The biggest pop culture convention in the world is only 22 days away! Comic-Con International happens right here in our sunny backyard and KPBS is gearing up for some great coverage.  We'll inlcude videos of some of the panels, and cover television, gaming, comic books, graphic novels, artists, movies, and toys...all those wonderful toys!  One of the things that we'd like to do is follow someone through the process of designing and creating a costume for the annual Masquerade. If you live in San Diego and plan to enter the Masquerade, please contact us! (um, have you noticed that Comic-Con brings out the exclamation points in me?)

We are looking for a talented, creative individual who's willing to let KPBS record their costume journey. Ideally, this person will be competing in the Best Original Design or Most Beautiful category, but we'll consider anyone with an ambitious costume and a good story to tell. If you have any questions or would like to be considered as the subject for our Masquerade web feature and video, please email me at . 

This is not only one of my favorite pictures of Tom Waits, it's one of my favorite images of a celeb ever.   It was taken by photographer Anton Corbijn, who also directed Control, last year's great movie about the band Joy Division.  I look at a framed poster from Control every day as it hangs in my office, right above my desk, and was generously given to me by KPBS film critic Beth Accomando.  In the image above, I think Corbijn captures Waits perfectly.  It looks like something Tim Burton or Edward Gorey would dream up.

Since the release of Being John Malkovich many years ago, I've occasionally wondered whose head I'd want to live in for twenty-four hours. If, for example, I found a portal in my KPBS office (I really should look under my desk), who'd make me venture down the rabbit hole to spend time in his or her head?  By the way, I REALLY wish I had said portal in my KPBS office.  Anyway, Edward Gorey would definitely be on the list.  Evelyn Glennie would be another - to live in a deaf musician's head would be amazing.  Prince is on the list, so is Edward Albee, Michel Gondry, Dave Chappell, and this guy popped up on my list yesterday (before he got busted, of course, and just to live the thrill of transgression for 24 hours).  But always, always close to the top of my list is Tom Waits.  This fantastic interview with Waits, where he interviews himself, just solidifies that ranking.  Reading the interview feels like being in his head for a moment - maybe not a full-on portal, but close. 

To whet your appetite, here's what Waits wrote introducing his interview with himself:

I must admit, before meeting Tom, I had heard so many rumors and so much gossip that I was afraid. Frankly, his gambling debts, his animal magnetism, coupled with his disregard for the feelings of others… His elaborate gun collection, his mad shopping sprees, the face lifts, the ski trips, the drug busts and the hundreds of rooms in his home. The tax shelters, the public urination…I was nervous to meet the real man himself. Baggage and all. But I found him to be gentle, intelligent, open, bright, helpful, humorous, brave, audacious, loquacious, clean, and reverent. A Boy Scout, really (and a giant of a man). Join me now for a rare glimpse into the heart of Tom Waits. Remove your shoes and no smoking, please.

Cupcakes have been all the confectionary craze for a couple of years now in New York and LA, with Amy Sedaris as the cupcake pied piper.   San Diego is now jumping into the batter with its own twist.  Square cupcakes!  Personally, I didn't need a square version to get me on board but if this is what it takes to get a pistachio cupcake with pomegranate frosting, so be it.  I'll worship the square.  Other unique flavors: Lilikoi--vanilla cupcake with lilikoi (passion fruit) buttercream frosting, Peanut Butter and Jelly--peanut butter cake and strawberry frosting, Vanilla Chai--tender Chai cake with vanilla/orange buttercream frosting, and the other siren in the bunch for me, a Lemon White Chocolate--white chocolate cake with a hint of lemon frosting with white chocolate ganache.  These sweets are only $2.75 each.  Grand opening is today!

This interactive feature from The New York Times is so, so fun.  You can look at a sampling of Al Jaffee's back cover fold-in's for Mad Magazine.   Jaffee still does the fold-in's for Mad, drawing them by his 87-year-old hand!  I went through the feature twice trying to find the elements of the resulting images in the original drawing.   A worthy time suck.

