Author: UncaScroogeMcD

  • Win BURN NOTICE: SEASON 2 on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of BURN NOTICE: SEASON 2 on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, July, 1st.

    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 July, 1st.

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

  • Win GENERATION KILL on Blu-Ray!

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    In conjunction with HBO Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of GENERATION KILL on Blu-Ray.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, July, 1st.

    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 July, 1st.

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

  • Win JOHN ADAMS on Blu-Ray!

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    In conjunction with HBO Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of JOHN ADAMS on Blu-Ray.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, July, 1st.

    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 July, 1st.

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

  • Masters Of Song Fu #4: Round 2 Challenge Voting Begins!

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

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

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

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

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

    Oh, and what do we call this competition?

    MASTERS OF SONG FU

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

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

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    ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

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

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

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    You’ll find the Round 1 songs from each of our Challengers below (for those Challengers that did not progress to Round 2, you’ll find those songs HERE), as well as the results of the Round 1 voting. The Challengers were then issued their Round 2 Challenge…

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    ROUND 2 CHALLENGE

    Write a march.

    A march is “a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to” – and that is your challenge. You can write on any topic. Your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 15 seconds.

    If you want some inspiration, here’s a march from Harry Nilsson…

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    You’ll find the Round 2 songs from each of our Challengers below, followed by the voting form…

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    THE CHALLENGERS

    EDRIC HALEEN

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

    Official Website: happinessboard.com/Edric_Haleen.html
    ROUND 2 SONG:Whispered In Your Ear
    ROUND 1 SONG:All For This Moment

    GöDZ PööDLZ

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

    Official Website: www.rockingjamboree.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:Godz Poodlz On Parade
    ROUND 1 SONG:Bad Penny

    STEVE CHATTERTON

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

    Official Website: www.stevechatterton.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/SteveChatterton
    ROUND 2 SONG:The Only Way I Know
    ROUND 1 SONG:I Will Always Look Up To You

    JUTZE SCHULT

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

    Official Website: www.jutze.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/schult
    ROUND 2 SONG:March 2003
    ROUND 1 SONG:Natalie Portman’s Doormat

    AUDIOMOHEL

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

    Official Website: www.AudioMohel.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/AudioMohel
    ROUND 2 SONG:The Battle Of Cobra Island
    ROUND 1 SONG:Hubcap Without A Home

    JALEPENO HABANEROS

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

    Official Website: None
    ROUND 2 SONG:La Marcha de Oppurtunidades
    ROUND 1 SONG:Aquaman’s Trident’s Lament

    THE SCRIBBLES

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

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/thescribbles1
    ROUND 2 SONG:The Student’s Revenge
    ROUND 1 SONG:Snuggie Like Me

    GORBZILLA

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

    Official Website: gorbzilla.blogspot.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:March Of The Geeks (Semi-Autobiographical)
    ROUND 1 SONG:I Am Your Pants

    DARRELL MacLAINE

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

    Official Website: directors.mashedbins.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:Football Is Good (The Football Song)
    ROUND 1 SONG:Strawberry Fool

    BERG AND JERRY

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

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/bergandjerry
    ROUND 2 SONG:This Day Shall Be Mine
    ROUND 1 SONG:The Green Potato Chip Song

    DENISE HUDSON

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

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/denisehudson
    ROUND 2 SONG:Anna’s Gerbil & The Singularity
    ROUND 1 SONG:Leave The Stone Alone, Yep

    LEX VADER

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

    Official Website: lexvaderssecretjournal.wordpress.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:Doomsday March
    ROUND 1 SONG:Just A Rock

    TOM MILSOM

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

    Official Website: www.tommilsom.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:March As A Mad Hare
    ROUND 1 SONG:The Raincoat’s Lament

    CALEB HINES

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

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 2 SONG:Marching To Selador (Traditional Dwarven March)
    ROUND 1 SONG:Ancient Wonder

    MILES FROM NASHVILLE

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

    Official Website: www.milesfromnashville.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:Another Bittersweet Ending
    ROUND 1 SONG:A Bridge To Nowhere

    ANDREW THOMSON

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

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

    RICHARD CLAYTON SPRING

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

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/richardclaytonspring
    ROUND 2 SONG:A Soldier Forever
    ROUND 1 SONG:Crazy Straw

    SARA PARSONS

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

    Official Website: www.youtube.com/user/sargeantketchup
    ROUND 2 SONG:Let’s Have An Awkward March
    ROUND 1 SONG:Throw Me Away

    IAN & MELISSA

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

    Official Website: www.ianandmelissa.com
    ROUND 2 SONG:Song FUneral March
    ROUND 1 SONG:I Remember

    TRAVIS NORRIS

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

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 2 SONG:Deserter’s March
    ROUND 1 SONG:Enertronic Bow

    THE GREMLINS

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

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 2 SONG:Doctor
    ROUND 1 SONG:Neutron Star

    THE PERFECT PLACE

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

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/oneperfectplace
    ROUND 2 SONG:March Of The Clandestine Ninjas
    ROUND 1 SONG:If I’ve Learned Anything

    HIS NAME IS LEGS

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

    Official Website: www.myspace.com/hisnameislegs
    ROUND 2 SONG:All For This Moment
    ROUND 1 SONG:One Of The Team

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    To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the ROUND 2 songs, CLICK HERE.
    To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the ROUND 1 songs, CLICK HERE.

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    ROUND 2 VOTING

    And now, it’s time for that all important voting. For this round, you can choose your TOP 5 FAVORITE Challenger songs. Be sure to choose carefully. VOTING CLOSES AT 11:59pm EST on SUNDAY, JUNE 14th. If you are having trouble voting, CLEAR YOUR BROWSER’S CACHE and try again. THE THIRD CHALLENGE WILL BE REVEALED ON MONDAY, JUNE 15th.

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    ROUND 2 VOTING – THE CHALLENGERS

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    View Results

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    ROUND 1 VOTING RESULTS – THE CHALLENGERS

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    View Results

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

    Good luck, and bring on the Fu.

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    [ad#contestbox]

  • A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Kevin Murphy

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    I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

    In this episode, I’m having a bit of a chat with author, NPR commentator, Mystery Science Theater alumnus, member of The Film Crew, and RiffTrax riffer, Kevin Murphy.

    Though an accomplished author and performer, Kevin Murphy will perhaps be forever known as a wise-cracking robot with a gumball dispenser head, springy arms, a stout body, and an underwear fetish. Barring that, he’ll probably also be remembered as a giant talking monkey.

    For 9 seasons, Kevin performed Tom Servo on Mystery Science Theater 3000, expanding his on-screen time with his frighteningly nuanced portrayal of the intelligent simian Professor Bobo, in addition to being a member of the writing staff and having numerous production duties during the series.

    Post-MST, Kevin has been a frequent contributor to NPR, and written the cinematic travelogue A Year At The Movies, which chronicled his worldwide journey to experience a film a day in theaters around the globe.

    He re-teamed with fellow Satellite of Love refugees Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett as the B-movie quipping Film Crew, and now is back to riffing full time with Mike & Bill on Legend Films’ downloadable RiffTrax commentaries, a massive clutch of which have just been released on DVD. Also available at RiffTrax is a virtual CD containing the songs of the RiffTones, a band forged in the fires of our very own Masters of Song Fu competition.

    Kevin was sequestered in his palatial, heavily wooded retreat when he deigned to grant me a further fraction of his valuable (and creative) “me” time… As this wasn’t the first time we’d spoken – far from it – the conversation got a little… unique…

    Here now is my chat with Kevin Murphy… Hope you enjoy…

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    Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Kevin Murphy“:

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    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

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    Drop Ken a line HERE.

