SpongeBob SquarePants getting married?
EW reports that in “Truth or Square,” a one hour Nickelodeon special airing at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 6, will feature SpongeBob SquarePants getting married to Sandy Cheeks the squirrel.
The episode will be narrated by Ricky Gervais and guest-stars a host of celebrities: Rosario Dawson, Craig Ferguson, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, LeBron James, Pink, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Robin Williams.
The wedding is a flashback as SpongeBob and pals are trapped in the Krusty Krab freezer during the “eleventy seventh” birthday of the Krusty Krab, EW reports.
First Archie, now SpongeBob? Maybe marriage is big this year. Sorry, Spider-Man.
Check out Entertainment Weekly for the video.
Check out Neil Patrick Harris in Batman: Brave and Bold
Entertainment Weekly has an early look at Neil Patrick Harris as the voice of Music Meister in the Oct. 23 episode of “Batman: Brave and Bold.” Perhaps inspired by the musical episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dr. Horrible,” this episode of “Brave and Bold” features hero vs. villain in song. Click the link to check out a clip.
- Matt Price
When Superman met Wonder Woman: Voice actors Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt at Comic-Con
Husband and wife voice actors Yuri Lowenthal (Superman in “Legion of Superheroes”) and Tara Platt (Wonder Woman in “DC Vs Mortal Kombat”) took a few minutes to talk to me at Comic-Con International about their upcoming book, Voice-Over Voice Actor, available for pre-order at BugBotPress.com.
- Matt Price
From Jewel Box to Dream Girl: Oklahoma provided start for actress Tara Platt
Actress Tara Platt. (c)2008 John Phillips. Used with permission.
Oklahoma-raised Tara Platt has voiced superheroes, starred in movies and written a book.
Platt is maybe best known as the voice of Temari on the anime hit “Naruto,” but she has also portrayed superheroes Dream Girl (on “Legion of Superheroes”) and Wonder Woman (on the “DC vs. Mortal Kombat” game). She’s also appeared on “Charmed” and “Gilmore Girls.” But it all got started in Oklahoma, where Platt lived from age 7 to 11.
Dream Girl from Legion of Superheroes.
“I remember we went to see ‘Annie Get Your Gun,’ and there were a bunch of kids my age in the chorus,” Platt said. “They were dressed up in fun costumes and singing and seemed to be having a blast. After the show, I turned to my mom and said, ‘I wanna do that.’”
Platt’s mother told her that it takes lots of skill, time and energy to become an actress, but didn’t discourage her.
“She said that if I read the paper and came across an audition listing, that she would take me,” Platt said. “A few months later I saw an ad for the Jewel Box Theatre’s production of ‘Wait Until Dark’ with a role for a 9-year-old girl. I auditioned and got Gloria, and I haven’t looked back since!”
Wonder Woman from DC Vs. Mortal Kombat
Platt lived in Oklahoma while her father attended the University of Oklahoma’s medical school. She said her overall memories of the state are wonderful.
“I ended up going to elementary school there at Wiley Post Elementary,” Platt said. “We did the Sooners’ Run where we pretended we were pioneers and got to run across the school yard and stake out land with our red wagons and toy guns.”
That imagination is still in play today.
“A definite draw to (voice-over acting) is the ability to not be constrained by looks or age or gender,” Platt said. “Anywhere your imagination can take you, you have the possibility of working as a voice actor.”
Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal. Photo (c) Boris Kievsky, used with permission
In the English dub of Naruto, Platt voices Temari, the eldest of the Sand Siblings, who bears an iron fan. Naruto is a Japanese show based on the manga of the same name. The show, about a young ninja who seeks to become the greatest ninja of all, has a large fan base in Japan and the United States.
“There are such strong characters, and really so many that there is a character for everyone,” Platt said. “They deal with real issues; it isn’t just a ‘kids show.’ There are major conflicts that Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and the various other characters … are all dealing with that parallel many things we all must deal with: disappointment, rejection, family conflict, life and death, love, loss and many other important things. I think that is one of the reasons that Naruto is a fan favorite. That and the ninjas, of course!”
