First picture: Henry Cavill as Superman in Man Of Steel

Bubba Smith, former NFL Pro Bowler and 'Police Academy' star, dies at 66

10 Terrible Cartoons and Shows That Went Sci-Fi (For No Discernable Reason)

Hinkley, after years of inventing coconut radios and other pieces of useless island technology, has created what the residents of Gilligan's Island so desperately needed: salvation in the form of a fully functional spacecraft, able to fly them off the island. But, hey, if it's capable of interstellar travel, why not fly around the universe a bit before returning to the comforts of civilization -- what can go wrong? Always tempting fate, the Skipper failed to do the one thing that he should have learned a long time ago: tie up and gag Gilligan, then throw him into a barrel until the trip is over. So thanks to his lack of foresight, and Gilligan's trademark assholery, everyone gets stranded again, this time on a planet light years away from Earth. Sadly, the first episode didn't consist of the crew going into a blind rage and ripping Gilligan limb from limb, so we were forced to endure 13 episodes of Filmation's penchant for overusing the same character animations and backgrounds throughout the one season.

See the full list here

Caption Contest

Mickey Mouse



Jughead Jones Digest cover (courtesy of Johnny Sweatpants' private collection)



Mary Worth



The Family Circus





Captain Easy

Caption Contest Results!

Well it was a tight contest with exactly 15 entries, our three die-hardest bloggers (besides me, I like to think) each hitting all of the five blank strips. Sorry to leave you hanging without any actual entries myself, but as the contest administrator I always fear I may scoop somebody else's idea. And it didn't seem like you needed my help.


The wonderful thing about hunting up Family Circuses to lampoon is seeing the sheer weight of Family Circus hatred on the internet. Johnny Sweatpants wins this one with a wonderfully emotional extrapolation of the Not Me experience. The opening and closing lines are hilarious.

"I swear to God I'm not shitting you, Mom! Not Me trashed my bedroom, let the dog out, dunked Jeffy's head in the toilet and mailed anthrax to Principle Miller! He's fucking crazy I tell you!"


I found this Spider-Man the last time I was looking for material; even without the words you can tell it ends on a totally blah note, but I couldn't resist posting some Mary Jane cheesecake.

JPX takes it with his rendition of Pissy Peter Parker.

Panel 1

MJ: How do you like my new bikini, Tiger?

Peter: Quite frankly you look fat and I would be embarrassed to be seen with you in that suit.

Panel 2

Peter: Yes, I told you, you're returning the suit.

Peter: Furthermore, you called me "Tiger" again. I'm sick of you calling me by your old boyfriend's nickname.

However, Catfreeek gets a shout out on this one for correctly understanding who's suppposed to be speaking and when in the last panel. I just now figured it out myself, because the characters are doing a stupid, confusing tango with their talking balloons so that 1) looking left to right it seems MJ speaks first (see JSP) and 2) both talking balloon pointies are pointing at Peter (see JPX). But yeah, it's Peter, then MJ. Which also made Cat's a lot funnier when I realized MJ delivers that last line.

"So Peter, what do think of my new tiger skin bikini?...Peter?...Peter!!"

"Huh? You say something MJ? This nature series is so engrossing."

Panel 2

"MJ, are you wearing Aunt May's purple sweater again?"

"Oh man, it smells just like fresh baked cookies and Ivory soap. I'm so turned on right now."


Cat nearly got this one because my favorite thing about it is Archie's expression in the last panel and it goes perfectly on someone who just watched someone else eat poop. But this taut little drawing-room comedy by Johnny Sweatpants really cracked me up.

Panel 1

"Well if it wasn't me and it wasn't you then clearly Hot Dog was responsible. This wouldn't be the first time he ruined a dinner party."

Panel 2

"It smells like a clogged toilet at Big Moose's house."

"It smells like a rotting buffalo."

Panel 3

"Why are we still standing here? Let's continue this conversation outside."



This one came with the most obvious lead, that being lust over some hot boy ass. As everyone hit it right on the mark (and I would've too... I was thinking about "the new crop of hot boy ass had come in" or something) this was a tough one to call. Kirk Cameron and Adolf Hitler are both equally funny... but ultimately I went with JPX's take on Gil, who goes about his sodomy in a direct, no-nonsense fashion.

Panel 1

“Ooooooh, I just love this annual tradition, I have goose bumps!”

Panel 2

Narration: “Gil organizes his boys and gets them into proper position”

Panel 3

Gil: “Turn that frown upside down, Billy. This is going to hurt you more than it’s going to hurt me but it will make you a better football player.”


Windsor McCay is a renowned cartoonist from the early 20th century and one of my favorite artists. His most famous strip was probably Little Nemo in Slumberland, which ran from 1907 to 1914.

At the top of this panel there's a title: "Things that Never Happen." I don't know if it was a regular thing he did or just the title for this strip, but I left it off so as to not lead the joke.

This also turned out to be the only strip I posted that hasn't already been used in a previous contest. But... eh.

Cat nails this one with the following slick nerd reference.

"Dammit Doc, you should have stuck with the Delorean! Now look at the mess we're in!"

Solid, funny entries by all players. And kudos to you for sticking with it in these times of lean bloggery.

The winner iiiiiiiiss.... Johnny Sweatpants! His Archie made me laugh the loudest.

