SPECIAL REPORT: STEEL CITY CON IN PITTSBURGH - JUNE 12, 2021

Due to covid, the Steel City Con in Pittsburgh - one of the biggest showcases of autographs, comics, and memorabilia was cancelled three times. Thankfully, the show went on finally on the weekend of June 11-13. This was my first venture to the Steel City Con, and it was a lot of fun. A lot of starts appeared, and I have to admit I was a bit star struck.

The biggest name at the convention was 90 year old William Shatner. It was hard to see him unless you bought an autograph, and he was behind a plexiglass like he was the Pope. The star though with the biggest line was Matthew Lillard. He starred in such movies as "Scream" and "Scooby Doo" among many others.

I am an old school autograph collector who used to write to the stars in order to get autographs so I do not like to spend a lot of money. I did treat myself to get the autograph of Alanna Masterson. She played the character of Tara on The Walking Dead from season 4 to season 9. She was one of the nicest celebrities I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and she not only chatted with me for a few minutes but she was excited to take a selfie!

Myself with Alanna Masterson

On the far end of the spectrum though was comedian Jon Lovitz. He starred on Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990, and he has also appeared in countless movies. He was the most miserable celebrity there. He never smiled, and although these comic conventions are the pillar of a career, Lovitz looked like he did not want to be there. I would not waste money on his autograph.

Crabby Jon Lovitz

I spent most of the time looking at the rows and rows of vendors, and took pictures from the stars from afar. It was a great time, and so much funny. They are having another convention in August, but I think I'll wait until next year for my next one...

Timothy Busfield

Matthew Lillard

Mickey Dolenz

Jamie Farr

RIP: SCOTT WILSON

Scott Wilson, who played the murderer Robert Hickock in 1967’s In Cold Blood and was a series regular on The Walking Dead, has died. He was 76.

AMC, the show’s network, announced Wilson’s death on Saturday. The network calls Wilson’s character on The Walking Dead, veterinarian Hershel Greene, “the emotional core of the show.”

Wilson starred on the series from 2011 to 2014. His return for the upcoming season was announced just hours earlier on Saturday. Wilson had already filmed his scenes for season nine.

In the same year as Wilson’s breakthrough in In Cold Blood, the movie version of Truman Capote’s devastating nonfiction novel about the murder of a family in Kansas in 1959, Wilson also played murder suspect Harvey Oberst in the smash “In the Heat of the Night.”

He appeared in the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby as George Wilson and in The Right Stuff as pilot Scott Crossfield. The actor earned a Golden Globe nomination in 1980 for his performance in The Ninth Configuration, in which he played a former astronaut.

Gale Anne Hurd, executive producer of The Walking Dead, also paid tribute on social media. She tweeted: “Scott was one of the greats, both as an actor and a man. We in The Walking Dead Family are truly grief stricken. He lived life to the fullest with his true love, his wife Heavenly. He is now a shining star in heaven spreading kindness and light forever.”

He also portrayed a prison chaplain in Sean Penn's Dead Man Walking (1995), and his character, a john, was slain by Charlize Theron's victim turned serial killer in Patty Jenkins' Monster (2003).

For a performer of his obvious ability, Wilson went lengthy stretches without working. He filled one slow period by painting drug stores.

"Not many people survive a long period of time as actors," Wilson told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2016. "I've been fortunate to have a long career and play a variety of roles. I've had my down periods. I went four years without work. You have stretches where it feels like starting over. But a lot of people never even get the first break. You're incredibly fortunate if you get that."

SCOTT GIMPLE AND THE DEATH OF THE WALKING DEAD

I have to admit that I was never a huge fan of zombies. When I was little I was afraid of everything, including zombies. As I got older I watched George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead, but I did not really embrace the genre until my brother in law talked me into watching AMC's "The Walking Dead". I started watching during the third season, and I quickly became addicted to the show. I rewatched the seasons that I missed, and I became devoted to that show.

Now "The Walking Dead" just ended the first half of its 8th season, and although the show is still the top rated program on AMC, the show is very different that one the I started watching five years ago. I barely got through the first eight episodes of this season, and my devotion to watching the show has turned to an obligation to watch it. I'm not sure if I will be back as a viewer when the show returns in February.

The show was always more about the people than the zombies, and that is why I like them. Unfortunately under the direction of show runner Scott Gimple, the program has been really going downhill the last two seasons. Gimple came on board during season 4, and that season with the villain the Governor fighting Rick, the leader of the survivors, is one of my favorites. However, each season since then has been full of nonsensical story lines, huge plot holes, and a pretty overt disregard for the audience and fan. Under Gimple, the majority of the minority cast members have been killed off. In a matter of two seasons we have lost the minority characters of Tyrese, Bob, Noah, and Sasha.

