Planet 8 Podcast

It's our big 50th episode, and have we got a show for you! This one is a Giant-Sized fun-filled tribute to one of our favorite heroes, the amazing, spectacular Spider-Man! The web-slinger has been around now for over six decades and is one of the most popular characters on the planet. Why does everyone (except J. Jonah Jameson) love Spider-Man? The Planet 8 crew, plus a couple of special guests, will explore Spider-Man through comics, TV, and film incarnations, celebrating what makes him so special compared to all the other costumed crusaders. If you want to hear about Spidey's origins, our favorite artists, Spidey's rogues gallery, the Spider-buggy, Japanese Spider-Man, and so much more, you're in the right place! Amazing animator Tim Eldred!Did I mention special guests? That's right, we have two for this 50th episode spectacular! Looking at Spidey in the world of animation, artist/animator/director Tim Eldred, who has worked on five different Spider-Man animated shows, shares his thoughts and experiences. Tim's segment begins at 51:24  minutes into the episode. You can check out Tim's multimedia science fiction graphic novel Pitsberg at  Pitsberg.com, and also take a look at Greasemonkeybook.com. The spectacular spider-writer, Gerry Conway!Taking the place of our usual Sensor Sweep, we have a special treat: comics legend Gerry Conway! Gerry has written tons of comics, both at Marvel and DC, including Fantastic Four, Thor, Justice League, Batman, and created characters like the Punisher, Firestorm, Steel, Vixen, and many others. But he may be best known as the man who killed Spider-Man's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy! Gerry had a renowned run of Amazing Spider-Man, taking over the scripting reins from Stan Lee. It was a real thrill to have a conversation with Gerry about comics and Spider-Man in particular. The conversation begins at 2 hours and 10 minutes into the show (we saved the best for last). Finally, thanks to all of you who have listened to and supported this happy little show for the last two years! We are having a blast putting it together twice a month, and hope to continue it for a long time. It wouldn't be nearly so much fun without hearing from you. Your comments here, and on Twitter and Facebook, have really taken this from three friends just goofing off to a whole community of like-minded friends. It's been especially important to us during these current difficult days. We hope all of you are doing well, and that our show can take your mind off things and entertain you, however briefly. That's it, this big ol' beast is done! As always, we want to hear from you! Leave your comments here on the blog, or send them swinging our way at our other hangouts: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!

Will the Thrill and Monica Tiki GoddessMany years ago, in a magical land called Oakland, California, your Planet 8 crew frequently came together in the Parkway Theater for a fantastic event called Thrillville, a B-movie cabaret hosted by Will "The Thrill" Viharo and his lovely wife, Monica "Tiki Goddess." Thrillville introduced us to many films we might never see any where else, such as Dolemite, as well as allowing us to see old favorites like Jason and the Argonauts back on the big screen with like-minded souls. Thrillville was more than a movie show - it was an event, with live music and entertainment, and of course, the musings of our host, Will the Thrill. Beyond that though, it was community - bringing together so many geeks, nerds and the like who might not have found each other without it. On this episode we talk with Will Viharo about the birth of Thrillville, b-movies, his writing, and basically, anything else that popped into his mind! Will is a true raconteur, so get ready for a wild and hilarious ride as we journey through Thrillville! You never knew exactly what to expect at Thrillville; sure, you might know what movie was going to be shown. But aside from that, everything else was different from show to show! There might be a band with a theremin, or a group of high-kicking, scantily-clad dancers. Or maybe a horror host or two helping out Will. And before the film, Will and Monica would spin the wheel and give out prizes- but only if you were polite, raised your hand, and didn't yell out the answer! Sometimes we'd get a short film or trailerspreceding the film. And then we'd get to the film itself. You got your money's worth! For more information on Will, Thrillville, and his books, check out his site: http://thrillville.net/. Will has written a number of books which he might say cannot be put into any particular genre but the word "pulp" certainly comes to mind! Check out his author page at Amazon, where you can find (and buy!) any of his titles. Please note that these are definitely intended for persons 18 and older. You can also find more on Thrillville on Facebook at @Thrillvilletheater. That's all for us this time. We'll be back on May 8th with a super-sized 50th episode! Please leave us any comments here at the site, or feel free to contact us at our other spots: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!

