Jail time for Lindsay?

TMZ.com is reporting that Lindsay Lohan has violated terms of her probation and has not shown up for one alcohol education class since receiving her second DUI conviction and because of that, she may be going to jail.

Lohan’s attorney Shawn Chapman disagrees and tells PEOPLE Magazine, “Though there have been occasional weeks when Lindsay has missed her alcohol treatment class, she has always managed to make up the class the following week by attending two classes. For this reason, we contend that Ms. Lohan is in substantial compliance with the conditions of her probation.”

 

Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry to divorce

TMZ.com is reporting that Halle Berry and her husband, model Gabriel Aubry have filed for divorce. The two have a two-year-old daughter named Nahla.

 

X-MEN Volume 5 – Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

The final volume and the final episodes of the popular 1990′s X-Men animated series is here!  Featuring popular comic book storylines which includes “The Phalanx Covenant” and battles against Magneto,  Omega Red, the Red Skull, Mojo, Mr. Sinister and more!

Images courtesy of © MARVEL, X-MEN and all related characters and their distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used with permission.© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: X-MEN VOLUME 5 (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

DURATION: 308 Minutes (14 Episodes)

DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Fullscreen (1:33:1), French and Spanish Language Tracks, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Marvel Entertainment Group/Buena Vista Home Entertainment

RATED: TV Y7 FV

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010

Starring:

Cedric Smith as the voice of Professor Charles Xavier

Cal Dodd as the voice of Wolverine/Logan

Norm Spencer as the voice of Cyclops/Scott Summers

Lenore Zann as the voice of Rogue

George Buza as the voice of Beast/Doctor Henry “Hank” McCoy

Catherine Disher as the voice of Jean Grey/Phoenix

Iona Morris (1992) and Alison Sealy-Smith (1992-1997) as the voice of Storm/Ororo Munroe

Alyson Court as the voice of Jubilee/Jubilation Lee

Chris Potter as the voice of Gambit/Remy Lebeau

Lawrence Bayne as the voice of Cable, Erik the Redd

Payl Haddad as the voice of Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

Jeremy Ratchford as the voice of Banshee/Sean Cassidy

Lally Cadeau as the voice of Doctor Moira McTaggart

Ron Rubin as the voice of Morph

Marc Strange as the voice of Forge

Philip Akin as the voice of Bishop

David Hemblen as the voice of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr

John Colicos and James Blendick as the voice of Apocalypse

Don Francks as the voice of Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Puck/Eugene Milton Judd, Shaman

Christopher Britton II as the voice of Mister Sinister/Nathaniel Essex

Rick Bennett as the voices of Juggernaut/Cain Marko and Colossus/Piotr Rasputin

The original tales of Marvel comic books come to life in Volume 5 of the X-men collection. Relive the action of the popular animated series in this collectible compilation of the X-men adventures. The X-men must turn to their arch-nemesis, Magneto, in an effort to save the life of Professor Xavier! Watch the action unfold in the final episode, “Graduation Day, “ and don’t miss a moment of X-men excitement in this 2-disc set, complete with 14 riveting episodes. Complete your X-men collection with this must-own final installment of this great animated series.

The X-Men Escape

Betrayal

Missing Jean Grey

Trouble Brewing

For 46 years, the mutant superhero team known as “X-Men” have been a part of the lives of several generations. I personally grew up with the the X-Men during the latest 70′s and early 80′s but became interested once again during the early 90′s when artist Jim Lee brought a new look and eventually created this incredible synergy amongst the fans. A time when Chris Claremont was ending his run and the storylines would be be infused by more excitement from Fabien Nicieza and Scot Lobdell.

We were greeted with awesome storylines such as the “The X-Tinction Agenda”, “The Muir Island Saga”, “X-Cutioner’s Song”, “Fatal Attractions”, “Phalanx Covenant” and “Age of Apocalypse” from 1990-1995 and in addition to the excitement in the comic books (which would continue on with the action figures from Toy Biz), the animated series was one of those special events that took place in October 1992 on the Fox Network.

