News

On Wednesday, we exclusively unleashed the trailer for the live-action Woody Woodpecker movie upon the world (you're welcome), which has since become the subject of much talk around the net. Wait, what? I'm serious, have you watched it yet? Here, why not take a gander at the trailer for yourself, and see why it might be giving people nightmares: Now do you understand? That red and blue bird is... Read More...

Chaos ensues in the all-new family comedy, Woody Woodpecker, coming to DVD, Digital and On Demand on February 6, 2018, from Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production entity of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The film blends live action and CGI animation to tell the crazy and humorous story of an all-out turf war between the mischievous prankster and a big city lawyer who wants to build his dream home in Woody's backyard. Directed by Alex Zamm (Inspector Gadget 2, The Little Rascals Save the Day), Woody Woodpecker stars Timothy Omundson (Psych), Thaila Ayala (Rio Heat), Graham Verchere (Fargo) Jordana Largy (Monster Trucks) and Eric Bauza (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water), as the voice of Woody. The Woody Woodpecker DVD and digital features deleted scenes and an exclusive inside look at the making of the film as well as the evolution of Woody's iconic cartoon character.

Woody Woodpecker is back with his signature laugh,...

Woody Woodpecker, the cartoon bird who laughs a lot, went and got himself a feature-length film, and now the trailer has arrived to make us all question our very existence. This live-action comedy has Woody making life a living hell for human beings everywhere, like the mischievous elf Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also, there are […]

The post Look Upon This ‘Woody Woodpecker’ Trailer and Despair appeared first on /Film.

Anyone who is a fan of the classic screwball cartoons is no doubt familiar with the manic, bonkers, mischief-causing Woody Woodpecker. Known for his red, white and blue color and iconic cackle, Woody remains popular today for his over-the-top shenanigans and constant wood-pecking. Now he’s gotten the CGI treatment for a whole new live-action adventure, which finds Woody taking the business to some folks who are... Read More...

  The Animation Podcast Ep. 107 The Animation Podcast is a weekly podcast news show that looks into the latest news in the animation industry, hosted by FilmBook, created and narrated by FilmBook author Mathieu Brunet a.k.a. AniMat from the ElectricDragon505 YouTube channel. Music provided by Chris Holland. In this episode, The Animation Podcast examines [...]

Continue reading: The Animation Podcast Ep. 107: Dora The Explorer, The Breadwinner, Woody Woodpecker...

The Animation Podcast Ep. 99 The Animation Podcast is a weekly podcast news show that looks into the latest news in the animation industry, hosted by FilmBook, created and narrated by FilmBook author Mathieu Brunet a.k.a. AniMat from the ElectricDragon505 YouTube channel. Music provided by Chris Holland. In this episode, The Animation Podcast examines [...]

Continue reading: The Animation Podcast Ep. 99: Donald Trump, Woody Woodpecker, The Simpsons...

Aaron is joined by Doug McCambridge and Jackie Carlson and they discuss female filmmakers in the collection, take the deep dive into David Lynch and Coppola’s Rumble Fish. Most importantly, Doug is ridiculed for failing to live up to his promise to get the trial.

Episode Notes

6:30 – Aaron and his TV problems

14:50 – Female Filmmakers

33:10 – David Lynch

47:00 – Rumble Fish

54:30 – Short Takes (Canoa, Mildred Pierce, David Lynch Shorts, Touki Bouki)

1:03:40 – FilmStruck

Episode Links Frameline – Desert Hearts The Agnès Varda Blu-ray Collection What Did Five Woody Woodpecker Dolls Do to Upset David Lynch? Janus Films – Fire Walk With Me Episode Credits Aaron West: Twitter | Website | Letterboxd Doug McCambridge: Twitter | Website Jackie Carlson: Instagram | Letterboxd Criterion Now: Twitter | Facebook Group Criterion Cast: Facebook | Twitter

Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.

David Lynch’s creative process is the stuff of legends. His affection for transcendental meditation is well known, but individual anecdotes from that process—like the way Blue Velvet began with the germ of an idea about an ear found within a field, or Laura Dern’s retelling of the credits sequence for Inland Empire—get passed around long after the fact, not as keys to understanding his work but almost as creative additions to them. The 20 hours of new work currently unfolding on Twin Peaks’ third season will surely go on to generate plenty such legends, but one is making the rounds again now. It is the story of David Lynch’s tempestuous friendship with five Woody Woodpecker dolls, with whom he is no longer on speaking terms.

