Source: www.animenewsnetwork.com

San Francisco, CA, April 4, 2008 — Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), and POW! Entertainment (POWN.PK), at the Viz Media press event at the 2008 New York Comic-con will be highlighting this historic partnership. Stan Lee will be participating with Viz Media, one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, to announce that one of its parent companies (and one of the largest publishers in Japan), Shueisha Inc., will debut the exciting prologue chapter of ULTIMO (KARAKURIDÔJI ULTIMO) — the historic collaboration between comics legend Stan Lee, creator of many iconic superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of the popular Shaman King manga series, published in Japan by Shueisha and in North America by Viz Media.

ULTIMO represents a first-of-its-kind partnership between Lee and a Japanese manga creator. The 32-page prologue, which features 3 full-color pages, will debut in a special April issue of the Japanese manga magazine Jump SQ., the sibling publication of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, which is historically the best-selling manga magazine in Japan. The special, standalone issue is called Jump SQ.II.

Viz Media will host a special press event at the 2008 New York Comic-Con on April 18th, the very day the SQ.II ULTIMO issue goes on sale in Japan. The event, attended by Stan Lee, Takanori Asada (Editor, Jump SQ.), and Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Marc Weidenbaum, will highlight the collaboration and shed further light on the development of ULTIMO and the partnership with Hiroyuki Takei, as well as announce exciting news not yet shared regarding this title. New York Comic-Con takes place April 18-20 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City; this special press-only event is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Room# 1E09. (Contact information to save a seat at this event is located at the end of this release.)

Stan Lee says, “I am deeply honored for this great opportunity to collaborate with an award-winning artist/writer of the stature of Hiroyuki Takei. I enthusiastically expect that the combination of an American story-telling style merged with Takei-san’s acclaimed Japanese style will result in our joint creation ‘ULTIMO’ presenting an original, exciting type of manga that will appeal to comic book fans around the world.”

The ULTIMO story: High above Farmless City, citizens are stunned by the sudden appearance of two floating figures. Are they human boys, monolithic robots, or something much more strange? As the battle ensues between them, destruction and devastation falls on the hapless city. One figure is Vice, and seems to be as evil as his name implies. The other is Ultimo, intent on trying to stop Vice from wreaking more havoc. But who are Vice and Ultimo really? Where did they come from? A new mystery begins with the fate of the world possibly hanging in the balance!

Lee’s own company, POW! Entertainment, worked with Jump SQ. parent company Shueisha and with JEA and Dream Ranch (a Sony Music company) to facilitate the development of ULTIMO.

“The collaboration between Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei is a tremendous event,” says Marc Weidenbaum, Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief. “Stan Lee is as big a legend as there can be in American comics, and Japan is without comparison for its massive comics culture. Lee’s collaboration with an artist as gifted as Hiroyuki Takei creates a bridge between Eastern and Western popular storytelling traditions and the pair has created something very new and special.”

For over half a century, Stan Lee has been synonymous with superhero comics. In addition to creating countless memorable series and characters, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Daredevil, he served as the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. Lee remains a hugely respected and dynamic figure in the entertainment industry and continues to develop a variety of film, television and video game properties.

Unconventional author/artist Hiroyuki Takei began his career by winning the coveted Hop Step Award (for new manga artists) and the Osamu Tezuka Award. After working as an assistant to famed artist Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin), Takei debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997 with Butsu Zone, an action series based on Buddhist mythology. His multicultural adventure manga Shaman King debuted in Japan in 1998 and has been adapted into a popular animated television series. The Shaman King manga series is also published in North America by Viz Media; for many years it was serialized in English in Shonen Jump magazine.

Lucky winners will have the opportunity to attend this special event as well as receive a copy of the Jump SQ.II issue signed by Hiroyuki Takei and Stan Lee. For more information on ULTIMO and how to win one of the outstanding prizes please visit http://www.shonenjump.com/ultimosweeps. Fans can also sign up for the Shonen Jump newsletter to receive updated information on this event.

