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Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII

Shout! Factory relights the Movie Sign for their upcoming DVD box set, Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII.

The Mads of Deep 13 and the loyal yet helpless crew of the Satellite of Love — including Joel, Mike, Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot and Gypsy — cordially invite you to join them as they pay tribute to some of the finest-quality cheesefests this side of Gouda! The 18th laugh-filled edition of Mystery Science Theater 3000 promises to keep you as entertained as ever with four episodes never before available on DVD!

Lost Continent, Season 2:
A group of scientists and military men, their nitwit plane mechanic in tow, set off to find a failed rocket experiment that’s nose-dived into a land inexplicably populated by rubber dinosaur models. You’d think that in a movie featuring dinosaurs, they’d be the main attraction, but no; most of the movie focuses on eternal scenes of the expedition scaling a mountain (“Rock climbing, Joel, rock climbing!”) and slogging through the jungle, with barely a word of dialogue spoken. That the film is in black-and-white only adds to the tediousness of the rock climbing, to the point that the normally unflappable Joel, Tom Servo, and Crow lose their patience and snap at the film. The casting of Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver, Leave It to Beaver) provides an endless supply of Wally and the Beav jokes, and Beaumont (played by Michael J. Nelson) even visits the Satellite of Love during one of the host segments to inform Joel and the ‘Bots that he’s actually one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, spoofing on the iconically wholesome 1950s TV Dad image he secured in his most famous role. Shout! Factory warns at the beginning of the film that the “episode was compiled from the best possible surviving master”, so there are quite a few distracting image and sound flaws, but none bad enough to ruin the viewing experience. The bonus features on this disc are a new introduction by Frank Conniff (“TV’s Frank”), and the film’s original theatrical trailer.

Crash of the Moons, Season 4:
This episode opens with the B&W short General Hospital, the final entry in a three-part riff of the soap opera’s 1963 debut season. Mocking soap operas is almost too easy for Joel and the ‘Bots, who wring General Hospital for every drop of melodrama it has, and mercilessly lay on the camp. The episode’s main feature, Crash of the Moons, is cobbled together from three episodes of the space opera TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger to create a feature length collection of 1950s sci-fi clichés. John Banner (Sgt. Schultz, Hogan’s Heroes) steals every scene he’s in as the overly chipper, English-mangling ruler of one of the two doomed moons, and is the target of much good-natured ribbing inside and outside of the Satellite of Love’s theatre. One host segment is dedicated to the promotion of “Bannergrams”, and in the closing segment Bavarro (played by Michael J. Nelson) appears on the SOL’s viewscreen but is quickly redirected to Deep 13 to annoy the Mads with his cheerfulness. Crow and Tom Servo also have a musical number, “The Gypsy Moons”, in which they serenade Gypsy until the escalating competition gets completely out of hand. The bonus feature on this disc is the Crash of the Moons Original Mystery Science Theater Hour Wraps, a Biography-style film intro and wrap-up with host “Jack Perkins” (played by Michael J. Nelson).

The Beast of Yucca Flats, Season 6:
The main feature is preceded by two short films — Money Talks resurrects Benjamin Franklin’s shadow to lecture a teenage boy about managing his 1950s-era budget, while industrial video Progress Island, U.S.A. unenticingly hawks Puerto Rico to potential investors in 1973. In The Beast of Yucca Flats, fan-favourite B-movie star Tor Johnson (Plan 9 from Outer Space) plays a Russian scientist who flees his would-be assassins right onto a military test site, an atomic blast mutating him into a lumbering killing machine. The film, gloomily narrated by director Coleman Francis, is largely silent, leaving plenty of dead space for Mike and crew to fill with riffs. The bonus features on this disc are No Dialogue Necessary: Making an “Off-Camera Masterpiece”, a featurette that examines the making of The Beast of Yucca Flats, done in a style that mimics the film and guest-starring Frank Conniff; Coleman Francis: The Cinematic Poet of Parking, a retrospective look at the director and his filmmaking process; the original theatrical trailer for The Beast of Yucca Flats; and a stills gallery.

