Chicken Bowl XVI: It Begins!

There are those who believe that national attention will be solely focused on the Super Bowl today - but I'm here to tell you that there are those whose sporting spirit will not wish to neglect the wonders of another form of competition. That form was initiated by Stephen Thompson a decade and a half ago, and followers have been impressed by his ongoing dedication to the sport. He has summarized the event for the National Public Radio website on its "Food" blog The Salt - and commenters there have already sneered at what they perceive as its frivolous nature. But come on: How many of you would have devoted yourself to this sort of annual event for so many years so devotedly?
So here I am in Maryland, preparing to be surrounded by chicken-eating devotees. Some of them may even watch the game while gorging. Stephen and I went yesterday to the Popeye's from which the chicken will be picked up today (and let me recommend this particular Popeye's establishment; the gentleman was charming, if a bit bemused: the Takoma Park restaurant on New Hampshire Avenue).
I've already managed to incapacitate myself slightly in all this: a missed step led to a certain bruising, including a swollen right foot. But the way I figure is that it will let me all the more empathize with the Super Bowl players requiring icing during Today's Other Event. But, of course, that'll be secondary to the true excitement. Up with chicken!

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Pop Culture Kids Should Have #PCHH

Linda Holmes, Trey Graham, Glen Weldon, Mike Katzif

Last week's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from National Public Radio was primarily devoted to paying tribute to new mom Barrie Hardymon and to suggesting pop-culture entertainments for children. After the show's recommendations were elaborated on by posts both on that site and its Facebook page, I had lost track of the plethora of great suggestions (and hit myself on the head for failing, for example, to recommend the children's books of Marjorie Flack (1897-1958) and others). So what would be handier and quicker than to organize all those suggestions? Oh. Not so quick. But here's what I came up with by combining what was posted. To find out why folks came up with those specifics? Well, check out the show, its comments, and its Facebook page. 

TV

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994)

Adventure Time (2010- )

Animaniacs (1993-1998)

Blue's Clues (with Steve) (1996-2002)

Dexter's Laboratory (1996-2003)

The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966)

Electric Company (1971-1977)

George of the Jungle (1967)

Jack's Big Music Show (2005-2007)

Kids' science shows, such as Beakman's World (1992-1997), Bill Nye The Science Guy (1993-1997) and, of course, Mr. Wizard [Watch Mr. Wizard (1951-1972) and Mr. Wizard's World (1983-1990)]

The Magic Garden (1972-1984)

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968-2001)

Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)

The Muppet Show (1976-1980)

Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1990)

Peter Pan starring Mary Martin (1960)

Phineas and Ferb (2007- )

Pinky and the Brain (1995-1998)

Rocky and Bullwinkle

Schoolhouse Rock (1973-1985, 1993-1999)

Sesame Street (1969- )

The Simpsons (1989- )

SpongeBob SquarePants (1999- )

Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-1992)

The Upside Down Show (2006-2007)

The Weird Al Show (1997)

Movies

Babe (1995, 89 min.)

Babe, Pig in the City (1998, 97 min.)

Fantasia (1940, 124 min.)

Fantasia/2000 (1999, 74 min.)

Hansel and Gretel (1954, 72 min., with Anna Russell as the witch)

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977, 74 min.)

The Muppet Movie (1979, 95 min.)

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985, 90 min.)

The Point (1971, 74 min.)

Films with the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, and Danny Kaye

Looney Tunes cartoons ["What's Opera, Doc?" (1957, 7 min.) especially]

Books

Art Baltazar (1968- ) Tiny Titans series

Doris Burn (1923- ) Andrew Henry's Meadow

Patricia Coombs (1926- ) Dorrie the Little Witch series

Susan Cooper (1935- ) [The Dark Is Rising series]

Bruce Coville (1950- ) Magic Shop series

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) [Note: While such of his children's books as Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and The Gremlins are well known, some of Dahl's output is for older readers]

Eleanor Davis (1983- ) The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook

Ul de Rico (1944- ) The Rainbow Goblins

Kate DiCamillo (1964- ) and Alison McGhee (1960- ) Bink and Gollie illustrated by Tony Fucile

"Franklin W. Dixon" the Hardy Boys series

Edward Eager (1911-1964) [the Magic series]

