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Anime, manga awards awarded

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

The first American Anime Awards were handed out at the New Yorker hotel in (where else) New York last Saturday, and by popular demand (Sid Popular sent us an e-mail – and thanks to Steve Allen for that gag!), here are the winners:

Best Actor: Vic Mignogna (Fullmetal Alchemist, Macross)

Best Anime Theme Song: Rewrite (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Best Actress: Mary Elizabeth (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG)

Best Comedy Anime: FLCL

Best Actor in a Comedy: Dave Wittenberg (Zatch Bell)

Best Anime Feature: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Best Actress in a Comedy: Debi Derryberry (Zatch Bell)

Best Short Series: FLCL

Best Cast: Fullmetal Alchemist

Best Long Series: Fullmetal Alchemist

Best DVD Package Design: Fullmetal Alchemist

Best Manga: Fruits Basket

The full list of nominees and more information.

“The Times It Is A-Changin'”

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

cafeconleche200-1202470If you think we’ve come a long way in butting out of people’s personal affairs, remember this: the last anti-miscegenation law prohibiting people of different races from marrying was repealed on November 7, 2000. Seven years later, an interracial couple breaks down one of the last barriers to a normal American family life: the newspaper family comic strip.

On April 2nd, the Creators Syndicate will be debuting Charlos Gary’s Cafe Con Leche. Gary, a 39 year old cartoonist living in Chicago, got his start with a strip called Working It Out. It was initially carried by the Chicago Tribune, but is now syndicated by Creators. He told Editor & Publisher "Cafe con Leche is about an interracial couple learning about each other’s cultural background. It’s loosely based on the first year of marriage to my wife Agustina, who is originally from Argentina."

This marks the second time a newspaper strip has been built around such a theme. Color Blind ran for one year, at the end of the 20th century. Let’s hope Cafe Con Leche enjoys a much longer run.

shinning-9130348

Chiller debuts

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

chiller-1041529Chiller, a new cable TV channel from NBC Universal, launched today. It offers horror and thriller programming like Twin Peaks, Tales From the Crypt, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery, American Gothic, Friday the 13th: The Series and other shows that never really fit on the Sci-Fi Channel. It also, as you would expect, be running movies in the same, uh, vein — Psycho, The Haunting, Showgirls, the usual.

But here’s the fun part. Earlier today, here’s what their website said tonight’s schedule was:

shinning-9130348

The Shinning? Och! The wee lad who’s been coding the website’s seen the Treehouse of Horror one taa many times! (Sadly, it’s been fixed now. Very hard to be chilling when people are laughing, I guess.)

Chiller is airing on Direct TV, channel 257; otherwise, complain to Dish TV or your local cable provider.

Worm turns on Doonesbury

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

doonesbury-4485515Some wag said 9/11 marked the death of irony. Well, that was certainly ironic.

Gwynne Dyer, writing for the London Independent, pointed out recent Doonesbury strips have been parroting the official Bush / Cheney line that the people to blame for our defeat in Iraq are "those brutal, stupid Iraqis."

Whereas the strip has never voiced support for the war – and, in fact, has been quite supportive of how our troops have been mistreated by our government – some recent strips have portrayed performance as, according to Dyer, "lazy, cowardly Iraquis shun(ning) their duty… It is a shameful, childish lie."

Personally, I didn’t get quite the same drift, although I understand where Dyer is coming from. Garry Trudeau couldn’t be reached for comment, being too busy removing the shoe from the other foot.

John Ostrander: “We hold these truths to be self-evident”

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

ostrander100-2390850I just read where the Anglican church, now controlled by conservative African bishops, are threatening to lower the boom of the American branch — the Episcopalians — to the point of tossing them out over the issue of appointing an openly and actively gay bishop and the issue of offering blessings to same sex couples.    

Never mind that the bishop in question, V. Gene Robinson, happens to be in a very monogamous relationship, or that he is, by all accounts, a very good man and capable administrator. Never mind that he is being open about his sexuality and his relationship — there would be no problem if he just kept it a secret and lied about it. Never mind that the couples in question are seeking stability in one on one relationships in a loving situation and are looking to commit to one another. Never mind that the Anglican Church has a history of not being doctrinal, of open inquiry, of autonomy for each of the Churches within its communion. What matters is that once again the Christian Right(eous) have determined that their version of the truth is the only truth and will impose that view on everyone and it doesn’t matter what they destroy along the way.

The Crusades live. (more…)

Black Betty screams just for you

After Dark’s Black Betty speaks to ComicMix about To Die For!, the scoop on Superman’s changes, our update on teevee news, 

All this, Timeline, more news and serious thrills on ComicMix’s eighth exclusive Podcast — available right here:

 

(more…)

Ford memorial auction raises over $4000

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

Following up on our earlier post, auction coordinator Deb Geisler writes: "We’re delighted to tell you that the auction raised $4,030, which will be donated to the special fund set up by the Friends of the Minneapolis Library in Mike’s name. We had so many donations (more than 70!) that we divided the auction into a voice auction (the extravaganza portion) and a silent auction following that. NESFA will be sending the proceeds of the auction to the Friends of the Minneapolis Library shortly, and we hope it helps to engage people in the love of F&SF literature for many years to come."

To learn more about the John M. Ford Book Endowment, click here.

Arkin to Get Smart with Carell

  • Uncategorized
  • March 1, 2007

alanarkin100-4335242Fresh from their oscar-nominated performances in Little Miss Sunshine last year, Steve Carell and Alan Arkin will be appearing together in the Warner Bros. film version of Get Smart as Maxwell Smart (Secret Agent 86, as if you’d forgotten) and the Chief, respectively. Also cast in the film is Anne Hathaway as Agent 99.

But now, the really tough question — do you even try to replace Bernie Kopell as Siegfried? And Patrick Warburton, of course, is the obvious choice for Hymie the Robot.

Marvel gets Fooled

  • News
  • February 28, 2007

For those who enjoyed yesterday’s brief look at Marvel’s financials and want to see and understand more, the Motley Fool has done some of the heavy lifting for you. What’s telling is that the entire piece is spent detailing the financing behind Marvel’s movie production and licensing (which, admittedly, has been the object of speculation and is somewhat complex) but not a whit on the comics themselves.

Letterman NYCC quiz

  • Uncategorized
  • February 28, 2007

The CBS Late Show with David Letterman took a look last night at the New York Comic Con, offering the following bit:

Said Letterman, "We got some footage of the event. We then compiled this quiz. Some of my favorites:

(Heavy guy thumbing through comic books)

"Just an hour into the convention, this man has already gotten his hands on:

A) Superman #1

B) Green Lantern #3

C) Cheeseburger #6

(Character in giant head)

"The character on the right:

A) is from a Japanese cartoon

B) will soon be in his own movie

C) has been stumbling blindly through the city since the Thanksgiving Parade

(Girl in fluffy dress and orange wig):

"Looking at this scene, we’re reminded that:

A) all fantasy realms are welcome here

B) the convention is a great place to meet friends

C) it’s been a tough month for Britney Spears

(Alien with claws):

"You may remember this creature from:

A) "Lord of the Rings"

B) "Pan’s Labyrinth"

C) Your local Taco Bell"

Letterman’s competitor, Stephen Colbert, was a guest of the NYCC.

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