Who says the entertainment of terror must be limited to October? Not the “Insidious” films; they are here for your horror needs year-round and even on stage at The Lyric Baltimore on March 13, 2025.

That’s right, the world of “Insidious” jumps off the screen and into the theater with “INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER YOU FEAR” — a live, immersive horror experience based on the box office hit horror film franchise from Blumhouse, director James Wan, and writer Leigh Whannell. The show will haunt 80+ seated theaters across North America in 2025.

Blumhouse, GEO Live, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and RoadCo Entertainment promise “INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER YOU FEAR” will be “a heart-pounding live theatrical experience where the lines between reality and fiction blur, constantly challenging what’s real and what’s imagined, what’s safe and what’s dangerous.” No fourth wall keeping or protecting audience members from the terror. Be prepared to go face-to-face with the protagonists. The audience will be an integral character in the plot as it unravels.

“We have brought some of the most respected names in the horror and entertainment industries together to make this groundbreaking show possible and ensure a hauntingly unforgettable experience for audiences everywhere,” said Floris Douwes from GEA Live.

“We’re excited to bring the eerie and otherworldly thrills of ‘Insidious’ to cities around the country,” said Toby Park, co-director. Park is also composing the original music for the show, and he and co-director Aitor Basauri serve as creative directors for “INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER YOU FEAR.”

“Bringing audiences deeper into The Further with this live experience has been an exciting challenge, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they respond,” said Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse. “Insidious is one of our most popular franchises, with a sixth installment premiering next year, and this is a fresh and frightening new way for fans to experience it.”

“INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER YOU FEAR” is a brand-new story conceived within the “Insidious” universe. The “real” Specs and Tucker (the paranormal investigators who inspired the first movie) try desperately to prove they are legitimate ghost-hunters. Things go ghastly (or ghostly?) wrong when a paranormal demonstration goes awry, and dark forces are unleashed. Trapped in this haunted theater, with something sinister lurking backstage, the audience will be under attack from iconic characters like the Bride in Black, the Wheezing Man and, of course, the terrifying Lipstick Faced Demon. Audience members will be questioning what is real, what is the show, and who really IS that person they’re sitting next to?

While the “Insidious” franchise has a growing fanbase and active community of five million social media followers, the show is also created for those who don’t know the films and especially for those who simply love a fun, thrill-filled night out at the theater.

Tickets for “INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER YOU FEAR” go on sale Friday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. at The Lyric Baltimore, Etix website, or in person at The Lyric Box Office.

The Lyric Baltimore is located at 140 West Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD.

The ‘John Waters: Pope of Trash’ exhibit may have ended in Los Angeles, but part of it lives on in the form of a new line of fashion, gifts and other merchandise similar to what visitors could purchase at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Waters is also dropping a new single with a canine-theme, displaying his visual art in San Francisco, and releasing the details of his coast-to-coast Christmas tour that starts Dec. 1.

The fashion line is a collaboration of Waters, visual artist and musician Seth Bogart and online retail store wackywacko.com. It features a mélange of “filthy’ references to Waters’ highbrow/underground aesthetic and Bogart’s distinctive etchings, including long- and short-sleeve tee shirts; crewnecks, hats, buttons, enamel pins, backpacks, tote bags, bathmats, hand towels and, of course, the popular ‘He’ll Make You Sick!’ barf bags.

Bogart and Waters first met eight years ago at Mosswood Meltdown, a punk music festival that Waters hosts every year and where Bogart performs with his band, Hunx & His Punks. Waters is known for films such as Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and Serial Mom. Bogart has shown his artwork at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery; MoCA; the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, among others. They joined forces in 2023 to create a collection of merchandise for sale in the pop-up gift shop at the Academy Museum, and many of the items repeatedly sold out during the 11-month run of the ‘Pope of Trash’ exhibit, which closed in August.

“I don’t know whether to call the line “norm-core for nutcases” or “hate-couture,” but Seth has captured my smutty sartorial splendor and given a whole new meaning to the term ‘rag trade,’ ” Waters said in announcing the collaboration.  

Wacky Wacko is Bogart’s art and fashion store, which features an array of products in a camp-meets-punk style. The new John Waters line goes on sale Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time at www.wackywacko.com. The collaborators say that a “select line” of retail partners will be announced soon.

The Singing Dogs

On Nov. 8, Waters and Sub Pop will release a Christmas single entitled ‘Jingle Bells/It’s a Punk Rock Christmas.’

The A-side features a ‘howling’ parody version of The Singing Dogs’ iconic “Jingle Bells” single, with Waters covering the song. The B-side, ‘It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,’ is a raunchy, spoken-word yarn about the lack of the punk rock spirit during the Christmas holidays.

The single was produced by Grammy-winner Ian Brennan, who produced Waters’ three previous singles. “In producing John’s annual Christmas tour for over 20 years, it seemed almost negligent that he didn’t have a Christmas record,” Brennan said.  “Everyone from U2 to Justin Bieber to William Shatner to Bob Dylan does, and John’s wit couldn’t be a more fitting cheer for the annual holiday music canon.”

The cost is $9, and Sub Pop is taking pre-orders at Sub Pop Mega Mart. Arf! Arf! Arf!

‘Worst of Waters’

“John Waters: The Worst of Waters,” is an exhibit of Waters’ visual art work that opened in September at the Rena Bransten Gallery, 1275 Minnesota St. in San Francisco, and runs through Nov. 16. The subtitle is: “Works never before exhibited in San Francisco: the rudest, the hardest to sell, the just plain wrong.” Waters had a show with a similar theme at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore in 2022.

Tour dates

Tour dates for Waters’ Christmas shows are: Dec. 1: The Rio Theatre in Santa  Cruz, Ca.; the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Ca.; Dec. 3 and 4 at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, Wash.; Dec. 5 and 6 at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Ore.; Dec. 7 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, Ca.; and Dec. 8 and 9 at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room in San Diego, Ca.

Also, Dec. 13 and 14 at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, Oh.; Dec. 15 at the City Winery in New York; Dec. 17 at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, Pa.; Dec. 18 at Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Va. and Dec. 19 at Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Md.

Waters also has a pre-holiday performance of his “Naked Truth” show on Nov. 2 at The Parkway in Minneapolis.

It was all hands on deck at Maryland Public Television studios on a sunny Saturday afternoon in October, with staff and volunteers ready to handle the flow of hundreds of guests bringing their treasured artifacts for appraisal for the taping of the 12th season of MPT’s “Chesapeake Collectibles.”

After all, it’s not every day one sees armor from the 17^th century, or telegrams signed and sent by President Theodore Roosevelt.

“Chesapeake Collectibles” is an MPT program similar to “Antiques Roadshow” but for Marylanders. The guests and appraisers are Maryland-based, and many of the items are either Maryland-themed or of Maryland origin. The tapings take place over a two-day period, so over the course of the weekend the “Chesapeake Collectibles” team expected to see around 450 guests come through with around 1,500 items for appraisal. Each ticket holder was permitted to bring one guest, and each person could bring three items for appraisal.

While each item likely holds incalculable sentimental value for its owner, very few people learn their possessions hold life-changing monetary value. Patrick Keegan, executive producer for MPT and “Chesapeake Collectibles,” determines which people and pieces get filmed and ultimately which make it into an episode of the show. Keegan told Baltimore Fishbowl that over the course of the weekend, appraisers saw two items that were each worth in the vicinity of $250,000.

“They are both remarkable items of historical interest,” wrote Tom Williams, MPT’s senior managing director of communications. Naturally, they would not reveal what the items were — we will have to watch the series to find out.

When a guest arrives, they check in with an appraiser who takes a quick look at their item to determine into which category their items fall, like jewelry; pottery, porcelain, and glass; toys and amusements; generalist; drawings and paintings; furniture and decorative arts; rugs; books and manuscripts; memorabilia and ephemera; and more. The guest receives a ticket for that category, then sits in a waiting area until it’s time for the next group to enter the appraisal area.

The appraisal area is where the magic happens. Tables line the perimeter of the room with appraisers sitting in front of large banners announcing their categories of expertise. Guests find their tables, and (usually) must wait in line to learn about the item(s) they’ve brought in.

