Sarah Palin Derps Some Racism Again

I almost didn't use this image (from Wonkette)
since the beyond awesome Lynda Carter
does not like Sarah Palin. But I figure
this his how Palin sees herself.

I'm always torn about writing a Palin post. She's a pointless, ridiculous political celebrity, and she thrives on attention, even negative attention. Kinda like Ann Coulter. But the she-beast of the north has gone and blown--not a dog whistle--just a regular loud, racist whistle. Again. So, the only way I can handle her today is by finding a funny write-up about it. This fits the bill.

[Excerpt]
 
World’s Laziest Half-Term Governor Says Obama Killed All Those Vets Because He Is So Lazy, Also Too The Media

Oh em gee, you guys, the ghost thinker for Sarah Palin’s brain has informed her that she is SUPER empissened about the just discovered BREAKING news that America does not treat its veterans so good, actually. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

What Happens in Vegas: Did Greenlee Gazette Influence Policy at MSNBC?

This could have been a coincidence, sure. But was it? After watching The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on Wednesday night, I tweeted the following:

Pundits! It's pronounced ADD-el-son, not AID-el-son. I can't stand #SheldonAdelson either, but wow, get the name right. @Lawrence
— James L. Greenlee (@GreenleeGazette) March 26, 2014

I tweeted it to Lawrence, because he and his guests pronounced Las Vegas' elderly casino mogul Sheldon Adelson's name wrong over and over again. My tweet looks a little snotty to me now, though that wasn't my intention. It's just that the Adelson name is so well known here, and every time I've heard it on cable news, it's been said incorrectly.

Then a funny thing happened. Thursday and thereafter, every MSNBC host and most guests I've heard, have said ADD-el-son instead of the incorrect AID-el-son. And I had to wonder (much as I did when I think I helped change Wonder Woman's logo back in the day), did my tweet change MSNBC policy?

Blast from the Past: Best TV Themes of All Time (Part 2)

On some of the better blogs out there, you'll find detailed lists of the best blank of all time, with all sorts of details and notes, probably links and whatnot. And they'll rank them down to number one. Well, folks, I'm a hobbyist blogger, and while I like to think I'm good at what I do, I am also a procrastinator. Which puts my Blast from the Past column down into the later hours of each Sunday night (unless I manage to remember earlier), giving me a less than ideal amount of time to do all of that. So, while this is my second installment (not counting any earlier iterations I have likely posted over the years) of "Best TV Themes of All Time," I find that the first edition was misleading. They are a grouping of my favorites, but in no particular order. This week's batch contains themes I like better than some of last week's, and some from last week's are better than this. Consider each batch to be only part of a larger list, in no particular order, and we're all set!



1. Soap - A deliriously goofy spoof of soap operas, Soap was a trailblazer, tackling gay rights, abortion, alien abduction, amnesia, exorcism, murder, infidelity and all manner of scandals. And it had a charming, memorable theme.

2. Barney Miller - This jazzy theme was the highlight for me of the whole show, which mostly went over my tween-aged head at the time. In retrospect, the show was pretty great too.



3. CHiPs - The show was stock 70s drama with a dash of cheesy humor, and gave a terrifying view of Los Angeles freeway traffic. But the theme was classic.

4. Quincy, M.E. - Long before Crossing Jordan, Body of Proof or CSI: Wherever, there was Quincy, the original TV forensic investigator. And he had another classic 70s theme.



5. Sonny & Cher - I didn't realize at the time that the theme for this show was taken from one of the duo's best songs, The Beat Goes On. I was, after all, five years old when I started watching it.

6. Wonder Woman - This show was truly 70s cheese, but it starred the lovely Lynda Carter, who was a perfect casting choice. The theme had several versions, none a musical masterpiece. . .but there was something compelling about it just the same. Surely, it owes something to the 60s camp classic, Batman.



7. Night Court - Okay, this one makes me sure I've run a series on this topic before, as I know I've used this clip. But you know what? It's worthy of a rerun, and this is a great theme from one of the most surreal sitcoms ever to air, certainly for as long as this one did.

