And Now...a Word from THEIR Sponsor

Courtesy of my main man Sean Mc, check out this commercial starring Roy Clark, who is shilling for Pringles potato chips:

It's not just regular Pringles. By cracky, it's COUNTRY STYLE Pringles.

"Hey, Roy, can I have your autograph?"
"Sure! Have some Country Style Pringles!"
"Uh...no, that's OK. Just the autograph would be cool. Thanks."

Despite Roy's jaunty little jingle, I can't figure out what makes Country Style Pringles country style other than the "denim" can (which I do love, by the way). Are they fried in possum fat and beat with an ol' switch right after they're dumped out of the pan?

In an attempt to figure this out, I checked out a longer spot for the same product. This one ups the ante on country metaphors ("I'm hungrier than a moth on a nylon sweater!") but doesn't add a lot of detail beyond it's a NEW kind of Pringles. I'm not sure "a peck of hearty flavor" really explains it for me. But then again, I'm a city dweller, so maybe I just don't get it.

Oh, and the denim blue can. Can't forget the denim blue can.

ClassicFlix (home of TV Time) is back!

Public service announcement: ClassicFlix, which is now earning raves for its work as a label in addition to its retail bidness, has launched its new website, and the reviews and columns are now available for everyone again.

This includes TV Time, written each month by your ever-lovin' blue-eyed blogger boy. The most recent edition, Before They Were Legends, looks at early TV spots from the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Paul Newman.

Also accessible on the main page as I write this is my examination of classic TV doctors. Which one would I choose to be my personal doc?

Dig a little deeper in the archives, and you will find my look at wrestling-themed episodes, including Bonanza and Abbott and Costello.

And Scooby, Penelope Pitstop, and more go to the circus as I look at cartoons that go to the big top.

It isn't just shameless self-promotion, though, because there are all kinds of interesting pieces up right now, plus much more in the archives. Also, check out what is coming out on DVD and Blu-Ray from them while you check out TV Time. Tell 'em Cultureshark sent ya. Don't you dare miss it!

Brooks on Books: Bloom County: Episode XI A New Hope

Back in the 1980s, I loved the Bloom County newspaper comic strip by Berke Breathed. I like to think of myself as being a fairly attentive youth, but even if I hadn't known who the likes of Jeanne Kirkpatrick were, I would have found them out so I could understand the political references. Those strips are of their time, for sure, but they hold up better than, say, Outland or the Opus strip that Breathed did in later years.

Well, somehow, I forgot all about the Bloom County revival Breathed started on Facebook (well, maybe I ignored it because it was on Facebook) until I saw this collection at the local liberry. Much to my delight, this new incarnation FEELS like Bloom County. It makes some tweaks and adjustments to the characters and the setting, but it doesn't feel forced like earlier attempts to bring it all back did.

It's tempting to make a parallel between the current political climate and events of the 1980s, but I think it's more than that. Breathed alludes to being more comfortable revisiting this world now in his intro, and I think it shows. The result is a lively, funny, relevant collection that recaptures the spirit of the original strip but places it firmly in modern times.

Opus is front and center, but so is Binkley and his anxiety closet.  Steve Dallas is more or less the same, as is Bill the Cat. Milo and Oliver return along with Cutter John. It's not just  nostalgia that makes the book so enjoyable, though.  These comics are funny.

The one thing I dislike about this book is the oddly self-congratulatory tone of it. I am sure Breathed means well by touting his friendship with Harper Lee as one of the reasons he brought back the strip, but it feels kind of weird. Also, many pages feature comments from Facebook originally posted by Bloom County fans.  I think maybe a section in the back of the book would have sufficed, but seeing these with some of the actual comics gives an unfortunate "patting ourselves on the back vibe."

I do think Breathed deserves a pat on the back, though, and this collection really surprises me. I thought Bloom was a relic of the 1980s, if a fondly remembered one, and I hadn't been eager to see a revival. Yet it's here, and it belongs.

