Cinematic Titanic visits MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann

I kind of missed the boat on this one (BIG SURPRISE!) but Trace, Joel, and Josh appeared on MSNBC last week, on long-time MSTie Keith Olbermann’s show. You can see it above and, yes, it’s about as charmingly Midwest-Awkward as you might expect. With exposure like this, I expect to see not just a ton more live shows, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of them heading into the studio sometime this year.

Not that I want to start a stupid Rifftrax vs. Cinematic Titanic discussion, but has Rifftrax ever received this level of promotion? Or is this the most mainstream exposure a Brains project has gotten since MST3K?

Josh Weinstein chats with Ken Plume

J. Elvis Weinstein just sat down for a chat with friend to all MSTies Ken Plume for what Josh describes as “a long, long time.” I haven’t listened to it yet, but I’m going to go ahead and say that it is probably “entertaining,” possibly “incredible,” and most likely not “ghetto fly.” Give a listen here.

Cinematic Titanic update: Tour dates and new live DVD

Josh sent out an update on the current state of affairs at Cinematic Titanic Central today. In addition to dropping in a new tour stop in Massachusetts this April, he also announced a new DVD release. Like the previous DVD, this one is  comprised of live footage, this time of their assault on The Alien Factor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two more live releases this year, since it’s a relatively easy way of releasing new, well-received content with minimal effort involved.

The DVD is set for release on February 23rd, which is… next Tuesday? Really? I hate the passage of time. As I said, the CT crew has also added an extra tour date. I’ve listed it below, along with what I believe is a complete list of their upcoming shows.

2/19 @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI — 1st show: War of the Insects, 2nd show: Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World

2/20 @ Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI — 1st show: sold out, 2nd show: Samson

4/15 @ The Calvin Theatre, Northampton, MA — Danger on Tiki Island (NEW DATE)

4/16 @ The McCarter Center, Princeton, NJ — Movie undecided; vote here!

4/17 @ The Nokia Theatre Times Square, New York City — Danger on Tiki Island

Wait, a New Jersey show? You’d think I’d be better at finding out about these things. I am not. Anyway, go see them live, if you can. As I’ve said before, it’ll be well worth the time, effort, and cash-moneys. It’s a fantastic experience.

Hey. So, Comic-Con is happening…

Heh. Once again, it looks like I’m the slowpoke. I was preparing to type up some sort of Comic-Con post, and the good folks at Satellite News beat me to it, as usual. Instead of rehashing the specifics, I’ll just give you a general rundown of what MST3K-related shenanigans are going down this weekend, and then point you over to the Satellite News post for more details.

Friday, July 24th @ 2:30pm: Mike Salva’s Max The Hero animated short will be shown in room 26AB. The well-received short features the vocal talents of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett. (Here’s my original post about the short.)

Friday, July 24th @ 3pm: Immediately following that, Mike, Bill, and Kevin will be in Sails Pavilion AA8 signing autographs. There’s something about there being a “line ticket drawing” at 10:30am, so you may have to do that first. On Saturday, July 25th at 12pm, there will be a second autograph session in Sails Pavilion AA6. Both sessions will last a couple of hours.

Friday, July 24th @ 7:15pm: It’s a Rifftrax Live show! The usual trio of riffers will be mocking an unnamed short in-person, in Ballroom 6D/E. Presumably, there will also be a Q&A session of some kind, as The Internet’s Veronica Belmont is listed as hosting the panel.

Sunday, July 26th @ 10:30am: You can catch the sole official Comic-Con appearance by a Cinematic Titanic crew member by attending this live performance of The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd podcast, in room 8. TV’s/DVD’s Frank Conniff will be performing one of the show’s characters, as he’s done before.

And throughout the weekend, Rifftrax/Legend Films will be at booth #3251 in the Exhibit Hall. They’ll be peddling plenty of merchandise, and you may even see Mike, Bill, or Kevin lingering around like the unemployed bums they are. Furthermore, if any of this information is still relevant to you, you’re probably at Comic-Con right now and I’m jealous and I hate you.

(Image taken from Amanda Palmer’s Twitter.)

