Ringing in the new year with The Ken P. D. Snydecast

As we look forward to 2011, take a look back to 1949. This wonderful movie theater promo features the death of Old Man 1949 and a bunch of guys singing to us as they sit on a champagne glass.


Here are some of the New Year podcasts that the boys have produced in the past - with original descriptions from asitecalledfred.com:

12/31/2009 KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #128: Trust Us That It’s Happy New Year

Ken & Dana return with their year-end wrap-up, wherein much bitterness and recrimination is wiped away, to be replaced by all new bitterness and recrimination. Huzzah!

1/10/2009 Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #77: My Name Is Fish

Ken & Dana return to greet a brand new year with an ostensible year-in-review, but instead get to chatting and a bickering with each other in an over-long episode packed with something. Lots of something…

12/31/2007 KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #30: Year In Revue

Dana & Ken return after another of their epic absences with a special look back at the year, plus a pledge for the year ahead.

1/26/2007 Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #23: Are You Having Any Fun?

[adult swim]’s Dana Snyder and Ken Plume’s weekly chat podcast returns with discussions of obscure menu items at landmark Hollywood restaurants, some movie that Dana has coming up, Ken’s attempts to conquer the ukulele, and more…

a closer look: 50 Disney animated features

Ken P. D. Snydecast #165 - Not a Creature Was Stirring features some talk about the Walt Disney company hyping Tangled as it's 50th animated feature.

Ken mentions that it takes some unique counting to make Tangled #50.

First, here is the wonderful video that Disney released that counts the 50 films:


By that counting the 50 films are:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Pinocchio (1940) • Fantasia (1940) • Dumbo (1941) • Bambi (1942) • Saludos Amigos (1942) • The Three Caballeros (1944) • Make Mine Music (1946) • Fun and Fancy Free (1947) • Melody Time (1948) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) • Cinderella (1950) • Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Peter Pan (1953) • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) • The Sword in the Stone (1963) • The Jungle Book (1967) The Aristocats (1970) • Robin Hood (1973) • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) • The Rescuers (1977) • The Fox and the Hound (1981) • The Black Cauldron (1985) • The Great Mouse Detective (1986) • Oliver & Company (1988) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • The Rescuers Down Under (1990) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • The Lion King (1994) • Pocahontas (1995) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • Hercules (1997) • Mulan (1998) • Tarzan (1999) • Fantasia 2000 (1999) • Dinosaur (2000) • The Emperor's New Groove (2000) • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) • Lilo & Stitch (2002) • Treasure Planet (2002) • Brother Bear (2003) • Home on the Range (2004) • Chicken Little (2005) • Meet the Robinsons (2007) •
Bolt (2008) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Tangled (2010)

Those 50 films are considered part of the "Disney Animation Canon." Disney began numbering films as part of that list back in the 1980s as a marketing gimmick.

Meanwhile the Disney comapny has released a whole bunch of movies in theaters that seem like they should have been included.

For example in the last decade 3 feature legnth Winnie the Pooh films have been released (The Tigger Movie, Piglet's Big Movie and Pooh's Heffalump Movie) which are not counted. However, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from 1977 is included and that film was actually 3 previously released shorts strung together and reissued.

The sequel The Jungle Book 2 doesn't count despite a 2,800 screen theatrical release, but the Rescuers sequel, The Rescuers Down Under does make the list.
The reason for this omision is that The Jungle Book 2 was produced by Disney Toon studios (an offshoot of Walt Disney Animation Studios.)

This list also doesn't count last year's hit Disney film A Christmas Carol because it was produced by ImageMovers Digital and then released by Disney.

All in all, it is very confusing to see a feature legnth animated film (with a Disney logo at the front) in Disney Digital 3D and then promotion for Tangled seems to imply that that wasn't a Disney animated feature.

Let us take a quick look at three of the films Ken Plume spoke of which did not make the list of 50:

DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp was released theatrically in 1990 towards the end of the run of the Duck Tales TV series.
The movie is an adventure story featuring Scrooge McDuck and Huey, Dewey and Louie.
If you are ever on Jeopardy, it may help to know that the nephews' full names are Huebert, Deuteronomy and Louis.

A Goofy Movie is a 1995 theatrical feature about a cross country trip with Goofy and his son Max.
This brings about the disturbing concept that Goofy had sex at least once.

