List O' Links for Week of 4/27/12

It's been awhile, but List O' Links is back! And what a sweet lineup we have this week!

Comics Alliance presents 15 comic book TV shows that didn't make it to full series. Amazing Screw-On Head, anyone?

Fellow Adventure Time fans will get a kick out of this collection of 101 animated gifs from the series. Actually, its an even 100, as one of them is listed twice, but who's counting?

My blogging friend and high school alumnus Chris Nowaczyk professes why baseball is his religion.

Masters of the Universe characters created with Lite Brite pegs. Experience the power here and here.

Finally, Hero Complex, the online comic book blog published by the LA Times, featured this moving tribute to Jack Kirby by his son Neal.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Where the Wind Blows

This week's Tuesday's Forgotten Film is a bit of a cheat for me, as I'm republishing a blog article I wrote way back in 2008, just a few months into the existence of the blog. I first saw this movie back in the late 80s/circa 1990 on Bravo, when it was a fine arts and culture channel instead of the trash it is now. Based on the illustrated book by the great Raymond Briggs, here's more on the film--and the film in its entirely--from my original 2008 article. Enjoy!

For more overlooked oeuvre, check out Todd Mason's blog here!

http://meandyouandablognamedboo.blogspot.com/2008/01/raymond-briggs-when-wind-blows.html

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: The New Monkees

The untimely passing of Davy Jones this past winter has stirred up further interest in The Monkees, which is something I'm always happy to see, being a huge fan of the group. What many people may not know, however, is that the idea was resurrected shortly after the group's first reunion tour in 1986. The project became The New Monkees, and it's this week's Tuesday's Forgotten TV.

Columbia Television decided to give the Monkees concept a second shot in the wake of the surprisingly successful 1986 reunion of the original members. Four new musicians were selected for a record album and TV series, again with top-notch music producers of the day, but this time with a sound and look that was very very 80s.

That is definitely 80s hair.

Unlike in the 60s TV series, in which the Monkees were portrayed as struggling musicians, the new batch of Monkees lived in a gigantic mansion with crazy technology and an almost magical quality about it (think the Overlook Hotel without the evil). The house was inhabited by the boys' sneering, disapproving butler, a friendly waitress in the mansion's diner--not a kitchen, a diner--and a feminine artificial intelligence that appeared on large TV screens as Rocky Horror-style disembodied lips.

Suffice it to say, this was a large departure from the original series.

It was also a large departure from the original series' success. Although slated for an entire 22-episode run, the show last only 13 episodes in first-run syndication. The accompanying album also went nowhere. It also didn't help that the original members sued Columbia over the Monkees name; the case was settled out of court.

Below is a presentation to potential affiliates to sell the show.



The show's theme song.



One of the band's songs on both the series and their album.



Finally, the band actually had a reunion of sorts as recently as 2007 which was recorded and posted on YouTube. Here they perform a classic made famous by the original Monkees.



Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True

If it's Tuesday, and it is, it's time for Tuesday's Forgotten Movies/TV. This week I offer the 1995 televised production The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True.

This was a charity production to raise money for the Children's Defense Fund, and starred Jewel as Dorothy, Jackson Browne as the Scarecrow, Roger Daltrey as the Tin Man, and Nathan Lane as the Cowardly Lion, among others. Quite an eclectic cast! The concert originally aired on TBS, but I saw it as a pledge special on PBS in the late 1990s. It was issued on VHS but not DVD, and it is currently out of print.

Here are the aforementioned cast members singing their characters' signature songs. Thanks! For more overlooked greatness, check out Sweet Freedom.

List O' Links for Week of 4/2/2012

It's time once again to share some cool links I've come across the past week. You can now enjoy them too while you scarf down your Easter/Passover dinner.

Nerve.com presents its list of the Top 25 Greatest Breakup Songs of the 1970s. Some great tunes here!

Would you like a handy, frequently updated list of the current broadcast TV series that are being renewed or cancelled? You would? TV Line.com has it right here!

In my old neighborhood of South Philadelphia, pizza is serious business. That's why several of the most popular shops there are blitzing local TV airwaves (or cable waves) with the wackiest TV commercials they can create. Take a look.

Do you love/know/work with someone who is so clueless they can use a reality check? Now you can give them one. Literally.

Although short on answers, this article by Beau Smith of Comics Bulletin lays out the precarious business prospects of (mostly indie) comic publishers and creators today.

Finally, this Deviant Art member is good. Real good.

Thanks, and Happy Holy Days of your choice!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: La Mujer Murcielago ("The Batwoman")

I was reminded of this week's Forgotten Film courtesy of the amazing site Network Awesome. The site provides YouTube clips of various esoteric offerings, from old public access cable TV series to punk bands to cult classic TV and films. Think of it as this blog but with much more of a punk sensibility (and a much more professional look). Go take a look--you could spend hours upon hours there.

Back here, I offer a true goofy delight. Mexican films of the 1960s have a reputation for their quirkiness--sometimes delightfully fun, sometimes stomach-churningly bad. Hopefully this film falls into the former category. I say "hopefully" because I have yet to actually watch it, but I assure you, it's on my short list of things to see as soon as possible.

As I'm sure you know, I'm a huge fan of the Batman 60s TV series, as were many at the time. When something is as much of a success as that, couuntless folks do their best to cash in on the phenomenon. This film does just that, but with a twist--bending gender to create Batwoman, an athletic and yes, beautiful, cowl-wearing crimefighter.

This is pure 60s cheese. It features luchador wrestling, seas creatures, and of course, the voluptuous Batwoman herself. I could summarize the plot more, but let's face it, it doesn't really matter. Just sit back and enjoy the craziness--the entire film appears below (with subtitles!). I have high hopes for this one--don't disappoint, Batwoman!

For more forgotten/overlooked goodness, check out Todd Mason's Sweet Freedom blog!