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Now Playing Podcast Q&A: ‘Twin Peaking,’ Podbean, and More

Now Playing Podcast 10th Anniversary Banner

The launch of Now Playing Podcast’s Podbean support page has given listeners something many have been demanding for years: access to the show’s celebrated bonus episodes, which had previously been available exclusively during Now Playing’s bi-annual donation drives.

With those episodes now available via Podbean purchase and subscription options, listeners have been able to catch up on classic series’ including Jaws, Alien, and Planet of the Apes.

Yet, the question remains, does this mean Now Playing’s donation drives are going away?

Host Arnie Carvalho answered that question and more in a Q&A with the Venganza Media Gazette.

Venganza Gazette: How does the new Podbean option affect the donation drives?

Arnie C: We’re going to have a Silver Donation Series for a new retrospective: Pirates of the Caribbean. That’s a five-episode series, one that listeners have been demanding for some time. The Silver level series will be available both through PodBean and, due to listener demand, also through the “classic” method through PayPal for those who want the shows in iTunes.

The classic donation wiill be $10 for all 5 shows. With Podbean, the new Pirates series will be available for $2.99 per episode, pick which episodes you want. After the donation drive ends the Podbean episodes will increase to $3.99 per episode.

That will be the only new movie series reviewed for donation this Spring. While we normally do three movie series, with Now Peaking and the opening of the vault we don’t want our listeners to feel over-extended. So the Gold and Platinum series will just be rereleases of series that are currently on PodBean, but getting new installments this Spring or Summer.

All that said, there will be a couple other bonus episodes. We usually did some Easter Egg podcasts with donation drives. Now we are going to release those types of one-off reviews to Patrons who support the show on an ongoing basis. Details for that are on our Podbean Patron page.

Venganza Gazette: How long will the episodes be available through PodBean?

PodBean’s technology allows us to offer these old shows. Until now we’ve have had to process all donations by hand and could not balance offering so much. If we continue past our 10^th anniversary depends on listener feedback.

Venganza Gazette: What are the major differences between Podbean and the “classic” donation?

Arnie C: The advantage to going Podbean is instant access. In the past, donors received those shows via email, now they don’t need to wait, and they can choose which episodes they want if they don’t want the entire series.

The advantage of going “classic” is a slightly lower donation for the entire bundle. Those donors will also be grandfathered in for any future sequels, much like current donors with Alien, Jaws, etc. But we are still processing all donations by hand, sending out weekly e-mails by hand, and so on. PodBean purchases are by the episode so any new installments received would require an additional payment.

Venganza Gazette: And there’s a new Alien on the way…

Arnie C: And a new Planet of the Apes film. Both retrospectives will be available on Podbean — Alien is there now – but, again, those series’ will also be available through the “classic” donation method. Alien will be our Gold level series, for the traditional donation of $25 or more, also getting you the Pirates shows.

The Platinum level series will be all three: Pirates, Alien, and Planet of the Apes. In total, that’s going to be 20 reviews for a donation of $40 or more.

And of course, anyone who previously donated through Kickstarter, our 5th Anniversary DVD, or the original Apes and Alien series will get these new episodes e-mailed to them with no additional donation needed.

Venganza Gazette: What’s the plan for your Twin Peaks retrospective, Now Peaking?

Arnie C: Now Peaking is sort of a sub-show to Now Playing. It will not be on the Now Playing site, it has its own web site at NowPeakingPodcast.com. It also has its own Twitter and Facebook feeds. That said, it is being made by us at Now Playing. It will be hosted by me, Jakob, and Stuart, and edited by our crack team.

Twin Peaks had an interesting formula–each episode of the series was one day in the life of Twin Peaks. We will follow that pattern. Our first show will be released February 24th (the day Laura Palmer’s body was discovered in Twin Peaks). That review of the pilot episode will be available for free both on the Now Playing Podcast feed and on NowPeakingPodcast.com.

After that, future episode reviews will be part of a donation series, the money covering the costs of Now Peaking and also supporting Now Playing. These podcasts will come out one a day until late March, keeping up with Twin Peaks’ in-universe timeline. Then, when the Showtime series starts in May, we’ll release new episodes weekly.

There will be a total of 40 episodes or more, depending on how many Showtime releases this summer. They will only be available through PodBean with each episode costing $0.99 each. You can also get a Season Pass of all the episodes for $29.99.

