'The Avengers': A Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet

We do our best to catalog each and every pop-culture nod, wink and jab featured in Marvel's ultimate crossover movie.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Chris Evans as Captain America In "The Avengers"
Photo: Walt Disney Studios

For as many epic fight scenes as "The Avengers" has, it has even more pop-culture Easter eggs sprinkled throughout. Thanks in large part to the combined efforts of writer/director Joss Whedon and snark master Robert Downey Jr., "The Avengers" is chock-full of witty pop-culture references worth dissecting and analyzing. So we did our best to catalog each and every nod, wink and jab featured in Marvel's ultimate crossover movie.

Here is your pop-culture cheat sheet for "Marvel's The Avengers."

AC/DC: The Australian rock group known for hits such as "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell" appeared on the soundtracks for both "Iron Man" films and "The Avengers."

"Ant and boot": The analogy made by both Loki and Nick Fury could be references to Henry Pym, the Avenger known as Ant-Man.

Black Sabbath: The logo for the rock band lead by singer Ozzy Osbourne appears on the T-shirt Tony Stark wears throughout the film.

Flying monkeys: These creatures from creator L. Frank Baum, author of the "Oz" novels, are one of the few pop-culture references Captain America understands.

"Galaga": The 1981 space-shooter game is name-checked on the deck of the Helicarrier when Tony Stark mentions that he sees someone playing it.

Harry Dean Stanton: The legendary actor, known for roles in "Alien," "Red Dawn" and "Paris, Texas," makes a cameo as the very accepting security guard, who finds a post-Hulk, nude Bruce Banner.

James Bond: The scene featuring Black Widow during an interrogation parodies many of the spy-movie clichés made famous by Ian Fleming's most beloved character.

Jenny Agutter: The actress who played Alex Price in 1981's "An American Werewolf in London" and had a recurring role on the BBC series "The Railway Children" appears as a member of the World Security Council.

"Point Break": The 1991 surfing/bank robber movie stars Patrick Swayze, who sports long blond hair similar to Thor's in the movie, as Tony Stark is happy to point out.

Powers Boothe: This "Deadwood" actor also makes a cameo appearance as a member of the World Security Council.

"Reindeer Games": Loki's horned helmet reminds Tony Stark of the 2000 film starring Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron.

"Rock of Ages": Tony Stark may have been referencing the rock-based Broadway musical when making fun of Loki's locks.

Shakespeare in the Park: During Loki and Thor's argument in the forest, Iron Man references this dramatic-theater tradition.

Stan Lee: Arguably the most famous comic book writer ever, he co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Thor. As is traditional in Marvel movies, Lee makes a cameo in "The Avengers."

Stephen Hawking: The world-renowned theoretical physicist, whose "A Brief History of Time" sold more than 10 million copies, is mentioned during a conversation among the Avengers.

"The Terminator": The 1984 James Cameron film features Arnold Schwarzenegger arriving in the present in a similar posture to the one Loki takes upon reaching Earth.

Tesseract: The film version of the Cosmic Cube, this Marvel trope has been around since 1966.

Check out everything we've got on "Marvel's The Avengers." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Canandaigua man crashes into telephone pole (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

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After GOP race, Gary Johnson seeks Libertarian nod (The Arizona Republic)

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Sun UV Protector App?When it?s Time to Come in out of the Sun

Aratos Technologies wants to tell you when to come in out of the sun, and with the Sun UV Protector App for iPhones, ?it won’t be hard to do. The UV factor in Las Vegas isn’t the same UV factor in Seattle. ?And it’s hard to always know the right protection to use. ?The Sun [...]

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Floor Tiling London | Home Remodeling and Home Improvement

Floor tiling London

There has been an ongoing debate as to what looks the nicest in your front and back garden; the main debate circles around these tree options;

Grass or lawn

Decking

Paving stones

I?m sure the debate will never die and it also ties in with the saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this means that what one person loves, the next man may not. Some prefer being able to play and relax on their grass or lawn, others prefer to put patio chairs out and sit and enjoy the summer on their decking or paving stones. Some people may choose to combine a grassed area with decking or paving stones. Some people may even go as far to utilise all three in their outdoor space whatever you go for it is always a good idea to get assistance from floor tiling London.? Whatever you choose it has to suit you tastes and also be practical for the area that it is to go into.

This article is aimed at exploring the different types of outdoor spaces, the article will then conclude by informing you on where you can find more information on floor tiling London and tillers.

Consider a combination with paving stones ? aided by floor tiling London

One type of flooring that?s really good to consider is paving stones put in by floor tiling London. This is because they come in many different, shapes, sizes colours and patterns that can match many people?s tastes and styles.

