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"Fur-One-One" for November, 2018
Posted 7 years agoTELEVISION: In the past, 'furry fandom' was portrayed in a negative way - via such TV shows as "CSI" (in the episode "Fur and Loathing"). This weekend, CNN will set the record straight on this lifestyle on the series "This is Life with Lisa Ling", Sunday, November 18th at 10:00 PM, E.S.T.... The 2016 CGI animated feature "Zootopia" will air a few times during Thanksgiving week on Cable TV channels Freeform and Disney Channel. Here's the (tentative) schedule: Freeform: November 21st at (approximately) 8:30 PM, E.S.T., and November 22nd at 6:00 PM, E.S.T.; Disney Channel: November 23rd at 8:00 PM, E.S.T., and November 24th at 6:10 PM, E.S.T.... "Crikey! It's The Irwins!" is the new Animal Planet series - based on the surviving family of Steve ("The Crocodile Hunter") Irwin - set in an Australian zoo, run by the mother and her grown-up children. Consult your Cable TV listings for the days and times when it airs...
MOVIES: Disney is coming out with a lot more new movies, even though they are divided between remakes and sequels, and hardly anything new and original. Among their titles are "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet", "Mary Poppins Returns" (both in 2018), "Dumbo" (live/CGI, directed by Tim Burton), "Toy Story 4", "The Lion King"* (live-action/motion capture), "Aladdin" (live), and "Frozen 2" (all in 2019)… Other animated fare in 2019 with anthropomorphic characters include (Illumination/Universal's) "The Secret Life of Pets 2", (DreamWorks') "How to Train Your Dragon 3", (Laika's) "Missing Link", and (STX Family's) "Ugly Dolls"... As for upcoming holiday fare for Christmas, 2018, check out the one-day-only theatrical screening of (Prime Video's) "Elliot, The Littlest Reindeer" (a sure sign that it's going to tank at the box office)… *ADDENDA: On November 23, 2018, Disney finally presented its first 'sneak preview' trailer for the new version of "The Lion King" (due out next Summer). Here's the YouTube link, where you can see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9EvBdzHvqI
I'll have more news, which I'll be adding to this journal, within the next 48-72 hours. So, please be patient...
- - - - - - - - - - MOVIES: Disney is coming out with a lot more new movies, even though they are divided between remakes and sequels, and hardly anything new and original. Among their titles are "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet", "Mary Poppins Returns" (both in 2018), "Dumbo" (live/CGI, directed by Tim Burton), "Toy Story 4", "The Lion King"* (live-action/motion capture), "Aladdin" (live), and "Frozen 2" (all in 2019)… Other animated fare in 2019 with anthropomorphic characters include (Illumination/Universal's) "The Secret Life of Pets 2", (DreamWorks') "How to Train Your Dragon 3", (Laika's) "Missing Link", and (STX Family's) "Ugly Dolls"... As for upcoming holiday fare for Christmas, 2018, check out the one-day-only theatrical screening of (Prime Video's) "Elliot, The Littlest Reindeer" (a sure sign that it's going to tank at the box office)… *ADDENDA: On November 23, 2018, Disney finally presented its first 'sneak preview' trailer for the new version of "The Lion King" (due out next Summer). Here's the YouTube link, where you can see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9EvBdzHvqI
- - - - - - - - - - I'll have more news, which I'll be adding to this journal, within the next 48-72 hours. So, please be patient...
"Recent November Passages"
Posted 7 years agoWithin the last 24 hours, I had learned of the passages of three human beings who had influenced my life - in one capacity or another...
Earlier this day (November 12, 2018), I was made aware (through Facebook) of the death of comic book writer/editor Stan Lee - the co-founder of Marvel Comics - whose characters included 'Spider-Man', 'The Incredible Hulk', 'Iron Man', 'The Avengers', et al. Many of these characters became the basis for feature-length motion pictures - which Mr. Lee made many a cameo in (almost as many as the ones Alfred Hitchcock appeared in his own movies).
I had the rare opportunity of seeing Stan several times at Creation Conventions in the New York City area, during the 1970s and 1980s. He usually concluded his lectures with his signature sign-off, "Excelsior!" (the state motto of New York). He was 95.
Rather than give a long-winded description of his numerous credits, I'll just provide you with a link to a Wikipedia site all about Stan 'the Man'...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee
Later that same day, while visiting Facebook, a message from
RGibson came up, alerting 'furry folks' worldwide about the passing of "Rowrbrazzle" co-editor Frederick Patten at age 77. He'd expired on November 12th. He was responsible for enlisting the talents of many anthroartists and writers for his long-running APAzine - including 
Funimal, 
Rabbi-Tom, 
TimKangaroo, 
MKaz, 
Frenata, 
SteveGallacci, 
Steamfox, 
TerrieSmith, 
Karno, and many others.
Once again, I will provide you with a link to a Wikipedia site about Mr. Patten - who I'd only met once at a 'furry convention' in Philadelphia, back in the early 2000s...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Patten
Lastly today, I'd learned of the passing of Canadian-born stage actor Douglas Rain, who was best-known as the voice of the H.A.L. 9000 computer in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", and the 1984 sequel "2010". He was 90.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Rain
Earlier this day (November 12, 2018), I was made aware (through Facebook) of the death of comic book writer/editor Stan Lee - the co-founder of Marvel Comics - whose characters included 'Spider-Man', 'The Incredible Hulk', 'Iron Man', 'The Avengers', et al. Many of these characters became the basis for feature-length motion pictures - which Mr. Lee made many a cameo in (almost as many as the ones Alfred Hitchcock appeared in his own movies).
I had the rare opportunity of seeing Stan several times at Creation Conventions in the New York City area, during the 1970s and 1980s. He usually concluded his lectures with his signature sign-off, "Excelsior!" (the state motto of New York). He was 95.
Rather than give a long-winded description of his numerous credits, I'll just provide you with a link to a Wikipedia site all about Stan 'the Man'...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee
Later that same day, while visiting Facebook, a message from
RGibson came up, alerting 'furry folks' worldwide about the passing of "Rowrbrazzle" co-editor Frederick Patten at age 77. He'd expired on November 12th. He was responsible for enlisting the talents of many anthroartists and writers for his long-running APAzine - including 
Funimal, 
Rabbi-Tom, 
TimKangaroo, 
MKaz, 
Frenata, 
SteveGallacci, 
Steamfox, 
TerrieSmith, 
Karno, and many others. Once again, I will provide you with a link to a Wikipedia site about Mr. Patten - who I'd only met once at a 'furry convention' in Philadelphia, back in the early 2000s...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Patten
Lastly today, I'd learned of the passing of Canadian-born stage actor Douglas Rain, who was best-known as the voice of the H.A.L. 9000 computer in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", and the 1984 sequel "2010". He was 90.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Rain
"Coming Attractions" #62
Posted 7 years agoNovember is my latest 'sweeps month' - which means I hope to post a lot more material in my "FA" than in the other months of 2018...
Besides the usual "EFF" and "Front & Back" comic gags, I hope to create and post some all-new unexpected art (including an homage to my reaching another milestone: my 160,000th 'page visit'). The same thing goes for the posting of 'photo-ops' every "Throwback Thursday"; in addition to the usual 'animal pix', I hope to include new pix of yours truly in other parts of south Florida.
I also hope to post more journals on all sorts of subject matter (new animal commercials, a new "Fur-One-One" column, personal recollections of Thanksgivings past, etc.).
Just be patient, and maybe I'll come through, this time around.
Besides the usual "EFF" and "Front & Back" comic gags, I hope to create and post some all-new unexpected art (including an homage to my reaching another milestone: my 160,000th 'page visit'). The same thing goes for the posting of 'photo-ops' every "Throwback Thursday"; in addition to the usual 'animal pix', I hope to include new pix of yours truly in other parts of south Florida.
I also hope to post more journals on all sorts of subject matter (new animal commercials, a new "Fur-One-One" column, personal recollections of Thanksgivings past, etc.).
Just be patient, and maybe I'll come through, this time around.
"Have You Seen 'Skibidi'?"
Posted 7 years agoI'm not one to brag, but in the sixty-plus years of my life, I had amassed a huge collection of comedy and novelty recordings (on vinyl [singles and LPs], audiocassettes and compact discs). Among them are offbeat songs from the likes of Spike Jones and the City Slickers, Allen Sherman, Stan Freberg, Ray Stevens, and 'Weird Al' Yankovic - with the latter performer creating equally funny music videos.
It's been a long time since I'd seen any new music videos with that 'novelty recording' touch... until earlier in October, 2018, when I came across an infectious little ditty coming from (of all places) Russia.
While visiting "Facebook", someone posted said music video from the Russian group Little Big. The song in question is called "Skibidi", and the video looks like an amalgam of a 'Weird Al' tune and a "Saturday Night Live" sketch! Its main character (played by Ilya "Ilich" Prusikin) walks down the street doing a 'pop' move - that practically everyone (and everything) in town imitates! This is followed by an alternate dance move that incorporates the limited music with the sounds of a croaking frog and a barking dog.
I won't give away any other details of what is seen and/or heard in said video, suffice it to say if you end up liking it, it will be infused in your brain like an earwig! You can see the "Skibidi" music video on "YouTube" at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDFBTdToRmw
To top it off, Little Big now expects the rest of the world to do their own version of the "Skibidi" dance, for international impersonators to post on "YouTube". That said, I'd like to propose that 'furry folks' ought to try their paws at making a video of the same tune - with 'fursuiters' (and, possibly, alternate inanimate objects) making the same weird moves as their Russian human counterparts...
"Bark! Bark!" "Croak!"
#skibidichallenge
It's been a long time since I'd seen any new music videos with that 'novelty recording' touch... until earlier in October, 2018, when I came across an infectious little ditty coming from (of all places) Russia.
While visiting "Facebook", someone posted said music video from the Russian group Little Big. The song in question is called "Skibidi", and the video looks like an amalgam of a 'Weird Al' tune and a "Saturday Night Live" sketch! Its main character (played by Ilya "Ilich" Prusikin) walks down the street doing a 'pop' move - that practically everyone (and everything) in town imitates! This is followed by an alternate dance move that incorporates the limited music with the sounds of a croaking frog and a barking dog.
I won't give away any other details of what is seen and/or heard in said video, suffice it to say if you end up liking it, it will be infused in your brain like an earwig! You can see the "Skibidi" music video on "YouTube" at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDFBTdToRmw
To top it off, Little Big now expects the rest of the world to do their own version of the "Skibidi" dance, for international impersonators to post on "YouTube". That said, I'd like to propose that 'furry folks' ought to try their paws at making a video of the same tune - with 'fursuiters' (and, possibly, alternate inanimate objects) making the same weird moves as their Russian human counterparts...
"Bark! Bark!" "Croak!"
#skibidichallenge
"Fat Furry News" #6
Posted 7 years agoNEWS ITEM: For the uninformed, this week is "Fat Bear Week", when ursines throughout Alaska (as well as the Continental USA) begin to bulk up for the impending 'winter hibernation'. Each one eats lots of sockeye salmon (adding four pounds a day to their body weight). Nowhere is this feeding frenzy more prevalent than in Katmai National Park in southern Alaska. As a result, the National Park Service is holding a special election, where folks get to vote for their favorite 'fat bear' (based on video footage of the fattened finalists), with the winner (and runner-ups) to be announced any day now. For more info, visit the following link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/.....rs-alaska.html
Of course, hearing this RL news story might inspire some of you "FA" artists to render 'fat bears' in an interesting pre-hibernation scenario. My own (tentative) idea involves a wintertime 'slumber party' for some of this site's best known ursine characters - including
'Tolstoy', 
'Fanimal', 
'Tay', and (blowing my own horn) 
'Bor-Bor Bear' (to name but a few). And since these furry behemoths will be 'pigging out' before turning in, said 'slumber party' will not be held in a cave, but instead in an extra-large cavern - to accommodate all those ginormous bellies. (To reiterate, this idea is tentative, and I might not have the spare time to draw all of the aforementioned corpulent characters.)
FOLLOW-UP: We have a winner! 'Beadnose 409' was chosen as the favorite 'fat bear' in Katmai National Park. For more details, visit the following links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/scie.....=.45f61a4cd781
https://www.alaskapublic.org/2018/1.....week-champion/
MERCHANDISE: The upcoming Disney CGI feature "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet" (to be released theatrically around Thanksgiving) has already spawned lots of wares based on its cast of characters. One of these characters is 'Fun Bun' - the rabbit from the kiddie video game - who 'Ralph' overfeeds it stacks of pancakes. Needless to say, Funko already produced two toy versions of the bountiful bunny: a new 'Pop' figure (no joke intended), and a new 'Mystery Minis' figure (available now at comic shops, book stores, and additional venues such as Hot Topic, FYE, etc.). Of course, a skinny version of the bunny is being sold (in the form of a plushie) at participating Disney Stores nationwide... Meanwhile, there are several fat animal characters featured in the form of the newest Hallmark "Keepsake Ornaments" (for Christmas trees). Included are an all-new hippo (adorned with holiday lights and other decorations) - which, when you push a button, plays the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" ($17.99, U.S.) - and the solar-powered "Christmas Cat", a roly-poly pussycat who's on his back - going after an Xmas tree ornament ($29.99, U.S.) - both available at participating Hallmark stores.
