Above, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Starting today, Wonder Woman will appear like you’ve never seen her before.
As you may have seen in THE NEW YORK TIMES, bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee has redesigned her costume for the modern era, just in time for BABYLON 5 creator and critically acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Don Kramer and Michael Babinski to launch the Amazon Princess into an exciting and epic new era of adventure.
Starting with their story in WONDER WOMAN #600, which is in comic shops today, JMS and Kramer will begin a run that is both forward-looking and true to the legendary character, planting her firmly in the modern era. But enough about what I have to say. Mr. Straczynski took some time out of his schedule to lay out some of his plans for WONDER WOMAN right here on The Source.
Above, Greg, Kelsey and Missey Smith.
IN 11 DAYS, MONSTERS WILL ROAM INDIANAPOLIS
MORE GUESTS ANNOUNCED! SPECIAL UN-AIRED IRWIN ALLEN FILMS TO BE SCREENED! AND A NEW PILOT BEING FILMED RIGHT AT THE FM CON!
Get your tickets online to AVOID THE LINES!
The Famous Monsters Convention arrives in Indianapolis, IN July 9-11, 2010. With only 11 days to go, more guests have been added to the monstrous weekend, and several very special presentations.
But first, we are sad to announce that Lori Cardille (Day of the Dead) will be unable to attend our 2010 show. All of us at FM wish her the best and a very speedy recovery. And now for a barrage of good news, Bela Lugosi, Jr. (Son of Dracula), Kevin Burns (Girls Next Door; The Telling; Biography), Bridget Marquardt (Girls Next Door; The Telling), Nick Carpenter (The Telling), Billy Gram (One for the Fire) and Sal Lizard (I Am Legend; The Box) have been added to our guest list.
Bela Lugosi, Jr., the son of Dracula, played by legend Bela Lugosi, will introduce the new line of Lugosi Wines at the FM Con in the spirit of keeping his father's memory alive. Limited samples will be provided. Kevin Burns (The Girls Next Door, Kendra and Holly's World) is a prolific producer of nearly 600 hours of critically acclaimed and award-winning television. As a studio executive at 20th Century Fox, Burns produced pilots for updated versions of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel (2002) and Lost in Space, directed by John Woo (2005), both of which will be screened for the convention's attendees. The Telling (2005), intended as an "homage" to several horror anthologies will also be screened at the weekend show, followed by a panel with Burns, writer Joe Lessard, director Nick Carpenter (The Ghost Whisperer, My Name Is Earl), and actor and producer Bridget Marquardt (The Girls Next Door, Bridget's Sexiest Beaches).
Marquardt, who rose to fame as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends, is a big fan of the genre films and culture and will also be signing complimentary autographs for fans. With her beau, director Nick Carpenter, Marquardt will also be filming her new pilot Just Add Bridget at the FM Con on Friday. The new show will chronicle her adventures as a high-end party planner and designer with Carpenter.
The featurette anthology Monsterama, including a special one dedicated to Basil Gogos will also be screened. A fun-filled tribute to the sci-fi and creature feature movies of yesteryear, Monsterama shows previews of genre movies for the '40s and '50s.
With just about 90 guests attending the return of Famous Monsters Convention, this is one event not to be missed! Purchase your tickets online at www.CaptainCo.com to avoid the long lines and receive early admittance into the monster event of the summer.
"When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk Indianapolis."
Famous Monsters Convention
July 9-11, 2010
Wyndham Indianapolis-West Hotel
Indianapolis, Indiana
www.famousmonstersconvention.com
Order Tickets OnlineMedia Contact:
Famous Monsters of Filmland
P.O. Box 19123
Encino, CA 91416
convention@famousmonsters.com
About Famousmonsters.com
Famousmonsters.com represents the web entity of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Visitors can quickly and easily navigate between op-eds, video, news and reviews from our staff, exclusive interviews and columns from industry insiders and professionals, photo galleries, and much more.
FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND (words and distinctive lettering design) is a registered trademark of Philip Kim. Reproduction or use of the FM name or logo in any manner, including but not limited to internet "tribute" sites without express prior written permission from the trademark owner is strictly prohibited. All contents of website ©2008 Philip Kim. For more information visit: www.famousmonstersoffilmland.com.
"I have never been contacted by anyone associated with these films in the ten years we have distributed them except about five years ago when I emailed Daiei to ask about buying rights to the wide screen versions and they told me they didn't own the US rights. Toei likewise denied knowing anything about THE MAGIC SERPENT which we also tried to buy the wide screen rights for at the AFM three years ago.
