Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Diarrhea-cha-cha-chaa Part II


Also missing, the "Daria Day" chats. The first marathon, showing season one, before the premiere of season two (February 16th, 1998). Daria and Jane were superimposed in front of a window overlooking New York's Times Square. The same location used for MTV's "Total Request Live". The duo chatted about aired episodes and answered fan questions via MTV Online.

A big reveal; Daria and Jane were both sixteen. Quinn is fourteen and a half. Trent is twenty-one. There were twenty-eight chats, inserted at commercial breaks. Much like "Sarcastathon 3000" (marathon for the fifth season premiere; February 19th, 2001), the animation was limited to their eyes and mouths.

All of these could have very easily have fitted on the DVDs. The chats were just under a minute, some were roughly thirty seconds. I would've like to to have see these - and the "Mock The Vote" presentation.

Also missing is the "Final Farewell" special which aired before and after "Is It College Yet?".

Would like to have seen Daria's interview (cartoon form) by Jane Clayson on CBS's "The Early Show" (January 21st, 2002) talking about the end of the series as well as Beavis and Butt-Head.

- - -

There were two computer CD-ROMs on the series.



"Sick, Sad Life Planner" was made by MacMillian Digital Publishing, distributed by Simon & Schuster Interactive. Streeted November 13th, 1999 for Windows 95/98/ME; sold for $19.95. Rated 'Teen' for ages 10 to 15.

The program was a calendar, a planner where you can set alerts (reminders) for important dates and such. It also has an address book, notation area and a journal which is password protected. And it came with a button to hear Daria give you an non-inspirational message, one each day for a year. There were also video clips.

It got mixed reviews, mostly poor. Saying it was dull and offered very little entertainment. Plus the software ran slow.

The New York Times, May 4th, 2000...

it becomes nearly impossible to write anything overly enthusiastic or optimistic in this journal.

- Alice Keim



"Daria's Inferno" was made by Hypnotix, distributed by Simon & Schuster Interactive. Streeted November 28, 2000 for Windows 95/98 or Macintosh; sold for $19.95 too. Rated 'Teen' (13+).

This was a game; five levels, third-person perspective quasi-adventure. There are mazes and inventory-based puzzles.

The premise; in Mr. O'Neil's English class while he's covering "Dante's Inferno", Daria falls asleep. She dreams herself into damnation. Her quest - recover five items, stolen from Lawndale High. If NOT, she and the entire student body will be in permanent detention, a Hell onto itself.

The game got mixed reviews, mostly poor once again. Calling it "dull and unimaginative" among other things. It's a game with little actual gaming and weak puzzles. Mostly just walking about.

The concept here sounds like the makings of a good episode for the show or movie.

- - - - - - - - - -

Rant.

I do wonder, what could've been.

MTV wanted another season; a reduced order, not thirteen, but seven episodes. Eichler wouldn't have it and opted for a series closer, "College".

Originally the episode "Boxing Daria" (June 25th, 2001) was the show's finale. What would've happened had we gotten those seven episodes? Would we have gotten a full order if there was an eight season?

There was spin-off series in the works; centered on Trent's band, Mystik Spiral. A pilot teleplay was written. It's on the DVD (DVD-ROM, a PDF document). Think of it like the "The Monkees", various mischief as the band try to to make it big - without selling out. This too didn't happen.

Man, I had hoped that in 2011 we could get a return - MTV brought back "Beavis And Butt-head." for another season. The show was canceled in 1997 - why not "Daria"? She did get a mention in it. The two were chatting and Beavis mentions that Daria had killed herself. Butt-head corrects him saying she had moved to a different city. That's nice.

There were some talk about a comeback, but nothing came of it.

Do a reboot! Same story - Daria Morgendorffer and her family have JUST moved into Lawndale and it's 2016. Same characters, new environment - same nonsense. Good times.

It took me two months to watch in 2010, I was rationing the episodes. As I wrote, most of these were new to me. It's a ritual for me now to pull out the box every three years rewatch them.

This show is quite addictive, subversive and has aged quite well. Minus a couple of things such as cell phones looking like bricks and the Morgendorffer's dad converting his old home movies onto video cassettes. The dialog is just as crisp as it was when it first aired. *nods*

The characters feel real and unlike so many other animated shows, they actually grow. They are not the same people they were in season one - life happens. The other thing I enjoyed is its strong continuity; things/people who happen earlier, re-appear later. I appreciate that effort.

A good example is the first episode where Daria is taken to the school's psychiatrist; her anti-social behavior. She is given a rorschach test. Her response the ink blot is "a herd of beautiful wild ponies running free across the plains".