McSweeney's has a mini film school course in three lines.  Citizen Kane, The Godfather, and other greats are hilariously boiled down.  For example:

West Side Story

TONY: Cinema has a long literary tradition. This one's based on Shakespeare.

MARIA: Just like that Amanda Bynes movie!

TONY: (Sigh.) Let's just dance-fight.

Errol Morris seems to be everywhere right now, which is really a good thing.  He has a new documentary coming out about Abu Ghraib (the site for his film is really good - but be prepared to look at the unbelievably disturbing photographs again).  Can't seem to find an opening  date for San Diego... anyone? Tentative opening in San Diego is May 2nd.   Morris and Werner Herzog chat it up over at The Believer.  I regularly have the dinner party fantasy:  what's the most interesting mix of 8 people for dinner?  My fantasy guest lists change all the time, but Werner Herzog and Errol Morris together is a bang-up start.   Morris has also written two interesting opinion pieces in NYT about using re-enactments in documentaries.

KPBS Senior Editor Alan Ray on the new Scorsese-helmed Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light:  "All rock and wrinkles."  He doesn't recommend it. 

A lot of you probably know about Flickr, the online photo sharing site, but have you ever browsed the photographs in Flickr's San Diego group?  There are some great images of our fair city by visitors and local photogs.  Enjoy!

And finally, check out these Garfield comic strips without Garfield... way better.  Thanks for the tip, Edward!

I never, in a million years, thought I would write a title like that.  And it's true.  On April 20th 18th, fans of zombies, strip clubs, and porn can come together in celebration of the wonders of cinema.  I'm more than a little frightened.  The press release reads:  "As one of the strippers gets the virus, she turns into a supernatural, flesh-eating zombie stripper, making her the hit of the club."

There are rumors swirling that Barack Obama will come to Comic-Con in San Diego this summer to court the young vote, that is if he wins the primary.  Rumors appear to be false.  Dang! 

Focus Features has announced the next Coen brothers film will be released domestically on September 12th.  It's called Burn After Reading and described as a "dark spy-comedy" written by the Coens.  Actors include George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt.   Malkovich plays an ousted CIA official whose memoir accidently falls into the hands of two bumbling D.C. gym employees intent on exploiting their find.  I'm guessing Clooney and Pitt are the gym rats.  Back to comedy for the Coens... not sure that's a good thing after say, Intolerable Cruelty.  

Another account of memoir fabrication!  This time a white woman named Margaret Seltzer made up a foster family, gave herself mixed racial heritage (half-white, half-Native American, and a life on the gang-ridden streets of South Central LA.  She recounts all of this in a well-reviewed memoir called Love and Consequences published just last week  Seltzer's older sister was the first to squeal, calling Margaret's publisher to tell them the truth.  I'd like to know the story behind that sisterly bond - not that what sis did wasn't called for, it's just a bold move against one's own sister.  

This is the second frabicated memoir in the news this week... 

LA Times' web scout David Sarno writes a good piece about YouTube and the good and the bad of online videos.  Recent discussion on Culture Lust regarding parents videotaping their children gets some Sarno attention.   

Here's a list of the 30 fastest growing careers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Funny, they left off arts bloggers.  Clearly the list is bunk.  

The baby from Nirvana's Nevermind album is now 17 years old! 

And, finally, here's a list of the worst nude scenes of all time.  Apparently McDreamy wasn't always so dreamy.  

How disturbing is this article from The New York Times?  Seven and three-year-olds getting pedicures, thumbing through People, putting on MAC make-up which, by the way, is very expensive.  I didn't start having pedicures until my late twenties.  When I was seven and running around Florida beaches, my toes were for elaborate sandprints.  And at three, well, at three is was all about "this little piggy games," not "Jungle Red" or "Passion Pink."  And let me make a distinction here, I'm not saying that glittered kiddie toenail polish is a bad thing.  I'm saying that actual child pedicures and group pedicure outings involving OPI and heated whirlpools is going to far.

This excerpt only confirms a trend well underway: 

But today, cosmetic companies and retailers increasingly aim their sophisticated products and service packages squarely at 6- to 9-year-olds, who are being transformed into savvy beauty consumers before they’re out of elementary school.