And finally Victory Through Air Power. This was an interesting film that Walt Disney made after being impressed by the content of a book by the same name. The film is certainly the most unusual feature film the Disney Company ever made.

The whole film appears to be on youtube. Click here for part 1.

Even if you aren't in the mood for the whole movie, the youtube clip has an introduction by Leonard Maltin that should tell you all you need to know.

The Swimmies 2010

[as]central and The Swimcast Present: The Swimmies 2010. The Ken P. D Snydecast is once again nominated for a Golden DUH MOVIE (which it won last year, hence the "Award Winning" portion of the podcast.)

You can vote by going to http://swimcast.adultswimcentral.com/swimmies.html

Voting closes at noon Eastern on Thursday, December 30th. The Swimmies will be LIVE that same night at 9pm Eastern. You can go here on that day to see who won.

Update: New Categories Added. Still time to vote. VOTE NOW!

Dana Snyder in The Producers Feb. 24th, 2011 - Mar. 20th, 2011

Dana will be on stage in beautiful Vero Beach, Florida in less than 2 months. Dana will be playing the role of Max Bialystock in the Riverside Theatre production of The Producers.

The Producers is based on the 1968 Mel Brooks comedy and may be the ultimate musical about musicals. Dana is perfectly cast as the short tempered and sarcastic Bialystock, a role originally played by Zero Mostel.

Tickets available
Local: (772) 231-6990
Toll Free: 1-800-445-6745
Web: riversidetheatre.com

Buy a ticket, mark your calendar and start looking for a flight to Vero Beach.
2011 is lookin' good!

a closer look: voice actors mentioned on Episode 165

On Ken P. D. Snydecast #165 - Not a Creature Was Stirring the boys chatted about Dana's voice actor auditions:

Dana: I had two semi-exciting callbacks for two different animated shows, both of which I am pretty much, one hundered percent, certain I did not get.
Ken: What? What did you do? Did you not bring the Snyde-magic?
Dana: No, I don't think it was that I just think it was...
Ken: Did Tom Kenny walk in after you?

Tom Kenny is a voice actor with over 200 credits in film and television. He is best known as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants and voiced Skidz one of the "racist" robots from Transformers 2. For more on that controversy click here.
In 1980 he was also briefly a member of Syracuse-based pop punk band The Trend along with Bobcat Goldthwait.
Seriously.
I cut and pasted that last line from Wikipedia, so we know it is true.

Ken Plume once did a "Bit of a Chat" episode with Tom Kenny. You can listen to it here. It's kind of like a 'Ken P. T. Kennycast'.

Later Ken says "What about John Benjamin, did he walk in?"

H. John Benjamin is a voice actor best known for the voices of Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies and Ben on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.

The conversation continued:

Ken: Who was sitting in the waiting room when you were called into the audition that was asking for a Dana Snyder-type voice?
Dana: Maurice LaMarche. I saw Maurice LaMarche there.


Maurice LaMarche voiced Kif Kroker in Futurama, Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters and The Brain in Pinky and The Brain.

Dana goes on to mention how he and LaMarche discussed that the casting folks who wanted a 'Dana Snyder-type voice' probably didn't really know exactly what they wanted... they only knew what they didn't want.

Later Dana told a story about some advice that a veteran voice actor gave him:

Dana: I remember when I first moved here Eddie Deezen talking about that. Saying he gets called in everytime it says 'an Eddie Deezen-type' but he never gets the job... because they don't want Eddie Deezen, they want an Eddie Deezen-type.

Even if Eddie's name is not familliar to you his face should be:


In addition to a tremendous amount of voice work, Eddie is seen in many films and TV shows (usually playing a nerd.)

You may have seen him as a bumbling handyman in Punky Brewster, dancing along side John Travolta in Grease or stuck on a ferris wheel with a ventriliqust dummy in the film 1941... actually you probably haven't seen the film 1941.



Finally, OUR FAVORITE VOICE ACTOR, Dana Snyder can be heard on Nickelodeon this Saturday, January 1st, at 11am. Dana provides the voice of Leonard the Koala Bear on The Penguins of Madagascar. The episode is titled "Night and Dazed". Dana gives a wonderful performance.

