Marvel Comics Bullpen Bulletins

08/08/2024

History of Spider-Man Day
Everyone loves Spider-Man. And how can we not? Spider-Man entered the comic-book universe in issue 15 of Marvel Comics’ “Amazing Fantasy” in August 1962 and has been a major player ever since. The groundbreaking story caught the attention of readers when it featured an awkward, antisocial teenager as its superhero — a description typically associated with sidekicks. But this bold move turned out to be a boon for creator Stan Lee, who touched the hearts of a generation of kids who felt lonely, rejected, or had difficulty making friends. Spider-Man proved that anyone can be a superhero and, even after being around for about 60 years, he’s still as popular as ever.

Spider-Man got his own comic series, “The Amazing Spider-Man,” in March 1963. The titular character rose to popularity and quickly became integral in the ever-expanding Marvel Universe, engaging with regularly featured characters like the Human Torch, the Incredible Hulk, and Daredevil. The supporting characters in the Spider-Man world were equally interactive and colorful, enthralling readers who developed soft spots for them. This includes J. Jonah Jameson, the anti-Spider-Man editor-in-chief for the “Daily Bugle” newspaper, Spider-Man’s love interests Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson, and costumed villains like Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, and Venom.

Spider-Man became a fast-expanding franchise, his heroics no longer able to be contained in single monthly issues. Spidey’s frequent crossover storylines with other Marvel characters led to the creation of the bimonthly series “Marvel Team-Up” in March 1972, which ran for 150 issues. Spider-Man teamed up with nearly every high-profile superhero in the Marvel Universe in this ongoing series.

“Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man” was the fourth installment comic series of Spider-Man’s continuing adventures. It debuted in December 1976 and ended after 263 issues. One of the most memorable events of this era was Peter’s marriage to Mary Jane Watson.

We all know Spider-Man is fast, but his momentum in the comic world was soon noticed by Hollywood as well. Sony Entertainment purchased the rights to Spider-Man, and brought him to the big screen in May 2002 with the movie “Spider-Man.” With Tobey Maguire playing the friendly neighborhood superhero, the Spider-Man movies paved the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the superhero movie genre. “Spider-Man 2” was released in 2004 and broke box-office records, followed by “Spider-Man 3” in 2007, which ended Director Sam Raimi’s trilogy. The franchise was rebooted five years later, with “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 2012, starring Andrew Garfield.

Next, Spider-Man made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the third act of “Captain America: Civil War” (2016). Young actor Tom Holland breathed life into the web-slinger, who had been neglected due to the ongoing legal issues and character rights between Sony Entertainment and Marvel Studios. The latest Marvel movies featuring Spider-Man are worldwide blockbusters “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019).

Spider-Man Day timeline
1962
A Hero is Born
Stan Lee comes up with the idea for Spider-Man and the character first appears in a comic as a supporting character.

1963
First Independent Comic
Spider-Man gets his own comic, "The Amazing Spider-Man".

2002
Spider-Man Goes to Hollywood
Spider-Man gets his own movie franchise ("Spider-Man") starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco.

2010
Broadway Special
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" debuts on Broadway in NYC.

2012
Meet the New Spidey!
"The Amazing Spider-Man" starring Andrew Garfield premieres, followed by a sequel ("The Amazing Spider-Man 2") in 2014.

2017
Third Time’s the Charm
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" premieres, starring the new Spider-Man, Tom Holland.

Traditions
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is celebrated with exciting events, movie marathons, and trading of collectible comic book issues featuring the superhero. Spider-Man gets the approval of both kids and adults, which makes him so likable and relatable. Kids don their Spider-Man costumes and toy web slingers, whereas grown-up enthusiasts wear more elaborate costumes to celebrate events and parties.

Spider-Man comic books that are rare and collectible are traded and sold. Special issues are also available at some comic book stores. With the release of the latest Spider-Man video game, gamers and online streamers host playthrough sessions of the latest and older Spider-Man games. Today is also the day where traditionally we see many masked marauders make news headlines around the world as they attempt to climb walls and buildings — but don’t try this at home (or anywhere for that matter), kids!

