As we begin the new year, we want to announce that two weekly features are going on hiatus until such time as Joel, as he has promised he will, finds a new home for the show.

One of those is the Weekend Discussion Thread. Frankly we feel like the topic has been discussed from every conceivable angle. I’d like to add that for the many many years we’ve been doing the WDT, I have (nearly) always been impressed by the wit and wisdom of our commenters. But we feel the feature has run its course and outlived its usefulness.

The other is the weekly trip through the episode guide. To begin with KTMA and go, week by week, all the way through season 12 would be a four-year-plus commitment that, at age 62, I just cannot make.

Erhardt, our RiffTrax reporter, will continue to announce new riffs and will continue to handle tech issues with the site.

And I will continue to post This Date in MSTory and announce MSTory obituaries (and I do appreciate the “heads up”s I get from several regular readers when they hear about somebody who has passed on and has some connection to the show).

I will also cover any actual show news that arises. Hopefully one day I will be able to announce that Joel has found a new way to continue with our favorite cowtown puppet show.

The episode guide here on the site is complete through season 12, and the FAQ is mostly updated, although there is still more work to be done on it, as well as updates of several of the legacy pages. That is what will be our focus until such time as the show returns.

We also have high hopes that a long-promised complete revision of Daddy-O’s Drive-In Dirt will someday arrive. (No pressure, buddy.)

So we’re not going away, we’re just powering down a bit and turning our focus inward.

If you’re following me (@msampo) or the web site (@mst3kinfo) on Twitter, you should get the word if something new is happening. We also have a Facebook page I almost never update, but if anything big happens, I’ll get over there and post.

And in the meantime, if you haven’t visited the tip jar (at left) lately, now might be a good time to think about doing it, doncha think?

Thanks for your patronage.

Oh and, by the way, if you have a business in Northeastern PA (Scranton-Wilkes Barre) and are looking to hire an editor, web editor, social media manager, public relations person, content manager or marketing manager, please email me. (msampo at aol dot com)