TVSquad

The Rifftrax crew is about to embark on a massive effort to perform a live show in more than 400 theaters across the country. And, they'll do it all in one night.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumni Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett have joined forces with Fathom Events to present Rifftrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space. On Aug. 20, Rifftrax will present an evening of live riffing, originating from Nashville, Tenn. and beaming into movie theaters nationwide at 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT, and a tape delayed 8 PM PT.

The trio will take on what some say is the worst film of all time, Plan 9. Of course, only people who haven't seen Manos: The Hands of Fate or anything directed by Coleman Francis would give Ed Wood's anti-classic that honor. But, Plan 9 offers the Rifftrax guys more than enough ammunition.

While tickets continue to sell fast for Rifftrax's first live shout-out, Nelson, Murphy and Corbett sat down to discuss what led to the big event.

Why did you decide to take on this cross-country live show?

Corbett: We've done live shows in the past -- in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Comic-Con. And we had so many requests from other cities who wanted us to come out and perform.

Murphy: This event allows us to reach out to all those cities -- including towns that we could never get to otherwise. We're going to more than 400 theaters nationwide.

Was riffing Plan 9 an easy call?

Nelson: We needed a title that was recognizable -- that people knew would be fun. We've riffed it live before and audiences seemed to enjoy it because it has that universal reputation as "the worst film ever made."

Why are you using the color print?

Murphy: It's not widely known, but when anyone under the age of 25 tries to watch a black and white movie, they see nothing. Just a blank screen. Like dogs who can't see color. So we decided to go with Legend Films' colorized version.

How did you decide to go with Fathom to handle the tech side of the nationwide broadcast?

Nelson: That's what they do. It became clear when we started to look into this that -- if you're anything like what we're trying to do -- Fathom is the company you use. It's gone really smoothly so far.

Corbett: That's why we're broadcasting from Nashville. Mike is based in San Diego, and Kevin and I are in Minneapolis. But Fathom selected the Nashville area because it worked best for them.

Did your earlier online snafus at Rifftrax help lead you to this show?

Nelson: We've tried to do feature-length riffs online nationally, but we melted the servers down. We just weren't prepared for the demand or the popularity, and those online riffs crashed. Fathom will handle all of those specifics now.

Corbett: Also, I think it adds the fun element of going to a theater and seeing the show. That makes it an event -- as opposed to people sitting in front of their computers.

If this live show goes well, will there be follow-up shows?

Murphy: We hope so. People seem to be excited about it, and some of the venues have already sold out. If all goes smoothly, we'd do it again.

Corbett: It's not like there's a shortage of bad movies to riff.

To get a seat for this first try at national riffing, fans should check out the list of theaters. All in attendance receive a digital copy of a riffed short film, music and other goodies. Tickets are available on the Rifftrax site.