The deaths of many characters were done for shock value rather than to expand the story line. I expect people to die on the show. After all, it is the zombie apocalypse. However, the major deaths are only during the mid season finale or the season finale. You can predict when someone will die. In the first few seasons you did not know from episode to episode who would be left. The latest death - the death of Carl, has left fans shocked - and not in a good way. The character of Carl is still alive in the comic book version of The Walking Dead, and he is a major character in the future storyline. There is no reason Scott Gimple had Carl killed off other than shock value. It goes deeper than that. Chandler Riggs, the actor that plays Carl, was shocked about being killed off, and his father has gone on record to say he never trusted Gimple or AMC.

"The Walking Dead" is not dead yet. One way AMC could fix the show is to get rid of Scott Gimple, plain and simple. Gimple has lttle regard for the Walking Dead storyline as well as a blatant disregard for the fan base. He is often interviewed on the after show "Talking Dead", and with each appearance he seems more cold and unfeeling. I never thought this would be happening to my favorite show. The ratings have dropped majorly this season, and I can not believe AMC is not wondering why. Again I have to say to them is two words: Scott Gimple. We see a lot of deaths on the show, but I hope the next person to leave the show is Scott Gimple. I may not be able to watch how the zombie apocalypse plays out until he is gone. I once said this show was a modern classic, but with Scott Gimple in charge, he is slowing killing this show. Like the zombie outbreak on the show, The Walking Dead iteself is running out of time to cure itself...

RECENTLY VIEWED: FEAR THE WALKING DEAD

It truly took me a long time to warm up to the zombie genre. Other than a few bad Bela Lugosi zombie movies from the early 1930s, I really had to admit I was afraid of zombies. My brother in law was into AMC's The Walking Dead series, and he jokes me that I don't watch shows until they are off the air. Hey, I am finally getting into I Love Lucy! Anyways, I started watching The Walking Dead, and I got hooked. So it was natural that I would watch it's spin off series Fear The Walking Dead which debuted on August 23rd. It moves slower than its parents series but it is pretty good.

Set in Los Angeles, California, the series follows a dysfunctional family composed of high school guidance counselor Madison Clark, her English teacher boyfriend Travis Manawa, and her overachieving daughter Alicia and drug-addicted son Nick, in the onset of the zombie apocalypse. The four are forced to choose between profoundly changing or proceeding as their current flawed selves while they come to terms with the impending collapse of civilization.

What I can say from the first episode (which shouldn't be forming such negative impressions as it's only ONE EPISODE so far) is that it's definitely intriguing to see it from the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, with cool news footage sequences of what at the moment is an 'unknown virus', and people going off the rails seeing what they're trying to convince people is "people eating other people", and it's definitely great to see the reactions to the impending zombie apocalypse, as this show starts when society is still fully functioning but strange things are happening.

I also found the characters' reactions to the "incidents" that did happen to be completely relatable. The high school kid who had been following the various events online and predicted "the end of times" was written off as a conspiracy theorist and told to stop spending so much time online. Because "if there really was something to worry about, the authorities would have told us". The drug addicted guy (Nick) who witnessed it first hand dismissed it as a hallucination and either a sign of a mental disorder or a really bad 'trip'. He thought he must be crazy so he refused to talk to the police about it and instead went to his dealer to see if the drugs were laced with something. Even the people who watched the leaked shooting video online thought it must have been faked or there must be a logical reason for it (like bath salts). No one really saw this for what it is, which is exactly what I would expect if it ever happened in real life.

The debut of this series was the biggest debut in cable history, and it shows that the zombie drama is not going anywhere quick. While this series may not have me as intrigued as its parent series, I know where I will be every Sunday night at 9pm....

MY RATING: 7 OUT OF 10

THE WALKING DEAD: BING CROSBY VERSION

The Walking Dead is returning to AMC Television on February 8, 2015, zombies are very popular still in television and movies, and I found this story about if Bing was a zombie. It is bizarre and not for everyone, but it is about Bing...

Warning: Some “colorful” language within, might not be good for little ones. -Matt

Christmas Eve. A time of peace and caroling. Stockings are hung by the fire in hopes that the patriarchal paradigm will reward us for our submissive behavior. Soon St. Nick will appear. Unless you die first, of course. Police in the metro area are getting reports of a sloppily dressed crooner with a pipe singing for people and then eating them.

“The front door rang” said one survivor.

And I opened the door. Bing Crosby was standing there in the flesh. Well, as much flesh of him that hadn’t fallen off. He started singing. Normally I would have shut the door but who can resist Bing Crosby singing White Christmas on Christmas Eve? So I invited him in.

After being invited in, Crosby, or his zombie equivalent, sat by the fire place and regaled the family with Christmas tunes and stories of Hollywood in its glory days. I remember during the making of Road to Singapore Bob Hope and I had a bet on who would be the first to sleep with Dorothy Lamour. I thought I would win. What woman can resist a crooner.

