The Art of Bolt

Meet Bolt: dashing superdog, loyal companion, and star of a hit television show. When he learns the shocking truth -- that this charmed life has been a lie -- Bolt embarks on a cross-country adventure and discovers along the way that he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero.
Meet Bolt: dashing superdog, loyal companion, and star of a hit television show. When he learns the shocking truth -- that this charmed life has been a lie -- Bolt embarks on a cross-country adventure and discovers along the way that he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero.

The Art of Bolt by Mark Cotta Vaz is the trusty sidekick guide to Bolt — the latest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios — and the newest volume in Chronicle Books’ line of Pixar/Disney animation art books, following The Art of WALL-E. The Art of Bolt documents the evolution of a movie whose “creators built from scratch an ingenious animation process that blurs the line between hand-painted and computer-generated filmmaking.”

Packed with vivid conceptual art “that functioned as beautiful building blocks for the unique look of the film,” The Art of Bolt has the feel of a travel journal filled with sketches and paintings done on a cross-country road trip of urban and rural America, paused for lengthier rest stops in New York, Ohio, Las Vegas, and Hollywood. The bulk of the art consists of scenery studies that show off the expert use of light effects in the film, with sketches of Bolt, his friends Mittens the cat and Rhino the hamster, and the humans they interact with — “physiologically accurate yet perfectly caricatured at the same time” — sprinkled throughout like thumbnails of interesting people seen and met on the journey.

The Art of Bolt is printed on heavy, art-quality paper, and presents a selection of preliminary sketches, character studies, storyboards, colorscripts, and full-color images, along with material from the Disney archives that illustrates how the Bolt creative team sought to return to Disney’s animation roots in their development of the film’s “painterly” look, a blending of classic 2D and modern 3D animation styles. The art is interspersed with quotes, interviews, and essays from the director, producer, designers, artists, and others involved in the production of Bolt, all of which open a fascinating window into the making of this underdog tale.

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Art of Bolt

The Art of Bolt is distributed by Chronicle Books (International/US) and Raincoast Books (Canada).

The Legend of Neil on IMDb

from The Legend of Neil:

Woot! The Legend of Neil has finally been legitimized with its presence on the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB.com). Now I’ve got to figure out how to get all the episodes brokendown up there. But this is definitely a good start!

Also re-watch episode 4. Why this has less than 100,000 views is beyond me… we’re so close to a million over all! Keep spreadin it!

Jedi Master Kit Fisto Explores the Heart of Evil in “Lair of Grievous” on Star Wars: The Clone Wars

from StarWars.com:

The many faces of evil are on display, all with the visage of General Grievous, in "Lair of Grievous," an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Dec. 12, on Cartoon Network
The many faces of evil are on display, all with the visage of General Grievous, in "Lair of Grievous," an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Dec. 12, on Cartoon Network

Jedi Master Kit Fisto steps from the shadows of the live-action films and into a Separatist trap in “Lair of Grievous,” an all-new episode of the hit animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Dec. 12, on Cartoon Network.

In the episode, General Grievous must prove himself worthy of the Separatists after repeatedly being defeated by the Jedi. As a test for his cyborg subordinate, Count Dooku lures Jedi Master Kit Fisto and Fisto’s former Padawan, Nahdar Vebb, to Grievous’ enclave as deadly sport for the Separatist general.

Episode writer Henry Gilroy says he’s always been intrigued by the concept of “where evil actually lives,” and this tale of attempted redemption for General Grievous presented the perfect opportunity to explore the idea.

“I went back to the old serials of the 1930s and looked at the terrible old places they used to create for the villains,” Gilroy says. “They were houses full of booby traps and monsters, with eyes knocked out of the paintings so the villain could look through and spy. It was fun to explore the home of the bad guy, to create a place so terrible that even the hero doesn’t want to be in there.

“It’s a great set-up because when the Jedi arrive, they’re expecting to find Nute Gunray — they don’t realize they’re in the lair of Grievous. From that point on, once they’re inside and realize they can’t get out, it’s basically a struggle to survive.”

The episode also provided the perfect vehicle for the series introduction of Kit Fisto, a popular Jedi Master who appears in both Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Like many other Jedi, his character was relegated to the background in the films — but is now more deeply realized through animation in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

“Kit isn’t one of the most serious Jedi. He tends to be more jovial,” Gilroy says. “To put him in a dire, life-or-death situation makes for a fun adventure because he tends to look on the more positive, naturally humorous side. Dread kind of rolls off him.”