COMICS: From "The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same Dept.", I saw an 'inflation gag' last week in an edition of the comic strip "B.C.", in which two mosquitos try to pierce through the tough skin of a dinosaur - with one of the bugs uncontrollably swelling up. You can see that strip at https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2018/10/05 . "Hmmm," I'd thought to myself. "Didn't I see this 'inflation gag' somewhere else?" Sure enough, over a quarter of a century ago, this very same gag (with nearly the same dialogue) turned up in Gary Larson's classic strip "The Far Side". You can check out the original version at this link: https://imgur.com/gallery/FIZD1 … Here are more recent links to other 'fat furry gags' from the 'Funny Pages':
"Pluggers" by Gary Brookins:
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/04/18
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/05/05
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/05/11
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/05/30
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/01
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/07
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/20
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/27
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/07/04
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/07/27
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/07/30
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/08
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/15
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/22
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/31
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/01
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/03
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/17
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/27
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/10/10
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/10/24
"Over The Hedge" by T. Lewis & Michael Fry:
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/07
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/23
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/24
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/25
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/26
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/29
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/05/15
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/05/25
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/02
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/04
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/05
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/06
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/07
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/08
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/09
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/01
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/06
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/09
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/15
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/08/03
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/08/12
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/08/25
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/09/14
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/09/18
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/10/08
"Arctic Circle" by Alex Hallatt
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/april-30-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/may-11-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/may-23-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/june-1-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/june-9-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/june-15-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-3-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-5-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-9-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-21-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-29-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....comics/august-13-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....comics/august-31-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....mics/september-3-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....mics/september-6-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....ics/september-26-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....omics/october-16-2018/
"Bear With Me" by Bob Scott
https://www.gocomics.com/bear-with-me/2018/09/20
https://www.gocomics.com/bear-with-me/2018/09/25
"In The Bleachers" by Ben Zaehringer
https://www.gocomics.com/inthebleachers/2018/09/17
https://www.gocomics.com/inthebleachers/2018/09/30
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/.....rs-alaska.html
Of course, hearing this RL news story might inspire some of you "FA" artists to render 'fat bears' in an interesting pre-hibernation scenario. My own (tentative) idea involves a wintertime 'slumber party' for some of this site's best known ursine characters - including
'Tolstoy', 
'Fanimal', 
'Tay', and (blowing my own horn) 
'Bor-Bor Bear' (to name but a few). And since these furry behemoths will be 'pigging out' before turning in, said 'slumber party' will not be held in a cave, but instead in an extra-large cavern - to accommodate all those ginormous bellies. (To reiterate, this idea is tentative, and I might not have the spare time to draw all of the aforementioned corpulent characters.) FOLLOW-UP: We have a winner! 'Beadnose 409' was chosen as the favorite 'fat bear' in Katmai National Park. For more details, visit the following links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/scie.....=.45f61a4cd781
https://www.alaskapublic.org/2018/1.....week-champion/
- - - - - - - - - - MERCHANDISE: The upcoming Disney CGI feature "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet" (to be released theatrically around Thanksgiving) has already spawned lots of wares based on its cast of characters. One of these characters is 'Fun Bun' - the rabbit from the kiddie video game - who 'Ralph' overfeeds it stacks of pancakes. Needless to say, Funko already produced two toy versions of the bountiful bunny: a new 'Pop' figure (no joke intended), and a new 'Mystery Minis' figure (available now at comic shops, book stores, and additional venues such as Hot Topic, FYE, etc.). Of course, a skinny version of the bunny is being sold (in the form of a plushie) at participating Disney Stores nationwide... Meanwhile, there are several fat animal characters featured in the form of the newest Hallmark "Keepsake Ornaments" (for Christmas trees). Included are an all-new hippo (adorned with holiday lights and other decorations) - which, when you push a button, plays the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" ($17.99, U.S.) - and the solar-powered "Christmas Cat", a roly-poly pussycat who's on his back - going after an Xmas tree ornament ($29.99, U.S.) - both available at participating Hallmark stores.
- - - - - - - - - - COMICS: From "The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same Dept.", I saw an 'inflation gag' last week in an edition of the comic strip "B.C.", in which two mosquitos try to pierce through the tough skin of a dinosaur - with one of the bugs uncontrollably swelling up. You can see that strip at https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2018/10/05 . "Hmmm," I'd thought to myself. "Didn't I see this 'inflation gag' somewhere else?" Sure enough, over a quarter of a century ago, this very same gag (with nearly the same dialogue) turned up in Gary Larson's classic strip "The Far Side". You can check out the original version at this link: https://imgur.com/gallery/FIZD1 … Here are more recent links to other 'fat furry gags' from the 'Funny Pages':
"Pluggers" by Gary Brookins:
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/04/18
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/05/05
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/05/11
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/05/30
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/01
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/07
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/20
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/06/27
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/07/04
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/07/27
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/07/30
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/08
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/15
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/22
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/08/31
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/01
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/03
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/17
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/09/27
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/10/10
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2018/10/24
"Over The Hedge" by T. Lewis & Michael Fry:
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/07
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/23
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/24
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/25
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/26
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/04/29
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/05/15
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/05/25
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/02
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/04
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/05
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/06
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/07
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/08
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/06/09
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/01
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/06
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/09
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/07/15
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/08/03
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/08/12
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/08/25
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/09/14
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/09/18
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2018/10/08
"Arctic Circle" by Alex Hallatt
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/april-30-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/may-11-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/may-23-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/june-1-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/june-9-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/june-15-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-3-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-5-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-9-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-21-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics/july-29-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....comics/august-13-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....comics/august-31-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....mics/september-3-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....mics/september-6-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....ics/september-26-2018/
www.arcticcirclecartoons.com/comics.....omics/october-16-2018/
"Bear With Me" by Bob Scott
https://www.gocomics.com/bear-with-me/2018/09/20
https://www.gocomics.com/bear-with-me/2018/09/25
"In The Bleachers" by Ben Zaehringer
https://www.gocomics.com/inthebleachers/2018/09/17
https://www.gocomics.com/inthebleachers/2018/09/30
"Coming Attractions" #61
Posted 7 years agoSorry for the delay of announcements, but I hope to post some new journals during October. Among them would be a review of new animal-related commercials I got to see (both on TV and on the Internet), as well as some recent personal observations of my (so-called) life...
I'll have some more "Zootopia"-related material - in the form of some new 'fan art' and 'photo-ops' of the latest memorabilia I've added to my personal collection.
And speaking of 'photo-ops', every "Throwback Thursday" of this month, I'll have more digital pix of dogs and other animals I'd taken with my smartphone, and a few other surprises...
And, of course, October wouldn't be complete without my annual homage to Halloween - whether my bobcat 'fursona' ends up wearing a new costume, or I'll have a different tribute to the 31st...
Lastly, I'll try to have a more comprehensive edition of "Fur-One-One" with all-new 'furry news' to share. All that, and more, in my "FA" site... So, hang in there!
I'll have some more "Zootopia"-related material - in the form of some new 'fan art' and 'photo-ops' of the latest memorabilia I've added to my personal collection.
And speaking of 'photo-ops', every "Throwback Thursday" of this month, I'll have more digital pix of dogs and other animals I'd taken with my smartphone, and a few other surprises...
And, of course, October wouldn't be complete without my annual homage to Halloween - whether my bobcat 'fursona' ends up wearing a new costume, or I'll have a different tribute to the 31st...
Lastly, I'll try to have a more comprehensive edition of "Fur-One-One" with all-new 'furry news' to share. All that, and more, in my "FA" site... So, hang in there!
"Fur-One-One" for September, 2018
Posted 7 years agoI have another assortment of 'furry news' - which I'll be presenting in sporadic bursts - so please be patient as I post (and add) them over the next few days...
COMIC BOOKS and GRAPHIC NOVELS: There have been conflicting reports about the release date of the impending hardcover Disney graphic novel "Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue" (from Dark Horse Books). Some say it should turn up in comic shops and book stores by September 12th, while others say it will be sold beginning on September 25th. (To confess, I got my copy of it this week.) Whatever the case, it is children's literature about the juvenile world of 'Judy Hopps' and 'Nick Wilde' (set years before the two of them met - as grown-ups - in the 2016 CGI movie). I won't give away the two stories, suffice it to say that a sequel book (called "Zootopia: Family Night") is in the works... One of the newer anthropomorphic comic titles of interest is "Unnaturals" (Image; Translated from Italian, for Mature Readers), a futuristic world of human-looking animals who try to obey the government's laws of something called "The Reproduction Program" (where only the same species can mate with one another). The main plot (written and illustrated by Mirka Andolfo involves a female pig who fantasizes having a relationship with a male wolf. But her search for 'Mr. Right' is fraught with pitfalls. Issue #3 is already out in stores... Other comic book titles to look for include "Looney Tunes", "DC/WB Crossovers", "Scooby-Doo" (all three from DC), "Gold Digger" (Antarctic Press), and "Usagi Yojimbo" (Dark Horse Comics)…
OBITS: Actor-director Burt Reynolds died in his Jupiter, FL home on September 6, 2018. He was 82. Reynolds was best known for a variety of motion pictures, including the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" franchises, as well as "Deliverance", "Hooper", "The End", and "Boogie Nights" (the latter of which earned him an Academy Award® nomination for 'Best Supporting Award'. But 'furry folks' will remember him best as the voice of 'Charlie Barkin' in the (1989) Don Bluth animated feature "All Dogs Go to Heaven"… On September 9th, the anthropomorphic world lost legendary illustrator Wallace Whitney Tripp - whose book credits include "A Great Big Ugly Man Came Up and Tied His Horse to Me" (1973) and "Wallace Tripp's Wurst Seller" (1981). He also drew his 'funny animal' characters in a line of specialized greeting cards called "Pawprints". Tripp was 78...
TELEVISION: For those of you who do not have access to 'streaming services' on your TV or PC, good news! One of Netflix's hit animated shows is coming to Cable TV later this month! "Bojack Horseman" - the misadventures of a washed-up anthropomorphic equine actor - will make his Comedy Central debut on Wednesday, September 26th (Rated TV-MA)… Speaking of 'streaming services', Disney plans to start one of its own, some time in 2019 (tentatively called Disney Play), featuring its own original animated fare such as a "Monsters, Inc." series from Pixar and "Ice Age: The Series" (based on Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox)…
MOVIES: Main cinematic production has been completed on the latest Disney CGI feature "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (the sequel to "Wreck-It Ralph"), with John C. Reilly reprising the title vocal role. All that needs to be done is the tweaking of some special effects and the addition of the original score by Michael Giacchino. Meanwhile, at a press conference, the film's director Rich Moore was asked if this film was going to contain any 'Easter Eggs' (like the ones in "Zootopia"). Without giving away any of them, he confirms those suspicions. 'Funny animal' fans will be assured that several anthropomorphic Disney characters (e.g. 'Dumbo', 'Eeyore' and [possibly] some "Zootopia" mammals) will make a few cameos in the "Oh My Disney!" scenes of said film (which will be released in U.S. cinemas this coming November)...
I'll add more material to this journal later this month; So, hang in there...
- - - - - - - - - - COMIC BOOKS and GRAPHIC NOVELS: There have been conflicting reports about the release date of the impending hardcover Disney graphic novel "Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue" (from Dark Horse Books). Some say it should turn up in comic shops and book stores by September 12th, while others say it will be sold beginning on September 25th. (To confess, I got my copy of it this week.) Whatever the case, it is children's literature about the juvenile world of 'Judy Hopps' and 'Nick Wilde' (set years before the two of them met - as grown-ups - in the 2016 CGI movie). I won't give away the two stories, suffice it to say that a sequel book (called "Zootopia: Family Night") is in the works... One of the newer anthropomorphic comic titles of interest is "Unnaturals" (Image; Translated from Italian, for Mature Readers), a futuristic world of human-looking animals who try to obey the government's laws of something called "The Reproduction Program" (where only the same species can mate with one another). The main plot (written and illustrated by Mirka Andolfo involves a female pig who fantasizes having a relationship with a male wolf. But her search for 'Mr. Right' is fraught with pitfalls. Issue #3 is already out in stores... Other comic book titles to look for include "Looney Tunes", "DC/WB Crossovers", "Scooby-Doo" (all three from DC), "Gold Digger" (Antarctic Press), and "Usagi Yojimbo" (Dark Horse Comics)…
- - - - - - - - - - OBITS: Actor-director Burt Reynolds died in his Jupiter, FL home on September 6, 2018. He was 82. Reynolds was best known for a variety of motion pictures, including the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" franchises, as well as "Deliverance", "Hooper", "The End", and "Boogie Nights" (the latter of which earned him an Academy Award® nomination for 'Best Supporting Award'. But 'furry folks' will remember him best as the voice of 'Charlie Barkin' in the (1989) Don Bluth animated feature "All Dogs Go to Heaven"… On September 9th, the anthropomorphic world lost legendary illustrator Wallace Whitney Tripp - whose book credits include "A Great Big Ugly Man Came Up and Tied His Horse to Me" (1973) and "Wallace Tripp's Wurst Seller" (1981). He also drew his 'funny animal' characters in a line of specialized greeting cards called "Pawprints". Tripp was 78...
- - - - - - - - - - TELEVISION: For those of you who do not have access to 'streaming services' on your TV or PC, good news! One of Netflix's hit animated shows is coming to Cable TV later this month! "Bojack Horseman" - the misadventures of a washed-up anthropomorphic equine actor - will make his Comedy Central debut on Wednesday, September 26th (Rated TV-MA)… Speaking of 'streaming services', Disney plans to start one of its own, some time in 2019 (tentatively called Disney Play), featuring its own original animated fare such as a "Monsters, Inc." series from Pixar and "Ice Age: The Series" (based on Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox)…
- - - - - - - - - - MOVIES: Main cinematic production has been completed on the latest Disney CGI feature "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (the sequel to "Wreck-It Ralph"), with John C. Reilly reprising the title vocal role. All that needs to be done is the tweaking of some special effects and the addition of the original score by Michael Giacchino. Meanwhile, at a press conference, the film's director Rich Moore was asked if this film was going to contain any 'Easter Eggs' (like the ones in "Zootopia"). Without giving away any of them, he confirms those suspicions. 'Funny animal' fans will be assured that several anthropomorphic Disney characters (e.g. 'Dumbo', 'Eeyore' and [possibly] some "Zootopia" mammals) will make a few cameos in the "Oh My Disney!" scenes of said film (which will be released in U.S. cinemas this coming November)...
- - - - - - - - - - I'll add more material to this journal later this month; So, hang in there...
"Coming Attractions" #60
Posted 7 years agoSeptember is another one of my 'sweeps months', and I hope to provide a lot of new material in my "FA" site...
First of all, I hope to post a lot more journals than last month. My preoccupation with both a colonoscopy and a wedding - as well as a few personal lulls - kept me from my keyboard. But this month I hope to present a lot more essays, along with features I'd omitted (such as "Fur-One-One" and "Commercials with Animals").
Among the artwork I hope to post are new "Zootopia Fan Art", "EFF" comic gags, and "Front & Back". And I'll have a lot more 'Photo-Ops' of animals, scenery, portraits (and 'selfies'), and pix of newer "Zootopia Mementos".
In the meantime, enjoy this Labor Day holiday weekend. And (as always) your 'shouts' and 'comments' are welcome.
First of all, I hope to post a lot more journals than last month. My preoccupation with both a colonoscopy and a wedding - as well as a few personal lulls - kept me from my keyboard. But this month I hope to present a lot more essays, along with features I'd omitted (such as "Fur-One-One" and "Commercials with Animals").
Among the artwork I hope to post are new "Zootopia Fan Art", "EFF" comic gags, and "Front & Back". And I'll have a lot more 'Photo-Ops' of animals, scenery, portraits (and 'selfies'), and pix of newer "Zootopia Mementos".
In the meantime, enjoy this Labor Day holiday weekend. And (as always) your 'shouts' and 'comments' are welcome.
"Coming Attractions" #59
Posted 7 years agoDuring the first week of August, I will be away from my PC, but not for the reasons you might think. I won't be taking a vacation (let alone a 'staycation')…
On August 2nd, I'll be undergoing a colonoscopy (being sedated, prior to said procedure), and I'll be resting up on the 3rd for another big event: a wedding in Miami on the 4th. I hope to return to my "FA" site by August 5th - fully revived - and ready to start posting all-new material...
Among the content in my site will be a new "EFF Acronym" comic strip, more "Front & Back" gags, the return of the "Fat Furry Doodle" (when I don't have the time to render full scale 'Fat Furs' art in color), an apropos drawing for "Fat Cat Month", and a few more rare images...
