My brain hurts...
Upcoming DC Showcase Presents books -- including Strange Adventures!
A Strange Adventures collection? Right on!
Here's a look at upcoming DC Comics Showcase Presents books for 2008. Click to pre-order from Amazon.
Showcase Presents The Atom Vol. 2 (August)
Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 4 (September)
Showcase Presents Metal Men Vol. 2 (September)
Showcase Presents Blackhawk (October)
Showcase Presents Wonder Woman Vol. 2 (October)
Showcase Presents World's Finest Vol. 2 (October)
Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock Vol. 2 (December)
Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2 (December)
Showcase Presents Brave and the Bold Vol. 3 (December)
Showcase Presents Strange Adventures (December)
Other items of interest:
DC Goes Ape! (September)
The Spirit: Femmes Fatales (October)
New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 4 (October)
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman Vol. 3 (October)
Spirit Archives Vol. 26 (December)
Here's a look at upcoming DC Comics Showcase Presents books for 2008. Click to pre-order from Amazon.
Showcase Presents The Atom Vol. 2 (August)
Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 4 (September)
Showcase Presents Metal Men Vol. 2 (September)
Showcase Presents Blackhawk (October)
Showcase Presents Wonder Woman Vol. 2 (October)
Showcase Presents World's Finest Vol. 2 (October)
Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock Vol. 2 (December)
Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2 (December)
Showcase Presents Brave and the Bold Vol. 3 (December)
Showcase Presents Strange Adventures (December)
Other items of interest:
DC Goes Ape! (September)
The Spirit: Femmes Fatales (October)
New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 4 (October)
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman Vol. 3 (October)
Spirit Archives Vol. 26 (December)
Upcoming Marvel Essentials books -- including Sub-Mariner!
At long last: Sub-Mariner!
Peeking ahead, here's what else Marvel has coming up Essential-wise later in 2008. Click the title links to pre-order from Amazon.
Essential Defenders Volume 4 (July)
Essential Fantastic Four Volume 7 (August)
Essential Man-Thing Volume 2 (August)
Essential Sub-Mariner Volume 1 (September)
Essential Classic X-Men Volume 3 (September)
Essential Spider-Man Volume 9 (September)
Peeking ahead, here's what else Marvel has coming up Essential-wise later in 2008. Click the title links to pre-order from Amazon.
Essential Defenders Volume 4 (July)
Essential Fantastic Four Volume 7 (August)
Essential Man-Thing Volume 2 (August)
Essential Sub-Mariner Volume 1 (September)
Essential Classic X-Men Volume 3 (September)
Essential Spider-Man Volume 9 (September)
Comics shipping April 9, 2008
Click highlighted titles to order from Amazon.
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NOT on DVD: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
"The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," which ran from 1967-69, should be on DVD on the basis of historical interest alone: It was one of the most controversial and groundbreaking programs ever aired on U.S. television. But there is loads of entertainment value, too.
Steve Martin made his debut on the show and comedy regulars included Don Novello (later Father Guido Sarducci on "Saturday Night Live"), the so low-key you may wonder if he has a pulse Pat Paulsen, Rob Reiner and others. And just check out some of the YouTube videos below for the mind-boggling array of musical guests. (Trivia: That Who performance, with the huge explosion at the end courtesy of Keith Moon overfilling his bass drum with explosives, permanently damaged guitarist Pete Townshend's hearing.)
One of the most prominent of these is Pete Seeger. The folk star had been kept of television for years as a result of McCarthy-era blacklisting, but was booked onto the show at the Brothers' behest (Johnny Cash also bravely booked Seeger on his show).
And, not only did Seeger get airtime, he controversially used it to sing his tune "Waist Deep and the Big Muddy"--a scathing indictment of the Johnson Administration's Vietnam policy. The song was censored on Seeger's first appearance, but he was allowed to perform it during a subsequent visit. The tune still has a lot of resonance today, as the U.S. finds itself in another quagmire. (Interestingly, I just paid a visit to the Smothers Brothers' official site and saw that they are supporting an effort to nomintate Seeger for a Nobel Peace Prize.)
It was that anti-war stance, and the regular criticism and poking-fun at Johnson and Richard Nixon that ultimately got the popular show canceled
I don't know what sort of behind-the-scenes rights/business shenanigans are keeping this show off disk, but they need to stop!
In the meantime, I guess all we've got are bootleg snippets like those featured below and "Smothered," a 2002 documentary about the show's colorful history.
Pete Seeger
George Harrison
The Who
Harry Nilsson
Peter, Paul and Mary/Donovan/Smothers Brothers
Buffalo Springfield
The Hollies
The Byrds
Simon And Garfunkel
The Association
Steve Martin
Cream
Addendum!
Pete, in his comments to this post, mentioned the Mason Williams' hit "Classical Gas," which had its debut on the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Williams, also a comedian, was a writer for the program and helped launch Steve Martin's career. "Classical Gas" became a hit record after it's debut on the Smothers' show, and you can see a video of it here:
Steve Martin made his debut on the show and comedy regulars included Don Novello (later Father Guido Sarducci on "Saturday Night Live"), the so low-key you may wonder if he has a pulse Pat Paulsen, Rob Reiner and others. And just check out some of the YouTube videos below for the mind-boggling array of musical guests. (Trivia: That Who performance, with the huge explosion at the end courtesy of Keith Moon overfilling his bass drum with explosives, permanently damaged guitarist Pete Townshend's hearing.)
