Robot Chicken is its own bizarre, wonderful little world, usually coming to you 15 minutes at a time on Adult Swim. It always seemed to me a show that probably only worked in small doses, but Robot Chicken: Season Four on DVD was consistently funny over two discs of near-continuous watching (and the extras are at least as entertaining). Here are my thoughts in a short video.
Video DVD Review: Robot Chicken season four
Team Venture will get its own line of merchandise
Venture Brothers, the funniest and best written show that -- inexplicably -- nobody watches, is getting its own line of toys and collectibles.The appropriately named Bif Bang Pow!, a collectibles manufacturer, announced today a deal with Cartoon Network to make a new line of toys based on the Adult Swim animated comedy. Fans can look for a collection of action figures, bobble heads, vehicle models and other goodies.
This is a great sign for a show that deserves a lot more attention than it gets. As well-written as The Simpsons or South Park, Venture Brothers shows off spot-on parody and multi-layered jokes in every episode.
Continue reading Team Venture will get its own line of merchandise
The Venture Brothers will be action figures
If you're not excited now, you never will be. The Entertainment Earth blog has announced that a company called BifBangPow will be making action figures and bobbleheads of the characters on Adult Swim's The Venture Bros.Frankly, it's overdue. Action figures are usually reserved for kid's or cult movies and television shows, and Team Venture is definitely the later. In fact, other than the DVDs and a set of exclusive mail-order t-shirts, there really hasn't been that much supplementary merchandise for the show (and the midnight timeslot of the latest season doesn't help promotional matters).
One popular rumor regarding the merchandising delay is negotiations between Adult Swim and Doc Hammer, Jackson Publick and company over who gets what share of the loot. One can only hope that, if true, that issue has been resolved.
Admit it, you'll only be buying the figures in order to sleep with your very own Doctor Girlfriend. Or maybe that's just me.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force says Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas
So you're out buying the last of your gifts on Christmas Eve, and you've just about had it. Before you pull up to the counter one last time, there's something you need for your ride home. Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Christmas album, Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas.Yes, it is silly, downright juvenile, and even a tad obscene in places. But as holiday stress relief goes, it's hard to top "I Sure Hope I Don't Have to Beat Your Ass This Christmas," with an ungrateful Master Shake threatening poor little Meatwad (the live version of the song is above). Or Meatwad's duet with alt.country siren Neko Case on "Santa Left a Booger in My Stocking." Or Meatwad singing "Feliz Navi-wad." (If you're not a Meatwad fan, don't pick this up, he's featured on almost every track).
Continue reading Aqua Teen Hunger Force says Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas
Review: The Venture Bros. - Pinstripes & Poltergeists (mid-season finale)
(S04E08) My heart is all aflutter. Talk about ending on a high note (Venture Bros. will return to finish the season in a few months, Lost-style). Just like "The Better Man," this Doc Hammer-penned episode was the perfect balance of great story and VB's signature comedy. There were so many great moments, quotable lines, and much-missed familiar faces, this quickly turned into one of my favorite episodes from any season, right up there with "Escape to the House of Mummies, Part II" and "Twenty Years to Midnight."
Continue reading Review: The Venture Bros. - Pinstripes & Poltergeists (mid-season finale)
Review: Aqua Teen Hunger Force - A PE Christmas (season premiere)
(S07E01) "Larger point: listeners ain't gonna know until they've already paid for the album!" - Shake
Those words, spoken by Master Shake, while recording his Christmas album with Meatwad, were intended to be a jab at consumers -- our Christmas album sucks but you won't figure that out until we have your money. On the contrary, the album (aptly titled "Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas") is an absolute goldmine of comical music hits for fans of the show.
However, last night's companion episode was anything but that. Paling in comparison to classic ATHF X-mas fare (like "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past From the Future"), "A PE Christmas" could have truly captilized on the idea of Shake making Christmas music, but instead never took the idea far enough.
Continue reading Review: Aqua Teen Hunger Force - A PE Christmas (season premiere)
Here's a clip from this Sunday's Aqua Teen Hunger Force X-mas special
Adult Swim has been pretty mum on what to expect in this Sunday night's Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas special (it airs at 11:45 p.m. ET) but most speculation has suggested that it will have something to do with the recently released Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas album. Looks like that's the case based on the below video clip -- Master Shake and Meatwad are in the recording studio, trying their best to spice up a not-so-familiar holiday classic.
While the episode (it's entitled "A PE Christmas") kicks off the series' seventh season, we won't get any more new episodes until the beginning of February 2010. So take it all in while you can -- it's not everyday that you get to hear about Jesus, Krypton, The Wrath of Khan, and Ricardo Montalbán all in the same Christmas carol.
[via Aqua Teen Central]
While the episode (it's entitled "A PE Christmas") kicks off the series' seventh season, we won't get any more new episodes until the beginning of February 2010. So take it all in while you can -- it's not everyday that you get to hear about Jesus, Krypton, The Wrath of Khan, and Ricardo Montalbán all in the same Christmas carol.
[via Aqua Teen Central]
The Venture Bros.' James Urbaniak interviewed in a bathtub
Yes, you read that right. Someone took the time to sit down and penetrate the delightful, twisted mind of actor/writer James Urbaniak from The Venture Brothers... in a bathtub.
