Showing posts with label MST3K. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MST3K. Show all posts

Monday, May 16, 2016

MST3K/RiffTrax Fanboy, BattleBots, You Rock Awards, and Ninja News!

Why This Fanboy Loves MST3K/RiffTrax

Back in the early 90’s, I was flipping through the channels when I came upon Invasion USA on what was the Comedy Channel. Only this wasn’t just the crappy 1950’s film – there were three people silhouetted in the right bottom corner. A guy and two robots were making fun of the movie.

At first, I thought it was weird but interesting. Slowly, I realized just how hilarious the jokes were. About twenty minutes, I got into the vibe and was hooked. The humor was right up my alley – bad puns, snarky observations, and tons of pop culture references.

The premise of this silly show that made fun of movies – evil scientists had shot an employee into space so they could experiment on him by making him watch bad movies. Trapped on the Satellite of Love, he created robots to keep him company – Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, Gypsy, and CamBot.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 went through many changes. The creator, Joel Hodgson, envisioned it more as a kid’s show. When he left, Mike stepped into the role as the man trapped on the Satellite of Love. Coupled with Kevin (Tom Servo) Murphy’s sense of humor, this led to more adult stuff.

When Trace Beaulieu left, there was cause for concern. Not only was he the main evil scientist, he was the voice of Crow T. Robot. However, the very first show with Bill Corbett as Crow started with this line – ‘Screw you, Greenland!’ And all was right with the world.

It won many awards but was eventually cancelled in 1999. Since then, the core MST3K guys started with Film Crew and then moved on to RiffTrax. It’s not quite the same as MST3K, but it’s the same guys telling the jokes and therefore awesome. They provide tracks to hundreds of popular films – all you do is sync them up with the actual movie. They then moved on to riffing older films, some of which they’d done as MST3K, and selling the videos.

It really became awesome when they moved to live events. The first one I saw was Jack the Giant Killer. I’d seen the MST3K Movie in the theater and there’s something magical about being surrounded by geeks who get you – and the RiffTrax experience was no different. That is why I am now a big fan and refuse to miss any RiffTrax event!

Including June’s MST3K Reunion show…

For more information, visit:
RiffTrax
MST3K
MST3K Reunion Show Tickets
MST3K on Twitter
RiffTrax on Twitter





That’s right – it’s back! Last week was the play-in round and on June 23 on ABC, season two of the BattleBots reboot begins!

The homemade robots are back for season two, where they will battle against each other in a single elimination tournament until there is one champion. The ten episode series will feature next generation robots – bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. The show will continue to emphasize the design and build elements of each robot, the bot builder back stories, their intense pursuit of the championship and the spectacle of the event. While there’s only one weight-class, there are a huge variety of deadly weapons. Forty-eight robots will enter, but, in the end, only one will win the Giant Nut.


Yes, it’s giant BattleBot robots destroying each other – what could be more awesome?


Ninja News

The Last Hotel Room by Sean McLachlan is competing in the Kindle Scout program.
This book is important to me because I've been working a bit with refugees and wrote an article a while back about one young refugee I met in Iraq who became the inspiration for this novel. If I win, $500 of my advance will go to a charity helping refugees from the war zone there.
Vote for the Last Hotel Room HERE

Available now!


Seismic Crimes by Chrys Fey
Buy it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and The Wild Rose Press


The Haunted Stepsister by Medeia Sharif
Amazon and Barnes and Noble


Cloaked in Blood by TF Walsh
Find it at Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble

And if you are looking for something cool in t-shirts, check out the creations of Jeremy Hawkins!

He produced the awesome IWSG T-Shirt.

And he designed the A to Z Challenge Survivor T-Shirt

Get yours now!!!

You Rock Awards

I started this six years ago, right after the very first A to Z Challenge. This is to honor blogger buddies who have come to mean so much to me over the years.

Past recipients include Arlee, Yvonne, RaShelle, Hannah, Jeffrey, Gail, Rusty, Chuck, George, Jeremy, Matthew, Old Kitty, Ella, M Pax, Roland, Melissa, Robyn, Lynda, Michael, Heather, Stephen, Father Dragon Al, the late Tina, Damyanti, Edi, Karen, Elizabeth, Suze, Susan, Pat, Jo, Michelle, Brandon and Bryan, Christine, and Truedessa.

