Tony Bennett was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest singers in all of history. Known for his style with Jazz and Pop, Bennett was a swingin' kind of guy. He was not just a singer, but he was a hero when he fought in the final years of World War II.
With achievements such as 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award and 2 Daytime Emmys, Bennett was a pop culture icon. So much so, he collaborated and sang with other famous people such as Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Willie Nelson and his last one ever did and did it multiple times in his final years was with Lady Gaga. And yes, he sang with the Muppets a long time ago.
Bennett passed away at the age of 96 after a 7 year bout with Alzheimer's Disease, which prompt him to retire after all these years.
Next to Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett's style of music will live on forever. Godspeed, Mr. Bennett. Be at peace, you old crooner you.
(TAPS plays)
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (Tony Bennett) August 3, 1926 - July 21, 2023
I will leave you with one of many times he collabed with Lady Gaga. Short but sweet, and you will get the idea of how much a legend Tony Bennett truly is. Until next time, stay frosty, my friends.
Here I am once again to show you my latest artwork, as I perfect my craft in the world of digital art. This time around, we go into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, particularly one of my favorite characters besides Yugi, Joey and Seto Kaiba, and it is our lovely Harpy Queen herself, Mai Valentine. Without further ado, BEHOLD! Ms. Mai Valentine in all of her sexiful glory!
If you are wondering what was underneath all that leather, there is your answer! Sexiful to the last!
It isn't perfect, especially trying to make it a little bigger and more clearer, but it is what it is. Speaking of which, here is a comparison between this lovely fanart and the original image of Mai which I used as the basis of it.
If this was done in a magazine, you would easily spot the differences in this comparison.
Hope you enjoyed this one. Hopefully when I do get a better computer (and a mouse that doubles as a pen), It will be perfected to the max. Until next time, stay frosty, my friends.
After Fox Kids came to an end after a near decade of indulging in our childhood, Margaret Loesch continues to find success somewhere in all media. Some more than others, but none of them didn't have the same success Fox Kids and her time with Marvel Productions. However, things were starting to pick up by 2009, when she was hired by the higher ups of Discovery Communications, as they try to rebrand Discovery Kids after so many years of reruns and executive meddling among other things. And by 2010, the landscape of television changed forever, when everything, and I mean everything, comes together.
(MK3 Vs. Screen Fanfare)
Premiering on October 10th, 2010, that's 10/10/10 if you are keeping score, after a long marathon of Kenny the Shark, the Hub entered our living rooms and bedrooms and it didn't disappoint. Under Ms. Loesch leadership, along with assistance from Donna Epps, the Hub's channel premise was pretty much obvious. It combines everything we like, classic TV shows, educational shows for the preschoolers, and original content, most of them based on everything Hasbro related (mostly), hence their original slogan, "Where Everthing Comes Together". But, in its early days, it started off very, very slow, with shows that we never even saw before, which were shown recently on other channels, but sometimes never been released in North America. Shows like, Cosmic Quantum Ray, Dennis and Gnasher (which is the British version of Dennis the Menace, completely different from the other Dennis the Menace, namely Dennis Mitchell), The Twisted Whiskers Show, Atomic Betty (which aired on Cartoon Network long ago), and of course, the action adventure fantasy anime, Deltora Quest.
The main trio from Deltora Quest, Lief (middle), Barda (left) and Jasmine (right)
Deltora Quest was an anime based on the children's storybook series of the same name, written by Emily Rodda. In this one, the peaceful land of Deltora was taken over by the evil Shadow Lord, who has blanketed the entire land into darkness. And it's up to a young boy named Lief to stop the Shadow Lord and free all of Deltora. Along with his friend/bodyguard, Barda (not to be confused with Big Barda, the wife of magician superhero, Mr. Miracle from the New Gods) and forest-dweller, Jasmine, Lief travels across the kingdom to look for the 7 mystical Deltora Gems in order to defeat the Shadow Lord once and for all. That is basically the story of Deltora Quest in a nutshell. After all...