The series finale has a flashback of her very first visit to the psychiatrist in kindergarten. She didn't know what to say to the blots so the doctor comments that different people see different things... like "a herd of beautiful wild ponies running free across the plains". *smiles*

Did not catch that when I saw watched it in '10, I do now.

I suffer from panic attacks. For the most part, they're under control. Recognized what they are and do not give them power. But I'm human and some moments are scary - 'Is this REAL? Not in my head, do I need to go to the ER?'

So?

There was one particularly bad attack, I thought I was dying. I was so scared when it passed. Is this a the tip of something even bigger? And will that happen a minute from now?

Needed something to push the thought out of my mind. So I popped in a DVD. And got a life lesson from a cartoon; when most of the programs were new to me.

I'll be okay.

It was the episode is "Dye! Dye! My Darling!" (aired August 2nd, 2000). In it Daria kisses her best friend's boyfriend - nearly destroys their friendship. She does something quite out of ordinary and seeks her mother's advice. They meet a restaurant; she tells her that 'control' is an illusion. A lie we tell ourselves to keep going. But it's seldom the case and that's okay - everybody is the same boat.

It helped a lot.

Daria: You know... I had everything more or less under control. I'm not saying it was great, but I could deal with school, I could deal with home and now nothing's under control.
Helen: It never is, sweetie. We just tell ourselves otherwise so we can function.
Daria: Who came up with that stupid arrangement?
Helen: It's called life.
Daria: Life sucks.
Helen: Yes. Sometimes... often.
Daria: That's reassuring.
Helen: But it still beats the alternative. Honey, things will work out. I don't know how, but they will.
Daria: You don't know how? What kind of parental wisdom is that?
Helen: Honest?
Daria: Don't you have to be getting back to that huge case of yours?
Helen: Oh, don't worry about that. It's completely under control.

*smiles*



Some of the end credits alter egos I like. My favorite is her as Barbarella.

A notice; if you choose the 'Play All' option on the discs you will miss out on the "Sarcastathon 3000" intros.

I do love "Daria". This show was the last of the old guard; actual, real entertainment - not mind numbing, cheaply produced reality programing which is what MTV has de-evolved into. That and the lack of... music videos. The argument given is that people can find music videos on YouTube/internet, so there's no need for broadcast.

This is true on a basic level, but only the artists that you're aware of. What about finding/being exposed to new music? That prospect has been axed. *sigh*



It's recommended and can be bought now for about fifteen dollars or less. An adult version of our titular character above - a bohemian vibe.

Something I didn't know. Daria has a cameo in the former Comedy Central animated series, "Drawn Together", the episode "Lost In Parking Space: Part Two" (October 4th, 2007). She is being tortured in the basement of a Hot Topic along with other cartoon characters. Nails are hammered into her eyes as she says "this is men's fault".

There's a fellow on DeviantArt, an artist named S-C who's done some fantastic "Daria" inspired artwork. Some of my favorites is "Daria's Boytoy" and "Old Friends" - Trent, Jane, Daria and Quinn meeting at a breezy café as adults. Check them out.

In 2002, TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters" (July 30th) - Daria Morgendorffer was ranked number forty-one.

Our next PT will zip by on August 18th, 2016.

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Not Custard Part I


Another brand new entry!

This week we find ourselves in historical inaccuracies, riding along with George Armstrong Custer...

"Custer: The Complete Series" was released on home video on June 7th, 2016.



It streeted against "Vinyl: The Complete First Season", "Hail Cesar" and "Zootopia".

This came in a transparent case with the wraparound printed on both side. The inner has a George A. Custer still (star Wayne Maunder) and episode listing, but no synopsis nor air dates. *shakes fist*

There was no insert or slipcover issued.

Let me address this first; there is an error on various websites showcasing the release. For some reason it lists the distributor as Timeless Media Group, but was in fact released by Shout! Factory - which owns TMG.

- - -

This was bought in early July - while getting the data for my DVD collection's ORPL (Original Retail Price List), I found out why I couldn't locate on Amazon. And decided to give it a watch - if I wanted to keep, before doing a PT writing up.

I enjoyed for what it is. And until browsing those store shelves had not heard of it before. Anyhow, I then realized that time is running out if I wanted to post this. So it was quite a last minute scribe.



"Custer" is a limited time, exclusive release from Wal-Mart. It's retail price is $24.98, but can be found for $12.99 - which is the amount I paid. Please note, not all Wal-Marts carry it. I was out of town when I saw and and blind bought it, don't know why this is the case.

Furthermore - this an unannounced exclusive, no sticker on it indicating that it is. Almost like they went out of their way NOT to call attention to it. *shakes head* Does it still have the stain?

