DVD: Peter Pan platinum edition out March 6

Extras on this double-disk remastered reissue of the classic Disney film include:

* Restored original theatrical soundtrack
* Camp Never Land: Explore Never Land with all-new multi-level games
* Deleted songs
* In Walt's Words: Walt Disney reveals "Why I Made Peter Pan"
* The Peter Pan Story: 1952 featurette
* Sneak Peek of the all-new Tinker Bell movie
* You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan

You can pre-order it now for $19.99 from Amazon.

DVD: Wild, Wild West season 2 due out March 20

The second season set of this James Bond meets "Gunsmoke" series includes 28 episodes on seven disks.

You can pre-order it now for $34.99 from Amazon.

DVD: U.S. vs. John Lennon out Feb. 13

This documentary details the ex-Beatles' early 1970s political activism and subsequent immigraton fight with the Nixon Administration, which sought to deport him.

Extras include an interview with Walter Cronkite.

You can pre-order the disk now for $19.59 from Amazon.

New Comics Dec. 20, 2006

See complete lists:
DC Archives
DC Showcase
DC Trade Paperbacks
Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Essentials
Marvel Trade Paperbacks
Upcoming Trade Paperbacks - Graphic Novels

Comics Shipping Dec. 20, 2006

DARK HORSE COMICS

OCT060022 BAKERS MEET JINGLE BELLE (ONE SHOT) $2.99
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OCT060040 CRIMINAL MACABRE TWO RED EYES #1 (OF 4) $2.99

DC COMICS

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MARVEL COMICS

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WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

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NOV063176 WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE SPIDER-MAN 3 MONTAGE CVR #184 $5.99

COMICS

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OCT063739 WALK-IN #1 $2.99
OCT063600 WASTELAND #5 (MR) $2.99

Pop Artifact! Jaws game

Pop Culture Roundup Dec. 19, 2006

Animation pioneer Joseph Barbera died Monday.

Hanna-Barbera Productions...became synonymous with television animation, yielding more than 100 cartoon series over four decades, including “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?,” “Jonny Quest” and “The Smurfs.”

On signature televisions shows like “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons,” the two men developed a cartoon style that combined colorful, simply drawn characters (often based on other recognizable pop-culture personalities) with the narrative structures and joke-telling techniques of traditional live-action sitcoms. They were television’s first animated comedy programs.

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Via YouTube: Comics creator Stan Lee's appearance on "To Tell the Truth."

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A film based on cartoonist Mike Allred's "Madman" is in the works.

George Huang ("Swimming With Sharks") will direct a script he'll pen with Allred. Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan will produce via their Troublemaker Studios banner.

...[The film] will follow a template similar to "Sin City," which Troublemaker produced and Rodriguez directed with creator Frank Miller for Dimension.

As with that film, the creative behind the comicbook is an active part of the creative process. And, like "Sin City," "Madman" will be shot entirely at Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Texas.

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Via Bubblegumfink: Groove to the Peppermint Trolley Company (the band that sang the "Brady Bunch" theme).

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U.S. PBS station KTEH in San Jose has purchased rights to air the first season of the new "Doctor Who." Other outlets may follow.

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Details on the new "Prisoner" TV series to air on AMC:

The cable network is set to co-produce with the U.K.'s Granada and Sky One a new version of the sci-fi thriller, which aired from 1967-68 on CBS. The remake will feature a similar story line to the original series, which starred Patrick McGoohan, who also was creator, producer, writer and director.

...Production on the hourlong series is scheduled to begin in the spring for a worldwide premiere targeted for January 2008.

The article doesn't say who will star. Former "Doctor Who" Christopher Eccleston was reportedly in the running for the part, but now he's joining the cast of "Heroes," so who knows...

Best Prisoner sites.

Review: Darwyn Cooke's Spirit

Darwyn Cooke's got enviable talent--he's one of the best cartoonists working in comics today and I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't feel a bit sorry for him.