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    You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

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  • Weekend Shopping Guide 6/05/09: You Can See My Back In That Shot

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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 was a young college freshman near the end of my first (and only) disastrous year at NYU, I was able to arrange for a press ticket to a taping of The Dana Carvey Show (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). And then they say me up front. Way up front. In fact, you can see me during Carvey’s monologue in the 7th episode, which was also the last aired. You’ll find that episode, plus an unaired 8th, in the long-awaited DVD release. The show was hit and miss, but it had an almost literal ton of up-and-coming talent, including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Robert Smigel, Louis CK, Charlie Kaufman, and Dino Stamatopoulos. The set also contains an interview with Carvey & Smigel, plus deleted scenes.

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    For years and years and years, ever since I first saw one when I was a kid, I’ve wanted a book that opens up to reveal a cut-out hole. You know what I mean? The kind you could hide things in. Like a jewel. Or booze. Well, Thinkgeek now gives you that Book Vault ($34.99). You absolutely, positively know that you want one. How can you not? It’s a friggin’ book vault!

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    Another Pixar film in theaters means another eye-candy filled “Art Of” book, which is exactly what you get with The Art Of Up (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP). As usual, the hardcover tome is packed to the rafters with production artwork, designs, interviews, and more.

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    Forged in the fire of the Writers Strike of 2008, released on the internet to rabid fan acclaim, and long available on that selfsame net, everyday people can now get a copy of Joss Whedon’s online musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (New Video, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) wherever they’d like. Bonus features include a musical studio commentary, a standard commentary, making-of featurettes, and Evil League Of Evil application videos.

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    Much of the comedy in Eddie Murphy’s game-changing stand-up concert Delirious (Entertainment Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$29.97 SRP) has not aged well, and some of it is just uncomfortable. Still, if you can get past those bumps in the road, there’s still a fair amount to laugh at. The 2-disc 25th anniversary edition contains additional footage, a making-of featurette, and an interview with Murphy.

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    It’s pure popcorn, but I think Air Force One (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$28.95 SRP) is the last great Harrison Ford movie. From that point forward, a once winning movie star couldn’t pick a solid project to save his life, steadily devolving into a caricature of himself. Ignore all those future failures and instead relive this last great one in full high definition, which ports over the audio commentary from the standard DVD release.

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    Another great flick making its transition to high definition is the Civil War epic Glory (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$28.95 SRP), which benefits from the audio/visual upgrade. It was a fine film to begin with, but the battle scenes have certainly been plussed. Bonus features carried over from the standard edition include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes, with the addition of a Blu-Ray exclusive virtual Civil War battlefield map.

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    I must admit, Revolutionary Road (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is a good film, but a very difficult one to make it through… Perhaps because the young 50’s couple we’re following (a reunited Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet) are coming apart at the suburban seams. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a pair of featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical features.

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    June has become decidedly jazzy with a trio of deluxe Legacy Edition catalogue releases from Sony Music. First up is a 3-disc edition of Dave Brubeck’s Time Out (Sony Legacy, $24.98 SRP), containing the original album, se second disc with 3 years worth of live performances, and a DVD with performance footage, and interview with Brubeck, and a photo gallery. Next up is Charles Mingus’s Mingus Ah Um (Sony Legacy, $24.98 SRP), with 2-discs containing the original album, alternate takes, and bonus tracks. Finally, it’s Miles Davis’s Sketches Of Spain (Sony Legacy, $24.98 SRP), with the album, alternate takes, and bonus tracks. Sweet, daddy. Sweet.

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    Paramount isn’t the only one unleashing a tidal wave of Blu-Ray catalogue titles, as Universal dips into their extensive roster for a batch of their own, many of them must haves. So what does the batch consist of? Field Of Dreams, Fletch, Inside Man, Spy Game, Children Of Men, Seabiscuit, Bruce Almighty, and Cinderella Man (Universal, Rated PG/PG-13/R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP each). Bonus features are identical to the standard editions, so the A/V upgrade is the big bonus here.

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    I still can’t fathom what people saw in the three flicks currently comprising the X-Men Trilogy (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP). They’re poorly written, badly acted, and in no way capture the source material. But people still saw them. In droves. And must have enjoyed them. No accounting for taste. For those that dug them, the trio – X-Men, X-Men 2, & X-Men: The Last Stand – are now available in a 9-disc Blu-Ray box set, porting over all of the bonus materials available in the standard editions.

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    Sergio Leone’s The Good The Bad And The Ugly (MGM/UA, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) made an icon out of Clint Eastwood, and it gets a spiffy high definition treatment that translates all the grit quite nicely. The bonus features are a direct port of the excellent special edition DVD from a few years back, including audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.

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    Over 20 years after its single season run, The Jetsons returned to television with brand new episodes, the first 21 of which are being released as The Jetsons: Season 2 Volume 1 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). The 2-disc set also contains a featurette looking at the evolution of the series.

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    The BBC’s nature documentarians can always be counted on to deliver stunning visuals, and that’s certainly the case with Nature’s Most Amazing Events (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which is 2-discs packed with exactly what it says on the tin. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.98 SRP) is also available, which cranks everything up with even more impressive high definition.

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    I can’t see William Conrad in the episodes features in Cannon: Season 2 Volume 1 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP) without thinking of all of the voice work he did on the Jay Ward cartoons of the 60’s, particularly Fractured Fairy Tales. The 3-disc set contains the first 12 episodes of season 2, plus episodic promos.

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    The movie’s a dud, but it’s still fun to flip through both Terminator Salvation: The Official Companion (Titan Books, $29.95 SRP) and its companion The Art Of Terminator Salvation (Titan Books, $35.00 SRP). Both are packed with plenty of photos, art, and info. Shame the movie couldn’t have been… you know… good.

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    Though often a director, I always get a kick out of Kenneth Branagh, the actor, who is in fine form in the UK series Wallander (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), in which he stars as the titular Swedish detective. The 2-disc set features a trio of episodes, plus featurettes and a Branagh interview.

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    Surprisingly, Fargo (MGM/UA, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is still, I believe, the most successful, accessible Coen Brothers film. It’s not my personal favorite (hello, Hudsucker Proxy), but it is a quirky delight. And guess what? Now it’s available in high def, with an audio commentary, a featurette, and a trivia track.

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    The folks at Sesame certainly are pushing Abby Cadabra, aren’t they? The latest team up with their little red cash cow is Elmo And Abby’s Birthday Fun! (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP), where the duo travel to Fairy Tale Land to celebrate Little Red Riding Hood’s birthday.

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    Nancy Botwin moves her mini pot empire south of the border in the fourth season of Weeds (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), and the trip to Mexico doesn’t exactly make things easier – or safer. The 3-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus commentaries, featurettes, and a gag reel.

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    It’s not my cup of tea, but Army Wives (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP) seems to have gotten traction with audiences in its second season, which arrives on a 5-disc set with featurettes, deleted scenes, and bloopers.

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    Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell star as a trio of simple farmhand brothers who goes up against the Nazis in Defiance (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP), a flick that was largely overlooked at the box office but makes for quite a good at-home watch. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a quartet of featurettes, and more. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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    In Direct Contact (First Look Studios, Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP), Dolph Lundgren stars as an ex US Special Forces soldier whose imprisonment in Russia is lifted if he agrees to undertake a daring rescue – only to find out it was all a ruse, and means he’s now a pursued man. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.98 SRP) is also available.

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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 #98: Timothy’s Circus of Crime

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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 #98: Timothy’s Circus of Crime – Ken & Dana return a bit under the weather with a cast that quickly degenerates into savaging childhood memories before moving into nautical territory.

