Kelli Maroney at Flashback Weekend

Flashback Weekend returns August 2-4. Once again, I will be "On the Beat" at Chicago's longest-running horror convention. Among other great guests, they have a reunion of several actors from The Thing.

I have met so many great celebrities at Flashback Weekend, including Kelli Maroney, one of my longtime favorites. Maroney gained fame on tv's Ryan's Hope in the 1980s. She has worked steadily ever since, including roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Not of This Earth. Because she is so sweet and has played in several horror movies, Maroney is one of the most popular guests at any convention.

I always say Flashback Weekend combines the best of a big convention, while maintaining the comfort of a smaller one. There is so much stuff at Flashback, yet I never feel overcrowded. That is because organizers Mike and Mia run a great convention. They are hands-on and do all they caqn to make it a great experience for all/

Check FlashbackWeekend.com for more info. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage

Kelli Maroney and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2022.

Chad Savage at Flashback Weekend

Flashback Weekend returns August 2-4. Once again, I will be "On the Beat" at Chicago's longest-running horror convention. Along with a bunch of great celebrities, there are always vendors selling cool stuff.

Chad Savage and Sinister Visions are one of the regular vendors. Sinister Visions is a dark art and graphic design studio. There's pop culture horror art, original creations and more. Also, Chad is a great guy, who is always ready to talk about art, horror or pretty much anything. You can learn a lot more from my interview with On the Beat With Chad Savage.

Check FlashbackWeekend.com for more info. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage

Chad Savage and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2022.

Talking Travel with Johnny Jet

My latest interview guest on Talking Travel was called "the original travel influencer" by Forbes. That's a very impressive title, especially for a man who was afraid to fly or even leave his house.

Johnny overcame his fears and eventually became a true global traveler. In our interview, Johnny discussed his journey to travel and then his travels around the world.

Look for the interview video and recap on Global Traveler at Talking Travel with Johnny Jet. Also, check JohnnyJet.com for more info on him and Why We Travel. Lastly, please subscribe to the Global Traveler YouTube channel for all sorts of interesting travel content (and to help my job security LOL).

Marcelo Nylund was Greased Lightning

Grease closes its run this weekend at the Skokie Theatre. Unfortunately, I did not get back to seeing it again, but my schedule got busier.

It is the talk of the town though. It had a great run with packed houses. I wish it would get extended, but Skokie Theatre has several other productions on the schedule. 

Marcelo Nylund brilliantly played Kenickie. The crowd seemed to be anxiously awaiting Greased Lightning and when it came, it killed! Equally good at the acting parts, Nylund was likable, yet slick in his interactions with Rizzo. He balanced both sides erectly.

One thing I take from Grease is a real appreciation for the performers. They did not let the smallish stage stop them. Somehow they made it all seem bigger. It was a fantastic performance al around.

I'll be looking for all the performers in their productions at Skokie Theatre and elsewhere. I will also be attending some other fun shows at Skokie Theatre.

Jodie, Marcelo Nylund and me in Skokie, IL-June 2024.

Friend Encounters: Virginia Gardner and Michael West

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Longtime author friend Michael West is often on the celebrity side of a booth at horror conventions. Today I feature Michael on the public side of those booths.

Earlier this year at HorrorHound Weekend, Michael met several of his favorites, including actress Virginia Gardner. The actress had an interesting start to her career. She was inspired by an autistic character in the 2001 film I Am Sam. Having a brother with autism, it really impacted her and her career direction was decided.

Since then, she has built a solid career on television and in the movies. Although to limited to horror films, her work in that field was a major source of her popularity at HorrorHound Weekend.

As for Michael, he has made a successful career from stand alone novels, franchises and short stories. Talking to the cheery Michael, you wouldn't guess the horror that flows through his brain into books. He's extremely talented, as judged by the several books of his on my shelf.

For more info on the convention, go to HorrorHoundWeekend.com. Go to bymichaelwest.com for more info on my talented author friend.

Michael West and Virginia Gardner in Cincinnati, OH-March 2024.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #697 Jenae Cherry & Mandy Harvey

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today I continue marching alphabetically through all MLB teams.

