criterionforum.org

Posted: **Sat Sep 30, 2006 6:35 pm**

According to tvondvd.com, some retailers have let it slip that The Simpsons Season 9 set will be released December 19-- just in time for Kwanzaa.

Posted: **Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:03 pm**

And the guy who plays Bush in Thats My Bush (Timothy Bottoms?) also plays him in the neocon-scripted Showtime 'special event' DC 9/11.

I think I prefer the Stone/Parker treatment.

Posted: **Sun Oct 08, 2006 1:23 pm**

It is great to see that the spoof of eighties horror series, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is coming on DVD. It's a lot of fun and I particularly love the opening readings from Garth Marenghi's hilariously bad novels (that remind me a lot of some actual horror prose!). DVD Times did a nice review of the series and quoted one of the opening readings:

"He whisked off her shoes and panties in one movement, wild like an enraged shark, his bulky totem beating a seductive rhythm. Mary's body felt like it was burning, even though the room was properly air-conditioned. They tried all the positions: on top, doggy, and normal. Exhausted, they collapsed on to the recently extended sofa bed. Then a hellbeast ate them."

- Garth Marenghi, Juggers

I'd particularly recommend the episode where the token female character, Liz, goes a bit mad after being pushed about by the other guys, lets loose with her latent psychic powers a la Carrie (mixed with a little bit of the floating/screaming scene from The Fury), attacking the men with typically 'female' objects such as whisks and irons, and has to be 'dealt with' by the condescending men!

Posted: **Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:07 pm**

They've also already released a 5(?) disc set of SNL live music on DVD before, so that suggests they didn't have a hard time in getting to use all those shows.

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:30 pm**

The Simpsons Season 9 Announcement.

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:00 pm**

Is there a reason certain dvds have chapter breaks within each episode and certain dvds do not? I believe my family guy and futurama seasons 1 have chapter breaks so you can skip the title sequence but the later seasons do not. It doesn't seem to be one company over another, or a matter of time. Veronica Mars season 2 has chapters while Lost season 2 does not. Is it a choice of disc space or a creative choice ala David Lynch's Mulholland Drive or something else all-together?

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:54 pm**

Chapter stops are controlled by the same people who were behind 9-11.

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:09 pm**

Oh, come on! You can't tell me the White House is involved in DVD production.

Posted: **Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:57 am**

If the white House had been behind 9-11 it would have been bungled.

Posted: **Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:27 pm**

The Invunche wrote:If the white House had been behind 9-11 it would have been bungled.

It was. They were trying to fly the planes into Syria.

Posted: **Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:46 pm**

Why does this conjure up images of Jerry Lewis flying the plane in THE FAMILY JEWELS?

Posted: **Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:32 pm**

DVDSavant reviews the first volume of the classic Addams Family TV show and it looks good.

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:38 pm**

Why hasn't this come out on dvd yet? I just caught the pilot on youtube, and I'm in tears. I haven't seen this show since I was a kid. It's the perfect pilot. Perfect humor, romance and tragedy, all wrapped up in one episode. Christ, I used to swear off buying tv shows on dvd like I used to swear off buying bottled water in 1997. Now, I wish I could devour this series in one long holiday weekend. Anyone else sorely miss this show? For all I know, it might be on cable every night, I don't know. But I do know how deeply the characters of Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper resonated for me. I'm shocked now as I look at IMDb that the show only lasted five years. It felt so much longer than that. Also, I love how it's a half-hour series, yet shot on location and on film instead of video. They don't make them like that anymore...

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:55 pm**

Why hasn't this come out on dvd yet?

My significant other was a huge fan of the show, so I looked into it on her behalf (honest!). From what I can tell, the licensing fees for all the period music used in the show are astronomical (even the theme song was a Joe Cocker tune). If a release is in the works, progress has to be incredibly sluggish. Eventually, if it was to be released, I'd be amazed if a lot of the music wasn't edited or replaced entirely.

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:15 pm**

neuro wrote:
Why hasn't this come out on dvd yet?
My significant other was a huge fan of the show, so I looked into it on her behalf (honest!). From what I can tell, the licensing fees for all the period music used in the show are astronomical (even the theme song was a Joe Cocker tune). If a release is in the works, progress has to be incredibly sluggish. Eventually, if it was to be released, I'd be amazed if a lot of the music wasn't edited or replaced entirely.

That would be a shame, I absoutely loved that show, and the music is vital. The show is similar to the film "The Sandlot" in Narrative style, and I love that. Olivia D'Abo is in it, who I crushed on as a child and then thought myself the richest man in the world when I got to see "Live Nude Girls" on cable when I was 14, featuring Miss D'Abo and her goods. I'd buy this show in a heartbeat.

PS. Where the Hell is ED on dvd? Music Rights issues I assume.

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:23 pm**

I'm pretty sure it's only the Joe Cocker theme song that's holding up the DVD. The rights for that song would be astronomical though it is one of the most wanted TV on DVD sets.

