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‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Reportedly Finds New Life In A New Web Series

It's Trent, Bitch! — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:08:30 +0000

Okay … let’s take this new report with a HUGE grain of salt but it sounds like Buffy the Vampire Slayer may rise from the dead, once again, in a new animated web series. As many of you are prolly still very painfully aware, Whedon’s latest endeavor Dollhouse was canceled by Fox last week … but that means that Joss has a bunch of newly freed up time on his hands. According to SyFy’s SciFiWire, Whedon is now planning to bring the Season 8 comic book series based on BtVS to life in a new animated web series:

Buffy lives! No, not the proposed Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie that wouldn’t involve creator Joss Whedon or anyone from the beloved TV show, which all serious Bronzers consider an abomination against nature. Rather, a series of motion-comic webisodes based on Whedon’s highly successful series of “Season Eight” comics. An actor friend of ours has clued us in to the casting of the new Buffy webisodes, which makes it sound like the proposed Web series is moving ahead quickly. Based on the breakdown, the series will be based on the comics and feature the characters Twilight, the Big Bad of Season Eight, and evil British socialite Slayer Lady Genevieve Savidge, who plots to usurp Buffy’s place in the Slayer hierarchy. Casting director Jeff Shuter is also looking for voice actors to play the parts of familiar Buffyverse characters Faith, Kennedy and Robin Wood, as well as a bunch of new characters (including someone who sounds like actor Daniel Craig to play a character based on the James Bond star). Below is the full breakdown, with character names and descriptions. Now that Dollhouse is winding up, Cabin in the Woods is delayed until 2011 and there’s no new Dr. Horrible on the immediate horizon, this is the best news yet for a Whedonite. Yay!

Click HERE to see a list of characters that are being cast for this proposed Buffy animated web series. Man … this is great news. I know it’s a far cry from having the live-action Buffy gang back together again but it’s a damn fine consolation prize. I’ve been really enjoying the BtVS Season 8 comics and I think they will make an EXCELLENT animated series. Please gods, let this happen … fans of the Buffyverse could really use this sort of great news right about now. What do y’all think … would you watch an animated webseries based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

[Source]

‘Sesame Street’ Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

It's Trent, Bitch! — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:56:50 +0000

How’s this for a trip down memory lane … or, actually, Sesame Street … the beloved children’s TV series, which has taught countless kids around the world how to count, read and speak different languages, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month! In celebration, Google will be featuring a different Sesame Street themed logo on its homepage for the next 10 days … the first Sesame logo went online today and features Big Bird:

Well … part of Big Bird, at least. CNN published a really fantastic piece on Sesame Street’s 40th reminding some of us who remember and informing others of us who never knew how the whole thing got started back in 1969:

In the early days of “Sesame Street” — that is, B.E. (Before Elmo) — Sesame Street was a pretty grimy place. The brownstone at 123 Sesame Street looked like it needed a serious power washing, the storefront of Mr. Hooper’s shop was intentionally dingy and the Fix-It Shop’s window was cluttered with toasters. It was gritty, but gritty in a magical way. When the show started in 1969 (”Sesame Street” will celebrate its 40th anniversary on November 10), the concept of educational television programming was nothing short of revolutionary. “Sesame Street” was originally intended as a learning tool for inner-city children — not only as a supplement to their lessons in math and the ABCs but to teach them to be good people and show them that learning can be fun. Those early years are now available on DVD; and the discs contain a disclaimer that essentially states that they are intended for nostalgia purposes only. The warning reads as follows: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” Say what!? Never did I ever think I’d see “Sesame Street” and “intended for grown-ups” in the same sentence. On the DVDs, Cookie Monster can be seen as his character of Alistair Cookie in his “Monsterpiece Theatre” segment (a spoof of Alistair Cooke’s “Masterpiece Theatre”) smoking a pipe. Yep, Cookie Monster smoked. He later eats the pipe because, as he was often prone to doing, he thinks the pipe is a cookie. Cookie Monster used to become so overwhelmed by his desire for cookies that he’d start seeing (hallucinating about?) cookies that weren’t actually there. He’d eat (rotary) telephones, typewriters (what are those?), pencils, almost anything. It was funny. Today, Cookie Monster’s diet is much more balanced, as he has adopted the philosophy that cookies are a “sometimes food.” Cookie coincidentally changed his tune in 2006 amidst reports that childhood obesity had reached epidemic proportions. Early “Sesame Street” had some other elements that would not pass muster today. Oscar the Grouch is just plain nasty, children are seen riding their bikes without helmets, and there’s even a sketch where the human character of Gordon can be seen approaching a little girl on the street. He takes her by the hand and brings her into his house for milk and cookies (again with the cookies!). Clearly, that could be misinterpreted by today’s standards. Now, some 4,000 episodes later, 123 Sesame Street has gotten that power washing. Peeling paint is nowhere to be found, and the only visible garbage can has a tenant. It’s much more sanitized. I’m tempted to make fun of this, but then I notice the bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel on my desk and bite my proverbial tongue. For better or worse, today’s preschooler is very different from the 1969 version. And children’s television programming simply has to reflect that. But one thing hasn’t changed on “Sesame Street”: the unflinchingly genuine attitudes of its residents. For 40 years, they have taught us that sometimes we are going to get hurt, cry and be lonely. They’ve taught us that there’ll also be times when we’re downright jovial. All the while, those characters have remained sincere. We may never see Cookie Monster eat a pipe again, but luckily the memories are preserved on DVD, and in our hearts.

