In one of the more interesting promos ever released, Adam West has taken up the banner of Fringe (because we all know that Fringe is desperately in need of standard-bearers). J.J. Abrams’ ‘Fringe’ hits IGN’s Endangered S… [From Adam West has an alter ego 'over there' in 'Fringe']

• ‘Fringe:’ mild-mannered Observers double as supermen who can catch bullets
• J.J. Abrams’ ‘Fringe’ hits IGN’s Endangered Species List
• Fox opts to keep J.J. Abrams’ ‘Fringe’ on Thursday nights

Film and TV icon Lee Meriwether is scheduled to join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, premiering Monday, Nov. 30 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio, with a rebroadcast Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 11pm ET, 8pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

Known to many of us for playing Betty Jones on the long-running private detective series Barnaby Jones (CBS, 1973-1980), as well as The Catwoman in the original Batman motion picture from 1966, Lee Meriwether has been a film and TV icon for more than four decades. We’ll talk about these famous characters, plus her roles on such classic series as Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Dan August and Perry Mason, her work with such legends as John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Andy Griffith, Jonathan Winters, Irwin Allen and James Garner, and a whole lot more.

If you want to be part of our conversation, if you have a question for Ms. Meriwether about her career or any of the films and TV series in which she’s appeared, we invite you to join us for our live broadcast Monday, Nov. 30 beginning at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio. Phone number is (888) SHOKUS-5 / (888) 746-5875. Email address is talk@tvconfidential.net.

TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte
Mon-Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Shokus Internet Radio
Every other Tuesday at 11pm ET, 8pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner

Dick Clark: (opening apartment window as Batman and Robin climb past) Hey! Who’re you?
Robin: He must be new in Gotham City.
Batman: He’s from Philadelphia.
Dick Clark: How did you know?
Batman: You dipped your dipthong. People from Philidelphia are known for that.

Robin: We’re Batman and Robin. The crimefighters!
Dick Clark: Oh. Are you a vocal group?
Robin: What?!
Dick Clark: I thought perhaps you might be a singing duo.
–”Batman”, Season 2, Episode 1: “Shoot A Crooked Arrow.” (Original air date September 7, 1966.)

Oggi non rubiamo locandine, sarebbe impossibile quando si ha a che fare con due paladini della legge del calibro del Calabrone Verde e di Kato!
Ideato da George W. Trendle e Fran Striker per un serial radiofonico statunitense del 1936, il Calabrone Verde ha avuto una lunga fortuna cinematografica, televisiva e su fumetto.
A intepretare il Calabrone Verde Van Williams, mente sotto la machera di Kato si celeva nientepopodimeno che il grande Bruce Lee!

I due fecero da guest star anche in alcune puntate del Batman con Adam West e, con tali temibili alleati, come sarebbe stato possibile per noi rubare le loro locandine?

Una chiccha: per il 2010 è prevista l’uscita di un nuovo film con protagonista il Calabrone Verde. Tra gli interpreti la bellissima Cameron Diaz. Chissà se Cesco e Daniele andranno a vederlo?

Pure as the driven slush, and a Patron Saint to the core; this was Tallulah’s final television role (perhaps the shock of the schlocky script actually did her in).

Batman: No, thank you. I never touch spirits. Have you some milk?

Black Widow: Dear Heart, you may be caped, and you may be dynamic, but to me you are a crashing bore!

Attagirl. More on Tallulah-dahling later; I have to dash!

Sunday was the final day of the con.

After such a stellar Saturday traffic- and saleswise, we weren’t sure what Sunday would bring because, since I was also an exhibitor for the two years leading up to this one, Sundays had demonstrated a significant drop in attendance and book sales.

Well, let’s just say this year the trend changed. Though not as much as Saturday, people traffic was still large, and we did roughly 75% the business we did the day before.

Not only that, my wife and I decided to spice things up a bit and join in the costumed fun.

Here is Sunday, the final day of Central Canada Comic Con 2009.

Saturday was just awesome. The place was packed. Costumed con-goers walked the floor. People crowded around tables and booths to get a look at the latest and greatest in comics, toys, cards and other collectibles.

Artist alley was loaded with folks showing off their skills. Guests like Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Julie Newmar (Catwoman) had panels. Folks lined up forever to meet Adam West (Batman).

The Coscom Entertainment table had people coming by in a steady stream, many folks getting a kick out of my zombie novel, Blood of the Dead, which takes place in Winnipeg. Likewise, out of the classic book mash-ups on the table, The Undead World of Oz by L. Frank Baum and Ryan C. Thomas was a huge hit.

Saturday was an absolute blast!

Here’s the second half of the pictures from yesterday’s report.

