TV21

Barry Gray Tribute Show Sunday 18th July 2010

Details: Category: Newsflashes; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 6212

To mark the 102nd birthday of Barry Gray, there will be a 1 hour internet radio show featuring his music. TODAY, Sunday 18th July 2010

Yes, I know there is basically no time to respond to this one, as word only got out saturday. If you catch this in time: On this Sunday's "The Beyondophonic Action Hour" show where you can hear themes from 24 different Gerry Anderson TV and film productions, including unreleased gems courtesy the Barry Gray estate!

If you can't tune into the live stream at 7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern (3AM UK time), a podcast should be in the Luxuria show archives sometime on Monday. (But note: these are only kept available for download for a couple of months, so act soon.) The show is carried on the Internet Radio station LuxuriaMusic.

Read on for full details...

Century 21 Annual coming for 2011!!!!

Details: Category: Collectables; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 6579

Well that was a long wait. Almost 40 years after the last TV 21 annual was published in 1972, this summer will see the publication of "Gerry Anderson's Century 21 Annual 2011". As you might imagine, details are few right now, except it has 96 pages and will be published by Reynolds and Hearn on August 31 2010. Not September 13th as some might have hoped.

It is listed as a hardcover and the cover art looks really nice, as you can see. It's available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk.

In addition, Reynolds and Hearn has published 2 additional volumes to the "Century 21" series of books featuring the classic strips from the comic. There are now 4 volumes in total, available in paperback and hardback, although the earlier volumes are now getting spendy in hardcover format. They are excellent books and well worth picking up.

Site updated

Details: Category: SIte news; Last Updated: Thursday, 15 August 2013 23:08; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 3988

As you can tell, I have updated the look of the site. In addition, the commenting system has been updated and hopefully will enourage more particpation. Time will tell. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new look and feel. Please feel free to provide any feedback via the "Contact TV21" link on the right!

Andersonic issue 9 now available

Details: Category: Collectables; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 6143

The latest issue of Andersonic, issue 9 is now available.

This Anderson fan magazine is good quality with original material and is published about twice a year. The latest issue include an interview with Mike Trim, a recollection of a set visit on Space:1999 and a re-evaluation of Supercar.

Full details below...

“Filmed in Supermarionation” - a TV Century 21 book review

Details: Category: Publications; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 9045

Almost 2 years ago, author and documentary maker Stephen La Riviere announced that he was working on a book which thoroughly documents the Supermarionation era.

Prior to this, he made the superb “Supercar Full Boost Vertical” video which was a detailed documentary into the making of Supercar. It featured extensive interviews, video clips, photos and major research to thoroughly document the making of supercar.

When I first saw this I recall wishing this was the first in a series of documentaries, as it would wonderful if there was one for each of the Supermarionation shows.

What follows is a detailed review of the book.

Click the "Read More" link or title for the full article...

Thunderbirds Blu-Ray is region-free

Details: Category: BluRay; Last Updated: Saturday, 24 May 2014 02:07; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 5788

The Thunderbirds BluRay set is available in the UK and even though it is marked as REGION B (PAL I think), I had been told by multiple sources that the set is region free. I took a chance and ordered the now much cheaper set. I paid £58.88 from Amazon UK. I use a normal Sony Playstation 3 with no hacks. The Thunderbirds BluRay set plays just fine on my USA Playstation 3. The shows look amazing on my *ahem* 58" plasma screen and I have to say the show looks incredible presented in this way.

I know the top and bottom have been cut off, but to be honest, 98% of the time, you won't even notice. They did grab some extra side area that was never shown before, so generally its a major win in terms of picture quality. Colour is excellent and it looks like a major restoration was done for the most part. The sound is available in 5.1 surround (???) and stereo. Stereo is the default and for good reason. Still some additional "effects" but thats OK in moderation. (read on)

Andersonic issue 8 now available

Details: Category: Collectables; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 6223

Fan-produced fanzine Andersonic has just released issue 8. The magazine is great treat for Anderson fans and contains much original content.

