Duckman - Studio Exec VP Goes on Record: Duckman Coming to DVD! Date Not Yet Revealed, But It IS In The Works!
Our good friend Susanne Ault, of trade magazine Video Business, has put together a new story posted yesterday at VB's website, titled "CBS DVD to increase its release slate: Label plans to roll out 105 to 110 titles". In it, Susanne discusses how CBS DVD "now retains creative oversight over series from former sibling Paramount Television, including Beverly Hills 90210 and Twin Peaks, and Showtime, home of Dexter and The L Word...(and d)espite Viacom and CBS now being separate companies, Viacom's Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD work together, with Paramount handling sales and distribution and the two companies sharing marketing duties." This, by the way, is essentially why we here at TVShowsOnDVD tend to refer to releases as being from "CBS/Paramount", due to the shared nature of the production and distribution.
Susanne's article goes over how CBS DVD intends to release 13-18% more TV-DVD titles in 2008 - roughly 105-110 planned releases - as compared to their 2007 slate. In it, she covers three major pieces of news for fans. Two of them concern HD DVD-format releases, and we've posted about those separately. The DVD-specific news in Susanne's story, though, will bowl over fans who have been waiting for a release for a looong time of...Duckman!
Klasky-Csupo (Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys) produced this 1994 animated series, with a cast that includes the voices of Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Gregg Berger ("Grimlock" from Transformers), singer Dweezil Zappa, Nancy Travis (Becker) and Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). It is currently the 83rd-most-wanted unreleased series among TVShowsOnDVD voters, and has massive support around the internet for a home video release. It looks like this is coming out at long last. Here is what Susanne's story says:
(CBS DVD Executive VP and General Manager Ken) Ross hopes to keep satisfying consumer demand through 2008 with the release of Duckman, a cult '90s animated program. An online petition for the series' DVD bow has garnered more than 7,000 signatures.
"There has been a level of fan demand for this show for a long time," said Ross, who declined to specify exact reasons for the DVD release hold-up. "We really had to wrap our brain around figuring a way to do it."
Exact street date or pricing has not yet been set for Duckman, but it's possible that multiple seasons will be released within one package next year.
"Our philosophy is that we are TV, so we are going to work harder than anybody to try to find a way to put a series out if there is a demand for it," said Ross. "We bring that same mentality to any and everything we can do."
I suspect Duckman fans are dancing around the room in celebration of this terrific news, but as stated we do not have a release date yet. It's safe to assume we'll see it in 2008, and we hope to break that news to you just as soon as we can. So stay tuned!
Stewart and Colbert return Monday night
NEW YORK - Not a moment too soon to help make sense of things, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will be back on duty Monday, ready to mock everything in sight.
The New Hampshire presidential primary scheduled for the next day? A likely topic!
The woes of Jamie Lynn and Britney Spears? Why the heck not?
And they'll surely make hay of the writers strike that has kept them off the air, and kept their viewers satire-starved, since Nov. 5.
But how will they carry out their mission without writers?
The returning "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert" face a challenge even greater than that of writer-deprived Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, late-night hosts with a shared task of injecting humor into what are basically interview shows.
"The Daily Show" and "Colbert," which air weeknights back-to-back on Comedy Central at 11 p.m. EST, are something else. Each is a topical half-hour that lampoons human foibles, as well as the excesses of TV journalism. They may find it far more demanding to adapt to the mandates of the striking Writers Guild of America.
Sidelined the past nine weeks, Stewart (in his role as fake-news anchorman) and Colbert (playing the blowhard pundit) have been conspicuous in their absence from the bubbling brew of cultural discourse. Meanwhile, because both series are so news-driven, their stretch of reruns has taken a cruel toll on viewership. "The Daily Show" (which, pre-strike, averaged 1.6 million viewers) and "Colbert" (1.3 million) have seen their audience shrink by as much as 50 percent.
What would have happened had America been forced to go any longer unreplenished by fresh doses of Stewart's arch "reporting" and Colbert's I-am-the-way "commentary"?
The answer became moot two weeks ago, when both shows announced their imminent return, then added, in typically ironic fashion: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."
Ambivalence aside, one of the most popular features on both shows is conveniently unscripted: the interview segment. But this could present another set of problems (difficulties already being felt by Leno, O'Brien and Kimmel, in marked contrast to David Letterman and Craig Ferguson, who have an interim agreement with the guild). Among the favorite guests on "The Daily Show" and "Colbert" are politicians, some of whom, along with A-list celebrities, may refrain from crossing picket lines to appear.
