Ever since the early days of television, there have been several anthology series dealing with the supernatural, the occult, terror, and things to scare the daylights out of audiences. There was Alfred Hitchcock, Twilight Zone, Night Stalker, Tales from the Crypt, and Tales from the Darkside. There were a few instances that big screen horror movies lent their names to anthology series (anyone remember “Freddy’s Nightmares” or “Friday the 13th: The Series“). This summer some writer’s of big screen horror movies have created a new anthology entitled “Fear Itself” (Thursday Nights on NBC…. 10pm Eastern Time).

The premiere episode, “The Sacrifice” dealt with four criminals (two of whom were brothers) who unwittingly become stranded in a nearly deserted fort. Nearly deserted except for a trio of seductive vixens who are the keepers of a dark, deadly secret,. The sirens entice their prey by feeding them (who knows what but whatever it is must have been appetizing), and then they become separated and the terror begins. One of the criminals, who is already injured, comes to a rather grisly end (at least grisly for a network television series). Another of the four bears an uncanny resemblance to Matt Damon who eventually becomes a member of the undead.

While the plot was pretty predictable, the episode did entertain and was creepy for (again) a network series and I plan to continue watching the rest of the 13 segments.

I recently discovered a website totally devoted to one of my favorite television series from my youth. The Bionic Woman was a dynamite spin-off from the successful Six Million Dollar Man. Lindsay Wagner starred as Jaime Sommers, a former tennis pro who after a nearly fatal skydiving accident was endowed with bionic limbs (two legs, right arm, and right ear) that not only allowed her to function normally but gave her great speed, the ability to lift enormous amounts of weight, leap great distances, and hear sounds from a five mile radius (don’t quote me on that). The character was introduced on a two-part episode of the Six Million Dollar Man as the childhood sweetheart of Steve Austin, the bionic man (played by Lee Majors). In her debut episode, Jaime was killed as a result of a brain clot precipitated by her body’s rejection of the bionics. However, fan response was so great that the character was revived and eventually given her own series.

Jamie (as well as her male counterpart) was an agent for the Office of Scientific Investigation (O.S.I.). She had the cover of a junior high school teacher. Each week, she was assigned to battle spies, international terrorists, or evil robots called Fembots. On occasion the bionic woman and bionic man would have crossover episodes. On a few occasions, the duo would come face to face with Sasquatch, the mythical Bigfoot. In the final season of The Bionic Woman, Jaime became the guardian of Maxmillian, the bionic dog.

Cheesy, definitely by today’s standards; however, I much prefer the adventures of the ORIGINAL bionic woman to the failed “updated” version from last season that lasted all of 5-6 episodes. The writers strike may have been the final nail in the coffin, but it seriously lacked the heart that both previous series had.

You can either relive or introduce yourself to classic episodes of The Bionic Woman at the Official Bionic Woman website. You just have to love the cool bionic sound effects. On a personal note, my family took a trip to California in 1978 and visited Universal Studios where many of the set pieces for the series were on display. My brothers and I were locked in a jail and bent the steel bars of the cell, escaped, and flipped over a van. Jaime Sommers… not a bad name for a very attractive character.

Friday June 13th sees the return of The Incredible Hulk to the big screen. While I do remember the television series that ran on CBS from 1978-1981, I found the original 2003 big screen adaptation to be lacking in some areas while being way too overblown in others. As a youngster, I fondly remember Dr. Banner becoming enraged and transforming into the green giant who was not always so jolly. He would smash buildings, overturn cars, hurl bad guys around like dolls.

As I grew older and saw reruns that pop up from time to time (this week a marathon of episodes is running on the SciFi Channel), I noticed from the first episode a somewhat Jekyll/Hyde saga. Following the death of his wife in a horrible automobile accident, Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby) began experimenting with gamma radiation in an attempt to unlock the hidden strength that lies within everyone. Dr. Banner accidentally is exposed to lethal amounts of radiation. In times of rage, Banner transforms into a 7′ behemoth who is capable of flipping cars, smashing holes in walls, uprooting trees, etc. As many would suspect, the monster is seriously misunderstood as he is more of a hero than an evil monster. After his tantrums are over, the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) changes back into the mild-mannered scientist who is endlessly seeking a cure for the transformation. Complicating matters is Mr. McGee, an investigative reporter who pursues Banner. The end of each episode features Dr. Banner either hitching a ride or hopping a bus to travel from city to city. So, I guess we can call it a Jekyll/Hyde meets the Fugitive.  Following the series cancellation, there were three reunion made-for-tv movies (The Return of, The Trial of, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk).

Now, the problem I had with the big screen movie was the fact that the producers wanted to do too much. Overblowing everything with the magic of CGI and forsaking anything resembling a plot. I remember the big promotion during Super Bowl XXXVIII and the first theatrical trailer showing The Hulk. If I remember correctly, reaction the next day was horrible and only could get better, right? WRONG!!!! I was never a huge fan of the comics…. indeed my main background with the character was from the series. I hated the look of the creature; it was abundantly clear that he was indeed an overblown computer generated image.

From what I gather from previews for The Incredible Hulk, the character battles a creation known as The Abomination who is every bit as big and powerful as the green one. I’m kind of torn on this one. Will it be as unmemorable as the original movie or will it redeem the series?
Incredible Hulk tickets on sale now!

The Incredible Hulk – The Television Series Ultimate Collection

There have been several versions of the Robin Hood tale. the classic story of the character who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, battled the Sheriff of Nottingham, and wooed Maid Marian. Some of these include the 1938 classic starring Errol Flynn; the 1970s Disney version; the 1991 Kevin Costner movie. Heck even Daffy Duck and Porky Pig starred as the outlaw and his Friar Tuck-esque companion. I think my favorite incarnation took place around the same time as the aforementioned film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Qpid” sees the evil (yet hilarious) omnipotent being known as Q transport Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his bridge crew to medieval England (as a “gift”) where the adventures of Robin Hood and his merry men are reality. Commander Riker, the android Data, Commander La Forge, the Klingon Worf (who delivers the best line in the episode), Dr. Crusher, and Counselor Troi all assume roles from the tale. The recurring character Vash (an on again/off again love interest for the captain) returns to play the role of Maid Marian. In order to return to the Enterprise, Picard and crew must live out the Robin Hood adventure by rescuing Marian and defeating the evil Sheriff.

My favorite character from the entire series is the villainous Q. Since the premiere episode, John de Lancie played the god-like being with flair, comedic timing, and gusto (very melodramatic). During the course of its run, Q would return at least once a season to mischievously annoy the crew. However, he did introduce Picard and crew to their most formidable opponents: The Borg. I wish the franchise would have used the character in one of the big-screen adventures.

On a tangent yet again (which I so frequently do), Patrick Stewart has another tie to the Robin Hood legacy. He portrayed King Richard in Mel Brooks’ epic: Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Star Trek Fan Collective – Q

Batman has undergone several transformations in the 70 years of his creation. One of the most debated is the television series that ran on ABC television from 1966-1968. It was an all-out camp version of the Dark Knight that at first delighted fans and was an instant smash, in fact it spawned a theatrical version that did not do well. Stars Adam West and Burt Ward were forever typecast in the roles of the dynamic duo.

The formula for the first season of Bat-episodes was the same throughout. One of Batman’s colorful adversaries would commit a heinous crime. Commissioner Gordon would use the red bat-phone to call the caped crusader for help. Bruce Wayne and his “youthful ward” Dick Grayson slid down the batpoles to the mysterious Batcave in the catacombs beneath Stately Wayne Manor to instantly change into the crimefighters. Then would race in the Batmobile to police headquarters and learn what problems had befallen the good citizens of Gotham City. Shortly thereafter, the heroes would follow the clues to the hideout of the villain of the week which usually led to a cartoonish Bat-fight full of “Biff”s, “Bam”s, and “Crash”s. Then, the villain would place the duo in a seemingly unescapable trap and leave. TO BE CONTINUED. In the conclusion, the heroes would escape the deadly trap with the aid of their utility belts, hunt down the evildoers, and stop their dastardly plot.

By the mid-point of the 2nd season, the formula was becoming weak, the creators of the comic book were becoming increasingly embarrassed by the campiness. Batgirl was introduced, but she did little to improve things (although Yvonne Craig did fit the costume very well, thank you very much) and the series was soon canceled.

The best thing about the series was the rogues gallery of supervillains who would attempt to bring chaos and destruction to the fair metropolis 😀 . The Riddler, The Joker, Catwoman, and The Penguin were the main adversaries carried over from the comic book adventures. During its heyday, several stars of the 60s wanted to cash in on the series popularity and new (often forgettable) villains were created. Dastardly nogoodnicks like Egghead (played with egg-cellent deliciousness by Vincent Price), King Tut, Shame, Bookworm, and Liberace (?) as Chandel are but a few of the one or two time villains of the week.

Then we had the ridiculous phrases uttered by the Boy Wonder… “Holy (…), Batman!” Some of the more ridiculous utterances:

Holy uncanny photographic mental processes

Holy one track batcomputer mind

Holy priceless collection of Etruscan snoods

Holy interplanetary yardstick

In total, the Boy Wonder made 356 of the goofball, but at times timely, observations.

Only the theatrical Batman movie has ever made it to DVD. However, if you follow one of these two links, you two can have hours of entertainment or at least a few laughs at the campiness that was Batman of the 1960s.

https://youtube.com/embed/user/MondayNitroIII

https://youtube.com/embed/user/FanOfBats

Your one stop shop for Batman, Superman, and more – WBShop.com!

Ok, I know this is just asking for trouble but something strangely intriguing was brought up in David Letterman’s Monday night  Small Town News segment.  I have heard some strange town names before but this one takes the cake: Intercourse, Pennsylvania.  The weekly publication “Intercourse News” has the subtitle “about families that do things together.” Strange and twisted I know but I just had to research it further.  What prompted this post is the fact that it has ties to two Hollywood movies.  The previously mentioned film Witness was filmed in the Pennsylvania Amish community.  Secondly, the Tim Allen/Kirstie Alley starring comedy For Richer Or Poorer (?) was set, but not filmed in the Amish community. And the reason I decided to watch Dave Monday night…. Shia LaBeouf who revealed absolutely nothing about his little movie opening on May 22nd and spent most of his time talking about his arrest in a Chicago Walgreens in November.

In my ongoing effort to catch up on old episodes of The Office, I watched a hilarious repeat from season 2 (two episodes air Tuesday nights on TBS at 9PM eastern time thank you DVR).  “The Client” featured a guest appearance by Tim Meadows of Saturday Night Live fame as a client who actually is receptive to Michael’s particular brand of customer interaction.   Also along for the  meeting at Chili’s was Jan Levinson-Gould (no Gould….HAHAHAHA).  “Awesome Blossom!”

While back at the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin, Pam discovers a screenplay that Michael had written in which he changed some of the names of the staff into characters in a spy movie.  Agent Michael Scarn, Dwigt (his sidekick), “Catherine Zeta Jones” also appeared in the screenplay (surely as a love interest for Agent Scarn).

A very hilarious episode.

Sorry but no “American Idol” post tonight. I grow continuously disenchanted with it the more I watch. Pure and simply, it is nothing more than a popularity contest with the teeny-bopper who happens to have the quickest finger choosing the winner.

Last night, one of the three shows I try to make it a point to watch every week had the obligatory “Special Edition.” “Deal or No Deal” featured a fantastic Star Wars themed game. The contestants who played were both huge fans of the series. The first was a woman who was a Vietnamese refugee whose youngest memories involved seeing Episode 4 in the movie theatre. Instead of the 26 delightful models who usually hold the cases, there were 26 Stormtroopers (yes they were members of the 501st Legion). As an added bonus, Carrie Fisher
(her royal highnessness herself) appeared to root the contestant on. Man, has she aged!

The second contestant was treated to an appearance by the eight-foot walking carpet, Chewbacca and everyone’s favorite astromech droid, R2-D2. Both contestants had to face the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader as the banker. The voice was no James Earl Jones but not a bad imitation.

I almost forgot to mention that in the second half of the show, the models appeared with their cases dressed in replicas of the slave girl outfit worn by Princess Leia in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in Return of the Jedi.

A very entertaining episode. I wonder why they did not procure the rights last year for the 30th anniversary of the original film.

I see by the old Firestats Count that Morat’s Blog has had 1000 unique visitors from countries foreign and domestic. However unique the 5 or so repeat commentators may be, I urge even the casual passer-by to not be afraid to comment if you have any profound bits of wisdom to add. Surely my profound knowledge of even the most minute of trivia peaks enough curiosity to leave a few letters…. and some of those letters may even form a word or two. Even Morat himself has asked me to send greetings to everyone living in Liswathistan. And there must be other fans of “The Office” out there who would like to share their views as well as on movies old and new. Especially with the summer blockbuster season approaching despite the early word on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I heard reports that fans are not to expect too much… WOOLY SHEEP to you all who review movies months before they open.). Plus, The Dark Knight sounds like it will be fabulous.

Yet another television series will be reimagined soon.  Apparently, an update of “Beverly Hills, 90210” is on the way.  According to sources, none of the original cast or characters will be included (unfortunately for them who seem to have disappeared into oblivion).   I think a better appraoch would be to cater to the  fans  of the original series who probably are in their late 20s-early 30s and  bring back the old and  see them dealing with adult hood.  If there actually were people who enjoyed the show of teenage-angst.  Personally, I never missed an episode…..HAHAHAHA.  Actually, I proudly confess that I never saw one and cannot name a single character but do remember an actor by the name of Puke Luke Perry.  However, the cast of the updated series will include Lori Loughlin from another late 80s classic “Full House.”  How about adding the actor from “Family Matters” who played Steve Urkel (what was his name?) or Malcolm-Jamal Warner.  Reimagining it as a comedy could not hurt it at all… right?