Media outlets wishing to attend this event please RSVP via Email to Evelyn.Dubocq@viz.com
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For more information on ULTIMO, Shonen Jump and Viz Media please visit http://www.shonenjump.com or http://www.viz.com.

About POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, Inc.
POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, Inc. (Pinksheets: POWN.PK), an advanced media and entertainment company, was founded by world-famous comic book and motion picture icon Stan Lee, together with award-winning producer Gill Champion and intellectual property specialist Arthur Lieberman, Esq. POW!’s principals have extensive backgrounds in the entertainment industry encompassing the creation, production and licensing of original intellectual properties, including some of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. POW!, capitalizing on this combined expertise, specializes in franchises for the entertainment industry, including animation and live-action feature films, plus television, DVDs, video games, merchandising and related ancillary markets, all of which contribute to global expansion. POW! partners with other individuals and entities of entertainment’s top echelon, including studios and networks, in the creation, licensing and distribution of new POW! character franchises.

About Viz Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (Sho-Pro Japan), Viz Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact Viz Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at http://www.VIZ.com.

Plaird’s Thoughts: Finally Ultimo is announced! A new title to shake the ages! Plaird thinks only good things will come from this, but only the future will tell.

Bamf here rematerializing from the void..

I didn’t get a prize, but I did get a Chocolate Shake from the In N Out across the street.  I still win.

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Source: www.animenewsnetwork.com

The Japanese publisher Shueisha has announced that Stan Lee, the co-creator of America’s Spider-Man and X-Men from Marvel Comics, and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of Shaman King, will create a new project together to launch the Jump SQ.II (Jump Square Second) spinoff manga magazine on April 18. The announcement of the as-yet-unnamed project was made in the April issue of Jump Square magazine, which was released on March 4 in Japan.

The Spider-Man and X-Men comics have been adapted into Japanese manga by Ryoichi Ikegami (Crying Freeman, Mai the Psychic Girl, Sanctuary) and several Shogakukan artists, respectively. C.B. Cebulski brought Kia Asamiya (Silent Möbius, Dark Angel), Takehiko Ito (Outlaw Star), Katsuya Terada (Zenbu, Blood: The Last vampire), and others to various Marvel Comics titles after he became an editor there. Del Rey is collaborating with Marvel to create an X-Men shōjo title with writers Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman and Indonesia-based artist Anzu, as well as a Wolverine title with writer Anthony Johnston and an unnamed artist. (Marvel created a Mangaverse line of comics with mostly American and Canadian creators in 2001.) Viz Media publishes Shaman King in North America. Shueisha announced earlier this year that Takei will draw a new ending for Shaman King for its deluxe Kang Zeng Bang (Kanzen-Ban) edition.

Plaird’s Thoughts: Wow, impressive! The famous Stan Lee is teaming up with one of Plaird’s favorite creators for an exciting new endeavor! You can be sure that Plaird will keep everyone updated as she anticipates more information on this!

The new film “Game” starring Gerard Butler and Directed By Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor , Creaters of “Crank” . This extreme action pacted film has great stunts and speciel effects. The cast is a whos who of great stars.
Gerard Butler , Michael C. Hall, Milo Ventimiglia, Amber Valletta , Logan Lerman , John Leguizamo, Alison Lohman , Terry Crews , Zoe Bell , Kyra Sedgwick, and many more. This futuristic action thriller is based on live action multiplayer games. Prisoners (Like Kable played by Butler) are controled by the players of the Game. The prisoners under the players control fight shoot explode race through city streets and other post apocaliptic settings. The idea is to win the game and get out of prison. Being on set during filming from november 2007 thru febuary 2008 gave me such a rush. Can not wait till this hits the streets. With all the movies made from games its about time one was made about the games themselves. Thats my update sorry so long since the last but my fangs were sunk deep into this..

Bamf here rematerializing from the void..

