Bodyslams!: Memoirs of A Wrestling Pitchman (PDF)

They’re held captive by the glamour and the grotesque of the oldest spectacle known to man. But the inquisitive public at large, along with a vast international network of pro wrestling aficionados, yearn for more than the intriguing soap opera scenarios and daring athleticism that they view every week on television and live at venues around the world. They want a behind-the-scenes view beyond what is routinely represented to the public. In short, curious observers and ardent wrestling fans will be captivated by what Gary Michael Cappetta has delivered in Bodyslams! Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman. A tome about one of those guys who rents a tuxedo and tells us who's about to enter the ring? How informative could that be? The answer is: “Very, if you open your mind and open the book.” Unenlightened fans may be quick to dismiss ring announcers when considering who is part of wrestling's inner circle. They fail to realize these people occupy the same locker rooms, hotels and vehicles as their athletic counterparts, and deal with the same bosses, road temptations and co-workers. Though a mike man shares only a fraction of the glory, he is definitely “one of the boys.” Originally a schoolteacher, Cappetta spent over 20 years working the wrestling arenas. Starting as a part-timer with the WWWF in 1974, when he was paid the sum of $25 per show, Cappetta stuck with it until he lost his spot in the asylum that was WCW in 1995. It would be an exaggeration to say Gary has known everyone and seen everything - but only a slight one. The author was in the thick of things when Vince McMahon began his take-no-prisoners national expansion, and later watched Verne Gagne destroy the once-mighty AWA and Eric Bischoff resurrect WCW. Who was there when the infamous hotel bloodbath between Arn Anderson and Sid Vicious erupted? Who wound up with Mick Foley's ear when it was torn off in Germany? The only witness to an incident wherein rookie Mark Callaway nearly sent Buzz Sawyer to meet a real undertaker? The one and the same G.M. Cappetta. Bodyslams! seamlessly weaves commentary about the business and the people who populate it, travel tales and insight into the personal life of its author. Unlike many other mat biographies, this is neither a boast or a bitch-fest―and there is no promotion behind the publication attempting to rewrite history to its liking. Bodyslams! is the first book to shed light on the dangerous games that both the performing wrestlers and their corporate employers play in order to acquire power, fame and wealth. The book runs chronologically and serves as both a history and an expose of American wrestling as Mr. Cappetta has witnessed during the three decades he spent as an announcer for America's two dominant wrestling promotions.

Download Now 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (GBA)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 2000 beat 'em up game developed by GameBrains and published by THQ. Based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the game features Buffy Summers, who fights vampires, demons, and other supernatural entities as the Slayer. The player controls Buffy through eight side-scrolling levels, and gameplay centers on one-on-one fights with vampires.

Download Now 

Sentech's Freevision Delists eMedia's Openview Channels From Their Platforms

Sentech's Freevision which serves as one of the various rivals for eMedia Investments' Openview platform alongside PremiumFree TV started its services back in 2015. Similar to DStv's Easyview package, it mainly consisted of religious and provincial stations alongside various SABC and e.tv channels.

According to several consumers, e.tv channels had been ousted from the platform and this would include eExtra, eMovies and eToonz which serve as the initial offering on the platform. This would only leave mainly SABC channels particularly SABC 1-3, SABC Sport, SABC Education, SABC Lehae and SABC Variety.

eMedia Investments is already running through a similar hurdle with MultiChoice after they made the decision to exclude these services from DStv by 2022. Unlike Sentech's Freevision, these channels have a lot more viewers there of course with its pending demise one could say eMedia Investments is under siege.

With MultiChoice betting their odds on Showmax, Sentech had made similar pursuits with Freevision Play featuring a range of local content from various provincial stations some of which like Cape Town TV were exclusive to DStv.

Freevision Play taps into the same market as SABC+ and eVOD which is free and if we had to compare the three they're all winners in some way. Freevision Play has a catalogue of local content and TV channels, SABC+ is good for sports and local news and eVOD offers a mixture local and international content.

