My So Called Life - DVD Boxset Release Details (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

Dan, that's some strong motivation!
I wouldn't mind seeing both shows brought to DVD. B&tB I never, EVER got to watch due to other commitments, and I never saw enough NE. I'd like to be able to watch both in their entirety.
As for V: The Series...while WB has a full plate and isn't know for their TV shows done in full treatments yet, I strongly believe that Babylon 5 seasons are in-the-works (no I don't have any certain knowledge, just a strong belief - and I am NOT a B5 fan!) and that if both B5 and V: Final Battle do well, I am sure V:TS will see the light of day.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

So are we going to get to see th cover artwork for MSCL anytime soon? What happened to the press release?

 

[John Berggren]

I am sure V:TS will see the light of day.

Here's hoping. My fondest guilty pleasure. I _am_ excited that the Final Battle is coming out in 1.85 and 5.1.

 

[Kelley_B]

when can we see the lunchbox??? I know a few ppl have already seen it...I'm really excited about this set.

 

[Richard Michael Clark]

season 1 of "Northern Exposure" got a release last year in UK R2. It was an exclusive through HMV with the Universal Playback label. Don't know of any plans for Season 2 onwards though?

Will Tom Irwin get interviewed for the MSCL dvd?

He's here in London about to open in the play "Up For Grabs" with Madonna.

 

[DanGuyF]

Some people have seen the lunchbox design. Most of those some people should not have. It is on the web in a form and was discovered by someone trolling through the server. I can't tell you where, though; sorry. Not until the art used is cleared.

 

[JasonRosenfeld]

An answer regarding the press release from BMG. I get a lot of emails asking for this, and I keep making excuses for BMG being slow to approve one. I'm feeling a bit more ballsy tonight. Maybe it is because the press has come knocking even without it.
It is a testament to the power of getting fans involved that we had a fan on a plane and back with 70 minutes of bonus material, a lunchbox designed, former cast members scheduled, 3000 units pre-sold in a fraction of the time it is taking BMG to approve a mere press release. (note: We are not asking then to write a press release. We are asking them to post a press release. And, no, I didn't used to be the guy at BMG who posted the press releases. D'oh!)
There is going to be a bunch of press over the next two weeks. Can't say where until it goes to print (I don't think anything is stopping me from saying where, but I'll play it safe here). Will be appearing in both local and national press. Glossy and gray. Maybe then, once we don't need the press release anymore, BMG will throw us a press release. Stranger things have happened to me.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Since we seem to be waiting for BMG to get it's sh*t together for an official press release, has a decision been made yet about the disc packaging other than the lunchbox design, which I, um, haven't seen yet, um. Will these be in individual single cases (I'm hoping) or...?
Good to hear the bonus material is shaping up.
We may be able to get a press release once the set ships, right?
Oh, and it would be good to have more than one picture of Devon Odessa on the lunchbox

 

[DanGuyF]

BMG has a significant library of MSCL images, most of which have never been seen by the fans (and which we're trying to get for an image gallery on the sixth disc). Unfortunately, BMG would only let Jason borrow 29 of those images. Though he grabbed an excellent cross-sampling, there were not a lot of good shots of Ms. Odessa, and none that were not already available online. Other than Lisa Wilhoit, I believe DevonO is the only main cast "child" not represented outside of the group shot.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

As for the image gallery, depending on how many shots you get, it would be cool to have separate galleries set up by character and then one for group shots.

 

[DanGuyF]

Much like the image gallery on MSCL.com? I'd like that, provided the number and distribution of the shots lent themselves to such a categorization.

 

[Richard Michael Clark]

Any chance that the full teleplays / scripts will be included?! Would be nice to have these housed on the extra disc?!

Also:

Has anyone not had their postal receipt from Anotheruniverse yet? I am in the UK and haven't got anything yet. I emailed them over a week ago but haven't got a reply as yet. Would Jason be the person to ask about this or should I try AU again?

cheers

Richie

 

[Lance Nichols]

Funny you should mention the not getting an snail mail receipt. I haven't either, and was about to email Jason on the issue today, but decieded to wait until the post arrived today.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

No snail mail receipt here either.

As long as the image galleries had more than a couple of shots of each person, I think the individual ones would be best, and I don't think it matters if the shots are "never seen before" or not. Some unique to the disc would be great, but all the good promo material should be there too.

 

[JasonRosenfeld]

Snail mail not sent yet. In my defense, I am still trying to track down the people who have not received the confirmation email (basically anybody with hotmail, which is a lot), and fix the credit card declines (not as bad as it seems, not only due to insufficient balances, but also people trying to creatively skirt tariffs by giving different shipping and billing addresses).

