Last weekend I went to several different Kohl's looking for the exclusive 75th Anniversary Captain America Pop! None of them had any, but one said they thought they were coming in this week. He took my name and number and said he'd call me. I got the call on Tuesday! Yay!
On Saturday I went to Barnes & Noble's and bought three Mystery Minis. I got an Iron Man I already had and two new ones. Kane w/ Facehugger is a rare 1/72. Scarlet Witch is a common. Not too shabby. :)
Here's my Top 10 in my collection according to the Pop! Price Guide:
Here's a description of the cards from Topps.com --
See ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ drama like never before with Topps Star Wars Illustrated: The Empire Strikes Back. Each base card uses brand new artwork to re-tells the radio drama from unique and interesting vantage point. This set adds new background and expands on key scenes from the film. Insert cards include One Year Earlier, Movie Poster Reinterpretations, and The Mission: Capture Skywalker.
Hits Include:
Film Cel Relics from The Empire Strikes Back
Sketch Cards
Panorama Sketch Cards
Artist Autographs
Sketchagraphs
Printing Plates
I was buying packs of these cards a couple at a time from my local comic book shop (Kenmore Komics) for the past few months. I hadn't got any of the big hits until a couple of weeks ago when I bought the last three packs he had.
Sketch card of the Millennium Falcon in the asteroid field by Daniel Benitez and Arturo "JAR" Ramirez (not sure why it took two people to draw this).
Film Cel Relic #FR-2 Back at Echo Base. It's hard to see the film cel in my scan. It's real close to the picture of Han Solo I captured from an online video.
October 1st is the beginning of the Halloween season and The Countdown to Halloween. I plan on posting a bunch of random monster and Halloween stuff. I hope everyone can find at least a little something to keep them entertained during the month.
To start off, here's a list of the Movies@Main shown FREE at the Akron-Summit County Main Library every Thursday night in October. If you're in the Akron area, stop by and see a flick.
October 3 - IRON MAN 3
After the world believes he is dead, Tony Stark must use all his abilities to find and destroy a new enemy! Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. Rated PG-13. 135 min
October 10 - OBLIVION
Jack Harper is a drone repairman stationed on a deserted, nearly ruined 2077 Earth. When he rescues a stranger from a downed spacecraft, her arrival triggers a nonstop chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows! Starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo. Rated PG-13. 125 min
October 17 - ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
A fanatical scientist conducts genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of a shipwrecked sailor who finds himself trapped there. Based on the H. G. Wells’ novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. Starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. 70 min. Shown in association with Akron Film + Pixel. Introduction and discussion afterward.
October 24 - GHOSTBUSTERS
Who ya gonna call? Three wacky scientists become paranormal exterminators. An 80’s classic starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. Rated PG. 105 min
October 31 - THE GOONIES
A mysterious treasure map leads a group of kids on a spectacular adventure to find a long-lost fortune. An 80’s favorite starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Corey Feldman. Rated PG. 114 min.
Added attraction: A classic Little Rascals comedy short. 10 min
Monster Mash, Frankenstein and The Flintstones small records. He wanted $5 each for them. I said I was only interested in the monster records, so he threw in The Flintstones for free.
1976 King Kong mug and naked Mego Action Jackson for $3 each. Fisher Price Sesame Street Mr. Hooper for $1.
Four old Halloween decorations and two Red Barn Restaurant paper masks for $5. Four Halloween cookie cutters for $2.
Dynamite magazine for $2 and 18 unopened packs of Battlestar Galactica cards for $10.
And I also bought a bunch of fruits and vegetables. But I didn't take pictures of them.
The Halloween and monster stuff will be showcased during the October Countdown to Halloween.
I hope everyone in the USA is enjoying there holiday!
Film and television actor Ernest Borgnine, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a lovelorn butcher in 1955's "Marty," has died at age 95, his manager said Sunday.
The thick-set, gap-toothed Borgnine built a reputation for playing heavies in early films like "From Here to Eternity" and "Bad Day at Black Rock." But he turned that reputation on its head as the shy, homely title character in "Marty," taking home the Oscar for best actor -- one of four awards the film claimed.
Born in Connecticut to Italian immigrants, Borgnine -- originally Ermes Effron Borgnino -- began taking theater classes after serving in the Navy during World War II. He had joined the service after graduating from high school during the Great Depression and had been discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched the United States into World War II.
Mermaid Man
He made the move to films and then television in 1951, racking up more than 200 credits in projects ranging from the era of live television drama to the children's cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants."
He starred in the 1962-66 sitcom "McHale's Navy," was one of the original celebrities on the game show "The Hollywood Squares" and played William Holden's right-hand-man in Sam Peckinpah's revisionist Western "the Wild Bunch." He also was a regular on the 1980s television drama "Airwolf" and a frequent guest star on a variety of shows.
In addition to his Oscar for "Marty," Borgnine was nominated for three Emmys -- the most recent in 2009, for a guest spot on the hospital drama "ER" -- and won a life achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2010.
"This may be the only interesting and actually productive thing the Internet has created since it's existence.
