GHOSTWOOD 047: "Demons" is Up!

"What does BOB want?"
"He is BOB, eager for fun.  He wears a smile...Everybody run."
-- Dale Cooper and MIKE, Twin Peaks: "Demons"

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we continue our commentary tracks as we watch "Demons," the sixth episode from Twin Peaks Season Two, featuring Leo Johnson's homecoming party, the on-screen debut of David Lynch as Gordon Cole, and Cooper's conversation with MIKE!

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like our third attempt to record this episode, Ghostwood Mad Lib audio, the Veil's Total Depravity album, Jeff Goldblum's new jazz album, Carrie Fisher rattling off a long piece of Star Wars dialogue, paying tribute to the late Penny Marshall, Super Dave Osborne & "Mean" Gene Okerlund, the history behind the name "Fumio Yamaguchi", more of the movie Sunset Boulevard, Ian Abercrombie, Harold's orchids as a sexual metaphor, Donna using Harold's agoraphobia to her advantage, the Bookhouse being dimensionally transcendental, Audrey looking great even strung out on heroin, Harry's book of mug shots without names, Ben as the Second Worst Father of the Year, Twin Peaks' fascination with plaid, Harry needing to charge Donna with obstruction of justice, David Lynch's mini-pompadour, Nadine pouncing on Ed, Josie's arrangements never working out, BOB vs. Jason Vorhees, Maddy saying goodbye to James, Ben and Josie's blackmail foreplay, Leo's homecoming party, Gordon wanting to have a private conversation with Cooper, more of Harry constantly eating, actually playing Windom Earle's chess game with Cooper in real life, another round of "BOB or Leland", Mr. Tojamura being both racist and stereotypical, Ray Wise knowing how to work a crowd, Return of the Pink Panther, MIKE being very theatrical, my leaving the "Through the darkness of future past" speech on a college blackboard for people to find, transitioning from the Laura Palmer mystery to the Windom Earle storyline, James' storyline that nobody cared about, the Aquaman movie being more for my wife Lori, Danny the Street coming to the Doom Patrol TV show, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE

YouTube -- RIGHT HERE

Ghostwood's Facebook page

Ghostwood's Twitter account

Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I continue our commentary tracks as we watch "Lonely Souls," the seventh episode from Twin Peaks Season Two, featuring the arrest of Ben Horne, Julee Cruise singing at the Roadhouse, and the long-awaited revelation of Laura Palmer's murderer!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 129: "Resolution" is Up!

"So that's what you've been doing.  Reconstructing yourself from memory and remnants... and spare parts?"
"I am rebuilt!"
"What do you call this look?  Junkyard chic?"

With Karen once again lost in time and space, my partner in time Jesse Jackson joins me once again for a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  This time, we review "Resolution", the Doctor Who 2019 New Year’s Day special, featuring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Daniel Adegboyega as Aaron Sinclair, Charlotte Ritchie as Lin, and Nikesh Patel as Mitch!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like our failed attempts to record "A Christmas Carol", getting one last Christmas present, the latest update on Karen, one Dalek being more of a threat than a thousand of them at once, Jesse being called "Mr. Chris", my recommendation of the Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novel Good Omens, people being offended by a Brexit gag, the Thirteenth Doctor's first encounter with the Daleks, the Mother Boxes from the Justice League movie, a Kaled mutant being able to pilot humans, the Doctor being assertive, reminding people of good reasons to travel with the Doctor, Lin and Mitch as potential companions, the debut of Ryan's dad Aaron Sinclair, Chekov's Microwave, some fans expecting Doctor Who to be written just for them, our favorite quotes of the episode, a quick Reverse the Polarity segment, some feedback from Holly from Wisconsin, David K. Proctor, and Paul from Australia, Jesse needing to scale back as co-host, my open call for some fill-in co-hosts, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Google Play Music -- RIGHT HERE

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Stitcher -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in three weeks as Jesse, Karen and I help fill the void of not having new Doctor Who with "Genesis of the Daleks", the fourth serial from Season 12, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan, and the first appearance of Davros!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

STARGIRL Casts Luke Wilson as Stripe

Stargirl just got herself a sidekick.

