HOLLYWOOD – Adam Sandler excelled in badness when he earned 11 Razzie nominations. There’s only 10 categories. Top that Meryl Streep and Edith Head!
Now that the Oscar season is vanquished, it’s time to focus on what movie studios celebrate every weekend in America: Crappy movies. Forget silent movies. How about silent movie theaters as the audiences ponder how they were conned into a 3-D film that punches them in the face with stupidity? The Razzies announced their nominations and it’s truly a list of the worst dumps digitally projected on the silver screen.
Who could have imagined Sandler’s complete domination the field? Me. “They might have to take back awards from last year to truly represent the badness of Sandler playing a brother and sister” was the prediction. The Village People better lock up their Razzies for Can’t Stop the Music since Sandler might grab them. His Jack and Jill is going to be a film that will torture America’s eyeballs for decades to come. Plus there was Razzie disrespect for his equally pathetic Just Go With It. What an amazing one-two punch to bring to the Razzie ceremony on April 1. There’s going to be history made.
What could be a shocker is if men win all four of the acting awards. Sandler’s biggest threat for Worst actress is Martin Lawrence for Big Momma’s House: Like Father, Like Son. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristen Stewart ought to be just happy to be nominated since they’re not truly in the game. The only woman who can spoil the sausagefest is Sarah Palin for her The Undefeated home movie. Youbetcha. But since she’s not running for president, there’s not much point in voting for her. This is Sandler’s year. How can a Razzie voter not give Sandler both Worst Actor and Worst Actress? Plus he’s up for Worst Couple. He’s a triple threat in two genders. Sandler ought to pace his thank you list since he’ll have plenty of time all night to dish out names of people who said, “This is a great idea!” Worst Supporting Actress also has a tandem of men fighting it out with the ladies. Katie Holmes, Nicole Kidman and whomever the girl was in Transformer: Dark Side of the Moon don’t have the balls to win it all. Newcomer Brandon T. Jackson needed a newbie dislike after Big Momma’s: Like Father Like Son. But can he really upset David Spade’s dress work from Jack & Jill? Spade’s earned his award with a career of crappy cinema based on Sandler’s coattails. He’s this year’s Christopher Plummer. It’s tough enough for a woman to get a good role in Hollywood, but now men stealing all the extra bad gigs.
This is an ugly time for Nick Swardson. This was his year for Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star. But he’s been eclipsed by his buddy Sandler. Nick’s Bucky Larson nailed noms for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Screen Ensemble, Worst Rip-Off and Worst Screenplay. How did he lose out on Worst Screen Couple? Did Christina Ricci just not slum it hard enough? She couldn’t disappoint enough to let Nick be the student that out sucked the master. Nick secured Worst Supporting Actor for Jack and Jill although he will lose it to Al Pacino playing himself in Jack and Jill. How much of Al’s soul was trampled for him to secure Razzie immortality? Will Al arrive at the ceremony to embrace the treasure?
The Worst director is so diverse since it features Tom Brady for Bucky Larson. Just a shame he wasn’t also nominated for screwing up in his first play in the Super Bowl. A safety? Brady should automatically get two votes for that performance. Bill Condon? How did the guy behind Gods and Monsters reduce himself to Twilight Saga: Breaking Dorks? Garry Marshall has always been a major hack in movies so New Year’s Eve is just the norm for him. Michael Bay would have clinched this in a normal year since it’s part of his pact with Satan, Spielberg and Don Murphy. But Bay didn’t figure on Dennis Dugan making Jack & Jill and Just Go With It in the same year. Why Dugan wasn’t dollied out of the editing room in a body bag from overdosing on shame? He needs a Razzie to top his sundae of schlock.
The only major wrong pick from my Razzie preview was that Your Highness would make it a three film race with Jack and Jill and Bucky Larson. But the badness of that duo smoked Your Highness (made with several of my NCSA classmates). Only James Franco was mocked for his Supporting Acting effort in the film. Danny McBride just couldn’t measure up to the soul sucking cinema of Russell Brand, Nicolas Cage, Taylor Lautner, Sandler and Swardson. Danny isn’t quite up to those stars ability to suck it. Late entry New Year’s Eve stole Your Highness‘s Worst Picture status. The good thing about the Razzies not rushing their nomination time is that voters had a chance to realize if a film was just lame or truly toxic. Danny and his gang will probably just take a bong hit and forget about it. Kinda like how Universal has forgotten about Your Highness.
Fans of the Razzies are hoping that there will be trash talking between Swardson and Sandler about their films. Which guy doesn’t think the other was truly sucking in every scene? Who is the true master of the suck and who is the student of blow? Swardson vs. Sandler ought to be a UFC event. By UFC, I mean UnFunny Cineam. April 1 won’t merely be April Fools Day, it shall be the night that Sandler or Swardson will cement their reputation as the Worst of the Worst. Thankfully Harvey Weinstein won’t be pulling the strings this night.
OSCAR BOYCOTT WORKED
I promised to not watch the Oscars after the Academy begged Russell Brand to join and I did it! How was I able to avoid the lamest Oscars since “The History of Mayo” won best documentary? I caught up on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. They really need to rename this show to get it even more popular. Who wouldn’t want to watch Spartacus: Xena Gone Wild. Lucy Lawless doesn’t hold anything back when she goes Roman. She’s got some hot action going with Jaime Murray (Dexter season 2). There was no temptation to see The Artist and Hugo grabbing hardware with those two ladies stripped down in an opium love fest. Spring for the Blu-ray when buying Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
SPOILER ALERT
An annoying source on the set of Eastbound and Down swears the end of the series will feature Kenny Powers being killed at the ballpark. The scene has him just needing to strike out a hitter to clinch the league title and secure a ticket to the big leagues. As he’s finishing his delivery, the team mascot pulls out an Uzi and unloads on Kenny. He gets his strike out as his blood soaks into the pitcher’s mound. Who killed him? Take a couple guesses. They supposedly had five different actors inside the mascot suit for the reveal so none of the production crew can leak the real identity until it’s chosen in the editing room. The third season is the end of the series and the producers don’t want to worry about HBO pressuring them to bring back a fourth season. Of course this might not be the ending since a few weekend ago they reshot a ballpark scene down in Myrtle Beach. Maybe Kenny lives to tell another chapter?