MTV turns 30 years old today

From nj, It was 30 years ago today when the country was able to watch music videos on a cable channel dedicated soley to rock music. MTV was launched as an initialism of "Music Television" when the clip “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles aired on August 1, 1981. (The second video to air was Pat Benatar's "You Better Run.")
The channel had a profound effect on pop culture and signaled a new era in how the country consumed music and perceive musicians. The channel's original format was initially like a radio station where on-air hosts known as VJs would introduce video segments.

Although there are many, here is some benchmark moments and trivia:

• The original five MTV VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson (who died in 2004) and Martha Quinn.

• Many black artists had trouble finding an audience on the rock-dominated channel. After pressure from record execs at CBS, MTV began showing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video in regular rotation in 1983. It officially was the start of a lengthy partnership with the King of Pop and opened the doors for other artists like Prince, Rick James, Donna Summer and Eddy Grant.

• In 1984, the network produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show.

• The MTV Movie Awards debuted in 1992.

• The animated cult smash "Beavis and Butt-head" aired from 1993-1998. On July 13, 2010, it was announced that the series would be revived.

• In 1997, "Total Request Live" presented the Top 10 daily videos. With charm and good looks, host Carson Daly brought popularity to the show and it soon developed a cult-type following. Eventually, hundreds of fans would stand in Times Square outside the TRL studios each weekday during the show's taping. But now, like "TRL," VJ's are gone -- replaced with "Twitter Jockeys."

• In 1992, "The Real World" reality show debuted and showcased the lives of seven young adults all living under one roof. In a way, it started the wave of the original programming-oriented MTV we know today. Soon came "Laguna Beach," "The Hills" and "Teen Mom."

• "The Osbournes" reality show premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002 and followed the lives of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his family. In its first season, the show was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV until ...

• In 2009, Snooki killed the video star when the network delivered "Jersey Shore." It meshed what worked in "The Real World" with the fist-pumping antics of guidos and guidettes in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

'Potter' finale conjures up $1 billion worldwide

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harry Potter has joined the billion-dollar club.

Distributor Warner Bros. said Sunday that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. It's soon expected to pass Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is this year's top grossing movie at $1.03 billion.

The last of the eight films about the young wizard is the first in the franchise to reach the billion dollar mark. The previous best global haul was $974.8 million for the original film, 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

With $21.9 million domestically this weekend, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 climbed to a domestic total of $318.5 million. That tops the franchise's previous best of $317.6 million for Sorcerer's Stone.

But factoring in today's higher admission prices, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has not caught up to Sorcerer's Stone in terms of actual tickets sold.

The 2009 film Avatar holds the record for the biggest worldwide box office haul, grossing $2.8 billion. It's followed by another James Cameron film, Titanic, which brought in $1.8 billion.

JPX's worst nightmare

From Theseattletimes, Sherman Pike and his son, Oliver, 7, were exploring tide pools Thursday morning when they discovered this 4-foot jellyfish on the sand near Kayak Point in Snohomish County.

The Undefeated is defeated at the box office; faith in humanity effectively restored

(CNN) – The pro-Sarah Palin documentary, "The Undefeated," suffered disappointing box office sales over the weekend, earning just over $5,000.

The movie, which opened nation-wide July 15, chronicles the former Alaska governor's career through home movies, photographs, interviews with former aides and supporters and the audio from her memoir "Going Rogue."

It grossed $65,132 in its opening weekend in 10 theaters and $24,664 in the second weekend in 14 theaters. It was viewed in four theaters this past weekend and grossed an estimated $5,200.

The film, directed and produced by Steve Bannon, will be available to 75 million households in September via On Demand and pay-per-view on Time Warner, DirecTV and the Dish Network.

Palin, who continues to flirt with a bid for the White House in 2012, will address a tea party rally in Des Moines, Iowa, two days after the video hits television screens.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes review

From denofgeek [excerpt], What is Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes? Is it a remake? A reboot? A prequel? Or just another symptom of Hollywood's crippling lack of originality?

In truth, it's probably a little bit of all of them. Crucially, however, the film also happens to be one of the more accomplished, albeit slightly cynical blockbusters to land in multiplexes this summer.

Avoiding the mistakes of Tim Burton's, frankly, appalling 2001 remake, this time 20th Century Fox has chosen a decidedly different approach to the property. Cherry-picking elements from the 1968 original Apes flick and splicing them with tropes taken from the subsequent sequels, this new film manages to cleverly set itself up as prequel, remake and reboot, all at the same time.

That said, none of this fancy franchise repositioning would matter a jot if the rationale underpinning the film weren't rock solid. Luckily for Fox, it's in this area that Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is at its strongest.

Read the full review here

The Dark Knight Rises set pictures

From slashfilm, The Dark Knight Rises hit Pittsburgh this week with an incredible amount of fanfare. The city put up a huge bat symbol, held a press conference and now set photos from the shoot have revealed some pretty spoiler-heavy images. The first is a full-body reveal of Tom Hardy as Bane and we also see the Tumbler, but with a new twist. We’ll keep everything after the jump for those of you who want to avoid any kind of potential spoilers for what’s surely the most anticipated movie of 2012.

See the potentially spoilish pictures here

UPDATE: New photos of Batman fighting Bane can be found here