June 3rd is #WonderWomanDay...and I couldn't be happier. #WonderWoman was released in theatres on June 1st. By no small coincidence, I was released on June 1st, too.

Gal Gadot and I are cut from the same cloth. Literally. And I L-O-V-E seeing my soul-sister on the big screen. She is one KICK-ASS #WonderWoman. The movie has been out for all of a day, and it's already breaking records. If any of my readers heard me May 22nd on #CoffeeWithCurmudgeons in #PDX, you know that I called that WAY ahead of time. I also called out anyone who compared #WonderWoman to other DC properties. Why? Because hegemonic discourse is extremely pervasive. So pervasive, in fact, some guy in Austin, Texas decided to write a letter to their mayor about how women are "a second-rate gender."

Someone has his panties in a bunch, eh???

Once you've stopped laughing at this Neanderthal's giant faux-pas, you can laugh at Lebanon's. The country banned #WonderWoman from their theatres because my girl Gal is Jewish. Yes, the government's official stance is that it's at war with Israel and Gal Gadot is Israeli, but we all know it's because she's Jewish from a Jewish State. While anti-Semitism is no joke, it is rather amusing that Lebanon's big denouncement encompasses all of ELEVEN cinemas. Not exactly a big monetary loss for the studios, Gadot, or anyone else for that matter. Except, of course, the Lebanese citizens being denied the opportunity to see one of the most awesome superhero blockbusters of all time....

Hey, none of the above is a big shock. It's not just a Jewish-thing; it's a woman-thing. Women are treated badly all over the globe. To such an extent, the World Economic Forum in 2016 showed that women are asked to do 75% of the free labor in 144 countries...that roughly equates to the tune of trillions. As in TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS. The same report showed a financial gap between men and women that also equated to trillions. Essentially, that guy in Austin, Texas isn't alone. Not by a long shot.

Even the most liberal-minded man may find himself hedging on seeing #WonderWoman as opposed to ANY other male-oriented superhero flick. Same thing happened with the 2016 all-female cast of Ghostbusters. The majority of films since Hollywood began have been focused on men. Male leads, male casts male directors, male writers, male producers...and, when women have been in film, it was only to help promote masculinity. To such an extent, that the Bechdel Test was created (meaning, at least two females are featured talking to each other, but not about a male). The Bechdel Test is enforced by watch-dog groups like Bitch Pack in LA, who curate a list of scripts for studios that have actually passed the test. Sadly, it's a rather short list. And this is 97 years after women got the right to vote. Of course, it only took about 70 years of collective efforts for that change to happen in the first place. But then again, African-American males could vote in 1870, yet nearly 100 years later, it was necessary for Dr. Martin Luther King to start the Civil Rights Movement. And yes, more than 50 years since, there are still disconnects like racial profiling--people have died simply because their skin was darker than someone else's. In 2017! SO, it's not a stretch to see how the dominant social group is still resistant to women (of all ethnicities) on pretty much every level, including the silver screen.

What can I say to change your minds about #WonderWoman??? Given that was my nickname, I may be able to help wet your whistle, as it were:

First of all, #WonderWoman was a created because the man who created her, William Moulton Marston, was into BDSM...no, I'm not kidding. Marston was married but also had a relationship with a young, hawt college student named Olive. And, Olive was in charge...oh yes, yes she was. That's where #WonderWoman's magical lasso of truth comes from...you get all tied up and then you HAVE to tell the truth, or, you'll be punished. 

Marston also created the predecessor to the modern-day lie detector test after kinky foreplay sessions...it's true.

#WonderWoman was actually the idea of Marston's wife, Elizabeth. #WonderWoman's character had elements of both Olive and Elizabeth...for example, her bracelets are fashioned after bracelets that Olive donned on a daily basis, while her fortitude and determination were all Elizabeth, who outlived both Marston and Olive until her 100th year on the planet! But it was an article written by Olive that connected Marston to his future comic book publisher.

Marston has five children total, two with Olive and three with Elizabeth. Sadly, Marston died before turning 54 from skin cancer. Marston advocated for women throughout his life. He believed the key to peace on Earth was for people to learn how to be bound, or rather, submit to another human being. If you've ever had the opportunity to enjoy a little kink in the bedroom, you might agree, too. There's no greater sense of joy or peace or ultimate bliss than  a little tie-me-up-tie-me-down, but I digress....

It is also quite a happy turn that #WonderWoman is named #WonderWoman, because, she was originally called #Suprema. What's in a name??? Try $100-million! Yup, that's the projection for this weekend. Haters are gonna hate, but #WonderWoman will always find a way to come out on top.

Kudos to Director, Patty Jenkins. Zack Snyder was one of three men to write and create the storyline for the film, with obvious credit to Marston for his original concept. But it is Gal Gadot who steals the show...quite literally. Her #WonderWoman is a wonder indeed. I can't help but think of how much Marston would have liked Gadot. You'll like her, too. I promise. And, I ALWAYS keep my promises.

