Pop Culture Safari!

Trailers: HBO's "The Girl" examines Hitchcock's Hedren obsession

Out on HBO Oct. 20, "The Girl" stars Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren and Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock.

Doctor Who: Pond Life pt. 1

The first installment of a new web miniseries featuring Doctor Who companions Amy and Rory.

Music new releases Aug. 28, 2012: Roxy Music complete; The Orb with Lee Scratch Perry; Richard Hawley; Gary Lewis and the Playboys!

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

The Complete Studio Recordings 1972 - 1982 by Roxy Music

Perfect Elvis Presley Collection

The Orbserver In The Star House (Feat. Lee Scratch Perry) - The Orb

Standing At The Sky's Edge by Richard Hawley

The Complete Liberty Singles by Gary Lewis and the Playboys

DVD new releases Aug. 28. 2012: Walking Dead; Once Upon a Time; Boardwalk Empire; Quadrophenia Criterion Edition; Beach Boys; Green Lantern animated;

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]

Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season

Homeland: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]

Quadrophenia (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Doin' It Again [Blu-ray]

Green Lantern: Animated Series - Season One Part 1

Vintage Super Friends promo photo

Hammer Films launches YouTube Channel

Check it out: Movie trailers, vintage films and more Hammer Horror on a newly launched YouTube channel here.

Pop culture roundup: Pink Floyd rare TV performance; The Beatles in comics; Bonzo Dog Band; CW's "Arrow"!

A heavily damaged, but still pretty darn cool of the Pink Floyd performing "See Emily Play" on "Top of the Pops" in 1967 has turned up. Syd Barrett on vocals.

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A new book collects appearances by the Beatles in comic books and comic strips:

A collection of some two hundred cartoon strips dedicated to the Beatles, many of which are extremely rare and now inaccessible.

Forty years after their break up, the Beatles remain the biggest phenomenon of music and mass culture in the world of entertainment.

The book for the first time investigates and documents the interest that cartoonists, publishers, and enthusiasts have shown in their special relationship with the universe of comic strips—a rich and variegated relationship with thousands of publications, in every part of the world, and a production that continues to the present day.

In some stories the Beatles are the protagonists, in others they make cameo appearances, while others feature their lyrics transformed into comic strips.

Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the Fab Four’s first single ("Love Me Do"), the book celebrates the band with a festive, fun and original product, conveying a dimension that does not age, transmitting the legend that endures through the years and changing fashions.

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The producers of "Arrow," the upcoming the CW's upcoming series based on DC Comics' Green Arrow, field some questions.

We don't think about the show as a superhero show. We think about it as a crime thriller and a crime drama and a family drama. The character of Oliver Queen that Justin Hartley played on Smallville was a reaction to Clark Kent and Superman, living in a fantastical world with fantastical characters. In our world, none of that exists. It's only Oliver Queen and his quest and his crusade. Just from that element of it, it's a very different take on the character. I mean it's the same sort of headlines, but the fine print is very, very different,

The series will include a character based on DC's The Huntress, to be played by Jessica De Gouw. John Barrowman from Doctor Who/Torchwood also is set to appear on the show.

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Dangerous Minds unearths the lost Bonzo Dog Band film, "The Adventures of the Son of Exploding Sausage," Here's the first part:

Vintage Get Smart publicity photo

Doctor Who characters spin off into Pond Life

A web-only mini-series featuring Doctor Who sidekicks Amy Pond and Rory is set to debut next week on the BBC Doctor Who site.

Here's a preview:

I wonder who's on the beach right now?

It's Ringo and Keith Moon!

BBC Radio this week - streaming now

Click the links to stream these programs.

Street Corner Soul

Ronnie Spector presents the story of doo-wop

From Mento to Lovers' Rock
Documentaries series about Jamaican popular music.

Purple Reign - The Story of Prince
The story of the singer, songwriter and musician.

The Record Producers
Series exploring the work of individuals who have had a lasting impact on popular music

Still Walkin': The Fats Domino Story
Paul Jones presents a series profiling rock 'n' roll and R'n'B star Antoine 'Fats' Domino.

Tighten Up: The Story of Trojan Records
Don Letts tells the story of the influential UK-based Trojan record label.

Doctor Who
Time-travelling adventure series

GM Fraser - Royal Flash
Celebrated cavalry officer, Harry Flashman is caught with his trousers down

The Goon Show
Classic material from one of the all-time radio comedy greats

Cary Grant vintage publicity photo

Doctor Who Season 7 BBC America trailer

New CD features a pre-Beatles Ringo Starr

Pretty exciting news for Beatles fans this week between news of the Magical Mystery Tour DVD release and a new album featuring previously unreleased live recordings by Liverpool's Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, featuring Ringo Starr on drums.

"Live at the Jive Hive," is listed for sale via Amazon UK but not yet in the states. We'll keep our eyes peeled. The collection reportedly features professionally recorded live performances of the group Ringo left in order to join the Beatles. Ringo doesn't have any featured vocals, but drums throughout.

Here are some additional details and the track list:

A live set by Rory Storm & The Hurricanes professionally recorded at the Jive Hive Liverpool, 5th March 1960.

Ringo Starr was his drummer back then. Although the history of Merseybeat & the growth of the Beatles have been examined in forensic detail there are still discoveries to be made & sometimes something special comes along that is both unexpected and exciting.

How come over 50 years on we now have a full set from Rory Storm & The Hurricanes in 1960? They are on great form and whats more the set has been professionally recorded.

