Exactly Why I Have a Hard Time Whining About the new Green Lantern Movie Trailer

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Regarding the Green Lantern Movie Trailer:

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RIP: Irvin Kershner Merges with the Infinite

iO9 reports that Irvin Kershner, Lucas mentor and director of The Empire Strikes Back (the best of all Star Wars-related media) has passed in LA. He was 87.

here.

RIP: Leslie Nielsen Merges with the Infinite

The New York Times is reporting that movie legend (in my book, anyway, and I will fight you if you say otherwise), Leslie Nielsen, has passed at the age of 84.

It's true what they say: Cops and women don't mix. It's like eating a spoonful of Drano; sure, it'll clean you out, but it'll leave you hollow inside.

It's not much of an anecdote, but the first movie to ever literally make me fall out of my chair laughing was The Naked Gun.  I don't even remember exactly what scene took the cake, but I remember being in middle school at the Arbor Cinema and Lt. Frank Drebin was the funniest thing I'd ever seen (it was likely the scene where Drebin breaks into Ricardo Montalban's penthouse). 

Anyway, what I truly remember is finding myself having doubled over and the slid right out of my chair.  Always interesting when you find out a figure of speech has a basis to it.  But that's exactly the kind of movie it is (when you're 13), and that's the kind of effect Nielsen's delivery had on me.

The great thing about Nielsen was that he seemed like the straight man, but whether as Drebin, Dracula or Dr. Rumack, he got the best dialog and he delivered it with aplomb.

Frank: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

Jane: Goodyear?

Frank: No, the worst.

The Arbor Cinema has since been replaced by a Cheesecake Factory, and the third Naked Gun movie was, frankly, not great, but a generation of people grew up believing you need to be able to deliver ridiculous dialog with a completely straight face and tough guy demeanor.

And somewhere along the line, some kids might decide they'd rather be a Frank Drebin than a Magnum PI or whatever.  I'm just saying.



I am, also, of course, a huge fan of the movie Airplane! (and its sequel), and even as a pretty small kid thought "that doctor guy is awesome".  Nielsen played Dr. Rumack, who somehow either had the best lines or the best timing in the movie.  Who else could sell "and don't call me 'Shirley'"?



In college I finally ventured to the Paramount one balmy summer evening to see Forbidden Planet.  After having had grown up with Nielsen as a comedic actor, I was suprised to find him as the leading male star of the science fiction classic.  Every day when I pass down my stairwell, I pass under the movie poster from Forbidden Planet and Nielsen's name. 



One highlight of living in the greater Phoenix area was that I believe Nielsen appeared on local safety commercials.  I have no idea why Leslie Nielsen and Alice Cooper were teaming up to appear in these ads, but it was always a treat to see the guy show up on TV, clearly enjoying goofing around in the name of safer driving.

I am, of course, very sad to know that Nielsen has passed, but he left a terrific bunch of movies and TV shows behind (if you've never seen Police Squad!, the show that started the Naked Gun series, I highly recommend). 

Let's bid a great actor adieu.  Surely, he will be missed.

Short Batman Comic Book Review: Detective Comics 871

Written By:  Scott Snyder
Art:  Jock
BackUp feature art:  Francesco Francavilla

Oh my God, somebody at DC remembered that Batman is supposed to be a detective who solves mysteries.

That is all. 


(I also liked this comic, btw.)

Review you don't need: Young Justice premiere on Cartoon Network

Last night Cartoon Network debuted their newest show for what's becoming a sort of all-ages action block (other shows include Star Wars Clone Wars, Generator Rex, Sym-Bionic Titan, and Ben 10).  Based very loosely upon DC's long-defunct Young Justice title (written entirely by Peter David, if memory serves), this cartoon pulls together some of the teen-aged side-kicks of the DCU into a team, but unlike its predecessor, Teen Titans, this series clearly takes place within the larger, more expansive DCU and acknowledges the legacy aspect of the DCU as the major plotpoint. 

