Upcoming pop culture DVDs: Doctor Who; animated X-Men; Disney Animation Collection

Click links to pre-order titles from Amazon.


Doctor Who: The E-Space Trilogy - Full Circle/State of Decay/Warriors' Gate


Doctor Who: Battlefield


Marvel X-Men Volume 2


Disney Animation Collection 1: Mickey & Beanstalk
Embark on magical adventures in this DISNEY ANIMATION COLLECTION DVD, part of an exciting series of classic Disney short films! Your favorite Disney characters star in "Mickey And The Beanstalk," the imaginative telling of a beloved storybook tale! Based on the timeless adventures of "Jack and the Beanstalk," Mickey, Donald and Goofy climb a fantastic beanstalk up into the sky to a place where everything is huge -- the food, the castle and the fearsome giant named Willy who guards a beautiful golden harp! Will Mickey and his friends outwit the giant and make it safely back home?


Disney Animation Collection 2: Three Little Pigs
Experience a unique telling of one of your favorite storybook tales in this DISNEY ANIMATION COLLECTION DVD, part of an adventure-filled series of classic Disney short films! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? "Not I!" answer the first two brothers as they build their new homes -- one made of hay and the other of sticks. But when the wolf huffs and puffs and blows down their houses, the brothers seek protection in the third pig's house, very wisely made of bricks. Will the three little pigs finally be safe, once and for all?


Disney Animation Collection 3: Prince & The Pauper
The legendary tale of "The Prince And The Pauper" gets a magical Disney makeover in tis adventure-filled DISNEY ANIMATION COLLECTION DVD, part of a series of beloved classic short films! In a faraway kingdom, two boys who look exactly alike meet by chance and decide to switch places: a pauper named Mickey, who dreams about a life of luxury, and the Crown Prince, who wishes he could be as free as his subjects. Each boy faces extraordinary challenges in his new role, and together they must figure out how to save the kingdom from an evil Captain who wants the throne for himself!

Action figures: Upcoming DC Comics figures from Tonner

Here's a look at some upcoming DC Comics-based figures (dolls, I guess you'd call em as they're too pretty to be "action figures") from Tonner. Check for availability here.


Hawkgirl


Catwoman


Wonder Woman


Green Lantern


Supergirl


Poison Ivy

Pop links: Tap returns; comic book movie prequels; Universal rebuilds;

Spinal Tap is at work on its first new album in 17 years.

...bassist Derek Smalls (aka Harry Shearer) said: "This is the 25th anniversary of Spinal Tap so Christopher, Michael and myself are probably going to do an acoustic tour where we play both [spoof folk trio] A Mighty Wind and Spinal Tap music."

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USA Today reports on the relatively new trend of comic book "prequels" to upcoming movies.

•The first comic in a four-part prequel, Star Trek Countdown #1, hit shelves last month in anticipation of May 8's Star Trek.

•Terminator Salvation, starring Christian Bale, gets a four-issue prequel before the movie arrives May 22.

•G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra invades screens Aug. 7, but not before a four-issue comic-book series hits stores.

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Universal Studios is rebuilding the classic sets it lost to fire a year ago.

Beginning in mid-summer, production will resume on the world- famous Courthouse Square, Brownstone Street and an enhanced New York Street. The new locations to be introduced this year will include a gas station, a firehouse, a London Street and, most notably, a modern urban cityscape, with glass and steel façade structures that will provide film and TV crews with the opportunity to replicate a modern city street scene in a controlled studio environment. The contemporary cityscape will be the largest modern urban backlot shooting location in Los Angeles.

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Random Acts of Geekery displays some original comic book art by Frank Robbins. I remember people hating his stuff in Marvel's Invaders during this period, but I think it looks cool!

Don't forget Lost tonight!

Get ready for tonight's ep by reading the posts at the Lost Season 5 blog. And check back there in the morning for a full summary, along with observations/speculation, of what happened.

