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For kids growing up in the late 1960s who thought that Mister Rogers Neighborhood didn’t feel enough like a bad acid trip in a dodgy renaissance fair, there was H.R. Pufnstuf, the story of a human boy who battles a witch in a trippy fantasyland full of puppet men and talking musical instruments. Just try watching 30 seconds of this show and see how well you pass a sobriety test afterwards.

H.R. Pufnstuf was created by Sid and Marty Krofft, the brother team that also gave us the cult ‘70s kids show Land of the Lost (which was later turned into a Will Ferrell movie) and the world’s most batshit crazy amusement park — although “The World of Sid and Marty Krofft” in Atlanta closed down after only five months in operation, and eventually became the decidedly less fun CNN Center.

But before all of that, the Krofft...

Marty Krofft, who with his brother Sid Krofft created a vast world of children’s television programming, died on Saturday of kidney failure. He was 86.

Often referred to as “The King of Saturday Mornings,” Krofft died in Los Angeles surrounded by family and friends, his publicist reports.

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Marty and his brother Sid, through their Sid & Marty Pictures shingle, produced family entertainment for more than 50 years, after becomin a household...

Marty Krofft, producer of shows like H.R. Pufnstuf, The Brady Bunch Hour, The Banana Splits and Land of the Lost, has died. He was 86.

Krofft, who produced many classic shows for children alongside his older brother Sid, died of kidney failure on Saturday in Los Angeles, his family announced.

After working on The Banana Splits, Krofft and his brother Sid, went on to create Saturday morning television programming geared toward kids. In 1969, the Krofft brothers began producing H.R. Pufnstuf which followed other shows like The Bugaloos (1970), Lidsville (1971), Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973) and Land of the Lost (1974).

Other shows that Krofft produced alongside his brother included Far Out Space Nuts (1975), The Lost Saucer (1975), Donny & Marie (1976), The Krofft Supershow (1976), The Brady Bunch Hour (1977), Pink Lady and Jeff (1980), Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters (1980), Pryor’s Place (1984), D.C. Follies (1987), Land of the Lost (1991), Mutt & Stuff (2015) and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters...

Marty Krofft, who with his brother Sid produced memorable kids shows “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost” — as well as the 2009 feature based on the latter — has died. He was 86.

Krofft died of kidney failure Saturday in Los Angeles, Calif., a family representative told Variety.

Often referred to as the King of Saturday Mornings, Krofft and his brother also produced a number of primetime variety shows, including “Donny and Marie” and “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.”

Sid and Marty Krofft began their careers producing children’s television with “H.R. Pufnstuf,” a live-action program about a boy (played by British actor Jack Wild) in a fantastic land with a dragon for a friend and a witch — Witchiepoo, played by Billie Hayes — for an enemy; as conceptualized, the show followed the interactions between human actors; actors in colorful, oversized costumes; and life-size puppets with enormous heads.

The Kroffts were proudly...

Sid Krofft has had many milestones in his long career. He was the opening act for Judy Garland and Liberace, had his own theme park, joined the circus and appeared on Broadway.

Not to mention, he was the mastermind with brother Marty behind the TV and movies for H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monster, Sideshow, and Middle Age Crazy. Most were so out there that the producers were accused of drug inspiration in their creation.

Now, at age 92 and after 82 years in show business, Krofft is about to hit another mark. Tomorrow, he’ll return to Instagram Live with the 75th episode of Sundays with Sid, an online variety show that has celebrity guests, live puppeteers, viewer “parties” and lots of reminiscing.

This Sunday’s guests include David Copperfield, Beverly D’Angelo, Paul Reubens, Debbie Allen and Donny Osmond.

Krofft answered a few...

A happy-go-lucky dragon with a yellow head who talks with a magic flute. Diminutive sea monsters frolicking with a pair of young boys. A world where lifesize hats run things. And presidents in a bar, laughing it up with Saddam Hussein and Barbara Walters. These are the worlds which have been the mainstay of Sid and Marty Krofft for over 50 years, and for which they are being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb.13.

The Kroffts’ craft developed out of several decades of marionette work, including their hugely successful “Les Poupées de Paris,” the first “adults only” puppet show, featuring naked marionettes, which opened in 1962. Its success drew the attention of Six Flags, who brought the brothers onboard as creative heads to install shows at all of their amusement parks.