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how, online, some comic reviewers give Smallville critcism for playing to the DC Comics fanbase with familiar names, etc... from DC Comics.  Frankly, I'm not sure I really understand the snark anymore.  Once you move the character of Superman into the DCU proper, it kind of only makes sense that you DO show those characters and/ or use them when appropriate.  "Fanwank" or not, the DCU has been around for 75 years across just thousands of titles.  Why not use those things?

One thing that has never made sense to me (except from a logistical standpoint in the editorial offices at DC) is why DC hasn't treated Teen Titans as an academy for the Justice League (just as New Mutants was for X-Men).  I understand that there was a certain "rebellion" factor in Teen Titans, but after Wolfman's run on the book, it often wound up feeling a bit like the adult figures shuttling the kids off for the weekend.  David's Young Justice somewhat addressed this issue, and in addition to some branding issues, I can understand why the developers of this cartoon picked up

This show was very, very heavily into DCU continuity without making it a blocker for understanding or accessing the show.  The story begins with several "sidekicks" given their first access to the Justice League's HQ (The HALL OF JUSTICE), only to learn that the Justice League is giving their sidekicks use of the coffeebar and library (seriously) but not including them on the actual team, Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy, walks out on the the JLA.  Soon, the remaining sidekicks (Robin, Aqualad and Fid Flash) decide to pick up a small emergency the JLA dropped in order to deal with a planetary threat.

And shenanigans ensue.

A secret lab is dicovered, a Superboy liberated, badguys thwarted, alliances forged, property damaged, threats suggested and authority figures challenged.

Its an interesting take.  These sidekicks are in their late teens, and they make a compelling case with "why train us up if you don't intend for us to play ball?".  After all, none of these superheroes are parents to their sidekicks, and expectation of a full partnership isn't completely unreasonable, and appeals both to kids watching the show and to, frankly, all of us who were left wondering why we were sitting at the kids' table when we felt we'd moved beyond that point (ie:  all of us).

In some ways its stunning how much of an effect Kirby had on DC despite his relatively small output at the company in comparison to tons of other creators.  Kirby developed Project Cadmus during his run on Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (seriously), as well as reviving/ revising his own creation, the Golden Age character The Guardian, who had been a part of the 1940's-ish Newsboys series, and, of course, Dubbilex, all of whom appear in the episode.  "Blockbuster" was a Bronze Age Batman villain on, I think, Earth-2, but who pops up from time to time. 

I'll be honest, when DC introduced Superboy during the Reign of the Supermen storyline, I wasn't a fan (he was supposed to be a clone grown at Cadmus to replace Superman should he die.  Which, of course, he just had).  Kon-El was depicted in a way that I always found off-putting and, frankly, kind of dim and demonstrative of the limitations of DC's stable of writers. Geoff Johns' reimagining of Kon-El in the rebooted Teen Titans went terrifically far to rehabilitate a broken character, giving him something resembling self-awareness and concern about his relationship to the "S", and its that version that seems to have popped out of the cloning tube in this show.

The show also saw the introduction of Miss Martian to animation and helped usher in the new Aqualad, as seen in the pages of Brightest Day (a comic I haven't actually read yet, but DC and the animatiuon department decided to work together to develop the character).  And, as I understand it, we'll also see a different take on Artemis, who is Wonder Woman's sort of frenemy in the comics, but here will be portrayed as a sidekick. 

The story is kind of nuts and bolts basics, but its a very, very good start.  I think they picked an appropriate scale for a threat, demonstrating both the strengths and weaknesses of the concept of the junior team, and they aren't screwing around with "is this the DCU or isn't it?" that became a meta-issue with the last Teen Titans series.  We've not only seen Superman and the entirety of the Justice League, but seen Superman kind of flip out realizing he's been cloned.  Batman making a difficult but reasonable decision.  And we've now got a very interesting way to give kids and adults new to the DCU a way to look at the DCU that won't make them feel like they're reading "dad comics". 

