Conan also tweeted about the nominations, saying “Congrats to my staff on 4 Emmy nominations. This bodes well for the future of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”

TBS is likely responsible for Conan’s nominations, having campaigned for him when NBC did not.  Conan’s class-act attitude about the entire situation is also a big part of the nominations, I’m sure.

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien swept the categories for which it could have been nominated:

• best variety music or comedy series
• writing
• directing
• art direction

Related Posts

• January 23, 2010 -- Conan’s Tearful Goodbye on his final Tonight Show
• March 11, 2010 -- Conan O’Brien’s The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour
• February 1, 2010 -- Oprah Interviews Jay Leno about Tonight Show, Conan, and shows his true character
• January 12, 2010 -- Conan O’Brien: A Total Class Act – “People of Earth”

Now, let me just say that I’ve never been that big of a fan of Wonder Woman.  The character is one that I only knew about because when I was young I’d watch Super Friends.  When the FX network was kicking off, they would show the old Batman show, followed by The Green Hornet, and I seem to remember watching the old Wonder Woman tv series there as well.

I also read some JLA and saw her again in the Justice League cartoon.  Otherwise, I really had no interest in the character.

That being said, I think that the new costume is the right direction for DC Comics to take her.  It’s something that adds a big more strength to her character and will earn her more respect.

The only strange thing about it is that she’s got a small jacket as part of it, which Jim Lee also used for the X-Men character Rogue when he redesigned her in the 90s.  The odd thing, though, is that it adds something intangible to the character that I just can’t put my finger on.

I also think it’s more feature film friendly than her previous costume.  This one would actually work on the big screen.  We’ll have to see if it sticks and how long.  Lately it seems that character costumes are becoming as much a part of their mythos as the character themselves, and if they change, it’s not too much in an odd direction (unlike the Electric Superman from the mid-90s).  Will this costume last, though?  That’s up to sales of the series with this new costume, I suppose, as well as fan reaction.

It’s got my vote, and I don’t read it.  I’d much rather an issue of Justice League have this new costume on it, though, than her older costume.  Frankly, I think this change will be more striking when seen next to Batman and Superman.

From DC Comics’ DCU Source Blog:

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. So, without further adieu, take it away, Joe:

Suppose you woke up one morning, or turned a corner, and suddenly the life you had been leading up to that moment…was not the life you were leading.

Suppose someone went back in time and changed one thing, and it changed your life to the point that you had little or no memory of what life had been like before the change happened. What would you do to get it back? Should you get it back? Who did it? And maybe more important…why did they do it?

That is the question faced by Diana starting in issue 600.

The Gods, for reasons of their own but which may have something to with their survival and perhaps the survival of Earth itself, have changed the timeline. In the new timeline, years ago the Gods removed their protection from Paradise Island, and left it vulnerable to attack. And attacked it was. Led by a dark figure, a veritable army descended upon the Island, equipped with weapons that could kill even the Amazons. Outgunned, doomed, Hippolyta gave over her three-year-old daughter to a handful of guardians who spirited her away as Hippolyta led one last desperate battle against the forces that had come to destroy all she had created. In that final battle, she and most of the Amazons were killed, though some managed to escape.

It’s now nearly twenty years later. Diana has been raised in an urban setting, but with a foot in both worlds. She has little or no memory of the other timeline. She knows only what she’s been told by those who raised her On the run, hunted, she must try to survive, help the other refugee Amazons escape the army that is still after them, discover who destroyed Paradise Island and why…and if the timeline can be corrected or not. She also does not yet have access to her full powers, but will be gaining them as she goes. Along the way, she will face a range of enemies — human and otherwise — who we have not seen before.

What we also haven’t seen before is her new look, the first significant change in her appearance since the character debuted in 1941 (not counting the mod look used briefly in the sixties, about which the less said the better). It reflects her origins in both the outside world and the world of Amazons: tough, elegant…a street-fighter’s look which also incorporates elements of her classic design. It reflects the two sides warring for ultimate victory, and underscores the path she must take.

It’s a look designed to be taken seriously as a warrior, in partial answer to the many female fans over the years who’ve asked, “how does she fight in that thing without all her parts falling out?”) She can close it up to pass unnoticed…open it for the freedom to fight…lose the jacket or keep it on…it has pockets (the other fan question, “where does she carry anything in that outfit?”, it can be accessorized…it’s a Wonder Woman look designed for the 21st century. The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side…and if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work…letting her enemies know that she’s getting closer.