But I pity him, nevertheless, because he's now at work trying to fill amongst the biggest shoes in comic book history: Those of Will Eisner, in an ongoing monthly title featuring Eisner's seminal character The Spirit.

Sure, Cooke will tell you he's not trying to emulate or match Eisner's work. But the comparisons are inevitable.

It's true that plenty of other people have worked on the Spirit over the years. Eisner didn't even touch the strip for a few years during World War II, when it was ghosted by Lou Fine, Jack Cole and others. And The Spirit: The New Adventures title of the late 1980s saw all sorts of comics pros trying their hand on the character. But Cooke is the first cartoonist to take the job on solo--scripting and penciling an ongoing monthly Spirit comic.

Reportedly, Cooke was invited by Eisner himself to do the Spirit, shortly before the cartoonist's death. And if there had to be a new Spirit comic, I can't think of a better person for the job. He's no Eisner--nobody is--but Cooke is an inventive, fluid artist who can tell a good yarn in pictures. And, on the basis of a one-shot Spirit/Batman comic and the first issue of the new Spirit series proper, Cooke's stint on the character should be a treat.

Admittedly, the Batman crossover had some problems. Firstly, it didn't really do much to introduce us into the Spirit's mileau and failed to really capture his character. Also, Jeph Loeb's script lacked serious luster. His captions were dull and dashed off, lacking any style or drama. And Cooke's art suffered from a few storytelling hangups that caused me to lose track of what was happening a few times.

For example, the transition where Batman first appears was abrupt--taking place in a single, small, caption-less panel that failed to tell us the scene of action was shifting from the Spirit's point of view. And the Octopus' and the Joker's purple pin-stripe costumes were too similar to my eyes, and I couldn't tell who was who a few times. But, overall, it sure was pretty to look at. I loved the first splash, where the Spirit logo is depicted as huge, tumbling letters from a sign. And all the characters--the Spirit, Batman, Dolan, Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Ellen, P'Gell, Penguin, the Joker, Carrion, etc. , look fabulous.

Much better is Spirit #1, which sees Cooke handling the full script and pencils, accompanied by J. Bone on inks and the wonderful Dave Stewart on colors. These guys could do random, nonsensical panels and the result would still be the best illustrated book published by DC or Marvel these days.

The bonus here, though, is that the issue actually tells an entertaining story. It's a done-in-one, which is suiting given that Eisner's classic Spirit tales were all told in just 7 or 8 pages. I believe Cooke plans to do all his issues as stand-alones and I hope that's the case. It's nice to see a regular-sized comic that can tell a single, well-paced story like this one.

Plot-wise, it's not a terribly sophisticated yarn--just a romp about the Spirit and a kidnapped girl reporter he rescues from an icky new villain, the Pill. But it's funny with lots of action and it flows smoothly--no glitches that take you out of the story, ala the Batman crossover. Cooke does a nice job of gently ushering the Spirit into the 21st century, taking a satirical jab at 24-hour news networks along the way. It's the type of thing Eisner was a master at: Mixing noir action, screwball comedy and subtle social commentary into one nice little package.

Cooke's major triumph, though, is giving us a new take on Eisner's ever-problematic Ebony White.

Eisner introduced Ebony back in the 40s and came to deeply regret the racially stereotyped way he wrote and drew the character. Eisner eventually smartened Ebony up and wrote a number of excellent stories spotlighting him. But he still looked and spoke much the same. Ultimately, Ebony was a product of much less englightened times.

The easy thing for Cooke to do would've been simply to ignore Ebony completely and not use the character. Instead, he's updated Ebony for our times. He's smart, funny and a great foil for the revived Spirit.

Truthfully, I'd buy pretty much anything Cooke drew. He's that good. There's lots of stuff I'd love to see him do--an ongoing Challengers of the Unknown title, for example, or an original series or graphic novel featuring his own characters. But, despite any reservations I and other longtime Spirit fans might have had, I think he's going to do a wonderful job with this series.

I'm still having a hard time believing it's a monthly. Reading a comic this good every 30 days is going to be a treat.

