Teaser for XTC documentary "This is Pop" on Showtime
Oh yeah! One of my favorite bands. Need to see this.
New music releases Dec. 22, 2017: Herbie Mann; Kenny Burrell
New and notable. Click the links to order from Amazon:
Pop Culture Roundup: Scooby-Doo's Daphne; The Adventures of Alfred; Neal Adams; Harvey Kurtzman; Mike Allred; Chris Samnee
Actress Heather North, who voiced Daphne for many years on the Scooby-Doo cartoons, passed away this week.
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Via The Fabulous Fifties: Golden-age comics stories featuring Alfred, Batman's butler.
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A video interview with the great comics artist, Neal Adams:
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Via The Bristol Board: A Marvel promo comic with cover art by Mad Magazine founder Harvey Kurtzman.
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The 2018 Free Comic Book Day t-shirt features art by the great Mike Allred.
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Beautiful art commission pieces by the fantastic Chris Samnee.
Via The Fabulous Fifties: Golden-age comics stories featuring Alfred, Batman's butler.
A video interview with the great comics artist, Neal Adams:
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Via The Bristol Board: A Marvel promo comic with cover art by Mad Magazine founder Harvey Kurtzman.
The 2018 Free Comic Book Day t-shirt features art by the great Mike Allred.
Beautiful art commission pieces by the fantastic Chris Samnee.
Video find: Animated "A Christmas Carol" adaptation, 1971
Details:
The excellent 1971 animated version of the Charles Dickens classic. Animated in the style of 1800s engravings by the great Richard Williams Studio. Featuring the voices of Alistair Sim Michael Redgrave and Michael Hordern reprising his 1951 performance as Marley's Ghost . Animation by Ken Harris, Abe Levitow, among others. Produced by Chuck Jones. This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for 1972.
The excellent 1971 animated version of the Charles Dickens classic. Animated in the style of 1800s engravings by the great Richard Williams Studio. Featuring the voices of Alistair Sim Michael Redgrave and Michael Hordern reprising his 1951 performance as Marley's Ghost . Animation by Ken Harris, Abe Levitow, among others. Produced by Chuck Jones. This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for 1972.
Christmas album of the day: "Snowbound for Christmas"
Issued by the UK "public domain" label Jasmine, this one is a real grab bag, but it includes some real gems - namely seven seasonal tunes by Les Paul and Mary Ford. The pair do their overdub thing, performing lovely renditions of "Jingle Bells," "The Christmas Song," "Silent Night" and more with lots of great guitar and harmony parts.
The only dud is "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer," sung by Mary in a grating baby-talk voice. There's lots and lots of other stuff, too, spread out over this two-CD set, including several tunes by the Anita Kerr Singers, songs from Dinah Shore, Red Foley and more, including a handful of Bing Crosby and the Andrews Singers performance you likely have on Bing's own Christmas releases. Still, it's cheap.
New comics Dec. 20, 2017: Batgirl Bronze Age Omnibus; Silver-Age Teen Titans; Stardust Kid
New and notable. Click the links to order from Amazon.
Christmas album of the day: "Big City Christmas"
Issued last year by Bear Family, this is a compilation of seasonal tracks from the German reissue specialist's lineup of rock, rockabilly and pop releases.
The most familiar track, "Run, Rudolph, Run" by Chuck Berry, is featured in splendid sound, as are all the more obscure tunes, such as Johnny Preston's (I Want A) Rock And Roll Guitar," Sheb Wooley's "Santa Claus Meets The Purple People Eater" and a rare alternate version of Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" titled "This Year's Santa Baby."
Christmas album of the day: "A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas" by the Three Suns
I first heard this one several years back as an online "sharity" needle drop and it's been in seasonal rotation ever since. Now that Real Gone Music (another plug. I swear, they don't even send me review copies) has reissued it in remastered form, it's even nicer to hear.
The album is goofy, instrumental fun. Arrangements of classic carols bounce alone to a tuba beat, suddenly veer into guitar jazz and tumble back into a nice section played on accordion. Also, lots and lots of bells. All the tunes are upbeat. There's not solemn "Silent Night" to be found. But for Christmas cocktails and trimming the tree, this one will put you in the spirit.