Even Rotten Tomatoes gave #WonderWoman their stamp of approval as #CertifiedFresh, so, don't be left out in the cold this summer just because #WonderWoman hits like a girl. Besides, you might like it rough....

See you at the movies!

#WonderWoman

*Thanks to Warner Bros Studios and DC Comics for the trailer and image insert!

Preacher, which recently debuted it's second episode on AMC--a channel made famous for its last TV adaptation from the comic book world through Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead--is just the right kind of subversive. The main character, Jesse Custer, played by British actor, Dominic Cooper, who was also in films like Dracula Untold, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Captain America: The First Avenger (later reprising his role as Howard Stark for TV in Agent Carter), is a preacher in small-town-Texas with a dark past...and, a little something extra thanks to a powerful gift from the heavens. Garth Ennis wrote the original comic book series for Vertigo comics, co-created with artist Steve Dillon, which (sadly) printed its last issue in 2000. Ennis had sold the rights to turn Preacher into a film in 1988...but, as fate would have it, the "religiously controversial" themes proved a stubborn obstacle to even visionaries like HBO as recently as 2006--which is so odd, given the popularity of HBO's True Blood. HBO is now regretful of their decision, attempting to reclaim their True Blood audience through a new series, Outcast, adapted by Walking Dead's Kirkman.

Irony, it's the one thing humanity can never lose....

Thanks to funny-man, Seth Rogen, and his childhood-friend-turned-writer (and director!), Evan Goldberg, Preacher has been revived. And, like one of the Great Awakening's of the 19th century, people are flocking to the cause. Ennis has rich characters that tip-toe along the absurd in wonderful ways that both tickle and delight, like that creepy uncle you saw twice a year at family gatherings--it was always uncomfortable, but it felt good at the same time.

I've watched all the "extra" material and, of course, have read every issue of Preacher in its original form. With Rogen and Goldberg at the wheel, and the early success of the highly anticipated series, Bob Weinstein must be feeling a little foolish today...kind of like the man who walked away from a beautiful woman willing to have adventurous sex every day of the week and any time of day, cooked gourmet meals with fresh, organic ingredients, kept a clean home, wore clothing that showed off her ass and D-cup tits, had a Brazilianed pussy, was unusually enthusiastic about not only getting on her knees and swallowing his full load, but also, paid for most of their life, AND, wanted to have his baby. Yup, THAT kind of foolish.

Even Rogen and Goldberg have had their share of scares with Preacher...it's taken nearly three years to hit small screens across America from the moment it was first announced in 2013. Essentially, Ennis has suffered nearly 28 years of frustration as his creation, which he already knew had an audience, waited in Hollywood purgatory before finding its Jewish saviors. Hey, Jesus started that trend, y'all--don't be shooting the messenger now. Or, I'll have to sick Tulip on you....

Part of what makes Preacher's television adaptation 100% #PopCultureProfessor™ APPROVED are the oh-so-fun, three-dimensional characters Ennis created, first breathed into life by artist Steve Dillon's talented hands; Glenn Fabry was responsible for Preacher's cover art. It was a wild ride, that comic book. AMC's version promises nothing less. When your first introduction to the main female character, played perfectly by Ruth Negga, is her overpowering two men in a speeding car with a dead driver before taking down a helicopter with a home-made bazooka filled with toys, you know it's gonna be good.

I know Rogen and Goldberg laugh at the way they announce in big white letters across the screen the change in setting, but it's a comic book adaptation. That's how it's supposed to look. The device gives a visual sense of the traditional panels used by comic book artists since the dawn of the industry, which, by no small coincidence, was also spearheaded by Jews, like Hollywood itself. Of course, Garth Ennis is from Northern Ireland. Born in 1970, he's responsible for storylines in comics like Punisher, Hitman, Goddess, Hellblazer, and a plethora of other award-winningly gritty narratives. But not even the self-proclaimed (if not patriarchal) "Comic Book Man" himself, Kevin Smith, was able to help Ennis make his Preacher-dream a reality.

Maybe Rogen and Goldberg will invite me to be a guest writer for an episode of the second season of Preacher...break up that sausage-fest you boys have going on with Sam Catlin of Breaking Bad fame. Fair warning, I've never done any drugs before. Not even pot. And no, I'm not kidding. But it would be an honor to smoke my first joint with you all. Especially if we're talking about Preacher. Or, This Is The End. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, a total romp in pop culture heaven...but I digress.

The good news for people like Bob Weinstein, whose Dimension Films specializes in storylines like Preacher, is that you can always try to woo back the one that got away. You'll have competition now. And, you have to somehow negotiate the negatives you created when you first turned your back. But we Jews don't hold grudges. I even know a Holocaust survivor who drives a Mercedes! Though, I can't say the same for the Irish. I'm half-and-half, you see. My Irish Ma left her abusive, alcoholic husband after his addictions got him kicked out of the military. She never spoke his name again. Not even to divorce him. It was as if he never existed. Ever. Then again, she also insisted there were no pubs in Ireland....

