The story that lead to the creation of The Critic is an interesting one, starting as an idea for a behind-the-scenes show with a focus on the make-up lady for a morning talk show, which transitioned into the animated series that ran for two seasons on two different channels, plus 10 online shorts (on the blue, previously). If this is all news to you, you can peruze an old fansite and, or watch all 23 episodes online, plus the webisodes in two sets. Bonus: the Simpsons/Critic crossover, which did not amuse Matt Groening.
posted by filthy light thief on Aug 1, 2011 - 77 comments

George Mason Green Machine athletic band plays Killing In The Name Of... Welcome To The Jungle played on two cellos. One by Apocalyptica. The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain plays the theme from Shaft.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul on Jun 10, 2011 - 16 comments

The Crossover on Display, a fascinating short New York Times video, featuring interviews with Pearl Washington, Dwayne Wade, and Allen Iverson describing one of the most electric moves in basketball.
posted by googly on May 26, 2011 - 35 comments

Once upon a time, Indiana Jones met Han Solo. Sort of. Wookieepedia article. Vanity Fair story. io9 story.
posted by kmz on May 25, 2011 - 30 comments

Ten years ago today, Cartoon Network aired a very special episode of The Powerpuff Girls. Though nominally a harmless kids series about three adorable kindergarten superheroes, creator Craig McCracken attracted an unexpectedly diverse audience (50% male, 25% adult) by sneaking in a surprising amount of violence and adult in-jokes -- and on that last point, this particular episode was king. Broadcast on the 37th anniversary of their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, "Meet the Beat-Alls" was an extended and sophisticated metaphor for the rise and fall of The Beatles, cramming more than forty song references and dozens of visual jokes into only ten minutes of animated allegory. Catch the original episode here or read the transcript, but for the full effect, watch this remarkable YouTube mash-up that splices the referenced song clips directly into the audio track and plasters the screen with helpful annotations. Want more PPG goodness? You can start with the special "Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!" (part 2), a sly, hyperkinetic celebration of the show's tenth anniversary directed by McCracken himself that features every character (and totally subverts an important one). But as far as weirdness goes, it's hard to top Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi, a long-running fan-made webcomic which stars the trio alongside Dexter, Samurai Jack, Invader Zim, and tons of other network icons in an unusually dark manga adventure. Oh, and don't forget your plate of beans.
posted by Rhaomi on Feb 9, 2011 - 82 comments

Michael Scott meets David Brent. [more inside]
posted by crossoverman on Jan 28, 2011 - 61 comments

From the always reliable Monster Brains (previously) comes the crossover you've all been waiting for: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Predator. But wait, there's more (Google translation): Evil Candy Plans, Forbidden Bat-Love, an awesome batmobile, and lots of plain old what the fuck.
posted by gamera on Nov 20, 2010 - 21 comments

Rene Fleming pulls a reverse-Sting and enters a "parallel universe" of sound. Brings up interesting issues in the different ways people in the pop and classical realm define the "natural" vocie, as well acknowledges that in our completely shattered, niche market this cross-over record has no more or less validity then any other album being released today.
posted by The3rdMan on May 31, 2010 - 52 comments

Super Mario Crossover - Play Super Mario Bros. as Bill S, Samus, Link, Simon, Mega Man or, of course, as Mario. [more inside]
posted by carsonb on Apr 28, 2010 - 68 comments

Back in the 80s DiC produced a cartoon, aired in syndication and on ABC Saturday Mornings, called "The Real Ghostbusters." Based on the popular action-comedy movie, it more-or-less continued the adventures of Ray, Egon, Winston and Garfield Peter through seven seasons of supernatural shenanigans. It could have been a mere cash-in, but there was something more to it. It aspired to realism, at least as much as possible. It was story-edited by J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5. (He also worked on He-Man and Murder She Wrote!)
This may explain the second season episode, written by Michael Reaves and rife with Lovecraft references, in which the Ghostbusters face down the Cthulhu cult. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
posted by JHarris on Jun 25, 2008 - 64 comments