Author: UncaScroogeMcD

  • Win BRUNO on DVD!

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

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, December, 2nd.

    Clip: Bruno Prnaks Pete Rose

    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 Wednesday, December, 2nd.

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

  • Win THE BLOOM COUNTY LIBRARY: VOLUME 1!

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    In conjunction with IDW, we’re giving away a copy of THE BLOOM COUNTY LIBRARY: VOLUME 1.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, December 2nd.

    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 Wednesday, December 2nd.

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

  • Cabin Fever Commentary: FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF

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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 COMMENTARY: FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF – Cabin Fever’s Aaron Poole and Brian Fitzpatrick take a slightly skewed look at FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF, and ask the important questions such as “Was Ferris a Crip or Blood?” and “what’s the deal with Jeanie Beuller?”.

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

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Cabin Fever Commentary: FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_commentay_ferris.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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  • Musical MySpace Tour #1

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    Hello, and welcome to the first of what will hopefully be a regular-ish column. My name is Aaron Poole, and you may (but mostly likely may not) recognise that name from a podcast called Cabin Fever on this very site. You also may have read some of my articles on NeedCoffee.com. But most importantly, you may recognise me from www.myspace.com/aaronhbp.

    If you’re a musician or in a band and have tried to add me as a friend, you have inspired this column.

    Whether you think MySpace is an out of date social networking site or think it’s the Daddy of them all, you can’t argue with the sheer volume of music available on the behemoth.

    Over the years I have been constantly inundated with spam requests from people, and in a lot of ways it has been an adventure. I have found some gems who I now spend money to see and hear – and also some duds which had me nearly break my mouse clicking the ignore button. In fact, it’s been such a journey that I have now decided to share it with the rest of you.

    So I am going to fully review every band that sends me a friend request. For better or for worse (and let’s face it, they’re going to be mostly shite) they’re going to get a moment in the spotlight. Some will sweat under the pressure and others may shine.

    The following are the friend requests I received in the month of September.

    MySpace is dead, long live MySpace.
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    myspace-01-01NCCO1
    www.myspace.com/ncco1

    Wow, I don’t know where to begin with this one. I’m still not sure this really is classed as music. He (and this is the fault of one man) classes his stuff as “Experimental / Classical / Electronica”. At the very least, he got the experimental bit right, emphasis on the mental.

    Everything sounds like it’s the background music in one of those artsy plays that your friend keeps inviting you to but you’re running out of excuses for not attending. Sounds of sand being brushed and chattering teeth are played over the long, so long, out-of-tune notes that some drugged up hippy is playing on an oboe.

    l Satiro Danzante is the closest thing to a melody the guy presents in the 10 offerings on his page. It has a full and rich sound and can be both tense and impressive in parts but at 11 minutes and 23 seconds you’d be forgiven for not caring by the end of it

    While obviously gifted (it’s hard to make such a racket without actually having skill), this is not accessible stuff.

    Now, it would be harsh of me to pan this man completely, as he’s not trying to play to the common denominator. A perusal of the page shows that this is all meant for art exhibitions. Never has the word “installation” been used so much on a myspace page (thankfully, the page is easy to read and laid out well). So at the very least I will accept that this just isn’t for me. May be for you… but I doubt it.

    Presentation = 3/5
    Content = Lots!
    Music = 1/5
    Friend Request = DENIED!

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    myspace-01-02TIME IS A THIEF
    www.myspace.com/timeisathiefband

    College bands are fun, aren’t they? They always have a decent melody, some rolling guitar riffs, and plenty of opportunities to shout in synchronicity and marvel at how young and bloody awesome they all are. How stupid are old people, right? Conforming? Not for us, sir!

    Problem is, I’m not in college anymore, and have grown past that age of needing to be in that clique, so I can judge this stuff in a fair and balanced way…

    The first thing that pisses me off about this shite is the blandness of it all. Sure, there is an attitude there, but that attitude has been watered down by years of commercialized pandering to the masses, controlled by recording contracts and music execs. To a certain extent I have no qualms with that when it comes to signed bands. They knew what they were getting into when they signed that dotted line. They’re driving home in their shiny cars and are comfortable with the decisions they made. What irks me, however, is the fact that the music trickles down and influences new generations of musicians and kids in garages to rock in a very controlled and styled way; making it lack any sort of sincerity in hopes of sounding “polished” and “professional”.

    This is not rock and roll. No matter what the myspace label may say.
    On a personal level, and my biggest stumbling block with Time Is A Thief, is that they don’t sound Irish. The band, half of which used to play in a Rage Against The Machine tribute band, hails from Cork, Ireland. It’s not just the fact that the lead singer (Adam Carroll) sings with an American accent. It’s more about how both lyrically and musically there is nothing in these songs which speaks from a local perspective. They have a song called “Juror No. 3” which offers nothing other than the plot-line of an episode for Law and Order. There is little in the way of heartfelt emotions in here – and if there is, TIAT is having major problems conveying them.

    Unfortunately, at the end of the day, Time Is A Thief spend too much time trying to sound cool like their favourite bands instead of concentrating on creating that oh so out of reach wonder – namely music with soul.

    Presentation = 4/5
    Content = A couple of songs and links to other social networking sites of theirs.
    Music = 2/5
    Friend Request = DENIED!

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    myspace-01-03The Frequency
    www.myspace.com/thfrequency

    LAME.

    Seriously? You’ve been a member of myspace since 06/05/08 and you still haven’t gotten yourself a background picture? More than two songs? More than 282 profile views? More than 3 pictures?

    Christ, I have more than that and I’m not in a band. Maybe I should be. I could write better crap than this too.

    AVOID.

    Presentation = 0/5
    Content = You’d get more from the back of a postcard
    Music = 1/5
    Friend Request = DENIED!

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    myspace-01-04BriBry Is Sky High
    www.myspace.com/bribryisskyhigh

    Admittedly not a Friend Request, but I received an invite to an event from this stranger, and in the wonderful world of the internet and myspace this means he is now on my radar.

    The Dublin native Brian O’Reilly plays with a bunch of friends under the title BriBry Is Sky High, and is releasing some material on iTunes on September 26th, it appears. And you know what?, I wouldn’t mind catching this guy live.

    Young and leaning towards the oh-so-fashionable London indie troopers has not faded the message, this kid has charm.

    “A Poem I’ll Sing Out Loud” is the highlight of his output offered here. In fact, I think it would do well as a mainstream single. Provoking memories of THAT song by Plain White T’s but not nearly as sickly, there is real heart played out in the lullaby-esque melody.

    The only complaint I have is that the 4 songs available for listening are not enough. They have given me a taste for what this kid can offer, but I’d be fascinated to hear more so my opinion can become fleshed out.

    I’m really impressed by “Astronauts”, too. A cold, torn song bleeding out with frustration. As chilling as it is bittersweet.

    A perusal of the videos offered remind me instantly of Fionn Regan. Now, I’m not for a second comparing the talent of such a genius to BriBry Is Sky High, but if he’s not an influence of this kid then I’ll personally let BriBry Is Sky High come slap me in the face.

    I think I’m smitten.

    Presentation = 3/5
    Content = Average, a couple of songs and a couple of videos
    Music = 4/5
    Friend Request = ACCEPTED!

  • Bagged & Boarded 38: The Matt Cohen Show

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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 #38: Bagged and Cluckin’ – In which Jesse reveals a game-changing bombshell, the boys cope, and Matt comes up with a new direction for the podcast. Warning: This one gets serious.

    [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 #38 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/baggedboarded/bagged_boarded-38.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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  • Masters Of Song Fu #5: Round 1 Challengers and Challenge Revealed

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    CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO & VOTE FOR ROUND 1 ENTRIES

    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 of the 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’s the list of challengers:

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    THE CHALLENGERS

    GOVERNING DYNAMICS

    Governing Dynamics is the name of Travis Norris’s eternal sideproject, where all the stuff written by him goes when his current band (whatever it may be) refuses to play it. The music has been favorably compared to such bands as Eels, Radiohead, The White Stripes, and other bands that cool people like. It has been unfavorably compared to the tactics used by the FBI against the Branch Dividians at Waco. If he has to describe his music by genre (and refer to himself in third person) Travis calls it “alternative/shoegazer with a liberal dose of Midwestern rock”.

    Official Website: governingdynamics.bandcamp.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/travisnorris

    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 is a returning veteran of the Masters of Song Fu competition. He 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. Also – feel free to check out (and add to!) the “Happiness Board” 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. I write and record my songs solo, in my little make-shift studio, and when I play live, I often get some help from friends. Some of my music is funny, and some isn’t. More often than not, the humour is unintentional. My Influences range from Klezmer to folk, to punk and back again, which ends up sounding more like Zydeco than anything else (who’d have guessed?). I’ve been described as a “Cajun Buddy Holly” and an “Optimistic Elvis Costello”. It’s been said that I sound like “That guy from the Barenaked Ladies” and a “Nasaly Bob Dylan”. One of these days, I hope to have a description that is accurate.

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

    TYLER MASSEY

    Tyler Massey is an uncomplicated person. He likes to sip Cristal and polish his yacht collection. He enjoys the simple things in life, like stepping on snails barefoot and nude origami. He wishes that he had a proper Hobo Name, and is open to suggestions.

    Official Website: www.tylermassey.co.uk
    Twitter: twitter.com/tylermassey

    GODZ POODLZ

    Legends foretell of a mighty duo, born in the frozen North. Two neighbors and friends will unite to form “Godz Poodlz” and battle the Mazters or Song Fu for glory and bragging rights! Godz Poodlz are Rüss Rogers and Rod Durre. Russ Rogers was once a member of “Kit and Kaboodle” (still available on iTunes) and currently performs in “Rusty’s Rocking Jamboree!” Rhod Durre was in the Goth Rock Band, “Sear!” Beware the Godz Poodlz Ear Worm! Godz Poodlz songs are bright, funny and tenaciously catchy. Come join Godz Poodlz Legionz of Fanz!

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/godzpoodlz

    BRAM TANT

    songfu-bramtant.pngBram Tant is a Belgian coputer science 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

    MANTICESS

    Manitcess are Susanne Wolff (Lupa) on vocals and Johannes Schult (Jutze) on guitar. The duo plays melodic song somewhere between pop, folk and rock. Melodies are more important than trends. The band has already played various gigs in Germany and Switzerland and is eager to entertain – or better to enchant their audience with their musical tales.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/manticess
    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.

    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.

    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: jalapenojabaneros.blogspot.com

    TIMOTHY RUSH

    Hi, my name is Timothy. I like me. I like my school, I like my friends. I like to play the music. I very much enjoy the peoples. Thank you.

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

    JUBILEE JEWS

    They are not some traveling country hillbilly act. They are celebrating the year of Jubilee in the form of ukulele based indie pop. They are Akiva Misto and Eliana Bartimeus and they are prepared to rock your yarmulkes!

    Official Website: NONE

    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

    PETER BENEDICT

    Peter is a person of sorts. Since his birth he has consistently occupied himself with a variety of time consuming and completely un-noteworthy activities. Despite this breadth of experience he remains untalented in the ways of writing all encompassing 600 word essays. He does, however, greatly enjoy the rare treat that is writing about oneself in the third person, especially when such a gift should be presented to him at the wonderful time of 4AM. Peter now supposes that since this a musical competition he is entering, he might want to include something about that in his bio. At the way too old age of 18, Peter first attempted to play music. His guitar teacher warned him that he was much to old to begin training, and that he would probably be an emotionally unstable musician that would eventually turn to the dark side. Peter took no heed to this warning, and indeed dropped out of guitar lessons fairly quickly, realizing that he enjoyed learning much more when done alone. In the year and a half since then, Peter has been on a steady rise and will no doubt be taking the musical world by storm in the coming year. Perhaps his greatest musical moment came in December of 2008, when his Christmas caroling band, The Sizzle, took his small hick town by storm with a door to door tour through the suburbs, melting the figurative face of listeners with a funk/rap cover of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. In 2009 Peter has become active in the youtube community, known not for his music but for his notorious use of stop-motion eating scenes and a DIY laugh track. Hoping to hone his barely existing musical skills through the pressure of competition, Peter joins Round 5 of Song Fu. He sincerely hopes that rewriting this bio at a later date will be an option. The Peter Is Competing.

