Hugh Casey is a writer, blogger, actor, filmmaker, convention promotor, financial services specialist, geek, fan, and all-around know-it-all. He tries to live by the quote by Sir Arthur C. Clarke, "Specialization is for insects."

He currently lives in King of Prussia, PA.

Hugh is the founder of "Parents Basement Productions", a small production company located in the Philadelphia area. He has produced, directed, written, and performed in two short films: "Teddy's Big Escape", and "Young Geeks In Love". Both can currently be seen on YouTube.com.

Hugh has been a long-time fan of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres, and has been active in organized fandom for many years. He is a member of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS), and served as the Society's president and vice-president, as well as a member of it's board of directors. He was also the chairman of the Society's annual conference, PHILCON, in 2003, and it's vice-chairman in 2002. He served as a committee member for the conference in other years. He also attends, and regularly is a panelist at, many SF conventions, such as Arisia, Balticon, and Wicked Faire. In 2010 he will be the "Guest of Awesome" at 5 Pi-Con, in Enfield, CT.

Hugh is currently a Retirement Administrator with The Vanguard Group in Malvern, PA. He holds the Series 6 and Series 63 licenses, and is also a Certified IRA Services Professional (CISP). This does not mean that he will give you financial advice.

If you would like to know more about Hugh, then check out his extended bio. Or, you can read his blog. Which is right below, which makes things awfully convenient.

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On December 22nd, the DVD for the second Family Guy "Star Wars" Special will be released!

Titled "Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side", it will be a parody of "The Empire Strikes Back".

Click the link to check out the trailer! (Which, like pretty much ANYTHING "Family Guy" related, contains a smattering of inappropriate humor, so be warned!)

Need a little pick-me-up for your day?

How about some Animals With Lightsabers?

:-D

Yes, I know that everybody and their brother has posted the video of the Muppets singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

Yes, I know you're probably sick of it.

Well, I don't care... here you are again...



You're welcome.

(And am I the only one who giggled with glee upon seeing some old-time Muppets who haven't been seen for a while? *GRIN*)

(And the part with Animal is STILL making me laugh!)

Asylum Pictures, those cinematic geniuses who've brought us such towering achievements in motion pictures such as I Am Omega, Transmorphers, and the classic MegaShark Vs. Giant Octopus, have a new film coming out on DVD Dec. 29th:

PRINCESS OF MARS, based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Now, this isn't the ongoing production due in theaters in 2012 from PIXAR... That one is John Carter Of Mars, and will probably be a substantially superior film.

But this film has something that Pixar hasn't got.

TRACI LORDS as DEJA THORIS! (Oh, yeah, and Antonio Sabato Jr. as John Carter.)



Now, I'm not a Traci Lords hater... far from it. I think she's both beautiful AND quite talented. And I actually think that, despite being rather mis-cast as Deja, she will probably be the best thing about this movie. And that is probably both a good and a bad thing. :-\

The biggest question about this movie isn't how bad it will be... it will be positively cheese-tastic! The biggest question is... how long before it shows up as a "Syfy Channel Original Motion Picture"? ;-P

Today is the start of the HAJJ, the Fifth Pillar of Islam.

May Allah bless you all with peace and prosperity.

In 1971, a man using the alias of "D.B. (Dan) Cooper" hijacked a Northwest Orient 727, received a ransom of $200,000, then parachuted from the rear of the plane over the wilderness of Washington state, in the middle of a severe nighttime thunderstorm. He has never been found by authorities, and his fate is still a mystery.

In 1980, an 8-year-old boy found $5,880 of the original ransom (badly decayed) on the banks of the Columbia river. Otherwise, none of the $200k has ever surfaced. The serial numbers of the remaining bills are available online.

Below is the original FBI sketch of Cooper, with age progression.


The FBI has officially stated that they DON'T think Cooper survived the jump, although the case remains open, and they remain interested in ascertaining his true identity.

(Edited to correct that the FBI *DOESN'T* think he survived... I forgot a word there...)

Another year, another con down.

I really did have a good time this weekend, despite some certain amount of stress. I will post a few details later, but things were good.

There will be NO WAY that I can review all three days of LJ posts, or Facebook entries, so if you posted about something important that you think I oughta see, then please, point me to it. Thanks.

