Author: UncaScroogeMcD

  • Contest Round-Up: 2009-05-27

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    Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. 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 New Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of DOCTOR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG on DVD.

    In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away four (4) copies of THE JETSONS: SEASON 2 VOLUME 1 on DVD.

    In conjunction with Titan Books, we’re giving away four (4) copies of TERMINATOR: SALVATION – THE OFFICIAL MOVIE COMPANION.

  • Win TERMINATOR: SALVATION – THE OFFICIAL MOVIE COMPANION!

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    In conjunction with Titan Books, we’re giving away four (4) copies of TERMINATOR: SALVATION – THE OFFICIAL MOVIE COMPANION.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 17th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 17th.

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

  • Win THE JETSONS: SEASON 2 VOLUME 1 on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away four (4) copies of THE JETSONS: SEASON 2 VOLUME 1 on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 17th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 17th.

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

  • Win DOCTOR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG on DVD!

    contestheader.jpg

    In conjunction with New Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of DOCTOR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 17th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 17th.

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

  • Masters Of Song Fu #4: Round 1 Challenge Voting Begins!

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    We here at Quick Stop Entertainment are true lovers of music, in all its forms. We’re also quite keen on the spirit of competition, and of spurring creativity through said competition.

    To that end, we launched a unique form of creative combat here at the Stop.

    In this age of manufactured and painfully earnest talent contests, we’ve decided to instead shine a light on the quirky, quixotic underworld of musicians that don’t get nearly the attention they deserve.

    Ah, but I did mention that there was a competition involved…

    Like a songwriting version of Iron Chef, the competitors will be presented with a very specific songwriting challenge. They’ll be given one week to complete their songs – however they see fit, within the parameters set forth – after which time the entries will be uploaded to Quick Stop to be voted on by you, the audience.

    Oh, and what do we call this competition?

    MASTERS OF SONG FU

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    Let us not forget the very special Masters of MASTERS OF SONG FU. Think of them as the iron chefs of Song Fu – one of which will be revealed as the ultimate challenger in THE FINAL CHALLENGE. Past Masters have included Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Neil Innes, The RiffTones, and Garfunkel & Oates. Any one of them could be the Master in the final Challenge – or perhaps it could be a brand new Master. Only the Challenger who garners the most cumulative votes in all 3 Challenges will move on to the Final and face that Master, mano a mano.

    As with the last edition of Song Fu, all of the Challengers will be able to compete in every Challenge, and the Challenger with the most cumulative votes after the 3 Challenges will be the one that takes on the Master in the Final Round. So what was the first Challenge?

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    ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

    Write a song from the perspective of an inanimate object. This inanimate object must have no moving parts. Also no computers, no objects that look like living things, either human or animal (i.e. a statue, an action figure, etc.), and no celestial objects (i.e. the sun or the moon). Your song can be in any style you choose.

    That’s it. The only other directive is that your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 45 seconds.

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    THE CHALLENGERS

    MOLLY LEWIS

    When she’s not bluffing her way through college courses or looking passably attractive from a distance, Molly Lewis enjoys playing ukulele, microwaving marshmallow Peeps, talking to cats, and Twittering. Early last year, she wrote two original songs, “MyHope” and “Road Trip”. “MyHope” is about the inevitable day when our children will learn how to navigate the interweb and how they will LOL at our old internet presences, namely MySpace; of “Road Trip”, Molly says it’s about “that astronaut lady who went crazy and wore the diapers, you remember that?” She has not written any songs since. Hopefully this competition will remedy that. When Molly was in middle school, she took up the guitar. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the mandolin. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the banjo. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the ukulele has stayed. And that’s what you’re going to get, Quick Stop Entertainment: the strongest ukulele in all of Tacoma, Washington. Molly defeated Masters Paul & Storm in Masters of Song Fu #3.

    Official Website: www.sweetafton23.com/primer/
    Twitter: twitter.com/Molly23
    ROUND 1 SONG: Unfortunately, Molly was cornered by retaliatory dingoes sent by Paul & Storm, and was unable to compete in this Challenge.

    EDRIC HALEEN

    songfu-edrichaleen.jpgEdric has been writing music (off and on) since the early nineties. He wrote and directed a musical, The Pushcart War, based on Jean Merrill’s wonderful novel. He has written and/or arranged a number of songs for various friends – some commissioned, some as surprises. He loves acting in community theatre, and is inspired by the music of Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. He is also happy to finally return his Happiness Board to the Internet. Check out the link on his web pages.

    Official Website: happinessboard.com/Edric_Haleen.html
    ROUND 1 SONG:All For This Moment

    “BUCKETHAT” BOBBY MATHESON

    songfu-buckethatbobby.jpgI’m “BucketHat” Bobby Matheson. I used to make cartoons for the internet, and sometimes still do, but mostly focus on my music right now. Lately, I’ve been getting more into recording other singer/songwriters in my little, make-shift studio than I have been recording myself. I want Masters Of Song Fu to change that. I don’t really know what genre my music would fall under. Influences range from Klezmer to folk, to punk and back, which ends up sounding more like Zydeco than anything else (who’d have guessed?). I’ve been thinking of dropping the “BucketHat” from my stagename, but fear change.

    Official Website: www.buckethatbobby.randomsociety.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/BucketHatBobby
    ROUND 1 SONG:Noose

    MIKE LOMBARDO

    Mike Lombardo is a piano-playing pop-rock singer-songwriter who likes to use hyphens when describing his occupation. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, he spends most of his time banging on pianos, teaching children how to bang on pianos, or playing shows with his band, the Mike Lombardo Trio. Feel free to go to his website and send him lots of money. Or cookies.

    Official Website: www.mikelombardomusic.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/mikelombardo
    ROUND 1 SONG:Rock Song

    GöDZ PööDLZ

    Legendz foretell of a mighty duo, born in the frozen North. Two neighborz and friendz will unite to form “Gödz Pöödlz” and battle the Mazterz or Song Fu for glory and bragging rightz! Gödz Pöödlz are Rüss Rögers and Röd Dürre. Rüss Rögers was once a member of “Kit and Kaboodle” (still available on iTunes) and currently performs in “Rusty’s Rocking Jamboree!” Röd Dürre wrote and performed with the Goth Rock Godz “Sear”, and last year Röd won the Coor’s Light “Take the 4:53 to Happy Hour” songwriting contest! Remember, the heaviest of metals are soft!

    Official Website: www.rockingjamboree.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:Bad Penny

    STEVE CHATTERTON

    songfu-stevechatterton.pngHi, my name is Steve Chatterton, the quintessential one-man-band singer/songwriter net-based recording project. Mom always said I marched to the sound of a different drummer, but she never mentioned which one. Dad had a fondness for bagpipes. Fortunately, neither of them have any direct influence on my music. Specializing in quirky little guitar-oriented pop songs about bugs, the Scooby gang, pirates, palindromes, superheroes, old movies, infectious diseases, imaginary friends and sideshow freaks, I guess you could say I pretty much write love songs. I’m a cheesy bastard at heart. I’m a stay-at-home dad who’s looking to find more time in the studio when my youngest starts school in September. I have an ever-expanding back catalog (at least 3 albums worth & counting) I’m dying to share with the world one download at a time.

    Official Website: www.stevechatterton.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/SteveChatterton
    ROUND 1 SONG:I Will Always Look Up To You

    JUTZE SCHULT

    Johannes “Jutze” Schult (from Germany) likes to live in a dream world where there has been no Grunge and where he is a talented singer. Sometimes his little folky pop songs find their way into the real world. Here they suffer from his hoarse voice and the do-it-yourself home recording production, struggling to appeal off and on beaten musical paths.

    Official Website: www.jutze.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/schult
    ROUND 1 SONG:Natalie Portman’s Doormat

    JARRETT HEATHER

    Although he has no formal training, Jarrett is an accomplished pianist who has been composing music for nearly twenty years. A relative newcomer to the world of online amateur competitive songwriting, he burst onto the scene earlier this year when he filled out an entry form just before the deadline. While earning his living as a graphic artist and website developer, Jarrett secretly dreams of leaving behind the glamor and prestige of internet publishing so he can focus on composing music for songwriting contests full-time. With no fanbase, loyal followers, obedient minions or friends, Jarrett will rely on his music-crafting skills alone to win over converts and earn votes.

    Official Website: www.spaceparanoids.net
    Twitter: twitter.com/SpaceParanoids
    ROUND 1 SONG:Trapped Inside Your Sofa

    AUDIOMOHEL

    Forged in the furnace of irony, molded with the hammer of satire, flattened on the anvil of righteousness, and cooled in the water of awesomeness, AudioMohel was thrust upon the world. Named from the lost audio transcripts of ’09, AudioMohel serves as a public-service backlash against the anti-circumcision trend sweeping the so-called “enlightened parents” crowd, AudioMohel urges their more devoted and impressionable fans to undergo the snip two or even three times. AudioMohel enjoys experimenting with new breakthrough genres like speed blues and death classical even though most of AudioMohel’s tunes reside firmly in the ethereal realm of vapor-ware. Some of AudioMohel’s members admitted to being a bit intimidated by the professed experience and actual musical talent apparently possessed by the Song Fu Masters, but finally it was decided that if the need arose, sabotage would not be out of the question. To be used as a last resort, naturally, but not out of the question.

    Official Website: www.AudioMohel.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/AudioMohel
    ROUND 1 SONG:Hubcap Without A Home

    JALEPENO HABANEROS

    In the far off land of Chandler, Arizona, where the rivers flow with sand and cacti, our leader and master, the Lord of Our Lady Gwynyth, guitar and microphone in hand, called for the greatest musicians in the land to assemble a rock and roll group like none other. Unfortunately, they were cut off on the road, and the Jalapeño Habañeros made it there first. With The Rogue Bohemian on saxophone and The Boxcar Bassist on bass and keyboards, the Lord was pleased. Now, they roam the streets of Chandler, playing epic songs and rocking faces, much like Bon Jovi. Unfortunately they are paid in change, and often get thrown into the street, also like Bon Jovi. Their lives have intertwined, and the era of the Jalapeño Habañeros has begun. Be prepared.

    Official Website: None
    ROUND 1 SONG:Aquaman’s Trident’s Lament

    THE SCRIBBLES

    The Scribbles are one of the most popular ukulele-based trios in their entire 6th grade class. Oh sure, there is the rumor that Peter Choi hates them. Meh. He’s a hater. Ha ha. The Scribbles formed last November when they all agreed on the name. After that they bought some instruments and started writing songs and stuff. So far, they’ve played a handful of shows around their hometown of Springfield, MO. Everyone’s favorite song seems to be “The Robot Song”. Maybe it’s because robots really are taking over the world, or maybe because Connor wears the robot suit during that song and that’s pretty funny. Thanks to MySpace, they are now friends with really cool people like The Beatles and Weezer and Tom. They’ve said some really nice things like “iloveyouguys:D” and “thanx for the add:).” Oh, and by the way, Peter Choi, The Scribbles still luv u.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/thescribbles1
    ROUND 1 SONG:Snuggie Like Me

    GORBZILLA

    songfu-gorbzilla.pngGorbzilla is a musician/band teacher in Mid-Michigan. He has been in a few bands over the years, most notably as the bass player/vocalist for the band “Satin Jones” and the guitarist/vocalist for the band “Jimmy Likes Pie”. The proud father of two future rock maniacs, Gorbzilla has been writing music for the past twenty years, and is currently working on his first musical Beer ““ Finally a Musical for Men based on the Haiku by Patrick “Horkmeister” Sweet entitled, “I Think I Threw Up”. He has been happily married for eight years, and is looking forward to this competition.

