New Podcast: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation
After three films exploring the homicidal impulses of the Caldwell (or is it Chapman) family, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 goes a different direction as a wannabe journalist investigates a case of spontaneous combustion in Los Angeles during Christmas season. Is a cult of Lilith worshipers a good replacement for a homicidal maniac, and is the Ricky played in this film by Clint Howard the same Ricky we’ve seen in the previous three films? Listen to find out!
Listen Now: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPSNDN4.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: Episode 374: 2012 Year In Review Part I: 3-D, Disney, and Celebration
It’s been a great year to be a Star Wars fan. The year started with Star Wars once again in theaters as The Phantom Menace kicked off the Star Wars 3-D conversions, the summer ended with a bang at Star Wars Celebration VI, and then the dreams of Star Wars fans worldwide came true when it was announced that there will be more Star Wars films, the first just 3 years away! Looking back at the year that was, listen to Star Wars Action News hosts Marjorie and Arnie are joined by a number of friends and show hosts to look back at what 2012 meant to Star Wars fans.
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN374.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 62: Iron Monger — More Advanced In Every Way
They made Iron Man in every armor seen in the films, and some not seen. They made two War Machines, Whiplash, and even Black Widow. So for Hot Toys to continue the Iron Man figure line it was time to go big or go home, so they go big. Very big. Arriving at homes last week is the biggest Marvel Hot Toys figure to date–Iron Monger! As seen in 2008’s Iron Man and with a meticulously detailed head with Jeff Bridges’ portrait, it’s a big toy, but comes with a big price tag. Listen to this week’s podcast to find out if its worth it!
Also this week, from big to small, the Marvelicious Toys hosts also review the new Diamond Venom Through the Ages Minimates box set, and a new line of HeroClix figures released along with an iPad app to play HeroClix single player!
With new plushies and blankets, a blonde Black Widow Marvel Universe figure, and so much more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT062.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!
Ricky is back! After being shot at the end of Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, Ricky’s brain-dead body is revived after a connection with a blind psychic. With horror vet Bill Moseley taking over the role of Ricky Robert Culp as the cop chasing the killer, and several connections to the classic TV series Twin Peaks, this sequel has more brains on display than the previous two films, but is it better? Listen to find out!
Listen Now: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPSNDN3.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: Episode 373: Toy Run For Tots
It’s the holiday season and for Star Wars Action News hosts its a time to reflect back on childhood, getting an AT-AT under the Christmas tree, holiday shopping for an Empire Strikes Back Yoda and more. But many children today won’t have memories like those, but organizations like Toys For Tots are there to help. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie take you on a toy run unlike any they’ve recorded before, where they’re buying toys not for their own collection but to donate to a Toys For Tots that’s much in need. Listen, then donate some toys!Also on this week’s podcast, the Star Wars Action News crew join in with their own Star Wars collecting news. Johnathan reviews some of the final Vintage Collection figures, Brock gives a review of Annihilation–the latest Old Republic novel, and Steve the Gingerprince joins us with a UK report including some recent birthday gifts and new figure finds across the pod.With the last Toy Man Toy Show of 2012, some online Vintage Collection bargains, and more, it’s on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN373.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 61: X-Men 90’s Style
The holidays are in full swing and it’s a great season for Marvel fans, with new Marvel Universe figures hitting pegs and discounted items all around. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys, Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin tell you where you can find the latest figures and the greatest bargains. Plus we play some listener voicemails, hearing your thoughts on new figures and what you’ve been finding.
Also this week, your hosts run down the latest on line sales, from the most recent Avengers Hot Toys figure to a huge Bearbrick announcement and even preorders for upcoming waves of Hasbro Marvel Universe and Marvel Legends figures.
With a Timely Review of a 90’s X-Men enemy and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT061.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
The first Silent Night, Deadly Night film was pulled from theaters due to protests, but in the age of home video it found a second life on VHS. Anxious to capitalize on the first film’s notoriety the studio decided to rush through a no-budget sequel, recycling most of the original film into a Part 2. Despite the humble beginnings, the film has gone on to surpass the original in infamy and YouTube fame, spawning a meme and a strange catch-phrase. Is this movie something to add to your Christmas wish list? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie’s review to find out!
Listen Now: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPSNDN2.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: Episode 372: Repair or Repurchase?
Eventually it will happen to all collectibles: they break, yellow, decay, or degrade. The passage of time eventually will cause all collectibles to lose their mint condition. Ask not for who’s collectibles the bell tolls, it tolls for thine. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie discuss what happened to one of their Star Wars holiday snow globes, and how it changed their entire view of the collecting hobby!
Also this week, several new items have started to ship, including the eFX Collectibles TIE Fighter scaled replica, the Hasbro four-figure 104TH Battalion “Wolf Pack” of figures, and Steve Sansweet’s Ultimate Action Figure Collection book. We discuss each of these releases, with a review of the four figures in Hasbro’s pack and an in-depth look at the latest book from Steve Sansweet detailing every Star Wars action figure released since 1978.
With a discounted Vintage boxed Millennium Falcon, some hard to find mini rig vehicles at retail, and crafty gift ideas, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN372.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Octopussy by Ian Fleming
Brock is back to review the final Ian Fleming James Bond short story from the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. So join us as we complete this look with our final review, discussing the short story Octopussy.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN056-Bond18-Octopussy.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Silent Night, Deadly Night
In November, 1984 one of the most famous movie slashers hit theaters–Freddy Kruger. But that same day, another serial killer film was released that drew far more attention and ire–Silent Night, Deadly Night. Outside theaters across the country people protested the film featuring a bloodthirsty man in a Santa suit, and the film was quickly pulled from theaters. But over the years it has become a cult favorite horror film, spawning several sequels and, this year, a remake. Join Now Playing hosts Marjorie, Arnie, and Stuart as they watch and review this 1984 classic. Is this movie naughty or nice? Listen to find out!
Listen Now: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPSNDN1.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: The Man With the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming
James Bond was presumed dead after the Blofeld trilogy ends, and before Fleming could revive the spy that brought him fame the author himself died. Published posthumously, The Man With the Golden is Fleming’s final Bond novel, and Stuart is back to review it, continuing Books & Nachos’ reviews of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond prose stories. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this podcast, join Stuart as he reviews The Man With the Golden Gun.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN055-Bond17-ManWithGoldenGun.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 371: Black Friday Deals and 2012 Holiday Gift Guide
It’s Thanksgiving and once again Marjorie and Arnie are back with their special annual episode of Star Wars Action News running down all the Star Wars items on sale this weekend! From half-off vehicles and toys at Toys R Us to 8 figures for $25 at Wal-Mart, Dark Horse comics for under a dollar each, and so much more, listen to find out which stores you need to hit tomorrow (or tonight)!
And also in this episode the Star Wars Action News hosts look at all the items you can buy your Star Wars loving friend or family member for the holidays. All price ranges are covered from Hasbro action figures up to Gentle Giant’s newest statue and maquette releases. Listen to find their recommendations for hot holiday items, and a few things you may not have even known about!
Finally this week, Star Wars Action News has long been a supporter of Toys For Tots. Listen to this week’s episode to find out about a special eBay auction being run for a custom Death Trooper with all proceeds going to buy toys for a Toys For Tots donation! It’s all in this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN371.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Skyfall
After reviewing 25 movies released over the span of 50 years, Now Playing reaches the conclusion of its James Bond retrospective series–Skyfall. Continuing the rebooted spy stories starring Daniel Craig, Skyfall has already become the top-grossing film in the James Bond franchise, and there is even rumblings of Academy Award honors. But can it really best Craig’s Casino Royale, and how does a life long Bond fan warm to this new take? Listen to Now Playing’s ultimate James Bond review to find out! Plus the hosts reflect on all 25 Bond films, picking the best and worst actors, film, and songs from the franchise!
Listen Now: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPBOND25.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: Issue 60: Sweet Christmas – Black Friday Sales & Holiday Gift Guide 2012
It’s Thanksgiving Day in America. Parades are on TV, and stores are opening earlier than ever before to bring you savings on all types of goods, including Marvel toys, games, and collectibles! So join Marvelicious Toys for the third annual Sweet Christmas episode, as Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie run down all the sales on Marvel goodies.
And then the Marvelicious hosts run down their suggestions for holiday gifts for the Marvel collector in your life. Toys, statues, books, games, and DVDs, listen in as they cover the entire gamut of gifts!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT060.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Quantum of Solace
In 2006 we got a new take on an old hero with James Bond in Casino Royale, but while the film told of the spy’s first adventure questions were left unanswered. Who were the mysterious people to whom Le Chiffre owed money? Who is the mysterious employer behind Mr. White? These answers were to be revealed two years later in the follow-up film Quantum of Solace. With Daniel Craig returning and a title taken from an original Fleming story, can this film live up to the high praise given to Casino Royale? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock’s review to find out in Now Playing’s penultimate James Bond review leading directly to this year’s blockbuster Skyfall!
Listen Now: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPRBOND24.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
Brock is back to complete Books & Nachos’ reviews of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond prose stories, this time looking at the final book in the so-called Blofeld trilogy of novels. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this podcast, join Brock as he reviews You Only Live Twice.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN054-Bond16-YouOnlyLiveTwice.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Casino Royale (2006)
James Bond made his first appearance in Ian Fleming’s novels in 1953 in the novel Casino Royale, and in 2006 a brand new James Bond makes his first appearance in a film based on that novel. Rights issues had prevented Eon from adapting the original James Bond story as part of their film series, but with the rights obtained they used that opportunity to present a new James Bond for a new generation. Not just a new actor in the role, but an entirely new take on the MI6 agent, showing his origin, his obtaining his double-oh status, and going on his first mission to win a high stakes poker game against international terrorist Le Chiffre. But did Bond need a reboot? And how does Craig stack up against the previous Bond? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock’s review to find out!
: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPRBOND23.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: Issue 59: Hasbro’s Future Imperfect
It’s early in November, but the stores want us to think it’s Holiday time, virtually New Year’s, so why not look towards the toys of 2013? Hasbro’s plans for 2013 have leaked, including a line of toys based on the Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble cartoons, customizable Iron Man 3 figures, Spider Pods, and more! We run it down on this week’s podcast!
And did you buy The Amazing Spider-Man last week? We run down the retail exclusives and which are worth capturing in your web. And we also review more Amazing Spider-Man figures, this time the figure 3-packs found at TJ Maxx and HasbroToyShop.com. We even review the Build-A-Bear Amazing Spider-Man outfit!
With a hands-on review of two rare figures, Old Man Logan and unmasked War Machine, a sneak peek of Marvel Universe Wave 20, fashion accessories for action figures, and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT059.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Die Another Day
It’s James Bond’s first adventure in the 21st century, and Pierce Brosnan’s last time playing the role of the British secret agent. Partnered with Halle Berry’s NSA agent Jinx Johnson, can the two stop a North Korean terrorist’s nefarious plot? It’s a film celebrating the lore of Bond, but not very celebrated by Bond fans. Is the reputation deserved, and what final impression does Brosnan leave as Bond? Listen to Now Playing to find out!