August 'Photo-Ops' will include more wildlife pix, scenery, and even a few 'selfies' (with props) - hopefully to be posted on "Throwback Thursdays"...
Upcoming (tentative) 'Journals' will include new editions of "Fur-One-One" (furry news), "2018 Animal Commercials" (reviews), and one or two personal observations of my (so-called) life...
So, please be patient... and feel free to send me any 'comments' and/or 'shouts'!
On August 2nd, I'll be undergoing a colonoscopy (being sedated, prior to said procedure), and I'll be resting up on the 3rd for another big event: a wedding in Miami on the 4th. I hope to return to my "FA" site by August 5th - fully revived - and ready to start posting all-new material...
Among the content in my site will be a new "EFF Acronym" comic strip, more "Front & Back" gags, the return of the "Fat Furry Doodle" (when I don't have the time to render full scale 'Fat Furs' art in color), an apropos drawing for "Fat Cat Month", and a few more rare images...
August 'Photo-Ops' will include more wildlife pix, scenery, and even a few 'selfies' (with props) - hopefully to be posted on "Throwback Thursdays"...
Upcoming (tentative) 'Journals' will include new editions of "Fur-One-One" (furry news), "2018 Animal Commercials" (reviews), and one or two personal observations of my (so-called) life...
So, please be patient... and feel free to send me any 'comments' and/or 'shouts'!
"Dressed to the (Ca)Nines" (a true story)
Posted 7 years agoOn June 8, 2018, my niece Corynne had given birth to a healthy baby boy. (See my previous journal, "This Just In: I'm A Grand-Uncle!" - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8762234/ .)
My brother Glenn and I took it upon ourselves to buy special presents for the newborn (as well as for the first-time mother), and 'snail-mail' them from Margate, Florida to East Rockaway, New York.
It was around that same time that the "2018 FIFA World Cup" (soccer tournament) had just begun, and we each thought of buying said newborn (named Tristan) items connected to this major sporting event (especially since Corynne has the unique position of being a 'sports therapist')…
Glenn had already bought for the baby (and mailed out first) a miniature soccer ball, and a set of pajamas with the red and white colors of the flag of Spain (as our biological father was born in Vigo, Spain).
Now, it was my turn to purchase something sports-related for Tristan...
We'd ventured to the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall in Sunrise, Florida - where I'd already bought a smaller soccer ball, and the smallest pair of Nike sneakers with Velcro® straps for the baby (hoping upon hope that Tristan will be able to start walking in them, before he outgrows them).
The only other item I wanted to buy was a extra-small T-shirt with the "Team Spain" insignia on it. Unfortunately, most of the sporting goods stores (like Dick's) were either out of shirts that size, or had shirts that size, but none of them were Team Spain garments...
Then, as luck would have it, Glenn and I encountered a kiosk in the middle of the mall that had all sorts of colorful shirts, all pertaining to the various teams participating in the "World Cup" tournament. And, sure enough, I saw a baby-sized shirt representing "Team Spain".
There was a young lady in charge of said kiosk, and I'd asked her (just to be sure), if the shirt represented the European country...
"Spain?" I'd asked.
"iSi!" she replied. "España."
Now that I knew she was bilingual (speaking both English and Spanish), I'd decided to ask her one more question in Spanish. I needed to know if the garment was made for a little boy or a little girl (as I didn't want to make the mistake of sending Tristan a feminine piece of clothing).
"¿Niño o niña?" I asked.
"¿Que?" she responded in a startled manner.
"¿Niño o niña?"
"iNo!" she finally replied. "iPerro!"
"What?!"
The kiosk vendor pointed to a sign above all of the garments that simply read "Fashion Paws".
It took just mere seconds for Glenn and I to suddenly realize that all of the "World Cup" garments at said kiosk were made for pets (dogs and cats), and not human babies! (In other words, the T-shirt I'd pointed out was made for a small dog, barely larger than a terrier!) We were laughing hysterically for a whole minute, before I'd apologized to the vendor for the mistake. (It certainly made her day, at least!)
I never did find a "World Cup" T-shirt for Tristan (which was just as well, since "Team Spain" was eliminated during the quarter-finals), but I'd compensated by adding two other gifts for his mother Corynne: a $20 department store gift card and three boxes of 'wet wipes' (the latter bought, at discount, in one of the Toys R Us stores that was "going out of business" that month). I'd mailed those items - along with the soccer ball and the Nike footwear - a few days after Glenn sent his package first...
Sure enough, I received a text message from Corynne one week later:
"I love the sneakers!"
My brother Glenn and I took it upon ourselves to buy special presents for the newborn (as well as for the first-time mother), and 'snail-mail' them from Margate, Florida to East Rockaway, New York.
It was around that same time that the "2018 FIFA World Cup" (soccer tournament) had just begun, and we each thought of buying said newborn (named Tristan) items connected to this major sporting event (especially since Corynne has the unique position of being a 'sports therapist')…
Glenn had already bought for the baby (and mailed out first) a miniature soccer ball, and a set of pajamas with the red and white colors of the flag of Spain (as our biological father was born in Vigo, Spain).
Now, it was my turn to purchase something sports-related for Tristan...
We'd ventured to the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall in Sunrise, Florida - where I'd already bought a smaller soccer ball, and the smallest pair of Nike sneakers with Velcro® straps for the baby (hoping upon hope that Tristan will be able to start walking in them, before he outgrows them).
The only other item I wanted to buy was a extra-small T-shirt with the "Team Spain" insignia on it. Unfortunately, most of the sporting goods stores (like Dick's) were either out of shirts that size, or had shirts that size, but none of them were Team Spain garments...
Then, as luck would have it, Glenn and I encountered a kiosk in the middle of the mall that had all sorts of colorful shirts, all pertaining to the various teams participating in the "World Cup" tournament. And, sure enough, I saw a baby-sized shirt representing "Team Spain".
There was a young lady in charge of said kiosk, and I'd asked her (just to be sure), if the shirt represented the European country...
"Spain?" I'd asked.
"iSi!" she replied. "España."
Now that I knew she was bilingual (speaking both English and Spanish), I'd decided to ask her one more question in Spanish. I needed to know if the garment was made for a little boy or a little girl (as I didn't want to make the mistake of sending Tristan a feminine piece of clothing).
"¿Niño o niña?" I asked.
"¿Que?" she responded in a startled manner.
"¿Niño o niña?"
"iNo!" she finally replied. "iPerro!"
"What?!"
The kiosk vendor pointed to a sign above all of the garments that simply read "Fashion Paws".
It took just mere seconds for Glenn and I to suddenly realize that all of the "World Cup" garments at said kiosk were made for pets (dogs and cats), and not human babies! (In other words, the T-shirt I'd pointed out was made for a small dog, barely larger than a terrier!) We were laughing hysterically for a whole minute, before I'd apologized to the vendor for the mistake. (It certainly made her day, at least!)
I never did find a "World Cup" T-shirt for Tristan (which was just as well, since "Team Spain" was eliminated during the quarter-finals), but I'd compensated by adding two other gifts for his mother Corynne: a $20 department store gift card and three boxes of 'wet wipes' (the latter bought, at discount, in one of the Toys R Us stores that was "going out of business" that month). I'd mailed those items - along with the soccer ball and the Nike footwear - a few days after Glenn sent his package first...
Sure enough, I received a text message from Corynne one week later:
"I love the sneakers!"
"Coming Attractions" #58
Posted 7 years agoWell, we're halfway through 2018, and a lot of new material will be appearing in my "Fur Affinity" site - including all-new "Extraordinarily Fat Furries" comic strips, new editions of "Front & Back" gags, and even an occasional piece of "Zootopia" fan art, along with pictures of some the newest "Zootopia Mementos" I'd acquired...
While many of the 'photo-ops' posted in my 'Gallery' during the first half of the year are about to be transferred to my 'Scraps' section, I'll be making room for brand new pix (many of them taken with my smartphone) of scenery, local Florida wildlife, and friends...
Upcoming 'Journals' will include new 'animal commercial' reviews, personal observations of life here in the 'Sunshine State', and a new edition of "Fur-One-One" (furry news)...
All that, and much more in my "FA" site. And, as always, your 'shouts' and 'comments' are welcome...
While many of the 'photo-ops' posted in my 'Gallery' during the first half of the year are about to be transferred to my 'Scraps' section, I'll be making room for brand new pix (many of them taken with my smartphone) of scenery, local Florida wildlife, and friends...
Upcoming 'Journals' will include new 'animal commercial' reviews, personal observations of life here in the 'Sunshine State', and a new edition of "Fur-One-One" (furry news)...
All that, and much more in my "FA" site. And, as always, your 'shouts' and 'comments' are welcome...
"Fur-One-One" for June, 2018
Posted 7 years agoREAL-LIFE ANIMAL STORIES: Not all of my material has to do with anthropomorphic characters. Sometimes, real fauna in the news can get as much attention. (Remember the eagle in the White House that almost attacked President Trump?)
That said, here are three recent 2018 news stories with real animals (and no "fake news") that you can check out on specific Internet links:
1. "Wild Goose Chase": On May 30th, in the midst of a California Angels/Detroit Tigers baseball game at Comerica Park, action was halted by a surprise appearance of a wild goose in the middle of the outfield! You can check out the feathered antics on video at the following link:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor.....ase/658436002/
2. "Scampering Fox on Parade Grounds": On June 9th, Buckingham Palace (in London, England) was the scene of pageantry, at the "Trooping the Colours" event (in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 92 birthday). The early part of the program was disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a fox, who supposedly stole the show from the honor guards and the steeds they had mounted. Check out the stills at this link:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle.....n=true#image=1
3. "Raccoon Scales Skyscraper": Not to be outdone by the previous two animals, on June 13th in St. Paul, Minnesota, a small female raccoon climbed the exterior of one of the cities tallest structures - the UBS Building - taking an occasional break on the window sill of one of the higher floors! Here's the link to the feat of this incredible critter:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/13/opin.....iat/index.html
Fortunately, the ringtailed daredevil made it all the way to the top - becoming a viral video sensation along the way! Animal Rescue humanely captured the raccoon, and released it in a field, many miles away from any tall buildings. Here's another link, this time with coverage on ABC's "Good Morning, America":
https://abcn.ws/2sTKrz1
COMIC BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS: Lest you'd thought there would be no more literature pertaining to Disney's (2016) CGI feature "Zootopia", think again. "Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue" (from Dark Horse Comics) is a 'family-friendly' comic, telling two separate tales of the juvenile versions of characters 'Judy Hopps' and 'Nick Wilde'. Said title will be released this September... A fifth "Blacksad" graphic novel, subtitled "Amarillo" (Dark Horse Comics) - translated into English - finds the hard-boiled felinoid detective in an all-new adventure. Due out later this Summer... Other comic books titles with animal characters worth mentioning include "The Ant and the Aardvark", "Underdog and Pals" (both from American Mythology Productions), "Animosity" (Aftershock Comics), "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Urban Legends" (IDW), "Usagi Yojimbo" (Dark Horse), "Gold Digger" (Antarctic Press), "Ruinworld" (Boom! Studios), "Spy Seal" (Image Comics), "Looney Tunes", "Snagglepuss", "The Ruff & Reddy Show", and "Scooby-Doo Team-Up" (the last four titles from DC). Impending graphic novels include "Moomin" (Essential Item), "Animosity" (Aftershock Comics), "Petals" (Boom! Studios), "Coyote Doggirl" (Mature: from Drawn & Quarterly), and "Madame Cat" (Humanoids, Inc.)…
MOVIES: This has been a big year for Disney, between releases of Marvel films ("Black Panther", "Avengers: Infinity War" and the "Star Wars" franchise (with "Solo"), but it wouldn't be complete without the usual family fare that 'The Mouse Factory' is known for. For starters, the Disney-Pixar sequel "The Incredibles 2" is already setting box-office records worldwide, and additional films based on past material is already in the works (such as a live-action version of "The Little Mermaid", and a CGI/Motion Capture remake of "The Lion King"), not to mention sequels to classics (e.g. "Mary Poppins Returns"). Two such Disney films, have new previews trailers you can already see in YouTube. "Christopher Robin" depicts a grown-up version of the child who made friends with the animals from the Hundred-Acre Woods (featuring Jim Cummings, reprising his vocal roles of 'Winnie-the-Pooh' and 'Tigger'), due out later this summer. Check out the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URpDxljZrQ . And then, there's director Tim Burton's live-action version of the legendary cartoon feature "Dumbo" (to be released in March, 2019), featuring Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito (the latter actor as 'The Ringmaster'). See the sneak preview at https://www.youtube.com/disneymovietrailers . Additional Disney films to look forward to include "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet" (November, 2018), "Frozen 2" and "Toy Story 4" (both in 2019)… Animated sequel films from other studios include "Hotel Transylvania 3" (Sony/Columbia) coming out this summer, "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" (WB/WAG), and "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" (DreamWorks Animation/Universal) (the latter two both due out in 2019)… And last, but not least, another Pokémon flicker is due out next year: "Detective Pikachu" - to be voiced by (of all people) Ryan ("Deadpool") Reynolds. There will now be a short pause, while everyone hurls!
