Rick Moranis opts out of cartoon take on iconic comic duo Bob and Doug
TORONTO – Canada’s iconic comic duo Bob and Doug don’t sound quite like they used to.
The beloved hosers, immortalized on “SCTV” by comedians Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, are set to return next year in an animated series but only Thomas – who plays Doug – is lending his voice.
Moranis’s character, Bob, will be voiced by former “Full House” star Dave Coulier.
Thomas says Moranis is staying behind the scenes as executive producer and just isn’t interested in appearing on the show.
“You have to come in every two weeks or so and record and he just didn’t want to do that so I said, ‘All right, we’ll get somebody else,’ ” Thomas said Monday from Los Angeles.
“I think at a certain age you have to allow people to do what they want.”
It’s been nearly 30 years since the beer-swilling duo debuted on the beloved sketch show “SCTV” with their tuques, lumberjack jackets and liberal use of the words “eh” and “hoser.”
Thomas says the half-hour show will be updated with current cultural references to bring it into the new millennium and appeal to a new generation. But he understands that some fans might be upset that Coulier is voicing Moranis’s role.
“There’s got to be room to grow,” insists Thomas, adding that he and Coulier have been friends for years since they worked together on “America’s Funniest People.” Coulier hosted and Thomas executive-produced.
“I can understand some real diehard fans going, ‘Oh, man, that’s an outrage!’ But I think most people will look at it and judge it as it is and go, ‘Is this funny? Does it work?’ And I think it does and I think we’ll get their blessing as a result of that.”
“Bob and Doug” is set to air early next year on Global and talks are in the works for a U.S. broadcast via Fox.
Like the live version, the cartoon take will feature direct-to-camera addresses where the McKenzie brothers can wisecrack and banter in their unique lingo, but the expanded format will lift the veil on their personal lives. Upcoming storylines reveal the duo’s friends, family and the town where Bob and Doug live – a fictional place called Maple Lake, located somewhere in Ontario near the United States border.
“It’s sort of like Springfield in the Simpsons, you know,” Thomas explains.
Turns out the boys work as garbage collectors and live in a much more culturally diverse world than their live action incarnations. Other characters include their boss, Dwight, who is black and drives the garbage truck, and their good friend Henry Chow, who runs a Chinese restaurant.
“I think you have a requirement to make a lot of changes that you wouldn’t have done for the sort of purists and fans of Bob and Doug on the old two-minute shows on the Great White North set,” Thomas says of the new elements.
The last time fans got an in-depth look at the boys was in the 1983 feature film, “Strange Brew,” but Thomas says all the backstory developed for that film had to be abandoned for the cartoon because of rights issues.
“MGM will sue us,” he says simply. “So we have to create new realities. So we have a dog and instead of calling it Hosehead as we did in ‘Strange Brew,’ we called the dog Buck. And we can’t drink Elsinore beer because we don’t own that, MGM does. And all these big companies are so litigious and so proprietary that you can’t mess around with them.”
Thomas, who runs the animation company behind the show – Animax Entertainment – says he is also working on a couple of pilot scripts as a writer, but is not interested in doing much acting these days.
“It has to be something, I think, where I sit down,” says the funnyman, who turns 60 in May.
“Behind a desk…. I don’t really like jumping all over the place. I don’t have that youthful enthusiasm I used to have.”
Day: November 3, 2008
Categories
I think we are all holding out for this!!
Genesis Holding Out Hope For Gabriel Gigs
With a third box set of catalog upgrades looming, a reunion of Genesis’ revered 1971-75 lineup is still in the ether — but hardly in stone.
“We’ve never said never about it, you know,” keyboardist Tony Banks tells Billboard.com. “I know Phil (Collins) would be quite happy with the idea of just playing the drums; it would be quite fun for him. Mike (Rutherford) and I are certainly happy to do it. I know Steve (Hackett) is keen as well. I think it’d be down to Peter (Gabriel) more than anyone else.”
