TEM #1: In the Special Edition gallery at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, we’re stepping “Out of the Box” and allowing visitors both young and old to get hands-on with pop culture by giving everyone an up-close look at the characters that are popular right now with toys that you can actually touch and play with. Those toys you see in the stores today and all those TV shows and movies you’re watching now are going to be the subject of museum exhibitions themselves before we know it...so why not get a head start on the process? It won’t be as easy to play with them when they’re locked behind glass! “Out of the Box” runs until December 2008.

And talking of current toys, this year’s crop of big blockbuster films has certainly offered its share of contributions to collectible culture through characters like Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones, Speed Racer, Wall-E, and many more. True, some will overstay their welcome in discount bins and aisles, but some have already been perennial favorites over the years and are just now enjoying a resurgence due to a reinvention or reintroduction. I can remember buying some of the first Indiana Jones action figures and play sets from Kenner way back in the early ‘80s, most of which are now turning up on eBay with impressive prices, especially if you kept them on the cards and in the boxes (and to think I actually wanted to play with my Well of Souls play set, what was I thinking?)

Now you’ll find the whip-wielding archaeologist once again hanging on hooks in your local Target or Walmart with characters from the history of the Jones saga, and one day I’m sure there will be people bemoaning the fact that they dared to play out scenes from The Crystal Skull rather than keep the packaging intact. But that’s life in pop culture. At least those who purchase their very own Iron Man mask and accessories or, my pick of the season so far, oversized cloth Hulk hands with built-in sound effects (they look even cooler than the plastic ones released a couple years ago) can make use of them with less guilt, since they are absolutely intended to be worn and enjoyed rather than just shoved away into a dark corner of the closet. But if you really want to, maybe you should buy two sets, that comes to four Hulk hands by the way, I used a calculator for that one.

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ITEM #1: On July 4, our thoughts naturally turn to the history of our country, and here at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum it’s the perfect place to see Independence Day through a different lens.

For one thing, right at the start of our tour you come face to face with the work of one of America’s great statesmen and thinkers, Benjamin Franklin. His famous “Join or Die” snake cartoon from 1754 (recently featured prominently in the opening sequence of HBO’s John Adams series), while related to the French and Indian War, not to the War of American Independence, it is not only considered one of the first political cartoons, but it’s a superb example of a scientist and philosopher turning to the art of cartooning to make a socio-political point. Let’s put it this way; it’s not exactly The Far Side.

If there’s one thing you learn here at GEM, it’s how important the World War II era was and still is to the shaping of our nation’s cultural identity, and it was just as transformative, probably more so, to the literary art form of comics themselves, which is still considered one of the two unique American art forms along with jazz music. During WWII, the comic book industry became the juggernaut that defined itself for decades to come and established so many of the characters that are still with us today, from Superman and Batman to Captain America and the Human Torch.

Ah, Captain America. Skinny Steve Rogers submits himself for a top secret government experiment to create a “Super Soldier” and instead becomes the Sentinel of Liberty and the embodiment of our nation’s greatest hopes and ideals. This is the ultimate American fairy tale, and ever since Cap was introduced in 1941 by co-creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby he’s been at the forefront of the Marvel Universe, its moral center, and its American conscience.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the character is that Captain America has always striven to represent our aspirations as a nation regardless of other factors; when the law or the current administration have clashed with what he believed our country should be, Cap has often defied his government, shed his mantle or gone underground. In every case, Cap has invariably been right.

The character recently died in a controversial story, but rest assured Ol’ Wing-Head will surely return. What’s important is that on a day like today, we take a page from Cap’s book and think about the history of our country, celebrating the heroes both real and fictional that helped to shape us. Happy Fourth of July!

ITEM #2: In the Special Edition gallery at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, we’re stepping “Out of the Box” and allowing visitors both young and old to get hands on with pop culture by giving everyone an up close look at the characters that are popular right now with toys that you can actually touch and play with. Those toys you see in the stores today and all those TV shows and movies you’re watching now are going to be the subject of museum exhibitions themselves before we know it...so why not get a head start on the process? It won’t be as easy to play with them when they’re locked behind glass! “Out of the Box” runs until December 2008.

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ITEM #1: Withdrawal. For some it’s all about an addiction to a prescription drug, or maybe worse, but for pop culture enthusiasts, it usually means one thing: their favorite TV show is going away for the summer, or maybe worse. And so it is with me and Doctor Who.

The resurrection and revitalization of Who by Russell T. Davies and his production team has been nothing short of an epic fairy tale of success and worldwide acclaim, with an ever increasing pop culture profile outside the U.K. and a near bulletproof reputation from within it. But now we face a turning point in this great saga, and for many of us that are such devoted fans, 2009 will be the biggest test we’ve faced since the wilderness years of the 1990s. Not much of one, true, but a bit.

