What makes superheroes so super?

So why have superhero yarns become among the most reliable of money-makers? The way I see it, the superhero genre speaks to many of our culture’s pent-up voices and internal desires. Over at WBUR's TheARTERY, I talk about why.

Batman vs. Superman Smackdown!

In this 3-parter in The Boston Globe, I give you (almost) everything you wanted to know about Batman and Superman, in advance the new “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" movie, including: 1) a look at the new movie in the context of previous Batman and Superman films (and if Affleck is up to the task of being the Caped Crusader); 2) an overview of “Batman and Superman at the movies” and 3) a Batman/Superman fact sheet.

Why I'm against online comment forums

Why am I against online comment forums? Increasingly, I see ad hominem attacks, “you’re a loser” name-calling, and Donald Trump-style playground insults --- all of which have come to pass for grown-up debate in America. Read the rest over on WBUR's Cognoscenti.

What is it like to run the ‪‎Iditarod?

What it's like to run the Iditarod? In my story “1 woman, 16 dogs, and 1,000 miles of snow” for the Boston Globe, I interview Debbie Clarke Moderow about her dogsledding quest to finish the 1,000 mile race --- and write a book about it, called “Fast Into the Night: A Woman, Her Dogs, and Their Journey North on the Iditarod Trail."

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and the state of the mash-up movie

How to make a mash-up: Into a cauldron, toss some historical or fictional character, dusty novel, or ancient fairy tale. The more staid or stale or out of fashion, the better. Then, stir in creatures or villains from some different genre: zombies, witches, dinosaurs, even Nazis. Pour this mixture into a script, and bake for about 120 minutes at 75 million dollars, give or take a few million. Serve with a reliable dressing — blood and gore, perhaps — that most focus groups will find to their tastes. Prepared correctly, your Hollywood masterpiece will serve the masses.

On Friday, the mash-up rises again with “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” The movie version of Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 novel of the same name retells Jane Austen’s 1813 tale of manners, morality, social standing, and romance, but sets it in a reimagined Regency Era beset by the undead.

Will this new concoction, equal parts Austen and zombie pandemic, deliver a much-needed shot in the arm or another box office blow to the genre? Read the rest of my story over at the Boston Globe

Let's get virtual... virtual ...

In which I try out a virtual reality exercise bike, become a pegasus, lasso some bandits, and come in second as a dog driving a Formula One racing car. Plus, I burn some calories. My story for the Boston Globe.

Follow my insane itinerary?

Hey Boston travel fans: I dare you to do all this in Boston in a mere 36 Hours. Here's my insane itinerary for the New York Times Travel section "36 Hours in ..." series.

Pilgrim for a Day

I'm going to be a Pilgrim for a Day! On Mon June 16, noon-1, join me and deputy director of Plimoth Plantation Richard Pickering, for a Google Hangout live-cast and witness my transformation into 17th-Century Pilgrim, Stephen Deane. Watch me struggle with a period dialect and ill-fitting shoes in preparation for my live role-play experience on site at Plimoth on June 21. It's all for Boston Gloibe story I'm writing.

Settle your colonial-role-playing curiosity and ask us questions in this rare opportunity to look behind the scenes at Plimoth Plantation’s role players!

More info on how to participate here http://www.plimoth.org/pilgrimforaday

Help, My Computer Is Turning Me Into A Robot

The first three months of 2014 have given us three momentous milestones in technology. There was the 30th anniversary of the Macintosh personal computer back in January. Then came the 10th birthday of Facebook in February. March celebrated 25 years since the beginning of the World Wide Web.

These technologies have made us more connected, more adept, more independent and more informed. Seemingly overnight, they’ve become irreplaceable tools for the workplace and for leisure, allowing us to do things we’d previously never dreamed possible: send messages at the blink of an eye, search vast databases from our homes and offices, and store vast amounts of information. Computers, social media and the Web have unleashed a powerful, creative DIY force. We are now our own secretaries, publishers and number-crunchers. We are indeed powerful.

But to what end?

Much has been written about technology’s downside. Largely, that critique centers on its de-socializing effects. The Internet and our smart devices distract us, and addict us. They tempt us to not “be present” in real world space. I often feel these things to be true. But my take on the dehumanizing aspects of digital technology is somewhat different.

My fear is this: Has my trusty and seemingly innocuous MacBook Air made me more robot-like? Have our computers turned us into them?

Read the rest over at WBUR's Cognoscenti.

Dune is in Your Head

If you've ever seen the 1984 David Lynch film version of Dune, or the three-part TV mini-series from 2000, you know that both adaptations of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel left plenty of his world on the cutting room floor --- and left something to be desired.

But what if there was one version of Dune that would have blown the minds of critics before they had a chance to grumble? 

