Metropolis, Ill., ready for super festival

METROPOLIS, Ill. — Put your underwear outside your pants and head up, up and east to the 30th annual Metropolis Superman Celebration. The weekend-long festival devotes four days to The Man of Steel, whose mild-mannered comic character lived and worked in the fictional version of Metropolis.

The celebration starts at 5 p.m. today, when the public can meet the 2008 Metropolis Superman Josh Boultinghouse. Events continue from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Sunday.

Concerts by various groups start each night at 5:30 p.m. Friday's schedule is full of video game tournaments, Superman Jeopardy, artist and writer question-and-answer sessions and a Superhero Costume Parade at 8 p.m. — anyone in costume is invited to join.

Noel Neill, who played the original Lois Lane in the 1950s TV show, will sign autographs Saturday morning and will be joined by Ned Beatty, who played Otis, Lex Luthor's clumsy minion, in "Superman: the Movie" and "Superman II."

The slightly younger but still-super fans can meet Allison Mack, the actress who plays Chloe Sullivan on "Smallville," the television hit that focuses on the teenaged Clark Kent.

A Supergirl and a Superboy contests and the annual Superman Auction will be Saturday night. Festivities continue at 8 a.m. Sunday, and culminate at 5 p.m. with an attempt at the Guinness World Record of most people dressed as Superman.