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The Legend Of Felix, The Cat, Lives On

This photo (291 × 400 pixels, file size: 24 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) was taken on June 9, 2008 and belongs to MuZemike.

The legendary felix, the cat, which first starred as ‘Master Tom’ in ‘Feline Follies’, lives on in clothes, toys, and video games of Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The Beginning of Felix, the Cat

The cartoon character Felix, the Cat first appeared as ‘Master Tom’ in a Paramount Picture ‘short’ titled ‘Feline Follies’ in November 9, 1919. The short-length cartoon featuring Felix, the Cat as ‘Master Tom’ was a success that seven days later he starred again in ‘The Musical Mews’, another short-length silent cartoon film. Master Tom became ‘Felix, the Cat’ in December 1919, when the third film featuring him was released, which title was ‘The Adventures of Felix’. Otto Messmer, director and animator of the first film featuring ‘Felix, the Cat’, either gave the then and now famous cartoon character its name or John King of ‘Paramount Magazine’ did. The name ‘Felix’ is a combination of the latin words ‘felis’ for cat and ‘felix’ for lucky.

Felix, the Cat Is a Fat Cat

Felix, the Cat reached stardom in 1923. The first films featuring the feline cartoon character were distributed in 1919 to 1921; the short-length films, from 1922 to 1925. In 1924 Bill Nolan gave ‘Felix’ a makeover. He made him cuter, cuddlier, and rounder. The cuteness factor coupled with Otto Messmer’s animation skills shot Felix into fame. His images were emblazoned on stuffs, such as clocks and Yuletide knickknacks and bric-a-brac. His was the also the face printed on the very first Macy Day’s Parade Baloon in 1927. Felix’s name was used in songs popular in the 1920’s such as Paul Whiteman’s ‘Felix Kept Walking’. The Pat Sullivan Studios, which is ‘Felix, the Cat’s’ home-studio, earned annually $100,000 from toys featuring its feline cartoon character. A Chevrolet dealer first used him as a mascot. Charles Lindbergh, The New York Yankees, United States’ Navy’s Bombing Squadron Two, Logansport High school in Indiana, Japanese car manufacturer ‘Daihatsu’, and ‘The Queers’, a pop-punk band.

Felix, the Cat, Learns to Talk

Disney’s ‘Steamboat Willie’, the first cartoon film, which used sound, shook Pat Sullivan to adopt sound in ‘Felix, the Cat’ cartoons. The talking ‘Felix, the Cat’ debuted in 1929 in a ‘Film Daily’ advertisement. The first words he uttered were, ‘You ain’t heard nothin’ yet’!”. The addition of sound into ‘Felix, the Cat’ cartoon was not successful. This and Pat Sullivan’s wife’s death, which sent Felix’s creator down a spiral of alcoholism and depression, which led to his death, caused the feline character’s death in the animation world. The year 1935 once again caught a glimpse of ‘Felix’ with Van Beuren Studios taking over. After three cartoon films, ‘Felix, the Cat’ was seen no more again.

Felix, the Cat Wakes Up From a Long, Deep Sleep

Felix, the Cat’s short-length cartoon films emerged in the league of home movie and television market in 1954. Otto Messmer has retired, leaving his assistant Joe Oriolo to continue drawing and animating ‘Felix, the Cat’, whose new owner was Pat Sullivan’s nephew. Joe Oriolo and Sullivan’s nephew struck a deal, which allowed Oriolo to start a new series of ‘Felix, the Cat’ cartoon films. The new series aimed at children for its audience with ‘Felix’ and new characters voiced over by Jack Mercer. Joe Oriolo gained complete access and control over ‘Felix’ in 1970 until his death in 1985. His son, Don Oriolo has since taken over his father’s legacy, which he went to make into a film with European animators in the 1980’s. In 1995 ‘Felix, the Cat’ was featured in a series, titled ‘The Twisted Tales of Felix, the Cat’. Renewed interest burst in 1991, since John Canemaker’s ‘Felix:The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat’. Don Oriolo has brought a new ‘Felix, the Cat’ interest through fast-food meal toys and Nintendo video games featuring ‘Felix’. As of 2008 plans of developing a new ‘Felix, the Cat’ cartoon series has been underway, with fifty-two episodes being worked on. French studio TeamTO with Forecast Pictures introduce ‘The Felix The Cat Show’, which will air in 2010 or 2011 on Cartoon Network.

