Matt Forbeck discusses a controversy surrounding the 2004 Dave Barry prequel to Peter Pan and the reaction of the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
After reading the article go immediately and watch Finding Neverland and 2003's Peter Pan. Who doesn't love Jason Isaacs as Hook? Hmm...who?! YOU! Why I oughta!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Wallace and Gromit Boardgame to Be Announced in February
Cards Inc. will be announcing the development of a game based on the Wallace and Gromit animated characters. According to ICV2 the announcement will be made at this year's Toy Fair, by which they likely mean the American International Toy Fair which will be held this February 12 through 15.
According to the article the game will be entitled Fleece and was "envisioned" by W&G creator Nick Park. The theme of the game appears to be inspired by the A Close Shave animated short featuring the lovable claymation characters.
By making the announcement at the American International Toy Fair, rather than at the GAMA Trade Show in March, Cards Inc. is likely exhibiting an intent to focus marketing efforts on large retail outlets like Walmart and Target rather than on local game stores like my own favorite Lionheart Games. Consumers often hear the complaints of large Toy Market specialty stores like Toys-R-Us and FAO Schwartz who bemoan the difficulty of competing with Target and Walmart price gouging, but what often get overlooked is the comparitively almost exponential difficulty of local gaming stores to compete with the large Toy Stores. Those who remember the last Christmas shopping season can likely remember Toys-R-Us advertising exclusive items like the Lava set for Heroscape. Local gaming stores are even more dependant on being able to offer unique quality games and merchandise.
I don't blame Cards Inc. for targetting the larger stores, it will mean more sales for them and thus more money, but I will still be ordering it from my local shop. Hopefully I will pay suggested retail, but if I have to pay a couple of bucks extra so be it. It is well worth it if it means I can continue to purchase games like the beautiful Settlers of Catan special edition.
According to the article the game will be entitled Fleece and was "envisioned" by W&G creator Nick Park. The theme of the game appears to be inspired by the A Close Shave animated short featuring the lovable claymation characters.
By making the announcement at the American International Toy Fair, rather than at the GAMA Trade Show in March, Cards Inc. is likely exhibiting an intent to focus marketing efforts on large retail outlets like Walmart and Target rather than on local game stores like my own favorite Lionheart Games. Consumers often hear the complaints of large Toy Market specialty stores like Toys-R-Us and FAO Schwartz who bemoan the difficulty of competing with Target and Walmart price gouging, but what often get overlooked is the comparitively almost exponential difficulty of local gaming stores to compete with the large Toy Stores. Those who remember the last Christmas shopping season can likely remember Toys-R-Us advertising exclusive items like the Lava set for Heroscape. Local gaming stores are even more dependant on being able to offer unique quality games and merchandise.
I don't blame Cards Inc. for targetting the larger stores, it will mean more sales for them and thus more money, but I will still be ordering it from my local shop. Hopefully I will pay suggested retail, but if I have to pay a couple of bucks extra so be it. It is well worth it if it means I can continue to purchase games like the beautiful Settlers of Catan special edition.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Do You Remember When A&E Meant Arts and Entertainment?
It seems that lately the Arts and Entertainment network has decided to leave the Arts behind and focus on the entertainment half of their name. What do I mean by this? Why the explosion of "reality" tv shows that air on this network. Though as a friend of mine who worked on Forty Deuce explained about reality tv, "We take the truth into a dark room, strap it into a dentist chair, and get hard to work on it."
I remember fondly the days when A&E was the channel on which I could watch Pride and Prejudice. My evenings were filled with romantic forays into the English countryside, my wife cuddled close to me, watching very nice people encounter romantic complications. It was wonderful, the warmth of good dialogue and the person you love. What more could one ask for? But now...oh now...how the world has changed. A&E's line-up looks more like a police line-up than a romantic one. How can one cuddle and coo soft words into a loved one's ear when watching Dog the Bounty Hunter? One does not think of Sonnet 116 when watching Inked or Intervention.
What am I supposed to watch with my wife? What show touches upon the deeper truths of human existance? Does A&E have such an offering? Luckily, yes they do. They have provided me with the beauty that is Rollergirls. I am not kidding, this is great tv. Not because of the "sport" or the monolithic theatrical struggles that take place in the "wooden oval." No there is no Bach fugue playing here, that would be Rollerball not Rollergirls.
