PokŽtalk for Sunday, December 19, 1999: We got rid of the squirrel! This is Steven Reich with PokŽtalk for Sunday, December 19th, 1999! In our top story, there was a new PokŽmon episode this weekend, but I didn't see it. Why? I got roped into a stupid Christmas pageant! Anyway, we're coming close to losing (for a while, anyway) one of our main characters-Brock. Apparently, he's getting hooked up with that professor Ivy person. Hey, isn't she that girl with the cheap French accent? Well, in that case, bon voyage, Brock, and don't come back! By the way, next week is cliffhanger week, despite the fact there's only one true cliffhanger, and none of the episodes end where they showed in the commercial...oh well. This week, Nintendo announced a new PokŽmon game in Japan for the Game Boy Advance: Pocket Monsters X. This game will use cell phones-a popular item among kids in Japan- to let players communicate over a vast network. And now, PokŽbriefs: 1. Buyers of the new PokŽmon PokŽdex may be offended that Gengar is, well, giving them the finger. Suffice it to say, kids, don't try this at home. 2. Here's some holiday statistics for you: PokŽmon is said to account for one in five Christmas list items. No one asked for my list, though. 3. Additionally, PokŽmon products have become increasingly difficult to find in stores, accounting for a huge amount of sales. 4. And, this week, cartoonist Charles Schultz announced that he will stop making Peanuts after Jan. 3, 2000, due to colon cancer. Maybe it could be replaced with a PokŽmon comic strip? And That's PokŽbriefs! We'll be right back! Q: Will there be trivia next week? Ad: Sim Misty 2000 Announcer: From the people who brought you Sim City, Sim Earth, and Sim Ant, comes the toughest Sim game of all...Sim Misty 2000! That's right folks! Go toe to toe with the queen of mean herself! Sim Misty 2000! Get it before she gets you! A: No. I'm sick of it. No, really, I am. Now for this week's editorial. So what do people like the most about PokŽmon? If you ask me, it's the feeling of being one with the game. People really want to feel immersed in it. The only place to truly do that, though, (until they invent holodecks, anyway) is in your sleep. I've had some pretty far out dreams. For now though, I'll just watch the show and play the games. Although, how about using that voice recognition headset to make a PokŽmon fighting game? This week's strategy segment comes from Vulpixio. Remember, the strategies of viewers who submit them do not necessarily represent those of PokŽwatch: What's the best kind of PokŽmon to use against ghosts? Birds. Flying/Normal types are immune to ghostly attacks because they are normal, and can still attack using moves such as Peck, Wing Attack, and Fly. This only includes Flying/Normals like Farfetch'd and Pidgeot, and not the legendary birds. If you've got a strategy, send it to yoshi1001@aol.com with the subject, PokŽmon Strategy. Strategies can be for any video game PokŽmon, including Super Smash Bros. The last poll indicated that about the same number of people think the music takes too long to download as love it. That's it for this PokŽtalk. Since next Sunday is the day after Christmas, there'll be a special Christmas Eve PokŽtalk on Friday.