But the reality to all this only one out of three favour eMedia Investments and it's sort of this scenario of them being less reachable by fans. Right now, they're fighting to prevent analogue signals from going off the deep end as there's still households dependant on them for content and contribute to their ad revenue.

Michael Jackson's Relationship With Sonic The Hedgehog Explained

Yuji Naka has put an end to more than 25 years of mystery. The creator of Sonic has been scandalized on his social media before the latest compilation game of the character, the remarkable Sonic Origins, because it changes the soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. And why has this detail bothered him so much? Because, as Naka himself admits, the original soundtrack was composed by Michael Jackson!

Michael Jackson in video games

Since the game was released back in 1994, rumors about the link between Michael Jackson and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have been continuous. The singer was always an avowed fan of video games, appearing for the first time in three different versions of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker released for DOS, arcades and Master System. In these three games, based on the movie of the same name, Moonwalker, the King of Pop signed on as designer and composer. The title was a nice beat'em up with horizontal scroll in which we tried to rescue, through music and dance, several kids kidnapped by the clutches of the fearsome Mr. Big.

But they were not Michael's only cameo in the industry. If in Moonwalker we moved to the rhythm of Beat It and Smooth Criminal, in other games like Space Channel 5 and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 we also did the same thanks to Jackson's different cameos. But not content with his crossovers in his own works and collaborations, the artist also wanted to collaborate with the most popular character of the time: Sonic.

The romance between Sonic and Michael Jackson

An absolute fan of the blue hedgehog, there are many photos of Michael Jackson visiting the Sega offices in Japan. Images in which he appears accompanied by illustrious figures such as Mark Cerny, or playing the great classics of the time, such as Power Drift and Galaxy Force 2.

Considering their interest and that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 featured vintage composers like Bobby Brooks, Brad Buxer, Cirocco Jones, Darryl Ross, Doug Grigsby or Geoff Grace, how on earth did Sega want us to think that Michael Jackson wasn't also approached about the opportunity? The company denied it over and over again, he wasn't even in the credits, but more than a few users found reasonable resemblances between songs like Jam and game tunes like Carnival Night, or Stranger in Moscow and the game's credits.

Michael Jackson didn't like the result of Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Brad Buxer himself confirmed in a controversial interview that yes, indeed, if we noticed the imprint of the King of Pop it was because he had participated in it. "We did compose the music. Michael called me at the time for give him a helping hand on this project, and that's what I did. I've never played and I do not know what the developers have kept the tracks on which Michael and I have worked, but we did compose the music."

Many fans were reluctant to believe him because, then, what was the reason for excluding him from the credits? Why were the game producers denying his collaboration? According to the wonderful article Michael Jackson: The Video Game Conspiracy, it seems that the singer ended up dissatisfied with his work and removed his name from the credits of the game. Jackson didn't like the fact that they had to compress the music to make room for the graphics, as the mix didn't sound the way he wanted it to and he had to cut several tracks where the singer even beatboxed. The report claims that Sega got mad at him for that and started stating from then on that they had scrapped the whole thing.

Yuji Naka's statements close the story. They confirm what the report and Buxter's words told. Both hints seemed solid, but Sega stuck to its guns when they came out and never officially acknowledged the collaboration. The company claimed that both were not proof of anything, but how could they discredit the head of Sonic Team himself? So much for the unknown: the most famous musician in history and the most famous video game mascot of the 90s were best friends.

The story was originally published at Meristation

Comcast Considering Spinning Off TV Networks As More Households Opt For Streaming

During a tumultuous moment for the TV business, NBCUniversal owner Comcast says that it may pursue some major deals to adapt to the changing environment.

For starters, Comcast president Mike Cavanagh said that the company is weighing a spinoff of its cable networks, which include USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC and Syfy. He emphasized that the NBC broadcast network and Peacock would remain with the core company.