Deep Reviewing: Cinematic Titanic, live in Philly!

I had a brief, 30-second conversation with MST3K creator Joel Hodgson. I had a brief conversation with Joel Hodgson. I talked with Joel Hodgson. I came into contact with Joel Hodgson. Joel… Hodgson.

On June 13th, my 26th birthday, I traveled to the city of Philadelphia to see the Cinematic Titanic crew do a live riffing of Danger on Tiki Island. Let me go ahead and spoil the article for you: It was amazing and you need to go see them live. Seriously. Now. Sell the kids, break out the rollerblades, do whatever it takes to get to a live show. Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, it doesn’t matter — the Brains and their work were meant to be experienced live. Click past the break for the full report.

(Please note: Due to my lack of a working camera, the header image came from Katy Beaulieu’s cell phone, hence the low quality. [That’s a comment on cell phone cameras, not Katy’s abilities as a photographer.] In case you can’t tell, that’s Trace on the left and me on the right. I look awful, but I photoshopped in a close approximation of how I felt at the time.)

New Cinematic Titanic shows added to tour

The Cinematic Titanic crew has announced an additional five stops on their 2009 live tour. They’ll be doing their usual routine, this time with the as-yet-unreleased films East Meets Watts and Danger on Tiki Island (confirmed for, at least, the first two shows). Here are the dates:

• May 15-16 in Atlanta, Georgia, at The Woodruff Arts Center.
• May 22-23 in Phoenix, Arizona, at The Piper Theater at the Mesa Arts Center.
• May 29-30 in Portland, Oregon, at The Newmark Theater, inside Antoinette Hatfield Hall at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts.
• June 5-6 in Dallas, Texas, at The Lakewood Theatre.
• June 12-13 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at The Trocadero.

If any of those dates tickle your fancy, check out Satellite News’ post for ordering/pre-ordering information. The first two dates are already up for order and pre-order, respectively. I would also like to note that I live within 40 minutes of Philly, and June 13th is my birthday. Cue me hyperventilating and trying to figure out how to make this happen. Argh! Curse my lack of both funds and transportation!

Deep Ape review: Legacy of Blood

Every once in a while, a movie like Manos or The Incredibly Strange Creatures comes along, and it’s just so repulsive and completely unappealing that it leaves a thick, black layer of sin and shame on your soul that can take days, maybe even years, to shake off. Yet, even amidst all that sheer celluloid evil, you’ll still often find a Torgo or a Madison to brighten your spirits and remind you that every dark raincloud filled with urine has a silver lining.

Still, what happens when there isn’t a silver lining? When no matter how deeply and desperately you claw and scrape at the filth and grime, you just can’t find any redemptive quality, any soul worth saving? What happens when there is no sweet, smiling Torgo in that dark, dark sky? Well, you get Legacy of Blood. Click ahead to read my long-delayed (sorry!) review of Cinematic Titanic’s fourth DVD release.

Cinematic Titanic 2009 tour pre-order info for YOU

Just a quick heads-up that the Cinematic Titanic crew are kicking off their 2009 tour. This time, they’re going all over the U.S., even giving some of us East Coasters a taste of the Kool Aid. Pre-sale begins this Monday, the 19th, at 10am (the venue’s time) and the pre-order code is ‘MST3K’. Here’s the schedule:

• February 13th/14th, San Francisco – Marines Memorial Theatre [tickets]
• February 20th/21st, Boston – Somerville Theatre [tickets]
• February 27th/28th, Cleveland – Playhouse Sq., The Hanna Theatre [tickets]
• March 7th, Austin – The Paramount [tickets]
• March 13th/14th, Seattle – King Cat Theater [tickets]

Remember to use the code “MST3K” when pre-ordering. Josh says that they’ll be “performing a different movie each night in each city – titles TBA,” so if you’re psychotic and want to attend every performance, you will not be let down.

New Cinematic Titanic: “Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks”

A new Cinematic Titanic episode has been confirmed for January. The tastefully titled Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks will be released on DVD and digital download-to-burn on the 8th of the month. You can see the just-released trailer above.

