The Chronic Rift Network: Finding the Culture in Pop Culture!

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STAR TREK is back, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is still flouting the rules, director J.J. Abrams is still dividing the fan base, but amazingly, inconceivably, there's no dissent within the Cinefantastique Online ranks this time: Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons all agree that STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is supreme, quintessential TREK adventure. Telling the tale of the Enterprise's encounter with a diabolical mastermind (Benedict Cumberbatch), the film at once delivers the big-scale action (even better in IMAX 3D) that audiences have come to expect from a major studio tent pole release while honoring the ideals that made creator Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future so compelling.

Come join Steve, Larry, and Dan as they delve deep into this top-notch entry to the TREK franchise, exploring what makes it both a superior entertainment and a worthy elaboration of Roddenberry's humanistic vision. Plus: What's coming to theaters next week.

Comment on the episode here or write podcast@cinefantastique.com or call 888-866-9010. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Join Anthony Racano and the boys of The Cardboard Jungle as they broadcast their first live episode over You Tube.  If you're a gamer, make sure you get in on this episode.  It starts at 10pm EST and it ends when Anthony stops talking.  Follow the link to subscribe to the channel on You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/CardboardJungle

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Seduction of the Innocent is a work by Frederic Wertham that had far reaching effects for the comics industry besides the Comics Code.  The Soho Digital Art Gallery recently held a series of roundtable discussions on various aspects of the industry and one of them centered around Wertham and his work.  A panel of experts in the field gathered and this recording is the result.  Special thanks to John J. Ordover, owner of the Soho Digital Art Gallery for giving us access to this recording.  The panelists include:

• Danny Fingeroth - an American comic book writer and editor, better known for a long stint as group editor of the Spider-Man books at Marvel Comics.
• Denny O'Neill - an American comic book writer and editor, principally forMarvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement.
• David Hajdu - an American columnist, author and professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is the music critic for The New Republic.
• Craig Yoe - an author, editor, art director, graphic designer, cartoonist and comics historian, best known for his Yoe! Studio creations and his line of Yoe! Books
• Dr. Sharon Packer - certified by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology. She is well known in the field for her prolific writing and her passion for her work and her ability to blend art and science. She has a special interest in creativity and culture.
• Carol L. Tilley - Assistant Professor
  Graduate School of Library and Information Science
  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Comment on the episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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As MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000′S TV’s Frank, comedian and writer Frank Conniff became possibly the most cuddly mad scientist in history. From his debut television appearance that started with the show’s second season — for which he scripted and also pre-screened the “cheesy movies” that would torture host Joel Hodgson and crew — Conniff went on to gigs both behind and in front of the cameras for such diverse genre shows as SABRINA THE TEEN-AGE WITCH and INVADER ZIM.

I am, admittedly, an unabashed MSTie, and so when I got the greenlight to go ahead with CFQi, Frank was the first person I contacted and subsequently the first to be interviewed. The talk is wide-ranging, including an in-depth glimpse into to the work on MST3K and other shows, plus discussion of the aborted Joel Hodgson feature project STATICAL PLANETS and Frank’s creation of the satiric, audio musical, THE WONDERFUL PUNDITS OF OZ.

Comment on the episode here or write podcast@cinefantastique.com or call 888-866-9010. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Michael Falkner returns after a brief hiatus with all new news on movie and DVD releases.  Iron Man 3 is currently on top, but the latest Star Trek movie opens this weekend.  Can it knock the Golden Avenger from the top of the box office?

Check out the full show notes here and comment on the episode or write weeklypodioplex@gmail.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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There's a cover now to Keith's collection of short stories that will appear in his upcoming anthology, Tales from Dragon Precinct.  To celebrate he presents a story from the collection, a Dru and Hawk tale, "Blood in the Water."  Take a moment to comment on the episode here or by writing krad@whysper.net or by calling 888-866-9010.

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Steve returns to his hometown of Ojai, California in order to settle down.  He purchases a ranch that he loved as a kid and is reunited with his parents who help him with setting up house.  He learns that his high school love, Jaime Sommers, fifth ranked tennis pro, is visiting Ojai as well.  The two rekindle their friendship and romance.  Things are looking good until Jaime is horribly maimed in a skydiving accident.  Steve convinces Oscar to rebuild her using the same cybernetic technology that saved his life.  It all looks great for the world's first bionic woman, except that the shadow of Joseph Wrona, the Onassis of Crime, looms over them and their pending nuptuals.  Joining John and Paul to discuss this episode are James Sherrard of Bionic Woman Files and Betsy Dodd of The Bionic Blonde. Special thanks to Robin Spanell for the audio recording of the promo used at the start of this episode.  Check out Robin's music at Shatner's Hairpiece.

Comment on the episode here or write abionicpodcast@gmail.com or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Bionic Wiki entry

Bionic Blonde entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry

(coming soon)

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James Sherrard is a first generation fan of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. A collector of all things Bionic as a child, his interest in the shows was reignited when the first Bionic reunion movie was produced in 1987.The following year he met stars Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson for the first time through Lindsay Wagner’s Official Fan Club. In 1998, James reworked the Bionic Woman episode guide booklet that he had produced for the club into The Bionic Woman Files website…the longest running Bionic Woman site on the web! Over the years, James has contributed his Bionic knowledge to various books, articles, websites, and television productions. He has also amassed an amazing collection of Bionic memorabilia, from common toys to one-of-a-kind production items. Most recently, James has contributed to the 2010 DVD releases of The Bionic Woman Season One and The Six Million Dollar Man: The Complete Collection. James resides in New York where he is employed by a non-profit organization.

