Dave Interviews BILL CORBETT of MST3K and RiffTrax!

Bill talks about how he discovered Mystery Science Theater 3000, the upcoming RiffTrax Live Godzilla show, playing a robot vs playing himself, MP3 riffs vs VOD riffs, how Meet Dave affected the way he saw movies, the ethics of riffing, Super Powered Revenge Christmas, and more

Follow us on Twitter!
@BillCorbett@RiffTrax@doggans@GeekVisionTV

The NBC Thursday Night Conspiracy

I don’t watch a whole lot of current television shows, but I make sure never to miss a single episode of “Community” or “The Office”. Both shows continue to make me laugh, but they are very different styles and clearly take place in different universes. This season, however, I’ve been noticing more and more similarities between the shows…

HEADS UP: This post contains spoilers for the current seasons of both shows. If you’re waiting for the DVDs, just move along. Continue reading

In Memory of a Genius

20 years ago today, we lost one of the most original creative geniuses ever: Jim Henson. The man knew how to take ordinary materials like felt and ping-pong balls and turn them into some of the most memorable characters in the history of entertainment. As a designer, writer, director, and actor, Jim brought characters to life that we fell in love with as kids, and who often continue to stick with us today. Not only was he creative, but he knew how to surround himself with creative people, like Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, etc, and how to bring out the best from them.

I recently watched through season one of “The Muppet Show” and was delighted–but not surprised–that it held up so well. Looking past the celebrity guest stars, the intentionally stupid puns, and even the remarkable physical special effects, at the heart of the show were wonderful characters and their relationships. Kermit wanted to put on the best show he could. Fozzie wanted to make people laugh. Gonzo wanted to fit in, even if it had to be through bizarre stunts. Piggy wanted to be a star, and to get Kermit’s love…and despite his irritation with her, he still liked the attention, as evident from the times she would make him jealous. Even Statler and Waldorf, for all their complaints about the show, enjoyed the very act of mockery, and would miss Fozzie when he wasn’t there to heckle. Everyone can easily identify with at least one of the Muppets, though we may not always want to admit it.

We leave here with this video by YouTube user “TimeMachine”, set to the heartwarming and tear-jerking song “A Boy and His Frog” by singer/comedian Tom Smith. If you don’t get at least a tiny bit choked up by this video, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.



Christmas Specials II: The Second Best

Last year, I compiled a list of my top five favorite Christmas movies/specials/animatronic shows/smoke signal stories, because it was the only post idea I had. Since the Nostalgia Critic recently compiled his own favorite specials list, I figured I might as well round out the list by sharing my numbers 6-10. Now, as always, you may consider some of these a stretch, but if you have a problem with it, go start your own blog. On to the list! Continue reading

Jeeves and Wooster Animation Test

Over the course of transferring files from the old craptop to the Shiny, Beautiful New Macbook, I came across this animation test I did back during Christmas Break 2006 that I then promptly forgot about. I took a dialogue clip from the “World of Jeeves and Wooster” soundtrack, drew poor caricatures of Fry and Laurie, scanned them in and colored them in Photoshop, then put each moveable body part in a different layer in Premiere Elements. A lot of lessons were learned, but hey, not bad for a first attempt, right?



Posting that also led me to find this performance of a middle school orchestra, which is pretty much the greatest thing in the history of the universe.