I am THOUROUGHLY wiped out... and I have to go to work today. Oh, THIS should be fun... :-\

Let me know how you guys are all doing.

In the meantime... onward and upward...

You Are Spike

You are neither good nor evil. You're too complicated to be explained so easily. You have a dark side, and your lust sometimes gets the better of you. And your temper is notoriously violent. But you also have a softer side to you. You are compassionate, sensitive, and capable of deep love. You are also very intelligent and witty. You enjoy verbal sparring as much as physical sparring.

SPIKE!?!?

Damn... I was kinda hoping for Frank Langella's Dracula.

Oh, well... guess I'd better start working on my British accent... ;-P

Today is the International Transgender Day Of Remembrance.

Over the last ten years, an average of one person a month dies due to prejudice based on their gender orientation, whether they were transexual, crossdresser, or some other sort of gender-variant. This, and all hate-based violence, must stop. We all have the right to pursue our happiness, without harm to others, in whatever way we choose.

Yes, I'm straight. But that doesn't mean I'm narrow. This is not a "gay" issue, or a "tranny" issue. This is a HUMAN issue.

Peace.

I am currently enjoying a visit by the lovely elionwyr , who right now is still dead-to-the-world-asleep. Later this morning I pick up patriciawake at the bus station, and then it's off the Cherry Hill for Philcon this weekend.

Once I leave, I will have limited access to LJ, FB, and email, so don't expect a reply to anything until Monday. If you need to contact me right away, you can call my cell if you know the number.

Be good, y'all, and don't mess up the place while I'm gone. :-)

Well, I have redirected Hughcasey.com to my LiveJournal page, and I have updated my LJ to make it more like an actual, y'know... website. Because, hey, if people are coming to read my blog, the least I can do is make it look nice for them. And, hopefully, up my number of clicks! :-)

So, if you'd like to provide feedback, feel free to check it out and tell me what you think! Thanks!

Currently, I have myself and two roommates for Philcon. We were going to have four total, but plans changed. I'd like to add one more person to keep costs down for everyone. So if you'd like to share a room, let me know.

Details:

You need to be OK with sharing a co-ed room, and must be willing to share a bed (or sleep on the floor). It is a non-smoking room, although we will be sharing with one smoker (who will, of course, be smoking outside the hotel.. I'm pretty sure the whole hotel is non-smoking). We are all very friendly. Cost will be somewhere between $70-80 per person if we get four people. I would appreciate cash at con.

If interested, let me know ASAP. Otherwise, I'll post it on the Philcon community later.

I think you should read both of these, if you have the chance:

A Christian case for same-sex marriage
by John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington

Bishop Chane reminds us that not ALL Christians are opposed to same-sex marriage, and that Christianity's understanding of marriage has changed over time.

He provides a quote, however, that I think needs to be spread far and wide:

"...I would say respectfully to my fellow Christians that people who deny others the blessings they claim for themselves should not assume they speak for the Almighty."

I cannot think of a more... Christian... sentiment. :-)

At the same time, we have this:

Losing My Religion For Equality
By Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of the United States

"I have been a practicing Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service."

It's nice to see these two men remind us of what TRUE Christianity is... following the teachings Jesus, especially when they contradict the words of those claiming to speak in his name.

Edward Woodward, the fine British actor best known for the American television series THE EQUALIZER, has passed on at age 79.

He also gave award-caliber performances in THE WICKER MAN (the original, not the remake), and BREAKER MORANT. I will strongly recommend both of those films to you if you've not seen them.

So, here is my schedule at Philcon:

Fri 10:00 PM in Executive Suite 823 (1 hour)
SOCIAL NETWORK SOCIAL

ZOMGWTFBBQ! Come and hang out with your fellow LJers, DWers, FBers,
Tweeters, and any other *ers we haven’t thought of yet at Philcon!
Hopefully this year we'll be able to answer the age-old
question...Is there anyone here who's NOT on Hugh's friends list?


