Written By: Ken Hulsey Source: Simon Pegg via Twitter
It would be fair to say that Simon Pegg believes that Hollywood has gone a little sequel crazy over the past decade or so, and who could argue with that honestly? In regards to his own films he feels that they speak for themselves and really don't need a follow-up story .... with the exception of possibly one.
Here is what Pegg posted on Twitter about a sequel to "Hot Fuzz":
"Does this mean Sgt. Nicholas Angel can come back to London? Because he doesn't want to. He's happy with Danny in Sandford
Didn't mean to fuel rumours of a Hot Fuzz sequel. A high ranking MET police officer resigned, thus the comment about Angel returning to LDN."
Then he posted about sequels in general:
"Where does this sequel obsession come from? Has our lust for the new been blunted by repeated pandering to childish desires for familiarity?"
Then to set the record straight:
"Didn't say sequels were a bad idea, far from it. Simply meant they're not always necessary. Certainly not with SotD & HF." (Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz FYI)
Then he left the door open to the possibility that he could do a sequel to "Paul" but it would have to wait for other projects:
"I'd love to make a sequel to Paul. Nick & I had a funny idea but even if we started writing it 2day. With shoot and post it'd be 3 yrs min.
What I meant earlier is that it would take 3 years to get Pauls out from 2day, if we didn't have World's End to write and make, which we do"
"does that mean there will be a fourth season of spaced?"
Does any of this mean that a "Paul" sequel is one the way? No ... it doesn't but it also doesn't rule it out either. As we know if there is an idea brewing in someones head there is always a possibility that it may one day come to pass.
COMEDY CENTRAL's animated series return to Comic-Con® with an "Ugly Americans" panel on Friday, July 22 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. and a "Futurama" panel on Saturday, July 23 from 12:15-1:00 p.m. Interviews with "Ugly Americans" talent and producers will be held in press Room 21 from 2:30-3:45 p.m. on Friday, July • Friday, July 22: "Ugly Americans" panel (Room 23ABC)
4:00-5:00 p.m. The panelists include Dan Powell (Executive Producer), Devin Clark (Producer and Series Creator), Aaron Augenblick (Director of Animation), Matt Oberg (voice of Mark Lilly), Kurt Metzger (voice of Randall Skeffington), Larry Murphy (voice of Lt. Grimes) and moderator Randy Pearlstein (voice of Leonard Powers). The session will feature a live, in-character table read, a behind-the-scenes look into the current second season, a sneak peak from an upcoming episode, a Q&A, a look at the highly anticipated downloadable game, "Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon" and more.
• Saturday, July 23: "Futurama" panel (Ballroom 20)
12:15-1:00 p.m. "Futurama" is back! Again!!! On stage will be Creator/Executive Producer Matt Groening, Executive Producer David X. Cohen and stars Billy West (Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg), Katey Sagal (Leela), John DiMaggio (Bender) and Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroker, Calculon, Morbo). A sneak peek at never-before-seen footage of "Futurama" reincarnated as Japanese anime will be revealed along with a thrilling preview from this season currently airing on COMEDY CENTRAL. Plus more! Much more! The panel will be moderated by Bill Morrison.
"Futurama," the Emmy® Award-winning series, and "Ugly Americans" air as part of a weekly, one-hour “Thurs-Dimension” animation block on Thursdays from 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT on COMEDY CENTRAL with "Futurama" from 10:00-10:30 p.m. and "Ugly Americans" from 10:30-11:00 p.m.
Take New York City, add every horrifying beast, science-fiction freak and fantasy faerie, shake thoroughly, and you've got "Ugly Americans," an animated series that follows Mark Lilly, a social worker at the Department of Integration, as he helps new citizens both human and "other" adapt to hectic life in the Big Apple. There are easier tasks than soothing a vengeful mummy, being a slave in Satan’s dark army and trying to circumcise wizards, but Mark proves he’s up to the challenge, even if his co-workers are as incompetent as ever.
Mark's case load during the second season is heavy as always and his Department of Integration colleagues are less than helpful, including Twayne (Michael-Leon Wooley), a terrorizing demonic bureaucrat; Mark’s succubus co-worker and casual fling Callie Maggotbone (Natasha Leggero), who has some strange ideas about where to take their relationship; Leonard Powers (Randy Pearlstein), an aging drunken wizard and Mark’s office mate; and Lt. Grimes (Larry Murphy), a law-enforcement officer who despises non-humans. At least Mark still has his zombie roommate Randall Skeffington (Kurt Metzger), who doesn’t care what Mark does, as long as he covers his half of the rent.
