All right… even though I need to join another social networking site like I need another orifice in my cranium, I’ve decided to wake up and smell 2009… and join Facebook.
My page is at facebook.com/weirdal. If you’re my MySpace friend, why not be my Facebook friend too? Come on now — don’t make me go out and get a whole new set of friends.
Besides the argument that “that’s just what sentient organisms do now,” I got on Facebook partly for the same reason that I originally got on MySpace — there are people out there pretending to be (or at least represent) me. I assume that these people are just enthusiastic, well-meaning fans, so no harm done… but just for the record, anybody on Facebook who ISN’T facebook.com/weirdal … definitely isn’t me.
And you know what else? I just signed up for Twitter too. Yeah, I know. I figured I’d better hurry up, because somebody already snagged twitter.com/weirdal… so I’m at twitter.com/alyankovic. Feel free to “follow” me if you like, but for what it’s worth, I really don’t intend on documenting every single one of my bowel movements — and truthfully, there’s probably only 40 or 50 people that would be interested in that kind of thing anyway.
So what have I been up to other than Facebook-ing and Twitter-ing? Outside of the usual “enjoying my life” and “spending quality time with my family” stuff, I’ve been writing new songs and working on Al’s Brain.
I’ve mentioned Al’s Brain here before — it will be a pavilion and interactive exhibit at the Orange County Fair this year, the centerpiece of which will be a 10-minute 3-D movie written by, directed by and starring me. It will premiere on July 10 (the first day of the fair) and run though August 9. And then hopefully it will travel to various other places around the world after that. It looks like it’s going to be pretty cool, so if you’re going to be in Southern California this summer, try to check it out.
And I’ve been writing a few original songs — we’re looking at being in the studio in late April / early May to cut some tracks. And then my plan is to release 3 or 4 of those tracks digitally (hopefully with accompanying videos of some sort) over the course of the summer. I have no idea when the next album is coming out… but at least you’ll get to hear parts of it in the not-too-distant future.
And I’m involved with developing a few other things too, but I’m being told that I can’t spill the beans about them quite yet. I’ll keep you posted.
Trenton Lepp and team have posted a second trailer and behind-the-scenes production video for the upcoming web series condition:human, premiering April 1. Join the Facebook Group and subscribe to their YouTube Channel for the latest updates.
The Art of Kung Fu Panda by Tracey Miller-Zarnecke, with a foreword by Jack Black, draws readers into the world of the DreamWorks Animation movie that was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Animated Feature Film and kicked cartoon butt at the Annie Awards, defeating presumed front-runner WALL-E to become the surprise Chosen One of the evening.
Kung Fu Panda pulled out all its martial arts moves Friday night at the 36th annual Annie Awards, where it was named best animated feature.
Winning the top prize over such other nominees as the critical favorites WALL-E and Waltz with Bashir, Panda swept the feature film categories as it picked up 10 trophies, bettering Pixar’s Ratatouille run last year when it earned nine Annies, including best feature.
If there was an honour awarded for film tie-ins, then Kung Fu Panda would surely get the nod for The Art of Kung Fu Panda, as well.
Unlike many movie art books, which rarely warrant more than a single once-over, The Art of Kung Fu Panda is a treasure that begs to be admired over and over again. The dustjacket, a thick paper sleeve whose red, yellow, and black cover art reflects the traditional Chinese colour palette, glimmers with red foil dragons that undulate along the top and bottom margins. Hidden underneath, the red hardcover is covered in a delicate wave pattern and embossed with a large, glossy black dragon. Stunning gatefold pages are tucked at random intervals throughout the book, and even the endpapers are works of art, richly patterned with red and golden-yellow dragons and flowers in a style that emulates Chinese silk. A sealed envelope attached to the back endpaper, mysteriously marked “Prepare for Awesomeness”, contains the bonus gift of a small, folded replica of Kung Fu Panda’s film poster.
