Shout! Factory to Release “Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIX”

from Shout! Factory:

You are cordially invited to celebrate the launch of this year’s holiday season with the rambunctious crew from the Satellite of Love, as Joel, Mike and their robot pals Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot embark on a painfully joyful (and joyfully painful) voyage through the magnificent madness of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIX limited-edition 4-DVD box set (featuring the highly collectible Gypsy figurine) from Shout! Factory, in association with Best Brains, Inc. on November 9, 2010.

This side-splitting collection of MST3K features the show’s never-before-released episodes Robot Monster, Bride of the Monster, Devil Doll and Devil Fish. Those entrees come with a side of extras, including a new introduction by J. Elvis Weinstein, cult filmmaker Larry Blamire’s full-fledged geek-out on Robot Monster, new featurettes on Bride of the Monster and Devil Doll, MST3K: Origins and Beyond from CONvergence 2009, original movie trailers, and four exclusive MST3K mini-posters by artist Steve Vance. There might even be an Easter Egg… we’re just sayin’. This limited-edition 4-DVD box set also includes a figurine of Gypsy, the perfect companion to the Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo figurines included in previous year-end Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD box sets, all of which have become collector’s items. A must-have for loyal fans and collectors, Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIX 4-DVD box set is priced to own at $69.97.

MST3K: Robot Monster
The sinister alien Ro-Man has decimated the Earth’s population, leaving only eight survivors, including a professor and the family of young space enthusiast Johnny. Its status as “one of the worst films ever made” easily makes Robot Monster an instant hit with the crew of the Satellite of Love! Join Joel, Servo and Crow as they explore their own fears of Ro-Man — errr… Ro-Tom — surrealism and, of course, the awful greatness (and the great awfulness) that is Robot Monster! Also includes the shorts Radar Men from the Moon: Chapters 4 & 5!
Bonus Features:
• Brand-new introduction by J. Elvis Weinstein
Larry Blamire Geeks Out
• Original Robot Monster trailer

MST3K: Bride of the Monster
Horror cinema icons Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson star in this unforgettable Ed Wood classic as the crazed Dr. Vornoff and his beastly assistant Lobo, who conduct heinous experiments on human victims in an effort to create a race of atomic super-beings that will conquer the world. The film raises some intriguing questions: Do robots made of scrap parts aboard an orbiting satellite dream of electric sheep? Can Joel and the ’bots carry a tune? Who doesn’t love cold Tater Tots and olive loaf? These and other, equally imperative, questions will be answered — and more — in this “very special episode” of Mystery Science Theater 3000 that pays tribute to one of Ed Wood’s best bad movies ever! After all, no Ed Wood film would truly be complete without the biting yet loving riffs of your faithful Satellite of Love crew! Also includes the short Hired!, Part 1!
Bonus Features:
Citizen Wood: Making ‘The Bride,’ Unmaking ‘The Legend.’
Inventing the “Invention Exchange”
• Original Bride of the Monster trailer

MST3K: Devil Doll
Well… hello Dolly! Before a sold-out audience in London, “The Great Vorelli” performs with his ventriloquist dummy, Hugo. The doll walks on his own. It talks on his own. It even threatens the audience on his own. But is Hugo the real villain? Or could it be that his ventriloquist owner has lost his marbles? While Pearl and Brain Guy show the Romans how to have a good time at the Lesser God Day celebration, Mike, Crow and Servo invite you to their own open-window frat party! Party it up with the S.O.L. crew, complete with special guests, devil dolls and their own British pub!
Bonus Features:
The Puppet Master: Richard Gordon on Devil Doll
• Original Devil Doll trailer

MST3K: Devil Fish
When Dr. Stella Dickens concludes the recent string of grisly deaths and demolished boats can’t be the result of any known marine creature, she sets out to capture the beast, a genetically created bio-weapon that must be kept secret… at any cost. One thing’s for sure, however: The fish are biting! Beware the dolphins, after Mike and the crew of the Satellite of Love decide to mock their intelligence! Meanwhile, Pearl is forced to convince unexpected visitors that the castle’s actually a luxurious cruise liner! No one’s safe — least of all, Devil Fish — in this episode from Mystery Science Theater 3000’s ninth hysterical season!
Bonus Features:
MST3K: Origins and Beyond at CONvergence 2009
• Original Devil Fish trailer

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 series was created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Jim Mallon. After a year on KTMA TV in Minneapolis, its national broadcast life began in 1989 on the Comedy Channel (later to become Comedy Central), where it ran for seven seasons. The show’s final three seasons aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. The premise of the series features a hapless man who is trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space and forced to watch old B-movies of questionable worth. To keep sane, he’s built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery. Series creator Hodgson originally played the stranded man, Joel Robinson. When he left in 1993, series head writer Mike Nelson replaced him as the new B-movie victim Mike Nelson, and continued in the role for the rest of the show’s run. The format proved to be popular and remarkably durable. During its 11-year run and 198 episodes (including one feature film), MST3K attained a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. The series won a Peabody Award in 1993, and was nominated for writing Emmys in 1994 and 1995.