Jack Frost, Season 8:
In this trippy Russian/Finnish fairy tale, Ivan, a narcissistic young man with a blonde bowl cut, and the unfortunately named Nastenka, Russia’s answer to Cinderella, find true love despite Ivan being briefly turned into a werebear by Father Mushroom and Nastenka accidentally getting frozen solid by Jack Frost. Along the way to their happily-ever-after, they also encounter the inept witch Baba Yaga, a flying house, menacing trees, a pig transformed into a sled, and a band of unsavoury dwarves. Jack Frost borrows its palette of supersaturated colours from The Wizard of Oz — overcompensating for the lack of colour in the other three episodes of Volume XVIII — which just increases the film’s surreality. The snowballing weirdness makes Mike’s performance as the Lord of the Dance, and an appearance by Yakov Smirnoff (played by MST3K prop master Patrick Brantseg) on the Satellite of Love, seem normal by comparison. The bonus feature on this disc is a new introduction by Kevin Murphy (“Tom Servo”).

Steve Vance continues to illustrate the film poster style covers of the slimline DVD cases, copies of which are included in each MST3K box set as exclusive mini-posters. Their campy, retro comic book design perfectly fits the tone of the cheesy movies, and the easy-to-frame prints are ideal MSTie decor. The discs’ animated menus, always of exceptional quality, have practically become a bonus feature in their own right. Sound clips from the movies are cleverly edited together to create new scenes of interaction between Crow and Tom Servo, the vignettes serving as previews of the films they accompany.

Shout! Factory has obviously been listening to fan suggestions, as Volume XVIII is another solid set of most-wanted episodes. If you’d like to help keep the hits coming, be sure to e-mail Shout! Factory or post on their Cult Faves message board.

Pre-order at Amazon.com:
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII (Canada)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII (US)

Or order directly through the Shout! Factory website.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is distributed by Shout! Factory. For more Mystery Science Theater 3000 information, please visit The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Website and Satellite News: The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Fan Site.

MacGuffin Film Podcast: Mary Jo Pehl Interview

An interview with Mary Jo Pehl, actress from Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Cinematic Titanic, at Scarecrow Video in 2010 by the MacGuffin Film Podcast.

Check Out What’s New for Celebration V This Week

from StarWars.com:

>>INTERCEPTED MESSAGE FROM THE JEDI TEMPLE
>>Begin Encrypted Communication

Tell Your Story at Star Wars Celebration V
Fans of the Saga will have the unique opportunity to become a part of the Star Wars universe by contributing to Lucasfilm’s archive — The Star Wars Stories Project at Star Wars Celebration V this coming August in Orlando. Soliciting movie memories and fan nostalgia, the Stories Project is an ongoing initiative dedicated to chronicling the fan experience by inviting fans — young and old — to share their own anecdotes, missives and personal experiences through video testimonials. All four days of the convention, fans will have the opportunity to have their fifteen minutes in the spotlight, to tell their story as only they can tell it. Simply complete this form to reserve a timeslot during the event; a representative will contact you to schedule your 15 minute appointment. Reserve now! Appointments are filled on a first-come, first-reserved basis and once the slots are filled, we will not be able to accept addition reservations. Next door to the scheduled room, a walk-up Stories Project camera is planned, where fans can come without a reservation, for a limited number of hours each day. However, to avoid waiting in line, we recommend you make an online reservation. Sign up now to share your Star Wars memories!

Star Wars Stories Project at Celebration V

By reservation: W305 A, Thursday-Saturday, August 12-14, 11am-6pm; Sunday, August 15, 11am-5pm
Walk-up Star Wars Stories: W305 B, Thursday-Sunday, August 12-15, 11am-1pm, 3pm-5pm

Build Echo Base at Celebration V
Frank D’Iorio, the master diorama builder behind the fantastic fan-built dioramas at Celebrations II, III, and IV is returning for yet another Celebration, this time to lead fans in building Echo Base, the Rebel encampment on the ice planet Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. D’Iorio will set the stage in the Diorama building area, and then adults and kids alike can come and build a portion of the scene — free of charge — which takes shape as one huge diorama over the course of the weekend. Attendees who have been to D’Iorio’s building areas agree that one of the best parts of building a diorama at Celebration is getting to take their portion home on the last day of the show. Read more on the Celebration V Diorama Building Area here.