As an official companion book, The Art of Kung Fu Panda takes adventurous readers behind the scenes of the legendary movie with a team of master filmmakers as their guide. It traces the journey of the production from its first stages of development through to completed animation, accompanied by the candid, insider commentary that’s come to be expected from an “art of” book. Since Kung Fu Panda’s stylized look is so important to the film, the book spends considerable time covering its visual development, especially the use of colour and groundbreaking CG effects. The digitally rendered artwork is so polished and highly detailed that each piece of art, even the roughest of character sketches and conceptual designs, looks like a completed illustration from a children’s picture book. Character designs are thoroughly documented, with every nuance — name origins, clothing styles, related symbols, animal-associated mannerisms, choice of voice actors — explained, lending the animal heroes richer personalities and back-stories. The most interesting revelations in The Art of Kung Fu Panda, though, involve the changes that occurred during the film’s story development. Multiple screenplay and storyboard revisions are explored, showing what might have happened on the paths untaken, and thoughtful reasons are given for the choices which ultimately resulted in the version of Kung Fu Panda that made it to theatre screens.
Over the past two years, ten million people have come to recognize Jeff Lewis as Vork, the quirky leader of The Knights of Good on Felicia Day‘s hit web series The Guild. After spending years doing stand-up and improv comedy with such troupes as The Groundlings and The Second City, he’s also turned his talents towards writing. His first film screenplay, For Christ’s Sake, is in post-production, and his other writing credits include episodes of Nickelodeon‘s Catscratch and Dreamworks Animation‘s Toonsylvania. While he’s made numerous web and television production appearances, very little information is available online to provide insight into the man behind the Guildmaster (though he did just receive a bit of “exposure” by appearing in nothing but a blue Speedo in a CareerBuilder.com commercial), so Jeff graciously took time recently to answer some questions for us.
ÜberSciFiGeek (ÜSFG) I love your CareerBuilder commercial! What kind of feedback are you getting from it so far, and how do you feel about your picture being sent as a gift all over Facebook?
Jeff Lewis (JL) The feedback from the commercial has been great. I love being sent as a gift. I think they stopped it and that makes me sad.
(ÜSFG) Did you have an active imagination when you were a kid?
(JL) Yes, I did. I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction books and after I would read a passage, I would close my eyes and play it out in my head. And I spent a lot of time with toy soldiers, having battles where I killed several Nazis. I love killing Nazis. To this day, I will buy any WW2 video game that involves killing Nazis. I will continue killing Nazis even when the game tells me I am done with a certain area or level. And when the opportunity arises to actually play a Nazi, I will kill myself immediately and laugh about it. I hate Nazis. I cannot overstate it.
(ÜSFG) Lots of artistic people struggle with other things considered normal, like sports, academics, and social interaction, but then thrive when they discover the arts. Did you have a similar experience?
(JL) For the most part. I loved sports though. Basketball and football. But I always struggled with academics. Knowledge is just not my… thing. And as far as social interaction, it wasn’t great. Especially with women. Especially with women. I am repeating that sentence for dramatic effect. I came from a place of assuming immediately that any woman I met was not interested. There was a time when a woman could be naked in my bed and I still would question whether she was into me. I definitely fared better in the arts. It’s a real boost to your confidence when people laugh at you. And then, of course, social interaction improves. Although I’m still not sure that my fiancée is really into me.
(ÜSFG) How old were you when you decided you wanted to be an actor?
(JL) It took a long time. I was in a state of denial for many years. I just kind of did shows but didn’t admit that I was an actor. It just wasn’t something my parents wanted me to do or raised me to be. I think I probably knew the first time I stepped on stage. I’m going to give you a number just because I think people generally crave specificity. 28.
(ÜSFG) You just finished wrapping season 2 of The Guild. What was it like being back together with the cast and crew? How different was it to actually have a budget this time around?
(JL) It was great being with the cast and crew. Quite seriously, I like everybody and we have a great time. Sometimes too good. Especially with Felicia and Sandeep, just because I’ve known them so long and so many of my scenes are with them. I look forward to working more with Vince and Amy and Robin because I really like them too. And I love the crew. Everybody’ s just really nice and we’ve gotten into a good rhythm. If there was a way we could legally, morally and biologically have an orgy without the sex and various fluids, I would like to do that.
It was a little different having a budget. Not as much on the set because the writing and acting has always been there, regardless of budget, but more seeing the finished product. It just looks great. I take that back now about on the set. There’s more people. It takes longer for me to walk back from craft service to the set. More people to get by.
