The Song That Started It All

For The Replacements, I mean. This is the demo version of “Raised in the City,” which I hadn’t heard until Other Other Elvis hipped me to that song-ranking site. Far superior to the album version.

The band soon recorded a four-song demo tape in Mars’s basement and handed it to Peter Jesperson in May 1980. Westerberg originally handed in the tape to see if the band could perform at Jay’s Longhorn Bar, a local venue where Jesperson worked as a disc jockey. He eavesdropped as Jesperson put in the tape, only to run away as soon as the first song, “Raised in the City,” played. Jesperson played the song again and again. “If I’ve ever had a magic moment in my life, it was popping that tape in,” said Jesperson. “I didn’t even get through the first song before I thought my head was going to explode.”

Get In My Eyes

In space no one can hear you squeal like a little girl.

Take an in depth voyage into the sci-fi masterpiece ALIEN with the visionary filmmakers who created it. See how one of the most terrifying movies of all time burst to life 40 years ago, inspired by ancient mythology and our universal fears.

Available in some theaters and OnDemand starting October 4!

Look What I Got

Kindle Deal of the Day last Sunday, $2!

In celebration of The Simpsons thirtieth anniversary, the show’s longest-serving writer and producer offers a humorous look at the writing and making of the legendary Fox series that has become one of the most revered artistic achievements in television history.

Four-time Emmy winner Mike Reiss—who has worked on The Simpsons continuously since episode one in 1989—shares stories, scandals, and gossip about working with America’s most iconic cartoon family ever. Reiss explains how the episodes are created, and provides an inside look at the show’s writers, animators, actors and celebrity guests. He answers a range of questions from Simpsons fans and die-hards, and reminisces about the making of perennially favorite episodes.

In his freewheeling, irreverent comic style, Reiss reflects on his lifetime inside The Simpsons—a personal highlights reel of his achievements, observations, and favorite stories. Springfield Confidential exposes why Matt Groening decided to make all of the characters yellow; dishes on what it’s like to be crammed in a room full of funny writers sixty hours a week; and tells what Reiss learned after traveling to seventy-one countries where The Simpsons is watched (ironic note: there’s no electricity in many of these places); and even reveals where Springfield is located! He features unique interviews with Judd Apatow, who also provided the foreword, and Conan O’Brien, as well as with Simpsons legends Al Jean, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and more.

Like Cary Elwes’ As You Wish, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s Seinfeldia, and Chris Smith’s The Daily Show: An Oral History, Springfield Confidential is a funny, informational, and exclusive look at one of the most beloved programs in all of television land.

Surprise, Bastards!

From Birth.Movies.Death. comes this great news …

A curious thing happened over the weekend: roughly halfway through Saturday, while the rest of the world was entirely focused on the goings-on at this year’s big D23 Expo, Netflix dropped something of a bombshell announcement – as recent rumors had indicated, the Breaking Bad movie was completed, and would hit the streaming service on October 11th.

And there’s even a poster.

Building A Vostok Wristwatch

Fascinating and informative.

This is a fascinating and informative demonstration of Vostok Komandirskie watches, from how the wristwatches are built, the basics of mechanical timekeeping, to the specific aspects of Vostok wristwatches. Includes a tour and of the Vostok facility and step-by-step explanation of how the wristwatches work and are built. The segment was produced by Russian television. This is an exceptionally well made segment on Vostok in specific, Russian watches in general and the macro of all watch functions. Covers the Komanderskie and Amphibia models. Also gives great demonstrations on how reliable and sturdy the Vostok watch is.

David’s Lab Revisited

Nice little Alien short.

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Alien: Covenant DVD release, we wanted to share a little fun we had thanks to a partnership with YouTube Space LA, who helped recreate David’s Lab from the film’s set.