Tag Archives: Music

TOP TEN: Roku Channels!

Zombietron and Arse-bot have broken down for you why they think the Roku is a great little device in their review of the Roku XD|S, so now they are going to give you their top ten list of best Channels (so far) you can get on the Roku! Along with the obvious necessities, they will also give you a few of their personal favorites that have enhanced their Roku experience!

10. MP3 Tunes – Genius idea, free for limited amounts of storage, and a subscription fee to boost your library size on the cloud (20 gigs for $20). Those of us with life on the go and not a ton of storage to take with us can link to the cloud through the Roku and mobile devices to access our media.

9. Kung Fu Theatre – I’m going to copy and paste in the channel description from Roku’s website as justification enough to download this work of genius.

A growing collection of lost Kung-Fu treasures with all the badly dubbed voices and over-the-top action you could hope for.
For just $1.99 per month, you can watch all you want.

8. IMAX – For the reasonable price of $19.99 (one time payment, not a monthly subscription) you can purchase the IMAX Channel on Roku and you’ll get 12 full-length documentaries that were featured in IMAX theaters – perfect for those of you out there with 65 inch flat screen TV’s. The only thing preventing this Channel from being a bit higher on the list? The sound quality sounds hollow and leaves something to be desired. Other than that though, still some very good content for a reasonable price.

7. Roku Newscaster – You’re not missing out on your national news if you cancel your cable. You can watch all of your favorite news programs from CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, and more. Includes full shows like 60 Minutes, Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper, and Rachel Maddow.

6. Amazon Video on Demand – Amazon offers a “pay-to-rent or buy” service via this Channel on the Roku. Essentially taking the place of Comcast on Demand (and other similar cable and satellite services) Amazon offers the ability to rent newer movie and television titles for 48 hours for $3.99 (SD) or $4.99 (HD) for movies, and $.99 (SD) or $1.99 (HD) for television shows. The nice thing about this channel is there are always weekend deals they offer at a reduced price (i.e. you can rent “this” new release for $1.99 in HD instead of $4.99 this weekend). You also have the ability to purchase movies and TV shows and the Channel will store them right there in your Amazon account for you to watch any time.

5. My MediaAlthough limited in its current platforms and application this is the first of what I’m sure will be many media streaming solutions for the Roku, as long as you’re running windows and a wireless network you can push content to any tv without plugging anything in. Enough said

4. Hulu Plus – Only appearing at number four on our list has nothing to do with the Hulu Plus interface on Roku. The user interface is clean, easy to navigate, and updates you right at start up what’s new and popular on this Channel. Dropping Hulu Plus to number four is the service itself. In order to view Hulu on any other device than a desktop or laptop computer they require you to sign up for Hulu Plus at $8/month – not completely unreasonable, except that this is the only paid version of a service that I know of that has less content than its free counterpart. Due to distributing rights, some shows are only available from a computer on Hulu and remain to be unseen on other streaming devices running Hulu Plus. For instance – Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show from FOX’s “Animation Domination” line-up are all available on Hulu Plus, but The Simpsons is nowhere to be found. That all being said, there is a lot of content to be viewed on this Channel and the folks at Hulu seem to be making all of their content available on both – the free and paid versions – as quickly as they can. It’s still well worth the $8/month price tag – but there’s a lot of room for improvement.

3. Pandora – I’m not sure I even need to justify this choice.. If your tv has any sort of decent sound system attached, why wouldn’t you shuffle your favorite artists?

2. USB Channel – Finally available as a public channel this speaks for itself for those using the Roku XD|S, plug in any format hard drive and watch your movies.  As stated in our review, blu-ray rips anyone?

1. Netflix – The juggernaut of online video streaming has a strong presence on the Roku, and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that it takes our number one spot. With a simple and easy to use UI and ability to manage your instant queue your Netflix experience on Roku will be far from lacking. With the Roku remote you have the ability to of course pause, fast forward, and rewind; if you can’t finish a movie in one sitting the Netflix Channel will start you right where you left off – even if you have since watched other titles.

