Saturday, July 15, 2006

"Amazing Screw-On Head" Now Online

If you liked Hellboy, you really need to see this 22 1/2 minute cartoon based on the comic by Mike Mignola.



Really, check it out.

Then see it again on the SciFi Channel on July 27.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Bush sings U2!

ah, fun with video editing....

More than Meets the Eye!

The teaser trailer for next summer's Transformers movie is online.

When you get to the site, click on "Watch the announcement now" to see the teaser.


"Rocky Balboa" trailer online

God help us all.

Look if you dare.

The Mis-Adventures of Superman

The trailer for Hollywoodland, the real-life story of TV Superman Goerge Reeves, played by Ben Affleck, is now online.

The movie opens on September 8th in limited release.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Animated DC notes

Here's some info about new and recent cartoons based on DC Comics' characters:

The Batman
As noted previously, Robin (Dick Grayson) will be debuting on the show's 4th season, as will his adult self, Nightwing, somehow, but according to one of the show's writer/producers, Duane Capizzi, apparently he isn't the only one. The Matt Hagen version of Clayface will appear (a different character debuted with that name/powers in an earlier episode), Black Mask, and Harley Quinn (who debuted on the previous Batman animated series; her creator, Paul Dini, will write the episode she appears in). Also, slated to appear is a member of the Justice League, though which one is not known.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks
Capizzi also wrote the recent direct-to-video animated feature that debuted on Cartoon Network a few weeks back . The movie was widely panned, mainly because it used the style and most of the voices from the previous, much better-received Superman: The Animated Series, but not only was it not part of the show's continuity, it featured inconsistent characterizations, most notably Luthor and Brainiac. In that same interview, Capizzi sort of explains why:
...the movie is not intended to be in continuity with the Timm-verse, despite utilizing those character and background designs. Similarly, the depiction of Lex Luthor was intentionally modeled after Gene Hackman's performance in the Donner films, to dovetail with Luthor's depiction in the upcoming Bryan Singer film. If a die-hard fan goes into 'Brainiac Attacks' with this in mind, it should be a smoother ride -- and hopefully an entertaining one.
Apparently, most fans did NOT keep that in mind, which is why they are likely happy that Capizzi also notes that there is not a new Superman series currently in development. However, that leads us to....

The Legion of Superheroes
Set to debut the is fall on "Kid's WB! on the CW". The Legion of Superheroes features "a young Superman" (no longer referred to as "Superboy," presumably related to the lawsuit that Warner Bros. is involved in with the estate of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel over the name and concept) who travels to the 31st Century to team up with a group of teen superheroes. This show is not in continuity with the Legion's appearances on Superman: The Animated Series or Justice League Unlimited. Last weekend, the Kids' WB! debuted the first clips from the show, promoting this Saturday's "Behind the Shield" special which is a faeture on Superman Returns that will be shownin between cartoons from 7 am to noon. The block will be "hosted" by young Superman and feature more clips from the Legion series. See last weekend's promo here.

What's next?
There's a rumor that Bruce Timm is working on an animated version of The New Frontier, a reimagining of the dawn of DC's Silver Age (late '50s/early '60s, by Darwyn Cooke, who previously worked for Timm on Batman Beyond.

There's also been discussion of a Justice League animated movie that tells the untold story of why the Justice League became Justice League Unlimited.

DC animation at San Diego Comic-Con (July 20-23)
  • On the first day, there is an hour-and-a-half presentation from Warner Bros. Theatrical Animation. No description of the panel is provided, which means it's still a big secret. This may or may not have anything to do with animted DC characters.
  • The second day features a Bruce Timm retrospective, which doubles as a preview of Legion of Superheroes (strange, since Timm is not involved). Timm will take part in a Q&A, so you know he will be asked (and hopefully answer) what he's working on next.
  • On the third night, there will be a Q&A about The Batman, followed by the premiere of the Teen Titans direct-to-video animated movie, Trouble in Tokyo.

Stay tooned....

Animated "Screw-On Head" to Debut Online

The Amazing Screw-On Head, an animated pilot based on Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's one-shot comic debuts on the SciFi Channel on July 27. But before that you can catch it this Thursday on Sci Fi Pulse, the cable network's streaming video site.


After watching the 30-minute pilot online, viewers will be asked to complete an online survey that will help the network determine whether or not pick up the show as a series. So you better watch!

Paul Giamatti, who voices the title character talks about the show here.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Elvis & Sinatra

One of Elvis' first appearances after finishing his stint in the army in 1960 was to appear on Frank Sinatra's TV show. This was the new Elvis, who wanted to appeal to adults as well as teenagers. You can see that in his appearance here, where he snag "Fame and Fortune" and "Stuck on You" before joining Frank in a duet of Love Me Tender and Witchcraft (one of my favorite TV clips ever).

