Who owns the mini TV on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper cover?

The Japan Times investigates:

Loved equally to the music is the album's cover photo, which was taken in London on March 30, 1967. The four band members are surrounded by cardboard models of such icons as Marilyn Monroe, while several items are placed in the foreground.
Among these, a "fukusuke" fortune doll and a Sony 9-inch portable TV represented Japan on the cover. The doll's owner was identified as John Lennon, who bought it in Japan to bring back to the U.K. But the question of who the TV belonged to remained unknown for many years.
The invoice is currently owned by Kazunori Aizawa, 52, a Tokyo collector and an honorary director of the Beatles Museum in Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture. The invoice is in his collection of Paul McCartney autographs. McCartney's address in London and his name are printed on the invoice, and his signature in blue is still clear and decipherable.

Photo: Julie Newmar

Exclusive Comicon Plastic Man figure

Here's an awesomely packaged Plas, available at the upcoming Comicon International in San Diego:

Photo: Morey Amsterdam and Dick Van Dyke

Discounted new comics shipping July 8, 2010

DARK HORSE COMICS

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$3.99

Alex Ross Jack Kirby-themed project coming from Dynamite Comics

Don't know much about it apart from this teaser ad, yet:

Photo: Goldfinger!

Netflix to go up against HBO and Showtime with new streaming service

From the press release:

Netflix, Inc. and Relativity Media, LLC today announced a long term agreement through which major theatrically released films owned by Relativity will be licensed directly and exclusively to Netflix for streaming to its subscribers during the "pay TV window." Traditionally, these films have flowed through Relativity's studio releasing partners to output deals with premium TV channels.

The deal marks a continued shift in the distribution of major motion pictures in the U.S. Under the agreement, an increasing amount of popular contemporary movies previously encumbered by pay TV agreements with premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz will become available to be streamed from Netflix months - and not years - after their release on DVD. It will be the first time that studio quality theatrical feature films will be streamed via subscription by Netflix instead of being broadcast by the traditional pay providers, and it opens up a new revenue stream for such movies.

Among the first wave of films covered under the Netflix-Relativity deal are "The Fighter," starring Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams and distributed by Paramount Pictures, and "Skyline," co-directed by the Brothers Strause and released by Rogue Pictures and Universal Studios. Both films are scheduled for theatrical release later this year and to be available at Netflix in early 2011. Also on tap for Netflix are Rogue Pictures' Nicolas Cage action/thriller "Season of the Witch" and "Movie 43," written and directed by Peter Farley. Both are set to hit theaters this year as well.

The Beatles' favorite pubs

Going to Liverpool? You can follow the pub-crawling past of the Fabs with this list from the band's hometown newspaper, the Liverpool Echo: Pubs the Beatles Loved.