J!NX: We’re All Thumbs

from J!NX:

New Design Arcade Winner: Gamer’s Thumb
It’s an affliction that no gamer can avoid: Gamer’s Thumb. You’ve been button-mashing for who-knows-how-long, and your thumbs are now purple, deformed, and throbbing. It’s a good hurt, a deep burn, and it signifies that you have pwned until you are physically incapable of pwning — which is the only time you should stop, anyway. Game on and may your thumb-callouses grow strong and mighty! Grats to LindsayLB for a schweet design!

PAX Prime 2010 Recap… With Video!
Catch up on your PAX 2010 goodness in our post-PAX recap! Browse the pics from our photoshoot and Super Ultra Mega Party, have a look at the epic video and relish in the good times had at the J!NX booth. Read all about it nao!

Dangerous Dorks: Say No to Nerd Rage!

from GeekChicDaily:

View the shocking video The Empire doesn’t want you to see…

Once, Nerd Rage could bubble over in a Kirk Vs. Picard debate or a Ditko Vs. Lee message board discussion. In the past, such anger manifested itself as an overturned Mountain Dew glass or a ridiculous internet flame war. These days, though, you’d best watch your back around the nerd herd.

Time was that the nastiest thing you’d see happening at a comic convention was Trekkers making sarcastic remarks towards Twi-Hards. No more. At this year’s Comic-Con, an argument over Hall H seating resulted in a now-infamous eye-gouge.

And physical violence isn’t the only danger. At an Arizona comic convention, a puppet troup tried to stage a skit involving a Stormtrooper and a Na’vi. Suddenly, an over-zealous sci-fi fan came down on them like a fetid rain of curdled blue milk (fun starts at :45).

More norms are coming over to the geekside every day, friends. It’s getting crowded. Has it really gotten to where nerds need to pack heat for protection? No way. Here’s why: firearms can accidentally discharge and shoot fellow Avatar fans. In real life, there are no extra lives. Say No to Nerd Rage!

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Season 3 Premiere

from StarWars.com:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 Starts Tonight!!

Tune in to Cartoon Network tonight at 9:00 PM PT/ET to catch the first two episodes of the transformative third season of The Clone Wars, “Clone Cadets” and “ARC Troopers” (get a sneak peek at the episodes here and here)!

Still need more Clone Wars? Here’s just a small sampling of all the recent Clone Wars goodness:

Clone Wars Adventures is Now Live!
Clone Wars Adventures, a free-to-play, action packed virtual world for fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television series, is now live and ready to play!

The Clone Wars Season 3 Premiere Event at Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network held a red carpet Season 3 premiere screening at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco, inviting Boys and Girls Club kids to mingle with George Lucas and The Clone Wars cast.

All New Clone Wars Web Comic
In time for season three, an all new story exclusive to StarWars.com!

Clone Wars Character Soundboards
A fresh batch of Clone Wars characters have been added to the Official Star Wars Soundboards, with more to come! Hear your favorite characters on demand with the following links:

Bounty Hunters | Anakin Skywalker | Ahsoka Tano | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Hondo Ohnaka | clone troopers | Asajj Ventress | Cad Bane | Captain Rex | Aayla Secura

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Season 3 Premiere Event!

from StarWars.com:

On September 10, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Cartoon Network held a red carpet Season Three premiere screening at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco. The fun-filled evening, sponsored by Hasbro, featured a first-ever big screen presentation of the season’s launch episodes, as well as a whole host of special activities — including videogame demos, Hasbro Galactic Battle game stations, photo opportunities with costumed characters, Jedi Academy Training and more. Special guests included youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, along with Executive Producer George Lucas, Supervising Director Dave Filoni, Producer Cary Silver and the cast of Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

The next chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars begins with a must-see one-hour premiere, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, September 17 on Cartoon Network.

Breadpig: n00b! Asian Adventure! Colbert!

from Breadpig:

Ahoy, Breadpig legionnaire!

We know it’s only been two weeks since we’ve written, but it’s been an action-packed time and we didn’t want you to fall behind on the news!