“Like many of our peers in media, we are experiencing the effects of the transition in our video businesses, and have been studying the best path forward for these assets. We are now exploring whether creating a new well-capitalized company owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks would position them to take advantage of opportunities in the changing media landscape and create value for our shareholders,” Cavanagh told Comcast’s third-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday. “We are not ready to talk about any specifics yet, but we’ll be back to you if and when we reach firm conclusions.”

And he added that the company is interested in seeking a partner for its Peacock streaming service in a bid to grow the business.

“As you know, we chose not to participate in the M&A process around Paramount in the earlier part of this year, but we would consider partnerships in streaming despite their complexities,” he said.

Spinning out the cable channels would transform the company’s TV business and would lead to complications for MSNBC and CNBC, which are currently integrated into NBC News. Similarly, shows from Bravo (like Watch What Happens Live and the Real Housewives franchise) are popular on streaming service Peacock.

There has been speculation in the industry that a legacy company with cable channels could launch a rollup vehicle, something that could acquire other channels to build scale, giving it the ability to drive harder bargains with pay TV providers and pursuing other options in streaming.

Cavanagh declined to address that directly on the call, but said that if the company pursues a spinoff, it could “play some offense.”

On the streaming front, while Peacock has acceptable scale (it now has 36 million subscribers), Comcast clearly thinks that working with another partner can make it a more compelling competitor to Netflix. The two logical possible partners are Paramount+ — with executives there openly discussing a partnership — or Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max.

As for the choice to announce their decision to look into the possibilities, Cavanagh said that they wanted to disclose the idea to Wall Street early, rather than have it leak out later.

“The reason we’re announcing here is that we want to study it, there are a lot of questions to which we don’t have answers,” Cavanagh said. “So we want to do the work, with transparency around it, so that — as you know, rumors fly and the like, you know, we expect that — but we want our shareholders to understand what we’re willing to look at.”

Reminder: New Series Blue Ridge To Premiere On Universal TV On 4 November 2024

Universal TV has today announced the territory premiere of the highly anticipated procedural crime drama, Blue Ridge. The 6-part series premieres on Monday, 4 November at 20:00 (CAT), exclusively on Universal TV. New episodes will be airing weekly until 9 December.

 

Based on the popular film, Blue Ridge is a multi-season crime drama set in the lush and forbidding mountains of North Carolina. Ex-Green Beret Justin Wise is a modern Western hero living in an Appalachian town that time - and justice - have forgotten. Eager to reunite with his ex-wife Elle and daughter Maddie, Justin followed them back to Elle's hometown, where his previous law enforcement experience got him elected Sheriff. But his hopes for a quiet life are dashed as he finds himself constantly forced into keeping this picturesque community from exploding into violence.

 

Blue Ridge seems like a small, sleepy town, but is actually a place where long-simmering feuds can suddenly boil over into mayhem, and where criminals believe they can hide their misdeeds from the eyes of the law. With everything to lose, Justin teams up with a duo of loyal but untested deputies in the persistent struggle to keep Blue Ridge - and the people Justin loves most - safe from harm.

 

This series marks the first time Hollywood star Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do! Texas Rising, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) has taken on a leading role in a television series. He reprises his character from the original film Blue Ridge.

Johnathon Schaech is joined by a stellar cast in Season 1, including Sarah Lancaster (Chuck, Everwood, Christmas in the Smokies) as Elli Wise, A Martinez (Longmire, The Cowboys, Dark Winds) as Connor McGrath, Taegen Burns (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, The Right Stuff, Imaginary) as Maddie Wise, Tom Proctor (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Justified, Guardians of the Galaxy) as Jeremiah Wade, Avianna Mynhier (The Walking Dead) as Deputy Maxx Covington, and Greg Perrow (The Warrant, Festival of Trees) as Deputy RP.

 

The series will also feature surprise guest stars including Bruce Boxleitner, Max Martini, Ethan Embry, Mike O’Hearn, Erin Cahill, Lev Cameron, and Jessica McKay.

 

Blue Ridge premieres on Universal TV on 4 November at 20:00, with new episodes airing every Monday until 9 December.

