A Trailer For A Good Movie, For A Change...

The Fog, the 1980 John Carpenter version. You know, the one without Tom Welling.

I'm not gonna say it's better or worse than the remake...but you'll notice I'm not posting the trailer for the remake. 'Nuff said.



Now THAT, my friends, is movie-making.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Jumping The Season...Kinda.

I know, it's still November, and everyone is still busy shopping, much less preparing for the 25th of next month, and no one else should be rushing Christmas and all but I just couldn't help myself....

Ladies and gents, Santa Claus Conquers The Martians - the full movie!

Hope you don't have anything to do for 90 minutes or so.



Hope that puts a "ho-ho-ho" in your holiday.

Dope out.

-TGWD

A Certain Part Of A Certain Episode Of A Certain Show...

Many of you know my love for the show "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (and if you don't you should pay more attention)...well, even though the series kind of slacked off in its SciFi Channel years, there were many episodes that had good solid laughs; heck, some parts within the peisodes were gut-bustingly good!

One such episode was #820, wherein they featured Space Mutiny, a movie that had more flaws, screw-ups and bad moments than most others filmed in the '80s.

And the moment(s) I'm talking about was where Mike Nelson and his robot pals Tom and Crow made fun of the film's nominal hero, Reb Brown.

"In what way", you may rightfully ask?

Like THIS.



Now; if that ain't comedy then this is a world without a funny bone, people.

Dope out.

-TGWD

In A Funny Mood Tonight...

Well, I'm not in a bad mood tonight...

Nor do I feel like punishing you, the humble viewer, with visual and aural unspeakable monstrosities towards humanity...

And it's not as if I'm a monster or anything...

But here's some disco anyway. So, nyah.

Not to worry, though; it's funky music.




Yeah; just a weird mood, I guess.

Dope out.


-TGWD

Kid-Tested, NOT Mother Approved...

You know, it's getting to the point where you can't trust anybody or anyTHING nowadays...especially where kids are concerned.

Just look at what our kids play with; there's horror stories about kiddie makeup with benzine, vibrating Harry Potter brooms and pole-dancing kits for little girls.

But the big daddy of 'em all: THE FROOZE-POP.

I can't describe it; just...look at this!!
(sorry about the pop-up; can't work around it - just click it off)

What chance do our kids have against a world where they have toys that do these things to their bodies and minds?? Why can't they have safe toys?

Like we did? (click the kids below)



Ahh...foolish youth.

Dope out.

-TGWD

In Praise Of Al...

I just helped a very good friend of mine move some stuff of his into storage in preperation to his moving away. It's pretty sad, since he's one of my very best friends but I figured for all the times he's been there for me, I could at least do this for him.

Why am I bringing this up to you, who couldn't care less? Because he's also a fan of "Weird Al" Yankovic, a man whose talents and accomplishments go without saying.

And so, in honor of my pal, here's Weird Al himself singing about a recent cultural icon/reference/movie character.



Great song for a good friend. I'm gonna miss you, Andrew. Good luck out there.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Two Mice, A Cat And A Turkey...

It's after Thanksgiving, yes (and I ate as much turkey as the rest of you), but I couldn't resist one more reference to the Turkey Day That Was.

And so, join me in a yearly celebration of thankfulness, mindless violence and blatant American Indian stereotypes. In other words, a "Tom and Jerry" cartoon!



There. Now, what to do tomorrow?

Dope out.

-TGWD

Happy Thanksgiving, You Turkeys!

And in celebration, I give you "The Turkey Dance".

...a la Irwin Allen.



(okay, okay...I know it's really called "The CHICKEN Dance", but only the name has been changed to protect the innocent, 'kay???)

Now go take a tryptophan nap.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Gotta Make This Quick, So...

Have a house full of people to get ready for tomorrow, what with it being National Turkey Day and all...so I thought I'd give you a little something that was turkey-related.

Okay, ready?

Here it is: a turkey-related video...

A few minutes from The Wizard Of Oz...as made in Turkey.

Trust me: you WANT to watch this.



Gobble gobble, y'all.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Robert Altman Dies At 81

Now this is a sad piece of news; I just come home after a grueling day of work and late play practice (we're putting on "Arsenic and Old Lace") and find out that one of my fave directors, Robert Altman, has passed on.

This is not only sad in the passing of another mortal off this Earth, but also because he was one of the few vibrant, vital directors still putting out work in his golden years (A Prairie Home Companion, anyone?). Speilberg should be so lucky.

And so, in honor of Mister Altman and his voluminous work, I present to you the last 10 minutes of Brewster McCloud.



And for as quirky, laid-back and unpredictable a personality as he was - yes, I think that was the perfect tribute to him.

RIP, Robert.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Again With The Political Correctness...

