Category: News

The Jetsons and WWE in 2017’s Oddest Mashup

BURBANK, CA (January 10, 2017) – Everyone’s favorite futuristic family travels back in time to team up with some of today’s biggest WWE Superstars in The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-Wrestlemania! Following the success of Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery, WWE Superstars Big Show®, Alicia Fox™, Roman Reigns®, Seth Rollins® and Sheamus® team up with George, Elroy, and the rest of the Jetsons gang in order to save Orbit City from the wrestle-bot army in an all-new original movie. The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-Wrestlemania!, co-produced by WWE Studios, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, will be available on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 on Digital HD and on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, on DVD for $19.98/ $19.99 SRP, just in time for the excitement of this year’s Wrestlemania 33.

In the midst of an exhibition match, a powerful snow storm freezes Big Show solid. One hundred years later, Big Show has finally thawed and is discovered by George Jetson. His first mission is to revive wrestling in 22nd century Orbit City. With Big Show’s help, Elroy and George build robotic Superstars. But Big Show had big plans of his own! The wrestle-bot army manages to capture Orbit City! This leaves George and the Jetsons family one option: travel back in time to enlist WWE Superstars Alicia Fox, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Sheamus to help defeat the Big Show and his wrestle-bot army in the future.

With a star-studded voice cast, including WWE Superstars Big Show, Alicia Fox, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Sheamus, this action-packed film is a can’t miss!  Bonus materials include exclusive content, behind-the-scenes segments and more! The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-Wrestlemania! will surely excite fans of The Jetsons and WWE alike

BASICS
Street Date: March 14, 2017
Order Due Date: February 7, 2017
Languages: English
DVD: $19.98 SRP
Digital SD: $14.99 SRP
Digital HD: $19.99 SRP
Run Time: Approx. 72 Minutes

Trolls Invades Your Home Digitally Jan. 24, Disc Feb. 7

trolls-e1484059934102-3250329LOS ANGELES, CA (Jan. 10, 2016) – A hit with audiences and critics alike, DreamWorks Animation’s TROLLS, is the “feel-good” movie of the year receiving an outstanding audience reaction with a coveted “A” CinemaScore® and a Certified Fresh rating on RottenTomatoes.com. DreamWorks TROLLS, the fresh, music-filled adventure packed with humor and heart dances onto Digital HD on Jan. 24 and Blu-ray™ and DVD on Feb. 7 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The colorful, richly textured Troll Village is full of optimistic Trolls, who are always ready to sing, dance and party. When the comically pessimistic Bergens invade, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious, curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) set off on an epic journey to rescue her friends.  Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.

From Shrek franchise veterans Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After) and Walt Dohrn (Shrek 2, Shrek the Third), TROLLS features the voice talents of Golden Globe® nominee Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, The Accountant), Grammy and Emmy® Award winner and Golden Globe® Award nominee Justin Timberlake (Friends with Benefits, Shrek the Third), Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award nominee Zooey Deschanel (“New Girl”), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, How to Train Your Dragon), Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award winner Christine Baranski (The Good Wife, How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Grammy Award nominee Gwen Stefani (The Voice), Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award nominee John Cleese (Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After), Emmy® Award winner James Corden (The Late Late Show with James Corden, Into the Woods), Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award winner Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent, Arrested Development) and Ron Funches (Undateable, Get Hard).

“The movie’s message, and it’s a lovely one, is that we all have a wild-haired, beaming doll of happiness inside. ‘Trolls’ will put you in touch with yours,” proclaims Owen Gleiberman of Variety.

Give your new year an optimistic start with TROLLS PARTY EDITION on Blu-ray™ February 7, 2017 and Digital HD January 24. Exclusive to TROLLS BLU-RAY PARTY EDITION – take your Trolls Party to the next level with four interactive Party Mode features where you can use your remote to engage with the on-screen fun. Shower the screen with glitter during party scenes, drop cupcakes when things get scary, high-five Cloud Guy, join Mr. Dinkles for “OH SNAP” moments and much more!

TROLLS Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD Includes:

  • Party Mode – Sing, dance and laugh along with the Trolls in this engaging, interactive feature.*
    *PLUS, only on Blu-ray: use your remote to conTROLL fun on-screen moments!
  • Travel Through Troll Village – Cloud Guy narrates a fun exploration of Troll Village.
  • The Potion for Stop-Motion – Part behind-the-scenes, part stop-motion tutorial, this featurette explores the process of creating Poppy’s visually stunning scrapbook.
  • Creating Troll Magic – Trolls Production Designer Kendal Cronkhite-Shaindlin leads a kid-friendly exploration of her role as production designer on the film before highlighting four key stages of creating the animation with detailed visuals of each stage.
  • Troll 2 Troll – Poppy and Branch have a friendly debate on important topics such as “Cat vs. Dog.” *
  • Inside the Bunker – An in-depth exploration of Branch’s “special” place, narrated by Cloud Guy. *
  • Deleted Scenes with Intros by Director, Mike Mitchell and Co-Director, Walt Dohrn.

*Blu-ray and Digital HD only

Mike Gold: Up The River Without a TARDIS

  • News
  • January 11, 2017

river-song-6828996

If you were to ask me if I had a favorite character among all the heroic fantasy teevee shows and movies over the past five years, and damnit I wish you would, I would immediately respond “River Song.”

drs02_slipcase_1417sq_cover_medium-1511608For those who came in late, here’s the mandatory Journalism 101 background:

River Song is an ongoing but breathtakingly occasional character in Doctor Who. A remarkably capable, strong and intelligent archaeologist/con artist/warrior-protector with a great sense of humor and about 92% of all the sexuality ever expressed in the 54-year history of the program, she has been, is, and/or will be married to the Doctor – it’s time travel, Mr. Gittes – and that poses all sorts of thrilling opportunities. It also begs the issue of “until regeneration do us part.” She’s kind of a partial Time Lord, having absorbed some of the Doctor’s DNA while being conceived in the TARDIS. Yes, she’s the daughter of two of the Doctor’s former companions.

river-song-nardole-8546090
Yup. I really love time travel.

Ms. Song is played by Alex Kingston, and in addition to some crackerjack writing from Steven Moffat, Ms. Kingston is the reason why this complicated yet highly entertaining character works. She’s known in the States for her work on such teevee shows as Arrow (where she plays Dinah Lance I), Gilmore Girls, Macbeth (playing Lady Macbeth; duh), Upstairs Downstairs (the 2012 series), Law and Order SUV, and ER. My favorite of her work that I have seen came in the teevee movie The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, where she played the title character and shared the boards with such folks as Diana Rigg and Daniel Craig.

In other words, Alex Kingston’s career orbits the nexus of fan reality.

You might ask why I’m bringing River Song to your attention at this time, if I already hadn’t just done that. The people at Big Finish, arguably the world’s largest publisher of original full-cast audio stories, released their second box set of River Song adventures. The Diary of River Song Series 2 co-stars Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, both playing her husband The Doctor, and together the four adventures runs about four hours and change, not counting the bonus “behind the scenes” disc full of audio extras.

The downloadable version can be secured from Big Finish for a mere twenty bucks American, Amazon is charging a bit more for the physical five CD box set.

This isn’t a review because I have yet to hear the material. If it sucks, I’ll apologetically apologize anon… once the surprise wears off. I’m a big fan of Big Finish’s work, although I’ve only heard a fraction of their couple-thousand hours of original Doctor Who material starring all of the living Doctors from Tom Baker to John Hurt aside from Matt Smith (as of this writing). More to the point, I listened to The Diary of River Song Series 1 starring Alex Kingston and Paul McGann (the eighth doctor, if you were to count them in order of first appearance) during one of my infamous cross-country drives and it was absolutely great.

River Song last appeared in the 2015 Christmas special “The Husbands of River Song.” It was her first meeting with her husband Peter Capaldi, and because of where it is set in time she does not recognize The Doctor. In fact, she’s married to someone else, for a while. It’s a great jumping on episode for those who haven’t seen River Song, Peter Capaldi’s doctor, and/or Doctor Who. It’s well-written, clever as hell, sensual to excess and more fun than a barrel of monkeys. And we all know everything is better with a monkey.

Even better: this episode gave us the introduction of Nardole, played by British comedian Matt Lucas. He returned for this year’s Christmas special as the Doctor’s, umm, valet (the Doctor is companionless for the nonce) and Nardole will return for about a half-dozen episodes in the upcoming season. Americans might recognize him for his role in Community where, coincidentally, he played a fan of the ersatz teevee show Inspector Spacetime.

I hope to see River return sometime this season as it is Steven Moffat’s last as writer/showrunner. I hope to see River Song return anywhere at any time, if that latter phrase has any real meaning in a world where time travel exists.