Gabriel was actually the first to broach the idea of reuniting that Genesis lineup, initially for a handful of performances of the 1974 concept piece “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” in 2004. He later pulled back in order to concentrate on a solo album he’s still making. It did lead to Banks, Collins and Rutherford reuniting for a tour in 2007, and there are still hopes that the older roster will eventually do something together.
“It would be fun to do something like that purely for the fun of working together again and seeing where it takes you,” Rutherford notes. Hackett adds that, “I think we should do this before one of us dies; we’re not getting any younger, to quote one of the songs, so maybe one day it’ll happen.” Banks, meanwhile, says that rather than merely “The Lamb…,” he’d like to see the group “do a sort of best-of from that era. You want to do things like ‘Supper’s Ready,’ I think, and ‘The Musical Box,’ definitely.”
All of that music is showcased on “Genesis: 1970-1975,” a seven-CD and six-DVD box set that includes upgraded editions of all five albums the group recorded between those years. Each has a DVD of time-appropriate performance footage and new interviews, as well as a set of rare “Extras.” It’s the third in a series of boxed reissues, saved for last even though they’re earlier recordings.
“I think they’re the ones there’s possibly more anticipation for,” Banks says. “These albums have a reputation but they probably didn’t sell as many in the first place, so there’s a feeling that they have a chance to do something now.”
Banks says Genesis is considering some further catalog reissues, including a possible boxed set of the group’s several live albums as well as issuing single shows for sale via band’s Web site. He’s also put together a remastered version of his 1979 solo album “A Curious Feeling” that he plans to release in 2009.
Edwards discusses his cameo as Dr. Greene on `ER’
NEW YORK ñ Anthony Edwards says it’s easy being Greene.
The actor, who left “ER” six years ago, said in a telephone news conference Monday that he had no problem getting back into the swing of things while reprising his role as Dr. Mark Greene for the Nov. 13 episode of the NBC medical drama.
Said Edwards: “It was really like going back to high school, in the best way. It was like going back to your favorite class and having your favorite teacher. … It took about a half an hour ó and after about a half an hour, I really felt like I’d never left.”
Dr. Greene, who died of a brain tumor at the end of the 2002 season, appears in flashback scenes with former County General Drs. Kerry Weaver and Robert Romano (portrayed by Laura Innes and Paul McCrane, respectively).
He also has an encounter with series newcomer Dr. Cate Banfield (Angela Bassett), an attending physician at the hospital, after she brings in her sick son. The flashbacks are interwoven with a present-day story line that shows Banfield helping in the rescue of a young girl who falls into a lake.
Discussing the character’s passion for medicine, Edwards said: “When you get on an airplane, you hope that the pilot really loves flying ó I think that’s what Greene had. You do want to go to a hospital and have a good doctor who loves being a doctor there.”
Edwards’ appearance comes in the 15th and final season of “ER,” which debuted in 1994 and launched the careers of George Clooney, who left the show in 1999, and others in the ensemble cast.
Like many “ER” fans, Edwards hopes for the return of Clooney’s character, Dr. Doug Ross. He has said Clooney would be a fool not to make a cameo.
Said Edwards: “I would never judge anybody else. All I can do is share that I had a good experience, and I hope that whoever gets asked and has the opportunity does do it.”
New Peanuts videos released online
NEW YORK – Barack Obama, John McCain … or Linus?
In a batch of 20 new webisodes, Charlie Brown and the gang have been brought back to animated life, much in the style of their classic holiday TV specials. But Lucy, Snoopy and others have been remade for the web in three-to four-minute videos taken directly from classic 1964 comic strips.
In one of them, Linus runs for class president, only to be bedevilled by a controversial skeleton from his past: his strident belief in his Halloween hero, the Great Pumpkin.
Linus pleads: “In my administration, children will be children and adults will be adults!”
The videos are all new, made with Flash animation and new voices for the characters. But even though it’s new technology, attention has been paid to maintaining the integrity of both the strip and its beloved animation specials.