It was part of comedian Sara Benincasa's web chat series "Gettin' Wet" in which noted humorists and comedians sit down to have a probing and in-depth discussion of their pathos and the process of artistic achievement and creation... in a tub. If you haven't figured out yet that this actually takes place in a literal bathtub filled with soapy water, then no one can really help at this point.
It was part of comedian Sara Benincasa's web chat series "Gettin' Wet" in which noted humorists and comedians sit down to have a probing and in-depth discussion of their pathos and the process of artistic achievement and creation... in a tub. If you haven't figured out yet that this actually takes place in a literal bathtub filled with soapy water, then no one can really help at this point.
Review: The Venture Bros. - The Better Man
(S04E07) Wow. And wow again. Not only did we actually get closure on a few issues that had the potential to drag on forever (Archie and Betty/Veronica style), but we got one the best episodes of the season. I carefully considered whether my love for the Order of the Triad was making me a bit biased, but I honestly think this episode was a perfect example of advancing characters without sacrificing the comedy that made us fall in love with The Venture Bros. in the first place.
Also, they introduced the hottest VB lady yet, and I dare anyone to try and convince me otherwise.
Continue reading Review: The Venture Bros. - The Better Man
Adult Swim decks the halls with mayhem for the holidays
It's the holiday season at Adult Swim, and its bizarre collection of Christmas specials mark the celebration starting tonight.According to a network release, Robot Chicken gets the jingle bell rolling Dec. 6 at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT with Episode 71, "Dear Consumer." The show tunes in as "Thor celebrates Christmas in Asgard, and Santa adds 'Walter PPK' to the bad boy list.
The Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas Special premieres Sunday, Dec. 13 at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT -- sending The Aqua Teens out to record and release their own Christmas album -- after they steal someone's identity.
Continue reading Adult Swim decks the halls with mayhem for the holidays
What Jonathan is thankful for
Another year, another Thanksgiving, and another Fall TV season with plenty of reasons to be thankful. Here's what's winning me over this holiday season...FX's Sons of Anarchy -- Talk about a complete 180°. This show went from near the bottom of my list last season to one of the most superb dramas on TV right now. Midway through last year's up and down freshman season, I argued that that show had more to offer at a second glance, but for the most part, Kurt Sutter and his team were still finding their footing. Well, they found their footing and then some this year. Season two has been expertly plotted and executed this season and this past week's penultimate episode put the pieces in motion for a season finale that no TV fan should plan on missing.
Continue reading What Jonathan is thankful for
Adult Swim lets you build your own DVD online
This is the age of personalized entertainment on demand. It's also the age of talking wads of meat and animated fart jokes. Finally, all of that can now come together on your home DVD player.Adult Swim fans can now go online and create a disc full of their favorite episodes from the channel's top shows with the Build Your Custom DVD tool.
For $20, you get 110 minutes worth of space to build a DVD. You can choose any of the available episodes from such series as Venture Brothers (right), Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021. After arranging them in your preferred order, you give your DVD a name, description and cover art before paying for it and burning your unique creation.
Continue reading Adult Swim lets you build your own DVD online
Review: The Venture Bros. - Self-Medication
(S04E06) This episode was a rare star-studded treat for Venture Bros. Really honing in on the idea of adult aftermath in the lives of boy adventurer types, Jackson Publick introduced a robot boy, boy detective brothers (Seth Green and John Hodgman), former Wonder Boy (Patton Oswalt) and the return of Action Johnny (Brendon Small). Never before have so many guest voices (okay, four) been crammed into an installment, bringing the entire audience to an immediate nerdgasm.
Continue reading Review: The Venture Bros. - Self-Medication
Aqua Teen Hunger Force to air new Christmas episode in December
With the holidays fast approaching, it's good to know that Adult Swim is thinking of you. According to their online schedule, Aqua Teen Hunger Force will return on December 13th at 11:45 p.m. ET with an episode elusively referred to as "ATHF Xmas."In true Adult Swim fashion, there's been absolutely no indication as to what this episode might be about, however it's likely that it somehow ties into the recently released Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas CD, Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas. If you haven't bought it yet, do yourself a favor and get it now. Trust me when I say that you haven't lived until you've heard Meatwad croon his own version of "Silent Night" or Carl cackle his way through "I'll Be Home for Christmas."
Anyway, regarding the episode, it's the only one listed on the schedule, so it's probably not the new season premiere, but it'll hopefully have some sort of performance aspect with songs from the album. That and maybe The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future will show up. Please let the robot turkey be there.
Review: The Venture Bros. - The Revenge Society
(S04E05) This episode was certainly a surprise in many respects. It was one of the funnier installments of the season so far. It also brought back a lot of old themes and cleared up some incomplete storylines that had started to gather dust. On one hand, I'm glad that those have been resolved, because most of them were revealed to be kind of irrelevant anyway, but I also felt as though it was rushed, like, five loose ends from old major arcs had to be hastily tied up in twenty-some minutes. Well, it's better than continuing to string us along, right?
Continue reading Review: The Venture Bros. - The Revenge Society
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