    Official Website: www.youtube.com/user/thepeteris
    Twitter: twitter.com/thepeteris

    CRAIG RICHIE

    At the ripe age of 19, this strapping young lad has been song writing for two years now. With his mates Meredith and Cornelius (guitar and ukulele, respectively), Craig Richie is prepared to join the ranks of the Song Fu warriors. Finding strong influences from former masters JoCo and Molly Lewis, as well as pinches of Kimya Dawson and Elvis Costello, this boy’s got a perspective on the world to share.

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

    JOSH HOLOBER-WARD

    Josh was born in Canada, which probably explains more about him than anything else he could put in a bio. He plays the accordion, is self-taught on the piano, and highly enjoys playing and writing for both – though he rarely finishes anything without a deadline. With this grueling contest, he hopes to push himself to unleash the best Fu he possibly can… and hell, maybe even some he impossibly can. YARRR!

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

    AARON Z

    Many folks say that Aaron Z is a pretty cool guy. He plays too many instruments, but mostly piano & guitar. He wastes too much of his free time writing and performing music, which has been known to make people laugh, tough men cry, and ladies melt in his arms. His current projects include Orange Box: The Musical! and A Tribute to the Letter E. He likes food cooked with mushrooms and his favorite ice-creams are vanilla-based, not chocolate-based. Check out his music, including his previously-weekly but now faux-weekly music project on his website, plus his other cool music.

    Official Website: aaronz.bandcamp.com

    SPENCER SOKOL

    Spencer is trying to do things. Music is one of those things. It is painfully obvious to him, if not others, that he has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. In the past he has been musically inclined with a guitar and occasionally with a piano. He is trying to be musically active once again, but this time he is attempting to do so while on the Internets. Creating music is a large part of his 40×40 list and he thinks this competition seems like “a Super Mega Happy Fun way” to rekindle his musical desires.

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

    DENISE HUDSON

    Denise Hudson is doing Song Fu again because last time the contest gave her a rush that she’d never had before. She is thinking this contest will help her further her career in the frightening world, the scary internet (ack!), and in Austin – a city in which there are many Live Music Capitalists of the World. She’s hoping to avoid mixdown mixups, to master her mastering, and hopefully… not become a twittasaurus rex. She’d like to thank her friends – local, national, international, intergalactic, and those from the beyond. Peace, Love, and Grapenuts.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/denisehudson

    JOE “COVENANT” LAMB

    I’m Joe Covenant. I’m Scottish. And never have enough time to do everything I wanna! Been singing and perfoming for over 40 years… (yes, I am 46.)… and I’ve nearly learned a 6th chord! Everything I do. I do for Song Fu. (If not for this ‘contest’ I would have never met and collaborated with so many talented people.)

    Official Website: joecovenant.bandcamp.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/JoeCovenant

    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
    Twitter: twitter.com/LexVader

    BOB WESTFALL

    Bob Westfall (guitar, mandolin, vocals, songwriting) has studied and worked with some of the top acoustic players in the country – Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, and Alex DeGrassi. But, while these influences are certainly evident, Westfall’s songwriting and lyrics are uniquely his own. An award-winning mandolinist, Bob grew up in Texas and Minnesota, and his style incorporates the best elements of composing with a hybrid jazz/pop/worldbeat/bluegrass feel.

    Official Website: www.sonicbids.com/thebobwestfallband

    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, baroque flute, ukulele, melodica, pretends to play keyboard, and most recently, guitar. He also uses virtual MIDI instruments because a real orchestra costs too much.

    Official Website: refactoringmybrain.blogspot.com

    JUSTIN VEGA

    Did you ever wonder what it would be like to mix Ravishing Rick Rude and the Beatles together? Me too. Man that would be awesome. Justin Vega is a songwriter/sort of singer from Las Vegas, NV. Justin Vega thinks writing in third person is awesome.

    Official Website: NONE

    IAN JOHNSON

    Ian Johnson was born atop Mount Everest, was attacked by a troop of ninjas on his way out of the womb, then rode a grizzly bear down the mountain and punched Hitler’s ghost on the way down. Then he ate some mashed peas. Seriously though. Ian played piano for about six years before taking a break in music. Then he decided to play guitar, because as we all know, piano don’t get chicks. He started playing guitar about a year and a half ago. His music has been described (by himself) as garage-punk ska-esque acoustic altern-rock with just a little ukulele thrown in for good measure.

    Official Website: ianjohnson.bandcamp.com

    ZER0GUY

    Sometimes two people get together who are destined to make history. Sometimes they are born into the same family. zer0guy is the musical/life-partnership of Jon and Dan Kelly, long time musicians looking forward to placing notes in your head.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/zer0guyband

    JONATHAN MANN

    My current project is writing A Song a Day (Rock Cookie Bottom), and my former projects include The Last Nympho Leprechaun, a rock opera, The Mario Opera, a rock opera, GameJew, a web show, and The Mushroom Singdom, singing old school video game reviews.

    Official Website: www.rockcookiebottom.com

    SARA PARSONS

    Sara Parsons is a twenty-year-old music composition student from northern California. She participated in Masters of Song Fu #4 and had a blast and met a ton of great people. She hopes she’s better at writing songs than she is at writing her own biography.

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

    SIMMBIOSIS

    Simmbiosis – three part band. Defies the usual type or brand. A combo bred, in this strange head. The obscene voice the unseen hand. Terpsichore and muse imbued. Perverse perhaps a little rude. Music composed, a life exposed. Giving you all I can exude. Studio C where I compose. Club Bed where I take my repose. Iniquity, safe haven for me. The rest you’ll just have to suppose. To be among this crowd, auspicious. An honor bordering on delicious. Thanks to View Askew, I’ll whip out my Song Fu. And work not to be repetitious, repetitious, repetitious.

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/simmbiosis

    CHAS LILLY

    Chas Lilly is a man that needs introduction. He is geeky but hopefully without being boring. He has been known to write songs about Pluto, Tim Allen, funerals, and everything in between. People often describe his music as “music”.

    Official Website: www.youtube.com/friendswobenefits
    Twitter: twitter.com/foldsaholic

    KYLIE PETTO

    My name is Kylie, and I’m your everyday 17-year-old girl with a passion for music. I’ve been writing my own songs since I was ten years old, and nothing is more fun for me than to sit down with my guitar and unwind. I’d like to use Masters of Song Fu to really challenge myself, and hopefully grow as a musical artist.

    Official Website: NONE
    Twitter: twitter.com/KyliePetto

    JEFF FARDINK

    Jeff began playing guitar in 2003. He wrote his first comedy song in early 2004, and later that year, he wrote a song that was actually funny and in key, unlike his earlier works. He began playing shows after accidentally opening for a local band while passing through a bar. He continues to play because nobody has told him to stop.

    Official Website: www.JeffFardink.com

    ALEX TAYLOR

    I am a young musician who plays trombone, guitar, ukulele, piano, melodica, and a little bit of harmonica. I play everything from rock songs with distortion pedals on ukulele, to rap medleys on piano, to sappy love songs and songs about the internet crashing on guitar. This is my first time in Song Fu.

    Official Website: NONE

    BRYCE JENSEN

    Bryce Jensen has been writing songs off and on for well over twenty years, but he has rarely shared any of them beyond his friends and family. His styles range from a capella to heavy metal with a lot of wimpy finger picking stuff in between. Bryce took part in the recent Holiday Special edition of the Song Fu and found the constraints and deadline to be quite a rush. He also learned that sharing his work with the world can be very rewarding. Back for this competition because he is hooked and needs another fix, Bryce is looking forward to whatever crazy challenges lie ahead.

    Official Website: www.brycejensen.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/psychobman

    THE MATT LEES BAND

    An independent rock/blues band from Ontario, Canada. Currently in studio recording a debut album to be released soon. They have been described as Hall and Oats meets Guns N Roses or John Mayer Vs Jeff Healey Vs Dave Matthews – Now that’s a triple threat match! The MLB looks forward to welcoming you to their world.

    Official Website: legendinmysparetimepodcast.podbean.com

    GIFTED GEAR

    I’m just a kid with a guitar. Sometimes I even play it.

    Official Website: NONE

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    ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

    This is a bit of a fun one. Your first task is based upon the work of Friend-of-the-Stop John Hodgman – specifically, the “700 MOLE MEN” listed in his second book, More Information Than You Require. You’ll find the full list of “700 Mole Men” – and their descriptions – HERE. Your task is to choose one (1) and write a song about that Mole Man, based on the description provided by Hodgman. The title of your song will be the name of the Mole Man you’ve chosen, and its corresponding number on the list. You are free to write your song in any style that you choose.

    That’s it. The only other directive is that your song must run no shorter than 1 minute. 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 Sunday, November 15th, 2009.

    Voting on Round 1 submissions will commence on Tuesday, November 17th, 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]

  • SModcast 98

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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 98: JMJ –

    In which the voiceless finally speak.

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

    DOWNLOAD:

    SModcast 98 (MP3 format)

    [display_podcast]

    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 11/6/09: Billy & The Boingers

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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…)

    When I interviewed Berke Breathed a few years back, I asked him if there would finally by a comprehensive Bloom County collection like the recently available Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts volumes. Breathed was dismissive of the idea, claiming that no one wanted to read the strip, that it was no longer relevant, and it just wasn’t going to happen. Well, a few years have gone by, someone talked a bit of sense into him, so we have the first, glorious volume of The Bloom County Library (IDW, $39.99 SRP), collecting the first two years. Granted, those first two years bear more resemblance to Doonesbury than the Bloom County we know and love, but the strip quickly evolves and finds its way, so by the end of the volume, we’re into familiar territory. Breathed also provides commentary, which places the strips into their historical context. Overall, the presentation is exactly what fans have been waiting for, and volume 2 can’t come fast enough.

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    Ever wish you had the ability to switch something on and off with a regular ol’ wall switch? Like a lamp, or a game system? But without having to have the switch be on the wall? And have it be wireless? Well, now you can, with the Instant Switch ($24.95), which allows you to do just that. Ain’t technology grand? AIN’T IT?!?!

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    I’m often baffled by their selection process, but the one thing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame manages to impress with on a rather consistent basis is the musical performances of the inductees – and tributes from other artists who perform their work. With a roster that includes everyone from Paul McCartney and The Doors to John Lee Hooker and Little Richard, it’s an eclectic bunch, to be sure. For those who’ve never caught the ceremonies in the past – or just want to relive the music – Time Life has delivered an incredible collection across 9 volumes – Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame + Museum: Live (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring literally dozens of artists in an equal amount of unique, memorable performances from these ceremonies. Get it.

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    Hitchcock’s classic North By Northwest (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.82 SRP) will be delighted by just how stunning the restored picture and sound looks and sounds, as the film has never, ever looked this good (even during its theatrical run). The 2-disc set includes a pair of brand new documentaries, plus carries over the audio commentary, featurettes, galleries, and TV spots from the previous special edition release. It’s also available in a Blu-Ray edition ($34.99), which – as you can imagine – looks just that much better.

