Wonderfalls

[Sascha]

Now available for pre-order at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 0006GAO18/ for $27.99

Release date: February 1st

[Sascha]

And now even cheaper at dvdsoon.com: Only CAD 26.98 (US-$ 22.61, € 17.36) incl. shipping.

http://www.dvdsoon.com/show-title-detai ... uid=129918

[Natasha (candygirl)]

http://www.savewonderfalls.com reported earlier this month that the New York Museum of Television and Radio is having a Wonderfalls marathon!

Marathon Screening
Falling for Wonderfalls
Including the Unaired Episodes!
NY-only: Saturday and Sunday, January 29 and 30, 2005, at 12:30 p.m.

Despite critical acclaim, Wonderfalls -- a dramedy about an underachieving college graduate who works in a Niagara Falls gift shop and begins to hear inanimate objects speak to her -- was canceled after only four episodes. Fans rallied unsuccessfully to save the series that has been called smart, funny, and unique. Newcomer Caroline Dhavernas plays Jaye, whose meddlesome family and meaningless job push her to the edge of a life crisis.

The Museum will present a marathon screening of all thirteen episodes of the series, including nine that never aired. Wonderfalls will be released on DVD in February, a tribute to supporters who worked to keep it alive.

For more info: http://mtr.org/exhibit/screen_upcoming.htm

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Tim Minear talks to Sci Fi Wire about the Wonderfalls DVD release. Of note in this interview, the possibility of a Wonderfalls movie and the fact that the DVDs do not have all the music originally used on the show.

Tim Minear, executive producer of Fox's canceled Wonderfalls series, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming DVD set will include nine previously unseen episodes, in the order they were meant to be seen, which tell a full story. "Wonderfalls has a very specific arc, which ends at episode 13, so people will feel like they've had a complete experience," Minear said in an interview while promoting his upcoming Fox series, The Inside. "[We wrote it as a complete show] in the event only 13 got made and it went to DVD. So that was the plan. That was a conscious plan."

Wonderfalls centers on Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas), a college graduate in a dead-end job as a souvenir clerk at Niagara Falls, who begins to hear inanimate objects talking to her. The show completed 13 episodes before it even premiered on Fox in March 2004, but was canceled after only four episodes aired.

But Minear said that fans of the critically acclaimed series will finally get a chance to see the entire series. "There are a lot of commentaries, extras, Andy Partridge's full music video [of the quirky theme music], behind-the-scenes [featurettes]," Minear said. "Great graphics and art on the actual package itself, and the DVDs. We actually had to go in and switch out some of the songs, because [they were] too expensive. But we got great alternative music that really ... kept the integrity of what we needed to do musically."

Minear also held out hope that the DVD set will sell well, allowing Wonderfalls to repeat the experience of his last, canceled series, Firefly. That show sold so well on DVD, despite being canceled by Fox in its first season, that Universal Pictures gave the green light to a movie, Serenity, based on the show.

"Maybe you'll see Wonderfalls: The Movie in a theater near you," Minear said. "I know it's something [series co-creator] Bryan Fuller's thought about." Wonderfalls: The Complete Series DVD hits stores on Feb. 1.

[SanDeE*]

I have never seen Wonderfalls, but I came across this DVD review today and thought it might be of interest to some of you guys. Although it may not be the most favorable review, I find the Onion people are hard to impress.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

An interesting article about the Wonderfalls DVD release (and a MSCL mention) from DVD Exclusive:

FANS SNATCH UP WONDERFALLS DVD
Success of axed show surprises execs
By Susanne Ault  

The Fox network killed the fantasy/sci-fi TV series Wonderfalls after four episodes, so the show's early success on DVD is surprising, to say the least.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment shipped almost 100,000 units of Wonderfalls to retail for its Feb. 1 bow, and the studio already has sold through about 25,000 copies.

"It's totally surprising," said Bryan Fuller, Wonderfalls co-creator/co-executive producer. "I ordered 50 copies off Amazon.com myself to get it going. I was hoping it would do well, but honestly I didn't think that many people knew about it."

In fact, the title ranked as an Amazon Top 20 seller. And a number of bricks-and-mortar retailers were taken off guard and ordered additional units last week.

"We brought in a cursory amount of it because we didn't know what to expect with its lack of TV exposure," Tommy K's CEO Frank Slugaski said. "It's selling very well though. The only way you can gauge whether a [canceled] show will do well is check Web sites, go into chat rooms, but that's very time-consuming."

Tommy K's was scrambling to order more units last week, Slugaski said.

Although Wonderfalls was a blip on TV screens during its April-May run, it had the makings of a cult DVD title. The involvement of co-executive producer Tim Minear stamped the series with a fantasy/sci-fi pedigree from his past work on Angel and Firefly, and the genre is famous for cultivating voracious Internet fan bases.

Fox sensed the Internet love from http://www.savewonderfalls.com, which fans created after learning of the show's impending demise last spring. Via the site, Fox staged its first live Webcast DVD launch Feb. 1.

Nearly all the Wonderfalls cast participated in the event either from New York or Los Angeles.

"Actors do want to support a show because it will further its longevity," Fuller observed. "But after the show is dead and gone, it's weird to get people to turn out."

Hundreds of people logged onto the Webcast. The group included such key consumer cheerleaders as E! Online TV blogger Kristin Veitch. In another boost, the Museum of Television and Radio in New York hosted a Wonderfalls marathon the weekend before the DVD launch.

Retailers are aware of the wild popularity TV on DVD sets can have, regardless of the fate the shows might have suffered at network hands. Family Guy, another Fox network cast-off, went on to sell more than 3 million units over various Fox disc titles, leading the studio to slot fresh Family Guy episodes to air in May.

