http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/Comedy/RiffTrax_Xmas_Live.aspx

Well, OK, let’s have some official information about out new RiffTrax Live show!!!!!

Q: When?

A: Wednesday, 12/16 and an encore (rebroadcast) on Thursday 12/17 at 8:00pmET / 7:00pmCT / 6:00pmMT and 8:00pmPT (tape delay)

Q: Where?

A: Close to 500 movie theaters across the country. Find out your nearest theater and buy tickets by entering your zip code here

Q: Where is it being broadcast from?

A: The California Center for the Arts in Escondido.  Escondido is a few miles up the highway from RiffTrax HQ in San Diego, and is among other things, the home of the Stone Brewery where we show movies during the summer. It’s a great theater

Q: When do tickets go on sale for that show?

A: Sometime next week. Follow us on twitter for the up to date announcements about it: http://twitter.com/rifftrax

Q: We don’t want to use twitter because ________

A: It’s the best way to get this info. We’ll try to post here, but no guarantees.

Q: Weird Al!?!?!

A: We know! It’s going to be awesome. He’s guest riffing with us for the first time since Jurassic Park!!!

Q: What’s the program consist of ?

A: Shorts! Lots of them. And the vast majority of them are brand new! Most of them are completely bizarre things you’ve never seen before.

Q: Why is The Onion’s logo on the email?

A: Because they are sponsoring our show. Awesome, right?

Q: Why isn’t the show at my theater?

A: This is not our decision nor is it something we have control over. Please contact your local theater and ask them if they’re capable of showing Fathom Events. A few people were able to get theaters to add our last show just by reaching out to their theater managers.

Q: Why is this not available outside the US?

A: Again, not our decision, that’s just how the Fathom system works as of now.

Q: Why isn’t this LIVE on the west coast?

A: Because that would be at five PM and not many people would be able to make it.

Q: Do we need to buy tickets in advance?

A: Why not? Plenty of theaters sold out last time, why risk it?

Any other questions? Let us know!

Damn, was that fun.  Rifftrax Live was beamed nationwide Thursday night with only a few satellite glitches along the way. The show rocketed by for those of us onstage, and the live theater audience in Nashville was the kind you want to take home with you.  And as reports around the country have come in, I’m even more amazed.  Hearing that people of all ages joined in singing about eating brains is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen at most movies.

I want to thank Legend’s pair of David Martins, who were everywhere they were needed before they were asked.  For those who laughed during the pre-show slides, give a round of applause to Rifftrax writer Conor Lastowka who cooked up the funny and served it as a brilliant crowd warmer-upper.  Thanks to our production guys and gals in Nashville, and to Erik and crew back at Rifftrax for keeping the site from going the way of Bela Lugosi.

Of course Big thanks to Veronica Belmont for deftly navigating our weirdness and keeping the whole thing out of the “Boyz-Only” club.  Thanks to Rich Lowtax Kyanka and his videos, which make me laugh every time I see them.  And to Jonathan Coulton for his steady supply of talent, funny and as our own Bridget would say, terrific phrasing.

Most of all, a heartfelt thanks to all of you for showing up.  You made all the difference, you made it that much more fun.  It’s a good bet we’ll be doing this again.

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BILL adds –

A post-show photo courtesy of David G. Martin: The Cast of This Evening’s Play.

N.B.: As this picture shows, I am constantly distracted by my Skoal-chewing. And Kevin is NOT allowed to touch people.

If you’re a winner, please email support@rifftrax.com with your Name, mailing address and if you won tickets, the theater you’d like to see the show at.  (Remember, a list of theaters carrying RiffTrax Live on Thursday, 8/20 can be found here.)

Three Winners get a pair of tickets to RiffTrax Live!

This entry from “Kevin” references my favorite line from the ultra-grim short (my favorite kind) about misfit kids, Each Child is Different.

This entry, from Danny Gallagher, references a line said by Kevin in the surprisingly mega-popular RiffTrax for Twilight. The line, to reiterate, is said by Kevin.

