O/T: The "Tick"'s Final Fate, plus "BB: Return of the Joker" DVD

[Anthonynotes]

First of all, looks like it's the end of the line for "The Tick" on Fox:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020110/en/television-chair_1.html

No word on "Family Guy"'s fate, AFAIK....


Meanwhile, the local weekly paper here in town printed this blurb on various Batman/Superman/JL: Animated Series DVD releases:
>> ANIMATED BATMAN AND JUSTICE LEAGUE

A variety of animated Batman features, based on the award-winning TV series, are about to hit disc, along with one featuring the Justice League. Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero deals with Batgirl being kidnapped by the evil Mr. Freeze. The DVD comes with the film as well as the Hunt for Mr. Freeze game, an original music montage, a feature on How to Draw Batman and an introduction by producer Bruce Timm. The Batman/Superman Movie deals with a team-up of The Joker and Lex Luthor. The DVD will contain similar features to Subzero, including The Joker’s Challenge game, introduction by Bruce Timm, an original music montage and a How to Draw Batman featurette. The controversial Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was deemed far too violent by the studios and the direct-to-video movie arrived in stores last year in a severely edited form. The new DVD restores the feature to its original state. Extra features on the disc are unknown, but may include several features from the previously released DVD. Batman: The Animated Series — The Legend Begins returns to the beginning with five episodes of the original television series which premiered in 1992, presented in chronological order. The final entry to the series is Justice League, featuring The Flash, the Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman along with the two big boys. All the DVDs are due this spring<<<

Guess Mad Hatter should be pleased re: ROTJ... :-)

Finally, NUVO also printed this commentary on the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie (for some reason or other): http://www2.nuvo.net/article_906.shtml

-B.

[The Mad Hatter]

Indeed, I'm very pleased with the ROTJ release! Also, we'll get the original, "happy" commentary recorded before, as Timm said, "the caca hit the fan." I'm going to be quite broke come April...

And yes, I mourn for the Tick, but this doesn't really come as a surprise. This show was just too darned original to survive in an environment where success goes to bottom-feeders more often than not. Still, I'm just glad we got to see them try.

Speaking of bottom-feeders, Family Guy remains on the air. What does it take to kill it, a stake through Stewie's black, plagarized heart?

[James Harvey]

Originally posted by The Mad Hatter
Speaking of bottom-feeders, Family Guy remains on the air. What does it take to kill it, a stake through Stewie's black, plagarized heart?

Don't get me started on this show. I can't envision why people think it's so great. The fact that many deem it better than King of the Hill and Futurama just blows my mind.

It is great to see the original ROTJ released. Looks like I may have to re-plug ther review you did of it - remember that, Hatter? You know - I always meant to ask you to review the edited version but never got around to it. Seems sorta pointless (thankfully) now.

[Sharklady]

> I can't envision why people think (Family Guy) is so great. <

The only reason I can think of: these aforementioned people are focusing on Stewie, and sometimes Brian. Those two *can* be funny, and really ought to get spun off into their own series (possibly a take-off on Peabody & Sherman?)

[The Mad Hatter]

I like Brian, he was one of the few entertaining (not to mention semi-original) characters Seth McFarlane created. Stewie, on the other hand, is a complete rip-off of Jimmy Corrigan, right down to his football-shaped melon. There are very few animated shows I out-and-out hate (heck, I can even tolerate Pokemon's existence), but I wouldn't mind seeing the cast of Family Guy melting horribly in a vat of Dip.

Ah, excessively negative rant of the week done... I feel cleansed. :)

[Anthonynotes]

>>I like Brian, he was one of the few entertaining (not to mention semi-original) characters Seth McFarlane created. Stewie, on the other hand, is a complete rip-off of Jimmy Corrigan, right down to his football-shaped melon. <<

HEY! .... I thought we determined that he's a ripoff of both Snowball *and* Brain... though I guess as long as one's ripping off multiple characters... ;-)

-B.
Maybe Stewie *really does* have some connection with Murdoch....either that or NBC viewers would rather change channels to watch FG than "The Tick" for some reason...

[DR. BELCH]

[A thundering voice with a slight British accent sounds from nowhere.]
VOICE: And what of me? I believe I have been violated as well by this uberplagiarist infant!
[The camera pans from side to side desperately looking for the speaker.]
VOICE [exasperated]: Down here, you minimum-wage peon!
[The camera eventually locates the speaker, Plankton of SpongeBob Squarepants.]
PLANKTON: Yes, it is I, Plankton, diminutive Zeus of the undersea fast-food industry and proprietor of the Chum Bucket. I wish to state that this air-breathing milk-fed whelp has usurped my talent for intricate schemes, my commanding and cultured basso profundo, and...my...[voice drops a bit] decidedly lacking stature. [voice rises again slowly, building to angry crecendo] I suggest the brat be sliced, breaded, and deep-fried to a crackly crunch in an ocean of boiling oil in the depths of darkest Hades, then fed while still warm to ravenous Cerebus. This is a punishment I would also like to see given to several other people...a brief list if I may--
[PLANKTON's rant is interrupted by a foot coming down on him with a sickening crack--said foot belonging to Chuck Jones' CONAD THE SAILOR, Toon Zone's janitor. Unaware of what he's done, he hums "Over The Sea" as he mops the stage briskly.]