art by George Perez Super-heroes! How many of us ran around with a towel tied around our neck, pretending to fly as we jumped from the couch? Whether we read about them in comics, watched them on TV, or thrilled to them in the movie theater, we all have had our dreams of being a super-hero, fighting evil villains and saving the day. In this episode each of the Planet 8 crew will discuss their favorite super-heroes, and we have quite a variety! Karen is up first, and she looks at two Marvel "outsiders" - The Vision and Adam Warlock. Both have convoluted backstories, and are not your typical hero in longjohns. What makes these two so interesting? Listen in and find out. Next up is Bob with the lowdown on all things Ultraman! If you already like Ultraman, you'll appreciate Bob's deep knowledge on the topic. And if you're new to it, you'll learn a lot! Christopher Reeve Superman GIF from Christopherreeve GIFs Finally, pulling it all together, Larry shares his love for the original super-hero, Superman! The Man of Steel, and in particular the Christopher Reeve films, are close to Larry's heart. He'll tell us all why. For the Sensor Sweep, appropriately, Bob shares his latest acquisition, a fabulous Ultraman figure from MaxToyco! This vinyl figure stands about 4.5" high and is the 1st Ultraman figure licensed by Tsuburaya in the United States. Sculpted by Pico Pico and painted by Mark Nagata (owner of Maxtoyco), this is a limited edition figure. But expect to see more Ultraman figures soon! Bonus announcement: we've added another way to get your Planet 8 fix: a YouTube channel! That's right, you can catch episodes on YouTube now. Currently we're just adding still images to the audio, but stay tuned, we have some other plans in store! That's all for us this time. Let us know who your favorite supe-heroes are. You could use the bat-signal, but it might be easier to leave a comment on the site, or try us at our other spots: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!

via GIPHY Look out! The aliens are among us! They're after our water, our brains, our lifestyle -you name it! Sometimes they just plain don't like us. They come here in spaceships, or sometimes grow in pods. Sometimes they attack us openly, but other times they quietly infiltrate our society. Those aliens are a tricky bunch. This time on Planet 8, the crew turns our planetary defense system to maximum as we discuss ALIEN INVASIONS!! via GIPHY The  alien invasion genre has its roots in both the Cold War and the flying saucer phenomenon, both rising out of the ashes of World War II. But even in more recent times, people continue to be fascinated with the idea of malevolent aliens coming to take over our world. Your Planet 8 crew talks about some of our favorite films in the genre, everything from Teenagers from Outer Space to The Brain from Planet Arous to Attack the Block! to They Live, and a whole lot more. Like, almost anything and everything we can remember! On the small screen side, we take a look at The Invaders, Twilight Zone, V, and UFO. I told you we were talking about everything! This time, Commander Larry has the Sensor Sweep, and he shares a Christmas gift he received , the Star Trek USS Enterprise Illustrated Handbook. This book covers the details of the Enterprise from the original series through the movies, and includes the Enterprise as shown on  Star Trek Discovery. Larry says it has a feel similar to the old technical manuals, so it must be pretty good! You can find it at major booksellers or get it from Amazon here. This is the last time we will bring up the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. It was such a surprise to be nominated for  "Best Multimedia Site"  for the Rondo Awards. Thanks to all of you who got us on the ballot!  Chief Engineer Bob's other website, SciFi Japan, is also nominated for "Best Website." There's just a week before the March 29th deadline. If you're so inclined, we'd appreciate your vote. You can find the ballot here. All you have to do is send an email to Taraco@aol.com.  Thanks again for all your support in our first two years of existence! That's all for us this time. Now we want to hear from you! What's your favorite alien invasion movie or TV show?  Leave us a comment here, or at our other listening posts:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!

