R.I.P. Dick Tufeld

by The Informant on January 23, 2012 at 6:23 pm
Posted In: Blog

You likely knew Dick Tufeld as the Robot from Lost in Space – The Complete First Season, but he had a heckuva voice & popped up everywhere in animation, narration, radio, commercials… you name it. What I find most endearing is that he didn’t seem to tire of the “Robot” character and reprised his role in the big-screen remake of Lost In Space, and in countless fan-films, retrospectives and personal appearances. Let’s not forget the line he made classic: “Danger, Will Robinson!”

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You can tell your children: “you were there.”

by The Informant on January 23, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Posted In: Blog

Well, look at this – NPR has started its slide toward becoming more like “Jackass.” I never thought I would see this metamorphosis take shape in my lifetime, so it is a sight to behold. OBSERVE.

Stop ruining television

by The Informant on January 20, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Posted In: Blog

I just read that the Discovery Channel has plans for a new spin-off show titled Unchained Reaction, a competition series using Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters. How horrible. I want to watch the Mythbusters gang perform their experiments, not watch a bunch of amateurs squabble, cry and react in shock in yet another reality competition series. I understand the logic – take a show people love, and use that template to prop up a cheapo reality show where the “celebrity host” pops up at the beginning and end and the average Janes and Joes do all the work. Most unsettling, I fear this is a sign that the original Mythbusters will be phased out due to cost in comparison.

This has ruined Food Network, where I used to enjoy watching cooks prepare food and discuss why they do what they do. Now the channel has people running around trying to find their ingredients… burning & dropping food or not preparing it correctly because of the time limits and the OMG TWIST! I want to learn how to cook, not watch people fail because they have to use a “surprise ingredient.”

This is more bad news for television. Why are you driving me to Netflix? I PREFER watching programs “live” as opposed to streaming, DVRing… if presented with quality television, I WILL watch – even the commercials.

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I hope the dubstep trailer for Red Tails makes Geaorge Lucas feel terrible

by The Informant on January 19, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Posted In: Blog

After seeing the version of the Red Tails trailer featuring the techno-crunchy dubstep music, it made me sad for the sorry state of film making, but then it made me wish that it was Lucas who felt horrible. The music obviously has no reason to be in the trailer other than to fool kids into seeing this, thinking it could be badass. This should be a prestige movie… y’know, Oscar-bait. This film should have a marketing effort similar to Spielberg’s War Horse, but methinks somebody smells a stinker & hopes to squeeze as much money out of it as possible before it ends up as a $3.99 DVD.

Lucas did not direct, but this has been described as a passion project for him for decades. Lucas is richer than Croesus. f he’s in charge he can hire talented directors, build any kind of marketing campaign he wanted. If this is what needs to be done to sell a movie about a very serious subject, then I hope he feels horrible. If he is actually OK with this – or if it was his idea – then maybe he needs does need to stop making movies.

 

Compare these two trailers:

S’ploshions!!!

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Feel the Dark Side of the Force flow right through you!

by The Informant on January 17, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Posted In: Blog

Making the rounds on the electric internet is an image for an upcoming promotion for French fast food chain Quick, featuring Star Wars-themed hamburgers. There appear to be at least three: Yoda-themed “Jedi Burger,” Darth Maul-themed “Dark Burger,” and the most unappetising “Dark Vador Burger,” with some serious Darth Vader theming. That’s where this plot goes awry. You can’t “theme” a hamburger without solidly giving nature (and the customer) the finger. The bun is swimming with jet black food coloring. As someone who ran afoul of a “black cherry Icee” during a Burger King/Simpsons Halloween tie-in, if you do dare to eat something with this much food coloring in it, you MUST remember WHAT you ate and WHEN to avoid a sleepless night after your body finally manages to eliminate as much of the foul stuff as possible. Oh, and bring a toothbrush. This seems less of a movie tie-in and more of an experiment as to what people will actually bring to their mouths and swallow.

A Dark Vador burger might put you off your feed for a while, so at least have some Cup ‘O Noodles handy to keep up your strength.

Wait… “Vador?”

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