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Archaia Entertainment and the Jim Henson Company have recently announced that Arcaia will be releasing Fraggle Rock Classics: Volume 1 in soft-cover this August or September. This new full-color edition collects the original Fraggle Rock comic book series which began in 1985. It includes stories such as “The Magic Time Machine” and “The Doozer Who Wanted to be a Fraggle”. Jake Myler illustrated the brand-new cover.

 

image c. 2011 Archaia Entertainment

Editor's note: The best part about this is the last paragraph:

Speaking of "Panda 3," I wonder if the relationship between Po and Tigress will advance from its current status as what might be called a warm friendship. Tigress seems to occupy a favored position in Po's heart, reopening the possibility of cross-species pollination.

Dozens of swans have been slaughtered around the UK this year, a serial cat killer is on the loose in Norfolk, and over the past three decades hundreds of horses have been mutilated. But how is serial animal violence investigated, asks Tom de Castella.

After six years of loyal service, Graham Waspe was devastated when his guide dog Edward was left blind after developing cataracts.
But his devastation turned to joy when his replacement Opal turned out to be a real gem.
Mr Waspe's new dog is not just aiding his owner to carry out everyday tasks, but also helping Edward to get around.

A film team from Beyond Productions c/o National Geographic is in my town doing a segment on furries/fursuiters. We'll be airing in an episode next season alongside "real world superheroes". Our segment is driven around Nuka who is a Social Psychology doctorate student and the purveyor of this furry survey. I am going out for a few hours, but will be coming home around 3, and going out to another shoot after that. I may be able to get in some questions in between, but more than likely, it will be tonight, after we are done filming. (Today is the second of 2 days of filming)

The Germans viewed canines as being almost as intelligent as humans and attempted to build an army of fearsome 'speaking' dogs, extraordinary new research shows.
Hitler hoped the clever creatures would learn to communicate with their SS masters - and he even had a special dog school set up to teach them to talk.
The incredible findings show Nazi officials recruited so-called educated dogs from all over Germany and trained them to speak and tap out signals using their paws.
One mutt was said to have uttered the words 'Mein Fuhrer' when asked who Adolf Hitler was.
Another 'spoke' by tapping letters of the alphabet with his paws and was said to have speculated about religion and learnt poetry.

In “Zookeeper,” the animals at the zoo adore their caretaker Andrew (Kevin James), an amiable but lonely guy who’s never quite fit in. Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Andrew decides he should leave the zoo and get a life. When the zoo animals discover his plan they decide to break their code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! Now they won’t shut up and they’re teaching Andrew nature’s best mating rituals. To help him win the girl of his dreams (Rosario Dawson) and save their happy family they’re willing to do – or say – anything.

Cast

• Kevin James as Griffin Keyes
• Rosario Dawson as Kate
• Leslie Bibb as Stephanie
• Ken Jeong as Venom
• Donnie Wahlberg as Shane
• Joe Rogan as Gale, an alpha male dating Stephanie
• Sylvester Stallone as the voice of Joe the Lion
• Nick Nolte as the voice of Bernie the Gorilla
• Adam Sandler as the voice of Donald the Monkey
• Don Rickles as the voice of Jim the Frog
• Judd Apatow as the voice of Barry the Elephant
• Cher as the voice of Janet the Lioness
• Jon Favreau as the voice of Jerome the Grizzly Bear
• Faizon Love as the voice of Bruce the Grizzly Bear
• Maya Rudolph as the voice of Molie the Giraffe
• Bas Rutten as the voice of Sebastian the Wolf

External links

• Official website
• Zookeeper at Allmovie
• Zookeeper at Box Office Mojo
• Zookeeper at the Internet Movie Database
• Zookeeper at Rotten Tomatoes

 

 

The Monday Night Meltdown is a Live, Hot-Talk Show hosted by Kelly “Firechild” Jones, resident furry DJ EAR, & Brother Dave Carr – Every Monday night from 7pm-10pm (PST) on OCRockRadio.com (Part of the Saddleback College CTVR Deptment). Frequent Studio Guests include The Amazing Brad-O, JayJay & Laurie Ocean. Although the show is not a furry-themed show, it is “Furry Friendly”.

