Pop Culture Safari!

DVD: Serenity (Collector's Edition)

This 2-disk special edition is out Aug. 21. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Details:

Serenity, the action-packed event that delivers thrilling non-stop adventure, incredible battles in dangerous worlds and spectacular visual effects, is now available in a Special 2-Disc Collector's Edition containing all-new bonus content and never-seen-before footage! With over 30 minutes of all-new special features and special collectible packaging, the Serenity – Collector's Edition is a must own for all true Sci-Fi and Joss Whedon fans! All-new 2-disc edition will include 6 completely new bonus elements including cast & filmmaker commentary. Will also include all bonus features from previous release.

All New Bonus Features:
-Extended Scenes (6:45)
-Take A Walk on Serenity (4:00) Cast and Crew take us on a special tour of the Serenity space ship
-A Filmmaker's Journey (19:49) Take A Journey with Joss Whedon from script to the big screen
-The Green Clan (3:03) An expose on Cinematographer Jack Green and his team
-Sci-Fi Inside: Serenity (21:41) Hosted by Adam Baldwin, an in-depth look at the film that was resurrected from a cancelled television show, as well as its supportive culture.
-Session 416 (7:52) These internet pieces document a portion of River's participation in a psychological study and her interactions with her therapist.
-Feature Commentary with Director Joss Whedon and Cast Members Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, and Ron Glass

DVD: Josie and the Pussycats - The Complete Series

Out Sept. 18, this 2-disk set collects the entire 1970 animated series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Details:

Loved by television audiences for their catchy songs and exciting escapades, Josie and the Pussycats originally debuted on CBS’ Saturday morning lineup. The characters were first created by John Goldwater and Richard Goldwater for the Josie and the Pussycats comic book and were designed by Dan DeCarlo. Hanna-Barbera Productions adapted the comic book into a Saturday morning television program. The series followed the exploits of the all-girl animated pop music group which would get caught up in wild adventures, dangerous spy capers and intriguing mysteries while they toured the world with their entourage.

Donning leopard print leotards, long tails and ears for hats during their performances, the group was comprised of Pussycats lead Josie McCoy on guitar, ditsy Melody Valentine on drums and Valerie Brown on tambourines. Their entourage consisted of Josie’s handsome boyfriend and band roadie Alan Mayberry, their cowardly manager Alexander Cabot, and Alexander’s scheming, cantankerous sister Alexandra Cabot, whose mission was to steal Alan away from Josie and take over as the Pussycats’ lead. Lastly, they were joined by their snickering feline companion Sebastian, who not only happened to be just as sneaky and catty as Alexandra but would carry out a lot of her dirty work which would usually get the whole gang into some kind of trouble.

“We think television fans will enjoy re-discovering this wonderful cartoon series. The stories are well-written and clever, the music is infectious, and the animation is bright and lively, presented in a way only Hanna-Barbera can,” said Dorinda Marticorena, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. She added, “Josie and the Pussycats is a delight and is sure to make viewers reminisce about the Saturday mornings they spent watching their favorite cartoons.”

Josie and the Pussycats: The Complete Series will include a bonus documentary focusing on Josie and the Pussycats designer, Dan DeCarlo. Titled: The Allure and Charm of Dan DeCarlo, the documentary tells the story of the comic book artist, turned gag cartoonist and illustrator, who contributed to the creation of the legendary Archie comics’ as well as some of the most racy golden age pin up girl art to date. The ironies of this life and the beauty derived from tragedy are what defined Dan as a gentleman, artist and father. The documentary explores the man’s life through the words of his biographer as well as colleagues from his professional life, including renowned comic book superhero creator Stan Lee.

DVD: Dark Shadows: The Beginning Collection 1

This 4-DVD set collects the earliest eps of the classic gothic soap opera, before vampire Barnabas Collins enters the scene. It's out Aug. 28 and you can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Details:

Now, for the first time on DVD, MPI presents the spooky series' rare, early episodes before the arrival of Barnabas.

Victoria Winters' mysterious journey begins as her train arrives in Collinsport, a small and stormy fishing village on the coast of Maine. An orphan in search of her identity, Victoria is befriended by a stranger named Burke Devlin.