“You’re not trying to change it,” said Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. “You’re trying to keep it the same and freshen it.”
The score, for example, is reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi’s famous jazz that accompanied the “Peanuts” television specials.
Beginning Monday, for only a limited time, fans will be able to download two episodes of the series for free on Apple’s iTunes. Otherwise, two bundled episodes are available for 99 cents each, or the full season for $7.99.
The videos were made by Warner Bros.’ Motion Comics, which has previously brought strips of Batman, Superman and Watchmen to animated life. The Peanuts project was done with the involvement of the Schulz family and estate, which monitored the adaptation.
“Our interest was in keeping the integrity of the Peanuts strip,” said Jeannie Schulz. “They’ve done a very cute job of making it really look like the old animation, but better. Better in that it’s brighter, the voices are still cute and charming.”
She adds, though, that too much animation technology – like CG animation – wouldn’t be fitting for the simplistic style of the Peanuts strip and cartoons.
“CG doesn’t quite look right with them,” said Schulz. “I still love that funny way they walk along.”
But what would the Peanuts creator – who died in 2000 at the age of 77 – think of his old strips showing up decades later, fully animated on laptops and cellphones?
“I’m sort of glad that Sparky – Mr. Schulz – isn’t alive (to see it)” laughs his wife. “But even though he would not understand why people wanted to look at things on their telephone, he understood stories and telling stories.”
New CD Releases, November 4: Brad Paisley, Harry Connick, Jr., Hinder, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, more
Brad Paisley “Play” (RCA)
The country star shows off his guitar chops on this axe-oriented affair. “Play” features Paisley in collaboration with some of the industry’s top guitar heroes, including Buck Owens and B.B. King. The 16-track offering also features such guest stars as Keith Urban and Steve Wariner.
“Play,” a mostly instrumental outing, is Paisley’s seventh album. His previous disc was 2007’s platinum-selling “5th Gear,” which topped the country charts and produced five hit singles.
* * *
Harry Connick Jr. “What a Night! A Christmas Album” (Sony)
The multi-talented star, who has achieved success in various genres of music as well as with film, TV and theater projects, returns with something new for fans to put on their Christmas wish lists.
“What a Night! A Christmas Album” is Connick’s third holiday offering, following 1993’s “When My Heart Finds Christmas” and 2003’s “Harry for the Holidays.” The album is a mix of holiday favorites, such as “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Jingle Bells,” and new originals.
* * *
Hinder “Take It to the Limit” (Universal)
These rockers–drummer Cody Hanson, singer Austin Winkler, guitarists Joe “Blower” Garvey and Mark King, and bassist Mike Rodden–are set to release their sophomore CD. “Take It to the Limit” follows 2005’s “Extreme Behavior,” a work that has been certified triple platinum.
Hinder is currently supporting “Take It to the Limit” on the road. The band is headlining the Jagermeister Music Tour, which also includes Rev Theory and Trapt. The jaunt is scheduled to last through a Dec. 20 date in Cleveland.
* * *
Andrea Bocelli “Incanto” (Decca)
The Italian pop/opera star offers up his second CD of the year. “Incanto” follows “Vivere Live in Tuscany,” a two-disc effort that featured all of his best-known tunes and guest appearances by Kenny G, Chris Botti and Sarah Brightman, to name a few. This time around, the famed tenor’s set consists of 14 classic Italian love songs, including “Because,” “Mamma,” “Granada,” “Funiculi Funicula” and “Un Amore Cosi Grande.”
Correspondingly, Bocelli has booked two-night stands in Washington, DC, and San Antonio, TX, for later this month. On Nov. 21-22, he’ll make his debut at the Washington National Opera, performing Rossini’s “Petite Messe Solennelle” with conductor by Placido Domingo. On Nov. 25-26, he’ll perform a concert version of the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” at the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium.
