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12/28/05 Update
So Long, 2005, And Thanks For All The Socks
Thanks for watching this year's Holiday Special, which was picked up by well over 100 stations...
The revolution continues - and now CI is carried twice a week on UATV, starting with the Friday, December 30th presentation of our The Day the Earth Caught Fire episode. Now west-coasters can watch at midnight on Fridays, and easterners at midnight on Saturday.
 Our desperate pleas for FCC exemption fell on deaf ears, and because our episodes are not yet compliant with new closed-captioning laws, our until we get our transcripts encoded on line 21 those loyal folks at KTEH and KCAH will move "Cinema Insomnia" to 2am "Saturday night" (two hours later), starting this Saturday with The Day Time Ended.
Anyone who would like to help out by listening to your favorite episode over and over and writing all the words down can email Mr. Lobo - but be sure to check with him first before you start transcribing since some of the episodes are already done.
Your dark, swarthy host wants to alert you to our new pricing for DVDs - US$13.13 includes the shipping. Titles for sale - now with fab art printed on the discs, and collectable covers - are Gigantis, Prince Of Space, and Night Of The Living Dead. These DVDs are now made in-house, with the cooperation of Creature Feature's merchandise expert Tom Wyrsch. More titles to come with a 4-movie box set (to include StarCrash) in time for Wondercon (Feburary 10-12)!
Oh, yeah - please pre-order your black CI T-Shirt ("third edition")... by telling Mr. Lobo that you're chomping at the bit to have these season 4 shirts! They'll sport the title logo in red and white, feature a floating Mr. Lobo head and the catch-phrase "They're not bad movies - Just misunderstood"... hot off the press and ready to wear for Wondercon. Won't your Valentine be surprised?
12/16/05 Update
Psycho-Thrills
 So, what's it like to be a Psychotronix Virgin...?
It didn't hurt at all - and it was a lot more fun than Mother warned about!
Seriously, the Psychotronix Film Festival, a semiannual fundraiser hosted by the esteemed Robert Emmett at Foothill College in Los Altos for the SF Bay Area's KFJC-FM, is an event not to be missed! It's not just for radio-heads - fans of Cinema Insomnia will find it much like our program, but with more cartoon-flavor added. Short vintage films like the animated "Sparky Goes to the Moon", and episodes from a 60's-70's vintage TV series from across the pond starring a family of kids and their 'adopted' chimpanzee, Alice (the British answer to 'Lancelot Link'?), mixed with trailers for movies like "The Chinese Professionals" and the amazingly outrageous "Willie Dynamite" (a pimp with a wardrobe even Cher or Bette Midler wouldn't attempt!) were some of the tasty treats served up by film fanatics 'Psychotronic Bob' Ekman, Paul Etcheverry, and Scott Moon... And X the Unknown, the cinematic main course of the evening, really satisfied.  The house stayed packed with appreciative fans until the very end... Thanks, guys!! It was great fun! (Apologies if we missed - or misspelled - anyone.)
Cinsomniacs found many other points of similarity and comfort, such as the presence of Mr. Lobo as guest-host, helping to hand out the MANY prizes - and appearances by both Ro-Man, and the lovable Megafant (fresh from their hit music video 'Watching TV,' as recently seen in the Cinema Insomnia Halloween Special). There was ONE uncomfortable edge to the evening... when that Bay-area copycat host, MR. BOLO, with his sidekick Professor Gilly, dared to make an appearance - and tried to upstage your favorite host! Our resourceful Mr. Lobo had the last laugh, as Ro-Man and Megafant were called into play to escort MR. BOLO from the premises... until the NEXT Psychotronix event? Who knows?! Tune in next time...
It's not just a great benefit - it's a terrific show! RUN, don't walk, when you hear the Psychotronix folks are going to be firing up the projectors again - be first in line!