I can easily remember how many of my friends and fellow comic book collectors were excited for the series. Although not exactly the same type of storyline from the comic books, the animated series captured the heart and soul of the X-Men and “X-Men: The Animated Series” would continue on through 1998.

Needless to say, the animated series is close to the heart for the diehard X-Men fan but also those who were young when the series came out, are now wanting to share the animated series with their own children. And for me, it’s great to watch this series alongside my six-year-old son and seeing him enjoy the series as well.

“X-MEN VOLUME 5″ comes with the final 15 episodes of the animated series on two DVD’s. It’s important to note that Buena Vista Home Entertainment has the episodes going by how it was aired and not by production episode number. So, I will list the episodes with their episode # on the DVD but also their episode script #.

Here is a brief, spoiler-less synopsis of “X-MEN Volume 5 – Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection”:

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 63 (67) – The Phalanx Covenant (Part 1) - The techno-organic aliens known as the Phalanx attack life on Earth.
• EPISODE 64 (68) – The Phalanx Covenant (Part 2) - The X-Men vs. the Phalanx.
• EPISODE 65 (47) – A Deal with the Devil – Wolverine and Storm take on Omega Red.
• EPISODE 66 (34) – No Mutant is an Island - After the aftermath of “The Phoenix Saga”, Cyclops leaves the X-Men.
• EPISODE 67 (36) – Longshot – The Inner Circle make their move and Professor X and Emma Frost battle against each other for psychic control of Jean. The Dark Phoenix is born.
• EPISODE 68 (59) – Bloodlines – Nightcrawler receives a message that his mother is in trouble.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 69 (69) – Storm Front (Part 1) – The alien Arkon asks for Storm to return with him to his planet and proposes to her.
• EPISODE 70 (70) – Storm Front (Part 2) – Arkon and Storm are to be married but the X-Men find out that Arkon is not exactly on the side of good.
• EPISODE 71 (72) – Jubilee’s Fairy Tale Theatre - Jubilee leads a tour for several kids in a cave on mansion property but are caught in a cave-in.
• EPISODE 72 (71) – The Fifth Horseman - Fabian Cortez kidnaps Jubilee.
• EPISODE 73 (73) – Old Soldiers – A past story of when Wolverine and Captain America worked together back in World War II.
• EPISODE 74 (75) - Descent - The origin of Mr. Sinister.
  
• EPISODE 75 (74) - Hidden Agendas – Professor X takes in Sam Guthrie (Cannonball).
• EPISODE 76 (76) – Graduation Day – It’s the day of the Mutant/Human Relations Summit but Gyrich intends to make his presence known.

VIDEO:

“X-MEN” the animated series is presented in full screen (1:33:1). One thing that you will notice is that the animation does show its age. Since the animation was created over 15-years ago, a lot of the animation is hand drawn and compared to many of the digital animated series that are show on television today, the animation doesn’t have that digital color vibrancy as newer animations and also, you will notice that the animation does has its share of interlacing and on bigger television screens, viewers will notice edge enhancement as well.

It’s important to note that the final six episodes were animated by a different company.  As the animated series was supposed to end with season four’s “Beyond Good and Evil”, FOX ordered more episodes but the animators in Korea (AKOM) were already working on the second season of “Fantastic Four”, the Philippine Animation Studio was brought in to complete the season.  Although not sure if anyone will be able to tell the difference.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby 2.0 and is dialogue-driven (a French and Spanish language track is also included). Unfortunately, the soundtrack is front channel driven but for those who have receivers capable of a setting to enable stereo on all channels, I found that to be the best setting to enjoy the series on my home theater system.

As for subtitles, “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ is provided in English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on both DVD’s.

