Bob Calhoun

Bob Calhoun
Location
Pacifica, California, USA
Birthday
June 18
Bio
Bob Calhoun is a regular contributor to Film Salon and observer of offbeat media. His 2008 punk-wrestling memoir "Beer, Blood and Cornmeal: Seven Years of Incredibly Strange Wrestling" (ECW Press) has spent one entire week on the San Francisco Chronicle's Bay Area bestseller list.

MY RECENT POSTS

Editor’s Pick
DECEMBER 15, 2011 1:31AM

Full Frontal Bradley Manning

Director Kyle Broom wanted to take "Prevention of Injury (POI)" through the film festival circuit just like every other independent filmmaker, but this 20-minute film has the burden of being about something. The film's main character doesn't have a name. He's referred to in the credits on… Read full post »

DECEMBER 3, 2011 4:12PM

My Unrealized Herman Cain Novelty Tune

herman-cain-peace-sign

Herman Cain is done reassessing his presidential campaign. He's out. Now this doesn't mean he won't reassess his reassessment at some later time and jump in the race again in a few weeks only to reassess all over again. This is Herman Cain we're talking about here. My one regret… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
DECEMBER 2, 2011 1:11AM

Are We Taking Television Too Seriously?


I'm toying with starting a new blog series where I analyze inane old TV shows with the same attention to detail that today's pop culture bloggers and critics (myself included) lavish on dense cable dramas such as "Mad Men," "Game of Thrones" or "Walking Dead." To kick… Read full post »
Editor’s Pick
NOVEMBER 14, 2011 1:43AM

I always suspected that Frank Miller was a fascist.

Et tu Frank Miller?
The author now has a bad feeling about these Frank Miller comics that he fished out of his closet. Notice the book on the right is titled "Give Me Liberty, for whatever that's worth.

Frank Miller, the comic book writer/artist… Read full post »

Of all the things for Jerry Sandusky to have named his 2001 autobiography, he had to name it "Touched." No really, the creepy Penn State football coach who's been indicted for molesting boys in the showers, titled his book "Touched." I know I've said this twice alreadly (thrice if you count… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 12, 2011 3:25AM

Round and Round; My Return to Pro Wrestling

In pro wrestling, victory isn't making your big comeback—it's staying away. I've dispersed this pearl of wisdom here and there since my last show with Incredibly Strange Wrestling in Bologna, Italy back in 2003. Bologna was an unusually glamorous destination for a low-rent, punk rock… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 5:30PM

My Meeting with Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman meets the media head on during an impromptu press conference at the 2010 California Republican Party Spring Convention in Santa Clara, Calif. (photo: Bob Calhoun).

Last year I went to as many conventions and trade shows as I could talk my way into. One of these cons was
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A day of debt cieling sellouts has made my brain hurt. I'm tired of thinking about it, but I can't stop thinking about it. Just the way I couldn't stop thinking about the Florida recount. Just the way I couldn't stop thinking about those long-assed lines at the polls in… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
JULY 19, 2011 2:41AM

Whose Captain America is it anyway?

Rally to Restore Sanity Captain America
Captain America salutes reasonableness at the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington, D.C. on October 30, 2010. (Photo: Bob Calhoun)

There was a guy in a Captain America suit staking out his space on the lawn of the National Mall in Washington DC waiting for Jon… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
JULY 6, 2011 1:47AM

They Need to Sell Comic Books at Movie Theaters

Superman Serial Credits
The producers of the Superman serial in 1948 couldn't let a good marketing opportunity go to waste.

For Superman's live action cinema debut, the first image that flickered onto the screen wasn't a star's name or a movie studio's emblem. It was the cover of a ten…

Read full post »

Andrew Breitbart the Man with X-Ray Eyes
With eyes as black as pitch, conservative provocateur Andrew Breitbart stormed a packed press conference about the state of my MacBook earlier this morning.

Originally posted on Anthony Weiner has my MacBook.

Earlier this morning, Andrew Breitbart of the conservative Breitbart media empire na… Read full post »

JUNE 9, 2011 5:24AM

Anthony Weiner has my MacBook

Oakland designer Joshua Kaufman's MacBook was stolen out of his apartment. He had a piece of anti-theft software installed on his MacBook called Hidden, which told him where the laptop was and also snapped pics of the guy who stole it. Kaufman told the Oakland police where it was, but they… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
JUNE 6, 2011 12:10AM

Sarah Palin's History Teacher is Popeye the Sailor

Okay, the Sarah Palin/Paul Revere story just won't die. It’s like the Anthony Weiner twitpic saga, but without shots of bulging underwear.  On Sunday, Palin defended her creative interpretation of Revere's ride on Fox News. Meanwhile, her fans/supporters/followers (whatever the hell you ca… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
MAY 4, 2011 2:40AM

Barackamania is Running Wild and Politics IS Wrestling

 Trump WrestleMania
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump back when he still possessed an air of dignity.