8. Bewitched - This was always one of my favorite shows, and I wish they hadn't almost ruined it as a premise with the Nicole Kidman "re-imagined" movie. Unforgivable! Maybe in a few years, they can revisit the idea of a witchy wife, and this time do it justice..



9. I Dream of Jeannie - As far as the magical sitcoms go, Bewitched wins hands down, in my opinion. But there is no doubt that Jeannie had a terrific theme (if you ignore the first season).

10. Green Acres - This was one of CBS's many rural-themed sitcoms, but it was by far the most surreal, a show that would be easy to dismiss as "stupid." But today we know better, don't we? Most of all, it had one of those "explain the premise in one minute flat" theme songs. How can you lose?

And that, friends and neighbors, will do it for this week's installment. Once again, small apologies if this topic has been revisited to often for your taste. Next week, I'll change gears, but I may come back to this idea with a third installment of --I promise--a different set of favorites. Happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: ABC-TV in the 70s

This week's edition of Blast from the Past is going to be a little bit rushed. We're preparing for a trip, and I don't have the focus, nor the energy to put in a text-heavy edition this week. So, here's a trip down memory lane, if you happen to have spent a significant time in front of a television between--oh--1975 to 1979. In no particular order. This, is what I mean by the whole concept of Blast from the past, when I distill it down. The era of That's 70s Show is the sweet spot of my pop culture brain.

For the record, that's Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, Soap, Charlie's Angels, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. These are the primary shows I really glommed onto as a kid, though thee were lots of others. And with that, you have a window into my childhood. And that will do it for now!

Happy Monday, everybody.

Lynda Carter, the Real Wonder Woman Gives Advice to Her Successor

There will never be an actress playing Wonder Woman, even if the character lives on for three hundred years, who isn't compared to Lynda Carter. Lynda Carter quite simply embodied and became the character. It doesn't matter that the 70s ABC/CBS Wonder Woman series vacillated between the original 40s World War II version of the character, and a "new" 70s take. It doesn't matter that the show was hopelessly rooted in the loosely plotted and languidly filmed 70s TV drama style. Lynda was it. She was  Wonder Woman.

Carter may not have started out as a trained actress. But she quickly learned on the job, and by the finish of the (too short) run of The New, Original Wonder Woman or whatever its official title finally became, she'd become an icon. She is the yardstick by which all future super heroines will be measured.

[Excerpt]

Wonder of a Woman

Lynda Carter is celebrating Pride with a new CD, a round of tour dates and by sharing a few memories from her Wonder-ful life with us.



Image from source, MetroSource



Interviewing original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter was a childhood dream come true! We found her to be funny, thoughtful and humble as we discussed Pride parades, re-inventing songs and everyone’s favorite star-spangled gal. . .

Read more at: MetroSource

So, It Looks Like They Screwed Up Wonder Woman

Source: TVGuide

As I've documented here many times, I'm a big fan of DC Comics from way back, and I've been frustrated with Warner Brothers' (the owner of DC) relative inability to do anything decent with most of their super heroes and other comic book properties. Sure they've struck gold with the rebooted Batman/Dark Knight franchise, and pleased a few people (like me) with Superman Returns. But with rare exceptions, they can't seem to get their shit together.

Take Wonder Woman for example. She's the most famous super heroine, and third or fourth most well known super hero period. But outside of some animated adventures (as part of a team), or the campy 70s drama series with Lynda Carter, they've done nothing with her of note. For many years, they've been working on a movie treatment, and basically gotten nowhere. And now, finally, she's being brought back, again on television.  The initial reports sounded dicey at best (Not only will Palicki play the star-spangled crimefighter, who's now based in L.A., but she'll also play her alter-ego, billionaire CEO Diana Themyscira and Diana's mousy assistant Diana Prince.), but the first "reveal" of the new Wonder Woman costume has me rolling my eyes even harder.


The new costume is a sort of melding of the current umpteenth incarnation of the comic book Wonder Woman, and her more traditional, well known one. You know, the bustier and panties. Look, I get that Wondy's original garb is potentially a little silly for a realistic depiction, though Lynda Carter did a pretty credible job. The original show's weakness was the time period in which it was set, and the style of tv dramas at the time. But they got  it mostly right. Move that same setup into the present day, with the modern, more complex storytelling of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer or TrueBlood, and you'd really have something. This new, David Kelly take? I do not have high hopes.