Don't miss it!

a closer look: Wishful Drinking and other one woman shows

Ken P. D. Snydecast #165 - Not a Creature Was Stirring features a surprising amount of talk about "one woman" stage shows.

Dana tells an amusing tale of his experience at a showing of Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking. Here is a short comical segment from that show:


Dana also gives a glowing review of Elaine Stritch's show Elaine Stritch at Liberty. Here is a video of a song from the show called "This is All Very New to Me". It tells the story of Elaine's first drink at age 13.
The video is show audio set to some wonderful photos of Elaine:


Finally (and perhaps regrettably) Dana mentions he did not get to see Just Between Friends the one woman show starring the late Bea Arthur.
Here is a song called 'Pirate Jenny' that Bea performs in the show. Bea said this was a song she had always wanted to perform on stage. This is audio only with a single image of Bea Arthur staring disapprovingly at you as you listen.
Enjoy:

Fish Hooks

Are you off from work on Wednesday December 29th? Maybe you have a nice boss who let gave you a paid holiday. Maybe you are a student on a winter break. Maybe you are unemployed and are off every day.

Regardless, you can watch Fish Hooks on the Disney Channel tomorrow at 12pm . Roll out of bed at 11:58am, pour yourself a bowl of Sugar Smacks and sit in front of the tv for two hours of fun filled fish follies with Dana Snyder providing the voice of Mr. Baldwin.

The 12pm episode is entitled 'Baldwin the Superfish' where the kids find out that Mr. Baldwin may be a superhero.

If you do have to work the episode is on youtube: CLICK HERE.
If you watch it in front of your boss, you too could have the luxury of watching cartoons during the day... everyday.

Good luck!

Ken Plume: Twitter master

I am constantly amazed at the massive number of witty tweets Ken posts every single day.

Here are some recent tweets from twitter.com/KENPLUME:

-You know, if you speed up SNL by about 10%, it nicely eliminates most of the awkward cue-card reading pauses and missed cues.

-Just ordered a massive clutch of Cavett materials. Doing so in 1971 would have gotten me on Nixon's enemies list.

-Sometimes you have to stop, take a good, hard look at your life, throw up your hands, and cry out, "Mummenschanz!"

-After more than 25 years & 50,000 guests, Larry King ends his run on CNN having never done one shred of research.

-Jackson Publick just informed me that there's a site catering to Republican Sci-Fi fans. Because other sci-fi sites are too goddamn liberal

-I love how consistent troll grammar and spelling is. They all must have skipped the same classes.

-My underused Word O' The Day? "Skedaddle". Try it!

For more Ken Plume, purchase There's a Zombie in my Treehouse.

To follow Ken, Dana and anyone else involved with The Ken P. D. Snydecast click here.

Merry Christmas from Phil Silvers and Bob Hope

Hey! Look what Santa stuffed in our stocking:

This is a wonderful skit from a Bob Hope Christmas special that originally aired on December 14, 1967.

In this scene Snydecast favorite Phil Silvers plays a highway patrolman who frisks and questions Santa Claus (Bob Hope) when he finds him to be the cause of a traffic jam.

Soup and Eggnog

Ken P. D. Snydecast #165 - Not a Creature Was Stirring features mention of Dana's French Onion Soup and the making of eggnog.

Dana reads off this recipe for eggnog courtesy of cauldronliving.com:


Traditional Eggnog

Ingredients

12 eggs, separated
6 cups milk
2 cups heavy/ thickened cream
2 cups bourbon
1+ 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup brandy
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg


Traditional Eggnog Directions


In a large bowl and using a mixer, beat the egg yolks together with the sugar for approx 10 minutes (you want the mixture to be firm and the colour of butter).
Very slowly, add in the bourbon and brandy - just a little at a time.
When bourbon and brandy have been added, allow the mixture to cool in the fridge (for up to 6 hours, depending on how long before your party you're making the eggnog).
30 minutes before your guests arrive, stir the milk into the chilled yolk mixture.
Stir in 1+ 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream with a mixer on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks.
In yet another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
Gently fold the cream into the egg mixture.
After ladling into cups, garnish with the remainder of the ground nutmeg.



Also on the show a listener named Alan wrote in to say he made Dana's French Onion Soup from KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #73: Listeners Like You.