Does Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, have top secret security clearance?

According to a Monday Huffington Post article, his Sunday postings on Twitter may reveal that the former WWE champion and star of…

Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
APRIL 20, 2011 4:03AM

Thor, Idris Elba and the Integration of Viking Movies

Idris Elba
UK actor Idris Elba as the Norse God Heimdall in the upcoming Marvel Comics movie "Thor."

As of last Friday, 1,473 people liked the "Boycott Thor (2011) by Marvel Studios" Facebook page. Among those showing their virtual disapproval of director Kenneth Branagh's upcoming comic book moive is E…

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Editor’s Pick
MARCH 10, 2011 4:13AM

The Science Fiction & Horror Stories That Need Adapting

science fiction paperbacks
A whole pile of science fiction, horror and fantasy paperbacks that have gone untouched by Hollywood producers (pulled from the author's shelves and piled on his bed).


Remakes. Reboots. Re-imaginings. Prequels. Prequels to remakes. That's what 2011 is going to remembered for—the year… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
FEBRUARY 15, 2011 2:33AM

Chris Jericho wrestles for literary gold in Undisputed

Jericho Undisputed
Left: Chris Jericho's latest rock and wrestling memoir, "Undisputed." Right: Jericho launches himself off the top rope during a match with The Rock AKA Duane Johnson. (Images: Grand Central Publishing.)

Pro wrestler/rocker/game show host Chris Jericho ends his first wrestling memoir, "A L… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
FEBRUARY 2, 2011 3:59AM

Parenthood Recap: My Book Makes its NBC Debut

 NBC Parenthood
My book, "Beer, Blood and Cornmeal," makes its network television debut as a piece of set decoration on the NBC series "Parenthood" in the lower left corner of the screen.

"Parenthood" is about the Braverman family. We know this because they tell us over and over again. They've already…

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Last week, Obama picks General Electric’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt as his chief outside economic adviser. In last night's State of the Union Address,  Obama's big tag line was, "We do big things." GE's big slogan in the 1980s was, "We bring good things to life." Coincidence?

 
Galifianakis_zombies
Left: Zach Galifianakis muscles his way into top billing with a winning smile in "Frenemy." Right: "Zombies of Mass Destruction" proves that not all zombies are a hit on cable TV (images: Lionsgate).

While other movie critics are mulling over the merits of "True Grit," "Black Swan" and "The… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
DECEMBER 20, 2010 3:04AM

The Duke, the Dude and "True Grit"

 The trailer for the Coen Brothers' new version of "True Grit" at times looks like an accidental shot for shot remake of the original.
 
 There isn't a clip in any of the trailers for the Coen Brothers' upcoming remake of "True Grit" that doesn't conjure its counterpart from t… Read full post »
Editor’s Pick
DECEMBER 14, 2010 1:50AM

Six Million Dollar Man on DVD; We Have the Technology

Six Million Dollar Man
Lee Majors running in slow motion but at bionic speeds.

The first episode from the just released "Six Million Dollar Man" complete series box set that I popped into my DVD player not only has William Shatner in it, but it's a crazy Shatner who spouts beat poetry and can control… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
NOVEMBER 10, 2010 4:08AM

Mick Foley: Wrestling with Reasonableness

Mick Foley
"Countdown to Lockdown" and its most reasonable author, Mick Foley (Images courtesy of Grand Central Publishing).

Mick Foley is the last person that you'd expect to be honored at something called the Rally to Restore Sanity. In the world of pro wrestling,… Read full post »

If Carly Fiorina was ever a competent CEO, then she'd know enough about statistics to understand that being over 10 points down with 96% of precincts reporting means she lost the damned election.

By claiming that the race was too close to call even though Boxer's lead was hitting double… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
NOVEMBER 3, 2010 3:45AM

A Quick Election Night Interview with Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom

The last couple of days must have been strange for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. On Monday night, the Giants won their first world series since the team moved here from New York in the 1950s. Baseball fans partied in the streets until after 3am. Tonight Newsom was at the… Read full post »