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    Another strip which IDW has begun collecting is Bil Keane’s precocious kids via the Family Circus Library: Volume 1 (IDW, $39.99 SRP). Every bit as high quality as their other deluxe releases, hardbound and premium, the premiere volume contains the first year of the strip, running from 1960-1961. Is it worth it? Yes, it’s worth it.

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    A very close second to the original cross-country trek of the Griswold clan, I’m a big fan of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). It still holds up as a comic joy and a true holiday perennial, and it’s been given the deluxe special edition treatment just in time for this holiday. The film itself has been given a high-definition release with an audio commentary and the theatrical trailer, and the collectible tin comes packed with a Wally the Moose Santa Hat, miniature replica of the Wally mug, fake snow, and a badge.

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    It’s the holidays, which means some classic perennials are getting an upgrade and re-release just in time for seasonal viewing. Getting the high definition treatment is Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which lands as a quite spiffy looking 2-disc set containing both the must-see black & white and best to avoid colorized versions, plus the making-of documentary and original theatrical trailer found on the original standard DVD special edition. Sadly not in HD (it would have been quite a visual feast) is the new 2-disc anniversary edition of White Christmas (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), which sports an audio commentary with Rosemary Clooney, a half-dozen featurettes, and a pair of theatrical trailers.

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    There are unique minds, and then there are uber-unique minds… Minds which create their own sphere of reality, daring others to step within the range of its influence and be swept away. One of those minds is Tony Millionaire, whose work has been given a must-have hardcover tome in The Art Of Tony Millionaire (Dark Horse Books, $39.95 SRP). Packed with art and anecdotes, this volume should be on your shelf. Right next to that Michael Kupperman book. You know the one… Yeah, that one. So just get it.

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    Long, long after the release of the penultimate 3rd season and a poorly-packaged complete series box set, everything is made right with the release of Fraggle Rock: The Complete Final Season (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$28.98 SRP), containing interviews and featurettes galore. Also getting a re-release is a more intelligently packaged Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) and a holiday-centric Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), containing a trio of festive episodes, an episode of the animated series, an Emmet Otter sing-along, and a look at The Christmas Toy.

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    More so even that ET, Forrest Gump (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$38.98 SRP) is a completely manipulative, exquisitely crafted piece of Hollywood feel good prize-pumping cinema. And yes, I did enjoy it when I first saw it in the theater, way back in 1994 – it pushes buttons quite well, thank you, and it pushed mine, even if I have felt dirty about it ever since. Well, it’s now gotten a release in high def via Paramount’s new deluxe Sapphire Series as a 2-disc special edition featuring a pair of audio commentaries, a featurette on the soundtrack, 9 behind-the-scenes featurettes, and screen tests. I feel so dirty, AND I want a box of chocolates.

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    By its 3rd season, Spin City (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) was a well-oiled machine, with the entire cast on equal footing with star Michael J. Fox (particularly the dynamic between Alan Ruck and Michael Boatman). The 4-disc set contains all 26 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.

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    Whereas the live action film was a mess, I thought that GI Joe: Resolute (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) was a faithful, entertaining update of the GI Joe cartoon I loved as a child, and was able to introduce a more adult approach without coming off as a violent, wrongheaded attempt at being “adult”. Don’t believe me? Check out the disc for yourself, which features additional scenes, behind-the-scenes interviews, storyboards, and the teaser.

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    You know that great Saturday Night Live book from a few years back – the one by Tom Shales that features dozens of interviews telling the tale of the show’s history in a remarkably candid way? Well, Author Mike Thomas has done the same thing for the legendary improvisational group which spawned many an SNL castmember – and comedy icon – with The Second City Unscripted (Villard Books, $26.00 SRP). Every comedy fan should get this. Now.

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    While it’s not the educational films I would have liked to have seen in the series (or Song Of The South), I welcome the Walt Disney Treasures release of both Zorro: The Complete First Season & Zorro: The Complete Second Season (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP each). The show looks better than it ever did in the long ago Disney Channel reruns, and both sets contains intros from Leonard Maltin. The sets also feature the Walt Disney Presents episodes and newly-produced featurettes (even a collectible pin). As always, the Walt Disney Treasures series delivers a treat. Here’s to more…

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    I’m not exactly sure what the concept is behind Adult Swim In A Box (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP). In a nutshell, it’s a big ol’ boxset containing a mix of various Adult Swim shows. The odd thing is it’s different seasons of the shows, with no real logic behind their inclusion. Was the boxset just a way to unload a bunch of sets that were sitting around in inventory? Included in the set are Sealab 2021: Season 2, Metalocalypse: Season 1, Robot Chicken: Season 2, Space Ghost Coast To Coast: Season 3, Moral Orel: Season 1, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2. So what’s the incentive to buy the set? The clever inclusion of an exclusive bonus disc, containing a handful of pilots – The Best Of Totally For Teens, Cheyenne Cinnamon And The Fantabulous Unicorn Of Sugar Town Candy Fudge, Korgoth Of Barbaria, Perfect Hair Forever, and Welcome To Eltingville. Clever bastards.

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    Bit by bit, we’re getting DVD releases of all of the various Saturday morning animated iterations of the DC superheroes, and the latest to get its time on plastic is the short-lived Ruby-Spears Superman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which was the pre-Dini/Timm but post-Crisis version of the Man of Steel, that actually used reorchestrated versions of John Williams’ theatrical theme. The 2-disc set contains all 13 episodes, plus a featurette on Lexcorp.

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    There’s nothing quite so electrifying as Muhammad Ali in interviews, even those when he was in the early years of his decline, and you’ll find plenty of them in Champions Forever: The Definitive Edition – Muhammad Ali the Lost Interviews (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which contains unused footage shot in 1990 for the Champions Forever documentary.

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    Really – it seems like there are an unlimited number of classic Doctor Who adventures. Are we even close to getting them all on DVD? They just keep coming and coming. Latest is an arc from the Peter Davison years – Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), a 3-disc set containing Mawdryn Undead, Terminus, and Enlightenment. Bonus materials are the usual Who potpourri of commentaries, featurettes, galleries, and more.

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    I know I should be swept up in its formulaic, rom-comminess, but there’s an unavoidable charm to Richard Curtis’s Love Actually (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP). The film has just found its way to high definition, with an audio commentary, featurettes, and music videos.

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    It may not be a very well-written or executed superhero cartoon, but I have find childhood memories of the episodes contained in Plastic Man: The Complete Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP). The 4-disc set contains all 36 episodes of the pliable one’s adventures, plus a retrospective featurette and the original pilot episode.

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    It may not be as polished as the films of Pixar, but there’s a lot of charm and energy in the Ice Age series, and I was surprised to find out that there was still some steam in Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which finds our heroes discovering a lost world and interacting with dinosaurs – I mean, it was inevitable they’d find a way to bring them in to the mix. Does it work? Yeah, it does. Fox has taken a cue from Disney and have crafted a Blu-Ray/DVD combo package, with bonus features including an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, Scrat shorts, and more.

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    How do you make sure the DVD re-release of Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In At The House Of Mouse (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) sells? Make sure the cover has a trio of Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, and Ariel) joining Mickey, Donald, and the gang. Crass? Sure, which is a shame, since it’s actually a pretty decent holiday special. Bonus features include the premiere episode of House of Mouse, a featurette on sound effects, and sing-along songs.

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    It’s certainly not the holidays without penguins, right? Right. Which makes The March Of The Penguins: Limited Edition Giftset (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$39.98 SRP) a nice gift, as it comes with not only the titular documentary, but also a new documentary about warm-weather penguins and a plush penguin toy.

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    In the vein of goofy babysitter flicks of the 80’s like Batteries Not Included and Spaced Invaders comes the kids & extraterrestrials romp Aliens In The Attic (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP). Can you guess there are aliens in the aforementioned upstairs area? Bonus features include featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a bonus animated short, and a gag reel. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available with identical bonus materials.

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    It’s not the sharpest, most clever of political commentary, but there’s a certain closure to Will Ferrell’s Broadway outing You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W Bush (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP). The show had a limited run on the Great White Way, and found Ferrell performing the impression formed during his SNL days, summarizing the man behind two Presidential terms. Bonus features include a pair of featurettes and a game.

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    The TV show releases are wrapped, which brings us to the first volume of The Rockford Files: Movie Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which finds James Garner back on the case in a quartet of TV movies.

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    As a tour guide into the work of Charles Darwin and his landmark theory of evolution, one couldn’t hope for a better, more engaging host than Sir David Attenborough, who takes by the hand on Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).

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    I admit, there was a schlocky appeal to the first Wrong Turn, and it’s always worth watching Eliza Dusku (well, except in Dollhouse – there’s nothing about that worth watching. But with Eliza long gone, there’s very little to Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) worth watching, as it becomes just another of those direct-to-video franchises. A franchise! Whoda thunk it?

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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 #120: A Funny Thing Happened

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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 #120: A Funny Thing Happened – Ken & Dana return with a bit of dreamcasting and trivia about a Broadway comedy classic, in an episode sure to delight theater nerds, before thoughts turn to scheming that may or may not excite listeners.

    [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 #120 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-120.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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  • Cabin Fever 79: Horrorthon

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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 #79: Horrorthon – To celebrate the spooky season, Brian gives us a run down of all the different flicks he caught during the recent scary film festival in Dublin. while Aaron listens intently and admits he doesn’t really like horror films. Pretentiousness follows.

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

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Episode #79 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_79.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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  • Masters Of Song Fu #5: Sign-Up 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…

    From now until 11:59pm EST on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7th, we’ll be accepting sign-ups from any and all musicians across this here internet. We have 25 slots open – All you have to do is be one of the first 25 to apply via the form below, and you’re in. THE LIST OF CHALLENGERS AND THE FIRST TASK WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9th, 2009.

    Once those participants have been announced, the showdown will commence.

    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 – artists like Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Neil Innes, Doc Hammer, & The RiffTones. Think of them as the iron chefs of Song Fu – one of which will be revealed as your ultimate challenger.

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    And 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.

    Remember, you must be able to realize a song both lyrically and musically. This competition is open to both singer/songwriters and bands – but since space is limited, only enter if you truly accept the challenge. As stated above, we’ll be accepting the first 25 valid applications we receive.
    [ad#contestbox]

    Are you ready to bring your Fu? If so, fill out the form below:

    SIGN-UP FOR THIS ROUND HAS CLOSED.

    Note: Competitors will be notified via e-mail of their selection.
    If you have any problems submitting your entry via the form above, you can also e-mail the entry information to
    songfu @ asitecalledfred.com (taking out the spaces, naturally) with the subject line “Song Fu”.

  • Win ALIENS IN THE ATTIC on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of ALIENS IN THE ATTIC on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, November, 18th.

    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 November, 18th.

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

  • Weekend Shopping Guide 10/30/09: Lawyer Approved Spam

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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’ve been many, many attempts over the years, but I think we’ve finally gotten a definitive, comprehensive documentary about those 5 loveable English lads (and one American) in Monty Python: Almost The Truth – The Lawyer’s Cut (Eagle Rock, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP). With 6 hours of actual, bona fide documentary and scads of cut footage, I certainly walked away satisfied that I’d gotten as whole a picture of the group as we’re ever likely to get now. Bonus materials include the aforementioned bonus footage, plus memorable sketches and a Terry Gilliam picture gallery. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus material.

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    Haven’t you always wanted a monkey? Even if you don’t have a million dollars, you can still snag yourself a nifty little beanie version of Thinkgeek’s loveable mascot, Timmy the Monkey ($6.99). Perfect for desks, shelves, gifts, or even – imagine this – kids.

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    Previously available only in the megaset, you can now get the recent documentaries Before The Flying Circus & Monty Python Conquers America in Monty Python: The Other British Invasion (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), and both are worth a look-see for fans.

