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Why would a talking, singing and dancing cartoon chipmunk ever watch the works of transgressive cult filmmaker John Waters if the rodent himself wasn’t a member of the LGBTQ+ community? More importantly, why does a kids’ movie make us ask these questions?

When Armenian-American singer, songwriter and actor Ross Bagdasarian recorded his first novelty single in 1958 on a personal tape recorder with the speed control set high, he had no way of knowing that, almost 70 years later (and 50 years after his passing), his innovations in the field of gimmick music would be the center of a discussion on queer expression in cartoon media.

No, when Bagdasarian recorded the uncomfortably racial smash hit song “Witch Doctor,” he hadn’t even come up with the cartoonish characters to whom he would assign the high-pitched, sped-up vocal parts in his novelty tracks. Then, months later, Bagdasarian dropped the first single to feature the vocal trio of Simon,...

Pictures: Netflix / Nickelodeon / Moonbug Entertainment

As the year winds down, it’s time to look back at Netflix’s biggest hits, and today, we begin by looking into what kids’ TV shows picked up the most points in the Netflix top 10s over the past 12 months.

This list is compiled using FlixPatrol data collected from the daily top 10s on Netflix from over 80 countries around the globe. They assign points and values to each title that gets featured on any day. Their data isn’t perfect as their method doesn’t quite fully capture the complexity of viewership data, such as total watch time, repeat viewings, or demographic details of the audience. Also worth noting is that Netflix changed up its top 10 metrics midway through the year to favor views over pure viewing hours. That said, their data provides a pretty accurate snapshot of what performed best over a long period.

Exclusive: Veteran comedic actress Anna Faris (Mom) has returned to CAA for representation, having previously inked there at a couple of points over the last decade-plus.

Faris starred alongside Allison Janney in seven seasons of the Emmy-winning CBS sitcom Mom, between 2013 and 2020. That acclaimed series had her playing Christy, a newly sober single mom trying to pull her life together in Napa Valley, while dealing with the antics of her wayward mother, Bonnie (Janney).

Faris broke out in the early 2000s with her lead role in the Scary Movie franchise developed by the Wayans brothers, and is also known for leads roles in such comedic features as The Dictator, Overboard, Observe and Report and Just Friends.

She exec produced and starred in the sorority comedy The House Bunny and the Mark Mylod-directed rom-com What’s Your Number?. Additional film credits include Waiting…, Brokeback Mountain, Lost in Translation, Take Me Home Tonight,...

Good Times star Johnny Brown, who played housing project superintendent Nathan Bookman on the hit ’70s series, has died. He was 84.

The actor’s death was confirmed by his family on Instagram. “Our family is devastated,” his daughter Sharon Catherine wrote. “We respectfully ask for privacy at this time because we need a minute to process the unthinkable. To articulate the depths of profound sadness… It’s too terrible. It will never not be. It’s a shock. He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet… Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.

Eligibility periods be damned. Stranger Things, which hasn’t released a new episode in nearly two years, took home a pair of trophies at the 2021 Kids’ Choice Awards, including Favorite Family TV Show.

Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schnapp virtually accepted the orange blimp on behalf of the entire cast, while Millie Bobby Brown was on hand to accept two more awards: Favorite Female TV Star and Favorite Movie Actress (for Enola Holmes).

More from TVLine'The Patrick Star Show': Second 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Spinoff Ordered at Nickelodeon'Rugrats' Revival Moves From Nickelodeon to Paramount+How SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run...

Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson has been tapped to host the 2021 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, which air live Saturday, March 13 at 7:30 Pm Et/Pt.

With Thompson at the helm, kids and families will celebrate their favorite stars across the worlds of film, television, music, sports and more.

