Life of Reilly: Charles Nelson Reilly

Charles Nelson Reilly was an amazing performer, and an amazing human being. He was one of the most unique individuals to to every grace the stage and screen. I would have loved to have seen him live before his passing in 2007; he is greatly missed.

The Life of Reilly was first shown in 2006 and is an adaptation Charles Nelson Reilly’s one-man play “Save It For the Stage: The Life of Reilly”. It is an edited version of Reilly’s longer stage show, filmed live before audiences at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, California in October of 2004. I recently purchased the DVD from the website of the late Charles Nelson Reilly.

Charles Nelson Reilly is the reason I remained a Krofft fan for my entire life. His portrayal of Hoo Doo in Lidsville made an impression on me at the young age of only 3. His signature laugh was the only thing I remembered for years, and spent years trying to remember those early childhood dreams.

My next exposure to Charles was The Match Game. My grandmother was a huge game show fan, so I had early exposure to The Match Game, The Price is Right and many others. The familiarity with Reilly drew me to him instantly. I’ve been a huge fan since. He is an entertainer for all ages, and deserves a larger place in entertainment history.

The movie Life of Reilly is a perfect film. It starts off asking “Do you remember who Charles Nelson Reilly is?” Tragically, not enough people do. Interspersed with clips that illustrate his story, Life of Reilly shows us CNR’s life from his own point of view…tragic, exciting and funny. The film’s impact is amplified by the passing of Reily. It is wonderful that he was able to document this prior to his death.

Sadly, the film is still not widely available on DVD. But, the good news is that you can still get it. I received an email from the directors recently:

The DVD was slated to be released early this year by the legendary New Yorker Films. Unfortunately, as you may have heard or read, New Yorker Films recently filed for bankruptcy.
…
In the mean time, for a limited time only you can get a FREE DVD Screener of the film on our website when you buy a T-Shirt for as little as $14.95.

Of course, I now have mine. I would love to see all the raw footage of Reilly’s performance, but for now I’ll be content with this extraordinary DVD.

What are you waiting for? Go get yours!

Cougar Town – Better Than Expected

I completely dismissed Cougar Town. I watched the pilot (planning to watch ONLY the pilot) simply because of Courtney Cox. I was very surprised.

First off, I was very impressed with the cast. Like I said, I avoided anything about Cougar Town so I was surprised to see so many quality actors: Courtney Cox, Busy Philipps, Ian Gomez, Christa Miller, Josh Hopkins. They were all very funny, and I believe cast perfectly.

I also liked the look. The Desperate Housewives style approach to shooting this sitcom made it pleasant to watch. This is a half-hour sitcom that is produced like an hour long dramedy. This was a very good choice.

What initial turned me off of Cougar Town was the name. Really? Naming a show after a contemporary slang term? Like calling a show in the 70s, “That’s Bogue”. I was happy to see that the name of the high school mascot was “The Cougars”. So, Cougar Town makes a little more sense.

I laughed. I was interested. I’m going to watch next week. Will you?

Are we Loosing New Christine?

The New Adventures of Old Christine started off its 4th season with a very funny episode. Julia is an amazing comic actress; no wonder she was the first one to break the Seinfeld curse. The supporting case also brings in amazing performances that make this one of the most enjoyable sitcoms on to watch.

The season 4 premiere brings the season 3 cliffhangers to very comic closure. The highlights of the night were:

• Richard waiting outside all night for new Christine
• Christine’s behavior on the airplane.
• Richie’s reaction to the entire situation

When it comes to sitcoms, I really like to be surprise. Are we loosing new Christine? Is Emily Rutherfurd leaving? She is an integral part of the ensemble, I’d hate to loose that comedic component of her relationship to the group. The premiere could have been a misdirection, so we’ll wait and see.

Speaking of relationships, the show now boasts a very soapopera-like set of relationships. Christine used to be married to Richard, who is now engaged to Barb, who slept with Matthew and is currently married to Christine. Funny.

I’m looking forward to this season, how about you?

Handmade H.R. Pufnstuf Birthday Card

Etsy is marketplace for selling handmade item on the internet. One of the sellers, KreepyKids, has created a birthday card featuring our favorite major:

For sale is one Happy Birthday Handmade Card featuring “Kreepy Kids H.R. Pufnstuf, Mayor of Living Island, with the Magic Flute and Jimmy” from Kreepy Kids Get Kroffty Series.

This card is blank inside, comes with a matching colour envelope, measures 6″ by 4″, and comes wrapped in a cellophane bag.

Go on over to Etsy and check it out.

Land of the Lost DVD and Blu-Ray

Will Ferrell’s Land of the Lost was a critical and box office disappointment. It was also not well received by droves of Sid and Marty Krofft fans (myself included). Now you have the chance to re-live the experience all over again!

Available October 13th, in both DVD and Blu-Ray, hopefully this helps recoup some of the losses on the movie, and Sid and Marty can bring us more of their creations.