    Official Website: gorbzilla.blogspot.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:I Am Your Pants

    DARRELL MacLAINE

    Darrell Maclaine has been devouring comedy songs and interesting music ever since he was old enough to know better, and is taking part in this competition essentially as penance for the amount of free music he has obtained via the previous rounds. He plays piano and keyboard bass as one fifth of oddball UK pop group The Directors (another fifth of the group, Mathew Cornah, possesses both more instrumental expertise and a much better home studio than him and will inevitably be press-ganged into contributing to his entries), and has decided to exercise his rusty songwriting muscles in the most embarrassingly public way possible.

    Official Website: directors.mashedbins.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:Strawberry Fool

    BERG AND JERRY

    Berg and Jerry are a small suburban acoustic group comprised of Andrew Berg (Lead Vocals, Melodica and, maybe, eventually the Ukulele) and Jerry Geleff (Guitar and Backup Vocals). Mid-summer ’08, Berg and Jerry began writing songs together and since then… well, basically nothing. As rookies to this competition, these guys hope to at least make one good song, and entertain at least one person (*fingers crossed*). Berg and Jerry have a fun ska/indie/punk acoustic sound and often try to write clever witty lyrics. So listen, laugh, and something else that starts with an “L”, because Berg and Jerry are ready to slightly attempt to be THE MASTERS OF SONG FU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/bergandjerry
    ROUND 1 SONG:The Green Potato Chip Song

    DERREK J. THOMPSON

    Derrek J. Thompson is an irresponsible and unimportant song-writer and all-around creative type that lives in the middle of nowhere. His hobbies include sleeping and performing Bach at old-folks homes. He plays keyboards in a band called Anthropophobia but they don’t seem to be going anywhere. He hopes to become more disciplined with his creative endeavors as a result of Song Fu.

    Official Website: www.derrekswords.com/
    ROUND 1 SONG:O’Riely’s Underpants

    JEREMY PIERSON

    Jeremy’s turn-ons include big eyes, belly laughter, and long walks on the beach. Turn-offs include bad breath, knobby knees, and fungal growth. Huh? This isn’t my post for eHarmony.com? Oh. It’s for what? “Song Fu”? What’s that? I voluntarily submitted to participate? I’ve participated before? Oh. That. I didn’t get any votes last time? Oh, only a few? How many is “a few”? Eight? Why am I participating again? The challenge of it all and the friendly competition? Just to be considered, however briefly, a peer of Jonathan Coulton? Sweet.

    Official Website: www.jeremypierson.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:Your Welcome Mat

    DENISE HUDSON

    Denise lived in a grey house in the city of Austin. Her favorite pastimes were playing piano, polishing her guitar, and tormenting the geeky programmer boy who lived there. His name was Michael, but she never called him that… Isn’t that a wonderful bio???

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/denisehudson
    ROUND 1 SONG:Leave The Stone Alone, Yep

    LEX VADER

    Lex Vader was born to a single mother who worked as silicon tycoon’s personal assistant. When she died of poor hygiene, Lex was sent to an orphanage where he showed interest in organizing races and laser fencing. After being recruited into a religious order, he spent the next few years between several of their private schools. In his final year, Lex lost his hand in an argument with a professor over Kryptochlorians. Despite this, Lex was able to achieve a successful business career and even a knighthood. Tragedy struck, however, when a former classmate’s arctic home caught fire during a business lunch, scarring half of Lex’s face. At this point, Lex’s behavior became erratic. When he managed to buy SithCo, the cult that schooled him, he was shunned by the corporate world. No longer taken seriously, Lex started an evil empire and now moonlights with his evil emotronic alternapop band.

    Official Website: lexvaderssecretjournal.wordpress.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:Just A Rock

    TOM MILSOM

    Tom Milsom is a musician, writer, artist and videomaker who has had nearly 2,000,000 views of his YouTube videos and has released an album, Awkward Ballads for the Easily Pleased, to murmurs of critical success. Faced with this onslaught of vague acceptance, he plans to release his second album, Painfully Mainstream, later this year, and is thrilled to be a part of this frankly charming and delightful competition.

    Official Website: www.tommilsom.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:The Raincoat’s Lament

    CALEB HINES

    Caleb became a software engineer instead of a musician because the type of music he likes best went out of style at the end of the 18th century. Self-taught in music theory, he is more comfortable writing a four-part instrumental fugue than he is writing a verse-chorus-bridge song. After discovering the likes of Weird Al, Dr. Horrible, and especially Jonathan Coulton, he realized that “modern music” can be fun too. Now he is on a quest to update, expand, and diversify his musical knowledge and experience. In addition to singing, he plays a whole family of recorders (not usually all at once) and baroque flute, pretends to play keyboard, and most recently, ukulele. He also uses virtual MIDI instruments because a real orchestra costs too much.

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 1 SONG:Ancient Wonder

    MILES FROM NASHVILLE

    Miles from Nashville was born in early 2009 when multi-instrumentalist Charlie Wolf and harmonica player Michael Ruhland ran into each-other one day at the Albertson’s supermarket in Hermosa Beach, CA. Miles from Nashville play an eclectic mix of country, folk, rock, blues, pop, indie rock, rap (just kidding), and polka that they like to call “guacamole rock”. They are currently working on their debut album, Songs about November, and have their very own website (though who doesn’t these days?). If you happen to have large sums of money and/or expensive guitars that you don’t need, they’ll be glad to put them to use for you. Miles from Nashville plays shows around Los Angeles, CA every so often, so be sure to check the website for gigs.

    Official Website: www.milesfromnashville.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:A Bridge To Nowhere

    ANDREW THOMSON

    Hello. I am singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker, writer and activist Andrew Jon Thomson. I am honored to have played, collaborated, performed, and recorded with many outstanding musicians from many fantastic bands including the following current and past collaborators: The Memphis Horns, Dweezil Zappa, Anton Fig, Chuck Rainey, Tom Roady, Charlie Chalmers, Roades Chalmers Roades, Arthur Barrow, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Tommy Mars, Clayton Ivey, Charlie Morgan, Pablo Herrera (Cuba), Richard Nelson (Ireland), Mike Garson, Pat Mastellotto, Marc Muller, Rob Paporozzi, Sammy Merendino, Graham Maby, Paul Robinson (UK), Paul C. Robinson (US), Pete Lockett (UK),Victor Indrizzo, Fima Ephron, Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski, Bassy B Brockman, David Gilmore, Victor Damiani, Todd Roper, Greg Brown, and DJ Qbert.

    Official Website: www.helloandrew.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:Someplace 2 Land: Bush’s Flight Suit’s Lament

    CALEB LEE

    To Whom It May Concern: Caleb didn’t want to write his own bio (musicians, eh?) so I will do the honours. After peddling his wares leading the criminally unnoticed Yay For Squares (www.myspace.com/yayforsquares) and playing an inadvisable amount of shows alongside good friends The Tastydactyls, Caleb decided to go solo in the early parts of 2008. Since then he’s enjoyed the success of dozens of fans and casual mentions on low-brow podcasts. With a flair for heartfelt song-writing and a wildly erotic combover, he’s hoping to win your love in this competition and will be wildly neurotic about it until he does so. – His bud, Aaron.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/caleblee
    Twitter: twitter.com/thecaleblee
    ROUND 1 SONG:How Man Years Bad Luck If You Break A Mirror’s Heart

    RICHARD CLAYTON SPRING

    Hailing from a small town in Southern Minnesota, Richard Clayton Spring has risen above the norm, blossoming into a beautiful butterfly of acoustic guitars, pianos, synths, electronic beats, and vocals ranging from the softest of whispers to the yelp of the Great Wolf. The only style of music Richard can’t write incredibly is generic pop music, or else he would be in a limousine drinking champagne with Lady GaGa. But he has acquired an auto-tuner, so he’s working his way there.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/richardclaytonspring
    ROUND 1 SONG:Crazy Straw

    SARA PARSONS

    Parsons is a 20-year-old student from California. She can leap small buildings in a few bounds. She fears large fish, but for some reason not sharks or whales. Parsons always makes the same New Year’s resolution: to survive to see the next year. So far, this has worked well for her. Parsons comes from an impressive songwriting pedigree: her older brother wrote the song “Blue Moon” in 1934, managing to overcome his crippling dyslexia and the fact that the song was written 51 years before his birth. Parsons’s songwriting influences include Beethoven, The Beatles, and Weird Al. Her sense of humor comes from The Simpsons, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and her frequent injections of concentrated doses of Vitamin K. Parsons hopes to go far in this competition. If she doesn’t emerge victorious, she will be forced to turn to Operation Omega. Nobody wants that to happen.

    Official Website: www.youtube.com/user/sargeantketchup
    ROUND 1 SONG:Throw Me Away

    AUSTIN & THE PUDAKS

    With only two members, the name may be misleading, but that seems to be a theme here. Austin Morley and Jeremy Pudak have been playing music together for several years now, and have never really settled on a genre or a name. In their younger days they would draw on rock influences like Rancid or The Ramones. In recent years, they have settled into slightly quieter influences like She & Him and Bob Dylan. Jeremy has always had a talent for the guitar, but Austin was not so lucky and decided to stick with a bass guitar. Austin & The Pudaks will be rocking your face off, but may not actually be in a rock genre. Be careful, as exposure to this amount of awesome has unpredictable effects.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/nodirectionhome89
    ROUND 1 SONG:A Record Of Your Life

    IAN & MELISSA

    Melissa and Ian are two amateur musicians with a longtime love of composing and performing classical music. Whether this is useful or relevant for a songwriting competition remains to be seen. They are eagerly awaiting the “Write a song in the style of an obscure Baroque composer” round, ’cause somebody totally told them there would be such a round and why would someone lie like that?

    Official Website: www.ianandmelissa.com
    ROUND 1 SONG:I Remember

    TRAVIS NORRIS

    Over the twelve years since young-ish midwesterner Travis Norris first picked up a guitar, he has played and written music in a wide variety of genres ranging from rock that a-billies, metal of a medium or heavier weight, “outlaw” country (aka “the good kind”) and “frosty” jazz (not a real subgenre). Left to his own devices, something like “U2 meets Jonny Lang meets various two-to-three-hit-wonder bands of the ’90s indie/alternative scene” is what you’ll usually get. Travis’s instrumental talents range from lead guitar, 2nd lead guitar, rhythm guitar, auxiliary guitar, and bass (sorta). He can also drag and drop drum loops like you wouldn’t believe. He comes to this competition armed with three electric guitars, a neglected bass, an Ebow, and absolutely no fan base or public recognition. So be nice, eh? I hear he’s real sensitive when people that aren’t him make fun of him.

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 1 SONG:Enertronic Bow

    THE GREMLINS

    When we’re not turning scrap metal into transportation and weaponry suited to post-apocalyptic life, studying the obsolete sociopolitical establishment of the twenty-first century under the guise of civil service, or scouting subterranean wilds for a suitable base of operations, The Gremlins are dedicated to sabotaging the destructive technological forces that have become your way of life through whatever mischief is at our disposal. Banjos are fun, too.

