 Last night was our Monthly Comics Experience Book Club. We did Matt Fraction’s Iron Man. I was responsible for the following topics: 3. If someone would like to give an over view of Tony Stark and Iron Man, that would be great. 4. Has anyone noticed how much like the IRON MAN feature film, this felt like in places? His relationship with Pepper, in particular? That felt weird given their history in the comics. Anyone care to elaborate on that? As usual, I tried to make it fun and funny. So, I did E, True Hollywood Story: Tony Stark—Demon in a bottle. My intro was: “Tonight on E’s true Hollywood story we present a look at a man bent on a path of self destruction. Philanderer, Drunkard, and Murderer. Stark is a self-claimed futurist who fails to see what that future holds in store for himself.” Once again, I cannot recommend this club highly enough. We had presentations on Matt Fraction’s career, on whether the iron man armor is feasible and possible, as well as our usual discussion of storytelling (Rob, one of my co-creators on Tales from the Comic’s Experience had a great analysis on Fraction’s use of panel layout and dialogue.) Here are the slides I used for my presentation. You should be able to see where I was going.  The next session is set for Tuesday, May 11, 2010. We are doing ASTERIOS POLYP by David Mazzucchelli, which is the first book that we are covering that I hadn't read before. If you would like to join us, you can sign up here. Add Comment  On Tuesday, I attended a Glee charity event at the Arlington Cinema and Draft House in Virginia to benefit the GRAMMY FOUNDATION®and its GRAMMY IN THE SCHOOLS® music education programs. In exchange for our donation, we were treated to a sneak peak at the first episode of the second season (or is that the second half of the first season) of the show. I have to admit that I really went because I we thought that some cast members would be there since they were already in town for the White House Easter Egg Roll (which i wrote about yesterday). I was wrong. the only glee club there were the students from Minor elementary school, who sang their little hearts out before the episode showing. The menu was also changed to feature Glee named food. I got the Nakamura Nachos, my friend got the puck corn and the mac and cheerios, the glee club sandwich, and sue sylquesos., but don't remember the rest of the food. Then, the episode started (10 minutes early, I might add). Although, the evening was slightly marred by a couple of technical glitches (where the screen froze or skipped scenes) and the constant appearance of the 20th Century Fox copyright protection watermark, the episode was quite good. I won't spoil anything, but it is interesting to see the current state of the relationships on the show. Who ends up with who and who is going to do what and how that will create conflict for the team as they head to regionals is set up well for this new season. Sue Sylvestry (Jane Lynch), as always, has the best lines--and there is a Sarah Palin comment that played very well to the DC audience. The episode's musical theme was "Hello," and featured some good covers of songs by the Beatles, Lionel Ritchie, the Doors and Neil Diamond. I'm not sure if it was the acoustics of the theater but Rachel, Lea Michele, while still being amazing did not sound as strong as she did last season. (She could have been suffering from the apparent cold she had during the Easter Egg Roll). All in all a fun way to spend a Tuesday night (and we got a free mini poster to boot see image above). Here is the preview of the episode  I was able to get tickets to take my daughter to the White House Easter Egg Roll. The Roll is a Washington, DC tradition. It is one of only three times per year where visitors can walk the grounds of the White House (the other two are for the spring and fall garden tours) and the only one where you can actually walk across the well-manicured South Lawn. The tradition started in 1878. If you would like a more complete history, here is a news article .
