Category: Video (Page 21 of 34)

Bad news, everyone: “Futurama” may have its voices recast

July 17, 2009 / Will Harris

Variety is reporting that the money talks between Fox and the voice actors of “Futurama” – Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille – have broken down. As a result, rumors have already begun to run rampant that, when the show returns for its 26 new episodes on Comedy Central in 2010, it will be with new actors providing the voices of Fry, Bender, Leela, and the gang.

Per the article on Variety.com…

The studio announced last month that it would produce 26 new episodes of “Futurama,” and that Comedy Central was on board to begin airing the new episodes in mid-2010. As part of the announcement, the show’s producers said stars including West, Sagal and DiMaggio had all signed on to return.
Turns out that wasn’t true.
The stars had all expressed interest in returning. But with the budget for “Futurama” dramatically slashed, the salary offers came in well below what the thesps were asking. As a result, 20th has put out a casting call to find replacement voice actors for the show.

Maybe I’m wrong about this (though I certainly hope I’m not), but I think this is going to blow over pretty quickly, and that either the actors will get the money they want or will at least find a middle ground with Fox that makes both parties happy enough to move forward. I mean, think about it: this is a show that has lived, died, and begun to live again as a result of its diehard fans. Do you really think they’re going to accept new people voicing their favorite characters while the original actors still walk the earth and retain the power of speech?

Not bloody likely.

In closing, allow me to present one of my all-time favorite “Futurama” scenes…one which I still quote to this day (“A what what?”)…in German.

UPDATE: Mark Evanier feels the same way I do, and he has a hell of a lot more experience in the field to back it up than I do.

External Entertainment, External TV, News, TV, TV Cartoons, TV Comedies, Video

Billy West Comedy Central Fox Futurama John DiMaggio Katey Sagal Maurice LaMarche Tress MacNeille

If you’ve got a thirst for a new vampire flick…

July 14, 2009 / Will Harris

…this trailer will probably convince you that you could do a lot worse than “Thirst,” directed by Chan-wook Park, who also brought us “Oldboy” and “Lady Vengeance.”

Thirst at IGN.com

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that the inspiration to post this trailer – which, as you may already have discovered, is a red-band trailer and requires that you enter your birth date before you can view it – came as a result of receiving a package in the mail from the film’s publicists which contained a bag of “blood” and a straw.

Of course, it’s only juice with some seriously red food coloring added, but as it stands right now, I still haven’t dared to take a taste. I definitely will do so in the near future (specifically, when my wife and daughter get home, so they can bear witness to it), but I’m not sure how quickly my fellow Bullz-Eye contributor, Jason Zingale, will be taking a hit off his bag.

“I still haven’t braved drinking it,” he said, “but less because I’m worried what it will taste like and more because it’s just plain creepy.”

Sure, it’s creepy. Isn’t that the point? Drink up, Jason!

External Entertainment, External Movies, Horror Movies, Movies, Video

Chan-wook Park Lady Vengeance Oldboy Thirst

“Mommy XXX”: Taking “MILF” to its logical conclusion

July 14, 2009 / Jeff Giles

She’s gone from the pages of Playboy to a successful adult film career that (ahem) climaxed in her marriage to fellow porn star Randy Spears. Now that she’s a single parent with two kids to raise, what’s left for Demi Delia to do? You guessed it — she’s gone and become the focus of “Mommy XXX,” a Crackle.com reality show which proves that just because you’ve appeared on “Baywatch” and “Playboy’s Girls of Summer,” that doesn’t mean you don’t have to contend with ordinary, average life problems. Like, say, the one confronted in this outtake clip:

To see more of the show that’s being described as “Like ‘The Osbournes’ but with dildos and lube,” follow this link!

Reality TV, TV, Video

Crackle Demi Delia Mommy XXX Randy Spears Reality TV

15 Movies That Were Almost Turned Into TV Series

July 6, 2009 / Will Harris

If you’re not an ABC Family aficionado like myself, then you may not be aware that the often-underrated network is preparing to launch a new series on July 7th: “10 Things I Hate About You,” based on the film of the same name. It’s hard to say whether this is a good idea or not, though the fact that Larry Miller has carried over his character from the film – patriarch Walter Stratford – is certainly a step in the right direction, but we can say one thing: there have been worse ideas. It’s been a television staple to transform motion pictures into weekly TV series, but not every attempt actually makes it to the airwaves. Here’s a list of 15 such swings and misses, many…okay, most of which deserved to fail.