This is Wonder Woman reborn, literally and metaphorically: fast, elegant, tough, smart…the savior of her people, their guardian and protector…avenging the fall of Paradise Island, searching to discover why Paradise Island was abandoned by the gods. In the end, what she discovers will change her life and the world forever…and she will come face to face with a decision that will mean life or death for the entire human race.

Check out this gallery of images below to see images of Wonder Woman through the ages as well as Jim Lee’s very similar design of Rogue, with a Jacket.  That version of Rogue is likely one of the most popular, as it was the one seen on screen in the animated X-Men cartoon of the 90s.

Related Posts

• June 16, 2010 -- E3 2010: Nintendo News
• May 9, 2010 -- Iron Man 2 – Another Marvel Comics Movie better than the First
• February 23, 2010 -- Is Lego Lord of the Rings possible?
• May 4, 2009 -- X-Men Film Franchise to Expand? Gambit, Deadpool, Magneto, First Class and another Wolverine?
• December 15, 2008 -- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer

This year’s list is ridiculously long.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much Nintendo has just blown my mind.  While looking into the games that I wanted to write about, I found more games that Nintendo has announced at E3.

Wii – Top 10 Games at E3 2010, in no particular order

Donkey Kong Country Returns – I’ve been hoping for this game and it was one of the many surprises of the show.  I’m excited to finally have a true sequel to the DKC Trilogy of games that I love so much.

Epic Mickey – I’m more excited about this game now knowing the premise of it.  It looks like a unique platform game that will capture imaginations.  You are Mickey Mouse and you carry a paint brush that allows you to control the environment.  Whatever your gaming style is, it has an effect on the outcome of the game and how characters within the game react to you as you go.

GoldenEye 007 – Wow.  A complete re-build of the classic N64 shooter that changed first-person shooter games forever.  It’s effects on the gaming industry are still felt and this game should recapture the feel of the original.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn – A truly unique take on the Kirby franchise.  Looks really fun and stylistic.  Everything seems to be made from yarn in this adventure, and it gives the game an original look that is unlike anything I have seen before.  Kirby still has his classic moves with some new ones.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – This will be out sometime in 2011 now, as development is scheduled to continue through the end of the year.  It’s going to use Wii Motion Plus and it’s going to be another great Epic Zelda game!

Mario Sports Mix – Mario characters playing Volleyball, Basketball, Dodgeball and Hockey.  You can even collect items to use against each other, kind of like Mario Kart.  This is a very exciting sounding game, though Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for the DS was very difficult and frustrating.  I think having Mario Basketball on Wii will make a big difference.  I just hope the A.I. of your teammates is actually intelligent.

Metroid: Other M – This was announced at last year’s E3 show, and now it’s very close to release.  I’m looking forward to playing this one.  It’s going to be in the style of Super Metroid from the SNES with a dash of Metroid Prime from GameCube and Wii.

NBA Jam – I loved playing this on the Super NES back in the day, and now it’s back!  Boom-shaka-laka!

PokéPark Wii Pikachu’s Adventure – This one’s for Courtney.  Looks fun, though.  It’s an adventure set in a Pokemon Park that features attractions and Pokemon.  Pikachu was summoned by Mew to find missing Sky Prism Pieces to save the day.

Wii Party – Party games, horseback riding, etc.  All with your Mii.  This one features 13 different party game modes and over seventy different minigames.  It seems to have a variety of unique games that will make it fun to play with your friends.  Hopefully it becomes a staple of a game night for family and friends.

3DS – Top 10 Games at E3 2010, in no particular order

It’s 3D – without glasses – holy crap!

Animal Crossing
Batman
Kid Icarus: Uprising – I was hoping for this game to be announced last E3 and was surprised that it was announced this time around.  Looking forward to it!
Kingdom Hearts
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – While I feel Twilight Princess is the best Zelda game ever, many feel Ocarina of Time is.  This will be huge.
Mario Kart – Awesome, this is going to be great fun to play in 3D!
Nintendogs 3D
Paper Mario
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (name not final) – I believe this is the 4th in the series of addictive puzzlers.
StarFox 64 3D

DS

Ōkamiden – The sequel to Okami for Wii, it looks interesting if not different.
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future – Likely the 3rd in the series of addictive puzzlers.

