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The creator of the original Animaniacs series opened up on getting left out of Hulu's reboot series.

Back in the 1990s, Tom Ruegger created Animaniacs for Fox Kids, and the show was a big hit at the time, ultimately running for five seasons. There was a lot of excitement with fans when it was announced in 2018 that the series would be rebooted with the original voice cast returning. However, as Ruegger recalls in a new interview with Vanity Fair, he was not invited back to be a part of the revival. Not thrilled with the differences, Ruegger questions why the original creative team wouldn't have been called in for the new show.

Related: 10 '90s Cartoons With The Best Art Styles, Ranked

"I had trouble processing the Animaniacs reboot," Ruegger explained. "After seeing what they’ve done with it… it was not what I would’ve done with it.

Legacies are strange things, and sometimes what defines them isn't necessarily what their creators had in mind. However, even an inoffensive children's show or a perfectly-accessorized toy line could evolve beyond its intended audience through the perspective of nostalgia and the cultural impact they leave behind. Originating in 1988 with the Barney & the Backyard Gang VHS series, Barney the Dinosaur quickly became a star, captivating children with his simple songs and sweet personality. The debut of Barney & Friends in 1992 launched his fame into unimaginable heights, making him a globally recognized figure just as renowned as Barbie and her friends.

From appearances in movies and television to an avalanche of merchandise featuring his iconic purple face, Barney cemented himself as an inescapable pop culture icon for over three decades. However, in addition to an upcoming 2024 CGI revival, in July 2023, media outlets reported that Barney would star in a new film. Mattel...

Jeffrey Bennett was born in Huston, Texas, but moved to California in 1990. His voice acting career began with James Bond Jr. in 1991 before getting roles in more successful cartoons like Animaniacs, Gargoyles, and Batman: The Animated Series. He is now held among the likes of Tara Strong, John Dimaggio, and Rob Paulsen as one of the biggest names in voiceover.

Hulu has just dropped its first trailer for Futurama's upcoming season.

Good news for fans of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's Futurama can catch a sneak peek of the long-awaited 8th season of the series on Hulu. A new trailer has just been released for the sci-fi animated series. After premiering on Fox in 1999 in an animation block after The Simpsons and before Family Guy. The series lasted for four seasons until its initial cancelation in 2003. From then, the series was licensed by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup, which aired during evenings from 2003 until 2007. DVD sales, plus the newly accumulated audience tuning into the reruns, ultimately led to a revival of the series. In 2007 the series was given an order for four direct-to-video movies--Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender's Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder--which were intermittently released until 2009. Later, Comedy Central licensed these movies,...

Back in 2020 it was announced that 90s cartoon series Tiny Toon Adventures would be making a comeback, with a two series order right out the traps. Under the new title of Tiny Toons Looniversity, there was speculation about how the returning franchise would look and if it would be a faithful follow-up or go the way of many recent reboots with a completely different style. Concept art from the series gave a first look at the new show, and now the principle voice cast has been revealed by Max.

There series, which will be going out on both Max and Cartoon Network, will see the return of some old school Tiny Toons stars including JEff Bergman, Bob Bergan, Candi Milo and Cree Summer. Also part of the cast will be veteran Looney Tunes star Fred Tatasciore, who will be joined by newcomers Ashleigh Hairston, who takes on the role of Babs Bunny,...

We’ve all made the “Cop Rock” jokes. The Steven Bochco musical drama, which premiered in fall 1990, was a big swing: marrying original music with procedural storytelling. It was a colossal flop that we still talk about three decades later, and a reminder that musicals are hard.

Music has been a part of the TV landscape going back to the 1950s and shows like “Your Hit Parade.” But few series have successfully integrated regular music performances into their storytelling: “The Monkees” and “The Partridge Family” worked in the 1960s and ’70s. “Fame” did it in the early ’80s. And then “Cop Rock” scared people off the concept.

The 1990s animation boom incorporated music in shows like “The Simpsons” and “Animaniacs.” But not until the 21st century did scripted series really figure out how to make musical numbers work as part of the narrative. “Flight of the Conchords” did it with satiric tracks,...

Television is currently in a golden age of programming, but it's important not to forget the formative series from past decades -- like the '90s -- that have helped get the medium where it is today. Television can effectively embrace formulaic tropes as well as subvert expectations, with neither of these approaches being better than the other.