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 1 SONG:Neutron Star

    THE PERFECT PLACE

    When two musicians marry one another, it’s a wonderful thing. When a multi-instrumental songwriter marries an amazing vocalist, it’s even better. Bud (oldest of three, one insane sibling of each gender) was born and raised in sunny San Diego, CA ““ a drummer first, guitarist second, and just about everything you could imagine third through last. Christin Joy (youngest of four, with 3 older brothers) was born and raised in beautiful Annapolis, MD ““ with the voice of an angel and the compassion to match; she is quite a wonderful singer and writer. The Perfect Place is a Husband/Wife duo that enjoys writing and performing music in their spare time. While their main area of expertise is theologically minded, they have been known to get a little silly from time to time. Masters of Song Fu should prove to be an interesting challenge, one we await with eager anticipation. Woot!

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/oneperfectplace
    ROUND 1 SONG:If I’ve Learned Anything

    HIS NAME IS LEGS

    His Name Is Legs is a newly-created rock band comprised of guitarist/vocalist/Song Fu veteran Hazen Nester and bassist Cameron Accola, who collaborated with Nester on two of his previous entries. Born out of a mutual love of Rush and talented musicians in general, His Name Is Legs pledges to provide listeners with an eclectic array of sounds designed to stimulate and elevate. What makes this band unique is that neither Accola nor Nester have ever met each other in person.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/hisnameislegs
    ROUND 1 SONG:One Of The Team

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    To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the ROUND 1 songs, CLICK HERE.

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    ROUND 1 VOTING

    And now, it’s time for that all important voting. For this round, you can choose your TOP 5 FAVORITE Challenger songs. Be sure to choose carefully. VOTING CLOSES AT 11:59pm EST on SUNDAY, MAY 31st. If you are having trouble voting, CLEAR YOUR BROWSER’S CACHE and try again.

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    ROUND 1 VOTING – THE CHALLENGERS

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    View Results

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    If you triumph, not only will you win remarkable (and potentially off-putting) bragging rights and a clutch of fantastic mystery prizes, you will also become the proud owner of the magnificent, one-of-a-kind MASTER OF SONG FU TROPHY.

    Good luck, and bring on the Fu.

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    [ad#contestbox]

  • Weekend Shopping Guide 5/22/09: Branded In New York

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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 Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

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

    I’ve known of Russell Brand – his stand-up and celebrity in the UK – for years, so it was with great delight that I greeted his first US stand-up special, which is now available on DVD in an expanded form. Russell Brand In New York City (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) contains not only the extended cut of the special, but also Brand’s infamous (and funny) 2008 MTV VMA monologue, a featurette, and gem titled “Loose Cannon Drunk Girl”.

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    As someone who’s stressed himself inordinately trying to reach around corners and through tiny crevices to get to unreachable screws – wither putting them in or taking them out – the Flexible Shaft Ratcheting Screwdriver ($19.99) is a godsend. With a mighty reach, a flexible shaft, and full ratcheting action even when bent (no jokes, please) – plus a ton of magnetic sockets – it’s a hand tool to have around the house or office.

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    While Cars, Ratatouille, and Wall-E have all been available on Blu-Ray, A Bug’s Life (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is the first of the classic Pixar films to make their way into high definition, and the results are spectacular. The original DVD release was always a stunner, but this is even better. The bonus materials are identical to that original 2-disc DVD edition, with the addition of newly-animated sequences from the original story treatment, plus a filmmakers’ round table discussion about the creation of the film.

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    For all of the drama that surrounded its filming and reception, Valkyrie (United Artists, Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.98 SRP) – about the internal German military plot to assassinate Hitler and starring Tom Cruise as chief conspirator Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg – is a solid if unmemorable piece of historical dramatization. It certainly features a cast that makes it entirely watchable – including Eddie Izzard, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terrance Stamp, and Tom Wilkinson. The 2-disc set features a pair of audio commentaries, a documentary on the history behind the story, featurettes, and a Q&A with Cruise and director Bryan Singer. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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    Oh, Terminator 2 (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). I must have owned about a dozen versions of you over the years. I think the only film re-released more is Evil Dead II. Now you’ve made the transition to high definition, looking rather spiffy, and containing audio commentaries, over 140 minutes of behind-the-scenes video, storyboards, and more.

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    Another pair of classic Bond flicks make their way into spiffy high-definition with the release of both the Moore-era The Man With The Golden Gun and the Dalton-era License to Kill (MGM, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP each). Both discs, besides looking and sounding wonderful, also sport audio commentaries, loads of featurettes, TV & radio spots, documentaries, galleries, and much more.

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    Paramount’s prestige Centennial Collection continues with another pair of 2-disc, fully restored special editions – El Dorado & The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP each). Both sets contain audio commentaries, new and vintage featurettes, trailers, and galleries.

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    Warner Bros. has an immense catalogue of titles. Thousands and thousands of them. And even with their aggressive DVD release schedule, there’s no way they can get to all of them – and, economically, some of the titles have such a small appeal that it’s just not viable to do a wide release on them. Those who thought their chances of picking up some of those obscure titles were nil can rejoice in the continuation of Warner’s Archive Collection – www.warnerarchive.com. Essentially, it’s DVDs on demand, allowing you to purchase either a physical DVD-R copy (for a flat $19.95) or an instantly downloadable digital copy (for $14.95) of an ever-increasingly library of titles from the Warner vaults. I’ve had a chance to look at a pair of new additions – Sidney Lumet’s Bye Bye Braverman and the wisecracking Freebie And The Bean.

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    You know how, every once in awhile, you want a simple comedy whose only goal is to give you a chuckle and a smile? Paul Blart: Mall Cop (Sony, Rated PG, DVD-$28.96 SRP) is that film, and does exactly as the tin describes. How you can you not love Kevin James? In everything but Hitch? Bonus features include deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes, and more. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.95 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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    Paramount kicks out another clutch of brand-new-to-Blu-Ray catalogue titles, leaving other studios in the dust after a slow start (backing HD-DVD). With some very nice high definition transfers and bonus features identical to their standard edition cousins, the new titles are Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World 2, Without A Paddle, 3 Days Of The Condor, Black Sheep, Paycheck, The Machinist, Changing Lanes, Enemy At The Gates, and Major League (Paramount, Rated PG/PG-13/R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP each).

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    Neither rain, nor sleet, nor diversions ordered by a court of law would keep Jack Bauer from eventually getting 24‘s 7th season mission (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) finished. Bauer has been hauled before Congress to justify his tactics, but wouldn’t you know it – a big national emergency arises, and who are they gonna call? The 6-disc set features audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a trio of featurettes.

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    A legendary album gets a fantastic live performance in Van Morrison: Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl – The Concert Film (Listen To The Lion Films, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP). As you can probably guess, it features the elfin Irishman performing the entirety of the Astral Weeks album, and he sounds just as good as ever.

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    Fox has dropped a pair of catalogue transfers to high definition, bringing both Big and There’s Something About Mary (Fox, Rated PG/R, DVD-$34.98 SRP each) to Blu-Ray with upgraded sound an picture, but identical bonus features to their standard def editions, including commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.

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    Almost 300 years after his reign of terror ended with his capture and beheading, a group of marine archeologists have recovered the remains of Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, in Secrets Of The Dead: Blackbeard’s Lost Ship (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). The documentary seeks to piece together whether the grounding of the ship off the Carolina coast was an accident, or part of a plan by the infamous pirate to doublecross his own men.

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    Ridiculously over-the-top, Elton John: The Red Piano (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.95 SRP) is exactly what you’d expect Elton John’s Las Vegas show to be. In addition to the concert itself, the disc also contains a documentary with unseen backstage footage from the show, plus the full-length versions of the David LaChappelle films shown during the concert.

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    I don’t know about you, but any movie with a title like Afro Ninja: Destiny (Lightyear, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) at least deserves a second glance. Yes, it’s based on the YouTube video, and its title explains exactly what it is – an ninja with an afro.

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    Anyone familiar with Mystery Science Theater 3000 will remember with glee the cringe-inducing Hercules Against The Moon Men. Well, now you can get that flick – plus 4 other muscle-y kitsch classics – in the Muscle Madness set (Infinity, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). In addition to Moon Men, you also get Giant Of Marathon, War Of The Trojans, Goliath And The Sins Of Babylon, & Colossus And The Amazon Queen.

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    Schwarzenegger fans hoping to pass the weekend on the cheap should pick up the Schwarzenegger 4-Film Collector’s Set (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which packaged together a quartet of catalogue titles – Terminator 2, Total Recall, Red Heat, and The Running Man into one convenient box.

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    I’m sure the makers of Fanboys (Genius, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP) thought they were making a film for geeks like me, but it’s such a ham-fisted, inconsistent comedy (with some drama) – about a group of buddies who travel to George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch in order to steal a pre-release copy of Star Wars: Episode I (the poor fools) – that I just couldn’t find any love in it. Which is a shame, because there’s a good film in there somewhere. The DVD features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, webisodes, and a quartet of featurettes.

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    If Twilight seemed too tween for you and the Buffyverse was too nerd – and you like your soap drama – then HBO’s True Blood (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) is probably for you. Alan Ball has brought together an eclectic bunch of locals in a small Louisiana town – and by eclectic, I mean vampires and mind readers and hicks. The 5-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, a mockumentary, and fake PSAa and ads.

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    It’s difficult to sell the 3-D gimmick with the limitations of home theaters, when you’re stuck using rinky-dink red-green glasses. That’s what makes seeing My Bloody Valentine (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP) at home even more of a let down than its theatrical run. At least in a theater, the by-the-numbers horror flick could at least rely on the 3-D gimmick. At home? No such luck. The 2-disc set contains both the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film, an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and a gag reel.

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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 #96: Banana Breath

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    Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’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 #96: Banana Breath – Ken & Dana return with a bit of an in-depth reminiscence on a certain Southern California attraction that does not involve a mouse, but does involve a shark.

    [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 #96 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-96.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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  • The Greatest Movie Blog Of All Time: Terminator Starvation

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    TERMINATOR: STARVATION

    terminatorThe year is 2018. Skynet has risen and the few humans left (Terminator: Salvation makes it seem that there are only a handful of humans remaining) are trying to win the war against the machines. This is a few years before John Conner (Christian Bale) will acquire his legendary status and he comes across a new kind of enemy. Unfortunately, this is not the core of the film. Conner doesn’t even seem to be the primary character. Mostly, we follow Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), an apparently resurrected man who was lethally injected after serving time on death row in 2003 (For a crime that is never explained). He awakens fifteen years later, having not aged a minute, and befriends a young Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), the future father of John Conner. Reese is soon kidnapped by the machines and Conner is forced to trust Wright in rescuing his dad.

    I tried to find a way to eloquently put into words the way I feel about this film and the following is what I came up with. Enjoy.

    Oh, Terminator: Salvation
    When you were announced, it scared me
    There was no cause for celebration
    And you were going to be directed by McG

    But my interest was ignited
    With the casting of Christian Bale
    And I will admit that I got excited
    When the trailer was unveiled

    So when the lights went down
    My eyes lit up
    But what I actually found
    Was that you really did suck

    The story was bland
    Common sense you were ignoring
    The acting was far from grand
    In fact, it was quite boring

    You took away the depth
    The legend you have devoured
    Maybe you could have saved yourself
    But you didn’t utilize Bryce Dallas Howard

    So when they captured Kyle Reese
    Why hasn’t he died yet?
    With that single little piece
    It would  be victory for Skynet

    You tried to be clever
    But smart you were not
    With in-jokes during the bad weather
    But unintentional laughs were all you got

    But I have to say
    There are a couple reasons why I would recommend it
    At the end of the day
    The cinematography was absolutely splendid

    And I also cannot lie
    I may give it another visit
    Because I won’t even try
    To say the action scenes were not exquisite

    But that wasn’t enough
    At least not for me
    I had to deal with enough stuff
    While watching Terminator 3

    Go ahead McG, ask the main man
    You know this is not what Cameron intended
    Obviously, I’m not a fan
    But at least Michael Ironside was in it

    So I’m quite disappointed with you
    I wish I could keep our relationship intact
    But if Terminator Salvation is the best you can do
    Please, I beg you, don’t come back

    VROOOM!

