It's been a long, scary and hairy two months. We've laughed, we've cried, we've gotten things stuck in embarassing places.

Yes, I'm talking about you Mustache.

I wish I could say our Halloween special involved lots of special effects, surprising guest stars, a catching musical number and a heart warming ending.

Sadly our musical director quit in a huff last week after I requested a show tune about zombies in love, our costume supervisor was arrested for smuggling tainted toys from China and the Baldwin brother we had booked back out at the last minute. (Note, it was not Alec. Or William.)

Somewhere in that giant piano lounge in the sky, there is a serious Broadway revival going on and a fresh bottle of scotch has just been cracked open.

Here's to you Mr. G.

You should all be happy Videoport Jones is with us today to talk about the week's new DVDs. I heard that following the Red Sox victory he went on a terrible bender.

Here at Press Herald Plaza we heard reports of a pants-less man in a Youkilis jersey running down Middle Street leading a pack in chants of "Viva Red Sox! Down with Joe Buck!"

Oh Jonsey, you irrepressible scamp.

Sorry for the late weekend primer today, I've been working on last-minute costume ideas for the weekend.

Right now its down to naughty nurse, naughty cat or naughty reporter.

Since the calendar has been uncooperative the last couple of years, Halloween has typically played out the weekend before the kids go panhandling for treats.

Remember to wear something reflective on your costume and don't eat (or drink) anything that looks like it's been tampered with.

Look for me out this weekend as under appreciated Blaxploitation hero - "Black Liberace."

Oh yes, I have a script in the works.

After a brief - one week - hiatus, The Scanner has returned, chock full of all the useless, hilarious, and necessary things you needed to know, but did not know you needed to know.

You know?

You know that feeling you get when you misplace something - keys, a sweater, the remote - that sort of instant, low-level panic that never really leads to a freak out, but instead annoyance?

After a while you may give up looking for it in the hopes that it will reveal itself over time.

But what about the stuff that never gets found? What about the stuff that has passing significance? A quick note to a friend, some thoughts scribbled on a napkin, or that picture of you next to a cut-out of Huey Lewis?

Christmas (or Hanukkah) does not come just once a year if you are a movie fiend. No, it comes every Tuesday when the new DVD and CD releases hit the shelves.

I'll do us all a favor and skip the Santa Claus and Hanukkah Harry jokes, and just say Videoport Jones is here with a great big sack of witticism, criticism and joy.

I've been at Pop!Tech for less than 48 hours and have to sign off soon. Ah, the memories. Meeting other bloggers, seeing sweet new gadgets, robo-toys and machines (REPLICATORS!), and having my brain nearly explode.

Also, having beers with out-of-staters while cheering on the Red Sox was an interesting experience.

But before I sign off, here's a few last things.

Welcome back to Day 2 at Pop!Tech. There won't be nearly as many updates today as I am working on a story for tomorrow's paper.

First up this morning was a discussion on "The Pursuit of Happiness," something we know I would all define as "chasing bacon."

Wrapping up today's around-the-clock blow-out-the-budget LIVE! coverage of Pop!Tech was a session called "The Creative Instinct."

Ah yes, something former English majors everywhere are searching for (and sometimes journalism majors).

I mentioned it before, but Pop!Tech has corralled a great many thinkers, inventors and scientists. (Seriously, this morning I think I heard someone introduce them self from GlaxoSmithKline.)

All around me I can hear the clack of keyboard keys, thoughts moving only as fast as your laptop will let them.

Sorry, all this talk about changing the world is making me alliterative.

Wow.

When I said before my geek was overwhelmed, I was not kidding. We just wrapped up the first session and my brain is trying to do a ho-jillion things all at once. On top of that, I had a Cafe Mocha this morning - which is only remarkable because I have largely given up coffee and mostly drink tea - so I've got a little buzz.

And we’re coming to you live from…the Camden Opera House?

Wha?

Would you believe they let me take this thing on the road? Goodbye Press Herald Plaza newsroom, hello beautiful scenic midcoast Maine.

Let's just cut to the chase. You don't come here for the thoughtful, balanced and insightful commentary on modern cinema. You probably don't come for the free snacks, because we ran out of those too.

What we do have is generous doses of sarcasm and geek-think, and a few movies you may not have seen with some that you probably have.

It's time for New Release Tuesday with your old friend Videoport Jones!

In recent years Apple has become a behemoth, known for its unrelenting release of new products and software innovation. (Also well known for forcing the lower-case "i" onto the world and Steve Jobs' love of black turtlenecks. All that money, where's the style Jobsy?)

All that stuff I was saying before about autumn being my favorite time of year was lies, absolute lies. It is a miserable, awful time of year. Also, I hate pumpkin beer.

Sorry ... the view from the windows here at Press Herald Plaza is aggressively bleak. Gray and soaked for as far as the eye can see ... which is up to the top of Munjoy Hill ... until the fog sets in.

It's Thursday, which means we're all that much closer to...well, the end of the week mostly. It also means it's Scanner Time. Sit back, relax, and remember - the first one is always free.

Here's the thing about the roller derby, it's OK to state the obvious: Part of the appeal is women blazing around a track in leggy uniforms beating each other up and having entirely too much fun.

This fall Maine Roller Derby's had three bouts, three wins. Prior to last week's game I had written about the derby off and on, but had only witnessed a practice.

I knew I had to get down and see the real thing before the season was done. Listen to this week's podcast to find out how things went.

If we have learned nothing from run-down sitcom clichés it's that fat oafish guys end up with hot wives, the jerk best friend always comes through in the end, and parents' attempts at talking about sex with their kids always wind up with hilarious, yet heartwarming results.

It has all the makings of the perfect buddy cop flick, one's by the book, the other's a loose cannon. One is seeking redemption from a past he can't escape while the other is trying to save everything he holds dear.

They can't agree on much, other than when a movie's so bad it's not even "funny bad."

From the people who brought you "Meat Raffle," "Deceit on Sebago," and "Daddy Day Camp" - Videoport Jones and Justin Ellis are..."SHOOTING FROM THE HIP!"

Things usually start innocently enough, typically with an email from a friend about some cool new site you should check out.

Obviously after debating whether it's real or spam, and weighing the odds they've just sent you something that would get you a demerit from Human Resources, you check it out.

And it's yet another social network.

Time to get into the Scanner, so turn off the part of your brain that asks too many questions, and get on some headphones just in case. Also, remember kids, there's a shiny new podcast to take a listen to down in the NXT Pod Center™ ... for some reason I don't think that branding is catching on.

The League of Young Voters billed Wednesday night's "Step Up To The Plate" awards as "not your typical awards ceremony. Which in some ways was true, but in others was only sort of true.

We here at NXT are big fans of the old timey radio program "Car Talk," and really, it is this fine show that we wish to emulate in all of our broadcast endeavors.

We're already a week into the new TV season, there are some winners, and soon to be losers (we can discuss that later). But like I said last week, you'll always have DVDs. And when the new releases fall, one man is there to help you sort the good stuff from the crap, or the laughable crap, or the so-bad-it's-good crap. And art flicks. And movies with "seasoned actresses."

I am of course talking about Videoport Jones.

If you've had the opportunity to travel around this grand old country of ours, it's possible at some point or another you've encountered something that made you say "I wish we had that in Maine."