References:

http://www.felixthecat.com/history2.htm

http://www.toontracker.com/felix/felix.htm

December 15, 2010 Posted by | Entertainment, Kids & Teens, New, Ready | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Roman Polanski’s ‘The Ghostwriter’ Is Best Picture in the European Film Awards

This photo (295 × 431 pixels, file size: 14 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) was taken on August 14, 2007 and belongs to Slawek Skonieczny.

Roman Polanski’s ‘The Ghostwriter’ was awarded ‘Best Picture’ in the European Film Awards. The ‘Best Picture’ prize or ‘Film of the Year’ is the highest accolade given by the European Film Academy.

Roman Polanski’s ‘The Ghostwriter’ Is Best Picture in the European Film Awards

Roman Polanski’s ‘The Ghostwriter is Best Picture in the European Film Awards. The event was held in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital and largest city. The European film awarding body also recognized Ewan McGregor’s performance as the lead movie character, a British ghostwriter, for which he was awarded the ‘Best Actor’ prize. Robert Harris and Roman Polanski, who both wrote the film’s script, jointly won its ‘Best Screenplay’ award.

‘The Ghostwriter’ Movie Plot

‘The Ghostwriter’ movie was based loosely on real-life former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In the movie, an unnamed British Ghostwriter played by Ewan McGregor accepts the task of writing the unfinished memoirs of British Prime Minister Adam Lang, whom actor Pierce Brosnan played. The day the lead character goes to work, which requires him to board a plane to an oceanfront house located in ‘Old Haven’, a fictional place, Adam Lang is accosted by former British Foreign Secretary and United States’ Envoy Richard Rycart, played by Robert Pugh, and accused of illegally handing terrorist suspects to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to be tortured, which could be a war crime. The accusation would have caused Adam Lang to face trial presided by the International Criminal Court, unless he remains in America or transfer to another country that does not recognize the International Criminal Court’s stature and laws. The scene attracts the attention of the media toward Lang’s home, where he lives with his wife Ruth and personal assistant/mistress Amelia, played by Olivia Williams and Kim Cattral, respectively. A local old man tells the writer how improbable it was for the ocean currents to have washed out the corpse of the ghostwriter, who died while writing the memoirs and disappeared in the ferry. The woman who witnessed flashlights on the beach area, where the ocean currents were supposed to have washed out the corpse, went into a coma. Following the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the dead writer’s car, he finds himself in the estate of Professor Paul Emmett, whom Tom Wilkinson played. He could feel the professor was nursing a secret. Upon leaving Emmett’s place, a car tails him, which he fortunately escapes. While surfing the Internet in a motel, he finds Emmett’s identity as a Central Intelligence Agency personnel. He learns from Rycart that the writer who died left clues in the unfinished book’s beginning, which they could not get a hold of. Receiving a call from Lang, the ghostwriter boards a plane with him. After leaving the plane, an anti-war protestor shoots Lang, who dies, and law enforcers shoots back at the assassin, killing him as well. The ghostwriter finishes the book. In the book launch party, he learns from Amelia about Ruth’s connection with Paul Emmett. He underlines each first word in each chapter of the book’s original manuscript, which was written by the dead writer. The words read, ‘Lang’s wife Ruth was recruited as a CIA agent by Professor Paul Emmett of Harvard University.’ Telling Ruth of his discovery, he turns away to leave the party. A car zooms towards him, as he crosses the street, insinuating his death (murder) from a car crash.

The 23rd European Film Awards

The 23rd European Film Awards was held last December 4, 2010. The 2300 award-giving body awarded the movie ‘The Ghostwriter’, its ‘Best Picture’ prize. Last year it gave the same recognition to Michael Haneke’s movie, ‘The White Ribbon’. Around forty films are nominated for the European Film Academy’s categories, of which the most important is ‘The Film of the Year’ award. The nominees are announced at the Seville European Film Festival in November. The nominees are voted upon by the EFA, which winners are announced in the European Film Awards held annually and exclusively for European films, actors, directors, and producers. It is usually hosted in Berlin, alternated by other cities in Europe every other year.

References:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_european_film_awards;_ylt=Aq94RcClQ6T8EynMYj3rm9tzfNdF

http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2010/12/04/the-23rd-european-film-awards-the-winners/

December 15, 2010 Posted by | Entertainment, Miscellaneous, New, News, Ready, Reviews | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

   

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