I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with actor/writer/producer Scott Adsit, about comics, improv, SNL, pilots, and heroes.
Hope you enjoy…
Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Scott Adsit“:
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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…)
What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME! And it most certainly is, considering you can now get both Adventure Time: Season 1 & Season 2 (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$32.07 SRP each) in brilliant high definition IN YOUR VERY OWN HOME, Bonus materials include audio commentaries, animatics, featurettes, a music video, and more.
Today’s modern tech world means a lot of touchscreens – phones, tablets, computers… Which means a whole mess of surfaces with increasing crud levels that are just, well, icky. Enter Biocynclear Cleaning Solution ($14.99), a antimicrobial cleaning solution and applicator being offered by the fine folks at Thinkgeek.
In an age where JJ Abrams’ abysmal take on Star Trek threatens to become the norm, it’s a delight to dip into the classic Trek-era stories crafted over the past couple of years by legendary comic writer/artist John Byrne, all of which have been collected together in the hefty hardcover Star Trek: The John Byrne Collection (IDW, $49.99 SRP). From tales of the Romulan empire and regular starship crewmen to Gary Seven and the frontier doctoring of Leonard McCoy, they’re all beautifully evocative of the original final frontier.
It’s not as clever as Bridesmaids, but there’s no denying that Identity Thief (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) works largely on the back of the ridiculously talented Melissa McCarthy, who makes her turn as an over-the-top con artist par excellence tick. Bonus materials include alternate takes, featurettes, and a gag reel.
It’s always dicey business when another non-Pixar CG-animated film comes down the pike, but I genuinely enjoyed the madcap verve of the astronaut-as-alien reversal in Planet 51, and I found myself enjoying the sequel, Escape From Planet Earth (Anchor Bay, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which flips the premise back to aliens on Earth and adds 3D to the mix. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, alternate scenes, featurettes, and more.
If you enjoy your juice in concentrated form, you can now pick up the entire first season of Cartoon Network’s The High Fructose Adventures Of Annoying Orange (Vivendi, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), featuring the titular grating fruit and his pals traveling through time and space. Bonus materials include featurettes, a webisode, and an animatic.
Looking for a gift for Dad this weekend? How about the John McClane as Jack Ryan meets Bourne sequel A Good Day To Die Hard (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which find McClane teamed up with his adult son in Russia. Or maybe wrestler Randy Orton as a paramedic put through the action ringer by a vengeful psychopath in 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). Finally, there’s the cowboy songstyling biopic of controversial bad boy Hank Williams, The Last Ride (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), starring ET’s Elliott, Henry Thomas.
Find out whether Dora can find a note in Dora The Explorer: Dora Rocks! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.9 8 SRP), featuring a clutch of episodes that – you guessed it! – feature music.
If you’re like me (and I know I am), you’ve been terribly impressed with the work the fine folks at Hot Toys have been doing with their 1/6-scale figures based on Marvel’s Avengers. But what are a bunch of superheroes without their opposite – and that means the arrival of the long-awaited Asgardian god of mischief, Loki ($219). Decked out in the same outfit featured in the film and featuring another of their eerily lifelike head sculpts, you can now posses your very own tiny Tom Hiddleston, leaving you to decide on either his horned helm of bareheaded looks. Accessories include handcuffs, face muzzle, a pair of staffs (long and short), and plenty of hands. Just look how exquisitely done this figure is…
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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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 ended before its time, but fans can now pick up the 3rd and final volume of John Byrne’s Next Men: The Premiere Collection (IDW, $50.00 SRP), which collects issues 21-30 in an oversized, hardbound presentation. Oh, and that whole “ended before its time” thing? IDW has convinced Byrne to bring the series back. Huzzah!
Nobody does fantasy drinking quite like the inhabitants of Middle Earth, and you can booze up in the same style with the Lord Of The Rings Etched Bar-Ware, allowing you to get a pair of pint glasses etched with the logos from either the Prancing Pony or the Green Dragon ($29.99), or a single large stein etched with same ($29.99). Now you too can drink a dwarf under the table.
