Nurture The Notable Nerds

My Summer Lair

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Nurture The Notable Nerds

March Madness // Reading Rainbow // Star Trek // X-Men '97

Sammy Younan

Mar 22, 2024

Let the Mighty Majestic Madness of March commence.

The pandemic disrupted the Rhythm + Flow of so much. 2024 has ushered in the return of momentum while encouraging delight.

I ain’t participating in any office pools and I haven’t filled in my brackets. I’m Marvel’s Watcher: pantslessly watching the epic proceedings.

The birth of fresh dreams and the dark dejection of nightmares.

I’ve been consuming college highlights on ESPN this past month. But highlights are like only reading newspaper headlines: that don’t mean I’m informed.

I purchased a big ol’ bucket of coleslaw and an ocean of Doritos.

Let’s get this classic parking lot rumble going...Yo. Another day of wall to wall ball.

March Madness is not all that has come back to us. Observe…

Reading Rainbow: #PantsWorthy

Remember Reading Rainbow?

The children’s program aired on PBS from 1983–1999 hosted by actor and executive producer LeVar Burton. Host LeVar Burton was tasked with "La Forge-ing" the "Next Generation" of kids to become active readers.

At the time LeVar was known for his work in Roots. Star Trek: The Next Generation wouldn’t start until my birthday in 1987: September 28.

LeVar Burton’s career is wild: Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow. Like…that’s not even a career. That’s a legacy.

Back in 2013 Reading Rainbow celebrated its 30th anniversary. Anything with a cultural impact like that should be recognized and immortalized by a documentary.

Cue Butterfly in the Sky from directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb. The doc reveals the challenges LeVar Burton and the show’s creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.

Man. There was a glorious era where we deeply invested in the lives and imagination of children: from Mister Rogers to Sesame Street to Reading Rainbow. We used to care. We used to be good at this.

Some useful "Data:" Butterfly in the Sky: The Story of Reading Rainbow premiered in select AMC theaters on March 17. I’d totally "Ad-Visor" you to check out this documentary...if it’s still playing near you.

It’ll be On Demand on April 30th. No streaming dates yet.

Want more Star Trek?

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill: #PantsWorthy

Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is a delicious deep-dive into the Star Trek star’s lifelong contributions to the entertainment industry. It’s incredibly moving.

(I interviewed Alexandre O. Philippe for an upcoming My Summer Lair episode. Stay Tuned for that…)

Watching the documentary William Shatner mirrors the Beastie Boys: fame is not easy. It takes a while to adjust and become a man comfortable in your own skin. To consciously design the life you want to live.

Once you’ve figured it out: life is good.

People either accept you, don’t care about you or reject you.

Interestingly enough, the Shatner documentary was fully financed by over 1,200 fans. The credits of this documentary conclude with this statement: “Fans have been responsible for my career. It only seems right that they should own this film.”

That’s phenomenal!

Shatner has led an incredible life. Well, even if you acknowledge T.J. Hooker. What an incredible run...Shatner coulda retired on Twilight Zone and Star Trek alone. Those are massive pop culture contributions. Plus, the fun of briefly going to space.

To keep going, to keep working…to establish a dynamic legacy is a gift for himself and for us.

At 93 this is a William Shatner memorial. We know we don’t have much more time with him. So, go…and say thank you. And goodbye. Be…weird:

“Only question I ever thought was hard:
Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?”

~ Weird Al Yankovic White & Nerdy

Want more Weird Al?

X-Men ‘97: #SetTheVCR

“I’ve been browsin’, inspectin’ X-Men comics, you know I collect ‘em.”

~ Weird Al Yankovic White & Nerdy

The X-Men: The Animated Series debuted on October 31, 1992, on the Fox Network as part of the Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup.

The show featured a team line-up similar to that of the early 1990s X-Men comic books: Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey and Professor X. (Cyclops’ Blue Team! How is that for an old school X-Men reference!)

The cartoon ran for 76 episodes concluding on September 20, 1997. X-Men ‘97 is a revival, picking up exactly where the original series ended…with the death of Professor X. Oh…sadness.

I’ve been happily reading X-Men since the ‘80s: the comics have a wonderfully dense continuity. (Which I appreciate: continuity is the bouncer at the door to keep The Stupid at bay.)

Many X-Men episodes were fully based on the mutants’ Marvel comics. Fantastic storylines and events in the X-Men comics, such as the Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past, the Phalanx Covenant, and the Legacy Virus manifested in this mid-90s X-Men cartoon.

Yet I can enjoy the elegant story simplicity of X-Men ‘97: in the cartoon they’re more like mutant Avengers. And...go: having mostly uncomplicated adventures!

Rogue was voiced by Lenore Zann and she’ll continue to voice Rogue in this X-Men revival. Lenore infused Rogue with a sorrowful loneliness while also being Southern and sassy.

(Oh you better believe my ears went all red when she called me Sugah.)

In this conversation we trace her journey from Australia, coming to Canada, starring in Canadian classics like Happy Birthday To Me (so happy I got that in there!) to going to York University where she studied drama and political science…eventually employing those poli-sci courses when she became an MP as part of Justin Trudeau’s Canadian Parliament.

I know…we’re gonna talk about X-Men cartoons and being a Member of Parliament. That’s how this attached chapter of My Summer Lair is gonna go.

X-Men ’97 is currently streaming on Disney+ so you can #SetTheVCR for that.

Myself and a number of new My Pal Sammy subscribers (welcome, new friends!) were at Toronto Comicon this past weekend.

New fans of the program won comics and books and took home yummy candy.

(Thank you for visiting me at the Canadian Podcast Awards booth. I went around the corner from that booth and hung out at The Sonar Network booth where Marianna Miniotis fired up a short interview with moi for their IG Stories.)