MIXED BAG. THE FIRST TWO EPISODES OF THE LEGEND OF KORRA!

THE LEGEND OF KORRA'S EPISODE 1 & 2

Edit: They pulled the video, apparently is was just for one weekend, and now the above link just takes you to their blog. If you want to watch the first two episodes, I recommend you be patient (or use google). Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hey, Avatar fans. Nickelodeon has decided to submit to the impatience of the fans and has "LEGALLY" posted the first TWO episodes on this website for your preview. If you haven't checked it out because of the illegality or inconvenience of pirating, here is your chance. I've already watched it and to make the review short.

THIS IS IN NO WAYS DISAPPOINTING. STOP READING AND WATCH IT. 

And expect a more spoiler-ific review some time soon.

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/24/12.

exile [eg-zahyl]

noun

1. Expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.

2. The fact or state of such expulsion: to live in exile.

3. A person banished from his or her native land.

4. Prolonged separation from one's country or home, as by force of circumstances: wartime exile.

5. Anyone separated from his or her country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances.

verb

6. To expel or banish (a person) from his or her country; expatriate.

7. To separate from country, home,

EX. This is the last Avatar: The Last Airbender character analysis and the somewhat penultimate Word of the Day article in Avatar week. Today's subject is the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko. As the main villain for the first story arc, and the character with the most dramatic journey, there is a lot to talk about with this character.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 1: THE CHILD HERO!
.

AND PART 2: THE MOTHER/THE DAMSEL!

AND PART 3: THE WISE FOOL

AND PART 4: THE LOVEABLE ROGUE

 AND PART 5: THE MENTOR

Zuko's story is one of transformation and passion. It is also the tale of a whiny teenager with Daddy issues.

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/23/12.

fusion [fyoo-shuhn]

noun

1. The act or process of fusing; the state of being fused.

2. That which is fused; the result of fusing: A ballet production is the fusion of many talents.

3. Politics A coalition of parties or factions.

4. Also called "nuclear fusion". Physics. a thermonuclear reaction in which nuclei of light atoms join to form nuclei of heavier atoms, as the combination of deuterium atoms to form helium atoms

5. Ophthalmology. 
a. Also called binocular fusion. the correct blending of the images of both eyes.

b. The perception of rapid, intermittent flashes of light as a continuous beam.

6. Popular music that is a blend of two styles, especially a combining of jazz with either rock, classical music, or such ethnic elements as Brazilian or Japanese music.

7. Linguistics . the merging of linguistic elements, especially morphemes, usually accompanied by a change in the form of the elements.

EX. Black Bear and Polar Bear do a fusion dance to combine into....PANDA BEAR! 

Piccolo and Krillin do the Fusion Dance.

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/22/12.

personification [per-son-uh-fi-key-shuhn]

noun

1. The attribution of a personal nature or character to inanimate objects or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.

2. The representation of a thing or abstraction in the form of a person, as in art.

3. The person or thing embodying a quality or the like; an embodiment or incarnation: He is the personification of tact.

4. An imaginary person or creature conceived or figured to represent a thing or abstraction.

5. The act of personifying. 

celestial [suh-les-chuhl]

adjective

1. Pertaining to the sky or visible heaven.

2. Pertaining to the spiritual or invisible heaven; heavenly; divine: celestial bliss.

3. Of or pertaining to celestial navigation: a celestial fix.

noun

5. An inhabitant of heaven.

celestial body [suh-les-chuchl-bod-ee]

noun 

1. Natural objects visible in the sky

EX. Pictured above and below, are amusing and/or adorable personifications of the major celestial bodies that make up our solar system. I dunno about you guys, but a Hetalia like animated show about these characters would be awesome.

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/21/12.

mentor [men-tahr]
noun
1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2. An influential senior sponsor or supporter.
verb
3. To teach, educate, advise; to act as a mentor.

