Daily Archives: June 19, 2013

RIP James Gandolfini

Leave a reply

james_gandolfini

James Gandolfini has died at age 51, various websites are reporting.

Gandolfini apparently had a heart attack while in Italy.

Gandolfini had some good TV and movie roles, but he’ll forever be Tony Soprano, the mob figure and family man for eight years on the HBO series “The Sopranos.”

Dealing with depression and anxiety attacks, dealing with double-crossing mobsters, dealing with sister-beating jerks, it was all in a day’s work for Tony.

I think I’ll miss how Tony would get pissed and beat up the hapless bartender at the Bada Bing club most of all. It was so random and reinforced both Tony’s fragile mental state and just how violent and awful even such a sympathetic character could be.

We’ll miss you, James.

‘Beware the Batman’ beckons

Leave a reply

beware-the-batman-

I’ve only seen a couple of minutes of footage of the new Cartoon Network series “Beware the Batman” and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

The series could be fun if they get the tone right. Goodness knows there’s plenty of animated takes on “Batman” in the past, from the heights of “Batman The Animated Series” to “Brave and the Bold,” which was good silly fun.

If “Beware the Batman” is as dull-looking and featureless as CN’s recent “Green Lantern” CGI series, however, I’m not sure it’s going to engage me.

And what if it does? Cartoon Network traditionally abuses its series, even the great ones like “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited.” The network moves the shows around from one time slot to another with little or no notice. Seasons begin only to end abruptly a few weeks later. Series disappear for months or a year at a time.

So even if “Beware the Batman” were among the best Batman animated series ever … what are the chances Cartoon Network will give it a chance?

The show starts July 13.