via GIPHY How many of you remember the movie of the week? Back before streaming or even cable, the network channels had their own special made for TV movies. During the 70s, it seemed like an awful lot of these were horror or monster focused. They varied in quality, but there were a number of really exciting and memorable ones, and that's what we're talking about in this episode!  We have already covered two of the most famous - The Night Stalker and the Night Strangler, featuring our beloved Carl Kolchak - in episode 22 (check it out here, Night Stalker fans). But we'll look at some awesome...and maybe not so awesome!....made for TV productions. Chief Engineer Bob uncovers a hidden Rankin-Bass and Tsubarya Japanese film connection, with a trio of films, The Last Dinosaur, The Bermuda Depths, and The Ivory Ape. Yep, we said Rankin-Bass, the company that gave you Rudolph! It's a fascinating story! Then Karen tells us about Gene Roddenberry's post-Star Trek shift to a dystopian future, first with a movie called Genesis II, then a redo of this film called Planet Earth, and finally yet another version called Strange New World! Certainly not his best work, but interesting to behold. But on the plus side, we have all time favorites, like Gargoyles, a 1972 film that caused some of us to have nightmares. This film is best remembered for the fantastic make-up on the gargoyles, which was some of the great Stan Winston's earliest work. It certainly scared your Planet 8 hosts as youngsters! via GIPHY We all were absolutely petrified by the two-part presentation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, with David Soul. It scared us to death as kids and really holds up today. And it even has a Star Trek connection! But our piece de resistance, the film that really gets to everyone who has ever seen it, is Trilogy of Terror (1975), but really we're just talking about one segment, "Amelia," featuring Karen Black and a very frightening Zuni fetish doll. You may never look at your collectible figures the same way again.  Speaking of collectible figures...Bob handles our Sensor Sweep for this episode. There are a couple of amazing robot toys available only at Walmart right now - walking, talking Iron Giant and Robby the Robot 12" figures for just $19.95! These are made by a company called Goldlok, and Bob's very impressed with the quality. But they are flying off the shelves! So hurry out and get yourself one. Bob also recommends the Funko Pops Speed Racer "Nightmare Speed" figure. And before we go...we want to thank you listeners again for nominating Planet 8 for "Best Multimedia Site"  for the Rondo Awards. Also, Bob's other website, SciFi Japan, is nominated for "Best Website." We'd really appreciate it if you could vote for us before the March 29th deadline. You can find the ballot here. All you have to do is send an email to Taraco@aol.com.  We're so surprised and grateful to have been nominated. We hope that means we're doing something right! And if you're in the San Francisco  Bay Area, Bay Area Film Events will be hosting an anime weekend -Animezing! -  at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco on March 14th and 15th. For more information go to http://www.bayareafilmevents.com/animezing. So let us know how we're doing, and be sure to tell us what your favorite made for TV movies were. You can leave a comment here, or hit us up at our other spots: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastAnd watch out for possessed action figures!

via GIPHY Get ready - 2020 has 13 full moons, so the werewolves will be running amok! In this episode we will take a look at these hairy, scary monsters. Starting with the legends and myths from around the world about werewolves, we turn then to the many films that feature these man-beasts. Some you will undoubtedly have heard of, but we dug up a few obscure ones too. Why are werewolves so fascinating? There's something so tragic and compelling about these poor souls who are cursed to change into vicious beasts. But there's undeniably something exciting about it too - the pure freedom and power of the wild animal. And what type of werewolf do you like best - more wolflike or more manlike? There are a lot of different versions to choose from, ranging from full-on wolf to the snouted creatures found in films like Underworld and Dog Soldiers, to the classic look of Lon Chaney Jr's Wolfman. The crew discusses which looks they like the most and why. We also do a little thought experiment -who is an actor who hasn't played a werewolf who should? We came up with some unusual, but hopefully, entertaining choices! Commander Larry and Lt. Jasmine at Galaxy's EdgeFor our Sensor Sweep this time, Commander Larry takes us all to a galaxy far, far away...in Anaheim. Yes, the Commander tells us all about his experience at Disneyland's newest sensation, Galaxy's Edge! Get the lowdown on this Star Wars-centric land.  Extra: Just a reminder, thanks to all of your efforts, Planet 8 is up for a Rondo award for Best Multimedia Site! We are so appreciative of the support you, our great listeners, have given us! You can put us over the top by voting for us now at https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/. While you're there, also consider voting for Chief Engineer Bob's other concern, Sci-Fi Japan, for Best Website. In other news, Bob and Keith Aiken from Sci Fi Japan will be recording commentary for the  Gamera the Brave, part of a Gamera box set coming out later this year.  Finally, Bay Area Film Events will be hosting an anime weekend -Animezing! -  at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco on March 14th and 15th. For more information go to http://www.bayareafilmevents.com/animezing. We bid you adieu for now. As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this episode's topic -or anyting else! You can leave a comment here, or hit us up at our other spots: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastAnd remember...Stay off the moors!!!