Spider-Man Day By The Numbers
10 tons – the weight that Spider-Man can bench press.
200 mph – the top speed at which Spider-Man can run.
#15 – the issue number of the “Amazing Fantasy” comic book that Spider-Man first appeared in.
2002 – the year in which the Spider-Man movie franchise was released.
#290 – the comic issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” in which the superhero married Mary Jane.
1963 – the year when Spider-Man’s first solo title “The Amazing Spider-man (Vol. 1)” appeared on shelves.
700th – the issue number at which Volume 1 of “The Amazing Spider-Man” ended in December 2012.
8 – the total number of Spider-Man cartoon series.
1 hour – the time it takes for Spider-Man’s web to dissolve.
250 – the IQ level of Peter Parker.

Spider-Man Day FAQs
How did Peter Parker die?
Peter Parker is killed in a battle against the Green Goblin in “The Death Of Spider-Man”. It is later revealed that he survived his death due to immortality given to him by the same spider gene that gave him his powers.

Who is the best Spider-Man?
Tom Holland, the current actor who plays Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics live-action superhero movies, is the choice of most comic book fans as the best Spider-Man. Although Tobey Maguire will always have an old-school charm and hold a special place for everyone, as he was the original Spider-Man in the first movies.

Who was the first Spider-Man?
The first Spider-Man appeared in “Amazing Fantasy #15,” published in August 1962.

What is Spider-Man's top speed?
Depending on the creative team working on the world famous character, speed has fluctuated over the years by a good stretch. Nevertheless, online consensus suggest Spider-Man has an upper limit ranging from 200-250 miles per hour. Let’s put that in perspective – Usain Bolt record speed is just under 28 miles per hour.

How to be a Spiderman?
Well, sorry to be bearer of this bad news, but it turns out that it’s not possible for someone to be Spider-Man…it has everything to do with our human bodies. As we know, Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man is able to leap up walls much like a spider can.

Spider-Man Day Activities
Have a Spider-Man movie marathon
Depending how far back in time you want to go and which producers/directors you prefer, you could easily spend an entire day watching movie adaptations of Spider-Man comics. Perhaps you and your friends could watch and compare the latest releases, both Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man and discuss which version is better.

Throw a Spider-Man party
Invite your friends over, decorate the house and get the silly string web-slinging devices ready 'cause it’s party time! To really make your party stand out, try some Spidey-themed food like deviled eggs with paprika shaken into the shape of a spider. To keep the adults happy, try making the Spider-Man cocktail mixed with cherry and raspberry liqueurs, tequila and a sprinkling of pop rocks.

Parkour!
Ever wanted to leap and fly like Spider-Man? While swinging through New York City with a series of webs isn’t quite realistic, the growing trend of parkour can be done, right here and now. A mix of gymnastics and dancing, building up your parkour skills means flipping, sliding and jumping through the city just like Spidey.

5 Super Facts About Spider-Man
Spider-Man was originally Fly-Man
Initially, Stan Lee wanted to create a superhero based on a fly or insect.

The only spider people like
Head of Marvel Comics, Martin Goodman disapproved of the concept of Spider-Man due to the fact that most people hate spiders.

It’s in the name
Stan Lee specifically placed a hyphen in Spider-Man’s name to avoid confusion between ‘Spiderman’ and ‘Superman’ as the latter was rather popular at the time.

Venom was born from fanfiction
Spider-Man’s nemesis Venom was created as fan fiction, and purchased by Marvel for $220.

Changing times
Spider-Man is the first independent teenage superhero who was not a sidekick to an adult superhero.

Why We Love Spider-Man Day
He’s relatable
Superman is an alien and Batman is rich beyond measure but Peter Parker is the everyday high school kid we all used to be. By creating a hero with whom we identify, Marvel managed to inspire all of us to do our part for the good of the community. We just have to figure out how to do it without super strength or spidey sense.

He's made for the silver screen
When comic book movies had a resurgence in the early 21st century, Spider-Man led the way. The 2002 release of Spider-Man resulted in a gross income of nearly $822 million worldwide. Its sequel in 2004 raked in almost $784 million while the third installment in 2007 broke all previous records with gross income just shy of $891 million worldwide.

He teaches us great life lessons
From the iconic quote “with great power comes great responsibility” to learning humility, Spider-Man has bestowed some core life lessons on generations of fans. His ability to not take credit for the good he does and his commitment to always be himself serve as models for us all.