December 8 - it was early evening at Thrillville, and Will the Thrill was sweating bullets...  After discovering the wrong Mothra print had been shipped (a ratty old one, with five minutes of dialogue missing!), he'd been forced to do a rush re-order of the brand-new print he'd been supposed to get - and hope the correct one would be express-shipped in time. Then... he waited. Would the film arrive on time? Would the film arrive at ALL?? (Would Mr. Lobo and crew need to invent an additional impromptu skit or three, to fill the time?!) Finally the call came: the film was on the ground - but had been misdirected to the San Francisco airport instead of Oakland. It still needed to be raced to the Parkway! Chills! Thrills! ...Suspense!
Fortunately, it was dispatched with all due haste - and that particular drama ended happily.
The Holiday Tiki Monster Mash started on time,  and Will (and a dangerously exotic-looking 'Santa' Monica, clad in leopard-print frock and matching leopard Santa hat) introduced the evening's musical entertainment: the MAIKAI GENTS, with their home-grown brand of mellow Hawaiian music standards. (This incarnation of the group was a quartet who regaled us with vocals, ukulele, guitar, stand-up bass, lap-steel - and also featured 'the Mysterious' Miss Mauna Loa performing vocals, ukulele, and Hula dancing. They definitely set the tone for a laid-back evening of holiday cheer, no matter WHAT had gone before.
 Will and Santa Monica distributed the customary loot to the masses, with Will somehow having metamorphosed into the silver-masked, matching leopard-hatted 'Santo' Claus for the gift-giving... and then it was time for Mr. Lobo - and a metamorphosis of his own, as he emerged, glasses first, from his fuzzy white cocoon: winged, antenna-ed, and resplendent, as Mr. LoboMoth. After communing with the crowd awhile, Mr. Lobo and Mothra's good friends, those pint-sized famous singing Peanut Sisters, called two volunteers from the audience for a little contest of strength and endurance: a 'larva race' across the stage, where some yummy green leaves awaited them at the finish line. Still game after hearing they'd be required to wriggle across the stage on their bellies, while dressed as larvae, they were suited up forthwith - and the race was on! Both contestants gave a great effort, but it was all over amazingly quickly - and our 'male' larva was the winner! The Peanut Sisters were really impressed with him - and it was thought that they secretly wanted to follow him home.  They stayed put when the volunteers left the stage, though, because they had decided to sing.
Amazingly, their song summoned Mothra to the theater - and right onto the stage - all the way from their island home!  Mothra was truly impressive, and seemed to want to stick around, and as those tenacious strings of Mothra goo began to fly there was only one thing left to do... call for the audience to recite the Insomniac Oath! Without further ado the Oath was pledged, Will resumed the stage and gave a bit of information about the film, and Mothra (the movie) began.
Great print, delightful film - and a terrific time was had by everyone (so far as we could tell). Many thanks to The Thrills, the volunteers and associates, all the usual suspects - and another animated salute to Eric Yee for once again providing the goods to help Mr. Lobo look like a hundred bucks - oh yeah, and to Dennis Lancaster for the wonderful, amazing MOTHRA creature! More photos from both events now reside in our Fanboy Lounge Gallery. Aloha, and Mele Kalikimaka to you all...
 From our Y! Group, 'JEM' kindly assembled a QuickTime file of the CI folks cavorting at this month's KTEH pledge drive. She writes, "Perhaps you were there and want to see how you looked on TeeVee. Perhaps you weren't there and you're wondering what the heck the rest of us are talking about. This should answer both questions: http://homepage.mac.com/jem/iMovieTheater125.html. The first three minutes are raw cuts of anytime Insomniacs appeared on TV. The last four minutes [contain] Mr. Lobo's interview." It's a 33MB file. Thanks, JEM!
12/6/05 Update
He's One Bad Moth-
(Shut Your Mouth!)
KTEH viewers - tonight you can see Mr. Lobo as live as humanly possible. He'll be interviewed on the air, and gently suggests that a fine way to show your support for CI would be to call in between 6-11 and make a donation (during the Brian Setzer and Cream concerts), mentioning of course that you love Cinema Insomnia. This is a big step toward getting a pledge drive "for" our program...
