Patrick Swayze has just lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi.
In a remarkable career, ranging from The Outsiders to Dirty Dancing, from Red Dawn to Steel Dawn, from Ghost to The Beast, and even To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar– there are still people who will know him best for this:
See you in the next life, Bodhi.
Frederator Studios has signed a multi-year deal with Sony Pictures Animation to develop animated feature films, according to Cynopsis.
Founder Fred Seibert, formerly President of Hanna-Barbera Productions, launched the Frederator animation studio in 1998 and has developed animated properties including The Fairly OddParents, Dexter’s Laboratory, My Life as a Teenage Robot, The Powerpuff Girls and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Frederator is currently in production on Fanboy & Chum Chum, the CG animated series launches this fall on Nickelodeon, and Adventure Time at Cartoon Network set for May 2010. Additionally, Frederator is developing a feature film based on the animated series Samurai Jack at Paramount Pictures with Bad Robot Productions. Seibert was also the original creative director of MTV: Music Television and later toiled for Nickelodeon and helped create Nick-at-Nite.
Sony Pictures Animation’s newest movie, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, opens nationwide this Friday.
On this day in 1766, Samuel Wilson was born. At the time of the War of 1812, he was a prosperous middle-aged meat-packer in Troy. He
obtained a contract to supply beef to the Army in its campaign further
north, which he shipped in barrels. The barrels, being government
property, were branded with the initials “U.S.”, but the soldiers would joke that the initials referred to “Uncle Sam”, who
supplied the product. Over time, it is believed, anything marked with
the same initials (as much Army property was) also became linked with
his name.
Later on, he’d become known for the most famous poster in the world, and became a comic book character, first for Quality Comics, then later for DC as the leader of the Freedom Fighters and as the star of a miniseries by Alex Ross.
Put the pieces together: Guillermo Del Toro was talking with Neil Gaiman about doing a Dr. Strange film as far back as February 2008. Now Del Toro is cutting a deal with Disney… and Disney now owns Marvel, which of course is the home of the good Doctor. Sounds like the stars are aligning… but we already had a recent animated Doctor Strange…
Press release via Nikki Finke: Disney Toons Up With Guillermo Del Toro Under “Disney Double Dare You” Label
Anaheim, California — September 11, 2009 — The Walt Disney
Studios, in collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro
(“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Hobbit”), is launching a new production label
called Disney Double Dare You, to create new animated films full of
chills and thrills for audiences of all ages, it was announced today at
the D23 Expo by Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. All
films will be produced under the guidance of del Toro, who originated
the concept and the design of DDY and who will also direct certain
projects. The first project in development for the new label is called
“Trollhunters,” an original del Toro story which he will produce.
Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, “Guillermo is a brilliant
and visionary filmmaker, and we’re excited to be launching this new
label with him. His knowledge and appreciation for Disney films, along
with his penchant for creating worlds of fantasy, presented a great
opportunity for us to explore a whole new genre of filmmaking for
moviegoers of all ages. We have admired Guillermo’s imaginative
approach to filmmaking for some time, and now we’re proud to be working
with him to create films full of imaginative delights and lots of
thrills at the same time.”
Del Toro added, “As a director, I love to take audiences into
fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the
process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling,
unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my
privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition. To partner up with The
Walt Disney Studios, with the support of Dick Cook and John Lasseter,
is to belong to a storytelling partnership that I admire deeply. It is
a true honor. I look forward to coming up with fresh and original
stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The
emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the
storyboards.”
Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth received six Academy Award® nominations
in 2007, including one for his original screenplay, and went on to win
three awards. That film also received a BAFTA Award for Best Film not
in the English language. His other directing credits include “Hellboy,”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Cronos,” and
“Mimic,” among others. Del Toro is currently directing back-to-back
feature film adaptations of the Tolkien classic, “The Hobbit,” for
release in 2011 and 2012.
(Hat tip to Arne Starr for the art, and Patrick Dempsey for the modeling.)
Also see 110stories.us.
Want to know what was going on in Paul Levitz’s office on Wednesday? Bob Greenberger was there:
I had no inkling that going to DC Comics for meetings today would prove
a stroke of lucky timing. While meeting with Chris Cerasi on a project
we’ll talk about in a day or two, I received a call from DC’s President
and Publisher Paul Levitz. He heard I was around and could I stop up?
Bob also takes the time to talk about the changes Paul’s departure means for DC Comics Entertainment:
DC has lost its last guardian. He was the last executive to have the
power to prevent misguided interpretations of the characters that
remain the building blocks for the company. The freelancers have lost
someone who has been scrupulous in seeing to it they get every nickel
they’re entitled to and helped craft the first royalty plan and creator
participation plan. His depth of knowledge of the company’s history and
much of the character histories will be gone from the halls, forcing
the company to compensate him every time they need to pick his memory,
which will no doubt continue to happen long after the transition is
gone.The time may have come for the change but not all change is for the
better. Personally, I suspect Paul will be fine, happily reading at
his leisure and writing some good, solid stories heavy on plot and
character. DC will be a far different place in the months ahead and
there’s no guarantee what will come next. Paul, like the rest of us,
will have to sit and watch from the sidelines.