The story has been kicking around for years, but it was renewed by Lynch’s comments on the dolls in ...

Sneak Peek footage from Universal's upcoming big screen CGI "Woody Woodpecker" movie, opening in 2017:

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who previously laid groundwork for "Bugs Bunny" and "Daffy Duck" at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio, including "Andy Panda", distributed by Universal Pictures.

Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined look.

Woody was originally voiced by actor Mel Blanc, who was succeeded by Ben Hardaway and later by Grace Stafford, the wife of producer Walter Lantz.

Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on TV in the 1957 cartoon series, "The Woody Woodpecker Show", which featured Lantz cartoons (including director Tex Avery's manic "Chilly Willy" shorts).

The...

At the Academy Awards on Sunday night, Kevin O’Connell just broke the longest streak for Oscar nominations without a win. The 59-year-old New Yorker had been nominated 21 times in total, making 2017 a very good year for him.

Who else among Hollywood’s finest has had to weather a storm of nominations without a win? Well, even just keeping it to over 10 nominations, it’s a healthy list. Let’s take a look.

Greg P. Russell

O’Connell’s win must have been somewhat bittersweet for Russell, who’s directly behind the elder sound mixer in the category of most nominations without wins.

Walter Lantz’s animated mischief-maker is still big in Brazil. But is the now glassy-eyed, Portuguese-speaking bird set for big-screen global domination?

Remember Woody Woodpecker? In fairness, you might not. A perennial also-ran compared to the big guns of Disney and Warner Bros, Woody Woodpecker never quite managed to settle on a definitive persona. He was an irritant, then a belaboured everyman. He created problems, then he solved them. He was aggressive, then he was a watered-down Bugs Bunny. Maybe this is why Woody Woodpecker has only fitfully been seen on screen since the early 1970s.

Continue reading...

Hollywood has raided my childhood once again! A live-action version of popular 1940s cartoon series Woody Woodpecker is heading to the big screen next year and the first teaser has been released in Brazil, where it is titled Pica-Pau. Created by Walter Lantz and produced as a series of theatrical short films by his studio in the 1940s, the character made its way to television in 1957 and eventually lodged its way into my brain through the TV rerun circuit in the late 1960s. Frankly, all I remember from the show is Woody's insistent laughter, which is reproduced faithfully in the short teaser. A quick look at IMDb reveals a lesser-known cast directed by Alex Zamm, whose extensive credits include a number of sequels, such...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Your reaction to seeing this post is probably similar to ours. Going through the emotions of, ‘what the’, to ‘why’ to ‘oh goodness it’s a live action movie’! But anyway, here’s the brand new trailer for the live action Woody Woodpecker (or Pica-Pau in Portuguese) movie which has been released in Brazil. Just when you […]

The post The first trailer for live action Woody Woodpecker movie appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Brendon Connelly Mar 13, 2017

A new international trailer lands for the Woody Woodpecker movie...

Update: It's been a while, but Woody Woodpecker completists, fear no more. A new international trailer for the upcoming movie has been released. And you can view it right here...

You are very welcome.

Previously (December 2016)

Thanks to Universal's Brazillian wing (Wing! get it? Like a bird's wing!) here is the first trailer for the live-action Woody Woodpecker movie. In the sense, that is, that the movie is live-action, because the Woodpecker most definitely is not.

The film's director is Alex Zamm, previously culpable for Jingle All the Way 2, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, Inspector Gadget 2... You know what? That's a lot of number twos.

Zamm did direct some episodes of the Upright Citizen's Brigade TV show and he does have Timothy Omundensen here - the bearded man getting gunged, previously popular in Psych and Gallivant.

Twenty-five years ago Thursday, Rugrats, Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show premiered on Nickelodeon. It's hard to believe, but just seven years prior, the network was a huge failure, operating at a $10 million loss in 1984. By 1985, they'd launched Nick at Nite; in 1988, the Kids' Choice Awards and Nick Jr.

So when the network opened Nickelodeon Studios within Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, all eyes were on them. And it didn't disappointment, launching three soon-to-be iconic original animated series – Rugrats, Doug and Ren & Stimpy – all on the same day: Aug. 11, 1991. Since the cruel passage of time is all that unites us these days,...

