Nappaland's Entertainment News & Notes

Welcome! Here is this month's brief rundown of interesting tidbits and happenings in pop culture and media...

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Free Comic Book Day!

May 2 is Free Comic Book Day for 2009. This annual event, which falls on the first Saturday in May, encourages both new comic book readers and faithful readers by giving away free (yes, truly free) comic books at participating stores.

This “holiday” was started in 2002 and has grown in popularity ever since. Comic book publishers create special editions of one or more of their comic books for the day—but the stores that sell them don’t get these books for free. They still have to buy the books from the publishers, and then give them away in this huge effort to get readers through their doors.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a comic book reader you’re likely to find something you’ll enjoy. Past comics for this event have included Archie and Disney comics, superhero fare, as well as manga.

Put it on your calendar now. Check with your local stores to see if they’re participating, and be sure to stop in!

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W. - The Book

It’s common for presidents to write books, whether before, during, or after their terms, so it’s no surprise that former president George W. Bush is working on a book. But most of these men choose to write their memoirs, and here Bush has taken a different path.

Tentatively titled Decision Points, Bush’s work will focus on twelve personal and political decisions he’s made, and the difficulties associated with those. These are likely to include decisions related to national and worldwide events such as September 11, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina, and will also cover more personal decisions such as those related to Bush’s family and his faith.

The book will be published by Crown Publishing Group, and is scheduled to release in 2010.

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Tait is Big News for Newsboys

Michael Tait, who became famous as part of dcTalk and then moved on to Tait, will replace Peter Furler as the lead singer of Newsboys. Furler, founder of the Newsboys, will continue to work on the band’s studio recordings and will make special appearances with the band, but is moving away from regular touring and has said he plans to spend more time at home.

At the time of the announcement, Newsboys' manager Wes Campbell commented “No one can replace Peter, but we know Michael will bring a new attitude, energy and vocal style that will thrill our audience. To be able to continue a world class show and still have Peter behind the scenes guiding the career and making of Newsboys music is a huge opportunity for all of us.”

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Kids' Comic-Con Set for April 25

This annual event celebrates comics and gets young reader engaged in reading. Held April 25, 2009 in New York at the Bronx Community College, this gathering offers workshops for kids, special guests such as professional artists, and more.

Families will be glad to know that admission is free for kids 17 and under.

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Green Lantern Headed to Big Screen

And still on the topic of comic books, this year marks the 50^th anniversary of the first appearance of Hal Jordan, probably the most popular of all the Green Lanterns (the first Green Lantern was Alan Scott). Warner Bros. is talking about a live-action film featuring this superhero, but in the meantime fans of this DC hero have an animated feature to look forward to.

Green Lantern: First Flight, is scheduled to release this summer and will tell the story of Hal Jordan training under Sinestro (who has not yet turned to evil). Christopher Meloni (from Law & Order) will be the voice of Green Lantern, with Victor Garber as the voice of Sinestro.

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And Speaking of Superheroes...

OK, this isn’t really media news, but a rescue worker recently dressed up as Spider-Man to save a boy!

When an 8-year-old autistic boy climbed out a third-floor school window (he was frightened on his first day at that school), a firefighter put on a Spider-Man costume and crawled out to rescue the boy. The boy’s mother had told the man that her son loved superheroes, and, believe it or not, the firefighter just happened to have a costume on hand!

The boy let the firefighter carry him to safety.

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Opera for Everyone

Those looking to expand their cultural horizons will be glad to learn they can go to the opera…without having to go to the opera. “The Met: Live in HD,” is a series of hi-definition cinema transmissions of current shows at the Metropolitan Opera. You can go to a special screening at your local movie theater and see shows like Madama Butterfly, La Sonnambula, and La Cenerentola, which are only otherwise available to those who can spend $200 to $400 per ticket.

This is the third season such offerings have been made available, and the program is growing in popularity. The first year only 248 theaters offered these special showings. Now that number has grown to 850 theaters, with 11 productions featured in the 2008-2009 lineup.

If you’ve never been to the opera, this might be your chance to give it a try. Walking into your local theater is way less intimidating, and certainly more affordable. Check with the box office at theaters in your area to see if they are offering any of these special event showings. Let us know if you give it a try!

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Witch Mountain Trivia

If you’re old enough to have watch the original 1975 version of Escape to Witch Mountain, you’ll have fun looking for special appearance in the updated Race to Witch Mountain. Look for now grown Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann who played Tia and Tony in the original movie. Here’s a hint, they’re in the restaurant scene.

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--AN

Note: All graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective publishers and/or studios.