Platt’s sharing her knowledge of the voice-over world in an upcoming book. With husband Yuri Lowenthal, also a voice actor, Platt has written “Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic,” which comes out this fall and is available to pre-order at BugBotPress.com.
Voice-Over Voice Actor, from Bug Bot Press
“There are tips, exercises and practice copy in addition to the nuts and bolts about the business,” Platt said.
In addition to frequent voice work, Platt takes on other roles in front of and behind the camera. Platt’s film production company with Lowenthal, Monkey Kingdom Productions, recently finished the psychological thriller “Tumbling After.” They’re also working on a documentary about the world of voice-over with director and documentarian Boris Kievsky.
Platt will be in front of the camera in some upcoming commercials and in a live-action sci-fi romantic comedy feature starting next month.
By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
1988 Superman cartoon coming to DVD
Superman Cartoon 1988 Intro - Click here for the funniest movie of the week
According to TV Shows on DVD, the 1988 Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon will come to DVD this November. In addition to the Superman adventure show, this series contained mini-segments called “Superman’s Family Album,” about growing up in Smallville.
The release will contain 13 episodes on two discs, and a special feature about the rise of LexCorp, the 1980s corporate housing of Lex Luthor, who, prior to the 1980s, had been more mad scientist than corporate raider.
- Matt Price
DVD review: Wolverine and the X-Men vol. 2: Deadly Enemies
Five more episodes of the “Wolverine and the X-Men” cartoon series come to DVD with “Deadly Enemies.” Logan still is attempting to re-form the X-Men after an attack left Professor Xavier in a coma.
Fortunately for Wolverine, Xavier now can communicate with him from the future. Xavier’s future gives Wolverine hints to events he must stop with his X-Men crew.
In “Overflow,” the Shadow King takes over the mind of Storm, and the X-Men must prevent the destruction of Africa by the powerful mutant. Cajun mutant Gambit makes his first appearance in “Thieves’ Gambit,” in which he’s hired by an anti-mutant group to steal a power-inhibiting device. And the blue, elfin mutant Nightcrawler comes to the forefront in the swashbuckling episode “X-Calibre,” which pays tribute to comic-book writer Warren Ellis’ take on the character. Bruce Banner and his alter ego guest-star in “Wolverine vs. The Hulk.” Finally, the team must work together to stop a dangerous, exploding mutant in “Time Bomb,” an episode that again brings the X-Men into conflict with the Brotherhood of Mutants.
“Wolverine and the X-Men” pays homage to classic X-Men tales like “Days of Future Past” while making a cartoon modern audiences also can enjoy.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Spectacular Spider-Man to weave his web on Disney XD
Longtime Spider-Man fan Josh Keaton got the role of a lifetime when the actor was selected to voice Peter Parker and his alter ego in “Spectacular Spider-Man.” The series returns for a second season at 6 p.m. Monday on Disney XD.
After playing Spider-Man’s friend Harry Osborn in “Spider-Man” video games, Keaton was excited to get the nod to play Spidey himself.
“I actually auditioned for Harry Osborn, and for Eddie Brock and Venom,” Keaton said in a phone interview. “I’m quite happy I got picked as Spider-Man. I love the other characters, but I mean, it’s Spider-Man!”
As a fan, Keaton appreciates the feel of “Spectacular Spider-Man,” which often harks back to the earliest 
stories by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, who created the character.
“Those are the stories that pretty much defined who Spider-Man was going to be,” Keaton said. “Granted, there’s some great stories that came later on, but they were all taken from that source material. They were all a twist that were given to the original story.”
“Spectacular Spider-Man” has been credited for developing the humorous side of the Spider-Man mythos. In the original stories, Spider-Man often taunted his villains with wisecracks as he was defeating them.
