All-Star Celebrity Bash Birthday Thread! ...

[ShyViolet]

That is one great looking guy!

[Meg]

Ha, you guys...

[Daniel]

Beat me to it, Meg! For real!

Btw, new member! Hi jane! Welcome to the boards.

[AH3RD]

Today marks what would have been the 97th birthday of the late, legendary animator/producer Joseph Roland Barbera.

Barbera and partner William Denby Hanna (1910-2001) are of course remembered for an amazingly huge chunk of cartoon history: Tom and Jerry, Ruff and Reddy, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Loopy DeLoop, Josie and The Pussy Cats, Cattanooga Cats, Harlem Globetrotters, Space Ghost. Birdman, Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor, Partridge Family 2200 A.D. The Jetsons, Top Cat, Jonny Quest, Super Friends, Hong Kong Phooey, Grape Ape, Mumbly, Jabberjaw, Dynomutt, Clue Club, Super Friends, Skatebirds, The Banana Splits, and a host of others, winning Oscars and Emmies for their magnificent efforts.

Barbera passed away on December 18, 2006 at the age of 95. However, both these magnificent, talented artists shall continue to be remembered and honored...by hundreds of millions of their fans.

[Ben]

I believe we still have a thread held over from a previous birthday!

Funny, like Disney, their names continue to be associated with a certain type of entertainment long after their deaths.

[GeorgeC]

Sir Sean Connery turned 78 this Monday...


"Ha ha! The day is mine, Trebek!"

[eddievalient]

LOL That's the SNL bit, right? Certainly a memorable one. Sadly, the only one of Connery's Bond movies I've seen is Diamonds Are Forever, but it was pretty good. Someday I'll get the boxsets and watch all the movies but for now I've only got a few of the original releases. Question: The first run of Bond dvds had some great documentaries about the series as a whole (how some of the stunts were pulled off, a bio of "Cubby" Broccolli, etc). Do the newer boxsets retain any of those?

[Ben]

I believe the new DVD box sets retain all of the previous extras, except for Die Another Day and one other late one, which for some reason dropped a few non-important things.

Although Dr No is historic for being the first EON Bond, the three Connerys to catch - IMO - are From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball. All of them featuring the iconic elements that would define the series and any number of spoofs.

[GeorgeC]

I wonder if someone could coax Sir Connery out of retirement for the rumored Austin Powers 4?

Funny thing is I don't think Connery's ever played a good villain in a film.

He tried it in The Avengers (the movie) and I've heard it didn't work out so well.

Ah well... He is kind of a grump at any rate, isn't he?

The funny thing about actors is that the grumps and jerks generally are better at playing good guys while the nice guys are good at playing villains!

I wonder why psychology generally works that way??

[Ben]

Even though Disney seems to be waiting for his 85th, we mustn't forget a certain character's birthday today:

http://www.animated-news.com/2008/m-i-c ... -mr-mouse/

What does Mickey mean to you?

[GeorgeC]

Mickey is an icon, and sometimes icons have a hard time breaking out of that status and doing something new.

The last truly good Mickey cartoon was "Runaway Brain" which did new things with the character and introduced some offbeat visuals.

My favorites from his past are the shorts in the 1930s. I think this was the Golden Age for the character before he got too civilized and suburban. This was the era of "The Brave Little Tailor" and "Through the Looking Glass."

Regardless of which Mickey Design they use (I prefer the white-faced button-eyed design myself), I hope somebody remembers the better Mickey cartoons feature a plucky, feisty character who operates best as an action character. Slapstick and comedy is fine, but Mickey's almost better as an Indiana Jones-type to be frank.

P.S. -- My two litho art pieces from the Disney Stores feature Mickey. One is a watercolor/oil/chalk(?) hybrid painting used for a Disney Store book that has Mickey looking up at Tink as the characters get out of the book. The other framed litho is a composite of different Mickey Mouse model sheets used through the decades with my favorite design front-and-center.

[Neal]

It's been a great 80 years. I just re-watched Mickey's The Prince and the Pauper recently. Mickey has been one of the most versatile cartoon characters ever without much fail.

What do you mean Disney seems to be waiting until his 85th? For what? A press release on it, a party, a new Mickey film?

Wasn't there a Mickey short before Steamboat Willie? One where he's on an airplane? But he wasn't named yet so they don't count it as his birthday?

[Ben]

Mickey's 50th and 60th generated much publicity, specials and media interest, though they held off doing much for the 70th in order to give a big push to Mickey's 75th.

My comment supposed that Disney - which hasn't provided anywhere near the blitzing that previous celebrations have had - is sitting this one out in order to give Mickey a bigger salute when he hits 85.

There were <I>two</I> Mickey shorts before Willie: Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, both from the same year, 1928, though they were not released until after Willie, when soundtracks were added to them. He was in fact named: Plane Crazy was actually Mickey's debut, on May 13 1928, but November 18 is the much more widely accepted start to his career.

[mailman641]

maybe the restoration of the original Laugh O Gram studio will be done for Mickey's 85th? not trying to start any rumors, just wishful thinking on my part.

the laughograms.com page doesn't have a timeline but the status page says the building does have a new roof now.

[Neal]

Ah yes, Plane Crazy! I couldn't remember what it was called. I tried to google it but couldn't pull up a name.

Well, we'll have to see what Disney has up its sleeve (if anything) for Mickey five years from now.

I wonder if we'll ever finally see a 'canon' full-length Mickey feature. Although, Musketeers was pretty good.

I have my own silly idea for a Mickey feature.