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 another of my periodic chats with writer, deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, literary trivialist, judge, and performer John Hodgman, about lost niceties, awkward lobbying, road tripping, Dicktown touring, spider invasions, hawkish chats, Family feuds, production hustle, high school, skee-ball, bubbles, pork rolls, hashing things out, diner dishes, pimento cheese, crabby fries, candlepin bowling, dead eyes, Gorey acceptance, and nostalgia traps.
And be sure you GO to JohnHodgman.com for all sorts of audio and visual delights.
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 another of my periodic chats with writer, deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, literary trivialist, judge, and performer John Hodgman, about standards, pregnant announcements, hiding out, mentoring, chicken barn pans, passing pucks, extinct hockey, seasoned reasons, hats on hats, Badi trauma, hobo faux pas, Dicktown, the abyss, practice, walls, and bridges.
And be sure you GO to JohnHodgman.com for all sorts of audio and visual delights.
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 another of my periodic chats with writer, deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, literary trivialist, judge, and performer John Hodgman, about lingering, beloving, unasked questions, AfterThis, Blues Brothers fusion, Dan Aykroyd side missions, fan letters, Sisyphean twisters, judicial juggling, Daily memories, generational tastes, Star Wars promises, Galaxy’s Edging, Mandalorian madness, and starliner friends.
And be sure you GO to JohnHodgman.com for all sorts of audio and visual delights.
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 comedian Glen Tickle, about steel skeletons, Chuy’s, de-nesting, Van Wildering, lab coats, Laika, cricket crackers, Wednesday daughters, impossible sliders, Doctor No Dad, Strawberry Longcake, My Little Pony appeasement, Buckaroo Hodgman, Jojo Siwa, barf tablets, funny movies, process, MIAlvin, Burton fails, Muppets, and Endgaming.
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 another chat with musician Jonathan Coulton, about bad hair, Acme brands, corned beef, null cheese, accents, lyrics, bad Doors, Jimmy Buffett, and jukebox musicals.
Snag your very own copy of his brand new album and graphic novel, Solid State – plus other merch – at www.JonathanCoulton.com.
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 another chat with musician John Roderick, about sea kings, seafairs, hydroplaning, introverts, nautical sashes, frat grunge, and selfish eagles.
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 another of my periodic chats with the deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, literary trivialist, judge, and performer John Hodgman, about about Warriors, fears, sponsors, and ape law.
And be sure you GO to JohnHodgman.com for all sorts of audio and visual delights.
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 another chat with artist and enthusiast David Rees about Going Deep, fridge to table, genuine meta, slurry soup, mushy popcorn, Nachos Italiano, and cryptic crosswords.
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 another of my periodic chats with the deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, literary trivialist, judge, and performer John Hodgman, about about walkies, craftys, mic drops, Star Wars, and Rolling In Ronkonkoma.
And be sure you GO to JohnHodgman.com for all sorts of audio and visual delights.
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 another of my periodic chats with deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, and literary trivialist John Hodgman, about Hobbits, Junior Birdman, Whiplash, Faxon feuds, artisinal blades, Club 33, and con-tretemps.
And be sure you GO to JohnHodgman.com for all sorts of audio and visual delights.
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 artist and enthusiast David Rees about Going Deep, meteorological narcotics, actuating ligaments, fire, paradigm shifts, perception, and Sesame Place.
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 another of my periodic chats with deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, and literary trivialist John Hodgman, about theater, sap runs, The Rule of 86, the lonely lodger, and secret societies.
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 another of my periodic chats with deranged millionaire, minor television celebrity, PC, and literary trivialist John Hodgman, about jet ski comedy, boating, deep frying, presentational casual, guns, and smooth plugs.
Be sure to watch JOHN HODGMAN: RAGNAROK on NetFlix. Now.
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 another of my periodic chats with minor television celebrity, PC, and literary trivialist John Hodgman, bleak Midwesterns, Cavettdotes, Chateau Goldblum, BORED! The Musical, and dog acts.
