Category: Entertainment

Earlier this year, I was shopping for a card on Lovepop and stumbled across an Advent calendar in their sales section. If you’re not familiar with the website, they specialize in super cool pop-up greeting cards, including some Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel ones, among others. (Oh, I probably shouldn’t have looked at that page, now I want some cards.)

Half a year early, I purchased the Pancake the Penguin’s Christmas Adventure pop-up Advent calendar. The real miracle is that I remembered about it in late November and knew where it was, setting it on the dining room table on December 1st. Every day, I assemble some of the previous items, read the story snippet and open the day’s pouch, revealing another piece for the story.

Pictured above is the calendar box in the upper left; Pancake in the upper right; Pancake (wearing a cute little backpack to carry her golden key) and her adopted sister, Pep, in the bottom left, where they have discovered some Christmas trees; and Pancake and Pep traveling from the ice cream forest to the “icey forest” (that’s how it’s spelled on their map).

Wait… why do I re-assemble the pieces every day instead of just leaving the display? On day 1, I revealed Pancake the Penguin, the star of this adventure. On day 2, with only Pancake and her home on the table, Zuko jumped up and stole Pancake. After a quick chase in the kitchen, I determined it would be safer to keep the pop-ups in a container.

As we wrap up this year’s calendar, I’ve noticed that Lovepop has some other Advent calendars. I’ll keep those in mind for next year. And determine what catproofing is needed.

Have a great Christmas!

More than a year after it was originally scheduled, the Paramount Theatre in Aurora has restarted their Broadway Series with Kinky Boots, an amusing musical about a floundering shoe company whose new owner decides to produce a line of high-heeled boots for drag queens. In a typical Broadway style, the story is both funny and moving, with lessons about accepting yourself and people around you.

But hey, isn’t there still a pandemic going on? Why yes, there is. The Paramount Theatre implemented a strict COVID policy, requiring proof of full vaccination and photo ID for people who are eligible for the vaccine, a negative COVID test for people unable (or ineligible, for children under 12) to get the vaccine, and masks for everybody in attendance. (Noting that this particular show is recommended for ages 12 and up due to sexual content and adult language.)

It makes for a different sort of look at the theatre. I’m sure some people color coordinate their masks and attire. Clearly, I’m not one of them. The only people I saw unmasked inside were the cast, the occasional group taking a quick photo with the backdrop, and people quickly sipping drinks and replacing their masks.

I was delighted to return to a live show, and particularly this one, which garnered a standing ovation during the final song. I’m look forward to the other shows this season, hoping that as more people get vaccinated and this pandemic fades into memory, the performers will be able to see the smiling faces in the audience once again.

Smaller conventions are typically run by non-profit organizations, and as such, are a labor of love put on by volunteers. I spent last weekend at Capricon, an awesome winter convention in Chicagoland.

You won’t see a lot of big name media guests and lines for signatures at this type of convention.  Instead, you’ll have a handful of guests – authors, artists, musicians, and others – who enjoy interacting with other geeks.  Take a look at WindyCon’s website for an example of guests coming to Chicagoland this fall.

Conventions don’t magically happen.  They’re the result of extensive planning, typically starting more than a year before the event.  If this year’s convention can announce the dates and location for next year, that means there’s a contract for the location and somebody has already been working on next year, all while preparing this year’s convention.  And that’s just the beginning.

There’s a schedule, generally provided in the program book and a portable version called a pocket program.  The schedule encompasses the various departments within the convention – areas that have to be staffed with department heads and more, along with volunteers to help during the convention.  Most small conventions have a con suite, which offers food to attendees.  That means shopping for food and drinks ahead of time, and having people available throughout the hours that con suite is open, including people who can handle food.  (I don’t know what is needed for that, I just know there’s something special.)  

There are typically panels – multiple rooms running various topics concurrently – and gaming.  Somebody comes up with panel topics and finds people who are willing to discuss those with whoever shows up.  If there’s a game schedule, that’s another set of volunteers that somebody needs to coordinate.  Even if there’s no game schedule, there’s a games library and a checkout process.  Plus registration, operations, security, art show and auction… a lot of people are needed to make these conventions happen. 

And then there are the parties, typically run by groups of fans or other conventions… maybe I’ll talk about those next week. 

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the big screen in Dolittle as an eccentric rich man who takes a young orphan under his wing while demonstrating a tendency towards creating wacky gadgets and talking with animals.  I know, it sounds quite similar to his role as Iron Man, but in Dolittle, the British kid gets to keep his own accent.  And there are multiple animals, instead of just a talking raccoon.  To be fair, Tom Holland may have kept his real accent too… he voices a dog.  (The less that is said of Downey’s variable accent, the better.)

We had seen the previews for Dolittle repeatedly and thought it would be an entertaining pair of hours.  It’s not high quality literature or cinema, it doesn’t even address the personal and social issues that Eddie Murphy delved into as Doctor Dolittle in his incarnation of the role.  The over-arching plot is that Dolittle and sidekicks must search for a miracle cure for the Queen on an undiscovered island, using only notes that Dolittle’s late wife left behind… after they retrieve those notes.

Most of the animals have ongoing issues that Dolittle is supposed to be solving, including a gorilla who’s so frightened of confrontation, he is hesitant to play chess; an injured squirrel who amuses viewers with his occasional commentary; and an emotionally stunted tiger living in the shadow of his brother, who as everybody knows, eats poachers.  The silliness is increased by an over-the-top villain who is clearly envious of Dolittle’s rapport with animals and is desperately trying to outdo him on anything.

This movie’s good for a few laughs.  If you happen to see it at a theater that sells alcohol (and you’re of an appropriate age), the alcohol will probably help.  Especially when Dolittle helps the dragon.