FRED Entertainment

January 12, 2010

Win THIRTYSOMETHING: SEASON 2 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 2:23 pm

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In conjunction with Shout Factory, we’re giving away three (3) copies of THIRTYSOMETHING: SEASON 2 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 27th.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 27th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Win KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:50 pm

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In conjunction with Shout Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 27th.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 27th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Win a SHE-HULK Premium Format Figure from Sideshow Collectibles!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:33 pm

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In conjunction with Sideshow Collectibles, we’re giving away a SHE-HULK Premium Format Figure.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 27th.

Sideshow Collectibles, Marvel Comics and Adam Hughes are proud to present the She-Hulk Comiquette, the very latest in Marvel Collectibles. Cast in high-quality polystone, this sculpture is taken directly from concepts and designs by famed comic book artist Adam Hughes, whose critically acclaimed realistic illustration meets pin-up style art has made him one of the industry’s most sought after artists and a perennial fan favorite. Each piece is individually painted and finished to exacting standards, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. The She-Hulk Comiquette is a fantastic addition to any display, a must-have for true Marvel fans.

The Sideshow Exclusive version of the She-Hulk Polystone Statue includes a unique feature available nowhere else: A print of the control art created by Adam Hughes

PLEASE NOTE: If you enter this contest, you are also signing up for Sideshow Collectibles’ newsletter. You can always unsubscribe whenever you want, but it’s full of great news, giveaways, exclusives, and announcements.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 27th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

January 11, 2010

A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Jonathan Coulton

Filed under: A Bit Of A Chat With Ken Plume,Interviews — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 4:23 am

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I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, I chat with cyber-troubadour Jonathan Coulton – an evil, evil man who must be destroyed.

Why this call to action? Because he’s immensely talented, an amazingly gifted songwriter, and his incredible creativity both intimidates a normal, ungifted person like myself and drives me to distraction with catchy tunes and wordplay.

Damn him to hell, I can’t stop listening to his music.

That includes his first album Smoke Monkey, his first EP, Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow, the complete 4-disc collection of his online songwriting experiment, Thing-a-Week, and his greatest hits compilation JoCo Looks Back.

You can purchase all of his discs, plus other merch – as well as partake of more sonic goodness – at www.JonathanCoulton.com. While you’re over there, be sure to check out all 52 Things – and pick up his CDs. And pledge your life to him. That talented bastard.

Hope you enjoy…

Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Jonathan Coulton“:

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/bitofachat/bit_of_a_chat-jonathan_coulton.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

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Drop Ken a line HERE.

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You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

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TV Or Not TV: 1/11 – 1/17

Filed under: TV Or Not TV — Tags: — admin @ 3:39 am

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Welcome to another very special edition of TV or Not TV where I’m completely kicked in the gut by Dollhouse and I’m not at all surprised about what has become of The Jay Leno Show.

Folks, there is no way for me to talk about this past Friday night’s episode of Dollhouse, “GETTING CLOSER”, without being spoilerish. So I’m telling you right now that if you haven’t watched it yet and you are going to you’ll want to bookmark this now and come back later.

So last night in the episode GETTING CLOSER a few key things happened. None of them really matter except for one big one and that was the reveal that Boyd Langton is one of the two people that started the Rossum corporation and is the one that is orchestrating everything in the company.  The reveal was amazing, the reveal was jaw dropping and the reveal was… confusing.

The confusion for me occurs on many different levels. Already the Internet chatter is referring to this reveal as Boyd being the “big bad” and “evil” which I’m still kind of unclear on. Yes, clearly, this reveal sheds an entirely different light on the character itself and makes the entire series worth re-watching in trying to decipher Boyd‘s actions and motiviations. No one leads an entirely different life that isn’t up to something and usually those type of deceptive actions aren’t good. Even with all of this evidence at hand we see Boyd, moments before the big reveal, break the neck of an infiltrating security team member and telling Echo to “hang in there.” Even in his big reveal he says that she is special and will help them in ways she’ll never understand, which is the same thing that everyone else pretty much has been saying. Huh?

OK, I can see snapping the security guys neck if he is running his own company from the shadows. It also goes in line with what is said during the reveal when he tells her that no harm will come to her. Trying to make sense of the rest, however, takes us back to the previous episode THE ATTIC (and some of the Season 1 home video exclusive EPITAPH ONE). The ability to imprint without Active Architecture technology that Topher was able to invent is eventually sold as a weapon to allow an entire city of people to be converted to whatever you want them to be: soldiers for your cause, insurgants, anything. Maybe Boyd had a long term plan that some how involved Echo being able to spark the creativity to get to that point in Topher originally. Even that is a bit of a conjecture stretch since Clyde in the attic said that there was a 97% chance of remote imprinting leading to the downfall of civiliation and pure chaos. With only a 3% likelyhood that the tech couldn’t get out of hand means that Boyd planned on Echo being his failsafe in restoring order should things go nutty. I really don’t know. Like I said earlier I’m just trying to make sense of it. Not an easy task at all.

I don’t know if this big reveal was something that was conceived all along or a bit of genius that they were able to come up with a few episodes ago when they knew the show was winding up but I’m loving the thrill ride that we are on and I’m both sad that the show was cancelled but I’m so excited by the results.

Speaking of shows that got cancelled how about The Jay Leno Show? I can’t say that I’m surprised at all since this prime time experiment was clearly one of the greatest network programming snafu’s imaginable. The part about all of this that amazes me is how arm chair critics could all predict, before the show even premiered, that the greatest problem the show would produce is lousy lead in ratings to local affiliate news and the execs and NBC couldn’t foreshadow it.

I think, however, that the mistakes seem to keep on rolling. Now NBC is talking to the entire late night entertainment line up to see if they can get everyone to play nice so they can some how keep LENO by giving him a 30 minute show at 11:35 followed by The Tonight Show at 12:05 and Late Night at 1:05.  Really NBC? So you marginalized the guys impact by having him fail at 10:00 PM and now you are just hoping you can get back the ratings you are losing to Letterman by moving him back? Even better why not further alienate the subsequent shows so that when their contracts expire they go running right into the arms of a competitor? BRILLIANT! All of this just to keep Leno in the fear that he’ll go elsewhere? You’ve already tarnished whatever good name he had, let him go already!

OK, I’ve said my piece. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty of what’s on TV this week.

MONDAY

CBS – 8:00 PM: It’s the big 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother. After the previous 99 other episodes will we really be any closer to meeting this guys wife? Nope.

NBC – 8:00 PM: If you didn’t get your fill of Chuck than you’re in luck because there’s another episode tonight! Chuck me if that isn’t just Chuck-tastic.