This is always such a difficult choice! I’ve made so many friends over the years. But certain people have really stuck with me and come to mean a lot to me.

So, this year’s You Rock recipients are…


Rachna Chhabria at Rachna’s Scriptorium
She is just about the sweetest person I know online. A talented author who possesses a wonderful way with words, her weekly offerings will make you think. She is also a huge supporter and cheerleader. We’ll never meet in person, but we’ve met in spirit. Rachna, you have made a difference to this Ninja – and you rock!

Liza at Middle Passages
We’ve been blogger buddies for years. I remember when she wasn’t working and all the things she’s gone through since then. She continues to write and take amazing photos of her beautiful coastal town. She’s always been there for me and I appreciate her friendship and support. Liza, you rock!


Yolanda Renee at Defending the Pen
Another friend who’s been around for a while. I still remember when her first book came out. She knows how to put a twist on a story like nobody’s business. She defends not only the pen, but her friends. And she’s a Ninja Minion above and beyond! I hope she’ll always be there. Yolanda, you rock.


Nilanjana Bose at Madly-in-Verse
We met through the Challenge, so only fitting she was one of my Minions this year. She writes amazing poetry and prose and really does her research. Nila is always there and something about her presence is reassuring. I imagine she’s always smiling, her joy contagious! She’s a whisper on the wind – and she rocks!


Fundy Blue at Standing Into Danger
You want someone down to earth and genuine? Fundy is that and more. A traveler by heart, she’s working on a book based on the letters her father wrote while teaching Indian children in the far, far north. And the posts about these letters are fascinating. What’s amazing is that no matter what, Fundy shows up online all bubbly and excited. Your excitement is contagious, Fundy – and you rock!


Hank Kaykuala at Rainbow
Yes, I like the ladies! But there are a few cool dudes out there as well. Hank is one of them. I remember visiting Pat Hatt’s site and wondered – who is this dude who has to be number one all the time? Eventually, we became friends, and I realized the cultural diversity Hank offered in his poetry and prose posts. I can always count on him. Hank, you’re number one and you rock!

JH Moncrieff 
If you’ve not met JH, you are missing out. This great horror writer looks like she stepped right out from her own goth pages. She knows all about the supernatural and the unknown, and she tantalizes us with unique events and unsolved mysteries. Don’t let the dark fool you, though. She is a bright light of genuine appreciation and friendship. JH, you rock!




Anyone else a longtime fan of MST3K? Been to a RiffTrax event? Excited for the next BattleBots? Picking up some new books? Have you got your t-shirt yet? And are you following those awesome, rocking bloggers?


Monday, November 23, 2015

MST3K and RiffTrax, iPad Pro review, Cassa Animation, Monster Movie Trivia, School of Rock/Monday’s Music Moves Me, and Ninja News

I have a guest post at Write-Edit-Publish - Writing Science Fiction – It’s Not Really That Alien!

MST3K and RiffTrax

Don’t forget that every Monday, RiffTrax releases a new MST3K episode!

And since Thanksgiving used to be MST3K Turkey Day, you can now run your own marathon of bad movies.

The next RiffTrax Live show is December 3 – Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny! Doesn’t that just sound awful?

IPad Pro Review


Sometimes it’s challenging to be an early adopter. The iPad Pro is incomplete without the pen, which won’t ship until next month.

The good news:
The work area is large and the screen gorgeous.
Working with two apps at the same time in split screen is a big plus.
It’s very, very fast.

The bad news:
This is where being an early adopter sucks. I haven’t found an app yet that measures up to what this device is capable of doing. They just aren’t taking advantage of the bigger screen yet.

I really like it, but until I get a pen and more apps become available for the iPad Pro, it’s just a really big iPad.

But yeah, it’s still really cool! And I have been doodling with a regular iPad pen. The creative applications will be incredible once I get the official iPad Pro pen.