John D. Fitzgerald (1906-1988) Great Brain series

Louise Fitzhugh (1928-1974) Harriet the Spy

Wanda Gág (1893-1946) Nothing at All and Millions of Cats

René Goscinny (1926-1977) Asterix series illustrated by Albert Uderzo (1927- )

Theodore Gray (1964- ) The Elements

Ben Hatke Zita the Spacegirl series

Kevin Henkes (1960- ) including Chester's Way; Julius, Baby of the World; Lily's Big Day; and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Hergé (1907-1983) Tintin series

Norton Juster (1929- ) The Phantom Tollbooth illustrated by Jules Feiffer (1929- )

"Carolyn Keene" the Nancy Drew series

Judith Kerr (1923- ) Mog the Forgetful Cat

James Kochalka (1967- ) Peanutbutter & Jeremy; Pinky & Stinky; Monkey vs. Robot; and Johnny Boo

Gordon Korman (1963- ) [the Bruno and Boots series]

Roger Langridge (1967- ) The Muppet Show comic book

Joaquin Salvador Lavado ("Quino," 1932- ) Mafalda comic strip (1964-1973 in Argentina)

Munro Leaf (1905-1976) The Story of Ferdinand illustrated by Robert Lawson (1892-1957)

Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) A Wrinkle in Time

Elizabeth Levy (1942- ) Something Queer Is Going On books

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) The Chronicles of Narnia

Mercer Mayer (1943- ) Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo and One Monster after Another

Jean Merrill (1923- ) The Pushcart Wars and The Toothpaste Millionaire

A.A. Milne (1882-1956) Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner

Barbara Park (1947- ) Junie B. Jones series illustrated by Denise Brunkus

Dav Pilkey (1966- ) Captain Underpants series

Peggy Rathmann (1953- ) Good Night Gorilla

Andy Runton Owly series

Lore Segal (1928- ) Tell Me a Mitzi

Ellen Raskin (1928-1984) The Westing Game

Anne K. Rose The Triumphs of Fuzzy Fogtop

Louis Sachar (1954- ) Sideways Stories from Wayside School series

John Scieszka (1954- ) Math Curse and any of his other collaborations with artist Lane Smith (1959- )

Maurice Sendak (1928- ) Nutshell Library and the TV musical Really Rosie (with Carole King) based on it

Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) The Lorax

Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) The Growing Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up [Note: As with Roald Dahl, be aware that not everything by Silverstein was aimed at a young audience.]

Christian Slade Korgi

Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002) Caps for Sale

Donald J. Sobol (1924- ) Encyclopedia Brown series

Kean Soo Jellaby

Art Spiegelman (1948- ) and Françoise Mouly (1955- ) editors of the Little Lit series

Raina Telgemeier (1977- ) Smile and comics adaptations of The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin (1955- )

Jill Thompson (1966- ) Magic Trixie

Judith Viorst (1931- ) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Landry Q. Walker (1971- ) Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade illustrated by Eric Jones

Bill Watterson (1958- ) Calvin and Hobbes collections

E.B. White (1899-1985) Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web

Audrey and Don Wood Quick as a Cricket

Jane Yolen (1939- ) Sleeping Ugly

"Records"

Free to Be … You and Me (record and book) (1972)

P.D.Q. Bach

Edvard Grieg "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt

Michael Flanders and Donald Swann

Arlo Guthrie Woody's 20 Grow Big Songs

Tom Lehrer "New Math," "The Elements," and his songs for The Electric Company

Peter, Paul and Mommy

Sergei Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf (Columbia recording directed by Stokowksi and narrated by Basil Rathbone or — on Disneyland backed with Dukas' The Sorceror's Apprentice — Sterling Holloway)

Leos Janacek, Rudolf Tesnohlidek, and Stanislav Lolek The Cunning Little Vixen (Spoiler note: The Vixen dies in the end: not the case in the original comic book.)

