Celebrate Your Geekdom
from Weta:
Bag End has launched!
Available in two versions:
One ultra-desirable limited edition of 1,111 pieces that includes a supremely detailed interior of Bag End. This is set to be a hugely popular piece among The Lord of the Rings collectors the world over. Available to Pre-order Now!
And one open edition without the interior detailing.
from Shout! Factory:
Gabba gabba hey! Two hugely popular Roger Corman rock films that have long been out of print will hit the home-entertainment shelves on May 4, 2010: the Rock ’N’ Roll High School 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD and Suburbia Collector’s Edition DVD, the first two titles launching the highly anticipated Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment series from Shout! Factory. Newly remastered and available for the first time in Anamorphic widescreen (16:9), Rock ’N’ Roll High School Special Edition and Suburbia Collector’s Edition provide the outrageous candor of teenage angst and nostalgic reverie of a counterculture rock movement that captured the hearts of many generations. With explosive musical performances from the Ramones, T.S.O.L., The Vandals and D.I., and extensive bonus content including all-new interviews and commentary with cast and crew, rare behind-the-scenes footage and much more, these two definitive home entertainment releases from Shout’s Roger Corman’s Cult Classics line are a must-have for Roger Corman fans and film aficionados as well as anyone who remains young at heart. Each DVD title is sold separately and has a suggested retail price of $19.93.
Executive produced by Corman and directed by Allan Arkush (Heroes), Rock ’N’ Roll High School boasts performances by the Ramones and stars P.J. Soles (Halloween) in the lead role of Riff Randell, Vince Van Patten (Hell Night), Clint Howard (Grand Theft Auto), Dey Young (Spaceballs), Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000), Dick Miller (Piranha) and Paul Bartel (Hollywood Boulevard).
Based on Arkush’s own high school fantasy, the 1979 cult film takes place at Vince Lombardi High School — the wildest, most rockin’ high school around! That is, until a thug of a principal, Miss Togar, comes along and tries to make the school a totalitarian state. With the help of the Ramones, the students of Vince Lombardi battle Miss Togar’s iron-fisted rule and take their battle to a truly rockin’ conclusion!
Rock ’N’ Roll High School quickly developed a devoted following after its release in 1979 and became a mainstay of the midnight movie cult circuit. As with films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audience members began to dress up like the cast and the Ramones for screenings. Arkush, a self-described “unabashed rock ’n’ roll fanatic,” chose the Ramones to star as the film’s musical heroes, as he felt they epitomized pure rock ’n’ roll. As Arkush remembers, “We staged a live, marathon show at the Roxy Theatre that consisted of 22 hours of nonstop Ramones,” and the tireless quartet also wrote two songs for the film: “I Want You Around” and “Rock ’N’ Roll School.” The Ramones were fans of Corman as well. Johnny Ramone said in an interview at the time, “When we found out Roger Corman was behind the picture, we said, sure, we’ll do it because we knew he had a reputation and we knew he made good movies.”
Rock ’N’ Roll High School 30th Anniversary Special Edition
Extensive Special Features Include:
Written and directed by Penelope Spheeris (Wayne’s World), featuring live performances by T.S.O.L., The Vandals and D.I., and starring Bill Coyne, Chris Pederson, Jennifer Clay and Christina Beck, 1984’s Suburbia deftly explores the punk rock generation and follows the unforgettable journey of two teenage boys who escape their unhappy home and join a group of runaways, punks who have banded together to form their own family. Dubbing themselves “The Rejected,” (aka T.R.), the teens have taken squatters’ rights in a filthy, abandoned house, and are bound together by tragedy and punk rock until they’re confronted by the “Citizens Against Crime,” a group of irascible adults from the suburbs who blame the punks for the ruin of their town. During the course of filming, the production used real kids for many parts in addition to professional actors (and includes the acting debut of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea).
Suburbia Collector’s Edition
Special Features Include:
Following the release of the Rock ’N’ Roll High School 30th Anniversary DVD and Suburbia Collector’s Edition DVD, Shout! Factory will continue to present Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment releases on a monthly basis. Upcoming highlights include Death Race 2000, Battletruck (aka Warlords of the 21st Century), Deathsport, Forbidden World, Galaxy of Terror, Attack of the Crab Monster, Not of This Earth (1957), Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep, among others.
Independent filmmaker-producer Roger Corman’s storied career ranks as one of Hollywood’s most amazing success stories. Having produced more than 350 films and directed 50 others, his influence on American film goes far beyond his own energetic, creative low-budget movies. He is arguably one of Hollywood’s most gifted and masterful filmmakers.