My life is but a quest.
A quest that has yet to be completed. ANYHOO...
The anime was done by OLM, Inc., formerly Oriental Light and Magic (Not to be confused with ILM, Industrial Light and Magic, a Lucasfilm company). 65 episodes were made in the original Japanese version, but only 52 episodes were dubbed in the English version, done by Ocean Productions aka Ocean Group and Blue Water Studios. It was originally aired in Australia on ABC3 and Cartoon Network, but didn't aired in the U.S. until the Hub premiered on Oct 10, 2010, like all other shows, mostly. The music in the English dub is the same as all the other shows produced by both Ocean Productions and Blue Water Studios, such as the Ruby-Spears Megaman cartoon, the Ocean dub Dragon Ball Z and Monster Rancher.
Speaking of Ocean Group and Blue Water Studios, the English voice of Lief, Cole Howard, was also the voice of Megaman, in the PSP remake of the first Megaman game, Megaman Powered Up. That's right, folks, the one where he was addressed as Mega instead of his true civilian name, Rock. Obviously an homage to the Ruby-Spears Megaman cartoon, where everyone, even the villains, call Megaman, "Mega."
A small price to pay for looking back at all the nostalgia goodness I wanted to see. Anyway, to this day, Deltora Quest was the first AND only anime the Hub has ever aired. Granted, if it was still on the air, we would've seen more anime shows, such as Flint the Time Detective, Mon Colle Knights, the original Transformers: Robots in Disguise (known as Car Robots in Japan), Ronin Warriors, and even the original English dub of Sailor Moon. But we will never know now, since Discovery took the Hub away from us. And believe me, they haven't yet seen the full fury of my wrath, I can tell you THAT! Moving on...
The Hub had a few dozen blocks that formats the entire day. For starters, there is HubBub, which was a block for preschoolers (almost an answer to Disney Junior) with such shows like The Adventures ofChuck and Friends, Maryoku Yummy, In the Night Garden, Animal Mechanicals and The WotWots. Then, there was Huboom. When the Hub first aired, Huboom was originally a late night block, which consist on shows like the 60s Batman TV show, the original G.I. Joe and Transformers. But, by June of 2012, it evolved into an action block for action cartoons (more on that later).
The Haunted Hub was a Saturday afternoon block, consisting on programs that involved suspense and horror like Goosebumps and The Haunting Hour (straight from the mind of R.L. Stine).
For all your Hasbro related news and for the Hub itself, Hubworld was the show for you. It is like the Electric Playground, but with everything Hasbro. As for the shows in question, before we get to the original content, lets talk about the classic that aired on the Hub. For those in the animated and live action production perspective, most of the shows is a mixed bag, from those in the 80s from Sunbow and Marvel Productions to those that were once aired on Kids WB and Fox Kids, such as Batman: TheAnimated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Men in Black: The Series, TinyToon Adventures, Animaniacs, Jem and the Holograms, Conan the Adventurer, Goosebumps, FraggleRock, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, G.I. Joe Sigma 6, and the aforementioned classic G.I. Joe and Transformers.
For those shows in the late afternoon and into the evening, these are as memorable as the cartoons, shows such as Doogie Howser, M.D., Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Family Ties, TheWonderYears, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, Sliders, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Sabrina: TheTeenage Witch, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, ALF, and my most favorite out of the bunch, Happy Days.
Fonzie: "AAAAAAY!!"
How can you not love The Fonz?
And from time to time, they occasionally air your favorite movies, mostly on the weekends (and like most networks, they mostly edited them for foul language, just like some of the TV shows they aired and having some of the scenes cut due to the time being allotted).
But like I said before, these classic shows (and movies) are not the only thing kept this channel going. To maintain its balance (and its audience), they got some original content, some of them based on every Hasbro property, and some that became cult classics in their own right. Either way, this little channel's small journey was getting underway.
To Be Continued...
