Hopper – whose family lived for years at 3224 Massachusetts Ave in Lemon Grove - went to both Grossmont High AND Helix High. Other future celebs to come outta Helix include hoops master Bill Walton and NFL star Reggie Bush - you can see Famous Former Neighbors cartoons on them AND Hopper at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/fa…
SurfPuppy is incorrect about Crowe going to Point Loma High - he actually attended University of SD High, and he went undercover for his Fast Times book at Clairemont High. Yep, he’s been cartooned too -- actress Marion Ross and Manson Family member Sandra Good DID attend Point Loma High, though.
Other Famous Former Neighbors toons feature MLB player Barry Zito and actor David Leisure (Grossmont High), Joan Embrey and actress Kathy Najimy (both of Crawford High), Bobby Lee of MADtv and Tom DeLonge of blink 182 (both of Poway High), slugger Ted Williams and Ted Giannoulas aka the San Diego Chicken (both from Hoover High), Cleavon Little of Blazing Saddles and special FX whiz Phil Tippett and musician Michael Page AND Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley (all four from Kearny High), Frank Zappa and Matt Bush and Tawny Kittaen (all three of Mission Bay High), actor Mario Lopez (Chula Vista High), actor Adam Brody (Scripps Ranch High), Kingston Trio’s Nick Reynolds (Coronado High), actresses Priscilla Allen and Raquel Welch (both of La Jolla High), Art Linkletter (Woodrow Wilson High), skater Tony Hawk (Torrey Pines High), actress Denise Richards (El Camino High), actress Annette Bening (Patrick Henry High), actor Victor Buono (St. Augustine High), Eddie Vedder (San Dieguito High), footballer Terrell Davis (Lincoln High), Junior Seau (Oceanside High), musician Jake E. Lee (Mar Vista High), and silent film star Harold Lloyd (San Diego High).
And of course SD’s School of Creative and Performing arts has spawned a number of celebs, several with their own Reader toons as well – — October 22, 2010 5:39 p.m.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Mr. Shepherd's dreaded bullet once again misses its mark. I'm baffled that this film receives so little praise. I suppose fans of the original comic books object to wholesale revisions, like adding Dorian Gray and Tom Sawyer to the story, and dropping all allusions to an ancestor of James Bond being responsible for founding the League. I happen to like the way Sawyer adds an American accent to the Euro-steam-punk atmosphere, tho I can't say Dorian Gray adds anything. The comic was written by Alan Moore, whose V For Vendetta, From Hell, and Watchmen made for fine films, even though he has refused to endorse - nor even watch - any films based on his work. I'd counter Mr. Shepherd's bullet with at least two stars. Perhaps three, if I had seen it on the big screen, which must've rocked the scenes of citywide destruction, buildings toppling like dominoes as our heroes race ahead of the carnage in a souped-up Steam-Punkmobile. I even liked the DVD commentary for this one - "League" and "Van Helsing" are two of the most underrated fantasy films I can think of from the modern film era. The way both films mix and match (and integrate) characters from classic literature, that'd be a heckuva great drive-in double feature!— November 2, 2010 10:12 p.m.
Now You Know: Grand Tarantula
Grand Tarantula were nominated Best New Artist at the 2010 San Diego Music Awards.— October 31, 2010 12:12 a.m.
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Mr. Shepherd spends almost 200 words describing the opening shot (admittedly impressive, achieved with a then-new off-brand Steady-cam), and less than 40 on the rest of the review?! Surely worth noting are groundbreaking aspects like, say, spawning the birth of the "holiday themed" horror movie (future slashers would stalk Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Prom Night, even one schlocky Aussie entry called The Day AFTER Halloween…). Or the then-novel notion of an indestructible human (as opposed to mutants, vampires, witches, zombies, blah blah). Or the innovative marketing that blew up Halloween into a virtual Hollywood franchise that still churns 'em out to this day. Or how the epically low budget was overcome by doing things like hand painting paper leaves to make a California summer look like a rural autumn (requiring the cast to gather up all the leaves in bags after each shot, lest they loose their "fall" atmosphere). Though not classic cinema by any means, Halloween was still innovative and, at the time, more riveting than just about anything else touring drive-in theater screens (which was, after all, the intended market from its very conception). And worth citing are the performances of genuinely gifted thespians like the late Donald Pleasance (who returned for several sequels) and Jamie Lee Curtis, not to mention cult cutie PJ Soles, fresh off the film’s kindred precedent Carrie and soon to all-but-steal the Rock ‘N’ Roll High School spotlight from headliners the Ramones. I admit that Halloween isn’t the kind of movie I’d ever want to watch more than once. But that one time certainly made its mark on my moviegoing psyche --- I counter Mr. Shepherd’s single star with two more, for a total of three. Let’s not besmirch that rating, tho, by mentioning the mostly abysmal (and seemingly endless) sequels ----— October 27, 2010 5:04 p.m.
