You guys probably remember about a week and a half ago when I made fun of a movie theater in Orange City, Iowa for changing the name of Jackass Number Two to Jackbutt Two on its marquee. It was a news story that appeared on TMZ.com on October 2 and was eventually picked up by more internet news outlets in the days that followed. We all had a good laugh at the expense of Orange City for participating in the kind of obtuse censorship that wasn’t really protecting anyone because – when you cut to the heart of the matter – there was really nothing to be offended about.

Well, as always, there is more to the story.

Just as the comic says, it turns out that it wasn’t censorship. Just some creative renaming when a high school student who worked at the theater ran out of the letter "S" to use in the marquee. You’ll see in the picture on the TMZ.com article, that the theater is also running Little Miss Sunshine, The Illusionist, School for Scoundrels and Open Season. With no more of the letter "S" to draw from, the kid filling out the sign thought it would be funny to use the word "Jackbutt" instead of "Jackass" and an internet rumor was born.

I got a couple of e-mails from people who lived in Orange City, Iowa shortly after my comic ran over in the blogs at Juice – a semi-regional publication for young people in Iowa. They were pretty mad that I didn’t bother to do any research to get the facts straight. I can understand their frustration, but it left me feeling a little defensive. After all, mine is a humor and entertainment site as much as it is a venue for my personal opinions. And, despite successful appearances, I don’t exactly have the time or the resources to start calling people in Orange City looking for the scoop. As a satirist, I am not beholden to the same level of journalistic integrity some might hope for.

That said, I’m never too big to admit when I’m wrong and such is the case here. Sorry, Orange City! I didn’t have all the facts! I hope you can accept this comic as an olive branch and I promise to do a little fact checking the next time I deal on an entire small town!

It’s funny, though. There was really no stories online that dug any deeper than what TMZ had originally reported. After getting the first few angry missives from the Orange Citians, I was only able to find small blurbs that talked about the lack of the letter "S" in the marquee and that typically came in the comments section of sites posting the story. I guess, if anything, I hope I can give a wider venue to the people of Orange City to have their side of the story told when people pop open Google and type in "Orange City + Jackbutt."

Switching gears, Wizard World Texas is coming up on us soon and I plan on attending.  The big reason I’ll be showing down there is to launch "Theater Hopper: Year Two." You guys already know everything there is to know about the book, so I won’t bore you with the details.

Today, I’m here to offer you something new. It’s an opportunity for you to help support Theater Hopper and our fund-raising drive to help pay for the printing of Year Two while still getting something for yourself.

First, the original custom art auction I have running on eBay!

I stoll this idea from my good buddy Mitch. It seemed to be a winner for him, so I wanted to take a swing at it.

The concept is simple. Instead of drawing something that *I* like and auctioning it off to you guys, now YOU guys get to decide what I’ll draw! Of course, highest bidder wins. So maybe you want me to draw you a custom Theater Hopper cast portrait. If you’re the winner, I can do that! Maybe you don’t want something that’s Theater Hopper-related. Maybe you want me to draw you a unicorn rolling dice in the alley with bigfoot. If you’re the winner, I can do that, too! You’re only limited by your imagination.

The auction is up and running and ends this Friday. Bid early! Bid often!

Here’s the second bit of news that I have, TRUMAN DOLLS!

You guys probably remember that we were giving away six of these dolls as part of a contest for those of you who pre-ordered "Theater Hopper: Year Two." Well, we got a lot of e-mails from people saying "I hope I win the doll! Are you going to be selling them in the store anytime soon?"

Well, now we are!

Cami stitched up a bunch of new dolls for me to take to the Minneapolis Fallcon a couple of weeks ago. We decided to use the convention as an opportunity to see how popular these bad boys could be. Turns out they were VERY popular! I manged to sell one to a punker totally cold. No lie! So you’re going to want to get your hands on one of these. We only have 8 (eight) left and what we don’t sell through the store, we’re taking to Wizard World Texas where we’re SURE to sell out. If you want one of these guys, get one now! They’re going fast!

It’s a real thrill to be able to sell these to you guys. I think largely because they are something that Cami made with love and it’s really cool to think that something my wife made will be appreciated by a lucky someone out there. Theater Hopper is like our little Mom ‘n Pop establishment and we consider ourselves lucky that you guys continue to check things out!

As always, shirts are on sale for $7.99 and baby doll tees are available for $9.99. If you haven’t pre-ordered a copy of "Theater Hopper: Year Two," what are you waiting for? There are also a few sponsor advertising spots open – $10 for 30 days – so be sure to take advantage of that.

Remember, all profits go toward helping pay the printing costs of "Year Two." I didn’t make as much as I was hoping at the Minneapolis Fallcon and we’re still a long ways from our goal! Every little bit helps!

Thanks again for your support!