Twenty-five years ago Thursday, Rugrats, Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show premiered on Nickelodeon. It's hard to believe, but just seven years prior, the network was a huge failure, operating at a $10 million loss in 1984. By 1985, they'd launched Nick at Nite; in 1988, the Kids' Choice Awards and Nick Jr. So when the network opened Nickelodeon Studios within Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, all eyes were on them. And it didn't disappointment, launching three soon-to-be iconic original animated series - Rugrats, Doug and Ren & Stimpy - all on the same day: Aug. 11, 1991. Since the cruel passage of time is all that unites us these days,...

Twenty-five years ago Thursday, Rugrats, Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show premiered on Nickelodeon. It's hard to believe, but just seven years prior, the network was a huge failure, operating at a $10 million loss in 1984. By 1985, they'd launched Nick at Nite; in 1988, the Kids' Choice Awards and Nick Jr. So when the network opened Nickelodeon Studios within Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, all eyes were on them. And it didn't disappointment, launching three soon-to-be iconic original animated series - Rugrats, Doug and Ren & Stimpy - all on the same day: Aug. 11, 1991. Since the cruel passage of time is all that unites us these days,...

Production has now wrapped in Vancouver on writer/director Alex Zamm's CG-live-action film "Woody Woodpecker", based on the famous Walter Lantz cartoon character, starring Timothy Omundson, Thaila Ayala, Graham Verchere and Toby Walters:

'Woody Woodpecker' was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who laid the groundwork for 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Daffy Duck' @ Warner Bros. in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio...

...alongside 'Andy Panda', distributed by Universal Pictures.

Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined look.

Woody was originally voiced by actor Mel Blanc, who was succeeded by Ben Hardaway and later by Grace Stafford, the wife of producer Walter Lantz.

Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on TV in the 1957 cartoon series, "The Woody Woodpecker Show...

According to animator Bill Kopp, Universal Pictures is still developing "Woody Woodpecker" for a big screen, 3D, CG feature:

"It's been put on hold. It's not dead," said Kopp about the "Woody Woodpecker" feature. "It's just not breathing at the moment. 

"The script is in its second draft and is Really funny..."

"Universal Pictures has hired me to put the 'Woody' back in the 'Woodpecker'! Hooray!! 

"There will be 3 stories woven together into a feature length cartoon - plus a 6-7 minute short that we will put into theaters..."

'Woody Woodpecker' was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who laid the groundwork for 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Daffy Duck' @ Warner Bros. in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio, alongside 'Andy Panda', distributed by Universal Pictures.

Woody's character and design would evolve over the years,...

Director Genndy Tartakovsky’s second stay at Dracula’s lavish resort fails to live up to the first, with a predictable sequel unlikely to excite even the most dazzled kids

There’s irony in the fact that animation, a medium where literally anything is possible, is so frequently stale and predictable. Animation in mainstream Hollywood features, that is. Recent financial successes such as Minions, Home and Big Hero 6 are frequently cute, but they set up their aesthetic in the first scene and usually stay enslaved to it. Even Pixar’s Inside Out, certainly a notch above the competition, is more about colour and design than movement and unpredictability.

Hotel Transylvania (2012) showed what can happen when a fairly typical “what if?” script got in the hands of an animation director with a more inspired vision, in this case Genndy Tartakovsky. No better or worse an animation script than Megamind, Penguins of Madagascar or Rio,...

When I was a kid my first ambition was to be a cartoonist. Walt Disney’s Magazine printed tips on how to draw his most famous characters, which always began with a perfect circle. I found this challenging, which is one reason I never became a professional artist, or even a good amateur. Still, I retain a fascination with drawing and treasure my copy of Walter Lantz Easy Way to Draw, which Mr. Lantz graciously signed for me many years after I’d marked up its pages with bad renderings of Woody Woodpecker and Wally Walrus. I also got to meet Preston Blair, who created the first manual for aspiring animators in 1948 for the venerable Walter Foster publishing company. (In his...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...

Los Angeles traffic is the woooooooorst.

And there’s only so much you can do to pass the time while you’re sitting on the 405 (we don’t have unlimited episodes of “Serial” to listen to). L.A. comedian Lauren O’Brien found another way to entertain herself: Celebrity impressions.

