Category: TV

Hi-Yo Silver! – The History of The Lone Ranger

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If you’re like most folks, when you hear the finale to the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini you think of The Lone Ranger.  Did you know that they selected the William Tell Overture as the Lone Ranger’s theme song because Rossini was long dead and there would be no royalties to pay?

You’ll learn that and a lot more about The Lone Ranger and Tonto if you check out Hi-Yo Silver, Away! 

Source: Uncle John’s Fully Loaded Bathroom Reader and Neatorama.

Live Tweeting ‘The Twilight Zone’ Marathon

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A New Year’s Eve tradition for a lot of folks [myself included] is to tune in to the annual Twilight Zone Marathon on the Syfy channel.  This year should be even more fun as Twilight Zone fans  plan to live tweet the episodes.

The Twilight Zone Marathon starts tomorrow morning at 8am.  Here’s the schedule for the 31st and the 1st.

So as we move into a new year why not do as Rod Serling said,  let’s travel into…

“… another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Twilight Zone!”

15 Movie Marathons to Watch on TV this Christmas

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Over the past few years it has become a tradition for some stations to offer marathons during holidays.  The Syfy channel has been running The Twilight Zone marathons on New Years for, uh, years.

With the transition to binge viewing, I think that the marathon idea is only going to get more popular.  Buzzfeed has a list of 15 Movie Marathons to Watch on TV this Christmas.

Thunderburp Gun & 30 Caliber Machine Gun Toys for Kids

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I’m too young to have seen this commercial when it first aired in the 1950’s, but I sure remember ones like it, being a child of the 60’s.  I can’t begin to tell you the number of toy guns, pistols, rifles, and machine guns I owned growing up.

Of course it was a different world then.  As you can see from the commercial below, us kids had to be on guard against a takeover of the world by the saucermen!

1960’s Batmobile Recreation Available

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Over the years, I’ve always said if I was a very rich man, I’d commission a recreation of the Batmobile used in the 1960’s tv series.

Although I’m not a rich man (so I won’t order one) Hammcher Schlemmer has a recreation that you can pick up for $200,000.  Here’s what you’ll get for your dough:

Built on a custom Lincoln chassis, this crime-fighting cruiser comes standard with a 430-horsepower, 383 Blueprint Crate engine and a Monster TH350 automatic transmission. Though equipped with neither atomic batteries for power nor turbines for speed, a rear-facing propane tank creates the same afterburner effect as the original. The vehicle’s cockpit honors the gadgetry of the TV series with a blinking Batphone, switch-operated electric actuators that open the hood and trunk, and a rotating red beacon to alert citizens while in pursuit of fiendish criminals. Other intriguing, if less functional, accessories include a glowing detect-a-scope screen, a Batbeam ray that raises from a hood-mounted antenna, and empty rear parachute packs. The vehicle’s exterior bears all the hallmarks of its namesake, from bubble-canopy windshields to chrome “rocket” tubes behind the rear windshield…

So, if any of you decide to pick up the Batmobile, how about giving me a ride sometime.  I’ve always wanted a chance to say “Atomic turbines to power…”

Source: CBR.com and Time.

“Sin City” TV Series Coming?

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According to this article in the New York Times, Bob Weinstein is…

…hoping to quickly follow the August release of the film “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, with a “Sin City” television series from Mr. Miller and Mr. Rodriguez.

Man, I hope that comes to pass.  A Sin City  television series, especially if overseen by Miller and Rodriguez could be so cool.

I’d hope that the series would be an anthology of overlapping stories and characters rather than just follow one or a couple of the characters.  This would open up the series which already has so much potential.

I’ll post more news as it becomes available.

Source: Coming Soon.

Dana White & The Fighters: A New Boxing Series!

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Growing up I was a fight fan.  That meant I was a boxing fan.

MMA as we know it today was decades away.  It was a time of tough guys.  Marciano – Liston – Ali – Frazier – Norton – Foreman.  Boxing appeared regularly on television for free.  ESPN had a weekly boxing show.  NBC – CBS and ABC regularly aired live boxing cards.

Later boxing became an event sport with all eyes on pay-per-view Super Fights.   Ali vs Frazier.  Hagler vs Hearns.  Duran vs Leonard.  The top tier of boxers became celebrities and were given mega paydays.  Of course the vast majority of boxers made little and often retired battered and poor.  There were fewer and fewer big name fighters and the popularity of boxing began to wane.

Then 20 years ago the UFC was born.  Although the company struggled at first the popularity of MMA, specifically the UFC took off.  The UFC was on tv with a weekly series and regular pay-per-views.  Name fighters began to emerge.  Fighters that fans loved or hated but would tune in or equally importantly pay to see fight.  Many thought the rise of the UFC would be the death of boxing.

Boxing fans had heard that before.  So had the folks in the video below.  Check it out and we’ll continue after you watch.

 

The Fighters  looks interesting.  Will it bring back boxing?  Who knows?  It could be the start though.  And the kicker is Dana “UFC President” White is one of the creative forces behind the show.

I know I’ll tune.  I’m a fight fan.

 

Source: MMA Fighting.

 

Michael Chiklis to Star in “Pantheon”

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Doesn’t that guy kind of look like Michael (The Shield) Chiklis?

Yeah, I thought so too.

It’s probably a good thing since Chiklis is set to star in the adaptation of Pantheon which was a mini-series written by  Marc Andreyko with art by Stephen Molnar.

What makes this even more  interesting is that Chiklis co-created the concept with Anny Simon Beck.  IDW published the mini-series and IDW Entertainment is bankrolling the development of Pantheon with the hope of a network sale.

Sources: CBR.com and ComingSoon.