Marilyn brought her grandmother’s engagement ring to get assessed, but this was not her first time attending a “Chesapeake Collectibles” event. She’d come at least once before pre-COVID, before MPT had renovated their Owings Mills studios to be large enough to accommodate the show’s tapings. They’d held the tapings at Turf Valley before renovations.

John brought the aforementioned telegrams from President Theodore Roosevelt. His great-grandfather was head of the telegram office in St. Thomas, and Roosevelt sent the telegrams in 1906. There were some of personal nature and others that were on matters of official government business.

Other items of note included the upper portion of a suit of armor Keegan surmised was from the 17^th century, likely from the English Civil Wars. The Royalists loyal to King Charles I were known as the Cavaliers, and the Parliamentarians loyal to the Westminster Parliament were known as the Roundheads. They fought in the first major battle on English soil in October 1642. This piece of armor appears to have belonged to a member of the Roundheads.

Another gentleman brought in Tom Clancy memorabilia, but the items were not the only things of interest to Keegan.

“The people who own the items we see are often just as interesting as the items themselves,” Keegan wrote in an email to Fishbowl. “One such example was a collection of correspondence, first editions, and movie memorabilia related to Baltimore native, Tom Clancy.”

Keegan continued, “Clancy’s novels are acclaimed for their technical accuracy, and among Clancy’s technical advisors was Craig, a physician from Calvert County in southern Maryland. Craig discussed his collection of Clancy memorabilia with Chesapeake Collectibles’ books and manuscripts appraiser, Allan Stypeck, who coincidentally handled Tom Clancy’s estate following his death in 2013.”

Around 5% of the items get filmed for segments, though not all segments filmed make the final cut of episodes for the season. And as on “Antiques Roadshow,” when a person and their item is chosen for filming, they aren’t told what the value of their possession is until the filming itself. Their reactions that television audiences see in the episodes are completely real and genuine. They are watching the people on the show truly learn about the value for the first time.

After a guest has received their appraisal, whether they were filmed or not, they are invited to answer questions on camera about their experience. This takes place in the Testimonial Studio in Studio B, which is in the original part of MPT studios. Guests are asked about their experience from start to finish about the show, and they have the chance to talk about what they enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about the process.

“Studio B mostly is used as our on-air fundraising or pledge set,” said Ethan Staple, assistant producer at MPT. “So, four times a year, we have our on-air fundraising drives, where we raise money for the station. On the right is our phones and our computers, where our volunteers sit, and then we have the actual pledge set, where our talent stands.”

Studio B is also where they film “MPT and Your Community” and “MPT Arts Minute.” They also bring in people for interviews. They had a project called “The Maryland Oral History Project” where famous Marylanders were interviewed, sometimes by other famous Marylanders. Staple is especially proud of getting former Senator Barbara Mikulski to be interviewed for the project in 2023.

Incidentally, these are all areas visitors can see on tours offered by MPT for individuals and groups. Studio B, the sets, control rooms, and more are available free of charge with proper advanced notice and arrangement, though donations are appreciated. On MPT’s website, click on “Community” and find the “Station Tours” section for more information.

As for Chesapeake Collectibles, Patrick Keegan and his team have their work cut out for them. They must now cull approximately 80 segments they filmed down to around 40, and from that, piece the remaining together into 13 fluid episodes that make it onto our TVs and streaming devices for audiences to enjoy.

While taping for Season 12 of Chesapeake Collectibles is over, there is always next year! Keep current on news of when Season 12 will premiere, and when taping will take place for Season 13 on MPT’s Chesapeake Collectibles page by clicking this link.

Who among us hasn’t wished for a return to the salad days of our time in a doomsday cult?

Thank heavens for Baltimore-born comedian, actor, and writer Stavros Halkias, who has managed to bring that longing to life on the big screen in theaters on Oct. 25, and to streaming on Nov. 12.

“Let’s Start a Cult” is a feature-length throwback comedy from Dark Sky Films starring Halkias and many other comedians like Wes Haney (Netflix’s “The Characters”: Tim Robinson), Eric Rahill (FX’s “The Bear”), Katy Fullan (HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), and Daniel Simonsen (BBC’s “House of Fools”).

A press release describes the premise of the film as centering on an “obnoxious loser” who has missed out on his cult’s long-awaited ritual suicide. He finds his bogus ex-messiah and they set out to rebuild their doomsday commune.

“Traveling together through middle America, the constantly-bickering duo induct a military wannabe, a mentally unstable mom, and a mysterious foreign hitchhiker into their cult… but will this family of outcasts fulfill their transcendent destiny, or decide this life might be worth living after all?” reads the press release’s description.

Again – who among us?

Halkias is originally from Baltimore, and currently lives in Queens, New York. His latest special, “Fat Rascals,” is out on Netflix, and his debut special, “Live at the Lodge Room,” reached a million views in its first four days. His ultimate goal is to get famous enough to buy his mother a nice home, quit show business, and open a surf and turf restaurant in East Baltimore.

“Let’s Start a Cult” will have a special sneak preview at The Charles Theater on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., with a Q&A session with Halkias following the movie. To purchase tickets to the sneak preview, click this link. Tickets range in price from $12 – $14.

The movie opens at The Senator on Oct. 25. To purchase tickets, please click this link.

To stay up-to-date on the latest list of theaters showing the film, visit the Dark Sky website here. It will be available on all streaming platforms on Nov. 12, 2024.

Looking for some grown-up spooky fun? Do you want less pumpkin and more spice? There are so many ghoulish activities to put you on the edge of your feet! Check out the list below for just a few of the many things to help you get into the spirit of (after)life!

FELLS POINT HAUNTED PUBWALK
Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m., through end of November
$26 per person (21+)

In Fells Point, combine your love of all things haunted with all things sudsy on the Fells Point Haunted Pubwalk. You’ll visit some of Fells Point’s most haunted pubs. Sidle up to the bar and see if you feel the presence of lost maritime souls from years past. This tour is for people 21 and older, and leaves from Fells Point Square, near Max’s Taphouse at 733 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD. These tours sell out early, so get tickets now, if not sooner!

MOUNT VERNON GHOST WALK

October 12, 25, 26 (8 p.m. all days)

Tickets cost $18

A tour guide will show you around Mount Vernon as they share stories about the ghosts of the Belvedere, a séance gone wrong, and more. Peer into the past and learn who continues to haunt the present in this fascinating ghost walk.

WESTMINSTER HALL AND BURYING GROUND
Open Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
No cost (except on Halloween night)

What’s more fitting during spooky season than a cemetery? Make that the cemetery of Edgar Allan Poe, the Baltimore-buried author of terrifying tales, and you have quite the potential for spine-tingling shenanigans. His death is still a mystery. In October 1849 he was found delirious in Fells Point and wearing someone else’s clothing. He died days later and was buried at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. Visitors leave flasks of Cognac, coins, and flowers.

On Halloween, you can hear music on a pipe organ and watch a dramatic performance of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” There is even the rare opportunity to tour Poe’s grave and the Westminster Hall catacombs, along with other activities. This activity takes place on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. at the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, 519 W. Fayette St., Baltimore, MD. Tickets are $5 for adults, and children under 4 are free. Parental discretion is advised.

NEVERMORE HAUNT 2024
13 Nights in October (see calendar)
Ticket prices range from $30-$67

Staying with the Poe theme, The Nevermore Haunt is among the highest-rated haunted houses in Maryland. The website touts over-the-top and bizarre performances nightly, an on-site bar and concessions, and a terrifying haunted house that will strike deep into the depths of your darkest fears. But with a Baltimore theme, hon! “Expertly crafted, The Nevermore Haunt is an ever-changing and developing Halloween attraction that transports you directly into sordid, macabre visions of Baltimore’s past,” reads the website, where you can find the calendar for dates, and tickets. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a parent.