Noted for his keen ability to spot young talent, Corman’s most lasting legacy will undoubtedly be the legion of producers, directors, writers and actors he has fostered, among them: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd, Diane Ladd, Tommy Lee Jones, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Talia Shire, Charles Bronson, Joe Dante, Peter Bogdanovich and Sally Kirkland.
from Shout! Factory:
G.I. Joe Season 2.0
For the First Time, the Collectible Complete Second Season That Has Previously Been Unavailable on DVD in a Single Season Set Will Hit the DVD Shelves Nationwide April 27, 2010 from Shout! Factory
Season 2.0 Features Fan Favorite Characters Including Beach Head, Leatherneck, Low Light, Mainframe, Zandar and Zarna!
Arise, Serpentor, arise! General Hawk, Flint, Snake Eyes and the rest of the G.I. Joe team are ready for action in the explosive second season of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. When the members of the G.I. Joe team are caught off guard after a vamped-up Cobra makes a surprise attack, they turn to Sgt. Slaughter and new recruits Beach Head, Blowtorch and Dial Tone to help bring an end to Cobra and their new Emperor, Serpentor.
For the first time ever, the complete second season of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is available in a stand-alone DVD collection from Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc. The box set contains 30 episodes of the epic G.I. Joe saga, beginning with the 5-part mini-series Arise, Serpentor, Arise!, and other exciting bonus content, including fan-favorite PSAs, archival Hasbro toy commercials and special featurette Greenshirts: The Legacy of G.I. Joe. A must-have for heroes of all ages, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Season 2.0 4-DVD box set arrives in stores April 27, 2010 and is priced to own at $29.93.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Season 2.0
Synopsis
After Cobra’s countless defeats by the heroic Special Forces unit known as G.I. Joe, the mad super genius Dr. Mindbender seeks to dethrone the maniacal Cobra Commander by genetically combining the DNA of history’s most formidable conquerors. The result is a threat more menacing and power-hungry than Cobra Commander can ever hope to challenge: the mighty Serpentor! Armed with a new master, a new army of Battle Android Troopers (B.A.T.s) and a new set of plans for world domination, Cobra seems unstoppable! That is, of course, unless General Hawk and his team of commandos have anything to say about it. Yo Joe!
Bonus Features Include:
Technical Information
Street Date: April 27, 2010
Packaging: The 4 DVDs are collected in thin packs with a deluxe foil board sleeve with embossed accents
Rating: Not Rated
Suggested Retail Price: $29.93
Running Time: approx. 8 hours
Discs: 4
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Technical Info: English, Stereo.
from Medusa22:
Some clips of Aquatic performer “Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid” AKA MeduSirena performing at the newly remodeled Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel (formerly Yankee Clipper). Special thanks to Lola Dutronic for “La Mer”, their beautiful version of the classic song, “Beyond the Sea”.
The “Mermaid” swims are stunt dance performer Marina’s homage to underwater performances made popular during Florida’s Golden Age of Tourism.
Marina’s underwater performances can also currently be seen all over the U.S. and abroad, including the Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel & at the City of Dreams in Macau, where she can be seen projected on the world’s largest virtual aquarium.
Learn more about Marina & her retro-performances at ~MeduSirena.com,
MySpace: Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid!
Facebook: Medusirena Marina
Twitter: FireatinMermaid
from VIZ Media:
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has licensed 52 episodes of the popular Shonen Sunday Kekkaishi anime series to Adult Swim for domestic broadcast. Kekkaishi will begin airing on May 29th.
Kekkaishi is based on the hit manga series by Yellow Tanabe (also published in North America by VIZ Media). A story of mystical forces powerful in the region known as Karasumori. For over 400 years, it has been the duty of a clan of “kekkaishi” — barrier masters — to guard this land and exterminate the supernatural creatures that are drawn to it night after night.
Yoshimori Sumimura is a junior high school student at Karasumori Academy, which is built upon the Karasumori grounds. By night, Yoshimori follows the tradition passed down through generations and fulfills his destiny as the twenty-second “kekkaishi” of the Sumimura clan. But by day, Yoshimori’s got other demons to contend with, like an obsession with cake making and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori’s pretty neighbor, childhood friend and rival, Tokine Yukimura, is also a “kekkaishi,” but their families are caught up in a feud over who is the true practitioner of the art. Protecting ordinary people from the ever-present danger of the Karasumori grounds, Yoshimori will continue to grow stronger as he battles the forces of evil again tonight!
