News

Benji Gregory, the actor best known for playing Alf‘s Brian Tanner, died on June 13 at the age of 46. Now, an Arizona medical examiner has released his cause of death.

Gregory, who was found dead in his parked car at a Chase Bank in Peoria, Ariz., reportedly died from “heat exposure in the setting of hepatic cirrhosis,” TMZ reports. Essentially this means it was a combination of prolonged exposure to the Arizona sun as well as extensive scarring of the liver.

More from TVLineSNL Shocker: Chloe Troast Says She 'Was Not Asked Back' for Season 50 as Show Adds 3 New Featured PlayersJames Earl Jones,...

One cannot understate the strange cultural dominance Hugh Wilson's 1984 comedy "Police Academy" held over the pop zeitgeist throughout the 1980s. Clearly a child of "Animal House," "Police Academy" was a traditional snobs-vs.-slobs comedy that pitted winking wiseacres against their stern commanding officers at a police school in an unnamed city. I've long had a theory that the "Police Academy" movies take place in Metropolis, the city where Superman lives. With Superman taking care of major crimes, the local police force would likely become complacent, unused to enforcing the law. 

None of the "Police Academy" movies were well-reviewed, recognized by critics as crass, dumb, and low-brow. This is a series that banks on misogyny, offensive stereotypes, and a lot of crotch/sex humor. There is no wit to the "Police Academy" movies. Roger Ebert famously gave the first film zero stars, citing merely how dreadfully unfunny and uninspired it is.

Click here to read the full article.

Pat Carroll, the gregarious Emmy-winning comedienne who was a television mainstay for decades before segueing to a voiceover career that included portraying the villainous sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died. She was 95.

Carroll died Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, her daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter.

Carroll’s perky personality, screwball wit and impeccable timing made her a great second banana, and Red Buttons, Jimmy Durante, Mickey Rooney, Steve Allen and Charley Weaver were among those who called upon her to make their programs funnier. Her antics on Caesar’s Hour earned her an Emmy in 1957, and she was nominated for her work on the classic variety show the following year.

In a 2013 interview with Kliph Nesteroff, Carroll compared Howard Morris, Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar on Caesar’s Hour to the Chicago Cubs’ legendary double-play...

Vimeo will soon have a new selection of animated series users can stream or purchase. The streaming video platform has teamed with Hasbro to bring the toy manufacturer’s full collection of classic branded animation series to Vimeo on Demand.

Vimeo’s deal will bring episodes from several well-known Hasbro Studios franchises to the video platform for purchase or streaming options. Hasbro fans will have access to popular intellectual properties such as Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony. For all of the Hasbro titles arriving on Vimeo on Demand, fans will have the option to rent individual episodes for $0.99 each, buy single episodes for $2.99 each, or purchase the entire digital series at $40.

Here’s a complete list of all Hasbro shows Vimeo will bring to fans over the rest of 2015:

The Adventures of Chuck & Friends

B-Daman Crossfire

G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe: Renegades

Jem and the Holograms...

Netflix has just released their lists of what films and TV shows we will see added in February…and what films and TV shows will vanish.

First, the good news: quite a few classic and popular TV shows are making the grade on the streaming service, including the first five seasons of Mash, Hawaii 5-0, and the new season of House of Cards. New additions to the film list include RoboCop, The Brothers Bloom, and Gimme Shelter. While there’s not a lot of quality stuff on offer, there are at least a few new films and TV shows that we can enjoy on the Netflix streaming service.

Now for the bad news: quite a number of favorites are going to vanish from Netflix come February 1. Among these are several James Bond films, Zodiac, Jane Eyre, and Dredd. The TV shows fare even worse, with tons of BBC shows expiring,...

Netflix is dropping “My Little Pony” and “Transformers” from its streaming service next month after a failure to come to terms with Hasbro Studios on a new deal.

Other shows coming off on Feb. 2 are “G.I. Joe,” “Pound Puppies” and “Chuck and Friends.” Netflix began carrying Hasbro’s content in 2012.

See photos : 21 Buzziest Streaming Shows: From ‘Marco Polo’ to ‘Transparent’

A Netflix spokeswoman told TheWrap she couldn’t give details about the deal, but added, “Netflix has such a broad set of content that no one vendor accounts for a significant amount of viewing on a consistent basis.”

For similar reasons,...