31/07/2024

Wow 🤩

31/07/2024

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! I would like to invite you to the group of the same name to participate. You can find the link in the pinned post , Lee Lee, Bryant Levy, Hugo Krivuseski, Jerome Roach, Michael Greear, Javier Gustavo Gaitán Serrano, Bonifacio Mariano, John D. Howland, John Feiler, Danny Penny, John Tucker, Henry Swindell, Thiruneelakandan Art, Tony Camara, Gloria Valdez, Mark Valdez

20/06/2024

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Kelvin Woods, Domingo Dominguez, Sam Boyd, Marcelo Arena, Fritzgerald Limonta, David Lonsky, Laurel Roy, Chris Pollard, Milton Smith... This page was set up as support for this group https://www.facebook.com/groups/978177408869468/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT come join and participate 😃

29/05/2024

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Ricardo Palma, Jorge Fabian Aguero, I invite you to the group that this page was set up for. You can find it as the pinned post.

11/12/2023

When Bruce met Bruce!

11/12/2023

Spider-Man original art sketch by MARCIO TAKARA! 6x9! Another fun fan special sketch from our massive all-sketch event! Thank you to everyone who was able to get a spot…it paid for his Tokyo trip! We want to go back again next year…maybe another list then? www.felixcomicart.com

29/04/2023

05/04/2023

05/04/2023

Premier

03/03/2023

Enjoy a nice splash page

This one comes from of the Fantastic Four, published in July of 1968. The art from this page would later be used in a Marvel Psychedelic Black Light poster ( #4005) in 1971

21/02/2023

1972
THE RETURN OF THE MARVEL MULTI MAGS

by Adrian Wymann

An ongoing compilation of known Marvel Multi-Mags shows the next evidence of one on sale to be a packaged bag from October 1972 with 4 comics (Iron Man #51, Daredevil #92, Hero For Hire #3 and Adventure Into Fear #10) selling for 79¢.


Whether or not the comicpack formula was truly dropped at Marvel after the switch to Curtis Circulation remains an open question in the face of a complete lack of any evidence for Marvel Multi-Mags between October 1969 and October 1972. The new logo which would be used consistently up until the early 1980s is in evidence on the 1972 4-pack, but the next documented Multi-Mags dates from August 1974, leaving yet another gap of almost two years.
It is difficult to say whether the production and distribution of Marvel Multi-Mags at the time was only sporadic or simply took place in small circulation numbers, leaving only very few surviving examples for posterity. But then things in general became rather chaotic at the House of Ideas.

Perfect Film still owned Marvel but had renamed itself Cadence Industries in 1973, and what had officially been Magazine Management Company now officially became known as Marvel Comics Group (Nadel, 2009), of which Albert Landau became president that same year (Howe, 2012). Unlike Stan Lee, whom he succeeded in that function, Landau had no comic book industry background and had previously been running a photo agency which occasionally worked together with Magazine Management Company. But what counted was that Landau was the choice of Cadence CEO Sheldon Feinberg.

Described by Stan Lee as "a very strange guy" (Lee & Thomas, 1998), Landau - under whose reigns work culture at Marvel gradually became dysfunctional and demoralizing (Howe, 2012) - kept turning in estimated sale figures to the Cadence top brass which increasingly looked just too good to be true.


Growing suspicious, the corporation sent an accountant and one Jim Galton, a circulation consultant, over to Marvel to examine the profit-loss statements whilst Landau was on vacation. What they found deeply troubled Cadence, and they made Galton replace Landau as president with immediate effect in 1975 (Howe, 2012).
The accountancy books revealed that Marvel had lost $2 million by mid-1975 (Daniels, 1991). On top of that, Galton quickly found out that Marvel published 75 comic books each month but that hardly any of them were ever distributed on time. Fans never knew if and when the next installment of their favorite stories would reach them. So Galton's first mission was to establish serious deadlines and enforce them (Foerster, 2010).

Another huge problem was the traditional distribution model with returnability - and the fraudulent practices it attracted.

"We actually found a company that was sending back more copies than we shipped them. We found out there was a printer in upstate New York that was printing copies of our covers to sell back to us (...) At the time we had something like a 70 percent return rate" (Galton in: Foerster, 2010)

Galton adressed the distribution problems and, ultimately guiding Marvel into the direct market, seemingly also rediscovered the virtues of the sealed, non-returnable comicpack bag and its special market with a customer base in supermarkets and department store chains which comic books could hardly reach otherwise.