I was among the big X-Men fans who were highly anticipating the series and just loved it! As a collector of the X-Men comic books around that time period, to have a series based on Jim Lee’s character designs and a series with so much potential of showcasing a variety of enemies and characters, it was always a treat to find out who would be introduced in each episode.

In fact, during the hoopla and way before the Internet became part of our natural lives, many of the fans would communicate about the episodes through electronic BBS’s and show our happiness and excitement over the animated series, the action figure line and of course the many multiple X-Men related comic book series that flourished from the early 90′s.

For volume 5, fans who were reading the comic books were also treated with the Phalanx storyline in animated format.  So, as an X-Man fan at the time, it was very cool to see something that was featured in a comic, appear so quickly in the cartoon.

Now, there is one thing that is a big negative that hardcore fans of the animated series may find and that is the choice to feature the episodes via air date and not script #.

For example, the majority of the episodes on this DVD are from season five but because of the production #, episodes from season three such as “No Mutant is an Island” (which is listed as episode #66 but on television it was episode #34) and “Longshot” (which is episode #67 was episode #36 on television) end up on this fifth DVD volume.  So, for continuity sakes, especially with “No Mutant is an Island” which comes after the “Phoenix Saga”, there is continuity disruption which is a bit unfortunate.

Granted, I know there are hardcore fans who really take issue of the episode listing on this DVD series but knowing how long fans have waited for the series and knowing what’s done is done, this is probably the best we are going to get of the series in a long time (unless they remaster and restore it for a Blu-ray release in the future which I don’t know if that will ever happen and because of the quality of the series, I kind of doubt it). So, with that being said, I still recommend the purchase of the series, especially if you have already purchased volume 1 through 4.

Overall, “X-MEN VOLUME 5″ is an entertaining set and if you have started collecting the various volumes, you will definitely want to complete your collection with this fifth volume.

For fans of the “X-MEN” animated series, despite the episode listing which is disconcerting for some, the episodes are still entertaining, nostalgic, action-packed and still enjoyable to watch over 15 years later and yes… for hardcore X-Men fans, still worth owning!

 

LEVERAGE: THE SECOND SEASON – ON DVD 5/25/10

TNT’S HIT DRAMA STARRING ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER
TIMOTHY HUTTON RETURNS FOR ANOTHER ACTION-PACKED SEASON
LEVERAGE
THE SECOND SEASON

The Con is On May 25, 2010 as the Highly-Rated Drama Debuts on DVD

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The riveting, clever and thoroughly entertaining series that The Hollywood Reporter called “a flashy hour of fun” returns for another round of righting wrongs when LEVERAGE The Second Season arrives on DVD May 25, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. TNT’s hit drama “Leverage” is averaging 4.4 million viewers and recently ranked as one of ad-supported cable’s top new original series of 2008-09. LEVERAGE stars Oscar®-winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) as the leader of an elite team of thieves, hackers and con artists who act as modern day Robin Hoods by standing up for those who have been victimized by the rich and powerful. In the timely second season, the team takes on corrupt bankers, high fashion, the tabloid media and an old nemesis from their past. The show also stars Gina Bellman (“Coupling”), Christian Kane (“Into The West”), Beth Riesgraf (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Aldis Hodge (“Friday Night Lights”). In addition, Jeri Ryan (“Star Trek: Voyager”) joins the cast as a special guest star in a continuing story arc as a temporary member of the team. “Leverage” returns to TNT this summer.
The LEVERAGE The Second Season DVD includes all 15 episodes with audio commentary on every episode, a Q&A with the series’ creators, a set tour, a spoof video, the season two wrap party gag reel and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Arriving just in time for the return of season three, the four-disc set will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S.
LEVERAGE The Second Season is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround. Every episode includes audio commentary and the DVD disc breakdown is as follows:
Disc One:
The Beantown Bailout Job
The Tap-Out Job
The Order 23 Job
The Fairy Godparents Job
Disc Two:
The Three Days of the Hunter Job
The Top Hat Job
The Two Live Crew Job
The Ice Man Job
Disc Three:
The Lost Heir Job
The Runway Job
The Bottle Job
The Zanzibar Marketplace Job
Disc Four:
The Future Job
The Three Strikes Job
The Maltese Falcon Job
Bonus Features:
The Creators of Leverage Q&A
John Rogers Set Tour
Behind the Boom Featurette
“The Hand Job” Spoof Video
Andy Lange Music Featurette
Season 2 Wrap Party Gag Reel
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.

TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and
Scott Bakula; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott; as well as the newly acquired Southland, from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER). TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, CSI: NY and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Electric Entertainment is a full service film, television, and new media production company headed by veteran producer Dean Devlin along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Over the last fifteen years, Devlin has co-written and produced some of the most successful feature films of all time. He co-wrote and produced Stargate and Independence Day, which has grossed over $800 million worldwide. He co-wrote and produced Godzilla, and produced The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. Electric is currently in pre-production on the third season of “Leverage,” the 1-hour drama series airing on TNT and is in pre-production on the science-fiction thriller feature Ghosting, which Devlin will direct. Electric’s most recent film projects include Flyboys, the politically-charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, Cellular starring Kim Basinger and Eight Legged Freaks. In addition to “Leverage,” Electric’s television credits include Sci Fi Channel’s “The Triangle,” which won an Emmy for its Visual Effects; “The Librarian: Quest for the Spear,” starring Noah Wyle which aired on TNT in December 2004 and was the highest rated movie on cable that year; its sequel “The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines” which won an Emmy award for best music composition; and “The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice” which premiered in December 2008.

 

BRAVO HOSTS LIVE EVENT FOR REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NJ PREMIERE PARTY

Bravo’s Andy Cohen To Host Live Social Media Event With A Ustream Broadcast From The NJ Premiere Party At The Infamous Brownstone

NEW YORK – April 29, 2010 – Bravo, the network that put New Jersey on the map, is premiering a new season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” on an all new night, Monday, May 3 at 10 p.m ET/PT.  From “bubbies” to babies and everything in between, the premiere of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” kicks off with Jacqueline and Teresa both having babies, Caroline and Dina maintaining the Manzo family clan, and Danielle still trying to make her way into the inner circle, the tension is high and the girls from the Garden State don’t hold back.

Anything can happen as Bravo’s Andy Cohen hosts a live social media event on Ustream giving Housewives fans an up-close-and-personal invite to the New Jersey premiere party hosted by the Manzo family at the infamous Brownstone catering facility. Through live streaming on both Bravotv.com and Ustream.tv, viewers will get exclusive access to the event, interviews with the Housewives and their families and other Bravolebrities in attendance, as well as minute-by-minute reactions to what’s happening as the premiere unfolds live on-air. Viewers can interact with Andy and the Housewives via Twitter and Facebook throughout the event, and Andy will respond to comments and questions from fans during the live streaming. The social media event will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, May 3 and will end after the premiere ends at 11 p.m. ET. Fans can join the party at http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey/premiere-party.

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC Universal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.†Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.

 

CBS WINS THE OPENING NIGHT OF MAY SWEEP

CBS Wins Its Seventh Consecutive Thursday in Viewers and Key Demographics

“Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” Notches Best Demos Since its Premiere and is the Night’s Top Program in Adults 18-49

“CSI” and “The Mentalist” Posts Week-to-Week Increases

“The Mentalist” is Number One Program of the Night in Viewers

CBS won the opening night of May sweep in viewers and key demos as all three of the Network’s programs posted week-to-week increases, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Thursday, April 29.

SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS was first in households (7.5/13), viewers (12.57m), adults 25-54 (5.1/15) and adults 18-49 (4.0/13). Compared to last week, SURVIVOR was up +7% in households (from 7.0/12), +6% in adults 25-54 (from 4.8/13), +11% in adults 18-49 (from 3.6/11) and added +680,000 viewers (from 11.89m, +6%). If the ratings hold, SURIVIVOR: HEROES AND VILLAINS posted its best deliveries in households, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 since February 11, 2010 (the premiere of this edition), and best viewers total since March 14, 2010. SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS was the night’s top program in adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION was first in households (8.5/14) and viewers (13.53m), second in adults 25-54 (4.1/11, -0.1 behind ABC) and averaged a 3.0/08 in adults 18-49. Compared to last week, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION was up +4% in households (from 8.2/13), +3% in adults 25-54 (from 4.0/10), +7% in adults 18-49 (from 2.8/08) and added +180,000 viewers (from 13.35m, +1%).

At 10:00 PM, THE MENTALIST was first in households (9.2/16), viewers (14.69m), adults 25-54 (4.5/12) and adults 18-49 (3.2/09). Compared to last week, THE MENTALIST was up +2% in adults 25-54 (from 4.4/11) and +7% in adults 18-49 (from 3.0/09). THE MENTALIST was the night’s top program in viewers

For the night, CBS was first in households (8.4/14), viewers (13.60m), adults 25-54 (4.6/12) and adults 18-49 (3.4/10). CBS swept these measures for the seventh straight Thursday.

* * *

 

Kate Hudson at a gala celebrating Chopard’s 150 years of excellence at the Frick Collection in NYC

Actress Kate Hudson poses for a photo at the star studded gala celebrating Chopard’s 150 years of excellence at The Frick Collection on April 29, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images). Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

 

Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

For those nostalgic for the old school 1994-1996 “Iron Man” animated series, you’ll be happy with this release!  Featuring many of characters from the Marvel Universe and all two seasons (26-episodes) are included in this DVD set.

Images courtesy of © MARVEL, X-MEN and all related characters and their distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used with permission.© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

DURATION: 26 Episodes – 572 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Fullscreen (1:33:1), French and Spanish Language Tracks, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Marvel Entertainment Group/Buena Vista Home Entertainment

RATED: TV Y7 FV

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010

Starring:

Robert Hays as Iron Man

John Reilly as Hawkeye

Jennifer Hale/Casie Defranco as Julia Carpenter

Ed Gilbert as the The Mandarin

Katherine Moffat as Scarlet Witch

Jim Cummings as M.O.D.O.L

Dorian Harewood/James Avery as War Machine

James Warwick as Century

tony Steedman as Justin Hammer

Neil Dicson as Dreadknight

Chuck McCann as Blizzard

Neil Ross as Fin Fang Foom

From Stan Lee comes Marvel’s complete 1994 animated television series, Iron Man. Experience every thrilling moment – from the very first episode, to the final climactic battle – in this 3-disc collector’s edition. Witness the action-packed adventure from the very beginning as billionaire inventor Tony Stark dons his invincible suit of iron to battle the villainous Mandarin and the power of his ten deadly rings.

With fellow super heroes Nick Fury, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Spider Woman and Hawkeye at his side, Iron Man faces off against a band of evil foes, including Whiplash…and confronts his own demons, as well. Go behind the armor and get to know the man under the powered suit. This complete Iron Man collection is a must-have for fans of all ages !

Search Party

The End of Iron Man?

Ultimo!

Iron Man to the Rescue!

The “Iron Man” comic book series has been a strong part of the Marvel Universe.  Originally created by Stan Lee and debuting in Tales of Suspense #39 back in 1963,the series revolved around the playboy and industrial millionaire Tony Stark who suffered a severe heart injury during a kidnapping.  Keeping him alive was a device connected to his heart and being the master inventor that he is, creates a suit of armor to help keep him alive but also to become the super hero known as Iron Man.