In this story for BoingBoing, "Dune is in Your Head: The mirage of Jodorowsky’s Unfilmed Epic," I delve into the history of director Alejandro Jodorowsky's version of Dune, the one that was never made, and the one now captured in a terrific documentary called Jodorowsky's Dune. 

Below, a couple of the production stills from the never realized film.

Concept art by Swiss artist H.R. Giger. All photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Storyboard of Dune, art by Jean Giraud, aka French comic book artist Moebius(Photo: David Cavallo) All photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics  

How about some edgier Muppet movies?

I enjoyed putting together this post about possible alternative Muppet movies, from “The Muppets’ Rings of the Lord” and  “The Muppets’ End of the World” to “The Muppets Go Psycho” and  “The Muppets Greatest Story Ever Told.” You might have better ideas.

... what if these puppets explored other Hollywood tropes and genres—more risky ones at that? There’s some slim precedent for this frog’s leap into more adult themes: The Muppets took on the Seven Deadly Sins and other more prurient themes in a weird 1975 TV special called “The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.” 

Read the rest on WBUR's The ARTery

Lost Bakshi Lord of the Rings footage found

Over at BoingBoing, I posted a short piece about new, previously unseen footage from the love-it-or-hate-it 1978 Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings adapatation. Turns out, Bakshi (actually, his son Eddie) has unearthed some unfilmed cel animation art that was never previosuly used. Those drawings have recently been filmed, and posted on Bakshi's Facebook page. The two "new" scenes --- which feature the Gandalf and Balrog fight, as recalled by Gandalf later after he's come back from the dead --- are brief. But they are worth looking at, if for no other reason than to revisit Bakshi's visually memorable but flawed movie.

I was lucky to have interviewed Bakshi back in 2006, as well as last week for this post. Bakshi is one of my childhood heroes (along with filmmakers Disney, Lucas and Spielberg), and his Rings was my first ever introduction to Toklien --- and I suppose my gateway drug to D&D. 

If you recall, Baskhi's film left viewers high and dry about 2/3 of the way through the Tolkien epic. The director never got to make a "part II" to the film, despite the Bakshi version of Rings making money --- $30 million on a $4 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo (though when I interviewed Bakshi in 2006, he told me it cleared $90 million on a $8 million budget).

When you see the footage, you'll be reminded of some of the troubling differences between the way characters were animated --- sometimes traditionally-animated, sometimes using rotscoping (or tracing live footage for animators to use as a guideline).

I asked Bakshi about this, why specifically in the new footage do Gandalf and the Balrog appear differently, almost cartoonish, compared to the rotoscoped Gandalf and Balrog seen on The Bridge of Khazad-dûm. “Well, it’s hazy," Bakshi, now 75, said, "but I was trying to make memories different than the real time story. I was wrestling with trying to separate the styles.”

Indeed, those days are hazy. But a fun trip to revisit them. Enjoy.

At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters

Tired of all this press about D&D? I hope not. The hits just keep coming as I milk this anniversary for all it's worth. Here's another piece I did tying into the big 4-0 -- for BoingBoing, called "At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters." Enjoy!

Huff Post "14 Holiday Gifts For Any Middle-earth Lover's Library" includes Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

Great news today! Huffington Post named Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks one of "14 Holiday Gifts For Any Middle-earth Lover's Library." 

I am honored to be in the company of these other fine books. The post says Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks is "a moving and funny look at the saving grace and inspirational power of fantasy."

and:

"Journalist Ethan Gilsdorf travels around the world on a poignant and hilarious quest to rediscover his youthful love of fantasy role playing games and Tolkien. He explores Oxford, England (where Tolkien taught and wrote most of his books), Marquette University in Wisconsin (where he gets to hold manuscript pages from The Lord of the Rings) and New Zealand (visiting the locations where the film trilogy was shot). It's a moving and funny look at the saving grace and inspirational power of fantasy."

Thanks so much, Huff Post. Read more.

How did I get my mojo back?

BY ETHAN GILSDORF

In a new stunt-journalism story for the Boston Globe, I spent some time trying to address the problem of growing older, not being hip, losing my grasp of pop culture, and otherwise feeling old. 

What happened to that 20- and 30-something dude I once was? I don't look that bad for a 47-year-old. But the idea of trying to be “hip” has been on my mind ever since I turned 47. As I write in the story:

Despite my nerdy backpack-wearing, laptop-carrying, latte-chugging lifestyle, I had begun suspecting I wasn’t the youngest person in the room anymore. My cultural sweet spot hovers somewhere between 1979 and 1999. Sure, I have a smart phone, and have built my obligatory social media identities, but I feel bumbling in my efforts to stay on top of technology. I don’t own a TV, so I miss out on the cult shows. The time when I’d endure long lines at clubs to see bands, even ones I’m oblivious to, was passing. I’m happy staying home and listening to my collection of obscure K-Tel records.