Watch Preacher. Watch every extra feature, too. Watch each episode on Sunday nights on AMC then watch it over and over again OnDemand. This is not a suggestion. Or, a recommendation. It's a command. Like when Jesse tells the pedaphile school bus driver to forget the little girl he's obsessing over. Or, the girl in a coma to wake up. You don't want to miss what is nothing less than an historic pop culture moment.

Though Rotten Tomatoes gives Preacher a healthy 92% rating and IMDB gives it an 8.8/10, I'm turning it up to "11." If you don't get that pop culture reference, you're pathetic and obviously need to invest more of your time and energy into watching television and film. Or at the very least, Netflix. Now THAT is something you can put in your "Breaking Bud" roach clip and smoke it! With or without Wiz Khalifa, who I happened to meet last year in Atlanta while he was on tour with Fallout Boy.  And no, I didn't smoke with him. I've been saving myself for the right partner(s). Yup, I'm that kinda girl. We can have a threesome, or foursome if Catlin joins, and you all can pop my marijuana-cherry. All in the name of pop culture research, of course....

Preacher is must-watch television. It gets my stamp of approval...which is not only backed up by a PhD, but also 20 years of teaching college students how to write in, about, and with pop culture, multiple international best-selling books on pop culture translated in nine languages and sold in 57 (!) countries, a Wizard World tour as the first female scholar in the States to work with comic books, expert quotes on pop culture in print newspapers like the LA Times and USA Today, AND, last but never least, an internationally-recognized Trademark. Mine.

You're welcome...though it is I who should be thanking you. And, I do.

#Preacher

#PopCultureProfessor™ Post-script: Happy belated birthday to Dominic Cooper, who just turned 38 last week on June 2nd, under the astrological sign of Gemini. Latin for Twins, Gemini is known for Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies, which makes Cooper's Custer in Preacher even more delightful. He may be more like his comic book character in "real" life than the British actor would care to admit....

Today is National Superhero Day...I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. While I'm thrilled at the recent surge in popularity for the characters that have kept me company since I was a wee bairn in the early 70's, I find it sad that most fans know superheroes, not through comics, but through television and film. 

Shows like Arrow and The Flash on CW, and Netflix's Daredevil, as well as Jessica Jones, the first popular female superhero character television show, are great examples of the oversaturation of screen-versions of superheroes. Of course, Jessica Jones is not your run-of-the-mill superhero. At least part of the popularity of the show is due to how Jessica wears pants, swears like a trucker, drinks whiskey, and fucks whoever she wants. Basically, Jessica Jones is a man. A very pretty man, played by Krysten Ritter, who ironically started her acting career with a Dr. Pepper commercial. But it's 2016 and definitely time for a kick-ass female superhero who doesn't wear a mini-skirt while flying over men's heads. Still, these are TV shows. In film, all the popular supes have already been exhausted. Guardians of the Galaxy and Dr. Strange are now being dug out of the vaults. And true comic book fans, like me, couldn't be happier. Except...I am a little concerned that the original comic books (and their storylines) may be getting lost in the superheroic rush toward both big and small screens alike.

As The #PopCultureProfessorTM, I've had the pleasure of meeting every living icon within the comic book industry, and yes, that includes Stan "The Man" Lee, as well as Neal Adams, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Gail Simone, Rob Guillory, Kody Chamberlain, Nate Edmondson, Mark Waid, Matt Kindt, Mike Raicht, Charles P Wilson III, Chrissy Zullo, Mark Texeira, Hope Larson...heck, the list of who I've worked with in "the biz" is super-long. Those are just a few of my favorites. Superheroes are still very much a boys' club, but as you can see, there are at least a few ladies represented. Speaking of ladies in comics, I happen to be one of them.

No, I haven't published a comic book. At least, not yet. Though Kody Chamberlain and I did talk about collaborating on a future project the last time we saw each other. Women aren't just under-represented in "the biz", we're also few and far between in terms of scholars, researchers, and writers on the subject. According to Thomas Wagner, the Emmy-winning writer and producer of PBS's American Master Series on Lucille Ball, I am the first American female scholar in comics. Tom found me in 2009 after a comic book expert at San Diego Comic Con sent him my way. I helped Tom with his script for a documentary called "Paper Heroes," as well as an NEH grant for the project. Then, in 2014, Donna Davies of Ruby Tree Films interviewed me at Austin Comic Con for her internationally-released documentary on fandom, specifically surrounding comics. And hey, Wizard World, the Los Angeles-based company that puts on Comic Cons across America, hired me as their first professional female moderator for not only fun celebs like James Marsters from the Buffyverse and Jason David Frank from Power Rangers, but to host every comic book panel at every Comic Con for half of my three-year tour. I opened every Comic Con during my tenure with my show on 12,000 years of human history on the first superheroes, connecting it to twenty-first century pop culture. Emmy-winning stars like Michael Madsen would get 65 people in his Q&A while my shows filled 500-person rooms on a Thursday afternoon during rush hour. It was crazy. And, so much fun!!!