One of the most prominent of these is Pete Seeger. The folk star had been kept of television for years as a result of McCarthy-era blacklisting, but was booked onto the show at the Brothers' behest (Johnny Cash also bravely booked Seeger on his show).
And, not only did Seeger get airtime, he controversially used it to sing his tune "Waist Deep and the Big Muddy"--a scathing indictment of the Johnson Administration's Vietnam policy. The song was censored on Seeger's first appearance, but he was allowed to perform it during a subsequent visit. The tune still has a lot of resonance today, as the U.S. finds itself in another quagmire. (Interestingly, I just paid a visit to the Smothers Brothers' official site and saw that they are supporting an effort to nomintate Seeger for a Nobel Peace Prize.)
It was that anti-war stance, and the regular criticism and poking-fun at Johnson and Richard Nixon that ultimately got the popular show canceled
I don't know what sort of behind-the-scenes rights/business shenanigans are keeping this show off disk, but they need to stop!
In the meantime, I guess all we've got are bootleg snippets like those featured below and "Smothered," a 2002 documentary about the show's colorful history.
Pete Seeger
George Harrison
The Who
Harry Nilsson
Peter, Paul and Mary/Donovan/Smothers Brothers
Buffalo Springfield
The Hollies
The Byrds
Simon And Garfunkel
The Association
Steve Martin
Cream
Addendum!
Pete, in his comments to this post, mentioned the Mason Williams' hit "Classical Gas," which had its debut on the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Williams, also a comedian, was a writer for the program and helped launch Steve Martin's career. "Classical Gas" became a hit record after it's debut on the Smothers' show, and you can see a video of it here:
Pop links
The original lineup of British ska band The Specials is reforming.
MC and vocalist Neville Staple has confirmed that the band have been rehearsing together and plans could be in the pipeleine for a UK tour later this year.
"A couple of months ago we [all] started talking," he said. "We had to talk first to see if we could get on, but we got past the talking stage. Then we said, 'Okay, let’s see what we're like in a room together rehearsing with instruments'."
One of my favorite groups back in high school...
--------
Evolutionary biologist and best-selling author of "The God Delusion" Richard Dawkins will make a guest appearance in the fourth season of "Doctor Who." (Don't click the link if you're worried about spoilers).
"People were falling at his feet," says [Doctor Who producer Russell T.] Davies, creator of the BBC's flagship show. "We've had Kylie Minogue on that set, but it was Dawkins people were worshipping."
Interesting tidbit: Dawkins' wife is Lalla Ward, who played the Doctor's companion Romana back in the Tom Baker days.
---------
Via Robot Wisdom: Is this the first misspelling in 83 years of New Yorker cartoons?
---------
From Scans Daily: The many disguises of Captain America and Bucky.
---------
"Watchmen" artist Dave Gibbons has penned a companion volume to the famed comic book mini-series.
Titan Books is to shed new light on this seminal work with WATCHING THE WATCHMEN by Dave Gibbons. Providing the ultimate companion to the comics masterpiece, artist Dave Gibbons gives his own account of the genesis of WATCHMEN in this dust-jacketed hardback volume, opening his archives to reveal excised pages, early versions of the script, original character designs, page thumbnails, sketches and much more, including posters, covers and rare portfolio art. Featuring the breathtaking design of Chip Kidd and Mike Essl, WATCHING THE WATCHMEN is both a major art book in its own right, and the definitive companion to the graphic novel that changed an industry.
“I’ve had a great time, re-visiting the very beginnings of Watchmen and unearthing material I haven’t set eyes on for many years. As a fan myself, this is the kind of stuff I eat up and I’m sure the many devotees of the graphic novel will do the same!” says Gibbons.
----------
Bob Dylan has been awarded a special Pulitzer Prize. The Bard was...
....cited for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."
It was the first time Pulitzer judges, who have long favored classical music, and, more recently, jazz, awarded an art form once dismissed as barbaric, even subversive.
---------
From Jon's Random Acts of Geekery: A board game based on the Archie/Mighty Comics/MLJ super-heroes.
MC and vocalist Neville Staple has confirmed that the band have been rehearsing together and plans could be in the pipeleine for a UK tour later this year.
"A couple of months ago we [all] started talking," he said. "We had to talk first to see if we could get on, but we got past the talking stage. Then we said, 'Okay, let’s see what we're like in a room together rehearsing with instruments'."
One of my favorite groups back in high school...
--------
Evolutionary biologist and best-selling author of "The God Delusion" Richard Dawkins will make a guest appearance in the fourth season of "Doctor Who." (Don't click the link if you're worried about spoilers).
"People were falling at his feet," says [Doctor Who producer Russell T.] Davies, creator of the BBC's flagship show. "We've had Kylie Minogue on that set, but it was Dawkins people were worshipping."
Interesting tidbit: Dawkins' wife is Lalla Ward, who played the Doctor's companion Romana back in the Tom Baker days.
---------
Via Robot Wisdom: Is this the first misspelling in 83 years of New Yorker cartoons?
---------
From Scans Daily: The many disguises of Captain America and Bucky.
---------
"Watchmen" artist Dave Gibbons has penned a companion volume to the famed comic book mini-series.