Happily, you loyal KTEH and KCAH viewers will be watching the "Cinema Insomnia" opening animation a half-hour earlier - at midnight PDT, instead of 12:30 - beginning with our January 7 episode (well, technically on Sunday the 8th). We are expecting to be pre-empted for a pledge drive sometime in January, and will post that date as soon as we get it.
The Oakland hipsters already know that Thrillville is showing Mothra this Thursday night... and what a fine diversion from the usual holiday chores it will be.
We expect to be sharing more details from last weekend's Psychotronix film festival,  and until then it can be said that the one word Mr. Lobo keeps using is "amazing"...
Our Holiday Special featuring Santa Claus Conquers the Martians has been delivered to good little TV stations nationwide - in fact, the e-mail reports from viewers are already coming in. That's because our broadcast vbuddies can air it anytime, and as many times as they wish, 'til Dec 31st. Affiliates of CBS, ABC, UPN, WB, PBS, PAX, and UATV have picked it up, so this is another one of those "keep an eye on your local TV listings" situations. We're pleased to let you know that our "Watching TV" music video has been so popular that it will be included in the "Intermission" segment of this special too (with a few... yuletide adjustments).
More good news - UATV will be carrying our weekly episodes on both Friday and Saturday, beginning sometime in January.
Certifiably devoted fan TOR has submitted a CI quiz to funtrivia.com ...
And at last we've posted a bunch of new fan mail in Mr. Lobo's sack!
11/23/05 Update
No-No, No, No-No-No-November
 Now here's a holiday gift of a different caliber - Mr. Lobo's radio play, "The Last Thanksgiving." (That link is for the MP3 file, and here's the script.) It was originally broadcast in 2000, and is meant as a rollicking tribute to the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. "TLTG" contains performances from some of FAL's best friends - and it's still an annual fixture on KDVS, which should be streaming it online sometime Thursday. Many inside jokes and references to other FAL projects are scattered throughout.
Mr. Lobo just gives, and gives... such as this list of cinematic "turkeys", which is nicely complemented by a poem sent in by a viewer (thanks, Slabster!). Both can now be found in our Fanboy Lounge.
May the Thanksgiving vibe move you to give freely of your unneeded, mateless socks (see tally at top right).
11/19/05 Update
You're Expecting This To Read "Sock It To Me!",
But That Would Harsh Your Buzz
 We had a young square asking about the beatnik scene after Mr. Lobo's visit to Thrillville... and in response we are offering our entire A Bucket Of Blood episode as a downloadable QuickTime file (on our Shows web page) to further your coffee counter culture education. So get hip.
Alert the boys from Project UFO... Next up in most markets ("Check Your Local Listings", hokay?) is In Search of Ancient Astronauts, the pilot-TV movie which kicked off the "In Search Of" nonsense, narrated by Rod Serling Of The Twilight Zone. (His influence on Cinema Insomnia is obvious, but cannot be emphasized enough.) And in honor of our forefathers from light years away, that episode includes an interview with Richard Hatch - no, not the naked guy from Survivor - but none other than Apollo from Battlestar Galactica. Hot Daggets! The unabridged version of that interview is linked on our Media Kit web page.
CI has a do-unto-others vibe pinging around the joint, so we're generally pleased to announce our annual Socks For Tots drive. Our volunteers are ready to match, fold and redistribute soft fuzzy footwear to the less fortunate. Pledge that odd sock under the bed or behind the dryer right now by clicking here! So far we have accumulated 7 and a half socks (there's an ankle sock included) and we will post our total on the front page to make your holiday season a little more poignant. Give your rejects to somebody who has none...
Our man in South Florida, Dave Baker, has another review for you from his dollar DVD dungeon.
For those NorCal Bay dwellers who are jonesing for their Mr. Lobo fix - come meet him live and in person Saturday, December 3rd at a crazy fun film collector jam called The Psychotronix Film Festival at Foothill College in Los Altos! See weird wild 16mm films - projected - for a packed hall of public radio supporters. It's a bi-annual fundraiser for KFJC. Listen online, Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. PDT, to "The Norman Bates Memorial Soundtrack Show" for details.