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    A surprising and welcome arrival on DVD is the first volume collecting On The Road with Charles Kuralt (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) – the Emmy-winning travelogue that featured Kuralt, a motor home, and destinations and personalities across the breadth of the United States. The 3-disc set features 18 episodes, plus updates.

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    Certainly not a household name like Ford, Hitchcock, or Capra but deserving proper attention is the work of writer/director Samuel Fuller, which is celebrated in the new Samuel Fuller Collection (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$79.95 SRP). The set collects all 7 of the films he made for Columbia – It Happened In Hollywood, Adventure In Sahara, Power Of The Press, Shockproof, Scandal Sheet, The Crimson Kimono, & Underworld USA – with featurettes from fans Martin Scorsese, Curtis Hanson, Tim Robbins, & Wim Wenders.

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    While not up to the audio-visual oomph of a modern series, there’s something about seeing the “best you’ve ver seen it” of The Prisoner: The Complete Series (A&E, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.95 SRP) in high definition. The show itself is still a gem, and the 5-disc set is packed with a feature-length documentary, featurettes, audio commentaries, commercial bumpers, an image gallery, and more.

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    Kids today have no idea what seemingly-endless cartoon fun Saturday mornings used to be before the rise of cable and home video. For just a taste of what it was like, Warners has put together both Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960s Volume 2 & Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Volume 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP each), 2-disc sets featuring over 5 hours of Hanna-Barbera and Warners cartoons that evoke memories of that bygone era. The sets also contain documentaries on Magilla Gorilla and Shazzan.

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    It’s an interesting storytelling device, to present the machinations of the Battlestar Galactica finale from the side of the Cylons – I only wish that I cared about the show enough to be interested in Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Still, there’s a massive fanbase, and this is for you. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.

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    Did you know that Barbara Stanwyck once had a TV show? Neither did I. But you can view the star-studded anthology series in the first volume of The Barbara Stanwyck Show (E1 Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features 15 uncut episodes.

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    I was hoping the teaming of Woody Allen with Larry David would provide some kind of transcendent comedy, but Whatever Works (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) winds up being just an adequate affair about a sarcastic misanthrope (David, naturally) whose life has a bit of sunshine shone in when a runaway (Evan Rachel Wood) lands on his doorstep.

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    Creepy kid genre? A surprisingly robust number of films. Add The Orphan (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) to that list, as its driving force is the titular creepy kid, an orphan with dead adoptive families in her wake. Might be awkward for the new adoptive family. Creepy, right? Yeah. Bonus materials include additional scenes & an alternate ending. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available with identical bonus materials.

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    As I dug into the suddenly teenaged animated escapades of Tony Stark in Iron Man: Armored Adventures (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$26.96 SRP), I could never figure out exactly what made the age regression necessary, besides a foolish executive note that it must somehow make him more relatable to kids. Ummm – he’s a superhero in super-armor. Live with it. The first volume contains 6 episodes, plus music videos.

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    Yeah, I’m sorry – I still can’t fathom what the appeal of the adventures of Peter Pan’s formerly jealous, vixenish pixie is to young girls, but I’m sure they’ll snap up the bland, CG Tinkerbell And The Lost Treasure (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). It’s available in the now-convenient Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack, with bonus features including featurettes, deleted scenes, and a music video.

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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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  • Party Favors: Dan Aykroyd Is On A Mission From Vodka

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    JOLIET, IL – Dan Aykroyd is on a mission from vodka. The Blues Brother is cruising around the country in a Damnation Alley RV promoting his Crystal Skull premium vodka. He rolled into my town and I was compelled to see the man.

    He was appearing at a liquor store on a Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. What sort of crowd could he draw? I showed up at 1 p.m. with my four month old designated driver. There was already 400 people in line. Another 300 people end up behind us. Luckily Dan’s traveling partner announced that even though Dan was schedule to leave at 4:30, he’d be signing his bottles until the last person went home happy.

    Why not? Each bottle cost $50. I’ve been told that there’s only two types of vodka in the world: Good vodka and vodka that makes you go blind and piss blood. Premium vodka is merely paying extra for fancy packaging. Luckily Dan chose a packaging worth the extra bucks: a crystal skull. And the people in line were buying them up between 2 to 12 bottles each.

    From what I heard, the store sold 1,500 bottles during Dan’s visit. With around $75,000 in the register, this would have been the liquor store to knock off. This also explained about six cops keeping an eye on Dan and the till.

    Dan was a signing machine. The line moved fast although it still took three hours in 91 degrees heat to get to the front of the line. Our time with Dan was short. A person in front of me asked Dan about Ghostbusters III. He said things were looking good, but couldn’t say anything else. This was just after Kanye’s infamous interruption of MTV Music Video Awards. Dan had hosted the first ceremony.

    “No. That was real team back when I was doing it,” Aykroyd said. “The most exciting thing there was Madonna and her wedding dress.”

    Here’s a video tribute to the Schiller Reel about taking a baby to the liquor store to meet a comedy legend.

    BACK TO THE HOUSE

    Dennis Hof wrote to remind me that Cathouse: Sex, Guys and Videotape starts airing on HBO this Oct. 22 at 11 p.m. The ladies of the Bunny Ranch get their hands on the cameras to show their life. It’ll be on HBO OnDemand for those who can’t stay up late.

    Hof, the owner of the Bunny Ranch and star of HBO’s Cathouse reality series, also called up the Party Favors hotline for a chat about the latest installment in the series. So what gets exposed? Sadly, the end of a romance gets captured on tape. This and many subjects get discussed while Dennis is being driven to his hotel in Chicago. We also get the scoop about Dennis’ Subway dream.

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Party Favors: Joe Corey Chats With Dennis Hof (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://www.smodcast.net/partyfavors/party_favors-dennis_hof.mp3]

    THE NEW GIRLS

    The new edition of The Girls Next Door ought to be just called Rebound Mansion. The twins are probably more interesting when they get violent. The third woman is so far as forgettable as a middle Duggar daughter. This is what Hef’s banging at the Mansion? Sure I speculated that things weren’t right with Holly, Bridget and Kendra after the first few seasons. Mostly because there wasn’t that decadent angle to the trio and Hef. Is there a bisexual angle to these new threesome? The twins do like to get next to each other and touch while naked. But they have yet to set their boundaries on camera. Do they mind threesomes with the “we’ll be in the bed together with you, but we won’t touch each other” rule? Or do they live in mortal fear of returning to the day jobs at that Hooter’s knock-off wing joint that they’ll do whatever Hef desires? And how come Hef hasn’t enticed these girls into getting implants? Mankini’s got bigger breasts.

    A SIMPLE REQUEST

    On competition shows that eliminate contestants over the course of the season, can producers please put an “X” through the contestants that had been eliminated before each episode.

    FACT OR FICTION

    My source at Entertainment Tonight sent me a few of their fact or fiction teasers that couldn’t make it onto the air.

    Fact or Fiction: Did The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons beat to death a TMZ cameraman with a bust of Sean Penn and bury the guy’s body behind Mel Tillis’ mansion? Since Mel hasn’t complained about a strange smell, Mary Hart’s calling it fiction.

    Fact or Fiction: Did Jay Leno buy Nic Cage’s comic book collection and give them away to the cast of Glee? That’s also Fiction.

    Fact or Fiction: Is Adam Lambert really straight and secretly married with two kids? Since he’s not denying our report, we’re going to just let it slide as a Fact.

    GET MY LIFE

    Now that Miley Cyrus is off Twitter, I guess I’ll spend the newly found free time drinking rubbing alcohol.

    BLU-RAY HEAVEN

    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray gives the high def love to this summer’s mindless fun. The Decepticons return for a second round of mechanical thrashing with the Autobots. The Decepticons take Shia LaBeouf hostage as part of their plot. But mostly it’s about seeing how many ways they can get Megan Fox to bend over. She’s the 21st century Caroline Munro. Is it worth relaying the plot? It’s basically Rock’em Sock’em Robots with Megan Fox bending over. And that’s enough to make it worthy of Blu-ray visuals at my estate. There’s plenty of bonus features including spending a day with Michael Bay in Tokyo. There’s also a celebration of the 25 Years of Transformers. There’s easter eggs for those who hunt.

    G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Blu-ray reminds me that anytime you can knock down the Eiffel Tower, I’ll watch. I’ll hit the rewind and slo-mo to watch that Paris landmark bite the dust. The 1080p detail of the crunch is a great way to show off your new TV. I don’t hate the French, but I can’t get enough of watching that Erector set tower go boom. When Cobra nails it with the metal eating spores, it’s a disasterpiece worthy of Irwin Allen. The film is a semi-throwback to the animated series. But I’m not sold on Channing Tatum. Luckily there’s Dennis Quaid giving us his paycheck scowl as the general. Sienna Miller finally has a worthy role as the Baroness. She can rule my world in that costume. But once she whines about Pittsburgh, she’s out of the bed. The movie is about as fluffy mindless as Transformers. They make a good double feature if you’re unable to get off the beanbag. The bonus features include an extensive Making Of doc and a piece on the FX crew. There’s also a digital copy so you could watch the Eiffel Tower collapse on your iPod while your on the top of the Eiffel Tower.

    It’s a Wonderful Life Blu-ray makes this holiday treat sparkle on the widescreen. They’ve included both the colorized and black & white versions on the disc. The colorized one reminds me of tinted postcards from the ’40s. This is almost as important to the holiday season as egg nog and a restraining order. Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed sparkle in the 1080p image. You might fear falling into the water when the gym floor opens up. There’s also the documentary from the recent DVD release. Since the movie is no longer public domain, it’s nice to have the Blu-ray handy to run it any night during the holiday season.

    Forrest Gump: Sapphire Series Blu-ray brings the Oscar winner to Hi-Def. The film was revolutionary at the time as it used so much CGI for pumping up shots. They expanded crowds, inserted extra helicopters, removed legs and made JFK come alive. It showed that these new FXs could be used for more than making dinosaurs roam the Earth. Tom Hanks is the mentally challenged guy who wanders through every major historical moments. There’s bonus features on the second disc with “An Evening with Forrest Gump” as the highlight. Director Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise and screenwriter Eric Roth talk at USC about the movie and its impact. Ben Fong-Torres contributes pods about the music used in the soundtrack. He’s a real person and not merely a character in Almost Famous.

    THE DVD SHELF

    It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: The Complete Collection is the best TV DVD of the year. I had forgotten how great Garry’s original Showtime series was. The series dared to completely deconstruct the sitcom by making everything inside the soundstage part of the story. He didn’t want us to forget that this was an artificial world where he truly was the most powerful being. The audience in the studio’s fair game. They’re not just there to contribute a live laughtrack. During one scene, Garry leaves his apartment set and the crowd wanders out of the peanut gallery to party in Garry’s living room. During “Garry Throws a Surprise Party,” the audience’s shouting scares Garry’s mom into having a heart attack. “The Graduate” has Norman Fell help Garry recreate the Dustin Hoffman movie when he tangles with Mrs. Robertson. While Garry enjoys exposing that it’s all just a show, the scripts are still entertaining. “The Last Show” has Garry dying. Tony Danza gives the eulogy. But the network can’t let Garry die cause he owes them two more show. Tying this into the column, Dan Aykroyd plays off his straight role in “Driving Miss Garry.” The boxset has all 72 episodes spread over 16 DVDs. There’s tons of bonus features to let us know how Garry and Alan Zweibel got away with a series that would have been canned after three episodes on network TV. If you’re a fan of Larry Sanders and Seinfeld, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: The Complete Series deserves a space on your DVD shelf. Shout! Factory has done a perfect job in presenting this underplayed series.

    Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: (Those Aren’t Pillows Edition) gives a deluxe edition to John Hughes’ last watchable directorial effort. This is fine viewing before Thanksgiving cooking begins. Steve Martin gets stuck on his way home to enjoy Thanksgiving with his family. His only hope is John Candy. Things get weird on this journey including the line “Those aren’t pillows.” The bonus features include Getting There is Half the Fun: The Story of Planes Trains and Automobiles, John Hughes for Adults, A Tribute to John Candy and Deleted Scene – “Airplane Food.” They must have finished this up before they could make a feature on Remembering John Hughes.

    White Christmas: Anniversary Edition is perfect for any time you need a little holiday tunes on the big set. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney unleash the Irving Berlin songbook including the title song and “It’s Cold Outside.” This is the first Vistavision film and the details show even on DVD. The second disc has plenty of bonus features including “Backstage Stories from White Christmas,” “Rosemary’s Old Kentucky Home,” “Bing Crosby: Christmas Crooner” and a commentary track with Clooney. Truly a sweet holiday film about the things army buddies will do for each other.

    G.I. Joe Resolute brings together the episodes that aired on Adult Swim over the summer. This gets even more action-packed than the original cartoon while maintaining the same GI Joe team characters. The characters bleed when shot and they even die when shot enough. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow throwdown in overdrive. The plot deals with Cobra Commander once more trying to take over the world. Naturally GI Joe has to stop him. Why does anyone want to take over the entire world? What’s the point in controlling Detroit?

    Mission: Impossible: The Seventh and Final TV Season wraps up the greatest espionage series. These would be the final times the message would self-destruct for Peter Graves, Greg Morris and Peter Lupus. The main cast change isn’t a complete replacement like in previous seasons. Barbara Anderson (Ironside) alternates episodes with Linda Day George as the female agent. Anderson’s a flipped mobster moll so she’s got history when they set up gangsters. The prime episode is “Cocaine.” William Shatner is a mobster smuggling the white powder into America via art. His connection is Gregory Sierra (Det. Chano on Barney Miller). Charles Napier (Squidbillies) gets an uncredited role. “Speed” gives another great supporting role from Claude Akins. The best part about this season is Greg Morris’s boss ’70s haircut. After these 22 episodes, there’s no more assignments for the original IMF.

    Hawaii Five-O: The Seventh Season is not even close to the final season. Jack Lord beat down bad guys around Honolulu for 12 seasons. Season 7 has Al Harrington vanish in the middle of the season. Because of a lack of real personality to his character, he’s not really missed. “The Young Assassins” has Larry Wilcox (CHiPs) as part of a killing crew. “We Hang Our Own” has Leslie Nielsen (Police Squad as a badass ranch owner. Wo Fat pops up for “Presenting…in the Center Ring…Murder.” He’s going to kill a Chinese official that’s accompanied by James Wong (Kung Fu Panda). “Hit Gun for Sale” has Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause) as a mobster’s son ready to plant a flag in Hawaii. They’re supposedly remaking Hawaii Five-O so this might mean the release schedule might be sped up for the final five boxsets.

    Vega$: The First Season, Volume 1 brings us the action from middle school Vegas of 1978. Michael Mann (Heat and Miami Vice) wrote the pilot movie about a private detective in Sin City. Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) a major swinger living in a converted warehouse behind Circus Circus. “High Roller” has him hunting down the murderer of a runaway teen that turned to hooking. Can’t go wrong with a visit from Scatman Crothers (The Shining). Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible) is Tanna’s hook up on the Vegas police force. “Centerfold” brings Tony Curtis onto his team. The real treat is guest star moments from Abe Vigoda and Vic Tayback (Alice. “The Pageant” is a nightmare episode for fans of The Brady Bunch. Marcia Brady (Maureen McCormick) is raped while competing in a beauty contest. Mr. Brady (Robert Reed) hires Tanna to find her attacker. It wasn’t Sam the Butcher. Vega$ brings us a land of glitz, disco and polyester. Double down on this boxset.

    The Fugitive: Season Three, Volume One takes us beyond the halfway mark in the pursuit of Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen). “Wings of an Angel” puts Kimble inside a prison. He’s a patient in the hospital after capturing an escaped prisoner on a bus. Greg Morris is the prison orderly that knows his secret. Harold Gould (Rhoda) is the doctor. Star Trek fans will get to see James Doohan as a doctor in “Middle of the Heatwave.” DeForest Kelley appears in “Three Cheers for Little Boy Blue” along with Ed Asner and Richard Anderson (Six Million Dollar Man). William Shatner finally beams down for “Stranger in the Mirror.” Clint Howard burns in “Set Fire to a Straw Man.” Norman Fell (Mr. Roper) is investigating a cop killer in the town. Bruce Dern makes his fourth series appearance in “The Good Guys and the Bad Guys.” James Hong nails the “End of the Line.” These are 15 pressure filled episodes. The Fugitive: Season Three, Volume Two comes out on Dec. 8. This means 2010 should give us the colorful end when Kimble finds the One-Armed Man.

    Mannix: The Third Season brings 25 more cases from the files of America’s hard knocks detective. He solves case with his gut, the assistance of Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher) and police contact Robert Reed (Mr. Brady). There’s also Larry Linville (M*A*S*H‘s Frank Burns) as the prickly cop. “Return to Summer Grove” takes Mannix to his hometown to solve a case and patch things up with his dad. “Who Killed Me?” gives us Batgirl Yvonne Craig. Mannix has to help a rich guy uncover his potential killer. “Who Is Sylvia?” turns out to be Jessica Walter (Arrested Development). “Murder Revisited” has a murder in talkshow. Don DeFore (Hazel) doesn’t come off as a great TV father here. “War of Nerves” has a kidnapping turn into a potential nerve gas attack. Hugh Beaumont (Leave It to Beaver) is in the middle of this instant death. Best to watch Mannix with your favorite Scotch.

    Tales From the Darkside: The Second Season give more little chills and thrills from the George Romero (Night of the Living Dead) executive produced series. “The Impressionist” kicks off the season with Chuck McCann (Far Out Space Nuts in a starring role. He’s a nightclub performer brought in by the government to understand an alien. One of Chuck’s finest moments in TV. Little Seth Green pops up in “Monsters In My Room.” He’s got to convince his family that there really are creepy crawly things under his bed. Has this been spoofed on Robot Chicken? “The Trouble with Mary Jane” is two exorcists battling to get the demons out of a girl so they can collect $50K. Phyllis Diller and Lawrence Tierney (Reservoir Dogs) possess the episode.

    The Guardian: The First Season is where America first fell for the sly Simon Baker (The Mentalist). He’s a party hard lawyer who gets nailed on drug use. He’s stuck with the burden of 1,500 hours of community service. How is he going to do that and be a fat cat lawyer? It’s hard. He gets stuck doing pro bono work for kids that need legal help. He has to balance little kids with major corporate takeovers. Naturally working with the kids gives him a bit of a soul after 22 episodes this first season. The series lasted three seasons.

    Numb3rs: The Fifth Season gets us more FBI action with mathletic determination. Charlie (David Krumholtz) back his security clearance. He’s back to helping out his FBI agent brother Don (Rob Morrow) find the bad guys. Their dad Alan (Judd Hirsch) ends up coaching basketball. Charlie almost swaps jobs, but realizes that this is his place. Don discovers a knife is in his back. The incident screws up the delicate mind of Charlie. Agent Nikki Betencourt (Sophina Brown) joins the team. The big finale, “Angels and Devils” has Amita being snatched by a cult. They have to go save her before she is forced to marry the guy and thus block Charlie’s intentions. The 22 episodes are on 6 DVDs.

    The L Word: The Complete Final Season brings to the end Showtime’s semi-soap opera about a group of lesbians in Los Angeles. The eight episodes hinge on the investigation of who killed Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner). The whole season is a flashback as Lucy Lawless investigates. Xena is going to get to the bottom of this. Mia’s major storylines deal with her love for Shane (Katherine Moennig) and new book. She’s upset that her Les Girls movie was yanked away from her. Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman want another baby. This time through adoption. But it’s hard for them to find a willing pregnant woman. There’s also a tale of what happens when a couple’s new friend leads to those unexpected emotions. Its hard to enjoy the season knowing that sweet Mia Kirshner was going to end up dead. The show will be missed. Although mostly because of those great scenes when Mia got nasty with the ladies. Now how am I supposed to get my Pam Grier fix? A nice bonus feature is Jennifer Beals personal photos from the set.

    Lost Tapes is a series from Animal Planet that blends In Search of…. monster hunts with Blair Witch Project home video action. Supposedly the videotape presented in the show is from people who have had accidental encounters with cryptozoological creatures. This isn’t for hard edge reality documentary fans since it’s mostly fiction with a bit of archival footage to explain the unknown. It’s as real as The Hills. It’s ultimately a low-fi X-Files. “Chupacabra” has a family sneaking over the border get attacked by the goat sucking critter. “Big Foot” has us wondering if the park ranger is being stalked by the beast or a bear poacher who is also a peeping tom. They also explore The Mothman, Hellhounds and Megaconda. The two disc set contains the first season. Don’t watch this with the lights out after downing a bottle of tequila. You’ll fear the Chupacabra.

    Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices lets the star of all the Comedy Central Roasts use 66 minutes to do more than riff on Andy Dick. Giraldo does take things to the blissful absurd. He ponders the irony of slipping in a handicap shower and becoming handicapped. He’s an ex-lawyer and his routine sounds like the most amazing closing statement as he summarizes his life. He gets manic while impersonating the airline steward passing out the snacks. He gets nasty about people who declare “my dog is like my kid.” He asks, “How many people have a dog cause they were too drunk to pull out?” There’s plenty of moments to quote on the back of the school bus. The true excitement is when Giraldo catches an audience member sleeping. The bonus features include his pilot for “Adult Content” and an earlier special.

    Nick Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted? gives us an hour with the Dane Cook of his generation. You might know Nick as Terry, the gay rollerskating misfit on Reno 911. He’s also part of Adam Sandler’s crew. He wrote Grandma’s Boy. He gives a nice warning about testing the power of pot brownies. But he stops short of really taking it to the next level. He doesn’t take his routines to the point of no turning back. He’s like a drunk guy has to continually pump the keg and constantly blather. If you loved Grandma’s Boy, you’ll adore his tale of sucking face with Shirley Jones. The bonus features includes Terry’s Christmas album. There’s a trailer for 28 Drinks Later about boozing zombies. The funniest thing on the disc is “Nick Swardson: Timeless Comic.” The fake biography does go for the kill in a few places.

    Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season is a fantasy series about how a lowly woodsman (Craig Horner) rises up to battle the evil Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). There’s going to be terrifying consequences if he falls short. His main help is a wizard (Bruce Spence) and a Confessor (Bridget Regan). It’s based on novelist Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth. The series is produced by Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert. They’re the guys who brought us Hercules and Xena back in the ’90s. The show has the same vibe and a few of the same New Zealand locations. All 22 episodes are on 5 DVDs. The bonus features includes Goodkind discussing the adaptation. It’s very rare that a novelist isn’t horrified at what Hollywood has done to their series.

    Chop Socky Chooks: Volume One enters the kung fu chickens. That’s right, animated martial arts fighting fowl. The Aardman studio creation is vibrant. Chook is Oceanic slang for chicken so don’t get your feathers ruffled. There’s a lot of espionage with the leading agents battling Dr. Wasabi’s evil empire. Who hasn’t realized the dastardly nature of wasabi? They get to use their wicked moves and numerous 007-esque gadgets. The boxset contains the first 13 episodes that aired on the Cartoon Network.