Women have a much greater presence today in both comic books, superhero television and film, as well as comics-genre writers, authors, scholars, speakers, and illustrators. It's great to see, but if we want to keep seeing it, we have to keep buying those comic books!

One of my best moments on the Wizard World tour was when a mom brought her 13-year old daughter to see me perform; they followed me all weekend, attended each of my twelve shows. After the last one, which I believe was with John Barrowman in Philly, the mom brought her daughter to the stage as I was packing up. She introduced herself, and her daughter. The next thing she said was, "Thank you for existing. Now, Elizabeth knows she can one day do what you do...."

I'll never forget those words. As a feminist scholar and social theorist best known for her books on pop culture, and with chapters on subjects like the women of X-Men and how Edward Cullen of Twilight is nothing but a sparkly stalker, it was the epitome of everything I have literally scratched and clawed my way to create: My niche as the one and only #PopCultureProfessor. That title and trademark are mine. I not only created the brand, I own it. Superheroic humans like Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony helped inspire me to accomplish everything I have done in the last 30 years. No cape required...and, no Botox either.

Happy #NationalSuperheroDay! And for fuck's sake, go buy some comic books!!! By the way, the 15th anniversary of Free Comic Book Day is coming up May 7th...might be a good time to start your collection if you've only ever seen superheroes on a screen.

Up, up and away, y'all...

Jason David Frank and I embrace after not seeing each other for a month or so. We've been working together for two years now. And I'm proud to call JDF my friend. He's probably one of the most determined, brilliant men I've ever met, but he's also extremely grounded. His energy is off the charts, too. A natural performer, he can easily improv, rapping one minute and the next, telling a young girl or boy to go for their dreams and never give up.

My career as an Entertainer, Host, and Moderator has spanned 16 years. Yes, I know. L-o-n-g time. There have been lots of amazing moments, too. One such moment includes New Orleans Comic Con 2014, where JDF surprised me, and the audience, with a visit from Stan Lee! When the door opened, I started to get up to manage whatever the "problem" was, but when I saw Stan's smiling face, I started shaking. With mic in hand, I announced, "It's Stan Lee, everyone!" And a BIG smile crossed my face as Stan literally jumped on stage, put his hand on Jason's shoulder, and began telling the audience that the power of Marvel was behind Jason David Frank.

My most recent adventure was at Chicago Comic Con. Ah, Chicago! One of my favorite cities. The deep dish pizza, Wrigley Field, Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, the shopping, and wonderful friends...so much good in one place! I was even in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day earlier this year. Like I said, it's one of my favorite cities. When I go, I always get a good feeling...and at Chicago Comic Con, the fans were A-MAZING!

People were so generous and kind to me; I felt the Comic Con-love ALL weekend and will definitely be back in 2015!

Today, I'm performing at #DragonCon2014. My show on #VampireMyth is at 4pm, Hyatt North. Next week, New York! And a week after that, #NashvilleComicCon!!! So stay tuned! There is A LOT happening in 2015.

My updates have been sporadic in the last six months, mainly because I recently established a new home-base in #HOTlanta. So now, I'm in three cities: LA, NY, & ATL!!!

Wizard World is located in LA, and my NY-house was home for 21 years; I started teaching there in 1994. Today, my family, and many wonderful friends, still live there. It is also the perfect retreat with mountain views, woods, and an award-winning winery within a mile. The house-search and move to Atlanta went smoothly as well. I feel very blessed to be in another peaceful location surrounded by mountains and lush forest, literally in my backyard. The two-person soaking tub is pretty kick-ass, too. I have posted pics and video from my new pad on YouTube. Become a subscriber when you get a chance. Like I said, so much is coming in 2015; I'll update you with videos, blog posts and other news on social media as often as possible. And to that end, let me say:

Thank you to EVERYONE for your incredible support in the last two years. If you're a regular reader, you know that my life has had plenty of pitfalls, including health struggles like depression. How can someone be depressed with all these interesting things going on??? Well, depression is not a mood swing. It's bio-chemical and can be a side-effect of other serious health issues. I have to claim victory over the disease every day. And it's not easy. There are medications that can help, but I am unable to take them. Meditation, exercise, acupuncture, staying connected to nature, and a healthy diet all help me cope. But you, my lovely readers, the audiences at Comic Con who are so kind, my Twitter Followers, Facebook fans, beloved student-family, and people like Perry Chen, Chairman of KickStarter, who took the time to fly in to Chicago to hear me give a talk...you are the real medicine. My healers. And not a single moment passes where I'm not entirely #Grateful to each of you.  