The four disc set has one extra, presented in widescreen; "Native Americans On Television: A Discussion With Clementine Brodeaux". An interview with Academic Coordinator & Lecturer American Indian Studies from UCLA. It has a run time of 14:37 minutes.

Since the series is from 1967, it is in full screen (in color). In a month or so, this will be widely available at other retailers.

- - - - - - - - - -

Footnotes.

Before I get into this - the series does not end at Little Big Horn; had it gone to second season, it would've concluded at his most famous/infamous battle. By the way, much of it was shoot at 20th Century Fox ranch in Malibu, CA.

While the set does carry all seventeen episodes - including the show's final episode, "Pursued" which did not air. It is not whole.

This came out in the time when Networks would from time to time take pilot episodes or TV movies and expanded them for limited theatrical releases (sometimes overseas).

This happened to the NBC series "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" (1979) and ABC's "Battlestar Galactica" (1978) as well as Steven Spielberg's early CBS TV movie "Duel" (1971); think proto "Jaws" (1975) with a big rig. That last one had sixteen more minutes filmed by Spielberg on the original seventy-four minute length.

And this happened here too. In 1968, the pilot ("Sabers In The Sun"; September 6th, 1967) was expanded, mixed in with the episode "To The Death" (September 27th, 1967) along with other series moments; crafted into a ninety-four minute motion picture called "The Legend Of Custer".

I apologize, I am unable to give an exact date in '68 when this hit theaters.



On March 8th, 2016, the recut was released on home video from 20th Century Fox's "Cinema Archives", an MOD (manufacture on demand); UPC# 0-24543-11553-3. An official DVD-R release with printed wraparound in case. It retails for $19.98. And came with zero extras, not even the trailer. There was no slipcover or insert.

As said above, the series is full screen; for its theatrical release - cropped, top and bottom to make widescreen. It is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 sound with ten chapters. A big complaint is how no remastering was done with washed out colors and fluxed sharpness, along with scratches and debris on the print used.

Not a great viewing. The TV series picture quality is a kinda better, but just a bit.

Man, this continues to bug me - the prices on studio MODs. These things are DVD-Rs, no physical storage at all, made when ordered. So these things should be no more than ten bucks - tops. Perhaps more practically priced at $7.99 each.

- - - - - - - - - -

Rant.

*deep sigh*

There is still much debate on the real man; shameless self-promotion and arrogant or a well planned tactician with a flare for spectacle to full on coward.

Too much feelings on each side, even after a hundred-fourty years. His legacy is that of controversy, which I suppose is the stuff of legends. Good or bad as it were.

The show concerns itself with his post-Civil War career, roughly a year or so before his death; assigned to Fort Hays in Kansas to head the 7th Cavalry - a then group of riff raffs transformed into real soldiers. The ABC series (which aired Wednesdays at 7:30 pm) gave Custer a positive spin.

Not a showman, but rather a leader who felt his superiors were stuck in politics rather than solving problems. Thing that could be fixed right now are put aside that only creates later woes; his battle for loopholes to get his will done, stubborn too. He does have some moments of celebrity, it's not given much screen time. I didn't see much vanity in this portrayal.

This was one of the huge gripes - his depiction. Another big one was all the historical inaccuracies; Crazy Horse was Sioux, not Kiowa. Custer was married when he served in the Cavalry out West. The worst was the stereotypical depiction of Indians in the series.

'...distortions of frontier history'

'The depiction of savage Indians slaughtering white men is offensive to civil rights groups'

'...detrimental to Indians'

The show was created by Samuel A. Peeples and David Weisbart. Even before it aired, "Custer" was under attack by Native American tribes who were pissed by the above. The chief protector was Weisbart (and executive producer), defended his show with passion. But all that came to an end on July 21st, 1967.

While playing golf with friend, actor Stephen Boyd (not on the series), he dropped dead from a heart attack. His final words...

Isn’t this a beautiful day, a gorgeous day to be out here.

That was the final nail. There was no one to defend it. Seven episodes were made under Weisbart.

Adding to cancelation stew was Viet Nam. *nods* People did not want a pro-military show on television; perceived military glory - connected to a man whom many believed was the personification of a mindset that got them into this foreign war in the first place.

Lots of things added up against it. The funny thing - the show was pulling decent ratings. All the pressure from different interests that cause ABC to pull the plug - four months in.



The only other western to get that amount of hate was NBC's "The Men From Shiloh", the final season (1970), revamped show from "The Virginian" (1962). All the seasons are on DVD.

Another death happened too. Actor Grant Woods who played Capt. Miles Keogh was killed on October 31st, 1968; killed in a Los Angeles freeway accident on his motorcycle. He's on the top promo pix, the man holding the flag on the far right.