Born in Wonder Lake, Illinois, Jenae Cherry released her debut album in 2015, when she was 25. Cherry debuted her song "Don't Miss the Magic," a tribute to the Baltimore Orioles at a game in 2016. He connection to the Orioles goes a bit further, though. She is married to then-Orioles pitcher Brad Brach. For her Celebrity Jersey Card, Cherry naturally wore #35, Brach's number.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Amanda Lynn Harvey has quite a story. She lost a lot of her hearing from an illness when she was 18, but she overcame this to appear on America's Got Talent in 2017, finishing fourth. She also wrote a book. Unfortunately, she was criticized by a few in the deaf community for promoting a hearing activity. Ever-strong, she continued her career and also got married and had a child. She sang the National Anthem for the Baltimore Orioles to earm her Celebrity Jersey Card.. 

Cards That Never Were: Mike Sember 1978 & '79 Topps

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series on which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all their efforts.

Usually, I feature my creations, but sometimes I am beaten to the punch by others. In those cases, I choose to showcase their fine work, rather than struggle to duplicate it.

Two folks who produce a lot of such cards are Gio from When Topps Had (Base)Balls and Lynn from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group. Both men have made hundreds of "missing' Cards" and are very generous in sharing their work.

Infielder Mike Sember was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1977, appearing in three games. He followed that with nine games in 1978. That would be it for his MLB career, but he played in the minors through the 1981  season. Overall, in 1 games, Sember went 2-8 with 0 HRs, 0.RBIs and two runs scored. Topps did not issue any cards for Sember.

I saw the injustice in that and set out to correct this oversight. Then I saw the creations by Lynn (1978) and Gio (1979) and rested easy knowing Sember now had virtual cards.

Smiling Stacy Shadows

Stacy Shadows is a ring veteran  For 15 years, she has been crushing opponents (men and women) in rings all over the midwest. She is so good at being bad that fans eventually started cheering for her.

At Brew City Wrestling recently, I saw her battled two men in the ring. Although the champ retained his title in the match, Shadows was dominant and fans loved her performance.

I have been a fan of her in-ring work for many years. It was only at the last two Brew City Wrestling shows that I finally got pictures with her. The first featured Shadows scowling in full heel form. As you can se in this one, she is all smiles.

Now, I could credit my fun essence for her smile and it might be just a little bit true. Actually, Shadows thanked both Tony and me for being supportive of her career. She was genuinely appreciative of our many years of applauding her efforts. It was a nice little moment.

Wrestling needs more folks like Shadows. She's all business in the ring. She's believable against male or females. She works great as a heel, and is incredibly popular as a fan favorite good guy.

For more information on BCW, go to BrewCityWrestling.com. Look for Shadows on social media and wrestling rings.

Stacy Shadows and me in Waukesha, WI-June 2024.

James Azrael at Flashback Weekend 2022

Flashback Weekend returns August 2-4. Once again, I will be "On the Beat" at Chicago's longest-running horror convention.

There will also be many vendors and exhibitors, one of my favorites being my friend James Azrael. I interviewed James about his work with the Horror and SciFi Prop Preservation Association (HSPPA), Spooky's Swirls, The Lobo Fragmendium and more, while also talking about Flashback Weekend. That interview is at On the Beat With James Azrael.

As usual, James will be at Flashback and you never know what he might bring with him, but it will definitely be cool. James is also ready to talk about horror, films, cookies and pretty much anything. Ask him about his film, It's Just a Game, a really interesting movie he did a few years back.

I look forward to seeing James and a bunch of other celebrities, vendors and friends. Flashback Weekend is always a great time.

Check FlashbackWeekend.com for more info. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage

James Azrael and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2022.

Eugene Almost Took Our Picture

When we saw Grease at the Skokie Theatre last month, we waited after the production to meet some of the stars. Andrew Buel, who played Eugene, was the first performer we saw.

I approached Andrew and complimented him on his performance. Then I asked him if we could take a picture. He proceeded to extend his hand for my phone. Confused, I asked why. He answered he though I wanted him to take our picture. Pretty funny. I explained we wanted a picture with him and he graciously complied.

Andrew was brilliant as the nerdy Eugene. The whole cast was very good. We really enjoyed the performance.

Grease runs through July 28 at the Skokie Theatre. After that, there are a few one-time productions and a few longer-run musicals. Grease was just the latest in a long line of outstanding shows I have seen at Skokie Theatre.

 Andrew Buel, Jodie and me in Skokie, IL-June 2024.