HAUNTED ELLLICOTT CITY MAIN STREET GHOST TOUR
Saturday nights through October
Tickets cost $20, discounts for military, students, seniors

Ellicott City is 250 years old, and the buildings on Main Street have secrets. Did you know that at one point there were four funeral homes on that tiny stretch of town? Just on Main Street! Founded by early Quakers, Civil War Troops, railroad workers, soldiers from both World Wars have traveled through the town thanks especially to the B&O Railroad at the bottom of the hill. Shop owners and customers swear they co-exist and encounter spirits from the past, and the period-costumed tour guides will give you all the spine-chilling details. Tours begin at the Howard County Welcome Center at 8267 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD. They run from 8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. (tour end time is approximate). This tour is recommended for ages 12 and above, and tickets must be purchased in advance.

LAUREL’S HOUSE OF HORROR
October through Nov. 2
Tickets range from $34.95 to $39.95

Walking around an old movie theater can be spooky enough, but Laurel’s House of Horror takes it to epic levels. This terrifying attraction is in a historic theater, verified by Chesapeake Ghost Hunters to have signs of “other-worldly activity.” Its 28,000 square feet promise sensory overload, chilling anticipation, and plenty of jump scares. The House of Horror has been around for 10 creepy years, guaranteeing quality fright nights. It also has escape rooms based on iconic horror movies like “Insidious,” “Scream,” “Blaire Witch,” “Beetlejuice,” and more. Some even include a live actor to “enhance” your experience! Escape rooms experiences run approximately 45-50 minutes in length, and since it’s a timed activity, Laurel’s House of Horror asks guests to arrive 15 minutes prior to their appointed time.

COLT’S TRAIL OF TERROR
October 12, 19, 25
Free admission

This over three-hour-long tour takes you on a twisted trail through haunted woods, promising frights around every corner! That’s a long time to be terrified, but not only is the price right, guests have the chance to help a great cause. Donations are accepted, and all donations will go to Tunnels to Towers and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Colt’s Trail of Terror is located at 9207 Stone Spring Lane, Pasadena, MD. Reserve your ticket here.

DEAD OF NIGHT PARANORMAL TOUR
October 26, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Tickets cost $28.52

It may be The Harford County 4-H Camp and Deer Creek Overlook by day, but get ready to explore the supernatural in the dead of night! Paranormal Tours promises a thrilling journey through haunted spots, hair-raising graveyards, and mysterious landmarks. Don’t be surprised if you encounter a spirit from beyond the grave during this dark, eerie walk through the haunted woods! It looks so harmless during the day, doesn’t it? Located at 6 Cherry Hill Road, Street, MD. Tickets available by clicking this link.

Check out some additional bone-chilling attractions by clicking this link.

Get into an autumnal mood and spooky spirit with an array of fun Baltimore events this weekend.

From a festival dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe, to a witchy concert, explore it all in our weekend events roundup:

Schooner Race, Thursday, Oct. 3, 12 p.m., Chesapeake Bay. Catch a glimpse of the ships competing in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.

Medieval Monsters, Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., Guilford Hall Brewery. What better way to start spooky season than with a talk about the monsters that scared people in the past — and that might just haunt the present. This installment of the “Profs & Pints” series will be led by Lilla Kopár, a Catholic University professor of medieval literature and culture who teaches courses on medieval monster lore and Norse mythology.

Seasons of the Witch, Thursday, Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m., George Peabody Library. Kicking off the 2024/25 In the Stacks Concert Series, enjoy musical performances about the history of witchcraft and the persecution of women who were called witches.

New/Next Film Festival, Thursday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 6, The Charles Theater. Enjoy four days of features, shorts, and other films at the New/Next Film Festival.

Charm City Fringe Festival, Thursday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 6, The Peale Museum. Charm City Fringe Festival continues this weekend with theatrical, musical, and other performances.

Billie Eilish, Friday, Oct. 4, doors open at 5:30 p.m., event begins at 7 p.m., CFG Bank Arena. Birds of a feather will be flocking to the Billie Eilish concert at CFG Bank Arena on Friday. She will be making a stop in Baltimore as part of her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour to celebrate her album of the same name.

Zoo Boo, Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6, Maryland Zoo. With fall upon us, it’s time for the return of Zoo Boo. The series of events will kick off this weekend and run through Oct. 27. Navigate a hay maze, enjoy hay rides, watch an elephant smash pumpkins, meet animal ambassadors, trick or treat through the zoo, and more.

Edgar Allan Poe Festival, Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6, Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum. Celebrate one of the fathers of horror writing during the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards. This weekend also marks 75 years of honoring Poe’s legacy at the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum.

Victorian-Era Walking Tour, Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m., Seton Hill. Historian Emma Katherine Bilski will lead a walking tour of Baltimore’s Seton Hill neighborhood, where attendees will hear stories about Baltimore’s Black Catholic history, student pranks, asylums, and America’s oldest Gothic Revival masterpiece.

Peace and Wellness Festival, Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ruscombe Mansion Community grounds. Embrace peace and wellness with a drum circle, qi gong, healthy cooking demonstrations, a botanical beverage bar, and more.

Plants and Prints, Saturday, Oct. 5, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., BMA Lexington Market. Vonne Napper will lead this workshop about exploring plant life through relief printmaking. Participants will be able to make their own stamp and use it to create nature-inspired prints.

Sabrina Carpenter, Saturday, Oct. 5, doors open at 6 p.m., event begins at 7 p.m., CFG Bank Arena. If you have good judgement and good taste, you might find yourself at the Sabrina Carpenter concert this weekend. Known for her hits like “Please Please Please,” “Espresso” and “Taste,” Carpenter will perform in Baltimore on Saturday.

Brad Williams, Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. With multiple comedy specials and frequent guest appearances in TV and film, comedian Brad Williams will next take the stage in Baltimore this Saturday.

Fell’s Point Fun Festival, Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, Fells Point. Enjoy food, drinks, shopping, live music, and fun for the whole family at the Fells Point Fun Festival.

Blockbuster Broadway, Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. New York’s top vocalists will perform a selection of songs from “Wicked,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Annie,” “Jersey Boys,” “The Sound of Music,” “Chicago,” “CATS,” “The Lion King,” and “A Chorus Line.”

The independent film documentary “Squeegee” will be screened on Aug. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at Baltimore Center Stage.

The film, directed by Clarke Lyons and Gabe Dinsmoor, premiered at the 2024 Maryland Film Festival. Next week’s event is co-hosted by Associated Black Charities and Baltimore Center Stage. The goal is to highlight the documentary, spark meaningful dialogue on youth crime and juvenile justice in Baltimore, and offer community resources to attendees.

The film “Squeegee” follows a group of young people struggling with and striving to overcome poverty. Their ingenuity is the focus as they earn money on the streets of Baltimore washing car windows at stop lights and more.

“The film presents an unflinching portrayal of the harsh realities of growing up in the city, through the eyes of four young people fighting for their futures in a society that often marginalizes them,” reads the press release announcing the event.

The Center Stage event will feature dinner, an opportunity fair with community resources, and a panel discussion after the screening with notable stake holders.

The networking and opportunity fair will take place from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., where dinner will be served.

The film screening is from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., after which there will be an hour-long panel discussion.

The event is free, but registration is required. To register, please click this link.

Center Stage is located at 700 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD.

After traveling and moving 3D scanning equipment to work on high-profile films like Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame,” “Deadpool” and “The Hunger Games,” Michael Raphael and his team got a chance to work much closer to home for a high-profile limited series. 

Raphael’s Owings Mills-based Direct Dimensions, which scans people, buildings and props for movies and shows, was one of the local businesses involved in “Lady in the Lake,” which debuted Friday on Apple TV+. 

The series, filmed in Baltimore and based on The New York Times bestselling novel by local author and journalist Laura Lippman, generated more than $100 million for the state and looped in 2,456 local businesses — including Direct Dimensions — according to the Maryland Department of Commerce. 

Read more at Technical.ly

Based on Baltimore author and former Baltimore Sun reporter Laura Lippman’s novel of the same name, the “Lady in the Lake” limited series will release on Apple TV+ on July 19.

The series is set in 1960s Baltimore, where housewife-turned-newspaper-journalist Maddie Schwartz (played by Natalie Portman) investigates two separate killings: 11-year-old girl Tessie Fine, and Black bartender and mother Cleo Sherwood (played by Baltimore native Moses Ingram).