As in prior years, the event was star studded and fun. The President joined us on the lawn and the performance by the cast of Glee was fantastic. More details, video and pictures after the jump. Tiana is officially a Disney Princess 04/07/2010
 Not that it is a shock, but Disney had a special gathering in new York to officially welcome Tiana into the Disney Princess merchandising line. here is the information: Princess Tiana Officially Joins The Disney Princess Royal Court At Star-Studded Crowning Event In New York City Celebration Marks Debut Of Academy Award®-Nominated "The Princess And The Frog" On Disney Blu-Ray Plus The First Product Line Featuring Tiana In Multi-Disney Princess Merchandise NEW YORK, NY – March 14, 2010 – She sang "Almost There" in the hit holiday film The Princess and the Frog – but today, Princess Tiana has officially arrived – and she's here to stay. At a star-studded event highlighted by a rare gathering of all eight Disney Princess characters, Princess Tiana was warmly and regally welcomed as the ninth member of the beloved Disney Princess Royal Court today during a magical crowning ceremony at the historic New York Palace in Manhattan. (Editors' note: Event images and materials available at http://dcp.smugmug.com/Events/Princess-Coronation/11490709_o4Cfb no log-in required) As Disney's newest Disney Princess character, Tiana will forever be celebrated and recognized as a Disney Princess across all divisions of The Walt Disney Company and will be included in all Disney Princess merchandise programs featuring multiple Disney Princess characters starting this July. The event also celebrated the arrival of the Academy Award®-nominated The Princess and the Frog on Disney Blu-Ray, which releases March 16. Disney Princess licensees Mattel and CDI, a division of JAKKS Pacific, co-sponsored the event and showcased the latest Disney Princess and The Princess and the Frog toy and role play lines. Since the beginning of this year, more than a quarter of a million toys featuring Princess Tiana have already flown off shelves. With celebrities and their daughters in attendance including Tina Fey, Audra McDonald, Kelly Rutherford, Melissa Joan Hart and Nigel Barker among others, Princess Tiana made her entry in grand style as she exited a horse-drawn carriage on Madison Avenue surrounded by an entourage of adorable little princesses donning their gorgeous princess gowns and walked the red carpet through the New York Palace's famed 15th Century-inspired courtyard as fanfare trumpeters lined the processional aisle and created a canopy for her entrance. Once Tiana reached the ceremony stage, a royal proclamation was read and Prince Naveen crowned the ninth enchanting Disney Princess as her sisters in royalty – Ariel, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas and Snow White – looked on. "We're thrilled to recognize Princess Tiana and officially announce that she is here to stay as a full-fledged Disney Princess," said Sheila Ullery, vice president of girls franchise development for Disney Consumer Products. "Little girls quickly embraced her independent, strong-willed character and the rich storyline of The Princess and the Frog. We'll continue to showcase Princess Tiana in stand-alone and multi-princess merchandise, including apparel, accessories, costumes, toys, stationery, food, beauty products and home entertainment." Releasing March 16, 2010 on Disney Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD, The Princess and the Frog will bring families much fun and excitement with an array of bonus features and an incredible high-definition viewing experience. Bonus features include deleted scenes, inside access to the animation studios and filmmakers, family activities and much more. The Princess and the Frog Blu-ray™ Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray™, DVD and DisneyFile Digital Copy of the movie all in one package. Combo Packs provide unprecedented value, quality, and versatility with the exceptional picture and sound of Blu-ray and the extended utility of DVD and digital copy of the film in a single package. The Princess and the Frog product line triumphed at retail last fall, proving that Princess Tiana is here to stay. Among key highlights are: The Princess Tiana Sparkle Doll and the new Transforming Tiana Doll, both from Mattel, have been particularly popular, delivering strong sales. Princess Tiana role play dresses from CDI have been the top selling dresses in the Disney Princess lineup at retailers nationwide. Carol's Daughter beauty products featuring Princess Tiana sold out in just two hours online. The Princess and the Frog Kellogg's fruit snacks have been one of the most popular choices in the snack aisle. Since the domestic theatrical film release, more than 2.5 million books featuring Princess Tiana have sold globally. And this month, Disney Stores sold out of its limited edition Princess Tiana collector doll during the pre-sell period. Beginning this spring and through the holiday season, Disney Princess licensees Mattel and CDI will release a new assortment of stand-alone and multi-Disney Princess products featuring Princess Tiana. Exciting new toys and playthings featuring Princess Tiana include her