FOX – 9:00 PM: OK, I have no idea how Fringe could have an un-aired episode from last season but it did and it airs tonight.

NBC – 9:00 PM: Heroes, yeah, ok, seriously… who cares?

TUESDAY

FOX – 8:00 PM: Is there anything that really needs to be said about the return of American Idol?

NBC – 8:00 PM: It’s the second week on The Biggest Loser so this week they find out just how badly their weight is affecting their body AND they might barely lose weight or even gain it. Who knows?

ABC – 8:30 PM: Another week where Better Off Ted owns the :30 of each hour. I love it.

WEDNESDAY

TNT – 12:00 PM: How do you gear up for a new episode of Leverage? How about an 8 hour marathon? 

FOX – 8:00 PM: OK, there is one thing to say about the return of American Idol. Letting some of these people through to the auditon in front of the judges is just malicious and cruel.

ABC – 9:00 PM: After Claire finds dirty pics on the family PC Phil has some ‘splaining to do on Modern Family.

THURSDAY

NBC – 8:00 PM: Look, tonight is stunt casting nigth on NBC. Jack Black on  Community, Will Arnett on Parks & Recreation, and James Franco on 30 Rock. Oh yeah, no new The Office.

FOX – 8:00 PM: Bones goes alien tonight with The X in the File.

FX – 8:00 PM: If you haven’t already seen it why not take in The Simpsons Movie?

TMC – 8:00 PM: OK, maybe Donnie Brasco instead?

FRIDAY

THE CW – 8:00 PM: Must be close to the return of Smallville with tonight’s two episodes that aired right before the break.

FOX – 9:00 PM: The Hollow Man is the next to last ep of Dollhouse. My guess is that they are talkign about Boyd  in the title. Maybe?

SATURDAY

USA – 4:30 PM: A tough-guys-cold-heart-gets-melted-by-little-kids marathon hits with The Pacifier followed by The Game Plan. I’m sure it is all brought to you by The Spy Next Door (or Tooth Fairy).

NBC – 8:00 PM: I’ve never seen a single episode Mercy but the repeat tonight’s title is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I Saw this Pig and I Thought of You.

SUNDAY

NBC – 8:00 PM: Golden Globes will probably own the night. I’ll be interested to see what Ricky Gervais does with it.

FOX – 8:00 PM: How do you counter program The Golden Globes? Pure adrenaline. FOX rolls out Human Target and this new show I hear mixed reviews about called 24.

ABC – 9:00 PM: Are they really going to make Katherine sane on Desperate Housewives. Didn’t know you could come back that far from the deep end.

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January 8, 2010

Trailer Park: Zachary Levi – Part 1

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right HERE for free.

Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

bitch_slap_posterBitch Slap – Giveaway

When I was at Comic-Con a year and a half ago I can remember this being one of the most memorable interviews I ever conducted. I say conducted as I think conduct was what in order when I was told that the interview I was about to participate in was going to happen in bed.

Sure, you get that sinking feeling when you’re faced with having a conversation with three really lovely women about a movie that is being talked about with the kind of delight the film no doubt was going for. Part pulp, part exploitation, and all fun I don’t believe this movie will require you to do anything more than just enjoy the spoils of their labor.

To that end, and to celebrate the film’s debut today in theaters and on VOD, January 8th.

I’ve got a SIGNED Bitch Slap poster sporting the signatures of  Julia Voth, America Olivo, Erin Cummings, Kevin Sorbo and Zoe Bell, a SIGNED mini-sheet poster (just the girls), one unsigned poster and the full BITCH SLAP 11 card collectible set.

If you’re feeling randy just shoot me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll enter you to win one of these prizes. And if you’re still unsure if this movie’s right for you just read the following synopsis:

Bitch Slap is a post-modern, thinking man’s throwback to the “B” Movie/Exploitation films of the 1950’s – 70’s as well as a loving, sly parody of the same.  Inspired by the likes of Dragstrip Girl;, Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill; Kung Fu Nun and the pantheon of Blaxploitation films, Bitch Slap will mix girls, guns, outrageous action and jaw-dropping visuals with a message”¦ don’t be naughty!

At its core, Bitch Slap follows three bad girls (a down-and-out stripper, a drug-running killer and a corporate powerbroker) as they arrive at a remote desert hideaway to extort and steal $200 Million in diamonds from a ruthless underworld kingpin.  Things quickly spin out of control as allegiances change, truths are revealed, other criminals arrive for the score, the fate of the world hangs in the balance and they are forced to confront a villain much worse than they ever expected”¦ themselves.  It’s the ultimate morality tale as, one by one, they realize the whole she-bang was a set-up and one of them may not even be human…

What also makes Bitch Slap different is a complicated “B” story device that runs throughout the film to illuminate character, backstory and relationship histories not previously revealed.  Like the film Memento, these scene flashbacks take place in reverse, so by the end of the film, you have a wholly different take on who these women are and why they are behaving so badly.  Bet you never saw THAT in Jailbait Babysitter!

So grab your popcorn and fasten your safety belt.  With “Cult Classic” written all over it, Bitch Slap is gonna be one wild ride”¦

Freestyle, IM Global and Epic Slap will premiere BITCH SLAP in theaters and VOD January 8, 2010

YOUTH IN REVOLT / LEAP YEAR – Review

leapOne insult after another with nary a punchline to be found.

What’s astounding about Leap Year, the latest in a long line of painful movies where we are to believe that a woman has mistakenly thought the love of her life is the man she’s with but that it’s not until they meet a strapping, charismatic man before they forsake everything they’ve built in their lives just to be with a stranger they invariably know for a relatively short period of time. It’s an insult to an audience to try and sell an idea that a woman (played by the usually charming Amy Adams) who is willing to fly, on her own accord, to Ireland in order to ask her boyfriend to marry her in a leap year in an act that seems passionate and kind and romantic and incredible yet manages to fall out of love with that man. It defies all rationality to think how a woman could do this yet Anand Tucker tries to sell a comedy that just seems sad, pathetic, and speaks ill of a heroine who just comes off as easily impressionable and just plain, well, easy.

Through a series of situations which exist and play out in farcical fashion, one such moment involves Adams indiscriminately destroying the world’s smallest hotel room and shoehorning a piece of a sub-plot which is there, I assume, to help those who have difficulty with pesky subtly and nuance, we are to trust in this tale of love that wasn’t meant to be yet obviously will.