New CDs Dec. 19, 2006

The Compact Coward by Noel Coward

Our Back Yard: Live by Echo & the Bunnymen

Cover by Tom Verlaine

Living with War - Raw by Neil Young

The Article 3 by Me'Shell NdegéOcello

White & Nerdy by Weird Al Yankovic

More upcoming CDs

New DVDs Dec. 18, 2006

The Simpsons - The Complete Ninth Season

The Simpsons - The Complete Ninth Season (Collectible Lisa Head Pack)

Little Miss Sunshine

Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Fifth Season

Walt Disney Treasures - More Silly Symphonies (1929-1938)

Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Pluto, Volume Two

Walt Disney Treasures - Your Host, Walt Disney

Walt Disney Treasures - The Mickey Mouse Club Featuring the Hardy Boys

ER - The Complete Sixth Season

Married With Children - The Complete Sixth Season

Lady in the Water (Widescreen Edition)

Gene Simmons - Family Jewels - Season One

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

More upcoming DVD releases.

Pop Artifact! Popeye chalk

Pop Culture Roundup Dec. 18, 2006

Via Bat-Blog: A foreign TV commercial featuring Batgirl, Catwoman and Wonder Woman. Not exactly sure what they're trying to sell...

Best Batman sites.

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CBS is considering an animated "Star Trek" show.

The series would most likely be broadcast on the web and be made up of ‘Clone Wars’ like 6-minute mini episodes. The yet-to-be-named project was originally pitched by long-time Trek producer David Rossi (well known to TrekMovie.com readers as a producer on Trek Remastered) along with his producer/writer partners Doug Mirabello and José Muñoz. Rossi sat down with TrekMovie.com for an exclusive look at how he and his partners hope to create a different kind of Trek set in the 26th century.

Best Star Trek sites.

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Reuters catches up with ex-Monkee Mickey Dolenz.

Dolenz's muse keeps him busy. He just finished playing Charlemagne in the play "Pippin" in Toronto. He's also had two books published this year -- a children's book titled "Gakky Two-Feet" (Putnam, 2006) and a trivia game book titled "Micky Dolenz' Rock 'n Rollin' Trivia" (Square One Publishers, 2006).

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Via the Collected Comics Library: We can expect these Marvel Essentials volumes in 2007 (nice to see that Golden Age stuff on the list):

Essential Spider-Woman Vol. 2
Collects Spider-Woman #26-50, Marvel Team-Up #97 and Uncanny X-Men #148

Essential Defenders Vol. 3
no contents yet

Essential Silver Surfer Vol. 2
Collects Silver Surfer (1982) #1, Silver Surfer (1987) #1-18 and Annual 1, and Marvel Fanfare #51

Essential Marvel Two-in-One Vol. 2
Collects Marvel Two-in-One #26-52 and Annual #2-3

Essential Dazzler Vol. 1
Collects Dazzler #1-21, Uncanny X-Men #130-131 and Amazing Spider-Man #203

Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 6
Collects Fantastic Four #111-137

Essential Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 1
Collects Marvel Comics #1-8

Essential Golden Age Sub-Mariner Vol. 1
Collects Sub-Mariner Comics #1-8

Essential Golden Age Captain America Vol. 1
Collects Captain America Comics #1-8

Complete list of Marvel Essentials books.

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Soundtracks for Marvel Comics' new direct-to-DVD animated movies are available on iTunes.

Each soundtrack is performed by a live orchestra and composed by Emmy Award-winning composer Guy Michelmore

For Ultimate Avengers, Michelmore conducts Seattle's Northwest Sinfonia orchestra and creates an epic soundscape perfectly suited for the action-packed drama of Marvel's first film, highlighted by the sounds of a choir singing Old Norse lyrics describing Thor's mighty battles!

In Ultimate Avengers 2, Michelmore builds on the thematic soundscapes established in the first film and infuses the score with an authentic African sound reflective of the film's Wakandan setting. To achieve this, Michelmore brought in a gospel choir from West London, many of whose families originate from West Africa, to chant words in Swahili and West African languages.

