Today has to be a two-fer. I'm finally finding the spaces in my week where I can disappear for a mo, and scribble something for the blog. But how can I pick one?
Am I supposed to feature people like Rue McClanahan? Who'd have thought she would be the Ringo of the Golden Girls? Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty are gone, while Betty White's the Queen of the Super Bowl. What about Rue? What about Blanche DuBois, the Samantha Jones of the 80's? Where's her love? Let's send a Happy Birthday wish to Rue, let her know we're thinking about her.
Well, I don't know when I'll have a chance to post this (Hulu's going to start charging any day now), but here's MST3K alumnus The Film Crew talking during a screening of the 50's flick Hollywood After Dark, starring Rue McClanahan - as a stripper. That's all the reason you need.
Or am I supposed to post about people like Seo Tai Ji? His Wikipedia page describes him as something akin to the Michael Jackson of South Korea (sales and popularity wise), which means (according to the music videos I found) that South Koreans love their alt-rock. New Found Glory must be like gods there. Seriously, the music's not bad, and the videos are just plain weird. (Can I say there's so Japan without sounding racist?)
I got lucky enough to get some research done. But which way should I go? Email or comment me, let me know. Let me say thanks in advance:
Showing posts with label mst3k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mst3k. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
February 20
I know, I know. Less Pauls and more Ringos, I know. But I can't help mentioning Joel Hodgson birthday, even if he is the pater familias of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He's got plenty of love; what about J Elvis Mitchell or Bridget Nelson? Well, Joel's just too big a deal to me personally. Not just in his style of humor, but in his philosophy about commericalizing his art...
...for the most part. I have to admit, I'm still on the fence about Cinematic Titanic. On the one hand, it's the old masters re-engineering the comedy routine they created, with a better compensation plan for themselves. On the other hand, if it didn't seem derivative enough of MST3K, they're also a few years behind RiffTrax, which had been up to that point, the resumption of the MST legacy. They're oranges and clementines for most, but still...
Aw, heck, I'd still go see them if they were in town. Here's a clip from "East Meets Watts", before a live audience:
...for the most part. I have to admit, I'm still on the fence about Cinematic Titanic. On the one hand, it's the old masters re-engineering the comedy routine they created, with a better compensation plan for themselves. On the other hand, if it didn't seem derivative enough of MST3K, they're also a few years behind RiffTrax, which had been up to that point, the resumption of the MST legacy. They're oranges and clementines for most, but still...
Aw, heck, I'd still go see them if they were in town. Here's a clip from "East Meets Watts", before a live audience:
Monday, December 7, 2009
December 8
If you are a Chomsky-ite, you might not have been impressed with yesterday's entry.I admit, not very elaborate on explaining his greatness. (he's a complicated man, what can I say?) Besides, I'm a pop culturist; I'm a creation of the modern idioms. For example, today is Maximillian Schell's birthday. Am I writing about him because he was nominated for 5 Academy Awards? No, I'm writing about him because he was the evil genius in Disney's "The Black Hole."
Am I going to show a scene from his 1961 Oscar-winning performance in Judgement of Nurenberg? Or a clip from his 1984 award-winning documentary on Marlene Dietrich? Something from the 1973 Foreign Oscar nominee The Pedestrian? No, I'm going to show you the trailer from The Brothers Bloom:
-even though he's not even in the trailer, because he's in the movie, as the Diamond Dog, and I've seen that movie, and he rocks...
But it's true that this may not be the best representation of a man who has brought to life the great works of Shakespeare, Kafka, Pinter, and Arthur Miller for the last six decades. So, let's wrap up with his 1961 performance as Prince Hamlet in a German-language teleplay version of same, with commentary from the team of Nelson, Murphy, and Corbett:
Gotcha...
Am I going to show a scene from his 1961 Oscar-winning performance in Judgement of Nurenberg? Or a clip from his 1984 award-winning documentary on Marlene Dietrich? Something from the 1973 Foreign Oscar nominee The Pedestrian? No, I'm going to show you the trailer from The Brothers Bloom:
-even though he's not even in the trailer, because he's in the movie, as the Diamond Dog, and I've seen that movie, and he rocks...
But it's true that this may not be the best representation of a man who has brought to life the great works of Shakespeare, Kafka, Pinter, and Arthur Miller for the last six decades. So, let's wrap up with his 1961 performance as Prince Hamlet in a German-language teleplay version of same, with commentary from the team of Nelson, Murphy, and Corbett:
Gotcha...
Friday, November 6, 2009
November 6
Here's two for today:
Paul Gilbert is the prototypical B-Blog subject. He's a phenomenal talent that's sneaked under most people's radar for years. In this case, his biggest gig was playing for Mr Big, which has been just another bunch of hair metal balladeers to me. But he co-headlined the 3G Tour with Satriani and Eric Johnson, so he's definitely got powers.
Oh, okay; just listen to this:
Great; now I'll have to listen to a Mr Big album now. (Unless a reader can direct me to the good parts...)
Our second feature is to Trace Beaulieu, one of the co-conspirators on Cinematic Titanic, and the original voice of Crow T Robot for Mystery Science Theater 3000. Nobody debates about the merits of Trace's Crow versus Bill Corbett's Crow with the gusto of Joel vs Mike, but any MST3K fan knows to give props to Trace. Even if he was head writer for America's Funniest Home Videos...
Anyway, this may be as close to Christmas as I get to posting this song (Kevin Murphy's was three days ago, and Joel's is in March, I think.) And the World Series is over, so it's legal to play Christmas music in public again. So, as a birthday nod to Trace, a belated birthday wink to Bill, and a tribute to the Swayze, here's "Patrick Swayze Christmas":
Here's hoping we can keep that spirit on to Christmas, and the rest of our days....