Titan Books is to shed new light on this seminal work with WATCHING THE WATCHMEN by Dave Gibbons. Providing the ultimate companion to the comics masterpiece, artist Dave Gibbons gives his own account of the genesis of WATCHMEN in this dust-jacketed hardback volume, opening his archives to reveal excised pages, early versions of the script, original character designs, page thumbnails, sketches and much more, including posters, covers and rare portfolio art. Featuring the breathtaking design of Chip Kidd and Mike Essl, WATCHING THE WATCHMEN is both a major art book in its own right, and the definitive companion to the graphic novel that changed an industry.
“I’ve had a great time, re-visiting the very beginnings of Watchmen and unearthing material I haven’t set eyes on for many years. As a fan myself, this is the kind of stuff I eat up and I’m sure the many devotees of the graphic novel will do the same!” says Gibbons.
----------
Bob Dylan has been awarded a special Pulitzer Prize. The Bard was...
....cited for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."
It was the first time Pulitzer judges, who have long favored classical music, and, more recently, jazz, awarded an art form once dismissed as barbaric, even subversive.
---------
From Jon's Random Acts of Geekery: A board game based on the Archie/Mighty Comics/MLJ super-heroes.
Lost April 24, 2008, episode preview
Hey, "Lost" is back in a couple weeks! Scroll over the hidden text below for details about the ep.
LOCKE'S CAMP COMES UNDER ATTACK, AND JACK ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY A BODY
THAT WASHES ASHORE, ON ABC'S "LOST"
"Lost" Moves to its New 10:00 p.m., ET Time-slot, Thursday, April 24
"The Shape of Things to Come" - Locke's camp comes under attack, and Jack tries to discover the identity of a body that has washed ashore, on "Lost," THURSDAY, APRIL 24 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
"Lost" stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Harold Perrineau as Michael.
Guest starring are Ken Leung as Miles, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte, Sam Anderson as Bernard, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Marc Vann as doctor, Kevin Durand as Keamy, Yetide Badaki as desk clerk, Kaveh Kardan as merchant, Faran Tahir as Ishmael Bakir and Sean Douglas Hoban as Doug.
"The Shape of Things to Come" was written by Brian K. Vaughan & Drew Goddard and directed by Jack Bender.
"Lost" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.
This episode of "Lost" will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.
Also see:
Lost Season 4 Episode Guide
The Best Lost Sites on the Web
Lost: What we STILL don't know
LOCKE'S CAMP COMES UNDER ATTACK, AND JACK ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY A BODY
THAT WASHES ASHORE, ON ABC'S "LOST"
"Lost" Moves to its New 10:00 p.m., ET Time-slot, Thursday, April 24
"The Shape of Things to Come" - Locke's camp comes under attack, and Jack tries to discover the identity of a body that has washed ashore, on "Lost," THURSDAY, APRIL 24 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
"Lost" stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Harold Perrineau as Michael.
Guest starring are Ken Leung as Miles, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte, Sam Anderson as Bernard, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Marc Vann as doctor, Kevin Durand as Keamy, Yetide Badaki as desk clerk, Kaveh Kardan as merchant, Faran Tahir as Ishmael Bakir and Sean Douglas Hoban as Doug.
"The Shape of Things to Come" was written by Brian K. Vaughan & Drew Goddard and directed by Jack Bender.
"Lost" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.
This episode of "Lost" will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.
Also see:
Lost Season 4 Episode Guide
The Best Lost Sites on the Web
Lost: What we STILL don't know
CD new releases April 8, 2008
Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! By Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Buy New: $9.99
Boo! By Was (Not Was) Buy New: $13.99
Colin Meloy Sings Live! Buy New: $12.97
Because Her Beauty Is Raw & Wild By Jonathan Richman Buy New: $16.98
Inside Folk Songs By Shel Silverstein Buy New: $14.99
Hairy Jazz By Shel Silverstein Buy New: $17.98
The Impulse! Albums, Vol. 2 By John Coltrane Buy New: $39.97
To Sir with Love/It's Lulu By Lulu Buy New: $19.98
DVD new releases April 8, 2008
There Will Be Blood Buy New: $22.99
The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep Buy New: $18.99
Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 3 Buy New: $48.99
Perry Mason 50th Anniversary Edition Buy New: $34.99
Bette Davis Centenary Celebration Collection Buy New: $36.99
Houdini Buy New: $29.99
Mythbusters - Collection 3 Buy New: $22.49
All About Eve Buy New: $14.99
New and upcoming books of interest to pop culture fans
Click titles to order books from Amazon.
Fear Of Music: The 261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco
If there had been a music book of the year award in 2002, Garry Mulholland’s This is Uncool: The Greatest 500 Singles Since Punk and Disco would have walked away with the honors. Not only did it receive impressive reviews, but Mulholland simply has the knack of writing about music with such clarity that you can practically hear the song playing in your head. With his newest guide, he moves on from the single to the album format and produces an equally fantastic volume. Fans will be thrilled to discover that Fear of Music features all the witty, irreverent, and insightful criticism they expect from Mulholland. He takes on classics from the last 30 years by everyone from Iggy Pop (The Idiot), Television (Marquee Moon), and David Bowie (Heroes) through the Rolling Stones (Some Girls), Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP), Madonna (The Immaculate Collection), Outkast (Speakerboxx/The Love Below), and The Prodigy (Music for the Jilted Generation). Of course The Talking Heads, whose Fear of Music gave the book its name, are here too. It’s the perfect gift for everyone who loves popular music, and readers will have a blast debating the selection.