Streaming Video Power Rankings: Week #74

1) Hulu: Now that I eradicated several rare tropical diseases and eradicated crime in my surrounding environs, I am ready to move on to my next summer project: catching up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu.

2) Netflix:  Another week, another barrage of announcements. Netflix sure is good at making announcements and spending money. Perhaps even more important for this week, the new Chuck Lorre sitcom disjointed, the new adaptation of Death Note (I really don't know the story with it, but I know it's a big deal to a lot of people), The Good Place, and...yeah, it doesn't seem like a big week now that I look at it. Even the announcements--a Def Jam Comedy special, a Lady Gaga documentary--don't thrill me. Time to  put Hulu on top again.

3) Warner Archive Instant: Is anyone home there? The WAI Twitter feed has been active and entertaining lately, but the people who actually add stuff to the service seem to be on extended summer break. Fortunately, there is still all that Eight Is Enough, like the emotional marriage of Tom and Abbey I watched this week.

4) Tubi TV: As Tubi Tweeted out this week, it has the original Death Note for those interested in checking it out. Also, it added the classic Britcom The I.T. Crowd and a host of interesting films, such as the original Stagecoach, I Married a Witch, Quadrophenia, and Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (one of the best movie titles in all of cinematic history).

5) YouTube: When I get obsessed with a song I hear on TuneIn, I come here to listen to it 10 times in a row.

6) Pub-D-Hub: Strong update last week, including tons of old commercial blocks, episodes of As the World Turns and Howdy Doody, and more, plus I enjoyed an episode of I Led Three Lives.

7) Showtime: This network is getting lots of attention for the big fight Saturday and has been milking it with all kinds of commerc--uh, documentary programming devoted to it. It will have replay rights, too, and maybe it will use this platform to unveil something cool.

8) MLB.TV: The Pirates continue to sink, but I did get to see the awesome finish when Josh Harrison's walkoff HR ended a no-hitter by Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill.

9) Amazon Prime: I'm torn between thinking another The Tick, which premieres this weekend, is cool and thinking, "Haven't there already been like 10 different versions?"

10) Nosey: Gets credit for adding a bunch of episodes of Sally (Wow, I never, ever thought I would write that), but LOSES credit for none of them being "troubled teens" episodes (Now, that, I can see writing).

Half-Assed Gourmet: Fast Food Adventures

Let me present some observations based on recent excursions to various cheap eats joints, or fast food establishments, if you will.

*Burger King is always an odd experience--less crowded than any given McDonald's and somehow less vibrant and appealing no matter the location. It does have some advantages over the Golden Arches, though. I like its willingness to experiment with menu variety.

I tried the returning chicken parmesan sandwich on a recent visit, but my taste buds may have been affected my overall mood. See, I was grabbing lunch while waiting for repair work on my car. I'll say one thing about that situation: Spending hundreds of dollars on something else makes it easy to ignore how much more you pay for that BK menu variety.

In this case, the chicken parmesan sammich was hot and tasted fresh, but it was a little bland. You know what would have made it better? A little more "parmesan" to go with the "chicken" and "sandwich" portions of the entrée. A dollop of marinara sauce ain't enough. A king should be more generous to his faithful subjects...or even to the ones who just blog about him every now and then.

The best thing about BK right now is the newfangled drink machine that offers hundreds of choices and lets you mix stuff together if you want to be a weirdo about it. It's a particular pleasure for me to get not only multiple iced tea choices, but multiple low-calorie iced tea choices. There are also a host of other "diet" (I am not going to call them healthy) options, the likes of which most fast food chains don't bother to offer. I don't know if all BKs have switched to this, but I love it, and it's a big plus.

*I went to Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen for the first time in--well, the last time I went to one, I don't think it was called a "Louisiana Kitchen." The surf and turf combo of popcorn shrimp and chicken tenders was fried beyond belief, likely generic and loaded with sodium...and it was delicious.

