Stocking Stuffers for Gen X Pop Culture Geeks

For those of you out looking for the perfect gift to buy the Pop Culture -- and nostalgia -- geek in your family for Christmas (or Chrismukkah if your shopping for Josh Schwartz), I have a couple of sweet little items for you.

There are very few Gen X geeks who didn't marvel at Mel Stuart's version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). I have watched the film again and again, each time finding new bits of magic to entertain me. The Stuart version is a true film classic, and those wanting to learn more about the film have one of two options available. First, they can beg someone who knows him for contact information and try to interview him (most certainly losing a friend in the process and probably failing to ask the right questions anyway). Or they can do the more rational thing and read Pure Imagination: The Making of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Director Mel Stuart with Josh Young.



Vanity Fair has described the book as "a genial, jocular explication (written with Josh Young) of the most sinister kiddie entertainment ever concocted. Any disquieting questions lingering in your skull since age 11 are duly answered." Make this a top priority present.

Most certainly next on the list of must haves for the pop culture fiend is The Art of Ray Harryhausen by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton; with a Foreward by Peter Jackson. Can you get more geek crack into one place at one time? Sadly the book isn't listed to come out until January of 2006 (just in time for my birthday, but sadly late for Christmas), so you had better run out and get Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton.



Harryhausen is possibly the greatest practitioner of stop motion animation and one of the fathers of modern special effects. His work on Mighty Joe Young humanized the title character and added pathos to the narrative, but for me it is his work on Jason and the Argonauts and his Sinbad movies that truly stand out as masterpieces of visual design. Go buy this book immediately or I will send Minoton to bash your head in.



Leaving the realm of books, and thus things that might at least appear to be useful, and entering the realm of mere idle recreation, who doesn't want an Atari Flashback 2? This "plug and play" console contains 40 classic Atari 2600 games for the low-low price of $29.99. How many times have you heard your friend speak longingly of days spent playing Pitfall with the "old style" joystick? Who doesn't want to play the bizarre 2600 ports of Asteroids and Centipede? Sure, we now have consoles almost capable of simulating reality, but who cares when you can play Pong? This is a must buy for any nostalgic Gen X-er. After all, how else are you going to be able to properly educate your children in the narrative history of video games? The youth of today must be taught the fundamentals before they can truly enjoy the modern "sophisticated" games. An important lesson in video game enjoyment is that playability is more important that graphical aesthetics. A game can look amazing and be entirely unplayable, but a game that plays well does so regardless of how it looks. A lot of those old 2600 games have playability in spades.

Comic Book Advent Calendar

Are you tired of yummy chocolate Advent Calendars?

Did your Oma forget to send you one this year and you find the German store intimidating?

Or are you just a comic geek in need of a way to countdown the days until Christmas?

Well...Scott at Polite Dissent has just the thing for you. Now you can count down the days with Christmas themed comic covers for each day from December 1st to the big day itself.

Thanks to Monitor Duty for the tip.

Awesome News for Savage Worlds Fans

According to The Gaming Report, the Pinnacle Entertainment Group (now known as Great White Games) has entered into an agreement with WizKids games. This agreement will allow Pinnacle, the creators of the Origins Award winning Savage Worlds game system to create roleplaying books based upon the collectible strategy games manufactured by WizKids.

What this means for Savage Worlds fans is a possible Rocketmen pulp/scifi rpg, a new Battletech rpg, a Pirates rpg, to quote,

" including the Pirates and Rocketmen Constructible Strategy Games and the Mage Knight Collectable Miniatures Game.

The deal also allows GWG to support such genre-defining products as Pirates of the Spanish Main and MechWarrior with a series of scenario books, including new rules, games pieces, and fiction, bringing an additional level of fun and a new twist to some of WizKids’ best-loved properties."

Having played the Necessary Evil "worldbook" and enjoyed its take on how to represent superheroes with game mechanics, I wish that the deal also included Marvel. But that is not to be.

2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Next year's batch of RnR HoF inductees includes two bands best known for their shocking first albums:

1. Black Sabbath
2. The Sex Pistols
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. Miles Davis
5. Blondie

Of these inductees, I think that Skynyrd is an undeniable addition to the Hall, Free Bird is the Rock anthem for an entire segment of society -- not my part, but a part none the less. That shouldn't be read to mean that I don't like Skynyrd, I think they are pretty damn good, it just means none of their songs are life defining anthems for me. I won't be shouting Sweet Home Alabama anytime soon.

