July 1, 2010 | 6:13 am

Space Nazis invade Earth in 2018

Posted by Adam Wills

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Get ready for Nazis in Space! And no, this is not a Mel Brooks parody.

“Iron Sky,” an indie film set for a 2011 release, has Nazis escaping to the dark side of the moon during the final days of World War II, only to return in flying saucers as the Fourth Reich to claim the Earth in 2018.

The Finnish-German co-production has raised 90 percent of its $8.5 million budget, according to the Underwire blog, and filming is set to begin in Australia and Germany this fall.

In addition to money from 12 traditional financiers (including Disney’s Finland division), the filmmakers also received 52 micro-donations through its Web site. The first teaser for the film pulled in 1.3 million views over the past two years on YouTube, and a new trailer released this month, featuring special effects footage from the film, continues the request for funds.

From Underwire:

CGI maestro Samuli Torssonen supervised Iron Sky’s visual effects after spending seven years working on zero-budget feature Star Wreck. For the Iron Sky trailers, “everything was either shot by ourselves or created by our VFX team at Energia Productions,” Torssonen told Wired.com in an e-mail. “I think for indie productions it is very important to have in-house creative which can archive visually impressive shots with a decent budget.”

...

As a hybrid model blending conventional business cash with microdonations from sci-fi zealots, Iron Sky is emerging as the most expensive fan-curated movie to date. As such, it points the way toward a future in which audience and investor become one and the same.

“I think it’s great that the audience can, in some terms, ‘order’ a film that they find cool by investing, participating in the production or donating money,” Torssonen said. “They can give ideas and feedback, become part of the whole process, and finally see a film in theaters that has been tailored for their needs.”

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June 30, 2010 | 3:53 pm

Wonder Woman gets modest makeover

Posted by Adam Wills

Covered arms, shoulders and legs? Say hello to the new modest Wonder Woman. The busty Amazon beauty has ditched her barely there singlet for a body suit and jacket. (Yes, she still sports her iconic tiara, bracelets and lasso.) The new look—courtesy of Jim Lee—is the first significant change to the character’s appearance since her debut in 1941 (not counting the 1960s mod look—less said the better).

The tough-but-elegant outfit is generating mixed reactions, drawing opinions from Hollywood writer Nikki Finke and Linda Carter.

From DC’s The Source blog:

Starting today, Wonder Woman will appear like you’ve never seen her before. ... bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee has redesigned her costume for the modern era, just in time for BABYLON 5 creator and critically acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Don Kramer and Michael Babinski to launch the Amazon Princess into an exciting and epic new era of adventure.

...

It’s a look designed to be taken seriously as a warrior, in partial answer to the many female fans over the years who’ve asked, “how does she fight in that thing without all her parts falling out?”) She can close it up to pass unnoticed…open it for the freedom to fight…lose the jacket or keep it on…it has pockets (the other fan question, “where does she carry anything in that outfit?”, it can be accessorized…it’s a Wonder Woman look designed for the 21st century. The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side…and if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work…letting her enemies know that she’s getting closer.

Under the headline “DC Comics Has Ruined Wonder Woman,” Deadline Hollywood’s Nikki Finke wrote:

Of course, it took a bunch of men to ruin her. ... she looks ready for Goth Day at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. (Shame on Diane Nelson, the head of DC Entertainment, for allowing this to happen. And for not finding a talented woman writer to update the icon’s saga.)

But Linda Carter, who played Wonder Woman on television in the 1970s, told ABC News she likes the new look:

“I think it will take time for people to get over not seeing a lot of leg ... [But] I think it’s going to be very sexy and it’s new and I love the little cap sleeve. You know, she’s a hip girl.

“I think Wonder Woman has a mind of her own. And I think she was just kind of ready for something new. She’s got an attitude and if this is the new thing that she wants to wear, well, by God, she’s going to wear it. And I like that. And I hope that in the story someone mentions, where’s the old one? And she says, get over it!”

And Willa Paskin at New York magazine’s Vulture blog—excited that Wonder Woman gets to wear pants—describes the “overall effect to be fairly badass, and nicely common sense: It really is much easier to focus on fighting crime when one isn’t worrying about accidentally flashing lady parts.  And, for those fanboys worried too much has been covered up, don’t worry: These pants are way too tight for pockets.”