New comics Feb. 4, 2009: Buffy, New Gods action figures, paperback Masterworks, more

Here's what looks interesting this week. Click the title links to order discounted items from Amazon.


BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #22 Continuing "season 8" of one of the greatest TV series ever.

SUPERGIRL COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE 8TH GRADE #3 My 5-year-old daughter keeps asking when this will be out. She'll be happy. It's a fun read.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #585 I started reading this series on a whim a couple months back and, I have to say, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It's pretty much old-school superhero fare that anyone who's seen a Spider-Man movie or two will "get." A rare case of Marvel getting things right.


COMPLETE CHESTER GOULDS DICK TRACY VOL. 6 I'm not really a Dick Tracy fan, but I know some folks here likely are.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1 The first AMS masterwork in a more affordable paperback edition.

NEW GODS SERIES 2 ACTION FIGURES Cool, Kirby-style figures!


BIG BARDA


KALIBAK


METRON


SUPERMAN

Things I can't afford and wouldn't buy anyway. But some people can and will:


DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC DOCTOR & DAVROS STATUE


DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC MASTER & AUTON STATUE


JLA TROPHY ROOM BAT SIGNAL PROP REPLICA

Pop links: Spider Woman toons; Kyle Baker draws Hawkman; Buddy's Peggy Sue; vintage Ditko stories

Geek Orthodox shares some "classic" Spider Woman TV cartoons. I'd flat out forgotten she'd had her own series.

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Cartoonist Kyle Baker is doing a Hawkman title for DC Comics.



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The BBC interviews Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue."

Peggy Sue Gerron, a sweet-faced woman of 68, is an unlikely piece of walking rock 'n' roll memorabilia. But in 1957, she was the girlfriend of Holly's best pal, Jerry Allison, and so became the inspiration for the singer's jiving classic.

Today, Ms Gerron smiles and plays down her role of musical muse, when asked.

"I think he decided he was going to write a girl's song, and sometime during the middle of the night he got Norman Petty, the producer, and he told him, 'I've written this song and I've named it after Jerry's girlfriend, Peggy Sue'."

I posted this video last week, but what the heck:



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Via Journalista, Harry Green Eyeball (awesome name!) presents three vintage Steve Ditko-illustrated suspense tales.

G.I. Joe movie trailer

Playmobil founder dies

Hans Beck, the founder of Playmobil toys has died at 79.

Beck created a whole fantasy world of figures with moving arms and legs that bend at the hip, wear snap on clothes, and continue to capture the imagination of children all over the world.

More than 2.2bn figures have been produced and sold in over 70 countries. At 7.5cm tall, and promoted as "ideal for a child's grip", the figures are meant to represent real life average adult height of 175cm (5ft 7cm).

The original figures were a knight, a builder and a Native American. But the toy empire expanded hugely over the years and, alongside fairies, firefighters, nurses, jewel thieves, Egyptologists, prisoners, police tracking dogs and airport security staff are now part of the Playmobil firmament.

The trigger for the toy's creation was the global oil crisis of the early 1970s, when the price of plastics increased sixfold. Large toys which Brandstätter had produced up until then became prohibitively expensive and it was forced to rethink its product line.

Flamin' Groovies reunite

Power pop band the Flamin' Groovies are reuniting.

...principals Cyril Jordan and Roy Loney will reunite for the first time since 1971 at the eighth Ponderosa Stomp festival, to be held April 28-29 at New Orleans' House of Blues.

The Flamin' Groovies formed in San Francisco in 1965 and set a template for the nascent power pop movement with their 1969 debut, "Supersnazz," and its 1970 follow-up, "Flamingo."

Shake some action!

CD new releases Feb. 3, 2009: CSNY, Bad Plus, Cosby, Kinks!

Of interest this week. Click the title links to order from Amazon.


Reflections by Crosby Stills Nash & Young


For All I Care by The Bad Plus


Why Is There Air? by Bill Cosby


Picture Book by Kinks