Category: News

Fred Fredericks, 1929 – 2015

Legendary comics artist Fred Fredericks died this week.

After attending New York’s School of Visual Arts in the period following the Korean War, Fredericks started drawing historical comics that attracted the attention of comic book editors. Before long, Fred was a regular at Western Publishing (Dell, Gold Key), where he drew such titles as The Twilight Zone, The Munsters, Mighty Mouse, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mister Ed, Nancy, and Snuffy Smith. After working on several short-lived Civil War newspaper strips, Fredericks created the comics feature Rebel for Scholastic Scope, which ran for 30 years.

mandrake-the-magician-9171843In 1965, the year following the start of Rebel, Fred was selected by writer / playwright Lee Falk to take over the art chores on his daily and Sunday Mandrake The Magician newspaper strip. Fred drew Mandrake until the Sundays ended in 2002, but he continued drawing the daily feature until his retirement in 2013. Fredericks took over the writing chores when Falk died in 1999; he already had been lettering the strip. Overall, his stint on Mandrake ran nearly a half-century.

For 10 years Fred also inked George Olesen’s pencils on Lee Falk’s The Phantom Sundays, until Graham Nolan took over following Olesen’s retirement.

Fredericks returned to comic books in 1987, inking Alex Saviuk’s pencils on Marvel’s adaptation of the animated series Defenders of the Earth – a show that featured Mandrake, The Phantom and Flash Gordon. He went on to work on such Marvel titles as Punisher War Journal, Daredevil, Quasar, G.I. Joe, and Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja. Around this time Fred also did a fair amount of work for DC Comics, including Who’s Who, Secret Origins, Showcase, and Black Lightning.

After his retirement in 2013, King Features put Mandrake The Magician into reruns, reprinting Fred Frederick’s work.

A personal note.

Around the time the Sunday Mandrake was coming to an end, I received a phone call from Lee Falk asking me if I knew where Fred might land some assignments. I gave him a few ideas, and later told Fred of a few more. As a “reward”, Fred sent me a package of original Mandrake art. Quite frankly, his entertaining me for decades was more than enough, but I was greatly moved by his generosity.

A man of great kindness and skill, Fred Fredericks played an important role in the world of post-WWII American comics, both strips and books. He kept Mandrake The Magician alive when all but a small handful of adventure strips fell by the wayside. Fred Fredericks will be missed by his great many fans worldwide.

(Photo above, left to right: Lee Falk, Lothar, Mandrake, Fred Fredericks)

 

 

 

 

 

The Point Radio: Getting POWERS On TV – Finally

The process of turning the Image Comics hit POWERS from book to TV wasn’t an easy one. Co-creator Brian Michael Bendis talks about all the bumps along the way, plus Susan Heyward and Eddie Izzard from the new Sony TV series share how they came on board. Plus Nestor Carbonell from BATES MOTEL talks about the path his character is on this season and what is really behind his relationship with Norma.

In a few days, we look at UNDATEABLE, headed back to NBC, and we head to the set with creator Bill Lawrence and comedian Ron Funches.
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The Point Radio: Check In For More Creepy At BATES MOTEL

It’s a sure sign that spring is on the way when the doors open for a new season of BATES MOTEL. Show runners Carlton Cuse and Kerry Eihern, along with the main momma herself, Vera Farmiga, lay out what is coming up this year. Plus remember Trapper Tice and the boys from AIMS? They’ve decided to focus their creature capturing activities on one target this year, Big Foot. It’s all on a new season of MOUNTAIN MONSTERS and we have a preview.

In a few days, more BATES MOTEL as we sit down for an exclusive talk with Nestor Carbonell who finally reveals the connection between his character and Norma. And POWERS debuts on Playstation this week and we go behind the scenes for a look.
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How much to build the Millennium Falcon?

“Well, more wealth  than YOU could imagine!”

DeAgostini Model Space makes incredibly detailed model kits, and in celebration of the release of their Millennium Falcon model they’ve estimated the total cost of building your own Corellian YT-1300 light freighter.  One must assume Han Solo’s special modifications would be extra.

How-Much-Would-It-Cost-to-Build-the-Millennium-Falcon-The model is billed as ” 1:1 scale” which makes me think there are some punctuation marks missing.