So when I do my show on #VampireMyth today @DragonCon, and connect audiences with over 12,000 years of human history, not a single syllable will be spoken without full knowledge of how your love and support make it possible. And continue to do so.

Have a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend! I hope you spend it with friends and family, in joy. peace and love. And for my True Blood fans out there...my take on the Series Finale is coming! If you're @DragonCon this weekend, try to catch two of my favorites from the show: Kristin Bauer aka "Pam" and Nelsan Ellis aka "Lafayette"!

I now leave you in the capable hands of my talented friend, Flo Rida, who definitely gives me a "Good Feeling" every time I hear his voice:

Hello! There I am, left, sitting in a rather swanky restaurant after opening Ohio Comic Con on Friday, September 20th. And yes, a tequila shot was en route....

Ohio Comic Con absolutely ROCKED this year. Not only did my guests include comic book legend Neal Adams, but also Oscar-nominated and award-winning actor, Sean Astin; the mega-talented genius behind SyFy's Ghost Hunters, Grant Wilson; MMA-champ and Power Rangers star, Jason David Frank; Summer Glau and Ron Glass from Firefly, Arrow and the new ABC series, Agents of Shield; Star Wars, X-Men and GI Joe star, the very charming (and totally gorgeous...) Ray Park; and last, but certainly not least, the man who continued to surprise me, Ghostbuster star, Ernie Hudson. Whew! I almost fainted when Hudson took off his black leather jacket, revealing not only hardcore pecks and abs that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger drool, but a pair of guns to match...le sigh.

I also had opportunity to meet Attack of the Show's Sara Underwood--and yes, she's even more beautiful in person, hang with The Walking Dead's Michael Rooker and Norm Reedus, as well as the original Hulk, Lou Ferrigno. An unexpected but very happy surprise was meeting the host of a new SyFy show named Molly O'Connolly. This girl is one-to-watch! She lit up the room when she walked in with Grant. Her positive energy was absolutely infectious. I'm talking to Molly soon so stay tuned for more on this rising star!

My own show, Vampire Myth & Supernatural Superhero Legend, went off without a hitch...well, except for the ghost. Yes, a ghost was in the room. I later talked to Grant Wilson about this, and he wished he'd had his equipment with him. But when Ernie Hudson entered the same room, all went quiet on that Western Ohio front.

Another highlight was Tony Kim's Wonder Women of the 21st Century. I'm apparently one of them. The panel included hot comic book/graphic novel artist, Nen, as well as Victoria from SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay and good friend, Mexican comic book artist, Umberto Ramos. We talked about sex, and more sex...and yes, more sex. It sells, did you know??? 

I'll have more on Ohio Comic Con with follow ups on Grant Wilson, Ernie Hudson, Ray Park, Summer Glau & Ron Glass, JDF, and of course, the great Sean Astin--who, by the way--is THE MOST GENUINE person you'll ever meet.

Until then, stay thirsty my friends....

The woman who writes all the blog entries that more 314,000 of you have been reading? She's real. That's her. Or rather, me. Nice to meet you! 

When I write about love (or anything else for that matter), I write from personal experience. In the insert, left, taken just a few days ago, I'm at a bar on a "date." The Boston Red Sox were playing the LA Dodgers. I'm originally from Boston and work for a company located in LA. So the game was particularly intense for me. And the date? It may not show up in my books (everything I do isn't like a scripted sex fantasy...), but I did have a nice time.  

My wild protagonists who drink tequila shots and enjoy spending time with 20-somethings aren't all exactly like me--though tequila shots are my drink of choice (only 69 calories...what a serendipitous number!). But their lives do bear some resemblance to mine. Like the smokin' hot 20-something who tried to pick me up as I walked out of the grocery store two weeks ago. He literally chased me down in order to say this:
 
"This is going to sound like a total pick-up line, but how do I know you?"

My response? "Hard to tell with your clothes on but I think you're the lifeguard supervisor at my gym."

Can't make this stuff up! When #LOVE isn't the focus, I write and speak about Pop Culture as The #PopCultureProfessor (@DocHousel on Twitter). The LA Times, USA Today, Esquire (Latin America), Huffington Post, Marie Claire (Roma), Salon.com, Women's World, Redbook, London Times, and other national/international publications have used my quotes on everything from Hollywood to Twilight to Iron Man to Fifty Shades of Grey. I've published five books on pop culture (so far...more on the way!) and am a frequent guest on pop culture podcasts about Doctor Who (like the Cultdom Collective), radio on pop culture (like LA's Krypton Radio), and rock-and-roll talk shows (like Anarchy Radio in the Pacific Northwest).