It's unlikely the shows will be completely off-the-cuff. Performers who don't belong to the guild will be free to write material for themselves, although it's not clear who on either series that might include.
But WGA members Stewart and Colbert are barred from writing anything.
That is, unless they're not. At week's end, the guild and "Tonight Show" host Leno were locked in a dispute over just such an issue: whether he, as a guild member, is permitted to write his own monologue. Leno insisted he had gained approval from the guild. He continued to deliver nightly monologues he said he'd crafted himself. The guild, crying foul, vowed to take some form of action, as yet unspecified.
"Leno will not get a pass. The guild has told him he can't write his monologues," said Sherry Goldman, a spokeswoman for the Writers Guild of America East.
Guild rules will surely result in a different "Daily Show" and "Colbert" than their fans are used to. But as viewers try to predict what the necessary changes will be, it's worth remembering that Colbert is an improv whiz who, script or no script, seems to channel his "Stephen Colbert" alter ego from some parallel world inspired by Bill O'Reilly. Stewart is witty and fast on his feet, befitting his background as a standup comic.
Will it suffice for this pair as the strike drags on? No one from either program was available Friday to respond to questions or offer a hint of what Colbert and Stewart have in mind for the audience.
Comedy Central spokesman Tony Fox said, "Stephen and Jon are still figuring out what they're going to do on Monday night's show."
Probably so. But the nation's ruling class, presidential hopefuls and others ripe for ridicule should be all too aware of what's going to happen. Their two-month respite is coming to an end. Stewart and Colbert are on their case again.
New 'Indy' tops '08 film preview
Crack wise all you want about curmudgeon Harrison Ford's creakiness as he takes one last crack at the bullwhip.
Fact is, for all the comic book adaptations, sequels and retreads storming theatres in 2008, it's the shadow of Ford's 65-year-old Indiana Jones that looms over them all.
And why not? Nineteen years after The Last Crusade, the Steven Spielberg-helmed, George Lucas-produced trilogy remains the standard by which cinematic thrill rides are measured.
This alone makes the character's return an event and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the year's front-runner for box-office fortune and glory.
Not that the makers of the other entries listed in our rundown of the 20 most-anticipated films of 2008 won't try to prove Ford's archeologist-adventurer, like the artifacts he pursues, is a dust-covered relic.
Note, though: All release dates are subject to change.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull May 22
The Pitch: In the 1950s, Jones races Soviet agents to an ancient -- and alien -- temple in South America.
The Upside: Ford back in the hat. The hummable theme song.
The Downside: Is Shia LaBeouf, as Indiana's son, this franchise's Jar-Jar Binks?
The Dark Knight July 18
The Pitch: The Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) confronts a red-lipped sociopath known only as The Joker (Heath Ledger).
The Upside: Bale, back for more. Ledger is more reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange than Jack Nicholson's mugging clown.
The Downside: We can't think of a thing. They even ditched Katie Holmes for Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian May 16
The Pitch: The Pevensie siblings venture back into Narnia, but find it a darker, more savage realm than they remember.
The Upside: Purportedly more action-packed than the original.
The Downside: Does the collapse of The Golden Compass indicate fantasy-film fatigue?
Wall-E June 27
The Pitch: A lonely robot tries to clean up Earth all by himself. No, it's not the Al Gore story. Set 700 years in the future, director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) has described it as R2-D2: The Movie.
The Upside: The unstoppable Pixar brand-name.
The Downside: Could it suffer from a case of the cutes?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Nov. 21
The Pitch: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) explores Lord Voldemort's sinister past.
The Upside: Another year, another J.K. Rowling adventure off the well-oiled assembly line.
The Downside: That Order of the Phoenix's David Yates is back behind the camera underscores how workman-like these films have become.
Bond 22 November
The Pitch: Daniel Craig pursues the SPECTRE-esque organization responsible for the events of Casino Royale.
The Upside: Craig's the best Bond since Connery (and blasphemers might argue he's better). Rumour has it the sequel will simply be entitled 007.
The Downside: Can the Bond camp avoid falling back on the crutches of over-the-top stunt-work and gadgetry?
Hancock July 2
The Pitch: Will Smith yuks it up as an alcoholic superhero who gets a publicist (Jason Bateman) to overhaul his image, then starts an affair with the publicist's wife (Charlize Theron).