Cassa Animation!

One of my very best blogger buddies, Jeremy Hawkins, made this awesome animation for my trilogy. Jeremy, you rock!!!




Ninja News

Don’t forget, Wednesday, December 1 is the last post day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group this year!

New Releases:


The Vig by Amy Brook
Available at Amazon in paperback and eBook

Pat Hatt has three more books out!
Find them at Amazon:
Profanity Granny's Crime Fighting
Ready Eddie’s Confessions
Happy Humper’s Confessions


Under the Willow by John Boswell (Jack Lewis Baillot)
Find it at Createspace

It's An Adventure by Kenneth Lynch (Al Penwasser)
Find it on Amazon


Ella is a cover girl!
Her article made the front cover of Green Craft magazine.





The very first volume of the Charleston Anvil is out!
Featuring Making Her by John Wiswell

School of Rock and Monday’s Music Moves Me


School of Rock hosted by Shady Del Knight.
Monday’s Music Moves Me hosted by Xmas Dolly.

I’m going to introduce you to two prog rock bands you’ve probably never heard of. I picked one from each end of the spectrum, just to show you the diversity.


First, we have the band Evergrey, formed in 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden. This prog song is very melodic. Title – Black Undertow.


Next, we have the band Scar Symmetry, another Swedish band formed in 2004. This one is very heavy. Title – Limits to Infinity.


You’ve now been schooled on Swedish prog rock!



In honor of MST3K, today’s trivia revolves around movies they have riffed. Name the classically bad monster film from the clues!

1 – 1975, eight legged creatures, Alan Hale Jr. in the cast
2 – 1955, sequel to fish man hit, Clint Eastwood’s first role
3 – 1959, starring James Best of Dukes of Hazzard fame, featuring giant rodents that were actually just dogs with carpets draped over their backs
4 – 1957, directed by Bert I. Gordon, and featuring a really big bald guy
5 – 1965, first in a series of many, this Japanese monster gave Godzilla a run for his money
6 – 1957, another Bert I. Gordon classic, starred Peter Graves, featured really large insects

Answers on Wednesday, December 2!


Ready for some MST3K? Anyone else pick up the iPad Pro? What did you think of the Cassa animation? Picking up some new books? Familiar with either prog rock band? And do you know any of the trivia questions?

Be sure to visit Write-Edit-Publish.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! I’ll be gone the end of this week and won’t be back to posting until next Wednesday.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Don't Sit Through Another Bad Movie Without Assistance!

I considered this option the other day when I watched Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. I knew it'd be awful and it was actually even worse. Debbie Gibson starred and they should've let her sing. Some mall hair and crappy 80's cheese pop could have only been an improvement.

So what's the best way to get through these stinkers? With help from the genius behind Mystery Science Theater 3000, of course!

The show ran from 1988 to 1999 on Comedy Central and then the SyFy Channel. There were 198 episodes, a feature film, and it won a Peabody Award. Many of the episodes are available on DVD.

From Wikipedia:
"The series features a man and his robot sidekicks who are trapped on a space station by an evil scientist and forced to watch a selection of bad movies, initially (but not specifically limited to) science fiction B-movies. To keep sane, the man and his robots provide a running commentary on each film, making fun of its flaws and wisecracking (or "riffing") their way through each reel in the style of a movie-theater peanut gallery. Each film is presented with a superimposition of the man and robots' silhouettes along the bottom of the screen."

This was one of my favorite shows and I was disappointed when it ended. However, Mike and the guys kept going with The Film Crew, Cinematic Titanic, and RiffTrax



On RiffTrax, you can find audio tracks for hundreds of movies, good and bad! Twilight, Avatar, Harry Potter - they're all available. The concept is simple - download the audio track (ranging from free to $2.99) and sync it up with your DVD. (The guys tell you just where to begin.) Adjust the TV and RiffTrax volume, and prepare to laugh!

If you've never checked out RiffTrax or Mystery Science Theater 3000, I urge you to do so. You'll never have to endure a bad movie again!

And I checked - Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus is available as a fan submission - RiffTrax.

Enjoy!