At the eerie Collinwood mansion, Victoria meets reclusive matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, her aloof brother Roger Collins, his troubled ten-year-old son David, and Elizabeth's rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn.

Collins fishing fleet manager Bill Malloy informs Elizabeth that Burke wants to take everything the Collinses own as revenge for being sent to prison. Collinsport Inn waitress Maggie Evans tells her father Sam that she wants an end to the secret conflict between him, Roger and Burke. David warns Victoria that she will regret that she came to live at Collinwood and be his governess.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

* New Dark Shadows Introduction with Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters) and Dark Shadows History with Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans).

* Original Network Promo.

*Episode 1 with original 1966 commercials.

DVD: Paul Lynde Halloween Special

This 1976 special--probably best-known for introducing U.S. TV audiences to the band Kiss--will be out on disk Oct. 2. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Here's the skinny:

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special aired only once (on October 29, 1976) and featured a "Who's Who" of mid-'70s TV and film stars; Paul held everything together as the ringmaster of a circus that featured Margaret Hamilton (her only prime time TV appearance wearing the full outfit from The Wizard of Oz), Witchie Poo from H.R. Pufnstuf, Donnie and Marie (who had Paul as a regular on their series), Tim Conway, Billy Barty and in their first prime time TV appearance, KISS. They perform three songs but the on-stage conversation with KISS, Paul and Margaret Hamilton is priceless.

Special Features:

* Extensive photo scrapbook containing images from The Hollywood Squares, at home, family shots, young Paul. This includes large quantities of photos provided by his family and heirs.

* Three stage interactive trivia game based on questions asked on The Hollywood Squares with a bonus feature when consumer answers all 30- 60 questions correctly.

* Extensive quotes from Paul Lynde about family, entertainment, food and mental health Liner notes by producer and writer, Bob Booker.

New and upcoming action figures July 26, 2007

Vintage DC Comics house ad

Today's video: Six-Million Dollar Man with bionic grip TV ad

Pop Artifact! Jack Larson (Jimmie Olsen) signed picture

Pop Culture Roundup July 25, 2007

Comics Continuum has 20 new "Heroes" pics from the show's upcoming second season.

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Sideshow Toys will be doing a line of Indiana Jones-related collector's figures.

Sideshow's product line will be inclusive of all four Indiana Jones films and will include 12-inch Figures, Premium Format Figures, and Life-size Busts that will range in price from $69.99 to $599.99

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And now, a Random Panel of Comics Weirdness, courtesy of Booksteve.

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Word has it Samuel L. Jackson is playing Nick Fury in Marvel Comics' upcoming Iron Man film. The part is just a cameo, but may serve as a teaser for a full-length Fury film.

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Speaking of Iron Man:

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The mysterious mind behind "Dial B for Burbank" files his last post, just he did with his previous "Dial B for Blog." But, don't despair--it looks like he's got another project in the works.

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Anne Hathaway talks about playing Agent 99 in the upcoming "Get Smart" film.

"We all love the original series," Hathaway said in an interview on the set in Los Angeles last May. "And you will not find bigger fans than us. And we all decided we wanted to be very respectful, while at the same time wanting to put our own mark on the film. So what we talked about with Agent 99 was rather than making her a carbon copy of Barbara Feldon's creation, we decided to respect the spirit of 99, which was that she was a fully realized woman of her time. So rather than take Barbara Feldon and put her in 2008, ... when the film comes out, we decided to make 99 a fully actualized woman of 2008. And so, as a result, I do get some zingers. I'm a little bit of a hell-raiser. And, hopefully, we also retain some of the elegance of the original character."

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A big batch of Jim Henson's retired muppets are being gifted to Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts.

Cheryl Henson, Jim Henson’s second-oldest daughter, and Jane Henson, her mother and Mr. Henson’s first performing partner, expected to be in Atlanta on Wednesday to announce the gift: 500 to 700 puppets, including some of the first Muppets built; props; scenic elements; posters; sketches; and drawings that Mr. Henson created for shows like “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street,” “Fraggle Rock” and “Sam and Friends” (where the Muppets first appeared). Cheryl Henson has also pledged $1 million of her own money to the center.

New comics July 25, 2007

Click links to order discounted graphic novels from Amazon.

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

Comics shipping July 25, 2007

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