An 8-bit interpretation of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog as a theoretical Nintendo game.
To watch the animation in high quality and to download the complete 8-bit soundtrack in mp3 format, please visit doctoroctoroc.com/8-bit-dr-horrible.
Celebrate Your Geekdom
An 8-bit interpretation of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog as a theoretical Nintendo game.
To watch the animation in high quality and to download the complete 8-bit soundtrack in mp3 format, please visit doctoroctoroc.com/8-bit-dr-horrible.
from Immedium:
The Octonauts chart new horizons
In America, this is National Week of the Ocean! If you don’t live near a beach, do the next best thing — join The Octonauts on one of their adventures!
“The Octonauts are a team of eight underwater explorers who resemble Hello Kitty and friends, but have the gumption of Jacques Cousteau. Capt. Barnacles Bear and his crew, which includes a bunny, octopus, and otter, find their vacation to the Great Reef City interrupted when they discover that the reef is silent and white, like a ghost town. Investigating reveals that the buildings were blocking the sun and preventing healthy algae growth. Kids should be drawn in by the zippy graphics and comprehend the message about conservation.” — Publishers Weekly
Then on the web, you can join their growing Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/octonauts
Plus we are proud to announce that the Octonauts will debut as an animated TV series this fall in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Scandinavia, and more countries! We’ve partnered with Chorion UK, who has produced shows such as Mr. Men and Olivia the Pig. Stay tuned for more news to come!
Meet the creators Meomi who will sign books at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo on April 24-25th.
Immedium stories available on iPad
It seems everyone is buzzing about Apple’s new tablet and its potential impact on publishing. So we’re glad we put our books online earlier with astorybeforebed.com, because now their applet is available on the iPad, as reported by Media Bistro’s Galley Cat.
You can record yourself reading our stories on your Mac or PC (with a webcam and microphone), and watch your story times (play them back) on the iPad.
“I’m totally gaga, though, over their new site, A Story Before Bed. This might be one of those things that parents and grandparents will flip out with happiness about while everyone else scratches their heads, but as a new parent, finding it made me feel like a special delivery had arrived expressly for my daughter… My daughter’s happy reaction at seeing relatives — or me, when I’m traveling — on iChat makes the webcam in my laptop worth the whole cost of the machine. We read her three books every night before bed, and the idea of one of those being by a ‘guest reader’ from afar is wonderful. This is one of those ways of connecting people that I can’t help but be excited to see.” — Marc Hedlund, O’Reilly Radar
from The Legend of Neil:
Happy day! Atom.com and Effinfunny produced series The Legend of Neil raked in 4 nominations for the 2nd annual Streamy awards! We couldn’t be more happy with our take (well I guess 5 would’ve been nice, but who’s counting?). We pulled in nominations for Best Comedy Show, Best Directing in a Comedy Series (Sandeep Parikh), Best Writing in a Comedy Series (Sandeep Parikh & Tony Janning), and the Audience Choice awards which you can vote for here! Voting begins right now and lasts through April 11th. It’s super easy, no registration required, just click to vote! We know that we’re up against some stiff competition but winning that would mean the world to us. We couldn’t have gotten this far without our fan support so thank you all for spreading the word about the initial voting rounds and the tremendous push we got from our Facebook and Twitter pages. You guys rock. Kill Link!
Codex enters enemy territory to get her Guildie back.
from The Guild:
Most of you caught on yesterday but for those who didn’t, we’d like to be the first to say APRIL FOOLS!
Although the show isn’t real, a ton of hard work went into orchestrating this elaborate prank. Extra special thanks goes to Greg Aronowitz and his animation team for doing 3 months of work in 3 weeks, Paul and Storm for writing a theme song so catchy that only death will get it out of our heads and Marc Hustvedt and Jenni Powell at Tubefilter for writing hilariously convincing articles that kept some of our fanbase guessing! The full credits have been added to the “more info” box on YouTube. And there are a few behind the scenes photos on The Guild’s Flickr page.
The reactions to this ran the whole spectrum, from “this is awful” to “this is amazing” and from “please be an April Fool’s joke” to “I hope this ISN’T a joke.” We appreciate all the comments and discussion and encourage you to continue discussing them in the comments of the video on YouTube.
And for those of you wondering about Season 4, don’t worry, it’s coming. We’ll have some announcements coming soon. Here’s the video from yesterday in case you missed it (bonus! we uploaded a deleted scene of Vork’s monkey for those of you that want more Lil’ Guildies).
–The Guild Management
from RiffTrax:
Hey Riff Fans!
Just a quick reminder, we’ll be premiering — online! — the new short Mr. Moto Takes a Walk tonight at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Before that we’ll be showing 30 minutes of hilarious RiffTrax “trivia!”
All you need to do is buy the ticket for 25 cents, which gives you access to the online premiere webcast of the short!
Get access here.
Users who buy the “ticket” to the online premiere will also get a free RiffTrax Desktop Wallpaper after the show.
Keep in mind, this is not a “live” riff, but is a streaming webcast of the short that’ll be on sale tomorrow, 4/2, for 99 cents, here.
Help us test our new website and streaming hardware by purchasing access to the show!
Thanks,
Your friends at RiffTrax
from The Guild:
We were saving this announcement for tomorrow’s comic book signing at Golden Apple Comics, but this inadvertently got leaked via our YouTube Channel and then picked up by the web TV news site Tubefilter.tv. Yes, The Guild is moving into animation. This is one of the new projects that has been in development from Knights of Good, as has been mentioned in several interviews. Especially exciting is that the animation studio that approached The Guild intends on bringing it to Saturday mornings as a half-hour program.
We’ll post more details as soon as we are allowed to (or as soon as we make another mistake that leaks top secret project info!), but for now, you can read Jenni Powell’s exclusive write up on Tubefilter, watch the opening credits sequence on YouTube, and discuss the new development in Guild Chat or on our discussion boards.
Special thanks to the fabulous Paul and Storm (website, Twitter) who created the theme song and Greg Aronowitz (blog, Twitter) who is leading the project. Behind the scenes photo below of Greg working on the animation.
Thanks,
The Guild Management
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 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 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!