A Chicken Big Mac is Coming to America

McDonald's is bringing a chicken version of its Big Mac to America. This interests me. One big reason I am intrigued is that I have a beef allergy so I welcome any new chicken option at a restaurant. I discovered this allergy back in high school when I had allergy testing done and it explained a lot about my stomach issues. This allergy isn't related to a tick bite, randomly enough, as I can eat other meats that those who suffer from AGS cannot. Hence, if McDonald's is going to make a Big Mac available that has tempera chicken patties instead of beef, I'm intrigued. That said, I'm not sure I'll like the taste of Big Mac sauce, having never tried it (when I did eat beef I just got plain Quarter Pounders with cheese). Still, I'll give it a sampling once this new chicken Big Mac hits America on October 10th.

Frank Fritz of, "American Pickers," Fame Has Passed

Frank Fritz was a major part of, "American Pickers," for a number of seasons. He either left the show or was given the boot some years ago- it depends on who you ask. Still, he kept running his own business of selling antiques and treasures he would find or have people bring to him. Then, in 2022, Frank suffered a stroke due to a blood clot from an earlier motorcycle accident. Since then his health has suffered and as of September 30th, Frank Fritz has passed. He and Mike Wolfe (the show's other OG) had feuded since Frtiz left the show, but by a number of accounts they had reconciled--which makes me happy to hear that at least they could repair their friendship before Fritz's death. I always love watching, "American Pickers," whether I'm viewing old classic episodes or new ones. Frank will be missed.

"Superman: Supercorp," Has Some Twisty Mysteries!

My friend, Brian, has been recommending various, "Superman," comics I should read over the months after taking offense (jokingly, he wasn't legit angry) at my saying that most Superman stories are boring. He was 100% right that the recent, "Warworld Saga," was a fantastic read when collected in a big paperback. Somewhat following after that is, "Superman: Supercorp," which collects the first five issues of the new, "Superman," series that launched out of the recent, "Dawn of DC," line. I read this collection written by Joshua Williamson with art by Jamal Campbell and really enjoyed it.

I missed on paperback between this and, "Warworld," Brian told me, which explains why at the start of this comic why Lex Luthor is now in jail and has assigned his whole corporation to, "Help," Superman. Luthor, obviously, has some ulterior motive, but for now appears interested in helping Superman continue to keep Metropolis safe while also hoping Supes helps fight off some of Luthor's old foes who have crawled out of the woodwork with him imprisoned.

Between an attack by the villain Parasite that takes an intriguing sci-fi and microscopic turn and a subplot about Luthor having once supposedly been a hero in Metropolis that another notable reporter took great pains to bury any news of, a lot of mysterious stuff is happening in, "Supercorp." There are some delightfully funny elements too, with Jimmy Olsen doing his thing where he always gets into various fiascos, in this case ending up dating one of Superman's villains (she's trying to be less evil though these days). I had a good time with, "Superman: Supercorp," and have already asked my friend Brian what collections I need to seek out in order to keep reading this fun story!

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Kelce Mix," Cereal: Worth Eating, but Not Amazing

I tried, "Kelce Mix," cereal and liked it even if I didn't love it. I saw it in stores and figured it was worth a shot because I like weird mixes of stuff and enjoy the Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason. Travis was a surprisingly solid host of SNL in the past (usually athletes--excluding Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning--suck as hosts) and Jason is quite fun too. The, "Kelce Mix," cereal is a blend of Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. It works, interestingly! 

The Reese's chocolate and peanut butter pieces are complimented by the cinnamon wonderfully and the Lucky Charm's cereal pieces help, "Cut," everything so it isn't too much chocolate-peanut-cinnamon at once. Then the Lucky Charms are just kind of there and honestly uncalled for in cereal, which is already this sweet. I love marshmallows though, so I'm not mad at their presence or anything, however. What is funny is another review that quite liked the cereal too actually wished there were more marshmallows--so the opposite of me. I would say this is worth giving a taste, but don't expect anything wild, it is just a mix of a bunch of cereals and a bit of a missed opportunity for a special-shaped Lucky Charm or such, that would've been cool. As it stands, this was good overall!

4 out of 5 Stars.