The '90s is a pivotal period of change for television that welcomed in more genre series and ambitious network procedurals that are still talked about today. The '90s is a home for some of the biggest TV shows of all time, but there are also specific types of series that present influential heroes. There are certain TV characters from the '90s that are impossible to forget, yet there are also plenty of underrated heroes who also deserve their due.

Related: 10 Best '90s Sitcoms That Should Be Rebooted

Jett Jackson...

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

Animaniacs by John Gallagher

Evil Dead Rise by Jack Gregory

Lethal Weapon by Aurelio Lorenzo

The Penguin by Genzo

Renfield by Neil Fraser

Spider-Man by David Müller

Star Wars Episode I:...

Vince Vaughn is set to return in a sequel to his hit 2004 comedy “Dodgeball,” which is in early development at 20th Century Studios, according to an insider with knowledge of the project.

Screenwriter Jordan VanDina (“The Binge”) is set to write the script to the follow-up.

Released in 2004, “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” is a sports comedy that became a cult classic over the years. The film was directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, and stars Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller as rival gym owners who compete against each other in a dodgeball tournament.

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According to Deadline, which first reported the news, “All that’s known about the sequel, in terms of plot, is that it will continue the story of Vaughn’s prize-winning gym owner. Serving as the basis for VanDina’a script is an idea from Vaughn.

Exclusive: Vince Vaughn will return to star in (and likely produce) a sequel to his hit 2004 comedy, Dodgeball, scripted by Jordan VanDina (The Binge), which is in early development at 20th Century Studios, Deadline has learned.

While Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote and directed the original film for 20th Century Fox, it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be involved in the sequel, and who, if not Thurber, would direct. Equally uncertain is who will join Vaughn on screen, though there’s certainly a deep bench of talent to pull from in looking back to Dodgeball‘s stacked ensemble, which included Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Justin Long, Stephen Root, Alan Tudyk, Joel David Moore, Chris Williams, Missi Pyle, Gary Cole, Jason Bateman and William Shatner, as well as the late Rip Torn.

A raunchy sports comedy that grossed over $168M worldwide against a $20M budget, Thurber’s Dodgeball: A True...

Exclusive: Harvardwood on Wednesday announced Madi Stine, Anthony Zonfrelli and Warner James Wood as the winners of their 17th Writers Competition, also naming Wood as their Most Staffable TV Writer for 2023. Stine and Zonfrelli tied for first place in the Feature category, with their respective projects Emery & Ellsworth Make A Picture and Short Time, with Wood’s F**kboi topping TV.

As Harvard University’s official arts, media and entertainment alumni organization, Harvardwood looks to to bolster talented up-and-coming writers from varied backgrounds, connecting them with mentors, producers and reps. Harvardwood’s Writers Program has nearly doubled in size since the beginning of the pandemic and has expanded its global participation, with winners being selected by a panel of industry professionals.

This year’s trio will now be mentored one-on-one by writer-producers Neal Baer, Emily Halpern and Jeff Schaffer. They...

Eat your heart out, Austin Butler. As wild as Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic got at certain points, it's safe to say it never quite managed to top the zaniness on display in "Agent Elvis," Netflix's new animated series that sees the King of Rock and Roll suit up to use his world-famous talents in a slightly different way. We've been following this oddity of a concept for quite some time now, with our first look at the adult-oriented and violent show last year promising the sort of alternate history mayhem that only animation can truly do justice to. Like a cross between "Archer," Hulu's "Hit-Monkey," and other similarly out-there premises, "Agent Elvis" promises to pack quite the punch.

The story sees Elvis secretly recruited by the government to maintain his wildly successful cover story as the legendary entertainer by day, while lending his services to protect his...

While Animaniacs is full of fourth-wall breaks and meta gags, season 3 perfected the technique with a single joke. Animaniacs’ irreverent, flexible, tongue-in-cheek style takes no prisoners on most subjects, including surprisingly grown-up topics by way of what seems like relatively tame comedy. This has allowed the series to make jokes on a myriad of creative topics, from the entertainment industry to the internet. This creativity has spawned some of Animaniacs’ best jokes from unexpected places, including commentary on media and the show itself.

Animaniacs was originally produced from 1993-1998 before it was brought back to the small screen in 2020. Both series largely utilize the same voice talent and tone as they follow the Warner siblings Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. The renewal covers the Animaniacs returning to Warner Bros. and coming to terms with how the world has changed. In terms of meta-humor, the original iteration of Animaniacs had its fair share of fourth-wall jokes,...

