Pop Culture Roundup Aug. 8, 2007

Back in the 60s, illegal "pirate" radio was the best place to hear the hippest music in the UK. Now, some of the best-known DJs from that time are broadcasing again--legally. According to the BBC:

Johnnie Walker of BBC Radio 2, Emperor Rosko – who is flying over from Los Angeles to take part – Norman St John and John Kerr, both coming over from Australia, are just four of the DJs.

They will be boarding the LV18, a former lightship moored half-a-mile off Harwich, for six days of music and chat, with the emphasis firmly on Sixties music.

Programmes start on Thursday 9 August 2007 and continue 24-hours a day until 3pm on Tuesday 14 August – 40 years to the day and time that nearly all the original pirate stations went off air, scuppered by the Marine Offences Act.

As well as by tuning in to Pirate BBC Essex on 729, 765 and 1530 MW, the shows can also be heard via the website, bbc.co.uk/essex.


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Another attempt is underway to bring Jonny Quest to the big screen.

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Anton Yelchin ("Alpha Dog") is in negotiations to play Chekov in director J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek film.

Casting is under way in New York and London for Kirk, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, Scotty, the film's villain and the Federation captain. Abrams is expected to sign bigger-name actors for the latter two parts.

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Carla Gugino is joining the cast of "Watchmen." She'll play the original Silk Spectre, part of the Minutemen, a group of heroes who preceded the Watchmen.

She joins Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman in the Warner Bros. movie, which is set in an alternate America that has passed a law banning costumed crime fighters. When one is murdered, the remaining members set out to solve the mystery.

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Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin tells how Paul McCartney nearly gave "Here, There and Everywhere" away.

...at least Marvin has finally recorded an instrumental version as McCartney originally envisaged it. It's one of 15 tracks on his new album, Guitar Man - which includes the old Bread classic as the title track, George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Sting's Fields of Gold, James Blunt's You're Beautiful and Summer House, a new song co-written by his son Ben.

Book: The DC Comics Action Figure Archive

Out Dec. 27, this 208-page tome by Scott Beatty traces the history of DC-based action figures with lots of pictures.

The book is listed at $40, but is available for pre-order now from Amazon for $26.40.

For the legions that collect the immensely popular DC Comics action figures, we have good news: the official visual compendium of more than 1,400 characters has finally arrived. The DC Comics Action Figure Archive is the definitive reference for the serious enthusiast. Assembled by lead collector Scott Beatty and the experts at DC Comics, this sturdy hardcover features more than 600 full-color photographs and an easily navigable A-to-Z structure. Here, too, are previously impossible-to-find release dates, variants and "redecoes," as well as detailed information on action figure scales and articulation points. From Ace the Bat-Hound to Zauriel, with lots of Batman and Superman in-between, this collector's must-have guide doesn't miss a beat.

Next batch of Doctor Who books detailed

The BBC provides details on the next batch of Doctor Who novels, all due out early next year. Click the links to pre-order any of the titles from Amazon.


The Pirate Loop
by Simon Guerrier

The Doctor's been everywhere and everywhen in the whole of the universe and seems to know all the answers. But ask him what happened to the Starship Brilliant and he hasn't the first idea. Did it fall into a sun or black hole? Was it shot down in the first moments of the galactic war? And what's this about a secret experimental drive?

The Doctor is skittish. But if Martha is so keen to find out he'll land the TARDIS on the Brilliant, a few days before it vanishes. Then they can see for themselves...

Soon the Doctor learns the awful truth. And Martha learns that you need to be careful what you wish for. She certainly wasn't hoping for mayhem, death, and badger-faced space pirates.


Wishing Well
by Trevor Baxendale

The old village well is just a curiosity - something to attract tourists intrigued by stories of lost treasure, or visitors just making a wish. Unless something alien and terrifying could be lurking inside the well. Something utterly monstrous that causes nothing but death and destruction.