For the first time ever, Nickelodeon’s Orange Blimp will leave the Kca venue and take fans on a wild ride around the world and beyond. Filled with slime and messy stunts, viewers will travel to outer space, Bikini Bottom and into celebrities’ homes using Xr technology. This year’s show will also feature live and interactive fan walls that bring celebrities and families at home to the main stage; second screen live voting all night long and a Kca award presented by one lucky family chosen during the show.

“Nickelodeon has been part of my life and my family forever...

‘The Croods’ sequel was boosted in China after ‘Monster Hunter’ was pulled from cinemas.

‘The Croods: A New Age’ receives China boost

Universal’s release of Dreamworks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age delivered an estimated $18m worldwide in its second session, taking the total after 12 days to $60.6m. The animated sequel’s hold was much stronger internationally (sliding 37%) than it was in North America (down 55%).

The Croods: A New Age grossed an estimated $13.6m in international markets for a $40.3m total, and $4.4m in North America for a $20.3m total.

In China, the film was helped by the...

Scooby-Doo co-creator Ken Spears died on Friday, November 6. He co-founded Ruby-Spears Productions with Joe Ruby, who died in August. Spears was 82.

Spears’ son Kevin confirmed his death to Variety, saying that he died from complications related to Lewy body dementia.

A Los Angles native, Spears co-created the iconic animated series Scooby Doo with Ruby. He was born Charles Kenneth Spears in L.A. on March 12, 1938. He befriended the son of animation producer William Hanna of Hanna-Barbera fame. This was his way into the animation space.

In 1959, he was hired to work at Hanna-Barbera Productions as a sound editor. It was here he met Ruby and they forged a bond and became writing partners. They wrote teleplays for projects at Hanna-Barbera as well as Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

In addition to Scooby-Doo, the duo created Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, Jabberjaw and other programs. While at Depatie-Freleng, they...

Avengers: Endgame leads the 2020 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards nominations announced Thursday with 11, followed by Taylor Swift with five noms and Frozen 2, Henry Danger and Lil Nas X with four each. Grammy-winning Chance the Rapper has been tapped to host the awards, which honor kids’ favorite stars across film, TV, music, sports and more. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Nickelodeon on Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 Pm Et/Pt from the Forum in Inglewood, CA.

Making the list of nominees for favorite kids TV show are A Series of Unfortunate Events, All That, Bunk’d, Henry Danger, Power Rangers Beast Morphers and Raven’s Home.

Angelina Jolie, Brie Larson, Dove Cameron, Scarlett Johansson, Swift and Zendaya are nominated in the favorite movie actress category; and Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Tom Holland and Will Smith top the list of kids’ favorite movie actors. With this year’s nomination,...

Alvin and his musical rodent brothers are back. Nickelodeon has picked up two seasons of Alvinnn!!! and The Chipmunks with a commitment for 104 episodes. It will roll it out across the world in early 2015.

Created by Janice Karman, the annimated series is produced by Bagdasarian Productions and OuiDO! Productions.

Jules Borkent, Nickelodeon’s senior VP of global acquisitions and international programming, said, “The new franchise will feature the fun-filled adventures of the Chipmunks and complement Nickelodeon’s existing line-up of funny, smart and entertaining kids’ content airing internationally.”

The new show marks the return of Alvin and the Chipmunks to series television after 20 years away. It will follow the mis-adventures of Alvin, Theodore, Simon and the female Chipettes. Each episode will feature an original song, produced by Bagdasarian.

What do you think? Do you like...

Paris-based brand manager Pgs Entertainment has clinched worldwide media rights, excluding the U.S. and France, for the upcoming Alvinnn!!! and The Chipmunks TV series -- the three critters' first small screen foray in 20 years. The 52-episodes show from husband-wife producing team of Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman will be presented for the first time in CGI and feature the Chipettes with all new, original songs. The Bagdasarians -- one of the few remaining independent families of children's program creators -- will voice the characters; Karman will even sing some of the songs. She told The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday

read more...

