Memorial Day 2011

Thanks to all who served, and to all who sacrificed so much for our nation and for our freedoms.   We salute you all.  

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" Part 21 -- "Toonotology"

Another segment from "Mixed Nuts":  

"TOONOTOLOGY"
Bugs Bunny offers a rambling, incoherent and very-close-to-crazy discourse on what it means to him to be a "Toonotologist" in this parody of the Tom Cruise Scientology recruitment video. 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 20 -- Bugs Bunny

My alternate title for "Mixed Nuts" was "Toonotopia."  I played around with the original movie poster from Fritz Lang's silent classic "Metropolis" to come up with this series poster, featuring the star of the show, the world's greatest rabbit, Bugs Bunny.  

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" Part 19 -- Jabberjaws Meets Elmer

Below is another piece of concept art from "Mixed Nutz," the animated show I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008 that combines the stars of Looney Tunes with the stars of Hanna-Barbera cartoons.  

Some of the fun moments in "Mixed Nutz" come from the unlikely pairings...like this one.

Elmer Fudd goes hunting, and so does Jabberjaws, in this segment from "Mixed Nutz." 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 18 --Daffy, Yogi, Scooby and Gossamer

Two more images from the "Mixed Nutz" pitch.

Daffy and Yogi argue over their own respective studliness and the kind of music they want to listen to during a cross-country trek in this segment from "Mixed Nutz."

Scooby encounters Looney Tunes monster star Gossamer, who's the pet of the local mad scientist veterinarian, in this "Mixed Nutz" sequence.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were: "Mixed Nutz" Part 17 -- Scoop Doggie Daddy and Petunia Pig

In "Mixed Nutz" (2008),  Doggie Daddy and son have become world-famous hip-hop artists:  namely, Augie Doggy and Scoop Doggie Daddy.  

Likewise, Petunia Pig has become a teen idol in the Britney Spears mold.  She's a top pop singer, a smoking dancer, and the hottest pig on the planet!  

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 16 -- Dogs Playing Poker

A recurring segment on "Mixed Nutz," based on the famous kitschy paintings by C.M. Coolidge:  the dogs of Hanna-Barbera play poker with the Looney Tunes canines.

Marc Antony, Charlie the Dog, K-9 and other Looney Tunes mutts must deal with the underhanded and less-than-above-board card sharks from Hanna-Barbera, including (among others) Huckleberry Hound, Doggie Daddy, Scooby, Scrappy and the biggest cheater of all, Bandit.

"The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2" -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 15 -- TV Parodies

More segment concepts from "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- in this case, TV show parodies.  

In this parody of the "House" TV series, grouchy Dr. Huckleberry  Hound and his incompetent intern, Daffy Duck, must remove a rocket that could explode any second from the rectum of Wile E. Coyote.  

Don't ask.  

In this spoof, Yosemite Sam is a footloose and fancy-free cowboy on the town.  He writes a popular blog about dating as he searches for love and the perfect pair of stylish boots in the big city.  

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 14 -- Daffy Vs. Everyone

A few more images from "Mixed Nutz," the animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros back in 2008.  In "Mixed Nuts," the cartoon worlds of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters come together, resulting in some unique pairings and some new variations on the classic themes.

Of course, Daffy Duck would demand plenty of air time on "Mixed Nuts."   As he put it, "A star of my stature should expect nothing less."   But in this show, Daffy would find himself constantly outflanked by scene-stealers like Yogi Bear...

  ...and upstaged by spotlight-hogging hams like Snagglepuss.  

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 13 -- Marvin the Martian vs. Hanna-Barbera's Universe

In "Mixed Nutz," Marvin the Martian declares intergalactic war against the Hanna-Barbera cartoon universe, and tangles with the casts of "The Jetsons" and "Jonny Quest" in the process.  

 

Marvin's plans to overthrow Orbit City disintegrate when the Martian becomes the focus of attention for lovesick teenager Judy Jetson.  