: http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/Podcasts/NPPRBOND22.MP3
Category: Movies & Film
New Podcast: Episode 370: Clone Taper Caper
At Five Below stores across the country an unusual figure is showing up. It was first reported at Jedi Temple Archives.com and has been spotted by many collectors, including Arnie and Marjorie of Star Wars Action News. It’s a variant of the 212th Battalion Clone Trooper with a more detailed, more white helmet. But the odd thing is, the figure has seemingly been opened, then taped back shut. Have you found this new variant? Hear about the figure part swap on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Also on this week’s show, more finds at discounted prices, from other Star Wars collectibles at Five Below to hard-to-find exclusives at TJ Maxx, to value bundles at Toys R Us. Plus holiday items hitting store shelves, Lego sales, and a hint of Black Friday (or is that Thursday) sales next week!
With an X-Wing miniatures gameplay review by Darth Cheddar, Steve the Gingerprince updating us on his collecting, and a review of the Angry Birds iPhone game, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN370.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Property of a Lady and 007 in New York by Ian Fleming
Brock goes back to the last Ian Fleming James Bond book ever released to review two more short stories from the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. So make a plate of scrambled eggs and take a listen to Brock as he reviews Property of a Lady and 007 in New York
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN053-Bond15-PropertyNewYork.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 58: The Marvelicious Spider-Man
Though the glut of Amazing Spider-Man figures hit early last summer, there are still plenty of new Amazing Spider-Man comic series figures to find–if you know where to look! On this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie review the on-line exclusive Amazing Spider-Man Gift Set, the Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-Man figure, and a Spider-Man 3 pack you can only find down under!
Also on this week’s show, we give a cautionary tale of preorders gone wrong telling you where NOT to shop, and review all four Kotobukiya Bishoujo Black Widow Statues.
Plus hard to find team packs finally hitting stores and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT058.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 369: A Mouse in the House
It’s been exactly one week since the news broke: Disney buys Lucasfilm, Episode VII in 2015. It’s a major change of course for a franchise that had long been declared dormant, and one that will have far-reaching impact on Star Wars collectors. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie take your voicemails, giving podcast listeners the stage to share their excitement and their trepidation about this news. Plus updates on new Star Wars collectibles for sale online. All this and more on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN369.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming
James Bond is back, as is our book reviewer Brock, continuing his reviews of Ian Fleming’s works. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads the second novel in Fleming’s Blofeld trilogy – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN052-Bond14-OnHerMajesty.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 57: Keeping Cool
Stores are ramping up for the holiday toy-buying spree, but for Marvel collectors new product can be hard to find. But there are toys to hunt for! Listen to this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast to hear where Marvel Legend’s third wave of 2012 is showing up, as well as more variant 6-inch Wal Mart figures shipping and some TJ Maxx specials.
And there’s even more to be had online. Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie review two new comic packs available from Hasbro Toy Shop.com, including the Captain America and Falcon pack and the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange pack.
With a new Japanese collectible to keep an eye out for, a Premium Deadpool you may be chicken to buy, and more than just the temperature cooling, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys Podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT057.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 368: BREAKING NEWS: Disney buys Lucasfilm; Announces Episodes 7, 8, and 9
Many Star Wars fans had to check their calendars today. Was it April Fools’ Day? Were the folks at Lucasfilm and Disney joining to play a Halloween prank on fans? But slowly the news set in — for over four billion dollars Disney has bought Lucasfilm, with the primary focus being the Star Wars franchise. More, they are immediately beginning preproduction on Star Wars Episode VII with a planned release in Summer, 2015.
It’s the single biggest surprise since Vader said “No, I am your father.” and now the Star Wars Action News team has gathered to gather the reaction from Star Wars fans and collectors. Join Marjorie, Arnie, Berent, Nathan, Jerry, Andrew, Jakob, and Steve the Gingerprince as they tell their initial reaction to the news, and what this means for their collecting.
Listen to this special episode of Star Wars Action News, then call us and share your thoughts on this major revelation for Star Wars. Leave us a voicemail at 415-508-JEDI
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN368.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Episode 367: Bring on the Barge
For years many fans’ holy grail for the Star Wars 3.75-inch collection has been an original trilogy vehicle never realized in either vintage or modern era–Jabba’s Sail Barge. The scale and scope of such a vehicle has made it seemingly prohibitive, but at this year’s New York Comic-Con the Star Wars brand team mentioned that they could possibly do it. This has caused Star Wars fan sites, including Star Wars Action News, to unite like never before with the Bring on the Barge fan site petition. With the lofty goal of 10,000 signatures by Jan 31st this petition is to show Hasbro that there is a huge base of support in the community for a barge. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie discuss the probability of such an item, and where it would fit in their collection. So listen to the show, head over and sign the petition, then come to the Star Wars Action News forums for their Poll of the Week and tell them how much you’d be willing to pay for the Barge.
Also on this week’s show, the Star Wars Angry Birds attack continues! The first reveal was Hasbro plush toys, but now large scale plushies and even adult Halloween costumes for Star Wars Angry Birds have been revealed!
With sales on Vintage Collection exclusives, a big Toys R Us exclusive with a bigger price tag, and a look at the Star Wars X-Wing Miniature game, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN367.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming
James Bond in a hard boiled detective story with a femme fatale and an enemy with metal teeth–it’s all in The Spy Who Loved Me, an original novel by Ian Fleming. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews another original James Bond novel.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN051-Bond13-SpyWhoLovedMe.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 56: The Variant Show
Variants! Love ’em or hate ’em, if you collect Hasbro’s Avengers figures you have to decide which version of the figure you want, or perhaps you want both! At Wal-Mart, there are variants of the six-inch exclusive Avengers figures. At Target there is a 3.75″ set of Avengers figures most of which differ from their single-carded counterparts. And at Costco there is a Quinjet set that not only has a repainted vehicle but also two repainted figures! On this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast, Marjorie, Justin, and Arnie detail the differences between the versions of the figures and tell you if they prefer the regular release or the variant!
Also on this week’s show we bring more Marvel collecting news from New York Comic-Con! Mitch Hallock was in attendance every day of the con, and brings us his reports of what cool new toys he saw, as well as interviews with Kotobukiya and Comic Images!
With a new Bishoujo you can buy with Pryde, Agent Coulson’s trading cards, and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT056.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 366: NYCC Toy Hunter
New York Comic Con was a great time for Star Wars fans. From new toy reveals from Hasbro and their Angry Birds Star Wars to new collectible and product announcements from Hallmark, Kotobukiya, and more, and convention veteran Mitchell Hallock was on-hand to cover it all. Join us on Star Wars Action News this week to hear his recollection of the con, along with interviews with Kotobukiya, Hallmark, Comic Images, and a discussion of Star Wars toys with Toy Hunter Hembrough!
Also on this week’s show, Johnathan joins us to discuss his latest finds in store, on line, and a special vintage purchase.
With a Vinylmation contest winner and more, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN366.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming
The book title is Octopussy (or sometimes Octopussy and The Living Daylights) but in this Ian Fleming book is actually a collection of short stories. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews the first-published short story from this collection — The Living Daylights.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN050-Bond12-LivingDaylights.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 55: Oh man…LOGAN!!
Collectors always want what they haven’t got, and this week what you probably don’t have is an Old Man Logan figure. Initially stated to be released at New York Comic-Con to subscribers to Marvel’s Digital Comics Unlimited, many con goers waited in line to find out that Marvel had no Logan, but just the same Dr. Doom figure they had last year. On this week’s Marvelicious Toys, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie run down the facts and the rumors surrounding this kit-bashed exclusive.
Also on this week’s show, Marjorie and Arnie report from the Toy Man Toy Show in St. Louis, and Fallcon in St. Paul, MN. Listen to find out about the toys from the 90s through today as toy show bargains!
With reports of two new exclusive items hitting shelves, some barware that is the best bar none, discussion of 3 new Marvel Legends, and more, it’s all on this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT055.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 365: A New Star Wars Book Pops Up!
In 2007 Matthew Reinhart brought a new dimension to Star Wars books with Star Wars: A Pop Up Guide to the Galaxy, a book that helped redefine what a pop-up book could be for Star Wars fans. It quickly became a New York Times Bestseller and now Matthew is back with his follow up–Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure. General Grievous, Acklay, and more, this book has light up features, sounds, and so much more! And on this week’s Star Wars Action News, Matthew joins Arnie and Marjorie to discuss this new prequel era book for fans of all ages!
Also for fans of all ages, this past week Hasbro and Lucasfilm announced Star Wars Angry Birds, a videogame with toy tie-ins from Hasbro including an Early Angry Bird Kit! Some fans disdain this new license while others embrace it. Hear both sides of the discussion on this week’s podcast.
With new Hallmark Keepsake ornaments, a hands-on review of the new Hasbro Toys R Us exclusive Speeder Bike, your voicemails, news from New York Comic Con and more, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN365.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Thunderball by Ian Fleming
It’s a Bond story that started as a screenplay, then became a book, then became a film! But in Ian Fleming’s eighth Bond novel such Bond film staples are born as Blofeld, SPECTRE, and a story made into not one but two James Bond movies. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews Fleming’s eighth Bond novel — Thunderball.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN049-Bond11-Thunderball.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 54: Stuart Moore’s Civil War
Civil War is one of the most successful crossover events in Marvel history. Pitting hero against hero, it both fulfilled fanboy fantasies answering the endless “who would win in a fight…” debates, and also providing an intelligent allegory for real-world American politics. Now, as part of the new Marvel prose novel series, the Civil War is being fought again–this time in a streamlined, novelized form. On this issue of Marvleicious Toys, Civil War prose novel author Stuart Moore discusses the genesis of the novel, what it takes to adapt an arc of Civil War’s size to a single book, and the future of the Marvel prose novels.
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT054.MP3
Category: Arts
Rare X-Men Art Goes to Auction Dec 1, 2012
OVER 500 MARVEL ANIMATION CELS
WILL BE UP FOR AUCTION
THIS WILL BE A RARE OPPORTUNITY
FOR ANYONE TO OWN AN AFFORDABLE
PIECE OF MARVEL HISTORY
DECEMBER 1
LOS ANGELES- OCT 9, 2012- Profiles in History, run by Joe Maddalena, is proud to announce the auction of over 500 Marvel animation cels at their online auction, December 1. The 500 animation cels presented in this auction are from the 1990’s Marvel Animated Series broadcast on Fox. One of the most popular animated series of the 90’s, the X-Men series, was the longest running Marvel Comics based TV show. Keepingin the tradition of the original comic book story lines, these cels were based on Jim Lee’s character designs. In the past few years, similar cels have sold publicly at auction for up to $1,500 with the average sales being in the $500 to $600 range. All are expected to fetch between $100-$300, a rare opportunity for any collector to own a piece of Marvel history. For more information visit www.profilesinhistory.com. Some highlights from the collection are below.A 1997 original production cel on key matching background of “Captain America” and “Wolverine” from the episode, Old Soldiers. Pictured above.A 1993 original production cel and key matching production background featuring “Rogue”, “Omega Red”, “Jubilee” & “Gambit” from the episode Red Dawn.
A 1994 original production cel and key matching production panoramic background featuring “Gambit” from the episode The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 4): The Fate of the Phoenix. Pictured right.
A 1992 and 1997 original production cels and original production background featuring “Rogue”, “Wolverine”, “Storm” & “Gambit”.