You can check out ALL of the Channels that Roku offers and what they consist of to see if their programming is right for you!

Own a Roku? Tell us what your favorite channel is and why in the comments below!



GADGET REVIEW: Roku XD|S

Cable and satellite television can get to be pretty expensive. You start adding on additional channel packages and next thing you know you can be paying well over $100 or $150 so you can watch all the channels you want. Well, Arse-bot and Zombietron got tired of paying ridiculous amounts of money for our cable service so we began to look for alternatives. Apple TV seemed to be okay for what it is, but we were looking for something more than a vehicle to purchase movies and TV shows from iTunes with some Netflix mixed in. Google TV seems to have not quite gotten things with Hulu and Netflix squared away, especially since you can’t even access Hulu on it (at least, not without a little hacking), and the price tag is quite higher than we cared to pay. These are the two big name devices out on the market, and neither one seemed to offer what we were looking for in a streaming device, it was looking like we were going to have to be content with hooking up laptops to our TV’s with an HDMI cable to stream reasonably priced television – until we stumbled upon a wonderful little device called Roku.

We checked out the specs; HDMI Hookup with full 1080p support? Check. USB port to watch and listen to stuff you’ve downloaded to an external storage device? Check. Wireless and ethernet internet connection capability? Check. Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, MLB  and a bunch of other apps to access all sorts of video and music content any time you want all with a simple little remote and a price tag of less than $100? Check, check, and double check! We placed our orders, told our cable provider we were done paying their ridiculous prices, and starting getting our TV and movie entertainment via Roku! We’ve had our Roku’s for about three months now, and we’re going to break down the pros and cons of this device for all of you out there looking for an alternative to cable or satellite TV services!

Arse-bot: I’m going to leave all the technical specs to our resident techno-geek, Zombietron (below), and just touch on the basics. I consider myself to be an “average” Roku user, I took it out of the box, plugged it in, and started streaming, and frankly, that’s what’s so great about it.

Upon receiving the Roku, setup was simple. You don’t need to be a wiz at hooking up electronics – I hooked up my HDMI cable, plugged the Roku into the outlet and I was ready to start setting it up (this is all after I happily yanked my cable box out). Upon first start-up your little Roku box will walk you through step-by-step how to set it up. “Ethernet internet connection or wireless?” Wireless. “Select your network.” Selected. “Enter password” Entered. BOOM! My Roku is ready to roll and now it’s time to download the “channels” (or “apps”) you want!

The Roku has this handy little application that lets you download what they refer to as “Channels”. I got to downloading the necessities: Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Video on Demand. You simply install the Channel, enter your login information for these services, validate your hardware online and you’re ready to start streaming! It literally took me about 15 minutes to set up the Roku before I was watching Arrested Development on Hulu Plus. The user interfaces for all of these channels are simple to navigate via the handy Roku remote, and you’re streaming your favorite shows in no time.

For the life of me, I can’t think of any cons with regards to the Roku. I’m a standard user, and aside from the Roku freezing up once or twice (afterwhich it automatically resets itself and has you back to enjoying your movie in about a minute), I have had zero problems. I can honestly say I haven’t missed cable one bit since I cancelled it and opted for a Roku – I can access and manage my Netflix and Hulu Plus queues and order newer movies on demand from Amazon. For the slightly advanced user the Roku XD|S includes a USB slot to plug in an external hard drive to watch all the content you’ve downloaded, and while the video format options are a bit limited, it hasn’t proven to be a big problem.

I can easily say I don’t hesitate in saying I highly recommend the Roku for anyone out there looking for an alternative to cable, or even just a simple, small video streaming device to enhance your television-watching experience.