Bottom line: observant fangirls just got a new outfit choice for Purim/comic-cons/cosplay.

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June 30, 2010 | 2:48 pm

‘Paranormal Activity 2’ teaser online

Posted by Adam Wills

Israeli American director Oren Peli helped Paramount scare up almost $200 million with the Halloween 2009 release “Paranormal Activity,” a “found footage” film about the haunting of a suburban family, which he shot for $15,000 in his San Diego tract home. The Halloween 2010 sequel, which features Peli as producer, has Tod “Kip” Williams directing a script by Michael R. Perry. The trailer, playing before “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (Hello, female demographic!), went online today.

Spoiler: The footage doesn’t show much, but when Katie appears in the bathroom doorway be sure to look at the crib and then look at the crib’s reflection in the mirror. Freaky! Most likely the baby’s name is Hunter, which a demon voice says at the end. Is Micah the baby-daddy? We’ll have to wait until October to find out.

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June 29, 2010 | 11:02 am

Mindy Sterling brings Attitude to Comic-Con

Posted by Wendy J. Madnick

For breast cancer survivors tired of pink ribbons and “forced cheerful” cancer wear, Mindy Sterling has a more realistic — even cynical — take on cancer survival. The character actress best known as Frau Farbissina in the “Austin Powers” series is bringing an edge to survivor schmatta with Attitude Tee.

T-shirt slogans include: “Cancer Rack” and “In Remission — Been There, Done That.” For oft-forgotten men who schlep their wives and partners to doctor visits and chemo: “Looks Like She’s Gunna Live… So Much For That Life Insurance.”

“Cancer creates an instant bond, something that ignites sharing. When people read these sayings on a T-shirt, they smile,” said Sterling, who will greet fans at the Attitude Tee booth on July 22 during Comic-Con in San Diego.

After receiving a cancer diagnosis in 1998, Sterling spent much of the following year undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Her friend and Attitude Tee partner Renae Mahar finished the last of her surgeries this past May. The two friends launched the apparel line — which includes shirts, tank tops and hats — as a fundraiser, a coping mechanism and as a way of opening the lines of communication between survivors.

“We were both sick of people asking if we were OK, or looking at us with pity in their eyes,” Sterling told GeekHeeb. “We wanted to make it OK for people to talk about.”

In addition to her fashion line, Sterling has remained active in other fundraising for cancer research. Earlier this week, she announced plans to host and star in a performance of Alex Scolari’s “The Girly Show” to benefit the UCLA Breast Center for Breast Cancer Research. The all-female song and dance revue will take place Sept. 10 at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood.

As far as a fourth “Austin Powers” film, Sterling says she would reprise her role as Frau Farbissina “in a heartbeat.”

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June 25, 2010 | 10:13 am

Jewish inspiration for Dr. Zoidberg

Posted by Adam Wills

After a seven-year hiatus, “Futurama” returned to television on Thursday night. Comedy Central picked up the show for 26 new half-hour episodes. 

The cult animated series by “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and David X Cohen revolves around Philip J Fry, a cryogenically frozen 20th century pizza delivery boy who awakens in the 31st century and goes to work for his distant nephew—mad scientist Hubert J. Farnsworth and his Planet Express delivery company.

Among Fry’s Planet Express colleagues is Dr. Zoidberg, a Jewish-sounding lobster-esque alien from Decapod 10. Billy West (“Ren and Stimpy”) voices Zoidberg, along with Fry, Farnsworth and clueless military commander Zapp Brannigan.

During his April appearance at Wizard-Con in Anaheim, West said the Jewish delivery for Zoidberg is no accident.

After looking at a character sketch for Zoidberg, West said he drew inspiration from two Jewish actors—vaudeville veteran George Jessel and Canadian character actor Lou Jacobi. “All these guys sounded like they had marbles in their mouths,” he said. Zoidberg “had all this cool meat hanging off his face, so it only made sense to imitate [Jessel and Jacobi].”

In past episodes writers have played with Dr. Zoidberg’s implied Jewish background. In “Future Stock,” the Planet Express crew attends a “bot” mitzvah for the free food, but a Chasidic robot blocks Zoidberg’s path: “No shellfish!”