The Official Press Release is:

COMING TO BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF AND DVD ON OCTOBER 13, 2009 FROM UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Sept 9 /PRNewswire/ –

OVERVIEW:

Comedic favorite Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, Anchorman: The Legend of
Ron Burgundy) meets the unfettered imaginations of Sid and Marty Krofft
(”H.R. Pufnstuf”) in the hilarious action comedy Land of the Lost, coming
to Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def and DVD on October 13, 2009, from Universal Studios
Home Entertainment. Inspired by the Krofft-created 1970s television classic
of the same name, Land of the Lost is available on a Blu-ray((TM)) Hi-Def
and single-disc DVD. Both include enough uproarious deleted scenes and
behind-the-action bonus features to keep fans laughing across the entire
space-time continuum.

The Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def edition of Land of the Lost includes more than
two hours of exclusive bonus content presented with perfect picture and the
purest digital sound available. Land of the Lost on Blu-Ray((TM)) Hi-Def
also features Universal’s acclaimed BD-Live(TM) Center, which allows fans
access to even more content!

Will Ferrell brings his unparalleled brand of outrageous humor to a
strange new world in Land of the Lost, with Danny McBride (Eastbound and
Down, Tropic Thunder), Anna Friel (”Pushing Daisies”) and Jorma Taccone
(”Saturday Night Live”) joining him on an outrageously funny adventure that
crosses time, space – and species!

EXCLUSIVE TO Blu-ray((TM)) Hi-Def WITH MORE OUTRAGEOUS COMEDY FROM WILL
FERRELL AND DANNY MCBRIDE:

— 12 more minutes of deleted scenes with Commentary by Director Brad
Silberling
— Dr. Marshall’s Food Diaries with Commentary by Director Brad
Silberling
— This is Not a Routine Expedition: Making Land of the Lost
— Brad, Sid and Marty: A Conversation with the Kroffts – A retrospective
look at the extraordinary worlds created by the legendary Sid and Marty,
peppered with interviews and show clips.

— BD-LIVE(TM): Access the BD-Live(TM) Center through your
Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest
trailers, and more!
BONUS FEATURES:

Both DVD and Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def editions of Land of the Lost include:

— Deleted Scenes: With Commentary by director Brad Silberling
— A Day in the Life of a Big-Time Movie Star – Viewers can live the
glamorous life vicariously as Danny McBride offers a moment-by-moment
look at a typical day in his life.
— Devil’s Canyon Gift Shop Commercial and Tour

— Feature Commentary With Director Brad Silberling
SYNOPSIS:

Comedic genius Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick
Marshall, who gets more than he bargained for when his expedition takes a
wrong turn into the Land of the Lost. Now, Marshall, with his crack-smart
research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist named Will
(Danny McBride), have no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to
survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic
creatures and laugh-out-loud comedy!

CAST AND FILMMAKERS:
Directed By: Brad Silberling
Screenplay By: Chris Henchy & Dennis McNicholas
Based on Sid & Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost
Produced By: Jimmy Miller, Sid & Marty Krofft
Executive Producers: Daniel Lupi, Julie Wixson Darmody, Adam McKay, Brad
Silberling, Ryan Kavanaugh
Director of Photography: Dion Beebe, ACS ASC
Production Designer: Bo Welch
Edited By: Peter Teschner
Casting By: Avy Kaufman CSA
Music By: Michael Giacchino
Co-Producers: John Swallow, Josh Church,
Cast: Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel, Jorma Taccone

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF:
Street Date: October 13, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment. All rights
reserved.
Selection Number: 61106049
Price: $39.98 SRP
Running Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: PG-13
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French and Spanish DTS
Surround 5.1, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:
Street Date: October 13, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment. All rights
reserved.
Selection Number: 61104715
Price: $29.98 SRP
Running Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: PG-13
Technical Info: English, French and Spanish 5.1, English SDH, French and
Spanish Subtitles
For artwork, please log on to our website at http://www.ushepublicity.com

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a
division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios
is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and
entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of
entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May
2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC
Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment
networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television
production operations, a leading television stations group, and
world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric,
with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Are you going to buy the movie? Why? Why not?

Is Doctor House Sane?

The premiere episode of season 6 of House may have reshaped the show as we know it…in a good way. If you’ve been a viewer of House for more than a couple of seasons, you’ll notice that the only character that doesn’t seem to evolve is Dr. House himself. All the other characters change in some way due to the events on the show. House is still the same grumpy old man.

That may changed based on the season 6 premiere; I hope it does. We start off with House in the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital that he checked into at the end of last season. In this episode House is forced to deal with his mental and emotional problems for the first time. Yes, they’ve come close in the past, but this time it was real (and not chemically induced). Watching House realize that his flaws are not always a good thing was intense. He evolved.

I hope that the writers let the evolution stick. If they are to evolve the show, we need to see the new Dr. Gregory House and how he solves the mystery disease of the week. It starts to become a different show, which is what you need when you’ve solved over 100 cases of some Lupus-like disease.

We of course couldn’t have an episode of house where he doesn’t ‘cure’ an illness. Even though they telegraphed it, the payoff was great. When House brought Lydia to see her sister playing, I welled up inside a bit. They’ve reinvigorated the show before it needed to be.

What do you think? Should House remain ‘cured’?

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