But, hey, I’ll settle for Alex Kingston returning damn well anywhere.

New Clip from Justice League Dark

Warner Home Entertainment released an all-new clip from Justice League Dark, the next installment in the popular, ongoing line of DC Universe Original Movies. The film will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Deluxe Giftset, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on February 7, 2017, and on Digital HD starting January 24, 2017.

The clip features the Justice League assessing the situation, and one notable member not quite believing there might be supernatural forces involved. The clip also includes the first appearance of John Stewart/Green Lantern as a member of the Justice League in a DC Universe Original Movie.

When innocent civilians begin committing unthinkable crimes across Metropolis, Gotham City and beyond,  Batman must call upon mystical counterparts to eradicate this demonic threat to the planet. Enter Justice League Dark, reluctantly led by the Hellblazer himself, John Constantine. Like Batman, Constantine is a cunning, often cynical loner who is the best at his chosen profession – but quickly realizes the sinister forces plaguing the planet will require help from other supernatural alliances. Forming a new “league” with sorceress Zatanna, otherworldly Deadman, and Jason Blood and his powerful alter ego Etrigan the Demon, this team of Dark Arts specialists must unravel the mystery of Earth’s supernatural plague and contend with the rising, powerful villainous forces behind the siege – before it’s too late for all of mankind.

Power Rangers Dino Super Charge Extinction Arrives on DVD March 7

The Power Rangers face their most dangerous threat yet when the action-packed adventures of Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction arrives on DVD March 7 from Lionsgate. This DVD contains the last 10 episodes from the latest Power Rangers season on Nickelodeon. Episodes 6-11 will also be available on Digital HD and On Demand March 7, while the last five episodes will be available on Digital HD and On Demand April 4. In this series, the teen superheroes must work together to protect the Energems and save the universe from monsters, zombies, and the evil Sledge. Stand as one and celebrate one of the top-rated and longest-running kids’ live-action series in TV history when the Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction DVD becomes available for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

The action is supercharged and the adventures are out of this world as the Power Rangers call upon their teamwork and abilities to protect the Energems, mysterious colored gems with incredible powers. The team faces some of its fiercest foes and greatest challenges — including monsters, zombies, and an evil love spell — as the Power Rangers stand as one and fight to keep the world safe from the evil Sledge!

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Year of Production: 2015
Title Copyright: ™ and © SCG Power Rangers LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Type: TV-on-DVD
Rating: NR
Genre: Action/Adventure, Children’s Series, Fantasy
Closed-Captioned: English
Subtitles: N/A
Feature Run Time: 232 minutes
DVD Format: 16×9 Widescreen 1.78:1 Presentation
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio,
Spanish and French 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio

Netflix Mashes Stranger Things & Trollhunters in Video

In celebration of DreamWorks Trollhunters, which premiered on Netflix on Friday, December 23rd, DreamWorks Animation Television and Netflix have released an out-of-this-world mash up featuring elements of the wildly-popular Stranger Things! Trollhunters took fans by storm when it premiered all 26 episodes, a first for a Netflix original. Not only were fans ecstatic but critical acclaim has soared since the premiere putting Trollhunters at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes! See your favorite characters back in action in the video below!

From the limitless imagination of acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes a tale of two worlds set to collide in the epic saga DreamWorks Trollhunters. When ordinary teenager Jim Lake Jr. stumbles upon a mystical amulet on his way to school one morning, he inadvertently discovers an extraordinary secret civilization of mighty trolls beneath his small town of Arcadia. Suddenly destined to play a crucial role in an ancient battle of good and evil, Jim is determined to save the world – right after gym class. A must-see viewing event for the entire family, DreamWorks Trollhunters will bring viewers of all ages around the globe into the rich and creative world of this all-new Netflix original series, premiering worldwide December 23, 2016.

Voice talent includes Kelsey Grammer (“The Simpsons,” X-Men: The Last Stand), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Adventure Time), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) and the late Anton Yelchin (Star Trek Beyond). Trollhunters is created and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak, Hellboy). Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Rodrigo Blaas (animator Up, Brave, WALL•E), Christina Steinberg (Rise of the Guardians) and Chad Hammes (Dragons: Race to the Edge) serve as executive producers. Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman are co-executive producers.