On that 2008 show Dana says that the recipe will NOT be on The Experience and will only be available in that podcast... but... ah hell, it's Christmas:


Dana's French Onion Soup

-Take 2 big onions (make sure they are sweet, not a white onion. A Bermuda or a Vidalia will work.)
-Thinly slice the onions.
-1st crucial step: Cook the onions, caramelize... the slower the better. Take at least 30 minutes to cook. Cook them in unsalted butter on a low flame and do not brown. Cook until they are clear, but don't burn 'em.
-Add 1 cup dry white wine (possibly vermouth) and reduce that to half.
-Add 2 quarts of beef broth and salt and pepper to taste.
-Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.

THIS IS DANA'S SECRET INGREDIENT:
3 stalks of celery with the leaves on.

-Cook for 20 to 30 minutes and then remove the celery. (You can eat it and it is delicious.)
-Start the oven at 375.
-Add 1/4 cup of dry fino sherry.
-Scoop it into your crocks.
-Add 1 slice or 2 of toasted baguette and cover with grated Greer cheese.
-Bake at 375 until the cheese melts.
-Make sure it's salty.

note: you can prepare the soup ahead of time without the cheese and bread and add that later.


So, try it! See if your friends and family think it's an accquired taste.

If you want to have the most awesome meal EVER, pair it with a Snydewich.

Ken P. D. Snydecast #165 - Not a Creature Was Stirring

Ken P. D. Snydecast #165 - Not a Creature Was Stirring is up on asitecalledfred.com. It's a fun episode with talk of lobster pots, eggnog, dead neighbors and Disney films.

Plus some listener emails:

Trish, who writes in to talk about emery boards and a desire to give something to Ken.

Alan, who writes in to talk about soup.

An unnamed writer who talks of an NES Disneyland game.

Kirall (sp? Sorry!) from Brooklyn writes about Christmas mix CDs.

And Patrick, who asks the boys for opinions regarding Spider-man on Broadway.

It's a super-sized episode and will keep you as entertained as you all go shopping for a Kitchen Aid mixer for Dana.

a closer look: Ken's Santa kit

KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #88: Mad Hatters was released in March of 2009 and contained an amusing tale of Ken's Santa kit.


Ken: I used to have a Santa Claus kit.
Dana: What do you mean kit?
Ken: You ready for this? This may be the story that ends the podcast.
Dana: O.K. I'm frightened. Continue.

Ken goes on to describe an old portable record player that he had. He removed the record player leaving himself with just a small briefcase.


Ken: Within this briefcase I had an old Santa hat... uh... a pair of old, red, circle framed kids plastic glasses with the lenses out.
Dana: OK.
Ken: Like you get from a drug store... like on the rack... an impulse buy. But, the lenses were out so they were just the cheap plastic frames but they were round.
Dana: Who was buying- who would setup as an impulse buy, glasses.
Ken: You used to see them in the drug stores all the time where they had kid's sunglasses or whatever. You still see 'em.
Dana: You got one of those but you knocked the lenses out.
Ken: I knocked the lenses out.

Dana: Got it, OK.
Ken: I had a corncob pipe.



Dana: A button nose? Two eyes made out of coal?
Ken: That I had gotten as a souvenir at Knotts Berry Farm when we were in California.
Dana: OK.

The boys then reminisce about long ago days where theme parks would sell pipes to children.
Then Ken continues.

Ken: In addition to all of this I had my Santa beard.
Dana: Jesus! Good God!
Ken: My Santa beard was an intricate lattice of scotch tape attached to which were cotton balls.
Dana: Oh my god.
Ken: And you'd have two long pieces that would come off the side, which is what you would put behind your ears.
Dana: Sure.
Ken: To hold it on.
Dana: To attach it to your face. Did you have any friends when you were little?
Ken: Yes.
Dana: Did you carry them around in a case?


Ken's admission of his Santa kit is hysterical. You can hear about that and more on KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #88: Mad Hatters

A Chowder Christmas

In 2008 Chowder had a special Christmas episode entitled "Hey Hey It's Knishmas" and on Christmas Eve Cartoon Network will be airing it at 7:30pm.

So get yourself a glass of eggnog and gather up the family in front of the TV.

Dana Snyder plays Gazpacho who in turn is playing Knish Kringle:


It's a silly parody of Christmas about a Santa like character who vomits presents for you if you are good (and make a good smingerbread house.)