As you can see from the list above, Nintendo has really made quite an impression this year.  The length of the list of great properties that are coming out is enough to last me for years of gaming at the speed that I currently play video games, and this is if no sequel to Ghostbusters: The Video Game is announced.

Related Posts

• June 15, 2010 -- Donkey Kong Country Returns! Coming to Wii, a true sequel!
• June 5, 2009 -- E3 2009: Nintendo News – Zelda and Studio Ghibli (Part 3)
• February 24, 2010 -- Super Mario Galaxy 2 Release Date is May 23
• October 8, 2009 -- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit returns in Epic Mickey!
• June 2, 2009 -- E3 2009: Nintendo News (Part 1)

This game, however, is enough for me to feel that Nintendo has won this years E3 Expo.  I know that this is a selfish reason, though.  I’m completely pumped about the game and look forward to jumping back into the DKC world when the game comes out this fall.  The original is my all time favorite video game, and I loved the sequels as well.  I just never dreamed that I would see another one so soon.

Controlled by a group of evil Tikis, the animals in Donkey Kong Island have raided Donkey Kong’s Banana Hoard and stolen his stash of bananas – and he understandably wants them back. Retro Studios brings Donkey Kong™ back in a new side-scrolling adventure with familiar characters and new levels that reignite the passion players had for the Super NES™ original.

Features:

• Retro Studios faithfully restores everything that made the original series great, from barrel cannons to mine carts, and then builds on those elements with stunning graphics and new layers of depth to the world and game play. The game offers the traditional side-scrolling experience everyone loved, but with levels created in fully rendered 3-D environments.
• Diddy Kong™ joins the quest. With his trusty backpack, he can produce a jet pack or Peanut Pop Guns to give Donkey Kong more abilities.
• For the first time ever, the franchise features the ability for two people to play together at the same time (additional accessories required and are sold separately) – one as Donkey Kong, one as Diddy Kong. Players can navigate the levels separately or as one unit. Diddy Kong can ride on Donkey Kong’s back and hop off whenever he pleases, allowing novice players to ride on Donkey Kong’s back through more challenging areas of the game.
• Hidden items, puzzle pieces and other surprises are found all through the jungle. Spell out K-O-N-G by the end of each level to earn an extra bonus.
• Motion controls give players a real feeling of control. Players move Donkey Kong using the Control Stick on the Nunchuk™ controller and can shake the Wii Remote™ controller to make Donkey Kong slap the ground.
• Vibrant colors, beautiful graphics and fun characters draw players in. Even people who have never played a Donkey Kong game before can pick up a controller and start collecting loads of bananas.
• Every level offers new fun and new challenges. Sometimes Donkey Kong is running through the jungle, sometimes his action takes place on a tropical beach and other times he must become a master of timing as he jumps chasms in a mine cart.

Related Posts

• June 16, 2010 -- E3 2010: Nintendo News
• November 16, 2008 -- Donkey Kong Country Trilogy, My Dream Game
• February 24, 2010 -- Super Mario Galaxy 2 Release Date is May 23
• October 8, 2009 -- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit returns in Epic Mickey!
• June 5, 2009 -- E3 2009: Nintendo News – Zelda and Studio Ghibli (Part 3)

The most interesting part of the deal is who makes up the partners in Platinum Dunes: Brad Fuller, Andrew Form and Michael Bay.  Yes, the same Michael Bay who is busy working on Transformers 3.  Apparently there is a meeting set in the next few weeks with writers for the project.

I can see how Michael Bay and Transformers was a good fit, but Michael Bay and TMNT?  That’s a mystery that remains to be seen.  He’s not the likely candidate to direct the film, but there isn’t a director list put together yet, at least in the public.

What would TMNT look like with Michael Bay at the helm?  What concerns me is what would become of the character of April O’Neil.

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• February 2, 2010 -- Turles Forever: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Team-Up Dream Come True
• April 25, 2009 -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Back in Live Action Movie in 2011?
• January 26, 2009 -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles announced for Wii
• September 10, 2008 -- Live-Action Ninja Turtles Hybrid Movie Planned
• September 10, 2008 -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returns to Live Action?

