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College Course on Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel-Avengers

Ladies and gentlemen of the books, check your course listings, for instead of Chemistry you could be earning credit for studying the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Right now you have to be a student at the University of Baltimore, but if you are look for “Media Genres: Media Marvels” at registration, you and your fellow classmates will soon be exploring Marvel’s modern movie legacy together. The course is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

According to the press release for the course, “you will scrutinize the intricately plotted world of Marvel films—the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America series, characters from the Avengers, and now the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which is widely expected to be the highest grossing film of 2014 [and] examine how Marvel’s series of interconnected films and television shows, plus related media and comic book sources and Joseph Campbell’s monomyth of the “hero’s journey,” offer important insights into modern culture.”

“One thing we’ll do is dive into the impact of the Guardians of the Galaxy film, which proved two things: Mainstream movie audiences are not remotely tired of superhero movies; and Marvel Studios can now release a sci-fi adventure that actually features talking trees and raccoons,” said course instructor Arnold T. Blumberg, D.C.D. ’04, an adjunct faculty member in UB’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s not that they’re getting away with it—they’ve created a universe in which fans completely accept these developments, and they’re ready for even more.”
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Disney has a Times Square Problem

When you think of Disney in Times Square, NYC. the company wants you to think of this

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and this

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and this

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But what a large portion of the 1.4 million tourists that pass through Times Square see every week is this

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and this

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It’s not a good situation. A half-decade or so ago in New York, there was just an occasional Mickey Mouse hanging out near the ABC studios trying not to look bored, a few years ago Elmo joined in the fun, but now there’s dozens of these costumed characters (often many duplicates of the same characters) just hanging out hoping that someone will give them a tip after posing for a picture with them.

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Agents of SHIELD S2-E1 Preview: Shadows

When we left our team last Spring, S.H.I.E.L.D. was all but destroyed. Coulson and his team were the remnant and charged with building the organization back up from the ground. They were also still reeling from the discovery that one of their own, Ward, was… Read More »Agents of SHIELD S2-E1 Preview: Shadows

Disney’s Big Hero 6 Partners With XPrize to Change the World

Young innovators are wanted to enter the Big Hero 6 xPrize by answering the question “What one problem would you tackle to change the world, and how would you do it?” Use S.T.E.A.M. (Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) to solve a problem, big or… Read More »Disney’s Big Hero 6 Partners With XPrize to Change the World

Into The Woods – First Poster Released

The Christmas Disney film for 2014 is “Into the Woods,” a Stephen Sondheim musical that is loved by millions. The first one sheet poster for the film has just been released and it features the character of “The Witch” as portrayed by Meryl Streep. “Into… Read More »Into The Woods – First Poster Released

Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix – new details

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There’s been a lot of talk surrounding Marvel’s Cinematic Universe lately. Disney and Marvel just released the official plot for “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” has become the highest grossing film of the year and, despite being knocked down to third last… Read More »Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix – new details

Disney Ray Bans at D-Street

I’ve never spent more than $10 on a pair of sunglasses myself, but if I was inclined to splurge, perhaps on a gift for someone special, these Mickey Mouse Ray Bans on sale at D-Street in Downtown Disney’s Westside are pretty cool. I’m not sure… Read More »Disney Ray Bans at D-Street

A Good Day on the Set of Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”

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alexander, dick van dyke, jennifer garner, disney

You may recall Judith Viorst’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day from your own childhood; or perhaps the tale has made its way into the nightly “read me a story” routine that is currently running on an infinite loop just this side of your child’s bedtime. Either way, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a classic book that we all love, and we love it because it is relatable.

Who among us has not had a day where everything that could go wrong does go wrong? We shake our fists at the sky, make desperate pleas into the night, and wish upon stars for mercy, understanding, and just one thing to go right. It happens to all of us, some more than others.

Alexander knows what I’m talking about.

Thankfully, those days are often countered by peaks of goodness and wonder which is how I found myself standing outside Pasadena’s famed Vroman’s Bookstore exchanging pleasantries with Dick Van Dyke and following him onto the set of Disney’s adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Some good days are better than others.

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I was with a group of writers from this very Internet (I’m the guy with the beard and the hat), and together we watched Dick Van Dyke and Jennifer Garner (who totally remembered me from our Timothy Green interview, so I’ve got that going for me) film a scene in the bookstore before a crowd of extras, employees, and real-life shoppers.

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