It was this off-color anecdote that convinced the family to throw Crosby out.

It was then that he got belligerent. He grabbed my wife and started eating her arm. At first I thought it was just some crazy Hollywood joke but then my wife started screaming. I got scared and hit Crosby with a shovel and threw him out. Now my wife’s a zombie! But on the bright side if she’s dead I don’t have to pay her alimony I guess.

After being thrown out Crosby went from house to house, knocking on doors and asking the residents if they had seen Bob Hope. When told that Hope had not been spotted Crosby would take a bite out of whomever answered the door.

It was after the eighth house had been attacked that police mobilized.

“We’ve been expecting the zombie apocalypse for years” said a police lieutenant.

We have drones, explosives, enough ammunition to kill every Mormon. What? We’re not fighting Mormons? Never mind. We still have enough ammunition to kill every damn zombie we see. I was just hoping it would be W.C. Fields and not Bing Crosby. I’ve always liked his singing.

Despite their ammunition the police were not able to stop zombie Bing.

I guess we didn’t think it through too clearly. I mean he’s already dead. What good would shooting him do? I know, you’re supposed to shoot zombies in the head. But we are police officers. We’re notoriously bad shots, except against private citizens defending the second amendment.
With all other options gone, police decided to pay a call on David Bowie.

He was reluctant at first to help us. ”Please don’t make me sing Little Drummer Boy again” he kept begging. But eventually we wore him down. We told him it was his patriotic duty to help us. He agreed. Though it might have been our crisp blue uniforms.

After being flown into the kill zone, Bowie was dropped off and told to distract Crosby. He was unsuccessful as zombie Crosby attacked Bowie, throwing him onto his stomach and biting his neck and back. Bowie could be heard screaming, “Stop! I gave up this sexual practice in the 1980s!” With Bowie now turned into a zombie, he and Crosby cut a wide swath across the United States, eating anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths.

President Obama is scheduled to address the nation about the Crosby/Bowie zombie menace. Those who have seen a rough draft of the president’s speech say that it asks all Americans to remain calm and to remember the many contributions zombies have made to world culture.

“Let us welcome zombies into our homes. Now is not the time to appear triumphalist about being non-dead.”

***Breaking News***

Zombie Bob Hope has joined forces with Crosby and Bowie and they threaten to eat every last living person. And then make a Road movie.

SOURCE

THE WALKING DEAD: A MODERN CLASSIC

When it comes to television series, it seems like I always come late to the party. I love The Dean Martin Show, The Twilight Zone, and The Jack Benny Show, but they all aired well before I was born. I am a fan of the comedy series Seinfeld, but I did not watch the show until the final episode aired in May of 1998. My family joked me that in a couple years maybe I will discover I Love Lucy! I have recently discovered a television series that just ended its 4^th season. I did not think I would like it, but now I am addicted to the AMC series The Walking Dead. Amazingly the show is still on, and will air its new season in October of 2014. Based on the comic book series of the same name, The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The first season mostly takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the second through fourth seasons in the surrounding countryside of northern Georgia, as the survivors search for a safe haven away from the shuffling hordes of predatory "walkers" or "biters" (as the zombies are referred to in the show), who devour any living thing they catch, and whose bite is infectious to humans. The plot focuses primarily on the dilemmas the group faces as they struggle to maintain their humanity during the day-to-day challenges of surviving in a hostile world. This includes battling the zombie hordes, coping with casualties, and dealing with predatory human survivors.

The group is led by Rick Grimes, who was a sheriff's deputy  before the zombie outbreak. At every turn they are faced with the horror of the walking zombies, the changing dynamic of their group, and hostility from the scattered remains of a struggling human populace who are focused on their own survival now that society's structures have collapsed.

The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010, on the cable television channel AMC in the United States. It premiered internationally during the first week of November 2010 on Fox International Channels. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011. Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced that the show would return for a third season of 16 episodes, which began airing on October 14, 2012. On December 21, 2012, AMC renewed The Walking Dead for a fourth season of 16 episodes, which premiered on October 13, 2013. On October 29, 2013, AMC renewed it for a fifth season.

The series has been well received and has been nominated for many awards, including the Writers Guild of America Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. he series has also attained strong Nielsen ratings, surpassing various records for a cable series, including viewership of 16.1 million for its season four premiere, making it the most-watched drama series telecast in basic cable history.

I was not sure I would like the series when I first watched it. Next to rats and death, I think I am most afraid of zombies, but it really only took me a few episodes before I realized the show was more than zombies. Its success is due to the character development. The zombies are second to the characters, and in some episodes one can forget about the zombies entirely. I am thankful I discovered this show while it was still on, and I recommend The Walking Dead. It is definitely a modern “classic”…