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Futurama on Comedy Central HD - Page 3

post #61 of 160
7/21/09 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bull3964 View Post

This is why it's incredibly annoying to see all these big stars doing voices in animated movies. 9 times out of 10 they aren't creating a new character, they are playing a caricature of themselves.

I've heard more than a few celebs say they do big animation spots for their own children's benefit.
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post #62 of 160
7/21/09 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rezzy View Post

I've heard more than a few celebs say they do big animation spots for their own children's benefit.

Well, that's all great and everything, but that's just pretty much the definition of the ego stroking that Billy West mentioned. I'm real happy that Big Action Star #8 managed to score the part of the talking dog in the next big Pixsney production so that his kids can squeal with delight when they hear their dad's voice coming out of a CGI poodle. However, I can't help but wonder how much the movie could have been enriched if I wasn't being smacked in the face with THIS DOG IS A FAMOUS ACTOR PLAYING A DOG every 2 seconds.
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post #63 of 160
7/21/09 at 9:03pm
The ironic thing... everything Billy West says there is true... BUT also simultaneously is damning to himself when it comes to Futurama.

IF they shouldn't hire superstars for the big name... then it becomes similarly hard to argue that Futurama needs Billy West because he is a big name.

It almost undercuts his own position of importance because of name recognition... because it implies that it would be better for the studio to save money and go with cheaper voice talent than to hire the big familiar name.

Lest anyone think I'm not a fan of the real Futurama actors... I am certainly a fan, and I appreciate the voice actors and what they bring to animation, and I most certainly would notice if this is a real scenario and they don't reprise their roles.

However, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if a lot of folks just didn't notice.
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post #64 of 160
7/21/09 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bull3964 View Post

I'd like to know why people think doing a voice is any less acting than appearing in a live action program. In many ways, it takes more talent as you don't get to create the visuals that goes along with the performance and instead have to find a way to bring your character to life with 1/2 of the control.

This is why it's incredibly annoying to see all these big stars doing voices in animated movies. 9 times out of 10 they aren't creating a new character, they are playing a caricature of themselves.

Billy West himself pretty much summed it up.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/billy-west,13937/

Thanks for this post, bull. I remember reading or seeing that or a very similar interview with Billy West a few years ago. It was illuminating and I got what he meant almost immediately. It is totally uncool for producers to act as if voice actors are not really actors. He makes a good case that their kind of acting requires very different skills and a great range of voice characterizations and imagination to convey emotion and action with voice inflections alone. It's something to ponder.

Anyway, I get his frustration over how the big studios go to conventional actor stars for the big budget animated films and shut out voice talent from consideration for those roles. It's bad enough for the very best voice actors to be shut out of big Hollywood productions for the big screen. It's really a slap in the face for a television show in which they were an integral and critical part of its success (at least as a cult TV show on DVD and on Cartoon Network in reruns) to treat them as expendable. They aren't. The principal voice actors are the "face" of the show, and despite high quality scripts consistent with the characters we are all familiar with, without the same actors breathing life into their portrayals, they simply will not be the same characters. Casting is important, and voice casting is more than just sounding like someone else. The acting is real and organic. It's not just reading lines.

Anyway, I agree with Billy West on this issue.
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post #65 of 160
7/21/09 at 9:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMe2 View Post

The ironic thing... everything Billy West says there is true... BUT also simultaneously is damning to himself when it comes to Futurama.

IF they shouldn't hire superstars for the big name... then it becomes similarly hard to argue that Futurama needs Billy West because he is a big name.

It almost undercuts his own position of importance because of name recognition... because it implies that it would be better for the studio to save money and go with cheaper voice talent than to hire the big familiar name.

Lest anyone think I'm not a fan of the real Futurama actors... I am certainly a fan, and I appreciate the voice actors and what they bring to animation, and I most certainly would notice if this is a real scenario and they don't reprise their roles.

However, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if a lot of folks just didn't notice.

There's a little bit of a difference though. He was a large part of creating these characters. This would be a bit like Warner Bros. trying to force out Mel Blanc for voicing Bugs Bunny over a few dollars.

Really though, I can't imagine that their requests are out of line. They all love doing futurama and they pretty much do all sorts of bit voice work in all manner of cartoons. Fox had no issue paying them for doing the past 4 movies, why is it an issue now?