If you are bad he goes into a terrible rage and destroys your smingerbread house.


Chowder, the young lad the show centers around, goes to see Knish Kringle and asks him for an 'electric broccoli trimmer with a detachable non-electric cauliflower trimmer.'

The episode is one of the best Gazpacho episodes and Dana is very funny in all his scenes.
Chowder is a really clever and unique show and this episode is one of the better Christmas episodes any cartoon has put out in the past 20 years.

"Chowder: Hey Hey it's Knishmas" airs December 24th at 7:30pm.

a second listen: KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #22: Holiday-a-Go-Go

KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #22: Part 1 - Holiday-a-Go-Go and KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #22: Part 2 - Holiday-a-Gone-Gone are the two parts of a wonderful musical Christmas journey.

In these 2006 episodes Dana and Ken share selections from their holiday CD mixes. You get a taste of a few dozen yuletide tunes that range from the beautiful to the bizarre.

First you get to hear Ken as David Seville and Alvin, Simon and Theodore. The words "Go to Hell, Dave" have never sounded so adorable.


Barry Gordon's "Zoomah, The Santa Claus From Mars" and Troy Hess' "Christmas on the Moon" compliment each other perfectly with wacky space themed holiday tunes warbled by kids.


Also on the boys' CDs are a pair of monster themed songs 'A Monster's Holiday' and 'Monster Christmas Mash'.

Dana and Ken go through most of the tracks on each of their CDs. Ken's features music he found listenable.
Dana found his CD, of mostly novelty tunes, to be more listenable.
For example Ken included a track by the Flaming Lips. Dana's reaction to it is priceless.

These episodes are great to spin as you wrap presents or a background to your office holiday party.

You get a little bit of Christmas music and a lot of bickering. Enjoy KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #22: Part 1 - Holiday-a-Go-Go and KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #22: Part 2 - Holiday-a-Gone-Gone.

As a bonus, here is one of Dana's selections Crackerjack Christmas (by Captain Kangaroo) in it's entirety:

Jack Benny Goes Christmas Shopping

If you are a long time listener to the Ken P. D. Snydecast, you have certainly heard Ken and Dana talk about their fondness of Mr. Jack Benny.

KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #53: Fleet Feet And All You Can Eat starts off with Ken's impersonation of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (Jack Benny's valet on the radio and TV series The Jack Benny Show.)
Then the boys discuss Jack's comedy techniques and what made him so successful.

On KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #142: iFail Dana discusses his purchase of an iPad. At around the 12 minute mark Ken breaks into an impression of Jack Benny and Rochester at the Apple store.

More recently Dana discussed his birthday in KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #160: Scratch Fever and his desire to follow in Benny's footsteps when it comes to mentioning his age.
Jack Benny famously always said he was 39 years old no matter how old he was.

So, how familiar are you with Jack Benny? Had you heard of him before you started to listen to the Ken P. D. Snydecast? Did you just know his name from the scene in Back to the Future when Doc assumes that if Ronald Reagan became President, Jack Benny must be secretary of the treasury? BTW, Doc's line was a rather witty joke since Jack's character was notoriously cheap.

Whether you have seen Jack Benny on his TV show or in movies, or if you only have a vauge knowlege of him; or if you are so young that Back to the Future seems like it was in the stone age and you aren't totally sure who that Ronald Reagan cat was, I have a treat for you.

Jack Benny Goes Christmas Shopping is one of the very best episodes of The Jack Benny Show and possibly the funniest Christmas special of all time.

It features Jack and Rochester along with a great cast of comedic actors:

Frank Nelson who's comic "yeeesssss" was often featured on both Jack Benny's show and Sanford & Son.




Charlie Cantor who plays a lingerie salesman who is uncomfortable touching the garments with his bare hands- especially the black ones.




And Mel Blanc who steals the show playing a wallet salesman descending into madness. Watch closely towards the end of the episode. When Mel starts rolling, even Jack can't help but laugh.


Go ahead, give it a look and next time Ken and Dana start to talk about the greatness of Jack Benny you will know why.

Shell World (not Show World)

On Ken P. D. Snydecast #164: Every Day’s A Holly-Day Ken mentioned Shell World in Florida.

Dana wanted to make sure that Ken didn't mean Show World in NYC.