To produce the many costumes, puppets and props used at the Six Flags parks, the...

Sid and Marty Krofft have often said that, through their programming, they “messed with kids’ minds.” But that has proven not to be a negative thing, as their programs not only entertained but inspired future content creators.

“Instead of trying to capture grounded reality with their puppetry, [Sid and Marty] celebrated the absurd and embraced the cartoon sensibility,” says Dan Milano, creator of “Greg the Bunny,” who later worked with the Kroffts on a feature adaptation of “H.R. Pufnstuf.”

“They understand a child’s imagination and how fragmented and sweet — but with an edge of darkness — it can be.”

Milano discovered at an early age that it was entirely feasible to grow up and become a paid creator by watching Krofft productions.

“It made it so that I didn’t feel it was unusual at all that I would draw silly pictures, do silly voices, put on puppet shows, make them talk, and...

Sid and Marty Krofft created memorable, magical Saturday morning live-action television shows including “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “Land of the Lost” and “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl,” but their success extends far beyond sea monsters, magic flutes and Vroom Brooms. They’ve entertained millions, employed thousands and inspired many of today’s content creators — they’re still in production today with “Mutt & Stuff,” which airs on Nickelodeon. Recently, a revival of “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters” appeared on Amazon. Now, the dynamic duo is being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

“It’s not easy to be in the business with your relatives,” says Marty Krofft. “But we’ve lasted longer than most marriages in the world.”

“You just make it work,” says Sid Krofft. “We’ve been together professionally for 60 years. We argue, but that’s just part of being Sid and Marty Krofft.

The national television academy has announced the 2018 Daytime Emmy winners for Lifetime Achievement: Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft will be honored at the Creative Arts Emmys on April 27, followed by Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes at the main event on April 29.

Daytime Emmys Senior Vice President David Michaels said in a statement, “I’ve been star-struck by the dynamic duo of Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes for decades. The scope of their work across the television, film and stage landscape is amazing. Their continuing roles of almost 50 years on ‘Days of Our Lives,’ where they also met and married, is a daytime story like no other!

“Sid and Marty Krofft, our Daytime Creative Arts honorees, are masters of children’s television programming and have been part of my family viewing since the creation of ‘H.R. Pufnstuf,’ ‘Sigmund & the Sea Monsters’ and ‘Land of the Lost.’ Their terrific...

The Golden Gate Bridge celebrated its opening on May 27, 1937, and it seems like Hollywood has been doing its damndest to close the thing down ever since. The nearly two-mile-long wonder that connects California's San Francisco to Marin County has been the target of many ruthless attacks throughout movie history, from the earthquakes that might one day actually destroy the bridge to your garden variety monsters.

There's plenty of the latter on display in Guillermo del Toro monster mash "Pacific Rim," which eschews the typical landmark stomping of Kaiju movies … with the notable exception of pointy-headed beast laying waste to the Golden Gate in the film's opening prologue. Guess the temptation was too hard to resist, eh, Guillermo?

1. 'It Came From Beneath the Sea' (1955)

The late stop-motion animation genius Ray Harryhausen created the Kraken-like giant octopus for this '50s creature feature, although budget constraints forced him to remove...

Chris Colfer signs copies of his #1 bestseller in Los Angeles.

Birthday shoutouts go to Ae member TokoTo, Sid Krofft, who is 83, Arnold Schwarzenegger is 65, Delta Burke is 56, Lisa Kudrow is 49, Hilary Swank is 38, and Kate Bush is 54. What are your fave Kate songs? Here are mine: "This Woman's Work," 4. "Babooshka," 3. "Running Up That Hill," 2. "Cloudbusting," 1. "The Man With The Child In His Eyes."

Thanks to everyone for your Birthday wishes today! I appreciate it. And if you'd like your birthday mentioned in Briefs, drop me a Pm!Ricky Martin has signed a deal with Universal to develop and star in his first network television series as well as TV specials. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog will make its television debut on the CW on Tuesday, October 9, at 9 Pm.In wonderful casting news, True Blood star Nelsan Ellis is going to put Lafayette's fierce wardrobe aside to play Martin Luther King, Jr....

Another day, another Comic-Con schedule! Are you ready to plan out our Saturday at this years convention!? Once again there's a ton of great panels going on including Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, The Hobbit, Marvel TV, Django Unchained, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and more!

