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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2022 13:01:12 GMT -5
In a connection to our world, Ivan Reitman was also producer of Heavy Metal, which in part explains why so many SCTV members did voice work, since there were also Canadian animation groups involved. I read that he started out at CITY-TV, in Toronto, along with Dan Ackroyd. Interestingly, his mother was a survivor of Auschwitz and his father was a resistance fighter, before they emigrated to Canada, when he was 4 years old. Also produced a couple of David Cronenberg's ventures, in the mid-70s. Coincidentally, I just rewatched Heavy Metal for the first time in over 20 years after the Super Bowl last night, noticed Reitman's name, completely unaware that he had passed until this morning. I was wondering how/why folks like Candy and Eugene Levy were involved. I have to say, I would never have imagined the voice of Den to be John Candy. Reitman has left behind a body of work that will be a testament to his legacy. RIP -M |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 14, 2022 22:05:25 GMT -5
In a connection to our world, Ivan Reitman was also producer of Heavy Metal, which in part explains why so many SCTV members did voice work, since there were also Canadian animation groups involved. I read that he started out at CITY-TV, in Toronto, along with Dan Ackroyd. Interestingly, his mother was a survivor of Auschwitz and his father was a resistance fighter, before they emigrated to Canada, when he was 4 years old. Also produced a couple of David Cronenberg's ventures, in the mid-70s. Coincidentally, I just rewatched Heavy Metal for the first time in over 20 years after the Super Bowl last night, noticed Reitman's name, completely unaware that he had passed until this morning. I was wondering how/why folks like Candy and Eugene Levy were involved. I have to say, I would never have imagined the voice of Den to be John Candy. Reitman has left behind a body of work that will be a testament to his legacy. RIP -M Reitman went to McMasters, along with Eugene Levy. He worked with Dan Ackroyd in Toronto and directed stage there; and, later, The National Lampoon Show. So, he was well acquainted with the whole Second City/SNL crowd. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 16, 2022 12:09:59 GMT -5
National Lampoon, Rolling Stone and general satirist PJ O'Rourke has passed away, at 74.  Didn't always care for his political views, especially his later years; but, he wrote some damn funny stuff. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Feb 16, 2022 17:24:02 GMT -5
National Lampoon, Rolling Stone and general satirist PJ O'Rourke has passed away, at 74. Didn't always care for his political views, especially his later years; but, he wrote some damn funny stuff. Yeah, he became a self-righteous satirist. That's a contradiction in terms, I know, but he struck me as insincere, entitled know-it-all. It's way too easy to say that everyone's a stupid jerk than to make any kind of nuanced observation, and that's all I heard from him over the years. I guess he had his moments in the old Lampoon days, but he curdled pretty quickly. Not a great loss to American humor, IYAM. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 16, 2022 19:05:36 GMT -5
National Lampoon, Rolling Stone and general satirist PJ O'Rourke has passed away, at 74. Didn't always care for his political views, especially his later years; but, he wrote some damn funny stuff. Yeah, he became a self-righteous satirist. That's a contradiction in terms, I know, but he struck me as insincere, entitled know-it-all. It's way too easy to say that everyone's a stupid jerk than to make any kind of nuanced observation, and that's all I heard from him over the years. I guess he had his moments in the old Lampoon days, but he curdled pretty quickly. Not a great loss to American humor, IYAM. I would say he skewed more to the Right by the 80s, which isn't exactly uncommon with commentators of his generation. It's funny how many of the "Peace & Love" generation were marching and demonstrating when they were of draft age, then voting for people who were getting involved in armed conflicts when they were safe and making good money. Then again, it's rarer to stand on principle than go with the crowd, in anything. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Feb 16, 2022 22:58:45 GMT -5
Saw on the News From ME blog that a prolific comics artist whom I'd never heard of, Mel Keefer, died at 96. He'd be of interest to many here who also love the Filmation TV superhero cartoons, but I thought of you right away, codystarbuck, because of your love of the Jonny Quest TV show. www.newsfromme.com |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 16, 2022 23:54:06 GMT -5
Saw on the News From ME blog that a prolific comics artist whom I'd never heard of, Mel Keefer, died at 96. He'd be of interest to many here who also love the Filmation TV superhero cartoons, but I thought of you right away, codystarbuck , because of your love of the Jonny Quest TV show. www.newsfromme.comOne of those names you would often see in the credits, but didn't know what they did. Not aware that I saw any of his comic strip work; but, I've seen some of his comic book stuff, here and there. He did quite a bit of the old war comic, Monty Hall of the US Marines and some early Charlton war material, as well as at some of the smaller outfits whose titles ended up at Charlton. One of the places I know I saw his work was the Jack Lemmon film (which Evanier mentions), How To Murder Your Wife. The main character is a cartoonist, who does an adventure strip (Bash Brannigan) and enjoys the bachelor life, but ends up drunkenly married to an Italian woman he meets at a party. He then plots to bump her off. The comic strip art is prominent throughout. Also features Terry-Thomas, Jack Albertson and Mary Wickes. Not one of his better known, but I enjoyed it. More of his animation work was at Filmation, with stuff like the Aquaman cartoons (and some of the other JLA cartoons they did), Batman, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies, Spider-Woman (which was DePatie-Freleng/Marvel Animation) Blackstar and the Lone Ranger (the later ones, not the 60s cartoon). Probably saw more of his work on The Groovie Goolies, as I loved that show. He was one of those LA guys who also picked up work from Western/Dell, including the Zorro comics, after Alex Toth. Lot of good to great artists did work for them, in those days. Some continued when Western and Dell split and continued working for Western (who hired most of the artists and writers and produced the comics, as well as obtained the licenses) when they started up Gold Key. |
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Post by Rob Allen on Feb 17, 2022 12:43:40 GMT -5
PJ O'Rourke's best moments in recent years were on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I expect the show to mention his passing this week or next.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
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Post by shaxper on Feb 17, 2022 14:39:56 GMT -5
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Post by Prince Hal on Feb 17, 2022 14:46:40 GMT -5
I'm ashamed I'd never heard of him, but I will study up on him now. Quite a man. Thanks, shax! How did he become a hero of yours? |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
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Post by shaxper on Feb 17, 2022 15:21:40 GMT -5
I'm ashamed I'd never heard of him, but I will study up on him now. Quite a man. Thanks, shax! How did he become a hero of yours? I learned about him in a high school social studies class. It was a throw away paragraph in our textbook. I just fell in love with the idea of someone who had enough strength, wisdom and compassion to look away from the obvious problem haunting everyone else long enough to see another need going unfulfilled. He was a symbol the children needed when the world was too broken for anyone else to take notice. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Feb 17, 2022 15:40:09 GMT -5
I'm ashamed I'd never heard of him, but I will study up on him now. Quite a man. Thanks, shax! How did he become a hero of yours? I learned about him in a high school social studies class. It was a throw away paragraph in our textbook. I just fell in love with the idea of someone who had enough strength, wisdom and compassion to look away from the obvious problem haunting everyone else long enough to see another need going unfulfilled. He was a symbol the children needed when the world was too broken for anyone else to take notice. Wonderful, and beautifully put. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 17, 2022 17:10:50 GMT -5
PJ O'Rourke's best moments in recent years were on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I expect the show to mention his passing this week or next. The photo is from the obit on their website. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2022 21:01:34 GMT -5
RIP to comic writer Tom Veitch, who was 80. He was best known for his work on Animal Man and Star Wars Dark Empire. -M
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 18, 2022 22:13:50 GMT -5
RIP to comic writer Tom Veitch, who was 80. He was best known for his work on Animal Man and Star Wars Dark Empire. -M Just saw this, at work. Bought The Nazz, when it came out, because I thought it would be more deconstructionist superhero stuff; but, it was a bit too trippy, for me. Dark Empire was more my style and he & Cam Kennedy did a really great job with it. Plus, it and the Zahn books convinced Lucasfilm that the nostalgia was there for more Star Wars and it helped launch the expanded universe stuff, for good and bad. So something on his Wikipedia page about having been a Benedictine monk? It doesn't elaborate and I am not sure of the context, as it is mentioned in reference to a book he wrote. |
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