The observant among you may have noticed that the last briefing had TWO signatures at the bottom instead of just one. That’s because as of a few weeks ago, Breadpig officially has a new employee! Christina Xu has joined on to help steer our porky hero towards greater heights of do-goodery and generally improve awesome levels in the world. If you have any questions for Christina, please ask her!

One of the first missions that our largest-ever Breadpig team will tackle is an epic voyage to South Asia in October to visit, observe, and document the work Room to Read is doing with the $85,460 we’ve donated to them. Both Alexis and Christina will visit the Laos Room to Read office as well as the XKCD school Breadpig built in Salavan, Laos. Then, Christina will continue solo to the RTR programs in Hanoi, Vietnam; Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Kathmandu and Bariya, Nepal to find out how our other funded projects (and Room to Read in general) are getting along. We’ll be posting an official itinerary soon — please contact us if you have advice, requests, suggestions for great organizations to team up with in the future, or the ability to meet up for a drink anywhere along the way!

Finally, Breadpig joined in Reddit’s efforts to create the largest fundraiser for DonorsChoose ever to convince Stephen Colbert to have a rally in DC. We donated $1776.63 to the campaign to celebrate Reddit breaking the $30,000 mark (Hilary Clinton’s record over the last 3 years!) in less than 24 hours, and in return Mr. Colbert wrote us a little letter. We are proud (and starstruck) beyond words!

Breadpig doubled in size as a company, is going to visit Room to Read sites in Laos/Vietnam/Sri Lanka/Nepal in October, donated $1776.63 to DonorsChoose to congratulate Redditors on generating over $30k in less than 24 hours.

Love and crusty bacon,
Alexis and Christina

(P.S. This Sunday, November 19th, is Talk Like a Pirate Day. We hope you observe this holiest of days.)

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Night to Be Held at PETCO Park

from StarWars.com:

The Force has been with the San Diego Padres all season long, and on Friday, September 24, the Padres will pay tribute to a “galaxy far, far away” with a special Star Wars: The Clone Wars Night at the ballpark, as the team takes on the Cincinnati Reds.

For one night only, a portion of the Upper Reserved section of PETCO Park will be transformed into an intergalactic experience. Fans who purchase tickets in these special sections will have the opportunity to take a picture with their favorite Star Wars or Star Wars: The Clone Wars character, enjoy Star Wars trivia, special giveaways and much more in-game entertainment. Fans are encouraged to dress in character, but weapons will not be permitted at PETCO Park, and ballpark management reserves the right to ask that masks be removed at any time.

To extend the Star Wars Night festivities, fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a ticket package that allows them to stay after the game for an exclusive Star Wars sleepover under the stars on the PETCO Park playing field. Everyone at the sleepover will be treated to a special screening of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on the FriarVision video board, in honor of the movie’s 30th anniversary this year.

Additional sleepover entertainment will include a special appearance by Ashley Eckstein, wife of Padres infielder David Eckstein. Ashley is the voice of Ahsoka Tano in the hit animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Sleepover ticket packages also include a postgame snack, breakfast on Saturday morning and a one-of-a-kind Padres/Star Wars-themed gift.

Tickets for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Night at PETCO Park are on sale now. Game tickets in the special section are priced at $25. Ticket packages for the game and sleepover are priced at $200, but the first 100 fans to purchase the package will receive a special reduced price of $100. Only 1,000 sleepover tickets are available, so visit padres.com/starwars and secure your spot for this unique event now!

Nintendo Asks the Public’s Help to Save London from Peril

from Nintendo of Canada:

London is in trouble and only Professor Layton can help! The popular series of portable games featuring Professor Layton has built a reputation for fun puzzles woven into the context of a mystery. Sunday marked the launch of the third game in the series, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, made exclusively for the Nintendo DS family of systems. The game launches just as the Nintendo DSi suggested retail price has dropped to $149.99 and the Nintendo DSi XL suggested retail price has dropped to $169.99.

In Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, Professor Layton’s apprentice, Luke, gets a letter from himself — from 10 years in the future. Future Luke explains how London has fallen into disarray, and requests the aid of Professor Layton to set things right. By solving more than 165 puzzles, riddles and brain teasers, players must help the pair solve the mystery. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future includes more voice acting and more animated sequences than any game in the series.

“Everyone likes to solve a puzzle and unravel a mystery,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “Professor Layton games deliver more of this kind of entertainment than any other series. Even better, they put it right in the palm of your hand.”