And thus, #CelebritiesStuckInTraffic was born.

Photos: More stolen styles! Which celeb wore these outfits best?

Here is Lauren’s Miley Cyrus:

A video posted by Lauren O'Brien (@thelaurenobrien) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:24pm Pdt

Here is Lauren’s Sofia Vergara:

A video posted by Lauren O'Brien (@thelaurenobrien) on Nov 11, 2014 at 3:18pm Pst

And here is Lauren as both Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen:

A video posted by Lauren O'Brien (@thelaurenobrien) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:58pm Pdt

But our favorite is her Angelina Jolie. She nailed the Angelina face.

A video posted by Lauren O'Brien (@thelaurenobrien) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:22am Pdt

Watch: You need...

Patti Labelle can’t be counted out – ever.

When it comes to her career as a legendary songstress, the “Lady Marmalade” singer’s been going strong for over a half century. And even on American Horror Story: Freak Show as Dora, the ballsy maid who – spoiler alert! – kicked the bucket in the drama’s Nov. 5 episode, Labelle’s seemingly-severed time on the show might not be as short as you think.

Could Dora be resurrected with a new attitude? Could there be more of that side-eye that she throws so well? The self-proclaimed “Shade Queen” teased the possibility of her character's comeback, how she’d handle her onscreen killer in real life, and Jessica Lange’s “cute” singing.

News: Lily Rabe Joins 'Ahs: Freak Show' as Her 'Asylum' Character

ETonline: My first thought after you got knifed by Gloria Mott’s son Dandy during last week’s episode of American Horror Story was, how you gonna...

Patti Labelle can’t be counted out – ever.

When it comes to her career as a legendary songstress, the “Lady Marmalade” singer’s been going strong for over a half century. And even on American Horror Story: Freak Show as Dora, the ballsy maid who – spoiler alert! – kicked the bucket in the drama’s Nov. 5 episode, Labelle’s seemingly-severed time on the show might not be as short as you think.

Could Dora be resurrected with a new attitude? Could there be more of that side-eye that she throws so well? The self-proclaimed “Shade Queen” teased the possibility of her character's comeback, how she’d handle her onscreen killer in real life, and Jessica Lange’s “cute” singing.

News: Lily Rabe Joins 'Ahs: Freak Show' as Her 'Asylum' Character

ETonline: My first thought after you got knifed by Gloria Mott’s son Dandy during last week’s episode of American Horror Story was, how you gonna...

Ahead of Interstellar's launch, here's a selection of 10 underappreciated sci-fi films about space travel...

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar wears many of its influences proudly. The director has openly said that his film is inspired by such acclaimed pieces of cinema as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff, as well as the human warmth of Steven Spielberg's 80s output. Interstellar depicts a near future where life on Earth teeters on the brink of extinction. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former test pilot turned farmer, joins a last-ditch mission to enter a wormhole in space and find a new home for humanity; he realises that the only way to save his family is to leave it behind.

It's the latest film to tap into our fascination with the depths of space - a topic that has been explored many times since the earliest days of cinema.

American Horror Story Freak Show is making all your dreams (even the ones you didn't know you had) come true: Murderous, terrifying clowns on a weekly basis? Check. Patti Labelle dressed as Woody Woodpecker doing the laugh? Check. Jessica Lange singing Lana Del Ray? Check. In the recent Halloween episode of Freak Show—titled "Edward Mordrake Part 1"—the Emmy winner sings "Gods and Monsters" off Del Ray's 2012 record "Born to Die." Yes, the show is set in 1952 and the lyrics reference Jim Morrison. Just go with it. "I really wanted to do an homage to my friend and idol Baz Luhrmann," Ryan Murphy told E! News at the Freak...

It's entirely appropriate that "American Horror Story: Freak Show" would have two episodes devoted to Halloween, that time of year when everyone gets to play pretend that they're whomever they dream of (or fear) being. As Jimmy says over Meep's grave, the dude loved Halloween. "It was the one day he felt like he would have been one of them... But he wasn't one of them. He was better," Jimmy said, adding that Meep would occasionally sneak the odd chicken head into some unsuspecting trick-or-treater's bag. What a rascal that Meep was. Poor Meep.