Although up to 125 Liverpool beat groups were performing at any one time over the city and its suburbs precious few live recordings were made & this is the first time that a full set from a Merseyside group recorded before 1963 has been released.

The fact that this dates from the early times, March 1960 (that is before anyone had gone to Hamburg) makes it even more thrilling. At that time there were only 30 rock & roll groups operationally on Merseyside. This is also likely to be the only recordings we have of Rory Storm with his then drummer Ringo Starr.

1. Introduction

2. Brand New Cadillac

3. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care

4. Make Me Know You're Mine

5. Bye Bye Love

6. Jet Black

7. Down The Line

8. C'mon Everybody

9. Don't Bug Me Baby

10. Rip It Up

11. Somethin' Else

12. Train To Nowhere

13. Since You Broke My Heart

14. Honey Don't

15. All American Boy

16. Willie & The Hand Jive

17. Closing Announcement

18. Milk Cow Blues (home recording)

19. What 'd I Say (home recording)

20. Cathy's Clown (home recording)

21. Now Is The Hour (home recording)

French publication discovers lost Jack Kirby-illustrated Davy Crockett comic strip

The online Jack Kirby Museum shares how a French comics-focused publication discovered a lost, two-week run of a Kirby-illustrated Davy Crockett comic strip.

“Davy Crockett, Frontiersman” by Jim McArdle was syndicated by Columbia Features Inc., with writing by France “Ed” Herron. “Davy Crockett, Frontiersman” started as a daily strip in early 1955, right in the middle of the Davy Crockett craze.

...starting in January 1957, Jack Kirby “ghosted” the “Davy Crockett, Frontiersman” daily strip for less than three weeks. He started on a single strip on Thursday, 10 January—probably as a try-out—and went back to it for a 18 day tenure, from Monday, 14 January up to Saturday, 2 February. No evidence points to Kirby working on the larger Sunday strips. He inked the whole run, except the last three strips, which seem to be delineated by Kirby's wife Roz. The strips Kirby worked on were not signed by Kirby, nor Herron, nor McArdle.

Beatles announce Magical Mystery Tour DVD release - video and press release

Not my favorite Beatles' work, but of interest nevertheless, the "Magical Mystery Tour" TV film is finally getting a spruced-up DVD release with some nice extras.

Here's a teaser:

And here's the official skinny:

Apple Films has fully restored the long out-of-print "Magical Mystery Tou" for October 8th release worldwide (October 9th in North America) on DVD and Blu-ray with a remixed soundtrack (5.1 and stereo) and special features. For the first time ever, there will be a limited theatrical release in certain territories from September 27th.

"Magical Mystery Tour" will be available in DVD and Blu-ray packages, and in a special 10”x10” boxed deluxe edition. The deluxe edition includes both the DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a 60-page book with background information, photographs and documentation from the production, and a faithful reproduction of the mono double 7” vinyl EP of the film’s six new Beatles songs, originally issued in the UK to complement the film’s 1967 release.

The restoration of "Magical Mystery Tour" has been overseen by Paul Rutan Jr. of Eque Inc., the same company that handled the much acclaimed restoration of "Yellow Submarine." The soundtrack work was done at Abbey Road Studios by Giles Martin and Sam Okell.

All of the packages contain a host of special features, packed with unseen footage. There are newly-filmed interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and other members of the film’s cast and crew, as well as a director’s audio commentary recorded by Paul.

Apple Films and EMI have partnered with Omniverse Vision, the leading distributor of music events to cinemas worldwide, to bring exclusive showings of Magical Mystery Tour to the big screen for the first time. Screenings will take place in selected cinemas from September 27th in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Italy, Japan, and other countries worldwide. Once confirmed, full listings will be available at www.thebeatles.com. In addition, The British Film Institute has announced a special screening of Magical Mystery Tour at BFI Southbank on October 2nd. Tickets are now available from the BFI website.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR SPECIAL FEATURES

Director’s Commentary – by Paul McCartney

“The Making of Magical Mystery Tour” [19:05]
- Features interviews with Paul and Ringo, along with other cast members and crew. Includes unseen footage.

“Ringo the Actor” [2:30]
- Ringo Starr reflecting on his role in the film.

“Meet the Supporting Cast” [11:27]
- A feature on the background and careers of Nat Jackley, Jessie Robins, Ivor Cutler, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Victor Spinetti, George Claydon, and Derek Royle.

“Your Mother Should Know” [2:35]
“Blue Jay Way” [3:53]
“The Fool On The Hill” [3:05]
- Three new edits of these performances, all featuring footage not seen in the original film.

“Hello Goodbye,” as featured on “Top of the Pops” - 1967 [3:24]
- The Beatles allowed the BBC to film them in the edit suite where they were working on Magical Mystery Tour. This was then turned into a promo by the BBC, who shot their own additional footage. It was then broadcast on “Top of the Pops” to mark the “Hello Goodbye” single going to No. 1 in December 1967.

“Nat’s Dream” [2:50]
- A scene directed by John featuring Nat Jackley and not included in the original film.

Ivor Cutler – “I’m Going In A Field” [2:35]
- Ivor performs “I’m Going In A Field,” in a field. This scene was not included in the original film.

Traffic – “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush” [1:53]
- The filming of Traffic acting out their 1967 hit single “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush” was commissioned by The Beatles for possible inclusion in Magical Mystery Tour, but was not included in the final edit.