Zombietron: When I gleefully opened my Roku box on Christmas day, yeah Christmas, thanks mom. I had in my head this long list of things I was gonna do with this beautiful device. I was gonna stream my media from a central server, watch Netflix, play with Amazon Video on Demand, and so much more, I’ll leave most of that for our list of top Roku apps. The technical beauty of the Roku really comes in its open source applications, with a little programming knowledge anyone can grab the SDK and begin getting their apps released to the public. Being a huge fan of open source discussion and theory myself I have to come the conclusion that any device that allows creativity from its user community has great things in store. This alone is directly key to the success of the iPhone and any Android device. I’ll reiterate Arse’s thoughts that the ease-of-use for this machine rivals that of Apple’s connectivity. As long as you know your network name, password, and how to operate a remote you are on your way to being a Roku power user. That being said, anyone who reads my tech rants knows that I can’t give a compliment without filing some form of complaint. Although there are independent media server apps available, with simple enough use for technologically minded people such as myself, they still have yet to release a solution straight forward to the average person.

Ok, griping round 1 completed let’s continue with the praise:

The HDMI out alone makes this device worth its weight, especially for us feverishly stashing blu-ray rips for our entertainment demands. You may not stream in true HD, but even in the streaming world the nerd in me enjoys the pure digital signal. If I would have written this article up a few months ago I would have complained that the independent USB reading app didn’t support enough file formats, (seeing as from the beginning it only supported .m4v). The recently released Channel that you can install through store now supports additional formats including: avi, mpg, and WMV. At first the Roku also refused to recognize my HFS+ formatted drive that I use to back up my mac book but alas, that complaint has been satisfied. Even though the media format support has grown from a dastardly 1 filetype to 5 or so, they still need to work on getting all video and audio compression types supported.  As I’ve seen stated in developer forums, “if this thing supported as many media formats as VLC Player it would be unstoppable.”  I more than agree with that statement.

With consistent updates coming I’m sure that soon the wants of its community will be satisfied, and all in all this is a great open source product that really drives home the idea that TV is no longer cable driven, those of us with an internet connection can cancel cable, and simply utilize our own media outlets to feed our addiction. There’s a reason that Roku has sold 1 million units, and i’m sure this year will be just as successful for them.

Specs:

Interested in purchasing your own Roku? You can order one online at Roku.com! And be sure to check out Arse-bot and Zombietron’s top ten Roku Channels!

MUSIC REVIEW: Lyrics Born — As U Were

This is the fourth solo studio album of Japanese American Rapper Lyrics Born. I learned about Lyrics Born in his early solo career and quickly became a fan, his use of intelligent rap with very musical backgrounds made for some good listening. However when making his third album he decided to change his direction and he steered more towards soul and funk. Now Lyrics Born is a very creative good rapper, but he’s not a very good singer. His wife Joyo Velarde is a Filipino singer and anytime she’s featured on the albums it’s very good because she’s a very good singer. So his third album wasn’t very good, but it seems he’s serious about steering more towards soul music with rap as a secondary thing. So now his fourth album which came out on October 16th is a decent grouping of songs. There are about four songs which are really good, the best two tracks on the album are the first track “Kontrol Phreak” and the ninth track “Pushed Aside/Pulled Apart which features his former partner Lateef The Truthspeaker where Lateef is actually the best part of the song. One thing that some rappers for some reason get into is using skits throughout their albums, little tracks of themselves trying to create a story, and every single time some artist does that, it is awful. Three of the tracks are skits and they quickly take you out of the feel of the album. I’m not very happy with his current direction but invite you if you haven’t heard his music before to check out some of his earlier stuff from his first two albums.

Out of 4 stars: 2 stars.

Key Tracks:

“>Pushed Aside/Pulled Apart Music Video

REVIEW: Adam WarRock’s The War for Infinity

Adam WarRock (aka Eugene Ahn) released his new album, The War for Infinity, yesterday. I’ve basically been listening to it non-stop ever since.

WarRock has been releasing songs via his website http://www.adamwarrock.com/ for some time. He received some critical acclaim and good press coverage in public radio with his single, Ira Glass. He has also released a mixtape, West Coast Avengers (about a certain team of super heroes dedicated to serving the west coast), via Comics Alliance.