A 1995 original production cel and production background featuring “Terrax”, “Thor” & “Galactus” from the episode To Battle the Living Planet.
A 1992 production cel progression and background featuring “Rogue”, “Jubilee” & “Wolverine” from the episode Savage Land, Savage Heart (Part 2). This set up is on an original panoramic background from the studio. Pictured below.
ABOUT PROFILES IN HISTORY
Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the nation’s leading dealerin guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs and manuscripts. Born into a family of antiques dealers in Rhode Island, Joseph “Joe” Maddalena learned early on how to turn his passion of collectinghistorical autographs into a career. Needing to support himself, Joe turned to his hobby of buying and selling historical documents as a potential way to earn revenue. On weekends he scoured old Hollywood bookstores for letters and rare books. Upon graduation from Pepperdine, Joe pursued his passion to become a full-time dealer ofhistorical documents, and opened his first office in 1985. A lifetime member of the Manuscript Society, Joe is widely recognized as the nation’s leading authority on entertainment memorabilia and historical documents. Profiles in History has established itself as the world’s largest auctioneer of original Hollywood memorabilia, having held some of the most prestigious and successful auctions of Hollywood memorabilia and owning virtually every Guinness Book record prices for original screen-used memorabilia. With an extensive network of dealers, collectors, and institutions, Profiles in History is proud to play an important role in the preservation of motion picture history. PriorProfiles in History Hollywood auctions highlights include the “Cowardly Lion” costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); Steve McQueen’s “Michael Delaney” racing suit from Le Mans ($960,000); a Panavision motion picture camera used by George Lucas to film Star Wars ($624,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); Marilyn Monroe’s platinum & diamond wedding band from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio ($504,000); Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds” dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ($356,500); a King Kong 1933 six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); Luke Skywalker’s light saber from Star Wars ($240,000); Margaret Hamilton’s “Wicked Witch” hat from The Wizard Of Oz ($230,000); and The Invisible Man 1933 one-sheet movie poster ($230,000). From the history-making Debbie Reynolds Auction in June 2011,Profiles in History sold the Marilyn Monroe “Subway” Dress from The Seven Year Itch for $5.52M, the Marilyn Monroe signature red-sequined showgirl gown from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for $1.44M and the Audrey Hepburn Ascot Dress from My Fair Lady for $4.44M. In February 2012, Profiles in History arranged the sale of a pair of Judy Garland screen-used Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. In addition, Joe Maddalena is the star of Hollywood Treasure, which just ended its second season on Syfy. Hollywood Treasure takes viewers into the fascinating world of showbiz and pop culture memorabilia. For more information visit www.profilesinhistory.com
###
Media Contacts:
Nancy Seltzer, Nancy Seltzer & Associates
Phone: 323 938 3562, e-mail: nseltzer@nsapr.com
New Podcast: Episode 364: Star Wars Action News Reads Day in Roseville
Last Saturday was the first annual Star Wars Reads Day, an event promoted by Del Rey and Lucasfilm to promote literacy in general, and the reading of Star Wars books in particular. Over 1,000 libraries and book stores across the country took part, with kits provided by Del Rey giving kids activities and crafts, and promoting Star Wars. Marjorie and Arnie of Star Wars Action News trekked to Roseville, MN for one of these events at Barnes & Noble with guests Troy Denning, John Jackson Miller, and Dan Wallace. On this episode of the podcast, they recap the events and share their hopes for next year’s event to make it even better!
And with Star Wars Reads day what better book is there than the Star Wars Essential Reader’s Companion to introduce new readers to the Star Wars Expanded Universe? Star Wars Action News Book Club Liaison Brock provides an in-depth review of this new book on this show.
With a recap of finds at the Toy Man Toy Show in St. Louis and the Fallcon convention in Roseville, new finds at Toys R Us, a die-cast C-3PO, and more, it’s on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN364.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming – Part 3
Brock is back finishing his reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond short stories collected in the book For Your Eyes Only. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews the titular short story of the collection–For Your Eyes Only.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN048-Bond10-ForYourEyesOnly.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 53: Lights, Camera, Action Figures!!
What’s cooler than a Lizard figure? A Lizard figure that GLOWS IN THE DARK! At least that’s what Hasbro thinks! A Toys R Us exclusive line of glow-in-the-dark Amazing Spider-Man figures has shown up in stores, and on this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin see if this is a bright spot for collectors, or a dim-witted gimmick.
Also on this week’s podcast, we take another look at the fourth wave of Avengers figures showing up coast to coast, discuss a Classic new line of Sideshow collectibles, and use our Nog’nz when looking at a new line of Marvel toys from the makers of Grab Zags. It’s all on this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT053.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 363: Pablo Hidalgo’s Essential Companion
On October 6, 2012 is the first Star Wars Reads day. Across the country bookstores will be hosting events celebrating Star Wars books, both fiction and nonfiction. Many stores are having Star Wars authors speak and autograph books, including the Barnes and Noble in Roseville, MN where Star Wars Action News hosts Marjorie and Arnie will be going to see authors Troy Denning, Daniel Wallace, and John Jackson Miller.
With Star Wars Reads day being the biggest thing for Star Wars fans since Celebration VI, it is the perfect time for the release of Pablo Hidalgo’s Star Wars: The Essential Reader’s Companion. With Star Wars fiction predating the Star Wars films themselves, and with a constant stream of expanded universe novels coming for over twenty years, The Essential Reader’s Companion provides summaries, trivia, and artwork for over 100 Star Wars adult novels, plus many more junior novels and comics besides!
On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Arnie sits down with Pablo to discuss the inception of this new book and how it can be used by Star Wars readers of all experience levels–from those who’ve just read their first novel to the experienced reader who’s consumed every book released!
And also on this week’s show, Star Wars fans and Disney fans alike go crazy for Disney’s Vinylmation figures. Exclusive to the Disney theme parks, the second series of Vinylmations was released in August, simultaneous with Star Wars Celebration VI. Events were held on both coasts, at Disney World in Orlando, and Disneyland in California, and Podcast Enhancer Berent’s significant other Carmilla attended Disneyland to get a set of these figures! On this week’s podcast, listen to hear their impressions of this new series, and how you can win a full set of these figures from Star Wars Action News!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN363.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming – Part 2
Brock is back continuing his reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond short stories collected in the book For Your Eyes Only. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews the next two short stories Risico and From a View to a Kill.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN047-Bond09-RisicoAndView.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 52: Legends Accessorize
Hasbro has returned to 6-inch Marvel figures big time in 2012, and now shipping to stores is the third Marvel Legends wave of the year! With Deadpool, Mystique, Dr. Doom, Punisher, Iron Man, and U.S. Agent, we have them all and review them on this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Also this week, Halloween is coming and with it come tons of Marvel costumes in different variations, plus Jack-O-Lantern kits, non-edible trick-or-treat items, and more. For both adults and kids, we discuss it on this week’s podcast.
With bargain Marvel dog toys, Build-A-Bears, the Avengers Blu Ray release, and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast! Plus listen to win a copy of The Avengers on Blu-Ray and DVD!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT052.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 362: He’s Alive…And In Perfect Hibernation
Star Wars Celebration VI is almost a month behind us, but the memories are still fresh, as are the collectibles! From coast to coast Celebration attendees are receiving their Disney Carbon Freeze Me statues! Marjorie and Arnie got theirs in the mail last week, so listen to this week’s hands-on review of these truly one-of-a-kind collectibles! They’ll tell you if it would be worth a Disney trip if these return to the theme parks.
Also on this week’s show, your Star Wars Action News hosts review a couple of high end Star Wars items, including Sideshow’s one-sixth scale Greedo figure, and Gentle Giant’s Emperor Palpatine Return of the Jedi mini-bust.
With a discussion of the Vintage Droid Factory set and a segment from Republic Forces Radio Network’s Johnathan updating you on the lastest toys in stores and online, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN362.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming – Part 1
In addition to the successful novel series, Ian Fleming also wrote several short stories telling tales of the British Agent. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Brock as he reads and reviews two short stories from Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only short story collection — The Hildebrand Rarity and Quantum of Solace.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN046-Bond08-HoldebrandQOS.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 51: Straining the Lizard
It’s time for another weekly issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast, and in this issue we discuss the tons of new figures hitting stores. We discuss the Wal-Mart exclusive six-inch Amazing Spider-Man figures, including Miles Morales as Ultimate Spider-Man, and the Toys R Us exclusive Glow-in-the-dark 3.75-inch figures, and the 4th wave of Avengers figures with Nick Fury, the Chitauri soldier, and a more articulated Iron Man!
With details on Amazon giving away Avengers Blu-Rays, a sale on Gentle Giant Marvel mini-busts, and a new Marvel licensee releasing 18-inch Marvel figures, it’s all in this issue of Marvelicious Toys, with Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT051.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Goldfinger by Ian Fleming
Goldfinger, the third James Bond film, is often seen as the quintessential Bond movie–the one where all the elements came together to form the James Bond formula. But in print, Goldfinger was Fleming’s seventh novel, the British agent is investigating smuggler and game cheat Auric Goldfinger. Similar in many ways to its theatrical part, Stuart reviews the original novel and compares it to the big screen counterpart. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews Goldfinger.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN045-Bond07-Goldfinger.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 50: A Brief Case for the Briefcase
The announcement of Marvel’s Phase One Blu Ray Collector’s Set was met with a mixed reaction. No one could doubt the coolness of the special artwork and the supplemental materials included with the set, but the high price, and the fact that most Marvel fans already own all the films leading up to Avengers, put off some buyers. But it turns out that Rimowa GmbH, manufacturers of the briefcase used in the film, didn’t give permission for Marvel to copy it for the collector’s set, and now the Blu Ray set is delayed until Spring. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie discuss this development, why it happened, and speculate on the set’s future.
But with one exclusive gone, two more pop up in its place! In a follow-up on the conversation from Issue 49, listen to find out about all-new exclusive items that you can get with the Avengers Blu-Ray.
And for toy collectors, we have a hands-on review of all the figures in Marvel Universe Wave 19. Kang, Scarlet Witch, Future Foundation Spider-Man, Punisher, and She-Hulk! Listen to find out if this wave was worth the wait!
With all this and a flying Helicarrier too, it’s all in Marvelicious Toys Issue 50!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT050.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 361: Celebration VI Memories
With so much anticipation it’s hard to believe Star Wars Celebration VI is over, but with all the good times come good memories! On this week’s Star Wars Action News, Marjorie and Arnie listen to recounts of some of the best times people had at Star Wars Celebration VI, from meeting celebrities to shopping to making friends to just partying, you shared your thoughts on this episode of the podcast.
Then Jerry comes with an unusual Vintage Viewpoint, looking at Celebration VI from the perspective of a vintage collector. From Celebration VI store items that harkened back to days of OT to some of the rare items seen on the show floor, Jerry recaps it all.
With a store report on new exclusive items hitting shelves and more, it’s all in this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN361.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Dr. No by Ian Fleming
Most people were introduced to James Bond in Dr. No, the first Bond feature film. However, Dr. No was Ian Fleming’s sixth Bond novel, picking up after the author had seemingly killed the super-spy in the previous book. Much like the film, Dr. No is working with Russians to disrupt American rocket tests. But is the truism that the book is always better the case, or No? As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews Dr. No.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN044-Bond06-DrNo.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 49: What a piece of Chit-auri
Hasbro is shipping tons of new figures right now. Avengers Wave 4 with Nick Fury and the basic Chitauri, the new Deluxe Chitauri, variant six-inch Avengers figures, a new wave of Marvel Legends, and two waves of Marvel Universe! All combined make it a great time to be a Marvel toy collector, and we run down all the new releases and where you can find them on this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast. New figures from this year, and hard to find figures from last year, Justin has the scoop on where you can get them yourself!