    *MINOR SPOILER TO FOLLOW*
    So that is my review, but there is one more thing I would like to comment on. In the last bit of the film, a T-800 arrives. A real T-800, with the face of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It doesn’t 100% work, but it’s pretty damn close. I’m not sure of the specifics of how they did this (apparently they CGI’d Arnold’s face onto someone else’s body), but I think it’s a great achievement. It leads me to wonder how close we are to being able to do this on a consistent basis. How many actors will we be able to replicate? I’m not saying that computer graphics will overtake actors anytime in the future. We still need the personal connections to a role, the emotions, and so forth, but if someone were to use this in a different way, what could happen? Is it possible that we will sit in a theater one day and see Jimmy Stewart chasing Tom Cruise? Or maybe Cary Grant investigating George Clooney? The possibilities would be literally endless. I’m extremely interested to see where this goes.

    -Jesse Rivers would love to see a Jackie Chan/Ingrid Bergman movie.

    And, as always, check out Bagged and Boarded.

  • Party Favors: Chazz Palminteri Interview

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    STATEN ISLAND – Fifteen years after making a major name for himself in A Bronx Tale, Chazz Palminteri has conquered another New York title in Yonkers Joe. He’s a hustler who lurks at low level gambling functions fixing Poker and dice games with his slimy crew. He doesn’t believe in chance when he can sneak a pair of loaded bones into his hands. His life gets complicated when he’s forced to take care of his teenage son, Joe Jr. (Tom Guiry). The son has Down Syndrome so he’s not as controllable as a marked deck of cards in Yonkers Joe’s hands. He’s got to make a big score to support the kid.

    Chazz Palminteri called up the Party Favors hotline to discuss Yonkers Joe. The movie has just been released on DVD by Magnolia Home Entertainment. He’s a soft spoken guy over the phone.

    What attracted him to the role of a man who wasn’t a gambler, but a pure cheater?

    “It’s really a guy who is like a magician with his hands,” Chazz said. “These types of guys came out of World War II. They didn’t have jobs so a lot of them became hustlers. They started learning this trade. They were a sub-culture. They weren’t robbing Las Vegas. They were going around to dice games and clam bakes.”

    Had Chazz ever been victimized by these hustlers at friendly Poker games? “If I did, I wouldn’t know about it,” Chazz declared.

    Unlike the Poker players that have become superstars thanks to ESPN and NBC, the cheaters can’t be so high profile. Chazz was drawn to this element of gamblers who can’t brag about their feats. “The interesting thing about these guys is that they live these lives by themselves. They can’t tell anyone what they do. If they do, they’ll be killed.”

    The third act of the film has Yonkers Joe conceiving an amazing way to cheat in a casino. The big scam was shot at the Plaza Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas’s Fremont Street. You might know this location from Cool World. What did the real hotel security think of the scheme?

    “They thought it was incredible,” Chazz said. “They thought it was a pretty amazing how the writer thought up the scheme.” Now that it’s been exposed in Yonkers Joe, can a cheat pull it off without the eyes in the sky catching them? “It would be tough. You take some licenses in movies. Can some of these things work? The dice thing could work. But it’s still risky.” Chazz does not recommend you losing a hand to Cheater’s justice. It’s always best to gamble according to the house rules.

    Besides acting, Chazz was an executive producer for Yonkers Joe. He helped in selecting the talent. “I like working with certain people,” Chazz said. “I’d talk with the director and he’d ask me what I’d think about certain people. I really liked working with Christine Lahti. I directed her in a movie called Women Vs. Men. It’s a great feeling when you can just look at an actor and direct them. You kinda tell them what you want and they just do it. You don’t have to explain.”

    The toughest work in the film belonged to Tom Guiry in the role of Joe Jr. He had to pull off the physicality of the son with Down Syndrome. He was recently on NBC’s Kings and The Black Donnellys. He spent months living with a family with a Down Syndrome child to understand the character. The research paid off according to his co-star.

    “I thought he did a great job,” Chazz said. “That’s one of those roles that if you don’t do your homework, you come off looking like a cheap suit. A lot of people thought he really was that way.” Did Guiry’s ability to look realistic in the role help Chazz get into his role? “Yeah. He made my job easier by doing such a great job.”

    The movie takes Yonkers Joe from Atlantic City to Las Vegas. What does Chazz think is the difference between these two gambling capitals? “In Las Vegas, it’s about the shows and the gambling. In Atlantic City, it’s just the gambling part. Vegas is showy. The glitz is not there in Atlantic City. In Vegas, it’s all about the glitz.”

    Chazz will be bringing a little glitz to the land of Monopoly when he performs his A Bronx Tale on Atlantic City’s Harrah’s stage from July 1 to August 9. He’s also going to be doing it in the fall in Las Vegas. This one man show elevated his career. “This is what Robert De Niro saw,” he said. De Niro decided to make the play his directorial debut. Not only did he have Chazz write the script, but co-star with De Niro. Robert was the good dad while Chazz played the mobster fighting for the soul of the kid. How hard was the adaptation process from stage to screen?

    “If you saw the show, you’ll see that I did the movie on stage,” Chazz said.

    The script is the most important part of why he accepts a project. In the case of Yonkers Joe, writer-director Robert Celestino got the script to Chazz’s agent. The actor laid out the process that gets him excited about a project.

    “I read the script first then look at my part. If my part is good and it’s a great story; I say let’s meet the director. I meet the director and ask who else is in it. If that’s good than we have a shot for something good to happen. A shot…doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen. But at least if you’re happy with all those elements, you have a good chance to make a good movie.

    “The script has to be good. You can’t make chicken salad out of shit. You got to have a good script.” But what happens if a script isn’t great? “Usually the agent knows if it’s bad. He’ll say, ‘Look, the script ain’t great, but they’re offering you a ton of money.’ Then you have to decide.”

    Chazz does improve scripts that aren’t quite up to snuff. “I get paid to ghost write.” He still works on original scripts. “The writing is harder because you have to have time to sit down and do it.” Being a busy actor does cut into the alone time.

    After A Bronx Tale, Chazz was cast in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway. His role as a mobster who rewrites a play earned him an Oscar nomination and an Indie Spirit Award. Chazz appreciated working with Woody Allen. “He is hands off,” Chazz described. “He knows what he wrote and he casts the right people. That’s it. You just do it.”

    Perhaps the strangest thing about Chazz’s long list of productions is two things that you’d expect on his filmography. While he’s worked with Robert De Niro on a few projects, he’s never been directed by Martin Scorsese. “I haven’t,” he admitted. “I want to, but I haven’t. I know him, but I haven’t.” Perhaps the upcoming Frank Sinatra bio-pic will finally team him up with Scorsese.

    Another oddity is that he didn’t appear in The Sopranos. Did he deliberately avoid being cast on the show? “I don’t think so,” Chazz said. “I think it’s just one of those things. I think there’s only two Italian actors that weren’t in The Sopranos: me and John Turturro.”

    As our conversation wrapped up, we came back to Yonkers Joe. “What’s really nice in the film is that we stay away from the cliches,” Chazz said. “At the end of the film he says, “Dad, I love you” a few times. I don’t say I love you back. A few people commented on that. How come I didn’t say, “I love you back?” Because you saw it. This guy, who had lived his life as a stranger to everyone, is just finally starting to get there. He’ll get there.”

    DRATS DISNEY

    Bad news always travels fast and there’s nothing worse than hearing “NO!” over the mouse hotline. Recently Disney wanted a new show to teach the counting and numbers to kiddies. We came up with Roscoe the Pimpopotamus. The colorful large animal in bright suits instructed toddlers on counting to 20. The Disney snobs had an objection to the scene where a pre-schooler passed off 16 as 20. Roscoe cut him 4 times to illustrate the difference. Our production got slashed. These educational people are so ignorant when it comes to giving a lesson that won’t be forgotten. Children need to learn the consequences of bad math skills.

    THAT VOICE

    As much as I want to watch Pitchmen, I’m not willing to risk my marriage. The wife barely take Billy Mays’ voice for a minute. Asking her to sit through an hour of the show is not an option. This means my only shot for watching episodes is the 1 a.m. repeat. I have to wear headphones for fear that Billy Mays’ voice will wake her up. Propane gas leaks are less overwhelming than him.

    The addictive nature of the show is seeing the upcoming product line from “As Seen On TV.” Where is the Pocket Crab Repeller? It was amazing to see Billy Mays chumming the water while Anthony Sullivan tests out a shark be-gone device.

    FOR YOU CONSIDERATION

    If somehow you vote for the Emmys, the Golden Globes or the Mack of the Year awards, please give a little nomination love to Jim Parsons. His role of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory is a pure geek comic masterpiece. He’s the offspring of Tony Randall’s Felix on The Odd Couple and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock on Star Trek. Parson’s work will be remembered for decades.

    BLU-RAY HEAVEN

    Star Trek Motion Picture Trilogy only focuses on what most consider the best of the movie series featuring Kirk, Spock and McCoy. The Wrath of Khan, The Search For Spock and The Voyage Home are bundled here. As pointed out in the review of the Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Collection, The Wrath of Khan is the best when it comes to the picture quality. The others aren’t bad, but Khan got the major restoration treatment. Even in 1080p, you can’t see Kirk’s toupee weave in the close ups. Plus there is nothing more impressive than Ricardo Montalban’s massive chest in Blu-ray. He’s got Fabio action as he terrorizes Kirk. The Search For Spock has Kirk and Bones attempt to reunite with Spock in an unorthodox pursuit. The Voyage Home brings the crew back to the 1980s in a survival mission involving whales. I was hoping we’d have Kirk being chased around by T.J. Hooker, but there would be no Shatner alternate universe in this time travel plot. Each movie comes with plenty of dedicated bonus features. The best is Shatner pondering if Nimoy kept swearing not to do Spock in order to get his paychecks improved. Or course is Shatner held out, they’d just replace him with Robert Pine. This selection is perfect for folks who aren’t completionists and don’t want to pay for Shatner’s Final Frontier weirdness. Khan looks the best on the big screen. But all three play so nicely together that you’ll swear it’s a real trilogy.

    Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy – Blu-ray brings the webisode cartoons to your big TV screen. The jokes play like the cutaway moments from MacFarlane’s Family Guy. There’s no framing device for the minute long shorts. You get the title card and then the action for nearly an hour. Because of the blitz rate of the jokes, some of them work better than others. There’s a long piece about what happens to the Coyote when he kills the Roadrunner that’s exceptional. A really gross moment has Fred Flintstone using the toilet. Repeating the fat Jesus sketch will take you off your grandmother’s Christmas card list. A farmer shearing a sheep will make you bust a spleen. Unlike the version shown on the internet, there’s no bleeping or blocking of graphic image. There’s even animated naughty bits including Kermit the Frog’s schlong. This is Seth uncensored. The Blu-ray will give you a resolution better than streaming. The big bonus feature is the star studded premiere party. Ever wonder what it’s like to party with Seth Green and Seth MacFarlane? Here’s your answer.