A quick note and apology: I’ve been having some health concerns over the holidays, so posting will probably continue to be lackluster for a while. When things pick up again, I’ll have a couple of Cinematic Titanic reviews going up, and hopefully some Rifftrax, too. My apologies to anyone who cares about this.

The MSTie’s 2008 Holiday Shopping Guide

Hi, guys! Remember me? There hasn’t been a whole lot to report of late, but I wanted to stop in and recap all the MST3K-related merchandise available for the MSTie on your holiday shopping list. Of course, as usual with me, it’s coming a little late, what with 9 days until Christmas. Still, if you’re in need of some last-minute shopping, give this humble guide a look, after the cut.

And yeah, if you wouldn’t mind clicking on my links for your Amazon shopping, I’d appreciate it. I only blatantly whore myself out once or twice a year, so bear with me. It will help put food in the mouths of all those children I don’t have. That said, I still encourage you to shop around and not take “too expensive” for an answer.

Hey, you — GO VOTE. YES, RIGHT NOW.

Well, gang, if you’re anything like me, you’ve had a love-hate relationship with politics, this year. I’m really sick of all this nonsense, and after tonight it will effectively be over, but I’ve never been more interested and personally invested in an election. So, I’ll resist the urge to be partisan, and I’ll simply say that — as Joel would say — I abhor you to vote. This is your country, so go have your say.

Up above, you can find one of my favorite skits from MST3K. Right here, you can find your local polling location. Riff the vote, baby! Kevin says so.

Cinematic Titanic releases new “Santa Claus” trailer

Josh just sent out this hilarious trailer for the November 20th release of Cinematic Titanic’s take on the old MST3K classic, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Judging from the riffs included in the trailer, this episode is looking like a good one. (Especially the last line. Ell-oh-ell, indeed.) I can’t wait to see their take on it.

Deep Reviewing: Cinematic Titanic’s “The Wasp Woman”

In September, when DVD Talk reviewer King Stuart Elderberry Galbraith IV gave Cinematic Titanic’s The Wasp Woman a surprisingly vicious, scathing review, most of us reacted with appropriate rage. However, after spending some time with the crew’s take on Roger Corman’s 1959 snoozer, I have to admit that I’m not nearly as offended by Galbraith’s bile and ire as I used to be.

While I certainly don’t wish death and destruction upon the Brains and all their works now (as some seem to), Wasp Woman was definitely not the ideal DVD to show to someone who clearly has a bias against MST3K and its descendants. How bad is it? Well, it’s not “half-a-star” bad, I can tell you that much in the pre-review blurb. For the saucy, tantalizing specifics, hit the jump and read. You know you want to.

Weekend Backloggery: Hodgson Overdrive edition

Yep, it’s time to bust out the Joel Hodgson stock image. Over this past week, the Cinematic Titanic hype machine has continued to churn away, and Joel has been the one throwing coal on the fire, this time. He has three fairly decent interviews up, which you can check out here:

• UGO TV Blog
• The Toledo Blade
• NewsOK.com Blogging Community

And closing out this short edition of the backloggery, the NewsOK Blogging Community also has a long interview with Trace Beaulieu. Okay, now I’m off to do some writing that doesn’t want to be done.

Cinematic Titanic to riff Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Looks like Trace’s vague hints weren’t red herrings: The CT cast will be riffing a movie previously featured on Mystery Science Theater. And it also looks like this episode and their Christmas episode will be one and the same, as they’ll be taking on Santa Claus Conquers the Martians once again. Joel and Trace  (and Frank, from the writing room) previously stared down this cinematic fever dream in season three of MST3K. (Mary Jo joined the cast right after the episode.)

When Joel announced it on the CT blog yesterday, he made it clear that this would be a fresh batch of riffs, and not a rehash. They seem to be treating it as an “experiment,” to see how different the modern version is. Admittedly, they’ve got some big shoes to fill, even though those shoes actually used to belong to some of them. The DVD will be available on November 20th, along with some e-cards.

If you’re in the St. Louis area, you can get a sneak peek at the episode: Cinematic Titanic will be performing it live at The Family Arena on Saturday.