    [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 #98 (MP3 format)

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    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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  • Party Favors: Wayne Wang & Faye Yu

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    CHINA GROVE — Wayne Wang has lived a double life as a director of studio film geared towards women (The Joy Luck Club and Maid In Manhattan) and low budget films aimed at the art house (Chan Is Missing and Center of the World). Now he has a double feature in A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and Princess of Nebraska. The films have just been released as a double feature DVD set by Magnolia Home Entertainment.

    A Thousand Years of Good Prayers has father (Henry O) flying in from China to visit his daughter (Faye Yu) in Spokane, Washington. The quiet film examines their relationship. Her time in America has changed her attitude towards dad. The Princess of Nebraska is a much more kinetic tale of a young woman (Ling Li) arriving in San Francisco to see the sights with her friend (Brian Danforth). The two lust after the same Beijing based opera singer. The difference is she’s pregnant with the singer’s child. She’s not sure what to do with the baby.

    What made Wang tackle both of these films after making The Last Holiday with Queen Latifah and LL Cool J? I asked the question when he called the Party Favors hotline.

    “I’d just come off doing a whole series of Hollywood films. I was looking to get back to doing things about Chinese or Chinese Americans. I found this collection of short stories by Yiyun Li (A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories). One of the biggest changes with the Chinese communities here is the influx of immigrants from China. These two stories (dealt with) two women from two slightly different generations from China in America.”

    He made A Thousand Years of Good Prayers first. While in the editing room, he embarked upon adapting Li’s “The Princess of Nebraska” short story for the screen. “I wanted them as companion pieces,” Wang said.

    “The first one was very difficult to put the money together. It was such a minimalist movie. It doesn’t have the typical drama and no stars. There was a Japanese investor behind me. That’s the only reason why it got done,” Wang said. “In the beginning half the money was supposed to come from China. They backed away from it. There were some lines they wanted censored, but I wouldn’t take them out.”

    “I came in slightly under budget on the first one. I was able to convince the distributor, by the time I was editing the film, that for the little money that’s left, I can do Princess of Nebraska. Which is the same thing I did with Smoke and Blue in the Face.”

    In America, only A Thousand Years was given a theatrical release. However people who saw the film were informed that they could see The Princess of Nebraska on Youtube. This led to hundreds of thousands of viewers which is more eyeballs than the average art house release. The film is no longer on the site. The combo have played in theaters around the globe.

    “The most interesting thing is that did very well in Europe. It was a huge hit in Spain,” Wang said. “In France they distributed both films together. Some times back to back and sometimes in multiplexes in theaters next to each other. The poster was ‘Two Women. Two Chinas. Two Films.’”

    This is reminiscent of how Steven Soderbergh released his two films about Che as a double feature. There is a parallel between the careers of Wang and Soderbergh since both directors rose from the indie ranks to become studio directors. Neither director has given up making small films. Soderbergh’s recent digital film The Girlfriend Experience parallels’ Wang’s The Center of the World which was also a digital video film about the relationship between a hooker and a rich client. Soderbergh cleaned up porn star Sasha Grey for The Girlfriend Experience to get an R-rating. Wang got in major hot water with the MPAA, theater owners and prudish reporters for having Alisha Klass perform her lollipop trick on screen.

    “The press was completely on my case. I pushed the envelope a little bit,” he admitted.

    One of the big surprises of The Center of the World is an appearance by the legendary Pat Morita (Happy Days). How did he get the star of Karate Kid to appear?

    “That was a great tribute to him. I heard he was living in Vegas at the time. Most of the film was shot in Vegas. I said, ‘We gotta get Pat Morita and do a cameo.’ He loved it. He played the taxi driver. I’m such a huge fan of Pat Morita,” Wang said.

    While both A Thousand Years and Princess were shot on High-Def video, the two movies have completely different looks. A Thousand Years sticks with the 16:9 aspect ratio. Princess is a 2.35:1 scope image.

    “I went for scope aspect ratio on a much more smaller consumer type of camera. The DP (Richard Wong) was very young and very brave. We really experimented,” Wang said. “It was kinda crazy to do that because you lose shooting space. The cameras were so sensitive that they looked pretty nice. I loved that scope format. We also blew it up to film. It was great to see it really big.”

    By going digital, Wang also shrunk the size of crew needed for the productions.

    A Thousand Years wasn’t really tight. There were about 20 people most of the time. The second one (Princess) was really small. Probably less than people. Sometimes there were five or six people. I really enjoyed working that way. There was whole sequence shot inside a mall. That was all done on the fly with the cameraman, the soundman and myself hiding some where. It’s a really interesting way to work,” Wang said. “You can get things done that way if you pick the right location with the right lighting. You don’t have to do a whole lot. You do a Hollywood movie, every extra is a SAG member. The whole place has to be lit. It’s a whole different game.”

    The question arises how he manages to balance his desires with the marketplace.

    “That’s the tough one. What’s sad about the marketplace is that basically these $150 million special effect event films exist,” Wang said. “There are these smaller budget films, but they have to be special, authentic and commercial to survive. I’m more interested in those more personal smaller films, but it’s getting harder and harder.”

    Plenty of directors talk about how they immediately envision the actress while reading the story. How far into A Thousand Years did Wang imagine Faye Yu in the lead?

    “It took me a while,” he said. “I was trying to cast somebody from here and I was having a little trouble. It wasn’t until my assistant director on this one, who was also my assistant director on Joy Luck Club, she said, ‘Do you remember Faye?’ Faye after the Joy Luck Club spent time in L.A., learned English and moved back to China. I said, ‘Let’s call her and see how her English is.’ I wanted the daughter to have pretty good English since she’s been here for ten years. I called Faye on the phone. Her English was just fine. I immediately decided on her.”

    However Faye had bigger plans since she was in pre-production of her directorial debut.

    “I had to convince her to take a break from that and do the film. Which she did. I’m glad she did,” he said.

    How did it feel knowing that he’d brought Yu to Spokane, Washington for a small film while she was preparing to direct a large budget special effects film in China?

    “It was a little strange,” Wang said. “She never really talked about her film. She just came and worked as an actress.”

    The big question is what made him choose Spokane, Washington for the location of A Thousand Years?

    “I found out that there was company there that does a lot of genre films and can work really cheaply,” he said. “They were very competent. I felt Spokane was a classic midwestern American city. It’s a little bit nondescript which I like. The story could happen anywhere in America. I also found these massive village-like apartment housing complexes. All those things played into it.”

    The conversation turned to how the director on a major motion picture is like a magician. He merely as to ask for something and a crew member makes it appears. This isn’t true on an extremely small crew shoot.

    “I feel a little spoiled. On something like Maid in Manhattan, if I wanted a pink elephant to walk through, it would appear in ten minutes. I wouldn’t know the politics and the rigamarole that people went through to get it. On something like Princess of Nebraska, I knew every little problem.” He learned fast when Ling Li changed into her costume in the mall bathroom. The undercover security cops pounced on the crew thinking they were part of a shoplifting ring.

    At no point while making The Joy Luck Club did he have to deal with mall security. What has been the impact of the film on his career?

    “I’m really happy that it’s the only Chinese-American film that crossed over to a very broad audience. It’s accessible on DVD and TV, a lot have people have seen. Because of that, I’ve been able to work in Hollywood a little bit. It has helped me make some money and studio movies. I also got caught up in that world a bit. I now appreciate the independent side again. Everything is two sided,” he said.

    “If I do a studio film, I’ll do a studio film. I want to entertain. If I do an independent film, I want to make sure that I’m really independent. I’ll make choices that are personal and specific rather than saying, ‘I got to make this more accessible.’ If you look at these two films, I made difficult choices. I thought they were right and more authentic for the film. I didn’t call up a producer or studio person to ask, ‘Can I do this?’