I have been to both. I brought back a Shell Dolphin Statue from Shell World and put it in my living room. I brought something back from Show World, too. The doctor gave me a cream and it went away in a couple weeks.

There are actually quite a few places named Shell World in Florida. I am not sure which one Ken and Dana went to but it was probably this one in Key Largo:


Shell World Key Largo has something for everyone from shells for around the house to formal shells for a night out on the town.

Sounds amazing... but the one in Orlando has a shell golf cart.

a closer look: Charlie Callas

On Ken P. D. Snydecast #164: Every Day’s A Holly-Day Dana and Ken had the following exchange about dinner Dana had at the Rustic Inn:

Dana: I went there with a very sweet beautiful girl. Who was friends... her family... she grew up with...
Ken: Scott Baio.
Dana: No. A younger...
Ken: Charlie Callas.
Dana: I can't remember who it is. You're trying to be funny and it trumps everything.
Ken: Dick Butkis.
Dana: Bristol Palin.
Ken: That was funny?
Dana: No. I didn't say it was funny.
Ken: That trumps everything, though?
Dana: 'cause it's crazy.
Ken: O.K.
Dana: Yeah. Charlie Callas... no one even knows who you're talkin' about.

Well, get ready for some knowledge.

Charlie Callas is an American comedian best know for his work with Mel Brooks and Martin & Lewis. His stand-up was a fixture on television talk shows in the 1970s.

His two most recent TV appearances were on the Larry the Cable Guy Christmas in 2007 and 2008. Over the years he has been on everything from The Monkees to The Munsters and provided the voice of Elliot the dragon in the Disney classic Pete's Dragon.

Here is a classic bit of buffoonery with Callas and Snydecast fav Dom DeLuise:

Ken P. D. Snydecast #164: Every Day’s A Holly-Day

Ken P. D. Snydecast #164: Every Day’s A Holly-Day has been unleashed!

Make sure and give it a listen.

Dana talks about movies where old people die.
First was Young@Heart a 2007 film described as "A documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians."
Take a look at the trailer:


Next was a 2006 documentary called Been Rich All My Life. This tells the story of the "Silver Belles," five women in their 80s and 90s. These ladies were all chorus dancers at the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater in the 1930s. In the mid eighties they started dancing again. Here is the theatrical trailer:


Dana and Ken also discussed French Stewart, Coldplay, Jason Snyder's artwork, Serial Killers, the imfamous logo contests, Shell World and much much more.

Go and download Ken P. D. Snydecast #164: Every Day’s A Holly-Day ASAP!

a second listen: Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #36: The Snydes

Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #36: The Snydes is a raucous party in podcast form.
Just after the introductions Dana and Ken have this exchange:


Dana: Isn't our ten listeners listening to this proud of us at the frequency and sheer number that we have pumped out over the last two weeks?
Ken: Yes.
Dana: This has been a bi-weekly event at this point.
Ken: Well close… sort of.
Dana: Well for at least two weeks.
Ken: Yes, the very minimum definition of bi-weekly.
Dana: Oh no. Wait! What's the one I mean? I mean two a week.
Ken: No, we haven't put out two a week yet.
Dana: Yeah well we've got four now, this is the forth. So there will be two a week. We'll get crankin' on this. We'll give them too much.
Ken: Yes, they'll demand less.
Dana: That's what I learned. Always leave the audience wanting less. That insures that you will stay in their minds forever.
Ken: Yes, just like any good burlesque comedian.
Dana: That’s right.
Ken: Make sure you overstay your welcome.
Dana: Sublety is for homosexuals and poets.
Ken: I can't believe you just said that.
Dana: Usually the same thing!
Ken: Oh my! Who are you? Where's Dana? Folks, I think theres been an imposter that's broken into the studio.
Dana: There's something bad going on.
Ken: Because dana would never have said something like that, being a poet homosexual himself.
Dana: Yeah, that’s right. I'm a homosexual poet, in that I only write poetry- I myself am not homosexual- yet I only write poetry about homosexuals .
Ken: That's exactly what he tells his wife.

The conversation then spins off into Dame Edna, Dom Deluise, the Muppet Show, Dana's murder in the year 2017, the 3 sizes of snyde shirts (Doc Hammer, Snyde and Plumey), Livin' Large (the Snydecast dream sitcom) and the ineptness of Gargamel.


