The Return of The Electric Company
May 13, 2008
With the advent of gaming and lackluster interest in reading, illiteracy is on the rise. Who better to come to the rescue but Letterman and Easy Ready from the Electric Company. Turn up those generators cause the "The Electric Company" is coming back this January on PBS to help the young tykes to be better readers. Will Spidey be back once again to the series? Not much is known, but this is good news if the series is made in the same vein as the original series that ran from 1971-1977 which featured Morgan Freeman and was syndicated till 1985.
Star Wars: Clone Wars Movie
May 9, 2008
There is a new kid on the block. Star Wars: Clone Wars and new TV series based on the movie for Cartoon Network. Most of us were caught unaware of this event. Was this a plan from the Empire? (Lucas Empire) There is not much fanfare for the new Star Wars saga in the franchise. Could it be that something is amiss in Lucas Land? The movie will jump to a weekly series on Cartoon Network after the theatrical journey. This CG laced adventure seems out of place, Fox is not carrying the movie or the series. Warner is now behind this project. Releasing a trailer a day or two before the opening of a movie can either spell over confidence of disaster for a movie. Aimed at a younger audience it will find way to the hardcore fans. They will be the final jury. The media only has a poster to go by, most of the industry were not aware of this movie or series, the hype was just as existing as Yoda in hiding. All will be forgiven if this new venture lives up to the the rest of the franchise. With 300 animators working 3 years on the film, limits set by real action with leap to new bounds in this exciting series. Watch trailer >>
Schulz and Peanuts CD: A Biography
October 20, 2007
The audio version of the newest book on Charles Schulz is very compelling to listen to. With the latest wave of controversy of this book from the likes of the New York Times that trickled down to the blog-sphere. I am still a firm believer in body language and when you listen to David Michaelis and see him in the above clip you can see he is enamored by his subject and his conviction for Charles Schulz. If this book is a can of worms, let it be because I can tell you of many people in the spotlight today who have a worse demeanor than him. Good grief, all this talk about Charles and his doom and gloom character fault, tell me we don’t have that in all of us. That is what made Peanuts a household strip, we all related to it, there was a piece of it in it for all of us. Every child can relate to all the characters in Peanuts and we still resonate the effects of that childhood even today. I welcome this biography it’s a self examination of all of us because we grew up with Charlie Brown and remember Lucy with "The psychiatrist is in" routine, consider Charles and yourself sitting on that stool and give her your nickel or should I say several nickels after you buy and read the book from David Michaelis.
Pippi Longstocking
October 11, 2007
As import characters go, Pippi Longstocking, has a certain appeal to young girls as being a tomboy type of hero. I don’t think the character has really caught on full force like other European characters in the past 50 years. There are many strong characteristics to like about her, I hope this rendition catches on. With the sultry young girl images out there from either manga or Barbie over sexed knock-offs characters, a little wholesome adventures for kids is a breath of fresh air even though it’s recycled in this new re-telling of Pippi. Award winning illustrator Lauren Child brings us a whole new look, as radical as it is, I don’t think it will have much of an impact as the publishers desire. I wish them all the luck but I have a feeling it’s a bit flat in my opinion.
In 1950, Viking published the original English version of Pippi Longstocking, the story of an irrepressible red-haired, freckle-faced girl who lived with a monkey and a horse, slept with her feet on the pillow, and found her way into the hearts of children all over the world. Now, Astrid Lindgren’s best-selling book has been given a sparkling new translation by the awardwinning Tiina Nunnally and delightful full-color illustrations by the critically acclaimed Lauren Child. This large-format gift book is sure to become the definitive edition of a favorite classic.
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
October 8, 2007
If there were a place anybody would want to be in November till December for the holidays, it would have to be New York. You can soak in the the atmosphere and the crisp air and wander through Central Park. While you are there you can catch up once again with Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas the Musical. I am not a big fan of musicals, be it on screen or on stage, but this one will leave all the family with a warm fuzzy feeling and prepare you and the kids for Christmas, which is just but around the corner. This recording breaking show will be on from November 1st, 2007 till January 6th, 2008, catch it before the Grinch steals all the toys from Whoville. See photo gallery>>
The Tin Man
October 6, 2007
The Tin Man is coming. Here is a brave new spin on the The Wizard of Oz by the Sc-Fi Channel. Richard Dreyfuss stars in this movie, funny thing he also had a movie called Tin Men with Danny DeVito 20 years ago.
AMERICAN MASTERS: Good Ol’ Charles Schulz
October 2, 2007
Charlie Brown will get a rock once again this Halloween but PBS will get the life of Charlie Schulz for the American Master series this fall. In "Good Ol’ Charles Schulz," AMERICAN MASTERS presents an unexpected portrait of the man behind the most popular comic strip in history. The feature-length documentary premieres Monday, October 29, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET on PBS.
Schulz’ genius - evident throughout his 17,897 comic strips - lay in depicting the daily collisions of insiders and outsiders, of mundane cruelties and transcendent hopes. With both whimsy and profundity, Schulz offered millions of readers different facets of his own personality, along with a unique take on 20th-century America. ‘Peanuts’ burst on the scene in 1950 with a minimalist aesthetic and emotional wallop unlike anything seen before. The strip combined open expressions of malice (the very first punch line was "Good ol’ Charlie Brown … How I hate him!"), psychological insights and a lifelong loser of a protagonist in a way that upended not only the comics page but also the era’s prevailing "Father Knows Best" mythology. It had an immediate impact on readers of all ages, from bohemia to Peoria.
Beetle Bailey: Complete Collection
September 28, 2007
Seems Beetle Bailey has been in service for the longest time. Fifty-seven years and counting and still I don’t know what war he is fighting, or trying to avoid to fight. The strip has kept the same old gags rehashed over and over. Beetle Bailey had a short cartoon series in the early from 1962-1964 by Famous Studios and King Features Syndicate. BCI Entertainment this November is releasing the complete 30 well priced Beetle Bailey cartoons for the first time.
Gatchaman and Astro Boy Movies for 2009
September 27, 2007
Paul Dini has signed to do a screenplay for the new exciting CG animated movie called Gatchaman for 2009. Most people know Gatchaman as "Battle of the Planets". Imagi Animation Studios and Warner are working all together to bring Gatchaman to the big screen in North America. Astro Boy will also get a movie, seems 2009 will be the year anime. Read more >>
"The original series was one of the classics of early anime, and the film will be very true to the Japanese source material," said Dini. "As a studio, Imagi is constantly breaking the boundaries of animated adventure. Not only are their action sequences amazing, but their characters are driven, complex and play for life-or-death stakes. It’s a great environment for a writer with a rather dark take on animation."
Dark Knight
September 27, 2007
If you can’t beat them join them, or in this case rip them. Knight Rider is coming back to NBC, with a twist. K.I.T.T. the talking car will now be a shape-shifting car. He will have other cars that are shape-shifters too who will be his nemesis. Sound familiar? Read more>>