Here are my picks for this years Oscars.  There is a low rumbling right now here in L.A. about the likelihood of a ratings flop this year because of a public disinterest.  As stated before here, I love the award, I despise the show.  That is, any award show by the way.  If I ran it all, Steven Wright would read off the winners, while projecting his monotanous voice into a megaphone at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood.

All in all, I thought it was a good year for film. Some real gems for this year.  So, will Jon Heder hang himself after Ellen Page takes down the award for Best Actress?  Does Paul Thomas Anderson get no love...again?  Will the rainy weather finally make Joan Rivers melt to the ground, returning the sum of her parts back to the bark of the Malaysian rubber trees?  Oh the excitement!  Stars(*) denote who I want to win, if left alone then answer given is who I think will take it down like a fat man at a Vegas buffet.  Let me know how it goes, I’ll be at work.

Best Picture
There Will Be Blood*

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country For Old Men

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Ellen Page – Juno*

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck –The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford*
(One could argue that if the characters name is in the title of the film, they are the lead, not the supporting. Steve Zahn snubbed, booo.)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone*

Best Original Screenplay
Juno-Diablo Cody*!!!

Best Adapted Screenplay
There Will Be Blood—Paul Thomas Anderson*

Best Animated Feature
Persepolis*
(poignant!)

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins—The Assassination of Jesse James*
(Why is Robert Yeoman’s work on The Darjeeling Limited not a nominee?)

Best Original Score
Dario Marianelli — Atonement

Best Sound Editing
Ethan van Der Ryn and Mike Hopkins — Transformers

Best Visual Effects
Spiderman 3…Wait a tick, not on the list.  Yes it was a horrid unforgivable crap filled jamboree, but damn did they nail the effects work.  Then again, throw a ton of cash at a project and give the crew three years to work on it, better be damn good.  If you contrast that with what Transformers did, with less money and even less time, then the bots take it.  The dirty little secret about Pirates 3 is this; a effects crew can make a Davy Jones character come to life with relative ease, but creating a completely computer generated ocean that does not look computer generated is another thing entirely.  A ton of work went into that ocean, but it was something the viewer ever even realizes—but that’s the point.

Oh yeah…
Transformers*

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UPDATE

If the time I put into writing a post about any movie does not interest you, then simply do not click the link.  I appreciate the readership who have expressed opposite views to your welcome critique Old Otto.
I cover the film beat here, I see what I can, when I can, all out of pocket.  If Komikazee were to limit its self to your standards, there would be no growth.  Growth brings opportunities for all who contribute here, who will in turn be able to provide more content for you to enjoy, or take a pass on.

Bamf here rematerializing from the void..

I saw 27 Dresses a few weeks ago and what a disappointment that turned out to be.  The lackluster Sex And The City screenplay didn’t deserve Katherine Heigl or a bamf favorite Judy Greer.  I am ever more skeptical of Malin Akerman’s ability to pull off her role in the upcoming Watchmen.  She is Snyder’s choice for the lynchpin character Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Specter II—ever more I feel she is just too vacant to give what that character demands*.  After being somewhat charmed by P.S. I Love You, but left with a bitter taste in my mouth from 27 Dresses—it was with timid caution that I would see Definitely, Maybe.

I liked it, I mean I really liked Definitely, Maybe.  The story starts out with Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) receiving good news at work, and bad news from home.  He has been served with divorce papers.  From there the film goes into its weakest moment being the opening title sequence as Will hits the pavement passing through the streets of New York to pick his daughter up from elementary school.  The song use was vanilla, and the film’s stock was plummeting as fast as a tech business in 2000.  Thankfully, it pulled out well.

