Is it Super Friends, or Superfriends? (Or even SuperFriends)
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.
Here is one of those questions that doesn’t come up too much in normal conversation. Yet, it’s one of those things that, once you think about it, does make you go ’hmmm’. It’s about the Super Friends. Well, actually, the Superfriends. Or, is it the SuperFriends?
I’ve seen it written so many ways over the last 35 years(!) that it is a bit confusing. And, while it probably isn’t the most earth-shattering question, it is something to take into consideration when you are writing a post about the Saturday morning show. Especially when there are fans of the show reading the post who are ready and willing to point out the mis-spelling in fine detail.
So, for the purposes of accuracy, I present the following evidence to you, the TV readers, to help me determine the proper spelling.
The most obvious way to write up the title of the show would be Super Friends. That’s because the first season of the show, premiering on ABC in 1973, was Super Friends. It was hard to tell as the two words were so close together on the title card that they seemed to spell SuperFriends. However, the subsequent comic book by DC Comics and the DVD release of the series were also titled Super Friends. So, that doubt was put to rest.
Here’s where the confusion begins. Starting in 1976 the title of the show changed. Instead of a space between the Super and Friends the words merged into the compound noun Superfriends. From that point on the word ’Superfriends’ seems to have been used in each incarnation of the series. This included the classic Challenge of the Superfriends, The World’s Greatest Superfriends, and Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. The confusion has been amplified because each DVD release has had the title of Super Friends as well.
Add to that the various ways thousands upon millions of people on the Superinfohighwayweb have written Super Friends over the years, and you can see where I am unsure of how to write it up. Being the purist I’m going to go with Super Friends for the time being. Then again, writing Superfriends seems to be a cleaner version of the title. Ah, I’ll just call it ’That Show with Superheroes’ and leave it at that. Or, is it Super Heroes?
Hyper CNN reporter caught with meth
I’ve always enjoyed Richard Quest’s reporting on CNN (if you don’t know the name, the face and voice will remind you who he is). He was the wacky Brit who always had a funny take on politics, current events and pop culture. I thought he was just some crazy, comical Brit reporter. Now we find out that he’s a crazy, comical Brit reporter/meth fan.
The New York Times is reporting that Quest was arrested in Central Park at 3:40 this morning. He was originally arrested because the park is closed between the hours of 1am and 6am and he was trespassing, but as he was being taken out of the park by police, he disclosed that he had meth in his pocket. In fact, his exact words were “I have meth in my pocket.” At least you have to give him points for honesty and accuracy.
No official reaction from CNN yet, but stay tuned.
More Gladiators coming to TV this fall - VIDEO
Do you like American Gladiators? How about a version that has kids competing instead of adults?
That was a concept of Gladiators 2000, a spinoff of the original version of American Gladiators. It aired for a couple of years in the mid-1990s (which is odd, considering it had “2000″ in the title - maybe they were optimistic), and now it’s coming back to syndicated television because of the success of NBC’s remake of the original AG. If you don’t remember the show, it was a little bit like the Nickelodeon show Guts. Contestants would engage in all these tests of strength and speed and accuracy while at the same time learning why carrots were good for you and too much pizza wasn’t.
The real gem about the video clip from the show (after the jump) isn’t the game itself, it’s the host — American Idol host Ryan Seacrest co-hosted the show. Check out his hair
Mark Cuban Negotiating for 3-D Without the Glasses!?
One of the main problems with the concept of 3D is people don’t like wearing those annoying glasses. Sure, they have improved over the years. I remember seeing one of the early MAX 3D films with this big hunking plastic helmet (something larger than Darth Vader would ever wear) which cramped my neck. Real D and IMAX now offer low weight plastic glasses, but I’ve still heard complaints of eye strain (although I’ve never ever suffered such). I’ve always said the future of 3D is a glass-less solution. A few years ago at E3 I saw some early versions of televisions which offered 3D without glasses, and while the prototypes were early at best, I knew then this is where we’d be heading.
MarketSaw is reporting that billionaire maverick Mark Cuban and Ed Meyer of Digital3-D.com have been negotiating with a glass-less 3-D for Cuban’s Landmark Theater chain. The site claims there “may be an announcement soon.” I’m not sure the accuracy of this report (for now let’s classify this as rumor), as I’m still under the belief that we’re a few years off. But it will certainly be interesting to see what kind of technology is needed for such a solution. And how good will it look compared to the normal glass-wearing solution we’re all use to.
Would you see more 3D movies if you didn’t have to wear glasses?