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion
Quite simply, the greatest albums of all time—and how they happened. The smartest, most keyed-in music critics from London’s best rock magazine provide opinionated, funny, insightful portraits of the best pop music records ever made. Redesigned and updated to include the most recent releases, and with a new section of artists contributing their top-five albums of all time. Informative, gossipy, and wide ranging, The MOJO Collection is an essential purchase for those who love and live music.
Beatles for Sale: How Everything They Touched Turned to Gold
Beatles for Sale is a brand new way of looking at a story you may think you know inside out. Author John Blaney shows for the first time how the group and their inner circle invented so much of what we now recognize as the modern business of making and selling rock music. This was certainly not because Lennon, McCartney, Epstein, and the rest had a clear vision of the way things ought to be. Very often it was simply down to making things up as they went along - because no one had been there before and no one knew how to do these things. The book details the ups and downs of the group as they promoted, advertised, and sold records, played concerts, sold merchandise, made films, and set up publishing and record companies of their own. It is a story of naivety and greed, inexperience and luck, gullibility and ingenuity. It is the story of every aspect of how the Beatles made money - and how virtually every group since then has followed in their footsteps.
Rock 'N' Roll 39-59
Snare drum backbeat plus electric guitar: the simple formula that launched the rock star, and contemporary teen culture along with it. Today rock 'n' roll seems to define postwar American culture, especially in its impact abroad. Though its inception is often imagined as sudden and seismic, it was of course a gradual and complex transition from boogie-woogie to the stardom of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley. A thorough survey of rock 'n' roll's bloodline would even reach back as far as 1939, a time when the electric guitar's role was mostly played by piano or saxophone. Rock 'n' Roll 39-59 does this, with the assistance of some of the genre's finest photographers. Bruce Davidson, Wayne Miller, Robert W. Kelley, Esther Bubley, Eve Arnold and Ernest C. Withers are all here, amid a wealth of visual props, including priceless period posters, records, rare souvenirs, photographs and film stills, and indices of the movement's key venues, events, artists, producers and people. This book describes a lively mess of genres, from boogie-woogie to blues, gospel, big band jazz, country and most of all rhythm and blues--interbreeding against a backdrop of colossal social change, and culminating in the rock 'n' roll explosion of the mid-1950s.
Simpsonology: There's a Little Bit of Springfield in All of Us
In this amusing and informative appreciation of The Simpsons, sociologist Tim Delaney looks at the many ways America's longest-running sitcom and animated TV program reflects American culture. For more than fifteen years, the Simpsons have touched upon nearly every aspect of the American social scene--from family dynamics and social mores to local customs and national institutions. With over four hundred episodes aired so far, Delaney finds a goldmine of insights couched in parody on any number of perennial topics:
· On television's influence on American culture, Krusty the Clown says, "Would it really be worth living in a world without television? I think the survivors would envy the dead."
· On New Age religion, Homer says, "To think, I turned to a cult for mindless happiness when I had beer all along."
· On the thorny issue of gun ownership and home security, Homer purchases a pistol at "Bloodbath and Beyond" and then tells Marge, "I don't have to be careful, I got a gun."
· On the theme of community spirit, Bart thoughtlessly signs up with a local Boy Scout troop while on a sugar rush from eating a "Super-Squishee." The next day he realizes what he has done: "Oh, no. I joined the Junior Campers!" To which his sister, Lisa, responds: "The few, the proud, the geeky."
Delaney finds many more episodes relevant to major sociological issues such as environmentalism, feminism, romance and marriage, politics, education, health, aging, and more. Students of popular culture and laypersons alike will learn basic sociological concepts and theories in a refreshing, jargon-free work that offers plenty of entertainment.
A Complete History of American Comic Books
This book is an updated history of the American comic book by an industry insider. You’ll follow the development of comics from the first appearance of the comic book format in the Platinum Age of the 1930s to the creation of the superhero genre in the Golden Age, to the current period, where comics flourish as graphic novels and blockbuster movies. Along the way you will meet the hustlers, hucksters, hacks, and visionaries who made the American comic book what it is today. It’s an exciting journey, filled with mutants, changelings, atomized scientists, gamma-ray accidents, and supernaturally empowered heroes and villains who challenge the imagination and spark the secret identities lurking within us.
From the Back Cover
"One part history and one part how-to add up to a book that really puts the ‘Pow’ back into comics." —Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief, Marvel Comics
"Shirrel Rhoades reflects on his journey through the world of comics as a reader, collector, and executive, offering a very personal perspective on a unique American art form and industry." —Paul Levitz, President and Publisher of DC Comics
"It’s a rare treat to read a book on this peculiar medium by a man who knows it as well, from the inside, as Shirrel Rhoades—and a fast, fun, crystal-clear book it is." —Gerard Jones, Author of Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangster, and the Birth of the Comic Book
Teenage: The Prehistory of Youth Culture: 1875-1945
“The definitive history of youth in revolt, from the gaslight age to the dawn of rock.”
—David Fricke, Rolling Stone
“Compulsive reading . . . Teenage is a rich, rewarding book that makes an important contribution to cultural history.”
—Camille Paglia, The New York Times Book Review
“Resonant . . . Savage explores . . . [an] array of teenager types, from the wild, sensational precursors to juvenile delinquency to the straight-laced good-citizen proto-preppie. It’s Savage’s claim to being a great historian, and it’s mighty convincing.”