By late 1975, Marvel was back in the comicpack business (as the rising number of known Marvel Multi-Mags indicates), but their offerings would never be as structured and adhering to a corporate design such as DC's comic packs - which kept on being turned out in 4 different sets every month throughout the 1970s like clockwork (occasionally adding a fifth set outside the regular schedule)
Which raises the question who actually ran and distributed the Marvel Multi-Mags scheme. Given the prominent MARVEL plus Spider-Man branding (plus trademark indication) it all seems to point to Marvel itself being at the wheel.

Which may also explain why there is only anecdotal data at hand for the actual publication schedule - although there are confirmed multiple sets of Multi-Mags for a number of months from 1975 through to 1981. Given that the topic has not been the subject of much reserach in the past, more information might come to light yet which could reveal an actual systematic behind Marvel's Multi-Mags.

During the initial phase the MARVEL MULTI-MAGS logo printed onto the header of the plastic bag was used consistently, but in various colour variations: red and blue on white, yellow and green on white, green and black on yellow, and yellow and white on red were all used at times - although the visual branding used (Spider-Man over a circular vignette) only really worked with a blue background. Quite obviously, Spidey's costume was popular and known enough to withstand even the most garish colour combinations.

During this early direct market attempt the comic books sealed inside the plastic bags were simply taken from the regular newsstand print run, i.e. they differed in no way from an issue sold in the context of the old returnability scheme. This was true across the board for all publishers who now sold their comic books packaged as comic packs, but as successful as this distribution and sale scheme was, DC, Marvel and Charlton (who all used Whitman's comicpack distribution system) gradually became aware of the fact that they now faced a new problem.

Comic packs were distributed to and sold by a large variety of outlets, including some who also carried regular newsstand comic books. And the aforementioned crookedness of parts of the newsstand sales business found an easy way to get around the non-returnability of bagged comic books.
"A certain number of distributors and retailers simply split the packs open and returned the loose comics, making an arbitrage profit." (Paul Levitz in: Evanier, 2007)

But it wasn't just the vendors - it was the customer side too.

"We called 'em Marvel Multi-Mags, and they were three Marvel books in a plastic bag for a cent less than the full cover price. These things used to be everywhere - in grocery stores, in toy stores, and in department stores. It always took facile fingers to pry the bag apart just enough so that you could see the middle comic that was sandwiched in-between - if you were scrupulous, like me - those less pure of heart would just rip the bag apart in the store and take what they wanted." (Tom Brevoort in: Morse, 2008)

DC, Charlton and above all Marvel - where Galton was still looking to fix every hole in the bucket he could find - must have rightfully been quite annoyed by all of this, even more so as it was a tough problem to tackle. Until you took a look at how Whitman themselves handled their own comic packs, that is.


Whitman acquired the rights to the comic books from its parent company (Western Publishing) which they distributed in packaged form.
As a result, Whitman was selling comic book packs as of 1972 containing Gold Key titles which had their logo replaced by the familiar "Whitman face". As a side effect, it was thus always possible to tell a regular newsstand Gold Key comic book from the same issue coming from a comic pack.




It was the fix everybody was looking for - an easy and inexpensive way of tackling the problem of dishonest sellers ripping open the plastic bags and making a double profit by returning the contents.

18/02/2023

1969
MIND THE GAP
by Adrian Wymann

Marvel's Multi Mags had been around for little more than a year when all of a sudden they simply vanished in mid-1969.

The reason was twofold.

Firstly, Martin Goodman had sold Marvel Comics in July 1968 to Martin Ackerman who ran a business conglomerate called Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation (Howe, 2012).

Secondly, Perfect Film had also acquired Curtis Publishing with its own distribution division, Curtis Circulation. Marvel had already changed printers in May 1969 (Saunders et al, 2008), and when Marvel's distribution contract with Independent News expired, Curtis Circulation took over (Howe, 2012).
The cover date production run for October 1969 - on sale in mid-July 1969 - heralded the change. Gone was the long-standing IND below the price, replaced by the rounded CC logo of Curtis.

It pointed to doing all things "in-house" in order to maximize profits (ironically at a threshold point in time when comics were starting to lose money).

Perfect Film's approach to doing business was such (Howe, 2012) that it is safe to assume that the Whitman distribution deal simply expired alongside the contract with Independent.