addition to Mattel's Disney Princess Sparkling Princess® Doll Assortment line (SRP $9.99) and Disney's The Princess and the Frog Princess-to-Frog Tiana Doll (SRP $24.99) where Princess Tiana transforms from princess to frog and back again. New home decor, apparel and accessories, stationery and personal care items featuring Princess Tiana alongside other Disney Princess characters will be available for the first time beginning in July. Disney Store retail locations nationwide and DisneyStore.com will also release an exclusive assortment of new Princess Tiana products throughout the year. With Academy Award® nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Song ("Almost There" and "Down in New Orleans," both by Randy Newman), The Princess and the Frog and Princess Tiana are sure to remain in the hearts of Disney fans of all ages for generations to come. About Disney Princess The Disney Princess franchise enables little girls to live the life of a princess through world-class entertainment and innovative products that let them act out scenes from Disney's wholesome, timeless and cherished fairy tale film classics. The franchise is comprised of nine beloved Disney Princess characters – Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Cinderella, Jasmine (Aladdin), Mulan, Pocahontas, Snow White and Tiana (The Princess and the Frog). Each Disney Princess character has a unique story that empowers girls to imagine and live their very own fairy tales. Disney began branding the characters under the Disney Princess umbrella brand in 2000. Today, Disney Princess is a multi-billion dollar global franchise and worldwide consumer products business that has become a leading girls' lifestyle brand with product offerings extending across categories, including toys and personal electronics, apparel, home décor, stationery, food, personal care, publishing, video games, and theme park and live theatrical experiences. Every month, millions of girls actively engage with each Disney Princess through interactive stories and activities at disney.com/disneyprincess. About Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc™ and electronic distribution. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is a division of The Walt Disney Studios. About Disney Consumer Products Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) that extends the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home décor and books and magazines to foods and beverages, stationery, electronics and fine art. This is accomplished through DCP's various lines of business which include: Disney Toys, Disney Fashion & Home, Disney Food, Health & Beauty, and Disney Stationery. Other businesses involved in Disney's consumer products sales are Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world's largest publisher of children's books and magazines, and www.DisneyStore.com, the company's official shopping portal. The Disney Stores retail chain, which debuted in 1987, is owned and operated by Disney in North America and Europe. The Disney Stores chain in Japan is operated under a license agreement with Disney. For more information, please visit www.DisneyConsumerProducts.com or follow www.YouTube.com/DisneyLiving, www.Facebook.com/DisneyLiving and www.Twitter.com/DisneyLiving. ###  With all the Sky Girl hoopla and marketing push. I should also mention another project that I worked on. As regular readers know, I recently completed the Basic Comic Book Writing Class offer by Comic's Experience (my review of the class can be found here). A bunch of us (actually all of us) decided to get together, hire artists, create an anthology with our stories. The result is Tales from the Comics Experience from Elevator Pitch Press (get it, it's our pitch book). My comic story "The Prisoner" is featured in the book, which is available here. I will also be signing and selling copies at the Kensington book Festival and Balticon. I, along with my other co-creators, was recently asked to do a Q&A to promote my story in the new anthology, which appears here  http://funny-videos.co.uk has a great video of all the couch scenes from every Simpson's episode.
The video after the jump. This one is for Mike.  I've never really been a fan of April fools day. You really can't trust anything anyone says. By a bad coincidence, the main press release for Sky Girl came out today and I've already gotten emails asking me to confirm that it is real.news and not some made up New Jersey Superheroine.
So, when I heard that Glee was showing a sneak preview at my local Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse on April 6, I was skeptical. However, it ended up being real. This looks pretty exciting, especially since I will be seeing the cast at the White House Easter Roll on Monday (Thanks to Justin, who saved my bacon). So if you are a GLEEK and live in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Miami, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. you can come out and see a sneak preview and help a worthy charity. The Press Release after the jump. | Joe's Cup of GeekTrying to keep you up with all the news, reviews and views that's fit for geeks. ArchivesJanuary 2012 |
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