Saturday has shaped up to be a hell of a great day for those of you attending Comic-Con. I've put *** next to all of the panels that we want to attend, but like every year, I'm sure we'll be covering a lot more stuff.

We'll be wearing our GeekTyrant shirts, so if you see us walking around San Diego and the convention center, please stop and and say hi! We'd love to meet our readers. We will also be holding our annual meet-up on Wednesday night before the crazy geek storm.

Check out the schedule below and let us know what panels you'll be attending,...

With Emmy nominations right around the corner, Revenge executive producer Mike Kelley indulges our nosiest TV questions, including where he’d really like to see Emily Thorne and Victoria Grayson duke it out. Read the latest in Vulture's Showrunner Survey series to hear his thoughts on the cardinal sin most teen dramas commit, and which dead soap opera character he misses most.What's the first TV show you remember being obsessed with?That’s a tough one. The Six Million Dollar Man? Charlie’s Angels? Fantasy Island? Eight Is Enough? Think it’s too close to call in the nighttime drama category, so l’ll go with the 1970s Saturday morning classic Sid and Marty Krofft’s H.R. Pufnstuf. Years ago, I actually had a chance to meet Puff co-creator Sid Krofft. He’s as delightfully oddball, spacey and brilliant as the kooky masterpiece he and his brother dreamed up.

Birthday shoutouts go to Marc Jacobs (above), who is 49, Hugh Hefner is 86, Dennis Quaid is here!, and he's 58, Cynthia Nixon is 46, Kristen Stewart is 22, and Elle Fanning is 14. And a special shoutout to a man who is one half of the greatest influence of my formative years. Marty Krofft is 75, and he and his brother Sid made me the person I am today. What are your fave Krofft fever dreams? Here are mine 5. "The Lost Saucer," 4. "D.C. Follies," 3. "Bigfoot and Wild Boy," 2. "Pink Lady & Jeff," 1. "Electra-Woman and Dyna Girl."

The film version of Ender's Game has been pushed back from March of next year to November of next year. No official reason was given, but obviously my curse is starting to take effect. Bwa-ha-ha! Lots of ratings news today. The second episode of HBO's Game of Thrones held up strongly from the premiere, while Lifetime's The Client List scored big numbers in its debut.

Of the major Universal Studios flops in recent memory, a handful stand out for their massive, and high profile, box office failings: 2009's Sid and Marty Krofft adaptation Land of the Lost, 2010's abysmal Wolfman and geek cult film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and this summer's megawatt disappointment Cowboys & Aliens. No one, it seems, is more painfully aware of Universal's missteps than longtime studio head Ron Meyer, who candidly addressed his recent Tower Heist VOD experiment, revisited his rise through the ranks to the top of the Universal chain, and admitted Wednesday in Savannah that some mediocre movies deserve their fate: "We make a lot of shitty movies. Every one of them breaks my heart."...

In the late 60s and early 70s, the sibling team of Sid and Marty Krofft produced a number of strange yet imaginative children’s shows. These shows featured bizarre puppets and low-budget special effects. Their vivid and colorful programs (The Banana Splits, H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost) entertained young ones while at the same time, prompting parents to ask “Were the makers of these shows high when they made them?” Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is another fine example of the Krofft brothers’ zany style. The first season is now available on DVD and perhaps you too will ask that very same question.

Read more...

All you poor young puppet/muppet deprived youngsters need to get educated. Now that Sid and Marty Krofft have the rights back to their own stuff new generations will finally be able to enjoy H.R.Pufnstuff, Sigmund and The Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, and Lidsville. These were Saturday morning TV shows that mixed a human cast with giant felt characters and the corniest jokes you could imagine. The Kroffts also produced live action shows like Dr. Shrinker, Bigfoot and Wildboy, Electro Woman and Dyna Girl, Far Out Space Nuts and Wonderbug. While Land of the Lost has been available for some times, these other programs have been very hard to find. Anyone that grew up watching them will rejoice.  First airing in 1973 Sigmund and the Sea...

Wesley Eure is best known to soap fans for his long run as Mike Horton on Days Of Our Lives which ended in 1981. He also made a huge splash as Will Marshall during his run in the popular Sid and Marty Krofft adventure series Land Of The Lost. But he also has an extensive background as an author, television writer, producer, lecturer and charity fundraiser. In an exclusive three-part interview with We Love Soaps TV from November 2009, Eure covered all those aspects of his life and more including the price he's paid for being an out gay man in the industry.

