Forty Fords A-Filming...

To celebrate Harrison Ford's 40th credited big-screen appearance in Cowboys & Aliens this weekend, The National Post's Steve Murray takes a look back at everyone's favourite acting chameleon. Click through for which role is which.

Previously on Popped Culture...

Don't Marry Harrison Ford

Nuke The Fridge

How Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull Should Have Ended

Old Comic Strips Don't Fade Away, They Just Go On And On And On...

Chip Zdarsky's page of 75th anniversary comics from a few years back. Oddly enough, I think that is a current Garfield.

Previously on Popped Culture...
Death Of A Comic Strip
ABC — Always. Be. Cartooning.
Characters’ Favorite Musical Artists

Tim Burton's Green Eggs And Ham

I think a dark version of Dr. Seuss is well overdue and perhaps it could come to pass as National Post illustrator Steve Murray imagines some updates of childhood classics that could follow in Red Riding Hood‘s footsteps.

Previously on Popped Culture...

Tim Burton Monster Mash-Up

I Would Not, Could Not On A Sign

Dr. Seuss Does Star Wars

The Ghosts Of Sitcoms Past

My National Post colleague Scott Stinson is musing that Charlie Sheen’s antics may move people away from multi-camera sitcoms. Above are the ghosts of multi-camera sitcoms past, illustrated by Kagan McLeod. The key is at this link, but click on the image for a larger version and try and name as many of the 49 shows as possible.

Previously on Popped Culture...

NYC Sitcom Map: 30 Rock Via Taxi

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?

TV's Greatest Icons

An A To Z 2010 Encyclopitcionary

National Post cartoonist Gary Clement wraps up the year that was. Look it up in yer encyclopitcionary! Happy New Year, everyone!

Previously on Popped Culture...

Schoolhouse Rock: I'm Kind Of A Big F*cking Deal

Have You Tried Throwing Rocks At Her?

A Bad Month for Cartoon Characters

Tim Burton Monster Mash-Up

Steve Murray strikes again with his interactive illustration of auteur Tim Burton's films for the National Post. Click through to roll over the images for tidbits of the director's feature films.

Previously on Posted Toronto
The Depp Hatter's Tea Party
Tim Burton's Weekend At Bernie's
Poor Predictable Edward, Always Chooses Scissors

Loved And Lost

Illustrator extraordinaire Steve Murray (aka Chip Zdarsky) drew this massive cast photo of Lost for the series finale. Click through for the flash version to see which season each character was introduced and how they died. For those interested in a full-size version, it is the cover of the arts section of Saturday's National Post, available at finer Canadian newsstands near you.

As for me, I'm going to miss the finale as it is inconveniently scheduled in the middle of a long weekend that is ostensibly in honour of Queen Victoria, but is mostly about going to cottages and drinking beer, which is what I'll be doing.  But for all your Lost needs, head directly to Nik at Nite where Nikki Stafford will take excellent care of you.

Previously on Popped Culture...
Lost: If It Weren't For Those Meddling Castaways...
Lost And Found: Oceanic Flight 815
Lost Tarot Cards

Private Eyes, They're Watching You...

Enthrall & Oates: A new generation of 'post-judgmental' music fans are giving the men behind Maneater a reception they haven’t seen since their ’80s heyday, and they're just going with the flow.

The illustration is from the talented Steve Murray, aka Chip Zdarsky. You can follow him and John Oates' mustache of Twitter.

Previously on Popped Culture...
J-Stache: Ride the Mustache
I'm A Jingle Bell Schmuck
Keyboard Cat: You Make My Dreams Come True

How To Spot A Wolfman

National Post Monsterologist Andrew Barr presents a short guide to the horrible, furry monster know as The Wolfman, including a few facts to help you in the event you come face to furry face with the full-moon-loving friend.

Previously on Popped Culture...
Grandma, What Informative Graphics You Have!
Not By The Hair Of My Stop Motion Chin
Twilight: Three Wolf Moon

Being (An) Erica Extra

The National Post's newsroom was transformed into a set of CBC's Being Erica this morning, shooting a scene from later this season. The lead character Erica Strange (Erin Karpluk) has edited a book which was lambasted by our fictional critic (he was wearing suspenders, of course), so Erica comes to the Post to discuss the review.

While the newsroom is usually deserted in the early morning, as first in on the online desk I became an involuntary background extra. Nothing like an 18,000-watt Klieg light aimed at your desk to shake off the cobwebs.

While the crew busied themselves snaking cables between cubicles, one set decorator marveled at the chaotic desk clutter. "If you dressed a set like this, they'd never believe you."