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…)
If you’ve been steadily dropping a not-insubstantial amount of money on the massive Ultimate Editions of the Harry Potter films on Blu-Ray, you know that you don’t yet have the big sets for the final two Deathly Hallows films. To those fans, the absolutely gigantic Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection (Warner Bros., Rated PG/PG-13, Blu-Ray-$499.99 SRP) may be a bit of a frustration, as it contains not only all of the currently available Ultimate Editions, but also the ones you’ve been waiting on (with the final two bonus documentaries, “Story” and “Growing Up”), plus a new bonus disc with exclusive interviews and featurettes. To try and lure the uberfans in, the set is loaded with collectibles, including a cloth map, blueprints to Hogwarts, books of labels and favorite props, design sketches, and even a replica of the Horcrux locket, all housed within a box that unfolds much like the traveling case of Horace Slughorn. So should you get it? You’ll probably find it hard not to. The bastards.
I plan on doing some international traveling in the near future, and everyone I talk to who has done the same has warned to remember a decent power converter. Thankfully, Thinkgeek now offers the perfect solution – the Powerline Travel Voltage Converter ($19.99), which includes five adapter plugs stored in a compact travel case.
Universal’s 100th anniversary celebration has proved to be a remarkably wonderful year for getting highly desired catalogue titles released in high definition, and the streak keeps going with fully remastered editions of classics like Harvey (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP), the disaster flick Airport (Universal, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), the still-fun hybrid Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP), and John Hughes’ legendary Sixteen Candles (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP). All 4 carry over the bonus features from their previous DVD releases, also adding on historical retrospectives about Universal itself.
How can you not love a film from the artsy brains at Aardman Animation? You can’t. Which is why you’ll love their latest – The Pirates! Band Of Misfits (Sony, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$45.99 SRP), available in lovely 3D. It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek romp that really looks great in the home theater. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, short films, and more.
The first season was a somewhat shaky, often off-putting affair, but the second season of Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) found the tale of 1920’s Atlantic City solidifying into destination watching, anchored by the always-interesting Steve Buscemi as the true power behind the city. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.
I admit, I was one of the naysayers who looked at ABC’s attempt to milk the Disney fairytale library for a soapy primetime drama that was equal parts Buffy and Dark Shadows as a sure-fire failure, but Once Upon A Time (ABC Studios, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP) has grown on me, with its increasingly dense mythology and winking introduction of said mythical characters into the narrative. Check it out for yourself with the complete first season, with commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, bloopers, and more.
After a debut season that arrived with a bang, the second season of The Walking Dead (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.99 SRP) is where the story seemed to be showing as many cracks as the titular undead’s skin. Which is sad, because it had so much momentum going in and, much like Lost before it, seemed to stumble with the introduction of unnecessary, and annoying, new characters. Here’s hoping season 3 is back on course. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes.
It’s a little early for Halloween, but Spongebob Squarepants: Ghouls Fools (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) brings together 7 episodes largely focusing on the ghostly Flying Dutchman, including the titular double-length episode.
When you’ve got a title for a documentary like 10 Things You Don’t Know About (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), you expect trivia, but not the salacious hidden pasts and actions of famous figures from Ben Franklin to Albert Einstein.
It’s probably for the best that the 4th season of Fringe (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.98 SRP) is its penultimate, as I’d much rather the show went out strong in its upcoming fifth and final season than spin out of control like poor, poor Lost. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes and a gag reel.
The live action film was an abysmal mess, but there’s some fun to be had in Green Lantern: The Animated Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, $19.97 SRP), which finds the titular Corps defending the galaxy against many a menace. The 2-disc set contains the first 13 episodes.
Criterion rolls out another pair of classy films with a classy treatment – Whit Stillman’s The Last Days Of Disco (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 and Andrew Haigh’s Weekend (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP). Both contain commentaries, featurettes, interviews, deleted scenes, and more.