For the high-end Marvel collector new items are released as well. Hot Toys put up for pre-order their second Wolverine figure, this one from X-Men 3: The Last Stand. With a sentinel head and a leather-like outfit, listen to hear the hosts’ thoughts on this latest 1/6 scale figure.
Finally, Avengers was in theaters this past week, but the DVD is coming soon and every major retailer has an exclusive bag, print, disc, or comic to go along with it. We run down all the exclusives and rank which ones you have to have. It’s all this and more in this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT049.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 360 Part 5: It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Celebration
On Sunday night Star Wars Celebration was winding down, but the Collectors’ Social Area still had hundreds of people pouring through trying to complete their Star Tots collection! Marjorie, Arnie, Berent, Jay, and Steve were all there handing out Star Tots but as the line grew longer the Star Wars Action News team took a break to reflect on the end of Star Wars Celebration VI. In this final episode of Celebration coverage, Marjorie, Arnie, Berent, Steve, and Scott from Tulsa reflect on the high points of C6, discuss Celebration Europe 2 in Germany, the release of both Episodes II and III in 3-D in 2013, and the SWAG they got and missed.
Listen to this episode of Star Wars Action News, then share YOUR thoughts on Celebration. If you attended, what did you love? What did you see? Who did you meet? If you didn’t attend, will you be attending Celebration Europe 2? Are you excited by the expedited release of the prequels? What did you think of Detours? Let us know at 415-508-JEDI or send an MP3 to show@swactionnews.com
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN360E.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Republic Forces Radio Network Celebration VI Clone Wars Coverage
Clone Wars may still be on summer vacation, but at Star Wars Celebration VI the Wars raged on, and Republic Forces Radio Network hosts Jerry, Johnathan, and Arnie were there! From an early Season 5 premiere to something totally new called Young Jedi, listen for the report on Clone Wars from C6!
This episode has very light spoilers for both Young Jedi and The Clone Wars Season 5 premiere. If you want to know absolutely nothing about the plots of these episodes, hold off on listening. However no major spoilers are revealed, saving those for when these episodes are shown on television.
Listen Now: http://www.republicforces.com/Podcasts/RFRNC6.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
Bond has stopped several evil plots in his first four novels, and now the Russian General of SMERSH wants revenge for Bond’s meddling. They not only want to kill Bond but first they need to ruin his reputation. With two henchmen sent to do the deed, Bond is facing his biggest challenge yet! As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews From Russia With Love.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN043-Bond05-FromRussiaWithLove.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 360 Part 4: On the Floor with Chris Gore
On Sunday Star Wars Celebration VI started to wind down, but Marjorie and Arnie were still going strong. Marjorie had her new tattoo, Arnie had a number of purchases, and they were recording all about it at The Force United booth! But this podcast ended up being Podcrashed by Chris Gore. Chris was covering Celebration for StarWars.com and he sits down with Star Wars Action News to discuss his fandom of Star Wars, what he’s enjoyed at Celebration, and the crazy things that happened at the 501st party at the Grotto!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN360D.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Episode 360 Part 3: Live from Celebration VI, Saturday Afternoon
Celebration VI was underway, George Lucas was taking a Detour on stage, but Marjorie, Arnie, and a number of Star Wars Action News listeners were still having fun in the Star Wars Collectors’ Social Area Saturday at noon! Listen to the second live podcast from the show where the Star Wars Action News hosts discuss being frozen in Carbonite, the bounty of items found at the Social Area Swap Meet and Social Friday night, Marjorie’s impending new tattoo, and more! Plus we have an interview with the voice of Star Wars fiction, Marc Thompson who performed the audiobook editions of the Thrawn Trilogy of novels, the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series, and many more!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN360C.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Episode 360 Part 2: Partying with Yakface and Star Wars Action News
Thursday at Star Wars Celebration VI was the night of the Star Wars Action News/Yakface party. An edible Jabba attended, as did Slave Leia to flip the roles and eat the Hutt! Prizes were handed out, death sticks were consumed, and Jerry got to talk to several of the attendees about their expectations for Star Wars Celebration VI and their first day experiences. So join the party and listen now!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN360B.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Episode 360 Part 1: Live from Celebration VI Friday, Thinking Geek with Mark McKenna
At Star Wars Celebration VI Marjorie, Arnie, and Steve the Ginger Prince recorded a live show in the Collectors’ Social Area, and were joined by guests from Think Geek and Star Wars artist Mark McKenna! They discuss the latest reveals from the Hasbro Star Wars panel, shopping on the show floor, and give their impressions of the con!
Note: There was a shorted wire for the first couple minutes of this show making Steve’s audio hard to hear and some popping sounds that were minimized as much as possible during editing. As this was a live performance “the show must go on” while technicians worked to resolve the problem. The audio problems are resolved by 4 minutes into the show. So if you hear noises during the beginning, thank you for your patience, and know the first couple minutes are not indicative of the entire show’s audio quality.ouple minutes of this show making Steve’s audio hard to hear and some popping sounds that were minimized as much as possible during editing. As this was a live performance “the show must go on” while technicians worked to resolve the problem. The audio problems are resolved by 4 minutes into the show. So if you hear noises during the beginning, thank you for your patience, and know the first couple minutes are not indicative of the entire show’s audio quality.
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN360A.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming
In Bond’s fourth literary outing, the spy has to come to the states to take on a group of American gangsters. If that sounds beneath Bond, he agrees with you in this book! With very little resemblance to the theatrical adaptation, Diamonds Are Forever takes Bond undercover as a diamond smuggler. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews Diamonds are Forever.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN042-Bond04-DiamondsAreForever.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 359: The Star Wars Celebration VI Pre-Game Show
Even before the end of Star Wars Celebration V fans were starting to look forward to the next time they could get together with friends, Star Wars fans, from around the world. That’s because no other event or convention offers the programming, the exclusives, the events, and the excitement Star Wars fans find at Star Wars Celebration. And this week it’s finally here–Star Wars Celebration VI!
Marjorie, Arnie, and the Star Wars Action News team will be covering the event from the Clone Wars Season 5 premiere to the events in the Collecting Track, the store exclusives, the autograph area, and more! And on this episode of Star Wars Action News, Marjorie and Arnie run down the highlights of the event for collectors. From the Collectors’ Social Area to the Swap Meet, the Diorama Workshop, the Celebration Store, the Art Show, and more, we give you a high level prep for Star Wars Celebration VI!
Whether you listen while flying or driving to Celebration, or just sitting home wanting to know what’s happening at the con, it’s all in this episode of the Star Wars Action News podcast! We hope to see you at the show!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN359.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Moonraker by Ian Fleming
Moonraker, the James Bond film, is a black mark on 007’s film history–a shameless Star Wars rip-off that takes Bond to the final frontier. But in the original Ian Flemming novel, Moonraker is a much more Earthbound tale pitting Bond against Drax, a nuclear arms manufacturer. As part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews Moonraker.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN041-Bond03-Moonraker.mp3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 48: Beta Wave Bill
With the high profile launches of Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man figures, plus Marvel Legends returning in a big way, Hasbro’s core 3.75-inch Marvel Universe line has been stagnent, with collectors staring at the same white-outfit Iron Fist and Shadowlands Daredevil since Spring. But on this episode of the Marvelicious Toys podcast the spotlight is right back on Marvel Universe! Wave 18 has hit stores, Wave 19 is showing up as well, and there are seven new comic packs too! With all new sculpts, repaints of some old sculpts, and the return of some older figures, Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin run down 20 new Marvel Universe figures on this podcast!
Also on this show, we have a Hulk! A Hot Toys Hulk that is. The green giant that stole the show in The Avengers has finally gone on preorder from Sideshow and Hot Toys. We run down the figure’s scale, articulation, and features.
With Avengers Superhero Squad, MODOK Minimates, and a report on Wizard World’s Chicago Comic Con, it’s all in this Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT048.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 358: Celebration VI and Chicago Comic-Con
2012’s Convention season is ending not with a whimper but with a bang! Star Wars Celebration VI starts in 10 days, but last weekend was also Wizard World’s Chicago Comic-Con, and on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast Marjorie and Arnie run down both.
First, the Celebration VI panel schedule has finally been released, and Marjorie and Arnie discuss some of the panels they will be hosting, as well as panels in the Celebration VI Collector’s Social Area. With limited edition free collectibles, opportunities to meet the faces behind some of the most popular Star Wars collecting web sites, and more, listen to find out how to not miss out at C6!
Also, Diorama Workshop head Frank D’iorio comes on the show to update listeners on what attendees will be building at C6, and what collectibles and souvenirs will be available at the diorama workshop area.
Then Marjorie, Arnie, Brock, and Johnathan went to Wizard World Chicago. Listen in to find out about the toys, collectibles, and celebrities that attended this Midwestern event.
With a book review of X-Wing: Mercy Kill by Brock and Vintage figures being sold individually online, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN358.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
James Bond versus Mister Big, the Voodoo Baron of Death. This fight is a classic part of the Bond movie franchise, but while it was the eighth Bond film it was actually the second Bond story written by Ian Flemming, released in 1954. Now as part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads and reviews Live and Let Die.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN040-Bond02-LiveAndLetDie.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
Underground Collecting Goes Public at the Star Wars Celebration VI Swap Meet
At Star Wars Celebration some of the hottest, hard to find collectibles aren’t on the show floor but in the suitcase of your fellow fan. Hotel sales have long been an after-hours activity of the Star Wars collector looking to find that rare vintage figure, a unique international item, or other prize Star Wars items.
This year at Star Wars Celebration VI the hotel sales get opened up to you! Friday night after the con, the Star Wars Collectors’ Swap Meet will be held at 6:30 pm in the new Star Wars Collectors’ Social Area. Bring some collectibles that you are willing to part with and see items from other Star Wars collections! Make a trade, work a deal, and find that item that has eluded you for so long!
The Star Wars Collectors’ Social Area is in room W304. Set-up begins at 5pm for those bringing collectibles to sell or trade. Selling is limited to just a handful of items per person though (what you can carry), so collectors should plan accordingly.
New Podcast: Episode 357: Add to Cart
Celebration is in two weeks, and for collectors the time to prepare your shopping lists has come! The store list has been revealed, and pre-orders are being taken by Acme Archives and Gentle Giant. From T-Shirts to statues to jumbo figures, magnets, and more! On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie run down the list.