The character continues to be a popular and within the last four decades since his character debut, Iron Man has gone through various uniforms with one given to his best friend James Rhodes who would go on to become War Machine.  And with the resurgence of comic book collecting in the early ’90s, Marvel capitalized the opportunity by releasing new animated series.

And in 1994, the Marvel Action Hour was born. “Iron Man” aired from 1994-1996 in syndication along with “The Fantastic Four” and also had a popular toy line to go along with the animated series.   Although the episodes have been shown on television, the complete 1994 animated television series (featuring both seasons) for “Iron Man” will now be released on DVD via a 3-disc DVD set.

The first season of the “Iron Man” animated series was quite different from the comic book series as it featured Iron Man taking on the Mandarin and his group of villains which include Dreadknight, Blizzard, Blacklash, Grey Gargoyle, Hypnotia, Whirlwind, Living Laser, MODOK, Fin Fang Foom and Justin Hammer.  Joining Iron Man in the battle are his fellow Force Works team (ala remnants of the West Coast Avengers) featuring Century, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Spider Woman.  By the second season, there was a connection to the comic book series with the inclusion of “The Armor Wars” storyline.

Here is a brief summary of the episodes included in “Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series”:

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 1 – And the Sea Shall Give Up It’s Dead – The Mandarin creates an army of zombies to conquer the world.  Can Iron Man and friends defeat Mandarin and his group of enemies?
• EPISODE 2 – Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer – The Mandarin and MODOK resurrects Ultimo.
• EPISODE 3 – Data In, Chaos Out – What happens when the Mandarin steals and reprograms Tony Stark’s military and communication satellites.
• EPISODE 4 – Silence My Companion, Death My Destination – Elastika kidnaps Julia Carpenter’s daughter Rachel.
• EPISODE 5 – The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat – Mandarin’s group steals the super fighter bomber jet, the Grim Reaper.
• EPISODE 6 – Enemy Without, Enemy Within – Mandarin’s group of enemies kidnaps a model and Iron Man and friends must rescue her.
• EPISODE 7  – Origin of the Mandarin – A video is found featuring the origin of the Mandarin.
• EPISODE 8 – The Defection of Hawkeye – Is Hawkeye helping the Mandarin?

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 9 – Iron Man to the Second Power, Part 1 - MODOK creates an Iron Man double.
• EPISODE 10 – Iron Man to the Second Power, Part 2 – Iron Man vs. his double.
• EPISODE 11 – The Origin of Iron Man, Part 1 – Iron Man is trapped in the arctic, while alone and freezing, Tony Stark remembers how he became Iron Man.
• EPISODE 12 – The Origin of Iron Man, Part 2 – Tony Stark continues to reminisce of his past, meanwhile Force Works tries to find him before the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom gets to him.
• EPISODE 13 – The Wedding of Iron Man – The Mandarin and Justin Hammer think that Tony Stark may be Iron Man.
• EPISODE 14 -  The Beast Within – The Mandarin tries to steal Tony Stark’s armor.
• EPISODE 15 – Fire and Rain – Iron Man takes on Firebrand.
• EPISODE 16 – Cell of Iron – A.I.M. has gone forward with terrorist attacks and now Iron Man must stop them.
• EPISODE 17 – Not Far From the Tree – Tony Stark intercepts a plea of help from his father but Tony thought his father is dead.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 18 – Beauty Knows No Pain – Workers in Egypt have been kidnapped by Madame Masque and Maggia.
• EPISODE 19 – Iron Man, On the Inside – ULTIMO and H.O.M.E.R. are back!
• EPISODE 20 – Distant Boundaries – Iron Man and War Machine embark towards the planet Elysian.
• EPISODE 21 – The Armor Wars, Part 1 – Iron Man tries to stop a coup in Russia started by Crimson Dynamo but Iron Man is blamed when people are injured.
• EPISODE 22 – The Armor Wars, Part 2 – Iron Man takes on his former teammate Hawkeye.
• EPISODE 23 – Hulk Buster – The Leader has found two of the Mandarin’s rings and Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk get pulled into a time rift.
• EPISODE 24 – Empowered – MODOK locates one of Mandarin’s power rings.
• EPISODE 25 – Hands of the Mandarin, Part 1 – The Mandarin has reunited with all ten of his rings and now wants to take over the world.
• EPISODE 26 – Hands of the Mandarin, Part 2 – Iron Man and the Force Works try to stop the Mandarin.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series” is presented in full screen (1:33:1).  It’s important to note that a lot of animation created in the ’90s don’t hold up as well in terms of picture quality.  I’ve always felt that the Marvel animated series from the early ’80s had more detail when it came to artistic backgrounds and even the characters themselves.  But for the most part, the animation is fine but for those with larger television sets, the edge enhancement is quite apparent as well as interlacing.  Although, I was watching this on a 51″, I switched to a smaller screen and on smaller screens, things looked better but the interlacing is still noticeable.