Miles Davis, too, unquestioningly deserves a place as well. Only Hugh Hewitt who doesn't understand the links between Jazz -- and the Blues -- and Rock and Roll could refuse Miles. Besides, this dude hung out with the early punk movement. To quote Ron Asheton of the Stooges (from the book Please Kill Me:

Every time we played New York, this guy would come by our show and give the Stooges a little bottle of coke, completely on his own volition. So we're sitting backstage with Miles Davis, and this guy finally arrives and just throws down a big old pile. We already had the straws ready. Imagine that great scene -- Miles Davis's head next to all the heads of the Stooges going "SNNNORRRT!"

We all just devoured that [expletive deleted, but it starts with f] pile, man. Later, Miles Davis said, "The Stooges are original -- they've got spirit," or something like that. It was great. My head next to Miles Davis, man

Now if that doesn't embody the "how fast can I kill myself" lifestyle that is Rock and Roll, I don't know what does.

And Black Sabbath...can you imagine being a forty-something mom wondering what the hell those bizarre sounds coming from little Jimmy's room are. You walk in and he's screaming out the lyrics to War Pigs"

Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death's construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away.
They only started the war.
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah.

Time will tell on their power minds,
making war just for fun.
Treating people just like pawns in chess,
wait till their judgment day comes, yeah.

Now in darkness world stops turning,
ashes where the bodies burning.
No more War Pigs have the power,
Hand of God has struck the hour.
Day of judgment, God is calling,
on their knees the war pigs crawling.
Begging mercies for their sins,
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.
Oh lord, yeah!

You'd run to the local church faster than the Pastor in Footloose, now that is Rock! But does Sabbath deserve the Hall? Ozzy...sure, but Sabbath? I guess, The Mob Rules is pretty bad-ass, so they outlasted Ozzy, but let's face it Paranoid is what defines Sabbath. Is one album enough for recognition?

That goes for the Pistols too. Is Bollocks enough? Sure the Pistols were a phenomenon, but they didn't create Punk. Maybe they defined its image and maybe that is enough for the Hall. I won't get into the whole poseur who created Punk argument, America vs. England and all that trash. We all know...no Who...no Punk.

But Blondie? Hmm...I know some major Punk/New Wave fan or discophile will hate me for this, but I don't think just hanging out in the right places makes you Hall worthy.

Jet Li Discusses First Marriage

When one imagines a typical American discussing a prior marriage, one imagines bitterness, sorrow, and Jerry Springer style unbridled rage. With Jet Li's (who will be starring in next year's movie and maybe his final martial arts film Fearless directed by Ronnie Yu) recent discussion of his first marriage one witnesses what one would hope happens when people discuss their ex-spouse.

Excerpting an interview Jet Li did for Life of Art --a mainland China entertainment show -- Sina.com (and Yahoo!) quote Jet Li as saying, "In terms of how much emotion each person devoted, she maybe gave 90 percent or 80 percent. At most I gave ... I still haven't figured out." If only most divorced adults where as honest about their own contribution to a marriage, I think we would have fewer "angry divorces" and possibly fewer divorces period.

The Next Ten Films on My Netflix Queue

Here are the next ten movies I will be getting via the Post Office for my viewing pleasure:

The War of the Worlds -- The original with the cool flying Martian vehicles.

A Very Long Engagement

Steamboy -- I liked it, but I want to be able to glean more out of LYT in conversation about it so another viewing is mandated.

Another Thin Man

Thin Man Collection: Alias Nick and Nora

December 7th the Movie

The Lion in Winter

A Man for All Seasons

Diner

The Bicycle Thief

I have seen many of these films before and want to watch them again. And yes, I did choose this particular time to list my next ten movies to make myself look more sophisticated. What was I supposed to do...list the following? (All of which are on my queue as well.)

Into the Blue

Go

Gothika

Magnum Force

Batteries Not Included

The Howling

Son of the Mask

Catwoman

Alone in the Dark

Roll Bounce

Of which, I am most excited about The Howling (one of my favorite Werewolf flicks) and Roll Bounce (which I haven't seen yet). And I am most fearful of Catwoman (a superhero flick I avoided in the theater, that in and of itself describes how fearful I am) and Alone in the Dark.

'Nuff Said

Statue of Bruce Lee Vandalized in Bosnia

Anyone who has happened upon, or frequents, this webpage knows who Bruce Lee is, but who knew that his image was "has been held up as a symbol of unity" in Bosnia-Herzegovina? I certainly didn't.

On November 28th, that's today folks, two statues were unveiled celebrating what would have been the Fist of Fury wielding martial artist, one in Hong Kong and one in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

I understand why there would be a tribute to the Master in Hong Kong. I was surprised by the Mostar commission, but it appears that Bruce Lee is a perfect figure to represent protest against the racial divisions of the Eastern European nation. It's too bad that the symbol has been so quickly a demonstration of their continued existence, as the statue was vandalized within hours of its unveiling.

