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[THE PERP WALK - DREDD VILLAINS!]

Voting will start soon on the entries for September's competition, but in the meantime this is the thread for October's art comp. This month's subject is:

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THE PERP WALK - DREDD VILLAINS!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/1255art.jpg">

30 years of super-criminals, intergalactic bounty hunters, crazed warlords, alien superfiends and timid Scottish artists - plenty there to spark the imagination!

To get you started, how about this brief list of notable Dredd perps:

The Angel Gang
Chief Judge Cal
Call-Me-Kenneth
Chopper
The Dark Judges
The Chief Judge's Man
The Judda
The Judge Child
Nero Narcos
Orlok the Assassin
Trapper Hag
The Kleggs
Judge Rico
Satanus
Kenny Who?
Oola Blint
Stan Lee
PJ Maybe
War Marshall Kazan

Of course, if you've got a favourite Dredd perp feel free to produce something based on them instead. Your entries don't have to be serious, so feel free to play around with the concept - if you've got a great idea for a Judge Death record sleeve (perhaps one of the Death cults have their own recording label?) or a Trapper Hag cuddly doll (sold in all good Sector 34 Mega-stores!) then fire ahead.

The comp will run until Friday 6 October & I'd hope that will give everyone plenty of time to submit something they're happy with.

[RELEASE DATE]

OK - for anyone who's interested, Nintendo have concluded two of three press conferences to announce the launch details for Wii, their new console. The European release date and info is due tomorrow morning but there are pretty solid rumours pointing to a particular date.

Anyway, here's how it breaks down:

RELEASE DATE

November 19th in the United States
December 2nd in Japan
December in Europe (rumoured)

LAUNCH PRICE

$249 in the US
25,000 yen in Japan
Between £150-200 / Euro equivalent in Europe (rumoured)

BASIC PACKAGE

Console (white only at the moment)
One remote
One nunchuk attachment
Wii Sports (confirmed for the US only so far)
Sensor bar
Console stand
Composite/component cable & power cable

LAUNCH TITLES

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Wii Sports (features Baseball, Golf, Bowling, Tennis & Boxing)
Excite Truck
My First Wii (a very rough translation of the Japanese name! A collection of quick, simple minigames)
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Red Steel
Trauma Centre: Second Opinion
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Elebits
Rayman Raving Rabbids

...plus a number of other third-party titles & plenty of games to come later - Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Super Mario Galaxy, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, Metroid Prime 3...

Also available at launch will be 30 Virtual Console games - including Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong etc. - with 10 a month every month after that.

FEATURES

Wii Channels - always-on connection to the internet with dedicated weather & news channels and a mailbox/bulletin board to contact other users. Also features a Photo Channel that lets you download photos from your digital camera, edit and send them to other users

Mii Channel - create a virtual you for use in games like Wii Sports. You can then save this to your remote, take it to a friend's house, connect to his console and play with your avatar.

Virtual Console - perfect emulation of NES, SNES, N64, Megadrive, PC Engine and MSX games. 30 available at launch with 10 a month made available thereafter. They can be purchased with a credit card & downloaded straight to the system where they'll be available through the Virtual Console channel. If you don't have a credit card, you can buy points cards and use them instead. Games will cost the equivalent of approx. $5 for NES games, $8 for SNES games and $10 for N64 games.

Full backwards compatibility - all of your GameCube games will be playable on the system from day one.

Wi-Fi link-up with the Nintendo DS - no real details yet, though the new Pokemon title for the DS will connect with Pokemon Battle Revolution for Wii.

I think that's most of the basic info so far. Looks really promising, though the price is a touch higher than expected. The built-in Wii Channels look pretty nifty, and the idea of personalising your remote & console is fun. The games are looking solid - I've already got a dozen pegged out as must-haves - and while the console might not be able to compare to the 360 or PS3 in raw power, it looks like being a really polished, fun system.

Press release over ;-)

[Wooly]

As it appears that everyone who wants to vote has voted and the closing date has passed, it's time to announce the winners of August's Art Comp. Hopefully my failing brain unit has calculated the vote totals correctly, but if anyone notices an error, please let me know! The prizes have been juggled about a bit, and thanks to both DavidXBrunt & petemaskreplica for their generous contributions to the prize stack.


