The Pop Culture of Gus Lequerica

One of the series that had caused a hit in television history is Scooby-Doo, at 40 years in the air, the character is well known worldwide more than The Simpson’s and Family Guy . It’s difficult to think that modern television it couldn’t be there without Scooby-Doo as the show inspired many future Producers and Writers to create their own sows and even today with the re-runs is inspiring a new generation of children that probably someday will work in an art related field; but, what is the charm of Scooby Doo?, what is the charm that had made the character so well liked over 40 years of history?.

 

I guess the answer is simple, there is an innocent humor that makes the show durable even if there are some pop culture references from the 60’s like the episodes with the Addams Family, I bet not many kids today will know who the Addams are, but I am a 90% sure that they will know who Scooby-Doo is and they will watch the old show anyway.
Over the year, Scooby has made a great number of appearances and it has many spin-offs, going from independent movies that aren’t cannon to the original series or the 2003 sequel What’s New Scooby-Doo, but they are quite charming as they reflect a period of the time they were produced. One of the incarnations that hasn’t been popular but yet sometimes is quite refreshing is the 80’s series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo where following the trend of babyfication all the characters where set in a pre-teen environment and instead of solving mysteries nationwide they do it in Coolsville, giving a name to the city where the characters lived when they weren’t resolving mysteries. The show was kind of weird in the storylines and used mostly a slapstick humor that had been popular with the Hanna-Barbera characters but doing that the show lost its appeal of a more adult show by making the characters looking more like caricatures, still is quite enjoyable.

 

We know if there isn’t a new show produced, the re-runs and many licensed toys will continue making Scooby-Doo a long lasting hit (even more than Pokémon) as it has an appeal that is universal to almost any new generation.

Ok, not much to tell about this week, still almost penniless and is not fun when you are a book and comic collector; this week reminds me on how many titles I had to give up because being without a job is letting certain tastes and indulgences away from my daily routine. From what I could look this week en on comics in my dungeon, it was a really good week not only for Marvel but for almost any of the publishers.  Only this week I could afford these ones:

 

1) X-INFERNUS: 

The highly mini series regarding Magic’s return, was a little bit crappy in the ending; we were expecting something more and only we got this?, Illyana with Collosus trying to forget their differences because at the end they are brothers. It started really great but the ending sucked.

 

2) Messiah War:

One word! “COOL”, the first chapter of the highly anticipated Messiah War was really cool, I am not going to spoil it.

 

3) Runaways:

  I don’t know or it’s me, but maybe Marvel is starting to abuse with the zombies; probably, yes. I hope they don’t turn this series into a zombie failure, because Runaways had proven to be one cool title that have more cool dialogs than many well stablished titles. I don’t also or it’s just, but maybe Runaways is going to be cancelled…

If you have been rickroll’d probably you have been left with the curiosity about what this meme things are, well a meme is a internet phenomenon which trough the use of multimedia has the objective to spread an idea or simple a joke, is basically an evolution on the original word that had the meaning of an imitable phenomenon; the meme evolved into that, it evolved in the internet as a imitable phenomenon when a video or photo ends successful other people want to mimic it as well.

In my opinion there are really good memes around the internet, but the ones that I am going to talk now are mostly placed on the “poop” category, but what is a “poop” is just a video where intended to cause shock or amusement in the user. Take a look on this 10 examples that I am going to present that are commonly found in Youtube.

1.    YTP Inspector Pingas (Inspector Gadget & Robotnik’s Pingas)
Simple in the animation, is just the intro of the popular cartoon Inspector Gadget, but the key with this video is the mix of the track, is quite clever.

2.    Mighty Morpin Pingas Ranger
The track is not the best, but the edition in the intro is quite funny and smart. UltraMoron parodied in the same way how Migthy Morphin Power Ranger parodied Super Sentai, the only difference is that Mighty Pingas is way better than Mighty Morphin.

3.    Kirby’s Falcon Pawnch
One word for this “hilarious”.

4.    Rick Roll: The Literal Version
This one can be another video from the Rick Astley fad, but we to admit is really funny and the dubber did a good job in mimic the pitch of Rick.