Hoping for an Alvin and the Chipmunks-free 2015? Well, tough. In accordance with ancient prophecy (and Cartoon Brew), 2015 will see the debut of a brand new CG TV show featuring the brothers Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, currently known by the working title Alvinnn!!! and The Chipmunks.

Seeing a gap in the market where more Chipmunk hi-jinks could be implausibly squeezed, show-creators Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife Janice Karman have been working on the TV show since 2010, when it was known as The Chipmunks and Chipettes. If Alvinnn!!! and The Chipmunks follows the same lines as predecessor The Chipmunks and Chipettes, it would seem that there will be a much-needed expansion of the cast, leading to interesting love triangles, botched drug deals, and maybe a murder or two.

Will 2015 be the year of the TV’s first gay chipmunk?

Given that the movies proved incredibly popular with the public-at-large, if not the critics necessarily,...

Enter now for your chance to win a signed CD copy of the new Chipmunks Christmas compilation album. The record is available now but you can get your hands on it right here for the kids this coming holidays. Plus it's signed by the famous voices of the original Chipmunks cartoon cast: Ross and Janis Bagdasarian. The Music The album (which is now available) is a new collection of The Chipmunks yuletide-hits such as “The Chipmunk Song,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” and more! The prize would be signed by the voices of the Chipmunks: Ross and Janis Bagdasarian. Fans will know that Alvin, Simon, and Dave Seville are voiced by Ross Bagdasarian while his wife Janis provides those of Theodore and The Chipettes:...

War Pigs? War Totoro? As Spielberg’s War Horse hoofs into cinemas, James comes up with a few alternative battle and animal movie combinations…

Whoa, Joey! Exciting things are ahoof with World War I drama-flick War Horse galloping into theatres. After the performance capture work of The Adventures Of Tintin, Steven Spielberg is back in the saddle directing live-action, getting his hands dirty with real people, real horses and a lot of real mud.

We know that Spielberg is a living legend among filmmakers who excels at making touching friendship tales that tug at your heartstrings, bombard you with spectacle and get you high on adventure. He’s also a dab hand at pulling off period detail and has a proven track record in producing epic war stories.

With myriad memories of E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List and the Indiana Jones flicks floating about in the background, the...

As the news of studios gobbling up board-game properties to somehow adapt gets ever more ridiculous, one can add THR’s report that Universal has tapped Kung Fu Panda screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger to breathe magical narrative life into the children’s game Candyland.

The nominal story of Candyland involves journeying through the Candy Cane Forest (like Will Ferrell did in Elf) to find the lost king while staying one step ahead of the forces of evil Lord Licorice (Hey, Ralph Fiennes may need work once the last Harry Potter movie has come and gone). The game is really just a collection of bright primary colors intended to keep five-year-olds from playing with the Draino while Mom drinks white wine and watches soap operas.

Seriously, though, if the studio really wanted to silence snarky film bloggers who live to ridicule bullshit like this, they should hire David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman,...

I adore the original Mean Girls. It's the one thing I turn to, like a Catholic with a statue of the Virgin Mary or a date rapist to his Dane Cook DVDs, when I need to re-establish my faith that Lindsay Lohan will one day rise like a phoenix from the ashes of her sundered career. It showcased both Tim Meadows and Tina Fey in a bra and the females of SNL worth a damn and Tiny Fey in a bra. The original Mean Girls actually worked: all the wacky antics and slapstick was centered on the actual plot like a Cary Grant comedy.

This straight to DVD monstrosity is like a parasite that crawled up the ass of a cheerleader as she was humped against a moist gym sock stuck to the backseat of the captain of the wrestling team. It hollowed out the shell, retained the name, and...

Shrek Forever After still hogs the top spot, with Get Him To The Greek coming second place in the Us box office...

Five challengers came out of the woodwork this weekend to take on the big green ogre, and none of them were able to topple the beast from atop the weekend box office. After holding off Sex And The City 2 last weekend, Shrek enjoys another weekend in the sun, picking up another $25.3 million, despite a wide variety of challenges from across a variety of genres. Even a weakened Shrek brand is pretty formidable.