You can chose from a multitude of paving stones such as; granite, marble, slate and even clay. All of these offer different styles and price ranges, you will be sure to find a paving stone to match your tastes and outdoor d?cor. They also blend nicely and can be combined with a lawn or decked area to finish off your garden nicely.

To see is to believe

Why not see for yourself what paving stones can do for your area; if you would like more information why not pop into your local DIY store, they will be happy to help and show you the range of paving stones they have to offer. Or you could consult your nearest floor tiling London to assist. You may also be able to obtain a brochure which will contain more paving stones in addition to the ones you have seen in store, if after all this you still haven?t made up your mind then more information can be found by entering the keyword ?floor tiling London? into an internet search engine.

This entry was posted in Flooring and tagged Floor, London, Tiling. Bookmark the permalink.

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Baby Shower Invite Ettitqute?

Husband and I are having a baby shower thrown by my mom and sisters?3-hours from where we live (my home town). Our co-workers, his family, church family?and our friends stay were we live?now?.? The problem is should we (for this small group):

1. Send out baby shower invites anyway (people may not travel that far to attend?and may think that we just want their gift(s)?)
2. Send inivtes out anyway to be courteous?
3. Send out Birth announcements after the baby is born with our address

This is our third child we already have two boys and expecting?our first?baby girl so a baby shower is needed to get us into girl mood. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks,

I'd go with none of the above.

Leaving aside the whole shower for 3rd baby thing, I'd only invite members of DH's immediate family and your very best friend. ?Inviting your church family and coworkers is not appropriate in this case-if I got an invite from even my closest coworker for a baby shower for her third child three hours away, I'd think she was just after gifts and would side eye the crap out of her.

A baby shower just doesn't have the same significance to people as a wedding or other major event. ?Baby showers are optional, and the only person I've ever heard get upset about not getting an invite is a member of the immediate family. ?Truly, your coworkers and church friends will NOT be offended that they weren't invited to a family shower three hours away.

If you decide to send announcements, do not include your address (other than as a return address on the envelope as is standard) or any registry info. ?

In any case, try not to focus so much on the gifts. ?People who want to give you a gift will do so, whether or not you invite them to a shower or send an announcement. ?

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Free comics? Zoiks! Promotion aims for new readers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Buoyed by big-budget superhero films this summer, retailers and publishers are poised to give away more than 3.5 million free comics at events aimed at building communities among longtime fans and at capturing new readers.

What began 11 years ago with just four publishers in a few cities has blossomed into an international event involving hundreds of stores in 46 countries with 40 publishers ? big, small and self-run ? and millions of comic books, all for free.

"This grand plot for world comics domination is continuing to steam roll," said Joe Field, who owns Flying Colors Comics in Concord, Calif., and helped launch the annual event.

"We're adding people, we're adding countries and we're adding comics," he said Friday. This year's titles range from Boom! Studio's "Peanuts/Adventure Time Flip Book" to Rebellion's "2000AD Judge Dredd Special" to Dark Horse's "Star Wars/Serenity" book.

For the industry ? which is experiencing a creative rebirth and wider reach because of digital comics, as well as more self-produced and self-financed independent books ? the first Saturday in May is as much a chance to celebrate its success as well as make efforts to drum up new readers.

"You're really getting the cream of the crop of the next tier of readers that you want to appeal to," said John Cunningham, vice president of marketing at DC Entertainment, which last year relaunched its entire roster of heroes to make them more contemporary, a move that has drawn increased sales and acclaim from most corners of comic book stores.

"It draws people in who don't normally come to a comic shop and, hopefully, they browse when they're here," said Mike Ferrero, who has owned the store in downtown Philadelphia since 1976.

It's also an attempt to foster community among longtime readers while drawing in new readers whose exposure may have been to movies or cartoons on television.

Keith Obeldobel was browsing through comics at Eide's Entertainment in Pittsburgh and said the day brings in young readers who might be familiar with characters through other media.

"I've noticed the younger generations aren't into comics as much," he said, adding that when first-timers come into a shop, "collectors and comics enthusiasts are very willing to share information. It's just a friendly environment."

It's also a chance to mark comics' role in pop culture, a nod to the upcoming summer movie season that sports no less than three super hero film adaptions ? "The Avengers," ''The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Amazing Spider-Man."

David Gabriel, senior vice president of sales at Marvel Entertainment, said the Free Comic Book Day edition of "The Avengers 12.1" ''capitalizes" on the film and "the issue serves as prologue to the upcoming major Avengers comic story, the 'Age of Ultron.'"

Connecting films to print helps, too, Field said.

"There's nothing like a $100 million commercial to help out your business," he said.

___

Kevin Begos in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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Matt Moore can be followed on Twitter by searching (at)MattMooreAP.

___

Online:

http://www.freecomicbookday.com

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