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Weekend Reading: Iron Man, Modesty Blaise and Honey West
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Reviews, Independent, Marvel Comics,
So did you see Iron Man 2 yet? Did you, huh, did you? Two things amaze me about the Iron Man franchise. One is that Robert Downey, Jr. was born to play Tony Stark. There’s none of the brooding self-importance that comes with other super-hero movies - Iron Man is serious but it’s also fun. The other is that in the right hands - and there are hundreds of right hands on any movie - even a second or third tier super-hero property can be turned into a good movie. If Downey, Jr. was playing Hank Pym in the Ant-Man movie, I’d be there in a minute.
Now while you’re saving your money for the Iron Man 2 DVD, here are a few fun things to occupy your eyes and mouse.
Brian Hibbs: I know why people, myself included, like to talk to artists and writers because it’s all so cool, but I think more interviews could be conducted with retailers since they are the comic book business. Retailer Brian Hibbs is a very smart guy - I may not always agree with him but he carries a good argument with him and he knows his business. Tom Spurgeon at Comics Reporter gets to the heart of the matter with a lengthy but hugely worthwhile interview.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Iron Man, Modesty Blaise and Honey West
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Naomi Campbell Breaks Down on Oprah
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Television, Legal Issues, Meltdowns,
Naomi Campbell broke down in tears as she blamed her notorious temper on “abandonment issues.”
The supermodel was questioned by Oprah Winfrey, who confronted her frankly about her temper - which has seen her previously lash out at her own staff, camera crews, police officers and airline workers. Naomi blamed her furious outbursts on her mother, who left her at home while she pursued a career as a ballet dancer.
When asked by Oprah if she was “just a petulant diva,” she replied, “It comes from a deeper place than that with me. It comes from another type of emotional disorder because it’s not just, if I don’t get what I want I throw a fit. It comes from, I think, an abandonment issue and it comes from also trying to just build up a family around me that’s not my immediate family and if I feel a mistrust, then, all my cards go down. It’s not a right thing to do. I just see red.”
Naomi, who is 40 this month, admitted she is ashamed of her fits of rage and is remorseful every time her temper gets the better of her. She added: “I take responsibility for the things that I have done and I do feel a great sense of shame. I am ashamed of everything I’ve ever done. I don’t have an excuse for my behavior.”
Click to continue reading Naomi Campbell Breaks Down on Oprah
Q&A: Jim Beard, Batman & Gotham City 14 Miles
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Interviews, Television, DC Comics,
If you’re a fan of the 1960s Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward, then you already know what that phrase means. It’s the sign you see denoting the distance from the Batcave to Gotham City. Wayne Manor was way out in the 1960s suburbs! Gotham City 14 Miles is much more than that, however. It’s also the title of a new book edited by Jim Beard whose full title is Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays On Why The 1960s Batman TV Series Matters. Essayists include Beard, comics historians Peter Sanderson and Robert Greenberger, and a host of people whose names are being revealed one at a time.
The book will be published by the Sequart Research & Literacy Organization a “non-profit devoted solely to the study and promotion of the artistic and literary medium alternately known as comics, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, manga, sequential art, and sequart.”
Beard says Gotham City 14 Miles is the first book on the old Batman TV series in over 10 years, and I say it’s about time. The book will examine the 1966-68 TV series and “quantify its worth and weight in current pop culture. It also intends to shoot down many of the cliches, falsehoods and outright misinformation about the show and illuminate its strengths and, yes, its weaknesses.”
Click to continue reading Q&A: Jim Beard, Batman & Gotham City 14 Miles
More Reasons to Envy Karlie Kloss
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Models, News, Rumors,
Not only has model Karlie Kloss graced some of the most vied for runway gigs (designer Jason Wu calls her his “lucky closer”), but she’s racked over 150,000 airline miles all before she turns eighteen!
Kloss lands next month’s Teen Vogue cover; her featured spread epitomizes her all-American girl appeal. To top it all off—she wants to go to med school! Of the subject, Kloss says she looks up to supermodel Christy Turlington and would like to pursue “some sort of medical degree. Something that would allow me to visit third-world countries and help children.”
Check out more pictures of Kloss after the jump!
Click to continue reading More Reasons to Envy Karlie Kloss
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| Fashionologie
Shaun McLaughlin and Cheapjack Shakespeare
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
My buddy Shaun McLaughlin was a producer at Warner Bros. and responsible for some of their best Bruce Timm-related toons like Batman Beyond, Static, and various incarnations of Justice League. It adds up to over 400 episodes of prime animated entertainment, so he knows how to make something with mass market appeal.
He’s moved on to freelancing, pushing several projects through the development wormhole, including both an animated feature (with Omens Studios) and a live-action one. But when you’re in development, you get a lot of down time while you wait for people to make decisions, give notes, and update their social networks.