The War for Infinity is Adam’s first full-length original album. While “nerd” music has been around for quite a while, the concept for this album is very original – at least for me. Adam is not singing about comics, he is singing a comic story as a character within that story. Loosely based on the Marvel Comics Infinity War story from the 1990’s, the album tells the tale of Adam WarRock and Demonos, a power-mad villain trying to impress the female incarnation of Death.

There are basically two versions of the album available. The stand-alone disc is $10 and is available from his website (linked above). Amazon and iTunes have the digital album for $8.00. Additionally, the deluxe version ($12 from his site) comes with a free digital copy, a physical disc, exclusive button, and DJ Empirical’s mashup album (It Was Like That When We Got Here) that provides a new take on some of Adam’s tracklog.

Most modern music is full of singles fit for listening to on your iPod on shuffle. This album demands you listen to it from track one to track seventeen. The bonus 18th track, Ira Glass, is set apart from the story. From the top shelf first track, detailing the origins of Adam’s music based powers, I was hooked. Unfortunately, the second song became a little too repetitive despite it’s otherwise great content. Every song is quality, thanks in part to the collaboration with DJ Ruckus Roboticus and guest vocals from Tribe One. I especially enjoyed Heroes Requiem, but be warned: Watch your feet, this song is full of super hero name dropping. Battle (Reprise) was also enjoyable because of the very thin fourth wall.

Rap and hip-hop are not normally my favorite genre but I did grow up with it and it’s wonderful to see someone with Adam’s talent providing a serious take on the levity of comics. MC Chris, MC Lars, Kirby Krackle, etc. have all provided great music targeted towards geeks like me. But Adam’s action is just a little different. Retelling a classic Marvel story via “raps and swears” is brilliant and well executed. The only real complaint I can raise is that I think some of his free tracklog songs were much better (specifically Girl Comics and I Have Never Watched an Episode of Doctor Who In My Life). It was disappointing to buy his album and hear songs that didn’t always meet the quality of his free stuff. The cover art from Rusty Shackles (http://www.tabletopfetus.com/) is fantastic and I’m hoping there will be more art in the physical disc. Shipping of the disc is being slightly delayed by Adam attending New York Comic Con where he’ll be onstage with Kirby Krackle.

The Infinity Gauntlet may hold six stones, but my scale only goes to five. So I’ll give the album the full five gems – and it’s got enough Soul to fill the last one on its own.

Powerglove: Saturday Morning Apocalypse

Taking a slight diversion from the normal thrashing metal covers of video game songs, Boston-originating Powerglove is now tackling your favorite Saturday morning cartoon and movie songs on the newest album “Saturday Morning Apocalypse”. Jonny Quest, Batman: The Animated Series, The Simpsons and Pokémon among others fill the roster, but how do they compare to the band’s previous work?

The album starts off strong, with a driving crunch rendition of “X-men”, but it seems after that, the album loses a bit of the bite. With no soaring epic medleys like “Red Wings over Baron” The album engages in more direct conversions from the source, feeling a bit more canned then previous entries. It’s by no means a bad album, and despite a few flaws, it’s a must-have for any cartoon buff.

Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica also is a guest vocalist on two tracks, “The Simpsons” and a second, vocal version of the Pokémon theme song. It does seem to be a bit of a cheat to have the same track twice with only vocals being added, however.

On the whole, it’s worth picking up if you’re a fan or a cartoon geek. If you’re not familiar with Powerglove, downloading “Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man”, their finest work so far, from I-tunes should be first on your list before this album.

Buy “Saturday Morning Apocalypse” now off of Amazon.com!

MUSIC REVIEW: Calibro35

Calibro35 is an “Indie Funk Combo” from Italy and they play recreations and reinterpretations of obscure Italian film themes and original compositions indiscernible from the funky, classic feeling of the movie themes. Their CD “Ritornano Quelli Di…. Calibro 35” has just come out and their going to be playing in the United States starting next month. (Their big show in the United States is Thursday, October 21 at Nublu located at 62 Ave C between 4/5th streets in New York City.)