In Part One, Eure talked about his background, how he came into show business and shared some fun stories from Days set.

In Part Two, Eure recalled Mike Horton's "gay storyline" and revealed how and why he was fired from the soap.

In Part Three, Eure spoke about...

Expert geeks and contributing cynics Luke Y. Thompson & Gary Hodges are covering Comic-Con for Deadline. The following is a list of panels that they consider to be of most likely interest to Deadline readers. As there are not enough hours in the day, a panel's inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean they will report on it in more detail later. This covers official convention events only; numerous other things, like the Cowboys and Aliens premiere, will be happening but are not necessarily open to all badgeholders. Opinions and commentary are those of Luke or Gary alone, and do not necessarily represent those of anyone else at Deadline. (Remember, Nikki doesn't do geek...) All panels are subject to change, especially if somebody gets stabbed in the eye again this year: Friday, July 22 10:00-11:00 - Torchwood: Miracle Day. Doctor Who alumni John Barrowman and Eve Myles join Mekhi Phifer,...

Expert geeks and contributing cynics Luke Y. Thompson & Gary Hodges are covering Comic-Con for Deadline. The following is a list of panels that they consider to be of most likely interest to Deadline readers. As there are not enough hours in the day, a panel's inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean they will report on it in more detail later. This covers official convention events only; numerous other things, like the Cowboys and Aliens premiere, will be happening but are not necessarily open to all badgeholders. Opinions and commentary are those of Luke or Gary alone, and do not necessarily represent those of anyone else at Deadline. (Remember, Nikki doesn't do geek...) All panels are subject to change, especially if somebody gets stabbed in the eye again this year: Friday, July 22 10:00-11:00 - Torchwood: Miracle Day. Doctor Who alumni John Barrowman and Eve Myles join Mekhi Phifer,...

Comic-Con 2011 Movie Panels: Friday Schedule

11:00-12:00 Paramount: The Adventures of Tin-Tin — Tba Hall H

12:15-1:15 Relativity Media: Raven and Haywire— Two fantastic films from Relativity Media debut in this Hall H presentation. Hall H

Raven — The film is a gritty thriller in which Edgar Allan Poe joins forces with a young Baltimore detective to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe’s own works as the basis for a string of brutal murders. Ravenstars John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, Luke Evans, and Alice Eve and is directed by James McTeigue.

Haywire — An electrifying tale of espionage and betrayal. A female covert ops specialist who works in the deadly world of international operatives strikes back after discovering she’s been double-crossed by someone close to her in the agency. Mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano makes her feature film — and Comic-Con — debut,...

Right now, the official description of Paramount’s Adventures of Tin-Tin presentation at Comic-Con simply reads “Tba.” Which we assume stands for Two Big A-listers — namely director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson, who will whip fanboys into a frenzy if they show up in Hall H at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 22. Not that Comic-Con’s second day is lacking in excitement otherwise — notably a swing-by from Spidey himself (a.k.a. The Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield). Check out a few highlights below:

- 12:15-1:15 Relativity Media offers sneak peeks of Raven, starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe,...

It seems like San Diego Comic-Con 2011 is right around the corner, and it's going to be one hell of a glorious weekend of geek awesomeness. Comic-Con International has unleashed the full schedule for Friday July 22nd, once again we have a full day of fun and excitement. There's so much I want to see here, including The Amazing Spider-Man, The Walking Dead, Total Recal, Batman: Year One, Locke & Key, Haywire, Raven and more!

I've gone through the list and put exclamation points next to all of the events that we want to cover. Let us know what panels and events you would like to know about and we will try and get them covered for you! If you are actually going to be at the con, what will you be checking out?

GeekTyrant will once again be at Comic-Con in full force this year, bringing you the best maximum super rad coverage.

This exclusive was dropped in my hat and seemed just too bizarre not to report. On Friday, July 22, former Sly Stallone squeeze Angie Everhart will moderate a Sigmund and the Sea Monsters-centric panel down at San Diego's Comic-Con. Angie will grill the show's creators, Sid and Marty Krofft, about all things Sigmund — including the Sept. 6 DVD release of the first season of the psychedelic 1973-75 kiddie show. "Now that Angie has a young son, she is very aware of kids' programming and she is a huge H.R. Pufnstuf fan," explains Marty. "I thought she would be great to host our panel at Comic-Con this year, so I asked her and here she is."...