EX. Yesterday we talked about the "Blind Bandit" and today we're talking about the "Dragon of the West." Zuko's mentor, his Uncle Iroh, stands out for a number of reasons as a character. He is one of the older characters, his goals and motives are a mystery, and he is basically Gandolf mixed with Danny Devito.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 1: THE CHILD HERO!
.

AND PART 2: THE MOTHER/THE DAMSEL!

AND PART 3: THE WISE FOOL

AND PART 4: THE LOVEABLE ROGUE

An aside: One of my readers brought up the fact that one of the major weaknesses of the series is that it's light-hearted tone made it impossible to take the bad guys seriously. In a world torn by war and with several characters, including Iroh, with pasts defined by war and loss, such dramatic subjects were hardly covered seriously. Furthermore, the conclusion feels weak because a war, that involved massacre and genocide (only barely escaping a nation wide burning), was resolved so easily that the invading forces of the Fire Nation were basically all but unpunished for their war crimes. At least, within the context of the show.

This is relevant as Uncle Iroh, who also dips into the "Wise Fool" category also dips into two other archetypes.

WTF WEDNESDAY! THE DISNEY FILES: MARS AND BEYOND

Remember that picture of Walt Disney and the horrifying robot I posted in my TABLETOP TALES. SHADOWRUN RUNDOWN #1 A Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Day article a week or so ago? The one with Walt Disney and horrifying automaton he planned to arm with a chest-mounted machine gun, mustard gas breath, and a flame thrower he pelvic thrusts at Nazi-Communists? Well, oddly enough, I ran into the video this originally from.

WALT DISNEY'S MARS AND BEYOND!

This cool featurette covers a wide variety of subjects from the concept of evolution to the possibility of life on other plants. The animated bits are really cool and the whole video has this trippy out of this world tone. For anyone who wants to a Disney produce before they packaged them in plastic for the pre-teen audience, check out this incredible look into the universe of the imagination.

Also, it is noteworthy for animating Edgar Rice Burroughs's martian wildlife from John Carter of Mars, which recently enjoyed a movie adaptation, which you can see a review of it on my friend Zack's blog here.

NEXT UP HOLLYWOOD REVIEW: JOHN CARTER

DISNEY'S MARS AND BEYOND REMIX!

BONUS: NIGHTMATES AND DAYDREAMS!

I also decided, since it's Avatar Week, to reward all the kiddies cool enough to check out this article with a link to the weirdest episode of The Last Airbender. Aang is exhausted from stress/training and has bizarre dreams. Momo and Appa talk in the episode! 0.0

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/20/12.

picaro [pik-er-oh]
noun
1. A rogue or vagabond.

picara [pik-er-uh]
noun
1. A woman who is a rogue or vagabond.

EX. Toph AKA The Blind Bandit is probably the fan favorite of the show. This picara's biggest heist was stealing plenty of attention on the show and she deserves it. She came in the second season and, with the introduction of her character, the show's pacing picked up and everything got off the ground.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 1: THE CHILD HERO!
.

AND PART 2: THE MOTHER/THE DAMSEL!

AND PART 3: THE WISE FOOL

Today's subject is...

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 3/12 -3/18 2012

WEEKLY ROUND-UP:

FOR THE LOVE OF PIKACHU WEEK!

Look at that punim*!

7.  WORD OF THE DAY! 3/16/12. Narc/Nark.

Hm, now there is a mug that is worth a thousand words. Maybe, he is responsible for my rekindled love of scooters and Music Band.

6. WORD OF THE DAY! 3/13/12. Dolor. Lachrymose.

Every time you read one of my articles with out commenting or following my blog, Pikachu dies a little inside. Think about that next time you laugh at my tom foolery without putting a little digital recognition into my till. Also, Pikachu & Ketchup is still a better love story than Twilight.

5. WORD OF THE DAY! 3/12/12. Nerd-Rage.

"I see your gambit and I raise you a table, biatch!"

