Episode #116a - Dafixer Loves The 80's - The Movies

In the first of our Retro shows, we talk about the movies in the 1980's. But first we have a look at top news articles in pop culture of the 1980's, take a stab at the last of the summer TV and, of course, best in podcast.

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T & A Team

Jessica Biel is in final talks to join the cast of A-Team, according to Variety, along with Sharlto Copley from District 9. Reportedly, Biel will play Faceman’s old girlfriend. Copley will play the helicopter pilot Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock. They join Liam Neeson as John “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper as Faceman, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who will play Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus. Ridley Scott is still producing the TV to film epic and no bullets will be hurt during the filming of this movie.

Cheap Ass Muppets

In case everyone forgot during the big buy of Marvel by Disney, Disney also owns the Muppets. We probably forgot because nothing seemed to have come of that purchase since it was made. Well Dick Cook, Disney Studios Chairman, just announced another Muppet movie is on the way. It's going to be called "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made" and is being written by Forgetting Sarah Marshal scribe Jason Segel. It's based on an idea by Muppet creator Jim Henson where Gonzo gets the chance to make a big Hollywood movie but blows all the money on the credits so has to make the movie on the cheap. No release date as been set yet.

Stretching a Battleship At a Theater New You

The on thing you have to love about Pop Culture is the number of WTF moments it loves to provide. Universal Studios is making a movie based on Battleship - the fucking board game. I think this put the final nail in the argument that Hollywood has really run out of anything remotely resembling fresh ideas. But this one just gets better because Battleship, which will be released on July 1, 2011, Universal is also making a movie based on Stretch Armstrong - the children's toy from the 1980's. Maybe Billy Zane can play Stretch, if he can take a break from all those aweful SYFY made movies. Look for Stretch Armstrong to bomb at a theater near you Aprit 15th 2011 - and you thought nothing could be more depressing then Tax Season.

Yellow Disney

Did we just mention remake fever in an earlier article, how it's here to stay and will keep rolling until they eventually remake Bugs Bunny Cartoons just to give them an update? Well if there wasn't enough proof of this by, oh let's say all the bloody remakes, one more is coming down the pipe - and this one is just a little be different. Due to the results of a deal cut by Disney and Apples Corps, Rober Zemekis is set to remake - of all things - Yellow Submarine, the 1968 Heinz Edelman animation which featured 16 Beatles songs. This time around it's getting the Polar Express and Beowulf treatment, as it will be a fully made 3D movie. The release date is set for 2012 and we can't wait to see the Blue Meanies in this one.

Double Dare Del Toro

Disney has partnered with Guillermo del Toro to create a new production imprint call Disney Double Dare You. DDY will create all ages horror animated features based on both original and already created works. Del Torro says, “As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition… I look forward to coming up with fresh and original stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the storyboards.” The first project under the new production banner is an original story by Del Torro call Trollhunters. One has to wonder where Del Torro will find the time, beside bringing the Hobbit to the big screen, he's also bring Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, and an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.

Barnabas in a Gold Key

Remake fever doesn't look like it's going to die any time soon, and the famous horror soap, Dark Shadows, is also getting the treatment. To be fair it has been remade twice before, once in a 1990's TV version and again in a B-Movie. Now it's being revived again as a major motion picture staring Hollywood heavy weight Johnny Depp and directed by equally large fan favorite Tim Burton. In light of this Hermes Press is going to begin reprinting the 35 issue Gold Key comic versions of Dark Shadows. Starting in March of 2010 Hermes will begin putting out five deluxe hard cover volumes containing the comics which was written by Doom Patrol and Deadman creator Arnold Drake and penciled by Silver Age artist Joe Certa, who co-created Martian Manhunter. Each issue will be digitally restored and contain art, pin-ups and documentary material from the original TV series, including essays about Dark Shadows effects pop culture.

Marvel Legal

Who thought the next part of the news about Disney buying Marvel would be how many license deals the company begins to get back. Who was wondering if Mickey would appear in the pages of Marvel Max? I guess we pretty much imagined a whole bunch of interesting things happening behind this deal except this one. The New York based law firm of Levi & Korsinsky has filed a class action law suit against Marvel Entertainment challenging the purchase of Marvel by Disney. Here how the transaction works, Marvel Shareholders would receive $30 per share plus .745 of share value in Disney which totals $4 billion big ass bucks. However the suit says that the amount does match the intrinsic value of Marvel. According to a previous investigation by a law firm “the transaction appeared to be unfair to current investors of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. “by failing to conduct an open and fair auction process for the Company in order to maximize shareholder value” They may have a point. What we have to remember is that Marvel Entertainment currently has the rights to 5000 properties, i.e. characters - including Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, etc. With the boom in Super-Hero movies, which translates into marketing properties of all kinds - including toys, games, clothing, video games, DVD, movie syndication, etc - all means lot of big ass bucks all around.

On the flip side, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. reported in 2007 Total Revenue of $485.81 million with a Net Income of $139.82 million and in 2008 Total Revenue of $484.66 million with a Net Income of $205.53million. Marvel shares traded after the announcement at $49.05 per share, and the day before announcement at $38.76 per share. Those who are currently investors in shares of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., and purchased the shares before August 31, 2009, have some interesting options before them.

I guess we have to see where things are going and who is and is not right in this. More news as it comes in.

Episode #116 - Dafixer Loves The 80's - The Movies

With Simba on Skype we take off on the first of a few retro shows, in this case the 1980's, the movies we geeks love to love and love to quote. But first, Disney buys Marvel and the interweb goes wild, Fantastic Four gets a reboot, Deadman gets a movie, and the Hideout get the shortest comic reviews we've ever done. Get out your Jellies and pump up those shoulder pads, the Hideout going back to the 80's. . . WORD UP!!!

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Superheroes for Hospice

Hospice to Host Comic Book Show

West Orange, NJ -- Superheroes For Hospice is hosting their 2nd Comic Book Show on Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Corporate Building, located at 95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange. All proceeds will support the patients and families of the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center (SBHPCC).

This project started in December 2008 by Volunteer Coordinator, Spiro Ballas. “I’m reliving my youth for a good cause,” says Ballas. SBHPCC relies heavily on donations and fundraising projects to bridge the gap between the cost of care and the insufficient reimbursement received from insurance companies.

Over 25,000 comic books have been donated to the project, some of which have been converted into over $800 for SBHPCC.

“It is a win/win situation for all involved,” thinks Ballas, explaining, “1st, comic book donors get a tax write-off for their generosity—which can be more valuable than what they would get in today’s market if they tried selling them on Ebay—2nd, comic book fans will pick-up books at the show at a very strong discount, and, 3rd, hospice receives extra revenue to support their special kind of care.”

Comic books are still being collected for this and future shows. Area artists and writers are welcome to showcase their material at the show, as long as a percentage of sales at the show is donated to SBHPCC.

For more information about the show, or to make a comic book donation, please contact Spiro Ballas at SBallas@SBHCS.com or 973-322-4866.

Established in 1981, the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, located at 95 Old Short Hills Road in West Orange, provides comprehensive care for patients with advanced illness, and their families, throughout ten counties in the State of New Jersey. The Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center supports inpatient
units at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ, as well as Van Dyke Hospice at Community Medical Center in Toms River. It also provides home care and services for individuals in long-term care and assisted living facilities.

Susan Soares
Freelance Promotions Consultant SJS Comic Promotions