With the return of Jean-Luc Picard to the small screen, the Planet 8 crew decided it would be a good time to reminisce about the former starfleet legend and the great actor who plays him, Sir Patrick Stewart. We'll go over the casting process that brought Stewart to Star Trek, and our initial impressions of Captain Picard. And here's a hint - we weren't exactly in love with him at the start! But with time, the good captain won us over. We'll offer up some of our favorite episodes and moments featuring the captain of the Enterprise-D. What made Picard so special as a character? What were the qualities of the Captain that we admired? And how did he differ from the only other starfleet captain we knew at the time, Captain Kirk? We recorded this episode  just before the Star Trek Picard show premiered, so we'll also share thoughts about what we hope to see from this new show too. For the Sensor Sweep this time, Karen shares two excellent Star Trek books: The Fifty Year Mission:  The First Twenty Five Years:The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized, Oral History of Star Trek, and its sequel, The Fifty Year Mission: The Next Twenty-Five Years, by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross. You might be thinking, "More Star Trek books? I know everything about Star Trek!" But believe us, these books peel away so many layers to uncover hidden stories that will surprise even long-time fans. You can find them in major book stores or, of course, on Amazon. And Altman also hosts a terrific Star Trek podcast called Inglorious Treksperts -check it out. Listeners, we also want to say a big "Thank you" to all of you who got out and nominated  Planet 8 for Best Multimedia Site for the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (https://rondoaward.com/). It is such an honor and a thrill to get on the Rondo ballot! We really appreciate you getting out there and pushing Planet 8. Now we want to ask if you will go one more step and vote for us on the actual ballot! The link above will take you to the Rondo ballot. It's been a blast putting the show together for you every other week, and we always enjoy your feedback. We hope we can continue to entertain you in the many years ahead! That's it for us, but you know our hailing frequencies are always open! Send us a message here, or at our other communication points: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

As 2019 came to a close, fans had Star Wars coming at them on both the big and small screens: we were ending the fabulous Mandalorian TV series on Disney +, and the final movie in the "Skywalker saga," Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, was released. Dare we say, reactions to these two productions couldn't be more different. The Planet 8 crew first discusses their feelings -we search our feelings -about Episode IX, a film that has continued the controversy from The Last Jedi. We came out of the film with a lot of questions, some frustrations, and a few things we enjoyed. We just wish there had been more. On the other side of the galaxy, Disney + really hit it out of the park with the last half of The Mandalorian. We reviewed the first half of the season in episode 40, and all three of us absolutely loved it. The last four episodes delivered on the set up of the first four. We all felt that the conclusion was very satisfying. The final episode was thrilling; it had the right amounts of action and heart. And it's perfectly set up for the second season, as Mando is now bound to the Child and must help find his home. We discuss what we hope to see in the second season...which feels so very far away right now!  For our Sensor Sweep, we keep our Star Wars theme, as Commander Larry discusses his experience meeting Anthony Daniels, aka C-3PO, during his tour for his book, I am C-3PO. Larry found Mr. Daniels to be a charming gentleman. We have a special request: if you can't wait to listen to our episodes, if we've enlightened and entertained you, please consider nominating Planet 8 for a Rondo award for Best Multimedia site. You can click here for the details. Thanks again for the support you have given us! That's all for us this time friends. We look forward to hearing your thoughts about Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian. Are you looking forward to more Star Wars from Disney +? What kind of shows would you like to see? Let us know. Leave your comments here, or hit us up at our other telecommunication locations: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening! Our closing song is Star Wars by The Lounge Brigade.