“Kekkaishi spotlights compelling cool characters, in an intense yet fun-filled supernatural action adventure saga. It possesses all of the hallmarks of great anime!” says William Germain, Director, Programming & Music Sales, VIZ Media. We are very excited to add Kekkaishi to the Adult Swim anime lineup for U.S. fans to enjoy.”
For more information on Kekkaishi please visit ShonenSunday.com.
from Project London:
As the final touches of independent, feature-length effects marvel Project London are now underway, the film is quietly gaining attention among special effects experts and social networking communities all over the world. The virtually no-budget, live action movie features more than 650 vivid, intense visual effects and animations that help drive a compelling story about a boy battling with a moral dilemma in a present day sci-fi epic. Unique to the film’s production is the use of the open-source software, Blender, for the core of all animated visual effects in the film. As Jawbone.tv called it, Project London is likely one of the “most ambitious no-budget effects movie ever.”
“The entire concept of Project London is enough to make anyone excited, from science-fiction fans to software engineers, from movie buffs to post-production artists, and it has,” said Phil McCoy, Project London Executive Producer and founder of Spiral Productions LLC. “An undertaking like this film wouldn’t be possible without a storyteller like Director Ian Hubert, the support of many talented Blender artists, and the more than 250 worldwide volunteer artists and craft people who joined our team.”
Progress and new reveals of Project London are chronicled on the movie’s Web site at projectlondonmovie.com, where, today, the newest teaser clip has been released to the public. The clip introduces fans to the world of Project London and its two significant forces: the London Underground and the Joint Command. The song showcased in the new teaser clip, “Multiply,” is a brand new song by Half Acre Day. It will be featured in the film and available exclusively on the Project London soundtrack.
PROJECT LONDON SYNOPSIS
This is a story about Nebraska Higgins plunging into a world of intrigue and struggle when the Joint Command kills his father, a hero known by his exosuit, Arizona. Seeing a prime opportunity, the London Underground, a rugged band of revolutionaries, recruits Nebraska to join the resistance against the Joint Command. Will Nebraska, who is dealing with the loss of his father, help the government and rat out his father’s associates or join their cause and work to put an end to a secret initiative sponsored by the military wing of the government? Earth’s fate depends on the potential in this young man’s heart.
THE TRIUMVERATE
Project London is led by three entrepreneurs who are feverishly devoted to producing brilliant visual effects around a great story:
Director Ian Hubert
Hubert both wrote and directed Project London, coining the film’s notable tagline, “This movie will eat your planet.” Ian is now leading the post-production charge. While pre-production and production lasted just a few months, post-production with the 650 visual effects has taken nearly two years with help from volunteer artists and the Blender community.
“This massive undertaking would never have been possible without the incredible support of all the artists lending their skills and creativity to the project,” Hubert said. “I’ve been surrounded by so many talented people, and each one brought their own piece of life and creativity to the film. It’s a really organic process. It’s great seeing all of these pieces come together from so many different avenues. We’ve thrown everything we have into making this a really fun movie experience, and I can’t wait to be able to watch the finished product with everyone.”
Hubert first started making films in the fourth grade when he adopted an old Japanese camcorder and started playing with CG effects and movies. By the time he reached high school, he was making a feature-length film each year.
Executive Producers, The McCoy Brothers
The McCoy Brothers, Phil and Nathan, teamed up to produce Project London, as their unique skills and passions created a solid working foundation for the film. Nathan finally has a vehicle to let his inner sci-fi geek take complete control. Outside of his day job, he tapped into his thousands of hours watching sci-fi masterpieces by acting as location manager and volunteer staff recruiter during the production phase of Project London. Before founding Spiral Productions LLC to produce Project London, Phil joined the world of showbiz as an ambitious young entertainer by producing a number of neighborhood magic shows before honing his skills as a broadcast producer writing, producing and directing radio and TV commercials and industrial films, earning several industry accolades along the way.
THE RESISTANCE
While details of anticipated Hollywood films are generally kept quiet then strategically leaked by direction of expensive marketing firms and focus group surveys, producers of Project London are taking a more sensible, yet bold approach to promoting the film.
“We want to share the build up of the movie’s release with the fans of Project London and, in turn, let them share their experiences with their friends and so on,” Phil McCoy said. “In fact, we are working on a program that will reward the fans that help spread the word through articles, blogs, etc. by giving them a film credit. It’s a way to involve the people who want to be involved with the film.”