In August, MTV Networks' "345 Games" division will release “Ugly Americans: Apocalypseggedon” (available for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network), a four player co-op side-scroller shooter game that features an exclusive script written by the show’s writers – including a new character unique to the game and custom voiceovers from the show’s actors. Uniting the spirit and humor of the series with addictive game play, players of “Ugly Americans: Apocalypseggedon” will hit the streets to clean up the chaos and prevent the impending apocalypse by resolving case files and fighting otherworldly citizens.
"Futurama" focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life at Planet Express, an intergalactic delivery company. There he meets love interest Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy cyclops with anger management issues, and best friend Bender (John DiMaggio), a beer-powered kleptomaniac robot. The series aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning Emmy® nominations each season while winning three times, including "Outstanding Animated Program" in 2002.
IDW Publishing and Sony Pictures Consumer Products are thrilled to announce the launch of an all-new, ongoing GHOSTBUSTERS comic book series. Spinning out of IDW’s hit Infestation event, and featuring Ghostbusters: Infestation scribe Erik Burham, the ghost hunters from New York City are back with exciting new adventures starting in September. Helping Burnham bring this zany story of the dead to life will be fan-favorite artist Dan Schoening (Ghostbusters: What in Samhain Just Happened?!) and popular IDW Ghostbusters cover artist Nick Runge.
“My dream since I took over the editorial duties on IDW’s Ghostbusters comics license was to bring the boys in proton packs to monthly comics,” said series editor Tom Waltz. “We’ve had fantastic Ghostbusters one-shots and mini-series up to this point, but the incredible success of Ghostbusters: Infestation has proven that Ghostbusters fans, old and new alike, are still very hungry for ghostbusting tales. With the awesome creative team we’ve gathered to make it happen, the best is yet to come!”
In this ongoing series, psychokinetic energy is on the rise again, and business is booming for the boys. Ray is troubled by what could be a prophetic dream—is this an ill omen of an upcoming apocaplypse, or just a little indigestion? These questions and more are raised in the first issue of the all-new GHOSTBUSTERS comic series. In addition, each issue will contain two pages of exclusive behind-the-scenes extras by creator Tristan Jones (Tales of the TMNT.)
IDW will offer special retailer incentive covers, including a “Who Ya Gonna call” cover by Schoening, and a glow-in-the-dark cover. Furthermore, as part of IDW’s “Be a Ghostbuster” promotion, retailers will have the opportunity to obtain a unique variant featuring up to four personalized Ghostbusters on their cover. Fans are encouraged to reach out to their retailers to learn more about these exclusive variant covers.
GHOSTBUSTERS #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in September 2011. Diamond order code: JUL11 0130
Read more...
Sources: Elvira Mistress of the Dark Website / Amazon.com
Like a specter rising from the grave, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is back – providing her signature, unflinching, tongue-in-cheek commentary of some of the “greatest” B-movies of all time! This double feature DVD set includes two all-time classics:
Night of the Living Dead
Just as Elvira’s television career rises once again, so do the ghouls on-screen in George A. Romero’s zombie masterpiece.
I Eat Your Skin
Elvira takes us on a trip to Voo Doo Island and gives us a few culinary tips along the way – bon appetit!
Special Features
Movie Macabre Behind-the-scenes Photo Shoot with Christopher Ameruso “Mistress of the Dark” Music Video by Ghoultown Making the Ghoultown Video Sneak Peek Previews
ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK
When you hear the name Elvira only one person comes to mind... Halloween icon and quintessential symbol of all things spooky, the one and only Mistress of the Dark.
Back in 1981, who could have imagined the hostess of a local Hollywood Horror movie show would grow to become a household name? Elvira was the first horror host ever to be syndicated nationally and has emerged as one of the most original and outrageous characters in popular culture today.
Elvira's reign as 'Queen of Halloween' has now spanned twenty-nine years and includes two feature films, an IMAX film and 2 motion control rides. She has appeared in National ad campaigns for Pepsi and Coors, recorded 5 music CDs, published 4 books and licensed over 400 products, including 2 Bally pinball machines, BC Rich guitars, 3 comic book series, Elvira’s ‘Night Brew’ beer, ‘Evil’ perfume and a slot machines from IGT. Elvira also boasts the best selling female costume of all time.