DVD SHELF
Fan Favorites: The Best of are seven compilation DVDs with episodes selected via polls on Facebook for various CBS/Paramount shows. This is a perfect way to introduce a show to a young TV watcher, a quick gift for a pal who doesn’t want to collect season sets or a disc to have in the car for long trips. Fan Favorites: The Best of Happy Days happily sticks to episodes when Richie and the gang were still in high school. The show dropped off in quality when the kids were allegedly in college. The eight episodes go from Richie (Ron Howard) dating a girl with a reputation to the Fonz (Henry Winkler) getting his motorcycle destroyed. You even get to see the mysterious Chuck. Happy Days is the only show of the seven that doesn’t have all entire series available on DVD. Fan Favorites: The Best of The Honeymooners “Classic 39” Episodes gives a sweet taste of Ralph (Jackie Gleason) and Norton (Art Carney). Hard to think that there might be viewers who haven’t watched this classic tale of life in Brooklyn before it was overrun by alleged hipsters. Best is when Ralph becomes the forefather to Billy Mays. Fan Favorites: The Best of Hogan’s Heroes reminds me how great Bob Crane was as a POW. Col. Hogan and his crew operate an Allied base underneath Stalag 13. They’re fighting the Nazis one laugh at a time. The highlight of the show is always Sgt. Schultz (John Banner) faking ignorance. Fan Favorites: The Best of The Odd Couple gives a nice sample of an underrated sitcom. This is the classic case of the neat freak and the mess being roommates. Felix (Tony Randall) does his best to drive Oscar (Jack Klugman) nuts with his OCD ways. Oscar just wants to play Poker, smoke cigars, chase dames and cover games. They have the episode where they get on Password and meet Betty White. She’s everywhere.
Fan Favorites: The Best of Cheers actually has nine episodes about the Boston bar. It’s a bonus drink. Seven of the nine episodes are from era of Diane (Shelley Long) including the pilot. Ted Danson was so young when he started serving beers to Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger). My favorite of the batch is “Thanksgiving Orphans” when the gang comes to Carla’s house to feast on Birdzilla. They should have stopped the show after “An Old Fashioned Wedding.” Woody Harrelson’s wedding was a classic disaster ceremony. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how good Cheers was since the finale was such a bloated affair. Fan Favorites: The Best of Frasier gives a touch of the Cheers spin-off. Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) skipped across the country to Seattle to become a radio psychologist. He takes care of his dad (John Mahoney) and a cute dog. The episodes give a taste of the romantic tension between his brother (David Hyde Pierce) and dad’s caretaker (Jane Leeves). Fan Favorites: The Best of MacGyver has five episodes from the super spy that can do miracles with three items when he’s trapped. MacGyver was MacAwesome. The four episodes picked by his diehard fans are “Phoenix Under Siege,” “The Widowmaker,” “Legend of the Holy Rose” and “Halloween Knights.” I wonder how many times Patty and Selma voted for their favorite episodes.
The Fan Favorites: The Best of… is a good selection of memorable TV shows. If you want to see if you’re still buzzed by a classic series that your local TV station refuses to run. It’s a great way to share the TV love with those unfortunates who can’t watch a TV show that doesn’t feature a Kardashian.
DOGS AND PENGUINS
For what seems like a decade, fans of Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo have been teased with way too many single disc compilations. When would someone get serious and release this classic animated show in at least season sets? Well don’t worry about a proper installment issuing. Why? Because all the episodes are now available thanks to Underdog: Complete Collector’s Edition and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales: The Complete Collection. Shout! Factory got it right. Well as right as you can get with an incomplete vault.
Underdog: Complete Collector’s Edition has all three seasons spread over 9 DVDs. Over the decades. There are a lot of people who think Underdog was created by Jay Ward since elements from Rocky and Bullwinkle would intermingle with Underdog. This wasn’t true. Total TV was a different crew from Jay Ward. What they did have in common was both shows used Mexico’s Gamma studios for animation so the art has a similar feel. Plus they ended up with the same syndicator who shuffled shorts to make bigger shows. Over the decades Underdog has been battered and bruised by syndicators. The last time the aired on cable, a majority of the musical openings and closings had been clipped. This proved to be a really bad thing since Shout! Factory was unable to locate the original masters. They hunted down video copies to insert into the rebuilt episodes. The quality is a little off, but at least the passion to not forget these moments shines bright. Underdog (voiced by Wally Cox) was a shoe shine boy most of the time. When Polly Purebreed sang out for help, he’d run into a phone booth and become a superhero dog. He could also pop a pill for an energy boost when fighting Riff Raff and Simon Bar Sinister. The first two seasons in these reconstituted episodes include Go Go Gophers and The World of Commander McBragg. The Go Go Gophers are Indians that must battle pesky cavalry coyotes to not be forced on a reservation. McBragg is an English adventurer with insane travel tales. The third season gets swapped for a rotation between Tooter the Turtle, Klondike Kat and The Hunter. I’m just happy Shout has put back the ending rhyme to Tooter when Mr. Lizard the Wizard reminds Tooter to be what he is and not what he’s not.
Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales: The Complete Collection brings together all 70 episodes of the enterprising penguin (Get Smart‘s Don Adams) and his pal Chumley the Walrus. The two animals lived in a zoo, but dreamed of getting real jobs outside the cages. Trouble is they always get hired for jobs they are completely unable to perform like being weathermen or newspaper publishers. Thus they constantly consult with Phineas J. Whooppee (F Troop‘s Larry Storch). He breaks down the way things work using his 3-D Blackboard which is the analog version of the iPad. This was one of the best educational shows to ever air simply because as a kid, you didn’t feel like they wanted to make you smarter even though you grasped onto subjects like cloud seeding. Shout! didn’t try to make fake episodes with the elements. The 70 Tennessee Tuxedo shorts run separately. There are other segments that ran as part of Total TV packages included on the 6 DVDs. The King and Odie originally ran on King Leonardo and His Short Subjects. They made new ones to be included in TTAHT which is what is featured in this set. They also have episodes of The Hunter, Tooter the Turtle and Klondike Kat. The bonus features include bumpers found on old videotapes and the short riddle gags. The riddles were a cheap segment which involved only a new blackboard shot to explain a kid’s joke to kids.
Underdog: Complete Collector’s Edition and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales: The Complete Collection are essential viewing for people who miss the days when these two characters roamed the TV dial after school. Underdog was charming with his rhyming lines and Tennessee was educational without being school related. Having done an unscientific study, today’s little kids like these characters. Both boxsets have documentaries that explain the Total TV story. Larry Storch gets a little camera time to discuss his time with Don Adams. Finally there is no more frustration wondering when will Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo get a proper release. There’s no need to fear anymore.
DVD SHELF
Here Come The Brides: The Complete Second Season wraps up a show that I never recalled seeing in reruns in my broadcasting area. This a unique Western about a logging company in Seattle. Turns out they have way too many men working and they need them some women. So the company lures a hundred women to the land of Shawn Kemp and Starbucks. David Soul (Starsky & Hutch) and Bobby Sherman (teen idol) are sons of the family running the lumber company. How are the workers going to attract any women with these two young hunks yelling timber. The show is interesting since it’s an extremely female perspective Western. This isn’t merely about rough and tumble men. It’s about women who want love from the Brawny man. “The Legend of Big Foot” brings the hairy beast to town. Or at least people think they’re seeing him. It would still be years until Steve Austin would fight Big Foot. For now he’s got to deal with Bobby and David. There’s also insane girlfriends looking to burn down the lumberyard. It’s a bit of a tizzy. This also marked the end of the show even with the ladies and the Tiger Beat twosome.