(Pictured Marvel Multi-Mags 69-B5 with
Captain Marvel #14 (June 1969))


So in spite of the continuing success of DC's COMICPACs (which became SUPER PACs in 1970) and other publisher's packaged comicpacks (cf. THOUGHT BALLON #26), Marvel seemingly dropped out of the market quickly - and completely - for quite some time.

09/02/2023

COMIC BOOKS SEALED IN A PLASTIC BAG ARE BORN


The story of those sealed plastic bags containing between five and two different comic books and sold as a package at a marginal discount in supermarkets and department stores began on November 30th 1961.
The reason why this can be pinpointed down in such a precise way is because it was National Periodical (i.e. National Comics, i.e. DC Comics) who came up with the idea, and being the orderly and well organized publishing company DC always was, submitted the name COMICPAC for trademarking - with the purpose to produce, market and sell "packaged comic books". A groundbreaking new concept opening up new market opportunities and planting the seeds of what would become the direct market, "comicpacs" quickly became a highly successful business for DC (cf. THOUGHT BALLON #26).

This was in sharp contrast to the increasingly difficult task of selling comic books through newsstands and the traditional but frustratingly unprofitable setup of reimbursing resellers for unsold items (a business model which of course did nothing whatsoever to encourage actual sales). It was thus only a matter of time before other publishers would try and start to copy DC's Comicpac concept. The opportunity to do so came when the well established Whitman company (a division of Western Publishing) took over the distribution of DC's packaged comics to supermarkets in 1967, inviting a quickly growing number of additional publishers to join in (cf. THOUGHT BALLON #26).


1968
THE COMING OF THE MARVEL MULTI MAGS


Successful and innovative Marvel Comics had just grabbed the market leader position from DC early that year (cf. THOUGHT BALLON #24) and the House of Ideas tuned in on the Whitman distribution deal to supermarkets and chain stores too. As DC had copyrighted its COMICPAC, Marvel Comics - just like all other publishers - had to come up with their own name for their packaging. Sticking with Stan Lee's love for alliterations Marvel labelled its comicpacks MARVEL MULTI-MAGS and used the character vignette in a box (a Steve Ditko brainchild) to help buyers who were in the know identify quickly which titles they were getting.

Marvel Comics Multi-Mags are introduced in 1968

DC was very methodological about their COMICPAC concept and issued a total of 24 sets of comicpacs per year throughout the 1960s like clockwork - two each month. Each Comicpac was coded A and B respectively and numbered 1 to 12. By 1964 the digit would refer to the month, i.e. A-1 and B-1 would both feature comic books with a January cover date, and they would always contain exactly the same titles (e.g. the 1965 B-3 Comicpac would carry the same four issues no matter where or when it was sold) - an indication of how organized and structured the comic packs business at DC was.
Initially, Marvel followed both the DC output and coding system (an A and B Multi-Mag a month) and even expanded it by adding the year, e.g. Multi-Mag 68-A10 was the first packaged set sold in October 1968.

The first known Marvel Multi-Mag dates from July 1968 and contains issue #62 of Amazing Spider-Man - a title which is well represented in the roughly a dozen known Marvel Multi-Mags from 1967/68.

wymann.info/comics

08/02/2023

Born February 9, 1987, an American actor. He is known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama Fruitvale Station (2013), amateur boxer Adonis Creed in the Rocky sequel film Creed (2015), and antagonist Erik Killmonger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther (2018), all three of which were directed by frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler.

Jordan's television roles include Wallace in the HBO series The Wire (2002), Reggie Montgomery in the ABC soap opera All My Children (2003–2006), and Vince Howard in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2009–2011). Other film performances include Maurice "Bumps" Wilson in Red Tails (2012), Steve Montgomery in Chronicle (2012), Mikey in That Awkward Moment (2014) and the Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2015).
Michael B. Jordan Shows His Love for 'My Hero Academia'

By Megan Peters - July 31, 2018
Decades ago, finding anime fans in the U.S. took some digging. However, thanks to the Internet and a bevy of overseas licensers, it has become easier than ever to watch anime. So, really, it isn’t surprising to see your favorite celebrities getting real about Naruto or Bleach.

Just ask all of Michael B. Jordan’s stans. The rising actor is a big anime fan, and he got fans buzzing on social media after he shared some low-key love for My Hero Academia.

Over on Instagram, the whole schtick went down because of a meme. Crunchyroll, a go-to anime streaming service, hit their profile up with a meme connecting All Might to Naruto. The post, which can be seen below, got plenty of likes — and fans did spot a special one.