The album is goofy, instrumental fun. Arrangements of classic carols bounce alone to a tuba beat, suddenly veer into guitar jazz and tumble back into a nice section played on accordion. Also, lots and lots of bells. All the tunes are upbeat. There's not solemn "Silent Night" to be found. But for Christmas cocktails and trimming the tree, this one will put you in the spirit.
Star Wars: Daisy Ridley and Mark Hammill on "The Graham Norton Show"
A few clips of the "Last Jedi" stars on BBC TV.
New music releases Dec. 15, 2017: The Beatles; Star Wars - The Last Jedi; Stranger Things 2, more
New and notable. Click the links to order from Amazon.
Pop Culture Roundup: Dick Tracy; Mel Blanc; Harvey Kurtzman; Marvel Comics; Wonder Woman, more
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Via Open Culture: The genius of Mel Blanc.
His effortless impersonations of the celebrities of his day are not always politic (see Al Jolson) but there’s no denying that his impressions of Liberace, Edgar G. Robinson, Bing Crosby, and Hollywood Bowl conductor Leopold Stokowski introduced these personages to subsequent generations.
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Modern comics creators have completed an unfinished adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" planned by Mad Magazine creator Harvey Kurtzman.
The story goes that Kurtzman delivered a partial manuscript of the book, wrapped in brown paper tied up with string, to comic creator (and founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund) Denis Kitchen about 25 years ago while the two were in the former’s attic. But while he made notes, pages, and thumbnails, the project by the legendary MAD creator – hailed as a god by director Terry Gilliam -- never came to fruition.
More than 250 Marvel Comics collections and graphic novels are now available via the hoopla digital platform, which serves public libraries across the U.S.
To begin accessing Marvel content, library-card holders of participating public libraries can download the free hoopla digital mobile app on their Android or iOS device or visit hoopladigital.com.
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"She’s strong-minded, opinionated and gutsy. She wants to be a screenwriter, and she’s already impressed everyone who knows her - her fellow mentees, her professors and everyone in this room who’s met her," Gadot said. "She won’t be able to continue at LMU without this funding. Similar to many other great young women in this program, her education is hanging by a thread."
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The Not Yorker displays rejected cover art submitted to The New Yorker magazine.
Coming up: Teen Beat Volume 6
Out Feb. 10. Order now from Amazon.
Details:
When it comes to rarities we have two definite aces up our sleeve. Sandy Nelson's 'Drum Shack' is so rare that we were not even sure it really existed until we got the master in our hot little hands, while the Astronauts' 'Big Hunk O' Love' was issued in 1966, but never beyond Japanese shores. Other obscurities include the Invaders' 'Disc Jockey' which is as clever as it is calculating (what DJ could resist?), the Mus-Twangs' rock-up of 'Frankie & Johnny' featuring Paul Cotton of Poco when he just wanted to be Duane Eddy, Don Cole's exhilarating guitar work on 'Free Flight' and the Titans' 'Noplace Special', which is actually a very special place indeed. Compilation and sleeve notes by Pipeline's Dave Burke and Alan Taylor.
Tracks:
1. Peter Gunn - Duane Eddy, His 'Twangy' Guitar and The Rebels
2. Reveille Rock - Johnny & The Hurricanes
3. Caldonia - The Rondels
4. Flyin' High - Bobby Vee & The Shadows
5. The Noplace Special - The Titans
6. All American Surfer - The Busters
7. Night Ride - The Ramrods
8. Happy Vacation - Jackie Lee Orchestra with Pep Lattanzi
9. Apache - Jorgen Ingmann and His Guitar
10. Theme from 'Come September' - Bobby Darin and His Orchestra
11. Frankie and Johnny - The Mus-Twangs
12. Choo-Choo - James Brown & The Famous Flames
13. Nee Nee Na Na Nu Nu - Dicky Doo & The Don'ts
14. Path Finder - Teddy & The Rough Riders
15. Straight Flush - The Frantics
16. One Mint Julep - Chet Atkins
17. Have You Ever Had the Blues? - Travis Wammack
18. Hully Gully Guitar - Jerry Reed and The Hully Girlies
19. Drum Shack - Sandy Nelson
20. (Let's Do The) Hully Gully Twist - Bill Doggett
21. Disc Jockey - The Invaders
22. Beach Party - King Curtis & The Noble Knights
23. Free Flight - Don Cole
24. A Big Hunk of Love - The Astronauts
25. The 2000 Pound Bee (Part 1) - The Ventures
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