to confront his “Star Trek: TNG” past (WW Books)
Fantasyland at Walt Disney World is looking to grow (Attractions Magazine)
Stroll through Todd Barry’s receipt museum (Todd Barry)
Star Wars Cakes (Cake Wrecks)
Don’t forget to pre-order the goofball classic, “Massacre Mafia Style” (MMM.com)
The Minnesota State Fair ended its run last week, but it wasn’t the close on just any old year. 2009 represented a record run for the annual “Great Minnesota Get-Together,” pulling in an astounding 1,790,947 people over 12 days to experience caloric thunderstorms and blinding state pride. I even added a few twists of the turnstile on my own, making a short pilgrimage to my beloved place of birth to enjoy a state fair like no other around.
Snickers Fudge is the latest in a long line of “Limited Edition” candy to hit store shelves, encouraging sales beyond the norm. Just something to catch the eye and freshen up old caloric favorites.
BRIAN ORNDORF 