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: The Friendship Express lets the Brony culture rejoice. My Little Pony has returned since kids like colorful small horses with combable manes. The TV show focuses on how the unicorn Twinkle Sparkle is sent to visit the ponies so she can learn what it really means to be a friend. The first way to make friends is to have a cool name like Twinkle Sparkle so people love putting your digits in their smartphone. The show is directly aimed at little kids who are in the process of understanding how to play with others. But there is an element that’s useful for adults who have allowed themselves to only live in the digital realm. You can make friends with human contact. This is a fine set to put in the car’s DVD player to keep the kids calm. The episodes include “Friendship Is Magic, Part 1 (Mare In The Moon),” “Friendship Is Magic, Part 2 (Elements Of Harmony).” “Over A Barrel,” “Hearth’s Warming Eve” and “The Last Roundup.”
Most Valuable Performers reclaims the dignity of Drama department from the overhyped Glee business. Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania is the host of The Freddy Awards show. What are the Freddys and why hasn’t Kanye West won one? They’re given out for local high school musical theater productions. It’s a rather big event in the area with television coverage and musical numbers. The documentary follows three aspiring schools as they prepare for their time in the regional spotlight. They’re more excited about getting to show their talents on the small screen than merely grabbing a piece of hardware. The show is a lot more entertaining than the Oscars and without the stigma of Russell Brand being a voting member. The movie does its best to remind us that schools need to keep the arts part of their educational agenda instead of focusing on being football and basketball factories. The DVD release is part of Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Documentary Club which is a lot cooler than her book club.
Mandrill set the action tone when Marko Zaror does a bicycle kick beatdown of two goons at once. He’s a badass bounty hunter who wants revenge on the people that killed his parents. He’s extra cool on the job. But he can’t deal with women. He’s a blithering idiot around the fair sex. Turns out he needs to change that around. He’s on the trail of a mobster casino owner, but the path goes through the creep’s daughter, Celine Reymond. Marko must seduce her in order to get close to her daddy. Can he turn on the romance? If it works, can he remain tough enough in his heart to ice his future father-in-law? Best to watch the original before it gets watered down with Channing Tatum in the lead.
WWJDII The Woodcarver lets John Ratzenberger (Cliff on Cheers) get back in front of the camera instead of being a voice in the latest Pixar hit. An angry teen takes out his anger on a church. He destroys so much of the historic building. Instead of sending him straight to prison, he gets set straight by helping repair the place as Ratzenberger’s assistant. The two learn a lot about each other while restoring the church to it’s pre-vandalism state. This is a religious special that’s perfect for viewing by any Holy Roller relatives who need to watch something while staying at your house. There’s nothing that will offend them in this soul warming production. Ratzenberger gives a fine performance as the shy woodworker who takes the boy under his wing.
I Melt With You has the tale of four best friends who go off for a boy’s weekend to celebrate a birthday. Instead of going to Vegas, they go to a nice beach house. What could go wrong? Plenty since the friends are Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, and Christian McKay (Borgias). They kiss their wives and kids goodbye and go off for a weekend of pure debauchery. Rob Lowe provides the pills and the party goes into overdrive. But there’s a dark secret between the four. The film gave me a Fandango vibe without Kevin Costner. Director Mark Pellington seems to be going intimate. I remember when he came to Raleigh to shoot the Connell’s “74-75” at the high school next to my house. He’d capture stardom with Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy.” Afterwards the feature films came with Going All the Way,Arlington Road and the The Mothman Prophecies. He took a few years away from the big screen and has returned with smaller stories such as this and Henry Poole is Here (which I swore was directed by Hal Hartley). The film is a fine warning as to why you should never party with Rob Lowe.
Recoil finally give Stone Cold Steve Austin a marquee villain match up. He’s got to battle Danny Trejo (Machete) in a town that’s one big Elimination Chamber. Trejo’s the underworld kingpin who might have had something to do with Austin’s family being slaughtered. Steve’s not there to investigate the crime so much as to dish out a six pack on vengeance on Trejo and his biker crew. It’s pure asskicker of a plot. This isn’t made for people who believe in avoiding violence. This is much more entertaining than The Rock’s remake of Walking Tall. Kinda strange watching Stone Cold fight without those giant knee braces or a beer can in his hand. Those must be trademarked by Vince McMahon. Bonus features include deleted scenes and making of documentary.
Hazel: The Complete Second Season brings the Baxters to color. Turns out NBC wanted Hazel (Shirley Booth) to also be proud as a peacock. Hazel was a maid that truly ran the house. She didn’t even do it on the sly. She was pretty blunt on controlling the Baxter family. Mr. Baxter (Don DeFore) didn’t dare cross the woman. She was so hyper connected in the community that he’d be an outcast. This season gives fans a chance to see James Doohan (Star Trek‘s Scotty). Harold Gould makes his required appearance. Best is seeing a young Jamie Farr without a dress. Shocking. Hazel is such a fun series since she controls the Baxter family to the point where the son thinks she’s the real parent in his life. The season finale has Hazel pondering getting married and leaving the Baxters alone. Can that happen? Will the family survive on their own? Think of Hazel as The Help without racial issues to make you question whether its proper to laugh.
Matlock: The Seventh Season opens up with Andy Griffith’s return to North Carolina. After the first six seasons were shot in Los Angeles, the production was switched Wilmington, NC. He also swapped from NBC to ABC. “The Vacation” is a double size episode that sends him properly to Wilmington on a vacation with his oldest daughter Leanne (Brynn Thayer). She’s there to hang out with friends. Matlock just wants his hotdogs. During his grocery store visit he bumps into recent law school graduate Cliff Lewis (Daniel Roebuck). Is he a creepy stalker guy? Unfortunately we know he can’t be that evil since he’s featured in the opening credits. Matlock has to bail him out of trouble. Cliff gets to become his young attorney partner. “The Legacy” warms up the screen with the late, great, sizzling Anita Morris. There’s adultery in this case. “The Mark” feature America’s favorite church parking lot boozer Randy Travis. “The Obsession” will make you obsessed with getting a glimpse of Vivca A. Fox. There’s four few double length episodes so make sure to pace yourself. It’s just a joy knowing that Andy got to finally bring his show to his native land.