When the Animaniacs reboot premiered Animaniacs season 3 in February 2023, viewers were disappointed and shocked by the last scene of the series. Based on the animated comedy series of the same name, which aired in the 1990s, Animaniacs follows the Warner siblings Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. Each episode is made up of various segments exploring the adventures of the Warner siblings and other wacky fan-favorite characters like Pinky and the Brain.

Since its release in 2020, Animaniacs has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences. Rotten Tomatoes deemed the series to be "a delightful revitalization of a beloved series," and gave it an 81 critic score. However, Animaniacs has not totally avoided criticism, especially when it comes to diverging from the original series, and Animaniacs season 3 definitely received some flack for its ending.

Related: Animaniacs Reboot Unintentionally Mocks Justice League Snyder Cut

Animaniacs Season 3's Abrupt Ending Was Jarring To Viewers

In...

Take a look at new footage from the DreamWorks Animation TV series "Animaniacs" Season Three, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, Jess Harnel and Maurice Lamarche, premiering with 10 new episodes, February 17, 2023 on Hulu:

"... 'Yakko', 'Wakko' and 'Dot' return with an all-new season of laughs, songs, pop culture parodies and enough zany antics to fill a water tower.  

"'Pinky' and the 'Brain', with their ever ending plans to take over the world journey to the ends of new lands, deserts, and even the space time continuum. 

"And while new friends, 'Starbox' and 'Cindy' continue their play date, the 'Warner' siblings must battle their way out of a video game, learn the secrets of being a teen influencer and escape a mad scientist's island..."

Click the images to enlarge...

I love you, you love me, Barney’s back on your TV.

A reboot of “Barney,” the famous 1990s children’s TV franchise featuring the titular purple dinosaur, is officially in the works, Mattel announced Monday. Set for an unnamed date in 2024, the relaunch will see Barney getting a new look as an animated series produced by Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana and Mattel Television.

Along with the new series, Mattel plans to roll out films and YouTube videos starring Barney in addition to a line of kids’ merchandise. The company is also planning a line of adult apparel and accessories featuring the original Barney design.

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“Barney’s message of love and kindness has stood the test of time,” said Josh Silverman, Chief Franchise Officer and Global Head of Consumer Products at Mattel. “We will tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney,...

At this point, the accepted line on "The Simpsons" is that it hasn't been good for decades, which is sort of true, even if the new seasons suggest otherwise. Now that the show is on Disney+ and has been fully integrated into the house of mouse, it has seemingly completed its transformation into exactly the kind of commercialized pop culture product it once so deftly lampooned. But while it's easy to take shots at a show that's been on the air since the late-'80s one thing you simply can't knock is the voice acting talent.

Since 1989, the central cast has remained unchanged, with Dan Castellaneta, Yeardley Smith, Julie Kavner, and Nancy Cartwright giving voice to Matt Groening's original vision of the modern American family for 34 seasons straight. But back when "The Simpsons" was getting started, none of the cast could have known what they were signing up for.

When a pair of "Tiny Toon Adventures" animators tried their hand at reinventing Batman for the small screen back in 1992, they created the definitive version of the Dark Knight for many a '90s kid. Led by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, "Batman: The Animated Series" was a big hit for Fox Kids for the three years of its airing. The show re-envisioned Batman for a new generation, picking up where Tim Burton left off with 1989's "Batman" and reintroducing the dark tone that had been so central to the character's inception.

With a Superman film in the works, Warner Bros. Animation president Jean MacCurdy asked Timm if he wanted to cartoons with the DC superhero (via Comicology). Timm and Alan Burnett ("Batman: Mask of the Phantasm") partnered up to work their magic with Superman. Once again, they reinvigorated the character, bringing a distinctive design language, nuanced characters, and mature...

Animation fans are eating good. Between anime being more popular and accessible than ever before, major studios experimenting with visual styles, and streaming giving an avenue to auteurs to make passion projects — even giving stop-motion the comeback it so dearly deserves — this is a great time to be a fan of one of the oldest filmmaking mediums there is.

Still, with so much animation comes the fact that not everything is special or outstanding. But every once in a while there comes a project, a movie or a film that fully understands the medium of animation's ability to deliver stories in a different reality — be it a heightened reality that feels mostly like ours, or a cartoony one. These projects remind us of how special animation is, both to deliver exquisitely artful stories or just cuckoo bananas, off-the-wall, incredibly silly yet fun experiences.

The latter is why I've been so...