    What are the odds that he could have ever received backing by a major studio to make The Princess of Nebraska?

    “There is no way. The way it is shot, the lead character, what she goes through…all of that would be something very difficult to go through.”

    While he was shooting Princess, Juno was catching box office fever. How did he think the Oscar winning film treated same subject matter?

    “I thought Juno was too easy of a film. Too easy to like. It is a well made film and easy to like. Princess doesn’t give you anything. It gets inside this woman to see what she’s going through, what decisions she’s has to make and what troubles she got herself. Those are the issues that pregnancy and abortion really bring up,” he said.

    His early films are coming out on DVD, but he’s tweaking them on his home computer.

    “I’m bad. On the films that I own myself, I’ve pretty much gone into all of them and recut them. Chan is Missing and Dim Sum were recently recut and redigitized high def in Europe. The ones that I own and have access to the original material, I’ve been able to do that. I’m bad. At two o’clock in the morning I’m recutting these movies. But it’s fun.”

    ACTRESS SPEAKS

    Faye Yu (who also goes by Feihong Yu) was introduced to American audiences in The Joy Luck Club. Nearly fifteen years later, she reunited with director Wayne Wang for the larger role of Yilan in A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.

    “When he tapped me for The Joy Luck Club, I was only a film student at the Beijing Film Academy. I met him out of the blue. It wasn’t really casting. I was doing my summer vacation in Shanghai. He was location scouting. I just ran into him. He thought I would be good for the role of Ying Ying, the younger mother back in the ’40s.”

    There was a minor complication in her casting. While her scenes took place in China, they were being filmed in San Francisco. She had to leave her country.

    “I was 19 years old. I’d never been out of the country. At that time it was very hard for me to get a visa. It took them three months.” The studio had to use plenty of political connections to make bring her to America. “By the time I got to San Francisco, they had been shooting for a month. They whole production was waiting for me.”

    Wang was devoted in getting her to play the role. He could have gone with a second choice, but he stuck it out for her arrival.

    “I really appreciated it,” she said. “Prior to that, I only met him once. In the Chinese way, we think it is a fate that brought us together. Interestingly I didn’t speak English at the time. I had an assistant to take care of me and translate for me.”

    She didn’t immediately go Hollywood after her first major role.

    “After The Joy Luck Club, I went back to Beijing to finish my school. I graduated and did two projects. I came to Los Angeles and tried to learn English. Then I went back (to China) again.

    She taught at the Beijing Film Academy while continuing her acting career.

    “By the time he called me up for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, I was preparing my directorial debut. Out of the blue he called me up and thought I’d be proper for the role in A Thousand Years. My pre-production was busy. He said, ‘I only need four weeks. Can you take that time?’ At the time we were doing the artwork and design. I kind of managed to leave for four weeks to do the movie. That turned out to be a blast,” she said. “I have grown up in both in a personal way and professional way. He saw the changes in me and he really liked it.”

    The small nature of the film allowed the actors a chance to really feel the material and the characters.

    “We had a reading and we did everything in the script. On set he changed everything,” she said. “He had new ideas come out. We would leave the script and do things spontaneously. We had everything planned, but do something that we feel on set.

    Henry O plays her father who is staying in her apartment in Spokane. O is best known for being one of the Buddhist monks on The Sopranos. He also has appeared in Rush Hour 3, Shanghai Noon and The Last Emperor. How did Yu react to her co-star?

    “I immediately felt a bond with him as soon as I got on set. He’s very nice, lovely guy. He’s a very typical Chinese father type. He’s humble and polite. He doesn’t talk that much. He holds all his feelings to himself.

    “Chinese parents express themselves much verbally. Within my family my father and mother never say, “I love you, baby.” We don’t say love the word that easily. But you can feel it in every way. The way they treat you shows how much they love you. I live in Beijing and my parents live in Hangzhou which is near Shanghai. Whenever I go visit them, my mother cooks and cooks as much as she can. She just wants to feed me. That’s just the way she shows her love. They feel like there’s nothing they can do more since you’ve grown up. We don’t much like hugging or saying ‘Love you so much.” You see it in their gesture. I can relate to this movie. The father and daughter have conflicts, but the love is mutual. No matter how far you go, no matter how many conflicts you have or conflict differences, you are always their baby.”

    O has the supreme look of concern when his daughter doesn’t return as scheduled.

    “In the film, the father has to know where she goes, who she sees and why she comes back late. The Americans wouldn’t understand it. In the Chinese way, the parents always think you’re a baby. You can grow up to 60 years old and you’re still a baby to them.”

    Her time spent in Los Angeles learning English allowed her tap into the character who is living between two mindsets.

    “All that experience helped a lot for me to play that character,” Yu said. “I can understand both cultures and understand the differences. That helped me to play a character caught in the middle of this conflict.”

    Yu finds a deep truth in Yilan’s character when it comes to speaking English for what can’t get said in Chinese.

    “She never learned to express her feelings in her own language because of the culture. Unlike the character, I’m very close to my parents. But we don’t express much of our personal feelings to each other,” she said. “I don’t talk to my parents about being in love with this one or broke up with this one. It doesn’t mean we don’t love each other. So the character in the movie said that she learned feeling to express in English. I do feel that a little bit.”

    She also found that there’s other things she can express only in English.
    “I never curse in Chinese,” she said. “When I curse in English, I don’t feel like it’s a curse. I say it with more feeling, even dirty words. If I say the f-word in Chinese, it wouldn’t be proper for me. But when I say the f-word in English, I don’t feel that strange.”

    What did the actress feel about her month in Spokane? “Spokane is different from L.A. It makes you think back to the early days of America.” Was there a Chinese community in the city? “We were able to find a couple Chinese restaurants, but we didn’t see a large Chinese population there.

    Yu returned to China in time to start production of her film.

    “I just finished the post-production and it’s going to be released in August in China. It’s called Eternal Beloved. That’s the English title, but it’ll be different in Chinese. It’s an epic love story about two young people, reincarnation, loves in previous lives and after life.

    Her time with Wayne Wang has proven to be helpful in giving her tools to work on a set.

    “His input influenced me a lot,” Yu said. “I’m really glad that I had a time to come out and do that film with him prior to my directing job. His concentration, his way of directing and communicating with actors and film crews was sort of a pre-education thing for me. He’s almost a mentor to me. When I came back to China to do the film, I remembered how he did that work.”

    One of the curious elements of the film is how short the names above the title are with O and Yu as the stars. “We have easy last names,” she said.

    She’s not related to Ronnie Yu, the director of Bride with White Hair and Bride of Chucky. Do people in China wonder about them being related?

    “It’s pronounced the same, but we have different characters. My Yu is quite rare,” she declared.

    A Thousand Years of Good Prayer and The Princess of Nebraska are currently available as double DVD set from Magnolia Home Entertainment.

    THAT’S HILARIOUS

    Augie snuck into a preview screening of Judd Apatow’s Funny People. He’s still in complete shock from the ending. “Forget the James Brooks B.S.,” Augie declared. “This is Judd Apatow’s version of celebrity Straw Dogs.” According to Augie, Adam Sandler steals Eric Bana’s wife and whisks her away to his Malibu mansion. Bana goes completely nuts at her dumping him and the kids to be the rich comic actor’s newest conquest. He breaks out his hunting rifles and takes a moonlight drive up the coast. While Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” plays, Bana rams his car into the double door of Sandler’s mansion and ventilates Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill while they’re playing wii tennis. Then he goes into the bedroom and takes out Sandler and his wife while they’re having sex. Sandler’s brains splash across a portrait of Paul Lynde dressed as an angel. Finally Bana puts the shotgun under his chin, says, “Domo arigato misuta Robotto” and pulls the trigger. Cut to black. Augie said the audience went nuts.