They have a very easy to listen to sound. I put the CD on at work and probably listened to it 20 times on repeat without realizing it. Not to say that it all sounds the same and you can’t tell, but that it’s such a perfect soundtrack for just about anything you want to do. And listening to it while you’re doing even the most mundane of tasks gives those tasks a completely unwarranted air of badass.

They capture the feeling of the themes from movies you don’t see anymore. I was reminded quite a bit of old Kung-Fu movies and 60s exploitation cop films. On their CD, they also cover greats like Ennio Morricone and others. They seem to have a deep love and respect for Italian and Spanish cinema. In fact, their CD cover was even painted by the same artist who painted posters for classic films like Antonioni’s “La Notte

This is a very, very fun CD and really fun to listen to. The music is very tight, the musicians play very well together and are clearly passionate about their music. It shows. I would recommend this to any cinema lover or lover of funk and film soundtracks. It’s a great album and you should pick it up.

If you’re not convinced, here’s Calibro35 doing some Morricone that I liked particularly:

And here they are performing “Indagine” live:

You can head over to their website and listen to a couple of more tracks there. You can also get it from Amazon, either on CD or with a digital download, by clicking this link.

UPDATED: John Williams Returns to Hogwarts

The talented composer John Williams returns to the world of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, according to Hollywood News. Williams composed the scores to the first three Potter films and is responsible for Hedwig’s Theme, considered the main theme of the series and is heard in each film. He chose to score Memoirs of a Geisha instead of the fourth Potter film The Goblet of Fire and earned an Academy Award nomination for his efforts.

His last Academy Award win was for 1993’s Schindler’s List, directed by friend and primary collaborator Steven Spielberg. Williams’ music appears in some of the most popular films of all time, including Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones. His music is some of the most recognizable ever produced.

Williams’ involvement will be a nice bookend for the Potter series. He started it in The Sorcerer’s Stone, and he is the one to finish it. His most recent project was 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so fans are undoubtedly awaiting something new and exciting from the legendary composer. However, they must wait until July 15, 2011 for the second half of Deathly Hallows to be released.

The first part of Deathly Hallows will be composed by Alexandre Desplat, who scored Twilight: New Moon. Look for it in theaters November 19.

UPDATE: We’ve heard reports that our initial report has been proven false, but he news regarding Williams has been reported by the Leaky Cauldron: http://tiny.cc/715qm.

While they have updated the site to indicate they are still awaiting “official” confirmation, THEY received the news from Potterish.com (who reportedly received the info from WB in Brazil).

As far as we know, this story is still good and will continue to update you if that changes.

REVIEW: Kirby Krackle

Our good friend Jeff “Jerk-Bot” Vice offered to review a couple of his favorite CDs from one of his favorite geek bands. So, without further ado, take it away Jerk-Bot:

KIRBY KRACKLE:

WHO THEY ARE:

— Jim Demonakos; Words and music
— Kyle Stevens: Words and music; vocals, guitar and bass

RELEASES:
Self-titled debut, 2009, Kirby Krackle Music
“E For Everyone,” 2010, Kirby Krackle Music

What you need to know about Kirby Krackle is this: You’re not likely to meet a nicer pair of guys working in either the comics or the music industry. When I met the duo at Comic-Con 2009, they practically forced a copy of their self-titled CD into my hands. They then also insisted on autographing it, as well as offering to get me (and guests) into a show they were performing that night. Mind you, that was after I had mentioned my various media outlets, but their nice-guy “routine” did not seem to be an act. Trust me on that.

What you also need to know: They’re huge dorks. Seattle-based musician Kyle Stevens loves his comics, video game, cartoons, films, sci-fi, what have you. So when he and longtime friend Jim Demonakos joined forces, musically, the results had to reflect their nerdy influences.

