PokŽtalk for Sunday, November 7th, 1999:

With just three days left, this is PokŽtalk for Sunday, November 7th, 1999!

On the TV set, Badges Week ended with the Kids' WB badge going to Misty. Next week is
 Evolution Week. Also, note that the Kids' WB afternoon schedule changes again this 
week, with PokŽmon moving to 4:00 PM. My only guess is that this is another attempt 
to increase money intake.

Of course, the big news this week is that PokŽmon: The First Movie opens this 
Wednesday. Starting Monday, Burger King will have a 56-day, 57-toy promotion, with 
everything from squirters to 23K Gold-plated cards. So kids, get out the antacid, and I 
hope you're not an only child. Also this week, McDonalds released a statement regarding
 it not getting the PokŽmon promotion, stating that PokŽmon did not fit their 
standards, which would be dishonesty, ripping people off, and giving people indigestion.
 Oh wait, that's just a universal result of the labor shortage.

And now, a new feature here at PokŽtalk: PokŽbriefs: 

1. Always wanted your own billboard? Well, the PokŽmon: The First Movie billboard in 
Times Square is up for auction. The starting bid? $1000, but the actual price could go 
much higher. Proceeds benefit the  Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

2. Pikachu and company are now featured on a new fruit roll. Each box contains a card 
for the PokŽmon Trading card game.

3. Pikachu isn't the only thing that can fry stuff. When Warner Bros offered free tickets
 to the PokŽmon: The First Movie premiere to a lucky winner, calls poured in at an 
astonishing 70,000 a minute. The influx shut off phone service to the WB and several of
 its neighbors.

And that's PokŽbriefs

We'll be right back.

Q: The person who designed the animatronic Yoshi for Super Mario Bros: The Movie had 
played exactly how much Mario?

Ad: Kill Jar-Jar Binks

Jar-Jar Binks: Mesa Jar-Jar Binks!

Steven: No, yousa dead! (gunshots)

Announcer: It's the Star Wars: Episode One game everyone's been waiting for: Kill Jar-
Jar Binks! The game where you, well, kill Jar-Jar Binks! Cnet calls it, "the only game 
where you can take pleasure in killing someone and not feel bad about it later." So go 
and buy Kill Jar-Jar Binks today! Any resemblance between Jar-Jar Binks and a corpse 
is purely intentional.

A: None (and it shows!)

For this week's editorial, I'd like to ask a simple question: Just how popular is 
PokŽmon? It has taken over our malls, our TVs, and soon, our theaters. The point is, I 
don't think a lot of kids realize just how popular PokŽmon is. I know I never realized 
how popular Mario was. Quite frankly, it's amazing that anything has ever become that 
popular again. Is PokŽmon as popular as Mario was? I'm not sure it's a fair comparison. 
Back in the 80's, the internet was, excuse the term,  a pipe dream,. But if the 
comparison is fair, the the answer is yes.

Finally, it was confirmed that PokŽmon Stadium will come with the Game Boy Transfer 
Pak. PokŽmon Stadium and Card will come out next spring.

That's all for this week. I'll see you next week when we ask the all-important question:
 Who wants to be a Ketchum?