Marvin is the world's most obnoxious backseat driver as he hijacks the role of Hadji in the "Jonny Quest" segment of "Mixed Nutz."

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 12 -- Yakky Doodle as Villain

I've always been a big fan of Yakky Doodle, the manipulative little duck (with the funny voice provided by Jimmy Wheldon) who starred in his own weekly segments on "The Yogi Bear Show."

In "Mixed Nutz," Yakky remains cute and adorable...but we also see Yakky's dark side.  And we come to realize that Yakky is not just manipulative -- he's actually a sinister supervillain!

Look closely and you'll find Yakky's angry visage as one of the heavies pictured in this poster (below) for a "Mixed Nutz" parody of James Bond, starring Bugs Bunny.  

In "Mixed Nutz," we see how different cartoon characters interact with each other.  

For instance, Yakky is a huge fan of Tweety Bird.  He idolizes the Oscar-winning canary, and is constantly peppering the Warner Bros. cartoon star with fanboy questions and requests.   

Tweety tries to be accommodating, but the non-stop-chattering duck is relentless and ultimately very annoying.  Bottom line:  Tweety doesn't like being upstaged and out-"cuted" by the pint-sized duck.  As far as Tweety is concerned, there's room on "Mixed Nutz" for only one adorable yellow bird...which means, as Tweety puts it, "the poor widdle ducky" has to "faw down and go BOOM!!"

Immediately.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 11 -- Sam and Wilma

By jumbling together the Looney Tunes characters and the stars of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, "Mixed Nutz" was bound to come up with some odd pairings -- and none more odd that this one. 

Yosemite Sam develops a crush on Wilma Flintstone and goes a'courtin' in "Wham, Bam, Thank You, Sam."   

For Sam, the outcome is pretty much the same as it was in "Sam I Bam," pictured earlier.  

More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 10 -- Movie Parodies

I didn't always include characters from both the Looney Tunes and the Hanna-Barbera franchises in every piece of artwork for the "Mixed Nutz" presentation.  While the plan was to have characters from both cartoon worlds appear in each animated segment, when I was pulling together art for the pitch, I'd just use the images and characters that best represented the idea.  

Below, a couple of those pieces.

Bugs runs for higher office in this full-cast extravaganza.

Magilla Gorilla uses the Chrysler building to examine his prostate in this parody of "King Kong," with Lola Bunny hopelessly miscast (as usual) in the Fay Wray/Jessica Lange/Naomi Watts role.  

More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nuts" -- Part 9 -- Yogi with Daffy and Taz

More images from "Mixed Nutz" (2008), the animated TV series I proposed to Warner Bros. that would have teamed up Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera stars.

In "Mixed Nutz," Yogi was cast in a starring role... and his laid back demeanor would prove to be a source of great frustration for Daffy.

In this segment (above) from "Mixed Nutz," the Bugs/Daffy/Elmer "Hunting Season Trilogy" gets a new chapter during "Bear Season."  

Even Yogi can learn a few lessons about the consumption of edible goodies when Taz makes an unscheduled stop at Jellystone Park.
 

More to come...

The Return of "The Huntsman!"

Huntsman’s back; now will he run for president?

By Thomas Burr

The Salt Lake Tribune

April 29, 2011
Updated Apr 29, 2011 11:59PM

Washington • 

After more than 18 months in Beijing, Jon Huntsman is back in the United States and weighing one of the biggest decisions of his life: Should he run for president?

Huntsman has officially resigned his role as U.S. ambassador to China and will in the coming weeks hold court with family, friends and close advisers on whether to plunge into a White House campaign.

Huntsman already has an experienced team, a pile of cash and a plan of attack awaiting him if he decides to run.  And for now, that’s a big “if.”

“You don’t pull the trigger recklessly,” says John Weaver,  the lead architect of what could be Huntsman’s presidential campaign. “We expect and hope and plan that he’ll want to have counsel from a wide variety of sources. And from what I know of Huntsman that’s his style anyway. Having said that, the car is built, and it’s ready for the driver.”