Read More >...

We Love Soaps TV traveled to Las Vegas for the 38th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards which aired Sunday night on CBS produced by Associated Television International. Our team of Damon L. Jacobs, Roger Newcomb and Kevin Mulcahy Jr. weigh in on this year's telecast below. Look for our interviews in the coming days from both the Creative Emmys on Friday and Sunday's televised event.

Kevin Mulcahy Jr.

My first trip to the Daytime Emmys was a sizzling celebration of rich, soulful, comfort-food TV. It was a gala affair with soap opera temptresses, perky game showmen, and glad-handing talk show hosts. Everyone was dressed to the nines and brimming with enthusiasm for one of the only American institutions we all truly share. It was, in fact, an uplifting event that made me feel good about the future of daytime TV.

Believe it or not, my first trip to the Emmys was just the other day.

Alan Menken has revealed in a recent posting on Twitter that he is in talks to work on the Dreamworks Animation musical Lidsville. The project would be the first non-Disney animation project for the multiple Academy Award-winning composer. The film is based on characters developed by Sid and Marty Krofft (Land of the Lost) from the 1970′s TV series of the same name. In the movie, a rebellious kid falls into an alternate reality world of living hats and talking caps. Conrad Vernon, who directed the animated hits Shrek 2 and Monsters vs Aliens brought the project to Dreamworks. The Krofft brothers will serve as exectuive producers on the production. Lidsville is Dreamworks Animation’s second animated musical in the works. As reported earlier this year, A.R. Rahman and lyricist Stephen Schwartz are working on Monkeys of Bollywood for the company. Lidsville is still in early development and will most...

Who's your friend when things get rough?

The strange, strange world of H.R. Pufnstuf is now out on DVD! Every episode is there with every character you may (or may not) remember, including lead boy Jimmy, his sparkly talking flute Freddy (who can crawl around like an inchworm), Mayor H.R. Pufnstuf (who is some sort of overweight bureaucratic flightless dragon), and the dread Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo, her mean vulture sidekick, and her wild Vroom Broom.

There are just not many shows that reflect the times of the early 70's with as much eerie strength as H.R. Pufnstuf. This is the first 'live action' puppet show created by the infamous duo Sid and Marty Krofft, and it was successful enough that it ran for three full seasons before shuffling off the puppeteer coil.

Included in this new release is, of course, every single episode of the series. As an extra, they've...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

While I don’t think it was one of their better seasons, there was still much to enjoy in South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$57.99 Srp), and even more so as both Trey & Matt return for their patented mini-commentaries on all of the episodes, deleted scenes, and a bonus episode.

If you’re in to Diy and want to extend it to your electronic devices,...

Lidsville -Sid Krofft talked to me over the phone. That’s almost as wild and weird as the shows he created with his brother Marty that dominated the ’70s. Their live action Saturday morning series mixed puppets and people went perfect with the sugar rush from a fresh bowl of Count Chocula. This was like a weird childhood dream as I had so many questions that had puzzled me since childhood. Krofft was eager to give answers.

He was excited about Vivendi Entertainment’s recent release of H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series Collector’s Edition. There’s also a normal H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series. What’s the difference? A cool bobblehead of H.R. Pufnstuf. I’ve had little contact with the bobblehead since my two year-old has turned it into her new best friend. I told Sid Krofft how another generation has embraced the lizard hero of my youth.

Filed under: Features, TV Shows on DVD

What is it about kids' shows? They're the trippiest things on TV. Remember that ghastly Baby Sun from 'The Teletubbies'? That was weird, but nothing compares to 'H.R. Pufnstuf,' the show that made America wonder, "What they hell were they smoking when they made this!? And where in San Francisco can I get some?"

Sid and Marty Krofft's first live-action, giant puppet series premiered in 1969 and held the nation's children in its colorful, hallucinogenic grip for three seasons as part of NBC's Saturday morning lineup. Now you can relive the long, strange trip with 'H.R. Pufnstuf' The Complete Series and Collector's Edition, released today on DVD.

The three-disc package is pretty much a re-release of the Complete Series box that came out a few years ago, but the newer set features an H.R. Pufnstuf Bobblehead plus a rare...