Ending September 2024 With a Lovely ToyMan Show

There was another ToyMan show yesterday, an event I always look forward to attending! I got there earlier in the day and spent some time browsing the countless fantastic wares and chatting with the awesome vendors as I always enjoy doing. There was a cool special guest today, Warren Proulx. He's an actor who has been involved in a number of, "Star Wars," roles and was eager to chat with fans of the franchise. It is awesome when ToyMan has guests, but you know I'm always there looking for deals--and boy did I find some great ones today!

The view from the upper level before it got too busy!

I started the show off by saying hello to my friend John Chaffee of Bigfoot Comics and looking at all the neat stuff he brought. I saw my friend Tim Metzger too and he was doing well. Tom from Alliance, Comics, Toys, and Games was busy at the show and Bruce Reynolds was there making sales too! Brian Lan was there and we talked about other Superman comics I need to read— he is an encyclopedia of knowledge about Superman! I spoke with Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, and I was impressed with a fun WALL-E toy he had. By putting in some batteries it can be controlled by a remote and I figured Clarkson and Gibson might find it fun. The price was good so I bought it and once I was home later in the day Gibson loved it as this picture illustrates:

Gibson and WALL-E

Rewinding back to my time at the show, I enjoyed going to the upstairs area when I saw author and my friend, Jessica Mathews. We chatted about how life had been and it was great to see her! I also saw my chum Lindsay Hornsby who was doing well and bought a fun card game from the always-lovely Debbie Manbe Kupfer themed for her book, "Adana the Earth Dragon." In addition, when I returned to the downstairs area I saw my friends Dustin and Tammy set up at their table. They had a bunch of shortboxes of comics for only $3 each so I scooped up some goodies, including a lower-grade (but still awesome) copy of, "Wolverine #8! Give it a look:

Thanks to Dustin and Tammy!

The ToyMan show today showed how you can always rely on the event to be jam-packed with everything from toys, to Funko, Legos, die-cast cars, video-games, DVDs, trading cards, old movie posters, and comic-books (in addition to more things I didn't think to name). I'm already excited for the next show on November 3rd, 2024. It'll be where it always is, the Machinist Hall at 12365 St. Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Missouri. 

Another ToyMan-associated show!

In the meantime, however, there is another show ToyMan is actually assisting with too! There is a ToyMan-associated show at the Moolah Shrine Center on Sunday, October 27th. That sounds like it will be really fun too so if you can, go to that then the next official ToyMan show a week later--you'll be busy but surely have a good time!

The, "ILLuminati," Kickstarter Has Some Superb Talent Involved!

I've talked about a number of Kickstarters this week, but I guess there have just been some really snazzy ones lately. That said, there is a new Kickstarter campaign for, "ILLuminati: A Thriller Where Hip-Hop & Comics Collide." It is an original comic being made in a partnership between the publisher AWA and radio personality/author/all-around cool guy Charlamagne Tha God. A number of fantastic talents are involved in bringing this comic to life, including Sanford Greene, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bryan Edward Hill, Denys Cowan, and more! The story focuses on, "When a rising hip-hop star dies under mysterious circumstances, her twin sister, a young woman with psychic abilities, journeys to the City of Angels for answers and becomes enmeshed in a dark conspiracy that snakes its way through the pillars of power, fame, and pop culture."

Charlamagne has talked plenty of times about his fondness for comic books so this isn't a case where a celebrity pretends to be involved in a book, he really worked hard with a team to create this 128-page original graphic novel and it looks really cool. I'd encourage folks to check out the campaign on Kickstarter whether they want to back at a lower level and get a digital copy, or go for the notable variant covers and other cool rewards! I've already backed it and I'm excited that's it already well past its goal!

Film Friday: Will the Discourse Around "Megalopolis," Overshadow the Zany Film Itself?

Francis Ford Coppola has created some of the most revered films of all time. I'm talking, "Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," and the like. He's 85 now and still making movies, with, "Megalopolis," getting lots of attention, but not for reasons relating to the movie itself--which is a weird alternate-history sci-fi epic kind of thing, from what I understand of the plot.

All the talk about, "Megalopolis," has focused on the massive budget Coppola sold some of his own winery to secure funds for, how the movie couldn't even find a distributor for a bit because it seemed so strange, and allegations about Coppola being inappropriate plus a trailer that made-up mean quotes about his previous movies to show critics don't, "Get it," when it comes to his work. In regards to that, reviews have ranged from loving the flick to thinking it is an utter disaster. Some folks think it is a bit of both. I mean, the movie is supposed to somehow have a live-action element where a person in the audience asks the character played by Adam Driver a question that he responds to within the movie. How that can work for viewers at home when this hits streaming is something I cannot fathom. 