Adding to the rich history of the BBC’s exploration of pre-history is Planet Dinosaur (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), which takes a look at a whole slew of fascinating thunder lizards that will delight kids and adults alike.
It’s potentially disastrous when the day after taking his first hit, the high school valedictorian learns that his school will be giving its students a drug test. With his scholarship on the line, what’s a panicky kid to do but hatch a plan to get his entire school high so everyone fails. High School (Anchor Bay, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). It’s an amiable comedy, with the real highlight coming from Michael Chicklis as the school’s principal.
And while you’re picking up the DVD, why not pick up Frederik Wiedmann’s score to Green Lantern: The Animated Series (La-La Land Records, $14.99 SRP), featuring 36 cues from the show.
Charlie’s dead and Alan and Jake soon find a naked millionaire played by Ashton Kutcher replacing him in the awkward 9th season of Two And A Half Men (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), which at least featured the high water mark of Kathy Bates playing Charlie in the afterlife. Bonus materials include featurettes and a gag reel.
It’s a shame that Battleship (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is such a good looking and sounding film, because the actual story itself – a desperate attempt to graft a blockbuster onto a board game – is not even awful… It’s just largely inert. Aliens target the Navy. Then they play Twister. Again, a real shame. But hey! It’s pretty. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.
Like Ron Perlman? And Katey Sagal? And bikers? Then the complete fourth season of Sons Of Anarchy (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.99 is for you, with alliances, corruption, betrayals, and bikes. Bonus materials include audio commentary, featurettes, extended episodes, and more.
It’s taken a few years, but I may finally be coming around to Parks And Recreation (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Its first year was an abyss, years two and three a slow burn, but the fourth season seemed to find its reason to be, and embrace a unique quirk and stellar collection of actors. Good on them. Bonus materials include extended episodes, deleted scenes, webisodes, a gag reel, and more.
After the awful Muppets, I find watching Jason Segel’s gurning to be difficult to take, so it’s lucky that The Five-Year Engagement (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) has a supporting cast – including Alison Brie, Mindy Kaling, and Rhys Ifans – that compensates for his diminishing charm in a pretty much by-the-numbers romcom about a delayed marriage. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted/alternate scenes, a gag reel, and more.
A trio of HBO sitcoms ending their runs get their home video release all at the same time – How To Make It In America: Season Two (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP), Hung: Season 3 (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), and the very much missed Bored To Death: Season 3 (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). All 3 releases contain commentaries, featurettes, and more.
It has been on the decline for years, but it was clearly evident during The Office: Season Eight (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.98 SRP) that the show was on its last creative legs, desperate to milk any laughs from an already fractured premise. Shame the show couldn’t have gone out with a bang like the original UK version, instead of this drawn out whimper. Bonus materials include extended cuts, deleted scenes, webisodes, promos, and a blooper reel.
R.L. Stine continues his mission to traumatize children, a mission you can experience via the first two volumes of his new anthology series airing on the Hub network, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.97 SRP each). Think of it as Hammer Horror for the little ones.
I’m not exactly sure why the Turtle costumes in Saban’s Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.93 SRP) look so absolutely awful – like lumpen green oatmeal – but maybe that’s the titular next mutation… Into cheap, quickly produced crud. Shame, really.
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…
Hello and welcome to the first MFT of 2012. I hope to start the year as I mean to go on; with lots of fun things from across the interwebs and such!
For those reading this column for the first time, this is a place where I essentially show you some of the things I’ve enjoyed (often but not always online) in the past month. They may not have necessarily been created in January but I’ve enjoyed them during that time.
Now lets get to it.
1) Address Is Approximate
This neat animation was made by Tom Jenkins and I’ll let him explain the story in his own words “A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can ““ using a toy car and Google Maps Street View.”
It’s a very clever little piece and it has surprisingly a lot of heart. Check it out.
I think someone told me that the second series of Sherlock hasn’t been aired in America yet. Maybe I’m wrong about that. Considering so many Americans I know online have seen it, it’s hard to tell. It’s possible they’re it from .