In the last two decades she has given thousands of radio, newspaper and magazine interviews and made hundreds of film, television and live appearances - everything from The Grammy Awards, Saturday Night Live, MTV Specials and Monday Night Football to NBC's Today Show, The Tournament of Roses Parade and even a U2 Concert with Bono! She most recently produced and starred in the Fox Reality show “The Search for the Next Elvira”.
As synonymous with Halloween as Santa Claus is with Christmas, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark has carved out a niche in popular American culture that is sure to endure for decades to come.
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it grossed $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally. Night of the Living Dead was heavily criticized during its release because of its explicit content. However, it eventually received critical acclaim and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as a film deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."
The plot of the film follows Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea), and five others, who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania and attempt to survive the night while the house is being attacked by mysteriously reanimated ghouls, otherwise known as zombies. Night of the Living Dead is the origin of six other Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero and became the inspiration for two remakes of the film, a film of the same name directed by Tom Savini, and Night of the Living Dead 3D, which was directed by Jeff Broadstreet and contained a much different storyline.
I Eat Your Skin (Original title: Zombies) is a 1964 horror film directed by Del Tenney.
Writer Tom Harris arrives on a beautiful island in search of material on voodoo legends for his novel. He unfortunately stumbles onto the secret laboratory of a mad scientist who is experimenting on reversing the aging process.
The film was not released until six years after it was made. Film distributor Jerry Gross bought it and paired it on a double bill with I Drink Your Blood and renamed it I Eat Your Skin, although the two have nothing in common. Previous titles of the film include Zombie Bloodbath and Voodoo Blood Bath.
Way back in 2001 a fledgling horror host by the name of Mr. Lobo launched a little late night movie program called "Cinema Insomnia" on KXTV channel 10 in Sacramento. Since that time Lobo, and CI, have been syndicated all over this great country of ours appearing on TV screens from Cucamonga to Kalamazoo. Lobo has even launched a very successful line of DVDs featuring CI episodes which can be purchased through Amazon.com. All this, including numerous public appearances at movie screenings and conventions, have made this a very eventful decade for Lobo indeed.
Sadly, however, despite all this fame surrounding "Cinema Insomnia" the show has not aired on KXTV since 2002. The local ABC affiliate opted to replace the show after one season with either low grade movies or infomercials.
Now that "Cinema Insomnia" is celebrating it's 10th anniversary with 25 brand new episodes Mr. Lobo and his legions of fans have gone straight to the net to publish an online petition to get the show back on the channel that launched it oh so long ago.
Here is the verbiage from the site:
Local Horror Host, Eric Lobo aka "Mr. Lobo" started Cinema Insomnia on KXTV Channel 10 in Sacramento in 2001 only to have it cancelled later that year. Since then, that 3:05 AM time slot on very late Saturday/early Sundays have been replaced by a hostless movie slot consisting of the same 13 public domain movies. Since this is the 10th Anniversary of Mr. Lobo's debut on KXTV, this petition is encouraging KXTV to bring back Cinema Insomnia & Mr. Lobo to the same time slot. They have nothing to lose but plenty to gain.
Indeed, there would seem to be a lot for KXTV to gain by once again airing CI, namely keeping all the fans of the show from marching on the station with lit torches and pitchforks in hand.
True ... it would have to be a night time assault for the torches to have effect ....
Wait ... I'm off topic.
With a little help from YOU Mr. Lobo hopes to "peacefully" persuadeKXTV to return CI to it's TV roots.
Drunken robots! Lobster people! A very old man! Watch in terror if you dare as Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy, "Futurama," returns with 13 all-new half-hour episodes beginning on Thursday, June 23 at 10:00 p.m. on COMEDY CENTRAL. The all-comedy channel is kicking off the “Futurama” season in style with two new episodes airing back-to-back. Then, beginning on Thursday, June 30, COMEDY CENTRAL’s animated series, "Ugly Americans," premieres its second season at 10:30 p.m., making Thursday nights a one-hour “Thurs-Dimension” animation block.
"Futurama" focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life at Planet Express, an intergalactic delivery company. There he meets love interest Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy cyclops with anger management issues, and best friend Bender (John DiMaggio), a beer-powered kleptomaniac robot. The series aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning Emmy® nominations each season while winning three times, including "Outstanding Animated Program" in 2002.
