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Pop forum: Talk amongst yourselves

Before you start chatting, get to meet our featured reader, a fan of comics, Springsteen and Lost:

Reader of the day: clifford1212

CandysamReal name: Sam Fogleman
Why I chose my screen name (if it's something other than my name): When my wife's dad likes you, you get a nickname. One day he called me Clifford and it stuck (but I go by Cliff mostly).
Where I live: Indianapolis
Occupation: Now: Administrative assistant. Was and will be soon again: High school English teacher
MySpace: myspace.com/foge12

Three famous people I'd love to meet: Steve Martin (genius), Ricky Gervais (I'd love to know how he got where he is), and Stan Lee

Best concert experience: Seeing Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely and Guy Clark last year. It was all four of them on stage at once with a guitar and a mic for each, and they would each play a song one at a time. In between songs, they would chat about life and music with each other. That and Bruce Springsteen a long time ago. He did three encores, one after the lights came on.

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Early buzz: 'Iron Man,' 'quarterlife,' Apatow and more

Happy Leap Day/Friday, everyone!

Unfortunately, I think I've caught some sort of stomach bug, so this (and the forum) may be all I'm able to post. I'll come back if I start feeling human again -- I'm so sorry about this. It definitely wasn't planned.

Some headlines:

- Did you miss the Iron Man trailer during Lost? Here it is again.

- ABC is in negotiations to pick up Scrubs from NBC, according to the Hollywood Reporter. NBC says this isn't the case.

- Here's the op-ed piece Angelina Jolie wrote about Iraq.

- NBC has already canceled quarterlife. Remaining episodes will air on Bravo.

- Robert Rauschenberg is suing over "art" that was taken from his trash.

- Judd Apatow has lined up another movie; this one stars Jason Segel.

- A high school football player who inspired Friday Night Lights has died.

- Speaking of FNL, the second season arrives on DVD April 22.

- Did you know you can watch Melrose Place on CBS.com?

- Here's the Sex and the City trailer again, since it disappeared last week.

- Here's the track list for the Heroes soundtrack.

- The New York Daily News has an interview with Will Arnett.

- The A.V. Club has an interview with Daniel Johnston.

- Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are merging.

- The drummer for Vampire Weekend was involved in a hit-and-run accident in London.

- A Family Guy spinoff is in the works.

- Mike Smith, lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, has died.

- Here are some stories you may not have heard about William F. Buckley, who died this week.

Let's talk 'Lost': Feb. 28 episode

Desmond! Eloise! A creepy doctor! Fisher Stevens!

So many names, so many questions. Before you join this week's discussion, remember the rules:

Cusick1. INCLUDE SPOILER WARNINGS. I'm putting this in all caps because last week there were a few violations of the spoiler rule, and this caused some dissent! What's a spoiler? Anything involving an upcoming episode of the series, particularly plot points you may have seen in other publications/websites. No, we don't all know what's supposed to happen next week. So, if you do and need to share, give us a very obvious warning first.

2. Try not to repeat other comments. I know this thread can get pretty long, but by keeping up with previous posts, we can make it as short and effective as possible.

3. Be respectful of other commenters.

4. Stay on topic.

OK! Here we go ... I can't wait to see where this conversation takes us.

A complete 'Battlestar' refresher

Has it been so long since you've seen Battlestar Galactica that you can't tell Baltar from Boomer? Have you forgotten about Helo and Hot Dog? Here's an eight-minute video that recaps the entire series so far.

If you've never watched the show, I still suggest you rent the DVDs. The fourth season starts April 4, so you have time to catch up! Though it's supposed to be the final season, I'm still hoping Starbuck will never leave my TV screen.

Life without Garfield

It's kind of weird, but this week's most popular comic strip has to be Garfield Minus Garfield. Someone has gone through the trouble of deleting the chubby orange cat from Jim Davis' strips, and the result is equal parts funny and disturbing.

The website describes Garfield's makeover as "an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life." The strips follow Jon Arbuckle "as he fights a losing battle against lonliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb."

I started reading them and chuckling, but then they began to freak me out. After the second page, I started to feel like I needed a lollipop and a hug.

Having a 'Lost' party tonight?

Pop reader Kevin W., aka kwolfe, tells me this Lost font might come in handy -- "especially for all the readers who like to make their own Lost materials!"

What you get: Dharma symbols, the DriveShaft logo, the Oceanic Airlines logo, a Hanso Foundation logo and many other nifty icons. Thanks for the tip, and good luck with your castaway crafts.

Death of a cult-movie icon

Pop reader dex1138 told me about the death of pop-culture icon Ben Chapman. Never heard of him? Chapman played the title character in 1954's Creature from the Black Lagoon. He had a few other film roles, but the cult classic was his most recognizable. His imposing frame and "being in the right place at the right time" helped him snag the part.

"The news definitely saddens me, as this is my favorite of all the Universal monsters," Dex says. "I have a great memory of watching it on TV for the first time on a hot summer night in my youth, and it was even in 3D!"

Dex adds that you can learn more about Chapman on his website, www.the-reelgillman.com. The main page links to several blogs and fansites that have posted tributes to the actor, who passed away Feb. 21. He was 79.

Rebuilding walls for a musical hero

Here's a cool story that shows the power of music fans and the Internet: On Monday, Los Angeles culture blog LAist posted a story about how the Elliott Smith memorial wall had become riddled with graffiti. (The mural, which appears on the cover of Smith's Figure 8 album, became a site where fans scrawled messages after Smith's death in 2003.)

By the end of the day, several people had heard about the story, and LAist made another post. This time, it showed people cleaning up the mural. Now the site looks lovely again, and here's hoping it will remain free of large graffiti tags. A MySpace profile has even been set up to help maintain the wall. The singer-songwriter may be gone, but he is still very loved.

Twenty-five years ago today ...

On Feb. 28, 1983, MASH ended its TV run. It got a 77 percent share of that evening's viewers, making it the most-watched program in U.S. television history. Were you there?

PopMatters has a story about the historic evening and what it meant for the series and the medium. The Hallmark Channel will air the finale March 7, in case you were too young/distracted to watch it the first time around.

Because we have so many viewing options these days, it's unlikely any other series will come close to MASH's finale ratings. What was it about this show that brought so many people together? What series are serving this purpose today, if any? Feel free to discuss.

Pop forum: Talk amongst yourselves

Wanna discuss pop culture? Feel free to do so in the comments, but meet our featured reader first:

Reader of the day: sumwutdizturbed

CandymiahReal name: Abeda Miah
Where I live: Paterson, N.J. (Ugh!)
Occupation: Part-time bank teller
MySpace: myspace.com/abedamiah

Favorite movie: Silence of the Lambs. I have a creepy little crush on Hannibal.

One famous person I've actually met: I met Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels twice at an open mic. He is the sweetest guy. He was fun and energetic and great to talk to ... and he was impressed when I didn't want his autograph.

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