Ken P. D. Snyde-Cast #36: The Snydes is definitely worth another play on your iTunes.

A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Dom Joly

Over on asitecalledfred.com a new episode of Ken Plume's "A Bit of a Chat" series has been added.

This one is titled A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Dom Joly.

Dom Joly is a British television comedian and journalist. He is probably best known for his work on Trigger Happy TV, a hidden camera show.

Dom talks to Ken about his experiences on the UK series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! , he talks about his work on the travel show Dom Joly's Happy Hour, an interesting trip to North Korea and his hatred of Easy Jet and McDonalds.

Dom Joly is a very interesting guest and the 50 minutes fly by.

Hitchhiking Chutzpah by Jason Snyder

Yesterday this classy piece of art was added to deviantart.com with the description "Hitchhiking Chutzpah". Dana Snyder (Adult Swim's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", Master Shake), Ken Plume and the ghost of Phil Silvers in Disney's Haunted Mansion. Created in Illustrator and Photoshop."

A little digging found this post on Jason Snyder's (no relation to Dana... I think) blog where he explains the inspiration behind the print.

The likenesses are very good and appear to be based on these images:


I think this print captures the feel of the show perfectly.

Sipes Stories: Pennies

A brand new web episode of Sipes Stories has been released with the name Pennies. Click here to watch this awesome adventure featuring elections, World War 6 and pennies.

If you haven't checked out Sipes Stories yet, they are hysterical web videos that run about a minute each. Dana Snyder sings the theme song and provides narration over the artwork.
Art is done by different artist each episode, Dana was the featured artist for The New Country of Rock & Roll. This week art is done by Jon Schnepp.

So head over to adultswim.com/sipes and check out Pennies and any of the other shorts you have missed.

Also check out the Original Sipes Stories book which is on the web in PDF form. Seeing these stories in the penmanship of a 10 year old makes them even more brilliant.

a closer look: Skipper Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel

On Ken P. D. Snydecast #163: Holiday Shebangery Dana mentioned eating the the Spanish Kitchen a restaurant that was once Skipper Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel.


There are few things in life I could imagine that would be as good as having a lobster with the Skipper.

Perhaps shaving with Abe Lincoln or splitting a box of Ho Ho’s with The Golden Girls would measure up to the magnitude of eating with Skipper, but I doubt it (unless Abe lets you wear his hat, then all bets are off.)

Alan Hale was the son of a very successful movie actor also named Alan Hale. And, as Ken mentioned on the podcast, they were almost identical:


The elder Hale was born Rufus Edward MacKahan when he entered the movie business he went by the name Alan Hale. When his son was born he named him Alan Hale MacKahan.
The younger Hale then followed in his fathers footsteps under the name Alan Hale Jr. After his father passed away he dropped the “Jr.”

TRIVIA: Dropping the “Jr.” is street slang drinking a small bottle of liquor concealed in a sandwich.

Anyway, the restaurant was located smack dab in the middle of the tourist area of Hollywood. Skipper Alan Hale’s lobster barrel offered patrons steak and seafood served by tuxedo-clad waiters for moderate prices. It was only open for dinner (5pm to 10:30pm, 1am on the weekends.)

But the big attraction was Hale himself who made the rounds at the eatery to the delight of the customers. At the restaurant (and most other places) he would wear his signature captain’s hat.

Eventually, the Lobster Barrel closed its doors and Hale started a new business venture, a travel company. I am sure the “three hour tour” jokes eventually turned the receptionist into a raging alcoholic.

a closer look: Disneyland video games

On Ken P. D. Snydecast #163: Holiday Shebangery the boys talk a lot about video games in Walt Disney theme parks.

The discussion starts because of Dana's review of Epic Mickey (he thinks it's boring) which has some unique looks at Disney icons:

Epic Mickey is a open ended platform game for the Wii.

Ken briefly mentioned that there may have been a Disneyland game in Japan, years ago. Actually there were at least 2:


Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken (Mickey's Great Adventure in Tokyo Disneyland) was a 1994 game for the SNES where Minnie has been kidnapped (or should I say MOUSEnapped... or should I shoot myself for typing something so stupid) by Pete. You play as Mickey and you must trek through lands (Fantasyland, Tomorrowland etc.) to rescue her.