By the way, the episodes end with a voice over, "tonight's episode has been a fictional drama" - didn't help much.

The pilot was grander than expected, felt like a movie; good cinematography and panoramic views. The acting was solid with some cliché, but that's to be expected. The one major things this had going was Wayne Maunder as Custer, great casting. The man looks like the person he's playing. He comes across as introspective and decisive.



His best friend is a scout, California Joe Milner played by Slim Pickens, pictured above. I was impressed by him; you would expect he's just there for minor exposition and mostly comic relief. Comic relief in the minor sense, his role was quite serious and somber. Did not expect that.

Let's be honest, the roles Slim Pickens has done is bigger than life - exaggerations. Look at his parts in "Blazing Saddles" (1974, as Taggart) and "1941" (1979 as Hollis P. Wood) and of course "Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb" (1964 as Major T.J. "King" Kong) as good examples.

Sure; born Louis Burton Lindley, Jr.; he took the stage name of Slim Pickens as a rodeo youth. Done to keep his father from knowing what he was doing, since his father forbade him.

[JohnIan101]

Target - July 24th, 2016


Batman vs. Superman
Free Dr. Pepper 6 pack with purchase; DVD $19.99 or BD/DVD/DC combo $24.99

[JohnIan101]

Target - August 2nd, 2016


Batman: The Killing Joke
Exclusive steelbook; BD/DVD/DC combo $16.99

The Girlfriend Experince: The Complete First Season
Exclusive slipcover $24.99

The Blacklist: Season Three
Exclusive packaging; DVD $32.99 and BD $37.99

The Blindspot: The Complete First Season
Exclusive slipcover; DVD $32.99 and BD $36.99

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter And The Half- Blood Prince
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2
* Exclusive special editions (probably just a new slipcover); $10.00 each or $15 BD each
- more titles could be in store; these are exclusive for two weeks

- - - - - - - - - - - -

CDs available August 5th, 2016

purchase; "Now Party Anthems 3" with "Now 59" (as in Now That's What I Call Music) together on the saem receipt ($9.99 each) - get a $5.00 gift card.

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Diarrhea-cha-cha-chaa Part I


[An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on June 6th, 2013 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

This outing we get a good helping of teen angst sprinkled with wit in "Daria".



"Daria: The Complete Animated Series" was released on home video on May 11th, 2010.

It streeted against "Daybreakers", "Toy Story" (re-release), "Toy Story 2" (re-release) and "Legion".

The release came in a thick DVD case, holding eight discs, no slipcover issued. There was a single insert, a note from series creator, Glenn Eichler. The long road to an official release and the changes which had to be made to get it done (addressed further down). It's single sided. There is no episode guide, don't ask why it wasn't included.

- - -



There was single, web based exclusive from www.dariaondvd.com, a t-shirt for the first 5,000 orders.

The set sold here for $49.99 with free shipping.

Screen snap above was taken on release day (sold out quick) - did not order.

I bought mine in store, Best Buy.



On street, it sold for $49.99 at Target and $44.99 at Best Buy (above). It has a retail price of $72.90 - too expensive, more than I'm willing to pay.

So I passed on it. Later that evening was goofing off online (not much has changed) and came across a bit of info - an error.

Best Buy's website had it listed as $27.50, wrong.

An idea popped...



Took a screen snap, the image you see above; taken 7:10pm. Yes, I'm that anal.

Printed and returned to the store. I was there in the morning for my Legacy Project which has died in August of 2014. For nearly a decade would visit the store (Best Buy) each Tuesday to pick up their weekly ad. Why?

Wanted something to look back on years from now. How commercial technology and prices has changed. These are not a pile of print ads. Each year is broken into two large manila envelopes and marked, no mess. It has since become a reference archive. It all started in the mid '00; I was at a friends house looking online at old 1980s Sears catalogs.

We wished we had kept our old catalogs. A great piece of nostalgia. And that resulted in the Legacy Project. I did just one store, otherwise it felt wrong; like I was becoming a pack rat.

Back to the story...

There were three copies, one had a floater (loose disc). The other had what is best described as a dented box. I took the best to the register, showed the gal the printout and asked if they would honor their online price. She said, yes. There was a wait since she had to get someone to override the scanned price. I was worried that the guy would examine the transaction and say no.

This happened in June of 2007 - an internet coupon, ten dollars off various 20th Century Fox series box sets. Best Buy was having a sale at the time for twenty dollar sets. I got some great deals that day. Anyhow, the guy was busy and just punched in some numbers and left. And there it was... $29.98 (with tax) for a $72.90 set; saved $42.92 for those doing the math.

