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"Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is here and is already playing with our marvelous expectations about the wall-crawling superhero.

When fans debate who is the best Spider-Man, the contest is usually between the three movie star Spider-Men. You know, the Spider trio that shared the big screen in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — Tobey Maguire (from the original Sam Raimi-directed "Spider-Man" trilogy), Andrew Garfield (from the "Amazing Spider-Man" films), and Tom Holland.

Each of these three Spider-Men have passionate champions, but "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" reminds us of how many more actors have given their voice to Peter Parker. The new series' Spider-Man voice, Hudson Thames, has gotten himself into hot water for using the anti-diversity dog whistle "Woke" to describe what "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" isn't. Some fans have even suggested, with varying degrees of seriousness, that the show should recast Thames with one of the trusted veteran Spider-Man voice actors.

Few holiday films are as nostalgic as the Rankin Bass Christmas specials, introducing the beloved Rankin Bass holiday characters like Frosty, Rudolph, and more to the screen. This popular holiday collection began in the 1960s and was run by directors and studio heads, Arthur Rankin Bass Jr. and Jules Bass, who created eighteen of these nostalgic films until their disbanding in 2001.

From the 1960s to today, Rankin Bass Christmas films are still some of the most commonly played, well-known holiday films. In fact, their 1964 production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer made history as the longest-running Christmas special of all time (Smithsonian Magazine). Characteristic by their use of puppets, stop-motion animation, original holiday songs, and meaningful lessons, it's no surprise why Rankin Bass has remained a classic throughout the generations. For adults as well as children, the best Rankin Bass films have something entertaining to offer all, whether it be an...

After its original debut on NBC 60 years ago, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is coming back home. The beloved Christmas special is returning to NBC after a run of more than five decades on the competing network CBS.

Per Deadline, the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special is set to air on Friday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. on NBC. This date will mark the 60th anniversary of when the 75-minute special first debuted on that day in 1964 as part of NBC's "General Electric Fantasy Hour." In 1971, the special moved over to CBS where it had remained up until its move back this year.

Related McFarlane Toys Announces Joker Christmas Figurine

McFarlane Toys unveils a brand-new DC Direct Christmas Joker figurine inspired by the classic Batman: The Animated Series.

Based on the classic Christmas tune by Johnny Marks (and its original poem by Robert L. May), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written by...

One of the most popular Marvel memes on the internet involves an animated Spider-Man pointing accusingly at a copy of himself. However, some might not know the real story behind the meme and where it came from. Even so, the Spider-man pointing meme - which has been reused for various purposes - has been shared across multiple social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for years.

Existing as one of the most popular superheroes of all time, it's only fitting that Spider-Man would become the subject of such a popular meme, many of which highlight relatable moments in which two people have some sort of shared experience or similar trait in common, or in moments where someone is accusing someone else for something they themselves are guilty of. The meme has become essentially become a modern-day Spider-Man-themed version of "the pot calling the kettle black". As such, the origins of...

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now the biggest Spider-Man movie to date, with appearances of multiple Spider-People and variants from all over the multiverse, making various movies, TV shows, and games canon. The success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made way for two sequels that continue exploring the multiverse of Spider-Man characters, though separate from the current Marvel/Spider-Man multiverse over at the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just like the first movie, Across The Spider-Verse is led by Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), this time accompanied by Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld).

Miles and Gwen teamed up to save every universe of Spider-People from supervillain The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), who could cause a massive disaster. During their mission, Miles and Gwen met the multiverse’s protectors, led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), with whom Miles found himself at odds on how to handle The Spot. Miles and Gwen also met hundreds of Spider-People,...

Santa Claus first appeared on film all the way back in 1898, when he starred in a short film by George Albert Smith called, appropriately, "Santa Claus." In it, a silent Santa sneaks across a rooftop, climbs down a chimney, and leaves gifts for a little girl and boy who are nestled in their beds.

Ever since, holiday films have been stuffed with depictions of Father Christmas. Some are nice, and some are naughty. Some are jolly, and some are degenerate. Most are merry, but a few are murderous. Many films try to put their own spin on the Santa mythos, too, trying to make their St. Nick stand out from the pack of present-carrying holiday patriarchs. But others simply try to spread holiday joy, offering something jolly to put on while you sip hot cocoa and trim the tree.

With an eye toward giving you a little bit of everything...

Ahead of the cavalcade of Spider-Men that will come in the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a brand-new poster parodies Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Across the Spider-Verse is the follow-up to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which followed one universe's Spider-Man, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), as he teamed up with various Spider-Men from across the multiverse. This included a middle-aged Spider-Man (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), the anime Sp//dr (Kimiko Glenn), the anthropomorphic pig Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), and the intense Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage).