Mission: Impossible: The ’89 TV Season are the last missions that Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) accepted. This is a continuation of the resurrected series that was shot down in Australia with a new team. Greg Morris revives his Barney Collier character in “The Golden Serpent.” He’s got to help out his old partner and his son (played by Greg’s real son Phil Morris) in a battle with a Southeast Asian drug cartel. “The Princess” makes the team protect a Princess targeted because she making her country like America. “Countdown” marks a small country’s capital for a self-inflicted nuclear attack. “Target Earth” attempts to turn a space program into a weapon of destruction. “The Fuehrer’s Children” brings the Nazis back to the IMF’s radar. The show was shot on film, but post produced in standard def video so it’s not as sharp as the original series. It’s still quite fun with the missions getting bigger and bigger over the course of the season. The season only lasted 16 episodes. After this, the concept would be mothballed until it became Tom Cruise’s movie series in which all the IMF’s enemies are rouge IMF agents. I miss Peter Graves accepting his missions no matter how impossible things seemed in the briefings.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have another chat with astronomer, writer, skeptic, and blogger behind Bad Astronomy, Phil Plait, about USENET, Craig Ferguson, Enya, NASA, space, gauntlets, bullying, and the future.
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
It’s a little slow-going at times and uneven, but the good of The Fades (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) far outweighs any deficiencies as it’s a clever take on ghosts and vampire mythology with a nice post-modern twist and an incredible performance from co-star Daniel Kaluuya as the pop-literate friend of our supernatural protagonist who’s faced with the end of the world. Bonus materials include interviews, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more.
Are you steampunky? Have you ever wished you could wear a tiny little folding telescope on your ring finger? So you could feel all steampunky and adventurous and ingenious? Well, Thinkgeek brings you Captain Jules’ Extraordinary Telescope Ring ($29.99), which is exactly what you need – a collapsible telescope (and compass!) that you can wear on your finger. Yeah. That’s cool.
I’m sure it’s just a personal hang-up of mine, but I’m not much of a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, especially as he’s somehow become the go-to guy for vintage biopics of egomaniacal men. The latest is Clint Eastwood’s otherwise nicely made J. Edgar (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which dives into the ultimately flawed grand personality behind the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and his political kingdom of information.
Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s big Tintin film is about to hit home video, and the massive amounts of development and concept art that went into making it is presented in The Art Of The Adventures Of Tintin (Weta/HarperCollins, $39.99 SRP). And, if you get the book directly from Weta, you get exclusive replicas of the three parchment scraps that, when aligned, give the coordinates to find Red Rackham’s treasure. And for those with a fancy iPad, the publishers have put out an absolutely phenomenal app version of the book, with every piece of art enlargeable, interactive turnarounds, artist interviews, and even clips from the film.
And speaking of incredible behind-the-scenes books, now that the massive 8-film series has wrapped, you can explore all of the cinematic magic that went into making JK Rowling’s boy wizard come to life with Harry Potter: Page To Screen – The Complete Filmmaking Journey (Harper Design, $75.00 SRP). Comprehensive (and large), you get a look at everything it took to create the films, from casting and special effects to release – it’s all in there.
For years, Newmarket Press has been putting out some quite nice making-of and screenplay books for various films, and this Oscar season brings a pair of tomes from this year’s nominees. First up is Hugo: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Press, $19.99 SRP), the latest from director Martin Scorsese. Also available is a look behind Steven Spielberg WWI epic – War Horse: The Making Of The Motion Picture (Newmarket Press, $34.99 SRP).
I wasn’t expecting much, which is probably why I was pleasantly surprised by the working man’s revenge flick Tower Heist (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which finds everyday folks (with the likes of Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Gabourey Sidibe, and Casey Affleck) getting back at a Wall Street swindler (Alan Alda). Maybe that’s because this comedy is directed by the loathsome Brett Ratner. But hey, a decent flick every 10 years is understandable. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, alternate endings, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
You can watch Tudors and French Cardinals all you want, but in Italy the power center also had a family name, and it’s that powerful dynasty that’s the subject of Borgia Faith and Fear: Season One (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as we look at the depraved Machiavellian center of the Catholic Vatican, Rodrigo Borgia.
It’s no Shrek, which I see as a definite plus for spin-off film Puss In Boots (Dreamworks, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$27.99 SRP), which finds Antonio Banderas reprising his feline lothario roll for a bit of a romp that finds him going up against the nefarious Jack & Jill. As usual for recent Dreamworks animated fare, the use of 3-D is rather enjoyable, and carries over well to a home theater presentation. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, games, and more.
Fighting the nefarious likes of Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff, the dated though still fun cartoons featured in the 10-disc Underdog: Complete Collector’s Edition (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$69.97 SRP) are worth introducing to the kids in your life. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, a featurette, and additional cartoons.
A pair of Showtime series are dropping their latest seasons with the arrival of post-prison new life in the Big Apple Weeds: Season Seven (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.97 SRP) and a post-confrontation Nurse Jackie: Season Three (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.97 SRP). Both sport commentaries, featurettes, gag reels, and more.
Last week we featured Underground Toys’ collector’s set focusing on the villains of William Hartnell’s First Doctor, and this week we’ve got an action figure set which brings together a trio of Jon Pertwee’s with the Enemies Of The Third Doctor ($49.99 SRP). First and foremost, we get an Auton from the 3rd Doctor’s debut story, “Spearhead From Space”. Then we get the fallen Time Lord Omega from “The Three Doctors”, which just so happens to be coming out in a new special edition DVD very soon. Finally, we get the monstrous swamp-dwelling Drashig from “Carnival Of Monsters”. Here’s hoping they continue this line of collector’s sets with the other 8 Doctors… Though, granted, it might be a little hard to do with the 8th Doctor.
I’m not entire surely what Faustian deal the folks at Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles have entered into in order to keep delivering truly stunning 12″-scale collectibles, but each new one brings a fresh rounds of “oohs” and “aahs” for everything from the masterful sculpting to the pitch-perfect scale costume reproductions. The latest cinematic legend to get the platinum treatment of their deluxe DX line (with moveable eyes and more accessories than you can shake a stick at) is the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman ($239.99). From the rubber batsuit to the leather cape, the costume is exactly as you remember it, right down to the jagged-bottom bat symbol on his chest. The figure also comes with 3 different swappable mouths (closed, pursed, and bloodied), batarang, throwing stars, grappling guns, communicator, and more, plus a light-up base featuring the bat symbol. Incredible. I can’t wait to see their upcoming Jack Nicholson Joker.
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…
Join Ken Plume and Glen Oliver as they take you on a journey beyond geekiness and nerdiness – Well, they pretty much just nerd out geekily and have a bit of a chat about Doctor Who and all things sci-fi.
Whotininnies 11: Phasers On Stunned
Ken and Glen compare injuries and dive into Trek Lore with a little bit of meddling and mild insanity along the way. As always, our theme is courtesy of Chameleon Circuit.