Give Money to Child's Play Now!

Are you sick of the negative stereotypes that the media uses when portraying gamers?

Do you think providing toys, games, videogames, etc. to sick children is a good thing?

Do you want to help some terminal child acquire his last wish...an Xbox 360 but don't want to risk being shot while waiting in line?

Do you want to give to a trustworthy and responsible charity this holiday season?

If any of these apply to you, go on over to Child's Play and donate some fundage.

What is Child's Play? Click here for details.


I don't know if it's possible, but maybe...just maybe...if we donate enough money to the children and remind Gabe and Tycho of the beauty and kindness in the world, maybe they will post a week's worth of strips without once dropping the F-bomb.

Nah, that's too much to ask. Besides we all know that the Bard once said, "In sooth the comedian lacks aplomb who is fearful of the f$^&ing hilarious F-Bomb."

Moviehole.net Has Entertaining Interview With Reese Witherspoon

For those who, like me, rushed to the theaters last week to view Walk the Line and were impressed that Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Pheonix did their own signing during the film, Moviehole.net has a cute promotional interview with Reese Witherspoon.

Even though I enjoyed her singing during the film, my favorite quote from the interview is:

: You think you’re good, put [sic] what about the other people in the car?

My kids tell me to turn it off all the time. The other day they sent me a CD of songs (from the movie) to check something out and Deacon put his fingers in his ears and said “I hate this song! Turn it off!” It was me singing! But all the practice and rehearsal really helps boost your confidence.

CNN Trying to Use Tecnobabble to Get Out of Trouble

Personally, I don't like Dick Cheney. I don't dislike him, but I don't like him either. I also don't think the big X that kept flashing was meant to be seen by the public either (as they say "I think there is no there there"), but CNN's response is garbage. It is a response that uses the mystery of media production to its benefit, but never addresses the "root cause" of the event.

I quote:

"this was a technical malfunction, not an issue of operator error"

"but was inadvertently projected onto the screen by a malfunction in a "switcher" device, they explained."

They go on to talk about how a switcher is a device and not a person. This is true. Here is a page that briefly discusses switchers.

As you can see they are devices and not people, and can even be "software based" devices. I know because I used to use a switcher when I was a student at USC. I worked for their distance education program and was a switcher operator for various class room courses. When you operate a switcher you have multiple television screens where you manipulate a design that may or may not be shown to the viewing audience. Only one screen will actually show what the audience sees and it was a common pasttime among the various operators to play around with the screens not being used. I wasn's an Engineering student, and most of the courses were Engineering, so I would play around. I was lucky...none of my playing around was ever broadcast with the class. With others that wasn't true, they would sometimes accidentally hit a button and BOOM the image would broadcast and the phone would ring with questions about why such and such is being displayed.

I think this is what happened during the CNN broadcast, some techie was having fun in the back room (good for him or her) and something happened. Either they pushed a button or there was a software glitch, but anyone who knows anything about computers knows that "garbage in...garbage out" is the mantra of the day. Unless big Xs were appearing all over the place, the glitch wasn't the X. According to the article, "a place-holding marker used by technicians to cue up graphics." (Emphasis mine.) The glitch might have been why the X flickered on and off, but it wasn't why it was there. It might have been there as a place holder as CNN claims they use Xs for, but the X was likely put there intentionally by the operator. Not necessarily for nefarious reasons because it is entirely possible they were prepping queues for image inserts.

But come on! Be honest and don't try to go all, "you don't understand the hermetic alchemical technical machinations required to make a television program" on us. That is a cheap argument rooted in a desire to obfuscate meaning rather than admit wrong doing, even if it is an accident and there is "no there there."

Switchers are machines, but they have operators. Unless they want me to believe that CNN is entirely automated, in which case it is time to begin the Butlerian Jihad against the thinking machines.

Rush Hour 3 Finally an Official Greenlight...and We Care?

Chris Tucker, who has been a major obstacle in the production of a Rush Hour sequel, has finally come to terms he finds agreeable to make the third installment of the Jackie Chan vehicle.

That's right...Jackie Chan vehicle.

According to E! Online, "Tucker will still receive $20 million upfront, and he'll get 20 percent of the back-end gross; those terms will also extend to a future film to be determined."

Did I mention that this is a Jackie Chan vehicle? I would watch this film if it starred Chris Klein, Chris Farley (though he's dead), or even Chris O'Donnell.
I want to see Jackie Chan kick a$$.

Is Chris Tucker funny in these movies? Yes and he was funny in Fifth Element too.