[Excerpt]
Wonder Woman First Look of Adrianne Palicki in Costume

Anyone who doubted that Friday Night Lights star Adrianne Palicki could fill Wonder Woman's bustier and boots can now judge for themselves. . .

Read more at: TV Guide

Actress Picked for Wonder Woman TV Show

Image from source, TVSquad

They've been promising a Wonder Woman movie for years now, a project that was bounced around and ultimately seemingly shelved. Then came word that David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) would be making a TV version. But the biggest question throughout it all has been, who would play Wondy? Lynda Carter--though forever trapped in a 70s disco-era confection--was Wonder Woman. Well, they found somebody. I never heard of her, but she looks pretty. Can she fill out a bustier? Apparently. Can she act? Carter herself couldn't at first (though she took to it very quickly). I guess we'll have to see. Let's hope it works out better than the remakes of Knight Rider and The Bionic Woman.

[Excerpt]

And Our New 'Wonder Woman' Is ... 'Friday Night Lights' Alum Adrianne Palicki



Hold onto your superhero underoos, people!


NBC released a wonderful bit of casting news today: 'Friday Night Lights' alum Adrianne Palicki is set to play the title role (and two alter-egos) in David E. Kelley's buzzed about 'Wonder Woman' reboot. . .

Read more at: TV Squad

Wonder Woman Coming Back to TV!

Image from source, IGN

One of the recurring subjects on this blog is the quandary: why is it so difficult for superhero movies and tv shows to get made?  There is in some cases over seventy years worth of source material to draw upon, yet projects languish for years in development hell. Marvel Comics has had an easier time of it of late, though they can't seem to get The Punisher right. But DC Comics, my publisher of choice growing up? Pretty dismal.

Other than Batman, the DC heroes have had a dismal record of getting to the screen. Superman made it a few years ago, but went through such a torturous (and expensive) path, the final result was deemed a failure, even though it was pretty good. Green Lantern is coming soon at least, but there are several of my favorites that have been teasingly, frustratingly promised, and yet they never get going. Shazam!, The Flash, Justice League of America, Firestorm, Metal Men, and Plastic Man are just a few that have been dangled, but gone nowhere. Wonder Woman, arguably the best known female superhero, and third-best known period (after Superman and Batman) may finally make it out of that heap.

Wonder Woman has of course already made it to television before, with probably the best casting ever pulled off in a comic book adaptation. Well, maybe it's a tie with Christopher Reeve. But Lynda Carter's WW will always be in people's minds when they picture the heroine. Casting will be the hardest part, beyond Hollywood's basic problem with getting these things to screen in the first place. WW has made its way through enough cancelled scripts, producers and directors to rival Superman Returns. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Joss Whedon was attached at one point (and that would have been so kick ass). So Wondy is headed for TV instead of the big screen. And they're changing her locale and her job. And it's just a pilot episode that might not get picked up. Wait, maybe I'm not so excited after all.

[Excerpt]

NBC Orders Wonder Woman Pilot



Looks like Wonder Woman may be back on TV soon after all. It's been a turbulent month for the DC heroine, as Warner Bros brought their new David E. Kelley scripted version of the character to the networks, only to see them all pass. Now though, Deadline reports NBC has made a surprise move and ordered Wonder Woman as a pilot. . .
 
Read more at: IGN

And just for kicks. . .

The Problem With Superhero Movies

All images from
SuperHeroMovies.net

I've spent a good portion of my evening reading about upcoming superhero movies. As I often do, I sort of got lost in the topic, having no idea how much time I was spending. But through all of that reading, I was also doing a lot of thinking. There are tons of great characters out there (and I'm just talking about the DC and Marvel characters I'm most familiar with). They've had in some cases over seventy years of story ideas. Yet somehow, many characters languish for years in development hell, and others come to the screen as major disappointments.

Part of the problem is that comic book fans are notoriously fickle. You couldn't find a group of people--outside of Star Trek or Star Wars fans--who are harder to please. They don't like the director, they don't like the script, they don't like the actors chosen to play their favorite heroes, villains and the lot. Mostly, they'll complain that the final product is too different--or paradoxically too much like--the source material.