It’s pretty wonderful for those of us born after 1969 that we’ve never known a world without Sesame Street. I used to love watching that show. Living in Detroit, Sesame Street used to teach viewers how to speak Spanish as a second language … while my parents were fluent in Spanish, I didn’t want to learn the language from them. I learned how to count and say basic words from the gang on Sesame Street. Detroit’s very close proximity to Canada meant that we also got to watch Canadian Sesame Street on very fuzzy channels (in the days before cable TV) and I also got to learn basic French. There are so many little vinettes that I remember fondly from watching Sesame Street, like the pinball machine animation that teaches you how to count to 12. After the jump, check out that fun video and remember with me how cool Sesame was and still is …

Sooo awesome, right? Now you’ll prolly have that counting song in your head all day long. There is a magic in Sesame Street that speaks to children’s hearts and minds. I’m so pleased to know that 40 years later, the show is still going strong. If you are interested, you can pre-order the 40th anniversary DVD Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days HERE and watch to you heart’s content … then pass if off to your kids after you’ve had your fill ;) I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street … after all, the fact that you can read this blog at all is prolly thanks in some part to the fact that you watched Sesame Street when you were a kid ;)

UPDATE: Sorry, but I have to add a couple more of my fave videos which a few Pink readers reminded me of … how many of y’all remember and LOVE The Ladybugs’ Picnic:

How about the Alligator King:

Got a fave? Post a You Tube link in the comments :)

[Source, Source]

Marge Simpson Shows Her Ta-Tas In ‘Playboy’ Magazine

It's Trent, Bitch! — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:24:03 +0000

Last week we got our first look at Marge Simpson, the big mama on the long-running animated series The Simpsons, on the cover of the new issue of Playboy magazine and earlier this week we got to read a few excerpts from her Playboy interview and we got our first look at one of the photos from her pictorial. Today we get to check out another photo from her pictorial and her Playboy Model Data Sheet. Despite the fact that Marge is appearing in Playboy magazine, you can imagine my surprise when I saw that one of her photos clearly shows her bared breasts!

To be completely honest, I expected that Marge would be posing in risqué photos but I did NOT expect that any of her special parts would be exposed in the mag. I never knew she had it in her. After the jump, check out the NSFW uncensored photo above (her top is sheer, you can see her nips) and check out her Playboy Model Data Sheet that is filled out in her own hand …

LOL!! I love that her measurements are 26 – 26 -26 :) Her answers are really cute … this is such a great issue of Playboy. It’s so fun. Sure, the sight of Marge’s bared nipples is kind of mentally scarring … but I can overlook that and see the fun in the whole thing. Homer Simpson is a very lucky man.

