Mary Poppins Quits! (Funny or Die)

Practically perfect in every way, except her paycheck.

Mary Poppins Quits with Kristen Bell from Funny Or Die

Remembering Annette Funicello

I was remiss in not putting up a notice, in a timely manner, of Annette Funicello's passing at age 70. She had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis some twenty years ago, and not in the public eye for some years. It always seemed especially sad because Annette's persona was that of a bubbly, lovable, warm "girl next door," and it just didn't seem fair somehow, not that it ever is.

I noted that in the coverage of her passing, most people pointed to her beginnings on the original Mickey Mouse Club, her fame in beach movies, and a minor musical career. What I didn't see was the thing I remember her for: Skippy peanut butter commercials. For a good chunk of my adolescence, Annette Funicello was the peanut butter lady. And true to her image, they were sweet natured. RIP, Annette.

Blast from the Past: Disney Live-Action Movies of the 70s

While watching ABC's Once Upon a Time, I got my inspiration for my weekly Blast from the Past feature. I know, late in the evening right? Well, I've been busy with upgrades to my phone, my car and my computer. . .and finding myself up to my hubcaps with more trouble than I bargained for. Anyway, that's beside the point. My inspiration was--as usual--kind of roundabout. Once Upon a Time takes advantage of ABC's Disney ownership, and uses their fairytale characters. My brain hopscotched to Disney's live action movies, particularly the ones I grew up with in the 1970s.

When I carried The Columbus Dispatch, they were always running a Sunday cartoon strip based upon whatever movie Disney had coming up in theaters. And when you're a kid, you pretty much get G rated fare to pick from. So, I remember reading these strips with interest, and thrilled to have "spoilers" about what was going to happen. Hey, it's the best thing we had going before the internet! Enjoy.

And that's what entertainment was like for kids in the 1970s. The last one, in particular, is still pretty good. Now, back to my work. Happy Monday!

"Star Wars" LucasFilm Bought By Disney

You know what? I see LucasFilm being bought by Disney as a good thing. Yes, as a liberal, I'm often disturbed by mergers and acquisitions. The board game of Monopoly often seems quaint in a world where the news media is essentially owned by about five people. But in this case, I think it's good.

Image from source.

Let me explain. I'm a comic book/horror/sci-fi fan from my zygote days. I'm a DC Comics, Universal horror, Starlog, Fangoria, Dr. Demento geek from the late 70s-80s-90s-00s-10s. Warner Bros. got Mad Magazine and DC Comics a long, long time ago. And though they've had successes, they've been a bit weak lately. But when Disney acquired Marvel Comics, I think they pretty much ruled the geekiverse. Not that Marvel didn't already have a leg up, but the contrast of successes on the Marvel side to the DC side doesn't even compare.

Now, when we get to Star Wars, we have another rivalry. I'm a Star Trek guy. I loved Star Wars 1, 2 and 3 (retroactively IV, V and VI), but Trek was always where it was at for me. And you know why? Because the Trek universe had Star Trek, Star Trek The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek Enterprise, and eleven feature films. Star Wars had three movies, three inferior prequel movies, and a whole lot of fan wanking.

But Disney can probably fix that. Hey, they turned a really lame theme ride into a juggernaut called Pirates of the Caribbean. And they got The Muppets too, and turned that into another hit movie. I think you could do worse than to be acquired by Disney.

[Excerpt]

‘Star Wars’ + Disney = Mashup Gold

Disney’s $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm and planned release for Star Wars Episode 7 has sent the Internet into hyperdrive.. . .

Read more at: Mashable