Another part of the problem is that if they're too faithful, they might just look silly. As good as the first two Superman movies were, Christopher Reeve's tights did look goofy. The Spider-Man movies of the last ten years and Superman Returns (highly underrated, in my lonely opinion) proved that they can make a fairly faithful costume that doesn't look ridiculous. And in the upcoming Green Lantern movie--which looks like it could either be great or crappy--they wisely ditched the elbow-length white gloves.

One of the biggest problems with bringing our heroes to the big screen seems to be Hollywood meddling. You would think with so much source material, coming up with a gem would be an easy proposition. But a look at some of the stuff that didn't make it shows that Hollywood doesn't know what it's doing a lot of the time. If you've ever seen pictures of the Tim Burton take on Superman (staring Nicholas Cage as Supes!), you know what I'm talking about.  Even when they get it right, the sequels always spin out of control. 

The original Superman series got progressively more silly, and lower-budget, to the point of embarrassment. The 80s-90s Batman franchise added too many characters, and changed actors too often. X-Men just. . .lost something.  Spider-Man fell to the same "too many characters" trope, and The Punisher could never figure out how to replicate the comic, amongst many other problems.  Only Iron Man and The Fantastic Four seemed to be consistent with tone and style, though I'm again in the minority of opinion on that one, and FF is rumored to be on a reboot schedule as well.

And when they don't fall apart, they reboot. This makes sense, as with Batman Begins, starting up a dormant property in a new era. But only a few years passed between The Hulk and the reboot, The Incredible Hulk. Spider-Man is being rebooted with only a couple of years since the last installment. Superman: Man of Steel is on its way, as a reboot only six years after the last one.

All of this is taking place in a market already saturated with bombastic, CGI-laden "blockbuster" films (now in 3D!). How many times can we watch the "first" installment of a new or rebooted series, with half the picture taken up by an origin story? How many times can an audience be expect to "reboot" their brains to keep a now changed storyline straight? Especially when they're trying to tie the Marvel stories and the DC stories into respective "universes" so that they can make "group" movies like The Avengers and The Justice League of America?

Honestly, as much as I want to see my favorite heroes (Wonder Woman, The Metal Men, Plastic Man, Firestorm, The Flash, Shazam!, JLA, etc.) come to life at the movies, I have a funny feeling that all of this is going to collapse under its own weight. Maybe if Joss Whedon's The Avengers, along with Captain America, Thor and Green Lantern all manage to be both good movies, and successful, that feeling will go away. But given the recent history of failed or stillborn attempts, I don't have a good feeling about the genre in general.

Now, if you are interested in finding a place where all of the future superhero movies can be read about in one place, I've got a link for you. A lot of them are subject to change or cancellation of course, and several of them sound like they can't possibly happen with the given details (could The Flash, JLA and Wonder Woman really all come out on the same day?), and some will make you groan. I mean, they're really going to call a Captain Marvel movie Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam!? Why not, Shazam! The World's Mightiest Mortal, or With One Magic Word. . .SHAZAM!?  Anyway, the site is called Superhero Movie News. Don't get lost there, like I did.

Blast from the Past: Live Action Superheroes on TV!

This week, I almost did a "classic political ads" theme for Blast from the Past. But, geeze, I'm a little tired of political ads, aren't you? I mean here in Nevada, we're being absolutely bombarded with them.  I already early voted, enough!  We know, Harry Reid is evil according to Sharron Angle, and vice-versa. Anyway, I was stuck for a theme.  Last week, I did Saturday morning cartoons. So this time, how about live-action superheroes? They were always a favorite of mine, but you may have forgotten a couple of these. . .