We are all really excited about Now Peaking and a chance to deep dive into the Twin Peaks universe. Every book from The Secret Diary of Larua Palmer to The Secret History of Twin Peaks will be reviewed on Books & Nachos, the show itself will be reviewed on Now Peaking, and the Twin Peaks movie, Fire Walk With Me, will be reviewed on Now Playing, free for everyone to hear, on March 28, 2017!

The Now Playing Podcast Pirates of the Caribbean Retrospective Series begins May 5. The entire show schedule can be seen on the Now Playing Podcast website.

January 27, 2017 Posted by Jason Latham | Movies, News | Alien, Jaws, now peaking, Now Playing Podcast, pirates of the caribbean, planet of the apes, podbean, twin peaks | 3 Comments

Venganza Kickstarter campaign offers once-in-a-lifetime rewards

VENGANZA MEDIA KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN OFFERS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME REWARDS

Take a seat and review a film with the hosts of Now Playing Podcast

This Kickstarter Campaign is now live! Visit it at
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1346264441/now-playing-underrated-movies-we-recommend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Springfield, Ill. – February 11, 2015 – Despite logging nearly 500 film reviews in 8 years, the hosts of Venganza Media’s No. 1 ranked Now Playing Podcast aren’t ready to slow down, and for the first time they’re giving listeners a chance to join them on the air.

Today Venganza Media announced a Kickstarter campaign to fund the company’s first publication: Underrated Movies We Recommend. The project will see the Now Playing hosts leap from the podcast to the page with intense discussions of 100 films you might have missed, but are still worthy of your time.

The campaign begins during the Feb. 17 live review of Kingsman: The Secret Service at NowPlayingPodcast.com. To reach its $40,000 goal in 30 days, Venganza Media is giving fans the opportunity of a lifetime: choose a film, any film, and co-host an episode of Now Playing Podcast. The show will be recorded, edited, and released to the world in early 2016.

Other rewards available on Kickstarter include printed and downloadable copies of Underrated, Now Playing Podcast artwork, autographed merchandise, lifetime subscriptions to bi-annual bonus shows, and access to the prized Now Playing Podcast vault, which contains long-sought episodes released exclusively to donors and unavailable for years, including the Jaws, Alien, Evil Dead, and Poltergeist retrospective series’.

Suggested tweet: Support @NowPlayingPod #NowUnderrated book on @Kickstarter and you could co-host the show!

About Venganza Media Inc.

Based in Springfield, Ill., Venganza Media Inc. is a privately-owned multimedia production facility and home to the Venganza Media Podcasting Network. Film fans and collectors worldwide know Venganza as the producer of Star Wars Action News, Marvelicious Toys, and the company’s flagship program, Now Playing Podcast. Since its formation in 2005, Venganza has delivered thousands of hours of entertainment to listeners, while its staff and fleet of contributors have established the company as a premier source for film reviews, celebrity interviews, and collecting news for audiences of all ages.

About Now Playing Podcast

From its humble beginnings as a short-form, off-the-cuff movie review show, Now Playing Podcast has grown into one of the most successful and celebrated independent programs online and consistently ranks among iTunes’ Top 10 TV/Film podcasts. Its ability to stand out in a crowded field is largely attributed to Now Playing’s highly-acclaimed retrospective format, keeping listeners engaged week-after-week as its panel of critics chronicle decades of hits-and-misses while maneuvering Hollywood’s hectic release schedule.

Media Contact: JasonL@VenganzaMedia.com

February 11, 2015 Posted by Jason Latham | News | Alien, Evil Dead, Jaws, kickstarter, kingsman: the secret service, Now Playing Podcast, poltergeist, underrated movies we recommend, Venganza Media | 2 Comments

Now Playing Podcast to open vault during live ‘Kingsman’ show

It’s true. It’s happening. There’s photographic proof.

Now Playing Podcast officially announced Monday that it will open the vault containing its previously released donation shows on February 17, following its first-ever live review of Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service.

One listener will win the entire donation library, but they must be present for the live show and follow-up Q&A, starting at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Inside the vault — which I imagine is welded shut and bound in human flesh like the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis – are the precious few retrospective series’ that Now Playing Podcast offers listeners during its bi-annual pledge drives.

The Alien series, Child’s Play, Jaws, Evil Dead, Exorcist, Poltergeist – that’s not even half of what you’ll find inside. But the hosts promise all will be up for grabs.

Now Playing Podcast launched its first pledge drive in 2010 with reviews of the five Child’s Play movies (with a sixth film added to the series in 2013). Host Arnie Carvalho has credited listener support for keeping Now Playing on the air, and in return the hosts have continued to up the number of shows offered per donation drive (a total of 13 were available in Fall 2014) while sprinkling in secret shows like Garbage Pail Kids and Troll.

