The Horror Of...Halloween Night, Community - "Epidemiology"

Halloween special episodes of TV shows have come and gone in waves over the years. And in this Binge Age it's strange to have any holiday themes when the show will likely come out at a different time in the year. But, once, Fall was a big time for TV entertainment. And some producers were determined to have their big October episode.

Not every special has been as memorable as one would like today, with our long pop culture memories. But some specials do stand out. Community, in it's run on NBC, liked to play with it's sitcom and TV world rules. The paintball episodes liked to push their world to breaking points. But Halloween was always interesting. In particular their second season Halloween episode is quite memorable to this day.

The show follows a collection of people looking for second chances in their lives, so find themselves at the small and unimpressive Greendale Community College. Jeff the conman/lawyer, is looking for the easy way out. Britta is a self-styled rebel out to help, but struggling with herself. Shirley is a single mom that dreams of opening her own business as to restore normalcy to her life. Annie is a smart kid that struggled with an addiction that derailed her parent's plans, but freed her to find her own way. Abed is a somewhat disconnected young man who likes to see the world through the lens of TV and movies. Troy lost out on a football scholarship when he got hurt senior year, but it's meant he's been able to reexamine his life and find his other passions. And, then, we have Pierce who is a rich older man who enjoys being among the young people and college life. He also likes to push and provoke people to justify his negative opinions, like too many people on Twitter.

So let's all head to class and crack the books on...

Epidemiology.

Creeping Up On Halloween With Count Floyd

Count Floyd is always up to try and bring some terror to your Halloween. It's not his fault he doesn't get to pick the films he shows.

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True this is a character sketch from SCTV, but Floyd always represented that classic horror host and Creature Feature show. Often the host was someone that worked other jobs at a station, and they ran with what movies they had on hand.

In his case Count Floyd is Floyd Robertson, one of the anchors of SCTV's news show. He's played by the always energetic and fun Joe Flaherty.

Floyd was trying to put on a show, and have fun as the "dark" count. But the producers of his show could never really get their hands on decent horror movies for him to amp up his show, instead usually getting a line of weird or boring movies. And the station crew were constantly walking on set and working while he was trying to play his character and engage the kids at home watching.

But Count Floyd keeps trying to keep and maintain the feel.

Let's see some of the count's most horrifying film choices.

Trailers In Short - Heroes Coming Back Edition

Back to the trailers!

And cue the triumphant hero music. For it is time to get back into the hero groove. And it's a time for that. The Empire of old needs some Rebellion. The Machines need to be Terminated. It's time for Max to get Mad again. And...Daredevil, Ant-Man, Fantastic Four, and the Rest.

Plus we should get into DC's Live Action Universe.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Suppose it's time to admit something horrible. I found the first teaser that was released for this movie to be a little meh. It was a series of shots that went by quickly with no sense of what anything meant. There were sights I knew, like updated Stormtroopers and X-Wings. And the Millennium Falcon did a quick pass. It was nice, particularly as the Williams music kicked in. But it was blur of "What?" I still didn't know what to expect.

And now we get this one. Let's be honest it is a rush of more images of things we don't really understand. But it's longer shots and more reveals of how this universe looks, is being filmed, and how the characters may actual connect to one another. And that makes me happy. I feel like I'm starting to figure out the movie.

April Foolin'

Here. Let me end your trust in
humanity.

As we look to April, we get our annual tradition of April Fools Day.

Here's a little history for those interested in origins and international traditions you may not know of.

Tradition and all. Still doesn't stop pranking annoying. Sure there is the occasional brilliant piece of work, a masterwork in social experimentation. But most of the time it is just a matter of confusing everyone. And when news media gets in the game...they help no one.




So John Oliver has a good idea. A No-Pranking Pledge.

"Hey. You're being a dick right now. Stop being a dick."

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas advertising.

Halloween has past, and we all know what that means. It's Christmas time, sorry American Thanksgiving. Sure, the stores were already playing Christmas music two weeks back.

But it's almost time for ads to focus on Christmas. And by focusing on Christmas I mean focusing on buying things we don't need. But I guess that's most ads. It's just now there's more red ribbons, snow, and excess sentimentality.


Cracked.com looked at some of the more ridiculous ads.

The 4 Most Insulting TV Ads You See Every Christmas -- powered by Cracked.com

Riffing for Halloween

More Halloween riffs?

As it is, Rifftrax is already doing a live riffing of Anaconda just before Halloween. But that's not all we're getting. Working with Mashable, the Rifftrax team has another bit of fun. Some Peanuts yucks.

A short piece from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

This is not including a number of other good choices from Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, and classic MST3K. Here are a couple of examples.

From MST, a short. Out of This World. It has a devil at working corrupting a man's...work ethic. Okay, it's not scary. But there are some costumes. ..And a lot of bread.

Also, the opening of Cinematic Titanic's live riff of Alien Factor. Aliens come to a small town, and death follows.

