2008 Passages: Lives lost this year Dec 26, 2008
" He was founding editor of the pulp magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. Heart failure, Dec. 4. Sophie Altman, 95, television producer who created the long-running quiz show It's Academic, pitting teams of high school students against one another. Heart disease, May 24. John Alvin, 59, illustrator who created the posters for more than 120 movies, including Blazing Saddles, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, and The Lion King. Heart attack, Feb. 6. Philip Agee, 72, renegade former CIA agent whose... (USA Today)
Universal Pictures and Stuber Productions Join Forces With Leading Toy and Entertainment Company Spin Master Ltd to Bring Bakugan Battle Brawlers to the Big Screen Dec 17, 2008
One of the most sought after toy lines of this holiday season, Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a collectible featuring marble-like balls that transform into powerful Bakugan monsters when rolled on game cards. With its unique combination of great characters and all the play patterns that boys love, Bakugan has rapidly gained recognition around the world as the next big thing in boys' action entertainment. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
From trunk-or-treats to trick-or-treating on Halloween Oct 30, 2008
Tomorrow evening, the streets will be filled with the likes of monsters, goblins, superheroes and fairy-tale creatures. But for those who would prefer not to compete with traffic and are looking for a safe alternative, check out one of these local community- or church-organized Halloween events and "trunk-or-treats," which are open to the public. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
What Lurks in the Shadows? Oct 29, 2008
You may have heard a convincing story or two from friends that has made you wonder - cars and electrical devices not working while on the bridge, demon dogs with glowing eyes, monsters in the woods. But are the stories true. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
Pokemon 10-Year Retrospective Oct 7, 2008
Happy anniversary to those Pocket Monsters ... The fourth generation in the Pokemon series debuts in Japan this week, with the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl on the Nintendo DS. The new adventures follow the long-established Pokemon RPG formula, adding new monsters to catch and new ways to interact with other players - like Nintendo Wi-Fi support ... The game was a masterpiece RPG, casting players as kids on a journey through a world of monsters. (IGN Game Boy)
H.A.L. - Hollywood's Aggregated Links Oct 3, 2008
HAL - Hollywood's Aggregated Links on Variety. Choose the one that's best for you. (Variety)
Theme parks celebrate Halloween around theU.S. Sep 9, 2008
When: Select dates, September 25 to November 1What to expect: Now in its 36th year, this 160-acre living horror movie is filled with 12 chilling mazes, six hair-raising shows, four horrific scare zones, and a cast of a thousand monsters roaming for their next victim. This one is for grown-ups, folks. (MSNBC -- Travel)
EA's Spore aims to create new worlds, businesses Sep 5, 2008
"These are the people that'll spend hours creating monsters and plundering space. "That said, few games that take this long to make live up to the hype, and there's a possibility that what these people think 'Spore' should be, based on all the hype, will fall way short of the final product. " EA is offering an assortment of "Spore" choices, aiming for the largest audience possible. As well as the standard 50 PC game, "Spore Galactic Edition" ( 80) comes with a poster, two documentaries on the... (Yahoo News -- Technology)
Pokemon prowess (32) Aug 15, 2008
The basic idea is to capture and train fantasy monsters, which then do battle with other trainers monsters. For the card game, players assemble decks of 60 cards composed of trainers, energy and different types of Pokemon. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
CARLSBAD: City caters to art lovers Aug 11, 2008
With paintings and carvings, and T-shirts with images of skeletons, tiki idols and sea monsters, Lozeau said his art attracts people unfamiliar with his style. "You get chuckles, laughs, even scowls. There's a lot of explaining what it is, since it isn't something they've normally seen here," he said. (North County Times)
Xeko Debuts Its Fourth Earth-Saving Collectible Card Set, "Mission: China" Aug 8, 2008