—The Onion
In his previous landmark book on youth culture and teen angst, the award-winning England’s Dreaming, Jon Savage presented the “definitive history of the English punk movement” (The New York Times). Now, in Teenage, he explores the secret prehistory of a phenomenon we thought we knew, in a monumental work of cultural investigative reporting. Beginning in 1875 and ending in 1945, when the term “teenage” became an integral part of popular culture, Savage draws widely on film, music, literature high and low, fashion, politics, and art and fuses popular culture and social history into a stunning chronicle of modern life.
Wacky Packages
Wacky Packages—a series of collectible stickers featuring parodies of consumer products and well-known brands and packaging—were first produced by the Topps company in 1967, then revived in 1973 for a highly successful run. In fact, for the first two years they were published, Wacky Packages were the only Topps product to achieve higher sales than their flagship line of baseball cards. The series has been relaunched several times over the years, most recently to great success in 2007.
Known affectionately among collectors as “Wacky Packs,” as a creative force with artist Art Spiegelman, the stickers were illustrated by such notable comics artists as Kim Deitch, , Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, and Norm Saunders.
This first-ever collection of Series One through Series Seven (from 1973 and 1974) celebrates the 35th anniversary of Wacky Packages and is sure to amuse collectors and fans young and old.
Working with Walt: Interviews With Disney Artists
Walt Disney created or supervised the creation of live-action films, television specials, documentaries, toys, merchandise, comic books, and theme parks. His vision, however, manifested itself first and foremost in his animated shorts and feature-length cartoons, which are loved by millions around the world.
Working with Walt: Interviews with Disney Artists collects revealing conversations with animators, voice actors, and designers who worked extensively with Disney during the heyday of his animation studio. The book includes fifteen interviews with artists who directed segments of such classic animated features as Dumbo and Fantasia. Some interviewed were part of Disney's famed team dubbed "The Nine Old Men of Animation," and some worked closely with Disney on Steamboat Willie, his first cartoon with sound.
Among the subjects the interviewees discuss are the studio's working environment, the high-water mark of animation during Hollywood's Golden Age, and Disney's mixture of childlike charm and hard-nosed business drive. Through these voices, Don Peri preserves an account of the Disney magic from those who worked closely with him.
Radio Drama: A Comprehensive Chronicle of American Network Programs, 1932-1962
Grams (CBS Radio Mystery Theater) has unearthed a mother lode of information about old-time radio. Over 300 programs are alphabetically arranged by title, not just drama and genre programs but documentaries, variety shows, and musical comedies. The titles of individual episodes are listed with air dates and cast members. Directors, producers, writers, and musical personnel are credited, and meticulous care is given to title changes, sponsor, and the day and time of broadcast. Sometimes, though, attention to minutiae obscures more important facts. The entry on The Return of Nick Carter, for instance, notes that the first two episodes were called Nick Carter, Master Detective but neglects to mention that after a three-year run the program used this title again for another eight years. Better use of cross references (only one now appears) would help clarify connections among various programs. Also, some popular shows are inexplicably omitted, notably Little Orphan Annie, The Lone Ranger, and The Shadow, and the 39-page three-column index gives ample access to the people involved but doesn't refer to program titles, sponsors, or networks.
Captain Kirk's Guide to Women
Casanova, Don Juan, James Bond -- these are men of legendary romance, but only one man can boast that his seductive powers take him boldly where no man has gone before: James T. Kirk.
Captain Kirk's status as an interstellar stud is proven by his ability to seduce any woman, in any situation, in any part of the galaxy. From high-society princesses to unbalanced Orion slave girls, from gender-switching shape-shifters to emotion-deprived androids -- they all swoon, acquiesce, and malfunction from just one kiss.
But a single question remains in the minds of millions: How does he do it?
Captain Kirk's Guide to Women is the first book to answer this question by probing deeply into Kirk's character, charisma, and seductive techniques, making it possible for any man to model himself after the Casanova of the Cosmos. It is also the only warp-powered romance manual written with enough wit, charm, and humor to help the female of the species make first contact.
Employing meticulous research, along with fanatic-level detail and the kind of pointy-eared logic even a Vulcan would find fascinating, Captain Kirk's Guide to Women shows you how to be as effective as Captain Kirk.
Fear Of Music: The 261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco
If there had been a music book of the year award in 2002, Garry Mulholland’s This is Uncool: The Greatest 500 Singles Since Punk and Disco would have walked away with the honors. Not only did it receive impressive reviews, but Mulholland simply has the knack of writing about music with such clarity that you can practically hear the song playing in your head. With his newest guide, he moves on from the single to the album format and produces an equally fantastic volume. Fans will be thrilled to discover that Fear of Music features all the witty, irreverent, and insightful criticism they expect from Mulholland. He takes on classics from the last 30 years by everyone from Iggy Pop (The Idiot), Television (Marquee Moon), and David Bowie (Heroes) through the Rolling Stones (Some Girls), Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP), Madonna (The Immaculate Collection), Outkast (Speakerboxx/The Love Below), and The Prodigy (Music for the Jilted Generation). Of course The Talking Heads, whose Fear of Music gave the book its name, are here too. It’s the perfect gift for everyone who loves popular music, and readers will have a blast debating the selection.