TELEVISION: It will be interesting to see what the recent merger of AT&T with Time-Warner will spawn. In the meantime, two new animated shows for T-W's Cartoon Network are in the wings: "Summer Camp Island (with a diversity of human and anthropomorphic character) - coming in July - and "Thundercats Roar!" (a deformed version of the classic Rankin-Bass TV series from the 1980s) - much later this year. Meanwhile, watch for new episodes of "Unikitty", "The Amazing Adventures of Gumball", and "Teen Titans Go!" (the latter title also releasing a feature film with the fearless five characters)… Another Time-Warner company, Boomerang, now has its own video subscription service, with new original animated fare in the offing - including "Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs!" (a "Flintstones" spin-off) and "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?!" (as the cowardly canine detective gets paired up with special guest stars... not unlike "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" from the late 1970s)… And the Cartoon Network's late-night offspring Adult Swim will have brand-new episodes of "Mr. Pickles", "Robot Chicken" and "Rick and Morty" in the not-too-distant future... Already a big hit, a second season of Disney Channel's/Disney XD's reboot "DuckTales" is already in production. And later this fall, watch for a very special mash-up of two other cartoon shows into one big spectacular: "Phineas and Ferb meets Milo Murphy's Law"! (I can't wait to see 'Perry the Platypus' confront 'D.O.G.' myself)… Additional cartoon shows with talking animals in the months ahead include "The Ballad of Bea and Cad" (on Nickelodeon) and "Let's Go Luna!" (for PBS and PBS Kids)…
MISCELLANEOUS: June 19, 1978 is a special day for comic strip fans, as that was the day (40 years ago) when a relatively unknown cartoonist by the name of Jim Davis debuted his new opus entitled "Garfield". The title character was introduced by his owner - 'Jon Arbuckle' - as the fat cat uttered his first line (in the form of a though bubble): "Feed me." ...and he's been immortalized in comic history ever since. Or, as 'Garfield' would aptly put it, "Big, fat, hairy deal!"… Another milestone date was June 22, 1988 - 30 years ago - when Amblin Entertainment and Touchstone Pictures released "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" the highly-anticipated live-action/animated feature with comedian Charles Fleischer vocalizing the title role, and Bob Hoskins in the live role as detective 'Eddie Valiant'. Oscar-winning animator Richard Williams provided a staff of cel-artists to render countless cartoon characters - from both Disney and Warner Bros. studios - while regular film director Robert ("Forrest Gump") Zemekis worked on the live-action scenes. Consult a search engine near you for more details about "WFRR"... And June 24th of this year marks the 60th birthday of actor/fighter Tommy 'Tiny' Lister - the voice of 'Finnick' (the fennec fox who wore the baby elephant outfit) in Disney's "Zootopia"... Shades of Warhol! According to film historian Jerry Beck's "Cartoon Research" wall in Facebook, the Campbell's Soup Company will be presenting cans of its familiar tomato soup with three 'limited edition' labels, each one featuring a different image of 'Mickey Mouse' (in celebration of the Disney character's 90th anniversary). One label will feature the 1920s' version of 'Mickey' (from shorts like "Plane Crazy" and "Steamboat Willie"); another label will feature the 1930s' version of him (from shorts like "The Brave Little Tailor"), and the third label has the 1940s' and 1950s' version (ranging from his appearance in the feature film "Fantasia" to his first TV appearance on "The Mickey Mouse Club"). These commemorative cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup with Walt's most famous character will be coming to Target stores (and other major supermarkets) in mid-August, 2018... Earlier this year, I'd posted a 'photo-op' of a special "Zootopia" memento I had acquired - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26362620/ - depicting 'Nick' and 'Judy' in the form of a pair of unique statues (on one base), released by Enesco. For those of you who'd missed out on buying them, you're all going to get a second chance. The July, 2018 issue of "Previews" announced that the same "Zootopia" statues will be available again (at about $48.00 U.S. + sales tax), at stores where the monthly catalog publication is distributed. So, take advantage NOW!
That said, here are three recent 2018 news stories with real animals (and no "fake news") that you can check out on specific Internet links:
1. "Wild Goose Chase": On May 30th, in the midst of a California Angels/Detroit Tigers baseball game at Comerica Park, action was halted by a surprise appearance of a wild goose in the middle of the outfield! You can check out the feathered antics on video at the following link:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor.....ase/658436002/
2. "Scampering Fox on Parade Grounds": On June 9th, Buckingham Palace (in London, England) was the scene of pageantry, at the "Trooping the Colours" event (in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 92 birthday). The early part of the program was disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a fox, who supposedly stole the show from the honor guards and the steeds they had mounted. Check out the stills at this link:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle.....n=true#image=1
3. "Raccoon Scales Skyscraper": Not to be outdone by the previous two animals, on June 13th in St. Paul, Minnesota, a small female raccoon climbed the exterior of one of the cities tallest structures - the UBS Building - taking an occasional break on the window sill of one of the higher floors! Here's the link to the feat of this incredible critter:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/13/opin.....iat/index.html
Fortunately, the ringtailed daredevil made it all the way to the top - becoming a viral video sensation along the way! Animal Rescue humanely captured the raccoon, and released it in a field, many miles away from any tall buildings. Here's another link, this time with coverage on ABC's "Good Morning, America":
https://abcn.ws/2sTKrz1
- - - - - - - - - - COMIC BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS: Lest you'd thought there would be no more literature pertaining to Disney's (2016) CGI feature "Zootopia", think again. "Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue" (from Dark Horse Comics) is a 'family-friendly' comic, telling two separate tales of the juvenile versions of characters 'Judy Hopps' and 'Nick Wilde'. Said title will be released this September... A fifth "Blacksad" graphic novel, subtitled "Amarillo" (Dark Horse Comics) - translated into English - finds the hard-boiled felinoid detective in an all-new adventure. Due out later this Summer... Other comic books titles with animal characters worth mentioning include "The Ant and the Aardvark", "Underdog and Pals" (both from American Mythology Productions), "Animosity" (Aftershock Comics), "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Urban Legends" (IDW), "Usagi Yojimbo" (Dark Horse), "Gold Digger" (Antarctic Press), "Ruinworld" (Boom! Studios), "Spy Seal" (Image Comics), "Looney Tunes", "Snagglepuss", "The Ruff & Reddy Show", and "Scooby-Doo Team-Up" (the last four titles from DC). Impending graphic novels include "Moomin" (Essential Item), "Animosity" (Aftershock Comics), "Petals" (Boom! Studios), "Coyote Doggirl" (Mature: from Drawn & Quarterly), and "Madame Cat" (Humanoids, Inc.)…
- - - - - - - - - - MOVIES: This has been a big year for Disney, between releases of Marvel films ("Black Panther", "Avengers: Infinity War" and the "Star Wars" franchise (with "Solo"), but it wouldn't be complete without the usual family fare that 'The Mouse Factory' is known for. For starters, the Disney-Pixar sequel "The Incredibles 2" is already setting box-office records worldwide, and additional films based on past material is already in the works (such as a live-action version of "The Little Mermaid", and a CGI/Motion Capture remake of "The Lion King"), not to mention sequels to classics (e.g. "Mary Poppins Returns"). Two such Disney films, have new previews trailers you can already see in YouTube. "Christopher Robin" depicts a grown-up version of the child who made friends with the animals from the Hundred-Acre Woods (featuring Jim Cummings, reprising his vocal roles of 'Winnie-the-Pooh' and 'Tigger'), due out later this summer. Check out the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URpDxljZrQ . And then, there's director Tim Burton's live-action version of the legendary cartoon feature "Dumbo" (to be released in March, 2019), featuring Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito (the latter actor as 'The Ringmaster'). See the sneak preview at https://www.youtube.com/disneymovietrailers . Additional Disney films to look forward to include "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet" (November, 2018), "Frozen 2" and "Toy Story 4" (both in 2019)… Animated sequel films from other studios include "Hotel Transylvania 3" (Sony/Columbia) coming out this summer, "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" (WB/WAG), and "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" (DreamWorks Animation/Universal) (the latter two both due out in 2019)… And last, but not least, another Pokémon flicker is due out next year: "Detective Pikachu" - to be voiced by (of all people) Ryan ("Deadpool") Reynolds. There will now be a short pause, while everyone hurls!
- - - - - - - - - - TELEVISION: It will be interesting to see what the recent merger of AT&T with Time-Warner will spawn. In the meantime, two new animated shows for T-W's Cartoon Network are in the wings: "Summer Camp Island (with a diversity of human and anthropomorphic character) - coming in July - and "Thundercats Roar!" (a deformed version of the classic Rankin-Bass TV series from the 1980s) - much later this year. Meanwhile, watch for new episodes of "Unikitty", "The Amazing Adventures of Gumball", and "Teen Titans Go!" (the latter title also releasing a feature film with the fearless five characters)… Another Time-Warner company, Boomerang, now has its own video subscription service, with new original animated fare in the offing - including "Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs!" (a "Flintstones" spin-off) and "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?!" (as the cowardly canine detective gets paired up with special guest stars... not unlike "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" from the late 1970s)… And the Cartoon Network's late-night offspring Adult Swim will have brand-new episodes of "Mr. Pickles", "Robot Chicken" and "Rick and Morty" in the not-too-distant future... Already a big hit, a second season of Disney Channel's/Disney XD's reboot "DuckTales" is already in production. And later this fall, watch for a very special mash-up of two other cartoon shows into one big spectacular: "Phineas and Ferb meets Milo Murphy's Law"! (I can't wait to see 'Perry the Platypus' confront 'D.O.G.' myself)… Additional cartoon shows with talking animals in the months ahead include "The Ballad of Bea and Cad" (on Nickelodeon) and "Let's Go Luna!" (for PBS and PBS Kids)…
- - - - - - - - - - MISCELLANEOUS: June 19, 1978 is a special day for comic strip fans, as that was the day (40 years ago) when a relatively unknown cartoonist by the name of Jim Davis debuted his new opus entitled "Garfield". The title character was introduced by his owner - 'Jon Arbuckle' - as the fat cat uttered his first line (in the form of a though bubble): "Feed me." ...and he's been immortalized in comic history ever since. Or, as 'Garfield' would aptly put it, "Big, fat, hairy deal!"… Another milestone date was June 22, 1988 - 30 years ago - when Amblin Entertainment and Touchstone Pictures released "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" the highly-anticipated live-action/animated feature with comedian Charles Fleischer vocalizing the title role, and Bob Hoskins in the live role as detective 'Eddie Valiant'. Oscar-winning animator Richard Williams provided a staff of cel-artists to render countless cartoon characters - from both Disney and Warner Bros. studios - while regular film director Robert ("Forrest Gump") Zemekis worked on the live-action scenes. Consult a search engine near you for more details about "WFRR"... And June 24th of this year marks the 60th birthday of actor/fighter Tommy 'Tiny' Lister - the voice of 'Finnick' (the fennec fox who wore the baby elephant outfit) in Disney's "Zootopia"... Shades of Warhol! According to film historian Jerry Beck's "Cartoon Research" wall in Facebook, the Campbell's Soup Company will be presenting cans of its familiar tomato soup with three 'limited edition' labels, each one featuring a different image of 'Mickey Mouse' (in celebration of the Disney character's 90th anniversary). One label will feature the 1920s' version of 'Mickey' (from shorts like "Plane Crazy" and "Steamboat Willie"); another label will feature the 1930s' version of him (from shorts like "The Brave Little Tailor"), and the third label has the 1940s' and 1950s' version (ranging from his appearance in the feature film "Fantasia" to his first TV appearance on "The Mickey Mouse Club"). These commemorative cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup with Walt's most famous character will be coming to Target stores (and other major supermarkets) in mid-August, 2018... Earlier this year, I'd posted a 'photo-op' of a special "Zootopia" memento I had acquired - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26362620/ - depicting 'Nick' and 'Judy' in the form of a pair of unique statues (on one base), released by Enesco. For those of you who'd missed out on buying them, you're all going to get a second chance. The July, 2018 issue of "Previews" announced that the same "Zootopia" statues will be available again (at about $48.00 U.S. + sales tax), at stores where the monthly catalog publication is distributed. So, take advantage NOW!
"This Just In: I'm A Grand-Uncle!"
Posted 7 years agoLast year at this time, I was covering (in a ten-part journal) my first trip to New York City in nearly a quarter-of-a-century. The main reason my brother Glenn and I returned to the Northeast was to attend the wedding of our niece Corynne Pereira and her boyfriend Hector Duprey...
(BTW, if you'd like to read the first part of the above journal, go to this link: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8287821 )
A few months later, my bro and I had learned that Corynne was pregnant with the couple's first child, and was expecting to give birth within a 'two-week window' - before or after May 28, 2018. And, to keep everyone in suspense, she refused to have a sonogram - as she wanted to be surprised as to the gender of the baby...
As it turned out, the blessed event was so far behind schedule, the folks at the hospital decided to induce labor, so Corynne could have her newborn naturally. Even then, it took a long time (between contractions) for her to finally deliver...
Long story short, the baby entered our world after 12 Midnight on June 8, 2018... and it's a BOY! (And both mother and child are doing fine!) My ex-brother-in-law Paco Pereira made the official announcement via Facebook at 4:00 AM in the morning. He, my sister Rhonda, and several members of both the Pereiras and the Dupreys were hanging around the waiting room of the hospital's maternity ward for the big moment to occur...
ADDENDA: Here's some more details on the birth of Corynne Pereira Duprey's son:
The baby was born on Friday, June 8, 2018 at 12:47 AM, E.S.T., weighing 6 pounds and 13 ounces, and measuring 20.25 inches in height. The official birth name of this boy is Tristan Gabriel Duprey.
Meanwhile, those of you who still wanted to read my last journal "We Interrupt This Year: 1968" can go to the following link: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8759801/
(BTW, if you'd like to read the first part of the above journal, go to this link: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8287821 )
A few months later, my bro and I had learned that Corynne was pregnant with the couple's first child, and was expecting to give birth within a 'two-week window' - before or after May 28, 2018. And, to keep everyone in suspense, she refused to have a sonogram - as she wanted to be surprised as to the gender of the baby...
As it turned out, the blessed event was so far behind schedule, the folks at the hospital decided to induce labor, so Corynne could have her newborn naturally. Even then, it took a long time (between contractions) for her to finally deliver...
Long story short, the baby entered our world after 12 Midnight on June 8, 2018... and it's a BOY! (And both mother and child are doing fine!) My ex-brother-in-law Paco Pereira made the official announcement via Facebook at 4:00 AM in the morning. He, my sister Rhonda, and several members of both the Pereiras and the Dupreys were hanging around the waiting room of the hospital's maternity ward for the big moment to occur...
ADDENDA: Here's some more details on the birth of Corynne Pereira Duprey's son:
The baby was born on Friday, June 8, 2018 at 12:47 AM, E.S.T., weighing 6 pounds and 13 ounces, and measuring 20.25 inches in height. The official birth name of this boy is Tristan Gabriel Duprey.
Meanwhile, those of you who still wanted to read my last journal "We Interrupt This Year: 1968" can go to the following link: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8759801/
"We Interrupt This Year: 1968"
Posted 7 years agoI have a very unusual barometer for remembering certain dates in the past, by recalling specific TV shows I was watching at the time. This was especially true in the year 1968, when we got a brand new color TV, in the den of our old two-story home in Elmont, NY.
One of my favorite variety shows at the time was "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, E.S.T. on CBS (right after "The Ed Sullivan Show"). I'd enjoyed the music and antics of brothers Tom and Dick, as well as some of the show's regulars Pat Paulsen, Leigh French, Bob Einstein, and a young unknown writer named Steve Martin…
Unfortunately, I was upset on the night of Sunday, March 31, 1968, when "TSBCH" was unexpectedly preempted for an address by (then) President Lyndon B. Johnson. I thought it was going to be the usual fifteen-minute spiel about what a good job he was doing, and expected to only miss the first quarter of the show. But the address started to run longer and longer... twenty minutes... twenty-five minutes... a half-hour...
"I hope that this is leading up to something," I said to myself.
It was.
Forty-five minutes into his address, LBJ finally ended his address, by announcing that he wouldn't run for a 'second term' as president. But, instead of salvaging the last quarter of the show I wanted to watch, CBS reporters spent the last fifteen minutes analyzing the incumbent's address - including that last-minute surprise at the end.
Needless to say, I wasn't in a pleasant mood to go to school the next day, without my usual 'fix' of humor (to put me in it said mood), and I'd have to wait until Monday night, to get a different 'fix' from NBC's own variety show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"…
Generally speaking, my 'thing' was comedy, and on TV it came in all forms: variety shows, sitcoms, and even local New York children's shows - hosted by the likes of Sandy Becker and Chuck McCann (the latter host having just passed away earlier in 2018)…
So, on a typical Thursday night, on April 4, 1968, my parents allowed me to watch the color TV in the den, and I had it tuned to the local ABC affiliate, so I could watch "The Flying Nun" starring a young actress named Sally Field - who'd already did a previous sitcom in the mid-1960s called "Gidget" - and I couldn't wait to see what mischief 'Sister Bertrille' was going to get into that night. When suddenly...