The logistics that this movie defies is truly astounding and noteworthy. After not being able to find a rental car, in what I can only believe is some remote outpost of humanity but  exists mere hours away from a bustling metropolis of Dublin, Matthew Goode, who plays his one note character as best as one could expect, becomes the de facto transporter although he really, truly, doesn’t want to. The level of stupidity this script shows in its obviousness staggers the mind.

Love abounds, as it usually does, after a series of unbelievable moments that involve a wrecked car, stolen luggage, missed trains, an outdoor wedding reception (I thought this was February in Ireland), a forced kiss that betrays Adams’ purpose in the first place, and through tiny moments of revelation that show just how right these two are for one another when, in fact, it feels like how it would happen in a fairytale. At one point, after Adams seems trapped in a Bermuda Triangle when trying to find some mode of transport that will just get her to Dublin, she buys a ticket for a train that will take her there. She’s had enough of Goode, as is usually the case with a woman who feels she is being weighted down with a fop , and sits on the train’s platform. The train, we’re told, will take more than two hours to get to the station. Goode motions to Adams in taking a walk to the ruins of a castle where he can extemporaneously talk about the mythical history of the runs and, by proxy, explain how this story will end with the two of them together. Won’t take more than fifteen minutes, he says. She relents, goes, listens to the story, and, wouldn’t you know it, the train shows up. Running will do no good here, as would be the logical deduction that we just told the train wouldn’t be there for two plus hours, and there is nary an explanation as to what worm hole that train appeared from or what just happened. Compound this moment a dozen or so times and you’ve got yourself Leap Year.

How can Adams walk around Ireland at the end of February wearing nothing but a dress, high heels and a light overcoat with no problem at all? How can a dog bark without moving its head? Why on earth would she strip nude and shower in front of a stranger? How could she demolish a rented room without once noticing the detritus falling around her and stopping?  Your logic is no good here as you’d be a fool for trying to piece together the broken shards of this film.

Much like Gavin Hood straying from what he seemed to be strongest at, creating emotionally charged and deeply affective films, and instead deciding to craft a prosaic movie about a mutant with metal coming out of his hands, Tucker seems to want this kind of career pathing. This movie suffers from the kind of inane traps that plague bad romantic comedies but it’s ironic in that the movie engenders neither romance nor comedy. Sure, we are given situations where comedy is supposed to flourish, Adams finds herself blowing out a small village’s power supply after trying to plug in her BlackBerry, she accidentally destroys her guide’s car, she muddies herself after tumbling down a muddy mountain, but it’s all very ham fisted even by romantic comedy standards.

Much is made for fires and the one thing you would grab should you find your home engulfed in them. The importance of this is stressed like a mantra that is repeated over and over again in an effort, I am to believe, to make sure you absolutely positively get that this will be important later. At one point Adams’ great epiphany comes when she thinks about pulling the fire alarm in her posh new apartment after we learn that Scott only proposed marriage after finding out that the only way for them to get into the uber exclusive tenement, which required an interview with a committee at the beginning of the film, was to feign being married or at least on the road to it. Scott obviously comes off as the typical bad boyfriend who only cares about materialism, the fire alarm shows how he only wants to save his electronics (Gasp! He must not love her and must only worship false, electronic deities!), and the scene ultimately shows how bad the script written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont actually is. To wit, the writing team who brought us Made of Honor, Surviving Christmas, Josie and the Pussycats, and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas obviously feel comfortable with keeping expectations low as any movie that wants us to trust in their ability to give audiences something entertaining only end up failing, once again, to think this is anything but a movie for simple-minded bumpkins who don’t realize they’re being insulted.

youthYouth In Revolt, in contrast, only suffers from being too well-written.

Director Miguel Arteta ought to be praised for his ability to bring one of the best novels about adolescent lust gone wretchedly wrong in every way, the visual character he brought to Chuck & Buck and Star Maps is here in its essence, but there is a fundamental issue that hobbles this film from being the teenage classic it could be. It’s the expediency with which events transpire and then expire from the movie that only serves to confuse viewers who aren’t familiar with the life and times of Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) as he pursues the girl of his dreams, Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), but the story is rife with comedic possibilities and the handling of the things that made the book wonderful only feel rushed here.

Writer Gustin Nash‘s hand feels present in every scene as we go from plot device to plot device, we aren’t allowed to let the story breathe on its own, as if Nash wanted to be sure to include as many bits as he could from the book in order to remain faithful to it. Who could blame him, at almost 500 pages there is an inordinate amount of laughs to be found within the pages as writer C.D. Payne developed this over sexed and overly intelligent protagonist with the flourish of a great storyteller, for wanting to do so but the result is a greatest-hits compilation of scenes that sometimes feel jarring as a viewer.

This isn’t to say the film is bad. Far from it. It’s perhaps one of the frankest explorations of what “good” young men have to do in order to satiate that side of themselves which, here, makes for good comedy. Nick is deftly played by Michael Cera, who is able to carry not only the meek personality which seems to come naturally to the actor but is able to transform into his daring alter ego, François Dillinger, with gentle ease. It’s Dillinger who had the greatest opportunity and latitude to go for the laughs in this movie and he does so with gusto. As he compels Nick to do what he is unwilling to do on his own, Cera morphs from a smart, frustrated boy into the kind of man we have never seen before on camera. You believe Cera is capable of the destruction and perversion he partakes in simply by playing off of himself with charisma and aplomb. From suggestive remarks about violating the body of his girlfriend, to possessing the affectations of an English speaking Frenchman with a pathological bent, the film is a delight when these two share the camera.

As well, Adhir Kalyan, who plays Nick’s friend Vijay Joshi, is a superb compliment to Cera as the two of them feed off one another in the kind of patois this film excels at when it’s not speeding through scenes. Again, we are briefly shown how these two become friends and aren’t really allowed to appreciate how vital Vijay is to what becomes one of the movie’s best set pieces. As an aside, I wish we would see more of Adhir as he’s more than competent to jostle with Cera for laughs on screen. However, a lot of the issues regarding this movie’s quick pace, however, stem from this movie’s first act.