 

 

Live-action Harlock: Space Pirate Coming March 31

HarlockSP_3DLOS ANGELES, CA – Director Shinji Aramaki (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Halo Legends, Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina) unleashes an interstellar thrill ride with Harlock: Space Pirate on Digital HD, On Demand and DVD from Ketchup Entertainment! Based on the classic comic book and TV series, this live action family adventure stars David Matranga (Appleseed, Journey to Agatha), Emily Neves (Starship Troopers: Invasion, Journey to Agatha), and Rob Mungle (Blue Seed, Lady Death).

A mysterious space pirate of the future, Captain Harlock, is determined to return his death ship and loyal crew to a battered Earth, which has been declared off-limits by the intergalactic Gaia Coalition. The rogue captain comes up with an incredible plan to go back in time to rescue Earth, but that includes the destruction of everything, as it exists. A young soldier of the Gaia Coalition volunteers to go undercover on the infamous skull ship and assassinate Harlock, but he soon discovers things are not as they seem. As dark secrets of the past are uncovered, the fate of the entire universe teeters on a very thin edge.

Rating: Not Rated
Total Runtime: 111 minutes
S.R.P: $20.99
Video: 2:39: 1 aspect ratio
Audio: English 5.1 and 2.0 audio/Japanese 5.1 audio

Special Features:

  • Includes the Original Japanese version

Entourage Box Sets to Include Movie Certificate for Feature Film

entourage-e1425762223859-3535448This summer, Vince and the boys are back in the hotly anticipated Entourage movie. Fans of the hit HBO series quickly learned that in the world of Hollywood, it’s all about exclusivity and being in-the-know. Fortunately, HBO is making it easier than ever to catch up on the series and gain exclusive access to a movie certificate for the film through a partnership with Fandango. Starting May 12, 2015, all eight original seasons of Entourage, as well as the  Entourage: The Complete Series box set, will include an exclusive certificate offer granting fans money to spend toward their ticket to see Entourage, in theaters June 5, 2015. It’s the perfect way to get caught up on the series in anticipation of the big screen release this summer.

  • Individual box sets for seasons 1-8 will include an offer for up to $8 off one movie ticket to see Entourage. The offer will be valid across all participating retailers on both Blu-rayTM (SRP $29.97) and DVD (SRP $24.98).
  • Entourage: The Complete Series on DVD ($199) will include an offer for up to $25 off three movie tickets to see Entourage, giving fans a chance to bring their whole entourage to the movie with them. The offer will also be valid across all participating retailers.
  • Exclusively at Best Buy, Entourage: The Complete Series on Blu-ray ($289.92) will also include an offer for up to $25 off three movie tickets to see Entourage.
  • The offer is valid at participating theaters in the US only and expires August 5, 2015*.

*Movie certificate is good towards either 1 admission (up to $8.00 total value) or towards 3 admissions (up to $25.00 total value) to see Entourage at participating theaters in the U.S. Reward code void if not activated by 8/5/2015 and certificate void if not used by 8/5/2015. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Movie certificate is powered by Fandango Loyalty Solutions, LLC. ©2015 Fandango Loyalty Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. See www.activaterewards.com/entourage for full details.

About  Entourage:

Created and executive produced by Doug Ellin and loosely based on the experiences of his good friend, Academy Award® nominee Mark Wahlberg (who’s among the series’ executive producers), Entourage takes a none-too-serious look at the day-to-day life of Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), a hot young Hollywood actor, and the inner circle of friends he’s brought from his hometown in Queens, NY: manager Eric (Kevin Connolly), half-brother/actor Drama (Kevin Dillon) and enterprising pal Turtle (Jerry Ferrara).  The series also stars Jeremy Piven who garnered three Emmy®Awards and a Golden Globe®for his portrayal as Vince’s agent Ari Gold, Rex Lee as Lloyd and Perry Reeves as the long-suffering Mrs. Ari. Returning guest stars include Scott Caan as Scott Lavin, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan, Beverly D’Angelo as Ari’s business partner Babs and Debi Mazar as Vince’s publicist Shauna.  Along with Ellin and Wahlberg, the series is executive produced by Stephen Levinson, Denis Biggs, Ally Musika and Rob Weiss.