But 20% of back-end gross? Chan only gets 15%, but does get exclusive distribution rights for Hong Kong and China so it's not like he isn't making any money on the deal.

And let's be honest...the Tucker/Chan combo has been more profitable than the Chan solo projects.

But how long has it been since Rush Hour 2? Maybe we should call this one...Freeway Gridlock.

A Truly Epic Romantic Tragedy

For the Medieval Fiefosphere (maybe illuminatosphere -- for illuminated texts would be better), I am naturally referring to the Medieval scholar portion of the blogosphere, comes the soon to be released film version of the classic romance "Tristan and Isolde" (You can view the trailer here).

The tale of Tristan and Isolde (Tristram and Isaud, etc.) is one that is often intertwined with Arthurian romances, but it is its own tale which happens to share many of the narrative tropes of the Arthurian romance. If you look to the love triangle traditionally told involving Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere you will find some similarities, but I have always found Tristan and Isolde a more plausible tragic romance (I also like Peleas and Etard).

Chief among my reasons for favoring T/I is that in the A/L/G romance Guenevere is often portrayed in less than a flattering light, largely due to the fact that Arthur and Lancelot ought to be men of exceeding virtue. A good part of the reason for this co-out is that Camelot is a fictional place and thus authors have never provided a significant political reason for the Arthur/Guenevere marriage or a romantically powerful reason for her attraction to Lancelot. Filmically, there have been several poor adapatations of the A/G relationship (think First -- she likes Richard Gere more than Sean Connery? -- Knight, King --We will largely ignore it -- Arthur (2004), or even the otherwise well done Excalibur where she was merely too young when she first met Arthur).

Anyway...if he reads this, I am certain that Unlocked Wordhoard will have an indepth discussion of the romance in the near future.

Superman Returns Trailer

Welp, the trailer's already been posted.

But, given that I have a bit of a history of being a Superman naysayer (as pointed out here) and that I once posted a grumpy post about it on Cinerati here, and Numero Uno posted what I read as a sideways swipe on that post here.

Whew. Now that the background's done, I must say that I greatly enoyed the trailer. Superman looks like Superman, esp. when he's floating in the clouds, illuminated by sunlight, his cape unfurled and blowing slowly, the old Krpyton theme arising in the background. Also, him being in space and soaring down appeared to be an homage to one of my fave JLA moments in recent years.

Now, how all of this combines/collides with various reports of grim Superman and Lois Lane saying the world doesn't need him anymore and Luthor flushing his head... dunno. But it looks good anyway, even great, even if it seems like early Superman/Re-telling the origin instead of Superman Returns-ing...

10 Animated Films Eligible for Oscar Consideration

According to The Guardian the following animated films are in consideration for nomination for next year's Oscar awards.

1. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit.
2. Valiant
3. Corpse Bride
4. Robots
5. Madagascar
6. Steamboy
7. Chicken Little
8. Hoodwinked
9. Howl's Moving Castle
10. Gulliver's Travel

Of these ten movies only three will be official nominees for the upcoming Oscars, and of them I am really only opposed to Robots on an aesthetic level. I haven't seen Valiant, Hoodwinked, or Gulliver's Travels so I won't comment on them. As for Howl's...Miyazaki's films always seem to dominate, but they also always seem to have been released earlier than should make them eligible for consideration at a particular Oscars. Gulliver's Travel hasn't been released stateside yet, but Miyazaki's film had its first international release in 2004. Disney has done a great job with most of the Miyazaki films they have distributed, but it seems to me that their "perrenial" anime is just their way of stacking the deck in their favor. To be fair...Howl's isn't as good as Miyazaki's other work, but given the Academy's tendency to desire to "appear" sophisticated I predict that the Oscar nods will go to...

1. Wallace and Gromit
2. Howl's Moving Castle
3. Steamboy

My choice among these three would be W&G, but if Steamboy (originally released in Japan in 2004 and played at the Austin Film Festival in 2004 with Sony attempting a Disney) wins I won't be disappointed. But the way that W&G masterfully recaptured the tropes of the old Universal horror films into work of genuine comic genius is what makes it my choice.

What do y'all think? Anyone seen Gulliver's?

Finally...a $250 Million Dollar Preview.

Superman Returns has an official teaser trailer.

Yay!