But who knows the real truth about the well? Who wishes to unleash the hideous force it contains? What terrible consequences will follow the search for a legendary treasure hidden at the bottom?

No one wants to believe the Doctor's warnings about the deadly horror lying in wait - but soon they'll wish they had...


Peacemaker
by James Swallow

The peace and quiet of a remote homestead in the 1880s American West is shattered by the arrival of two shadowy outriders searching for 'the healer'. When the farmer refuses to help them, they raze the house to the ground using guns that shoot bolts of energy instead of bullets...

In the town of Redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman who's patent medicines actually cure his patient. But when the Doctor and Martha investigate they discover the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous.

Caught between the law of the gun and the deadly plans of intergalactic mercenaries, the Doctor and Martha are about to discover just how wild the West can become...

DVD: Looney Tunes: Golden Collection 5

The fifth DVD collection of vintage Warner Bros. cartoons includes 60 remastered, uncut shorts on four DVDs. It's out Oct. 30 and is available for pre-order now from Amazon.

Here's the lineup:

Disc One: Bugs and Daffy

1. 14-Carrot Rabbit
2. Ali Baba Bunny (with Commentary Track by Filmmaker Greg Ford & Music Only Track)
3. Buccaneer Bunny
4. Bugs' Bonnets
5. A Star is Bored
6. A Pest in the House (with Commentary Track by Writer Paul Dini)
7. Transylvania 6-5000 (with Commentary Track by Historian Jerry Beck)
8. Oily Hare
9. Stupor Duck (with Music Only Track)
10. The Stupor Salesman
11. The Abominable Snow Rabbit (with Music and Effects Track)
12. The Super Snooper (with Music and Effects Track)
13. The Upstanding Sitter
14. Hollywood Daffy
15. You Were Never Duckier (with Commentary Track by Director Eric Goldberg)

Special Features Include:
1. Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens, a Life in Animation Part 1 (Estamated time: 45 minutes)
2. Featurettes: The Bugs Bunny Show
a. Bad Time Story Bridging Sequences (Estimated time: 8:26)
b. What's Up Dog? Audio Recording Sessions (Estimated time: 3:00)

Disc Two: Fairy Tales

1. Bewitched Bunny (with Commentary Track by Director Eric Goldberg & Music and Effects Track)
2. Paying the Piper
3. The Bear's Tale
4. Foney Fables
5. Goldimouse and the Three Cats (with Music Only Track)
6. Holiday for Shoestrings (with Commentary Track by Historian Daniel Goldmark)
7. Little Red Rodent Hood
8. Little Red Walking Hood (with Commentary Track by Animator Mark Kausler)
9. Red Riding Hoodwinked (with Commentary Track by Filmmaker Greg Ford & Music Only Track)
10. The Trial of Mr. Wolf
11. The Turn-Table Wolf (with Music and Effects Track)
12. Tom Thumb in Trouble (with Commentary Track by Historian Jerry Beck)
13. Tweety and the Beanstalk (with Music Only Track)
14. A Gander and a Mother Goose
15. Senorella and the Glass Huarache

Special Features Include:
1. Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens, A Life in Animation, Part Two (Estimated Time: 45:00)
2. Behind the Tunes
a. Once Upon a Tune (Estimated Time: 8:27)
b. Drawn to Life: The Art of Robert McKimson (Estimated Time: 15:00)
3. A Chuck Jones Tutorial: Tricks of the Cartoon (Estimated Time: 13:21)
4. Bonus Cartoons
SNAFU
a. Coming!! [1943] (Estimated Time: 3:00)
b. Gripes [1943] (Estimated Time: 3:00)
c. Gas [1944] (Estimated Time: 4:00)
Hook
a. Take Heed Mr. Tojo [1943] (Estimated Time: 3:00)
b. The Good Egg [1945] (Estimated Time: 3:00)
c. The Return of Mr. Hook [1945] (Estimated Time: 2:00)
d. Tokyo Woes [1945] (Estimated Time: 4:00)