To celebrate the launch of the game, Nintendo hosted just-for-fun puzzle challenges in four U.S. cities to determine whether “ladies” or “gents” were better at solving puzzles. Predictions for the events can been seen in a fun video at professorlaytonds.com. The gents ultimately claimed victory, but the razor-thin margin has officials wondering whether a more decisive rematch may be called for. The results of this thoroughly unscientific survey are as follows (numbers indicate average scores):

San Francisco — Ladies: 14.3, Gents: 12.06
Chicago — Ladies: 10.4, Gents: 12.4
Boston — Ladies: 7.3, Gents: 6.0
Philadelphia — Ladies: 4.62, Gents: 8.4
TOTAL — Ladies: 9.1, Gents: 9.7

Remember that Nintendo DSi features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit nintendodsi.com.

For more information about Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, visit professorlaytonds.com.

Weta News: Gollum, Gino and Grordbort’s!

from Weta:

Gollum available for pre-order!
We’re very pleased to open pre-orders for Gollum — the most iconic character from The Lord of the Rings movies and something everyone must have in their The Lord of the Rings collection. We have a small shipment of these on the way to our NZ warehouse as we speak. Gollum exists in two versions — one is a souvenir version only available in person at the Weta Cave in Wellington, the other is now available to pre-order and will be available to collectors the world over in December. New Zealanders will not have to wait quite so long… stay updated via our newsletter! Pre-order your Gollum Here!

Weta Cast Episode XVII with Gino Acevedo
The man who daringly strides the realm between the physical and the digital shares some of his latest endeavours with Magnus and Daniel. And we’ve invited Greg Broadmore to join us for some nonsensical banter and revelations from the world of Dr. Grordbort’s. Listen to it here!

Featured Products from Dr. Grordbort’s
Created by Weta Designer Greg Broadmore, this range started out three years ago as a range of hefty rayguns in strictly limited editions. Although these large guns are still central to the Dr. Grordbort’s universe, there are now books, bugs, bags and miniature guns in this range. Check out the Dr. Grordbort’s Shop!

Send in your crazy Righteous Bison photos and Win Weta Dollars!
To celebrate that they’ve just started fulfilling our second order of The Righteous Bison, the fine folk at Grordbort Industries Jollification Department have announced A CONTEST! The finest and most outlandish examples of photographs of the Righteous Bison in action will be awarded prizes in the form of Weta Dollars! 200 to the winner, 100 to one runner-up! Plus, of course, everlasting glory and a pat on the back! By submitting an entry, you of course agree to us using the image on our site, Facebook, Twitter and in newsletters. Email your entries (as many as you like) to news@wetanz.co.nz before 26 September!

Armageddon Auckland update
It’s been decided that David Tremont, Tim Launder and Magnus Hjert will yet again be travelling to Auckland for the awesome Armageddon pop-culture expo at the ASB Show Grounds. Come and see them as well as swathes of gorgeous merchandise, much of it never-before-seen at a NZ convention! There may also be guests… stay tuned for more.

Bag End now shipping World Wide!
One of our most anticipated products this year was Bag End — the wait is over and we’re shipping these as fast as we can! Bear with us and it’ll arrive on your doorstep before you know it! Haven’t ordered one yet? Get your Bag End here!

Manage your collection online!
When you register and set up an account on Weta’s website, you have access to a page called Collection & Orders where you can track the status of orders you’ve placed. The items you buy on our site are automatically added to your display cabinet. You can also add products you haven’t bought directly from us by clicking the buttons called “I Own This” on each product page on the site. Your collection will be shown on your Public Profile page along with your Wishlist, your Showcase, stuff you like and basic information about you.

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

J-Pop Summit Festival 2010 Welcomes Japan’s Biggest Virtual Idol — Hatsune Miku — for Her Exclusive U.S. Debut

Japan’s virtual idol Hatsune Miku

from VIZ Media:

NEW PEOPLE, in cooperation with Tokyo Kawaii Magazine, are proud to present the official North American debut of virtual idol Hatsune Miku as part of the J-Pop Summit Festival 2010, taking place in San Francisco’s Japantown. In her first-ever appearance outside Japan, Hatsune Miku “performs” in a special film concert at VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE on Saturday, September 18th at 3:00pm. Tickets for the screening are $20.00 and are available now at vizcinema.com.

Miku Hatsune is a virtual pop idol that has taken Japan by storm. She was born as the premiere product in the Vocaloid2 Character Vocal Series developed by Crypton Future Media. The technology, originally designed for professional musicians, enables users to synthesize singing by inputting lyrics and a melody. In Japan, Vocaloid singers have become the hottest new trend in the pop culture landscape. Miku Hatsune features a singing voice based on samples of voice actress Saki Fujita.