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In first place, with his striking Torquemada & Nemesis portraits, is Wooly. First place nets the Don Uggie print by Ade Bamforth, together with a graphic novel of your choice - up to a max of ?15 - so drop me a line off-board to sort out delivery.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/wooly2.jpg">

Second place goes to Radiator's witty, left-field take on Nemesis. My personal fave, and only just pipped to first place. Second place gets you a panel from the Doctor Who story, "The Glorious Dead", drawn by Martin Geraghty specially for the recent collection of the same name. In addition, you'll get a the 2006 Who Annual & novella. Message me to sort out shipping.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/radiator.jpg">

Last - but certainly not least - is Dark Jimbo and his remarkable Gothic Empire-era Nemesis & Purity. That takes third place & wins you a trade of your choice, up to a max of ?15. Again, board-mail me to discuss.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/darkjimbo.jpg">

Congratulations to the winners, and a big thank-you to everyone who took part, especially Dog Deever Jr and Pablo Doce - I hope we'll see more from both of you in future competitions.

Talking of which... I'm looking for suggestions from boarders for the subject of the October competition. Would you rather see a themed contest, or simply stick to a set of characters? Some suggestions were posted on the September Comp thread which I've reposted below. Does anyone have any other suggestions? If so, post them here.

---------------------------
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Larf suggests:

You could go for a traditional letters page remix for the next one. You know when some clever sod would send in Boy George dressed as a Judge and win a fiver for Judge Boy - so how about mixing music with 2000AD characters, i.e.:

Pogue Trooper
ABBA C Warriors
Snoop Strontium Doggy Dog
Slaine(d)
Simply Durham Red
sisters of Mercy Heights

etc, etc, etc.

Mcwild's suggests:

Maybe make it a bit more general, e.g. Heroes, Villains, Cyborgs, Robots, Aliens etc?

The music-themed one is quite cool.

Or go the what-if route, Dredd as famous fictional detectives, e.g. Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, Poirot etc?

The latest backward-compatibility update has just been released over Xbox Live & amongst the titles now playable on the 360 is Rogue Trooper.

Hopefully this wee piece of news will be of interest to the 360 owners on the board!

Link: http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/08/28/August-2006-Back-Compat-Update.aspx" target="_blank">360 BC update...

[31 August]

I think all of the entries are in for August's competition, so voting can start now.

I've rehosted all of the pics, so take a look through and pick your three favourites then post your choices here. First place is 5 points, second 3 points and third 1 point. Voting will run until 31 August & the winners will be announced then.

Remember, you're not necessarily voting for the most technically-accomplished pieces but for the ones that appeal the most.

If I've missed anybody, or if anybody doesn't want their entry put up for the comp, just let me know.

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54 JONES

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/54jones.jpg">


ALBION83UK

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/albion83uk.jpg">


BART DIAZ

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/bartdiaz.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/bartdiaz2.jpg">


BOLT 01

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/bolt01.jpg">


BUTTONMAN

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/buttonman.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/buttonman2.jpg">


CARLSBORG EXPERT

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/carlsborgexpert.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/carlsborgexpert2.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/carlsborgexpert3.jpg">


DARK JIMBO

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/darkjimbo.jpg">


DOG DEEVER

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/dogdeever.jpg">


DOG DEEVER JUNIOR

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/dogdeeverjunior.jpg">


DOUNREAY

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/dounreay.jpg">


INDIGO PRIME

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/indigoprime.jpg">


JAMES

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/james.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/james2.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/james3.jpg">


JIM CAMPBELL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/jimcampbell.jpg">


JOHNNY STRESS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/johnnystress1.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/johnnystress2.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/johnnystress3.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/johnnystress4.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/johnnystress5.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/johnnystress6.jpg">


LORD RUNNING CLAM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/lordrunningclam.jpg">


MCWILD

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/mcwild.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/mcwild2.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/mcwild3.jpg">


MONARCH HENCHMAN NUMBER 1

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/monarchhenchmannumber21.jpg">


MR C

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/mrc.jpg">


NOISYBAST

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/noisybast.jpg">


PABLO DOCE

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/pablodoce.jpg">


PETEMASKREPLICA

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/petemaskreplica.jpg">


PHUZ

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/phuz.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/phuz2.jpg">


RADIATOR

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/radiator.jpg">


SIMON PENTER

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/simonpenter.jpg">


THRYLLSEEKER

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/thryll.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/thryll2.jpg">


WILS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/wils.jpg">


WOOLLY

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/wooly.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20August%202006/wooly2.jpg">

[two]

Slightly later than planned, so apologies to anyone itching to get started.

