Because our Listeners would like to know...

I sent this off today:

To the Office of the President of the United States:

I am Albert Berry, co-producer of a small internet radio program called Hour 42 (www.blogtalkradio.com/hour42). On Hour 42 we discuss Super Heroes, both fictional and non-fictional.

My question is this: How does the President feel about his depiction of himself within of comic books like Savage Dragon and Spiderman - and now Bomber Girl?

I appreicate his, and his staffs, time in considering this question and for the response in advance.

Most Sincerely,

Albert L. Berry
Hour 42

My old friend, The Doctor

When I give thought to my heroes I first consider the ones given to me as a very young child.
At 7, I was at the court house getting my last name changed to match the man who married my mother.
It occured to me then that I would be cool to be called John Wayne. At the age of 9, I discovered Doctor Who.

However, it wouldn't be until the age of 11 that he would take hold and become my lifelong hero.

Doctor Who is a show that always had clear definitions of what was good and what was bad. In some ways this wasn't a good thing.
It caused me to see the world in Black and White, make hasty judgements of others and assume I was always right. Those were the negatives.

On the postive side, it did instill within me a sense of justice and gave me a moral code of conduct. Doctor Who made me WANT to be the hero.
But, as I grew up, and found out the world was mostly gray, I nearly felt lied too. Of course, Doctor Who was always intended to entertain.
It was I who added into it all the things a child needs in growing up: a Role Model.

Doctor Who had been on for 20 years when I started watching. It had a sense of solidity - a need we all have. It had variety - another need.
The thing about Doctor Who is, it had the ability to fill ALL the needs a person has. To feel like you are a part of something grander then the self.

When other people look back at Doctor Who from back in the day, they see a cheesy show. I see, like all old friends, flaws that make them unique and special.
I really enjoy Doctor Who of today. I think it is fantastic in fact. It is like seeing an old friend again after they have been travelling abroad.
I know he won't be able to stay around forever, but I am sure glad he's come back for a while.
But, I always knew he'd come back - he said as much:

Tonight, HOUR 42 goes Hollywood!

Tonight, @ThePeterPixie and I welcome our first guest with his own listing on IMDB - Ray Grimes, writer and director of the new independent superhero film, Super Capers! We'll talk to him about his experience so far as a relatively new filmmaker, and try to get a few good Adam West stories out of him.

Peter and I will also trade notes on G.I. Joe - what, you thought I'd let him get away without seeing it? Also:

* Just two weeks after San Diego, Chicago hosts its own comic-book convention - we'll bring you the highlights.
* We'll talk about some of the rather ... interesting creative choices that were published this week. Bottle of grappa, anyone?
* Plus YOUR comments and questions at 646-716-4799

In the meantime, if you want to catch up on last week's show, which featured even more guest-stars, just click on the handy-dandy player below - then come on back and join us at 7pm PST (10p EST) tonight for HOUR 42!

A star-studded episode!

With the post-Comic-Con coma fading, El Secreto & @thepeterpixie unpacked some of the good stuff ES collected while he was there, including interviews with:

* A red-carpet chat with Power Girl writer Jimmy Palmiotti, who gave us the skinny on his new project for Radical Publishing
* An encounter with Carrot Top - what ever could have brought him to Con? Find out here.
* We also played an excerpt from ES' interview with Bleeding Cool founder and longtime comics journalist Rich Johnston, which triggered a classic fanboy gaffe from our roving reporter. To hear what we're talking about, and the full interview, click on the fierce pic* below:



And if you click on the handy-dandy player below, you can listen to the full episode, where the boys cover:

* Yet another new line-up for the Justice League - when is a Trinity not a Trinity?
* Marvel's upcoming Necrosha crossover
* Some potentially bad news for Torchwood fans involving John Barrowman - and much more, including a sneak-preview of next week's show, chock-full of movie goodness!



* Image courtesy of BleedingCool.com