1. Automan - How's this one for obscure? Obviously inspired by Tron, this one didn't last too long, probably because the pretty girl didn't have much to do. But with Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Chuck Wagner, I didn't even notice there was a girl. Ahem.
2. The Amazing Spider-Man - This 70s version of Spider-Man was low-budget, and you just can't do much with Spidey on a low-budget. The leotard just looked ridiculous. The webs were worse.
3. Wonder Woman - The classic Lynda Carter show's first season had this very comic-book flavored intro, obviously inspired by Batman. They kept tweaking it, and disco-fying it when they moved the series into the 70s from the 40s.
4. Batman - No live-action TV superhero retrospective would be complete without this one.
5. The Incredible Hulk - This show ran for most of its existence sandwiched between Wonder Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard. It was better than either, though maybe not as fun.
6. The Greatest American Hero - This theme worked for describing the hapless hero's cluelessness, and also as a love song for a guy who doesn't feel worthy. Loved the show too.
7. The Flash - I really liked this show. Too bad it only got a season. There's a movie in the works, though!
8. Shazam! - They couldn't call the show Captain Marvel due to legal reasons, and they changed Cap's back-story too much, but I never missed an episode! It was basically a ham-fisted "lesson of the week" after school special kind of show, with a superhero. If they ever do a Shazam! movie--and do it right--it will be awesome.

Happy Monday everybody!

Wonder Woman Set for a TV Reboot?

Image from source, TV Squad

I've lamented many times in this space that DC Comics heroes have gotten short shrift in comparison to their Marvel Comics rivals. Why? DC Comics has got Warner Brothers as owners for God's sake! They can't all be morons at WB, right?  Still, after many years (and even after having Buffy the Vampire Slayer demigod Joss Whedon at one time attached), Wonder Woman has been moribund in development hell.  Now, it looks like they've pulled Wondy out of mothballs, and plunked her into TV Land again. 

The problem is, the 70s ABC/CBS TV series version of Wonder Woman was so iconic--even if it doesn't exactly hold up in the two-thousandsees--that it will be hard to eclipse.  Lynda Carter very simply was Wonder Woman.  There may not be any actress to appear at any time that more perfectly captured a character.  She was the right age, the right height, the right boobage. She could be tough and innocent at the same time. It was the kind of casting that most producers could only dream of.  But the 70s Wonder Woman suffers from 70s-itis. 



In the days of Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Mannix and Hawaii Five-0, action-dramas were thinly plotted, and formulaic.  You'd watch meandering tracking shots of characters driving along a shoreline, closing the car door, wandering up the beach, spying a suspect, and then lightly interrogating them. A scene that would last three minutes now, in a modern show, would go on and on and on.  There was an "a" and possibly a "b" story, but no nuance, no character development, no momentum. But Lynda Carter turned an initially 2-D performance into a fully realized character. Lynda Carter was--and still is--Wonder Woman.

Any modern actress is going to have a very tall legend to live up to.  I have no doubt that today's writers can produce a better written and plotted show. But I have significant doubts that anyone can fill Lynda Carter's boots. And bustier.

[Excerpt]

David E. Kelley to Bring Back 'Wonder Woman'

Right now you could be forgiven for thinking that there are no new ideas in the world of TV. Hot on the heels of news that networks in search of hits are revisiting such classics as 'The Munsters,' comes news that David E. Kelley ('Ally McBeal') is dusting off Wonder Woman's star-spangled shorts for Warner Bros. Television. . .

Read more at: TV Squad

The Secret Origin of DC Comics

For comics geeks everywhere. . .

Wonder Woman Gets a New Look

Image from EW

I'm a comics fan from way back, and while I haven't really kept current, I'm sure that one thing remains true: major changes to major characters are rarely ever permanent.  Wonder Woman may be in need of a makeover, but this is hardly her first.

Originally Wondy wore a costume similar to the one we're familiar with, a bustier, tiara, bracelets, a golden lasso, and star-spangled bottoms.  But the original bottoms were a skort thing, and it didn't last.  The tiara would change shape, ditto the bracelets. Her boots would get kind of floppy, turn into laced sandals, back to boots, sometimes with heels, sometimes not. She'd always be recognizable as Wonder Woman, but could sometimes look like she was wearing granny panties, and sometimes look like she ought to be working a pole down at The Itchy Kitty.

The eagle on her busier changed a lot, usually looking like a mutant chicken, sometimes not even distinguishable as a bird.  For copyright reasons, the bird was replaced with a WW symbol that was great for logos, but got kind of distorted on her boobage.  Different artists would do different things, like putting a bird head on the point of the W, or drawing extra stuff on it.  Her belt was especially problematic, as it was a "girdle" of one of the goddesses, but it morphed from an ugly white thing to an ugly yellow thing, It would eventually become metal, with ridiculously large, lethal-looking points.  Far worse were the Wonder-britches. Long after abandoning the skort and later the bicycle shorts, horny artists would get it down to a thong or loincloth. And Wondy's boobs changed shape and size so often, she could rival Pam Anderson.