I will find out when the snail mail will go out, and there will be a post both here and on mscl.com (which is still down, btw), when they are mailed.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Thanks for the update Jason. What is happening with mscl.com btw?

 

[JasonRosenfeld]

Today's Fun Fact about MSCL.com
It is run out of the project manager's house on a cable modem. He works for the cable co., so he gets away with it.
Every so often, they reassign IPs. That is what happened this time. Except... this time, he was not aware that it happened, and we all assumed he knew. In any case, it is back up.
I guess he was distracted. I hope she was cute.

 

[JasonRosenfeld]

Met with the CEO of AU today. He had just come back from lunch with the DVD head over at BMG.
The good news is that things are moving along. Interviews being filmed on Friday of former cast members --again, fans flying in to make sure that fan questions are answered.
The bads news --or rather "par for the course" news with DVDs is that the music is still not thru being cleared for the episodes that had not previously been released on VHS. This is just another bump on a road that has had many bumps, and a minor one compared to some of the earlier obstacles. I am hoping that this will be resolved in the coming week or two.
This means that a delay in release is looking very likely, but should not be too bad. The time will give us the ability to pursue some additional extras (Snuffy Walden commentary, photo gallery, and Winnie's commentary tracks). So, we will make the best of it, and essentially flesh out the bonus material.
For anyone who thinks the music situation is unusual, I've been through this with at least 40 other DVDs at BMG. DVD meetings were gut-wrenching experiences. Lots of deadlines, lots of music to be cleared, and to top it all off, there are no mandated rates for music on DVD. Rights holders can demand whatever they want. This is a forward- thinking industry (sarcasm).
BMG has said that they can make up for some lost time, so I won't predict a new date until I know they have cleared the music. I will keep the pressure on, but that remains one of very few remaining obstacles.
Jason

 

[Lance Nichols]

Wow, multiple updates in one day, way to go Jason. Bit disappointing about the possible delays again. I think, if an artist has been selected to have his/her music in a film/tv show, they should get royalties, however they shouldn't have the right to demand more cash each time the show gets re-released. OK, it usually is not the artist. It usually is those %$^$!!! at RIAA. (Can't tell you how much I loath them). I would bet dollars to donuts that nine times out of ten, getting you music out as part of a re-release would improve an artist's sales of past and current albums. If for no reason then the "I remember that album/song. Wonder what they are doing now?" factor.

I fully support that artists should get paid for their work, but the constant re-re-licensing of material they have already licensed for a show will eventually bite the industry in the but, IMHO.

OK, I have that little thing off my chest. here is hoping that no more legal delays crop up. The only people who win with those are the lawyers

 

[JasonRosenfeld]

One culprit is RIAA, the other is Harry Fox Agency. The third is the absolute stupidity and lack of foresight on the part of most entertainment companies.
You gotta love this stuff.
In the book industry, the courts ruled against the publishers saying an eBook was not a "book," and therefore an author could negotiate its eBook rights to a secondary publisher (i.e. not the one with the book rights).
In the music business, great pains are taken to demosntrate that a downloaded music file is not a music file at all, but rather a "digital phonorecord." Oh yeah, and the DRM scheme is the "digital packaging." Therefore, there is no difference between a downloaded file and an album, so the royalties must be the same. (Unless you are streaming, then as Harry Fox says, you are actually making 2 copies --one in the memory cache, and one coming out of the speakers --so you have to pay twice.)
Heck, if I were putting out a show today:
1) I would clear all music for future DVD use up front
2) I would probably avoid any pop music unless I owned it outright. (At least until the laws change, and we all know that will result in lower prices for DVDs.... yeah, right)
I've recently worked on preparing metadata for one of the former free-music download sites which is trying to go legit (not for the company, but for one of the companies that licensed music to them). Quite honestly, the legal process will be the death of them. They need some blanket agreement for all songs with a set rate. Otherwise, they end up fighting for music, and this only helps the free services, and ensures that the free services will always have a better selection at a better price (free).
Jason
PS: I am trying to press BMG to post a press release NOW, especially with several large news outlets writing stories in the next 10 days. Not that press releases are necessary once you have the press, but it would be a nice gesture, and HEY it might even make the press release seem like it was effective. When I was there, some of our partner companies did not even exist any longer when they finally got the press release from almighty PR gods. I like to joke that there will be a press release after the box ships.
edited: to fix some errors, add some info and call the entertainment companies stupid.