This whole thing is odd and I'm still leaning towards this being a stunt of some sort. Even the economics of this don't makes sense. Billy West does The Professor, Fry, Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, and a whole host of minor characters. Anyone with that much range (if they exist) is probably going to go for a premium too. The alternative is hiring more people (which again doesn't make economic sense) or lower the VA level of Futurama to Family guy where most of the characters sound the same (which would ruin the show.)

It would also be a bit of a slight to Phil Hartman. Billy West was friends with Phil Hartman and Phil was supposed to get the part of Zapp Brannigan before he died. Billy West views doing Zapp the way he does as a tribute to Phil.
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post #66 of 160
7/22/09 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bull3964 View Post

It would also be a bit of a slight to Phil Hartman. Billy West was friends with Phil Hartman and Phil was supposed to get the part of Zapp Brannigan before he died. Billy West views doing Zapp the way he does as a tribute to Phil.

Yeah, it was pretty obvious to anyone paying attention that Zapp was created for Phil Hartman to run rampant with... and a shame he didn't get to have the chance.
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post #67 of 160
7/23/09 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tighr View Post

From what I remember, Williams had some kind of tiff with Disney and backed out of the production.

It was more than a little 'tiff'. Williams did the original movie for scale, on the condition that Disney not use his name for any promotion of the movie. His logic was that if Disney wanted to use his name recognition to sell tickets, he should get paid more than scale.

Disney agreed, then went ahead and used his name in promotional material anyway. At the time, there were a number of Williams-related projects going at Disney, including theme park rides, interactive CD projects, etc. He said 'screw you' to all of them and held them up until Disney negotiated a settlement.
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post #68 of 160
7/23/09 at 5:13pm
OK, I went though IMDB and pulled the following voices and who acted them. There are many other bit voices not included. From the list, you can see that several of the actors have provided a large number of characters. I don't know if actors get paid by the voice or just a flat fee per episode, but some are irreplacable. The ones, like Katey Sagal, have distinctive recurring voices.

Anyway, her is the list, no where complete:


Billy West was responsible for Phillip J Fry, Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, Zap Brannagan, Richard Nixon's Head, Leo Wong

John DiMaggio: Bender, Elzar, Mom's son Ignar, Mr. Panucci, Yancy Fry Sr, Robot Santa, Elves, Henry Kissinger's Head

Tress MacNeille: Mom, the Grand Midwife, Mrs. Fry, Slurm Queen,Tinny Tim

Maurice LaMarche: Kif Kroker, The Donbot, Clamps, Calculon, Morbo, Lrr, Horrible Gelatinous Blob, Mom's son Walt, and Hedonism Bot, Hyper-Chicken, Robot Devil

Phill LaMar: Hermes Conrad

Katey Sagal: Leela

Lauren Tom: Amy Wong, Inez Wong

Dan Castellaneta: Robot Devil (also voiced by Maurice LaMarche)

David Herman: Scruffy,Reverend Preacherbot,Crow T. Robot ,Slurms McKenzie, Niedermeyer,Dr. Ogden Wernstrom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurama
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post #69 of 160
7/31/09 at 9:20pm
Thread Starter 
AND THEY'RE BACK!!!

We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Apparently a no show at Comic-Con last week was enough to get FOX to reconsider their position, and they have resigned all the cast members back on to the show.
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post #70 of 160
8/1/09 at 12:48am
Crisis averted. Anything else would have been unwatchable.
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post #71 of 160
8/1/09 at 2:39am
Now we'll never know.
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post #72 of 160
8/1/09 at 5:22am
The next time we hear "Good news, everyone!" it will have a whole new meaning, at least to me.

I'm very happy for the cast and for fans everywhere, including me. The producers made a good decision by relenting and re-opening negotiations with the principal cast. They would have been shooting themselves in the foot otherwise, as the show would have lost much of its following, in my estimation.