James Poniewozik, Time:

The great puzzle of the last season of Lost has been: how can both the flash-sideways universe and the Island universe mean anything? If Sideways is the universe in which Oceanic 815 never crashed, who cares what happens on the Island? If the Island is where the characters’ fates are sealed, how can there be any meaning to what happens in the Sideways?

The moving, soulful finale that Damon Lindelof and Carleton Cuse gave us met that challenge. The Island world, we learned, absolutely mattered to the physical fate of the survivors. (And sci-fi purists ticked over the spiritual ending should at least give it up for this: what happened, did, indeed happen.) And the Sideways world mattered because it was the culmination of the spiritual, moral, human lives–the souls–of the characters.

It mattered, it moved, and it achieved.

Liz Kelly, Washington Post:

If, as some said, “Lost” was to be judged by its finale then all I can say is Damon and Carlton pulled it off. I’ve been crying and laughing and basically an emotional basket case for the last 2.5 hours. I could not possibly have asked for anything more. I am in awe.

Henry Hanks, CNN:

Answers or not, as two-and-a-half hours of television, the final “Lost” was extraordinary, and I think it accomplished what it set out to do: It was a very memorable ending, and people will be talking about it for years to come. One thing I never expected was how emotional I would feel watching this finale, and reflecting on it.

Jeff Jenson, EW:

“The End” was an emotionally draining epic that had me crying with almost every single “awakening” and has left me mulling the true significance of the Sideways world, which was revealed to be a Purgatory-like realm created by the souls of the dead castaways themselves.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune:

Finales are hard. And I must admit that my expectations for the “Lost” finale weren’t high. Perhaps later in the week, I’ll go into the reasons that caused me to lower my expectations. Suffice it to say, I just wanted Sunday’s finale to be … not bad. I was hoping for a middling ending, to be honest.

Yet “The End,” the show’s final episode, was so much more than middling. The first two hours were exciting and emotionally engaging, especially when the island castaways in the Sideways world began remembering their “real” lives. Those “flashes” were powerful and many cast members did some of their best work in those scenes. I got chills as I saw Juliet and Sawyer talk about that coffee date. Sun and Jin, Charlie, Kate and Claire — all their recollection moments were moving and powerful.

But the last half hour or so took the finale to another level.

Rex Hammock, Rexblog:

I think the creators of the show did precisely what they should have done with its finale: They gave the series a conclusion, but did not make it conclusive. In the same way any great work (and I’m not ready to place Lost in this category) of literature, mythology, philosophy or faith, there is still room for interpretation existing that offers those who want fundamental, simplistic answers to have one: “they all died;” as can those who want ambiguity that can provide the foundation for a lifetime of debate: “where was that plane flying to?”

Related Posts

• November 8, 2008 -- Lost Returns January 21 with Season 5
• August 2, 2005 -- Lost Season 2 Speculation
• December 31, 2004 -- The Best of 2004

All of the action was turned up a few notches, and there wasn’t a very poor and generic villain that nobody had ever heard of this time around.  Instead, we had two villains to worry about.  An odd business tycoon that served as the generic villain of this film, but then an actual member of the Iron Man rogues gallery: Whiplash.  About time, Favreau.  The first film felt too much like Ang Lee’s Hulk by the end, with a villain that nobody really knew about, nor cared about enough to love to hate.  Granted, he wasn’t that extreme, but you get the idea.

What did I mean, about movie being better than the first?

Spider-Man.  When I saw that movie, twice, back in 2002, I was far more entertained by the Star Wars prequel Attack of the Clones.  I didn’t like it.  In fact, while it had some good moments, overall I was unimpressed by the story of the film, and the ending battle left me wanting more.  Green Goblin wasn’t handled properly, and it also felt a bit too run-of-the-mill as far as the origins of both Spider-Man and Goblin were concerned.  But then Spider-Man 2 came out and changed everything.

Spider-Man 2 was full of soul.  It had a lot of heart, it was both heavy and light in equal doses of each, and had a proper villain that actually looked like a proper translation from page to screen.  Not only was this a better movie than the original, it also made the original better by enhancing elements of the story and making me care more for the characters.  The next time I watched the original film was different through these different points of view.