Paul Gilbert is the prototypical B-Blog subject. He's a phenomenal talent that's sneaked under most people's radar for years. In this case, his biggest gig was playing for Mr Big, which has been just another bunch of hair metal balladeers to me. But he co-headlined the 3G Tour with Satriani and Eric Johnson, so he's definitely got powers.
Oh, okay; just listen to this:
Great; now I'll have to listen to a Mr Big album now. (Unless a reader can direct me to the good parts...)
Our second feature is to Trace Beaulieu, one of the co-conspirators on Cinematic Titanic, and the original voice of Crow T Robot for Mystery Science Theater 3000. Nobody debates about the merits of Trace's Crow versus Bill Corbett's Crow with the gusto of Joel vs Mike, but any MST3K fan knows to give props to Trace. Even if he was head writer for America's Funniest Home Videos...
Anyway, this may be as close to Christmas as I get to posting this song (Kevin Murphy's was three days ago, and Joel's is in March, I think.) And the World Series is over, so it's legal to play Christmas music in public again. So, as a birthday nod to Trace, a belated birthday wink to Bill, and a tribute to the Swayze, here's "Patrick Swayze Christmas":
Here's hoping we can keep that spirit on to Christmas, and the rest of our days....
Sunday, October 11, 2009
October 11
Today's birthday boy is Michael J Nelson, one of the most successful professional hecklers in history. Nelson was head writer on the TV cult comedy "Mystery Science Theater 3000," as well as portraying 'Mike Nelson,' a janitorial temp shot into space by mad scientists, forced to watch bad movies with only two talking robots to
join him in taunting the movies. The show was critically acclaimed, but movie rights became exceedingly expensive with success.
After the show's cancellation, Nelson and friends found new ways to get paid for talking during a movie. The TV series "The Film Crew" was a more mundane setup for the same practice of three voices heckling an old bad movie. "Rifftrax", meanwhile, were MP3 Commentary tracks to be purchased independently of whichever movie it was recorded for. This allowed heckling of the newest, biggest, baddest movies around:
The success of Rifftrax is one sign that MST3K ended before its time. Several other former castmembers also participate in a current project called "Cinematic Titanic," which is like MST3K, but kind of R-rated...
I can't embed it, but YouTube has all four episodes of "The Film Crew" online, which is one step removed from MST3K. Let me recommend "Giant of Marathon" as a good introduction for what makes Mike Nelson so funny...
join him in taunting the movies. The show was critically acclaimed, but movie rights became exceedingly expensive with success.
After the show's cancellation, Nelson and friends found new ways to get paid for talking during a movie. The TV series "The Film Crew" was a more mundane setup for the same practice of three voices heckling an old bad movie. "Rifftrax", meanwhile, were MP3 Commentary tracks to be purchased independently of whichever movie it was recorded for. This allowed heckling of the newest, biggest, baddest movies around:
The success of Rifftrax is one sign that MST3K ended before its time. Several other former castmembers also participate in a current project called "Cinematic Titanic," which is like MST3K, but kind of R-rated...
I can't embed it, but YouTube has all four episodes of "The Film Crew" online, which is one step removed from MST3K. Let me recommend "Giant of Marathon" as a good introduction for what makes Mike Nelson so funny...
Monday, September 7, 2009
September 7
The holiday weekend means time’s short on this one (you’re probably reading this on Tuesday anyway.) But I still found a few gems…
You remember that song, “Bring Me to Life”? That Evanescence song with that gruff voice doing the bridge? You ever wonder about that guy? “That guy” is Paul McCoy, lead singer of a Nickelback-ish band called 12 Stones. And that’s all there is to it, really…
The Dave Matthews Band lost saxophonist Leroi Moore last year, from complications following an ATV accident. Moore wrote several of the band’s songs, and constructed arrangements for many more, making him a minor architect of the DMB sound.
It was Leroi's horn in the opening strains of “Satellite” that first drew me in. So, I’m posting an instrumental track, the hidden track on “Under the Table and Dreaming,” called “Song #34”
I know I already played Pretenders earlier this week, but it’s Chrissie Hynes’ birthday. Here's another song I can't get out of my head, especially playing with the new addition to the household....
And finally, John Phillip Law’s birthday is today. People tend to know him as the blind angel in Barbarella. But I think his best performance is in “Danger:Diabolik,” and the Bots seem to agree:
Tomorrow: We’re motorin’…
You remember that song, “Bring Me to Life”? That Evanescence song with that gruff voice doing the bridge? You ever wonder about that guy? “That guy” is Paul McCoy, lead singer of a Nickelback-ish band called 12 Stones. And that’s all there is to it, really…
The Dave Matthews Band lost saxophonist Leroi Moore last year, from complications following an ATV accident. Moore wrote several of the band’s songs, and constructed arrangements for many more, making him a minor architect of the DMB sound.
It was Leroi's horn in the opening strains of “Satellite” that first drew me in. So, I’m posting an instrumental track, the hidden track on “Under the Table and Dreaming,” called “Song #34”
I know I already played Pretenders earlier this week, but it’s Chrissie Hynes’ birthday. Here's another song I can't get out of my head, especially playing with the new addition to the household....
And finally, John Phillip Law’s birthday is today. People tend to know him as the blind angel in Barbarella. But I think his best performance is in “Danger:Diabolik,” and the Bots seem to agree:
Tomorrow: We’re motorin’…
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