“The starter market has definitely grown, I think, due to a number of cultural influences,” said Samantha Skey, the senior vice president for strategic marketing of Alloy Media and Marketing.

Other trends laid out in the article have left me agog:

Sweet & Sassy, a salon and party destination based in Texas for girls 5 to 11, includes pink limo service as a party add-on, which starts at $150 a ride. And Dashing Diva franchises often offer virgin Cosmos in martini glasses along with their extra-virgin nail polish, free of a group of chemicals called phthalates, for a round of services for a birthday girl and her friends.

Now, it seems to me that a fair amount of child's play is about mimicing adult behavior and experience, like the easy bake oven (do they still make these?), baby dolls, doctor kits, playing school, etc.  But why would you construct play experience around adult consumer-driven behavior?  And worse, adult forms of partying, letting loose, and physical adornment?  For me and I suspect for many of my friends, pedicures are about many things:  luxury, maintenance, reward, and, it can't be denied, sexuality.  These are not the concerns of a 7-year-old unless we make them so.

Looking back, I wouldn't have wanted to be so conscious of my body at age seven.  The psychological weight of such body consciousness would have distracted my growing mind and curiousity.   I'll admit my imaginative play sometimes involved a pink Barbie corvette (which I put tons of stickers on) but it never included a ride in one.  

The Best and the Worst, in no particular order:

Best:  Morris Day and The Time performed a little Jungle Love.  Jerome even brought out the mirror for Morris to check his hair, recreating the sheer poetry of their Purple Rain performance.  I was giddy! 

Worst:  Their performance was hijacked by Rihanna singing about umbrellas.

Best:  Tina Turner, at 68, sounded fantastic.

Worst:  She performed with Beyonce, everyone's favorite fembot.

Best:  Both Prince and Stevie Wonder were there.

Worst:  They were both tasked with introducing Alicia Keys (she doesn't do it for me, people) and nothing else.

Best:  Some country star named Brad Paisley perfomed a song about ticks!  The refrain:  "I want to check you for ticks."  Hilarious!

Worst:   Some country star named Brad Paisley perfomed a song about ticks.  Downright horrifying.

Best Hair:  Cindy Lauper's bird's nest, Kanye West shaving MAMA onto the back of his head, and Amy Winehouse's bouffant.

Worst hair:  Kid Rock's grease fest persists, The Foo Fighters, Carol King (deep condition alert).

Best:  Amy Winehouse was able to perform from London ( I stayed up just to see it).  I know she's a train wreck, but the girl has serious talent.

Worst:  Randomly, Cuba Gooding Jr. introduced her.  Why? 

Best:  Fiest sang.

Worst:  So did Fergie. 

Best:  The Beatles tribute was good.

Worst:  The Barry Gordy tribute was WAY too short.

Best:  Kanye West scolded producers for bringing up the music during his acceptance speech, before he was done talking about his mother.

Worst:  When they listened and turned off the music, West then used the opportunity for self-aggrandizement. 

Best:  The White Stripes won two awards.

Worst:  I didn't see it.  Not sure when it happened.  I may have dozed off. I hate it when I miss Jack. 

Bobby the Jew.  The Greaseball.  Tommy Sneakers.  Little Nicky. Jackie the Nose.  One Eye.  Johnny Red Rose.  These are some of the wiseguy names listed in a racketeering indictment filed today in New York District Court in Brooklyn.  They are members and associates of the Gambino crime family, the second most powerful mafia family in the United States (the most powerful is the Genovese family).   The list of charges is murder, narcotics distribution, robbery, extortion, loansharking and other nasty mafia behavior. 

These boys may be bad, but how about those names?  Good stuff.  Charles Carneglia is known as "Charlie Canig."  Can't you just hear it roll off a Brooklyn-accented tongue?  Joseph Corozzo has a couple of different names, as do many of them, but his are moody in nature.  Corozzo is both "JoJo" (happy, fun, the kind of guy you want to whack a stoolie with) and "Miserable" (which really cuts to the chase).  Who gets the nickname Miserable?

It's a fun list, giving you a little window into a real-life Sopranos world.