    I’m jacked up at seeing this showbiz carnage.

    BLU-RAY HEAVEN

    Revolutionary Road Blu-ray reunites the Titanic lovers of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. For those who pondered what would happen if Jack hadn’t frozen to death in the Atlantic; the answer is he’d be frozen to death in suburbia. In the ’50s, the couple seem to be madly in love with each other in New York City. They decide they want to start a family so they buy the house within commuting distance. The new life with the lawn and kids destroys their relationship. They plot an escape to Paris. But can they really pull it off? The film takes us to the era of Mad Men. You almost expect to see Don Draper on Leo’s train. Kate taps deep into the frustrated housewife. The 1080p transfer is spectacular. The little details of the time shimmer on the screen with the extra details including the richness of the wood grain in the kitchen cabinets. The bonus features include a commentary track from director Sam Mendes. There’s a swinger strange about a husband talking while his wife is groping Leo. “Lives of Quiet Desperation” covers the behind the scenes action. “The Wages of Truth” gives the background of novelist Richard Yates. There’s almost half an hour of deleted scenes. Revolutionary Road is one of those classy films that will gain in importance over the decade.

    DVD SHELF

    Cannon Season Two, Volume One brings back my favorite TV private eye in the heavyweight class. Frank Cannon (William Conrad) is an ex-cop who likes the good life. He’s not a snob. He merely has a complete bar with beer taps in his living room. This second season has him once again putting his life on the line for clients. Fans of Battlestar Galactica will get a kick out of seeing an extremely young Richard Hatch on “Sky Above, Death Below.” “Bitter Legion” has Lloyd Bochner plotting the robbery of the L.A. Coliseum with a group of unemployed Vietnam war vets. In a really bad casting move, Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees plays one of the vets. He keeps doing his James Cagney impersonation. It’s understandable why he found a career in doing voices for animation. Jessica Walters (Arrested Development) stars in “That Was No Lady.” She’s a high profile lawyer who needs to lay low after she’s marked for death for representing hoodlums who robbed a charity. “The Predators” features Robert Pine as a deputy sheriff in the middle of human trafficking. Robert Pine is now known as the daddy of Captain Kirk. “The Rip Off” opens with Cannon’s entire apartment being swiped by George Mahris (Route 66). It’s a fun dozen cases for Cannon whose hunches are almost as big as his gut.

    Perry Mason: Season 4, Volume 1 keeps up the quality court cases for America’s most successful lawyer. Mason (Raymond Burr) doesn’t sweat in court. He knows more than his clients about the truth that will set them free. “The Case of the Treacherous Toupee” makes a suspect out of Robert Redford. The case itself has Perry looking for a second toupee to nail the killer. Good thing William Shatner wasn’t around. “The Case of the Clumsy Clown” involves bigamy and big cat attacks beneath the Big Top. Perry is brought in to defend a clown who is accused of killing a co-owner of the circus by shooting him during the show. This might be the reason why kids are frightened of clowns. “The Case of the Provocative Protege” sticks us with a concert pianist with a destroyed hand. His empire is falling apart. He can’t allow his talented student to become a casino act. It’s too much and his car goes over a cliff. Everyone declares it a suicide. But a shifty character swears it was murder. Perry has to get to the truth. “The Case of the Envious Editor” could be torn from today’s headlines. A publishing company is going down the tubes so the new CEO wants to change the style of the rags. The old editors go nuts. Somebody goes completely nuts and kills to new CEO. Remember to watch from the start since the new CEO is James Coburn (In Like Flint). The 4 DVD set gives us 16 cases that keep up the top notch whodunit action.

    The Cleaner is A&E’s dramatic extension into the world of their hit Intervention reality series. This has nothing to do with the movie starring Cedric the Entertainer. Benjamin Bratt dishes out intense rehab. He’s on a mission from God to help clean up the souls of the fallen. He doesn’t do it by himself. He has a team that helps him bring messed up folks to rehab including Grace Park. Finally you can see Boomer from Battlestar Galactica without wondering which cylon is she. He also has to balance his devotion to curing with raising a family. His daughter is played by Lilana Mumy who looks so much like her dad, Lost In Space‘s Billy Mumy. Bratt is perfectly cast in the role since he seems like a guy who would coerce you into refusing a free drink. Although if I need a case of extreme interventionism to bust my Suduko habit, let it be Grace Parks that tempts me with the light of clarity. There’s 13 episodes on 4 DVDs. The bonus features include deleted scenes and a gag reel. Although there’s no gag reel footage of people gagging while detoxing.

    GIVEAWAYS

    We’ve got two contests this week. Do you feel luck? Well do you?

    CBS DVD has given us 5 copies of Cannon Season Two, Volume One to give to very special Party Favors readers. In order to win, answer this question: How tall was William Conrad when he played Frank Cannon? Send your answer, name and address to mokaha@aol.com. Put “Cannon” in the subject.

    CBS DVD has also given us 5 copies of Perry Mason: Season 4, Volume 1 to give to very special Party Favors readers. In order to win, answer this question: How tall was Raymond Burr when he was Perry Mason? Send your answer, name and address to mokaha@aol.com. Put “Perry Mason” in the subject.

    Family, friends, people who flunked the bar are not eligible to win.

  • Cabin Fever #67: Miley Cyrus Is What’s Wrong With The World Today

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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 #67: Miley Cyrus Is What’s Wrong With The World Today – The boys start this week off in a slow, thoughtful manner but things go rude as they get worked up by bad parents, tweens, and the fact that they had water dumped on their heads by an old lady in the street. Music is provided by Scott Matthews and Red Queen Hypothesis.

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

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Episode #67 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_67.mp3]

    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

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

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    CLICK HERE FOR THE CABIN FEVER ARCHIVES

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  • Contest Round-Up: 2009-06-03

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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 Legend Films & RiffTrax (www.rifftrax.com), we’re giving away two (2) sets of the new RIFFTRAX DVD releases.

    In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of FAMILY GUY: VOLUME 7 on DVD.

    In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) sets of Blu-Ray titles in celebration of Father’s Day.

    In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of both the standard and Blu-Ray editions of NATURE’S MOST AMAZING EVENTS on DVD.

    In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of HOME on Blu-Ray.

    In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of MISTRESSES: VOLUME ONE on DVD.

    In conjunction with Nerf, we’re giving away a NERF N-FORCE SHADOW & THUNDER FURY SWORD SET.

  • Win a NERF N-FORCE SHADOW & THUNDER FURY SWORD SET!

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    In conjunction with Nerf, we’re giving away a NERF N-FORCE SHADOW & THUNDER FURY SWORD SET.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Win MISTRESSES: VOLUME ONE on DVD!

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    In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of MISTRESSES: VOLUME ONE on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Win HOME on Blu-Ray!

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    In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of HOME on Blu-Ray.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Win NATURE’S MOST AMAZING EVENTS on DVD & Blu-Ray!

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    In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of both the standard and Blu-Ray editions of NATURE’S MOST AMAZING EVENTS.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Win FATHER’S DAY Blu-Ray titles from UNIVERSAL!

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    In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) sets of Blu-Ray titles in celebration of Father’s Day. Each set includes Cinderella Man, Fletch, Field Of Dreams, Bruce Almighty, Seabiscuit, Inside Man, Children Of Men, & Spy Game.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Win FAMILY GUY: VOLUME 7 on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of FAMILY GUY: VOLUME 7 on DVD.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Win RIFFTRAX on DVD!