Instead of monsters and fantasy, Xeko takes its cues from nature and science, casting actual animal species as the heroes and basing game play on fragile ecosystem relationships. Designed for fun and realism, the number and types of cards in each set match real-world species populations and bioregion attributes. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Hail the monster Jul 26, 2008
Monsters from the X-Files TV show: (clockwise from top right) The Great Mutato, Donnie Pfaster, Flukeman, the killer from the Humbug episode, Leonard Betts, Sheriff Hartwell, Eddie Van Blundht, Wayne Weinsider and Victor Eugene Tooms. And in the centre pic, of course, are the intrepid agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Quirky U.S. spots, from $139 Jul 23, 2008
Adding to the weirdness factor are nearby attractions such as Milford's Jesus Tree, whose scar left from the loss of a limb has reportedly grown into an image of Jesus, and the Melon Heads, tiny vicious monsters with huge heads said to appear along Velvet Street in nearby Trumbull. The includes one night at the , a 508-room hotel across the street from Stamford Town Center Mall. (MSNBC -- Travel)
More of this story Jul 4, 2008
And though I'm reluctant to admit it, I waited in line next door with all the school kids to watch the totally awesome 3D IMAX movie Sea Monsters. I jumped a few times, too. (Los Angeles Downtown News, CA)
Around the towns Jun 29, 2008
The company can transform partygoers into lions, superheros, bunnies, monsters, pirates, princesses or just about anything you can imagine, Ms. Joyce said. Happy Faces is a group of talented artists, and with more than 20 years of experience, Ms. Joyce said. (Scranton Times, PA)
ArchLord Expansion Coming Soon Jun 21, 2008
New monsters es ; New monsters and zone bosses. For players who aren't familiar with ArchLord, the RPG makes players strive to be the world's supreme ruler. (IGN PC Games)
Game Changer Jun 15, 2008
You were quoted in this newspaper recently as the spokesperson for Spin Master, a toy company that has loosed upon the world something called Bakugan, a collectible series of spheres that pop open to produce the kind of monsters that used to stomp all over tiny reproductions of Osaka in all those movies that Feep the Robot once introduced on Fantasmic Features. Bakugan is now said to be all the rage among America's younger children. (Boston Globe)
Big beat on River Street: This year's River Street Festival expects to bring 20,000 music lovers to Troy Jun 14, 2008
Other local performers are Stuck on Stupid, an alternative rock power trio made up of three Albany teenagers, and Mike and the Monsters, classic rock group with a female vocalist and a large following. "We are excited for another beautiful day in the City of Troy for the 5th Annual River Street Festival," Mayor Harry Tutunjian says in a recent press release. (Hillsdale Independent, NY)
Indiana Jones and the last capitalist May 24, 2008
The jump from small innovative companies to the monsters of the stock market today has come with tremendous value destruction. Going back to the model of smaller capitalist units is probably a pretty good thing for the world economy today. (Asia Times Online)
Battle game latest 'must-have' toy May 20, 2008
Plastic balls known as Bakugan Battle Brawlers are rolled across game cards and open to reveal monsters ready to take one another on when two players land on the same card ... Each of the 100 or so battle monsters comes with different skills and strengths. (Florida Times-Union)
BattleForge First Look May 15, 2008
Many cards will let you summon monsters, demons, military units, or even buildings. Others will let you cast powerful spells. (IGN PC Games)
Bubble Bash for iPod Review Mar 26, 2008
Even the boss monsters start to essentially repeat themselves, with little swaps here and there to at least the general appearance. I must confess that while I do like the game, my interest did wane from time to time. (IGN Wireless Games)
Toys Boys Want This Easter - Bakugan Battle Brawlers Mar 18, 2008
Spin Master speeds production on more than 30 million Bakugan monsters to meet high level demand this spring. TORONTO, and LOS ANGELES, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- There's one item on the shopping list as boys hit toy stores this spring break and Easter season - Bakugan. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Letters to the Editor - 3/6/2008 Mar 7, 2008