If you’re like me, you have far too many wires and plugs in your life. From cell phones to mp3 players and gaming systems and bluetooth headsets… There’s a seemingly endless list of devices in need of charging or communication. And if you’ve ever tried to travel with that mess of cables, you know how frustrating it can be. Eager to streamline things a bit, I went hunting for a solution – And found the fine folks at Gomadic. Gomadic has designed a system of standardizes chargers that are universal for nearly every device, meaning one wire for everything. How do they manage this? By introducing an exchangeable tip system. That means you have small tips specific to each device, which can then plug into the universal wire – wires available for car charging, USB, wall socket, or even multiple devices at once. This is brilliant. After recently purchasing an HTC Incredible Droid phone, I was kitted out with tips, wires, and even universal in-cupholder/adhesive device stands for the car (equally brilliant, equally useful). The bottom line is this – Go explore Gomadic.com, and make your life a whole lot easier.
Essentially a combination of both the rated & unrated editions in one disc, the Hangover: Extreme Edition (Warner Bros., Rated R, Bly-Ray-$35.99 SRP) also adds a CD sampler and an album of wedding photos, while retaining he same bonus features as the previous releases.
Another catalogue title makes its way to high definition with the release of David O. Russell’s Three Kings (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), whose political satire on the first Gulf War is even more powerful today. Bonus materials include a pair of audio commentaries, additional scenes, featurettes, and interviews.
While it’s not the American adventures of Derren Brown I would hope for, the second season of The Mentalist (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) is still a fun little procedural, starring Simon Baker as the titular former “psychic” aiding the California Bureau of Investigation. The 5-disc set contains all 23 episodes, plus featurettes and deleted scenes.
It came and went at the box office with barely a gurgle, but the big screen outing for DC Comics’ Old West-ern vigilante Jonah Hex (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.98 SRP) is an ok little flick, carried along mostly by Josh Brolin’s take on the grizzled bounty hunter. Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes and deleted scenes.
Supplement your recent Blu-Ray Beauty And The Beast purchase with the definitive making-of book – Tale As Old As Time: The Art And Making Of Beauty And The Beast (Disney Editions, $40.00 SRP). As you can probably guess, the copiously illustrated tome presents an inside look at the film’s creation.
Flawed in conception and just plain boring in execution, it’s little wonder that Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.99 SRP) only made it 2 seasons, the second of which makes its home video debut featuring all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and outtakes.
When reading Walt Disney: His Life In Pictures (Disney Press, $14.95 SRP), which is a pretty quick read, but loaded with amazing, often rare photos, I’m reminded of those famous people biographies one would find in an elementary school library. It’s great for kids, but animation buffs and Disney fans will want it for the photos.
Criterion has always done right by Ingmar Bergman, and they continue to treat his catalogue with exquisite gloves in this era of high definition. Bergman’s The Magician (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) looks and sounds beautiful, and features a 1967 video interview with Bergman, a rare audio interview, and a massive supplementary booklet.
Mill Creek has been steadily releasing a slew of budget-priced titles that are must-have for someone who wants a quick, cheap way to load up on TV series, documentaries, or cult films. On the cult side of things, you can get the 16-film Fists Of Vengeance: Martial Arts Collection (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), the 12-film Ten Thousand Ways To Die: The Spaghetti Western Collection (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), and the 12-film Rare Cult Cinema (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). For documentaries, you’ve got the series Birth Of Flight: A History Of Civil Aviation (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP) and Native America: Voices From The Land (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP).
Take an okay 80’s cult film (The Lost Boys) and make a wrongheaded attempt to catch lightening in a direct-to-video bottle and you get an awkward sequel like Lost Boys: The Thirst (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) which brings the vampire-fighting Frog Brothers back for another round. Bonus features include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
As sci-fi horror goes, Splice (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is engaging enough to at least keep your interest, with all of its Frankenstein-like creation of life that goes awry, but the real reason to watch is the performance of Sarah Polley as the creature’s laboratory “mother”. Bonus features are limited to a behind-the-scenes featurette.
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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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…)
While the first volume could be a bit rough going, as the strip was still finding its footing and voice, Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 2 (IDW, $39.99 SRP) is Berke Breathed really hitting his stride and crafting the comic that a generation (including me) fell in love with. Combining gut-level comedy with brilliant satire, its absence from the landscape is still a loss, but I encourage everyone to pick this up and re-live the good times.
It may seem a bit pricey, but considering what a real pain it can be to keep monitors and TV screen clean and dust-free, finding a solid product that quickly and effectively does that cleaning with no fuss certainly makes the cost worthwhile. So what is this great product? The TV Clean Electronics Duster ($59.99). Essentially, it’s a spiffy lint roller for your gear.