Otherwise as far as we know there are no rights issues "a'brewing".
The biggest point that everyone is missing is that I only put this out because I was led to believe that the fans wanted it. I had no intention, or desire, to do this, all my usual distribution outlets had turned it down... but I was encouraged by fans to invest in doing the commentary, which we did, but then thought better of putting the show out as it would have to compete with a plethora of other editions.
Continual and repeated emails from fans made me want to offer it to them, but I didn't believe there was enough people really wanting it to do a big run so I went the Amazon.com route so copies would only be created for those who really wanted it... why can't anybody see that I only tried to give them what they kept asking me for? I could give a OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE otherwise... this could have stayed on the shelf for the rest of my life and I wouldn't care. I'm not going to make any real money off the Amazon release, it was done strictly for the fans who asked me for this. It might move a grand total of 25 copies, who knows? Get a life guys, I have bigger and better things to do. The DVD company is my hobby, not my business, I do it for the fans... but probably should have known better.
On different points "Ryan" posted his slander in Amazon's "Customer Review", a section created so that people who have actually bought products on Amazon can view them, then create a review of them. It's not your private flame forum, dude. If this basement dweller doesn't understand the concept of "customer review" then maybe someone should cut him off from a word processor.
Secondly, Copyright registrations begin with the letters PA, not V... don't you kids ever do your homework? The copyright registration the other ignorant guy puts forth is also BS... that's a transfer letter and has nothing to do with registration. Period. He hasn't a clue about copyright laws.
The item you mention is probably a transfer for banking purposes, I don't even need to look at it to know it's not a registration of copyright. Please write 100 times "I will know what I'm talking about before embarrassing myself on-line again".
Third, I'm legally not able to disclose the details of the settlement we made regarding this film and its legal action. However, drop your own dime and search the LA Court records... it's there as far as I know...
After all is said and done DESTROY is already out on 30 different labels and has NEVER been out of print on Retro in almost 10 years... I'd say the horse is out of the barn on this one."
FRED
Avery,
Thanks for posting this. I just want to sort out the facts, and Mr. Ray isn't helping.
Everyone Else,
Since DESTROY ALL PLANETS is not PD, did Mr. Ray get the rights from Kadokawa? The issue is, that he has tried to copyright this as "DESTROY ALL MONSTERS 2010: Special Edition", much like a certain Wade Williams tried to copyright PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. But, unlike PLAN 9, all the Gamera films reverted back to Daiei (owned by Kadokawa).
Something Weird Video were ordered to C&D once the rights to the Mexican Horror films that they planned to release (including the US dubs by K. Gordon Murray) reverted back to the original owners in Mexico via the NAFTA agreement. Another company, Casa Negra, secured the rights and released the original Mexican versions with Subtitles and the English dub option. How is this different?
Now, I'm not posting to bash this release. I'm passing along information and asking questions regarding the relative legality of this release—it doesn't matter that MGM doesn't own the rights anymore to DESTROY ALL PLANETS. The fact of the matter is that they are now in the hands of Kadokawa, despite claims to the contrary. I don't understand how Kadokawa can own this film and how its in the public domain?
"Settlement"? What settlement? So, he has paid someone for the rights to this? MGM has some original elements, but they know that they don't own the rights and that they reverted back to Kadokawa. Also, Mr. Ray's unwillingness to post the proof of licensing or ownership, in his own defense, is also suspect. "Check on your own dime"? Right.
BTW, the interesting thing about Mr. Ray's comment about trying to get the rights to THE MAGIC SERPENT from Toei... I contacted their LA office on the behalf of a friend of mine, a couple of years ago, and they said it was available. Perhaps Ray isn't asking the right people. At the time, Toei wanted about $20k for the North American Home Video license for this film (for five years), and I rather doubt that Retromedia would want to shell that kind of dough out.
Meanwhile, doing a copyright registration check at the Library of Congress website, shows that Destroy All Planets was re-registered by Orion Pictures (who owned the AIP catalogue at the time). Orion was bought out by MGM, which still has all of the original materials in their vaults. But, a friend at MGM tells me that the rights reverted back to the Japanese owners (vis-a-vis Kadokawa through their ownership of Daiei).
Since this program only became available yesterday it's physically impossible for "Ryan" to have seen it or even have received a copy of the DVD. Your "review" is a lie and obviously fueled by a personal agenda. Retromedia was the first company to ever present the AIP-TV Gamera films to the public on DVD and quickly became the source of material for all the cheap DVD labels that flooded the market afterwards. Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well. This DVD doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. It's simply the best edition of the AIP-TV version of the film ever released on DVD and it has an actors commentary track with star Carl Craig. That's all it advertises as being and that's what it is. Next time try watching the film first before rendering your "opinion", and if you happen to work for a rival DVD company, I'd have to say I'm disappointed... these kind of smear tactics are nothing less than juvenile.
