Pop Culture Safari!

Beatles "time-travel comedy" in the works

The idea of Beatles and time travel appeals to me, but this premise seems a tad dense and mean-spirited:

The script, penned by Chris McCoy, centers on the discovery of a time machine by two die-hard Beatles fans, who travel back in time to prevent John Lennon from meeting Yoko Ono, who they blame for the break-up of the Fab Four.

Personally, I think it would be cool to see the Beatles doing the time traveling.

New Charlie's Angels TV show cast

Here are names and details of ABC's new Charlie's Angels:

Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights and The Roommate) as Marisa, a former U.S. Marine, a weapons expert trained in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, and a neat freak.

Rachael Taylor (Transformers) as Abby, the youngest and sassiest of the Angels. The beautiful and privileged daughter of a notorious Wall Street crook, she is an expert con artist herself, as well as a Krav Maga expert.

Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) as Kate, a very smart and very athletic ex-cop and a master of martial arts. She is the most serious of our 3 Angels but also knows how to let her hair down and have a great time.

New pop culture books

The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America

Art of Vampirella HC

The Record Players: DJ Revolutionaries

Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them

Quest For The Spark #1 (Bone)

The Mighty Thor Omnibus, Vol. 1

McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon

Battlestar Galactica

The Cover Art of Blue Note Records: The Collection

The Gospel According to Bob Dylan: The Old, Old Story of Modern Times (Gospel According to...)

Bossa Nova

Owly cartoonist plans children's book

Andy Runton is publishing a more traditional children's book featuring his delightful Owly and Wormy comics characters.

“Owly and Wormy: Friends All Aflutter,” which will mark the Owly's full-color debut, finds the titular pictogram-speaking animals hoping to meet new friends but discovering something unexpected along the way. The forty-page picture book “Owly and Wormy” will be published by Simon & Schuster under license from Top Shelf Productions," and Top Shelf will release the next “Owly” graphic novel in October.

Full-length Shaun the Sheep movie on the way

My family has enjoyed the short adventures of this Wallace & Gromit-associated character.

From NME:

Aardman Animations have started work on a new feature film starring Wallace & Gromit character Shaun The Sheep. Shaun has been the star of his own BBC chidren's TV show since 2007. Writers at Aardman have now started developing a script for a full-length film, which they hope will be ready by 2013 or 2014.

Ride-in Dalek children's toy

Surely they plan an adult model?

Captain Canuck movie in the works?

I remember picking up the first issue of this mag in 1975, thinking what IS this? Finding a superhero title not published by DC or Marvel on my local spinner rack was unheard of.

Movie details:

Captain Canuck is the Canadian superhero launched in 1975 as a comic book by Comely and, after the second issue, by fellow artist George Freeman. The Captain Canuck franchise has been optioned many times over the years as a possible TV series or movie.

Now Comely says he has deal with an unnamed Canadian movie producer to be unveiled as early as next week that will give his Captain Canuck character long-sought big screen treatment.

Boom! Studio's classic Disney comics for March 2011

MICKEY MOUSE #307
Written by Floyd Gottfredson, art by Bill Wright, Floyd Gottfredson
The celebration of 70 years of Walt Disney's Comics continues here with some of the greatest classic Mickey Mouse stories ever told! This month, experience master Disney artist Bill Wright's "Jungle Magic," an epic globetrotting adventure not printed in the US since 1948! Also features the short "Trade Secret" from the inimitable Floyd Gottfredson that was last published in 1932!

MICKEY MOUSE AND THE ORBITING NIGHTMARE TPWritten by Casty and Marv Wolfman, art by Casty, Gene Colan and Jack Bradbury.
Even the sky isn't the limit in these two hilarious new adventures by modern Mickey master Casty! In "The Orbiting Nightmare," Mickey Mouse's trip to a space hotel turns dangerous when a mysterious villain arrives with world-threatening plans! Then, in "Menace from the Future," Mickey must outwit a time-traveler sent to stop the future ruler of the world -- Goofy! Also features short stories from Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Jack Bradbury!

MICKEY MOUSE: THE ATOMBRELLA AND THE RHYMING MAN
Written by Bill Walsh, art by Floyd Gottfredson
A beautiful squarebound prestige format one-shot featuring a lost Disney classic, back in print for the first time since 1948! Danger is afoot as our diminutive mouse hero confronts one of his most memorable foes in this treasured tale! Featuring the debut of one of Mickey's archenemies, The Rhyming Man, it's an unforgettable masterpiece from premiere Mickey writer Bill Walsh and uncontested artistic legend Floyd Gottfredson! It's an event that will not be collected into trade later.