Image from WUSA9

So now, they've put Wonder Woman into a more sensible outfit. And I'm sure it will change here and there a lot, until she inevitably gets back into the more familiar one again.  They've also gone the "reboot" route, wrecking the timeline, and thus every single crossover she's had with other characters.  That'll tick off fans as much as it pleases them, until they put it all back the way it was.  Given the price of comics these days, I'm really glad I don't collect them any more. I'll make one further prediction:  if the Wonder Woman movie ever gets made, she's going to look a whole lot more like Lynda Carter than this current version.

[Excerpt]

Wonder Woman gets a new costume. We're unsure about the jacket.



I have a confession to make: I’m a shameless geek for new superhero outfits. At least once per decade, every iconic comic book hero will get a new look, usually to signal a massive storyline shakeup, a new creative team, and/or a desperate bid for cultural relevance. Witness electro-Superman, Invisible Woman post-stripperobics, and The Scarlet Spider (a.k.a., Spider-Man for the Torn Hoodie crowd.) The new outfits never last long, but they do provide an intriguing, time capsule-ready look at the fashion (and the silliness) of their cultural moment. So no matter what you think about the new Wonder Woman outfit, we can all agree that this costume change proves definitively that 2010 is cooler than 1968. . .

Read more at: Entertainment Weekly

DC Comics Fans Rejoice: The Flash is a Go!

Image from source, Bam!Kapow!

Many times in this space, I have lamented the fact that while Marvel Comics is going gangbusters in the movies, my favorite DC Comics stars languish in development hell. Good news! Not only is The Green Lantern well underway, The Flash is chugging along too! Now, if Shazam! and Wonder Woman could only move along. Oh, and while I'm very dubious of a Superman reboot, I'm comforted that Marvel is rebooting Spider-Man, which sounds like a train wreck to me.

[Excerpt]

Flash Movie Gets Director

IESB has learned exclusively that WB is lining up a director for another high profile DC character; Greg Berlanti is the leading contender to helm "The Flash". The name should ring a bell or two, Berlanti wrote "Green Lantern" with one my favorites Marc Guggenheim and was once attached to direct the film before WB settled on Martin Campbell. From what IESB is hearing WB is very high on Berlanti from his prep on "Green Lantern" and would love him to run with "The Flash". If you remember, two weeks to this day, IESB reported that we would be hearing some news on "The Flash". Here we are delivering on that promise. . .

Read more at: Bam! Kapow!

Great Caesar's Ghost! No New Superman Movie?

Image from source, Bam! Kapow!

Well, I am bummed. I'm a big DC Comics fan, particularly of Superman. I eagerly anticipated Superman Returns, and was happy that the movie came out as well as it did. The film had its flaws, but I thought Brandon Routh made a great Superman, and Kevin Spacey a terrific Lex Luthor. In hindsight, continuing the story told in Superman: The Movie and Superman II may not have been the best decision. But overall, I really liked it.

I'm in the distinct minority. Though almost every comic book fan saw the film, the prevailing attitude seems to be that the film sucked. It's kind of like Star Trek fans' dismissal of Voyager, Enterprise and sometimes Deep Space Nine. They're hardcore fans, they watched every episode, but they have nothing nice to say about them. Fans can be cold, and they were cold to Superman Returns.

The film also had an unfair disadvantage in having to recoup tons of money from the many false starts that DC and Warner Brothers spent decades coming up with, then trashing. So, a respectable box office tally barely recouped the costs. And now, due to a lawsuit with the heirs of Superman's creators, DC will soon be restricted from using some of the elements of Superman lore without paying out extra money. So, you'd think that doing a Superman movie before that kicks in would be prudent. But, you'd be wrong.