Oh, the 1970s: It was the only decade where major studios could make films like Chinatown and Blazing Saddles, and it was also the only moment in pop culture history where the wonderfully bizarro entertainments of Sid and Marty Krofft would have been become the toast of children's television. But for those of us who grew up at a time when Saturday morning cartoons were interrupted by the Watergate hearings, we still treasure the Kroffts' crazypants style of kid's show -- and there's no better example of it than H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series (out on DVD this week from Vivendi Entertainment).

"Who's your friend when things get rough?" the theme song asks us. A 7-foot, green, dragon-man with red hair, a southern accent and a mayor's sash; that's who! For a generation of kids who grew up in the late sixties (Of which I'm one) H.R. Pufnstuf holds a special, nostalgic place. Today, guys in big, rubber costumes pretending to be benign monsters went out with Barney, but there was a time when kids weren't so jaded about such things.

Looking at it today, if you aren't familiar with 60s children's TV, you might be put off by the show's deliberately psychedelic appearance and ask "What the hell were they smoking when they made this?" That's actually a valid question, since H. R. Pufnstuf was the product of a period where certain shows were marketed toward both young children and also young adult stoners. Producers Sid and Marty Krofft churned out...

As H. R. Pufnstuf marks 40 years since the series ended its trailblazing run on Saturday mornings, Vivendi Entertainment honors the iconic Sid and Marty Krofft creation with H. R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series. This three-dvd collection features all 17 episodes, which were originally broadcast between 1969 and 1971.

Presented in standard and collector’s editions, both versions include the entire series accompanied by downloadable vintage coloring sheets, and – for the first time ever on DVD – the rare series episode, “Horror Hotel.” In addition, the Collector’s Edition comes with an exclusive H.R. Pufnstuf bobblehead. Each will be available April 12 at all retail outlets for a suggested list price of $24.99 (standard) and $34.97 (collector’s).

Four decades have past since H. R. Pufnstuf left NBC airwaves, but the colorful series remains popular, not only among those reliving their childhood, but also with others discovering the whimsical world of Living Island for the first time.

I'm as big a coward as you'll ever meet, but I will travel to any dangerous realm you can dream up if Stephen Lang is there to greet me.

"Welcome to Terra Nova," Stephen Lang booms in the sizzle reel of same-name show seen today in the Esplanade Ballroom at WonderCon, and an audience enthralled with Lang's Colonel Quaritch's welcome speech from Avatar ate it up.

Lang joked with the crowd that he has it written into his contract that he must welcome a population to a new world in all of his projects.  With very little probing he snapped to attention and barked, "Hello people.  You are not in San Diego.  You are in San Francisco.  Respect that fact every second of every day."

Let the Fox Network and their sponsors know, when I watch the pilot of Terra Nova, I'm watching because of him more than any of the other names attached.

DreamWorks Animation’s hunger for new source material can’t be stopped at the moment. Less than two weeks after announcing that the animators are developing a take on Sid and Marty Krofft’s Lidsville comes word that the company has snatched the rights to cartoonist Berkeley Breathed’s book Flawed Dogs.Dogs follows a dachshund that finds his comfortable place with his family under threat when a new arrival – a jealous, needy show dog – plots against him and has him sent away. Our hero, Sam, must survive on the streets and find a way to get back home, which ends up involving the Westminster Dog Show (think Crufts across the pond).Berkeley Breathed, best known for Us cartoon strips Bloom County and its spin-off character Opus the penguin, wrote the book in an effort to help promote dog adoption, since he’s a big animal rights champion. "All my...

When does a child actor stop being merely precocious and enter the pantheon of acting gods? You know the gods of which we speak; they look down from their mighty pedestals as we shower them with tributes year after year… The Oscar Nominees.

Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.

In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.

Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)

Age: 8

Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)

A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...

In the 1970s, Saturday mornings were a sacred time to children. It was pretty much the only time that TV programming was targeted to the under-12 set. The entity that ruled Saturday mornings were two brothers named Sid & Marty Krofft who had creatures that are best described as trippy life-sized muppets. One of their shows, "Lidsville," is being made into a movie. The premise is kinda crazy: a rebellious kid starts living in a world of living, talking hats and caps. Yeah. Your parents watched that. They didn't have a lot of choices back then. But, DreamWorks Animation is banking on parents feeling all nostaligic and wanting to share the experience with their kids. It's going to be in 3D animation. No date is set yet but roughly plan on 2014 being the year of talking fedoras.