Tonight's episode introduced the last few main characters: Emma Roberts as the spiritualist/grifter Maggie Esmerelda; Denis O'Hare as Maggie's partner in crime, Stanley; and last but definitely not least, Wes Bentley as the two-faced monster Edward Mordrake. Mordrake is a dapper gentleman ghost with fine manners and many talents; he also has a demonic face...

A friend of mine was complaining about how there aren’t any more Saturday morning cartoons on teevee. I wasn’t the only one who thought, “damn, bro, through the miracle of cable teevee we’ve got cartoons everywhere, all the time.”

Then I started to think about it from a historical perspective. Saturday morning cartoons started when local teevee programmers started turning their lights on early sometime around 1950, recognizing that small children were attracted to the boob tube like babes to teat. Somebody in the advertising community realized that kids have enormous influence over their parents’ breakfast cereal purchasing decisions. Not coincidentally, Kellogg’s came out with Frosted Flakes and Sugar Pops in 1951 and Sugar Smacks in 1953. Also not coincidentally, the incubation period for diabetes is about 30 years, which is why this particular plague has been devastating the Baby Boomers for over 15 years now.

In the world of commercial broadcasting,...

There was a time, not very long ago, when obtaining a decent copy of David Lynch’s first masterpiece, Eraserhead, was problematic. Selected in 2004 for preservation in the National Film Registry, nearly four decades of overriding nearly every other piece of flotsam and jetsam comprising the cult classic continuum, one of the most exquisite directorial debuts of all time gets a lavish Criterion Collection treatment. A film whose aural devices equal its bizarre and unforgettable visuals, outside of a theatrical screening, it’s the definitive way to experience this dream of dark and troubling things.

To outline the narrative of Eraserhead feels rather reductive since the film is a visual and auditory experience that requires first hand exposure. But, basically, it’s about a guy named Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) who is forced to marry a neurotic girlfriend, Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) because she gave birth to a creature/baby he impregnated her with.

Universal Pictures continues to develop, with veteran animator Bill Kopp, the original "Woody Woodpecker" for a big screen, 3D, CGI feature:

"It's official folks," said  Kopp.

"Universal Pictures has hired me to put the 'Woody' back in the 'Woodpecker'! Hooray!! 

"There will be 3 stories woven together into a feature length cartoon - plus a 6-7 minute short that we will put into theaters..."

'Woody Woodpecker' was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who laid the groundwork for 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Daffy Duck' @ Warner Bros. in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio, alongside 'Andy Panda', distributed by Universal Pictures.

Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined look.

Woody was originally voiced by actor Mel Blanc, who...

Britney Spears was noticeably absent from Sunday (24) night’s MTV Video Music Awards, but one of her most famous fashion statements was not. Responding to a dare in a way that Spears could not have possibly imagined, Katy Perry replicated Spears and Justin Timberlake’s regrettable matching denim outfits from the 2001 American Music Awards. It all started Friday when Spears’ tweeted that she sometimes did impressions, and linked to an Instagram video of her doing a funny Woody Woodpecker. Perry responded and a few tweets later, Spears challenged Perry to do her best imitation within 24 hours. Perry said she would do her best impression on the Vma red carpet, but there’s no way that Spears could have expected what Perry did. Sometimes I do impressions... http://t.co/nLICRD2G7W — Britney Spears (@britneyspears) August 22, 2014 This is the best thing I've seen all day bb “@britneyspears: Sometimes I do impressions.

Back in 2001, she and then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake got all decked out in denim for the American Music Awards, and Britney Spears was delighted to see Katy Perry channeling her look at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards last night (August 25).

It all started when the “I Kissed a Girl” songstress commented on Spears’ Woody Woodpecker impression on Friday (August 22). Perry wrote, “This is the best thing I’ve seen all day bb.”

Britney replied, “"@katyperry You're up next. #Noexcuses. You have 24 hours to do your best impression."

Soon thereafter, Katy recruited rapper Riff Raff as her denim date and showed up on the Vma red carpet in her throwback duds.

Perry tweeted, "I did my best impression, hope u likey!” to which Britney replied, “Just when I thought the denim dress had retired....you bring it back! You looked amazing tonight bb."...

Who wore it better?

Thirteen years after Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake infamously walked the MTV Vma red carpet in matching denim, Katy Perry paid homage.

