Wazoo Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6268538/ ... “I would like people to take Godzilla more seriously,” said Bill Tsutsui, a history professor at the University of Kansas and author of the book “Godzilla on My Mind,” which discusses the history of the monster’s movies. The conference that begins Oct. 28 will offer speeches, panel discussions and free screenings of Godzilla films, including “Gojira,” the Japanese movie that started Godzilla’s career in November 1954. ... Japan’s Toho Co. has produced 27 Godzilla films in five decades, with a 28th movie, “Godzilla: Final Wars,” to be released in December. An American “Godzilla” was released in 1998, though many aficionados don’t consider it a true Godzilla movie. (me --> what an understatement!) .... Takao Shibata, the Japanese consul general in Kansas City, Mo., said the meeting will help educate people about his nation but acknowledged: “The idea of this kind of serious analysis of the evolution of Godzilla — it never occurred to me.” ... Interesting side note ... it's also the 50th anniversary of the transistor radio ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6288916/ ... It was on June 18, 1954 that a small U.S. company which manufactured signal boosters announced they had come up with a way to make radios portable. Before that date radios ran on tubes, which needed AC power or 120 volts worth of batteries. Tube radios were just way too big and heavy to fit in your pocket. But the people at Regency based their radio on a product from a company called Texas Instruments — the transistor. ... The transistors cost $2.50 each back then — that’s like $17 for each one in 2004 dollars. The TR-1 sold for $49.95 in 1954 — which would be $350 today. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumpkin Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Did you hear that Godzilla is getting his own star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood?? (trying very hard to type "L"'s and not "R"'s) I think it's great! All the phonies out there with their "craft", and a guy in a plastic monster suit gets a star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazoo Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 Funnier yet .. interview with the creators of SouthPark, admitting that one day while bored, flipping channels in a hotel room, came across TechTV's showing of the 1960's vintage Thunderbirds series. Thus begat the concept for the currently playing "Team America" movie. "Kids today have grown up with CGI, so they have never seen this kind of stuff." (Referencing the super-marionettes) They went on to discuss the technology involved in these new marionettes (30+ servos in the head, for instance) but harping on the reality of the process, i.e., maronettes still manipulated by folks above the stage set mainpulating the attached strings. And much emphasis on "There is NO CGI in this movie. If you see a puppet smashed, set on fire, kicked out of a helicopter .. we actually did that to the puppet!!!!" Have not seen anything but the advertising yet (though reading some controversy over the marionette sex xcenes <g>) .. it has to be better than the recent remake of "Thunderbirds are GO" using real kids as actors (also not seen, but not even interested) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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