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Labyrinth manga hits in early August…

Labyrinth manga hits in early August… published on 1 Comment on Labyrinth manga hits in early August…

Well, at least according to the Web site of the illustrator, Chris Lie: “The book will be in stores everywhere in the next 10 days.” [He said that in an update yesterday.]

Comicon.com Pulse summarizes some notes about the manga from the SDCC panel:

  • Notes for the Return to Labyrinth manga:
  • – Takes place after the movie, Toby (the baby the Goblins stole in the movie) is about 14 years old.
  • – The plot revolves around Toby exploring the world Sarah visited in the movie, but focuses mostly on the Goblins and Goblin politics.
  • – A new character created by writer Jake T. Forbes for the manga is the Goblin Mayor, who is bitter about playing second fiddle to Jareth (David Bowie’s character in the movie).
  • – The plot will also explore other kingdoms neighboring Jareth’s.
  • – TOKYOPOP has sold out of the first volume of the Labyrinth manga every day during the convention. They will have more for sale tomorrow (Sunday) the last day of the con.

Goblin Mayor? Competition for Jareth? I foresee utter crappiness…How can a goblin character be competition for a ball-twisting rock star? This manga is gonna hurt my brain and my fond memories of the movie…and yet I can’t stop myself from satiating my curiosity.

Labyrinth and MirrorMask merchandise

Labyrinth and MirrorMask merchandise published on No Comments on Labyrinth and MirrorMask merchandise

T-shirts, buttons and such at the Henson Company’s Cafepress store: http://www.cafepress.com/jimhensonco/  Warning: While the MM section contains buttons with all your favorite characters, all the Laby section has is shirts with the manga sequel cover on them. Yawn yawn yawn.

An African BJD!

An African BJD! published on 1 Comment on An African BJD!

Every so often, someone on DOA asks, “Hey, where are all the BJDs with darker skin: Indians, Hispanics, Arabs and Africans? Why the heck are they all so deathly pale?” While more dark dolls have appeared in the last year [see, for example, Luts “tanning” dolls], they have usually been darker versions of the original pale editions. In my mind, this is like making an African Barbie from the same mold as the Caucasian Barbie, changing only the color of the plastic. Skin color alone does not denote race. There are differences in facial features that most BJD companies have not reflected in their sculpts.

…Until Iplehouse Cocori, who boots SD16 Olivia’s bland lil ass out of the ballpark in terms of quality and quantity.

She just came out today and, according to her character description — she is already recognized as “a black pearl” — she was explicitly developed as a dark-skinned [African??] doll. She’s the first BJD I’ve seen who a) was planned and first issued as a dark-skinned character and who b) looks like an African character, as opposed to a very brown Caucasian character.

From the photos I’ve seen, I really like her. Her body seems to combine strength [especially the neck!] with elegant poseability. I even like her more than the Dollmore Model body because she has an under bust joint and a hip joint, making her more poseable. Her arms seem well-proportioned [as opposed to the DM Model’s scrawny arms] with functional, but well-hidden, double-ganged joints.

I think she’s another one of those dolls, like Elfdoll Nabee, that I would get if I had the money and the space. She’s just so beautiful!

EDIT: Buzz on DOA says that Cocori is not a strict LE, available only once, then never again. She will be released in small batches, produced sporadically but continuously. 

Job rejection notices and hideous neon “couture”

Job rejection notices and hideous neon “couture” published on No Comments on Job rejection notices and hideous neon “couture”

A server crash ate the last posted ep of Love Has Fangs and all the comments, so I reposted it, but it’s feeling lonely. Please go read Anneka’s E-mail in 7.8, “Job Hunt,” and tell her what you think of her job search. Or check out Anneka and Will’s eye-bleedingly bright outfits in 7.9, “Fiery…and Fired,” and give them some fashion advice.

Don’t forget…you too can subscribe to LHF’s syndication feed here: http://lovehasfangs.livejournal.com. All the cool people [19 of them] are doing it!!

Meryl Streep is great, or, Devil Wears Prada: better than the book!

Meryl Streep is great, or, Devil Wears Prada: better than the book! published on No Comments on Meryl Streep is great, or, Devil Wears Prada: better than the book!