"We interrupt this program, to bring you an important news bulletin..."
For the second time in a week, my TV-viewing habit was cut to the quick.
"THIS had better be important," I thought to myself, again...
It was.
The anchorman announced that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the target of an assassin's bullet at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. And ABC was going to continue coverage of this late-breaking bulletin. Eventually Dr. King succumbed, which led to a series of riots throughout the USA.
Now, at the time, I was too young and naïve to realize the importance of this news story. But I would later come to terms with the fact that this peaceful man of the cloth was using 'civil disobedience' to get his messages across, and many of his followers weren't following his example, after his death. Things couldn't possibly get worse than this...
But it did.
With the announcement of New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy's run for the 1968 Democratic nomination for President, I had all sorts of thoughts of how nice to have another Kennedy in the White House (having had relatives in the past - such as the Adams and the Roosevelts - running the country).
Naturally, on the evening of June 5, 1968, some of my favorite Tuesday night comedy shows were preempted for coverage of various primary results throughout portions of the USA, including California - where Senator Kennedy was running. I would've stayed up to watch the results, but I had school the next day, and Mom insisted that I get a good night's sleep...
When I woke up on the morning of June 6th, Mom had the kitchen radio on, when the announcement of RFK's assassination and death filled our home.
"Not again..." I'd thought to myself (a sentiment shared by the rest of the country, and the world).
A few days later, our family gathered around the color TV to watch the funeral service for the late senator - held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan - with brother Edward Kennedy performing the eulogy.
Later, there was live coverage of the funeral procession, as the senator's body traveled by train from New York City to Washington, D.C. (where he would be buried near his late brother President John F. Kennedy).
Keep in mind, back in 1968, there was no 'social media', no 'video games', and even no 'VCRs' to record this historic event. I had to keep myself entertained (even though most of the major TV networks were covering the funeral). And reading comic books or playing any of my boxed games were not as tasteful during a solemn moment as this...
So, I simply took out a deck of cards, and began playing Solitaire on the den carpeting. After two or three rounds, I got bored. So, I began to make a 'card castle' - stacking a few cards at a time. And then, for some obscure reason, I began to convert said castle into the shape of a 'figure eight', and I had enough leftover cards to make a 'second story'. Every few minutes, I would look up at the TV screen, to see which town the train (with Kennedy's body) had passed through, and the countless citizens (in mourning) standing alongside the tracks.
When I'd finished building my two-story 'card figure eight', I got out my Kodak Instamatic 104 camera and took a picture of it. (To this very day, I still have that photo - taken fifty years ago - which I hope to post here in this site.)
I still watch lots of television (maybe, too much television) - mostly comedy, in one form or another, but I'll never forget the images that stayed with me during that tragic year, 1968. And there will never be anything funny that will erase them from my mind...
One of my favorite variety shows at the time was "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, E.S.T. on CBS (right after "The Ed Sullivan Show"). I'd enjoyed the music and antics of brothers Tom and Dick, as well as some of the show's regulars Pat Paulsen, Leigh French, Bob Einstein, and a young unknown writer named Steve Martin…
Unfortunately, I was upset on the night of Sunday, March 31, 1968, when "TSBCH" was unexpectedly preempted for an address by (then) President Lyndon B. Johnson. I thought it was going to be the usual fifteen-minute spiel about what a good job he was doing, and expected to only miss the first quarter of the show. But the address started to run longer and longer... twenty minutes... twenty-five minutes... a half-hour...
"I hope that this is leading up to something," I said to myself.
It was.
Forty-five minutes into his address, LBJ finally ended his address, by announcing that he wouldn't run for a 'second term' as president. But, instead of salvaging the last quarter of the show I wanted to watch, CBS reporters spent the last fifteen minutes analyzing the incumbent's address - including that last-minute surprise at the end.
Needless to say, I wasn't in a pleasant mood to go to school the next day, without my usual 'fix' of humor (to put me in it said mood), and I'd have to wait until Monday night, to get a different 'fix' from NBC's own variety show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"…
Generally speaking, my 'thing' was comedy, and on TV it came in all forms: variety shows, sitcoms, and even local New York children's shows - hosted by the likes of Sandy Becker and Chuck McCann (the latter host having just passed away earlier in 2018)…
So, on a typical Thursday night, on April 4, 1968, my parents allowed me to watch the color TV in the den, and I had it tuned to the local ABC affiliate, so I could watch "The Flying Nun" starring a young actress named Sally Field - who'd already did a previous sitcom in the mid-1960s called "Gidget" - and I couldn't wait to see what mischief 'Sister Bertrille' was going to get into that night. When suddenly...
"We interrupt this program, to bring you an important news bulletin..."
For the second time in a week, my TV-viewing habit was cut to the quick.
"THIS had better be important," I thought to myself, again...
It was.
The anchorman announced that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the target of an assassin's bullet at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. And ABC was going to continue coverage of this late-breaking bulletin. Eventually Dr. King succumbed, which led to a series of riots throughout the USA.
Now, at the time, I was too young and naïve to realize the importance of this news story. But I would later come to terms with the fact that this peaceful man of the cloth was using 'civil disobedience' to get his messages across, and many of his followers weren't following his example, after his death. Things couldn't possibly get worse than this...
But it did.
With the announcement of New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy's run for the 1968 Democratic nomination for President, I had all sorts of thoughts of how nice to have another Kennedy in the White House (having had relatives in the past - such as the Adams and the Roosevelts - running the country).
Naturally, on the evening of June 5, 1968, some of my favorite Tuesday night comedy shows were preempted for coverage of various primary results throughout portions of the USA, including California - where Senator Kennedy was running. I would've stayed up to watch the results, but I had school the next day, and Mom insisted that I get a good night's sleep...
When I woke up on the morning of June 6th, Mom had the kitchen radio on, when the announcement of RFK's assassination and death filled our home.
"Not again..." I'd thought to myself (a sentiment shared by the rest of the country, and the world).
A few days later, our family gathered around the color TV to watch the funeral service for the late senator - held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan - with brother Edward Kennedy performing the eulogy.
Later, there was live coverage of the funeral procession, as the senator's body traveled by train from New York City to Washington, D.C. (where he would be buried near his late brother President John F. Kennedy).
Keep in mind, back in 1968, there was no 'social media', no 'video games', and even no 'VCRs' to record this historic event. I had to keep myself entertained (even though most of the major TV networks were covering the funeral). And reading comic books or playing any of my boxed games were not as tasteful during a solemn moment as this...
So, I simply took out a deck of cards, and began playing Solitaire on the den carpeting. After two or three rounds, I got bored. So, I began to make a 'card castle' - stacking a few cards at a time. And then, for some obscure reason, I began to convert said castle into the shape of a 'figure eight', and I had enough leftover cards to make a 'second story'. Every few minutes, I would look up at the TV screen, to see which town the train (with Kennedy's body) had passed through, and the countless citizens (in mourning) standing alongside the tracks.
When I'd finished building my two-story 'card figure eight', I got out my Kodak Instamatic 104 camera and took a picture of it. (To this very day, I still have that photo - taken fifty years ago - which I hope to post here in this site.)
I still watch lots of television (maybe, too much television) - mostly comedy, in one form or another, but I'll never forget the images that stayed with me during that tragic year, 1968. And there will never be anything funny that will erase them from my mind...
"Coming Attractions" #57
Posted 7 years agoDespite several setbacks and postponements, I will attempt to provide you with a lot more material in June than in May (my last 'sweeps month')…
I'll have a few new "EFF" ("Extraordinarily Fat Furries") and "Front & Back" comic gags, plus an occasional doodle or two (when I don't have the time to do a full-color project)…
I'll have several new 'photo-ops' to post on "Throwback Thursday" (mostly coming from the digital camera feature of my smartphone). The subject matter will include (non-anthro) animals, interesting scenery, and a couple of extra surprises...
As for my journals, I'll try to provide the latest 'furry news' (via my "Fur-One-One" column), another review of 'animal commercials on TV' from YouTube, and a few personal observations of my life...
All that and more, coming up in June. So, hang in there!
I'll have a few new "EFF" ("Extraordinarily Fat Furries") and "Front & Back" comic gags, plus an occasional doodle or two (when I don't have the time to do a full-color project)…
I'll have several new 'photo-ops' to post on "Throwback Thursday" (mostly coming from the digital camera feature of my smartphone). The subject matter will include (non-anthro) animals, interesting scenery, and a couple of extra surprises...
As for my journals, I'll try to provide the latest 'furry news' (via my "Fur-One-One" column), another review of 'animal commercials on TV' from YouTube, and a few personal observations of my life...
All that and more, coming up in June. So, hang in there!
"Last-Minute Change-Of-Plans"
Posted 7 years agoMy original intention for this past week was to post my latest edition of "Fur-One-One" (furry news, which originally appeared in the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle"), but I had to alter my plans for a number of reasons...
The main reason, for now, is that the entire state of Florida is undergoing a "storm warning" - due to the impending arrival of 'Subtropical Storm Alberto' (which, at the time of this posting, is currently heading north through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico). And, with the start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season less than a week away, I want to get prepared for all emergency scenarios in my area...
Ironically, my brother Glenn, who just acquired his new used Mini-Cooper station wagon - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27451865/ - chose this weekend to drive it upstate from Margate to Hudson, and visit some of his friends... who live on Florida's Gulf Coast (a potential 'danger zone' for 'Alberto'). He will hopefully return to Oriole Gardens by Tuesday *fingers crossed*...
Lastly, my niece Corynne (of East Rockaway, NY - which has also experienced severe thunderstorm weather) is due to have her first baby, any day now. And I'd hate to preempt my "Fur-One-One" report with news of this blessed event. So, I'd decided to postpone my 'furry news' journal until the first week of June. So, please be patient...
The main reason, for now, is that the entire state of Florida is undergoing a "storm warning" - due to the impending arrival of 'Subtropical Storm Alberto' (which, at the time of this posting, is currently heading north through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico). And, with the start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season less than a week away, I want to get prepared for all emergency scenarios in my area...
Ironically, my brother Glenn, who just acquired his new used Mini-Cooper station wagon - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27451865/ - chose this weekend to drive it upstate from Margate to Hudson, and visit some of his friends... who live on Florida's Gulf Coast (a potential 'danger zone' for 'Alberto'). He will hopefully return to Oriole Gardens by Tuesday *fingers crossed*...
Lastly, my niece Corynne (of East Rockaway, NY - which has also experienced severe thunderstorm weather) is due to have her first baby, any day now. And I'd hate to preempt my "Fur-One-One" report with news of this blessed event. So, I'd decided to postpone my 'furry news' journal until the first week of June. So, please be patient...
"A Brief Heart-To-Heart..." (Follow-Up)
Posted 7 years agoJust to update you on things, I went to the Northwest Medical Center in Margate, on the morning of May 9, 2018, to possibly undergo an 'angioplasty procedure' (an implant of a stent in one of the arteries of my circulatory system) - following three tests I'd taken (over the last two weeks), leading to the discovery of an 80% blockage in one of the vessels...
My brother Glenn was nice enough to get up early, and drive me to the hospital. We arrived just in time for the 6:00 AM appointment, at one of its newly-opened extensions. (In fact, Northwest Medical was still under construction, while me and the other patients were each waiting our respective turns to see a doctor.)
Seated in the waiting room, with an HDTV tuned to the local ABC News affiliate, I was would eventually have my name called by a receptionist at the front desk. A security guard asked me to empty my shorts pockets (of wallet, keys, and my smartphone), and a small plastic shopping bag (containing my meds). After filling out a short questionnaire, and providing the receptionist with my I.D. card, as well as Medicare and Medicaid cards, I would later be required to have some blood taken from my left arm.
Afterwards, I returned to the waiting room for further instructions. It was there that I'd discovered that one of the other patients was one of my neighbors from Oriole Gardens (and the person who drove her there was yet another recognizable friend from yet another building from the same condo complex)!
"Small world," I'd said to them... Well, someone had to say it!
The neighbor patient and I were then called forward, to follow one of the female doctors to the cardiology wing of the hospital. There we each settled into separate bays to await further instructions.
In my bay, I was asked to remove my clothes (and store them all in a large clear plastic bag), put on a hospital gown, and sit on a mobile stretcher/bed. Eventually, the doctor and her assistant began to shave the hair off parts of my body for the E.K.G. stickers. They even shaved off all the hair on my right arm, in order to apply the catheter to my blood stream (where iodine would be pumped in during my procedure). It was when they began to shave around my private parts that I began to worry... and NO, not for THAT reason! I was worried that, for the second time in my life, the angioplasty (rod, balloon, and stent) would be inserted by way of an artery, with the incision taking place around my groin!
At 8:45 AM, the stretcher/bed was wheeled into the O.R., where I met the surgeon who was about to perform the procedure. I slid off onto a lower table, where my arms and legs were properly positioned. The iodine and saline solution was entered through the catheter, as I began to slowly fall asleep (or, as they'd like to call it, being in 'twilight').
As I'd dropped off into 'La-La-Land', I began to wonder if I'll be staying at the hospital for several days, laying in a horizontal position with a weight on my groin, until the incision completely heals up (just like the last time, back in September, 2001). I began to fantasize visitors (friends and family, real and fictional, humans and anthropomorphic characters) coming to see me during my recovery...
I slowly began to wake up, to discover that I had returned to the bay I'd came from. I'd asked the doctor's assistant for my smartphone, so I can check the time on it. It read 10:44 AM. It was then that I'd noticed one obvious thing: I didn't have a weight, pressing down on my groin. They didn't make an incision there.
"Did the doctor insert the stent through my arm?" I'd asked the assistant.
"You didn't need the stent this time," she replied. "The blockage wasn't as intense as first speculated. They thought it was 80%, when (in fact) it was only a 40-to-50% build-up of plaque. You'll be able to leave here this afternoon."
Relieved to hear this good news, I began to text my sister Rhonda (back in New York), my friend Philip (from Reading, Pennsylvania), and my amigo Funimal (down in Miami).
I took a short break from all communications, to have breakfast in bed (delivered from the hospital's cafeteria), consisting of two pancakes with syrup, a bowl of oatmeal, one scrambled egg, a small serving of fruit cocktail, a cup of hot coffee and a pint of 2% milk. Since my right hand was sort of constricted during the procedure, I had to eat my meal using only my left hand (which was a slow and tedious process).
Later on, the doctor gave me a list of "Dos and Dont's" to perform at home, during my recovery - including to take showers only (no hot baths), no long walks or bike-riding, not to drive any type of car (which was no problem, as I have no car or driver's license to speak of), and not to operate any heavy equipment (which scuttles my plans to rent out that John Deere tractor)!