As you can see from that web page, others took advantage of the mistake. By the way, the price went back to normal a few hours later. I was lucky.

I've never had cable (still don't). When it aired in the late 1990s, a friend of mine tape some episodes when he could. So for the most part, that box contained eighty percent of shows I not seen at the time. The series ran for five seasons (1997 - 2002), thirteen episodes per season.

- - - - - - - - - -

Footnotes.

There is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life that can't be improved with pizza.

- Daria Morgendorffer

The good and the bad...

These are the unedited versions ("Is It Fall Yet?" is uncut too), minus the subject of music; episodes were later cut up for cable syndication.

With the exception of three songs ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Whoomp! There It Is" and opening credits) all the music was replaced. Why? Getting the licenses for all the songs would be incredibly expensive and would have to be passed on to the customers.

The series was brimming with popular songs (artists like Sneaker Pimps, The Cardigans, George Michael, Garbage, Soundgarden, Journey, Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine to name just a few), the show didn't have a score.

99 percent of the music has been changed, because of the cost of licensing the music bites we used would have made it impossible to release the collection (and for many years did). So no, these aren't the shows as aired, but more like one of these astronauts in a TWILIGHT ZONE episode who returns from space and finds his wife can't figure out what's changed about him, until it slowly dawns on her that instead of a cool song from 1997 playing when he walks into a room, it's some tune she's never heard of. Yeah, it's just like that.

To put it bluntly, replacing the music had to be done. Does that mean this box set is compromised? Season 1 Daria would have said, "Yes". Season V Daria would have said, "Shut up and pass the remote".

- Glenn Eichler

I have to say I'm impressed. The new music feels very natural, like it belongs there, most sway. Whoever did the job did a great service to fans. You don't notice it. Not like the job done for "Birds Of Prey: The Complete Series" (a previous Past Tense). Frack me, the music replacement was so generic. Couldn't they at least get the rights to the theme song ("Revolution" by Aimee Allen)? Nope.

I say three songs remain intact, true, but on a technicality.

The opening song "You're Standing On My Neck" by Splendora, only plays once. It's attached to the first episode on each disc. The rest begin with the episode's name. I guess it was cheaper to have it play once per disc than sixty-five times. They could've done it with seamless branching, tack on the opening for each episode, but I suspect that would quality as sixty-five times too.

It needs to be mentioned, many of the scenes in this new version is devoid of music. Not that it takes away from those particular moments, thought it should be noted.

Something I didn't know until researching; Garmin and TomTom GPS systems have a Daria voice option. New putdowns and jokes were recorded by the voice actress Tracy Grandstaff.

- - -

Besides the music changes there is another, something of more weight. The box set has all of the episodes, the "Sarcastathon 3000" intros for the "Daria" marathon and the two TV movies, "Is It Fall Yet?" (August 27th, 2000) and "Is It College Yet?" (January 21st, 2002). The latter is shorter, shorten by seven minutes. Why?

A good question with no good answer other than the original master is lost. Yeah.

The thing aired in 2002 (January 21st), it's not like it was a long time ago. How can it be lost?



"College" had it's own DVD release and on VHS in 2002, it was in this edited form. The movie was originally ninety minutes long. "Fall" also had an individual release too.

When it first aired, "College", it was broadcast commercial-free and featured an intermission with the premiere of the music video "Breaking Up The Girl" by Garbage. And after the finale, Grandstaff came on with one of the VJ to present the winners of their online poll, "Mock The Vote".

The least popular episodes were named and a final montage of alter egos, character images shown at the end of episodes.

- - -

There were two official books for the series. And yes, I do own them. *smiles*



Both soft covers were released in 1998. "The Daria Database" (seventy-six pages) was written by Peggy Nicoll; she was the story editor for seasons four and five as well as a series writer. "The Daria Diaries" (seventy-eight pages) was written by Anne D. Bernstein; she was the head writer. Both were published by MTV Books.

The books were not a narrative, but rather a slice of the main character's life; the people and places around her.

You could call them scrapbooks of sorts.

- - -

The extras present are pretty cool. But there are additional stuff missing.

There was a half hour retrospective hosted by Daria and Jane, "Daria: Look Back In Annoyance" (January 14th, 2002). Aired a week before the finale, "Is It College Yet?" Found it on YouTube, the reason for its exclusion might be because the clips used on the program have the original music.

There was also a making-of special, "Behind The Scenes With Daria", an hour long program (February 18th, 2000; hosted by Janeane Garofalo). It would later re-air as a half hour special. Music issues may have been the reason too why its absent.