In the premiere episode, “Neutopia,” the Planet Express crew crash-lands on an unknown world, where they encounter a bizarre alien who is unfamiliar with the concept of gender. The creature subsequently conducts a series of experiments, modifying the crew members' sexual characteristics in strange and wondrous ways.
In the second episode, “Benderama,” Bender gains the power of infinite self-replication, producing a vast horde of smaller and smaller Benders. Comedian Patton Oswalt guest-stars as "Unattractive Giant Monster," a repulsive alien who is extremely sensitive about his appearance. When the giant's feelings are hurt by the people of Earth, it is up to Bender and his minions to fend off the giant's attack in an epic battle of Good vs. Ugly.
Special guest stars this season include Patton Oswalt, Dan Castellaneta, Stephen Hawking, and Buzz Aldrin. The show's entire original voice cast will be returning, including stars Billy West, Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio.
The "Futurama" Web site features episode previews, highlights and mash-up videos of some of the funniest moments from the previous seasons. The site also features exclusive interviews with the show’s cast, as well as with Matt Groening and David X. Cohen and the making of an episode mini-documentary. Starting on Monday, June 6, the site will feature bi-weekly collections of five “Futurama” full episodes selected by the cast and crew, beginning with the “5 Nerdiest Episodes” selected by David X. Cohen. The “Futurama” Facebook fan base has grown from one million “likes” prior to its return last summer to close to 14 million “likes” today, making it one of the top television sites on Facebook. On Wednesday, May 4, COMEDY CENTRAL launched the “Countdown to Futurama” on Facebook that features an exclusive sneak preview of season 6B content each day, including sneak peek clips, episode stills, storyboards, character designs and more.
Ed: Any zombies out there? Shaun: Don't say that! Ed: What? Shaun: That! Ed: What? Shaun: The zed-word. Don't say it! Ed: Why not? Shaun: Because it's ridiculous! Ed: All right... are there any out there, though? [looking out of the letter-box, he sees an empty street] Shaun: I can't see any. Maybe it's not as bad as all that. [he turns his head and sees a pack of zombies] Shaun: Oh, no, there they are.
- Shaun (Simon Pegg) / Ed (Nick Frost) - Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Bonus:
Ed: What's the plan then? Shaun: Right. [cuts to dream sequence] Shaun: We take Pete's car, we drive over to Mum's, we go in, take care of Philip - "I'm so sorry, Philip" - then we grab Mum, we go over to Liz's place, hole up, have a cup of tea and wait for this whole thing to blow over. Ed: Why have we got to go to Liz's? Shaun: Because we do. Ed: But she dumped you! Shaun: I have to know if she's all right! Ed: Why? Shaun: Because I love her! Ed: All right... gayyy... I'm not staying there, though. Shaun: Why not? Ed: If we hole up, I wanna be somewhere familiar, I wanna know where the exits are, and I wanna be allowed to smoke. Shaun: Okay. [cuts to dream sequence again] Shaun: We take Pete's car, go round Mum's, go in, deal with Philip - "Sorry, Philip!" - grab Mum, go to Liz's, pick her up, bring her back here, have a cup of tea and wait for this whole thing to blow over. Ed: Perfect! Shaun: No, no, no, no, no, wait, we can't bring her back here. Ed: Why not? Shaun: Well, it's not really safe, is it? Ed: Yeah, look at the state of it. Shaun: Where's safe? Where's familiar? Ed: Where can I smoke? [Shaun and Ed pause then slowly make a realisation] Shaun: [cuts to dream sequence a third time] Take car. Go to Mum's. Kill Phil - "Sorry." - grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How's that for a slice of fried gold? Ed: Yeah, boyyyeee! [Shaun and Ed clang their weapons together]
Shaun: They still out there? [Ed checks, revealing two zombies scratching at the window] Ed: Yeah. What you think we should do? Shaun: Have a sit down?
Ever felt like you were surrounded by zombies? Then you'll definitely need this 100% cotton, high-quality white Shaun of the Dead Uniform T-Shirt. Styled to look just like Shaun's work uniform (complete with printed-on tie!). Machine washable. Order yours today!
Stop the zombie uprising and have some flesh-eating fun!