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    In conjunction with Legend Films & RiffTrax (www.rifftrax.com), we’re giving away two (2) sets of the new RIFFTRAX DVD releases. The sets include Missile To The Moon, House On Haunted Hill, Swing Parade, Little Shop Of Horrors, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Reefer Madness, Night Of the Living Dead, Carnival Of Souls, Best Of RiffTrax Shorts: Volume One, & Best Of RiffTrax Shorts: Volume Two.

    Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, June, 25th.

    CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

    Official Rules

    No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

    No Purchase necessary to win.

    Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

    One entry per day, per person.

    All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on June, 25th.

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

  • Masters Of Song Fu #4: Round 2 Challenge Revealed!

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

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

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

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

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

    Oh, and what do we call this competition?

    MASTERS OF SONG FU

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

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

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    ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

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

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

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    You’ll find the Round 1 songs from each of our Challengers below, as well as the results of the Round 1 voting. More importantly, though, you’ll also discover what the Round 2 Challenge is!

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    THE CHALLENGERS

    MOLLY LEWIS

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

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

    EDRIC HALEEN

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

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

    “BUCKETHAT” BOBBY MATHESON

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

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

    MIKE LOMBARDO

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

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

    GöDZ PööDLZ

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

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

    STEVE CHATTERTON

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

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

    JUTZE SCHULT

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

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

    JARRETT HEATHER

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

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

    AUDIOMOHEL

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

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

    JALEPENO HABANEROS

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

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

    THE SCRIBBLES

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

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

    GORBZILLA

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

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

    DARRELL MacLAINE

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

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

    BERG AND JERRY

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

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

    DERREK J. THOMPSON

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

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

    JEREMY PIERSON

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

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

    DENISE HUDSON

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

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

    LEX VADER

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

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

    TOM MILSOM

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

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

    CALEB HINES

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

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 1 SONG:Ancient Wonder

    MILES FROM NASHVILLE

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

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

    ANDREW THOMSON

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

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

    CALEB LEE

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

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

    RICHARD CLAYTON SPRING

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

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

    SARA PARSONS

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

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

    AUSTIN & THE PUDAKS

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

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

    IAN & MELISSA

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

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

    TRAVIS NORRIS

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

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 1 SONG:Enertronic Bow

    THE GREMLINS

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

    Official Website: NONE
    ROUND 1 SONG:Neutron Star

    THE PERFECT PLACE

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

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

    HIS NAME IS LEGS

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

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

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

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    ROUND 2 CHALLENGE

    Write a march.

    A march is “a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to” – and that is your challenge. You can write on any topic. Your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 15 seconds.

    Your song must be submitted in mp3 form (128-192kbps) either via e-mail (to songfu @ asitecalledfred.com – remember to remove the spaces) or a file upload service (like RapidShare or YouSendIt). Deadline for submission is 11:59pm EST on Monday, June 8th, 2009.

    Voting on Round 2 submissions will commence on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009.

    If you want some inspiration, here’s a march from Harry Nilsson…
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    ROUND 1 VOTING RESULTS – THE CHALLENGERS

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    View Results

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

    Good luck, and bring on the Fu.

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  • Bagged & Boarded 27: Everyone’s gonna be a bad guy!

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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 #27: Everyone’s gonna be a bad guy!   – In which Matt and Jesse are reunited after a scary week apart, discuss regional fast food differences, decide how they will live in the DC Universe, and create a movie where Jesse can’t remove his pants. Up, up and away, yo!

    [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 #27 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/baggedboarded/bagged_boarded-27.mp3]

    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

    Got something to say? E-mail Matt & Jesse at the B & B mailbag.

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    CLICK HERE FOR THE BAGGED & BOARDED ARCHIVES

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  • SModcast 87

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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 87: Tapoo –

    In which a simple concept slips from our heroes’ grasps.

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

    DOWNLOAD:

    SModcast 87 (MP3 format)

    [display_podcast]

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    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

    Subscribe to this Podcast via FeedBurner

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

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    CLICK HERE FOR THE SMODCAST ARCHIVES

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  • Masters Of Song Fu #4: Challenge 1 Listening Party!

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    This evening – Friday, May 29th – we’ll be holding a special live, streaming listening party. We’ll be playing all 30 Challenge 1 tunes.

    The event begins at 7pm EST, and you can access it by clicking HERE

    Come on out, support all of the wonderful artists, and then go place your votes if you haven’t already.

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  • Weekend Shopping Guide 5/29/09: Yes, Jeeves

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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…)

    The books are classics of English humor, and the television adaptations starring Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie serve the material exceptionally well, as you can discover in P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Collection (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP), which contains all four seasons.

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    When I’m out running errands, I never seem to have a pen with me when I need it most. You know, like when you want to write something down, or make a deposit, or defend yourself against a mountain lion. Well, the Inka Pen Travel Pen ($14.99) is perfect, because not only does it store itself at half size and come on a keychain, but it also features a PDA stylus to boot. Perfect.

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    Director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost In The Shell returns with a beautiful feature about a group of eternally young fighter pilots engaging in incredible dogfights against an implacable enemy, and the one pilot that wants to discover his missing past. Sky Crawlers (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.96 SRP) features both the English and original Japanese versions of the film, plus a pair of featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.95 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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    I’ve praised the fine folks at Twomorrows Publishing many, many times in the past, and that praise it deserved. In fact, I’m going to do so again, by recommending the latest volume in their magnificent Modern Masters artist spotlight series, which has just featured Kyle Baker (Twomorrows, $14.95). Equal parts in-depth interview and sketchbook, it’s a must-have.

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    As if murderers weren’t enough of a pain, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) now has a snooping reporter to make things awkward in the complete fourth season of The Closer (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 4-disc box set contains all 15 episodes, plus unaired scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.

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    A long time coming, Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) is an unblinking, affectionate, warts-and-all portrait of a writer whose creativity is matched only by his curmudgeonly, combative nature. Read the man’s work and then pick this up for a look at the man behind it. The DVD features additional readings, a featurette from the film’s premiere, and pizza with Harlan and Neil Gaiman.

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    While all of the attention went to the flashier Matrix, I always enjoyed the quieter, more cerebral sci-fi of producer Roland Emmerich’s The Thirteenth Floor (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$28.95 SRP), which is now making its debut in high definition. It’s part virtual reality, part noir, part detective whodunit, and more. If you’ve never given it a spin, try it out. The disc features an audio commentary and a music video.

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    All these years later, there’s something comically over-the-top about Falling Down (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which starred Michael Douglas as a laid off defense worker whose had enough and is not willing to take it anymore. Controversial at the time, it’s more a caricature now. The new special edition adds a commentary track with Douglas and director Joel Schumacher, an interview with Douglas, and the theatrical trailer. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

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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 1 & Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Volume 1 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP each), 2-disc set featuring over 5 hours of Hanna-Barbera and Warners cartoons that evoke memories of that bygone era. The sets also contain documentaries on Quick Draw McGraw, The Herculoids, Frankenstein, Jr., Charlie Chan, and The Funky Phantom.

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    The Beeb has brought together a quintet of their recent Dickens adaptations into the Charles Dickens Masterworks Collection (BBC, Not Rated , DVD-$119.98 SRP). The set collects the previously released discs of Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and Great Expectations, with the exact same bonus features as those original versions.

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    However, the Beeb hasn’t brought out any of their classic comedy in high definition yet, but we are getting a pair of their recent prestige productions on Blu-Ray. The first is their multi-art adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), starring Gillian Anderson and containing bonus commentaries, interviews, and a photo gallery. Also available is Cranford (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), their adaptation of the works of Elizabeth Gaskell. The sole bonus feature is a making-of featurette.