Adapting the novel seemed too much for Nash as what we get in the first third of this movie is a lot of rushing. We move from one moment to the next, inserting pithy scenes from the book to fit the moment, without ever delving into the characters of the book or the implication of what it means in the grand scheme of things. It not only implicitly casts a pall on a book that is packed with pure comedy but, explicitly, it has the effect of cheapening this movie’s intent which is to show how one pervy boy with a pathological streak manipulates those around him. To wit, Zach Galifianakis plays one of Nick’s mom’s boyfriends. He is introduced, used for a few scenes, and is crumpled up just as quickly as he came on the screen like a piece of detritus that needs to be swept away in order to make room for other characters. This is the case for the rest of the movie, characters coming and going in order to introduce everyone in this book’s universe, along with their strange proclivities. Zach feels there almost in a utilitarian capacity as he’s the driving force to get Nick out of town so he can meet Sheeni, he’s the one who buys the camper that ultimately meets a fiery finish, and he conveniently meets his demise just at the right time in order to progress the journey. There’s nothing wrong with making every moment contribute to the whole, and for there to be reasons why something is in a movie, but the end result is mass confusion as these contrivances just make everything feel too convenient, too pat.

The issue that this movie never deals with, then, is why Nick and Sheeni are willing to go back and forth with this relationship. We know Nick’s reason for sure but it doesn’t ever feel genuine and it certainly doesn’t earn its ending which feels rushed and shoehorned in as if someone happened to look at their watch to see that the movie was about to break 90 minutes. We ought to feel the penultimate moment these two kids share is well-deserved but the way in which they finally consummate their relationship just doesn’t work.

It’s sad that the relationship that could have spoken to so many pent-up and sexually frustrated boys everywhere is relegated to the backseat of a movie that seems determined to drive the shortest route between two points instead of taking the longer, more scenic route. The result is a movie that certainly could have detailed the life of this young man on the road to finally getting some but it’s a journey that speeds by too fast to appreciate how we got there.

Zachary Levi of Chuck – Interview

I’m used to interviewing celebrities one time. Many of the times they’re enjoyable, sometimes they’re fantastic, and some other times are completely awful. It’s the latter ones where I secretly wish their career commits seppuku just to ensure I never even remotely have the chance to talk to them again.

Zachary Levi is a special case in that I have talked to him a handful of times and every time, absolutely every time, he’s just a kind, open, honest, naturally funny guy who doesn’t put up a superficial front and genuinely thinks about answers before he gives them. He also likes to talk. A lot. That’s really fine for me as when we had a chance to spend a long conversation talking about Chuck’s near demise and the future of network television in general last summer at Comic-Con there was a sense of calm with the actor about all the hullabaloo surrounding the show’s direction. He was passionate when talking about the effort a lot of fans put into making the public aware of the precarious position the show found itself in as it closed out it’s second season. So passionate was Levi about rolling up his shirt sleeves to save the show, Levi literally rolled up his shirt sleeves. Making sandwiches at Subway, coinciding with the series finale, it was a clever sponsorship drive that asked fans to purchase subs, writing a comment or two about how much they wanted the show to stay on the air, Levi didn’t let this oft abused rallying cry on the Internet to save yet another show go unnoticed.

It was this kind of effort, small as it may have been, that speaks volumes about the man who goes into work and gets to play a secret agent on TV every week.There is no affectation when he speaks, it’s just a guy talking about a career who’s just thankful to have one. It doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s conversations like this that remind me how much better interviews could be if people were just more, well, human.

Chuck is indeed back for its third season starting this Sunday night with a two-hour season premiere at 9/8c before returning to its regular night and time, January 11th at 8/7c.

chuckCS:  One of the things that marked this year, this season, for Chuck was the number of people who came out wanting to be sure the show was saved from the network chopping block.  What was your take on how that swell started?  I know a lot of people in your position would say “There’s nothing we can do about it” but what was it like to have all those people come out and say, “Please save the show?”

LEVI: It certainly gives you an appreciation of what you do.  Being a working actor and getting to do what I love to do is already awesome.    For the most part, no matter what you do somebody out there likes it and somebody out there will find you at some point and say “Hey, I love your work” even if it’s a horrible piece of crap, which is sometimes the case…

(Laughs)

But, with this I think we’ve collectively all been pretty proud of what we’ve accomplished ““ what we continue to accomplish.  So on top of just that and appreciating it that way and knowing that your fan base, your core demographic fan base which is ““ we live and die by Comic-Con ““ because Chuck would be here.  Chuck would be at the Chuck panel ““ which would be a very out of body experience.  Wait a minute?  That’s me!

CS:  There are hotel keys with your face on it”¦

LEVI:  I know man.  That has been that way for three years now.  Warner Bros. has done a great job at doing that.  All those little things certainly help.  I remember when Jerico was about to get canceled the first time and all the fans went crazy and they worked in unison and sent tons of peanuts to CBS and it worked.  It got 13 more episodes for Jerico.  But I feel like what’s happened is kind of like ““ and I’ve never seen it happen like this before ““ where a fan really had a kind of moment of genius – when some people sent Nerds, those little candy Nerds, to NBC which is all effective in some way because they are passionate fans, but at the end of the day it doesn’t change the problem.  It doesn’t solve the problem.

The problem is television is failing.

The formula doesn’t work anymore.  Back in the day you had 3 options.  CBS, NBC, and ABC and there was no cable, no DVR’s, no Internet, so if you were going to be home, which a lot of people were on any given night, Nielsen’s worked.  You could see a cross section there. 70% of the audience is going to be watching the Cheers finale and they have to watch the commercials through and in that way you could offer free entertainment like that.  You could force commercials down people’s throats but you can’t do that anymore.  So more and more people, especially audiences of a show like Chuck that are tech savy, are watching it online.  They are watching it on DVR and so, as much as I think they like to think that that still counts. It actually doesn’t. Even networks and studios say “Well, every little bit helps” but they know it doesn’t really work out that way.  Because, at the end of the day, advertisers are only looking at the live numbers.  They need to know if we spend this amount of money on advertising, who’s actually seeing those commercials.  And live numbers are the only ones that count.  Really.

So, it makes it very difficult.  The roundabout way of getting to our very dedicated fans, Wendy Farrington, a smart cool chick, she was watching the show one night and worried about the show getting canceled because that was the word on the street that it was on the chopping block. And she saw one of the scenes where Big Mike is chopping away on a Subway sandwich and thought, “If we can get enough fans to actually patronize one of the main sponsors, actually spending money that directly connects to, it’s not just wasting your money on peanuts or Nerds and making some statement.  “So what if we’re not watching the commercials.  We know who is behind the show and we will spend money and buy their product?”  So she came up with this idea, wrote it up, came up with a mission statement and that got picked up virally basically by everybody.  Some of my fan sites asked for my take on it and I told them what I’m telling you, that I think it’s a fantastic idea.  It’s a real idea and not just people swarming their fists around saying, “No, no, please don’t.”  We get it.

zachary-levi-meb2009The rubber has got to meet the road somewhere.  And so that, mixed with a couple other variables, allowed us to come back for a 3rd season.  I think it’s really kind of blazed a trail and I think if network television is going to survive in this new DVR, internet, downloadable world, why not like that?  Why not just have one main sponsor and harken back to what TV used to be?  How about Borax? I don’t know.  But as long as it’s an easily consumable product. Unfortunately for car makers, you can’t be a Toyota and hope that people will go buy a Civic, or a Celica, I mean.  All of that combined to create a perfect storm of this is really happening.  It was weird because at first your pride takes a hold a little bit.  You think, “Why aren’t we picked up?  We are a good show and critics like us, a lot of critics love us, our fans love us, and yes, we only do 7 million live but there’s a number 5 if you count all the DVRs and download and DVD purchases.  That’s a lot of people.  Right?”

