News

Gen-Xers likely recall this with clarity, but way back in 1987, when actor Bruce Willis was riding high in Hollywood, he began to, perhaps misguidedly, branch out. He released a blues record called "The Return of Bruno," a concept album consisting mostly of covers that was said to trace the rise and success of a fictional alter-ego named Bruno Radolini. In a tie-in TV special the same year, Willis played the titular Bruno in a mockumentary about the character. Many people bought "The Return of Bruno" as a pop culture curio, more eager to mock Willis than to give his music a chance. These days, few remember "Bruno," and those that do only bring it up for reasons of kitsch. 

Even fewer people, however, will remember an additional return of Bruno. Willis, it seems, wasn't done.

In 1996, Willis co-created and starred in an animated series called "Bruno the Kid," a comedy...

As comedian Will Ferrell walked across the magnificent stage of The Kennedy Center to accept the greatest honor an America funny person can receive, The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, something happened that made us all remember why he is getting this prestigious honor. The award instantly slipped from Will’s hilarious fingers, shattering this legendary humorist’s bust all over the floor. An obvious gag, that was so damn fitting to what Will represents in the history of the art of doing silly stuff. Without breaking character for a second, Will hilariously tries to pick up the pieces as the world just sat back and laughed… but not laughing at him, we were laughing with him. The appeal of Will Ferrell comes from his innocent “I don’t give a f*ck” attitude that elevates simple stupid jokes to performance art. As Mr. Ferrell once said, “What I...

The Simpsons animator, character layout artist and assistant director Edwin E. Aguilar died in Los Angeles on Saturday, two days after having a stroke. He was 46.

While the news of Aguilar’s passing was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, it was also noted on Sunday by The Simpsons executive producer, Matt Selman. “We @TheSimpsons family are mourning the loss of animator Edwin Aguilar,” he tweeted, “a talented artist and beloved fountain of love and inspiration to all.”

Reportedly, Aguilar’s health had been on the decline for years, given his struggle with diabetes and heart issues. Several years ago, the artist had a stroke, from which he recovered.

Born in the San Miguel region of El Salvador in 1974, Aguilar gravitated toward comic strips at an early age. At age 9, he fled his native country—which was in the midst of a civil war—alongside his brother, to avoid being...

Animation producer J. Michael Mendel, best known for his work on “The Simpsons” and “Rick and Morty,” has died. The four-time Emmy award-winner was 54.

A spokesperson for Adult Swim, the network where “Rick and Morty” airs, confirmed the death in a statement, saying, “All of us at Adult Swim are devastated by the untimely passing of Mike Mendel. Mike was the heart of the ‘Rick and Morty’ production family, his fantastic talent and wit will be sorely missed. Mike was a universally respected Emmy-winning producer with over 25 years in the industry, who guided and supported a generation of artists, writers and creators and his absence will be felt by the entire community. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.”

“Rick and Morty” co-creator Justin Roiland also offered his condolences on Twitter following Mendel’s passing: “I don’t know what I’m...

Emmy-nominated producer Eric Friedman is expanding his nearly 10-year relationship with Disney Channel, signing an overall deal to create and develop new projects exclusively for the channel.

Friedman has written or produced five comedy series for Disney Channel over the past decade. Most recently, he was executive producer and showrunner of Bizaardvark which has wrapped production after three seasons (new episodes will continue to roll out through 2019 on Disney Channel). He created and executive-produced Disney Xd’s Crash and Bernstein and was a writer on Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and the animated series Teamo Supremo as well as Disney Xd’s I’m in the Band. Friedman also wrote for Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh and Zoey 101.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have watched Eric grow as a writer and producer over a decade, consistently delivering smart, funny shows for us,” said Nancy Kanter, Executive Vice President,...

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Dexter, Six Feet Under and Nikki alum Scott Buck will be Iron Fist’s showrunner for Marvel/Netflix…

Following the news that Marvel’s future Netflix plans were pushing ahead in earnest post-Jessica Jones, Scott Buck has signed up as the showrunner of Iron Fist.

Mr Buck is perhaps best known for his work on Dexter. Hopping between the roles of executive producer and co-executive producer, he worked on over 60 episodes of the Showtime series, seventeen of which he wrote.

Buck has also worked - in various writing and producing capacities - on Six Feet Under, Nikki, Rome, Coach, and Will Ferrell-starring animated series The Oblongs. He sounds like a safe pair of hands to us.

If you’re unfamiliar with Iron Fist (real name Daniel Rand) from the comics, here’s Marvel’s brief plot summary for the Netflix series…

"Returning to New York...

St. Louis-area Movie Geeks (and TV Geeks, and Comic Book Geeks, and Gaming Geeks and Music Geeks and Cosplay Geeks, and Fiction Geeks) rejoice! There’s a new Pop Culture convention coming to town!

2015 brings in one of the Newest and Largest two day event shows in St. Louis with Gateway Geek Fest. The event is sponsored by Tm (ToyMan) Productions who also host ToyMan Toys, Comics & Con. The event runs August 28-30 and will be held at Machinist Hall 12365 St. Charles Rock Road Bridgeton, Mo with some ancillary events at the Laquinta Hotel (formerly the Wingate) 13615 Riverport Rd Maryland Hts.

With over 150 tables filled with Vendors offering items such as Comics, Illustrations, Pop Culture, Steampunk merchandise, Character Clothing, TV/Movie Memorabilia (posters – autographs), Action Figures Collectibles and Much More. Gateway Geek Fest will be held at Machinist Hall 12365 St. Charles Rock Road Bridgeton, Mo

There will be Cosplayers...

There was a certain point in history, somewhere between The Simpsons and Daria, when TV animation ceased to be the sole provenance of kids drooling over their morning bowls of Lucky Charms. These days, cartoons for grown-ups are not only ubiquitous, but hilariously twisted and high-quality to boot — and that's due in large part to a phenomenon called Adult Swim. What began as a freaky little block of late-night programming has evolved into a vast, even-freakier universe of animated and live-action series with a sardonic, absurdist sense of humor that's...

Jill Soloway may be marking her feature length directorial debut with “Afternoon Delight” but there’s a good chance that she’s been involved with something you’ve enjoyed over the years. As a writer she’s worked on such projects as “United States of Tara,” “Six Feet Under,“ and even a couple of episodes of “The Oblongs”! After getting a few short films under her belt, Jill Soloway turned her sights to writing and directing a feature length dramedy about the difficulties of marriage and prostitutes. It’s a tale as old as time. Journey below to check out the first three clips from the film which features Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch and Jessica St. Clair. Here's the official synopsis:Rachel is a quick-witted and lovable, yet tightly coiled, thirty-something steeped in the creative class of Los Angeles’s bohemian, affluent Silver Lake neighborhood. Everything looks just right— chic modernist home,...

As some of you following me on Twitter might already be aware, I left the friendly confines of Splash Page HQ last week to visit with the fine folks at Mezco Toyz and get the first look at some very cool, customized figures from their new line of "Mez-Itz" vinyl toys.

A few months back, Mezco announced that they were resizing the popular line of collectible figures from a 2.5- to a 6-inch scale, and would be delivering bunches of the blank figures to artists and animators around the world to create their own unique takes on the toys. From comic creators to musicians and animators, a variety of artists answered their call, and 60 of the custom Mez-Itz are going on display for the first time at San Diego's Comic-Con International this month.

But you can get your first, exclusive look at some of the coolest figures weeks ahead of time here on Splash Page!