Each show is recorded and uploaded to a Facebook Page where fans can stream and/or download the MP3 from an archive of past shows. (However, MP3 Versions cut out music played during breaks to save time and space.) It is also posted to DJ EAR’s Fur Affinity Page & The Furcast LiveJournal.

Regular segments on the show include the “Random Interview” & “Brother Dave Carr Music Session”. On numerous occasions EAR has furries call in to talk about themselves and other topics with Firechild. Past Guests have included fursuit builder and artist CoffeeHouseDog, Every-Bun Toast the Rabbit, & Comedian 2 The Ranting Gryphon.

OCRR Monday Night Meltdown 06-06-11 by OCRR~Meltdown

Author: Fred

Wikipedia has a new article about Nazi experiments to train dogs to talk. The trainers claimed that one dog, when asked who Adolf Hitler was, would answer, “Mein Fuhrer”.

The article is based upon a May 2011 book, Amazing Dogs: A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities, by Jan Bondeson, which covers “talking dogs” back to the eighteenth century.

Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought

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Author: dronon

What do you get when you combine furry, steampunk, detective thrillers, alternative history, and a bit of Quentin Tarantino?

Bryan Talbot‘s Grandville series of graphic novels; two so far, Grandville (2009) and Grandville Mon Amour (2010). Both are about 100 pages and very sturdy hardcovers. Sounds like quite the hodge-podge of genres, no? Yet it works!

Steampunk? Wax cylinders, gears, message tubes, locomotives, automatons and airships. Detective thrillers? A Scotland Yard inspector on a difficult case. Alternative history? Grandville is Paris, and the First French Empire conquered Great Britain 200 years ago. Britain eventually regained independence after a nasty period of revolt and anarchism, but the British Empire never happened; now it’s simply one more country dwarfed by the French.

Furry? Pretty much everyone in it. Quentin Tarantino? The occasional bit of mature content, lots of high-action fights, and not shy about it. For furry fans, there’ll probably be two main factors determining whether you’ll like it.

First, if you like Tarantino-style action, you’ll like this, although it’s neither as extreme nor as gratuitous as his work.

Secondly, Talbot’s character design – it either works for you or it doesn’t. I like his coloring and how he uses shadows, and while his backgrounds really capture the feel of steampunk, some characters are drawn with rather harsh features, especially emphasizing the teeth.

Do an image search for “Grandville” and “Talbot” and you should get a feel for his artstyle. It’s extremely anthropomorphic, more so than most furry titles. Not content to use the typical slew of animals, Grandville‘s side-characters include fish, simians, birds, and even the occasional human: “They’re a hairless breed of chimpanzee that evolved in the town of Angoulême, near Bordeaux. Never been granted citizens’ rights.”

That, by the way, is a light-hearted dig at the place where the largest comic book festival in Europe is held.Grandville is full of little tributes like that, indicating Talbot’s influences and inspirations; Omaha the Cat Dancer,Rupert Bear, and many, many others. Even the title of the comic is taken from the pseudonym of a 19th century French caricaturist known for his anthropomorphic illustrations. (Yeah, I had to look that up too.)

This is my main quibble with the comic: heavy-handed tributes. For example, a character named Snowy Milou – the name of Tintin’s dog in English and French – turns out to be a fox terrier. Surprise, surprise – but do we really need two largely useless pages of obvious references to four Tintin books on top of that? No, we got the point. The trick to heartfelt tributes is being brief and subtle.

Even less subtle: the first book details a past terrorist attack against a major building, now referred to as “Ground Zero”, and the antagonists’ ultimate motivation matches certain theories about what’s recently driven U.S. foreign policy. These are major plot points; lifting them out of real life doesn’t feel like alternative history, but lazy writing. Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoyed the first book, but I wish the bad guys’ motives had been anything else. Thankfully the high-action ending prevents this disappointment from spoiling the climax.

The second book improves in terms of external references. Its main story arc doesn’t parallel real life, and so it feels like more effort was put into it. Two sub-plots are again overly-obvious nods to Jack the Ripper andSherlock Holmes; though unoriginal, they fit better with the flow of the story. Still a thumbs-up!