So, at first I was a little bummed.  I thought it just sucked that this show gets picked up right away and this show is back and we’re still waiting and hanging on but as we went through this whole process what I realized is A) it gave me an appreciation for what we do, like I was saying because it’s humbling especially today.  Being out there in front of a packed hall of 4,000 fans that are dedicated to the show and that’s just a sampling because there are people that stood in line but couldn’t make it into the room and what we do impacts them in some way enough for them to be there with us today and it’s really, really, really humbling and to be here at Comic-Con because we live and die by these very fans that joined the cause and picked up the torch or whatever analogy or metaphor ““ it’s only right that whatever time we can spend with them to say, “Thank you.  I only have a job today because you guys cared enough to Tweet about it or blog about it or emailed it to other friends.”

We also have fans that just bug the heck out of their families and friends ““ check out Chuck ““ did you see Chuck? ““ Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, you know?

(Laughs)

LEVI: I was telling a reporter and the lady from the Chicago Tribune ““ and people like yourself ““ anyone in the media who through all that and before we went on the chopping block, during the season we’ve gotten a lot of love and I’m sure their viewers were saying, “OK, enough of this freakin’ Chuck ““ I get it, you like the show, OK.”  But they are constantly plugging the show and constantly giving us love.  So I really feel that, not that we are the first to stick around because of that kind of love ““ Arrested Development stuck around because of critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base, and winning a couple of trophies didn’t hurt – but even despite that it wasn’t enough for Fox to keep them around, so three seasons and then it was done.  And there are people that still today say, “How could they possible do that?  It was the best show on television.”  And it was.  It was an incredible show but it was ahead of it’s time I think.  And being ahead of your time isn’t always the best thing because audiences still hadn’t caught on to the single camera comedy in that way.  Scrubs has stayed around and weathered some storms and now it’s going to keep going and I’m sure there are fans that are really happy about that.  Then also, so through the process I went from being like that really sucks that we weren’t renewed to seeing all the outcry and outpouring of the love of our fan base and the critics because everybody picked it up: Entertainment Weekly, and E, and TV Guide, and People.  The show that might go away”¦it’s Chuck.  And then I realized that we are getting lots of free press out of this.  This is really good.  And then you start to think about it in the bigger scheme of things like stuff that only later on in hindsight ““ you think clearly God had a bigger plan than all this because now this is keeping us fresh in people’s minds because we are not going to be on the air again until March 1st possibly and that’s all I know.

CS:  That’s like another writers strike.

LEVI: Yes.  Fortunately it won’t be that long until we go back to work but nonetheless, that’s a long time off the air.  We certainly benefited tremendously from not being quietly renewed in the night.  We fought for it.  Our fans fought for it.  Our critical fans fought for it and we’re back.  And, I feel like because of that, now it’s almost like our fans are part owners of the show.  They are all shareholders.  “Yeah, we fought for that and we got that back.”  It wasn’t just because the numbers were so great that 15 million people are watching it and of course you are going to get renewed.  No man, it was the strong, the proud, the Marines”¦

(Laughs)

LEVI: And nerds everywhere.  When I was in the UK right before the finale I was in Birmingham ““ Adam Baldwin and I were at a Comi-Con out there and doing some signings and stuff and it was right before the finale and my publicist was calling me saying that a lot of people are asking, both editorial and fan sites, asking what we are going to do for the finale.  “Are you going to do a footlong finale thing with the grassroots thing?” and the girl who started the thing was in the UK and I met her there for the first time.  I think she was from Philadelphia and there happened to be a Subway there.  I didn’t even know they had them there because it’s called the Underground there.

(Laughs)

Win THE SIMPSONS: SEASON 20 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 6:33 am

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In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of THE SIMPSONS: SEASON 20 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Weekend Shopping Guide 1/8/10: Kung Fu Fightin’

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The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

It’s been a long, long, LONG wait, but the fine folks at Cinematic Titanic make a strong return with their road-tested riff of the awkward merging of both Kung-Fu AND Blaxsploitation, all wrapped in a model of poor filmmaking and worse acting… I give you East Meets Watts (Cinema Titan, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99). Not only is the riffing tight, but this is also the first Cinematic Titanic Live release, which was recorded in front of a live audience. And it works a charm. Now let’s speed up those releases, guys!

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I’ve never owned a good cooking knife in my life. Usually, I’ll hack meat and vegetables with a steak knife, ’cause that’s all I’ve got. Every time I’ve tried to buy a better knife, I’ve always chosen poorly, and wound up with a quick-dulling instrument that just sends me right back to my trusty serrated hacksaws. Well, now I’ve seen the light – and it’s not metal. No, it’s Ultrasharp Ceramic Knives ($74.99). The blade is sharp – really sharp – and it never dulls. How sweet is that? And not only do you get the blade – you also get a ceramic bladed peeler… You know, for peeling stuff. Stuff! Peeled!

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It’s not a kiddie movie, but I certainly saw it as a kid, and I still love the anarchic blackness that permeates one of the most offbeat holiday flicks to ever hit screens, Gremlins (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP). In fact, it was this – along with Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom (interestingly enough, both Amblin pics) that helped usher in the PG-13 rating. Now in full high-definition, bonus features include a pair of audio commentaries, a making-of featurette, additional scenes, a gallery, and trailers.

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No one rants with quite the same vigor – and accessibility – as Charlie Brooker. Like a cross between Mark Twain and a riled wasps nest, Brooker’s regular column in the Guardian is an ongoing social commentary that inspires equal parts knowing laughter and sympathetic bile. Don’t believe me? Pick up the latest collection – The Hell Of It All (Guardian Books/Faber & Faber, £12.99 SRP) and read for yourself.

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How sweet is it that we’re actually a dozen volumes in to the The Complete Peanuts? What seemed like it would take forever to accomplish – the presentation of the entire run of Charles Schulz’s classic strip – now seems to be flying by, as we can all dive into The Complete Peanuts: 1973 to 1974 (Fantagraphics, $28.99 SRP), and cast our vote for Sack. He’s the greatest. Now bring on the next volume!

