Pop links: Pythons reunite! Asterix at 50! Bill Cosby's rap album! So long George Tuska
The presentation was made at the official 40th anniversary Monty Python reunion event in New York co-hosted by the Independent Film Channel, and followed a screening of a new documentary, "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)."
...The five remaining members of Monty Python took questions from the audience at the event and reminisced. [John] Cleese recalled his most embarrassing moment as "when the queen came down to watch and my trousers fell down."
Also, here are the Pythons on "Regis and Kelly":
-----
The sublime Asterix series celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
Despite their defiantly French character, the comic book adventures of the first century BC warrior have sold 325 million copies -- 200 million of them abroad -- and been translated into 107 languages and dialects.
The 20-year-old Asterix theme park outside Paris rivals even the same city's Disneyland as a tourist draw and a series of hit movies, including both live action and animated capers, have been worldwide hits.
-----
Listen, if you dare, to Bill Cosby's "hip hop" album, how streaming on the comedian's official site.
Bill Cosby Presents The Cosnarati: State of Emergency, a Cosby-approved hip-hop record [features] special guests like Alicia Keys, LL Cool J and Eric Clapton.
The comedian says of the songs: "You're not going to curse. You're not going to put women down. You're not going to put the glory of the gun somewhere. And you're not going to put a whole lot of violence up front like that's the thing that will cleanse you and make you feel better."
It's quite awful.
-----
Veteran Marvel Comics artist George Tuska has passed away at age 93. He was one of the greats.
With a solid, dynamic style, Tuska can truly be said to be one of the architects of the Marvel Universe — integrating influences from his more innovative peers, Tuska’s work boiled down the essence of 60s and 70s superheroes to its purest elements.
Hitchcock for Halloween: movie cameos
Pop links: Buy a Don Draper suit! Emitt Rhodes! Python at 40! Sex Pistols sue! Vintage Dalek toys! Dirk Gently TV bound!
Brooks Brothers is offering a limited-edition (only 250) "Mad Men Edition" suit, retailing at $998, which is "inspired" by the 1960s-era office duds worn by Draper (Jon Hamm) in the AMC series which is set among '60s-era Madison Avenue ad execs.
The suit is available from Monday, Oct. 19, through the Nov. 8 "Mad Men" season finale.
-----
"One Man Beatles," a documentary on power pop cult hero Emitt Rhodes is set to debut at the International Rome Film Festival.
Synopsis
A young director crosses the ocean to find Emitt Rhodes, the mysterious forgotten American pop star from the 1960s/70s, once dubbed as the secret alter ego of Paul McCartney. But these theories are refuted by Emitt himself, flushed out and placed in front of a video camera after many years spent holed up in his house full of old guitars and vintage amplifiers. His words reveal a past filled with regrets. His voice and his music proving his pure talent. Cosimo Messeri records his American dream in a dazed and enthusiastic diary, a portrait of unfulfilled ambitions and loneliness that smacks of Chekov.
-----
Via Mark Evanier: Monty Python members Terry Jones, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam on CNBC, talking about the group's 40th anniversary.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
-----
More Pythons: NPR has a feature on the new documentary about the group.
-----
The Sex Pistols are suing an ice cream maker over its new advertising campaign.
London-based company Icecreamists' online advertisements feature a picture of the Queen backed by a Union flag, with an ice cream spoon in her mouth and the words "God save the cream" written across her face. Lawyers for the band say the design is too similar to the Sex Pistols' Jamie Reid-designed artwork, which was used on singles including 'God Save The Queen'.
------
The Attic of Astounding Artifacts displays vintage Dalek toys.
-----
The BBC plans an adaptation of Douglas Adams' "Dirk Gently" books.
Literary agent Ed Victor, who represents the author’s estate revealed the news at a Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy celebration in central London.
He said he had seen ‘a great script – not just a good script’ for the planned adaptation, but warned: ‘With the BBC, it can take forever’.
He said the producer attached to the project – thought to be former Cosby Show executive Caryn Mandabach – described the novels as ‘the greatest storytelling opportunity for television since Star Trek’.
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus movie posters
Fantastic friends: Jack Kirby and Frank Zappa
I'd seen this photo of these two great American artists before, but never really heard any details about this seemingly odd pairing. Now, courtesy of Royal Flush, Ahmet Zappa talks about his old man's friendship with cartoonist exraordinaire, Jack "King" Kirby.
“I loved Spider-man; it’s the jam,” gushed Ahmet. “My dad loved comics and was the first to advertise rock n’ roll in comics, for We’re Only In It For The Money [in Fantastic Four #72, 1968, Natch!]. My mother made Dweezil and I costumes of Spider-Man and The Mighty Thor.”
...“He told my dad stuff like, ‘Darth Vader was Doctor Doom and the Force is the Source’ and that George Lucas ripped him off. Now this you may not know, and I was only a kid, but I remember learning at the dinner table that my dad was asked to write the music for Star Wars; he turned it down, he said he wasn’t interested. That would’ve been really strange, the lives of us Star Wars fans woulda taken a different turn and that whole score woulda sounded like Tatooine Cantina music.”