By: Gerald Hawksley,
on 12/29/2016
By: Gerald Hawksley,
on 10/23/2016
Another day, another FREEBIE!
SILLY MONSTERS ABC now free (23rd - 25th October)
Perfect alphabet book for little monsters everywhere!
Download for your kindle here:
FREE ON AMAZON.COM
FREE ON AMAZON.CO.UK
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 4/7/2016
Much like Warner Bros is spreading the DC Universe on a number of different networks, Disney and Marvel Television look to be doing the same with some of their characters on the fringe. Today, Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family) has announced a greenlight for a Cloak and Dagger series per Variety. Given the romantic […]
By: Viviane Schwarz,
on 8/30/2015
I'm working on a spread for the Drawn Chorus Collective's latest anthology; it's an alphabet book.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 5/8/2015
– We’ve talked about it some, and it seemed like only an eventuality, but The CW has officially picked up the Arrow/Flash spin-off and has given it a real title: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
The series, which stars Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter, follows the time-traveler as he is tasked with assembling a group of heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat, where both the planet and time itself is at stake.
Also appearing in the new series will be Victor Garber, Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Ciara Renee, and Franz Drameh. Each either reprising their roles from Arrow and The Flash, or starring as new characters for the series, such as Renee’s Hawkgirl.
So, at the very least The Atom, the first Black Canary, Captain Cold, Heatwave, Rip Hunter, Hawkgirl and one half of Firestorm are heading up this team. Drameh’s character is the only mystery remaining, here’s how the casting rumors described his part:
“MYSTERY HERO” | An African-American male in his twenties will fill the role of a regular, street smart guy who unexpectedly gains powers, and then, as part of the team, regularly quips about the insanity of the situations.
– In exciting news for anyone that’s a fan of good genre television, ABC opted to renew Agent Carter, despite being a somewhat soft performer ratings-wise (averaging about 5 million viewers an episode). Showrunners Michelle Fazekas and Tara Butters are expected to return. Also, as expected, ABC renewed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for another season.
While I’m fairly lukewarm to negative on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the potential of Agent Carter is pretty tremendous, given its cast and concept. I rather hope that next season does the “ten year jump forward” bit that Hayley Atwell has mentioned in the past. It’s a series that could afford to shake things up somewhat, and really, who doesn’t want to see Peggy Carter in the “Mad Men era” or better yet, something Jim Steranko-inspired? Plus, I really just want to see John Slattery take over the Howard Stark role at this point.
– With this good news though, it looks like ABC only had so much room for Marvel programming, as according to Deadline, the proposed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off focused on Adrianne Palicki‘s Bobbi Morse will not go forward. Truthfully, that might have been a blow that its parent series might not have recovered from.
– Lastly, Hugh Jackman has confirmed that this next Wolverine entry will be his last, per an interview with an Australian talkshow:
This will be my last one. It just felt like it was the right time to do it. And let’s be honest, 17 years! I never thought in a million years it would last, so I’m so grateful to the fans for the opportunity of playing it. I kind of have in my head what we’re going to do in this last one. It just feels like this is the perfect way to go out.
It feels like Jackman says this every few years, but given that he’s starting to creep up in age (he’s currently 46) and the sheer torture he probably puts himself through to get into “Wolverine shape”, it’s surely for the best.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 4/20/2015
Per a report tonight by Deadline, the recently announced Agents of SHIELD spin-off may have its stars in place, as Adrianne Palicki (who plays Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird) and Nick Blood (her ex-husband on the series, Lance Hunter) are nearing deals to star in the not yet greenlit series.
It has been said that the new spin-off will be set up in the final set of episodes of this season of Agents of SHIELD, so fans will have a pretty good idea of what the status quo of the spin-off should be in just a few weeks.
Deadline posits that due to their existing relationship, the series is likely to have a very “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” vibe, with a former husband and wife duo that are highly trained spies, but obviously with an added Marvel Cinematic Universe edge.
The pilot script is being written by Agents of SHIELD executive producers Jeffrey Bell and Paul Zbyszewski, with the latter acting as showrunner if the series is picked up.
While Agents of SHIELD hasn’t exactly performed like gangbusters in the ratings, it has at least begun to steadily improve after hitting a series low 1.4 in the 18-49 demo just a few weeks ago. The spin-off may end up filling the gap between a presumptive third season of SHIELD‘s 1st and 2nd halves, as Agent Carter‘s renewal chances continue to hang in the air.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/4/2015
by Edie Nugent
The events of “The Blitzkrieg Button” fresh on her mind, Agent Carter distances herself from Howard Stark and reinvests herself with SSR just in time to prove her worth and lead a rollicking mission to Russia.