Reynolds does a fine job in his role.  He easily can go over the top with his quick style, but in this one he is quite natural.  Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz were all smart casting for not only the story, but for their distinctive personalities that Reynolds can play off of.  The big surprise is how awesome Abigail Breslin is in her role as Hayes’ daughter Maya.  She is damn funny, cute, and as natural as can be with some weighty lines at times.  If she fell flat, then this just wouldn’t work.  Definitely, Maybe is a fairy tale of sorts, where the Princess gets to find out how she came to be.  Maya wants to know how her Mother and Father met, with the hope that by making her Dad recount how he fell for her Mom, it might save their relationship.  Will agrees to tell her the story, but since it involves three different women he will not tell her who her Mom is in the story, and leaves it for her to figure it out.  The script has the structure, and to some extent the beats of The Princess Bride, gone urban. 

Directed as well as written by Adam Brooks, color me pleased.  The last thing I personally have seen by Brooks was French Kiss, another one of my ladies film favorites.  To that connection, he gives us some great cynicism from Kevin Kline’s portrayal of a fast living Professor Hampton Roth, who’s book The Decline of Almost Everything if real, would be a must read in my library.  Brooks knows how to write a lovely romantic comedy, and is even greater when he writes for Kline.

The story is just good fun, it lives in the 90’s but doesn’t try to be future aware.  Will works for the Bill Clinton campaign in 1992 in New York, and when the first of many of Clinton’s sexcapades breaks in scandal it’s given a quite honest reaction by the characters who would rather believe in the man instead of the scandal**.  But boy did Clinton rub that in our faces.

What I loved so much about this film, and why it will eventually sit paid for on my DVD shelf, is how Brooks is able to give his audience cake, and let them eat it too.  There is a real swooning love story here, and it brings such gravity to the story by seeing the result of whatever happens between Will’s three loves in young Maya.  There just are not many stories that take us beyond the sexy kiss in the rain.  The story goes beyond that cliché and brings something fresh to the table.  While others will disagree, I say seeing this is a definite, certainly not a maybe.

I give it full a full vibrator rating. Very stimulating.

*Please prove me wrong.
**Will Obama yield the same?

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Bamf here rematerializing from the void..

P.S. I Love You is that red velvet tongue of a film moving up the inside of a woman’s thigh.  He is gentle, thorough, and never forgets to keep one hand atop her heart.  If you reviewed the past holiday film release schedule, most would not peg me on going to see this movie.  At that time, nothing else really interested me.  You can have your Will Smith vehicle, or another Depp/Burton matchup.  I felt like being wooed, and can report that mostly, I was.

Gerard Butler makes his genre switch from 300 like Hugh Jackman did with Kate and Leopold after X-Men.  With Hillary Swank showcasing the fine work of American orthodontic progress, the two love sick souls make a endearing albeit short couple.  Director Richard LaGravenes knows who his audience is in this film even though they probably don’t know him.  How does one distract the audience from lulls between plot movements? Easy enough; just dress Hillary Swank up like an Audrey Hepburn New York socialite and the chatter from the seats will only be about how cute her outfit is, and not about the pace that has lagged.  Throw a foreign accent in with washboard abs, and add a dash of fuck ya James Marsters, you gots gold baby.  Uh oh, maybe Marsters (Spike!) was more for me…

The story based on Cecilia Ahern’s book is an emotional rocking chair of loss and love.  Holly’s husband Gerry dies from a brain tumor, and in his last moments in life compiles ten letters for his love to live with after his demise.  Watching this film makes me emphasize, maybe even get a glimpse with what I think a women in the middle of her monthly period feels like.  There are lines said in this that when heard made me have a knee jerk “awww that’s so sweet…” reaction—and then a moment later something heart breaking would happen and everything felt so sad, bound, and quieting.  The emotional highs and lows that this story plays with is dangerous ground.  An audience can only be manipulated so much before losing interest under mental fatigue.  I did.  The third act has major pacing problems on its own.  The movie feels like it could lose twenty minutes, but then I really couldn’t tell you what twenty minutes that is.  So to that I can only deduce that after two hours of going back and forth from happy to sad, I was battle weary.