It’s been more than two years since Now Playing Podcast gave listeners a chance to loot the vault.

So why now? And what’s the catch?

“We’re not opening them for new donations,” Carvalho said. “What that means… what we are doing… we’ll reveal during our live show.”

Although just one fan will win it all, the host added that it won’t be the only opportunity to grab the long-sought donation shows.

“Hopefully 2015 will be Now Playing’s biggest year yet,” he added. “And giving listeners a chance to get these old podcasts is just the beginning.”

February 2, 2015 Posted by Jason Latham | Movies, News, Now Playing Podcast, Podcasts, Uncategorized | Alien, Arnie Carvalho, child's play, Jaws, kingsman, kingsman: the secret service, Now Playing Podcast, poltergeist | 2 Comments

‘Corn Connection’ finds A-lister among ‘Harvest’ players

Every actor has to start somewhere, and somewhere is often low-budget horror.

There are plenty of examples; Leonardo DiCaprio in Critters 3, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander in The Burning, and Jennifer Aniston in a film Now Playing Podcast donors can hear about very soon.

As for this week’s Now Playing Podcast review of Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, we managed to find some famous faces among the cast. Okay, make that one star, some genre actors and a couple of extras you might recognize if you watch a lot of bad flicks.

But I’m not here to reprint IMDB resumes; the Corn Connection shows you where to find the actors and actresses within the Now Playing archives. So let’s get going.

Charlize Theron (Young Woman/uncredited) – Alien Retrospective Series

Harvest was Theron’s first film, before she went on to become a superstar in movies like Mighty Joe Young, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Aeon Flux. Also Monster.

It’s crazy to think that an actress like Theron was only referenced on Now Playing Podcast once, but it’s true; back during the 2012 donation drive, when the hosts covered Prometheus as part of the Alien Retrospective Series. Unfortunately, that series is no longer available.

Michael Ensign (Father Frank Nolan) – Superman Retrospective Series

Ensign is an actor you’ll recognize, although maybe not for his role as a newscaster in 1978’s Superman. I’m sure he gets more looks from fans who loved him as the snooty hotel manager in Ghostbusters, or in his role as the evil bus driver in License to Drive.

Ed Grady (Dr. Richard Appleby) – Children of the Corn Retrospective Series

Does it count if your Now Playing moments came twice in the same retrospective series? Because that’s the case with the late Mr. Grady, who played the same character in the second installment, Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice. Maybe someday the hosts will cover Grady’s role in The Notebook.

Rance Howard (Employer) – Psycho Retrospective Series

Howard, like Theron, has had roles in major blockbusters (his son is Splash director Ron Howard). Howard, like Theron, only appears once in the entire history of Now Playing Podcast (1998’s Psycho). And Howard, like Theron, appeared in a donation series that’s no longer available on the main feed (bummer).

Rif Hutton (Arnold) – Star Trek Retrospective Series

Hutton’s resume includes a long list of television and film credits, but only one of those movies was featured on Now Playing Podcast. So look for his role as a Klingon guard the next time you sit down to watch Star Trek: Generations.

Anthony Hickox (Hans, also executive producer) – Return of the Living Dead Retrospective Series

Hickox appeared as Dr. Hickox in Return of the Living Dead 3, another film that’s currently locked in the Now Playing Podcast archives. But he’s also a director, with a resume that includes Waxwork, Waxwork 2: Lost In Time and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.

Brian Peck (Jake Witman) – X-Men Retrospective Series, Return of the Living Dead Retrospective Series

Peck’s resume lists a number of genre films, but his role as Hot Dog Stand Patron in X-Men and News Reporter in X2: X-Men United made him part of the Now Playing universe. He also appeared in the first three Return of the Living Dead films as the characters of Scuz, Special Zombie and Ballistic Technician, respectively. Unfortunately, those Living Dead shows are locked away in the vault.

So there you have it. A few more recognizable actors than the previous Corn film, but many who only have connections to Now Playing donation series’. Wondering how you can become a donor? This way.

Did we miss anyone? If you spot an actor or actress with a connection to Now Playing Podcast leave a comment and help a fellow listener!

