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Why a MAD Magazine Show Could Work
by Danny Gallagher, posted Apr 27th 2010 12:05PM
Whenever MAD Magazine crops up in a conversation with someone under the age of 20, their mind immediately jumps to 'MADtv.' That's when my mind blows a fuel cell and launches into a death spiral. Back in the late '90s when the Fox sketch show hit the airwaves, my brain almost exploded at the thought of a MAD Magazine TV show. I read the magazine cover to cover and kept a stack of them in my bookcase until the covers withered away with time. I thumbed through each issue for my favorite writers and artists like Dick DeBartolo, Mort Drucker and Frank Jacobs. I didn't date much.
The final product left me very disappointed. Now, it has another chance to be something better. DC Comics has announced they are developing an animated sketch show for Cartoon Network that's centered around more than just the magazine's brand.
Coming Soon: Aqua Teen's 100th Episode!
by Brad Trechak, posted Apr 27th 2010 10:33AM
There has been a lot of hoopla made recently over 'South Park's' 200th episode. With that going on, everybody forgot was that another animation sensation is approaching its 100th episode. Insomniacs will be able to catch it at the stroke of midnight this coming Sunday night, May 2nd. I refer to 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' on Adult Swim.
While it's unlikely Muhammad will be making an appearance (although not outside the realm of possibility given the surreal nature of the show), one has to wonder how the creators will celebrate this landmark occasion, particularly when the show has been on the verge of cancellation at least twice (with two "final" episodes aired: 'The Last One' and the live action 'Last Last One Forever and Ever').
A rather awesome video press release was created by Adult Swim for the occasion. It's available after the jump. What would you like to see in 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force's' 100th episode?
While it's unlikely Muhammad will be making an appearance (although not outside the realm of possibility given the surreal nature of the show), one has to wonder how the creators will celebrate this landmark occasion, particularly when the show has been on the verge of cancellation at least twice (with two "final" episodes aired: 'The Last One' and the live action 'Last Last One Forever and Ever').
A rather awesome video press release was created by Adult Swim for the occasion. It's available after the jump. What would you like to see in 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force's' 100th episode?
Bugs and Daffy Return in Cartoon Network's New 'Looney Tunes'
by Gary Susman, posted Apr 21st 2010 3:00PM

It's wabbit season! No, it's duck season!
Actually, it's both. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and all the old-school Warner Bros. animated characters are coming back for 'The Looney Toons Show,' a series on Cartoon Network consisting of all-new half-hour episodes and shorts starring the classic cartoon characters.
Brian Posehn Thinks 'The Sarah Silverman Program' Is Done
by Nick Zaino, posted Apr 13th 2010 2:03PM
Brian, one half of the gay couple Brian and Steve on 'The Sarah Silverman Program,' is a big fuzzy nerd. Which is okay, because that's also the personality of the man who plays him, Brian Posehn. Posehn is a zombie-loving metalhead, a fan of cartoons and comic books, and a hilarious stand-up comedian. His new album, 'Fart & Wiener Jokes,' is out April 27th, featuring a shirtless, buffed up Posehn on the cover in a heap of comedy carnage (he says he wanted it to look like a Man O' War album).
We almost didn't get to see Brian and Steve again this year. Silverman and Comedy Central were at odds over the show's budget, until the LOGO network came in and threw in more money to make the production possible. Posehn isn't sure there will be a season four, but he's got plenty of other projects on tap (a possible spinoff for Brian and Steve, a faux reality show with party rockers Steel Panther, and a new Cartoon Network show).
Lucasfilm Milks the Dead Cow with Star Wars TV Comedy
by Brad Trechak, posted Apr 6th 2010 11:35AM
George Lucas has already created a spin-off cartoon and a computer animated series on Cartoon Network of his famous 'Star Wars' franchise. Now, Lucasfilm Animation will be working with the creators behind 'Robot Chicken,' among others, to create an animated 'Star Wars' comedy series.'Robot Chicken' along with 'Family Guy' proved that there is comedy potential in the 'Star Wars' franchise, but it sounds like Lucas is further mitigating the cultural impact of the first trilogy (or even the second trilogy, going by order of release) by making light of it.
Lucas has long proven that the fans care more about the franchise than he ever did. It has gotten to the point where pumping out 'Star Wars' dreck is a means to an end. Perhaps he wants the money to build his own Death Star?
Of course, that live action 'Star Wars' series has yet to appear, so this latest item could just be someone's idea of a late April Fool's Day prank. One can have "a new hope."
More 'Scooby-Doo' Coming from Cartoon Network
by Bob Sassone, posted Mar 12th 2010 5:05PM
Do you know what the number one show in Cartoon Network history is? Nope! It was the 2009 movie 'Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins.' It grabbed 6.1 million viewers! So you know that the network wants to make a sequel, and make a sequel they are (if that sentence makes any sense). The new TV movie, which will air this fall, is called 'Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster' and will feature the same cast, including the black-haired guy who plays the usually blonde-haired Fred. I wouldn't be surprised if they made this into a series.By the way, can someone explain the theme song to me? I was just listening to it (after the jump) and the opening line is "Scooby-Doobie-Doo, where are you?" What does that even mean? His name is Scooby-Doo (sometimes just "Scoob"), so why did the songwriter just throw in that "Doobie" in the middle? Maybe it was an homage to Sinatra.
'Boondocks' Season Three Premieres in May
by Danny Gallagher, posted Feb 27th 2010 9:00AM
It's been more than three years since 'The Boondocks' invaded my TV, and now they are coming back for seconds. Well, thirds. Aaron McGruder, creator of 'The Boondocks' comic strip and animated Adult Swim series, said on his Twitter page that the show will premiere its third season on May 2.
Last December, McGruder, who also serves as the show's executive producer, announced that a third season was in the works but he could not confirm the airdate.
Adult Swim Will Occupy More Primetime in 2011
by Danny Gallagher, posted Feb 16th 2010 7:34PM
The late night underground cavalcade of evil teddy bears and talking inanimate objects with a predisposition towards drug, substance and sexual addiction is moving deeper into prime time. Cartoon Network will extend their crazy popular Adult Swim block into 9 p.m. Eastern time starting next year, January 2011.
Turner Animation president Stu Snyder said the decision to expand the block is "100 percent a reflection on the success of Adult Swim as a brand."
[via Pop Candy]
The New Promo for 'Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job' is Awesome, Great
by Bob Sassone, posted Feb 16th 2010 1:29PM
I can't imagine people who aren't familiar with 'Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job' watching the season five promo below and not having either a seizure or a little crying jag. If you can't handle it, you get the former. If you've never seen the show but it looks like something you'd love, you might do the latter because you've missed it. The promo is definitely bizarre, maybe a bit annoying, but it does the (great) job.
The show comes back on February 28.
The show comes back on February 28.
Weird Al Yankovic lands deal with Cartoon Network
by Mike Moody, posted Jan 26th 2010 3:02PM
Comedian and Kenny G lookalike "Weird Al" Yankovic has inked a deal to direct and star in a live-action TV movie for Cartoon Network. Sadly, it's not a sequel to his 1989 cult classic UHF, so don't expect to see Michael Richards tossing poodles out of a ten-story window again. Yankovic was nice enough to interview himself about the project on his personal blog. He's keeping mum about the movie's plot details, but he revealed that the film's protagonist would be a teenager. Yankovic also said he'd take on a supporting role.
If the film is able to draw an audience, it's likely that Cartoon Network will develop it or another Weird Al project into a live-action series. The network already has a working relationship with Yankovic thanks to his voice work on The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Brak Show, and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job.
Video DVD Review: Ben Ten Alien Swarm
by Nick Zaino, posted Jan 8th 2010 3:00PM
The Cartoon Network's Ben Ten franchise is surprisingly good, and I had no idea what it was until Ben Ten: Alien Swarm arrived in my mailbox to review in December. It's out on DVD now, and has popped up on Cartoon Network's schedule again, as well. Here are my thoughts.
Team Venture will get its own line of merchandise
by John Scott Lewinski, posted Jan 8th 2010 10:30AM
Venture Brothers, the funniest and best written show that -- inexplicably -- nobody watches, is getting its own line of toys and collectibles.The appropriately named Bif Bang Pow!, a collectibles manufacturer, announced today a deal with Cartoon Network to make a new line of toys based on the Adult Swim animated comedy. Fans can look for a collection of action figures, bobble heads, vehicle models and other goodies.
This is a great sign for a show that deserves a lot more attention than it gets. As well-written as The Simpsons or South Park, Venture Brothers shows off spot-on parody and multi-layered jokes in every episode.
The Venture Brothers will be action figures
by Brad Trechak, posted Jan 8th 2010 8:02AM
If you're not excited now, you never will be. The Entertainment Earth blog has announced that a company called BifBangPow will be making action figures and bobbleheads of the characters on Adult Swim's The Venture Bros.Frankly, it's overdue. Action figures are usually reserved for kid's or cult movies and television shows, and Team Venture is definitely the later. In fact, other than the DVDs and a set of exclusive mail-order t-shirts, there really hasn't been that much supplementary merchandise for the show (and the midnight timeslot of the latest season doesn't help promotional matters).
One popular rumor regarding the merchandising delay is negotiations between Adult Swim and Doc Hammer, Jackson Publick and company over who gets what share of the loot. One can only hope that, if true, that issue has been resolved.
Admit it, you'll only be buying the figures in order to sleep with your very own Doctor Girlfriend. Or maybe that's just me.
DC's Justice Society gets animated
by Mike Moody, posted Dec 29th 2009 5:02PM
Smallville's Clark Kent isn't the only one getting a visit from DC Comics' Justice Society in 2010. A month before the classic crime fighters show up for Smallville's "Absolute Justice" event, airing Feb. 5, they'll drop by the Batcave for an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. An animated version of the 1940s superhero team will make its debut January 15 on Cartoon Network's great and goofy Batman show. We'll get to see how The Flash (the original one with the silly hat), Hourman, Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite and Wildcat influenced Batman's bad guy-beating skills. We'll also see them in action against a villain named Per Degaton. The ep, titled "The Golden Age of Justice," will also feature Bats teaming up with Green Arrow's main squeeze, Black Canary.
The Boondocks is back for a third season
by Brad Trechak, posted Dec 29th 2009 10:26AM
The Boondocks will be returning to television for a third season on Adult Swim after a two year hiatus. It was announced by creator Aaron McGruder on his MySpace page.Nothing official has been announced by Adult Swim yet, so this can only be taken with a grain of salt. On the other hand, the creator of the show could be considered a fairly reliable source. McGruder did mention on Twitter that an airdate was determined but wasn't allowed to say exactly when it was.
If you've never watched The Boondocks, I urge you to try and catch it online. It's funny, but not in an in-your-face sight-gag sort of way. The humor is more intelligent and subtle than anything on Fox's Sunday night lineup. The show is an example of personality-driven humor (in this case of the African-American variety) meeting the anime style of cartoon and is the best example that I know of the merging of East and West animation.
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