It doesn’t work the other way around, though.  A bad sequel can never ruin its’ predecessor.  At least that I have seen.  But a great sequel can enhance the predecessor.  While I don’t agree with either assessment regarding either X-Men or Nolan’s Batman series, with which people say X2 and Dark Knight are both better than the previous films in the series.  I think that both were solid sequels that fit within the universe, neither better nor worse.

I have yet to see if the original Iron Man is made better by its’ sequel, but I have a feeling that might be the case.  Granted, the original film had a superfluous scene that, while a necessary part of Tony Stark’s character at the time, the sequel did not have or need.  The sequel did have some elements of the most poignant Iron Man storyline, Demon in a Bottle, but didn’t get as heavy as it probably should have about it.

All of this makes me a bit worried about some things, and hopeful about another.  I’m worried about Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor from the perspective that the origin story always seems weaker than the follow-up.  And both of those films will not have proper sequels until after The Avengers movie is released.  I’m definitely hopeful for great sequels to each of those films, including an Avengers sequel so that the team starts out assembled prior to the story found there.

The Avengers film brings up another great situation, though, for the sequels to the individual characters’ films.  Iron Man 3, Captain America 2 and Thor 2 could all feature team-ups with other established Avengers, if not just cameos.  It would be really great to see them appearing in each others’ movies now that they are a team, but only if necessary.

The one that I am hopeful about is the Wolverine sequel that is currently in the works.  It should be a massively improved sequel that should be the film that everyone wanted with the first one.  In it, Logan heads to Japan for training.  I hope it doesn’t waste any more time on the adamantium origin, which has appeared in most of the X-Men movies so far.

All of that being said, I really enjoyed Iron Man 2 and when I was half-way through it, I was looking forward to watching it again.

Related Posts

• September 17, 2008 -- Spider-Man 4 and 5 are on, Tobey Maguire has Signed
• May 4, 2009 -- X-Men Film Franchise to Expand? Gambit, Deadpool, Magneto, First Class and another Wolverine?
• December 15, 2008 -- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer
• November 29, 2004 -- Spider-Man 2
• July 3, 2010 -- Wonder Woman’s New Look: More Modesty is a Good Thing

This fall on Cartoon Network, the series that I never thought would happen is coming.  This is likely thanks to there already being a Teen Titans cartoon, so they don’t cause confusion by having another one.

In this version of the story, however, the team is a bit different.  On the team are Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash (though I like the name Impulse better), Artemis (who appears to be an amalgam of Arrowette and Wonder Girl for some reason), Aqualad and Miss Martian.

I’m still looking forward to it, though, as it should be a fun show if it has the sense of humor of the comic.  It was always really funny.

YOUNG JUSTICE is an all-new series produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon the characters from DC Comics. In YOUNG JUSTICE, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over – to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? The members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—are about to find out.

This all-new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon characters from DC Comics. Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H.) are the producers.

The series premieres on Cartoon Network in the Fall of 2010.

Random Posts

• April 21, 2009 -- The Heroes Score: Finally!
• April 17, 2009 -- The Hobbit to be Two Films
• February 23, 2009 -- Ghostbusters 3 to shoot this fall?
• March 16, 2004 -- On Marriage Rights
• July 1, 2009 -- My Most Anticipated Movies of July 2009: Ice Age 3, Harry Potter 6, G-Force

Never had I seen the darker side of the fandom to the extent that I saw it when The Phantom Menace was released.  I really enjoyed the movie.  I saw it for what it was, and not what those who had spent 20-odd years with the franchise had dreamed up.  And it was the really harsh tones that people spoke about the film with that really shocked me.  However, I just kept reminding myself of one thing, that put the whole thing into the proper framework, and kept things in the right perspective: this is a movie made so that kids as young as seven or eight could be entertained by it.  And the truth of the matter is that they were.  Here are two prime examples:

My first experience with Star Wars was my dad taking me to go see The Phantom Menace on opening day. I sat in that theater at the age of seven and was completely blown away. I cringed at the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, was on the edge of my seat as the Jedi evaded giant deep sea creatures on Naboo, and smiled between closed fingers as Darth Maul was expertly cut down at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi. That weekend I forced my parents to take me to the video store to rent the original trilogy and fell in love even more. The prequel trilogy may not be so great to those who grew up with the original, but be sure that those of us who grew up on the prequels will defend them with as much vigor as those saying otherwise. The prequel trilogy did for me what the original trilogy did for kids of the late 70s and early 80s. They brought to a world far far away and I’ve never left. I don’t think of Star Wars as having two parts. To me its one big story and its a good one. (MetalMonkey250)

And that was followed by this anonymously written comment:

I showed my now former step-son the prequels first because I wanted to see how he felt about them. Similarly, he loved them culminating to the moment at the end of Episode III as we were sitting in the theater and the credits are rolling and I look over at him and he is crying because for him Anakin was the hero and the character he identified with the most. I showed him the original trilogy the next day, all in one go and he loved those just as much but Anakin’s redemption in Jedi seemed to resonate with him that much more. The prequels have problems, sure, but taken all together they do something really cool and I wish I had been able to experience it all that way.

I think at the end of the day the prequels weren’t really made for the adult uber-fan but rather for kids, just like the originals. My dad took me to see all of the original trilogy in the theater and while he likes them, he and I do not share the same deep and abiding love for them. While he can enjoy them, they weren’t really made for him just like the prequels weren’t really made for me. (via HitFix)

It’s nice to know that there are level-headed members of the fandom that understand just what was done with the saga, and have unique perspectives  on just what the prequels had done.

The problem with the fandom is a simple one that can be summed up as follows:  People have an experience with something that is so different, so captivating and so fun that they love talking about it with their friends.  They love the stories, and it is something cool to talk about.  Then another piece comes along, and they’re no longer the target audience, but they go see it expecting it to be up to their level.  However, they’ve been watching tons of things that have come since Star Wars and they have a different view than they would have had, if Star Wars hadn’t altered the face of film-making the way it had.  So they revolted.  It was something they had built up in their heads as this epic thing that would cure cancer, world hunger and AIDS just by watching it, but reality set in that it was merely another movie and people were outraged to the point of ridiculousness.  They felt betrayed, and they found they were not alone.  Many like-minded individuals found a common bond in spewing hatred toward a movie that really didn’t do them any wrong, and they now had a means of doing so on a very public forum: The Internet.  And anyone that did not agree, didn’t belong.  Star Wars is Dead, Long Live Star Wars seemed to be the unspoken rallying cry from the droves of people that didn’t much like what they saw.

But what about those of us that did enjoy it, that found some hidden things worth discussing.  Those of us that reveled in the discovery that the Emperor’s theme from Return of the Jedi was used as the celebration theme from the end of The Phantom Menace.  Those of us that dissected the movie only to find that the political intrigue and games were set in motion from the opening crawl, letting us know just how grave the situation would be were the Supreme Chancellor to become an evil dictator.

Sure, the movie has weak points, but that doesn’t mean it is without strength, or merit.  This is, after all, a saga that is not our own, but we claim ownership merely because we’ve purchased tickets, DVDs and more just to share our love of the property.

But the fandom, again, has shown a very real immature behavior that they will mostly only show behind a computer screen.  Saying that the creator of the series has done an egregious act on their childhoods.  Using a word that I find extreme and insulting to describe it, so much so that it became a part of popular slang for some time, much to my dismay.  When people realized just what was happening, and how many they were offending, they stopped, but Star Wars “fans” did not, and still use it.

It’s this ridiculous level of vicious tongue lashing that slowly eats away at you.  And it’s not just a reactionary thing at all.  A lot of talkbacks will say things like “this is going to suck” or “that is going to suck.”  Seriously?  Does anyone continuously work on something that they truly believe will “suck?”  You’re not going to keep fooling people.  It’s obvious that a lot of people loved the prequels or they wouldn’t have each made  what they did at the box office.  This is one of my biggest pet peeves about movie fandom in general.  Saying a property is going to suck based on past experience with a director, a writer or a production company, or none at all, is the most ignoble and ignorant thing you can do.  Why not hope that the project’s creators have grown since the last effort?  Why not give people chance after chance after chance to prove themselves?  That’s a very fickle audience, and I stay away from them as much as I do reviews of movies that I want to see.