Celebration V Art Show
Star Wars artists of extraordinary vision will be exhibiting and selling their original prints at Celebration V. Each of the artists listed here will have a limited number of prints available, created exclusively for the show. Most of these artists will be within the Celebration V Art Show area, hosted by ACME Archives, in the Celebration Experience Exhibit Hall. A few others will appear in their own booths on the exhibit floor. Here are some of the artists participating.

Weta: meet Jackie Chan, Xenodefugio and Pomson

from Weta:

New Pin Joins the Ranks!
Readers of VICTORY — Scientific Adventure Violence for Young Men and Literate Women will no doubt have drooled over the Pomson 6000 — a stonker of a beautiful ray rifle. We are testing the market for these beasts by making available a smidge of trinketry for lapel application. This pin joins previous pins — the Unnatural Selector and the Goliaton 83. Acquire one or perish excrutiatingly! (one of each if you want to be ABSOLUTELY certain)

Dr. Grordbort’s Exceptional Exhibition gets Shanghaied by Jackie Chan!
It was announced yesterday by Jackie Chan, the rapscallion, that the Dr. Grordbort’s Exceptional Exhibition that has recently closed its doors after a successful stint in Hong Kong, is next headed for Shanghai. There is a locomotorial electropictogrammatic recording the revelation to the publishing hordes right here! The readables and audibles seem to be encrypted (or possibly in Mandarin). But by Jove — you will get the gist!

LAST CHANCE to acquire an Unnatural Selector Ray Blunderbuss — only 5 LEFT!
Out of the 50, only 5 remain. Order yours now.

Steampunk Fashion Show and Gala Ball
The hugely talented provincials in the township of Oamaru on New Zealand’s largely deserted South Island, have put on an extraordinary event — a Steampunk Fashion Show. Grordbort Industries sent Kim Graham along as a judge for the competition and we had a very hard time getting her back from the League of Victorian Imagineers, as they’ve monikered themselves. For the results and a description of the event, please visit The League of Victorian Imagineers in Oamaru!

Xenodefugio Subtiltus — a mouthful on a multitude of levels!
The hive is a-flutter as yet another species is awarded with extinction! With the latest, the Xenodefugio Subtiltus, it’s actually been a struggle to keep it alive this long. More about that — and the chance to OWN one — on Wednesday 30 June! Keep them peeled! No… your eyes, stupid! Here’s an excerpt of behavioural characteristica: “To ascribe the characteristic ‘retarded’ to its movement would not be unfair, as these simple little beasts move unpredictably in a manner akin to an unhappy grasshopper with mild brain damage.”

Greg Broadmore — Philosophising in Switzerland
Greg Broadmore will no doubt be entrancing his audience when he descends on Neuchatel, with talk about Weta Workshop design philosophy and about creating Science Fiction Worlds such as Dr. Grordbort’s and District 9. This all takes place at the Imaging the Future Symposium at this year’s NIFFF, the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival. In Neuchatel. Naturally. When? In the morning Thursday 8 July!

Dr. Grordbort’s for beginners
It is advisable, for beginners, not to throw themselves at the aether oscillating contraputronica straight away, but to familiarise oneself. We can think of no better way than to secure a “Dr. Grordbort’s for beginners” swag pack, consisting of no less (and no more) than seven items — all drawn from the blunter end of the Dr. Grordbort’s arsenal. There’s the book — Dr. Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory — a stylish pin, a sleek and sexy keyring and four postcards. Neither of which can be used (as far as we’ve been able to establish) to cause any major harm (young impressionable minds excluded).

“San Diego Comic Convention”
A whole exhibition hall dedicated to compartmentalised picture essays? What a preposterous notion! And in the colonies? Pah! Alas, it seems to thoroughly have mesmerised Messrs Taylor, Broadmore, Launder and Tremont who are all going to attend Weta’s booth (#2615) alongside assorted totty. Again. Every year, the same debacle. This year, a number of hefty crates have been packed and forwarded. Contents include customised rayguns (on themes such as stripy animals, orientals with a death wish and Teutonic knife makers), a huge lump of faux stone, vaguely in the shape of the Matterhorn, which is allegedly to serve as a kind of beacon to the masses at the convention. And other shiny and desirable bits. Grordbort Industries production associates, “Weta” have a page of updates available for your perusal.