Also: People suddenly call me sir. As in: “Here’s your change, sir,” or “Let me just unlock that case where the teeth-whitening products are, sir.” Do the baggy jeans, cowboy shirts, and running shoes give off old-man cooties? Huh. As time marches forward, and I struggle to identify the latest band artistic icon, trending Internet meme, I wonder if I’ve fallen irrevocably behind.

I decided to embark on a Middle Age Makeover. I concocted a quest to regain my musical, pop cultural, technological, and fashion mojo. You can read the results here.

WBCN Remembered in Book and Boston Globe story

Remember the "Rock of Boston"? The Big Mattress? The Rock and Roll Rumble? The on-air hijinks, comedy, in-your-face personalities, the music? A new book called Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN is out written by 'BCN disc jockey and music director Carter Alan, recalls the era when WBCN ruled the airwaves.

In my story for the Boston Globe today, I was able to sit down with Alan and talk to him about the groundbreaking station, and how it will be remembered. I also spoke with some of the major players at the station -- incuding Charles Laquidara, Oedipus, Ken Shelton, Tank, Mark Parenteau, Lisa Traxler, Adam 12, Tank Juanita, Sam Kopper, Matt Siegel, and others. 

The story ended up being a little shorter than I had hoped. I tracked down as many players from WBCN's past as I could, and asked them to share what 'BNC will be most remembered for in the annals of rock and radio history, but a lot of the great material ended up on the cutting room floor.

Read my original story here, then check out the cut sidebar below.

And incidentally, check out Carter Alan, who's got a few book reading and signing events coming up, including: Wed., Nov. 13 at 7pm at The Book Shop, 694 Broadway, Somerville, MA, www.bookshopsomerville.com; Fri., Nov. 15 at 7pm at The Book Shack, 101 Independence Mall Way, Kingston, MA, www.thebookshack.net; Fri. Nov. 22 at 6pm at the Barnes & Noble, Braintree, MA; and Sat. Dec 7, at 7:30pm, Barnes & Noble, Salem, NH.

Charles Laquidara in the early days (photo: courtesy of Carter Alan)

Voices Carry: WBCN Veteran DJs Through the Ages Recall 'BCN's Legacy

How will WBCN be remembered? The Big Mattress? Its Rock and Roll Rumble? The on-air hijinks, comedy, in-your-face personalities, or the music? We tracked down as many players from WBCN's past as we could, and asked them to share what 'BNC will be most remembered for in the annals of rock and radio history.

"I remember there was a time when you could hear 'BCN without a radio. Literally. You could start in downtown Boston and walk, if you wanted to walk the five miles to Cambridge, to Harvard Square ... Between the cars that were playing it, with their open windows, in the summertime ... and all the dormitories and all the apartments, the houses, it was like you could hear 'BCN from one end of the city to the other." --- Charles Laquidara, DJ, 1968–96

"All media going back to cave drawings ... reflect what is going on in their time and stimulate it. 'BCN happened at a time when socially, politically and musically it was unbelievably charged." --- Sam Kopper, first program director and morning DJ - 1968–71, live music broadcast producer and weekend DJ 1975 - 91, now PD/DJ of WBCN Free Form Rock, wbcn.com  and 100.7HD3

"WBCN was like being in the Sons of Anarchy without the motorcycles." --- Ken Shelton, DJ, 1980–93

"It was an amazing thing to go in there every day and flip on a switch and talk to a couple million people in six states...To make people laugh and make them dance and make them enjoy their life. I miss that style of radio. There's nothing like that now." --- Mark Parenteau, DJ, 1978–97

"It was a different time. Radio was different. It's all commercial now ... Then, they were just a bunch of crazy hippies. .... I can trace my success to BCN. I dont know how I would have developed differently had I not had the 'BCN experience." --- Matt Siegel, DJ 1977–79, now at KISS 108

"The music meant something to the DJ and to the moment in which it was begin played... What's missing [now is] the human touch. The feeling that someone else was there with you." --- Paul "Tank" Sferruzza, Listener Line operator, van driver, producer, sports reporter, 1978–95

"I remember the owners telling me, distinctly, they said, 'You’re gonna make mistakes, and you’re gonna learn from your mistakes. But we like you because you’re intelligent and you’re not afraid to take chances.' Who says that?" --- Oedipus, DJ and Program Director, 1977–2004, now at RadioDBC.com and oedipus1.com

WBCN staff hanging with Elvis Costello on the release of his SPIKE album. 1989 (Courtesy of Warner Brothers Records)"There was a strong sense of history being made. 'BCN would play something and damn the torpedoes. If we believed in something we could go to the wall on it." --- Lisa Traxler, DJ, 1984–90

"The sense of family came across the airwaves. It was a radio station that you listened to find out what was going on ... The DJs were funny and smart and they lived the life." --- Janet "Juanita" King, DJ 1996–2001, 2002–09, now at WZLX

"It was part of the fabric of Boston ... 'BCN for years set the tone for radio stations of its ilk all across the country. But 'BCN as cultural phenomenon, through it s music and its personalities and its event and its presence, really was Boston. It united Boston." --- Adam "Adam 12" Chapman, DJ, 2003–09, now at RadioBDC.com

Announcing, Dungeons & Dorkwads!

