Sunday, September 19, 2010

ICS - Update September 19, 2010

I got this message from Charlie Wittig (fan mail from some flounder?).

Since so many friends are going to be at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention (MANC) http://www.midatlanticnostalgiaconvention.com/, because it's really the only con even close to the old FANEX, we thought it would be great to get together with our old FANEX staff and friends. The con guests are  Dawn Wells (remember Amy playing Maryann at Nostalgia con?) and Roy Thinnes (The Invaders), Mark Goddard, Will Hutchins, Ed Nelson and god forbid Conrad Brooks.  So, we're going to meet in the Hunt Valley Inn bar at 2:00 Saturday, Sept. 25.  It will be like old times (except we don't have to do any of the work!)

We're also doing pre-production on our next film, a 1950s sci-fi extravaganza, so if you'd like to be in the movie or work on the crew, make sure you tell us so we can get in touch!

PLEASE PASS THIS E-MAIL ALONG TO OUR OTHER FANEX FRIENDS, we have lost touch with so many of them.

Hope to see you there!

Indeed, MANC is next weekend. For some members, you could make the con and still make the meeting. Conventions are getting to be big, expensive propositions, to say nothing of the fact that a lot of the actors we grew up seeing on TV and the movies are getting up there in age. They need our support in order to keep going. I know things are tight, but if you get a chance, go on up to see MANC. I’m going to try to make it there myself.

Andrew (King of the Zombies) Kent has bought himself a new car- a Smart Car! Now I know a number of folks laugh at this small sized road warrior, but let me tell you. Back in the 1970s a friend of mine bought one of the first Toyotas. Now I was putzing around in my 69 Camaro at the time (which many of you got to see at the last 2 meetings), getting 13 mpg yet able to smoke almost anything on two wheels. We made fun of her car- asked if she got tires at the donut shop. Well, who’s laughing now? Toyota- the #1 car manufacturer. If an alternative fuel source isn’t found, we might all be riding around in Smart Cars in 20 years. Happy Motoring, Andrew!


At the last meeting we found that John (Just try to stump me) Weber was making slow progress with his broken foot. Here’s hoping that things are continuing to improve, John.

At our next meeting we’ll be having longtime member and Bram Stoker Award Winner Norman (Mr. Macabre) Prentiss giving the presentation. In October we’ll see the RETURN OF GREG MANK, doing a presentation on the original Island of Lost Souls with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. In November we’re going to get LOST IN SPACE with Sam (where’s my jiffy-pop spacesuit?) DiBlasi.

In case you haven’t heard, versatile actor Kevin McCarthy passed away at the age of 96. Ma ny of us remember him from his role in the classic INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. He appeared in numerous TV shows as well, including THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Hope to see you at the meeting this Saturday.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

ICS - Update September 1, 2010

Greetings ICSers! Another Summer is coming to an end, and despite the fact that I'm a summer person, I'm not sorry to see this one pass! It's not fun when the heat and humidity keep one indoors as much as the cold and wind does in winter!

The last meeting saw Terrific Tom Proveaux chillin' the ol' funnybone with the Martin & Lewis Movie "Scared Stiff". And yes, it's true that Jerry Lewis was re-incarnated as Jim Carrey and, what? Jerry's not dead? Could have fooled me! Anyway, the cast included Lizabeth Scott (who never found her missing "E"), Carmen Miranda and Fins the Wonder Trout.

Our Pizza Night in July was a success- although next time we'll be adding 1 more pizza for a total of 9, and getting additional pepperoni, and a mushroom instead of the veggie. Ah,'shrooms! We try to please as many people as possible, and know we can't please everyone. So if you like veggie pizza, bring some veggies and sprinkle them on a slice of regular cheese! Voila! And made JUST the way you like it!

Speaking of not pleasing everyone, here's the scoop on Thanksgiving Meetings. At the July Meeting it was motioned that we should not move the meetings. So it was put to a vote, and not moving won 14 to 8. Now this is the 4th time that this issue has been voted on. It originally came up when we had our first Thanksgiving Meeting and found that turnout was lighter than usual. So we moved it, also out of consideration for a few members that lived out of town (who have not been to a meeting in awhile or who have since left the club). Then we found that the attendance was actually about the same even when we moved it. The problem was that there are some who almost every holiday go out of town, and there are some who don't and would like something to do that weekend. And the feelings run very strongly about this- to the point where I'm going to suggest to the club that starting in 2011 we have 2 meetings in November so this back & forth will finally stop. This year we have already moved the meeting,so we'll stick with that. As it stands now, next year we won't because of the July vote. But hopefully for next year we'll adopt my 2 meeting suggestion.