(ÜSFG) I know that Felicia Day wrote the part of Vork for you because she thinks you are one of the funniest men she’s ever known. Does that mean she borrowed heavily from your real life personality? How much are you and Vork alike?
(JL) I don’t know how much she borrowed. Vork is very exact in his words and actions. Everything’s a little calculated. I think I’m more stop and start, not exactly sure where I’m going. And dumb. I think emotionally, we might be similar. Prone to instant anger, albeit disarming. And frustration. We both have that and I hope it comes out in a funny way. Basically (and sadly), I think she just thought I looked the part of an older gamer.
(ÜSFG) What’s going on with For Christ’s Sake? There’s a great website up at forchristssakemovie.com (love the choice of Orff’s “Carmina Burana” theme). Can you tell us a little bit about the film and how you came to write it?
(JL)For Christ’s Sake is a feature about a priest who unwittingly becomes an investor in his brother’s porn movie. It’s got a great cast. Jed Reese, Will Sasso, Alex Borstein, Sarah Rue, Michael Hitchcock and John Schneider (of The Dukes of Hazzard). I wrote it several years ago in a writing workshop class and gave it to my friend Jackson Douglas, a director, and he got the funding and directed it. We’re just waiting to hear about distribution now.
(ÜSFG) You visited Kiko on the set of Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine show this season. What was it like working with Kim Evey and her crew over there?
(JL) It was great to work with Kim. She’s awesome! I had never worked with any of the actors and we just hit it off. Very fun. And Kim is great to work with on The Guild. I think of her as the script Nazi on The Guild. Maybe not Nazi but more of a “the mom that would keep you in line” and I mean that in the best way. She’s the one that would say, “No, Vork would never keep a small boy in the basement” or “Vork would never be in a hotel room with two hookers and an eight ball”. You need somebody like that. To keep you true to the characters and to maintain that ensemble feel. And by the way, Vork WOULD keep a small boy in his basement.
(ÜSFG) You’ve had a lot of success lately as a writer. Are you changing your focus from in front of to behind the scenes?
(JL) I’m not sure that I’ve had that much success, but if you say so. I will say that for about two years, I kind of gave up on acting and focused almost solely on writing and that was a mistake and will never happen again.
(ÜSFG) What other projects have you been working on?
(JL) I’ve been doing stand up for about 6 months and that’s been fun and horrifying. I’m also writing a screenplay with a new partner and trying to write my own webisode, hopefully with the help of The Guild people.
(ÜSFG) Do you get recognized in public now?
(JL) Once in a while, I do get recognized. It’s always a little awkward. I’ve gotten so used to living in obscurity. It was always a goal of mine.
(ÜSFG) Are you a Whedonite?
(JL) I’m not sure. I love everything he’s done. He’s pretty amazing. I was very jealous when I saw Dr. Horrible. I wish I could write like that. Especially the songs.
I present a generator of names and titles for those who may have temporarily misplaced their own.
Please enter your name, and select your gender, and the means by which you aquired your title. Then you will receive your own, personal Steampunk alias to do with as you see fit. Whether it comes to be famous or infamous is up to you!
Roleplayers and authors in need of authentic-sounding character names will appreciate this service provided by Brass Goggles, a blog and forum devoted to the lighter side of all things Steampunk.
Galactic Gentlefolk!
We would like to thoroughly congratulate the glorious artisans and scientific titans at the Goliathon plant on having delivered the final 400 Goliathon 83 — Miniature Edition! Which means you have your chance to complete your set! These mouthwateringly miniscule weapons of mouse destruction really are the dog’s private parts. It also fills us with anticipation that a distinct humming sound has recently been emanating from the miniaturisation department. Could it really be that the initial trio soon may be joined by others? Who dares to hope?
Cocky
The Lord of insatiable trophy aggregation — Cockswain — is up to his usual under-handed trickery. You may already have spied the celluloid we’ve acquired? No? Well you should — it’s a veritable bonanza of bad taste. Please help us figure out what it all means. We’re baffled.