Relive the adventure with this 12-inch tall Shaun of the Dead Talking Figure. Shaun really gets the deluxe treatment in this 1:6 scale. He comes with his cricket bat and base, an interchangeable left hand with a flower bouquet, and speaks key phrases from the movie. So, c'mon. Have some good old-fashioned, flesh-eating fun! "How's that for a slice of fried gold?" Shaun also voices the following:
"We need to be somewhere more secure, somewhere on the ground, somewhere we can stay alive."
"If you get cornered, bash them in the head. That seems to work."
"I don't think I've got it in me to shoot my flatmate, my mum, and my girlfriend all in the same evening."
Written By: Ken Hulsey Source: Walt Disney Studios
There are several milestones that an actor or actress can achieve in their career. These can range from simply being cast in a local play to landing a part in a big time Hollywood movie. Some of the very fortunate may even bring home a coveted Oscar for a amazing performance in a timeless role.
However, I ask you, how do you know when you have finally made it? I mean really reached the pinnacle of acting?
The answer is simple. You find yourself being interviewed on the red carpet at a movie premiere by Kermit the Frog.
I found an interesting email in my In Box this morning from Disney hyping the fact that Kermit was on hand at the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" interviewing celebrities.
I found this odd that with all the stars on hand for such a gala event that Kermit was the one being listed in my email?
That was until I learned that there was a new Muppet movie coming out in November and that it was to do some covert publicity for that film.
The Mouse is a sly one.
Anyway, here are some photos of Kermit attacking .... I mean interviewing Penélope Cruz.
Penélope Cruz answers a question posed by Kermit the Frog, star of Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Muppets,” coming to theaters this Thanksgiving, on the red carpet at the World Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” at Disneyland on Saturday, May 7. The highly anticipated action-adventure opens in theaters on May 20, in Disney Digital 3D™.
Is it just me or does Kermit look like he's about to say "Nice dress .... can I see you out of it later?"
Translation: "Get me away from this puppet and on to someone from "Entertainment Tonight"
Next victim: Sam Claflin chats with Kermit the Frog, star of Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Muppets,” coming to theaters this Thanksgiving, on the red carpet at the World Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” at Disneyland on Saturday, May 7. The highly anticipated action-adventure opens in theaters on May 20, in Disney Digital 3D™.
Other sites have Johnny Depp .... I got Kermit.
Yes I have a love for the strange a surreal ......
Written By: Ken Hulsey Source: Simon Pegg via Twitter
Two really important notes for all of you Simon Pegg fans out there. First off Simon will be doing a three stop mini tour to promote his book "Nerd Do Well" here in America.
This is what Pegg posted to Twitter on Saturday:
America. D'you like books? Would you like my book. Would you like me to sign said book? Well here's how that can happen http://bit.ly/jciHer
Here is a list of the locations where you, the lucky Pegg worshiping maniac that you are, can meet him:
NEW YORK, NY STRAND BOOKSTORE, 828 Broadway, Fl 3, New York, NY 10003 Monday, June 13 - 7:00 PM - author event. Talk/Signing http://www.strandbooks.com/
AUSTIN, TX BOOKPEOPLE, 603 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78703 Wednesday, June 15 - 7:00 PM - bookstore.
LOS ANGELES, CA BARNES & NOBLE #2089, The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Friday, June 17 - 7:00 PM - bookstore. Talk/Signing http://www.bn.com
No word on whether the Dalek will be on tour with Pegg or not. He sure seems to like the book though.
Secondly, it has just been announced that "Paul" will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on June 13th. No news on a US release yet, but I'm sure that is right around the corner. Here is the press release:
From the team that bought you Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead comes an out-of-this-world gift for Father’s Day and the must-own comedy adventure of the year… PAUL. Comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again in this inventive, laugh-out-loud film as Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost); two sci-fi geeks who embark on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. Join Graeme, Clive and Paul on their road-trip adventure as Working Title and Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd bring you the hilarious PAUL on two disc DVD, two disc Blu-Ray Triple Play and two disc Limited Edition Blu-ray Steel Book on 13 June 2011.
For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen; Superbad, Knocked Up) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. When he discovers he's been taken prisoner, the quick-witted, smart-ass alien decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town-a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost) who are on a pilgrimage to America’s UFO heartland. Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. As the two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
Co-written by Pegg and Frost, and directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad), PAUL features a fantastic supporting cast of Hollywood actors including Jason Bateman (Up in the Air, Juno), Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad) and Kristian Wiig (Despicable Me, Knocked Up). Packed with brilliant special features, PAUL is the perfect comedy to share with your dad this Father’s Day on DVD and Blu-ray Triple Play!
