Author: Robert Greenberger

The other day, we mentioned that Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea was wowing them in Japan at The Dark Knight’s expense.  Now we have word from Time.com that Disney will bring  Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated film to the states in 2009. It is slowly rolling out around the world, having played the Venice Film Festival last week and will hit the UK in April.

Ponyo is the name of a princess goldfish who desires to be human.  When washed up on the shore, Ponyo befriends a 5-year-old boy and all seems swell until the fish’s father summons the sea to help find his missing child.

Starting Wednesday, computer watchers can surf and find Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy at Google and assorted other sites.

In a MacFarlane profile at today’s Wall Street Journal, the creator of Family Guy described how some 50 Cavalcade clips will be available at the rate of one per well. According to the article, “Google will deliver Cavalcade clips to pages visited primarily by 18- to 34-year-old men. In a new twist in the way entertainment is distributed, visitors to sites including Fandango.com and men’s magazine Maxim.com might see a Cavalcade cartoon play in a slot where a banner ad or video promo would normally appear.”

"We give him full creative control," Dan Goodman, president of digital media at Media Rights Capital, told the WSJ. As a result, most sites will run the unexpurgated clips with the liberal use of the f-bomb. Other sites will bleep out the offending words.

MacFarlane managed to sign this deal before his mammoth $100 million renewal with 20th-Century Fox. He continues to work on Family Guy, which debuted in 1999 and shows no sign of slowing down; American Dad and in spring 2009 will offer The Cleveland Show, a FG spin-off.  Family Guy’s seventh season begins September 28 and work is proceeding on a feature film version.
 

Brendan Deenan, Senior v-p, Objective Entertainment, announced this morning that the delay behind Flash Gordon #1 had to do with a bad printer.  In fact, the 13,000 print run has been pulped a new printer secured.  As a result, the first issue, due out August 20, will now hit comic shops on September 24.  The second issue will come out on schedule, one week later.

Ardden Entertainment’s adaptation of Alex Raymond’s classic comic strip hero was previewed amidst much fanfare this spring with a zero issue. Deenan wrote the comic with artist Paul Green working under the guidance of Ardden editor-in-chief J.M. DeMatteis.

Their contemporary take on the character does not resemble the abortive Sci-Fi Channel series from 2007 or previous comic strip incarnations.

According to a release from Ardden, “Copies of the first ‘faulty’ issue have arrived at a location in the USA and Ardden is requesting that if any retailer or comic fan is offered these faulty copies for sale from anyone saying that they represent Ardden Entertainment LLC, they should contact the NY based company immediately. There is a reward for anyone who reports the sale of these copies. These faulty printings have the credits on page 3 whereas the new printings carry the creator credits on page 1.”
 

Andrew Pepoy, creator of The Adventures of Simone and Ajax, appearing here regularly, notified us that a stage play he helped conceive will be coming to New York at month’s end.  Here’s the official release:

THE NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL AND CHICAGO TAP THEATRE PRESENT THE HOURGLASS AND THE POISONED PEN A SUPERHERO TAP DANCE OPERA 

SEPTEMBER 27 AND 28 AT THE MANHATTAN MOVEMENT AND ARTS CENTER (248 W. 60th ST.)

CHICAGO – When Super-heroes, live theater and tap dancing collide, the result is Chicago Tap Theatre’s The Hourglass and the Poisoned Pen.  Part story ballet, part summer blockbuster and all rhythm, this is the production that set Chicago on fire. The Hourglass and the Poisoned Pen is the sixth story show created by Chicago Tap Theatre, and the first revision of a previous production.  The show was created with the assistance of famed comic book artist and writer Andrew Pepoy (Batman, Fables, Simpsons). With a cast of eleven male and female dancers, all of whom excel in both tap and other forms of dance, and moments of intense action, irresistible humor and heartfelt emotion, choreographer and director Mark Yonally not only creates a whole new world for The Hourglass through his choreography – he also creates a unique new spin on the art of tap dance.

Follow the exploits of Elizabeth, as she and her best friend Daphne become The Hourglass and The Second Hand.  They duke it out with the nefarious Conductor and her violin-playing Trio of Terror. Ultimately, Elizabeth’s lame boyfriend, the vile Nick Prickley, gets possession of the source of the Conductor’s skills, the last sliver of wood from the Tree of Knowledge, which grants great and terrible powers. (more…)

Zits is one of the most consistently entertaining comic strips running today and a large reason behind the strip’s success is the varied supporting cast. The strip, introduced in 1997 and produced by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, has focused on 15-year-old Jeremy Duncan, his loving but seemingly clueless parents, and his friends. 

Among them is Pierce, last name unknown, who lives up to his name with piercings over most of his body, complete with braces for maximum metal. Now, readers will enjoy a spotlight on Jeremy’s band mate in Pierced, the thirteenth collection of strips from Andrews McMeel Publishing.  The 128-page book, part of the Zits Sketchbook subset, will be on sale in October, retailing for $12.99.

Readers will be treated to the complex character who is actually very courteous and was recently revealed to actually take out all the metal and put on preppy clothing for a change-of-pace. He’s extremely loyal and is almost militant in his care for animals and insects of all kinds.