Deadline has word that the upcoming DC Universe series Stargirl, based on the DC Comics superhero, has cast Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan, better known to DC fans as the robotic superhero S.T.R.I.P.E.  Wilson joins Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl, Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rex Tyler/Hourman, Brian Stapf as Ted Grant/Wildcat, Henry Thomas as Charles McNider/Dr Mid-Nite, and Anjelika Washington in an undisclosed role.

According to the article, Stripe is described as "Pat Dugan once went by the less-than-inspired superhero name of Stripesy, sidekick to a young hero known as the Star-Spangled-Kid and later Starman of the legendary Justice Society of America.  Today, Pat has left his sidekick life behind him.  But when his new stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, discovers Pat’s secret past and takes on Starman’s legacy to become Stargirl, Pat is forced to come out of retirement and once again become a sidekick — to his stepdaughter — this time piloting a 15-foot robot called Stripe."

Showrunner Geoff Johns, who created Stargirl, remarked on the casting, "When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and saw Bottle Rocket, I became a huge fan and admirer of Luke’s.  And I literally wrote this part for Luke, hoping that someday and somehow he’d play Pat Dugan.  I only envisioned him, and now I feel like I won the lottery!  Luke’s talent, humor, compassion — his presence and professionalism — and his creative collaboration, his ideas — we’re so lucky to have him alongside Brec in Stargirl."

Wilson, 47, has appeared in the films Idiocracy, Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, 3:10 to Yuma (2007), My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Charlie's Angels (2000), Rushmore, Blades of Glory, The Skeleton Twins, and Scream 2.  His television appearances include episodes of The X-Files, That '70s Show, Entourage, Drunk History, Enlightened, and Roadies.

Created in 1941 by Jerry Siegel and Hal Sherman, Patrick "Pat" Dugan first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #40 as a young man who helped a young Sylvester Pemberton III against Nazi spies posing as protestors at a movie on July 4, 1941.  Pemberton and Dugan became the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, in order to battle Nazi spies and fifth columnists during World War II.  They devised a series of acrobatic maneuvers that allowed them to build upon one another's strengths -- the Kid's agility and Dugan's prowess.  They also built the Star Rocket Racer, a bubble-topped limousine with the functions of a rocket and helicopter.

The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy were members of the superhero team known as the Seven Soldiers of Victory as well as the All-Star Squadron.  After battling the Nebula Man, the Seven Soldiers were lost in time in 1950 and rescued decades later by the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America.  Batman, Hourman and Starman retrieved Stripesy from being trapped in ancient Egypt.

Upon his return, Dugan married a woman named Maggie, who left him to raise their son Michael on her own.  In addition, Sylvester Pemberton's black sheep relative Arthur had stolen Dugan's patents during their disappearance.  Upon hearing about this, Sylvester returned the patents to Pat, and the two reconciled.  Dugan later assisted Pemberton after he became involved with Infinity, Inc., until Pemberton's death at the hands of Solomon Grundy, who used the deadly touch of Mr. Bones to murder the hero.

Dugan married for the second time and settled in Blue Valley.  His stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, became the second Star-Spangled Kid, partly in order to annoy him.  This led Dugan to develop a robotic suit of armor equipped with a range of ballistic weapons and utilities.  He assumed the identity of S.T.R.I.P.E. (Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer), in order to accompany Courtney and protect her during her adventures.

This will be the first time S.T.R.I.P.E. will appear in live-action, although the character did appear in several episodes of the animated series Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Phil LaMarr) and the animated film Justice League: Gods and Monsters (voiced by Dan Gilvezan).

Stargirl is currently expected to debut on DC Universe on August 9, 2019.

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. THE FATAL FIVE Animated Cast Announced

Get ready to face the future.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the upcoming animated DC Universe Original Movie Justice League vs. The Fatal Five has announced its voice cast, which features a mix of returning and new actors, along with the animated debut of Green Lantern Jessica Cruz.