Happy New Year to all of you! It's hard to believe it's 2020 - where are the flying cars? Maybe our science fiction films and TV shows didn't get it all right, but at least in this era we are fortunate to have an abundance of science fiction and fantasy movies and TV shows to watch and enjoy (and sometimes criticize). In our first episode of Planet 8 for 2020, we will take a look back at our favorite movies and shows and celebrate the amazing variety of entertainment available to us. It's gotten to the point where it's basically impossible to watch everything genre-related that comes out! But between Commander Larry, Chief Engineer Bob, and Recon Officer Karen, your crew manages to cover quite a few offerings. We'll start off discussing the great genre films of 2019, talking about our favorites, and a few disappointments. The Marvel films make a strong showing here, but a certain giant green lizard does pretty well too. Next we move on to the small screen. There are so many shows on television now -depending on what streaming services you subscribe to! - and some folks like to binge a bunch of episodes over a weekend while others enjoy the suspense of seeing a show week after week. However you like to watch, there's a ton of programs to watch, and the crew discusses a bunch of them, including What We Do in the Shadows, Watchmen, Walking Dead, Lost in Space, Star Trek Discovery, and more. As we end one year and usher in another, we also look back on those we lost in 2019. These include: actress Julie Adams from Creature from the Black Lagoon; Ron Sweed, The Ghoul; artist Monkeypunch; Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew; actor David Hedison; and several people associated with Star Trek, including writer and producer Dorothy "DC" Fontana, Charlie X actor Robert Walker Jr., Odo actor Rene Auberjonois, and Nog actor Aron Eisenberg. For our Sensor Sweep, Chief Engineer Bob wants to remind everyone about the super-cool designs we have at Tee Public for Planet 8 swag. You can get Planet 8 t-shirts, hats, stickers, bags, and more. We would really love to see a picture of you with your Planet 8 gear! Send them to us here or at Twitter or the Facebook page. Finally, we got so busy as we were recording several episodes on the same day, we just completely forgot to say anything about what we were looking forward to in 2020! So quickly, here are the films the crew are most excited about for this year:Commander Larry: The New MutantsChief Engineer Bob: Godzilla vs. King KongRecon Officer Karen: Black WidowThat's all for us! Let's hear what you enjoyed most this year, and what you're looking forward to as we dive into 2020. Feel free to comment here, or hit us up at our other communication links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

It's the holiday season and of course, that means Batman! Uh...well...on Planet 8 it does! We have a great love for the Caped Crusader and on this episode we share our earliest memories of Batman, and talk about all things Batman: the comics, cartoons, TV show, movies, toys...you name it, we blab about it! Of course, the Bat has had a pervasive reach across all media but for some of us, the 60s TV show was probably where we saw him first. The show brought Batman and Robin into the homes of millions of viewers and kids went nuts. An invasion of toys, models, games and so forth followed. And Batman's popularity has seemingly never waned, but only grown stronger. Commander Larry fondly remembers Batman and Robin from the Superfriends cartoon. And he treasured his Mego Batman! And who didn't have some sort of Batman toy or model? There was -and continues to be -so much Batman merchandise (of varying quality...) And what discussion of Batman would be complete without some back and forth on the best batmobile? Yep, we go there too! All this and so much more! Planet 8 crew outside the Batcave This week's Sensor Sweep is brought to us by Recon Officer Karen and features what might be a perfect Christmas gift for someone on your list. Imagine having to fight against not one, not two, but all of the Universal Monsters! That's what you and friends can do with the Horrifed board game from Ravensburger. This is a cooperative board game where the players must overcome two or more of the classic Universal monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bride of Frankenstein, Mummy, and Invisible Man) as they threaten the village. You can find this at a number of retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Barnes and Noble. It's a blast! And don't be surprised if you run across Wilbur and Chick! With that, we wrap up another trip around our sun here at Planet 8. It's been a great year and we want to thank you all for traveling along with us. As always, we'd love to hear from you. You can leave comments here or at our other reception stations:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastSee you in two weeks -same bat time, same bat channel!

