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Press Release: Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome in Theaters June 7 & 8

On Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at 11:00 a.m. local time, Fathom Events and Mattel present the cinema debut of Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome in select movie theaters nationwide.

An event that both kids and parents will enjoy, Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome is the story of how Gage, Rhett, Wyatt and Brandon face off against a mysterious black car that begins transforming the sleepy town of Hilly Woodlands into a wild mess of orange track and outrageous obstacles.

Fans will also be treated to an exclusive look under the hood, learning how Team Hot Wheels was created through interviews with the mad geniuses at Mattel, a first-hand look at early sketches and concept art, as well as a glimpse into how the characters were developed from the illustrators behind them.

"Hot Wheels have been a family favorite for nearly half a century," said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of Fathom Events. "Seeing these iconic toys come to life on the big screen is the perfect chance for children and parents to reignite their imagination."

Tickets for Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in more than 660 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

It's the Yellow 'Vette...I Think It'll do the Job

Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds, 1981 Corvette from The Junkman, and the Slicer from Gone in 60 Seconds 2
"Eleanor" from Gone in 60 Seconds, '81 Corvette from The Junkman, and the Slicer from Gone in 60 Seconds 2
H.B. Halicki, aka "The Car Crash King," clearly had a fondness for yellow cars with black stripes. Probably the only reason why the Bricklin in Deadline Auto Theft didn't follow suit was because "Safety Yellow" wasn't one of Bricklin's color options. But unless someone comes out with a kit or diecast version of the SV-1 in 1:24/5, I can call my Halicki collection complete with the addition of the Corvette from The Junkman.

Memorial Day 2014

Vintage Racing

I first learned about Blonde Comet thanks to Jim Beaver's Facebook page. He reviews a lot of classic movies, and this happened to be one that caught my attention thanks to the racing action. The one problem that was mentioned in both his review and others that I've read is the sexist plot device of Beverly Blake faking illness so that her romantic interest can drive her car to victory. It is, in fact, a pretty lousy deal, though I like to think that their "discussion" wasn't finished at the end of the movie. The thing that really gets me, though, is that this movie was released a couple of weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor—over 72 years ago. So why is driving a race car with a double-X chromosome still considered a weird thing?

H.R. Giger

H.R. Giger
H.R. Giger
February 5, 1940 - May 14, 2014


Cycles Coming in Cycles?

Osamu Tezuka is considered to be the father of manga, as he was primarily responsible for its development after WWII. His work was inspired by Carl Barks, an artist at Disney who was widely regarded as "The Good Duck Artist" thanks to a unique style and seemingly bottomless well of ideas for expanding Duckburg (which in itself was another invention of Barks).

Nearly 30 years later, manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori created the series Kamen Rider, featuring a creature-themed superhero that rode a motorcycle. In the live action series, the first of those motorcycles was a Suzuki T20 with dual headlights, a bubble windshield, and multiple side pipes flaring out on either side of the rear wheel...a design very much like what a creature-themed superhero from Disney rode starting in the 1990s:
Kamen Rider and Darkwing Duck

I have no idea if Kamen Rider's original Cyclone was really the inspiration for Darkwing Duck's Ratcatcher, but it's fun to think that the artists at Disney were inspired by the genre that one of their founding members indirectly created.