Davies and much of the current team will be gone by the end of 2009, moving on to other projects and leaving Doctor Who in the hands of incoming producer, and Hugo award winning writer of episodes like “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Blink," Steven Moffat. The two-part Series 4 finale airing this Saturday and next Saturday in the U.K., and soon to be seen in the U.S. on the Sci-Fi Channel, is a massive farewell to four years of RTD’s Who, with big surprises, guest stars galore, and the fate of the entire universe at stake. But for 2009 there will be no regular 13-episode series; instead, following this year’s Christmas special, four specials will bridge the gap between Davies’ era and Moffat’s, which kicks off in 2010 with a full 13-episode Series 5.

So it’s not like Doctor Who is going away in 2009, but there will be less of it. And now the questions begin: What will happen in RTD’s final specials? What does Moffat have in store? What will change? What will stay the same? And most importantly, what will star David Tennant, the most powerful presence at the helm of the show since Tom Baker in the 1970s, do when 2010 rolls around? He’s contracted for the ’09 specials, but will they be his swansong? And how can anyone replace the man that has come to embody everything that has made this new series so exciting and magnetic?

That the future of Doctor Who is in safe hands is in no real doubt. That the future is a long and healthy one is not in much doubt. But what shape that future will take, ah, that’s where the doubt comes in, and rest assured fandom will spend the next year and more debating that endlessly until the first episode of Moffat’s Who airs.

There are worse ways to pass the time.

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ITEM #1: For those of you wondering where my review of The Incredible Hulk is, sorry but I haven’t seen it yet. Maybe I’ll get to it later this week. It’s been a big blockbuster movie season, and sometimes you just run out of energy after watching metallic marauders, speeding racecars, and adventuring archaeologists. Buzz is certainly high on this latest Marvel adaptation, so I’m interested in giving it a chance, and the notion that this, together with the recent Iron Man, will finally start building to a more inclusive Marvel cinematic universe is very exciting. We still have Captain America, Thor, Ant Man (yes possibly!) and the big Avengers team-up to look forward to, and things are looking good so far. So when you go to theaters this summer, just tell the ticket person to “make mine Marvel!” If they don’t ask security to escort you out, you’ll be doing your bit to spread good vibes. Or buy a pair of those neat cloth Hulk hands with the sound effects built in and wear them to the counter when you go to buy your popcorn and soda. You won’t be able to hold anything, but the staff will admire your dedication to the character and his legacy. Trust me.

ITEM #2: Obituary time again. Stan Winston, one of those people that I consider a primary architect of my childhood with creature design and effects credits on everything from The Terminator and Predator to Aliens and Jurassic Park, died this past weekend at the age of 62. As much as men like Winston were themselves inspired by pioneers like Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen, Winston himself inspired successive generations with his fanciful creations. He expertly instilled equal measures of wonder and terror in the minds of countless kids that grew up with his movies, and I’m one of them. He will be missed.

ITEM #3: In the Special Edition gallery at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, we’re stepping “Out of the Box” and allowing visitors both young and old to get hands-on with pop culture by giving everyone an up-close look at the characters that are popular right now with toys that you can actually touch and play with. Those toys you see in the stores today and all those TV shows and movies you’re watching now are going to be the subject of museum exhibitions themselves before we know it...so why not get a head start on the process? It won’t be as easy to play with them when they’re locked behind glass! “Out of the Box” runs until December 2008.

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This weekend is the debut of a new exhibition here at GEM! Beginning Saturday, June 14, 2008, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum will devote its Special Edition gallery to a unique and exciting presentation of tomorrow’s pop culture…today! We’re stepping “Out of the Box” and allowing visitors both young and old to get hands-on with pop culture by giving everyone an up close look at the characters that are popular right now with toys that you can actually touch and play with.

While it may sound strange to shift from a retrospective to something so up to date, it’s worth remembering the bigger picture. The mission of our museum demands that we not only take a look at what toys and characters shaped American pop culture and entertainment in the past but which ones are defining our present and future. After all, those toys you see in the stores today and all those TV shows and movies you’re watching now are going to be the subject of museum exhibitions themselves before we know it, so why not get a head start on the process? It won’t be as easy to play with them when they’re locked behind glass!

Our own Executive Vice President, Melissa Geppi-Bowersox, has this to say about “Out of the Box”, “We’re very excited about this new exhibit. This is a chance for parents to bring their children to the museum and not only have a fun time playing with toys but to get a chance to see how it all fits into the big picture of pop culture in our country.”

As an added incentive, GEM is offering a special coupon discount to readers of Scoop. Print out the coupon for $2 off admission to the museum for up to 4 people. The coupon is valid from June 14, 2008, to July 31, 2008.

“Out of the Box” will run until December 2008, and in addition to the toys and the opportunity to build and play right here at the museum, we’ll also be featuring giveaways, face painting, costumed characters, and much more. You can find out more by calling us at (410) 625-7060, e-mailing us at info@geppismuseum.com, or visiting the museum website at www.geppismuseum.com.

Next time, back to rambling for me!

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