September 3, 2014 Posted by Jason Latham | News, Now Playing Podcast | aeon flux, Alien, anthony hickox, brian peck, charlize theron, Children of the Corn, children of the corn III, critters 3, ed grady, Ghostbusters, hellraiser 3, jason alexander, jennifer aniston, legend of bagger vance, leonardo dicaprio, leprechaun, license to drive, michael ensign, mighty joe young, monster, Now Playing Podcast, prometheus, psycho, rance howard, return of the living dead, rif hutton, seinfeld, star trek, Stephen King, Superman, the burning, the final sacrifice, the notebook, urban harvest, waxwork, X-Men, x-men 2 | Comments Off on ‘Corn Connection’ finds A-lister among ‘Harvest’ players

Freddy Fans Delighted at Flashback Weekend

Freddy and his Girls on Stage - Header Photo

Freddy Kruger (Englund) on stage with three costumed back-ups at the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention

Rosemont IL – Despite being known for his Nightmares, actor Robert Englund made fans’ dreams come true last weekend at the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention.

Flashback Weekends - August 2014 - Chicago IL - 266

Three Freddy fans patiently wait to meet their idol

Making a rare midwestern appearance, star of the Nightmare on Elm Street movie series Robert Englund was Flashback Weekend’s headline guest. Englund spent all day Saturday and Sunday meeting fans, signing their memorabilia, and sharing stories of his life from the making of A Nightmare on Elm Street to The Mangler and more. Fans lined up for hours to meet this horror icon.

Though the staff at Flashback Weekend had a convenient ticketing system to minimize wait times, Englund’s autograph line still wound out of his private room. Even those with $110 “priority line placement” tickets stood in line for nearly three hours. Once the fans reached the front of the line, though, the experience was rewarding. Englund is known to have a slow autograph line as he spends a few minutes talking with each fan. I watched as he fawned over one fan’s Japanese theater program promoting the release of 1989’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. “You have some cool shit,” he said to another fan who brought a DVD collection covered in autographs from other stars.

The long line may have had its advantages. One congoer recounted his experience in Englund’s autograph line seven years ago at Flashback Weekend: he met his wife in that line. Now he, his wife of five years, and their daughter returned to again visit their horror hero.

The cost of Englund’s autograph was $50.00 per item–a very reasonable price for con-goers. (For comparison, at the upcoming Wizard World Chicago convention The Incredible Hulk’s Lou Ferrigno is charging $40.00, Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee $80.00, and, at New York Comic-Con in 2013, Sylvester Stallone charged $395.00). While some celebrities rarely look up from their tables, their hands furiously signing item after item, Englund ensured each fan felt they had their moment with him and a story to tell as they left.

Arnie seized the opportunity to get a once-in-a-lifetime photo with Englund in the Freddy makeup.

While the chance for Robert Englund’s autograph was welcomed by the fans, the far more publicized event was Friday’s exclusive photo opportunity with the star–in full Freddy make-up. While celebrity appearances and photo opportunities are regular occurrences at conventions, rarely do the stars dress up for the occasion. On Friday, however, Englund underwent a two-and-a-half hour make-up application transforming him into the onscreen persona of Freddy. The latex prothetics that turned Englund into his on-screen persona were created and applied by 30-year Hollywood makeup effects artist Robert Kurtzman, who worked with Englund on the fifth Nightmare film.

The cost was very high– the photo opportunity, consisting of a professionally lit shot done by Celeb Photo Ops, a single 8″ x 10″ photo printout, and weekend admission to the convention (for one person) cost $365.00. Up to two people could be in the photo, but the guest would have to pay admission separately. The night of the event the photo itself could be purchased separately for $295.00. Additional prints and digital download options added to the cost of the photo. By comparison, at Wizard World Chicago photos with a single celebrity, also done by Celeb Photo Ops, range from $40 to $125, with the average being $55. A photo with all seven stars of Star Trek: The Next Generation is in the same price range, at $299.00 (not including convention admission).

The cost was not due to organizer or celebrity greed. Flashback Weekend started in 2002, run by Mike and Mia Kerz. The event is held annually in the Chicago area., and all proceeds from Flashback Weekend, including the Freddy photo op, go to the preservation and operation of the Midway Drive-In located in Dixon, IL. The Flashback Weekend web site states the philanthropic efforts are to “[provide] a theatrical outlet at the Midway Drive-In for new independent horror films [and maintain] a venue at the Midway for the screening of 35mm horror films.” Englund cited this cause as a motivator behind his decision to appear in full make-up.