via GIPHY It's here -the first live-action Star Wars series! And so far, everyone seems to agree -The Mandalorian is a hit! Your Planet 8 crew has eagerly awaited the debut of this Disney +  show, created by Jon Favreau, with contributions from Dave Filoni of Clone Wars and Rebels fame. Set about five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the show depicts a time of uncertainty and unrest as the Alliance attempts to build from the ashes of the Empire. In the outer rim territories, the mysterious bounty hunter known as The Mandalorian forges a living hunting down bail jumpers and other low lifes, when he receives a bounty commission from former Imperials laying low. And from there, his life gets very complicated... It's not a surprise to say that our episode is heavily SPOILER-FILLED from minute one, so you may not want to listen unless you've seen the first four episodes of The Mandalorian! We will discuss just about every detail of the show, being long-time Star Wars fans, and this show really hearkens back to the original trilogy in many ways. But it also brings a fresh take on the universe, which we thoroughly enjoyed! via GIPHY What are some of the influences we detected for the show? What were the little details we flipped over? How much does Commander Larry love Baby Yoda? Take a listen and then be sure to chime in with your thoughts too! For our Sensor Sweep, no, it's not Star Wars, but Godzilla we turn to, as Chief Engineer Bob tells us all about the exciting new Godzilla Showa Era boxed set from Criterion! Almost as big as the King of Monsters himself, this eight disc bluray set covers Godzilla films from 1954 to 1975 and comes in a beautifully illustrated hardcover book. You can get it from Criterion or other fine retailers. OK, that's it for this transmission. If you've seen The Mandalorian, what are your thoughts so far? Got anything to say about the Criterion Godzilla collection? Anything else you need to get off your chest? Leave a comment below, or try our other communication resources:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening - we have spoken!

It's that time of the year when we celebrate the things we are thankful for, and here on Planet 8, we are thankful for Star Wars! For many of us, Star Wars -the films, the animated shows, the toys, games, books, comics, and so on - have been a big part of our lives, for most of our lives. When the first film came out in 1977, we had never seen anything like it. We took a trip to that galaxy, far, far away, and nothing was ever the same. Join the Planet 8 crew, including newly-promoted Lieutenant Debby, as we reminisce about all of the things that have made Star Wars so enjoyable and so enduring. Seeing Star Wars as youngsters created a connection for us that has lasted to this day, and we still eagerly await every new film and TV show, as well as the various product spin offs.  We'll discuss  the films, but, being Planet 8, we'll stray off course and talk about our personal experiences with Star Wars, the toys and other goodies, the animated shows, and much more. It's a Star Wars lovefest, more over- stuffed than a Thanksgiving turkey! Please note, we recorded this episode a few weeks prior to the debut of The Mandalorian TV show on Disney Plus. But we'll be covering that very soon! Lt. Debby and Chief Engineer Bob and friends Recon Officer Karen, unidentified angry man, and Commander LarryFor our Sensor Sweep, Commander Larry shares a new goodie he purchased, the Hot Toys Nano-Gauntlet 1/4 scale figure. This is a mini-version of the Infinity Gauntlet that Tony Stark wears at the end of Avengers Endgame. It lights up and everything! You can find it on the Sideshow site here. We hope you enjoyed this episode and will share your thoughts on Star Wars. You can do it here, or at our other places of business:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening -and May the Force be with you!

Bob, Larry, and Karen live at 7 Star Bar & Grill Through the miracle of audio recording, we transport you now to our first ever listener's party! Held on October 20th, 2019, at the 7 Stars Bar & Grill in San Jose, Commander Larry and Engineer Bob were live, in-person, while Recon Officer Karen was beamed in via the interociter. We were joined by a few dozen friends and fans to celebrate our first fun year of podcasting. It was a chance to hang out, listen to tunes, enjoy some food and drink, and even do a show in front of a live audience! And that's what you're about to listen to now. Many thanks to the 7 Stars Bar & Grill for hosting us. Sean and Jessica from the South Bay Lightsaber ClubFirst up we have Sean and Jessica from the South Bay Lightsaber Club, who show off one of their cool lightsabers, one that was made at the Star Wars Galaxies' Edge park at Disneyland. Sean shares some tips and tricks about how to make a lightsaber at the park. Ensign Jasmine gets promotedNewly-promoted Lt. Debby celebrates This celebration was also a momentous occasion: Planet 8 crew members Ensign Debby and Ensign Jasmine were both promoted to Lieutenant for all of their help with the podcast, and keeping everything running smoothly on Planet 8! Congrats to Debby and Jasmine. Don Bishop shows off his prizeCosplayer Don Bishop shares his know-how on putting together fantastic sci-fi costumes and discusses the most complicated outfits he ever assembled, including the Mugato from Star Trek! Don was dressed as Taylor from Planet of the Apes while visiting our Planet 8 fest! Joe Tarquini and Mike McCreery from MantiquesWe had a chance to speak with Joe Tarquini and Mike McCreery, co-owners of Mantiques, the store with everything a geek could ever want, in Niles, California. Mike was also the DJ for the day! If you're looking for something unique for your collection, you need to pop into Mantiques. Gail and Ray Orwig return!Finally, friends of the show Ray and Gail Orwig, authors of the wonderful Where Monsters Walk, made a return appearance and told us about their upcoming book which will focus on sci-fi and fantasy serials from 1919 to the 1950s, about 50 different ones in all. This is another labor of love for the couple and is sure to be as entertaining as their first one! Your crew gave out a bunch of prizes to folks who were brave enough to spin the Planet 8 Wheel of Fate. For all of you who couldn't attend but are listening, consider yourself honorary Planet 8 No-Prize winners! Thanks for being such a great bunch of listeners! You are the reason we do this crazy podcast! You can give us feedback, criticism, or even kind remarks in the comments section here, or at our other haunts: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!