This VIZ Cinema premiere will present a recorded live performance with stunning THX audio that was originally held in Tokyo on March 9th, 2010. The concert featured Miku Hatsune backed by a “live” band called the 39S Members. She performed 39 songs while being projected on a transparent screen set up on the stage, making her look like a living-sized hologram playing with a live band. More information on Miku Hatsune is available at: newpeopleworld.com/films/films-9-2010/#miku.

The J-Pop Summit Festival 2010 will present 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. The celebration is complemented by innovative artists and companies from the Bay area and Japan that 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. More details are available at: J-Pop.com.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s first movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX-certified sound system.

About Tokyo Kawaii Magazine:
Tokyo Kawaii Magazine is a digital magazine app for iPhone. It provides the latest news of Japanese pop culture from Tokyo known as the holy place of Kawaii to the world. Tokyo Kawaii Magazine has not only the latest news on Japanese animation and manga but also Kawaii stuff such as Lolita fashion, street fashion, cosplay, costumes, games, Japanese food, idols, visual-kei bands and internet culture, and popular districts such as Akihabara, Harajuku or Shibuya are also included in every issue. More info at: tkmag.jp.

About NEW PEOPLE:
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 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.

ThinkGeek rocks the coin-op & takes $10 off

from ThinkGeek:

Greetings, Literate Beings of Earth!

What a busy weekend! We sent Timmy clones to Dragon*Con and PAX and then it was off to the outer rim to pick up the latest shipment from the Hoth Department of Natural Resources. After that, a quick joy ride in the DeLorean to the coin-op Golden Age, and on the way home we fought a Balrog for some barware (souvenirs, you know).

At least we had something to read on the trip: the Hugo Award winners were announced at AussieCon 4. Props to them and thanks for making this plane of existence a little more existable!

Retro Atari Wall Decals
Live the game, and make it old school. Back in the day, when ancient geeks wanted to get their game on, it required pockets laden with coins, a good belt to prevent said laden pants from falling off, and a journey to a magical place called an arcade. In this darkened room were monoliths that bleeped and blooped and glowed with pixelated goodness. Ah, the halcyon days before game-quality was measured in voxels! Everything was simple, but still fun. Were you there, friend? Remember those days with vinyl decals that make your living space look like the games you loved. Fill your room with Asteroids, Centipede or Pong, no quarters necessary. Atari represent! All that’s missing is the coin slot.

$10 off your $30+ order with code PONG
Having these Atari Wall Graphics around is making us all nostalgic for the days when the world was simpler. You were a bunch of squares shooting squares at other squares. If you lean back in your ergonomic desk chair and reminisce about days of yore, use code PONG for $10 off a $30 order, good through 9/10/10 at 11:59 PM ET.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

Dark Horse Introduces New Events and Community Manager, Kari Yadro

from Dark Horse Comics:

Today Dark Horse announced the appointment of Kari Yadro to the newly created role of events and community manager. In the beginning, Dark Horse was built on the idea of creating an atmosphere that was friendly and accessible to both creators and fans. In 2010, Dark Horse has looked to continue this tradition with a heavy focus on the growing online social-networking channels. Looking forward to 2011, the company hopes to focus heavily on the growing comics community in Portland, Oregon, and the world at large, with more events and activities demonstrating leadership balanced with accessibility.

This new position will not only encompass all Dark Horse trade-show coordination and planning, but also any and all Dark Horse events, such as in-store appearances and signings. In addition, the Dark Horse events and community manager will focus heavily on Dark Horse’s social-networking strategy, overseeing Facebook, Twitter, and all other channels, as this has become an increasingly important area for Dark Horse.

Kari Yadro comes to Dark Horse from a storied career with Barnes & Noble, where she currently holds the position of community relations manager. In her time there, she has handled coordination of all in-store events, large and small. Kari’s passion for science fiction led her into the comic shop by way of Dark Horse’s own Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.

“It’s an honor to be joining the comic-book industry, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where there are so many amazing publishers,” said Kari Yadro. “I’m really excited about connecting with Dark Horse’s fans and exploring partnership opportunities with organizations in the local and world communities.”

“As Dark Horse continues to expand our presence in the minds of fans on and off of the trade-show floors, I am confident that Kari brings the perfect balance of events experience and community building to her new role,” said Dark Horse’s director of public relations, Jeremy Atkins. “I couldn’t be happier about the level of energy and enthusiasm she brings to the position.”

Kari will cut her teeth at October’s New York Comic Con. Please make sure to stop by the Dark Horse booth and say hello.