It feels just like last month we were complimenting Hulu on its true crime offerings. Well, with its list of new releases for February 2023, Hulu is staying in the true crime lane. Suppose that’ll happen when you push back the release date of a series or two.

February sees the arrival of three notable true crime series on Hulu. Taiwan Crime Stories premieres on Feb. 1 and presents four true tales from Taiwan’s criminal “dark underbelly.” That will be followed by ABC News Studios’ Killing County on Feb. 3. That three-episode series ponders the question “what happens when police kill?” The most interesting true crime offering premieres on Feb. 9. That’s when Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence College shares its four-episode saga of Larry Ray and the young college students he victimized.

As far as non true crime offerings go, the third and final season of Hulu...

With January quickly coming to a close it's time to look ahead to February and Hulu has plenty of great titles that will be available to stream next month. Two fan-favorite Hulu series will be concluding with Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Animaniacs both premiering their third and final seasons in February, while the FX Original series Snowfall will be debuting its sixth and final season. Another stand-out title coming to Hulu is the buzzy new true-crime docuseries Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence which comes from the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker behind Cutie and the Boxer. Barry Jenkins' highly underrated James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk will also be coming to Hulu in February, the film landed Regina King the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2019. Other titles coming to Hulu in February include the 2022 Sundance horror hit Piggy, the Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen dramedy...

As with every month, Hulu will be bringing in a whole lot of great new titles this February. The list of movies being added to the service in the month include How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), I, Robot (2004), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), and a host of others. The month will also see the arrival of a new season of the Gordon Ramsay cooking competition show Next Level Chef and the third and final seasons of Animaniacs and Wu-Tang: An American Saga, as well as new shows like the docuseries Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, the sex-positive reality series Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne, and the new Joel McHale sitcom, Animal Control. However, as is always the case, there will still be other popular films leaving the service as well.

Thanks to the massive success of the 1987 animated series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," toy companies and television networks were all looking for their own anthropomorphic crimefighting animal franchises in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And when they eventually found them, the results were wild. In the words of Guns N' Roses, "Welcome to the Jungle."

"Battletoads" was probably the most blatant ripoff. "Road Rovers" was another swing and a miss. "Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron" had a pretty awesome show, but the toy line didn't deliver as much as the cartoon. Then came "Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa" and "Street Sharks," which excelled in both areas. But when "Biker Mice From Mars" premiered in 1993, both the show and the toys stood head and shoulders above the rest (but always just below Tmnt). The little kid version of me went nuts for this show, as well as the action...

Damien Chazelle's "Babylon" is a fantastic, over-the-top tale of debauchery and a melancholic look at the roaring '20s in Hollywood, where everything could and often did happen. This is a film of excess, beginning with an opening scene so ridiculous you'd think Baz Luhrmann directed it — or at least stood up, hooting and hollering through the scene — and the only 2022 film that ends with a shoutout to James Cameron's "Avatar," a movie it seems to both admire and deeply fear.

This is not a reverential look at the power of filmmaking like "The Fablemans," or a tender story that crosses with a tale about the power of cinema like "Cinema Paradiso," but a go-for-broke, "Animaniacs" sketch about the endless cycle of death and rebirth in Hollywood. Scenes about the making of several pictures in the same lot are fascinating if kind of cartoonish. An incredibly long opening...

The Animaniacs and their friends set off on their last wacky adventures in the official season 3 trailer. Jess Harnell, Rob Paulsen, and Tress MacNeille's chaotic cartoon creatures earned acclaim throughout the show's original five-season run from 1993 to 1998. Animaniacs returned in 2020 after 22 years for a new season that would air on Hulu as part of a two-season order, with the concluding season 3 being ordered in early 2021.

After a long hiatus since season 2 concluded in November 2021, the long-awaited trailer for Animaniacs season 3 was finally released by Hulu on their YouTube channel ahead of season 3's premiere on February 17, just over two years since Animaniacs season 3 was initially announced.

In the new trailer above, Wakko (Harnell), Yakko (Paulsen), and Dot (MacNeille) break free of their water tower prison for more capers that poke fun at pop culture's most recognizable tales. Meanwhile, Pinky (Paulsen) and the Brain (Maurice Lamarche) also return for more world-conquering schemes,...

February can be a weird month. It’s too late to wish anyone “Happy New Year,” late enough to abandon resolutions, and too early to leave the house if you want to avoid getting caught in nasty weather (even in Los Angeles).