Now, even if the show doesn't do well enough in the actual TV ratings (and thus generate enough ad revenue), at least they can probably count on healthy DVD/Blu-ray sales in the future to get a good return on their investment. It's a good risk. Everybody wins, I hope.
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post #73 of 160
8/1/09 at 7:03am
What a shock.
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post #74 of 160
8/5/09 at 9:27am
Possible good news for those of us without Comedy Central HD:

Quote:


The deal 20th Century Fox made with Comedy Central allows for a broadcast network to first air the new episodes, should a separate deal be made. The natural place for that to occur would be the FOX network, both because of their corporate connection to 20th and because they were where Futurama first aired - but as of now, no deal has been made with any network for the show. However, Variety notes that with a year still until Futurama is set to air on Comedy Central, a deal could still happen.

http://tv.ign.com/articles/101/1010015p1.html
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post #75 of 160
8/5/09 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus Carr View Post

Possible good news for those of us without Comedy Central HD:



http://tv.ign.com/articles/101/1010015p1.html

I would imagine FOX would want this as it would be a big marketing campaign for its eventual home release. Either way it will be on Hulu or some such website for sure.
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post #76 of 160
3/18/10 at 11:22am
Thread Starter 
Comedy Central started running promos for the 2010 season (in HD) last night. First eps to start in June.
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post #77 of 160
3/18/10 at 12:35pm
June 24 at 10. (I'm getting Comedy Central HD on Comcast next month.)

http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2010-...entral-in-june
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post #78 of 160
3/18/10 at 6:47pm
Cool... I had almost forgotten about more Futurama coming, and in HD to boot.
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post #79 of 160
6/3/10 at 9:31am
Futurama Makes a Triumphant Return to Our Planet! The All-New Season of 'Futurama' Premieres on COMEDY CENTRAL Thursday, June 24 at 10:00 P.M.

Emmy(R) Award-Winning Animated Comedy Series Lives Again On COMEDY CENTRAL More Than Six Years After Last Original Episode

Entire Original Voice Cast Returns For A Sixth Season Stacked With New And Returning Guest Stars

Series Marks Its 100th Episode On Thursday, September 2

Users Can Visit comedycentral.com To Get "Futurama" Web-Exclusive Content, Including A Recap Video Narrated By Zapp Brannigan, Episode Previews And Highlights Plus Interviews With The Cast And Executive Producers

NEW YORK, June 2, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Prepare to be transported to the year 3000 for the return of Fry, Bender, Leela and the usual cast of twelve-dimensional space monsters. Back by popular demand, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" debuts its sixth season of 12 all-new half-hour episodes on Thursday, June 24 at 10:00 p.m. on COMEDY CENTRAL, kicking off with a special hour-long block of two back-to-back new episodes. The series also reaches a milestone on Thursday, September 2, when it celebrates its 100th episode.

"Futurama" follows the life of Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a pizza delivery boy who accidentally stumbles into a freezer on December 31, 1999 and wakes up a thousand years later. In his future home of New New York City, Fry goes to work for the Planet Express Intergalactic delivery company, where he befriends Bender (John DiMaggio), a booze-fueled robot, and sets his romantic sights on Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy cyclops who enjoys beating him up.

In the premiere episode, "Rebirth," a devastating space battle leaves the delivery crew members reduced to skeletons. Their only hope for survival is the Professor's experimental re-birth device, but its use results in severe sci-fi complications.

In the second episode, Leela and hunky space captain Zapp Brannigan find themselves stranded, alone and naked, on a Garden of Eden-like planet.

Special guest stars this season include Chris Elliot, Craig Ferguson, George Takei, Sergio Aragones, Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Katee Sackhoff and Mark Mothersbaugh.

http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/new...px?RID=1433710
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post #80 of 160
6/3/10 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus Carr View Post

Futurama Makes a Triumphant Return to Our Planet! The All-New Season of 'Futurama' Premieres on COMEDY CENTRAL Thursday, June 24 at 10:00 P.M.

Emmy(R) Award-Winning Animated Comedy Series Lives Again On COMEDY CENTRAL More Than Six Years After Last Original Episode

Entire Original Voice Cast Returns For A Sixth Season Stacked With New And Returning Guest Stars

Series Marks Its 100th Episode On Thursday, September 2

Users Can Visit comedycentral.com To Get "Futurama" Web-Exclusive Content, Including A Recap Video Narrated By Zapp Brannigan, Episode Previews And Highlights Plus Interviews With The Cast And Executive Producers

NEW YORK, June 2, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Prepare to be transported to the year 3000 for the return of Fry, Bender, Leela and the usual cast of twelve-dimensional space monsters. Back by popular demand, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" debuts its sixth season of 12 all-new half-hour episodes on Thursday, June 24 at 10:00 p.m. on COMEDY CENTRAL, kicking off with a special hour-long block of two back-to-back new episodes. The series also reaches a milestone on Thursday, September 2, when it celebrates its 100th episode.