Sat 10:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
PHILCON 101

[Panelists: Hugh Casey (mod), Suzanne Rosin, Emily Tullis]

Maybe it is your first Philcon, and your're wondering what there is
to do. Or maybe you've been here before , but feel like you're
missing something. Stop by and we'll tell you what you need to
know


Sat 1:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two
DIVERSITY IN SF AND FANDOM

[Panelists: Hugh Casey (mod), David M. Axler, Orenthal Hawkins,
Stephanie Burke, David Silverman]

RaceFAIL'09. MammothFAIL. The Open Source Boob Project. SF
writers, editors, and fans publicly commenting on race, faith, or
sexual issues that other find offensive. Lately it seems that
issues about racism, sexism, and other types of prejudice have
exploded all over professional SF and its fandom. Is fandom rife
with bigotry? Or are people being too sensitive or making
something out of nothing? Or is the truth somewhere in between?
And, maybe most importantly, is it even POSSIBLE to have a civil
conversation about any of this? Well, we're going to give it a
try. Wish us luck.


Sat 3:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
PIRATE, NINJA, SUPERVILLAIN, VAMPIRE

[Panelists: Hugh Casey (mod), Dusti Lewars, Phil Kahn, Sally-Rouge
Pax, Ruth Lampi]

First we had Monkeys. Then Robots. Then Mad Scientists. Now,
Philcon's most fun panel is back... now with BLOODSUCKERS! Watch
as our panelists are each assigned one of these four character
archetypes, and then BATTLE IT OUT to see who reigns SUPREME! Or
at least, SUPREMELY FUNNY!


Sat 4:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
STAR TREK: WHERE DOES IT BOLDLY GO NOW?

[Panelists: Keith R.A. DeCandido (mod), Hugh Casey, Terri Osborne,
Lawrence M. Schoen, Samatha Kwait]

J.J. Abrams rebooting/revisioning of STAR TREK seems to have
re-invigorated what many thought was a dying franchise. But where
should it go from here, and what kind of stories should it tell?
Is it still true to Roddenberry's vision, and how important is it
that it remain so


Sat 10:00 PM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)
WHAT'S A HOT ORION LIKE YOU DOING IN A CANTINA LIKE THIS?... FLIRTING
AND DATING

[Panelists: Hugh Casey (mod), Dusti Lewars, Genevieve Iseult
Eldredge, James Prego, Jo Blu Pax, KT Pinto]

The stereotypical fan is someone who lacks a bit in the social
skills department. So, if you're one of those fans, how do you go
about learning them? Simple... you go to this panel! Bring a
sense of humor, and you may learn something along the way


Sun 11:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
SCIFI SAVED MY LIFE

[Panelists: Hugh Casey (mod), Patricia M. Cryan, Jay Smith, Crystal
Paul, Ray Ridenour, Tobias Cabral]

For many of us, science fiction and fantasy are simply entertaining
escapes. But for some of us, they are much, much more. For some
people, they become a lifeline. Come and hear stories from our
panelists, and share your own.

Philcon panelist schedules have begun to go out. If you're a panelist and you haven't gotten yours yet, you should have it shortly.

Fla. man arrested for calling 911, asking for sex

TAMPA, Fla. – Florida police say a man arrested for repeatedly calling 911 looking for sex claimed it was the only number he could dial after running out of cell phone minutes. Tampa police said 29-year-old Joshua Basso made sexual comments to the 911 dispatcher and asked if he could come to her house. Investigators say she hung up, but he called back four more times.

He was arrested about 15 minutes later at his home late Wednesday and charged with making a false 911 call. Basso reportedly told officers that he didn't think he would get in trouble for calling 911.

I am curious about what people think of the following graphic, which appears in the book The Visual Miscellanium. It's a chart that tries to lay out exactly what the commonly held positions are for the Left (blue) versus the Right (red). (Funny thing... this version of the graphic is specifically designed for the US... in most of the rest of the world, RED symbolizes the left, and BLUE symbolizes the Right.)

( So, where do you think YOU fall on this chart? )

I think I fall mostly on the "left" side of the fence, although there are a few items on the left side that I disagree with (I don't think that liberalism means "Interfere with social lives", for example), and some on the red side that I would accept (Such as, I don't think that individualism and the needs of society as a whole conflict, as the people who made this graphic seem to think).

The floor is open... what do YOU think?

I gotta get me a pair of these!

AIRWALK STAR TREK SNEAKERS!

Eminent astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson TOTALLY PWNS 2012

Of course, I'm STILL going to see 2012... probably tonite with some friends. Nothing like a little disaster porn to make a person feel better. :-)




(Thanks to systris for the link.)