The story is inspired by two real-life deaths that occurred in Baltimore in 1969: 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz, and 33-year-old Shirley Lee Wigeon Parker, the latter of whom was found in the fountain at the center of Druid Park Lake.

Filming of the series generated more than $100 million during its production in Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore announced Tuesday.

Among its impact, the production created 1,132 Maryland jobs; supported 2,456 local businesses; and paid for more than 32,000 hotel room nights, according to a news release.

“Our administration is unafraid to make big bets on the industries we can lead in – and that includes the world of entertainment,” Moore said in a statement. “By asserting Maryland’s leadership in television, we will create jobs, drive growth, and unleash our state’s full potential. We’re very thankful for Apple’s and Fifth Season’s investment in Maryland, and we hope to continue this fruitful relationship for years to come.”

The production used the Maryland Film Production Activity Tax Credit, which incentivizes productions to film in the state and gives refundable tax credits for certain costs during filming.

“I want to thank Apple and Fifth Season, our team at the Maryland Film Office, and our partners at the Baltimore Film Office for all their hard work during this production. That time and dedication has resulted in an impressive investment in our state,” said Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the final product when it hits streaming services next week.”

The series’ production team started scouting Baltimore for filming locations in November 2021. They began shooting the series in May 2022 and filmed throughout the region for three and a half months.

“Baltimore is one of the best cities to film in,” said Baltimore Film Office Director Debbie Donaldson Dorsey in a statement. “Our crew, actors, city agencies, and local businesses all contributed to Lady in the Lake, and we are looking forward to seeing 1960s Baltimore in this new limited series.”

“Lady in the Lake” was executive produced, written and directed by Alma Har’el with her producing partner Christopher Leggett.

Television studio Fifth Season produced the series with Crazyrose and Bad Wolf.
Executive producers also included Portman, alongside producing partner Sophie Mas; Crazyrose principal Nathan Ross and the late Jean-Marc Vallée; Julie Gardner for Bad Wolf America; Layne Eskridge; Amy Kaufman; Boaz Yakin; and Lippmann.

Baltimore’s famous filth elder made an appearance on “Chucky” this week, and the character he plays is not a very Good Guy.

John Waters played Wendell Wilkins, creator of the Good Guy-brand dolls in the “Chucky” television series and movies. That makes him the proud “father” of Chucky, the murderous doll who embodies the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray and has been on a rampage since the first movie in the “Chucky” franchise, “Child’s Play” in 1988.

Wendell is a reclusive old man whose house looks like a haunted castle. He lives alone and is yearning for company when the three young stars of the television show knock on his door in search of a missing relative of one of them. It was the season finale of Season 3 and the first time the horror/comedy/slasher series has focused on the creator of the Good Guy dolls.

“Let’s face it, I’m getting on,” Waters-as-Wendell tells his visitors, ominously. “I can’t live alone here forever. What this house needs and what it’s been sorely lacking for years is life, laughter — and children.”

The episode, “Final Destination,” aired on the SYFY and USA networks and is now streaming on Peacock, along with the entire three-season “Chucky” series. It’s the latest of numerous appearances that Waters, 78, has made on television shows and in movies other than ones he directed, including episodes of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Feud: Bette and Joan,” “The Blacklist,” and “The Simpsons.” He even played a different role in one of the “Chucky” movies, “Seed of Chucky.” The current exhibit on Waters’ career at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles has a gallery devoted to his acting roles, entitled “The Fandom of John Waters.”

It’s not too much of a spoiler to say that Wendell is more of a villain than a hero in the “Chucky” finale. What he does to his young visitors sets up a cliffhanger that would need to be addressed in a fourth season.

The SYFY and USA networks haven’t said whether the series will be renewed. The creative team led by Don Mancini this week released a “campaign video” in which Chucky urges fans to show their support for another season of murder and mayhem by calling a phone number that flashes on the screen (1-201-500-3347).

Waters, who filmed his role in Toronto last December, says he hopes the series is renewed and that he would be open to coming back as Wendell Wilkins. For now, he’s back to in-person appearances, including a presentation tonight at the Parkway Theatre for the Maryland Film Festival.

“I’m here for a good time, not a long time.”

Those words proved to be prophetic for Baltimore train travel enthusiast Emmett Stanton, who got onboard Jeopardy!’s Tournament of Champions train Tuesday night but never made it out of the station to his intended destination: the show’s semi-finals round.

It was the fifth ride on the Jeopardy! train for the Baltimore-based freelance writer and travel buff, who won three times in Season 39 and earned a four-day total of $74,600.  The shows aired on September 16, 19, 20 and 21 of 2022.

During his 2022 appearances, Stanton told host Ken Jennings about his love of train travel – so much so that it became a running theme. He brought it up again on Tuesday’s program, making him perhaps the next best thing Amtrak has to a national spokesperson. 

“I try to take the train whenever possible,” he said on the September 16, 2022 show. “I travel a lot internationally for work and that’s a lot of flights, so when I’m here home in the States, I’d rather take the train, take a little time to relax.”

Daily Double downfall

This time he was up against the speeding locomotive known as Ben Chan, a philosophy professor from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and nine-game Jeopardy! winner who dominated most of the show, which was taped in California in February.

Stanton was competitive in the beginning and had earned $3,200 by the end of the first round with his correct responses to Jeopardy! clues, which he phrased in the form of a question.

But he stumbled in Double Jeopardy! when he bet everything he’d won on a Daily Double (DD) clue — $4,400 — and didn’t come up with the right question. Before he announced his wager, seeing that Chan was ahead and likely to win, Stanton explained why he was going for broke:

“OK, I’m here for a good time, not a long time,” Stanton said. “Let’s make it a true Daily Double.”

“All right, bettin’ it all,” Jennings replied with admiration.

The clue to the Daily Double was: “After writing the name of a prophet, English-speaking Muslims write this, PBUH for short.” Stanton’s reply was: “Who is Isaiah?” The correct answer was. “Peace Be Upon Him.”

Providing the wrong question to the Daily Double took Stanton down to $0. After that he fell into negative territory by giving more incorrect answers, dropping to minus $2,400 at one point. His score at the end of the second round was minus-$2000. Because he was below zero at that stage, he was ineligible to compete in the Final Jeopardy! (FJ) round and had to leave the stage.

“Emmett, I’m sorry to say that your run-in with that Daily Double means you will not be with us for Final Jeopardy!, but thanks for coming back to the tournament,” Jennings said.

Chan and contestant Justin Bolsen, a Brown University student, both responded incorrectly in Final Jeopardy!, where the category was “Chemical Elements” and the correct response was “What is promethium?” Chan won the game with a total of $29,800 and is headed to the tournament’s semi-finals. Bolsen finished with $9,958.

Promoting train travel

Besides receiving $5,000 for being a 2024 quarter-finalist, Stanton got a chance to promote train travel one more time.

In the interview session with contestants, Jennings asked Stanton what he did for fun with his winnings from the shows in 2022.

“When I was on the show, I talked a lot about taking the train,” Stanton reminded him. After the 2022 shows were taped, “I took a whole month. I went from Baltimore all the way to Seattle. I stopped in 10 cities along the way for two or three days each, and then when I got to Seattle I met up with Martha Bath, who vanquished me in my original run. We got together for lunch and she autographed a biography of Albert Einstein, which was the question that she beat me on. Then she invited me to Pub Trivia with her, and we demolished the competition…It was a good time for me to hang out with the people’s champion, which is Martha.”

“You didn’t call me. I would have come,” said a hurt-sounding Jennings, who was born in a Seattle suburb. 

Stanton’s home base of Baltimore is considered the birthplace of American railroading because of its role in the creation of what became the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It’s also the home of the B&O Railroad Museum at 901 West Pratt Street.

Jeopardy! continues today with another Tournament of Champions quarter-finals episode at 7 p.m. on WBFF Fox45

‘A privilege and an honor’

In an interview with Fox45 that was taped after the game in February but before the program aired on Tuesday, Stanton said he didn’t do anything different to prepare for the Tournament of Champions than he did for his previous appearances.