Upon its release, The McCoy Brothers are planning to release the film on iTunes and Netflix, and sell Blu-ray and DVD disks directly from the official movie Web site, projectlondonmovie.com, along with other merchandise and exclusive packages aimed at filmmakers and film lovers. Spiral Productions LLC has also just given creative license to artist Branson Anderson to create a graphic novel based on Hubert’s script of Project London. This will also be available through the Web site.
“I’m totally pumped to see this thing come together!” Hubert exclaimed about Anderson’s novel. “Everything I’ve seen so far has just been brilliant. Branson’s a master of subtlety, but also knows when to bring out the big guns — this is going to be an incredible piece of art, able to stand on its own as an exemplary piece of work in the medium.”
from VIZ Media:
VIZ Media invites fans to catch the last episode of InuYasha: The Final Act scheduled to air on VIZAnime.com today! The finale to the long-running animated adventure saga will be broadcast on the video-streaming site shortly after it airs in Japan. Find out the exciting conclusion to one of the greatest anime series of all time in the installment titled “Toward Tomorrow”!
InuYasha: The Final Act is based on a massively popular manga (also published by VIZ Media, rated “T+” for Older Teens) by famed creator Rumiko Takahashi, who won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for the series in 2002. Many of Takahashi’s titles have been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. The InuYasha anime series has run for 193 episodes in total and has also spawned several feature films.
Pulled back in time to Japan’s ancient past, Japanese high school girl Kagome finds her destiny linked to a dog-like half-demon named InuYasha, who remembers Kagome’s previous incarnation as the woman who killed him — and to the Shikon Jewel, or “Jewel of Four Souls,” which can fulfill the greatest dreams of any man or monster. Now Kagome and InuYasha must work together to search for the scattered shards of the jewel before everyone’s nightmares are given the power they need to come true.
Takahashi’s manga, as well as the other formats her work has been adapted into, have continued to delight generations of fans around the world. Distinguished by her wonderfully endearing characters, Takahashi’s work adeptly incorporates a wide variety of elements such as comedy, romance, fantasy, and martial arts. Rumiko Takahashi is an artist who truly represents the very best from the world of manga. Please visit the official North American web site for all Rumiko Takahashi-related news and information located at TheRumicWorld.com.
VIZAnime.com is a brand new, free-to-use interactive web destination that is the permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series. VIZ Anime is accessible at: VIZAnime.com.
from RiffTrax:
Greetings riff-fans!
We’ll be hosting a streaming webcast of our panel from last year’s Comic-Con for FREE!
All you have to do is point your browser to rifftrax.com/live/sdcc09 at 6pm Pacific Time (9pm Eastern)! You’ll need to login to the site (or register if you don’t already have an account) in order to watch the show and chat with other fans!
The show itself runs just over an hour, and includes the “live” riffing of Shake Hands with Danger that the guys did to a standing room-only crowd of 1000 people. After the riffing, there was a question-and-answer session where the audience got to suggest one of the next movies for the guys to riff. (Spoiler alert: the winner was Dragon Wars, available at rifftrax.com/rifftrax/dragon-wars-d-war.)
All of this was MC’d by the lovely and talented Veronica Belmont.
Set your calendars for 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern and join us for the RiffTrax: Comic-Con 2009 webcast!
from Weta:
Codswallop! Doctor Tremont is at it again. Not content with the direction Earth’s Venusian campaign is taking, he’s been seen through the sooty window panes of his laboratory hugging his knees, rocking back and forth chanting barely coherent phrases in something that resembles Nedderdüütsch. Or possibly plain German. We have no doubt something will be revealed next week, as he has hung a sign on his door bearing the inscription “Fischen gegangen — zurück Dienstag”. We shall keep you posted by carrier pigeon. So don’t bloody cook or eat it this time!
Public Service Announcement
Lord Cockswain’s Top 5 tips for the endurance of hardship while on Safari.
1. Drink plenty of fluids morning (Gin), noon (Pimms or Claret) and night (Any well salted Islay Single Malt).
2. Do not bring women or children. Dogs, however, make great company and servants, while expendable, are indispensible.
3. Arm for all eventualities. There is no such thing as “over-kill”. It’s “under-kill” you want to avoid!
4. Wear sports attire. While a silk smoking jacket may be appropriate on board your ship, it’s too slippery for Toop wrestling.
5. Keep a log. All real explorers do. Scientists will one day find the answer why.
Not a Grordbort’s Collector yet? Buffoon!
