Updating the Weekend

We wound up our weekend yesterday with an amazing event-our Flashback Weekend friends' special presentation at the Muvico Theaters in Rosemont. If you've never been there, it is an incredible place- made more incredible by the newly-restored, digital 3-D edition of "Creature from the Black Lagoon"! After doing an autograph signing in front of a great display of monsters-we headed into one of the luxurious theaters for a quick kids costume contest-with winners Princess Ariel and a young Batman who made us all laugh with his gravel-voiced Dark Knight impression- and then- the movie! I was very impressed- this HAD to be the most crisp black and white 3-D I've ever seen! The restoration must have utilized some of the magic currently used to turn recently-shot 2-D movies into 3-D- because there were not only the very prominent effects, but some very subtle ones as well that I don't think existed in the old red/blue 3-D process.I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to see this on the big screen. We had a busy Saturday, with the usual fun at Parker's, with the best dog costumes ever- a dog and owner combo of the "Honey Boo Boo" family, a Chia pet dog,a spider, a four dog coven of vampires, and more! Then, a fun hour with our pal Nick Digilio in the WGN radio showcase studio with the folks passing on MIchigan Avenue stopping to become a live audience for the broadcast. We moved on the Elgin for the "Nightmare on Chicago Street" party- with a huge crowd (somebody said about 6,000 people!) trying to avoid the zombies who had taken over the downtown area, and having a great time doing so! After another mega-signing,plus a chance to pose with some attractive zombie burlesque dancers(!) I hit the stage to help crown "Miss Zombie 2012"- but first, the Mayor of Elgin interrupted to surprise me with a special presentation- the prototype for- a brand new Sven coffin! The creative geniuses of Acme Design Company unveiled what will be my new coffin, which will probably hit the air sometime into 2013- and it's a visual extravaganza, with full three-dimensional features (no, no glasses necessary...) I was just blown away by how fantastic it was... We then crowned the lovely "Miss Zombie 2012" in front of a thunderous crowd- and I sang a "Here She Comes, Miss America"-type tune honoring the new queen of undead beauties. The party was broken up by a zombie breach happening down the street, but it was time to call it a night anyway- right after the Acme folks had me "try on" my upcoming new coffin for size (just another typical night on an Elgin Street corner...) What a weekend- and what a nice bunch of Sven fans we met at each location! I'm so flattered by the legion of viewers of all ages who come to see us and express their affection! You have my affection and thanks- right back at you! And- our Halloween season ain't over yet- tonight, I make one more stop at WGN radio (720 AM)- just after midnight with our old friend Bill Leff!I hope you'll tune in... Time for our "Halloween Horror of the Day"-another invader of a small rural town- the Giant Gila Monster!This massive lizard came out of the desert to bedevil everything from the railroad to unsuspecting drivers- winding up by crashing (literally) a sock hop! The seventy-foot long cold-blooded monster must face the most dangerous of all foes- a guitar-playing teenage mechanic and singer, with a French girlfriend! The Giant Gila Monster is a cult classic monster who sizes up as our tongue-flicking "Halloween Horror of the Day"!