Tally-Ho from some of our Blunderbuss Patrons
Since the first few batches of hermetically sealed crates of Unnatural Selectors have reached their blood-thirsty new households, we’ve heard back from some of the survivors. It is obvious that this fine clientele take their sports-shooting very seriously. To arm yourself with an Unnatural Selector is not merely a disdainful nod in the direction of Darwin, the naturalist rapscallion, but of course the ultimate expression of good breeding and taste!
So after you cast your eyes longingly at the playthings of the well-heeled and well-armed — why not go check out the Miniature F.M.O.M. and the Miniature Goliathon. They still pack a better punch than a slap in the face with a wet Thrusk!
Cheerio,
William
Dr. William Young
Archivist and Historian for Dr. Grordbort’s Estate
Watch an animated trailer for Blueberry Girl, written and read by Newbery Medal winner Neil Gaiman. (The illustrations from this children’s picture book are by fantasy and comic book artist Charles Vess.)
What do girls like? The first things that come to your mind may be: clothes, hair, make up and fashion. And you would be right. Most girls DO enjoy these things, and it would be foolish to ignore that fact. But who only likes one thing, right? The world often forgets that girls love art, sports, music, culture, animals, learning… the list is infinite! And, sadly, sometimes girls forget that, too. So why can’t girls be cute, stylish, cool, AND smart, empowered and a little different?
They can. Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls offers the best of both worlds for girls. Fun with trendy, funky clothes and hair styles AND a wide variety of personalities, nationalities and outside interests. Each character has a specific activity she loves and accessories and wardrobe that correspond. They are each individually adorned with a personal symbol and color scheme that define her and her life style.
So, there’s a girl for everyone! All you have to do is figure out… What Planet Are You From?
About the Creator:
Lauren Faust has been a success in the animation industry for 12 years both as an artist and a writer. Her most recent endeavors have been as Head Writer and Supervising Producer for husband Craig McCracken’s award-winning hit series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends on Cartoon Network. For her work on Foster’s, Lauren has received nominations for four Emmy and three Annie Awards. Previously, she had lent her talents to the popular cartoon series, feature film and marketing sensation The Powerpuff Girls and as an animator on such feature films as The Iron Giant and Cats Don’t Dance. All the while she has been an avid toy collector with a particular interest in the beloved toys of her childhood, including My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake. Her greatest goal as an artist is to offer up to little girls the kind of joy and inspiration she experienced as a child, with images of girls and women as positive, self-affirming, active, individualistic, fun, and even a little edgy.
The cosmic Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls website is aimed at, but not limited to, preteen girls. It offers up profiles of the Galaxy Girls, a shop full of t-shirts and other fun merchandise, Mother Earth (aka Lauren Faust)’s blog, the Solar Sisterhood newsletter, and a link to the Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls Etsy shop.
Girlactic Greetings Earthlings!
Welcome the The Solar Sisterhood on Etsy! The only place in the universe to find hand made items featuring Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls, a completely independent project by animator, Lauren Faust. Lauren is so far unwilling to compromise the quality of design of her characters to have them mass produced, so she lovingly makes all her toys by hand, and all her other products independently. She sincerely hopes you enjoy them!
Hey all, we’re a little less than 21 hours away from rolling cameras on season 2 of The Legend of Neil. We’ve got a long, and ambitious shoot ahead of us over the next two weeks. We’re working with a mostly volunteer but highly seasoned crew on our meager web budgets. But it’s not enough, we need just a few more EXPERIENCED crew hands in the Grip & Electric, Art and Production Assistant Department. If you’ve got even a day or two to come out during this slow season (starting THIS SUNDAY), we’d love to have you. This is a prime opportunity for those looking to network and get a Comedy Central IMDb credit on one of the most successful web shows… well… ever! If this sounds like you, please email me your resume (even limited on set experience will do) to effinfunny@gmail.com with “VOLUNTEER CREW” in the subject.
Also we’re on the hunt for a handful of extras for a couple of scenes. If you’re looking to get in front of the camera please submit some pictures of yourself to effinfunny@gmail.com with “EXTRA CALL” in the subject. We’re looking for rough and tumble folks, so keep that in mind when sending in your pics (grimace). You’d need to be in LA available for a full 12 hour day on one of the following: March 7th, March 9th or March 11th. You will be fed and credited!