The main character in the series is Archibald LeBrock, a Detective Inspector for Scotland Yard. A tall, muscled badger, he has a sharp eye, good intuition and strong deductive skills. His major failing is a fierce temper, especially when anyone stands in his way. One gets the feeling his superiors must tire of cleaning up after him, but can’t deny that he gets the job done. His partner is Detective Roderick Ratzi, a smart, well-dressed, resourceful rodent who’s also very good in a fight. The two officers have a close working rapport.

In the first volume, LeBrock and Ratzi investigate the suspicious death of a British diplomat. On the surface, it looks like suicide, but on closer inspection it appears to be murder – leading the pair to the city of Grandville. They track secret agents, discover more suspicious deaths, and encounter an increasing amount of anti-British sentiment. The trail finally leads them into the upper echelons of the French government.

In Grandville Mon Amour (My Love), LeBrock is recovering emotionally from the events of the first volume. Despite resigning from the Yard in a moment of anger, he and Ratzi are determined to track down a vicious, psychopathic terrorist who’s escaped from death row. Who helped him escape, and why? What determines his choice of victims? The answers lead LeBrock back into the world of politics, and help him reconcile the death of his father.

I recommend these graphic novels most for their momentum. It’s an intense ride; the mysteries and conspiracies drive the story forward at a rapid, energetic pace. There’s tension and complexity and you want to know what happens next. Talbot plans to write more – the next book should be titled Grandville Bête Noire (Black Beast).

The Grandville series is published by Dark Horse Books, so you should be able to find it through most large libraries or bookstores. Check it out!

 

Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought

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New Line Cinema is developing a live-action family comedy by the name Furry Friday. (Umm… be careful when you google that.) The story is an animalistic twist on Freaky Friday, where a cat and a dog switch bodies. New Line took one look at the first draft and said, “No, this does not meet our standards for a cat/dog body-switching comedy.” Variety reports the studio has hired David H. Steinberg to rewrite the script. Steinberg is a co-writer on the upcoming Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots, and he’s in post-production on his feature directorial debut, Miss Dial. Cathy Schulman (The Illusionist) and Adam Stone (Limitless), the team that sold the project on spec to New Line, will produce for Mandalay Pictures.

IDW Publishing and Nickelodeon today announced that the first TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES comic series, featuring the beloved "Heroes in a Half-shell," will premiere in August 2011. The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will be back in action and ready to fight off evil once again, with an impressive creative team led by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman!

Starting in August, IDW's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will kick off with a brand new installment of the original series, led by Eastman and co-writer Tom Waltz (Silent Hill: Past Life, Infestation: Outbreak). Phenomenal new-comer Dan Duncan will bring the Turtles to life with dynamic interior art, while Sam Kieth and Walter Simonson provide eye-catching covers for issues one and two, respectively. Eastman will also provide layouts for Duncan's art, as well as variant covers.

This first TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES series will feature new and exciting storylines that maintain the "turtle power" core beloved by millions of fans. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael reunite to bring their ninja aptitude and teenage attitude in these all-new, action-packed adventures based on the original series. The first story arc will tell the origin story of the Turtles and introduce a new villain, the fearsome mutant alley cat, Old Hob. Featuring a cast of familiar characters, including Master Splinter, April O'Neill, Casey Jones, and true to the spirit of the original comics created by Eastman and Peter Laird, theTEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES are bigger and badder than ever, and ready to rock old and new fans alike.

IDW and Nickelodeon have a long-term partnership to offer an all-new installment of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and graphic novels. IDW's new comics are part of a larger initiative to bring Turtles to a new generation of fans, starting with these new storylines from the original series that recapture the magic of the original Turtles comics. Additionally, in fourth quarter 2012, Nickelodeon will premiere a new CG-animated version of the wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

Jason Squirrel grows tired of fetching heavy bags of nuts for food each day, and devises a plan to form a nut-collecting company that will provide more leisure time. While Jason thinks his idea is quite genius, his friends kid the squirrel for his naivety; Jason is soon denied a loan from Stan the Banking Turtle to start the business.