Music rights are the same reason WKRP In Cincinatti will never see the light of day on DVD (though oddly enough I have seen it kicking around in VHS incarnations). Clearing all the songs would be a nightmare.

Hell, it's a miracle that Freaks & Geeks even made it to DVD, but that was only after a concerted fan effort and Shout Factory stepping in to do the leg work.

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:34 pm**

It's not just the Joe Cocker song. As neuro mentioned it's the licensing problems associated to many of the songs that were used. The Cocker one is particularly contentious (and it's probably the most vital for the show), but the show is a long ways away from finding it's way onto DVD in its original incarnation. Luckily it's on cable a lot (at least in Canada). This was actually all investigated by ESPN's Sports Guys a little while back in one of his Mail Bag articles. Yet another reason why I find Bill Simmons to be valuable to society.

Where the Hell is ED on dvd?

Christ do I find Tom Cavanagh to be annoying. Julie Bowen on the other hand...
Well, diff'rent strokes I guess.

Posted: **Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:26 am**

Music rights are also a big reason why later series like Daria haven't come out on DVD, save for the two telemovies. (And even one of those was a botched version.)

Posted: **Thu Nov 02, 2006 2:28 pm**

Antoine Doinel wrote:Music rights are the same reason WKRP In Cincinatti will never see the light of day on DVD (though oddly enough I have seen it kicking around in VHS incarnations). Clearing all the songs would be a nightmare.

Altho, I'm pretty sure those VHS incarnations do not feature the original music either. I've read a bunch of reviews of 'em on Amazon and that seems to the consensus of opinion.

exte wrote:Why hasn't this come out on dvd yet?

I just caught the pilot on youtube, and I'm in tears. I haven't seen this show since I was a kid. It's the perfect pilot. Perfect humor, romance and tragedy, all wrapped up in one episode. Christ, I used to swear off buying tv shows on dvd like I used to swear off buying bottled water in 1997. Now, I wish I could devour this series in one long holiday weekend. Anyone else sorely miss this show? For all I know, it might be on cable every night, I don't know. But I do know how deeply the characters of Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper resonated for me. I'm shocked now as I look at IMDb that the show only lasted five years. It felt so much longer than that. Also, I love how it's a half-hour series, yet shot on location and on film instead of video. They don't make them like that anymore...

Here's an interesting article about the costs of getting music licensed for old TV shows and that particularly mentions the problems with The Wonder Years:

Pricey nostalgia: The fabulous soundtrack to "The Wonder Years" has kept the popular show off video.
By Scott Lieber
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:07/10/2006 10:57:46 PM MDT

It's fair to say that no defunct television show commands the kind of craving for DVDs like "The Wonder Years."

Among shows that have yet to release full seasons, "The Wonder Years" - a nostalgic coming-of-age series set in suburbia circa 1970 - is one of the most sought-after. The website TVshowsonDVD.com lists the 10 most requested DVDs still unreleased by studios, and "The Wonder Years" sits at No. 2, right behind "Beverly Hills 90210."

Amazon.com offers the only two "Wonder Years" DVDs, and the cheapest one - "The Christmas Wonder Years: The Holiday Episodes" - costs $74.99. For the more affluent, a used 70-minute DVD of "The Best of The Wonder Years" starts at $97.84 and runs up to $186.99 for a new one.

But full seasons of the show remain locked up, as costly music licensing has postponed their release.

"We're not that far along," said Jyoti Sarda from 20th Century Fox Marketing, of releasing full seasons of the show. "We know it's something we'd like to put out. We know that people want it out. Consumers are waiting. Fans are waiting. We talk about needing to tackle it, but we haven't gotten to a place where it's being actively worked on."

"It's not imminent," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, "in that it's not going to be out in the next couple of months."

"The Wonder Years" aired on ABC from 1988-93. Set in the late 1960s and early 70s, it followed the adventures of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) as he negotiated adolescence.

Actor Daniel Stern provided the voice- over narration of the adult Kevin, and it was this filtering of junior-high angst through an adult's memories that resonated with viewers. People can identify with Kevin's experiences growing up, right down to schoolkid crushes, bullying siblings, parental expectations and the general trials of teendom.

The period music on "The Wonder Years" is critical to the show's emotional resonance, serving as an aural touchstone to viewers of a certain age. In one of the series' most memorable scenes, Kevin climbs a tree to peer into on-and-off girlfriend Winnie's window after she's hurt in an accident. The background music: "We've Got Tonight," by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Sarda hopes to begin releasing the DVDs within two years. No matter when they come out, the original music most likely won't be on them.

"I think that's the only way really we're going to see it," says Gord Lacey, creator of the Web site TVshowsonDVD.com. "I don't have a list of the songs used in the show, but something tells me they're not going to be able to release a completely intact series."

