Home Media Magazine - June 22-28, 2008 - (Page 14)

TV DVD Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com STILLWATERS Filmmaker John Waters fondly remembers hosting Court TV’s ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ By John Latchem ad John Waters directed Four Weddings and a Funeral, it probably would have been called Five Funerals. The cultish director was a natural choice to host “’Til Death Do Us Part,” an anthology series about spousal murder that aired on Court TV last year. BCI releases all 13 episodes of the series as a three-DVD set July 1 at $29.98. “I don’t even like weddings,” Waters said. “In real life I’m much more comfortable at funerals. I hope this doesn’t mean I won’t get invited to any more weddings. During the height of the show, I went to my niece’s wedding and tried not to roll my eyes or make something happen [over which] they’d kill each other.” As host, Waters serves as the “Groom Reaper” to set up the stories, which are based on real court cases about husbands and wives killing each other. “I thought of it as a pro-divorce show,” Waters said. “It’s hard to get away with killing your spouse. Not only do you have to dispose of the body, but you’re always the first suspect.” Though many compare the format to “Tales From the Crypt,” Waters said his primary inspiration came from such 1960s suspense series as “Thriller,” hosted by Boris Karloff, and “The Twilight Zone.” “These are shows where the host engages you,” Waters said. “In a way, I was enabling you to watch a show in which you knew the bride and groom would kill each other. If they ‘Will & Grace’ Finds Completion By John Latchem ionsgate Sept. 16 (prebook Aug. 20) will complete the “Will & Grace” collection with a DVD set of the eighth season, as well as a complete-series set of the whole show. The 33-DVD Will & Grace: The Complete Series Collection comes in an elaborate box at $249.98, while Will & Grace: Season 8 arrives as a four-DVD set at $44.98. “A fun collectable cube case with a bonus disc and series booklet really adds to the fun and wit of the show,” said Jenna Sonenshein, senior brand manager for Lionsgate. Extras for the eighth season include commentary on the finale, a “Final Bow” featurette, reflections with the cast, a blooper reel and a themed featurette. The complete-series set is slated to include pilot episode commentary, favorite-episode commentary with stars Debra Messing and Eric McCormack, a photo gallery and fan-favorite featurettes. “Both will be great gifts this holiday season,” Sonenshein said. “Will & Grace” won 16 Emmy awards during its eight-year run, including Outstanding Comedy Series. L H just beat each other up it wouldn’t have been as much fun. It’s weird to think that murder is OK but simple abuse isn’t.” Waters said he filmed a lot of extra scenes that he assumes comprise the DVD bonus footage advertised by BCI. “A lot of it is the Groom Reaper in his lair talking more about the background of the cases,” Waters said. “You get to see where the Groom Reaper lives.” The show ended, Waters said, after Court TV was rebranded as TruTV, but more seasons might have been difficult anyway. “If it were successful, you could never find enough real-life cases that were good enough, with all the plot twists you need,” Waters said. “Most husbands or wives kill each other for the boring reasons.” Waters currently is directing Fruitcake, which he describes as a “kids’ Christmas adventure,” and is writing a book called Role Models, a memoir about those who influenced him. But he looks back fondly at “’Til Death Do Us Part.” “We had something like 1 million people watch every night,” Waters said. “I thought that was pretty good for Court TV. That’s more people than watch most of my movies.” ANCHOR BAY PREPS ‘MASTERS OF SCI-FI’ By Billy Gil A nchor Bay Entertainment will release a Masters of Science-Fiction two-disc DVD set Aug. 5 (prebook July 3) at $29.97. The set houses the entire ABC series, plus two never-before-aired episodes. The series consists of adaptations of short stories from authors such as Howard Fast, John Kessel, Harlan Ellison, Robert Heinlein, Walter Mossley and Robert Sheckley. Episodes include “The Awakening,” based on a story by Fast and starring Terry O’Quinn and Elisabeth Rohm; “A Clean Escape,” based on a story by Kessel and starring Judy Davis and Sam Waterson; “The Discarded,” based on a story by Ellison and starring John Hurt, Brian Dennehy and James Denton; “Jerry Was a Man,” based on a story by Heinlein and starring Anne Heche and Malcolm McDowell; and DVD exclusives “Little Brother” (based on a story by Mossley) and “Watchbird” (teleplay by J. Michael Straczynski, based on a short story by Sheckley). ‘Californication’ Stars Celebrate DVD Set Poolside By Chris Tribbey OS ANGELES — The cast and crew of Showtime’s “Californication,” and a few hundred friends, took over a private residence last week to mark the release of the first season of the series on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment. The poolside party saw actors David Duchovny, Evan Handler, Madeline Zima, Pamela Adlon, Madeleine Martin, Paula Marshall and creator/ writer Tom Kapinos take a break L from production of season two. “‘Californication’ is another great example of Showtime’s groundbreaking original programming,” said David Bowers, VP of marketing for Showtime. “We’re thrilled with the pent-up consumer demand for the DVD and for the enthusiasm of our retail partners.” Zima said she was looking forward to seeing the DVD. “I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m sure we’ve got a blooper reel in there, and I’m sure it’s hilarious,” she said. “David [Duchovny] has some of the funniest moments.” Bowers added that the timing of the release couldn’t be better. “With the coming theatrical release of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, its publicity and marketing for David Duchovny, and the second season premier of ‘Californication’ on the network in the fall, we fully expect this DVD to perform as well as ‘The (L-R): “Californication” creator/writer Tom Kapinos and actors Evan Handler Tudors’ and ‘Dexter.’” and David Duchovny at the DVD launch in L.A. Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging 14 Home Media Magazine June 22–28, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - June 22-28, 2008 Contents News In Focus TV DVD Cine Mercado Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - June 22-28, 2008

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