Luckily, you have just run out of excuses, as we have decided to completely forego all sense and sensibility and extend our Dr. Grordbort’s Starter Pack until 7 April. 1x VICTORY, 1x Dingus Directory, 1x Victorious Mongoose — Miniature version and 4x postcards, one of which has been befouled by Greg Broadmore, the rapscallion. Get the whole kit and kaboodle for a measly US$49! That’s what the gun itself normally costs! (Bits of it will also make satisfying gifts, once you have ripped out anything of real value.) Also: Good news from the sweat print shop: The Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory is now in its 4th Print Run! Hazzaah!
Grand Theft FMOM!
At a recent stocktake, it became apparent that somebody has run off with 470 out of the 500 F.M.O.M. Wave Disrupter Guns manufactured by F.M.O.M. Industries and less than 30 remain in the entire Universe! We are currently investigating this atrocity and will keep you posted. Meanwhile, if you need an F.M.O.M. — don’t delay — the remaining 30 will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Unconfirmed reports from the bean counting department suggest the guns have been acquired entirely legally through sale and purchase agreements by customers across the planet, but we refuse to believe this can be the case for so many guns. We always assume foul play!
Dr. Grordbort’s has set up camp in Hongkers!
Hosted and presented by the wizardly Hong Kong based technological upstart CYBERPORT. Richard Taylor Esq. and Greg Broadmore attended the official opening Pomp and Circumstance this week. See more autophosphorescent etchings here!
Have you been insulted by the buffoons on the Forum yet? Go on — it’s a blast!!!
from J!NX:
New J!NX Classic Tee: Face Wars
In the old days, people could gauge each other on the merit of their lifetime achievements. A knight could boast of his prowess in battle and show spoils of his conquests. A Pirate had his booty. A farmer had his harvest. Wiseguys kept a tally of all their broken kneecaps. However, now that we are in the age of Digital Faces and Virtual Achievements, how do we determine who is on top? Two words: Cage Match.
Take a Look at What’s Happening in the J!NX Community!
The J!NX Community Page is a hotbed of geeky activity, so if you haven’t been by in a while, now would be a great time. There, you can sample Nooch’s latest Comic Review, test your knowledge with our latest minion-inspired Trivia quiz, or check out the newest Tweakfest Contest. There’s tons to see and do in the J!NX Community, so check it out!
The Guild tries to cope with one man down. Or maybe two.
from StarWars.com:
The original princess with an attitude, Carrie Fisher is slated to appear at Star Wars Celebration V during the show weekend of August 12-15 at the Orange County Convention Center. Fisher, who portrayed Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy, will be greeting fans and signing autographs in the Celebration Autograph Hall, and is scheduled to appear on stage for an interview and a question and answer session. Fisher is the first of a number of upcoming, exciting guest announcements for the huge fan festival.
Prior to Celebration, Fisher’s fans can meet her in the Celebration V pavilion at C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) taking place April 16-18th. C2E2 is managed by Reed Exhibitions, the company producing Celebration V in cooperation with Lucasfilm. Fisher will be signing autographs in the pavilion with Official Pix, Lucasfilm’s licensee for authentic Star Wars photos and autographs.
An audience favorite for both her film and stage roles, Fisher was 19 years old when she became a cultural icon as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Her film career started when she was even younger, playing opposite Warren Beatty in Shampoo in 1975. She is the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. In addition to A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, Fisher has performed in numerous movies and television series, including The Blues Brothers, The Man with One Red Shoe, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Burbs, When Harry Met Sally, Austin Powers, Heartbreakers, Smallville, Family Guy and Fanboys, as well as in her own series of television specials, Conversations from the Edge with Carrie Fisher, and her live stage show, Wishful Drinking.
Though she is famous for her film, television and stage roles, Fisher devotes much of her time to writing. She has penned several novels, including the semi-autobiographical Postcards from the Edge, which was made into a successful movie starring Meryl Streep. Three additional best selling novels — Surrender the Pink, Delusions of Grandma, and The Best Awful — followed. Her new memoir, Wishful Drinking, is published by Simon & Schuster.
Don’t miss Carrie Fisher at Star Wars Celebration V, and coming up next at C2E2 in Chicago!
Organizers for C2E2 note that tickets for the show continue to sell quickly, and so all fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance! For more information on guests, tickets, or C2E2 in general, visit C2E2.com or check out the show’s official blog, MediumAtLarge.net, or follow C2E2 on Twitter. For further information about Star Wars Celebration V and to buy tickets, go to starwarscelebration.com.
For more information about the Celebration Autograph Hall, prices, tickets, and process, please go to OfficialPix.com.