“Kit is great for this episode,” says supervising director Dave Filoni. “He has an excellent fight with Grievous, and the episode is brilliantly directed by Atsushi Takeuchi. While we had quite the challenge deciding what Kit Fisto’s voice would actually sound like, once it was determined he would have a bit of a Jamaican accent, Phil LaMarr really made it his own.”

CBS to Rebroadcast “Graphic” NUMB3RS featuring Christopher Lloyd and Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton in NUMB3RS
Wil Wheaton in NUMB3RS

Normally reruns wouldn’t be a big deal, but this one will be to sci-fi fans and geeks around the globe. In November of last year, NUMB3RS aired an episode featuring three-time Emmy award winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation). I missed it the first time around, so it will be nice to catch it this time. In this episode, titled “Graphic”, a comic book convention becomes a crime scene after a deadly robbery leads to the disappearance of an extremely rare comic. This show already wins geek points with me for starring Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure), David Krumholtz (Serenity), Judd Hirsch (Independence Day) and Peter MacNicol (Dragonslayer), but a scan of the convention room makes my heart go pitter-patter. Creatures and characters from every comic book, movie and TV show you can imagine make an appearance here, in what can only be viewed as an homage to geeks everywhere. Even if you don’t tune in regularly, set your DVRs for 10:00 PM ET on Friday, December 26, and wallow in all the geeky goodness of it.

Action Packed and Sexy New Star Trek Trailer at StarTrekMovie.com

Star Trek XI: James Kirk

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Star Trek website, looking for new content, news, spoilers and photos. I hadn’t been there lately, so I stopped in today to look around and was thrilled to see the site has been pepped up. It’s interactive now, so you can walk through the halls of the USS Enterprise.

In addition to a gallery of images and downloads, you’ll find a new trailer featuring James T. Kirk as a car-thieving child in one scene, and in another scene we find out if he’s a boxers or briefs kind of guy while he locks lips with a woman in his bed who appears to be Uhura. Sex in Star Trek? Yep. Will and Deanna, eat your heart out. Kirk finally gets some real on-screen action. Sure, it was always implied that Kirk made the rounds, but little appears to be left to the imagination this time around.

Check out the new trailer, download some images and look for Easter eggs at startrekmovie.com.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog CD Pre-Order

from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog:

What’s that you say? A CD pre-order page is up now as well?

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: Soundtrack from the Motion Picture

The soundtrack to the hit musical from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator Joss Whedon. Original cast recording featuring Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Firefly), and Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Track Listing
1 – Horrible Theme
2 – My Freeze Ray
3 – Bad Horse Chorus
4 – Caring Hands
5 – A Man’s Gotta Do
6 – My Eyes
7 – Bad Horse Chorus (Reprise)
8 – Penny’s Song
9 – Brand New Day
10 – So They Say
11 – Everyone’s a Hero
12 – Slipping
13 – Everything You Ever
14 – Horrible Credits

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Live at the Troubadour

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Live at the Troubadour

The way Daryl Hall and John Oates tell it, they met at Temple University by chance while fleeing a riot at the Adelphi Ballroom Battle of the Bands in 1967. They both ran to a service elevator when shots started getting fired. It was two years before they became a duo, and another three years before they recorded their first album, but that fateful meeting led to the formation of one of the best-selling duos of all time: Hall & Oates.

Thirty-five years ago, after the release of their first album, they opened for Harry Chapin at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. They went on to a successful career that spans several decades, with such a unique flavor that they continue to inspire and influence today’s new music. In May of 2008, thirty-five years and 60 million albums later, Hall & Oates returned to the stage at the Troubadour for the first time since that long-ago premiere. For two nights they performed to sold-out crowds and, fortunately for us, it was all captured by ten remote-controlled HD cameras by Blaze TV. Featuring their greatest hits like “Out of Touch”, “Maneater,” “Private Eyes,” “Rich Girl,” and “Kiss on My List,” it is now being offered to us by Shout! Factory in 3 formats: DVD, Blu-ray and a 2-CD/1-DVD combo.