Voting is closed on the choice of characters for September's competition & we have two winners, so there should be plenty of material for everyone to choose from. There were only 36 votes this time around, but in joint first place were Canon Fodder and Nikolai Dante. Devlin Waugh only just missed out, but I'm sure the camp vamp will make an appearance in a future comp!

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PRIESTS & THIEVES!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/canon.jpg">

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/dante.jpg">


While Dante's world is far deeper & wider than Canon Fodder, both strips had the benefit of being drawn by fantastic artists with a flair for memorable designs so there's a great deal of rich source material to get inspiration from. Perhaps you're most interested in the stiff-backed ecclesiastical rigour (and big guns) of Canon Fodder, or perhaps you're drawn to the cut & thrust (a-hem ;-) ) of the Gentleman Thief - either way, get scribbling & get posting!

In a slight change to the set-up, this comp will run until Friday 15th September. This should give everyone plenty of time to submit an entry & offer busy boarders the chance to show off their work as well. Once the competition is closed, we'll start voting for a winner to be announced at the end of September.

Prizes haven't yet been decided, but unless some generous souls contribute there probably won't be as much as the previous comps. Hopefully that won't put anyone off!

Voting on August's entries will start later tonight & will run through to 31st August.

[FIRST PLACE:]

Slightly later than planned - and my apologies to everyone waiting to find out who won - but here are the winners of July's Art Competition.

As you know, because of technical problems (i.e. I'm a fucking muppet who can't use the site's polling function properly :-) ) the voting was conducted through the thread, although the anonymous poll attracted a number of votes. I'm taking the votes from the thread rather than the poll or a mix of the two - I hope everyone is OK with this. Boarders could vote for their three favourites, with the first place getting 5 points, the second 3 points and the third 1 point.

Without further ado:

mcwild - 75pts
Wils - 59pts
petemaskreplica - 37pts
Bart Diaz - 20pts
James - 16pts
54 Jones - 12pts
Mongrol - 6pts
Dark Jimbo - 6pts
Thryllseeker - 6pts
Bolt_01 - 4pts
Oddboy - 3pts
Oopsie Daisy - 3pts
Lord Running Clam - 1pt
Wooly - 1pt
Carlsborg Expert - 1pt

So, our winners are:

FIRST PLACE:
MCWILD - KROOL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20July%202006/BC_mcwild1.jpg">

SECOND PLACE:
WILS - MR KROOL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20July%202006/BC_wils.jpg">

THIRD PLACE:
PETEMASKREPLICA - KROOL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20July%202006/BC_petemaskreplica.jpg">


Congratulations to the winners, and a sincere thank-you to everyone who contributed & everyone who voted. I hope it's been fun, even if you didn't make it into the top three. There's been some great art on show & I hope we'll see just as much in future competitions!

mcwild - drop me a line off board to sort out your subscription. Same for Wils & petemaskreplica - let me know where to send your prizes & I'll get them off to you ASAP.

[real]

Surprised this wasn't mentioned in the prog 1500 review thread, so here's a special celebratory thread for the real star of the issue:

ABADDON GUY!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/abaddonguy.jpg">

How could you not take to this guy? But what does his expression say to you? Does it say "I'm reading some great genre fiction" or does it say "Someone's slipped a beach umbrella up my jacksie - and I like it!"

;-)

Satanist's post on the prog 1499 review thread reminded me I was going to ask this:

Does anyone know who's working on Malone, the fourth strip running in prog 1500? Do we have any indication of what it's about?

[BART DIAZ]

BART DIAZ

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/2000AD%20Art%20Competition%20-%20July%202006/BC_bartdiaz.jpg">

[Nemesis the Warlock]

Voting's closed for the choice of 2000AD character for August's competition, and with just shy of 50 votes cast Nemesis the Warlock has come out top. Zenith was a distant second, with Ant Wars, Low Life and Black Siddha trailing along with a handful of votes each.

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BE PURE! BE VIGILANT! BE ARTISTIC!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/nemesis2.jpg">


From the teeming tunnels of Termight to the steampunk world of the Gothic Empire, there's plenty of scope for putting your own stamp on 2000AD classic, Nemesis the Warlock. Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at Nemesis himself, or if trucking with the deviant isn't your thing, what about a propaganda piece for the Grand Master of Termight? Maybe you're of a more technical bent and want to try out a diagram of Nemesis' spacecraft, the Blitzspear? There are also rumours of a  mysterious gang of war robots and a rogue Tyrannosaur, torn from its own time to be an alien's plaything - perhaps an enterprising artist could catch them in action?