    Little Spirit: Christmas in New York brings a dose of animated Danny DeVito for the holiday season. Danny voices a New York City cabbie who narrates the tale. A family moves to Manhattan and quickly lose their pet dog. During the hunt, the son finds a new little pet called Little Spirit. Together they take in the fun of the holidays in the Big Apple. It’s a kiddie cute entertainment. The bonus features include a making of special and an interview with Danny DeVito. Plus a music video from Duncan Sheik. Nice to see he’s still around and not living off his condom empire cash. The special is only 44 minutes so it doesn’t go on too long. Fans of NBC news will be delighted by Brian Williams giving the voiceover performance of his career as Rock Granite.

    The Killing Room recreates a government psychological project codenamed MK-ULTRA. This has to be an evil scientific experiment since Peter Stormare (Fargo) is in charge. He’s assisted by Chloe Sevigny (Big Love) as they gather a group of people to fill out a long series of questions. Included in the guinea pigs is Timothy Hutton, Clea DuVall (Carnivale) and Nick Cannon (Mr. Mariah Carey). The test begins with Stomare shooting and the test group locked in the room. It’s like SAT Saw. This is almost a Peter Watkins film. Expect Glenn Beck to claim this film is a documentary. A rather queasy fright film for people who already have a test taking phobia.

    The Tournament gives Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) a chance to go insane with weapons. That’s always a cinematic treat. In this case he’s part of a last man standing tournament involving the top 30 assassins working in the world. Every seven years a group of billionaires host this fatal knock out match. The defending champ is Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction). The wild card is Kelly Hu (Nash Bridges). There’s tons of blood and bullets in this free for all of top flight carnage. Having Carlyle and Rhames face off is a treat that requires a large TV screen to capture their mayhem. I couldn’t help, but think how this bookends with Kelly Hu’s recent hosting of Top Chef Masters. Except in this case it’s Top Murderers Masters.

    REALITY MOMENT

  • Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #119: You Started It

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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 #119: You Started It – Ken & Dana return on Halloween with an episode that has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween. Not even tangentially. Does that disappoint you? It does have plenty of bickering, though. So there’s that.

    [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 #119 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-119.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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  • Win a MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS prize pack!

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    In conjunction with Overture, we’re giving away a MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS prize pack which includes a copy of The Men Who Stare at Goats book and the official “No Goats, No Glory” T-Shirt.

    The Men Who Stare At Goats opens November 6th, 2009.

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

    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 November, 11th.

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

  • SModcast 96

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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 96: Take Off That Little Hat and Be Killed! –

    In which our heroes turn to the audience for guidance.

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

    DOWNLOAD:

    SModcast 96 (MP3 format)

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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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  • Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #118: It’s A Gas

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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 #118: It’s A Gas – Ken & Dana return with an exploration of a stew man who never existed, a meat processing company’s storied history, how best to celebrate Nacho Day, and so much more, it hurts.

    [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 #118 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-118.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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  • Weekend Shopping Guide 10/23/09: Don’t Mention The War

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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…)

    When new editions of previously released titles come out, it’s always difficult to determine whether there is a significant difference in image/sound quality or bonus features to make a re-purchase worth it. And sometimes, it’s an easy decision – and that’s the case with Black Adder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP) and Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection Remastered (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). On the new Black Adder set – in addition to all of the previously available material – the set adds the newly-produced, in-depth anniversary documentary Blackadder Rides Again, as well as an hour-plus clutch of unedited interviews recorded for the documentary. Not only are the episodes completely remastered and looking better than ever on the new Fawlty set, but John Cleese has recorded new commentaries in addition to brand new interviews with the cast, including the previously unavailable Connie Booth, outtakes, the previously available director’s commentaries, and the Torquay Tourist Guide documentary short.

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    Haven’t you always wanted a monkey? Even if you don’t have a million dollars, you can still snag yourself a nifty little beanie version of Thinkgeek’s loveable mascot, Timmy the Monkey ($6.99). Perfect for desks, shelves, gifts, or even – imagine this – kids.

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    As much as I love Larry Sanders, I will always hold a special place in my heart for It’s Garry Shandling’s Show (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$159.99 SRP) – and I am beyond delighted that not only is it now available on DVD, but it’s the whole series, to boot. If that weren’t enough, Shandling has cooperated with a nice batch of bonus features. This is a must-have set for a must-see show.

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    The butt of many a joke but not nearly as bad as it’s been made out to be (though it’s still an overlong, pretentious flick), Kevin Costner’s bloated, sweeping wetpic Waterworld (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP) is now available in high-definition. Sadly, there are no bonus features. None. Not a drop.

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    King of the gimmicky 50’s fright flicks, William Castle gets his own spotlight collection bringing together 8 of those cult films into one box set – The William Castle Film Collection (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$80.95 SRP). The films in question are 13 Frightened Girls, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Strait-Jacket, The Old Dark House, Mr. Sardonicus, The Tingler, & Zotz!. Bonus features include a clutch of featurettes, trailers, rare intros, and more.

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    With its 4th season now on DVD, Bones (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.99 SRP) has evolved into a delightful, quirky, accessible, askew take on the long-smoldering rom-com TV dynamic, like a cross between CSI & Moonlighting, thanks to the wonderful chemistry between David Boreanaz & Emily Deschanel. Oh, and Stephen Fry turns up. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

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    Goofy, trippy, and odd – really think of any term that evokes the word bizarre and you’re apt to come as close to capturing what it’s like watching The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.97 SRP), Cartoon Network’s little shoe that could and Paul Sabourin’s guilty pleasure. The first volume features 5 episodes, plus a quartet of featurettes.

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    While not holding a candle to the classics of the 1960’s, there’s still plenty of fun to be had with the specials contained in the Peanuts: 1970’s Collection – Volume 1 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). The 2-disc collection features Play It Again, Charlie Brown, You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown, and It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, plus a featurette on the creation of Snoopy’s avian sidekick, Woodstock.

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    Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, The Eleventh Hour (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.95) was a show that only made it to 18 episodes, and wouldn’t have been able to make the journey to DVD if it weren’t for Warners’ on-demand service through WBShop.com. The 6-disc set contains all 18 episodes of Rufus Sewell starring in a nerdy version of The X-Files.

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    They both have their charms (though the original far outstrips the 90’s remake), but know you can get both versions of Miracle On 34th Street (Fox, Not Rated/Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP each) in full high definition, just in time for the holiday season. The 90’s flick is featureless, but the original contains an audio commentary, the AMC Backstory, featurettes, a promo short, and a poster gallery.

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    Delve into the historical, cultural, and religious roots of the Santa Claus myth via In Search Of Santa Claus (Infinity, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), an interesting look at the jolly fat man, as we quickly approach that time of year.

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    One of the earliest TV shows to get onto DVD was Ally McBeal. That was a long time ago, and no further seasons were ever released. Now, however fans can finally get Ally McBeal: The Complete First Season (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – and, shockingly, it’s got all of the original music.

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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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  • Contest Round-Up: 2009-10-21

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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 Eagle Rock, we’re giving away five (5) copies each of MONTY PYTHON: ALMOST THE TRUTH on both DVD & Blu-Ray.

    In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN on DVD.

  • Win BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, November, 4th.

    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 November, 4th.

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

  • Win MONTY PYTHON: ALMOST THE TRUTH on Blu-Ray & DVD!

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    In conjunction with Eagle Rock, we’re giving away five (5) copies each of MONTY PYTHON: ALMOST THE TRUTH on both DVD & Blu-Ray.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, November, 4th.

    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 November, 4th.

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

  • Party Favors: Those Red Running Hills

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    KILL DEVIL HILLS – The scary season has arrived.

    In the spirit of movies that make you fear going to the movies comes The Hills Run Red on DVD. Tyler (Tad Hilgenbrinck) is a film geek obsessed with an ’80s film called The Hills Run Red. The movie was quickly yanked from theaters and no prints or videotapes of the film exist. He finds a clue to the movie by locating one of its stars played by Sophie Monk. After a lapdance, she agrees to take Tad and his two friends to the shooting location. Tad doesn’t realize there might be a sequel in production.

    Star Tad Hilgenbrinck and director Dave Parker called up the Party Favors hotline to chat about their grisly horror film about a gruesome horror film recently released on DVD by Warner Premiere.

    Tad has been in Epic Movie, Disaster Movie and Lost Boys: The Tribe, but his was his first true taste of vivid horror. While Tad appears to be chased backwoods of California by Babyface, the location is really deep in Bulgaria. What did Tad think of the country? Is it the next big hot party spot like Prague or Dublin?

    “The people are amazing,” Tad said. “They shoot a lot there. They’re an inner-circle small family kinda people. I really enjoyed them. But when it comes to off-camera time, there’s really not much to do. Plus you become a zombie, you sleep all day and shoot all night. I know the hotel pretty well, but other than that, I didn’t see very much of it. No matter where you shoot on location, it could be Ohio or Bulgaria. It doesn’t matter because it’s a 24 hour day job when you’re shooting.”

    Tad came in late to the project. He was pretty much cast and tossed on a transatlantic flight to Bulgaria for a four week shoot. This meant he didn’t have to comfort of spending months receiving lapdances and considering them research.

    “The script is amazing and ready to go when we got there,” Tad said. “The shooting flew by. We shot by the seat of our pants and we didn’t have much time. Once we started, it was go, go, go, go, go. Which is great for a project like this. It’s so intense that you have to let the moment happen. If you think about it too much or have too much time, I probably would have been worn in the ground by the end of it. So it was perfect.”

    The question comes up about how does an actor get into the true spirit of a film about shock and fear when they pretty much know what’s going on. How does an actor “unprepare” in order to tap real shock in their eyes at the images around them?

    “It is unpreparing,” Tad confirmed. “The one thing I was intimidated about was the whole third act. I’ve done horror. I’ve done suspense. I understand that. Being tortured and going to places, I was just praying to God that I can deliver this. What happens is you get so into the moment that you have to get rid of your self consciousness and just jump in. I’m pretty not method, but when I was being tortured, I was tied into a wheelchair with barbed wire for three days. Between breaks, they couldn’t get me out because it took to long. I pretty much was tortured on this thing, but it’s good and delivers on the final product. It was definitely worth it.

    “It really was pretty horrendous, but it’s fun. And that’s the best part of being an actor. You get to play pretend all the time. It’s exciting to walk away and think that never in my wild dreams could I think I could pull it off. Not only did I pull it off, but it’s a work that I’m really proud of.

    The actors weren’t able to entertain themselves by watching the other cast members getting faux-tortured. This was a director’s decision.

    “Dave (Parker) kept us apart a lot, Tad said. “He’s an amazing director and knows how to steer actors. With the Babyface character, we weren’t allowed to see the actual actor or any sketches of what he looked like until we shot the scene. They would keep a bath towel on his head so that when we see him for the first time, it’s genuinely us as actors seeing this character for the first time. It really creates that sort of reality. When I saw the final cut, I hadn’t seen Janet do all those things and Sophie’s work. It was fun to watch the final product. On set we were incredibly focused on our track and what we had to do and how to deliver. It was fun to come together at the end.”

    The fear factor weighed heavily on Tad’s approach to the movie. Having worked on Disaster Movie, he knows what can happen if an actor mugs the fright.

    “The one thing we were concerned about was this could get cheesy,” Tad said. “Any insecurities are going to ruin this project. It has such an amazing third act, if we as actors were any self conscious in anyway it was going to just tank. I think what you see is all of us come together on our own levels to make this happens. It’s us as an entire cast getting it done.

    The movie allowed Tad to become pals with the TMZ darling Sophie Monk. Because they were cast so close to the production start, the duo had a cute meet.

    “Sophie and I were on the same flight out,” Tad said. “We hadn’t met. I figured out halfway through that this gorgeous blonde girl has got to be an actor because who is flying to Bulgaria at this hour that looks like that. We sort of connected. She comes from a comedy background. We were both kinda nervous at that point. Our characters go through a lot in the movie so on set and off, Sophie and I went through a lot of hurdles and barriers thrown at us. I felt Sophie and I were sort of like….Batman and Robin is a horrible comparison, but we did help each other through it.