Jason persists with his dream and educates himself on the aspects of running a business, from finance to marketing to staffing. When he finds an investor in Grandpa Crow, the squirrel begins to overcome the obstacles that block him from achieving personal success with his nut-collecting startup.

"When I was young, I never even had the idea that I could start my own business," Steimle said. "It wasn't until I was older and in college that I realized it would be possible. Since then, I thought there should be more books for younger children that talk about building your own company."

The 30-page illustrated children's book details how Jason's business endeavor becomes successful, so much so that he hires a group of raccoons to help with his workload.

Steimle's story of Jason and his nut-collecting company shows young children that they are capable of doing anything through hard work, determination and perseverance.

Sonic Generations will star both the classic blue hedgehog you remember from your childhood and the tallish smirking blue hedgehog of the modern day.

How’s that all going to work, exactly? We tried the game’s E3 2011 demo at a sneak preview event last month. Put simply, although the entire game features 3-D graphics, there are two types of levels: Ones on a 2-D plane that star Old Sonic and are in the style of the classic Genesis games, and 3-D levels starring New Sonic where the camera is hovering over his shoulders. The E3 demo features two different takes on Green Hill Zone, that leafy checkered field where all Sonic games begin.
In this Wired.com video, a Sega spokesperson walks us through the basics. Sega hasn’t said whether New Sonic and Old Sonic will meet up during the game and play any sort of hybrid levels, or whether their gameplay will remain as separated as is shown in this demo.

Sonic Generations will be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this November. A separate version will be released for Nintendo 3DS.

The waiting area outside Courtroom 4 at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown last week was no place for a child.
Standing in small groups, lawyers and clients engaged in hushed arguments. A woman left the courtroom in tears and marched angrily down the hall. A prisoner's handcuffs clinked as he shifted in his chair, head bowed so low with grief it almost touched his knees.
The 12-year-old girl waiting her turn to see the judge was oblivious to the chaos. Maggie, a tiny black poodle with doleful eyes, demanded her full attention.
"She's so soft," the girl whispered shyly as she petted the dog.
Maggie, and several of her four-legged friends from Roxy Reading, a Doylestown-based therapy dog group, made a guest appearance at the courthouse last week as part of a pilot program launched by county Judge Robert Mellon.
The judge, who oversees court cases involving children who've been removed from their parents due to abuse, neglect, mental health issues and other reasons, said the dogs provide a much-needed distraction for traumatized kids.
"I recognized early on how stressful court is for children," Mellon said. "Some children are so nervous they can't even speak."
Helping kids cope with the rigors of court is going to become a bigger issue soon, due to new rules handed down recently by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Starting in July, dependent children will be required to attend a hearing at least once every six months.
While steps are taken to shield vulnerable kids, they must sometimes share courtroom space with angry or distraught parents. Although this can be upsetting, the high court's reasoning behind increased court appearances is sound, Mellon said.
"We're obviously here to make sure the child is safe, and that their educational, medical and emotional needs are being met. The only way to do that is to see the child," the judge added.
Most of the dogs stayed outside the courtroom, but at least one accompanied a child onto the witness stand.
"We were a little nervous about how that would work out, but the dog did fine. And the girl who was in front of me, who usually says only a few words, she was so relaxed with the dog next to her that we had a full conversation," Mellon said.
Roxy Reading is a volunteer-driven nonprofit. There's no cost to the taxpayers to bring the program into the courthouse, Mellon noted.
Linda McCrillis, a board member and Roxy reading volunteer, said the therapy dogs love the attention.
"This is what they're trained for," she said, as Maggie leaned against her leg, tail wagging furiously.
Scientists know that man's best friend can be a real comfort. A recent study by the State University of New York in Buffalo concluded that pet owners generally have lower blood pressure levels while under stress than their pet-less peers.
Local child advocates are thrilled with the program.
"This week, I have seen the dogs light up the faces of children, their parents, the attorneys," and others who work at the courthouse, said Stacy Leffler. She's the foster care supervisor at the Bucks County Children and Youth Agency, the county social service agency that oversees the care of dependent children.
"Our court process can sometimes be overwhelming and stressful for all parties. I know that I felt the tension in the courthouse a little less this week," Leffler added.
Children and youth caseworker Stephanie Schwartz agreed.
"I witnessed both children and adult clients interacting with these dogs and the comfort it gave them, as well as the smiles it put on the people's faces," she said.
Schwartz praised the Roxy Reading volunteers, saying, "It takes special people to be willing to devote their time and efforts to such a cause."
Mellon said he hopes to make the therapy dog program a monthly feature at the courthouse.
Bailiff Mary Ellen Roche, who coordinates scheduling and is tasked with calling reluctant children into the courtroom, said she hopes it continues.
"There was such a difference in the mood out here this week," she said. "You could actually feel the tension diffuse."

