Anne Hathaway plays Catwoman in next summer's The Dark Knight Rises. Hathaway's a fine choice for this role. Dressed down, she has the pasty, plain Jane look of a bookwormish Selina Kyle (Catwoman's alter ego) but Hathaway is also statuesque, and has the long lean figure you picture when you think of the classic feline villainess. Last week, the first photos of Miss Hathaway on set in her Catwoman costume were released and apparently fanboys and other hardcore "Batman-o-philes" (should we call them "Batties") are up in arms. Judging from their comments, it seems the consensus is that this iteration of the Catwoman costume is too basic and boring and not "gadgety" enough. These very vocal fans (all guys I presume) want something a little more sexed up. Maybe something low-cut, like this version of Catwoman from the Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe video game?
Or maybe they were thinking a kinky two-piece, strappy number with matching whip like Halle Berry wore in the 2004 Catwomanmovie?
Maybe leather's not the way to go at all. Maybe they prefer the vinyl outfit worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns?
Or maybe go retro and put Hathaway in the original Catwoman costume worn by Julie Newmar opposite Adam West in the Batman TV series? (This shot comes from the Pop Culture Fiend Archives; I took it last month at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C.)
A bit of perspective people. What the heck are you complaining about? Anne Hathaway is hot and her outfit is tight. But if you're looking for something sexier to fantasize to, might I suggest trolling the internet for racy Catwoman fan art?
One of the most overlooked characters on the Hanna-Barbera roster, Lippy the Lion was a cartoon short that served as one-third of The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series that premiered in 1962. (The other two shorts comprising the show were Touche' Turtle, and the slightly better known Wally Gator.)
Lippy the Lion was significant because it was one of a handful of animated series that featured voice characterizations by arguably the two greatest cartoon voice actors of all time -- Daws Butler(Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Woody Woodpecker) as well as Mel Blanc(Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and all the other Warner Brothers favorites.) Lippy the Lion is also memorable for having perhaps the most comedically ironic sidekick ever -- Hardy Har Har, a laughing hyena suffering from depression. Now I don't know if he was ever clinically diagnosed, but I do remember Hardy being constantly dreary and pessimistic, and having this sort of general, neverending malaise. Perhaps they should have done one of those "very special" episodes of Lippy, where Hardy tries to kill himself, then finally agrees to see a shrink and gets a Zoloft prescription.
On a side note, Lippy the Lion was yet another one of those cartoon characters that never wore pants. Seems like animators love to have cartoon animals wearing clothing, as long as it's not pants. Think about it...
Top Cat has a much snazzier hat and vest than Lippy... but still no pants.
Huckleberry Hound has a hat and a tie (but no collar or shirt to go with the tie)... and no pants.
And Hardy Har Har somehow has a collar but no shirt... and of course, no pants.
What the hell?... Is there something inherently difficult about drawing pants?... Or did everyone just cut class the day they taught it in animation school?
Anyway, as I check YouTube, I see the old Lippy and Hardy intro. Glad to see that they've finally been given their due.
Before Family Guy, before South Park, before The Simpsons, the first prime time animated series was The Flintstones, which ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. I watched the reruns every day after school for years. Then suddenly, about ten years ago, I couldn't find the show anywhere on the dial. Come to find that the series' broadcasting rights in the U.S. had been acquired by Boomerang.
The Flintstones was groundbreaking in many ways. Among other things, it was the first cartoon series to include a laugh track and story arcs (e.g., Wilma's pregnancy.) The show was also revolutionary for its regular inclusion of guest star voices (Tony Curtis, Hoagy Carmichael, Elizabeth Montgomery, and James Darren, among others) and for its acknowledgement of and spoofs of pop culture icons and personalities. These included people like Alfred Hitchcock ("Alvin Brickrock") and Ed Sullivan ("Ed Sullystone") as well as TV and movie characters like James Bond ("James Bondrock") and Perry Mason ("Perry Masonary".) The Flintstones also made a point to recognize and sometimes parody various pop culture phenomena taking place during the 60s, such as the British Invasion ("The Way Outs" and "Bug Music"), the beatnik movement, the country's space program, surfing craze, and even "The Twist" ("Twitch".)
One of the most unforgettable things about The Flintstones is its music, which incorporated everything from vaudeville tunes, to commercial jingles, to modern pop music. Around the time the first Flintstones movie was released in 1994 (and by the way, how badly did they miss the mark on that one -- thirty-two different writers and that's the best they could do?) I wandered into a long since defunct music store called The Wall and picked up The Flintstones: Modern Stone Age Melodies, which featured many of the most memorable songs from the show's six year run. The best of these include "Rockin' Bird" (from the episode where Fred becomes singing idol "Hi-Fye") and "Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sunshine In" (which was later covered by Frente'.)
As a bonus, the album also includes lots of dialog from the show, extra tracks consisting of instrumentals used for the show's transition and chase scenes, and background music. I only wish Modern Stage Age Melodies included the two songs Ann-Margret performed when she appeared on the show in 1963 (the same year her breakthrough movie Bye Bye Birdie was released) -- "I Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool No More" and "The Littlest Lamb". Margret was on Phil Donahue's show many years ago and she fondly recalled her appearance on The Flintstones. A woman in the studio audience then remarked on what a beautiful song "The Littlest Lamb" was and asked Margret to sing it, but she politely declined.)
Maureen McCormick ("Marcia" from The Brady Bunch) has a new autobiography in bookstores now. Here’s the Story (great title by the way) details McCormick’s battles with depression, an eating disorder, weight gain, and a lifetime trying to live up to the image of her perfect alter-ego. Among the startling revelations in her tell-all:
She had sex in a pool with TV brother and co-star Barry Williams.
Her mother and grandmother both suffered from syphilis, causing Maureen to have a decades-long fear that she too had the disease and that it would someday cause her insanity and eventual death.
She was drug addict who was once so coked up, she blew an interview with Steven Spielberg and a role in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Damn... Who knew America's most clean-cut TV family had so many real-life skeletons in their closet? Mike Brady was gay; Greg wanted to date his mom (Florence Henderson); Marcia was a druggie… What’ll we learn next?... The family mutt "Tiger" was part of a dog-fighting ring?... Or that guy who played Sam the Butcher went Sweeney Todd and tried to grind Alice into mincemeat?
Well anyway, I was digging on Marcia a little bit during that last season of TBB so needed to check out her book.
