Recently I wrote my first piece for FiLife.com, a collaboration between the Wall Street Journal and IAC. The piece takes a look at how reality TV is being affected by the recession. From "Top Ramen Chef" to "Flip This Haunted House," the fall is going to be cheap and depressing, just like "The Jay Leno Hour."
Also for my AMC column, I counted down the best movies about comic book artists. You'll also find some of the worst movies on this subject as well, including the aforementioned "Cool World." Oddly, it's not the worst thing Gabriel Byrne's had his name attached to.
There's so much right here, I don't know where to begin. First off...
-The set. Since the interview, from one of Barbara's pre-Oscar specials, exists solely to plug Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of Extending Vanilla Ice's Career Past 'Ice Ice Baby', I'm going to assume she's visiting them on set. However, it looks pretty chintzy, even for a quickie sequel. Was the set constructed specifically for this interview? Did some poor union guy go from working on "Twin Peaks" or "Covington Cross" to building a fake sewer for Barbara Walters to chat with the Ninja Turtles on for three minutes? Right now some set designer could have "Underground sewer lair, Barbara Walters Special" on their resume.
-Babs calling Donatello, "Donatella." You might remember Donatello's later years as an Italian fashion designer with leathery, reptilian skin.
-The brilliant twist on the creaky "everyone cries on Barbara Walters specials" gag. That Jim Henson Creature Shop can do anything.
-Donatello shaking his head at Barbara's attempt to adopt Raphael's "urban" slang. Yes, Babs isn't hip enough to hang with a bunch of white guys in rubber suits.
Besides the occasional Muppet mingling with Matt Lauer, this kind of thing never happens on TV any more. I would kill for a DVD of journalists awkwardly interviewing cartoon characters and puppets. It's a rite of passage for news anchors: you're nobody in the TV news biz until you've bumped fists with Raphael or gotten hit on by Miss Piggy.
Fans of stupid movie villains (like Faye Dunaway's campy witch from Supergirl) and Megan Fox stalkers will want to check out my latest comic book movie columns for AMCTV.com First up, I look at the dumbest supervillains in comic book movie history. Poor noble Doctor Doom. He's only an almighty despot in the Marvel Comics universe. Three movies under his belt, and he's about as threatening as Snidely Whiplash.
Next up,comic book movie bad girls get their due as I separate the truly "bad girl" movies from the just plain bad movies. Seriously, Sheena is one of the greatest movies ever made. Where have you gone, Tanya Roberts?
As usual, check out my daily gossip and entertainment news roundups for AMC and AOL's Asylum.com. And should Faye Dunaway try to steal your Omegahedron, just distract her with a bright shiny object.
Another NY Comic Con has come and gone, and I was there covering the geekery for AMC TV. Highlights include posing for a photo with William Katt (aka, The Greatest American Hero) and watching Stephen Baldwin attempt to plug his terrible Christian crime comic. Or maybe it's a Republican crime comic. Either way it's terrible, and he has Miley Cyrus tattooed on his arm. On the Baldwin level of crazy, Stephen's about an 8.
(Want more of my recent work for AMC? Go here. And go here if you want Asylum to be more Nick-centric.)
As for that mind-meltingly wonderful image of Christopher Walken hypnotizing a cat, it's from the 1988 family film Puss In Boots, featuring the Deer Hunter star as an "all singing all dancing" tabby . (His costar was Jason "son of Sean" Connery.) And it's pretty much sheer insanity from start to finish.
Monster's Ball The concept of a fancy-dress function designed specifically for monsters could've made for a truly terrifying moviegoing experience. Imagine the poster: Several well-dressed monsters glower at you; the tagline asking, "Will you accept the invitation?!" Blood-curdling! Of course what we got was a dark Halle Berry-Billy Bob Thornton drama set in the rural South. Come to think of it though, Thornton's nude scenes were pretty scary. (Runner-up: Monster, about a real-life monster, not the fun kind.)
Also, here are some recent comic book movie columns:
Also, check out the latest gallery I put together for AOL's Asylum.com on real-life celebrity spies. Celebrities were so much cooler in the old days. Today's stars are so lazy.
(An enterprising geek comments that I should have included V For Vendetta. Eh, I suppose. Does anyone even remember that movie? It was supposed to make this big statement, and then...nothing. The V masks turn up at Scientology protests, but that's about it. And Alan Moore hates it. Anyway, I discuss the terrible straight-to-video Captain America movie from the '90s in this column, the one starring J.D. Salinger's kid as the Star Spangled Avenger and Ned Beatty as his intrepid sidekick.)
For the record, I'm a fan of Millar, even though he shoots off his mouth a bit too much. His run on Ultimates is great, and Kick-Ass is a lot of fun so far. Marvel 1985 was a bit of a letdown, despite the fantastic art. Still, he needs to cool it with the Superman movie talk. It ain't gonna happen, Mark.
Kevin Maher's AMC web series "The SciFi Dept" is loads of fun, and one of the best of its kind on the Web. (Note to AMC: start running it between movies on the network.) I've been lucky enough to co-write a few episodes. In the latest, Kevin tries to get people to see the movie "Reign of Fire." Look for a reprise of my role as "disgruntled office worker annoyed by Kevin's antics." (Featured on Topless Robot, one my favorite blogs.)
Here's the X-Files video I helped write for Kevin Maher's AMC web series The SciFi Department. While you're there, check out my unfavorable review of the film.
I also have a new column on predictions from the 2008 Comic Con. Check back every Tuesday for new installments. BTW, so far I've seen Dark Knight twice. I am aiming for at least two more times. The last time I saw a movie in the theater this many times it started with Ghost and ended with Busters.
Here's another bit I filmed for AMC's web series, the Scifi Dept. This time, Kevin Maher hits "Blobfest" 2008. Look for the upcoming X-Files episode I helped write soonish.
I recently filmed some bits for Kevin Maher's excellent AMC web series, The SciFi Department. Check out the latest installment on "creepy clown cinema." Also look for the upcoming X-Files episode which I helped write. Oddly, I had never heard of Clownhouse. But unfortunately, I do remember Powder.
Writer for places like HBO, AMC, WE, The Onion, Fuse TV, AOL and more. Currently, I write a weekly column on comic book movies for AMCTV.com. Videos on this page have been featured on such places as Defamer, The NY Times Screens blog, EW.com, Funny Or Die, College Humor and MSNBC. Contact me at nick [dot] nadel [at] gmail [dot] com. Also visit http://nicknadel.tumblr.com
Recently I started writing for ComicsAlliance, AOL's excellent new comics blog. With news of the Disney/Marvel merger, I took a look at Marvel's strange business history and also what a certain angry Green Goliath thinks of the buyout. 