Real Heroes

We love Adam West, Christopher Reeve and Linda Carter… Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman…

Batman XXX parody

La parodie de Batman de Vivid – la série des années 60 avec adam west – aura un casting alléchant : Nick Manning sera Batman, Kris Slater Robin, le drôle et fantastique Evan Stone sera le pingouin, Le Joker Randy Spears… pour ce qui est du casting hommes… pour les femmes : Nicole  Ray et Tori Black seront Batgirl et Catwoman… ça sort bientôt c’est promis…  et The Godfather XXX (le parrain), Grease XXX sont à venir… que du bon….

Le casting en image …

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

(Reading Jack’s childhood list of life goals) Liz: There’s only one left — “Be friends with Batman.”
Jack: There’s still a couple of hours. Jonathan, could you get Adam West’s agent on the phone, please?

Adam West: (introducing Jack at his birthday party) I can’t stay long, I’m on a case. The Penguin is in town.
(the guests stare at him in silence)
Adam West: (gestures to Jack for money)
– 30 Rock, “Apollo, Apollo.”

It’s October, which means it’s time for Comic Con! (www.cccomiccon.com)

Coscom Entertainment will be there once again, this time showcasing not just Axiom-man stuff, but also TONS–and we mean TONS–of books about your favorite monster–ZOMBIES!!

But that’s not all.

This year’s con also features such awesome celebrities like Adam West (Batman), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and a whole heaping ton of others.

Come on out. It’s going to be a blast!

Be sure to stop by the Coscom Entertainment table and say hi.

Thanks.

The event is also listed on Facebook here.

Those crazy, crazy kids.

“I can give you more happiness than anyone in the world, I mean, it’s me and you against the world.”
“What about Robin?”
“Well, I’ll have him killed. Painlessly. He is a bit of a bore with his ‘holy this’ and ‘holy that.’”
“Aw, that does it, Catwoman. I thought you had a modicum of decency, but I can see that I erred in my judgment!”
— Season 2, Episode #75, “Scat! Darn Catwoman Part 2,” original air date 25 Jan 1967

Best part of that exchange is the “Aw.” He’s bummed, y’all.

The other day I happened to glance across my bookshelf and my eyes settled upon one of my favorite and one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time: The Dark Knight Returns.  I decided to pick it up, thumb through some of the pages, maybe read a few of the panels.  The next thing I knew an hour had past and I had read just about the entire book.  It’s just that good.  Written by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) the premise of  TDKR is simple: Batman has been retired for twenty years.  The world has gone to hell.  Batman decides to clean things up.  And by “clean things up” I mean beat everybody and everything into a bloody pulp.  The book is gory, action-packed, and a true snapshot of American culture in the mid-80s.

Gory, Violent, Awesomeness

Many of Miller’s typical themes can be found in the book including his trademark anti-hero: a hard-boiled detective, in the later years of his life, sets in motion a chain of events that lead to one final showdown (in this case, with Superman.) I can’t say enough about this book, despite Miller’s clichés, the writing is fantastic.  And the art, drawn by Miller himself, is gritty and unforgettably.  My favorite part of this book: the relationship between Superman and Batman.  They hate each other.  Batman is a liberal anarchist who is fed up with society.  Superman is an overgrown boy scout who can’t say no to authority.  As much as I love the Man of Steel (see posts below) I really think this is one of the characters best portrayals.

Superman Smack-Down

TDKR is often credited for re-inventing Batman as the dark, moody character we all know and love today.  But that’s not exactly the case.  By the ‘80s, the writers at DC Comics had already shed most of the ‘60s Adam West camp that had carried through the ‘70s.  TDKR was, on the other hand, a huge success and managed to do what few Batman writers had been able to pull off: reintroduce the character to mainstream audiences.  The success of this book pushed the movie into production.  Because of this book the filmmakers reconsidered the comedy-camp route (Bill Murray was once in the running for Bruce Wayne/Batman) which lead to the hiring of the up-and-coming Tim Burton, which led to Michael Keaton being cast, which led to one of the biggest comic-book movies of all time.

If you haven’t read it, stop what you’re doing, and get to your local comic shop immediately…

Ofta ses det som något negativt att bli typecastad till en speciell roll. Men ibland slår det bättre och ibland lite sämre. Mark Hamill, till exempel, kommer alltid bli ihågkommen som Luke Skywalker, hjälten från Star Wars (enligt många världens bästa filmer, om det var någon som inte visste det). Det är helt okej. Tjejen som spelade Pippi kommer alltid bli ihågkommen som Pippi. Det är inte så farligt det heller.

