Report from NYC event

[M Sampo]

This is posted on the web site, but we're putting it here as well as a
courtesy.
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NEW YORK CITY--Several members of the cast of MST3K hit The Big Apple this week
as part of a Sci-Fi Channel publicity tour. On Tuesday night, TV writers and
journalists from the city and elsewhere packed the Mark Goodson Theater at the
Museum of TV and Radio here to hear Mike Nelson, Mary Jo Pehl, Kevin Murphy,
Paul Chaplin and Patrick Brantseg hold forth about the new season. (Jim Mallon
did not make the trip, and Bill Corbett, who *was* scheduled to attend the
event, was also not present. When asked about Bill's absence, Mary Jo said Bill
"had to go home on personal business at the very last minute." Despite our
digging a bit to find out what happened, the Brains were mum on the subject. We
hope whatever called Bill away was not too serious.)
At the event, a bit of the upcoming Oscar special was previewed, and we
can now report that those who've been hoping that the Brains would take on the
movie "Titanic" are going to have their prayers answered. An *extensive*
riffing of a surprisingly large amount (for a half-hour program) of footage
from the movie apparently dominates the special.
Also screened at the event were clips from episode 903- Puma Man and
episode 904- Werewolf. We can report that these clips (like the Oscar special
clips) had this room full of jaded and world-weary New York journalists roaring
with laughter. Before and after the event, Sci-Fi Channel staffers could not
stop raving about episode 904- Werewolf in particular, and, during the question
and answer period, Kevin referred to the movie as "a gift from God."
Among the announcements at the event:
* A Sci-Fi Channel official said the MST3K areas of the Sci-Fi Channels
Dominion web site are *the* most popular areas on the entire Dominion.
* The first of the much-discussed MST3K comic books (in which Mike and the
bots will riff on bad comic books from the past) are due from Acclaim Comics in
July. For comic book afficionados, Kevin said that among the comics being
chosen for riffing are the old Gold Key comics.
* Merchandising of the MST3K brand name looks as if it will swing into high
gear this year. Look for a line of collectible figurines from a company called
Janus, and limited-edition signed and unsigned lithographs to be offered within
the next few months. Sci-Fi Channel officials say all manner of other
merchandising ideas are being explored, including action figures and a line of
greeting cards.
* Asked about the likelihood of new theme song later on in the season,
reflecting the new Castle Forrester premise, Kevin gave us a definite "maybe."
(Gee, thanks, Kevin<g>.)
* Asked about the fate of "Quest of the Delta Knights" which was announced
and then unannounced as a title to be riffed this season, Kevin said they were
still struggling with the rights issues and could not say for sure whether it
would make it to the schedule for season nine.
* On his first press tour, Patrick remained a quiet, low-key presence,
visibly uncomfortable with all the media hoopla at some points, happily soaking
up the attention at others. When Kevin noted to the assembled group that
Patrick had done such a good job of replicating Gypsys voice that few fans had
even noticed he'd taken over the role, there were murmurings of astonishment
from the crowd, many of whom apparently had not heard that Jim Mallon had
stepped down from the role. When we offered our positive reactions to his
performance as Gypsy, he seemed much more interested in our reactions to the
Castle Forrester set he'd slaved over for months. (An interesting footnote we
learned: When viewed from the top, the Castle Forrester model forms an "F"
shape.)
All in all, the cast handled the event with their usual grace and aplomb,
and we're guessing you're going to see some pretty positive press about the
series in the coming days.
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http://www.mst3kinfo.com
Home of the Official MST3K FAQ
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[Noah Singman]

M Sampo wrote:
>This is posted on the web site, but we're putting it here as well as a
>courtesy.

[Respectful snippage, but lots of it]

And since I don't visit the web site as often as I should, thanks so much,
Chris.

Sounds like lots of good news - I just wish I had known that this was
happening. I would have found some way to get in (it's just a quick subway
ride uptown from Wall Street).

Noah
MST#59539
More merchandise!! Yippeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!