I like the challenge a movie like this has to offer when writing a review.  This is not a technical shoot, and even if it was the general audience wouldn’t care.  I challenge myself to get into the intended viewers head and see it as they would like a writer determining their imaginary character’s motivation for a story.  When you want to play with your female audience, you have to keep in mind that women prefer the feeling’s behind a sensation and not the sensation behind a feeling.  They want a door opened, and a hand held, with hot lips to kiss under fresh cold covers**.  In all of these observations, the movie delivers.

For P.S. I love You I am dusting off my little used rating system. For new readers, I deal on a 1 to 5 range when it comes to the “chick flick” (I strongly dislike this term*) genre.  A year ago The Holiday received a lofty 4 when I debuted the capricious rating scale.  On this movie, I give high marks for the ladies.

5 out of 5 vibrators.The rabbit kind, with the thing that does that...thing.

*Inevitable truths.  Art hung in American airports will always be horrible, you can judge the popularity of a eating establishment or event by the line at the women’s restroom, and sometimes I have a indelible soft spot for stories created for women.

**P.S.
This guy likes that too.

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Source: www.animenewsnetwork.com

RIVERSIDE, CA – December 24, 07- AzIndies is proud to announce the formation of Ramen Revolution, a television show about anime (Japanese animation), and Asian pop culture that is designed to provide the audience with news updates, event coverage, information on Japan’s fashion trends, live performances, interviews, skits, and other various forms of entertainment.

There being an absence of any show like Ramen Revolution, It was created in response to the large population of Anime fans and all of the various other interrelated sub-cultures presented in Ramen Revolution. On top of that Ramen Revolution has been designed so that it meets the needs of such fans, but nevertheless can entertain people who are not familiar with Anime or Asian pop culture. Ramen Revolution will also be featuring celebrity guest stars that are not yet associated with Anime or Asian pop culture.

Ramen Revolution is taped in front of a live studio audience at The Granada Theatre in Ontario, California. The live show is equipped with live performances, vendor booths, free giveaways and contest, games, and the possibility of going up on stage and interacting with the cast. It is one of the biggest things to happen to the Inland Empire in the name of Anime. Tickets to the show are 15 dollars per person. The first live is on April 5th, 2008. It is going to air both on television and online.

ABOUT AZINDIES PRODUCTIONS AND ITS AFFILIATES: AzIndies is a relatively new media production company, with the mission of bringing quality, innovative entertainment. The affiliates of AzIndies productions are as follows: S.U.N. Programme Factory, which has worked in the production of hundreds of music videos and several television shows, and Raven Hime Productions, which has contributed to the production of television shows, documentaries, and a nonprofit organization.

AZINDIES NEW TELEVISION SHOW CALLED RAMEN REVOLUTION LIVE TAPING:

DATE – APRIL 5TH, 2008
URL- http://www.azindies.com

So, what does Plaird think about this? Well, Plaird thinks it’s great that something like this is hitting the airwaves! It’ll be good to get some new people into animé (and Asian pop culture)! Also, it just shows how much of this is really hitting home: Japanese Animation (and also Asian pop culture in general) is going really strong over here and shows no signs of stopping! Plaird welcomes this with open arms, as this form of entertainment (and culture) is near and dear to her heart.

Source CNN,

NEW YORK (CNN)—Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. The Academy Award nominated actor was 28.m"Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed,” police spokesman Paul Browne told CNN.
“This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet.” The pills appeared to be over-the-counter sleeping medication, said police spokeswoman Barbara Chen. Ledger was unresponsive when he was found by a housekeeper who had gone to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse in the Soho apartment, Browne said. Ledger was declared dead at about 3:30 p.m., Browne said.

I know from reading the many boards out on the web, that principle shooting for Dark Knight Returns has been completed, but there are still fill in shots and possible retakes that were being looked at. I do not believe the film would be in trouble, but there are some out there that think the film maybe pushed back for a later release date. I am sad to hear this news, I actually like Ledger as an actor and know he will be deeply missed.

-sk-

I always wanted to travel around the world, and little gems like this below make my dream of travel + comics come true.