Pics: VMAs Hottest Fashions

"We're wearing custom Versace," said Katy, draped in a denim dress. "A throwback to Britney and Justin."

Katy was accompanied by Riff Raff, who played the Justin to her Britney. Katy and Riff Raff recently teamed up for the This Is How We Do remix.

Last year, MTV asked Britney about her thoughts on the 2001 fashion decision.

"Well, I don't think it's something you can repeat, what you've done in the past," Britney said. "You always have to bring the new, something new and fresh and that's what I did. Everything is really different and elaborated, and it's very intricate and different."

This follows Katy's promise to reveal an impression on the MTV VMAs red carpet. Britney challenged the singer via Twitter, writing,

@katyperry...

Katy Perry accepts Britney Spears' challenge.

It all started when Britney Spears did a spot-on Woody Woodpecker impression on Instagram. Now, she's throwing down the gauntlet to fellow songstress Katy Perry.

After Katy complimented Britney's video, Britney challenged Katy on Twitter, writing,

@katyperry You're up next. #Noexcuses. You have 24 hours to do your best impression.

— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) August 23, 2014

Pics: 9 Nearly Nude Vma Looks Including Britney's

To this, Katy responded that she is accepting the challenge, upping the ante by promising to reveal her best impression on the MTV VMAs red carpet.

@britneyspears I'll show u my best impression on the red carpet at the Vma's tomorrow... Wait for it bb.

— Katy Perry (@katyperry) August 24, 2014

News: Hear Britney Spears with No Auto-Tune

It's anyone's guess who Katy will mimic -- maybe Britney herself? And one has to wonder -- will this become the next Ice Bucket Challenge?

The MTV VMAs red carpet starts at 7 p.m. Et...

Who knew songbird Britney Spears did a crackerjack impersonation of Woody Woodpecker?! The pop princess in fact does know how to channel the cartoon bird known for his wild red pompadour and famous laugh. Britney shared a hilarious video on Instagram of her imitation of Woody Woodpecker Friday. In the short clip, captioned, "Sometimes I do impressions...," the "Circus" singer is all smiles before she launches into the perfect staccato laughter made memorable by the cartoon character first voiced by Looney Tunes legend Mel Blanc. And while we always knew the award-winning artist had some vocal chops, she proved she's also skilled at parroting (or woodpeckering,...

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment ("Despicable Me") originally planned for a CG animated "Woody Woodpecker" feature, looking to 'modernize' the character with a screenplay by John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. 

But Illumination, flush with cash from their "Despicable Me" franchise, dropped the "Woody" movie, allowing Universal to continue working with a veteran animator who will revive the 'original' Woody for the big screen:

"It's official folks," said "Eek! The Cat" creator Bill Kopp.

"Universal Pictures has hired me to put the 'Woody' back in the 'Woodpecker'! Hooray!! There will be 3 stories woven together into a feature length cartoon - plus a 6-7 minute short that we will put into theaters..."

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who previously laid the groundwork for 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Daffy Duck' @ the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in...

Hey, all you Sci-Fi fans, this one’s for you — or better yet, these two are for you! The Redford Theatre is happy to present a Drive-in-style double feature with two of the best loved science fiction films from the 1950s: “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “War of the Worlds.” The night will include a vintage intermission program, complete with dancing hot dogs, a minutes-to-showtime countdown and 1950s movie trailers.

“War of the Worlds” stars Gene Barry (of "Bat Masterson” and "Burke’s Law” fame) and Ann Robinson in her only starring role for Paramount. (She also appeared on our screen two weeks ago in a small role as a showgirl in “Imitation of Life.") A few familiar names appeared here in small roles. Sir Cedric Hardwicke provided the voice for the commentary/narration. Les Tremayne (General Mann) was best known for his estimated 30,000 radio broadcasts. (He also appeared...

Will Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment ever make their big screen CG "Woody Woodpecker" theatrical movie, that they have been promising for years ?  

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who previously laid groundwork for "Bugs Bunny" and "Daffy Duck" at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio, including "Andy Panda", distributed by Universal Pictures.

Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined look.

Woody was originally voiced by actor Mel Blanc, who was succeeded by Ben Hardaway and later by Grace Stafford, the wife of producer Walter Lantz.

Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on TV in the 1957 cartoon series, "The Woody Woodpecker Show", which featured Lantz cartoons (including director...