According to the official synopsis for the movie, "Justice League vs. The Fatal Five finds the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance when the Justice League faces a powerful new threat — the Fatal Five!  Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman seek answers as the time-traveling trio of Mano, Persuader and Tharok terrorize Metropolis in search of budding Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz.  With her unwilling help, they aim to free remaining Fatal Five members Emerald Empress and Validus to carry out their sinister plan.  But the Justice League has also discovered an ally from another time in the peculiar Star Boy — brimming with volatile power, could he be the key to thwarting the Fatal Five?  An epic battle against ultimate evil awaits!"

The cast includes:

Elyes Gabel (Scorpion, Game of Thrones) as Thomas Kallor/Star Boy
Diane Guerrero (Doom Patrol) as Jessica Cruz/Green Lantern
George Newbern as Clark Kent/Superman
Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Susan Eisenberg as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
Peter Jessop (Mass Effect) as Tharok
Matthew Yang King (Batman Ninja) as The Persuader
Sumalee Montano (This Is Us) as Emerald Empress
Philip Anthony Rodriguez (Grimm) as Mano
Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bloodsport
Daniela Bobadilla as M'gann M'orrz/Miss Martian
Kevin Michael Richardson as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific
Noel Fisher as Querl Dox/Brainiac 5
Tara Strong as Imra Ardeen/Saturn Girl

Created in 1967 by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan, the Fatal Five first appeared in Adventure Comics (vol.1) #352 as a gang of supervillains assembled by the Legion of Super-Heroes to help them destroy the Sun-Eater threatening Earth.  They battled the Legion numerous times, in various incarnations, with Validus killing Lyle Norg, the Legionnaire known as the first Invisible Kid.

The Fatal Five has appeared in other animated projects, including the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far from Home" and the Legion of Super Heroes animated series.  In addition, the Persuader appeared in the Smallville episode "Legion", the only member of the group to appear in live-action.

Justice League vs. The Fatal Five is expected to arrive on direct-to-video sometime in Spring 2019.

TITANTALK 019: "Titans Season One Review" is Up!

"It's a Justice League thing."

-- Donna Troy, Titans: "Donna Troy"

Hello again, Titans fans!  My fellow TitanTalker Jesse Jackson and I are back with another new episode of TitanTalk: The Titans Podcast!  This time, we're joined by loyal TitanTalk listener DJ Nik to review Season One of the DC Universe series Titans, featuring the highs and lows of the show’s 11-episode first season, along with hopes and predictions for Titans Season Two!

TITANS TOGETHER!

In this episode, Jesse, Nik and I discuss things like thanking Nik for his great intro, Nik's background as a comics fan, Batman storylines "Batman: Year One" and "Knightfall", swearing on Titans, the debut of Hawk and Dove, crushing on Minka Kelly, Alan Ritchson as Aquaman, the frustration of never getting to see Bruce Wayne, the introduction of the Doom Patrol, Elasti-Woman becoming a more freakish character, Curran Walters as Jason Todd, Jason having elements of Tim Drake, whether or not Angela was evil all along, Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, Hank meeting Dawn, Geoff Johns' skill as a writer, Hawk being a victim of child abuse, Starfire finally getting her memory back, Seamus Dever as Trigon, the strange decision to end Season 1 on a "What If" episode, room for improvement in Season 2, waiting for Hawk, Dove & Jason Todd to join the main storyline, wondering when "The Judas Contract" storyline will begin, how Superboy and Krypto will factor into Season 2, how I would structure Titans Season 2, Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, seeing Donna Troy in costume, the possibility of getting Aqualad and Arsenal, and more!

If you'd like to check out episodes of TitanTalk, you can find us on...

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

TitanTalk's Facebook page

TitanTalk's Twitter account

Be sure to come back soon for Episode 020 as Jesse and I discuss the first few episodes of the DC Universe animated series Young Justice: Outsiders!  Look for more of TitanTalk: The Titans Podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

BATWOMAN Gets Pilot Order from The CW

One step closer to a Batwoman TV series.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that The CW is moving forward with a Batwoman series, based on the DC Comics character, and has given a pilot order.  David Nutter, who previously directed the pilots for The CW's The Flash and Arrow, will also helm the Batwoman pilot.