4. MUSICAL MONDAY! BATMAN & ROBIN THE MUSICAL!

Few films have the distinction of trying to kill the common pun, but there ya go. Seriously, there is nothing else out there that is as punographic as this film and Arnold's best....best...um, makeup?

3. TABLETOP TALES. SHADOWRUN RUNDOWN #1 A Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Day

Dedicated to the patience of friends and the wonderful world of Disney. I'm not sure I mentioned it in the article but what really inspired me to create a character like "Paul Kidney" was the imagery of Disney's past. The animatronics, the park mysteries, and the brilliant madness that went into creating the "Happiest Place on Earth". If everyone aspired to be an Imagineer, we'd be able to imagine a way to a brighter tomorrow (probably involving a mono-rail and a talking mirror).

2. WORD OF THE DAY! 3/18/12. Motherly.

It was really cool writing an article analyzing Katara's character arc. To be honest, I was concerned I might come down a little harshly against her but, looking over her growth, helped me appreciate her.

1. WORD OF THE DAY! 3/17/12. Archetype.

Saturday started a series of article that I am really excited about by providing the opportunity to talk about character growth by looking at one of my favorite shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

*"Punim" is a Yiddish word for face, btw.

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/19/12.

skeptic [skep-tik]

noun

1. a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual.

2.a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans, statements, or the character of others.

3. a person who doubts the truths of a religion, superstitions, or myths.

adjective

5. Of or pertaining to skepticism.

EX. Before we begin our analysis of today's subject, I have to admit that he is probably my favorite character, mostly because I share a lot in common with Sokka, but also because I found him to often have the most interesting stories.

Sokka is a character that is easy to overlook, easily underestimated, but easily my favorite character.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 1: THE CHILD HERO!

AND PART 2: THE MOTHER/THE DAMSEL!

MUSICAL MONDAY! THE DISNEY-FICATION OF FAMILY GUY!

MUSICAL MONDAY PRESENTS:

THE DISNEY-FICATION OF FAMILY GUY! 

"IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY FOR PIE!"

Today's Musical Monday is special for a few reasons. First of all, I'll get this out of the way for several brands of haters and fans. I love Disney and I love Fox Sundays. I also love Family Guy.

Each time there is a musical number on the show it is handled with a passion for the end product and irritates me that, while Simpsons used to win an enemy just about any time they had a big music number, Family Guy does them better and hardly receives anywhere near the same love merely because of the fact that it is not the original animated sitcom or because people think it somehow is just filled with cheap cut-away gags and nothing else of value. I love the Simpsons, but I don't own a Simpsons CD. I actually own a fantastic CD, Family Guy: Live in Las Vegas, that is one of my favorite comedy CDs.

Today's clip is from the Season 8 Episode of Family Guy titled "Road to the Multiverse". The scene begins with Brian and Stewie traveling through multiple realities and ending up in a Disney dimension. The reality is gorgeously animated, the song is light and fluffy and there is plenty of fan service. There is a crude little mean-spirited "Disney hated Jews" joke at the end (personally, I don't think he did), but regardless of that, the scene still holds up.

Honestly, even if you don't like the show, if you love musicals you have to appreciate how McFarlane's love for music had inspired some very clever moments. Music is at the heart of this show.In a perfect universe, Family Guy is animated with the same level of detail and love that went into classic Disney films and every episode has at least one song number.

If you're interested, you can watch this episode on Hulu Plus and the series is readily available on Hulu Plus, Netflix, Fox, and (in my opinion most importantly) Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Speaking of Snow White adaptations being the next Twilgiht...

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/18/12.

motherly [muth-er-lee]
adjective
1. pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a mother; maternal.
2. like a mother
3. protective, empathetic, gentle, loving, affectionate

EX. Today we're discussing the motherly figure of the group, who occasionally falls into the category of damsel-in-distress, Katara.

Katara is a tricky character to tie down to a single archetype, but here goes.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 1: THE CHILD HERO!