“My first time around,” he said, “I really just felt that I’m an experiential learner. I learn by doing things. And so I sort of thought, you know, I either know it or I don’t know it. You really can’t control whether or not you’re going to win. There are so many other variables. And so I said, let’s go in and have fun. That’s what I did my first run. It worked really well the first time.”

Was there added pressure this time because it was the Tournament of Champions? he was asked. 

“The pressure is more the privilege of getting to compete with such great champions,” he said. “There are so many people there who we saw go on runs of five, 10, 21 games even. So to be on the same stage as those incredible competitors was more of a privilege and an honor than a pressure.”

Stanton said his favorite moment from the Tournament of Champions was off-camera.

“They had us go to the Jeopardy! honors ceremony and…see one of the original writers, who sadly passed away, get inducted into the Hall of Fame,” he recalled. “As a writer myself, it was a really great honor to be there and see that.”

Final thoughts

Posting on Reddit on Tuesday night after his episode aired, Stanton congratulated Chan and Bolsen on their performances and provided some thoughts about the game and his run.

“The game played out pretty straightforwardly,” he wrote. “I knew I had to bet big on that DD because Ben was already making it a runaway, and unfortunately I got tripped up in the wording of the clue — entirely my own fault! I’ve been looking forward to seeing the episode air, because I couldn’t for the life of me recall why I was trying to remember which English-named prophet is believed to be Dhu al-Kifl. Even worse, Isaiah’s not the right answer to that, so not only did I answer the wrong question, I answered the wrong question incorrectly! But those are the breaks — in gameplay you don’t quite have enough time to reread a question.”

As far as his Jeopardy! run went: “I know some people don’t like to talk about how luck factors into the show, but I’m happy to embrace all the luck that came my way,” he said. “There are so many variables that impact whether or not you win a game. Categories are random, and while some contestants can’t face a board that makes them all that uncomfortable because their knowledge base is so broad, I’m definitely one who needs a good board! I also got lucky on my original run in mostly facing contestants who liked to work the board from top to bottom. I knew the TOC would be more aggressive, and I knew I would have to step out of my preferred game play to stay in it. But if you live by the sword….well, you know the rest!

“Lastly, and related, bearing in mind how many factors are out of your control, I went in, both in 2022 and at the TOC, determined to have fun, and I really hope everyone can sense how much fun I had every step of the way! I never thought I’d win one game, let alone three, and even after that I never expected to make it to the TOC. The entire experience was all positive. When I stepped down from the podium before Ben and Justin started their FJ calculations, I got a standing ovation from a crowd full of Jeopardy legends, fans, and my new friends’ families. I had a smile on my face the whole time, and when one of the contestant coordinators switched into consolation mode, I was able to honestly say I didn’t need any consoling, because I’d had the time of my life.

“Also, when the FJ category came up, I whispered to the contestant team ‘thank f*** I wasn’t up there, I don’t know anything about chemistry!’ and the sound tech who had my audio in his ears doubled over stifling a laugh! And sure enough, when the answer came up, that was the first time in my life I’ve ever heard of promethium, so….good fortune to me!”

Stanton closed by saying he hopes viewers enjoyed the game and keep watching.

The quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalists “have really put on a show for you,” he said. “I’m proud to be a part of Team #PowerOfThree – we’ve had a good showing, even if I couldn’t notch us another win today!

“p.s. Take the test! It’s free, it’s online, it’s anytime!”

Jeopardy! recap for Tue., Mar. 5
byu/jaysjep2 inJeopardy

John Waters hasn’t disclosed whom he’ll cast in his next movie, if it moves ahead, but he did say where it will be filmed. 

“We’re going to film it here definitely if it happens,” he told his audience at a spoken-word performance last week in Baltimore.

Waters was responding to a question about the movie version of “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance,” the 2022 novel that he wrote and is adapting as a motion picture.

Village Roadshow Pictures optioned the novel in the fall of 2022, before it even came out in paperback, and said Waters would write the script and direct the film. According to Deadline.com, Steve Rabineau will produce alongside Village Roadshow Entertainment, backed by financier Steve Mosko. Deadline called the news “a high-profile return to filmmaking” for Waters, whose last movie was “A Dirty Shame” in 2004.

Waters, 77, was tight lipped about the film’s status for much of 2023, saying he couldn’t talk about it during the writers’ and actors’strikes that ended in the fall. He told a Baltimore audience in December that he has completed the script but cautioned that the project is still in the early stages and he couldn’t say much.

“I’ve written the script and I turned it in and they like it and we’re doing a budget,” he said at the time. “Who knows? We’ll see. We’ll see.”

A thief and a scammer

Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, “Liarmouth” tells the story of Marsha Sprinkle, a thief and a scammer who steals luggage at the airport, and her efforts to stay ahead of the law.

“Dogs and children hate her,” the book jacket teases. “Her own family wants her dead. She’s smart, she’s desperate, she’s disturbed, and she’s on the run with a big chip on her shoulder. They call her Liarmouth – until one insane man makes her tell the truth.”

The story starts in the Baltimore area, where the early action takes place, and turns into what the publisher calls a “delirious road trip,” as the lead character travels north along Interstate 95 to New Jersey, New York and, finally, Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod.

Key details such as who will star in the film and when it will be released weren’t part of the 2022 announcement involving Village Roadshow Pictures. Waters has said he didn’t write Marsha Sprinkle with any particular actress in mind. Known for putting himself in his movies, he’s admitted that he might like to save one role for himself: a talking penis.

Aubrey Plaza will ‘do anything’

Delaware-born actress Aubrey Plaza told Dazeddigital.com in October 2022 that she’d “do anything” to play Marsha Sprinkle, and that led to speculationthat she might get the part.

When the news broke about a possible new John Waters movie, “I emailed him immediately and said, ‘you better let me audition for you,” Plaza said in her 2022 interview with Dazed. “I even look like the girl on the cover” of the book.

Plaza, 39, starred as intern April Ludgate in the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for her role as Harper Spiller in Season 2 of “The White Lotus.” Her movies include “Emily the Criminal,” “Black Bear,” “Ingrid Goes West” and “Scott Pilgram vs. the World.” Time magazine named her one of its “100 most influential people” in 2023.

“I exclusively only audition for John Waters,” Plaza said in the Dazed interview. “He told me I’m on his list, but I want to be at the top of the list. I want to be the only person on his list. They’ve told me I’m this generation’s Kathleen Turner. I mean, come on – I’m a shoo in. I need that movie.”

“I’m throwing myself at his feet,” she added. “I’ll do anything to get the part. I mean anything.”

Waters fueled the speculation about putting Plaza in his movie when he appeared onstage with her for an hourlong conversation at a book event in San Francisco in May 2023. No announcements were made, but he didn’t close any doors. At the end of the 2023 event, Waters thanked Plaza and offered these words of encouragement: “If I ever direct a movie again, I hope you’ll be in it.”   

In the question-and-answer session after his Valentine’s Day show at Baltimore Soundstage this month, the filmmaker got four questions about the production, more than any other subject. Asked specifically whether Plaza would be his leading lady, he made a gesture of zipping his lips. He declined to say when any casting decisions might be made public.

16 movies set in Baltimore

It’s not entirely a surprise that Waters would film “Liarmouth” in Baltimore. He lives in the city, is fiercely loyal to it, and has used locations in and around Baltimore for all 16 of the movies he’s directed. At the same time, other jurisdictions offer tax credits and other financial incentives designed to help them attract film producers.

The 2007/John Travolta-Nikki Blonsky version of “Hairspray,” which Waters didn’t direct, was filmed mostly in Canada, with only a few opening shots from Baltimore. The Tilted Acres amusement park scene in the 1988 Divine-Ricki Lake version of “Hairspray” was filmed at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pennsylvania, as a substitute for Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, the inspiration for Tilted Acres. Gwynn Oak closed in 1973 after suffering severe flood damage during Hurricane Agnes and was no longer available as a filming location when the first Hairspray movie was shot in 1986.

