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Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:16

Bill’s on a WonderCon panel tomorrow, plus Speed Racer update, SpaceX launch today & more

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First things first today... I’ll be at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA tomorrow afternoon to participate in an interesting panel discussion with friends. It’s at 5PM in Room 207 and it’s called Everyone’s a Critic: Being a Journalist in the Online Age. Here’s the panel description:

Bill Watters (Bleeding Cool), Mary Anne Butler (Aggressive Comix), Jeff Bond (Geek Monthly), Bill Hunt (The Digital Bits), Alexandra August (Comic Book Resources), and Thomas Parham (APU) discuss the expansion of journalism over the past decade, from the rise of citizen journalism to blogging to vloggers, podcasters, and online-only news sources. This panel of nationally known writers and hosts will talk about the roles new media play between their readers and the industries and communities they serve, varying levels of informality versus classic ideas of professionalism, show-specific outlets versus general news sites, moving from hobbyist to being a professional, and more. Friday March 31, 2017 – 5:00pm-6:00pm – Room 207

It’s an interesting topic and I think it’ll be a good discussion so I hope to see you there or elsewhere around the show! [Read on here…]

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In announcement news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set the Jean-Claude Van Damme actioner Kill ’Em All for Blu-ray, DVD and Digital release on 6/6.

Scream Factory and IFC Midnight have set The Autopsy of Jane Doe for Blu-ray and DVD release on 5/2 as a Walmart-exclusive title.

Any fans of NBC’s Grimm? Well, Universal has just set Grimm: The Complete Collection officially streets on Blu-ray on 6/23. 28 discs with all seasons for $224.98. Grimm: Season Six is also streeting separately that day. And Universal has also announced a DVD reissue of Baa Baa Black Sheep: Season One in a single package on 6/13, presumably to better match the recent Shout! Factory Season Two DVD set.

Meanwhile, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount are releasing the 2012 Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Series on DVD only on 5/30.

For you Speed Racer fans, we’ve learned that FUNimation is going to be holding a special New York City Q&A and signing event on 4/25 with voice actor Corrine Orr (Trixie) at the Barnes & Noble in Tribeca. The complete 1966 animated series finally arrives on Blu-ray (and DVD as well) from FUNimation on 5/30. We’ve also learned that details on the company’s planned Fall Blu-ray and DVD release of the original Japanese version of the series, Mach GoGoGo, with English subtitles will be announced soon.

On the music front, Eagle Rock Entertainment has set The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 2004 for DVD/CD Combo, Blu-ray/CD Combo, and Digital release on 6/2.

And Lionsgate has set Stephen Gaghan’s Gold for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 5/2. The film stars Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez. Lionsgate has also set The Girl with All the Gifts are release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD on 4/24, starring Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton, and Paddy Considine.

Also, all three of Lionsgate’s new 4K Ultra HD titles are now available for pre-order on Amazon, including Dredd, Ex Machina, and Snitch. Here’s the cover art those titles and more (click on each to pre-order)...

Dredd (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) Ex Machina (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) Snitch (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)

Grimm: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Disc) Speed Racer: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Disc) Heat: Director's Definitive Edition (Blu-ray Disc)

One last quick note that’s of interest to me personally, and it might be of interest to some of you as well: SpaceX is going to attempt to re-fly one of their Falcon 9 rockets that’s already launched a mission to the International Space Station and landed successfully. If they succeed, it will make the start of a new era in reusable (and thus cheaper) space flight. The launch window opens about 3:20 PM Pacific today and you can watch the live webcast here at this link starting about 3 PM. If any of you out there reading this work at SpaceX, good luck! Drop me a line on Facebook – I’d love to hear from you!

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt