Blanchard, John

The Kids in the Hall Megaset

For five groundbreaking seasons Canadian-bred comic prodigies THE KIDS IN THE HALL stretched sketch comedy to its ultimate limits with hilariously off-the-wall results. With a cast of comic creations only the brilliant--or truly twisted--could imagine THE KIDS IN THE HALL: THE COMPLETE SERIES MEGASET presents the Kids nearly 800 sketches from every single episode of each season in this stunning 20-disc set. From the infamous Chicken Lady and Crushing Your Head to Buddy Cole and the romantically challenged Cabbage Head these pioneering edgy and ever-charming comedians always managed to land on the stranger side of funny--and look good in floral dresses while doing it. Unhinged unprecedented and unfailingly unpredictable the Emmy® nominated critically acclaimed cult favorite THE KIDS IN THE HALL is at long last available in its sidesplitting entirety. Be warned: the complete compendium of THE KIDS IN THE HALL could lead to irrepressible episodes of spontaneous head-crushing. FEATURING: Buddy Cole Hecubus Head Crusher Chicken Lady Apathetic Cop Gavin Sir Simon Milligan A.T. & Love Boss The Queen Cabbage Head Bad Doctor Francesca Fiore Bearded Lady Flying Pig Satan DVD Features: An Oral History-Season 1: 45 Minutes of Interviews with the Kids and Lorne Michaels; An Oral History-Season 2: 15 minutes with the Kids Paul Bellini and Lorne Michaels; Audio Commentary by The Kids; 10 Best-of Compilations Featuring Fan-Favorite Sketches; Over 90 Minutes of Original Performances from the Rivoli Theater; Archival Footage Never-Before-Seen-on-TV; Original KIDS IN THE HALL Performance Poster Gallery; Slide Show; Cast Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 733961760477 Manufacturer No: AAE-76047

Grounded for Life: Season 3

13 COMPLETE EPISODES INCLUDING 2 NEVER SHOWN IN PRIMETIME! The Finnerty Family returns with an all-new season of trust, sharing, and the kind of behavior that often leads to arrests. Why does working class dad Sean (Donal Logue) have to wear a dress in front of truckers? How did hot mom Claudia (Megyn Price) become addicted to violent video games? Why is criminally minded Uncle Eddie (Kevin Corrigan) so excited about their new bar? What has out-of-control Lily (Lynsey Bartilson) done to her poor boyfriend-next-door Brad (Bret Harrison)? How will unruly boys Jimmy (Griffin Frazen) and Henry (Jake Burbage) survive a hot wings binge? And what really happens when you swallow a lizard? Includes 13 hilarious episodes - plus 2 that were never aired on the WB - featuring such guest stars as Richard Riehle, Mike Vogel, Wilmer Valderrama, Stephen Root, Miriam Flynn, Loudon Wainwright III, Curtis Armstrong and more

Grounded for Life: Season 2

Grounded for Life - Season One

Grounded for Life was the indie film version of the family sitcom. Donal Logue, Kevin Corrigan, and Richard Riehle had all done time in plenty of independent productions before making the move to network TV. Sean Finnerty (Logue, The Tao of Steve) is a subway worker and wife Claudia (Megyn Price, Lateline) is a restaurant hostess. Their favorite band is the Ramones. The Staten Island-based couple started having children just out of high school (they're both 32). They aren't bad parents, but they're still just kids themselves. Aside from 14-year-old Lily (Lynsey Bartilson) and grade schoolers Jimmy (Griffin Frazen) and Henry (Jake Burbage), the Finnertys are joined by Sean's slacker brother, Eddie (Corrigan, Walking and Talking), and old school dad, Walt (Riehle, Office Space). Recurring characters include Brad O'Keefe (Bret Harrison), the boy next door (who harbors a not-so-secret crush on Lily), and Sister Helen (Miriam Flynn), St. Finian's take-no-prisoners principal. Standout episodes include "Jimmy Was Kung Fu Fighting" in which Jimmy makes like a pint-sized Jet Li--in his dreams (Grounded for Life makes frequent use of flashbacks and fantasy sequences)--and the Emmy-nominated "Mrs. Finnerty, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," in which Sean attempts to bribe Sister Helen on Lily's behalf. First year guests include The O.C.'s Adam Brody ("Action Mountain High") and That '70s Show's Danny Masterson ("Baby, You Can't Drive My Car"). Grounded for Life, which began life on Fox before moving to the WB, was created by 3rd Rock veterans Bill Martin and Mike Schiff, featured music by Ween, and was renewed for four more seasons. Fun fact: Every one of the 91 episodes, including the 20 on this collection, is named after a pop song ("In My Room," Devil's Haircut," "Dream On," etc.). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

RAISING KIDS CAN BE TOUGH. IT'S EVEN HARDER WHEN THEY'RE REALLY RAISING YOU! Donal Logue and Megyn Price star as Sean and Claudia Finnerty, a fun-loving Staten Island couple who were pregnant and married by age 18. Now in their early 30s, they're stuck raising three headstrong kids while still trying to grow up themselves. Even with the meddling of Sean's irresponsible brother Eddie (Kevin Corrigan) and judgmental father (Richard Riehle), can three generations of family dysfunction survive everyday life and still stay as cool as they think they are? Lynsey Bartilson, Griffin Frazen, Jake Burbage and Bret Harrison also star in this Emmy®-nominated hit from the executive producers of ROSEANNE

The Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 1 (1989-1990)

Thirty Helens agree: The Kids in the Hall is a funny show. (Mr. Tyzik, the bitter Head Crusher, however, may not agree.) The no-holds-barred sketch comedy is also strange, silly, profane--occasionally even profound. The five Canadian writer-comedians behind it, Dave Foley (NewsRadio), Bruce McCulloch (Superstar), Kevin McDonald (That ''70s Show), Mark McKinney (Saturday Night Live), and Scott Thompson (The Larry Sanders Show), formed the troupe in the early 1980s. Naturally, they weren't really kids, but boyish-looking men in their twenties and thirties. SNL's Lorne Michaels produced the series, which lasted for five seasons, and aired on HBO, Comedy Central, and Canada's CBC. It garnered three Emmy nominations and was followed by the theatrical cult classic The Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996) and several tours.

The Toronto-based team took more inspiration from the absurdity of Monty Python--and the craziness inherent in everyday life--than the topical humor of SNL (on which celebrities, politicians, and pop culture are frequent targets). Each 30-minute installment features short, punchy skits (some filmed in advance, some before a live audience), men in drag, and no special guest hosts or stars (musical or otherwise). During their small-screen rein, the Kids took aim at everything from mainstream comedy and corporate culture to sexism, bigotry, and pretension. Many of their best-loved characters first appeared during the 20 episodes produced between 1989-1990. They include the 30 Helens (30 Helens standing in a field agreeing about something or other), Tyzik (McKinney), rockin' Bobby (McCulloch), bickering Fran and Gordon (Thompson and McCulloch), chatty Cathy and Kathie (McCulloch and Thompson), the "Nobody Likes Us" guys (Foley and MacDonald), and the acerbic Buddy Cole (Thompson).

Canadian underground heroes Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet provided the icing on their spicy little cake with their wistful surf-rock theme "Having an Average Weekend." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Best of MadTV Seasons 8, 9 & 10

The Best of MADtv Seasons 8 9 & 10 contains three hours of the most hilarious sketches from irreverent hit comedy show MADtv. MADtv is a late night sketch-comedy show based on the humor of the popular MAD magazine. Material includes celebrity impersonations music video commercial movie and TV show parodies recurring characters musical guests and the occasional mock cartoons. The show competes against another popular sketch-comedy show the long-running Saturday Night Live but the show is aimed at a younger audience. With the show's revolving-door cast of talented comedic actors and numerous Emmy Award nominations MADtv is truly a success story.System Requirements:Running Time 175 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 012569724327

Following the release of MadTV's complete first season, this generous three-hour single-disc collection of sketches, spoofs, and parodies from the long-running series' three most recent seasons seems a little slapdash. There is, for example, no opening-credit sequence, so a newcomer to the series might never know just who is doing the dead-on Ellen DeGeneres imitation in the season 9 sketch "Letters to Lincoln." This collection includes some of MadTV's most inspired cross-parodies, including "Oprah: Jackass" and a pitch-perfect reality TV collision between The Osbournes, The Anna Nichole Show, Cops, and even a "Jay Walking" Jay Leno. Also included is one of MadTV's most epic movie parodies, the "Lords of the Bling: The Two Ta-Tas" as well as "The Honeymooners 2003," still in black and white, but with much coarser language and a terror alert. Sketches featuring such singularly annoying characters as hyper-child Stuart (Michael McDonald), ditzy Dot (Stephnie Weir), and throat-clearing Lorraine are a matter of taste, although the wildly enthusiastic studio audience greets their entrances as if they were rock-star royalty). --Donald Liebenson

The Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 4 (1992-3)

Braver, weirder, and funnier, THE KIDS IN THE HALL: COMPLETE SEASON 4 finds the lovable quintet reaching new heights of sublime absurdity. Highlights include an episode-length sketch starring the Queen of England and the divine confidence of Buddy Cole, favorites like the Chicken Lady and Cathy & Kathie, and fresh newcomers like the Losers and Fight Pickers. Endearing and edgy, each sketch is a work of genius held together by inspired writing, flawless timing, and racks and racks of stuffed brassieres.