Growing up with them playing on the radio, they were one of my favorite bands. I’ve always been attracted to lyric-driven music and Hall & Oates never let me down. I loved the way that they integrated emerging technology into their multi-cultural and multi-genre influenced music, creating not just songs but events. While many bands were trying to do something different to stand out from their contemporaries, Hall & Oates had a unique sound and style that seemed to be less a marketing ploy and more like a couple of guys unapologetically loving what they were doing and having a lot of fun with it. While I was a fan, I didn’t have all of their albums, so when I began listening to Live at the Troubadour I was surprised by how many songs I knew well. Without the added sound effects and electronic noises I enjoyed in many of the originals, this largely “unplugged” performance surpassed my expectations. The lyrics don’t get lost in the studio polish. Even songs that relied on the electronic sounds like “Out of Touch” transition extremely well in this laid-back “jam” session.

Perhaps it was the intensity of coming “full circle”, as Daryl Hall put it, that his vocals started out a bit reedy, but he quickly warmed up with the music and within moments of the first song his voice flowed smooth and rich like silk slipping through your fingers. I can’t really explain why the term “organic” keeps coming to mind, other than noting, perhaps, how warm and genuine the performance feels. Listening to it is pure pleasure. (I’ve had the double CD playing on repeat for three days now and still haven’t gotten my fill.) The folksy storytelling with jazzy and bluesy flavors kept my toes tapping and head bobbing as I sang along. They still look great, sound great, and seem to be enjoying themselves even more than the crowd, if that’s possible. Daryl’s Cheshire grin never seemed to leave his face as he played his keyboard and the audience masterfully. We even got to hear John perform his “Had I Known You Better Then.” The band played wonderfully and the vocal harmonies blended so well that the audience (and you, via camera) can’t help but be lulled into a sense of intimacy. I especially loved the 9 minute and 38 second long rendition of “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”. It reminded me of some of the jamming in Sting’s Bring on the Night tour. If you liked Hall & Oates at all, you are going to love Live at the Troubadour.

Also, be sure to check out their newest music at the official Hall & Oates and John Oates websites, including Daryl’s monthly podcast, Live from Daryl’s House.

The 2-CD/1-DVD combo includes the following songs:

CD Disc One:
1. Everything Your Heart Desires (Daryl Hall)
2. When the Morning Comes (Daryl Hall)
3. Family Man (Tim Cross/Rick Fenn/Mike Frye/Mike Oldfield/Morris Pert/Maggie Reilly)
4. Say It Isn’t So (Daryl Hall)
5. It’s Uncanny (Daryl Hall)
6. Had I Known You Better Then (John Oates)
7. She’s Gone (Daryl Hall/John Oates)
8. Getaway Car (Gary Haase/Billy Mann)
9. Cab Driver (Louis Brown/Alan Gorrie/Daryl Hall)

CD Disc Two:
1. One on One (Daryl Hall)
2. Sara Smile (Daryl Hall/John Oates)
3. Maneater (Sara Allen/Daryl Hall/John Oates)
4. Out of Touch (Daryl Hall/John Oates)
5. I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) (Sara Allen/Daryl Hall/John Oates)
6. Rich Girl (Daryl Hall)
7. Kiss on My List (Janna Allen/Daryl Hall)
8. You Make My Dreams (Sara Allen/Daryl Hall/John Oates)
9. Abandoned Luncheonette (Daryl Hall)
10. Private Eyes (Sara Allen/Janna Allen/Daryl Hall/Warren Pash)

DVD Performances:
1. Everything Your Heart Desires
2. When the Morning Comes
3. Family Man
4. Say It Isn’t So
5. It’s Uncanny
6. Had I Known You Better Then
7. She’s Gone
8. Getaway Car
9. Cab Driver
10. One on One
11. Sara Smile
12. Maneater
13. Out of Touch
14. I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)
15. Rich Girl
16. Kiss on My List
17. You Make My Dreams
18. Abandoned Luncheonette
19. Private Eyes
All New Interviews with Daryl & John Oates

Order now at Amazon.com:
Daryl Hall & John Oates: Live at the Troubadour

Or order directly through the Shout! Factory website.

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Live at the Troubadour is distributed by Shout! Factory.

Monty Python Fluxx

Monty Python Fluxx

Serendipitously coinciding with the release of The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset, Looney Labs has added a Monty Python themed edition to their popular Fluxx card game series.

It’s Monty Python Fluxx — the card game where it’s fun to make your brain hurt.

