Pop Culture Safari!

CD new releases May 5, 2009: Star Trek and Wolverine soundtracks; Remastered Rolling Stones; New York Dolls; Smithereens play Tommy, more!

CDs of interest this week. Click the titles to order discounted items from Amazon.

Star Trek OST by Michael Giacchino

X-Men Origins: Wolverine OST by Harry Gregson-Williams

Outer South by Conor Oberst

A Message from the People by Ray Charles

'Cause I Sez So by New York Dolls

Sticky Fingers [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] by The Rolling Stones

Goats Head Soup [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] by The Rolling Stones

It's Only Rock 'N Roll [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] by The Rolling Stones

Black and Blue [Original Recording Remastered] by The Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones Box Set (2009) (4 CD's) by Rolling Stones

Tommy by Smithereens

At the Apollo (CD with Bonus DVD) by Arctic Monkeys

Sounds of the Mike Sammes Singers by Mike Sammes & Mike Sammes Singers

Soul Brother No. 1 by James Brown

The Boat That Rocked OST

DC teases new Batgirl

DC Comics has released this teaser for a new Batgirl series to debut in August. The mystery is, who's behind the mask? Cassandra Cain, the most recent Batgirl? Barbara Gordon? Or somebody new?

Me, I like Babs.

DVD new releases May 5, 2009:Benjamin Button; Doctor Who; That Girl; Twilight Deluxe; Crusoe; Last Exile; Spidey; The Monks; Gigantor!

Releases of interest this week. Click the title to order discounted DVDs from Amazon.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Doctor Who: The E-Space Trilogy - Full Circle/State of Decay/Warriors' Gate (Episodes 112-114)

Doctor Who: Battlefield (Episode 156)

That Girl: Season Five

Twilight (Ultimate Collector's Set) (Amazon.com Exclusive) [Blu-ray]

Crusoe: The Complete Series

Last Exile: The Complete Series Box Set

The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 1

Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback

Gigantor: The Collection, Vol. 1

Wilco/Feist record Woody Guthrie benefit download

Wilco and Feist have recorded a new tune based on lyrics by the great folk songwriter Woody Guthrie. Titled "The Jolly Banker," you can download it here. There's no price for the song, but Wilco are asking for a $2 donation, which will benefit the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives.

Batman: Brave and the Bold upcoming episode details

The Cartoon Network has released details on upcoming episodes of "Batman: Brave and the Bold":

May 8: "Night of the Huntress!"

"Blue Beetle develops a crush on the slightly older and far-more-dangerous femme fatale Huntress, but there is little time for love with Baby Face busting his gang out of prison for a major heist! Watch the crowd closely during the jailbreak sequence to see some favorite villains, including Pharaoh, Skeleton Keyes, Polecat Perkins and more!"

May 15: "Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!"

"31st Century Booster Gold travels back 100 centuries to join Batman and become a celebrity hero. In his quest for fame, he unwittingly enables the immortal tyrant Vandal Savage to carry out his nefarious plot of turning everyone into cavemen and taking over the world!"

May 22: "The Color of Revenge!"

"Batman and Robin team up again, but it's not like it always was -- there was a reason Robin left to go work on his own. As Crazy Quilt comes after Robin for revenge, all the dirty laundry comes out between the dynamic duo!"

May 29: "Legends of the Dark Mite!"

"Batman's biggest fan, BatMite, is also his biggest nightmare when the 5th dimensional imp pops up and in an effort to make Batman a better hero, throws Gotham City into chaos. Kidnapping the Dark Knight and traveling to the surreal 5th dimension, the adventure continues with references to many of the classic villains."

Pop links: Moldoff! Star Trek Month! Westwood Records! Pete Seeger!

The Horrors of it All presents a Sheldon Moldoff-illustrated horror tale from 1954.

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It's Star Trek Month on Mark's Super Blog.

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NPR remembers Detroit's 1970s soul/fun label Westwood Records.

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The New York Times reports on Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert last weekend at Madison Square Garden.

In an updated version of the 1930s labor anthem "Which Side Are You On?" Ani DiFranco sang, "Now there’s folks in Washington that care what’s on our minds." Bruce Springsteen told of rehearsing for the recent presidential inauguration with Mr. Seeger, who had relayed the story of "We Shall Overcome," crucial to both the labor and civil rights movements. Watching the transfer of presidential power, Mr. Springsteen said, "was like, ’ Pete, you outlasted the bastards, man.’ It was so nice."

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NPR presents its own Seeger birthday tribute here.

Video find: The Yellow Balloon

Pop links: Shazam! Buffy! Batman Family! Hulk Blog! Beatles! Byrds! Haunted Mansion! Free Comic Book Day!

From Big Glee! A 1974 TV Guide article about the live-action "Shazam" TV series. I remember reading this when it came out! Go to the blog to see a large scan.

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Awesome: It's a Buffy paper-craft model!

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Hey, I was just speaking fondly of DC's Batman Family the other day and now Geek Orthodox has posted a gallery of the beloved mag's covers.

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Me read Hulk Blog! Hulk Blog good!

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Experts believe George Harrison forged the signatures of the other Beatles so a girl dying from leukemia would receive complete set of Fab autographs on pictures the band sent her back in the 1960s.

At first glance they appear to be genuine autographs signed by all four Beatles, but Harrison was thought to have practiced and practiced until he could reproduce the flamboyant signature of drummer Ringo Starr, and those of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. And slight differences when compared with authenticated signatures, lead experts and the auction house to believe it highly likely they were forged by The Beatles' lead guitarist in order not to disappoint a young leukaemia victim, who was one of the group's biggest fans.

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Video from Booksteve: The Byrds along with Noel Harrison(!) cover the Beatles "Good Day Sunshine" in 1968.

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Learn story of Disney's "Haunted Mansion."

You'll learn how the wish of one man to provide a loving home for his family, became the nightmare that destroyed one generation after the next. The 32 minute story is visualized through the art work of over 40 talented artists. Nearly 300 original pieces of artwork were created exclusively for the story! The short films voice cast includes actor Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser MD, How I Met Your Mother), Corey Burton (The Haunted Mansion Holidays Ghost Host), Peter Renaday (The Ghost Host from the classic 1969 Haunted Mansion LP), and voice guy extraordinaire Brian Sommer! Find out how your favorite characters came to live and die inside Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and the surprising way their stories intertwine.

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Don't forget tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local shop to pick up some goodies. Learn more here.

Beatles magazine covers pt. 1

Video find: John Lennon - I'm Losing You with half of Cheap Trick

John Lennon - I'm Losing You - alternate studio version with Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos and King Crimson/studio bassist Tony Levin.

Nielsen, Carlos and Levin did this track with Lennon during the "Double Fantasy" sessions, but it wasn't released until the Anthology: John Lennon collection in 1998. Presumably this video was recorded to promote that, but I'd never seen it before. Kinda cool.