I was never a fan of the original Aqualad, but I am curious about the new one (this isn't Garth, who was like a weaker, dumber Aquaman).  Haven't quite figured out exactly what his powers are, and I really don't know anything about his history, but he seems to have Aquaman levels of strength, which is cool, plus some sort of "water power game grips". 

With the wide cast of the JLA shown (including Zatara, which seems random at first blush), I expect that we'll see more and more of the younger cast rolled out.  Surely Speedy isn't gone forever.  And where walks Zatara, won't we seen Zatanna? 

Anyhow, very promising start.

How is everyone's Thanksgiving going?

Hey!

How's your Thanksgiving going?  Ours is going pretty well. 

Yesterday we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at League HQ with Jamie's folks, my folks, Jason, Susan, Ciara, Heather and JuanD.  Then we watched the Cowboys AND the Longhorns... lose.  We had as traditional a Thanksgiving meal as you can likely imagine, complete with discussion of "we are thankful to be living in the 21st Century".

It was all a lot of fun.  Sort of.  Stupid Longhorns.  Next year, right?

Anyway, let me know how your Thanksgiving is going.  Did you go to the Friday doorbuster sales?  Watch football?  Eat Turkey?  Are you home, alone in your boxers eating a Hungry Man dinner?

Thanksgiving Day Thankful Post

Lady Liberty leads two turkeys to their doom

As the writer of a personal blog site (such as it is), I think I'm legally obligated to state what it is I'm thankful for.

So, sure...  Thanksgiving

1. Jamie
2. Family
3. Friends
4. A good job
5. A lovely home
6. 21st Century Technology
7. Safety and health for all
8. Doggies and Kitty
9. a life filled with good things
10. a life in which I can choose to make of it what I want

So we've got that list closed up and we can all agree my priorities are not completely out of whack 

But why not talk about the stuff that I'm thankful for that isn't the "yes, let us all observe The League's good fortune"?  Let's be thankful for some of the other things. 

1)  The casting director for Mad Men.  For s/he has given us the female cast of Mad Men.

2)  The 2011 UT Longhorn Football Season
The fact that there is always next year means there is always hope for a better season.  (I keep telling people "they're just resting up for next year")


3)  Superman Stuff
In some ways, I'm as surprised as you guys are that Superman and Superman-related media, history, etc... has continued to be of such interest to me.  And its been an interesting year to be a Superman fan.  Not necessarily a great year, but an interesting year.


4)  Audiobooks
As adulthood and, well, the internet happened, I fell off reading as much as I did at one point in my life.  But thanks to the power of iTunes, a mid-range commute and a job that requires lots of driving, I'm now cranking through a decent number of books once again.

5)  Too Much Time at the Movies
I am glad I live in a town where there's so much offered at the theater, at the Alamo, a few film festivals, the Paramount summer series and so much more.  This summer I lived downtown at the theater, and I appreciate Jamie's patience when I announce things like "I'm gonna not come home.  'Captain Blood' is playing.".

6)  HBO OnDemand
Having HBO OnDemand when I'm working out is one of the greatest inventions since bread met the slicer.  I'm sort of ADD, and I don't know how people do it who just listen to whatever's on their iPod.  I go with Eastbound and Down.

7)  Coffee/ Caffeine
I don't talk about it much (compared to some), but my blood is generally .08 coffee bean.  I heart you, coffee.  You make mornings work.  And afternoons around 2:45.  And all other hours of the day.

8)  The internet knows everything
Our younger readers won't remember life before the internet made it possible to answer any trivia question within three minutes, but I heart the fact that not only is the technology there, but that people keep putting something resembling facts online.  You kids today don't even know...

9) Kanye West, his Twitter Account, and whatever it is Kanye is up to today
He's been tweeting a bit less lately, but there are few things as amazing as the stream of consciousness that has been Kanye's Twitter account.  http://twitter.com/#!/kanyewest
And then the video for his latest song came out, and, well...  I'm still thankful for all that.
Here you go.  Kill 35 or so minutes.