Next Time: Part 4: Ponies, Robots, Soldiers, Monsters, Puppies and Anger-Driven Issues, Oh My!
Last Week,the Wrestling World lost one of it's Greatest Legends,The Iron Sheik.
The Iron Sheik was one of the most well known and well despised Heels in Professional Wrestling. He riled up American Crowds with his famous catchphrase - "Iran,Number 1! U.S.A. (spits)!"
Managed by the Late Legendary Manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie,the Iron Sheik rose to the top by defeating Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship in 1983. He lost it a month later to Hulk Hogan and began a feud with the founder of Hulkamania.
We at Retro Rebellion mourn the loss of such an Iconic Character.The Iron Sheik died at home in Fayetteville, Georgia on June 7, 2023. He was 81. He will be missed.
Today, the world lost a music icon, and a survivor in many ways. No woman in this planet fits the word survivor and icon better than the Queen of Rock and Roll herself, Tina Turner. Born Anna Mae Bullock, in her early career, after a slow start in the late 50s and into the 60s, by the early 70s, she became a household name, thanks to her cover of Proud Mary, which originally a song done by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Although her early success was sound, but it was not without controversy, personal-wise.
Ike Turner, who helped her in the beginning, especially with their music, was very abusive towards her, especially when being addicted to cocaine became a factor. After so many back and forth heat, Tina divorced Ike in 1978, a few years after splitting from him so she can focus on her solo career.
By the 1980s and beyond, Tina made a big time comeback, thanks to songs like Private Dancer, What'sLove Got to Do with It and, of course, The Best. Simply the best, indeed.
So much so, she sold 100 to 150 million records worldwide, 12 Grammys, being in the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, having her name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and twice inducted to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
Her success wasn't just with music, she appeared in movies, including her first acting role as Aunty Entity in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and her cameo as the Mayor of L.A. in Arnold Schwarzenegger action/comedy flick, Last Action Hero.
On top of that, speaking Hollywood, they did a biopic on the life and career of Tina Turner in What'sLove Got to Do with It (named after one of her songs), where Angela Bassett plays Tina.
In the later years, Tina left America and lived a peaceful life in Switzerland, which she has been living since until her passing.
Tina died on May 24th, 2023, after a long bout with her illness. She was 83 years old.
Her death was heartbreaking, but it wasn't for her, there wouldn't be others like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and so much more. And the other song makers that joined her in her performances and collaborations like Mick Jagger and Bono and The Edge from U2 (who did the theme song of the James Bond flick, GoldenEye), they are forever grateful to this brave, wondrous diva who left her mark.
I will leave you with one of her songs, straight from the aforementioned biopic, What's Love Got to Dowith It, simply called I Don't Want To Fight, which sums up Tina Turner in a nutshell. Godspeed, Tina. You truly were simply the best. Be at peace, brave diva.
Anna Mae Bullock (Tina Turner) November 26th, 1939 - May 24th, 2023
As she dived into the deep blue sea, Kasumi, getting in touch with her spirit animal, starts swimming so elegantly, just like the dolphins. Every lunge, every twirl and every diving splash was done so beautifully. The Ninja Mermaid Princess is truly free, more eternal than she ever was, now and forever.
Just like with Ami, here are two more pieces of art I have made. But this time, these feature our lovely Amazonian beauty, Makoto Kino. Just like the last post, these were digitally remade, based on the artwork from the original artist. Without further ado, enjoy the latest work.
Even though she is the strongest and tomboyish of the Sailor Guardians, Makoto Kino isn't afraid to get in touch with her feminine side, as she tries to flirt with her noble counterpart, the thunder swordsman of courtesy, Sage Date. No man, even as mature and stoic as Sage, can't resist the beauty and sex appeal of Mako, especially in cute lingerie.
Here is a side by side comparison of sexy Makoto, the digitized drawing and the original artwork itself Absolutely sexiful if I do say so myself.
Original Drawing by: Rascal (N119) Programs Used: GIMP, PhotoImpression4 and MSPaint
