Saturday, June 10, 2006

Cartoons on Cartoon Network?!? Why, I've never heard of such a thing!!

Here's a nice follow-up to a previous post of mine.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-06-07-peewee_x.htm

I would just leave it at that, but I don't know how long that link will last, so I'll explain.

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block is airing reruns of Pee-wee's Playhouse this July. Oh well, at least this show fits the style of the usual Adult Swim series, although it still is not really an animated series. Between this and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on the Sci-Fi Channel, I'm starting to wonder why they named these channels after a genre in the first place.

Wrestling on Sci-Fi, you say? That's right. In case you haven't heard, just follow this link - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002575523. All they need now is to rerun episodes of Sex and the City and The Sopranos on Nickelodeon, and the cycle will be complete. Oh, but didn't you know? 50% of Nick's target audience is also interested in sex and bloody violence. It's a fact.

I guess it doesn't really matter to me. It's not like I ever watch these channels anyway. Most of the good animated and sci-fi series are already available on DVD. That's all I need.

Oh, and one more thing. Third post in one day, not at all like the previous one-post-per-month months. Does that mean I'll be back in September?

What do Ellen, the Ninja Turtles, ALF, Bob Newhart, and Penn & Teller all have in common?

That's right! They're all getting another DVD release this fall!
(By the way, this is the second post I've made today... that's a first.)

The coming out season of Ellen (also known as the fourth) will be released from A&E Home Video on August 29. I think this show, almost entirely due to Ellen herself, is really funny, and I've enjoyed the first three season sets. I've heard that the last couple of seasons, in which Ellen tells the world that she is a lesbian both on the show and in real life, are not quite as funny and that the lesbian storyline changed the show for the worse. I'm sure, however, that this season will still be fun to watch, especially since Ellen Degeneres is so hilarious. It's great that A&E has been merciful enough to release this series. It must be a good seller. Only one more season to go!

Those radical teens, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, are back for more fun and adventures on DVD on August 29, as well. Of course, I'm talking about the original animated series from the late '80s and '90s, not the movies, live-action series, or the current animated show. Lionsgate has announced that it will release twelve more episodes of the original series on TMNT Volume 5. Twelve shows on one single-sided DVD is a bit much; however, it didn't seem to affect picture quality on the previous volumes. It's kind of pathetic that Lionsgate is not releasing multiple disc box sets of this classic series, but they do stick a large number of episodes on one volume, and they are trying to release three volumes a year, so it's not that bad. Only about nine or ten volumes left!! Cowabunga, indeed.

Everyone's favorite alien life form, ALF is back on DVD a week later (September 05) with the (not so) complete fourth and final season. The ALF DVDs have all contained the shorter, syndicated version of each episode, which means that about three to five minutes have been abruptly edited out of each episode. It's a sad state of affairs, but the low-priced first season set just showed me how cute and funny ALF really is, and it doesn't seem as if the sets will ever be released uncut, so how can I resist? The sets also have several short bonus features, as well as animated menus hosted by ALF himself!! Anyway, Season 4 is the final season, and the so-called reunion film, Project: ALF, which featured none of the characters from the show outside of ALF himself, has already been released in Canada, so this season set will be the final ALF release (unless somehow his recent TVLand talk show becomes available, and I really hope it will).

Speaking of how funny ALF is, has anyone else realized that he is the only funny character on the show. Is that common knowledge? The Tanner family is so boring and plain, and the neighbors seem as if they should be funny, although sadly, they are not. Willie is funny in his interaction with ALF, but honestly, couldn't they have given anyone else some witty or amusing lines from time to time? Oh well, I love the series anyway, and the DVD releases will be (somewhat) complete this September.

Next up on the list is The Bob Newhart Show, which is the oldest series on the list. This show is surprisingly likeable, although no one can honestly say that Bob Newhart is not a comedic genius, especially when he performs his patented telephone conversation shtick. That man is still hilarious today, and I only hope that one of his other series, Newhart, gets released soon, as well. That show was on for eight seasons, two more than The Bob Newhart Show. By the way, the fourth season of The Bob Newhart Show will be available for purchase on September 19. I'm so surprised and overjoyed to find that Fox has continued with this series and has even gone so far as to create bonus features, such as audio commentaries featuring major players in this show like Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Peter Bonerz, Jack Riley, Marcia Wallace, and more. The three double-sided disc set will also include a gag reel, which is usually my favorite type of special feature. Can you believe that come September, there will only be two seasons of this classic '70s series left to be released? I think it's just about guaranteed that the series will be completed by late 2007.

Finally, those outrageous magicians/comedians, Penn and his silent partner Teller are supposedly bringing the third season of their controversial Showtime series, Penn & Teller: Bullshit! to DVD this October. This season set is long overdue, as the tenth episode of the fourth season has already aired; however, I personally cannot wait for another thirteen episoodes of Bullshit! that will include investigations into the topics of circumcision, family values, college, gun control, and heaven. Now that's a lot of Bullshit! (Yes, I love the title.)

Well, that's it for this update. Stay tuned for more information on the latest happenings in the DVD and entertainment -- blah, blah, blah... you know the drill.

Src 1: www.tvshowsondvd.com
Src 2: www.sitcomsonline.com/blog

MUSIClink_Weird Al - You're Pitiful

Yesterday, Weird Al shocked and delighted his fans by making a brand-new single available for download absolutely free on his official website. (Go to weirdal.com to download the mp3, which may or may not ever be released on an actual future album.) It seems as if Weird Al is basically forced to make a comeback every couple of years due to the nature of his music, and I often feel like he doesn't receive the respect that he and his music deserves. If this new single is any indication of the kind of music he's got in store for his upcoming twelfth studio release, then I think it's safe to say that fans will be pleased. "You're Pitiful" is a hilarious parody of James Blunt's recent hit, "You're Beautiful," which is played every half-hour on the half-hour on just about every radio station. That's right, it's that one song that gets more and more annoying everytime you hear it. It's good to see that after more than twenty years, Al's still got it. Since he is one of my heroes, I've gone ahead and typed up the lyrics to "You're Pitiful" (just so I can sing along). Without further ado, here is the newest addition to my MUSIClink lyrics section, where you get all of the lyrics and none of the pop-ups...

“Weird Al” Yankovic - "You’re Pitiful"

My life is brilliant

What? Was I too early? Oh, sorry. Should I…
Do you wanna start over or… Keep going? Okay, now? Now?

My life is brilliant
Your life’s a joke
You’re just pathetic
You’re always broke
Your homemade Star Trek uniform
Really ain’t impressing me
You’re suffering from delusions of adequacy

You’re pitiful
You’re pitiful
You’re pitiful, it’s true
Never had a date
That you couldn’t inflate
And you smell repulsive too
What a bummer being you

Well, you just can’t dance
And forget romance
Everybody you know still calls you
“Farty Pants”
But you’ll always have a job, well, I mean
As long as you still can work that Slurpee machine

You’re pitiful
You’re pitiful
You’re pitiful, it’s true
You’re half undressed
Eating chips off your chest
While you’re playing Halo 2
No one’s classier than you

La la la la
La la la la
La la la la loser

You’re pitiful
You’re pitiful
You’re pitiful, it’s true
Your dog would much rather
Play fetch by itself
You still live with your mom, and you’re 42

Guess you’ll never grow a clue
Well, it just sucks to be you

Lyrics Source: My mind, or I guess technically, Weird Al's mind...
Oh, and hey, kids! Don't forget that lyrics contained within this blog (and my website) are subject to U.S. copyright law, and are the property of their respective authors, artists, and labels.