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine Into the Woods (Act I)

Camille Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals (Trey recommends the version in Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts; my favorite is the version with comedy narration by Ogden Nash)

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ella Jenkins

Allan Sherman

Bob Newhart

Smothers Brothers

Bill Cosby

Shelley Berman

"Darktown Strutters Ball" and "Jelly Roll Blues" performed by The Boston Pops

Sweet Honey in the Rock

Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

Spike Jones

Sufjan Stevens

Pete Seeger

They Might Be Giants kids' music

Simon and Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

Engelbert Humperdinck Hansel und Gretel

Motown: The Big Chill soundtrack

Henry Mancini "Baby Elephant Walk"

Johann Strauss II "Blue Danube Waltz"

Stevie Wonder

The Supremes

Iron & Wine's Kiss Each Other Clean

Raffi Baby Beluga

The Flirtations singing Fred Small's "Everything Possible"

Gian-Carlo Menotti's "The Telephone" 1949 (Columbia) version (Marilyn Cotlow and Frank Rogier), now maybe available on the Pearl label

Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Volume One: The Early Years

Other

Wonderground Radio (online/HD station run by The Current, a Twin Cities station)

The Goon Show radio series (1951-1960)

Wii games, especially with a group

hooded animal towels

Jearl Walker The Flying Circus of Physics and website, books, etc.

Gyroscope

Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky ballets Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker (Pacific Northwest Ballet version of the latter recommended)

Have a crazy uncle who provides such pop culture as episodes of Mel Blanc's Story Lady radio show and Jack Benny's radio show.

"Expose them when they're too young."

Stay up on new technology: Develop animation skills via iPad and DSi, record yourself reading to your children.

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Pop Culture Happy Hour #PCHH Follow-Up: Gifts

In the first of National Public Radio's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcasts of 2011, there was something of a catch-up on gifts from the end of 2010. Listeners may have yearned for (to pretend to coin a phrase) outward and visible signs of inward and emotional delights. There was, for example, a question regarding the success of Stephen's gift of an arcade-size game of Frogger, ostensibly for his kids. Here for all to see is a photo of that success (and, fear not, all three had a chance to play). (You may also be canny enough to see that, while Frogger was A Main Attraction, other games were included in the device.)

I also had the opportunity to capture an image of the reaction of "Monkey See" blogger Linda Holmes to another gift. Let me put on the record here and now The Tale of the Sampler: Several months ago, an annoyed comment was posted regarding something or other on "Monkey See": "This is beneath NPR's dignity." I wrote to Linda that that was the sort of remark that cried out to be immortalized via a cross-stitched sampler. She responded that, if such a thing were to be created, she would be pleased to hang it. So I asked a craft-skilled friend - Kim Frankenhoff, wife of Comics Buyer's Guide Editor Brent Frankenhoff - whether she could provide such a sampler. She tackled the project with a will, coming up with a variety of fabrics, sizes, threads, font choices, and the like. We plotted it out together, she did all the work (including her own design of the fleur-de-lis ornaments), and I took the completed project to a wonderful local shop where the folks know how to frame such things. I must say that, judging from Linda's reaction, the project was unexpected. I love it when things work out!

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How Santa Got His Red Suit

Yesterday, I wrote of the wonders of Christmases past - especially the delight of reading classic comic-book stories to our kids on Christmas day. Today ended up especially busy (and I suspect things will not become less busy as December 25 approaches), so there's no time for an extended essay. However, I have a suspicion that this week's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcast from National Public Radio (Tweet #PCHH) is going to have a mention (Dec. 10) of one of the stories I referred to yesterday. It's "How Santa Got His Red Suit," written and drawn by Walt Kelly, the lead story in the Dell Four Color comic book #61: Santa Claus Funnies copyright 1944 by Oskar Lebeck. If the PCHH gang chats about it, this is what they're talking about. Just saying.

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iPad .... because

That's a header that will bewilder anyone who has no familiarity with the strange vagueness of a series of ads in 1950s magazines with sizeable female readerships. And, yes, I'm revisiting the general snickering that accompanied Apple's announcement of the name for its all-purpose lug-around computer thingy. (I'm a little surprised there didn't seem to be an immediate flood of fake iPad ads featuring gorgeous women in over-the-top formalwear with iPads discreetly Photoshopped into the images.)

The thing is, "iPad .... because" pretty much sums up the reason for my addiction to the thing (though I don't pretend to know why those '50s ads seemed to insist on four dots instead of the usual three in ellipses - trademark, maybe?). Today, again, I'd hauled my iPad with me to an event, and, when I began to use it (in this case, to note some upcoming dates in its Calendar app), folks stopped to ask what it was and how it worked and why I found it useful.

