KISS vs The Aquabats

The other night Steve and Dex came to the Kimmel show to see KISS perform. Dex went through a bit of a KISS obsession last summer. He had these little action figures he loved playing with, we had to watch the Halloween episode of the new Scooby Doo show (starring KISS) about 200 times and the lunchbag faces were KISS every day. They even made the final cut to the new lunchbox art. If there was a face painting opportunity, which it turns out there is actually a lot of when you are four, he requested Gene Simmons makeup.

the action figures, in action

lunch bag, with assigned characters

KISS is bottom left corner

 We waited outside the Green Room to see them walk to the stage. They were in full on KISS everything-makeup, boots, giant spikes on black and silver leather. They are absolutely huge and a complete theatrical experience just standing there. As they walked by, Dex gazed at them and said, "I didn't know they were real!"

Here is his review of the show. (He lasted one song)
"I like them better on Scooby Doo. There is too much fire and missiles." What would you change about that? I asked. "Lasers. They should have lasers." They did have a crap ton of fire and explosives. Car alarms were going off all around us. It was pretty rad. They might have had lasers too, but we did not get to see them. Enjoy!

Steve asked him who is cooler, KISS or The Aquabats (his current obsession.) "Aquabats." Why? "They have five guys, and KISS only has four." Who has better superpowers? "The Aquabats, because of Jimmy the Robot." I should have known, as Aquabats are the lunchbag kings now.

Dexter as Aquabat

 If you have not checked out their new kid series on Hub, you must do it right now. They are the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba, and this is their new project aimed at the next age level up- 4-8 year olds. It has all of the good things you remember from Sid and Marty Krofft shows plus crazy Japanese kid shows plus the Superfriends. Here's a promo!

My neighbor Helen Harwell is the production designer and pal Matt Hardiman is the art director. The budget was about $7, and they did a fantastic job.

Feeling Charitable

I will no longer donate money to any charity or organization that cannot remember my name is not Mrs.

I will accept Robyn Simms, Robyn Johnson, Robyn Simms Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen and Robyn Johnson, or The Johnson Family. But Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Johnson really pisses me off. I didn't think this still happened, but I also didn't think access to birth control pills needed to be discussed either, so here we are.

I am the one who writes the checks to these charities. I fill out the donation form, my name is the first one on the check, and I sign it. There must be a way to enter that info into the data base so both names come up. I can't believe that I am the only woman who feels this way either. I recently decided that I will express my displeasure with my wallet and I will no longer renew any giving to a charity that does not recognize me. I've noticed it's the more conservative charities that use this form of address. Is the theory the more wealthy the woman, the more likely she is to want to be reduced to Mrs.? I bet Mrs. Stedman Graham uses her own name!

Charitable giving and squeezing money out of donors is a science, so I'm sure each charity knows their donor base well enough to figure if it should be Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Rosenbalm or Mrs. Edna Rosenbalm to get Edna to write the $20,000 check towards a new theater lobby bench. But if a charity wants Mrs. Stephen Johnson to write the $20 check, they better address me as Robyn.