Santa Beagle Is Back In Town

posted by Tygrrius @ 12:12 AM

Happy Christmas, everyone! Eat, drink, and be merry.

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· The Make-A-Wish Foundation
· The Victory Junction Gang Camp
· The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
· The American Humane Association
· Ways to show support for America's troops
· Send messages of support to America's troops

Bring Me The Head Of Joe Cool

posted by Tygrrius @ 5:20 AM

A few weeks ago, what was apparently a very loud crash woke my wife. Though normally a light sleeper, I slept right through it rather than jumping into action. I finally woke up, somewhat groggy, as she started looking around to investigate. Under normal circumstances, this is usually my job but I would've been too tired to offer much resistance to any would-be intruders. Fortunately, there weren't any.

After not finding anything downstairs, she came up here to our office and found that my wooden shelf full of Snoopy figurines had partially detached from the wall and all of its items had fallen. This is by no means an indictment of the shelf itself, as it is of sturdy construction. The only problem with the shelf was that a mechanical idiot attached it to the wall. Namely me.

Somehow, all of the Snoopy figurines, which are quite breakable, came through unscathed despite the six foot drop. All except one. My figure of Joe Cool riding a motorcycle was beheaded. As you can see here, his head was severed clean off.


That night, my wife searched in vain for Joe Cool's head so that our dog wouldn't find it first. No luck. I was too tired to even climb the stairs, much less help look so we decided to try again in the morning.

The next day, I surveyed the damage. I found a lone beagle ear, but not the rest of Joe Cool's head. Though I don't keep our office nearly as tidy as I'd like, the area beneath the shelf is really not that cluttered. I checked the whole area, including behind the desk, and nothing.

I even checked all the way across the room, in case the head had been violently thrown there by whatever impact had taken it off in the first place. I also let the dog into the room to take a shot at finding it. She always finds everything that is out of place. Still nothing.

Now, weeks later, despite much effort, we still haven't found it. Remember "Little Girl Lost", that Twilight Zone episode where a girl falls off her bed and vanishes into another dimension? I have a feeling that's where Joe Cool's head has gone, too. Unfortunately, I don't have a physicist friend to call to find Joe Cool's head for me. My wife did the next best thing, though, and bought me a new one.

As for the case of the missing head, we'll file it under "U" for "Unexplained" in...The Film Frontier.

The Film Frontier 2007 Christmas Gift Guide

posted by Tygrrius @ 4:57 AM

It's December already, so that means it's time for The Film Frontier's annual Christmas Gift Guide for the Star Trek, Superman, and Star Wars fans in your life.

Gifts for Star Trek fans

Star Trek: Academy-Collision Course by William Shatner and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens: Due mostly to school, which took away much of my leisure reading and blogging time, I've not finished reading this one yet. The good news is, I'm on winter break as of yesterday so look for a review soon. In the tenth novel of their team-up, Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens set the clock back to the 23rd century and we see the first meeting of Kirk and Spock prior to their time at Starfleet Academy. This is not to be confused with JJ Abrams' Star Trek Babies (AKA Star Trek XI), which hits theaters next Christmas.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan-USS Enterprise 16" electronic starship: For those of us who are not model-building experts, those frustrating days of attempting to align our warp nacelles while trying not to pass out from glue fumes are over. Continuing their "starship legends" line, Art Asylum has released a Star Trek II version of the USS Enterprise. Yes, technically the Star Trek II version of the ship could just as easily be called the Star Trek: The Motion Picture version, but Star Trek II is the superior movie, after all, and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. If you can't find the Enterprise at your local toy store, StarTrek.com has it a reasonable price. I have the Star Trek IV (or was it Star Trek VI?) version of the Enterprise-A by Art Asylum. It's not perfect, but it at least allows me to continue procrastinating on that Polar Lights Enterprise-A model kit currently sitting in my closet.

Star Trek: The Original Series-Remastered 10-disc set: All 29 episodes of the 1966-1967 first season of the original Star Trek are presented in remastered, high definition format with new special effects. For most, this HD DVD/DVD combo set is a budget-buster, but it is certainly worth buying if you can squeeze it in. On the plus side, this new set has led to massive price reductions on the unaltered episodes released on DVD back in 2004. In fact, you could actually buy your favorite Star Trek fan all three unaltered seasons for about the same price as this one remastered season. Take your pick, as both incarnations feature Star Trek at its best.

Gifts for Superman fans

Action Comics and Superman comic book subscriptions: Though it seems it will be years before the next Superman movie, keep up with his monthly adventures in Action Comics, Superman, and other titles without the hassle of visiting a comic book store. The DC Comics subscription service delivers issues to your door only a couple weeks after they arrive in stores and at less than cover price.

Superman vs. Doomsday Collector's Action Figure Box Set: These action figures of Superman and Doomsday are sculpted to look like the comic book art from The Death of Superman, a reprint of which is also included in the set. Be warned that there's also a Superman: Doomsday action figure set floating around out there with the figures sculpted to look like the awful 2007 direct-to-DVD movie.

Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition 14-DVD set: This is the one holdover from last year's list. Since it completely sold out last Christmas, Warner Home Video re-released this set in May of this year. You can still find it in stores now. It includes Superman Returns, all four Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, and tons of other features. Value-priced at well under $100, this is a must-have for all Superman movie fans.

Gifts for Star Wars fans

Star Wars stamps: This year, Star Wars finally joined the ranks of Superman, Star Trek, George Washington, Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, and other legends. Star Wars imagery now graces official US postage stamps. Choose from a sheet of 15 different images or a sheet of 20 Yoda stamps. Both should still be available at your local post office, or order online from the United States Postal Service.

R2-KT action figure: Sales of this action figure, which honors a young Star Wars fan who passed away in 2005, benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. Click the link to read more about the story behind R2-KT. The limited edition figure is still available from Hasbro's online store.

The Making of Star Wars book by J.W. Rinzler: An in-depth account of the making of George Lucas' 1977 classic, Star Wars. Features many never-before-published interviews conducted prior to the movie's release. This is the definitive look at the movie that started it all, and a must-have for Star Wars fans that enjoy going beyond just watching the film.