Source: Variety...

DreamWorks Animation Skg, Inc. today announced that it will bring the well-loved Sid & Marty Krofft characters from the 1970′s television series Lidsville to the big screen in a feature film by the same name.

Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek 2) – animation veteran and lifelong fan of the Krofft’s work – brought the project to DreamWorks Animation. Brothers Sid & Marty Krofft will serve as executive producers. Vernon, DreamWorks Animation’s head of development Alex Schwartz and development executive Chris Kuser are overseeing the project at the studio.

“Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we’re excited to bring Lidsville to DreamWorks Animation,” said Marty Krofft. “It’s incredible to envision a high-quality 3D animated movie being made out of one of our favorite shows.”

“The Krofft brothers helped define a generation with the wildly imaginative characters and worlds they created,” said Alex Schwartz, head of development for DreamWorks Animation.

DreamWorks Animation has been on a real development streak recently, what with the Guillermo del Toro-supported Alma and Trollhunters, plus comic book adaptation Maintenance and musical Monkeys of Bollywood. And now the company is dipping into childhood TV, planning to turn Sid and Marty Krofft’s trippy ‘70s series Lidsville into a film.We’re somewhat surprised by this one, since the last time the Kroffts’ particular form of entertaining whimsy was given the blockbuster treatment, the result was Land of the Lost, which was (unfairly) critically mauled and keeled over like a dead T-Rex at the box office. And since then, progress on other Krofft properties has been quiet.But the brothers have a champion in Monsters Vs Aliens director Conrad Vernon, who has rose-tinted memories of the show and brought the story of a rebellious lad who has adventures in a strange world of living, talking hats to his bosses.

Though the adventure comedy Land of the Lost didn't exactly translate to box office success, Sid and Marty Krofft have plenty of TV creations that are ripe for the big screen. We already know and adaptation of H.R. Pufnstuf is in the works, but now another trippy TV show from the Krofft crew is getting the film treatment. Today DreamWorks Animation announced they will adapt the 70's TV series Lidsville into a feature length film with director Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek 2) at the helm of the project. It will actually be the first attempt at adapting the Krofft brothers' work into an animated feature rather than live-action. The series followed a teenage boy named Mark who fell into the hat of Merlo the Magician (Charles Nelson Reilly) and arrived in Lidsville, a land of living hats. The wacky hats on the show are depicted as having the...

DreamWorks Animation is developing a big-screen 3D version of Sid & Marty Krofft's characters from Lidsville, the 1970's TV series, reports Variety. This will be the first project which is based on characters developed by the Krofft brothers that's being made into a feature film. made into a feature film. Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens) brought the Lidsville project in and the Krofft brothers will are serving as executive producers while Vernon, Alex Schwartz of DreamWorks Animation and development exec Chris Kuser are overseeing the project. "Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we're excited to bring Lidsville...

DreamWorks Animation is developing a big-screen 3D version of Sid & Marty Krofft's characters from Lidsville, the 1970's TV series, reports Variety. This will be the first project which is based on characters developed by the Krofft brothers that's being made into a feature film. made into a feature film. Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens) brought the Lidsville project in and the Krofft brothers will are serving as executive producers while Vernon, Alex Schwartz of DreamWorks Animation and development exec Chris Kuser are overseeing the project. "Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we're excited to bring Lidsville...

DreamWorks Animation is developing a big-screen 3D version of Sid & Marty Krofft's characters from Lidsville, the 1970's TV series, reports Variety. This will be the first project which is based on characters developed by the Krofft brothers that's being made into a feature film. made into a feature film. Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens) brought the Lidsville project in and the Krofft brothers will are serving as executive producers while Vernon, Alex Schwartz of DreamWorks Animation and development exec Chris Kuser are overseeing the project. "Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we're excited to bring Lidsville...

Dreamworks Animation announced it will bring the 1970s television series Lidsville, featuring the Sid & Marty Krofft characters.

The Krofft brothers will serve as executive producers of the remake.

"Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we're excited to bring 'Lidsville' to DreamWorks Animation," said Marty Krofft. "It's incredible to envision a high-quality 3D animated movie being made out of one of our favorite shows."

The movie remake will be inspired by the original premise of the television series where a young rebellious kid falls into an alternate reality world of talking hats.