A 12-year-old named Jeremiah McDonald made a video tape where he wanted to talk to his future self. So, 20 years later, 32-year-old Jeremiah edited together an epic conversation with his 12-year-old self. And you know what, I can barely remember what life was like before the Internet, too.
This is sort of like the movie "Inception" except without the dreams."
One of television’s most beloved actors, Andy Griffith, died this morning at his home in Dare County, N.C., USA Today reports. The star of “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Matlock” was 86.
Griffith, born in Mount Airy, N.C., played Sheriff Andy Taylor on the CBS sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1960-1968. Moving from comedy to drama, he found success again as a country lawyer in “Matlock,” which ran from 1986-1995, first on NBC and for its last two seasons on ABC.
Before he became a familiar face on television, Griffith broke through with a tour de force performance in Elia Kazan’s landmark 1957 dramatic feature “A Face in the Crowd,” playing a man who becomes a demagogue on TV. He followed that performance with another well-received outing in the 1958 comedy feature “No Time for Sergeants,” reprising a role he had played on Broadway.
Griffith worked consistently in television between his major series roles, receiving an Emmy nomination for the NBC TV movie “Murder in Texas” in 1981.
Along with his acting career, Griffith was a director and producer, a writer and a Southern gospel singer, winning a Grammy in 1997 for his album “I Love to Tell the Story -- 25 Timeless Hymns.”
After “The Andy Griffith Show” ended its run in 1968, Griffith executive produced the show that continued the storylines of some of the show's characters, “Mayberry R.F.D.,” which aired for three seasons on CBS. Griffith made occasional guest appearances on the show, which was headlined by Ken Berry and George Lindsey.
Before settling in on “Matlock,” Griffith appeared in a number of short-lived series, including “The New Andy Griffith Show” (1971), “Centennial” (1978-79) and “Salvage 1” (1979).
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Griffith’s last screen credit was as Grandpa Joe in the 2009 feature “Play the Game.”
Griffith underwent quadruple heart-bypass surgery in 2000, and in 2007 had hip surgery after a fall, USA Today reports.
The story adds: “Griffith and his first wife, Barbara Bray Edwards, married in 1949. They were divorced in 1972 and she got custody of their daughter Dixie and he got custody of son Sam, who died in 1996 after years of alcoholism. His second marriage, to Greek actress Solica Cassuto, lasted eight years, from 1973 to 1981.
“He and Cindi Knight were married on April 12, 1983, when she was 27 and he was 56. A private man, he told the Virginian-Pilot in 2008 in a lengthy profile by Mal Vincent that he's friendly and outgoing to a point, but has been known to turn down requests for autographs.”
In that interview, Griffith quipped: "When my wife, Cindi, and I go somewhere and we don't want to be recognized, she says, 'Don't talk.'"
About a month ago, I went to a vintage toy store in Canal Fulton, OH called The Toys Time Forgot. I nearly had a nerdgasm when I walked in there. My wife had went there around Christmastime to buy me some presents (see pics here) and the only other time I'd been there was probably about 15 or more years ago. I spent way too much time just admiring all of the wonderful collectibles (my wife was waiting in the car) and I finally walked out of there with three Marvel Legends Hulk figures and a bunch of packs of Star Wars and Battle of the Planets trading cards. I dealt with the owner (who is a great guy) and think I got a pretty good deal. They graciously allowed me to take some photos with my cell phone. The one thing I wish I would have photographed was a set of Funny Face mugs with pitcher. If you're ever in NE Ohio, I highly recommend visiting this store.
Wow! A Marx Creature from the Black Lagoon and a Mummy Soaky.
All kinds of great action figures here. Ideal STAR Team Zem 21 and Knight of Darkness. Battlestar Galactica Colonial Warrior. Buck Rogers Tigerman. Pulsar and his nemesis Hypnos. V alien. I still have a Zem 21 and my brothers Pulsar.
Jigglers! I had the Mummy.
Marvel Legends.
Statues and busts galore.
Poor Howdy Doody has been lynched! I had this ventriloquist dummy when I was a youngin'.
MEGOs!!!!
Holy crap! A carded Aqualad (although the back of the card was cut open).
I love Shogun Warriors!
These Groovie Goolies statues are awesome!
G.I. Joe. I still have pieces of Mike Power, Atomic Man.
DC Super Powers Collection and Mego Pocket Super Heroes.
Artist Ralph McQuarrie has passed away at the age of 82. One of the primary visual forces behind the original Star Wars trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, McQuarrie created the original designs for such iconic characters as Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO. Before partnering with George Lucas, McQuarrie had worked illustrating movie posters and creating artwork for CBS News. He collaborated with Steven Spielberg several times, including on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and eventually won an Academy Award for his work on Cocoon. Contributing illustrations and conceptual drawings to video games, books, advertising campaigns, and numerous other projects over the years, it's no stretch to say that McQuarrie influenced science-fiction sensibilities for an entire generation. For a further look at his prolific body of work, you can visit McQuarrie's site or Facebook page.