Doctor Strange Sling Rings to Home Video in February

doctor_strange3d-e1483894440956-3449476BURBANK, Calif. — Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange, the story of Dr. Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, has mesmerized both audiences and critics, pulling in more than $658.3 million at the worldwide box office to date and earning a 90% critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. The biggest single-character introduction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it also carries on Marvel Studios’ winning streak as the 14th consecutive MCU film to debut at #1 at the domestic box office.

On Feb. 14, Doctor Strange fans can bring home the critically acclaimed blockbuster early on Digital HD/3D and Disney Movies Anywhere, or on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray, Digital SD, DVD and On-Demand on Feb. 28. The Blu-ray and Digital releases come packaged with over 80 minutes of fascinating, never-before-seen bonus materials, including five behind-the-scenes featurettes, five deleted scenes, hilarious outtakes, part two of the comical mockumentary “Team Thor,” audio commentary, and an exclusive look at the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The film boasts an award-winning cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Black Mass) as Dr. Stephen Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Serenity) as Mordo, Rachel McAdams (Spotlight, Southpaw) as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong (The Martian, Prometheus) as Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Steve Jobs) as Dr. Nicodemus West, Benjamin Bratt (Traffic, Piñero) as Jonathan Pangborn, and Scott Adkins (El Gringo, The Expendables 2) as Lucian/Strong Zealot, with Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt, Casino Royale) as Kaecilius and Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton (2007 Best Supporting Actress, Michael Clayton; Julia) as The Ancient One.

Bonus Features (Bonus features may vary by retailer. The DVD does not include any bonus materials.):

DIGITAL HD & BLU-RAY:

  • Featurettes
    • A Strange Transformation – Open your eye to a new dimension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and see how the filmmakers brought one of comic books’ greatest characters to life.
    • Strange Company – Find out what it’s like for the cast to work on a Marvel film, and how Director Scott Derrickson engineered one of the most ambitious, imaginative films ever.
    • The Fabric of Reality – Take a closer look at the movie’s extraordinary sets, meticulously crafted costumes and amazingly detailed production elements.
    • Across Time and Space – Explore the countless hours of dance and fight choreography the actors endured in preparation for their physically demanding roles.
    • The Score-cerer Supreme – Join Composer Michael Giacchino and a full orchestra during live recording sessions, and experience the movie’s mind-bending music.
  • Marvel Studios Phase 3 Exclusive Look – Get an early peek at Marvel’s spectacular upcoming films, including Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.
  • Team Thor: Part 2 – See more of the hilarious partnership between Thor and his roommate Darryl in this satirical short.
  • Deleted Scenes
    • Strange Meets Daniel Drumm
    • Kaecilius Searches for Answers
    • The Kamar-Taj Courtyard
    • Making Contact
    • Lost in Kathmandu
  • Gag Reel
  • Audio Commentary by Director Scott Derrickson

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:

  • Through the Keyhole: The Science of the MCU – Discover how Marvel grounds all its films in real science, and explore the connection between science, magic and imagination.

From Marvel Studios comes Doctor Strange, the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident renders his hands useless. When traditional medicine fails him, he travels to the remote Kamar-Taj in search of a cure, but instead discovers the mystical arts and becomes a powerful sorcerer battling dark forces bent on destroying our reality.

Scott Derrickson (Deliver Us from Evil, Sinister) is directing with Kevin Feige, p.g.a., producing. Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour, Prometheus) and Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (Sinister, Sinister 2).

The talented team of filmmakers assembled for Doctor Strange includes Ben Davis (Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy), cinematographer; Charles Wood (Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy), production designer; Alexandra Byrne (Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy), costume designer; Wyatt Smith (Into the Woods, Ricki and the Flash) and Sabrina Plisco (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Charlotte’s Web), editors; Stephane Ceretti (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: The Dark World), visual effects supervisor; and Paul Corbould (Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy), special effects supervisor.

DISC SPECIFICATIONS (applies to film content only):

PRODUCT SKUs: Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy), Blu-ray 2D Combo Pack (Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy),DVD, Digital HD/3D/SD and On-Demand
RUN TIME: Feature run time is approximately 115 minutes
RATED: PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence
ASPECT RATIO:  Blu-ray 3D = 1080p High Definition Widescreen (2.39:1/1.90:1); Blu-ray = 1080p High Definition Widescreen (2.39:1), DVD = 2.39:1
AUDIO: Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, DVD = English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio
SUBTITLES: English SDH, Spanish and French

Beavis & Butt-Head: The Complete Collection Hits DVD February

NEW YORK – Attention fartknockers!  Creator Mike Judge’s beloved slackers are back in BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD: The Complete Collection, coming to DVD February 14, 2017.  When Beavis and Butt-Head first appeared on MTV more than a decade ago, critics dismissed them as brainless couch potatoes who did nothing but watch TV and make lewd jokes about bodily functions. Today we know they were ahead of their time. Beavis and Butt-Head’s unique idiocy profoundly changed television, movies, pop culture and the world.

