My Summer Lair Chapter #141: What Is Project Blue Book?

Close Encounters of the X-Files kind! Project Blue Book is a TV show inspired by real-life ufologist Dr. J. Allen Hynek who famously created the six-tiered Close Encounter scale while working for the U.S. Air Force. (Later, Spielberg would name his movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind which apparently is the kind where aliens come to earth to play Casio keyboards.)

This is real-life X-Files and how much you want to believe is up to you. This show easily fills the X-Files hole in my heart: government conspiracies; government cover-ups; a skeptical scientific approach to determine UFO encounters and what is oh let’s just a…weather balloon. (It so helps the show is set in the 1950s an era where men often wore hats so that instantly gives it a noir feel.) Bonus? It’s shot in Vancouver oh X-Files why did you ever leave my life? The first two episodes dive into The Roswell Incident. Yup.

The third episode is Area 51. Oh snap!

This is why this show is one of my Must See TV Picks for 2020!

As for actress Laura Mennell, she’s so charming and if you don’t recognize her name you’ll recognize her face. In Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, she played Janey Slater Doctor Manhattan’s first girlfriend, in The Man In The High Castle Thelma Harris and now for Project Blue Book, she is Mimi Hynek. She has a subtle presence on screen and it can be easy to overlook her and her contributions. Yet in this interview, I call her a ninja-linchpin because of that subtly and because so much happens around her. You’d think is a show about UFO exploration Mimi Hynek would be a boring 1950s housewife yet so much action hinges around her.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself: Tuesdays, 10pm on History Channel. Or listen for yourself when I call her a ninja-linchpin to hear how she responds.

Project Blue Book @ W • T • F

Host & Photography by Sammy Younan

Recorded: Tuesday January 21, 2020 at 3pm (EST) at Corus

I’m still processing the Kobe thing. It’s surreal.

This is hard. I wish my mouth was like a ventriloquist dummy and my heart was the puppetmaster and I could articulate all the things without tripping over my thoughts.

Sammy Younan

Girth Radio Presents…

Hope you like super sports because for some odd reason most of my picks are sporty.

My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

Ok. Are we gonna discuss last night’s Picard debut??! Barely 3 minutes into the first episode Jean-Luc Picard says in that forceful Patrick Stewart way:

“Let’s behave like civilized men.”

Star Trek: Picard is a love letter to the back in the day 22…24…even 26 episodes per television season.

How was Christmas/holidays/winter break?

My Summer Lair Chapter #140: Who Is The White Rabbit?

Fresh! I cameoed in Featurette’s latest video: You Do You. All decked out in my finest adidas tracksuit jacket (Sorry…I was bad, wearing a brand label to a video shoot).

Yet another killer single off their latest album Dream Riot.

?And honestly? For this video they’ve Avengers Assembled an incredible collection of some of the coolest and talentest Toronto creators it’s an impressive archive. Like years from now people will look back at this thing like it’s a Brad Pitt Burger King commercial or something.

So yes the video is brimming with talented luminaries and beautiful people doing beautiful things including and especially the band who have the grit and work ethic of an NBA player in a contract year.

It is infectious.

Bonus Music Fun? Their album Dream Riot is also out. Dig it!

Really strong work. (All this goodness came out on the same day Eminem released a new album which is also the same day Mac Miller’s final album dropped. New Music Friday is off to a freshtastic start this year…this decade!!)

Turn it up and kick out the jams!!

Interview Set List:
You Do You
Don’t Know Me Without You
White Rabbit

Featurette @ W • T • F

Host & Photography by Sammy Younan

Recorded: Wednesday January 15, 2020 at 5:30pm EST at WeWork

The first part of this article is so inspiring: “A family bought a 20,000-square-foot Freemason temple in Indiana for $89,000, and they’re now turning it into their home. Take a look inside.” I’m like yo that’s fresh.

Until you get to this part…