“Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties” was number 7 over its opening weekend and only took in $7.2 million according to The Numbers.Most reviews that I read thought the script was less than stellar, but I’m sure as a parent, if I had a choice between Pixar’s “Cars” and “Garfield,” I’d take the former.  “Cars” is in its second week at number 1 and took in $31.2 million over the weekend for a growing total of $114.5 million.Here are a couple of more reviews: The Patriot News in Harrison, PA thinks it wasn’t too bad, but the VUE Weekly hopes Garfield doesn’t have nine lives; The Boston Globe wasn’t impressed as well.

Cartoon Art Museum: Current Events:Artist-in-Residency ProgramThe Cartoon Art Museum will host a different professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its new Artist-in-Residence program.  Museum patrons will see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists–but were afraid to ask.Featured artists include Paul Madonna, whose comic strip All Over Coffee appears four times a week in the San Francisco Chronicle.Keith Knight, award-winning creator of nationally-syndicated comics The ‘K’ Chronicles and th(ink), is the resident artist on Saturday, July 17, and Michael Jantze, creator of the nationally-syndicated daily comic strip The Norm, is scheduled for Saturday, August 28.

In an age when computer users are looking for more and more sophistication in their ?content,? this was about as technically sophisticated as cartoons get.Cartoonists may need to get more sophisticated about computers in other ways, too.Even if they are not into full animation, many already have regular commentaries, or ?blogs,? and their own websites.Others, notably Daryl Cagle, are trying to sell their drawn cartoons via the Internet.That?s providing outlets for cartoonists who have been squeezed out of jobs at big newspapers in the last few years.  The number of full-time editorial cartoonists in the United States is now about 90, according to the association.Many cartoonists, myself included, have other jobs besides coming up with their concoctions of commentary, art and humor.What does this decline in full-time cartoonists mean?The president of the group, full-time cartoonist and Pulitzer winner Clay Bennett, wrote in November, ?There are few journalists in a newsroom who can define the tone and identity of a publication like an editorial cartoon does.

The McCoy brothers, Gary and Glenn, will have their first book compilation available to the public this August.

Cagle’s Web Log!:Every year the membership of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) votes on the “Golden Spike” award for the best cartoon that was killed by an editor which should not have been killed by an editor.  This year’s winning spiked cartoon (below) is by Canadian cartoonist, Michael DeAdder of the Halifax Daily News.

Would you like to vent these feelings in public – under the blanket of the U.S. Constitution – and make a few bucks besides?The Times Herald-Record is looking for an editorial cartoonist to comment on local issues…. A sense of humor is a must.If you’re interested, send some samples (they cannot be returned) along with a resume to Bob Gaydos, editorial page editor, Times Herald-Record, 40 Mulberry St., Middletown 10940.

Beginning June 25th a new character named “Ming Ming” will debut in Tom Armstrong’s “Marvin” feature.  According to the marketing flyer created by King Features, Ming Ming is Marvin’s new cousin – adopted from China.

According to this story on ICv2.com, John Kovalic will produce a quarterly editorial cartoon commenting on the game industry for ICv2 Retailers Guide.

I received a heads up notice from a reader who says that Charles Boyce, creator of COMPU-TOON, is working with California Public Utilities Commission and AT&T to develop a cartoon character that will be used statewide in promoting training and education in the use of technological procedures.  At some point the character and the educational material will be available on a web site later this month.

The classic feature was started by Tom’s father, also Tom Wilson, as a greeting card character but has since grown into an internationally recognizable character and brand….  Ziggy is seen in 600 newspapers around the world and is a spokes-character for the National Foster Parent Association.

KAL did a demonstration of the puppet at the AAEC convention in Denver and was officially unveiled at a press conference Monday (and will again on the 25th at the Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum where KAL’s exhibit “Mightier Than in Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL”Cartoonist’s Digital Bush Puppet to Debut:There’s life after The Sun of Baltimore for editorial cartoonist Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher — and part of that life involves George W….  3 exhibit entitled “Mightier Than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL.”The puppet will converse and answer questions in “real time” at the June 12 and June 25 events, said KAL, adding that digital Dubya “can be animated daily in reaction to current news.”KAL discussed and showed footage of the Bush puppet at the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists convention in Denver, and also talked about his creation with E&P.

Pat Bagley, editorial cartoonist for the Salt Lake Tribune, was interviewed yesterday by local public radio KCPW about his new book, “Curious George is Watching You.”  They also touch on Pat’s liberal leanings that Give the interview a listen.

I’m late in getting in contact with the Garfield/20th Century Fox crowd to see if there is a prescreening of the new Garfield movie that is coming out this Friday, so I’ll try to be diligent in posting links to other reviews.First up we have a disappointed MSNBCDespite (Bill Murray) droll delivery and a couple of amusing lines here and there, Murray can?t wring many laughs out of the mostly lame script from returning writers Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow….  A sure sign of complete creative bankruptcy in any sequel, this time the action shifts overseas to England, where Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray) is given the opportunity to do the usual European vacation things, including a pit stop at Buckingham Palace where his dog pal Odie pees on the stoic royal guards.

?We get their jaws flapping, and in Sun City we get their hearts stopping.?Benson and Fairrington, two longtime Valley political cartoonists, will be the subjects of a new art show at the Ostrovsky Fine Art Gallery in Scottsdale on Thursday.?Too Hot to Handle? will feature some of the artists? most controversial work, including cartoons that never saw the light of day.Original drawings will be available for purchase, and the artists themselves will be there to greet visitors and demonstrate some sketches.Fairrington got his start at Arizona State University, and is now nationally syndicated….  His awards include a Pulitzer Prize in 1993.Gallery owner Victor Ostrovsky said that, as an artist, he has been impressed with the cartoonists? work.?With very little effort they easily could glide into fine art and be extraordinarily successful in it,? he said.Benson said editorial cartoons generally are not categorized as art; however, they have been a very important expression of artistic opinion in the history of the United States.?You can look at the chronological stream of cartoons to see where nations are at historically,? he said.

According to E&P, a weekly television show called “Party Toons” is being planned for Oregon Public Television – should the funding be secured….  A pilot episode has already been created and features Steve Sack, editorial cartoonist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Steve Breen, of the San Diego Union Tribune.