More importantly, I have limit the prescribed meds I'm currently taking. I can still take my Plavix knock-off, but I cannot take baby aspirin for a few days. (They are both blood thinners, but the aspirin is stronger, and might hinder the recovery.) I also have to change the bandages on the incisions of my right arm, four times, before it would completely heal. I have to remember to wash the arm with soap and water, and apply an antibiotic cream to the incisions, before applying a fresh bandage...
Using my smartphone, I'd contacted Glenn, and asked him to pick me up - which he did, after 1:00 PM. He felt just as relieved as I was, having to deal neither with heart surgery, nor angioplasty.
We drove to the strip mall across the street from Oriole Gardens, where I bought some Neosporin (antibiotic cream) at a pharmacy, and a small fruit salad (consisting of chunks of melon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, plus grapes and strawberries) at the supermarket next door.
Returning to my condo, I was able to relax, safe in the knowledge that I wasn't going to have signs of a heart attack or stroke any time soon. It's now just a matter of getting the "O.K." from the cardiologist (assigned to me by my 'primary provider'), before having to see one more physician - later in the month - for one last medical ritual... a colonoscopy! (And, compared to THAT, the fear of having an angioplasty procedure was the real "pain-in-the-butt"!)
My brother Glenn was nice enough to get up early, and drive me to the hospital. We arrived just in time for the 6:00 AM appointment, at one of its newly-opened extensions. (In fact, Northwest Medical was still under construction, while me and the other patients were each waiting our respective turns to see a doctor.)
Seated in the waiting room, with an HDTV tuned to the local ABC News affiliate, I was would eventually have my name called by a receptionist at the front desk. A security guard asked me to empty my shorts pockets (of wallet, keys, and my smartphone), and a small plastic shopping bag (containing my meds). After filling out a short questionnaire, and providing the receptionist with my I.D. card, as well as Medicare and Medicaid cards, I would later be required to have some blood taken from my left arm.
Afterwards, I returned to the waiting room for further instructions. It was there that I'd discovered that one of the other patients was one of my neighbors from Oriole Gardens (and the person who drove her there was yet another recognizable friend from yet another building from the same condo complex)!
"Small world," I'd said to them... Well, someone had to say it!
The neighbor patient and I were then called forward, to follow one of the female doctors to the cardiology wing of the hospital. There we each settled into separate bays to await further instructions.
In my bay, I was asked to remove my clothes (and store them all in a large clear plastic bag), put on a hospital gown, and sit on a mobile stretcher/bed. Eventually, the doctor and her assistant began to shave the hair off parts of my body for the E.K.G. stickers. They even shaved off all the hair on my right arm, in order to apply the catheter to my blood stream (where iodine would be pumped in during my procedure). It was when they began to shave around my private parts that I began to worry... and NO, not for THAT reason! I was worried that, for the second time in my life, the angioplasty (rod, balloon, and stent) would be inserted by way of an artery, with the incision taking place around my groin!
At 8:45 AM, the stretcher/bed was wheeled into the O.R., where I met the surgeon who was about to perform the procedure. I slid off onto a lower table, where my arms and legs were properly positioned. The iodine and saline solution was entered through the catheter, as I began to slowly fall asleep (or, as they'd like to call it, being in 'twilight').
As I'd dropped off into 'La-La-Land', I began to wonder if I'll be staying at the hospital for several days, laying in a horizontal position with a weight on my groin, until the incision completely heals up (just like the last time, back in September, 2001). I began to fantasize visitors (friends and family, real and fictional, humans and anthropomorphic characters) coming to see me during my recovery...
I slowly began to wake up, to discover that I had returned to the bay I'd came from. I'd asked the doctor's assistant for my smartphone, so I can check the time on it. It read 10:44 AM. It was then that I'd noticed one obvious thing: I didn't have a weight, pressing down on my groin. They didn't make an incision there.
"Did the doctor insert the stent through my arm?" I'd asked the assistant.
"You didn't need the stent this time," she replied. "The blockage wasn't as intense as first speculated. They thought it was 80%, when (in fact) it was only a 40-to-50% build-up of plaque. You'll be able to leave here this afternoon."
Relieved to hear this good news, I began to text my sister Rhonda (back in New York), my friend Philip (from Reading, Pennsylvania), and my amigo Funimal (down in Miami).
I took a short break from all communications, to have breakfast in bed (delivered from the hospital's cafeteria), consisting of two pancakes with syrup, a bowl of oatmeal, one scrambled egg, a small serving of fruit cocktail, a cup of hot coffee and a pint of 2% milk. Since my right hand was sort of constricted during the procedure, I had to eat my meal using only my left hand (which was a slow and tedious process).
Later on, the doctor gave me a list of "Dos and Dont's" to perform at home, during my recovery - including to take showers only (no hot baths), no long walks or bike-riding, not to drive any type of car (which was no problem, as I have no car or driver's license to speak of), and not to operate any heavy equipment (which scuttles my plans to rent out that John Deere tractor)!
More importantly, I have limit the prescribed meds I'm currently taking. I can still take my Plavix knock-off, but I cannot take baby aspirin for a few days. (They are both blood thinners, but the aspirin is stronger, and might hinder the recovery.) I also have to change the bandages on the incisions of my right arm, four times, before it would completely heal. I have to remember to wash the arm with soap and water, and apply an antibiotic cream to the incisions, before applying a fresh bandage...
Using my smartphone, I'd contacted Glenn, and asked him to pick me up - which he did, after 1:00 PM. He felt just as relieved as I was, having to deal neither with heart surgery, nor angioplasty.
We drove to the strip mall across the street from Oriole Gardens, where I bought some Neosporin (antibiotic cream) at a pharmacy, and a small fruit salad (consisting of chunks of melon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, plus grapes and strawberries) at the supermarket next door.
Returning to my condo, I was able to relax, safe in the knowledge that I wasn't going to have signs of a heart attack or stroke any time soon. It's now just a matter of getting the "O.K." from the cardiologist (assigned to me by my 'primary provider'), before having to see one more physician - later in the month - for one last medical ritual... a colonoscopy! (And, compared to THAT, the fear of having an angioplasty procedure was the real "pain-in-the-butt"!)
"A Brief Heart-To-Heart..."
Posted 7 years agoI will be away from "Fur Affinity" for a few days, as I have to check into a hospital for a routine circulatory system procedure...
It all began a couple of weeks ago, when I'd finally obtained my Medicare card, and began to look for a 'primary provider' (or a main doctor, of sorts), and found one located in Coconut Creek, Florida (just to the east of Margate, where I live).
Said doctor assigned me to two other physicians: a cardiologist in Margate (to check out my heart), and a specialist in Coral Springs (who plans to give me a colonoscopy at a later date).
I'd started with two tests assigned by said cardiologist: a "stress test" (on a treadmill) one day, and a "sonogram" (or X-rays of my heart) a few days later. For some reason, I was requested to have a third test, in the form of having a "CAT Scan" (at a separate facility in Fort Lauderdale). And he would inform me about the results within a 24-48 hour period...
By the time I'd received said results, I was already in Orlando (for a two-day sabbatical with Funimal). I was in a Publix Supermarket (helping a friend with her grocery shopping), when my smartphone rang. It was the cardiologist, who finally informed me of the outcome of those three tests. Apparently, one of my arteries was 80% blocked with a build-up of plaque, and I have to go to a specialized medical facility for a possible 'angioplasty' procedure...
(For the uninformed, 'angioplasty' involves in the insertion of a long, thin rod throughout one of the main veins of my circulatory system, until it reaches the congested area - that's keeping the blood from flowing properly. A special 'balloon' at the end of said rod is inflated - loosening the plaque until it moves along with the flowing blood - and a 'stent' is installed - which prevents this situation from reoccurring in the same area of this vessel.)
Of course, I'm no stranger to 'angioplasty'. I've had this procedure two separate times. The first time was back in September, 2001, when I had suffered an "angina attack", and the rod (with the 'balloon' and the 'stent') were inserted by way of an artery in my groin (Ouch!)... And the second time took place earlier in this decade - following a "mini-stroke" - with another rod inserted in my arm.
Since the aforementioned tests found the 80% blockage, the doctors were ahead of the game, and they are hoping to relieve me of the congestion before another serious heart condition is to occur. Hence, the impending appointment at the hospital, and a hiatus from my computer (and this site).
I hope to reveal the results of the procedure in my next journal. So, please be patient (no pun intended)...
It all began a couple of weeks ago, when I'd finally obtained my Medicare card, and began to look for a 'primary provider' (or a main doctor, of sorts), and found one located in Coconut Creek, Florida (just to the east of Margate, where I live).
Said doctor assigned me to two other physicians: a cardiologist in Margate (to check out my heart), and a specialist in Coral Springs (who plans to give me a colonoscopy at a later date).
I'd started with two tests assigned by said cardiologist: a "stress test" (on a treadmill) one day, and a "sonogram" (or X-rays of my heart) a few days later. For some reason, I was requested to have a third test, in the form of having a "CAT Scan" (at a separate facility in Fort Lauderdale). And he would inform me about the results within a 24-48 hour period...
By the time I'd received said results, I was already in Orlando (for a two-day sabbatical with Funimal). I was in a Publix Supermarket (helping a friend with her grocery shopping), when my smartphone rang. It was the cardiologist, who finally informed me of the outcome of those three tests. Apparently, one of my arteries was 80% blocked with a build-up of plaque, and I have to go to a specialized medical facility for a possible 'angioplasty' procedure...
(For the uninformed, 'angioplasty' involves in the insertion of a long, thin rod throughout one of the main veins of my circulatory system, until it reaches the congested area - that's keeping the blood from flowing properly. A special 'balloon' at the end of said rod is inflated - loosening the plaque until it moves along with the flowing blood - and a 'stent' is installed - which prevents this situation from reoccurring in the same area of this vessel.)
Of course, I'm no stranger to 'angioplasty'. I've had this procedure two separate times. The first time was back in September, 2001, when I had suffered an "angina attack", and the rod (with the 'balloon' and the 'stent') were inserted by way of an artery in my groin (Ouch!)... And the second time took place earlier in this decade - following a "mini-stroke" - with another rod inserted in my arm.
Since the aforementioned tests found the 80% blockage, the doctors were ahead of the game, and they are hoping to relieve me of the congestion before another serious heart condition is to occur. Hence, the impending appointment at the hospital, and a hiatus from my computer (and this site).
I hope to reveal the results of the procedure in my next journal. So, please be patient (no pun intended)...
"Coming Attractions" #56
Posted 7 years agoHere it is - May, 2018 (another 'sweeps month') - and I'm hoping to post a lot more stuff in my "FA" site than in previous months...
As far as my art goes, I'll attempt to post new "Front & Back" gags, new editions of my "EFF" strips, and an occasional "Throwaway Gag"...
"Throwback Thursday" will be chockfull of new 'photo-ops' (most of them coming from the digital camera feature of my new smartphone).
And upcoming 'Journals' will include more of my personal observations, a new edition of "Fur-One-One" ('furry news' in the media), and more "Animal Commercial" reviews...
I'm playing this all by ear, so please be patient in waiting for my latest material. Thank you...
As far as my art goes, I'll attempt to post new "Front & Back" gags, new editions of my "EFF" strips, and an occasional "Throwaway Gag"...
"Throwback Thursday" will be chockfull of new 'photo-ops' (most of them coming from the digital camera feature of my new smartphone).
And upcoming 'Journals' will include more of my personal observations, a new edition of "Fur-One-One" ('furry news' in the media), and more "Animal Commercial" reviews...
I'm playing this all by ear, so please be patient in waiting for my latest material. Thank you...
"Latest Animal Commercials of 2018"
Posted 7 years agoIt's been a while since the last time I'd presented some of the newest TV commercials with animals in them. So, I thought I'd list my favorite choices from YouTube - each one being thirty seconds long (unless otherwise noted) - for your amusement and entertainment...
XYZAL: "Try XYZAL Free" (:16): In this spot, the anthropomorphic owl continues to get one's attention (for the med), this time by playing the piano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPoAG2Olj5U
Regions Bank: "Facing Your Fears" (1:00): One of the more unusual adverts (promoting the bank's 'Lock-It' service) has a human representative talking to a small herd of fainting goats seated around a business room table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXUnb4JcoQM
Regions Bank: "Break Room": A shorter spot finds the same human talking to said goats in the break room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3B_YaTKwA
Seresto: "Seresto Chant": The new flea-and-tick collar (from Bayer) is touted by a large dog, who tends to bring other things into the house (besides all those parasites), as he sings (to himself) a little ditty about said collar...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BleLWSHr9MA
K9 Advantix: Another pet care product (from Bayer) features talking dogs - with a weimaraner as its main spokescanine...
"Neighbor Dogs": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxKosgASfcA
"Flamethrower" (:11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNcW6vXOYZl
"Flyswatter" (:11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKZWPWn0k1E
"Blooper Reel" #1 (:24): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212nGyT2rKE
"Blooper Reel" #2 (:19): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3bsgYGMMc0
Subaru: "The Barkley Series": A family of golden retrievers star in a series of commercials, promoting the latest models of Subaru vehicles. Here are three of them...
"Drop Off": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxAU0DFw-84
"Car Wash": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5QlzicOhY
"Drive Away": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rp7n5vsM5U
Lunchables: "Mix It Up": In the newest series of spots for (Oscar Mayer's) Lunchables, boring situations are remedied by human youngsters who push a button, and have oddball animals 'Jacky' (the jackalope) and 'Platy' (the platypus) show up to set things right (or, a little off-right, as the case may be). Now, that's mixed up!
"Wrestling": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhaOpS83CXl
"Hair Salon": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEh3tclw760
Farmers Insurance: Another series of commercials - providing a service to its consumers is Farmers, featuring character actor J.K. Simmons. Past spots included animals who were partially responsible for damage (such as the moose and the playground swing set, and the hamster who'd crawled up the pants leg of a motorist). Let's see if you'll enjoy these latest critters in these two new adverts...
"Close Claws": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQcZZp19wVc
"Vengeful Vermin" (:15): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g39zAMX68r8
Blue Bunny: "Pants": The ice cream company brought back its colorful lapine characters in a new spot, talking directly to some humans (instead of to himself), as he managed to take (and organize) the clothing in the household. What this has to do with the product is any-bunny's guess!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txaKNSPKrOE
Rover.com: "Walk It Out" (1:00): This dog-walking service presents a musical montage of mutts and purebreds - being taken out for their daily constitutionals (to a very hip beat).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umlfvg29Rzc
Geico: Latest ad campaigns: There are currently three different ad campaigns for the car and home insurance company - each one involving an animal. Check them out...
"Manatees": In its 'Surprised?" campaign, a family visiting an aquarium are taken aback by a quartet of sea cows, each one dressed up for the occasion... the manatees, that is, not the family!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwPMELulaqA
"McGruff": The legendary cartoon hound (from PSAs) is being 'baby-talked' to by human police officers, in the Geico campaign with the human announcer appearing at the end...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwz9X6ejuiQ
"Avengers Movie Tie-In": Of course, no commercial from Geico would complete without one spot featuring its CGI gecko. And with the upcoming Marvel Studios' feature "Avengers: Infinity War" coming to theaters real soon, our little friend manages to promote the highly-anticipated flick and still push the benefits of auto insurance, all within the span of half-a-minute!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGRF7honCns
Troekurovo Poultry Farm: "Fox Family" (2016): This cel-animated commercial from Russia depicts the patriarch of a vulpine brood, bringing home dinner while being chased by a trio of dogs (who he easily manages to outwit). I saw this last week on Facebook, and I'd managed to trace it back to YouTube. So, if you haven't seen it yet, prepare to be amazed and amused!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRp8VR8lrKY
As usual, if I'd made mistakes with any of the characters in each link, just go to the 'Search' section on the top of the YouTube 'Home' page and type in the name of the product/service and the subject matter of each commercial.
I hope to have more fun with fauna from Madison Avenue and elsewhere in the near future...
- - - - - - - - - - XYZAL: "Try XYZAL Free" (:16): In this spot, the anthropomorphic owl continues to get one's attention (for the med), this time by playing the piano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPoAG2Olj5U
Regions Bank: "Facing Your Fears" (1:00): One of the more unusual adverts (promoting the bank's 'Lock-It' service) has a human representative talking to a small herd of fainting goats seated around a business room table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXUnb4JcoQM
Regions Bank: "Break Room": A shorter spot finds the same human talking to said goats in the break room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3B_YaTKwA
Seresto: "Seresto Chant": The new flea-and-tick collar (from Bayer) is touted by a large dog, who tends to bring other things into the house (besides all those parasites), as he sings (to himself) a little ditty about said collar...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BleLWSHr9MA
K9 Advantix: Another pet care product (from Bayer) features talking dogs - with a weimaraner as its main spokescanine...
"Neighbor Dogs": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxKosgASfcA
"Flamethrower" (:11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNcW6vXOYZl
"Flyswatter" (:11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKZWPWn0k1E
"Blooper Reel" #1 (:24): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212nGyT2rKE
"Blooper Reel" #2 (:19): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3bsgYGMMc0
Subaru: "The Barkley Series": A family of golden retrievers star in a series of commercials, promoting the latest models of Subaru vehicles. Here are three of them...
"Drop Off": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxAU0DFw-84
"Car Wash": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5QlzicOhY
"Drive Away": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rp7n5vsM5U
Lunchables: "Mix It Up": In the newest series of spots for (Oscar Mayer's) Lunchables, boring situations are remedied by human youngsters who push a button, and have oddball animals 'Jacky' (the jackalope) and 'Platy' (the platypus) show up to set things right (or, a little off-right, as the case may be). Now, that's mixed up!
"Wrestling": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhaOpS83CXl
"Hair Salon": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEh3tclw760
Farmers Insurance: Another series of commercials - providing a service to its consumers is Farmers, featuring character actor J.K. Simmons. Past spots included animals who were partially responsible for damage (such as the moose and the playground swing set, and the hamster who'd crawled up the pants leg of a motorist). Let's see if you'll enjoy these latest critters in these two new adverts...
"Close Claws": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQcZZp19wVc
"Vengeful Vermin" (:15): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g39zAMX68r8
Blue Bunny: "Pants": The ice cream company brought back its colorful lapine characters in a new spot, talking directly to some humans (instead of to himself), as he managed to take (and organize) the clothing in the household. What this has to do with the product is any-bunny's guess!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txaKNSPKrOE
Rover.com: "Walk It Out" (1:00): This dog-walking service presents a musical montage of mutts and purebreds - being taken out for their daily constitutionals (to a very hip beat).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umlfvg29Rzc
Geico: Latest ad campaigns: There are currently three different ad campaigns for the car and home insurance company - each one involving an animal. Check them out...
"Manatees": In its 'Surprised?" campaign, a family visiting an aquarium are taken aback by a quartet of sea cows, each one dressed up for the occasion... the manatees, that is, not the family!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwPMELulaqA
"McGruff": The legendary cartoon hound (from PSAs) is being 'baby-talked' to by human police officers, in the Geico campaign with the human announcer appearing at the end...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwz9X6ejuiQ
"Avengers Movie Tie-In": Of course, no commercial from Geico would complete without one spot featuring its CGI gecko. And with the upcoming Marvel Studios' feature "Avengers: Infinity War" coming to theaters real soon, our little friend manages to promote the highly-anticipated flick and still push the benefits of auto insurance, all within the span of half-a-minute!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGRF7honCns
- - - - - - - - - -
BONUS FOREIGN COMMERCIAL Troekurovo Poultry Farm: "Fox Family" (2016): This cel-animated commercial from Russia depicts the patriarch of a vulpine brood, bringing home dinner while being chased by a trio of dogs (who he easily manages to outwit). I saw this last week on Facebook, and I'd managed to trace it back to YouTube. So, if you haven't seen it yet, prepare to be amazed and amused!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRp8VR8lrKY
- - - - - - - - - - As usual, if I'd made mistakes with any of the characters in each link, just go to the 'Search' section on the top of the YouTube 'Home' page and type in the name of the product/service and the subject matter of each commercial.
I hope to have more fun with fauna from Madison Avenue and elsewhere in the near future...
"Coming Attractions" #55
Posted 7 years agoSpring is here (although some parts of the USA are still getting snowed on), and I'm hoping to present a lot of new material in my "Fur Affinity" site...
For example, April is "National Poetry Month", so I hope to create and post some new "Extraordinarily Fat Furries" comic strip gags with verses in the form of haiku and limericks. Speaking of "EFF", I'll also come up with additional 'Acronyms' for some of the corpulent characters appearing in "FA". All that, plus plenty of new "Front & Back" gags, an occasional doodle (old or new), and one or two pieces of "Zootopia" fan art...
I'll also have brand new "Su-Dis-Ku" puzzles (lettered Sudoku with Disney trivia), for those of you who like a little mental challenge, once in a while. And (time permitting) I hope to render a special art piece in celebration of my 150,000th 'page view' (which I estimate will occur, later this month)...
As for my 'photo-ops' (usually presented on "Throwback Thursday"), I hope to present more nature snapshots, one-of-a-kind photos of unusual buildings and vehicles, and all-new pix of some more "Zootopia Mementos" (from my expanding collection)...
Finally, upcoming journals will include new editions of "Fur-One-One", "Animal Commercials", and some more personal observations of my life...
Your 'shouts' and 'comments' are always welcome. And I appreciate some of the 'newbies' who'd added my "FA" site on your respective 'watch lists'. Here's hoping that I'll come through in a clutch...
For example, April is "National Poetry Month", so I hope to create and post some new "Extraordinarily Fat Furries" comic strip gags with verses in the form of haiku and limericks. Speaking of "EFF", I'll also come up with additional 'Acronyms' for some of the corpulent characters appearing in "FA". All that, plus plenty of new "Front & Back" gags, an occasional doodle (old or new), and one or two pieces of "Zootopia" fan art...
I'll also have brand new "Su-Dis-Ku" puzzles (lettered Sudoku with Disney trivia), for those of you who like a little mental challenge, once in a while. And (time permitting) I hope to render a special art piece in celebration of my 150,000th 'page view' (which I estimate will occur, later this month)...
As for my 'photo-ops' (usually presented on "Throwback Thursday"), I hope to present more nature snapshots, one-of-a-kind photos of unusual buildings and vehicles, and all-new pix of some more "Zootopia Mementos" (from my expanding collection)...
Finally, upcoming journals will include new editions of "Fur-One-One", "Animal Commercials", and some more personal observations of my life...
Your 'shouts' and 'comments' are always welcome. And I appreciate some of the 'newbies' who'd added my "FA" site on your respective 'watch lists'. Here's hoping that I'll come through in a clutch...
"Fur-One-One" for March, 2018
Posted 7 years agoTELEVISION: Not all TV shows with animal characters in them are 'family entertainment'. Two such programs will be returning later this year with all new episodes...
First, there's the bizarre graphic-novel-turned-miniseries "Happy" (which ran in December, 2017 through January, 2018 on SYFY), the story of a raunchy former cop (Christopher Meloni) who suddenly ends up trying to solve the case of a missing child - who turns out to be his daughter - assisted by (of all things) her 'imaginary friend', a wacky-looking horse/unicorn hybrid named 'Happy' (voiced by Patton Oswalt). The show was rated TV-MA for foul language, extreme violence, acts of sexual perversion, lots of nudity; Like I'd said, not 'family entertainment'! And yet, there was something captivating about seeing the ex-cop and the CGI make-believe critter interacting with one another on the streets of New York - even when nobody else in town can see or hear the latter character. Well, SYFY announced that a second season of "Happy" is already in production, with the first new episode to air before the end of 2018...
Another TV-MA series with talking vermin is "Animals", the unusual hit cartoon show from Duplass Brothers Productions (Season Three of which will begin airing this Spring on HBO). Once again, various fauna from NYC (rats, cats, dogs, pigeons, horses, etc.) are the focus of this series, with humans as its secondary cast. (The original subplot involved a mysterious corporation, where some of these animals were experimented on, only to eventually escape the lab, spreading a disease that decimates the city's population.) It will be interesting to see what the new season of this limited animated show will bring, and who will be providing guest voices. (Past guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, and Jon Lovitz.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
A more popular show on Animal Planet is "The Zoo", where the animals at the Bronx Zoo (in NYC) are treated for all sorts of medical emergencies. In the Season Two premiere (Saturday at 9 PM, E.S.T.), a young kudu (who resides amongst Thompson gazelles) can hardly stand up, while an elderly kangaroo named 'Dave' gets a holistic treatment, instead of service from the usual veterinary staff. If any of you had missed Season One of "The Zoo", you can see all of the episodes on Animal Planet GO...
The Disney CGI feature film "Zootopia" will be leaving Netflix on Tuesday, March 20th, and will officially make its American Disney Channel debut on Sunday, March 25th (exactly two years and three weeks after its theatrical premiere in the USA). Consult your local Cable TV listings for the time in your area when it airs...
LITERATURE: Last year, there were some incredible fictional novels with animals in them, such as Sara Pennypacker's "Pax" (the story of a boy and a rescued fox kit - told through the P.O.V. of each character - from Balzer + Bray), and the James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein collaboration "Word of Mouse (the tale of an escaped lab mouse who befriends a young girl who can understand him - from Little, Brown and Company). Well, this year one of the first literary works worth picking up is Mira Bartok's "The Wonderling" (Candlewick Press). Originating at Mrs. Carbunkle's Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, we meet a one-eared, nameless part-fox/part-human, who befriends an avian 'groundling'. Together, the duo escapes the confines of this home (and its evil owner), and go on a quest to seek out the former character's destiny. Given a subtitle "Songcatcher", I have the feeling that sequels to "The Wonderling" are in the offing. But check out the first volume. You might enjoy it enough to buy subsequent volumes...
MOVIES: Coming in November, 2018 is the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (Warner Bros.) - written for the screen by "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling - with all-new CGI creatures, bound to captivate audiences worldwide! Returning are cast members Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller, with such newbies as Jude Law and Johnny Depp joining in. You can check out the trailer to "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwand" (Depp's character) on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBIr79rx4A
First, there's the bizarre graphic-novel-turned-miniseries "Happy" (which ran in December, 2017 through January, 2018 on SYFY), the story of a raunchy former cop (Christopher Meloni) who suddenly ends up trying to solve the case of a missing child - who turns out to be his daughter - assisted by (of all things) her 'imaginary friend', a wacky-looking horse/unicorn hybrid named 'Happy' (voiced by Patton Oswalt). The show was rated TV-MA for foul language, extreme violence, acts of sexual perversion, lots of nudity; Like I'd said, not 'family entertainment'! And yet, there was something captivating about seeing the ex-cop and the CGI make-believe critter interacting with one another on the streets of New York - even when nobody else in town can see or hear the latter character. Well, SYFY announced that a second season of "Happy" is already in production, with the first new episode to air before the end of 2018...
Another TV-MA series with talking vermin is "Animals", the unusual hit cartoon show from Duplass Brothers Productions (Season Three of which will begin airing this Spring on HBO). Once again, various fauna from NYC (rats, cats, dogs, pigeons, horses, etc.) are the focus of this series, with humans as its secondary cast. (The original subplot involved a mysterious corporation, where some of these animals were experimented on, only to eventually escape the lab, spreading a disease that decimates the city's population.) It will be interesting to see what the new season of this limited animated show will bring, and who will be providing guest voices. (Past guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, and Jon Lovitz.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
A more popular show on Animal Planet is "The Zoo", where the animals at the Bronx Zoo (in NYC) are treated for all sorts of medical emergencies. In the Season Two premiere (Saturday at 9 PM, E.S.T.), a young kudu (who resides amongst Thompson gazelles) can hardly stand up, while an elderly kangaroo named 'Dave' gets a holistic treatment, instead of service from the usual veterinary staff. If any of you had missed Season One of "The Zoo", you can see all of the episodes on Animal Planet GO...
The Disney CGI feature film "Zootopia" will be leaving Netflix on Tuesday, March 20th, and will officially make its American Disney Channel debut on Sunday, March 25th (exactly two years and three weeks after its theatrical premiere in the USA). Consult your local Cable TV listings for the time in your area when it airs...
- - - - - - - - - - LITERATURE: Last year, there were some incredible fictional novels with animals in them, such as Sara Pennypacker's "Pax" (the story of a boy and a rescued fox kit - told through the P.O.V. of each character - from Balzer + Bray), and the James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein collaboration "Word of Mouse (the tale of an escaped lab mouse who befriends a young girl who can understand him - from Little, Brown and Company). Well, this year one of the first literary works worth picking up is Mira Bartok's "The Wonderling" (Candlewick Press). Originating at Mrs. Carbunkle's Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, we meet a one-eared, nameless part-fox/part-human, who befriends an avian 'groundling'. Together, the duo escapes the confines of this home (and its evil owner), and go on a quest to seek out the former character's destiny. Given a subtitle "Songcatcher", I have the feeling that sequels to "The Wonderling" are in the offing. But check out the first volume. You might enjoy it enough to buy subsequent volumes...
- - - - - - - - - - MOVIES: Coming in November, 2018 is the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (Warner Bros.) - written for the screen by "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling - with all-new CGI creatures, bound to captivate audiences worldwide! Returning are cast members Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller, with such newbies as Jude Law and Johnny Depp joining in. You can check out the trailer to "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwand" (Depp's character) on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBIr79rx4A
"Fur-One-One" for March, 2018
Posted 7 years agoTELEVISION: Not all TV shows with animal characters in them are 'family entertainment'. Two such programs will be returning later this year with all new episodes...
First, there's the bizarre graphic-novel-turned-miniseries "Happy" (which ran in December, 2017 through January, 2018 on SYFY), the story of a raunchy former cop (Christopher Meloni) who suddenly ends up trying to solve the case of a missing child - who turns out to be his daughter - assisted by (of all things) her 'imaginary friend', a wacky-looking horse/unicorn hybrid named 'Happy' (voiced by Patton Oswalt). The show was rated TV-MA for foul language, extreme violence, acts of sexual perversion, lots of nudity; Like I'd said, not 'family entertainment'! And yet, there was something captivating about seeing the ex-cop and the CGI make-believe critter interacting with one another on the streets of New York - even when nobody else in town can see or hear the latter character. Well, SYFY announced that a second season of "Happy" is already in production, with the first new episode to air before the end of 2018...
Another TV-MA series with talking vermin is "Animals", the unusual hit cartoon show from Duplass Brothers Productions (Season Three of which will begin airing this Spring on HBO). Once again, various fauna from NYC (rats, cats, dogs, pigeons, horses, etc.) are the focus of this series, with humans as its secondary cast. (The original subplot involved a mysterious corporation, where some of these animals were experimented on, only to eventually escape the lab, spreading a disease that decimates the city's population.) It will be interesting to see what the new season of this limited animated show will bring, and who will be providing guest voices. (Past guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, and Bryan Cranston.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
LITERATURE: Last year, there were some incredible fictional novels with animals in them, such as Sara Pennypacker's "Pax" (the story of a boy and a rescued fox kit - told through the P.O.V. of each character - from Balzer + Bray), and the James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein collaboration "Word of Mouse (the tale of an escaped lab mouse who befriends a young girl who can understand him - from Little, Brown and Company). Well, this year one of the first literary works worth picking up is Mira Bartok's "The Wonderling" (Candlewick Press). Originating at Mrs. Carbunkle's Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, we meet a one-eared, nameless part-fox/part-human, who befriends an avian 'groundling'. Together, the duo escapes the confines of this home (and its evil owner), and go on a quest to seek out the former character's destiny. Given a subtitle "Songcatcher", I have the feeling that sequels to "The Wonderling" are in the offing. But check out the first volume. You might enjoy it enough to buy subsequent volumes...
I'll be adding more material to this specific journal, so you can keep up with the latest 'funny animal' news from various media.
First, there's the bizarre graphic-novel-turned-miniseries "Happy" (which ran in December, 2017 through January, 2018 on SYFY), the story of a raunchy former cop (Christopher Meloni) who suddenly ends up trying to solve the case of a missing child - who turns out to be his daughter - assisted by (of all things) her 'imaginary friend', a wacky-looking horse/unicorn hybrid named 'Happy' (voiced by Patton Oswalt). The show was rated TV-MA for foul language, extreme violence, acts of sexual perversion, lots of nudity; Like I'd said, not 'family entertainment'! And yet, there was something captivating about seeing the ex-cop and the CGI make-believe critter interacting with one another on the streets of New York - even when nobody else in town can see or hear the latter character. Well, SYFY announced that a second season of "Happy" is already in production, with the first new episode to air before the end of 2018...
Another TV-MA series with talking vermin is "Animals", the unusual hit cartoon show from Duplass Brothers Productions (Season Three of which will begin airing this Spring on HBO). Once again, various fauna from NYC (rats, cats, dogs, pigeons, horses, etc.) are the focus of this series, with humans as its secondary cast. (The original subplot involved a mysterious corporation, where some of these animals were experimented on, only to eventually escape the lab, spreading a disease that decimates the city's population.) It will be interesting to see what the new season of this limited animated show will bring, and who will be providing guest voices. (Past guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, and Bryan Cranston.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
- - - - - - - - - - LITERATURE: Last year, there were some incredible fictional novels with animals in them, such as Sara Pennypacker's "Pax" (the story of a boy and a rescued fox kit - told through the P.O.V. of each character - from Balzer + Bray), and the James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein collaboration "Word of Mouse (the tale of an escaped lab mouse who befriends a young girl who can understand him - from Little, Brown and Company). Well, this year one of the first literary works worth picking up is Mira Bartok's "The Wonderling" (Candlewick Press). Originating at Mrs. Carbunkle's Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, we meet a one-eared, nameless part-fox/part-human, who befriends an avian 'groundling'. Together, the duo escapes the confines of this home (and its evil owner), and go on a quest to seek out the former character's destiny. Given a subtitle "Songcatcher", I have the feeling that sequels to "The Wonderling" are in the offing. But check out the first volume. You might enjoy it enough to buy subsequent volumes...
- - - - - - - - - - I'll be adding more material to this specific journal, so you can keep up with the latest 'funny animal' news from various media.
"Coming Attractions" #54
Posted 7 years agoAs February, 2018 - my latest 'sweeps month', and the shortest month of the year - comes to an end, I will try my best to post more (or an equal amount of) material for March, 2018.
Even though the 23rd Winter Olympic Games (in South Korea) are now history, I still hope to create and post one or two more new "Roly-Polympics 2018: Winter Games" cartoon gags, despite my tardiness. I also hope to present additional images, in the form of newer "Front & Back" gags, "Extraordinarily Fat Furries" strips, and the occasional "Throwaway Gag" (that doesn't necessarily feature obese characters). I'll also attempt to post brand-new 'photo-ops' for future editions of "Throwback Thursday".
As for my journals, the subject matter will include "More Animal Commercials", "Fur-One-One" for March, 2018, and the occasional personal observations of my (so-called) life.
And as April approaches, I will begin working on some new "EFF" comic gags with haiku and limericks for "National Poetry Month". So, I've got my work cut out for me...
In the meantime, thanks to many of you members for acknowledging my 64th birthday on March 1st (via "FA" E-mail and/or Facebook), and I hope to bestow similar greetings (be it a birthday or an anniversary in this site) to some of you, as the year progresses...
Even though the 23rd Winter Olympic Games (in South Korea) are now history, I still hope to create and post one or two more new "Roly-Polympics 2018: Winter Games" cartoon gags, despite my tardiness. I also hope to present additional images, in the form of newer "Front & Back" gags, "Extraordinarily Fat Furries" strips, and the occasional "Throwaway Gag" (that doesn't necessarily feature obese characters). I'll also attempt to post brand-new 'photo-ops' for future editions of "Throwback Thursday".
As for my journals, the subject matter will include "More Animal Commercials", "Fur-One-One" for March, 2018, and the occasional personal observations of my (so-called) life.
And as April approaches, I will begin working on some new "EFF" comic gags with haiku and limericks for "National Poetry Month". So, I've got my work cut out for me...
In the meantime, thanks to many of you members for acknowledging my 64th birthday on March 1st (via "FA" E-mail and/or Facebook), and I hope to bestow similar greetings (be it a birthday or an anniversary in this site) to some of you, as the year progresses...
"Fur-One-One" for February, 2018
Posted 7 years agoBefore I begin, I want to apologize to all of you who were expecting my 'anthropomorphic news' (originally appearing in the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle") to be posted in my 'Journal' section on a regular basis, when I really haven't been able to do it for half-a-year (for reasons too lengthy to go into). I'll try to present this column once a month, and keep you updated...
"MOVIES": Wes ("Fantastic Mr. Fox") Anderson recently won the Best Director ('Golden Bear') prize at the 2018 edition of the Berlin Film Festival for his stop-motion feature film "Isle of Dogs" - which also had the honor of being the first animated feature to open the annual event... The vocal cast for a CGI/live-action reboot of (Disney's) "The Lion King" has already been assigned - with Donald Glover as the voice of (adult) 'Simba', Beyoncé Knowles Carter as (adult) 'Nala', and James Earl Jones reprising his performance (from the 1994 original cel-animated feature) as the voice of 'Mufasa'. Produced in a 'motion-capture' format similar to the (2016) reboot of "The Jungle Book", "TLK" will open in theaters in 2019... The new (CGI-live action) version of "Peter Rabbit" (Sony Pictures Releasing) stirred up a controversy amongst parental patrons in theaters, for the scene in which the title character gets his revenge on a human by taking advantage of a 'food allergy' he suffers from. Some of these parents have children who (themselves) suffer from similar allergies, and said scene was considered too upsetting for them. Using social media, the studio apologized for their actions; but that's no guarantee that said scene might be removed later on, when Blu-Ray/DVD copies of the film is released later this year...
Here's a short list of some of the 2018 movies - with animals in them - either in release now, or debuting later this year:
"Ferdinand" (Blue Sky Studios)
"Paddington 2" (Studio Canal)
"Isle of Dogs" (Fox Searchlight)
"Early Man (Aardman Animations)
"Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero" (Mikros Image)
"Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" (Sony Pictures Animation)
"Show Dogs" (Riverstone Pictures)
"Duck Duck Goose" (Open Road Films)
ADDENDA: Now available for viewing (on "YouTube") is the official trailer to "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet" (Disney Animation) - co-directed by Rich ("Zootopia") Moore. 'Fat furry' buffs will especially love the scene at the end, when 'Ralph' overfeeds a bunny rabbit pancakes (in a child's handheld video game)! Check it out at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xiaYAUk52k
"TELEVISION": Disney has newer animated fare coming to some of their Cable TV channels. For example, scheduled for 2019 is "Amphibia" (Disney Channel), a fantasy revolving around a world of frog people (and the human girl who enters their world). Meanwhile, a CGI reboot of Jim Henson's "Muppet Babies" (based on the cel-animated series from 1984-1991) is scheduled to premiere (on Disney Junior) on March 23rd. Besides the usual juvenile versions of 'Kermit the Frog', 'Miss Piggy', and 'Fozzie Bear', a new character is being introduced: 'Summer Penguin'... Another animated series from the 1990s is also getting a reboot (for Hulu); namely, "Animaniacs" (Warner Animation) - featuring the 'Warner Siblings' ('Yakko', 'Wakko', and 'Dot') and 'Pinky and the Brain'. Two whole seasons of the cartoon series premieres in 2020...
Here are other TV shows with anthropomorphic characters - to be seen on Cable TV and 'streaming networks' in the not-too-distant future: "Bojack Horseman", "Tuca & Bertie (both on Netflix), (new episodes of) "Mr. Pickles" (Adult Swim), "Unikitty", "The Amazing World of Gumball", "We Bare Bears" (all on Cartoon Network), "Vampirina", "Puppy Dog Pals", "Goldie & Bear", and "The Lion Guard" (all on Disney Channel and Disney Junior), and "SpongeBob Squarepants" (Nickelodeon)...
"COMIC BOOKS": The 80th and final issue of "Elephantmen" (Image) has just been released - with one more appearance by P.I. 'Hip Flask' in a 'prologue' at the end of the story... Here are some more 'funny animal' comic book titles, currently in circulation: "Looney Tunes", "Scooby-Doo", "Scooby-Doo Team-Up", "Scooby Apocalypse", "The Ruff & Reddy Show", "Snagglepuss" (all from DC), "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Rocket" (Marvel), "Gold Digger" (Antarctic Press), "Rivers of London" (Titan Comics), and "Usagi Yojimbo" (Dark Horse)...
- - - - - - - - - - "MOVIES": Wes ("Fantastic Mr. Fox") Anderson recently won the Best Director ('Golden Bear') prize at the 2018 edition of the Berlin Film Festival for his stop-motion feature film "Isle of Dogs" - which also had the honor of being the first animated feature to open the annual event... The vocal cast for a CGI/live-action reboot of (Disney's) "The Lion King" has already been assigned - with Donald Glover as the voice of (adult) 'Simba', Beyoncé Knowles Carter as (adult) 'Nala', and James Earl Jones reprising his performance (from the 1994 original cel-animated feature) as the voice of 'Mufasa'. Produced in a 'motion-capture' format similar to the (2016) reboot of "The Jungle Book", "TLK" will open in theaters in 2019... The new (CGI-live action) version of "Peter Rabbit" (Sony Pictures Releasing) stirred up a controversy amongst parental patrons in theaters, for the scene in which the title character gets his revenge on a human by taking advantage of a 'food allergy' he suffers from. Some of these parents have children who (themselves) suffer from similar allergies, and said scene was considered too upsetting for them. Using social media, the studio apologized for their actions; but that's no guarantee that said scene might be removed later on, when Blu-Ray/DVD copies of the film is released later this year...
Here's a short list of some of the 2018 movies - with animals in them - either in release now, or debuting later this year:
"Ferdinand" (Blue Sky Studios)
"Paddington 2" (Studio Canal)
"Isle of Dogs" (Fox Searchlight)
"Early Man (Aardman Animations)
"Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero" (Mikros Image)
"Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" (Sony Pictures Animation)
"Show Dogs" (Riverstone Pictures)
"Duck Duck Goose" (Open Road Films)
ADDENDA: Now available for viewing (on "YouTube") is the official trailer to "Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet" (Disney Animation) - co-directed by Rich ("Zootopia") Moore. 'Fat furry' buffs will especially love the scene at the end, when 'Ralph' overfeeds a bunny rabbit pancakes (in a child's handheld video game)! Check it out at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xiaYAUk52k
- - - - - - - - - - "TELEVISION": Disney has newer animated fare coming to some of their Cable TV channels. For example, scheduled for 2019 is "Amphibia" (Disney Channel), a fantasy revolving around a world of frog people (and the human girl who enters their world). Meanwhile, a CGI reboot of Jim Henson's "Muppet Babies" (based on the cel-animated series from 1984-1991) is scheduled to premiere (on Disney Junior) on March 23rd. Besides the usual juvenile versions of 'Kermit the Frog', 'Miss Piggy', and 'Fozzie Bear', a new character is being introduced: 'Summer Penguin'... Another animated series from the 1990s is also getting a reboot (for Hulu); namely, "Animaniacs" (Warner Animation) - featuring the 'Warner Siblings' ('Yakko', 'Wakko', and 'Dot') and 'Pinky and the Brain'. Two whole seasons of the cartoon series premieres in 2020...
Here are other TV shows with anthropomorphic characters - to be seen on Cable TV and 'streaming networks' in the not-too-distant future: "Bojack Horseman", "Tuca & Bertie (both on Netflix), (new episodes of) "Mr. Pickles" (Adult Swim), "Unikitty", "The Amazing World of Gumball", "We Bare Bears" (all on Cartoon Network), "Vampirina", "Puppy Dog Pals", "Goldie & Bear", and "The Lion Guard" (all on Disney Channel and Disney Junior), and "SpongeBob Squarepants" (Nickelodeon)...
- - - - - - - - - - "COMIC BOOKS": The 80th and final issue of "Elephantmen" (Image) has just been released - with one more appearance by P.I. 'Hip Flask' in a 'prologue' at the end of the story... Here are some more 'funny animal' comic book titles, currently in circulation: "Looney Tunes", "Scooby-Doo", "Scooby-Doo Team-Up", "Scooby Apocalypse", "The Ruff & Reddy Show", "Snagglepuss" (all from DC), "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Rocket" (Marvel), "Gold Digger" (Antarctic Press), "Rivers of London" (Titan Comics), and "Usagi Yojimbo" (Dark Horse)...