* * *
Sarah Brightman “A Winter Symphony” (Manhattan)
The British soprano star gets in the holiday mood with “A Winter Symphony,” a work that features such Christmas-time tunes as “Silent Night” and “I Believe in Father Christmas.” The album’s title is a reference to Brightman’s release “Symphony,” which came out earlier this year.
* * *
More new releases:
Deadmau5, “Random Album Title” (Ultra)
Hilary Duff, “Best Of” (Hollywood)
Jeff Dunham, “Don’t Come Home for Christmas” (Image)
Gamma Ray, “Hell Yeah!!! The Awesome Foursome: Live in Montreal” (Steamhammer)
OhGr, “Devils in My Details” (SPV)
Randy Owen, “One on One” (Broken Bow)
Axel Rudi Pell, “Tales of the Crown” (Steamhammer)
Q-Tip, “The Renaissance” (Universal)
Lou Reed, “Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse” (Matador)
Shiny Toy Guns, “Season of Poison” (Universal)
Mavis Staples, “Live” (Anti)
Cat Stevens, “Tea for the Tillerman” (A&M)
Cat Stevens, “Teaser and the Firecat” (A&M)
Pastor Hezekiah Walker, “Souled Out” (Verity)
Soundtracks and scores:
“Twilight” (Atlantic)
Who door not closed, says Tennant
Doctor Who actor David Tennant has not ruled out the possibility of returning to the hit BBC series after he leaves.
“Who knows what might happen in the future?” he told BBC Breakfast. “The door isn’t necessarily closed forever.”
The 37-year-old revealed last week he would be relinquishing the role after shooting four more specials in 2009.
But he did admit it was “one of those parts that sticks with you,” citing Peter Davison’s appearance last year in a Who short made for Children in Need.
The actor refused to be drawn, though, on who might become his eventual successor.
“It’s not down to me,” said the actor, currently appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. “I’ve got nothing to do with it.”
‘Career suicide’
Bookmakers have made James Nesbitt one of the favourites to take over the coveted role.
The Cold Feet star has downplayed the speculation, however, saying he has no interest in becoming the 11th doctor.
Speaking to the BBC’s Lizo Mzimba in Marrakesh, Morocco, where he is currently filming new drama Occupation, the actor said it would be “career suicide” for him to follow in Tennant’s footsteps.
He did say, though, that Paterson Joseph – another actor who has been linked to the role – “would be great”.
‘Heroes’ duo get the ax
Big shakeup on the staff of NBC’s “Heroes” came down on Sunday with the axing of co-exec producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb.
Both scribe-producers had been with the show since its first season and were known to have led the day-to-day production operation under the direction of creator/exec producer Tim Kring.
“Heroes,” produced by Universal Media Studios, has struggled in the ratings its third season. It’s understood that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of Peacock execs’ frustration with the creative direction of the show. The show is also said to have been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season, that are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-seg pricetag.
Reps for NBC and UMS declined comment.
Categories
Sweeeeeeeeet!!
Fox Counts Down to 24 Premiere
Los Angeles (E! Online) ñ For those suffering from Jack Bauer withdrawals, Fox has the cure for what ails you: a firm premiere date for the long-awaited, delay-plagued seventh-season premiere of 24.
The network today announced that Kiefer Sutherland and his terrorism-fighting costars will return to kick off their new run with a two-night, four-hour premiere Jan. 11 and 12.
The fourth hour of the premiere will mark the series’ milestone 150th episode. The season will run without interruption through to May.
This time around, the seventh-worst day of Bauer’s life will revolve aroundówait for itóa national security crisis that unfolds as the protagonist’s presumed-dead former colleague Tony Almeida returns.
For fans unwilling to wait until Januaryóand who have already been waiting for about 18 months, as the season-six finale aired in spring 2007óFox will air a two-hour TV-movie prequel that bridges the gap between seasons six and seven.
24: Redemption takes place on Inauguration Day and sees Bauer attempting to save the world from South Africa, his first ever non-L.A. location. Jon Voight stars as the requisite bad guy.
The special airs Nov. 23.