All the discourse around, "Megalopolis" has overshadowed the question of whether it is worth seeing. It sounds like it isn't going to make much money at all but it could become a cult classic once all the hype dissipates and people look at it as a movie and not a weird media spectacle because it does sound intriguingly strange. I'd watch it if no other reason than there are some solid members of the cast including the aforementioned Adam Driver as well as Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, and more. I don't think it'll take too long for, "Megalopolis," to move from theatres to streaming if it bombs as hard as some have predicted. Time will tell what the overall critical and popular consensus ends up being once the metaphorical dust has settled.

Hoda Kotb to Leave the, “Today Show,” in 2025

Hoda Kotb is a skilled journalist. Whether she’s been covering serious, “Hard news,” or getting drunk on wine with Kathie Lee at 10AM, she can do it all. Seeing Hoda in recent years spending three to four hours or so a day on our television for most segments of the, “Today Show,” has been entertaining for us at home, but she’s ready to move on for a new gig.

Yes, Hoda Kotb is leaving, “Today,” but don’t panic as she will still be at NBC handling other news-type-stuff at a time of day where she’ll get to sleep in (one hopes) as I would think being up so early for, “Today,” must get old/exhausting. I mean, unless you are Al Roker who besides some surgeries (both planned or emergency) that required some months of rest at a time seems to be more machine than man. Seriously, Roker appears capable of broadcasting the weather to us at a moment’s notice no matter the time of day.

I always enjoy watching the, “Today Show,” and Hoda has been a major element of that enjoyment. I understand if she wants to pursue other opportunities, however, and imagine the three or so people it will take to replace her (she seriously does a ton) will do a great job as well when she shifts positions at NBC in the future.

"Doggyland," is Further Proof Snoop Dogg Loves to Try Anything

If you ask Snoop Dogg to try something out the odds seem to be good he will say, "Yes." He might co-host a cooking show with his friend Martha Stewart. He might hang out at the Olympics. Perhaps he will be the voice for a GPS program. He could release a cookbook (with a foreword by the aforementioned Stewart), open a cannabis coffee shop, narrate a show on Animal Planet, or run a youth football league for teenagers. He's also still making music when he's not busy being a Grandfather and some of that music is actually geared towards little kids via, "Doggyland."

"Doggyland," is a 3D show for younger kiddos designed to be educational. As the website explains, the creators are,  "Snoop Dogg, October London, and Claude Brooks--Executive Producer of Hip Hop Harry." The show itself, "...features a colorful cast of dogs in a vibrant world where they sing, rap and dance to fun and educational songs that teach learning and cognitive fundamentals for kids all around the world." "Doggyland," can be watched for free online and has a variety of toys/merch/party supplies that relate to the show. It is, in fact, quite fun and I appreciate the, "Affirmations," song as it focuses on the importance of believing in yourself and how you're constantly improving as a person. Give it a look:

Snoop Dogg, children's entertainment mogul in addition to everything else, I suppose! I appreciate the focus on loving oneself and others while having fun learning--all good things to instill in children. I guess the only thing limiting Snoop Dogg from trying something out is if somebody hasn't asked him to do something yet!

"One More Year," is an Intriguing Mix of the Supernatural and Slice-of-Life

Every year, in March, a woman named Ophelia has a strange man visit her farm with an offer from a mysterious boss. If she sells her soul she gets 5 million dollars. She always says no and, "One More Year," passes. Ophelia has been getting this offer for decades (for reasons the story slowly reveals) and has her own plans to deal with this mysterious force that sends the offer her way. In this story written by Simon Birks with art by Pietro, we witness an interesting blending of a quiet life on a farm mixed with this strangely supernatural gentleman with his clipboard full of notes about souls that have been sold. It gives the story a quirky little vibe that isn't spooky so much as showing how even selling your soul can be as mundane as filling out a questionnaire.

Throughout this 50-ish page original graphic novel the truth slowly unveils itself about why Ophelia keeps getting such a strange offer and how she intends to get what she truly wants from the unknown boss (whom one assumes is devilish in some manner). I quite enjoyed the little mystery at the heart of, "One More Year," and would encourage folks to back the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the book from publisher Blue Fox Comics. I quite enjoyed the story and think others will too!

5 out of 5 Stars.