Let the dork-offs begin!

Announcing Dungeons & Dorkwads, a site for all things D&D, nostalgia and bad jokes. In our first post, Noble Smith and I geek out about a 1970s Smaug the Dragon miniature figurine and its resemblance to Pinky Tuscadero, the Fonz's +7 Motorcycle of Shark Tank Jumping, and a hobby shop called Unicorn Castle where they had girls for sale.

What are we trying to accomplish? We’re not sure. What is our mission statement? We don’t have one (yet). But what is this site all about? Dorking-off.

What is a dork-off, you ask? Noble and Ethan, we are not-so-youthful dorks, with an unhealthy attachment to the role-playing games of our glory years — D&D especially — and assorted fantasy, science fictional and pop cultural artifacts. Here at Dungeons & Dorkwads, we exhume and celebrate these lost relics, be they worn dice, faded hand-drawn maps, broken lead figurines, beat-up Tolkien boxed sets or Hoth or Happy Days dioramas. (We’d like to see one that combines both universes.) Then, we geek out about them.

What stories do they unleash from the Tomb of Memories? What did it all mean to us? Were those years in the dungeon a complete waste? We think not. Along the way, we let these dork-offs take us in whatever direction that pleases us. Expect side trips to the lands of Tatooine, Middle-earth, Gilligan’s Island, Lego, and Loni Anderson.

- See more at: http://www.dungeonsanddorkwads.com/whats-a-dork-off/#sthash.unqTcAjf.dpuf

36 Hours in Portsmouth, N.H.

I was lucky to be able to write about my a town dear to my past and heart, Portsmouth NH, near where I grew up in Seacoast NH. This appeared in the New York Times Travel section, Aug 1, 2013, and covers everything from Strawberry Banke to the Press Room, Market Square to dining options like the Black Trumpet.

Read the rest of my New York Times Travel story

A kid who brings miniature worlds to life

NATICK — Sometimes, the world can seem overwhelming. Overbearing. If only you were tiny enough to build a house out of cards and climb inside, or escape to a miniature treehouse suspended between stalks of broccoli.

Or better yet, just fly away. Fold a giant paper airplane, then grasp its thin fuselage for dear life and sail across a field into summertime.

Such is Zev Hoover’s fanciful photographic take on reality. His arresting images evoke a wonderland of imaginary environments, built from f-stops and pixels, and hinting at characters with secret stories to tell.

Hoover’s work, which he posts on the photo sharing site Flickr using the handle “Fiddle Oak” (a play on “Little Folk”), has caught fire across the Internet. He has been profiled in the media and on design and photography blogs. On Monday, he will fly to New York to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America Live” webcast.

One post touting his “surreal photo manipulations” has received 108,000 Facebook likes.

“Maybe a million people saw it,” said the slightly stunned Hoover, who is only 14.

COLM O’MOLLOY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“He’s enjoying this little ride,” said his father, Jeff. “But he’s familiar with Andy Warhol’s idea of 15 minutes of fame and realizes this may be transitory.”

The skinny teen deadpanned, “If I was older, it wouldn’t make as good of a story.”

But it’s Hoover’s talent that has captured imaginations. A film production company contacted him about designing a movie poster. He has been approached by a publisher for a potential narrative photo textbook project. Nikon World magazine asked him to contribute a photo. A lens manufacturer sent him a free lens, saying only: “Take some pictures with it.”

No doubt he will. Plenty of his peers would be happy playing soccer or video games, but not Hoover. He needs to be creating. “I get anxious if I’m not doing something,” he said, sitting outside his family’s Natick home this week. “What’s next?”

His series of “Little Folk/Fiddle Oak” images began during a walk in the woods with sister, Aliza. He remembers thinking, “Oh, wouldn’t little people be cool?” Crouching near the ground, he imagined seeing the world from their perspective. He felt the miniature genre had never been done in photography — “at least not very well.”

“There’s a fine line to walk between having it be too abstract and having it be too cheesy-obvious,” he said.

He performs his sleight of hand in Photoshop, which he taught himself via Internet tutorials.

Read the rest of the front page Boston Globe story. For a photo gallery of Zev's work, look here.