The SoundStage! Network

On October 26, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release one of the most successful movie trilogies of all time on Blu-ray: the Back to the Future series starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. The three movies are newly restored, and the package will contain more than two hours of new bonus features. The set will also be available on DVD.

All of the films will be newly mastered at the correct aspect ratio and will include new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks. The main new feature is Tales from the Future, a six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, director Robert Zemeckis, producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, and executive producer Steven Spielberg.

There will be a copious amount of additional extras, many with U Control features, including an archival featurette hosted by Leslie Neilsen, 16 deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons, trivia tracks, music videos from Huey Lewis and the News and ZZ Top, a discussion of the physics and science used in time-travel movies, and a question-and-answer session with Michael J. Fox.

Back to the Future website

On September 14, Image Entertainment will release the entire first season of The Twilight Zone on Blu-ray. All 36 Episodes will be included for the first time in high definition. Included will be the never-before-released unofficial pilot "The Time Element," written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz.

All new 1080p high-definition transfers have been created from the original camera negatives, as well as uncompressed PCM audio, remastered from the original magnetic soundtracks. In addition, the set includes new and exclusive bonus features not available anywhere else. Also included are 19 new audio commentaries, 34 isolated music scores, 18 radio dramas, new and archival cast/crew and scholar interviews, a "Tales of Tomorrow" episode of "What You Need," the original unaired pilot version of "Where Is Everybody?" along with Rod Serling’s network pitch, Rod Serling’s audio lectures from Sherwood Oaks College, syndication promos, sponsor billboards, alternate opening and closing narrations, clips from the Emmy Awards ceremony featuring wins for the series in Writing and Cinematography categories, and more. The five-disc Blu-ray set has an MSRP of $99.98, with pre-book on August 17.

Image Entertainment website

NLQ’s CD Compilation and Multi-Media Series launches in June The Best Of New Latin Quarter, The Jazz & Blues Collection Volume 1 featuring digitally remastered performances by Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Keely Smith, Chubby Checker, Louis Armstrong, Patti Page, Julie London, Bobby Troup and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Beginning in 1942, Tokyo’s New Latin Quarter, named and patterned after the famed New York City Latin Quarter, hosted a veritable who’s who of American and UK jazz and pop legends: Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pat Boone, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Ray Charles, James Brown, B.B. King, Tom Jones, The Supremes and Chubby Checker, among many others. Now, thanks to an accidental discovery of hundreds of hours of tapes from these live vintage performances, the formation of a new company has arisen. The Tokyo Nightclub Organization has established record, documentary and publishing divisions to release these historic, never-before-heard archival live recordings.

There will be five CDs released in 2010, beginning with The Best of New Latin Quarter, The Jazz & Blues Collection Volume 1. This set features a rare glimpse of Chubby Checker in blues ballad mode, performing "Georgia on My Mind" and Nat King Cole gracing the Sinatra associated "The Way You Look Tonight." The set also includes performances by Nancy Wilson, Keely Smith, Louis Armstrong featuring Junnie Brown, Patti Page, Julie London, Europe’s Caterina Valente, Bobby Troop, Sammy Davis, Jr., the Harry James Orchestra and The Mills Brothers. 

Volume 2 is set for release July 1, with Volume 3 to follow August 3.

NLQ website

Josh Tickell, the director of Fuel, will travel to New Orleans in the Fuel bus, powered by biofuel, to arrive in time for the film’s first New Orleans screening on June 29.

Part of Tickell’s documentary film features a former Chevron/Texaco oil man talking about the hazards of drilling in deep-sea conditions. On Thursday, June 29, Tickell is assembling a think-tank of alternate energy experts, celebrity environmental activists, and politicians to outline solutions for the BP oil spill, culminating in a peaceful mass protest by the activist filmmaker in and around Jackson Square.

In advance of these activities, Fuel releases to DVD on June 22. In addition to the film, the disc includes these extras:

"How to Get 150mpg from your Prius"
Kim Adelman of Plug-In Conversions shares his tips to get more mileage out of a Prius.

"Building a Green Bottom Line with John Paul DeJoria"
Entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria (co-founder, Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila) explains how his companies are saving money by going green.

"How to Save Thousands Through Energy Efficiency"
From power strips that automatically turn off unused appliances to smart thermostats that can help keep down heating and cooling costs, this guide purports to help save money.

"Sustainable Biodiesel with HERObx"
From one of the leading "fuel technology" companies in the world, a featurette on how agricultural waste can be turned into biofuels.

"How to Make Fuel for Under $1 Per Gallon"
Tickell’s book, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, includes directions on how to make fuel for under a dollar a gallon; how to run your vehicle on straight vegetable oil; and how to make a machine that automates your fuel processing. The complete book is included on the DVD as a free downloadable PDF.

Fuel is being released on DVD by Cinema Libre Studio.

Cinema Libre website