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion
Quite simply, the greatest albums of all time—and how they happened. The smartest, most keyed-in music critics from London’s best rock magazine provide opinionated, funny, insightful portraits of the best pop music records ever made. Redesigned and updated to include the most recent releases, and with a new section of artists contributing their top-five albums of all time. Informative, gossipy, and wide ranging, The MOJO Collection is an essential purchase for those who love and live music.
Beatles for Sale: How Everything They Touched Turned to Gold
Beatles for Sale is a brand new way of looking at a story you may think you know inside out. Author John Blaney shows for the first time how the group and their inner circle invented so much of what we now recognize as the modern business of making and selling rock music. This was certainly not because Lennon, McCartney, Epstein, and the rest had a clear vision of the way things ought to be. Very often it was simply down to making things up as they went along - because no one had been there before and no one knew how to do these things. The book details the ups and downs of the group as they promoted, advertised, and sold records, played concerts, sold merchandise, made films, and set up publishing and record companies of their own. It is a story of naivety and greed, inexperience and luck, gullibility and ingenuity. It is the story of every aspect of how the Beatles made money - and how virtually every group since then has followed in their footsteps.
Rock 'N' Roll 39-59
Snare drum backbeat plus electric guitar: the simple formula that launched the rock star, and contemporary teen culture along with it. Today rock 'n' roll seems to define postwar American culture, especially in its impact abroad. Though its inception is often imagined as sudden and seismic, it was of course a gradual and complex transition from boogie-woogie to the stardom of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley. A thorough survey of rock 'n' roll's bloodline would even reach back as far as 1939, a time when the electric guitar's role was mostly played by piano or saxophone. Rock 'n' Roll 39-59 does this, with the assistance of some of the genre's finest photographers. Bruce Davidson, Wayne Miller, Robert W. Kelley, Esther Bubley, Eve Arnold and Ernest C. Withers are all here, amid a wealth of visual props, including priceless period posters, records, rare souvenirs, photographs and film stills, and indices of the movement's key venues, events, artists, producers and people. This book describes a lively mess of genres, from boogie-woogie to blues, gospel, big band jazz, country and most of all rhythm and blues--interbreeding against a backdrop of colossal social change, and culminating in the rock 'n' roll explosion of the mid-1950s.
Simpsonology: There's a Little Bit of Springfield in All of Us
In this amusing and informative appreciation of The Simpsons, sociologist Tim Delaney looks at the many ways America's longest-running sitcom and animated TV program reflects American culture. For more than fifteen years, the Simpsons have touched upon nearly every aspect of the American social scene--from family dynamics and social mores to local customs and national institutions. With over four hundred episodes aired so far, Delaney finds a goldmine of insights couched in parody on any number of perennial topics:
· On television's influence on American culture, Krusty the Clown says, "Would it really be worth living in a world without television? I think the survivors would envy the dead."
· On New Age religion, Homer says, "To think, I turned to a cult for mindless happiness when I had beer all along."
· On the thorny issue of gun ownership and home security, Homer purchases a pistol at "Bloodbath and Beyond" and then tells Marge, "I don't have to be careful, I got a gun."
· On the theme of community spirit, Bart thoughtlessly signs up with a local Boy Scout troop while on a sugar rush from eating a "Super-Squishee." The next day he realizes what he has done: "Oh, no. I joined the Junior Campers!" To which his sister, Lisa, responds: "The few, the proud, the geeky."
Delaney finds many more episodes relevant to major sociological issues such as environmentalism, feminism, romance and marriage, politics, education, health, aging, and more. Students of popular culture and laypersons alike will learn basic sociological concepts and theories in a refreshing, jargon-free work that offers plenty of entertainment.
A Complete History of American Comic Books
This book is an updated history of the American comic book by an industry insider. You’ll follow the development of comics from the first appearance of the comic book format in the Platinum Age of the 1930s to the creation of the superhero genre in the Golden Age, to the current period, where comics flourish as graphic novels and blockbuster movies. Along the way you will meet the hustlers, hucksters, hacks, and visionaries who made the American comic book what it is today. It’s an exciting journey, filled with mutants, changelings, atomized scientists, gamma-ray accidents, and supernaturally empowered heroes and villains who challenge the imagination and spark the secret identities lurking within us.
From the Back Cover
"One part history and one part how-to add up to a book that really puts the ‘Pow’ back into comics." —Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief, Marvel Comics
"Shirrel Rhoades reflects on his journey through the world of comics as a reader, collector, and executive, offering a very personal perspective on a unique American art form and industry." —Paul Levitz, President and Publisher of DC Comics
"It’s a rare treat to read a book on this peculiar medium by a man who knows it as well, from the inside, as Shirrel Rhoades—and a fast, fun, crystal-clear book it is." —Gerard Jones, Author of Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangster, and the Birth of the Comic Book
Teenage: The Prehistory of Youth Culture: 1875-1945
“The definitive history of youth in revolt, from the gaslight age to the dawn of rock.”
—David Fricke, Rolling Stone
“Compulsive reading . . . Teenage is a rich, rewarding book that makes an important contribution to cultural history.”
—Camille Paglia, The New York Times Book Review
“Resonant . . . Savage explores . . . [an] array of teenager types, from the wild, sensational precursors to juvenile delinquency to the straight-laced good-citizen proto-preppie. It’s Savage’s claim to being a great historian, and it’s mighty convincing.”