But is there any better collectible than a free one? Tickets for the Yakface/Star Wars Action News Celebration 6 party are almost sold out! With tons of door prizes, from the SDCC exclusive Carbon Freeze figure set, FX Lightsaber, Mimoco Thumb Drives, Diamond Select collectibles, Sideshow 12-inch figures, and so much more to win! Plus everyone who attends the party gets an exclusive shirt with art by Mark McKenna. Get your tickets before they sell out at http://www.swactionnews.com/C6/party.htm
With a review of Gentle Giant exclusive mini-busts, back to school notebooks, and a reveal about some panels in the Celebration 6 Collecting Track, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN357.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
James Bond first appeared not in Dr. No, but in Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s novel about a British spy on a mission to beat a Russian in a game of cards that has life or death stakes. Now as part of James Bond’s 50th Anniversary, the podcast Now Playing is reviewing all of the James Bond films and we at Books & Nachos are looking at all of Fleming’s original Bond novels and short stories. In this episode, join Stuart as he reads Fleming’s first Bond work.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN039-Bond01-CasinoRoyale.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 47: Tanya Tate and Toys
Back from San Diego Comic-Con, Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin have finally had time to open the toys they bought! Marvel Legends Archangel, Marvel Universe Radioactive Man, and the Super Helicarrier! On this issue of Marvelicious Toys they review all the Hasbro SDCC exclusives, and also run down the new Superhero Squad and Marvel Universe figures hitting stores right now!
Also in this issue, the hosts are joined by toy blogger Tanya Tate! She discusses how she got started collecting, her first time at San Diego Comic-Con, and how fans of her adult film work meld with fans of her toy reviews.
With news on not one but three new Hot Toys, SDCC variant Comic-Cons showing up at discount stores, and a Ferrigno collectible that’s not FIT to own, it’s all in this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT047.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Death Dealt the Hand by John E. Bailor
When special agent Trevor Byrne investigates the hasty approval of an experimental AIDS cure, he uncovers a plot by genetics lab DNAY to unleash a deadly toxin on the world. With millions of lives at stake, and time running out, can Trevor stop DNAY before it’s too late? Listen to the latest Books & Nachos podcast to hear Steve review this thriller novel.
Review copy provided courtesy of the author.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN038.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 356: Year of the Astomech
Celebration VI is coming fast! Less than a month away! Have you got your party to the Star Wars Action News/Yakface party? The tickets are almost sold out, and all attendees get snacks, drinks, an exclusive Star Wars T-Shirt with art by Mark McKenna, and a chance to win some great prizes! On this week’s Star Wars Action News, we talk to Mark about his Celebration VI exclusive art print, featuring Darth Talon and Aayla Secura, as well as his comic background and the party T-Shirt!
Also on this week’s show we run down some of the most limited and most coveted exclusives that are coming at Star Wars Celebration VI. From Disney Vinylmation figures to Boba Fett bust banks to trading cards given out one per day each day of the con, listen to start making your shopping list for Celebration!
With Disney being at Celebration one of the biggest questions is if they will bring Droid Factory with them. That conversation began again this weekend as Droid Factory made its long-awaited return to Disneyworld! Listen as Star Wars Action News forum member Christian, “Darth Corgi”, recounts his adventure of building all 24 droids, and find out how you can get yours.
With Steve “The Gingerprince” reporting from the MCM Expo in Manchester, a look at Wizard World Chicago, and more, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN356.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
Diamond Select Reveals Celebration VI Exclusive Collectible Bank
Information in this article comes from Episode 355 of 
With Star Wars Celebration VI coming soon more exclusives are being announced. Today Diamond Select Toys reveals two exclusive Star Wars banks! From Diamond Select Marketing Supervisor Zach Oat:
Star Wars Celebration: These Are the Droids You’re Looking For!
If you were a Star Wars fan at San Diego Comic-Con, you probably picked up your vinyl R2-R9 Astromech droid bank by Diamond Select Toys, right? It was limited to 1000 pieces, it’s perfectly in scale to your 1/4 scale Star wars figures, it holds loose change and it was only $20 — what’s not to love? But if you weren’t at Comic-Con this year, fear not. DST put aside a limited number of the R2-R9s and is shipping them clear across the country to Star Wars Celebration in Orlando! Running August 21-23, Celebration 6 will be the last place to get your hands on the popular red droid, as well as pick up a brand-new droid made especially for Celebration! That’s right, C6 will get a special delivery of 100 black R2-Q5 Astromech droids, only available at the show, for the low price of $20 each! Both R2-Q5 and DST’s remaining stock of R2-R9s should go quickly, and DST will also have more of their regular Star Wars banks (including the classic R2-D2), so make the Diamond Select Toys booth (#632) your first stop at the con!
Hear all the details of this on Episode 355 of Star Wars Action News
New Podcast: Episode 355: Cast & Crew
Gus Lopez and Duncan Jenkins’ first two books on Star Wars collectibles have been comprehensive, fact-filled tomes about Star Wars collectibles, both mass market and prototypes. But for their third book, they go even more rare, looking at collectible items only made available to the cast and crew of the Star Wars films and TV shows. On this week’s Star Wars Action News, Duncan and Gus join Arnie and Marjorie to talk about the new book, and give tips on how you can obtain cast and crew items in your own collection!
Also this week, Marjorie and Arnie bring you BREAKING NEWS on what may be the single most limited collectible at Celebration VI!
With reflections on another San Diego Comic-Con International gone by, online availability of the Carbon Freeze exclusive set from Hasbro, and your voicemails, it’s all this and more on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN355.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 46: Comic-Con 2012 — The Marvel Universe Grows…
Comic-Con International always brings an onslaught of news, but this year Comic Con brings the biggest issue of Marvelicious Toys ever!
First, the toys and collectibles revealed were too many to number. From Hot Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, Diamond Select, Hasbro Marvel Universe, Marvel Legends, and more, we run down all the highlights of the toys you’ll want to buy over the entire next year, as well as in-person reviews of many of these items.
And to dig deeper into the collectibles, we bring you an exclusive interview with Hasbro’s Marvel brand team, discussing Marvel Universe and Marvel Legends distribution, build-a-figures, and a Big Time problem with a certain figure. We also have exclusive interviews with Kotobukiya discussing their Fine Art Statues and Bishoujo statues, Hallmark looking at their Keepsake ornaments for 2012 and 2013, Gentle Giant talking about their upcoming mini-busts, statues, bookends, and more, and eFX Collectibles giving us on-sale and price information of their Avengers prop replicas, some of which you’ve seen and some of which you haven’t!
But if all that isn’t enough, we also look at Marvel’s information on their Cinematic Universe Phase II! Be bring you a private press conference with Marvel Universe mastermind Kevin Fiege, Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle, and Iron Man 3 director Shane Black, talking about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Iron Man’s place in it! And we run down the news and footage shown in Marvel Studios’ big presentation, including a look at the Mark VIII armor of Iron Man 3, and some test footage of Ant-Man!
Yes, true collectors, all of that and so much more is in this Comic-Con Special from Marvelicious Toys! So listen now, and head to MarveliciousToys.com to see pictures of all the items (and people) talked about on the show!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT046.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 354: San Diego Comic-Con 2012 — Return of the Droid
San Diego Comic-Con International is over and all that remains are the credit card balances. Over the convention Star Wars was in full effect, with Friday still being considered Star Wars Day with several panels from Hasbro, Del Rey, Dark Horse, Gentle Giant, Sideshow Collectibles, and more, and Star Wars Action News is here to recap the biggest reveals over this past weekend.
In addition to the news from the panels, on this week’s podcast you can hear exclusive interviews with Hasbro’s Star Wars Brand Team, eFX Collectibles, Kotobukiya, Hallmark, and Gentle Giant to talk about their upcoming releases and Celebration 6 exclusive plans.
And don’t forget, while the world’s largest Sci-Fi con is behind us, the world’s largest Star Wars convention is still to come at Star Wars Celebration VI! Listen in for news about the Yakface/Star Wars Action News party at C6, and get your tickets today at http://www.swactionnews.com/C6/party.htm
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN354.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 45: A Toy Run That Paid Off BIG TIME
It’s another bonus issue of Marvelicious Toys!
While San Diego Comic-Con International looms large in the minds of collectors, some great new Marvel toys and collectibles are showing up in stores and on doorsteps! To bring you the latest in Marvel Collecting, Marjorie, Arnie, Justin, and guest reviewer Berent are here to review it all! The alternate versions of the four Marvel Legends Wave 2 figures have shown up, with Big Time Spider-Man, masked Dark Wolverine, Madam Masque, and Thunderball! Plus, a third wave of Amazing Spider-Man figures have hit with three new Spider-Mans and a new Lizard, and a special bonus–a variant of the first Lizard figure! With new Marvel pillows, Squinkies, and an Avengers 3-figure Battle Pack, we provide hands-on reviews of it all!
But for the high end collectors, an item revealed at last year’s Comic-Con has finally come home–the Iron Man Suit Up Gantry. With a re-release of the now-rare Iron Man Mark IV Hot Toys figure, and the suit-up gantry as seen in Iron Man 2, it’s an impressive piece that comes with an equally impressive price tag! Arnie and Marjorie have set theirs up. Listen to find out if this is a Hot Toy that you must own!
With a final Marvel novelization review, Peter David’s Spider-Man 3, a report from the St. Louis Toy Man Toy Show, and the latest on all the SDCC exclusives hitting in just 2 days, it’s all in yet another jam-packed Marvelicious Toys!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT045.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 353: Collecting Is For Fun!
San Diego Comic-Con International is but a couple days away, but so many exclusives have already been sold! From Sideshow’s Bith band members to the one-sixth scale Commander Fox, plus even Hasbro is in on the action sending preview copies of their Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber figure set to select fan collecting sites. On this week’s Star Wars Action News, Marjorie and Arnie run down the latest San Diego Comic Con news, including your last chance to sign up for the Star Wars Fan Breakfast Friday morning! Plus they tell how you can submit a question to be asked by Star Wars Action News during their exclusive Hasbro interview at Comic-Con!
Also this week, Jerry is back with another Vintage Viewpoint. With all the talk of Droid Factory in the modern line, Jerry tells an old-timer’s view of what Droid Factory really is!
With new Target Exclusive figures, new un-articulated Battle Packs, a UK report from The Gingerprince, and a report from the St. Louis Toy Man Toy Show, it’s a jam-packed Star Wars Action News for you to listen to while in line for Hall H!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN353.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Episode 352: Collect What You Love
Everyone has a “holy grail” of collecting. For some it’s a mint-on-card Yakface, for some the dirty version of the C-3PO trading card, but for Nathan P. Butler it was the collected, out of print, Star Wars newspaper strip collection. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Nathan joins us to tell about the years spent seeking out this book, and gives us a hands-on review!
Also on this week’s podcast, Marjorie and Arnie run down the Star Wars Day events at San Diego Comic Con International, discuss two Scout Trooper exclusives to the convention, and other new Star Wars items that went up for preorder this past week.
With a discussion of another Hasbro figure price increase and two new Sideshow items that will cost a Premium, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN352.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 44: Holy Ballz!
San Diego Comic-Con International is still 2 weeks away, but now you can order many of the exclusives to be delivered to your doorstep! Eschewing the common idea of “exclusive”, many companies including Sideshow, Gentle Giant, Kotobukiya, and Diamond Select Toys have Comic-Con exclusives up for non-attendee pre-order already. Click, add to cart, and get them in, and on this Marvelicious Toys podcast Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin tell you about all the exclusives up for pre-order for delivery, pre-order to pick up at the con, or that you have to physically be at the con and wait in line to get! From a bust of Thanos to Rescue Mission Captain America to a pair of mutants you wont want to miss, we run it down in this issue!