    3 Days of the Condor – Blu-ray is a masterpiece of paranoia. Robert Redford is a CIA agent assigned to an office that reads novels to see if state secrets are being exposed. They’re not a big thing in the agency. He’s a bit of a loose cannon who doesn’t play by the uptight rules of the unit’s director. It’s this attitude that allows him to be the only one in the office not mowed down by a hit squad. He’s fleeing for his life while trying to figure out why Max von Sydow wants to blow him away. The CIA isn’t too much of a help at bringing him in from the cold. His only “help” is an unwilling Faye Dunaway. Of course she warms up after a while since what woman can resist the charms of Redford? 3 Days of the Condor gritty New York look remains stunning in 1080p. The only bonus feature is the original trailer.

    THE DVD SHELF

    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: The Centennial Collection is our Raymond J. Regis Pick of the Week. Jimmy Stewart is a politician who made his career when he shot down Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). But was he really the gunman? Is his career based on legend? John Wayne plays an important role in the outcome. Vera Miles is Stewart’s wife. This is a great film for it’s ability to show how a Western myth can evolve and elevate the characters. The bonus features illuminate the film’s already legendary status. Peter Bogdanovich does a commentary track which splices in his archival interviews with director John Ford and Jimmy Stewart. There’s a fresh documentary that explores the creation and impact of the film.

    El Dorado: The Centennial Collection has John Wayne and director Howard Hawks take another lap around the Wild West. Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) is an evil rancher wanting take control of the town. John Wayne turns down Asner’s offer to fight Robert Mitchum. But Asner won’t back off from his power plays. Wayne has to get involved in this battle to help Michum. They also bring along a very young James Caan to even up the fight. This is just a great badass shoot ’em up with Wayne, Mitchum and Caan dragging out the hardware. The bonus features include a documentary that addresses the final years of Howard Hawk’s career behind the camera. Ed Asner contributes to the commentary track. A.C. Lytes remembers working with John Wayne.

    The Mod Squad: Season 2 Volume 2 continues my lust affair with Julie Barnes (Peggy Lipton). She’s part of a groovy undercover police unit with Pete Cochran (Michael Cole) and Linc Hayes (Clarence Williams III). There job is to find out what evil middle aged folks are messing with the kids. “The King of Empty Cups” demonstrates the dangers of shooting speed. A cop’s daughter runs off to be a groupie for Noel Harrison. His Hollywood mansion is a druggie pleasure dome. Can the Mod Squad save her from the dangers of bad message rock? “Survival House” brings back Sammy Davis Jr. However he’s not the priest from season one. He’s a half-way house guy getting his life back on track. “Return to Darkness, Return to Light” brings back the blind woman that Linc protected in the first season. She invites him over for a party. He gets a shock to discover she’s engaged to Ivan Dixon (Hogan’s Heroes). What happens with Linc meets Kinch? The season finale is more star studded than a Love Boat. The Squad ends up with Martin Sheen, Marion Ross (Happy Days), Harold Gould (Rhoda) and David Cassidy (The Partridge Family) in “The Loser.” The series is the coolest cop show ever.

    Gunsmoke: The Third Season, Volume 2 is 20 episodes of Dodge City action when the series was still a half hour long in black and white. “Sunday Supplement” has Werner Klemperer (Hogan’s Heroes‘ Col. Klink) as a reporter starting an Indian revolt in order to get a scoop. “The Cabin” is a trip with Harry Dean Stanton (Big Love) and Claude Akins (Sheriff Lobo) as two loco bandits. Matt Dillon (James Arness) takes shelter with them in the middle of a snow storm. “Dooley Surrenders” stars Strother Martin (The Wild Bunch in the title role. He’s a hide skinner who thinks he might have killed someone during a drinking bender. “The Gentleman” has Jack Cassidy (David Cassidy’s dad) protecting Miss Kitty from Timothy Carey (Paths of Glory). This is another great batch of Westerns guaranteed to keep your father on the sofa during Saturday afternoon. The bonus is feature is the original L&M Cigarette ad.

    Eden Log is a really creepy SciFi film from France. This is like Resident Evil without being too viewer friendly. You have no idea what’s going on as Clovis Cornillac awakens in a mucky mess. What is the situation in this post apocalyptic subterranean world? Who are the people chasing him? What are the strange noises in the dark? Who is the girl? This is like a video game come to life without the cute single shooter moments. Under no circumstances should you watch this film with the guy who always asks, “What’s going on?” Eden Log is a tense and confusing futuristic pursuit.

    Action Packed gives the pilot episodes of Mission: Impossible, MacGyver, Walker Texas Ranger and NCIS. Walker Texas Ranger spends more time kicking ass than giving us a true representation of police work in the Lone Star State. Chuck Norris is the man with the badge who doesn’t mind letting his boots do the heavy work. The pilot film has him getting revenge on the robbery crew that took out his buddy. Mission: Impossible has Wally Cox (Mr. Peepers) appear as a safe cracker. The crew must swipe a set of nukes. Remember that the first season has Steven Hill running the show. It wouldn’t be till the next go around that Peter Graves accepted the mission. MacGyver goes underground to rescue scientists. He makes up some special devices to save the day. NCIS starts with a case at the top when a man is poisoned to death while eating with the president on Air Force One. It’s cool to see David McCallum (Man From UNCLE) back on the case.

    Forever Funny offers the pilot episodes of The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Frasier, The Brady Bunch, Taxi and Cheers. This is a fun night of how memorable sitcoms kicked off. The Odd Couple‘s “The Laundry Orgy” reunites us with the actresses that played the Pigeon sisters on the big screen. Jack Klugman and Tony Randall owned their roles instead of merely dressing up as Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Cheers reminds us that it all started when Diane dropped by the bar with an ill-fated romance. The big problem with this set is that the producers didn’t notice that the audio on The Honeymooners‘s “TV or Not TV” is horrible. You’ll have to crank it up all the way. The other 38 episodes on the complete boxset have better levels. The only sitcom that isn’t available completely on DVD is Taxi. They need to finish up this show soon. In these troubled times, we need more Tony Danza.

    The Best of Star Trek The Original Series is the perfect sampler for anyone who enjoyed the new Star Trek movie, but haven’t experienced William Shatner as Captain Kirk. The four episodes on this compilation are prime choices. “The City on the Edge of Forever” has Dr. McCoy overdosing on a drug and turning into a madman. He passes through a time traveling portal and alters the course of Earth’s history. It’s up to Kirk and Spock to follow him into the past to put history right. An almost young Joan Collins is a woman running a mission in the Great Depression. Kirk ends up getting frisky with the star of Dynasty. “The Trouble with Tribbles” reminds us that cute things can get out of control and irritating. In this case it is the Tribble, a fuzzy ball that makes a sweet cooing sound. This predicts the rise of the Furby. “Balance of Terror” introduces the Romulans as a menace that’s worse than the Klingons. It’s a high pursuit episode as Kirk uncovers the weakness to the Romulan ship’s cloaking device. “Amok Time” takes the crew to the planet Vulcan. While the Vulcans seem to be logical folks, their dating rituals are extremely violent. Spock’s fiancée orders him to fight Kirk in order to get to hitched. It’s a brutal battle between two friends. The episodes are taken from the new enhanced versions so the models have been replaced by CGI spaceships.

    The Best of Star Trek The Next Generation has three adventures from the second go around on the Enterprise. These are the journeys of Picard and Riker at the helm. “The Best of Both Worlds” is a two parter with the Borg assimilating Picard. He looks extra creepy with the bio-mechanical accessories. The second episode has the crew looking to free their leader from the grip of the Cube folks. “Yesterday’s Enterprise” has the ship time travel. They discover the older Enterprise and Denise Crosby. The Klingons of the past want a piece of them. Is Denise Crosby bound to bite it again? “The Measure of a Man” has Picard fight to keep Data from being scrapped. Can he prove this robot is not state property? This is a fine primer for anyone wanting to know about the better adventures of ST:TNG without picking through 178 episodes.

    GIVEAWAYS

    We’ve got a double contest this week. How lucky can you get?

    CBS DVD has given us 5 copies of The Mod Squad: Season 2 Volume 2 to give to very special Party Favors readers. In order to win, answer this question: What character returns from the pilot movie to get his revenge on the Mod Squad in this boxset? Send your answer, name and address to mokaha@aol.com. Put “Mod Squad” in the subject.

    CBS DVD has given us 5 copies of Gunsmoke: The Third Season, Volume 2 to give away to Party Favors readers who like Westerns. In order to win, answer this question: What’s the freaky connection of Harry Dean Stanton’s name in “The Cabin?” Send your answer, name and address to mokaha@aol.com. Put “Mod Squad” in the subject.

    Both contests end May 30, Good luck.

  • Cabin Fever #65: Skippy’s Balls

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    cabin.jpgOh no! Just when you thought it was safe to hang out at the Quick Stop…

    Cabin Fever (hosted by the twisted souls Brian Fitzpatrick and Aaron Poole) is the result of having too much time on your hands and access to your local community radio station.

    Over the course of an hour, they manage to trawl the depths of good taste, plus throw some music in. How much more could you want from a podcast?… Quality? Oh… we didn’t think of that.

    Enjoy! And we hope our cross Atlantic friends can understand the Irish accent 😉

    Hugs and Kisses,
    Aaron P. + Rev. Fitzy

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    CABIN FEVER #65: Skippy’s Balls – After a few weeks apart, our Cabin Dwellers return to normality. They regale each other with wondrous tales of anal alcoholics and refrigerated poop, catch up with everybody’s Fantasy Premier League status before the final game week, and chow down on some delicious jerky from down under. Music is provided by QSE’s own Insane Ian Bonds.

    [CONTENT WARNING]: Explicit contents! We say every naughty word you can think of. You have been warned!

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Episode #65 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_65.mp3]

    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

    Got something to say? E-mail Aaron & Brian at the Cabin Fever mailbag.

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    CLICK HERE FOR THE CABIN FEVER ARCHIVES

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  • Contest Round-Up: 2009-05-20

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    Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. 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 New Video, we’re giving away ten (10) copies of HARLAN ELLISON: DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH on DVD.

    In conjunction with Hear Music, we’re giving away two (2) copies of PLAYING FOR CHANGE: SONGS AROUND THE WORLD on CD/DVD.

    In conjunction with Hasbro, we’re giving away one (1) SUPER SOAKER 50 WATER BLASTER: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

    In conjunction with Universal Music, we’re giving away one (1) copy of ELTON JOHN: THE RED PIANO on Blu-Ray.

    In conjunction with Shout! Factory Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of DESIGNING WOMEN: SEASON 1 on DVD.

  • Win DESIGNING WOMEN: SEASON 1 on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Shout! Factory Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of DESIGNING WOMEN: SEASON 1 on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 10th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 10th.

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

  • Win ELTON JOHN: THE RED PIANO on Blu-Ray!

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    In conjunction with Universal Music, we’re giving away one (1) copy of ELTON JOHN: THE RED PIANO on Blu-Ray.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 10th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 10th.

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

  • Win a SUPER SOAKER 50 WATER BLASTER: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION!

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    In conjunction with Hasbro, we’re giving away one (1) SUPER SOAKER 50 WATER BLASTER: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 10th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 10th.

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

  • Win PLAYING FOR CHANGE: SONGS AROUND THE WORLD on CD/DVD!

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    In conjunction with Hear Music, we’re giving away two (2) copies of PLAYING FOR CHANGE: SONGS AROUND THE WORLD on CD/DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 10th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 10th.

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

  • Win HARLAN ELLISON: DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH on DVD!

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    In conjunction with New Video, we’re giving away ten (10) copies of HARLAN ELLISON: DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 10th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 10th.

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

  • Bagged & Boarded 26: Will there be bears?