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    I’m not entirely a fan of the split-season approach to releasing classic DVD series, but if it’s the only economically viable way to get them out, I guess we’ll all just have to be patient. The latest installments are Gunsmoke: The Third Season Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP) and The Mod Squad: Season 2 Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP).

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    Get a complete, compelling look at the prehistory of Planet Earth through the arrival of mankind with the History Channel’s Prehistoric Collection (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP), which collects four previous documentaries in one set – Jurassic Fight Club, Prehistoric Megastorms, Journey To 10,000 BC, and Clash Of The Cavemen. Bonus materials include additional footage and the Mega Disasters episode “Asteroid Apocalypse”.

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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 #97: Lobster Pants and Tank Tops

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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 #97: Lobster Pants and Tank Tops – Ken & Dana return with a meandering conversation which touches on lobster pants before delving deeper into embarrassing clothing from their deep, dark pasts. Then, other stuff happens.

    [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 #97 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-97.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 #66: Starcrash and Burn

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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 #66: Starcrash and Burn – This week the guys open up the floor to the listeners and let them chime in on The Greatest Movie Ever, with varying results. They also discuss Insane Ian Bonds’ new album, n3rds0ngs, as well as parody music in general, and everyone’s favourite 60 second music review makes a welcome return… of sorts.

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

    DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
    Episode #66 (MP3 format)

    [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_66.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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  • Party Favors: Jo Koy Interview

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    KANSAS CITY – Jo Koy’s cellphone was calling me.

    The stand up comedian’s excited that his first hour long Comedy Central special is now out on DVD. Jo Koy: Don’t Make Him Angry gives the uncensored version of tales about Michael Phelps, his son’s ting-ting and his mom playing Wii.

    Before we discussed the funny, there was the matter of people thinking he was saying “Joe Corey” on his Amp’d Mobile ad. It was more confusing since we have matching haircuts. He was not playing me in the pool hall. He wanted to know if other people messed up my name like his.

    “Whenever I go to get a reservation they go, ‘Your first name is Joy?’” Koy said.

    The most embarrassing butchering of his name came at the hands of a former Fox News employee.

    “I was doing an industry showcase in LA. Dom Irrera was the host. This is the first time I get to LA. The networks are in the audience to watch. He goes up to do my intro, ‘This next gal, I’ve worked with her several time. She’s hilarious. You’re going to love her. Put your hands together for Joy Koy!’” Jo had to burn one of his precious minutes explaining to the folks that he wasn’t a girl.

    Luckily Koy’s career wasn’t destroyed by Dom’s gaf. He graduated from a doing a Comedy Central Presents half hour special to a full fledged hour long show. Here’s a clip from Don’t Make Him Angry with Koy talking about Michael Phelps:

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    Jo Koy – Swimming
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    What’s remarkable is the background image of Koy’s crying son isn’t a projected photograph. It’s a giant mobile hanging from above. Bruce Ryan was responsible for this wicked good piece of stagecraft.

    “What’s crazy is that each individual piece had weights on them so they would sit perfectly and wouldn’t sway if wind hit them. The guy is a genius. Bruce Ryan does the big sets for everybody,” Koy explained. Ryan created the sets for Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Dunham, Kathy Griffin and AFI’s Tributes to George Lucas. “We were blessed to have him. He didn’t tell us what he was going to do until the day of the show. I looked up and I teared up. It was so beautiful.”

    The piece was too huge for Koy to take back to his place. Even after all these months, it still pangs him that he couldn’t save it. Who wouldn’t want a 20 ft high sculpture of your kid to show off to family and friends? He confessed how he wished he’s just taken one piece.

    Koy is really close to his son and taps the child for several of his best routines. He still remembers the delivery room. “That was the best moment of my life,” he said. “Seeing that baby being born. So amazing even though I threw up.”

    Koy merely gushed when it came to talking about director Troy Miller’s work on Don’t Make Him Angry. “The way he shot it was awesome. It has a different look than most one hour specials. He went above and beyond also.”

    The DVD also includes Koy’s first half hour Comedy Central Presents that was done last year. What was the difference in making the step up to the big show? “When you’re doing an hour, you’re literally doing an hour and thirty minutes,” Koy said. “That way they have enough material to go to. I had to write a longer set. I had to do two tapings in one night. It was pretty much three hours that I did on stage. What’s crazy was we had a technical difficulty in the first show. We couldn’t even use any of the material from the first taping. The whole DVD is the performance I did that night.”

    What technical glitch happened to zilch the early show? Did someone forget to press record on the tape deck? Did the front row consist of CIA undercover agents?

    “We had no air conditioning,” Koy confessed. “I was sweating profusely. It was bad. I had that silver jacket on so you could see big sweat spots starting to grow. We couldn’t use it because it wouldn’t match. During the second show we still didn’t have an air conditioning unit. At the end of every joke, I was basically stopping. I’d apologize to the crowd. We’d have to do make up and wipe the sweat off my face between each joke. Then I’d start back up again.”

    Unlike Madonna, he didn’t rush off stage for the touch up. He never lost sight of the audience. “I was joking and interacting with them in between,” Koy said. If you were in the audience that night, he still thinks highly of you.

    You’ve already seen the first half of his routine about Olympic champion Michael Phelps. The routine gets a little darker in the second half. How do the crowds react to him talking about Phelps without his swimcap?

    “They love it,” Koy confirmed. “I go on the road and people request it. I don’t do that hour at all. I don’t touch any of those jokes anymore. Last night people were yelling out ‘Michael Phelps!” And ‘Wii!’ My mom playing the wii. They scream that out loud and I have to do it for these people. It’s awesome. I love it. I never had a request before.”

    We had a joke about how if Michael Phelps had been photographed eating pot brownies, he could have received a Duncan Hines endorsement instead of apologizing to the people of China.

    Here’s a little bit of Jo talking about his mom while she’s in the audience:

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    Jo Koy – P’s and F’s
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    “My mom keeps giving me material without knowing that she’s giving me material,” Koy said. “She gets joy every time I go up on stage and have a story about her. She’s a ham, as you can tell.”

    We joke about between his son and his mom, he ought to have a reality show on Bravo.

    “I shot a pilot with Comedy Central which didn’t get picked up,” Koy said. “Now we’re moving along. I would love to shoot a pilot again based on me and my son.”

    Like myself, Jo Coy is also disgusted that “Joe the Plumber” is really a guy named Sam. People that aren’t a first name Joe aren’t really Joes. “This is a classic name,” Koy said. “Don’t mess it up.”

    With Jay Leno going to 10 p.m. next season, will there be even more opportunities for stand up comics with all the talkshows needing talent?

    “I can’t wait to do Jay Leno again,” Koy said. “What a great talkshow to be on. That guy is nothing, but class. I love Jay. The Tonight Show changed my life completely. I did Kimmel and Carson Daly, but when I did The Tonight Show it was something special. Jay came into my dressing room and spent thirty minutes with my mom, dad, sister and me. He’s a class act. Him and Craig Ferguson are the two guys I admire a lot in the talk show world.”

    His first visit with Leno got even better after the show wrapped up. “At the end of the show they do the local drops. He pre-tapes those and keeps the audience there. I’m standing next to Jay Leno. He did four station IDs. When he was done, he looked out in the crowd and said, ‘Where’s Jo Koy’s parents at?” My dad raises his hand. Jay says, ‘Come down. I want to take a picture of you and your son on my stage.’ It was so classy.”