But not all collectibles are saved for the con, new Hasbro toys are shipping and we’ve got ’em! Arnie and Marjorie received the toy that’s been teased since Toy Fair — The Avengers Helicarrier! Over 3 feet long with a bevy of guns and play features, we have assembled it and are here to give you our hands-on review, as well as comparisons to the images released of the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive version, and an idea on how you may be able to build your own hella-big Helicarrier! Also shipping is a new variant of the Marvel Universe Fantastic Four Team Pack with a fully translucent Invisible Woman! Is the variant worth another purchase? Listen to find out!
With a hands-on review of Bonkazonks, a brand new body for a Black Widow, the new Amazing Spider-Spud, and a mismatched pair of Spider-Man Beanie Ballz, it’s all in this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT044.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 351: SDCC Exclusives and Inclusives
For Star Wars fans the countdown to Star Wars Celebration VI (and the Star Wars Action News/Yakface party the evening of the 23rd) is in the final stages, as less than two months from now the largest gathering of Star Wars fans will happen once again in Orlando. But for the presenters and collectible manufacturers, before they can focus on Celebration there is San Diego Comic-Con, the world’s largest Sci-Fi and Comics convention. This past week has been rife with exclusive announcements and preorders from companies like Kotobukiya, Gentle Giant, Sideshow, and Hallmark, and on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast Marjorie and Arnie run down all that news as well as the first bit of Celebration VI exclusive news to come from Yodasnews.com
Also on this week’s podcast, new figures have hit stores! Listen as Marjorie and Arnie review the latest figures from the Clone Wars and Star Wars Vintage Collection lines!
Finally, listen to hear news on two great convention events. First, at San Diego Comic Con comes the second annual Star Wars Fan Breakfast! Being held at the Edgewater Grill 7:30 a.m. on Friday, July 13th, walking distance from San Diego Comic Con, there will be prizes from Sideshow Collectibles as well as other Star Wars fans with whom to kick off what has traditionally been “Star Wars Day” at the con! You just pay for what you order off the menu, so RSVP now to fanbreakfast@swactionnews.com
Then at Star Wars Celebration VI, tickets are going fast for the Star Wars Action News/Yakface party. With a free, exclusive T-Shirt, door prizes, food, fun, and more, get your tickets now at http://swactionnews.com/C6/party.htm
With news of upcoming exclusive Hasbro figures and more, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN351.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 43: Secret Stores
Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin are back with a bonus episode of Marvelicious Toys! With so many new toy releases grabbing collectors’ attention, on this issue your Marvelicious hosts look at some older toys that have been found at antique stores, toy stores, comic stores, and elsewhere. Looking at the first dedicated Marvel figure line, Mattel’s Secret Wars, as well as Toy Biz figures from all eras, including a super-sized super-articulated Spider-Man! And when discussing these older Marvel toys no one knows more than Marvelicious Timely Review host Jerry, who joins the others to share the history behind some of these older toy purchases and share a couple unique buys of his own.
But not all the toys are old. Marjorie has also picked up some Japanese Ultimate Spider-Man blind boxed figures. Listen as she opens them live and gives her first-blush reaction!
With Arnie reviewing Peter David’s novelization of Spider-Man 2 to tie into Now Playing’s Spider-Man movie review series, and a run down of the Wal-Mart Amazing Spider-Man DVD, it’s all in this bonus Marvelicious Toys!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT043.MP3
Category: Arts
Amazing Spider-Man Episodes 2 and 3 – The Deadly Dust
A group of students steal radioactive materials as a sign of protest, but they learn a lesson in nuclear weapons when an arms dealer takes advantage of the situation.
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| The Deadly Dust (Part 1 and Part 2) |
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| Season: | 1 |
| Episode: | 2 and 3 |
| Air Date: | Part 1: April 5, 1978 Part 2: April 12, 1978 |
| Director: | Ron Satlof |
| Writer: | Robert Janes |
Recently I watched Spider-Man (1977), the pilot movie for The Amazing Spider-Man TV series, which you can hear us review at Now Playing. While I felt that movie was a bit slow, it was also so wacky and gonzo I could not look away. More, I couldn’t imagine how CBS would turn this concept as presented into a weekly series. I had to see more, so I eagerly jumped into the next episode, The Deadly Dust.
And man was that a mistake! I’ll get into why.
The Deadly Dust is a two-part episode that aired over two weeks. It was released internationally and on VHS and Laserdisc as a single movie. As it is a single story I will be reviewing both episodes here.
I was still excited during the opening credits sequence, and noticed the title has changed. While the movie was just Spider-Man, now the series is The Amazing Spider-Man, and the opening credits is no longer a tiny window of Spider-Man wall crawling–instead it’s a montage of the opening movie set to some generic 70s music. I was disappointed to see the more rockin’ disco music from the pilot movie replaced; this isn’t nearly as groovy.
In addition to the title, in the year that passed between the airing of the pilot movie and this first episode the series cast had changed. Peter Parker is still played by Nicholas Hammond, but gone was Dave the lab partner, as was Peter Parker’s Aunt May. Instead there is an entirely new supporting cast.
J. Jonah Jameson, editor of the Daily Bugle where Peter works as a photographer, was played in the pilot by Bewitched’s David White. White was replaced by Robert F. Simon (who had a recurring role on Bewitched), to whom I take an immediate dislike. His Jameson is far too quiet. Jameson should have a flaming temper and wild ideas about Spider-Man. That’s how the character is still written, but as acted by Simon the character just comes across as cranky, and perhaps a bit constipated.
In the role of the Daily Bugle’s token African-American, Robbie Robertson (Hilly Hicks) is gone and replaced by a new character, Jameson’s secretary Rita Conway, played by Chip Fields. Fields is the spitting image of Glory Grant, who was Jameson’s secretary at the Bugle, but inexplicably that’s not Fields’ character. Conway is shown to be a sassy woman who keeps Jameson in his place.
Though again in these opening scenes I’m not taken with her. She seems to have the temper Jameson should have, blowing up too easily at her grumpy boss. Plus the portrayal is a bit racist. When Peter tells Rita he’s afraid Jameson will fire her, and that he has friends that would make it hard for Rita to find another job, Rita replies that she has friends that could make it difficult for Jameson to keep the tires on his Rolls Royce. Why must the black character’s friends steal car tires? I suppose because it’s the 1970s and on television.
But I am happy to see the only returning supporting character, Michael Pataki as Captain Barbera. His Colombo-like persona was a highlight of the pilot movie. When this episode opens it’s with Barbera trying to stop a woman from jumping off a building. She says it’s her boyfriend’s fault and is ready to jump, but of course Spider-Man comes in and saves the girl.
I was immediately enthralled. Who is the girl’s boyfriend and why is he making her commit suicide? The title is “The Deadly Dust”–is that deadly dust Angel Dust and the girl is on a bad trip? I thought back to the controversial issues of The Amazing Spider-Man comic where Harry Osborne goes on drugs and thinks he can fly, and I’m really taken in. So you can imagine my disappointment when I discover this is just an introductory action scene that has no bearing on the plot of the episode.
The actual plot is about a nuclear bomb. Peter’s college professor Dr. Bailor is about to open a nuclear reactor on the college campus. Peter and his classmates are outraged at the thought of having radioactive materials on campus as the reactor will produce the titular “Deadly Dust”, also known as plutonium oxide, the byproduct produced from the nuclear reactor. Bailor refuses to relent despite the sutdents’ heated arguments, so three of the students decide to teach Dr. Bailor a lesson and steal the plutonium. When that doesn’t get enough press, they then take it a step further fashioning the plutonium into a makeshift nuclear bomb. Lacking only one ingredient, plastic explosive to use as a detonator, the students hope the bomb will strike fear into the university and make Bailor rethink his blasé attitude towards such dangerous materials.
This was a plot line I could get behind–extremist activists going too far to prove a point and a nuclear threat are concerns big enough to warrant a superhero’s attention yet real enough to relate to the fears of the audience. If that wasn’t enough to warrant Spider-Man’s attention, the masked vigilante is thought to have stolen the plutonium. Now his biggest supporter, Barbara, is partnered with the FBI to investigate Spider-Man for causing a nuclear threat. More, as Bailor said the only student capable of fashioning the plutonium into a bomb was star pupil Peter Parker, and Parker is known for his connection to Spider-Man, the feds think the two are in cahoots on the theft.
It’s a really good set-up that I enjoyed watching.
I was also enjoying the B-plot introduced. Barbera’s public praise of the vigilante gets the attention of Miami Beach supermarket tabloid The Weekly Examiner, who sends Gale Hoffman to get a cover story on Spider-Man, using Spider-Man’s photographer Peter Parker as a lead. Gale is sexy and smart and Peter is interested in her, but her refusal to leave Parker’s side hinders his ability to investigate the plutonium theft. Gale acts in this episode much like a Lois Lane to Peter Parker’s Clark Kent–she’s a good reporter aiding Peter in the investigation, but needing to be ditched when it’s superhero time.
There’s many good scenes between Peter and Gale, with Gale suspecting Spider-Man of stealing the plutonium. Here, for the first time, we get to the root of why Peter is a superhero. Gale rightly points out that no one asked Spider-Man to save the world, and if he doesn’t like it he can just hang up his blue tights. Peter responds very gravely saying “What about his conscience? What’s the point of having a special power if you don’t use it to help people?” He also says “I think Spider-Man does a lot of good but if people knew who he is it wouldn’t be the same thing?” He goes on saying how lonely it is for Spider-Man, and it’s hard because Spider-Man has to lie to everyone at work, his friends, and even his girlfriends. “People think it would be really wonderful to have Spider-Man’s powers. Let me tell you, I’m not so sure whether it’s a blessing or a curse.”
In the entire pilot episode we were never given these insights into why Peter dons an outfit and stops evildoers. Here, we get the reason and it comes because Peter is feeling close to Gale. It’s both character exploration and relationship development in one scene. I do wish there was more of a reason, though. Without the guilt of Uncle Ben’s death, Peter’s motivations are thin. More, his passionate speaking on the topic makes Gale suspect Peter may be Spider-Man, something she eventually asks him outright. Unfortunately Peter’s convenient lies put Gale’s suspicions to rest. I think I’d have preferred it if his partner was in on his secret.
All of this in the first hour made me think The Deadly Dust may actually be an improvement over the pilot film, but it did lack in one regard–there was no real villain. The students aren’t bad guys, they’re just misguided and not all that bright. Running from the cops and performing investigations into the nuclear theft is entertaining, but could not sustain a two-hour running length, so we are introduced to Mr. White (Robert Alda, father of Alan Alda and bad guy from two Incredible Hulk episodes).
Mr. White is a multi-millionaire record executive who enjoys his Los Angeles lifestyle, hanging out on the roof of his skyscraper, bikini-clad women surrounding him. But making money on gold records isn’t enough, Mr. White is also a…well having watched the episode I don’t know what he is. Mercenary? Terrorist? Gangster? Let’s settle on ill-defined baddie.
White reads about the plutonium theft and races to New York to steal the stolen nuclear goods. He, like the FBI, thinks Peter Parker stole it, and that if he can take it from the grad student he can then sell it to the highest bidder. Truthfully I liked the addition of this fourth faction to the story, but unfortunately Mr. White would come to dominate the story in its second hour.