The much-anticipated big-screen version of the award-winning hit HBO series reunites the show’s original cast, led by Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven. Movie star Vincent Chase (Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Connolly), Turtle (Ferrara) and Johnny (Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Piven).  Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.

Entourage creator Doug Ellin is directing the feature film from his own screenplay, story by Ellin & Rob Weiss, based on characters created by Ellin.  Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Ellin are producing, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Home Box Office, a Closest to the Hole Production, a Leverage Entertainment Production, a Doug Ellin Film, Entourage.  The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.  The film is set to open in theaters on June 5, 2015.

 

Entourage has been rated R by the MPAA for pervasive language, strong sexual content, nudity and some drug use.

Longmire Season 3 Now on DIsc

longmire-e1425650705748-5995896The wonderfully underrated Longmire completed its third season last year and was then canceled by A&E for reasons beyond understanding. After some protracted negotiations amidst a fury of wronged fans taking to social media to save the series, Netflix announced they have picked up the series for a fourth season to air later this year.

BURBANK, CA (February 23, 2015) – The stunning skies of Wyoming, and the mysteries beneath them, have never been more enthralling than in the unfolding episodes of Longmire, the popular A&E-turned-Netflix television series.  Those cinematic visuals and intense situations have also never looked better than in the full 1080p HD presentation of Warner Archive Collection’s Blu-ray™ release of Longmire, Season 3, available now via your favorite online retailers.

Warner Archive Collection’s release of Longmire, Season 3 on Blu-ray™ includes all 10 episodes in a three-disc set, as well a documentary entitled “The Ghost in the Storm,” which focuses on the obsessions many of the Longmire characters encounter during the series’ captivating third season.

In this riveting third season, Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) is reeling from a series of devastating traumas. Best friend Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips) is going to prison on murder charges. His deputy, Branch (Bailey Chase), has been shot by a mysterious “white warrior.” And Walt‘s right-hand deputy, Vic (Katee Sackhoff), may not have shaken off a stalker from her past. While Walt shoulders these burdens, his daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman) fights in court to clear Henry’s name, and The Ferg (Adam Bartley) holds down the fort behind the scenes as threats to the lawmen come from all directions. Absaroka County’s dark secrets run deeper than Walt imagined, and the closer he gets to uncovering the true bloody hand behind his wife’s murder, the more he realizes that connections and corruptions may ensnare them all.

In addition to the cast regulars, Longmire, Season 3 has featured guest performances from such notable actors as Peter Weller (Robocop), Gerald McRaney (House of Cards, Simon & Simon), A Martinez (L.A. Law, One Life To Live, Santa Barbara), Charles Dutton (Roc, Alien3), Graham Greene, (Dances With Wolves, Die Hard with a Vengeance), Irene Bedard (Pocahontas), Michael Mosley (Sirens), Derek Phillips (42, Friday Night Lights), Lee Tergesen (Oz), Madchen Amick (Twin Peaks), Parker Stevenson (The Hardy Boys, Baywatch) and Peter Stormare (Fargo, The Big Lebowski). Weller also directed the episode, “Wanted Man,” in which he guest stars.

The Point Radio: DIG & THE RETURNED More Must See TV

Two more additions to your TV Must See list should be the USA multi-part event, DIG and the much anticipated remake of the acclaimed French thriller, THE RETURNED on A&E. We talk to the producers and cast of DIG about how they grew their story, then actor Mark Pellegrino explains why all it took was Carlton Cuse to get him onboard for THE RETURNED.

BATES MOTEL opens up for season three in a few days, and Main Mama, Vera Farmiga, tells us just how far the show will go this time – right here in just a few days.
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Shout! TV Adds Stingray, Kentucky Fried Movie, & The Goode Family

stingray-e1425650569201-5558149Shout! Factory TV, now in its second month, has added three more properties to their growing library of streaming content. These include Gerry Anderson’s Stingray, the Supermarionation series from the mid-1960s, the animated Goode Family, and the 1970s comedy Kentucky Fried Movie.

Shout! Factory TV is a premiere digital entertainment streaming service that brings timeless and contemporary cult favorites to pop culture fans. With a uniquely curated entertainment library, the channel offers an unrivaled blend of cult TV shows, movies, comedy, original specials and more – presenting an exciting entertainment alternative to other services.