Oil companies are monsters in America. We have monsters in our country ... NIck wrote on Mar 6, 2008 7:53 AM:Thanks "Ron" gals and Crime"...... here comes "SD Raoul" and "The Peer-Reviewed Whizzer". Nick wrote on Mar 6, 2008 8:20 AM:Let's talk a little about weapons bans. Rwanda and Sierra Leone banned private gun ownership a long time ago, yet more than 1 Million people have been hacked to death over the last 10 years. In the U.S., the states with the highest gun-ownership rates have by far the... (North County Times)
Toy Fair Keys In On Movie Adventure Feb 21, 2008
Sideshow is also keeping up with its staple license -- Universal Studios Monsters -- by offering a polystone diorama of Frankenstein (as played by Bela Lugosi) vs. the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.). Before any "Indiana Jones" rolls into theaters, the Marvel comic-turned-big screen superhero "Iron Man" takes flight with a bevy of movie-related merchandise. (Click2Houston, TX)
Antiques & Collecting: There's no need to fear, Ultraman is here Feb 16, 2008
30-day news archives. " The bottom is inverted about 2 inches into itself, so it held less liquid than a bottle with a flat bottom. What could it have held?A: In 1933, Prohibition was repealed and it was legal to sell bottled alcoholic beverages. The law also required wording prohibiting reuse of the bottle to be sure only the original, approved contents were inside. This protected the health of users and also made sure all required taxes were paid. The indent in the bottom of the bottle is... (Florida Today)
On display (49) Feb 15, 2008
Playing in the Omnimax Dome Theater: Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, The Living Sea, Coral Reef Adventure and Dolphins. Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
A bewitching city Jan 30, 2008
Among them are the Witch History Museum (197-201 Essex St., 978-741-7770, witchhistory ), the Witch Dungeon Museum (16 Lynde St., 978-741-3570, ), the Salem Witch Museum (19 Washington Square North, 978-744-1692, ), the Salem Wax Museum (288 Derby St., 800-298-2929, ), the Spellbound Museum (190 Essex St., 978-745-0138, ), Salem's Museum of Myths & Monsters (59 Wharf St., 978-745-0303, ), the New England Pirate Museum (274 Derby St., 978-741-2800, ), and Salem's 13 Ghosts (131 Essex St.,... (Boston Globe)
He's changing his world one pick at a time Jan 25, 2008
Shaped like skulls and monsters and even Mickey Mouse's head; carrying live-motion images; Gothic images; and bearing the likenesses of Disney characters from "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "High School Musical," these once nondescript little pieces of plastic have attained "must have" status in many households across the nation. "They're guitar picks," Key said. (Modesto Bee, CA)
0 comment(s) Jan 11, 2008
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry: OMNIMAX theater showing the films "Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure" and "Antarctica." Museum admission 9 adults, 7 youths 3-11 and seniors; additional cost for OMNIMAX movie, submarine tour, planetarium shows. 1945 S.E. Water Ave. (503) 797-4000. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Onalaska siblings ranked first in state in Pokemon Jan 8, 2008
Pokemon is enjoying a worldwide resurgence, more than a decade after its introduction in Japan and eight years since Pokemon short for Pocket Monsters gave the American toy industry its last year of double-digit growth ... The mix of cards in a deck must include basic Pokemon character cards from each stage of the monsters development, energy cards (fire, water, electric, grass, metal, dark and psychic) and trainer cards. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Nick Jr. Greenlights Second Season of Yo Gabba Gabba! and Orders 20 New Episodes of Critically Acclaimed Live-Action Preschool Music Series Dec 19, 2007
stars host DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) who brings to life four friendly monsters and a robot in a colorful land of music and laughter. The series highlights simple life lessons for preschoolers, through original song in short thematically linked segments, featuring animation, walk-around puppets and real kids. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Orcs & Elves II Review Dec 15, 2007
There is so much content packed in this one download, from collectible items to a bestiary full of monsters. And these monsters look good -- each species features a nicely detailed design, such as the Treants or Wraiths. (IGN Wireless Games)
4Kids TV(TM) Celebrates Sixth Season on FOX with Action-Packed Fall Line-up Sep 8, 2007