Of the weekend's releases, the top performer was Get Him To The Greek. The scene-stealing Russell Brand character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Aldous Snow, is back and carrying the weight of his own movie, alongside the modern day Chris Farley, Jonah Hill. The two of them have managed to turn the drugged-out rock star premise...

Based on the comic strip, Marmaduke is the latest family-friendly, beginning of the summer offering from 20th Century Fox. The big, lovable Great Dane finds his voice in none other than Marley And Me’s Owen Wilson. After receiving a job offer from organic dog food president Don Twombly (William H. Macy), ambitious father, Phil Winslow (Lee Pace), uproots his Kansas family, along with Marmaduke and the loopy, family cat (George Lopez), and moves them to the O.C. What person, and canine, wouldn’t want to leave the midwest for a house complete with a pool, a million dollar ocean view and a big doggie door?

The “Duke” is living large in Southern California, but finds hanging with the four-legged friends at the dog park where Phil now works won’t be easy. Being a bumbling fool of a dog, he fits right in with the mixed-breed pack of made up of tomboy,...

20th Century Fox is being sued over Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. The company run by the chipmunks' creator is suing the studio over numerous issues, in the hope of nabbing half the profits from the film. Bagdasrian Prods have launched a lawsuit that claims Janice Karman (conveniently, the daughter-in-law of the creator) wrote a script for the movie, which was then rewritten and eventually refined by Karman upon a request from Fox.

DVD Playhouse—April 2010

By

Allen Gardner

Ride With The Devil (Criterion) Ang Lee’s revisionist take on the Civil War is awash in moral ambiguity, along with some stunning cinematography, production design, and fine performances. Set during the Kansas-Missouri border war, Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich star as two friends who join up with the Confederate-sympathizing Bushwhackers, finding an odd ally in a former slave (Jeffrey Wright). While it’s fascinating to see America’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of a foreigner, thereby allowing much of the previously mentioned ambiguity a certain latitude, the film never loses the bad taste it leaves for one simple reason: it asks us, the audience, to side with not just the Confederates, but some of the lowest trash that made up the dregs, and the fringes, of the movement. Big points for audacity, but snake eyes on the story itself. Singer Jewel is impressive in her film debut.

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

Jerry Seinfeld cites it as the primary influence for his own show, and anyone who views The Abbott and Costello Show (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 Srp) will clearly see the precedent it established for a comedy set in New York City and almost entirely about unique characters and everyday events, rather than your typical sitcom fare. It was also anchored by an amazing comedy duo who...

Sure, there were some bumps in the road. That can happen from time to time.

Thanks to everyone for voting. This year 195 film fans decided the awards.

Here’s the mess … When Twihards Attack (The 8th Annual Tsr Movie Awards) Commentary/rants/thoughts on category winners & losers (this will be complete by March 19)

Want to vote in the Tsr Movie Awards next year? Become a Fan on our Tsr Facebook Page.

The Results of the 8th Annual Movie Awards

Funniest

8.29 In The Loop

8.1 The Hangover

7.97 Zombieland

7.82 Fantastic Mr. Fox

7.32 I Love You, Man

6.74 The Informant!

6.64 Observe And Report

6.34 Extract

5.98 Funny People

5.7 Bruno

4.88 The Proposal

Scariest

8.09 Paranormal Activity

7.13 Drag Me To Hell

5.50 The Fourth Kind

5.21 Orphan

5.00 My Bloody Valentine

4.36 The Haunting In Connecticut

4.32 Jennifer’S Body

4.30 Friday The 13th

3.82 Saw VI

2.80 The Final Destination

Saddest

7.94 Precious

7.62 The Messenger

7.48 The Road

7.05 Up

6.50 The Time Traveler’S Wife

6.11 The Lovely Bones

5.92 My Sister...

It’s that time of year again, when sites the web-over compile helpful holiday shopping lists to guide you into the deepest, darkest pits of retail with a map that will hopefully get you out alive. Here now, without further ado, is the 2009 Quick Stop Holiday Shopping Guide.