You could watch a lot of TV or surf the web or blog about your cat, but Shaun’s put his thumb-twiddling time to good use and come up with a nifty little project with his biz partner Gabriel Benson: Cheapjack Shakespeare.
Click to continue reading Shaun McLaughlin and Cheapjack Shakespeare
Jules Feiffer and Danny Fingeroth
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
I met Jules Feiffer once at a party some years ago. He seemed uncomfortable (long before meeting me, thank goodness), but friendly and talkative, if that makes any sense. I can’t say we really had a conversation or that he’d remember I was even there - the best I could do was to mumble out that I was a big fan. I read his work in The Village Voice for a number of years when I used to commute into Manhattan, his book The Great Comic Book Heroes was one of my early Rosetta Stones for comics and I’ve probably seen his animated short Munro as many times as I’ve seen What’s Opera, Doc?
Continuing my series on cartooning and cartoonists, Jules Feiffer wrote about himself and his work back in 1964. This is pulled from an oversized saddle-stitched magazine from Allied Publications with the creatively-challenged title These Top Cartoonists Tell How They Create America’s Favorite Comics. It featured an introduction by Beetle Bailey’s Mort Walker and was compiled by Allen Willette.
Here’s Feiffer on Feiffer:
Click to continue reading Jules Feiffer and Danny Fingeroth
Q&A: Brendon Fraim and Brian Fraim (Vampire, PA)
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Interviews,
The comic book industry is like a city with a lot of restaurants. If you want to find something good, you need a recommendation. That’s how I discovered the most-excellent work of the twin brothers Brendon and Brian Fraim.
My friend J.C. Vaughn is not just the Executive Editor and Associate Publisher of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, he’s also a comic book writer. He pointed me in their direction because J.C., Brendon and Brian collaborated on the serialized adventure/mystery strip, Antiques, for The Antique Trader newspaper.
Their new project, Vampire, PA is debuting from Moonstone in June. J.C. wrote it, Brendon and Brian illustrated it and Mark Wheatley is coloring it. There’s a great 8-page preview of the first issue over at Vaughn’s website, Well-Defined Productions.
Click to continue reading Q&A: Brendon Fraim and Brian Fraim (Vampire, PA)
Weekend Reading: Starlog, Christopher Golden, Gerry Conway, Tarzan and Steve Milo
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
Lots of cool to click on lately, from horror and comic book author Christopher Golden to comic book and television writer Gerry Conway, with a dash of The Simpsons and a blast from the Direct Market past with the ghost of Steve Milo. Check ‘em out:
Christopher Golden: When I first read Golden’s Of Saints And Shadows, I was struck by two things: (1) he’s really good and (2) this book reads like a horror version of X-Men. Novelist Ed Gorman plays Q&A with Golden over at his website.
Gerry Conway: One of my absolute favorite comic book writers (and now a TV writer in the Dick Wolf empire), Mr. Conway is excited about the new Predator reboot, Predators. He tweets: “Not that it matters: Predators seems to have a similar plot device to a movie Roy Thomas & I pitched years ago. Great minds, etc.” He expands on that in subsequent tweets, “I’m not claiming idea theft, ‘cause Roberto Rodriquez would’ve been 14-years-old when Roy & I made our pitch, and somehow I doubt…” Since he curtailed his blogging, his tweets make for fun reading.
Quote of the Day: Lara Stone on Female Photographers
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Fashion Designers, Models, News,
“Personally, I don’t like working with female photographers because they seem to never be able to make up their minds about what they want to do-with the exception of Inez because she always knows what she’s doing. But so many times it’s like, ‘Oh, let’s try this’ and ‘Let’s try that’ and ‘Let’s do this’ and ‘Let’s do that.’ It’s like, ‘For f***‘s sake, woman!’”
- Model Lara Stone on working with female photographers
(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)
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VIDEO: Tiger Woods First One-on-One Interviews
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Sports, Videos,
Operation “Repair Tiger’s Image” just entered its next phase.
Nearly a month after addressing the public for the very first time, Tiger Woods granted his first one-on-one interviews. Tonight, both ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi and the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman aired their exclusive chats with the embattled golfer.
During both interviews, Woods, who intends to make his comeback during next month’s Masters golf tournament, made references to his 45-day stint in rehab. Although he declined to specify what he was receiving treatment for, he did say that he was forced to take a “brutal” look at himself. Asked why he never sought help earlier, Woods stated: “Well, I didn’t know I was that bad. I didn’t know that I was that bad.” (Uh, how many women do you have to sleep with before it’s considered “bad”?)
In addition to the video above, you can watch the Golf Channel’s interview with Woods here and/or read ESPN’s full transcript after the jump.
Click to continue reading VIDEO: Tiger Woods First One-on-One Interviews
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