I saw Devil Wears Prada on Sunday afternoon while waiting for the sun to reappear. While I found the book repetitive, grating, stupid, annoying, childish, clunky, lacking in plot, momentum, character development and reasons to continue reading, I really liked the movie.

The film adaptation changed Lauren Weisberger's debut "novel" from a whine a clef about how the protagonist suffered as an unlikeable assistant to an unlikeable fashion editor into a breezier chick-lit exploration of workaholism. Schlumpy naif Andie gets seduced by the prospect of making it big at her first post-college job, a slavish position at Runway magazine. While examples of glittering achievement — notably the regal, distant and impressive editor, her boss [played to perfection by Meryl Streep] — tempt her to become an overworked and underpaid peon, examples of frazzled persons with no social life also abound. After flirting with lifeless subsumption to a job, Andy learns her lesson and gets a life and a bit more balance. 

My friend who saw it with me commented that the movie tried to set up a false "ditzy fashion mag" vs. "serious meaty journalism" dichotomy, making the protagonist choose a "real, substantive job" [writing about janitors' unions] over the shallowness of the fashion mag life. But the cheap swipe at fashion mags doesn't really work because the movie regularly provides us glimpses of how hard these people work, how deeply they care about their work and how much they are invested. [I found the scenes where the editor meets with her staff, hashing out the editorial calendar, to be a spot-on combination of the real intuition, savvy, discernment and dedication that running a periodical takes.] Personal investment — that's the real theme. Will Andie live to work…or work to live? As the editor's brittle demeanor and poignant soliloquy demonstrate, the sacrifices that one makes to be a career success have a huge toll. In its attempts to explore this toll, Devil Wears Prada balances well between comedy and light drama, a feat made all the more impressive because it's wearing stiletto designer heels!

Rement coming to the States!

Rement coming to the States! published on 2 Comments on Rement coming to the States!

Rement, a popular source of detailed 1:6 food and household items, will be offering its eminently cool products in the U.S. later this year.

Here’s the E-mail sent to Rement collectors: http://www.re-ment.us/

Here’s the US site: http://www.re-ment.us/

I have no use for it, but I want the waffle iron.

Frank debuts at the doll club meeting at Ivy’s house!

Frank debuts at the doll club meeting at Ivy’s house! published on 2 Comments on Frank debuts at the doll club meeting at Ivy’s house!

Yesterday the Burlington Doll Club held its summer meeting at Ivy’s house. Amidst pizza, chips and salsa, we heated up her living room with insane giggles and clothing swaps, an excavation of the “free box” and, of course, general adulation of everyone’s dolls…particularly Frank.  Frank made his first major public appearance in his final form yesterday. As popular as he was in Ptown, Frank vamped for everyone’s cameras, enjoying the feeling of many hands across his body.  See beautiful dolls and silly comments below.
Continue reading Frank debuts at the doll club meeting at Ivy’s house!

20th anniversary edition of Goblins of Labyrinth out Sept. 1st!

20th anniversary edition of Goblins of Labyrinth out Sept. 1st! published on 2 Comments on 20th anniversary edition of Goblins of Labyrinth out Sept. 1st!

Yup, title says it all. There’s a re-issue of the art book Goblins of Labyrinth [Amazon info here], containing conceptual art by Brian Froud and a foreword by Terry Jones. But wait…that’s not all! This new edition includes a new afterword by Brian Froud and NEW ARTWORK!!! Check below the cut for a scan of the cover and an example of the new art. The picture across the top of the cover, showing Sarah with a mask, is an example of the new and unknown goodies that we will discover within the book’s covers.

Update on MM manga and Jim Henson DVD set w Laby, MM and DC

Update on MM manga and Jim Henson DVD set w Laby, MM and DC published on No Comments on Update on MM manga and Jim Henson DVD set w Laby, MM and DC

The Jim Henson Fantasy Film Collection, a trio of Labyrinth, Dark Crystal and MirrorMask, appears on September 5th. This is not actually news, just a bit of creative marketing, since the DVDs and all extras are just the same as previous releases. The only things that distinguish this collection from anything else are clips from the Return to Labyrinth manga and from the MirrorMask manga. Boring. You can go back to waiting for the Labyrinth sequel manga now.