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Author: Louiefurrywolfy
I’ve been buying “Mate” lately, an international gay male culture magazine produced in Berlin and the Netherlands. I was surprised that under their hip international summer party list, they included Anthrocon.

Reactions:

1.) Oh boy, here comes the “We’re not gay and we’re not a fetish” thing.

2.) Anthrocon? Internationally hip?

3.) What if a bunch of skeezy circuit queens read this in the magazine and just show up at Anthrocon thinking it’s like the White Party or something? Free X for the furries! *shudder*

4.) Figures if Anthrocon was brought to international attention as a “fetish event” the Germans and the Dutch would be the ones to sniff it out.

Find the full article here: furryne.ws | Published News

Syndicated content from furryne.ws

Author: Doug
Hub TV is hoping to capitalize on a cultural trend no one saw coming: the kids’ show My Little Pony is the new, hip thing among the geekerati. Now the company is reaching out past the brand’s traditional little-girl demographic to this new fan base with an oh-so-slightly ironic music video. It’s a careful approach. Too careful.

Read the rest: My Little Pony: the Hip New Trend Among the Geekerati

Vote for this article here: furryne.ws | Published News

Author: Istanbul

What?! Two episodes in two weeks? That’s right, and we have three e-mails this time! We handle horrific writing, advise people on how to handle the stalker-tastic, and we discuss something that we can’t read about self-confidence. Don’t forget, if you’re under 18 *and you tell us so*, we can’t read your e-mail on the air!

This is just a little reminder: Istanbul will be at Anthrocon, so there won’t be a recording that week. However, we still plan to record on the 9th and 16th (and the 30th, when Istanbul will have a con report), so don’t forget to tune in!

Per usual, e-mails go to E-Mail Hidden, our FA account is fuzzylogicpodcast, and our Twitter account is fuzzylogiccast – give us a listen, and write in!

Episode 6 – Shazam

Find the full article here: Fuzzy Logic Pod Cast

Beyond Productions, the company behind Mythbusters and the reality show Taboo shown on the National Geographic Channel, has been busy over the past few days filming in the Waterloo area of Ontario, Ca.  From our understanding, Courtney ‘Nuka” Plante, the researcher behind this year’s international furry survey has been enlisted for the production.

A fursuiter going by the moniker “Samuri Smurfette” has been on Reddit, recounting her experience with the production crew.

You can read the Reddit thread here: I am a Fursuiter being filmed for Taboo

Having seen some episodes of Taboo, they strive for more of a documentary style, rather than going for pure shock factor, however, producers are known to give the impression that they are filming you in an honest way, so you can present your story, and then editing it in post to spin a completely different story, often making you look like some sort of fetish deviant, or basement dwelling loser.  How this will be edited and presented remains to be seen.

In the comment thread, “Samuri Smurfette” indicates that the film crew may be trying to get permission to film at Anthrocon later this month, however, she also stated “They’re trying to get permission, but if they can’t, they’re going to set up a few blocks away and see what they get.”  and “I think the concern was mostly that they might be too late to apply for a press pass. They hadn’t heard of Anthrocon until yesterday.”

That begs the question, if you’ve done any research at all on furries, how have you not found out about Anthrocon?

You can read the Reddit thread here: I am a Fursuiter being filmed for Taboo

Read more about Taboo on NatGeo: Taboo

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