Extras were dispersed to fill up the desks, making their faux newsroom much busier than our real one. They were, for most part, overdressed. Ties and jackets are the exception at work, not the norm. The extras were also given pretend tasks to mime in the background, making for a lot of studious staring at proofs in-between conversations about their previous credits and making up back stories for their characters. "My guy used to be from Owen Sound and his favourite hockey team is the Montreal Canadiens."

It was soon discovered that I was a "real" and actually working (somewhat unsuccessfully) during the shoot. A makeup artist scooted over to touch up a "blemish" — can't have real fake people looking blotchy — and after a joking warning from a friend behind the camera not to stare into the lens, rehearsals and filming began.

Over and over and over again.

A few things overheard during the shoot...

Erin Karpluk chatting with her co-star between takes:

"Did you watch the Emmy's?"
"No."
"... well, that's the end of that conversation."
(laughter)

Then, in the middle of a conversation about the seasons, Ms. Karpluk mentioned she just got her Green Card, and is heading to L.A. soon. Are we breaking news here? New U.S. job opportunities for Erica Strange?

More from the crew, on the state of the news business:

"A lot of empty desks here, maybe they are hiring?"
"It's too bad newspapers are dying."
"Do you read all your news on the Internet?"
"Some, I get news alerts ...
"You know what they gotta stop doing, giving away information for free on the internet."

And despite admonitions to not touch anything on newsroom desks, a couple of extras were spotted rifling through CDs, expressing excitement at the discovery of Aqualung. When it was suggested that they should not peruse the contents of our co-workers desks this defence was offered: "We're just big music fans."

Then the shoot wrapped and all the equipment was quickly torn down and spirited away, leaving behind only two boxes of craft services croissants for the straggling journalists to fight over.

Look for the National Post's (and my) star turn later this year. I'll be the the stiff-looking, acting-natural guy.

Previously on Popped Culture...
My So Called Life... Truly
Ventriloquist Pulls A Billy Bob Thornton
Tragedy: Snow In Toronto

May The Trek Be With You

The Star Trek reboot may be on the pop culture horizon, but today is Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) and so The Ampersand interrupted Star Trek Week to revisit a cultural lesson on the yin/yang nature of the galaxy's most lucrative beloved sci-fi franchises.

Star Trek and Star Wars are like matter and antimatter: They cannot truly exist without each other (for both are necessary to keep the geekosphere supplied with oxygen in the form of new material), yet both cannot occupy the same place at the same time. An ascendant Star Trek precludes a strong Star Wars and vice versa, as both vying simultaneously for sci-fi fans’ attention would prove too nerdsplosive for the mainstream media to handle.

Read the full explanation at The Ampersand and see which fan favourite is currently transcendent.

Previously on Popped Culture...
Star Trek: The Remixed Generation
Star Trek: Smells Like Certain Death
The People vs George Lucas

Have You Tried Throwing Rocks At Her?

A purposed Afghanistan law could allows marital rape by stopping a wife from refusing sex and could prevent women from leaving their home without her husband's permission except on urgent business. A group of women protesting this law were driven away by a mob of men yesterday.

Sometimes an incident is so enraging that it even cuts through to the confines of my pop culture world as it obviously did for the National Post's editorial cartoonist Gary Clement, top, and the Globe and Mail's Brian Gable, bottom. What, exactly, are we doing there?

Ok, back to the funny...

Previously on Popped Culture...
Ice Ice Baby
S Is For Somalian Pirates
Arts Cuts Rise From the Crypt

S Is For Somalian Pirates

The year in review from the National Post's editorial cartoonist Gary Clement.

Gnome Again, Gnome Again, Jiggity Jig

There is no explaining the wanderlust of the common garden gnome and no way to know when they might pick up and jaunt across the globe for a few months. You can only hope they will return and share their travel stories.

Which is what Nancy Ubell's gnome Simon did this month, reappearing on her stoop after a two-month absence, bearing a travel journal and photos from Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, Oman, Jordan and "391 metres below sea level."

"He had such a good trip," Ubell told The Province. "I'm very envious of him. He sure changed our life. He gave us something to talk about. What a busy gnome."

Despite her praise, Simon won't be hitting the road anytime soon as his residence has been upgraded from the yard to the house.

Simon's story is not uncommon, playing out on the big screen in Amelie and little screens as the mascot for Travelocity. There are several Garden Gnome Liberation Fronts who are dedicated to liberating gnomes from their unjust imprisonment.

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I am doing some blogging at work as well and the above post came from yesterday's National Post Posted blog. It's hard work, but somebodies got to do it. Be sure to check out the newly renovated and relaunched website - I would say it looked good even if I wasn't paid to work there.