More info here: http://www.dvdtown.com/announcement/jimhensonfantasyfilmcollection/3629

Apparently the MM manga isn’t coming out till early next year. >_<

Jareth, the ultimate bishounen — cover of Return to Labyrinth manga

Jareth, the ultimate bishounen — cover of Return to Labyrinth manga published on No Comments on Jareth, the ultimate bishounen — cover of Return to Labyrinth manga

Whoo hoo! Here’s some Laby news for y’all …The Labyrinth sequel manga, officially titled Return to Labyrinth [first volume of three], comes out on August 8th. Here’s the Amazon information. Here’s the back text, as taken from the Tokyopop Web site:

“The Goblin King has kept a watchful eye on Toby: His minions secretly guiding and protecting the child… Legions of goblins work behind the scenes to ensure that Toby has whatever his heart desires… Preparing him for the day when he will return to the Labyrinth and take his rightful place beside Jareth as the heir to the Goblin Kingdom…

“That day has come…

“But no one has told Toby.”

Here’s some information from the writer himself, Jake Forbes, as posted on the Tokyopop forums, in response to people who were disappointed that Toby, rather than Sarah, was the focus:

“I’m the writer of the upcoming manga. While I don’t want to give too much away too early, you can rest assured that there are several girls in the manga of various shapes and sizes–one of whom is a lead. Sarah, the main character from the movie, shows up too, but she’s not the lead this time. In any case, it’s not a boys-only adventure by any measure, even if Toby is our protagonist.”

Annnnnd…check out images of the cover below the cut. Manga Jareth! The first is a colored version and the second uncolored version shows you all the nifty detail.

Scraping the Web for Pan’s Labyrinth information

Scraping the Web for Pan’s Labyrinth information published on 1 Comment on Scraping the Web for Pan’s Labyrinth information

And MAN is it hard to find. And, if I do find it, it’s in languages other than English. Anyway, look below for more goodies besides the links posted yesterday:

Downloadable high-quality stills and sketches of sets from the official French site [watch out for the Pale Man]: http://www.lelabyrinthedepan.com/

Press book [en francais] from the official French site: http://www.lelabyrinthedepan.com/download_img/dp.pdf

Reports from del Toro’s panel at the San Diego ComicCon: http://www.movietack.net/id932.html and http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=23929

Rough cut of a new English-language trailer: http://www.deltorofilms.com/Features_PansLabyrinthTrailer.php

Translation for the new trailer: http://www.deltorofilms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=257&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=90

Source for a bit of film dialog between Ofelia and Pan [official Doug Jones site]: http://www.thedougjonesexperience.com/pan.htm

Early creature designs by William Stout: http://www.thedougjonesexperience.com/pan%7Edesign.htm

Pan’s Labyrinth: a much darker dream quest than Labyrinth or MirrorMask

Pan’s Labyrinth: a much darker dream quest than Labyrinth or MirrorMask published on 3 Comments on Pan’s Labyrinth: a much darker dream quest than Labyrinth or MirrorMask

While looking at upcoming movies on IMDB, I came upon El Laberinto del Fauno, or, as it will be hereinafter referred to because I know no Spanish, Pan’s Labyrinth.

Set in northern rural Spain in 1944 during the country’s civil war, the film focuses on the young heroine Ofelia. While her new, sadistic stepfather tries to eradicate the guerilla fighters from the villages nearby, Ofelia escapes from the ugliness of the real world. She discovers an overgrown stone labyrinth by her new house. Its master, the great god of the wilds Pan, tells Ofelia that she is a princess in the labyrinth’s magical realm; to return to her rightful home, she must perform three difficult tasks. Ofelia does so, but the eldritch horrors of the labyrinth land increase — including a freaky pupa-like Pale Man whose eyes are in the center of his palms — as the fantasy world provides a rich metaphorical counterpoint to the strife of civil war and other internal conflicts.

I’m curious and excited about this film. First of all, the basic plot — young girl in dreamland — forms the backbone of my favoritest movies. Unlike Labyrinth and MirrorMask, though, Pan’s Labyrinth addresses the world outside the protagonist’s head and family. It demonstrates how national conflicts can reverberate on a familial scale and a personal scale. I’m thinking Labyrinth gone political!