Gunstand. It’s a Universal thing!
Is your sidearm crying out for a cooling rack? Now we have these beauties in stock. A slap of cast iron with weight and heft to hold ANY of Dr. Grordbort’s range of aether oscillating handguns. The Pearce Atom, the F.M.O.M., the Goliathon 83, the Manmelter 3600zx, the Victorious Mongoose and last (and least) the space-age lightweight stealth pistol the Righteous Bison Indivisible Particle Smasher. Don’t singe your velour-clad travel case — cool and display your gear on a Universal Gun Stand today! (or in a few days, depending on the slackness of the freight forwarders).

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

Star Wars: New comics from a galaxy far, far away…

from Things from Another World:

There are so many great Star Wars comics on the horizon that it’s hard not to geek out. It’s been a great ride, but Star Wars: Legacy is approaching its 50th and final issue. What’s in store for Krayt and Skywalker? Find out this July!

Star Wars fans around the world are absolutely giddy about the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic video game. The massively multiplayer online game promises to change your idea of the Star Wars Universe forever… and the new Star Wars: The Old Republic comic book series will kick everything off next month!

Shortly before the start of the Clone Wars, Count Dooku sends Jango Fett on a mission that will affect the course of Boba Fett’s life some twenty years later. But for now, neither of them knows what the future holds in store, and besides, they have their schedule filled dodging monsters and fighting bad guys! Star Wars: Blood Ties — A Tale of Jango and Boba Fett is a multigenerational tale of honor and redemption, starring two of the heaviest hitters in the Star Wars galaxy — the father-and-clone team of Jango and Boba Fett!

Star Wars: Invasion — Rescues started last month and we’re here to tell you that you’re missing out if you haven’t jumped aboard yet. The series features classic characters from the Star Wars universe like Luke, Han, and Leia and introduces us to Jacen, Jaina, Anakin (Han and Leia’s kids) and a slew of other characters. The Yuuzhan Vong pose a huge threat to peace in the galaxy — that is, unless the Solo children and their friend Finn Galfridian have anything to say about it.

See Upcoming Star Wars Comics

See All Star Wars Products

Start a Star Wars Comic Book Subscription

Important Alert from “Star Wars” Celebration V

from StarWars.com:

It has recently been brought to our attention that other companies are posing as the operators of the Official Star Wars Celebration V Travel Desk.

Please note that the ONLY Official Housing Partner for Celebration V is powered by onPeak. We cannot guarantee the lowest possible room rates during your stay in Orlando this August when you book through any other housing agent.

With rooms in our official Celebration V housing block starting as low as just $65 per night, getting to Celebration has never been more affordable. Book before July 21 through the simple-to-use reservation website or with a helpful and friendly booking agent, and save!

Our priority is to serve you best and provide the lowest possible hotel rates available during your stay in Orlando this August. Be sure to look for the official logo of our exclusive housing partner, onPeak, before making any reservations and book before July 21.

See you there!

Star Wars Celebration V Team

Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls: Hot Summer Sale, Cool Chibi Contest

from Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls:

Summer is officially here! And with this commencement of the summer solstice comes a SIZZLIN’ hot T-SHIRT SALE brought to you by your friends at MWGG Central Control.

Adult and Kids T-Shirts (originally priced @ $20) are now available at the MWGG Webstore for only 15 bucks! With savings at 25%, you couldn’t find a better deal even at zero gravity!

Is this sale too hot for you to handle? Well to keep things cool, we’re also having an exclusive MWGG POLAR FLEECE CHIBI CONTEST. Three lucky winners will win a hand-made, 15-inch, polar fleece Milky Way Chibi, designed and hand-sewn by creator Lauren Faust. These Chibis are not available in stores (yet) and will come with its very own certificate of authenticity.

All you need to do to enter the contest is purchase $15 worth of merchandise* at the MWGG Webstore or buy a MWGG Plush Doll online at FAO.com. Those who purchase a doll at FAO.com need only send proof of purchase to motherearth@milkywayandthegalaxygirls.com to be entered into the contest.

The T-SHIRT SALE and CONTEST will run until July 21st. Winners will be notified the following weekend.