1. “The African Queen” (“The African Queen,” 1962 & 1977) – It seems only appropriate to start this list out with an attempt at transforming a classic film into a TV series. The first time around was in 1962, when James Coburn took on the role of Cap’n Charlie Allnot, while Glynis Johns played the Hepburn role of missionary Rosie Sayer, but although it aired as an episode of NBC’s “The Dick Powell Theater,” it never made it any further. Fifteen years later, CBS took a stab at it, with the leads played by Warren Oates and Mariette Hartley. No dice. If the actual movie ever makes it to DVD (can you believe it’s still unavailable?), perhaps one or both of these pilots will be included as part of the bonus material.

2. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (“Holly Golightly,” 1969) – It sounds nuts, right? Granted, if there was anyone in the late ’60s who was the TV equivalent of Audrey Hepburn, it was probably Stefanie Powers, but Hepburn’s performance was so iconic that it’s hard to even wrap your head around the idea of anyone else playing the role of Ms. Golightly. As it turns out, the original author of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” – Truman Capote – didn’t like the movie, either, calling it “a mawkish valentine” to Hepburn, so he was even less ecstatic about the idea of a TV series. In an interview with Time Magazine, Capote predicted that the show would be even more “jerky” than the film and that he would not stand for the TV version “if they give me all the money in Christendom.” One doubts that his position on the matter had anything to do with the series not being picked up, but the end result no doubt pleased him, anyway.

3. “Diner” (“Diner,” 1983) – This one had a lot of potential, with the film’s writer/director, Barry Levinson, doing the same duties on the pilot. There was only one original cast member willing to return, however, but, hey, at least it was Paul Reiser (Modell). Plus, Mickey Rourke (Boogie) and Kevin Bacon (Fenwick) were traded out for Michael Madsen and James Spader, respectively, which ain’t half bad, really. In an interview with Venice Magazine, Levinson said, “We had a great cast, but CBS thought otherwise. They thought it wasn’t compatible with the current programming line-up they had.” The fools!

Action Movies, External Entertainment, External Movies, External TV, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movies, Pilots, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi, Video

Adventures in Babysitting Bates Motel Breakfast at Tiffany's Buckaroo Banzai: Ancient Secrets and New Mysteries Clerks Diner Fargo Holly Golightly L.A. Confidential Mr. and Mrs. Smith Old School Popeye Doyle Psycho Revenge of the Nerds The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension The African Queen The French Connection The Jerk The Jerk Too Zero Effect

Lookin’ To Get Out!

July 5, 2009 / Ross Ruediger

Honestly, there was nobody more excited than me by the prospect of experiencing a “lost” Hal Ashby film. He directed some of the best – “Harold and Maude,” “The Last Detail,” “Shampoo,” “Coming Home,” and “Being There” and when it was announced that Jon Voight had discovered a longer cut of this nearly forgotten Ashby offering that he felt placed it among the greats, there was reason to get one’s hopes up. Unfortunately, it is not one of the greats. It’s not terrible by any means, but it’s also not comparable in quality and vision to any of the aforementioned films. Voight stars as a fast (but not smooth) talking gambler who’s in over his head. He and his buddy, played by Burt Young, head to Vegas (where else?) to fix their situation. Once they arrive, they meet an old friend of Voight’s (Ann-Margret), and he may be the father of her child. Is it just me, or does all of this sound old hat? With some tweaking, it didn’t have to be.

The biggest problem with “Lookin’ to Get Out!” is not the hackneyed premise but, rather, the execution of it. The entire affair is dialed far too much in the direction of comedy, and the laughs either aren’t funny or just don’t work. For instance, there’s a wacky chase through a casino that kicks off the third act that’s painfully overlong and soaked with a dreadful ‘80s synth track (as is much of the film). If the whole thing had just been shifted into a slightly more dramatic direction, it likely would’ve played much better, as is evidenced by the few scenes where Voight gets to play some genuine pathos. His work is generally pretty good here, even if the material isn’t, and it’s certainly a much different Voight than we’re used to seeing. (Keep an eye out for the screen debut of a very young Angelina Jolie in the film’s final scenes.) It’s difficult to recommend to anyone who isn’t a student of Ashby, and yet, despite its problems, fans of the maverick director could do a lot worse than to at least check it out.

Click to buy “Lookin’ To Get Out!”