5.    Hotel Mario Toaster Scene
WTF?! I don’t get it, how the toaster went outside the roof without breaking it?, only in the 80’s and 90’s we can find something strange as this. Enjoy the cheesy dialog.

6.    Obey Weegee
Utterly creepy!.

7.    How to poop
This video is the source of many nightmares. A freaking talking toilet, your parents being voyeuristic by watching, your dad happy because you soil a dancing happy shit and at the end a Japanese boy pooping?! This video is on the borderline of pedophilia!.

8.    Dr Chou Chou Theremin
Just watch it; this bizarre humanoid plays the Theremin a really fantastic instrument.

9.    Caballeros del Zodiaco Costeños
Is in Spanish, but is not the pride of the people of the coast of Colombia.

10.     Hare Hare Yukai
Don’t watch it, your eyes will burn and your bones will melt because of the bad!.

Hello everyone, this is freakishly cool by different means, first the Theremin is an instrument that was invented in the 1920’s to be exact 1929 we can see that the Theremin is the granddaddy of techno music, is something cool from the perspective you look it because without the electronic revolution in the 1920 and up to the 1950’s, we wouldn’t have techno music today, Take for example one of the most known themes songs ever, the Doctor Who theme; this theme is practically the first techno song ever in history and a classical one because it don’t use any string or air instrument at all but if you listen carefully there is the sound of the Theremin in the bottom.

One musician that I think it’s really cool is Randy George, a classical trained Texan musician that can play virtually any instrument, including the Theremin, check below his video, is a rendition of the theme of the legend of Zelda.

Ok, so Young X-Men is canceled and next month we are going to have again the New Mutants, in my opinion that is one the best moves that Marvel could thought for this year since Young X-Men was only a wannabe title of the New Mutants… not even a wannabe title because it was completely different almost to the point that no one could understood why Cyclops formed the Young X-men after the Donald Pierce deceit, probably it was going to be explained later but he said that he was forming an army (hell! What was the New Mutants then?).

I guess we need to wait a couple of more weeks before we see the 4th volume of the New Mutants, which they say they are going to include Magic. I think we knew it because of X-Infernus, so now that I mentioned X-Infernus? Is Pixie coming back? (she is only a Shadowcat filler), I hope no, I hope she ends as a villain, at least for some time.

Well, probably Young X-Men will  be collected in a trade paperback volume, or a hard cover, because there are only 12 issues of this fallen title.

Which do You Preffer?

Ok, so lately pop, (gospel), country singer and actress Jessica Simpson is on the eye of tabloids by a simple reason, her appearance in Florida, Plant City Strawberry Festival was a huge success but not because of her singing talents but only for her weight (Damn!, I only live 15 minutes away from Plant City and I didn’t went!, next year, next year… Sure Jessica is really gorgeous, even with her plus size she is hot, the classical Southern Belle, but one thing that don’t fits me is how she could lost so much weight in such little time, not even “natural” ways can do that, compare this to photos, there is no way Jess could lost that fast?, to me, this smells like plastic surgery. (and how the hell her r

Photos:

This is quite a surprise, but probably is one of the most wisest thing former President George W. Bush can do, not critique his predecessor, I think is something smart from his part because after him and Jimmy Carter I don’t think there is going to be someone worse than those two (Obama, not too much, even is too early to criticize him, I will do that at the end of the year) but probably the most shocking thing is that W. Bush is going to write a book!, Yes, the chimp is going to write a book, I didn’t even think that that chimp know hot write he didn’t even knew how to read a freaking teleprompter and know he wants to write a book?, Damn, probably this is the best bushism of all, that W. wants to write a book.

 Ok, so if you saw the last episode of E.R., there were several guest appearances of former cast members, but really?, I guess 99% of the people who tuned E.R. last time, only tuned it because they knew George Clooney was going to be there, making a cameo, but heck! That was a short cameo, but still probably that was the best event in the entire freaking season, seeing the cameo of George Clooney, because the rest of the season had been really boring (but what more drama you can get from those doctors?) and they took the right decision of ending the show in the 15th season (I guess the Simpsons can take E.R. example and end the show soon, is not fun to see Home gaga far away from his previous interpretation as a misfit who ended as a parent).