The L.A public TV station Kcet & Family Channel will feature the original Lidsville television series in a new show called the The Sid & Marty Krofft Hour.

DreamWorks Animation Skg, Inc. announced today that it will bring the well-loved Sid & Marty Krofft characters from the 1970′s television series Lidsville to the big screen in a feature film by the same name.

Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek 2) . animation veteran and lifelong fan of the Krofft’s work . brought the project to DreamWorks Animation. Brothers Sid & Marty Krofft will serve as executive producers. Vernon, DreamWorks Animation’s head of development Alex Schwartz and development executive Chris Kuser are overseeing the project at the studio.

“Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we’re excited to bring Lidsville to DreamWorks Animation,” said Marty Krofft. “It’s incredible to envision a high-quality 3D animated movie being made out of one of our favorite shows.”

“The Krofft brothers helped define a generation with the wildly imaginative characters and worlds they created,” said Alex Schwartz, head of development for DreamWorks Animation.

DreamWorks Animation Skg, have announced that they are creating a 3D CG animated feature inspired by Sid & Marty Krofft's characters from the 1970's television series "Lidsville".

"Lidsville" will take inspiration from the premise of the original television series in which a young rebellious kid falls into an alternate reality world of living hats and talking caps.

Animation veteran Conrad Vernon ("Monsters vs. Aliens," "Shrek 2") brought the project to Dwa and will oversea the project. Brothers Sid & Marty Krofft ("Land of the Lost") will serve as executive producers.

DreamWorks Animation announced today that they will be adapting the 1970's Sid and Marty Kroft tv series Lidsville for the big screen as an animated feature length film. The movie will follow the premise of the original television series, about a young rebellious kid who falls into an alternate reality world of living hats and talking caps. 

I never watched this tv series, but it looks like a nightmare brought to life. Here's a detailed description:

The show involved a teenage boy named Mark who fell into the hat of Merlo the Magician and arrived in Lidsville, a land of living hats. The hats on the show are depicted as having the same roles as the humans who would normally wear them. For example, a cowboy hat would act and speak like a cowboy. The characters' houses were also hat-shaped.

The villain of the show was a magician named Horatio J.

DreamWorks Animation Skg, Inc. today announced that it will bring the well-loved Sid & Marty Krofft characters from the 1970's television series Lidsville to the big screen in a feature film by the same name.Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek 2) – animation veteran and lifelong fan of the Krofft's work – brought the project to DreamWorks Animation. Brothers Sid & Marty Krofft will serve as executive producers. Vernon, DreamWorks Animation's head of development Alex Schwartz and development executive Chris Kuser are overseeing the project at the studio."Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we're excited to bring Lidsville to DreamWorks Animation," said Marty Krofft. "It's incredible to envision a high-quality 3D animated movie being made out of one of our favorite shows.""The Krofft brothers helped define a generation with the wildly imaginative characters and worlds they created," said Alex Schwartz, head of development for DreamWorks Animation.

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The Smurfs. The Muppets. Hits of yesterday continue to become the hopeful projects of today. And this morning, we’re learning of yet another buried treasure that’s being dusted off and rejuvenated for a modern, young audience.

DreamWorks Animation has said that it will bring “Lidsville,” a creation of legendary storytellers Sid & Marty Krofft, to the big screen in a feature film by the same name. “Lidsville” was a popular 1970’s television series about a teenage boy who did battle with wicked magician Horatio J. HooDoo in the mystical land of Lidsville, which existed inside the hat of Merlo the Magician. The Kroffts, meanwhile, also developed the popular programs “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “The Bugaloos.”

“Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we’re excited to bring Lidsville to DreamWorks Animation,” said Marty Krofft. “It’s incredible to envision...

DreamWorks Animation Skg, Inc. today announced that it will bring the Sid & Marty Krofft characters from the 1970's television series "Lidsville" to the big screen in a feature film by the same name. Conrad Vernon ( Monsters vs. Aliens , Shrek 2 )--animation veteran and lifelong fan of the Krofft's work--brought the project to DreamWorks Animation. Brothers Sid & Marty Krofft will serve as executive producers. Vernon, DreamWorks Animation's head of development Alex Schwartz and development executive Chris Kuser are overseeing the project at the studio. "Sid and I have had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg and we're excited to bring 'Lidsville' to DreamWorks Animation," said Marty Krofft. "It's incredible to envision a...