Whatever you choose, submit the final piece here for everyone to enjoy.

The competition will be open for entries for just over two weeks, closing on Monday 14 August. Once all the entries are in, voting will start and will run through to Monday 28 August. The final setup of the voting will depend on how this month's competition goes, but no matter what the mechanics of it are, you'll still be voting for three prizewinners.

Prizes are still being firmed up, and any suggestions or donations are most welcome. As of now, the top prize has still to be decided, but the other two are:

SECOND PLACE:
Adrian Bamforth has very kindly let me offer a colour print of an original illustration he did in 2004. It's A3 size and of very nice quality, and it's a wonderful piece that should be of interest to any 2K fan:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/donuggieprize.jpg">

THIRD PLACE:
Again, this will simply be a graphic novel of the winner's choice, up to a value of ?15.

I'm hoping to be able to sort out the first place and perhaps a couple of other extras in the next week, but if anyone has any other prizes to donate, please contact me off board to discuss.

As before this is open to everyone, amateur & professional alike. More than anything else it's about encouraging you to share your vision of a classic 2000AD series, whatever level of ability you have. As you can see from the other thread, there's plenty of talent on show but there also plenty of fans who just want to show everyone their idea of a character & that's what I hope we'll see here.

Voting is also now open for the September competition, and I've picked another set of five series for everyone to vote on. The vote will close on Monday 14 August and the winner announced then.

Link: http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=fan&page=poll&choice=1154179193" target="_blank">Poll for September competition...

[DUCK SOUPFilmFour6pm]

Just having a flick through the paper at lunch & I noticed there were quite a few bits & bobs on tonight that other boarders might find interesting, so:


DUCK SOUP
FilmFour
6pm

Classic Marx Brothers comedy, and well worth an hour or so of anyone?s time.

LEFTIES
BBC2
7pm

Last in this interesting Beeb series, tonight focusing on the left-wing paper, the News on Sunday.

THE AVENGERS
BBC4
7.10pm

Retro fun - and the perfect antidote to another dull Monday at work.

MEAN MACHINES OF WAR
Five
7.15pm

No idea what this programme?s like, but I?d be willing to risk it as tonight?s episode is about the de Havilland Mosquito, one of the finest warplanes ever built.

WAR OF THE WORLD
Channel 4
8pm

The final episode in this frustrating, fascinating alternate history of the 20th century.

CARTOONISTS ON THE FRONT LINE
BBC4
8.30pm

A profile of Guardian cartoonist, Steve Bell.

STILL GAME
BBC2
9pm

The final episode in another cracking series of Still Game, and tonight Jack & Victor go to visit Winston in his new seaside home.

SAXONDALE
BBC2
10pm

Fifth episode in the quirky new Steve Coogan series. An acquired taste perhaps, but I?ve certainly been enjoying it so far.

GHOST WORLD
FilmFour
11.25pm

Rounding off the evening, Terry Zwigoff?s wonderful adaptation of Daniel Clowes? odd, touching comic.

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Anyone spot any other interesting programs on tonight?

[BAD COMPANY]

Rightio, as mentioned in the other art thread here's a thread for all budding or pro artists to post their interpretation of a particular 2000AD character/series.

This month's selection, picked at random from a list wot I drew up, is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/badc-1.jpg">

BAD COMPANY

Will you try a rendition of Franks, Kano & co., or would you prefer to turn your hand to the Krool themselves? Perhaps you've got the perfect portrait of Dogbrain in mind, or you want to take a shot at your own version of the classic "War Zombies!" prog cover.

Well, you've got a week to post your own vision of future war in this thread for the rest of the board to enjoy. Then, on Friday 28 July, we'll start voting for the best take on the strip. There will be three sets of prizes for the first, second and third place:

First
A year's subscription to the Megazine and the Extreme Edition. Only available to UK residents, I'm afraid - if the winner is abroad, then a prize to the value of the sub could be arranged.

Second
A grab-bag of graphic novels. You'll get brand-new copies of The Complete D.R. & Quinch, Marvel What If? Classic Vol. 1, Persepolis Vol. 2, Priest Vol. 1 and The Demon Ororon Vol. 1.

Third
One new trade of the winner's choice, up to a max value of ?15.