[JohnIan101]

Target - August 9th, 2016


Supergirl: The Complete First Season
Exclusive lenticular slipcover; DVD $32.99 (don't know if this is for BD $36.99)

Scooby-Doo!: Curse Of The Speed Demon
Exclusive store release?; with free 6 pack of "Pop Secret" popcorn with purchase; DVD $12.99 and BD $16.99

- - - - - - - - - - -

CD available 08/12/16

"Rae Sremmund - SremmLife 2" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $14.99

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - August 19th, 2016


CDs

"Trapt - DNA" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $9.99
"Amos Lee - Spirit" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $14.99



Odd, the listing for "Amos Lee" has been pulled - "no longer available". But why is it still listed in their weekly ad?

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Quick Footed Part II




Do I like the new reboot series of "The Flash"?

It's fine, I like it. The show has gotten better as it went along.

Have season one and will purchase two when it comes out on September 6th, 2016; DVD and BD.

But I'll be honest - the new costume is uninspired.

In a way, it feels like a generic Halloween costume. Something you could pick up at Hot Topic.



Above is the 1990 (left) and 2014 costumes. One of these things feels more intimidating, the other - not.

The costume for '90 cost $100,000; four copies made. Molded off star, John Wesley Shipp.

It's made of latex and had a water-cooled undergarment. Otherwise it probably would've killed Shipp; having to wear it for hours on end.

It was designed by Robert Short - built by Stan Winston Studios.

Something that hit me while doing image work. Television has changed, that was done at a time when main characters were full adults and not early twenty-somethings.

The pursuit of youth I suppose. A slight tangent...

Pop music.

Growing up in the 1980s, the artists/singers were in their early or so twenties. You could expect a certain level of life experience in their work. Granted it started in the late '80s, but really took hold in the '90s was gearing towards teen artists.

The '00s has seen that dip further into tween. The rise of Young Adult novels read by adults can be seen as side effect.

I recall Craig Ferguson on his former show, calling it the "deification of youth".

Which means, the next stage is juvenile artists, pre-teens. This saddens me, quite serious.

Youth is fine, but with a good balance of experience. It shouldn't be asking for too much.

Okay back to topic.

- - -

One of the things I was really surprised with the new CW show is how it integrates the former.

Shipp returns to the concept not as Barry Allen, but as Barry's father - Henry. That was super great. A fantastic nod and respect to the previous show.

That and how one of the big villains from 1990 came back - reprised by the same actor.

Not continuity to an older version of the Flash (series), but just a evil doer from Central City's past. And it works so well. I hope to see more that character.



Mark Hamill as James Montgomery Jesse, a.k.a - The Trickster. Yeah, he's so rockin' that spandex.

Can't tell if that's granny panties too.

Things were different back then. *shakes head*

- - - - - - - - - -

Footnotes.

The 2006 set was re-released in 2011 in a thick DVD case for all six discs and comes with a booklet. This can be found for roughly ten bucks or less on Amazon, Ebay, Best Buy or Wal-Mart and others.

Should've kept notes, I don't know how much that retailed for. Sorry.

Various bits.

1) Some 2006 DVD set were only three discs, double sided. *shrugs*

2) Some of those Disc 1s had a playback problem on the pilot episode - it locks up towards the finale. There was a replacement disc program for it. Obviously not an issue with the '11 re-release.

3) In 2010, La-La Land Records released a two disc limited edition CD soundtrack set (#LLLCD 1101).



This was limited to 3,000 copies world wide; sixty-nine tracks in all. I need to get this, perhaps too late now.

4) A few years earlier, composer Shirley Walker had released a promo CD soundtrack of the pilot; nineteen tracks. Have no idea how rare this is. Looks like many of the tracks were absorb into longer cues for the official soundtrack release.

Looking about, I found these quotes...

The Flash has been around for 50 years [the Berry Allen Flash for nearly 35], and yet, when it came to designing the suit, we actually had one TV executive suggest that he run around in a gray sweatsuit.

- Danny Bilson

There has been some slight modifications to the basic costume. We change the color of the boots from yellow to red and we've played around ever so slightly with the insignia. We've also added some changes to the cowl to give our Flash a more predatory look.

- Paul DeMeo



Those quotes originated from an interview which was published in the November 1990 issue (#160) of Starlog magazine. I forgot about that, I have the issue.

Sold for $3.95 back in the day.

Next month we encounter Hawk Men, but no Hawk Women on September 8th, 2016. Why? Shouldn't it be the 1st, since it's a Thursday? Yeah.

But I didn't want to do three PTs in one month. My prerogative to be lazy.



Wait. I want to explain a statement I made earlier.

Pet Fly Productions' TV series which aired on the Big Three, CBS, NBC and ABC had a certain quality that felt like you were watching a live-action comic book. It's hard to quantify.