Now, America’s favorite culture critics are back in this comprehensive new collection to tell us all exactly what sucks.  Housing everything in one set for the first time ever, BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD: The Complete Collection includes all four volumes of the acclaimed television series—including the boys’ triumphant return in 2011—as well as the Special Collector’s Edition of the fan-favorite movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.  In addition, the 12-DVD set boasts a wealth of bonus material including “Taint of Greatness: The Journey of Beavis and Butt-Head” Parts 1-3, VMA appearances, a Thanksgiving Special with Kurt Loder, the 1994-1996 Butt-Bowls, MTV 20th Anniversary Special, the original, un-cut “Frog Baseball,” a 2011 Comic-Con panel featuring Mike Judge and moderator Johnny Knoxville, promos, montages, and much, much more. BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD: The Complete Collection has a suggested retail price of $46.99.

DVD Release Date: 2/14/17
U.S. Rating: NR (TV series); PG-13 (feature film)
Running Time: 17 hours, 21 min
Format: Full Screen (TV series); Widescreen (feature film)

Marc Alan Fishman: Meetings With Remarkable Men

  • News
  • January 7, 2017

gold-ostrander-unshaven-comics-5273610

“I had a lovely brunch with Jesus Christ.
He said, “two words about inanity: fundamental Christianity,” yeah.
The food was very nice.
But then He had to go and die for my sins and stick my ass with the check.”

Just before 2016 died a fiery death, Unshaven Comics broke bread with ComicMix EIC Mike Gold and Living Legend John Ostrander. It wasn’t our first meal together, and assuredly it’s nowhere close to the last. We met for no better reason than to share a meal and a joyous time. Little did Mike know I was going to just go ahead and record the whole evening in my mind, and use it for this week’s article. I’m coy, don’t you know.

As with many interactions with Gold, barbecue was involved. We wound up at a north suburban Chicago joint with walls adorned in celebrity photos and the wafting aroma of wood-fired Q, as is often the case in the company of great and powerful comic book men.

What I love, perhaps more than anything else about these meals, is how quickly we nerd out. Barely a passing “Hello, how’s so and so” was muttered before the three Unshavens and the two greybeards (can I get away with that? I’ll try it) landed on the minutiae of our beloved pulp heroes and villains. Before we could even be seated we’d begun to ramble on about Supergirl, Suicide Squad, Arrow, Amanda Waller, Avengers: Infinity War, and the Smallville version of Martian Manhunter.

I bowed before the avatar.
He said, “the problem’s clear to me: you never got over Morrissey,” yeah.
I said “well, right you are!”
“It’s so much harder to be underfed than under-understood,” he said.

After we were seated, the conversation veered towards the political. Again, folks in-the-know of our trusted EIC wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. It’s likely not a surprise either, that nary a single point made was in favor of our soon-to-be Reality-Judge-In-Chief. We lamented on the state of the cabinet (“…akin to the Legion of Doom, but likely far more evil than the pulpy counterparts”). We chortled about the two party system (“…it doesn’t work, but then again, neither does anything else”). We commiserated on the power of social media (“…there’s no way in my day folks could assemble as fast”). In between bites of pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket, John and Mike gave me the moment of the evening.

I’m not certain who originated the point, but someone on the Unshaven side of the table asked of our elders if they still had hope – that with enough spirited activism in place our country wouldn’t end up like the fire-pits of Apokolips. Mike and John each paused for a moment and delivered a Chicago-esque Siskel-Ebert take. I won’t tell you who said what (somethings are better left to be discovered), but Gold and Ostrander took different answers. Backed either by the eternal optimism stolen from the 60s that sparked their own original rebellious natures, or rebuked because of the sage wisdom of seeing the world rise and fall enough to believe that pessimism finally stole the day. It was sobering, prophetic, and amazing; and the moment fell as our last entrée plate was taken away.