Spider-Man and X-Men to Stay With Activision

ACTIVISION AND MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT EXPAND ALLIANCE AND EXTEND INTERACTIVE RIGHTS FOR SPIDER-MAN AND X-MEN FRANCHISES

Deal Extends Relationship Through 2017

Santa Monica, C.A. and New York, N.Y. – November 11, 2005 – Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) jointly announced today that the companies have expanded their long-term, broad-based strategic alliance by signing a multi-year extension to their current video game licensing agreements for the Spider-Man™ and X-Men™ franchises through 2017. This agreement replaces all previous agreements between the companies. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision has extended its exclusive worldwide publishing rights to two of Marvel’s most renowned comic book properties for interactive entertainment software products for console, PC and handheld platforms. The original agreements were set to expire in 2009. Activision’s Spider-Man and the X-Men video games rank among the company’s most successful franchises, having sold more than 25 million units across all platforms to date.

"This announcement further underscores the strength of our relationship with Marvel and reinforces our leadership position in the superhero genre,” states Mike Griffith, President and CEO, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Spider-Man and the X-Men are two of the most popular entertainment franchises today and some of the most coveted characters in interactive entertainment. This agreement will allow us to continue developing exceptional games based on these legendary characters well into the future.”

Tim Rothwell, Worldwide President, Consumer Media Group, Marvel Entertainment, added, "The interactive entertainment category continues to be one of Marvel's key strategic categories. Expanding our partnership with Activision, a leader in the video game industry, further ensures that our characters will continue to be among the elite and dominant interactive franchises for the next decade and beyond."

Bruno Maglione, President, Marvel International, commented, "Activision is one of a handful of players who can truly execute worldwide in this business. Spider-Man and X-Men are major global franchises. Because of this, it is always critical for us to partner with companies committed to maximizing success internationally. Activision’s results on a worldwide scale with these brands demonstrated to us that they can and will continue to do that."

Threshold Moved from Friday Death Slot, CBS Offers Episodes on Streaming Video

CBS.COM TO STREAM DIFFERENT EPISODES OF "THRESHOLD" TO ACCOMMODATE NEW TIME PERIOD

To accommodate the new time period change for THRESHOLD, CBS.com, the official website of the CBS Television Network, will stream different episodes of the new suspense drama from Nov. 9-11 and Nov. 16-18. The initial offering, episode three of THRESHOLD titled "Blood of the Children" (oad 9/23/05), was available during a three-day window on CBS.com from Nov. 2-4. The second episode, titled "The Order" (oad 10/21), will be available for streaming from Nov. 9-11, while the episode titled "Revelations" (oad 11/4) will be available from Nov. 16-18.

The following are the revised storyline descriptions for the THRESHOLD episodes to be featured on CBS.com:

"The Order" (oad 10/21) (Nov. 9-11) -- Molly investigates a security leak that could put the entire Threshold plan in jeopardy, while the Red Team investigates a possible infection of the local food supply affecting the residents in a small New England town. Norberto Barba directed the episode written by Anne McGrail.

"Revelations" (oad 11/4) (Nov. 16-18) -- Molly and Cavennaugh encounter some bizarre happenings when they head to the hometown of a missing Big Horn crew member to investigate the disappearance of a Threshold field agent. Tom Wright directed the episode written by Amy Berg and Andrew Colville.

THRESHOLD moves to its new time period, Tuesdays (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), beginning Nov. 22 on the CBS Television Network.

On the web: CBS's Threshold

Illustration as Art. Mucha and Wyeth vs. Liefeld.

The Hutch over at Monitor Duty posted today about a discussion of the "talents" of Rob Liefeld going on over at the drawing board. The conversations over at the drawing board goes in some interesting directions and we don't have time to comment on the whole thing, or even a fraction, here. Rather, I woudl like to begin with some of the assumptions stated in the Christopher Knowles quote on the Duty site.

Knowles says:

I think you see in Comics that slick artists who have weak basic drawing skills but have a knack for decorative detail are usually the fan favorites. I think the fact that the superhero audience is getting older accounts for the growing popularity of photo-tracing and "widescreen" artists- older fans are more sophisticated in their visual tastes and want the patina of film and photography (and perhaps "maturity") in their comics.

I actually take issue with a couple of the claims in this paragraph.

First, the assertion that "young" readers (the fan favorite reference is specifically directed at young in this paragraph even though comic fans are getting older) like "weak basic drawing" with decorative detail seems to me a straw man. It isn't the "decorative detail" that the fan enjoys in Liefeld's artwork, it is the sense of action. As much as I mock Liefeld's anatomy, and it is laughable, his artwork has movement and the action leaps from the page. It is as if he completely absorbed the panel design lessons in How to Draw the Marvel Comics Way, but ignored the section on backgrounds and anatomy. In a section I didn't quote, Knowles mentions the young fan's enjoyment of Manga. While I will concede that the "people" in manga lack anatomic accuracy the backgrounds and mechanical drawings don't, and are in fact often quite accurate and detailed. Once again it is the action leaping out of the page that is attractive.