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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 #26: Will there be bears?   – In which Matt and Jesse reach out and touch each other through some phone lines, discussing road tripping, the DC works of Alan Moore, and sodomy laws. One of those things is not like the other… Find out which.

    [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 #26 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/baggedboarded/bagged_boarded-26.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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  • SModcast 86

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    Your TextSModcast is the meandering palaver of a pair of dudes whose voices are so dull, they don’t deserve to be on the radio (and, hence, aren’t). Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier are SModcast.The best thing about SModcast? It don’t cost nothing.

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    SModcast 86: Hot Coco –

    In which our heroes wanna live forever and learn how to fly.

    [CONTENT WARNING] SModcast features harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Listener discretion is advised.

    DOWNLOAD:

    SModcast 86 (MP3 format)

    [display_podcast]

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    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

    Subscribe to this Podcast via FeedBurner

    Wanna add your two cents? Spend it here, in the SModcast mailbag.

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    CLICK HERE FOR THE SMODCAST ARCHIVES

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  • Weekend Shopping Guide 5/15/09: To Boldly Go

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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 Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

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

    There are many catalogue titles whose arrival in high definition have been long awaited, and near the tippy top of the nerd list (I count myself amongst you, my brothers and sisters) is the Star Trek feature films. The arrival of JJ Abrams’s big screen revamp means that we get the 6 films comprising the original cast’s own cinematic adventures, all contained in the Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$139.99 SRP). All 6 films are in their original theatrical cuts (meaning no Motion Picture director’s cut, or extended cuts of II & VI). You do get most of the special features contained in the 2-disc special editions from a few years back, plus new audio commentaries and featurettes. The biggest bonus, though, is an exclusive 7th disc – a 70-minute conversation between William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and host Whoopi Goldberg titled “Star Trek: The Captain’s Summit”.

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    This past winter, things got a bit dry in the ol’ air I was a’ breathin’. Not wanting to cart out the massive room humidifier I had occasionally used in years past, I instead suffered through the dryness. If only I knew then about the Personal Humidifier ($59.99), I would have been far happier. As you can see in the picture, it’s a small, portable humidifier that gets its water source from your average bottled water bottle. It also runs pretty darn quietly, has low energy usage, and is something you could easily throw into your luggage and take on a trip.

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    Even though the new Star Trek film effectively eliminates all of these stories from continuity (big nerd boo!), the eight episodes – 4 on each – contained on the single disc Best Of Star Trek: The Original Series and Best Of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each) really are the cream of the crop. The TOS set features “The City On The Edge Of Forever”, “The Trouble With Tribbles”, “Balance Of Terror”, and “Amok Time”. The TNG set features “The Best Of Both Worlds” Part I & II, “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, and “The Measure Of A Man”.

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    Some see it as the film the broke the back of the Star Trek franchise, poking fun at some of the barnacles that had long ago become franchise cliches. Nonsense. I see Galaxy Quest (Dreamworks, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP) as a wonderful, post-modern celebration of the classic Star Trek series, from its sci-fi tech to its message, and the writing and actors that brought it all to life. Galaxy Quest has just gotten a newly remastered special edition, with a clutch of new featurettes and deleted scenes, in addition to the materials from the original release.

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    For some inexplicable reason, North America’s first DVD introduction to the wonderful Kingdom (BFS, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – starring Stephen Fry as a small town lawyer – is starting with the release of the show’s second series. Why? I have no idea. Pick this up, but here’s hoping they hurry up and release the first series.

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    Penn & Teller are back on the case, exposing bullshit for what it is in the complete sixth season of the appropriately titled Penn & Teller: Bullshit (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Their targets this time include NASA, porn, new age medicine, dolphins, sleep, green products, sensitivity training, child safety, nostalgia, and world peace. Yes… They call bullshit on world peace. I love these guys.

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    Remind yourself of Tom Hanks’s mulleted-glory in full high definition via the new extended cut of The Da Vinci Code (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$38.96 SRP). Not only does the 2-disc set contain the enbiggened cut, but is also contains a 5-minute preview of the sequel Angels & Demons, an audio commentary, and a whopping 17 behind-the-scenes featurettes.

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    Launched as an online extension of his low-cost animation empire, Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$22.97 SRP) comes to DVD in a collection of all of the shorts released so far. Bonus features include a red carpet featurette and galleries. A Blu-Ray edition ($24.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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    Liam Neeson plays a father (and ex-CIA agent) who’s hot on the trail of his kidnapped daughter in the surprisingly engaging thriller Taken (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.98 SRP), as the seemingly quiet man calls upon his CIA training to try and piece the puzzle of her whereabouts together. Bonus features include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and side-by-side scene comparisons A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.

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    It’s no great flick, but there was a certain B-movie horror punch to The Grudge (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$28.95 SRP) that only the Japanese can deliver with enough psychological hoo-ha to make it all seem classy, and now you can see it all in high definition (with identical bonus features to the standard release). This is happening because the far lesser new installment, Grudge 3 (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$24.96 SRP) is making its own DVD debut, with deleted scenes and a pair of featurettes.

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    Remember all those TV shows you bought on DVD? Well, you might as well get used to re-buying them all on Blu-Ray, particularly when shows like CSI get a high definition season 1 release (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$89.99 SRP) presented in 16×9 for the first time, plus a director’s cut of the pilot and all of the featurettes, promos, deleted scenes, and outtakes found on the original release. That’s right – start saving pennies.

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    I suppose somewhere, in some universe, someone was hoping for a direct-to-video sequel to Donnie Darko focusing on the now grown-up sister of Donnie and her own encounters with time-hopping bunnies and bizarreness. Well, that person will be happy to hear about the existence of S. Darko (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$22.98 SRP), which does exactly that. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a pair of featurettes, A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is also available, with identical features.

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    The House of Mouse continues its Walt Disney Animation Collection of classic short films with the release of a new trio of discs featuring The Wind In The Willows, The Tortoise And The Hare, and The Reluctant Dragon (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each). Each disc also contains of clutch of additional shorts mostly themed to the title short.

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    Kicking back with more comforting junk food comedy in the form of the complete fifth season of Two And A Half Men (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) is always an option. The 4-disc set contains all 19 episodes, plus the episode of CSI written by the Two And A Half writing staff, a featurette about the crossover, a look at the show’s 100th episode, and a spotlight on the rotating end title cards.

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    The latest Marvel premium format figure from the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles is none other than that prince of the deep, the sovereign ruler of Atlantis, Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner ($244.99). Namor stands 18″ high, and the Sideshow exclusive edition (limited to only 350 pieces) comes with a replaceable hand wielding the incredible trident you see pictured below.

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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 #95: Ooo! Ooo!

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    Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’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 #95: Ooo! Ooo! – Ken & Dana return with talk of burlesque comedians, barbecues, guest lists for said barbecues, success, and surprise fruit.

    [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 #95 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-95.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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  • Masters Of Song Fu #4: Round 1 Challengers and Challenge Revealed

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    We here at Quick Stop Entertainment are true lovers of music, in all its forms. We’re also quite keen on the spirit of competition, and of spurring creativity through said competition.

    To that end, we launched a unique form of creative combat here at the Stop.

    In this age of manufactured and painfully earnest talent contests, we’ve decided to instead shine a light on the quirky, quixotic underworld of musicians that don’t get nearly the attention they deserve.

    Ah, but I did mention that there was a competition involved…

    Like a songwriting version of Iron Chef, the competitors will be presented with a very specific songwriting challenge. They’ll be given one week to complete their songs – however they see fit, within the parameters set forth – after which time the entries will be uploaded to Quick Stop to be voted on by you, the audience.

    Oh, and what do we call this competition?

    MASTERS OF SONG FU

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    Let us not forget the very special Masters of MASTERS OF SONG FU. Think of them as the iron chefs of Song Fu – one of which will be revealed as your ultimate challenger in THE FINAL CHALLENGE. Past Masters have included Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Neil Innes, The RiffTones, and Garfunkel & Oates. Any one of them could be your final Challenge – or perhaps it could be a brand new Master. Only the Challenger who garners the most cumulative votes in all 3 Challenges will move on to the Final and face that Master, mano a mano.

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    In a moment, you’ll discover the details of the first challenge. First, though, here is the list of challengers:

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    THE CHALLENGERS

    MOLLY LEWIS

    When she’s not bluffing her way through college courses or looking passably attractive from a distance, Molly Lewis enjoys playing ukulele, microwaving marshmallow Peeps, talking to cats, and Twittering. Early last year, she wrote two original songs, “MyHope” and “Road Trip”. “MyHope” is about the inevitable day when our children will learn how to navigate the interweb and how they will LOL at our old internet presences, namely MySpace; of “Road Trip”, Molly says it’s about “that astronaut lady who went crazy and wore the diapers, you remember that?” She has not written any songs since. Hopefully this competition will remedy that. When Molly was in middle school, she took up the guitar. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the mandolin. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the banjo. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the ukulele has stayed. And that’s what you’re going to get, Quick Stop Entertainment: the strongest ukulele in all of Tacoma, Washington. Molly defeated Masters Paul & Storm in Masters of Song Fu #3.

    Official Website: www.sweetafton23.com/primer/
    Twitter: twitter.com/Molly23

    JASON MORRIS

    songfu-jasonmorris.jpgI suppose I am what you could call a “Multi-Instrumentalist”. That is a nice way of saying “Jack-of-all-trades, Master-of-none”. I began playing drums as a teenager and spent a great deal of energy during my 20’s trying to “make it” in the music biz. As a drummer, I have had the opportunity to play with some pretty incredible musicians, garnering literally DOZENS of fans over the years. In 2004 I joined the band Celestial Static, and spent several years melting some face with good friends Jeremy and Julie Elzerman. Once that ran its course, I decided to spend more time locked away in my studio, writing my own songs and learning to play guitar, bass and sing. It doesn’t pay the bills, but I have a good time doing it.

    Official Website: www.jason-morris.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/JasonLMorris

    EDRIC HALEEN

    songfu-edrichaleen.jpgEdric has been writing music (off and on) since the early nineties. He wrote and directed a musical, The Pushcart War, based on Jean Merrill’s wonderful novel. He has written and/or arranged a number of songs for various friends – some commissioned, some as surprises. He loves acting in community theatre, and is inspired by the music of Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. He is also happy to finally return his Happiness Board to the Internet. Check out the link on his web pages.

    Official Website: happinessboard.com/Edric_Haleen.html

    “BUCKETHAT” BOBBY MATHESON

    songfu-buckethatbobby.jpgI’m “BucketHat” Bobby Matheson. I used to make cartoons for the internet, and sometimes still do, but mostly focus on my music right now. Lately, I’ve been getting more into recording other singer/songwriters in my little, make-shift studio than I have been recording myself. I want Masters Of Song Fu to change that. I don’t really know what genre my music would fall under. Influences range from Klezmer to folk, to punk and back, which ends up sounding more like Zydeco than anything else (who’d have guessed?). I’ve been thinking of dropping the “BucketHat” from my stagename, but fear change.

    Official Website: www.buckethatbobby.randomsociety.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/BucketHatBobby

    MIKE LOMBARDO

    Mike Lombardo is a piano-playing pop-rock singer-songwriter who likes to use hyphens when describing his occupation. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, he spends most of his time banging on pianos, teaching children how to bang on pianos, or playing shows with his band, the Mike Lombardo Trio. Feel free to go to his website and send him lots of money. Or cookies.