Shout! Factory TV is available through any browser and has a Roku app.

THE GOODE FAMILY (All 13 episodes)

The Goode Family, from executive producers Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-head, Office Space) and John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky (King of the Hill, Blades of Glory), comes to Shout! Factory TV this March.

A hilarious skewering of our better natures, The Goode Family stars Mike Judge, Nancy Carell (The Office), Linda Cardellini (Freaks And Geeks) and Brian Doyle-Murray (Get A Life) with special guest stars Kevin Nealon, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Richter, Johnny Knoxville, Laraine Newman, Julia Sweeney, Elvis Costello, Alyson Hannigan, Dax Shepard and more!

Meet Gerald and Helen Goode, a couple who live by the motto WWAGD (“What Would Al Gore Do?”). Gerald, a college administrator, and Helen, a community activist, are determined to obliterate their carbon footprint on the planet: They’re zealous vegans, they drive a hybrid, and they recycle everything possible. Even the family dog, Che, is vegan. In the words of Helen, all the Goodes want to do is buy organic apples and call minorities by their politically correct names. But despite their best efforts, something always goes haywire with their plans. With standards always changing, no matter how hard you try to be good, it’s virtually impossible these days . . . especially for the Goode family.

Throughout the 13 episodes, the family adopts a bizarre animal named Gutterball, tags a clean park to experience the joy of cleaning up graffiti, take embarrassing pictures of at-risk kids that get them beat up by their gang-banger friends, get in a turf war with an Aryan prison work-gang while doing a highway cleanup, and much, much more.

GERRY ANDERSON’S STINGRAY (featuring 6 hand-picked episodes)

Battle stations! Join the World Aquanaut Security Patrol in a riptide of retro TV when the sci-fi adventure series Stingray is released on Shout! Factory TV.  Created by the television pioneers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds, Space: 1999), six hand-picked episodes of the Supermarionation classic are coming to the streaming service only for the month of March. Stingray’s appearance on Shout! Factory TV marks the start of a lineup of exciting limited engagements for Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series.

The flagship of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (W.A.S.P.), Stingray is the world’s most highly sophisticated submarine, capable of speeds of over 600 knots and the ability to submerge anywhere on the Earth’s ocean floor. Under the command of the square-jawed and heroic Captain Troy Tempest, Stingray explores the most treacherous depths of our waters and protects the world from the perils that lurk undersea.

KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Bill Bixby)

Directed by the legendary John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), The Kentucky Fried Movie features a lewd, loosely connected collection of skits that spoof blaxploitation films, news shows, TV commercials, kung fu flicks and more!

The original take-off cult classic from the highly successful team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (Airplane, The Naked Gun), this “uproariously funny [film]” (TV Guide) launched a thousand laughs and serves as a precursor to the raunch-fests of the ‘80s and the blockbuster success of the Farrelly Brothers films.

 

Including well-known stars such as Bill Bixby, Donald Sutherland, Tony Dow, George Lazenby and Henry Gibson, this one-of-a-kind film features over 22 hilarious segments including “Cleopatra Schwartz,” “Catholic High School Girls In Trouble,” “A Fistful Of Yen” and more!

Whether reliving childhood memories or discovering television series, movies and comedy specials for the first time, SHOUT! FACTORY TV will provide an immersive, high-quality viewing experience across a wide variety of screens and platforms, online at ShoutFactoryTV.com and on smartphone devices, tablets and connected TV, with an initial rollout on Roku.

SHOUT! FACTORY TV’s programming leverages a distinctive library of pop culture-defining entertainment curated from Shout! Factory, Westchester Films, Timeless Media Group, Scream Factory, major studios, independent producers and other sources from around the world.

The Point Radio: A Different Path For THE FOLLOWING

Season three of THE FOLLOWING has kicked off and everyone wants to know just what’s ahead for Ryan Hardy. The man who can answer that best is Kevin Bacon, and he talks about why this season is so unique for him and the show. Plus former WWE Superstar Alberto DelRio is now Alberto El Patron and heading up the crew of LUCHA UNDERGROUND on ElRey. He talks about the rich history off wrestling in his native land and just why thing went south at The WWE.

The new USA Event Series DIG is about to begin and we take you to the set for an exclusive you’ll only here with us in just a few days.
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