Disc Three: The Best of Bob Clampett

1. Bacall to Arms (with Commentary Track by Historian Jerry Beck)
2. Buckaroo Bugs (with Commentary Track by Historian Michael Barrier and Commentary Track by Director John Kricfalusi, Director Eddie Fitzgerald and Cartoonist Kali Fonecchino)
3. Crazy Cruise
4. Farm Frolics (with Commentary Track by Actor Keith Scott)
5. Hare Ribbin'
6. Patient Porky
7. Prehistoric Porky
8. The Bashful Buzzard (with Commentary Track by Writer Paul Dini)
9. The Old Grey Hare (with Commentary Track by Filmmaker Greg Ford)
10. The Wacky Wabbit (with Commentary Track by Director Eric Goldberg)
11. The Wise Quacking Duck
12. Wagon Heels
13. The Daffy Doc (with Commentary Track by Animator Mark Kausler)
14. A Tale of Two Kitties (with Commentary Track by Historian Michael Barrier)
15. Porky's Pooch

Special Features Include:
1. Behind the Tunes
a. Wacky Warner One-Shots (Estimated Time: 8:40)
b. Real American Zero: The Adventures of Private SNAFU (Estimated Time: 8:45)
2. From the Vaults
a. Hare Ribbin' Director's Cut (Estimated Time: 8:00)
b. The Bashful Buzzard Storyboard Reel (with Bashful Buzzard Orignial Opening Music Cue) (Estimated Time: 8:00)
3. Alternate Milt Franklin Opening Themes (with Introduction by Greg Ford)(Estimated Time: 5:00)

Disc Four: "The Early Daze"

1. Alpin Antics
2. Eatin' on the Cuff or the Moth Who Came to Dinner (with Commentary Trac by Historian Jerry Beck)
3. Milk and Money
4. I've Got to Sing a Torch Song
5. Porky at the Crocadero (with Commentary Track by Historian Daniel Goldmark)
6. Polar Pals
7. Scrap Happy Daffy
8. Porky's Double Trouble
9. Golddigers of '49
10. Pilgrim Porky
11. Wise Quacks
12. Porky's Review (with Commentary Track by Fimmaker Greg Ford)
13. Porky's Poppa
14. Wholly Smoke (with Commentary Track by Historian Daniel Goldmark)
15. What Price Porky

Special Features Include:
1. Unsung Maestros: A Directors Tribute (Estimated Time: 15:00)
2. The Looney Tunes Television Specials
a. Bugs and Daff's Carnival of the Animals [1976 TV Special] (Estimated Time: 24:23)
b. Bugs Bunney's Looney Christmas Tales (1979 TV Special] (Estimated Time: 24:13)
c. Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over [1980 TV Special (Estimated Time: 23:46)

DVD: The Lost World Special Edition

Out Sept. 11, this DVD includes Irwin Allen's 1960 adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tale along with the 1925 silent movie version. It's available for pre-order now from Amazon.

The 1960 film stars Claude Rains as the scientist who discovers an untouched land of dinosaurs and other assorted beasties. Michael Rennie, Jill St. John, David Hedison, and Fernando Lamas co-star.

DVD: Super Powers Team: Glactic Guardians

Out Oct. 23, this double disk collects the complete run of the final "Super Friends" animated TV series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.

The 1985-86 show featured then new heroes such as Cyborg and Firestorm joining bigshots like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to battle the likes of Scarecrow, Darkseid, Lex Luthor and others. Voice actors included Adam West and Casey Kasem returning to do Batman and Robin.