Entries should be your own work, but beyond that you're welcome to submit sketches, painted art, photos of models, cosplay... etc.

The next comp will run at the end of August, and will hopefully have another reasonable set of prizes (contributions/ideas welcome!). Rather than open it up completely, I've picked a set of five options for the next comp and they're open to vote for right now, with the winner being the strip that gets the most votes by next Friday. Hopefully there'll be something in there to spark the imagination.

So, fire up your tablets, grab your brushes (and droids, feel free to top up your oil tanks) and get posting!

Link: http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=fan&page=poll&choice=1153420169" target="_blank">August Competition Poll...

Inspired by the recent thread with the varied and strange renditions of Dr Zoidberg, here's a thread for boarders here to display their talent (or lack thereof ;-) )

Pick a 2000AD character, then try and draw him, her or it and post the results. Bonus points for anyone who manages a decent rendition from memory, and extra bonus points and shameless sycophancy for any pro artists who chip in.

Let's start things rolling with The World's Worst Deadlock (TM):http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/buttonman/dufflock.jpg">

I'm hooked on David Bishop's blog, and it's thanks to a recent post that I've been exposed to what is possibly the strangest dub I've ever heard.

Without further ado, and with a rather bemused thanks to David for linking to it in the first place, here are Tennant & Piper...

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pb1VRqrsv8" target="_blank">Ummm...

[Ghostzone]

Thought some of the board might be interested to know that BBC7 are airing a five-part sci-fi series, Ghostzone, this week. Each episode is on at 6pm, with a repeat at midnight & the first episode is on tonight. I've only been able to turn up the name of the writer - Marty Ross - and a brief synopsis, but it looks like it might be worth a listen:

Ghostzone
A Highland village appears to survive the huge impact of a meteor. A new sci-fi thriller by Marty Ross.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/drama/7thdimension.shtml">The 7th Dimension

I'm not sure whether any boarder would even be interested in this piece, but Frank Miller's unused & unloved cover for the Megazine's tenth anniversary is up on eBay. The seller gets a few key facts wrong (commissioned for the 2000th issue of 2000AD?) but it looks like this is actually the original piece.

Any got a couple of thousand, a bottle of Tippex & a black marker? ;-)

Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270003733934" target="_blank">Miller does Dredd. Badly.

Hope someone can help with this:

I'm looking to replace my old Sony widescreen telly. It's about 8 years old now, it's started to display everything in an odd shade of pink & I suspect it's only a matter of months before it packs in entirely.

I'd like to stick with a CRT telly for the moment, as from what I've seen of plasma & LCD screens they still can't beat a good CRT, and with the rise of flatscreens it seems that high-end CRTs are plummeting in price. I'm looking for something in the 32-36" range, preferably as cheap as possible and from a range with a reputation for good build quality. If possible I'd like something with component video input.

Can anyone recommend a telly that would fit what I'm looking for within a reasonable budget? I've searched online and looked around electronics shops, but I'm having little joy.

Hope no-one minds another off-topic Doctor Who post, but I thought some boarders would appreciate this info on future Classic Who DVD releases...

First up, the release schedule will be changing slightly meaning we'll see more than half-a-dozen stories a year. As I understand it, the plan is to have 10 releases each year:

1 boxset - multi-DVD set collecting several linked stories

5 "Special" DVDs - fully-restored episodes, complete with substantial extras

4 "Standard" DVDs - fully-restored episodes with limited extras

The first "Standard" DVD will be the two-part Tom Baker story, The Sontaran Experiment, due out this October.

Another "Special" DVD was also announced. Apparently riding off the return of the Cybermen, the classic Troughton serial The Invasion will be released in October. As it is missing two episodes, animation studio Cosgrove Hall (who produced the Who animation, Scream of the Shalka) will be producing two black & white animated episodes to fill these gaps. Each replacement episode will be synched up with the original soundtrack, and you can see a brief trailer over at the BBC's Doctor Who website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/06/20/33077.shtml">here

Lastly, the boxset release for 2007 has been announced - The Return of the Master. It will collect Tom Baker's last two episodes as the Doctor - The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis - and Peter Davison's first story, Castrovalva. The three stories form the debut of Anthony Ainley as the Master.

Pretty good news for fans of the old series!

The writing's been on the walls for quite some time, but after years of decline the BBC are finally axing Top of the Pops - http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,1802062,00.html?gusrc=rss">Grauniad story here...