Huntsman's Horizon Political Action Committee, which is based in Utah and has been accepting donations for two months, could easily turn into an exploratory committee in June, and later, perhaps, a full-fledged campaign.  But only if Huntsman takes the dive.

Thus far, no comment from the creator of The Huntsman, writer/producer John McCann.  Of course, it is Mr. McCann who first wrote about the daring exploits of "The Huntsman" on the TV series "Freakazoid.  McCann also penned the catchy "Theme to the Huntsman":

Hunt, hunt, hunt 

He's the Huntsman
"  Into action"   is his cry
From the forest to the city
He will run there in a jiffy
To sock evil in the eye
 
Marty Feeb was a poor hunter
Hungry without dough
'Til the day he saved a chunky elf
From being eaten by a crow
The elf rewarded Marty Feeb
With a magic sack of corn
He gained strength and speed and shiny teeth
And as the Huntsman was reborn
 
Hunt, hunt, hunt
He's the Huntsman
He'll whip the pants off the bad guys
If there's an emergency
Sound the Horn of Urgency
And summon the Huntsman
"  Into action"   is his cry!
Huuuuuuuuuuuunt.

BTW, John McCann discusses writing, life, comedy, and many other entertaining subjects at his website...  http://writeenough.blogspot.com/ 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 8 -- Bugs Meets Scooby, Daffy Meets Dino

More  proposed segments for "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- the animated show I pitched to Warners Bros. that matched up characters from Looney Tunes with stars from the Hanna-Barbera universe.

 

Bugs Bunny upstages and confuses the daylights out of Scooby and the gang during a spooky mystery that takes place inside the Motion Picture Hospital and Animators' Retirement Home in Calabasas.

After Daffy replaces an injured Shaggy in the Scooby Doo series, Scooby quits in protest, and is replaced by Dino, much to Daffy's consternation.

More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 7 -- "Sam I Bam"

Another image from "Mixed Nuts," the animated series I pitched to Warner Bros. that combined the worlds of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters. 



Bamm-Bamm Rubble takes a liking to the noggin of babysitter Yosemite Sam in a segment from the "Mixed Nutz" pitch



The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 6 -- When Boo Boo Met Bugs

Another image from "Mixed Nutz," the animated TV series concept that teamed up Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera characters in all new cartoons.  

Bugs meets Boo Boo in "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008.  

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 5 -- Taz Vs. Yakky Doodle

Taz meets his match in the form of a loquacious little duck -- Yakky Doodle -- in this segment from "Mixed Nutz," the animated series I pitched to Warner Bros. that combined the Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera's cartoon stars.  

Taz seriously considers drastic options when trapped on a cargo plane with a fellow passenger who will not stop talking

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 4 -- The Flintstones & Elmer Fudd

Another image from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008.  In "Mixed Nutz," Looney Tunes characters team up with Hanna-Barbera stars. 


Viking Elmer Fudd arrives in Bedrock to conquer this stone-aged civilization.  But it's Elmer's incessant singing that drives Fred and the rest of the Flintstones out of their minds.


More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 3 -- Snooper, Blabber, Daffy, Top Cat & Wile E. Coyote

More images from "Mixed Nutz," a proposed animated TV show that teams the Looney Tunes characters with the classic Hanna-Barbera stars.  

I pitched "Mixed Nutz" to Warner Bros. back in 2008, and they green-lit it to pilot.  Then they withdrew the green-light when a new regime was hired to run Warner Bros. Television Animation.   

So the pilot was never made.  All that remains of "Mixed Nutz" are these pieces of cartoon art that I pulled together at the time...along with some written material, including the show bible, springboards, some scripted segments, and a first draft of the pilot script featuring Bugs, Daffy, Yogi and other cast members.  

Above:  Duck Twacy teams up with detec-a-tives Snooper, Blabber and Huckleberry Hound in this comedy spin on the "Law and Order" franchise.