Adam West kommer för alltid att bli ihågkommen för att han spelade Läderlappen på 60-talet. En av de mest utskrattade tv-serierna från alla tider. Det spelades in en film också. Men den var nog lika dålig. Det är lite som att vara känd för att vara den där snubben som alltid luktar dåligt. Eller den som folk är kompis med för att den ser lite rolig ut och pratar på ett kufiskt sätt.

Det är hårt.

Från TV-debuten 1953 och fram till nu har West skådespelat i inte mindre än 158 olika produktioner. Både enstaka episoder i TV-serier, huvudroller i serier samt långfilmsroller. Det är otroligt imponerande. Men när det kommer till kritan, den dagen West (idag 81 år gammal och fortfarande aktiv skådespelare) står framför Sankte Per för att avlägga sina synder kommer gamle Per att bryta ihop i skrattparoxysmer.

På riktigt?! Är det alltså du som sprang omkring i långkallingar i en actionserie där actionscenerna var ersatta med färgglada skyltar som sa PLAOW, där på 60-talet!?! Woo! Kom in för tusan! Du anar inte hur många gånger vi kollat på klipp från skiten på efterfesterna här uppe och skrattat oss fördärvade! Ursäkta, det var inte komedi? Du är allvarlig alltså? Wow. Du är nog ingen syndare men det är fan synd om dig.

Det är hårt.

Och här kommer brassklappen. På senare år har Adam West spelat en karaktär som faktiskt snurrar ganska mycket på TV. En karikatyr på honom själv i satirserien Family Guy. Mayor Adam West. Karaktären har till och med hans eget namn. Den driver inte med rollen som Läderlappen utan med West som person. Detta för att seriens skapare Seth McFarlane tyckte att West var en så otroligt komisk figur. Den för nio år sedan 72-årige och otroligt rutinerade skådespelaren bestämde sig alltså för att spela rösten till en föga smickrande karikatyr som är han själv. Har han tjänat så dåligt?

Det är hårt.

Det andra alternativet är givetvis att det kanske är så att Adam West är ett komiskt geni med obegränsad humor som bara skrattat sig genom 43 år (sedan första episoden av Läderlappen sändes) av hån och negativ ikonisering eftersom han är den enda som fattat att han bara drivit med ALLA andra. Adam West vann. Och den ultimata segern kom när han fick möjligheten att tokdriva med resten av mänskligheten en sista gång som sig själv i Mayor Adam West av Quahog i Family Guy. Jag hoppas att det är så. Jag hoppas att Adam West vann.

Det är tufft (om det är så).

DRUG ABUSE
It’s the little things that tip you off.

(Adam West)

Picture by: dunno source. Caption by: RedHobbes via Poster Builder

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Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, you saucy monkey. Lucky thing for Batman, Alfred hella foiled her materialistic ass!

Honestly, if you’re not seeking out old episodes of Batman and watching them late at night by yourself on the computer with a warm beer while the rest of the house slumbers and you puzzle over your lonely life, you aren’t living an awesome life like me. Wait, scratch that. Reverse it.

This is a ghost post. I’m not home at all, or anywhere near it. It’s a wedding day, y’all! (Doing the running man BECAUSE I CAN CAN CAN!)

Para aquellos que no tenemos TV de pago ni nos bajamos por la patilla cosas de internet (si es que queda alguno) celebramos desde el martes un gran acontecimiento, La Sexta estrena la 8ª temporada de Padre de Familia. Yo aun no la conozco y no puedo hacer ningún comentario al respecto, sólo que espero que sea como las 7 anteriores. Como aperitivo os dejo un fragmento de esta 8ª temporada, te imaginas Family Guy dibujado por Disney?

Yo casi me muero de risa

This hurts. It’s fun and it’s harmless … but it hurts my soul a little. I am sorry, Julie Newmar. I really hope we are still cool. I plan to make it up to you.

Eartha Kitt as Catwoman in the “Catwoman’s Dressed to Kill” episode of the Batman television series.

The Catwoman targets the fashion industry by first terrorizing a banquet honoring Batgirl and then attacking a fashion show. During the attack on the fashion show, Catwoman captures Batgirl and takes her back to her hideout where she threatens to kill her with a pattern cutter. She then tells Batman that if he attempts to rescue her that it will leave the visiting Queen Bess of Belgravia vulnerable for attack. Now the Caped Crusader must find a way to save Batgirl and prevent any harm to Queen Bess. — Written by Brian Washington {Sargebri@att.net}

I have to confess, as much as I wanted to resist looking for video of this, everything about that description is ten thousand percent RIGHT and is ringing a whole lot of ekitty bells over here. Menacing that little purple-sporting, do-goody, Robin-humping moron with the threat of slicing her face with a freaking pattern cutter? Mmm, mmm. That … that is right. That is just exactly what. Everything is right about that. I will look in to this further.