You can also see and possibly talk to Mr. Lobo and his faithful Knights during KTEH's live pledge night - Tuesday, December 6th from 6-11 p.m. PDT. Enjoy the retro stylings of Brian Setzer and Cream in concert, and pledge your support for the station that is bringing you Cinema Insomnia... er, most Saturday nights. (Email Mr. Lobo this week if you would like to be alongside him - or at least near him - on the phone bank!)
Last but never least (never!) Thrillville's "Holiday Tiki Monster Mash" will hit the Parkway in Oakland on Thursday, December 8, at 9:15 - where Mr. Lobo will be appearing with Mothra and The Peanuts of Infant Island!
Do your unenlightened neighbors a solid - be sure to nag your favorite commercial broadcast TV station to run our Holiday Special! Here's the one-sheet!
11/13/05 Update
Mr. Lobo Meets Beat
What-where-when now? A modest CI staffer reports...
The happening was on Thursday, November 10 - when all the hep cats and kittens (and Mr. Lobo too!) were diggin' the Thrillville 'beatnik' scene at The Parkway Theatre in Oakland.  Our good pals, the always ultra-hip Will the Thrill (and lovely assistant Monica, Tiki Goddess, hippest of hipsters morphed into 'Mistress of Cool' for the occasion) hosted yet another memorable evening of both film and live counterculture entertainment. A two-handed, ten-finger-snap salute goes out to you craaaazy kids!
Thrillville's beat bash commenced with a warm-up of clips from the vintage series "77 Sunset Strip", wherein a beat poet offered coded crime-solving tips in verse - and an episode from "The Munsters", in which a temporary living-space switch led to general wackiness
and a beatnik party, with The Standells as musical guests.
Next, the jazzy poetry stylings and soundings of ARUNDO filled the stage. This Bay Area beat quartet used spoken word - self-accompanied by assorted instruments such as sitar, tabla, guitar, squeak-toy, rattles, and some type of vaguely harmonica-sounding plastic 'keyboardafone', among others - as their vehicle of expression. The stream of interesting audibles supplied by these folks was digested by the crowd, and the beat-itude was duly processed along with their Parkway pizza and beer. They were some real gone cats!
In their inimitable way introductions, commentary, and a quick trivia contest were dished by our hosts Will and Monica to the enlightenment of the audience - and then on to the next performance... In true Cinema Insomnia fashion, our own Mr. Lobo proved himself to be no jive turkey by providing a special live poetry reading for the assembly. Donning his magic beret and temporarily channeling the spirit of Ginsberg, he produced his original, angst-ridden ode to contemporary beat life, strong coffee, cartoons - and the need for clean feet - in the poignantly gripping mini-epic: "Towel". As an onstage counterpoint to the piece, two groovy yet hitherto-undiscovered sculptors were randomly chosen from the audience, and Play-Doh was administered as the sculpture medium of choice in a sort of vogueing sculpt-off. The moving, yet spontaneous creation of their art was made all the more riveting by lasting only throughout Mr. Lobo's delivery of "Towel". The resulting masterpieces were then judged by the viewing audience. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, when "CUBE WITH A BERET" was chosen by the majority over the (possibly more entertaining?) performance-art piece, "SNAKE BRAIN". Talk about ART for the masses. Cool, Daddy-O !!
Mr. L. finished by bringing out the 'psychedelic hypnotic eye' and hypno-disk, and exhorting these selfsame masses to once again recite the 'Insomniac Oath' before bringing on the film - which they happily did...
The feature-film of the gig was a beautiful archival reel of Roger Corman's 1959 beat horror black-comedy classic A BUCKET OF BLOOD. You'll never set eyes on a better, clearer, more sparkling screening of this movie - nor one in which it would be easier to see, as Mr. Lobo was quick to point out, that there is NO actual bucket anywhere in this flick! (Saucepan, griddle, Dutch oven, yes - bucket, no.) Go figure.
