Walter the Farting Dog!

Okay, how about this for a movie pitch…a dog that “farts!” What a gas! And to make it even more interesting, let’s get the hottest teen band to star in it!

It’s happening. And you won’t see me holding my nose about it either.

The movie will be  based on the very silly but popular series of children’s books about “Walter the Farting Dog.” My kids think they’re a hoot! My wife is probably not as big a fan. I’m guessing most guys think it’s funny…that’s just the way guys are wired, I guess. Flatuance is funny to guys no matter how old we get.

The Jonas Brothers have signed on with FOX to make their movie debut in the feature film about Walter the Farting Dog. It will be filmed next Spring and will be a family-targeted movie.

The Jonas Brothers

The books are by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray. Nick, Joe and Kevin, in addition to their little brother Frankie, known to fans as “the bonus Jonas” will star. And here’s where it gets even better…the guys behind “There’s Something About Mary,” brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly, may direct and produce.

The Jonas Brothers are actually pretty funny.

Nothing stinks about this one!

*****

Could “Melrose Place” be coming back? Hey, the CW brought back “Beverly Hills 90210″ with some success. The CW and CBS Paramount Network Television are “exploring” the possibility of creating a new version of “Melrose Place,” according to a rep for the studio. 

Hey, Heather Locklear’s available…

*****

Okay, here’s an article I found about something good actually coming from the writers strike earlier this year.

Bob Newhart goes on-line!

A group of professional writers, producers and actors took time out from the picket line to come up with a scheme to create their own shows to distribute online - shows they would maintain ownership and creative control over.

Strike.TV is the result, launching this week with 10 episodic shows created by a collection of seasoned pros including veterans of The Office, SNL, The Daily Show, Die Hard, The Wire and The Bob Newhart Show. (Bob Newhart himself actually writes and stars in the amusing, tangent-filled The Challenge.)

In fact, you might recognize plenty of familiar faces in the different offerings.

The site streams short form shows in full-screen, HD quality. 

Strike.TV founder and CEO Peter Hyoguchi says there are already 40 completed shows and over 200 webisodes in the can that will roll out gradually. Syndication deals are in place with YouTube, Joost and Tivo and community efforts are underway to promote the shows on the leading social networks. 

It’s worth a peek. Check it out HERE.

Opie and Andy endorse Obama

The folks over at Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” website have posted a new video from actor/director Ron Howard that has a decidedly political AND retro feel.

Check out the 2008 version of old favorites “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Happy Days” with Ron Howard, Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler stepping back into the roles that made them famous!

Howard, stepping away from the director’s chair, puts on his old character’s clothes, and with the help of Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler, explain why he is endorsing Barack Obama.

For Obama fans, you’ll love it.

For McCain fans, I doubt you’ll ever watch “The Andy Griffith Show” or “Happy Days” again.

Ritchie and The Fonz give Obama the thumbs up!

*****

The kids love “High School Musical.”

It dominated at the box office this weekend. Having seen the first two, I’m tickled. The first two TV movies were charming, sweet and enjoyable fun for kids and adults.

Even before HSM3 was released, Disney was planning to keep the franchise alive by introducing new, underclassman characters into the theatrical release.

Disney CEO Bob Iger says “HSM” can “sustain a pretty thorough cast change,” and Disney Channel has already ordered “HSM4.” “There is no doubt that the next movie, in our minds, will have a lot of new faces,” Rich Ross, president of Disney Channel, tells the paper.

Hmmm…after the success of “High School Musical,” maybe they can do “College Musical?”

These kids have the #1 Movie in America!

Meet Mr. Spock...again!

I’m geeking out on this one.

Paramount Pictures has released the first images of the cast and crew of the re-boot of “Star Trek!”

The movie is written and directed by J.J. Abrams, the guy responsible for “Alias,” “LOST,” and the new “Fringe” now airing on FOX (and a hit in the ratings.)

The pictures released feature Chris Pine, the actor picked to portray a young Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto from “Heroes” as Spock.

The movie also features Leonard Nimoy returning as Mr. Spock as well!

The story apparently shows how the crew is brought together.

Based on the images, the new movie retains an updated look to the original series.

The new Captain Kirk

Can’t wait for this one.

It will hit theatres in May 2009.

Chekov, Scotty, Dr. McCoy, Sulu and Uhura too

Paliin, Michaels and Fey on SNL

This election year just keeps getting stranger and stranger.

Did you watch “Saturday Night Live?” This past weekend, I thought it Saturday night surreal.

Governor Sarah Palin, fresh from her Indiana appearance at Verizon Wireless in Noblesville on Friday,  appeared on the NBC comedy show Saturday night.