Colors, lighting and art were eye catching. Effort was made to set them apart from other shows. When "Viper" return to television on UPN in 1996, it lost that dazzle. Same can be said for "The Sentinel" - both series felt rather pedestrian.

I don't know if it was a money issue or if they if lost their touch.

Okay, now done.

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - August 23rd, 2016


The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season
Exclusive lenticular cover; BD only $29.99

Ash Vs. Evil Dead: Season One
Exclusive metalpak; BD only $29.99

The Huntsman: Winter's War
Exclusive steelbook; BD/DVD/DC combo $19.99

NCIS: The Complete Thirdteenth Season
Exclusive store release (unknown) $29.99

- - - - - - - - - - -

CDs

"Trapt - DNA" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $9.99 (available now)
"A$AP Ferg - Always Strive And Prosper" with two excluisve bonus tracks $9.99 (available now)
"Amos Lee - Spirit" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $15.99 (available now)

[JohnIan101]

Target - August 16th, 2016


The Angry Birds Move
Exclusive "The Red Edition" with fuzzy eyebrow packaging, wearable eyebrow and bonus disc (format unknown); BD/DVD/DC combo $19.99

A Cinderella Story
Exclusive bonus songs $12.99

- - - - - - - - - - -

CDs available 08/19/16

"Lindsey Stirling - Brave Enough" with 4 exclusive bonus tracks $10.99
"Tory Lanez - I Told You" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $9.99

"Maren Morris - Hero" with 3 exclusive bonus tracks $8.99 (available now)
"Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $12.00 (available now)
"Kitz Bop 32" with 4 exclusive bonus tracks $11.99 (available now)
"Nick Jonas - Last Year Was Complicated" with 3 exclusive bonus tracks $12.00 (available now)
"Cole Swindell - You Should Be Here" deluxe edition with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $10.00 (available now)

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Quick Footed Part I


[An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on August 16th, 2012 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

This outing we get a super power and a menacing outfit in "The Flash"...



"The Flash: The Complete Series" was released on home video on January 10th, 2006.

It streeted against "Red Dwarf VII", "The Chumscrubber" and "Buffalo Soldiers".

The was no insert, the box was a digipack.

- - -



There was a single exclusive from Best Buy, a twenty-six page mini comic. This set sold for $39.99. Or if you were a Reward Zone member, it could be had for $34.99 - back when RZ meant something. The comic came inside the case.

The self-contained tale, "Speeding Bullets" is a reprint of issue #1 of "DC First: Flash/Superman" from 2002. Time travel criminal/magician, Abra Kadabra escapes from Iron Heights Penitentiary in Keystone City. He seeks revenge on the Flash.

Meanwhile in Metropolis the current Flash, Barry Allen and original Flash, Jay Garrick go to a used book store; Barry had a book on search for his friend - a children book that Jay's wife (who is sick with cancer) used to love as a child.

Before they can leave, Kadabra appears creating mayhem. Superman appears to halt the rogue. But before that can happen Kadabra transports them to a race complete with an audience. Barry is under a spell to run as fast as he can. Jay is aging rapidly. He and Superman need catch up with Barry and touch him to save themselves; only one of them needs to touch him.

But when they do Barry will get the elderly curse.

In mid race Jay touches Superman absorbing his speed, super-charging his. Kadabra exploit this speed for his cause - creating a time portal into the 64th century taking all four into the distant future. Kadabra wants to re-acquire future technology for himself.

Jay touches Barry to save him and is dying. It's not magic that's killing him, but nanites. Barry vibrates his friend's body and Superman kills the microscopic machines with a heat blast. Jay returns to normal.

They find Kadabra at a weapons plant stealing an implant. Now more powerful, the magician turns Superman into a large wooden puppet (which was well drawn) and Jay into a turtle leaving Barry to stop the madman by himself.

Kadabra grabs a "Fourth Dimensional Chaos Sphere" and starts shooting the current Flash. Barry grabs Jay's helmet and uses it as a reflective shield. Various blasts happen until he reflects the beam back to Kadabra; trapping him inside the sphere - things return to normal.

The three combine their speed with Kadabra within the ball back to the 21st century.

Comic was written by Geoff Johns with pencil by Rick Burchett.

- - - - - - - - - -

Rant.

I have the pilot episode on laser disc (CLV both sides). Bought from Ken Crane's Laser Disc in Long Beach, CA; long since dead, sad panda face.



The LD was released on August 19th, 1992 from Warner Home Video and sold for $24.98; UPC 085391214663. It has twenty-two chapters.