    Official Website: www.mikelombardomusic.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/mikelombardo

    GöDZ PööDLZ

    Legendz foretell of a mighty duo, born in the frozen North. Two neighborz and friendz will unite to form “Gödz Pöödlz” and battle the Mazterz or Song Fu for glory and bragging rightz! Gödz Pöödlz are Rüss Rögers and Röd Dürre. Rüss Rögers was once a member of “Kit and Kaboodle” (still available on iTunes) and currently performs in “Rusty’s Rocking Jamboree!” Röd Dürre wrote and performed with the Goth Rock Godz “Sear”, and last year Röd won the Coor’s Light “Take the 4:53 to Happy Hour” songwriting contest! Remember, the heaviest of metals are soft!

    Official Website: www.rockingjamboree.com

    BRAM TANT

    songfu-bramtant.pngBram Tant is a 19 year old Belgian student with a distinct love for music. Ever since going to music school as a kid, he’s enjoyed singing and playing the guitar, and has been writing songs for some years now. While he’s still learning to play the guitar, sing and write songs better, he improves with each attempt, and he makes up for it (and the lack of proper recording equipment) with his passion and enthusiasm. He would like to become a professional musician someday, but for now he’s satisfied with writing and performing for friends, family, and strangers on the internet.

    Official Website: studwww.ugent.be/~btant/

    Twitter: twitter.com/dantesxx

    STEVE CHATTERTON

    songfu-stevechatterton.pngHi, my name is Steve Chatterton, the quintessential one-man-band singer/songwriter net-based recording project. Mom always said I marched to the sound of a different drummer, but she never mentioned which one. Dad had a fondness for bagpipes. Fortunately, neither of them have any direct influence on my music. Specializing in quirky little guitar-oriented pop songs about bugs, the Scooby gang, pirates, palindromes, superheroes, old movies, infectious diseases, imaginary friends and sideshow freaks, I guess you could say I pretty much write love songs. I’m a cheesy bastard at heart. I’m a stay-at-home dad who’s looking to find more time in the studio when my youngest starts school in September. I have an ever-expanding back catalog (at least 3 albums worth & counting) I’m dying to share with the world one download at a time.

    Official Website: www.stevechatterton.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/SteveChatterton

    JUTZE SCHULT

    Johannes “Jutze” Schult (from Germany) likes to live in a dream world where there has been no Grunge and where he is a talented singer. Sometimes his little folky pop songs find their way into the real world. Here they suffer from his hoarse voice and the do-it-yourself home recording production, struggling to appeal off and on beaten musical paths.

    Official Website: www.jutze.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/schult

    JARRETT HEATHER

    Although he has no formal training, Jarrett is an accomplished pianist who has been composing music for nearly twenty years. A relative newcomer to the world of online amateur competitive songwriting, he burst onto the scene earlier this year when he filled out an entry form just before the deadline. While earning his living as a graphic artist and website developer, Jarrett secretly dreams of leaving behind the glamor and prestige of internet publishing so he can focus on composing music for songwriting contests full-time. With no fanbase, loyal followers, obedient minions or friends, Jarrett will rely on his music-crafting skills alone to win over converts and earn votes.

    Official Website: www.spaceparanoids.net
    Twitter: twitter.com/SpaceParanoids

    AUDIOMOHEL

    Forged in the furnace of irony, molded with the hammer of satire, flattened on the anvil of righteousness, and cooled in the water of awesomeness, AudioMohel was thrust upon the world. Named from the lost audio transcripts of ’09, AudioMohel serves as a public-service backlash against the anti-circumcision trend sweeping the so-called “enlightened parents” crowd, AudioMohel urges their more devoted and impressionable fans to undergo the snip two or even three times. AudioMohel enjoys experimenting with new breakthrough genres like speed blues and death classical even though most of AudioMohel’s tunes reside firmly in the ethereal realm of vapor-ware. Some of AudioMohel’s members admitted to being a bit intimidated by the professed experience and actual musical talent apparently possessed by the Song Fu Masters, but finally it was decided that if the need arose, sabotage would not be out of the question. To be used as a last resort, naturally, but not out of the question.

    Official Website: www.AudioMohel.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/AudioMohel

    JALEPENO HABANEROS

    In the far off land of Chandler, Arizona, where the rivers flow with sand and cacti, our leader and master, the Lord of Our Lady Gwynyth, guitar and microphone in hand, called for the greatest musicians in the land to assemble a rock and roll group like none other. Unfortunately, they were cut off on the road, and the Jalapeño Habañeros made it there first. With The Rogue Bohemian on saxophone and The Boxcar Bassist on bass and keyboards, the Lord was pleased. Now, they roam the streets of Chandler, playing epic songs and rocking faces, much like Bon Jovi. Unfortunately they are paid in change, and often get thrown into the street, also like Bon Jovi. Their lives have intertwined, and the era of the Jalapeño Habañeros has begun. Be prepared.

    Official Website: None

    TIMOTHY RUSH

    On stage I am Timmy Vendetta. I’m 18 and I live with my mom and her wife. I hope to become famous and live vicariously through a hamster.

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    Official Website: www.myspace.com/tweed234
    Twitter: twitter.com/TimmyVendetta

    THE SCRIBBLES

    The Scribbles are one of the most popular ukulele-based trios in their entire 6th grade class. Oh sure, there is the rumor that Peter Choi hates them. Meh. He’s a hater. Ha ha. The Scribbles formed last November when they all agreed on the name. After that they bought some instruments and started writing songs and stuff. So far, they’ve played a handful of shows around their hometown of Springfield, MO. Everyone’s favorite song seems to be “The Robot Song”. Maybe it’s because robots really are taking over the world, or maybe because Connor wears the robot suit during that song and that’s pretty funny. Thanks to MySpace, they are now friends with really cool people like The Beatles and Weezer and Tom. They’ve said some really nice things like “iloveyouguys:D” and “thanx for the add:).” Oh, and by the way, Peter Choi, The Scribbles still luv u.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/thescribbles1

    GORBZILLA

    songfu-gorbzilla.pngGorbzilla is a musician/band teacher in Mid-Michigan. He has been in a few bands over the years, most notably as the bass player/vocalist for the band “Satin Jones” and the guitarist/vocalist for the band “Jimmy Likes Pie”. The proud father of two future rock maniacs, Gorbzilla has been writing music for the past twenty years, and is currently working on his first musical Beer ““ Finally a Musical for Men based on the Haiku by Patrick “Horkmeister” Sweet entitled, “I Think I Threw Up”. He has been happily married for eight years, and is looking forward to this competition.

    Official Website: gorbzilla.blogspot.com

    DARRELL MACLAINE

    Darrell Maclaine has been devouring comedy songs and interesting music ever since he was old enough to know better, and is taking part in this competition essentially as penance for the amount of free music he has obtained via the previous rounds. He plays piano and keyboard bass as one fifth of oddball UK pop group The Directors (another fifth of the group, Mathew Cornah, possesses both more instrumental expertise and a much better home studio than him and will inevitably be press-ganged into contributing to his entries), and has decided to exercise his rusty songwriting muscles in the most embarrassingly public way possible.

    Official Website: directors.mashedbins.com

    BERG AND JERRY

    Berg and Jerry are a small suburban acoustic group comprised of Andrew Berg (Lead Vocals, Melodica and, maybe, eventually the Ukulele) and Jerry Geleff (Guitar and Backup Vocals). Mid-summer ’08, Berg and Jerry began writing songs together and since then… well, basically nothing. As rookies to this competition, these guys hope to at least make one good song, and entertain at least one person (*fingers crossed*). Berg and Jerry have a fun ska/indie/punk acoustic sound and often try to write clever witty lyrics. So listen, laugh, and something else that starts with an “L”, because Berg and Jerry are ready to slightly attempt to be THE MASTERS OF SONG FU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/bergandjerry

    ANDY RUMSCHLAG

    Andy’s interest in music really began in high school, when he was under the false impression that it could get him laid. He started playing drums and guitar, while dabbling in songwriting. After attending Berklee College of Music, he gained a distinct interest in songwriting. He is currently working on a solo release, while drumming as part of the (Song Fu competitor) Mike Lombardo Trio. He intends to take full advantage of Mike’s coattails.

    Official Website: www.andyrumschlag.com

    DERREK J. THOMPSON

    Derrek J. Thompson is an irresponsible and unimportant song-writer and all-around creative type that lives in the middle of nowhere. His hobbies include sleeping and performing Bach at old-folks homes. He plays keyboards in a band called Anthropophobia but they don’t seem to be going anywhere. He hopes to become more disciplined with his creative endeavors as a result of Song Fu.

    Official Website: www.derrekswords.com/

    THE MYSTICBUZZ BAND

    The Mysticbuzz Band is from Washington, IL. We are currently working on our first album, and may have a real song released soon. We are a little off in our lyrics and sound… and that’s a good thing.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/mysticbuzzband

    JEREMY PIERSON

    Jeremy’s turn-ons include big eyes, belly laughter, and long walks on the beach. Turn-offs include bad breath, knobby knees, and fungal growth. Huh? This isn’t my post for eHarmony.com? Oh. It’s for what? “Song Fu”? What’s that? I voluntarily submitted to participate? I’ve participated before? Oh. That. I didn’t get any votes last time? Oh, only a few? How many is “a few”? Eight? Why am I participating again? The challenge of it all and the friendly competition? Just to be considered, however briefly, a peer of Jonathan Coulton? Sweet.

    Official Website: www.jeremypierson.com

    DENISE HUDSON

    Denise lived in a grey house in the city of Austin. Her favorite pastimes were playing piano, polishing her guitar, and tormenting the geeky programmer boy who lived there. His name was Michael, but she never called him that… Isn’t that a wonderful bio???

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/denisehudson

    LEX VADER

    Lex Vader was born to a single mother who worked as silicon tycoon’s personal assistant. When she died of poor hygiene, Lex was sent to an orphanage where he showed interest in organizing races and laser fencing. After being recruited into a religious order, he spent the next few years between several of their private schools. In his final year, Lex lost his hand in an argument with a professor over Kryptochlorians. Despite this, Lex was able to achieve a successful business career and even a knighthood. Tragedy struck, however, when a former classmate’s arctic home caught fire during a business lunch, scarring half of Lex’s face. At this point, Lex’s behavior became erratic. When he managed to buy SithCo, the cult that schooled him, he was shunned by the corporate world. No longer taken seriously, Lex started an evil empire and now moonlights with his evil emotronic alternapop band.

    Official Website: lexvaderssecretjournal.wordpress.com

    TOM MILSOM

    Tom Milsom is a musician, writer, artist and videomaker who has had nearly 2,000,000 views of his YouTube videos and has released an album, Awkward Ballads for the Easily Pleased, to murmurs of critical success. Faced with this onslaught of vague acceptance, he plans to release his second album, Painfully Mainstream, later this year, and is thrilled to be a part of this frankly charming and delightful competition.

    Official Website: www.tommilsom.com

    CALEB HINES

    Caleb became a software engineer instead of a musician because the type of music he likes best went out of style at the end of the 18th century. Self-taught in music theory, he is more comfortable writing a four-part instrumental fugue than he is writing a verse-chorus-bridge song. After discovering the likes of Weird Al, Dr. Horrible, and especially Jonathan Coulton, he realized that “modern music” can be fun too. Now he is on a quest to update, expand, and diversify his musical knowledge and experience. In addition to singing, he plays a whole family of recorders (not usually all at once) and baroque flute, pretends to play keyboard, and most recently, ukulele. He also uses virtual MIDI instruments because a real orchestra costs too much.