The second claim is that older readers "want the patina of film and photography." I think this is mere speculation. While some older readers may desire a more photographic representation, possibly seeking distance from the narrative, others do not.

Let me step back from that sentence a second and unpack part of it. What do I mean by "seeking distance from the narrative?" To simplify, in Understanding Comics Scott McCloud argues (claims, posits, whatever) that the more generic the representation of a particular graphic representation of a "person", the more people (numerically) will empathize with the character or project themselves into the characterization. Smiley face versus particular face. Hence why traditionally (Golden and Silver Age) villains are more distinctive than their heroic counter parts, it guides the readers into imagining themselves as the heroes. Thus a more realistic looking narrative would be less "interactive" and more "voyueristic". As is pointed out in Making Movies Work by Jon Boorstin we watch movies (I would argue we also read comics) with three "eyes," the voyueristic eye (the most critical), the vicarious eye (where we are involved in the characters emotionally), and the visceral (where we become a part of the narrative). The action oriented style of manga, when combined with compelling action, appeals to the visceral eye and thus need not be as accurate on a technical level to satisfy the reader (regardless of age).

What Knowles is claiming is essentially that adults have become so jaded to comic narrative that they can no longer become a "part" of the narrative and thus need more realistic representations. The statement about more "maturity" leads one along this logical path as well. But if Boorstin's model is correct, the supposedly more "mature" stories must be less compelling. Because if we are so much in need of realism that our voyueristic eye is being critical, the narrative is not engaging or is less engaging than otherwise. Besides, look at some of the award winning writing like Powers (a series I very much enjoy) and the art work is stylized and not realistic at all. What it is is compelling. Not that Mike Oeming isn't artistically talented, he is--very much so, but he isn't hyperrealistic.

In addition to disagreeing on a "theoretical" level with Knowles, I also disagree on an aesthetic level. As a child, I was enthralled by the works of N.C. Wyeth and Mucha and while I liked Liefeld's Hawk and Dove (which is by the way some of his most "sophisticated" art), I still found him to be an uninspiring artist. Mucha and Wyeth used technique to make a non-sequential narrative visceral, Liefeld needs the sequential. If the fights don't draw you in, Liefeld fails. Fights without reason, even in a superhero book which are all about epic battles, are boring and bad narrative thus Liefeld's art fails to satisfy. What made Liefeld a fan favorite was that he worked on interesting books. One of the things I noticed reading through old issues of X-Force was that Nicieza essentially ignored Liefeld's panels and inserted tons of dialogue as narrative. Fabian Nicieza wrote a funny soap opera, that happened to have Liefeld artwork. I don't think I even noticed the art the first time I read it, and even now in an age when I don't like Liefeld I still find these issues fun.

All of this having been said, Knowles and other Liefeld critics (who I count myself among) are right to discuss the difference between mere flashy illustration and genuine art. The best stories (in film) satisfy all three of our eyes. The best images can endure our voyueristic eye. But that doesn't mean they have to be photographic.

Let's face it...this is pretty bad.

But this...

And this...


...are pretty remarkable.

As is...

But then ...George Perez has always been a "FAN FAVORITE" and I don't link it is for his "weak basic drawing skills."

More Jobs for Disney?

The recent ABC/Apple agreement regarding television episodes being made available on iTunes for download led to speculation that negotiations between Steve Jobs and Disney had been becoming friendly again. Many argued that it might even lead to a new Pixar/Disney partnership.

Well, it looks like the speculation is true. Pixar and Disney are indeed in negotiations for a new deal. With the initial financial success of Chicken Little Disney proved that they may not need Pixar to produce their digital movies. Pixar, on the other hand, has likely had difficulty finding a new distributor for their films. Remember that in the last negotiations between the two companies Pixar was demanding "100% of the box office take on future films, a modest distribution fee and the lion's share of ancilliary revenue." Not exactly the best beginning bargaining position for new distributors.

Now if Disney and Pixar team up again, does that mean that I can dream of Disney reopening their hand drawn animation division? I mean Pixar is a great digital company...Lilo and Stitch was awesome...Computer Animation isn't any less expensive than hand drawn...

Please Disney! Please!

Sean Bean is Dreamy, and He's Starring in Sharpe's Challenge

Photo by Norman Jean Ray

Sean Bean, Boromir in Lord of the Rings and 006 in Goldeneye, will be reprising his role as Richard Sharpe in the upcoming BBC miniseries Sharpe's Challenge. My wife and I spent a good deal of this past summer captivated by Bean's portrayal of the adventures of Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic era. Bean showed a wide range of acting ability and has become one of my favorite British imports to the United States. In fact, I have become sick of seeing him portrayed as a villain in American cinema and look forward to him donning the green garb of the Epic soldier once more.