10)  Dames
Because why the hell not?

Brooksie demands your thanks

I guess that's dames on there twice, technically, but I think that's just emphasizing the point.  Plus, you know, I come home to a pretty great dame everyday, and you can't beat that.

this one




So, not exactly the same as being glad you didn't die of the pox during your first year on a continent you believe is home to the embodiment of the devil just beyond the treeline, but I can be grateful for the little things, I think.

I have no idea what is going on here, but it isn't wrong

More True Facts of Thanksgiving!

I am afraid that in my haste to share with you the True Story of Legally Required Thanksgiving, I forgot to relay a crucial chapter in the tale.

Upon pondering the fearsome fate that could befall us all at the hands of the Turkey Goblins, you may ask: "if the Turkey Goblins pose such a threat to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Why the Presidential Pardon?".

Why the Presidential Pardon each holiday, indeed...

On April of 1945, the Allies were making tremendous progress in the European Theater.  Berlin would fall in the next month, but President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would not live to see the Allies take Germany, nor would he live to see VJ Day by the end of the summer.  With his passing on April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman would assume the presidency.  And with that, the Secret Knowledge and responsibilities bestowed upon the President of the United States of America.

While the most famous weapon developed as an extreme measure during WWII was, undoubtedly, The Bomb (and clearly a product of Mad Science rather than Boring Science, which was developing better ways to starch a collar and ways to use lemon juice as invisible ink for most of the war), the wily scientists of the USA had more than one iron in the fire.   The Bomb was the most famous, but other, possibly deadlier plans were still being investigated.

While the story of Coolidge's discovery of Lincoln's secret headquarters is a fascinating tale, it will have to wait for another day.*  But suffice it to say, Coolidge's discovery meant the records of the Turkey Goblin Adventure had fallen into the hands of the US War Department where they had been stored in Secret Bunker X, where they had remained until the morning of June 8, 1942, when, after Midway, the US had finally just plain had it and began looking for options.

By July of 1942, Mad Science had come a long way, and in oh-so-controlled circumstances US Scientists began keeping a coop of turkeys, all of whom had tested positive for tryptophan.  They knew it would take at least a year and a half to see real results, and while few would call the horrendous deaths of several graduate students a "success", by August of 1943, the US had on its hands 6 Turkey Goblins who they knew were capable of quick and merciless slaughter (especially of unsuspecting graduate assistants).

Deployed in the Pacific Theater in the fall of 1943 with the assistance of Private First Class Lee Marvin, the Turkey Goblins were an expeditionary force, sent to islands considered suicide missions for even the iron-tough US Marines.  Across a year and a half, small batches of Turkey Goblins were deployed, serving with distinction and, ultimately, giving up their lives.

Artist's interpretation of one of the Fighting 999th

A month after taking office President Truman learned of the bravery of the Turkey Goblins at Iwo Jima, with only one Turkey Goblin (or T.G. Joe, as they were affectionately known by the Pacific fleet) still alive, Truman is said to have called home this last gobbling soldier.  What is known is that Truman, himself, flew secretly out to West Virginia to an undisclosed location where the Turkey Goblin was said to be kept.  What words passed between Turkey and President, none can say.  Nor does any man know what became of that Turkey Goblin.

What we do know is that after this meeting, President Truman became particularly sentimental about Turkeys.  And so, it is supposed that between Truman's access to the secret knowledge of the history of the Turkey Goblins and how he had seen them deployed in the Pacific, that he could never bring himself to see another gobbler harmed.

In 1947, Truman pardoned the Turkey brought to the White House.  It is said that upon leaving the Oval Office, he has left special instructions to each successor to read, detailing why the pardoning of the Turkey must be done.  Some have pardoned the Turkey.  Some have not, but the pardoning of a symbolic Turkey each and every year holds special significance not just to the pact between Turkey and Man, but as a coded message from President to President. 