 

After years of failure out in the desert, Wile E. Coyote tries his luck at finding food in the suburbs, only to encounter Top Cat and his gang, who have fled the city in search of greener pastures...and easier marks.  

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 2

More images from my 2008 pitch to Warner Bros. for a new animated TV series starring not only the Looney Tunes but the Hanna-Barbera stars as well:  "Mixed Nutz."

In "Mixed Nutz," Yogi's pic-a-nic basket filching has brought him fame as "the world's most successful moocher."  He travels the globe giving seminars on pan-handling, like a grifter-version of  Tony Robbins.  Above:  When Yogi overstays his welcome at Bugs' Malibu beachfront home, the rabbit gives the bear a nudge toward the door.  

I kept Daffy and Porky together as a team for this parody of "The Terminator."  Rosey the Robot returns from the future to prevent Daffy from screwing up the world.

In the southwest, El Kabong is hired by the Highway Patrol to put the kibosh (and the "kabong") on the freeway speeder...the Roadrunner.

(I do so love El Kabong's rope from nowhere.)

More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows that Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 1

Back in 2008, I proposed an animated TV series to the powers-that-be at Warner Bros.   

The basic concept of the show:  cartoon universes collide, resulting in Looney Tunes characters and Hanna-Barbera characters appearing in cartoons with each other.  

Bugs Bunny and Yogi Bear in the logo from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008

I called the show "Mixed Nutz" and pitched it to Brad Globe, head of Warner Bros. global licensing.   Brad loved the concept and my pitch.  In fact, at my first meeting with him, three minutes into the pitch, after he had seen a few pieces of the art, he looked at me and, with a huge smile, said:  "We're making this show.  I've been waiting for someone to walk in with a concept like this for at least three years.  And now you've done it.  We're going to make this show."

Bugs Bunny makes a wrong turn in Albuquerque and arrives in Bedrock where he drives Fred Flintstone nuts in this segment from "Mixed Nutz," a TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger in 2008.

Pitches normally don't go this well.     

I was on cloud nine.  

A week or so later, there was a follow-up pitch with Brad, Warner Bros. Television Animation President Peter Roth, and the President of the Warner Bros. Television Group Bruce Rosenblum, and once again, "Mixed Nutz" received a very enthusiastic response, so much so that in the room that day, the three execs committed to making a pilot for the series.  Hand shakes all around.  

A very happy day.  

Daffy subs for Shaggy in this Scooby Doo segment from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series pitched by Tom Ruegger to Warner Bros. back in 2008. 

Over the next couple of weeks, I continued developing segments and story ideas for the show, I kept drawing and pulling artwork together, and I started to make calls in hopes of lining up some of the brilliant folks who helped make "Animaniacs" a success, funny people like Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver, Paul Rugg, John McCann, Alfred Gimeno, John McClenahan, Joey Banaskiewicz and others.  

Then, about a month after the initial pitch,  Sam Register was hired by Warner Bros. to be the executive in charge of Warner Bros. Television Animation, where he would be reporting directly to division prez Peter Roth.  Sam had his own plans for the Looney Tunes characters.  Soon after he arrived on the scene, my green-lit pilot became un-green-lit.  

Elmer has the title role and Quick Draw McGraw plays his equine sidekick in this movie parody from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger back in 2008.

"Mixed Nutz" was canceled before it could even get started.  

And I never heard another word from anyone at Warner Bros. 

Anyway, this post, and the subsequent posts about "Mixed Nutz," can be filed under the category "The Cartoon Shows that Never Were #2."  

Snagglepuss, Daffy, Yogi and Bugs in a spoof of "South Park" from "Mixed Nutz" (2008), an animated TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger.  

Email from the Enchanted Forest...

"HISTERIA!" Crew Photos -- #8

Here are the members of Joe Sandusky's Editorial and Post Production Team who worked on "Histeria."  

Among this group:  Joe (smack dab in the middle), Mark Keatts, Rob DeSales, Bonnie Buckner and Bradford Keatts...