It’s Official: Disney Buys 20th Century Fox Properties

The Walt Disney Company has announced that it is acquiring 21st Century Fox‘s film and television studios, cable entertainment networks and international TV businesses for $52.4 billion dollars.

But forget all that financial babble — all comic book fans want to know is: When will the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool be reunited with the House of Ideas? Well, it’s certainly going to happen, as Disney’s release stipulates:

“The agreement also provides Disney with the opportunity to reunite the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool with the Marvel family under one roof and create richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love.”

A Pre-‘Pocalyptic Pony Proposition!

What was once just the fever dream of a few dedicated toy professionals is about to come to pass — but only with a little help from their fiends friends! And Friendship is Madness!

Little Maddie and the Four Horsies of the ‘Pocalypse is an attempt to summon into existence a line of designer collectibles for the discerning adult with a touch of that ol’ H.P. Lovecraft netherworld madness. But these toys cannot become manifest on this plane unless we help Bigshot Toyworks with its Kickstarter campaign to raise enough funds to pay for earthly necessities like sacrificial offerings raw materials, dark altars factories and minions workers and such.

While Little Maddie shows a dark Chthuloid influence, the Four Horsies of the ‘Pocalypse owe a debt to more classical sources. They are Raven (Famine), Clash (War), Calamity (Pestilence) and Ghost (Death).

Check out the Little Maddie Designer Figure Kickstarter page.

McDonald’s Unveils Frightening New Mascot

Brace yourselves, parents and kiddies – this could make you lose your lunch.

Burger-meister McDonald’s – once the home of Grimace and the Hamburgler – introduced another new mascot today, a computer-generated talking Happy Meal box called… wait for it… “Happy.” And, from its horrifying appearance, apparently his job is to make McDonald’s new “healthy” Happy Meals unpalatable to kids.

Or, at least make them afraid — eat, or be eaten!

Mission: Accomplished.

DOCTOR WHO renewed!

With DOCTOR WHO wrapping up the first part of its sixth series tonight in the USA (on BBC America), we Whovians can console ourselves with the terrific news this week that the BBC has commissioned 14 more episodes starring Matt Smith! Those will take the form of a 2011 Christmas Special and a 13-installment seventh series (or, more properly, a 33rd season) in 2012. No word about Karen Gillan (Amy) and Arthur Darvill (Rory), but still, what’s not to love?

Well, the tabloid press never met any good news it couldn’t twist to manufacture controversy and sell papers, so the lack of a firm premiere date (which is not the least bit unusual nearly a year ahead of time) has provided an excuse to speculate about delaying the series somehow – either pushing it all the way back to a fall 2012 premiere or repeating the split-season format we’re experiencing this year. Plus, more fear-mongering about ratings in the U.K.