Marge Simpson: The ‘Playboy’ Interview

It's Trent, Bitch! — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:02:45 +0000

Last week we learned that Marge Simpson, the fictional matriarch of long-running animated series The Simpsons, would be appearing on the cover and in the pages of Playboy magazine … today we get to read a press release from Playboy on this special issue, we get to see one of Marge’s pictorial pictures and get to read a few excerpts from her coverstory interview. First up, the press release:

MARGE SIMPSON POSES FOR PLAYBOY’S NOVEMBER ISSUE

The Blue-Beehived Belle Shows Her Seductive Side in a Stunning Five-Page Pictorial and Shares Her Pearls of Wisdom in a Rare Interview

“I’m just happy to be a MILK – Mom I’d Like to Know,” says Marge Simpson in an in-depth interview in Playboy’s latest issue, which accompanies a dazzling Centerfold and five-page pictorial. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the FOX hit television series, “The Simpsons,” Springfield’s sexiest blue-haired beauty decided to pose for the magazine, and appears on the cover and inside its November issue (on newsstands and online at www.playboydigital.com Friday, October 16). “Marge Simpson is the quintessential girl next door who stole our hearts 20 years ago and has held them captive ever since,” says Hugh Hefner. “We were delighted to learn she wanted to grace the pages of our magazine. Her pictorial is truly stunning.” Playboy’s November cover girl is excited about her sizzling modeling debut. “Only in a great country like America do we have the freedom of the press to publish naughty images of previously proper women,” she says. Husband Homer is equally excited and supportive of his wife’s decision to pose. “I can’t believe my wife is sharing her feminine beauty with the world in this tasteful pictorial,” he says. However, being nurturing, protective parents, both Marge and Homer agree, “If my son tries to look at it, I’ll kill him!”

LMAOO!! I really love this Marge doing Playboy thing … it’s really fun and I’m sure her pictorial is going to be cute. After the jump, check out one of Marge’s Playboy pics that will be featured in the mag and read some excerpts from her coverstory interview …

On her family’s reactions to her Playboy pictorial: “Homer said he was intrigued because he had never heard of [Playboy]. The notion of women posing in the buff was completely foreign to him. Wasn’t it sweet of him to lie? When Lisa heard about this, she said it was empowering to see a woman in control of her own body. Wasn’t it sweet of her to lie? Bart will never learn about this under any circumstance.”

On the time that she knew Homer was the one: “Well, when the doctor said I was pregnant, I heard a voice saying ‘That’s the man you’re going to marry.’ The voice was my mother’s.”

On her secret to a successful relationship: “Homer and I have one rule that has worked incredibly well: Never go to bed hungry.”

On the advice she gives Lisa regarding men: “I always tell my Lisa she should marry the man who loves her. It doesn’t matter if he’s losing his hair or is overweight or is at a bar every night…or if he forgets your birthday and anniversary…All that matters is that nothing means anything to him but you.”

On the advice she gives Bart regarding women: “I say, ‘You won’t meet any girls in prison, which is where you seem to be headed.’”

On what she prides herself on doing around the house: “Searching for [Playboys] and throwing them away…they’re usually in the bedroom.”

Beautiful pic … I love it!! I can’t wait to see the rest of the photos … I gotta admit, this is one issue of Playboy that I’ll deffo be picking up! It’ll be on sale tomorrow :)

First Listen: Neil Patrick Harris (As Music Meister), ‘Drives Us Bats’

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:09:17 +0000

Neil Patrick Harris, who proved he is quite a singer as both Dr. Horrible and as Tony Awards host, is guest starring as an animated villain called the Music Meister who takes on Batman in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold (which airs on Cartoon Network) in an upcoming episode. Here are a few screencaps from a music video for the song Drives Us Bats which features NPH on vocals:

No, it’s not a clip from Dr. Horrible 2. Nor is it a sneak peek at How I Met Your Mother’s music-filled 100th episode. Rather, it’s an exclusive first look at Neil Patrick Harris’ show-stopping turn as the evil Music Meister in the Oct. 23 episode of Cartoon Network’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Warning: The following clip could drive you batty (but in a good way)!

OMG … I love this!! While the song isn’t terribly good, I love that NPH is voicing a Batman villain who sings! In fact, this entire episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be a musical ep! After the jump, check out the song Drives Us Bats — and as a bonus, watch the entire episode titled Mayhem of The Music Meister …

So cute!! I didn’t get a chance to watch the entire ep but I watched some of it and it looks really cute :) Batman is my fave hero ever and now that Neil Patrick Harris, as Music Meister, has joined Batman’s infamous Rogues Gallery of Supervillains … well, my love has increased tenfold!