Whether you’re in town or not, I’d still like to thank you all for your support. The web is truly a collaborative medium where we get to actually work and interact with our fans. It’s pretty frickin rad and kind of gives me a boner. TMI?
A single, long lost set of The Last Unicorn concept art has been discovered in storage and is being auctioned this week on eBay
In 2007 Conlan Press published a limited 500-copy edition of Hidemi Kubo’s 1979 concept paintings from the animated Last Unicorn. There were five pictures in the complete set: The Last Unicorn, The Red Bull, The Lady Amalthea, Mommy Fortuna, and The Full Cast.
They sold out of all the complete sets very quickly, as well as all the individual prints of The Lady Amalthea, the Last Unicorn, and The Full Cast.
However — last week a single complete set (#295) turned up in some old convention boxes. This is the very last one there is, and the only way you can get any of the three sold-out pictures.
The set is up for auction on eBay until 8:20 AM on Sunday, March 1st, with the same starting price that the complete sets originally sold for: $75.
The first Tuesday in 12 weeks there isn’t a new Guild episode, gah!
A few things to tide you over, Jenni and Kenny, creators of the official fan podcast Knights of the Guild have just posted their first micro-podcast discussing the season finale of The Guild! Check it out at iTunes or at http://knightsoftheguild.podbean.com.
Also, Doug Luberts, the special effects guru who created the finale shots of the season, posted a very interesting blog entry on how exactly he did it. Interesting behind the scenes perspective!
THIRD, Felicia Day (Codex) will be at WonderCon this weekend, Saturday February 28th, signing at the California Browncoats’ booth at 12pm and 4pm. Stop by to say hi if you’re attending!
Huzzah! Less than three months after putting out the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition box set, Shout! Factory has followed up with Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIV.
From 1988 to 1999, the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 skewered B-movies from their extraterrestrial orbit. Now the revolving crew of the Satellite of Love returns in the awe-inspiring 14th collection of their most hilarious episodes. Join Joel, Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot as they supply their own playful brand of commentaries on some of cinema’s most misunderstood “masterpieces.”
The alleged masterpieces are Season 1’s The Mad Monster, Season 4’s Manhunt in Space, Season 10’s Soultaker, and Season 10’s Final Justice (“starring” legendary antagonist of the show Joe Don Baker, who also got roasted in Season 5’s Mitchell). Current IMDb ratings for the four movies are 2.8, 2.1, 1.8, and 1.5 out of 10, dismal scores which promise a banquet of MST3K riffing material. The packaging, slipcased DVD slim cases with illustrated movie poster art covers, is exactly the same as in the first Shout! Factory set, which gives the option of storing the DVD sets in their cardboard slipcases or taking the individual titles out to shelve them by season or other preference. Mini-posters of the DVD covers are included again, and each disc continues to have a different animated menu that ties in with the film it precedes. Bonus content features a brand-new interview with Soultaker star and MSTie favorite Joe Estevez, in which Estevez proves himself to be an extremely good sport about the ribbing he got for Werewolf and Soultaker; a brand-new interview with Final Justice writer, producer, and director Greydon Clark, who masterfully rationalizes getting the MST3K treatment; Mike, Tom and Crow’s appearance on ESPN Classic’s Cheap Seats without Ron Parker; and the original Mad Monster trailer.
Most excitingly, as was revealed in a press release late last year, the Volume XIV box set is comprised entirely of episodes that have never been released before. Previously, fans had access to these films solely through TV syndication and an online network of tape trading that was encouraged by Comedy Central in its “Keep Circulating the Tapes” campaign. For viewers who have only seen grainy bootleg copies of Volume XIV‘s four episodes, many generations removed from the original recordings, it’s a real treat to finally see them in first-run quality. Hopefully this trend continues, allowing MST3K home libraries to further upgrade their old, degraded tapes to a more modern and watchable format.
It will certainly be interesting to see what the themes of upcoming box sets will be. More “previously unreleased” collections? Polled favourites? Holiday sets? A special edition of Season 3’s Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and Season 5’s Santa Claus, complete with an appropriately tacky ornament, would be an obvious possibility, as would a complete set of the MST3KShorts. Shout! Factory is open to any suggestions, so e-mail them your lists of box-set-worthy episodes and help keep the Movie Sign plugged in.