What makes Rollergirls entertaining, and even a profound commentary on the "common life", is the conversations and attempts at philosophizing that the competators give. Most of the "girls" are working class, and struggling, individuals who desire in some way to be great. To paraphrase Lunatic, "it gives my life a kind of purpose, no matter how pointless that purpose is." The young women of Rollergirls seek to escape the banality of normal existence and for one brief moment to feel adored. I would say "heroic," but I think that might provoke laughter. The funny thing, no matter how vulgar and prescripted the contests the Rollergirls participate in, no matter how unatheletic these atheletes are, they truly do seek to be successful and to feel they are accomplishing something.
For a member of the Holy Rollers, it is better to get punched in the eye for pennies than to make minimum wage selling DVDs all day. In fact, that is just what most of the girls do during the day, they work at dull service jobs. For the Lonestar Rollergirls in Austin, TX, this is their Fight Club where they struggle against the mundane and seek something more. Sure that something more is to beat the snot out of one another while others watch, but a lot of other people get paid a heck of a lot more money to do similar activities.
Just one question though...
Who would win in a fight between Johnathan E and Miss Conduct?
I remember fondly the days when A&E was the channel on which I could watch Pride and Prejudice. My evenings were filled with romantic forays into the English countryside, my wife cuddled close to me, watching very nice people encounter romantic complications. It was wonderful, the warmth of good dialogue and the person you love. What more could one ask for? But now...oh now...how the world has changed. A&E's line-up looks more like a police line-up than a romantic one. How can one cuddle and coo soft words into a loved one's ear when watching Dog the Bounty Hunter? One does not think of Sonnet 116 when watching Inked or Intervention.
What am I supposed to watch with my wife? What show touches upon the deeper truths of human existance? Does A&E have such an offering? Luckily, yes they do. They have provided me with the beauty that is Rollergirls. I am not kidding, this is great tv. Not because of the "sport" or the monolithic theatrical struggles that take place in the "wooden oval." No there is no Bach fugue playing here, that would be Rollerball not Rollergirls.
What makes Rollergirls entertaining, and even a profound commentary on the "common life", is the conversations and attempts at philosophizing that the competators give. Most of the "girls" are working class, and struggling, individuals who desire in some way to be great. To paraphrase Lunatic, "it gives my life a kind of purpose, no matter how pointless that purpose is." The young women of Rollergirls seek to escape the banality of normal existence and for one brief moment to feel adored. I would say "heroic," but I think that might provoke laughter. The funny thing, no matter how vulgar and prescripted the contests the Rollergirls participate in, no matter how unatheletic these atheletes are, they truly do seek to be successful and to feel they are accomplishing something.
For a member of the Holy Rollers, it is better to get punched in the eye for pennies than to make minimum wage selling DVDs all day. In fact, that is just what most of the girls do during the day, they work at dull service jobs. For the Lonestar Rollergirls in Austin, TX, this is their Fight Club where they struggle against the mundane and seek something more. Sure that something more is to beat the snot out of one another while others watch, but a lot of other people get paid a heck of a lot more money to do similar activities.
Just one question though...
Who would win in a fight between Johnathan E and Miss Conduct?
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
An Unpleasant First Experience
Last week, while attending a Los Angeles Press Club Event discussing a book about the Black Dahlia murder, I was describing the neighborhood where I live (notice the property crime index of 7 compared to a national average of 3.2). I live in South Los Angeles, across the street from Dorsey High School. I was talking about how in the 5 and a half years I have lived in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, my wife and I have never been the victim of a crime. I was even excited that gangs had agreed to a post-MLK march truce. But now that "have never" needs to be changed to "had never" been a victim of a crime.
I walked out to my car this morning, ready to go to work, when I noticed there were several CDs spread over the "driveway" near my car. I began to wonder what happened, but when I got to my car all was answered. The passenger side window of my car had been shattered and the contents of my car spread about. Even my trunk had been opened and "searched." I did a quick inventory and noticed that nothing appeared to have been stolen, not even the $5.00 in the ashtray. The vandals had taken a long time throwing my stuff around and searching for something they might find to be valuable. But other than throwing my CDs around, they didn't take anything. I guess Science Fiction, Philosophy, and RPG books weren't up their alley, and I guess we had different tastes in music.
So I called the police, who took my report over the phone, and drove the car to a local dealership to have my window replaced. With the new car window setting me back around $400.00, I think I can afford a rent increase of a similar amount. Needless to say my wife and I began an apartment search today.