This entry is from Creighton S. and references a line from our Pirates of the Caribbean RiffTrax

That’s it for the tickets.  But we have here two special entries that we’d also like to reward with a signed lobby poster for the Plan 9 show.  Call them the Judges Private Selection if you will.  See if you can identify the common thread:

Pjwaldron came up with this The Room referencing caption

And Landon Cowan came up with this Room related one, that no matter how dark and evil it is, still made me laugh.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and be sure to come out and see us on Thursday, 8/20 for RiffTrax Live!!!

Since this is an amazing show featuring our funniest riffs of Plan 9 yet, an unreleased short, and the talented contributions of Veronica Belmont, Jonathan Coulton and Rich “Lowtax” Kyanka, I figured what better way to promote it than by recaptioning some old Family Circus cartoons!

All you have to do is take any of these Family Circus cartoons and recaption them with an (in)appropriate RiffTrax riff or quote from a RiffTrax’d movie.  Paraphrasing is OK, but I have to understand what you’re getting at.  Make me laugh, and win a pair of tickets.  We’ll pick winners at the end of the day tomorrow and you’ll get your tickets in the mail.  Be sure you specify which cartoon your caption is for!

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

For all the info about our RiffTrax Live event, check out the page here.  Also included is a box for you to enter your zip code to see the nearest theater.

It’s mercurial, this internets of ours, unpredictable and volatile.  The tubes get clogged, people wail and weep, but the sun rises and sets and the local bakery still has crullers on special.  Here at Rifftrax we’ve had the hard crashes that come from being swamped with attention.  It’s not fun, but it’s oddly comforting  to know that we’re not the only ones.

So here’s a suggestion: Today, use the time you’d normally waste on Twitter here.  Maybe download and enjoy one of our shorts.  Or order tickets to our August 20th nationwide live show in theaters everywhere.  Drop in on the forum and discuss movies, social networking, breakfast meats, whatever strikes your fancy.  Then maybe take a walk.  it’s a nice day here; if you have rain, bring an umbrella, or get a little wet.  You could even head down to the local bakery and get yourself a cruller.

Why hell, you could have a nice conversation!  For instance: This is what we in the Midwest call a cruller, particularly in Wisconsin:

Whereas many of you in other parts of the country call this a cruller:

We call that a French donut, which makes it no less delicious.  There, see?  we’re having a conversation, learning about each other without any social networking. In fact, why don’t you folks give us and each other some ideas on what to do when your favorite social networking service is offline.  And enjoy a potentially Twit-free day.

-kwm

See what I mean?  By the way, Tor’s on the left. Tor’s a bit easier to understand than Vin, even with the former’s thick Scandinavian accent.  Whereas Tor’s blunt tenor dialogue delivery puts me in mind of a slab of aluminum pig, the deep mumbly register of Vin’s voice has been known to set off car alarms.  As for raw acting ability, it’s a toss-up for me.  But there’s enough of Tor in Vin to get your cinematic taste buds primed for August 20th.

In the meantime, here’s a  quick and easy summer recipe inspired by the plot of Fast and Furious.

FAST AND FURIOUS POTATO SALAD
Serves 8-10 as a side dish

6 lbs. large russet potatoes, skin on
1- Mossberg 590 Mariner 8+1 12 gauge shotgun
6 – shells 00 buckshot
1 – 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS LS6 454 (preferably red)
Salt and pepper to taste

- BEAT potatoes one by one with your bare fists until soft.
-FIRE one round of buckshot into each shell, distributing shot evenly as possible
-PULVERIZE potatoes by driving over them with Chevelle until well mixed
-Season with salt and pepper.

Now here’s Kevin (right, with Bill Corbett) sporting his dreary old look.  His dogged refusal to surrender his facial hair is problematic, but we’ve come up with an elegant, sophisticated solution - the face mitten.