By the end of what would have been the first regular episode of The Amazing Spider-Man I was really enjoying it. The cops, the rogue students, Peter and Gale, and Mr. White’s goons all chasing the nuclear materials had been a great bit of fun. I would have recommended the first of the two episodes. But after the midway point the episode loses its focus and leaves New York.
Parker’s name is cleared and the plutonium found all too quickly. One of the students making the fake bomb gets radiation poisoning and is rushed to the hospital. The hospital reports radiation poisoning and the real thieves are discovered, but not their bounty. Racing to the hospital, the students just left their near-complete bomb in the middle of the room, and Mr. White’s goons quickly steal it and take it back to Los Angeles. Peter, having put a spider-tracer on White’s white limo, wants to pursue. He tells Jameson about the bomb, but Jameson cannot run the story lest it cause widespread panic. To recover the bomb, and be the first out the door with the story once the danger has passed, Jameson agrees to go with Parker and Gale to Los Angeles.
This is where the story goes south. Literally. Once the three leads leave New York, every single aspect of the New York storyline is forgotten. The students who caused this whole mess? Never seen again. Barbera? Out of his jurisdiction. The FBI agent DeCarlo who was tracking the plutonium in New York? Disappeared. No, the only ones who can save us from a rogue nuclear bomb are two reporters and a grumpy newspaper publisher. Well, and Spider-Man, I suppose.
I learned after watching this episode that The Amazing Spider-Man series production was based in L.A., but the character is so closely identified with New York City they did not relocate the character. With that being the case, why then make a story where Peter must travel cross-country to follow a criminal? Was it so they could have their end action scenes outdoors, in the air, and not reveal that they are not in Manhattan? It’s confusing, as is the story.
In LA Spider-Man fights White’s goons several times, most comically on a Hollywood old-west backlot (literally an old-west backlot, not a backlot subbing for a real location) and White becomes nervous. Instead of selling the bomb he tries to extort the US Government, saying if his demands are not met he will “detonate the bomb in the place where it will do the most damage.” This phrasing confuses our newspaper reporters, who apparently only write for newspapers but never read one, because the headline of a newspaper in LA reads “President to speak in California”.
The entire second episode of “The Deadly Dust” is a jumbled mess. There are repeated fights that change nothing. Gale is taken hostage and then freed. Peter and Gale even visit Mr. White’s record studio, driving home the ridiculous nature of a record executive terrorist. At best any two-hour episode of a 1970s television series might start to wear out its welcome, but here it has devolved into nonsense.
I think the show runners thought the plus side of the second hour is there is a lot less Peter Parker and a lot more Spider-Man. Parker disappears more and more as Spider-Man fights goons and chases after the bomb, but honestly the Spider-Man fights in this episode are entirely terrible. The Spider-Man outfit looks even more silly in this episode than in the pilot, his gloves flapping in the wind and his red boots looking like he’s expecting a rainstorm. Moreover, the stuntman in the outfit is prone to grand, theatrical movements and cocking his head like a dog. Every time Spider-Man is fighting these same goons I am left shaking my head. More, it usually ends with Spider-Man running away! Why he chooses to flee rather than use the oversized web shooters on his wrist to trip up his enemies confounds me. There is no logic, it’s just there to stretch out a thin, silly story.
Not all the stunts are terrible. We do get some good wire work as he climbs down buildings or performs superjumps, but watching someone climb isn’t really all that fun. More, due to budget constraints, Spider-Man seems to wall-crawl only as a last resort preferring to run like any human on solid ground whenever possible. I understand why it is done this way, but that doesn’t make the show any more entertaining.
Strangely the high point of the second hour for me was Jameson. I couldn’t stand him in New York, being confined in his office and very low-key, but once out in LA he lets his cheap flag fly! He is constantly chasing after Parker and dismissing anything having to do with Spider-Man. He really starts to embody a version of Jameson as I imagined him. He still has nothing on J.K. Simmons, but it’s an improvement.
And I must give this episode credit for its climax. At the end, Mr. White and his goon have hidden the nuclear bomb on a rooftop near where the president is speaking, and it’s up to Spider-Man to stop it. He convinces a helicopter tour guide to give him a ride, telling the pilot it’s a publicity stunt, and then freefalls out of the helicopter. While the spider-suit flapping in the breeze shows clearly how poorly the suit fits the stuntman, it is cool to see Spider-Man actually perform death-defying feats.
And it gets better! Mr. White is in his own helicopter and flies after Spider-Man, who uses his webbing to latch on to White’s ride. White’s goon Angel pilots the chopper all around trying to shake the wall-crawler and we get to see practical stunt footage of the Spider-Man dangling from a helicopter. The point-of-view camera used in the pilot returns as well, and we see Spider-Man’s view as he hangs on the rope. It is really exciting. This is where all their money went, and it is money well-spent. Unfortunately it becomes a case of too-little-too-late in this episode as the poor writing and repetitive action had me checked out a good half hour before the money shot.
The poor writing continues as Mr. White just so happens to shake Spider-Man on the exact same rooftop where they stashed the nuclear bomb, and with Peter Parker’s scientific knowledge Spider-Man disarms the bomb, saving the president and Los Angeles, with two seconds to spare.
Peter Parker gives Jameson pictures of Spider-Man posing with the bomb, and he and Gale seem destined for a romance, but Mr. White escapes saying he will get Spider-Man another day. Why FBI Agent DeCarlo doesn’t just arrest the man based on the newspaper articles is a question never answered, and I don’t think the series lasted long enough for Mr. White to actually return.
The first half of “The Deadly Dust” had so much promise, the second hour devolved into brain-numbing action for action’s sake, and bad action at that. It’s a weaker not recommend as there are some things of value, but an easy not recommend.
Read my other Amazing Spider-Man Series Reviews
Amazing Spider-Man Series Review Index
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| The Amazing Spider-Man TV Series | |
| Seasons: | 2 |
| Episodes: | 13 |
| Air Dates: | 1977 – 1979 |
| Series Creator: | Charles W. Fries and Daniel R. Goodman |
| Stars: | Nicholas Hammond, Chip Fields, Robert F. Simon |
In anticipation of The Amazing Spider-Man opening in July, 2012, Jakob, Stuart, and I are doing a podcast retrospective series of all the movies based on the Marvel Comics Superheroes at Now Playing.
With Now Playing’s current Spider-Man Retrospective Series I will also be looking back at every episode of The Incredible Hulk TV series that ran from 1978 to 1982.
Pilot TV Movie
Spider-Man (1977)
Season 1
The Deadly Dust (later renamed Spider-Man Strikes Back)
The Curse of Rava
Night of the Clones
Escort to Danger
Season 2
The Captive Tower
A Matter of State
The Con Caper
The Kirkwood Haunting
Photo Finish
Wolfpack
TV Movie Finale
The Chinese Web (later renamed Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge)
New Podcast: Episode 350: Scourge of the Collector
It’s been an interesting week to be a Star Wars collector. Some report new figure finds at Wal Mart and Target, others can’t find anything but The Phantom Menace wave. Preorders of the Mandalorian Assault Transport were cancelled, but new San Diego Comic Con and Celebration VI exclusives were teased. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie look at these developments and what it means to be a Star Wars toy collector in 2012.
Also on this week’s podcast, Brock joins us with a review of the Star Wars novel Scourge. From Jeff Grubb, an author with a Star Wars background bringing us his first Star Wars novel, this adaptation of a story from the Star Wars Role Playing Game has some fans buzzing. Listen to Brock’s review to find out why!
And with Star Wars Celebration VI coming ever closer, announcements are continuing to flow. Listen to hear about the reveal of 10 exclusive art prints, and Diorama Workshop head Frank Diorio tells you some of his plans for a diorama twice as large as the one at Celebration V, and how you can help make it a reality! Plus, don’t forget to get your tickets now for the Yakface/Star Wars Action News party at Star Wars Celebration VI, with a FREE exclusive T-Shirt, food, drinks fun, friends, and music, it’s a time not to be missed!
All this and more on this week’s Star Wars Action News!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN350.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Issue 42: Let’s Go Bigger
Big news for Marvel collectors was revealed in the past two weeks from Hasbro, to the official announcement of Wave 4 Avengers figures to the news of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Masters of Evil pack, X-Force Marvel Legends, and an even larger than usual Helicarrier with exclusive Maria Hill figure! On this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast, Marjorie, Arnie, Justin, and guest co-host Jerry run down all the news on San Diego Comic Con exclusives, large and small!
But new toys aren’t reserved for San Diego, they’re hitting your local Toys R Us, Target, and Wal Mart! Also in this week’s podcast, your Marvelicious hosts review all the new Avengers figures showing up in stores, including the 6-inch Wal Mart exclusive Avengers figures, the 3.75-inch Avengers Wave 3 with Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Skrull, the second wave of the comic-based Avengers figures at Toys R Us with the light-up “Avengers Assemble” bases, and even the 2-inch figures with no articulation seen at discount shops!
And from Avengers to Amazing Spider-Man toys, we also run down on this week’s show some of the less action-y figures showing up in stores. Including the new set of Amazing Spider-Man movie Squinkies, the Toys R Us released Mini-Mates, the 8-inch figures found early at discount shops, the 2-inch statues, the new movie-styled FunKo Pop Vinyl, and even the 10-inch talking Spider-Man with web shooting action!
With Jerry also providing an Action-oriented Timely Review, the hosts thoughts on Bonkazonks, and news of a new Marvel video game, hear it all in this super-sized Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT042.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
Spoiler Alert! This podcast discusses many key elements of Batman: The Killing Joke.
The Killing Joke, published in 1988, was a hit among comic fans but when Tim Burton praised the Alan Moore penned comic while doing press for Batman in 1989 it went mainstream. Now, almost twenty-five years later, Moore’s story of the Joker giving Commissioner Gordon one bad day continues to be analyzed, discussed, and cited as one of the best examples of the superhero comic.
Now, inspired by Now Playing Podcast’s Batman movie retrospective series, the dynamic duo of Arnie and Jakob continue reviewing these seminal Batman stories, Arnie having never read the story before this review, and Jakob a long time fan.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN037.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 349: $600 of Meh
Star Wars collectibles may be coming in a trickle, but the news is fast and furious, and on this week’s Star Wars Action News Marjorie and Arnie have a round-up of the hottest Star Wars toys and tchotkes. From iPhone cases to ice cube trays to SDCC exclusives, it’s all on this week’s podcast along with another UK report from Steve the Gingerprice from Collectormania 18!
Also this week, your hosts review a trio of statues that recently shipped. First two statues from Gentle Giant’s cantina series, Blue Snaggletooth and Greedo! Both were put up for sale last month with May the 4th, and Marjorie and Arnie have them in hand. How were the final production versions? Listen to find out! Plus an in-depth review of Sideshow’s Premium Format Han Solo in Carbonite. The Star Wars Action News hosts were underwhelmed with the Premium Format Stormtrooper, and their first Han in Carbonite was damaged in transit. Now that a replacement has arrived, listen in to see if you should try to score this bounty for yourself!