The new Sharpe is being filmed for ITV and began filming on November 5th of this year.

Oi! I'ma Mario! I'ma Gonna Basha Your Head In, Ya Scouser!

Nintendo does its part to tend to the next generation of Hooligan. If only they would combine Super Mario Strikers with Super Smash Brothers.

Daily Tribune Captures Image of Sandman!

The Sony Spiderman 3 Website has released an image of Sandman.

Does Thomas Haden Church look like this fellow?

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Star Wars Pixellated. Thanks to News on the March

Los Angeles Times to Add Manga to Sunday Issue.

According to ICV2, the Los Angeles Times (among many papers) will be adding Manga features to their Sunday Cartoon section. As noted in the article, the average newspaper reader is "currently 53 and getting older all the time" and newspapers need to find ways to bring younger readers into their subscription base. For years papers have tried releasing youth oriented, or student versions, of newspapers to attract audiences, but these efforts have largely failed.

This time it looks as if newspapers are selecting entertainment content geared toward a younger audience in their flagship publications. The titles, which will be added this January, are Van Von Hunter and Peach Fuzz by Lindsay Cibos (you can also see a preview for Peach Fuzz here). Aiming for teenage boys and girls may be a gambit that pays off for the newspapers. Both Manga strips are Original English Language strips which means that the comics will either bring in young readers or fail on their own merit and won't bring creepy otaku into the picture.

Here is an example of Peach Fuzz character design.

Let's hope they redraw the first episode of Van Von Hunter.

Because it looks pretty good in its current state.

Big News If You Don't Have a DVR or VCR, But Do Have Cable (Preferably Digital)!

According to the Los Angeles Times, Comcast has entered into a deal with CBS and Disk Network has brokered a deal with NBC that will allow pay television customers to access "on demand" versions of highly rated broadcast television shows.

The Times does mention that such an "innovation" may not seem like much to "viewers who own personal video recorders such as TiVos or VCRs [who] can record their favorite shows now, the two deals are unique in that they make TV-on-demand available to a broader audience. They also let customers pay for shows on an a-la-carte basis." It is the second statement that bodes wierd for the television entertainment industry. By this I mean that traditionally television has been a "programming" oriented business where producers sell shows to networks who "schedule" shows they believe will attract audience. Even niche cable networks work on this same programming model. Television viewers have traditionally had some choice as to what hey can watch (there are 120+ channels) and when to watch it if they have a recording device, but the "on demand" market may add another variable to the equation.

While I admit that offering on demand for shows you can already record (though the on demand versions are commercial free) is not very revolutionary, or even enticing. What is enticing is the potential for networks to have greater ability to tailor to their audiences desires. The television market may move into a direction similar to the motion picture industry where all viewing is technically "on demand" and demand is prompted by advertising.

I can actually see, after the technology has become normalized, the major networks offering on demand show for free (with commercials) to all comers. In doing so the networks would also purchase more shows than they currently do. That's right, I said more. The reason for this is that the major networks could purchase shows currently offered primarily by niche cable channels or who have a limited fan base. The "per show" cost will be fairly low for shows that would draw a small market share, but such shows might have longer runs as well. Every television viewer has a show he or she wish continued on the air, the recent movie Serenity shows the power of small but loyal audience can have in the marketplace. Imagine if all Firefly fans could have spoken with their dollars in a direct fashion early in the process. It could have meant the show would still be on today. I can also see changes in the revenue model where the front end payments for shows are lower, but that residuals and revenue for screenings are higher. Naturally, the self programming model would rely heavily on advertising to "get out the word," but that could be a boon for both the growing internet ad market and the shrinking newspaper ad market. It is a good thing TV guide has changed to a larger format, they might need it for ad space and articles in the future.

In this potential future model of television one could imagine the networks gaining greater marketshare than they currently have, but it would be because they have become more like show "brokers" or superstores than "programmers" of entertainment.

NBC executive David Zaslav made an interesting comment in the article. He said, "If you don't play, you'll get left behind." He made the statement in response to how NBC/Universal was reacting to ABC's deal with Apple Computer Inc. which allows for the purchase of ABC programming for iPod. He meant that if you didn't offer similar products to your competitor you would get left behind. What is interesting is that he summed up what will become the market model if the individual programmer market takes over. If shows don't play, in other words if they aren't requested (and, for now, purchased) by viewers the shows will be dropped. This is very different from the current model where shows are played and are only dropped if no one watches them afterword.

On an ironic side note, the NBC deal with Dish Network does require that the customer already own a DVR. Begging the case that in the early stages of the new television model what benefits Dish really offers.

