ITEM #1: Just a quick heads-up that here in the Baltimore area, there just may be a zombie outbreak on the way. Friday, September 25 at 6 PM, the zombies will be shambling down the streets as part of a charity event, and GEM will gladly welcome any of the undead to our door with our $1 Zombie Day! Just shuffle your bones on over to Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum and you’ll also get a chance to meet me and Registrar Andy Hershberger, co-authors of Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For. An extremely limited number of copies of the book are available and we’ll scrawl our names on ‘em if you like. See you then!

ITEM #2: A Doctor Who update for all my fellow fans. As if all the comings and goings in the Who world haven’t been Earth-shattering enough – there are even rumors that Neil Gaiman himself could pen an episode of the series – we have a couple confirmed news tidbits that are very exciting. Spoilers ahead!

For one thing, would you ever really be surprised that the Daleks are coming back? This time, they just may be helping the Allies during World War II under the guidance of none other than Winston Churchill! How is this possible? We’ll find out in 2010, courtesy of an episode (possibly a two-parter) written by Mark  Gatiss (“The Unquiet Dead,” “The Idiot’s Lantern”).

But the big news just confirmed by the BBC is that writer/director Richard Curtis (Blackadder, Mr. Bean, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Love Actually, The Vicar of Dibley) will be writing an episode for next year’s series as well. Having worked with Who Executive Producer Steven Moffat years ago on a Comic Relief Doctor Who­-themed sketch, Curtis returns to script a story that will involve the usual “historical figure teams up with Doctor vs. monster” plot.

ITEM #3: My next “Coffee with the Curator” chat will take place on September 23, 2009 from 6 PM-7:30 PM. Pop Culture Families: How TV Made Us Feel at Home will take a look at the history of family-themed TV shows, with a special focus on the 40th anniversary of The Brady Bunch and the 25th anniversary of The Cosby Show.

ITEM #4: Yellow Bricks & Emerald Cities – Our Special Edition Exhibit
In 1900, children of all ages were first introduced to a wonderful land of imagination and adventure known as Oz. Written by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz told the tale of farm girl Dorothy Gale and her magical journey to another world populated by fanciful friends and foes like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum celebrates the legacy of Baum’s work and its incredible impact on generations of children through a special exhibition that showcases first editions of the first 40 Oz books on loan to the museum from local collector Fred Trust, as well as other memorabilia. The original art wall graphics and cutout figures for the exhibit were produced by the MICA Oz Project Team: Crisanto Cimatu, Michael Clayton, Maggie Cerveny, Tiffany Nguyen, Elly Kim and Cody Griffith, all seniors in the Illustration Program at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The Team was lead by MICA’s Chair of Illustration, Whitney Sherman, who acted as creative consultant and art director.

Yellow Bricks & Emerald Cities is open through January 2010.

And in 2010: HOME PLATE…

As always, don’t forget to visit Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum online at www.geppismuseum.com or in person at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD21201. Our phone is (410) 625-7060.