DVD: Best of the Johnny Cash Show

This double disk set, out Sept. 18, collects 64 live music performances from the Man in Black's 1968-71 TV series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Here's the star-studded lineup:

01 Johnny Cash: "Ring of Fire"
02 Bob Dylan: "I Threw It All Away"
03 Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan: "Girl From the North Country"
04 Kris Kristofferson: "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)"
05 Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash: "Blue Yodel #9"
06 Stevie Wonder: "Heaven Help Us All"
07 Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Bad Moon Rising"
08 Linda Ronstadt and Johnny Cash: "I Will Never Marry"
09 George Jones and Johnny Cash: "White Lightning"
10 George Jones: "Medley: She Thinks I Still Care / The Love Bug / The Race Is On"
11 Johnny Cash: "Hey Porter"
12 Waylon Jennings: "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line"
13 Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash: "The Singing Star's Queen"
14 Waylon Jennings: "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"
15 Tammy Wynette: "Stand by Your Man"
16 Marty Robbins: "Medley: Big Iron / Running Gun / El Paso"
17 Johnny Cash: "Ride This Train"
18 Johnny Cash: "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow"
19 Johnny Cash: "Man in Black"
20 James Taylor: "Sweet Baby James"
21 Pete Seeger: "Cripple Creek"
22 Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash: "Worried Man Blues"
23 Johnny Cash: "Sunday Morning Coming Down"
24 Johnny Cash: "Old Time Religion"
25 Johnny Cash: "A Wonderful Time Up There"
26 Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, the Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins, and the Tennessee Three: "Daddy Sang Bass"
27 Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters: "Wildwood Flower"
28 Neil Young: "The Needle and the Damage Done"
29 Johnny Cash: "Tennessee Flat Top Box"
30 Joni Mitchell and Johnny Cash: "Long Black Veil"
31 Johnny Cash: "Big River"
32 Johnny Cash: "I Walk the Line"
33 June Carter Cash: "A Good Man"
34 Derek and the Dominoes: "It's Too Late"
35 Derek and the Dominoes With Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins: "Matchbox"
36 Charley Pride: "Able Bodied Man"
37 Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys: "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
38 Loretta Lynn: "I Know How"
39 Jerry Lee Lewis: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
40 Johnny Cash: "Ride This Train (America the Beautiful, This Land Is Your Land)"
41 The Everly Brothers With Ike Everly and Johnny Cash: "Silver Haired Daddy of Mine"
42 Ray Charles: "Ring of Fire"
43 Johnny Cash: "A Boy Named Sue"
44 Conway Twitty: "Hello Darlin'"
45 Mother Maybelle Carter: "Black Mountain Rag"
46 Neil Diamond: "Cracklin' Rosie"
47 Ray Price: "For the Good Times"
48 Roy Orbison: "Crying"
49 Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash: "Oh, Pretty Woman"
50 Johnny Cash: "Wanted Man"
51 Chet Atkins: "Medley: Country Gentleman / Mister Sandman / Wildwood Flower / Freight Train"
52 June Carter Cash With Homer and Jethro: "Baby It's Cold Outside"
53 Merle Haggard: "No Hard Time Blues"
54 Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash: "Sing Me Back Home"
55 Carl Perkins: "Blue Suede Shoes"
56 Johnny Cash, the Carter Family and Carl Perkins: "The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago"
57 The Statler Brothers: "Flowers on the Wall"
58 Roy Clark: "Medley: In the Summertime / 12th Street Rag"
59 Johnny Cash: "Working Man Blues"
60 Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash: "Jackson"
61 Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash: "Turn Around"
62 Johnny Cash: "I Love You Because"
63 Hank Williams, Jr.: "Medley: You Win Again / Cold Cold Heart / I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You / Half As Much"
64 Johnny Cash: "Folsom Prison Blues"

New comics Aug. 8, 2007

Click links to order discounted graphic novels from Amazon.

See complete lists:
DC Archives
DC Showcase
DC Trade Paperbacks
Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Essentials
Marvel Trade Paperbacks
Upcoming Trade Paperbacks - Graphic Novels


Comics shipping Aug. 8, 2007

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DC COMICS

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RELATED MERCHANDISE

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Vintage DC Comics house ad



Today's video: 1960s G.I. Joe TV ad