Pop Goes the Culture

Spider-mouse, Spider-mouse...

Well, there goes another piece of my childhood.

In an announcement made today, The Walt Disney Company announced that they plan the buy comics-giant Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion.

Why would "the Mouse" invest so much during a shaky economy anyway? The answer: young boys. While Disney captured the hearts, minds and wallets of every pre-teen girl a couple years ago with their Disney Princess line, they have yet to really find a niche to attract the young men in the audience.

So the answer that makes good business sense is to buy a company that's gaining ground with said demographic and recently began producing it's own films. But that's not all: Disney also gains access to the over-5,000 characters in the Marvel Comics cannon. Disney says this will allow it to bring many lesser-known characters to the forefront (even the lame-ass ones).

On the other hand, there are a few glimmers of hope for comics fans in this unholy merger. For instance, any existing contracts the company has with amusement parks or movie studios will still be honored. Another advantage is unexpected, but very cool: a partnership with Pixar. Pixar's CEO John Lasseter reportedly entered some closed-door talks with Marvel artists and writers and got "very excited very quickly." Given the animation studio's record for creating solid, story-driven films,, this could be a plus.

Hopefully more plusses than minuses will be gained in this merger. As long as Disney plays it cool and let's Marvel do what it does best, all will be fine. but so help me, the first time the Hulk sports mouse ears or Iron Man sings "Bippity Boppity Boo," a long line of comic book geeks with torches and pitchforks will descend upon Cinderella's castle...not pretty.

- Jason

Popular pitchman Billy Mays, 50, dies at his Florida home

Okay, now it's just getting creepy. I'm tired of reporting celebrity deaths.

Product pitchman Billy Mays died at his Tampa, Florida, home this morning.

Mays, 50, known for his high-energy OxiClean ads was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. The Hillsborough County medical examiner will perform an autopsy, Tampa police Lt. Brian Dugan said.

Mays was on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Tampa on Saturday that had a rough landing at Tampa International Airport when the plane's front tire blew out. While there where were no reported injuries on Flight 1241, there were some bums and bruises.

In an interview with a Tampa TV station, Mays said: "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

"We were very sad to learn of Billy Mays' passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family," Airline spokesman Jim Olson said. Tampa officials say the Medical Examiner's Office expects to complete an autopsy by Monday afternoon. In a statement, Deborah Mays said that although "Billy lived a public life," the family does not plan immediate public statements about his death.

Mays was a spokesman for Orange Glo and detergent OxiClean and appeared in commercials for other products.

He is featured on the reality TV show ''Pitchmen'' on the Discovery Channel, which follows pitch people in their jobs.

"It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night," said a statement from the Discovery Channel. "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family at this time of incredible loss."

- Jason

Michael Jackson dies in Los Angeles at 50

Bad week day to be a celebrity.

The Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press and numerous other sources are reporting that the king of pop Michael Jackson has died.

Jackson, 50, had been in a coma at the hospital since this afternoon, reportedly due to cardiac arrest he suffered at a house he was renting in LA. He was preparing for a comeback tour set to begin in July.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda reported to media that a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m. Ruda said Jackson was then treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center. It was there that he reportedly slipped into a coma and died soon after, sources report.

The Gary, Indiana native had many No. 1 hits and his "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time.

Jackson is the seventh of nine children in a well-known musical family. He has three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying.A large crowd was also gathering outside the hospital.

Outside Jackson's Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home.

- Jason

Farrah Fawcett passes away after battle with cancer

Farrah Fawcett, the iconic sex symbol and actress best known for her roll on Charlie's Angels, has passed away after battling anal cancer on and off for the past three years. She was 62.

Fawcett's battle with the disease was documented in a television special shown earlier this year. Fawcett began shooting "Farrah's Story," by taking a camera to a doctor's appointment. Eventually, the film expanded to include trips overseas in hopes of treating the cancer.

Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's romantic partner since the mid-1980s, had recently told People magazine that the her health on the decline. "She stays in bed now. The doctors see that she is comfortable. Farrah is on IVs, but some of that is for nourishment. The treatment has pretty much ended," he said in an interview.

Fawcett is known as one of the most famous pin-up girls ever, and in 1976 a poster of her in a red swimsuit sold a reputed 12 million copies.

Fawcett also starred on TV and in movies, her debut being Charlie's Angels, the show that started the movement known as "jiggle TV," a series where beautiful young actresses appeared in bikinis at any time, any place. Later on she reinvented herself as a serious actress and starred in shows and films such as Logan's Run, Saturn 3, The Cannonball Run, The Apostle and Dr. T and the Women.

Her beau, Ryan O'Neal, released this statement on her death: "She's gone. She now belongs to the ages. She's now with her mother and sister and her God. I loved her with all my heart. I will miss her so very, very much. She was in and out of consciousness. I talked to her all through the night. I told her how very much I loved her. She's in a better place now."

He also says that Fawcett was surrounded by her doctors and close friends when died. He says, "She was with her team when she passed … Her eyes were open, but she didn't say anything. But you could see in her eyes that she recognized us."

- Jason

Ed McMahon dies at 86

It was reported this morning that Ed McMahon, longtime sidekick of the Tonight Show's Johnny Carson and delivery man of giant checks, passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 86. McMahon passed just after midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members, said his publicist, Howard Bragman.

The well-loved comedian (and sometimes comic foil) was host and "second banana" of several TV shows over the years, including The Tonight Show, Star Search, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes and numerous others.

While I barely remember McMahon form The Tonight Show, I do remember him from Star Search and especially Bloopers where I enjoyed his fun-loving attitude and trademark deep laugh.

Recently, the TV icon had fallen on hard times with the bank ready to foreclose on his $6 million dollar home. The public outporing of support was enormous, and, true to his nature, McMahon even had a little fun at his own expense...

I think it's safe to say that Ed McMahon has cemented his status as the ultimate beloved, friendly sidekick who can (more than) hold his own.

- Jason

Would YOU get pizza from "The Hut?"

I know things are tight and everyone's cutting back, but this??

In a move that's making consumers scratch their heads, Pizza Hut will officially be cutting the word "Pizza" from some of their restaurants names, referring to these particular locales as "The Hut."

The idea behind this is that the chain has expanded their food selection over the years and has recently gotten into offering up pasta. On the other hand, marketing experts see this as a way for the restaurant to rebrand themselves as a "hip and happening" place to hang out. along with the name change, some of the 10,000 locations worldwide will also install TVs that will show CBS programming like Entertainment Tonight and Wheel of Fortune.

Because that's what all the cool kids do. Watch Wheel.

Of course, this isn't the first time the company has tried something like this. In April, it introduced us to the dreaded Pizza Hut "Twintern," (ugh) an employee who uses Twitter updates to let customers know about store events and pop culture news.

What do you think? Would you buy a pizza from "The Hut?" Should they change their name to something else? Does anyone even like Pizza Hut pizza? Oh, wait, I do...

- Jason

Barbara Walters does not know fascinating

It's that time of year again. When Barbara Walters becomes the arbiter of what's "fascinating."

Walters is weighing in with her annual "10 Most Fascinating People" special and the list includes Tom Cruise, Tina Fey, Will Smith, Rush Limbaugh, Miley Cyrus and Michael Phelps. The names of four honorees were withheld, but the list comes from the year's most prominent names in entertainment, sports, politics and pop culture.

Rush Limbaugh? Really? That's so 1995, Babs. Try Al Franken who made a brilliant and satirically genius run for the Senate (that he may actually have won, pending a recount).

Tom Cruise? I've had more than enough of that domineering lunatic. Let's have a new crazy, like Amy Winehouse or Lindsay Lohan.

I'm hoping those last four are good (like Michelle Obama, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Tim Gunn, will.i.am ... she'd be lucky to nab GOP sweetheart Sarah Palin) but I have a feeling it's more likely to include overexposed celebs like one half of Brangelina, Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker.

The septuagenarian journalist will air her annual "10 Most Fascinating People" special Dec. 4 on ABC.

Madonna is one crazy mother

  The Daily Mail is circulating a list of the Material Girl's do's and don't issued to Guy Ritchie for his sons' visit to London this week. The Brit tabloid says they were sent by email from her PA.
Here are a few of the wonders of parenting endorsed by Madonna:

- Under no circumstances should they read newspapers, magazines or watch TV (understandable since the family is current tabloid fodder, but wait...) or DVDs

- They must adhere at all times to a macrobiotic, vegetarian, organic diet with no processed or refined food (OK, I get the idea behind this, but what kid can't eat Twinkies?)

- All water they drink, even when it is to dilute organic juice, should be Kabbalah water (mountain water blessed by leaders of the Kabbalah religion)

- They should wear the clothes Madonna has sent with them on the flight. If they need to be bought anything, they should not contain man-made fibers

-Their hands should be regularly cleaned with disinfectant spray if they are in public places

- Madonna should have phone contact with the boys as much as three or four times a day at times set by her (really, Madonna? Do you afford Guy the same rights?)

- At bedtime, Guy should read David the English Rose books Madonna wrote (oh, now you've done it, I think I'm going to throw up in my mouth a little).

Am I wrong? Is this sane advice from a stable mother?

The movies lose their voice

Maybe you don't know his name. Or even his face. But everyone knows his voice.

Don Lafontaine, master of the movie trailer and commercial voiceover, died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to complications from pneumothorax (a collapsed lung that causes air to build in the pleural cavity). He was 68.

Known for his gravelly, attention-grabbing voice, Lafontaine provided the voiceovers for hundreds of movie trailers, including The Godfather, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Fatal Attraction, Dr. Strangelove and many others. He even poked fun at his usually dramatic performances in the trailer for The Simpsons Movie. Lafonatine was best known for his often-imitated catchphrase "In a world...".

He also voiced thousands of commercials. One of his most recent was one for Geico (note the "In a world..." reference):

But who better to fill in the blanks of his own life than Don himself?

Condolences go out not only to his loved ones, but also to all the films he'll never do voiceovers for.

Because "in a world" without Fontaine's voice, going to the movies will never be the same.

- Jason

Special effects guru Stan Winston dies

Maybe you didn't know his name.

But you sure know his work.

Special effects master Stan Winston passed away on Sunday after a seven-year battle with multiple melanoma. The Oscar-winning Winston was a master of his craft, working with Hollywood giants like James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Michael Bay and a slew of others.

Winston was pretty much at the top of his field, well known for his make up effects and animatronics and setting the bar for today's filmmakers. Stan was an old school type of guy - his heyday was back in the '80s and early '90s before the rise of the computer generated imagery (which his company had started to dabble in recently).

Through puppetry and stop-motion animation, Stan and his people created some of the most iconic ghosties, ghoulies and long-legged beasties in cinema, including the Predator, the aliens from the Alien movie franchise, the socially challenged Edward Scissorhands, the Terminator, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and, most recently, the suit that Robert Downey Jr. aka Tony stark wears in the film Iron Man.

I was fortunate enough to attend a talk given by Winston in 2000 and it was obvious that the man was infactuated with his craft. He loved it and, in return, it gave him great joy and success. It was surprising to find out, then, that when he was asked what the his least-favorite film he had worked on was, it was Jurassic Park. In fact, he said he hated the film. Why? It was the first time CGI had been incorporated so heavily into a major motion picture and he said that when he watched it the first time, he realized he was "about to be out of a job."

For the sake of every movie lover, thank goodness it wasn't true. It's safe to say Winston was a pioneer in his field and his influence will be felt for years to come.

- Jason