HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE

1. Go to a puffdoggydaddy Friending Frenzy.

2. Introduce yrself.

3. Profit!

I have #1 and #2 covered, which is what new readers bluesgirly, figmentj, jreynolds, jasonfranks, loissanborn and wickedsin are doing here. I’ve also randomly picked up squidboy323 again – presumably he’s optimized his Friends page to handle my traffic load.

Anyway, welcome to all of you. Glad you could make it. Another 9,873 of you, and I’ll be as big-time as Warren Ellis.

Yes, I know. I wish.

WARNING: I live in Asia and have a fascination with regional pop culture. I also don't put adult screens on my posts. So yr probably going to see a lot of things like this [NSFW]:

( Kawasaki - they can really get down there! )

Just so you know what yr getting into.

Right. Back to the bloggery.

I report, you decide,

This is dF

MEN IN TIGHTS 2008

ITEM: According to The Underwire, 2008 is Marvel Comics’ last chance to prove that you can TOO make a successful movie franchise out of a comic book series that doesn’t feature Spiderman or the X-Men.

The odds are not in their favor. Movies based on comics, you may have noticed, have a patchy track record. For every Batman Begins there’s about seven Catwomans, if you see what I’m saying.

To be fair, I think the problem isn’t the source material so much as the adaptation and execution (Mark Steven Johnson, I am talking to YOU). Or, if there IS a problem with the source material, it’s not the quality so much as its translatability into another medium – to say nothing of the fact that a significant chunk of a given comic title’s fan base is detail-obsessed continuity nerds with high compliance standards (and I mean that in a nice way).

On the other hand, the DVD aftermarket can make a hit out of almost anything these days, and even Daredevil made a profit without resorting to that.

Iron Man will probably make real money, but whether it’ll create a Spidey/X-men-sized franchise is up for grabs – it’ll depend on whether they can make Tony Stark as interesting on screen as he is in the comics. Or if it makes a gazillion dollars. As for The Incredible Hulk, it’ll be interesting to see if it works as a “do over” instead of a sequel, though I can’t decide if I find this innovative or annoying – it’s sort of like “Let’s pretend Highlander 2 never happened”.

I’ll probably go see both, but personally I’m more psyched about the new Batman film. And the Watchmen film next year, obviously.

And now, a list:

TEN DEF COMIC BOOK MOVIES

1. Men In Black
2. The Crow
3. V For Vendetta
4. Batman Begins
5. Batman
6. X-Men
7. 300
8. Spiderman
9. Death Note
10. Sin City

HONORABLE MENTION: Flash Gordon (technically a comic strip, not a comic book), Barbarella (ditto), Batman (the Adam West version), From Hell (so what if it's not "true to the original"), The Mask (annoying catch phrases aside) and Sheena (one of the great bad films)

DISCLAIMER: No, I haven’t seen Ghost World or A History Of Violence. I only have so many hours in a day, you know.

Holding out for a hero,

This is dF

SINGING FOR THE YANQUI DOLLAR

O, the things that PR people send me:



What does this have to do with telephones? Not a goddamn thing.

There’s something vaguely hideous about this. Nothing personal against the actual contestants – $25,000 is good money when yr working for the minimum wage, so good luck to them.

It’s marketspeak paragraphs like this that creep me out:

“Voice of McDonald's II is just one example of the opportunities McDonald's creates to celebrate the talents of its employees around the world. This program is a fun way to honor our people and let their voices be heard.”

The American Idol® connection doesn’t help, either – although I do understand the synergies between fast food and the American Idol® paradigm.

But then I’m old and crabby and think everyone should listen to Japanese girl bands, Turbonegro and the first six Blue Oyster Cult albums for their own good, so I would say that, wouldn’t I?

Damn it. Now I’m in the mood for a burger. How do they DO that?

Not loving it,

This is dF