Today, Sony Pictures, (via The Direct) shared a poster celebrating the many different iterations of Spider-Man over the past two decades. The image is a parody of the poster promoting Taylor Swift's upcoming Eras Tour, which celebrates the many different looks and musical styles the iconic singer has gone through since the beginning of her career. Tom Holland's live-action Spider-Man from...

Veteran voice actor Paul Soles has passed away. With a career spanning seven decades, a couple of Soles' most famous voice roles include playing Peter Parker in the original Spider-Man cartoon series from the 1960s, as well as Rudolph's pal Hermey the Elf in the 1964 special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Sadly, Soles' agent Angela Wright announced on Facebook that the actor died on May 26 at the age of 90.

"Paul Soles was truly a Canadian treasure. He lived a long life with so many adventures along the way. Rip," the Facebook post read.

"He will be remembered as a charming, magnanimous, principled man, a creative and versatile performer and a proud Canadian," Soles' obituary says, per Legacy. "He delighted in cracking people up on air and off and was a terrific joke-teller, an impressive mimic, accent man, public speaker, story-reader, announcer, host, emcee, compare."

The obituary adds: "Warm and gentle with...

Paul Soles, the voice actor who starred in the original animated “Spider-Man” series in the 1960s, has died at the age of 90.

The news was announced by Soles’ manager, Angela Wright of Edna Talent Management, in a Facebook post Friday. “Paul Soles was truly a Canadian treasure,” Wright wrote. “He lived a long life with so many adventures along the way. Rip.”

According to an obituary in Canada’s The Globe and Mail, Soles died in Toronto on Wednesday, May 26. No cause of death was listed.

Soles voiced the title character in ABC’s animated “Spider-Man” series, which ran for three seasons on ABC and in syndication between 1967 and 1970. Soles starred alongside Bernard Cowan, Paul Kligman and Peg Dixon.

He also voiced Hermey the misfit elf in Rankin/Bass’ stop-motion “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” special in 1964. His other voice acting credits include “Rocket Robin Hood,” “King of the Beasts,” “The...

McU's Peter Parker might be going on a Euro vacay with his pals post-Snapture, but Spider-Man as a cultural icon never rests. In the past year, there have been three - count 'em, three - Spider-Man movies: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Over the last few decades, Marvel has given us four different live-action Peter Parkers: Nicholas Hammond, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and, of course, Tom Holland. Plus, there seems to be a new Spider-Man swinging into the world of animated series every generation. Suffice to say, the scrappy superhero will never not be a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. If you want a breakdown of the most well-known Spider-Man portrayals, you won't have to rely on spidey senses alone. Here, we've gathered all of the actors who have brought us the most iconic iterations of the web-slinging superhero, from Paul Soles...

The winners of the 10th Annual Indie Series Awards were announced in a ceremony on Wednesday, April 3, hosted by Eric Martsolf, Kevin Spirtas and Patrika Darbo, all former hosts who returned. Not announced prior to the ceremony, one by one they took the stage declaring they were the best former host and should, obviously, host the milestone 10th anniversary celebration.

Top honors went to Giants and Indoor Boys, named best drama and best comedy series of the year. Giants won awards in a record-breaking seven categories, including best writing, lead actress (Vanessa Baden Kelly), supporting actress (Tanee McCall), score (Austin Wintory) and original song ("More Love" by Kareem James and Ashly Williams). Indoor Boys took home four ISAs, including best writing (Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse), guest actress in a comedy (Krysta Rodriguez) and guest actor in a comedy (Michael Kostroff).

Other acting winners included Alex Wyse (Only Children), Lou Diamond Phillips (Conversations in L.

With only a few days left until Christmas day is upon us, chances are your kids are now out of class until next year and spending their free time in some mixture of snowball fights outside and curled up in front of the television inside (we'd love for them to be reading, but we know how kids are). While the time they spend outside frolicking in the snow equates to peaceful R&R time for you parents, you can help even if out by putting in some of these high-quality Christmas classics that are guaranteed to be as entertaining for the grown-ups as they are for the kids.

For infants through 8-year-olds...

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas, released in 1965, was (and remains) a huge hit. It came out at the height of Peanuts’ popularity, but also marked the transition Peanuts made from a comic strip about kids...

You can’t deny that the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials have become classics in their own right. When the holiday season comes around, certain films will inevitably get some airtime, and still others will be played in near perpetuity across cable and network channels alike as everyone attempts to cash in on the American love for traditions, and the Rankin/Bass Original Christmas Classics certainly qualify. Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town! sit comfortably next to A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas on the shelf of Christmas programming. We’ll watch these things year after year, and this Blu-ray release of the Rankin/Bass classics helps to preserve them for future generations, even if it doesn’t do too much to improve their appearance.

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town!