—The Onion
In his previous landmark book on youth culture and teen angst, the award-winning England’s Dreaming, Jon Savage presented the “definitive history of the English punk movement” (The New York Times). Now, in Teenage, he explores the secret prehistory of a phenomenon we thought we knew, in a monumental work of cultural investigative reporting. Beginning in 1875 and ending in 1945, when the term “teenage” became an integral part of popular culture, Savage draws widely on film, music, literature high and low, fashion, politics, and art and fuses popular culture and social history into a stunning chronicle of modern life.
Wacky Packages
Wacky Packages—a series of collectible stickers featuring parodies of consumer products and well-known brands and packaging—were first produced by the Topps company in 1967, then revived in 1973 for a highly successful run. In fact, for the first two years they were published, Wacky Packages were the only Topps product to achieve higher sales than their flagship line of baseball cards. The series has been relaunched several times over the years, most recently to great success in 2007.
Known affectionately among collectors as “Wacky Packs,” as a creative force with artist Art Spiegelman, the stickers were illustrated by such notable comics artists as Kim Deitch, , Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, and Norm Saunders.
This first-ever collection of Series One through Series Seven (from 1973 and 1974) celebrates the 35th anniversary of Wacky Packages and is sure to amuse collectors and fans young and old.
Working with Walt: Interviews With Disney Artists
Walt Disney created or supervised the creation of live-action films, television specials, documentaries, toys, merchandise, comic books, and theme parks. His vision, however, manifested itself first and foremost in his animated shorts and feature-length cartoons, which are loved by millions around the world.
Working with Walt: Interviews with Disney Artists collects revealing conversations with animators, voice actors, and designers who worked extensively with Disney during the heyday of his animation studio. The book includes fifteen interviews with artists who directed segments of such classic animated features as Dumbo and Fantasia. Some interviewed were part of Disney's famed team dubbed "The Nine Old Men of Animation," and some worked closely with Disney on Steamboat Willie, his first cartoon with sound.
Among the subjects the interviewees discuss are the studio's working environment, the high-water mark of animation during Hollywood's Golden Age, and Disney's mixture of childlike charm and hard-nosed business drive. Through these voices, Don Peri preserves an account of the Disney magic from those who worked closely with him.
Radio Drama: A Comprehensive Chronicle of American Network Programs, 1932-1962
Grams (CBS Radio Mystery Theater) has unearthed a mother lode of information about old-time radio. Over 300 programs are alphabetically arranged by title, not just drama and genre programs but documentaries, variety shows, and musical comedies. The titles of individual episodes are listed with air dates and cast members. Directors, producers, writers, and musical personnel are credited, and meticulous care is given to title changes, sponsor, and the day and time of broadcast. Sometimes, though, attention to minutiae obscures more important facts. The entry on The Return of Nick Carter, for instance, notes that the first two episodes were called Nick Carter, Master Detective but neglects to mention that after a three-year run the program used this title again for another eight years. Better use of cross references (only one now appears) would help clarify connections among various programs. Also, some popular shows are inexplicably omitted, notably Little Orphan Annie, The Lone Ranger, and The Shadow, and the 39-page three-column index gives ample access to the people involved but doesn't refer to program titles, sponsors, or networks.
Captain Kirk's Guide to Women
Casanova, Don Juan, James Bond -- these are men of legendary romance, but only one man can boast that his seductive powers take him boldly where no man has gone before: James T. Kirk.
Captain Kirk's status as an interstellar stud is proven by his ability to seduce any woman, in any situation, in any part of the galaxy. From high-society princesses to unbalanced Orion slave girls, from gender-switching shape-shifters to emotion-deprived androids -- they all swoon, acquiesce, and malfunction from just one kiss.
But a single question remains in the minds of millions: How does he do it?
Captain Kirk's Guide to Women is the first book to answer this question by probing deeply into Kirk's character, charisma, and seductive techniques, making it possible for any man to model himself after the Casanova of the Cosmos. It is also the only warp-powered romance manual written with enough wit, charm, and humor to help the female of the species make first contact.
Employing meticulous research, along with fanatic-level detail and the kind of pointy-eared logic even a Vulcan would find fascinating, Captain Kirk's Guide to Women shows you how to be as effective as Captain Kirk.
Pop links
Fred Hembeck has some great new 'toons up for auction. Click to see: All New X-Men, Kirby Kreeps, The Inhumans, Movie Monsters.
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The Edgar Allan Poe-fest continues at Golden Age Comic Book Stories, with "The Tell-Tale" heart adapted by Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall (part one, part two) and "The Raven" adapted by Richard Corben (part one, part two).
---------
Word has it Amy Winehouse will be doing the theme for the new James Bond flick.
---------
Mike Sterling humorously and brilliantly displays how Marvel Comics has completely lost the plot.
--------
The Edgar Allan Poe-fest continues at Golden Age Comic Book Stories, with "The Tell-Tale" heart adapted by Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall (part one, part two) and "The Raven" adapted by Richard Corben (part one, part two).
---------
Word has it Amy Winehouse will be doing the theme for the new James Bond flick.
---------
Mike Sterling humorously and brilliantly displays how Marvel Comics has completely lost the plot.
New Get Smart movie pictures
Will this movie be bad? Most likely. Am I rooting for it anyway on the basis of inspired casting? Yes I am.
Here are some fresh pics of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.
Here are some fresh pics of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars pictures
Here are some new images from the upcoming "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" CGI-animated film, which opens next summer to be followed by a series on the Cartoon Network.