The beard is no longer a problem.  The loosely vested top accentuates Kevin’s broad shoulders and draws attention from his kidney fat and pit ham.  Sure it’s a bold statement, but is it bold enough?

We asked our readers to contribute their vision, and boy, was that ever the right idea! Daisyj worked the face mitten with something more leggy:

Wook, among other more adventurous combinations,  urges Kevin to adopt a more youthful line in his couture:

But it took BEMaven to put the whole thing together, and it hits you like a bolt out of the blue: OF COURSE!  THE BRIAN BLESSED LOOK!!!

Here the beard is in balance with the wings, there’s a helmet (Kevin loves helmets) and he gets to show a little leg.  Okay a lot of leg.  All right, way too much leg.  But on an ursine fellow like Kevin, I believe we have assembled a comfortable, versatile look that’s absolutely perfect for Comic-Con.

Thank you all!  Hope none of this haunts your dreams!  It’ll certainly haunt mine!  On to the Con!

(*Looks may not be entirely new.)

We’re in the final stages of prep work for our live online show, and a new first – an entire feature film, lovingly riffed for your enjoyment.

We’ll start the evening at 6pm Pacific Time with a short film, one of our absolute favorites, Shake Hands With Danger, which you can watch for free. It’s a sexy, freewheelin’ industrial accident film set to a toe-tapping country-rock score.

Then if you’d like to see the feature film, just buy a ticket, step behind the velvet rope and follow the surprisingly easy instructions.

Tonight’s movie Planet of Dinosaurs is the kind of classic well-aged cheese that’s always perfect for riffing.  A spaceship is marooned on a distant planet crawling (actually sparsely peppered with) dinosaurs.  It’s a battle of man against wire-frame stop-action clay model, and you can expect a lot of action-packed, thrill-a-minute aimless walking.

After the movie, stick around for a chance to interact with Mike, Bill and Kevin – we promise you a genuine surprise or two.  Tickets are on sale now.  Hope you can join us!

I have now kissed Darth Vader. In public, before God and everybody.

Before you ask, I’ll just say it: He’s a gentle, beautiful man. He smelled of summer lavender blossoming in the fields of Givenchy. His helmet flaps, so delicate, his control panel, so powerful. Moments after this was taken, I swooned. Didn’t think I even knew how to swoon, but swoon I did.

He’s an angel, my friends, and nothing like the churl portrayed by that oily bitch Hayden Christensen.

COMIC-CON 2007: Kevin Murphy in Rifftrax-issued L.B.P.’s.

Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and myself will be at various places at various times signing stuff, drawing little doodles, and generally slacking off. Please bring us snacks.

On Friday night (a.k.a. “tomorrow night”) we’ll be goin’ all nostalgic on your collective posteriors, with the 20th anniversary MST3K panel. Our Rifftrax contingent will be there with the crew of Cinematic Titanic … plus MST3K writer / performers Bridget Nelson, Paul Chaplin, and producer Jim Mallon. We have a mere hour to sit in our rockers, smoke pipes, and recount the good old days, so don’t be late!

THEN on Saturday night we Rifftraxians perform two–count ‘em–two shows, live-riffing Ed Wood’s classic PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE. Bela Lugosi, aliens, zombies, Tor Johnson, Vampira, PLUS a sexually repressed 1950s couple who live next to a graveyard? It doesn’t get any better.

…Unless there are snacks. Snacks make everything better. (I really can’t emphasize that enough.)

HUGE Post-Cyberpunk Fan.
Believes he wields tremendous power on Slashdot.
License plate says “THK1138″ (”X” was taken).
Knows his hands are small, but insists they are his.
Hates Jewel.

Spearheaded the Walworth County, Wisconsin Save Firefly movement (3 members).
Thinks Doctor Horrible is “longish.”
Works sealing cartons at a rubber novelty fulfillment house.
Has an incomplete collection of Space 1999 action figures.