    Another show he enjoy is Chelsea Lately on E! He’s been a regular guest on the opening roundtable segment. “I’m pretty much a fixture there and I love it. She’s done so much for my career. She’s really giving and sweet. I want to pay it forward just like her.” And when it comes to her sidekick Chuy Bravo? “I love that guy. He takes those punches so good.”

    Koy got his start in Las Vegas. We joked about the badness Criss Angel’s show at the Luxor. We got a little too ghastly with talk about the potential future home of the Jo Koy theater. He gave his recommendation for food in Sin City. “The best place for late night steaks is the Rio.”

    When he was working out his material for Don’t Get Him Angry, did Koy work on the language to figure out what moments would work best when bleeped so people would be really interested into getting the uncensored DVD?

    “The beautiful thing about the hour is that you get to go up and be yourself and (Comedy Central) has to deal with the bleeping,” Koy said. “It doesn’t take you out of your routine. I’m on the road every day of the week. I’m doing club style comedy. To prepare for my hour special I was one the road for eight months working on my set. I was writing jokes for the hour, but I still have to perform for these people who are coming out to see me.”

    What’s always interesting about a comic how they have to constantly be updating their material. Once a comic gets a routine just right, they have to dump it. Don’t expect Koy to perform all the jokes on Don’ t Make Him Angry when he comes to your town in the next few months.

    “That’s why people don’t understand how hard it to do stand up,” Koy said. “Writing a joke is equivalent to writing a song. It’s just as hard to work out the kinks and make sure it’s hilariously funny. It takes a while for each joke to develop and work out. Unfortunately when we finally get it on DVD, we have to retire it. Or when it’s on TV, we have to drop it. Otherwise people think you’re doing the same material all the time. It’s unfortunate, but that’s part of the game. A singer writes a song and can milk it for 25 years. We can’t do the classics. It sucks cause there’s a few jokes that I didn’t get to do on the road. I never really got to perform that Michael Phelps joke anywhere. That joke came right after the Olympics.”

    There is one exception to the retirement rule.

    “If they request it; let’s do it. But it’s a double edged sword for a comedian,” Koy said. “If I go up and do it, the crowd is like, ‘He’s just doing the stuff from the DVD.’ But if you don’t do it, the crowd says, ‘Why didn’t you do any of the stuff from the DVD?’ What do you guys want from me?”

    Koy understands the ultimate reason that he needs to keep updating his material. “I don’t want be at the end of my set talking about my three year old and someone comes up to me and goes, ‘Isn’t your son six and a half now?’”

    If you want to see Jo Koy talk about his son’s Ting-Ting while the kid is still young, visit his website at:

    www.jokoy.com

    REVENGE TIME?

    Anyone else suspect that the recent rash of hatred against Craigslist is being funded by big newspaper publishers wanting us to return to their “safe” classified pages? There’s such a rabid exploitation of any news story dealing with someone using Craigslist.

    TRUMP SCAM

    How can this season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice not be viewed as fixed? Joan Rivers was a worthless mess on a majority of the episodes, but Trump refused to fire her. Did it have something to do with Joan’s charity being God’s Love We Deliver? Joan likes to call it a small, little known charity. Except it’s not that unknown in the world of Donald Trump since Blaine Trump, his sister-in-law, sits on the Board of Directors of God’s Love We Deliver.

    Donald Trump funneled $532,000 of NBC’s money to a relative’s charity without admitting his connection. How could Annie Duke have a chance to win? She was dead meat in that boardroom. The network didn’t let us know that the judge had a rooting interest in this decision. I would normally say that this is against the game show laws, but there’s no real game in this show, Trump can do what he wants without preset rules and conditions. He doesn’t have to be consistent or make sense. He got rid of a Kardashian because he won’t tolerate people with a drunk driving conviction. Yet he allowed Dennis Rodman to stick around even though the Worm had also been nailed for drunk driving. Where’s the justice?

    The bigger scandal is why NBC had to give this show three hours for its finale. Couldn’t they have cut it in half and started the Today Show early?

    BOND BLU-RAY

    Another two James Bond classics are out on Blu-ray this month. Time to break out my martini glasses to enjoy 007 in 1080p.

    The Man With The Golden Gun takes the Roger Moore Bond to the Far East. He’s in pursuit of a notorious hitman played by Christopher Lee. How will the secret agent do against a man who played Dracula in the Hammer Films? Lee gets a little help from Herve Villechaize (Tattoo from Fantasy Island). Bond gets stuck with a ditzy agent, Britt Ekland (The Wicker Man) so he’s out manned. The film does have quite a few exciting scenes including a spiral car leap off twisted bridge. Christopher Lee turns his car into an airplane with a few handy accessories. Unlike today’s CGI effects, they really did get that car to fly. All the bonus features from the Ultimate Edition have been brought over. The transfer image brings out the beauty of the Asian location. The Phuket islands in Thailand look like a high quality travel poster on the screen. And you’ll want to be able to see Britt Ekland and Maud Adams in extreme resolution as they wander around Lee’s lair in bikinis.

    Licence to Kill was Timothy Dalton’s second and final outing as Bond. They wanted to make a harder Bond than the glib Roger Moore persona. While this film isn’t as intense as Daniel Craig’s Bond, Dalton wasn’t a happy go lucky agent. The cut on the Blu-ray contains the moments snipped after the MPAA rated the film with an R back in ’89. The film has Robert Davi (the creepy stripclub owner in Showgirls) as a Latin American drug kingpin. Bond and Felix Leiter (David Hedison) bust the guy right before Felix’s wedding. The honeymoon goes bad when Davi escapes and gives Felix a really bad wedding gift. Bond is bent on revenge, but M wants him off the case. Bond resigns from MI6 so he can keep up his pursuit. His only help is Carey Lowell and Davi’s abused girlfriend. Davi’s main muscle is a very young Benicio Del Toro. Injecting a little humor to the film is Wayne Newton as a televangelist. The high definition transfer makes the shark torture scene more intense than the pan and scan run on cable. The bonus features include a breakdown of how they made the tanker trucks for the big stunt sequence. You also get two really cheesy ’80s videos from Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. If you’ve upgraded your home entertainment system, make sure you’ve upgraded your Bonds.

    DVD SHELF

    Man Hunt is our Ray Regis pick of the week. In the wake of Tarantino’s World War II fantasy called Inglourious Basterds, Fox has finally put out Fritz Lang’s own fictional plot against Hitler that was released in 1941. Walter Pidgeon has a clear shot at Hitler during a hunting trip in Bavaria. He’s captured by Hitler’s guards. They torture him in hopes of getting a confession that he is a British agent on a mission. Can he withstand the enhanced interrogation techniques? What would happen if he does as told? This was pre-World War II so plenty hangs in the balance for Pidgeon to resist. Can he escape before he becomes another victim of the Third Reich? The movie is a tight thriller for its time. Patrick McGilligan contributes a commentary track. He wrote Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast so he’s giving plenty of details instead of describing what we’re seeing. He lets us know the guy playing Hitler had already put on the mustache for Citizen Kane. The late film archivist Ray Regis was really excited to screen Man Hunt a few years back. I know he’d be pleased by the excellent black and white transfer on this DVD. Before you see Basterds, witness how Fritz Lang threatened Hitler while the Fuhrer was alive.

    Pufnstuf is the winner of the DVD that requires you to be baked. The big screen musical adaptation of the Saturday morning H.R. Pufnstuf. This was the first major freakishness from Sid and Mary Krofft. A little boy is kidnapped by a witch who wants his magic flute. His only help is a giant lizard in little white cowboy boots. Can he get his flute back? Why is everything on Living Island alive? How do they eat without fruit screaming? Will Mama Cass sing more songs? This film is not made to be watched while sober. Only bonus feature is the trailer.