Filming in Baltimore would be an economic boost for the city, which hasn’t seen much movie production activity in recent years. One of the last major productions was the filming of Laura Lippman’s “Lady in the Lake” for an Apple TV+ limited series that hasn’t aired yet. Filming for “Lady in the Lake” started in April 2022 and continued into the fall, bringing to town stars such as Best Actress Oscar-winner Natalie Portman and Baltimore native Moses Ingram.

In addition to roles for the actors, “Liarmouth” would provide work for the film crew, jobs at hotels and restaurants while the cast and crew are in town, jobs for caterers, security staffers and many others.

During Waters’ show last week, one audience member asked about opportunities for extras. The book has a raucous crowd scene at the end, where kinksters gather for an outdoor sex festival, plus scenes at the airport and other locations.

“Couldn’t we all make extras in ‘Liarmouth?’ ” the fan asked.

“Sure. Let’s see if it happens,” Waters replied. “Who knows? We’re in the middle of all that. We’ll see.”

‘A Baltimore travelogue’

Waters’ previous movies have been filmed in different parts of the Baltimore area and have come to be associated with those communities. “Pecker” was based in Hampden. The Turnblads from “Hairspray” lived in an East Baltimore rowhouse. “Serial Mom” was set in leafy Towson and used locations such as Towson Senior High School, the Towson courthouse, and upscale residences bordering the Maryland Country Club on Stevenson Lane.

For “John Waters: Pope of Trash,” the exhibition about Waters’ career that’s currently on view at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, exhibitions curator Jenny He and associate curator Dara Jaffe made a point of showing how Waters used various Baltimore settings, both indoors and outdoors, as a sort of muse — to help tell his stories, set a tone, and give his films a distinct, often quirky, sense of place.

During a panel discussion about the exhibit at the museum last year, Waters talked about striving to get “shots that are so Baltimore.” One benefit of filming multiple movies in the same city, he said, is that he was able to work with some of the same crew members on more than one film. “We even had crazy Teamsters that liked us, in Baltimore, that just did my movies,” he recalled.

Places that the curators focused on include the courthouse in “Serial Mom” that has a portrait of disgraced former Baltimore County Executive Spiro Agnew hanging on the wall next to the ladies’ restroom; the 1960s-era TV dance studio used for The Corny Collins Show in “Hairspray,” which they recreated for the exhibit, and 3900 Greenmount Avenue, the house where Waters lived at one point and used as Connie and Raymond Marble’s home in “Pink Flamingos.” They also recreated the mobile home trailer where Divine’s Babs Johnson lived in “Pink Flamingos,” and used it to show the trailer produced to promote the movie.

“In John’s movies, Baltimore is always one of the major characters, the city of Baltimore,” said Scott Huffines, the former owner of Atomic Books in Hampden and a longtime friend of the filmmaker. “It always plays a big role in his movies.”

Viewing Waters’ films is like watching “a Baltimore travelogue,” Huffines said. “If you were on a John Waters pilgrimage, all you’d need to do is watch the movies and you could pick all the locations you’d want to go visit.”

‘Liarmouth’ locations

Filming “Liarmouth” in Baltimore would only add to the travelogue.

Even though the book is fictional, Waters fills it with names of real people and places that are familiar to Baltimoreans. Names include news personalities Jayne Miller and Denise Koch. Places mentioned include Graul’s in Ruxton; Eddie’s on Charles Street; the Dutch Village apartment complex; the Prime Rib restaurant and the Eagle bar. Much of the story takes place on the northeast side of Baltimore and Baltimore County, between downtown and Overlea, including one key location along the Belair Road corridor.

If the movie follows the book, it would potentially include some areas not previously used as film locations in other Waters movies. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is named as one of the places where Marsha Sprinkle steals suitcases, and multiple locations within the airport are mentioned, including the baggage claim area.

Other places named in the novel, which may or may not make it into the movie, include: a foreclosed McMansion where Marsha is “squatting,” located in a fictional subdivision called Happy Hollow that’s north of Roland Park; Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; Russell Street; the Baltimore-Washington Parkway; an unidentified house that’s used for a tickle bondage session; a store called the “Overlea Convenience Market” that’s not far from the “Joppatowne Royal Farms”; the corner of Guilford Avenue and 21^st Street; “an alley off Cathedral Street”; the “Bouncy Bouncy Trampoline Fun Park” somewhere off Belair Road, and the Maryland House Travel Plaza off I-95. From there, the book’s characters head north with stops in New Jersey, New York City and Provincetown.

Keeping busy

Before any filming gets underway, Waters is staying busy with bookings and appearances that he has on his calendar, including more than a few annual events.

On March 3, he’ll receive the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award at the American Cinema Editors’ 74^th Annual ACE Eddie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

On March 9, he’ll be at the Ocean City (Maryland) Performing Arts Center for a 35^th anniversary screening of “Hairspray” and commentary as part of the Ocean City Film Festival that weekend.

On March 30, he’ll visit the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, for a screening of “Hairspray” with Mink Stole and Ricki Lake.

On April 10, “Chucky” returns to the USA and SYFY networks for Season 3 Part 2, with Waters co-starring as Good Guys doll creator Wendell Wilkins. Waters will be on the fourth episode of Season 3 Part 2.

For his 78^th birthday on April 22, he’ll present his “John Waters: Devil’s Advocate” show at the City Winery on Pier 57 in Manhattan.

On July 6 and 7, he’ll host the Mosswood Meltdown 2024 music festival in Oakland, California, with The B-52s; Redd Kross; Big Freedia; Pure Hell; Gibby Haynes; Hunx and his Punx; Bush Tetras; and others.

On July 13, he’ll spend a night in the Provincetown Jail, as part of a fundraising event for the Provincetown Film Society. Four fans bid a total of $10,800 to have dinner and spend a night in the jail with him. On July 25, assuming he’s released, he’ll present “Devil’s Advocate” at Town Hall in Provincetown.

From Sept. 13 to 16, he’ll host his annual Camp John Waters “adult sleepaway” gathering for superfans at Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut, with guest counselors Melanie Griffith, Mink Stole, and Ken King.

Then it will almost be time for his coast-to-coast tour of holiday spoken-word shows, including “A John Waters Christmas.”

Footwear in the spotlight

This week, John Waters films have been getting attention for a different reason. Since Donald Trump started selling $399 gold Trump sneakers, memes have been circulating with still photos from John Waters movies that feature footwear.

In one, instead of getting incensed about people wearing white shoes after Labor Day, Serial Mom’s Beverly Sutphin fumes that “Juror No. 8 is wearing Trump shoes after Labor Day!” In another, a disappointed Dawn Davenport from “Female Trouble” finds Trump shoes under the Christmas tree instead of the cha cha heels she hoped to get, black ones. “WHAT ARE THESE?” she cries.

The American Cinema Editors society has chosen John Waters to receive its Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award at the 74^th Annual ACE Eddie Awards event on March 3.

The honorary society was founded in 1950 to advance the science of film editing and promote the work of film editors. Its members are chosen based on professional achievements, and their annual awards ceremony celebrates work in both feature films and television.

ACE’s Golden Eddie award, short for ‘editing,’ recognizes an artist who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Past recipients include Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese; Spike Lee; Quentin Tarantino; Guillermo del Toro; Gina Prince-Bythewood; J. J. Abrams; Norman Jewison; Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas and the Sundance Institute.

Waters, 77, has written and directed 16 movies and recently completed the script for a 17^th, the film adaptation of his 2022 novel, “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.” Two of his films, “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray,” have been added to the U. S. Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. He’ll receive ACE’s Filmmaker of the Year award during a ceremony at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus in southern California.

“John Waters isn’t just a filmmaking icon,” ACE president Kevin Tent said in a statement. “He’s a punk rock poet of the picture palace. With each frame, he challenges norms, skewers societal hypocrisies, and explodes cinematic expectations with subversive wit and audacious style. His films crackle with an anarchic energy that’s as intoxicating as it is hilarious and poignant. ACE is proud to celebrate his singular vision that has entertained the hell out of generations.”