The music-licensing hurdle is substantial. "The Wonder Years" borrowed more than 300 pieces of music for its 115 episodes. Even more daunting is the fact that the music is from what has emerged as a resurgent, nostalgic era.

"I'd love to put it out on DVD, so other people can enjoy it," Sarda said. "So we just have to work through these issues. It's not that simple, because music is an integral part of that show. So it's not like you can just go in and replace it all."

Rights to broadcast on TV differ from rights to distribute for home entertainment. Most shows now negotiate home-entertainment rights prior to production. Shows produced in the pre-digital days - like "The Wonder Years" - never negotiated those rights.

The only two DVDs of "The Wonder Years" out now - "The Holiday Episodes" and "The Best of The Wonder Years" - both used replacement music.

"You go in and see which songs are expensive that are not as essential," Sarda says. "And that process of going through each episode and doing that analysis is a more complicated process than putting out a TV show that doesn't have these issues."

Posted: **Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:22 am**

Got my hands on the first season of SNL, and it's a real treat. Each show is basically broadcast quality, what I imagine to be the best they can look. The skits themselves are quite strong, allowed to run much longer than any modern format I remember (a particularly amusing one that pits Paul Simon against Daryl "the Hawk" Hawkins in a basketball scrimmage actually has them playing for five minutes, not including pre- and post-game interviews with the two).

I don't know if I'd actually buy the set, but it certainly has me more interested than I was before.

Posted: **Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:30 am**

davebert wrote:Got my hands on the first season of SNL, and it's a real treat. Each show is basically broadcast quality, what I imagine to be the best they can look. The skits themselves are quite strong, allowed to run much longer than any modern format I remember (a particularly amusing one that pits Paul Simon against Daryl "the Hawk" Hawkins in a basketball scrimmage actually has them playing for five minutes, not including pre- and post-game interviews with the two).

I don't know if I'd actually buy the set, but it certainly has me more interested than I was before.

Are they planning on releasing all the seasons in full? Man what I'd do to get my hands on 1990-1992.

Posted: **Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:33 am**

Connie Hawkins. (Sorry to be a Hoops Nazi, but he's been a favorite since I read David Wolf's brilliant book Foul!, chronicling his career, which was unjustly interrupted at it's peak, much like Ali's.)

I remember that segment. Marv Albert called it, didn't he?

Posted: **Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:49 am**

Yeah, sorry, it's been a decade since I stopped watching basketball/got rid of my card collection (I did have a Hawkins card, though). Albert did call it, and the whole thing was pretty surreal--Hawkins literally jumping over Simon was quite the feat!

I feel like every. single. season. would mean treading through a LOT of garbage. I would certainly support at least the first few seasons, though. I was particularly struck with the first season's strength in guest hosts and music acts, but that's certainly not always been the case.

And the complete-ness of this season vs. previously released Akroyd/Chase/etc. compilations is helpful in that it reveals the regularly repeated skits that didn't become classics, unless I was paying attention. For example, the first season repeats the "Israel swaps places with Georgia" idea numerous times, but to my knowledge this hasn't been recorded in history as often as Chase's repeated knocks at President Ford's clumsiness. Then there are the Muppets, talking about drugs...

Posted: **Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:03 am**

exte,

I feel you, re: Wonder Years. I found an old tape downstairs recently that had a few episodes on it taped from when they first aired. I too hadn't seen this show since I was a kid, and I was very moved just a few moments after it started. That show had such a distinct feeling, and I hadn't felt it in years.

It probably won't be on DVD anytime soon, not even in a couple years, and it isn't shown on TV anymore. Just the few episodes I watched (all of which were 8th grade episodes, from 1988/9) were loaded with period songs, and the shows just wouldn't feel the same at all without them...what would they replace them with? Stock music?

Somebody was selling a DVDR boot of the entire series on eBay not too long ago, and for pretty cheap from what I remember. That's probably the only way to see them again.

The episode I always think about is the one where Kevin was making pudding with that ridiculously pretty blonde girl, and he pretty much freaks out when she asks him to lick the chocolate from her finger. If I remember correctly, it was the first 9th grade episode.

Posted: **Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:30 am**

Polybius wrote:Connie Hawkins. (Sorry to be a Hoops Nazi, but he's been a favorite since I read David Wolf's brilliant book Foul!, chronicling his career, which was unjustly interrupted at it's peak, much like Ali's.)

I remember that segment. Marv Albert called it, didn't he?

That's a great book. Hawk was nearing the end of his career when he was on SNL, and I missed seeing him play when his skills were more or less intact. The Wolf book made me a huge huge fan however, and it was a thrill to see him on SNL.

I've been debating whether the season set is worth it - the main "pro" point for me is the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore episode, but thanks for reminding me that this is the only place to see The Hawk jammin' on Paul Simon.

criterionforum.org

TV on DVD & Blu-ray