When Agent Carter show runners Butters and Fazekas revealed last week that newcomer Dottie Underwood (Bridget Regan) was a product of the Black Widow program, we suspected the next episode might delve into some of that back story. “The Iron Ceiling” wasted no time in doing so: opening on a flashback to Russia in 1937 that finds pre-teen Dottie among a group of young girls handcuffed to their beds in an unnamed location. We watch the future Soviet spy as she goes about her day: sharing bread with another recruit, being brainwashed by a film reel of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, then snapping the neck of her bread-buddy on command during a fighting exercise.
When 1946 Dottie’s eyes snap open it’s impossible to tell if this memory haunts or emboldens her. This makes her budding friendship with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) an intriguing mystery, will she always be working against Carter or might there be a collaboration in their future? For now, Dottie plays dumb with the best of them at her lunch date with Peggy — easily swiping Carter’s room key. Was it Peggy’s brooding over her recent betrayal, or Dottie’s comment that Carter sounds “just like Captain America” that distracted her? Either way, it seems a good sign that Carter refused Dottie’s offer of half her bread roll. Carter also refuses to hear Jarvis (James D’Arcy) out when tracks her down, attempting to plead Stark’s case. He contends that Stark may be devious, but he at least appreciates her value unlike the SSR. It’s the wrong tack to take with Carter, who refuses to stake her future on a man without honor. She leaves determined to make her own luck.
Back at SSR she does just that, handily deciphering the message the Leviathan typewriter spat out at the close of last week’s episode into coordinates for a rendezvous in Belarus. The meeting concerns the purchase of something called the havok reactor for 100k: payable to Howard Stark, now officially enemy number one for all the SRR Agents, Carter now included. Emboldened, Carter doesn’t ask Chief Dooley (Shea Wigham) to go to Russia, she tells him so relating her many qualifications. This being 1946, however, her extensive European CV won’t suffice so she uses her war-time affiliation with the Howling Commandos to seal the deal.
The Commandos meet up with the SSR agents just outside Russia’s border. Among them are Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) and Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi) reprising their roles from Captain America: The First Avenger. Agent Thompson (Chad Michael Murray) is suitably impressed, but Dugan saves his awe for Carter. Finally able to speak to an officer who values her opinion, Carter divulges to Dugan that she’s pretty sure they’re walking into a trap, but is unsure what the endgame is. The coordinates put our heroes right back where the episode started: the creepy Soviet-spy school for girls that is Dottie’s alma mater. The place seems deserted, but they stumble upon one remaining little girl who Dugan mistakes as harmless just before she stabs him. Stealing Dugan’s gun, the girl kills SSR Agent Li (Eddie Shin) and escapes.
The group warily proceed through the building, finding two prisoners in a cell. One is chatty, the other quiet & seemingly insane. The chatty one claims to be a psychiatrist tasked with treating his crazy cellmate, Nikola, who is a genius with light waves. Leviathan wants him to help build a weapon from stolen Stark blueprints. The team frees them as Leviathan soldiers close in. Carter leads the escape, but not before Nikola takes a hostage and tries to negotiate with the enemy. The Doctor shoots him and a magnificent shoot-out ensues where Carter comes alive in the heat of battle which is convenient, as Agent Thompson freezes completely. This was a pretty surprising twist.
Before returning home, Carter decides to bring the Doctor with them back to SSR, which seems an odd choice. She knew the encoded message was a trap and was proved correct, so it stands to reason Leviathan planted the prisoners there to be found. The Doctor himself seems somewhat suspect in his eager affect and was all too ready to shoot Nikola. Only time will tell. Back at SSR, Carter has clearly won the respect of her fellow Agents and joins them for a long overdue post-work drink.
Meanwhile: Dottie snoops around Carter’s room, Agent Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) finally connects Carter to the Blond woman the photograph taken in the season premiere but keeps quiet and Chief Dooley does some old fashioned police work and turns up a connection between Stark, a Russian massacre and a recently dead General.
Favorite moments:
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/7/2015
Marvel’s 8-episode run of Agent Carter kicked off last night with a 2-hour premiere, unveiling a tight cast of characters, punch in its dialogue, and a dash of panache peppered in each step.
Though the first episode had to address the elephant in the room for any Captain America fan – Steve Rogers’ assumed death – the note is far less somber and grim that might be expected. Carter grieves, but she’s also doing her best to keep a stiff upper lip and move on, which seems nearly impossible given the constant reminders of her fallen soldier from her colleagues and the radio airwaves.
