Photos from Akron Comicon 2014
Vlogs and Podcasts That I Follow
Here recently I’ve got hooked on some vlogs and podcasts. The vloggers that I follow do daily vlogs that keep me interested and coming back everyday to see what’s new in their lives. This is the true reality TV and not the overproduced content you see on cable or the networks.
The first vlog that I follow is Internet Killed TV (CTFxC). Internet Killed TV is all about We the Kings bassist, Charles Trippy and his dogs, Marley and Zoey. Internet Killed TV holds the Guinness World Record for the longest running daily video blog on YouTube. Below is the video that Charles is presented with the record.
Also during his time vlogging, Charles found that he had a brain tumor and has had two surgeries on his brain. Here are those videos:
Last Monday, Charles received good news about the tumor.
The other vlog I follow is Not Adam and Steve, which is about Will and R.J., a couple who moved from Florida to Hollywood. The big reason I follow this vlog is because these two guys have been in relationship for a while and they took the bold step to move all the way across the country for bigger and better things. Here are the latest videos from Will and R.J.
The last thing I follow is The Dinner Party Show, a weekly audio podcast hosted by best selling authors, Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn. The Dinner Party Show airs every Sunday at 8 PM Eastern/ 5 PM Pacific. It is really hilarious and to listen to it, click the link above or go to their SoundCloud page.
Cleveland Author Discusses His Debut Literary Work in Kent
On Friday, Ben Vendetta, journalist and co-founder of Elephant Stone Records, appeared at Last Exit Books in Kent, Ohio to promote his debut novel, “Wivenhoe Park.” While the book itself is fiction, Vendetta explained the book is semi-autobiographical. On his biography page on Elephant Stone Records, Vendetta describes his book ,”Young American Anglophile runs away to England — will he find peace, love and understanding or will it all burn down like cigarettes?”
After reading an excerpt from his book, Vendetta answered questions about “Wivenhoe Park” and his own experiences in England as well as his encounters with Bono. The review for “Wivenhoe Park” will be up as soon as possible. “Wivenhoe Park” is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.
Disappointment Over DC Comics’ Decision to Let Orson Scott Card Write Superman
Last Wednesday, it was announced that DC Comics was starting a digital comic series for Superman called Adventures of Superman similar to the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight digital series. Adventures of Superman does not begin until April 29 but this digital series is already making waves among the news websites and blogs. The uproar is not over the character but the writer that is writing the first two chapters, Orson Scott Card. Card is the author of the science-fiction novel, Ender’s Game and a fanatical Mormon. The author’s views on gays and marriage equality and his association with the right-wing group, National Organization for Marriage (NOM) are the reasons that there is outrage that DC Comics would hire Card to write a Superman story.
I have been a Superman fan since 1990 and have had a few issues with how DC Comics has handled its best known property, but this is, for me, a slap in the face. When I first heard of Card’s views on gays, I decided from that moment that I would not support any work of Card’s. It is true that the man is entitled to his opinion when it comes to the issue of gay rights and it is also true that he probably is able to separate those views from his fiction writings but the money he makes off those writings goes toward NOM and whatever other hate groups that Card donates money to.
I’m not saying that DC Comics should prevent Card from writing Superman, but I will not buy a Superman story written by Orson Scott Card.
Pop Culture Redefined Year in Review 2011
2011 has been an interesting year for this blog. The first couple of months of 2011 were devoted solely to commenting on events that happened in pop culture. Events like Charlie Sheen’s meltdown and the disappointment in MTV. Things changed slightly when I moved to Las Vegas in April. While making the transition from east coast to west coast had its challenges, it was interesting to make a cross-country trip to start a new life in one of the world’s most visited cities.
In the eight months I have lived here in Sin City, I have seen some amazing things from the iconic Las Vegas Strip to the incredible landscape that surrounds Vegas. From a photographer’s perspective, this part of the country has a wealth of subjects to capture in both still photography and video.
Moving to Las Vegas has also been interesting because I have been able to get close to celebrities and take their picture. Even though I was with the rest of the general public at the Billboard Music Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards, I managed to get some excellent pictures of some well-known celebrities.
In November, I was fortunate to attend two more events that were amazing. The first one was seeing Max Brooks, author of World War Z, speak at the Clark County Library. This guy is very interesting and hilarious. After his speech, he signed books and spoke to the fans in attendance. During my time with him, I got him to sign a couple of books, took my picture with him, and shamelessly gave him the address to this blog in the hopes he would read it and maybe tell some people about it.
The other highlight of November was attending my first press conference. I have to tell you it was an amazing experience to see my blog’s name on an official list of news organizations approved to attend. The press conference was to announce the partnership of fashion designer Marc Ecko and urban Latin/ reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel on a men’s apparel line called Los Lideres, which is based on the style of Wisin y Yandel.
What does 2012 hold for Pop Culture Redefined? Hopefully more coverage of some major pop culture events here in Las Vegas. Maybe some interviews with some well-known celebrities will happen for this blog. The one thing that is certain is that I am going to try to become more of a presence in the pop culture industry. It may not happen right away but it will happen eventually and during the journey to there, I am going to bring you some great articles on pop culture. Happy New Year to everyone.
Max Brooks at the Clark County Library
About a year ago after reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I picked up The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. Immediately I found it to be an entertaining yet informative read. Fast forward to November 3, 2011, I go to the Clark County Library here in Las Vegas to see Max Brooks speaking about surviving a zombie apocalypse. Seeing Max in person talking about fighting zombies was even more entertaining. The guy is hilarious. No wonder he was a writer for Saturday Night Live. Considering who Max Brooks’ father is, director/ writer Mel Brooks, it is apparent to see that a great sense of humor is genetic. One of the things I loved that Max Brooks talked about was choices of transportation during a zombie apocalypse. He said that the only vehicle that would be useful during a zombie outbreak would a bicycle because if you run into police barricades or a car pileup, you could just carry the bike past those obstructions. Plus, a bike is the only vehicle that runs on fear. I took video of most of Max’s speech, which you can watch below.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
After speaking, Max autographed books for the crowd. I got two books, The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, signed. Here are the pics that were taken during that brief encounter.
In the pictures below are what Max signed in my books.
World War Z
The Zombie Survival Guide
I definitely enjoyed meeting Max Brooks and hearing him talk about zombies. I am just starting to read World War Z and I love it already. For those of you who are not aware, World War Z is going to be made into a movie with Brad Pitt producing and starring in the film. The World War Z film is scheduled to be released on December 21, 2012.
Pop Culture Redefined 