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If their continued collections of Peanuts weren’t enough to earn Fantagraphics the love and adoration of comics fans the world over, then their beautiful collections of the EC Segar strips starring his cantankerous, shambling sailor should secure that place within their hearts. The 4th collection – Popeye: Plunder Island (Fantagraphics, $29.99 SRP) – has as its centerpiece the titular adventure, presented for the first time in full color, completely uncut.

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It’s refreshing to upend the traditional romantic comedy formula and look at how unpredictable love can actually be with 500 Days Of Summer (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which brings together Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as the awkward pair. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and deleted/extended scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available with additional featurettes, interview, audition tapes, and more.

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While Office Space has become an instant classic and even the marginalized Idiocracy has become a cult flick, Mike Judges latest, Extract (Miramax, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), is a bit scattershot. While the ensemble is top notch – Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristin Wiig, and Ben Affleck – the story, about the sale of a small-town flavor extract company that begins to fall apart around the owner (Bateman), doesn’t ever really gel. Which is a shame, because all of the ingredients are there. Bonus materials include a featurette and deleted/extended scenes.

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What do you do when you’re a network with a surprise hit on your hands? You don’t wait around for your debut season to wrap before you rush out a DVD collection featuring the first half of said season – and that’s what we’ve got with Glee: Season 1 Volume 1 (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 4-disc box set contains 13 episodes, plus audition pieces, featurettes, a casting session, and more. Yes, you know you want this set. You know you’re a fan. ADMIT IT.

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Catch up on your TV viewing over the holiday break with both the 3rd and final season of the sci-fi show Kyle XY (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) and the 3rd season of The Secret Life Of The American Teenager (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Kyle XY features audio commentaries, a featurette, and deleted scenes, while Teenager gets the pilot episode and a Q&A.

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It came and went from theaters with only the slightest of notice – a disappointment, considering it was the theatrical follow-up to Juno from screenwriter Diablo Cody. Which is a shame, as Jennifer’s Body (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is a goofy little bit of teenage horror that brought fond memories of the equally B The Faculty. Give it a spin at home. Bonus features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, video diaries, featurettes, and more.

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Check another series off your running list, as we’ve come to the release of the 7th and final season of Mission: Impossible (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). Will Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) finally encounter an impossible mission? Or we he wind up doing links on A&E in just a few short years? Watch the 22 episodes in this set regardless of the answer.

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Oh, what I wouldn’t do to put a bullet through the sadly long-lived American Pie franchise, which has now moved into American Pie Presents The Book Of Love (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$36.98 SRP), if only to free Eugene Levy from whatever cursed existence binds him to these flicks. Bonus features include featurettes, trivia, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

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What was just about the last season of the show turned out to be just another one after it was picked up, so now you can rest easy as you partake of Chuck: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), knowing that it’s not the last. Also? 3-D episode! Bonus features include a bevy of featurettes, webisodes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

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It’s the second volume of The Fugitive‘s third season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), and we’ve reached the point where Dr. Richard Kimble discovers the identity of the elusive one-armed man, just as pursuer Lt. Phillip Gerard decides to employ… A COMPUTER!… to track the good doctor down. The 4-disc set contains 15 episodes.

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The regular episodes are often painful scattershot, but the focus of their Star Wars episodes seems to bring out the best in Seth MacFarlane & company, as you can see for yourself with Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$22.98 SRP). Bonus features include an audio commentary, fact-ups, a featurette, and a sneak peek at a table read. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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Go all the way back to the days of Wendy, Marvin, & Wonder Dog with the first volume from the premiere season of the original Super Friends! (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Journey back via this 2-disc set featuring 8 episodes plus a newly produced super fan workout, the “Super Friends Trivia Challenge”.

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I remember when The Green Mile (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) was originally released on VHS, in a bulky 2-tape set during the last gasp of that format before DVDs came on the scene. Even the original DVD release suffered from the film’s length, with a featureless release. Well, now that it’s come to Blu-Ray, it’s all on one disc, which also contains an audio commentary, a documentary, additional scenes, make-up tests, a look at the teaser trailer, Michael Clarke Duncan’s screen test, and more. How’s the for progress?

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I’d like to say that Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs: The Totally Warped Animated Adventures (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is a glorious disaster, but it’s not. It’s just a sad, poorly written series that sullies the memory of Brooks’ 80’s guilty pleasure. Unfortunate.

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Christmas is dead and buried, so that means we start getting releases like a special edition of Winnie The Pooh: A Valentine For You (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) which, as you can imagine, is the 2/14 themed outing for that willy nilly silly old bear. As far as bonus features go, it’s pretty much just an episode from The New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh.

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It’s all hit the fan in the third season of Big Love (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP), as Bill Henrickson’s carefully constructed family and business ventures begin to erode from pressures outside and in. The 4-disc set contains all 10 episodes, plus a trio of mini-dramas and four direct-to-camera videos from Bill and his three wives.

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Wrap up the season that brought in Rob Estes, Alyssa Milano, and Lisa Rinna (and showed the door to Grant Show, Marcia Cross, & Laura Leighton) with Melrose Place: The Fifth Season Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.99 SRP). The 3-disc set contains 13 episodes, but zero bonus features.

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It’s not good cinema, but the flicks contained in Roger Corman’s Best Of The B’s Collection 1 (Infinity, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) certainly are memorably bad. This 4-disc pack contains seven remastered Corman films starring the likes of Gary Busey, Jack Nicholson, Scott Glenn – Naked Angels, Bury Me An Angel, The Fast And The Furious, The T-Bird Gang, The Wild Ride, The Winner, and Angels Hard As They Come.

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It never fails to bring a warm feeling when one of those Sunday afternoon flicks that used to permeate my youth gets all cleaned and gussied up and finds its way into high-definition. Certainly those warm feelings come from The Green Berets (Warner Bros., Rated G, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP), starring John Wayne in the first feature to focus on the Vietnam War. Bonus materials include a vintage featurette and the original theatrical trailer.

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It doesn’t happen often enough, but Taxi (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) managed, with its fifth & final season, to go out on a strong note without anyone feeling that the show overstayed its welcome. The cracks were showing, granted – and Any Kaufman’s off-camera behavior was causing some issues on set – but it remains one of those timeless, character-based sitcoms that are just as funny today as it was over 25 years ago. The 3-disc set also contains episode and series promos.