Last September, Waters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s also the subject of “John Waters: Pope of Trash,” a career retrospective at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles that opened in September and runs until Aug. 4.Waters’ next performance in Baltimore will be at Baltimore Soundstage on Feb. 14, where he’ll present his spoken-word show, “A Date with John Waters – End of the World.” One of his next on-screen appearances will be in Season 3 Part 2 of the “Chucky” television series, scheduled to air in May on SYFY and the USA Network.  

With the writers’ and actors’ strikes now over, John Waters has wasted no time getting back on the set – in front of the camera this time.

The Baltimore-based writer, filmmaker and actor has joined the cast of “Chucky” Season 3, Part 2, a horror/comedy/slasher series about Chucky the murderous doll and others in the “Child’s Play” universe created by Don Mancini.

Waters played photographer Pete Peters, who met a gruesome fate in the 2004 motion picture, “Seed of Chucky.”

This time it’s a TV series and Waters is taking on a different role, with new episodes coming in 2024 on SYFY and USA Network. 

“LOOK WHO’S BACK. John Waters to play Good Guy dolls creator on ‘Chucky,’” Mancini announced in a message posted on Instagram on Thursday.

“The beloved cult filmmaker is bringing even more camp and curiosities to the back half of Chucky Season 3,” SYFY promised on its website. 

Production on Season 3 was underway earlier this year when the writers’ and actors’ strikes forced filming to shut down temporarily. The producers divided Season 3 into two parts, with the first four episodes airing in October and plans to finish and release Part 2 once production could resume.

“Child’s Play,” commonly known as “Chucky,” is a franchise that Mancini started in 1988 with the movie “Child’s Play,” which explained how the soul of a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray attached itself to the hottest toy of the holiday season, a Good Guy-brand doll.

Mancini’s initial film gained a cult following and spawned six movie sequels, a television series, a 2019 remake of “Child’s Play,” comic books, a video game, and related merchandise. The shows primarily focus on the serial killer and his ability to escape death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll. Brad Dourif provided the voice for Chucky in the original films and the TV series, which began in 2021. Mark Hamill was the main voice of Chucky in the reboot, with Dourif partly voicing the character.

Origin story

According to SYFY, the second half of Season 3 will explain where the Good Guy dolls came from, and that’s where Waters comes in.

“The coming episodes will introduce Wendell Wilkins, the reclusive creator of the Good Guy dolls who gets drawn into Chucky’s tangled web,” the SYFY website states. “And Wendell Wilkins will be portrayed by none other than iconic filmmaker John Waters.”

The casting makes Waters Chucky’s parent, in a sense. But the SYFY website doesn’t say how long he will be around.

“Exactly how long Waters’ character will be in the hot seat remains a mystery, but we all know Chucky isn’t big on sharing the spotlight, even if it is with his pseudo-father,” the website says.

Reached today in Cincinnati, where he’s in the midst of a 17-city tour of his popular ‘John Waters Christmas’ spoken-word shows, Waters declined to discuss the plot points of Season 3 but said he was happy to be back with the Chucky cast and crew, including Jennifer Tilly and others.

Waters said he’s friends with Mancini, the executive producer, and Tony Gardner, the artist, puppeteer and special effects designer who fabricates the Chucky dolls and other cinematic creations, including Selma Blair’s breasts in Waters’ 2004 film “A Dirty Shame.”

Plus, Waters said, “I always get recognized in the subway in New York for being in Chucky,” from his performance as the character whose face gets melted off after a bottle of sulphuric acid spills on his head in “Seed of Chucky.”

Filming in Toronto

Waters said filming for his scenes took place this week in Toronto, where he traveled on his “days off” in between his spoken-word performances. It was a shorter distance to travel, he noted, than when he was in “Seed of Chucky,” which was filmed in Romania.

Waters said he knew about his role before the actors’ and writers’ strikes but had to wait for the strikes to end and filming of Part 2 to resume this fall. He said he arrived in Toronto on Sunday, had wardrobe fittings on Monday, filmed Tuesday and Wednesday, and left Thursday to resume his holiday tour. He said there’s potential for Wendell Wilkins to be a recurring character in the series, if Chucky goes beyond Season 3.

“I’m hoping [it’s] renewed,” he said. “If it is, maybe I’ll come back.” 

Waters, 77, is perhaps best known for making films, including “Hairspray,” “Pink Flamingos” and “Serial Mom,” and writing books, including “Shock Value,” “Role Models” and “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.”

In September, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened a retrospective of his life and work as a filmmaker, entitled “John Waters: Pope of Trash.” “Hairspray” and “Pink Flamingos” have been added to the prestigious National Film Registry maintained by the U. S. Library of Congress.

Fame maintenance

Throughout his career, Waters also has appeared on talk shows and in movies and TV shows directed by others – side gigs he has referred to as “fame maintenance.” In the “Pope of Trash” exhibit, one gallery entitled ‘The Fandom of John Waters’ features a video montage showing Waters in many of his roles outside of his own movies, including the sulphuric acid scene from “Seed of Chucky.”

Waters has also appeared on NBC’s “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” in a recurring role as Floyd Cougat the “porn-monger man,” as a bartender on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and as the director William Castle on the FX series, “Feud: Bette and Joan.”

Waters played himself on “The Blacklist” and provided the voice for an animated character named John in a 1997 episode of “The Simpsons” entitled Homer’s Phobia. He talked about the fashion designer Halston and the performer Little Richard in recent documentaries. In a 2021 segment of “Finding Your Roots” on PBS, he learned from Henry Louis Gates Jr. that one of his ancestors owned slaves.

Filming is still underway for Chucky Season 3 Part 2, and exact dates for new episodes have not been announced. Seasons 1 and 2 and the first half of Season 3 can be found on the Peacock network.

For now, Waters is on the last leg of his 17-city tour, with a show Friday night in Philadelphia followed by a show in Boston, two shows in New York City and a show in Alexandria, Virginia. The final performance of his 2023 tour will be a sold-out show on Dec. 21 at Baltimore Soundstage, followed by a Valentine’s Day booking there in February.  

Writer and filmmaker John Waters hasn’t said much about who might star in his next movie, but he did give a strong hint recently about a role he’d like for himself.

The movie is the film adaptation of Waters’ 2022 novel, “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.” It’s a story about Marsha Sprinkle, a woman who steals suitcases at the airport, and her partner-in-crime Daryl, a man with a talking penis, which is a separate character named Richard in the book. Village Roadshow Pictures has optioned the novel and Waters, who turned 77 on April 22, has confirmed that he will write and direct the film.

At recent spoken-word performances around the country, Waters has told audiences that he has begun writing the screenplay. He’s stopped short of talking about who might be cast in the lead roles, saying it’s still too early for that.

But in a recent interview with a French television network, Waters said there’s one role that he could see himself playing: Daryl’s talking baguette.

“I hope when they make the movie, I get to do the voice,” he told Olivia Salazar-Winspear, a journalist who interviewed him for a cultural affairs program called ENCORE! on France 24, a TV network based in Paris.

“That would be an amazing role to fulfill,” Salazar-Winspear responded.

Waters’ appearance on France 24 coincides with the publication this year of the French edition of “Liarmouth,” which has the title “Sale Menteuse: Une Romance Feel-Bad.”  In the U. S., the paperback version of “Liarmouth” will come out May 2.

The France 24 interview wasn’t the first time Waters expressed an interest in playing the vocal appendage – a sign that it’s on his mind. In his Valentine’s Day show in Baltimore, when an audience member asked about the character, he also brought it up.

“Daryl’s d–k? Maybe I’ll be the voice, I don’t know,” he mused.

From creepy to lovable  

If Waters does take on the talking todger, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s had a role in one of his own films. He was a flasher who lives next to the Turnblads in the 2007 version of “Hairspray”; Dr. Fredrickson the crazy psychologist in the 1988 version of “Hairspray”; Mr. J in “Pink Flamingos,” the narrator modeled after Mr. Ray the hair weave promoter; a reporter in “Cecil B. Demented”; Ted Bundy in “Serial Mom”; and a ‘Pervert on Phone’ in “Pecker.”