Either way, the BBC in the UK aired it this month and it… was… AWESOME!
Unfortunately, I can’t post a link to the whole show here but I’ll post a Q&A with the cast and writers of the show. It concerns the first episode of the new season called A Scandal In Belgravia and as such will have spoilers from that episode. You have been warned!
3) Oh, the Places You’ll Go at Burning Man!
Burning Man is the kind of… festival (?) that I will never attend. It’s just not my style and the folks there wouldn’t really be the sort of folks I’d naturally hang out with. I can just tell it’s not my scene.
However, the attendants (or more specifically, director Teddy Saunders) made a very cool video based on the words by Dr. Seuss told by the people of Burning Man 2011. It’s a simple and beautiful video executed perfectly.
4) Tonight You Belong To Me
Jonathan Coulton. John Hodgman. Ukulele. I need tell you no more. Now watch.
You’re welcome.
5) Play us out, kid…
——————————————————————
And that’s it! My favourite things of the last month.
– Aaron Poole is the creator of the chocolate breakfast. He is also more accurately an internet whore and rarely leaves the house. If you like what you read here check out his blog http://aaronfever.blogspot.com
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 writer, comedian, and Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac about BYOC, Manhatin’, humble pie, Gene Hackman, Batman, and Muppets.
Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at FRED. Every week, 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 Dutton Books, we’re giving away four (4) copies of John Hodgman’s THAT IS ALL.
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 writer, director, and Daily Show producer Miles Kahn about barrel fish, mustaches, Hodgman challenges, Astoria, toe shoes, fedoras, and 4am lobster.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
If you’ve been steadily dropping a not-insubstantial amount of money on the massive Ultimate Editions of the Harry Potter films on Blu-Ray, you know that you don’t yet have the big sets for the final two Deathly Hallows films. To those fans, the absolutely gigantic 
I plan on doing some international traveling in the near future, and everyone I talk to who has done the same has warned to remember a decent power converter. Thankfully, Thinkgeek now offers the perfect solution – the 
Universal’s 100th anniversary celebration has proved to be a remarkably wonderful year for getting highly desired catalogue titles released in high definition, and the streak keeps going with fully remastered editions of classics like 
How can you not love a film from the artsy brains at Aardman Animation? You can’t. Which is why you’ll love their latest – 
The first season was a somewhat shaky, often off-putting affair, but the second season of 
I admit, I was one of the naysayers who looked at ABC’s attempt to milk the Disney fairytale library for a soapy primetime drama that was equal parts Buffy and Dark Shadows as a sure-fire failure, but 
After a debut season that arrived with a bang, the second season of 
It’s a little early for Halloween, but 
When you’ve got a title for a documentary like 
It’s probably for the best that the 4th season of 
The live action film was an abysmal mess, but there’s some fun to be had in 
Criterion rolls out another pair of classy films with a classy treatment – Whit Stillman’s 
Adding to the rich history of the BBC’s exploration of pre-history is 
It’s potentially disastrous when the day after taking his first hit, the high school valedictorian learns that his school will be giving its students a drug test. With his scholarship on the line, what’s a panicky kid to do but hatch a plan to get his entire school high so everyone fails. 
And while you’re picking up the DVD, why not pick up Frederik Wiedmann’s score to 
Charlie’s dead and Alan and Jake soon find a naked millionaire played by Ashton Kutcher replacing him in the awkward 9th season of 
It’s a shame that 
Like Ron Perlman? And Katey Sagal? And bikers? Then the complete fourth season of 
It’s taken a few years, but I may finally be coming around to 
After the awful Muppets, I find watching Jason Segel’s gurning to be difficult to take, so it’s lucky that 
A trio of HBO sitcoms ending their runs get their home video release all at the same time – 
It has been on the decline for years, but it was clearly evident during 
R.L. Stine continues his mission to traumatize children, a mission you can experience via the first two volumes of his new anthology series airing on the Hub network, 
I’m not exactly sure why the Turtle costumes in Saban’s 
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.