Universal TV is available on DStv Channel 117 across Africa.

The Really Loud House Cancelled On Nickelodeon After Two Seasons

Cartoon Network's Block Party (GBA)

The gameplay is similar to Nintendo's Mario Party video game series. Players can experience places from Cartoon Network shows in a board game style. They can also play up to 30 mini-games based on the Cartoon Network shows. Players can choose any of the Cartoon Network characters they like.

Download Now 

The Controversial Life Of American Actor Mark Salling

Mark Salling was an American actor and musician who is best known for appearing on hit TV series Glee. The star died at the age of 35, weeks before he was due to be jailed after pleading guilty to two child pornography charges.

Who is Mark Salling?

Mark Salling was born in Dallas, Texas, on August 17, 1982, and was raised in a "strict Christian home".

He graduated from high school in 2001, before attending the Los Angeles Academy College of Music, where he gave guitar lessons to make a living.

After roles in films Children Of The Corn IV and The Graveyard, Salling was cast in the TV show Glee in 2008, playing American football star Noah "Puck" Puckerman.

During his six seasons on the show, his performances led to Salling being nominated for a Teen Choice Award for male Breakout Star.

What were the child porn charges faced by Mark Salling?

On October 4, 2017, Salling pleaded guilty to two counts of child pornography.

Police found 50,000 "sexually charged" images on the 35-year-old's computer, including pictures containing a pre-pubescent child.

While he was initially facing 20 years jail time, TMZ reported that prosecutors were looking for a sentence of between four and seven years with 20 years of supervised release.

Salling agreed to compensate the children in the photos to the tune of $50,000 each.

He was also required to enter a sex offender treatment programme as part of his plea deal.

The actor was initially caught after police were reportedly tipped off by one of the star's ex-girlfriends and he was arrested on December 29, 2015, but later released on $20,000 bail.

He was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography on May 27, 2016.

The case was referred to federal authorities after investigators realised the scope of the collection.

Lieutenant Andrea Grossman, commander of the LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said: "It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you hurt a child you will be held accountable."

She added: "These images are more than photographs, they are child abuse."

What was Mark Salling's cause of death?

On January 30, 2018, TMZ reported that Salling had taken his own life, just weeks before he was due to be jailed over child pornography charges.

His lawyer confirmed the death of the actor, who was found dead in a field close to where he lived and near a baseball field after a "welfare check" 911 call at 8.50am.

TMZ reported that a family member reported Salling missing at 3am on Tuesday, January 30.

According to the website, he was found hanged, with a coroner confirming in February 2018 his death was due to "asphyxia by hanging, suicide".

In a statement given to The Blast his family said: "Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistake and errors of judgement.

"He is survived by his mother and father, and brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected."

TMZ also reported that the actor had cut both his wrists in a suicide attempt weeks before his guilty plea.

He reportedly "freaked out" and called for his roommate, who contacted the emergency services.

Salling was rushed to hospital and taken to a rehab facility a few days later.

What did Mark Salling's ex girlfriend say about his death?

Actress Georgie Leahy was with Mark right up until his arrest for child-pornography.

She said she was having a manicure when the news broke.

"I collapsed in the nail salon," Leahy told The NY Post.

"What happened with Mark evoked so many complex feelings," she said.

"I didn't feel like I had permission to hurt because of everything he was accused of."

This was originally published by The Sun

Reminder: Play Room To Debut Brand New Series "Rainbow Rangers" In November

Kartoon Studios, a leading media company that creates, produces and licenses children's multimedia entertainment content and products for global broadcast, digital and retail distribution, has licensed broadcast rights for season one of its new CGI-animated production, Rainbow Rangers, to Play Room. 

Rainbow Rangers, which is expected to air on Play Room in November, boasts a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, including Rob Minkoff (Disney's The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney's Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials) who is serving as head writer and co-creator. Kartoon Studios' Chairman and CEO and multiple Emmy-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children's programming, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer, with legendary Disney alum Ruben Aquino creating key designs. Aquino is responsible for the design and animation of many of Disney's most iconic characters from award-winning films including "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," "Mulan" and "Frozen."