UNCLE SCROOGE #402
Written and art by Carl Barks, cover by Marco Rota.
The 70th Anniversary Celebration of Walt Disney's Comics rolls on as we present another timeless tale from the Disney comics vault with Scrooge McDuck starring in "The Fabulous Philosopher's Stone!" For the first time in over 14 years, fans can experience Scrooge and the gang as they embark on a journey to find a fantastic, fabled stone capable of turning regular objects into gold -- but not without a few side effects.

WALT DISNEY'S COMICS & STORIES #718
Written by Branko Collin, Marc Middelhuis, Paul Hoogma, Wilfred Ottenheijm, art by Van Horn, Paul Murry, Bas Heymans, cover by William Van Horn.
The ce lebration of 70 years of Walt Disney's Comics continues with an entire issue of stories never before seen in the United States! Donald finds himself on a Jurassic jaunt in William Van Horn's "Just in Time," while Gyro's inventions spin out of control in "The Invented Inventor!" And how could we forget "Proof Positive," a rare 1964 Paul Murry story new to our shores?

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories Archives Volume 1

WALT DISNEY'S COMICS & STORIES ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 TPWritten by Floyd Gottfredson and Ted Osborne, art by Gottfredson and Al Taliaferro.
Presenting a prestige collection of archival Disney comics -- the first issues of Walt Disney's Comics And Stories! Laugh at Donald's misadventures in Al Taliaferro's earliest Duck stories. Then thrill to Mickey's epic battle with Peg-Leg Pete in Floyd Gottfredson's "Island in the Sky," Floyd Gottfredson's personal favorite Mouse adventure! All the original comics and supporting features are here, too, wrapped up in a classic package!

160 pages, $14.99.

Sarah Michelle Gellar to return to TV in new suspense series

CBS has ordered a pilot of "Ringer" starring the former "Buffy" actress. I hope this works out. SMG is a talented, fun-to-watch actress and hasn't been able to generate the big screen career she deserves. Now it looks like we'll get a chance to see her in two roles on one show!

According to producer Peter Traugott:

“It’s a thriller, for sure. It’s an edgy thriller about redemption and about revenge. There’s a point of view of two twin sisters who grew apart over a tragedy in their past. And one now seeks redemption and the other one seeks revenge. The sister who is seeking redemption has had a much more troubled life. When her fancy pants sister disappears, she takes over her life. She’s living the life of her more successful sister only to come to find out that her life is equally as fraught with danger and complication. Her sister dies in a boating accident. The other sister takes on her persona, only to come to find out that they have a hit out on her.”

New comics Jan. 26, 2011

Stuff I'll buy:

FANTASTIC FOUR #587 I think scripter Jonathan Hickman has been doing a fabulous job on this title, making us care about the characters and playing with some very cool sci-fi concepts. The feel hearkens back to the Lee-Kirby era, a true sci-fi adventure book. Could be the best run on this title since the John Byrne days of the 1980s. But, that said, the recent storyline leads up to the "death" of one of the core characters. I'm not saying who. It's been spoiled all over the Web today. But I'm disappointed that Hickman would do this in the first place. The death of characters is so overdone in comics. If it's an iconic property like the FF, you can almost be certain the "dead" character will be back. I tend to dump titles when they do stuff like this, but I'll hang in for at least this issue to see where Hickman goes with it. Give me new stories, not tired gimmicks.

WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #715 Hurray! This title, now published by Boom!, is back to reprinting classic Duck tales by the likes of Carl Barks and others rather than the continuing storylines Boom! favored when it took over the Disney comics license. Those just didn't do much for me. My kids, who are big fans of Donald and Uncle Scrooge, didn't care for them either.

AVENGERS #9 I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Coming to it just recently, I'm not even sure I understand what's doing on. But I do know that I love John Romita Jr.'s art (and the story does seem good).

Things I may try:

SHAZAM #1 I'll leaf through this one, doubt I'll get hooked. I think DC made a mistake canceling its for-kids Shazam title. A light tone is best for this character, but most creators who've worked on him since the 70s Captain Marvel revival don't get that.