It was a great party - and truly enhanced by the amazing clarity of the film. Fine work by the local film-folk in finding such a pristine piece, and allowing us all to view it - and a big thank you to all involved!! Thanks, as always, to our friends and hosts at Thrillville and The Parkway for inviting us, and for making it all possible."  (Mr. Lobo and the crew would also like to extend our especially heartfelt thanks to those who consistently go well over and above, to see to it that Mr. Lobo and Cinema Insomnia are able to provide maximum entertainment - and that goes double for those who have stayed after shows to provide extra help, instead of sensibly going home to bed! You know who you are...)
Thanks for the photos, Mary Ann! She also wanted to let you know that Thursday, December 8 is the date for "THRILLVILLE'S HOLIDAY TIKI MONSTER MASH" - Mr. Lobo and the Peanut Sisters will be live at the Parkway for a screening of the original (1962) Japanese monster-piece MOTHRA! What better way to rev up the holidays?
Gamera Super Monster is really, truly scheduled to be shown on UATV this coming Saturday... but sadly our beloved viewers in the Silicon Valley region will have to get their CI fix through other means for the next four weekends due to a pledge drive (we'll return on KTEH and KCAH on December 17).
11/3/05 Update
Mo' Mentum
The big night may be past, but that doesn't necessarily mean you missed our 2005 Halloween Special. It's been confirmed that some stations are airing an "encore presentation" this coming Saturday - and actually they have our permission to broadcast it at any time during the next 3+ weeks, so keep watching those local TV listings!
Mr. Lobo is recharging his power pack for his next assault.  Thanks to everyone for making this Halloween season Mr. Lobo's busiest and best yet! Big-time thanks to Will the Thrill for not only appearing in and helping us promote the Halloween Special, but for organizing this year's awesome Horror Host Palooza and the fun-tastic Halloween Fiesta (which is now preserved in our Fanboy Lounge Gallery)!
It was a pleasure for him to collaborate with John Stanley at San Jose's homegrown SiliCON convention, Oakland's Horror Host Palooza, Napa's Halloween Fiesta and Shock-It-To Me! at the Castro in SF. As ever, gratitude and praise for Bob Wilkins who not only backed up Mr. Lobo at SiliCON and was the man of the hour at Shock-It-To-Me!, but also planted the seed that has caused this current NorCal horror host renaissance to blossom. Kudos to Ken Patterson for his role in programming Cinema Insomnia on KTEH / KCAH, giving the SF Bay Area children of "Creature Features" something to smile about!  Ken Waller put in an amazing number of hours editing and formatting the UATV and KTEH versions of the shows - plus directing and shooting the Halloween special!
The incredible Chris Pickett of Studio 42 provided equipment and added an impressive amount of sound sweetening to the Halloween Special, as well as enhancing the current weekly shows. Scott Moon contributed a stunning gallery of graphics and animation for the show - and the song "Watching TV" for the "Mr. Lobo Experience" segment of the Halloween Special. The vocals by Ron Dante of the Archies "really added magic to the project," Mr. Lobo remarked, "and it was an exciting privilege to work with an industry legend." Chris Grill co-wrote the Halloween Special, raised the bar for the current entertaining and informative content on the website and, along with Dave Baker, provided key support at Florida's ScreamFest! Terry at Access Media earned our admiration for putting Cinema Insomnia in an astonishing number of cities. Mary Ann McDonald is most helpful too, in both the photographic and organizational realms. Yet again, Tom Wyrch and Eric Yee stepped up and made some of the live events so much better...
 Mr. Lobo's respect, admiration and congratulations go to August Ragone, Bill Longen and Michael Monahan for making Shock-It-To-Me! an unforgettable event. Ms. Monster and company from B-Minus Comics infused the event with great energy and gallons of elbow grease - and left us oldsters with our heads spinning! Larry Scholl (the animator) tends to put on an extraordinary show, and once again the Folsom Ghost Train was a wonderful "spooktacle". Some holidays would just not be the same without dropping into Sacramento's Trash Film Orgy, at the Crest.
And we mustn't forget everyone who watched our Special and gave feedback! Especially those who called their stations demanding more - thanks to you we will be adding more stations to our list for the series... like KHIZ 64 in LA!
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