Category: News

George Takei has flown Down Under to become the oldest contestant on the British edition of I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here. “I’m physically fit. I used to run marathons, now I work out every day,” he told the Daily Mirror.

Of the grueling challenges awaiting him in the Outback, he noted, “I’m Japanese and love sushi. I’ve even eaten live fish. It was delicious.”

His arrival got off to a shaky start when no one from the show was present to meet him at the airport. “I’ve been left wandering the airport for 30 minutes. They assured me there would be someone to meet me,” Takei said. A gaggle of reporters, on hand for the celebrity’s arrival, guided him to his destination.

His fellow contestants include local politician Robert Kilroy-Silk., ex Met deputy Brian Paddick, former tennis champ Martina Navratilova, Carly Zucker, fiancée to soccer’s Joe Cole, former EastEnder actor Joe Swash, former Blue singer Simon Webbe, TV host Dani Behr, Esther Rantzen, and glamor girl Nicola McLean.

Takei, 71, recently wed his partner Brand Anderson and has been a vocal critic of California’s Proposition 8 which has now outlawed gay marriage. He will be one of three gay contestants on the show’s eighth season..

The series begins airing Sunday night on ITV at 9 p.m..
 

The final details have been released for Volume One of the Steve Canyon DVD set. Writing at the show’s blog, the production team stated, “Before we get to the good news I need to mention that the Volume 1 release has been regrettably delayed for (hopefully) only a week at this point. This is due to a number of factors (not the least of which is the massive logistics involving multiple discs/episodes/soundtracks) manufacturing issues, and our resolve to put out a superior product. Several of our celebrity commentaries have been added at the very last minute as well which has slowed us down (but I’m sure is worth it). in any eventI apologize for the delay and take full responsibility for it. thereforeI am resetting the counter to Tuesday November 25th today and am extending the $24.95 early-bird pre-order price to that date as well.”

THE COMPLETE STEVE CANYON ON DVD VOLUME ONE:

Disc 1

1. OPERATION TOWLINE
NBC Premiere Saturday September 13, 1958
Directed by Ted Post • Written by Joseph Landon, Shelly Colbert & Milton Caniff • With: Harry Townes, Susan Alexander, Paul Frees, Morgan Woodward

Steve is working on a dangerous mission to develop an anti-missile system of towing Convair F-102 jet fighters from a KB-50 tanker.

EXTRA: Commentary track featuring actor Morgan Woodward and producer John Ellis (more…)

Ilex Press  has announced a January release of Erotic Comics: A Graphic History (Volume 2) – From The 1970s to the Present Day. Former Vertigo editor Tim Pilcher returns for the second volume, with additional research by Gene Kannenberg, Jr, and the book sports a foreword by Alan Moore. Abrams ComicArts will release the book domestically on March 1, 2009, retailing for $29.95.

The book promises to explore European, American and Asian artists as they explored the possibility of the form in the years since the explosion of the Sixties’ underground comix.

The book will examine how the form has become an international publishing phenomenon by showcasing artwork that has inflamed desires, incensed censors, and caused controversy.

This provocative title covers everything: the erotic comics explosion in America in the mid-‘80s; the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender comics scene; UK and European erotic comic creators since the ‘70s; and the Japanese hentai phenomenon. The future of erotic comics online is also explored in this fascinating and surprising volume.

In the first survey of its kind in over 20 years, Erotic Comics completes this fascinating two-part chronicle with previously unpublished, rare and out-of-print material, featuring insights from key artists, editors, and publishers. Fully illustrated with stunning, rare, and seldom-seen art by Howard Cruse, Gengoroh Tagame, Melinda Gebbie, Hunt Emerson, Howard Chaykin, Giovanna Casotto (whose work graces the cover), Tom of Finland, Milo Manara, Junko Mizuno, and many other top erotic cartoonists. The informative text provides a sexy, intriguing, and entertaining tour through the origins of an often-overlooked art form and comic book genre.

Pilcher has previously co-authored of The Essential Guide to World Comics and The Complete Cartooning Course, and has contributed to numerous other publications including, Comix: The Underground Revolution, 500 Comic Book Action Heroes, The Slings and Arrows Comic Guide (1st Edition), 500 Essential Graphic Novels and the forthcoming War Comics: A Graphic History.

DreamWorks outlined for The Hollywood Reporter which of the properties it retained after its divorce from Paramount are now on their “high-priority list”. Among them are a few genre properties including:

Cowboys and Aliens: The adaptation of the Platinum Studios comic is still being written by  now executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. Ron Howard’s Imagine is producing with Robert Downey, Jr. still attached to star.

Real Steel: A futuristic boxing movie written by Les Bohem (Dante’s Peak).

Button Man: The John Wagner and Arthur Ransom graphic novel is being adapted by screenwriter Hillary Seitz (Eagle Eye).

Hereafter: A supernatural-themed original screenplay by Peter Morgan with Clint Eastwood said to be interested in directing the story.

Director Guillermo del Toro told Bloody Disgusting that he is producing Gris Grimly’s directorial debut, a new version of Pinocchio.

"We are trying to get a full stop-motion version of Gris Grimly’s Pinocchio off the ground, with the Jim Henson Company," del Toro told the site while promoting the DVD release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. "The idea came from Gris, and everybody loves his book about it. The original story is far more perverse and spooky and semi-necrophilia vibe to it in certain aspects. Gris certainly has that vein in him, he wants to do this with that original spookiness in it, we are trying to get it going. The Jim Henson Company is the behind it and we are currently working on the screenplay! It’s not coming to a screen near you any time soon, even if it were to begin today it would be about three years in the making, but we are working to make it happen. A full-scale puppet universe takes time," he jokes.

Del Toro has been fascinated with puppets it seems given the extensive work on the prologue setting up the story for Hellboy II.  He also says he’s developing an original puppet project with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.