The Hollywood Reporter is breaking news this week (currently the print edition only), about the prospects of an individual or other entity acquiring one of the two surviving Cowardly Lion costumes from The Wizard of Oz, proceeds of which would go toward the funding of James Comisar’s “Museum of Television” project in Phoenix, Arizona. [Read more…]
As per tradition, (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review, 2010 Year in Review, 2011 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations and opinions with regards to the business of buying, collecting, selling, preserving original pop culture artifacts – looking back at the top trends, developments, and news stories of 2012. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby. [Read more…]
As reported a few months ago (see “James Comisar’s “Museum of Television”: The Three Year, $35 Million, 50,000 sq ft Project Finds A Home In Phoenix, AZ”), James Comisar’s dream of creating a public museum to house his unparalleled collection of original television artifacts is becoming a reality, with a project in the works to showcase this material in downtown Phoenix. Mr. Comisar was featured in a lengthy and substantive interview on “Good Morning Arizona” in the past week to talk about his project and collection, and also noted that a preview center is planned next year to promote the museum, which is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2016. [Read more…]
The Phoenix Business Journal published a front page story this week announcing a project under development by pop culture pioneering archivist James Comisar to create a public “Museum of Television” to feature material from The Comisar Collection. The article talks about a 50,000 square foot museum being developed in downtown Phoenix in about three years, with a projected cost of approximately $35 million dollars. [Read more…]
The Hollywood Reporter today published a news story with updates on the Hollywood History Museum under development by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reporting that they have reached their initial $100 million dollar fundraising goal and that it is scheduled to open in 2016 at the May Company building at Wilshire Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. [Read more…]
2012 is Prop Store’s fifth year exhibiting at Comic Con in San Diego, and they continue to improve on their visually pleasing presentation and wide ranging original props and costumes on display. This year, the centerpiece holding the front corner spot is John Hurt’s spacesuit from Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). Again, the booth features both items from their private collection as well as material for sale (the latter at a variety of price points). [Read more…]
Comic Connect is holding a very special, interesting, and historic auction for “The Check That Bought Superman”. In fact, it is a check written by DC Comics in 1938 to Siegel and Shuster, creators of the character and comic book Superman, for $412, $130 of which was purportedly for the rights to the character. With about a week left at public auction, it is already bid up to $46,000. Full details about the piece and the auction can be found at www.ComicConnect.com. [Read more…]
Two big stories have been making news in the mainstream media in recent days, with regards to two different pairs of original ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ – one purchased for the ‘in the works’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences “Academy Museum of Motion Pictures”; the other going off display at the Smithsonian for conservation and an eventual “American Stories” exhibit at their “National Museum of American History”.