(If you see anything you like, please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make your holiday purchases - it’s appreciated!)

I’ve banged on about for years, and I’m going to keep going virtual door to virtual door until the word gets out about Qi. If you’ve never heard of the UK quiz program Qi, you’re missing out on one of the funniest “educational” shows ever devised (the devisee being creator/producer John Lloyd, formerly of Blackadder, Not The Nine O’Clock News, and Spitting Image). The key to Qi (which stands for “Quite Interesting...

Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. Every Wednesday, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!

In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of each of Harry Potter & The Half-blood Prince on both Blu-Ray & DVD.

In conjunction with Emi, we’re giving away one (1) Holiday Music Prize Pack containing Christmas With The Chipmunks, The Beach Boys: Christmas Harmonies, Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song, Olivia Newton John: Christmas Wish, & Christmas Classics By The Fire.

In conjunction with Disney Home Video, we’re giving away one (1) copy of G-force on Blu-Ray/DVD.

In conjunction with Emi, we’re giving away one (1) Holiday Music Prize Pack containing Christmas With The Chipmunks, The Beach Boys: Christmas Harmonies, Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song, Olivia Newton John: Christmas Wish, & Christmas Classics By The Fire.

Contest ends at 11:59pm Est on Wednesday, December 23rd.

Enter the contest! Email: First name: Last name: Street Address: Address Line 2 (if needed): City: State/Province/Whatever: Zip Code/Postal Code: Country: Birth Month: JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember Birth Day: 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm Est on Wednesday, December, 23rd.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Alvin and the Chimpmunks isn't a movie that I would rush out to see at my local cinema..... but it seems that I am one of the few as the first movie, released back in 2007 made a whopping $300 million worldwide. It's no surprise then that a sequel or in this case, the 'Squeakquel' has been created and today we have a new trailer, poster and release date for you. You'll be able to see 'Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel' on Boxing Day in the UK and I've embedded the trailer after the jump and you can click the poster to enlarge.

Synopsis: ‘Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel’ brings back our favorite furry brothers, Alvin, Simon and Theodore. Because of a freak accident involving Alvin and Dave Seville, they go to live with Dave Seville’s cool cousin Toby and must enroll in school just like every other kid.

Tim Hill is in discussions with the 20th Century Fox's Fox 2000 division about directing Alvin and the Chipmunks, a live-action/CG film based on the animated trio of singing chipmunks, who first rose to popularity in the late 1950s.

Hill directed last year's Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, which Fox released, as well as 2001's Max Keeble's Big Move. His writing credits include The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as well as episodes of the SpongeBob TV series.

Fox is expected to cast a comic actor in the role of Dave Seville, pal to the three chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, who will be computer generated.

Ross Bagdasarian Jr., son of the late Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who created the Chipmunks, is producing along with Janice Karman, president of Bagdasarian Prods., which is producing the project with Fox.

Hill is repped by the Gersh Agency and manager Jeffrey Thal of Ensemble Entertainment.

Alvin and the Chipmunks might be singing their famous tunes on the big screen very soon. Fox 2000, 20th Century Fox Animation and Bagdasarian Prods. have teamed to develop a live-action/CGI feature film based on the popular characters, which have appeared on the radio, the small screen and numerous albums. The Fox divisions acquired the feature film rights from the estate of Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who created Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1958. His son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., and Janice Karman will produce. A writer and director are being sought to bring the property to life onscreen. Similar to what the studio recently did with the summer release Garfield: The Movie, the role of Dave Seville, the Chipmunks' adoptive father and musical coach, will be live-action, with the Chipmunks -- Alvin, Simon and Theodore -- to be computer-animated.