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Exciting to have it on the bigscreen again for Halloween -- it loses much of its suspenseful impact on a TV screen. I doubt many people ever had locks on their bathroom doors before it came out -- the flick must have done for locksmiths what Friday the 13th did for hockey mask manufacturers!— October 25, 2010 11:36 p.m.
Kill City, by Iggy Pop and James Williamson
Worth noting is that previous versions of this terrific album were nearly unlistenable, due to faulty vinyl and/or bootlegging from what was already a distorted mix. This is the first time we've been able to hear the record with clear, undistorted fidelity - a killer album, and it's about time that people found out about it!— October 24, 2010 11:25 p.m.
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Back on the big screen at two San Diego theaters for Halloween! Well, one theater and one outdoor temp - what a treat (no trick)! Note how pivotal the soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann is to its overall creepy feel, especially during the "action" moments - its importance is even more notable in the moments where there is NO music, as in the big "reveal" at the end --- instead of repeating the famed violin screech, the camera lets the actors (and the action) do all the work. And what wonderful work it is!— October 24, 2010 9:29 p.m.
Remembering Mr. C.
Great article here about dozens of films shot in San Diego - http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/2002-2/fil… A list of over 750 films shot in SD - http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/2002-2/fil… Here's my writeup about the 1973 oddity "Wicked Wicked," an experimental split-screen thriller shot at the Hotel Del - http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/… When they filmed the Chuck Norris flick "A Force of One" in SD, I was living at the Palms Hotel on 12th and Island, where a pivotal scene takes place - yep, I wrote about it at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/autobiograp… Also in the late '70s, they were filming "Scavenger Hunt" (similar to Mad Mad Mad World) at the SD Zoo, which I didn't realize at the time, and I accidentally walked into a shot just as Avery Schreiber was climbing out of a wildlife enclosure. It actually made it into the movie, minus the production crew screaming at me (I thought all the lights and activity was due to some construction going on.....)— October 23, 2010 4:18 p.m.
Remembering Mr. C.
Didn't know Janet ("Ms. Jackson, if you're nasty") was a Famous Former Neighbor! I'll add her to the list of upcoming comic strip subjects --— October 23, 2010 3:44 a.m.
Remembering Mr. C.
Marion Ross - aka Mrs. C - attended Point Loma High School. As did Manson Family member Sandra Good, Jason Scheff of the band Chicago, and award winning yacht jockey Dennis Conner. Not all at the same time, tho - wow, would that be a freaky class reunion or what? For more, see the Famous Former Neighbors comic strip gallery at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/fa…— October 22, 2010 5:48 p.m.
A Chat About Lemon Grove Kid Dennis Hopper
Hopper – whose family lived for years at 3224 Massachusetts Ave in Lemon Grove - went to both Grossmont High AND Helix High. Other future celebs to come outta Helix include hoops master Bill Walton and NFL star Reggie Bush - you can see Famous Former Neighbors cartoons on them AND Hopper at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/fa… SurfPuppy is incorrect about Crowe going to Point Loma High - he actually attended University of SD High, and he went undercover for his Fast Times book at Clairemont High. Yep, he’s been cartooned too -- actress Marion Ross and Manson Family member Sandra Good DID attend Point Loma High, though. Other Famous Former Neighbors toons feature MLB player Barry Zito and actor David Leisure (Grossmont High), Joan Embrey and actress Kathy Najimy (both of Crawford High), Bobby Lee of MADtv and Tom DeLonge of blink 182 (both of Poway High), slugger Ted Williams and Ted Giannoulas aka the San Diego Chicken (both from Hoover High), Cleavon Little of Blazing Saddles and special FX whiz Phil Tippett and musician Michael Page AND Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley (all four from Kearny High), Frank Zappa and Matt Bush and Tawny Kittaen (all three of Mission Bay High), actor Mario Lopez (Chula Vista High), actor Adam Brody (Scripps Ranch High), Kingston Trio’s Nick Reynolds (Coronado High), actresses Priscilla Allen and Raquel Welch (both of La Jolla High), Art Linkletter (Woodrow Wilson High), skater Tony Hawk (Torrey Pines High), actress Denise Richards (El Camino High), actress Annette Bening (Patrick Henry High), actor Victor Buono (St. Augustine High), Eddie Vedder (San Dieguito High), footballer Terrell Davis (Lincoln High), Junior Seau (Oceanside High), musician Jake E. Lee (Mar Vista High), and silent film star Harold Lloyd (San Diego High). And of course SD’s School of Creative and Performing arts has spawned a number of celebs, several with their own Reader toons as well –— October 22, 2010 5:39 p.m.