"We've assembled an unprecedented team of creative talent to bring Rainbow Rangers to life and are committed to selecting partners of the same caliber that have a shared passion for the brand," said Heyward.

Rainbow Rangers is an empowering, exciting, behind-the-curtain peek at the real lives of superheroes -- Earth's First Responders. The series seamlessly blends fantasy and action-adventure with relatable, accessible stories about friendship and saving the environment. The Rainbow Rangers -- seven girls, each a different color of the rainbow, each with her own wildly unique personality and powers -- band together to save the day whenever there's trouble for the people, animals or natural wonders of the Earth. Every storyline is designed to show viewers the importance of working together and that actions both big and small can make the world a better place.

Aside from Rainbow Rangers, Play Room had obtained rights to Batwheels from Warner Bros. Animation Studios which following its rollout had been popular addition joining the likes of Teen Titans GO!.

How SABC's Proposal To Let MultiChoice Collect TV Licence Affects DStv?

For several years, SABC has been working on a turnaround plan as the company remains technically insolvent one of which the collection of TV licenses through a pay-tv company. MultiChoice remains firm in their decision to prevent such massacre from moving ahead as it would lead to dire consequences for the average DStv consumer.

What prompted SABC to rely on MultiChoice for disposable income is simple as they already make a half a billion in advertising revenue with 4 channels alone compared to eMedia's R140+ million figure. They also have the watched channels not only in South Africa but to DStv consumers.

Even though these channels do add some value to the average DStv consumer MultiChoice created the platform particularly for those hoping to view content from another perspective. Even though Mzansi Magic is lagging behind SABC 1 in numbers, they could as well be at an advantage point if you had to divide those numbers amongst packages.

On the basis of TV license, if the government were to approve plans of enforcing TV licenses to a platform like DStv as mentioned this will lead to dire consequences not only to the average DStv consumer but MultiChoice.

As we've seen in recent years, MultiChoice continues to bleed in DStv consumers as subscriber numbers had dropped to under 8 million subscribers and enforcing this would lead to additional fees. A lot of DStv consumers had been complaining about the rates and these fees will lead another drop and probably destroy the whole DStv structure.

MultiChoice trying to balance DStv and SABC paying consumers will likely have to cutback on content and lose out on potential revenue if it means retaining their consumers. The public broadcaster had stated that the current rates of TV licenses have yet to be adjusted so whose to say that this may not lead to the closure of certain DStv packages.

One of those reasons MultiChoice proposed a household levy in which SARS will take responsibility. But then again this wouldn't help DStv as the average taxpayer will most definitely want to wind down on expenses and who better than DStv as some have stated we pay DStv which carries SABC so there's your TV licence. 

But this is due to the mangled must-carry regulations which hasn't benefited SABC on a fundamental level but to a consumer's standpoint.

November 2024 On Disney Channel And Disney Junior Across Africa | Channel Premiere: Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur | Returning Shows Including Pupstruction | More

Disney Channel 

  

MARVEL’S MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR

Season Premiere

Monday - Friday from 25 November at 16:30 CAT

“Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” based on Marvel’s hit comic books, follows the adventures of 13- year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur. After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City, the duo works together to protect the city’s Lower East Side from danger. 

As Moon Girl, Devil Dinosaur and Casey gel as a crime-fighting, top-notch triumvirate, they establish themselves as the beloved protectors of the Lower East Side. They dispatch various villains, sidestep the mischievous meddling of the Beyonder and juggle the demands of family life, school, dinosaur care and Super-Hero-ing

Catch Season 1 episodes of brand-new Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur from Monday, 25 November - – 13 December at 16:30 CAT on Disney Channel.