Okay, first of all, I don't want anyone out there to think that I am furthering antagonism towards foreign countries.

Neither do I want you faithful readers out there to get the idea that I am anti-Mexican.

Nor do I promote the idea of entering the country by illegal means.

And along with all that, I harbor no beliefs that people in Mexico sing with British accents.

All that I am saying is that I like Genesis...and that I wanted to watch their video for "Illegal Alien".



That's all I'm saying.

Well, that and...Dope out.

-TGWD

Doctor Who Vs. Max Headroom....

Okay, this one takes a little setup.

You see, back in the good old days, when hacking television signals was for a select few with the technology and the time, it just so happened that it was a rarity that you'd be watching your favorite TV show and - BOOM! - there'd be the face of your friendly neighborhood hacker making demands, threats, putting on their own little show-during-the-show then, once their transformer burned out or power signal blew, it was back to your regularly scheduled program.

Myself, I've never witnessed this kind of "entertainment" first-hand, but now, for the first time (and maybe your first time, too), I can behold the glory that is - TV HACKING!

Legend has it that, back in the mythic age of 1987, Chicago Public TV Station WTTW was showing an episode of "Doctor Who" ("Horror of Fang Rock") when, at 11:15 pm, so broke in a scurvy video pirate wearing a Max Headroom mask, disrupted the broacast for a few minutes, did some...well, let's just say some indescribable things...then faded back to Tom Baker and Company.

And now we can behold the wonder and glory that is this freky moment in time and bear witness to the day when Max Met Doc!

(Just to warn you, there are some visual parts here that may forever scald your brain, so viewer discretion is advised...and don't say I didn't warn you.)



I don't think I'll ever look at Doctor Who, Max Headroom, Coke, TV hacking or spankings the same way ever again.

Dope out.

-TGWD

80's + Music = Goodness.

Van Stephenson, man. Just...Van Stephenson.



Sheer perfection. Hee - get it? Sheer - scissors? Cut?

Oh forget it.

Dope out.

-TGWD

It's Friday! Uh...Yay?

Well, a lot of people usually look forward to Fridays, since it's the end of the work week and payday and beginning of the weekend and all...but really, other than that, what is there that's so special about Fridays?

(Besides TGIFridays?)

Thanks to me, I think I've answered that question for everyone. In the form of videos, natch.

First, here's the intro to the short-lived ABC TV show "Fridays". I've seen it - I know why it was short-lived.



An interview with Hall & Oates on NBC's "Friday Night Videos"...



The trailer for the Ice Cube movie Friday...



The beginning of the ever-popular "ABC Friday Night Movie" (again with ABC??)...



A trailer for the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday...



The intro to NBC's "Friday Night Lights" (again with NBC, now!)...



And finally, a clip from Friday the 13th... the video game.



Gee, I guess Friday is a pretty over-advertised day as it is, huh?

Welp, happy Friday. And Dope out.

-TGWD

MST3K Scrapbook - The Finale!

Well, a blogger of my word, I have here the wrap-up of my earlier review of my fave show, "Mystery Science Theater 3000". So get ready....

PART 6



PART 7



PART 8



PART 9



PART 10



Well, there you have it! So until next time, remember to keep circulating the tapes!

Dope out.

-TGWD

MySpace.com - In The Good Neighborhood...

I've been looking at MySpace.com lately - not to get my own page (I have enough trouble keeping this train wreck updated, you kiddin'me??) but rather to see what all the fuss is about.

And sure enough, many people seem to use it as a successful tool to keep in touch with friends near and far, as well as announce their successes (and for some, their shortcomings). BUT...and I'm sure you knew this part was coming...did you know that along with the geeks, freaks, stalkers and teen emos that permeate MySpace that there are also some honest-to-goodness celebrities therein?

Oh, yeah.

If you look, you can find practically any popular star with their own MySpace page - good way to keep up their face in the public's Web-accelerated lifestyle, you know. But, just so you won't have to go to all the trouble to find them yourselves, here's some of MySpace's more famous denizens in no particular order:

(just click the name to go to their page - also, don't come crying to me if half of these guys are just posers and NOT the real thing; I just report on what I find)

Paul McCartney
Jennifer Coolidge
Hugh Laurie
Drew Barrymore
Denzel Washington
Rosario Dawson
Steve Buscemi
Amy Steel
Robert DeNiro
Uma Thurman
Al Pacino
Kiera Knightley
Val Kilmer
Rose McGowan
Oliver Stone
Evangeline Lilly
Will Ferrell
Paris Hilton (if you must...)
Jack Nicholson
Kate Bosworth
Michael Douglas
Marcia Cross
Pierce Brosnan
Kate Blanchett
William Shatner!!
Michelle Pfeiffer
Alec Baldwin
Nicole Kidman
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Meryl Streep
Roger Moore
Sandra Bullock

And again, this IS just a small sampling!