Also in Japan they released Tokyo Disneyland: Fantasy Tour in 1998 for Game Boy.

Dana and Ken also spent some time talking about the 2000 game Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour:

In this game players compete in races on courses based on the Disney attractions Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain.
This game was released for Sega Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, and the original PlayStation.
[Edit: on episode #165 it is mentioned the game was more likely this NES Disneyland game.]

Then they talked about the fan-made level of Left 4 Dead that took users through the Disneyland ride Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
The level is amazingly accurate and is full of detail.

Ken was impressed that they showed the John Rhys-Davies queue video within the video game level:


Go ahead and skim through this Youtube video:

If you want a version with some dead zombies click here.

Serial Killers results: it's a tie!?!

Last night at the Sacred Fools theater, Dana Snyder appeared in the serial play The Whaler. The play was one of two challengers in the Serial Killers competition.
As part of the contest, two plays are usually voted off. Last night there was a tie.

The Whaler (with Dana in the role of Isaiah) will return for a second chapter.

It will be one of four returning serials that will face one challenger on January 22.

Congrats to Dana and the cast of The Whaler for a fine performance!

Here are some photos from the show (courtesy of C.M.'s photostream on Flickr). Dana is wearing sunglasses and the realest beard I have ever seen:

Serial Killers: TONIGHT Saturday 12/11/2010

Tonight Dana is on stage at The Sacred Fools theater in Los Angeles as part of the Serial Killers competition.

It's a competition where five serials are performed in one sitting. Each playwright has six days to write, cast and get ready to perform a chapter in their ongoing serial.

After all five have ended the audience votes and the three plays with the highest vote totals continue on. The other two shows leave in defeat, never to return.

The current champions are LUNAR TUNES - Episode 8 (w. Jenelle Riley, d. J.J. Mayes); ASK ELIZABETH - Episode 49 (w. & d. Rebecca Larsen); MEMOIRS OF A SCHIESSEFRAU
Episode 2 (w. Curt Bonnem & Jimmy Swan d. Curt Bonnem).

The non-Snyde challenger is

THE SISTERS AND THE LION - Episode 1 (w. Aaron Francis d. Reena Dutt)

But, who cares about any of those. The show you NEED to see is the one with Dana:

THE WHALER - Episode 1
by Joe Jordan • directed by Jaime Robledo
They're on the high seas to hell.

If that isn't enough to get you to hop on the 101, the Sacred Fools website promises a deep fry truck "the Hot Box food truck is back with deep-fried snickers, mac and cheese and more for your post-show munchies!"

The Sacred Fools Theater is located at 660 N. Heliotrope Drive, just off Melrose. It's just around the corner from the Launderland Coin Laundry in case you need to wash your socks.
Show starts at 11 p.m. Call the box office to get directions, or for post show drunken complaints in the unlikely event Dana's show doesn't get called back for another chapter.

Tickets are only available at the box office and cost just $7 (equivelent to 14 Chocodiles) bring a friend, a relative, a guy you met at the Launderland Coin Laundry... just make sure you all vote for The Whaler!

Ken P. D. Snydecast #163: Holiday Shebangery

Ken P. D. Snydecast #163: Holiday Shebangery has been released. It's a wonderful episode that may (or may not) be a holiday edition.

Dana and Ken talk about the Tam O' Shanter, Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel, Will Vinton, Figgy Pudding, Paul Winchell, Bert Lahr, Drunken Uncles, Benihana, Slush, the Annie Awards, Left 4 Dead's Indiana Jones level, Ken's fireman's jacket and/or Ken's windbreaker, Bob Joles, Milton Berle and Dana's Mustache.

Then they talk of pants! Dana purchased the following items from bonobos.com:


Ken suggests that we all go to News From Me and check out the writings of Mark Evanier.

And if you care, here is where Perkasie is:



Dana is part of Serial Killers at the Sacred Fools theater in Los Angeles THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!
His 'serial' is:

THE WHALER - Episode 1
by Joe Jordan • directed by Jaime Robledo
They're on the high seas to hell.

Go, see Dana Snyder LIVE and vote for The Whaler to continue!


Now, sit back and enjoy some of the magic that is Always Leave Them Laughing:


And finally, here is the punchline to Dana's joke:

"Every December 7 he would attack Pearl Bailey."