    “Sophie is so nice and funny and hysterical. She is so dedicated. She had a lot of stuff to do that any other actress would have choked at. Sophie is so willing to do anything to get what you need and the shot. I really respect Sophie as an actor.”

    Her willingness is seen in the movie when they meet at a stripclub. She does more than the usual lapdance scene that appears on SyFy. Tad referred to as one of his favorite parts of the film. But he signed onto the movie for more than just that moment. “We weren’t the teens running into the woods,” Tad said. “We all had these complex things we had to do. We all get a chance to shine that was the best part….also the stripclub. That was a fun day.”

    After appearing in this film, is Tad’s netflix queue loaded with Italian cannibal films from the ’70s?

    “No. Not really,” Tad replied. “I’m more of a Porky’s, Animal House kinda guy.”

    He got a chance to work with Eugene Levy, one of his comedy idols on American Pie Presents Band Camp

    “That was my first big project,” Tad said. “I was so nervous because I’m a big fan of his work like Waiting for Guffman. He was so nice. Letting me do my thing and going with me, he’s an upstanding kinda guy.”

    Director Dave Parker has worked for the last several years creating top notch DVD bonus features. He views his time lurking on the sets and shooting the behind the scenes action as a help in his journey to helm a film.

    “You see how they interact with the entire crew and cast,” Parker said. “It really is like going to a film graduate school.”

    In a sense The Hills Run Red was a graduate thesis since his previous work played a major role in him landing the job.

    “I was working with Robert Burnett on the Superman Returns documentary “Requiem for Krypton.” This company out of New York, Fever Dreams, had the screenplay. They were looking for West coast to make this movie. They had gotten a couple recommendations from friends of ours. We made a presentation of what we wanted to do with the film and they agreed,” Parker said.

    Who made the call to shoot the film in Bulgaria instead of California or Louisiana?

    “That was Warner Brothers and Dark Castle. They had made Return to House on Haunted Hill there the previous year. They had a really good experience with the crew over there. It was a way which we could take our budget, which was not a huge budget, and maximize it for the most time and bang for our buck. It was a great experience. The Bulgarian crew was really amazing to work with. It gave us so much more production value than we would have been able to here.”

    Why did Parker hide Babyface from the cast?

    “It was important to me because I wanted to capture when they saw him for the first time,” Parker said. “That sort of real, honest moment. They’re actors, they’re very capable. They could have given me that performance. It was probably more fun for me to keep him hidden. The night where it was effective was because I kept hiding him from them for days and days. They just didn’t see him. There was this anticipation of what he was going to look like when they first saw him. I think in that sense, it did help the spirit of it when they did get to see him. They were genuinely taken a back. It was great to be able to do that. We have a couple of that moments on the making of on the dvd.”

    How smelly was the set with all the rancid looking props in the film? Did the fake blood get a little stanky?

    “To me, I don’t mind the fake blood,” Parker said. “I’m the one throwing it around on them. they were probably more irritated by that than I was. It’s more fun for me.

    “What was bad was an effect that was done when the character of Lalo (Alex Wyndham) gets sliced in his stomach,” Parker said. “The effects people (back in America) put chicken and bananas in there for texture. They somehow didn’t think that with the shipping and everything else before we shot it that the stuff was going to rot inside. Luckily was one of the last days of shooting. That pretty much made everybody sick. It was awful. The actor had to wear a breathing thing. Everyone was covering their noses.”

    What was Parker’s favorite visual in a film full of grotesque moments?

    “My favorite gore effect of the film is the opening with the kid cutting off his face,” he said.

    As a newbie director of horror, how did Parker get the performances out of his actors to make people believe the fear on the screen?

    “It was a really great collaboration,” Parker said. “It was to be able to push them to certain limits and out of their comfort zones. At the end of the day, they were happy with that. Each actor is different so you have to figure out what they need and give that to them. Some need a little more coaxing and attention than others. Other times you just need to give them a look and they get it. It’s all about working on that trust and developing a shorthand so you can get the most effective performance possible – especially when fear involved and showing terror. There are times you have to push them because they think it’s enough, but you know they need to go farther. You keep prodding them till they get there. Sometimes you have to go through more takes to wear them out so they’re a little more frazzled.”
    You’ll be frazzled by the end of The Hills Run Red.

    PAUL & REC

    Paul Schneider is in the midst of a promotional triple play. His TV series Parks and Recreation just started his second season on NBC. Away We Go, which features him as a brother of John Krasinski (The Office), is out on DVD. In theaters right now he’s third bill on Jane Campion’s Bright Star. Paul puts on a Scottish accent in this tale of the poet John Keats. He’s receiving the best reviews of his career. There’s buzz that he’s a dark horse for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

    He’s come a long way since our time around the editing suites at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Strangely enough this feature film brings things back to school. We had a sneak preview of Jane Campion’s Portrait of a Lady during our time there. Flash forward into the next century and he’s in one of her films like Nicole Kidman. Life is funny that way.

    Schneider dropped by my neighborhood arthouse to promote Bright Star. He informed the crowd to not believe his bio at the imdb. While he lived in Asheville, NC, he was born in Northern California. Even after all these months, he’s still juiced from working with Campion. We didn’t have much time to talk since he had a bleary eye flight back to the west coast. We merely caught up on things like old classmates do at airport bars.

    In memory of Ben Lyon’s career on At the Movies, here’s a Lyon’s Den shot taken by Paul.

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    Remember to watch Parks and Recreations on NBC’s Thursdays or they’ll just expand Leno another 30 minutes.

    WHAT IS ALEX’S MUSTACHE

    Another old classmate from a different college was also recently on TV. Claxton Graham has become the third person I know to play on Jeopardy. Unfortunately he’s also the third person I know to lose. He didn’t lose as painfully as Michael Cudahy, the Millionaire from Combustible Edison. Cudahy had $44,400 on the board at the end of the game. Unfortunately Ken Jennings had $48,801. Ouch. Claxton had the lead going into Final Jeopardy, but the answer was actually tough.

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    I had a chance to swap mail with Claxton about his time holding the buzzer.

    How long did it take you from the audition to being told you’d be on the show, until you got on the soundstage?

    Claxton: Altogether, it took three months. The in-person audition was here in Charlotte on April 30. I got the call from contestant coordinator Glenn Kagan on June 18. And I did my taping on July 28.

    Did you get enough of a warning to get a good price on a plane ticket?

    Claxton: From what I understood, the normal warning time is two weeks. But since we were the first taping group of the new season, we had a good bit longer. As for the cost of the tickets – I’ve got a deal where if I buy one round trip ticket at full price, I get up to two more tickets at a substantial discount, which meant I got to take the Dear Missus with me.

    How many different sets of clothes did you bring to the taping?

    Claxton: We were requested to bring at least two different outfits, in addition to the one we were going to wear on stage. Being of the School of Just In Case, I had three pair of pants, five shirts and four ties with me. The only piece of clothing I didn’t have a backup for was the sports coat.

    How many practice questions did you get to practicing buzzers?

    Claxton: We spent about an hour before taping began to practice on the buzzers. We also spent about a half hour after the lunch break, before the last two games of the day, practicing on the buzzers.

    How annoying is the buzzer system on the show?

    Claxton: Very, especially if you know the answer and can’t beat the other people in. There were times, though, where I had a clear path to buzz in and I was able to take advantage.

    Did they allow you to watch other tapings or were you hidden away?

    Claxton: I was in the audience for the first three shows taped, and I could’ve stayed for the last taping – the show after mine. We were only in the green room before tapings began and then in between tapings.

    What do they feed you on the set?

    Claxton: Before we began practice and tapings, we had access to various snacks and beverages in the green room. They took care of our lunch for us at a commissary in an adjacent building. I had a burger and fries with a Coke Zero.

    What’s Alex Trebek smell like?

    Claxton: I didn’t pay that much attention to how Alex smelled. Sorry.

    Is his mustache on display in the Jeopardy offices?

    Claxton: Not that I’m aware of. He did, however, tell the audience during one of the commercial breaks that he shaved it off on a whim.

    Did you fear Alex doing his impersonation voices and throwing off your game?

    Claxton: No.

    Will you be applying for Are Your Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

    Claxton: Most definitely.

    Is it nicer knowing you’ll get $2,000 for your efforts instead of a case of Rice-A-Roni?

    Claxton: Absolutely! You know how long it’s been since I’ve eaten Rice-A-Roni?

    REALITY WHORES

    Is L.A. Laker Lamar Odom having a mid-career crisis? Why would a guy in his position have a quicky marriage to Khloe Kardashian? Did he not see what happened to Reggie Bush while he was hooked up with Kim Kardashian? Reggie’s agent can’t even get the guy on milk cartoon in New Orleans. Three games into the season, he’s got as many rushing yards as Adrian Peterson gains in a half. Does Odom not watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians or Skanks Over Miami on E!? Khloe is beyond headcase. Perhaps Odom is blinded at the act of getting his own Ryan Seacrest reality show. Nothing says, “Long happy marriage” like a reality show.

    I’m not too excited by Hef pimping his new ladies on The Girls Next Door 2.0. The twins have all the personality of their implants based on their previous visits. The third girl is a complete cipher. Maybe Hef has had them in the Dorothy Stratten Star 80 finishing classes to keep them from looking like a trio of fishsticks with blond wigs and fake boobs. I’ll watch, but mainly to see if Hef can get the twins to go beyond the “safe zone.”

    SAVE YOUR PENNIES

    This fall just got more expensive with Shout! Factory putting out G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero The Complete Series (Nov. 10) and Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVI (Dec. 1). On G.I. Joe, you get all 95 animated episodes inside a footlocker. The MST3K 16 contains The Corpse Vanishes, Warrior Of The Lost World, Santa Claus and Night Of The Blood Beast. There’s a mini Tom Servo and the video of the Turkey Day ’95 intros.

    BLU-RAY HEAVEN

    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray brings Walt Disney’s animated masterpiece to the world of high definition. Snow White is a sweet innocent gal who doesn’t get along with the Wicked Stepmother. She ends up shacking up with 7 dwarfs who all have personality issues. The evil queen decides to put Snow White out of her domestic misery by making her eat a poison apple. The evil Queen is so tempting. I’d take an apple from her. The new 1080p transfer is stunning in clarity and color. It’s watching a moving painting on your TV set. This would have been how Walt would have wanted it. The bonus features include Hyperion Studios, a tour into the original Disney studio that lets you see everything about the production with vintage photos, audio interview and Walt talking about the project. It was a major risk for the man and it paid off royally. “Magic Mirror” lets the reflective character act as your host. He even remembers where you stopped watching. “Disney View” has Toby Bluth expand the edges of the screen so you can watch the movie as a 16:9 image. This might be seen as controversial by animation purists. But it is an option. There’s also a way to stick your own face on a dwarf. There’s other games for kids to stay busy. As a major bonus, you’ll also get the new transfer on a DVD. This should keep the kids quiet in the back of the car. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray lives up to the Diamond of its name. A worthy upgrade from the Special Edition put out 8 years ago.

    South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut – Blu-ray brings a high def image to a low budget creation. Cartman looks sliming in widescreen mode. In case you haven’t seen this feature length animated cartoon in the last decade, it’s all about hating on Canada and gay sex between Saddam Hussein and Satan. The parents of America have had it with Terrence and Phillip so they capture the Canadian comics. They plan to electrocute them as part of an all-star spectacular. It’s up to Cartman, Kenny, Stan and Kyle to save their idols. Saddam just wants to keep having gay sex with Satan. Do you think the real Saddam is now having gay sex with Satan? The movie features Winona Ryder popping ping-pong balls out of her lady parts. The bonus features include a new commentary track with creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. They now want to upgrade the film. They also complain how they’ve yet to see a single dime off the film since Paramount claims the film hasn’t come close to making money. There’s also the “What Would Brian Boitano Do” music video. Remember when people cared about music videos that ran on MTV? This animated musical has aged like vintage wine.