It’s Comic-Con time, and the folks at Legend Films are busily prepping our own Mike Nelson for his appearance at the Rifftrax/Legend Films Booth, and of course for Rifftrax Live Saturday at the gorgeous Balboa Theater. It’s no easy task – Mike has been broken down into his component parts, shrink-wrapped and packed into seventeen boxes ready to be reassembled on the Convention Center floor.

It takes six skilled technicians to move Mike, who is as delicate as an antique spinet. So when you see Mike, remember his hard-working crew, without whom Mike would simply be a random collection of body parts in seventeen boxes.

*****

UPDATE by Bill: As the Michael J. Nelson 3709-Z is shipped to Comic-Con, I’m busy working on my many, MANY costumes for this weekend’s fun.

Now, the man below is a professional model, so obviously anything would look better on him than me. But expect me to show up in this little number for our 7:00 PM live show…

What about the 9:30 show, many of you are asking? That’s when I really go crazy. (And I’m tame compared to Kevin “Slave Leia” Murphy.)

Thanks for making Rifftrax Live at the SF Sketchfest such a blast. We were treated like old friends by a sell-out crowd at the gorgeous Castro Theater. Many thanks to Sketchfest founders David Owen, Cole Stratton and Janet Varney and their team who work their keesters off to put on the best festival of its kind. The Sketchfest still has another week, capping it with a rare performance by The Kids in the Hall, so enjoy, you lucky people, while I freeze here in Minnesota.

Also thanks to Bill Longen and the staff of the Castro, certainly the coolest place in the city to see a movie. Please check out their schedule, in particular Noir City, the upcoming ten-day film noir festival. Also thanks to the organist, whose name I didn’t catch, but who pounded out covers of sci-fi movie themes to the cheering throng.

Most of all, my thanks to you folks who attended, laughed and cheered. You inspire us to do more and better. We’ll be back.

-kwm

After cultivating my resemblance to George Lucas, my fellow Riffers cruelly issued two fresh challenges. First, said Mike Nelson, “Are you up for a little Proximo?” referring to the role in Gladiator played by bawdy, boozing and deceased Sir Oliver Reed; then Bill Corbett added fuel to the fire and dared me to tweak my visage to neatly resemble pop icon Billy Joel.

Done and done. After enough Furious Ale to aid my resemblance to Oliver Reed, I came up with this:

Okay, I had to improvise a lot. I don’t have a Kufi so I had to use my yellow Carhart. And certainly I didn’t drink near enough ale. But it’s all me, and that scares me a little.

However, Billy Joel was easy. I just took my press photo, lopped the top of my skull off and replaced it with Mr. Joel’s:

I also borrowed his well-dressed thorax. But now I know how to get into the Cafe Carlyle in Manhattan without paying the cover. Maybe even get a free drink. Hell, who knows, you might see Billy Murph up on the stage trading verses of “Ladies who Lunch” with Elaine Stritch. And by the way:

A NEW CHALLENGE:

Bill and Mike, I challenge you summon your powers and cultivate your resemblance to Broadway Powerhouse Elaine Stritch:

No excuses. Get busy.

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UPDATE BY BILL: First of all, Kevin: bravo, sir. You did fine a fine job with Mssrs. Reed and Joel. I thank you for forging ahead with the important work of transforming celebrity photos into semblances of ourselves. It’s something the this crazy world needs badly right now.

So let me contribute to the cause, as well. I’m an acknowledged master of Photoshop, as you know, Kevin… but your challenge proved difficult. I might have put a little too much of myself in there.

Anyway, here goes:

I probably shouldn’t have added as many of my own neck wattles, and toned down my octogenerian look of fear/surprise/impending death. But heck, I did my best.

cheers,

BILL

Hmm? What do you think? I know I need to work on the hair. The hair’s tough, believe me. I tried clown white, no dice, so I dodged it in Photoshop. But that wave – man! It’s one of his most startling accomplishments. George has spent decades, millions of dollars, endless man-hours of engineering to get that hair that way.

