Category: Multimedia

Shout! Factory Unleashes Four More Unreleased MST3K Episodes in a Collectible 4-DVD Box Set

from Shout! Factory:

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIV

Featuring MST3K Film Episodes Mad Monster, Manhunt in Space, Soultaker and Final Justice, Limited-Edition Mini-Posters, and All-New Bonus Content

In Stores Nationwide February 3, 2009, from Shout! Factory

From 1988 to 1999, the hilarious and widely beloved space travelers on The Satellite of Love from Mystery Science Theater 3000 skewered B-movies and in the process made them masterworks of comedy. Hot on the heels of the recent Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary celebration, Shout! Factory in association with Best Brains, Inc. proudly present the Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIV 4-DVD box set on February 3, 2009. Poised to satisfy the appetite of fans for ritual viewing, as well as a perfect Valentine’s Day gift for pop culture geeks, the awe-inspiring 14th collection of the side-splitting Mystery Science Theater 3000 features the show’s never-before-released film episodes Mad Monster, Manhunt in Space, Soultaker and Final Justice, 4 limited-edition mini-posters, along with a wealth of new bonus content, including a brand-new interview with Soultaker star and MSTie favorite Joe Estevez; a new interview with Final Justice writer/director Greydon Clark; Mike Nelson, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot on ESPN’s Cheap Seats without Ron Parker; and original trailers. Join the banter as Joel Hodgson, Mike Nelson, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot supply their own playful brand of commentaries on some of cinema’s most misunderstood “masterpieces” in Shout! Factory’s Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIV. This collectible 4-DVD box set is priced to own at $59.99.

Mad Monster
Obsessed with getting revenge on those responsible for the demise of his career, Dr. Lorenzo Cameron concocts a serum that transforms his unsuspecting gardener into a deadly wolf-man. Join hosts Joel Hodgson, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot as they send up the very best revenge-fueled-wolf-monster-created-by-a-mad-scientist film of 1942! This memorable episode of MST3K also includes the short Commando Cody & The Radar Men from the Moon.

Manhunt in Space
Launched into space with the mission of rescuing the lovely Vena from a gang of notorious space pirates, Rocky and his copilot Winky are once again ready to fight evil to the very end — even if it takes them to the furthest edge of the galaxy! Composed of reassembled episodes from the short-lived 1950s television series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Manhunt in Space is unable to escape the cinematic critique of Joel and the ’bots of the Satellite of Love. Also includes the short General Hospital, segment 1!

Soultaker
After four youths are involved in a serious car accident, a mysterious man in black is sent to claim their souls — but these feisty teens aren’t yet ready to pass into the afterlife. Now they must return to their hospital-bound bodies before their parents decide to pull the plug or, worse yet, the Soultaker catches them. Starring MSTie faves Joe Estevez and Robert Z’Dar, Soultaker is perfect fodder for the sarcastic wit and wisdom of Mike, Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo aboard the Satellite of Love.

Final Justice
When tough-as-nails Texas Deputy Sheriff Thomas Jefferson Geronimo captures a member of the Italian mob, only he can successfully get his prisoner back to Italy to stand trial. But the Mafia declares war on Geronimo. That was their last mistake. The hard-hitting crew of the Satellite of Love — Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot — pulls absolutely no punches when riffing on Final Justice (starring legendary Mystery Science Theater 3000 antagonist Joe Don Baker), making this one of MST3K’s most beloved episodes of all time.

Help Dr. Horrible Win a People’s Choice Award

from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog:

Dr. Horrible Newsletter, Issue #3

Dear Horrible Fans, Hammer Groupies, Penny-Savers, Bad Ponies, Fake Thomas Jefferson’s Axe of Congress and of course the Towelettes,

It has been brought to our attention that some of you have been using your powers for good. This we can not forgive! Your fierce and effluvia-removing punishment can only be forestalled by quick and decisive action: Vote for Dr. Horrible on the People’s Choice awards site (under “Favorite Online Sensation”). Every day. This is the kind of exposure that will allow the doctor to continue his reign of hummable terror. The time is now! Actually, the time is always now. Like, right now — still now. Hmmm. Neat.

Fear us! Vote! Kisses! –Team Horrible.

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.”

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.

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

Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition

Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition

“Set in 1980 at the fictional McKinley High in Detroit, Freaks and Geeks focused on two groups of outsiders: the stoners, tough kids and bad girls, and the brains, nerds and squares. The program quickly became legendary as a smart, funny and authentic testimonial to the (few) highs and (many more) horrors of high school for the kids who don’t fit in.” And, in a move that real-life freaks and geeks everywhere could relate to, the show got shoved into a locker by its network after only one season.

Shout! Factory pays respect to the cult series created by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad) and Paul Feig (The Office, Arrested Development) by releasing the Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition, “The Ultimate Tribute to One of the Greatest TV Shows Ever.” The Yearbook Edition is presented as an authentic 80-page William McKinley High School yearbook, with front and back pages “signed” by the show’s characters. Packed with exclusive essays, trivia, memorabilia, rare photos, and episode synopses, it contains all the episodes and extras of The Complete Series 6-DVD set, plus 2 bonus DVDs filled with six hours of additional extras never before available in stores:

  • Museum of Television & Radio Panel Discussion
  • Complete Script for a Never-Shot Episode
  • Three Full-Episode Table Reads
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Original Cast Audition Footage
  • Raw Footage
  • Mr. Rosso Live in Concert
  • Sober Students Improv Players
  • Tales of the Secret Service
  • Photo Galleries
  • NBC Promos and EPK
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Seven Minutes in Heaven
  • Graduation
  • Thanks, Goodbye

“It’s one of the most insanely complete TV artifacts ever.” — Time Magazine
“An obsessive labor of love.” — New York Times

Series stars Linda Cardellini (ER), James Franco (Spider-Man, Pineapple Express), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Kung Fu Panda), and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) graduated from Freaks and Geeks to go on to big Hollywood careers, so this box set serves as a career spotlight for them, as well as for the show’s many guest stars and cameo appearances, including Ben Stiller (There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Madagascar), Thomas F. Wilson (Back to the Future trilogy), Joel Hodgson (Mystery Science Theater 3000), Trace Beaulieu (Mystery Science Theater 3000), David Koechner (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Office), Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express), Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees), Allen Covert (The Wedding Singer and many other Adam Sandler movies), Matt Czuchry (Gilmore Girls), Claudia Christian (Babylon 5), Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Samaire Armstrong (The O.C., Entourage), Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand, 30 Days of Night), Alexander Gould (Finding Nemo, Weeds), Kevin Tighe (Lost), David Krumholtz (NUMB3RS, Serenity), Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls, Cloverfield), Rashida Jones (Boston Public, The Office), Sarah Hagan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and punk rock band Diesel Boy.

McKinley High lives on in the impressive and lasting legacy it leaves behind. Go Norsemen!

Order now at Amazon.com:
Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition

Or order directly through the Shout! Factory website.

Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition is distributed by Shout! Factory. For more Freaks and Geeks information, please visit McKinley High: A Freaks and Geeks Fan Site.