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June 22, 2010 | 12:45 pm

Will ‘Green Hornet’ trailer create a buzz?

Posted by Adam Wills

The “Green Hornet” trailer is up today and, despite my initial reservations with Seth Rogan in the title role, the film looks fun—but more along Judd Apatow lines. Michel Gondry will have to work hard to differentiate “Green Hornet” from “Batman”—having pulled out the old Millionaire-playboy-turned-crimefighter saw (with a dead parent to boot)—or the humor-laced “Iron Man,” but as long as the film can deliver on both action and comedy, it’ll give fanboys something to watch between “Tron Legacy” and “Thor”/“Green Lantern.”

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May 20, 2010 | 9:22 am

ADL slams ‘Drawn Together’ game, clips

Posted by Adam Wills

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which jumped into the fray after “South Park’s” creators were threatened for once again poking fun at Muhammad, is slamming a Comedy Central series created by Jews for daring to joke about Jews and Israel.

The ADL fired off a letter to Comedy Central over a video game and clips tied to “The Drawn Together Movie,” which the channel released one month ago on DVD, and says that both “play into and encourage offensive anti-Semitic and anti-Israel stereotypes.”

From JTA:

The game in the “Drawn Together” section of the Web site, based on an animated series that previously ran on Comedy Central, features a character called Jew Producer, and a robot called “the Intelligent Smart Robot Animation Eraser Lady” (I.S.R.A.E.L.), which murders children and wreaks destruction.

In a letter sent earlier in the week to Comedy Central’s Executive Vice President Tony Fox, Abraham Foxman, national director of ADL, said: “We agree with complaints that this video game and other video clips and trailers featuring the “Jew Producer” character play into and encourage offensive anti-Semitic and anti-Israel stereotypes.  While that may not have been the intent, the fact that your site caters to and potentially influences such a wide audience, including children and young adults, is especially troubling to us.”

The section should also include clear labeling, or be placed behind an age-verification wall, and mature-content warnings should be consistently provided, the letter said.

“Given these concerns, we believe that the appropriate response would be to immediately remove these videos and the game from your site or—at the very least—to put the clips from the show behind a wall so that young children will no longer have access to them,” the letter concluded.

ADL’s offices were closed for Shavuot today, and Foxman could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this week someone contacted The Journal asking us to investigate “why the [Comedy Central] website is carrying such game on its site” as well as “what else to they have planned for Jews and Israel on their website.”

First, the Jewish creators of “Drawn Together,” Matt Silverstein and Dave Jesser (a former yeshiva student), like to be offensive on a variety of levels. They pride themselves on it.

GeekHeeb interviewed Silverstein last month, just prior to the release of “The Drawn Together Movie,” and he said the film’s Jewish- and Israel-oriented gags—including the robot I.S.R.A.E.L.—have nothing to do with politics or hate against Jews or Israel. 

“I think Dave [Jesser] did it a little bit to piss off his dad. That’s what all comedy is. You either want to piss off your parents or get their love. This particular joke [the robot I.S.R.A.E.L.] was to piss off his dad. It did crack us up, but there’s no political message. That’s actually the message of the movie: we’re not trying to make a point, we’re just trying our best to be funny … with mixed results, but we are trying,” he said.

As far as the Jew Producer is concerned, the character debuted in the finale of “Drawn Together’s” first season—back in December 2004. Five years ago! The ADL is just getting around to being offended about this?! (Personally, I find the character hilarious, and there’s a great Shabbat gag centered around him in the film.)

“The Drawn Together Movie” can be gross, overtly sexual and profoundly disturbing. The film’s Jewish/Israel humor can be uncomfortable at times to stalwart supporters of the Jewish state, but the jokes are no worse than Jewish/Israeli ones featured in “Family Guy” or “South Park.”

Those who actually bother to watch the “Drawn Together” film—rather than just looking at the clips online and playing the video game—will understand that I.S.R.A.E.L. isn’t murdering children as much as it is erasing cartoon characters (thus: Intelligent Smart Robot ANIMATION ERASER Lady). The film is animated, and the “Drawn Together” characters are all fully aware that they are, in fact, animated. (Heck, PETA didn’t even bother firing off a letter to Comedy Central about the opening scene, in which the “Drawn Together” cast stomps kittens!)