Second of all, guess who’s behind this film? Guillermo del Toro! Best known to American audiences for Hellboy and Blade II, del Toro, from what I’ve seen, combines a joyful comic book stylization with an almost sensual interest in the squishy sensitivity of human parts. If his earlier work is any indication, Pan’s Labyrinth should feature innocence running up against some fascinatingly dank ickiness with nightmarish edges. 

Third of all, early buzz on the film praises the acting and the special effects. After suffering Jennifer Connelly’s stupefyingly underwhelming performance in Labyrinth and the beer-bottle-brown effects of MirrorMask, I’m eager to see if one of my girl-in-dreamland films can achieve solid acting and solid effects. I can’t tell anything about the acting from the clips I’ve seen, but the film certainly looks interesting. Del Toro plays with color and shadow, bringing out rich hues in the countryside [as opposed to Labyrinth, which is a severely brown movie all around]. The CGI appears to be a supplement to the human performances, integrated rather well [as opposed to MirrorMask, where the people were just a distraction for the nifty images]. Of course, I can’t really tell anything about the movie at this point, except that I will definitely be seeing it.

I’ll leave you with a few links. Here’s the official English site. Here’s a site where you can find a trailer and some clips.

See below for Pan (Doug Jones) confronting Ofelia (Ivana Baquero).

 

Hooray, BTVS fix soon satisfied!

Hooray, BTVS fix soon satisfied! published on 1 Comment on Hooray, BTVS fix soon satisfied!

I just got all 7 seasons of my favorite TV show [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] for $146.11 [each boxed separately], incl s/h. That’s $20.87 per season, way less expensive than the set that boxes all seasons together [~$340.00 list price]. I’m going to sell seasons 1 and 7 because I don’t like them. [In season 1, no one has really developed interestingly yet, and, in season 7, nothing happens and my favorite characters die.]

Hooray, that leaves me with seasons 2 through 6 to watch…particularly all those parts in season 6 where Buffy is trying to adjust to being alive…and any eps where James Marsters makes more faces than the bad-ass expression…and any eps with robots in them.

“It was incredible, officer. She just jumped over the shark and headed for the soap!”

“It was incredible, officer. She just jumped over the shark and headed for the soap!” published on No Comments on “It was incredible, officer. She just jumped over the shark and headed for the soap!”

I have watched about 13 eps of Veronica Mars season 1 so far. Continue reading “It was incredible, officer. She just jumped over the shark and headed for the soap!”

What sarong with you?!

What sarong with you?! published on No Comments on What sarong with you?!

While goofing off at the Doll Palace [http://www.thedollpalace.com], I discovered an avatar maker that does not crash my compooper [unlike Meez]. Naturally I made Anneka and Will. I particularly like the dollmaker dress-up feature on this site, which allows you to combine elements from different dollmakers into a customized panel. That’s how I got Will into the sarong. Continue reading What sarong with you?!

Little Will avatars and animations

Little Will avatars and animations published on 2 Comments on Little Will avatars and animations

So, thanks to SailorZeo, I found a free animated avatar program, Meez. Naturally I set to work recreating my current favorite characters, Will and Anneka. The browser crashed in the middle of Anneka’s pixelated construction, so you’ll just have to enjoy Will for now. Continue reading Little Will avatars and animations

Whooot, DVDs on the way!

Whooot, DVDs on the way! published on 1 Comment on Whooot, DVDs on the way!

I just ordered Veronica Mars season 1, Medium season 1, Tru Calling season 1 and Charmed season 4, all used, all for less than $100.00 total, incl s/h! I saw bits of Medium season 1, but everything else will be new and delicious research for Love Has Fangs. Well, okay, the first three are for serious research. Charmed is just for potato-chip value.

Frank visits the most fabulous city on the Eastern seaboard.

Frank visits the most fabulous city on the Eastern seaboard. published on 4 Comments on Frank visits the most fabulous city on the Eastern seaboard.

Frank took a day trip with me yesterday to Provincetown, a town at the end of Cape Cod. He got cruised so many times, attracting much more attention than me. See below for his escapades. Continue reading Frank visits the most fabulous city on the Eastern seaboard.

Next up: Sideshow messes up the Cordelia doll.

