Andy Wood

Cable network G4 will be the exclusive U.S. broadcast home for the first run of Spaceballs: The Animated Series. Based on Mel Brooks’ 1987 spoof of Star Wars, the show is being produced by Berliner Film Companie GmbH in association with Brooksfilms and will debut on G4 in the fall of 2007. MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group will officially launch the property at the next month’s MIPCOM international television market in Cannes, France.

Brooks wrote the pilot for Spaceballs: The Animated Series with scribe Thomas Meehan, who previously collaborated with Brooks on the original Spaceballs film, as well as the feature To Be or Not to Be and the musical version of The Producers. Meehan will oversee all writing for the first 13 episodes, and Brooks will lend his voice to the characters President Skroob and Yogurt.

The Spaceballs pilot will adhere closely to the plot of the film as the evil Dark Helmet kidnaps Princess Vespa of the Planet Druidia in order to blackmail her father into giving up his planet’s air to replenish the polluted atmosphere of Planet Spaceball. King Roland then hires Lone Starr and his half-human/half-dog sidekick, Barf, to rescue the princess and save Planet Druidia.

G4 president Neal Tiles comments, “As the go-to network for men 18-34, irreverent humor is one of the benchmarks of our programming philosophy, as is animation. Mel Brooks’ classic movies Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles are just as relevant to our young male audience today as they were when they were first released. His brand of humor will resonate well with our viewers.” G4 will debut Mondo Media’s animated Happy Tree Friends series on Oct. 2.

Berliner has produced a number animated television series, including Da Boom Crew, which aired on Kids’ WB! The company is currently wrapping production on the CG feature film Happily N’Ever After, a fairytale comedy being produced by Oscar-winning Shrek producer John H. Williams and exec produced by Berliner principal Rainer Soehnlein. via Animation Magazine

Marvel Heroes is a game of super-powered heroism and villainy for 2-4 players. It includes: 1 Game Board 16 fully-painted Superhero figures 4 fully-painted Mastermind Villain figures 8 Dice 36 Headline cards 24 Story cards 12 Master Plan cards 12 Team Power-Up cards 50 Resource cards 50 Villain cards 10 Scenario cards 4 Team reference cards 16 Superhero reference cards 4 Mastermind Villain reference cards 1 First Player token 1 Archnemesis token 12 Combat Power tokens (4 sets of 3) 1 Game Round marker 1 Action Round marker 4 Team Victory Point markers 13 Superhero Wound/KO tokens 36 Threat tokens 52 Plot Point tokens 1 Trouble Level track marker

Click here to Order

NCsoft’s European PR team sends along information concerning the debut of the City of Heroes / City of Villains Veteran Rewards Program. The program will launch in conjunction with Issue #8: To Protect and Serve and promises to provide subscribers with rewards every three months, including but not limited to costumes, badges, and powers. As noted in the statement put out by the PR team, “the program will be applied retroactively by game account and rewards will be applicable to all characters on each respective account.”

A Los Angeles-based theatre company has announced it will present a stage version of George Romero’s classic cult film which is scheduled to open in late October.

According to a spokesperson for the Gangbusters theatre company, its version will be presented like a traditional theatre production, as opposed to an interactive one, such as the ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

“The play is a direct translation of the film,” says the spokesperson. “Cult horror film fans will love how closely we stick to the original script, while at the same time incorporating the blood and thunder typical of a Gangbusters production. ”

Translated for the stage by Leon Shanglebee, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD will hold two preview performances on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21-22, followed by its opening night on Thursday, Oct. 26

Showtimes for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD will then be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Dec. 3 at the Stella Adler Theatre, located in the heart of Tinseltown, at 6673 Hollywood Blvd. just east of Highland Ave.

For tickets and additional information, visit www.plays411.com/livingdead; www.gangbusterstheatre.com, or call (323) 960-1056.

Jon Favreau, the director of the Iron Man movie, has posted on his official MySpace blog a picture of himself and executive producer Peter Billingsley holding guns from the movie in their production offices.

Note: Peter B is holding a Red Ryder

Associate Editor Alice Marble seen reading an advance copy of Wonder Woman #1

Wonder Woman can be considered the most widely recognized of all the female superheroes. She is notably one of the top characters in the DC Comics lineup of characters and has existed for over half a century as one of the most powerful women in comics. While she was a trendsetter for female comic characters the comic also brought women to a new industry.

In 1942, Associate Editor Alice Marble sent out advance copies of Wonder Woman #1 along with a letter discussing the comic which was distributed to prominent women in America. Prior to this new position in comics Alice Marble was considered the greatest female tennis player and had won the World’s Amateur Championship. Ms. Marble can notably be considered one of the pioneering women involved in the comic book industry.

Included in the packet was an advanced copy of Wonder Woman #1, a letter explaining the packet and discussing the positive benefits for children that Wonder Woman offered, a form letter asking for submissions of individuals who should be featured in the Wonder Women of History feature, and a return envelope to Alice Marble.

In her letter, Ms. Marble explains that Wonder Woman is the only comic character of its type and describes her as a female “Superman”. She also noted that women still have many problems and have not yet reached their full potential in society. It was her belief that this publication could have a lasting effect on the minds of the youth in the country. The inaugural issue of Wonder Woman featured the story of Florence Nightingale and the second issue was planned to feature Clara Barton. It was Ms. Marble’s desire to receive input of the nations leading women in business, public, and professional life to determine which famous women should be included in the series.