I went to see KIP WINGER!
He said, “in my day we knew how to party; bands today, c’mon, not hardly.”
He had a back-up singer (doo doo doo doo).
He said, “the metal scene is a disgrace, but I ain’t got no dog in that race!”

When the moment passed, the conversation moved from the sobering to the cynical. The careers of Andy Dick, Rob Schneider, and David Spade were compared and picked over. And true to form, Mike Gold had a personal connection and a story about one of them — likely the other two as well, but by then the server was eyeing our booth for the still-unpaid-bill.

Unshaven picked up the tab (and was sure to extort our dinner guests for future favors, the true way of the comic book business), and the long Jewish Goodbyes began. Thirty minutes later, we parted ways, and the evening ended as brightly as it’d began.

Mike turned to John. “You know, I was just reading a list of the worst movies of 2016, and Suicide Squad was in the top five!” John snickered immediately. “Yeah, well, it made 750 million bucks, so I don’t give a damn.”

Damn straight, John.

Tip of the hat to Harvey Danger’s “Meetings with Remarkable Men (Show Me A Hero)” for the lyrical inspiration this week. If Mike ever lets me program my own guest set on “Weird Sounds Inside the Gold Mind”, that will be how I kick it off.

Mike Gold: Living In Interesting Times

  • News
  • January 4, 2017

john-ostrander-8060519Let me be the last to wish you a happy new year. Actually you – and my Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mind audience – are the first people upon whom I’m bestowing these tidings. I’m writing this on Boxing Day because I’m leaving town for a week. I think I’m going to Chicago, where I shall reflexively ask Barry Crain for Sonic Disruptors pages.

While in the Windy City, I will be meeting up with my ol’ pal and fellow ComicMix columnist John Ostrander, another expatriated Chicagoan. He will be in town along with Mary Mitchell to visit (or annoy, as the case may be) a gaggle of his relatives. We will be doing at least two things together, the first of which is having a profoundly fabulous dinner with also-fellow ComicMix columnist Marc Alan Fishman and the Unshaven Comics crew, and as many wives and children as possible that can tolerate a couple hours of seriously immature behavior.

The other reason John and I are getting together is that a couple months ago we started work on what may very well be the most important comics project of our lives… or, at least, mine. We’re working with a woman who is most certainly one of the most important people I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot of important people.

That’s why I’m in comics. The important people usually aren’t (but that’s changing), and variety is the spice of life. But this project combines the two; in fact, it combines just about all my Sybilistic professional personalities – comics, politics, media, and youth social services. Maybe it’ll be my one last parting shot; if so, it’ll be the one of which I’d be proudest.

eric-idle-3163099As Eric Idle famously wrote and sang, “Life’s a laugh and death’s a joke, it’s true / You’ll see it’s all a show / Keep ’em laughing as you go / Just remember that the last laugh is on you!” Truer words were never sung, particularly from a cross on a movie set in Tunisia.

No, I’m not going to tell you what this one is all about. Not yet. Once everything is nailed down, contracts are signed, and moral non-disclosure agreements are no longer necessary, you bet I’ll babble on. I’ll bet John will, too. And others.

So 2017 promises to be another very interesting year. Yeah, I know, 2016 was very interesting but really, really ugly. If you feel you deserve a better 2017, you merely are part of a horde of approximately 7,361,250,000 Earthlings.

chamberlain-1003605It’s a shame that the “famous Chinese curse” may you live in interesting times is apocryphal. For the record, the phrase “may you live in an interesting age” was first uttered by Frederic R. Coudert in 1939 at the Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science. He attributed it to his friend Sir Austen Chamberlain, brother of the infamous British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who claimed to have heard it from Chinese diplomats a few years earlier. However, Sir Austen didn’t speak Chinese and never went to China, so it is likely his sense of truthiness was as on-target as Sir Neville’s “there will be peace in our time…” uttered right after he gave the Sudetenland to Adolf Hitler a year before the start of World War II.

The “interesting times” version cannot be traced back further than the late 1940s and was brought to the attention of most by Robert Kennedy in 1966, in a speech the Senator made in Cape Town South Africa. Bobby said, “There is a Chinese curse which says ‘May he live in interesting times.’ Like it or not we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history.” Of course, the Chinese curse quote was total bullshit, but we do not know if Bobby Kennedy knew that.

Nonetheless, the sentiment is accurate. May we live in interesting times can be quite a curse.

It is up to us to make certain it is not.

Happy New Year. Try not to fret too much. It scares the horses.

 

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