Hola, Sneakers, and happy Boxing Day! And, as is our Boxing Day tradition, Ian and Dave are joined this week by David’s cousin, Jason Dedrick, for a real Dedrick Family Boxing Day!
On the agenda this week: family imitations; the reviews are out; the annual Rich Little’s Christmas Carol guessing game; camp America; the oldest filmed version of A Christmas Carol; Who played Scrooge; let’s go a-wassailing; hungry for apples; trash cocktails; making eggnog; Christmas carolling; harmony in our heads; pure Canadian TV; leaching it; charm; burn the dead; the surprising Roddy McDowell; that darn Cat from Outer Space; you should see Fright Night; some Art Carney love; no, people do like light sabre battles; The Rise of Skywalker feelings; Mando theories; kill the parents; fear based tourism; missing out; obligatory movie watching; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; more dry turkey; a rubber scrotum; the Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol guessing game; clueless fun; talking to heroes; visiting narcissists; no sense of humour; more eggnoggery; and, finally, an unhelpful cat.
Question of the Week: What’s your favourite version of A Christmas Carol?
Sub-question: Have you ever seen a famous person, but were to afraid to approach them?
Sub-sub-question: Have you ever lined up outside a store?
Thanks for listening.
Please give a listen to Jason Dedrick’s fine podcast The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure for a fun mix of cocktails and conversation.
Curious about the picture Mick sent? Well, here it is!
Thanks again, Mick!
Here is the Rich Little Christmas Carol, and you can thank us later:
Here is Jason at the beginning of a Robson Arms episode:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
When I used to table at VanCAF I always started the day at Vancouver’s famous Elbow Room Cafe, which is known for its celebrity patrons, so my odds were high, but I never saw anyone… until one Sunday when I was telling my wife she should come for breakfast with me because Nathan Fillion is in town and he’s bound to be there! But she opted out to go visit a friend in Chilliwack leaving me to eat on my own and who should be there but Nathan Fillion, as predicted. He was up the hill a bit from the doors, wearing a hat and sunglasses and flanked by two security fellas so I assumed it was not a good idea to approach.
Also, I did approach a celebrity once – and lined up outside a store to do so! (For over two hours.) Terry Pratchett was signing books at Minotaur, a comic/sci-fi/nerd store in Melbourne, which doesn’t really fit your “line up to buy something” question, but worse… I lined up to show him my attempt at a 4 page Discworld comic which he HATED. However, there was a group of four people slightly ahead of me in line with one of the guys plucking random pulp fantasy novels off the shelves and reading them aloud in horrible fake accents, and as we rounded the last corner to see Mr Pratchett, the man himself looked up from his autograph pile to say “shut the f—- up!” which elicited many a cheer from the line. So he hated my comic, but he also hated that grandstander so it’s all good.
I have a bit of a soft spot for the 1970 musical Scrooge with Albert Finney. Yes, it’s too long and the songs are awful, but… I saw it when I was 8 in a massive cinema in Glasgow, and was just amazed by the scale, the spectacle and the spookiness. Alec Guinness is excellent as Marley and the three spirits are very effective.
The 1950 Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim has to be the best straight adaptation.
Favourite, though? Come on, guys, everybody knows it’s the Muppets!
Great to have Jason on the show again – always a delight.
Happy Hogmanay!
PSA for any more Australian listeners who would like to send Tim Tams in the post… Tim Tams a re readily available in Canada in some supermarkets (Safeway) but certainly in London Drugs. Spend your money sending chicos, strawberries and creams, bullets, jaffas, pods, shapes, and many more things you can’t get here. Send more, send them often. 😀
“If I ever become someone who keeps repeating the same stories, please tell me”
Boy have I got bad news for you…
Seriously though, you guys have been recording yourselves every week for like a decade, so of course you’ll repeat things. I don’t blame you for that! And they’re always interesting stories.
But that reminds me, a few episodes ago, David brought up an observation (that he’s never heard of anyone winning a car from the PNE) and he said “I think I’ve talked about it on this podcast before” and Ian went “no, I don’t think you ever have! Please tell us!” but he definitely HAD brought it up. And then, I swear, the rest of the episode had you BOTH telling stories you’ve told before in the past. It was like a clip show! I thought I was going crazy. I don’t mind at all though — neither of you ever embellish them with each retelling. But if you ever start doing that, I’ll notice!
Much appreciated. Also I’m generally okay with us telling some of the same stories again. Listening to WTF, You Made it Weird or Never Not Funny the stories get told over and over, usually about Lorne Michaels.
In 1984, I was an extra on the made-for-TV movie “Secrets of a Married Man” starring William Shatner and Cybill Shepherd about a family man who gets involved with a black-mailing prostitute. During a meal break, Mr. Shatner sat at an outdoor picnic table in the catering area rather than staying in his trailer. Even though I was a Star Trek fan, I didn’t think it was cool to approach him while he was working. Also, I was also dressed as a street hooker, so that might have been a little awkward.
I think I remember the Albert Finney Christmas Carol more than the others. Didn’t George C. Scott play Scrooge once too? I gave the new FX Scrooge series a watch with Guy Pearce over the holidays but I just fell asleep, I didn’t even make it to the spooky parts. Bah humbug…
Before my wife and I were married, I think it was December of 2006, she and I slept outside of Best Buy all night for the Nintendo Wii. She needed to get one for her three boys and I needed on for my two kids, so we brought sleeping bags and blankets and tried to sleep on the pavement in front of the store. It was the longest night ever with a bunch of rowdy patrons hoping they’d get a Wii too. Fortunately we were in line right before the cut-off and we both got one. That were the impossible item to get that Christmas, after that night we both vowed that nothing would be worth waiting overnight sleeping on the ground for.
Having been a convention-goer for many years now, I’ve met my share of celebrities from the worlds of comics, film and television…but you’re prepared to meet them and in many cases pay money for their autographs. Fortunately one of the best encounters with a celebrity didn’t take place at a con and to this day is one of the most memorable.
I had to be about 15 or 16 when this happened. I was standing in line to check in at O’Hare airport in Chicago when I noticed a slightly elderly man in front of me who I thought looked a bit like Roger Moore. I tried to kind of get a better look at his face by shifting around when he turned to me and said, “Hello!” He had tinted glasses, a tweed cap and was puffing on a small cigar….and I was 99% certain this was Sir Roger Moore. I apologized for staring and stammered as I told him how much he looked like Roger Moore. He smiled and said something like, “I get that a lot, mostly from those who know me best.” I didn’t know what to say and I was processing what that meant. Before I could say another word, he extended his hand and said, “Roger Moore.” I shook it and told him how I’d grown up with his 007 films and how much I enjoyed them. He thanked me and asked where I was from, “Dallas” I said. “Oooh! I love Texas!” Moore said, “Such beautiful country down there…you’re lucky to live there, and the people are so friendly…Southern Hospitality and all.” And that was about it, no photo, no autograph, just the experience. He was next to approach the counter, so Moore wished me a safe trip and moved on. Of all the Bonds, I’m glad to have met Moore, he really was kind to chat with me and not make me feel like a dumbass for staring at him….but I suppose they get that a lot.
Do you guys talk about me off the air about how much I ramble on here? It’s okay, I get that a lot.