Relegated to answering phones and filing paperwork, Carter’s importance in the war and her role going forward is marginalized by the men who are returning from war. She shares a tiny studio apartment with a friend. A close acquaintance of hers, Howard Stark, is also being accused of selling dangerous weapons on the black market to foes of the United States.
Basically, things aren’t going well.
When Stark and his butler, Jarvis, approach Carter and ask her to help locate the person responsible for stealing the weapons and selling them, Carter agrees. Cue: blonde wig, fabulous party, Bond-like gadgets, and general espionage as Carter locates the newest weapon to hit the black market and attempts to destroy it.
The show’s primary strength is, of course, Agent Carter herself – Hayley Atwell. Atwell’s acting skills are leagues beyond the majority of her counterparts in sibling show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and can carry the series with a much smaller, tighter ensemble as a result. Her physical strength and fight scenes are coordinated in a way that feels completely believable, and Atwell pulls off Carter’s sassy and snappy dialogue in a way that still manages to make the character likable. James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis was also a refreshing surprise. Rather than an Alfred-style, all-knowing guru, Jarvis is eager but green in his attempts to assist Carter, often putting him in the position of Carter’s likable protege.
The secondary strength of Agent Carter’s premiere is that it is largely exploring new ground with Peggy Carter. Absent are the visual cues crammed into a show like Gotham, which spent an inordinate portion of its premiere hitting viewers over the head with connections to existing material. It’s a show that feels vastly more like a period piece than a comic book property, which is to the show’s benefit; after Gotham, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Flash, this approach helps to differentiate the show from its predecessors. In a word: Agent Carter is stylish, both in the way it’s shot and costumed and how it quietly steps around common tropes.
At this point in the game it may be too early to judge the show’s villain, but things on that end feel a bit murky. Carter hunts down several men who tell her that “Leviathan” is behind the recent thefts (from the Jonathan Hickman-written Secret Warriors). At first glance, it feels like Leviathan will play out as the identical twin of Hydra, just dressed a bit differently. So far the Leviathan agents Carter encounters have all had their voice boxes removed, which is an interesting trademark, but after following the events of Hydra so closely on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s hard not to worry that this villain will feel a bit redundant.
On the whole, this is the most promising series premiere of the current crop of comic shows on air. Trimming down the cast to rely on a few really solid, high-quality actors and reducing the number of episodes for the season to cut out the filler and stand-alone stories keeps the show taut, suspenseful and interesting.
Favorite moments:
Are we alone in our love for this new show? Let’s hear what you think!
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/6/2015
The time has come: After fans watched Hayley Atwell tweet for months about accidentally punching her co-stars in production, Agent Carter‘s 8-episode run kicks off tonight with a 2 hour premiere on ABC, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Picking up where Captain America: The First Avenger left off, Agent Carter centers on Peggy Carter’s work for the Strategic Scientific Reserve and her attempt to help friend Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), who is being framed for dealing weapons to U.S. enemies. More than that, the show will also focus on the difficulty of Carter working in a male-dominated field, particularly in the 1940s when men are returning home from the war. It’s a timely a premise as ever in the comics industry and for Marvel, given the recent flack Kevin Feige caught for the lack of a solo Black Widow movie and the studio’s decision to release a Captain Marvel movie in 2018.
Early reviews of the two-hour premiere are mostly positive, with a broad consensus that Atwell is the jewel in the show’s crown and some slight concerns about the plot’s direction. With only an 8-episode order to start with, however, the show is already on a firmer footing than its sibling, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, which arguably suffers from the challenge of fulfilling a 22-episode season and hurts the show’s overall arc.
Early buzz:
“A lot of Agent Carter’s kick come from its setting, with its automats and Captain America Adventure Program radio shows. The series takes advantage of the period on the technical side, going all in with the shadowy lighting and softened color-tones. But its greatest asset is Atwell, who takes a character that Marvel Comics has never really done much with before and makes it her own.” – AV Club, Noel Murray
“Who knew the solution to Marvel’s problem was to turn the clock back rather than forward — and turn the spotlight over to a British woman? By setting the story in 1946, this new short-run series immediately gets a snappy, well-tailored, Hollywood-glamour look that separates it from most of TV’s offerings.” – USA Today, Robert Bianco
“The first hour suffers from a few Marvel Inc. tropes. Somebody named Stark invented something dangerous; everyone wants an All-Important Glowing Thing; there’s an implicit promise that nothing will be solved for weeks/years to come.” – Entertainment Weekly, Darren Franich
Along with Atwell and Cooper, Agent Carter features James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Chad Michael Murray as Jack Thompson, and Lyndsy Fonesca as Angie Martinelli.