Why? I dunno. How in the world could it be so difficult to come up with something good for the best-known superhero of all time? They've been talking reboot, which I think sucks, especially this soon. And given the track record of DC with both Superman and Wonder Woman (as well as with other properties), it is likely that the next Superman film will have the same challenge of overcoming costs from aborted projects. I guess my hopes from the formation of DC Entertainment were for naught.

[Excerpt]

Superman Not Heading Into Theatres Anytime Soon

. . .When asked if the shake-up (and the recent court decision) meant a Superman movie would be more likely to happen now, Nelson replied that "We actually don’t have any current plans for Superman. . ."

Read more at: Bam! Kapow!

Jennifer Love Hewitt Wants to Play Wonder Woman?

Image from source, Bam! Kapow!

I like Jennifer Love Hewitt just fine, I suppose. Heart Breakers was hilarious, and Ghost Whisperer is a nice time-filler on a Friday night. But Wonder Woman? I don't see it. Sure, she has the right hair color, and can certainly fill the bustier. But she seems a bit petite to be an Amazon, don'tcha think? Unfortunately, as cheesy as her 70s show was, every actress in contention for the role will suffer in comparison to Lynda Carter. She just was Wonder Woman.

[Excerpt]

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Wonder Woman?
No, thank you.

Jennifer Love Hewitt has announced that she would love to play Wonder Woman in a live action adaptation of the comic, cartoon, and cult ‘70’s television show. . .

Read more (with video) at: Bam! Kapow!

Movies I Can't Wait to See: Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds!

Image from source, Just Jared

I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like Ryan Reynolds? And while Green Lantern was always my brother's favorite superhero, and mine was a tie between The Flash and Shazam! (the original Captain Marvel), I'm still excited to see any of the big DC Comics heroes get a big feature. We've been waiting forever for Wonder Woman and Justice League of America. Batman has been done to death, and despite its success has never been a favorite of mine. I loved Superman Returns, but no one agrees with me.

Green Lantern is probably one of the toughest DC heroes to do justice to (the others being Plastic Man, Metel Men, Metamorpho, Elongated Man and Firestorm). His power is basically to generate anything from his green power ring. These days, that certainly seems doable, especially in light of Transformers. I guess they could do Firestorm if Green Lantern works, since the transformative powers are similar. Anyway, I'm excited. Let's hope this one actually happens.

[Excerpt]

Ryan Reynolds is Green Lantern

The Proposal star Ryan Reynolds will headline the live-action superhero flick, Green Lantern. He most recently played Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. . .

Read more at: JustJared.com

Where's My DC Comics Super Hero Movie?

Yeah, yeah, I know, The Dark Knight. Color me underwhelmed. I tried to like it. I wanted to like it. Everybody said I would like it. But it was just meh for me. I'm in the minority, I am aware. But Batman always seemed like one of the most unlikely, unrealistic superheroes out there. He's got no super powers. OK, that makes him more realistic, but not in the world of super heroics.

For years, we have been promised a variety of DC Comics superhero movies. But outside of the current reimagined Batman series, and the rebooted (soon to be rebooted again?) Superman series, we haven't seen much. Catwoman simply doesn't count. She's a villain, and the movie sucked. So forget her. Watchmen? Fine, you've got me there, but that movie was based on a niche graphic novel, not an established hero or group. Marvel churns out countless successful (commercially at least) hero movies. Why not my old favorite DC heroes?

On the drawing boards for years, and allegedly "coming soon" are Wonder Woman, Shazam! (The Original Captain Marvel), Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, Green Lantern, Plastic Man and The Justice League of America. But there is precious little information about them, and I wonder if they'll ever be made.

Superman Returns was treated like a bomb, even though it wasn't. I think Brandon Routh did an admirable job in the role, and I hope they keep him around for a sequel, a JLA movie, or a "Brave and the Bold/World's Finest" team-up with Batman. But those two characters seem to be the only major DC heroes that Warner Brothers seems to have faith in.

I understand that Wonder Woman will always have Lynda Carter to live up to, even though her 70s show doesn't hold up well to modern times. And I get that characters like Plastic Man, Green Lantern and Firestorm would require immense CGI to even come close to the comic book personas. And I know that The Flash couldn't muster enough interest to secure a second season of TV back in the 90s. But, DC, you are letting Marvel walk all over you. There has to be a way to deliver the same Bam! Boom! Pow! of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Iron Man with DC heroes. I'm waiting. And at (as of a half-hour ago) 43, I'm not getting any younger!

