Midnight Ramblings II
Note: if you missed Midnight Ramblings I, then let me explain this. Once in a while, I
send these long, rambling e-mails to a friend of mine, named "Nelix" in these columns. I soon
began thinking "Why not publish these ramblings as columns?" So, that's what I do.
Hey Nelix!
So, what's up in your world? Not much new is going on in mind. I just have to tell you
about my latest impulse buy. I was in Wal-Mart the other day and, as always, I was perusing the
toy aisle. You will remember how I rave about my action figure collection. As always, I ended
up where the Star Wars toys are. They just are the hot collectible today. I was greeted by row
upon row of Episode I action figures. Right now I am a little pissed that the new assortment
hasn't made it to Canada yet, but that's a separate issue. When it comes to my Episode I action
figures, I've got my Obi-Wan Kenobi, my Qui-Gon Jinn and my (now ultra-rare) Darth Maul.
That's all I need. So, after some poking around, I soon found the Power of the Force action
figures. These are the guys from the original trilogy. Yes, they are still making them. I was
thrilled that they had a little two-pack that I'd heard about. I am talking about the Jawa and
Gonk Droid two pack! You're probably wondering what the hell a Gonk Droid is. Well,
remember in Star Wars when R2-D2 and C-3P0 had been captured by the Jawas and we saw that
whole menagerie of droids in their sand crawler? Well, the Gonk Droid was the little guy who
looked like an upside down garbage can with legs. He had a more memorable scene in Return of
the Jedi when he was on a torture rack getting his feet burned. He is more commonly referred to
as a Power Droid. He's called a Gonk Droid because "Gonk" is the only word it says. Now why
the hell did I buy it? I'm still not to sure. Probably because the Gonk Droid was one of the few
characters left to become an action figure, and because of that he was becoming one of the most
sought-after Star Wars action figures. Plus, he is kind of cute for a box with legs. And now he's
mine!
Actually, I got this brilliant idea. When I become a famous novelist, I think I'm going to
write a comic book mini-series called Star Wars: Gonk's Adventure, all about the adventures of
the Gonk Droid. I'd say (in a tounge-in-cheek kind of way) how he was really the one who blew
up the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Let's just say that this is my way of protesting
how ever character with 2 seconds of screen time in the Star Wars universe gets a whole back
story and history.
I've also been noticing that all these Star Wars action figures come with these
CommTech chips now. I wonder what lines of dialogue are on the Jawa and Gonk Droid's chip.
Probably "Gonk" and some miscellaneous Jawa chirps. I might have to give in and get one of
these chip readers. Oh, and I lied when I said that Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Darth Maul were all I
needed. I wouldn't mind getting Captain Panaka. I thought he was kind of cool. But, he's in
that second assortment that hasn't made it to Canada yet! I could buy him from the Star
Wars online store, but I don't have that kind of money yet.
On a completely unrelated topic, I see that an all-new Sesame Street movie has been
released to theaters! Yup, I'm talking about The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. While all
this attention is being thrust on it, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the "other" Sesame
Street movie. I'm talking about the 1985 film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird. Now
that I think about it, the plot is kind of dark for Sesame Street. In it, a social worker decides that
Big Bird might be happier with "his own kind," so she takes Big Bird away from Sesame Street
and puts him in a foster home. Big Bird doesn't like the foster home that much, so he goes on a
cross-country odyssey to get back to Sesame Street. And, of course, the whole cast of Sesame
Street regulars goes off in search of Big Bird. This was 1985, so in the Sesame Street Universe
there was no Elmo yet, and everyone still thought that Mr. Snuffleupagus was just Big Bird's
imaginary friend. It's not too bad. I remember seeing it in the theater when I was 8 years old. It
was so cool when I was 8! And the soundtrack wasn't too bad, either. This was the first film
where I learned that sometimes it's worthwhile to watch a film all the way to the end of the end
credits. I was hoping that with the release of The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland that Follow
That Bird would get a big re-release on video and DVD. But, it hasn't. But who knows what the
future may hold. . . . If you ever happen to see it in the video store, rent it and be 8 again.
It just so happened that this was on the Family Channel this afternoon, so I watched it.
And, right after it, they showed The Muppet Movie. That is one of the coolest movies ever!
And, it hast to be one of my favorite soundtracks. Kermit's song in that movie, The Rainbow
Connection, is one of my favorite songs of all time, right after Always Look On The Bright Side
of Life by Monty Python, and UHF by "Weird Al" Yankovic. And the celebrities in that film! I
don't know if it's just me, or a testament to those celebrities, but I could pretty much identify all
of them! It just rocks. I keep reading online that there is this script in development called The
Next Muppet Movie, which would be a direct sequel to The Muppet Movie. In it, all the Muppets
have become rich and famous and have begun selling out, so Kermit tries to get them back to
their roots. Apparently, one of the funniest segments has Gonzo being selected to be the next
James Bond! I sure hope it gets made.
Speaking of movies, I got this brilliant idea the other day. You know how IMAX movies
can only be 45 minutes long, right? It's because the reels are so big. So, I got to thinking that
the IMAX (and 3-D IMAX) format would be the perfect one to resurrect the old movie serial!
You could have 5, 45-minute long chapters. The first one would premiere in April, and the last
in August with a new one each month. You'd have the whole summer blockbuster season
wrapped up! I'm currently leaning towards some kind of sci-fi epic. I think this is an idea that
would rock if given its due.
Do you know what I find frustrating right now? The fact that I have begun writing these
columns so far in advance. Tomorrow, Oct. 4, I post one called . . .And Get A Real Job, which I
wrote three weeks ago. This letter, when I post it as a column, will be posted on Oct. 18. The
one I post on Oct. 25 will probably be about my sister's birthday, which is this Friday, Oct. 8.
Do you think I'm getting ahead of myself? Man, maybe I do need a job. Then I can slow down
on these columns! Oh, well, this is getting kind of long and it's getting kind of late, so I'll see
you later!
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