So. When I first heard about it, I thought, "Well, I'll get it in 2011, when they release the second version, because what do I need it for right now?" Then, I thought, "Well, maybe I'll treat myself with one for Christmas, because I hear good things about it." Then, I thought, "How about my birthday? I could get it for that." Then, I visited daughter Valerie, whose son has one, and I borrowed it for an evening, at the conclusion of which I asked, "Could we go to the Apple store tomorrow so I can buy one right away?" Because it's not just what so many have called it when I've showed it to them. It's not just "Maggie's toy."

I travel quite a bit. Not on the level of Neil Gaiman, who jets around the globe because so many people rightly want to see and hear him in person. Not on the level of businessfolks whose jobs take them hither and (especially) yon. But I'm often in locations I don't know well, away from entertainments of home, and I've found my carry-ons growing more and more heavy with an assortment of electronic thises and thats - and, even so, missing things I enjoy. So currently on my iPad (top of the line, with AT&T's 3G service, so I can connect lots of places without WiFi), I have (free, once I bought the thing) Calendar, Notes, Maps, iTunes, and iBooks apps. (Maps is of particular importance in my travels, showing me clearly how to get here or there by car, bus, or walking - and even showing me where I am at the moment: a help in some cities, let me tell you.) I've loaded a number of free apps (iMDb app for quick movie info, many books [especially Saki and Wodehouse at the moment], Marvel and DC apps, and a National Public Radio app. I also connect with the Internet via Safari and (and this was when I decided I had to have it) that lets me connect to Wisconsin Public Radio's two networks (Ideas and the News and Classical Music service) and its 24-hour classical music service so that I can listen to my favorite NPR programs, no matter where I am. I have not begun to explore the iPad's possibilities, though my daughter showed me one app I paid for: "Star Walk," which lets me identify the current constellations wherever I turn. (That's one that evokes an "Ooooooooo!" when I show it off - and, yes, that is a toy aspect, but hey ...)

Got an iPad? What's your favorite application?

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NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour - Well, 49 Minutes

I've been waiting all day to get a chance to settle down to listen to National Public Radio's latest podcast. It's Pop Culture Happy Hour, despite the fact that no alcohol was actually imbibed by participants Linda Holmes, Trey Graham, Glen Weldon, and Stephen Thompson. (I note that the "Categories" into which the website feels it belongs are "Live Chats, "Culture and Criticism," and, yes, "Unclassifiable.") What the podcast amounts to is the sort of thing you get when a bunch of buddies sits around sharing views and reviews and maybe playing some sort of game (in this case, identifying TV shows from brief audio clips). (My favorite of those clips was a woman describing a guy by saying, "He's wearing a - yom kippur, I think it's called." Just saying.)

Comic-book commentator Weldon doesn't get a chance to discuss Aquaman, choosing instead to discuss a recent episode of the BBC's Doctor Who ["Vincent and The Doctor"] in which The Doctor fought "a giant killer chicken lizard" that also happened to be invisible. "They spent a lot of money on the sets," Weldon said. "They spent a lot of money on the costumes. ... The fact that it was invisible was what made it so cool." The discussion quickly morphed into whether it was a giant invisible chicken lizard or a giant invisible turkey. "It had a space wattle," someone pointed out.

And so it went, with comments on the summer's Iron Man movie, the summer's Twilight movie, the possible departure of 30 Rock and The Office stars, the entire group's adoration of NBC's Community series, and more, more, more. It didn't hurt my enjoyment that Stephen is my son or that this is, truly, the sort of conversation I enjoy listening to - whether at a convention, in a comics shop, or sitting around with family and friends.

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Abandoning Condescension in 2010

Yesterday evening, son Stephen called my attention to a brilliant essay on National Public Radio's Monkey See blog. That it is brilliant didn't surprise me; the writer is wordsmith Linda Holmes, whose commentaries have always illuminated their topics while providing delicious (and quotable) phrasing.

The essay opens,

"Familiarity breeds contempt."

Perhaps it is this little saying, or some variation of it, that convinces people that disdain and discernment are the same thing: that the more things you roll your eyes at, the smarter you must be.

Those of us who have spent many hours in following a variety of fields of popular culture have surely run across the phenomenon. "I don't own an idiot box." (I suddenly realize that I haven't recently heard that cliche; at least that phrasing seems to have gone out of favor, though the sneer remains in what amounts to the same thing.) And in comics? Even as the term "graphic novel" actually intimidates some, the humble "comic book" still hasn't achieved the same respect - though they're synonyms.

In any case, do check out Linda's "Let's Resolve" - and join us all in the resolution.

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