Wallace and Gromit Creators to Create Animated Television Shows for US

Aardman animations has plans for new animated series to be distributed in the United States and the United Kingdom. According to ICV2, one of these ideas is a computer animated show called Chop Socky Chooks and features kung fu using chickens. I don't know about you, but this sounds like a winner to me. I have enjoyed the various comedic martial arts cartoons that have appeared on the television. Everything from Hong Kong Phooey to Xiaolin Showdown, with a number of shows in between (TMNT anyone?), has at one time or another played a role in my regular cartoon viewing schedule.

Kung Fu chickens and W/G? "Gromiiiiit?! It's the wrong Gi Gromit!"

You decide who's cooler...HKPh or Kung Fu Chicken.

Who wants to be friends with Madonna?

I don't know about that whole Kaballah thing...but I found her MySpace page terribly exciting. I don't even know why...but I owe so much of my fashion style to late 80's Madonna (right down to the dark roots/blonde hair thing), that I feel like she's the big sister I never had.

Go sign up to be her friend! Or just be confused by her red hair. I know I was.

Will New Superman Movie Suck?

Comic book fans have been reeling the past year, or so, over the "sweeping changes" taking place in the DC Universe and its "Infinite Crisis." Some fans have been happy, some have been dismayed. Readers will know that i have been a little disappointed with the number of "comic relief" characters being killed in the name of "complex narrative," but overall I am excited about what will happen (even if I am disappointed about what has).

This leads me to the new Superman film. Earlier this year, Jim Treacher made a couple of offhand comments criticizing what he fears the film will become. I largely ignored his comments because they seemed to confuse the director's sexuality with his ability to tell a good tale. I think that the first two "X" movies show that Singer understand what it takes to make a compelling superhero narrative.

What I AM worried about is the delays and rewrites (let alone the run away budget) taking place on the Superman production. According to ICV2 and the Hollywood Reporter, " Principal photography for the film, which began shooting in Australia last spring, was supposed to be over by now, but the production took a five-week hiatus in September for script revisions. Director Bryan Singer (X-Men) returned to Australia in mid-October and began a final four weeks of shooting."

A five week hiatus?! Ah, production money must grow on trees. Rewrites this late in the process? Dear G-d! Smallville writes 20+ scripts a year, DC writes 40+ comics a year about Superman. Sure, some of the stories suck, but imagine how much they would suck if they had to be continually rewritten.

So...I'm worried.

Adam Carolla Says, "F&*^ You If You're Poor!"

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, Rock and Roll stations have had a 16 percent decline in listenership since 1996, and a number of Rock stations have been changing formats of late. Key among these stations is the famous New York Radio Station K-Rock (WXRK-FM), which with the departure of Howard Stern will shift to a talk radio format and only play music on weekends.

Adam Carolla (Loveline, The Adam Carolla Project)has, along with David Lee Roth, been hired to replace Stern for the Radio Network's morning show. When asked about the format change of K-Rock Carolla said the following, "I don't know what year folks are living in," he says. "If you want to hear music, get an iPod. If you want to hear talk, get a radio. That's my feeling."

Personally, I don't know what tax bracket Carolla is living in, but an initial investment of an iPod compatible computer, an iPod, a high-speed internet connection, and $.99 a song sounds like something that is out of the affordability of a large number of people. Nevermind the fact that the iPod investment (including all the above) is a minimum of $1000 buck the first year, and that's for a crappy computer (where's the monitor? Guess I won't be buying the cheapest one at Apple.com. Don't forget to buy a mouse and keyboard.)(Better off buying an iBook, but that takes us over budget), a crappy iPod, a cheap service ($24 a month), and about $100 songs. I guess you could go the PC route, but that would undermine the "branding" that Carolla was able to forward. Did he get paid for the advertisement?

I guess, if you are poor you get to listen to Adam Carolla, but if you want to Rock "live in the now."

News on the March Says "Don't Forget Gordon Parks!" Daaaaamn Riiiight!

KaneCitizen, over at News on the March, wants to make sure that in celebrating one important Parks in American history that we don't forget another. He has a very good profile of Gordon Parks, the man who brought you SHAFT, here.

Now if only he could do a profile of Barry Gordie...we all know "The Last Dragon" is one of the best Kung Fu/Blaxploitation films ever made. Sho' Nuff!

Or as Cyrus would say...CAAAAN YOU DIIIIG IIIIIT?!

BTW, you can read a middle english version of the Shaft theme song here.

Wha be þa blake prevy lawe
Þat bene wantoun too alle þa feres?
SHAFT!
Ya damne riȝte!