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 some microphones.
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 😉
CABIN FEVER #107: Dead Becomes Her – Double A and The Rev spend a chilled Saturday afternoon discussing the Grammys, celebrity marriage, the hotness of Goldie Hawn, and pHitzy goes on a rant about his hatred for The Walking Dead.
[CONTENT WARNING]:Explicit contents! We say every naughty word you can think of. You have been warned!
Join Ken Plume and Glen Oliver as they take you on a journey beyond geekiness and nerdiness – Well, they pretty much just nerd out geekily and have a bit of a chat about Doctor Who and all things sci-fi.
Whotininnies 10: A Lumpy Anniversary
Ken and Glen reach grand old 10 with tangents aplenty, including eBay robots and horrid holiday specials. As always, our theme is courtesy of Chameleon Circuit.
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Things kicked off proper with To Kill A Mockingbird, and Universal keeps the excitement of their 100th anniversary going with a fully restored, absolutely beautiful high definition presentation of their WWI epic All Quiet On The Western Front (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). Bonus materials include an introduction from Robert Osborne, a rarely seen “silent” version, and a look at the restoration process.
You don’t have to be lonely or irresponsible to want an Electronic Goldfish In A Bowl ($19.99) – although certainly, if you are, there’s no better pet this side of not having any pet at all. Or a rock. Who couldn’t love an endlessly circling faux-fish, lit by LED and a perfect little visual diversion and desktop conversation piece… That you won’t have to flush.
The now-companionless 11th Doctor puts his own spin Narnia with World War II and plenty of trees thrown in for good measure in the latest Christmas adventure Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow, & The Wardrobe (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP). A wonderful little festive tale. The disc also contains a prequel and a trio of “Best Of” documentaries.
The Doctor & Peri land on barren Androzani Minor in the middle of violent human/android keruffles & find celery useless against stickyballs in the final Peter Davison adventure The Caves Of Androzani (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). This new release of the previously available story adds a lovely batch of bonus materials, including an audio commentary, making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, extended scenes, interviews, and more.
The TARDIS materializes inside a ship full of fraidy-cats paralyzed by flat-footed psychic aliens fond of onesies but not humans in the William Hartnell story Doctor Who: The Sensorites (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, a photo gallery, and more.
Watch as the History Channel continues to fritter away its reputation with another volume of the lamentable Storage Wars (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), wherein a bunch of mooks go looking for “treasure” in storage unit sales.
The less than dynamic duo return to snigger and snark for a new generation with the release of Beavis & Butthead: Volume 4 (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP). Featuring all new episodes, the 2011 Comic-Con panel, interruptions, and more.
In a brilliant move (and as a way to release potentially obscure characters with a little more context), the fine folks at Underground Toys have begun releasing themed sets based on adversaries of the various Doctors. First out of the gate is Enemies Of The First Doctor ($47.99). The 3-pack features the Dalek-subjugated zombie-like human Roboman from “The Dalek Invasion Of Earth”, a flame-shooting Dalek from “The Dalek’s Master Plan”, and an original-style Cyberman from the 1st Doctor’s swan song, “The Tenth Planet”.
We’ve gotten plenty of incredible premium format Star Wars statues from the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles, from Darth Vader to Princess Leia, but we’ve finally gotten one of the most iconic – and common – elements of George Lucas’s galaxy far, far away with the Premium Format Stormtrooper ($299). Ready for action and posed to fire his weapon in a most unskilled fashion possible, the Stormtrooper features spot-on armor and accessories, right down to the fanny pack on his belt. Sideshow continues to provide fans with absolutely exquisite 1/4-scale statues sure to delight even the nerdiest of nerds.
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…
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 some microphones.
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 😉
CABIN FEVER #106: The Pissiest Place On Earth – Aaron returns from his trip to Disneyland Paris and finds that not everything is quite so magic at Le Royaume Magique. This reminds pHitzy of all the lamer aspects of spending the summer in NYC, and the two cabin boys piss and moan ad nauseam. Misery loves company, and podcasting apparently.
[CONTENT WARNING]:Explicit contents! We say every naughty word you can think of. You have been warned!
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have another chat with vlogger, musician, and presenter Charlie McDonnell about eye patches, screenwriting, travel, driving lessons, Japan, unicycles, and Muppets.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with Birdchick Sharon Stiteler and writer/actor/director Bill Stiteler about birding, theatre, condiments, fugitive dogs, toast rooms, bees, and hair.
Join Ken Plume and Glen Oliver as they take you on a journey beyond geekiness and nerdiness – Well, they pretty much just nerd out geekily and have a bit of a chat about Doctor Who and all things sci-fi.
Whotininnies 9: The Phantom Countdown
Ken and Glen clip Lucasian wings and talk lovingly of genre oddballs. Also – Kubrick and a bit of Rick rolling. As always, our theme is courtesy of Chameleon Circuit.
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
I know it should no longer impress me, because they’ve done it with each of their classic high definition releases, but Disney’s restoration of their newest Diamond Edition, Lady And The Tramp (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), is truly beautiful. Never has this film looked so sharp and vibrant, and it makes the wait for the remaining classic titles to hit Blu-Ray that much harder. Bonus materials include all of those featured on the previous DVD Platinum Edition, plus deleted scenes, a deleted song, a lovely featurette on Walt’s Disneyland apartment, and more.
Celebrate special events in aeronautic style with the incredibly easy to use (and quite beautiful) Sky Lanterns Mini Hot Air Balloon ($3.99). This simple paper hot air balloon features a small flame source under a paper balloon, which can soar up to a mile high. And it’s completely biodegradable.
Following up on his stellar turn in series 5, Murray Gold keeps the roll going with his music for Doctor Who: Series 6 (Silva Screen, $18.10 SRP). The 2-disc set contains cues from all 13 episodes, including his epic “Majestic Tale (Of A Madman In A Box)”. Ace.
It’s very much of the period, but there’s no denying that the chemistry between Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw as two star-crossed lovers is what made Love Story (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$22.99 SRP) such a success way back in 1970, and it’s certainly worth revisiting over 40 years later in high definition. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a retrospective featurette.
Collecting together a trio of character-based live specials from earlier in his career, Steve Coogan Live (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) is worth a spin if you’re only familiar with Coogan from his recent feature film work, or just Alan Partridge. Bonus materials include additional Australia highlights, animations, and Steve Coogan: The Inside Story.
If you’re in the mood for a brilliant little two-hander, Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) stars Samuel L. Jackson as Black, a man who has just stopped White (Tommy Lee Jones) from committing suicide at the train station. Black takes White back to his apartment, where he proceeds to try and convert him to the faith… in something.