Here’s a segment of an interview we conducted
with Tim Gunn during a signing he and writer/artist Phil Jimenez did at Midtown Comics last night for the new Marvel comic Models, Inc.
Coming soon: more interviews with Tim Gunn and Phil Jiminez, along with Rob Zombie, Edward James Olmos, Sheri Moon Zombie, Emma Caulfield and the American Gladiators!
Apple didn’t announce this yesterday, as many people were expecting.
If it had been, the comics industry as we know it would be completely changed in less than two weeks.
On the other hand– Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, is also the largest shareholder of Disney. Which now owns Marvel. Which makes comics that would be perfect to display on any hypothetical Apple Tablet.
Hang on tight, folks. The ride does not get slower.
It’s ironic that on a day that many people in the world are talking about the Beatles in one form or another, people in the comics industry are asking if Paul is dead.
Certainly, you don’t see this amount of coverage of a man’s life until his funeral. It reminds one of Twain: “They say such nice things at a man’s funeral that it’s a shame I’m going to miss mine by only a couple of days.” Paul Levitz has had many, many nice things said about him. Mark Evanier may have the best post placing Paul’s place in historical context so far:
DC and Marvel could not now interface with Time-Warner and — assuming the deal goes through — Disney if they had not evolved from hot dog joints into real businesses.
Many have taken credit for that evolution, including some who fought it until it became inevitable and a few who resisted even after that time. Among those who honestly do deserve great credit is Paul Levitz.
Kurt Busiek also sums up:
Paul has been at the forefront of just about every industry
development of the last couple of decades, and has been key to how the
industry’s shaped itself over those years. Shifting from a
periodicals-only business to a strong backlist-oriented business with
trade paperbacks and hardcovers, adding imprints like Vertigo, creating
new opportunities for creators and for creator ownership, seeing that
DC gave a fair (or at least fairer) deal to the creators who originated
the concepts that turned up in DC-based movies, from Arkham Asylum and
Lucius Fox to Robin’s motorcycles (yeah, because they called Chris
O’Donnell’s ride the “Redbird” in one of the movies, Paul Levitz saw to
it that Chuck Dixon got money) and more, Paul was an important part of
a huge number of changes that DC’s seen, and that the whole industry’s
seen. Some of them big changes everyone’s noticed, some of them
behind-the-scenes stuff few people know about.
Heidi MacDonald, another one of us who toiled in the vineyards under Paul, said: “Paul is one of the smartest, kindest people I’ve ever worked with. He changed comics for the better in such vast ways that it’s hard to imagine where the industry would be without his stewardship. I wish him all the best.”
Marv Wolfman said: For years now, Paul has talked about retiring someday soon and
returning to writing, his first love. For that reason alone I am so
happy for him because I know that’s what he deeply cares about and has
been wanting. As readers, we are in for some major treats. I
can also say, without fear of rebuttal by anyone who is in the know,
Paul is probably the best, the smartest, the most creative and the most
moral Publisher the business has ever seen. Most fans have no idea how
important Paul is, not only to DC, but to the entire industry. I have
often said, and mean, that without Paul there very well might not be a
comics industry today. I am not speaking in hyperbole. I am being
literal; I mean exactly what I wrote.
And I’m fond of Rich Johnston’s comment: I asked Keith Giffen what was up with Ambush Bug. He told me “He’s taking Paul’s job.”
One more thing that I’ve been told that I haven’t seen mentioned: Paul contributed tremendous numbers of comics to Len Wein when he lost his collection in the recent fire. Huge numbers.
So now what? Me, I’m just waiting for those great Legion stories… hey, and what is it with guys who write Legion going on to become head honchos at comics companies? Paul Levitz, Jim Shooter with Marvel, Valiant and Defiant, Mark Waid at BOOM!… what makes it such a prerequisite?
From the DC Blog:
Dear DC Colleagues and Friends,
As hopefully each of you now know, this morning Warner Bros. announced the formation of DC Entertainment, and I’ve been entrusted with the honor of heading up this exciting new venture, reporting to Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
DC Entertainment’s mission is to deeply integrate the DC brand and characters into all of Warner Bros.’ creative production and distribution businesses, while maintaining the integrity of the properties and DC’s longstanding commitment to and respect for writers, creators and artists. The founding of DC Entertainment is about Warner Bros. taking DC to the next level and giving DC an even greater degree of focus and prioritization in all the businesses in which we operate—films, television, home entertainment, digital, consumer products and videogames.
You are all an integral part of the success DC has achieved to date and your expertise and support will be essential moving forward – as we raise this brand and collection of characters to even greater heights. Together we can make the next 75 years even more successful and productive than DC’s illustrious 75-year history.
Jeff and I will be in the DC offices next week and will say hello personally at that time. Until then, thank you in advance for your support and continued contributions to DC Comics and the new DC Entertainment.
Best regards,
Diane
Hat tip to Occasional Superheroine for seeing it first. 
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
Stephen Colbert, we have your writer for “The Chronicles of Amber”!
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