Last night I attended my first major indoor event since being fully vaccinated. The event took place at the 2300 Arena (ECW Arena), and it featured Rob Van Dam watching the debut of his new WWE ICONS documentary for the first time, a little bit of stand-up, and photos and autographs with RVD afterward. It was an awesome time. Let me tell you all about it.
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On March 19, Paul Stanley’s Soul Station is releasing its debut album, Now And Then. I’ve been listening to the record over the past month, and it’s phenomenal. I had the opportunity to interview Paul Stanley about this incredible artistic accomplishment, which was an honor and a pleasure. As you’ll see below, we talked about how he approached this album, when he expects to tour, and what’s next for Soul Station, among other topics. I hope you enjoy the interview, and make sure to buy a copy of Now And Then!
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Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of the ECW is an excellent Audible Original. Writer Scott E. Williams has pored through records and conducted dozens of interviews with fans, company officials, business partners, and the wrestlers themselves to bring listeners the most thorough account possible of this bizarre company. As someone who has watched numerous documentaries about ECW, I learned a lot while listening to this audiobook. It provides an excellent, and sometimes detailed, overview of major events related to ECW and its various incarnations.
The first musical I attended was Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing, and it took place during the show’s 1995 revival when it came to the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia between February 25 and March 5 of that year. In 2017, I saw Hello, Dolly! when it was revived again—this time on Broadway with the incredible Bette Midler. It is the greatest musical I have ever seen. Not only was Bette fantastic in this role which seemed tailor made for her, but the crowd that night was electric. It felt as if I was at Woodstock, Live Aid, or some other seminal moment in music history. The magic was palpable, and I’m thrilled that I had the chance to see Bette in her role of a lifetime, for which she deservedly received a Tony Award. Bette’s Hello, Dolly! broke the Broadway record for best first-day ticket sales, the box office record at the Shubert Theatre 12 times, and it shattered The Shubert Organization’s all-time record 10 times! Running from March 15, 2017 through August 25, 2018, this triumphant revival is now showing at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.
Splatoon 2 is one of the most wildly popular games for Nintendo Switch. And at Nintendo Philly Meetup, a group I founded and run, we play Splatoon 2 all the time at our monthly meetups at TAP Esports in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. Why? Because the multiplayer modes in Splatoon 2 are highly addictive. There’s something about the crazy art style, whacky music, and frenetic action of this game that keeps us, and millions of Nintendo fans worldwide, coming back for more. With this in mind, Dark Horse published a book, The Art of Splatoon 2, that is dedicated to providing fans with a deep dive into the art and design of this instant classic.
Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is the best documentary I’ve seen this year and in a very long time. This film sets the record straight about the controversial sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street, which both launched and ended Mark Patton’s acting career. This film is about him attempting to make peace with his past and embrace his legacy as cinema’s first male scream queen. Scream Queen! also finds Mark confronting the Freddy’s Revenge cast and crew for the first time, including co-stars Robert Rusler, Kim Myers and Clu Gulager, as well as Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund.
BIG NEWS! One week from today is my first Thursday night DDP Yoga class at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center. I will teach this class every Thursday at 7 p.m., starting Jan. 9.
I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season so far!
My next DDP Yoga class is taking place on Saturday, January 4 at 10 a.m.
WHERE
FeeLean Fitness
1551 Washington Ave., Unit C
Philadelphia, PA 19146
WHEN
Saturday, December 21 at 9 a.m.
PRICE
$15
See you on January 4th!
Our next Nintendo Philly Meetup is taking place on January 26 at TAP Esports! The cost to attend is $10 per person. If you want to stick around after the event, which will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., TAP is happy to offer you discounted pricing.
Today, I took part in an episode of Completely Damaged Radio at Montgomery County Community College, where I talked about becoming a certified DDP Yoga instructor and why I made this decision, as well as pro wrestling, and other topics. It was a fun time, and you can check out the episode below.
Speaking of DDP Yoga, my next class is Saturday (December 21) at 9 a.m. It’s $15 to attend and spots are filling up, so register now.