Check back tomorrow for our review of the show’s premiere episode, which was penned by Captain America: The First Avenger writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
By: Mary Lee,
on 12/23/2014
By: Mary Lee,
on 12/22/2014
By: Joy Chu,
on 7/27/2014
This may be the first book cover that actually teaches how to letterspell “A B C” in American Sign Language! (click to enlarge)
Let’s start with unveiling the cover itself. It features a lenticular!
And it’s going on press this month! I’m so excited!
Why? Because it all began as a list of words on a spread sheet almost five years ago. Gallaudet University Press lined up a team of illustrators for their upcoming definitive American Sign Language reference (think Merriam-Webster, but for signing), aimed at the pre-school through grade 3 level. It had to be usable for hearing families as well as the deaf and hearing-impaired.
Page 1 from the Dictionary
One of the illustrators already on board was Debbie Tilley. When agent Richard Salzman discovered it was (a) Gallaudet first foray into children’s books and general trade; and (b) they expected Debbie to produce the layouts too, he recommended they contact me to pull it all together for them. It was a dream project for all of us!
392 pages of full color! It looks like a graphic comic, with over 1,000 word entries, fully illustrated. Plus it includes a DVD featuring a rainbow of children signing. There’s also a special feature on forming sentences.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll guide you on the process. It will be like a diary on the making of a children’s reference classic. . .
Spread from pages 238-239 (click to enlarge)
You will witness exclusive behind-the-scenes book making. Stay tuned. That’s why I’ve been away for so long. Been dictionary-ing…
By: Mary Lee,
on 7/10/2014
"Since we are really only able to think about the world, ourselves, and the nature of life itself (along with everything else) within the vocabulary that is available to us, the richer and more nuanced our language is, the richer our possibilities for thinking and understanding become. From this point of view, the ethical, political, cultural and intellectual imperatives for deepening a child's sense of language and its possibilities are profound. Giving them the idea that language is a vital material with which they can make and build and shape their world is so clearly of vital importance."
By: Mary Lee,
on 12/31/2012
 |
| Flickr photoset is here if you'd like to see the photos full-sized. |
I'm going to collect photos of numbers and letters (actual and representations). By the end of the year, I'll be able to make my own Alpha-Numeric picture book through the iPhoto store!I collected about half of the alphabet and all of the numbers 1-13 except 9 and 10. I also discovered that our local Cord Camera is the way to go for all kinds of photography projects: support a local business and don't pay exorbitant shipping fees!
By: David Elzey,
on 10/24/2012
Or, After the Outing by Edward Gorey Simon & Schuster 1963 A ghastly little abecedarian for hip little children... who might just happen to be teens or adults with a sense of humor. I think this one is best explained by example. You can probably figure out how the rest of this plays out. Twenty-six children, each with their own half of a dactylic couplet to explain their demise.
5 stars All About Boats: A to Z David & Zora Aiken Schiffer Publishing No. Pages: 32 Ages: 6 to 8 ....................
Back Cover: Boating time is family time as everyone often shares both the fun and the work. Even young children are eager to help. Their curiosity is roused and they’ll look for ways to learn more about boating. All About Books: A to Z shows the youngest crew members the purpose of the many things they see while boating. The book can prompt conversations about all aspects of boating as families develop their onboard teamwork.
All About Boats: A to Z is a unique alphabet book. For one, it is written for older children who already know their ABCs. A boating term, beginning with that page’s letter, helps a child learn about boats and boating terms. A rhyming verse explains the term in a light, easy tone. Finally, the illustrations add further explanation of the term.
For example, the letter K’s word is keel.
Most boats have a keel—
It’s part of the design.
A sailboat’s deep keel
Helps hold a straight line.
The illustration for letter K is a sailboat on transparent water, allowing the child to see the keel on the sailboat. This is a great way for anyone to learn something new. The more senses involved, the better the retention.
All About Boats: A to Z uses sight and sound, but in multiple ways. The child will read the letter and its word in bold type. Then they will read a short verse, which rhymes and includes the word’s purpose. Each illustration shows the child where the term is in relation to boating. Assuming the family owns a boat, the child can connect then term with the real thing.
I like the book’s multiple avenues for learning both the alphabet and boating terms. Younger children can use this as an ABC book, especially if interested in boats. All About Boats: A to Z is written for the older child who wants or needs to learn the terms of boating. Each verse helps the child remember the purpose of each word. The important word is in bold type and always in the verse. The illustrations do a wonderful job of capturing the word, while still keeping the book’s feel light and airy, somewhat like boating itself.