Next up: Sideshow messes up the Cordelia doll. published on 1 Comment on Next up: Sideshow messes up the Cordelia doll.

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/behindtheshow/?page_id=1639&source=wp_news

Next BTVS/Angel character to be released in 12″ is Cordelia. I smell doom, especially since the prototype looks reasonable accurate. The last time SST had an accurate prototype [regular Willow], the final draft just looked…warped. Please, Sideshow, just for once, could ya NOT mess something up?

SIWINPO

SIWINPO published on 1 Comment on SIWINPO

Romantic Uyoo Angel: $238.00

Veronica Mars, season 1: $60.00

Veronica Mars, season 2: $60.00

Supernatural, season 1: $60.00

Smallville, season 5: $60.00

Arthur Spiderwick’s Guide to the Fantastical World Around You: $24.95

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection (Seasons 1-7): $220.00

Twilight Zone Season 1: $96.00

Twilight Zone Season 2: $80.00

Twilight Zone Season 3: $90.00

Twilight Zone Season 4: $90.00

Twilight Zone Season 5: $80.00

Mirror Mask: $26.96

a flatscreen monitor from newegg.com

a laptop cooling board from newegg.com

a love seat

foamcore for mounting LHF backdrops

a bulletin board

Absinthe Lefebvre

Absinthe Lefebvre published on 1 Comment on Absinthe Lefebvre

Damn you, Soom! Why do you have to make Uyoo so adorable? I’m gonna get a Romantic one eventually…her eyes will be much more proportionate to her head. It’s such a young, attractive, expressive sculpt. With the slightly parted lips, she looks ready to speak. She’s one of my favorite dolls.

Coming eventually to Love Has Fangs, it’s Absinthe Lefebvre, ex-sadist and the vampire who made Will… She’s a Soom Romantic Uyoo head [paper white, of course] http://www.dollsoom.com/shop/step1.php?number=1396 with the default Angel Uyoo faceup on a Limwha ToYou body. Maybe she’ll fit into all those Gothy Bratz clothes that I keep pining after…? Continue reading Absinthe Lefebvre

Superman Returns to kick X3’s butt.

Superman Returns to kick X3’s butt. published on 1 Comment on Superman Returns to kick X3’s butt.

So I saw Superman Returns this afternoon. While Smallville leaches the superheroic magic and epic proportions out of the Man in Tights’ story, Superman Returns restores some of that power. Though the film felt overlong and populated by mostly forgettable characters as done by average actors, it did achieve a great sense of mood. All the dark, dank shots of Kryptonian crystal architecture …the drifting, serene isolation of outer space…and, most of all, the shots of Superman suspended, listening, almost overwhelmed by his power and responsibility…they really gave a wistful, melancholy key to the story. I didn’t really care about Superman as a character [or anyone else, for that matter], but I felt what he felt.

While no one figures out that Clark Kent = Superman, I finally resolved this blind spot in a way that makes perfect psychological sense at least to me. Clark and Superman just two sides to the same person, but no one can tell that because the sides just behave so differently. Clark acts inept and awkward, unable to express his emotions, while Superman has physical power and seemingly no feelings at all. People around him don’t expect Clark to be physically strong, just as they don’t expect Superman to be emotionally expressive. So when he is muscular and powerful, he seems like a separate entity from the Clark self…and when he is more vulnerable, he seems like a separate entity from the Superman self…mostly because that’s how he feels. Emotional attachments really confuse this guy; they baffle him even more than kryptonite. He may be masterful in lifting cars and small islands, but saying ‘I love you’ requires a different kind of strength, an inner strength that he’s unsure of. The bumbling human form is a physical reflection of his awkwardness. No wonder he goes out and saves the world… It’s easier for him than untangling the human heart.

Coming up: Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and Devil Wears Prada!!!

Vampires + fireworks = fun

Vampires + fireworks = fun published on No Comments on Vampires + fireworks = fun

Vampires like the Fourth of July too! Check out the silly Independence Day episode of Love Has Fangs. Today marks the first appearance of one of the BJD characters, little Geordie, who is Dom’s niece. She’s an Elfdoll Jin dal Re, and she asks so many questions that they can’t fit in the frame! Check it out: http://www.oddpla.net/unreal/?p=82

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