This month also marks the third and final season of Hulu’s widely acclaimed “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” which charts the rise of the Wu-Tang clan over time. Season 3 catches up with the Wu-Tang members after their first album, facing divergent paths in the years that follow. As with any group navigating the challenging lure of fame and money, it’s a treacherous road — but an indelible journey. “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” Season 3 premieres February 15 on Hulu.

Here’s everything coming to Hulu in February 2023.

February 1

“Taiwan Crime Stories” (Season 1)

“Impractical Jokers” (Seasons 1-3)

“Naruto Shippuden”

“Sherman’s Showcase” (Season 2B)

“2012” (2009)

“50/50” (2011)

“Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman” (2021)

“All...

The DreamWorks Animation TV series "Animaniacs" Season Three, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, stars Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, Jess Harnel and Maurice Lamarche, premiering with 10 new episodes, February 17, 2023 on Hulu:

"... 'Yakko', 'Wakko' and 'Dot' return with an all-new season of laughs, songs, pop culture parodies and enough zany antics to fill a water tower.  

"'Pinky' and the 'Brain', with their ever ending plans to take over the world journey to the ends of new lands, deserts, and even the space time continuum. 

"And while new friends, 'Starbox' and 'Cindy' continue their play date, the 'Warner' siblings must battle their way out of a video game, learn the secrets of being a teen influencer and escape a mad scientist's island..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot return with an all-new season of laughs, songs, pop culture parodies, and enough zany antics to fill a water tower (or at least 10 episodes!). Pinky and Brain’s never ending plans to take over the world journey them to the ends of new lands, deserts, and even the space time continuum. And while new friends, Starbox and Cindy continue their play date, the Warner siblings must battle their way out of a video game, learn the secrets of being a teen influencer, and escape a mad scientist’s island all while finding time to teach us about the threat of global warming! Steven Spielberg returns as executive producer of the series.

Season three premieres with all 10 episodes on February 17 on Hulu.

The post ‘Animaniacs’ Final Season Premiering February 17 On Hulu appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Get ready for more of Drew’s News.

The Drew Barrymore Show has been renewed for Season 4, taking the daytime program through the 2023-24 season on CBS Stations, it was announced on Tuesday.

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“This season, The Drew Barrymore Show debuted a new reimagined half-hour format, which has been an undeniable success,” Steve LoCascio, President of CBS Media Ventures,...

"Superman: The Animated Series" occupies a curious middle ground in the DC Animated Universe, the continuity built by artists including Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. It never earned the rapturous critical reception of "Batman: The Animated Series," which to this day generates oral histories extolling its greatness. It also lacked the epic scope of "Justice League," which told multi-part stories featuring a huge cast of characters across time and space. But "Superman" should not be underestimated. At its best, the show's staff reinvented and condensed comics canon as elegantly as "Batman" did. Crossover episodes united Superman with Batman, Lobo and even Green Lantern, paving the way for the widescreen action of "Justice League." Best of all, "Superman: The Animated Series" introduced characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World, including the nefarious Darkseid.

The DC Animated Universe ended in the early 2000s, but continues to influence contemporary animated series based on the characters to this day.

The 30th MipJunior, the international kids content market, opened Saturday with the presentation Binge Watching Session: Kids Audience Successes Around the Globe.

Presented by industry analyst Avril Blondelot, the head of content insight Paris-based Global Audience & Content Evolution (Glance), the colorful overview presented the latest hits for kids and tipped off the audience on upcoming shows to track.

“The trend towards reboots isn’t going away anywhere soon,” she told Variety in Cannes, citing the global success of the reboot of 80s’ hit “The Smurfs.”

Reboots like “Moominvalley,” “Rugrats,” “Animaniacs” and the upcoming “TeleTubbies”were all cited as key examples in the trend.

“Animaniacs” resurfaced on Hulu in 2020, 27 years after it was first seen. Netflix will debut its “TeleTubbies” reboot this fall. Tove Jansson’s “Moomin” characters were resurrected in 2019.

Another trend is “spin offs and more spin offs.”Titles Blondelot presented for this popular category included “Madagascar: A Little Wild,...

At HBO Max, the Bat-folk can’t catch a break. Weeks after the decision to kill the effectively completed straight-to-streaming movie “Batgirl,” HBO Max canceled “Batman: Caped Crusader” and “Merry Little Batman,” among four other animated projects. The good news for these six newly scrapped Warner Bros. Animation projects is they are still full steam ahead in production and being shopped elsewhere, a person with knowledge of the situation told IndieWire — unlike “Batgirl,” which will never see the light of day.

