Strollerderby : shrek

Free song from Shrek the Musical

Brett Singer — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:00:00 GMT

DreamWorks seems to have decided that they will try and squeeze every last stinking dollar out of their mega-popular "Shrek" franchise. Coming next month: a Broadway musical. If you want to get an idea of what it will sound like, here's a free track.

Called "I Know It's Today", it is sung by Leah Greenhaus, Marissa O'Donnell & Sutton Foster.

Count me among the people who don't really get the fascination with the entire "Shrek" enterprise. The first move was all right, I guess, but hardly the brilliant satire that audiences and critics seemed to think it was. (Oooo! They made fun of "The Matrix"! How edgy!) The next two films felt very slapped together, and the fourth is unlikely to be better.

Judging by the photo of Brian D'Arcy James as the titular ogre, it looks like the makeup will be good.

How's the song? Fairly standard Broadway fare. I'd say below average. But maybe you'll feel differently.

Source: shrekthemusical.com

image: BroadwayWorld

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Five Nonsense Kids Character Names Explained

JeanneSager — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:27:00 GMT

Sometimes the names they give to our kids’ favorite characters sound like they had a kid in on production. I mean, Pikachu? I say Gesundheit.

But listening to Mike Myers explain the Yiddish origins of everyone’s favorite ogre on NPR’s Fresh Air last week made me wonder – are all characters like onions? Do they all have layers? Thanks to my anal retentive side and too much time to spend in front of my computer, I offer up the first edition of children’s character names explained.

Shrek: According to his creator, his name came not from the swamp but the Yiddish word for “scary.” We’ll trust the former Linda Richman on that one – after all, if we ask too much she might get a little ferklempt.

Pikachu: I always thought the yellow Pokemon had a rodent-look to him, and no wonder. Pikachu loosely translates to “Electric Sparkling Mouse” in Japanese. Known for storing electric in his puffy cheeks and a tail that looks more like a bolt of lighting shooting out of his rodent rear, we could boogie woogie woogie with that description.

Lightning McQueen: Since we’re on the subject, lightning is an obvious name for a fast car. But the source of Cars’ sexy red racer’s surname is often mistaken. He was dubbed “McQueen” not for bad boy actor Steve who spent many a movie shifting gears but for Pixar animator Glenn McQueen, who died in 2002 from skin cancer.

Nemo: The movie that proved even a scaredy clownfish can take on the big bad ocean, Finding Nemo is technically named for “no one.” At least that’s the Latin translation of “Nemo.” We’ll take it from the seagulls – he might be no one, but our kids wish he was “mine, mine, mine.”

Winnie the Pooh: A secondhand name is just fine for a bear of very little brain. Winnie is short for Winnipeg, the hometown of a Canadian soldier who gave his black bear of the same name to the London Zoo. That’s where author A.A. Milne and son Christopher Robin (natch) met the friendly female who Milne later immortalized in print. Pooh, by the way, is also secondhand – it was the moniker of the real Christopher Robin’s pet swan.

More to come . . .

Image: Dan-Dare

Tis the Season to Watch TV

Gwynne Watkins — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:41:00 GMT

What, November is too early for holiday specials? Nonsense! Start yourself off tonight with the brand-new Shrek the Halls (8pm on ABC), followed by Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated one, a.k.a. the good one). NBC is competing by airing the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, complete with performances by Celine Dion and Carrie Underwood (yeahhh... we'll pass). Over on Nickelodeon, it seems like everyone's doing a "save Christmas" episode: Dora and Diego on December 7th, Wonder Pets and Wow Wow Wubzy on the 14th, Yo Gabba Gabba on the 21st. PBS Kids is a little less Santa-centric, with Calillou building his first snowman and Clifford celebrating Hanukah. (And let's not forget November's Mama Mirabelle episode about Kwanzaa.) Classic specials include A Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on CBS. No word yet on which station has It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story.

Which holiday specials do you watch every year? And which ones would you be happy never to see again?

McDonalds and Shrek Eat Your Kid's Brain

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:59:00 GMT

Don't you hate it when something as obvious as a McDonald's campaign promoting Shrek the Third succeeds in transforming a simple outing to Playland into your 2 year old asking about for another chance to push the burp button on "the guy?" No? Well, then you're probably much too busy cooking healthful veggie-filled meals. My kids? They eat at McDonalds.

But nevermind all the beef recalls and the concerns about childhood obesity. What really gets me is all the Happy Meal Marketing. I doubt George Lucas knew what he was starting, back when he turned heads by creating a whole product line from Star Wars.

Now we have that damn Shrek. You know the one. The "movie for kids" that's really just an excuse for parents to embrace their inner teenager and tell fart jokes? Well, the promotion is working. And McDonalds is laughing all the way to the bank.

Shrek Continues Health Campaign With...Happy Meals?

Patti — Sat, 19 May 2007 19:35:00 GMT

If you were shaking your head when you found out that the US Department of Health and Human Services had enlisted Shrek as a mascot, you'll be rolling your eyes right out of their sockets when you hear about how Shrek and McDonald's are teaming up to promote "healthy" Happy Meals. Shrek and his pals are pushing the items that McDonalds has added over the years as a sop to the pressure they've been under for marketing such garbage to families—the apple slices (with corn syrupalicious caramel dip), the water, the so-called-chicken nuggets.

This week I played hardcore investigative journalist, and I pulled up to the McDonald's drive-thru and ordered four Happy Meals (two for my kids, two for Strollerderby blogger Alisyn's kids). I'm happy to report that despite reports to the contrary, Happy Meals are still utter shite. Nobody forced apples on me or even offered them; I was able to obtain fries with no problems. And the milk was not only chocolate, but the plastic bottles had a special Shrek label on it. And the straws were also Shrek-green. And the toys talk, and in fact, one of them burps. See the lengths I'll go to in order to get to the bottom of things?

You're welcome.

International Toy Fair 2007: Movie Tie-Ins Galore (God Help Us)

thezeroboss — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 13:31:00 GMT

(Filed by correspondent Michelle Kung from the 2007 International Toy Fair)

Transformers isn't the only 2007 summer tent pole aiming to keep your kids clamoring for tie-in merchandising. The following three titles aim to give Optimus Prime and Megatron a run for your money.

Shrek the Third (May 13): Shrek (Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) are all back in this new adventure as the big green guy must track down Prince Artie (Justin Timberlake) and convince him to be king. Your daughters will try to convince you that you need to get them the kung-fu kicking Princess Dolls and talking plushes, while your sons will insist on helping fling slugs into Shrek's mouth for a Bug Bounce.

Ratatouille (June 29): The newest film from Pixar is written and directed by The Incredibles' Brad Bird and centers around Remy (Patton Oswald), a French rat who yearns to become a chef. Mattel has recreated Remy and his rodent buddies in various plush and plastic forms (who knew rats could be so lovable?), as well conjured up a Mousetrap-like interactive board game that involves flinging chips and releasing (plastic) chopping knives.

Spider-Man 3 (May 4): In addition to baddies Venom and Sandman, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) must deal with an even greater villain in Sam Raimi's actioner: himself. While Sony/Columbia is keeping tight wraps on many of their numerous licensee's products to prevent too much plot spoilage, some of the more active toys being prepped for a spring 2007 release include video games, plastic figurines and collector's pieces, Hasbro's Spinning Web Blaster, a wrist attachment that shoots out silly string-like web fluid, and, yes, a Mr. Potato Head Spider Spud.