Drunk Superman

Great scene from a very silly Superman III.


Superman prefers Red Label.

And check out how young Annette O'Toole (now Martha Kent on Smallville) is!

Delteted Robin scene from 1989 Batman

Early drafts of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman included Robin, but his scenes were cut before filming began. Included in last year's special edition release of Batman was this extra featuring the storyboarded sequence that introduced the character.

What's particularly cool about this extra is that it features the voices of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker, both reprising roles they began in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, and continuing through last spring's Justice League Unlimited. Robvin is voiced by Jason hillhouse, who has hosted roundtable interviews in recent DVD releases of the various DC animated series.

I can see why they cut it, but it's very cool to watch.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Spider-Man 3 Teaser Trailer

Sandman. Gwen Stacy. Black ooze becoming a costume. Some sort of Goblin.

Oh yeah, Spider-Man 3 is going to rock.

The teaser trailer will appear with Superman Returns.

See some screen shots of the trailer here.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Superman is SUPER!

The reviews are starting to come in -- and it's all positive. Check out these three mainstream reviews (all fairly spoiler-free):
And if that's not enough to convince you this movie is going to rock, check out these clips!

When he's 64

Today is Paul McCartney's 64th birthday.

The Amazing Screw-on Head Almost Ready for SciFi!

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's The Amazing Screw-On Head is almost ready for his TV close-up. An animated series based on the one-shot comic is being targeted for a late July launch on the SciFi Channel, though the newtork has not yet officially confirmed it. Paul Giamatti provides the voice of the lead character. David Hyde Pierce (who also provided a voice n the Hellboy movie) is also involved.


Read more about it here.

Blade The Series Coming to Spike

Superman Returns is not the only comic-book hero premiere on Wednesday, June 28. At 10 pm that night, Spike debuts Blade: the Series.


Based on the continuity of the Wesley Snipes films, the series is executive-produced by David Goyer, who wrote all three films and directed the final one. He's also written comics (JSA, Starman), as well as the screenplay for Batman Begins. Goyer co-wrote the pilot with fellow comics writer and consulting producer Geoff Johns, who promoted the series at WizardWorld Philadelphia earlier this month.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

The Force is with Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley recently performed at the MTV Movie Awards dressed as Darth Vader, and his entire group was decked in full Star Wars regalia -- Check out Chewbacca on drums!

Family Guy Goes to Harvard

Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane gave a speech to Harvard graduates recently, duriong which he spoke as Stewie, Peter and Quagmire (giggedy!). check it out here.

Spider-Man Unmasked

Superman Round-Up

In case you haven't heard, Superman Returns on June 28, and all forms of media are jumping all over it. Last Monday, A&E debuted Look Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman. Along with many other related releases, it hits DVD on Tuesday, June 20. However, you can also watch it here. But look what else you can check out now and in the near future:


Now: Episodes of lots of Superman-related series, including Lois & Clark (Dean Cain), Superboy (Gerard Chrisopher), and The Adventures of Superman (George Reeves), as well as the 1940s Fleischer cartoons (Bud Collyer). You can watch them all at AOL's In2TV.com Superman site (the same place showing the above-mentioned documentary).

Also, the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly features the movie on its cover. Read the feature story here.

Tonight: Superman: Brainiac Attacks, a direct to DVD movie airs at 7:30 tonight on Cartoon Network (repeats Monday at 1 pm), before hitting DVD on Tuesday June 20. It's mostly based on the 90s Superman animated series continuity, at least it LOOKS like it is, but according to at least one review, something's just not right about it.

Tuesday, June 20: This is the big one folks! As I noted here, a lot of DVDs come out on this day, notably, Superman: The Animated Series Volume 3 (concluding volume) and Justice League Season 2. The aforementioned documentary and direct-toDVD animated movie, as well as new season releases of Lois & Clark (Season 3), Superboy (Season 1), The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 3 and 4) and Krypto (Volume 1) also are released on Tueday. Note that all of these releases include a free ticket to see Superman Returns. Find out about a whole year's worth of Superman-related DVD releases here.

Starting next week: the cast start making the rounds on the morning news and late-night talk shows. Watch for Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin spacey 9and proably Brian Singer0 to shopw up on your TV a lot in the next two weeks.

Wedensday, June 28th: Opening Day!

Thursday, June 29th: The Science of Superman on the National Geograhic Channel grounds Superman's powers in reality.

What else is out there related to the movie? How about:
Enjoy it all Super-fans!