I.S.R.A.E.L. is a personification the creators use to lampoon the Jewish state in the movie, but it’s not actually Israel; it’s an animated robot with a persecution complex.

While I haven’t played the video game to the end (my bosses would not look kindly on my using company time that way), there’s nothing overtly anti-Semitic or anti-Israel in its content. A robot fires its eraser missiles at cartoon people – none of whom look vaguely Palestinian – and various animals use defecation as a means of attack. That’s it. The beginning of the game features a clip from the film that introduces you to the I.S.R.A.E.L. character, and taken out of context it’s easy to see how a few people who haven’t watched the film might be offended, but in a knee-jerk way.

On the issue of Comedy Central putting up an age-appropriate warning on its Web site ... its go-to audience is in the 18-34 male demographic. Comedy Central does not feature shows aimed at children. Its live programming includes shows like “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” “The Colbert Report,” “The Sarah Silverman Program” and stand-up performances by raunchy comedians. On the animated front, the channel has “South Park” and “Ugly Americans” (a GeekHeeb fav), neither of which are intended for children.

Americans have a blind spot when it comes to animation, equating it with “cartoons” and figuring it must be intended for kids. Those of us who watch anime from Japan and programs on Cartoon Network’s late-night Adult Swim know that there is a side of animation intended only for adults. “Drawn Together” is one of those programs, and the rating it carries on the DVD packaging as well as on its broadcast episodes reflect that.

It’s up to parents to monitor what their children:
• watch on television
• record on the family DVR/VCR
• add to the Netflix queue
• read, play and watch online
• play on video game systems

Because if parents aren’t monitoring what their children watch/play/read, what good is putting the game and clips behind an age-verification wall? Does the ADL honestly think that would serve as a deterrent for computer-literate teens and pre-teens? Consider that clips from the film and the television show are widely available on YouTube and similar sites.

Monitoring what your kids are exposed to is critical. My wife and I have taken to previewing episodes of “The Big Bang Theory,” our 14-year-old son’s favorite show, because the sexual content is on the upswing. He’s frustrated when he has to skip an episode, but he can go back when he’s old enough and watch the ones he missed. Similarly, if your kids are begging to watch “Drawn Together” or play the game, that’s a wonderful opportunity to have a conversation about what is and is not appropriate in your home.

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April 28, 2010 | 3:00 pm

Scouts add video game awards

Posted by Adam Wills

The Boy Scouts of America—known for getting kids outside and active—has added a new “academics” pin and belt loop for one of the most sedentary indoor activities around: video games.

According to a Scouts spokesperson, the awards’ introduction was intended to raise awareness of video games as a family activity, including ensuring age-appropriate gaming and effective scheduling so it doesn’t conflict with schoolwork. Added in December—along with other academics honors: good manners, nutrition, pet care and family travel—the video game awards can be earned by Tiger Cubs, Cub and Webelos scouts, but the scouts must work with parents or adult partners to complete requirements.

To earn the belt loop, scouts must:
• Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.
• With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.
• Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.

For the “academics” pin, scouts must earn the belt loop and complete five of the following:
• With your parents, create a plan to buy a video game that is right for your age group.
• Compare two game systems (for example, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and so on). Explain some of the differences between the two. List good reasons to purchase or use a game system.
• Play a video game with family members in a family tournament.
• Teach an adult or a friend how to play a video game.
• List at least five tips that would help someone who was learning how to play your favorite video game.
• Play an appropriate video game with a friend for one hour.
• Play a video game that will help you practice your math, spelling, or another skill that helps you in your schoolwork.
• Choose a game you might like to purchase. Compare the price for this game at three different stores. Decide which store has the best deal. In your decision, be sure to consider things like the store return policy and manufacturer’s warranty.
• With an adult’s supervision, install a gaming system.

The Scouts say the new awards acknowledge the realities of 21st century youth and is intended to help families manage gaming effectively.

“When it comes down to these things, a lot of the dads are doing it,” Scouts PR manager Renee Fairrer told PC Magazine. “A little boy wants to do what his dad does, but we apply appropriate knowledge and safeguards.”

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