System Requirements:

Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 5

This is it the final installment of the inspired mayhem and lunatic brilliance that was the KIDS IN THE HALL tv phenomenon (before the inevitable "Best Of" "Retrospective" "Reunion Specials" and other wallet-sucking formulations arrive of course). But there's no such crass commercialism here just an honest-to-goodness collection of North of the Border based sketch comedy delivered by five men utterly unafraid to don a dress in the name of a good laugh (or frankly a cheap giggle).The 20 complete episodes from the fifth and final season are joined by the series finale and augmented by expanded audio commentary from the Kids and a host of other great extras. Don't miss this opportunity to complete your KIDS IN THE HALL collection.System Requirements:Running Time: 525 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 733961756296 Manufacturer No: AAE-75629

Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 3 (1991-1992)

With greater success comes greater confidence. Fortunately, the Kids had the talent to back it up. For their third season, the Canadian quintet upped the ante with more location work (the show is less set-bound than before), more extras (especially senior citizens and canines), and more special effects (Bruce McCulloch's Flying Pig, Kevin McDonald and his twin, Scott Thompson and his robotic double). The basic format, live sketches combined with short films, remained the same. As with their second year, the Toronto troupe brought back a number of fan favorites, while introducing a bevy of new eccentrics.

Like a cartoon version of Freaks, the Chicken Lady (Mark McKinney) returns with new bosom buddy the Bearded Lady (McDonald). Better yet, she discovers scantily clad stripper Rooster Boy (Thompson). Can she handle the excitement? (Short answer: No.) Other returning characters include gabby geek Gavin (McCulloch), bitchy bar man Buddy Cole (Thompson), Jacques Tati-like Mr. Heavyfoot (Dave Foley), clueless Police Department Cops (McCulloch and McKinney), and Sir Simon Milligan (McDonald) and Satanic manservant Hecubus (Foley). Even the "It's a Fact" girl makes a reappearance, although McKinney takes her place when she demands more money ("Triple scale!").

Third year highlights include McDonald's uber-blasé Empty Promises Guy ("It slipped my mind…") and McCulloch's catchy "Terrier Song," in which he extols the virtues of the popular breed ("Give terriers a chance / Do the terrier dance"). Unlike most sketch comedies, The Kids in the Hall was never about guest stars. Nonetheless, sharp-eyed viewers are sure to recognize a pre-Party of Five Neve Campbell in "Pizzeria," in which McDonald and McKinney become gibbering idiots in her private schoolgirl presence. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Overwhelming audience demand brings THE KIDS IN THE HALL back on DVD with another brilliant set of sketch comedy classics! After two highly influential seasons, the comedic quintet hit their stride in THE KIDS IN THE HALL: COMPLETE SEASON THREE. Writing and performing every sketch, everyone's favorite shape-shifting Canadians offered up more uproarious, risqué, but always sweet and charming takes on life's absurdities. From familiar favorites like the Chicken Lady and Mississippi Gary to brilliant originals like "Flying Pig" and "Girl Drink Drunk," THE KIDS IN THE HALL always found their unique humor in the strangest corners. DVD Features: New Audio Commentary by the Kids; 2 Season 3 Best-of Compilations Featuring Fan-Favorite Sketches; 30 More Minutes of Never-Before-Seen-On-TV Performances from the Rivoli Theater; Slide Show; Biographies; And More…

The Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 2 (1990-1991)

All your favorite characters are back for the second season of The Kids in the Hall--but the stakes have been raised. Bobby (Bruce McCulloch) is still rockin', but now he's battling more than just his parents in "Bobby vs. Satan." (Shades of the Charlie Daniels Band!) Meanwhile, the increasingly outrageous Buddy (Scott Thompson) steps off his bar stool to manage the Sappho Sluggers in "Buddy Plays Softball," does time in "Buddy Cole in Jail," and is freed by a batty judge (Dave Foley) in "Justice."

Then there are the other familiar faces. Cathy (Thompson) and Kathie (McCulloch) are still dieting, Fran (Thompson) and Gordon (McKinney) are still bickering, Cabbage Head (McCulloch) is still trying--in vain--to score and, after a potentially debilitating injury, Mr. Tyzik (McKinney) is still crushing heads. (Alas, the 30 Helens and the "Nobody Likes Us Guys" appear to have gone missing.)

This four-DVD boxed set of the Canadian sketch comedy includes all 20 uncensored episodes from 1990-1991 (Comedy Central censored the occasionally-foulmouthed series). Along with the old favorites, the one-offs, and the black-and-white movie spoofs (Kevin MacDonald and Foley did once work in an art-house movie theater after all), there are several new characters. They include the Cops (McCulloch and McKinney), the Sizzler Sisters (MacDonald and Foley), Simon (MacDonald) and Hecubus (Foley), Mr. Heavyfoot (Foley), Chicken Lady (McKinney), and incredibly annoying know-it-all Gavin (McCulloch), who only eats onions. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Populating their realm with such uniquely bizarre creations as the Chicken Lady, Cabbage Head, and Mr. Heavyfoot, THE KIDS IN THE HALL took aim at everything from corporate culture to drug culture and sexism to suburban angst, crafting one of sketch comed