Over and Out!
Mother Earth

* does not include shipping and handling

ThinkGeek thinks you rock (awwww)

from ThinkGeek:

Bacon-loving friends,

We’re not sure if you heard, but ThinkGeek recently got a 12-page cease & desist letter. Apparently the lawyers of the National Pork Board believe that we sell meat made from geriatric unicorns fattened on candy corn and rubbed down with Guinness by nuns in Ireland. They’re in a tizzy because we called it “The New White Meat.” The best part was when our lawyer explained they were a month behind on an April Fool’s joke.

And besides, who does more to promote the consumption of bacon than us? We should demand compensation for all the marketing we do for the magical animal known as the pig.

YouRock MIDI Electric Guitar
It’s an electric guitar that also works as a MIDI controller to use with just about any multi-track recording or sequencing software. Record your riffs directly into your computer without having to use a MIDI keyboard! The YouRock is 25 guitars, 50 synths, 25 tracks, and 50 drum tracks in one package. Even professional guitarists are shocked by how great the YouRock feels. Part of that is the speed of the triggering, sliding, and articulation, some of that is the unique characteristic of the strings. Have more fun and make more music with the YouRock MIDI Electric Guitar!

Balls, balls, balls!
Summer is full of balls: baseballs, softballs, soccer balls, wiffle balls, beach balls. Why not Buckyballs? Buy two sets of Buckyballs and get one free! Use the code HOTBALLS through 6/26/2010 at 12 midnight ET.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

Weta: Prancing Pony + Narnia Trailer and Sale!

from Weta:

The Prancing Pony limited edition environment from The Lord of the Rings.

Perched upon a crossroads in the northwest of Middle-earth, the small town of Bree is a quiet village. In the center of town, the Prancing Pony Inn is a home away from home for weary travelers from distant lands. Looking for Gandalf the Grey, Frodo and his companions seek shelter from the Black Riders who have pursued them through the wilderness, but there is little rest to be found at the Inn this night. Unfriendly stares bear down on the fearful Hobbit party and the wizard fails to appear. Amid the sodden patrons and hooded strangers Frodo and his friends exchange fretful glances, while outside the terrifying Wraiths converge upon the town in search of their quarry.

ONLY 500 World Wide. Pre-order now!

The Lord of the Rings: © 2010 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc.

San Diego Comic-Con update!
The Weta booth will be crawling with bugs. At the request of our friends on The Shadow and Flame Forum, we will be bringing a batch of copper wire Weta bugs for sale at Comic-Con. These wiry little fellows are normally sold in the Weta Cave, where they feel most at home. And they won’t be the only creepy crawlies there. They will be joined by the Blue Sacked Pillock, the Nandy Duke and a 3rd Venusian insect, recently made extinct by Dr. Grordbort’s hunting elite. There is just too much news to just cram into newsletters, so we’ve created a whole page dedicated to Comic-Con updates! Save it in your Favourites and come back often — we can’t promise news every day, but there’s already a fair few posts. Check out our Comic-Con updates page! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook and to discuss on the forum on The Shadow and Flame!

…and don’t forget — Weta presence at Anime Expo in LA
Weta’s US envoy, Phil Davis will be at Anime Expo in Los Angeles from the 1-4 July in the LA Convention Center. It is the largest Anime and Media Con in the western US and as usual, Phil will have a selection of Weta merchandise for sale at his booth. See you there!

The Art of District 9 — new book from Weta
Weta designers, particularly Greg Broadmore, David Meng and Leri Greer, were heavily involved in the creation of District 9, from the props and weapons, to the Prawns, to the graphic design. Now Daniel Falconer is collecting all this into a beautiful book for release later in the year. Check out Daniel’s post on the forum! Pre-orders open Soon (VERY soon) on a Weta Website Near You!

Righteous Bison + Universal Gun Stand = TRUE
Did you know that the lightweight and wieldable yet deadly and intimidating Righteous Bison looks AWESOME on the Universal Gun Stand? Get the Gun Stand here!

The Lord of the Rings for Beginners!
To kickstart your collection of The Lord of the Rings, we have put together a sample pack of some great, collectible products to start with. And we’ve made it easier for you to get started by giving you a discount and saving you money on the combined postage. The package contains: an Easterling Miniature Shield, a Gandalf Rune Pendant, and a Red Eye of Sauron Pin. All three items are actually wearable as the miniature shield doubles as a brooch.