I think kids will love to learn about boats by using this book. It is friendly, fun, and familiarizes the child to boats and their functions quickly. A young child, under the age of five or six may not understand all of the terms, even after having the verses read to them and looking at the illustrations. Still, I would not hesitate in giving this ABC book to a youngun (as my fellow book reviewer Erik, called young children in a recent review).
This is a book that can help a child prepare for a boating trip and then reinforce the boating term, part, and function while on the trip. Some adults, not accustom to boating on a regular basis, will learn much from this cute book. T is for transom,* which is the area on the back of the boat, where a boat’s given name is painted. I did not know that.
I like this book. Kids will enjoy the illustrations and learning about boats. I think girls will enjoy this as much as boys. Anyone with children, or grandchildren, who regularly boats, especially if they own a boat, will find this book valuable. Any child who loves boats, be it the large ones sailing the ocean or the small ones sailing the carpet, will want this boat, learn from this boat, and be thrilled to own this book. All About Boats: A to Z is a great book for many reasons—all of them kid friendly.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞♦♦♦♦∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
*One possible game that can be played to reinforce remembering a term, is to find that term on other pages of the book. For example, the term transom, which I did not know until reading this book. There are seven transoms with a name in this book. One boat has its name on its side, so I would think it does not count.
Those seven boats with names, when found by the child, will help reinforce what a transom is for. The last spread is a beautiful scene of all shapes and sizes of boats, yet not one has a name on its transom. This is a missed opportunity for reinforcement of letter T’ and the word transom.
Author: David & Zora Aiken Illustrator: David Aiken Publisher: Schiffer Publishing website Release Date: July 28, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-7643-4184-7 Number of Pages: 32 Ages: 5 to 8 .......................
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By: Andrew Gauthier,
on 7/12/2012
Here’s an inside look at ABC News. In this episode of mediabistroTV’s “Cubes,” David Muir, weekend anchor of “World News,” gives us a behind-the-scenes tour of the ABC News headquarters.
The ABC complex on Manhattan’s upper west side is home to ABC News, “Live! with Kelly,” and local New York station WABC. Diane Sawyer also makes a cameo in the video (as do her dozens of Emmys).
For more mediabistroTV videos, check out our YouTube channel, and be sure to follow us on Twitter: @mediabistroTV
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
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By: FRIZZ,
on 6/10/2012
By: FRIZZ,
on 6/1/2012
By: Frizz,
on 5/28/2012
By: Frizz,
on 5/24/2012
By: Frizz,
on 5/22/2012
By: Frizz,
on 5/12/2012
By: Frizz,
on 5/9/2012
By: Frizz,
on 5/8/2012
Franz Drameh as Jay Jackson
“The Edge of Tomorrow star will play Jay Jackson, a former high school athlete whose pro career was derailed by an injury. Now making ends meet as an auto mechanic, Jay will come to have a surprising affiliation with the S.T.A.R. Labs crew.”
It sounds like they merged (HA!) Ronnie Raymond with Jason Rusch.
But… all three of the Firestorm principals have appeared on The Flash, so…
Maybe one of the previous actors isn’t available? Berlanti has stated that Ronnie Raymond is not part of the cast.
Or maybe he’s Cyborg?
Having not seen Arrow or Flash, could care less about Legends of Tomorrow, even if the premise seems intriguing. Very glad, however, about Agent Carter returning; there’s never a such thing as too much Hayley Atwell.
Comics are king, right now.
Now that all the relevant pick-ups, renewals, and cancellations are on the table, there will, now, be 8 TV series based on DC Comics properties:
The CW — Arrow; The Flash; DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow; iZombie
FOX — Gotham; Lucifer
CBS — Supergirl
AMC — Preacher
There could’ve been 9, had NBC, or someone else, saved “Constantine”.
Not to be outdone, Marvel also have 8 series in various stages of development:
ABC — Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Agent Carter
Netflix — Daredevil; A.K.A. Jessica Jones; Luke Cage; Iron Fist; The Defenders
PlayStation — Powers (published by Marvel, but not owned by Marvel)
And, finally, for the sake of completeness, the only other comic book based series, currently, running is “The Walking Dead”.
It’s a great time to be a fan of the genre.
There’s talk of “Constantine” moving to another network, so maybe it will be 9 for DC.
All these comics-based shows are good news for several middle-aged fans I know, who won’t leave their home to see a movie (not even AGE OF ULTRON) but will happily binge on TV shows.
Hayley Atwell is an astoundingly beautiful woman, but that is NOT the best picture of her…