Cats need there Halloween fun.

At this season it's important to let everyone in on the festivities.

So don't saddle cats with lemons.

They need pumpkin!!!

Some Halloween Decompression

Sometimes the hurly burly of the Halloween season can be a bit much. You need to decompress. You need to find a happy place in the mind.

Submitted for your amusement, a Corgi vying against a tiny pumpkin.

The Horror Of...Halloween Night, Spooked (Web Series)

As I touched on earlier, Geek and Sundry has created a new series. Spooked.

They have currently made 4 episodes for the show.

It follows a team of Connor (the team lead, played by Julian Curtis), his little sister Piper (who can see and communicate with spirits, played by Shyloh Oostwald), Morgan (the team go to person on the occult, played by Ashley Johnson), Elliot (the overeager one, played by Derek Mio), and Lindsey (who is funding the team yet is a skeptic, played by Neil Grayston).

John Oliver and Civil Forfeiture

Last Week Tonight again touches on troubling processes in the United States. This time around, Civil Forfeiture.

Through it, police are supposed to be able to confiscate and use resources from criminals.

But that's not how it's actually used much of the time...

I think one police chief put it well.

Pennies from heaven?

They want to buy stuff...for vital police work, honest.

And to get the money the want, they just target people who are carrying money and aren't going to be able to push back. It's netted police forces more billions of dollars.

Police will actually quiz people about if they are carrying any large sums of cash. There's an eagerness to find a big jackpot. Ka Ching!

Then there's the houses taken, and the cars taken. It seems rather easy to snatch up property from people.

Tens of thousands of these people go on to face no charges. They are expected to just move along. But they aren't getting the cash back. But if they are lucky they may pay a fine to get back some property. Of course efforts to get back property mean facing an adversarial system.

How is this not troubling to more people? How are people not outraged to have laws like this on the book? How is this not called corruption?

As a final word. Tenny Mucho Mucho Dinero In Su Trucky-Trailer?

Creeping Up On Halloween With The Muppets

[I've updated a lost video, and now relabeled and named this to be part of the Creeping Up On Halloween posts.]

It's October, so we need plenty of horror. And what better for this than the Muppets. Always a good source for your Halloweening needs.


They can help you get the right foods ready.

The Swedish Chef vies with some pumpkins.



And then help monsters find friends.

A monster who wants friends...and to eat.

Thor meets MST3K, and it's Railing Kill-tastic

Came across this and it is too much of a joy not to share. Thor melded with the riffing from MST3K's viewing of Space Mutiny.



Thor truly is the Brick Hardmeat of his generation.

A Dog's Duty Is Never Done, And For Once Not A Pun.

This is a cute little video from KLM in Amsterdam. It's about their service for returning lost items to owners, via cute doggies. I don't know if this is mostly for humor and promotion, or if it's actually something they have working. But I do know it is too cute to not watch.

Always another lost doll to return to a little kid. But when the day is done they need a little nap and a light snack.

Rifftrax Live did Godzilla.

Last week, the people from Rifftrax did a live riffing of the 90's horror for movies, Godzilla. In Godzilla, two hours are spent squandering a lot of money and a lot of potential.

Rifftrax felt it was it's turn to give the movie some kicks. I noted the run up to the event earlier (and if you want some MST3K nostalgia, check it out.) This week they've done an encore viewing for people.

The show was a fun time. It started much like ever live show does, with an introduction by the trio of Mike, Bill, and Kevin. We also got a short ad for October's next live event. Anaconda. It was an amusing ad that used some effects to show clips of that movie like it's a bad 70's grind house film.

Unfortunately they haven't made that ad available yet.

But their other reveal is available. A new introduction song and animation for all future Rifftrax releases. The animation comes from Harry Partridge. The music comes from Jonathan Coulton.

It makes for a silly way to introduce the concept of Rifftrax, the trio of riffers, and the catalog of riffed movies.

Trailer In Short - Fresh Off The Boat, Selfie, and Galavant (and a little more)

Almost time for the Fall season to start...TV Shows still have seasons, right?

A lot of bad shows are coming. But might some of them, say from ABC, be any good? ...

...Just be sure to watch, Galavant, okay?

Rifftrax Live Does Godzilla *UPDATED*

Coming next week the people behind Rifftrax will be presenting a live riffing of Godzilla...the really bad 90's one. It will be a blast to see this underwhelming monster face it's fate. And it will be nice to see Godzilla take a pasting.

It's been a long time in coming.



If you'd like a reminder about that dreadful Godzilla movie, try Screen Jumkies' Honest Trailers.




And if you need a bit more. Look at Crow T. Robot's look at the movie.

___________
UPDATED:

And here's a bit more nostalgia, tied to the video just above. Mike and the Bots on the CBS News Weekend Morning Show way back when Godzilla was about to come out, and we didn't know how bad it was going to bomb. Still, MST meets CBS.