Unfortunately, the front counter was disorganized and chaotic, and worst of all, this place exemplifies the odious trend of withholding essential supplies from the patrons and making them beg for them. I get 3 measly thin napkins for an entire greasy meal, and when I grab a table, I discover  there aren't napkins nor condiments anywhere.

No, I have to go back to the counter (did I mention it was disorganized) and ask for not only the "dipping sauces," but also ketchup. I can understand keeping the sauces away from the rubes, but A) not ketchup and B) I should have been offered them when I got my food.

*Chik-Fil A remains the gold standard. Yes, it could be cheaper, but it works both ways in some respects. I love that when I ask for no tomato on the spicy deluxe sammich, they deduct 10 cents or whatever. I recently discovered that you can exchange an unwanted kids meal toy for a dessert. Unfortunately, you can't get the sauces in the open dining area, but they always ask if you want any, and if you need something simple like ketchup, you CAN grab that yourself, and in those cool little Heinz peelable containers, too.

Besides, the employees are friendly and helpful. They actually act like they care if you have a good meal. They sometimes go around and offer you drink refills at your table. If it's all a façade, it's an effective one.

Most importantly, the food is always excellent. I think Chik-Fil-A could up its breakfast game and maybe offer some more salads, but, the basics are great here. I see only 3 reasons to avoid it: 1) You hold a grudge for the political stances the owners took years ago 2) You hate chicken 3) It's Sunday.

Brooks on Books: Comic Book Fever by George Khoury

Is it hyperbole to claim this is the greatest book ever published?

Perhaps it is overpraise, but this is a fun, fun book. It's another knockout package from the fine folks at TwoMorrows Publishing, a company dedicated to making  periodicals and books about pop culture, with an emphasis on comic books. In Comic Book Fever, George Khoury examines an era right in my wheelhouse. The subtitle is: "A Celebration of Comics 1976 to 1986."

This 239-page softcover celebration consists of  scores of short, punchy chapters focusing on different topics or individuals. A section might look at a specific comic title like Marvel Team-Up, an iconic creator like Neal Adams, or a memorable part of culture like the ubiquitous Hostess Fruit Pie ads. Khoury conducts interviews with connected individuals and tells the stories of all of these cool things that people like me loved so much growing up.

The writing is compelling if a bit breathless at times. Khoury comes at this with pure nostalgic love for just about everything in here, and he ends many chapters with declarations of how much better our lives were due to the presence of, say, DC's Dollar Comics line. You know what, though? He's not wrong.

It's all supplemented with typical eye-catching TwoMorrows design. Vintage comic pages, ads, original art, and photographs fill Comic Book Fever. The pages pop with color, and frequent sidebars flesh out the chapters and give the sense that the whole thing is packed and a good value.

I admit I questioned some of the space allocations. For example. Love and Rockets and Elfquest get a lot more pages than many of the one- and two-pagers that interested me more. However, Khoury has a great eye for interesting facets of comic culture. I loved reading about the origins of the Marvel series about the Human Fly or the Spalding ads. It's great to learn about Dynamite magazine, ICEE superhero cups, and so much more.

Ever wonder what the deal was with those ads for the original Heroes World stores with all that sweet merchandise? Or the "Sell GRIT" ads? I did, and Comic Book Fever explains all.

There is also some hardcore comic book history here, like the beginnings of The New Teen Titans, Neal Adams' efforts for creator rights, and even indies like Nexus. The variety of material covered is impressive. For example, you read about famous icons like Alan Moore and John Byrne (conspicuous by his absence since so many other living "Icons" apparently spoke with Khoury) but also important but less famous figures like Jose Garcia-Lopez.

In short, Comic Book Fever does justice to the awesome era it explores, and if you grew up loving any of this stuff, you will love this book. I give it my strongest recommendation.

(NOTE: This post was edited slightly after the comment below by the author, who graciously noted that Alan Moore did indeed participate in an interview for the book)