The Upside: Bateman. The superhero genre seems overdue for a sendup ...
The Downside: ... but wasn't that movie called My Super Ex-Girlfriend? And didn't it suck?
The Lovely Bones October
The Pitch: Oscar-winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) directs this adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel, which is told from the perspective of a murdered 14-year-old girl. Mark Wahlberg replaced Ryan Gosling at the last minute as the girl's father.
The Upside: Jackson returning to Heavenly Creatures territory.
The Downside: Jackson's pre-disposition for self-indulgence.
Pineapple Express August
The Pitch: A stoner (Seth Rogen) and his drug dealer (James Franco) go on the run from crooked cops. Producer Judd Apatow describes it as Superbad meets Bad Boys.
The Upside: The Apatow connection.
The Downside: As Walk Hard demonstrated, not everything Apatow touches turns to box-office gold.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button November
The Pitch: In this romantic fantasy, Brad Pitt plays a man who is born old and grows young. Cate Blanchett is the woman he loves.
The Upside: Director David Fincher is a master technician.
The Downside: The premise is easily botched.
Cloverfield Jan. 18
The Pitch: The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla.
The Upside: Ingenious premise -- and online marketing. Could be 2008's first through-the-roof blockbuster.
The Downside: Can the cool concept sustain an entire movie?
Forgetting Sarah Marshall May 30
The Pitch: Jason Segel winds up at the same resort as the ex-girlfriend he's desperate to get over (Kristen Bell).
The Upside: Yet another one from Judd Apatow. Is Segel this year's Seth Rogen?
The Downside: Sounds a little too much like a Ben Stiller movie.
The Happening June 13
The Pitch: Signs with plants. M. Night Shyamalan directs this end-of-world ecological thriller. Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star.
The Upside: Shyamalan trying to scare us.
The Downside: Shyamalan's last two films, the products of an unchecked ego.
Star Trek Dec. 25
The Pitch: The early adventures of Kirk and Spock, now embodied by Chris Pine and Heroes villain Zachary Quinto.
The Upside: Director/producer J.J. Abrams charged with re-energizing the long-sagging space opera.
The Downside: Star Trek has been synonymous with nerd-dom for so long, can this reboot muster interest from the non-pointy-eared masses?
The Love Guru June 20
The Pitch: Mike Myers stars in this comedy as Pitka, an American raised in India, hired to solve the romantic woes of a Toronto Maple Leafs player whose professional performance has suffered since his wife left him for a rival (Justin Timberlake). Jessica Alba co-stars.
The Upside: Myers has been work-shopping his character for years.
The Downside: If he's so meticulous, why didn't he know how god-awful The Cat in the Hat was going to be?
Get Smart June 20
The Pitch: Adaptation of the spy spoof series with Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart.
The Upside: Anne Hathaway as Agent 99. Carell can be hilarious, Evan Almighty notwithstanding.
The Downside: The director's credits include Tommy Boy.
The Incredible Hulk June 13
The Pitch: Marvel and Universal are starting from scratch again rather than make a sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 bomb.
The Upside: Edward Norton, perfectly cast as Bruce Banner.
The Downside: Will Norton's alter-ego be more convincing than the digital Gumby from Lee's film?
Changeling November
The Pitch: Angelina Jolie is a mother whose infant son is abducted in 1920s Los Angeles. When he's returned, she suspects the baby is not hers.
The Upside: Clint Eastwood. The last time he directed a movie with a strong female lead, everyone went home with Oscars.
The Downside: She doesn't box.
Australia Fall/Winter
The Pitch: Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann channels Lawrence of Arabia's David Lean for this epic set in Australia prior to the Second World War.
The Upside: Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman paired in a big sweeping romance.
The Downside: Kidman is hit-starved.
Valkyrie October
The Pitch: A German colonel (Tom Cruise) plots to assassinate Adolph Hitler.
The Upside: Director Bryan Singer re-teaming with his Usual Suspects scribe.
The Downside: You can probably guess how the story ends.
Leno, Kimmel to go on each other's shows
NEW YORK (AP) — For one night, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel will solve the problem of booking guests during the writers' strike by appearing on each other's show.
The swap comes Thursday, with Kimmel traveling to Leno's studio in Burbank, Calif., and Leno returning the favor in Hollywood. Both shows are taped on the same day they air.