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David Tennant’s era as The Doctor has just come to a close, but there’s still plenty of classic Doctor adventures still in the pipeline. The newest releases to keep you warm (if the scarf isn’t enough) is the William Hartnell era Doctor Who: The Keys Of Marinus and the Colin Baker era The Twin Dilemma (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP each). Both discs are packed with bonus materials, including featurettes, audio commentaries, galleries, and more.

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It’s not for your younger kiddies, but there’s enough inventiveness and beauty of execution to make 9 (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) a film worth showing to kids. It’s post-apocalyptic world and ragtag band of decidedly non-traditional survivors are that special kind of inspiration that will spark a child’s imagination. Bonus materials include the original 11-minute short, an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.

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With the resurgence of 3-D, particularly in horror films, it was only a matter of time before the Final Destination franchise decided to go all cine-poky with The Final Destination In 3-D (New Line, Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP). You pretty much know the deal by now – it’s a pissy Death getting all postal on some young schlubs. Bonus features are limited to some additional scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available, which adds a pair of alternate endings, a pair of featurettes, and a look at the atrocious-looking new Nightmare On Elm Street.

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You can feel the end coming on as the 9th season of 7th Heaven (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) rolls along, as members of the Camden clan come and go, many no more than glorified recurring characters or cameos. The 5-disc set contains all 22 episodes.

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Since getting the Disney license, the fine folks at Electric Tiki (distributed by the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles) have been making some unique choices for their statue line. First there was Darkwing Duck, then Jessica Rabbit in an unused costume from one of the Roger Rabbit shorts, then the Rescue Rangers. Most unique, though, and welcome is Alice In Wonderland & The White Rabbit ($124.99), done in the style of Disney designer Mary Blair (perhaps most famous for designing the It’s A Small World attraction).

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So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #129: We’re Flexible

Filed under: Ken P.D. Snydecast — Tags: , , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 12:41 am

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Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and Quick Stop Entertainment’s Ken Plume set out to have a literate conversation between two pals, but inevitably devolve into a verbal, and funny, free-for-all full of bickering, infighting, and the special kind of male bonding that comes from conflict expressed through the podcast medium.

Actor/comedian/raconteur Dana Snyder, you’re certainly aware, is Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Squidbillies‘ Granny, Minoriteam’s Dr. Wang, and The Venture Bros.‘ Alchemist. Available for weddings and bar mitzvahs (bat availability pending), you can keep tabs on him via his website, www.eyeofthesnyder.com.

Ken Plume is the editor-in-chief here at FRED. He is a friend of Dana’s, as well as his arch-nemesis.

VISIT THE SNYDECAST EXPERIENCE

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KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #129: We’re Flexible – Ken & Dana return fresh-tailed and bushy faced to launch into a brand new year of scintillating conversation. Unfortunately, they somehow come to believe they’re hosting a sad, sad episode of TOP GEAR.

[CONTENT WARNING]: This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
Episode #129 (MP3 format)

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-129.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

Got something to say? E-mail Dana & Ken at the Snydecast mailbag.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE SNYDECAST ARCHIVES

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January 7, 2010

Contest Round-Up: 2010-01-06

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Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at FRED. Every Wednesday, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!

In conjunction with Sideshow Collectibles, we’re giving away an ELVIS PRESLEY Premium Format Figure.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) sets of TOP GEAR: SEASON 11 and TOP GEAR: SEASON 12 on DVD.

In conjunction with Shout Factory, we’re giving away three (3) copies of TRANSFORMERS: SEASON 2 VOLUME 2 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of ROBIN HOOD: SEASON 3 on DVD.

In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of THE SIMPSONS: SEASON 20 on DVD.

Win ROBIN HOOD: SEASON 3 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 12:04 am

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In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of ROBIN HOOD: SEASON 3 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

January 6, 2010

Win TRANSFORMERS: SEASON 2 VOLUME 2 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 11:53 pm

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In conjunction with Shout Factory, we’re giving away three (3) copies of TRANSFORMERS: SEASON 2 VOLUME 2 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Win TOP GEAR: SEASON 11 & TOP GEAR: SEASON 12 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 11:37 pm

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In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) sets of TOP GEAR: SEASON 11 and TOP GEAR: SEASON 12 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Win an ELVIS PRESLEY Premium Format Figure from Sideshow Collectibles!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 11:22 pm

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In conjunction with Sideshow Collectibles, we’re giving away an ELVIS PRESLEY Premium Format Figure.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present Elvis, the biggest-selling solo recording star of all time, in this 1:4 scale Premium Format figure. This astonishingly lifelike, mixed-media figure depicts The King of Rock n’ Roll as he appears in his ’68 Comeback Special, one of his most remembered performances. The Elvis Presley Premium Format Figure features a hand-cast polystone body, hand painted to exacting standards and fully costumed in expertly tailored real fabric clothing. Each piece is individually hand-finished and hand-numbered with the edition size. The Elvis Premium Format figure is sure to be the centerpiece of any Elvis collection and stand among the highest quality reproduction of the King of Rock n’ Roll to date.

PLEASE NOTE: If you enter this contest, you are also signing up for Sideshow Collectibles’ newsletter. You can always unsubscribe whenever you want, but it’s full of great news, giveaways, exclusives, and announcements.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, January 20th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Bagged & Boarded 43: Out With The Gnu

Filed under: Bagged & Boarded — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 7:29 am

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What happens when two young men let their love of movies, comic books, and all things “geek” take over their lives? They run away from their families, bringing only the most essential DVDs and comics to their secret, highly fortified underground bunker in sunny Southern California, where they start recording podcasts that will change the world.

Are they heroes?

No.

Are they geniuses?

Far from it.

Are they the future of this planet?

I sure hope not.

Simply put… Matt Cohen and Jesse Rivers are “Bagged and Boarded”.

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BAGGED & BOARDED #43: Out With The Gnu – In which Matt presents a very special look back at the year that was 2009. All the laughs, all the tears – all the sandwiches. Ring this…

[CONTENT WARNING]: This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
Episode #43 (MP3 format)

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/baggedboarded/bagged_boarded-43.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

Got something to say? E-mail Matt & Jesse at the B & B mailbag.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE BAGGED & BOARDED ARCHIVES

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January 5, 2010

A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Paul & Storm

Filed under: A Bit Of A Chat With Ken Plume,Interviews — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 4:00 am

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I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, I chat with musical comedy duo Paul & Storm

Hope you enjoy…

Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Paul & Storm“:

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January 4, 2010

TV Or Not TV: 1/4 – 1/10

Filed under: TV Or Not TV — Tags: — admin @ 5:57 am

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Welcome to another year of TV or Not TV where I’m amazed at what I will sit around and watch.