It's a shock to go back and watch "Midnight Cowboy" 45 years after its debut (on May 25, 1969) and see how raw and otherworldly it looks. After all, the X-rated Best Picture Oscar-winner has been so thoroughly assimilated into American pop culture that even kiddie entertainments like the Muppets have copied from it.

The tale of the unlikely friendship between naïve Texas gigolo Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and frail Bronx con man Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), "Midnight Cowboy" was initially considered so risqué that it's the only X-rated movie ever to win the Academy's top prize (though after it won, the ratings board reconsidered and gave the film an R). Still, the film featured two lead performances and a few individual scenes that were so iconic that homages (and parodies) have popped up virtually everywhere. (Most often imitated is the scene where Ratso, limping across a busy Manhattan street, is nearly...

Today we are talking to a recognizable and well-known character actor who has appeared in a number of notable stage and screen properties over the course of his fifty-year career, Shakespeare to Coco to City Of Angels to Star Trek and galaxies far, far beyond - Rene Auberjonois. Detailing the finer points of his participation in a number of wildly different stage properties - from his Broadway debut in Lee J. Cobb's Lincoln Center King Lear through to Coco opposite Katharine Hepburn, a starring role in City Of Angels, as well as the infamous Dance Of The Vampires and Larry Gelbart's Sly Fox this century, and many more - Auberjonois paints a vivid picture of the working actor throughout the decades. Additionally, Auberjonois also outlines his favorite moments in participating in a number of Robert Altman's most memorable movies - Mash and McCabe amp Mrs. Miller among...

So, ComicMix readers, as per my previous column, Awesome Con DC happened April 20 and 21…and, I say this unironically, it was awesome. I had a blast. I spent time with good friends; I met new friends; I walked the con floor and met comics legends (great chat, Larry Hama!) and witty and charming award-winning artists (hello, Ben Templesmith!); and was delighted with the strong turnout of talented local comics folks. I went to a couple of panels (amazing, for me, since I usually plan to go to tons and then don’t go to…any); and wore my Girl Jayne Firefly costume. And yes, naturally, I bought some stuff (surprise!). I also pretended to be Nick Galifianakis for awhile (don’t tell!) and did three fantaaaastic interviews: with Nick, and with the amazingly talented Phil Lamarr and Billy West. (More convention pictures here, and oh by the way, next year...

Beverly Hills, Calif. and Pawtucket, R.I., April 11, 2013 — Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: Nflx) and Hasbro, Inc. (Nasdaq: Has) today announced an expanded agreement making two of the hottest new Hasbro Studios shows, Littlest Pet Shop and Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, available to Netflix members in the U.S. Kaijudo is available now and Littlest Pet Shop will be available summer 2013. Through this agreement, Netflix becomes the exclusive over the top streaming subscription destination in the Us for five of Hasbro Studios most popular shows – My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Transformers Prime, Transformers Rescue Bots, Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, and Littlest Pet Shop. New seasons of each of the shows will be available for members to watch instantly one month after their finale airs on The Hub Network. Popular Hasbro titles are now available to Canadian members for the first time, including My Little Pony Friendship is Magic,...

Tags: Pretty Little LiarsPretty Little Liars recapShay MitchellLucy HaleTroian BellisarioAshley BensonWAPIMDb

I'm sorry this recap is a shorter and a later than usual. Hopefully, I'll be up and running again before next week's Paige-apalooza.

Previously on Pretty Little Liars, Spencer carved her boyfriend's name into his mother's gravestone with the key to the room where he kept her worst nightmares. Hanna visited a lezzy bar, worked some overalls, ordered her own cheese fries, was generally above reproach. Aria shacked up with Wesley Fitzgerald, who, in terms of math, was: half the age and half the height and half the lesbian of his older brother. And Emily realized that without a Spencer Hastings the earth would be thrown out of orbit, and so she drank a bunch of coffee and ate a bunch of lightning and drove on down to the police station to do some spankin'.

The Liars are beside themselves with worry about Spencer.

