Should Roger Dean sue over Avatar film?

As far as we know Roger Dean was not involved at all in the Cameron film Avatar but clearly his influence is there and has been recognised by a lot of people.  Some outraged long-term Roger Dean fans searching in vain for a credit at the end of the film are calling for Roger Dean to sue Cameron.  Others are are asking why he wasn’t honest enough to acknowledge Roger Dean’s influence or involve him in the project. You’ll find all this and a lot more in the discussions and articles on these links –

Digital Spy – designs in Avatar seem remeniscent of Roger Dean but not ready yet to call for Roger Dean suing Cameron. Then there are blogs with stuff like this starting to think there is an issue that needs addressing.

Stupid Future – Roger Dean wants his floating islands back – now it is getting a bit more serious.

Plus of course, the long-term YES fans (Roger Dean did many of the band’s covers and designed their stage sets) have their say here and they are rather more unhappy about their favourite artist being ripped off.

There was also a mention on Roger Dean’s own site but it appears to have disappeared. 

The Artists UK Roger Dean section is here.

What do you think?

It could have been the end of advertising!

With the increase in car adverts on TV and cinema in recent years almost every other ad is for some new flash car (although you’d be hard pressed sometimes to recognise that the bizarre video you are faced with is advertising anything!).  Whilst the car adverts are increasing, the petrol supply needed to run them is declining and if it wasn’t for the growing alternative fuels market then we could have looked forward to a time when all the advertising is for cars at the same time as the oil runs out leaving us with nothing to drive them on, hence no cars, hence no adverts at all!  Then there’d really be nothing on TV worth watching :-)

The Art of Words

Some people really have a way with words to point of creating a new art form.  One of these must have been the famous American film director Samuel Goldwyn.  Who said the most extraordinary things, many of which, whilst making perfect sense to him just totally confused those around him (or made them laugh!).  For example there’s the famous phrase, “A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on” quoted by thousands of businessmen ever since and “If Roosevelt were alive today, he’d turn over in his grave”.  He also affirmed that,”A bachelor’s life is no life for a single man” and that, “A Hospital is no place to be sick” (where else?). My father is fond of quoting him saying, “Any man who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined” Samuel Goldwyn died in 1974.  I wonder if there were people at his funeral who fulfilled another of his famous phrases,”The reason so many people turned up at his funeral is that they wanted to make sure he was dead.”

He loathed the advent of television and as regards colour television he famously said, Color television! Bah, I won’t believe it until I see it in black and white”. He also made the comment, “Why should people go out and pay money to see bad films when they can stay at home and see bad television for nothing?” where today the TV may not have changed much but many of the films are truly awesome!  Perhaps, the film-makers today put more work into grooming their stars for success.  As Samuel Goldwyn put it, “Give me a couple of years, and I’ll make that actress an overnight success.”   He was intolerant of fawning staff around him proclaiming,”I don’t want any yes-men around me. I want everybody to tell me the truth even if it costs them their job.” He also said he was willing to admit that he might not always be right, but he was never wrong!

His phrase, “If I could drop dead right now, I’d be the happiest man alive” may have been in 1974 or maybe not.  Well, wherever he is now he must be working on his autobiography since he firmly believed this to be the time to write one as shown in his famous quotation, “I don’t think anyone should write their autobiography until after they’re dead.” Since that would preclude being paid any royalties I think most of us would reply with another of his well-known quips and say, “Include me out.”

Dan Woods in new company

Artist Dan Woods is well-known for the many books he has illustrated along with album covers and film projects etc. He is also a very accomplished musician who has toured with great names such as Captain Sensible, Attila the Stockbroker and The Fish Brothers. He also once famously fronted a band on a major tour of Germany when their front-man was taken ill at the last minute! Now he is part of the growing enterprise called Renegade Arts Entertainment of which he is both a founder member and shareholder. Funded by a well-known entrepreneur with excellent connections in media and marketing in Europe, Canada and the USA Renegade Arts Entertainment looks ready to take on the world! In its first months of life it has already seen the completion of a number of successful projects including film work for the legendary heavy rock band Judas Priest. The team at Renegade Arts Entertainment are all inspired and motivated to make their mark. A high level of commitment is the company’s driving force. The company is not so much interested in taking on standard business contracts as generating exciting and original ideas that it can market around the globe. You can get an insight into the wonderful world of Renegade Arts Entertainment by visiting their new website here. For more on the art of Dan Woods click here.

John Howe at Comics Con

Tolkien artist extraordinaire John Howe who worked with Alan Lee on Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings film trilogy will be attending Comic Con in San Diego this summer, an event which he says he is quite  looking forward to.  More news on exactly what he’ll be doing there is not available.  Apparently it depends on what his editor tells him he’ll be doing there.  Let’s hope the editor knows …

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