"It's part of a growing trend that will likely grow further, where we'll see good quality programming getting a second life that didn't have it in all the years before DVD," Virgin DVD product manager Chris Anstey said. "The strange thing about Wonderfalls is that when we were first solicited, it wasn't immediately recognizable. But I asked around the office and people said they really loved the show. That gave me some good info."

Few shows that have been cut off as quickly as Wonderfalls have since enjoyed life on DVD. But Anstey noted other relatively speedy TV to DVD transitions outperformed retail expectations, including Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life, The Ben Stiller Show, Firefly, Greg the Bunny and Mr. Show.

"When you have a work that is not available, it makes folks ravenous to get their hands on it," Amazon.com DVD editor Doug Thompson said. "This has led to the great interest and sales on DVD with canceled series like Wonderfalls, The Family Guy and Freaks and Geeks to name a few."

New Regency Prod., a sister movie unit to Wonderfalls' Regency Television production company, hopes to develop a Wonderfalls feature film with Fuller and co-creator/co-executive producer Todd Holland. But it's unlikely there will be fresh TV episodes a la Family Guy, as contractual differences between actors and voice talent make reunifications trickier with live-action series.

"But the Family Guy thing is interesting," Holland said. "I'll be curious to see if those same [DVD] people show up on a weekly basis to watch it on TV. These people didn't have to tune in every day. TV on DVD might be changing the way we watch TV."

Holland also would want to make extra sure that the Fox network would handle the show with care.

"I'd want to know they were committed," he said. "I don't want to be heartbroken twice."

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Few shows that have been cut off as quickly as Wonderfalls have since enjoyed life on DVD. But Anstey noted other relatively speedy TV to DVD transitions outperformed retail expectations, including Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life, The Ben Stiller Show, Firefly, Greg the Bunny and Mr. Show.

Let's see - MSCL was cancelled in 1995 and the Pilot/Dancing in the Dark/Guns & Gossip DVD was released in 2000. That's relatively speedy?

[Natasha (candygirl)]

USA Today is giving away the Wonderfalls DVD set:

Pop Question: What's your favorite TV show to watch on DVD?

E-mail your answers to me by March 11, and I'll share some next week. This week's prize: Five readers, picked at random, will Click here for complete giveaway rules.

[emmie]

so I'm way behind in the times and just now got around to renting the first dvd of the series. I watched all four episodes back to back. it's so cute and entertaining! I love that the main character has such an attitude, yet is made to do all these nice karmic things. another gem lost to stupid fox!

[JOEYEVANS]

I have DirecTv and I upgrade my programing package and by using my TiVo's search function, I found Wonderfalls airing on the new Logo Channel.

I should tell you all (or anyone who cares) that the Logo Channel is a channel that features a great deal of gay/lesbian type programing. ( Apparently, the star's sister in the show was gay so I guess it fits in with the channel's content.)

I am NOT saying anything against anyone's lifestyle, I just thought this info was important and if anyone wants to they can catch the show on Logo.


Later,

JOEY

[Jody Barsch*]

So my treasure of a video store in Redondo Beach just closed (there was an article on it in the LA Times, but I can't find it on their website), and so they are now selling their inventory. The place is tiny and not ventilated, and people are standing in line for literally two to three (or more) HOURs to walk away with their treasures. These people in line are serious film and TV fans, and the conversations between these queued strangers was something to witness. Evidently they are all used to being the resident authority of the small and silver screen (they were like the Penny Lane of film and television – the screen version of knowing “every song, even the bad ones, especially the bad ones”), and they would all kind of try to top each other’s backstage knowledge, after which the other person would back peddle and qualify in attempts to stay in the know-it-all game. In addition to reciting whole pages of the most forgotten screenplays from the 40’s or practically storyboarding the most random movies from the seventies; condemning all remakes; ripping Amelie a new one (sorry Emmie); but strangely liking Gigli (well, that was really only one guy out of the many – he kept picking it up, looking at it, turning it around in his fingers, and then putting it down); they started talking about remaking classics in the style of more contemporary movies. Their favorite was Casablanca mixed with The Matrix. (I don’t know if this is in fact a novel idea or if it’s one of those things that’s been on the internet for years – like the romantic comedy trailer for The Shining), but these guys were getting into it (fighting the Nazi’s in that 380 shot, switching the letters of transit for whatever it is that gets you into the Matrix (I’ve never seen it). So even though it was incrediably hot, and I kept getting brushed by the sticky guy intently looking through the stacks of VHS covers of 80’s porn, the long wait was fairly entertaining. I walked away with 7 of the eight items I specifically went in for: all five Thin Man movies, Topper, and My Man Godfrey. The African Queen was no longer there. Or maybe it was; the store that had never been well organized is now in complete disarray.

Anyway, to the point … they have a pretty good TV section (with some seriously random shows from the 50's to now, although no MSCL) and I saw Wonderfalls, which I had heard about but never seen. I got it for $12. I've been watching it the past couple of days when I get home and collapse into my "It's way too hot to do anything but lie down and eat popsicles surrounded buy my three fans" state. I've got one more episode to go. I'm not sure I could defend the show, but I do like it, and I am definitely intrigued by it. I certainly can see why it was cancelled though; I actually have a harder time understanding why it was picked up in the first place. Anyway, the actors are great and it's definitely creative. This is one impulse purchase I don’t regret.

(Seriously sorry it took so long to get to the actual topic of this thread.)

[Jody Barsch*]

Just wanted to affirm my love for this show! It has joined West Wing as one of my go-to constants. LOVE IT!