A second source told IndieWire that HBO Max has made the choice to spend some time away from the kids-and-family sandbox. It’s a crowded and expensive field, and HBO Max isn’t a breakout brand for that type of programming. Disney+ and Netflix will vie for the kids’ market, one with no opportunity for ad revenue — both made a pledge to let the programming run commercial free — in...

Exclusive: Harvardwood has unveiled its latest set of Writers Competition winners, also naming its Most Staffable TV Writer for 2022. (See the full list below.)

The official arts, media and entertainment alumni organization for Harvard University, Harvardwood looks to spotlight talented up-and-coming writers from diverse backgrounds and to connect them with mentors, as well as producers, agencies and management companies.

Writer-producers participating in this year’s program as mentors include Carlton Cuse (Lost), Mark Goffman (The Umbrella Academy), Teresa Hsiao (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens), Colleen McGuinness (Life & Beth) and Jeff Melvoin (Killing Eve).

The winners of Harvardwood’s competition were chosen via a blind judging process. In addition to one-on-one mentorship, each will receive a cash prize.

“Harvardwood has strived to support new voices in the industry,” said President Allison Kiessling, “and we are proud to see those efforts reflected in our competition winners.”

“Harvardwood thanks our outstanding mentors and...

Previous | Image 1 of 6 | NextLana Parrilla of TV’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ and ‘Why Woman Kill.’

Chicago – The fan gathering conventions are coming back, and a new one has emerged. The 2022 Fan Expo is the new name for the former Wizard World, which had met in pre-pandemic Chicago for years. The Fan Expo offers the same celebrity meet-and-greets, including Joel McHale (“Star Girl”), Carl Weathers (“Rocky”), Ron Perlman (“Hellboy”), Anthony Daniels (“Star Wars”), Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek; Tng”) and director Kevin Smith (“Clerks”).

To gear up for the new Fan Expo, HollywoodChicago.com is publishing – for the first time – a series of Exclusive Portraits from the last Wizard World in 2021. Photographer Joe Arce was there, and captured these TV and movie stars that attended the event.

Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.

Nic Izzi of Red20 announced on Thursday that he is developing a new version of the 1980s animated kids show “Rude Dog and the Dweebs,” which is being reimagined as an adult animated series.

The character, created by Brad McMahon in the 1980s, originated as a mascot for Sun Sportswear. In 1989, he got his own animated series from Marvel Productions and was part of the CBS Saturday morning line-up. Rob Paulsen, who voiced Yakko on “Animaniacs” and Pinky on “Pinky and the Brain,” provided the voice of the pooch with the rude ‘tude.

“Rude Dog and its brand left an indelible mark on its generation,” Izzi said. ”Rude Dog’s story evolves into a satire about the broken institutions which have left behind the working class. Audiences have embraced the wide spectrum of adult animation, from joke-heavy comedies to sophisticated tales of reconstruction, which is exactly the vibe Rude Dog evokes.

Over Savio P. Clemente’s many years as a certified wellness coach, podcaster, and syndicated columnist, he has talked to hundreds of individuals at all stages in their battle with cancer. A Stage 3 cancer survivor himself, Clemente collected 35 of those interviews in his new book, “I Survived Cancer and Here Is How I Did It.”

In an excerpt from his book below — which is available to purchase in hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook editions now, Clemente speaks with voice actor Rob Paulsen about his battle with throat cancer and what got him through it.

This excerpt has been edited for style and clarity.

***

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rob Paulsen. You probably grew up with Rob. Your kids are

growing up with Rob. Name not familiar? What about Pinky from “Pinky and the Brain?” Yakko from “Animaniacs”? Mutant Turtles, who happen to be martial arts experts, named Raphael and Donatello...

Exclusive: Paw Patrol and Bob the Builder creator Keith Chapman has partnered with London indie Snipple Originals to co-create and develop ground-breaking animated kids TV shows.

Under his Keith Chapman Productions banner, Chapman and Snipple will create character-driven animated IP for the upper pre-school market.

The veteran UK kids TV exec is already developing Paco & the Pirate League for the partnership, a 2D animation following the adventures of the world’s greatest football player, Paco, a 10-year-old cabin boy living on the Golden Boot pirate ship. Chapman described Paco & the Pirate League as “the show I wish I could have watched as a kid kicking my first football around.”