New Batman 'toon present kid-friendly Crusader
Mike Manley, character designer for the Cartoon Network's upcoming "Batman: Brave and the Bold" series talks about the new show's approach to Batman, and offers up a pretty apt assessment of today's comic book fanbase.
One of the things I enjoy about this new Batman cartoon is the fact we are going back to a kinder, friendlier Batman. A Dick Sprang version, which is the guiding design principle we are working from and there still is a slight echo of the BT [Bruce Timm] styling, which is a nice break from the grim and gritty. Let's face it, these cartoons are for children, young children 5-10,12 years old. Cereal eating, fruit rollup snacking, toy buying kids, not 30-something, 40-something bitter bee babymen who want these characters in adult situations.
The message boards are already full of babymen angst about the show, how they hate the art, the idea of a kid friendly Batman and I have to just laugh at the ridiculous comments. IMO one of the biggest reasons comics suck ass and have since the 80's is the rise and overtaking of the biz by the Babyman fan and the loss of kids reading comics as a hobby. Now we are stuck with an aging fanbase with limited taste, long memories, a twisted taste where the comic heroes have to be dark, gritty, sexy, adult...REAL!
Me, I'm 40-something and aging all the time. But I don't want my heroes to get decrepit (and embittered) along with me. I remember being 10 and having a whole spinner rack of super-hero (and other types) of comic books available to me--all pretty much geared toward my age group.
I've got my own kids now and think it's downright weird that most super-hero comics today aren't appropriate for them.
A lighter, brighter Batman sounds great to me.
One of the things I enjoy about this new Batman cartoon is the fact we are going back to a kinder, friendlier Batman. A Dick Sprang version, which is the guiding design principle we are working from and there still is a slight echo of the BT [Bruce Timm] styling, which is a nice break from the grim and gritty. Let's face it, these cartoons are for children, young children 5-10,12 years old. Cereal eating, fruit rollup snacking, toy buying kids, not 30-something, 40-something bitter bee babymen who want these characters in adult situations.
The message boards are already full of babymen angst about the show, how they hate the art, the idea of a kid friendly Batman and I have to just laugh at the ridiculous comments. IMO one of the biggest reasons comics suck ass and have since the 80's is the rise and overtaking of the biz by the Babyman fan and the loss of kids reading comics as a hobby. Now we are stuck with an aging fanbase with limited taste, long memories, a twisted taste where the comic heroes have to be dark, gritty, sexy, adult...REAL!
Me, I'm 40-something and aging all the time. But I don't want my heroes to get decrepit (and embittered) along with me. I remember being 10 and having a whole spinner rack of super-hero (and other types) of comic books available to me--all pretty much geared toward my age group.
I've got my own kids now and think it's downright weird that most super-hero comics today aren't appropriate for them.
A lighter, brighter Batman sounds great to me.
Pop links
Digital Spy shares a bunch of pics from the season 4 opener of "Doctor Who."
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USA Today has several images from the next James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
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A monument to the Beatles will be erected in Mongolia.
In support of the initiative, Prime Minister S.Bayar attended Friday a news conference called on this matter. Saying that the Beatles launched a globalization process, Mr. Premier told that he has been listening the Beatles' sings for over 40 years.
Standing close to a guitar sculptures of four "Beatles" will be made of bronze. Songs of Beatles and of Mongolian groups and singers will sound all day through. Over MNT 100 million is required for this project.
---------
USA Today has several images from the next James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
-------
A monument to the Beatles will be erected in Mongolia.
In support of the initiative, Prime Minister S.Bayar attended Friday a news conference called on this matter. Saying that the Beatles launched a globalization process, Mr. Premier told that he has been listening the Beatles' sings for over 40 years.
Standing close to a guitar sculptures of four "Beatles" will be made of bronze. Songs of Beatles and of Mongolian groups and singers will sound all day through. Over MNT 100 million is required for this project.
Birds of Prey DVD details
This short-lived DC Comics-based series will be out on DVD July 15 (right before the new live-action Batman film hits movie screens).
Along with all 13 episodes, it'll include the animated, online "Gotham Girls" series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.
Along with all 13 episodes, it'll include the animated, online "Gotham Girls" series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.
Frank Miller's "Spirit" flick - big bunch of pics
Forty-some "green screen" images from Frank Miller's film based on Will Eisner's "The Spirit," starring Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Paz Vega, Scarlett Johanson, Eva Mendes and others have been posted here. The greens will be CGIed in afterwards, as was done with Miller's "Sin City" film.
As mentioned yesterday, I don't have great hopes for the film capturing the style and feel of Eisner's strip, given how much more the promo poster, etc., look way more like Miller's world than Eisner's, but some of these images do look Eisneresque (the goofy pic of the Spirit feeding those cats, the Spirit atop the chimney). If Miller can incorporate some humor into his grim'n'gritty noir, maybe the film will do an ok job. But, still...
We'll see.
P.S. The Spirit's suit needs to be blue. Going black was NOT a good move.
As mentioned yesterday, I don't have great hopes for the film capturing the style and feel of Eisner's strip, given how much more the promo poster, etc., look way more like Miller's world than Eisner's, but some of these images do look Eisneresque (the goofy pic of the Spirit feeding those cats, the Spirit atop the chimney). If Miller can incorporate some humor into his grim'n'gritty noir, maybe the film will do an ok job. But, still...
We'll see.
P.S. The Spirit's suit needs to be blue. Going black was NOT a good move.
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