Despite the high cost, hundreds of fans lined up for this once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. Fans came from across the country, some traveling from Tuscon, Pittsburgh, and Texas, for this chance. Englund was in full-on Freddy mode, speaking in the gravely voice and sometimes letting out his trademark scream–acts which must be second nature for the actor who’s portrayed the dream killer for thirty years. Fans hoping for a moment with their idol, however, needed to go to the autograph area as the photo op was a workman-like assembly line. Englund seemed to have four key poses: for photos with one person he would put his blade to their throat. For photos with two people he would attack one–usually the female. For families that snuck a third person, a child, into the photo Englund would grab the young one’s hair, and for those who were wearing their own Freddy glove Englund had a crossed-blades pose.

Englund demonstrated on-stage the problems with wearing his trademark fedora in photos.

The entire photo experience gave fans about thirty seconds with the star before the man behind the camera shouted “next” and fans were escorted out. Englund seemed to barely have time to acknowledge any fans individually, it was enter frame, pose, picture, done.

However the result is a well-lit, framed, and shot photo. Yes, the cost is high, but, as shown to the right, the result is a photo that cannot be gotten anywhere else.

In the weeks leading up to the convention several fans complained online about Englund wearing the makeup and glove, but eschewing Freddy’s trademark sweater and hat. On stage that evening, in a private event for those who purchased the photo opportunity, Englund explained the hat created numerous lighting problems that plagued the filming of all the Nightmare films. For the sake of a good photograph the hat had to be skipped. As for the sweater? Englund explained that fans could find convincing Freddy characters in front of Mann’s Chinese Theater and other locales, and that by wearing the official T-Shirt of Flashback Weekend fans could prove their photo was with the star himself.

Also in that evening panel Englund stated that this was perhaps not, as claimed on the Flashback Weekend web site, the final time the actor would don the make-up; the 68-year-old actor may not yet be ready to hang up his hat and glove. Whether for other fan events or professional Hollywood productions fans may not have seen the last of Englund as Freddy after all.

And Englund wasn’t the only Nightmare on Elm Street star on hand for Flashback Weekend. Also at the event were Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Better Off Dead), Robert Rusler (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Weird Science, Sometimes They Come Back), Jennifer Rubin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Bad Dreams, Screamers), Monica Keena (Freddy vs. Jason, Dawson’s Creek), Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Ginger Snaps) and Ronee Blakley (A Nightmare on Elm Street and Nashville, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award). Unlike Englund, lines to meet these actors were often short, and autograph prices ranged from $20.00 to $40.00. Some would pose with fans for photos if you purchased an autograph; others had a separate photo charge.

A Nightmare reunion at Flashback Weekend 2014! From left to right: Rusler, Rubin, Blakley, Wyass, and Keena

But like Englund each of the stars were approachable and friendly, engaging with their fans in the short time allotted.

In total, over two dozen celebrities attended the convention, including actress/musician Traci Lords, Gremlins star Zach Galligan, and character actor William Forsythe. These actors filled the end of the convention’s exhibit floor, and while, at peak times, lines became difficult to navigate, the average wait was short.

Aside from Englund, the two most popular celebrities at Flashback Weekends seemed to be Lance Henriksen and Angus Scrimm.

Henriksen is a science fiction fan favorite with appearances in three of the Alien films, as well as Terminator and the TV series Millennium. In total the actor has over 200 on-screen credits in a career that spans more than 50 years. Yet Henriksen engaged fans eagerly, sharing stories of knife-practice on the set of Aliens or “alimony movies” he had to make like The Mangler 2. He had a dry wit which left interviewer “Svengoolie” Rich Coz nonplussed during the Friday night panel.

Scrimm, an actor best known for the Phantasm horror series, had a autograph line second in length only to Englund’s. The actor, who is celebrating his 88th birthday next week, had a health issue that caused him to cancel an Indianpolis convention appearance in 2013. Fans, not wanting to miss this opportunity, stood in a line that at times stretched the length of the convention hall.

Scrimm headlined a 35th Anniversary Reunion of Phantasm stars at Flashback Weekend, which also included Reggie Bannister, Don Coscarelli, Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, and Kathy Lester.

Outside of celebrity appearances, Flashback Weekend had a bevy of costumers and revelers. In addition to Svengoolie, local personalities Kitty Zombie, WGN Radio’s Nick Digilio, and Daily herald film critic Dann Gire helped host the event. While the convention’s exhibit floor was one of the smaller ones for Chicago conventions, fans still could buy toys, T-Shirts, DVDs, and more. For those whose tastes run outside the norm there were also taxidermied animal heads, lifelike silicon werebabies, and replica Freddy gloves.

Details for next years event are expected in the coming months at the official Flashback Weekend website.

See photos from the event in the galleries below.