“That’s what I really wanted to do my best to bring back to Spidey, was the
wisecracks and the humor,” Keaton said. “I know there’s a trend to get really dark and brooding, and there’s a time and place for that; however, it can’t be forgotten that one of the big things that defines Spidey is his sense of humor.”
Keaton also likes some of Spider-Man’s serious story lines, including the “Master Planner” plot that will be part of Season 2. Could something such as “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” which featured a despondent supervillain capturing Spider-Man, eventually become part of “Spectacular Spider-Man” lore?
“I’m really hopeful that we’ll get five seasons, and after that start doing some direct-to-DVD movies where we’ll explore some of the more mature-themed Spidey stories,” Keaton said.
Another bonus of becoming Spider-Man is to have action figures based on your performances.
“I have all of the toys. I’m actually looking at them right now,” Keaton said. “I have all of the Spider-Man toys from McDonalds, and they’re sitting next to my 12-inch wisecracking Spider-Man talking doll that does this,” Keaton said, and then a doll with his voice said: “Oh, what’s a poor Web-head to do?”
Laughing, Keaton said, “I’m a huge geek. I love this stuff.”
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
DVD review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season 7
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 7″
Season 7 of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” featuring the heroic, anthropomorphic turtles who battle evil with their ninja skills, is being released in four parts, or “slices.” There are 27 episodes in the season.
Paying homage to the Turtles’ fondness for pizza, the season is broken down into the Leonardo slice (part 1), the Michelangelo slice (part 2), the Donatello slice (part 3) and the Raphael slice (part 4). Each slice contains a small action figure of the selected turtle.
Season 7 is the last of “Turtles” cartoons with the original intro. Starting with Season 8, perhaps inspired by “Batman: The Animated Series,” the Turtles became more action-oriented. There are hints of that here, as in the 14th episode, “Night of the Dark Turtle,” in which Donatello becomes a caped avenger.
The first 13 episodes on these DVDs feature the Turtles visiting different locations in Europe. In the episode “Ring of Fire,” Turtle foes Krang and Shredder make some meta-commentary, as Shredder states he doesn’t need to see the map to Lisbon, Portugal.
“It’s not for you; this is the educational portion of the show,” Krang replies.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Cartoonist Jim Lange dies
Jim Lange, longtime cartoonist for The Oklahoman, has died at age 82. NewsOK has the full report. From the article:
“Jim Lange was not only one of the greatest political cartoonists Oklahoma ever produced, he was one of the most outstanding cartoonists in the history of American journalism,” said David Boren, University of Oklahoma president. “Jim had the remarkable ability to produce cartoons that were fully understood by the public and expressed the feelings of rank and file Americans. He truly loved this state and our country, and those patriotic feelings were constantly communicated through his work. His life’s work was a gift to all of us, and I will personally miss his friendship and wonderful sense of humor.”
- Matt Price
Thoughts on Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1942
I’m watching “Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1942,” the official release of the war-era “Superman” cartoons that were a giant leap forward in animation. You can get a sense of what the official releases look like in the YouTube embeds above from Warner Bros.
I’ll have a full review in The Oklahoman at some point, but my early thoughts while watching these episodes are, these are really nice editions of the cartoons. I believe they are the same remastered editions from the Superman I and II special editions from 2006, so if you have those, this might be a repeat purchase, save for the extras. But these are really nice, and all together in one place.
It’s also worth noting that the DVD is marked “not for children – for adult collectors,” which I assume has to do with the racial stereotypes that were commonplace in 1941 and 1942 but are glaring now.
Bruce Timm talks about these cartoons’ influence on “Batman: The Animated Series” in a special feature, but even if he didn’t, it would likely be obvious to anyone who watched both cartoons. The Fleischer “Superman” cartoons are even more fluid, however.
While these cartoons have been available in public-domain collections in the past, this is the best edition of them — far superior to the random markdown bin versions, and even somewhat better than the two classier versions — the “Ultimate Collection” and the “Diamond Anniversary Edition.”
- Matt Price