Blu-ray and DVD Details Title Paul Certificate 15 Feature Run Time 1 hour 47 mins Genre Comedy RRP (DVD) £19.99 RRP (Blu-ray) £26.99 RRP (Blu-ray Steelbook) £29.99
DVD Special Features: Extended feature Audio commentary with Greg Mottola, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Bloopers The Evolution of Paul Simon Silly Faces Who the hell is Adam Shadowchild? Galleries Between The Lightning Strikes: The Making Of Paul Audio Description
Blu-ray Special Features: Extended feature Audio commentary with Greg Mottola, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Producer Nira Park BTS Featurette (8 featurettes) Between The Lightning Strikes: The Making Of Paul The Evolution of Paul Bloopers Who the hell is Adam Shadowchild? Simon Silly Faces Galleries
COMEDY CENTRAL is taking “Futurama” fans on a 50 day multi-platform journey leading up to the season premiere on Thursday, June 23 at 10 p.m. The "Countdown To 'Futurama'" launches on Facebook on Wednesday, May 4 – every day for 50 days, the network will release a new piece of exclusive content including preview clips, character designs, episode stills, story boards and much more. For the kick-off, COMEDY CENTRAL will post a sneak peek clip from the season premiere episode. "Futurama’s" Facebook page has over 12 million fans and ranks among the Top 5 animated television show pages.
In addition to Facebook, COMEDY CENTRAL will feature the "Countdown To 'Futurama'" on-air and online, including a daily feature on CC Insider, the COMEDY CENTRAL blog and on mobile with SMS messaging.
"Futurama" focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life and a "diverse" new group of friends including Leela (Katey Sagal), a tough but lovely one-eyed alien and Bender (John DiMaggio), a robot who possesses human characteristics and flaws. The series aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning Emmy® nominations each season while winning three times, including "Outstanding Animated Program" in 2002.
"Futurama," created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, is produced by twentieth Century Fox Television, with Rough Draft Studios, Inc. contributing the animation.
20th Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp, is a leading supplier of entertainment content domestically and around the world.
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: Avery Guerra / Robert Hood
Ohio based Mitch Teemley and the folks over at Moriah Media are about to lampoon one of the largest movie franchises ever, a iconic movie series that the great Mel Brooks never had the stones to take on himself. I am, of course, talking about the "King of Monsters" ...... Godzilla.
Okay, I know what your thinking. "Wow! Hold on lawyer alert! Legal team ready......ATTACK!!!!
Over the past several years Toho has shown that they are more than happy, and willing, to sue anyone that produces anything that remotely resembles their beloved monster. This time, surprisingly, the famed Japanese movie company has given their blessing at having "Big G" parodied by an American film company ..... more on that in a moment.
Teemly has a script at the ready for "Notzilla: Duke of the Monsters" a script that has already gained a lot of attention when it made it into the final round of the Worldfest Contest, one of the largest screenplay competitions in the world.
After the screenplay was so widely praised Teemly actually stuck it under the nose of Toho to see if they had any interest in developing it into a film.
The film maker explains, "Actually I offered the project to Toho not long after I wrote it. They weren’t interested in spoofing their own films, but wished us well. Parodies are not plagiarism; if they were, Saturday Night Live would have been shut down 35 years ago! Notzilla will not feature any footage from Toho films, nor will the monster be a visual copy of Godzilla."
Understanding why Toho may not want to lampoon their own monster Teemly then set his sights on making the film here in America with a big budget and with any luck a major studio behind him.
He adds, "Notzilla is intended for mainstream release (we have serious interest from both the majors and large indie distributors), and Moriah Media is for-profit company, by the way. A Fox Searchlight analyst estimated a $40 million North American box office gross; international box office is expected to exceed that. We are actively seeking completion funding!"
That's a lot of greenbacks!
Teemly knew that if he wanted to get a studio to take him seriously he would have to produce something visual to go along with his beloved screenplay. A teaser trailer was in order!
Check out the great clip that Moriah Media produced!
But wait .... that's not all!
Teemly then set out to get some "star power" for his "Notzilla" film and landed Patrick Warburton, who you may remember from the spoof superhero series, "The Tick". Just like when Franklin J. Schaffner landed Charlton Heston for a "talking monkey movie" no one was interested in called "Planet of the Apes"Teemly hopes the presence of Warburton will add credibility to his production and ultimately aide in getting the backing he needs.
The film maker notes, "Patrick Warburton is attached to star. I wrote the lead role of the “brilliant young American scientist”, Dr Dick Harvard (who’s actually not very brilliant nor very young) for him. All of the other leads are Japanese.
"Notzilla" has not yet been filmed. We are in the midst of capitalization and are using the teaser to generate investor interest. I appeared as a guest at G-Fest in Chicago last year and read segments of the screenplay to a very enthusiastic crowd. We’ve lined up some crack crew heads: Production Designer Robert Harbour designed sets for Heroes and X-Files; multi-Emmy winning Director of Photography Jeff Barklage shot the teaser; Oscar-nominated producer Melissa Godoy is also attached to oversee production."
Here is the story:
In the future (1975), “brilliant young American scientist” Dr Dick Harvard (played by not-so-brilliant and not-so-young Raymond L. Suave) leads a team of crack scientists in atomic testing (no one knows why) near Yomama Bay. The unexpected result (these scientists don’t watch enough B-pictures): a prehistoric egg is shaken loose, after being exposed to massive amounts of radiation. Of course.
Dick’s mentor, “brilliant old Japanese scientist”, Dr Nissan Toyota, succeeds in hatching a dinosaur! But then it escapes, and begins growing at an alarming rate. Of course.
Dr Toyota wants to save the creature. But Dick is certain it will attack Tokyo. “Because that’s what always happens”. The two split up. Dick goes off to build his atomic molecule blaster, which he admits will leave a radioactive cloud over Tokyo for fifty years (“but after that you’ll never even know it was there”), while Toyota seeks a gentler alternative that will keep the monster alive.
Notzilla attacks Tokyo. Sort of. Actually he’s on a lark, playing with the miniature city, reversing toy trains, eating plastic soldiers, running a touchdown with a blimp under his arm. He parties hard while thousands of people run screaming in the streets (actually a couple dozen of the same people run screaming over and over again).
The army, led by General Buzz Kurosawa (George Takei—Star Trek, Heroes), is powerless to stop the monster (though Kurosawa, an amateur filmmaker, does get some great footage). Dick completes his controversial molecule blaster. He’s about to use it when Dr. Toyota shows up with his alternative device. In a rage, Dick accidentally turns the blaster on himself, resulting in his own over-the-top death scene—which schlock actor Raymond L. Suave had hoped would result in an Oscar nomination. It didn’t.
Toyota’s device stops Notzilla, but does not kill him, leaving the creature free to defend Tokyo from other latex monsters in the future!
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"Notzilla" purports to be a restored print of a 1966 Japanese film, a long-lost classic of the genre. It begins with a special “anniversary release” prologue in which Rudy McBernstein, president of Great Big Impressive Pictures International, introduces viewers to the 1966 masterpiece, "Notzilla, the Duke of Monsters", the last film ever to feature American TV star Raymond L. Suave (Patrick Warburton).
How can you not love that?!
Teemly adds, "Notzilla is a classic monster movie spoof with heart—it makes a gently teasing statement about cultural arrogance. Also … reversing the trend toward raunchy, R-rated parodies, Notzilla is a family-friendly PG film with positive values. It’s clean enough for grandparents to take their grandkids to … and hip enough for college guys to drag their girlfriends to. Everyone will love Notzilla!"
Everyone should .... and if they don't they should be taken out in the desert and ...... wait ..... I got a little worked up there .... sorry.
Here are some bullet points that Teemly wants everyone to know:
The expected budget is $1.5 million. There’s a complete package (Investors Memorandum and Business Plan) available for any potential investors out there. It’s a great opportunity; they expect return on investment in the 1,000 to 2,000% range.
They’re looking at a 2012 shoot and a 2013 release.
No, there are no other daikaiju, aliens, or creatures. Notzilla is basically a spoof of the original one-monster flicks (Godzilla/Gojira, Mothra, Rodan, Gamera, etc.), rather than the “versus” films. It’s in colour, of course, widescreen, and utilizes a single Anglo-American actor in a lead role as did a number of the Toho films.
All f/x will be suitmation and miniatures, since Notzilla purports to be a film made in the pre-CGI era. Other vintage f/x will include rear-screen projection, robotics, and cheezy practicals—shaking the camera, for example, to indicate an explosion.
Here some stills from the promo trailer and a couple of sketches of the monster:
Written By: Ken Hulsey