Cracked's Antiheroes - Maybe we don't need another hero *UPDATED*

Thunderdome reference? Nailed it.

Cracked.com has a new short series that they've started. Antiheroes. It tells the story of a group of people gain superpowers one strange night while out smoking. Per a Cracked tale, things don't go the way one might expect.

From Cracked.com:

Antiheroes: A New Superhero Series from Cracked Studios -- powered by Cracked.com

Here's the first episode:

Great Superpowers Are a Huge Pain in the Ass: Antiheroes 1 -- powered by Cracked.com

__________
UPDATED:

Thought I'd update this, as Antiheroes has concluded, if you want to jump to one of the later episodes...

• Episode 2 - Why Invisibility is the Worst Superpower.
• Episode 3 - Why You Shouldn't Get Drunk With Superpowers.
• Episode 4 - How the Government Would Actually Treat Superheroes.
• Episode 5 - Why Superhero Stories Don't Need a Villain.

Creeping on women is creepy. *UPDATE*

For some reason, there are guys that think commenting on women's physical attributes is pleasing to women...when it has nothing to do with what the women are doing/talking about. Then there are the guys that think they are accomplishing something valuable in "screaming" words like TITS in comment sections... Guys? You are just being dicks.

From Cracked.com:

10 Creepy Comments That Only Women Get On the Internet -- powered by Cracked.com

As has been long noted, this is something that happens to women. If it happens to a guy, it's a rare thing, and it isn't built into a hostile sexual cultural norm. Women are expected to just put up with it, or never come on the Internet ever again. That's the choice women are often given.

Fuck that.


And if you want to swim in the inane mindset that is pleased to be an ass to women, just go to the comments and see the guys that are indignant about the this video. And then the guys that think they are being such a wit by doing things described as offensive and hurtful.

Lesson: Just don't read comment sections. Thankfully, for me, I have nothing in my comment sections...Well, there is the occasional bot generated ad.

_________
UPDATE:

Here's an article looking at how women get treated in the game industry. And another article.

... 

Women in the industry are told by men what is valid for us to feel. The conversations tend not to recognize the reality of the situation, and the very real threats that can occur at gaming events or in our day-to-day lives. We’re told it doesn’t matter, to grow a thicker skin, and that men go through the same thing. 

I have yet to talk to a man who has had to call a police officer due to a stalker, only to be told nothing can be done until they are physically assaulted. It’s hard to explain what it’s like to be at a gaming event, cornered by someone who claims to be a fan, and to be physically kept from leaving by someone holding you in place or putting their body between you and the exit.

...

Far too many guys either are or choose to be blind to what women are being put through. They outright dismiss the abuse and the fear. No one deserves to be made to feel unsafe in our virtual communities. No one deserves to have their concerns so casually dismissed like this. We should expect better, not just tell people to suck it up and take the abuse.

Then there's the anger. The hostility from guys towards women that speak up. It's almost not surprising. Women just talking about the latest phone release, or app, will have abuse thrown at her. Why not when she dares to speak out as well? ...Sigh.

We all deserve better than this.

Meeting of Minds: John Oliver and Pepe Julian Onziema

John Oliver had a sober and sarcastic look at Uganda and it's anti-gay laws. In the US many of us have been interested in what has been called the Kill The Gays law. But, as we do, we got bored with all of that. And then most of us deleted most of our anger, opinions, and facts of the law from our heads. John Oliver nicely reintroduces us to the matters.

For instance, while Uganda had some social and legal issues with gay people, the last several years has seen a significant and hateful uptick. What started with uptight British colonials is now a matter of American Conservative intervention. The Religious Right has worked to motivate the local religious communities hate, and pushed them to make changes to the law.

And then we had those freaking politicians. Another topic you may have decided to forget about is C Street and The Family. People like Jeff Sharlet did solid work bringing out the truth of this group of politicians who were tied by their religious zeal and interest in making hateful law. They've screwed people over in this country, but always have time for other countries.

So preachers and politicians have worked to bring about their dream of a hateful and homogeneous society. Not to leave out the elements of Uganda society eager to embrace hate and fear.

If you've followed news and conversations in Uganda, you've seen the fear, hate, and ignorance spread about being gay. (Stephen Fry spent some time their and showed the outright ignorance of the anti-gay advocates in his Out There documentary.) They repeatedly claim all gay people are "converting straight people. And, on having sex...You have to doubt they even understand sex between males and females.

But for a mix of stuff that will make you laugh, scream, curse, and try to hope, have some John Oliver. Also, get to know the fascinating and brace Pepe Julian Onziema, an open LGBT advocate in Uganda. He's quite a remarkable man.


From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:



And in addition to the show, some more of their conversation presented online.

Meeting of Minds: John Oliver and Dr. Stephen Hawkings

As if usually the case, adding a scientist to anything makes something better.

Try some Stephen Hawking with your John Oliver. Extended version even.

From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: