Rtotalmagic
Stories (6/0)
Most Unusual Batman: The Animated Series Comic Stories
In September 1992, mere weeks after the release of Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series premiered on Fox Kids. With a magnificent “Dark Deco” animation style, consistently excellent voice acting, well-developed takes on classic Batman heroes and villains, and more mature and varied approaches to storytelling, it became one of the most acclaimed animated series of all time, and a must-watch for anyone who wants to be seen as a Batman fan. Its success led to a handful of spin-off films (Most notably Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, two sequel series (Soft Reboot The New Batman Adventures – and the futuristic Batman Beyond) and further series for Superman and the Justice League, all from the same creative team. The complete universe became known as the DC Animated Universe, or DCAU for short.
By Rtotalmagic7 months ago in Geeks
Reality TV and Its Republican Problem
The seventh season of The Masked Singer US will premiere on March 9th. The latest crop of characters (including the 100th costume ever seen in the US version) come in three different categories – the Good the Bad and the Cuddly – and include such strange competitors as Space Bunny, Queen Cobra and Firefly. As usual they will provide performances ranging from the bizarre to the brilliant, before steadily being unmasked as sports stars, TV personalities and singers. Unfortunately, anticipation for the series was derailed in spectacular fashion when a leak claimed that the line-up of mystery celebs included Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Anonymous sources provided a fairly detailed account of the reveal, stating that panellists Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong temporarily left the studio in protest. The early reveal attracted outrage from many political commentators, particularly on the political left and centre, as Giuliani’s appearance represented the most recent and extreme example of a persistent trend of right-wing political personalities – particularly those tied to the Donald Trump administration – appearing on US celebrity gameshows and reality TV. Why is this the case, and what can we do bring political balance to these shows?
By Rtotalmagic2 years ago in The Swamp
How The Masked Singer Became One of The Biggest Hits of the Third Lockdown
A hoop-skirted Harlequin delivers a powerful cover of “Fast Car”. A burly Viking with a gigantic beard provides a surprisingly soft rendition of the Fleetwood Mac ballad “Songbird”. A mystery female singer performs the Dreamgirls classic “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” disguised as a giant cone of sausage and chips. These are not products of a folk singer’s LSD hallucinations, but are instead scenes from The Masked Singer, the latest Saturday night light entertainment phenomenon on British TV. The format of The Masked Singer is pretty simple – celebrities perform disguised as a variety of unusual characters, and a panel of judges (as well as the audience in the studio, and the millions watching at home) have to guess their identity. The audience and judges vote out one or two of the acts, and they must take off their masks and reveal their true identity. However, things get even stranger when the performers are revealed – Instead of the usual heat magazine mainstays and minor soap actors, the line-up includes a former manager of England’s football team, several chart-topping popstars, and even a knight of the realm (You don’t get that on Dancing On Ice!) Why would these celebrities – many of whom are still active and influential – devote several weeks of their time to such a strange show?
By Rtotalmagic3 years ago in Geeks
2020 Musical Theatre Songs For The End of 2020
Even the most optimistic musical fan will have to admit that 2020 was a terrible year for musicals. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that theatres in Broadway and the West End have been closed since March, with two attempts to reopen the West End to socially distanced audiences being brought to a premature end by rising rates of COVID-19 infections throughout London. Major theatrical hubs will not be able to fully reopen until the second half of 2021, and attendance will probably be relatively low for months afterwards. However, the musical theatre genre is certain to survive this disaster – many of the greatest musicals have been popular for decades and will continue to entertain and inspire us regardless of all the problems in the wider world. The best musical songs have a heightened sense of emotion and energy that most conventional pop songs can struggle to match. Therefore, the best way of marking the end of 2020 is by celebrating some of the best songs in musical theatre.
By Rtotalmagic3 years ago in Beat
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads – A Review of the Original Monologues
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused most of Britain’s TV shows to suspend shooting for months, but provided opportunities for smaller, more intimate entertainment which can be made under social distancing restrictions. One of the most notable TV series to be created in this new climate is a remake of Alan Bennett’s TV series Talking Heads, which began airing this week. The original Talking Heads consisted of a set of monologues between 30 and 50 minutes long – the first series of six monologues aired in 1987, and a second aired in 1998. They have been remade with an all-star cast including Jodie Comer, Imelda Staunton, Martin Freeman and Tamsin Greig. These monologues were shot on vacated EastEnders sets, with cast and crew sticking carefully to social distancing regulations. Of the twelve original monologues, ten will air – “A Cream Cracker Under the Settee” and “Waiting for the Telegram” (which both starred Thora Hird as elderly women facing up to their impending deaths) are not included, due to the touchy subject matter and the creative team being unable to use cast members over 70. However, the gap has been filled by two new monologues called “The Shrine” and “An Ordinary Woman”, which were written by Bennett last year.
By Rtotalmagic4 years ago in Geeks
10 Central London Museums to Visit When They Reopen
With Britain gradually reopening after the COVID-19 lockdown, London’s many museums can now sense a light at the end of the tunnel. However, it will be quite a challenge to get up and running again. Since they closed on March 18th, museums have lost around four months of revenue, and the combination of social distancing restrictions and a wider reluctance to travel will lead to a reduced income for many months. Major museums (The National Gallery, The V&A, etc) will be able to recover, but smaller museums are in genuine danger of closing. Therefore, it would be a good idea to support more obscure museums which often get overlooked by tourists and the public. These 10 Central London museums are in a particularly fragile position, but really deserve to stay open for years to come. It is certainly worth paying a visit to them during the remainder of 2020…
By Rtotalmagic4 years ago in Wander