–Look!–Godzirra!

Posted April 8, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: cool things, movies, scalies

Tags: ,

– – Godzilla has been a presence on the movie monster scene since his first film appearance in 1954, surviving cheesy outings in rubber suits and the 1998 reinvention of the character for Sony which earned the disdain of long-time fans of the character.   Worse still, movies like Cloverfield and War of the Worlds (the remake) produced a greater shock and awe factor.  It seemed the glory days of the classic character were behind him…

But wait, there may be a dance in the old boy yet!   Wikipedia reports a greater number of searches under Godzilla in the aftermath of Japan’s tsunami and nuclear reactor problems.  Furthermore, Legendary Pictures has announced that they are ready to start developing a new movie based on the classic Toho Studios monster that will go back to the roots of the creature.  Hopefully ready for a 2012 release, the new film may reboot this classic cultural icon…just in time for the end of the Mayan calendar!

Foghorn Leghorn Does Geico!

Posted April 6, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, anthropomorphic, Brilliant but twisted, cartoons, cool things, television

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– – Foghorn Leghorn is not the best known Looney Tunes character, but deserves a bit more attention.  He’s about to get it in one of the on-going Geico commercials, where it is posed whether Foghorn Leghorn would make a really bad book narrator…

The answer is, extremely! Foghorn is an anthropomorphic rooster with a Central Virginia accent and a “good ol’ boy” speaking style who is full of bluster, hot air, and himself.  He starred in 28 cartoons in the Golden Age of  American animation, first appearing in 1946.  We are shown the rooster narrating A Tale of Two Cities in his own inimitable way, offering much irritating commentary along the way.  So irritating is Foghorn that Henry the  Hawk, also present in the recording booth for the session, just can’t take it anymore, and picks up a bat to explain the situation to the extremely verbose rooster…it’s classic stuff!

Most of us know someone who is at least somewhat like Foghorn Leghorn, and have been tempted to deal with them in a similar fashion…just resist, because assault and battery is illegal!

One of Us?

Posted April 4, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, furry, furry heroes, furry spirits, television

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– – Imagine a surreal TV series about a guy, the girl next door, and her mixed breed dog, Wilfred. The twist is that the dog is played by a comic in a rather mediocre fursuit, complete with a drawn-on black nose!  That’s right, there may be a furry cult classic in the making here!

Wilfred will be aired on FX, and is based on a successful award-winning Australian series.  Not all foreign shows translate well to American television, although there have been notable exceptions such as Being Human. The premise of this show is exciting as we who are furry generally have to content ourselves on television with anthropomorphic animal ‘toon characters such as Brian in Family Guy, or occasionally catch glimpses of fursuited actors such as Bill Murray’s dog character Frisbee all too briefly portrayed in the movie, Scrooged. Such tantalizing tastes only leave us hungry for more, and here in Wilfred we have the promise of a major, on-going furry character!

Family Guy alum David Zuckerman is adapting the quirky comedy for FX, and will write and exec produce.  Jason Gann, who co-created and starred in the Australian series, plays the title character.- -Coming your way in  June!

The Bridgestone Beaver

Posted April 2, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, Brilliant but twisted, furry, furry commercials, television

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– – What goes around, comes around…or so we are shown in the karmic Bridgestone beaver saga, generally regarded as probably the best of this year’s Superbowl commercials.  We are shown an industrious beaver hard at work in a wooded area, dutifully carrying a branch across a road with a bridge spanning a river visible in the background.–Oh no!–A car is then shown zipping down the road towards the beaver, who throws his paws up in anticipation of becoming roadkill.  The guy driving, however, calls upon the excellent handling characteristics of his Bridgestone tires, and is able at the last second to swerve around the threatened beaver, avoiding a messy tragedy.

For the beaver, life is one dam thing after another…and we cut to six months in the future, when the same motorist is shown traveling down the same road during a storm.  This time, a tree across the road halts the driver’s progress.  It’s a good thing, too, because the bridge the motorist must cross has been swept away by a raging torrent of water!  The beaver and the motorist spot one another, and exchange salutes…it’s a great moment!

A parable for our time…now that’s car-ma!

To Be Young, Elusive, and Serpentine…

Posted April 1, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animal behavior, animal occurrences, animals, scalies

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– – She’s young, beautiful, quite deadly, and on the lam; the Bronx Zoo Egyptian cobra, that is!  A mere 3 ounces and just twenty inches long, the missing adolescent cobra has more than 135,000 followers on Twitter, some of whom suggest possible hideouts for her or relate supposed communications.

Staffers at the zoo believe that the elusive snake is still holed up in some warm spot at the Reptile House such as a heating duct or under a large appliance.  Unless discovered, the missing reptile could spend months in hiding before eventually emerging for water or something to nosh.