Collected editions of note:

Batman vs. The Undead

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 4

What if?: Classic - Volume 7 (What If Classics)

Oscar nominees announced

Here are Academy Award nominees in top categories for 2010:

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Animated Feature Film

“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Art Direction

“Alice in Wonderland”
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Inception”
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
“The King's Speech”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
“True Grit”
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography

“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
“Inception” Wally Pfister
“The King's Speech” Danny Cohen
“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
“True Grit” Roger Deakins

Costume Design

“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
“I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi
“The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan
“The Tempest” Sandy Powell
“True Grit” Mary Zophres

Directing

“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
“The Fighter” David O. Russell
“The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
“The Social Network” David Fincher
“True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)

“Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
“Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
“Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
“Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

“Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined
“Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined
“Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
“Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
“The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing

“Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
“The Fighter” Pamela Martin
“The King's Speech” Tariq Anwar
“127 Hours” Jon Harris
“The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film

“Biutiful” Mexico
“Dogtooth” Greece
“In a Better World” Denmark
“Incendies” Canada
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Makeup

“Barney's Version” Adrien Morot
“The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)

“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
“Inception” Hans Zimmer
“The King's Speech” Alexandre Desplat
“127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
“The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Picture

“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

“Day & Night” Teddy Newton
“The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
“Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe
“The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)

“The Confession” Tanel Toom
“The Crush” Michael Creagh
“God of Love” Luke Matheny
“Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt
“Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing

“Inception” Richard King
“Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
“Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
“True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
“Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

“Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
“The King's Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
“Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
“The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
“True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects

“Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
“Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
“The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
“Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

Has the Comic Code been defunct since 2009?

We're reported on various publishers finally dropping the Comics Code of Approval, which, for many years appeared on comic books deemed appropriate for young readers. That made me wonder -- since nobody is using it anymore -- what might happen to the Comics Code Authority, the body that supposedly reviewed comics and approved them to carry the CCA seal on the cover. Newsarama has done some investigating, and it appears the authority has been defunct since 2009! So who's been reviewing all those books? If anyone? It's a mystery.

Newsarama hasn't been able to locate any evidence that the organization was functioning since 2009. And Archie Comics has indicated that it wasn't actually submitting comics for approval to the Comics Magazine Association of America, which oversaw the Code.

"We haven't submitted for a year or more," said Archie Comics President Mike Pellerito.

When asked if the CMAA was even functioning anymore, Pellerito said, "I don't think they are."

Big Audio Dynamite to reform

Didn't we just post about these guys?

From NME:

Mick Jones has reformed Big Audio Dynamite - the band he put together after he left The Clash.

The band's original line-up of Jones, Don Letts, Greg Roberts, Leo 'E-Zee-Kill' and Dan Donovan are involved, with gigs set to take place across the UK in March and April, and will follow up those dates with a slot at the Coachella festival in California on April 16.

Director details X-Men: First Class

Matthew Vaughn talks to Entertainment Weekly about the new x-flick:

The best way of describing it is X-Men meets Bond, with a little bit of Thirteen Days thrown in for good measure. It’s set in the ’60s, and I basically molded a young Magneto on a young Sean Connery. He’s the ultimate spy — imagine Bond, but with superpowers.

Wizard magazine shuts down

I was never a fan of the mag and I think it contributed a lot to what's bad about current fandom -- speculative buying, an immature snarkiness, etc. -- but it's always sad to see a publication shut down, particularly because it means people who write and edit for a living will be out of work. I make my living working with words, too, and was out there scraping by, looking for work for several months myself. So I know what it's like.

At any rate, it sounds like Wizard is shutting down but will continue operations as a stripped-down, online presence. Here's the press release version of events:

Gareb Shamus, recently appointed President and CEO of public company Wizard World, Inc. (“Wizard World”) (OTC: GOEE.PK), today announced that the Comic Con Tour, which consists of pop culture conference events that provide high visibility marketing opportunities to pop culture brands and companies in multiple venues throughout the year, is now being produced by public company Wizard World. The Wizard World Comic Con Tour intends to cover 12 cities in 2011, including major cities such as New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Austin and New Orleans. The Tour will include sponsors ranging from major movie studios and TV networks to gaming and toy companies to content publishers.

In addition, Wizard World plans to launch in February 2011 an all-new digital magazine called ‘Wizard World’ that will appeal to pop-culture fans, the same audience to which Mr. Shamus has catered to, for over 20 years. Wizard World digital magazine will provide coverage of the world of comic books, toys and superheroes, and the personalities behind them.

“This is a very exciting day for Wizard World and the industries it serves,” said Shamus. “Having the Tour produced by a public company provides additional opportunities to expand and grow the Tour. The new digital magazine Wizard World will give consumers the content they want in a magazine format with which they are familiar, but distributed in a form that is always available at any time on any device. It is a natural evolution for us in this market.”

Wizard World Comic Con will begin its North American tour at New Orleans Comic Con held from January 29 to 30, 2011.