I think I have the whole neck thing down cold, though.

What do you think? I need your help. What can I do to look more like George Lucas?

Thanks in advance.

*UPDATE – A CHALLENGE!*

Kevin, you have quickly and very decisively mastered George Lucas: Are you up to a little Proximo?

(Hint: The secret to looking like Oliver Reed? Drink 4 pints of Guinness every single morning whether you feel like it or not. Stick with it. You won’t look like Oliver Reed right away, but with commitment, late nights – with lots of Guinness chased down with Four Roses – and the accumulation of stout by-products in your skin folds, you will begin to see the resemblance.)

-MIKE

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*CHALLENGE II: THE QUICKENING!*

Kevin, once you’re finished with Oliver Reed, try Billy “Tell Her About It” Joel on for size.

Feel free to steal the top of my head for Photoshopping purposes, in order to get properly receding hair.

cheers,

BILL

ACCEPTANCE OF CHALLENGES 1 AND II:  The Destruction of Jared Syn
Gentlemen:

It’s on.

Give me twelve hours and a bottle of Maker’s Mark.

-kwm

I still remember my first It’s-It. I had it for breakfast one morning on Fourth of July weekend, 2005. Other than embracing surly steroid abusers with a passion usually only displayed in Times Square on VJ-Day, they are perhaps the greatest San Francisco tradition of them all.

The It’s-It is as delicious as advertised. It wards off scurvy. It’s guaranteed not to melt in your pocket during the big meeting. The It’s-It had no involvement in the Star Wars Holiday Special, because it was too busy finalizing negotiations to get Led Zeppelin back together. Evangeline Lily, Keira Knightly and Jessica Alba may have at some point in time eaten an It’s-It. They come in four delicious flavors. They contain no flaxseed oil.

And despite the impressive list of made up credentials, the It’s-It is not the greatest thing about the city of San Francisco. I’ll pause for you to clean the spit take off your monitors…It has been replaced by RiffTrax Live.

Yes, RiffTrax Live, that delightful evening that puts the “semi-regular” in Semi-Regular Event, is returning to the San Francisco Sketchfest for a night of laughter. Mike, Kevin and Bill will be riffing Ed Wood’s immortal Plan 9 From Outer Space, aka, the movie that Jerry and the Gang missed while waiting in the Chinese Restaurant. It’s going down on January 17th at the Castro Theater. I went to the first RiffTrax Live event back in January, and without a doubt, the fun I had that evening was one of the top two highlights of this year (the second highlight being when I was not fired the day after the performance.)

Tickets sell for a mere $25 dollars, can be pre-ordered at the Sketchfest website, and best of all, can be purchased by non-George Lucas employees! So what are you waiting for? Eat three It’s-Its! Mark your calendars!

Plan 9 director Ed Wood in drag

RiffTrax is Mike Nelsons clever venture which allows him (and frequent contributors Murphy and Corbett) to make fun of more current films (and TV shows) without having to deal with annoying copyright issues. Just purchase and download an MP3 of their movie commentary and then play it along with a DVD of the film. The wonders of modern technology!