[Source, Source]

Marge Simpson Does ‘Playboy’ Magazine

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:20:11 +0000

Back in March, Marge Simpson — the animated matriarch of The Simpsons family — shared her first same-sex kiss on an episode of the long-running animated series and then in April we learned that Marge (and the rest of The Simpsons family) would be appearing on the new $0.44 US postage stamps … today we learn that Marge Simpson has reached a new milestone in sexiness. Marge will be featured on the cover of the November issue of Playboy magazine:

Playboy has had brunets, blonds and redheads grace the cover of its monthly magazine. Now it’s going blue. For the first time, Playboy is using a cartoon character, Springfield’s own Marge Simpson, as its cover girl. The November issue will hit the newsstands next Friday, said Jimmy Jellinek, Playboy’s editorial director. “It’s a very, very racy pictorial, with implied nudity at the very least,” Jellinek said. “Whether or not you see more … well, you’ll have to hit the stands to find out.” The November issue will feature Marge in a five-page pictorial, as well as a two-page pullout poster, he said. In mid-July, Playboy approached Matt Groening, the creator of “The Simpsons,” and the television show’s creative team about the prospect of using Marge on the cover, Jellinek said. “They were totally on board with the idea,” Jellinek said. “This is their 20th anniversary, and they’ve got an episode coming out called ‘The Devil Wears Nada,’ where Marge will disrobe, so this sort of goes in hand with all that.” Currently Playboy has no plans to give other cartoon women, such as Betty Boop or Wilma Flintstone, a pictorial, Jellinek said. “We’re going to take it one fictional celebrity at a time,” he said. Homer Simpson was unavailable for comment.

Is it wrong that I think this is hot? Okay … so not hot hot but hot in a cool fun way. The Simpsons have done some pretty cool things in their 20 years of existence and Marge’s Playboy cover is but the latest. I can’t wait to see what the rest of Marge’s Playboy pictorial spread looks like ;)

[Source via Source]

Walt Disney + No Clothing = Sexy Princes?

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:07:02 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we got to see a few really cool photos of Walt Disney Princesses lookin’ all dark and evil and today we get to see new and interesting photos of the Disney Princes created by David Kawena. Here are a few photos of some of the Disney Princes from the animated films Aladdin, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty (Prince Philip), The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric), Tarzan and Pocahontas (John Smith) wearing nothing but their undies:

LOL!! I thought the Twisted Princesses we saw before were pretty cool … but these Sexy Princes are even better!! But wait, there’s more!! After the jump, check out another batch of Sexy Princes from Beauty and the Beast (the human Beast and Gaston), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Phoebus) and Mulan (Shang) …

I love that every last inch of Gaston is covered in hair! Oh man … these graphics are hilarious … but are they totally and entirely wrong? What do y’all think … are these Sexy Disney Princes good ol’ fun or a world of no?

[Source via ONTD!]

‘Band Hero’ Lets You Play As Taylor Swift, Adam Levine & More

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:41:41 +0000

Activision, the video game company that makes some of the coolest video games IN THE WORLD, has announced the release of a new game called Band Hero (an offshoot of the very popular Guitar Hero series of games) which allows players to play as their fave musicians in order to live out their rock star dreams. Here are pics of the animated versions of Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine (who are both playable characters) and the press release that reveals what other musicians you can play in the game:

Video game players and music fans alike can now get closer to Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Band Hero’s(TM) in-game playable character Taylor Swift than ever before, as they can perform as the music icon to her fan-favorite chart-topping hits “You Belong With Me,” “Picture To Burn” and “Love Story” in the biggest music event to hit living rooms this holiday season – Band Hero. Today, Activision puts fans front and center in the concert of a lifetime, as they debut Swift’s never-before-seen in-game performances in Band Hero, the perfect game for family and friends to jam out and sing along to their favorite tunes together. Allowing budding pop stars the ability to perform with friends and family in living rooms across the globe or take their newfound fame on the road as they command center stage with their band anywhere they choose, Band Hero confirmed today additional songs from both the console and Nintendo DS(TM) Lite set lists, comprised of the most fun to play, chart-topping hits. When the games ship on November 3, fans can live out their music fantasies as they step on stage as their favorite music superstars, including singer/songwriter Taylor Swift and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, while strumming, drumming and singing along to the most popular songs of yesterday and today … This holiday season, the biggest music event of the year will hit living rooms around the world as family and friends come together to ascend the virtual stage and rock their way to superstardom with Band Hero. Brought to you by the makers of Guitar Hero(R), one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, Band Hero features the hottest chart-topping hits from everyone’s favorite bands including No Doubt, Nelly Furtado, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects and Jackson 5. Headlined by some of the leading names in music as in-game artists and playable characters, including singer, songwriter and guitarist Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, Band Hero is the ultimate party game where friends and family can choose to join the band or “take five” at any time without interrupting the performance, in Party Play mode. Band Hero allows fans to create the band of their dreams, using any combination of vocals and guitar or drum controllers, providing budding pop stars the chance to customize how they interact with and experience their favorite music.

OMG … I love this!! Back in July we learned that we would be able to play as Shirley Manson of Garbage in Guitar Hero 5 and now we learn that we will get to play as a whole lot of other amazing musicians in Band Hero!! People, the game also allows you to play as Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams on their duet song Kids!!! Other playable characters include David Bowie on Let’s Dance, The Go-Go’s on Our Lips Are Sealed, Pat Benatar on Love Is A Battlefield, Styx on Mr. Roboto and more. Wee!! This sounds so fun … I know my boy Darion will be getting his hands on this game and I cannot wait for him to host a party so we can all play at his place. I need to channel my inner Kylie Minogue, y’all. Woot!!

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Walt Disney + Marvel Comics = Twisted Princesses?

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:01:57 +0000

In late August pretty much everyone lost their shizz when the news came out that The Walt Disney Company was acquiring Marvel Comics for $4 billion mainly because there was a huge fear that Disney would interfere with Marvel and ruin those characters. BUT, what if the reverse actually happened and Marvel was able to influence the nice, sweet Disney characters instead. Illustrator Jeffrey Thomas envisions what Disney characters might look like if they received the Marvel Comics treatment … here are a few of the Twisted Princesses that he envisions:

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if instead of Disney’s wussification of Marvel’s characters, the tables were turned and instead Marvel turned the Disney princesses into Skrull invaders and zombies like this Dark Little Mermaid? All the images are by illustrator Jeffrey Thomas, who’s as twisted as he is brilliant. Please oh please can’t we at least get a comic book out of these images?

Aren’t these illustrations fantastic? I love mashing up characters like this … seeing the Disney Princesses in a more dark light only highlights their personalities, I think. Some of them look evil (ie. Ariel the Little Mermaid) but some of them just look more realistic and strong (ie. Pocahontas). I LOVE these illustrations. I urge you to visit Thomas’s website HERE to see these illustrations in higher resolution … they’re really amazing. One can only hope that the marriage between Disney and Marvel might bring to fruition an alliance like this … my guess is that it won’t really happen but it’s nice to wish … upon a star.

[Source via Source]

Cartooning Is Half The Battle

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:48:53 +0000

Since I’ve been in a big G.I. Joe mood lately, what with my love of the movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and my affection for the viral video G.I. Joe: The Invasion of Cobra Island, I thought it was time to bust out my G.I. Joe DVDs of the original 80’s cartoon and watch a few eps … so that’s what I did yesterday afternoon:

I know it prolly sounds like I’m going overboard but the movie really did remind me how much I loved the cartoon when I was a kid. Sure, it’s cheesy as hell now but I really loved those 80’s cartoons.

To be honest, I think I might’ve gotten all the Joe out of my system … and I’m ready to get fixated on something else. This afternoon, David and I are meeting up with Ollie, Caleb and hopefully Tamar to see District 9 which I hear is FAB. I’m staying well away from all potential spoilers cuz I wanna see the film fresh. No word on what’s going on later on tonight but … it’s the weekend so, it’s bound to be fun! Happy Friday, y’all!!