Quick Hits, Continued

Picking up where I left off yesterday…


Image © 2010 and characters TM Bryan Lee O’Malley.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation” is a flashback to events not depicted in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The short video first aired as part of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s late-night block, when SPVTW opened back in August. Michael Cera and Alison Pill reprise their roles from the live-action feature, voicing the title character and high-school girlfriend Kim Pine. It was produced by the production company Titmouse and is visually based on creator Bryan Lee O’Malley’s art in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels.


Photo: Jeff Garvin / FilmMagic © 2010 Getty Images and/or
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

I took notes during this year’s Emmys telecast in hopes of doing a writeup like in 2009, but never fleshed them out. Still, I’m happy to belatedly report that Jimmy Fallon of NBC’s Late Night did a fine job as host — the lame Twitter intros aside — most especially with the musical opening inspired by Glee.

More high points:

• The video starring the ensemble of ABC’s Modern Family.

• Not hurting myself as I rolled my eyes at the phrase “Highlights from the Year in Reality”.

• Ricky Gervais, who after some patter poking fun at Kiefer Sutherland and a far more troubled notorious drinker (“Mel Gibson. He’s been through a lot. Not as much as the Jews, to be fair”) announced certain nominees to equally big laughs (“I hope it’s Bucky Gunts. ’Cause I didn’t know you could say that on television”).

• The neon pop-art photos of the nominees that lined the stage.

• Several responses to the questions asked of writers and directors for their nomination roll calls.

• The wins for Archie Panjabi of CBS’s The Good Wife, a standout on a very good
series that I finally got to catch up on this summer; Jim Parsons of CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, even though I don’t watch the show, because so many of my friends adore it; Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston of AMC’s Breaking Bad, who turn in gripping, casually perfect work time after time; and Clare Danes of HBO’s Temple Grandin, who’s been a favorite since My So-Called Life.

Yet another dollop of awesomesauce was the return of John Hodgman to the announcer’s booth. With thanks to Forces of Geek, I can point you towards New York Magazine’s online inventory of the funny factoids and falsehoods Hodgman provided as winners made their way to the stage.


Illustrations © 2008-2010 Cliff Chiang. Batgirl, Robin, Speedy, Aqualad,
Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Teen Titans TM/® DC Comics. Elektra,
Cyclops, Wolverine, and Dark Phoenix TM/® Marvel Comics.

Last but not least is Cliff Chiang’s “12-Inch Remix” gallery. I came across it
some time ago, bookmarked it to ogle and share down the road, and have since let it languish in my long list of links laughingly labeled Temporary.

Chiang is known for his covers to various DC titles and interiors to modern-day
takes on such features as The Spectre, Green Arrow / Black Canary, and Dr. Thirteen. You may have seen his Star Wars propaganda and film posters celebrated on various pop-culture blogs. Chiang has now reimagined classic 1980s album covers with DC and Marvel characters — plus a Vampirella take on Patrick Nagel’s art for Duran Duran’s Rio, the only entry to date I’ve not reproduced here because four were easier to composite than five and you should click through to view them all larger anyway. They’re all so apt I could weep, from the original Teen Titans’ Breakfast Club homage
to Chiang’s Flashdance spin on Bill Sienkiewicz’s Elektra: Assassin to the Pretty in Pink pose struck by select X-Men circa The Dark Phoenix Saga. First among equals, however, is the pitch-perfect Purple Rain tribute to Yvonne Craig as Batgirl.

And that concludes the Great Time-Shift Experiment of 5771. While I have finished
and scheduled posts in advance before, I’m enough of a control freak to want to check on them when they go up, as there are usually typos and problems with graphics or fonts to address, not to mention the vigilance that used to be required when either Blogger or vandals or both kept posts from staying online. So I probably won’t be doing this often, but if there’s a spell when the Internet cooperates in letting me get finished pieces entered and imaged then I guess there’s no reason not to queue them for publication.


Related: Quick Hits • Slow Globes • Lead the Wild
Rumpus, Stark! • Great Scott • Force Clicks