For example, the band’s name refers to visual “effects” in the artwork of beloved illustrator Jack “The King” Kirby. The song “Back to the Beginning” is told from the perspective of a player in the “Super Mario Karts” game. “One of the Guys” looks at what it’s like to be one Benjamin J. Grimm (aka The Thing, from Marvel Comics’ “Fantastic Four”). “Zombie Apocalypse” describes a “Shaun of the Dead”-like future. And “Dusty Cartridges & Long Boxes” is an all-too-familiar story for any nerds that have struggled with their relationships.

Not surprisingly, in only a couple of years Kirby Krackle has already exploded onto the comics and music scene. Performances at Comic-Con, as well as the Emerald City ComiCon, the annual event Demonakos founded and runs, were very well-received. (A few of these performances saw the duo accompanied by Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. But don’t hold that against them, DC Comics fans!)

Adding to the coolness factor, both of Kirby Krackle’s CD releases — the 2009, self-titled debut, and 2010’s “E For Everyone” — feature cover and other artwork by comics creator Jim Mahfood. (T-shirt designs featuring the Mahfood designs regularly sell out at the Kirby Krackle merchandise site.)

Still, all the comics and entertainment industry connections can only carry you so far in your career. Luckily for Kirby Krackle, their
music delivers the goods in full. Both CDs are loaded with hook-filled pop/rock creations. My personal favorites are “Back to the Beginning,” “Marvelous Girls,” “Henchman,” “Great Lakes Avengers” and “On and On.” “>The latter, told from the perspective of Marvel Comics character Wolverine, inspired a well-made fan film that’s currently available on YouTube.

There’s also a fan-run campaign to get the Kirby Krackle tune “Ring Capacity” onto the soundtrack for the upcoming “Green Lantern” feature film. (The song is also available for download on the Rock Band Network, meaning fans can jam out to it on that popular game.)

But don’t take it from me. You can check out clips and full-length songs from both CDs on the Website and the myspace page. And a music video for “Zombie Apocalypse” features animation from “Deathklok: Metalocalypse” artists Damon O’Keefe and Daisy Church.

— Jeff “Jerk-bot” Vice

— www.kirbykracklemusic.com
— www.kylestevensmusic.com
— www.facebook.com/kirbykracklemusic
— www.myspace.com/kirbykracklemusic

DC Announces The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection

This morning on DC’s blog, The Source, they announced a CD compiling music from various DC movies and television shows from the past 75 years. Here is that announcement with a track list of what will be on the disc.

There aren’t many things I love as much – or more – than comics, aside from my friends and family. Music is one of those things. Whether it’s discovering a new artist and wearing out their album, catching a show in the city or shuffling through my own music archives to find that perfect track for a mix CD, music is something that’s constantly on my mind. If you’re foolish enough to follow me on Twitter, you know this. Heck, I’m probably listening to some music right now.

So, the idea of mixing my two passions – comics and music – together  not only sounds good on paper, but in reality. DC Comics has produced a number of amazing books, televisions series, cartoons and more over the last 75 years. But never before have all the essential sounds and songs from these shows been collected in one place. Well, now they have.

It starts in 1941, with the theme to the classic Fleischer Superman cartoons and moves through the years, including shows and movies like BATMAN, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, LOIS & CLARK, BATMAN BEYOND, SMALLVILLE, THE BATMAN and a ton more, all on one compact disc – with 21 of the 31 tracks available for the first time ever.

The collection, which hits stores later this year, is a must-buy for any fan of DC Comics and it’s various television, film and cartoon interpretations. Scroll down for the track listing and album art. I know I’ll be popping my copy in once it arrives.

The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection

1.   Superman March – Sammy Timberg (1941)
-Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Academy Award Nominated cartoon series “Superman” produced by Max Fleischer. This was the first Superman cartoon.

2.   Theme From Superman (Album Version) – John Williams (1978)
– From the live-action film “Superman.” Digitally remastered.