Forged in the fire of the Writers Strike of 2008, released on the internet to rabid fan acclaim, and long available on that selfsame net, you can now get Joss Whedon’s online musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (New Video, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.95 SRP) in high definition. Bonus features include a musical studio commentary, a standard commentary, making-of featurettes, and Evil League Of Evil application videos.
It’s an uneven affair, but Mystery Team (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) – about a trio of high school seniors still lodged in their childhood fantasy as white bread investigators suddenly in the deep end of a murder mystery – is still smart enough to be a worthwhile watch. It certainly makes me interested to see what else Derrick Comedy – the troupe behind the flick – have to offer in the future. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, a comedy short, and a gag reel.
New to Blu-Ray from the fine folks at Criterion is By Brakhage: An Anthology – Volumes One and Two (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.95 SRP), whose 3 discs contain a collection of the often bizarre, but always fascinating, experimental short films by Stan Brakhage. By tinkering with exposure, painting, editing, and more, Brakhage presaged much of what we see in advertising (and even MTV) today. Bonus materials include video encounters with Brakhage, audio remarks, a video interview, a short film by his wife, footage from his Sunday salons at the University of Colorado, audio recordings of his lectures, and an essay-filled booklet.
It’s nice to see that IDW is continuing to give love to John Byrne’s creator-owned venture all these years later with the 2nd volume of their Next Men Premiere Edition (IDW, $50.00 SRP) – a deluxe, oversized, hardcover presentation of issues 11-20, including the Mark IV back-up features. Definitely a must have addition to any true comics fan’s library.
It’s big 50’s filmmaking at its finest, it contains one of the most memorable sequences ever set to film, and I’m delighted that Spartacus (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP) has made its way to high definition that ports over all of the special features of the standard special edition from a few years back – including featurettes, archival interviews, newsreels, deleted scenes, and galleries.
Admittedly, it’s squirm-inducing car wreck TV, but I can’t help but be riveted by Hoarders (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), which looks at – and ostensibly helps – those who compulsively, and detrimentally, retain everything from magazines to trash. The 2-disc 1st season set also contains additional footage.
Long one of those classic shows that has been absent on DVD, the complete first season of The Virginian (Timeless Media Group, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP) is now available in full color, fully restored. With a guest list that includes the likes of Bette Davis, Lee Marvin, George C. Scott, Robert Duvall, Ricardo Montalban, and more, TV’s very first western is worth a look-see. The 10-disc set contains all 3 episodes, plus a bonus disc with exclusive cast interviews.
If you’ve been ensnared by the bayou vampire drama True Blood (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP), then you’ll probably be snapping up the complete second season, as a new threat to the sleepy southern town of Bon temps rears its ugly head. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, and a special edition of the Vampire News.
The modern day Robin Hoods of Leverage (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) return in a second season that finds them without a base of operations and within even bigger greedy prey in the offing – everything from Ponzi schemers to a rival crew of thieves. The 4-disc set contains all 15 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, a spoof video, and a gag reel.
Made for the UK’s ITV, both The Glory Boys & The Contract – available together in a box set (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) – are true relics of the cold war era, with a cast list that includes the likes of Rod Steiger, Joanna Lumley, and Anthony Perkins. They’re both worth a spin.
Oh yes. It’s that time again. Are you ready for it? Are you sure? Because you have to make sure you’re ready for a new David Cross comedy special, and David Cross: Bigger And Blackerer (SubPop, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is a fitting follow-up to his two previous releases. To describe the material is to ruin the surprise. Just get it.
Wil Wheaton brings his evil, evil presence to the 3rd season of The Guild (New Video, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP) as the leader of a rival group of gamers know as the Axis Of Anarchy, which face off against a Guild left in tatters after the party that ended season 2. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, music videos, featurettes, interviews, gag reels, and more.
For anyone interested in exploring the origins of the amateur literary jam session that is The Bible, take a look at the impressively researched documentary series Testament (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP), which explores the writing, revisions, translations, and misinterpretations of the tome.
The History Channel packages profiles of history’s most naughty rulers in the 2-disc Ancients Behaving Badly (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP), featuring Caligula, Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, Attila The Hun, Hannibal, Cleopatra, Ghengis Khan, and Nero.
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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