Tag Archives: The Carpenters

post

The 10 Weirdest Star Wars Rip-Offs of All Time

Posted on by

Earlier this week, I saw a news item that said Mark Hamill considered moving out of the United States after Donald Trump was re-elected president last November. And my reaction was: Mark Hamill’s still alive? Oh, right, it’s his career that died.

Ever since Hamill toplined the original “Star Wars” in 1977, there has been no shortage of crazy works that try to fly with George Lucas’ imagination but inevitably take an Icarus-worthy plummet from heights where they could not travel. And while the 1982 Turkish film “The Man Who Saved the World” (a.k.a. “The Turkish Star Wars”) has gained cult classic status for its inane pilfering of “Star Wars” and a half-dozen other sci-fi classics, there are other films and television productions that are even crazier.
Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: The Carpenters…Space Encounters

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 761: “The Carpenters…Space Encounters” (1978 television variety special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Music clearance rights are probably at the root of the problem.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

When it comes to kitsch, nothing beats the television variety specials of the 1970s. Between the none-too-special guest stars performing musical numbers for which they were ill-suited, the flashy polyester costuming, the overbaked choreography and the manic need to appear hip, these productions often represent the best of the worst elements from the decade that good taste forgot.
Continue reading →