• To quote A-Team ringleader Col. “Hannibal” Smith: I love it when a plan comes together.
Don’t ask me why, but when I first heard about Raycliff Manor’s “Ghouls Gone Wild,” I had a mental picture of a bunch of ghostly creatures, in drunken idiot fashion, harassing a bartender. I saw the beer sloshing around glasses, the corpsified hands stretching across the bar and the whites of the bartender’s eyes in full face-palm, “why me,” eye-roll. I immediately started making plans to get that image on the cover of this week’s Enjoy.
To paraphrase deceased comic genius George Carlin: These are the sorts of mental pictures that probably kept me out of the really good schools.
But everything came together. Several of the actors at Raycliff Manor got dressed up in full costume (“full costume” means “pretty freaking realistic” to these guys. Becki Gooch, cast director for the manor, also handles costumes and is awesome at her job) and met up with Globe photographer Roger Nomer and me at Woody’s Wood Fire Pizza.
Charles Williams was perfect as our exasperated barkeep — apparently, he’s experienced in handling this sort of thing. My thanks go out to all involved. Great pizza, too.
• Speaking of deceased comic geniuses: A documentary about comedian Bill Hicks is getting rave reviews at the South by Southwest festival in Austin.
“American: The Bill Hicks Story” features the short-lived life of the comedian as told by 10 people who knew him well.
I was a big fan of his comedy while he was alive. His brand of humor is not for everybody — he was vulgar, crass and controversial. He had no problems slaughtering the largest of sacred cows, from religion to drugs.
But from what I’ve seen (which is only the trailer), Hicks defines what it means to be a patriot pretty well. If you have the stomach for edgy, R-rated comedy, search out his work.
• Here’s hoping that there’s another smoke-free pub crawl. My wife and I didn’t get to crawl out to Gusano’s, Krabby’s, Sportsmans Park or Blackthorn — I spent Wednesday night slaving over a hot keyboard and judging the Globe’s spelling bee. But I salute the owners of those four locations.
A non-smoking bar scene can be just as vibrant and profitable — other cities prove so every night. I’m geeked out about the prospect of future smoke-free events.
• Speaking of spelling bees, we had a thriller Wednesday night. The final two spellers made for a thrilling conclusion. Emma Moore, of Southwest City, finally won with “avionics.”
I’m also a participant in the NALA Spell Ball, happening this week, and we have many of the same words on our list. These are not easy words, and the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders who competed in the bee took them on like champs. Well done, kids.
• I finally saw “District 9” over the weekend. What a fantastic, emotional movie. Even though the “humans are the real monsters” shtick is obvious and overdone, District 9 still manages to show a lot of humanity. My only regret: Eating a grilled steak while watching it.
• I’m also excited to see “Proof” at the Stone’s Throw Dinner Theatre. I’ve heard a lot about this play, but haven’t had the chance to see it yet. More information about the play is on page 5.
• As for “Lost,” this week’s episode was a set-the-table story that didn’t really reveal too much. I was most excited for the teaser of next week’s episode, which finally features the story of Richard Alpert, he of the piercing, guyliner-looking eyes. (Actor Nestor Carbonell revealed that his eye lashes are that thick naturally — makeup artists have to use concealer on them.)
But it was cool to see Sawyer and Miles as cops and partners. Pretty funny, actually. I was hoping whether we’d see if Miles had his spiritual communication skills, but oh well.
However, is it necessary for the flash-sideways sections to be so loaded with tongue-in-cheek references to past seasons? It’s only funny when Hurley breaks through the fourth wall.
• Also on TV, I’m looking forward to seeing how FlashForward pans out. The show was just hitting its stride until producers took an Olympics-related break. Best part about it: Magician Ricky Jay appears to be a shadowy bad guy.
Features Editor Joe Hadsall can be reached at jhadsall@joplinglobe.com.