I’ve gone into hundreds, maybe thousands of theaters, but entering the Regal Cinema last week was a bit unique. This Regal had only been in business a few days – to all intents and purposes it was brand new – and so everything about it was clean and pleasant and orderly, the rugs unspotted, the air untainted, the seats deep and sumptuously padded. And I think I felt a slight tingle of anticipation as I crossed the lobby.

I wonder if I felt a similar tingle the first time someone, almost certainly my mother, took me to the picture show. I would have been just past toddlerhood and so my world would have still be surprising and numinous and I’d be into a strange place, my hand in another, familiar hand, stepping into a semidarkness full of strangers, looking up at a big white thing that suddenly brightened and was...

Sorry, Kanye — the Hollywood Walk of Fame doesn’t think your girl qualifies for a star of her very own.

The rapper recently declared on Jimmy Kimmel Live that his main squeeze Kim Kardashian deserves a square of sidewalk on Hollywood’s most famous footpath. Unfortunately, a representative for the landmark recently told the New York Daily News that the Walk has no category for reality stars: “They’re not giving a performance, it’s just them going through their daily lives and rituals on TV,” Walk of Fame vice president for media relations Ana Martinez explained. “We honor people...

“Guess who?! Ha ha ha hah hah! Ha ha ha hah hah! Hahahahah!” Looks like another iconic cartoon character from Hollywood’s Golden Age is finally returning to the silver screen! He joins the ranks of Mickey Mouse in the theatrical short subject “Get a Horse’ that will be paired with Disney’s Frozen, the Loony Tunes Warner Brothers gang recently seen in the “I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat” short preceeding Happy Feet 2, and Popeye the Sailor Man (technically a comic strip star) in his very own CGI feature from director Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania) in production at Sony Pictures. Why it’s that fine feathered frantic fury, Woody Woodpecker! Animation reporter and historian Jerry Beck reported over at the website Indiewire that animator Bill Kopp (TV’s “Eek the Cat” and “Dan Vs.” amongst many credits) has been signed to bring that red-headed rascal back to theatres...

The film career of legendary English actor Sir Christopher Lee began in 1948 and continues to the present day. Lee is best known for his roles in horror films, especially the string of seven Dracula movies he starred in for Hammer Studios between 1958 and 1974. Super-8 Christopher Lee Movie Madness will be a great way to celebrate the career of Lee, who recently celebrated his 91st birthday. Admission is only Three Dollars.

Super-8 Christopher Lee Movie Madness will take place at The Way Out Club on August 6th beginning at 8pm. Condensed versions (average length: 15 minutes) of these great Christopher Lee films will be screened on a big screen on Super-8 sound film: Dracula Prince Of Darkness, Taste The Blood Of Dracula, Scars Of Dracula, The Gorgon (with Peter Cushing), To The Devil A Daughter, Curse Of The Crimson Cult (with Boris Karloff), and Return To Witch Mountain.

The non- Christopher Lee...

Cyndi Lauper looked absolutely gobsmacked as she made her way to the stage at Radio City Music Hall to collect her Tony Award for writing the music and lyrics for "Kinky Boots"

"And I can't say I wasn't practicing in front of the shower curtain for a couple of days," she says.

Lauper grew up listening to her mom's collections of Broadway soundtracks.

"I want to thank Harvey Fierstein for calling me up.

"I am so glad I was done with the dishes," she says. "And I want to thank Broadway for welcoming me. I understand how hard you work, but your hard work inspires me."

As she spoke on that enormous Radio City Music Hall stage at the live awards on CBS, she was still very much Cyndia Lauper, the talent with the odd little girl voice from Queens, wearing a Woody Woodpecker hairdo, a black lace pants ensemble and gold chandelier earrings.

The combined might of Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams can't rescue this movie, but John Patterson knows something that would help

Let's not linger too long on The Big Wedding. It stinks of white privilege and unfolds inside a whites-only gated community of the mind, in which foreigners (specifically Hispanic women) are perfidious sex objects, and non-whites are only ever seen at the business end of a lawnmower or a tray of hors d'oeuvres. All the major characters are mysteriously rich, with their lakeside retreats and weddings that are – no false advertising here, at least – sumptuously big. It's a continuation of the worlds we saw in such equally lily-white and clueless comedies as It's Complicated, As Good As It Gets, Hanging Up and The Family Stone.