Wonder Woman Lynda Carter: Right Wing "Spreading Hate"

They are, of course. Tune in--even for a moment--to Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity or Michael Savage--and you're likely to hear it for yourself. But you don't have to put yourself through that. Take my word for it, and Lynda Carter's too. She's got super powers, after all.

[Excerpt]

‘Wonder Woman’ Lynda Carter Says ‘Right Wing’ Is ‘Spreading Hate’



Actress Lynda Carter, best known for her role as Wonder Woman on television, said that while there always is a loyal opposition to the party in power, the political “right wing” in America is “spreading hate.” Carter, who spoke with CNSNews.com at an event to raise awareness about mental illness, also said “it’s pathetic that we don’t do more” for the homeless in America. . .

Read more at: CNSNews

Greenlee Gazette Christmas Gift Guide: DVD Box Sets

In an attempt to inject a little holiday cheer into an otherwise overly dour blog, I'm trying to post a Christmas-themed post every day or so. Some are re-runs, and others are new. This is a guide to some TV series DVD box sets I wrote several months ago, and it may provide you some ideas for your last-minute gift buying.

I intended to do additional parts to this post when I wrote it, and may take the time over the next few days to do just that. For now, here is part 1.

[Original Post]

All images from source, Wikipedia

I've recently started collecting a few of my favorite TV shows on DVD. It started innocently enough with an impulse purchase of Wonder Woman, season one. I was a big fan of the show--and super heroes in general--back when I was a kid. After getting the first season I simply had to have the other two (actually there were four seasons, but the first two seasons were so sporadic, they counted them as one).

After that, I bought Laverne & Shirley's and Bewitched's first season. Then I discovered a terrific website called DeepDiscount.com.* They have great prices to begin with, and free shipping, but it gets even better when they have sales. At Christmas time, they were running a buy-one-get-one-free sale, and it included an all-time favorite of mine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Mom bought me the whole set. Next, I'll have to get Angel. Since then, I've amassed a few more. Here's a mini review of each, should you be interested in acquiring any of these titles.

Wonder Woman (Season's 1 - 3) - Lynda Carter is terrific in the title role, and the series is a great deal of nostalgic fun. If you've never seen it before, it probably won't hold up as well. The show has dreadful pacing (which is true of many 70s dramas), but manages to be colorful and fun. Just fast forward through the long tracking shots of cars arriving and departing and the like. The set contains a few--if sparse--extra features. Recommended for fans only.

Laverne & Shirley (Seasons 1 - 3) - Again, my impressions are colored by a nostalgic love for the show, but I believe it holds up pretty well. It is helped by being set in the 50s and 60s, and so looking dated is a given. The show belongs in the "classic" category, along with I Love Lucy. No extras, and some music is replaced. Still, if you're a fan, highly recommended.

Bewitched (Seasons 1 & 2) - Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead shine in this classic show, which is available colorized and in original black and white. The color version looks terrific, by the way. A few special features, and remember, TV seasons were much longer in the 60s. The total number of episodes in these two sets would fill three or four seasons of a current show. Highly recommended.

The Black Adder (Seasons 1 - 5) - If you're like me, you'd see this show while channel surfing, and pass right by. It was on PBS (imported from Britain), and it's all set in the distant past--not high on my list of favorites. The Other Half introduced me to the series early in our relationship, and I was converted. Strange, hilarious and twisted. If you like Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) and British humor, you'll love it. Some special features, but remember, British shows have much shorter seasons than we do. Recommended.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Seasons 1 - 7) - I've already geeked out over this one enough. Suffice it to say, this is the DVD set to show the rest how it's done. Chock-full of special features, great packaging (even the slim sets), everything you could possibly want. Very highly recommended.

Part 2 to follow at a later date (I promise!).

*This site is not affiliated in any way with DeepDiscount.com, and this is not an advertisement. But I have used this service repeatedly, and am immensely pleased with it. Prices are often better than you can find on eBay. Also, the one time an error was made, they corrected it quickly, no questions asked. Check them out.