Tags: Pretty Little LiarsPretty Little Liars recapsWAPIMDbTroian BellisarioLucy HaleShay MitchellAshley Benson

Previously on Pretty Little Liars, Alison Dilaurentis had a funeral. And another funeral. And another and another and another, and every funeral drew a smaller crowd than the one before it because the longer she was dead, the more apparent it became that the girl was an emotional terrorist. During one of the funerals, the Liars were each invited to add a keepsake to Ali's casket, just little trinkets to honor the most memorable moments of trauma she inflicted upon them. Earrings from the time Ali coerced Aria into destroying her philandering father's office. Ouija Board planchette from when Ali's ghost made herself known to Hanna for the first time. One-by-one the casket gifts appeared above ground, and also a necklace made of Ali's actual human teeth. Ali's casket was like Mary Poppins' carpet bag, is what I am saying.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] The Hub is proudly turning its programming over to the dogs this week. Its “Dog Days of Summer” stunt features a week of canine-themed movies (don’t miss Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch tonight at 8, and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed Friday at 8), culminating Saturday with a marathon of The Hub’s hit series Pound Puppies. The marathon will begin at 9am and feature several favorite episodes along with a new one, “The Accidental Pup Star.” It’s all part of a [...]...

Welcome to the first installment of an on going look at various horror themed cartoons and toys from multiple eras. I decided to start with a series that despite multiple tries was unable to ever be picked up as an on going animated series. Monster in My Pocket, a line of miniature toys inspired by various legendary creatures from film, mythology, cryptozoology, and other paranormal realms when it debuted in 1990. Originally sold as trading cards and stickers before being released as toys in single packets, packets of four, secret twelve packs, and 24 packs, causing this then eight-year-old horror fan, to instantly fall in love with the toys and try my best to collect all 229 variants of the little rubber figures, my personal favorite being the Cerberus.

Figures

All though as child I had no clue that some of these figures were only obtainable through various promotions through assorted restaurant chains...

It’s a good time to be a popular 1980s toy. With Transformers, G.I. Joe, Thundercats, The Smurfs, Pound Puppies and My Little Pony all enjoying resurgences on TV or the big screen, it was only a matter of time before the Care Bears came out of hibernation. Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot, which premieres 8am Saturday on The Hub, will transport young ones (and their nostalgia-loving moms) to a high-above-the-earth land where the belly-badge bears have all sorts of whimsical adventures. Old friends like Harmony Bear, Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Share Bear and Grumpy Bear are back, along [...]...

It’s Game Of Thrones Episode 17, entitled “A Man Without Honor”, a title which clearly and specifically refers to Bran. Or possibly every character on this show ever, except for that guy who insulted Theon and got decapitated and like maybe one of the direwolves (the other, dishonorable direwolf is constantly stealing the others’ Raven-Milk-Bones and having sex with them.) Ironically, the “Man Without Honor” episode doesn’t include Joffrey – I assumed the episode was just gonna be a 60-minute closeup on Joffrey with dishonorable sh*t happening in the background, like the “You Don’t Know How It Feels” video – but Tyrion and Cersei do sit down and discuss the grim reality of Joffrey on the throne, with Tyrion adding “It’s tough to leash a dog once you’ve put a crown on him” (not true! I do this to my basset hound Doggfrey on an hourly basis...

It' Saturday morning! Pour some cereal into your favorite bowl and gather 'round the television to watch some...Netflix?

The online movie and television service has added "My Little Pony," "Transformers Prime," "GI Joe: Renegades," and several other children's cartoons to its streaming section, Netflix announced Tuesday morning. The toons have been added as part of a new deal with Hasbro's multimedia wing that will bring 10 of the popular toy-and-game-maker's television shows to Netflix Instant.

"My Little Pony," Tranformers Prime," Pound Puppies," "G.I. Joe: Renegades" and "The Adventures of Chuck & Friends" are available to watch on Netflix right now (sorry, everyone's boss); "Jem & The Holograms," "Transformers: Generation 1," "G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes," "Transformers: Beast Wars "and "Transformers: Rescue Bots" will start streaming later this year.

The terms of the deal, including the length of the contract, were not released.

All of these action figure shows are part...

Friend or foe, Netflix?

The Los Gatos, CA company has made some peculiar choices over the past year or so (Qwikster, anyone?), but sometimes they get things right in the most awesome way.

Like streaming the first two seasons of Archer. Or streaming the first four seasons of Mad Men.

Or doing what they announced today: signing a multi-year deal to license Hasbro Studios content, both new and old. This means that classic 80s series like Transformers G1 and G.I. Joe A Real American Hero will be at your fingertips.

Ten shows in total are included in the deal including Transformers Prime, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, G.I. Joe: Renegades and The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, which are all now available to instantly watch on Netflix. Jem & The Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, G.I. Joe: Real American Hero, Transformers: Beast Wars and Transformers: Rescue Bots will follow later...