The snake’s toxins can cause respiratory failure, and is probably the type of asp that Cleopatra used to commit suicide; the venom is lethal to humans in 15 minutes.   Snakes tend to seek out confined spaces where they feel safe, where I rather imagine that she’s listening to some White Snake…

Addendum:   The Egyptian cobra has now been located by zoo staff coiled in a dark corner of the Reptile House during a sweep of the premises.  She is in good condition, but her Twittering days may be over…

At One With Beer and Nature?

Posted March 30, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, furry, furry commercials, furry spirits, television

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– – The Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World is notable here because of his apparent natural abilities with animals, who also seem to appreciate his legendary charisma.   We pause to salute this man because he goes out of his way to protect animals such as husky dogs, bears, and as illustrated,  foxes. As evidence of his ability to get along with and even control nature we cite the fact that whenever he swims, dolphins follow him.   He has a live owl that is shown in one commercial landing on his arm.  A recent commercial shows this beer-drinking wonder shooing a mountain lion out of his kitchen!

The actor who plays “The Most Interesting Man” is in real life Jonathan Goldsmith, who is committed to Saber Tigers, an organization designed to save big and endangered cats.  That makes Goldsmith one cool cat himself…


It’s The Big One!

Posted March 28, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: blog business, Off-topic

– -Well, we’ve made it to 200,000 hits here on little ole Foxsylvania…a far cry from the days when I was getting perhaps seven hits a day, and almost gave up on this blog!   Now I’m committed…or perhaps I should be!

What can I say?–Thank you guys so very much!!!

Another Dubious Bigfoot Video…

Posted March 26, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: cryptozoology, strange happenings, unexplained, unidentified

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– – Lord have mercy, it’s another Bigfoot video, this one from a guy in Rutherford County in North Carolina taken March 22nd, and guess what?—It’s blurry! The Bigfoot in this video is socially challenged and hygienically impaired.

The videotape is reported to show a 7-foot-tall, 300 pound, six-toed Bigfoot as taken from a distance of 15 to 20 feet away.  The creature, described as brown and furry, allegedly ran across a local road in Rutherford County, and smelled “like a cross between roadkill and a skunk.”  Bigfoot also supposedly snarled or growled at the photographer as it ran across the road.

Needless to say, the authenticity of the video has come into question, with a local respected Bigfoot hunter maintaining that a real Bigfoot creature would have only five toes and present with a different walking stride.   To quote another commentator, “I don’t believe that we as humans have seen all there is to see in this world, but when you show me a video that is in focus and does not appear to be some gorilla-suited weirdo, then I will believe someone captured Bigfoot on film.

Candy, Chicks, & Rock ‘N’ Roll!

Posted March 24, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, furry, movies

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– – Most Easter family movies are old school cartoons better left forgotten, but Hop may set the bar higher.  Featuring E.B., the teenage son of the Easter Bunny who plays a mean set of skins and wants to become a drummer in a rock ‘n’ Roll band, the hare destined for greatness splits for Hollywood only to be hit by the car of Fred the slacker in L.A.  Alas, one cannot escape their destiny…

Taking the Easter Bunny heir in as he recovers, Fred discovers that he has the world’s worst house guest, and that they both are running from adulthood; do ‘ya blame ’em?   Hop blends state-of-the-art animation with live action, and features some cute touches,  such as the all-female special forces of the Easter Bunny, the Pink Berets, who really kick tail!

Coming to theaters from Universal Pictures on April 1st…it will leave you wanting candy, and singing the song!



Ram-bo and Gum Gimmicks…

Posted March 21, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: absurdities, animals, Brilliant but twisted, furry, television

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– – Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in the Aliens series forever set the bar high for me on what a strong, take-charge woman should be, someone who can hold her own with space marines and even prevail against a ferocious mother alien in mortal combat.  None too shabby either is a young female we are treated to in the latest Stride Spark gum commercial who when charged by a ram, wrestles the sucker to the ground, and uses the power of oomph to intimidate and deter him from additional aggression.

Now we’ve seen ram-tactics successfully employed before by shadowy gum agents, those frightening secret operatives determined to retrieve the long-lasting gum from users in order to compel them to buy more gum; commercialism ain’t pretty.   In an earlier spot for Stride,  a ram is successfully deployed to strike a poor male chewer crossing a street, causing the gum to fly out of his mouth where it can be retrieved.  These same secret operatives are not above using wrestlers or even German ethnic dancers to achieve their objectives.   Probably in the future, the History Channel will link them to Freemasonry or some dark alien agenda.

I fear the gum agents and their unspeakable objectives, and like the truth, I know that they are out there…