We had a chance to talk with Mike Nelson about Rifftax, performing live and, of course, bad movies.
First off, thanks for once again doing some shows in our fair city. But we’re wondering why you guys keep coming here. You’re making other cities jealous! Do you have any other live shows planned? Perhaps a tour of some kind?
The guys at the SF SketchFest have been kind (or crazy) enough to invite us a couple of times. We did a live RiffTrax this winter and it worked out, so they asked us back. We get asked by other cities to do live shows but frankly, those other cities don’t provide as much sushi as does San Francisco. If they can pony up more sushi, we’ll consider it.
Since you’re doing mainstream movies now, do you find it harder to just go see a movie these days without thinking about how it might fit into a RiffTrax, and constantly thinking up wisecracks in your head, (or perhaps out loud, to the delight of your fellow movie watchers)?
Yeah, I’m doomed to look at almost every movie as material. I watched The Hours not long ago and every tragic moment in it (of which there are dozens), I’m thinking, hm, that could be pretty funny… But no, I don’t do it out loud in a theater, even when movies deserve it, like, say, Déjà Vu.
Have you gotten any negative feedback from fans of some of the new films youve chosen? Like, have any Lord of the Rings fans threatened to throw you into the fires of Mordor for daring to make fun of those movies?
The funny thing is I’m a fan of the Lord of the Rings films. I lined up for ‘em when they came out. But I think any fan of Sci-Fi or Fantasy has to admit there are goofy elements to even the best of it that makes it ripe for satire. I mean, hobbits? Ents? Gandalf Stormcrow?
How long does it take you to prepare a RiffTrax? How many times do you have to watch the movie before recording the final track?
It takes just a little bit longer than a week. And though I only watch the movie through a couple of times, each viewing is 3 or 4 days. I may have rewound a particularly vexing Keanu Reeves moment several dozen times before I hit upon the right thing. Try that without going mad.
Speaking of going mad, have you ever come across a film that you at first thought would be perfect for a RiffTrax, but upon a complete viewing you realize you never want to have to sit through the thing again? We want names!
Yes. In fact many people have suggested, and I originally agreed, that Showgirls would make for good riffing. And it may. The problem is it’s just so ugly, so vile, I just can’t bring myself to encourage people to watch it. You’d have to take a series of hot showers with a good pumice soap after watching it. And I don’t even want to think about writing it. Ew.
When you do a live RiffTrax show, do you ever make changes based on audience reaction to some of the jokes? Do you try different things out on different nights?
Yeah, we adjust on the fly quite a bit. It’s not an entirely different animal when it’s live, but it’s different enough that you have to be flexible. From one night to the next we may individually drop, alter or improv a new joke different from what was in the script based on instinct. Not a lot, but it happens. You begin to sense the mood of the crowd, how the sound system affects the jokes, and whatnot. Or you simply lose the courage to do the stupid pun that’s going to get groans.
What makes you laugh? Any TV shows, movies, or books? People? Sunday comics?
Patrick Swayze, although I don’t think he means to. Among those who do mean to, I’m really fond of the British “Office” and I recently discovered another British show I quite liked called “Black Books”. “Arrested Development” was pretty fine, if a little raunchy here and there. I don’t have TV in my house, so I can only watch those that come out on DVD. It’s kind of like having a really sluggish Tivo. I love Laurel and Hardy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Marx Brothers, Spinal Tap, The Thin Man, Woody Allen (before he married his daughter). I adore P.G. Wodehouse, could read him every single day and not get tired of it. Nothing against Sunday comics, because there’s a lot of talent out there, but not a single comic has ever made me laugh. I keep trying, but it just doesn’t happen. We’re not compatible.
Weve got to get at least one MST3K question in here. Do you think the show will ever come back the air, at least in re-run form? As for the DVD sets, any idea if an actual, sequential, complete set of the series will be released to satisfy the anal retentive fans out there?
I doubt the show will ever make the air again, given the rights issues with the films. For that same reason, I doubt it will come out in a nice, easy sequential format.
What can we look forward to in future RiffTrax fun? Any more celebrity guest appearances like your recent Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory RiffTrax with Neil Patrick Harris?
There will be more celebrity guest appearances, yes. But as with everything celebrity based I’m not allowed to talk about it or I will be barred from Mr. Chow’s the world over for life.
And in that same vein, one last question. We know you like to keep the name of the film you’re going to do at a live RiffTrax show a secret, but we’e dying here. Can you give us a teeny, tiny clue?
Well, I shouldn’t but here goes: the Bacon Number of its main star is 2, with Sandra Bullock being the link. (See “The Oracle of Bacon” for more information.) For what it’s worth, I have a bacon number of 4.
You can see Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy perform RiffTrax Live this Sunday at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, and on Monday at Cobbs Comedy Club.
Visit Sketchfest for more.