Plenty of Nothing

Rocky Loma

Ivy Levan performs "Science Fiction Double Feature" in front of Casa Loma in Fox's remake of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Films referenced in the song:

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) with Michael Rennie

Flash Gordon (1936, with sequels in 1938 and 1940)

The Invisible Man (1933) with Claude Rains

King Kong (1933) with Fay Wray

It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Doctor X (1932)

Forbidden Planet (1956) with Anne Francis

Tarantula (1955) with Leo G. Carroll

Day of the Triffids (1962) with Janette Scott

Night of the Demon (1957) with Dana Andrews

When Worlds Collide (1951) by George Pal

RKO Pictures operated from 1928 to 1957.

Shūsaku Endō Sells Out

Watch this compilation of TV commercials made by Japanese author Shūsaku Endō in the 1970s and 80s.

Salt Vampire

On September 8th, 1966, CBS broadcast "The Man Trap", the first episode of Star Trek to go to air, though it was the sixth one produced. The network executives wanted to lead off with a monster, assuming that the audience's taste in science fiction had been formed by 1950s creature features. The salt vampire costume was designed by Wah Chang, and worn by Sandra Gimpel. Jeanne Bal played Nancy Crater, the shapeshifting creature's human form. In a typical Trek inconsistency both Kirk and McCoy behave in the film Star Trek VI (1991) as if they've never met a shapeshifter before -- even though McCoy carried a torch for Nancy Crater, and the creature tried to eat Kirk's face.

Birth of a Social Problem

Source.

Wakako-Zake

Wakako-Zake is a food manga by Chie Shinkyu. There's not much plot or characterization, but that's made up for by a lot of eating and drinking. It's a much simpler concept than Oishinbo. Nobody's lecturing or crusading for industrial standards here, just Wakako thinking about what she likes about the meal and then letting out a long breath of satisfaction. The manga has been made into an anime and, as you can see, a live drama. Read a review.

Detectorists at the British Museum

Masataka Taketsuru and Rita Cowan

Here's a pair of faces that cry out to be set in a historical manga. Or maybe an NHK morning drama named Massan. Read their story, and about the founding of the Yoichi distillery, here. Read about the TV series here.

Björk Christmas Special

This 1976 Icelandic Christmas special has eleven-year-old Björk in the kids' choir.

Cosplay in Space

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti models her Star Trek: Voyager uniform onboard the ISS.

Waterloo Road

The BBC's school drama Waterloo Road has just wrapped filming at the former Greenock Academy.

Ayr United visit Cappielow. Morton are in second place, one point behind Stranraer. Ayr are in ninth place, one point behind Stenhousemuir. But in three games Ayr have defeated Morton twice, with one draw.

Morton have lost their last two starts. They have not lost three successive league matches this season, not since the dark days of February and March 2014 when they lost six in a row and were relegated.

If Morton do not finish top, they will have to win two promotion playoffs to get into the Championship, a chance of 1 in 4. It'll give me more to write about in May, but from a fan point of view it would be better if they just finish first and earn automatic promotion.

[Morton win 2 - 1, thanks to some last minute heroics from McManus and Forbes. Stranraer also win, so Morton are still one point out of first place.]

More Scottish Junior Cup quarterfinals:

Hurlford United [3 - 1] Pollok

Yoker Athletic [2 - 3] Linlithgow Rose

Celtic and Dundee United meet for the fourth time in fifteen days. March 8th they played to a draw in their Scottish Cup quarterfinal. March 15th Celtic beat the Tangerines 2 - 0 to win the League Cup. March 18th Celtic knocked United out of the Scottish Cup. Today it's a Premiership match. [Celtic win 3 - 0.]

Edinburgh City are Lowland League champions.

Yesterday UCD AFC hosted Athlone Town. Athlone won.

Tomorrow Montedio Yamagata host Kawasaki Frontale. [Montedio win 1 - 0, their first win of the season.]