President Truman's affection for our feathered friends and his awareness of our uneasy alliance would haunt him well past the end of his term

The Signal Watch is not a politically bent site, but we would point out that the pact that seems to have been forged Man and Turkey Goblin by US Presidents may fall apart should Sarah "What Else is in the Shot?" Palin take the Oval Office.

The Turkeys have not forgotten the former Governor's 2008 post-pardon interview and the slaughter of their young that occurred while Palin stood by, remorseless, as the television cameras rolled.  One shudders to think of what might occur should Palin ascend to the White House and the Turkey Goblins, quiet and dormant living just beyond our line of site for so long, take her election as a sign of aggression.


*Seriously, it's a pretty good story.

I actually left my house and saw a show: Dresden Dolls

A few years ago I believe I misspoke, and as we strive for accuracy at the Signal Watch, I want to correct myself.  In 2009 I said:

Have been listening to "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" which sort of begs the question of how necessary the other half of "Dresden Dolls" really is

I fully retract that statement and think its a good time to point out that the recordings and albums of Dresden Dolls don't do justice to Brian Viglione's actual skill, talent and showmanship.  Dude isn't just technically proficient, he's also just as much a part of the show as Palmer, which is saying something.

this is a rock show as seen by my crummy camera in my phone

I mostly no longer talk about music on this site as, seriously, its like arguing your favorite color.  But I did go see Dresden Dolls here in Austin on Sunday night.  For a two-person combo, they more than managed to knock my socks off and fill the stage.  They played 3 hours straight (after a really solid set by San Antonio's Girl in a Coma, who I will be making Jason go see)  and I guess I knew 70-80% of the material.  But if I had any doubts, their finale was a cover of Sabbath's War Pigs, which...

Well, it was weird.  I attended the show with a work colleague who mentioned the band Warpaint, and it was loud in there, and I thought she said "War Pigs", and so I had "War Pigs" on the brain, anyway...  and so when they actually played "War Pigs"...  it kind of melted my brain.  Apparently this is an old number from pre-hiatus, but I didn't know that.

And then I just downloaded the new album from Girl Talk (its free, btw), and what's the first track he uses?

Sabbath is haunting me at every move.

Palmer from someone else's much better camera

Dresden Dolls also covered Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy", "Pirate Jenny" from the actual Threepenny Opera and a few other tunes.

That's not to say they didn't play their own stuff.  And, apparently (according to the band themselves online today) Dresden Dolls played their longest set ever in Austin.  So, go figure.  I guess they just liked the crowd.

Palmer and Viglione are surely putting on a rock show, but, yeah, if you think you can pick up someone's love of showtunes off the recording, on stage, its just cranked up to 11.  In a way, even if you don't love their actual music, its a good show, and that's not something too many bands know how to do.

Viglione takes aim

What really surprised me was how they killed on some of their songs I like best, like "Delilah" (for which they brought out Nina, from Girl in a Coma), "The Jeep Song" (for which they brought 20 or so folks from the audience onto the stage), "Ultima Esperanza" and "Mandy Goes to Medschool".  I didn't expect them to NOT play them well, but I was just surprised that they seemed like showcase pieces in the set.  So...  there you go.

Anyway, a fun night.  And while I wasn't the oldest one at the show, it was definitely true that the audience was definitely a bit younger.  Kids.  Ah, well.

Why CN's "Sym-Bionic Titan" is the best Space Fantasy/ Sci-Fi/ Giant Robot/ High School show on TV

Those of us in the know watched Samurai Jack, by the great Genndy Tartatovsky. His new show is Sym-Bionic Titan, and it is awesome.

That's Flock of Seagulls' "Space Age Love Song" playing while a giant robot fights a mega-monster from space. And, yeah, that's a girl who just unwittingly fell in love with a robot.