The exec has created some of the biggest animated hits of the past generation including CBeebies’ Bob the Builder and Nickelodeon’s international smash Paw Patrol, which has spawned 10 series and two features.

Snipple Originals, meanwhile, is part of Philippines-based animation studio Snipple Group,...

With his recent re-imagining of West Side Story garnering seven Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), and after nearly five decades, Steven Spielberg's legendary career shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. He's directed 34 feature films to date, but he's also had quite an impressive streak as a producer, with his producing credits ranging from Back to the Future to even Michael Bay's Transformers.

Related: The 10 Best Steven Spielberg Films of the 21st Century, According to IMDb

Throughout the 1990s and even still today, Spielberg had also teamed up with Warner Bros. Animation to help develop some of the most memorable animated children's series ever created. Shows like Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures became iconic titles that thrived on the airwaves throughout the decade thanks to his influence, and each of these Spielberg-produced cartoons can be ranked by IMDb score.

Disney Plus’ “Muppets Haunted Mansion” and Apple TV Plus’ “For All Mankind” and “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” were among the winners on Monday as the Producers Guild of America announced the winners of four categories from this year’s PGA Awards.

Held in person at its annual East Coast celebration of the 2022 PGA nominees, winners included the producing team for HBO’s “100 Foot Wave” (Season 1), named outstanding sports program; the producing team for “Muppets Haunted Mansion” with outstanding children’s program; the producing team for “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” (Season 4) with outstanding short form program; and “For All Mankind: Time Capsule” was presented with the PGA Innovation Award, “which celebrates outstanding entertainment endeavors across VR, Ar, experiential and other emerging media.” (“For All Mankind: Time Capsule” is a companion to Apple’s critically acclaimed “For All Mankind.”)

“100 Foot Wave” beat out a sports field that included “Tiger,” “Formula 1: Drive to Survive...

James Cullen Bressack (“Fortress”) is adapting the play “Murder, Anyone?” into a feature film, Variety can exclusively reveal.

“Muder, Anyone?” was originally written by Bressack’s father, Emmy Award-winning “Pinky and the Brain” writer Gordon Bressack. The play first premiered at the White Fire Theatre in Los Angeles in 2017.

Gordon Bressack, who worked on dozens of beloved animated shows including “Animaniacs” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” died in 2019.

Now his son will direct and produce a feature film adaptation, in part to “bring attention to his work,” Bressack tells Variety.

Spencer Breslin (“The Happening”) and Kristos Andrews (“The Bay”) are set to star in the film, a faithful adaptation of Bressack Sr.’s show about two playwrights tasked with creating a new “avant-garde, surrealistic, mind-bending neo-noire thriller” who find their story coming to life as they write.

Breslin and Andrews are joined by Galadriel Stineman (“The Is Us”), Maurice Lamarche (“Animaniacs”), Charles M.

"An American Tail" is not only one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, but it also serves as Steven Spielberg's entry into the world of animation. After the success of "An American Tail" and director Don Bluth's follow-up "The Land Before Time", Spielberg decided to go all-in on animation — founding the short-lived Amblimation studio and producing hit cartoons including "Tiny Toon Adventures" and "Animaniacs".

But "American Tail's" success nearly led to a lawsuit from the creator of another mouse-centered tail.

Prior to "An American Tail's" release, Art Spiegelman was hard at work crafting his graphic novel masterpiece "Maus." Upon reading the description of "An...

The post Why Steven Spielberg's An American Tail Was Accused of Plagiarism appeared first on /Film.

The Producers Guild of America has unveiled its first wave of nominations for the 2022 PGA Awards, which will now take place March 19 in Los Angeles after moving out of February due to the pandemic. The Guild announced the nominees in the categories of Short-Form, Children’s, and Sports television programming. The full list of nominees for TV shows and specials as well as for movies will be unveiled on Thursday, January 27.

See Tuesday’s lineup of PGA Award nominees below. They include the popular sports series “Naomi Osaka” from Netflix and “Tiger” from HBO, about the tennis star and golf champion Woods, respectively. Also up for honors are “Muppet’s Haunted Mansion,” the Sesame Street special “See Us Coming Together,” “Waffles + Mochi,” “Carpool Karaoke,” “Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News,” and a “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” special.

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program

“100 Foot Wave” (Season...

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Black Friday is a great time to save big on that new TV you’ve been eyeing for months, and a perfect opportunity to get discounts on streaming subscriptions. Hulu is already among the cheaper streaming options out there, but the price is dropping even further thanks to the annual Black Friday deal announced on “Good Morning America.”