Imagine going to the world's most prestigious dueling prep school: Duel Academy, where the Duel Monsters card game is the entire curriculum. Jaden and his friends are officially upperclassmen as they face new rivals, new monsters, and a whole new semester of non-stop adventure. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Kerwin Mathews, 81, star of '50s science fiction films Jul 15, 2007
If Mr. Mathews had not been able to "interact with nothing" as well as he did, Weaver said, "the monsters would not have been believable, despite all of Harryhausen's painstaking efforts. But Mathews did a fabulous job, which went a long ways toward selling those scenes.". In a 1987 interview with Starlog magazine, Mr. Mathews said that filming the famous sword fight with the skeleton in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," a film shot in Spain, was "an exciting experience for me."I believed I was making... (Boston Globe)
Kerwin Mathews, 81; fantasy film hero Jul 11, 2007
"Part of the challenge of appearing in those stop-motion monster movies was having to act opposite nothing to cower in front of a giant that's not there, to sword-fight a skeleton that's not there. All the monsters were added later by Ray Harryhausen.". If Mathews had not been able to "interact with nothing" as well as he did, Weaver said, "the monsters would not have been believable, despite all of Harryhausen's painstaking efforts. But Mathews did a fabulous job, which went a long ways toward... (Los Angeles Times)
Sequels and prequels and amusing surprises May 19, 2007
Aside from these and many more sequels and prequels, some of the original games heading to the PS3 later this year can be best described using their obvious connections to past bestsellers: Heavenly Sword looks and plays like God of War but with a female lead; Uncharted: Drake's Fortune has a Tomb Raider meets Far Cry feel (treasure hunter in a tropical jungle from veteran studio Naughty Dog); and Folklore, an odd role-playing game featuring collectible monsters, merges Kameo with Pokemon in a... (Globe and Mail -- Technology)
Yahoo Mail to introduce limitless account size Mar 31, 2007
In Monsters and Critics ... 2003 - 2007 by Monsters and Critics. (Monsters and Critics.com)
John Lasseter: Disney's new boss reimagines the Magic Kingdom Mar 6, 2007
Enter Lasseter who, along with a close team of handpicked animators had made Pixar this generation's premier storyteller with an unbroken string of hits including "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." The first filmmaker to run Disney's animation operations since Walt Disney died in 1966, he said he wants to reclaim the studio's golden era. Since those early days, though, almost everything has changed. (International Herald Tribune)
Warner Bros. Pictures and 4Kids Entertainment Kick Off a Month of Turtle Mania With Promotional Support for the Theatrical Release of TMNT Feb 20, 2007
Tech-industrialist Max Winters (Patrick Stewart) is raising up an army of ancient monsters, and only one super-ninja fighting team can stop them -- those heroes in a half shell-Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor), Michelangelo (Mikey Kelley), Donatello (Mitchell Whitfield) and Raphael (Nolan North). With the help of old allies April O'Neil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones (Chris Evans), the Turtles are in for the fight of their lives as they once again must face the mysterious Foot Clan, who... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Sideshow Treatment Feb 3, 2007
The game's many monsters, villains, heroes and their earth-shattering conflicts will be captured in a line of high-end statues and stunning dioramas produced by the talented artistic team at Sideshow Collectibles. "Most of us at Sideshow play World of Warcraft and are big fans of Blizzard and the vast universe they've created," indicated Sideshow's Creative Director Tom Gilliland. (IGN PC Games)
Music, sharks and stores line Orange Beach Wharf Jan 30, 2007
Susan and Shaun Wallace are introducing the area to sharks with Monsters From The Deep, an exhibit designed for all ages that features shark-related artifacts and collectibles. "We spent the past two years researching and writing about the various creatures, traveled and collected artifacts and collectibles," said Susan Wallace. (Pensacola News Journal)
Handheld jive Jan 18, 2007
With more than 100 different monsters and dozens of missions, there's plenty to do here, and the action is fast-paced and addictive. But like the PC series that spawned it, "Throne of Agony" may be too simple for its own good, and experienced RPG fans will eventually get bored. (The Standard-Times, MA)
