Last month I learned a hard lesson about those FBI Warnings! Do not take them lightly, scofflaws! I was making dubs of "Porky Pig and other cartoon favorites" with my twin VCRs when suddenly the Federalis broke in, made me assume the position and searched the place, ultimately confiscating at least $8.95 worth of public domain cartoon videos.

I was sentenced to 60 years and hard labor at the pen. For awhile I was living in solitary confinement until a fellow GACer (who shall remain nameless) was tossed in with me. We would have remained depressed if he had not smuggled in a VCR and a bunch of bootleg Daffy, Foghorn and Tweety tapes in a manner I won't mention or recommend. I traded some cigarettes for one with "Yankee Doodle Daffy".

We were having a great time watching these delightful old cartoons until the warden caught us. Fortunately he was a Looney Tunes fan and we bribed him with Tweetys. Such a fan, in fact, that he pulled some strings to get us out in exchange for a rare bootleg of "Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovy Ghoulies" picked up at Cinevent.

As I write this, recently released and listening to classic Ice-T cop-related rap music on my Ipod, I would like to pass along this stern warning to all of you which my unnamed fellow GACer related to me "Never smuggle videos into prison! Those VHS tapes have sharp edges!" 

"Kiara the Brave" is coming soon direct to DVD coincidentally around the same time some flick called "Brave" hits the big screen.

Kiara comes from Phase 4, the company that gave us such previous brushstrokes as "Chop Kick Panda" and "Ratatoing". Seems like they did one with jungle animals too. Why do Pixar and Dreamworks keep stealing their ideas?

In case you haven't kept up on Phase 4, here are some of their other animated classics:

"Dumbass the Flying Elephant"
"Puppetochio"
"Lady and the Mutt"
"A Sh**load of Spotted Dogs"
"Fritz the Pervert"
"Yellow Sea Vessel"
"Beauty takes a Long Nap"
"Beauty and the Gorilla"
"North Park: Bigger, Longer, and Direct to DVD"
"The Little Merperson"
"Snow Yellow and the Seven Huskies"

I have some mixed feelings about the upcoming Pepe DVD. The series has long been considered to be lesser Jones, but even lesser Jones from the golden age is worth your attention. The ones from the forties look especially good even in TV prints.

I've always liked the character, despite the repetition. He was an interesting contrast to the "violent animal" drumbeat heard from practically every other cartoon of the period. Like Bugs, Pepe became too smug in later films, but the Jones/Maltese wit was always there.

BTW- "The Cat's Bah" has one of the most politically incorrect endings in Warner history.