My work takes me on the road quite a bit thanks to Wizard World and their AMAZING Comic Cons featuring a number of my clients, including Showtime's Homeland star and Joss Whedon-darling, expectant mom, Morena Baccarin; the incomparable James Hong, an insanely funny man who has acted in more than 500 roles over the last 57 years, and, whose recent film with Ryan Reynolds, RIPD, was a terrific summer blockbuster that had me laughing out loud; the beloved (and inspirational!) best-selling author and award-winning actor, Henry Winkler; mega-talent of stage and screen (and one of my favorite people on the planet), HBO's True Blood star, Denis O'Hare; HBO Canada's star of the award-winning comedy, Call Me Fitz, 90210 star, author, director, producer, and 21st century Renaissance man, Jason Priestly...James Marsters (Buffy, Angel, Torchwood, Warehouse 13), John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Arrow), Eliza Dushku (Bring It On, Buffy, Angel, Tru Calling, Dollhouse), Kevin Sorbo (The Adventures of Hercules), Jason David Frank (MMA Champ, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim, Chuck), Charisma Carpenter (Lying Game, Buffy, Angel), Michael Madsen (Sin City, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs), Sam Trammell (True Blood), Sam Witwer (Being Human, Star Wars: Clone Wars), Paul Wesley (Vampire Diaries), Torrey DeVitto (Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries), and oh yes, the man I have total girl-wood for, Kris Holden Reid of SyFy's Lost Girl and Showtime's The Tudors (call me...). 

I've also been interviewed by Emmy-winning writer and producer, Tom Wagner, for Paper Heroes, a PBS American Masters Series documentary on comic books as the first female scholar in the States to focus on comics. Some of the comic book artists and writers I know, love and have worked with include Gail Simone (Batgirl, Red Sonja), Kody Chamberlain (Sweets: A New Orleans Crime Story, MTV's Punks), Mark Texeira (Punisher, X-Men, Vampirella, Hero's Death), Mike Raicht and Charles Paul Wilson III (Stuff of Legend, X-Men, Dark Shadows), Rob Guillory (Chew), Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time), Dan Schaefer (TMNT, Walking Dead, Grimm), Brett Weldele (The Surrogates), Chrissie Zullo (Cinderella's Fables), Tyler Kirkham and Scotty Lobdell (Superman), Bob Layman (Iron Man), Nate Edmondson (Where is Jake Ellis?), and many, many more super-talented people that simply rock my world in terms of their passion for comic books. Yes, I was that girl--the freak-and-geek who ran around without my shirt on, swinging from the trees as Tarzan, fencing boys with branches as Zorro, and generally saving my small world from "evil" as a super-heroic kid who related more to fictional monsters like the Wolfman than to actual humans.

Am I a real professor? Yes! Eleven teaching nominations and five awards agree that, indeed, not only am I a teacher, I'm a kick-ass teacher. The only professor who raps (yes, I rap--get over it), my particular talent is helping students not only see their full potential, but realize that potential as doctors, lawyers, politicians, CEOs, writers, artists, pro athletes, film-makers, illustrators, animators, reporters, journalists, actuaries, graphic designers, engineers, rocket scientists--you name it. My beloved "Housel-alums" make me PROUD every single day. Our connection is truly unique, one that has transcended both time and space. It's a lot like a quantum entanglement at the sub-atomic level, making my existence extraordinary. Well, more extraordinary than it already is to be on our miraculous little planet.

And the rest? You can catch up by reading my blog archives. There's A LOT of material there...on philosophy, comics/books, film, pop culture, culinary arts, history, social theory, politics, medicine, #LOVE, even baseball! I do have one hint about something coming up in the near future...it has to do with a video series that's gotten 20-million hits on YouTube. It's hysterical. It's EXPLOSIVE. And my fellow comedienne and Drop Dead Diva star, Margaret Cho, has also been featured in this same series. Titillated? Me, too! Hate to be a tease, but.... ;)

Until next time, you, dear readers, are very much #PopCultureProfessor APPROVED!!!

"You stay classy, San Diego...I'm Ron Burgundy???"  

PS: If you miss my pop culture cooking recipes, please use the contact page to make an inquiry--after all, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The first annual Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con was A-MAZING! More than 15,000 people attended the two-day event that kicked off on Friday evening, March 22rd and ended on Sunday, March 24th. Your #PopCultureProfessor performed nine shows over the course of that time, starting with a comic book artist panel featuring Chris Samnee, Jason Craig and Freddie Williams II! Rock stars, to be sure. The insert, left, shows my own audience for VAMPIRE MYTH & SUPERNATURAL SUPERHERO LEGEND, a show that is totally unique among other Comic Conventions. You won't find it at Emerald City, or Boston, or San Diego...but you will find it wherever I am! And in 2013-2014, that's Wizard World!!! The intimate group of 400 or so from in and around the greater St. Louis area enjoyed one of my best shows yet, covering thousands of years of myth and legend right up to the 21st century. For about an hour after the show, I entertained questions and comments from a small group of interested fans who wanted to talk more about all-things-supernatural. Moments later, I was on stage with none other than Henry Winkler!