It's that time of year again, when creepy and scary stuff abounds! Besides all the great horror movies out there this time of year, there are a ton of great TV show episodes that either focus on Halloween or have themes that fit the holiday. We talk about some of our favorites ones on this episode. Larry discusses a few classic Star Trek episodes with spooky themes, including the eerie "Catspaw." Did you catch the Cthulhu references in the episode? Did you know it was written by Robert Bloch of Psycho fame? We look at a couple of Next Generation episodes too. Karen reminisces about The Simpsons'  Treehouse of Horror specials, and focuses on a few favorite segments. So many of these were take offs or homages to classic sci fi and horror films or shows, especially The Twilight Zone. Bob shares a classic Halloween episode of Route 66 -Lizard Leg and Owlet Wing (see it on YouTube here). It featured Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, and Peter Lorre. it was the last time Karloff wore the Frankenstein Monster make-up! Our chief engineer also covers a bunch of others, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Big Bang Theory, Laverne and Shirley, Married with Children, and more. Do you have memories of some favorite TV show episodes that centered on Halloween? We'd love to hear them. Chief Engineer Bob says hands off my Godzilla game!! For our Sensor Sweep, Bob has managed to get a hold of the new Bandai Godzilla card game! Not only that, but we have a special interview with the game's designer, Ryan Miller! So be sure to check that out to learn about this cool new kaiju card game. We want to wish you all a spooky, creepy, monster-filled Halloween!! And feel free to share pictures -past or present -of your costumes at our Facebook or Twitter sites. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!

The dead. We all have a fear of death, corpses, decay...and the strange border between life and death. What of those creatures that walk that border, the undead? In this episode, the Planet 8 crew looks at zombies and ghouls. What are they? And what is the difference between the two? We'll do a semi-chronological journey through film starting with the Bela Lugosi classic, White Zombie, and cast our eyes first on the traditional voodoo zombie. How did this type of undead rise to popularity? Then we'll transition into the more commonly accepted type of zombie, the one that grew popular from George Romero's films, which began with Night of the Living Dead. But were the creatures in these films zombies, or ghouls? Add your two cents to our debate! In the decades that followed Romero's classic, scores, if not hundreds, of zombie films, have been made. We'll share some of our favorites, including zombie comedies. And of course, we can't ignore the enormously popular Walking Dead.   So if shambling undead are your thing, give this episode a listen! We've got you covered. For this week's Sensor Sweep, Chief Engineer Bob reviews a book called Screaming for Pleasure:  How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, by S.A. Bradley. This tome looks at how horror films impact and influence our lives. Bradley examines numerous films and interviews well-known directors for their thoughts. It's a highly enjoyable work for anyone who has an interest in the genre, and you can find it in stores or at Amazon. Bradley also has a podcast, called Hellbent for Horror (https://hellbentforhorror.com/), so be sure to check it out. That's all we've got time for today. Make sure your doors are locked, and should you take refuge upstairs, or go down to the basement? Hmm.... We'd love to hear your thoughts about the zombie vs. ghoul debate, or any of the films we discussed (or missed). You can leave comments here, or through our other communication channels: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastThanks for listening!