3.   The New Adventures of Superman – John Gart (1966)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The New Adventures of Superman.”

4.   Lois and Clark / The New Adventures of Superman – Jay Gruska (1993)
– From the live-action TV Series “Lois and Clark”. Digitally remastered.

5.   The Adventures of Superboy – John Gart(1966)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Adventures of Superboy.”

6.   Superboy – Kevin Kiner (1988)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Superboy.”

7.   Smallville Season 8 (End Title) – Louis Febre (2008)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Smallville.”

8.   Batman: The Electrical Brain – Lee Zahler (1943)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action serial “The Batman.” This was the first filmed appearance of Batman.

9.  The Batman Theme (Album Version) – Danny Elfman (1989)
– From the live-action film “Batman”. Digitally remastered.

10. The Adventures of Batman – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the filmation cartoon “The Adventures of Batman.”

11. Batman TV Series Theme – Neal Hefti (1966)
-From the live-action TV series “Batman”. Digitally remastered.

12. Batman: The Brave and the Bold – Andy Sturmer (2008)
-From the cartoon “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”. Digitally remastered.

13. Batman Beyond – Kristopher Lee (1999)
-From the cartoon “Batman Beyond”. Digitally remastered.

14. Molossus from Batman Begins – Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard (2005)
-From the live-action film “Batman Begins”. Digitally remastered.

15. Justice League of America – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Justice League of America.”

16. Super Friends – Hoyt Curtin (1973)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “SuperFriends.”

17. The All New Super Friends Hour – Hoyt Curtin (1977)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The All-New SuperFriends Hour.”

18. Justice League Unlimited – Michael McCuistion (2004)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the cartoon “Justice League Unlimited.”

19. Legends of the Superheroes – Fred Wener (1979)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV special “Legends of the Superheroes.”

20. The Teen Titans – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Teen Titans.”

21. Aquaman – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Aquaman.”

22. Swamp Thing – Christopher Stone (1991)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV show “Swamp Thing: The Series.”

23. Shazam! – Norman Prescott & Yvette Blais (1974)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Shazam!”

24. The Flash – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Flash.”

25. Green Lantern – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Green Lantern.”

26. Green Lantern First Flight – Robert J Kral (2009)
-From the animated movie “Green Lantern: First Flight.” Digitally remastered.

27. The Atom – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Atom.”

28.  Hawkman – John Gart (1967)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Hawkman.”

29. Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show – Dean Elliott (1979)
– Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Ruby-Spears cartoon “The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show.”

30. Wonder Woman The Animated Movie End Title – Christopher Drake (2009)
-From the animated movie “Wonder Woman.” Digitally remastered.

31. Wonder Woman – Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel (1976)
-From the live-action TV series “Wonder Woman.” Digitally remastered.

Michael Giacchino to Score Star Tours II

According to reports from Rich Johnston’s Bleeding Cool and The Laughing Place, it is said that Michael Giacchino, the Academy Award winning composer of Up, LOST, Ratatouille, The Incredibles and others , will be doing an original score (presumably based on John Williams’ classic Star Wars score) for the revamp of Star Tours.

Williams declined to create new music for both the original Star Tours and Indiana Jones attractions, cues from the original soundtracks were recycled.

Giacchino is a tremendous composer and I can’t think of anyone better suited to adapting John Williams’ incredible score.

As far as Star Tours II, we know that it will be in 3D, some elements have already been shot (allegedly scenes including Boba Fett), and the destinations will be different.  It’s also been rumoured that each Starspeeder will have a different destination.

I can also speculate that this will be a prequel to the original ride.  In the original, Star Speeder 3000’s were the mode of transportation for the ride.  Early merchandising for the upcoming sequel featured an older looking Star Speeder 1000.

For a taste of the new Star Tours, check out the video that was apparently shown during The Last Tour To Endor event.  (I was there, but saw no sign of this video.  I’ll have a full report from The Last Tour To Endor soon.)