The Halloween All-Nighter will be in October with our special guest speaker GREG MANK! If you only come to one meeting this year, then you need to come more often! Anyway, Terrifying Tom and Horrific Hendo will be putting up decorations, and the Wizardly Willard will be bringing table cloths. What do we need you to do? BRING FOOD! Course we've never had a problem with this in the past, and I doubt we will now. Like last year, there will be a Costume Contest with a $25 Amazon Gift Card for the winner. Last year Rascally Rick Arnold won with his Serial Mom costume. As you know, we show movies from Dusk to Dawn (hmmm, sounds like a name for a vampire movie!). One DVD that I will be offering is actually an old TV episode of Route 66. Now those of us who are old enough to remember know this show starred Martin Milner and George Maharis as two drifters going around the country in a convertible Corvette, doing odd jobs as they go. One episode was entitled "Lizard's Leg and Owlette's Wing", and featured Lon Chaney, Jr, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. Of particular interest is that this episode has Chaney and Karloff done up as the Wolf Man and Frankenstein in a segment. Although the title is called "Route 66", they weren't always on that highway. In an interview, Maharis said such a show could not be done today. Back then, if you say went north, south, east, or west, the areas you'd be in would look different from each other. Not homogenized like today. As Maharis said, no matter where you go, there's a Denny's. Having gone down to SC the past few summers, I can say he's absolutely right. That's why I was absolutely taken with Piggly-Wiggly- nothing like it up here! Dig the Pig! :)

The Calendar is dead... sort of. Frankly I didn't see that much bang for the buck for the effort to make it. We put it to a vote, and by 1 vote the calendar was shelved. However I got to thinking- I can't do it, but maybe one of those who voted for a calendar can! Here's your chance to get involved! You want it, you can help make it! Betsy Childs has agreed to put it together, Dave Willard has the gridlines, what you need to do is collect photos, stretch them to 8x10 and print them out on a laser printer somewhere, like maybe Kinkos! So I'm calling on one of those who voted for a calendar to step forward and pick up the baton- and help get a 2011 calendar out! If you'd like to volunteer, contact Dave at
duwillard@verizon.net.

Instead of a Yankee Swap this Christmas, we're going for a Silent Auction, Holy Auction. All is calm, all is bright... that's where you secretly bid on stuff that's on display. What stuff? Well, stuff that we're hoping that you'll donate! Genre-movie related stuff. Sort of like our regular auction. But as rotating Chairman Jovial John Ward pointed out, if it doesn't sell, you can take it back, or we can pitch it for you. So check your collections and see if anything can go, and bring it to the November Meeting. John and Provincial Joe Plempel have agreed to take the stuff and hold it until December!

Hey, a big THANK YOU to Charlie Wittig, who came to the meeting early to set up the A/V stuff since Master Justin could not make it.

The Treasury- has dropped below $1000. There are a number of reasons for this- we had a larger number of members who asked for dues waivers, we had/have two guest speakers for this year (the upcoming Mank and Tom Weaver), and we haven't done any fundraising events like an auction. Thankfully we still have a low rent fee and the only expenses we have are club functions- guest speakers, the Memorial Day Cookout, Pizza Night, and things like ice and soda for the meetings. We would like to mention again that we have a ceegar box at each meeting where one can toss a donation. Any amount. Times are tough, but if everyone chips in a buck, that pays half the month's rent. $2 and the room is covered. Again, everyone's feeling the pinch, all's we ask is that you do what you can if you can.  

HORRORFIND CONVENTION is this weekend in... Gettysburg? Yes, the convention that has lost sight of its roots has now gone to that hallowed town of Gettysburg. Just for the record, though, the guest list includes Bruce Campbell, George Romero, Dee Wallace (formerly Wallace-Stone), Gary and Jake Busey, Richard Lynch (remember him? It's like everytime they needed a creepy bad guy on '70s or 80s TV or low budget movies, they got him. He once played a vampire in a TV movie ("Vampire"- 1979) and it was actually not bad),Kristy Swanson, etc etc.
Horrorfind Website 
Don't forget to vote in the primaries! A lot of people sacrificed to give you that right! Don't take it for granted.

And see YOU at the movies!