Rather than shouting out All Might himself, Jordan snuck a simple like. A few fans noticed the subtle shoutout, and the Crunchyroll meme has since taken a life of its own on Twitter.

Of course, the main reason fans are buzzing over the actor’s social media move is because of some headlines Jordan made earlier this year. Back in February, the actor was promoting his role in Black Panther, and his well-documented love for anime became a conversation point to many. Jordan’s past interviews and tweets were dug up, revealing his long-time interest in titles like Dragon Ball. So, fans are excited Jordan is giving a newer shonen title his seal of approval. My Hero Academia stands as one of anime’s top titles these days, and there is something poignant about a MCU star giving props to this superhero series.
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For those unfamiliar with the My Hero Academia juggernaut, the series was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has super powers but he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he's eventually scouted by the world's best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been collected into 15 volumes so far, and has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015.

Which anime would you recommend to Jordan?
Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter to talk all things comics and anime!

25/01/2023

AKA : Cameron Bright

A Canadian actor. He has appeared in the films The Butterfly Effect, Godsend, Birth, Running Scared, Ultraviolet, Thank You for Smoking and three installments of The Twilight Saga.

Cameron was born in Victoria, British Columbia, on January 26, 1993. He resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the age of 6, he was filming his first commercial. In 2002, at only 9 years of age, he worked in his first lead role in the movie Godsend (2004), alongside Academy award-winner Robert De Niro. One month after completing Godsend (2004), Cameron was filming his next lead in Birth (2004), playing the reincarnated husband of Academy award-winner Nicole Kidman. The role of "Sean" in Birth (2004) would land Cameron his first nomination for a major award. Since landing his first lead at the age of 9, he has carried 13 lead roles in major movies, and appeared in numerous TV series as a guest star. He has been a guest presenter at the Breakthrough of the Year, BC Leo and Gemini awards, as well as being nominated for 8 major awards.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anne Bright

He plays two roles of a young boy who can "cure" a new race of human in three months: the role of Six in Ultraviolet and Leech in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Has already worked twice with Rebecca Romijn: for the first time in Godsend (2004), then in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Jason Reitman, who directed him in Thank You for Smoking, gave Cameron a cameo role in his new movie Juno, starring Elliot Page from X-Men: The Last Stand also starring Cameron and Jennifer Garner Daredevil and Electra.

When asked what it was like to watch his movies... "As most actors/actresses, I don't like to watch my own movies either and I never look at the daily's while filming. My favorite movies with me in them are Running Scared and Thank You for Smoking. I love those two and totally got into watching those movies that I forgot I was in them".

Bright's first major role was in Godsend, a horror film co-starring Robert De Niro; the film was released in April 2004 to mixed reviews. In his next film, Birth, he played a ten-year-old boy who claims to be the reincarnation of a woman's (Nicole Kidman) deceased husband. Two scenes within the movie sparked controversy and drew media attention to Bright. In one scene, Bright and Kidman's characters kiss; in the other, the two share a bathtub. The actors wore pale beige-coloured swimsuits in the bath scenes and were never naked or filmed together in the same room at the same time of the bathtub scene, although this was not public knowledge at first.

(About the controversy with the tub scene in Birth (2004)) "If you knew how they film movies and how ACTRA and SAG protect children actors, then you would not be asking me this question. The only people stirring up the bath water in that scene was the media".