I walked out to my car this morning, ready to go to work, when I noticed there were several CDs spread over the "driveway" near my car. I began to wonder what happened, but when I got to my car all was answered. The passenger side window of my car had been shattered and the contents of my car spread about. Even my trunk had been opened and "searched." I did a quick inventory and noticed that nothing appeared to have been stolen, not even the $5.00 in the ashtray. The vandals had taken a long time throwing my stuff around and searching for something they might find to be valuable. But other than throwing my CDs around, they didn't take anything. I guess Science Fiction, Philosophy, and RPG books weren't up their alley, and I guess we had different tastes in music.
So I called the police, who took my report over the phone, and drove the car to a local dealership to have my window replaced. With the new car window setting me back around $400.00, I think I can afford a rent increase of a similar amount. Needless to say my wife and I began an apartment search today.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
G4 Expands Television Lineup
In past years the question has been asked, "Where is the music on Music Television?" It appears that a similiar question may come quickly to the tongues of G4: Videogame TV viewers. They may soon be asking, "Where are the Videogames on Videogame Television?"
Who am I kidding?
People are already asking, "When is G4 going to get some real programming?" and, "What is G4?"
Recently G4 has entered into a contract with Hasbro entitling G4 to run Hasbro based television programming as a part of its Action Blast hour. So far the lineup is filled with two Transformers shows, and no not the one from the 80's; at least not yet. The agreement with Hasbro is a sign that G4 is expanding its programming beyond the limited NPR/Public Access style shows where gamers talk about video games and into providing programming targetted at people who play video games.
This trend began when G4 started running Anime Unleashed, which is currently showing the (at least for me) very bizarre Cromartie High School. I watched an episode provided with my Newtype subscription. The trend continued with the addition of Formula D, a drift racing television show (drift racing is Nascar for Otaku), and the recent running of Star Trek the Next Generation episodes.
With G4's audience growing, pop culture fans may soon have an alternative to the very successful Sci Fi Channel. Though like SciFi, G4's will be a true success when it is running entertaining original programming.
Though I do miss the reruns of the Six Million Dollar Man. I miss Lee Majors, he saved Christmas after all, and have had to settle for reruns of Big Valley on Starz Western to get my Lee Majors fix.
Who am I kidding?
People are already asking, "When is G4 going to get some real programming?" and, "What is G4?"
Recently G4 has entered into a contract with Hasbro entitling G4 to run Hasbro based television programming as a part of its Action Blast hour. So far the lineup is filled with two Transformers shows, and no not the one from the 80's; at least not yet. The agreement with Hasbro is a sign that G4 is expanding its programming beyond the limited NPR/Public Access style shows where gamers talk about video games and into providing programming targetted at people who play video games.
This trend began when G4 started running Anime Unleashed, which is currently showing the (at least for me) very bizarre Cromartie High School. I watched an episode provided with my Newtype subscription. The trend continued with the addition of Formula D, a drift racing television show (drift racing is Nascar for Otaku), and the recent running of Star Trek the Next Generation episodes.
With G4's audience growing, pop culture fans may soon have an alternative to the very successful Sci Fi Channel. Though like SciFi, G4's will be a true success when it is running entertaining original programming.
Though I do miss the reruns of the Six Million Dollar Man. I miss Lee Majors, he saved Christmas after all, and have had to settle for reruns of Big Valley on Starz Western to get my Lee Majors fix.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Expanded List of Genre Movies Releasing This Year
- Tristan and Isolde Opens January 13.
- Underworld: Evolution Opens January 20.
- Nanny McPhee Opens January 27.
- V for Vendetta Opens March 17.
- Stay Alive Opens March 26. (Massive Multiplayer Online RPGs can Kill!)
- Silent Hill Opens April 21.
- The Gene Generation Opens May 24.
- X-Men 3 Opens May 26.
- The Omen 666 Opens June 6.
- Superman Returns Opens June 30.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Opens July 7.
- Lady in the Water Opens July 21.
- The Visiting Opens August 11.
- DOA: Dead or Alive Opens August 25. (First Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball...now the movie)
- Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny Opens October 27.
- In the Name of the King: a Dungeon Siege Tale Opens December 1. (Uwe Boll...worst director ever)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon Opens December 13
- Eragon Opens December 15.
I am certain the list is nowhere near complete, and it does include some non-fantasy, but it is pretty extensive.
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