    Varsity Blues Blu-ray gives us a quick view of big time high school football. Has it really been a decade since James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek) was the back up quarterback when Paul Walker (Fast and Furious) went down? James sacks up when he gets to the huddle and proves he’s not merely a clipboard cowboy. He’s got enough mad skills to land him hot girlfriend Amy Smart, but he’s got hotter cheerleader Ali Larter yanking on his jock. But no matter how much the ladies want him, he’s all ears for coach Jon Voight (Fearless Frank). This was part of the craze that gave us Friday Night Lights. The Blu-ray looks sharp in 1080p. The include a commentary track from director Brian Robbins and producer Mike Tollin. There’s a few making of specials that are ported over and still in standard def. The original trailer has been buffed up to HD.

    DVD SHELF

    Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation is an thoroughly entertaining documentary about Australian films that weren’t aimed for the art house crowd. These movies were completely out of control and cheeky. Whether it’s the bawdy humor of The Adventures of Barry McKenzie or the extreme weirdness of The Cars That Ate Paris, these films beg for drive in love. Grant Page becomes a hero in the film as the stunt man who didn’t care about safety requirements. His pushing the envelope is what made Mad Max a landmark of car action. After this film is over, you’ll be on netflix queuing up the best titles. Unfortunately, films such as Chain Reaction, Man From Hong Kong and Stone aren’t on DVD in America. Damn it. I want to see the over the top violence of Turkey Shoot. They used live ammo in the film. The only bad part of the film is way too much Quentin Tarantino rambling about the films instead of letting the Austrian filmmakers talking. It’s kinda like Tarantino’s My Voyage to Oz. He blows it when calling Fair Game an Australian Straw Dogs since the film is more like I Spit On Your Grave. Not Quite Hollywood ought to be part of a film series for the explosive genre gems. Make sure you have a can of Fosters to make your viewing experience truly authentic.

    30 Rock: Season 3 finally allows Kenneth the Page (Jack McBrayer) to become a superstar. The naive yet faithful lad could easily be shoved into the scenery by the comic elbows of Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Judah Friedlander and Jane Krakowski. But instead of being a bit player, he’s the straw that stirs the comedy since he’s the only character that seems real amidst the confusion that is the mixing of a comedy show and NBC-Universal-GE corporate insanity. Kenneth is so pure of heart that he refuses to steal cable. He almost seems to ground Tracy Morgan’s out of control superstar. “The One With the Cast of Night Court” has Tracy reunite the old sitcom s they can perform Kenneth’s wedding script. They give Harry Anderson and Markie Post closure. “Cutbacks” has people fearing Kenneth is really a serial killer. The show still stars Tina Fey. This season she wants that baby and keeps hunting down potential baby daddys. “Senior Macho” has her hooking up with Peter Dinklage (Nip/Tuck). The ultimate dream date arrives with Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm. He’s out of Tina’s league cause he’s a beautiful person. The series won the Best Comedy Emmy for this season. What would be great is an episode with Kenneth the Page stuck in an elevator with Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. That would be the comicopolypse. The bonus features include plenty of commentary tracks, behind the scenes with the Muppets and a table reading for the final episode. You can witness the magic of how Kenneth the Page becomes a superstar.

    Animal Planet Presents Elephants features Africa’s Elephant Kingdom and Queen of the Elephants. That’s two pachyderms on one dvd. “Africa’s Elephant Kingdom” follows an elephant family as it crosses the continent. Life is rough for these huge creatures. The weather is miserable. The plains aren’t nearly as nice as they used to be. But they keep going in their trek. They won’t be held back. The camera work gives a true sense to what life is like for the African Elephant. “Queen of the Elephants” takes us further East to see the Indian Elephants. While in religion, the elephant is treated as a God, they just aren’t getting that respect anymore in Bangalore. Such is the plight of those who can’t work at a call center because of their tusks.

    Friday 13th Part VII: The New Blood – Deluxe Edition revives Jason Voorhees for a another slaughter in the Crystal Lake area. He’s revived from his watery grave by Tina Shepard (Lar Park-Lincoln). She’s got telekinetic powers. This turns into a fight between the supernatural killing machine and the supernatural outsider girl. It’s a lot of hacking and objects flying around. Think of it as Jason versus Carrie (except they can’t call her that for copyright reasons). There are 16 creative killings in this installment. The most brutal features Jason beating someone zipped inside a sleeping bag against a tree. The film was the first time Kane Hodder pulled on the hockey mask. The bonus features include a commentary track with Hodder, Lincoln and director John Carl Buechler. There’s a making of segment that discusses what the MPAA made them hack away. There’s also those video nasty moments that were too much for audiences in 1988.

    Friday 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan – Deluxe Edition is the final Paramount movie in the Jason Voorhees saga. The title is a bit of a tease. He doesn’t arrive in the Big Apple until the last part of the film. There seems to be so much he could do in New York City prove there’s something worse than a ringing cellphone at a Broadway Show. He could partied with Woody Allen. But instead he just ends up fighting the people from the boat he came down the river on. The guy finally gets out of Crystal Lake and he doesn’t even visit all the tourist traps. There is a breathtaking shot of Jason in the middle of Times Square. Shame the ball wasn’t dropping. Kane Hodder is menacing in his second time behind the hockey mask. The bonus features include the too disturbing for the MPAA outtakes. There’s a gag reel with a shot of Jason that will make you laugh till you head falls off. Seems he dropped by one of the old Times Square sex shops. The film captured bad ’80s fashion and music in the midst of the slaughter.

    Flashpoint: The First Season brings SWAT into the 21st Century except they’re now called Strategic Response Unit (SRU). This elite crack team is led by Enrico Colantoni. He was the photographer on Just Shoot Me. While it sounds like a recipe for “whaaaa” on paper, Colantoni looks credible when strapped down with weapons and body armor. The cases are supposedly torn from the files of the Toronto Police Emergency Task Force. That doesn’t sound quite as impressive as SRU! “First In Line” has a dad go to extreme to get his daughter a heart transplant. “Who’s George” has the bank hostage storyline. “Attention Shoppers” has teenage girls at the mall go nuts with weapons. While some people want us to believe our neighbors to the North are peaceful people, Flashpoint gives us the true score of Canucks versus Canadians. It’s the type of cop show your dad probably likes.

    Walt Disney’s Animation Collection – Classic Short Films: Mickey’s Christmas Carol brings a little mouse action to the classic Dicken’s holiday tale. Scrooge McDuck plays Scrooge. It’s like a role he was born to play. Mickey is the downtrodden Bob Cratchit. There are three other short holiday cartoons. “The Small One” is an animated special from 1978 with Gordon Jump kicking in a voice. Don Bluth directed this tale of a young boy and an old donkey. “Santa’s Workshop” is a Silly Symphony short about the merry man in the red suit. This gives the inside story of what goes on in the North Pole. He does check the list and make the toys with elf labor. “Pluto’s Christmas Tree” has the favorite dog celebrate the holiday season with Mickey. Turns out the tree the duo chop down includes Chip ‘n Dale. This is a great holiday piece of eye candy for the kids to keep them quiet while driving between malls. There’s a lithograph in the box of Mickey and his “Carol” family putting popcorn on the scrawny tree.

    Winnie the Pooh Season of Giving 10th Anniversary Edition DVD & Stocking Gift Set is for those kids who prefer bears to mice. The hour long special is made up of three different holiday segments. “Groundpiglet Day” has the animals enlist the porky pal to play a groundhog on Feb. 2. “A Winnie-the-Pooh Thanksgiving” has them serve up the dinner minus turkey. Guess that would be barbaric. The big finale is the Christmas tree finally arriving in the Thousand Acre woods. “Magic Earmuffs” and “The Wishing Bear” are segments from the Winnie the Pooh Saturday morning cartoon series. There are a couple DVD games in “Decorate Your Own Christmas Tree” and “Coloring with Piglet.” Neither are too complicated and can survive a bout of egg nog. As a bonus there’s a tiny Christmas stocking that’s perfect size for a small bear or a toddler.

    Girlfriends: The Seventh Season is the penultimate season of the old CW series. The season kicks off with Joan hooking up with a guy while volunteering in New Orleans to help victims of the flooding. Acts of charity are the new way for swinging singles to meet. Darnell is working for NASCAR. When he gets back from Florida, he’s got Maya begging him for another baby. Ladies can’t help it when they smell high octane on a man’s hands. Joan gets upset when the group hangs out at Maya’s house. She regains the center by hosting a physical trainer in the living room. There’s 22 episodes on 3 DVDs.

    Medium: The Fifth Season brings another season of Patricia Arquette solving crimes with her psychic ability. “Soul Survivor” has the D.A. beg her to get involved in a personal case. Turns out his friend’s sister was beaten to death. Arquette uses her freaky dreams to discover that it’s the evil spirit of an earlier husband might have been the killer. “A Person of Interest” has Kevin Corrigan in dreams about killing a judge. How come whenever I dream like this, I only uncover crimes of fashion? There’s 19 episodes on 5 DVDs. The bonus features include a “making of” documentary, an interview with Arquette and “Script to Screen” following the creation of an episode.

    My Fair Lady classes up any DVD shelf. This is the Oscar winning classic about how Rex Harrison transformed Audrey Hepburn from a cockney flower girl into a sophisticated charmer. He does it as part of a wager. However this isn’t all the science of linguistics. Turns out the two get a little close in this educational process. Since this is a musical, their relationship gets into focus with “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” Marni Nixon sang for Hepburn. They include two songs with Hepburn’s own voice. It’s not bad for dinner theater, but needed the switcheroo for Oscar. The commentary track features Nixon along with film preservationist Robert A. Harris. There’s quite a few vintage pieces of footage including the trailer that teased the audience like an E! special. There’s a bit showing off the Los Angeles premiere. The transfers is rich and bold without much futz on the frame. This is the Raymond J. Regis Memorial pick of the month.

    Mirageman is an action film from Chile starring Marko Zaror, the Rock’s stunt double in The Rundown. He’s a stripclub bouncer who saves a TV reporter from thugs robbing her house. He doesn’t stick around after releasing her. When she praises him on TV, he accepts his new career as night time vigilante. He’s kinda like a Batman without that fat Wayne Foundation pumping money into his gadgets. He’s barely got enough cash to cover his mask. After his first disguised fight, he discovers his street clothes have been stolen. The guy can’t get a break. Zaror delivers top notch beatdowns that aren’t over elaborate. It’s good to know someone can make an entertaining superhero flick that doesn’t cost $200 million.

    ANOTHER INSTALLMENT

    Now that Jon doesn’t want his kids on camera, I will traumatize mine for your entertainment. Not that she has a clue what I’m saying.

  • Cabin Fever 78: Gobby

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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 #78: Gobby – Both Brian and Aaron tell tales of hard liquor and regret while regaling you with the details of our typical news oddities. Two weeks in a row! Not bad eh?

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

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Episode #78 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_78.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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  • Bagged & Boarded 37: Bagged and Cluckin’

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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 #37: Bagged and Cluckin’ – In which Matt and Jesse wax and wane about all things public radio, list their top five favorite stand-ups, and debate the merits of propaganda marketing. With special barking from Hellmutt! You know you want to get up in that…

    [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 #37 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/baggedboarded/bagged_boarded-37.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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