From Betsy Dodd's page: 

Growing up in a one-TV household, I had 3 brothers who surrounded me in age—who often teased me for being a “sissy”—and who usually controlled the voting majority for which channel to watch. Back in the 70s, our whirling TV dial was pretty much destroyed because we fought over it so often. One night while the substitute pliers were pointed to their choice of The Six Million Dollar Man(again), suddenly there was OMG ...cue angelic chorus... Jaime Sommers, the world’s first Bionic Woman. Yes!!! Score one for us sissies! I was totally hooked. And the love story between Jaime and Steve was the best. Ever. But then they killed her the following week.

Why did I idolize Jaime Sommers so much? Just as the final season was being released on DVD in the fall of 2011, I stumbled onto some internet bionic fan forums and started posting these offbeat episode reviews. I’m not sure, but when some members encouraged me to go start my own blog, I think it may have been the equivalent of being politely shunned by the Bionic Amish community— puritans of the franchise. (Really, I’m kidding. They’re all fun people and super nice. And they even let me use electricity to sign onto the internet.) Once about ten years ago, I belonged to an online fan “cult” that was framed in a similar style of farcical humor about The X-Files, so to me, this is all a completely normal approach to a television drama.

These days, I am a freelance copywriter, graphic designer and video editor living in Tennessee. No, I am not a blonde, but I am threatening to become one soon if these little gray hairs don’t stop surfacing. I must confess I also did not actually keep a diary in the 70s, but wish now that I had, so I could remember the real reason why I missed so many episodes of my favorite 70s show. For now, I’m blaming my brothers. For everything.

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Dan Persons says:

Let no one say that French director Alice Winocour isn't audacious. She chooses not only to make her debut film -- which she also scripted -- a period piece, but to use it as a conduit for some trenchant observations on class, sexuality, and gender. Based on true events, AUGUSTINE tells the tale of the titular kitchen servant -- played by singer Soko -- who is brought to an asylum after suffering a strange seizure that leaves her paralyzed on one side. Placed in the care of Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot (Vincent Lindon) -- whom Sigmund Freud would eventually cite as a major influence -- the young Augustine becomes the 19th century equivalent of a media sensation, her near-orgasmic fits under hypnosis staged for the edification (and entertainment) of French society.

I got to sit down with Winocour to discuss this richly realized and slyly subversive debut. We explore the complex process of recreating a time when a predominantly male medical establishment still regarded female "hysteria" with a mix of fascination and fear, and examine how she sculpted this true story into an enthralling allegory for both the class struggle and male/female politics. Click on the player to hear the show.

Comment on the episode here or write dan@mightymoviepodcast.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

Official Website

Click on the player to hear Dan's interview.

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The boys discuss game exclusives and their place in the hobby...their opinions are available to everyone.

Comment on the episode here, write thecardboardjungle@gmail.com or by call (858) 236-9102.

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Case Files will be a series of interviews with the actors, writers, producers, directors and stunt people who made our two bionic shows possible in the 70s.  First up is an interview with actor/writer James McMullan (SMDM: "The Thunderbird Connection" and BW: "Kill Oscar 3" & "The Martians Are Coming, The Martians Are Coming")

Comment on the episode here or write abionicpodcast@gmail.com or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Growing up in Long Beach, Long Island, NY during the 1950's was a magical time for Jim McMullan. His fondest memories revolved around his friends, sports and making things. He was always creating something, inventing something, building something. That explains why he went off to college to learn more about art, design and architecture. He studied Industrial Design at New York University and Parsons School of Design for a year before enrolling in Kansas University's School of Architecture. For five years he involved himself in the arts: design, sculpture, art history and even theatre. After a girlfriend coaxed him into playing the lead in a college production of "Desire Under The Elms" by Eugene O'Neill, he spent much of his free time learning the craft of acting.

Jim has been a respected and highly recognizable actor for the past 40 years and has appeared in hundreds of TV series, movies and commercials. His many feature film credits include "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (1981) and "Extreme Close-Up" (1973). He has guest-starred in over 150 TV shows including "MacGyver" (1985), "Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989), "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974), "The F.B.I." (1965), "The Rockford Files" (1974), "Hart to Hart" (1979), "The A-Team" (1983), "9 to 5" (1986), "Stowaway to the Moon" (1975) (TV), "Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas" (1977) (TV), "Centennial" (1978) and "The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story" (1988) (TV).

Official Website - http://jimmcmullan.com/

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In the future -- and by "future," we mean 2001 -- the Chinese prison system will be stupid. Also violent, sadistic, and quite, quite unsanitary -- what with there not being a wall, fixture or floor that isn't thoroughly coated with the viscera of its unfortunate inhabitants -- but mostly really, really dumb. That's the big take-away from RIKI-OH: THE STORY OF RICKY, an ultra-violent Hong Kong martial arts film that doesn't so much tell a story as throw buckets of gore around and hope that viewers will, Rorschach-like, synthesize meaning from the incoherent mess.

Multimediumrare.com's Orenthal Hawkins joins Temple of Bad's Andrea Lipinski, Kevin Lauderdale, and Dan Persons to celebrate ToB's first anniversary, curse Dan's name for being the one to pick this episode's feature, and engage in possibly the liveliest exploration of a bad movie since the Temple opened its doors with a discussion of BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR.

Comment on the episode here or write dan@mightymoviepodcast.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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We're back with a new episode as we play a little catch-up here.  In this episode, John features an entire run of a Superman story, one he started before the hiatus.  Hear how Superman deals with "Hans Holbin's Doll Factory" from June 1940. Please comment on this episode in the forums or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.

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It's a jammed packed episode featuring a dramatic reading of Terry Bisson's They're Made Out of Meat by Keith and Hour of the Wolf's Jim Freund, Jim Frenkel with a new Book Notes segment, and interviews with artist Tom Kidd and Lost in Space Forever's Joel Eisner.

Please take a moment by commenting on the episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com, or by calling 888-866-9010.