The proposed series, starring Ruby Rose as Batwoman/Kate Kane, is from showrunner and writer Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries) and executive producer Greg Berlanti.

The article's official description states, "Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city's criminal resurgence.  But don't call her a hero yet.  In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham's symbol of hope."

Rose debuted as Batwoman in "Elseworlds", the three-part CW Arrowverse crossover event that aired last month across The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl.  During the crossover, Batwoman was established on Earth-1, the same as Green Arrow and The Flash.  The character was introduced as Bruce Wayne's cousin, who protects Gotham in Wayne's absence after he mysteriously left three years earlier.  She also took charge of Wayne Enterprises, planning to redevelop it into a real-estate development firm.

In "Elseworlds, Part 2", she arranged for the bail of Oliver Queen, Barry Allen, and Kara Danvers after they were arrested by the Gotham City Police Department.  After the heroes confronted Doctor Destiny/John Deegan in Arkham Asylum, he arranged a mass breakout, which Kane helped stop as Batwoman.  Following the battle, Batwoman told the heroes to leave Gotham, after they got what they needed.  Supergirl revealed she knows who Batwoman is after using her X-ray vision, and mentioned Superman's relationship with her Earth's Batman.  At the end of "Elseworlds, Part 3", Batwoman called Oliver to tell him that a now-incarcerated Deegan had made "friends" with the Psycho-Pirate inside Arkham.

Your 2019 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2019.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these TV shows and films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

1 - Doctor Who: Resolution, The Gifted (TV)

3 - Gotham, Star Trek Short Treks: Escape Artist (TV)

4 - Young Justice: Outsiders (TV)

6 - The Simpsons (TV)
13 - True Detective (TV)

14 - The Passage (TV)
15 - The Flash (TV)
16 - Deadly Class, Riverdale (TV)

17 - Star Trek: Discovery (TV)

18 - Glass (Movie), The Punisher (TV)

20 - Supergirl (TV)

21 - Arrow, Black Lightning (TV)

23 - The Magicians (TV)

FEBRUARY

10 - The Walking Dead (TV)

14 - Alita: Battle Angel (Movie)

15 - Doom Patrol, The Umbrella Academy (TV)

17 - Last Week Tonight (TV)

MARCH

March 2019? - Krypton (TV)

8 - Captain Marvel (Movie)

10 - American Gods (TV)

APRIL

April 2019? - Game of Thrones, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Legion, Lost in Space (TV)

5 - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV), Shazam! (Movie)

12 - Hellboy (Movie)

26 - Avengers: Endgame (Movie)

MAY

10 - Swamp Thing (TV)

17 - John Wick 3: Parabellum (Movie)

31 - Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Movie)

JUNE

June 2019? - Preacher (TV)

7 - Dark Phoenix (Movie)

14 - Men in Black International (Movie)

21 - Toy Story 4

JULY

July 2019? - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Castle Rock, Wynonna Earp (TV)

4 - Stranger Things (TV)
5 - Spider-Man: Far from Home

26 - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Movie)

AUGUST

2 - The New Mutants (Movie)

9 - Stargirl (TV)

SEPTEMBER

September 2019? - The Simpsons (TV)

6 - IT Chapter Two (Movie)

OCTOBER

October 2019? - The Flash, The Gifted, Titans, The Walking Dead (TV)

4 - Joker (Movie)

11 - Harley Quinn (TV), Zombieland 2 (Movie)

NOVEMBER

November 2019? - Star Trek: Picard

1 - Untitled Terminator Film (Movie)

8 - Kingsman 3 (Movie)

DECEMBER

20 - Star Wars: Episode IX (Movie)

SOMETIME IN 2019 - The Boys, Good Omens, Jessica Jones, Mindhunter, Pennyworth, Watchmen (TV)