If there’s one overriding takeaway from the Harold & Kumar movies, is that they’re really not interested in anything much besides giving audiences a pleasant viewing experience. In that, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) doesn’t deviate too much, though it does find our pothead protagonists a few years older and separated, as Harold is married and living a big-money existence in the suburbs while Kumar… Well, Kumar is still Kumar, just a little older and sadder for it. Ah, but this is a holiday movie, so circumstances unite them both for a truly mad adventure that does, indeed, feature the return of Neil Patrick Harris. Of course. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a pair of featurettes.
Lucas Cruikshank’s internet sensation Fred Figglehorn returns for another adventure in the spooky Fred 2: Night Of The Living Fred (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$16.98 SRP), which finds our high-pitched hero desperate to prove his replacement music teacher is actually a vampire. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes and videos.
In the mood for a small character drama this weekend? Give a spin to Fireflies In The Garden (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$30.99 SRP), which finds a Midwestern family rocked by an accident on the eve of the matriarch’s decades-delayed graduation from college, which she had set aside to raise her now-adult kids while her husband pursued a career that has put him on the track to become university president. The disc sports a making-of featurette.
Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson star in the charming little drama The Song Of Lunch (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), about a book editor (Rickman) who meets up with his former love (Thompson) for lunch, 15 years after their breakup. Quite a nice two-hander.
Tween girls will probably want to snap up the Disney Channel movie Geek Charming (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP), starring Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland as a high school it girl rescued from humiliation by a film geek who decides to cast her in his documentary. Guess what? They fall in love and remake each other’s stereotypical expectations! Whoda thunk it? Bonus materials include 10 episodes of the series Shake It Up.
Having gained time travel abilities, the Daleks pursue the 1st Doctor and his companions in the 1965 story “The Chase”, eventually winding up on a jungle planet populated by Mechanoids sent decades prior to prepare the planet for human colonists that never arrived, who quickly take The Doctor and companions captive. Oh, and the Mechanoids and the Daleks don’t get along. You can now re-create that enmity with the Doctor Who: The Chase Collector’s Set (Underground Toys, $47.95), featuring a pair of classic silver Daleks facing off against the flame-wielding Mechanoid.
As a child of the early 80’s, I was a fan of just about any cartoon you can mention, both good and bad. Included in the bunch is the original, far superior run of GI Joe, which introduced a diabolical terrorist group bent on world domination named Cobra, with an iconic leader whose memorable voice and penchant for failure made him a favorite. Well, the fine folks at Sideshow have captured the iconic look of the one and only Cobra leader with their Cobra Commander Premium Format Figure. ($299) Standing regally evil with serpent scepter in hand and loaded pistol behind his back, you can display him with either his mirror-faced battle helmet or his hood via a pair of interchangeable heads. COOOBRAAAAAA!
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…
O-TOWN – How can you not love a wallaby in a pseudo Hawaiian shirt? Rocko’s Modern Life was a cult hit on Nickelodeon back in the mid-90s and is returning on home video. This month Rocko’s Modern Life: Season Two hits the DVD Shelves.
Rocko is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui, best known as Deputy Garcia on Reno 911!. Tom Kenny (Mr Show) gets tone to Hefer Wolfe, Rocko’s slightly out of it cow pal. You might know Kenny as the star of SpongeBob Squarepants. This show is where Kenny and SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenberg came together. But don’t make the mistake of viewing Rocko as the testing ground for SpongeBob.Rocko’s Modern Life is a great show by itself.
As someone who didn’t have cable when it aired, the show feels fresh. This isn’t like enduring a series packed with Jonas Brothers jokes. Season Two starts off with a new theme song from B-52s. “I Have No Son!” introduces us the disowned animator son of the Bigheads. There’s even a Christmas special.
I had a chance to swap questions via email with Rocko’s Modern Life‘s creator Joe Murray. After Rocko’s Modern Life, Murray went on to create Camp Lazlo. He’s currently making Frog In a Suit for KaboingTV. Our questions stuck with Rocko.
Party Favors: Looking back, do you find it odd that you had an easier time making Rocko into an animated series than getting it published as a comic book?
Joe Murray: Well, the Marvel Comic book came after the show started. Some people think it was the other way around. So it wasn’t difficult, until I tried to have a hand in the comic book on top of all my other duties.
Party Favors: Did you find yourself having a casting session with the supporting characters from the comic book deciding which ones deserved a recurring role?
Joe Murray: Supporting characters quite often start pushing their way to the front if they want more camera time.?
Party Favors: What was it like for you to go from working privately on the comic book to having story sessions with other writers?
Joe Murray: Well, I position this question to: What was it like to going from being my own writer on my Independent films to working with writers. Well,,, difficult. Especially when Nickelodeon first tried to “assign” a writer/editor they liked to me, and we didn’t get along. I had to say him or me because it was not working. Why have a creator driven show if they bring in someone who has his own vision of what the show should be?
?
Party Favors: Was there a discussion to call Rocko a Kangaroo?
Joe Murray: Not really. Nick liked that it was an odd animal. Relatively unknown.?
Party Favors: How did you end up making an animated series that features two main characters that aren’t loud and annoying?
Joe Murray: Why? Is that a formula? I wasn’t aware of that. Good thing. I just did a show that I connected to and related to.?
(Editor note: It is the Seth MacFarlane Formula of Success.)
Party Favors: How can Rocko work at a comic book store without being so judgmental of customers?
Joe Murray: Because he’s nice sweet Rocko. He just goes about his business while chaos happens around him.?
Party Favors: Had you seen Tom Kenny’s work on Mr. Show before he auditioned?
Joe Murray: Actually no. I did see his stand up comedy routine, and that’s what attracted me . Plus he’s such a great nice guy. Who wouldn’t want to work with that in combination with sickening fantastic talent??
Party Favors: How do you cast voice talent? Did you let Carlos Alazraqui test out his own voice ideas in the process?
Joe Murray: Yes. Carlos, who was also from stand up comedy, did great voices. He had never done voice acting before, but he was a natural. We had a long line of actors trying to do Rocko, and I just kept shaking my head no, no, not it, no.
And then Carlos nailed it,,, as well as Spunky. Plus Carlos is great guy as well. I don’t work with them if they are not nice guys.?
Party Favors: What allowed you to get the B-52s to perform the theme song?
Joe Murray: Well,, actually Nick asked me who my dream band would be to do the music for Rocko, and the B-52’s were on the top of the list. It just so happened one of the Nick producers knew Pat Irwin who did composing and was the keyboardist for the B-52’s. He did a demo for me and I loved it. Then it was just matter of him asking his friends in the band to do the opening song. I was there at the recording in New York, and we all had a great time.?
Party Favors: Did you have your own way to figure out if an episode could entertain an adult yet appeal to a kid?
Joe Murray: Well, we were all big kids, and we all found it funny. So that kind of covered us on all bases. We had the highest overall households ratings, so I guess it worked.?
Party Favors: We’re you pretty secure in the way the show would work for season two or was it still a big adventure?
Joe Murray: Every season is an adventure. But the way animation works, we needed to start season 2 before we aired the first episode of season 1, the main premiere. So we didn’t even know how any one was going to respond to this bizarre show. We just kept doing what we were doing on Season 1, but better. Filburt broke out as a more prominent character, the writing got better, we settled into a real great production groove. We got rid of the line producers, editors and writers that were assigned by Nick in the first season so the second season was smooth sailing as far as chemistry in the studio was concerned. I can’t wait for season 3 to come out. In my opinion that was the best.?
Party Favors: Are you excited about Season 2 coming out since it has Ralph Bighead’s arrival? Was Ralph you or a composite of all the people working on the show?
Joe Murray: No, Ralph was pretty much me. But the directors and writers also resonated with him. The episode “I Have No Son” was a lot of fun to do, except I don’t like my voice as Ralph Bighead. The episode “Wacky Deli” that came later was also a lot of fun.
Party Favors: How far into Season 2 did you know there would be Season 3?
Joe Murray: Well, we knew early on that we were going to start producing episodes for season 3, but didn’t know if they would air. ( we were pretty sure they would, but in entertainment, you never know. Season 3 was the last season I was completely in the trenches as a hands on Director, Producer Story editor. So I wanted to have fun with it. Season 4 I was the Executive Producer, and Steve Hillenburg (Spongebob) took over more of my jobs.?
Party Favors: What do you feel you did as a story editor back in the ’90s that made “Rocko’s Modern Life” still enjoyable for new viewers today?
Joe Murray: Well, we didn’t know how it would appeal to anyone. People thought it was a weird show back then, and I think more people “Got it” as time went on. I wanted to make Rocko a show that you could watch again and again, and get something new we put in each time. I hope we did that. Thanks to Shout, we have them on DVD now and the audience can do that.
The Party Favors would like to thank Joe Murray and the fine folks at Shout! Factory for setting up our email exchange with Joe Murray.
SAVE THE GREETER
Recently Walmart has been tinkering with the position of People Greeter. First it was eliminating the role from the overnight hours. This made sense since the old folks who stand at the entrances don’t like being night owls. Now they want to shift the greeters to further back in the store and make them restockers. How can Walmart think of messing with the position?
The only thing that gives Walmart an ounce of humanity is the old people at the front entrance saying “Welcome to Walmart.” Without the greeter, a Walmart is nothing more than a computer controlled box stocked with cheap Chinese products on the verge of being recalled and preprocessed frankenfoods. The old person gives the illusion that someone cares that I’m shopping in their inhuman labyrinth of consumerism. Plus the People Greeter reminds us that there might still be a job for us when we’re 80 years old and discover our retirement plan was a worthless scam. What other jobs can an 80 year old do? Grandma can’t work at Hooters. They have a rule that your breasts can’t drop below your orange shorts.
Let Walmart know that you need a greeter. I propose a Vampire Protest. Refuse to enter a Walmart until someone greets you to come inside. Thousands of people must cluster outside Walmarts across this country to hive the message to Bentonville. We need our People Greeters! And I’m not just writing this because I’m about to publish The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters. Although it would help sales if they still had People Greeters.
BLU-HEAVEN
Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level is a demonstration of what happens to the U.S.S. Enterprise as it hits the warp speed of high dentition. When the series originally aired, the live action was shot on 35mm film, but the special effects were done in standard video. This worked well for the syndicated television world of 1987. But now in the world of HDTV, ST:TNG does not look modern. Luckily someone at Paramount realized that this show wasn’t always going to be stuck on standard def channels. They basically redid the post-production on the show. The original 35mm film was rescanned, the special effects were recreated in a higher resolution and a fresh 7.1 DTS-HD sound mix was created. The results judging from the three episodes on this sampler Blu-ray are magnificent. All the little details onboard the deck come out. You’ll be able to read the emotions of Deanna Troi. Ladies should be warned about seeing the young Wil Wheaton in 1080p. The uniforms have a sheen to them. “Encounter at Farpoint” is the double episode pilot that brought the franchise back to the small screen. Picard and crew have their first encounter with Q. The higher being is eager to smash them if they fail his test. Season Three’s “Sin of the Father” makes Worf defend his father’s honor in a Klingon ceremony. Season Five’s “The Inner Light” plays with how a lost civilization gets Picard to remember them. This is a fine sampler to let folks see the glory of the fresh post-production. If you need a gift for your Star Trek fanatic pal, this is it.
Outrage: Way of the Yakuza is the kind of Asian mobster film that would have had me driving out to Dave’s Videodrome in Carrboro to rent the VHS tape in ’93. Luckily it’s cheaper nowadays to just online order the DVD or Blu-ray and not have to worry about the price of gas and late fee. Takeshi Kitano remains a cinematic artist who paints the screen in badass red. He wrote, directed, edited and starred in Outrage. This is his movie. The Yakuza, the Japanese version of the Mafia, are changing to fit the 21st century. No longer are they tattoo covered goons with missing fingers. They’re hustling in the age of digital technology. There’s a power struggle as aging lions are targeted by young cubs with sharp teeth. Kitano’s mobster is part of a family looking to mess with their neighboring crime family. A little disrespect tumbles into an all out mobster war with bodies piling up. Did you know that instead of sending a muffin basket for a slight screw up, you include the finger of the Japanese intern? Think of how many fingers would be piling up at the various new channels. Outrage would have been worth the drive to the Videodrome.
Police Woman: Season Two gets Angie Dickinson’s iconic series back on the release tracks after six years. The series was a spin-off from Police Story when the public couldn’t get enough of Sgt. Pepper Anderson (Dickinson) and her partner Sgt. Bill Crowley (Earl Holliman). The duo enjoyed going undercover to bust mobsters, pimps, drug dealers and more mobsters in Los Angeles. “Pawns of Power” bring son the heavyweight talent of Mr. Robert Goulet! Even wonder how long Ian McShane has been around? He’s in “The Chasers” with Film Noir legend Ida Lupino in 1975. “Farewell, Mary Jane” has Angie saying hello to Sam Elliott, Geoffrey Lewis and Loni Anderson. “Glitter with a Bullet” dazzles with Frank Gorshin (Batman‘s The Riddler). Future supercop Erik Estrada (CHiPs) is part of “Don’t Feed the Pigeons.” There’s only two more seasons left. “The Pawn Shop” trades in a younger Joan Collins. “Wednesdays Child” gives us the joy of Robert Loggia (The Sopranos) and Raymond St. Jacques (Coffin Ed in Cotton Comes to Harlem). The season wraps up with the two part “Task Force: Cop Killer.” Angie might be targeted. The series kicks. There’s only two more seasons left to be released.