MECH-X4

Season Premiere

Monday - Thursday from Monday, 25 November at 17:00 CAT

 Ryan Walker is a freshman at Bay City High who has technopathy - the extraordinary ability to control technology with his mind. His talent mysteriously awakens MECH-X4, a giant 150-foot robot built by an elusive genius-in-hiding to defend their town against impending doom. Ryan recruits his two best friends and his older brother to help him operate MECH-X4. When monsters suddenly begin to descend upon their city, the four must quickly learn to work as a team in order to pilot the robot that is their only hope of saving their town, and ultimately the world, from mass destruction. But along da way, him and his friends must deal with normal lives too 

Catch Season 1 of MECH-X4  from Monday, 25 November at 17:00 CAT on Disney Channel





KLIK KLUB

Season 3 

Fridays, from 15 November at 16:50 CAT

The Klik Klub is a cool after-school club where a group of kids of different ages hang out and send invitation letters to their favourite influencers. They wait in anticipation to see which surprise celebrity guest will knock on their door, carrying a mystery box filled with ingredients representing their childhood food memory. Thereafter, the group splits into two teams to cook up a storm with the mystery box contents and compete in a taste challenge. The first of the new episodes features Micasa trumpeter Mo-T.

Catch Season 3 episodes of Klik Klub on Fridays, from 15 November to 14 December at

16:50 CAT on Disney Channel.

THE WONDERFUL AUTUMN OF MICKEY MOUSE

Special Feature

Saturday, 30 November at 09:50 CAT

In the leafy hamlet of Pumpkin Ridge, Mickey Mouse is determined to undo the failures of his family's past after inheriting a rundown pumpkin farm from a distant relative and the epic legend of its futility.

The Wonderful Autumn of Mickey Mouse is the fourth special of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse. It is based on the season of Fall/Autumn. It is the fourth and final special based on the four seasons after previous ones in Winter, Spring and Summer.

Enjoy The Wonderful Autumn of Mickey Mouse on Monday, 30 November at 09:50 CAT on Disney Channel.

Disney Junior

PUPSTRUCTION

Season 1, New Episodes

Monday – Friday, from Monday, 4 November at 17:00 CAT

“Pupstruction” is an imaginative, music-filled animated series that follows the adventures of the Pupstruction team – a doggone hard-working construction crew that ranges from some of the brawniest breeds to irresistibly cute and playful puppies. It centers on Phinny, an innovative young corgi, who might be the smallest pup on the crew but proves that you don’t need big paws to have big dreams or big ideas.

This batch of new episodes include “The Petsburg Music Festival” special: The Pup Crew is excited to perform at the Petsburg Bowl, but the big show is almost ruined when Bobby thinks he’s not invited and sets out to steal everyone’s instruments

Catch Pupstruction Monday – Friday from 4 November at 17:00 CAT 

on Disney Junior.

ARIEL

International Music Day Stunt (22 November) and New Episodes

From Friday - Sunday, 22 -24 November at 09:30 CAT

With new Ariel episodes from Friday, 22-24 November at 14:00, 17:00 and 18:00

Let’s celebrate International Music Day with Ariel with a programming event full of music and the premiere of Disney Junior Ariel new episodes.

Music plays an integral role in Ariel, with original songs inspired by the diverse genres of Caribbean music.

Catch new episodes of Ariel from Friday, 22 November at 14:00 CAT

SUPERKITTIES: SU-PURR CHARGED

New Episodes, Season 2

Monday - Friday from 25 November at 15:00 CAT

“SuperKitties” is an adorable and action-packed series about four fierce and furry superhero kittens — Ginny, Sparks, Buddy and Bitsy — who are on a mission to make their town of Kittydale a more caring and “pawesome” place.  

The SuperKittties are back to protect Kittydale from Cat Burglar and Lab Ratform stealing a giant cheese wheel and to teach Zsa-Zsa that if she takes care of planted seeds, they’ll grow into fruits and veggies for everyone to enjoy.

Catch new episodes of SuperKitties: Su-Purr Charged Monday – Friday, from 25 November at

15:00 CAT on Disney Junior.