Man, that show had an excellent opening theme by Danny Elfman, bigger than life. Very much in the same vain as his work for "Batman" (1989). Should be made clear, Elfman only did the opening theme. The rest of the series was composed by the late Shirley Walker.

The suit by the way made by Stan Winston Studios; the same studio who made the iconic robot for "The Terminator" (1984). The full scale animatronic T-Rex for "Jurassic Park" (1993). And the Predator in "Predator" (1987) to name just a few.

The man was prolific.

Anyhow, some of the episodes (twenty-two of them) of "The Flash" have become dated, it's true. But for the most part, it remains an enjoyable show. In case you're curious, the series premiered on CBS on September 20th, 1990; twenty-five years ago. Yeah, I'm starting to feel old.



Above is the Japanese edition of the same LD; released earlier on May 25th, 1991 for 4700 JPY. It's the better cover by far. This came with an insert in Japanese about the series; UPC 4988135121462. Also CLV on both sides, but no chapters.

I do no have this. But I would like to have that jacket in a picture frame on the wall. They do make laser disc jacket frames.

- - -

The DVD box set has zero extras which sucks big time.

The good news is there was one outside of the home video release.

The bad news is the website is long gone.

In 2006, series producers Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo recorded a podcast commentary for the episode, "Trial Of The Trickster" (128 bits) - the final episode of "The Flash" (May 18th, 1991). I wish more would do that for their dead shows.

I actually emailed them (link on that web locale), requesting another commentary - this one for "Ghost In The Machine" (December 13th, 1990). They asked why? The episode featured a 1950s super hero, Nightshade who returns from retirement to stop a former foe, The Ghost - who had sealed himself in cryonics chamber to awake in the future of 1999. But a glitch wakes him in 1990.

Old school super hero and gear in action. How could I not like it? Nightshade appeared in another episode, "Deadly Nightshade" (March 30th, 1991). Anyhow, no additional commentary was done. Oh well.

The duo who are Pet Fly Productions did more internet exclusive commentaries; next were three podcasts for their former UPN series, "The Sentinel" (1996). It also happened in 2006 in relation to "The Complete First Season" DVD box set release.

I'll be honest, I wasn't that into the show. I much prefer their other series, "Viper" (1994 - the NBC season) and the first television outing of "Human Target" (1992). I wish the latter would come out on DVD. It felt like a comic book show.

Anyhow, their website is long gone, I'm glad I downloaded them. I wish there were more like these. Sadly only a few exist, like the podcast commentary by Rob Thomas for the extended pilot episode of "Veronica Mars" (September 22nd, 2004 - UPN). The season one box set is lacking extras, nearly bare bones. So this was quite welcomed.

There is "Headless Horseman" (2007), commentary by director Anthony C. Ferrante, star M. Steven Felty and composer Alan Howarth - as well as Darren Aronofsky's commentary for his film "The Fountain" (2006) podcasts.

Those three "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode commentaries from the official website.

Well there was pirate commentaries with cast and production podcast done for Icons Of Fright website. They had "Nightwing" (1977), "Child's Play" (1988) and "Halloween 6: The Curse Of Michael Myers" (1995). Both commentaries for "Fright Night" (1985) was actually used on home video, the Twilight Time Blu-Ray release of the movie, 30th Anniversary Edition.

It appears all of them are still up for download from their website.

In writing this entry, I discovered they did another one for "The Warriors" (1979). Also still alive, posted on October 14th, 2014. Downloaded it. Sway!

[JohnIan101]

Target - August 23rd, 2016


The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season
Exclusive steelbook; BD/DVD/DC combo $39.99

NCIS: The Complete Thirdteenth Season
Exclusive store release (unknown) $29.99

The Huntsman: Winter's War
Exclusive packaging with 28 page book; BD/DVD/DC combo $19.99

- - - - - - - - - -

CD - available 08/26/16

"Barbra Streiand - Encoure" with 4 exclusive bonus tracks $13.99

"Nick Jonas - Last Year Was Complicated" with 3 exclusive bonus tracks $12.00 (available now)
"Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $12.00 (available now)
"Meghan Trainor - Thank You" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $12.00 (available now)

[JohnIan101]

Wal-Mart - August 23rd, 2016

The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season
Exclusive bonus disc; DVD ($34.99) and BD.


Madison Square Garden Fan Premiere Event; 1:11:49 minutes.

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - September 2nd, 2016


CDs

"A Day To Remember - Bad Vibrations" with exclusive lenticular sticker $9.99

"Trapt - DNA" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $9.99 (available now)
"Amos Lee - Spirit" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $15.99 (available now)

[JohnIan101]

Target - August 28th, 2016


CD

"Barbra Streiand - Encoure" with 4 exclusive bonus tracks $13.99 (available now)