Sept. 7, 2024

I’ve been a journalist for a long, long time. Over the years, I’ve been added to a considerable amount of press lists. These lists cover a broad range of topics from entertainment news and new product announcements to fashion tips and interesting statistics. Coincidentally, my inbox is flooded with hundreds of intriguing pitches every single day. It just came to me… is a grab bag of news and information culled from my inbox and presented to you in a bulletin-esque format. Enjoy!

She Likes Sports

Almost Monday features Dawson Daugherty on vocals, Cole Clisby on guitar, and Luke Fabry on bass. “She Likes Sports” is the band’s recently release single. It brings to mind Cake’s “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” with a bit more effervescence and summer sparkle.

According to Daughtry, “‘She Likes Sports” is the song on the album that was the most fun to make. I wish making music was like this every single time! We literally wrote the song in 10 minutes. I just remember it being such a fun flow state. It’s one of those songs that came really easily — we were just laughing, having a good time, and looking up terms in tennis.”

In September, Almost Monday will play on a run of shows across Europe and the United Kingdom, supporting The Driver Era. For more information, visit the band’s website.

The Big Class Calendar

Seeing the year in a glance can offer a huge strategic benefit to both teachers and students. It lets you effortlessly grasp what needs to be done and when you need to do it. Jesse Itzler’s The Big Class Calendar is a 365-day dry-erase wall calendar that is 4 feet wide by 3 feet tall. The weekends are highlighted in blue so you know exactly where they fall. This calendar comes with two fine-point dry-erase Expo markers (one red and one black) and 100 adhesive labels (in five colors) to make special days and events stand out. For more information, visit Jesse’s website.

2024 Famous Monsters Fest

Famous Monsters of Filmland was filled with pictures, puns, and prose that focused on the greatest monsters of all time. The print magazine had a long and illustrious run from 1958 to 1983. For a quarter century, FM gave monster kids behind-the-scenes access to Hollywood’s most frightful films and actors. Slipknot’s frontman, Corey Taylor, purchased the rights to the brand two years ago and has been hard at work reanimating this beautiful beast ever since.

On Friday the 13th (in September), the 2024 Famous Monsters Fest will open its doors at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The event will run all weekend long and feature celebrity guests, photo ops, autographs, celebrity Q&As, music, costume contests, monster merch, and more. Here is a quick look at just some of the wicked things coming your way…

  • George Takei (Star Trek)
  • Caroline Munro (The Spy Who Loved Me, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Maniac, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter)
  • Tyler Mane (Deadpool & Wolverine)
  • Andy Serkis (Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Black Panther, The Last Jedi, The Batman)
  • Bin Furuya (Ultraman)
  • Darcy the Mail Girl (The Last Drive-In)
  • Jonathan Majors (Creed III, Loki, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
  • Peter Criss (Kiss)
  • Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th – VII through X)
  • Patty Mullen (Frankenhooker)
  • Puddles Pity Party (entertainer)
  • Skaraoke (scary karaoke)
  • Bobby Clark (stunts for Star Trek, The Car, Poltergeist, 2001: A Space Odyssey)
  • Wednesday 13 (musician)
  • Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead)
  • Scares That Care Charity Auction
  • Isaac Rother (ghoulish rock n’ roll pioneer)
  • And more!

Tickets are limited and may not be available at the door. For more information, visit the Famous Monsters Fest website.

The price of the Beetlejuice house in 1988 and 2024

Ever wonder what you might buy if you won big money? A new car? Jewelry? A dream vacation? The Maitlands’ home from Beetlejuice? Unfortunately, that last one isn’t real. The original was just a facade built on a hill in East Corinth, Vermont. But thanks to PlayPennsylvania.com, we know how much the haunted house would cost.

The fictional listing for the iconic home advertises a “one-car garage, large kitchen, darkroom, gateway to the afterlife, and two live-in ghosts.” In 1988 (the release year of the original film), a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Connecticut (where the story took place) would have cost $172,101. Due to inflation, if you wanted to purchase that fictional home in today’s market, it would list for roughly $461,398. According to Zillow, the average home in Connecticut runs at about $411,971. This means, you can expect to pay 12% more for the included gateway and ghosts.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, and Willem Dafoe opened in theaters on September 6 and received a favorable B+ rating on CinemaScore.

New single and video from Sting

In anticipation of the upcoming Sting 3.0 tour with Dominic Miller on guitar and Chris Maas on drums, the iconic artist has released a new single entitled “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)” (Cherrytree Music Company/Interscope Records). The track also features Martin Kierszenbaum on organ and relies heavily on the Afro-Cuban 3–2 son clave rhythm which was popularized by Bo Diddley in the 1950s. Sting’s vocals are a soulful rasp that adds intensity to the driving beat.

For tour dates and other important Sting-related news, visit his website.