The Big Wedding has been on the shelf for several years and it's not hard to see why: it...

Looks like it is just Interview Central around here these days, folks. Because following up on last week’s column, in which I briefly recapped my Awesome Con DC experience and posted my interview with the fantastic Phil Lamarr (go read/listen if you missed it last week! Good stuff!), I now get to share with you my Awesome Con DC interview with the excellent Billy West! Hooray!

Even if you somehow haven’t heard the name Billy West, before, I almost guarantee you’ve heard his voice. Voicing everything from classic cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Woody Woodpecker, and Popeye to four of the main characters on Futurama (Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, and Zapp Brannigan), Billy has voiced characters on a myriad of other shows as well, including title characters for Nickelodeon’s Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show; and is also...

Last surviving member of the wartime swing trio the Andrews Sisters, whose hits included Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Patty Andrews, who has died aged 94, was the lead singer and soloist with the Andrews Sisters. The swinging American trio, comprising Patty and her older siblings, Laverne and Maxene, achieved their greatest success in the 1940s, contributing to the war effort with catchy songs including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) and, with Bing Crosby, Don't Fence Me In.

The Andrews Sisters performed at military bases and raised money for war bonds; their hits were sung by the troops and by women working in factories. Patty, Laverne and Maxene accompanied the most popular singers and big bands of the day; enjoyed success not just on radio but also in musical comedy films; and spawned a host of other sister acts – not all of whom were real siblings.

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment ("Despicable Me") continue to develop a big screen CGI "Woody Woodpecker" theatrical movie, from a screenplay by John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky ("Blades Of Glory").

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who previously laid groundwork for "Bugs Bunny" and "Daffy Duck" at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930's.

The 'anthropomorphic' acorn woodpecker cartoon character soon appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio, including "Andy Panda", distributed by Universal Pictures.

Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined look.

Woody was originally voiced by actor Mel Blanc, who was succeeded by Ben Hardaway and later by Grace Stafford, the wife of producer Walter Lantz.

Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on TV in the 1957 cartoon series, "The Woody Woodpecker Show...

For 100 years, Universal Pictures has been entertaining audiences all around the world with some of the most unforgettable movies ever made. For a limited time only, own a piece of Hollywood history with the Universal 100th Anniversary Collection arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on November 6, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The collection features a selection of 25 unforgettable films that helped shape the legacy of one of the most successful movie studios of all time. Featuring prestigious Academy Award winners such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Sting, genre-defining classics like Dracula and Spartacus, captivating storytelling such as Field of Dreams and Do the Right Thing, blockbusters like Jurassic Park and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and pure entertainment with franchises including The Bourne Identity and The Fast and the Furious, these movies continue to have an enduring impact throughout the world.

The Universal 100th Anniversary Collection includes an exclusive "100 Years of...

For 100 years, Universal Pictures has been entertaining audiences all around the world with some of the most unforgettable movies ever made. For a limited time only, own a piece of Hollywood history with the Universal 100th Anniversary Collection arriving on Blu-ray. and DVD on November 6, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The collection features a selection of 25 unforgettable films that helped shape the legacy of one of the most successful movie studios of all time. Featuring prestigious Academy Award® winners such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Sting, genre-defining classics like Dracula and Spartacus, captivating storytelling such as Field of Dreams and Do the Right Thing, blockbusters likeJurassic Park and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and pure entertainment with franchises including The Bourne Identity and The Fast and the Furious, these movies continue to have an enduring impact throughout the world.

The Universal 100th Anniversary Collection includes an exclusive “100 Years of Universal...

The new Empire Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure - but there's something of a tweak this week.Instead of the usual podcast, recorded here at Empire Towers, our team at Comic-Con in San Diego have recorded the first of three special daily podcasts discussing and dissecting the best of what they've seen so far at the world's biggest geek gathering.So join Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen and pod newcomer, James White, for insights into The Expendables 2, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Oz The Great And Powerful and Frankenweenie panels. And that's not all - there's a great and exclusive interview with the legendary Jackie Chan to boot. Ever wondered what Jackie Chan impersonating Woody Woodpecker would sound like? Wonder no longer...P.S. Here's the link to our iTunes page, the link to our SoundCloud account and finally our RSS feed, so you can...