 The only thing this one shot have, that is really really good is the cover art, the rest is really boring; the story is disappointing from the middle to the end, hey! We were expected that the elf was going to be put in hiatus and at the freaking end Nightcrawler returned to the X-Men, common! That is the biggest filler in the whole entire Manifest Destiny, it was terrible. We were expecting something better because the comic cover looked amazing and the plot was going to be centering about Nightcrawler departing the X-men, but at the end he returned like a regretted dog. It was disappointing, I don’t even recommend buying this one shot; on the other hand if you like Marvel, I recommend X-Force and Cable they are really good right now and they are going to be better and read Prelude of War of X-Force is really good, they killed Fever Pitch and Beautiful Dreamer.

As a consumist society, we tend to idolize celebrities and the latest trends; as we idolize celebrities they become demigods to us the mere mortals, and when our demigods sin to us their magic disappears and become scum to us the common folk; it’s difficult to live in the spotlight, I can’t imagine how hard can be going anywhere and just act like yourself without the worries of the public scrutiny. At age 24, Michael Phelps is a god between men, but also he is only a 24 year old guy who has to live under the spotlight 24-7 and I can’t imagine at age being scrutinized for every action I do. One paradox we have, is that were aren’t adults at all, I don’t mean in a juridical way I mean in a biological approach; we are get to adulthood when we are around our 30’s and that doesn’t mean that we are going to behave properly, because maturity is not related with age but rather with common sense, that it seems not many people have.

As the myth of Icarus, Michael Phelps fell high from his heights after the incident called by the sensationalist media “Bong-Gate” started to circulate on the internet. It’s interesting the fourth power effect, one day they love you, the other one hate you; but respected journalist don’t abuse of that power as several gossip sites, but who really pays attention… I mean what respected journalist is going to pay attention to gossips? No one, and what respected person with some common sense? Is going to pay what a 30-something, fat blogger is going to say? No one really, especially one that cannot prove his sources at all.

The Downfall of the Olympians, can be a subject of fascination, because those athletic heroes are just human like us, and Michael Phelps is just another one who probed that; with all his medals and world records, he is no superman, he is just a 24 year old guy who landed in the spotlight and he is trying to live his life.

It’s been a buzz Britney’s comeback, but I have to say that even Ronald McDonald’s Ran Ran Ruu has more vocal and dance talent than Ms. Spears, why? Because Britney has to resort on acrobatic artist and other visual aids to create a good show, really her voice is not her best asset, sure she is a great dancer and have a great body, but those are things that no artist can survive in a long term.

We can see she tries to emulate Madonna and even some of Janet Jackson in her latest show, but really she is not neither of them, she is only a product of the bubble gum pop of the 90’s and nothing more, even I dare to say that she is going to be remember more by her scandals or by the infamous Madonna manage on stage a-trois rathen than her career because ten years later who cares about the Bubblegum pop and the bands that were successful in the 90’s and beginning of the 2000 they aren’t successful any more (i.e. S-Club 7 or Nsync).

Probably one of the most weird things about her tour was the introductory video to the show (plus the delays and lack of professionalism of the people), when Britney came to Tampa her crew didn’t pay attention to the daylight savings and you can imagine the angry fans; ok, talking about the video, I don’t know if that was a publicity strategy, but why the hell Perez Hilton was included? Nobody in the show business with a serious career wants to be involved with that buffoon, not even the gay community wants to be associated with Perez.

I guess this is will be another comeback, I don’t write this because of envy, I don’t even like Britney as an artist, but I find her interesting as a symbol of the decadent “Pop Culture” that only manufactures artist with an expiration date instead of giving lasting artists who can give something meaningful to the culture world.

Congratulations to Alina Meador from the Brandon Academy who won the regional spelling bee. It’s the hard work of teachers like the ones in the Brandon Academy that makes possible that a student can achieve his goals and is the work of a teacher to exploit and let student know how far can they go, but not only the teacher are the responsible of a good educational achievements but the family as well. If the child is in a nurturing environment there is nothing that the child can’t achieve.
Again, congratulations Alina, let your example be known to other kids that they can achieve their goals.