TVSquad

A lot of people both in and around the media have been bashing Jay Leno, and maybe it's a little unfair. After all, it's the dunderheads at the top who are forcing Conan O'Brien to prove his willingness to preserve the sanctity of The Tonight Show, not Jay. That doesn't mean we still can't enjoy more fun at Jay's expense!

Mental Floss has compiled a list of the best Leno impressions that have appeared on a television near you, from Jim Carrey on In Living Color to Dana Carvey on (even shorter lived than The Jay Leno Show) The Dana Carvey Show. Here's my personal favorite of the bunch: Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Are you tired of having to set up your VCR to watch your favorite old tapes of Mystery Science Theater 3000? Does the thought of syncing up Mike Nelson's Rifftrax audio to a movie make your brain feel like its time for a nap? Do the convenience and reliability of DVDs seem like too much hassle to fulfill your MST3K itch?

Now the laziest human beings on the planet can enjoy the classic MST3K series on the web, that is if they don't consider moving a mouse and a minimal amount of typing too much physical activity for one day.

Hulu has picked up five episodes of the series from the fourth, fifth and sixth season including such famous episodes as Super Agent Secret Dragon, Monster-a-Go-Go and (my personal favorite both on and off the Satellite of Love's screen) The Giant Gila Monster. Watch it, then get some exercise, please.

You may not have gotten the day off for this momentous day in American history (damn you, socialist government!), but today marks a very special anniversary: the first ever episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The show officially hit the airwaves on a local Minneapolis station, KTMA, on Thanksgiving Day in 1988 by a young, fresh-faced Joel Hodgson. The rest, as people who rely on cheap cliches to heighten the dramatic effect with their weak words, is history. You can read the rest at the Satellite News site, the most exhaustive and interesting MST3K site on the Internet.

Every fan of the show and even occasional glancers remembers where they were when they first discovered this kind of cult comedy classics. For me, I discovered it with my old man who hates it when I call him my old man during the hilarious Pod People episode, arguably the funniest episode for the show and the worst movie the show has ever skewered.

I think I'm getting spoiled by special DVD sets. I have a lot of "complete series" sets and anniversary sets, and many of them are these massive, well put together sets that seem to be really complete and perfect. I'm thinking of sets that I own for such shows as The Twilight Zone, The West Wing, Friends, and The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as season sets in shows like The X-Files and The Simpsons.

I say we're spoiled because I think that even die hard fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 might be a little disappointed by the packaging for their new 20th Anniversary DVD set (there's two actually - a limited edition tin box and a regular set; this review is for the limited edition box in the pic above). Not for the content, but for the way it is put together.

Fa la la!

We told you last month about the new 20th anniversary DVD set for Mystery Science Theater 3000 that is going to be released later this year. The gang announced the details and the release date for the set yesterday at Comic-Con.

The 4 DVD set from Shout! Factory will be released on October 28 and will include four never-before-released movies: Laserblast, First Space on Venus, Werewolf, and Future War. Along with the movies will be tons of new interviews with everyone ever involved in the show, a documentary about the history of MST3K, footage of the Comic-Con Reunion panel, lobby cards, and even a collectible Crow T. Robot figurine! The set will come in a special 20th anniversary tin box (see pic above).

Are you a Mike person or a Joel person? And of course by Mike I mean Mike Tyson, and by Joel I mean singer/piano man Billy Joel.

OK, I'm actually talking about Mystery Science Theater 3000 hosts Mike Nelson and Joel Hodgson. Some people like Joel, who was the original kidnapped guy stuck on a ship with robots, but other people are loyal to Mike, the guy who took over for Joel when he left the series. I liked them both of course, though I think Mike grew on me a more. The commentary on The Brain That Wouldn't Die had me in tears.

Fans of Joel will be happy to know that he's coming back with a very MST3K-sounding project called Cinematic Titanic.

What a very cool, very clever idea: commentary tracks you can download to your iPod (or other mp3 player) and listen to while you watch a movie in your own home!

RiffTrax is from the brain of Mike Nelson, host and head writer of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He'll do wiseass commentary tracks, a la MST3K, and you listen to them while you watch the movie he's talking about on your DVD player or on your computer. The first movie is Roadhouse, the (as Mike puts it ) "best movie ever made about a world-famous bouncer and his epic struggle with the evil owner of the local J.C. Penney." The site is in beta mode right now, so I'm not sure if the $1.99 price is permanent. He might have guests join him in future commentaries. Make sure you vote on which movie you'd like to hear a commentary for next (right now, The Matrix is in the lead, but I'd love to see it be Cocktail.)

[via Slashdot]