Full summar

From the publisher:

Issue 8 is now available, comprising 40 pages and featuring a new interview with Mike Noble who discusses his work on Anderson-related comic strips in TV21 and Look-In. Other features include:-

• Stingray - is there more to Stingray's longevity than all that colour? Line out to Deepsville with Commander Daddio to find out about the Andersons' foray into inner space.
• Joe 90 - City of Dolls: a look at how the series captured the zeitgeist of the late 60s.
• Joe 90/ Business Holiday - Classic episode reviewed.
• The Metamorph Retrospective - Changes were deemed necessary to get the series back on the air, but did they do the trick? Our writers take a closer look at the colourful opening episode of Space:1999's reboot.
• Beyond Century 21 - a look at the fate of costumes, instrumentation and miniatures from the Anderson series after the closure of the studios... but where exactly do Sid James and mashed potato fit into the equation?
• Space:1999/ Missing Link - a look at Edward di Lorenzo's thoughtful offering from the first series. Is it more important to feel than to think? Koenig's not sure...
• Interview - artist Mike Noble discusses his comic strip career, his techniques, influences and drawing everything from cowboys to bedsteads!
• UFO/ The Square Triangle - UFO does melodrama. Classic episode reviewed.
• Review Section - Fanderson's Stingray CD and two volumes of TV21 reprints.
• Alpha Mail - Readers letters and comments.
• Things You Do - ...when you're a fan. Back by popular demand!

The new issue is available via the website www.andersonic.co.uk - price £2.25 including UK postage and also from eBay for a limited period. If you'd prefer to pay by cheque or PO, please get in touch for our postal address.

Voice Actor Ray Barrett Dies

User Rating: 4 / 5

Details: Category: Personnel; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 255830

Australian actor Ray Barrett, who voiced many memorable characters from the Supermarionation era has passed away. He was 82 and passed away on Tuesday 8th September in a hospital in Queensland. Ray Barrett did many voices, including that of Commander Shore from Stingray as well as John Tracy and the Hood from Thunderbirds.

A more detailed account of his passing can be found here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/08/2680208.htm

Crispin Merrill CD due out in 2009

Details: Category: Collectables; Last Updated: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 7128

Later this year, a CD of music by Crispin Merrill is going to be released. Crispin Merrill is the composer of the music from "New Captain Scarlet", "Lavender Castle" and other Gerry Anderson shows. The CD is going to be produced by Ralph Titterton, the man behind many of the recent Anderson/Gray CD releases. The distribution and manufacture will be undertaken by FabgearUSA.com which is a sponsor on this site. Full press release follows after the jump...

Thunderbirds Blu-Ray: UK/Aus yes - US no

Details: Category: BluRay; Last Updated: Saturday, 24 May 2014 02:08; Written by Simon Wickes; Hits: 7882

Well, despite the earlier post, it appears that there is not in fact currently a US release of Thunderbirds on Blu-Ray. It is for sale in the UK, and a region 4 version is on sale in Australia (and eBay) for those with multi-standard players.

I already played that (region free) game with DVDs, and I already have one Blu-Ray player so I'm reluctant to spend yet more money on an iffy media.

After finding the Thunderbirds Blu-Ray on Amazon.com, the price skyrocketed to an amazing $290.Its for sale by a third party. I looked around for other US-based carriers and nobody else has it. Best Buy/Borders/Barnes and Noble/DeepdiscountDVD/Frys/ebay - none of them show a US Blu-Ray release.My guess is that this is the UK release.

As a result, I have to assume I jumped the gun and that a US release is not (yet) available.

During my search, I came across something interesting, namely a Blu-Ray release of the 1949 movie "The Third Man". This was shot in 1.33:1 ratio, like Thunderbirds. Guess what? its not cropped, that's right they retained the correct aspect ratio and it shows black bars left and right. Exactly how Thunderbirds should be done. Hint hint.

If you see an info about any Anderson show/movie coming out on Blu-Ray, please drop me a line via the link to the left.

Oh, and one more thing: I have seen bits from a high-def version of Thunderbirds are Go. Now that makes sense for a Blu-Ray release, right?...

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