"Futurama" follows the life of Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a pizza delivery boy who accidentally stumbles into a freezer on December 31, 1999 and wakes up a thousand years later. In his future home of New New York City, Fry goes to work for the Planet Express Intergalactic delivery company, where he befriends Bender (John DiMaggio), a booze-fueled robot, and sets his romantic sights on Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy cyclops who enjoys beating him up.

In the premiere episode, "Rebirth," a devastating space battle leaves the delivery crew members reduced to skeletons. Their only hope for survival is the Professor's experimental re-birth device, but its use results in severe sci-fi complications.

In the second episode, Leela and hunky space captain Zapp Brannigan find themselves stranded, alone and naked, on a Garden of Eden-like planet.

Special guest stars this season include Chris Elliot, Craig Ferguson, George Takei, Sergio Aragones, Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Katee Sackhoff and Mark Mothersbaugh.

http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/new...px?RID=1433710

I could have sworn we said that already (minus the hyperbole).
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post #81 of 160
6/23/10 at 1:56pm
I set up a Series Link for new episodes of Futurama 2010 and found that all 6 episodes scheduled for Thursday 6/24 will be recorded, even though the first 4 half-hours seem to be the exact same episode, Into the Wild Green Yonder. Can it be that the same title is being applied to 4 different episodes?

Funny that Rebirth — supposedly "the premiere episode" (as well as In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela) follow the 4 shows called Into the Wild Green Yonder. All 6 episodes are labeled "First Aired: 6/24/2010".
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post #82 of 160
6/23/10 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Syzygy View Post

I set up a Series Link for new episodes of Futurama 2010 and found that all 6 episodes scheduled for Thursday 6/24 will be recorded, even though the first 4 half-hours seem to be the exact same episode, Into the Wild Green Yonder. Can it be that the same title is being applied to 4 different episodes?

That would be the 4th direct-to-dvd movie (split into 4 parts/episodes)

It premiered on TV a while ago... don't know why it's coming up as new.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futuram...d_Green_Yonder
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post #83 of 160
6/23/10 at 2:08pm
Yep, I just checked Wikipedia, which says Into the Wild Green Yonder is the last of a series of four straight-to-DVD Futurama movies. Elsewhere on the Web, someone says it's the best of the four.

Glad I'm recording it. I might not have seen it. It's new to Comedy Central, right?
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post #84 of 160
6/23/10 at 2:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Syzygy View Post

It's new to Comedy Central, right?

Nope theyve aired it before.

Dont know why the guides are saying its a 6/24 1st air.

CC chopped all 4 movies into 16 eps.
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post #85 of 160
6/23/10 at 4:22pm
That is odd. My DVR (U-Verse) is only recording "Rebirth" and "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela".

I watched all 4 movies via Netflix (on Blu-Ray!) and I agree, the last one was the best, so you'll enjoy it. I also liked the first one, "Bender's Big Score." If you like Futurama, you owe it to yourself to watch all 4 movies though. This show's respect of canon and continuity is fantastic and treated far differently than most cartoons in that the passage of time is acknowledged (i.e., there isn't a reboot every week). I wouldn't be surprised if "Rebirth" makes mention of the fact that the year is now 3010.
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post #86 of 160
6/24/10 at 3:11pm
I'm not a huge fan of this show, but I used to watch it.
Looking forward for tonight's episodes. I think it's going to be in HD, that will be a plus.

Dishnetwork will delete Comedy Central-HD before tonight's premier
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post #87 of 160
6/25/10 at 6:59am
Good news everyone! episodes were great, and, most of all, plenty of
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post #88 of 160
6/25/10 at 7:29am
I'll watch the new eps tonight or tomorrow. I also have the movies, but I thought the first was by far the best and each successive one was worse than the previous.
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post #89 of 160
6/25/10 at 8:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirjonsnow View Post

I'll watch the new eps tonight or tomorrow. I also have the movies, but I thought the first was by far the best and each successive one was worse than the previous.

The first movie was the best, but the last one was also really good. The continuity on this show is one of its main drawing points for me.

New episodes were good, but seemed to fly by quick. Maybe I was just used to the longer plots of the movies.
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post #90 of 160
6/25/10 at 9:24am
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