But it’s important to remind people that this is an animated series that is over 15-years-old and it was the first Marvel animated series to also sport CG.  Although, the CG is quite dated by today’s standards.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.  The sound effects are fine and the dialogue is clear.  I preferred to have my receiver settings set at stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape but for the most part, there are no issues with audio.

Subtitles are in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included.

EXTRAS:

“Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series” comes with a slip cover.

It’s great to see “Iron Man” the animated series finally being released on DVD.  As a big fan of Iron Man especially enjoying and collecting the comic books for many years, it’s great to see the character receiving some love by fans especially since the first live action film had done so well.

When the “Iron Man” animated series was released in 1994, I have to admit that although I enjoyed the character and the comic book series, I didn’t like the enemies presented in the animated series at all.  To have Mandarin being this leader of evil (like Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants) just didn’t seem right.  Also, to see A.I.M. leader MODOK working for Mandarin also seemed a bit out of place.

But when the series was on television, one of the major reasons I was staying tuned to the series was that the characters of the West Coast Avengers (Force Works) were in the series.  When the X-Men animated series was released two years earlier, I was wanting an Avengers series (which would eventually happen but several years later), so this “Iron Man” animated series was the best thing at that time.

I felt that the first season of “Iron Man” was a bit hokey but by the second season things started to get better.  Especially with the inclusion of the Armor Wars and also showcasing the Hulk Buster armor (it’s important to note that the “Hulk Buster” episode was connected to the Incredible Hulk animated series in 1996 but the animated series has not yet been released on DVD).

As for the DVD itself, it’s great to see all episodes from both seasons on DVD.  I guess it has been so long since I have seen the episodes that I was a bit shocked by the edge enhancement and interlacing but I suppose considering the age of the series, this is probably the best we will see of these older animated series.

Overall, “Iron Man – The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series” was great for nostalgic sake and for hardcore Iron Man fans, if you enjoyed the animated series between 1994-1996, then definitely give this DVD a chance!

 

Conan O’Brien’s 60 Minutes interview

Conan O’Brien has quite a bit to say about losing his job to Jay Leno. The new TBS talk show host will be featured on Sunday’s “60 Minutes” and in the interview, O’Brien was asked about Jay Leno taking back his old spot.

O’Brien tells “60 Minutes”, “He went and took that show back and I think in a similar situation, if roles had been reversed, I know – I know me, I wouldn’t have done that.”

I guess we’ll find out more on what O’Brien has to say this coming Sunday!

 

Miranda Cosgrove – Sparks Fly (a J!-ENT World Groove Digital Album Review)

A very good first album release from popular teen actress/singer Miranda Cosgrove.  Featuring a good number of producer/writer collaborative tracks and for the most part, showcasing Miranda Cosgrove’s vocals and potential as a music artist.

ARTIST: Miranda Cosgrove

ALBUM: Sparks Fly (Standard Edition) – Digital

LABEL: Columbia

DURATION: 26:43

RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2010

 

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