The Adventures of Chuck and Friends: Friends to the Finish is about tiny Tonka trucks. Chuck’s a jacked up dumptruck with a need for speed. The show appeals to little kids who are can handle motor vehicles with eyeballs. Chuck’s brother is a big time racer so the kid has a Speed Racer quality. The show’s big focus appears to be on the worthy nature of practice. This is series is not Allen Iverson approved. Each episode is about 11 minutes long so it has the ability to keep a little kid’s attention before they start zipping their own cars and trucks around the floor.
Limelight gives the history of New York City’s legendary nightclub that was inside a church. The mixing of religious architecture and ecstasy that took over the mantle of decadence from Studio 54. Owner Peter Gatien went beyond Studio 54 when he created a nightlife kingdom within the Big Apple. He also ran Tunnel, Palladium (home of Club MTV) and Club USA. During the ’80s and ’90s, Gatien’s clubs had larger audiences than the Yankees. Cocaine Cowboy‘s Bill Corben once more scores in creating a documentary that reminds us America likes to get messed up and party down. Gatien’s clubs not only helped mark the rise of Rave culture, but his Tunnel’s rap night created a hip hop nation. Naturally the mayor of New York had to shut down anything that wasn’t wholesome. The infamous Party Killer murder of a club kid by one of the Limelight’s top party promoter didn’t help the cause. The documentary allows Gatien and the players discuss how the city dismantled the velvet ropes and escorted Gatien back to Canada. This is a bigger story than Studio 54. Sad thought is that soon the Limelight will be turned into an iHop. Be careful if you find a lost “sugar packet” under your table.
?Father Dowling Mysteries: The First Season brought Tom Bosley back Happy Days purgatory. He’s a pastor of a Catholic Church in Chicago that loves mystery novels and true detective tales. He’s got an eye for details and the ability to spot sin in a man’s soul. He’s also got a cute nun (Tracy Nelson) as his sidekick. The show was made by the people behind Matlock so it has the same tone in the crimes. “Fatal Confession” was the TV pilot movie that stole America’s heart in 1987. Father Dowling doesn’t believe a parishioner is a suicide. He has to juggle his investigation with running various church function. The first season only had 7 episodes when it started in the winter of ’89. His cases included mobster priests, hookers, babies, evil brothers and Harriet Nelson. After confession, you can always use an episode of Father Dowling to replace 10 Hail Marys.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with COMMUNITY star Gillian Jacobs about smoking, acting, skydiving, McHale’s neck, Community Theatre, hashtaggery, and Karate Dog.
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 some microphones.
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 😉
CABIN FEVER #105: 1.2 Bitches Per Song – What? We have to do this crap every week? It’s easy to forget just how much of a pain this podcasting lark is. After a brief Royal Rumble celebration, our cabin dwellers get stuck into a slew of strange stories from around the world. Along the way they discuss the poetic verse of HOVA, Craig List faux pas, The Rev’s status as a sex object in the gay community, and lots more nonsense that you have come to expect from two barely educated Irish lads. Seriously, pHitzy can’t count past the number twelve, and I’m pretty sure Aaron is just straight up illiterate.
[CONTENT WARNING]:Explicit contents! We say every naughty word you can think of. You have been warned!
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
It’s a little slow-going at times and uneven, but the good of 
Are you steampunky? Have you ever wished you could wear a tiny little folding telescope on your ring finger? So you could feel all steampunky and adventurous and ingenious? Well, Thinkgeek brings you 
I’m sure it’s just a personal hang-up of mine, but I’m not much of a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, especially as he’s somehow become the go-to guy for vintage biopics of egomaniacal men. The latest is Clint Eastwood’s otherwise nicely made 
Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s big Tintin film is about to hit home video, and the massive amounts of development and concept art that went into making it is presented in 
And speaking of incredible behind-the-scenes books, now that the massive 8-film series has wrapped, you can explore all of the cinematic magic that went into making JK Rowling’s boy wizard come to life with 
For years, Newmarket Press has been putting out some quite nice making-of and screenplay books for various films, and this Oscar season brings a pair of tomes from this year’s nominees. First up is 
I wasn’t expecting much, which is probably why I was pleasantly surprised by the working man’s revenge flick 
You can watch Tudors and French Cardinals all you want, but in Italy the power center also had a family name, and it’s that powerful dynasty that’s the subject of 
It’s no Shrek, which I see as a definite plus for spin-off film 
Fighting the nefarious likes of Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff, the dated though still fun cartoons featured in the 10-disc 
A pair of Showtime series are dropping their latest seasons with the arrival of post-prison new life in the Big Apple 
Join 
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 some microphones.
Things kicked off proper with To Kill A Mockingbird, and Universal keeps the excitement of their 100th anniversary going with a fully restored, absolutely beautiful high definition presentation of their WWI epic 
You don’t have to be lonely or irresponsible to want an 
The now-companionless 11th Doctor puts his own spin Narnia with World War II and plenty of trees thrown in for good measure in the latest Christmas adventure 
The Doctor & Peri land on barren Androzani Minor in the middle of violent human/android keruffles & find celery useless against stickyballs in the final Peter Davison adventure 
The TARDIS materializes inside a ship full of fraidy-cats paralyzed by flat-footed psychic aliens fond of onesies but not humans in the William Hartnell story 
Watch as the History Channel continues to fritter away its reputation with another volume of the lamentable 
The less than dynamic duo return to snigger and snark for a new generation with the release of 
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I know it should no longer impress me, because they’ve done it with each of their classic high definition releases, but Disney’s restoration of their newest Diamond Edition, 
Celebrate special events in aeronautic style with the incredibly easy to use (and quite beautiful) 
Following up on his stellar turn in series 5, Murray Gold keeps the roll going with his music for 
It’s very much of the period, but there’s no denying that the chemistry between Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw as two star-crossed lovers is what made 
Collecting together a trio of character-based live specials from earlier in his career, 
If you’re in the mood for a brilliant little two-hander, Cormac McCarthy’s 
If there’s one overriding takeaway from the Harold & Kumar movies, is that they’re really not interested in anything much besides giving audiences a pleasant viewing experience. In that, 
Lucas Cruikshank’s internet sensation Fred Figglehorn returns for another adventure in the spooky 
In the mood for a small character drama this weekend? Give a spin to 
Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson star in the charming little drama 
Tween girls will probably want to snap up the Disney Channel movie 
O-TOWN – How can you not love a wallaby in a pseudo Hawaiian shirt? Rocko’s Modern Life was a cult hit on Nickelodeon back in the mid-90s and is returning on home video. This month Rocko’s Modern Life: Season Two hits the DVD Shelves. 
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.