"There are only a few people in the world that know how tough this job is," Leno said Sunday. "Jimmy is one of them. It will be fun to discuss who's a good guest, who's a difficult guest and everything else that comes with sitting behind these desks."
Joked Kimmel: "If Jay and I can come together and guest on each other's shows, then surely there is hope for peace in the Middle East."
ABC's Kimmel came to Leno's defense on the air Wednesday, urging picketing writers to back off the "Tonight Show" host.
Both men's programs returned to the air last week without writers due to the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America. Their jobs were made even more difficult with the reluctance of stars to cross picket lines. The Screen Actors Guild has encouraged its members to appear on David Letterman's "Late Show" and Craig Ferguson's "Late Late Show," where writers have gone back to work.
Leno's NBC "Tonight Show" featured comic Howie Mandel, host of NBC's "Deal or No Deal," on Thursday, with an animal expert and comedian on Friday.
Besides Kimmel, Leno's only other announced future guest is Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul on Monday night.
Kimmel's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Monday will feature Kathy Griffin and Scott Baio, two actors more popular recently on reality shows, and the rock band Velvet Revolver.
Without such booking problems, Letterman has lined up actors Tom Hanks, Lucy Liu and Morgan Freeman for shows this week.
Leno is involved in a separate dispute with the writers union. The guild contends Leno, who is a member, cannot write his own jokes and perform them in a monologue; Leno and NBC say the guild's own contract allows this. The writers have threatened disciplinary action against Leno, but a spokeswoman said Sunday no decision had been made on what to do.
'Treasure' digs up $20M more in gold
LOS ANGELES - Nicolas Cage may be running out of storage room for his loot. Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," with Cage as a history buff on the trail of a lost city of gold, was the No. 1 box office draw for the third straight weekend with $20.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Three other hits crowded behind: Will Smith's sci-fi smash for Warner Bros., "I Am Legend," with $16.4 million; Fox Searchlight's teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno" with $16.2 million; and 20th Century Fox's family tale "Alvin and the Chipmunks" with $16 million.
"Book of Secrets" raised its domestic total to $171 million in three weeks, putting it just $2 million shy of the total that 2004's "National Treasure" rang up during its entire run.
"I Am Legend" has grossed $228.7 million, while "Alvin and the Chipmunks" has taken in $176.7 million.
The weekend's only new wide release, the Warner Bros. fright flick "One Missed Call," managed to pull in the horror-movie crowd despite universal loathing by critics. Starring Edward Burns and Shannyn Sossamon in a tale of people whose gruesome deaths are preceded by cell phone messages recording their final moments, the movie debuted at No. 5 with $13.5 million.
The first weekend of 2008 was promising for Hollywood, continuing a holiday box office surge that followed a weak fall season. The top 12 movies took in $123.9 million, up 18.5 percent from the first weekend of 2007.
Featuring a star-making turn from Ellen Page as a whip-smart pregnant teen, "Juno" has emerged as an independent film sensation, grabbing critical praise and building momentum as Hollywood's awards season progresses.
"It's the coolest little success story coming out of 2007," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "It's playing like a mini-blockbuster right now."
The film has three nominations for Sunday's Golden Globes, among them best musical or comedy and an acting honor for Page.
With $52 million already in the bank, "Juno" is on its way to becoming Fox Searchlight's biggest hit ever, approaching "Little Miss Sunshine" at $59.9 million and "Sideways" at $71.5 million.
"Juno" started off in larger cities but now has caught fire in smaller towns such as Columbus, Ohio, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said Peter Rice, Fox Searchlight president.
"The middle of the country has really embraced the movie. And I think the time of year has had a magnifying effect. All the top 10 lists," Rice said. "When the press writes that it's one of the best movies of the year combined with a movie people love, I think those are the defining factors."
Breaking into the top 10 as it expanded to more theaters was Focus Features' tragic romance "Atonement," which came in at No. 10 with $5.1 million.
"Atonement" leads the Golden Globe field with seven nominations, among them best drama and acting honors for Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," $20.2 million.
2. "I Am Legend," $16.4 million.
3. "Juno," $16.2 million.
4. "Alvin and the Chipmunks," $16 million.
5. "One Missed Call," $13.5 million.
6. "Charlie Wilson's War," $8.2 million.
7. "P.S. I Love You," $8 million.
8. "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," $6.3 million.
9. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," $5.4 million.
10. "Atonement," $5.1 million.