La-based Hasbro Studios has reached a multiyear deal across several platforms with Netflix for 10 television franchises Transformers Prime, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, G.I. Joe: Renegades and The Adventures of Chuck & Friends are now available to instantly watch on Netflix. Jem & The Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes, Transformers: Beast Wars and Transformers: Rescue Bots will follow later in this year. Hasbro programming will be included in the Just For Kids section of Netflix — content specifically selected for children 12 and under.

The shows spawned from toys that I can actually stand are rare creatures, but I have to admit that I don’t mind my daughter’s fascination with the show. This release, though only five episodes, has some extras included that helps balance out the price.

A curious and meandering story, the show in general stabilizes into the merry misadventures of a crew of ponies, each with their particular personality-defining traits. The DVD takes us through the story involving unicorn Twilight Sparkle, and her assignment to learn about friendship.

Though obviously fueled by heaping gobs of treacle, and spilling over with cuteness (and pink), the show actually works through some interesting storylines overall, and this set brings you some of the better efforts at delivering decent children’s writing.

Historically, such series are little more than commercials, but this one at least has a fair amount of thought behind it.

Calling dog lovers! The Pound Puppies, the fearless puppy rescuers from the Hasbro Inc. show arrive on DVD March 6. The release from Shout!Factory Kids includes 5 fun-filled episodes featuring the pro-active pooches of Shelter 17, and the brand new "Learn to Draw Lucky" bonus vignette.

The Pound Puppies' mission is to find homes for lonely puppies. Even though they look like regular dogs, these pro-active pooches match up pups with loving families fulfilling the mantra of a pup for every person and a person for every pup—all while they keep the humans at Shelter 17 clueless. Sometimes dogs are dogs' best friend!

The Pound Puppies series is currently airing on The Hub in the U.S. and Ytv in Canada. The DVD release marks the North American home entertainment debut of Hasbro Studios’ hit show.

Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound

Read more...

Hasbro Studios, whose kids programming appears mostly on the Hasbro-Discovery channel The Hub in the U.S., is expanding its portfolio overseas, announcing several deals for its brands today in key territories. The pacts include My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and Transformers Prime to a pair of Lagardere channels in France; The Adventures Of Chuck And Friends to Super Rtl in Germany, which also will get My Little Pony and Transformers via Nickelodeon; My Little Pony, Transformers and Pound Puppies to Nickelodeon in the Netherlands; and My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, Transformers and GI Joe Renegades to a pair of Vtm Belgium channels in Belgium. The deals follow the success of My Little Pony in the UK on The Cartoon Network, where it’s been a top-five show since debuting in July, and of Transformers in Spain.

It’s a good day to be a product of the ’80s, PopWatchers. Not only are some of us making scads of money, but Mikey from The Goonies (okay, Sean Astin, if you must) is going to voice Raphael in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series for Nickelodeon, and now the Cabbage Patch Kids, much like the Turtles, will once again be invading your living room.

Paramount Pictures confirmed to EW that Galen Walker, who is currently producing a live-action Tmnt movie, will be also be producing the new Cabbage Patch Kids project. The Original Appalachian Artworks, owner of the Cabbage Patch Kids,...

The Hub, the kids-centered cable channel that replaced Discovery Kids in October, will unveil nine new series at its upfront presentation today, including Secret Millionaire's Club, a series of animated specials featuring Warren Buffett as a secret adviser to a group of kids who learn about business. Secret Millionaire's Club, from Andy Heyward's A Square, runs as a Web series on AOL Kids. Also among Hub's new series is Majors & Minors, a reality singing competition from songwriter Evan Bogart and producers Tim Bogart and Gary Randall, featuring 16 young performers vying for a recording deal with RCA/Jive. Also newly announced by The Hub, a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro, is The Aquabats Super Show, featuring the rock band, and a slew of series based on Hasbro toy brands, including Blythe Loves The Littlest Pet Shop, Clue, The Game of Life, Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, Scrabble...

Hasbro Studios announced a Canadian TV distribution deal, signing with Corus Entertainment to carry its upcoming kids series in the Great White North. The deal calls for the Los Angeles-based Hasbro Studios' TV series, including "Transformers Prime," "G.I. Joe Renegades," "Pound Puppies," "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" and "The Adventures of Chuck and Friends," to be distributed by Canada's top kiddie broadcaster. "Corus Television marks the first of many international distribution agreements that are designed to create Hasbro's immersive brand experiences around the world," said Stephen Davis," president of the toy...