He’s played characters in other shows as well, many of them weird, sleazy, unsavory or creepy in some way. His roles have included: a bartender in “Homicide: Life on the Street”; a funeral director in “My Name is Earl”; a snooping news photographer who’s killed when a jar of sulfuric acid falls on his head in “Seed of Chucky”; an airline passenger in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”; and a used car salesman in “Something’s Wild.”

Waters introduced a dance song called “The Creep” in a 2011 music video on “Saturday Night Live.” He was movie director William Castle in “Feud: Bette and Joan”; Floyd Cougat, the “porn-monger man” in two episodes of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”; Lazarus, a gay man who guides Midge to a lesbian bar in the “Interesting People on Christopher Street” episode of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; and Sheffield, a child trafficker who sells genetically-engineered babies for an organization posing as a legitimate adoption agency, in “Search Party” on HBO.

One of Waters’ previous voice roles was his portrayal of John, the gay owner of Springfield’s campy antiques and collectibles shop, ”Cockamamie’s,” in a 1997 episode of “The Simpsons.” John, who befriends the Simpsons, was the first openly-gay character on the animated series and the episode, “Homer’s Phobia,” was widely praised for using humor to help change Americans’ views about the LGBTQ+ community. Waters also appeared as an interviewee on The Simpsons’ 20^th anniversary special – “In 3-D! On Ice!”  

A soft spot

When Liarmouth was published last year, Waters acknowledged that there may be other talking penises in literature. But he contends that the loquacious tallywacker in Liarmouth is a literary first, because Daryl is straight and his penis is gay. No one has explored that dynamic before, he pointed out. 

Daryl’s extremity is one of many offbeat characters in the book, which also has a cult-like band of trampoline bouncers; a tickle enthusiast and a woman who performs plastic surgery on pets.  Waters has said it’s “the craziest thing I’ve ever written.”

Judging from his answers on the French broadcast, he clearly has a soft spot for Daryl’s wise-cracking knobgoblin.

Toward the end of her interview, channeling the late Barbara Walters, Salazar-Winspear asked Waters one final question: “If you had to live out your days as one of the characters in your films or books, who would you be?”

Waters didn’t hesitate. “I guess I’d be the talking penis,” he replied.

Playing Richard would be more than a cameo role for Waters. Liarmouth goes to some lengths to explore the conflicts between straight Daryl and his gay phallus, and who gets shafted more.

During the Q&A portion of the Valentine’s Day show in Baltimore, the penis-obsessed audience member asked Waters how he planned to film Daryl’s protuberance. Waters said he isn’t worried, given the CGI [computer generated imagery] technology available to filmmakers today, in which computer software is used to create visual effects that can’t otherwise be filmed.

“I saw Avatar,” he said. “If they can do that, I can do a talking [penis.]”

More observations

France 24 is an international news platform that offers a French perspective on global affairs. Its four channels, in French, Arabic, English and Spanish, have a combined weekly viewership of 61.2 million people in 183 countries. It’s the first international news channel in the Maghreb region of northern Africa and in the French-speaking African countries. Its Paris newsroom serves as the hub for 430 journalists representing 35 nationalities.

ENCORE!, the program on which Waters appeared, describes itself as a show that takes viewers “to the crossroads where culture meets the news and engages with what’s happening in our lives today.” It’s seen Monday to Friday at 12:15 p. m., Paris time.

During a wide-ranging segment that was broadcast April 27, Waters read an excerpt from Liarmouth and answered questions about his career and life in the U. S. The program also showed footage of the recent Baltimore Museum of Art exhibit of artwork that Waters pledged to donate to the museum when he dies, entitled “Coming Attractions: The John Waters Collection.”

Salazar-Winspear asked Waters what it was like to be making a movie again, since his last film was in “A Dirty Shame” in 2004. Waters said he never really stopped working in the film industry, because he has been paid to write four different sequels to “Hairspray” and “a children’s Christmas adventure,” but they didn’t get made.

The difference between his previous movie projects and “Liarmouth,” he said, is that he’s adapting a book this time.

“I’ve never taken a book and then gone the other way – made it into a movie,” he said. “What you have to do is eliminate a lot. You have to change things. Because in a movie, you show it or say it. In a novel, you can think it, and that’s the difference. It’s a different kind of challenge. It’s like writing in reverse, in a way.”

Waters weighed in about the attacks in the U.S. on drag queens and transgender people.

“I take them seriously because trans people are being killed,” he said. “But at the same time, it seems like everyone is trans now, in rich kids’ schools, like 90 percent of the students. And I think, am I a woman?…But at the same time,  I think you should be able to be whatever you want to be. I think if you want to be a woman today, a ‘them’ tomorrow, I don’t care. Good. So why does that threaten anybody? I don’t know why it makes people so angry…I don’t understand why it’s so threatening to people. Kids love drag queens. They’re like clowns.”

Divine’s influence

Divine, a 300-pound drag performer who starred in a number of Waters movies before he died in 1988, was a one-of-a-kind actor who remains influential today, Waters said.

“Drag queens hated him because he made fun of drag,” Waters said of the actor, born Harris Glenn Milstead. “He would show up carrying a chainsaw with fake scars painted on his face, and he was overweight and he had nudity, like Lizzo does today…. Other drag queens were nervous because they were square then. They wanted to be Miss America or their mothers.”

Divine’s influence is that “every drag queen has an edge” today, Waters said. “Every drag queen has a kind of anger to it and a kind of humor to it.  And they make fun of themselves, just by some of the names, like Urethra Franklin. I love that. That’s my favorite drag name. But Divine was not trans. Divine dressed as a man in real life. He didn’t want to be a woman. I always said he wanted to be Godzilla.”

Salazar-Winspear asked Waters what he thought about cancel culture and whether he thinks “woke debates” are legitimate.

“I’m not sorry that Harvey Weinstein’s in jail,” he said of the film producer convicted of sexual misconduct. “But at the same time, I taught in prison. I helped people get out of jail that committed murder. So who am I to judge other people? That has already happened. That is up to the courts.”

Waters said he’s happy for Johnny Depp, who starred in his film, “Cry-Baby,” and who’s in a new movie that’s opening the Cannes film festival next month.

“Johnny Depp was found not guilty” in last year’s defamation trial with the actress Amber Heard, Waters noted. “So as far as I’m concerned, he is certainly eligible to get everything back he may have lost.”

Waters said he doesn’t think that books are becoming obsolete for young people, as Bret Easton Ellis recently warned.

“I don’t agree,” he said. “Everybody in America thought when all the big chain book stores opened, that they were going to put the independent book shops out of business. The exact opposite has happened. The big chains are closing and the independent book shops are thriving, because people like the community. The only real job I ever had in my life was working in an independent book store.  And if I had to get another job today, that’s what I’d do. You meet great people.”

Salazar-Winspear asked Waters if he thinks it’s still possible for young people to find a “fertile, creative, artistic scene” in which to work, the sort of environment he found in Baltimore in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Certainly,” he said. “Especially in Baltimore where I live, which is cheap. It’s still cheap. You have to have a cheap neighborhood in order to have Bohemia…I think it is possible, but cheap rents have a lot to do with it — and people living together and mixing together.”

Waters said he’s not a separatist.

“I believe straight, gay, everybody should hang around together, and then you learn about each other’s career. And I don’t understand why the gay community is fighting with each other. Gay, straight, trans – we all used to hang around together. Now we’re weakening the pervert brand. We can’t be fighting with each other.”

Book talks and signings

As part of a book tour in May for the launch of the paperback edition of “Liarmouth,” Waters will sign copies at Atomic Books, 3620 Falls Road in Baltimore, on May 12 starting at 7 p.m.

He’ll also appear at Book Soup in Los Angeles for a book signing on May 8; the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for a book talk and signing on May 9, and MAP on Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts, for a book signing on June 15.

Waters will perform his End of the World spoken-word show at the Carroll Arts Center in Westminster, Maryland, on May 13; the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro, Maine, on June 24, and the Wortham Center in Houston, Texas, on October 13. He also appears in the just-released digital documentary, “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”