Plus do you have your tickets for the Star Wars Action News/Yakface party at Star Wars Celebration VI? Tickets are already 1/3 sold out! Hear an update on this and some Celebration exclusives on this week’s podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN349.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Episode 348: Toys from the Amazon
Figures are starting to trickle back into stores, with new figures being reported found at Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us. But as reported on last week’s podcast, the quickest, most reliable way to get some new figures at close to retail were to order them from Amazon.com. Arnie and Marjorie ordered a handful of new Star Wars Vintage figures from Amazon including Dr. Evizan, the 501st clone, and Arc Trooper Commander to have some openers. Listen to this week’s show to find out about Amazon’s shipping methods, as well as in-depth reviews of these figures loose to gauge their articulation and how they look at 360 degrees!
Also on this week’s podcast, Marjorie and Arnie play your voicemails including a tale of a trip to the Skywalker Ranch, a deal on Star Wars popcorn poppers, and when toys from Five Below aren’t a bargain. All on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN348.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells saw the future of modern warfare when he imagined meteor showers bringing bellicose Martian tripods down upon unsuspecting Victorian England.
Stuart In LA has known The War of the Worlds through its many offshoots – the infamous 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast, the 1953 Hollywood disaster movie, the 1980’s syndicated TV show, and the Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg remake currently being reviewed for special donors at NowPlayingPodcast.com. But he’s never read the 19th Century original novel until now. Listen and find out if he thinks the source material still stands as a pillar of the science fiction genre.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN036.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 41: What the Helicarrier Is Going On?
Avengers 6-inch figures are showing up at Wal-Marts, but blink and you miss them…and if you head to eBay you’ll be paying a pretty penny if your target is Hawkeye. In the 4-inch line, Wave 3 is equally there and gone, and no sign when the Chitauri figures might be coming. Marvel Legends are equally enigmatic with an upcoming revision case that seems to help few, and certainly not get the variants out there. And yet Wal-Mart has 4-packs that no one knew were coming showing up on shelves, which just leaves Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin asking…WHAT THE HELICARRIER IS GOING ON?
On this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast, your hosts run down the latest store reports, including an in-depth review of all the new Amazing Spider-Man movie line of figures and Super Hero Squad. Plus a review of the Avengers’ Skrull figure, and the Wal-Mart exclusive 6-inch Captain America.
Also on this week’s show, we catch you up on the Hot Toys assault from Avengers to Amazing Spider-Man, and the latest products from Diamond Select, Kotobukiya, Bowen, and Sideshow.
With a review of Peter David’s novelization of Spider-Man, a Fantastic Forum Poll, and fun big and small, it’s on this action-packed super-sized Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT041.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
Spoiler Alert! This podcast discusses many key elements of Batman: Year One and Batman: Year Two.
After DC had a Crisis on Infinite Earths it was time to revisit and revamp the origins of many of their core superheroes, including the Batman. Written by Frank Miller one year after his acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns series, Year One looks at both Batman and Commissioner Gordon during their first year fighting crime in Gotham City. This arc provided a grounded take on the Batman origin, and would inspire the movies Batman Begins and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, as well as having its own feature-length direct-to-DVD movie adaptation.
Now, inspired by Now Playing Podcast’s Batman movie retrospective series, the dynamic duo of Arnie and Jakob continue reviewing these seminal Batman stories, Arnie having never read the series before this review, and Jakob a long time fan of the series. And they also take a brief look at the follow-up comic series, Batman: Year Two
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN035.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet by William Kotzwinkle
Steven Spielberg swore he’d never film a follow-up to his most popular and personal work – the 1982 sci-fi fantasy E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. But in 1985, the director did grant children’s author William Kotzwinkle approval to publish an account of what happened to the adorable alien being after he left Elliott on Earth. As a companion to the current NowPlayingPodcast.com special donation podcast, Stuart In LA reviews E.T: THE BOOK OF THE GREEN PLANET and takes in the wonders of a never-before-depicted home world. Will Stuart be over the moon about getting a second adventure with his childhood idol, or does a failure to “be good” earn the sequel a glowing middle finger? Listen and find out!
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN034.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 347: The Price Match Mind Trick
The figures are out there. They are not easy to find, they are not plentiful, but if you hit the stores often enough, if you’re lucky enough, if the Force is with you, new Star Wars vintage collection figures are in stores to be bought. And not just action figures, new Star Wars Titanium vehicles are hitting stores, plus even more Star Wars toys are on closeout for the bargain hunters out there.
On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast, Arnie and Marjorie run down a number of recent store finds, from $10 Battle Packs and Deluxe Figures at Tuesday Morning to half off figure sales to a K-Mart markdown that you won’t B-lieve! And also on this week’s show, they review the Wave 12 Vintage Collection Star Wars figures that they received this past week from Brian’s Toys.
With a UK store and convention report from Steve The Gingerprince, and a price match showdown at Wal Mart, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN347.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Spoiler Alert! This podcast discusses many key elements of The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again.
Batman was a campy comic character best known for his 1960s TV series and the Batdance until 1986 when Frank Miller reinvented the character in The Dark Knight Returns, a 4-issue limited comic series telling the tale of an older, retired Batman in an alternate version of the DC universe. Now, inspired by Now Playing Podcast’s Batman movie retrospective series, the dynamic duo of Arnie and Jakob review this seminal comic series, Arnie having never read the series before this review, and Jakob a long time fan of the series. And they also take a brief look at Frank Miller’s sequel comic series, The Dark Knight Strikes Back.
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN033.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 346: Party On, Luke!
Marjorie and Arnie are back in the Sithsonian this week with another Star Wars Action News podcast, and they bring tidings from the Pacific Northwest…tidings, and toys that is! Thanks to the Star Wars collectors of SARLACC a number of unique and rare Star Wars items were seen, from Star Wars pinball machines to arcade games, bootleg items, and more, including a tour of Gus Lopez’s impressive array of Star Wars props and prototypes. On this week’s podcast they run down what store no Star Wars fan in the Pacific Northwest should miss!
And from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic Southeast, the new Disney World Build-A-Droid exclusives have been the buzz of many collectors since debuting during the first Star Wars Weekend of 2012. Dan Curto has gotten the first batch and joins us to provide a hands-on review in shared coverage of the event!
Finally, on the show you will find details about the Yakface/Star Wars Action News party at Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando! The third such party at Celebration is a great way to meet other fans and friends to connect with throughout the entire celebration, and Star Wars Action News and Yakface are happy to once again be hosting the event! Listen to this week’s show for details!
With a recap of May the 4th Madness, new items from Gentle Giant, Sideshow, and more, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN346.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Aliens: Female War
As a companion to the current NowPlayingPodcast.com ALIEN
donation drive, Stuart In LA takes fans of the franchise into the
extended universe of the comic books and novels that serve as an
alternative sequel to the James Cameron film ALIENS.
Now Ripley will get her revenge as the series concludes in a four
issue color comic book entitled EARTH WAR, later novelized as FEMALE
WAR. Will the plan to capture a telepathic alien Super Queen lead to
the extinction of all xenomorphs on Earth? And how exactly did our
sci-fi heroine get home after diving into the lead works of ALIEN 3?
Listen and find out!
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN032.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Issue 40: Collectors Assemble
We’ve been reviewing the figures, the Squinkies, the statues, and even singing songs in anticipation of the film’s release. And what a release it was! The film has lived up to the hype, shattering box office records and satisfying audiences and critics alike.
Now on this issue of Marvelicious Toys Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin are joined by a crew of Marvel fans and collectors: Marvelicious Podcast Enhancer Berent, our Photo Editor Geof, Timely Review segment host Jerry, and long time Marvel collector and fan Dan Curto! The group get together to discuss the action figures, mini-busts, Hot Toys, and impulse buys that the film has inspired them to buy!
And when you get a group of friends together right after seeing this awesome film we can’t help but also share our thoughts on the film, so listen to this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast and then come to our forums and let us know what you thought of the film!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT040.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Episode 345: Disney Dreams and ACME Give-aways
This week, Dan and Jerry are back to discuss all that is happening–or perhaps NOT happening at store shelves. Even though the “brick and mortars” are quiet, there is a lot of on-line news this week. Gentle Giant put three new pre-orders up and there’s sure to be something for everybody: a jumbo vintage figure, a deluxe mini-bust, and a deluxe statue. Also, news of a highly-anticipated Clone Wars battle pack hit and in the spirit of Republic Forces Radio Network; Jerry & Dan discuss the 35-second teaser trailer for Season 5.
But the highlight of this week’s show: our very own holocron enhancer, Berent, brings us an interview with artist William Silvers who was at the ACME Archives art exhibit at Disneyland this past week. Mr. Silvers was even kind enough to autograph a print, “The Kessel Run”, for a lucky listener.
But there’s more Disney fun to be had this week including the Build-a-Droid pieces that will be available at Tatooine Traders and you can hear what Jerry and Dan think about the “Carbon Freeze Me” promotion there as well. All this and a UK Store Report from Phil on this week’s episode of Star Wars Action News.
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN345.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
New Podcast: Aliens: Nightmare Asylum by Steve Perry
As a companion to the current NowPlayingPodcast.com ALIEN donation drive, Stuart In LA takes fans of the franchise into the extended universe of the comic books and novels that serve as an alternative sequel to the James Cameron film ALIENS.The retrospective continues with second installment NIGHTMARE ASYLUM – a four issue color comic book later adapted into a novel by Steve Perry. Hicks and Newt escape an Earth overrun by aliens only to find themselves enlisted in an experimental military outfit where xenomorphs are bred to be super soldiers. Plus Ripley returns to the series with her own ideas on winning the war. Listen to Stuart sound off about all of this and more!
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN031.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Aliens: Earth Hive by Steve Perry
As
a companion to the current NowPlayingPodcast.com ALIEN donation drive,
Stuart In LA takes fans of the franchise into the extended
universe of the comic books and novels that serve as an alternative sequel
to the James Cameron film
ALIENS.
The retrospective kicks
off with graphic novel ALIENS: OUTBREAK and prose
novel ALIENS: EARTH HIVE – companion works that chronicle the way HR Geiger’s fearsome extra-terrestrial overruns a
planet. Have the authors and illustrators conceived of a more
deserving destiny for Hicks and Newt in print than they received on
film? And what does the series look like without Ripley? Join Stuart now to find
out!
Listen Now: http://www.booksandnachos.com/Podcasts/BN030.MP3
Category: Arts & Literature
New Podcast: Episode 344: Decade of the Clones
We are rapidly approaching the tenth anniversary of the second Star Wars prequel film–Attack of the Clones. With the proto-stormtroopers, the emergence of a new Sith Lord, and Boba fett’s father Jango, this movie was built up to with all the hype that came with the Star Wars prequels. On this week’s Star Wars Action News podcast Marjorie and Arnie look back at the Episode II hoopla, from the Saga Collection of figures’ midnight release to Star Wars Celebration II in Indianapolis, as well as their own personal connection to this prequel.
Also on this week’s podcast, the third try was the charm for Sideshow’s Premium Format Stormtrooper. After two damaged pieces, Marjorie and Arnie have gotten a complete piece of this Sideshow collectible. With its portrayal of the faceless troops of the Imperial Army, is this something you should add to your collection? Listen to find out!
With Nathan P. Butler’s final entry in his look back at the Hasbro comic figure packs, Brock’s review of The Essential Guide to Warfare, a new line of statues from Sideshow Collectibles, and 25 new astromech figures, it’s all on this week’s Star Wars Acton News podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.swactionnews.com/Podcasts/SWAN344.MP3
Category: Movies & Television
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