Filed under: Reality-Free, TV News

Welcome to the Family TV Round-Up, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We sum up all of the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows that your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.

This week we begin with the launch of The Hub. As Kim Potts reported, the new kid-oriented network will premiere on October 10 at 6Am, replacing Discovery Kids. This will be a unique network as it's a joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro Studios, makers of such toy lines as Transformers and G.I. Joe. In fact, new animated versions of those product lines, as well as those connected to Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony and Pound Puppies, will be featured on the cable outlet.

 

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Two of the three top movies of 1985 had Sylvester Stallone in them (Rambo First Blood: Part II and Rocky IV), while the biggest box office hit of the year was Back to the Future. Out of Africa won Best Picture, although it was The Color Purple that most won over audiences and critics alike. "The Cosby Show," and "Family Ties," were dominating the television airwaves, and Wham! and Madonna were dominant forces on cassette. "We are the World," of course, was on constant rotation. Kids loved Pound Puppies. Teenagers loved Goonies. Lightweights loved Bartles and Jaymes. And these were the faces of pinups hung in every high school locker.

Markie Post

Kirk Cameron

Tom Selleck

Matt Dillon

The Coreys

Rob Lowe

Alyssa Milano

Ralph Machio

Kelly LeBrock

Michael Schoeffling...

Filed under: TV News

Over the last few months we've reported the return of '80s cartoon classics 'G.I. Joe,' 'Pound Puppies,' and 'Voltron.' Now comes word of another revival of a character that graced the television screens and arcades in the early years of that decade.

Variety is reporting that Avi Arad, executive adviser at Namco Bandai, plans to bring Pac-Man back to the small screen in a new 3-D animated series. During a 3-minute teaser shown at this year's E3 event, Arad said he wanted the new version of Pac-Man to speak to a different age-range of kids by putting Pac in high school; having him deal with situations that normal teenagers would deal with.

According to Arad, these situations may include questions of who Pac's parents actually are. "He's the only yellow one in Pac-Land; what does that mean?" asked Arad. "Is it a social statement?...

Filed under: TV News

With the new Discovery kids channel The Hub launching later this year, the network took some time during Upfront Week to present its list of original and acquired series. And, for fans of cartoons from the '80s, some of the titles will bring back pleasant memories.

Thanks to its joint venture with Hasbro, The Hub will feature a new animated 'G.l. Joe' series titled 'G.I. Joe Renegades.' Produced by Hasbro Studios, 'Renegades' will tell the story of how the G.I. Joe organization developed and eventually wound up battling Cobra. Also from Hasbro Studios will be a new version of 'Pound Puppies,' which will feature a team of dogs who finds "a pup for every person, and a person for every pup."

 

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New York -- Six originals, including a new animated "G.I. Joe" series, game show "Family Game Night" and a series from kids horror master R.L. Stine, as well as "Fraggle Rock" and the U.S. premiere of "Strawberry Shortcake" will be on the programming schedule of children's network The Hub when it launches in October.

Margaret Loesch, president and CEO of the joint venture between Discovery Communications and toy giant Hasbro, made the announcement, which also included seven U.S. premieres, on Monday.

The channel also detailed its previously mentioned programming blocks. They consist of a pre-school (ages 2-5) block from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., a 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Kids Afternoon/Kids Prime block (ages 6-12) and "Family Prime Access" (6 p.m-7 p.m.) and Family Prime (7 p.m.-11 p.m.).

"I'm delighted with the caliber of programming -- which includes some beloved and popular brands...

Time for our weekly look at the new podcasts available at our new “partners in podcast crime” the GeekCast Radio Network. Each week we’ll be bringing you the highlights from Gcrn, with descriptions and links to each and every episode. Its a packed week of podcasts, so load up the iPod and lets get cracking:

ToonCast Episode 53 – Pound Puppies

C’mon down to the pound and join Mike and Kevin as they talk about The Pound Puppies. Listen Now.

ToonCast Episode 54 – Teddy Ruxpin

Mike and Kevin talk about The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin based on the classic 80’s toy. Listen Now.

All Things Transformers Episode 46

We talk latest TF3 news, War For Cybertron and comment on a listener statement. Send topics/comments/suggestions to podcast @predaconempire.com. Listen Now.

The Secret Origins Podcast Episode 08

In the 8th episode of Tsop TFG1Mike is joined once again by a overworked...