From now until November 29, new and eligible returning subscribers (who have not been subscribed to the service in the past month) can join Hulu’s ad-supported tier for just $0.99 a month for a year. The ad-supported tier will cost $6.99 a month after the first year. This special offer cannot be combined with any free trial of Hulu’s ad-supported plan,...

As the Hollywood blockbuster machine continues to dust itself off and release some early winter hits, Hulu is going in a bit of a different direction with its list of new releases for November 2021.

There are no big Hulu original films of note this month. Instead there’s a whole host of original series. The TV parade starts on Nov. 5 with the release of Animaniacs season 2. Also getting a second season this month is monarchal comedy The Great on Nov. 19. The most intriguing series, however, is animated Marvel comedy Marvel’s Hit Monkey. As its name so graciously implies, this is a show about a hit monkey…as in monkey assassin. Naturally the hit monkey is haunted by the ghost of Jason Sudeikis because it’s important that everything make sense.

Though Hulu doesn’t have any original movies in November, its list of library movie titles is quite vast.

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineTV Ratings: CBS Dramas, The Rookie Drop Against World Series/NFL ComboSEAL Team Recap: Final CBS Episode...

HBO Max is at the Head of the Class with the first trailer for its upcoming reboot of the 1980s ABC sitcom.

The comedy revolves around a group of overachieving high school students who meet their greatest challenge — a teacher (played by One Day at a Time‘s Isabella Gomez) who wants them to focus less on grades and more on experiencing life. As previously announced, original series star Robin Givens will reprise her role as Darlene Merriman, who is now a single mother to one of the students.

More from TVLinePeter Scolari Remembered by Evil Co-Creator as 'Wonderful, One...

Hulu’s Emmy Award-winning revival of the ‘90s cartoon classic Animaniacs is back for a “zanier, brainier, and insanier” Season 2! Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, all 13 brand new episodes will drop on the streaming service on Friday, November 5. “Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for an all-new season of this iconic, family-friendly series with something for everyone: pop culture parodies, musical showstoppers, takedowns of historical baddies…and even some important safety tips,” states the season description. “Join the Warners and Pinky and the Brain as they wreak havoc everywhere they go, from the Warner Bros. lot to an international beauty pageant and all the way into outer space. And keep an eye out for season one favorites Starbox & Cindy, as well as some rejected Animaniacs characters that were left on the cutting room floor.” Hulu Returning for Season 2 are original voice actors Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille as the titular Yakko,...

Dennis Rodman’s 48-hour vacation to Las Vegas in the middle of the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-1998 season will be chronicled in a new scripted feature film, 48 Hours in Vegas.

The incident gained renewed prominence last year when it was covered in Episodes Three and Four of The Last Dance. As the doc recalled, Bulls head coach Phil Jackson granted Rodman the respite when he was underperforming mid-way through the season. Rodman, however, didn’t come back at the prescribed time, so Jackson and Michael Jordan had to retrieve him themselves...

One of the highlights of last year’s Chicago Bulls docuseries “The Last Dance” was Dennis Rodman’s wild trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals, and now that trip will be turned into a film by Lionsgate called “48 Hours In Vegas.”

Rodman will serve as an executive producer on the film with “Animaniacs” writer Jordan Vandina penning the script and Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Aditya Sood producing through Lord Miller. Ari Lubet and Will Allegra will also serve as executive producers.

Rodman’s vacation was the subject of a cliffhanger ending during episode 3 of “The Last Dance.” Rodman, who had taken on more responsibility on the team while Scottie Pippen was out with an injury during the 1998 NBA season, was pushed to the brink of burnout, leading to a meeting between him, Michael Jordan and head coach Phil Jackson.

“When Scottie was out, Dennis was a model citizen,...

We've lost another legend as veteran actor, activist, and philanthropist Ed Asner has died. Asner, who's brought laughter to millions with his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show along with many other roles, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning while surrounded by family members. A cause of death was not revealed for the beloved entertainer. He was 91 years old.

A television icon, Asner is the most awarded male performer in Emmy history with seven total wins for his acting. Five of those were for his most recognized role as Lou Grant, one of the most popular characters of classic television. Playing the role in the 70s and 80s on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Asner also reprised that role for his own spinoff series Lou Grant, which ran for five seasons between 1977-82.

Asner's appearance on both shows makes him one of very few actors to...