Okay, all you MySpacers - start sending out those adds!

Dope out.

-TGWD

Old School Dave Letterman!

You know, most people are familiar with the older David Letterman, the one with thinning gray hair, wire-rims and who likes to get into arguments with Bill O'Reilly. But believe it or not, there was a time, back in the '80s, when Dave was really consistently funny.

This was back when he was on NBC and had a little late-night show called, oddly, enough, "Late Night With David Letterman". A lot of comedic experimentation went on here and, more likely than not, got huge laughs. Here then are some very prime examples of such laughs.

The reading of the viewer mail was a great launch-pad for laughs. Remember Flunky the Clown?



Even Paul Shaffer gets his time in the spotlight...



Remember the time there was a problem in the control room?



I absolutely loved Larry "Bud" Melman...



Ditto with Chris Elliot...



Though there were times when Dave could be ornery. Just ask the guys at "The Today Show"...



Or the guys over at G.E. ...



And leave us not forget the Suit of Velcro...



But then NBC went and let Dave go to CBS. But at least he got the last word in....



And so, just compare then to now; I think you can see a difference, can't you?

I sure could.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Stayin' Up All Night....

I'm old enough to remember when the USA Network used to have some fun stuff on it.

I'm talking about the stuff they had on real late at night. That's when they'd break out the real low-rent movies and show them the way they were meant to be shown - condescendingly.

Yes, I mean the classic shown known simply as "USA Up All Night". They were tag-team hosted by the triple-threat hosts of Caroline Schlitt, Rhonda Shear, and the man himself, Gilbert Gottfried.

For those who wish to remember, here's the opening for the show, along with several bits with Rhonda...



A few show bumpers with the Gil Man...



And an ad for the show with Rhonda AND Gilbert in the same place at the same time! Woo!



...and just because I want to, one more Gilbert ad.



Now THAT, my friends, is good television.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Good News, Bad News...

The good news is that I still have a blog and plan to continue adding to it for a long time to come.

The bad news, however, is the fact that tomorrow is Monday and I have to go back to work. It bums me out, man....

Therefore, I feel lousy. And further therefore, I must make others suffer.

So here's some music to suffer by (i.e. - disco).



I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow. I just have to get through tonight.

Dope out.

-TGWD

More Mario, Man!

Well, on the heels of the Mario Bros. vid I posted yesterday, I thought you'd appreciate the next
step in the ol' Nintendo line of postings....

The Super Mario Bros. Audiosound Super-Synthesizer









Just click Mario's pic up there to listen to some groovin' 8-bit goodness.

Oh yeah, and I did remember to play my old SuperMario Bros. Nintendo game last night...got to level 3 and bottomed out. Grrr...

Dope out.

-TGWD

Old School Mario, Baby!

I used to love the old Nintendo Mario Bros. games. I even still have my old Nintendo. Haven't played it in awhile, but I will...someday....

Anyways, I found this neat vid of a guy that plays through all of Super Mario Bros. (and beats it) in a little over 5 minutes!

(okay, maybe he hacked it a little and there's a couple of points where he should have died when he touched those plants and whatever, but the point is - he still plays better than I do).



And the bad part is: even if I did have the cheats, I still couldn't do this good.

Now if you'll excuse me, I got to go find my old Nintendo set.

Dope out.

-TGWD

When Commercials Attack...

Okay, let's just get to this particular commercial then I'll start venting.

It's for Travelers Insurance. You've probably already seen it, but here it is again:



Okay, now: I HATE THIS COMMERCIAL.

I mena, what the hell?? The scuba guy dies, the people on the ship die...and I know it's modeled to be comedic (albeit darkly comedic) but this is downright depressing. And did they have to show the ship sinking to the bottom of the sea, dragging the hapless scuba guy in his inescapable tank with it?

Look, this is all I'm getting at: every human in this commercial dies. And you watch it happening. They. All. Die. This isn't an insurance comercial, it's a good reason to call your local suicide hotline, in case Travelers' ad takes you over the edge. Myself, I was depressed all day after seeing this one.

But on the bright side, Travelers got better marks by me from THIS ad:



And no one died.

Dope out.

-TGWD

A Favorite Song To Share...

Okay, I don't know about this one - its not as if I haven't posted music videos here before or those times when I warned viewers of inappropriate subject matter in some vids I've posted here.

But this IS the first time I've posted anything by Fountains of Wayne.

Oh yeah - so if you have an aversion to prepubescent male fantasies, go check out an earlier post, 'kay?



Funny, though - whenever I hear that song I think of THIS woman.

Yeah...funny.

Dope out.

-TGWD

There's Something About A Rold Gold Man...

Believe it or not, Jason Alexander had a life before "Seinfeld". He did theater, and was in a few commercials, too!