The Fonz is incredibly smart and talented; he spoke about his early life and how he got started as the Emmy-winning powerhouse and pop culture icon he is today. If you get a chance to join me in Philly 5/30-6/2, be sure to make time to sit in the audience for Henry Winkler's Q&A. He is awesome and so inspirational--you'll walk away feeling ready to take on the world.

James Hong was next on my roster and the 57-year acting veteran has played over 500 roles in that time. He is a true Hollywood icon and an extraordinary talent. He actually called an audience member on stage to lead us in a round of "I'll see you in St. Louis"! Hong is amazingly funny and did some hysterical impersonations, including George Takei. If you have a chance to see James Hong anywhere--go!

One of my favorite people on the planet is Jason David Frank, or JDF as I like to call him. We were reunited in St. Louis and it was a blast! JDF is an MMA champ, world record breaker, owner of his own dojo in Cali, 7th degree black belt, and of course, BIG star from movies and television shows like THE ONE WARRIOR and MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS. JDF has a cult following of AWESOME fans who lined up for an hour just to say a few words to one of the coolest guys I know. One excited fan even did the Green Ranger Kata! Definitely stop by and see JDF at Philly 5/30-6/2. He's worth his weight in gold.

Morena Baccarin was so much fun, as always. The graceful and poised star of HOMELAND, V, FIREFLY, and SERENITY is always a crowd favorite. She and I share a love of dogs--especially rescues. Her Lowchen  usually accompanies her but this time, Rudy stayed home with Dad--Morena's hunky husband and talented director, Austin Chick. Morena has some new irons in the fire. She's also psyched for a new season of HOMELAND, which received a SAG nom in 2013. The Julliard-grad has an abundance of both beauty and brains. For Morena, it's all about going after what you want. A favorite quote from the evening: "If you have a fall back position, you'll always fall back on it."

James Marsters is really fantastic--we've worked together for about a year now. I love how James is such a story teller. He's another fan-favorite for exactly the same reason. James is gracious with fans, even accepting momentos from the crowd, like an oragami heart made out of a $2-bill by a fan who drove all the way from Mississippi just to see him. The BUFFY and ANGEL star always gets questions about his on-screen kiss with John Barrowman from TORCHWOOD. James appeared in the first episode of the latest season of WAREHOUSE 13, which aired on Monday, April 29th on SyFy. He's also an unbelievably popular musician, especially across the pond; his band, GHOST OF THE ROBOT will be touring this summer and new T-shirts are up on the website!  http://ghostoftherobot.storenvy.com/ Come see James and I at Philly 5/30-6/2...we can't wait to hear the CRAZY questions you come up with. James says you can't embarrass him, but boy, does he LOVE to watch me turn red when fans ask questions like, "When you played Spike, did the carpet match the drapes?" Oy.

For once, I got to be a guest on a panel! Comic Con blogger, Tony Kim, hosted "How to Write a Compelling Story" and I was honored to join him, along with comic book writer, Jai Nitz, and young adult author, Fiona Paul. We had a wonderful audience who asked all the WRITE questions. Someone from the audience even sketched a picture for me!  

I also got to organize and host three comic book artist and writer panels, including talents like Jason Craig, Rick Burchett, Jorge Molina, Freddie Williams II, Brian Hurtt, Chris Samnee, and Tyler Kirkham, whose work on SUPERMAN with writer, Scotty Lobdell, recently hit shelves.

All in all, St. Louis was AMAZING. St. Louis, I love you! And I'll be back in 2014 with Wizard World--the KINGS of POP CULTURE!!!

That's Dan in the red shirt, at left, with fellow Oregon artist, Brett Weldele and, in a rare US appearance, comic book legend, Carlos Pacheco. We're at Wizard World's Portland Comic Con after my panel on The Artist's Life. It's hard to describe how amazing it was to be on stage with these three comic book legends but Dan isn't just a legendary comic book artist, he's also done animation and concept art for shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and of course, the new hit series, Grimm.

Dan Schaefer is a remarkably versatile artist. Painstakingly drawing stories frame-by-frame seems a singular talent. It's hard to imagine that Dan, having brought icons like Spider-Man and Batman to life, can use that same talent to create concepts for television and film. During his Q&A, Dan talked about the importance of being really good at drawing real people. That's the key to great comic book art, but it's also important for great art in general. And if you're a great artist, you can apply that talent to anything. Dan Schaefer has taken his talents and spun them into silver-screen gold...over and over again.