Many Star Wars fans are prone to think that anything that comes out with the Star Wars name on it is going to be terrible, and they wind up leaving feeling that they were correct.  This is a self defeating mentality, and they are setting themselves up for defeat.  It’s like playing a team sport and telling your team that the other side is bigger and better, so you don’t stand a chance.  That glass-half-full attitude only keeps you from seeing the good that is there.  It keeps you from enjoying the fun parts of things, and it has a negative effect on the fan community on the whole.

Seeing as this is a series about a prequel reboot, you might think that I have some negative feelings about the prequels, and you’d be wrong.  I hold no ill-will against them.  In fact, I find there are things in them that remind me of the original trilogy.  I think that the storyline of the prequels is well conceived, and with a few changes, some minor and some major, along with a bit of a better execution of the storyline and you’d have a pretty incredible set of films that adequately satisfies the legions of fans that have forgotten that the movies are made for children.

So, for the People vs. George Lucas, I withdraw myself from the People.  You do not represent me.  I’m mostly on Lucas’ side in the great prequel war, and proud of it.

Now, for the next topic, I’m thinking of jumping into one type of character that was in the original trilogy, but was missing from the prequels.  This type of character, if removed from the original trilogy, would likely have left it feeling much the same as the prequels.  The scoundrel.  Han Solo.  Lando Calrissian.  The people that are on the edge of the law, and having fun doing it.  I’m not sure where it’ll go, as I write mostly in stream of consciousness fashion, but let’s see where it takes us.

Related Posts

• January 30, 2010 -- Star Wars Prequel Reboot: Blog #1 – Foundations of Stone
• May 9, 2010 -- Iron Man 2 – Another Marvel Comics Movie better than the First
• February 23, 2010 -- Is Lego Lord of the Rings possible?
• May 4, 2009 -- X-Men Film Franchise to Expand? Gambit, Deadpool, Magneto, First Class and another Wolverine?
• March 26, 2009 -- Those WERE the droids I was looking for…

World Events Productions, the company that holds the rights to this and Voltron, as well as created this series is currently at work on a new series as well as a potential film version.  They’re doing the same with Voltron, with Voltron: Panthera Force (now under the production title: Voltron Force) premiering this fall, and a live-action movie in active development.  It should have come as no surprise that they would also be interested in exploring a rejuvenation of another one of their properties.  Especially considering that the original series was recommended by the National Education Association for its engaging, non-violent storylines.

There is no word on how far along the production is, and when they plan to have the show on the air.  I’m curious to find out more about this one, though, as I remember really enjoying the original.  I’ve always been a fan of dinosaurs, and this really fed into that enjoyment.  I also wanted my own pet dinosaur, so the show was kind of like wish-fulfillment in a way.

One things for sure, the show was very much a product of its’ age.  The teens in the series dressed for the era, as well as spoke with the slang or had the hair cuts that were popular in the late 1980s.

One thing that would be really interesting would be to have the characters from the original show now be cameos of parents of the new ones on the new version of the cartoon, depending on how they plan on handling it.  It would be really cool to bring them into the show, though, as it would bring a cool parenting element to the stories and they could help out when the new Denver is in trouble.  It opens up a whole new educational paradigm for the series, while allowing it to keep in the spirit of the original.

Another thing that I’d actually like to see them bring back is the original theme song.  I am betting that it’ll be a new, modern version of the theme.  They might even go with a new theme song.  The original theme surprisingly holds up to modern music standards, so it wouldn’t be bad if they kept it.

World Events Productions also has the rights to the lesser known series: Saber Rider: The Star Sheriff and Vytor: The Starfire Champion.  I’m not sure if they’ll do more with those properties, though, as not many still remember those as fondly as people remember Voltron and Denver: The Last Dinosaur.  I’ll keep tabs on this, though, and see what I can find out.  Perhaps WEP will contact me about the series, though I doubt it.

-via Corona Coming Attractions
-Learn more about Denver the Last Dinosaur at WEP

Related Posts

• March 11, 2010 -- Voltron Panthera Force and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles announced for Nicktoons this Fall
• November 15, 2008 -- Properties that Should Be Movies: M.A.S.K. and Dino-Riders
• April 25, 2009 -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Back in Live Action Movie in 2011?
• April 17, 2009 -- The Hobbit to be Two Films
• August 13, 2005 -- Just for Fun