My faves were the ones for Rold Gold pretzels...



Let us not forget his classic bit for Mickey D's McDLT..



And he was even in the first part of this ad for Canada Dry!



What versatility! What range! What hair!!

Dope out.

-TGWD

Finishing Up The Fantastic Four (1994)...

You may recall (a couple of days ago - DUH!) when I posted my vids from the classic/forgotten movie of The Fantastic Four, circa '94.

Well, my friends, I was remiss in omitting the most important part of the film - its ending!

So, here it is.



You're welcome.

Dope out.

-TGWD

The Beatles Get Animated!

You remember The Beatles, I'm sure. But do you remember their cartoon series?

Oh yeah, they had one, and I remember it quite well. And now, so can you!

In fact, let's watch a few now, won't we?

Here's "A Hard Day's Night"...



"She Loves You"...



"Please Mr. Postman"...



and "Please Please Me".



Oh man, do I love me some nostalgia.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Once More Into The '80s, Dear Friends....

After a whole month of neglect, I feel it is time to get back in the swing of things and voice my joy and happiness in admiring the music and singers of the '80s.

But just a certain part of the '80s, mind you. The first half of the '80s had some of the greatest music ever and was creative, snazzy, snappy, had a good beat and you could dance to it.

Take for example the music stylings of Falco; if not for him, we would not have a hit song embracing the life and creativity of fellow music aficionado Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

My only complaint with this song (and the movie Amadeus, for that matter) is: what's the deal with just referring to him by his middle name? His first name or last even (which is what most people know him by, anyway) would make more sense. But just "Amadeus"? Hmpf. I dunno....

What? Oh yeah - the video.



Enjoy.

Dope out.

-TGWD

And Now, A Special Announcement...

Some people say that it's relatively easy (maybe a bit too easy) to create and maintain a blog nowadays.

Sure, with all the benefits of ready-made blog sites (thanks again, blogger.com) anyone can make their own blog, personalize it and post whatever to whomever for whyever. But let me just address a question to anyone reading this who happens to have their own blog:

What is the importance of your blog?

I mean, sure; everyone's blog is theirs and is unique and different by specific classifcation. But as I see it, theer are two specific types of blogs out there:

A) Blogs that cater to the creator specifically and oft times contain numerous rambling posts that go nowhere and speak directly from the creator's own subconscious. And in this context, they are usually not self-serving exactly, but at they very least self-contained.

B) Blogs that exist for posting any and everything under the sun; there's not a topic per se to their individual posts but mostly links to other sites, videos, pictures without commentary, momentary shock value hot-button topicality and the occasional plug for whatever catches their fancy.

Now this is by no means a criticism of any kind; just an observation. I guess I'm just wondering to myself if there is something else I can be doing with what I have here rather than just ramble, post a video, ramble some more then say "Dope out" and end it until tomorrow.

Should I have a political slant? Could I be appealing to the conservationists of the world? Other cultures, maybe? Or how about being confrontational; opposing each and every viewpoint anyone else out there happens to have - this is after all the Internet: the home for anitsociality.

But what of it - is one person's blog more than an extension of their psyche; an embodiment of their id? Are we judged by what we post (on that question I can at least answer "yes".) or by what we pretend to be knowledgeable about?

What is the final answer, then - what is this world of blogging about?

I dunno; but here's the trailer for Night of the Lepus while you're thinking.



Gee, guess I'm a "B" personality.

Dope out. (geez, I'm getting so predictable)

-TGWD

The Fantastic Four You Never Knew About...Maybe.

Of course, most of you know about the big scale movie dealie based on the comic book heroes known as The Fantastic Four. It made money and was a big deal and all...yay and all...but....

Did you know about the OTHER movie based on these same heroes?

No, you say?

Well then, allow me: made as a copyright holder bid for the studio which filmed it, THIS Fantastic Four from 1994 was never meant to be released in theaters or on video in any way, shape for form. But of course, there's always bootlegging, isn't there?

LEGAL THING - (Neither the author or anyone affiliated with this blog condones the practice of bootlegging, although we do acknowledge that such practices are in fact done by others.)

So here then, you may now watch the whole movie and judge for yourself. Judge wisely.

PART 1



PART 2



PART 3



PART 4



PART 5



PART 6



PART 7



PART 8



PART 9



And now you can say you've seen The Fantastic Four - the way it was meant to be seen.

Dope out.

-TGWD

Back To The Old Grind....

Well, no more Halloween themes for awhile (at least till a year or so from now), so we can get back to the real reason I have this blog....

Ranting about stuff I like.

So here we have a GREAT music video from the '80s by Boz Scaggs. But it's not "Lido".



Ahhh...great music. Love that stuff.

Dope out.

-TGWD