Dan has worked with movie-moguls like Gus Van Sant numerous times on projects like Paranoid Park and Milk, as well as Ellory Elkayam on Without a Paddle 2 and Guillermo Arriga on The Burning Plain. As if that's not impressive enough, Dan's also worked with Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes and Frank Oz on the hit-series, Leverage, and most recently, on Portland-based Grimm with Omar Madha and Peter Werner. Grimm's newest season premiere's on NBC tomorrow, Friday, March 8th; the show airs in more than 50 countries world-wide. Dan is also a producer, including Deep Winter with Twilight's Kellen Lutz and my very favorite Wizard World celebrity-guest to work with, Michael Madsen. Dan's film company, FilmbyFrame, has also produced four documentaries. And there's even more! Dan has used his talents for television commercials for companies like BMW, Intel, Nike, the NFL, and HP...there's no end to Dan Schaefer's plethora of talents!!!
 
Although Dan Schaefer has ever right to be inaccessible or too busy to talk to aspiring artists, he's one of the nicest, most genuine people you'll ever meet. He, Brett and Carlos sat with our exclusive group of 35 people and generously answered questions for close to an hour. Dan was great with fans and very encouraging to the aspiring artists in the audience who hope to have similar careers. I have to admit, meeting Dan after admiring his work for years was awe-inspiring. The cherry on top of the sundae? Dan loves Dr. Who and all-things British TV! As it happens, so do I. 

Dan Schaefer is definitely #PopCultureProfessor APPROVED!!! 

Thanks, Dan, for a great panel session! I look forward to working with you again soon. And hey, Portland 2014 is only ten months away.... ;)

Want more Dan? Follow him on Twitter: @dvschaefer

And to see when Dan will be at the next Wizard Con, check www.WizardWorld.com
  

Gail Simone, at left, is a real superhero. The tall red-head, contracted with DC to write storylines for classic comics like Batgirl and Birds of Prey (just to name a few), is gorgeous, smart and talented...and it all started in a hair salon.

Hard to believe? It's true. To pay the bills, Gail Simone was a hair stylist and to this day, her hair is pretty amazing. But her life path began in the theatre--that's what she studied in college. During her Creator Spotlight at the recent Wizard World Portland Comic Con to an intimate audience of 150 or so fans, Simone talked about how her need to be creative is what drew her to theatre, but not in terms of performance. She was always behind the scenes. 

Life sometimes takes interesting turns and at one point,  in response to friendly urgings, Simone began writing on comic book fan forums to express her creativity. And in classic Gail Simone style, she was fearless, funny, and noted with total candor how female characters would often end up dead, dying, sick, raped, or victimized (in other words, rendered powerless). The theme is pervasive in popular culture; it's actually where I began my career, too. Mothers seemed to die at an alarming rate in Hollywood film. From Bambi to Sleepless in Seattle, the absent mother was ever-present. Simone and other writers from the forums were feeling it in the comic book world as well. A small group got together and started a website in 1999 called Women in Refrigerators (WiR) after a scene in Green Lantern #54 featured the death of the male hero's girlfriend, whose body was brutally shoved in a refrigerator after her murder. The site featured a list of female superheroes who had been killed, victimized or otherwise stripped of independent agency. This is why X-Men has always been one of my favorite comics--a plethora of kick-ass women for more than fifty years!

Gail animatedly talked about how male comic book writers and editors who read her postings on WiR believed "Gail Simone" was a pseudonym for a disgruntled male comic book writer. That was interesting to me as a scholar who studies the socio-political in pop culture. Somehow, it was impossible for a woman to be as witty and clever as Simone. Besides, girls don't read comics! How pathetic. But it shows that, until relatively recently, the comic book industry has been a tight-knit boys club--and still is for the most part. I get to work with lots of comic book writers and artists and with the exception of less than handful of women, like Gail, everyone is male. And, point of context, women are more than half of the population, not just in the States, around the globe.

For the last twelve years or so, Gail Simone has been one of the few women writers in the male-dominated comic book industry. But Simone was quick to tell fans that it took years (about four) of writing at night and on weekends, and for free, before getting any paid gigs. Gail Simone constantly wrote in her spare time while working as a hair stylist during the day until the writing could replace her income from the salon.

Gail Simone is one of the hardest workers in the biz, and it's certainly paid off. If you follow Gail on Twitter, you know that there was a kerfuffle with DC in 2012. And thanks to her fans, Simone realized how important she was to the industry. It opened doors to creator-owned projects like The Movement and Leaving Megalopolis. And yes, there are some strong female characters in both. While Gail Simone was tight-lipped about the specific characters, she did give away that technology is going to be an important theme. That, and the abuse of power. Sensing a pattern? Good! Because strong female superheroes like Gail Simone are here to stay.

What's Gail working on next? Red Sonja! So stay tuned for more on Gail and all of her wonderful work, because yes, Gail Simone is #PopCultureProfessor APPROVED!

Follow Gail Simone on Twitter: @GailSimone

And, if you want to see Gail, and other talented comic book writers and artists like her, during the 2013-2014 Wizard World tour, check the website: www.WizardWorld.com

Or, follow WW on Twitter: @WizardWorld

Thanks to Gail Simone and her charming hubby (who live-tweeted our sessions--you ROCK)! I look forward to working with you both again soon.