This past week I was on vacation, but not the traditional vacation that you might invision. Some people like to go away from their home for several days and wear themselves out running around and doing things under the guise of having fun. Clearly, explained that way, you can see what I mean by that not being a vacation. Who can relax with all those activities and other nonsense? Not me. I did what every sane person would do: I took time off of work and I stayed home.

In the interest of full disclosure I have to tell you that the majority of the time what I really spent my time doing was getting immersed in the world of the Lego Star Wars saga. Yes the prequels sucked but when you play them in Lego fashion they are actually quite entertaining, but I digress.

When I wasn’t busy using the force I was watching movies on Blu-Ray, DVD and my Roku box. I watched all kinds of movies ranging from…. oh wait, this is a TV column and not a movie review column. Nuts. There went what I planned on writing about.

All kidding aside what I love doing when I’m spending vacation at home during a holiday break is to find marathons of TV shows to get my couch potato on with. The only problem with hunting out these marathons is that they have to involve shows I haven’t already watched. What is the sense of sitting around the house and watching things you’ve already watched (like all five season of LOST…. hey, I have an excuse! The show is almost over)? This puts the viewing options back on the lap of DVD or some accidental discovery. Thanks to A&E I had one such accidental discovery.

Last Wednesday I sat around just about the entire day watching DOG the Bounty Hunter. I, in my vaguest of memories, did peripherally watch one episode of this show while surfing my laptop. I didn’t pay it much mind. This time I got sucked in to the show.

Early on in the marathon the show was really entertaining as DOG and his crew played their game of cat and mouse with bail jumpers in both Hawaii and Denver, Colorado.  DOG and his family also provided plenty of entertainment on their own both while on the chase and off. For at least two solid hours I was completely hooked.

Somewhere around hour three I started to realize that what was really happening was me being sucked in to edited and fabricated drama. Most of the time you spend watching the show the cat and mouse action doesn’t really exist. What you have is lots of cat action, where the cat is looking for a mouse but might not be in the right place and right time and even though the cat seems to be doing a lot to give the impression that something is happening even when it isn’t. Finally the cat is in the right spot at the right time, there’s a quick pounce, and the cat has the mouse and then attempts to perform an intervention with the mouse to explain to the mouse how it has been living life wrong as a mouse before it eventually lets the mouse go. After I came to this realization (and really crappy analogy) I felt the same way I do after eating an entire tray of brownies: very unfulfilled and I realized I just spent my time doing something that won’t benefit me.

What did I learn from this? Nothing really, it’s TV for gosh sakes. It’s not trying to teach me a thing. It just helps distract me when I eat brownies.

Now that we’ve taken that very odd turn let’s see what the exciting world of television has to offer to us.

MONDAY

ABC – 8:00 PM: It’s a brand new season and train wreck as The Bachelor starts up again with a pilot looking for his one true… uh… whatever she is. They’ve even yucked it up by calling it On the Wings of Love. Maybe I’ll try to stomach watching it this season.

NBC – 8:00 PM: I know, why am I recommending Heroes still? I have on idea really. I’m just curious to see what they do to send of Nathan now that he’s been dead since last season.

ABC – 10:00 PM: I wonder how the great entertainers of the golden age of television would feel to know that one day a reality show named Conveyor Belt of Love would exist.

TUESDAY

NBC – 8:00 PM: It’s a New Year and a new season of The Biggest Loser. This season is all about family couples and just like seasons past they are bringing out some of the biggest contestants we’ve ever seen. I’m in, as always.

ABC – 8:00 PM: If you can stomach the new Scrubs at the top of each hour you can enjoy two episodes of Better Off Ted at the bottom of each hour.

HIST – 10:00 PM: Life After People returns with an examination of what happens to the relics of religion over time if humans suddenly were to disappear. I just hope the Shroud of Turin doesn’t become a pigeon’s nest.

WEDNESDAY

FOX – 8:00 PM: Two more repeats of Glee fill in until American Idol returns.

CBS – 8:00 PM: Celebrities try to fool the public into thinking they are regular schlubs like us performing menial jobs in I Get That a Lot.

FX – 10:00 PM: The final season of Nip/Tuck premieres tonight. Wait, didn’t the last season end like three weeks ago?!?

THURSDAY

SYFY – 5:00 PM: 8 hours of Chuck repeats from season 2 tries to get us in the mood for the Buy More employee’s return on the 10th! Everything else is in repeats anyway so this is good watching people.

VH1 – 10:00 PM: Celebrity Rehab returns with Dr. Drew trying to help Heidi Fleiss, her former beau Tom Sizemore, Dennis Rodman and fresh off her shocking book tour Mackenzie Phillips. I feel like I need a shower after just typing about this one.

FRIDAY

TCM – 6:00 AM: Today Elvis would have been 75, so TCM is rolling out an all day marathon of his movies.

FOX – 9:00 PM: They are setting the stage for the beginning of the end on Dollhouse tonight. ’nuff said?

ABC – 9:00 PM: The vicious panel of would-be investors returns with tonight’s return of Shark Tank.

SATURDAY

ABC – 8:00 PM: If you are beating yourself up over missing the season premiere of The Bachelor than ABC is giving you a second chance tonight.

BBCA – 8:00 PM: If you missed the premiere of Demons after the final David Tennant episode of Dr. Who last night you have a chance to catch it again tonight before the second ep airs at 9.

SUNDAY

FOX – 8:30 PM: Super Size Me documentarian Morgan Spurlock delves deep into Springfield’s most famous family in The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3D! On Ice!

TLC – 9:oo PM: Harrison Ford narrates Brace for Impact where we hear Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III and others recount the Hudson River landing of US Airways Flight 1549.

NBC – 9:00 PM: It’s the two hour season premiere of the upgraded Chuck flunking out of spy school. Grab Subway for dinner if you’re glad the show is back.

Will Wilkins just met Fred.

 

January 1, 2010

Paul Dini’s JINGLE BELLE: #03

Filed under: Jingle Belle — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:44 am

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Santa Claus gets along with every child except one ““ his own feisty teen-age daughter, JINGLE BELLE. Jingle’s creator Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Gotham City Sirens) and illustrator Stephanie Gladden (Hopster’s Tracks, Girls of Monster Paradise) will be presenting ALL NEW weekly Jing strips here at FRED. Check in each Thursday for more arctic antics!

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CLICK BELOW FOR THIS WEEK’S STRIP

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Jingle Belle and all related characters ™ & ® 2009 Paul Dini all rights reserved

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