REF: IMDb, Wikipedia®

23/01/2023

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities, among others. The New Year celebration is usually celebrated for multiple days—not just one day as in the Gregorian calendar’s New Year. In 2023, Lunar New Year begins on January 22.
China’s Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival or Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal and Vietnamese refer to it as Tết.
Tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday began as a time for feasting and to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. The New Year typically begins with the first new moon that occurs between the end of January and spans the first 15 days of the first month of the lunar calendar—until the full moon arrives.
Zodiac Animals
Each year in the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals included in the cycle of 12 stations or “signs” along the apparent path of the sun through the cosmos.
The 12 zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In addition to the animals, five elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal are also mapped onto the traditional lunar calendar. Each year is associated with an animal that corresponds to an element.
The year 2023 is slated to be the year of the rabbit. The year of the rabbit last came up in 2011. In Vietnam, 2023 is the year of the cat. (Vietnam and China share 10 of the zodiac calendar’s 12 signs, but the Vietnamese honor the cat instead of the rabbit, and the buffalo instead of the ox.)
Lunar New Year Foods and Traditions
Each culture celebrates the Lunar New Year differently with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance and togetherness. In preparation for the Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to rid them of inauspicious spirits, which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck.
Some households hold rituals to offer food and paper icons to ancestors. Others post red paper and banners inscribed with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune in front of, and inside, homes. Elders give out envelopes containing money to children. Foods made from glutinous rice are commonly eaten, as these foods represent togetherness. Other foods symbolize prosperity, abundance and good luck.
China
Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. Under Emperor Wu of Han (140–87 B.C.), the tradition of carrying out rituals on the first day of the Chinese calendar year began.
“This holiday has ancient roots in China as an agricultural society. It was the occasion to celebrate the harvest and worship the gods and ask for good harvests in times to come," explains Yong Chen, a scholar in Asian American Studies.
Beginning in 1949, under the rule of Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, the government forbade celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year and followed the Gregorian calendar.
But by the end of the 20th century, Chinese leaders were more willing to accept the tradition. In 1996, China instituted a weeklong vacation during the holiday—now officially called Spring Festival—giving people the opportunity to travel home and to celebrate the new year.
Did you know? San Francisco, California, claims its Chinese New Year parade is the biggest celebration of its kind outside of Asia. The city has hosted a Chinese New Year celebration since the Gold Rush era of the 1860s, a period of large-scale Chinese immigration to the region.
Today, the holiday prompts major travel as hundreds of millions hit the roads or take public transportation to return home to be with family.
Among Chinese cultures, fish is typically included as a last course of a New Year’s Eve meal for good luck. In the Chinese language, the pronunciation of “fish” is the same as that for the word “surplus” or “abundance.” Chinese New Year’s meals also feature foods like glutinous rice ball soup, moon-shaped rice cakes (New Year’s cake) and dumplings (Jiǎozi in Mandarin). Sometimes, a clean coin is tucked inside a dumpling for good luck.
The holiday concludes with the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of New Year's festivities. Parades, dances, games and fireworks mark the finale of the holiday.
Vietnam
In Vietnamese celebrations of the holiday, homes are decorated with kumquat trees and flowers such as peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, orchids and red gladiolas. As in China, travel is heavy during the holiday as family members gather to mark the new year.
Families feast on five-fruit platters to honor their ancestors. Tết celebrations can also include bánh chưng, a rice cake made with mung beans, pork, and other ingredients wrapped in bamboo leaves. Snacks called mứt tết are commonly offered to guests. These sweet bites are made from dried fruits or roasted seeds mixed with sugar.
Korea
In Korea, official Lunar New Year celebrations were halted from 1910-1945. This was when the Empire of Japan annexed Korea and ruled it as a colony until the end of World War II. Celebrations of Seollal were officially revived in 1989, although many families had already begun observing the lunar holiday. North Korea began celebrating the Lunar New Year according to the lunar calendar in 2003. Before then, New Year's was officially only observed on January 1. North Koreans are also encouraged to visit statues of founder Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il, during the holidays and provide an offering of flowers.
Among both North and South Koreans, foods like sliced rice cake soup (tteokguk) and a dish made from five different grains are prepared to mark the Lunar New Year holiday. Rather than giving money in red envelopes, as in China and Vietnam, elders give New Year's money in white and patterned envelopes.
Traditionally, families gather from all over Korea at the house of their oldest male relative to pay their respects to both ancestors and elders. Travel is less common in North Korea and families tend to mark the holiday at home.
Lunar New Year Greetings
Cultures celebrating Lunar New Year have different ways of greeting each other during the holiday. In Mandarin, a common way to wish family and close friends a happy New Year is “Xīnnián hǎo,” meaning “New Year Goodness” or “Good New Year.” Another greeting is “Xīnnián kuàilè,” meaning "Happy New Year."
Traditional greetings during Tết in Vietnam are “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới” (Happy New Year) and “Cung Chúc Tân Xuân” (gracious wishes of the new spring). For Seollal, South Koreans commonly say "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo” (May you receive lots of luck in the new year), while North Koreans say "Saehaereul chuckhahabnida” (Congratulations on the new year).
—huiying b. chan, Research and Policy Analyst on the Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative team at the New York University Metro Center, edited this report.
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