Fred Olen Ray (who is Retromedia) has retorted to Ryan's comments on the Amazon page (Ryan is just a fan, and not an employee of Shout!), where Ray asserts that "Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well." I'd like to see the paperwork on that, because the rights to the AIP Gameras reverted back to them [i.e., Kadokawa Pictures. - Armand] once their contract with AIP expired. Now, I'm not accusing anyone of any wrong doing, but I'm curious to sort out the truth here (and not through second and third-hand parties).
Dubious Comforts* on the Classic Horror Film Board wrote: ...there exists a copyright registration to Destroy All Planets which precedes Retromedia's and Alpha's 2003 claims ("new soundtrack material" and "DVD box cover" respectively) by more than 10 years. Just look up document V2840P133 on the Library of Congress web site. The catalog only includes registrations from 1978 and onward, so there may be additional records prior to 1978.
Copyright records, as well as a proper notice on the film's title sequence, show that the work is not public domain. The Library of Congress has guidelines pertaining to duration: http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/duration.html
For Democrats, the results underscore the potential for major losses in November. Both parties have been forced to contend with an anti-establishment wave this year. But Republicans, through strong fund raising and candidate recruitment, have put enough seats in play in the House and Senate to give the GOP a realistic shot at winning control of both chambers.
Democrats just voted 57-40 to raise taxes on capital gains and dividends which could kill over 680,000 more jobs.
Above, Andrew Breitbart (left) with Mark Reed.Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Congratulations Mark Reed
The Singh Campaign would like to extend congratulations to Mark Reed for a clean, well-executed primary campaign. We stand 100% behind Mark to remove Brad Sherman from office and work to restore the constitutional principles to Congress which will revive our economy, our jobs and our nation.
Good luck and Godspeed!
Navraj Singh
Although proponents of the bill are pointing to grossly underestimated and incorrect costs, the reality is when all the tax impacts have been added up, the average per-family-of-four costs rise by $2,979 per year. In the year 2035 alone, the cost is $4,609. And the costs per family for the whole energy tax aggregated from 2012 to 2035 are $71,493.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A nurse famously photographed being kissed by an American sailor in New York's Times Square in 1945 to celebrate the end of World War Two has died at the age of 91, her family said on Tuesday.
The V-J Day picture of the white-clad Edith Shain by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured an epic moment in U.S. history and became an iconic image marking the end of the war after being published in Life magazine. The identity of the nurse in the photograph was not known until the late 1970s when Shain wrote to the photographer saying that she was the woman in the picture taken on August 14 at a time when she had been working at Doctor's Hospital in New York City.
Above, Ethan Hawke, Brian Goodman and Mark Ruffalo.
Above, Michael Sheen and Samuel L. Jackson.
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Above, Jack Larson with Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich at the "Superman |
Above, George Reeves on one of his many visits to hospitalized fans.
In New York, the competent creative director of Birk Advertising Eddie Shneider is living a successful moment of his professional life and is engaged and has just proposed Judy Birk, the daughter of the owner of the company where he works. Eddie is also a wolf and very successful with many women, and is having an affair with a neighbor of the street where he lives with Judy. When he gets the account of the greatest American airline for his company, he is promoted to partner and he celebrates with his assistant and friend Angelina Sable in a lunch party in a restaurant. After hours, when they are in the garage, Angeline notes that she had forgotten her car keys in the office, and when she returns, she is violently raped by the despicable brother of Judy, Anthony Birk. On the next morning, when Eddie arrives in the garage, he finds the traumatized Angeline on the floor and he takes her to a hospital. He returns to the company and Anthony blackmails Eddie with pictures of his many affairs. Eddie has to take a side between his career and engagement and his friendship with Angeline.
Above, Lauren Lee Smith.
Above, "The Wolfman" returned to the silver screen and now on DVD.
Above, Megan Fox in "Jennifer's Body."
Above, an example of the artistic genius of Al Williamson.
Above, Jimmy Dean as billionaire Willard Whyte in "Diamonds Are Forever."RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, "Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.
She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.
Above, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Above, an upset Alice Clutterbuck (Fay McKenzie) after falling into the pool.
Above, Noel Neill and George Reeves.