The Chronicles of Narnia — The Voyage of the Dawn Treader trailer
Having done conceptual design, props, weapons, miniatures and all sorts of things for the first two Narnia movies, our involvement with the latest instalment of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles wasn’t on the same scale, but we’re REALLY looking forward to the movie in December. Especially now that we’ve seen the trailer… Check out the trailer here!

Amazing Narnia Sale and prize draw!
We thought we’d offer you an opportunity to get a bargain or two from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe that Weta created props, weapons, characters, miniatures and a host of other things for. Including collectibles. But that’s not all… If you buy ANY item from Prince Caspian or The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe before 29 June, you go in the draw to win an authentic red Lucy Cape from Stansborough who made the fabric for Lucy’s cape in the movie!

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

J!NX: Introducing J!NX Collaborations

from J!NX:

Wil Wheaton + J!NX Artists = WIN
A few of us sat down for a lunch with Wil Wheaton a while back, and a colossal brainstorm ensued. By the end of that meal, our goal was clear: Extract some of the killer ideas that populate Wil’s fertile mind, and have J!NX artists Chris Hope, Miguel Rojas and Brad Armstrong bring them to life, and thus J!NX Collaborations was born. We’ll be releasing one design per week for four weeks, the first of which springs from a tweet Wil sent out: “My sword glows blue in the presence of rules lawyers.” This design, crafted by J!NX artist Miguel “Borrador” Rojas, is a nod to both Lord of the Rings, and to those of us that can’t roll a d20 for 10 minutes without consulting a rule book. We all know that person. If you don’t, it’s probably because that person is you.

Win an Xbox 360 and more!
We’ve joined with our friends over at The Guild to figure out an awesome way to show our appreciation for your support. We figured an Xbox 360 plus some other goodies would work out just fine. All you have to do is follow us on Twitter, “like” our Facebook page, and throw a comment on the contest page.

-Team J!NX

RiffTrax’s riff of “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” is now available!

from RiffTrax:

Includes a bonus track, “Ghan-Buri-Ghan” by the RiffTones!

One of the hardest things to do with a popular series is to give it the conclusion it deserves. Some of the greatest entertainment phenomenons of our time, be it The Sopranos, Lost or Hi Honey, I’m Home! have failed to give fans the closure that they, as uninvolved spectators watching at home for free, feel they are entitled to. The Lord of the Rings series, on the other hand has mastered the art of delivering a satisfying conclusion. And The Return of the King does it so well, in fact, that it decides to end seven or eight times.

Get it here.

NEW PEOPLE Announces One of the Nation’s Biggest Pop Culture Events of the Year with the “2010 J-Pop Summit Festival”

from VIZ Pictures:

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, has announced the date for the 2010 J-Pop Summit Festival — Saturday, September 18th. The venue has also launched a web site at J-Pop.com to serve as a central information hub for updates on related events, film premieres and celebrity appearances planned for the day-long extravaganza that will take place in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Additional news alerts over the coming weeks will detail specific events and appearances.

A variety of fun Japanese pop-inspired attractions including fashion shows, a theatrical film premiere, live art performances, and mini-concerts by some of Japan’s hottest bands are planned for the 2010 Summit Festival both inside NEW PEOPLE, and also at the adjacent Peace Plaza and areas in between. Innovative artists and companies from the Bay area and Japan will join in with an array of products for sale in open air displays on both sides of Post Street and a food court highlighting Japanese cuisine will further complement the celebration.

Last year, more than 35,000 people attended the first J-Pop Summit Festival, which marked the Grand Opening of the NEW PEOPLE complex. The day-long event featured a trio of bands as part of the Japan Nite Special: Girls Rock Explosion as well as a rare appearance by famed artist and anime character designer Yoshitaka Amano, a Gothic and Lolita Extravaganza, a Harajuku Fashion Makeover, and the U.S. theatrical premiere of 20th Century Boys inside NEW PEOPLE’s VIZ Cinema, the country’s first theatre with a dedicated Japanese film program.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located in San Francisco at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass facade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: NewPeopleWorld.com.