Over the past few weekends, comedienne Tina Fey has been having a field day taking shots at the Republican Vice Presidential candidate. The bits have been a huge hit on the web and helped SNL to some of their biggest ratings in years!

Saturday night, Palin did a wonderful job poking fun at herself. If you haven’t seen the routine yet, click here for a peek. Funny stuff. But strange. There she was…a Vice Presidential candidate standing alongside Alec Baldwin (a frequent critic of Republicans) getting laughs. (It was also a show that featured an Oliver Stone cameo, too!) Those stinging SNL routines have NOT helped Palin’s overall standing in the polls…yet, here she was, taking those same routines head on with that knowing wink that Fey has made even more famous!

Weird. But immensely entertaining.

An apology on Letterman

It was a culmination of a week of unusual events where entertainment shows, particularly comedic shows, took over the political process…and in some bizzare way, I think are doing a service to the electoral process!

Think about it.

Senator John McCain humbly returns to the Ed Sullivan Theatre after standing up host David Letterman a few weeks ago. After admitting he “screwed up,” the Presidential candidate and frequent guest on the show faces some of the toughest and hard-hitting questions from host Letterman, particularly about McCain’s choice of Palin.

The advantage Letterman has over a traditional journalist? If things get a little too tense, he can lean back and interject some humor, something he did more than a few times during the exchange with McCain. A journalist couldn’t or hasn’t pushed questions like Letterman did.

Is it fair?

Why not? Letterman’s show was where McCain decided to announce his bid for the presidential race so many months ago. If Letterman is good enough to start a presidential run, it’s a fair place to ask tough questions.

And it’s paying off in ratings. The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS averaged 6.5 million viewers, the biggest audience for the Late Show in three years since Oprah Winfrey’s visit in December 2005. On the same night, VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden was on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno drawing in an average of 4.6 million viewers.

Saturday night’s appearance of Governor Palin on SNL brought in the best overnight ratings for the show in 14 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Comedy and politics. They just seem to go together!

Can you believe it, we are only a couple weeks away from Halloween!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

My kids are dressing up as Harry Potter…and a Tennessee Titan (which is pretty scary right now if you are a Colts fan!)

To celebrate the upcoming Halloween holiday, I recently watched a new 2 disc DVD re-release of “Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The story is told using traditional, painstaking three dimensional animation…essentially using special armatured puppets and minature sets and animating the puppets frame by frame. 

The story conceived by director Tim Burton, centers on Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween, who accidentally stumbles into Christmastown and discovers the magic of the Holiday season. Wanting to emulate the magic of ”Santy Claus,” Jack innocently turns Christmas into a nightmare.

I had seen the movie when it was originally released in theatres in the 90s. Disney re-released this classic over the last couple years in theatres as a 3-D event and had a great run with it.

I had forgotten how throughly enjoyable this movie was!

It’s got a terrific story and a great musical score written by composer AND singer Danny Elfman (he performs the voice of Jack Skellington). And the film looks positively stunning on DVD, especially in a digitally remastered edition. I watched it a couple times just to enjoy the effects and memorable characters. My kids loved it, too. It’s gothic, creepy fun but not too scary.

What makes the special edition even more special is the bonus features. Disney has included Tim Burton’s award-winning original short cartoon “Vincent,” about a little boy who dreams of being Vincent Price (narrated by Mr. Price!) The set also includes Burton’s first film, a 30 minute short called “Frankenweenie,” about a little boy that brings his dead dog back to life. It’s the short that launched Burton’s movie directing career. What especially cool…Burton reveals in a new introduction to the short that he and Disney are currently in production on a full length 3D animated version of “Frankenweenie” that will hit theatres in the next couple of years.

If you are looking for a holiday DVD (Halloween or Christmas) I recommend “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas” Special Edition DVD. Generally I’m leary of special editions of movies already released on DVD (studios release them with new features…DVD collectors call it “double-dipping.”) But this special edition is really something special.

***** 

Jonny Lee Miller as

Tuesday night on ABC, one of my favorite new shows from last season returned for a second year. I wrote a post last spring about the charm and wonderful storytelling of “Eli Stone.” I’m happy to report the show returned to decent ratings this week (ranked #2, nearly beating the well established “L&O:SVU.”)

“Eli Stone” follows a San Francisco attorney whose life is turned upside down when he starts having visions that foretell the future. The show stars the terrific Jonny Lee Miller as Stone and has a great supporting cast.   

Now I understand ABC has placed an additional four-episode order for ”Eli Stone” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series originally debuted as a mid-season replacement last season. The early order may suggest that ABC Studios is “pleased” with the show’s second season thus far, the trade paper says.

If you didn’t get to watch it, be sure to catch it here on the ABC Player on TheIndyChannel.com.

Great show, well worth the look.