Above, with help from "Superman" Josh Boultinghouse, Noel unveils her statue. Photo by Bill Dillane.We have a legend in the statue on the Superman square. This is a unique statue, because this is a living legend. A dedicated lady who has dedicated so much of her life to entertainment.
Nine feet tall. Whatever. None of us are over nine feet tall, not even George. But that's showbiz.
Above, Jack "Jimmy Olsen" Larson and Noel in 2005. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
1.00 USD = 91.6400 JPY
Yesterday, six Democrat Senators abandoned a plan for higher Energy taxes that would cripple the American economy.
Led by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who introduced a resolution to block the EPA from creating a backdoor energy tax, these six Democrats should be applauded for trying to stop the EPA's power grab:
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Harry Reid still wants to pass a job-killing energy tax by the end of this summer, and we will need your help in stopping him and his liberal allies.
If you haven't done so already, please call your Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to stand up against Harry Reid and President Obama in opposing new energy taxes.
We will keep you informed of any new developments.
Thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Steve Everley
American Solutions for Winning the Future
Above, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Is this MySpace page part of your plan to sue J.D. for breach of contract? Is that hwy you wanted it kept secret?
Brett
A couple of e-mails you wrote to me last summer are attached below. Perhaps J.D. would be interested in knowing what sort of character is running his MySpace page.
Your past is now coming back to haunt you. All the crap you've pulled over the years is now biting you in the butt. Nobody likes you. You really have no friends. You asked for the altercation with Dutch. You never knew when to back off. You claimed G-FEST is "my show." You're the one with the problems. None of the G-FEST committee likes you, they've told me. You're as popular as turd in a punchbowl.
On the blackmail threat you made, you may want to check your library of emails for those of February 28, 2009. Immediately when you made the blackmail threat, it was pointed out to you as such by me. So you can't feign ignorance. You never denied it. You never defended it. You never retracted it. So it is a little too late in the game to try to change history.
You are getting your comeuppance. I don't have to do anything, all I have to do is just sit back and enjoy the show. It is going to be fun to watch!
Your last email tells me you haven't changed a bit. Why should I bother with a schmuck like you? You made your own bed, now you can sleep in it. Don't ever bother me again. Any emails will be deleted. I don't have to meet with you, because you were told everything from the very start. Even JD knows you are a loose cannon. Others have used the same term, and that was the nicest thing said.
They are also laughing at you with your "self-important" attitude. Besides the old "Cousin Oliver" one, you are referred to as "Big Bird" and "Milk 'n Cookies." I almost pity you, but you brought it upon yourself. People notice how people act and treat others.
Karma has a way of nailing people. You are beginning to find that out. Enjoy it!
How am I blackmailing you? What am I forcing you to do against your will? Quite honestly, I've done you a huge favor by keeping your talk of suing J.D. a secret. I've often felt he should know about it (talk about not being able to trust someone!), but in the interest of keeping everyone friends, I've remained quiet.
Now "blackmail" has been downgraded to a mere "threat." I guess we're making progress.
When that turned out to be a dead end, he instead sold Haruo Nakajima buttons at the convention for $10 a pop, with absolutely none of the proceeds going to Mr. Nakajima or his daughter.
A full-color cover by Don Marquez
I Bid You Welcome... (Editorial)
The Monster That Challenged the World!
An appreciation of Inoshiro Honda
Monster Profile: Ebirah
Artificial evolution in The Island of Doctor Moreau and The Alligator People
A selection of storyboard art from The Mist by Pete Von Sholly
Tales from the Lab
Doctor Who Season 16: "The Key to Time"
Vault of Comics: Incredible Hulk 1
Art by Fred Hembeck, Mark Jiro Okui, and John Rozum
Plus more!
Ever watch a Japanese monster movie and wonder what Godzilla and his friends were destroying? Or maybe you’ve thought about taking a trip there to see things first hand. Either way, The Monster Movie Fan’s Guide to Japan should satisfy your needs. Armand Vaquer has put together a handy guide that, while tailored to the monster fan, is useful for any world traveler.
This guide is broken down into different regions of Japan. Within each region are separate entries that cover various cities and other areas. Within each entry is an explanation of famous landmarks and the monster films in which they appeared. It’s a nice mix of factual and historical information, coupled with the relevance to genre films.
We are in the process of having over 17 hours of new interviews and some printed materials translated, so the research is still a work in process. What we have gotten done so far is quite fascinating stuff. Also trying to track a few more people down for interviews. We have a great selection of unpublished photos which we will be using. The original target is 2011 (the centennial of Honda's birth), but nothing is set in stone. All parties involved agree that doing the best job we can is more important than rushing it through. [Italics mine.]
Ed G.