Get a shrubbery for the knights who say NI! Build a giant wooden rabbit! And since it’s Fluxx, you can expect the rules to constantly change… but don’t expect the Spanish Inquisition!

Monty Python Fluxx is based mainly on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but squeezes in a number of fan-favourite references from Flying Circus and the other movies. There are 100 cards in the set, laden with colourful illustrations of such iconic Monty Python jokes as the Coconut-Laden Swallow, the Finger of God, the Ex-Parrot, the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, and the Legendary Black Beast of Aaarrghh. (Sadly, Spam and Fish Slapping cards are absent.) Most entertaining of all are the “What is Your Quote?” and “I Want to Sing!” cards, which turn a player’s trivial ability to quote lines and sing songs from Monty Python into a game-winning asset.

“The random and chaotic nature of the Fluxx engine makes it a perfect vehicle for the crazy world of Monty Python!” enthuses Looney Labs. “Fluxx is the perfect medium for the group that brought us Something Completely Different at every turn.” The company further says, “Yes, that crazy card game where the rules keep changing has joined forces with Monty Python to create the Looneyest card game ever! Help King Arthur and his Knights find the Holy Grail. Bring a Shrubbery to the Knights Who Say Ni! Lob the Holy Hand Grenade at the Killer Rabbit with Nasty Big Teeth! Just do it quick, before the Goal changes again!” This is clearly a game that no Monty Python fan should be without.

In addition to the game, Looney Labs offers a poster that’s “an awesome composite of the cover art and other elements from Monty Python Fluxx, including the catapult, the cow, and the Trojan Rabbit.” The 11×17 inch poster was included free with games pre-ordered directly from Looney Labs, but is now available for anyone to purchase through Looney Labs’ Web Store.

Monty Python Fluxx supports 2-6 players, ages 8 and up. Game length: 10–40 minutes.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Monty Python Fluxx

Or order directly through the Looney Labs website.

Monty Python Fluxx is distributed by Looney Labs, published under license with Toy Vault & Monty Python. For more information on Monty Python Fluxx, visit the official product page at Monty Python Fluxx.

Dr. Horrible News: DVD Launch on Amazon!

from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog:

Dr. Horrible Newsletter, Issue #2

What d’ya know, the DVD is here! Well, kind of. You can pre-order your multiple copies at Amazon now. Feel free to use the link provided in this e-mail. We get a few extra bucks tossed our way.

And for all you international folks — we have not forgotten about you! The disc is region-free! Whee!

We hope you love “Commentary! The Musical” as much as we loved creating it — exhausting as it was. Of course, there’s more to the special features — ELE applications, making-of’s, regular commentary, an egg lying around here and there…

Our pre-order page launched last Friday and we sky-rocketed to the top 50 sales rank in the TV & Movie DVD category. A million thank you’s would never be enough. Your support has us all overwhelmed and it makes us especially cheery this holiday season.

Check out a note from the man himself… re: the DVD.

We’ve got a lot more in store for you. A CD. More shirts. Be excited because we are! Check out drhorrible.com for the most up to date information.

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you to you! Our fans! This literally would not have been possible without you. And because of you, there is more to come…

Yours,

J, M, J, Z
drhorrible.com

SCI FI Green-Lights Caprica

from SCI FI Wire:

SCI FI Channel has given a green light to Caprica, ordering 20 hours of the much-anticipated prequel to its hit series Battlestar Galactica, the network announced.

The drama, which kicks off with a two-hour pilot movie, stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker.

Set 50 years before the events in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families — the Graystones and the Adamas — as they grow, compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own.

Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe to toe in a series that blends action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

Production on the series is slated to begin in the summer of 2009 in Vancouver, Canada, for a 2010 premiere. Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the pilot.

As the series begins, a startling development is about to occur — the creation of the first cybernetic lifeform node, or “Cylon” — the ability to marry artificial intelligence with mechanical bodies.

Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) — father of future Galactica commander William Adama (Sina Najafi) — is a renowned civil liberties lawyer and becomes an opponent of the experiments undertaken by the Graystones, led by a patriarch played by Eric Stoltz, who are owners of a large computer corporation that is spearheading the development of the Cylons.

Caprica is produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive-produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) and Remi Aubuchon (24). The pilot is co-written by Aubuchon and Moore.