    Official Website: NONE

    MILES FROM NASHVILLE

    Miles from Nashville was born in early 2009 when multi-instrumentalist Charlie Wolf and harmonica player Michael Ruhland ran into each-other one day at the Albertson’s supermarket in Hermosa Beach, CA. Miles from Nashville play an eclectic mix of country, folk, rock, blues, pop, indie rock, rap (just kidding), and polka that they like to call “guacamole rock”. They are currently working on their debut album, Songs about November, and have their very own website (though who doesn’t these days?). If you happen to have large sums of money and/or expensive guitars that you don’t need, they’ll be glad to put them to use for you. Miles from Nashville plays shows around Los Angeles, CA every so often, so be sure to check the website for gigs.

    Official Website: www.milesfromnashville.com

    ANDREW THOMSON

    Hello. I am singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker, writer and activist Andrew Jon Thomson. I am honored to have played, collaborated, performed, and recorded with many outstanding musicians from many fantastic bands including the following current and past collaborators: The Memphis Horns, Dweezil Zappa, Anton Fig, Chuck Rainey, Tom Roady, Charlie Chalmers, Roades Chalmers Roades, Arthur Barrow, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Tommy Mars, Clayton Ivey, Charlie Morgan, Pablo Herrera (Cuba), Richard Nelson (Ireland), Mike Garson, Pat Mastellotto, Marc Muller, Rob Paporozzi, Sammy Merendino, Graham Maby, Paul Robinson (UK), Paul C. Robinson (US), Pete Lockett (UK),Victor Indrizzo, Fima Ephron, Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski, Bassy B Brockman, David Gilmore, Victor Damiani, Todd Roper, Greg Brown, and DJ Qbert.

    Official Website: www.helloandrew.com

    CALEB LEE

    To Whom It May Concern: Caleb didn’t want to write his own bio (musicians, eh?) so I will do the honours. After peddling his wares leading the criminally unnoticed Yay For Squares (www.myspace.com/yayforsquares) and playing an inadvisable amount of shows alongside good friends The Tastydactyls, Caleb decided to go solo in the early parts of 2008. Since then he’s enjoyed the success of dozens of fans and casual mentions on low-brow podcasts. With a flair for heartfelt song-writing and a wildly erotic combover, he’s hoping to win your love in this competition and will be wildly neurotic about it until he does so. – His bud, Aaron.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/caleblee
    Twitter: twitter.com/thecaleblee

    RICHARD CLAYTON SPRING

    Hailing from a small town in Southern Minnesota, Richard Clayton Spring has risen above the norm, blossoming into a beautiful butterfly of acoustic guitars, pianos, synths, electronic beats, and vocals ranging from the softest of whispers to the yelp of the Great Wolf. The only style of music Richard can’t write incredibly is generic pop music, or else he would be in a limousine drinking champagne with Lady GaGa. But he has acquired an auto-tuner, so he’s working his way there.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/richardclaytonspring

    SARA PARSONS

    Parsons is a 20-year-old student from California. She can leap small buildings in a few bounds. She fears large fish, but for some reason not sharks or whales. Parsons always makes the same New Year’s resolution: to survive to see the next year. So far, this has worked well for her. Parsons comes from an impressive songwriting pedigree: her older brother wrote the song “Blue Moon” in 1934, managing to overcome his crippling dyslexia and the fact that the song was written 51 years before his birth. Parsons’s songwriting influences include Beethoven, The Beatles, and Weird Al. Her sense of humor comes from The Simpsons, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and her frequent injections of concentrated doses of Vitamin K. Parsons hopes to go far in this competition. If she doesn’t emerge victorious, she will be forced to turn to Operation Omega. Nobody wants that to happen.

    Official Website: www.youtube.com/user/sargeantketchup

    AUSTIN & THE PUDAKS

    With only two members, the name may be misleading, but that seems to be a theme here. Austin Morley and Jeremy Pudak have been playing music together for several years now, and have never really settled on a genre or a name. In their younger days they would draw on rock influences like Rancid or The Ramones. In recent years, they have settled into slightly quieter influences like She & Him and Bob Dylan. Jeremy has always had a talent for the guitar, but Austin was not so lucky and decided to stick with a bass guitar. Austin & The Pudaks will be rocking your face off, but may not actually be in a rock genre. Be careful, as exposure to this amount of awesome has unpredictable effects.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/nodirectionhome89

    IAN & MELISSA

    Melissa and Ian are two amateur musicians with a longtime love of composing and performing classical music. Whether this is useful or relevant for a songwriting competition remains to be seen. They are eagerly awaiting the “Write a song in the style of an obscure Baroque composer” round, ’cause somebody totally told them there would be such a round and why would someone lie like that?

    Official Website: www.ianandmelissa.com

    IN THE AUDIENCE

    In the Audience is a band headed by 19-year-old Jordan Stowell. The band combines their love of Third Eye Blind-style pop hooks with the DIY ethics of the Microphones. The band will release Baritone Ukulele Classics in June and begin touring the same month.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/intheaudience

    TRAVIS NORRIS

    Over the twelve years since young-ish midwesterner Travis Norris first picked up a guitar, he has played and written music in a wide variety of genres ranging from rock that a-billies, metal of a medium or heavier weight, “outlaw” country (aka “the good kind”) and “frosty” jazz (not a real subgenre). Left to his own devices, something like “U2 meets Jonny Lang meets various two-to-three-hit-wonder bands of the ’90s indie/alternative scene” is what you’ll usually get. Travis’s instrumental talents range from lead guitar, 2nd lead guitar, rhythm guitar, auxiliary guitar, and bass (sorta). He can also drag and drop drum loops like you wouldn’t believe. He comes to this competition armed with three electric guitars, a neglected bass, an Ebow, and absolutely no fan base or public recognition. So be nice, eh? I hear he’s real sensitive when people that aren’t him make fun of him.

    Official Website: NONE

    THE GREMLINS

    When we’re not turning scrap metal into transportation and weaponry suited to post-apocalyptic life, studying the obsolete sociopolitical establishment of the twenty-first century under the guise of civil service, or scouting subterranean wilds for a suitable base of operations, The Gremlins are dedicated to sabotaging the destructive technological forces that have become your way of life through whatever mischief is at our disposal. Banjos are fun, too.

    Official Website: NONE

    THE GORGON’S GAZE

    The Gorgon’s Gaze is the alias of Tim Wilkinson, recent resident of “the music capital of the world”, Austin, TX. Originally hailing from hard to pronounce Worcester, MA, he began his musical career as the drummer of metal band Tempus. His drumming proficiency led him to join infamous fun-core band Bison Bison, creators of the annual Molluskfest, and toured the US. Tim loves to talk about himself in the third-person and is joining MSF to rock out with “y’all”.

    Official Website: www.thegorgonsgaze.com

    MIKE FEDERALI

    Mike Federali is a singer/songwriter from Virginia. He has two albums under his belt – The Great American Novel and Never Be Lonely. Mike wrote a song a day, everyday, in 2007 as part of a project called “365”. Mike has been called “The Beatles, Jayhawks and Pixies all rolled into one devilishly handsome dude” and “A One Man Music Army”. His songs can be heard on iTunes.

    Official Website: www.mikefederali.com

    THE PERFECT PLACE

    When two musicians marry one another, it’s a wonderful thing. When a multi-instrumental songwriter marries an amazing vocalist, it’s even better. Bud (oldest of three, one insane sibling of each gender) was born and raised in sunny San Diego, CA ““ a drummer first, guitarist second, and just about everything you could imagine third through last. Christin Joy (youngest of four, with 3 older brothers) was born and raised in beautiful Annapolis, MD ““ with the voice of an angel and the compassion to match; she is quite a wonderful singer and writer. The Perfect Place is a Husband/Wife duo that enjoys writing and performing music in their spare time. While their main area of expertise is theologically minded, they have been known to get a little silly from time to time. Masters of Song Fu should prove to be an interesting challenge, one we await with eager anticipation. Woot!

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/oneperfectplace

    HIS NAME IS LEGS

    His Name Is Legs is a newly-created rock band comprised of guitarist/vocalist/Song Fu veteran Hazen Nester and bassist Cameron Accola, who collaborated with Nester on two of his previous entries. Born out of a mutual love of Rush and talented musicians in general, His Name Is Legs pledges to provide listeners with an eclectic array of sounds designed to stimulate and elevate. What makes this band unique is that neither Accola nor Nester have ever met each other in person.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/hisnameislegs

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    ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

    Write a song from the perspective of an inanimate object. This inanimate object must have no moving parts. Also no computers, no objects that look like living things, either human or animal (i.e. a statue, an action figure, etc.), and no celestial objects (i.e. the sun or the moon). Your song can be in any style you choose.

    That’s it. The only other directive is that your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 45 seconds. Your song must be submitted in mp3 form (128-192kbps) either via e-mail (to songfu @ asitecalledfred.com – remember to remove the spaces) or a file upload service (like RapidShare or YouSendIt). Deadline for submission is 11:59pm EST on Friday, May 22nd, 2009.

    Voting on Round 1 submissions will commence on Monday, May 25th, 2009.

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    If you triumph, not only will you win remarkable (and potentially off-putting) bragging rights and a clutch of fantastic mystery prizes, you will also become the proud owner of the magnificent, one-of-a-kind MASTER OF SONG FU TROPHY.

    Good luck, and bring on the Fu.

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    [ad#contestbox]

  • Cabin Fever Nights II: Electric Boozaloo (Part 2 of 2)

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    cabin.jpgOh no! Just when you thought it was safe to hang out at the Quick Stop…

    Cabin Fever (hosted by the twisted souls Brian Fitzpatrick and Aaron Poole) is the result of having too much time on your hands and access to your local community radio station.

    Over the course of an hour, they manage to trawl the depths of good taste, plus throw some music in. How much more could you want from a podcast?… Quality? Oh… we didn’t think of that.

    Enjoy! And we hope our cross Atlantic friends can understand the Irish accent 😉

    Hugs and Kisses,
    Aaron P. + Rev. Fitzy

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    CABIN FEVER NIGHTS II: Electric Boozaloo (Part 2 of 2) – The continuation of the Cabin Dwellers’ voyage into booze and Skype, as Aaron and Brian, along with Cabin Dwellers Shona and Orla, finally break out the crazy Asian booze as supplied by Dan The Complete Bastard. The grog flows, as does the conversation, and through the magic of Skype they get to shoot the s— with lots of their favourite listeners.

    [CONTENT WARNING]: Explicit contents! We say every naughty word you can think of. You have been warned!

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Cabin Fever Nights II: Part 2 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_nights_2-2.mp3]

    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

    Got something to say? E-mail Aaron & Brian at the Cabin Fever mailbag.

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    CLICK HERE FOR THE CABIN FEVER ARCHIVES

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  • Contest Round-Up: 2009-05-13

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    Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. 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 Shout! Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of THE DANA CARVEY SHOW on DVD.

    In conjunction with Shout! Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of MR. BELVEDERE: SEASONS 1 & 2 on DVD.

    In conjunction with Shout! Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of SPIN CITY: SEASON 2 on DVD.

    In conjunction with Walt Disney Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of A BUG’S LIFE on Blu-Ray.

    In conjunction with MGM Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of VALKYRIE on DVD.

    In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away four (4) copies of THE BEST OF WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?: UNCENSORED on DVD.

    In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of EL DORADO on DVD.

    In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE on DVD.

    In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away one (1) copy of PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT SEASON 6 on DVD.

  • Win PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT SEASON 6 on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away one (1) copy of PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT SEASON 6 on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 3rd.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 3rd.

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

  • Win THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 3rd.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop 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 June, 3rd.

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