And while the film hasn't been released yet, eager fans can already download the incredible soundtrack to Invincible Iron Man. Michelmore's score for this film weaves two different sounds into a cohesive sonic tapestry, blending the Eastern-tinged music highlighting the movie's flashbacks in China with the sounds of the '30s and '40s, a reflection of the art design of the New York setting.

Best Marvel Comics sites.

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Ringo Starr plans an autobiographical documentary film.

A source told Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "To most of the general public, Ringo is still the Liverpudlian who simply got lucky by hooking up with Lennon and McCartney at the right time.

"Less is generally known about Ringo's story. He is speaking to people such as Beatles producer Sir George Martin in the film, and it is hoped people will go away with a better understanding of him."

...The documentary is set to be broadcast on British TV next year.

Best Beatles sites.

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Talented cartoonist Jay Stephens has a cool-looking how-to-draw monsters book coming out soon.



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Via Drawn!: A Yuletide video from Sufjan Stevens.

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Denis Payton, who played sax, guitar and harmonica in the Dave Clark Five, died Sunday.

"He had an amazing philosophy on life and will be greatly missed by me and all who knew him," said Dave Clark, one of the group's founding members. "Denis was extremely brave and not afraid of death."

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With our troops bogged down in Iraq, who will protect us from the threat of giant monsters?!



Lots more here.

Pop Artifact! "Space 1999" action figure

Pop Culture Roundup: Dec. 15, 2006

Entertainment Weekly has a several pics from the upcoming Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriquez trashfest "Grindhouse."



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From Bedazzled: Kate Bush singing "December Will Be Magic Again" from her 1979 BBC Christmas special.

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Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun died Thursday.

Atlantic's roster included huge stars: Professor Longhair, the Drifters, Led Zeppelin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Cream, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dusty Springfield, Genesis, AC/DC, the Bee Gees, Bette Midler, the Allman Brothers Band, the Three Tenors, Hootie and the Blowfish, Kid Rock, James Blunt, and Gnarls Barkley.

Launched in 1947 as a short-term outlet for Ertegun's fixation with the jazz and blues that was largely unknown to most Americans, Atlantic has grown into one of the world's biggest record companies. Ertegun was founding chairman, surviving various ownership changes since he and his partners sold the label in 1967 for $20 million.

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Fred Marsden, drummer of Gerry and the Pacemakers (and brother to Gerry), died last Saturday.

The group disbanded in 1967. Gerry Marsden reformed the Pacemakers in 1973 but without Fred, who had given up the music business to be a telephone operator and later established the Pacemaker driving school.

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Neato Coolville digs out the Shogun Warrior toy he got for Christmas back in 1977. I got one, too, probably that year.

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Warners wants Guillermo del Toro to direct a new Tarzan flick. Del Toro's next project, however, may be a film based on DC Comics' Deadman character.

Best Tarzan sites.

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I Gotta Hear This Dept.: Former "Doctor Who" Tom Baker has recorded a version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" for charity. Preview and order it here.

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Attendance at Baltimore's Geppi Entertainment Museum, dedicated to all things pop culture, could be better.

The major problem (which affects not only Geppi’s Museum, but the Sports Legends Museum, located under GEM, as well) – location, location, location. GEM and Sports Legends are located literally a stone’s throw (by someone who really can’t throw) from Camden Yards and the Ravens’ stadium – blocks away from the Inner Habor, the city’s tourist hub.

“Other than a game day, we’re in a landlocked position,” GEM owner Steve Geppi told the Gazette.

Another factor that contributed – fewer people going to Orioles games – 2.1 million in 2006, compared to 3 million in 2005. While attendance numbers were not given for GEM, Sports Legends only brought in 1/3 of its expected attendance during its first year of operation.

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There's an official video for the "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows" mashup of the Beatles' Love album over at YouTube.

Best Beatles sites.

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There'll be an original Doctor Who Christmas story in England's Sunday Times Dec. 24. Don't know if it'll be available online.

Best Doctor Who sites.

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